Hanna and Beca are both standing outside of their fathers house. It's getting dark and the mosquitoes have made their appearance. Hanna slaps one that's landed on her arm. She sighs when she looks up at the window that sits in the middle of her bedroom wall. She grew up here but she has no attachment to it. The inside is just as cold as the outside which is why one of her conditions of attending Barden was being able to live in the dorms.

Beca, as a rule to herself, has spent as little time as possible here. She's never even been

upstairs. She limits herself to the kitchen and every so often the living room. She looks at Hanna who doesn't look back at her.

"You ready?"

"I guess."

They both wish they were with the Bellas right now. They went out to get pizza and promised to save them some; an empty promise and everyone knows it. Beca was sent out the door by Chloe who gave her a hug, one that she allowed to linger a little longer than normal. She wishes she was with her right now, not that that's saying much because she would rather be pretty much anywhere but here.

Hanna pushes open the door and calls out, "Hello?"

"Hi girls," the ever enthusiastic Sheila shouts from the kitchen, "Daniel the girls are here."

She walks over and gives them both hugs which do nothing more than stiffen them further. They take a seat at the table, which is way too big for four people. Hanna remembers many "family dinners" that were spent in awkward silence. She also remembers many days where she sat and ate by herself while Daniel and Sheila went out with friends.

Daniel appears in the kitchen a moment later. He gives a nod and forces a smile on his face. He sits at the head of the table and it's quiet; the only sounds coming from the knife against the cutting board and Sheila's quiet humming. Hanna clears her throat and Beca shifts in her chair.

"My God, you would think someone died," Sheila interrupts, her voice even louder than before, "girls, how has your first week been?"

"Fine."

"Good."

She sighs and starts putting food on the table. Sheila has been a fine stepmother to the girls; she doesn't pry too much, she respects the distance they both clearly want and she can cook better than anyone they've ever met.

"I suppose that's all I'm going to get then?" She is met with two blank stares.

Daniel grabs a beer for himself and puts one in front of Beca. Hanna wishes she could have one too but she knows asking would only get her a lecture and nothing more. She had thought, for a very brief moment, about doing a shot with the Bellas before she left the house but she decided against it. Now she wishes she hadn't been such a wimp. She sips her water and takes the beer gratefully from Beca when neither of their parents are looking.

"So Han, Tom said he met you the other day." He says, through a bite of lasagna.

"Who?"

"Sorry, Professor Allen."

"Oh yeah, he teaches my biology class."

"He also mentioned you were late your first day."

Hanna takes a deep breath and rolls her eyes.

"I'm just saying what kind of first impression is that? You need to be better with time management."

"It was my first day, dad. I think that warrants a little leniency, don't you?"

He doesn't say anything, he just shakes his head, the way she hates; the way that tells her he isn't going to listen to anything else she has to say.

"Bec, how are your classes?"

She shrugs, "Fine, I'm taking a couple business courses and, of course, my music classes."

He nods and smiles at her. Hanna tries not to hold it against Beca; after all they've decided to try. And based on the few interactions she's witnessed between her dad and her sister, she knows Beca doesn't ask for his attention, in fact she avoids it when she can.

Hanna listens while their dad and Sheila ask Beca a million questions; about class, her job at the radio station, Jesse. Hanna hops up to clear the dishes and takes her seat again, her eyes moving back and forth between the table and the clock on the wall.

"So how are you two liking being in the Bellas together?" Sheila asks.

"It's been good," Beca says with a forced cheeriness, "we've only had a couple rehearsals but I think Hanna is going to be a good fit for us."

Hanna's heart starts beating a little faster at her sister's compliment. She doesn't know her well enough to read if it's real or not, but by the absence of a crack in her voice, she thinks it might be. She smiles at Beca and looks back to their dad who seems ready to say something. She braces herself.

"Just don't make it harder on your sister. What you do reflects on her and on me, so do what you're told."

"It's not the army, dad. It's a singing group. I'm there to have fun."

"I know that, but you also need to take it seriously. They've worked really hard for the past few years to build it up to what it is. You need to respect that."

"I never said that I didn't."

"I know, but this is what you do," His voice deepens with its serious tone, "you get excited about something and then as soon as it's not shiny and new anymore you lose interest. Your sister loves that group and I don't want you leaving her there to pick up the pieces when you decide you're done with it."

"I don't do that."

He gives a look of disbelief which makes her face feel hot.

"Soccer?"

"I was five."

"Theatre?"

"You told me I needed to quit because my grades might start to slip."

She stands from her chair.

"Listen, think whatever you want because we all know you will anyway. Thanks for dinner, Sheila. I should get going. Is that okay with you?" She looks back at Daniel, one eyebrow raised and a hand on her hip.

"The tone isn't necessary and you can leave whenever you want. I'm not keeping you here, trust me."

The last two words cut her like a knife. She grabs her bag and walks out the door. She gets a few steps outside before she hears Beca call after her. She takes a few breaths trying to even them out before she turns around to her sister.

"I'm sorry, he just gets under my skin sometimes."

Beca shakes her head, "I had no idea he was so hard on you. Is he always like that?"

"Most of the time."

She can see sympathy in her sister's eyes and it pulls at her stomach.

"It's fine. I'm used to it."

"That doesn't make it okay."

"He's hard on you too."

Beca falls in step with Hanna on their way back to the Bella house.

"Yeah but not all the time."

They walk for a while. Neither of them saying anything but Beca can tell Hanna is thinking deeply about something. With the few glances she takes over at Hanna, she can see her brows furrowed and her teeth pulling on her bottom lip. There's a few more minutes, they can see the front porch lights of the Bella house when Hanna asks,

"What was mom like? You know, when you were little?"

This is uncharted territory. They've never talked about their mom. Hanna isn't sure she even wants to know the answer to that question but she waits for the answer. Beca hesitates. She doesn't want to make Hanna feel any worse but she doesn't want to lie.

"She was really supportive; still is. She let me try anything I wanted and when I told her I wanted to make music, you know, she told me to go for it."

Hanna nods, "So like the total opposite of dad?"

"Pretty much. Dad's proud of you. He's gotta be, you're like so smart."

"Yeah well, if he is, he's never said it to me."

Hanna pushes the door of the house open so Beca isn't able to say anything else. When they walk inside, the girls are dispersed between the kitchen and the living room. Beca walks over to Chloe who, when she sees the look on Beca's face, lets her arms drop to her sides.

"Uh oh."

Beca shakes her head and waves her hand, "It wasn't horrible. It wasn't great but it wasn't terrible."

Chloe waits for her to speak some more.

"I had no idea how hard my dad is on her."

They both look at Hanna while they talk. She is sitting on the floor with Stacie already deep in conversation.

"Like, worse than me, he started in on her right away and basically told her if the Bellas don't do well this year it's all her fault."

"That's ridiculous."

"I know that," Beca grabs another beer from the fridge, this time she takes a second one and walks it over to Hanna.

"Thank you."

"You've earned it."

Beca smiles, the second one of the night, and Hanna smiles back. The other girls feel like they're intruding on a deeply personal moment, because for both of the Mitchell girls, this is as personal as it gets in public.

"Alright, now that you guys are back we're ready to get started." Amy announces from the front of the living room.

"Get started with what?" Hanna asks, a little afraid to hear the answer.

"It's Thursday," Jessica says, as if this is a sufficient answer.

Hanna looks around until her confused expression lands on Chloe.

"It's karaoke night."

Beca looks completely unamused next to her and Hanna deflates.

"Does everything we do have to do with singing?"

"No, not everything. But karaoke is fun."

The girls wait until her look of uncertainty turns to one of apathy that matches Beca's. She waves her hand and takes a seat on the couch next to Stacie. Stacie pats her leg and gives her a huge smile.

"It'll be fun, you're gonna like it."

"Doubtful."

She has to admit that karaoke with the Bellas is much different than the karaoke that she's been forced to take part in before. For starters, there's no karaoke machine, it's all done with their mouths as Chloe so (sexually) put it.

"This will prepare you for our next riff off." Cynthia Rose says, pushing Hanna up to the front of the room.

"What the hell is a riff off?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Beca says.

The girls start to sing a melody, it's somewhat familiar to her.

"Just match us," Jessica says, adding her own voice to the mix.

She thinks for a minute, until the lyrics come to her, and then she starts to sing.

"You're begging me to go

Then making me stay

Why do you hurt me so bad?

It would help me to know

Do I stand in your way

Or am I the best thing you've had…"

Beca looks at Chloe who is already looking at her with a cocky smirk.

"You were right, she's good." Beca admits.

"I knew she had to be."

"Why's that?"

"She's a Mitchell girl."

Beca's heart flutters at the compliment but she fakes a gag which results in Chloe nearly pushing her off the couch. She grips onto her shoulder so she doesn't fall and Chloe pulls her tighter against her chest. Beca looks into Chloe's eyes, she's always so entranced by them, but when she realizes there are other people in the room, and how this must look, she pulls herself back and sits a little further away. Her heart hurts at the crestfallen look on Chloe's face which she does a very poor job of concealing.

"We are young

heartache to heartache

We stand

No promises, no demands

Love is a battlefield."

The girls stop singing and look to Beca. They're used to the awkward interactions between their two captains so they continue on without mentioning anything; besides they know it would just embarrass Chloe and probably cause bodily harm to whoever is closest to Beca.

"Beca, you better look out, you're sister might be coming for your job." Cynthia Rose says.

"Trust me, that's not happening."

Hanna hands the microphone, a toy that Amy picked up at the dollar store, back to Ashley. She plops down on the couch and takes a swig of her beer. She watches as the girls go back and forth singing everything from Beyoncé to Queen to a very dramatic rendition of I Will Always Love You by Fat Amy that Hanna is convinced deafened her temporarily.

After they've decided they've all had enough, some of the girls go to their rooms, others turn on the tv to find something to watch. Hanna follows Chloe, Beca and Stacie into the kitchen. She tosses her beer bottle in the recycling bin and leans against the counter.

"So, Hanna, Beca told me you're a science nerd." Chloe says.

"I didn't say nerd, I said you were interested in science," Beca shoots a look at her co-captain and sits on one of the stools.

"Yeah, I figured it would be a good place to start. There's plenty of jobs, depending on which area I choose, it just seemed like the smart decision."

Her voice falls a little and the other girls pick up on it immediately.

"But is it what you want to do?" Chloe asks.

She shrugs, "I don't know, I guess. It's what my dad wants me to do."

Beca feels that familiar burning in her gut at the mention of their father. The few times they have been in the same room within the past few years she hadn't really noticed it. But to be fair she didn't pay much attention to what was going on around her, she just sat and waited for it to be over. Hanna would hide in her room, come down for dinner, and then either go back to her room and turn her music up way too loud or go to be with her friends. It's clear now that Daniel didn't care much where she was and Beca can't help but wonder why.

"Don't let dad make all your decisions for you." Beca says.

"He made you come here and it worked out pretty well."

"Yeah, but you don't want to look back in four years and think that you haven't done anything for yourself."

Hanna's jaw moves back and forth while she mulls it over.

"I joined the Bellas." She concedes.

The three other girls nod.

"That's something," Chloe says, she hugs Hanna's shoulders.

She pushes her off and stands a little further away.

"I should probably get going, it's late."

Hanna walks quickly out of the house. She thinks over the whole night and shakes it off. She can't quite understand it but when she's with the Bellas she feels like a completely different person, and she kind of likes it.

Chloe, Beca and Stacie remain in the kitchen.

"She's cool, Bec." Stacie says.

"You're a science nerd," She starts, using Chloe's words, "will you just keep an eye on her?"

Stacie nods, "Of course, I will take her under my wing and help mold her."

"Ew, gross," Beca says, "she seems to like you though, just keep tabs on her, please."

"Will do."

Chloe can sense that Beca is still upset by the whole night so she follows her upstairs into Beca's room. She hops on the bed and pats the empty space until Beca sighs and takes a seat.

"She's going to be fine, Beca."

"I know. I just want to make sure that my dad doesn't do what he did to me."

"But like Hanna said, it worked out for the best."

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean that sometimes I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I had been given the option to find out things for myself."

"Are you saying that you regret being a Bella?"

"Of course not. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. The Bellas I mean." Her eyes linger on Chloe's before she speaks, a little more hesitantly this time, "And if I hadn't then maybe Hanna wouldn't be back in my life."

"Then what are you saying?"

Beca sighs again and shakes her head, "I guess I don't even know."

Chloe nods. She knows how Beca is feeling, Barden hadn't been her first choice in schools either but it was the closest, and cheapest, option and as the youngest of five kids that was all that was left. She rests her hand on Beca's leg and they sit in silence for a minute.

Beca looks up into her eyes again, she can't seem to stop staring into them; maybe it's the sympathy in them or the way they don't pry into her own like everyone else's seem to. Chloe leans in closer and closer, so slowly that it's barely noticeable. Their lips are about to touch when Beca's phone rings loudly from her back pocket. They pull apart and Beca reaches for her phone, Jesse's name is on the screen.

Chloe stands and walks, wordlessly, out of the room. Beca watches her go and wants to ignore the call. She wants to call her back to sit with her, to watch a movie, or to stay with her until she falls asleep like she's done so many times before. But instead she answers the call and lays back into her pillows.

"Hey."

"Hey," Jesse's voice is loud and light and despite herself, she smiles, "how's my girl?"

"I'm alright, how was rehearsal?"

"Great, we're getting ready to kick your butt at the ICCA's."

"Keep dreaming, dude."

"You sound weird. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Me and Hanna had dinner with my dad tonight, and I don't know, it's just really getting to me."

"It didn't go well? What did he say to you?"

"Nothing. I guess I'm just realizing that I never got to do all the stuff I was supposed to."

She hears Jesse give the same awkward laugh he always does when she brings up her sister or her parents; it frustrates her and she kind of regrets mentioning it at all.

"Well, I still haven't met her, not really. Why don't the three of us do something tomorrow?"

Beca knows he's trying, he always does, but she doesn't want to share Hanna with him. She is already contending with the Bellas and she feels like that's competition enough. She runs her hands through her hair and closes her eyes.

"Yeah, do you mind if Chloe comes too? I just think it might be better to have another person she already knows. She's not exactly a people person."

"That's shocking," He answers sarcastically, "I'm thinking mini golf?"

"Come on, Jesse, does it have to be mini golf?"

"Yes, I demand a rematch."

Beca, despite her badass image, and her usually cool demeanor, is a mini golf champion. The Bellas and Jesse all find it hysterical and make her go as much as possible. One time she tried to lose on purpose but she still managed two hole-in-ones and she won by at least seven strokes.

"Fine, we'll go mini golfing unless there's something else she wants to do."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too."

She hangs up the phone and tosses it to the end of the bed.

When Hanna walks into her room Dayna is sitting at her desk. She spins in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Where have you been, young lady?"

"Hey," Hanna drops her bag on her bed, "I was with-"

"-the Bellas." Dayna finishes.

"Yeah, me and my sister had dinner with my dad and then we went back and they forced me into karaoke."

Dayna leans forward in her chair, "Wait, your sister?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't know you have a sister."

"Yeah you did, she's a Bella."

Dayna shakes her head, a little too emphatically and one of her braids hits her in the face.

"You never mentioned that."

"Oh, well, uh yeah, she's a Bella. Her name's Beca. She's a junior."

It's quiet for a few minutes.

"I don't tell a lot of people about her."

"Well, I'm thinking now that you're at the same school you don't have much of a choice."

Hanna changes into her pajamas and hops up on her bed. She unlocks her phone to a text from Beca.

'Jesse wants to meet you. Mini golf tomorrow?'

She makes a face. She hasn't gone mini golfing since she was little. She can't really picture her sister mini golfing either but it is definitely something she would like to see so she types back a quick reply.

'Sure. Should I bring my own caddy?'

'Not needed. We'll make Chloe do it.'

She sets three alarms to make sure she isn't late for her biology class again because if she is she will just have to drop it out of sheer embarrassment.

"So, do I get to meet this sister?" Dayna asks when they both lay down in their beds.

"I guess so."

"Good. Maybe she'll give me Stacie's number."

"Shut up."

Hanna turns off her lamp and rolls onto her side. She closes her eyes and waits for sleep to come. Tomorrow will surely be interesting, as she's learning most days will be from here on out.