The One With The Kissing and Ditching

A/N: Good News! It looks like we'll be shooting for weekly Sunday updates, with some chapters maybe taking a little extra time.

A few of you seem very concerned that this will not be a Bechloe fic... my response to that would be: Look at the tags. And also everything I've ever written.

I'd also like to add that I don't own anything having to do with the show Are You The One, or MTV, or Pitch Perfect, and am not connected to the show or the network or the movie in any way. I am simply re-creating the show with my own spin using characters from Pitch Perfect.


It was early afternoon by the time people started rolling out of bed, the groans and random chatter eventually forcing Beca to abandon sleep and get up. She quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, taking another ten minutes or so to get ready before heading downstairs with Aubrey and Flo in search of food. Thankfully, the crew that was milling around pointed them in the direction of a catered buffet that was set up in a room off the kitchen and they immediately grabbed plates of food, taking them into the living room to join the rest of the group.

Beca settled on the couch between Theo and Chloe, the redhead sliding over closer to Zeke to make room for her to squeeze in. She took a bite of her sandwich, trying to catch up with the conversation about the matchup ceremony last night.

"I'm just saying I think Calamity and I are a match," Chicago's voice sounded a little frustrated, making Beca wonder just how long this discussion had been going on for. "I don't get what the big deal is about that."

Luke rolled his eyes, retorting, "Because if we only got two right, odds are you two aren't a match."

Fat Amy cut in, "Well, we know that two of the couples last night were matches. It's just as likely them as anyone else."

Flo shook her head, chiming in, "Luke and I are not a match."

Beca chuckles at Luke's expression, somewhere between laughing and confusion.

"I'm not sure if I should be offended by that or not," Luke mused, shooting a raised eyebrow at the smaller woman. "You know me so well after never talking to me that you know we aren't a perfect match?"

Kommissar butted in, saying, "He's right. For all we know Bumper and I were one of the perfect matches… and I think we can all agree that wouldn't be our first guess."

Bumper scowled at her, "I'm definitely offended by that."

"I meant you to be," she shot back, adding in an eye roll for good measure.

Beca muttered to Chloe, "Well they're already bickering like an old married couple… is it really that far of a stretch?"

Chloe chuckled at her words, smartly keeping her opinion on the matter to herself.

Jesse was the first to have had enough of the disagreements. "We don't have enough information to make any guesses about who the matches were. Clearly, the people we've gravitated to naturally are not our perfect match, so we need to start talking to other people."

Calamity shrugged, "Fine for you guys. Until Chicago and I are in that Truth Booth and it says no match, I'm gonna stick with him."

Chicago smiled beside her, leaning in to kiss her.

Aubrey glanced around the room, asking, "So have we decided to keep doing what we're doing or talk to other people?"

The responses were mixed, with no clear answer coming out of the resulting arguing. Beca shook her head, finishing her food and set her empty plate down on the floor at her feet. They weren't getting anywhere and she needed a cup of coffee and quiet. The exhaustion of the previous night shoot was still very much affecting her, and if the short fuses around the room were any indication she wasn't the only one.

Beca quietly got up from the couch and made a cup of coffee from the catering table before sneaking out into the backyard and walking away from the house towards the beach.

"Hey, Bec… wait up!"

Beca slowed and half-turned to see Chloe following her, a bottle of water in each hand.

"Hey, I'm okay you know," Beca offered, not wanting to take the redhead away from spending time with any of the guys. "Just needed to get away from that mess for a few minutes.

Chloe shook her head, "I was feeling it, too. We were just going in circles."

Beca nodded, starting up her slow pace again towards the beach and tried to ignore the camera crew that was not so stealthily filming them. She had learned quickly that peace and privacy was not a thing here, and to just accept that there was going to be a camera in her face almost all the time.

Chloe looked away from her at the ocean. "Who do you think the matches were?"

Beca let out a defeated laugh, answering, "Honestly, I have no fucking idea. I mean, Theo could be my match. Chicago could be Calamity's… fuck, Bumper and Kommissar could be it for all I know."

"I would die if Bumper and Kommissar are a match," Chloe replied, her laughter mingling pleasantly with Beca's own.

Beca shook her head. "It'd definitely be the shock of the season. Maybe we can get them in a Truth Booth."

"Waste of a Truth Booth."

"Yeah, you're right," Beca agreed, knowing it was true. They would probably lose the million bucks if those two were a match.

Chloe didn't respond right away, the pair of them falling into silence looking at the gorgeous coastline stretching out before them.

"Can I ask why you wanted to come on this show?"

Beca turned to find Chloe looking at her, momentarily captivated by the blue of her eyes. "Uh, yeah of course," Beca answered, quickly looking down at her feet. "I mean, we're all here to find love, right?"

A glance up told her Chloe was disappointed in her answer, though the redhead quickly masked her reaction. "Yeah, of course."

"Why are you here?" Beca asked curiously, wondering if Chloe would tell her the real reason after she side-stepped the question.

Chloe suddenly became very interested in the ground, making Beca wait for her answer. "I think I wanted one last adventure before med school and residency take over my life," she finally said, looking out at the water again. "The stupid thing is I don't even know if I'll have time for a relationship after this ends even if I find my soulmate here."

Beca pondered that for a minute, finally saying, "I think if you found your soulmate… you'd find a way to make it work. I mean… it's your soulmate."

Chloe let out a quiet chuckle, "My soulmate… perfect match… seems like such bullshit, doesn't it?"

"Uh…" Beca wasn't expecting that at all, having assumed the redhead was all the sunshine and optimism she'd portrayed up until that point. "I don't know," she finally admitted.

Chloe glanced at her, asking a different question. "Who were you most afraid to tell?"

"That I was coming on the show?" Beca replied, making sure she understood the question.

At Chloe's nod, she answered immediately, "My parents… I guess specifically my Dad. I knew he was gonna hate the idea. I didn't know how my mom would feel but she's pretty much let me do my thing for a while now, so…"

"How'd he take it?"

"He came around."

Chloe nodded, "That's good."

"What about you? Same question."

Chloe didn't hesitate with her answer either. "My younger brother. He's five years younger than me and has always looked up to me. The thought of disappointing him… but at the same time, I wanted to show that it's okay for people to take risks and do crazy stuff sometimes."

Beca smiled at the sentiment, agreeing, "This is definitely something crazy, but at the same time I think it'll be pretty awesome. Isn't there some quote about the things that are the most uncomfortable or difficult are the most rewarding?"

Before Chloe could answer they heard someone walking up behind them, turning to see CR offering them a wry smile. "Having fun, ladies?"

They nodded, Beca glancing around to see that the camera crew that had been following them was nowhere to be found. "Just needed some quiet for a minute… girl time or whatever."

CR nodded. "Understandable, but maybe it's time to get back. You're supposed to be bonding with the guys," she finished, shooting them a wink.

Beca frowned, feeling confused as that's all they've been doing since they arrived.

"Right, of course," Chloe broke the momentary silence, turning and putting a little extra space between them as they started to walk back.

Beca glanced behind them to see CR watching their progress back towards the house, feeling like there was something completely off about that whole exchange.

"That was weird, right?" Beca muttered, taking one more glance over her shoulder at the producer. "Obviously we're supposed to be finding our match, but am I supposed to ignore every other woman in the house while I go about it? Fucking ridiculous."

Chloe seemed to sense her irritation, replying, "I wouldn't worry about it. Of course, we're gonna get to know each other." After a few seconds, she added, "More likely we can't get drunk and do something stupid standing out in the yard."

Beca scoffed, "As if I need to be drunk to do something stupid. There's a reason they let me come here."

Chloe laughed as they rounded into view of the pool to see several things happening all at once. Stacie and Tom had paired off to no one's surprise and were doing Yoga, while others were split into smaller groups doing their workouts around the yard.

Beca gestured at Tom and Stacie with her coffee cup, teasing, "You okay with your matchup from last night being all over Stacie and calling it Yoga?"

Chloe rolled her eyes at the question, retorting sarcastically, "I'll get over it."

Beca chuckled at her answer as Theo spotted her from where he was alternating doing pull-ups with Luke, jogging over to the pair of them. She watched him approach, taking a moment to appreciate the fact that he was once again shirtless. The memory hadn't left her from his stint as a judge for the drink contest, but she wasn't going to turn down the chance to refresh it.

Chloe noticed as well, mumbling, "I'm just gonna…"

Beca glanced at her, not having a chance to say anything as she walked away and all her energy suddenly became focused on avoiding Theo's attempt at a sweaty hug.

"Oh my God, I will literally fucking kill you," she threatened as he froze with his arms out, laughing at her panic.

"Come work out with us, Bec," he offered, gesturing back to where Luke was actively gesturing at the pair of them.

Beca let out a real laugh. "What part of this," she gestured down her body, "makes you think I could do half a pull-up… let alone a whole one."

Theo didn't seem put out, offering, "Luke and I will help you. It's not that hard."

"Yeah no," Beca shook her head, not entertaining the idea for a second. "Hard pass. You guys have fun."

Beca swiftly stepped around him, ignoring his call of, "You're missing out!" and walked over to a chair by the pool that was shaded by an umbrella with a good view of the workout group. She may not want to participate, but there was nothing wrong with watching other people torture themselves. Jesse and Zeke had partnered up in some sort of pushup contest, while Chicago and Calamity were doing sets of squats holding what looked like sandbags. A few feet away from them Kommissar, Aubrey, and Lilly were stretching and carrying on a conversation.

Out of nowhere, Donald collapsed into the chair beside her, looking as if he was ready for a nap, and handed her a drink.

"Oh, we're drinking already?" Beca quipped, glancing at the cup in her hand.

He winked, "You can't watch sports without a beer."

Beca laughed and tapped her cup to his. "Cheers!"


The day was spent lazily relaxing and recovering from the long matchup shoot. After working out people lounged by the pool, occasionally dipping in for a swim. It was clear to Beca that some connections were really starting to form in the house, her eyes finding Stacie and Tom lip-locked more often than not throughout the afternoon. Chicago and Calamity weren't much better, and she wasn't surprised when Jesse dropped onto the couch beside her that evening holding two beers.

"Thanks," Beca smiled accepting his offering and raising the bottle slightly before taking a sip.

"No problem," he said, his smile warm and friendly. "So, Chicago and Calamity were the first to break in the boom boom room this afternoon."

Beca almost spit her sip of beer out at the casual way he said it. "The what?"

Jesse laughed, "I know… but I swear that's what they call it!"

"Nope, don't believe that," Beca replied, still recovering from almost choking on her sip of beer.

"You got a better name?" Jesse asked, sipping his beer and leaning comfortably back into the couch.

Beca thought for a moment. "STD Den?"

"You make a fair point," Jesse admitted.

"Why would you want to fuck in a place you know a bunch of other people have already fucked?" Beca pondered, glancing around the room wondering if Tom and Stacie were next.

Jesse shrugged, "Probably because it's the only room with a lock in the entire house, including the bathrooms. These producers are vicious." After a minute, he added, "Also it's a king-size bed, which I might kill for after a few more nights of our teenage sleepover arrangement."

"Touché," Beca nodded, finding that the thrill of sleeping as one giant group faded incredibly fast. "Anyways, what torture do you think our challenge will be tomorrow?"

"Hmm, good one. Maybe walking over hot coals to prove our love? How much pain will us poor schmucks put up with for a date with one of you beautiful ladies," Jesse waxed, a cheesy smile pairing well with the way he rolled his eyes.

"If you're lucky," Beca shot back, feeling more at ease with him the more they got to know each other. Jesse was a legitimately nice guy, funny and handsome if a little bit nerdy.

A loud crash sounded from the kitchen, making both of them turn their heads toward the sound. Someone called out "It's fine!" and Beca sighed, turning back to face him.

"It'll be a miracle if we all survive, right?"

Jesse nodded, "Hundred percent. That was Bumper?"

Beca frowned, thinking back to the voice. "I thought it sounded like Uni."

"Have you even talked to him? How do you know what his voice sounds like?" Jesse asked curiously.

"I mean… we've met," Beca finally said, smacking Jesse's shoulder when he started laughing at her. "Shut up, jerk. Don't blame every stupid thing that happens in this house on Bumper."

"What about Bumper?"

Theo hopped over the back of the couch to settle on Beca's other side, his body sideways facing them both with one shoulder pressed into the back cushion and his other hand settling comfortably on her knee.

"Hey," Beca greeted, shooting him a smile before turning back to Jesse who was looking past her at Theo.

When Jesse didn't say anything, Beca said, "We were debating who just broke something in the kitchen."

"Oh, Fat Amy knocked a knife off the countertop and it landed right next to Uni's foot," Theo explained, glancing back towards the kitchen as if he could see the scene playing out again. "He jumped away from it and dropped his bowl of cereal and it shattered. No one was hurt though."

Beca smirked at Jesse, "I knew it was Uni!"

Jesse rolled his eyes again, now focused back on her. "Lucky guess."

"Or I'm a genius."

"Unlikely. You're stuck in this madness with the rest of us, so…"

Theo unexpectedly joined Jesse's side of the argument, "Yeah, I'm with Jesse on this one. Genius' do not sign up for this."

"Speak for yourselves, boys," Stacie interjected as she made her way into the room, followed by Tom. "I'm a fucking mastermind. I'm gonna make this game my bitch."

Tom deadpanned, "By this game, you mean finding love?"

Stacie didn't bat an eye, replying, "Yeah, I'll do that too."

Luke and Kommissar wandered into the room, followed by Donald who asked, "Okay, this night is boring as shit. Let's play a game."

"Okay Jigsaw," Luke shot back, sitting down on the large sectional carefully to avoid spilling his drink. "Name the game."

"I don't know what it's called, but the goal is to guess who kissed you," Donald said, sitting down on Theo's other side.

Stacie grinned, "I'm in."

"What if I don't want you to kiss anyone else?" Tom asked though the mischief in his eyes let everyone know he wasn't serious.

"Tough shit," was Stacie's answer, clearly not about to listen to anything he had to say on the matter even if he was serious.

"And you're just cool with me kissing other people," Tom pressed, now openly grinning ear to ear.

Stacie laughed, finally saying, "Yeah, what if I am? None of them will compare to me anyways, babe." Instead of waiting for an answer she leaned in and kissed him, snaking a hand around to grip the back of his head.

Beca looked away, having already seen them make out enough throughout the day.

Luke stepped in to put a stop to it, clapping his hands loudly right beside their faces, probably because it was happening right beside him on the couch. "Okay, save it for the boom boom room you horny bastards."

Stacie reluctantly leaned back into the couch, shooting Tom a less than subtle wink to let him know that's exactly where they were ending up tonight.

Donald shouted out to the rest of the house, "Drinking game in the living room! Get your asses down here!"

Zeke, Chicago, and Calamity joined them, followed shortly by Aubrey and Chloe who informed them that the rest of the group was playing another game out in the backyard.

"Fine, fuck them," Donald said dismissively, looking around the room. "Everyone grab a drink and I'll explain the rules."

After a few minutes of shuffling around and the truly genius idea to bring shot glasses and bottles of liquor back from the kitchen, the group waited for Donald to explain the game. He finally appeared from rummaging around upstairs, grinning and brandishing someone's sleep mask.

"Okay here's how it works. One person gets blindfolded and starts in the middle. Someone else from the group kisses them… any type of kiss you want, from peck to full-on make out. Then the person stays blindfolded and has to guess who kissed them. If they get it wrong, they drink a mystery shot mixed by our resident bartender," Donald gestured dramatically towards Beca as the group nodded their approval of this rule.

He continued, "The rest of us have to decide whether they think the person will guess right or wrong. Thumbs up if you think they'll guess right, thumbs down if you think they'll fuck it up. If you're wrong, you drink a shot with them."

Stacie grinned, "Excellent. I'm first. Give me that."

Donald winked and tossed her the mask, retreating to a seat on the couch. Stacie slipped the mask over her head, asking, "Am I allowed to use my hands at all?"

"No, makes it too easy to guess," Donald answered, looking around to see if anyone wanted to argue that point. When no one spoke up, he said, "Okay, first round! Everyone keep talking and making noise and shit so you can't hear any movements."

Beca raised an eyebrow at that, wondering just how many times he'd played this game before to have it down to specifics like that. She grinned as Donald stood up and pointed to himself, before loudly stating, "Okay! Thumbs up or down people!"

Beca put her thumb down, knowing there was no way Stacie would guess that Donald would go first. A glance around the room showed a lot of confidence in her, making her immediately second guess herself and switch her thumb to face up.

The kiss started slow but got steamy by the end, Donald finally standing back up and retreating to wolf whistles and cheers from the group. After a long pause, he finally said, "Okay, time to guess!"

Stacie didn't hesitate, immediately guessing, "Luke!"

Groans echoed around the circle, with only Zeke and Aubrey guessing right and high-fiving their success.

Donald smirked, "Wrong! Bartender, whip us up a mystery shot! Everyone who got it wrong drinks!"

Beca took a gulp from her cup, quickly pouring a shot of Tequila for Stacie. She downed it easily, asking, "Where's my lime?"

"No lime for wrong guesses," Beca quipped, not having one at her disposal anyways.

Stacie removed the blindfold, looking around the room. "Who was it then? They can fucking kiss…"

Donald stepped forward and took a bow. When he righted up, Stacie stepped to him and kissed him again before tapping his hip and slipping by him to sit back by time. She tossed him the blindfold and tucked happily back into Tom's side.

Donald put the blindfold on and sat down on the little ottoman in the middle of the sectional.

To Beca's surprise, Kommissar was the one to stand up and plant one on Donald's waiting lips. Beca barely had time to put her thumb down before they were kissing. It wasn't quite as steamy as the first round, but there was definitely some tongue involved before the blonde stood back up.

Donald had a happy smile when he came back into her view, guessing, "Beca?"

Beca's eyes went wide, wondering if she'd given off the vibe she'd full-on French someone for a first kiss. Then again, the first two hadn't hesitated at all so maybe she was the outlier in this formula.

The room shouted out "No!" to let him know he was wrong, and Beca poured him a shot of vodka just to keep him on his toes.

"Agh… I can't believe you gave me vodka you asshole," Donald sputtered after the shot, ripping off the blindfold to shoot Beca a death glare. "I told you that in confidence!"

Beca shrugged, "I can't believe you actually thought that was me."

"I thought you'd try to throw me off," he whined, grabbing his drink and taking a quick sip to get rid of the taste of the vodka. "Who was it?"

Kommissar winked at him, reaching out her hand for the blindfold.

Donald laughed, nodding his acceptance as he handed it over. "Well done," he said with a wink back.

Kommissar broke the no-hands rule when she gripped the front of Zeke's shirt as he began to pull away, extending the kiss for at least an extra thirty seconds before loud coughing and tugging on both his arms forced them to break apart. Beca shook her head in disbelief when the stoic blonde hummed thoughtfully for a minute and then called out, "Zeke?"

The shouts were growing in volume the more they drank, no one believing she would get it right.

"I swear she cheated somehow," Jesse muttered, his face flushing slightly red with the amount of alcohol he'd consumed.

Beca mused, "She definitely took her time to figure it out, though."

Jesse chuckled, nodding in agreement.

Zeke replaced her in the middle of the circle, with Chloe rising to kiss him once the sleep mask was securely in place. After the last example, their kiss could only be categorized as chaste, with Beca putting it more on the level of the opening rounds. She quickly put her thumb down having faith that he wouldn't guess right.

"Calamity?"

Cheers and howls met his incorrect guess, Zeke eventually figuring out he got it wrong and removed the blindfold to see Chloe standing before him.

"Shit, I should have guessed you," he said, shaking his head. He sportingly downed the shot of Tequila that Beca slid his way, before passing the blindfold to Chloe.

Beca looked around to see who would step up next. Chicago got to his feet, but Stacie leaned over and smacked him, pointing to herself then pressing a finger to her lips to tell everyone else to contain their reactions. Beca felt her stomach twist in anticipation as Stacie held her hair back with one hand and pressed her lips to Chloe's. She almost burst out laughing at the way Chloe's eyebrows rose in shock, before leaning into the kiss with enthusiasm.

Stacie pulled away after a few more seconds, her expression impressed as she gave her own thumbs up towards Chloe, who was now looking a mixture of surprised and confident.

"Well, that definitely wasn't a guy," Chloe joked, pretending to look around the room.

"Are you sure?" Luke called out teasingly, adding, "You better be sure before you go calling one of us a girl."

Beca could tell Chloe rolled her eyes at his words, replying, "It's not my first rodeo, Lucas."

"Ouch bro, she full-named you!" Chicago cackled, earning himself a punch in the shoulder.

Chloe seemed to be listening to them all for a moment before saying confidently, "If that wasn't Stacie I'll take two shots."

Stacie proudly took a bow as Chloe pulled off the blindfold, "Guilty!"

Chloe laughed and stood up as well, tossing Stacie the blindfold.

The brunette caught it and winked at her, offering, "Feel free to return the favor. Tom might have some competition on his hands."

Tom looked between the two of them, suggesting, "There's no need for that, I'm open to sharing."

Chloe made a show of looking Stacie up and down, glancing back at Tom to say, "Nice of you… but I'm not."

The crows and jeers grew in volume as Tom simply grinned and nodded his acceptance. "Can't blame you. She's hot. You both are."

Beca completely agreed with him, the entire exchange making her head spin about what Chloe was insinuating. She didn't have an issue if Chloe swung both ways, but found it an interesting piece of information for her to disclose during something that was definitely going to show up in an episode. Maybe the producers cut that stuff out.

Stacie didn't seem to have Chloe's problem with sharing, wrapping her arms playfully around the redhead from behind while keeping eye contact with Tom. "Sorry, Chlo… I've experimented, but it's just not for me."

Chloe laughed and reached back to pat Stacie's head lovingly. "I'll treasure our kiss forever," she joked, slipping out of Stacie's loose hold to return to her seat on the couch.

Beca tried to catch Chloe's eye but the redhead didn't look her way, focusing on the way Stacie was back in the middle and blindfolded. Tom stood up to go next, apparently feeling like he had something to prove after his love connection finished bragging about her second amazing kiss of the evening.

She found it extremely amusing when Stacie pushed him away after only a few seconds, exclaiming, "Tom, I can kiss you whenever I want!"

That paused the game for a few minutes as everyone burst out laughing at Tom's wounded expression. He apologized dramatically, which Stacie immediately accepted by way of a thorough kiss, before slipping on the mask and taking his place in the middle of the group.

Aubrey was the next one to play, Beca not expecting her to participate and her surprise only grew when the blonde really went for it. Tom appreciated it as well, his hands moving up to touch her before freezing in place as if he barely remembered the rules in time. Aubrey pulled back after another second, giving everyone a view of Tom's face screwed up in concentration.

"Aubrey?"

"What the fuck?" Theo exclaimed, amongst several other expletives at the man guessing correctly. "Fucking cheaters, all of you! Three in a row?"

Beca admitted that Chloe and Stacie guessing right wasn't that far of a stretch, but no one had predicted Tom would guess Aubrey. Everyone around the circle drank as Tom smirked arrogantly after his correct guess.

"Don't underestimate the power of not wanting Beca to pour me a vodka shot," Tom joked, retaking his seat beside Stacie.

Donald nodded, seemingly still holding onto a grudge over his own.

When Aubrey was seated and blindfolded on the ottoman in the center of the group, Luke stood up and gently pecked her lips with a cheeky grin. Aubrey's look of disappointment had the room cracking up again, knowing she was expecting something very different.

"Theo?"

Theo rolled his eyes, muttering, "Of course she'd think that was me."

Luke cheered victoriously as she got it wrong, proudly owning it the minute she pulled off the mask.

"Oh, you asshole!" Aubrey snapped, throwing the mask at him when he burst out laughing.

Beca was laughing as she poured out a shot of Tequila for Aubrey, loving Luke's antics. Aubrey downed the shot like a pro before stepping forward and pulling Luke into a real kiss, which he happily obliged.

"Better," she said smugly, sitting back down.

Luke swiped the blindfold from the ground and put it on, taking his place. Calamity had a smirk as she approached him, leaning in close to his lips. Before making contact, she swooped to the side and planted one on his cheek, pulling away before he could make a movement towards her.

"Oh, you're all fucking assholes now," Luke complained. "How am I supposed to guess that?"

Donald was laughing hard, finally recovering enough to say, "Sorry dude. A kiss is a kiss!"

Luke threw his hands up, blindly guessing, "Kommissar."

The group roared in approval of Calamity's actions, as Beca quickly poured a shot that was half Tequila and half vodka. She placed it in Luke's hand who immediately brought it to his mouth, expecting one or the other but definitely not both. The result was sprayed liquor all over the floor and the rest of the group laughing harder.

"Beca, you're dead!" He shouted, ripping off the blindfold and searching her out, jumping up to grab her and throw her over his shoulder in a fireman carry.

Beca was too busy laughing to see where he was taking her, finally regaining her bearings as the fresh air of the backyard hit her.

"Fuck! Luke don't you fucking da….." Beca trailed off as he didn't hesitate to throw her in the pool.

She came up sputtering in outrage, glaring up at the blonde who was taking his turn to laugh his ass off. "You'll regret that for eternity," she promised, treading water before leaning her head back to get her hair out of her face.

Luke shrugged and turned to yell back at the house, "Pool Party!"

He didn't give her time to protest before leaping into the water beside her, executing a perfect cannonball.


Beca glanced out the window of the minibus the entire cast was taking down to the beach. They'd been up early that morning with instructions to have their swimsuits on beneath their clothes and a warning that they were most likely going to get wet. Naturally, Stacie had retorted with a dirty joke, slightly taking the edge off the anticipation of whatever challenge awaited them.

Theo was dozing in the seat beside her, his head adorably dropped onto her shoulder. He was starting to grow on her, even if it was in more of a best friend way than a romantic one, and she realized she genuinely enjoyed his company. It was different than Luke, who she definitely vibed with on a more drinking buddy level, and Jesse who could have her laughing for days with enough alcohol in her system. Beca had wondered briefly if Donald could be her match after they hit it off so well the first few days, but she'd seen him around the house with Lilly and had the feeling neither of them were each other's first choice anymore.

The bus slowed to a stop in an empty parking lot, a crew member rising to his feet at the front with a yawn. "Okay, let's go!"

Theo jerked upright at the shout, looking around as he got his bearings. "Where are we?"

Beca shook her head, "No idea. Maybe this is where they decide we all suck and kill us off to make room for the next batch."

"That would be too merciful," Theo yawned, stepping out into the aisle and letting her out in front of him. "They'll draw it out slowly and painfully and in a very entertaining way for everyone watching."

Beca silently agreed with him as they trudged off the bus and into the bright sunshine, suddenly wishing they were allowed to wear sunglasses. They followed the group down to the edge of a small inlet and sat chatting in the shade of a few trees while the crew set up. Beca watched CR barking orders at the crew, wondering how she managed to keep everyone in line and create a great show. There was no way she'd be able to do it.

"What do you think we're gonna have to do?" Aubrey asked curiously, as the crew worked on measuring out the ropes and stacking PVC pipes into small piles.

Bumper studied the scene, answering, "Looks like we're building rafts."

Beca swallowed hard, knowing that would not be a part of her skill set. Pouring drinks and dealing with drunks… check. Building literally anything… no. She was definitely getting wet.

"At least some of us will be, anyways," Bumper continued, turning back to the group. "They aren't setting up enough materials for all of us to do it."

Uni groaned, "Shit, it's definitely the guys. No way they'd make the girls build rafts and come rescue us."

Beca breathed a sigh of relief at his line of thinking, completely agreeing with it.

"I hope so," Fat Amy said, squinting at the crew moving quickly to lay two paddles beside each pile. "Two paddles… we could be pairing up and building it together."

"I hope not," Beca muttered, not excited at all about that prospect.

CR finally came over to them, cutting the debate short. "How are we doing today?"

The response was mixed after their late-night drinking and swimming, but CR didn't look surprised at the lack of energy.

"Great," she continued, looking over her shoulder for some sort of confirmation, nodding sharply when she received it. "Today's challenge will have the guys starting here on this beach and the ladies across the inlet on the shore. The guys will be given a set of materials and instructions to build a small raft, they will paddle it across the inlet and pick up the girl they want to go on a date with, and the pair of you will paddle back. The first three couples to make it back to the shore win the getaway date." She eyed their glazed overlooks that probably didn't inspire much confidence. "Any questions?"

Bumper asked, "What if the raft falls apart as we're paddling?"

CR didn't bat an eye, answering, "You drag all your materials back to shore and start over."

Luke chimed in, "What if we're halfway across already?"

"Try to fix it in the water."

Chicago frowned, "What if we can't build it."

"You don't go on the date."

Calamity asked, "So us ladies are just waiting to be rescued like fucking damsels in distress?"

CR scoffed, "Look, I don't come up with this shit. This time the guys are up, next time you'll have to do something, okay? You have to help paddle back, it's not just a free ride."

Beca quipped, "Do we have to? Can it be a free ride?"

CR ignored her, looking pointedly at the group. "Any more serious questions?" At their silence, she said, "Good. Gail should be here in about ten minutes and we'll get started."

They watched her walk a safe distance away before the guys started complaining, none of them seemed interested in building a raft until Aubrey finally snapped at them to shut up. Beca knew they were all tired and hungover and she didn't really blame them for complaining. If she were about to do something equally physical she'd definitely have a few choice words to say about it.

She looked over towards the parking lot in time to see Gail slowly approaching the beach, a production assistant beside her chattering away. Beca assumed the girl was going over her lines or something of that nature with the way Gail was focusing intently on everything she said. CR approached her for a brief conversation before turning and walking back towards them.

"Okay guys, time for your second challenge," CR said when she was within hearing distance, clapping her hands to get them all to their feet. "Gail will set up on her mark. You guys will start over there," she pointed to the trail leading down to the beach from the parking lot, "and run over to her to get briefed for the challenge. Then we've got a little boat to take the ladies over to the other side of the inlet, while the boys get set up on the beach here. Go ahead and get into position."

Beca walked over to the trail with the rest of the group and stood waiting for their cue. They had to wait about ten more minutes in the hot sun for the crew to be completely ready and were starting to sweat by the time CR had everyone in place. Thankfully, they only had to film running over to Gail twice. Beca knew any more times than that and they'd all need to return to the house to shower to make it believable that they had just arrived at the beach.

Gail greeted them cheerfully, "Hey guys! How's it going?"

They all responded with a chorus of, "Good!"

"As you saw from the first matchup where you only got two out of ten perfect matches," Gail began, holding up two fingers as if they needed the added visual to understand her, "It's clear your initial instincts on love are… way off."

A few nervous chuckles sounded out from the group, emphasized by the several loud affirmations of her statement. Beca fought to keep from rolling her eyes, the only thing going through her mind was 'obviously.'

"But, you have nine more shots at locking in as ten perfect couples and winning that million dollars," Gail continued in a semi-serious tone, trying to reassure them they had plenty of time to figure it out. "Are you ready for your next getaway challenge?"

At the more enthusiastic responses to that question, Gail beamed and geared up to explain what they were doing. "Alright, here we go."

CR stepped in, interrupting her before she could dive into explaining the challenge. "Hold up, let's get that sequence one more time. I'd like a little more reaction and enthusiasm from you lot… Gail, you were perfect."

This time Beca rolled her eyes, silently musing that if they wanted them to play it up more they shouldn't have dragged their asses out of bed at five in the morning. Still, it wasn't a negotiation and it took two more tries for CR to be satisfied with the take and allow Gail to finally move on.

"Behind me on the beach are the materials required to build a rudimentary raft," Gail started, half-turning to gesture towards the pipes and ropes. "The ten guys will each receive a bundle of PVC pipes, rope, two paddles, and a set of instructions for how to build a secure raft. They will each build a raft, paddle across the water to the opposite shore where the ladies will be waiting. Guys, you'll paddle to the girl you want to go on a date with, help her onto your raft, and the two of you must paddle back here to the starting shore. The first three couples to return will win a fabulous getaway date!"

Everyone cheered at the mention of the getaway date, by now having figured out that it was always worth fighting for a shot to escape the house for a day.

"Remember, only the three couples on the getaway date will be eligible to be voted into the Truth Booth," Gail reminded them, turning serious again, "the only way to find out if you are a perfect match."

Beca nodded along with the rest of the cast, looking around as if trying to pair people up then and there.

"Okay, if you're ready… let's get into places and get this thing going!"


It took another half hour to get everyone set up to actually begin the challenge, allowing for even more understanding as to why they needed an entire day to complete some of these shoots. It would be maddening without the other people in the house to commiserate with.

Beca glanced at Stacie to her left, then at Calamity to her right. They were all lined up about five feet apart from each other, just enough to force the boys to be slightly accurate with their rafts on who they were aiming for, but close enough to hear the chatter from one end of the line to the other.

There were two camera crews in boats in the water and two more on the beach where the guys were preparing to build rafts.

"Thank God we don't have to do that," Aubrey said, breaking the momentary silence. "I might just give up before it began."

"You and me both," Calamity called back to her, with Beca nodding in agreement.

"I'd have better luck just tying all the pipes together and dragging them behind me," Emily said thoughtfully as if that were an option.

"I'd be fine," Flo shrugged. "Back in my country, everyone can sail. You never know when you might get stranded on a boat."

Beca wasn't sure she heard her correctly, muttering to Stacie, "Did she just say sail? Calling this sailing is like calling the walk from the parking lot to the beach a marathon."

"Agreed," Stacie replied, her eyes staring across the small inlet to where the guys still hadn't jumped into action. "What the fuck is taking them so long?"

Calamity heard her, answering, "In case you haven't noticed by now, it takes a year to do anything around here. We'll all be old maids by the time these six weeks are up."

Beca nodded in agreement, eyes trained on the opposite beach. "You're not wrong. Wait… I think they might be about to start."

Sure enough, it was only a few moments later the guys sprung into action running towards their respective piles of materials.

"This should be good," Stacie commented, as only two of them actually picked up the instructions for longer than ten seconds. "Anyone wanna bet on how many fall apart before they get halfway?"

Beca laughed, "At least half of them never make it to us. You heard it here first."

Calamity shook her head at the chaos happening across the inlet. "Give them a little credit… I think half will make it to us."

Kommissar called over to them from farther down the line. "I'll be stunned if half of them make a usable raft with those shitty materials."

Beca felt more confident in her prediction the longer they watched the guys struggle with the rope and pipes. She wondered if the producers or whoever thought up this challenge was starting to regret it. It definitely lowered the entertainment value if none of the guys could even get off the beach.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me," Calamity muttered beside her, making Beca look back towards the beach.

Incredibly, Bumper was dragging his completed raft into the water and hopping on. She could see one paddle roped carefully to the raft while he used the other to move at a decent pace through the water. Beca could only laugh because of course Bumper would be the one to excel at this challenge.

"Idiota," Flo cursed from Stacie's other side. "They're using the wrong knots. It should be a rolling hitch knot. That would hold better."

Beca's eyebrows rose in surprise, leaning forward to look at the smaller woman. "How can you even tell what type of knots they're using?"

Flo shot her a look as if it was obvious, accompanied by a gesture towards the guys. "Just look."

Beca glanced at Calamity, murmuring, "I need my fucking eyes checked if it should be that obvious."

The other woman nodded in response, a look of disbelief on her face.

"My eyesight is perfect," Flo said, not straying from her almost indifferent tone. "I ate a lot of carrots and sweet potatoes as a child. I loved orange. Also fish, but not orange fish."

Beca shook her head, adding, "Maybe my ears, too. Dunno how the fuck she heard that."

Calamity and Stacie both laughed as Flo wasn't finished. "Bumper's doing well. He's almost halfway already."

"Watch out, Stacie… looks like he's coming for one of us and I seriously doubt it's me," Beca warned.

Stacie sighed, before fixing a happy smile on her face. "Producers won't like it if I look pissed off, right?"

Beca shrugged, "Not sure they can actually do anything about it without having to re-film the whole challenge. Also, they're probably praying at night for some massive bit of drama. You never know."

Stacie seemed to consider her options, before shouting, "Come on, Bumper!" She laughed and shot Beca a quick look, whispering, "Not worth the risk of having to film it all over again."

"We all appreciate it," Beca replied as Bumper got within hearing range.

"Come on, sexy," Bumper winked at Stacie. "I'm here to rescue you from this…sandbar."

Beca rolled her eyes as Stacie pretended to swoon before climbing on the raft with him.

"My hero," Stacie drawled as he untied the spare paddle and handed it to her. "See ya later, ladies!"

Beca waved at her as she looked back to see how the rest of the group was progressing. Unicycle had also completed his raft and was about halfway across the inlet, aimed towards the other end of the line where Lilly, Chloe, and Aubrey were standing. Theo, Jesse, Benji, and Zeke were all in various stages of getting their rafts into the water, with Theo being the farthest along.

Tom finished his raft when the larger group ahead of him was about halfway across the inlet, with Unicycle reaching the opposite side and inviting Lilly to join him. She happily hopped on and they began paddling back towards the opposite shore.

Donald, Luke, and Chicago seemed to be struggling the most, and Beca gave a sympathetic glance towards Calamity. "You didn't want to go on that getaway date, did you?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "I would say that it's because he's Army and not Navy, but Zeke seems to be struggling too."

Beca looked back at the water as Zeke frantically grabbed at one of his PVC pipes that had worked free of his raft and begun to float away. "I'm betting this wasn't in his training."

Chicago finally got his raft into the water, however, he didn't make it halfway before the entire thing fell apart.

"Fuck," Calamity swore beside her. "Now I hope he never makes it."

Beca silently agreed that it would be better for that to happen as well. She saw Theo making decent progress across the lake despite looking a little shaky on his raft, aiming straight for her. He had a good lead over Jesse, who seemed to change course so he was aimed for the other end of the line. Zeke and Benji were following him, making Beca relax at the knowledge that it was Theo or bust for her today.

Donald and Luke were the last two to get rafts into the water, but they didn't even make it as far as Chicago before theirs also broke apart.

Beca wondered, "Did they even read the instructions? How hard could it be?"

Calamity and Flo shook their heads, as Tom was paddling after Theo. Beca didn't have to wait much longer before Theo finally made it to the shore in front of her.

"Wanna get outta here?" He joked, holding out his hand to Beca. "If we hurry we just might get a date out of this shit show."

Beca laughed as he helped her onto the tiny raft and handed her the spare paddle. It was long and narrow, and they carefully kneeled with her in front before beginning the journey back to the other side. They passed Tom who had definitely gained ground, Beca glancing back after a minute to see him helping Flo onto his raft. A look to the side showed that Zeke had picked up Chloe and Jesse had rescued Aubrey, both pairs starting to paddle back to shore as well.

"Shit, we got company," Beca said, starting to paddle faster.

Theo sucked in a breath, replying, "Careful, this thing is not steady."

Beca rolled her eyes, feeling the pipes shift uncomfortably beneath her. "You didn't build me a solid raft?!"

"It's not as easy as it looks!" He shot back, but Beca could hear the humor in his defensive response.

"It looked like a clusterfuck from where we were standing," Beca laughed, feeling him poke her side in response.

They were a little over halfway back when Beca heard Theo curse, looking to the side to see Tom and Flo cruising to easily overtake them.

"Fuck! Go faster!"

Theo started to paddle faster, his knees pressing into the pipes proving to be the last straw. Beca realized what was happening a second before the ropes gave way and the raft buckled beneath them, sending them both dropping straight down into the water.

She started treading water as Theo resurfaced, shaking his wet hair out of his eyes.

"Fuck… sorry, Bec," he apologized.

Beca sighed, knowing they wouldn't have been able to beat Tom and Flo anyways. "It's okay, we'd already lost. Don't quit your day job," she cautioned, splashing him in the face.

Theo laughed before holding his hands up to try and block the water. "Oh, you're so dead," he challenged, using an arm to send a wave of water at her that crashed over her head.

Beca closed her eyes right before it hit her, not having time to recover before he was right next to her. Theo wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered her ear, "Deep breath."

Her eyes went wide, "Theo, I swear to…"

They were underwater and back above it before she even knew what happened, wriggling out of his grasp to splash him again.

"I hate you."

Theo winked at her as a boat pulled up beside them. "I don't believe you."

A crew member leaned over the side and offered them a hand. "It's over guys. Come on, we'll take you back to shore so we can wrap this up and head back to the house."


The crew dropped them off near the beach where they were met by additional members who offered them towels to dry off with. Beca noticed they were not the only ones who ended up in the water, the knowledge-making her feel a little better about how the challenge had ended for them.

It took about thirty minutes for them to dry off and CR to organize everyone to shoot the end of the challenge. Gail was chatting and laughing with some of the cast while the crew got set up to shoot the final sequence. Beca handed her towel off to a production assistant and rejoined the group, more than ready for the day to be over. All she wanted was a hot shower and several drinks and to forget this day entirely.

"Okay everyone, listen up!" CR shouted to get their attention. "We've just got this last sequence to shoot and then we're finished here. Let's get it done quickly so we can all get back to the house."

Her words were met with a lot of head nodding from everyone, cast and crew, and Beca hoped they wouldn't have to do too many takes.

"Gail is going to announce the winners and the getaway date, give a short reminder about the Truth Booth and wrap it up," CR said, looking at the blonde host. "You all set?"

Gail gave her a thumbs up, letting her know she was ready to go.

"Alright, on my mark."

Gail waited for CR to retreat out of the shot, speaking when she received the go-ahead from the producer.

"What an incredible challenge! You guys did an amazing job building those rafts," Gail began, smiling approvingly at the guys. "We did have three clear winners, though. Finishing in first place… Bumper and Stacie!"

There was a smattering of applause as Bumper and Stacie both smiled.

"In second was Unicycle and Lilly!" More applause, followed by, "And in third place, coming from behind to stun everyone… Tom and Flo!"

Even louder cheers and applause sounded off, congratulating the pair on their spectacular comeback to win a date away from the house.

"Great job!" Gail congratulated all three winning couples. "Want to know where you're going?"

At the chorus of "Yes!" she revealed, "The six of you will be hiking up to the amazing and incredible Upper Waikato Falls! The climb is more than worth it to swim in the pool and get an up-close and personal view of the falling water. Each couple will also be treated to a private picnic dinner before returning to the house."

The group clapped at the excited reactions of their six housemates, Beca feeling slightly jealous at the thought of the private swimming hole and waterfall excursion.

"Most importantly," Gail reminded the group, "You three couples are eligible to enter the Truth Booth, the only way to find out if, in fact, you are a perfect match. So, while you guys are out hiking and swimming, the rest of you," she paused, pointing at the rest of the group, "Think about who you want to vote for, and I'll see you back at the house tomorrow for the results of the vote."

Beca glanced at the three couples as everyone clapped, realizing that it was extremely unlikely that any of them were perfect matches. They were going to have to start taking these challenges and pairings more seriously if they wanted to find any perfect matches.

CR announced, "Good. We'll get a couple shots of you guys breaking up and walking back up the trail and call it a day. Good job everyone!"

"Thank fucking God," Stacie mumbled from beside her, already starting to walk towards the parking lot and the bus that would take them back to the house.

"At least you're not fucking wet," Beca retorted, silently cursing Theo's raft-building skills or lack thereof. "The ride back will be miserable."

Chloe looped her arm around Beca's elbow, trying to cheer her up. "It won't be that bad. We'll distract you and be back before you know it."

Beca looked at her doubtfully until Theo ambled over to them, looking appropriately apologetic and offered his T-shirt to Beca. "I know it's not a full change of clothes, but I thought you could at least put this on."

Chloe let go of her arm as Beca narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, breaking into an appreciative smile and accepted the shirt. "Still not forgiven for the dunking stunt," she warned, stripping off her wet tank top and pulling his shirt on. It was massive, but also dry and hot from sitting out in the sun all afternoon. "Thanks."

He nodded, offering her his arm next. "I'll even let you sleep on me on the way back to even the score."

Beca hesitated, knowing that she was already planning to sit with Chloe on the return journey, but a glance to the side showed the redhead already several feet away walking beside Aubrey and Luke.

Turning back to Theo, she ignored the disappointment in her stomach and forced a smile. "Deal."


There were several obvious differences between the first day at the house while the winning couples went on their date and the second one. Beca noticed a lot more people had coupled off this time, realizing that even in this short time frame relationships were definitely forming. She supposed that was normal considering they had nothing else to do but try and form connections, but it was a little more complicated than that for her. She'd always found it hard to trust people, sometimes wishing that quality came a little more innately to her.

The connections forming around her became even more obvious when Theo decided to take a nap after lunch. Beca hadn't realized how much she'd grown used to his steady presence until it wasn't there. A look around showed Chicago and Calamity curled up on the couch together chatting quietly, Benji and Emily playing some sort of card game seated on a couple of stools at the kitchen counter, and to her surprise, Aubrey and Luke lounging around outside by the pool. Jesse and Zeke were getting a workout in on the grass of the backyard, and she wasn't sure where the rest of the group was.

Hesitant to interrupt any of the couples, Beca wandered outside and breathed a sigh of relief to find Donald and Chloe chatting easily by the pool a short ways away from Aubrey and Luke.

Beca walked over to them, kicking her sandals off and sat down on the edge of the pool with her feet in the water. "Mind if I join you guys?"

They both smiled and shook their heads, Chloe answering, "Of course not."

"We were talking about who to vote into the Truth Booth," Donald sighed, adding, "The options aren't overwhelming."

Beca knew what he meant, agreeing, "Yeah, I don't really think any of them are perfect matches."

Chloe leaned back in her chair. "We need to be smarter about how we pair up during the challenges."

"I think we just need more information," Donald replied, though Beca noticed he didn't disagree with her. "There's a reason they give us ten matchups and ten Truth Booths to figure it out."

Beca nodded, "Yeah, it's just frustrating because we can make better guesses than those three. I'll quit here and now if Bumper and Stacie are a perfect match."

Chloe laughed, "Yeah, I think that's even harder to believe than Bumper and Kommissar."

Aubrey and Luke must have heard their speculating, dragging their chairs over to join the debate.

Beca shook her head, "Bumper is an interesting one, though. He's a total class clown but he's also got these random talents and moments of incredible logic. Harder to figure out than you might think… plus, none of us really know anything about him because he turns everything into a joke."

"True," Luke agreed. "He wasn't matched up just on his own thoughts and relationships. Speaking of… you guys ever wonder what your family and friends said to get you your match?"

"All the time," Chloe answered honestly, pulling her feet up and tucking her knees under her chin.

Beca smiled at her, thinking she looked tiny and adorable all scrunched up like that. "I can't imagine anyone saying bad things about you, Chlo."

Luke nodded, "Truth. You're one of the sweetest people I've ever met. Your match is probably Jesse… or Benji."

Aubrey shook her head in disagreement. "If Benji and Emily aren't a match, there's something wrong with their algorithm. We've gotta find a way to get those two into the Truth Booth."

Beca agreed, turning to glance back inside where Benji and Emily were laughing at each other with her hand braced against his shoulder.

"You guys believe in love at first sight?" Chloe asked.

"No, because then we'd already be in love," Luke answered, winking at her.

Chloe rolled her eyes, "That's lust at first sight."

Luke laughed, adding, "And drunk at first sight. Helps a lot." After a minute, he asked in a more serious tone, "So… what happens if you want to be with someone who isn't your match?"

Donald sighed, "Bro, she's made it pretty fucking clear she doesn't want to be with you. Drop it."

"Fuck off, it was a legitimate question," Luke shot back, suddenly irritated. "I'm not talking about me and Chloe, I was asking in general."

"Sure you were," Donald scoffed, not believing him for a second.

Luke had enough, snapping back in a way that made Beca wonder how much both of them had to drink already. "You got something to say then fucking say it. It's obvious you like her but you're too chicken shit to talk to her without ten other people around."

Beca glanced at Chloe, registering the shock on her face at the turn of events.

Donald hopped to his feet, his expression disgusted. "You're insane, dude. First, we were chatting out here for a half-hour before Beca joined us and you know that because you and Bree were ten feet away. Second, don't take your shit out on me because you didn't match with the first chick you got a boner for. Sober up," he spat, turning and walking away.

Luke watching him walk away, staying quiet which made Beca wonder if Donald's words rang more true than the blonde wanted to admit. "Fucking bullshit…" he muttered, turning and striding off into the yard.

Aubrey looked as stunned as Beca felt, finally rising to her feet. "I'm gonna go see if he's okay. That was really weird."

Beca nodded, seeing Chloe do the same beside her, and suddenly they were left alone as Aubrey slowly followed after Luke.

"What the fuck just happened?" Beca asked, trying to process the rapid mood change.

Chloe shook her head, "I don't know. Those two were getting along so well just a few days ago."

Beca stayed silent for a few minutes, eventually asking, "Do you think DJ was right? About Luke having feelings for you?"

"Maybe," Chloe sighed, "I don't know. I don't really think so, but it's possible. I mean we connected on our date, but it definitely didn't feel like true love."

"Maybe they're just a little drunk and still adjusting to… all this," Beca gestured around, knowing that was definitely true for her. She wasn't currently drunk, but she was definitely still adjusting to this whole experience.

Deciding to change the subject, Beca shot a glance up at Chloe in her chair. "So, uh… yesterday wasn't your first rodeo, huh?"

Chloe frowned for a split second before realizing what Beca was referring to. "Oh, you mean with Stacie? No, it wasn't," she answered with a small smile. "I knew I was bi when I was like sixteen."

The ease with which she made the confession caught Beca off guard, asking, "Really?"

"Yeah," Chloe chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. She took a moment to study Beca, asking tentatively, "Is that a problem?"

"No!" Beca replied immediately, shaking her head. "No, of course not. Love is love. Whatever makes you happy, you know?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow at her before agreeing, "Yeah, totes."

Beca sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Sorry, I have this superpower that allows me to be completely awkward at all times."

Chloe laughed at that, making her relax a little. "I think it's cute."

"Yeah, totes," Beca shot back, rolling her eyes. "It's definitely not cute."

"What's definitely not cute? That look on your face?"

Beca turned around in time for Theo to come up behind her, hands placed on her back as he pretended to push her into the pool.

"I will murder you," Beca threatened, her voice low and full of promise.

Theo laughed and straightened back up, offering her a hand. "Have you guys voted for the Truth Booth yet?"

Beca sighed and shook her head, accepting his hand and let him pull her to her feet. "No, we were talking about how awesome our choices were earlier. Want to come with, Chlo?"

Chloe shook her head no, answering, "I'm gonna think about it for a few more minutes. You two go ahead."

Beca felt something shift between them, a tension that wasn't there before Theo interrupted their conversation, but decided not to draw attention to it. "Okay, see you inside."

She fell into step beside Theo as they walked back inside the house to the living room, the big television on the wall displaying the three couples they could vote for.

"How was your nap, Sleeping Beauty?" Beca teased, nudging his arm with her shoulder.

"Would have been better if my Prince Charming had kissed me awake, but I'm dealing," Theo retorted, playing right into her joke.

They let the crew know they were ready to vote, waiting patiently while they got set up and received their instructions from CR. When they nodded their understanding, she retreated and let them vote.

Beca walked over first and stared at the choices, Theo joining her after a moment.

"Who are you thinking?" He asked, the whole encounter feeling incredibly scripted.

Beca took a slow breath, "I guess Uni and Lilly? They're the most likely out of these options."

Theo nodded in agreement. "I think so too," he said, pressing his finger to the couple until it locked in his vote.

Beca copied his actions, saying, "I don't feel good about this one, though."

Theo shrugged, replying, "Nothing we can do about it now. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Maybe…" Beca trailed off, following him as he turned and walked out of the room.


"I think they're back," Zeke said, sitting forward a little in his spot on the couch.

Beca glanced toward the front of the house, not hearing anything over the rest of the group chattering away in the living room. The crew had assembled them all to wait for the others to return so they could shoot the Truth Booth sequence as soon as possible… or so they said. Beca was pretty sure that last time they hadn't been set up and waiting for the couples to arrive for at least thirty minutes, making her wonder what type of shit was about to go down.

She was not wrong. Tom and Stacie wandered in first, holding hands and looking a combination of exhausted and irritated. Flo followed them with an expression that could only be described as pissed off, while Bumper behind her was flat out furious.

"I'm glad you assholes had a good time," he snapped at Tom and Stacie's back, moving immediately into the kitchen for a drink.

Beca glanced around as Unicycle and Lilly were the last to enter the room. They looked about how Beca thought she would feel if she had to listen to the other four arguing and fighting for an entire car ride.

"What the fuck happened?" Donald finally asked, realizing that Tom and Stacie weren't about to explain.

Flo shot daggers at the pair before answering in a clipped tone, "They decided to ditch the date and go off on their own to hook up the minute we got to the water."

Beca clenched her teeth together to keep her jaw from dropping. Surely they weren't that selfish? Then again, they were all on this show for a reason.

Stacie rolled her eyes, retorting, "Sorry if I couldn't stand one more minute of Bumper's insane commentary when my match was also on the date. It's not like you and Tom are a match."

Flo yelled back at her, "You don't know that! And you and Tom might not be a match either! Either way, it was a shitty thing to do!"

Bumper returned holding a drink in each hand, offering one to Flo.

"You guys could have made the best of it instead of bitching the entire time," Tom interjected, clearly not having any remorse for his actions.

"Or we could have gone on dates with the person we were supposed to," Bumper shot back, adding, "Instead of hijacking someone else's date because they sucked too bad at the challenge."

"We finished third, asshole! I didn't suck at the challenge as bad as the rest of these dudes!" Tom shouted back, gesturing around the room.

Flo was not impressed, scoffing, "You were terrible. I was the only reason we finished third."

Beca felt like she was watching a tennis match, now knowing exactly why the crew had been waiting with serious expressions. She was surprised they weren't drooling at all the cursing and fighting happening in the room. The only thing that could make this better for them would be if Tom and Bumper started fighting.

"Everyone shut up!" Unicycle shouted. It was so unexpected and out of character that the room instantly fell silent. "I've been listening to this shit for over an hour. I'm fucking done."

Bumper muttered, "Yeah, 'cause you didn't get ditched by your date."

"Really?" Stacie shot back at him. "Maybe if you were a halfway decent date I would have stuck around."

"Get over yourself, you're not hot enough to overcome being a selfish bitch," Bumper retorted, forcing Tom to grab Stacie around the waist from behind to keep her from slapping the shit out of the other man.

"Okay, everyone just calm down," Luke said, standing up and putting himself between Stacie and Bumper. "Regardless of how you feel about your date, ditching them is fucking low," he said, turning his stare to Tom and Stacie. "I get that you guys think you're a perfect match and everything, but everyone in this house deserves more respect than that."

Luke glanced around the room, asking, "Agreed?"

The room slowly nodded, Beca in complete agreement that no matter how strongly you disliked your partner, ditching them for someone else in the middle of a date was crossing the line.

Luke continued to play mediator, saying, "So I think at some point… not right now… you two should privately apologize to them. And mean it," he added, narrowing his eyes.

Stacie sighed, admitting defeat. "Fine, you're right. It was a shitty thing to do. I'm sorry," she said, meeting Bumper's eyes.

"I said privately later," Luke corrected, knowing that's the way it should be.

"Fine," Stacie waved away his instructions, sitting back down on the couch.

Beca looked around as the tension in the room melted away into awkwardness as if they didn't know what to do now that the argument and drama was over. She spotted CR watching patiently from behind a camera, hoping the woman intervened before anything else could happen.

"So, uh, aside from all that… how was it?" Kommissar asked tentatively.

Uni spoke up, grinning, "It was sick. The hike wasn't too bad and the waterfalls were cool. It was great to swim right up to them. Lilly and I had fun."

"At least someone had fun," Theo muttered from beside her.

They all paused as Gail swept into the room to stand beside the television, greeting them happily, "Hey guys! How're we doing?"

The response was mixed, but neither Gail nor the crew seemed to mind.

"I heard we had a little trouble on the date," she said, glancing at each of the six participants.

Thankfully, Bumper replied, "Yeah, but I think we've all reached an understanding."

"Good, happy to hear it," Gail smiled, looking around the room. "Okay, it's Truth Booth time!" After a pause, she said, "Three couples are up for the Truth Booth tonight. Your votes are in and we're about to reveal them. I want to stress to you guys that the Truth Booth is the only way for you guys to validate whether you're a perfect match or not. It's huge…"

Beca noticed the way she trailed off to let that information sink in.

"The votes are in," Gail said, allowing the suspense to build. "Unicycle and Lilly, Tom and Flo, or Bumper and Stacie… let's see which of you three couples is headed to the Truth Booth!"

The room fell silent as Gail stepped to the side and stared expectantly at the screen. Beca felt a lot less tension this time as she knew no one really believed any of the three were a match, so it didn't matter who was chosen. The screen flashed, ultimately revealing the chosen couple to a smattering of applause and murmurs.

"Unicycle and Lilly," Gail announced, turning to face the couple. "If you are validated as a perfect match… you're gonna immediately move out into your own honeymoon suite for the rest of the stay and we'll only see you at the matchup. If you're not a perfect match, you're right back in the house."

Beca looked over at the pair, recognizing the lack of confidence on either of their faces.

"Uni, what do you think of this match?" Gail asked.

He shrugged, answering, "I think we all agree that it's unlikely Lilly and I are a match. We had a good time on our date, but I don't' think either of us felt that chemistry. We need to strategize better during the challenges so that couples with a real shot at being a perfect match end up in the Truth Booth."

Gail nods at his words as if they're ancient wisdom. "Lilly, do you agree with him?"

Lilly nodded, speaking so quietly that Beca had to strain to hear her, "I already know he is not my match."

Gail's eyes widened at her words, asking, "Do you know who is your perfect match?"

Lilly ignored her follow up, her expression turning bored as she looked around the room.

Uni covered for her, answering, "Gail, at this point I don't think any of us know for sure who our match is."

Gail nodded, saying, "I think that's a fair assessment of where you guys stand. Alright, Unicycle, Lilly… it's time to head to the Truth Booth. Good luck!"

Beca watched them head out the back door and start down the path, knowing it was going to be at least a half-hour before any results came through on the screen.

Gail turned back to the room once the couple had exited, asking, "Guys, what are we feeling here? Do you think they're a match?"

A lot of head shaking clued her in quickly. "I see a lot of no's around the room. What's going on?"

Aubrey spoke up, answering, "I think Uni nailed it. We need to strategize better during the challenges. We can't have three couples up for the Truth Booth that have no realistic shot at being a match."

Jesse agreed with her, adding, "We need to start getting to know other people. The people we're currently coupled up with most likely aren't our perfect match."

"Well, it sounds like you guys know what you need to do," Gail responded, looking around the room. "I'll leave you guys to see the results, and see you tomorrow at the matchup."

Various farewells sounded throughout the room as Gail waved and walked out, leaving them alone to stare at the screen. The crew must have worked through most of the kinks from last time, as they pulled a couple people to get their thoughts on the potential match before gathering everyone back together for the results. It was only about twenty minutes this time before CR shouted for them to pay attention to the screen.

Beca watched unfazed as "NO MATCH!" appeared across their pictures. There were a few disappointed sighs, for the most part, it simply confirmed what they all already knew. The pair wasn't a match and they had next to zero new information going into the matchup ceremony tomorrow night.

"Two down, eight to go," Kommissar reminded everyone, her normally stoic expression looking slightly frustrated.

"We've definitely got our work cut out for us," Jesse said quietly, the rest of the room nodding in agreement.


Now that they knew what shooting the matchup ceremony entailed, the day was spent mostly lounging around the house and sleeping to prepare for the long night ahead of them. Beca rolled out of bed around lunchtime when her stomach wouldn't take no for an answer, returning immediately after grabbing a bite to eat to burrow back beneath the covers. She woke up sweating some amount of time later to see Theo passed out on top of the blankets against her side, one arm slung carelessly across her lower back.

She nudged at him, mumbling, "Theo… move." When he didn't budge, she freed a hand and tapped the back of his head. "Theo… wake the fuck up."

He sleepily opened his eyes, though his head remained on the pillow. "Sup?"

"You're a furnace," Beca groaned, rolling out from under his arm and out of the bed.

"Sorry," he mumbled unapologetically, almost immediately falling back asleep.

Now that she was awake, a shower was in order. Beca grabbed her stuff and shuffled into the bathroom to find Chloe and Fat Amy standing at the double sink chatting.

"You and the turtle man have a good nap?" Fat Amy asked, winking at her.

Beca blinked back at her, confused. "What?"

"You don't think he looks like a turtle?"

Beca looked at Chloe who was definitely fighting back a laugh. "…no?"

Fat Amy rolled her eyes, "Are you asking me or telling me?"

"I'm not awake enough for whatever is happening right now," Beca said, swirling her finger in a circle. "I'm taking a shower."

"It's all yours, short stack!"

Beca didn't bother to respond, stepping into the shower and closed the opaque glass door behind her, putting her stuff down on the little bench. She stripped off her clothes and tossed them strategically over the door, grinning when her tank top landed on Fat Amy's head.

"Remember this moment when I'm getting my revenge."

"Yeah yeah, I'm shaking in fear," Beca deadpanned, turning on the water and stepping away from the spray until it warmed up.

The shower helped her feel like a human again, breaking through all the drama and alcohol and lack of sleep over the past week to leave her feeling refreshed. She joined the rest of the women in getting ready for the matchup ceremony, blow-drying her hair and finding something presentable to wear with the knowledge in mind she could be standing for hours.

They followed the same rhythm as last time, taking only one shot this time before the crew escorted them to the side of the house were the staged area awaited them. This time the boys got to sit in the chairs and watch the ladies walk in, which admittedly took about twice as long for the crew to film before CR was satisfied with the shots.

This time, Gail didn't start speaking until everyone was in place and stationary, another good sign. It meant it would be easy to re-shoot any particular section if something went wrong without having to do the entire thing over from the beginning.

"Alright you guys, welcome to the matchup!" Gail said, her voice dripping with excitement. "This is your next shot at one million dollars!"

The whole group clapped and cheered, Beca glancing over jealously at how comfortable the boys looked seated in their chairs.

"If you all choose correctly," Gail continued, "Then you're leaving Hawaii with both love and money. However, if just one of you gets it wrong… then you're not ten for ten and you're heading to bed tonight empty-handed."

Beca knew that was most likely the outcome, hoping that they could at least get more than the two they got the first time.

"And don't forget, if you blackout your prize instantly drops by two hundred and fifty thousand dollars." Gail's final reminder was said with a warning as if they weren't well aware of that fact.

Beca felt the nerves creep into her stomach. Last time it had been much easier to just sit in the chair and wait for a guy to call her name. Now, she actually had to go up there and say out loud that one of these guys was her perfect match. Sure, she had told Theo earlier that she would pick him, but what if someone else picked him first? What if she had to be like Tom last time and pick someone who she had barely spoken to yet? The horrifying what-if scenarios kept playing her head, and it was all she could do to keep her expression neutral as Gail continued on for the benefit of their future audience.

"Now tonight, we're gonna let the ladies choose," Gail announced, receiving a very positive reaction from the women. "Now girls, when I call your name you're gonna head up here, choose your perfect match, and then the two of you are gonna place your palms on the touchpad locking you in as a couple."

Gail waited for all the ladies to nod their understanding, pausing an extra few seconds for CR to interrupt if necessary.

"Great job, everyone," CR called, walking out from somewhere behind the scenes into the bright lights of the set. "I'd like to get a few reactions and feelings before the matchup starts. Kommissar, Luke, Benji, and Calamity," she called, pointing them each in a different direction as she said their names. "Everyone else just stay put for ten minutes and we'll keep rolling."

Beca shifted, half thankful she didn't have to give an interview and half frustrated that she was stuck waiting for ten minutes. Time crawled by since she wanted it to be fast, mumbling, "Thank God," when everyone was back in place and ready to continue.

Gail took her place facing them behind the touchpad podium. "First up for the ladies tonight is Aubrey."

Aubrey shook off her surprise at being called first and walked confidently up to the podium to cheers and claps from the rest of the group.

Gail greeted her with a question, asking, "So are you confident in your decision tonight, or do you have a few choices in mind?"

Aubrey met her gaze, answering, "No, I know who my choice is tonight."

Thankfully Gail didn't draw it out, asking with a smile, "Who's your perfect match?"

"Tonight, my perfect match is Luke."

Gail turned her gaze to Luke as he rose from his seat, saying, "Luke! First, pick tonight… come on up here."

Beca watched Luke join Aubrey in front of the podium and slip an arm around her waist.

"Luke, what do you think about this?"

Luke smiled, "Aubrey and I had some great conversations over the past few days. We have more in common than we thought, and I think she may be my match."

Gail smiled at them, saying, "I think the whole group hopes you're right! Aubrey, Luke, it's time to lock-in." She watched them place their hands on the touchpad. "That's it, you're locked in. Grab a seat."

Beca took a deep breath as they held hands and walked back to Luke's original chair, telling herself only nine more to go.

"Next up… Kommissar."

Beca clapped along dutifully as a second tall blonde walked up to the podium. She had no idea who Kommissar would pick, looking over at the guys trying to remember if she'd seen her speaking with any of them over the past couple days.

"Kommisar, how are you feeling about this matchup tonight?"

"I think we're all still blindly guessing," Kommissar answered honestly. "The connections we made initially were clearly wrong, so we've kinda decided tonight to switch up as many matches as possible and see what happens."

Gail nodded, "Sounds like a strategy is in place. I hope it works out for you guys. So, Kommissar, who is your perfect match?"

Kommissar looked over at the boys, answering, "My perfect match is Zeke."

Beca clapped as the tall man rose and joined her at the podium, both of them placing their hands on the touchpad to lock-in. She wasn't sure if they were a match, but it was definitely more of a possibility for her than Bumper had been last time around.

"Alright, Kommissar, Zeke, you're locked in. Go ahead and take a seat," Gail instructed, watching them walk back to the rows of chairs.

Beca held her breath hoping that CR wouldn't interrupt them for more interview footage but knew it wasn't to be when the woman smoothly interrupted proceedings.

"Okay, it's gonna be the same every time guys. The two couples go outside and shoot your reactions, two people in here head over to the opposite side and react to what you've seen so far. If no one goes I'll choose for you, and it needs to be different people every time."

Beca watched as Chicago and Emily immediately started for the other side of the tent to react, making a beeline for one of the empty chairs to sit down for a few minutes. She ended up beside Jesse, who looked about as bored as she felt on the inside.

"You should pick me."

Beca twisted to look at him, not expecting those words. "Really? Why's that?"

Jesse shot her a grin, "Because I'm endearing and handsome and our picks sucked last time."

"You're right about one of those things," Beca quipped back, smiling to take any sting out of her words.

"Okay, fine… I'll accept just the handsome part," Jesse replied, not bothered by her answer at all. "On a serious note, do you think we'll be able to pull this off?"

Beca thought about it for a moment, finally answering, "I think so. We have ten shots at it… process of elimination should help us figure it out by the end. Especially if we can get a couple confirmed matches in the Truth Booth," she added.

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, our track record with those is pretty crappy so far."

"Yeah…" Beca trailed off as Aubrey and Luke returned from giving their interviews, followed not long after by Kommissar and Zeke. "Looks like we're getting back to work. Maybe we can speed this process up a bit."

"Good luck with that," Jesse scoffed, only echoing her own internal thoughts.

Beca returned to her place as CR appeared, shouting instructions and directing everyone back to their places. Once everyone was set, she shot Gail a thumbs up and disappeared somewhere.

"Alright, next up is Emily!"

Emily clearly looked relieved as she walked up to the podium, Beca hoping Gail didn't draw out the obvious pick.

"Emily, I have a feeling we all know who you'll pick. Emily, who is your perfect match?"

"My perfect match is Benji," Emily said happily, turning around to smile at him as he walked up to join her.

There were no delays as the pair pressed their hands to the touchpad to lock in as a couple and walked happily back to the chairs. Beca breathed slowly, knowing that as long as they didn't have technical difficulties things would at least keep moving.

Gail turned her attention back to the ladies remaining standing, calling out, "Calamity!"

Beca breathed another sigh of relief, the entire room knowing that Calamity would pick Chicago.

"Calamity, how are you feeling about this whole experience?" Gail asked curiously.

Calamity smiled, answering, "Great. I think I've found my match and hopefully, we'll get into the Truth Booth soon to confirm it."

Gail replied, "I'm sure the rest of your housemates wouldn't mind that happening either."

Those words were met with a loud chorus of cheers and claps, making Calamity laugh.

"Calamity, who is your perfect match?"

"My perfect match is Chicago," Calamity said easily, also turning to watch him approach.

Beca rolled her eyes as the man planted a long kiss on her lips when he arrived at her side, already picturing the "NO MATCH!" verdict appearing when they finally did get the pair into the Truth Booth. She wasn't sure, of course, but just had a feeling that those two were not a match.

"Okay, Calamity, Chicago, it's time to lock-in."

They pressed their hands to the touchpad and locked in, returning to their seats before CR interrupted again. Beca decided to get her reaction interview over with instead of making forced small talk with anyone, heading away from where the two newly matched couples were going for their reactions.

CR nodded at her, asking, "Ready to react to what's happened so far?"

Beca answered, "Yep, let's get this over with."

"I say the same thing whenever any of you bitch about this stuff," CR replied, not sympathizing at all. "You signed up for it."

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Beca joked, smiling at the producer. "What do you want from me?"

CR pulled out a piece of paper, scanning it quickly before putting it back in her pocket. "Okay, first you react to how you felt about the matchup before it started."

Beca nodded, swallowing before looking straight into the camera in front of her. "I'm nervous about tonight. I don't know who I'm gonna pick and I really don't want us to blackout."

"Good," CR cut her off, not that she had anything else to say. "Now give a one-sentence reaction about each of the four matched up couples we've seen already."

Beca sighed, already struggling to think of who went first.

"I think Aubrey and Luke could be a match because they're both tall and blonde and they'd look good together," she said, feeling completely superficial and immediately hoped CR didn't use it. "I'm not sure if Kommissar and Zeke are a perfect match, but right now anyone could be a perfect match and we wouldn't know it. I hope they are."

CR nodded her encouragement, saying, "Emily and Benji."

"If I had to bet on two people in the house to be a perfect match it would be Benji and Emily," Beca said confidently, knowing everyone in the house felt that way. They'd be stunned if the pair wasn't a perfect match. "I don't think Chicago and Calamity are a match, and I think the shit will hit the fan whenever the Truth Booth confirms that. I don't see it."

CR was looking at a monitor as she finished, stepping aside to tell her, "Great job. You're done. Head back to the set and we should be back rolling in ten or so. Thanks."

Beca breathed a relieved breath, "No problem." She walked slowly back to the main area where the rest of the group minus the two couples were milling around. She walked over to Donald, currently occupying the closest chair to where she'd just filmed.

"How'd it go?" Donald asked curiously when she was close enough.

Beca shrugged, "Fine. The usual stuff."

They chatted for another minute before it was time to get back into place to resume the shoot.

"Okay, we're going to shoot the next three choices and then take the long break. Let's keep things rolling smoothly!" CR shouted, clapping her hands for emphasis.

"Fuck, she just jinxed us for sure," Stacie muttered under her breath.

"God… don't say that," Chloe whispered, looking up as if praying for Stacie to be wrong.

Fat Amy rolled her eyes, "Don't worry Ginger, it's gonna be fine."

Gail strode back into place behind the podium and turned to face the remaining ladies, letting them know it was time to get serious. Beca fixed her annoyed expression as the anxiety returned to her stomach, only magnifying when her name was the next one out of Gail's lips

"Next up is Beca!"

She inhaled slowly, curling her mouth into a nervous smile as she walked towards the podium and Gail's encouraging smile.

"Beca, how are you doing?" Gail asked kindly.

Beca knew her smile was tight as she answered, "I'm doing okay."

"Do you know who you're going to pick tonight?"

After a second, she nodded, "Yes… yeah, I know."

Gail hesitated a moment, before asking teasingly, "Are you sure?"

Beca laughed, grateful for the slight humor. "Yeah, I'm sure. We've been spending more time together and I like being around him."

"Alright then, Beca… who is your perfect match?"

She spun around to face the guys, her eyes moving past Jesse's hopeful look to connect with Theo's, his steady look giving her the confidence to block out the nerves.

"My perfect match is Theo," Beca said, her voice coming through strong and clear.

Theo smiled as he rose from his chair to join her in front of the podium, his arm slipping around her waist as he pressed a quick kiss to her temple.

Gail looked at the pair of them, offering, "You two look like a match to me. Beca, Theo, it's time to lock-in."

Beca placed her hand on the touchpad beside his, watching the little scanner run back and forth before they were officially locked in. He chivalrously offered her his arm as they walked back to his chair, and Beca rolled her eyes before looping her own around his elbow.

"You're ridiculous," she whispered as they reached the chair, sitting down in the tight space beside each other.

"Yeah, kinda," he agreed, resting his arm comfortably across the back of the chair as they got settled.

Beca leaned closer, adding, "I'm so fucking glad that's over… and that I don't have to do it again for two weeks."

It was Theo's turn to roll his eyes, retorting, "It wasn't that bad. You did perfectly fine."

"Oh good… I didn't feel perfectly fine when I was doing it," Beca replied.

Gail's voice cut through their chatter, announcing the next name. "Lilly!"

With all the nerves now vanished, Beca watched easily as Lilly and Donald locked in as a couple, followed by the slightly stranger match of Flo and Jesse. To his credit, he didn't falter when Flo called his name, chalking it up with Gail to the girls continued experimenting as a result of their poor first round.

Suddenly it was time for the longer break for the crew, Beca already having grown to appreciate how difficult and time consuming their jobs were. Although she wished they could just keep going, it definitely wasn't fair to make them work nonstop day and night with barely any breaks. This time CR gave them two hours and allowed them to return to the house with the promise they wouldn't drink or fall asleep.

Beca and Theo were escorted out of the area to film their reaction to the matchup along with the other four, all chatting easily amongst each other. She and Theo ended up filming last as the only repeat pick from last week. The assistant producer assigned to this task wanting to get the more controversial reactions first while they were fresher.

Almost half of their two-hour break was gone by the time it was Beca's turn, the crew taking an extra ten minutes to switch out so they could actually get a break at all. She exchanged tired looks with Theo, checking his watch to see that it was well after midnight with plenty of the shoot still left to do.

"You'd think there would be a better way," Beca yawned, desperately needing coffee.

Theo looked a little more awake than she felt, but not much. "If I wasn't worried about them tasing me to keep me close by, I'd go off in search of coffee."

"Don't risk it," Beca murmured, resting her head on his chest when he moved to hug her.

It was moments like this that had her thinking he might actually be her match. They seemed to fit together, despite it not feeling as romantically charged as she imagined it would with her perfect match. Theo felt safe and comforting, and she definitely trusted him not to hurt her. He was a genuinely nice guy, which ultimately made her almost positive he wasn't her match. It was a strange thing, but somehow she just knew it.

"Okay, Beca are you ready?"

The new crew had arrived all bright-eyed with steaming cups of coffee already half gone, making her jealous for even a sip.

"Yeah, let's do it."

Beca got into position, waiting for them to adjust the lights to get the right shot.

"Okay, it's the same drill as last time except obviously, you did the choosing this time. Why did you pick Theo?"

Beca realized at that moment that Theo was going to hear her answers, not that she really minded.

"Theo is the type of guy I need, but would never give the time of day to. I really think he could be my match," she answered honestly.

"How do you think the matchup is going so far? Be kinda vague in your answer so we could plug it in anytime."

Beca couldn't help the annoyed expression that crossed her face. Thinking quickly, she said, "I don't think this is going well. I'm worried we might blackout."

He nodded and shot her a thumbs up. "Perfect. You can stick around for Theo or take off. Whatever you want."

Just before she could say she'll stay, Theo said, "It's okay. Get outta here. If you find coffee get me a cup though?"

Beca knew her relief was written all over her face at Theo's knowing look, nodding at his request. "I'll meet you on the couch?"

"It's a date," Theo winked, moving into position in front of the camera under all the lights.


"Everyone get to your places, please! We've got a lot of work to do in just a few hours!" CR called, watching carefully as everyone got back to their spot to begin shooting again.

Beca slid into the chair beside Theo, her eyes drawn to the three remaining women on the small platform. Hopefully, it wouldn't take long to film their selections and light the beams so they could go to bed.

Gail resumed her place, looking as fresh as ever, and waited patiently for her cue from CR to begin.

"Alright ladies, we're almost done! Down to the final three," she said with a smile. "Next up is Chloe!"

Beca smiled as the redhead walked up to the podium, her blue dress perfectly suited to bring out her eyes. A quick glance at the remaining three guys had her suddenly wondering who Chloe was going to pick. None of the remaining were likely matches, with Tom being the most likely but also obviously going to be chosen by Stacie, leaving Chloe with the choice between Bumper and Uni.

As if reading her mind, Theo muttered, "Who do you think she's going to pick?"

Beca whispered back, "No idea."

They'd missed whatever question Gail had initially asked, tuning back in just in time for the important one. "Well, Chloe… who is your perfect match?"

Chloe glanced at the remaining guys, finally answering, "My perfect match is Uni."

Gail nodded, gesturing towards the man, "Unicycle, come on up here."

The reaction was mixed, to say the least, no one believing that the pair was a match and everyone knowing the consequences of a blackout.

"Unicycle, do you think you and Chloe are a match?" Gail asked, pressing him to add to the drama.

He scratched the back of his head, finally admitting, "It's possible, but probably not."

Chloe didn't seem bothered by that, leaving Gail no choice but to move on. "Okay, well, good luck! Chloe, Unicycle, it's time to lock-in."

Beca found herself feeling a little sorry for Chloe. These first two matchups probably hadn't gone at all how the redhead had hoped, both times ending up sitting next to a guy she'd barely spoken to in the opening days in the house. Beca tightened her hand a little on Theo's knee, suddenly thankful for his steady presence beside her during these first two mini-weeks.

The rest of the matchups progressed without surprise or incident, with Fat Amy choosing Bumper and Stacie finishing off the ceremony by locking in with Tom. Beca felt like they had a pretty good shot of getting at least one match and avoiding the blackout, but knew they weren't even close to ten.

Gail looked out at all of the couples once everyone was seated. "Okay, you're all matched up… how are we feeling about his?"

The responses were mixed, with some people definitely feeling more positive than others. A look around told Beca that there was a good chance they at least equaled the mark of two they set at the previous matchup.

"The matchup will reveal how many couples are correct, but not who those matches are," Gail informed them, adding teasingly, "That's for you guys to figure out. Now, behind me are ten beams of light."

Beca had forgotten the way the beams initially shined straight at them before tilting up into the sky, her eyes momentarily seeing spots from the brightness.

"They really need to allow us to wear sunglasses," she whispered to Theo, who chuckled softly beside her.

"Each beam represents a perfect match. One beam is one perfect match, and ten beams equals ten perfect matches… and one million dollars," Gail said, her smile stretching ear to ear.

They all cheered and clapped at the mention of the money, though Beca was a little subdued knowing what was coming next.

"However, if you fail to get a single perfect match," Gail warned, "That's a blackout, and your prize instantly drops by two hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

The group remained silent at that, until someone, maybe Bumper, shouted, "Not gonna happen, Gail!"

Gail laughed, saying, "I like that attitude! Let's get to it!"

Beca watched as Gail circled around the podium to stand with her back to them, facing the beams of light that suddenly shut off ahead of them. Gail placed both palms on the touchpad, activating the fake sequence and making Beca fight to keep from rolling her eyes at the dramatics of it all. Still, the nerves that had vanished since the moment she said Theo's name suddenly made a comeback, settling in her stomach for the foreseeable future.

Gail broke the sudden silence, stating clearly, "The number of perfect matches is…"

They only had to wait a few moments for the first beam to light up, the tension lessening slightly at the knowledge they hadn't blacked out.

"Told you!" Bumper shouted from the back row, exchanging a high five with Fat Amy. "No fucking blackout tonight!"

Beca glanced at Theo, his arm shifting to wrap around her shoulders. "That's one," she whispered, leaning into his embrace. "But we need more."

After a long pause, a second beam lit up the night… early morning sky.

Cries of "That's two!" pierced the air, accompanied by cheers and clapping.

"Come on, keep going!" Luke cheered, giving a voice to everyone's thoughts.

As if the beams heard him, a third lit up a second later, shining brightly into the sky. The cheers and shouts only grew louder and more enthusiastic as they now had more beams than the first time.

"Come on," Theo murmured, hoping for more.

Unfortunately, after another extremely long pause, the lights came back on and they heard that sound again that announced the matchup ceremony was over. Still, Beca could tell everyone felt a little inspired by their improvement over last week.

"Three perfect matches," Gail announced, turning to face them. "That's one more than last week! Are you feeling good?"

"Hey, we'll take it, Gail," Jesse answered, a smile on his face.

Chicago added, "We still have work to do, but we're going in the right direction."

"I love the positivity, guys," Gail encouraged, clapping her hands together. "That means three of you sitting together right now are a perfect match. Unfortunately, it also means seven of you sitting together right now are not, and you just blew another one of your chances. Eight more matchups remain for you to go ten for ten."

"We can do it!"

"That's all we need," Zeke added confidently.

Gail clapped her hands together once more before dismissing them. "Alright, head back to the house and start figuring out who your perfect matches are. Goodnight guys!"

Remembering what was expected of them, the cast slowly got to their feet chatting quietly and began to file out of the matchup ceremony area to walk back towards the house. The crew swirled carefully around them to get the shots they needed, suddenly everything coming to a halt at CR's voice.

"Okay, let's get that exit sequence once more, then I'll need two volunteers for reaction footage and we're wrapped for the night."

Beca clenched her teeth together to hold back a yawn, leaning into Theo's support as they returned to the chair.

"We only have to do this eight more times," he joked as they sat back down.

Beca's eyes were focused on where Gail had returned to her place in front of the podium, waiting for the cue from CR to dismiss them again.

"Hold on, I need to switch out this camera battery!"

The call from a crew member had the entire cast groaning, wondering if their good luck had run out and hours of delays were ahead of them.

Beca shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry in this moment. "I regret all my life choices that led me to this place."

"Can't imagine why…" Theo sighed as the crew hustled to get the camera working again.


A/N: As always, the first and biggest thanks goes out to my beta, Arsto, the real genius behind our operation.

Thanks so much for all the love and support!