The One With Friendship and Shots

A/N: I hope everyone is safe and healthy!


"Hungry?"

Beca squinted up at Jesse's smiling face, the man seemingly taking her lack of response as an approval for him to join her. She watched amused as he laid a towel on the ground beside her and sat down with a backpack, pulling a candle from inside it to place beside them.

"What is this?" Beca asked curiously, watching as he pulled two juice boxes out next and offered one to her.

Jesse grinned, "Well you looked a little down and I thought we should get to know each other a little better since we are each other's perfect match."

Beca couldn't argue with the first part of his logic. She had wandered out into the backyard and spotted Chloe lounging on the grass, joining her without a second thought. Unfortunately, she'd been seated next to the redhead for no more than a minute before Chloe made her escape with a terribly lame excuse. Beca remained behind, frowning at Chloe's retreating back wondering if they were going to have to wait for the show to end to have a real conversation.

Focusing on Jesse, she replied, "You seem pretty confident about that."

"Aren't you?" He cocked his head a little, waiting for her to acknowledge the truth they both were already certain of.

"Maybe," Beca smirked, pulling the straw away from the box and poking it through to take a sip.

Jesse grinned, continuing on, "I was just thinking… as much as I love spending time with you doing challenges and Truth Booth's and matchup ceremonies, and I do… believe me… more than life… I thought we could maybe take a break from all that and do something else that doesn't make us want to kill ourselves."

His sarcasm hit in all the right places, Beca's grin widening the more he spoke. Jesse pulled out a couple of pre-made sandwiches from his pack and offered her one.

Beca accepted it, humming thoughtfully. "Like what?"

Jesse unwrapped his sandwich and asked, "Like… what's your favorite movie? I haven't told anyone this, but I'm kind of obsessed with movie scores. That's what I want to do someday… score movies… bring people to tears, blow their minds… I feel like only music can do that."

"Yeah…" Beca glanced at him, teasing, "It's amazing you don't have a girlfriend."

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, I know. What am I doing wrong?"

Beca took another sip before commenting, "I have no idea. I mean you've got juice pouches and sandwiches and apparently a lot of movie knowledge I'm not sure I want to explore."

"That's where you're wrong! I'll prove it to you," Jesse refused to take no for an answer. "Okay, pick one between Jaws, E.T., The Breakfast Club, Star Wars, and Rocky."

The warning buzzer went off loudly in Beca's head at the thought of having to actually watch all these films. "Can we do something else?"

That got his attention, making Jesse pause and meet her eyes. "What, do you not like movies or something?"

Beca bit down on her lip and glanced away, not wanting to crush his hopes and dreams.

"Oh my God! How are you my perfect match?!" Jesse exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

She felt compelled to save the situation at least a little bit, backtracking, "I mean, they're fine. I just get bored and never make it to the end."

Jesse looked like she'd just cursed his entire family, his tone exasperated when he replied, "The endings are the best part!"

Beca shrugged, "They're just really predictable. Like… the guy gets the girl… and that kid sees dead people… and Darth Vader is Luke's father…"

"Oh right," Jesse rolled his eyes. "You just happened to guess the biggest cinematic reveal in history?"

"Vader in German means father," Beca said slowly, wondering how Jesse didn't know this already. "His name is literally Darth Father."

Jesse was quiet for a moment, recovering well as he said, "Well, you know German… now I know why you don't like fun things. You know what you need… you need a movie education… a movication… and I'm gonna give it to you."

Beca shook her head, "No, absolutely not. That sounds like the worst idea ever."

They sat in silence for a minute, neither of them unable to help the grins slowly spreading across their faces at the absurdity of the conversation. Jesse finally broke the silence, unable to get past one thing.

"How did they find me a perfect match who doesn't like movies?!"

Beca rolled her eyes, "How did they match me with the biggest movie nerd ever? Two way street, Jess."

Jesse shook his head, giving her a look of exaggerated disappointment. "Normal people like movies."

"I've never been normal," Beca retorted.

"Clearly."

Beca looked at him then, his tone a little more serious than she'd expected for the banter they'd had going.

Jesse backtracked immediately, "Sorry… that made it weird. It's just I actually can see why they matched us together. I like hanging out with you."

Beca couldn't help but smile at the sentiment because she understood exactly what he meant. "Ditto."

Jesse broke their eye contact to look behind her, making Beca twist around to see who was approaching them. A sinking feeling overtook the lightness of her time with Jesse when she saw it was Chloe, the smile on her face looking slightly forced.

Jesse didn't seem to notice though, cheerfully greeting the redhead. "Hey Chloe!"

Chloe's eyes ran over their setup before settling on Jesse, replying, "Hey! This looks cozy. Didn't mean to interrupt your little date."

"Oh, it's…"

Beca found her voice at that word, interrupting Jesse to quickly say, "It's not a date."

Jesse and Chloe both shot her a curious look, with Jesse unable to keep his sarcasm at bay.

"Damn, don't hold back there Bec…" he teased, leaning back a little with his hands behind him before looking back at Chloe. "But yeah, it's not a date… well, maybe it's a friend date?"

Beca rolled her eyes at his hopeful look, silently thankful for his ability to diffuse awkwardness. "Fine… we're friends."

"Yes! Now I can die a hero," Jesse sat up and fist pumped.

Chloe laughed and gave them a small wave. "Well, I'll leave you two to… whatever this is."

Jesse shook his head, "You don't have to. Join us and help me convince Beca that not all movies are bad."

Beca watched Chloe think about the offer before ultimately turning it down.

"Thanks, but as fun as that sounds I'm gonna go get something to eat myself. See you guys later!"

Jesse nodded, "There are more sandwiches inside."

They watched Chloe turn and head back inside the house, Beca wondering if she could make up a plausible excuse to go talk to the redhead alone.

"Well that wasn't awkward at all."

She turned back to Jesse who was looking at her curiously.

"If we're gonna be friends you'll have to get used to it," Beca sighed, reaching for her sandwich. "It's a skill of mine."

Jesse laughed, "I like it. Normal people are boring." After a moment he added, "You admitted we're friends. You like me after all."

Beca shook her head, "Nope. Definitely. Not."

"Liar. Embrace it."

"You're the worst."


Beca grabbed an apple from the basket in the kitchen on her way into the main room, sitting down between Jesse and Luke as the rest of the group gathered to receive their challenge briefing.

"I don't have a good feeling about today," Luke hummed, sipping coffee from a styrofoam cup.

"We've been instructed to wear bikinis and swim trunks… what could possibly go wrong?" Beca quipped, taking a bit out of the apple.

Jesse nodded in agreement, "Definitely asking for wardrobe malfunctions."

Stacie overheard them as she walked into the room, chiming in, "It's trashy television. They want us as naked as possible as often as possible… even you, Jesse."

Jesse flipped her off, not bothering to reply.

Beca chuckled at that, falling silent at Jesse's look. "What? It was funny… also you're like one of the most ripped guys here, so I dunno what you're insecure about."

"Let's just say I used to look more like Bumper than Luke," Jesse murmured, making sure no one else heard him.

Beca filed that information away, thinking that Jesse's obsessive workouts suddenly made a lot more sense.

Unfortunately, Luke was seated too close for the words to remain private. "It's alright Jess, not everyone can look like this naturally."

Jesse shook his head, deciding his best course of action was to stay quiet. Beca shot Luke a glare, earning a sheepish look in return. It was a subtle reminder that they were all in this house for a reason, namely their unresolved personal issues.

CR chose that moment to enter the room, eyes scanning the couch to make sure everyone was there. Satisfied with the attendance, she clapped her hands sharply to get their attention.

"Good morning everyone! Happy Challenge Day!"

Beca fought admirably to keep from rolling her eyes at the fake cheer in CR's voice, knowing it was everyone's least favorite day. There were scattered replied from around the room, none nearly as enthusiastic as the producer's opening greeting, though some equally sarcastic.

"We've got a fun one set up for you today on the beach," CR began her explanation. "You'll pair up and fill buckets with sand. The three couples with the most sand in their buckets by weight at the end win the getaway date. To make things slightly more difficult, you and your partner will be strapped together at the waist."

Fat Amy interrupted her at that piece of information. "Strapped together? How are we supposed to move?"

Stacie smirked at the question, answering, "One person walks backwards?"

CR let out an exasperated sigh. "Not like that. You'll each have a belt around your waist and you will be hooked to your partner with a bungee cord type… thing," she finished, more ineloquently than Beca was used to hearing her. "Gail will explain more down at the beach."

Beca frowned at that statement, knowing full well that the briefings CR gave them usually contained more information than anything Gail said for the camera. "Hold on… that's all the information we get?"

CR's steady gaze had her shrinking back a little. "You're filling buckets with sand. It's not exactly rocket science."

Beca narrowed her eyes, not appreciating the sarcasm one bit.

Tom followed up on her question, giving her a little encouragement that she wasn't the only one feeling unsatisfied. "Are we supposed to use our hands? How are we getting the sand into the buckets?"

CR glanced around before announcing, "That's all the time we have for questions. Let's get down to the beach."

Beca watched her signal for one of her assistants to follow her out the back door, looking around at the uncertain expressions of the rest of the group.

Luke muttered, "I told you I had a bad feeling about today."

"Yeah… I was hoping you were wrong."

They filed through the back door and followed the path across the backyard that led down to the beach. It was about a ten minute walk and it gave Beca far too much time to wonder exactly what details of this challenge were left unsaid back at the house. Jesse strolled along beside her filling the silence with his own musings about what movie he was going to make her watch that evening, which turned out to be a surprisingly effective distraction.

The producers and crew halted them once they reached the beach, moving ahead to make sure everything was ready to begin filming. Beca could see the challenge set up not far down the beach, which had been blocked off a good distance on either side to keep anyone from accidentally wandering on set.

"I see buckets in front of lanes… and a ditch," Luke said, squinting through the bright sun. After a moment he added, "Nothing to carry the sand with though… not a good sign."

CR returned to stand before the group, calling out, "Alright, you will jog over to where Gail is standing by the start of the challenge! Don't bunch up, don't trip. Oh, no shoes! You can leave them here by the path and collect them on the way back to the house."

Beca kicked off her flip flops and glanced quickly around the group. Chloe had successfully avoided her for the entire morning, continuing that streak with her current location on the far side of the group. Any further pondering on when the next time she'd get to be alone with the redhead was cut short by CR shouting instructions to the crew, before giving them the signal to go.

The jog over to Gail was more awkward than anything, the sand nearer the shore soft and heavy. Beca's feet sunk down with each step, unable to get the traction necessary for a smoother gate. By some miracle, CR did not stop the shoot when they arrived at the correct spot, Gail greeting them with her usual wide smile.

"Hey guys! How are we today?"

They replied with the usual happy chorus, waiting for the blonde to begin her usual lines.

"Congratulations again on your seven perfect matches at the last ceremony!" Gail began, adding, "I feel like you guys have finally stopped hitting the snooze button and have woken the hell up! Well done!"

The group cheered at the reminder that they were getting closer to finding all ten perfect matches, relieved at the fact they were moving in the right direction for a change.

"That is super important, since you only have two more chances to all find your perfect match and leave with your share of a million bucks. But… if you don't go ten for ten, you're all going home empty handed," Gail reminded them. "Are you all ready for your next getaway challenge?"

"Yes!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Let's go, Gail! We're ready!"

The shouts sounded off around Beca as she simply smiled and clapped her hands, wanting to react as little as possible to keep the shoot rolling smoothly.

"Alright! That's what I like to hear!" Gail's voice rose cheerfully. "The top three couples will win an amazing getaway date, getting some crucial alone time and getting that much closer to finding your perfect match. I hope you're ready to move Heaven and Earth together… or maybe just Earth… in a challenge I'm calling… getting all up in this beach!"

Beca sighed, hearing the light laughter and sporadic clapping at Gail's horrible pun.

Gail smirked, as if she knew just how bad it was. "Getting better?"

Fat Amy grinned, shouting, "Getting so much better, Gail!"

"That's what I like to hear," Gail laughed, before starting her explanation of the challenge.

"Here's what's gonna happen," Gail began, continuing, "Using nothing but the clothes on your back, you guys are gonna run down here," she pointed at the lanes that led to a small ditch filled with loosened sand, "scoop up as much sand as you can and carry it back to your bucket. But there's a twist! You're gonna be coupled up and tied together at the waist!"

Beca tried to put on a surprised grin as she glanced at Jesse on her right, his knowing smile already beaming her way.

"The three couples with the most sand in their buckets after ten minutes will win the getaway date," Gail said, looking around the group. "You have thirty seconds to pair up, make it count! Go!"

Beca immediately hooked her arm around Jesse's waist, knowing that if they went on the date there was a good chance that the group would send them to the Truth Booth. It was getting down to the wire now and they were only a few perfect matches away from getting all ten right.

It only took a few seconds for everyone to pair up, Gail noticing the strategy right away.

"Alright guys, if I'm not mistaken it looks like everyone is partnered up with their selection from the last matchup ceremony."

Stacie nodded, "We know that we had seven matches right, so odds are good that at least one of the three winning couples is a perfect match."

Gail agreed immediately, "I like the logic guys. Keep playing smart. Alright, everyone get into position and we'll get this challenge started!"

Crew swarmed around them with the materials to tie each couple together. It took about fifteen minutes to get everyone hooked to their partner, making sure that the belts and ties were secure.

"Got any ideas for a strategy?" Jesse whispered, glancing down the line.

Beca looked down at her bikini, then over at his shorts. "I mean, you've got more material than I do…" she trailed off.

Jesse shook his head, "Not an option."

"What do you mean? Just ditch your shorts," Beca replied. "Trust me, You've got nothing to be ashamed of."

Jesse didn't reply, finally succumbing to her exasperated look. "Bec, I don't wear anything under my swim trunks."

Beca stared at him, unsure whether she should be happy or sad that they were about to lose this challenge. "Well… guess we're fucked then."

Jesse's expression turned resigned as they both looked towards Gail, waiting for the host to begin the challenge.

Gail waited for the signal from CR before turning back towards the couples, smile in place. "Alright guys, are you ready?"

After a brief pause, Gail yelled, "Go!"

Beca took off from the starting line immediately, noticing out of the corner of her eye that several of the guys were stripping out of their shorts. Cursing silently at Jesse and his decision to go commando, she ended up needing all of her attention and energy to keep up with him as he bounded ahead. They were one of the first couples to reach the sand ditch, but couldn't do much without a way to carry it back to the bucket.

The ten minutes passed by agonizingly slowly as they made run after run from the bucket to the ditch to dump minimal amounts of sand inside. Beca had never had so much sand covering so many places of her body by the time Gail yelled for the challenge to end. A quick glance down the line told her they weren't even close to challenging for the top three spots.

"Sorry, Bec," Jesse breathed, still catching his breath. "I guess at least we know we aren't going into the Truth Booth."

Beca nodded, already knowing they weren't going to win. "Yeah, focus on the silver lining. I didn't want to go in there again anyways."

The crew handed out towels and bottles of water to help them recover a little faster, and to help brush as much of the excess sand off as possible. Beca took both gratefully, despite knowing that she'd be feeling sand in way too many crevices until she was able to shower. While part of the crew remained with the group to assist, Beca noticed several other groups weighing the buckets of sand, thankful that at least that part of the process was going to happen off screen.

Once everyone had calmed down from the challenge and wiped as much sand as possible from their bodies, CR instructed everyone to get in place for the results.

Gail strode to her spot in front of the group, smile in place. "As couples, you all filled your buckets with as much sand as possible… Are you ready for the results?"

The group cheered loudly, though Beca knew it was more from wanting the day to be over than their interest in who won.

"Alright first up is the blue team! Tom and Flo, your bucket weighed in at 164.4 pounds," Gail announced, as the rest of the group clapped politely.

"Next up is Bumper and Fat Amy with a total of 171.4 pounds… nicely done guys!"

Beca grinned as the pair shouted happily and did a rather one-sided chest bump that sent Bumper back a few feet.

Gail chuckled at them before continuing with the results. "Beca and Jesse finished with 152.2 pounds, putting them in third place and on the chopping block."

Jesse shrugged and slung his arm over Beca's shoulders. "We did our best."

"Yep, no shame in our game," Beca replied, fully prepared to finish at the bottom of the list.

"Moving all the way into first place are Theo and Aubrey, with a total of 218.6 pounds!" Gail exclaimed, clapping her hands in approval.

Aubrey and Theo cheered with matching smiles, but Beca could spot the awkwardness between the pair.

Jesse sensed it as well, muttering, "They're definitely not a match."

Beca nodded in agreement, choosing to keep her mouth shut on the topic.

"Next up is the purple team of Uni and Calamity, ringing in with a total of 183.9 pounds. Solidly into second place guys, well done!"

The group clapped as Uni raised his fists in the air in celebration. His victory was short-lived, however, only lasting a few seconds until Gail read out the next result.

"Zeke and Stacie, you guys managed to fill your bucket with 188.5 pounds of sand! That puts you in second place behind Aubrey and Theo, and Uni and Calamity in third," Gail explained, adding, "We only have two couples left to weigh in!"

The nerves settled in as Gail drew out the final two totals to maximize the suspense, Beca feeling the butterflies grow in her stomach as they waited to find out the winners.

"Luke and Kommissar, your bucket weighed in at… 190.8 pounds! That puts you in second place and guaranteed to go on the date!"

Beca grinned and clapped loudly, happy for her friend. Luke beamed and grabbed Kommissar in a hug that lifted her off the ground, swinging her in a circle.

Gail added, "That also means that Aubrey and Theo have locked in a getaway date tomorrow. Congrats, guys!"

Beca glanced at the pair of them, smiles and enthusiasm not quite matching that of Luke and Kommissar at the date awaiting them.

"Alright guys, we're down to our final couple! Who will win that getaway date tomorrow? Zeke and Stacie are in third place right now, and only Chicago and Chloe have yet to discover how much sand they filled their bucket with," Gail said, her voice drawing out the tension.

Beca looked down the row at Chicago and Chloe, not thrilled at the nervous but excited looks the couple were currently exchanging.

Thankfully Gail didn't draw out the final verdict, her voice rising in pitch as she announced, "With a massive total of 258 pounds even, Chicago and Chloe vault over the entire group to finish in first place! Congratulations guys!"

Beca clenched her teeth together and she forced a smile to her face as Chloe and Chicago whooped and celebrated their victory with a hug. Something about Chloe being half naked and hugging an equally half naked Chicago really rubbed her the wrong way, turning her gaze back to Gail as she tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.

Gail continued on when the group settled down, "Alright our three winning couples are going on an underwater adventure… SNUBA diving with the sea turtles!"

Beca tried to look happy and excited for the winning couples as she clapped along, but the only thing on her mind right now was the thought of Chloe and Chicago spending an entire day together. She knew Chicago was a colossal dick and that Chloe was not interested in him, but the fact that they still hadn't gotten a chance to talk was playing into all her fears and doubts. This experiment had started out fun, but the emotional and mental toll of being in the house and discovering she had feelings for another girl had Beca more than ready to be done with the show.

"Congratulations to the three lucky couples," Gail beamed. "As for the rest of you, remember that you'll have to vote one of these couples into the Truth Booth… the only way to know for sure if they are a perfect match or not. I'll see you all tomorrow for the results!"

The group cheered again and said goodbye to Gail, holding it for a few seconds until someone yelled, "Cut!" As the crew swarmed in, Beca looked up to see Jesse's concerned expression staring back at her.

"You okay?"

Beca sighed, uncharacteristically hugging him in lieu of a response.

"I'll take that as a no."

His voice from above her had her breaking into a small smile.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Beca sighed again, answering quietly, "Maybe later."


Moments of solitude in the house were rare, and Beca was soaking up every second her housemates and the show's crew left her alone tucked into a corner of the couch. They'd finally wrapped up filming and everyone was milling around the house drinking or eating or taking a break after showering sand out of places they hoped never to find it again. Beca had taken advantage of the lull to take her plate of food inside while most wandered outside to enjoy the sunset and warm weather. Chloe and Chicago had stayed behind the main group to film a few extra reaction shots, and Beca saw the redhead briefly on her way up to the bedroom and then again out towards the pool, hair wet from a shower.

Her peace and quiet was not meant to last, but Beca was relieved that Jesse was the one to intrude. Beca liked him the more she got to know him, and genuinely hoped they would stay in touch after the show.

"It was really nice out there before they started doing cannonball contests into the pool with bonus points for how many people got hit," Jesse informed her, making Beca take note of the water splattered across his shirt.

She grinned, "I take it you were a casualty?"

Jesse huffed, "And so was my plate of tacos. Those bitches."

Beca laughed at his words, lacking the heat of real anger. "And here I assumed it was the guys. Stacie and Amy?"

"And Aubrey."

"Never would have guessed."

Jesse shot her a look that said not to ask, so naturally she did.

"What's going on with you two anyways? I thought you were hitting it off with her."

Jesse pursed his lips into a thin line, refusing to answer her question. "What's going on with you and Chloe?"

Beca raised her eyebrows, retorting, "There's nothing going on with me and Chloe."

"Well you were super weird to her during our little impromptu picnic the other day," Jesse pointed out, reminding Beca that she was still as awkward as ever. "I thought you two were besties and shit and lately I haven't seen you talking to her at all."

When Beca didn't answer, he studied her with a more serious look. "This have anything to do with the challenge today? I can tell that you're upset about something Bec… maybe it'll help to talk about it."

Beca sighed, wondering if he was right. She knew she needed to tell Jesse… after all he was her perfect match and would probably be more supportive than anyone else in the house. Still, saying the words was becoming tougher and tougher as whatever she and Chloe had seemed to be moving in the wrong direction. Just as she decided to tell him the truth, a body flew over the back of the couch and landed heavily beside her.

"Bec! Let's go swimming!" Luke grinned, bouncing on the cushion and jostling her in his excitement.

"Yeah… no, Jesse and I will catch up with you in a bit," Beca bit back a grin as she took in Luke's bright red face and wondered just how many drinks he'd downed to get himself in such a state.

"Suit yourselves, losers!" Luke shouted, jumping back to his feet and racing out the back door.

Beca shook her head as she watched him go, face falling as Bumper, Uni, Fat Amy, and Calamity walked inside and sat down on the other end of the couch.

Jesse seemed to read her mind, leaning in to whisper, "Want to go for a walk or something?"

Beca nodded and let him help her up from the couch, ignoring the catcalls of the new group as they left the room. Unfortunately, they didn't have better luck finding some privacy outside, running into Theo and Flo early on and then finding Stacie and Tom in a less than decent state in a more secluded corner.

Jesse took her hand, saying, "I know where we can go. It's probably empty if Stacie and Tom aren't in it."

"Ugh, seriously? The STD Den?" Beca groaned, quickly following his train of thought.

"You got a better idea?"

Of course she didn't, and simply shook her head as Jesse led them back inside and up the stairs to the room. Beca stepped inside first, glancing around as the memories of the brief time spent in here with Chloe came rushing back. A click of the lock had her turning around to face Jesse, who took one look at the bed and grimaced.

"Maybe the floor?" he suggested, adding, "I do not want any part of whatever has happened in that bed."

Beca nodded in agreement, "You and me both, dude."

She sat down with her back against the wall facing the bed. Jesse hesitantly took the spot opposite her with his back leaning against the bed frame. Beca couldn't help but chuckle at his expression, watching patiently as he eventually gave in and leaned back against the comforter hanging over the end of the bed.

"It's fine, there's no way they left the covers on," Beca reasoned, trying to make him feel better.

Jesse nodded, but seemed far from convinced. "Yeah yeah… let's just not think about it, okay?"

Beca agreed, "Fair enough."

After a moment, Jesse reminded her why they were there in the first place. "So, we just gonna sit here all night or do you want to talk about whatever is bothering you?"

Beca took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she mulled over how to tell Jesse the truth. "Well, uh… being open and shit with my feelings was never a strength," Beca started, pausing when Jesse interrupted almost immediately.

"No way," he deadpanned, pretended to be shocked. "Never would have guessed."

"Fuck you." Beca rolled her eyes as he burst out laughing, finally composing himself and holding his hands up defensively.

"Sorry, okay… I'm listening…. Serious face," he said, more to himself than her. "You suck at being vulnerable… join the club."

Beca sighed, deciding the easiest thing to do was to just say it. "I have feelings for Chloe."

Jesse stared at her, his expression going blank as the words didn't seem to be processing. "What?"

"I know I'm supposed to like you or one of the other guys or whatever, but I like Chloe," Beca shrugged, waiting for him to catch up. "I want to be with Chloe."

Jesse finally nodded, speaking slowly, "That… actually… makes a lot of sense."

It was her turn to be surprised, responding, "It does?"

"Well, yeah," Jesse said, now nodding along to the thoughts in his head. "I mean you guys were getting along really well and were super friendly and both of you crashed and burned with the guys you liked… but you're not happy about it so what's wrong? Does she not like you back?"

Beca shook her head, "No, I mean yes… she does. We like each other."

Jesse grinned, "Great!" He paused before asking again, "So…. I still don't understand what the problem is. Sorry, I feel like I'm not in on the joke or something. Is it because of the show? I guess it'd fuck things up pretty good if you both picked each other," he finished with a small laugh.

"The show is part of it," Beca explained, "CR and most if not all of the crew know. She said Gail doesn't know, but I'm not so sure about that. I feel like secrets don't stay secret around here for very long. It's amazing that no one else in the cast seems to know, but that could also be because Chloe… we've been avoiding each other lately."

"I did notice that," Jesse replied. "I just figured you two were trying to find your matches or something though, not that you were in a fight."

"We're not in a fight," Beca retorted, letting her frustration seep out.

Jesse shrugged, "I mean, I didn't think too much on it at the time but you were awkward as hell when she found us outside the other day."

Beca rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well I am awkward as hell."

"Bec…" Jesse's voice was soft, hesitating until she met his gaze. "If you both feel the same way about each other, what's been bugging you so much?"

It was the honesty and sincerity in his tone that had Beca spilling the truth before she could stop herself.

"I… I experimented a little with women in college and stuff, but I was never open about it with any of my friends or family. No one in my life back home knows I'm bisexual, and the thought of them finding out because of this show is fucking terrifying," Beca confessed. "And I know that Chicago is a dick and that Chloe doesn't like him, but they're still going on a date tomorrow and I'm just this small, awkward, pale… Jesse I don't even understand why anyone in this house likes me, let alone Chloe."

All the fears and insecurities came pouring out of her before Beca could even think about being embarrassed at her confession. Jesse's frown spread over his face, finally unable to keep from interrupting her.

"Hold on, Bec," he said, scooting over to sit next to her and wrap his arm around her shoulders. "First, you're awesome! You're smart and funny and… I mean, Bec you're really pretty. All the guys think so… hopefully that didn't sound too creepy, but it's true."

Beca shook her head, "That makes zero sense to me. And especially Chloe… Chloe is like, fucking sunshine and warmth and happiness and I'm…"

"A strong, successful, ATTRACTIVE…" Jesse's voice raised stubbornly on the last word, fixing her with a serious stare, "person who Chloe would be lucky to have." After a brief silence, Jesse asked, "So you're not ready to come out? You should just tell her… I'm sure Chloe would understand."

"I did tell her and she does understand," Beca sighed, thinking back to their poolside chat. "She's giving me space since things with us happened kinda fast and I got overwhelmed."

Jesse's expression turned confused again. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah… it is," Beca answered. "This is all just really confusing for me. I thought I needed space, but lately I'm not sure if it's making things better or worse. After seeing her with Chicago today… it just… she looked happy with him."

"Well, I'm here for you, Bec," Jesse's tone was supportive and encouraging. "Whatever happens."

Beca nodded as Jesse removed his arm from around her shoulders and got to his feet, extending his hand to her. She took it and let him pull her to her feet, taking an extra second to stretch her arms over her head. Jesse moved towards the door and opened it, turning to glance back at her.

"Thanks Jesse," Beca said, shuffling over to him.

He opened his arms and wrapped her in a hug, whispering, "Anytime, Bec. That's what friends are for."

Beca tensed for a split second before relaxing into his embrace, thankful that her perfect match ended up being a real friend. She wrapped her arms around Jesse's waist, savoring a moment with one of the few people in the house she trusted completely.

"HELL YEAH JESSE! GET IT IN!"

Beca immediately stepped back to see Bumper and Uni bumping against each other in the open doorway, drinks in hand and smirks in place.

"Called it that you guys were gonna bone before the show ended," Uni grinned, turning and yelling down the hallway. "Zeke you owe me twenty bucks! Caught Jesse and Beca in the STD Den!"

Jesse glared at him, "Dude, we weren't hooking up. We were just talking."

Bumper chugged the rest of his beer and winked at them. "Sure… if that's what you're calling it."

"Fuck off," Jesse snapped, stepping in front of Beca and crossing his arms over his chest.

Beca narrowed her eyes at the pair of them, breathing a sigh of relief when they shrugged and left the room.

"Whatever… I need another drink anyways," Bumper turned away and headed back down towards the kitchen with Uni following behind him.

Her relief was short-lived as she heard his next words before he was out of range.

"Oh, hey Chloe."

Beca glanced up at met Jesse's eyes, her stomach turning over anxiously as she stepped out of the room in time to see Chloe turn around and walk downstairs without looking back. She leaned against the wall in the hallway and covered her face with her hands.

Fuck.


Beca stayed in bed as long as possible the next day, knowing that when she finally wandered downstairs Chloe wouldn't be there. She wanted to keep herself distracted from the fact that the redhead was out on a fun snorkeling date with Chicago, and the first step in that plan was sleeping until Jesse regretfully woke her up around noon at the demand of one of the producers. He apologized sheepishly and Beca sighed and reluctantly left the comfortable isolation of the bedroom.

Once downstairs, she met up with Jesse in the kitchen as the man was pouring a cup of coffee. He met her gaze and seemed to understand immediately, offering her the cup.

"Thanks." Beca's voice was quiet as he grabbed a second mug from a cupboard.

"Try not to think about it," Jesse replied, taking a sip and turning to lean against the countertop. He lowered his voice and added, "Chicago is a douchebag. Today isn't going to change that."

Beca nodded, eyes bouncing around the kitchen as if Chloe would randomly appear and tell her she didn't go on the date after all. "I know."

The day dragged by despite Jesse's best attempts to distract her with random conversations and movie trivia. Beca really did appreciate his efforts and admitted they were semi-effective, but also couldn't escape thoughts of Chloe out swimming in the perfect Hawaiian ocean with Chicago of all people. It simply wasn't that long ago that Chloe was crushing hard on the guy, and even if he wasn't ultimately the one for Chloe, Beca had a feeling that the group was going to vote them into the Truth Booth tonight and possible prevent them from ever getting to have the conversation they desperately needed to have.

Finally, the day was coming to a close and Jesse voiced the words she'd been dreading all day. "Come on, it's time to cast our votes for the Truth Booth."

Beca closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate. "Okay… let's get this over with."

Jesse wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the giant touchscreen in the main room to vote. Beca gave in after a few steps and leaned into his comforting embrace, slipping her arm around his waist.

"Thanks," she murmured, not wanting to make a big deal out of it but also wanting him to know she appreciated his friendship.

"I got your back," he responded, making her laugh and shake her head at the cool, yet out of character response.

They passed Stacie on the way to the main area, the brunette giving them a wink and a knowing look despite staying uncharacteristically silent. Jesse put a few feet of space between them when they arrived at the screen, hesitating and glancing between Beca and the screen as she took her time.

"I don't think I can do it, Jesse," Beca finally admitted, looking over at him. "What if they actually are a perfect match?"

Jesse hummed thoughtfully, "I don't think they are. I have my own suspicions and ideas of the right matches, and I don't think they are one."

"Who do you think Chloe's is?" Beca couldn't help her curiosity.

"Tom."

Beca breathed a sigh of relief. Tom was the one person she actually hoped was Chloe's perfect match. He was a genuinely nice guy, and the fact that he was completely hung up on Stacie didn't hurt either.

"I can see it," she replied. "They're both really nice."

"They look good together, and they're personalities mesh pretty well," Jesse continued. "Also, the Truth Booth shot down her and Luke. I really thought we might have gotten a perfect match right outta the gate in week one. I was disappointed when it said they weren't a match."

Beca thought back to week one, which seemed like a lifetime ago. "Yeah…" she trailed off, finding it difficult to remember how she felt about how things went after one week. No one was taking it too seriously at that point, and it didn't seem like such a big deal that they hadn't gotten a perfect match.

"Is… is everyone else voting for them?"

It was Jesse's turn to hesitate, finally admitting, "Yeah, I think so. Sorry, Bec."

Beca shook her head, "Don't apologize. It's the smart move, I guess."

Before she could think anymore on the subject, Beca reached out and tapped the pictures of Chloe and Chicago side by side on the screen. It flashed to confirm her vote and then returned back to it's previous state for Jesse to vote. He tapped the pictures of the same couple as well, waiting for the screen to flash before meeting her gaze.

"Want to get drunk?"

Beca couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, nodding in agreement.

"Hell yes."


"Come on guys, everyone get to the couch! The lovebirds will be back from their date any minute now!"

Beca stared into her cup, only hesitating a moment before chugging the rest of her drink. Jesse did the same beside her, swaying slightly as he got to his feet.

"I still think this was a… fuckin' frantasic idea."

Beca frowned at his words, looking over at him and breaking into a smile. "You're really drunk right now."

He shook his head, insisting, "I'm not drunk, you're just blurry."

She laughed and reached out to push him in the chest. "Could you pass a sobriety test?"

Jesse leaned back a bit before swaying forward again. "Yep, and I come right back." His eyes narrowed as they focused in on her. "Why are you not more drunk right now?"

"I own a bar, Jess," Beca answered, her mouth curling into a smirk. "I don't understand why everyone has such a hard time remembering that I own a bar."

"Oh yeahh!"

Beca grinned, "Let's just hope you make it through the Truth Booth filming tonight and CR doesn't kill me."

Jesse wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they began walking through the house to the living room. "Don't worry, Becs. I got this."

Beca felt her knees buckle slightly under his weight as he momentarily lost his balance.

"Yeah, you're just fine. If we're gonna be friends… this whole situation," she pointed a finger at him and moved it around in a circle, "Needs to improve."

"My charming personality?" Jesse beamed at her.

Beca rolled her eyes, "You have the tolerance of a sorority chick drinking vodka cranberry's for the first time."

They made their way into the living room together where the rest of the group was assembling, Beca pointedly avoiding CR's gaze until they found seats on the couch. A quick glance showed the woman's eyes glaring their way, and Beca felt properly scolded without a word being exchanged. CR gestured and mumbled something to a producer beside her, who then walked over and stood in front of Jesse.

"How drunk are you? IV drunk or smelling salts drunk?"

Jesse stared blankly back at him, finally answering, "Drunk enough to tell you to get the fuck outta my face!"

Beca laughed, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. The guy rolled his eyes and left them alone, apparently reporting back to CR that Jesse would be fine for the shoot.

"I take it back, Jess… we need you to get this drunk more often and we'll be great friends."

Jesse grinned proudly, "I knew we were friends. You tried to fight it… but you can't fight friendship."

Stacie sat down on Jesse's other side, leaning forward to look at Beca. "What'd you do to him?"

Beca shrugged, "It was his idea to play drinking games all afternoon. I think it went downhill around the time we started playing poker using shots as chips."

"You think?" Stacie's eyebrow went up, but her tone revealed her amusement at the situation.

"Yeah, it's a bit hazy," Beca quipped, winking at the brunette.

Jesse butted in just as everyone was getting settled on the couches. "I won… it was all worth it."

Stacie replied, "Are you sure?"

"Yep, I won Beca's friendship forever," he answered, completely serious.

Stacie held her hands over her heart like it was the most adorable thing she'd ever heard at the same time Beca fought to keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her skull.

"That was disgusting," Beca shook her head at him. "Never say that again."

Jesse looked mildly concerned. "Are we still friends?"

"As long as you stop saying sappy shit like that."

"Got it."

CR clapped her hands to get everyone's attention, making Beca realize the three couples had returned from their date. Chloe looked too happy for her taste after spending the day with Chicago, and Beca didn't wait for the redhead to meet her gaze, instead turning her focus over to CR.

"Alright, let's get this shoot started. We all know the routine by now, so let's try to get it done as smoothly as possible. Where's Gail?"

The crew looked around, each as clueless as the next until one holding a hand to her ear spoke.

"One minute, CR."

CR sighed and shook her head. "Fucking hell, we're already late to start. What the fuck is it now?"

Another pause before the answer came. "Mic issues."

CR cursed loudly and strode out of the room, presumably to go to wherever Gail was prepping and try to help fix the technical difficulties. Thankfully, she returned seconds later with Gail right behind her. Whatever was wrong seemed to be fixed and they were ready to shoot. After a brief conversation between the women, Gail found her mark and CR retreated behind the cameras.

"Alright, Gail, whenever you're ready!"

Gail nodded, waiting a moment before addressing the group.

"What's up, guys? How are we doing tonight?"

Beca sounded off with the rest of the group, "Good!" and waited for Gail to continue.

"Awesome. Happy couples… how was your date?"

Beca clenched her teeth together at the way Gail addressed the couples from the date, knowing that description was far from accurate for at least two out of the three.

"It was great, Gail!" Chloe answered, still smiling widely. "We got to see so many sea turtles and fish."

Luke nodded, "It was a lot of fun. I'd never heard of SNUBA before, but it was pretty cool."

Gail's smile remained in place, "I'm so glad to hear that! Well, as you all know, while they were gone the rest of you voted one of these three couples into the Truth Booth. Bumper, who would you like to see go into the booth tonight?"

Bumper answered, "Chicago and Chloe. I know they had a falling out or whatever, but most of us still believe they are a match. It's time to find out."

"Logical," Gail replied, looking around the room. "Does anyone think they aren't a match?"

To Beca's surprise, Stacie spoke up from Jesse's other side. "I'm almost positive they aren't a match, Gail."

Gail looked a little surprised at Stacie's comment, asking, "Why is that? They look so good together over there."

Beca's stomach turned, glancing over at Chloe to see her smile frozen in place, bringing the smallest bit of comfort to see the redhead definitely did not agree with the host on that matter.

"I just think there are other people they match better with," Stacie said simply, not venturing into further detail.

Gail looked around the room again. "What about either of the other two couples? Could they get voted into the Truth Booth tonight?"

Uni chimed in, "I don't think so, Gail. We need to know for sure about Chloe and Chicago. I think most of the group voted that way."

"Alright, well… there's only one way to find out. Your votes are in, and the couple you're sending to the Truth Booth is…"

The television screen flashed and Beca's stomach dropped as photos of all three couples were replaced by two larger pictures of a single couple.

"Chicago and Chloe!"

The group clapped and whistled as Gail turned her full attention toward the couple.

"Chicago and Chloe! How do you feel about going into the Truth Booth tonight?"

Chicago answered, "I think we're ready. This has been a long time coming, and I'm ready to find out if Chloe is my perfect match."

Gail wasn't quite finished though, asking, "Chloe, how are you feeling about this decision?"

Chloe hesitated, answering, "I mean, I'm not surprised, but I'm kinda freaking out right now."

"Chloe, you're freaking out a little bit? What's going on?" Gail asked, suddenly concerned.

"Well," Chloe glanced around the room before continuing, "Chicago and I have had our ups and downs, and although I think he'll be a great match for someone… that someone is not me."

Gail pressed on, "So, what you're saying is that even if the Truth Booth reveals tonight that you two are a perfect match, you don't see any future for the two of you as a couple?"

Chicago cut in smoothly, "Gail, let's take this one step at a time. Chloe and I will have plenty of time to talk and figure things out in the Honeymoon Suite if we are a perfect match."

Gail's smile revealed her happiness with that answer, agreeing, "Excellent point. Never say never!"

Beca's eyes flicked to Jesse's before returning to Chloe, finding the redhead reluctantly nodding in agreement. The sinking feeling in her stomach grew, suddenly questioning everything that had happened in the house up until this moment.

Gail turned her attention to one of the other couples for a moment. "Luke? Are you surprised that you and Kommissar weren't voted into the Truth Booth tonight?"

Luke shook his head, "Not really. I think we could definitely be a match, but we couldn't miss the opportunity to send in Chicago and Chloe. Whatever the booth says, it gives us a lot of information on past matchups that could help us finally solve the puzzle."

"Luke, you and Kommissar still have one last opportunity to get voted into the Truth Booth next week, but for now it's Chicago and Chloe's turn. So you guys… head to the Truth Booth and good luck!"

Beca watched the pair of them send nervous smiles around the room before exiting through the back door, feeling Jesse's arm slip around her shoulders and give a small squeeze.

Gail turned her focus from the exiting couple to the remaining people in the room. "I don't know if I have to tell you guys this or not, but… uh, we're running out of chances here," she reminded them. "There are only two more matchups, and you guys only have two perfect matches. As you know, the second they find out in the Truth Booth, you guys will find out here… and I'll see you all at the matchup tomorrow night."

Beca said goodbye to Gail with the rest of the group as she exited the room, settling in for the long wait to find out if Chloe and Chicago were a match.


"NO MATCH!"

The words were imprinted in Beca's brain as she continued to stare at the screen while everyone around her groaned at the negative outcome. It was all she could do to hide the extreme relief flooding her body, focusing on keeping her expression neutral or disappointed or anything that wasn't gleefully happy.

"Guys, we got seven matches last time and now we know that Chicago and Chloe weren't one them," Bumper explained, trying to stay positive.

Stacie nodded in agreement, "Pretty sure Aubrey and Theo aren't a match either. What if we just swap those two and see if anything changes?"

Uni shook his head, "I don't think that's the way to go. We got three wrong last time, so we should make three changes."

Beca looked back to Stacie in time to see her incredulous expression. "That would be worse! We need to make a small change so that we know if we're on the right track."

Kommissar cut in, "It's a little late to be finding out if we're on the right track. We have two matchups left to figure this out."

"I agree with Uni," Bumper shrugged. "I say we make three changes and see what happens… and since the boys choose…"

Beca rolled her eyes at that. "You guys have fucked the matchups up for us the last two or three times it was your turn to choose."

Uni snapped, "I don't see you offering up any better ideas."

"Stacie literally just came up with a better idea!" Beca was growing more and more irritated at their inability to work together to solve the puzzle.

Luke stepped in, "Okay, guys, fighting amongst ourselves is not going to help. We need to work together!"

Beca shook her head and decided to remain silent, looking over at Jesse who seemed to have zoned out completely. "Hey, are you okay?"

He looked blearily at her, answering, "I'm pretty tired. Think filming tonight on top of all those shots is finally getting to me."

"Okay gramps, maybe we should get you to bed," Beca joked, drawing a smile out of him.

"Damn, Bec… at least buy me dinner first before offering to take me to bed," he shot back, reaching up to cover a massive yawn.

Beca shook her head at his corniness, standing up and helped him to his feet. Thankfully he'd mostly sobered up and was just tired, shooting her a sleepy smile as he stretched his arms over his head.

"How're you feeling?" Beca asked him, waiting patiently for his arms to return to his sides.

"Not bad… thirsty, actually," Jesse replied, looking around for his cup.

Beca nodded, "Yeah, let's get some water."

Jesse didn't argue with her, instead walking quietly beside her to the kitchen and leaned against the counter while she dug two bottles of water out of the fridge for them. She handed him one and bit back a smile as he immediately opened and chugged half of it down.

"I think you'll make it," Beca commented as Jesse finished the rest of his bottle, taking a few sips from her own before surrendering it to him.

Jesse grinned, quipping, "Is that your professional opinion?"

Beca winked, "As someone with plenty of experience in this particular field… yes."

"Good enough for me," he said, draining the rest of her water and tossed both bottles into the recycling bin. His eyes suddenly left her face to look over her shoulder.

Beca waited a second before turning around herself to see what he was looking at, seeing Chloe stopped a few feet away from them.

"Bec… can I talk to you for a minute?" Chloe's voice was hesitant as she studied the pair of them.

Jesse answered before Beca could, throwing an arm around her shoulders, "Bec was just about to escort me up to bed. Something about not being able to hold my alcohol… I'll work on it. Maybe you could help, too?"

Chloe's expression turned from hesitant to confused to understanding as he spoke, glancing at Beca for confirmation.

Beca caught on, nodding, "Oh, yeah. Chlo, you mind helping me with this drunk? He had a little too much this afternoon and is about ready to pass out."

"Sure, I'd be happy to help," Chloe answered, taking a few steps forward.

Jesse grinned and shifted so his other arm went across Chloe's shoulders, leaning on both of them. "Excellent."

Beca grumbled, "You're ridiculous. You're not even that drunk anymore."

"Shut up and let me help," Jesse muttered. "You two need to talk."

Chloe leaning forward to look at Beca. "You told him? Are we just telling everyone now?"

"What? No, of course not," Beca answered, leaning forward as well. "Today was just really shitty and I needed someone to talk to while you were on your date."

"I didn't even want to go on that date, let alone go into the Truth Booth tonight," Chloe responded, sounding slightly irritated. "You should be talking to me about this stuff."

Beca's eyes narrowed at that, thinking about how much Chloe had ignored and avoided her over the past week or so. "Maybe I would if you weren't completely avoiding me every second of every day."

"You mean like CR told us to do?" Chloe shot back, not budging an inch.

They reached the top of the stairs and Jesse stopped, letting his arms drop from their shoulders when they were out of sight of the rest of their housemates and the crew.

"Okay, you two find a quiet spot and talk," Jesse said, looking between them. "Sounds like you definitely need to clear a few things up."

Beca didn't reply as he looked between them before slipping past and walking down the hallway to the bedroom. She took a slow breath and turned her gaze to Chloe who was already looking back at her.

"Uh, well we could always go to…" Beca trailed off, gesturing to the empty STD Den.

Chloe nodded, walking inside the room instead of offering a verbal reply. Beca followed her and locked the door behind them. Hopefully if anyone noticed they would just assume Chloe was upset about the Truth Booth result.

Beca broke the silence, asking, "Are you really upset that I told Jesse?"

After a moment, Chloe answered, "No, not really. I'm actually happy about it. I… I was wondering if you were starting to develop feelings for him."

"What? For Jesse?" Beca chuckled and shook her head. "We're just friends. If it's because of that weird picnic thing from the other day…"

Chloe cut her off, smiling, "I know it wasn't a date, Bec, but really? The STD Den yesterday? The entire house was talking for hours about how you two hooked up. It was a visual I could have done without."

Beca sighed, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. "Fucking Bumper and Uni. Two people I will not miss when this is over."

"I know." Chloe's eyes were shining with humor.

Beca took a minute to get her thoughts in order, finally confessing, "We ended up here because I needed a private place to tell him about you. I didn't want to lead him on and I thought he deserved to know the truth."

Chloe nodded, "I think that's great, Becs… really. I guess I'm just confused."

"Well it didn't come out as well as I would have liked, but I have wanted to talk to you for a while and we just never seem to have the chance." Beca frowned, thinking over the past week. "And for what it's worth, you didn't seem all that disappointed to be going on the date with Chicago today."

"That asshole? You think I like Chicago again?" Chloe's expression was incredulous.

"No! I mean, I didn't think so but then you looked so happy yesterday at the challenge and I started having doubts and it's honestly been driving me fucking crazy," Beca confessed running her fingers through her hair. "I hate not being able to just openly talk to you about this stuff. It's making me question and doubt everything."

Chloe took a deep breath and fixed her with a serious stare. "I don't know how to say this more plainly… I like you. You're the only one in this entire house that I want something more with. What I don't know is… is if you feel the same way."

"I do like you, you know that," Beca replied. "I just need a little time to figure out what that looks like outside of this house. I thought you understood that?"

"I do," Chloe answered quickly, "That's why it's so confusing to me when you need all this time to tell your family and friends, but you just spill it all to Jesse after a day."

Beca shook her head, "That's not fair. Jesse is my perfect match and he's been a really good friend to me here."

Chloe looked a little saddened by that statement, prompting Beca to ask why.

"What's wrong? What did I say now?"

Chloe shook her head, "It's stupid, I just don't like thinking of someone else being perfect for you. It's nothing."

Beca sighed, "It's not nothing. I should have said it differently. Jesse is not who I want to be with. I can't explain it… telling my family is different. Who knows if I'll ever see Jesse again after we leave this house in a week. I'll definitely have to see my family and friends and staff again after I tell them."

"No, it's fine… we both have to figure out who our perfect match is," Chloe reasoned. "Well, at least I do. I agree with you that Jesse is yours."

"Well, that's… good," Beca said, still feeling a little uncomfortable. "I guess."

Chloe shot her a small smile, "It's part of the show."

Beca shifted in the silence that fell between them, uncertain of where the conversation was going. Chloe seemed to have more to say and Beca wasn't used to her holding back.

"Chlo… whatever it is, just say it."

Chloe looked up from the floor. "I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you, because that's not it."

Beca hesitated, deciding to wait and see if Chloe elaborated. When she didn't, Beca prompted her, "… but?"

Chloe studied her for a long minute before finally answering, "It's not really a but… more just… I've been burned in the past and I promised myself I wouldn't put myself in that situation ever again."

"That situation?" Beca asked, confused as to what she meant.

"I met this girl in college and we hit it off," Chloe explained. "We had this immediate connection and started spending time together and texting all the time and things were great… until I realized that we only hung out alone. She said she wasn't out yet but that she was going to tell her friends and family. Long story short… she never did. I can't go through that again Bec."

Chloe looked down at her hands for a moment before meeting her eyes again. "I promise I'm not pressuring you to come out. I would never, ever do that to someone. All I ask is that you be honest with me now. That conversation we had by the pool kinda triggered all those feelings, and as much as I like you, I also need to protect myself. I can't be someone's secret again. I respect that you need time to figure it out, so I'm trying to give you that time."

Beca felt Chloe's words hit her deep down, unable to imagine feeling like someone's dirty secret. To feel like her partner was ashamed of her. It certainly explained Chloe's hesitance, and Beca realized she needed to get her shit together sooner rather than later.

"I'm really sorry that happened to you, Chlo," Beca said, adding, "And I appreciate you being so patient with me."

Chloe gave her a tight smile, "I learned a lot from that experience… mainly that I don't want to go through it again. So, take the time you need to figure out if you want to give this a real shot after this show ends. You already know where I stand."

Beca could only stand there with a familiar sinking feeling in her stomach, unsure of what to say to reassure Chloe in this moment. She wasn't sure how things would go when she returned back to San Francisco, and the last thing Beca wanted to do was make a promise she couldn't keep.

Chloe's voice was hesitant as she asked, "I mean… do you… are you okay with that?"

"Yes," Beca replied immediately, knowing that what Chloe was asking was more than fair. Of course she didn't deserve to be put in that position again, and it was the last thing Beca would want to do to someone else… especially someone she cared about.

"I'm just worried that…" Beca trailed off, searching for the right words. "I don't want to promise you something and then have it not work out."

Chloe gave her a small smile. "I appreciate that, Bec." After a minute she added, "You know I don't want to ignore you, right? CR told us to keep our distance and I thought you needed some space to figure stuff out. You said you didn't want to move to fast, so…"

Beca nodded, "No, you're right. I shouldn't have said that earlier. I didn't really mean it… I was just frustrated. Today really sucked."

"You think today sucked for you?" Chloe raised an eyebrow. "I had to go on a date with Chicago."

Beca grinned, "Valid. You win."

Chloe chuckled, "No shit. At least after tonight I won't have to be paired up with him anymore."

"How did the Truth Booth go?"

"Terrifying," Chloe admitted. "I was scared as hell that screen was gonna say we were a perfect match."

Beca stepped forward and slipped her arms around Chloe's waist, murmuring, "Thankfully it didn't and he's not your match."

Chloe hugged her back tightly, pressing her face into the crook of Beca's neck. Beca let her hand trail over Chloe's back as the emotions of the day caught up with both of them. She would have stayed that way for hours, though it only ended up being a few minutes before someone banged on the door.

"Open up, bitches!"

They jumped apart at the loud sound, Beca moving to open the door and reveal a very drunk Stacie and Tom.

"What are you two doing in here?" Stacie grinned, looking between the pair of them.

Beca answered smoothly, "Chloe was a little upset about the Truth Booth tonight. She just wanted a quiet place to talk for a few minutes."

Stacie seemed to sober up almost instantly, shooting a concerned look at Chloe. "You okay, girl? I know Chicago is a douche, so I figured you'd be relieved."

Chloe nodded, "Oh, I am… it was more the stress of having to spend all day wondering if we were getting voted in and then when we did… wondering if we were gonna be a perfect match. It was… a lot."

"I feel ya," Stacie agreed, before suggesting, "I'm pretty sure I saw Luke all by himself downstairs. This room is def taken, but maybe he could help you out with some stress relief… if ya know what I mean."

Beca could tell Chloe's smile was a little forced as she replied, "I just might have to go find him."

Stacie cheered, "Get it, girl! Now, get out of here so Tommy can help me with some stress relief."

Beca made a face and slipped past the couple, not interested in seeing or hearing any of that stress relief. Chloe followed her out of the room and they heard door shut and the lock click immediately.

Chloe was still smiling when Beca turned to face her.

"What's so funny?"

"Not funny," Chloe explained. "I think it's pretty crazy that the two of them are so cute even though they only met like a month ago. They seem like the real deal."

Beca shrugged, "Yeah, maybe they'll be the ones to prove this crazy experiment can actually work."

Chloe hummed, "Except they aren't each others perfect match. So does that say more about the us or the show?"

"No idea," Beca answered honestly. "At this point, I'm just trying to survive this craziness."

"Agreed. Want to go get a drink?"

Beca thought about it before ultimately declining. "Nah, probably better for me to go join Jesse," she sighed. "Keep up pretenses and everything. You should go find Luke. It'd be perfect if Stacie saw you guys together or something."

Chloe's face fell a little, but she nodded in agreement. "You're right. Thanks for listening to me tonight."

"Of course," Beca gave her a small smile.

Beca waited as Chloe turned and headed back downstairs to join the rest of the group before moving in the opposite direction down the hallway to the bedroom. She pushed the door open to find Jesse laying in bed staring at his phone, eyes flicking over to her when she entered the room.

"Well?" Jesse leaned up on his elbows, staring at her curiously.

Beca took a deep breath, collapsing on the bed beside him with her face in a pillow.

"That good, huh?"


Beca glanced around the room at the many frustrated faces of her housemates. They were currently in a heated discussion of the best way to figure out the final three perfect matches, mainly Stacie and Jesse facing off with Bumper and Uni. They had been arguing for the better part of the last hour, and Beca knew time was running short before they needed to be ready for the matchup ceremony.

"For the hundredth time," Stacie's exasperated tone emphasized her words, "I'm completely positive that the wrong matches were Chloe, Aubrey, and Flo. Those are the ones we need to be focusing on right now."

Uni shook his head, "No, Luke and Kommissar are definitely one of the wrong matches. They have to sit with other people."

Luke cut in, "I'm not so sure about that. You could have voted us into the Truth Booth yesterday and found out for sure."

"That's insane," Bumper cut him off. "We obviously had to find out about Chloe and Chicago. That narrows everything down a lot."

Jesse continued to back Stacie up, as he'd done most of the meeting. "I think Stacie is right."

A new voice joined the fray, Zeke standing up to gain the group's attention before addressing Tom. "I mean, Tom do you think you and Flo are a match?"

Tom shrugged, "We could be. Flo is great."

Beca's gaze shifted to the small woman who looked equally unsure. This definitely wasn't helping. Blindly guessing or hoping that a person was your match was not going to win them the money.

"This is stupid, we're past the time for guessing."

It was only mildly disconcerting to Beca that Stacie was reading her mind, curious to see where the brunette would try to direct the conversation.

Stacie's hands rested on hips as she pointed out, "If you would just go back through the matchups and realize we can eliminate certain possibilities based on the perfect matches we already have…"

Bumper interrupted her, "Yeah, yeah, you've told us this all before and while I think you're right, there's room for error and we still have two matchups left. We can make switches this time and it'll give us the information we need to get it right in the final one."

"Or we could just try to get it right this time," Stacie retorted.

Bumper stared at her, finally asking, "Do you think Aubrey and Luke could be a match? That would fit with what we have left."

Stacie thought about it for a few seconds. "Yeah, I would be okay with that."

Aubrey's voice cut through the room, asking, "Does anyone want to ask me or Luke if we're alright with that?"

Beca smirked at the blonde's annoyed tone, turning to Luke for his response.

"Should I be offended by that?" Luke grinned, and Beca was grateful for his attempt to break a little tension.

"No, that's not…" Aubrey sighed, shaking her head. "That's not what I meant."

Luke chuckled, "I know, I was just trying to get people to chill out a little."

Beca mumbled to him, "There is no way you two are a match."

"At this point, I'd believe you were my match," Luke replied, his voice equally low. "I have no idea who it is."

"We need to make a decision as a group that we can all live with," Uni said, glancing nervously at his watch. "We're already cutting it close."

Bumper spoke first, "I think we switch Aubrey, Chloe, and Kommissar."

Stacie shook her head but decided to back down. "You guys know what I think, but if that's what the group wants then so be it."

The rest of the group murmured for another minute or two before Kommissar said, "Okay, if we are switching me, Chloe, and Aubrey, we need to decide who we're switching to."

Bumper pulled out a little notebook. "So for those three… the pairs from last week were Chicago, Luke, and Theo. If Aubrey is going with Luke, then that means Kommissar is with Chicago and Chloe is with Theo."

Beca bit down on her lip hard to keep from bursting out laughing. The thought of Chloe and Theo being a match was more absurd to her than Aubrey and Luke. A quick look around the room showed that she wasn't the only one thinking along those lines.

"Guys, we're not seriously gonna do that, right?" Beca asked, her tone incredulous. "Chloe and Theo are not a match."

Uni argued, "You don't know that. They could be."

Beca's eyebrows rose, returning his stare. "Um, yeah dude, I do know that. They aren't a match."

Fat Amy hesitated, finally saying, "I'm with shortstack. That doesn't seem like a match to me and we're running short on time to put people up there that are blind guesses."

Bumper replied, "We're out of time guys. The information we get from this matchup tonight should make it perfectly clear who the correct matches are. Even if Chloe and Theo aren't a match, if one of the others are we are set for the final ceremony. They'll be taking one for the team tonight."

Theo had been quiet until this point, thinking over everything being said. "I will go along with this if it's what the group wants, but I don't think it's a good idea."

"Because it's a terrible fucking idea," Stacie commented. "No offense, Flo, but if anyone here besides me would work for Tom… it'd be Chloe."

Flo shrugged, "That's okay. Once when I was nine years old, my brother tried to sell me for a chicken."

Some of the light chatter died off at that comment, Beca frowning as she wondered if she'd misheard the woman. Theo's laughter cut through the relative silence, looking around the room as he realized no one else had the same reaction.

"What?" he said, still chuckling, "It was funny."

Stacie nodded, "Uh, yeah… sure. Anyways, guys… we are making a mistake doing this."

CR burst into the room before anyone else could respond, yelling furiously at all of them.

"What the hell is wrong with you? The matchup is in fifteen minutes and not a damn one of you is ready! Get changed! NOW!"

Beca would have laughed at the group's immediate reaction if the woman wasn't so terrifying, people scrambling off their seats and out of the room as fast as possible.

"She scares the shit outta me," Jesse said, falling into step with her as they climbed the stairs.

Beca nodded, "Hell yeah… you and me both dude."


CR's mood had not improved throughout the evening, thankfully mainly due to technical difficulties and not human error. Unfortunately, not being at fault didn't save them from her temper and biting retorts to any questions or confusion. They were finally ready to begin the matchup ceremony over an hour behind schedule, and the only positive thing about that was that Gail would have to limit her chatter between selections.

"Okay, let's try and get this done tonight," CR's stare went around the area, leaving no cast or crew member untouched. The unspoken promise of murdering anyone who caused a delay left everyone deathly silent.

Gail moved into position and Beca got comfortable in her chair.

"Boys, walk in on my cue!" CR yelled to the guys who were waiting just outside of the staged area.

Beca watched as they filmed the guys walking in and assembling in the proper location. CR must have been satisfied with the shots because she allowed Gail to move right into her greeting.

"Hey guys! How are you doing tonight?"

The group responded with the usual positivity, smiles, and a few stray claps.

Gail beamed at them as if nothing had gone wrong at all, continuing, "Let's welcome back our two confirmed perfect matches… Benji and Emily… and Donald and Lily. How have you four been?"

"Great," Donald grinned. "Things over at the honeymoon suite couldn't be better."

Benji nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we're having a great time, Gail, but both Em and I do miss seeing everyone else. We've been in the honeymoon suite for a while now."

"Cry me a river!" Bumper shouted sarcastically, causing everyone to chuckle.

Gail laughed along with the group, "I don't think you're going to find much sympathy from your former housemates, Benji. And unfortunately, we do not have another perfect match to add to your total tonight… Chicago and Chloe went into the Truth Booth last night but were not a confirmed perfect match."

DJ looked surprised at that fact, glancing over to Beca for confirmation. She shrugged and nodded, unable to say more in the moment.

Gail continued on with the usual matchup speech.

"Alright you guys, another matchup and another shot at one million dollars… are you ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Hell yeah, Gail!"

"Let's do it. We got it this time!"

Beca clapped along with everyone else, listening to the positivity being shouted out into the room and wishing she could feel the same way. Somehow the group had decided that Theo and Chloe were a perfect match, which was absolutely insane, and she knew they weren't going to be seeing ten beams lit up at the end of the matchup.

"You know you only have two more of these left, so you need to make them count," Gail reminded them. "Tonight, it's the boys choice. Gentlemen, when I call your name, step up here and select your perfect match and then the two of you will place your palms on the handprint touchpad locking you in as a couple. And remember, if you fail to add any new matches to the two you already have, that's a blackout and your prize immediately drops by two hundred and fifty thousand dollars." She paused for a few seconds to let that sink in before calling out the first name.

"First up tonight is… Jesse."

Beca breathed a sigh of relief as Jesse walked confidently up to Gail.

"Jesse, you look confident tonight," Gail commented as he reached the podium.

"I am, Gail," Jesse replied with a smile.

Gail beamed back at him, asking, "You sat at the last matchup with Beca… did this week help clear anything up there?"

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, I think so. We were able to spend a lot of time together this week and I'm feeling good about where our relationship is going."

"Well, let's not waste anymore time then," Gail said, continuing, "Jesse, who is your perfect match?"

"My perfect match is Beca."

Beca grinned as she got up from her chair and walked up to stand beside Jesse at the podium.

"Beca, how was your week with Jesse?" Gail asked.

"It was great," Beca answered, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. "Like Jesse said… we had a lot of time together in the house and that only helped us get to know each other better."

"Sounds like a budding romance to me," Gail hinted. "Jesse, Beca, please lock in as a couple."

Beca reached out and placed her hand on the touchpad beside Jesse's, watching the green bar scan up and down until the black boxes appeared across the screens declaring them, "LOCKED!"

They returned to Beca's chair and sat down together as Gail called Zeke up to pick next.

"Are you glad you went first," Beca whispered, as Zeke chatted easily with Gail.

Jesse whispered back, "Oh yeah. I did not want to be caught in the upcoming shit show at all."

Beca nodded in agreement, watching Stacie stride up to join Zeke at the podium and lock in as a couple. After letting Stacie and Zeke get settled back in Stacie's chair, Gail readied herself and called the next name.

"Next up is Uni."

Uni strolled up to the podium and greeted Gail as the group clapped.

"How are you doing tonight, Uni?"

He nodded, "I'm doing great. How are you?"

"Fantastic," Gail met his enthusiasm. "Uni, who is your perfect match?"

"Gail, my perfect match is Calamity." Uni answered confidently, turning to watch her walk up to the podium.

Beca glanced at Jesse, asking, "Do you think they're really a match?"

"I do," he murmured. "They'll never work as a couple but they have a lot of complimentary qualities. I think they are a match."

Beca hummed at his words as the pair locked in and returned to their seats, thankful for the way they were flying through the matchup so far.

Gail pressed on, "Three down, five to go. Next up is Theo!"

Beca's anticipation rose as she clapped while Theo walked up to the podium, wondering if he was actually going to choose Chloe as his perfect match.

"Hey Theo, how was your week?" Gail asked cheerfully.

Theo answered, "It was pretty good, Gail. I had a great time on the date with Aubrey even though I'm pretty sure we aren't a match."

Gail nodded, her expression turning thoughtful. "Any idea who your perfect match is?"

"I have some ideas, but tonight is more about going with the group and trying to use logic to figure out our missing matches," Theo explained.

"Ah, I see," Gail looked delighted at his answer. "So, Theo… who is your perfect match?"

Theo hesitated, finally answering, "My perfect match is Chloe."

Beca looked over at Chloe, who must have been working overtime to keep her expression neutral as she rose from her chair and walked up to the podium.

"Hi Chloe," Gail said with a smile. "What do you think of this match?"

Chloe gave Theo a friendly smile, saying, "I think Theo is a great guy, but he's not my match."

Theo shrugged, "I mean, neither of us actually think we're a match, but this is part of the plan and we're going along with what the majority of the group thinks is right."

"Well I hope the strategy pays off," Gail said, her tone encouraging. "Theo, Chloe, it's time to lock in as a couple."

This time Jesse was the first to comment on a pair, whispering, "How are you with… that?"

Beca stared at the pair as they returned to Chloe's seat, finally answering, "Weird. It's super, super weird to see them paired up as a couple… even knowing they aren't a match."

"What if they are?"

Beca held in the laugh. "They aren't. Trust me."

CR strode onto the set and called for a break. "Okay guys, we'll break now with half the guys done and come back in thirty for the other half. Paired couples don't forget to go get your reaction shots done."

Beca sighed and got to her feet, hooking her arm through Jesse's as they walked out of the matchup ceremony staging towards the waiting camera crews.


The rest of the selections passed without incident, as Bumper paired up with Fat Amy and Chicago stuck to the plan by choosing Kommissar. A few eyebrows raised when Luke chose Aubrey, with Tom and Flo rounding out the final couple.

Once they were all paired up in the chairs, Gail moved on to the second part of the ceremony.

"Alright you guys, remember… the matchup will confirm how many couples are correct, but not who those matches are. That's for you to figure out. Now, behind me are ten beams of light."

Beca closed her eyes briefly as the lights lit up and shined right at them before rising to shoot straight up into the night sky.

"There they go!" Gail's smile was wide as she watched the process. "Now each beam represents a perfect match. One beam," she paused again as all the lights went out and the first one re-lit up, "Is one perfect match. Ten beams," another pause as all ten lit up again, "Is ten perfect matches and one million dollars."

The group clapped and cheered as the beams lit up again, Beca doing her best not to lip sync Gail's speech along with her. She understood why the show was so addictive, but filming it was an absolute nightmare. Beca was sure she'd be hearing certain sentences and phrases in Gail's voice in her dreams for a long time after filming ended.

"Now tonight you guys get to start with two beams already lit," Gail informed them as the first two beams turned back on and blasted into the night sky. "Those beams represents your two confirmed perfect matches, Benji and Emily, and Donald and Lilly. Add eight more beams to that and you're walking away with one million dollars."

"However," Gail added after a moment, "If you fail to add any more beams to those two, that's a blackout and your prize instantly drops by two hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

The group catcalled and had a few choice things to say about blacking out, but Beca knew it was all just a formality at this point. There was no way they didn't have at least four or five perfect matches sitting in the chairs, and hopefully they got to eight tonight. She knew Chloe and Theo needed to switch, and the most likely couple to switch them with was Tom and Flo.

Gail smiled at them, "It's time to find out." She circled around the podium as the lights flashed on above them and placed both hands on the touchpad. "The number of perfect matches is…"

They didn't have to wait long for the third beam to light up the sky.

Gail counted it out loud, "That's three!"

"Let's go!"

"There we go, baby!" DJ's voice cut through the cheers from the rest of the group.

"Let's see four, Gail!

"We want four!"

Beca felt the usual anxiety return during this part of the ceremony, knowing it was just as stupid as ever but also unable to stop it from happening.

A fourth beam lit up, followed quickly by a fifth.

Gail called out, "That's five! Halfway there!"

"Yeah!"

"Hell yeah! Now six!"

"Let's see six, Gail!"

The wait was longer this time, but finally a sixth beam came to life.

"That's six! Six beams guys!" Gail shouted excitedly.

The cheers were louder now, with more than a few people calling for seven.

Jesse mumbled to her, "Come on, we need at least seven. Can't go backwards now."

"No backtracking, Gail! Let's go!"

The wait was agony, and just when Beca was certain another beam was about to light up, the stage lights came back on and the sound signaling the end of the matchup rang out.

"FUCK!"

"Shit…"

The disappointment throughout the group was palpable, everyone knowing they dropped from seven matches last week to six this week.

"Six perfect matches this week guys," Gail announced, stepping around the podium to face them. "That's one less than last week. Whatever strategy you used, or change you made this week, is not working."

Beca glanced around at the solemn faces, knowing that this result was definitely a shock. Worst case scenario they expected to get at least seven matches tonight and were hoping for eight.

"You only have one more matchup to get it right," Gail reminded them seriously, holding up one figure. "One more matchup to get four more perfect matches. You guys have a lot of work to do this week. Get back inside and get to work, and I'll see you at the house for your next challenge. Say goodnight to your perfect matches!"

The goodbyes were more muted than the greetings had been earlier that night, despite the vote of confidence from both pairs. The walk back to the house was silent, but it didn't stay that way once everyone was inside.

"I fucking told you! You guys are such idiots," Stacie started in on Bumper and Uni, getting right up to the taller man.

Uni rolled his eyes, "Chill out, we learned what we needed to. We'll get it right next time."

"We fucking better," Stacie shot back. "Or it's gonna cost everyone in this house a million bucks."

Beca shook her head at Jesse as the group's frustration boiled over into multiple arguments. If this was how the next week went, they might as well kiss that money goodbye.


A/N: Massive thanks to Arsto for being the best beta ever and pushing/poking/prodding me until I got this one finished for you guys!

In case it's not clearly apparent... writing the matchup ceremonies is just painful at this point. I might eventually go back and really give the later ones an edit so they aren't so skimmed over, but at this point it's all I can do or I would never finish this story.

Thanks to everyone who is somehow still waiting patiently for this story to be finished. I was without a laptop for a bit, and then I switched jobs and suddenly had zero writing time for a bit while I adjusted. I'm settling in now, and this is the only writing priority for us until it's done... so just know we are working on it!