CHAPTER FIVE

"Oh… I don't like kids"

Beca slowly removes her left hand from Chloe's face and brings her right from around the redhead's shoulders until she interlocks her own hands together in her lap. The redhead's heart instantly shatters at the loss of contact yet the frown on the brunette's face is intriguing. Chloe can practically hear the cogs turning in the singer's brains so she patiently waits. Beca opens and closes her mouth multiple times but nothing comes out. Each time she looks even more deflated than the last, almost angry with herself for not finding the right words.

"I'm sorry that wasn't the greatest choice of words…" she finally breaks the uncomfortable silence. "I'm sure you can easily see that I'm not the greatest at expressing my feelings, especially when I'm shocked. So please just bear with me for a second while I try and organize my thoughts so nothing else irrational slips out" Beca laughs awkwardly but turns her body so she's facing Chloe. She stands slightly and places her right leg under her left as she sits back down so her body is open to the redhead. Chloe copies her as she patiently waits. It takes a few more minutes of awkward silence before it becomes too much for the older woman.

"Look Beca, I understand that it's a lot to take on. This whole situation is crazy, overwhelming and a big enough step for you as it is. I get that adding a kid into the mix is like the needle that broke the camels back so it's ok, I understand. That's why I wanted to be honest so early on in all of this because there's no point in developing a connection and starting a relationship when we need and want different things. At least now it's all out in the open we can be realistic about our future…"

"Wait!" Beca rushes out. "No, just hang on please" the flustered brunette starts to panic so she reaches forward and captures Chloe's hands with her own. "Ok, look this isn't at all how I saw this chat with you going tonight" she laughs nervously. "But I don't not like kids… it's more they don't like me" the brunette scrunches her face up. "I'm awkward and don't know how to socialize with people my own age let alone younger ones so they don't usually warm up to me. But Chlo, I don't want to give up on this just yet…" stormy blue eyes finally meet ocean blue after what feels like an eternity. The redhead smiles shyly as she continues to patiently wait.

"You having a kid scares the fuck out of me, I'm not going to lie. But not because I don't like kids but because it means that we have to be 1000% sure of our relationship. I mean I know I'm talking wayyyyy in advance here but if our relationship continues to grow and we want to build something together at the end of all this. There's more than just our feeling on the line here, there's a three-year-old's too and that is so scary. But I'm not giving up on our potential Chlo, I still want to get to know you and I want to hear more about your daughter because I… I feel… There's something about you that makes me… Ah, fuck! Why am I so illiterate when it comes to talking about my feelings?"

The redhead finally releases the breath she's been holding for God knows how long and chuckles.

"Bec, it's ok I think I kind of follow what you're saying and I don't really have words for how I feel about you either but I do feel it Bec" Chloe smiles sweetly as she squeezes the brunette's hands. "How about this? Why don't we just focus on getting to know each other and take it a day at a time? We don't need to have every answer right now. Plus, you never know, we could end up hating each other by next week" the redhead laughs and is soon joined by the singer.

"I highly doubt that… But you're right about taking it a day at a time. We're not in a rush, we don't have to be madly in love with each other in the first week" they both laugh as the awkward tension between the two evaporates.

"Thank you for telling me Chlo. I'm sorry I handled it so awkwardly"

"It's ok Becs, we got there eventually… although you did give me a heart attack for a second there"

"Good, it's payback"

"What for?" The redhead giggles nervously.

"For the time you walked around that rose bush on the first night" Beca smirked.

"Ok, Romeo that was quite smooth" the redhead shook her head and rolled her eyes simultaneously.

"I think I like Romeo a lot better than Princess" the brunette whispers as she starts to lean in.

"But I like Princess better " Chloe pouts as she begins to lean in too.

"But Romeo…"

"Just shut up and kiss me Becs" the older woman chuckles as her lips brush the smaller woman's. Not having to be told twice the brunette reaches behind the redhead's neck and pulls her the last few millimeters until their lips slide against each other's. It's tentative yet full of want all at the same time.

Back at the mansion, a certain Evermoist captain is fuming after losing the soccer match to the Bellas.

"I can't believe you let that dumb teenager pass the ball off to the redheaded fairy!" The tall, tattooed brunette spits at Charity.

"Um.. you're the one that let the so-called 'redheaded fairy' score the goal. Don't blame it on me! They bet all of us, not just you Calamity! Tone it down"

"Come on guys, let's not fight about this. Remember we weren't going to let anything come in the way of our friendship" Serenity speaks up.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Char!"

"Let's come up with a way to get them back" Serenity grins evilly.

The girls have the following day off for some relaxation before Beca comes over for a sit-down dinner with all of them.

"Damn, blondie. I didn't know you were hiding all that under your uptight shirts" CR calls from across the pool.

"I can let my hair down sometimes, Cynthia" Aubrey shoots back with a wink.

"You should let it down more often" comes a voice behind the blond. Aubrey turns to find Stacie looking her up and down with a playful smirk on her face.

"Well, you shouldn't let yours down as frequently"

"Where's the fun in that, Babe?" The tall brunette winks at the blond who just rolls her eyes and takes the banana lounge next to Chloe.

"You guys need to get a room" the redhead laughs.

"Let me know the time and place Aubs and I'll be there"

"You're impossible"

"Actually, I'm quite easy if you want me to be"

"I…" the blond quickly stops as Evermoist comes walking out of the mansions back door, towels in hand. All eyes snap towards them as the atmosphere around the pool becomes tense.

"Ahhh, look at all the Bellas gathered round bonding like they're not all here for the same thing. I bet when push comes to shove you're all going to turn on each other" Calamity remarks as she takes a seat at the opposite side of the pool.

"All other non-Bellas, we're taking applications to become apart of Evermoist if you're interested. The only criteria needed to be met is hatred for the Bellas"

"Dude, can't we all just co-exist without there being hate?" CR interjects.

"No hate from you CR must mean you're a Bella… You choose poorly"

"You know in my country when someone tells people who can and can't like they become the leader of the country… And then they're usually assassinated" Flo trails off nonchalantly.

"Ahh…" the pink-haired woman tries to lighten the mood with an awkward laugh.

"Look Calamity can't we just leave it all out on the field? I get you lost time with Beca and I would've been upset too but you'll have more opportunities to spend time with her. Can't we all just be friends?" Emily offers from the pool.

"Why do you feel the need to talk to me? I thought we established that I don't like your whole innocent, little girl act. Fuck off" the tattooed woman spits back.

"And I thought we established that you weren't going to speak to Emily like that again," Chloe says as she angrily rises from her banana lounge and walks over to the four women followed by Stacie and Aubrey.

"It's cute that you think she'd actually be intimated by you" Serenity scoffs.

"Well, it looks like we're at a crossroads then doesn't it? Why don't you just leave us alone and we'll do the same? We're all here for Beca, right? Let's just focus on that and stay out of each other's way"

"It's cute that you think we're here just for Beca" Serenity offers again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stacie asks.

"You think we all came here for Beca? There are four of us! One of us will end up with her if we play the game right…" Calamity gets cut off by an angry redhead

"Game? This isn't a game…"

"Three of us will be left. Therefore, one of us is bound to be the next Bachelorette and receive all the fame and fortune that comes with it. We know how the game works and we sure know how to manipulate it" the tattooed woman continues with an evil smirk.

"What the fuck?" Stacie offers.

"You think you can get away with this? The producers are smart, they'll be able to read you guys like a book. And if not then I'm sure they'll figure it out when they watch this footage back" Aubrey fights back.

"What footage? We're not being filmed right now remember? They only do that when Beca's around and if I'm not mistaken there's no filthy rich, midget here" Serenity says smugly.

"Midget?! Why are you even here?" Chloe asks while clenching her fists at her side.

"Just to piss you off, Red" Calamity says over her shoulder as she walks away.

Beca joins the women a lot sooner than they were expecting. They're all still lounging around the pool when she and Amy enter without them noticing.

"Well Shortstack, it's not my cup of tea but you definitely have a lot of delicious flavors to choose from. You've got your Chamomile…" Amy points towards Aubrey who is sitting down on the side of the pool in deep conversation with Emily.

"Your green tea…" the Australian nods her head towards Stacie who is sat on the grass doing some ridiculously hard yoga pose. Both women tilt their heads as they watch her.

"But I have a feeling you're more of a chai girl…" the blond smirks as she looks directly at Chloe who's running from CR screeching before jumping in the pool to escape from the woman.

Both Beca and Amy laugh. "Yeah, yeah, I like Chloe. Whatever! Your jokes are already getting old, Ames"

"It's been a while since I've seen you take an interest in anyone romantically Shawshank… and by a while I mean forever. Literally."

"Dating's never been my priority Ames, you know that. And besides, I'm not 100% invested in Chloe. I've got my eyes on some other women too you know. I need to make more of an effort in getting to know more than just Chloe"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night little one," Amy says whilst patting the smaller woman on the head then walks off in the direction of the bar. She starts singing Pink's Let's Get The Party Started drawing the attention of all the women. Beca sees the recognition light up all their faces as their eyes start to search for her.

"Mind if we gate crash?" The singer smirks.

"So Stace, tell me more about this job of yours," Beca asks the taller brunette as they sit in the banana lounges next to each other with beers in hand.

"Well, I've been doing it for years so you can imagine how flexible I already am… although if you need a show rather than use your imagination I'm more than happy to accommodate" the beautiful woman winks.

"I meant your other job" the smaller woman chuckles and rolls her eyes under her Ray-Ban sunglasses.

"Ohh.." Stacie trails off thoughtfully but soon smiles at the woman next to her. "My team and I research different vaccines and immunotherapeutics for cancer patients. It's quite a challenging task at times, it tests our patience and I'm often under the pump from my boss too. It can be a lot. But it also helps a lot of people, you know? So it makes all the long hours and high-stress environments worth every painful second" the taller brunette smiles proudly without even realizing before her eyes sparkle even more as she continues.

"For example this 8-year-old boy has leukemia. It was getting quite aggressive so we suggested to his parents to become a part of our trial. Our vaccine helped his bone marrow create normal functioning WBCs which helped fight against the abnormal cells. We got a call the other day that it was helping and that he was on the right path for remission"

Both brunettes sat there with wide smiles on their faces and tears prickling at the side of their eyes.

"Wow Stace, that's incredible. You're incredible! You literally saved that boy's life and his family's too. I can't imagine how awful that would be for his parents"

"Yeah I had to meet with them a lot to discuss everything and they came to me with nothing but fear in their eyes and to see it turn into hope is just…"

"Hey Beca, can I steal you away?" Calamity appears out of nowhere and asks innocently but smirks at the taller brunette.

Beca looks back and forth between Calamity to Stacie.

Oh god! This right here was one of the reasons why I didn't want to do this. I'm awkward enough as it is without having women fighting over my time with them. And why are all the other girls watching this interaction so intently? Oh my god, my anxiety is through the roof right now. I'm going to kill Amy later.

"Ahhh… How bout I come and get you after I finish here with Stacie?" The singer asks with a pained look on her face.

"Of course Beca, take your time. Sorry to interrupt" Calamity shocks everyone with that reply.

"Sorry, you were saying…"

"I've been looking forward to spending some time with you Beca. I'm not going to lie I was a bit upset when Evermoist lost the soccer match and our extra time with you" Calamity explains as she leads Beca away from the other women around the pool to a secluded area behind some trees.

"You guys put up a good fight during that game that's for sure. Plus, we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other"

"I hope so! I just want you to know how serious I am about being here and how you're the only one I have eyes for in here… unlike some other people"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh… Um… it's nothing. I shouldn't get you involved in the drama that happens when you're not around. It's not fair to drag you into it"

"Drama? What drama?"

"Oh, nothing. There was just a little argument today about people's intentions is all…" the tattooed woman trails off nonchalantly.

"Why? What are people's intentions?"

"No, no. I don't want to cause a big deal out of this. Forget I said anything"

"Calamity, we're not leaving this spot until you tell me what's happening"

"It's just… it's quite clear that people aren't here for you. There have been talks about people wanting to be the next Bachelorette and also a lot of flirting happening between the girls. I mean Stacie and Aubrey have so much eye sex I'm surprised one of them isn't pregnant yet. And didn't you see CR and Chloe chasing each other this afternoon? They're like that constantly, all touchy-feely with each other. It makes me sick, to be honest"

"I'm starting to not feel so great either…" Beca says with a frown.

"That's not even the worst part Beca"

"Oh God"

"I mean I shouldn't be saying anything but it's just not fair on the poor girl. She's so innocent and nice and yet people are being so awful to her"

"Wait. What? Awful to who?"

"Emily"

"Someone's being mean to Emily?" Beca's face flushes with anger.

"I know… it's heartbreaking. I haven't even known her long and I already know she's one of the nicest people I will ever have the pleasure of knowing"

"I know right! Who's being mean to her Calamity?"

"Most of the girls Bec, but they have a leader"

"Who?"

"Chloe"

"WHAT?"

"Her whole nice girl act is just an act. She's the meanest one here. She's after one of two things. You or becoming the next Bachelorette and she thinks sweet, innocent Emily is her biggest threat. You should hear some of the things she says to her Bec…" Calamity trails off sadly.

"Wh… No… Chloe?"

"Yep," the taller woman says popping the p.

AN:

So sorry it's been a while. Fingers crossed the next chapter is sooner rather than later! Hope you all are doing alright during these crazy times!

P.s. I had no idea what I was talking about with Stacie's job so if it wasn't believable then my apologies.