AN: Still alive lol. Yeah…we'll see if that's still true by the end of final exams.

Also, if you didn't see in the Supermarket Flowers ANs, you might have noticed that there are two new chapters. Unfortunately, no, I did not do a double update. In some revisions, I had decided to divide Supermarket Flowers into three when it had previously been two.

Chloe gave her boyfriend Chicago Walp a tight-lipped smile and a small wave as she ended the video call then closed her laptop lid.

She'd been dating their handsome and kind military escort from the USO Tour for three months now and they'd just finished their fifth video chat since the beginning of their relationship.

She'd expected that dating an active soldier would be difficult and complicated, but she didn't think it'd be this hard to even just talk. And for literally less than about half an hour at a time.

It was especially because of his high rank. With so many job duties, he was just always so busy and seemed to barely ever have time for them—for her.

Sure, they texted almost every day, but she'd always be the one initiating the conversations and then getting left on read for hours on end only to finally receive a simple one- or two-word reply or emoji reaction.

Things on the friendship front were also a little bit shaky for Chloe.

The Bellas—her best friends in the entire world, her second family—had all gone their separate ways once again.

They still kept in contact pretty well, using the Bellas' group chat, which blew up at least once every single day with some random yet usually highly amusing conversation, but no matter how far technology advanced, it could never replace in-person interaction.

Aubrey and her were still great. They were still each other's best friend, Chloe was her maid of honour, and their bond was solid enough and they had enough faith in it that they didn't fret too much if they didn't have a meaningful or long talk every single day.

Of course, it'd be nice if they could and they'd love that, but unfortunately adult life didn't always allow those opportunities.

For some reason, Stacie and Amy had been the ones who reached out to her the least—almost never actually—which was pretty much the opposite of usual for them.

Those two, along with Beca and Aubrey, had been her absolute best friends from the Bellas.

Now though, it just kind of seemed like the tall strawberry-blonde and the Australian were almost actively avoiding her. And when they couldn't, they'd be sort of standoffish towards her, which both hurt and confused her greatly.

The tension between her and Stacie sometimes even inadvertently infringed on her friendship with Aubrey, since they were together. That was actually really the only hitch in their friendship currently.

Part of the reason why she didn't talk to Aubrey as frequently as she probably would have liked to at the moment was because every once in a while, she would get trapped in an uncomfortable interaction with Stacie.

She couldn't think of anything that she might've done to have upset her and Amy, but apparently she had for them to treat her as such.

And just to round it all up, Chloe was just barely getting through vet school with passing grades.

She didn't know why, but she was just always so distracted and unmotivated and unfocused. She wasn't as…invested as she had been at Barden, which was terrible since she truly did want to become a veterinarian.

It really should've been the opposite.

She was studying a subject in which she was genuinely very interested, she didn't have Bellas' rehearsals anymore, she didn't live with all of her beloved yet admittedly often distracting best friends, and she wasn't trying to win any big a cappella competition or even any sort of competition at all.

So what could she possibly be thinking about or worrying about other than school and other normal adult life issues like paying rent, with which she actually wasn't struggling much?

It could be partly because of the previously mentioned negative things going on in her life, but she didn't think it was just that; it had to be more.

"Ugh!" Chloe groaned aloud as she flopped back onto her bed.

With all of this crap going on in her life, it became more and more difficult to constantly keep up her bubbly, cheerful, happy attitude. She hadn't become a complete pessimist, but she definitely wasn't as bright-eyed and optimistic as she used to be. She no longer saw everything in the world as being good and that was a difficult realization for someone like her to accept.

However, there was still one thing—one person—that was always good in her world.

Suddenly, Chloe got an idea that could possibly brighten her mood a tiny bit. Or at least make her forget about her worries for a little while.

The redhead immediately grabbed her phone and called Beca.

As she waited for an answer, she got up and went to her closet to find something to change into.

When she finally got a hold of someone, it most definitely was not her best friend.

"Hello. Beca's cell," the obviously male and British person on the other end of the call greeted her in a hushed voice.

Oh yeah. There was one more thing: Beca had gotten together with Theo on the last night of the USO Tour, like herself and Chicago had. Except they got to see each other on a daily basis, obviously.

Why she added that to the long list of negatives, Chloe had no idea.

Okay, well, maybe she did have one idea…

Okay, so she knew exactly why.

Though she was happy about still always having her shorter best friend upon whom to rely, she'd maybe kind of always hoped they'd eventually become something…more.

But now with Theo in the picture…

Well, and Chicago too, of course.

Okay, Chloe just had to ask how in the hell had this random guy gotten Beca in literally just five days when she herself had gotten nothing after something around six years of pining after her?

Sure, he was pretty attractive, British, and kind. He was a gentleman and a pretty successful music executive. He'd recognized her major talent from the very first moment he'd ever heard her sing and he seemed to really, really like Beca.

But other than that…

Okay, yeah, so Chloe was just jealous.

"Uh, yeah. Hey, Theo," she awkwardly greeted the man, "Um…i-is she there?"

She heard some muffled movement, mumbled voices, and soft laughter on the other side of the line, before the voice she'd actually wanted to hear came on.

"Hey, Chlo. Sorry, I fell asleep watching TV with Theo," Beca explained, still giggling a little, "Sh! Shut up! Quit it! Seriously, stop! Go away! I'm trying to talk to my friend. Thank you. Jesus Christ.

"Sorry, Chlo. Theo's just being an idiot.

"So, what's up?"

"Are you busy tonight?" Chloe questioned, getting straight to the point.

She really hoped that the irrational annoyance she felt towards the British music executive didn't come through in her voice.

"Uhh…nope," the small brunette answered, "Why?"

"I'm kinda in the mood for a spontaneous Bellas' club night," Chloe suggested as she finally found an acceptable outfit, "Hey, hold on for a sec? I'm gonna add Aubrey to the call."

"Cool," Beca easily agreed and waited patiently.

"Aubrey Posen," Aubrey answered in her professional tone at first as always, but then she continued in her normal voice, "Hey, Chlo."

"Hey, Bree. Beca's on too."

The two exchanged quick yet friendly greetings.

"'Sup, General Posen?"

"Always a pleasure, Miss Mitchell."

"Are you and Stacie doing anything tonight?" the flame-haired Bella questioned.

"No, we're free," the blonde asked, "Why?"

"I'm initiating a spontaneous Bellas' club night at the place on the corner of East Main and Parkdale," Chloe said, "Can you guys help me call the rest of the Bellas and invite them please?"

The other two former Bellas' captains agreed.

"Awes! Beca, you can take Emily and Amy; Aubrey, you tell Stacie and call Jessley; and I'll get the rest," the redhead delegated, "And the 'no significant others' rule is being put into place here!"—Just to be safe. She didn't want to risk a certain Brit tagging along—"Well, except for you and Stacie obviously. And Jessley."

"Okay, sure. See you later," Beca and Aubrey replied, then hung up.

Well, that was easy.

And even if not all of them could make it, Chloe knew that at least a couple of them could, which she was happy about.

Now to get dressed, call up her friends, then head out.


Chloe stood in a quiet corner of the club, watching her friends live it up on the dance floor.

Beca, Stacie, and Aubrey were all there obviously. Amy, Emily, and Flo were able to make it, but unfortunately Jessley were at Jessica's parents' place in Wisconsin, Cynthia Rose was at pilot training, and Lilly…Well, for all they knew, Lilly was travelling through time or discovering new ways to hide and/or dispose of dead bodies.

Anyways, Amy was, of course, on the dance floor, snatching up as much attention as she could, Flo was with her doing her own thing, Emily was making sure they didn't do anything too stupid or crazy or illegal, and Stacie and Aubrey were dancing together in their own little world.

The only person she couldn't see was Beca.

"Hey, Chlo."

Speak of the devil.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe greeted the younger woman as she leaned up against the wall beside her, keeping her eyes on the crowds of dancing patrons, "Why aren't you out there with them?"

"Well, the real question is…why aren't you?" Beca responded, knowing that her best friend would usually be getting crazy with Amy and Flo and she'd be helping Emily keep the three of them in check, "I mean, this was your idea after all and…"

"And what?" Chloe asked a bit nervously, still avoiding eye contact.

"Well," Beca hesitantly answered, "no offence, but…the second I saw you tonight, I could tell why you called us all here. There's something really bumming you out, Chlo."

Chloe pursed her lips slightly and lowered her head a bit, her abnormal silence and avoidance of eye contact only serving as further proof of her sadness.

Beca tilted her head slightly and offered, "You wanna talk about it?"

The redhead released a short, breathy laugh that sounded more so like something in between a sigh and an exhale and answered, "If I got into it all right now, we'd be here until dawn."

"Okay," the younger woman replied seriously with a shrug.

Chloe couldn't help but smile at Beca's sweetness, how genuinely willing and ready she was to just listen to her rant and rave about anything for who knew how long.

Just that, her best friend's simple but kind gesture, was enough to lift her spirits enough that she was back in a partying mood.

"Thanks, Becs, but really. It's okay," the ginger assured, "I mean, obviously you figured out that I pulled all of this just so that I could…escape from reality for a bit and not be alone with all that's on my mind right now. So if you don't mind, Becs, I could really use that distraction and I'd rather not bring your mood down too."

"You wouldn't be, Chlo—You never do," Beca insisted full-heartedly, "You're the one who instantly lights up any room that you walk into"—Chloe blushed, which then made Beca blush a bit too—"But…if this is what you need right now instead, then I'm happy to oblige."

Beca then raised her drinking glass, her signature Beca Mitchell smirk playing at her lips and her eyebrow raised invitingly.

Chloe laughed and clinked her glass with that of her best friend.

The duo quickly downed the rest of their drinks and when they were finished, Chloe, feeling a little bit more relaxed now and like herself again, grinned at her best friend, wriggling her eyebrows playfully at her.

Beca laughed and rolled her eyes in her signature Beca Mitchell way, which made the redhead giggle and her smile grow wider.

Chloe then offered her hand to the younger woman, which she accepted, and they returned to the rest of their friends on the dance floor, hand in hand.


Several minutes later, Beca and Chloe had finally just about caught up to the rest of their fellow Bellas, feeling way lighter and more carefree. They were nowhere near Amy's and Flo's levels, but they'd definitely surpassed Aubrey and Emily, maybe even Stacie too.

They were dancing quite closely together at this point, their movements loose and clumsy, which would've been very unsatisfactory for a Bellas' performance, and in a way that was a little bit more than friendly.

It was almost like a flashback to their college parties, back to the times when they were both still single, which they were not anymore.

"Heyyy! Okay there, girls! Let's cool down a little, yeah?" Stacie suddenly suggested very loudly, carefully yet firmly wedging her arm in between the two and creating a new space of at least half a foot.

"What? What're you talking about, Stace?" Beca asked the taller woman, giggling a bit and attempting to resume her dancing with her best friend, only to be blocked by Stacie.

"It's nothing," the strawberry-blonde replied with a seemingly nonchalant shrug, "I just think you guys are getting a little…risqué."

"Risqué?" Beca scoffed out a laugh, "Stace, you're the poster child for 'risqué'."

"Yeah, you and Aubrey have literally been grinding up on each other since we walked into this place," Chloe pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but that's because Aubrey and I are engaged," Stacie defended herself.

Still not getting the point, probably partly because of their inebriation and also because Beca and Chloe were some of the most oblivious people when it came to their obvious feelings for each other, they merely responded with a confused, "Yeah…?"

"So you guys aren't!" Amy suddenly interjected, clumsily and literally butting into the conversation, "Yet you two are also grinding up on each other like freakin' dingoes in heat!

"I mean, I'm drunker than all of you bitches, but I still remember that you both got sexy-ass boyfriends."

"What?" Beca and Chloe exclaimed in surprise and indignation, suddenly feeling a bit more sober.

"Of course we remember that!" Beca defended herself and her best friend.

"What? Are you guys saying that we're basically cheating on them just because we're dancing together?" Chloe demanded.

"Stace?" Aubrey asked her fiancée if that was indeed what she and Amy were insinuating.

"No! Of course we're not saying that!" Stacie insisted, feeling annoyed with Amy's drunken tactlessness in the situation, "I just think you guys could use a little cool-down before—"

"Before what?" Chloe questioned.

The taller Bella sighed and reluctantly answered, "Before you go too far."

"Too far?" Chloe asked, "Wh-what are you talking about, Stace?"

"We shouldn't talk about this now, Chloe. Not when literally less than a minute ago, you and Beca could barely stand up on your own two feet, okay?" Stacie insisted, "This isn't gonna be an easy conversation to have and being drunk isn't gonna make it any easier."

"No! No more of this bullshit, Stace! I'm tired of you skirting around whatever problem we're having here!" Chloe refused, crossing her arms over her chest, "And Beca and I were tipsy at most, but we've both come down enough at this point to have a coherent conversation, so we're gonna talk about this right now!"

Stacie sighed once more, before pulling her friends aside to a quieter section of the club so that they weren't making a big scene in the middle of the dance floor and so that they could discuss without having to yell, their fellow Bellas right behind them.

Once in a slightly more private area, the tallest Bella replied to Chloe's question, "Look, Chloe, I'm sorry, but I can't elaborate, okay? I'm not trying to be a total bitch, but—"

"Then why have you been acting so weird towards me lately?" the redhead demanded, "'Cause you haven't really been treating me like a friend for a while now. You and Amy."

"What?" Beca and Aubrey cut in, shocked by this new information.

"Wh—Chlo, what're you talking about?" the small brunette asked.

"I don't know what I did, but Stacie and Amy have just, like, stopped talking to me," Chloe revealed to her two remaining best friends.

"Stace? Dude!" Aubrey and Beca turned to the taller woman for an explanation for her behaviour.

"Look, guys! Chloe, I really am so sorry and I realize I haven't been super nice to you," Stacie admitted, "but if you just knew where I was coming from—"

"Well, I don't 'cause you've never even given me the change 'cause you've basically been avoiding me," Chloe interrupted the taller Bella, "How could I know or even try to figure it out?"

"Ugh, God! Okay!" Amy suddenly cut in again, obviously finally fed up with all of the arguing that was going absolutely nowhere, "Stacie and I agreed to stop talking to you so much because we're mad at you for getting together with Captain America instead of Beca!"

"AMY!" Stacie scolded the Australian blonde.

"WHAT?" Beca, Chloe, and Aubrey exclaimed.

Well, that was completely unexpected.

"Stacie, come on," Aubrey reprimanded her fiancée, finally understanding the situation, "I mean, I get it, but that's no reason to be mean to Chloe."

"What? Get what?" Chloe asked, still completely perplexed and shocked by everything that was going on and that was being revealed at the moment.

"Yeah, Stace. I didn't talk to you about this to turn you against Chloe," Beca added in a more secretive tone, "Besides, I'm fine now. I'm over it."

"Wait, talk to her about what? What's wrong?" the redhead questioned, disappointed that there was something her best friend didn't feel that she could share with her but that she could with Stacie and apparently Amy, the drunken tattletale.

"Beca was still in love with you when you kissed Captain America," Amy revealed, shocking everyone into silence.

Did Amy seriously just blurt that out loud? In front of the most important of the three people who were never meant to find out?

Goddamn drunken Amy.

After a long, tense moment, Emily, who the girls hadn't even noticed had been witnessing the entire conversation, decided to be the first to finally speak up.

"Um…I think now would be a good time to get Amy back home," the youngest Bella shyly suggested, gently taking said girl by the arm, "I'll go find Flo too. Uh, thanks for inviting me. I'll see you guys later."

"Thanks, Em," Aubrey responded for herself and the four remaining Bellas, "Text me when you get home, okay?"

Emily nodded, then led Amy away in search of Flo, leaving Beca, Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie to work their business out on their own.

The girls fell into another awkward silence, until Beca finally said, "Stace. Look, I really appreciate you looking out for me, but…this wasn't the right way."

"I know, Bec," Stacie replied, her tone solemn, "I know. And I'm sorry, Chloe. Really.

"But you guys need to understand…I didn't get to go on the USO Tour because of my knee surgery recovery. I wasn't there, so I didn't see what really happened between you two and Chicago and Theo.

"All I knew…was that Chloe kissed Chicago. And then you called me, more upset than I'd ever heard you, Beca.

"And you're my best friend. I wasn't there for you then, so I wanted to make sure I was there for you now.

"And look, I really didn't mean to ice you out, Chlo. Drunk Amy remembered it completely wrong.

"What I actually decided to do was make sure that I was there for Beca whenever she needed me, so with Aubrey, Beca, and, you know, life, I literally just accidentally fell out of touch with you.

"And then every time I saw you afterwards, all I could think about is you kissing Chicago right in front of Beca and breaking her heart, on purpose or by accident.

"So again, I'm really really sorry, Chloe, but I seriously was just trying to help Beca."

Chloe took a moment to fully digest all of Stacie's words, then she finally nodded slowly and responded, "I get it, Stace."

Stacie compressed her lips in a sort of sympathetic and apologetic, barely-there smile and nodded as well. She then shared a glance with her fiancée, who wordlessly agreed that they should let the two have some actual alone time to work out what they'd just found out about each other.

The couple wished their friends goodbye, asking them to let them know when they got back home safely as well, then made their leave.

Chloe and Beca fell into yet another awkward silence, until the former suggested, "You wanna get some fresh air? Maybe get away from all the noise?"

Beca nodded, then followed the redhead outside.

Once outside, Chloe barely wasted a second and asked her best friend, "Was Amy telling the truth?"

Beca shrugged and answered, "I trust Stacie, so it wouldn't surprise me if Amy's side of the story was a little warped, especially considering how much she drank tonight—"

"Beca," the older Bella gently interrupted, "You know what I meant."

Beca's head dropped and she stuffed her hands into her pockets, mumbling out her reply. "…Yeah…"

"Becs," Chloe said softly, "how long?"

The small brunette shrugged again and responded awkwardly but honestly, "I think…probably since I met you back at the activities fair.

"I…think I kinda just…confused my feelings for you with…my feelings for Jesse. And then I kinda just ended up…settling for him for so long…'cause I never thought you'd like me back.

"But then when Jesse and I finally broke up, life got in the way…and then Chicago…and Theo…"

Chloe suddenly felt like she could barely breathe, despite being outside in the open air.

This was a confession that she'd been waiting and praying to hear for the past six years.

There was absolutely no way she was going to pass up this opportunity.

"I'm not happy with Chicago," Chloe revealed, very out of the blue.

Beca's eyes grew wide and she didn't really know how to respond to that, especially with it being so sudden and unexpected and following what she'd just admitted herself.

"Umm—"

"I'm not happy with…so many things in my life right now," Chloe continued, "My grades at school are just adequate, two of my best friends were barely talking to me and that sometimes made things with Aubrey complicated too, and I only get to talk to my boyfriend who I was really just trying to replace you with like twice a month."

Beca furrowed her eyebrows as she mentally reviewed Chloe's words and her head shot up in surprise.

"Wait, what?"

"But then there was you," the older Bella continued as if she hadn't heard Beca, "You are literally the only thing left in my life that's good. Completely and perfectly…good. You're…the best thing in my life…and you have been since I first saw you at the activities fair too."

Beca blushed and smiled a tiny bit.

"And I don't think it's fair to Chicago if I stay with him and yet I think this way," Chloe admitted, earning a surprised look from the small brunette, "Look, I know maybe this is really impulsive and presumptuous of me and I know that you have Theo now, but—"

All of a sudden, the redhead was cut off by Beca's thin and soft lips against her own and a gentle hand cupping her neck.

Beca was kissing her.

Beca was kissing her!

Beca effin Mitchell was freaking kissing her, Chloe Beale!

Chloe immediately reciprocated the kiss, her hands framing the younger woman's face.

When they finally separated, both girls were grinning wider than they ever had before.

Despite her large smile, however, Chloe was now confused yet optimistic and she asked, "What was that, Becs?"

Beca, grinning as well, shrugged and answered, "Reassurance?"

"That you do still love me?" the ginger asked hopefully.

"Always," the shorter Bella replied easily, "And also…I get what you mean. Theo was kinda my Chicago. I've always felt bad that I'm basically using him to distract myself from you because I know I'd never actually get over you—"

"Well, don't even think about trying now!" Chloe joked, though her words were sincere.

Beca laughed and continued, "So…does this mean that you and me…we're good?"

"Oh yeah! We're good. We are so good," the redhead confirmed full-heartedly, making both of them laugh again.

Once the two settled down, they just stared at each other for a moment, like they used to in secret (secret for them) all the time, before Chloe said, "Hey, it's cold out here and it's getting late."

"It is," Beca agreed, a shiver running throughout her tiny body as if on cue, "I don't wanna leave you though now that I'm finally with you the way I've always wanted to be.

"I just feel like…if we go now, we're gonna have to face all of the crap of our realities. Awkward breakups with our boyfriends, a hungover and guilty Amy…It just feels way too early to go back."

"So then say you'll stay with me tonight," Chloe offered, "if you really want to."

The shorter Bella smiled shyly but incredibly happily.

"I really do."

Chloe returned the smile, then suggested, "Walk me home then?"

"Home?" Beca asked, her eyes hopeful and adoring.

Home.

It was such a significant word—a feeling with which they'd lost touch for the past three months of being with someone other than each other.

But they'd found their way back and despite so much wrong still going on outside, the redhead finally felt like there was something right going on in her own life. And that that one thing would be enough to eventually turn the rest around. Just so long as she and Beca were together.

"Yeah, Becs," Chloe responded, taking her best friend's hand into her own and interlacing their fingers, "Walk me home."

AN: Thanks for reading.