Chapter 11: Green Ain't Beca's Color

"You know its not your fault right?" Chloe's voice cracked a little as Beca finished her story.

"Yes it is." Beca let out a dark laugh. "I pulled the trigger. Can't be more at fault than that."

"Its the terrorists who made that boy do what he did. They brainwashed him or tortured him or something and put him in that spot. They forced him to be a soldier and all you did was defend your life and your team's lives." Chloe instinctively stretched her hand across the table and rested it atop Beca's. It stayed there for a moment and they both looked at their hands before Chloe suddenly stood up.

"I think I should get going, its getting late. Thank you...for telling me that story. I...feel weirdly closer to you." Chloe stuttered over her words.

"Hopefully it'll just help us be better partners." Beca nodded and walked her to the door. They paused as Chloe took her time putting her jacket on. They stood there awkwardly, neither knowing what to say exactly.

Ask her to stay! Beca screamed in her head. And not for like romantic reasons. Tell her it would help you sleep! Just ask her to stay, dammit!

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Chloe interrupted Beca's inner struggle.

"Yep." Beca looked at her feet. Chloe leaned in and gave her a quick hug, before spinning around to drive home. Beca closed the door and then leaned against it, letting out a deep sigh, "Dammit, Chloe Beale...what are you doing to me?" She whispered as she closed her eyes.

Beca and Chloe walked together through the parking lot in comfortable silence. Beca made a pit stop to run her hand along her bike before joining Chloe by the elevator.

"You're ridiculous." Chloe rolled her eyes. Beca just shrugged one shoulder as if she couldn't help it. The doors were closing when a hand reached in and a tall, blond man in a suit stepped inside.

"Ladies." He spoke in a British accent and nodded at both, but added a wink at Chloe. Beca glanced and saw the blush rising in Chloe's cheeks. She narrowed her eyes at the elevator invader.

"And you are…?" Beca's voice was cold.

"Luke Morgan. Agent Luke Morgan." He turned around to shake Beca's hand and realized her right hand was in a sling. "Ah, you must be who I'm replacing." He nodded at the sling.

"Replacing?!" Chloe and Beca both shouted at the same time, not realizing the fear in their voices.

"Temporary. Temporary." He raised his hands as he explained. "Just till you get cleared by that doctor. Shouldn't be more than two weeks. Just to fill in for the Agency. They don't want a hot agent like Beale here getting rusty." He flashed her a wink. Beca wanted nothing more than to strike his chin with her left fist, especially when she saw Chloe blush and return the smile.

Beca sat at her desk anxiously bouncing her knee waiting for Chloe and Luke to finish up with their briefing. She kept looking up towards the hall that led to Aubrey's office waiting for them to come out.

She finally saw a flash of red hair walk down the hall, grinning at something Luke said. Beca furrowed her brows and pretended to be hard at work on something on the computer. Her eyes darkened when she saw Luke put his hand on the small of Chloe's back.

"Shall We?" Luke motioned for the exit when Chloe stopped at Beca's computer.

"Yeah, just a sec." Chloe signaled for him to wait for her outside. When he was gone she focused her attention on Beca.

"He asked me on a date." She blurted out. Beca gulped and slowly looked up to meet Chloe's eyes.

"Oh?"

"I didn't know if I should say yes or not." Chloe leaned against the desk, seeking Beca's advice.

"I don't know how I can help you." Beca looked away and typed at the keyboard.

"Well. You're my partner. Can you think of any...reason that...maybe I should say no?" Chloe looked at her, silently hoping Beca would tell her not to go.

"Nah." Beca shook her head. "If you want to. Go have fun."

"It wouldn't be weird?" Chloe pressed.

"Why would it be weird?" Beca finally looked back to resume the awkward eye contact.

"I don't know." Chloe let out a sigh. "I just wanted to run it by you."

"Well you got my permission." Beca gave her a sarcastic thumbs up.

"I wasn't asking permission."

"Well, whatever you're doing. I think you should go. I don't care." Beca waved a hand flippantly.

"Fine. Maybe I will." Chloe stood up straight.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"Anything else?" Beca looked up with annoyance.

"Nope. Have fun at the desk today." Chloe spun around to join Luke for their mission.

"How'd the mission go?" Beca finally asked after a few minutes of silence when Chloe returned to her computer.

"Successful. No Casualties. Mission accomplish. Good as a mission can go." Chloe said distantly.

"Congrats." Beca rolled her eyes. "So can you give me a ride home? I'm dying of boredom."

"Aubrey's giving you a ride home tonight. I…" Chloe stood up and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I decided to go on that date...with Luke...Agent Morgan."

"You're actually going?" Beca asked without trying to sound too irritated.

"Yeah, is that...a problem?" Chloe looked anxiously down at her partner.

"Still don't see a problem." Beca replied coldly as she propped her feet up on her desk.

"Yeah...so you can't think of any reason…" Chloe shifted her weight avoiding eye contact. "Any reason for me to back out?" Chloe gave her one more chance.

"No. Nope!" Beca removed her feet from her desk. "It's just weird. I remember after our first mission you burst into Captain Littner's office to demand a new partner. And one mission with this guy…" Beca angrily swiped her hand in the air. "And you jump his bones. Can't figure you out, Beale."

"I didn't say I was jumping his bones. Do you have a problem with Agent Morgan or something?" Chloe tilted her head.

"Nope, he's just smug and arrogant. Not to mention British." Beca flinched at the last part.

"Oh and you aren't smug and arrogant?" Chloe almost burst out laughing.

"Yeah, but that...mine's just a joke." Beca fumbled for the right words. "He's like actually a douche canoe."

"Douche canoe...really? Green is an ugly color on you, Mitchell." Chloe squinted as she turned to walk out of the office.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Beca leaned up in her desk.

"Have a good night! See you tomorrow." Chloe raised her hand to wave to Beca behind her back as she walked out the door.

"See you tomorrow." Beca mocked Chloe's tone under her breath as she slunk back into her chair.

The next week went by agonizingly slow for Beca. She was out of the sling but still wasn't cleared for field work. She'd sit at her desk and do some of the physical therapy exercises and stretches to try and speed her recovery. She'd frown every time Luke stopped by to shamelessly flirt with Chloe. And Chloe didn't seem to have a problem flirting with him right in front of Beca. Why shouldn't she flirt with him in front of you? You could've said something, but no you gotta be all silent and stubborn. Beca kicked herself mentally when she would watch them interact. Always quick to look away if Chloe would glance at her.

"So I'll see you later tonight?" Luke sat on the edge of Chloe's desk and grinned flirtatiously.

"For sure." Chloe winked. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. "Agent Mitchell, good night." Beca didn't look up but raised a hand in goodbye. Chloe was finishing up some paperwork as Beca stood up and put her jacket on.

"Where are you going?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Uh...home." Beca's eyes darted around the room, confused by the question.

"Who's giving you a ride?"

"I am. I'm out of that sling." Beca cautiously waved her right arm in the air.

"It's still not safe to drive that death trap." Chloe tried to protest as Beca headed for the exit.

"It'll be fine. I'm not your little project to worry about anymore. Enjoy your date!" Beca smiled her best fake smile as she swung the doors open before Chloe could respond.

Beca sat at the bar as Stacie handed her her third beer. Stacie eyed her carefully, concerned at the rate Beca was going this early in the night. She looked around the bar to make sure no one needed anything and leaned closer to Beca.

"Hey, everything okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Beca didn't mean for her tone to sound so curt.

"You're drinking at a faster rate than normal. Everything okay at work?"

"Yep."

"No big insurance cases stressing you out?" Stacie prodded.

"Huh?" Beca gave her a confused look. When she drank she let her guard down, and for a moment almost forgot her cover. She and Chloe were simple insurance agents. When she remembered she just nodded. "Oh, no. Work's fine."

"How's the shoulder?" Stacie pointed to Beca's shoulder. She had been told it was a freak accident at the gym.

"Good. Good." Beca nodded absently. Suddenly Chloe and Luke came strolling in the front doors. Stacie watched Beca's eyes travel to the redhead and flare with jealousy. She smirked to herself, not wanting to be caught by Beca.

"Ah ha…" Stacie nodded knowingly.

"What 'ah ha'?" Beca whipped her head back to Stacie.

"A certain redhead you haven't been able to shut up about comes waltzing in here with Mr. Handsome? I'm sorry Becs…"

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Beca took a long sip of her drink. "She's into a losers apparently."

"Doesn't look like a loser to me." Stacie leaned back to not-so-subtly check him out.

"Please...he's an arrogant, smug, prick who thinks he's God's gift to women."

"Hmm...sounds like someone I know." Stacie looked down at Beca with a cocked eyebrow.

"Please, I'm nothing like that tool."

"Seems the only difference I see is that he had the guts to ask out the girl." Stacie took a step back to clean some glasses just in case Beca took a swing at her. Then Chloe appeared by Beca's side.

"Vodka cranberry, and a beer please." Chloe stood next to Beca, not looking at her.

"Nice guy, sending the woman to get the drinks. How chivalrous." Beca gave an 'I told you so' smirk to Stacie while pointing her thumb.

"How sexist of you, Beca." Chloe's voice was sarcastically sweet. Beca just flashed a quick annoyed grin and focused on her hands on the counter. They sat awkwardly by each other until Stacie hurried over with Chloe's drinks. She glanced down at Beca about to say something, but just rolled her eyes and left to find Luke.

Beca just gripped tightly to her bottle, almost shaking until it actually shattered in her hand. She quickly leaned back, examining her hands to make sure there weren't any cuts.

"Dammit, Beca." Stacie whined as she grabbed a towel. "Jealousy looks really bad on you. Not to mention, its a bit inconvenient for me." She angrily wiped up the puddle of beer Beca had caused before reluctantly handing her another.

Beca ended up drinking her weight in her favorite vodka midway through the night. Stacie insisted she stay with her upstairs on her couch. She refused to let Beca try to drive that motorcycle this drunk. When Stacie helped a stumbling Beca upstairs, Chloe caught a glimpse of the duo stumbling up the stairs and felt a sense of worry, but forced herself to focus on her date.

The days went by agonizingly slow for Beca, still resigned to a desk job. She tried her best to be professional and hide her disdain for Luke. When she caught herself staring daggers at him, she'd try to play it off and look away quickly. She had stopped making her sarcastic comments at Chloe. Her cocky smirk had all but vanished. She actually sat at her computer and worked, doing any extra paperwork for her colleagues that she could. She was turning into an alternate version of herself.

"What's up with you?" Jesse came strolling by.

"Hmm?" Beca didn't look up but just kept her attention on the monitor.

"You don't seem like yourself. Does it have a little something to do with a certain new Agent with a British accent?" Jesse smirked.

"Shut up. By the way, what's up with that? Why doesn't he go work for Scotland Yard or something." Beca could feel her face forming into an immature pout and tried to adjust.

"He's a good agent, Beca. I know you're bummed about-"

"Look, I'm just ready to be back in the field, okay? I'm tired of sitting behind a desk. That's what's wrong." Beca nearly shouted back as she stood up. "Which by the way, I'm finished with everything I can do so I'm going to get out of here." She snatched her jacket and brushed passed Jesse before he could say anything else.

She ended up back at the bar, drinking her night away. Stacie purposefully acted busy and brought her drinks slowly, to attempt to slow her down. Beca snatched a beer from her hand and quickly gulped down half of it.

"Beca...drinking isn't going to solve whatever you're going through." Stacie finally spoke up with a sincere worried tone.

"Its helped before."

"Actually it probably only slowed down the healing process. And nothing you're going through right now can be as bad as the military-"

"Don't talk about the military to me." Beca glared. Stacie just looked down and shifted awkwardly.

"I just thought when you came back and got a normal job I wouldn't have to see this side of you again."

"I can find a new bar." Beca looked away indifferently.

"That's not what I'm saying!" Stacie tried to explain.

"Look, thanks for the beers. I'm going to head home. Sorry for making you worried or whatever."

"Please be safe." Stacie sighed. "And text me when you get home."

When Beca got home she immediately went to her music station and started fiddling around mindlessly. She noticed her song choices were a little dark and depressing. It reminded her of being in high school when your crush could just ruin you. And it was infuriating that she even had this crush to begin with. After a couple hours she looked at her phone and saw messages from Chloe.

Chloe: You okay? Just wanted to check in, I feel like you've been off. When do you get cleared?

Chloe: ?

Chloe: Did you at least make it home…

Chloe: Ignoring me is pretty immature...and annoying since you're my partner and everything

Chloe: Are you really that jealous?

Chloe: I'm actually worried...I stopped by the bar and Stacie said you left hours ago. Just respond that you're alive please? Be a fucking adult.

Chloe: I'm coming over if you don't answer in five minutes.

"Shit!" Beca fumbled with her phone to check the time. Thankfully she had literally just sent the last message. She paused before debating if she should dare Chloe into actually storming over. She thought better of it because it would probably turn into a fight.

Beca: Sorry, had my headphones on. I'm fine and alive and all that. Checking with doc tomorrow. Night.

Chloe: thanks.

Beca held her hands over the keys trying to think of something else to say. She was mad but part of her still wanted to talk to her partner. After typing a few words and deleting several times, she just tossed her phone on the night stand and attempted to get some sleep.