A/N: Thank you SO much for the reviews and follows and favs. I was surprised this is the more popular of my first two attempts at fanfiction, but I'm not complaining! The next couple chapters are longer, let me know if you prefer longer chapters or the shorter ones.

Someone also asked if there will be smut, and yes, its coming ;) I made my first attempt at smut writing in a one-shot I recently wrote "Oh Captain, My Captain" if you want to check it out. Again, thank you for reviews, and I'm glad if you are enjoying this story so far!

"Hey, Beca?" Chloe nervously looked up from her computer. Zoe Price had just finished texting her, insisting on Chloe coming over to dinner for the first time in months. She saw Beca glance over and raise her eyebrows in response. "Would you want to maybe come with me to have dinner with the Price's tonight?" Chloe swallowed hard. The Price's were more of a family to her than her own, and she felt guilty for avoiding them for months. It was hard for her to see them, even though they still loved her and never blamed her as much as she blamed herself for Jackson's death.

"Like...ex-partner Price?" Beca sat up straight.

"Yeah." Chloe looked away, feeling embarrassed for some reason. "I'd like them to meet you. You know, my new partner...with the Agency. I think they'd like you. And its always hard for me to go see them. It'd be nice to have someone with me."

"Oh." Beca nodded slowly, looking down at her feet. "Yeah, um...sure. I'd be happy to."

"Great. Thanks." Chloe let out a sigh of relief. "I was planning on going over there around 7. Want me to pick you up?"

"Yeah, sure. Sounds good." Beca nodded again. "Could I ask you a favor in return?"

"Of course." Chloe leaned forward.

"Along the same lines…" Beca rubbed the back of her neck. "There's a girl who used to be married to a guy in my team...in the marines. She's been asking me about coming to visit. I've been putting it off. She actually just recently moved nearby so she could be closer to me and her family. But I've been really nervous. Would you maybe want to...come with me to that dinner too?"

"Okay." Chloe swallowed hard.

"Okay." Beca repeated. "So...tonight...I should be ready by?"

"I'll pick you up at 6:30."

"Alright...cool...good...cool." Beca bit her lip awkwardly. She didn't know why she felt so nervous about meeting the Price's. But she had more anxiety in her chest than she ever felt meeting any girlfriends' families. And Chloe wasn't even a girlfriend.

Chloe pulled up to the familiar Price home. It had been entirely too long since she'd visited and she felt guilty. It was just hard to visit when she carried so much guilt over the family's patriarch a couple years ago. Zoe would often plead with her to come visit and on multiple occasions had long, serious conversations with her about letting go of her guilt. It would usually end in tears, which would make Chloe not want to come back. Yet, she hated feeling like she was hurting one of the most important people in her life.

Chloe and Beca walked to the front door. And Beca was fidgeting nervously with her shirt.

"Do I look okay?" Beca took a deep breath.

"You look fine." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Its not a fancy dinner or anything. Why are you so nervous?"

"I don't know. I mean I replaced Price as your partner. What if they hate me?"

"They won't." Chloe insisted as she rang the bell. "They're such a nice family."

"Chloe Beale!" Zoe opened the door and wrapped Chloe in one of her famous hugs. Zack and Janie came running down the stairs too. Zack was a year away from being a teenager so wasn't quite as affectionate as he used to be, but still wrapped his arms around Chloe's waist. Janie had just turned 9 and was still as sweet as ever.

"Hey, Zoe." Chloe closed her eyes tightly. "This is Beca. She's my new partner."

"Pleasure to meet you." Zoe nodded at Beca before giving her a hug as well. "Alright well come in, come in. I made roast beef and veggies. And the kids are looking forward to a little game night later.

"Sounds fun." Beca smiled hesitantly as they stepped inside. She immediately saw all the photo frames of the sweet family. Many of them included pictures of their late husband and father. He was a handsome man and obviously loved them. Chloe gave her a nudge to relax a bit more as they made their way into the home.

Beca was quiet through the first part of dinner. Chloe found it odd and a little amusing how shy she was being. She'd known Beca to be a confident and arrogant asshole who couldn't hold back a smartass remark to save her life. She wasn't sure why she was so tense. When Zoe got up to bring some more gravy, Chloe leaned over and whispered.

"Relax, they're not going to kill you or anything."

"I'm not afraid of them." Beca rolled her eyes as she blushed slightly.

"Then talk more. You're never this quiet." Chloe nudged. Zoe returned from the kitchen and set the gravy down and Zack immediately poured it all over his meat.

"So, Beca." Zoe looked down at her plate, cutting up the roast beef. "How long have you been with the Agency?"

"Uh, less than a year. I was contacted by an officer when I retired from the military."

"You were in the military?" Zoe sounded surprised. "Thank you for your service."

"Yeah, uh thanks." Beca nodded, filling her mouth with some vegetables.

"She likes to think her military training makes her a better agent, but I'm still pretty sure I out perform her in most areas." Chloe gave her a wink, knowing she'd probably get a reaction.

"Um, I'm sorry." Beca's jaw dropped. "I do believe I beat you in every aspect except hand to hand combat. And that's only because you cheat." Beca grinned for the first time that night and Chloe was happy that she finally seemed to loosen up as they bickered about who was the better agent. Since Beca relaxed she was much better at conversation during the rest of dinner. She even commiserated with Zack about how much school stinks, and Janie about how lame it is girls don't get to do stuff boys do. Chloe watched happily as the Price's got to know Beca and seemed to really like her.

Chloe helped Zoe in the kitchen wash off some plates. Beca politely accepted another beer from Zoe after she had admitted she still bought from time to time to remind her of Jackson. Zack tugged on Beca's arm to come help set up the games for the evening. Chloe gave her a nod of encouragement, knowing Beca's fear of children.

"So, what's the deal between you two?" Zoe asked, and Chloe's eyes quickly moved from Beca to Zoe.

"We...we're partners. And I know her cooking habits are horrendous so I thought she'd like to come for a good meal." Chloe quickly looked away, scrubbing at a dish.

"I saw how you two looked at each other during dinner. They way you made sure she got a beer instead of wine. And the way you swapped veggies, I mean its like you're an old married couple." Zoe chuckled.

"What?" Chloe nearly dropped the plate, but recovered quickly. "We're just partners. Work partners. Friends, sometimes. I mean, honestly she drives me completely insane some days. And we're like completely different people." Chloe felt herself rambling nervously, but couldn't stop herself.

"You know what they say about opposites?" Zoe gave her a friendly elbow to the ribs. Chloe only took a deep breath and gulped, feeling like a flustered teenager.

"Its not like that Zoe."

"And why not?"

"She wouldn't…" Chloe started. "We wouldn't be good together."

"I beg to differ." Zoe stopped the water and leaned against the sink counter and folded her arms. "I've known you for awhile Chloe and you've never seemed this happy. Chemistry isn't just some class you have to take in school, and you two? You've got more than some rich private high school science fair. I mean, if you don't act on that, you might just internally combust."

"Please, Zoe." Chloe rolled her eyes and felt her cheeks turning beet red.

"I'm not trying to make you feel uncomfortable." Zoe raised her hand. "But I love you, Chlo. And I just really want you to be happy. Trust me, we both know life can be too short." She paused, biting back her tears. "And that girl seems to make you happy. Just...don't pass up a chance at something great just because you're scared. You know, I think Jackson would have loved her too."

Before Chloe could respond, Beca came back in the kitchen announcing the games were set up. She gave a concerned look at Chloe who was red and fidgety. Chloe just smiled widely and grabbed her arm to go back in the living room before Zoe could possibly say anything in front of Beca to embarrass her further.

They spent the next few hours playing board games, pictionary, and charades in teams. Beca and Zack were paired and Beca let her competitive side show. Chloe even got annoyed a few times when Beca and Zack came up with a victory dance. Zoe would look between Chloe and Beca when they would bicker over little board game infractions, and laughed how they both were so determined to win. Zack and Janie fed off their energy too.

When Janie was near tears after she failed to get the last point in charades, Zoe quickly declared a tie for the evening and that it was bedtime. Beca and Zack groaned, knowing they were the rightful winners, but didn't want to hurt little Janie's feelings.

"You know my team really won, right?" Beca whispered to Chloe as the kids were taken upstairs for bed.

"You know you're a sore loser, right?" Chloe shot right back.

"Hey, we won. We just didn't want to make the kid cry!" Beca tried to hide her smile as she crossed her arms.

"Oh blame it on a kid. That's how low you've gotten?" Chloe let out a chuckle.

"I'm just saying, if we tallied up our own scores for our teams, I definitely beat you. So on an individual basis, I beat you."

"You are so delusional."

"Who's the sore loser now?" Beca stepped closer to Chloe, grinning proudly.

"Still you." Chloe said in a lower tone, feeling herself drift closer to Beca.

"Maybe we should have a one on one competition and see who the real winner is?" Beca's voice was quiet now.

"Oh, one on one? I'd own your ass, Mitchell." Chloe grinned, leaning even closer to Beca. She realized they had somehow gotten face to face when they had started the conversation on opposite sides of the room.

"Care to prove that, Beale?" Beca asked with a wink. Chloe felt her heart rate increasing and her eyes flicked from Beca's eyes to her lips. Before she could respond, Zoe had reappeared from upstairs. Chloe nearly jumped back, remembering what Zoe had said earlier. Beca looked at her with a confused smirk.

"Zoe, thank you so much for tonight. It was a wonderful evening." Chloe went over and hugged Zoe. "Its getting a little late, though. We should be heading out."

"Of course." Zoe turned to smile at Beca. "It was so nice meeting you, Beca. I'm glad Chloe has her. Take good care of her."

"Right." Beca swallowed hard, not sure why she felt almost embarrassed by the comment. "It was awesome meeting you and your kids. You have a great family."

"Thank you." Zoe held the door open for them. "Well have a good night you two." She shot Chloe a wink. Chloe shook it off, trying to not start blushing again. Despite her awkwardness though, she was really happy. She wasn't sure why she so so relieved the Price's seemed to love Beca and she really liked them too. But as she got in the car to drive Beca home, she couldn't recall a day in recent memory when she had felt so at peace.

A few days later it was Chloe's turn to look at Beca asking if she looked okay, as they stood in front of Annie's apartment door. Beca made a simple comment that Chloe always looked good, and Chloe smiled, feeling a little flutter in her chest.

Annie opened the door and immediately started wiping tears from her eyes.

"Beca! Its so good to see you."

"You too, Annie." Beca actually reached out to hug the woman. "How's little Henry?"

"He's getting so big. He's actually in the living room, playing with some toy that's supposed to make him a genius or something." Annie chuckled and ran a hand through her hair before turning to Chloe. "And you must be Chloe? Its so nice to meet you."

"You too." Chloe smiled shyly.

"So, I really don't have everything set up so I was thinking I could just order us some food. And when Henry has to go to bed I can bust out the liquor?" Annie gave a wink to Beca, knowing her weakness for vodka.

"Sounds good." Beca glanced at Chloe who nodded too. Annie led them into the living room and Henry looked up and saw Beca.

"Auntie Beebee!" Henry completely lost interest in his game about colors and held his arms out for Beca. She swooped him up and let him plant a wet kiss on her cheek.

"You learning stuff, buddy?" Beca bounced him on her hip. Chloe couldn't believe the sight before her eyes. Beca had said on multiple occasions she didn't like kids, but she was a natural right now. Even with the Prices, Zack seemed to warm up to her pretty fast. Chloe guessed Beca didn't give herself enough credit for how good she actually was with kids.

"Colors and numbers auntie BeeBee." Henry started giggling when Beca tickled him.

"How many fingers is this?" Beca held up three.

"Three!" Henry squealed with pride. Beca gave him a high five and turned to Chloe.

"This is Chloe." Beca said slowly, sounding like cl-oh-ee.

"Coey." Henry replied with a focused look. Beca looked at Chloe and laughed.

"Close enough, kid."

After they watched cartoons with Henry and ate pizza, Annie declared it was bedtime. Henry moaned that he wanted to stay up late with Auntie BeeBee and Coey, but Annie couldn't be persuaded. Beca actually volunteered to put him to bed, which Annie happily agreed.

"If I'm not back in ten minutes, come save me." Beca stroked Henry's head as she walked down the hall to his room. Annie just giggled as she and Chloe started picking up the paper plates and empty take out boxes.

"So, we only have a few minutes while Beca is occupied." Annie grinned as she stuffed the trash in the trash can down. "How long have you been fucking her? Because I know good and well, she's probably too chicken to label it as dating yet."

"What?!" Chloe took a step back in utter shock, glad she hadn't been drinking anything or else she would've choked on it. First Zoe, now this? "We-we're not. Not at all. We're just partners at work and...and that's totally it. Some days we aren't even friends."

"Mhm." Annie said, unconvinced. "Look, that girl used to live by the rule of only having one night stands. She certainly never introduced me or my...husband...to anyone."

"I promise. We aren't anything more than friends." Chloe shook her head.

"Hmm." Annie huffed disappointingly. "That's a shame. You're perfect for her, you know?"

Chloe froze, curious as to why this woman would think that after spending one evening with her. But she couldn't help herself from seeking more information.

"Why do you say that?"

"She's stubborn and closed off. She's dangerous and reckless at times. She needs someone with a level head to help her. She carries the weight of the world and her past on her shoulders and throws up her walls so no one can get in. Seeing you interact tonight? It looks like you've broken through a couple of her walls. I know I only just met you, but you seem genuine and sincere. You want to help people and your selfless. And you seem grounded and rational. She needs someone like that."

Chloe couldn't help but feel incredibly flattered. "Well, as her friend…" She emphasized friend. "I'm happy to help her through whatever she needs."

Annie smiled sweetly as she pulled the vodka out of the freezer and brought some glasses out. Chloe took a deep breath, knowing her next question might get her in big trouble with Beca, but she had to know. She hated the nights she witnessed Beca's night terrors. She hated feeling helpless.

"What happened to make her leave the military?" Chloe blurted out before she lost her nerve. Annie froze with her back to Chloe, holding the glasses. She slowly turned around, not making eye contact as she set them down.

"She hasn't told you?" Annie kept her eyes down.

"No…"

"She hardly told me either. She refuses to speak about it with me." Annie took a deep breath and looked over Chloe's shoulder to see if Beca was coming back or not. "My husband was in her team. They were best friends. He...he didn't make it back...from their last deployment." Annie's voice wavered and Chloe instinctively put her hand on top of Annie's, encouraging her to keep going.

"She was in the hospital for months and wouldn't talk. All I was told was that he died a hero. Which really isn't much comfort with a baby about to be born." Annie wiped a tear away. "I went to visit her in the hospital before Henry was born. She only told me that he saved her life and that she would be eternally sorry. She told me to leave her alone and didn't deserve for me to care about her. She was being so frustrating and self-hateful. I finally got pissed and told her to cut that shit out and we had a good cry. She gave me a few details, and she told me to not ask her about it again. She promised to stay Henry's godmother. And as much as she could, she's come to visit us. She'll even send money from time to time. But Chloe...I swear, I've never seen her look so good. There was so much darkness in her. In both of us really, but at least I had Henry. She was a shell of herself every time she came to visit. This is the first time she's seemed like she might be okay. The fact that you're here with her means to me that you have something to do with that." Annie swallowed hard, trying not to cry, knowing Beca would return soon. She silently poured the drinks as Chloe sat in silence, processing the words she had just heard. Before she could say anything more to Annie, Beca came stomping down the hall.

"Dude your kid is adorable, but he is exhausting." Beca leaned against the counter, dramatizing how exhausted she was.

"Tell me about it." Annie chuckled, shaking off the serious conversation she had just had.

"So how are you liking Washington?" Chloe asked.

"It's okay. I miss Denver. But this is better. There were so many memories back there. And I have more family close by now. And Beca." Annie put her hand on her shoulder. "Chloe, did you know that she once shamelessly flirted with me to test if I was truly into my boyfriend at the time, and her best friend."

"What?" Chloe turned to Beca with a wide grin.

"I mean, you're hot." Beca whined her defense. "And it was pretty hilarious busting Henry's balls. He actually would get pretty jealous."

"I mean, I did kinda flirt back" Annie giggled. "But I was only joking around. And it was fun to watch Henry squirm."

"Well, Beca is a player." Chloe shrugged, as she sipped her drink, keeping eye contact with Beca. Beca's mouth just dramatically fell open.

"Obviously doesn't work on everyone." Beca shrugged, but had a slight hint of disappointment as she stared back at Chloe. Annie glanced between the two, sensing slight awkwardness.

"How bout we head to the living room?" Annie suggested, raising the vodka bottle. Chloe and Beca followed happily.

The rest of the evening consisted mostly of Annie talking about Henry and all the things he was learning and doing. Chloe and Beca were more than happy to listen. They realized it must be very difficult being a single mom, living off a life insurance check, and military benefits with just a two year old to keep you company. Annie was strong, obviously, but she needed adults. That's why she moved. She needed her family and Beca. Even if some of the things she shared about Henry were either gross, ridiculous or seemingly insignificant; Beca and Chloe knew they were the world to Annie. And even though Chloe had known Annie for all of a few hours, she wanted nothing more than to be an ear to listen if it meant that the single mom could feel like a regular adult even just for a little while.

After three more vodka sprites, Annie announces she should stop, so she can get some sleep in order to be a good mom to Henry. Beca and Chloe chuckled as they agreed and headed to the door.

"It was so great to meet you, Annie." Chloe gave her a quick hug. "Hope to see you again soon!" Chloe gave Beca a glance as she walked to the car, giving the two a chance to say goodbye privately.

"Thanks for coming by, Beca."

"Of course. I love you guys." Beca waved her hand like it was no big deal.

"And listen." Annie's voice lowered as she stole a glance to make sure Chloe was out of earshot. "Don't take too long to make a move on that girl, okay?"

"Dude." Beca rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, Beca. Don't screw this up. You two are good together, I can tell. Don't let your stubbornness keep you from something that could be great."

"You've had too much to drink." Beca shook her head and turned to walk toward the car.

"Don't be an idiot, Beca!" Annie waved affectionately as Beca slid into the front seat.

"What was that about?" Chloe smirked as she started the car. Beca just shook her head as she watched Annie go back in the apartment.

"She's just crazy." Beca looked over to Chloe and shrugged her shoulders. In her head, she was wondering if she really did have it in her to tell Chloe how she felt. In reality, she was scared. Scared that Chloe wouldn't feel the same way. Scared that she would. Scared that she'd screw it up. Scared that they wouldn't be partners anymore. Scared that she would let her fear ruin what might could be a great thing, like Annie had said.