25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020
Day 20 - The Barden Christmas Eve Bake-Off
Author's Prompt: Bakeoff AU - Every year Barden has a Christmas Eve Bake-Off, and for four straight years, Chloe Beale has won it with her baking partner Beca Mitchell. The two had a misunderstanding, and it's time for the bake-off. Will they settle their differences and win again this year? Or will their chances crumble along with their cookies?
The day before Christmas Eve, Chloe Beale walked into the Barden Christmas Eve Bake-Off kitchen and found her baking station. She set the box she had been carrying on the table and checked out her station.
Chloe had won the Bake-Off for the past four years and hoped to make it number five this year. No other baker, except one, has ever won the title for more than four years in a row, and Chloe beat that record last year, and she was ready to win again. Unfortunately for her, as her partner, Beca Mitchell was the other baker who had four wins to her name.
"Fuck!"
"Must you always be cursing?" Chloe asked, glaring over at Beca trying to wheel their hand cart through the door.
"Must you always be riding my ass?" Beca snarked back.
Beca finally made it through the door and stopped in front of their baking station. Beca looked at Chloe and asked, "Where do you want these?"
"Just leave it there," Chloe said, nodding to indicate where Beca was currently standing.
Beca sighed and made her way around the counter, so she was facing Chloe. She took a deep breath and said, "Can we not fight during the competition, Chlo? Can we please talk instead?"
Chloe didn't say anything; she just stared at Beca.
"Chloe?" Beca said. Chloe stared down at the counter, causing Beca to emit a loud sigh. "If you want to talk, I'm not going anywhere."
Beca's jaw was clenched as she turned and went back to the boxes. She took one and set it on the counter, and started removing the contents, setting them on the table.
"Um, Beca?" Chloe said, causing Beca to look over at her expectantly. "You're not supposed to unbox anything until tomorrow."
"Oh, um," Beca said, replacing what she took out of the box. "Right."
"Beca!" Stacie called as she walked in carrying a box. "Looks like we're neighbors."
Stacie set the box down at the next baking station. She walked over to Beca and grabbed her in a hug, and kissed her on the lips. The kiss was just a quick peck, but it caused Chloe's jaw to drop.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Beca asked, pushing Stacie away from her.
"I heard you and Chloe were no longer a thing," Stacie said, looking over at Chloe. "So, I thought I'd stake my claim before someone else did."
"Sorry, Stacie," Beca said. "I'm not interested." Beca lowered her voice and added, "You know I want Chloe. Even if Chloe doesn't want anything to do with me right now."
"You should take her up on it, Beca," Chloe said, having heard Beca. "I don't have it in me to care about what or who you do."
Chloe turned and started walking towards the exit. "I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow."
Chloe hid her face so no one would see the tears in her eyes.
Beca's eyes were full of concern as she watched Chloe walk out the door. Beca ran out after her.
"Chloe?" Beca called out. "Wait. Please?"
"Leave me alone, Beca," Chloe said, wiping at her tears.
"Are you okay?" Beca asked. "You aren't looking so good right now."
"What do you care?" Chloe asked, glaring at Beca. "Isn't Stacie waiting for you?"
"I don't care about Stacie," Beca said. "I care about you because, even though you hate me for some reason, I lo-." Beca snapped her mouth shut when she realized what she was about to say. She swallowed and said, "I like having you as my friend."
"I guess I was right about you," Chloe said.
"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Beca asked, scowling.
"It means you aren't mature enough to handle what happened between us," Chloe said, causing Beca's cheeks to redden.
"Why are you so mad at me?" Beca asked. "What did I do?"
"Don't pretend like you don't know," Chloe scoffed.
"I'm not pretending," Beca said. "We had a great night, and you were fine when I left you. Then you shut me out and won't even talk to me."
"Can you blame me after what you did?" Chloe asked.
"That's just it," Beca said. "I haven't got a clue as to what I've supposedly done to make you hate me."
"Is everything okay over here, Beca?" Stacie asked, walking over to stand next to Beca.
"I don't know," Beca said and pointed over at Chloe. "Ask her."
Stacie turned to Chloe with a raised brow. "Well, Chloe? What's going on?"
"You really don't know why I'm upset with you?" Chloe asked, looking at Beca.
"That's what I just said," Beca said, sighing heavily. "That's what I've been saying."
"I can't be sure if you're telling the truth or not," Chloe said.
"Why would she lie?" Stacie asked, coming to Beca's defense.
"Because it was a dirty thing to do," Chloe said. "And Beca could be lying to try and get back on my good side."
Beca scoffed, and Stacie stood speechless as they both stared at Chloe as she glared at the two of them.
"I should probably go," Beca said, looking around. "A lot more people are here now, and I don't want to get in the middle of something in front of them."
"Let's go to my place," Stacie said. "We can talk about the bake-off and discuss where I'll be taking you on our first date."
"Okay," Beca said.
Chloe stood gawking in disbelief as the two brunettes walked off together.
~~ Day 20 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmas - 2020 ~~
"So, you never told me what actually happened between you and Chloe," Stacie said as she and Beca sat on her sofa, sipping beers.
"Well," Beca said, holding her beer bottle and picking at the label. "We were on our fourth date, and she invited me back to her place. We were talking and then we were kissing. One thing leads to another, and she led me to her bedroom. We had sex for the first time, and it was amazing."
"So, what happened?"
"It was about four in the morning and my phone pinged with a text notification," Beca said. "It was from my dad telling me that my grandmother had been in an accident and things didn't look good for her, so they were heading to the airport to catch a flight to Portland. He also said he had reserved a ticket in my name."
"I'm so sorry, Beca," Stacie said. "Why didn't you tell her?"
"I left her a note," Beca said. "I mean, it all happened so fast, but I wasn't going to just leave her without saying something. I called my dad, and he said he was on his way to my place to pick me up. I told him I wasn't at home and I'd meet them at the airport because I still had to go home and pack. Chloe was sleeping so peacefully that I didn't have the heart to wake her. So, I wrote Chloe a note and left. I went home, packed, and went straight to the airport."
Beca pulled out her phone and opened her camera app. She found the picture she was looking for and said, "See? I took a picture of her because she looked so peaceful laying there."
Stacie took the phone and looked at the picture. She smiled and handed the phone back to Beca.
"And Chloe didn't accept your explanation?" Stacie said.
"I don't know what she accepted," Beca said. "I texted her when my grandma died, and she never responded. I even tried to call her, but she didn't answer. And, now, every time I try to talk to her, she walks away or avoids being in the same place she knows I'll be. I don't know what I did to make her ghost me like that unless she regretted that night but doesn't have the guts to tell me. I'm surprised she didn't kick me out when I showed up for the bake-off."
"That doesn't sound like Chloe," Stacie said. "Something else must have happened."
"Like what?" Beca said. "Things were going great until we had sex."
"Maybe this bake-off thing will be your chance to make her talk to you," Stacie said. "I've got your back whenever you're ready to try talking to Chloe."
"And no more flirting just to rile up Chloe, okay?" Beca asked. "I really don't want her any madder at me than she already is."
"You've got it bad for her, huh?" Stacie asked.
"I'm in love with her, Stacie," Beca said.
"That's huge, Beca," Stacie said, sitting up straight. "I thought you were just having a bit of fun with her. I promise to behave."
"Then I'm in," Beca said. "Thanks, Stacie."
"No worries," Stacie said. "We'll put a plan in play tomorrow at the bake-off. After we're done, she'll be talking to you again."
Beca held out her beer bottle, and Stacie tapped it with her own. "Let's do it!"
~~ Day 20 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmas - 2020 ~~
The next day, Beca stood nervously at her baking station, waiting for Chloe to show up. She was barely listening to the schedule of the competition. A cheer went up when they mentioned the afternoon's challenge of the gingerbread house decorating.
Beca knew if they made it through the first round, they'd be hard to beat on the gingerbread challenge. Chloe made the best gingerbread around, and Beca had a special design ready to not only wow the judges but hopefully wow Chloe even more.
The gingerbread houses were not judged on taste alone. They were also judged on the originality and execution of their design.
Beca had done the competition enough times that she knew the day was broken down into two parts. The morning was set aside for the original cookie recipe, and the afternoon was the gingerbread house competition. For the original cookie, each team had to make four dozen cookies and be judged based on the recipe's originality, taste, and presentation.
Chloe still had not arrived, and the competition was about to start. They had not discussed the original recipe they were going to use, but Beca had one she had planned out.
"Alright, bakers," the announcer said, causing Beca to panic slightly. "You've got three hours to make four dozen cookies, using an original cookie recipe of you and your partner's creation. Your time starts now!"
Beca and the rest of the competitors started hustling around their stations. Beca kept stealing glances over at the door, expecting Chloe to come through them. Her heart grew heavier every time she looked up and didn't see Chloe.
Beca had not noticed Stacie making her way over to her.
"Don't worry, Beca," Stacie said, causing Beca to jump. "I'm sure Chloe will be here. She's not the type to leave anyone hanging."
"I'm not worried yet," Beca said. "I have the original cookie recipe challenge handled. I just need her to show up in time for the gingerbread challenge."
"Feeling extra confident, are you?" Stacie teased, causing Beca to laugh.
"Rightfully, so," Beca replied. "We have won it four times in a row for a reason. Shouldn't you be helping your partner?"
"Jessica has it covered," Stacie said with a shrug. "She only needs me when it's time to dip the cookies in the chocolate."
"Is she trying her chocolate-covered mint cookie again?" Beca asked.
"Yep," Stacie said. "She's been tweaking it since last year. She thinks this is her year to take down Team BeChloe."
Beca laughed and shook her head. Stacie turned her head when she heard Jessica calling her.
"I gotta go," Stacie said and went back to her station.
~~ Day 20 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmas - 2020 ~~
Beca had pulled the last tray of peanut butter cookies out of the oven and set them on the counter. She checked her banana filling and got her piping bags ready. She laid out the two dozen that had been cooling and began piping the banana filling on a cookie; she then placed a second cookie on top.
"What did you make, Beca?" Stacie asked from her station.
"I call them Chloe's Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich Cookies," Beca said.
"How did you come up with that?" Jessica asked.
"From Chloe," Beca said. "She told me her mom used to make her peanut butter and banana sandwiches for lunch practically every day when she was in elementary school. I thought it would bring back some nice memories for her."
"They sound good, Beca," Jessica said.
"She's so whipped," Stacie mumbled to Jessica, causing Jessica to laugh.
Beca put two cookies together and walked over to Jessica and Stacie. She held the cookies out and said, "Would you two taste these? I need to know if I have enough banana flavor in the filling."
"Sure, Beca, we'll try them," Stacie said, taking both cookies and handing one to Jessica.
Jessica bit into her cookie and frowned.
"What's wrong, Jess?" Beca asked, looking worried. "Do they taste bad?"
"No," Jessica said. "They taste amazing. I kind of hate you right now."
"She's right, Beca," Stacie said, chewing on her cookie. "These are really good. And it has the perfect amount of banana flavor."
"Thanks," Beca said. "I was hoping Chloe would be the taste tester, but she's still not here."
~~ Day 20 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmas - 2020 ~~
Beca was standing at Stacie and Jessica's station while waiting for the judges to come back and announce the winners of the original cookie recipe challenge.
"There's Chloe," Stacie said, causing Beca to look over at the door.
"Seriously?" Beca said. "I texted her, and she didn't have the courtesy even to respond. And now she waltzes in here like she isn't over three hours late."
"Go talk to her before the judges come back," Stacie said.
"What if we talk and she tells me she actually hates me?" Beca asked.
"What if she tells you she loves you?" Stacie said. "Problem solved."
Beca chewed her lip and once again looked over at Chloe.
"Go ahead, Beca," Stacie said. "We have a few minutes before the judges come back."
Beca sighed and slowly made her way over to her baking station. Getting there just as Chloe did.
"Hey," Chloe said.
"Hey?" Beca snapped. "Seriously? You come in late, missing almost the entire first challenge, and all you can say is, hey? Unbelievable!"
"What do you want from me, Beca?" Chloe asked.
"What I want from you is for you to tell me why you've been ignoring me?" Beca whisper-yelled. "Do you really hate me that much?"
Chloe's mouth dropped open. She lowered her voice and said, "I don't hate you. And I didn't start ignoring you until you left me to wake up alone after we had sex. How do you think that made me feel?"
"I left you a note!" Beca whisper-yelled.
"No, you didn't," Chloe whisper-yelled back.
"Yes, I did," Beca said. "You were sleeping so peacefully I didn't have the heart to wake you up."
"Why did you leave then?"
"I explained it all in the note!"
"There wasn't a note!" Chloe repeated, her frustration with Beca even more evident. "Just tell me why you left."
"Because I had to go to Maine," Beca said, getting irritated. "My grandmother had an accident, and they didn't think she was going to make it, so my dad and I flew up to see her before she passed. We barely made it before she died."
"Your grandmother died?' Chloe asked, moving her arm to reach out to Beca, only to drop it back down to her side when Beca flinched away from Chloe.
"She did," Beca said. "And you would know this if you hadn't ignored my texts or my phone call. My grandmother died, and the one person I thought would be there for me didn't even acknowledge me. How do you think that made me feel?"
Beca wiped a tear from her eye. She turned and said over her shoulder, "I'm sorry I bothered you. It won't happen again."
Chloe stood, unmoving as Beca walked away. She didn't know what to say. She wiped a tear that fell down her cheek.
"Chloe?" Stacie said as she walked up to the redhead. "Are you okay?"
"No," Chloe said, wiping the tears from her face.
"Did Beca tell you about the note?" Stacie asked.
Chloe just nodded and said, "She mentioned it, but I swear there wasn't any note."
Stacie looked over at Beca, standing across the room with her back against the wall. She could see Beca was crying.
"Chloe," Stacie said. "Are you sure there wasn't a note? Could it have fallen under the bed or something?"
"I guess anything is possible," Chloe mumbled. "But, it's been over two weeks. I'm sure I would have found it by now if there was one."
"Wait here," Stacie said. "I just thought of something."
Stacie rushed over to Beca. Beca wiped her face when she saw Stacie coming toward her.
"Beca, can I see that picture again?" Stacie asked. "The one you took of Chloe before you left that morning?"
"Why?" Beca asked.
"Something's been bugging me about it since you first showed it to me," Stacie said. "Let me see it; maybe I can figure it out."
"I don't know what you expect to see," Beca said. "It's just Chloe sleeping."
Beca pulled out her phone and opened the camera app; she found Chloe's picture and held the phone out to Stacie. Stacie took the phone and looked at it. She squinted and then used two fingers to enlarge the photo.
"Aha!" Stacie cried out. "It's there!"
"What's there?" Beca asked, wiping her cheeks.
"Your note," Stacie said. "It's in the picture, see?"
Beca looked at her phone and smiled.
"And, you can clearly read most of what the note said," Stacie said. "You have to show this to Chloe."
"Ladies and gentleman, we ask that all bakers return to your stations," a voice called out, garnering everyone's attention. "We are ready to announce the winners of the first challenge."
"Take this," Stacie said, shoving the phone into Beca's hands. "And prove to Chloe you left a note."
Beca took the phone and hurried over to her baking station. She slowed down when she saw Chloe glaring at her with her arms crossed over her chest.
Beca looked down at her phone and back up to Chloe. She turned her phone off and put it in her back pocket. She went to her station and stood close to Chloe but would not look at her. Beca kept her eyes to the front the whole time.
The announcer went through the winner's list, starting with the team in tenth place. They were down to the second-place team.
"And in second place," the announcer said. "With their chocolate-dipped mint cookies, Team Conrad/Smith!"
Stacie and Jessica squealed and ran up to the judge to get their 2nd place ribbon.
"And now, first place in the original recipe category," the announcer said. "With Chloe's Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich Cookies, Team Beale/Mitchell!"
Everyone started clapping. Jessica and Stacie were yelling, "Way to go, BeChloe!"
Chloe's mouth dropped open in shock; Beca went up to the judges and accepted their first-place ribbon. She came back and threw it on the table in front of Chloe.
"This belongs to you," Beca said.
"You named your cookie after me?" Chloe said. "What made you do that?"
"Because you're the one who gave me the idea for it," Beca said.
"I did?" Chloe said.
"Yeah, you did," Beca said. "You once told me how your mother always made you peanut butter and banana sandwiches for lunch when you were in elementary school."
"You remember that?" Chloe asked. "I told you that years ago."
"I remember a lot of things you told me, Chloe," Beca said, reaching to retrieve a cookie. "Here, try it."
Beca handed Chloe her namesake cookie, and Chloe bit into it.
"Oh, my God, Becs," Chloe said. "It tastes just like the peanut butter and banana sandwiches I remember."
Chloe sighed and looked down at the table. "Becs, I'm sorry I didn't believe you about the note. I should have known you wouldn't lie about something like that. I am truly sorry."
"If you need me to, I can prove I left you a note," Beca said, pulling out her phone.
Chloe put a hand over Beca's, stopping her. "That's not necessary," Chloe said. "I'm serious, I believe you. I really do."
"There was something else in that note that you need to know about," Beca said.
"What?" Chloe asked.
"I said, I, um," Beca stammered. "I said I love you. That night was really special to me, and I couldn't leave without telling you how I felt. Even if it was in a note."
Chloe's eyes widened, and before Beca knew it, Chloe pulled Beca to her and crashed their lips together. Stacie and Jessica could be heard yelling and cheering. Chloe started laughing and pulled back from the kiss.
"I love you, too, Becs," Chloe said just before reattaching her lips to Beca's.
Later that night, Beca and Chloe were lying on Chloe's sofa. Beca was on cloud nine; not only had she gotten the girl, but they had won the Barden Bake-off for an unprecedented fifth time.
"I can't believe you made up an original cookie recipe using one of my favorite sandwiches from when I was a kid," Chloe murmured as she laid snuggled up with Beca. "And I love that for the gingerbread challenge you designed a replica of a campsite because I told you how much I loved going camping with my family."
"I wanted you to know how I feel about you," Beca said. "I thought using some of your childhood memories would let you know I was paying attention all this time."
Beca looked at the time and noticed it was after Midnight. She smiled as she whispered, "Merry Christmas, Chloe," just before kissing Chloe again.
I know, I know; Christmas has been over and it's now March. But life has a way of interrupting some things. And I've always said I will never abandon a story or leave it unfinished, so this is me keeping my promise. Days 20-22 are done and will be posted today. Days 23-25 are still being edited and revamped a bit and will be posted in a couple of days. And that will truly end Christmas 2020 for me. Thank you all for your patience and your kind words along the way.