A/N: This chapter gave me some trouble but eventually I was pretty happy with it.
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Ch 11
Beca sat in the green room, waiting to be called out for her segment. She generally hated the talk show circuit; especially when she had to do them in the middle of filming something else. It stole what little down time she had and lately she actually had something worthwhile to fill that time. Or rather someone.
But with her last movie premiering and being so well received, it was yet another evil deemed necessary. In this case, evil was absolutely an appropriate term. Alice McKinley was a stone-cold bitch. Every time Beca had done her show, the host tried to 'catch' her with so-called tough questions that veered far off topic of whatever she was there to promote. Thankfully, she didn't care enough to let herself be thrown by any of it.
"Are you listening?"
Beca glanced over at her mother and scoffed.
"Of course not."
"Charming as always, dear," Angela remarked while angrily looking through her bag.
"Let me guess," Beca began, "Stay on guard. Don't take the bait. Bring it all back to the movie," she clicked her tongue, "Think I got it."
"Well forgive me, with your behavior recently I just assumed you've forgotten your priorities," she said before slamming her bag down and shouting loudly at a passing staff member, "You! Find me a phone charger. Chop Chop!"
"Chop Chop," Beca mimicked, earning a glare from the woman, "If you care so much why do you keep booking this shit."
"Exposure, of course."
"Right," she answered as she was signaled to move to the stage entrance, "Time to go expose myself."
She followed the assistant to the curtain and waited for her introduction. Alice's voice carried over to them as she spoke to the audience.
"You've seen my next guess in several movies over the years as well as her regular appearances on TMZ," Beca rolled her eyes behind the curtain, "You can catch her latest work Shadows in theatres now. Please welcome, Beca Mitchell!"
The audience applauded and cheered as music started playing. For her own pleasure, Beca waited a moment longer than necessary, watching the assistant's gesturing for her to go become more frantic. Before he could start sweating, she had mercy on him and stepped out. She gave a small smile and raised her hand to the audience before taking her seat on stage.
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Chloe sat in her trailer, watching the television to catch Beca's segment. She knew she wasn't looking forward to it and Chloe had promised to watch for moral support. Her attention was disrupted when her phone began ringing and Aubrey's name appeared on the screen. She only felt a little guilty as she sent it to voicemail to focus on the interview.
Apparently, whatever it was, was important enough for Aubrey to call back again immediately. She took a moment to send a quick text, informing her manager that she'd call her back in a few minutes, and focused back on the screen. She groaned when she started hearing a flurry of messages coming in return. The alerts pinging repeatedly as she tried to listen. She blindly turned off the sound and was finally able to completely focus just in time to hear Alice bring up a topic she knew would annoy Beca.
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"Now you're pretty private when it comes to your personal life."
Beca just shrugged with one shoulder, "It's personal, after all."
"Even so, rumors swirl around you all the time and you never offer any comment or response."
Beca smirked, "If I comment on every rumor, I wouldn't have much time to do anything else. Like Shadows."
The audience clapped at that, and she saw the annoyance in Alice's eyes at her attempt to keep them on track.
"Well, that is true, but I wonder if you'll indulge us today."
Beca barely managed to keep her eyes from rolling once again. Instead, she noticed something like a glint in the woman's eyes that gave away the fact that, whatever she thought she had on Beca, she was confident that she had a winner.
"I'm just going to show you something and I'd love to get just a few words from you about it."
Before Beca could respond the audience erupted in hoots and whistles and applause.
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Chloe's eyes widened and she nearly fell out off her chair as the image came up on the large screen behind the seats.
She recognized what it was right away though she had no idea where it came from. It was a photo. Her and Beca at dinner the night before. When they thought they were alone.
Kissing.
She barely registered a shout coming from outside the trailer before her door opened with a bang and Aubrey stood before her.
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Once the crowd calmed down enough, Alice spoke again.
"Now, if I'm not mistaken, that's Chloe Beale. And that's you."
Beca clenched her hand into a fist, running her thumb over the first knuckle. Alice smiled that damn smile.
"Any comment?"
Beca glared at her a moment before taking a breath.
"More of a question, actually," she said tightly.
"Oh, I'd love to hear it."
Setting her eyes directly into hers, Beca asked, "Is divorce easier the third time or is this one just as ugly as the last two?"
She gave herself a moment to see the shock on Alice's face turn into anger before she stood from her chair. Removing the mic-pack from her shirt and waist, Beca dropped it onto her chair.
Knowing her words wouldn't be heard by anyone in attendance she spoke to the stewing host, "Go fuck yourself," and walked off stage.
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Chloe turned off the television, feeling almost robotic in her movements from the shock of what just happened. She swallowed in an attempt to compose herself and finally gave Aubrey her full attention.
"How long has this been going on?"
"Aubrey- "
"That picture hit the internet, like, twenty minutes ago. As soon as I got out of a meeting, my phone was blowing up and I called you immediately. That snake of a woman had time to add it on her show. It's already blasting all over social media. All these people, talking about it the second they found out. So why have you been unable to tell me at any time during however long this has been happening?"
Chloe took a breath.
"Beca and I…" she started, "we were keeping it quiet until we knew what it was. You know, how we worked."
"That's all well and good, Chloe. You should keep these things quiet in the beginning…from the public! You keep it hidden from the paparazzi and the media, not from me!" she argued, "You need to tell me things like this so I can have a plan for when it comes out. Especially if you're involved with Beca Mitchell of all people."
The way she spat Beca's name straightened her spine and she automatically felt defensive on her behalf.
"I know you don't like her, but- "
Aubrey interrupted with a scoff.
"It's not about me not liking her. I'm not thinking about my personal feelings right now, Chloe. I'm thinking about you, damn it! What being attached to her and her reputation will do to you. I know you don't like to think about this stuff and God knows Beca doesn't care how this could affect you, she's just glad to be getting some."
"Stop it," Chloe cut in sharply; "That's enough. You can be pissed at me for not telling you; that's fair. But you don't know anything about her."
"I know enough," Aubrey challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Really?" she asked, "I bet you don't know that she didn't want to pursue anything between us because she thinks I'm too good for her. You don't know that it was her idea to keep it secret because she's worried about exactly the same thing you are. That it would hit me negatively to be connected to her. If it weren't for her, I'd have kissed her in the middle of the street without a second thought. You don't know that our first night together, I kissed her. I practically threw myself at her and she asked me over and over if I was sure."
She paused and took a breath as she felt herself getting worked up and tried to calm down.
"You don't know her, Aubrey," she emphasized once more, "No one does. She's so sweet and caring and funny. God, she's always got some dumb joke or silly thought ready to go when I need to cheer up. She's teaching me guitar and tries to make breakfast even though she could burn water," she grabbed Aubrey's hands in her own as she passionately spoke, "She's good to me, Bree. And she's good for me."
Aubrey's mouth opened and closed a few times.
"Jesus, Chloe," she began, "you're talking like you're in love with her."
Chloe blinked at the words; not expecting them. Lifting her chin, she spoke proudly.
"Maybe I am."
Her phone began buzzing again before Aubrey could respond to the second bombshell of her day.
"Hi," Chloe greeted, the sideways look she gave Aubrey as she turned away from her told her exactly who it was, "Yeah, I saw it. Are you ok?"
Aubrey put her hands on her hips and looked at the floor for a moment. She took a breath and put her manager identity back on. She took a step forward and took the phone from Chloe, in the middle of her sentence, ignoring her friend and client's protest.
"Beca Mitchell, this is Aubrey Posen, Chloe's manager," she began right away. She held up a hand and gave Chloe a nod to tell her it was ok, "We need to talk. All of us."
A time was set for the couple and their respective management to meet and go over the next step. Settling on meeting at Aubrey's office as apparently there were already floods of paparazzi stalking them. Aubrey and Chloe arrived first and were already inside waiting. The blonde's phone continued ringing and pinging the entire time with people wanting comments and confirmation.
The constant barrage of noise wasn't helping Chloe's nerves as she waited for Beca to arrive. The second the door opened Chloe rushed over to meet Beca first. She wrapped her arms around her and felt her return the embrace after a moment.
"Are you ok?" she asked again, "I can't believe she did that to you."
"I'm ok," Beca answered quietly, rubbing her hands up and down Chloe's arms as she pulled back, "I'm ok."
"As touching as this is," Angela appeared in the doorway and pushed herself between he two to walk inside, "We have business to discuss."
Beca cleared her throat awkwardly and followed further into the room. Aubrey rose from behind her desk and offered her hand to the older woman.
"Aubrey Posen."
Looking at the hand a moment, as if considering whether she would take it, before finally doing so.
"Angela Bennett," she replied, "I assume you know Beca."
Aubrey looked over to the mentioned woman, "Who doesn't?"
Beca set her jaw as she met Aubrey's eyes with her own; all to used to the sort of implication in her tone.
"So," Angela spoke again, "That daytime mouthpiece's tactics aside, I think the big issue with this little revelation is that this has been happening behind our backs. Is that right Miss Posen? I don't know about you, but I certainly had a conversation about that fact with my client."
Aubrey looked over towards Chloe who was looking worriedly at Beca; the other woman appearing even more guarded than usual at those words. Recalling their previous conversation, she spoke.
"Well, I know there were reasons for deciding to keep us in the dark," she answered diplomatically, "Still, what's done is done. Please have a seat."
Everyone did so, Chloe and Beca beside each other on the small couch while Aubrey and Angela were in adjacent chairs. Aubrey didn't miss the way the, apparent, couple instantly entwined their hands together between them. Though Beca's face remained stoic, Chloe wore her concern for any to see.
"The most important question before us is: how do we respond?" Aubrey began, taking the lead, "I think a joint statement from both camps is the best move. We can hardly play this off as a misunderstanding; the photo made it all too clear what's going on. I've taken the liberty of drafting something for your approval."
She gave over the page she'd brought form her desk for the other woman to read through. Angela looked it over quickly and quirked her eyebrow.
"Milquetoast as it is," she critiqued, and returned it to Aubrey, "It'll do."
"Right, now next I was thinking- "
"Don't suppose we could see that," Beca remarked from the couch, "I mean, considering it's about us."
"Really, Beca- "Angela started at the same time Aubrey said, "Of course."
The two locked eyes for a second. The power struggle hung in the air between the two until Chloe decided to break the tension.
"I read it already," she informed the room and looked at Beca, "It's only right you get to, too."
Aubrey agreed and passed the paper over while keeping her eyes on Angela the whole time. The woman clearly was used to having the power in the room and was challenging to keep it.
Beca took the sheet and looked at the words. Though she appeared outwardly calm, inside she was a ball of nerves as well. After being blindsided on the show and the earful her mother had given her afterwards, her mind was swirling. Adding to that all her initial concerns with going public were once again at the forefront of her thoughts.
All of this together caused the type on the page to jumble as she tried to read it. She pinched the tips of her fingers into the bridge of her nose, scrunching her eyes for a moment to try to gain her focus. She heard the loud sigh from her mother and knew she was making a show of her impatience.
Chloe's hand resting her thigh and gave it a comforting squeeze. She took a breath and decided it probably wasn't important that she actually read it. Chloe had seen it and approved. She trusted Chloe, so she just gave the paper back.
"It's fine."
Aubrey took it back, curious about what had just happened but decided to move on.
"As I was saying," she began again, "I think we should arrange some appearances. Nothing over the top; maybe the two of you at lunch somewhere we know you'll be seen. You know, lean into the fact that this isn't some stunt. It's a relationship."
"You want us to stage dates?" Beca asked; clearly unhappy with the idea.
"Not necessarily," she answered, "Just go on dates, like you have been. Except do a few in some hotspots."
Angela scoffed at this; earning a glare from Aubrey.
"You disagree?"
"I'm just amused at how blatant you're being with your motives."
"Excuse me?"
"You sure are quick to label this a relationship for anyone who will gobble it up. Who says this isn't just some tryst between co-stars?"
"I do," Chloe spoke up quickly, then glanced at Beca, "We both do."
Angela rolled her eyes at the young star.
"Please," she responded, looking only at Aubrey, "This is obviously a ploy to make sure your little ingenue gets some of Beca's clout by being attached to her. You're using her to advance your worth."
"What?!"
"I'm not- "
Chloe and Aubrey argued at the same time.
"Ms. Bennett, I'm not using Beca like that. I'd never," she turned completely to Beca, "I'd never do that to you."
Beca nodded and took her hand once more, to show she believed her.
"If you ask me, being publicly attached to your client won't help Chloe at all," Aubrey spat back, "If anything this will hurt her image."
"Aubrey!" Chloe said, shocked that she would say that in front of Beca; after the talk they'd had, too."
"Spare me," Angela challenged, "Beca has longevity and it's clear you're trying to make sure your precious princess of the moment isn't some flash in the pan sensation. You two probably planned this whole thing the second you knew they'd be working together."
"That's enough," Beca snapped out and stood up quickly. She glared at her mother, "I don't care what you think, I can't stop any of that, but whether you like it or not, we're together. That goes for both of you. I'm with her; she's with me. You don't have to like it, but sure as shit better respect it."
She turned to leave, feeling Chloe stand and come up behind her. She opened the door and turned back to both of them.
"There's your statement."
She stormed out, the blood pounding in her ears, blocking the sound of Chloe's quick footsteps following her. She stopped only once she tried to leave the building and was assaulted by the sudden chaos of voices and cameras the second the door opened. She immediately stepped back and moved to lean against the wall. Propping her hands on her knees, she bent over and tried to calm down.
"Damn it," she hissed to herself.
"Hey, hey," Chloe began, setting her hands on either side of her face and lifting enough to look into her eyes, "It's ok, babe. It's ok. Talk to me. How can I help?"
Beca sniffed and stood up straight, running her hand over her face.
"I just…it's out there now," she said, "It's the one thing, the one thing that was mine; ours. Now it's out there and they're gonna take it. They're gonna dissect it and talk about it and twist it. With their opinions and rumors. Like it's theirs. They're gonna take it."
Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca and pulled her close. She swallowed a lump in her throat.
"Listen to me," she instructed and pressed a quick kiss to the side of her head, "This is ours," she took Beca's hand in both of hers and pressed it against her chest directly over her heart, "Feel this? This is yours. And no one can take it from you. No one. So, let them say whatever they want. Because a wise woman once told me that it doesn't matter. They can try their best, but I'm not letting them take a single piece. You hear me?"
Beca's eyes closed slowly, "It could get ugly. I don't want you to be hurt somehow."
"Good thing I got you to protect me then, isn't it?" she teased; relieved when she saw a small twitch in the corner of Beca's lips.
She squeezed the hand still against her heart.
"If you ever doubt or worry, just feel this and remember what I said."
Beca nodded and placed a quick kiss to her lips. She took a breath and looked at the door.
"You ready for this?"
Chloe tangled their fingers together and made a show of moving to stand at her side.
"Bring it on."
"Just so you know," Beca started and tapped her palm against her own heart, "It's yours, too."
Chloe smiled wide and pulled their held hands up to press a kiss against the back of Beca's.
"Let's do this Mitchell."
Beca slid her sunglasses on with a smirk.
"Yes ma'am."
She opened the door and they walked into the madness hand in hand.
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