Hey guys! I just wanted to say a few things; 1, I won't be posting as much for Creepily Lovely or Operation: Not Expected for the rest of this month. I'm NOT giving up on them, I just wanted to get this idea down. 2, if you guys have any present ideas, go ahead and let me know, because this is still in the works! I hope you enjoy my idea for this, it's been a lot of fun to write and I hope you enjoy it as well. The chapters are slightly longer than I typically do, and it's in third person instead of first- I figured, why not challenge myself? So here you go, awesome nerds!
Day 1- Why is Fat Amy Dressed as Santa?
Beca groans as her alarm goes off, waking her from a blissful dream of never having to give a fuck about anything ever again. She grabs her phone and unlocks it, quickly turning the alarm off and tossing it back on the nightstand. She curls back up to fall asleep, but her phone ringing doesn't allow it. She groans again and answers the phone, not needing to look to see who it is. She already knows. "I'm up." She says, swinging her legs out of bed and making her way to the kitchen.
On the other end of the line, Chloe laughs. "Well, you did tell me to call early and make sure. Big day today, you know."
Her words are enough alone to make Beca groan again. "Don't remind me. This is literally the most terrifying thing I have ever done." She's opening for Beyoncé tonight at a concert, and to say she's nervous would be a huge understatement.
"Apparently you need to be reminded. You're going to do great." Chloe reassures her.
"Yeah, yeah. Sure I will. Until I mess it all up and make people realize that I really don't belong here." Beca retorts sarcastically as she starts to make a pot of coffee, putting the call on speaker so she can use both hands.
"You're literally singing one song that everyone knows. It isn't even yours." Beca can practically hear her best friend's eye roll.
"That's my point. If I mess up a well known Christmas song in front of millions of people, I'll be eaten alive." She glances outside and adds, almost as if it's an afterthought, "if I don't die on my way to work today, that is."
"Oh my gosh, Becs. It's a little bit of snow." Beca scoffs as she looks outside again. There's easily over a foot of snow outside.
"You don't know how icy the roads are though."
Chloe laughs. "I'm driving to work right now. They're not icy. Nice try though. And you don't even drive to work anymore." Beca rolls her eyes and pours herself a cup of coffee, offering no response. "You'll do great tonight Becs. I'll get to your place around 6?"
At the mere thought of Chloe coming over, Beca grins. "Yeah."
"Perfect. I gotta go, but I'll see you then. Don't overdo the rehearsing today, ok?"
"Yes, Mom." Beca responds sarcastically.
"Ok. I love you." Chloe says cheerfully, and Beca's heart skips a beat. Or five.
"I love you too." More than you'll ever know. She hangs up and sighs, flopping into one of the bar stools in her kitchen. She'll never admit to how in love with her best friend she is, but she falls deeper every day.
After finishing her cup of coffee, Beca figures it's about time she actually heads to the studio to get some work done. As she gets dressed, she calls Emily, who still to this day writes all of her lyrics. "Hey Em."
"Beca! Hi!" Emily responds cheerfully, but Beca's not really surprised. She's never seen Emily upset, except maybe in college and when Fat Amy's dad kidnapped the Bellas a couple of years ago. "What's up?"
"I just wanted to check-in and see how the Christmas single is going." She says nonchalantly. It's better to not stress the younger girl about it.
Unfortunately for Beca, her soft tone doesn't help. "Oh my gosh, is that due today? I am so sorry, it's almost done, I just need to do the bridge and-"
Beca cuts her off with a small laugh. "Chill out Legacy, it's ok. I don't need it until next week, I was just curious."
Emily lets out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh thank God. I have been so busy this week with-" suddenly she cuts off and gasps. "Nevermind."
"Nevermind what?" Beca asks as she grabs her coat and wallet, heading out to work. She walks every day, not because she can't afford a car, but because she enjoys the exercise. She also read an article last year about pollution and killing animals. On the front was a baby red panda, and Beca swore to do her share at saving the planet from that day on.
"I guess you'll find out soon enough." Emily laughs on the other end. Beca hears some crying, then groans. "Listen, Jamie's crying again. Can I call you back later?"
Beca sighs. She hates surprises, but she knows Emily needs to take care of her and Benji's firstborn. "Yeah. Give Jamester a kiss for me."
"I will. I'll see you tonight."
"See ya." Beca shoves her phone in her pants pocket and walks down the street, pulling her hood up over her head and closing it as tightly as she can. This small action has nothing to do with the cold- it's not the cold Beca doesn't like, it's the snow. No, this is a defense mechanism against fans wandering down the streets.
After DJ Khalid signed Beca three years ago, Beca's fame skyrocketed. Everyone insisted they weren't surprised, but Beca was- and still is- astonished. She's collaborated with amazing artists like Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, and Rihanna, and it's been like living a dream. Except, this isn't the life Beca exactly had in mind.
No one, not even Theo, knows that this is going to be Beca's last year touring. On New Year's, she plans to announce that she's going to go back to producing. Sure, she insists on producing her own music to this day, but it's not the same. She doesn't exactly love being the center of attention 24/7. She's acutely aware that she had the most solos and big stuff back in college with the Bellas, but that was different. With her girls, other people were singing with her. She wasn't the only one. And, most importantly, no one looked at her like they expected great things. Well, Chloe did, but Chloe's a different story altogether.
Beca can't help but grin as she thinks of her best friend/ the woman she's secretly been pining for since her junior year of college. She still remembers the day she realized she loves her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Seriously, you have to go. You don't have a choice. Please?" Jesse begged Beca, who rolled her eyes at him.
"Jesse, for the last time, I am not going back to Massachusetts with you for Christmas." Before she thought about it, she said, "Plus, I have plans."
"Really?" He asked skeptically, and all she offered for a response was a feeble nod. "What are your plans, then?"
Before Beca could come up with a lie, Chloe walked over and wrapped an arm around Beca's shoulders. "She's going home with me this Christmas." Beca grinned up at her and nodded, hoping Jesse wouldn't detect how grateful she was for her best friend at the given moment (or the fact that her heart was beating three times faster from the mere touch of her best friend).
"Alright then, why didn't you just tell me?" Jesse asked.
Beca just shrugged. "I didn't think it was that important."
"Oh." Jesse was used to this by now. "Well, I gotta get to work, but I'll see you later." With that, he kissed her cheek and walked back to the Trebles house.
"You're a lifesaver, you know." Beca said to Chloe, who smiled down at her.
"Oh, I know. But you know what this means, right?"
"Yeah. I know." Beca groaned. Honestly though, she would rather spend Christmas with her best friend than her boyfriend anyway. She just never realized it was a problem until now.
"Aww, cheer up. You love me." Chloe winked at her suggestively and walked off, leaving Beca behind, gaping at her as she watched her walk away, thinking about how much she loved that girl in that moment.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Beca's surprised when she sees she's already at the studio, but this has been happening to her a lot lately. She seems to forget where she is whenever she's with or thinking about Chloe. After wiping a few tears away from the bittersweet memory (and forcing herself not to think about why she's crying), she walks into the building and waves at Jaxxson, who's sitting behind the security desk. He waves back with a "Good morning, Miss Mitchell" as Beca makes her way to the recording booth. She doesn't have to record anything today, but she knows that's where Theo will be.
"Hey Beca!" Theo calls out to her as soon as she opens the door to the booth. "What are you doing here? I told you specifically not to come in today."
"Yeah, well, I decided not to listen." Beca responds with a small laugh at Theo's exasperated expression.
"You seriously suck." He shakes his head, but relents with a small laugh. "What do you need?"
"I just wanted to know when I need to be there and everything." Beca knows exactly when she needs to be there, she's just nervous.
Theo shakes his head at the petite woman in front of him. "Did you know that, on your phone, there's a thing called texting?" Beca whacks him, and he laughs again. "You could've texted me."
"Maybe I wanted to go for a walk." Beca argues, shrugging out of her coat and putting it on the stool next to her. "Actually, who are you meeting here today?"
Theo grins. "Shawn Mendes, actually."
"Cool." Beca nods as if she's not freaking out (which, for the record, she sort of is). "Can I help produce?"
"No!" He says in astonishment. "You need to go home and get some rest, missy. Big night tonight." She grunts in response, and he hands her her coat again. "I'm not kidding. Go home." His tone softens and solidifies at the same time, and she sighs, knowing he's not going to relent anytime soon.
"Alright. Home I go." She grins at him, then turns and walks out of the studio. If she's being honest, she would love to stay in the studio all day and help Theo produce, but alas, she's "too famous for that stuff" now. Theo's words, not hers.
As she's walking down the street, she gets a text from Chloe. Becs, help.
What's wrong? She immediately texts back, stopping in her tracks. Knowing Chloe Beale, she could be over-exaggerating, but it still stops Beca's heart to see or hear it.
I need you to come and get me before I adopt this puppy I can't afford.
Beca can't help but let out a laugh as she texts her back, continuing her walking. Chloe, do NOT buy that puppy. No matter how adorable it may be.
How about you buy it for me ;) Beca just laughs again. Of course, Chloe would ask her to buy it. If she knew Chloe was serious, she would buy it in a heartbeat, no questions asked.
Not happening, Beale.
Then come save me! Beca sighs, then turns around, heading in the opposite direction, toward the animal clinic Chloe runs. There's a shelter across the street where people can adopt animals. Why Chloe set up right across the street, Beca has no idea.
Coming, but you have to buy me dinner. She knows Chloe will know it's a joke; Beca can't go anywhere without ending up in some article or another. It's amazing how she gets to and from work unscathed most days.
Sorta sounds like you're forcing me to take you on a date… =D
Beca rolls her eyes but sighs; oh how she wishes it were a date. Oh my gosh, shut up. I'll be there soon.
You better be, babe. Beca shoves her phone in her back pocket, choosing to ignore Chloe's latest text. She's thought about telling Chloe many times how she feels, but then she remembers the whole fiasco with Chicago…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Beca, can you come and get me?" Chloe asked Beca on the phone one night; Beca was just driving home (this was before she read the article about red pandas) from a stressful day in the studio. She was exhausted, but immediately felt awake at how clearly upset her best friend was.
"Of course, where are you?"
"I'm at Le Bernardin." Her voice broke, and Beca let out a low growl as she turned her car around.
"I swear to God, Chloe, if Chicago did this to you, then…"
"Then what, Beca?"
"I will personally murder him with my own hands."
"That's really sweet and all, but you don't have to do that." Of course, that just confirmed that it was Chicago's fault Chloe was upset.
"WHAT THE HELL DID HE DO, CHLOE?!" Beca couldn't help but yell at the given moment, driving down the road way faster than she should have been, but she didn't care at the moment. All she could think about was Chloe.
"Please tell me you're not driving right now." Chloe's response came as a scared whisper, and Beca took a minute to calm herself, taking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly.
"Yeah, I am. I'm almost at the restaurant."
"Oh my God Beca, please calm down. I don't need you getting in an accident over me."
"I won't. I swear." Beca rubbed her forehead and turned into the parking lot of Le Bernardin. "I'm here."
"Coming. I see you." With that, Chloe hung up. Beca looked around and spotted her walking up to her car, so she unlocked the doors. The moment Chloe got in the car and closed the door behind her, Beca gathered her up in a hug. Chloe squeaked with surprise, considering Beca never initiated contact, but held her nonetheless as tightly as she could, sobbing into her best friend's shoulder.
"What happened?" Beca asked after what felt like an eternity, pulling away from Chloe and wiping her tears off her face with the pads of her thumbs.
"He proposed." Chloe whispered, and Beca's heart fell for a millisecond before remembering how upset Chloe was.
"Why didn't you say yes?"
"Because I'm not ready. I'm not ready for a long-term relationship. I don't handle love easily." Chloe gives Beca a small smile. "The only relationships I'm decent at are friendships. I am so lucky you're my best friend. At least I know I'll never lose you."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
That was almost a year ago now, but Beca refuses to let Chloe know how she feels. She's too scared of scaring Chloe away, and she knows she can't live without her. So she's ok with being in the friend-zone.
She's yet again shocked when she sees she can see the clinic, and she quickly crosses the street to get over to Chloe, who's standing outside with her face pressed against the window. Beca fondly rolls her eyes at her best friend before grabbing her wrist, emitting a rather loud scream from the older woman.
"BECA MITHCELL, YOU CANNOT JUST SCARE ME LIKE THAT!" She whacks Beca's arm, and Beca dodges out of the way.
"Chloe Beale, you cannot just scream my name like that." She fires back, and Chloe's face turns from one of mock anger to one of actual guilt.
"Oh gosh, I'm sorry. It's still so weird to me that you're like, super famous now." She chuckles. "I remember when you were a tiny little freshman. A lot has changed." Chloe makes a show of letting her eyes trail all the way down, then back up, Beca's body. Suddenly, Beca's glad she can blame her red cheeks on the cold. "Well, except your height. That hasn't changed one bit."
"Oh, shut up." Beca fake pouts as they start walking down the street, Beca shivering a little against the cold that she's just now noticed.
"Becs, you really ought to get a car." Chloe notices Beca's shivering and leans against her, attempting to warm her up. All it does, though, is causes Beca to shiver even more, except this time not from the cold. "Jeez, you're freezing!"
"I know." Beca deadpans. "So, wanna come to my apartment a little early?"
"Why?"
Beca shrugs. "I don't know, maybe drink a little before the concert? That is, if you're not busy." She looks up at Chloe, who has an apprehensive look on her face.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready? I'm already stopping by at 6, which is in a couple of hours."
"Exactly. Why waste a couple of hours? It makes much more sense for you to just come over." Beca points out, and Chloe chuckles, rolling her eyes.
"Ok ok, since you want me over so badly." Chloe winks at Beca. "One would think you were into me or something."
"W-what?" Beca forces out a nervous laugh. "That's ridiculous."
"Oh my gosh, you're easy." Chloe bursts out laughing, and Beca glares at her. "Actually, I do have a theory."
"And that is?" Beca raises an eyebrow in slight amusement, hiding her fear. What if she knows? Ohmygosh, am I that obvious?
"You, my dear friend, are…" Chloe pauses for dramatic effect, "a vampire!" Beca just stares at her, not sure what to say. "What? It's valid!"
"Please explain to me, because I'm starting to question your sanity." Beca gives her best friend a smirk that freshman Beca would've been proud of.
"Ever since the USO tour, you don't eat much, you don't go out in the sun, you're always cold, you're pale, and of course, you're beautiful." Chloe stares Beca in the eye as she explains.
"Dude, that is so not true." Beca snorts. "I eat a lot, you just never see it because it's typically around 1 in the morning. There's no sun for me to go out in right now. I was always cold, even in Georgia, you know that, and I am not beautiful." She rolls her eyes at the end of the sentence, internally proud of herself for not becoming flustered again at the compliment.
"That's another thing! You don't sleep!"
"Oh my gosh, you're… ugh. You're impossible!" Beca raises her hands up in mock annoyance. "I don't sleep because I work."
"I don't like that part of you." Chloe says quietly, looking away. Beca sighs and rubs a hand across her face. "I don't like how you have to stay up all night and never get any time for yourself."
"It's who I am now." Beca responds just as quietly when Chloe looks back to her. "Everyone expects me to be amazing, you know? I can't just let them down."
"You are amazing. You don't need 5,000 groupies and Theo to tell you that." Chloe scoffs, bringing a small smile to Beca's lips. "I think you're amazing. Does that count for anything?"
"Thanks, Chlo."
"Anytime." Chloe's megawatt smile returns for a millisecond, then falls into a look of confusion. "What the hell?"
Beca turns in the direction Chloe's looking to see someone in a Santa costume standing by the pear orchard, holding a sign in the air that says "SHAWSHANK" in sloppy handwriting.
"Oh my gosh, AMY!" Beca runs up to Amy and grabs her in a hug. She hasn't seen the Australian in a little over a year, so seeing her again out of the blue like this is a huge surprise. "What are you doing here? Why are you dressed as Santa?"
"I'm actually here doing a favor for someone." She says, "But I wasn't expecting Chloe to be here." Chloe gives Amy a smile.
"I wasn't expecting to be here either. Beca's just trying to get me in bed with her or something." She winks at Beca, who blushes even deeper. Chloe walks over to Amy and gives her a good, long hug. "It's nice seeing you again."
"Yeah, you too. Both of you." Amy grins, then hands Beca a piece of paper. "This is for you."
"Ooh, can I see?" Chloe leans over to read it over Beca's shoulder, but Beca snatches it back.
"No! My secret letter!" Beca sticks her tongue out to Chloe, who pouts next to her, and starts reading,
Beca Mitchell,
You probably have no idea who this is right now. That's perfectly ok; that's great, actually. It won't be fun if you guess right off the bat.
You have an assignment. Every day for the next 12 days, a present will present itself to you. Look up in the tree (Beca looks up and sees a stuffed partridge in the pear tree). Sound familiar? It's "The 12 Days of Christmas." Every day, I am going to give you some sort of spin-off of the original gift with some sort of clue as to my identity, but none of the old gifts will repeat, so watch carefully. By the 12th day- Christmas day- you should know who I am.
So yes, you have exactly 12 days to guess who your secret admirer is. Good luck, and Merry Christmas!
"What the hell?" Beca asks as she rereads the letter. It's typed, so she can't look at the handwriting for any hints.
"Can I?" Chloe holds her hand out, and Beca sighs before handing it to her. She already has so much on her plate; now she has to guess who this secret admirer is? "Wow, Becs… this is adorable!"
"It's weird." Beca argues, shaking her head.
"I think it's romantic." Chloe says with a wide grin on her face. "Maybe it's like, your soulmate, and you realise you're in love with him, and you end up together in the end, like in those Hallmark Christmas movies!" She claps her hands together, and Beca fondly rolls her eyes.
Before she can answer though, Amy cuts in. "Who said it's a guy?"
"What?" Beca asks, and she nods.
"I was told I could give you one subtle hint. That's your hint. Now, I have to drop a smash. I'll see you at the concert tonight." She turns and walks away, leaving Beca and Chloe standing in shock and confusion.
"Ok… that was really weird." Beca sighs, taking the letter back from Chloe, who's still smiling. "I already know it's not Emily, Aubrey, or Stacie…"
"So you're playing?"
Beca opens the door to her house for Chloe, who walks in and kicks her boots off at the entrance. "I mean, now I have to know who it is, or I might die."
Chloe rolls her eyes at Beca. "I think that's you being a little overdramatic there."
"Maybe."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Good evening, New York City!" Beca calls out into her microphone from onstage, and the crowd goes wild. "I'd introduce myself, but I have a feeling you know who I am." She gives her signature smirk, and the crowd cheers again. "Tonight, I'm singing a song that means a lot to me. I can relate to it more than I ever thought I would. Also, small shoutout to Aubrey Posen; you're finally getting that Mariah Carey chart-topper." Beca laughs when she sees Aubrey's proud grin from the audience.
I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
Beca grins as the crowd screams again. Despite being more nervous for this concert than anything she's ever performed in, the energy of the crowd gives her the courage to keep going.
This is the part of performing live that Beca's going to miss when she goes back to producing. Sure, she'd rather be the one outside the booth, but she'll definitely miss the roaring crowds. She knows she'll still have her fans- what she's already done with her career these past three years will never go away. But she's moving off the sidelines and letting other people take the limelight. And she's ok with that, she really is.
The roar of the crowd gets increasingly louder, and Beca smiles as she finishes the song. She's-yet again- shocked at how quickly it went past, but she's been losing track of time lately.
"Thank you so much for taking the time to come out today, guys! Merry Christmas, and enjoy the rest of the show!" She waves, then walks backstage, where Chloe is waiting with open arms.
"Beca that was amazing!" Beca laughs as she hugs Chloe back. "I told you you wouldn't mess it up."
"You can rub it in my face now. You're always right." Beca pulls away and fake frowns at Chloe.
"I am always right. But come on, you look like you're going to pass out." As soon as the words escape Chloe's mouth, Beca sways a little bit. She hasn't been getting nearly as much sleep as she should be these past couple of months, and it's really taking a toll on her. "Let's get you home."
"Thanks." Beca smiles at her, and Chloe nods before dragging her into the limo.