Merry Pitchmas 2020, Z. I'm your Secret Santa! I hope you enjoy your gift.
Winter weather in Georgia can be quite unpredictable. During Chloe's first four years at Barden, the climate was unseasonably warm. The temperatures barely dipped into the freezing range, and there certainly wasn't any snow. Earlier in the week, when the Weather Channel hinted at snow chances, Chloe got overly excited. "Beca, snow! I've never seen snow before." She clapped her hands as she bounced around the kitchen.
"I'd consider you lucky," Beca scoffed. When she saw Chloe's expression fall a bit, she stumbled over her words. "I mean, I grew up with tons of snow. Maine, remember? And it got old after a while. I'm kind of glad I haven't had to put up with snow here."
"You are the lucky one, Beca, growing up with snow every winter. All the things you got to do. Anyway, this will be my first snow. Ever. Tampa, remember?"
For once, the weatherman was right. Barden got snow and lots of it. Chloe came running down the stairs to find all the Bellas sitting around the living room. "Guys, haven't you looked outside? It snowed! Let's go." Chloe was incredibly excited as she pulled on the only jacket she owned that could have possibly passed as a winter coat.
The girls all looked at each other warily, C.R. raising her eyebrows. They each shook their head and kept their positions on the couch and chairs. "Sorry, Chloe. Beca threatened us with our lives if we took even a single step outside."
Chloe rolled her eyes and walked towards the front door anyway. "Y'all are silly. She didn't threaten me, so I'm headed out."
Stacie launched out of her chair and placed her body between Chloe's and the door. Wrapping her arms around the redhead, she lifted her and carried her through the living room to the staircase. "No, Chloe. No, you aren't. What you are going to do is march upstairs to Beca's room and wake her up."
An abject look of horror crossed Chloe's face. "Stacie, no! It's seven am. Beca will kill me."
"No, she'll kill us if we let you go out the front door without her." The tall brunette filled a travel mug with black coffee and capped it. "Here's an offering for the beast." Stacie motioned her up the stairs. "Now go!"
Chloe tramped up the stairs and burst into Beca's room. She saw a tiny ball curled beneath a pile of covers. Chloe pranced over and set the coffee on the nightstand before shaking the lump. "Wakey, wakey. I brought coffee."
"Aaaahhhhhh, nooooooooooo, more sleep." Somehow Beca made herself smaller as she pulled the covers more tightly around her.
"Nooooooooo, Beca. Get up!" Chloe began to pull the layers of blankets from Beca, who began squirming and struggling to keep a hold on her covers. "It snowed, and I want to go outside. And the girls won't let me go outside, something about being threatened."
"Chloooooooe," Beca whined. "Just a bit longer. Please. It's early."
The redhead crossed her arms and gave a giant huff. "You won't let any of the Bellas go outside, yet you won't get up. You're being mean. I even brought you coffee. Now, me? I'm on my way to sneak past Stacie. You know I've never even seen snow, and I'm not going to miss another minute." She turned and slowly headed to the door.
"No, Chloe. Wait! No, no, no. I'm getting up. I'm getting UP!" Beca began to scramble, trying to untangle herself from the blankets. "Give me just a minute. My clothes are right here." Beca quickly made it out of bed and pulled on the multiple layers of clothes she had laid out the night before. The weather forecast had called for a ridiculous amount of snow, the first time in over four years any of the white precipitation had fallen.
Now that she was awake and dressed, Beca looked Chloe up and down and dug into the back of her closet, pulling out two oversized sweatshirts. She tossed the purple and white one to Chloe. "Deering Rams, eh? High school? I have clothes, Becs." She tried to hand the hoodie back.
"Yeah. But layers, Chlo, layers. And I love that sweatshirt. Just put it on." Beca pulled on the black and gold Boston Bruins hoodie. After she stuffed her gloves in her pockets, Beca declared herself ready, and the pair headed downstairs.
By the time Beca was ready and downstairs, the remaining Bellas were hovering next to the door. Jessica and Ashley each had thermos containers. Beca grinned as she walked past them and led Chloe out the door. When Chloe got a full look at all of the pristine snow around the house, she squealed in delight. Clapping her mitten covered hands together, Chloe bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.
Somehow, she knew she was supposed to be waiting for Beca, who led her down the stairs and carefully went a few paces down the frozen sidewalk. As Chloe followed her from beneath the cover of the porch, she stood, mesmerized by the whale-bone white blanket covering the ground as far as she could see. She tilted her head back, mouth open, tongue out. After several white flakes hit her tongue, her smile widened even further, if that was possible. Wonder was evident across her face as she took in all that was her first snowfall.
After giving Chloe ample time to appreciate the scenery, she grasped Chloe's hand and turned sideways with her back to the grass. "First snow lesson – snow angels." She had Chloe take a gentle step backward into the snow. Chloe slowly fell back into the snow and moved her arms and legs back and forth. Stacie came down and helped Beca get Chloe out of the snow without ruining the angel. All the time, Jessica was taking copious amounts of pictures. Chloe insisted on Beca making an angel, too. Once Beca had finished, she motioned to the remaining Bellas, who whooped and ran out into the snow and made their own angels.
"See what would have happened if they'd come out before we did? You wouldn't have had perfect snow for your first angel." When Chloe teased her about blushing, Beca tried to blame her flushed cheeks on the chill in the air. When all the Bellas had satisfied their angel making urges, Beca announced the next task was the snowman contest. The Bellas quickly paired up and huddled together to plan out their snowman design.
Chloe wanted to build a traditional snowman, while Jessica and Ashley decided to construct a snowdog. Each of the Bellas' snow creatures were as individual as themselves. Lilly's snowman consisted of a head and shoulders, then a "puddle" of packed snow in the shape of melted snow with stick arms and buttons scattered around the appropriate place. His face consisted of a carrot nose, button eyes, and a frowny button face. She built a second more sinister-looking snowman 'standing over' the other one with a butcher knife in its hand.
As Chloe was putting the finishing touches on her beach-themed snowwoman, she felt something hit her back in between her shoulder blades. She turned around and immediately got bombarded with additional snowballs from Stacie and C.R. She screamed as she ran behind Beca. They both retreated behind one of the large oak trees in the front yard and began to make snowballs of their own. Before long, a full-blown Bella snowball war was in effect.
By the time the Bellas wore themselves out and collapsed on the front porch, most of them had shed a few layers of clothes. As for Chloe, she was trying to hide her shivering. Every inch of her was cold. Her feet were frozen, her wet jeans clung to her legs so that her thighs felt like hams hanging in a meat locker, and even her hoodie was saturated in melted snow. Luckily the other layers beneath the bulky shirt kept her somewhat dry. The snow had also soaked her mittens which, in turn, made fingers like icicles. After pulling off the soaked gloves, she bum-rushed Beca and stuck her hands down Beca's collar to the warm skin right past her collar.
"CHLOE!" Beca screamed as the shock of the redhead's frigid fingers touched her skin. "What the hell?"
"What?" Chloe's voice and angelic face were as innocent as a baby lamb. "Cold hands - warm heart - problem solved."
"I'm not quite sure that's what the saying means, Chlo." Beca clapped her hand over her stomach as a loud noise erupted from her gut. "I guess I'm hungry, seeing that I didn't eat breakfast. Speaking of food, where's Fat Amy?" The Bellas looked around and decided the last anyone had seen her was after she made her snow angel. Apparently, Australians weren't made for cold weather.
When the girls decided to go in and warm up, thick, heavy snow began to fall. Beca ushered Chloe inside with the rest of the Bellas and instructed her to change into dry clothes, leaving her snow-soaked wet ones outside her door. Then Beca returned outside with some large stainless steel bowls she positioned around the yard.
Jessica heated a large pan of milk and brought out some hot cocoa balls she'd found a woman selling on the quad. She had to make the hot chocolate in batches, but the Bella sisters were grateful for the fun treat. Jessica had bought a special "rainbow ball" for Chloe decorated with colored sprinkles. When her ball burst open after having hot milk poured over it, Lucky Charms marshmallows spilled out. Of course, Chloe shrieked in delight as she flung her arms around Jessica's neck and thanked her profusely.
Before they'd headed outside, Ashley and Stacie had put a breakfast casserole in the oven. Luckily their timing was spot on as Stacie's timer went off shortly after the girls had shed their coats. By the time Beca came in, Jessica had divvied out plates of steaming sausage, eggs, and hash brown mixture. "I saved you a spot," Chloe said as she patted the empty loveseat cushion next to her and handed Beca her food and cocoa. "What's with the bowls outside?"
Beca shoved a bite of food in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed before speaking. "Just wait."
Chloe beamed. "Today's been fun – quite special for my first snow ever. Thanks, Beca."
"Your first snow day isn't over yet, Beale. More snow-fun to come." She grinned, thinking about the other things she had planned. When she finished her food, Beca slipped back into her hoodie and headed outside to retrieve the bowls she'd set out. "Beale, C.R., Flo…" Beca motioned for the three Bellas to come to the kitchen island. Being from Pennsylvania, Stacie had seen lots of snow growing up and had the ingredients ready for Beca's "cooking" lesson. Milk, vanilla, and sugar. She also set out some other large bowls and some measuring cups and spoons.
"Today, we are going to pass another right of first snow passage, well any time it snows. Ladies, there are many ways to make this, but this is how my mom and I always did. Measure out one cup of milk, a third cup of sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Whisk until all the sugar dissolves." She waited until the trio was satisfied. "Now start to scoop in your snow and gently stir until you get the consistency you want."
Fat Amy had never materialized, not even when the Bellas were eating, which was strange. Beca figured she'd either snuck out to Bumper's or was hiding in their room so she wouldn't have to go back out in the cold. So, there wasn't a worry of her trying to hog the ice cream. Jessica and Ashley shared with Cynthia Rose, and Emily shared with Flo. Even Lilly joined in. "I made sand ice cream in the desert," Lilly quietly muttered. The other girls were no longer shocked at the things the beatboxer said.
Beca only took a few bites because she knew Chloe and Stacie would have no problem finishing their bowl. She did, however, go to the pantry and get a jar of glitter sprinkles. Chloe squealed as she dumped a copious amount of sprinkles on her ice cream.
"Oh my stars," Emily sighed. "I've never had snow ice cream before. Then again, it doesn't snow in L.A."
C.R. was scraping the last of the liquid from the bottom of her shared bowl. "It snowed a few times in Muskogee when I was growing up, well a few times enough to stick. My granny always sent me out after a big bowl of snow. She always reminded me, 'Don't get the yellow snow, Cynthia Rose.'" The Bellas all laughed except Ashley, who just wrinkled up her nose at the thought.
"Are you warmed up enough, Chlo?" Beca handed Chloe the stack of clothes she'd retrieved from the dryer. "Your day isn't over."
"You mean there's more?" Chloe's eyes brightened when Beca nodded her head. The redhead buried her face into the warm clothes. "Mmm, toasty warm. Did you dry my clothes? How sweet."
Beca couldn't hide her blush. "I thought that might help with the chill."
"I'll be right back." Chloe ran to the downstairs bathroom to change back into her outdoor clothes. "See, I even remembered your hoodie this time. You were right; layers are important."
"Would a Mainer steer you wrong? Come on, Bellas."
The a capella team wrapped themselves from head to toe in warm clothes, several of them carrying plastic trash can lids with handles fashioned from twine while others had flattened cardboard boxes. Jessica and Ashley each had a yoga mat. Stacie took the lead and led the Bellas in a march. "Onward to Barden Hill!"
The Bellas' house was about 200 yards from the crest of a large hill that led down towards the pond. When they arrived, Beca was surprised to discover that not many students had emerged from their warm winter holes, not that she was complaining. The snow stayed nice and fresh for all of their fun. The girls all took turns taking practice runs down the hill. Stacie went first, followed by C.R. and Emily. Jessica and Ashley went at the same time, side by side. Beca squinched her eyes closed when Lilly took off on a piece of cardboard backward, barrelling right towards a giant oak tree. By some stroke of luck or magic, her makeshift sled curved to avoid the tree and coasted to the edge of the sidewalk at the hill's base.
Beca could feel the energy balling up in the redhead standing next to her. "You ready?" Chloe furiously nodded. Beca put the trash can lid down and scooted way back. Chloe crawled in front of Beca and grabbed the handles. The moment Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe's waist, Stacie pushed them down the hill.
What must have been only a twenty-second ride down the hill seemed as though it lasted forever to Chloe. The crisp wind cut through her clothes like a knife, but she didn't care as she screamed with delight all the way. Chloe fell to one side at the bottom of the hill, heavily breathing as she lay on the frosted ground. She started uncontrollably giggling while she caught her breath.
"Dude? What?" Chloe's laugh was contagious, and Beca began to chuckle as well. "Seriously, Chlo are you hurt."
"Did you know I am a smoker?" The redhead took in a large breath, puckered her lips, and let it out with a puff of steam. She climbed to her feet then began to exaggerate every word she spoke to ensure that her breath stayed frosty.
"You… are incorrigible." Beca grabbed their makeshift sled, and the pair trudged up the hill. "Okay gals, it's race time."
The Bellas decided to race singles against singles and pairs against pairs, who had to ride the same sled to be fair. Emily had taken another ride down and dragged her boot in the snow to mark a makeshift finish line.
First up were the singles - Stacie, C.R., Emily, and Lilly. "Lilly, are you sure you want to go down backward again?" Beca was concerned the girl wouldn't be so lucky the second time.
"Eat my snow dust," Lilly muttered.
"Okay then. On your mark, get set, go!" The moment the four set up, Lilly took an obvious lead despite riding her cardboard sled facing everyone else. Right before she crossed the finish line three lengths ahead of Stacie, Lilly raised her arms in triumph and made raspberry sounds at the others.
Next was the doubles competition. If Beca wasn't a champion sledder, she was nothing. Beca convinced Chloe to ride behind her 'since steering knowledge is a key advantage.' Ashley and Jessica rode together on one yoga mat.
"On your mark, get set, go." The pair of sledders shot off down the hill towards the line Emily had drawn in the snow. Beca kept glancing to her left, keeping a careful eye on the other couple and making slight adjustments with the ropes. They shot across the finish line only an inch or two in the lead.
"Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss," Chloe hooted before she started to sing and dance around. "We are the champions… of the world."
After endless trips down the hill and back up again, several of the Bellas decided to head back to their house, Chloe wasn't ready to go. She pressed her cold nose into Beca's ear before whispering. "I need more snow lessons."
The brunette did her best not to flinch at the chill from Chloe's skin nor from the warmth of her breath. "Lucky for you, I have some lessons right here in my handy dandy backpack." Beca made the redhead exchange her damp hoodie for a dry one and put on a clean, dry pair of socks.
"You came all kinds of prepared."
Beca grinned before she replied. "I wasn't sure how long you'd want to stay out." She looked at the sky. "We have about an hour of good light left.
Once both girls were back in dry clothing, they headed to the sidewalk that circled Barden Pond. While the Bellas totally wrecked their yard with the snowman contest and the snowball fight then demolished the hill with their sledding, much of the school grounds stayed pristine. Chloe kept stopping to make different snow angels. Beca chuckled at the simplicity of what it took to make Chloe Beale happy. Had he known that a good snowfall would have done the trick, Beca would have bribed the weather gods a long time ago.
Soon they arrived at one of the benches on the other side of the pond, where they often sat together in the evenings. Beca pulled a towel out of her backpack, brushed the snow off the seat, and then doubled up the cloth to give them something warmer to sit on. When Chloe snuggled closer to Beca, the more petite woman put her arm around the redhead and pulled her in tight.
A light snow had started falling again, and the two sat, appreciating the beauty. Chloe turned her face toward the sky. "I'm not sure I'll ever get used to the feathery touch of a falling snowflake followed by that brief tingling as it hits my skin. Who knew that snow could feel so refreshing?" Beca just watched Chloe, in awe of the simple pleasures she found in a simple snowfall, something that had been the bane of her existence growing up.
After not talking for quite a while, Beca spoke softly. Beca pulled off her glove and held out a finger, catching a snowflake that immediately melted. "Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things." She then scooped up a handful of snow from the bench and packed it into a ball. "But just look at what they can do when they stick together." She tossed the snowball towards the pond, causing a small splash.
Chloe sniffled. "That was beautiful, Becs."
Beca chuckled. "Not original, Chlo. Vesta M. Kelly. She was like an inspirational life coach. My mom used to read her books."
"It's still nice."
The snow, while light, was falling in large flakes by now. "Did you know that no two snowflakes are the same? All the billions of snowflakes in the world and they are all unique." Beca dug in her backpack again and pulled out two sheets of black construction paper. "Want to see something cool?" She handed Chloe a piece of paper and motioned for her to hold it out flat. Once they had both caught a few flakes, Beca motioned for Chloe to examine the flakes. "See, they truly are different." Chloe was mesmerized and kept catching snowflakes and looking at them until her paper was a soggy, limp mess. Beca handed her a fresh piece and dug out her phone. "Let's take pictures of them." Chloe would get several flakes on her paper, and Beca would snap a shot before they melted.
When Beca finally ran out of paper, Chloe grabbed her phone and began snapping pictures. She took photos of the pond, of the university grounds, of Beca, and lots of selfies of the two of them. She then got a mischievous look on her face, snatched Beca's toboggan from her head, and took off jogging down the trail. Of course, Beca ran after her, laughing. By the time Beca caught up, flakes were trapped in her dark hair and on her scarf and jacket. Chloe took several pictures before pulling Beca's back over her head and ears.
"Today's been nice, Beca. Thanks." She stood facing her friend, holding on to both of her mittened hands. "Nobody's ever done anything this nice for me before."
Beca ducked her head in embarrassment. "You deserve nice, Chloe. Besides, who knows when you'll see snow again?"
Chloe scuttled a bit closer, her breath warming Beca's cheeks. Beca looked up, and her eyes met Chloe's. "Want to know a secret?" Beca nodded. "When I do see snow again, I hope you're there to share it with me." Chloe's eyes flicked down to Beca's lips as she slowly closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against Beca's for a brief moment.
Beca's body relaxed as she moved into the unexpected kiss. She felt Chloe's hands softly touch her arms. Then as quickly as the kiss had happened, it was over. Beca stood there dumbfounded, unsure if it had even happened. Had Chloe Beale just kissed her? What did that mean? Am I awake?
She was brought out of her daze by Chloe's soft giggle. "You're adorable."
Beca gave a semblance of a grumble. "Not adorable - badass."
Somehow the sun had set before either woman had either realized the darkness had settled over them. Beca knew Chloe had to be chilled - her thin blood wasn't used to such cold weather. Plus Chloe's words were stuck in the back of her mind. Neither girl ready to go back to the noisy Bellas house, they agreed to go to the diner which was only a few blocks away.
The girls shed several layers of their clothing when they went into the warm restaurant and hung those layers to dry on hooks by their table. When Beca slid into the opposite side of the booth, Chloe loudly cleared her throat and looked at the space next to her. The brunette gave her a goofy grin and moved to Chloe's side.
"Two hot chocolates, please. One with extra whipped cream, one with extra marshmallows." Chloe flashed a broad smile at the bored waitress. Once the server left to get their drinks, Chloe asked Beca if she was hungry.
"Famished! We did a lot today."
When the waitress came back, Chloe chirped, "She'll have a double bacon cheeseburger, hold the onions and a jumbo fries. I'll have a tuna melt with the mayo on the side." Beca just stared at her. "What? That's what you would have ordered, right?" Beca chuckled as she nodded her head.
With their wet clothes off and a steady flow of hot cocoa, the girls warmed up in no time. They visited about a myriad of things. Beca told stories of her snowboarding in Maine while Chloe shared about skipping school to drive to the beach and surf Cocoa Beach. "Wasn't it summer? Why skip class?"
"Actually the best surfing in Florida is during the winter!" The easy conversation continued through their dinner.
Despite both having finished their food, neither was in much of a hurry to leave. Beca was in a zone thinking about what Chloe had said about 'the next time it snows.' Chloe's voice startled her. "I meant what I said earlier."
"Ummm, errrr, which part?" Beca swallowed hard, embarrassed she'd been caught daydreaming.
"That nobody's ever done anything that nice for me."
"Oh. No problem." Beca tried to keep her response nonchalant.
Chloe gave a small twitter. "You are so gullible, Becs. You know that's not what I meant. I meant my secret." Beca stared at the redhead like a deer in headlights. "I meant it when I said that when I do see snow again, I hope you're there to share it with me."
Beca and Chloe were the only diners in the restaurant and finally decided they should probably give the server a reprieve on all the hot cocoa refills. While still slightly damp from walking in the snow, at least their outer clothes weren't freezing cold.
They quietly entered the Bellas' house to find the girls sprawled out on the living room furniture with the television blaring. Beca flipped off the TV, while Chloe covered everyone with warm blankets, so they wouldn't have to wake up and go to bed.
When Chloe came out of the bathroom, she found a new package of pajamas on her bed. Beca appeared at her door. "I went shopping when we heard the forecast. Everyone needs a set of flannel PJ's for their first snow." The brunette left to change into her own set. When she returned Chloe was snuggled under the covers. Beca raised her brows questioningly.
Chloe pulled back the blankets. "Get over here, silly. It's not like you've never slept in my bed before." Beca grinned and crawled into bed with the redhead who immediately wrapped her arms around Beca who immediately released the tension she didn't realize she had been holding. Her brain had told her snow-Chloe was a freezing clump of ice, remembering especially her popsicle hands down Beca's shirt. This Chloe was her normal ball of warmth and coziness like every other night they cuddled.
"Thanks for the PJ's, Becs. They are warm and comfy."
"Like you."
Chloe pushed back a bit so she could see Beca's flushed face. "Aren't you turning into a mush pot?" Beca refused to answer.
The girls stayed up late into the night talking about other firsts they wanted to share with each other. Surfing and sandcastles. Snow skiing and maple syrup snow candy. Sail boating and deep-sea fishing. Watching the fall leaves change colors. They made a pact that these were all firsts they were going to share together.
In the morning, Beca felt Chloe stirring. Despite having been up early the morning before, and stayed up late the previous night, Beca was hyper-aware of Chloe's movements and the closeness of their bodies. Their arms and legs were entangled. And even though this had happened many times before, Beca felt different this time. Chloe lazily turned over to face her. The girls stared sleepily into each other's eyes, neither daring to break the silence.
Finally, Beca dared to move and leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Chloe's lips. "Good morning."
Without speaking, Chloe deepened the kiss, moving her hands to Beca's face. She somehow managed to untangle their limbs and ended up on top of Beca as they lazily kissed. Chloe finally broke the contact and gave a soft smile. "Good morning."
Suddenly, Chloe shot out of bed, leaving Beca uncovered and shivering in the cold. "Oh my god, Becs! It snowed all night! We can have another snow day," Chloe squealed excitedly. Beca pulled herself out of bed and went to wrap her arms around Chloe's waist, recapturing some of the earlier warmth. Standing on her tip-toes to set her chin on Chloe's shoulder, she whispered into Chloe's ear. "Well, traditionally the second day of snow is spent in bed."
Stay tuned for a short follow-up tomorrow. In honor of Boxing Day, I offer a bonus to all the writers and readers in our fabulous fandom.
Prompt: Could you write some cutesy, happy Bechloe? Prompt: "First snowfall of the year." I'll let you decide whether they're in a relationship or just friends.
Thanks to pleaseactsurprisedxx for the assistance.