Chapter 9

Beca's POV

I'm digging frantically through my bag, not sure what to wear. All of my shirts are super tight, and I don't want anyone to notice the tiny bump I'm starting to form.

"Chlo? Can I borrow a shirt?" The good thing about being the smaller one in the relationship; Chloe's clothes are bigger than mine by default.

"Uhhh, sure? Why?" She calls from the living room.

"I'm going to meet Benji and Emily, and it'll be just weird if they can see my stomach." I call back, hoping I don't sound worried.

"Oh. Why Emily?" She walks in and opens her closet door, throwing me a red t-shirt. "That work?"

"Yeah, thanks. And because she doesn't trust me." I rip my hoodie off and put the shirt on, seeing it's definitely too big for me- perfect.

"That's stupid." She finally stops moving and looks at me, her eyes trailing down my body ever so slightly. "Are you hiding?"

"No." I answer too fast, and she raises an eyebrow at me. "Ok, fine, yeah I am. But I know it'll be weird if I don't… it's like one big punch to the gut." She nods.

"That, I understand, but I need you to understand that you have nothing to be ashamed, or embarrassed, of." She walks over and puts both of her hands on my stomach. "I can't wait to see this little Mitchell baby." She smiles at me.

"Glad you're excited." I mumble. It's been almost two months already, but I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm actually having a baby. On a much better note though, I'm proud of the fact that I've been sober.

"Hey, cheer up!" She kisses my cheek and slaps my thigh at the same time.

"I'm supposed to be happy about seeing the father of my child, whom, for the record, I most certainly am NOT in love with?" I turn away from the mirror to truly look at her, and she sighs.

"Ok, well, maybe not happy, but…" She trails off and drags me to the bed, pulling me into her lap. "Do it for baby Mitchell."

"I really wish you'd stop saying that." I roll my eyes at her.

"What? Mitchell baby?" She giggles, and I feel the corners of my mouth trying to pull into a smile. "It's cute." She kisses me before I can protest, then pulls away much too quickly and winks at me, then lightly pushes me off of her and leaves the room.

"Dangit you, Chloe!" I yell once I'm back to my senses. I hear her laugh from the kitchen, and I sigh and drag myself out of the room and into the kitchen, seeing a plate of pancakes on the counter. "Ooh, breakfast!" I go to grab one, but Chloe stabs my hand with a fork. "Oww, what was that for?"

"Breakfast isn't done yet." I pull my hand back and rub it where the fork almost penetrated my skin. She turns around and snatches the plate away, then adds some sausage next to the pancakes. "Now you can eat." She hands it back to me, and I give her a grateful smile. I sit at the island and start eating, and before I know it, it's gone- and I'm still hungry.

"Oh my God, that was amazing." I tell her and set the plate in the sink, ignoring my still rumbling stomach.

"Hungry, much?' She chuckles.

"Hey, I am feeding TWO, so shh." I exclaim, then walk over and kiss her forehead. "Are you sure you can't take a day off and help me?" I whine for the hundredth time this week.

"No, I can't, baby. I've got to give Max his cancer treatment today." She looks down at me and kisses me softly. "I wish I could though." She adds softly. "I really don't want to go in today…"

"Awww, babe, it's ok. Max will be ok, and so will you. You're the strongest person I know. You've got this." I wrap my arms around her torso and pull her closer to me, and she hugs me back.

"And you're the strongest person I know, Becs. You can do this. Just talk to Benji about custody, then go to work, then come back home." She says into my ear.

"I'm taking the day off, so I'll be here" I pull away and kiss her again, and she immediately returns the gesture.

"Theo's letting you take a day off?" She breaks away and asks, her brow arching up in surprise. He finally let me go back to work a couple weeks ago, since I've been doing good. He doesn't know about the pregnancy yet.

"He's not very happy about it, but I told him it was urgent." She nods and walks over to the living room, putting her jacket on and grabbing her purse.

"I get that. Well, I'll see you later. Love ya." She winks at me. "Good luck with Benji. Tell Legacy I say hi." She walks out the door, and I sigh, resting my head on the island. My phone dings, and I pull it out to see a notification for a text from Emily.

Hey, meet us at Red Robin for lunch at 1:30. I type back a quick response to let her know that I'll be there, then I turn on the news. I gasp and fall into the couch as I see my face on the screen.

"26 year old Beca Mitchell was last seen over two months ago, and now no one knows where she is? Did she disappear? Is she taking time to herself? The last thing we know about her is that she overdosed a month ago…" I quickly turn it back off and curl into a ball, my breathing uneven. Chloe and I have intentionally been hiding; I don't want the world to know I'm pregnant yet. I don't have the best rep as it is right now.

Hey, people are worried about you. I see a text come in from Amy.

I've noticed this. But I'm obviously fine.

Are you gonna do anything about it? I sigh and rub my forehead, trying to alleviate the sudden headache pounding in my skull.

I dunno. I wait for a minute, but she doesn't respond, so I turn my phone off and throw it on the table in front of me. I then turn the TV back on and decide to watch "Romeo and Juliet" with Leonardo DiCaprio in it, because why not?

"Becs. Please, don't do this!" Chloe cries at me, her face covered in blood. I look down and see a gun in my hand, and I quickly drop it.

"Chloe, no, I'd never hurt you!" I walk over and try to wrap my arms around her, but she backs away from me, pure terror in her eyes and face.

"Don't t-touch me." She whispers, trembling. She trips and falls back to the ground, and I crouch in front of her.

"I love you." I kiss her forehead, then grab a knife from the ground and plunge it into her chest, her screams halting to a stop as the life fades from her eyes. "I'm so sorry." I pull out a lighter from my pocket and light her body on fire, then watch as her body rapidly becomes engulfed in flames.

I jolt awake, screaming at the top of my lungs and crying uncontrollably. I'm shaking terribly, and it takes me a second to realize it was just a dream. I grab my phone and turn it on, seeing it's 1:25. SHIT! I need to be at Red Robin in 5 minutes to meet Benji and Emily! I quickly pull up my contacts and dial her number, putting it on speaker and rushing to the bathroom to redo my makeup.

"Beca! Where are you?" She asks as soon as she answers.

"I'm so sorry, I fell asleep on the couch. I'm coming though, I'm just fixing my makeup."

"Why are you fixing your makeup?" She sounds suspicious.

"Because I was sobbing my heart out two minutes ago." I say quickly, finishing the final touch-ups on my mascara. "I'm leaving now though, so I'll see you in about 10 minutes." She says ok, and I hang up, leaving the apartment and locking the door behind me. I hail a taxi once I'm in the parking lot, and I tell him the address of the restaurant and pay him once I'm in. The car ride doesn't take long, thankfully.

As soon as I see Benji and Emily sitting at a table outside, I quickly hop out of the taxi and walk over to them. Emily walks over when she sees me and gives me an awkward hug, and I return it just as awkwardly.

"How long is this going to take?" She asks, and I shrug.

"Hopefully not long." I reply, and we walk over to the table. Benji stands up and gives me a hug, and I return the gesture, pulling away quickly and sitting across from him and Emily.

"Alright, I don't even want lunch. Here's the deal." Benji looks shocked, and Emily shakes her head at me.

"You're eating something." She protests, and Benji nods.

"Fine. Whatever." I give in, not in the mood to argue. "Anyway, I've been thinking lately, and I really don't want this baby." Benji looks outraged, but the look of relief on Emily's face is what makes me laugh. "It was never meant to happen. So, do you two want it, or can I put it up for adoption? Either one works for me."

"Umm… well, I'm not entirely sure, Beca. Can we have time to think about this?" Benji asks, and I nod.

"Take all the time you need." I smile at them, and he lets out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." They both say at the same time, then turn to smile at each other.

"I'm so happy you two worked this out." I smile, and Benji returns it, still looking at Emily.

"Me too. This girl is everything to me." She turns a deep shade of scarlet, and he laughs and kisses her cheek.

"Hello, what will it be for drinks?" The waiter walks up, then does a double-take when he sees me. "Oh my gosh, you're Beca Mitchell!" He screams, and I sigh, putting my head down.

"Shut up!" I hiss at him, but the damage is already done. I look up to see everyone staring, and most of them have their phones out, taking pictures and videos.

"Beca, this way! Look over here! What happened to you? Where have you been hiding? Are the rumors true? Beca, smile for a picture!" The questions come flying at me from all directions, and I put my head in my hands again, sighing in frustration. There goes hiding…

"Let's get out of here." Emily whispers, and I nod gratefully. We quickly run to her Mustang and get in, me jumping in the back and Benji climbing in passenger.

"GUN IT!" I scream as people run after us, and she backs out of the parking lot, then speeds away, going probably 50 miles over the speed limit. She slows down once we're far enough away from Red Robin that we can't be seen, and we all burst out laughing.

"That was the most rebellious thing I've ever done! O-m aca- g!" Emily yells, and I laugh.

"Don't get used to it, Legacy." I reply, and she laughs again. This is the first time we've really been ok in a long time, and it just feels so… good. So natural. "I've missed you, Em." I whisper.

"Me too." She looks back at me through the mirror, and she gives me a giant smile.

"Oh, thank gosh. I can't stand the resentment from you two anymore." Benji cuts in, and Emily whacks his shoulder.

"Hey, this isn't about you."

"It's my baby." He reminds her, and she gives him a look so dirty the words if looks could kill float through my head. "That's not a good thing." He looks down, fidgeting with his phone, and Emily laughs again.

"I told you I forgive you." She rolls her eyes at him, and he lets out a shaky laugh.

"I know." They laugh a little harder, then Benji turns in his seat to look at me. "Shit, you didn't get to eat. Did you want to go somewhere else?"

"No, really, I just want to go home. I need to get some work done." He nods, and Emily does a sharp U-turn to head the other direction. "Thanks." I add, and she smiles through the mirror at me.

"No problem. How's the album going, by the way?" She asks.

"Terribly. Everything I try sounds bad. Like, it sounds good, but fake. Like I'm writing songs about someone else." She nods, and I sigh. "I need to figure something out, or I could crash and burn."

"What if the Bellas helped? We'd get to sing together again!" She offers, and a lightbulb goes off in my head.

"Oh my gosh, that's actually a really good idea! You can, like, be my music!" I laugh happily at the idea. I'm just happy we'd get to sing together again. The Bellas are my family, and I've missed it these past couple years.

"YES! THE BELLAS ARE BACK! O-M ACA-G!" Emily yells, throwing a hand in the air.

"THE BELLAS ARE BACK!" I repeat her, standing up and throwing my arms in the air. Benji laughs at both of us, and I sit back down, laughing so hard my chest hurts. "As long as everyone else is on board with this." I add, and Emily rolls her eyes through the mirror at me.

"They will be, Becs. Everyone misses this. Chloe especially." She winks at me, and I feel the blood rushing to my face. "So how'd you finally find out? I mean, it was obvious, but still."

"Well, I had a journal I wrote in, and Theo found it. He read it, and most of it was about Chlo. He then called her and told her that I'm in love with her. And the worst part of it all; Chloe had it on speaker, and I was sitting right next to her." Emily gasps, and I nod. "Yeah."

"So what did Chloe do?"

"She was like, 'Please explain to me what Theo just told me', and I told her everything." I smile nostalgically at the memory. "She told me she felt the same, then I kissed her, then we went to bed."

"Oh, really? That's it? I don't get the gory details?" She teases, and I whack the back of her head.

"No! Those are for Chloe and I only." She smiles at me again, and I laugh. "I've loved her for twelve years, and never out of those twelve years did I ever think she loved me back."

"Dude, it was so obvious though. We all see how you look at each other. We've been rooting for Bechloe since day one." What?

"What the fuck is Bechloe?" She laughs at that, which makes me more confused.

"It's your names together. Beca and Chloe. Bechloe." Ohhhh. It's a ship name.

"You've been shipping us?" I ask in awe, and she nods.

"Some of the Trebles were too." Benji adds, and Emily and I both give him incredulous looks.

"Really? But Jesse." I say, and he shakes his head.

"Some of us saw the way you look at Chloe. It was so obvious. You two are perfect together. Like, uh… like gears to a machine. If one's not there, the other can't function." His perfectly accurate description of us gets me blushing again, and they both laugh at me. Emily pulls into the parking lot of the apartment complex, and I unbuckle and jump out of the car, reaching over the door to give Emily a hug.

"Thanks for today, guys. I needed this." Emily hugs me back, and Benji gives me a thumbs-up. "Benji, let me know what you two want to do with the baby." I add, and he nods.

"I definitely will. Let me know if you ever change your mind, and you want to keep it." I silently gag at the idea.

"I'll let you know if that happens, but it probably won't."

"You never know. You thinking things lately has been pretty wrong." Emily winks and laughs, and I roll my eyes at her.

"Whatever, Legacy. Now get out of here. I got work to do." I give her one last hug, then step back and wave as they drive away, laughing at something I didn't hear. I watch them until I can't see them anymore, then turn and walk inside the building, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. I need the exercise anyway, so why not? I pull out my key that Chloe gave me and walk into the apartment, and my stomach rumbles. Crap, I should've eaten something. I laugh at my own idiocy and walk over to the fridge, opening it to look for something to eat. All I see that looks edible at the moment is some cake from a couple weeks ago (Esther had a birthday party, but she didn't want the cake, so we kept it), so I pull it out and cut a piece out, then sit on the couch and eat it. I pull my phone out and text Chloe, since I miss her and I have nothing better to do.

Hey babe. I was thinking… I send, hoping the suspense will make her answer faster. It does.

Oh no. You thinking is never a good thing ?. Her response makes me laugh.

Don't worry, you'll like this. Will you go on a date with me after work? I smile as I hit "SEND", waiting for an answer.

What about hiding? Sweet Chloe to worry about me.

Emily, Benji and I already ruined that ?.

Of course you did! I leave you alone for 2 seconds! She sends, and I know she's teasing me.

You're avoiding the question.

Of course I'll go on a date with you, Becs. Where and when?

That's for me to know and you to find out. I laugh as I send it, knowing this will annoy the crap out of her.

You know I hate surprises ?.

You'll love this surprise. Do you trust me? I send with a gif of Aladdin holding out his hand, unable to resist it.

You're such a dork. She sends, and I laugh again. But fine. She adds.

Oh I know. You love it though.

Somehow or another.

Ok, well, I'll let you get back to work. See ya when you get home ?. I wait for her to respond, but she doesn't. I pull my laptop out and search "Perfect first dates" into the Google search bar, getting more and more excited the more I read. This is going to be perfect.