CHAPTER FOUR:
Badass Beca Mitchell does not do dresses. She wears jeans and shirts (preferably plaid). And yet here she stands in front of her favorite human being in the world, her father, in a dress. Yes, that was sarcasm in case you're wondering. The favorite human bit, unfortunately, the dress part is true.
"A black dress Rebecca?" Mr. Mitchell's disapproving tone seeping through his words.
"Hey, I figured we'd be matching"
"You usually match the dress with the color of the gentleman's pocket square, not the color of his suit"
"Oh, I meant matching your soul" the brunette smirked. The older Mitchell stepped forward until both their noses were practically touching.
"You're walking on thin ice young lady, any more smart comments out of you and you won't receive my disappointment of a brother's belongings"
Beca stepped even closer to the taller Mitchell if that was at all possible.
"Don't you dare speak about Jesse like that. You have no right! He was more of a father to me than you ever were! You couldn't even dream about being half the person he was! So go ahead and say more things like that, I dare you. I will walk right in there" she points to the large, mansion standing just ahead of them. "And make a scene so big that I'd be the first woman to ever win an Oscar".
Mr. Mitchell backs away just slightly, but Beca smirks in victory.
"Let's just get in there before we're late!" The older man rolls his eyes. "I'm not even going to comment on you still wearing those monstrosities".
"The fact that you brought them up means you're commenting, oh brilliant father of mine"
"Thin ice, Rebecca! Now come on!" He says all but dragging the brunette towards the music and loud chatter.
"Geez, I didn't realize being the town Sheriff paid so well"
"Thin. Ice" her father dragged out. "But if you must know the Sheriff comes from a wealthy family and sadly his parents died a few years ago but left this lovely home to him and his wife".
They entered through the open, double-doored entrance and followed the noise through the foyer and into a large, open planned living room.
"Ah, Mr. Mitchell. It's lovely to see you here. I see you're accompanied by someone who is not your wife" the older, grey-haired stranger points out. Beca can tell from his facial features that he is waiting for the juicy details.
"Mr. Matthews, this is my daughter Rebecca. Unfortunately, Sheila is feeling under the weather and couldn't join us tonight"
"Oh, the step monster's sick. How heartbreaking" the small Dj mumbles but luckily neither of the men hear her. Beca zones out as they continue their boring conversation and slowly slips away.
The brunette weaves her way through the sea of people and finds a staircase that leads to the second level which has a balcony overlooking the main area. As she reaches the last step she searches for a place she can stand inconspicuously. To her right she notices a large bookcase sitting up against the blaster rail. She walks (if you can call it walking in those horrible heels) until she's standing directly in the middle of the large case. The Dj removes 3 books from the shelf directly below eye level and crouches down a little. From here she has a perfect view of the guests below and hopefully, no one can spot her either. A large, boisterous laugh catches her attention. An equally large, blond, Australian woman stands telling a story about a couple of dingos and crocodiles while a crowd starts to gather around her. Beca can't help but smile at her antics. She's entertaining the brunette will give her that. She searches the crowd for any signs of red hair but comes up short.
"I see you've found my hiding spot" comes a giggle to the right of her.
"Holy shit!" The brunette jumps back and turns to see the very woman she was looking for. The redhead raises her eyebrow and smirks.
"Apologies for the cursing but you frightened the hell out of me," Beca explains sheepishly.
"It's okay. I'm sorry I scared you, I'm Chloe by the way" the beautiful woman smiles. Beca makes a promise to herself to try and make her smile more like that because wow.
"I… ah… I'm Beca" the Dj offers her hand to Chloe which she immediately accepts. Her hands are so soft! Get a grip Mitchell, that shit's creepy. "So what exactly are you doing up here and not downstairs?" Beca smirks.
"This is my house. What exactly are you doing up here?" The redhead questions but the smile remains.
"Oh, I'm totally hiding from the party" the brunette laughs and is soon joined by Chloe.
"At least you're honest. If I'm being honest too, I totes came up here to hide as well"
"And here I was thinking you were all beauty and innocence" Beca's eye's bulge as soon as the words leave her mouth. She looks down missing the blush on the redhead's porcelain cheeks. While her head is down the sneaky Dj takes the opportunity to look at Chloe's outfit. She's wearing a sequenced, emerald green dress which stops just above her knees exposing her sun-kissed, toned legs. God, she's beautiful.
"Well, not everything is as it seems Beca" this causes the brunettes head to snap up and she becomes captivated once again by the piercing blue eyes in front of her.
"Trust me, I know" Beca watches as Chloe steps forwards and looks through the gap of the missing books.
"Great minds think alike. I often find myself spying from up here whenever Tom throws a party. He's tried to move this bookcase more times than I can count but I never let him" the redhead giggles as she watches the crowd below. "Here, there's room for both of us" Chloe looks behind her and holds out her hand for Beca. The Dj cautiously steps forward, takes her hand and is pulled closer until they're not even a foot apart. Beca then makes the last few steps herself until she's standing right beside the beautiful woman both watching through the space on the bookcase. The brunette reluctantly drops her hand.
"You're Beca Mitchell, Mr. Mitchell's long lost daughter, aren't you?" The redhead rather points out than asks. The smooth skin on both woman's arms touching the others as they focus on the people below.
"Don't know about lost but yeah he's my father, unfortunately. How did you…"
"I've heard a lot of stories about you. You're quite the topic of the town, Miss Mitchell" the redhead giggled.
"Ugh, don't believe anything you hear"
"Don't worry, I don't" Chloe breaks from staring at the crowd and briefly glances at the woman standing beside her. Beca remains looking forward; too scared to meet those ocean blue eyes again. "I only just moved back to Barden 2 years ago, you were already gone by that stage. But I grew up here, did you know that?"
The Dj tentatively turns her head but is too late, the redhead is back watching the entertainment happening below.
"No, I didn't" she turns her head again thinking it'd be weird to watch Chloe any longer.
"I lived in Barden until I was 12. So I attended most of my middle school years here" the brunette's brows furrowed at this. "I remember the last day of school before we moved towns, a girl the year above me was being really cruel. She was the school bully and she decided that I'd be her victim this day. She was saying all types of mean things about my hair" the redhead sighed before continuing. "And my family. Then after the last bell rang I was about to start walking home alone when she pushed me so hard that I fell and hit my forehead on the side of a picnic table" Beca spun towards the redhead so quickly she got light-headed. She watches as the redhead tentatively touches the scare on her forehead. "It cut me and there was so much blood dripping down my face that I started to cry. Then all of a sudden this brunette-haired girl, who was two years younger than me and three years younger than the bully, came running over and pushed her back. She started cursing at the bully and I remember thinking she was so badass for such a small girl". The redhead laughed turning towards the brunette and smiled with tears in her eyes. "You took me to the bathroom and cleaned me up all whilst mumbling under your breath about how much of a bitch Kommissar was" the redhead giggled. "And then once you were done playing nurse you walked me all the way home, even though I knew you lived in the opposite direction. Then you proceeded to tell me terrible jokes to make me feel better".
"Hey! They weren't terrible! If I remember correctly you laughed at every single one of them"
"That's because you could never get the punchline out! You were too busy laughing at your own jokes!" Chloe laughs, her smile becoming even wider and Beca can't help but match it.
"That was you?" The Dj's almost whisper is met with a nod. Both women now wear small, shy smiles while they stare intently at each other. After a few moments of nothing but racing hearts, the redhead speaks up once more.
"That's why I never believe anything I hear about you Beca. I only ever think of good things when I think about you" the redhead blushes and looks to the ground.
"So that's why Kommissar isn't your favorite person either" the brunette snickers.
"Oh my goodness, is it that obvious? I thought I hid it well" Chloe panics.
SHIT
"Ah… No… No, you hide it well but I guess us Kommissar haters can pick each other out of a crowd" Beca awkwardly runs her hand up and down the back of her neck. The redhead giggles while the Dj releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"Do you wanna go back downstairs? Beca shyly asks.
"Um… would you mind if we stay up here a bit longer?"
"Oh thank god!" Both women laugh.
"So my beautiful, redheaded girl that left town without even telling me her name ended up coming back to said town and marrying the Sheriff?"
"Your beautiful, redhead hey?" Chloe smirks. Seriously? That's supposed to be Beca's job.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Stop avoiding the question" the brunette blushes as she waves her hands in dismissal.
"Yeah well, certain obligations made me return home a few years ago. Then Tom came knocking on my door asking me on a date literally the night I moved back" it was the redhead's turn to become shy. "He was a charming man who had a good job and reputation. My family knew he'd be able to provide a home for me so they encouraged me to allow his advances"
"That's funny, I didn't hear any mention of love in there" Beca regrets it as soon as sad eyes meet her stormy blue ones.
"I think I've only felt love once, and that was a very long time ago" the redhead comments sadly with a blush.
"And what happened to that?"
"That was someone I could never have"
When both women finally wander downstairs they part ways. Chloe heads straight over to her husband, who Beca refuses to admit is quite attractive, and Beca goes in search of her father.
"What up Shawshank?" comes the Australian blond that Beca recognizes from spying.
"I'm sorry what?"
"Shawshank. You've been arrested before, haven't you? I've heard that story so many times and from multiple sources too. So don't try and talk your way out of telling me that story"
"Um… yeah, I may have punched some random dude once cause he said a crude comment to me"
"Well gee mate, I don't blame you there. I only let my boyfriends say stuff like that to me. And that's usually only allowed when we're in the sack if you know what I mean" the not at all shy stranger winks.
"Gross. Um… Most people call me Beca"
"Yeah, na I like Shawshank better. It's got a nice ring to it; what do ya reckon?"
"You know what? I've been called worse so what the hell"
"That's the spirit! I think we're going to be best friends, Shawshank. I'm Fat Amy by the way"
"You call yourself 'Fat Amy'?"
"Yeah, so twig bitches like you don't say it behind my back"
"Rebecca? Sorry to interrupt" Mr. Mitchell says as he looks Fat Amy up and down. "Ready to head off?"
"Yeah sure, it was nice to meet you, Amy"
"You too Shawshank. I'll no doubt be seeing your skinny, little butt soon" the blonde smiles and walks off. Beca laughs.
"Seriously, Rebecca? Of all people to be seen with you pick her?" The older Mitchell says repulsed.
"Whatever Darryn, I behaved myself just like you wanted. Now let's get out of here" she said all whilst scanning the room in hopes to find a certain redhead. When she spots her she can't help but smile. Chloe's laughing while talking to what appears to be friends of hers. A tall, beautiful brunette who looks like she's just stepped out of a magazine and an uptight looking blond with slightly curled hair. Beca can't help but scald when she sees Chloe's husband walk from behind her and put an arm around her shoulder. She turns her head and smiles at him but Beca notes it's not a smile that met her eyes. Unlike the smile sent in the brunette's direction no less than 30 minutes.
"You held up your end of the bargain and I intend on holding up mine" Mr. Mitchell breaks the silence in the limo ride back to Beca's apartment.
"You brought Jesse's stuff?" Beca can't help but feel hopeful.
"Here," the taller brunette says as he hands Beca a worn, cardboard box. "I'm not exactly sure of what's inside it but I never had any interest in his pathetic hobbies so maybe you'll probably have more luck" Beca clenches her jaw but remains silent. There's no chance she's giving him an excuse to take it back off her. As soon as she steps foot inside her apartment Beca rips off the old, barely sticky, tape from the box, and opens the flaps on top. Inside lies a large mixer so old that the knobs are mostly all missing.
"What the fuck, Jesse? Why did you have this?"
2 YEARS EARLIER
"Seriously Jess? What are you going to do with all those cutouts? It's not like you can keep them or brag about them to people" Beca whines to her proud uncle that's cutting out yet another newspaper article on Titanium.
"C'mon Bec, aren't I allowed to reminiscence when all this turns to shit and the world finds out you're not actually a dude". Jesse jokes as he pokes his tongue out at the young Dj.
"Asshole" Beca laughs as she throws a cushion that was sitting on the couch next to her and hits her uncle right on the head.
"Kidding, kidding, geez!" The older brunette holds both hands up in surrender. "You know I am so proud of you kid!" He says sincerely as he walks over and takes a seat on the leather couch right next to Beca. "I'm sorry you have to go through all this bullshit to be recognized for the talented musician you are. But you are incredible and I knew it ever since that birthday when you told Luke you were going to shove your foot up his ass" they both laughed. "But seriously Bec, I don't think I'll ever be able to fully explain just how proud I am of you. And just how much I love you. You're seriously the best thing in my life and I'm so glad my brother's a fuck up of a father because it means that I've had more time with you". Jesse reaches out and caresses Beca's cheek for a moment and then stands and walks back over to the paper clippings. "I've collected so many of these and hid them somewhere safe that no one would even think to look. Although, if anyone were able to find them you'd probably be able to" he laughs one more time before turning serious. "Listen Bec, there's something I need to tell you"
"Is it why you just got all sentimental on me? Cause if you make me cry I'm going to lose my badass reputation" Beca laughs but it fades quickly when she realizes Jesse isn't laughing back.
"I'm sick, Bec".
CURRENT DAY
Beca's been sitting on her couch for the past hour just looking at this cheap, old, crappy mixer.
"Of all the things that asshole no doubt has of Jesse's why the fuck did he have to give me this" the angry brunette says and she throws the mixer at the wall so hard that the plaster cracks.
"Goddammit!" She curses as she stands and walks over to pick up the broken mixer. She turns it over to see the back has smashed. Inside lies endless article clippings, photos, and Beca's USBs full of mixes that the brunette made especially for her favorite person.
"How is it you still make me angry and cry at the same time, Jess?" Beca sniffs as she looks up to the roof.
AN:
Thank you to those of you who are sticking with me. I've got the plot organized out into chapters and I reckon there will probably be 5 left. In the next two, there will be some major reveals and Chloe will be in them a lot more. So if you've come this far then keep hanging on, it's about to get good.