We are officially over the halfway point! Thanks for all the support!

Chapter 16

Leaning up against her pillows, Beca strains to read her textbook under the dim light of her bedside table lamp. It's a little after eleven, and she should be going to bed soon, but she promised herself that she would at least try and finish the homework that her teachers assigned for over Thanksgiving break. When she made herself that promise, though, she didn't realize that the twenty-question problem set that her Calc teacher assigned, actually had five different parts to each question. It's slowly driving her insane.

She taps her pencil eraser against the lined paper of her notebook, her brain struggling to come up with a way to verify the differential equation in front of her.

The last two weeks have been going pretty smoothly for Beca and her sister. They've settled into their routines at Jack's house, and both of them are content with their respective school situations. Each of them has been becoming more and more comfortable around their friends, with Chloe standing out amongst them all.

Even with the conversation that she had with Macy on the bus following dinner at the Beale's house, Beca has struggled with trying to completely ignore the feelings that seem to be blossoming inside of her for the redhead. As far as Macy is concerned, they've just been growing closer as friends. But, for Beca, she can't stop noticing how there's something so unique about the way Chloe captivates the attention of the room and the way her smile makes Beca feel as though all of her troubles melt away.

Over the last two weeks, Chloe and Beca have undoubtedly grown closer, but to both girl's dismay, neither one of them has made any moves regarding their desire to maybe make their relationship be a little more. Beca for fear of upsetting her sister (and for the possibility of potentially having to face some of her own fears), and Chloe for fear of chasing Beca away.

Now, with five days of no school hanging over Beca's head, she's not just frustrated with her homework situation, but also with the fact that she won't be seeing Chloe, potentially, until the following Monday.

Suppressing a groan, Beca returns to her homework question, starting to jot down some computations before the floorboard outside of her room creaks. She looks up, only to find her sister standing in the threshold and sticking her head into the room.

Beca raises an eyebrow. "Didn't I say goodnight to you like two hours ago?"

A slow grin stretches out across Macy's face. She knows her sister isn't mad at her, and it makes her happy that they can joke about things like this. Her nightmares have been becoming fewer and farther between, and the last time that she crawled into Beca's bed was weeks ago. Things are slowly starting to return to normal. "I can't sleep."

"Hm." Beca closes her textbook, trapping her notebook and pencil inside the binding, before pushing it off to the side. "Could it have anything to do with the fact that you've been reading that Stephen King book since dinner?" Ever since meeting Kevin Beale, he has been giving Macy books through Chloe, something that made Macy a little uncomfortable at first, but has slowly started to embrace. He doesn't give her typical middle schooler books. He gives her novels that challenge her. And, sometimes, ones that scare her, as is the case with this one.

Macy creeps into the room, standing at the head of Beca's bed. "I didn't think it was going to be that scary."

Beca shakes her head. She had warned her multiple times tonight that she did not want to be woken up with nightmares about clowns or monsters or demons or whatever else the book includes. "Maybe, next time, you should listen to me." Macy sticks out her bottom lip in a pout, but Beca shakes her head, pretending not to waver. "Nope. You're on your own, kid. Sorry."

She crosses her arms over her chest. "Why can't I just stay up until you go to bed? It's not like we have school tomorrow."

"Because we still have to get up to go to Fig's for the breakfast shift and I don't feel like dealing with Cranky Macy all morning because she didn't get any sleep." The older brunette waits for an objection, but nothing comes, so she points to the door. "Come on, I'll tuck you back in."

Macy grins, getting exactly what she wants, as Beca follows her into the bedroom, the older girl not bothering to throw on a sweatshirt over her camisole top. She really had tried to fall asleep, but it never came, even after Beca had rubbed her back and kissed her goodnight just like she always does.

She jumps up on her bed, pulling back the covers that have already been strewn all over the bed, and wiggles underneath them. Macy looks up at her sister, who is standing over her expectantly, waiting for her to get comfortable. When she has finished her squirming, trying not to glance over at the hardcover on her bedside table, she says, "Ready."

Beca kneels down beside her sister's bed, her own exhaustion starting to weigh on her as she slowly brushes her fingers across Macy's forehead. She can't help but smile down at the girl. She's been so much happier lately, slowly changing back into the always-excited, hyper, and full-of-life Macy that Beca missed so much. She knows that part of it has to do with Benji, and another part of it has to do with how great Chloe has been with her. But mostly, Beca just thinks the change has to do with time accumulating, and the fact that she feels safe in this house.

As their stay with Jack has increased in length, so has his level of comfortability with the girls. He actively engages them in conversation, and he's invited them to watch TV with him at night and on weekends. While he isn't going to be at the house for Thanksgiving – apparently, he has to go on a very important hunting trip up north with his friends that has been scheduled since last year – Beca thinks that he's actually starting to enjoy having them around, which is a welcomed difference in comparison to some of their other homes.

"Bec?"

Half falling asleep from the repetitive motion, and half lost in her own thoughts, Macy's voice calls her out of her reverie. "Hm?"

The younger Mitchell sister is still wide awake. "I'm kind of thirsty."

Beca gives her sister an incredulous glare. "Seriously, Mace?"

Macy shrugs sheepishly. "Sorry."

Beca rolls her eyes, before pushing herself up off the floor. She turns off the light in the room, pointing a finger menacingly at her sister, before saying, "You better at least be drowsy by the time I get back up here."

The older brunette can still see her sister's grin in the darkness of the room, shaking her head to herself as she goes back down the hallway and towards the stairs.

She can hear the television before she reaches the first floor, the pictures on the screen casting shadows across the living room as her foster father sits on the couch nursing a glass of amber liquid. He typically does this after Beca and Macy disappear upstairs after dinner, neither one of them enjoying sitting on the couch watching football, or whatever horror movie Jack had picked for the night. The older man notices Beca as soon as she enters the room.

"What are you still doing up?"

She shuffles across the room, not really paying attention to how carefully her foster father is trailing her with his eyes. "I've been doing homework. I'm getting Macy a glass of water." Her presence in the room is fleeting, wanting to get back upstairs so she can finish her work and go to bed as soon as possible.

Once in the kitchen, it's even harder for Beca to see what she's doing, what with only having the dim glow of the light above the sink. She walks across the floor to the cabinets, pulling a single glass from its shelves, before turning around in an attempt to get to the fridge. Instead, she practically jumps out of her skin, not having noticed that Jack has followed her into the kitchen.

"Jesus! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Jack laughs, running a hand over his balding head. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you, just wanted to get a glass, too."

Trying to calm her racing heart, Beca moves past her foster father and continues her journey to the fridge. Once she has secured the plastic pitcher – freshly filled with tap water from when they finished dinner tonight – she returns to the counter, starting to pour it into the glass.

She almost drops it when she feels a rough hand on the small of her back.

"I'm sorry I won't be here to spend Thanksgiving with you girls. I tried to get my friends to shift the date a day, but none of them would take the bait."

Beca struggles to ignore the churning in her stomach and the way her mouth has run dry with one of the only bits of physical contact that her foster father has ever initiated. She gulps, placing the pitcher down on the counter. "It's fine."

"You know, I'm really glad that you and your sister are here. I've loved getting to know you guys." Jack moves his hand slowly, starting to draw circles on her back before Beca pulls away in a hurry.

Ignoring the way that her heart is pounding out of her chest, Beca sidesteps away from the older man. She can't even look at him as she mumbles, "Yeah, me too. Goodnight," before turning and walking as fast as her feet will carry her back to the stairs.

By the time Beca reaches the second floor, her hands are shaking and she's having trouble getting her breathing back to a normal rate. There's an air of confusion mixed in with her state of shock, not really having any idea as to what just happened downstairs in the kitchen. In a normal situation, that might have been seen as a gesture of comfort, but here, with Jack (who has never made any attempt at a comforting gesture before)… that just screams all kind of wrong.

Beca takes a stabilizing breath, trying to shake out her own soaring anxiety as she slowly approaches her sister's bedroom. This is not something that she will be talking to Macy about, and she needs to make sure that she's as normal as possible when she goes back in. She forces a small smile on her face as she peeks around the doorframe. "You still awake?"

Macy opens one eye, a slow grin stretching across her lips. She knows, just as well as Beca does, that there was no way she was going to fall asleep in the five minutes it took for Beca to get her water. "Maybe."

The older Mitchell sister takes a seat on the side of the bed, waiting for Macy to sit up, before handing her the glass of water, her hand still shaking. Macy's eyebrows furrow slightly, taking the glass cautiously. "Are you okay, Bec?"

Beca swallows her nerves, trying to give Macy her most convincing nod. "Mhmm. Just tired."

After taking a sip, Macy places the water back down on her bedside table. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Beca lifts the covers slightly so that Macy can slide back underneath. When she's situated once again, Beca presses a kiss into her forehead. "Can you go to sleep now?"

Macy snickers, knowing that her antics gained her at least another half hour of being awake. "Only if I have to."

Beca pushes herself up off the bed, giving Macy one last kiss on her temple, before saying. "You have to. Come and get me if you need anything else, alright?"

Macy nuzzles into her pillow, pulling the comforter up tight around her shoulders. "Okay. Love you."

"Love you too, munch. Sweet dreams." Before she can face any more objections, Beca slips out of the bedroom, closing the door over behind her.

As soon as she's alone, she lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Leaving her door open so that she can listen for Macy, Beca tries her best to calm the racing thoughts in her mind. As easily as she could turn them off when she was around her little sister, they come flooding back as soon as she is by herself – most of them having to do with what the hell just happened downstairs.

Beca runs a hand over her face in exasperation. She's never really gotten those vibes off of Jack before. Sure, he's not the fatherly type, and while his gaze may have lingered a little longer than it should have once or twice, Beca never thought it would lead to this. She runs through her various interactions with her foster father. Maybe his increased desire to spend time with her and Macy was just leading up to this.

Beca's face pales. Has he done anything like that with Macy?

No, no it can't be possible. Macy is rarely alone with Jack, and that all has to do with her own anxiety, not with anything he's done. And Macy would tell her, right?

Beca takes another deep breath. Maybe she's overreacting. Yes, she's probably overreacting. Honestly, it's not like he did anything bad. All he did was put his hand on her back. He didn't move it any lower, and it's not like that movement has an inherently negative connotation. She's fine. Everything about this situation is fine.

Her eyes drift over to the bed, where her homework lays abandoned on the mattress. Well, even if she is 'fine', there's no way she's getting any work done now, and sleep seems like just as big as a challenge. She shifts her attention to where her phone is charging. She and Chloe have been texting a lot more when they aren't at school or spending time together, and they've even chatted on the phone a few times. It mostly happens after Macy is asleep, but right now, Beca can really use a distraction.

After moving her books back to the ground beside her bag, Beca climbs back in bed, reaching for the phone. Before she can convince herself otherwise, she clicks on Chloe's name, not being able to stop herself from smiling at the picture that the redhead took of herself for the contact card. It rings a few times, and Beca begins to internally chastise herself for calling her this late – of course she's probably sleeping. It's almost midnight; why wouldn't she be?

Beca is about to end the call when Chloe picks up on the other end. "Hello?"

A slow grin spreads across Beca's face as she smiles to herself at the sound of Chloe's melodic voice. "Hey, Chloe. It's Beca."

On the other side of town, Chloe laughs to herself. She's been curled up in bed for the last couple of hours, mindlessly scrolling through social media and listening to whatever show has been playing on Netflix. "I know, Bec, your name popped up on my phone when you called. Is everything okay?"

Beca rolls her eyes with a chuckle, subconsciously moving to twist her earring. She has absolutely no interest in talking to Chloe about what happened downstairs. Mostly, she just knows that Chloe's voice and their usual light-hearted conversations might be able to distract her. "Right. Sorry, I guess my brain doesn't work this late."

"Apparently." Chloe pauses, trying her best to decipher the tone of Beca's voice. As much as she loves talking to the brunette on the phone, something feels off about this call. "Is everything okay? Don't you have to work early in the morning?"

Beca leans back against her pillows, already starting to feel calmer. "Yeah, everything's fine. I was trying to finish some homework and then I had to put Macy back to bed. Your dad's newest reading selection has had her up for the last couple of hours."

"I told him not to give her anything too scary. Sorry about that."

"Eh, it's fine. She can take a nap tomorrow in CR's office."

Chloe closes her laptop, moving so that she can lay down on her side. "What time are you going in? I'll stop in and say 'hi.'"

Beca's heart flutters at the possibility of seeing Chloe before the end of Thanksgiving break. She, obviously, wants to see Chloe, but without a car (or a license for that matter), her options are pretty limited. "I have to be there at six, but we open at six-thirty."

"Six? Bec, it's almost midnight! You're going to be running on like five hours of sleep."

"I'll be fine…" Beca lays on her back, staring up at her ceiling. "What have you been up to tonight?"

Chloe, too, stares into the darkness of her bedroom. Her parents went to bed hours ago and the house has been quiet ever since. "I went to Stacie's for a little bit with Aubrey. Other than that, not much."

Beca nods to herself, vaguely remembering that that is what Chloe told her she was doing after school. "How was that?"

"It was fun… we worked homework and watched a movie." She pauses, contemplating whether or not to say what's on the tip of her tongue, before going for it anyways. "I wish you were there, though."

Beca allows the blush to fully flood her cheeks. "Why, so I could ruin the ending for you again?"

Chloe rolls her eyes, biting back a laugh. "Yes, I love it when you ruin perfectly good movies because you hate all things magical in life."

A comfortable silence falls over the two girls, each of them just enjoying the other's company – even if they are only connected by a phone call. It's Chloe that finally breaks the silence. "You really should go to sleep, though. Maybe you, me, and Macy can do something tomorrow afternoon?"

Beca, once again, catches herself smiling into the phone. "I'd like that. Goodnight, Chlo."

"Night, Bec. Sleep tight."

Flashback: April of Current Year

Beca slides into her seat at lunch, slightly relieved that Tara has yet to arrive. She saw her girlfriend briefly this morning but has yet to see her in the hallways since. It wouldn't surprise her if she skipped her morning classes – that would be a very Tara-like thing to do – and honestly, if she doesn't come to lunch, Beca won't be too upset either.

It's not because Tara did anything. It's more so because of the fact that Beca is exhausted, has a million things going through her mind, and really can't find enough energy to have a fully functioning conversation.

Unfortunately, the universe must have other plans for her, because Beca watches as Tara comes swooping into the cafeteria, her bag slung carelessly over one shoulder.

Beca forces a small smile on her face. "Hey."

"Hello, hello." Tara plops a kiss on her girlfriend's cheek, not going for the full mouth-on-mouth because of Beca's extreme hatred towards PDA. "How were your classes?"

Beca leans back in her chair, trying her best to act as normal as possible. "They were fine. Did you go to any today?"

Tara stretches her legs out onto the chair beside her, much like she did on the first day she met Beca. "No. I've been working on my sculpture for Studio Art. And, get this, Mrs. Broderick actually gave me a pass, so all those absences are excused."

"Wow, if you're not careful, the teachers might actually think you're turning over a new leaf."

Tara rolls her eyes, "Eh, I'm not too worried about it. I don't think one day is going to change my entire high school career." When Beca's smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, Tara straightens, finally taking in the full image of her girlfriend. She looks exhausted, for one, and the usual banter that they exchange is fully missing from their conversation. She's barely met Tara's gaze since sitting down, and there's very clearly something weighing on her mind. "What's going on with you?"

For the first time since she sat down, Beca makes eye contact with Tara. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"Yeah, sorry I'm not buying it. Seriously, what's up?" When Beca doesn't immediately answer, Tara presses further. "Did something happen in class?"

After a few moments, Beca shakes her head. "No, class was fine."

"Then what is it, because you look ten times more dejected than normal." In all honesty, Tara hasn't seen this side of Beca in a while. It happens every once in a while, normally when she has a rough night with her sister or something happens when she isn't in school, but since they started dating about four months ago, this attitude has been pretty much missing from their interactions.

"Thanks," Beca deadpans, shifting her gaze back to the table in front of her. "I really don't feel like talking about it, T."

Tara crosses her arms over her chest. "And I really don't feel like sitting in silence all through lunch when I could be talking to my girlfriend, so spill. What's up?"

Beca sighs, running her hands over her face and pushing her curls back behind her ears. She isn't sure why this is bothering her so much; it's not like it's the first time that it happened and it probably won't be the last. Beca just can't get his words or Macy's heartbroken face from her brain. "Tyler is just being an ass again. It's really not a big deal."

Tara furrows her eyebrows slightly. Beca normally isn't one to talk about her foster parents, and if she does, it's never more than a few words here and there. She's gotten most of her information about them from Macy, who can talk a mile a minute given the chance. But her and Beca typically stay away from those conversations; whether it's for her own sake or Tara's she's not really sure. "What happened?"

"T…"

"No. Seriously, what happened, Beca?"

Beca leans back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest and mirroring the raven-haired beauty in front of her. She doesn't like talking about this stuff with Tara because she knows that she doesn't understand. It's hard to when you don't live it every single day. She's tried having these conversations before, but it typically ends with Tara trying to change the subject. It's only when she wants to know something that the conversation flows. "You know how I told you that Tyler has made comments before about not understanding why Camille wanted to foster?"

Tara nods. It was one of the first things that Beca told her about when she discovered that her girlfriend – friend at the time – is in foster care. How Camille, their foster mom, completely adored them and did everything in her power to be Susie Homemaker, while her husband, Tyler, couldn't be more uninterested in the endeavor. "Yeah."

Beca takes a deep breath. "Well, they've been getting worse. The comments I mean." At the confusion on Tara's face, Beca continues. "This morning we were downstairs eating breakfast. Macy was trying to show me something in the book she got from the library and she knocked over her glass of milk. The glass shattered and the milk got everywhere, and Tyler just flipped. You would've thought it was the end of the world the way he was screaming at her, asking if she was just naturally incompetent or if it was because she doesn't have any parents…" Beca blinks away the tears that have started to swell in her eyes. Macy had looked so devastated, both from fear and from what Tyler had said about their parents being dead. The poor girl sobbed all the way to school. "I don't know… it was a rough morning."

Tara tries to keep her jaw from unhinging, but it doesn't work, the shock being too extreme. "What a dick," she growls, feeling her own anger starting to bubble inside of her. "I hope you tore him a new one."

Beca shakes her head. "I didn't get a chance to. Macy was bawling her eyes out and was practically shaking from fear, and Camille dragged Tyler from the kitchen before I got a chance to say anything." She still can't get how red his face looked as he was yelling at Macy, out of her mind. He looked so angry and aggressive that it instilled fear in both of the girls. Even hours later, Beca hasn't been able to get rid of the feeling.

"I'm sorry, Beca. That sucks." Tara resists the urge to wrap the brunette in her arms, with Beca just looking like she needs a little space. She pauses for a moment, trying to figure out if she wants to ask the next question or not. "He didn't, like, hit you or anything, right?"

Again, Beca shakes her head, this time with a little more effort. "No. I don't think he would. He just seems like a yeller."

"Okay, good, because then I'd have to kick his ass."

Beca snorts, a glimpse of a smile appearing on her face as she meets Tara's eyes. She knows just as well as her girlfriend does, that Tara is a big softy at heart. She does not like conflict in the slightest – even if her demeanor and bad-ass persona suggest something different. "How chivalrous."

Tara shrugs, glad to see that Beca is starting to return to her normal self. "What can I say? I'd do anything for my girl."

Thanks for reading! Please review!