Thank you so much for all of the support last chapter!

Chapter 20

Chloe watches as Beca stares at her. Not in a creepy why-in-the-world-did-you-just-start-singing way, but something much, much different. Chloe can feel Beca's stare in every fiber of her being, and it makes her heart race in her chest. It makes her stomach flutter and her breath quicken.

And it draws Chloe in.

It draws Chloe in until the two seniors are mere centimeters apart.

Until they can both feel each other's breath on their skin.

Until their lips connect in a kiss so hesitant, yet so passionate and with such longing, that it's unlike anything either of them has ever experienced before.

Neither Beca nor Chloe know how long they're pressed together for. They don't know whose hand went up to the back of whose head first, connecting them for an even longer time. They aren't sure when they moved closer together on the piano bench, their thighs touching. They aren't sure when their lips started moving together in slow, careful motions; motions that seem so familiar and second-nature, that it's almost like they've been doing it for their entire lives.

And they definitely aren't sure when a certain twelve-year-old slides into the study in search of her sister, only to find Beca with her back to the door, her lips connected to Chloe's.

"Beca?!"

The two seniors pull apart faster than lightening, Beca almost falling off the bench in response. Heat floods both girls' faces, and while Chloe bites back a smile, Beca looks downright petrified at the sight of her sister. "Macy…"

Macy clenches her jaw in anger, shooting daggers at not just Beca, but Chloe as well. She brings her hands into fists by her sides, her breathing becoming labored as she tries to pull as much air into her lungs, through her nose, as possible. All she can see is red. And the lies that her sister has told. And the betrayal.

She spins on her heel and leaves the room in hot pursuit of any space that isn't occupied by Beca.

Beca sputters, looking from the door back to Chloe, her eyes frantic and her mind racing. "I-I'm sorry."

Chloe, still hazy from the most electric kiss she has ever received, shakes her head. "It's okay. Go get her."

Beca hates to run. She always has, and she can't imagine a world in which she won't. But, right now, she doesn't care. She follows Macy's path out of the study and through the party, before noticing that the front door is wide open and that the small girl is walking so quickly across the Chloe's yard that her speed is undoubtedly fueled by the intense hatred that she has towards her sister right now. Beca picks up her pace, running faster than she ever has in her life.

"Macy! Please wait!"

Luckily, it's only just now starting to get dark, and Macy is heading in the direction of the bus stop. It's way too far to walk back to Jack's, so at least Beca has this going for her because Macy does not look like she's planning on stopping.

"Mace, please. Just wait! We can talk about it!"

She whips her head around, her chestnut curls flinging from one side to the other as she glares at her sister. "Talk about it?! What do you want to talk about, Beca?!"

With Macy stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, Beca has a chance to catch up to her. She puts the breaks on about a foot in front of her sister, but Macy still takes a few steps back. Completely out of breath, Beca bends over slightly, trying to control the burning of her chest. "Mace, I'm so sorry. I —"

"You're sorry?!" Her face is bright red, whether it's from anger or physical exertion, Beca isn't sure, but she doesn't like it. "What would you have done if it wasn't me that came in, Beca? What would you have done then?"

Beca's throat tightens as tears cloud her eyes. "Macy…"

Macy shakes her head, her thoughts and her fears overwhelming her entire body as her voice cracks, wavering ever so slightly. "You promised me that there was nothing going on. You looked me in the eye, and you promised that there was nothing going on between you and Chloe." A single tear slides down her cheek, "You lied to me, Bec. You lied."

Before Beca gets a chance to say anything, Macy turns again and continues on the route to the bus stop, angrily wiping the tears that have sprung free, off of her cheek.

And as much as she hates to admit it, Beca knows that Macy isn't wrong. Beca had lied. She's been lying to herself and she's been lying to Macy ever since there was a slight possibility of something happening between her and Chloe. She deserves every bit of anger that Macy is directing at her, and, in all honesty, Beca should be a whole lot more nervous than she is.

But she isn't. Instead, she can't stop thinking about Chloe's lips on hers. She can't stop thinking about how right it felt, even if it was so wrong. She can't stop thinking about how, after all this time, the kiss was far more than anything she could have anticipated. It was electric, and intoxicating, and thrilling, and just… perfect. In every way shape and form.

Beca can still feel where Chloe's lips were on hers, she can still feel her soft hands moving through her curls.

Even after all that, though, the one thing that has pushed itself to the forefront of her mind, is the look of betrayal on Macy's face. The anger in her eyes. The fear in every aspect of her body language. And, the worst part, is that Beca understands every little bit, and it kills her to admit it.

Beca gives Macy her distance, allowing the girl to walk in front of her all the way to the bus stop. She doesn't force her to try and talk with Beca as they wait for the right bus to pick them up. When it finally arrives, she lets Macy pick the seat and Beca sits across from her, never once getting the chance to try and meet her little sister's eyes.

As soon as the bus pulls into the stop down the street from Jack's house, Macy is off again, with Beca doing everything in her power to keep up so that she doesn't get too far ahead. It isn't long before Jack's house comes into view, and it takes an even shorter amount of time for Macy to pick up her pace, running up to the front door of the house and pulling it open with an aggressive yank. She doesn't bother taking her shoes off; instead, she bolts up the stairs, and by the time Beca reaches the threshold, the sound of a bedroom door being slammed shut is reverberating through the small house.

Beca flinches at the sound, carefully closing the front door behind her and leaning up against it with a sigh. She closes her eyes, hoping to block herself off from the situation, and wishing more than anything that she can just flash-forward to the part where they can make up and everything can go back to the way it was.

"You look like you could use a drink."

The voice startles Beca enough to cause her to jump, opening her eyes and turning in the direction of the sound. Sure enough, Jack is in his usual position in the middle of the couch, the television playing in the living room. She forces a smile on her face, not even addressing his comment. "Sorry about the slamming of the door."

Jack waves off her concern. "Eh, I did a hell of a lot worse when I was a kid." He pushes himself further up on the couch, "Why don't you come sit down, give her a chance to cool off?"

Beca shifts from foot to foot. She has every intention of giving Macy her space, but she has absolutely zero interest in doing it down here with Jack. "I actually think I'm going to go upstairs and get ready for bed… I have to be up early for work in the morning."

He lets out a soft chuckle. "It's six-thirty; I think you have time to catch up, don't you?"

There's something about the way he says it that makes Beca feel as though she can't say no. She's heard it in the voices of her foster parents before; it's the same tone that says, 'I took you in out of the goodness of my heart, and now you have to do whatever I ask you to do.' It makes her stomach churn, and Beca knows that she is nowhere near as alert as she should be. Her head is spinning with all of the emotions of the last half hour, and that in and of itself should be enough of a reason for her to ignore Jack's request. She doesn't make it a habit of putting herself in vulnerable situations when it comes to being around her foster parents – especially ones that she doesn't trust. Yet, she also knows that she isn't in the position to put up a fight.

Beca takes a few hesitant steps across the living room floor, perching herself on the side of the ottoman. She doesn't want to sit next to him, and if she did, she'd be pressed up against the side of the couch with not much room to move. She can't stand, because that'd draw even more attention to herself. There really aren't any good options. She makes herself as small as possible as she sits down next to his sock-covered feet.

"What happened with your sister?"

Beca shrugs, her heart beating a little faster in her chest under Jack's watchful gaze. "We just had an argument, that's all."

He nods. Whether or not he's buying it is another story. "I'm sure she'll come around."

Beca offers him a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah, she'll be fine."

Jack sighs, sitting up straighter and then bending over to rest his elbows on his knees. "Do you want to talk about it? You seem stressed."

It takes everything in Beca not to scoff. How he thinks that he's even remotely close to the people she willingly wants to talk to is beyond her. "I'm good, thanks."

"Okay, well," he moves before Beca even has a chance to think, reaching his hand out and laying it on the top of her thigh where Chloe's hand had been only a short while ago. He gently brushes his thumb against the denim of her jeans, causing a wave of nausea to pass over the brunette. "If you want to talk, I'm here."

Still flustered and wishing more than anything that he hadn't tainted the spot that Chloe so gingerly laid her hand on while they were sitting at the piano, Beca jerks her leg away from Jack's hand. She attempts to glare at him, to do everything in her power to make him understand that he needs to back the hell off, but Beca knows full well that fear has replaced any attempt of expressing a sense of warning. So, instead, she just gulps, offers a brief nod, and pushes herself off the ottoman and retreats upstairs.

She only stops when she's outside of Macy's closed door. It takes everything in her not to knock on the wood, but, deciding against it, she sits on her own bed instead, wondering what in the world just happened – in all aspects of her life.

After Beca runs out of the study, Chloe doesn't move from the piano bench. She sits, staring at where the brunette once sat, trying to calm the thoughts running rampant in her head.

She kissed Beca Mitchell.

Well, Beca Mitchell kissed her.

Actually, no, the initiation was pretty mutual. Let's just say that they kissed each other, and it was the most amazing thing that Chloe has ever experienced in her life.

She's kissed a few other people before. Mostly boys, but there was one heated kiss with a random girl at one of Tom's party that may or may not have occurred while they were both mildly drunk. But nothing can compare to what she just felt when she and Beca were kissing.

It was earth-shattering, ground-breaking, all-around amazing, and Chloe wants nothing more than to do it again. And again. And again.

But, Beca's gone. She's not pressed against her anymore, and she's not sitting beside her singing in the most gorgeous voice Chloe has ever heard. She's off somewhere, tending to her baby sister because she's an amazing person and that's what she does. But Chloe's mind is still abuzz. She can still feel the tingle in her lips where Beca's once were.

Chloe lets out a giddy laugh, running her hands over her face and not being able to suppress the grin that has spread across her mouth. She has to do something. She can't just sit here. She has to get up and move. She has to clear her head. She has to… God, she just kissed Beca Mitchell.

Trying her best to act as normal as possible, Chloe pushes herself off the piano bench. She doesn't look anyone in the eye as she sneaks out of the study, closing the door behind her and submerging herself back in the craziness of her family's Christmas party. She keeps her head down, hiding under a curtain of red curls until she makes it back to the living room where she knows – well, hopes – that Aubrey and Stacie are still sitting.

Sure enough, they're in the exact same spot that they have been since arriving, and neither of them notices Chloe until she is taking their hands in hers, leading them away from the downstairs and back up to her bedroom.

"Chlo? Are you okay?" Aubrey asks hesitantly, looking at the back of Chloe's head and then to Stacie, who seems just as confused as she is. Chloe doesn't answer, continuing to pull them up the stairs and towards the familiar bedroom, so Aubrey tries again. "Chloe, what's going on?"

When they finally get into Chloe's room, the redhead closes the door behind them, before flopping on her back on the mattress, the giddy smile returning to her face.

Stacie leans into Aubrey, eyeing their friend carefully as she whispers, "Is she on drugs?"

Chloe presses herself up onto her elbows, grinning at Stacie and Aubrey. "We kissed."

The stunned silence that follows leaves the three seniors staring at each other. Chloe's waiting for them to say something, Aubrey is shocked that it finally happened, and Stacie is thrilled. She's the first one to break the silence, letting out a loud 'whoop,' before gathering Chloe in a hug. The two girls laugh as they sway together on her bed, "It's about damn time!"

Chloe wraps her arms around Stacie, the excitement and happiness never once leaving her demeanor. "How did you know?"

Stacie rolls her eyes, ending the embrace to give her friend the most incredulous look she can muster. "Please, do you know how obvious the two of you were?" She turns to Aubrey, holding out her palm. "Pay up, Posen."

As Aubrey groans, moving over to where her bag has been abandoned in the corner of Chloe's room, the redhead's jaw drops. "You guys were betting on me?"

Aubrey pulls a twenty from her wallet, shoving it into Stacie's hand. "I was giving you until New Year's. Stacie said you wouldn't make it to Christmas." She brings Chloe into her own hug, glad that it finally happened, but nowhere near as excited as Stacie is. It's not like the three of them have talked about Chloe's obvious crush on Beca. In fact, Aubrey has talked about it more with just Stacie than with Chloe. They were both waiting for Chloe to bring it up, not wanting to add any pressure and knowing that Chloe would come to them when she was ready to talk about it. "Was it everything you hoped and dreamed?"

Chloe bites her lip, nodding as she once again lets her mind drift back to the kiss. "It was perfect."

Stacie squeals again, and this time, Aubrey joins in quietly. "Ugh, this is amazing."

When they finally pull apart, Aubrey glances between her friends and the door. "Wait, where is she?"

For the first time since the kiss, Chloe comes down a little off of her Cloud 9. She deflates slightly, thinking back to how Macy had looked so angry upon finding them together in the study. Honestly, Chloe can't even picture it clearly, everything in her brain still hazy from all that's happened, but she knows Macy was angry. That much is obvious. "Um… Macy came in. While it was happening. She looked…upset."

Stacie quirks an eyebrow. "Upset? Why?"

Aubrey shrugs, "Maybe she was traumatized from seeing her sister making out with someone."

"I'm not sure… but she ran out and then Beca ran out after her and it's just been a whirlwind."

Stacie watches Chloe cautiously, no longer as excited as she was when she first heard the news. "Beca just left?"

Chloe's smile turns into a slight frown. "Well, she hesitated and then said she was sorry and I told her to go after her sister… so no, I guess not, but I'm not sure where she is now. It all happened so fast." Both Stacie and Aubrey exchange a look of uncertainty over Chloe's head, but she notices almost immediately. "What? What's wrong?"

Aubrey shakes her head, "Nothing. It's just a little weird…"

"What is? What's weird?"

Stacie, already feeling her best friend's nerves raising, takes Chloe's hand in hers. "Nothing. Beca was just going after Macy like she always does… I'm sure it'll be fine." Stacie's comment is nowhere near reassuring, and the fear resulting from that is evident on Chloe's face. "It's fine. Just give her a little while, and if she doesn't come back, you can give her a call. Don't stress."

Chloe tries to force a small smile back on her face, but she realizes that Stacie and Aubrey are right. Beca had left literally seconds after the most exhilarating kiss of her life.

Is she really that naïve to believe that that means anything will change between them?

Beca doesn't sleep at all that night. Her mind is racing with everything that happened during the day; everything with Macy, everything with Jack, and of course, everything with Chloe. It's enough to keep a person up for weeks, let alone a single night.

As her alarm goes off, Beca rolls over in bed, clicking it off. She doesn't even bother looking at the screen of the phone, not wanting to see if there are any notifications from a particular redhead that she may or may not have been lip-locked less than twelve hours earlier.

No, she couldn't bring herself to call Chloe or even message her. Yes, she feels like an absolute tool for not doing so. But, with Macy not talking with her, and her own nerves taking over her body, Beca couldn't pick up the phone. She just couldn't do it.

And she hates herself for it.

Beca brings her hands to her eyes, rubbing the drowsiness from them. She needs to get up and shower so that she can get to her shift at Fig's, but first, she needs to wake up Macy. The twelve-year-old didn't leave her room for the entire night, except for a brief trip to the bathroom to take a shower and brush her teeth before bed. Even then, she didn't look in the direction of Beca's bedroom, and as soon as she was finished, she was back behind the closed door. They didn't eat dinner, they didn't say goodnight to each other, and it made Beca feel worse than she already did, which she didn't think was possible.

With a groan, Beca pushes herself out of bed, carefully crossing the room so she is face to face with the closed door of Macy's room. She can't remember the last time she was ever afraid of going to see her little sister. And it's all her own fault that she feels this way.

Tapping lightly on the door, Beca carefully peeks her head into the bedroom. As soon as she lays eyes on Macy, she knows that the younger girl didn't get any sleep last night, either. She's staring at the wall, laying on her side, and dark bags are hanging underneath her eyes. She's curled into a tight ball, a tissue poking out from her grasp, and she doesn't move when Beca comes further into the room. She sits hesitantly on the corner of the bed, trying to gauge where Macy's anger level is this today. "Good morning."

Macy keeps her back to her older sister, not caring that she's ignoring her. She can't even look at her, even after a night of not talking to her. She laid in bed all night, her mind wrought with worry about what consequences they're going to have to face after Beca's… whatever it was, with Chloe. She knew that if she closed her eyes, her sleep would be plagued with nightmares that she knew would send her running back to Beca, and that is the last thing she wanted. So, she stayed up for a while re-reading the last book she finished because she never got to grab the books from Kevin's study, and then she just laid on her side, forcing her eyes to stay open until she heard her sister's alarm go off in the other room.

Beca lays a tentative hand on her sister's hip, trying not to let her heart shatter into a million pieces when Macy shifts away from her touch. "I guess you're still pissed at me?"

Keeping her back to Beca, Macy speaks for the first time since walking to the bus stop yesterday evening. "I don't know, are you still being an idiot?"

"Mace…"

The twelve-year-old shifts again, curling further into a ball. "I don't want to talk to you about it, Beca."

Beca sighs, not knowing what else there is to do. As much as she wants to, she knows full well that she can't force Macy to have a conversation, not until she's ready. "Okay, fine. We won't talk, but you have to get up and get ready. We need to be at the diner in a little over an hour."

"I'm not going."

If it was any other day, Beca might consider leaving Macy here by herself. But, knowing how upset she is, and especially after what happened yesterday with Jack, there's no way in hell that she is staying here alone. "Yes, you are. I don't care how mad you are at me; you're not staying here by yourself."

For the first time since coming into the bedroom, Macy turns around to face her older sister, her face scrunched in annoyance. "I'm twelve years old. I can stay home alone."

Beca tries to ignore the frustration bubbling in her stomach, completely aware that she's just digging herself a bigger hole with her sister. "No, you can't. I'm not having this argument, Macy. You're coming to Fig's."

She narrows her eyes in defiance. "No. I'm. Not."

Beca knows she's walking right into Macy's trap. She knows her little sister wants to fight. She knows that she wants to be as angry at her as possible. But Beca isn't going to just abandon seven years of being the only parental figure in Macy's life, just so that she can act like a little kid and bicker back and forth. "Macy, we're leaving here at five-thirty. I'm going to take a shower and get ready, and then we are leaving. End of story."

Much to Beca's surprise – and delight – Macy is dressed and ready to go by the time she leaves the bathroom. She throws a few things in her backpack, including her phone that she still is refusing to look at, before poking her head back into Macy's bedroom. Macy is sitting on her bed with her own bag on and arms crossed, staring straight ahead at the wall in front of her. "Ready?"

Macy doesn't even look at her. She stands, stalks right by where Beca's waiting at the door and makes her way down the stairs. She doesn't look back the entire walk to the bus stop and keeps her eyes plastered to the ground in front of her while on the bus itself. Beca tries not to be surprised when Macy walks off the bus when they're at the stop near Fig's and doesn't stop walking in front of her all the way to the diner.

Cynthia Rose sees the Mitchell sisters before they're even inside the diner. Breakfast is usually one of the busier times of the day, but because they don't open for another half hour, the only people that are in the dining room are the manager and another waitress who is working to pull chairs down off the tables from where they were stacked the night before. As soon as she sees Macy's face, and the way she is practically ten steps in front of her older sister, she knows that something is wrong.

Her belief is confirmed when Macy yanks open the diner door, walking right past CR, and through the kitchen doors in the direction of her office. CR turns slack-jawed as she faces Beca, who eventually joins her at the hostess stand. "Rough morning?"

Beca snorts in response, moving past CR and towards the counter, already taking her bag off her shoulder.

CR watches in confusion, not hesitating to follow Beca. What the hell? "What's going on, Bec?"

Beca tosses her bag underneath the counter, pulling out an apron in return. "Nothing."

"Mhmm… sure. Seriously, did something happen?" Beca flicks her eyes in the direction of the other waitress, knowing full well that she's listening to their conversation. "Katherine, can you go start the coffees and make sure the pastries and everything is all set?"

The waitress nods, moving past them to get back into the kitchen, and leaving CR and Beca alone – meaning that Beca no longer has an excuse not to talk to her friend. "Spill."

Beca runs her hands through her hair, groaning as Cynthia Rose stares at her, but also not being able to hold it in any longer. "I kissed Chloe."

CR's jaw drops further than it did when Macy came storming into the diner. "You did what?!" Her mouth stretches into a grin, moving so that she can clap Beca on the back of her shoulder. "Okay, Beca! Look at you go, girl!"

"No, CR, it's not a good thing." Beca shakes her head, moving away from her friend and towards the tables that still have to be set up.

CR grimaces, apparently misreading the situation. "What do you mean? I thought we liked Red."

Beca slams a chair down onto the floor. Of course, she likes Chloe. She can't get Chloe out of her head the majority of the time. That's the problem.

"Woah, easy, Bec. What's going on? What happened? Did she hate it? Was she angry?" CR pauses for a second, raising an eyebrow. "Is she straight?"

Beca rolls her eyes. There is no way, after that kiss, that Chloe is straight.

CR waits until Beca moves onto the next table, her obvious anger never once dissipating, before asking again. "Dude, what is the problem?"

"The problem?" Beca scoffs again, "The problem is that I kissed her, CR! I kissed her, and I shouldn't have."

Shouldn't have…oh shit. CR sighs, suddenly realizing why Beca is so freaked out. Her mind drifts back to the conversation she had with the brunette over a month ago, the first time she had accused Beca of having a crush on the redhead. How terrified she had seemed. The same look is on her face now, and CR has quite the hunch as to why it is. "Beca… you can't be serious."

Beca stops her slamming of the chairs, feeling a wave of emotion come over her. She made a mistake. She knows she did. She knows she can't have anything more with Chloe, and she knows that that means she probably won't be able to be friends with her anymore. She knows she screwed up, and it makes her angry, and upset, and completely frustrated that she allowed herself to do so, so badly. Beca runs a hand over her face, finally looking CR in the eye, and trying to ignore the burning in the back of her throat.

Upon meeting Beca's gaze, CR's heart sinks. It's not often that Beca allows herself to outwardly show the emotions that she is feeling. The brunette is normally so stoic and guarded that unless she tells CR specifically what she is feeling, it's almost impossible to get the truth from her. But standing here, looking at Beca as tears visibly start to glisten in her navy blue orbs, CR can clearly see the fear in her friend's expression. "Bec, please don't do this to yourself. What happened with Tara, with Tyler…it's not going to happen again."

Beca blinks away the tears that have begun to swell in her eyes, shaking her head. "You have no way of knowing that."

"Beca…" CR is at a loss for words. On some level, the older woman understands where the brunette is coming from. But she also recognizes that Beca cannot let this slightly irrational fear dictate what happens in her life. She's out of that house, she's out of that relationship… she is young and beautiful and an amazing person. She should be living it up, not shying away from her true feelings. "I know it wasn't that long ago, but you can't let what happened, hold you back."

"CR, I really don't want to talk about this," she tries to walk away, but Cynthia Rose grabs her wrist.

"No. I need you to hear me when I tell you that what happened was not your fault. There is nothing wrong with you, and there was nothing wrong with what you were doing… you understand that, don't you?" Beca starts to pull her wrist out of CR's grasp, but the older woman holds on tighter, knowing full well that her words aren't sinking it. "Beca, I'm serious. Please listen to what I'm telling you."

It was a long three weeks after what happened with the Barry's. Most of CR's attention, under direct orders from Beca, was on Macy, but CR never fully acknowledged the fact that Beca was struggling with what happened as well. Clearly, that was a big mistake.

Finally, Beca is able to take her hand back. "It doesn't matter what I think anyway. Macy is pissed that it happened, and I can't do that to her. Not again."

CR scrunches her face in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

Beca throws her hand in the vague direction of where Macy is. "She saw us kissing. She's barely talked to me – well, except to yell at me – since."

"Okay, hold up." CR watches Beca carefully. She loves Macy, she really does, but Beca does so much for that girl that she deserves at least one thing – or in this case, person – that makes her happy. As much as Beca doesn't want to admit it, CR knows that person is Chloe. She also knows that if Macy says that she doesn't want Beca to see her, she won't. Beca would give her life for that kid. "She's mad because y'all kissed? I thought she liked Chloe?"

Beca shrugs, "She does. That doesn't matter, though."

"Why not?"

"Because the last time she saw me kissing a girl it was Tara, and –"

And she automatically associates what happened, with Tara. "Okay, Bec, you can't let that stop you. Macy will get over it once she sees that these are two completely different situations."

Beca raises an eyebrow at her friend, the woman getting dangerously close to making her more upset than she already is. "Really? You think she'll just 'get over it'? You were there, CR. You saw what it did to her."

"I did, which is why I know it's not going to happen again. From everything you've told me, Chloe isn't anything like Tara. So, that takes care of one problem. Second, you aren't living with Tyler and Camille anymore, so there's the other. You can't let her stop you if this is something that you want."

Despite the fact that she knows it's not that easy, Beca focuses on the second part of CR's statement. "And how do you know that this is something I want?"

"Because I see the way you look at her, Bec! I see the way you look at her, I see the way you talk about her… your face lights up when someone even mentions her name. She makes you happy! Why can't you see that?"

A single tear rolls down Beca's cheek. "Because it scares the shit out of me." The whole situation does. Deep down, Beca knows that there is a very slim chance of what happened at the Barry's, happening again. But the damage has still been done. Then, there's the fact that Macy is terrified at the prospect as well. She can't just do that to her little sister. "Because it scares the shit out of Macy."

"Okay, forget about Macy for a second. In a perfect world, would you want to be with Chloe?"

Beca knows the answer before CR even finishes her question. She liked Tara, and it was exciting for a while, but she knew it wasn't anything that was going to last. With Chloe, everything is different. The way she makes Beca feel, the way she occupies her thoughts the moment that they aren't together… she's the most amazing, beautiful, remarkable person that she has ever met.

At Beca's silence, CR gets her answer. She gives her friend a small smile. "Okay, then. I know you don't think so, but I honestly believe that if you were to sit down and talk to Macy about all of this – and I mean talk; talk about everything that happened… I think she'll come around. I know it will be hard at first, not just for Macy, but for you too, but if you think it's worth it… I say go for it."

Beca hangs her head. "I don't think I can, CR…it might be too late anyway. I never even called Chloe after I got Macy back home."

"You didn't call her? Beca Mitchell, I have taught you better than that!"

The brunette groans, "I know, I know… god damn it, I know!"

"Well, now, no matter what you decide, you have to tell her." Beca slowly lifts her head, fear coming back to her eyes. "You need to tell her the truth about what happened, Bec, because she's probably lying in bed right now wondering what the hell happened."

Chloe looks up at her ceiling, staring off into the abyss in the same way that she has been for the last eight or so hours, ever since Aubrey and Stacie went home and Chloe was left alone with her phone that still hasn't rung with any communication from Beca.

She has tried her hardest not to get upset. She waited two hours after Beca left before sending a text message, and she waited another hour after that went unanswered before calling and leaving her a voicemail. Aubrey and Stacie wouldn't let her call again, but, even when they finally left, she called for a second time. That, too, went unanswered.

She knows that something happened with Macy, and Chloe is doing everything in her power to reassure herself that that is why Beca hasn't answered. But, in all honesty, she couldn't spare one second to just send a quick text? Any indication that Beca felt the same way after the kiss that Chloe did, would be great.

Then again, maybe Beca didn't feel the same way and that's why she hasn't called or texted back.

No, no that can't be true. After that kiss, that can't be true.

Chloe groans, pressing the base of her hands into her eyes until she sees spots. Maybe, if she just calls her one more time…

She reaches for her phone, wincing as the brightness of the screen pierces her eyes, before opening the phone app. But, as her finger hovers above Beca's name, the ringing of the doorbell resounds through the otherwise empty house. Both her mom and dad had to be at work early this morning, so she knows that they aren't expecting any company. It could be Aubrey or Stacie, but they don't make a habit of waking up before ten in the morning, especially on school vacations. There is also a chance that it's a UPS or FedEx guy, but there's a feeling in the pit of Chloe's stomach that suggests maybe…just maybe… it's a particular brunette.

Chloe practically jumps out of bed, shrugging on a sweatshirt and tying her curls up into a bun on top of her head as she leaves her bedroom and makes her way down the stairs. She suppresses a grin when she catches a glimpse of who is on her front porch. As she opens the door, though, her excitement fades, seeing the look of sheer panic on Beca's face. "Beca?"

Beca gulps, wringing her hands together as Chloe opens the door. She was hoping that it was too early for her to be awake. But, of course, it's Chloe Beale – she's probably been up since dawn. "Hi."

The exhaustion is clear on Beca's face, her skin slightly paler than normal and the smaller amount of makeup on her face not hiding the bags under her eyes. Chloe eyes her cautiously, trying not to be concerned when Beca is blatantly avoiding Chloe's gaze, and is shifting her weight from one foot to another. "Are you okay?"

After much convincing on CR's part, Beca took the next bus deep into the suburbs, almost forcing herself to miss the stop so she didn't have to go and confront the redhead. She knows she has to talk to her; she knows she has to face her eventually, but Beca has absolutely no interest in doing it right now. CR, on the other hand, knew that if Beca didn't go to the Beale's house almost immediately, she would chicken out and any chance that she had with the redhead would be ruined.

It doesn't make Beca's stomach churn any less, though.

She briefly flicks her eyes up to meet Chloe's. "Can we talk?"

Chloe nods, opening the door wider, "Of course. Why don't you come inside?"

"No, we should probably do it out here. Please."

Chloe's heart sinks and her throat almost immediately tightens with emotion. This cannot be happening. "O-okay." After making sure that the door is unlocked, Chloe takes a hesitant step out onto the porch, sitting down of the steps and wrapping her sweatshirt around her a little tighter due to the early morning chill. She looks up at Beca, who still hasn't made any effort to sit beside her. "You're kind of scaring me, Bec."

Beca runs her hands over her hair, mentally preparing herself for the conversation she's about to have. It doesn't matter if it's been a few months since it happened; she hasn't talked to anyone about it. She's barely said their names. Eventually, after a few more paces back and forth, she sits down beside Chloe. "I um… I need to talk to you about something."

It takes everything in Chloe not to reach out and make some sort of comforting gesture. There's something about Beca's posture, the way she's conducting herself, that stops her from doing anything. "Is everything okay?"

Beca takes a breath so deep that Chloe watches her chest rise and fall. The brunette finally turns to look at Chloe. "I'm sorry I never called you last night."

"It's alright…" Chloe's heart pounds in her chest. "Did I…did I do something?"

Unlike all of her other reactions, there is no hesitation as Beca shakes her head. "No, not at all. It was amazing, Chlo, and if I wasn't scared shitless right now, I'd be doing it again in a heartbeat."

Chloe's brief feeling of relief is replaced with instant concern. "What are you talking about? Did something happen?"

Beca scoffs, staring out into Chloe's front lawn. "Yeah. Almost four months ago."

Despite her confusion, Chloe lays a hand on Beca's knee, "It's okay… whatever it is, you can tell me."

It feels like forever before Beca starts to talk again, but never once does Chloe look away from the gorgeous brunette sitting beside her. She can see the tears swelling in Beca's navy orbs, she can see the way she's fidgeting with her bracelets, her fingers trembling slightly. Her chest rises and falls – not so much in quick, rapid motions, but in a way that Chloe can tell that her anxiety is skyrocketing and she's physically trying to keep her breathing under control. But, as soon as Beca starts talking, Chloe is all ears, listening intently to what comes from her mouth.

"Before Macy and I moved here, we lived with this man, Tyler, and his wife, Camille. We uh… we lived there for a little over a year, and… and during that time, I-I had a girlfriend. I had a girlfriend named Tara."

Fret not... all will be revealed in the next chapter :) Please review!