A/N: Hello Readers!
Yes, it's another update; and not months later. I really want to focus on this story right now, and will try to post every Sunday.
Again, I must thank BeChloeIsLegit and Sa0621 for their help in getting this story back on track.
As always, I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of the characters, but I do love them.
Chapter 24
***Day of Training Too***
o0o
Chloe is heading back to the Bellas rehearsal room from the sound stage. She had just checked with the powers that be, to see if the Bellas could move their rehearsal to the stage for the rest of the day. They wanted to see how they sound in the larger space. She comes up short though when she spots Beca.
She slows not sure what she's stumbled on. It's not just Beca; it's Beca, Legacy, and…
Kommissar.
Chloe can't help the involuntary shudder. For reasons Chloe has never been quite sure of, the German woman sets her on edge more than Jesse ever has. Just seeing the statuesque blonde in the vicinity of Beca leaves her blood cold.
Chloe feels way more fear of the tall blonde in regards to Beca, than she's ever felt towards the goofy Treble. Her feet come to a stop as she locks eyes with Beca. Beca's beautiful stormy eyes register so much confusion and sorrow, that Chloe just wants to sweep her into a hug, and protect her from the world. Yet she restrains herself. She made a decision last night, she can't break it at the first sight of the tiny DJ.
Still as both Beca and Chloe stand rooted in place, eyes locked on the other, the events of last night flash through both their minds.
o0o
Beca stumbles into the apartment and practically collapses under the weight of her day. She allows herself to fall back against the door to catch her breath. She hadn't been home in two days, but it feels like longer. It does not help that she is torn with the very concept of where she should be. She feels that whatever choice she makes is going to hurt someone, yet every choice is a message she doesn't want to deliver.
For example, she had stayed at Jesse's place two nights ago, because he had begged and given her his best puppy dog eyes. And he was her boyfriend, so it was important for her to try. She had to try, right? Other's in the past hadn't tried, she had always promised she would not be like him...
Then last night she had had a chance to play a club in Las Vegas. That had been easier. No message there, nothing for anyone to read. Just building her career. It had actually been a good get-away from things she doesn't want to address.
So, last night she had been in Vegas, but that meant she had had to fly back early this morning for work. In fact, she had gone directly into the office from the airport. J Michael had set-up three meetings with potential talent, back-to-back-to-back. The earliest of the meetings scheduled for first thing in the morning.
For Beca, these meetings had been… a waste of time.
She had listened to their demos, and watched some clips they had put out on social media, and had known from the start that these were not what they were looking for. Even though she felt none of the potential talent really had much of a chance to make it big, her boss was dead-set on meeting with them. His plan for this label it seems is to fill it with as many artists as he can find, and hope that Beca can pull something from their meager talent. This has meant Beca had been given a multitude of tasks by J Michael that were always due yesterday; which has meant she has been subject to countless, really, really busy nights.
Thinking back on it as she leans against the door, she decides she really shouldn't have gotten out of bed yesterday. She knew it when she woke up, and maybe if she hadn't been at Jesse's she would have stayed under the covers. Still the chance to spin in Vegas had been amazing.
It was her first gig which Marcus had set up out of Los Angeles, and it had rocked.
She just wishes she would have had more of a heads up so she could have had some of the Bellas there, or at least Chloe.
As had often been the case of late she hadn't slept well after the show, and it had been another wakeful night of tossing and turning; and when she finally did fall asleep, she overslept because her alarm didn't go off. Lucky for her Sam had called to make sure she got up. Still Beca had arrived in Los Angeles over an hour later than they had been expected. Since she was late she wasn't able to get a head start on her workload, and so had had to hit the ground running when she did finally arrive.
Beca's appointments were so overbooked that she ended up having no time to eat breakfast or lunch. If not for the nutrition bars Chloe always spirits into her messenger bag, she might have collapsed due to hunger.
She closes her eyes and just takes a moment to gather herself.
"Beca, is that you?"
Beca pauses another second to catch her breath, before answering, "Yeah, it's me."
Looking up Beca can see Chloe leaving the kitchen, a huge smile only getting bigger as she visually confirms that the DJ is indeed in the apartment. "Hey Stranger! Welcome Back!" Chloe closes the distance in three quick strides and before Beca can react has the smaller brunette in her strong embrace. "I'm so proud of you Becs! You rocked it last night!"
The petite brunette shakes her head. "You're just saying that," she whispers into the taller woman's shoulder.
"Oh no. You really brought it. I loved the set you came up with last night." Beca arches her eyebrow, trying to determine what Chloe means. She wasn't at the show, which seemed so wrong to Beca throughout the night; so how did she know what set she delivered at her show?
"Umm, Chloe? How do you know what set I played?"
"I have my sources. Your YouTube channel is blowing up today," answers Chloe honestly.
"My what?"
"Your YouTube channel, silly," Chloe says with a chuckle.
"I have a YouTube channel?"
"Yeah, didn't Marcus tell you? They put out short clips of your sets over YouTube. You're kind of becoming a sensation. Make sure you are getting your share of the revenue."
"Wait, there's revenue from YouTube?," Beca asks incredulously.
"Uh, yeah, Becs. It's based on views and subscribers, at some point you should have some money due you."
"How many subscribers do I have?"
"Including me, Aubrey, Emily, and Stacie," Chloe mimes like she's adding the numbers up in her head, "about fifty thousand."
"What?"
Chloe frowns because Beca should really know this. She can't help wondering if people aren't keeping the petite DJ informed. "Beca, is everything okay? You seem a little out of it." On pure instinct, the redhead takes Beca and wraps the younger woman into another hug.
For some reason Beca tenses at this declaration. Still Beca doesn't move, nor make any attempt to disengage, and Chloe secretly revels in the close contact. "Becs?"
"It's nothing…"
"Becs…"
"I'm sorry, Chlo," Beca says, almost as if in surrender. "I'm just really stressed out right now. Juggling everything has me going crazy."
"Hey, Beca, there's no need to apologize."
The petite brunette seems to be considering her words, before she finally relents. "Chloe... I'm struggling... J Michael just dropped three more new projects in my lap and I'm still trying to get a hang of running the label. On top of that, he and Marcus want to strike while the iron is hot. They've scheduled a crap load of gigs, and yeah, I want to spin, but it takes so much out of me. Then there's Amy's show, and both Marcus and J Michael want me to be on the show for the publicity; and I don't want to be whiny…"
"Hey, hey, hey... You are NOT being whiny... You're only human and you can't burn the candle at both ends."
"But I have to. I need to pay…"
"Pay your dues," Chloe interrupts, as she pulls the tiny DJ into another warm embrace. "I know, Beca, but you don't have to do it all at once," Chloe whispers into Beca's ear. "You know you're insanely talented and you are young. Both J Michael and Marcus recognize that. This means you have a bit of power."
Beca tilts her head and asks in a whisper, "I do?"
"Of course, you do, Becs. Both your boss and Marcus recognize how talented you are. We both know that. They're getting greedy, wanting to wring every ounce of that talent from your tiny body…"
"Hey!"
"Shhh, you know I'm right. They are trying to strike while the iron is hot; and so, they are right now. But you can change that. You can define the boundaries."
"You think?"
"Yeah, I do. Get with Marcus. Make sure he sets your calendar. No more surprise shows. Point out to J Michael that you can't run the label from Las Vegas. Convince them that by sticking to a schedule you can better manage your time. At the same time, hire a new person for the front desk, and promote Sam to be your full-time assistant."
Beca asks incredulously, "You think I can do that?"
"You were put in charge of running the label, so run it. How many times have you told me of Sam's great work? She can help ease the paperwork burden and make sure you have control of your schedule."
Beca is silent as she considers this idea. It's actually perfect. So, perfect, she wishes she had thought of it.
Chloe continues to make the sale. "Plus, she will be in the office when you are pulled away for the show or a gig like last night's."
"That just might work." Beca looks up at Chloe, a smile tugging at her lips, as she takes in Chloe's warm one. "You really believe in me, don't you?"
"Yeah, Becs; of course, I do." Chloe can't help but flash her megawatt smile. She then goes all serious again. "As to the show, remember you have Emily, Benji, and," Chloe's voice catches for a second. "Jesse," she quickly adds, praying that Beca didn't notice. "And don't worry about me, Stacie, and Aubrey. We all have each other. Cynthia is not you of course, but she and Maria are talented. As are all the other girls. We can handle most anything the show tosses at us. You take care of yourself and let others take the lead on the show."
"Chloe, I don't want to be a slacker on the show…"
"Rebecca Mitchell! No one, and I mean no one! Not the Bellas! Not Jesse or his new friends! No one is ever going to see you as a slacker. You are Beca Effin' Mitchell! Don't you ever forget it!"
Beca blushes at the intensity of the redhead, and she drops her eyes to the floor, a little abashed by her friend's vehemence. "Okay," she whispers.
"I mean it, Becs." Chloe is less strident, but there's a sincerity in her words that causes Beca to blush even more.
"You know you're the best, Chlo," Beca gushes as she hugs the redhead again. She keeps this one short and sweet, pulling away before something more can happen. She turns and heads into the kitchen before Chloe can initiate any more contact. She says over her shoulder, "I'll set the table," and grabs the plates and silverware.
Chloe follows, bemused by the petite woman and her abrupt change in demeanor. Shaking her head, she pulls the lasagna and garlic bread out of the oven. She instructs Beca to grab two wine glasses from the cabinet as she pulls a lettuce salad and a chilled bottle of wine from the refrigerator.
"Wow, Chlo, now we just need candles," jokes Beca as she looks down at the table.
"Yeah, that would be perfect," answers Chloe absently as she turns the corkscrew.
Her head jerks back as she registers what she just said.
Beca smirks and goes to their catch-all drawer and retrieves the two candles Chloe keeps in case of power outages. "Ask and you will receive," she says her smirk growing into a smile.
Chloe chuckles and says, "I suppose if we have candles, we should dim the lights."
"Of course."
"And music," Chloe adds as she disappears to their living room.
Beca sits and takes everything in, and finally breathes. It honestly feels like the first time she has really taken a breath all day. She needed this. She needed normal. She needed a Chloe moment. And it is finally the moment. The moment to talk to Chloe about what she's been going through. The moment to find out where she stands with the redhead. The moment to take a chance on what she's feeling.
Beca smiles as she hears music start filtering through the apartment. It's a soft instrumental and it's perfect for the mood.
Chloe is amazing and always has been amazing. Chloe has this way of making people feel good about themselves, of building up people's confidence and sense of self-worth. She's especially great at boosting Beca's confidence, all the while keeping the DJ grounded.
The crazy redhead always finding the right way to cheer the brunette up and remind Beca that she's really very talented. Tonight, is just another in a long list of examples. She goes over to pull out the chilled wine and pours two glasses.
Chloe returns and Beca hands one glass to the redhead. A silence descends, broken only by the soft music playing in the background. The two friends just stand next to the table, admiring the set-up.
A knock at the door surprises both women. Beca frowns as Chloe sets her glass down and turns with a smile. "I'll get it."
"Chloe, wait…" Beca says. She knows it's a mistake. She knows Chloe shouldn't answer the door. She knows that the moment is perfect and nothing from the outside should interfere. She knows it's her time to finally talk with Chloe. She looks up and almost drops her wine when Jesse steps into the room.
Of course, Jesse is here. Of course, he is stepping all over this moment, her moment. Beca is so focused on how she's losing her moment with Chloe, she doesn't register her boyfriend moving towards her, until she feels him lifting her up in one swift movement.
"Dude! What the!? Put me down! You weirdo!" Beca shouts in surprise as he lifts her.
"I don't care. I'm celebrating with my incredibly talented girlfriend, as her equally talented boyfriend. I'm taking you out so we can really commemorate this momentous occasion," he replies enthusiastically.
"Seriously, you weirdo." Beca's face turns red with embarrassment. She can't help the laugh though that escapes as she says, "Put me down before I hurl on you."
Jesse laughs but does as Beca bids. "Thanks for the heads up, Beca!" Once her feet are on the floor, he leans in and kisses her passionately. When he pulls back, the petite woman just stands there; but Jesse is so psyched he doesn't register the lack of response from her. "I was afraid you didn't get my text. Can you believe it? Steven Spielberg selected me to head the production on the project. I'm not only going to score the film, but I will get Executive Producer credit! I mean it's just an indie film that maybe five people and my parents are going to see, but it's Spielberg and I'm going to be an Executive Producer!"
Beca maintains her mask of joy. She hadn't seen any of his messages. She knew he had texted, but she had been so busy, and in all honesty, she hadn't had the inclination to read them. Still the young brunette is able to truly say, "Jesse! I'm so proud of you!" And she truly means it. She knows Jesse works hard and, from first-hand experience, is a total movie nerd. He is not who she wants to be with at this moment but it doesn't stop her from being truly happy for him.
Jesse is on a roll and does not notice the look of confusion in the petite brunette's eyes. "We just have to do something special tonight." He pulls her in and gives her another hug. It's at this point he notices the dining table is set up.
He looks at the table, and its spread, and is a little puzzled. "So, you want to eat in?"
Beca can only nod. "Uhh… Yeah…" In her head she is yelling 'NO!', but she can't find the voice.
"That's a cool way to celebrate!" He declares. Looking at the set-up, Jesse asks, "You did all this?"
"Uhh… Chloe…"
Chloe jumps in. "I just helped cook cause, you know, Beca's so super busy. I got things started, but she set everything up."
Jesse smiles confidently. "Thanks, Chloe. This is awesome!" There's an air of victory in his tone.
Chloe doesn't miss it. "Yeah… You know, no problem… Well, Emily is already out with Benji, so I'll get out of your hair." Chloe grabs her purse and keys, and heads to the door.
Beca flashes Jesse a small forced smile as he turns back to her, and she says, "I'll be right back. I just got to thank Chloe. I'll be right back."
Beca runs after her best friend, calling her name as she heads out of the door, "Chloe!"
"Becs?"
"Uhh… I… I mean you didn't have to do that…"
The redhead gives her a look. "Of course, I did."
"I didn't see his text…" Beca says chagrined. She stands there unable to meet her best friend's eyes.
Chloe uses two fingers to lift Beca's chin so she can look her best friend in the eyes and gives her an understanding smile. "I know, I could tell…"
Beca asks, "Where are you going?" Concern laces her voice.
Chloe shrugs. "I'll just go over to Aubrey's."
"I feel bad…"
Chloe shakes her head. Her red curls bouncing easily, adding an almost innocent look for the redhead that the brunette finds hypnotizing. "Don't, Becs. Go have dinner. You need a night of quiet and calm. Enjoy yourself, be with your boyfriend. You need this; you deserve this."
Beca tries again to say the words that are right there to be said, "Chlo…"
Wrapping her arms around her shorter friend. "Have a great night, Beca." Beca stiffens for a split second, before wrapping her arms around her redheaded friend and relaxing into the embrace.
Giving into her feelings, Chloe leans in and kisses Beca on the cheek. Beca freezes and Chloe, realizing what she just did, blushes furiously and mumbles a quick goodbye.
She walks about twenty feet, then turns. "I'll always be there for you, Beca Mitchell."
Beca just stands there, reaching up to touch where Chloe kissed her, smiling to herself.
Chloe doesn't look back though, missing the moment. She can't, because if she did, Beca would see her tears.
o0o
Chloe can't help but ask why this keeps happening. Why she feels she's in an endless loop. "Hasn't this gone on long enough?," she asks herself.
Of course, in the span of time she's been standing there frozen in thought, Jesse has arrived on scene. Chloe can't help the disappointment at this wholly unexpected turn of events.
Chloe feels her blood turn to ice as Kommissar chuckles at something Beca must have said. Based on past precedent, it was most likely something completely inappropriate and highly complementary of the German singer. The temperature of her blood drops further as the tall blonde leans over and whispers something in Beca's ear.
Beca's eyes grow wide at whatever the German blonde said. Kommissar looks over at Chloe with a smirk, which causes bile to rise up her throat. For a moment, Chloe considers rushing over to her best friend, but she decides not to as Jesse is there, placing a hand on her back, obviously saying comforting words.
Chloe is sure this is the Universe telling her to move on. That Beca is never going to be hers; no matter how much Chloe wants her to be. Some things are just never meant to be.
Chloe closes her eyes and reels her emotions in. She has to remember the plan she came up with last night and stick to it. Be a friend, start to pull back, maintain distance. It's one thought which keeps repeating itself in her mind as she composes herself. A personal mantra to carry on this act of not being in love with her best friend.
o0o
Beca watches Chloe turn and walk away, and is flooded with mixed emotions. She feels she should run after her redheaded best friend, but then Jesse is there, with all of his concerns. Of course, Jesse is here, she grimaces.
Jesse looks at Emily, guilt obvious on his features. "Ummm, Benji is back with the sandwiches."
Emily returns a cool stare and Jesse adopts a face that just screams guilty apology. He nods his head towards Beca and mouths the word, 'Please', his eyes pleading.
Emily glances at Beca, who shrugs a noncommittal response. The tall brunette makes a frustrated sound before turning about and walking briskly away.
Jesse watches the younger Bella storm off, and is both thankful and remorseful. He knows he needs to make things right; with both women.
"Hey, Beca, are you okay?," Jesse asks as he reaches out and starts to rub her back. It's tentative, truly unsure of the issue, not wanting to make the situation worse. The concern for his girlfriend quite evident. It had been a long time since he saw her blow up like that. It's a side of her he thought was buried in the past.
Beca shrugs away from his touch in response. She shakes her head, not trusting her voice at the moment. "Come on, beautiful," he urges, "talk to me, please. What's wrong?"
"Seriously, Jesse?," Beca asks back incredulously. When had he started to talk like the USC Boys? "Are you serious, Jesse?"
"If it's about the guys, Beca, you have to take it for what it is," he says with total sincerity. "It's just them kidding around. It's just like what the Bellas do, tease, and joke, and flirt. But it's harmless."
She looks at him with eyes wide open, incredulous at what he's suggesting. Jesse continues, thinking he's making a persuasive argument. "Yes, it's a different dynamic, since it's a mixed group, both men and women. But that just takes time. These are some great guys."
Beca looks at Jesse and for the first time realizes she's going to break up with him. Oh God, I'm going to break up with Jesse, in the hallway of a Universal sound stage. She's suddenly engulfed in fear, and she knows she can't be here, because if she stays she'll break up with him, and then she's a quitter like her father. Unconsciously, she steps back from her boyfriend.
"Beca?," Jesse is surprised by this movement. Beca's mask has dropped in place, the turmoil going in her heart and head no longer visible. He mistakenly believed his words were soothing. "Talk to me, Becs. What is it?"
Beca has completely shut down at this point, all the anger, confusion, and turmoil is being pushed down. All she wants is to be away. Be away from. . . him. He looks at her expectantly and she tries to deflect. She lets out a deep sigh and shakes her head. "Nothing, just tired…"
"Come on, Beca, talk to me…"
Beca is about to answer more vehemently, but is cut off when she gets a call from her boss. Perfect! And she truly means it; the universe delivering a timely escape route.
"Sorry, I need to take this," she says holding up the phone. Jesse melodramatically rolls his eyes and sighs, as if her taking this call is the end of the world. She gives him a hard stare and he actually bows away. Beca feels an overwhelming urge to smack him, but chooses to ignore the pouting look Jesse gives her, as she makes her way down the corridor.
Unconsciously, she follows the same path as Chloe.
Seeing that it's a call from J Michael, she tries, and mostly succeeds, in answering pleasantly. He probably wouldn't have noticed if she had answered as her current mood dictates, because he launches right into what he's got to say. Beca tries to keep up with his mile a minute monologue, as she's not given a chance to put in a word edgewise. The gist she gathers though is that Marcus has lined her up another gig and she needs to return to the office tonight.
Beca so wants to get away from this rehearsal and Jesse at the moment, she readily agrees and hangs up. She sees her boyfriend standing at the opposite end of the long hallway, and sighs.
"Sorry, Jesse, that was J Michael and I have to deal with a work issue right away," she calls out as she holds up her phone, as if it tells him something more. Before he can argue she turns and sprints in the opposite direction.
She hears him call, "What about practice?"
"No time, Jesse," she calls as she slips away.
o0o
Beca really doesn't have anywhere to go, so she ends up following Chloe into the Bellas rehearsal room and walks in to find it looking like a military command center. There are pieces of paper covered in notes and song titles all over the table that the Bellas are all around. There's even a couple of large whiteboards, which now occupy most of the far wall. "Of course, Aubrey got white boards," Beca whispers.
"They are an effective tool for brainstorming," says Aubrey in response. Beca blushes. She didn't realize she had spoken out loud.
Aubrey and Stacie walk around the table. Both are dressed in workout clothes, their hair in tight ponytails. "What can we do for you, Shortstuff?," Stacie asks with a friendly tease.
"Uhhh," Beca's unsure how to answer the question. She isn't sure why she's here. "You see…" Beca glances to her right and finds her chest lighten as she looks into the incredible cerulean eyes belonging to her favorite redhead.
"Don't mind Becs, Bree, she's having a rough week," says Chloe in a matter of fact way.
"You don't know that," declares Beca defensively.
"Beca, you literally texted me to complain about your week four hours ago," replies Chloe.
"Oh, yeah," Beca responds shyly. She feels her skin warm and she's sure she's blushing. She notices Aubrey giving her a look, and Stacie smirking, and she realizes she needs the focus to be off of her. She asks, "What are you all working on?"
"We're looking at how we can make changes to popular songs and give them unique twists, which might make them memorable on the show," answers Chloe.
"Chlo! She's the competition!," declares Aubrey.
"Oh hush, Bree. It's Beca. I trust her completely," answers Chloe.
"Thanks, Chlo," Beca says and for some reason that sentiment sends her heart racing.
"No problem, Becs," Chloe smiles. Then she turns to Maria. "You had an idea?"
Maria nods as she says, "You know on YouTube there are covers of songs that people have reworked and sometimes are better than the original."
Ashley offers, "Yeah, there are some really talented cover artists out there." Jessica nods in agreement.
Cynthia Rose adds, "Yeah, one guy even did that Frozen song as Heavy Metal."
Chloe gasps. "Sacrilege!"
Everyone breaks into laughter.
Emily peeks her head into the rehearsal room. "Beca, Jesse is looking for you. He wants to start practice up again." The taller young woman doesn't look happy.
"All of the USC boys back?," Beca asks in response.
"Yeah," sighs Emily.
"Okay," answers Beca, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. She looks over to Chloe as she fishes the USB memory stick from her pocket and holds it out to her best friend.
Chloe's eyebrows knit together in confusion, as she asks," What's this?"
Beca places the memory stick in the redhead's palm. "It just might help move your idea here forward."
Even as Chloe closes her fingers around the small memory device like she'll never let it go, she's saying, "Becs, you don't have to do this. Your team…"
"Doesn't appreciate it," Beca cuts in. She's placed her hand on Chloe's, ensuring the redhead keeps ahold of the device. "You will," her eyes grow, and she looks around, trying to cover, "Umm, I mean, you all will…"
The petite brunette is cut off this time as Chloe pulls her into a tight embrace. Beca's natural inclination is to stiffen, but her body has other ideas and just relaxes into the embrace.
o0o
She doesn't know how long she maintains the embrace. She would have gladly maintained it for the rest of the day, but an uncomfortable cough from Emily breaks into the tiny bubble that has enveloped Beca and Chloe.
The petite brunette pulls back out of the hug and gets all shy again. She mumbles, "Uhh, yeah," she points with her thumb over her shoulder, "guess I got to go." Neither Beca nor Emily seem happy at this pronouncement and seem reluctant to leave.
Emily waves sadly. "Miss you guys."
"Yeah, totally miss you awesome nerds." Beca puts a brave face on. "I'll catch you guys later."
Beca waves and heads out. Chloe's eyes follow the brunette and look like someone is kicking her puppy.
Aubrey feels a wave of sadness as she watches Beca and Emily depart. All the Bellas had speculated at one time or other, but Aubrey had known for sure of Chloe's feelings for the petite DJ. Aubrey knew Beca was everything to Chloe and she had so desperately wanted to truly be with her for so long. Aubrey had suspected it when she noted Chloe's face just after they had first met Beca at the activities fair. It was well and truly confirmed when Aubrey had noted the adoration Chloe had cast towards Beca during the brunette's remarkable tryout for the Bellas. Aubrey was there to watch as Chloe fell hard and fast for the tiny alt-girl and come to terms with the fact she might be gay, or at least bi. It hadn't always been easy, and there had been a lot of soul searching; but credit to Chloe, she had secretly maintained her burning ball of love for the brunette for six long years now.
Of course, the moment is broken.
"Your practice time on the stage is in five minutes' ladies! Up and at em!," Fat Amy's voice booms from just outside the door.
This shakes Aubrey out of her thoughts. She looks at Chloe, who subtlety nods, then claps her hands to get everyone's attention. "Okay girls, we're going to head to the sound stage, run through the old Bellas' warm-ups and breathing exercises, then run through one of our routines."
o0o
The remainder of the rehearsal was as dull as Beca imagined it would be. The USC Boys are keeping to themselves, scowling at her from across the room. Beca, Emily and Benji are more segregated from the team than ever before. Only Jesse is showing any enthusiasm, but even that is only a fraction of his usual demeanor.
Their rehearsal continues its pattern of stopping and starting, as there are way too many 'cooks in the kitchen', for Beca's taste. Of course, somehow Emily's, Benji's, and her opinions don't get listened to during these stoppages.
Anytime Emily and Beca's eyes meet they are followed by sarcastic smiles, eye rolls, and looks elsewhere. As the rehearsal drags on, though, normal service was resumed and Beca starts making faces at the USC Boys behind their backs, trying to break the girl's concentration.
Beca's mind starts to drift again. To the night before, but later, after dinner, after Jesse and she had 'celebrated', which has become less than fulfilling over the last few months.
Beca's laying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, Jesse's soft snores in the background. She can't sleep, the DJ's mind is on overdrive. Looking over at the clock, she sighs when she sees it's 3:42 in the morning.
Another restless night, one of the many sleepless nights in the last few weeks.
Beca wishes she could sleep. She desperately needs sleep, but her mind won't let her.
Jesse rolls over, reminding the petite brunette of his presence. Reminding Beca that her moment was lost today. The moment she had been waiting for; the moment for truth and honesty.
Yet maybe there had been a moment of truth. In that moment when Chloe's lips touched her cheek. Her hand touches the spot again.
Jesse is a good man and she does love him; but she can now ask if she is truly in love with him'?
Beca is brought out of her musing with a start when she realizes everyone is looking at her. Her phone is going off again. If it were the Bellas, she would be chagrined, but it's her new team, so she shrugs and answers the phone, walking away from the practice without a word.
She thinks she hears Jesse call her name, well that stupid nickname, but she doesn't look back to confirm. She just keeps walking, taking J Michael's call.
o0o
Chloe sits back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest. This isn't exactly right. It's definitely closer to what she and Aubrey had written up on the whiteboard; yet the Bellas were having issues being directed. It had just been awhile since they worked with each other. The rust was showing.
It's a lot closer than their last rehearsal, but it still wasn't right.
"Alright ladies this is the last performance for the day, so let's be on your A-game!"
"Stop!," orders Bree and the Bellas freeze in their places. "Maria, you're singing your lines a bit too quickly. It's throwing off Denise. Jessica, once the opening dance steps are over, come to a complete stop facing this direction. Lily, slow your rhymes down just a little and the audience will understand you better. Ashley, I know you're not feeling well, but you're going to have to push past that. We need you and Jessica to radiate cheerfulness."
"Sorry. It's a sore throat and a stuffy nose," Ashley explains.
Chloe puts her hand on the brunette's back. "Ashley take a break. No sense pushing it."
Aubrey nods her agreement and then claps her hands to get everyone's attention. "Let's run through the opening songs one more time and then I promise we'll call it a day."
"Are you freaking kidding me?," comes a rather high pitch screech from the side stage.
The Bellas all turn as one to see Alice striding forward with a couple of her Bellas. "You're going to end practice with them having sucked that badly?," the snide woman directs her question to Aubrey.
Chloe steps forward to answer, but Alice gives her a withering stare and asks, "Are you still eating egg sandwiches?" The uptight brunette makes a face like she can smell Chloe's breath.
Chloe involuntarily covers her mouth. Even after all these years, Alice can still get to her.
"If my team had just put in such a lackluster performance, we would be extending practice, not letting this train wreck off easy," Alice says as she crosses her arms.
"Well, it's our team, and I think we're good," Aubrey says, mirroring Alice's pose.
"Unbelievable. I can't believe I left the Bellas in your hands," responds Alice.
"She did win Nationals," says Stacie, stepping up next to Aubrey. "Unlike others."
"And whose fault was that?," Alice sneers. "The Pukanator over here. And who really won Nationals? That little midget, but she's jumped ship. So, I guess we'll finally see how untalented y'all really are. Personally, I'm looking forward to watching y'all fall on your face."
There's a palpable silence in the room. Everyone is just shocked by the venom Alice is tossing their way. Even though there's a lot of work that still needs to be done before the show launches, Aubrey and Chloe know that they are done for the day. Their girls don't need this pressure or abuse.
With a nod from Aubrey, Chloe claps her hands this time and calls the Bellas over. "Okay girls, that's it for today. Great work, you guys!" The redhead makes a point to say. "We'll come back tomorrow and we'll run through the songs Becs gave us. We'll see how well it holds together." She smiles at them, putting all her enthusiasm and optimism into the grin. "This is going to be aca-awesome." She pointedly ignores the petulant sounds coming from Alice.
Aubrey echoes her best friend's enthusiasm. "I agree; we're going to do an aca-amazing job!"
Again, they both ignore Alice as she says, "Yeah, right."
"I agree with the General," says Fat Amy from the doorway. "Despite not having my sexy-ass on the team, you all are still doing an amazing job." The Bellas smile at the compliment, which only grows as they see Alice's scowl.
Fat Amy is on a roll. She doesn't like Alice, and has begun to regret letting Bumper talk her into inviting the former acerbic Bellas captain to the competition. She decides it's time to liven it up L.A. style. "Now who wants to go to the bar? First round's on me."
That certainly gets all the Bellas attention. "Who are you? And what did you do with our Fat Amy?," Stacie asks, half seriously.
"What?," Fat Amy asks, truly confused.
"You've never paid for a beer at the bar," answers Jessica.
"Even for your own beer, much less someone else's," adds Ashley.
"I'm not that bad," replies Amy, but her face drops as all the Bellas nod their heads in unison. "I sometimes pay," says Amy confidently. This time all the Bellas shake their heads no.
"What about Beca? Did you invite her?," Chloe asks, trying not to sound overly interested. Then after a second, she adds. "Oh, and Emily, did you ask her?"
"Emily will be there," answers Fat Amy, but then shakes her head. "Shawshank ran off to some work emergency, so she can't make it."
"What about us?," Alice asks, perturbed that she's been forgotten.
"Well, I was thinking just the Bellas," Fat Amy answers, without thinking.
Alice smirks. "Well then, we'll happily join you, us all being Bella sisters." She sees Amy is conflicted, realizing she's trapped. "You wouldn't want to be seen as playing favorites, would you?" Alice's words are dripping with honey sweetness, but there's an implicit threat.
The usually boisterous Aussie knows she's cornered. "Of course! The more the merrier. Why don't you get your team and we'll all meet out front?"
Alice flashes a fake smile, as she and her two team members strut out of the stage area.
"Bitch," huffs Amy.
"You know, I'm not really up for going out," says Chloe, a note of despondence in her voice.
"Me either," says Aubrey. This sentiment is echoed by a number of the Bellas.
"No," whines Fat Amy. "You can't bail on me and leave me with those skank ho's."
"I really can't, Amy," Chloe says shaking her head.
"Come on, Ginger," Fat Amy focuses on Chloe. "What's a party without a ginger?" When Chloe just gathers her things, the blonde looks to the rest of her friends. "Come on, guys. One drink at least. I'll also pay for dinner."
"Being rich really has changed you," CR says to her blonde friend.
Slowly but surely Fat Amy is able to convince the Bellas to go out with her. Aubrey walks over to Chloe, concern written all over her face. "Hey, are you sure you don't want to go out?"
Chloe looks over at Fat Amy and shakes her head no. "I'm sorry, I'm just really not up for it."
"Do you want to go out, just the two of us," she gives a side glance to Stacie, "or three of us?"
Chloe can't stop the smirking smile that comes to her lips, but still she shakes her head. "No, go out and charge a huge bill to Amy's tab for inviting Alice to this competition, but also protect her from said Alice."
"Are you sure?," Aubrey seems torn.
"Yeah," the redhead nods. "If nothing else, have a great time with someone special," she casually looks over at Stacie. Aubrey gets her meaning; a blush colors her cheeks.
With a genuine smile, Chloe gives a wave and leaves. The thought crosses her mind, not for the first time, that she's exceptionally good at hiding her pain.
o0o
Chloe enters the apartment tired, hungry, and upset. She still can't believe what a total bitch Alice is. The total nastiness of the woman has been festering in her mind. She's also quite disappointed she won't get to see Beca.
A noise catches her attention. Looking up, she's both surprised and excited to find a very fixated Beca in the living room. "Becs! You're here!"
Beca doesn't respond, her full attention focused on her iPhone. Her fingers scrolling up and down, even as she's talking quietly into the device.
Chloe is worried, her petite DJ looks exhausted. The redhead also notes Beca has the overnight bag Chloe gave her for her twentieth birthday, slung over one shoulder. Chloe frowns and moves towards the petite brunette. "Beca?"
Without looking up, Beca mutters abruptly, "Okay." She slams her thumb on the screen to hang up her phone emphatically. A scowl creases her face.
"Beca, what's wrong?," Chloe asks her best friend with concern. Despite standing, Beca looks half asleep, to the redhead.
Beca actually jumps in surprise. She hadn't heard her best friend enter. "Oh, hey Chlo." Her tiny DJ doesn't quite smile at the redhead, but she tries. Chloe can see her young friend is happy to see her, but also that there's something dancing behind her tired eyes. It looks a bit like excitement, but also confusion.
"Beca?"
"Umm, yeah?"
"Are you going somewhere? You look dead on your feet," Chloe asks tentatively. She can't hide the concern in her voice.
Almost absently Beca responds, "J Michael and Marcus scheduled me another gig in Las Vegas for tonight…"
Chloe's face shows surprise. "Vegas, again?!"
The petite DJ nods. "Yeah…," she responds, clearly distracted as her mind is on a hundred other things.
"Are you up for that? You look like you're ready to fall asleep on your feet," Chloe says, placing her hand on Beca's shoulder.
"They hired me a car, so I'll be able to sleep on the way there, and they got me a room at the MGM so I can rest before my time slot."
"The MGM? Beca, what club are you performing at?"
"Hakkasan," Beca says softly, almost as if she's embarrassed.
The redhead shouts excitedly, "Hakkasan? As in Hakkasan in the MGM? That Hakkasan?"
"Uhh, yeah," Beca actually blushes.
"Oh my aca-God!," Chloe squeals. "Becs, this is AMAZING!" Still screaming Chloe wraps Beca up in her arms and spins her about.
This seems to shake Beca out of her stupor. "Wha… Oh, my God, Chlo… Put me down you big weirdo!"
Chloe laughs. "I can't my favorite Grumpy DJ! This is huge. HUGE!"
Beca rolls her eyes. "It's no big deal."
"It's Hakkasan! It's you spinning in Vegas! Vegas, Baby!" The redhead was not going to let Beca diminish this moment. "This is you taking another step in your career."
"I guess you're right…"
"Of course, I'm right!," Chloe exclaims. "Now show some enthusiasm."
"Yahoo," Beca halfheartedly says with a weak rah-rah hand gesture.
"Seriously, Becs?" Chloe places her hands on her hips and fixes the petite woman with her best teacher stare.
"You're right, it's just, you know this whole process is becoming so frustrating. I don't feel like I'm getting to enjoy it at all. I'm rushing from one gig to the next. One work assignment to the next. It's like we talked about yesterday, it's just feeling kinda overwhelming, Chloe, ya know?"
"I know, Beca, but remember, you're just at the beginning of this. It'll get better." A thought occurs to the redhead. "You didn't have a chance to talk to Marcus and J Michael yet, did you?"
Beca sighs dramatically. "No. Our schedules didn't mesh. I know what you're saying, it's just so. . ."
"Overwhelming," Chloe finishes for her. "So you've said."
Beca's iPhone dings. "The car will be here in five minutes."
Chloe grabs Beca's phone, holding up her index finger forestalling any argument. As she pulls up Beca's contact list she asks, "Do you want something to eat, before you leave?"
Beca shakes her head. "No, I'm good. What do you think you're doing?"
"I'll make you a sandwich," Chloe replies, completely ignoring Beca. Before the petite DJ can respond, Chloe holds the phone up to her ear, pauses for a couple seconds, turning so her body is between Beca and the phone. "Hello, Sam?" Chloe steps to the side, keeping the phone away from the suddenly agitated brunette. "Hey, it's Chloe. Could you do me a favor? Oh, great. Beca needs to have a meeting alone with J Michael, and then a second one with both J Michael and Marcus. Could you set those up for the earliest times possible? Yeah, that's perfect. Also, schedule someone to cover the front desk, you will need to be in those meetings. Yeah, you're now Beca's personal assistant… Yes really… I know, congrats… You totally earned it. We'll talk… Oh yeah, celebratory drinks, totally… So, Beca is off to Vegas in a couple, she needs you to wrangle her schedule… Yeah J Michael is making a hash of it. I would consider it a personal favor if you could straighten it out… I knew I can count on you… Luv ya, too, bye." Chloe drops the arm that has been holding Beca off and tosses the flabbergasted brunette her phone. "I'll make you a snack for the road," she says over her shoulder as she saunters into their kitchen.
Beca just stares at the phone she caught out of the air for a good ten seconds. "What did you just do?," she demands.
"I helped you get your schedule back," Chloe answers as she pulls out a loaf of bread.
"You just promoted Sam! You can't promote Sam!" Beca's incongruity knows no bounds.
Chloe opens a jar of peanut butter, shrugs her shoulders and replies, "No, but you can, and just did." She flashes Beca a warm knowing smile. "We talked about this, you just didn't get a chance to implement it."
"But…"
"Beca, they're sending you to Las Vegas again, which is SUPER cool, by the way, so you need someone holding down the fort. You know you trust Sam. So…"
"But, what if J Michael says no?," Beca asks, uncertainty tinging her voice.
Chloe just smiles. Beca can be such a badass, but be so adorable when she's uncertain of something. "You'll just tell him it's done. He put you in charge. You can make the case it's necessary, because it is."
Chloe finishes the two sandwiches, pulls out her thermal lunch box, and starts throwing in a banana, a couple clementine's, a Pink Lady apple, because they're Beca's favorite, the sandwiches, and a bottle of water.
"What, no chips?," Beca asks sarcastically.
Without missing a beat, Chloe puts in a bag of Doritos and a bag of Lays. "As if," she scoffs. She then presents the lunch to Beca.
"Umm, thanks," Beca says sincerely, if a little shyly.
"You're welcome, Becs," Chloe says cheerfully. "Now you get going." She pulls her best friend into a hug. "I'm sure your car is here."
"Umm," Beca looks at her phone, not pulling back from the hug. "Yeah, it's downstairs."
Chloe reluctantly lets go. "You should get going." Her smile is dazzling, but Beca would swear it doesn't reach her eyes. Still the redhead's voice is unwavering. "You knock them dead out there. Show Vegas there's a new girl in town and that she's badass."
Beca smirks at her friend. Chloe blushes. "That was kinda cheesy; wasn't it?"
Beca scrunches her nose, and holds up her hand, showing a tiny space between her thumb and index finger. "A tiny bit."
The two women laugh and hug again. For each a huge weight is felt in their chest, and each is reluctant to let go. Beca's phone chimes, reminding her it's time to leave.
Beca picks up her overnight bag and slowly, reluctantly, leaves the apartment.
Chloe's face immediately falls. She sags against the counter, her body exhausted from the effort of maintaining a positive attitude.
"How am I going to move on? How am I not supposed to be in love with Beca?," Chloe asks the empty room.
o0o
Beca pauses on the way down to the car and rests her head against the cold wall. "What am I going to do? I'm in love with Chloe Beale."
o0o
A/N: Thanks for reading another chapter. I don't own any of the characters of Pitch Perfect, Hakkasan or MGM.
Hope you like it.