DAY 23 - WRAPPED IN RED
Author's Prompt: Beca uses the Kelly Clarkson song Wrapped in Red during her first solo performance to tell Chloe how she feels.
The Barden Bellas didn't know what to do or think. They had been kidnapped by Amy's father and were being held on his yacht. They had ten minutes to live according to Fergus Hobart and Chloe was scared.
Her fear subsided somewhat when Beca was suddenly there on the boat with them. She wanted to sing and the Bellas were confused. Chloe finally caught on that there was some kind of plan in place and they managed to get the girls to sing. The music for Britney Spears' Toxic started and they did the whole routine.
Beca was motioning everyone back and then everything after that happened so quickly that the last thing Chloe remembers is Beca shoving her to the railing and telling her to jump.
Beca and Amy jumped a moment later. Suddenly, the area around the yacht was surrounded by military helicopters and Paris Police boats.
They were pulled out of the water one by one and given a blanket. They were separated and placed in various areas of the boat where they sat shivering and holding onto whatever Bella was close by. Chloe looked around for Beca but didn't see where she was.
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
Once they were on the boat heading back to shore, Beca and Amy were taken to a room where several American army soldiers were. They were questioned about the rescue and their parts in it. Beca was exhausted by the time they made it back to shore.
"What a way to spend Christmas Eve," Beca told Amy after they were finally done being interrogated.
As Beca was stepping off the boat, she saw Chicago run over to Chloe and wrap her in a hug. They were being led to what looked to be a small cafe. Beca sat on a bench and watched as Chicago gently led Chloe over to a bench on the other side of the cafe and sat her down before sitting next to her.
Beca sat wrapped in a blanket as she sadly watched a smitten Chloe allow Chicago to fawn all over. She couldn't help but feel a bit angry. "Where the fuck was he when Chloe was trapped on that yacht with Amy's maniac of a father?" Beca thought. "I'm the one who helped save her, why isn't she making heart eyes at me?"
Beca felt someone sit next to her on the bench. She looked over to see Aubrey looking at Chloe and Chicago. Beca looked back over at them as well. They sat watching the couple quietly for a moment before Beca turned to Aubrey.
"Why is she treating him like some kind of hero? He didn't show up until after Amy and I got you all off the boat."
"Don't worry," Aubrey said. "She'll soon realize that he's not the hero and you were the one who risked everything to save us."
"Doubtful," Beca said and got up and walked away from the group. She left the cafe with her head down and slowly started walking away.
Beca didn't see Chloe watching her as she walked away. Chloe excused herself from Chicago and walked over and sat down next to Aubrey.
"Is she okay?" Chloe was concerned as she watched Beca continue to walk away from them.
"You do know that she's the one who saved us, right?" Aubrey asked. "Chicago didn't show up until it was over."
"What?" Chloe asked.
"She saw you giving soldier boy heart eyes like he was some kind of hero," Aubrey said. "You haven't even spoken to her, and she's the one who saved us, not him."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying," Aubrey said looking at Chloe. "You know she has feelings for you, and yet you continue to act like some lovestruck teenager with Chicago. It wouldn't be so bad, but you only seem to act that way toward him when she's around. Are you trying to hurt her? Because if you are, you need to stop."
"I wasn't trying to hurt her," Chloe said quietly. "I was trying to make her jealous, so she'd finally admit she has feelings for me."
"It's been seven years, Chloe," Aubrey said. "I'm curious to know why you expect her to tell you how she feels when you haven't told her how you feel. You're the personal space invader and have no problem telling everyone else how you feel, why haven't you told her?"
"Because I don't want to lose her," Chloe said. "I'm afraid she'll leave, and I'll never see her again."
"Did you ever stop to think that she hasn't said anything for the same reason?" Aubrey asked. "You already know, without her telling you, that she loves you. So, why can't you tell her that you love her, too? Then you can both be happy and stop making those of us around you as miserable as you are."
"She has to know how I feel," Chloe said. "I've dropped enough hints and flirted with her all the time."
"You flirt with everybody, Chloe," Aubrey said with an exasperated sigh. "Of the two of you, you are the one who is usually more open about your feelings. So, I'll ask again. Why can't you just say the actual words and tell her that you love her?"
Chloe swallowed and didn't say anything. She and Aubrey looked up when they heard Chicago call Chloe's name.
"Looks like you have a choice to make," Aubrey said. "Go to Chicago. Or follow Beca. I know which way I'd go."
Aubrey got up and left Chloe sitting on the bench. Chloe chewed her bottom lip and looked in the direction Beca went and then over at Chicago. She got up and walked toward Chicago.
Aubrey watched as Chloe made her way to Chicago. All Aubrey could do was shake her head.
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
Beca managed to get a couple of hours rest before meeting the Bellas, minus Chloe, in the hotel's restaurant for a late lunch. The girls started throwing out ideas about what Chloe and Chicago were doing, and if you knew the Bellas, the ideas were of a sexual nature. Beca tried to ignore it for the most part, but they seemed to be obsessed with the redhead and the soldier.
Beca couldn't take it anymore. She decided to head to her rehearsal early and left without a word to anyone. Not that she should have worried. They were so engrossed in their conversation that no one noticed her leave. Well, no one but Aubrey.
As soon as Aubrey noticed Beca walking away from the group, she got up and followed her. She caught up to Beca just outside the hotel.
"I'm sorry, Beca," Aubrey said. "They don't mean to hurt you by talking about...them. It's just the way they are."
Beca let out a soft laugh as she noticed Aubrey didn't say their names.
"I know, and it's okay," Beca said. "It's my own fault. I couldn't get past my insecurities and the fear of losing Chloe as a friend, so I didn't tell how I feel. She's found someone who isn't afraid to share their feelings for her. I'm-" Beca swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in her throat. "I'm happy she found someone to be happy with."
"Beca," Aubrey said reaching out for the girl.
"I have to get to rehearsal," Beca said as she stepped away. "I guess I'll see you at the next Bellas reunion or wedding or whatever."
"Wait! What?" Aubrey said as she grabbed Beca's arm. "What about the Bellas spending Christmas together? What about your show? We'll see you after, right?"
"I don't think so," Beca said. "I've decided to leave as soon as my performance is over."
Beca then surprised Aubrey by pulling her into a hug. "Thanks for being such a good friend."
Beca pulled back from the hug and hurried away before Aubrey even realized what was happening.
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
When Aubrey returned to the restaurant, Jessica told her everyone had gone back to their rooms to relax since they were still tired from the events of the night before. Jessica left, and Aubrey walked out to the lobby where she saw Chloe and walked over to her.
"Where the hell have you been?" Aubrey asked.
"I was with Chicago," Chloe said.
"Of course you were," Aubrey said sarcastically. "You said you didn't want to tell Beca how you felt about her because you didn't want to lose her as a friend. Well, guess what? You've lost her. Not only as a friend but as anything else you two could have been. And it's not just you; the rest of us have lost her, too. Thanks for that."
Aubrey walked away, and Chloe grabbed her by the arm.
"What the hell do you mean, I lost Beca?"
"She's leaving right after her performance."
"Why? We're all supposed to spend Christmas together."
"Are you really that oblivious? She's leaving because although she's happy you and Chicago found each other, she can't bear the pain of seeing you with him."
"But, I'm not with him," Chloe said as tears came to her eyes.
"You just said you were with him," Aubrey said.
"I was, but I wasn't with him, with him," Chloe said. "Dammit!" Chloe wiped at her tears. "I need to talk to Beca."
"Whether you're with Chicago or not," Aubrey said sadly. "Beca thinks you are and she doesn't want to talk to any of us." Aubrey wiped at her own tears. "She's taken herself out of the picture, so there's nothing for you to talk about. Go be with Chicago. I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for with him."
Chloe stood there, not knowing what to say or do. Tears were streaming down her face and, for the first time since Aubrey met Chloe, Aubrey walked away from the redhead and didn't look back.
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
Aubrey left the hotel and walked around a bit before she found herself sitting in a nice little cafe. She ordered a cup of coffee and sat there thinking.
She thought about the seven-year dance Beca and Chloe have been doing around each other, but never with each other. After all this time, Chloe of all people should know that Beca doesn't talk about feelings. Chloe should know that the way Beca expresses herself is through music.
Like when Beca added Don't You Forget About Me in their ICCA set for Jesse. Or when she made Chloe a playlist of Chloe's favorite songs, so she had good music to listen to on her drive from visiting her folks in Tampa to their tiny little apartment in New York. Or the Christmas Beca's gag gift for Chloe was a thumb drive that she labeled Chloe's Lady Jams, and it had eight different versions of the song Titanium on it. Or how she insisted the Bellas have Toxic as a standby song in the event the Bellas ever needed an extra song. It saved their asses on Amy's dad's yacht, and not many knew that Toxic is one of Chloe's all-time favorite songs.
Aubrey smiled as the thought back over the years of how Beca used songs to express herself. "Oh, my God. That's it!" Aubrey threw some money on the table and hurried out to grab a taxi.
Once she arrived at her destination, she called Theo and had him meet her to get her into the Coliseum to see Beca. Theo did, and Aubrey explained why she was there. Theo had a bit of a crush on Beca but knew her heart belonged to someone else. He thought it was Chloe, and Aubrey just confirmed it for him.
Theo decided to help Aubrey with her plan. He may not get Beca, but at least he could be a part of helping her get the one she wanted.
Theo led Aubrey to the main stage of the Coliseum and Beca was talking with the band about some minor changes she wanted to make to her song.
"Beca?" Theo called out to the brunette.
"Yeah?" Beca said as she turned to look at Theo. Her face showed her surprise when she saw Aubrey standing next to him. "Aubrey? What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk."
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
Beca paced in her dressing room. Theo came in and smiled when he looked at her.
"Do you have everything you need?"
Beca nodded, and Theo could see she was nervous. He took her hands in his.
"You're going to do great. And, you're gonna get your girl."
"How are you so sure about that?"
"Because I've seen the way you two look at each other," Theo said. "And I hear the way you talk about each other to other people. You two belong together, and you need to show her you want her."
"Is Khaled going to kill me for changing the song?"
"I've talked to him, and he's totally on board with the song you've chosen. And the reason why."
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
"Brey, wait," Chloe said as they were entering the Coliseum.
Aubrey stepped to the side, out of the path of folks heading into the Coliseum. Chloe watched as the rest of the Bellas stopped and waited for them. Chloe crossed her arms over her stomach.
"What is it, Chloe?" Aubrey asked looking annoyed. "I want to be in our seats before Beca comes on stage."
"I've been trying to talk to you all day," Chloe said quietly.
"So, talk," Aubrey said.
"I want to know what you meant when you said I lost Beca?"
"Chloe," Aubrey said, an edge to her tone. "I told you all this. Beca thinks you chose Chicago and wants to leave because it hurts her too much to see you two together. What part of this are you not getting?"
"Why are you so mad at me?" Chloe asked truly perplexed. "I told you, Chicago and I aren't together."
"Then why did you choose to go to him instead of going after Beca when she walked away this morning?"
"I went to tell him that I wasn't interested in anything with him. That I was going to go after the one person I've been in love with for seven years." Chloe sighed and looked down at the ground. "Only now she doesn't want to see or talk to me." She shook her head and looked. "I should just go back to the hotel."
"You can't do that," Aubrey said trying to hide her smile. "Trust me; you need to be here to see Beca's debut performance. It's what a friend would do to show her support for someone she claims to care about."
"You know I care about her," Chloe said. "I just admitted that I'm in love with her."
"Then prove it," Aubrey said. "Go sit in there and watch her performance and let her see that you are supporting her. And after the show, find her and tell her how you feel."
"I thought you said she was leaving right after her performance," Chloe said.
"She was, but let's just say that DJ Khaled decided to have a private party after the show," Aubrey said with a smug smile. "A party for Beca, which means she will have to be there. And, let's just say that I got the Bellas an invite. As a Bella, you will be at the party, where you'll get to see her and speak to her. So don't fuck it up. Now, let's go."
Aubrey grabs Chloe's arm and practically drags her over to the Bellas.
"Let's go, ladies," Aubrey said and led the Bellas into the Coliseum.
The Bellas were halfway down the aisle to their seats when they hear someone calling Chloe's name. They all stop to look and see Chicago hurrying up to them carrying a bouquet of roses.
"I was afraid I wasn't going to make it," Chicago said when he reached the group. He smiled as he held the roses out to Chloe. "I believe these are yours."
Aubrey was giving Chloe a WTF look and the rest of the Bellas were oohing and aahing over the romantic gesture.
"Stop it, girls," Chloe said with a laugh as she took the roses from Chicago. "These are for Beca. Chicago was nice enough to run into town at the last minute to pick them up for me."
"So you were planning this the whole time?" Aubrey asked.
"Kind of," Chloe said. "I asked Chicago about getting them earlier. And then when you said-." Chloe lowered her voice so the others couldn't hear. "When you said I lost Beca, I told him to forget about it but he talked me into getting them anyway. That's why he was almost late. I kept changing my mind."
"She'll love them," Aubrey said. "Okay, let's get to our seats. No more stopping."
Aubrey smiled as Chicago and Chloe led them down to their seats. Beca may just get her happy ending after all, Aubrey thought. Then she thought about Beca waiting backstage and then seeing Chloe next to Chicago holding a bouquet of roses. She pulled out her phone and sent Beca a text.
APosen: Don't freak out but Chloe's going to have a bouquet of roses in her hands and will be sitting next to Chicago. The roses are not from him; they're from her.
As an afterthought, she added. For you.
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
Beca was still in her dressing room when her phone pinged with a text notification. She saw there were two texts from Aubrey and smiled when she read them. Aubrey knows her too well. She probably would have freaked out if she saw Chloe and Chicago sitting together AND Chloe with a bouquet of roses.
Beca put her phone away and took a deep breath. "Five minutes, Miss Mitchell" a voice called from the other side of the door.
"I'm on my way."
Beca put on her gold leather jacket and gave herself one last look before walking to the door. As she walked out, she said, "Let's remix this business."
Beca stood in the wings and listened as DJ Khaled spoke to the audience.
"I'm DJ Khaled," Khaled said. "And I want to wish all our troops and everyone out there, a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. And, also, to our troops, I want to say thank you for all that you do."
The audience applauded and cheered.
The Bellas all looked down the row at each other with big smiles on their faces. They were excited for Beca and couldn't wait to see her perform as a solo artist for the first time.
DJ Khaled continued talking once the applause settled down. "Tonight, I have a special treat for you. It is the debut performance of someone I have signed for my label. She's going to serenade you with a holiday-themed song that I'm sure you will enjoy. I'm told it means something special to her. Ladies and gentleman, Beca Mitchell."
Aubrey looked at Chloe who looked back at her with a big smile on her face.
Beca stepped out of the wings and made her way to the center of the stage where the microphone was set up for her. She had her head down and stopped at the mic. She lifted her head and looked down at the first row where she knew the Bellas were seated. Her eyes landed on Aubrey who smiled and winked at her.
As the first notes started playing, Beca looked to her left and saw Chloe looking up at her with a smile. She looked out at the crowd and started singing.
Everybody's happy
Snow is falling down
Prayers are being answered
Miracles all around
Beca's eyes found Chloe again and this time she locked eyes with the redhead as she sang the next words to Chloe.
From afar I've loved you
But never let it show
And every year another
December comes and goes
Always watching
Never reaching, but
Beca pulled the mic from the stand and made her way across the stage; she never broke eye contact with Chloe. She continued moving until she was standing directly in front of Chloe. Beca noticed that Chloe's eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
This Christmas, I'm gonna risk it all
This Christmas, I'm not afraid to fall
So I'm at your door with nothing more
Than words I've never said
In all this white, you'll see me like
You've never seen me yeah
Wrapped in red (ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Out of her periphery, Beca noticed Chicago shift in his seat. She saw him hand Chloe a handkerchief. Chloe momentarily broke eye contact with Beca and dabbed at her eyes. Emily squeezed Chloe's arm and Chloe's eyes were once again fixed on Beca.
Blue is where I've been
Green can't buy me you
Silver bells remind me
That mistletoe's for two
So I found a color
That only tells the truth
That paints a picture
Of how I feel for you, oh-whoa
The Bellas watched Beca and Chloe; all were smiling. Beca sang the next two lines and then moved back toward the center of the stage.
This Christmas, I'm gonna risk it all
This Christmas, I'm not afraid to fall
So I'm at your door with nothing more
Than words I've never said
In all this white, you'll see me like
You've never seen me yeah
Wrapped in red (ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
I'll never feel you
If I don't tell you
Beca moved to the front of the stage and stopped for the next two lines.
This Christmas, I'm gonna risk it all
This Christmas, I'm not afraid to fall
Beca stepped down the first step and looked over at Chloe. Chloe's eyes were still on her. She continued to sing as she walked down the stairs and again stopped directly in front of Chloe. She took Chloe's right hand in hers and sang to her and her alone.
So I'm at your door with nothing more
Than words I've never said
In all this white, you'll see me like
You've never seen me yeah
Wrapped in red (ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Wrapped in red (ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
The song ended and the audience started clapping and cheering.
Beca pulled Chloe to her feet. Chloe blindly handed the bouquet she had been holding to Emily as Beca said, "I love you, Chloe Beale."
Chloe grabbed Beca and managed to say, "I love you, too, Beca Mitchell," before Beca's lips were on hers.
Song Used: Wrapped in Red by Kelly Clarkson