The Perfect Fit

"Hey you asked for my help, remember?" Aubrey warned, turning on her heels to the next glass cabinet.

Beca took a deep breath following the blonde around the shop.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled quietly, eyes cast down.

"Sorry, what was that?" Aubrey asked smugly.

"Aubrey, is this really-"

"Do you want my help or not?"

"I said I'm sorry!" Beca shouted. "Happy now?" she whispered through gritted teeth.

"Not until we go for lunch and you pay" Aubrey said making her way to the door.

"In case it slipped your mind I actually want to buy a ring today" Beca reminded, attempting to cover her face when most people in the store stared at her outburst.

"C'mon, I'm hungry. There is nothing in here for Chloe; it's all too expensive and perfect. She likes jewellery with character. Now let's go" Aubrey stopped at the threshold, holding the door with a smug expression Beca detested.

After another short deep breath, she walked through the door with the shake of her head.

"I am not paying for your food."

"Yeah, we'll see."

XXX

Aubrey watched Beca push the last of her food around on her plate with a folk whilst she sipped her drink. Beca spent the walk listing all of the reasons why she wasn't going to pay for lunch but it fell on deaf ears. Aubrey had a trump card - she always did - in the form of a redhead she had known since college and Beca's other half – one slight mention of the name "Chloe" and Beca was putty in her hands.

Eventually the woman in front of her pushed her plate away and slumped back into her chair with a sigh. Aubrey knew she should ask Beca if she was OK – mainly because of Chloe; alright, maybe she was Beca's trump card too – but the blonde had a feeling she already knew.

An unexpected phone call at her office was the reason for Aubrey's presence. Beca had called, rambling and failing at the art of small talk as she danced around a question she quite clearly wanted to ask. After Aubrey was finished toying with her, she demanded Beca spit it out "or get the hell off the phone."

"I'll pay for lunch" Beca interrupted her thoughts. "But only because Chloe would want me to" she added, a soft smile on her lips.

"And I should really object, for you to insist and then I pretend I really wanted to get it."

Beca smirked, before they both laughed.

Aubrey had grown to like Beca over the years. In her last year of college she really trusted Beca with the final Bella's performance at Lincoln Centre and since that moment the two began to tolerate each other. It wasn't until the brunette started dating her best friend in Beca's last year of college that Aubrey realised she would have to make more effort with the sarcastic and moody DJ.

Four years later and after many forced gatherings together, the pair had gotten closer. So close that Beca was trusting Aubrey to help her pick out an engagement ring for Chloe; Beca had stated she knew Chloe's taste in jewellery and they both had the same ring size, but Aubrey felt maybe Beca had asked her for another reason she wasn't ready to admit yet. If the morning of the younger woman's sighing and restlessness was anything to go by, Beca had something on her mind – Aubrey just hoped and prayed it wasn't doubt.

"Alright, are we ready to hit the shops?" Aubrey asked, pushing her chair out.

"Yeah, I'll go and take care of the check and meet you out front?"

"Great."

XXX

Beca is sure she's over exaggerating, but she feels like they have been in every single jeweller's in the city and was still to find a ring that both she and Aubrey could agree on.

It wasn't that they hadn't found nice rings, because they had. Aubrey had tried on more than twenty that Beca had thought were perfect, but at the last minute she instantly changed her mind. This was Chloe's engagement ring and it had to 'the one', because that was what Chloe was to her, but she could see Aubrey was growing tired and Beca was slowly becoming less and less impatient as time went on.

The blonde was currently rubbing the diamond on her finger with her thumb under the counter lighting, searching Beca's eyes for any signs of approval.

"I think she'd like this one. It's not too flashy, yet not too understated. It's a nice fit" she said, flexing her fingers at the blank faced brunette.

Beca and Chloe had been dating for almost four years. Their relationship was the most important thing in Beca's life, above her job, their apartment, her record collection; Chloe was everything and more. She had never experienced that kind of love or happiness until she met the redhead at Barden. It was of the upmost importance this ring was everything Chloe had ever dreamed of, because in Beca's mind she more than deserved it.

The moment she realised she was ready to ask her girlfriend that infamous four word question everything seemed to fall into place in Beca's head. It was a bold and hard hitting realisation at a very insignificant thing, but 'when you know, you know.'

Chloe had been fixing something for dinner; an omelette seen as Beca had forgot to go to the grocery store after work. The redhead was wearing one of Beca's old plaid shirts, it had a hole in the sleeve and half of the buttons had fallen off over the years, but for some reason it was Chloe's favourite. There was a Salt-n-Pepa song playing in the background causing the older woman to sway her hips when cracking the eggs.

Beca was sat on a stool, watching her in awe, willing the woman's smile, her soft humming and the red hair resting on her shoulders to memory, happily welcoming the overwhelming sense of joy swimming inside her entire body at the sight in front of her.

Chloe looked up from her cooking and caught the younger woman's gaze; there was some much love in it that Beca's sure she just melted to pile of goo all over their kitchen floor. She couldn't help but beam back at her and take a second to think how lucky she was.

That was the perfect moment Beca Mitchell realised she wanted to marry Chloe Beale.

That was the defining moment she realised their imperfectly perfect relationship needed to last forever and Beca was going to ask the only question that would make that happen.

"Beca, do you want her to put it back" Aubrey chirped, pointing at the very patient sales assistant that had been helping them for the past two hours.

"Um, yeah" Beca muttered, reminding herself where she was.

"Do you want to come back tomorrow?" the blonde asked, looking down at her watch. "We've been at this for a while; maybe we just need tomorrow's outlook?"

Beca quickly shook her head.

"No, I've got a girlfriend at home who I really want to make my wife and I need a ring to do that" she smiled softly, tapping her fingers on the counter.

Aubrey nodded with a sigh, before venturing off to look for more potential Chloe approved engagement rings.

"Hey, Bec, what about this one?" she shouted, not bothering to take her eyes off the display cabinet.

"Beca, come here!" she yelled louder, waving her hand in the air until she blindly felt her friend's shoulder.

"Which-"

Beca stopped.

Aubrey didn't need to point it out. It was sat on the second shelf, four rings in, the light reflecting off the simple but elegant looking diamond atop of it.

"Excuse me can we have a look at that one please?" Aubrey called over to the assistant eagerly tapping her finger on the glass.

For the first time in hours, Beca felt a smile on her face. There was something about that ring that screamed Chloe Beale. If anyone asked her to explain why, she wouldn't be able to put into words; it just looked like something that should sit on her girlfriend's finger for the rest of her life.

Beca's smile was growing wider as the lady lifted it out of the cabinet. Her legs seemed to automatically move as she was hot on the sales assistant's heels, following the ring straight to the counter without taking her eyes off it and stumbling over Aubrey in the process.

"Try it on" she nudged impatiently at the blonde's arm.

Aubrey was handed the right size and slipped it around her ring finger, holding her hand up to Beca who was closely inspecting it.

"It's almost loose, which means it would be a perfect fit for Chloe" Aubrey said quietly, looking at Beca expectantly.

"Well, is it the one?" she asked, clicking her fingers in front of Beca's.

If the look on her face was anything to go by Aubrey was sure they had found a winner, but then Beca's smile faltered slightly.

"What is it now?"

"I just, I don't-" Beca stopped mid sentencing, running her finger along the price sticker on the velvet holder the ring had been sat in in order to busy her hands.

"Is it the price? Because I can spot you the cash if you want?" Aubrey asked confused.

"No, money isn't an object, it never was. I just want to make sure it's perfect, you know? I understand I'm not someone who pays much attention to detail; that's always been Chloe, but this ring has to be the best of the best" she said quietly, the insecurity echoing in her voice.

"Beca, you can always bring it back if you change your mind. Like, before you give it to Chloe, just give me a call and we'll spend another day looking."

Aubrey placed a comforting arm on her shoulder.

Beca softly smiled, "I want everything to be perfect when I ask because there is no one else that could deserve it more. So if she doesn't like the ring I've already undone all of my efforts to the build up of asking the question. Am I being ridiculous?" she asked with a quiet chuckle.

Aubrey laughed.

"A little."

Beca nervously ran a hand through her hair, letting go of the velvet ring holder in her hand.

"But I get it, Beca. It's actually quite sweet that you're taking every detail into account" she added with a smile.

The brunette nodded, before taking a deep breath "We'll take it."

XXX

The ring box was tightly clutched in Beca's hand as she sat in the passenger's seat of Aubrey's car. The journey was silent, Aubrey noting it was better to give the younger girl some time to think. As they pulled up outside Chloe and Beca's apartment building the blonde flashed a reassuring smile.

"You're not having doubts, are you?"

Aubrey couldn't help it, she had to ask. From the moment they had got in the car Beca looked like she was trying to solve the world's toughest crossword. There was an anxious and worried expression etched on her face and it was making Aubrey nervous.

"About marrying Chloe?" Beca asked, checking the ring was in the box for the twentieth time since leaving the store.

"Because I swear to god, Beca if you're not sure about this you better return that ring and have a serious think about your future" Aubrey warned, her grip tightening on the steering wheel.

Aubrey knew how Beca was easily spooked, but she thought she had grown out of that by now. With Chloe's help and the stable relationship she was in, Beca had every reason to be happy. The commitment-phoeb-running-away-from-all-her-problems-Beca Mitchell was long gone, or so Aubrey thought; now she wasn't so sure.

"Aubrey, believe me when I say I have no doubt in my mind about asking that woman to marry me."

Beca's tone was confident and sure, it was also laced with the love and passion Chloe spoke about when they had 'girl talk' on a Saturday night.

"I'm just worried I'm going to mess this up" Beca almost whispered.

For the first time, Aubrey actually felt the urge to give her a hug, but she resisted.

"Beca, you don't need to be worried. You and Chloe are meant to be and I know when you first got together I wasn't the most supportive and I probably gave you a harder time than I should of, but Chloe loves you, so much."

She turned a little in her seat to look Beca in the eyes and square on.

"I thought Chlo was always happy. From the moment I met her she was always bubbly and upbeat, but I came to realise that happiness was just scratching the surface until she met you. So don't worry about making everything perfect, she'll love it whatever."

Beca smiled a genuine smile.

"I mean worry a little bit. You are proposing for god's sake" Aubrey added with a glare, causing Beca to laugh.

They both shared a smile, before Beca placed her hand on the door handle.

"Right, I guess I better get my ass inside, I wouldn't want to keep my fiancé to be waiting."

Aubrey excitedly clapped her hands, watching the younger woman get out of the car.

She suddenly had a worrying thought as she watched Beca walk away. She quickly wound her window down.

"Oi, hobbit, you're not proposing right now, are you?" she asked, panicked.

"No, Bree. I wasn't planning on right now" she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Thank god for that!"

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, well don't just stand there, go home, you weirdo!" she shouted as she rolled her window back up. Aubrey turned the key in the ignition, the light tap on the window catching her attention.

She rolled her eyes at the useless idiot and put her window down again.

"What now?" she groaned.

"Thanks, Aubrey. Honestly helping today, it meant a lot and I won't forget it" Beca smiled sincerely.

"You're welcome - We better part ways now, before this becomes a potential friendship moment."

Beca smiled, "God you're right" she looked down the road, before returning her gaze to the woman in the driver's seat "Well fuck off then."

"Fuck you, Mitchell!"

XXX