In so many ways the night before had been uncomfortable and not really what Chloe had been hoping for - and yet exactly what she had dreamed it would be. She had a blast with the Bellas, they were just as wonderful as they had always been and she had danced her ass off all night in a way she hadn't done in so long.

Aubrey had been so drunk that she hadn't bothered to change her clothes or remove her makeup before face planting on her bed and snoring away. In truth, seeing Aubrey that way had brought a small smile to Chloe's face because Aubrey rarely let go like that; it just wasn't the way her father taught her to be. Chloe was almost proud of her. Yes, it had been very hard getting the uncoordinated woman up the stairs to their room, but it was well worth it, especially when she thought back to Aubrey's smile as they stumbled companionably down the hall together.

However, she hadn't gotten a chance to speak to Beca. She had tried all night, but instead she had just run around after her like a silly puppy and then had left hurt.

The next morning it was Chloe who woke first, long before Aubrey, something that rarely happened in the days of old. Her eyes opened in the early morning light and her first thoughts were the same as the last before she fell asleep; Beca and Hunny, Beca's tired face and the grin that had been missing all evening; the one that Chloe had always loved, the one that lit up Beca's cynical face like a firework.

She was too unsettled, too uncomfortable to lay there so she decided not to let herself dwell, building her panic as she was known to do. She rose and headed downstairs to swim a few laps in the pool in place of her usual morning run.

She liked exercise. It was something that Alice had instilled in all of her Bellas, refusing to have any out of breath 'slut bags' drawing focus during a performance. She and Aubrey had teamed up as workout buddies at the age of eighteen and it had been a habit of hers ever since. It was relaxing and the absolute best way she had found thus far for relieving - various stresses. She always had running shoes on hand, if she could, as well as a yoga mat. She had taken to yoga when she first moved to L.A., taking class after class. Eventually she had stumbled onto Vinyasa, a type of yoga that was perhaps a little more intense than the typical and she had fallen in love. She loved the way her body felt as she breathed deep, as she pushed; she loved discovering the things her body could do. She loved the breathing and the meditation, the way it cleared her mind and centered her back into herself. She loved the quiet touch of sensuality to it. She loved it all so much and had so much free time in Henderson over the last years that she had become an expert and then, decided to make it official and become a certified teacher. She didn't do much with it; just a class once a week at a local gym. She hadn't gotten the license to teach as much as simply because she could and there had been no reason not to.

She was surprised to meet Stacie on her way down to the pool, but she shouldn't have been, Stacie was never as drunk as she seemed - she was pretty much willing to dance and throw herself at people no matter her state of intoxication. It was one of the reasons Chloe had always liked Stacie, she didn't need alcohol to be fun; something Chloe liked to think they had in common.

She was back upstairs, showered and dressed by the time that Aubrey finally woke.

"Uhuuuuuughhhhg" was the first sign of life from the woman across from her. Chloe just smiled from her bed where she was sitting with a book. She had tried reading but that wasn't working for her very well, her mind kept drifting back to the night before, worried. She had settled instead for letting it sit there, open in her lap while she stared at the print and thought.

"What the hell did she give me to drink last night?"

"A lot," Chloe answered the rhetorical question with a touch of amusement.

Aubrey's makeup smeared face lifted to glare at her.

Chloe loved being allowed to see this disheveled version of Aubrey, very few were, but she supposed she had held Aubrey's hair back enough over the years that hiding it would have been pointless.

"Drink that." She had stopped by the gift shop on her way back from the pool and grabbed a handful of aspirin and a very large coconut water.

Aubrey took a large swallow and sprayed the bed with the opaque liquid, snorting and looking disgusted, "What is that?"

Chloe had to school her expression as she explained, "It's so much better for a hangover than water, trust me. Drink up." She could almost see what Beca's grin would have looked like if she had been the one in the bed across from her, she could almost see the affectionate eye roll and hear Beca mutter, 'hippie'.

"How long do we have?" Aubrey grimaced as she swallowed the liquid down and took the pills.

"About an hour. I ran into Stacie this morning and she thought we should all just meet downstairs. It's easier than trying to find a restaurant nearby."

"You ran into Stacie?"

"She was going to the hotel gym while I was going to do laps in the pool." Chloe jumped forward at Aubrey's green face, thinking that perhaps she needed the trashcan S.T.A.T., the thought of exercise too much for her. Aubrey was such a violent vomiter and Chloe really didn't want to be covered in it this morning. "I didn't have nearly as much as you last night," she gave her an apologetic smile.

Aubrey ignored the offered trashcan, massaging her scalp and thinking hard, "Did I almost go home with Hunny?"

"Umm, if you did then that's news to me. She was very - friendly though. You said she wanted to kiss you. Oh my god, Brey! Did you?"

Aubrey's face just dropped back to the pillows with another groan.

"Was she trying to get you to go home with her?" Chloe asked, trying for innocent and pulling off mildly scandalized at best.

"I don't know. My mind is a little - fuzzy."

"Isn't she with Beca?"

"I don't know!"

She watched Aubrey's face turn green again, "Brey, um, maybe you should get in the shower. I bet you'll feel loads better."

Aubrey gave a small nod, standing to gather her belongings and then locked herself away in the bathroom. She heard the water click on and with a sigh, she tried to go back to her book but once again her mind kept drifting.

She was worried.

It was true that she could make an Olympic sport of worrying, she was incredibly good at it; but this time she had good reason.

Beca had run herself ragged the night before and then when she probably should have gone home for a good night sleep, she had instead hit the bar - as well as other things. And Hunny had been all over Aubrey last night, plus she had been dancing pretty suggestively with her as well - did Beca know?

It was true that it was painful to know that Beca was so upset with her, it hurt to see such a blank stare in her eyes, but if her girlfriend was all over other women then she should say something, right? That was just kind of girl code, right? Then again - were they girlfriends? Beca had always had a possessive side with those she cared about. Chloe knew it well, as it used to come out about her all of the time when they were drinking together; a few drinks in and suddenly Beca wanted her all to herself. Honestly, Chloe had always secretly kind of liked it...and had found that it was a bit of a habit of her own as well.

Perhaps Hunny wasn't what was really bothering her. Perhaps the real question that was bothering her, the one that had her up so early and swimming more laps that she normally would was this: was Beca okay?


Aubrey appeared from the bathroom forty minutes later looking like Aubrey again, her hair gently curled in a blouse and perfectly crisp jeans. "You're right. That coconut water did taste absolutely terrible but it seems to have done the trick. I'll have to keep that in mind for the retreat."

"That would come in handy there?"

"You would be surprised."

They gathered their belongings back into their bags, perhaps a bit gloomily, for an easy post breakfast checkout and headed downstairs to meet the Bellas.

They all definitely looked a little worse for wear, all except Amy who seemed to have had double what everyone else had and yet was chipper as always.

"Look at these sad twigs; this is what you get for lacking in fat power! Bring on the eggs and bacon!"

The rest of the Bellas just glared at her, rubbing their temples and looking longingly at the to-go cups of coffee in the other patron's hands.

"How was the rest of your night?" Chloe asked as softly as she could and still received a few winces.

Jessica groaned, leaning heavily on Ashley and burying her face.

"We closed the place down," Cynthia Rose grumbled into her hands, "and then we stayed for an extra two hours when it was empty. That little shit learned how to party since college."

"It really was fun, too bad you had to go, Chlo."

Chloe just smiled at Stacie, choosing to ignore the knowing question in her eyes. Instead she gave her a small shoulder bump and a smile.

"You looked like you were having a good time, Aubrey."

Chloe hadn't seen Emily in the background. Despite her sunglasses indoors, she looked better than everyone else but still a little rough around the edges. Chloe couldn't remember if she had indulged quite as much as the other Bellas, but she supposed if this was her typical routine then she probably knew her limits a bit more than the others; that or she was simply still drunk. The girl had come to them so green that the first time the Bellas had gotten their little legacy good and drunk the poor girl had stayed that way for a full twenty-four hours before her hangover began.

Aubrey sniffed, straightening her blouse, "Yes well, it was a nice vacation from the land of adulthood. Are we waiting for a table? I'll go put the reservation in," and she strolled by them with all the Aubrey authority they knew and, well, saying they loved it might be a stretch, but they certainly all knew it well enough.

"I can't believe we're all leaving this morning," Chloe sighed, hugging Lilly to her. "We only just got here. I'm not ready to let you all go!"

"Yeah, I know. It's too bad." Stacie sighed.

"Ladies." Aubrey nodded from the door, "They have a table ready that will fit all of us."

"But Beca and Hunny aren't here yet sooo..." Flo said, looking around the group as though she might have missed them or perhaps they would just magically appear.

"I could really do with a cup of coffee," Ashley hedged.

"Exactly. They can meet us inside. Come on. Let's go."

The Bellas all stood, habitually following Aubrey's demands. The woman was good at giving orders.

Still, the moment everyone had a cup of coffee they were grateful for her insistence and the atmosphere changed from I-think-I'm-dying to fairly chipper.

"That place plays some sick music, though, right?" Emily asked from beside her, animatedly caught up in the conversation. Chloe had to take back her earlier analysis of the girl; she smelled like she had gone swimming in a vat of whiskey the night before. It was a powerful scent.

"Oh yeah, totally. I don't think I've danced like that in years."

"I would have thought married life would have robbed you of the ability to dance like that at all, Chlo! Hips of fire! Dayamn!"

Chloe rolled her eyes at Stacie, trying not to think about just how very right she was. "You know she be rockin!" She cried to cover the thoughts in her head, teasingly rolling in her seat and snapping.

That got the other girls laughing and their laughter, thankfully, blew the negative thought away.

"You should see that place on Thursday nights." Emily let out a huff, finishing off her mimosa as though just the thought of it exhausted her, "They turn it into an all lesbian club and the place goes wild. I swear every lesbian within three hundred miles is there."

"Damn! Why didn't Beca tell us? I would have come early!" Cynthia Rose cried, starting in on her second cup of Joe.

The Bellas had been in the restaurant for an hour, Amy and Emily starting to get a bit hangry when Beca and Hunny finally showed up.

The night before Chloe hadn't been able to stop herself from appreciating Beca's look, the pants, the top, the sexy confidence on her face. Today, however, it looked like she and Hunny had just rolled out of bed - possibly with the flu. They both had on huge comfortable looking tee shirts and stylish, but baggy sweatpants. Both of them had their hair pulled sloppily back and, like Emily, despite the fact that they were indoors they both still wore huge sunglasses.

Oh god, Beca, what are you doing to yourself?

They fumbled their way across the restaurant and toward the table as though the floor was made of glue and each movement was a struggle.

"Errr, sorry we're late." Beca yawned, "We're not really - morning - people."

"Good morning!" Aubrey cried loud enough to make everyone with a hangover wince, "well, don't you two look like shit," Aubrey said with a little innocent laugh. Chloe looked away, knowing it was for her benefit that Aubrey was being ruder than normal.

"Wow." Hunny said under her breath, pulling her hair back into a tighter bun.

Beca's lips just pursed as they took the two empty seats, "Aubrey, Hunny, Hunny, Aubrey…she's always super pleasant."

"We met last night." Hunny said, pulling off her sunglasses and giving Aubrey an open wink.

Chloe frowned.

Breakfast was the definition of uncomfortable. Beca and Hunny got a plate of pancakes to share and then simply picked at them. Beca was quiet, or at least, she was quiet with Chloe. She would answer if asked a direct question, which was something Chloe supposed, only, she was absolutely normal with everyone else, laughing and teasing. When she cracked a joke about the night before it was so good that Amy shot her drink through her nose, and yet...nothing felt like it was on even footing. Somehow the strange tension between them seemed to radiate through the group, peppering the whole meal with awkward, that is until Hunny finally turned to Chloe; then it was as though someone had said fuck it, unscrewed the cap and poured it on by the handful.

"So Chloe. What are you doing out there in Vegas? That must be so much fun. L.A. is great but Vegas is always better!"

"Oh! We're actually about thirty minutes from Las Vegas but it's nice. We never run out of things to do." Though, she couldn't remember the last time she had gone into Vegas, not since she quit her job probably.

"So what do you do now that you're out there? Do you still teach? I've asked this one here but she doesn't seem to know."

Chloe couldn't help but to glance at Beca who was, yet again, not looking at her, "Yeah, right now I'm mostly teaching lessons."

"Singing lessons?"

"Voice, that's right."

"What kind of stuff do you teach them?" Hunny seemed to notice that the table was looking at her strangely, "Oh I'm sorry, I've just seen so many pictures and heard so many stories about you, about all of you but it's always Chlo this and Chlo that. She talks about you all of the time!"

To Chloe's surprise, this bothered her. If she was always talking about her, then why wouldn't she talk to her? "Oh really?" She scoffed, watching Beca's focus narrow on a corner of napkin.

"I'm sure she's exaggerating," Beca finally said, moodily picking at the pancake in front of her, looking like a sulky teenager.

"I am not!" Hunny laughed, smacking Beca on the arm and sending the tiny girl nearly sprawling from her seat.

"Pretty sure you are, Hun."

Chloe's lips pursed. If she threw her flax muffin at the side of Beca's head, would that make her look at her?

If she - or Hunny or Beca for that matter, had taken just a second to look around then they would have seen matching looks of discomfort on each of the Bellas faces.

"What are you always saying, Bec?" Chloe asked with a sweet smile. Okay, so she was feeling a little...annoyed...

Beca just shifted a little lower in her seat and began to pick faster.

"You must have epic college stories about her."

Chloe leaned in as Hunny leaned over Beca toward her, "Oh yeah, totes."

'****'

This so had to be punishment for avoiding her former best friend or something, right? Was Hunny kidding with this? She did not talk about Chloe all of the time...probably not...maybe... Beca could feel her face was on fire behind her sunglasses and she had to wonder if they were both just fucking with her. That would be like both of them.

Chloe leaned in a little closer, her mouth opening and Beca had absolutely no idea what she was going to say but whatever it was, it probably wasn't something she wanted relived in this moment. "Okay!" Beca cried, pushing Hunny back over into her own seat, "Enough of that! Hunny, isn't it time for you to go smoke or something?"

"You're not going to come with me? Smokers never go out alone."

"Yeah, how long have you been a smoker, Bec?" Chloe casually asked with a tilt of her head.

"Aren't you worried about your voice?" Jessica backed her up.

"Yeah, well, I don't use it all of that much anymore." Beca tossed Hunny a glare and she seemed to get the point.

"Alright, I'm going. Nicotine here I come. You and I will talk later." Hunny grinned at Chloe and in response Chloe gave her a wink.

Oh my god, were they kidding? She's winking now? She winks at everything but she's winking about her now? Like, right fucking in front of her even?

She wanted to just let her face drop to the table so she could hide.

They fell into another weird silence once Hunny was gone. Beca knew it was her fault, no one, not even Amy knew how to respond if Beca and Chloe weren't talking to one another and it made everything a little weird. It was as though they were trying to stand there together on flooring with no foundation below it. 'Bloe' as Amy used to call them, had always been their bottom line, even when Aubrey held the pitch pipe. They couldn't fall apart because Bloe had them. Beca knew she needed to think of something to say but nothing was coming to mind at all, nothing she could say anyway. That's why she could have thrown Cynthia Rose her own freaking party when she finally said, "Well, I don't know about you guys but I don't want to leave yet. It went by too damn quickly."

The rest of the table nodded, mumbling their agreement.

"Maybe we should plan a yearly thing and actually do it," Ashley suggested, looking around hopefully.

She didn't know what the hell possessed her, maybe it was her hangover because she certainly had not agreed to this but suddenly Beca was speaking, "If you guys don't want to leave yet then don't. Stay for the rest of the weekend. Actually, stay a little longer. I'm sure someone at the studio can exchange your tickets without a charge. Tuesday flights are so easy to get out of here." She looked up and saw the whole table looking at her, openly surprised, "They do it all of the time. I mean, I'll have to be out almost every night but you guys can come too, if you want, and meet some of my clients. Plus, my place is huge. There's plenty of room for all of you if you're willing to double up which…you know...we all slept together in Aub's farty tent once so…" She didn't like how their faces all remained frozen in surprise. Geez, so things were weird with her and Chloe but it wasn't like she had been weird with them. What the hell? Okay, so maybe she didn't want them to go yet, fine, whatever. No, she had no idea how she was going to deal with, you know, Chloe - and the fact that she was always looking at her - but she wasn't ready to not see the Bellas again for two more years.

She had feelings. Surprise, surprise.

Finally Stacie scoffed, "Hang out in L.A. for the weekend and meet celebrities? Count me in."

Beca felt a smile start at the corner of her lips and went back to picking at her plate to hide her pleasure.

"Hells yeah! L.A. here we come! We're gonna rip this town apart, right Legacy?" Amy cheered, slapping her gut a few times before she and Emily clinked mimosa glasses together in a toast.

Beca didn't mean to, she didn't even want to, but suddenly her eyes shifted from Amy's exuberant face to her left - to Chloe. She started ever so slightly when she saw Chloe was already watching her, those blue eyes flickering, concentration on her face. She could see the turmoil there, as though she wasn't sure that the invitation also extended to her and that her uncertainty about that caused her pain.

Should she say something? She should totally say something. But what? There was nothing to say that wouldn't just point out the weirdness. She hated that she was the reason for that look.

God, she sucked.

Why was it that because she was in love with her a million freaking years ago - and yeah - she's still like, totally freakishly hot and her smile was kind of amazing - and her laugh did funny things to her stomach - why did all of that mean, she couldn't act like a normal person now?

Chloe was invited to stay...right? I mean...she had to be if she wanted the other Bellas to stay.

Beca glanced again and caught Chloe looking to Aubrey, asking a silent question. Aubrey shrugged and gave her friend a little smile.

Apparently Chloe and Aubrey were on board too and for a second Beca almost wished she hadn't offered. Why had she offered? The hell was she thinking? What happened to in and out and over?

It's cool. No big deal. Just Beca acting like an idiot again.


It was strange pulling into her lot a little while later knowing that the cars following her were full of Bellas and all of their stuff. It was almost as though she had never expected these two worlds to meet, current life and Bella life...queerballs.

"You okay?"

"Hmm?" Beca jumped when Hunny spoke. "What? Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been weird."

"Wha- I'm not being weird! You're - weird- being weird. I'm fine! There's no - weird, the fact that you'd ask is what's weird. I'm not...weird." Hunny's eyebrows shot up and she began to laugh. "Shut up!" She got out and closed the door in Hunny's face.

"You sure you're gonna have room for us, Beca?" Jessica asked as the Bellas shoved themselves and their bags into the lobby elevator.

"Oh yea-"

But Aubrey cut her off; "Chloe and I can extend our room so that's more space for you."

Beca just shrugged, torn by how that made her feel. That's probably smart, only…"Alright, come on up."

Ugh, she needed a cigarette, a drink and a nap. In that order, please.

"Welcome to casa de Beca." She called over her shoulder as she let them in, dropping her keys on the side table. Should the sunglasses come off? It was probably fine now, her headache had dulled to a low hum, but just as she reached up to take them off Chloe and Aubrey walked in, Chloe giving her a small smile. A whiff of the woman came with her, all hair products, makeup, and perfume. Nope. Glasses good.

"Wheeew!" Amy whistled, looking around. "Yeaaaaaah, I guess this will do, short stuff."

"Damn Beca, you got your own pool? Ain't nobody got a pool in Maine, girl!" Cynthia Rose cried, looking out her patio door.

Beca let out a snort she didn't really mean to release, "Of course I do, this is L.A." and she, Hunny and Emily laughed at the joke for a second, "Errr, no, I throw a lot of parties for the studio so…err, yeah. I threw one for Flashlight here when her album dropped not so long ago, huh?" In truth, it was one of the nice things about working for P.J. and another reason why she was nervous about walking. P.J. didn't like to have parties at his place so he and the studio had upgraded Beca from her small, but perfectly acceptable condo to this giant one. It wasn't necessary and honestly it was too big for a single person ...and the rent was kind of more than she would prefer... but it kind of felt like being on vacation every day and the best part, there was a dinky little soundboard and isolation studio upstairs where Beca spent any free time she had...which wasn't much.

"Oh my gosh, it was so much fun!" Emily grinned, waving her hands in excitement.

Beca grinned back; this was one of her secret pleasures. Emily had moved to Hollywood to drop her first album as soon as she graduated. She had instantly become the best of friends with Hunny, which meant she had quickly fallen into the same lifestyle Beca had, the lifestyle P.J. created and promoted. But while the girl's look had changed from innocent hippie to mid-career Christina Aguilera, every now and then she still sounded like the gun shy and enthusiastic Flashlight that Beca had known in her senior year.

She glanced behind Emily and saw the same smile on Chloe's face. She wondered for just a moment if that smile was for the same reason before she cleared her throat and started to move away, only- she blinked, confused for a moment, what was that hissing sound?

She turned and realized Lilly was speaking.

"What?"

She watched as Lilly spoke again and yet again Beca picked up nothing. She let out a laugh; apparently some things never change.

"Well, I think we all know what our first priority is…" Amy said with a sly grin.

They all returned it with ones of their own and shouted, "Pool party" while Amy grinned and cried at the same time, "Skinny dipping-oooh, right, pool paaarty..."

They all stared at her as she just scratched her stomach, looking around as though it hadn't been her who had spoken.

It was plenty warm enough for swimming, which was another benefit and downfall of living in L.A. It got hot around May and it stayed hot until around November.

Beca showed the Bellas where they could sleep, letting them hash out who got the two spare rooms and who had to sleep on the couches and went to change.


If she had known, she would never have agreed to a damn afternoon by the pool. She would have said the pool had just been leveled and that they should go see the sights or something, anything because Jesus Christ. She had thrown on her bikini top and shorts, her mind debating over the benefits of making early afternoon margaritas or daiquiris and the fact that tonight she had a rare free night. She had been fine as she had headed out to the pool with a cigarette dangling from her lips. She had been totally fine. Hunny had started to set up the little bar Beca kept stocked by the back of the patio and she had been good; happy to have the Bellas around her - even Aubrey.

Then she had turned, putting her back to the breeze to light that cigarette - and she had almost lit her face on fire.

Aubrey had needed something to swim in since she hadn't packed a swimsuit, which - who doesn't pack a swimsuit when coming to L.A.? Beca had teasingly enjoyed the look on Aubrey's face when she had handed her the skimpiest bikini that she owned, but the rest of the Bellas had insisted they brought something that would work.

So there Beca was standing with the flame lit a few inches from her face and her cigarette resting idly in the fire, charring.

Chloe had just stepped out onto the patio in a small, multicolored tribal patterned handkerchief bikini…and Beca wasn't sure if she was going to make it.

Jesus Christ.

The breeze blew, putting out Beca's flame and with it Chloe's hair went wild, blowing around her face. Chloe laughed, reaching to pull it back.

Was she kidding? Nope. She wasn't going to fucking make it.

"Meeeyaow. Look at that!" Beca's scowl was so hard that she felt a muscle threaten to pull as Hunny slid the top of her sunglasses down to get a better look at Chloe's bare skin across the patio. "You really mean to tell me that all through college and all those years after, you never tried to fuck that?"

"I WASN'T GAY THEN!" She hadn't meant to say it, it wasn't even true since she had known about her feelings for Chloe long before then... and she definitely hadn't meant to shout it. It had just happened, popped out of her mouth so fast that some could call it Pavlovian.

She froze, sucking in her lips and wincing. Right. Errrr, oops. That might have been a bit of an overreaction…just a little bit.

Thankfully, it was only the closest Bellas who were looking at her, wondering what the hell and why the hell Beca had just shouted - and Chloe. Chloe was looking over at her with open curiosity, a few tendrils of loose hair falling around her face.

Oh shit, she was coming over here. Fuck, abort mission, abort mission!

She didn't even know what mission it was that needed to be aborted.

"Bex," Hunny said, sauntering over and giving her a kiss that would have left Beca breathless if she had any breath left to take, "I've been in your bed. I hate to break it to you, but you've always been gay."

Beca couldn't identify the sound that came out of her mouth, something of a grunt, hiss, choking noise.

"Looking good, lady!" Hunny grinned over at Chloe as she moved back toward the condo.

And then Chloe was there...beside her...wearing that…

"Hey Bec."

"Heeeeeeeey, Chlo - e, uuuhhh, Chloe." Beca was still leaning heavily to one side from Hunny's kiss and she couldn't get herself to straighten.

Dude. Stand up, Bec!

"What are you making?" Chloe asked with a small chin jerk and a look on her face that Beca knew. She was trying very hard not to laugh at Beca's strange twisting stance.

For a split second, the mirth on Chloe's face brought a bubble of hysterical laughter to Beca's throat, the kind of laughter you find yourself laughing just because she is. She swallowed it back down. "Um, I'm not sure yet, actually."

"Can I help? I'm good at mixing drinks."

This one she couldn't stop. Beca lit the smoldering cigarette and let out a loud snort.

"Hey! I will have you know that I make a great drink - now."

Beca remembered Chloe's concoctions from their past, her wildly inventive and horribly uneven drinks. She had many a hangover under her belt because Chloe felt 'inspired' by a new drink idea the night before. She still couldn't touch any color of Curaçao thanks to this woman. Chloe had mixed who knows what with the alcohol and had looked so disappointed when all the Bellas had run from the drink that Beca drank it all night, enjoying the pleased smile she got from Chloe with every disgusting sip. The evening had ended with Beca violently and repeatedly sick on the Bellas lawn and Chloe feeling so bad that she cried as she sang 'Wind Beneath My Wings' to her. Beca hadn't minded the getting sick so much, embarrassing as it had been, because she had done it in Chloe's tight embrace and because Chloe had refused to let Beca go the rest of the night. When Beca was finally through, they had cuddled together on the couch, Chloe's arms around her waist and her chin nestled against the back of Beca's neck as they slept double.

Remembering that night made Beca want to smile...which made her want to cry, "I er, I better get the limes."

Beca didn't turn around again until she was in her kitchen, gathering limes she wasn't even sure she needed. She felt better with a wall between them, even if it was glass. She didn't want to think of those things. She didn't want to think about how it had felt to wake up the next morning with Chloe wrapped around her or the fact that she had turned in the night so Chloe's face had been planted against her throat. She didn't want to think about all the lesbian jokes the other Bellas had made, which had filled her with such hope and confusion because she had known she loved Chloe for years before she realized she was gay. She just...she couldn't think about those things anymore.

She felt bad that she couldn't stay beside Chloe, but - guess she didn't need to feel too bad, it seemed Hunny had taken up her post for her and...DID SHE JUST BRUSH A FINGER DOWN CHLOE'S SIDE?

What the shit? What the actual fuck? She was pretty cool with whatever and whomever Hunny wanted to do, they barely counted as a couple, but really? She had just watched Hunny trail her knuckle from ribs to hip, across Chloe's impressively tight stomach. There was no mistaking that! The hell was she doing?

Not that she could blame Hunny.

It had been years since she had seen Chloe like this…so scantily clad...had her thighs always been that smooth, that perfectly shaped…had her calves been that toned, yet soft...her belly...her...

"Bex...Bex...BECA!"

"What?" Beca jumped, dropping the limes and flushing guiltily. She hadn't been doing anything!

"You didn't hear me calling you?"

"What?" She turned to Emily, hoping that her face wasn't as red as it felt from the inside.

"What were you doing? You okay?"

"Hmmm?" Beca asked just to give herself time. She was totally fine. She hadn't just completely zoned out staring at her best friend - her former best friend's boobs, no way, not at all.

Crap.

"I was calling you from right here." Emily spent a second eyeing her nervously, "I know that Hunny likes to provide the - favors - for the party and, you know, stuff, but maybe we had better be a little more careful. I'm worried that last batch was dirty. You've been so out of it all day."

"I uh -" Beca couldn't think of a response so she just moved around her friend and continued back outside.


It could be a damn track competition: The 'Avoiding Chloe Hundred Meter Dash' followed by its close competitor 'Don't Look At Chloe In Her Bikini Relay Race'. She was doing a decent job at the first. It helped that she was playing hostess so every time Chloe approached - which felt like constantly - she could simply go and refill someone's drink. The second event, however, she was failing at miserably...hell, she hadn't even started. The pistol had gone off but instead of running she had pushed off and landed square on her face in the mud. It didn't help that Hunny was glued to Chloe's side, laughing, making drinks and probably swapping stories about her. The idea made her want to...she didn't know...do something...about it...but if she couldn't even think of anything then...god damn it!

The problem was that this was fucking Chloe...the woman who had been her best friend...the woman she had loved...so even as she was running from her all afternoon, she was also wishing she wasn't. A freaking lot. The pull to stay still, to talk to her, to be part of her again was overwhelming. She just...she fucking couldn't, not knowing that Chloe was married, not knowing that Chloe was straight, not knowing that she would always feel these things that Chloe wasn't. No, she just couldn't do that...and she couldn't talk to her without wanting to say fuck it and taking one for the I-Secretly-Heart-Chloe-Beale team - nope, no, that wasn't right - it was Chloe Cavanaugh now. So no, she couldn't. Even if she still wanted to, no matter how many times she told herself that Chloe could never love her.

"Bec-"

Speak of the devil. She wished that Chloe would just stop trying. It wasn't like Beca was giving off the I-want-to-talk-and-rekindle-our-friendship vibe, right? So why couldn't she just leave her alone? Then again, backing down was not really something that Chloe did. When she had her mind set on something she was going to get it done and she clearly had her mind set on talking to Beca.

Beca grabbed her phone from her pocket as though it were ringing and started back toward the opposite side of the patio, "Sorry I gotta-"

It was fine, though...no big deal that every freaking time she ran from her there was Hunny, waiting to swoop in.

She stopped on the opposite side of the pool, taking a second to check that everyone seemed like they were having fun. Huge smiles all around. But when she looked up and directly across the pool, her own smile dropped like lead. Beca had assumed it would be Aubrey, who was five miles of walking, talking leg and torso, that Hunny would have been drooling over, but apparently Hunny had moved on from that fascination after their little make out session the night before. Beca watched, slack-jawed as Hunny lit a cigarette for herself, pulled a deep drag and then flicked the ash. After a second, she let out a girlish little cry and Beca watched as she stepped close to Chloe, very close, and pretended to pull a small piece of cigarette ash from her eyebrow.

She had seen Hunny do this before; fuck that trick had worked on her. It had happened ten minutes before Hunny's tongue was down Beca's throat for the first time.

She knew that move.

Fucking seriously? She knew that move. She fucking -

She watched Chloe's eyes flutter as the woman stepped closer, freezing so she didn't get the fictitious ash in her eye then smiling kindly when Hunny stepped away. She looked so...fucking...goddamn it, beautiful wasn't the word...so fucking - she couldn't fucking stand - god damn it. No. Hunny could have anyone she wanted. Literally anyone! But she was not going to let her try - no! "Hunny!" Oh shit, she hadn't meant to actually say anything. Not like this. Not when she was feeling so angry.

Both redheads looked up at her bark and Beca felt her stomach simultaneously flip and turn to acid under their gaze. She jerked her head toward the inside, satisfied when Hunny willingly followed her.

Beca went to the first room with a door to close, the bathroom. It was instantly clear that Hunny thought they were there for a very different reason but Beca shrugged her off, ignoring the playful nips to her neck. "Stop, stop you just - you gotta stop."

"Stop what?" Hunny gave a little throaty laugh and pulled her in, nibbling on her ear in a way that made Beca's already pounding heart rate pick up.

"Chloe."

"Hmm?"

"Dude, will you stop?"

"What's wrong?"

"Out there! You gotta stop! Okay." Beca pointed her steepled fingers at her, "You can go after anyone you want, you know I don't care, we're not like that, I get it, I don't wanna be like that, great. So go after Aubrey. Go after Stacie or Amy or Cynthia Rose or any of them but fucking leave Chloe alone."

"What? Why?"

"She's my best friend, dude!"

"Since when? You haven't seen her in years and you won't even talk to her! You're kind of being a bitch."

"Fuck you, asshole! Since always!"

"Since when have best friends been off the table?" Hunny bit her lip, trying to pull Beca back in.

"Hunny! Okay, try and listen to this. You can literally fuck anyone here, including me, I don't care, anyone but Chloe."

"What about little Flashlight?" Hunny said it knowing she was being a brat; Beca had also put the nix on Emily months before. "Fine. Fuck Emily. Whatever." She said it so quickly that Hunny's eyebrows shot skyward.

"Wow! I was only kidding about Emily, Bex."

"Good. Leave Chloe alone." She didn't like the way her skin felt too tight, like it needed to crack and breathe.

"But I mean, did you see her in that bikini?"

"She's straight, Hun."

"I dunno, Bex, I think all of your friends are a little less straight than you seem to think, or at least open to it. I mean, you all sang a capella."

"What does that even mean?"

Hunny just gave her that stupid annoying face she always made, the one that Beca never understood; that little side shrug and grin that made Beca wonder if she even heard her.

"Fine. Whatever. Why should I even - fucking - care?" She threw open the bathroom door harder than she meant to and stomped out, turning toward the outside, where she ran into...of course. Jesus!

"Hey, I just came in for the bathroom. Did I just hear my name in there?"

"I ju-I ca-" Beca's fingers were cool against Chloe's bare arms and the realization made her jump. She had probably grabbed her in an attempt not to barrel straight into her. She dropped them and with a few more strange not-word sounds, she started past her.

"Hey!" Chloe's hand caught her wrist. "Look, Beca, I can see you're still upset with me but can we - just for old times' sake - talk a little bit? I just, I want to know how you are and what's been happening in your life. Don't you want to know about mine?"

Chloe was pulling on her and Beca couldn't freaking breathe. She was pulling her back to her and she wanted to go into her arms so badly. She saw Chloe bite her lip; she saw the hope in her eyes. She couldn't - she just couldn't!

"Beca! Where are the strawberries?" Amy's call from the patio was her damn saving grace.

"I gotta-" She pulled away but had to jump out of her reach quickly as brow tight, Chloe reached for her again. Spinning, and trying hard not to think, Beca took off fast.

The first thing she did as soon as she hit the bar was pour a tumbler full of her saving glory and swallow it down.

'****'

She was not crazy, she was sure of it. She heard them fighting about her but she missed what it was about. She watched Beca pull away from her, chewing her lip nervously. She had been trying to corner that girl all afternoon but with no luck. It was like the first time they sang together except this time she couldn't get her into the stall where she could freaking hold her hostage with her nakedness until Beca relented.

But she had heard her name.

Why would Beca be yelling about her in the bathroom with Hunny?

This whole afternoon had been so confusing.

She had felt Beca's eyes on her. All afternoon. She had felt them. So if she was looking at her then why wasn't she talking to her? If she was looking at her then she couldn't be all that mad, right? So why was she keeping her distance like this? It was kind of amazing, they were like polarized magnets, the closer Chloe got the further it pushed Beca away, each move she made was easily countered.

And Beca kept laughing at her jokes. There was even a point that afternoon when they were all standing around the outside bar that Chloe had made a joke about the infamous Gail Abernathy-McFadden-Feinberg and her 'secret' affair with John Smith. Beca had been the only one to laugh. Literally. The only one. She had coughed as soon as she realized that no one but her understood the joke and rushed on, turning on the blender for the daiquiris so no one could say anything - but she had laughed, damn it.

So - why?

She was keeping a positive attitude, Beca was mad and she could handle mad Beca - but it was starting to get to her just a little bit.

She watched Beca go, Hunny linking arms with her and she frowned.

It was strange how much of Beca was different. It wasn't just the physical. It wasn't just the new tattoos that Chloe was dying to examine up close. Somehow Beca seemed smaller than she had, more delicate, like she was living on a wire.

Maybe it was simply the fact that Beca wouldn't look her in the eye.

Okay, chin up, Chloe. You have more time. Maybe you can stay behind tonight and try when everyone is gone. Beca has a thick shell, you know this, but you've always been an expert when it comes to getting under there. You can do this.

So she gave Beca space for the rest of the afternoon, trying to come up with some way to bridge the gap and get back into her best friend's heart.

Finally the sun was setting and all of the Bellas were showered and fresh. They had all been drinking on and off throughout the day and planned on continuing, so Hunny had suggested getting something delivered for dinner. The girls had enthusiastically agreed, reminiscing about the times they had ordered takeout to the Bella house, watching TV in their pajamas and lying across one another. It was funny but it seemed as though everything triggered a Bella memory, didn't it?

They put away an impressive amount of the delivery and then all fell, much like they would have in the years before, across one another on the couches and floors. Chloe ended up, belly full to exploding, with her head in Aubrey's lap and she found that despite the cold spot across the room, she was at peace. This was nice.

"So ladies," Chloe said with a sigh as Aubrey began to lightly play with the hair across her forehead, "We haven't actually done much catching up. What is happening in your lives?"

"Yeah, Emily, I want to know what it was like recording an album!" Stacie groaned, barely rolling over in Cynthia Rose's lap so she could see her.

"Strange. Yeah, it was weird. It was so much fun to do because you know, you're all like yeah! But then it comes out and it's so different."

"Yeah, a lot of artists complain about that," Beca supplied. "You go into the studio and it's months of being all about the art and the music and shit. Then the moment it's done suddenly it's all about whether or not there will be a next one. It's kinda depressing really, it turns into a numbers game."

"Yeah, absolutely."

"Will there be a next one?" Flo asked Emily.

Emily shifted uncomfortably, "Um, it's hard to say-"

"If she comes with me to my label there will be," Beca said with a wink for their youngest Bella.

Chloe grinned; there was that confidence again.

"So Beca, are you trying to start your own label then?"

They spent a while going around the circle telling about their lives, their families. She had to fight back a blush when it was her turn because she had very little to report, but she was happy to know that her friends were all so happy in their lives. They even all shared a laugh at Hunny's confusion when it was Lilly's turn to speak. Chloe couldn't be sure but she thought she heard the words 'puppy', 'kamikaze' and 'shoes', but that had to be in her head because that didn't make any sense.

When that topic faded they spent a while reminiscing about school, about competitions, about Chloe's wedding, and making Hunny, the outsider, laugh until tears were coming down her face. It wasn't until fairly late that the conversation lulled for the first time and they all fell silent, somewhat sleepy and comfortable, taking a moment to simply be together. For the first time of the trip there was neither weird tension nor strange unspoken words, it was just the Bellas being the Bellas.

Chloe's eyes were closed in Aubrey's lap so she shouldn't know who it was, but even after all of these years she knew all of their voices like she knew her own and so she was fully aware that it was Stacie who started to sing.

Warm tingles immediately brewed to life in Chloe's stomach and she felt a smile blossom. This had always been the best part of the Bellas; the ease in which they could do this, sliding under and over one another. They had worked hard for this over the years, but she also knew that they had simply gotten very lucky, they all just fit like pieces of a beautiful puzzle.

The song was upbeat and fun and soon they were all dancing in their seats as they sang, grinning and throwing one another teasing glances.

She had forgotten how truly good it felt to sing with them and she had forgotten just how good they were at it! It was amazing, awesome even.

She could hear Lilly pick up the beatboxing rhythm beside her, across the way Ashley and Jessica picked up the effects and Chloe started to dance as well, her hands up in the air in front of her, her head rocking in Aubrey's lap.

She used to sing like this all of the time, no restraint, no holding back, just belting at the top of her lungs because she could and it felt good. Perhaps at one time it was because she was living in the Bella house where music was the food they all thrived on and singing was just the byproduct, but she had kept it up into her early married life too. Life had gotten in the way of that. She didn't know if it was her problems with Nick or just her weirdly suburban life but she had stopped singing in her second and third life and that was stupid, wasn't it?

No. No more.

She wasn't going to let that be true anymore. Right now, in this very moment, she felt more like herself than she had in a long time.

"Chloe, can you still do that thing?" Stacie asked, her fingers fluttering around her throat as if in explanation.

A small giggle popped from her as she nibbled on her lip. It had taken her a long time to get used to this but, taking a deep breath she sat up and let out a long deep bass note that sent all the Bellas into giggles.

"Yo, yo," Cynthia Rose gasped barely containing herself, "remember when she used to sneak up behind us and do that shit? Scared the hell out of me, man!"

"I forgot I used to do that!" Chloe giggled, her hands over her mouth.

"I'm glad that one of us could forget." Amy grumbled, moodily. She had always hated when Chloe did that.

"Oh my god! You're so pretty and feminine! Why the fuck can you do that?" Hunny cried, eyes wide.

"She had vocal nodules my freshman year and like a total genius she just sang with them for like months before getting them surgically removed. They fucked her shit up a little bit but it's what put us over the edge in a lot of competitions."

Chloe was flabbergasted. It was the closest that Beca had come to actually speaking to her thus far. Should she keep it going? She let her head fall back into Aubrey's lap after a second, no, a little at a time. Instead, she just settled deeper into the lap and happily gave in when Aubrey began another song.

Maybe she just didn't sing anymore because no one appreciated it. Well, that's not true, Nick had always liked her voice and for a while she used to sing for him like she sang for Beca, but nowadays if he was home then he was on the phone or he was working on a case and it was too loud for him.

She sang in front of Marcy once; that had been interesting. Actually, it had been the moment that Chloe had finally realized that she and Marcy would never get along, never have the type of relationship that she had hoped for.

Marcy had been over for the afternoon, not really doing much of anything so Chloe had, after an uncertain minute, continued around the house picking up, singing and dancing. She would never forget Marcy's face when she had turned to her, out of the blue and called her 'childish'. Chloe was just being herself and it had hurt more than Chloe had ever admitted.

The group's volume dipped for a second and Chloe understood, taking the lead, happily laughing inside as she belted out the chorus, the part that they all knew she had always liked to sing. In that moment she could feel something shift across the room, suddenly she could feel a presence that hadn't been there before.

Maybe she just didn't sing around others anymore because no one appreciated her voice like Beca used to.

She could feel Beca listening to her now, picking out her voice like a single thread in a tapestry. She was not sure exactly how she could tell, but she could feel it, just like she felt it every time they sang together over the years they had known one another. Beca wasn't exactly acknowledging her in any real way but... no, that wasn't completely true. Chloe glanced over toward Beca and she could see that little smile on her lips. She was not looking at her, as a matter of fact she was studying the floor, her elbows on her knees, but there was that same little smile that Beca used to get whenever Chloe sang for her. Amy used to call it Beca's 'S.C.S'; 'special Chloe smile'.

Often in the past they would simply lie together on one of their beds, or cuddle up together on the couch and Chloe would sing to her. It was their thing. Sometimes they would sing together and sometimes, in very special moments, Chloe could cuddle up and get Beca to sing to her. Every now and then, during one of these times, Amy would walk by and say something like, "Ugh, don't get too near Beca anyone, she has S.C.S and it might be contagious." Chloe had learned what that smile, out of all of Beca's smiles, looked like and had actively worked to see it.

Chloe couldn't believe what she was seeing and the act of seeing it was motivation enough. The song ended and she sat for a few minutes, waiting for the Bellas to stop their teasing and laughing, watching Beca, seeing the way the wheels were turning in Beca's head as though she were tasting her own smile; no idea anyone was watching at all.

When the last Bella finally fell into a thoughtful silence she took a deep breath, her chest warm, and softly sang, "I've got my ticket for the long way round." She sang it purposefully slow, not at all how Beca sang it at her audition or whenever she was being playful around the house but quietly, thoughtfully, just as they had sung it around the campfire so long ago.

She watched Beca's face fall blank with open shock and for the first time since Chloe arrived, Beca looked up and into her eyes. It made Chloe's stomach clench, pleasure and anticipation rushing through her as she smiled back.

Around her she could feel the room change, closing in, tightening like a warm beloved blanket around them; in this moment there was no one else who mattered, no one else in the world but the Bellas and more importantly the woman across the room.

The Bellas all cuddled a little closer together, enjoying the intimacy of their friendship, watching. They would jump in soon, but for now, they were waiting just as Chloe was waiting.

The room fell silent.

Chloe could feel her heart fluttering in her throat as she leaned up on one elbow, waiting for Beca, drinking in her eyes. She had forgotten how wonderful it felt to have Beca's undivided attention; to feel those misty blues on her.

Beca's face was unreadable but Chloe didn't really mind; she was willing to wait as long as Beca needed.

This was their thing, it always had been and Beca wouldn't let her down, she wouldn't leave her like that.

Aubrey shifted uncomfortably beside her. Chloe could tell everyone else was uncomfortable with the thick silence but she just let her soft smile grow, trying to tell Beca how much she missed her, how much she loved her; ready to keep singing as soon as Beca came in. But Beca just stared at her and the moments began to lengthen. It had been no more than five beats since she had sung the first line but Amy broke, giving into the tension, "Eerrr, Beca, errr, yeah, you know that's where you're supposed to come in."

She wished that Amy would have just stayed quiet, let Beca work through her feelings but she wouldn't look away from Beca's gaze, she refused. Beca was going to meet her here, of course she would.

But she could feel her smile fading and the hurt she had been pushing away since she arrived was starting to creep into her chest again. And with the creeping hurt came the two-year-old pain, the loneliness, the soul crippling heartsick wish that she could change things. "Bec…"

Beca's face hadn't changed, still staring at her, mouth agape, frozen. The silence lengthened another few moments and then without warning Beca was up, dashing from the room.

At first, Chloe was only alarmed, startled by the sudden movement, the popping of their bubble; but as it had done so many times over the last two years, the hurt flashed hot, stirring into sudden anger. She didn't give her legs permission to do it but suddenly she was up, launching herself after her.

From behind her she could hear Fat Amy yell in her best 'oh shit ya'll voice', "Awwwwwe shit, Bloe fight! Now it's really like the old days!"

Did she just high-five someone?!

Chloe could tell all of the Bellas and Hunny were up and following them at a close distance but she didn't really care all that much right now. She was furious. "What the hell, Beca! Why won't you even talk to me?" She cried as soon as Beca stopped moving, pausing with flustered apprehension on the other side of the kitchen island. As a person Chloe really tried to be sweet, she tried to remember that everyone had feelings and that most just need someone to understand them but right now she was over it! It was Beca who left their friendship, no note, no goodbye message and once again she had literally just left her, she just got up and walked away! She was sick of her leaving her. So she was mad. Very mad. What the hell was wrong with her?

"I don't know what you're talking about." Beca said with a shrug, picking up a hand towel and toying with it, refusing to make eye contact.

"Beca! You won't even talk to me about the fact that you won't talk to me!"

Beca blinked a few times, "What?"

"Come on! You won't even look at me!"

Beca's eyes rolled but Chloe could see the defensive back and forth twitch, Beca's I-know-I'm-guilty tick, "Ugh, dooon't make something out of nothing," her voice lolled over the words as though it was silly that she even had to say it at all.

The tone, the wordless accusation that Chloe was being unreasonable just made her all the angrier. "You're still not looking at me!" She yelled back, hands gesticulating wildly with her frustration.

"Ugh!" Beca's eyes trained on her, well, just to the left of her, "Chloe, don't be dramatic."

Chloe's arms crossed and she glared back with all the fury and power she could possess, "Don't be dramatic? There's a little more going on here than me being 'dramatic', Beca. I don't know why you just vanished from my life and yeah, the fact that you did hurts and it sucks and it - makes me angry but I'm willing to put that aside for the weekend! But you can't just stand there, Beca, and insist that I'm not seeing what I'm seeing!"

In the background Amy scoffed, gleeful, "I can't believe that after all of these years Bloe still fights like a married couple."

Chloe almost rounded on her, almost snapped, but then Beca responded and she was glued to her, livid when she heard, "I got busy, Chlo! It happens! People grow apart! It's normal! Plus, you freaking moved, so I don't get why you're standing here yelling at me!"

"Oh! So you are aware that I moved, then? That's good, because I wasn't sure! You didn't even say goodbye! I texted you and called you a hundred times! I showed up at your apartment and don't even try to say you weren't home because I know you were!"

"Fucking god forbid I wasn't there for you for five minutes! I had other things going on! Like, I dunno, life! How many times do I have to remind you that life happens? Outside of the Bellas, outside of our friendship! Get over it! Move on! It's been two years!"

"Beca! Ugh! I just-I can't even - that's just so-" She was so mad that she didn't realize she stomped her foot in frustration until she heard a scoffing comment behind her. "You're just - ugh, you're so lucky there aren't any bear traps around because I would shove your ass in! Then I could stand there and listen to you apologize! Again!"

"Uuuuuh, what?" She heard Hunny whisper.

"I'll tell you later," Emily whispered back and then pretended to zip her lips when Chloe shot her a glare.

"Why do I always feel like I'm missing something with you guys?"

"Because we did stuff together for four years." Chloe didn't need to see Cynthia Rose's face to know the kind of wink she just gave Hunny.

"Well!" Beca shouted back, her hands pressing into her eyes before they went defensively to her hips, "I'm sure if you asked her you could get She-Hulk Barbie over there to make you one in my living room! You know what?" Beca's hands shot up as if she were about to surrender and Chloe knew it for the I'm-about-to-take-off pose, "Feel free to swim or eat or whatever but I'm going to bed. I have work in the morning."

Beca turned on her heels.

Chloe's stomach dropped, not ready to have Beca turn from her again but she was ready for the move, expecting it. Still, Beca was a fast little thing and she had to sprint halfway up the stairs before she caught her by the wrist, "Beca please - I miss you. Just talk to me. Just tell me what I did. Please." She didn't give Beca time to fight her, she just pulled her in close, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing her tightly.

Oh god, hugging Beca felt like home. It was a feeling she had forgotten over the years. She didn't mean to, but a little hiccup of a whimper popped out of her and she pulled her closer, willing her to wrap her arms around her, needing to be close to her again. She had missed her so much; she'd never known it was possible to miss someone so much.

For a moment she felt Beca sag into her, her face resting on Chloe's shoulder and Chloe could let herself believe that it was because she felt just as relieved to be connected as Chloe did.

Then Beca was gone, muttering "I'm so outta here" and all but running up the stairs and out of sight.

Chloe just watched her go, the hurt inside taking her over. She didn't know which she would rather do, chase her or break down into sobs.

A small tear dropped from her eye and her bottom lip began to shake.

Damn.

Guess it was going to be the second option.

Still she couldn't seem to move, stunned and slack jawed on Beca's staircase.

"'Scuse me." Hunny muttered as she pushed past her after Beca, making Chloe jump and reminding her that she still had an audience.

"Come on, Chlo, we should call it a night."

She could hear Aubrey's voice from below her at the foot of the stairs but she didn't want to go. She wanted...she just wanted Beca.

But she knew that following her right now wouldn't help anything. So Chloe turned, sniffing and saw all the Bellas turn away, as though they all had another reason for being at the bottom of the stairs; looking at photos, studying their nails, looking out the window. It would have been funny - if anything could have been funny just then.

But it wasn't...couldn't be. So she just nodded and let Aubrey climb the stairs, taking her hand and gently pulling her back down and away.