So I'm not 100% sure about this chapter, or the pacing. Something feels off but my brain is fried right now so let me know if you have any feedback. Thank you all for the fab comments so far, the support is amazing! I hope you enjoy this X

Jerry burst into the recording room to face Sabine. "What just happened?" He demanded, staring at the blonde in utter confusion. She was still sitting like a statue by the piano, her eyes wide and face drained of all colour. Her gaze snapped to focus on him when he spoke to her and she seemed to come back into herself as though surfacing from a trance. She rubbed her hand hard against her forehead and sighed. She fumbled with her languages before trying to explain.

"Uh...we are not so much strangers as we thought we were." She answered mysteriously. Jerry's brows scrunched together in confusion for a moment before he gasped and he pointed between Sabine and the empty space where Beca had just stood.

"You mean, you and her? You...she…did you?"

Sabine appeared to be puzzled by his stammering for a moment before comprehension dawned and she waved his assumptions away quickly with one elegant hand. "Oh no, nothing like that!"She exclaimed suddenly, chuckling a little. She gave a rueful, lopsided grin that caused a dimple to flicker on one side of her face. "Though I would have no regrets if we had." Jerry had to laugh at that.

"You like her?"

"Who wouldn't?" She responded simply, with a little shrug. Jerry watched as several emotions crossed Sabine's face, and waited for her to continue. She sighed and cast her gaze down to her hands instead. "We knew each other in the past. A lifetime ago really." She sighed wistfully. "We were both very different people then. She has grown so much in her confidence now, it's lovely to see..." Sabine gave a small grin as memories surfaced. "We competed against each other several times in A Capella competitions, one was particularly prestigious. She won, of course." Jerry grinned at the blonde's expressions as she reminisced on a younger Beca. She sighed and added softly "She won many things that night. The heart of a foolish young German amongst them all." Jerry's face sobered and he moved to place a hand on Sabine's shoulder in comfort.

"She's not all that bad you know. A bit prickly, yeah, but she wouldn't be Beca without that." He barked a short laugh before continuing. "But maybe you two should sit down and talk things out? She's just surprised is all. And trust me, she hates surprises."

Sabine shook her head, looking regretful. "Unfortunately not. I think perhaps she doesn't have a very high opinion of me." Jerry frowned at her, waiting for her to elaborate. She sighed. "I teased her a great deal during the year we...uhm 'locked horns', is that the phrase? I suspect it may be the one I mean. Ah yes. She was so easily flustered and confused, and tried so hard to cover it that she would dig herself into trouble. It was amusing, and flattering of course. But I think that maybe I played the game a little too well, and in the end she suspected my initial motive to be my only one. To intimidate her only, to put her off during our competing. It was a small consideration at the very start. But so quickly I was drawn in...she's so earnest and true in every part of herself, I wanted desperately to make her mine."

"But…?" Jerry prodded.

Sabine gave a little shake of her head. "Her heart belonged to another back then. And no doubt now as well."

Jerry frowned briefly, then gave a loud "Ooohhhhh!" Her eyes flicked up to look at him and he grinned at her. "Do you mean Jesse?"

"Maybe? I'm not certain."

"Trust me, you mean Jesse. Yeah, they broke up years ago."

"How do you know this?"

"Let's just say you don't take Beca Mitchell for shots without getting her absolutely blind drunk and learning a few things in the process."

"I'm sure I'll have to take your word for that."

Jerry made another sudden noise of comprehension that had Sabine's attention on him again in curiosity. He grinned at her. "So that means...Sabine you're actually the reason Beca broke up with Jesse!" She sighed and closed her eyes tiredly.

"Another reason for her to dislike me."

"No I don't think you understand. You changed her life Sabine...literally changed her life. In a good way too, otherwise she'd have been in the closet forever."

"Why was she in a closet? Does she hide?" Sabine's confusion over the phrase had Jerry in stitches and he laughingly replied.

"Not so much any more, no!" he managed to quell some of his amusement before he carried on. "No, when we say someone's 'in the closet', we mean they're gay but haven't admitted it yet. Maybe to others, or themselves. But that's what that means. You outed her, in a way. By the sounds of it she was a very different person after meeting you." He bent down so he could look her in the eyes. "That's a good thing, you know." And he gave her a soft smile, hoping to reassure her. Sabine returned it half-heartedly.

"Even so, I'm certain she doesn't want to see me again." She shrugged ad added in a quieter tone "I can't day I blamer her."

Jerry could hear sadness in her voice and see it in the way she slumped against the piano. From what Beca had drunkenly told him of her encounters with this woman, she had left a very lasting impression and she'd never fully shaken her off. She hadn't known her name – until now, of course – but she'd been left completely under her spell ever since she first met her. He grinned again, suddenly, fancying a new career in matchmaking.

"Sabine, I think you have a real shot at this you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...do you still like Beca?"

Sabine considered him shrewdly before answering. "She has been on my mind many times since we last spoke. She...she is difficult to forget."

"So is that a yes?"

The blonde woman sighed and half-smiled. "Yes. Yes I do like her, as you Americans would put it."

"Then go get her!" He exclaimed, indicating with his hands the path of the recently-departed producer. Sabine's face fell slightly.

"I...am not sure it's that simple Jeremy."

"Sure it is! You like her, she's absolutely melting over you, go after her. Hey, maybe even let off a little steam..." He winked at her, and was met with a very stony expression. He hadn't seen the Kommissar before, but now here was a shadow of that petrifying character staring him down intently. He gulped a little and shuffled his hands into his pockets, his eyes sliding to the floor. Suddenly he looked like a small child who'd been told off by his teacher for clowning around in class. "Sorry." He mumbled into his chest. "Sometimes I just get a bit carried away..."

Sabine eased up on him then, and let her expression soften. "It's okay." She told him. "I just...let's maybe just slow down a little on all of this, yes? Beca is not the only one who's had a shock today."

Jerry nodded in understanding. He apologised again and Sabine waved away his words, assuring him all was fine. She did, however, slowly rise from her stool.

"I think I'd like to make use of this extended break, if you don't mind?" She indicated that she'd like to leave the room and Jerry nodded, agreeing.

"Sure, may as well I guess. I'm going to have a look for Beca. There's only so many places she could be hiding after all. Though I may end up finding her in the broom closet at this rate, it's a favourite spot for her to have a panic attack in."

"I thought you said she was not in a closet any more?" Sabine frowned slightly at him and he chuckled a little at that.

"She shouldn't be – I hope you haven't scared her back in there after this little surprise." And he followed her from the recording booth.

Sabine bent over a sink in the bathroom and splashed cold water onto her face, patting some of it over her neck and then her closed eyelids. With a sigh she leaned her long, slim hands on the smooth porcelain and let her head fall forward until her forehead settled gently against the mirror. A myriad of thoughts were chasing their tails around her mind, nipping at her well-built walls and threatening to unravel her right there in the studio restroom. She could feel a headache starting, dull and heavy right at the front of her head, causing her to grunt softly to herself as she acknowledged the blossoming pain.

Suddenly she heard a door open quietly and footsteps scuff slowly from the stall at the end of the room. They paced towards the sinks, then continued right over to her and stopped just a foot away. She opened one eye blearily and glanced to the side, then straightened herself and turned to look fully at her bathroom companion.

"So..." Beca began, radiating awkwardness. Despite the fidgeting of her feet, she held her arms stiffly by her sides, her hands balled into fists of nervousness.

Sabine felt one corner of her mouth curve slightly in a ghost of a smile at the tough little producer. "Tiny maus, we meet again." She murmured. Beca couldn't help returning a small smile as Sabine echoed the phrase from years before. She looked up at the German...except it wasn't nearly as far up as she seemed to have thought. Sabine wasn't even a head taller than her, she could easily have reached up to brush her lips to those gorgeous cheekbones and lay soft kisses...Beca startled and gave herself a mental slap, willing her dirty little mind to behave itself.

"You...aren't as tall as I remember." She commented lamely, instantly cringing at the ridiculous excuse for a conversation starter. Sabine just smiled further at her however.

"And you aren't as small. Perhaps you are not a kleine maus after all? I should not have used that name."

"No you can use it!" She jumped in immediately, then shook her head at herself, mouthing 'what?' as she turned her head away from the other woman. She huffed then turned back, attempting to look cool and smoothing her hair down. She shrugged one shoulder and aimed for nonchalance. "I mean...yeah, you know, whatever. I'm not bothered or anything." She missed it totally.

A soft laugh rippled from Sabine then, and it sounded like the sweetest music Beca had ever heard. She could feel herself turning weak at the knees, and tried desperately to hold onto her barely-there composure. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth...but found she had nothing else to say for herself. Sabine continued the vein of strained conversation.

"I suppose not wearing heels helps."

"Huh?" Beca was momentarily lost.

"The height issue? I'm not wearing the...oh now, what are they called here?"

"Stripper heels." Blurted Beca suddenly. Sabine raised an eyebrow at her and leaned so that one hip was cocked, with a hand coming to rest on it as she scrutinised the brunette – who was blushing furiously. She continued with a mumble. "I'm not saying you're a stripper, that's just what they're called over here, you know, nicknamed. I wouldn't ever call you a, a, you know-" Sabine smirked as Beca lost all control over herself completely. "Not that it's a bad career choice, y'know? I mean women can be whatever they want. I have nothing against strippers, I like strippers, and if that was your thing then I wouldn't complain. Judge! I wouldn't judge. I meant judge! Wow, is it warm in here?" She squeaked at the end.

"I can assure you I am not a stripper. Though that may be a shame, given how much you like them."

"Did I say that?" Beca was fanning herself furiously with her hand, still desperately trying to catch up with whatever trouble her traitorous mouth had landed her in. Sabine nodded slowly, her expression amused. There was silence for a second or two as the producer grappled with the wild array of x-rated images playing like a filthy peep show behind her eyes, her expression glazing over.

"...Beca?" Sabine's face was concerned as she looked into Beca's eyes, trying to gain her attention. Beca jumped as she resurfaced from the pit of sin she was rapidly falling into and gasped, clamping her eyes shut.

"I'm fine! I just need...fresh air, yeah. Lots of fresh air. Now." She stumbled blindly for the restroom door.

"May I join you?"

Beca wanted desperately to say no, but she also needed to stay as close to this woman as possible, now that she had miraculously found her again after so many years of trying to forget. So she just nodded, opened the door and politely allowed Sabine to head out first, before impolitely glueing her gaze firmly to her ass.

She wondered how long she could plausibly fuck this album up for.

The two women sat in a small garden on the roof of the recording studio, sharing a bench and basking in the warm winter sunshine of LA. Sabine leaned her head back, eyes closed, to appreciate the extra vitamins and tan. Beca merely folded her arms and shuffled further under the shade of a potted tree at her end of the bench. After a few moments Sabine glanced over at her.

"You do not like the sun?"

Beca shrugged. "It doesn't like me." She held out two very pale arms and grimaced. Sabine nodded in understanding and then let her head fall back again.

"Yes you're rather milky, aren't you?"

Beca's cheeks burned pink. "Is that...supposed to be an insult or a compliment?"

"Which would you rather?" came the infuriating reply.

"You're teasing me." Beca pouted, feeling a sulk coming on. Even Sabine's throaty chuckle couldn't stop her.

"Oh Beca, I don't tease all the time you know."

"Really? I thought it was sort of a default setting for you." The brunette sniffed sullenly, turning her head away and folding her arms over her chest. Sabine's eyes opened slowly and she sat up, looking serious now. She turned so that she was facing Beca and reached over to her and put a hand gently on one of her knees. Beca's gaze snapped to the warm hand causing her skin to burn through her jeans. Her heart rate increased involuntarily at the completely unexpected contact.

"Beca, look at me." She almost didn't dare, but the other woman's voice was so compelling that she gave in after a second of hesitation. She met those intense blue eyes and was instantly as lost as a matchstick in a stormy ocean. "I know..." Sabine was hesitant. "I know I may have seemed unkind to you in the past. But that wasn't my intention. I...admired you. Even then I was impressed by your spirit and my way of dealing with healthy competition was to play with you. I didn't mean any harm...or to make you feel bad. I hope you know that."

Sabine's fingers had been rubbing soft circles on Beca's knee as she spoke in her soft, earnest voice. Beca was transfixed by her. The Kommissar she had known several years ago seemed to have disappeared. The hard exterior was gone, along with the taunting expressions and smugness. But also missing was the fire Beca had seen, the energy she remembered from the stage. The woman who had performed with complete power and confidence was not the same woman who sat in front of her now, and it perplexed her. Without realising what she was doing, she placed her own hand over Sabine's and squeezed it gently.

"What happened to you?" She murmured.

Sabine straightened her back, her head tilted very slightly to one side. "What do you mean?" She asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

Beca spent several moments searching for the words to express her thoughts. "There's no Komissar any more, is there?"

Sabine paused for a moment, the varying blues swirling in her eyes as a swarm of emotion overtook them. Beca couldn't read what was going on behind them, but she fervently hoped an explanation would be forthcoming. Suddenly it was as if a shutter had dropped and her face became a mask in that moment. She blinked once and then spoke a though she was reading woodenly from a script. "No. But there doesn't need to be a Kommissar any more."

Beca was concerned about the change in the other woman, but she figured now wasn't a time to try and dig any further. She patted the blonde's hand and gave her a friendly smile, to try and draw her out of her sombre mood. "Well I think maybe I prefer Sabine anyway." She gave a small smile at that, a dimple flashing cheekily on one side as she glanced shyly at Beca.

"Only maybe?"

"Well I haven't met her properly yet, have I?"

The two women sat in comfortable silence and shard a shy smile each. Beca warmed inside as she noticed a delicate pink blush blossom across Sabine's well-cut cheekbones – she hadn't thought for a moment that she could be capable of blushing, yet here she was looking like a teenager on her first date. It made her go a little bit gooey on the inside.

A gentle cough interrupted their prolonged staring, and Beca whipped her head around to see Jerry standing a few feet away, his eyebrows raised as he grinned at her knowingly.

"Am I interrupting?" He asked, all feigned innocence and not-so-subtly raised eyebrows. Beca scowled at him immediately, and hurriedly removed her hand from Sabine's. The other woman got the message instantly, stood up and put her own hands in her back pockets.

"I found your co-producer!" She announced brightly to him. He gave her a sly smile.

"So I see. Been catching up ladies?"

"That's what old friends do, ja kleine maus?" she nudged Beca with her hip, swaying against her and causing the smaller woman to let a sheepish grin slip through her tough facade. She instantly straightened it back into a scowl when she caught Jerry's look as he watched her.

"Yeah. Totally." She stuck her tongue out at Jerry as she started to walk towards the door that would lead them into the building once more. "So mind your own business Jeremy." Sabine shrugged at Jerry and laughed quietly as she followed Beca's stalking figure. He turned swiftly and hurried after the blonde, whispering to her.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Nothing you need to know."

"Did you call her a mouse?"

"I did."

"And she let you?"

"Thankfully, yes."

"That's…adorable!"

Beca rolled her eyes. Hard.