Chapter 12

Tuesday - October 4th

"How's the pasta coming along?" Aubrey asked.

"It's nearly done," Stacie replied.

"Good." The blonde had beads of sweat collecting on her forehead. Obvious signs of the pressure that was currently weighing on her. "Thanks for the help, Stace."

"No problem."

Stacie had jumped at the chance to help out with the dinner. She wanted to take some of the stress off her friend. Aubrey's father was arriving today and the brunette didn't really like the effect it had on the other girl.

Aubrey was a strong, confident girl most of the time but whenever the topic of her father came up, she became timid. She would describe their relationship and it was always in a tone that sounded like she was justifying his actions.

As Stacie began setting the table, they heard a knock on the door. She could see Aubrey opening it and hugging the man who walked in.

He was a little shorter than the blonde. Dressed in a long sleeve collared pink shirt and long black pants. His face showed his age but his wrinkles were defined, giving his face a strength. The aged look was completed by the salt and pepper hair combed back and perfectly in place.

The two of them made their way over to Stacie.

The first thing she noted before even looking at the father was Aubrey's smile. It was forced, not actually reaching her eyes.

"Stacie, this is my dad, Michael," the blonde said.

Stacie held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Likewise." He shook her hand firmly.

With pleasantries exchanged, she allowed the two of them to get reacquainted while she put the finishing touches on the dinner.

Once everything was ready, she called out into the living room and everyone sat around the table. Michael sat opposite Aubrey with Stacie at her side. Initially, there was little talk other than a few compliments on the food by both of them.

The conversation that followed was difficult to watch. Michael mostly asked about how things have been going and Aubrey offered clipped answers in response. She looked almost downtrodden and the few questions she asked were done in a practiced way. It was like watching a dry play. Rehearsed and lacking any real emotion from either side.

"How's work?" he asked

"It's going well, I was promoted recently," Aubrey said. This statement was a little different, there was a sliver of hope in the tone of her voice.

"You're making acceptable progress."

And that sliver just flew away. Stacie watched as the other girl's body slump slightly in her chair and her eyes drop back down to the food.

The brunette reached under the table and slowly took Aubrey's hand into her own. As delicately as she could, she began interlocking each of her individual fingers with the blonde's, caressing each one as the connection finished. The objective was to take her mind off the current situation, slip into a pocket of time where there was only the two of them.

Aubrey turned her head and offered a weak smile. At least it was genuine.

The rest of the evening went more smoothly. She attempted to include Stacie into the discussion more frequently and kept mentioning snippets of their time together despite Michael having little to no interest in them. Stacie was surprised by how much detail Aubrey remembered. Towards the end, she was fighting back a smile. All in all, he only stayed for about two hours before departing and Stacie had never been happier to see the apartment door close.

She didn't ask Aubrey how it went and she didn't voice her opinions on Michael. It was a quiet end to the day. Hot chocolate was made and the two of them settled on the couch to watch something light.

Pretty soon the events of the day took their toll on Aubrey, eventual resulting in Stacie forcing her into bed. She then went to work cleaning the plates and generally tidying the place up a little. Finally, she took a shower and slipped in next to her bedmate.

Aubrey was still awake, although just at the brink of slumber and she was smiling at her.

"Why're you so happy?" the brunette asked.

"It doesn't matter." With that, Aubrey snuggled into her. "Thanks for getting me through the night, Stace."

"Always."

Stacie liked to think she had a superpower.

Aubrey was unable to switch off easily. When the two had met, she had told her that things like falling asleep or just relaxing were difficult for her because the next thing she needed to do was always looming over the horizon. Her break time needed to be incorporated into her schedule and the twenty-eight days of vacation time allotted to the employees at Pitch Perfect had to be taken in one go just to switch to a less work orientated mindset.

That had apparently been the case prior to meeting Stacie. For whatever reason, she had the amazing ability to relax the other girl. Whether it was a gentle touch or a kiss, she helped to pull Aubrey away from her work.

Regardless of her mood though, it wasn't difficult for Stacie to understand why she loved her. Aubrey was so much more than a workaholic. She was an overachiever with morals that were intrinsic to her being. There was a sense of justice about her. Around the office, she would look out for the interests of other employees, especially female ones.

On a number of occasions, Stacie had been harassed by some of the other employees regarding her liberal sex life prior to meeting the blonde. It was none of their business and when Aubrey had found out about them, she had spoken strongly with each individual involved.

Aubrey had an odd blindness. She was a good person that was unable to see it for herself. The people around her only reflected the uptight workaholic back at her.

"You know that I think you're awesome, right? Because I do," Stacie said.

They were unable to see Aubrey for who she was and in a selfish sense, Stacie was happy about that.

It meant she could keep her all to herself.

Thursday - October 6th

Crunch time is a term given to a period in a project where staff work longer hours to meet a deadline. Some companies have crunch built into their schedules while others are forced into it due to unforeseen circumstances.

Pitch Perfect did not have them built in and it had arrived. The management had allowed the employees the 'privilege' of working past their required time and extended the 'courtesy' of leaving the office open for longer. Apparently the maintenance staff and security guards were thrilled with the new development.

Beca was sitting at her desk staring into her computer with the seventh cup of hot beverage today. The caffeine didn't help but the short process of making the drink allowed her to clear her head and take a break.

It had just passed seven o'clock.

The light above her flickered. She didn't notice it at first until it happened again. And again.

The flickering became rapid until the lights completely went off.

The next thing she noticed was that the power to the light on the desk had also cut out. She immediately saved her work just before the power supply gave in and the screen shut off. The darkness outside made it difficult to see anything in the room, the only light coming faintly from the windows.

Only Beca, Chloe, Stacie, Aubrey and two other employees were on the current floor.

A maintenance worker walked into the room and informed them that the power would be back in an hour or so.

The redhead was near the centre of the floor collecting files on their current client. It would be even darker there. Furthermore, she had left her phone on the desk.

Taking out her own phone, Beca flicked on the flashlight and made her way towards the center. Despite the lack of actual danger, the moment the lights had switched off, her instinctive thought had been to find Chloe. The other girl would have difficulty getting back to their desk anyway.

As suspected, the hallway leading to the records room was blacker than the midnight sky. She walked slowly, the light from her phone was relatively weak and she didn't want to trip on anything.

Reaching her destination, she flashed her light into the room to find Chloe looking back at her. She was sat on a desk and her eyes turned towards the source of the light. It was clear that she couldn't figure out who was holding the light though, Beca still shrouded in darkness.

"Come on, Chlo," Beca called out.

The redhead perked up and approached the brunette before wrapping her arms around the smaller girl's neck and pulling her into an embrace. Beca accepted the action and followed suit. The light from the phone was blocked by her fingers and the two found themselves surrounded in darkness.

"I can't believe we're still here," Chloe said. She began moving her hand down Beca's back, dragging her fingers against the thin fabric. It was almost like she was trying to get comfortable against a pillow by nuzzling against Beca's neck, a few kisses where the love bite had mostly faded.

Beca wasn't fond of being used but this was different. Her friend was adorable whenever she went into an almost childlike state of seeking comfort. It was most notable in bed when they cuddled.

"Is this okay?" Chloe asked.

The question was often asked in bed. Right after she became comfortable, she would ask if the other girl was okay with their positioning. The brunette found the blip of uncertainty in an otherwise confident girl to be endearing.

"Yeah, but we should get back to the cubicle."

"Sorry, I'm just getting sleepy and you're my favorite pillow."

Without any more words, Chloe broke the embrace before trailing her fingers down Beca's arm and interlocking their fingers together. Beca began leading them back to their cubicle. She knew that the redhead didn't need to be holding her hand to find her way. She probably didn't even need to wait for Beca to come get her. They had stopped questioning their subconscious actions long ago, allowing them to occur.

Once they were back at their desk, instead of sitting on her chair, Chloe sat down on the ground, next to the floor-to-ceiling window. She then tugged on Beca's arm.

"Come sit with me."

Beca complied, taking position next to her and leaning against the side of their cubicle. Chloe crawled onto her lap and made herself comfortable again in an almost catlike fashion.

The night combined with the lack of power made their familiar office magical. The only light was the warm glow of the bustling city below that just managed to permeate into the edges of the large floor. The cars on the busy roads were visible due to the blips of their lights. Cities like this one tended to be a good source of light pollution but Beca was almost sure that she could make out a few stars in the sky.

Perhaps it was wishful thinking brought on by the girl in her lap, more wondrous than anything surrounding her.

Beca was content when she was with Chloe. At first, she thought it was because of a desperation for affection that she didn't have before. However, this wouldn't be accurate. Beca prided herself on her independence. Prior to meeting Chloe, she hadn't received the kind of love and care she got from the redhead. She didn't need it to be able to continue her life.

It wasn't affection she needed, it was Chloe. Specifically Chloe.

She was a warm, caring and intelligent person more vibrant than even her already spirited outward persona. It was easy to love her.

That's the key word. Love.

Beca was in love with her. Chloe didn't need to make her life more interesting. People don't tend to fall in love with bombast. No, Beca loved Chloe because experiencing everyday life with her made the brunette feel more awake, more aware of the things around her.

The meaning of love for Beca wasn't finding someone who was the same as her. It wasn't about attraction either. The most important thing was just having someone along for the ride and it always felt like the redhead was holding her hand through every one of their experiences, whether physically or mentally.

Chloe had her face close to the glass of the window and she was looking at the city below. "It's so pretty from up here." She reached for her handbag and pulled out a bag of gumdrops. She took out one of the red ones and put it into her mouth. "Color?"

"Orange."

Chloe rummaged in the bag and took out an orange one before placing it carefully in Beca's open mouth, her fingers lingering for a brief moment on the brunette's lips. She looked mystical in the darkness, the light causing her blue eyes to glisten.

Beca leaned closer and kissed her on the cheek and felt the older girl's body relax and press against her. Chloe started lightly touching the brunette's neck with the tips of her fingers, the contact soothing in nature.

"Are we going to talk about it?" the redhead asked.

"About what?"

"The trust exercises."

"What about them?"

"We were the only ones to fail, Chloe argued.

Beca held back her grin. "I don't see how that's my fault."

Chloe looked agitated. "Well, you didn't catch me and I hit my head pretty hard."

"I thought you said you were going to count to three before falling. I was waiting for that."

The brunette could almost hear the other girl grit her teeth. "I said no such thing." Chloe said each word slowly and sharply.

Beca allowed her smile to form and pulled Chloe against her chest and kissed the top of her head where she had taken the hit. "Is that better?"

She moved off her chest and pouted. "One more," she said, pointing at her cheek. Beca delivered her healing kiss.

The moment the action was completed, the redhead melted back into Beca's hold.

Risk. She couldn't afford to lose their closeness. Chloe didn't strike her as a homophobic person. Beca could tell her that she loved her and they would remain friends. The fear was that the friendship after the revelation would be less intimate than before.

Chloe would most likely become more aware of the kisses, hugs and constant touching. That might stop altogether so that she doesn't send mixed signals to Beca. They might have to stop sharing a bed. She would do those things as a way of looking out for Beca. In an attempt to not hurt her feelings and to not lead her along.

What about trust? Chloe might feel betrayed. To know that Beca was enjoying her touch on a more than platonic level.

No. She couldn't tell Chloe. She would have to move on. Keeping her best friend was more important than the slim potential for a romantic partner.

Losing Chloe was unthinkable.

"I've been meaning to tell you something, Becs," Chloe said.

"What is it?"

The redhead seemed to hesitate. "You know what, nevermind. I just forgot it again."

Aubrey had been nervous for most of the day, she was fidgeting and it seemed like she had something she wanted to tell Stacie. For her part, the brunette didn't push her friend and waited until she was ready to get out whatever she needed to.

"I wanted to thank you," Aubrey said.

Stacie turned her attention from the tap. She had come into the restroom to splash some water on her face and the blonde had accompanied her with a flashlight. "For what?"

"For helping me to see that my dad was wrong."

"How did I help with that?" the brunette asked.

"As long as I can remember, he drilled into my head the idea that life wasn't worth living if you weren't successful at something. He wanted me to leave a mark on the world to prove that in the small spec of time I existed, I made some sort of material impact. It's becoming clear to me that he was incredibly misguided."

Aubrey went to the hand towel dispenser and took out a few sheets. She handed a few to Stacie and used the others to help reach some spots the other girl might not be able to see in the dark.

The blonde continued. "Thinking that my father's philosophy was correct, I managed to be at the top of my class during school and even through to college. It was the reason I fought so hard for better positions and more opportunities at work. I also managed to get my father's approval throughout and I felt good, for the most part."

She was looking at Stacie with a bright smile that the brunette could just about make out in the darkness. She was still confused as to how she factored into this story. "So what changed?" she asked.

"You did. Spending time with you has been more fulfilling than my success. I don't know what it is but making you happy feels wonderful. I can forget about my current standing in the world because it doesn't matter to you. Whenever we're together, I don't worry about things. It's simple. You've managed to change my world view without uttering a single word on the subject. You managed to supplant my father's vision for me by just being yourself."

Aubrey suddenly pulled her into a hug, holding tightly. She turned the flashlight off. Stacie slipped her arm around the other girl's waist. It took a moment to realize that there was a slight dampness against her chest.

The blonde was crying.

Stacie laid a kiss on her cheek. She wasn't really sure what to say, still attempting to take in all of Aubrey's words while rubbing comforting circles on her back.

"Do you know what the strangest part is?" Aubrey asked. Her voice cracking just at the edges.

"What?"

"I haven't lost my drive. I'm still fighting for better positions and opportunities. I haven't faltered because of our friendship. You're kinda like my support structure, helping me to do more than I would have been able to on my own. With my father, I always felt alone in my attempts to be recognized. I thought it would make my success more worthwhile, to know that I did it by myself. That wasn't the case. With you, I have someone to share my accomplishments with."

Stacie took Aubrey's face into her hands and began tracing her soft skin looking for tears in the dark. Whenever she found one, she would kiss the spot.

"I'm not weak because I need help. It just means that I'm at my limit and I need support and you've provided that for me, Stace. What's the point of leaving a mark on the world? I'm only going to be alive for a short time and I'd much rather share it with you than pursue some high status that I won't be able to appreciate once I'm dead. Something that my loved ones wouldn't actually care about because they care about the person, not what they actually achieved."

"I don't want to die in a world where I have no loved ones to miss me when I'm gone."

"I'm glad you exist, Stacie."

Stacie found it hard to quell the fluttering in her chest. She was proud of her girl. When they had met, she would have never guessed that Aubrey was capable of being so vulnerable. It was commendable. The brunette considered herself lucky that she was able to create an environment where Aubrey could feel like she could say things like this.

Chloe was right. Love was stupid.

There are four fundamental forces in the universe. The gravitational force is the one most people are familiar with and is considered the weakest of the four but has the longest range. The next strongest force was known as the weak force, responsible for decay processes involving fundamental particles. The electromagnetic force is the second strongest force and exists between all particles that have an electric charge. The strongest force is known, appropriately, as the strong force. It is what allows the nucleus of an atom, made of mostly protons and neutrons, to be able to hold together without flying apart due to the electromagnetic force.

Stacie had learned all of this as part of her physics course.

She was younger and more naive at the time but she considered love to be the fifth and strongest force of the universe. Mostly because she was a big cheeseball. The idea faltered as time went on and became a relic of her youth.

Now, with Aubrey, she was actually considering the idea again and she was surprised to not throw it out of her mind as stupidity.

Love is the strongest force in the universe! How cheesy can I be?

She could feel the blonde's chest rise and fall against her and it was comforting to have her so close.

Perhaps it isn't as stupid as I thought it was.

"Is this why you've been nervous all day?" she asked.

Aubrey nodded. "I had most of it memorized but I forgot it as I started speaking so I'm sorry if I rambled."

"No, you were fantastic. However, you did miss something out." The other girl looked up from the embrace, her eyes were still wet.

"The reason I like you. Your drive and determination aren't something your father or I instilled into you. They come from you. I know you don't seem to believe it but you have a good heart, Bree. You're not the angry robot you secretly think you are." She kissed her forehead. "Robots don't cry into their best friend's shoulder."

Stacie took Aubrey's hand and began to lead her back to their cubicle. "We should go home, work can wait for now."

Collecting their belongings, Stacie stole glances at her friend knowing that she wouldn't be easily discovered. She was going to tell Aubrey soon. Their conversation had reinforced her love for the blonde. Even if things didn't work out, Aubrey wouldn't leave her. Her words had indicated that they both needed each other.

She just wanted to be with her.

Saturday - October 8th

Beca played around with the ocarina that had been in her possession for a while now. She was becoming quite competent with it. She had woken up this morning and ran straight to her work desk.

Love songs. Her previous attempts to broach the subject had been met with a lack of inspiration.

That was no longer the case.

She spun around in her chair so she was facing her bedroom. It painted a picture of how she had been living for the past few months. There was a messy quality to the place but it wasn't due to lack of organisational skills. It looked more like a storage location than a bedroom. Oddly, there was actually stuff missing that had been taken to Chloe's apartment and then left there.

The close inspection made the place feel unfamiliar.

She had yet to construct a song using the ocarina but it felt fitting for a song about Chloe. Lyrics would come second, the tone of the piece would need to be achieved first. She opened her laptop and started messing with sound samples and MIDI files to determine the instruments she would use. There was a MIDI file for the ocarina but she would perform and record that herself.

Lyrically, she wasn't sure what exactly to cover with her song. Chloe had the advantage of being able to cover their friendship over the course of a novel. While Beca was capable of writing a thirty-minute epic, it wouldn't really be in the spirit of what she wanted to do. Specifically talking about events and objects in the song would work for a more lighthearted song. She had written songs like that before so it wouldn't be much of a challenge.

Writing a song to purely showcase her love for Chloe and by extension her emotions, would be a more difficult and worthwhile task.

Tapping at the screen on her phone, she called the redhead.

"Hey, Beca." Came Chloe's voice.

"Hey."

There were several moments of silence. Beca continued to work on the song.

"Is there any reason you're calling?"

"Nope. Just wanted to hear your voice."

"Is something wrong?" Chloe sounded concerned.

"No, not a thing. I'll be over later tonight."

"Okay."

The brief bites of Chloe's voice were all she needed to find the right instruments. The ocarina was actually perfect for Chloe. It was a light instrument. The tones coming from it were cheery and positive.

As the song started to take shape, she began humming and whistling tunes she wanted to incorporate into it. Memories of Chloe replayed in her head, distracting her. Each one could justifiably be a song in and of itself.

The song would not be complete for a long time but for once, Beca wasn't short on inspiration.

Thanks for reading!

So updates are going to take up to two weeks now. I'm going back to university at the end of the week for my final year so I'm not going to be able to write as often.

Thanks to jengreene1980, sugarlandaddict23, Guest, Joshifer4Everlark, until its gone, CapAmerica21, 22-fall-in-love, CherryFlavouredPoison and Fuzz78 for their reviews.

Broke 100 favorites and 200 followers at the same time with the last chapter so thanks to all those that followed and favorited the fic.

As usual, the chapter specific cover images are on my tumblr.