A/N: Here it is. Sorry for the wait. I know I said updates would be better but I was getting used to not being at school anymore and doing the things I had been putting off. Like tidying my bedroom and the games room. I'm actually away on the boat all this week until next Sunday night but I have Wi-Fi here so I'm updating but I don't know if I'll have internet anywhere else and we move tomorrow, weather permitting. So I'll let you read now. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pitch Perfect or characters etc.

So on with the next chapter...

Chapter 29

They all stayed silent waiting for his idea. After a moment where nobody agreed or opposed listening to the idea he started to explain.

"We were thinking about how this week was aimed at ending the war, and how well we worked together out in the woods." He was obviously stalling.

"Just spit it out Jesse." Beca interrupted.

"Well, you know how you said you have trouble picking groups and that a competition was the last thing to help end this war?" He was still delaying it. Beca earned a few looks from the Bellas for supplying Jesse with that information.

"You're still stalling!"

"We thought we could mix the groups. Have an equal number of Bellas and Trebles in each group." He finally got out. No one spoke for a while as they considered the idea. It did make sense. If they had an equal split in all the groups neither group could come ahead of the others. Neither team would win and so the competition would only be friendly, it couldn't get vicious. Aubrey scanned all the Bella's faces before she turned to the Trebles.

"Alright. We have a deal." Aubrey agreed shaking on it. "Groups of 10. 5 of each." She ordered. The process of sorting out the groups was a slow one. The first few groups were fairly easily sorted. The newest ones were in the same groups as were the oldest ones. They didn't have time to get used to each other's styles so making sure the groups were split so they all knew how the other team performed was the best way to ensure they had a good chance. The middle groups were where all the problems started. While the oldest groups where used to each other, knew about the war and before it, and the newest ones were not as set in the hatred and the war, the middle groups were well set in their hatred and had never known it any other way. That was where all the fighting started.

Beca's group was one of the first to be decided. She was happy to find that Jesse was in that group. Along with Aubrey, Chloe, Fat Amy and Stacie from the Bellas and Donald, Unicycle, Benji and another Treble whose face she remembered but not his name. It didn't take them long to decide on one of the songs they would sing. Once they had decided to mix the groups the competition became between the different groups instead of Bellas v Trebles so they were no longer communicating to sort out what songs and routines they were doing. They could now focus solely on their own groups. It made it easier and faster. As they started to prepare Beca couldn't help but remember her last a Capella competition. The last time she led the Bellas in the finals.

Fourth Year at Barden

The ride to finals on the bus felt bizarrely uneventful. Perhaps because by now they were used to planning some kind of prank but this year they weren't or because this year was Beca's last as captain before she graduated and someone else took over. It would be the end of an era so to speak. Instead however it felt like nothing more than regionals any other year, not finals for the last time under the leader that first gave them a win there against the Trebles. The bus had an odd peaceful air full of underlying tension and anticipation for the upcoming competition. No one spoke word the entire journey.

The atmosphere hadn't changed when they arrived either. No insults were exchanged between the two groups, just a heavy silence. The win at the semi-finals had given the Bellas a lot of confidence for this competition. They had worked hard and despite the hiccups early on in the year they felt ready to win now. They watched as the Treblemakers went out first as usual for the finals and started their set.

Beca had a weird feeling as she watched them knowing it was the last time she would see them perform, see Jesse perform. After graduation he was gone. The only thing tying them together now was a Capella and after this it was done. The war hadn't really helped. It was a temporary way to keep him in some way involved with her but now they were both leaving the war behind. If anything, she realised, she had ensured that it was only the war that was binding them together. If had pushed them further apart. The sensation she got from this epiphany wasn't what she may have expected it to be, instead she felt as though she should have seen it a lot sooner. She had some kind of understanding from it. Like she was finally seeing clearly, but it had come too late. This was what Benji had been telling her all along in not so many words. Until now however she hadn't seen it. It felt devastating as it was always going to but with it she felt a strange sense of peace.

No one could deny that the Trebles performance was a good one. The crowd was deafening as they exited the stage and went to sit in the audience. Moments after the Bellas were called up to the stage. They all took their places and as Beca blew the pitch pipe they started. Throughout their set Beca felt her eyes drawn to Jesse. It was both the same and different to the first time. She felt drawn to him in the same way, as though she was singing to him but not for any reason other than how she felt. But this time it wasn't for a beginning, it was for an end. She felt tears in her eyes although no fell and from the look on his face she knew he could see them. As their final song came to an end she saw him nod. It was an acknowledgement like the first time, but one of opposite meaning. In a way they had never truly ended it before. Even though they had broken up whatever they had going in the first place had never truly ended. Now it had in time with the end of their a Capella careers. It felt somewhat ironic but fitting that the thing that bought them together when it started should set them free from each other at its end.

The Bellas had also put on a strong performance. As it ended Beca felt herself collapse into the group hug. Everyone assuming the uncharacteristic tears were from this being the end. They then all filed off the stage waiting for the final verdict. The Bellas and Trebles had been number one and two in different combinations for a few years now and the announcers had taken to dragging it out. They all stood rigid in anticipation as the winner was announced. And this year's ICCA champions are: The Barden..." The pause seemed to get longer every time. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as they finally revealed the winner. "Treblemakers!" The cheering from the stands was even louder than before although some 'booing' could be heard from the Bella's fans.

Beca could feel the disappointment and devastation of the other Bellas around her but she couldn't bring herself to feel it too. She had expected losing to feel worse than it did. She finally realised it wasn't the winning or the losing that made her feel so bad. At least not of the ICCA's, it was everything else that she had lost along the way. Jesse, her friends, even control of the Bellas to a degree, with the pranks at least, but most importantly along the way she had also lost herself. This time however she realised what she had to do. She had to start with herself, and she had to set Jesse free too.

They had all worked through dinner and eaten while they planned but as night fell they knew it was time to start heading off to bed in order to be fresh and ready for the competitions the next night. Most of the Trebles returned to their own house as did the mixed couples who were staying in the other house but a few of the younger ones decided to stick around. Eventually someone had suggested they watch a movie. Beca was unable to resist rolling her eyes when Jesse had predictable picked up on it and 'forced' Beca to watch it too. She had to admit it was one of the things that, as much as she protested, missed the most. It was something that was undeniably Jesse and she hid her relief that he could still mouth the words to the entire movie. Some things never changed no matter how much the person did.

She managed to drag him off after the first movie before the second one started and she could proudly say she had stayed awake and watched the whole thing. Something, she assured him, he shouldn't get used to. It wasn't going to last. As they got up to leave the room however the next problem occurred.

"Are you coming to bed?" She asked as she started to make her way to her room.

"What makes you think I would stay in this house after what you pulled last time?"

"After the reception I got in the Treble house? You deserved it."

"I didn't make them do that. Or set you up for it." He reminded her.

"You didn't exactly help."

"I did try."

"Okay, you're right. We should take it in turns. We stayed here Wednesday night. It was your turn last night so it's here again tonight."

"Nice try. That's not how it works. Last night was a time out of sorts. We weren't even on campus." He argued.

"What is the point of watching all these movies if you aren't going to give in? Isn't that what the man always does? As a show of devotion?" She tried again.

"In all these movies you haven't watched?" He countered. She sighed knowing she wasn't going to win this one.

"Would I be me if I didn't at least try?" He shook his head affectionately in response before putting an arm around her shoulder and forcefully guiding her out of the door towards his own house. "You know I think there's a spare room in the other house." She remembered when they got half way.

"Where would be the fun in that?"

"You think this is fun? You're such a weirdo."

"And so are you." He replied. She wanted to tell him that he wouldn't love her any other way but she held back her retort. She had to remind herself he still hadn't said it back yet. She didn't know if it was true. Sure, she knew he still wanted her, but love her? She wasn't so sure, and neither was he as far as she could tell. She couldn't blame him after everything she had put him through both directly and indirectly. "And I wouldn't want you any other way." He added after a moment as though he could sense where her thoughts were heading. It pulled her back to the present. She smiled and snuggled into his side allowing him to steer her into the Treble house with anymore objections.

The moment the door to his room closed they were once again all over each other, shedding their clothes hurriedly. They had almost 10 years to make up for and they had no intentions of wasting a minute more.

Beca lay awake after; her head resting on Jesse's naked chest as he slept, rising and falling with his deep steady breathing. Everything this week seemed to be moving so fast. From not having seen each other to sleeping together to talking about what happened arguing about what happened to making up to almost breaking up again and now here they were together again. She could only hope it would last this time. She knew they still had a lot to talk about but at least most of it was out. Now there was just graduation. She just prayed he would understand.

"I love you." She whispered to his sleeping form before she closed her eyes and let sleep take her. She had been dying to tell him since he explained and she forgave him but she knew it was unfair to tell him when he was awake, especially with him not being able to say it back, not yet at least. She briefly wondered if he ever would before she drifted off wrapped securely in his arms listening to the steady beat of his heart.

Okay, I hope you enjoyed it. I have actually planned out all the remaining chapters now and it should finish at chapter 35. I feel like it's slowly starting to wind up now. So, what did you think to who won at finals? I'm still taking guesses about what happened at graduation. We should find out soon but let me know what you think happened. So I hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think. And see you in the next chapter.(*smiles*)