AN: This wouldn't leave me alone and I just had to write it. My other PP story will be updated soon.
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than a few OCs that will make appearances here and there.
CHAPTER 1
Beca watched from the upper levels as Stacie led a tour group along the exhibit. It amazed Beca how amazing of an actress the girl was. Lilly was pushing around a janitor's cart and Amy was casually looking over all the many pieces. But Beca knew what she was really doing. She was inspecting the glass casing and the small security lasers inside the cases.
Benji walked up to his best friend. He didn't agree with any of this when Beca started out doing all this. It was just her at first grabbing little things from stores and then the little things started growing and if it hadn't been for Stacie Beca would have gotten caught switching a diamond out for a fake. Since then the two have been working together. Benji, realizing that he could either help his best friend or watch on the sidelines as she got caught.
"Hey. Everything is in place." He says and Beca nods. She looks down and catches Lilly's eye. She nods at the silent girl who smiles and goes about wiping the glass cases and Amy knows that is her cue to leave.
Stacie's tour ends and she walks out and climbs into the 2010 Nissan Pathfinder in the parking lot. Amy is sat behind the wheel and Lilly is already in the third row seating. Benji is behind the driver's seat typing away on his laptop.
The only one missing is Beca.
Beca steps into the elevator to meet up with her friends. Just before the door is completely shut a hand reaches into the gap. Beca looks up and gasps before narrowing her eyes at the suited man.
"What do you want?" she asks leaning back against the rail of the elevator.
"We need to talk." He hands her a JanSport backpack.
Beca opens the bag and peers inside. She gasps zipping it back up.
"I know you aren't planning on keeping it and it's a replica. You plan on selling it and the people won't notice any difference. Next time don't let Benji leave his home computer unlocked." He says and Beca grinds her teeth.
Beca shoulders the bag and pulls out her cell texting Amy.
Amy checks her phone and nods. "Alright then." The Aussie places her phone in her pocket and starts the car.
"But Beca!" Benji says.
"Boss lady told me to meet up at HQ." She hands them her phone as she puts the car in gear and drives away.
July 3, 2005
It has been three weeks since the Beales' arrival and Beca still didn't know how to feel around the upbeat red head who always had a smile on her face. Beca liked having another place to hide though.
Her parents had a pretty nasty fight last night when they thought Beca was asleep. Her father stormed out and he has yet to come home.
Benji loved having the Beales around. Between Beca and his two sisters he didn't have much guy friends. Or any friends really. John and Ethan were the best male influences for Benji. When Benji did a magic trick they clapped and cheered him on. Andrew was also someone Benji could talk Star Wars with since his father wasn't much of a fan.
Chloe was persistent though. She saw the walls around Beca and she was scaling each and every one of them with ease. She has always been a good judge of character and she knew Beca was guarded. She didn't let people get close. But Beca is a mystery to the young red head and she is determined to get over all the walls and proudly proclaim herself as Beca's best friend. Benji was going to have to get over it and share the title and Beca was just going to have to accept that she wasn't going anywhere.
Which is why it wasn't a surprise that Chloe was knocking on the Mitchell's front door at ten in the morning with a bright smile on her face.
Joanna Mitchell answers the door with a smile. There is only one person she knows who can knock as enthusiastically as this.
"Hello Chloe."
"Hey Mrs. Mitchell, is Beca up yet?" Chloe asks and after a moment the two let out carefree laughs. "Of course she isn't."
Being summer vacation Beca is never awake before noon.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Joanna asks curiously and Chloe nods.
"Yep, my parents are inviting you and Beca and your husband if he is around for our Fourth of July BBQ tomorrow at two." Chloe says with a bright smile.
In the three weeks the Beales have been in town they have only met Nathan Mitchell two or three times.
"We'll be there." She motions to the stairs. "You know where she's at."
"Thanks Mrs. M." Chloe chimes as she scampers up the stairs and to Beca's bedroom.
Chloe isn't surprised to find the room to be dark. Beca has these thick black drapes that keep all the light out. She giggles as Beca grumbles at the light filtering from the hall hitting her face before turning away from it.
Chloe goes over to the bed and begins poking Beca. "Beca!"
"Go away!"
Chloe smiles going over to the girl's desk where her laptop sits on and unlocked. The room screams Beca. She has many posters strategically placed and a massive record collection that lines one of her walls and Chloe was surprised when she saw the filled bookcase full of books she didn't expect Beca to like.
But alas you cannot judge a book by its cover and Beca is a book Chloe wants to be able to read.
"Becaaaaaa…" Chloe drawls lifting the screen of the laptop. "I'm messing with your mixes." Chloe teases.
"You're too nice to mess with something that means so much to me." Beca grumbles and Chloe frowns. Apparently three weeks has been enough for Beca to read Chloe.
"Fine, have it your way." Chloe huffs getting up and going to the drapes.
"Don't you dare Red." Beca warns.
Chloe grins and throws the drapes open and Beca lets out a pained cry as she pulls the covers over her head to block out the evil light Chloe has let into her room.
"What are you a vampire?" Chloe teases walking over to the bed and sitting next to the lump that is Beca.
"You don't know me!" Beca's shout is muffled b the blankets.
"Well you are pale enough."
"Let me sleep!" Beca groans and Chloe giggles.
"Nope, we are to pick up Benji and my mom is going to take us to the library." Chloe says shaking Beca.
"Whyyyyyy?" Beca whines wanting to do nothing more than go back to sleep.
"Because it is good to get out of the house Beca." Chloe says.
"And going to a library is fun? It is summer vacation you crazy giant!" Beca shouts as Chloe tugs on the comforter.
"Come on Beca!" She gives a hard tug but Beca has the comforter in a tight grip. She is not giving up so easily.
Downstairs the front door opens and closes and it isn't long before Nathan Mitchell's voice is heard.
"Is Beca home?"
"Why don't you go check and see." Is Joanna's tight response.
Chloe gives a tug thinking Beca's grip is still intact but as she tugs at the comforter Beca's grip is gone and she's falling to the floor.
"Ouch!"
Beca hops off her bed. "Sorry, I didn't know you were going to tug that hard." Beca helps her up and sits her on her bed. "Just give me a minute to get dressed." Beca says going over to her dresser and pulling out some clothes.
Just as she is about to step into her bathroom her father appears in her doorway.
"Oh, are you going somewhere?" He asks.
"Yeah, Chloe's mom is taking us and Benji to the library." Beca answers and he furrows his brow.
"Since when do you go to the library? Willingly?"
Beca narrows her eyes and Chloe shifts uncomfortably on her bed.
"Because my friends want to go and I want to spend time with my friends." Beca says and Chloe grins internally doing a happy dance. Beca admitted they were friends when just a few days ago she was saying they weren't. Yet at least. But she admitted it!
"I was hoping we could spend the day together, just you and me, like old times." Nathan smiles hopefully.
Beca scowls. Old times? "Well I already told Chloe yes and it would be rude to just change my mind like that and Mrs. Beale is expecting me." Beca steps into her bathroom and Nathan sighs.
"Have a good day Chloe." Nathan waves and leaves.
Beca steps out a minute later having changed out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans and a band tee with The Beatles on it.
"You could have spent the day with your dad." Chloe says and Beca shakes her head.
"They were fighting last night." Beca says and Chloe nods. She understands. Until the move her parents were fighting a lot too. They still do but not as much. Chloe knows their last fight has to be like last week.
"Come on!" Chloe beams deciding to turn this day around. She grabs Beca's hand and Beca barely has any time to grab a pair of socks and her shoes before Chloe is dragging her out of her house.
Beca grumbles as she sits in the passenger seat of the Chevy Tahoe. Brandon Jenkins typed in the passcode to Amy's mansion and as the gates open he pulls in and out of habit Beca makes sure the gate closes and no one follows them in. It's an un-needed precaution. No one knew who they were. They always hired a third party to do their transactions.
She would never have agreed to something like this. She has managed to stay away from college and anything to do with her father for years and now she is going to be going to the college he teaches at.
"No way! I am not going to college!"
"Beca, you won't actually have to go. Just show up at classes, keep ok grades. Look, if you won't do it for me do it for Chloe." Brandon shoves two manila folders towards her.
Beca glares at him as she takes the folders. But at the mention of Chloe her interest is peaked. "Is she ok?"
"For now."
Brandon parks the Tahoe and they get out.
The whole way to the front door Beca curses him in her head. She doesn't even come to a full stop in front of the door when it is pulled open by Benji.
"Thank god!" He wraps her in a hug taking her off balance. A hand at the small of her back steadies her and she looks over at Brandon.
"Let's go inside. We have to talk." Beca says as the three of them move inside the house.
It doesn't take long to locate the others. Amy is in the kitchen pouring drinks and Stacie is sitting a bar stool smiling at the concoction Amy is making. Lilly is at the dining table cleaning her equipment.
"There you are!" Amy shouts putting the alcohol down and going over to hug Beca. She looks at the tall raven haired man in her kitchen. "What's he doing here?" Amy asks.
"We need to talk."
"So…let me get this straight." Stacie begins. "You two." She motions to Beca and Benji. "Knew this girl when you were teenagers and had no idea her father was CIA?" Beca and Benji nod. Their tie to the CIA was made during a job a year ago. "And now said father is asking us for help because his daughter has a stalker?" Beca nods. After a moment of silence. "Are we going to get arrested?" Stacie asks and Amy jumps up straight in her seat while Lilly holds her Phillips screwdriver poised to attack if needed.
"No! I can't go to prison! I've worked too damn hard for us to get caught this easy!"
Brandon holds up a hand. "No one is getting arrested. It's in our deal. You do this, go to college, look after Chloe and neutralize any threat that should come about." He looks at Lilly who has a glint in her eyes. "By neutralize I mean detain. No killing." Lilly huffs and goes back to cleaning her stuff.
"But college?" Stacie asks.
"Just for the year."
"Year?!" Beca shouts. "I have to put up with my father for a year?" Beca asks incredulously.
"We're going to Barden?" Benji asks.
"Look, you five have been doing this since you were what? Eighteen? Nineteen?" Brandon asks and the five look away guilty. "No one knows who you are. You get in and get out in record time and you are all set for life. Some even before you started this little team." Brandon says looking over at Amy who shrugs.
"You can never have too much."
"Yes, but too much of something can be a bad thing." Brandon says. "My point is that this should be a walk in the park. The director is ready to pay for anything you need. You helped him get his family back Beca, he has no right to ask you for anything. But you looked after Chloe in the past and he is hoping you'll do it again."
"What is he talking about?" Lilly asks.
"Chloe and her family, moved to our neighborhood because Kelly, Mrs. Beale, was tired of him being away for work. She threatened to divorce him and take the kids if he didn't spend more time with family." Benji said. "That's all we knew back then."
"My parents were constantly fighting back then. My dad was leaving and I guess I understood their situation. Chloe was angry at her father for never being there but at least he was there and trying. My father just left." Beca said.
"You made it kind of hard for him." Benji said and Beca scoffs.
"Of course I didn't. He goes off having an affair not thinking how it would affect my mom and I and I wanted him to really try and fix things between us. I wanted to make him work for it. But he decided I wasn't worth it." Beca says. Her voice lowering towards the end.
Amy and Benji pat her back. Amy has heard all the stories. Benji was actually there. Stacie and Lilly give her supportive looks. Beca is their fearless badass leader, they will always be there for her.
"So do we have a deal?" Brandon asks changing the subject.
"What's the deal?" Benji asks.
"We don't get arrested, they pay for any and all expenses, but that doesn't mean take advantage of that, we look after Chloe, detain anyone who might pose as a threat to Chloe, as in if they mean life at stake harm to her and lastly whatever record the CIA has on us gets wiped."
"I'm in!" Amy shouts.
Lilly nods.
"Me too." Stacie says and Beca looks at Benji.
"What the hell?" He shrugs and Beca looks at Brandon.
"My boss will be happy to hear it." Brandon says pulling out his phone. "And do me a favor?" He asks and they look at him. "Be normal twenty year olds for once and enjoy the college experience."
"We'll try." Beca says.
It has been seven years since Beca and Benji met Chloe and her family. Three since Beca has seen Chloe. Two since their team became a team. It started out as just Beca, then Beca and Stacie, then Beca, Stacie and Benji and then it was Beca, Stacie, Benji and Amy and finally it was Beca, Stacie, Benji, Amy and Lilly. Their team.
August 23, 2009
The summer is over.
Beca sat on the front steps of Chloe's house watching the red head hug her family in tearful goodbyes and promises to call and visit. Beca was keeping her distance and Benji, well he was with Chloe and her family. Her two older brothers, Jason and Dillon, had been spending the summer at home and Jason was going to be driving Chloe to Barden where she would spend the next four years studying before med school.
Dillon was the eldest of the five Beale children and the one to look most like Chloe. They had the same red hair and captivating blue eyes. The difference? While Chloe was five foot four, a comfortable height difference between Beca and Chloe, Dillon was an even six feet. Chloe was the baby of the family in more ways than one. She is the youngest child and the shortest. Even her mother is taller than her. Dillon is twenty five and opened his own surf shop in Miami.
Jason is twenty four and going to law school at Columbia in New York. He had dark hair like his father but like all the Beale children he has their mother's eyes. And like his brothers he is at a tall five foot ten. Even though Barden was two towns over Chloe was saying goodbye at home because even though Barden isn't that far Chloe knows Beca doesn't want to chance a run in with her father. Jason would be driving Chloe to Barden and then head back up to New York for school.
John was the middle child of the Beale kids and the most playful. He is twenty, six feet tall, athletic and going to Penn State on a soccer scholarship. Beca liked John, even if he did like to pick on her. But he taught her how to throw a decent left hook. Because like her, he is left handed while the rest of the Beale's are right handed.
Ethan is the youngest at eighteen and will be moving to Miami with Dillon to help out at the surf shop while taking classes at Miami U. He had taken a year off school to figure him and his life out. Like his brother's he is tall at five foot ten and has their mother's eyes and brown hair in contrast to his brothers' and father's black hair. It was as if his mother's red mixed in with is father's black hair in an attempt to lighten it up.
Beca loves the Beale family. When hers fell apart they were there to offer some form of normalcy she would normally only get at Benji's. The Beales made her feel welcome and a part of the family. They helped Beca and her mother out however they could. Beca's mother always offered to pay John and Ethan when they did the yard work but neither boy would accept it. Andrew would repair leaks and other household problems the two of them couldn't figure out. His only request was that the two joined them for Sunday dinners at least twice a month.
And now the final Beale was off to college and Beca was stuck here for another year. At least she has Benji. Benji has always been there for her and has never let her down.
Beca is pulled from her thoughts by Chloe sitting next to her. Beca huffs when Chloe smiles at her. Beca fights off the smile threating to get out. She doesn't want the red head to leave. Beca has finally figure out what the feeling in her gut is every time she sees the red head. She fell for her best friend and by the time she figured it out it was too late. Chloe was graduating and now leaving for college. She lost her chance.
Chloe nudges Beca playfully. "It's not forever Beca." Chloe assures trying to get her friend to smile. "I'll visit and call. I'm not going to forget you."
Beca smiles. "Good, because I need some normal to balance Benji's weird."
"Hey!" Said boy shouts in offense.
Chloe throws her arms around Beca squeezing the smaller girl tight. "You're my white knight. Who could ever forget their savior?"
"White knight huh?" Beca grins hopping to her feet. She bows and extends her arm to Chloe who giggles. "Your chariot awaits princess." A full blown smile takes up Beca face and Chloe takes her arm. Beca leads Chloe down the walk ways and down the drive way to Jason's Ford F-150 and helps her in.
It didn't take long for the phone calls to become scarce and finally not come at all. Mid-terms swarmed Chloe and Beca did what she did best. Put up walls and look after herself.
But just because they lost touch doesn't mean Chloe ever forgot.
So what'd you think? There is the first chapter. The last one was a prologue showing you how and when the girls met. I will be writing a chapter or parts of chapters all about how they got started individually and became a team.
Review please! :D