AN: I love the feedback and I am very happy you guys enjoy this. I want to ask that you pay attention to dates. Sometimes I might mess up and confuse myself and if it confuse you please let me know and there might be questions you have and I probably planned it but just let me know because they might be answered in later chapters. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing other than a few OCs that will make appearances here and there.

CHAPTER 7

December 20, 2009

Chloe has been gone for months now and Beca still feels the flutter in her chest and gut every time the red head is mentioned. A text brings a goofy smile to Beca's face and a call makes Beca beam and feel on top of the world.

In the short three months since meeting Vince Gershwin she has learned a lot. She finds herself lying to people more often and she even manages to swipe things off her mom and put them back just as easily without her mother noticing.

She feels less guilt when she sees her father and swipes his wallet. She still feels a strong urge to punch him and the step-monster in the face when she sees them.

Beca looks out her window and down the street at Chloe's house. She shakes her head and decides to go for a walk. She grabs her coat and boots.

She steps off the stairs and looks to her left to the kitchen where her mother is humming a tune Beca has heard many times before. It brings a smile to her face. A content one as she remembers her childhood. Her parents would tuck her in, her father would read her a story and her mother would either sing or hum to her till she fell asleep.

"Mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"I'm going out for a walk. I won't be too long."

"It's getting cold out, bundle up and be home by dinner."

"I will." She pauses at the front door with her hand on the knob. She turns her upper body slightly. "Love you mom." She hears her mom freeze. She knows this because she doesn't hear the clatter of the spatula scraping against the pan.

"I love you too, Beca."

Beca smiles as she opens the door and steps out into the cold shutting the door quickly as to not let so much of the cold in.

Before Beca realizes she is in at the small plaza. Many restaurants, boutiques and other stores line the place. She looks over at a small jewelry store. She and Vince had managed to snag a few diamonds from the place last month. He had done it so easily and in broad daylight. Beca looks up. The sun is setting. She decides it can't be that hard. He taught her how to do it on her own. But this is different, she doesn't have him watching her back.

Beca steps into the shop and smiles at the greeter.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" one of the sales associates asks.

"No. I'm just looking around. My mother's birthday is coming up." She lies easily and she feels her stomach twist at bringing her mother into this.

The sales guy just smiles at her and moves on to another customer. Beca looks around and sees her target. It is a decent sized diamond that is about the same size as the fake in her coat pocket. She had gotten it from Vince so he could teach her how to spot fakes. It is out in the open and she could easily get it and go.

Beca makes her move but is stopped by a hand clamping around her wrist and tugging her away.

"That's a bad idea." A soft voice is whispered into her ear. "They upped security after some guy made off with thousands worth of diamonds in broad daylight."

Beca turns and faces the girl and gasps. She's breath taking with these amazing eyes. "You're pretty." Beca says without much thought.

The girl smiles. "I get that a lot." She drags Beca out of the store. "That was pretty gutsy."

"I don't know what I was thinking." Beca says shaking her head.

"Hey, I was there for the same reason. Those diamonds caught my eye a few days ago." She sticks her hand out. "I'm Stacie."

Beca takes the offered hand. "Beca."

"I'm guessing you're a thief?" Beca nods. "I'm a grifter myself."

"A grifter?" Beca asks as they continue walking down the street.

"Yeah, we're like the world's best actresses. I almost had that cute worker in there hand the diamonds over to me willingly when I saw you about to get yourself caught." Beca blushes at this.

"Do you live around here?" Beca asks. This girl looks around her age but she has never seen her around before.

Stacie nods. "I moved here with my parents last year. They are hoping that a change of scenery will help me and I'll decide to go to college." Stacie rolls her eyes. Stacie looks at her watch. "I have to go. My parents are going to start looking for me." Stacie pulls a sharpie from her pocket and grabs Beca's hand scribbling her number down. "Call me or text me. We can get those diamonds together."

Beca shakes her head. She doesn't know what prompted her to think about that time. Stacie had really helped her that night. She could have gotten caught and then her mom…Beca shakes the thought away and tries to focus on one of the more boring classes her father thought she would like. She got to choose a few of her own classes, but she really hates that her father thought he had the right to pick which classes she takes.

The class ends and Beca heads to her and Amy's rooms.

During her walk she decides to call her mom.

She brings her phone up to her ear after dialing and keeps her eyes front as to not bump into anyone.

"Hello?"

"Hey mom." Beca said as she sidesteps out of the path of another student with his nose deep in his book. She hears a gasp.

"Beca? It's been a long time!"

"I called you…" Beca pauses. "Three months ago. I know, I'm sorry. I should call more. I promise to call more often."

"You've never made a promise you don't keep." Joanna chuckles as Beca smiles. "I'm hoping you'll be home for Thanksgiving."

Beca huffs out a laugh. "Chloe is already bugging me about it."

Her mom laughs. "Good. Kelly and I miss you Becs."

Beca's smile falls. "I told her I'd think about it. And tell Kelly I miss her too."

"I will. How is school?"

"School is school. Boring and lame. But I promised I'd give it a year."

"Good. It is great hearing from you Beca. I miss the days we would talk for hours."

Beca feels tears coming to her eyes and sniffs. "Yeah, so do I." It is then that Beca makes up her mind. "I'll be home all Thanksgiving break. It will give us some time to just talk."

"I thought you were going to think about it?" Joanna teases.

"I did and I have. I miss you mom."

"I miss you too baby, so much." There is a silence before Joanna speaks again. "I should let you go. Let you get back to school."

"Alright." Beca wipes a tear off her cheek. She doesn't know when it got there. "Love you and miss you mom." She wishes so much to tell her mom all about what she's been doing. She wants to come clean to her. But she can't. It would break her mother's heart.

"Love you and miss you too Beca."

Beca hangs up and wipes her eyes before stepping into Baker hall.

She steps into her room to find Benji, Amy, Stacie and Lilly all gathered watching a movie.

"Everything ok?" Benji asks. Beca could fool a lot of people. But she could never fool Benji.

Beca nods. "Yeah, I just got off the phone with my mom. I miss her."

The four nod in understanding. Benji more than the others. He misses his family too. Amy talks to hers all the time and she enjoys being away from them. Lilly's parents disowned Lilly years ago after a pyrotechnic incident when Lilly was around the age of twelve or thirteen. She resorted to thievery just to survive. Stacie's parents are just glad she has finally agreed to go to college even if for just a trial year. Beca and the others learned a long time ago that if it isn't something Stacie's parents can brag about they barely acknowledge her. But they are still her parents and she misses them.

"I'm going home for Thanksgiving to visit." Beca says. She looks over to Amy and Lilly. "You two are welcome to join us."

"I'm not?" Stacie asks offended and Beca rolls her eyes.

"You're going to come anyway just to keep up the stupid character you created." Beca says dropping onto her bed and grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl on Amy's lap. "Ugh, what are we watching?" she asks scrunching up her face.

"How do you not like movies?" Amy asks.

"I saw a porno once at a high school party. Liked that movie." Beca says wiggling her eyebrows.

"Of course you would." Stacie quips with a smirk and Beca feels her cheek heat up.

"I have a mix." Beca quickly jumps off her bed and goes to her desk putting her headphones on.

Stacie grins triumphantly as Beca ignores them and work on a mix.

As Beca finishes her mix two hours later she goes through her e-mail. The others are still watching movies that Benji's roommate recommended.

As she opens her third e-mail, the one she uses for jobs. Her fourth alias. The one she really needs off her record. The things she did with this alias are known only by Benji and Stacie. Lilly was locked in a maximum security panic room and Amy had been bested and knocked unconscious. It is because of the actions from that alias she met Brandon and he started using them for jobs. Back then he agreed to take the minor offenses off. Then the jobs got bigger and they were helping more people and then they were offered this job.

Beca feels sick to her stomach. She can't believe she just associated looking after Chloe with a job. Chloe is her friend. She cares about Chloe. She would have agreed to it without the exchange of the clearing of records. She promised Andrew and Kelly a long time ago that she would keep an eye on their little girl.

"Hey guys." Beca calls pulling her headphones down to rest around her neck.

The four father around to read the e-mail. It was forwarded to her by one of the third party members they hired once before.

"Wow." Amy breathes out.

"They want us to steal what?" Benji asks and Beca nods as she opens the attached files.

"This will be fun." Lilly grins.

"It's right here in the school." Stacie says. "That's insane. We can't take this job." Stacie says and the others exchange glances.

"She's right." Beca says and Amy gasps.

"But look how much they are offering!" Amy shouts.

"We don't need it." Beca says.

"But it is right there!" Lilly exclaims.

"Yes and that is exactly why we aren't taking this job." Beca says. "That artifact is tucked safely in the History building behind half inch thick glass and vibration sensors. Not to mention heavily guarded and there is a security camera every ten feet." Beca scrolls through the blue prints that were sent with the e-mail.

"But Beca…"

"No buts!" Beca shouts cutting Amy off. "We aren't taking this job! We'd get caught in an instant!"

"We have to live here for the next year you guys." Stacie says addressing Lilly and Amy. "People know our faces, we have student IDs and what would happen if during our grab we run into someone we know? They'll want to know what we are doing."

Lilly and Amy deflate and give in. "Fine." They grumble.

"But what I wanted to point out is that if we decline this job another crew will be sent for it." Beca says.

"You're serious?" Amy asks incredulously. "You want us to protect an artifact that costs that much and no one gets it?" Amy shrieks.

Beca rolls her eyes. "I said no to us going after it." Beca smiles. "If some else goes to grab it but is caught…"

Amy grins. "Their arrest will be an excellent distraction for us to swoop in and snag the prize!"

"Taking out competition and getting the big payment." Lilly smirks devilishly. "I like it."

"What?" Benji asks. "We are actually taking a job while we are here?" He asks in disbelief.

"We aren't taking the job. We are going to highjack it." Beca says.

The artifact in mention is an old clay mask from the Aztec period. A collector who has been after it for years. He offered the school a large sum of money but the school wouldn't sell it. So he is resorting to other means of obtaining it.

"This is a bad idea." Benji says going back to watching the movie.

"Finally some action!" Amy cheers as she high fives Stacie and Lilly. The three return to watching the movie with Benji and Beca continues scrolling through the rest of her e-mails.

She does have another motive for this plan. Another crew meant another danger to Chloe. Being new and unknown in their world is an advantage they are not willing to lose. No one know what they looks like and they plan on keeping it that way.

So what'd you think? And is there anything you want to see in later chapters? And wasn't it sweet to see a bit of Beca and her mom? Guess you will be seeing them hi-jack a heist and they will take at least two or three more jobs while they are at Barden and who knows? Maybe Chloe will catch them in the act. Or maybe Aubrey. Guess you'll just have to wait and see. ;)

Review please! :D