RobOverstreet: Better days... that's the goal.
Rennie Laroche: I guess it's a good thing you don't know where I live.
BeChloeFan01: It's the real villain in the story.
asdfg: Uh... that's weird.
oilzz and stuff: We'll get there. And yes, smoking is Beca's own version of sanctuary.
avidreader: I feel like writing a crappy version of Titanic. Like, honestly, the love story is tossed on the side but the main theme is actually finding the Heart of the Ocean.
brittanysnodes: Beca will definitely kill you if we do that. Will it help though if I promise you it'll be a super happy ending?
INSPIREEme: I just really love reading your review over and over again. It's overwhelming, but seriously, get some sleep, dear. I want you to live long enough to read the end of this story. I'm glad you enjoyed reading Stolen as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)
Guest (Feb 23): Si Beca ang sabihan mo niyan. LOL.
Guest (Feb 22): I like that too! :)
ibetyouknowme: The word holds a sentimental value to both of them, I had to inject that. Glad you like Pandemonium 2.0. I was scared that people might think it's super corny.
FilipinoBlood: She will soon be happy, don't worry.
MysticFalls94: You knew there won't be a reunion... it's either I'm not much unpredictable anymore or you've already mastered my writing style. :) The burning Phoenix is actually a symbol for both Beca and The Society making a come back. It's like saying 'you can try and burn me down but I'm going to rise again'. Now about the title, this entire story actually started when I heard Stolen by Dashboard Confessional playing on the radio. The concept of Beca and Chloe's love story in Stolen is practically based on how I've interpreted the meaning of the song, but I thought it would be cliche so I added the treasure into the plot. So for the sequel, I thought it's only proper to use yet another song from Dashboard, and I wanted to continue with the one-word chapter titles so I needed a song with similar nature, hence Vindicated. From there, I tried to form the plot for the sequel. :)
PurpleWedding: It's addicting.
itsmefiebs: I'm so sorry, I find that I can't give you a response without actually spoiling something, so I just won't say anything.
cxcxcx386: I'm flattered that you're even comparing me to Kay Cannon. Enough said.
madness2013: Well... I wouldn't say Phil.
badwriters: Thank you so much! Usually, I have to go back to previous chapters just to make sure future plans would be consistent and coherent to the established facts. Can I just say I hate it when Jesse has to do something amazing though? Believe it or not, I try so hard to make it believable. (Maybe that's why I let Aubrey and Fat Amy bully him. I'm so bad.)
So for this chapter, there will be an interesting development about the treasure (for real) and frankly, I can no longer get through another chapter without Beca and Chloe together. I'm hurting too, you guys...
CHAPTER FOUR: Kryptonite
Beca Mitchell used to be so good at this – getting drunk in a strip club and then fucking women. It was never a problem for her. In fact, it used to be one of the very few things that she truly enjoyed in this fucked up planet. So perhaps, maybe it's because it's been a different strip club. Or maybe it's because the girl was already getting too clingy. Or maybe it's because… no, not her again. But maybe it was. Maybe it's still because of Chloe Beale, that redheaded monster.
If it wasn't her, why else would Beca be spending the next two hours at old Pandemonium's parking lot where they shared that first kiss, silently staring into space? Why else would the mighty Phoenix hid away in her Ferrari while she fought the temptation to use the ghost phone number Lilly created and call her old girlfriend again – just to hear her angelic voice as she croaked 'hello' or even a bit of her steady breaths? Whatever the reason, Beca was going to ignore such urge and then push it further away into the abyss behind her thoughts because it didn't matter. Not anymore, when she's the Head Phoenix.
So later on, she absentmindedly climbed the stairs of a timeworn apartment building until she reached the fifth floor, making a full stop right in front of the wooden door to her unit, and sighed heavily one more time. She realized that she hadn't actually slept in days, maybe a week. She spent most times killing people while treasure-hunting than acting like a normal human being.
"Good morning," she heard her neighbor's annoyingly chirpy voice from behind. "Home at 6am, huh? Since you're the silent type, I've never really pegged you as a party girl."
Beca never turned around nor bothered to give any form of response.
"You never showed up at Pandemonium last night. CR waited for you until closing time. And then I got home, I was worried when I didn't see your car parked. Getting busier? Thud said you have a hectic schedule these days, and Lilly seemed to agree."
Wordless, the brunette fished out her keys from her pocket, producing that jingling noise as she unlock the door.
"Well, if you're hungry, I can prepare breakfast for you."
Being her normally rude self, Beca replied to her friendly neighbor by lazily pushing her own door open, securing a cigarette stick in between her teeth as she entered her cage, then slammed the door close with a loud bang. There, she simply shut everybody out as usual. But who could blame her? The isolation was better, safer, and it made her stronger. It made her an indestructible monster.
In one of those very few moments that the two blondes actually got along, they could barely contain their fit of laughter as they occupied that narrow space on the floor next to the edge of Chloe's bed. Aubrey had a white little feather on hand while Fat Amy secured a bottle of pancake maple syrup in her own grip; together, they posted a harmless threat to the sleeping redhead.
One… two… three… The Australian chick cautiously poured a small amount of syrup on the oblivious heiress' hand. Consequently, the young Posen softly tickled her best friend's nose with the feather, and so just as expected, the sleepyhead mechanically moved her hand to scratch the area leaving some syrup on her nose in the process. The pair of blondes quietly snickered as their victim carried on with her much needed sleep. At the other's signal, Fat Amy expertly spread a considerable amount of syrup on the same hand then Aubrey started drawing circles using the feather on her best friend's face. Chloe, still completely unaware of the danger, slapped the hand on her cheek and obliviously spread the sticky substance all over her face. That was when she grimaced in confusion, her eyes fluttered open to witness the clearly amused look on her friends' faces; realizing the prank, she frustratingly reached for a Kleenex to clean up herself, threw them an evil glare, then pulled the blanket over her head.
"Chloe! Get up!"
Cracking up loudly, the duo finally ditched their props and resorted to using their hands to pull down the covers away from the repelling body. Of course, they were met with some irritated grunts from the sleepyhead who found a brand new refuge under a large pillow.
"It's past noon and there's a big night ahead of us, Sleeping Beauty. Now get your lazy ass out of the bed."
"Go away," whimpered the redhead sloppily shooing them away.
Beep… beep… beep… An alarm clock went off at one corner in the room; Chloe groaned. Beep… beep… beep… There went the other at the opposite corner; she put down the pillow and rolled her eyes. Beep… beep… beep… Another stupid clock rang loudly; she ultimately decided to get out of bed and end the unbelievably annoying madness. Beep… beep… beep… The rest of the ensemble chorused that the rest of the galaxy could probably stay awake for centuries; that was the blondes' cue to station by the exit.
"None of these is funny," the redhead offered a generous sum of dirty looks to the pair of giggling pranksters when the hullabaloo was finally over five minutes later.
"Someone woke up at the wrong side of the bed."
"I woke up at the side of the wrong people!"
Worse, the blondes further responded with another fit of laughter much to Chloe's utter aggravation.
"That's it, Posen! I am so confiscating your keys!"
Oops, that's not something they would risk. Thus, hurriedly, Aubrey dragged her partner in crime away from the redheaded monster, skipping a couple of steps as they hopped their way down the stairs. Chloe heaved a long sigh and deliberately shook her head in disapproval as her friends' cry of victory infected the atmosphere.
"Knock knock," she turned to the door to see a timid Jesse standing there, an apologetic look displayed on his face especially for her. "Y-You okay?"
Chloe merely gave him a look before collecting all the stupid alarm clocks. No, it wasn't really the prank. She could handle them however intense the grave was. The problem was… her. She had to do her part of the deal. She was trying, trying to move on, finally. And it was supposed to heal, but she was just hurting all the same.
"You just have to be… m-more patient with them," the brunet spoke out when no answer came. "T-They're still going through some… weird withdrawal. They've successfully ignored Stan for days now. Just… let them have some fun, it'll stop eventually."
"I'm not okay, Jesse."
He met her lonely eyes and smiled sympathetically because those bright blue orbs told that it was entirely true. Maybe it wasn't his fault that Beca died, but somehow, he contributed to this recurrent heartbreak. He shouldn't have fed that dangerous hungry little hope. He should have let it die when he had the chance.
"Here," he retrieved an envelope out of his jacket to place on top of the nearest dresser. It contained a personal bank check duly signed by Chloe Beale herself. "I-I can't have this."
"But it's yours. It's the payment I promised."
Jesse shook his head courageously, "I'm sorry but I can't accept."
"I'll give it to Fat Amy then."
"I already told her we failed," he countered the plan. "She'll never know it but the real job was to… find Beca… p-prove that she's still alive and then bring her back to you… So obviously, Chloe, we failed."
"For the inconvenience," the young heiress insisted. "For your wasted time and efforts."
"In that case, let's just say I gave you a special discount. It's a very good deal because… it's basically free of charge. Even rich people like you sure could use it from time to time."
Chloe let out a chuckle. Jesse evidently wasn't going to back down on this one. He did everything he could to help, so the least she could do was to let it slide.
"Can I get a free hug too?" she inquired with a hopeful smile.
"A-As long as ghost Beca doesn't haunt me," he answered nervously before spreading his arms wide ready for the hug.
The moment Chloe wrapped her arms around him though, the blonde pranksters were back for another surprise attack – they splashed an entire bucket of cold water towards the unguarded pair for the final blow. Stan seriously had to make a choice soon!
Because the stupid pack of men just couldn't take a hint, Bumper Allen flipped the whole table just to make it crystal clear that he was indeed very angry. Another mission failed – they lost an entire team to the cops and a suitcase containing fifty million bucks. If they weren't short on human resources he would have killed all the Syndics present in this room right then and there.
"Train the new recruits yourself," he resolutely commanded his Right Hand. "Dude, I don't need a bunch of idiots in this team."
"Yes, boss."
Bumper straightened his clothes before sitting on his golden chair once more as soon as the table was rearranged for his delayed meal. The rest of the group looked on as he enjoyed a full Ron Swanson treat.
"Anybody else with news they want to share?"
A man possibly on his early thirties raised a hand and took a step forward. "Another Syndic was murdered yesterday in Atlanta, boss. Our men insist that some Phoenixes are responsible for it."
"Bullshit!" the Head Syndic slammed his fist on the table causing the white porcelain plate to jump a little matching the pack of recoiled men. "They don't even have a leader to run the fucking organization anymore! The Mitchells are all gone! So explain to me, dudes, why the fuck is The Secret Society still a threat to us?"
"The whispers are getting louder," Donald bravely answered. "The rumors are getting more convincing. They say the mighty Phoenix is back."
"The mighty Phoenix is dead," Bumper firmly stated eyeing all his men with his deadly eyes. "She died in that bomb explosion. Her family and friends buried her. She is now rotting in hell for all I care. So yeah, the mighty Phoenix is dead, understand? So stop using her as an excuse for all of your goddamn foolishness! If you could have been half the criminal that she was, we wouldn't be discussing any of these in the first place!"
"But what if it's true, boss? What if Beca Mitchell is in fact alive?"
That's it. The Head Syndic drew out his pistol and shot the curious man directly on the head; Unicycle's twin brother had joined him in the underworld. Just one Syndic, maybe Bumper could afford to lose one more guy, for the sake of humanity because then the world was suddenly one less stupid.
"Take him out of here," he instructed blatantly. "His bloody little brain is sadly killing my appetite."
And so in a hurry, a pair of men grabbed hold of the fresh corpse to drag it out of sight. Bumper took a big gulp of root beer then plastered his signature smirk on his face.
"Ah, don't we just hate stress all in all? Lighten up, dudes! It's just us now. When we find that treasure, we're going to have everything for ourselves. Even Clarence Beale will bow down to our wealth. For the meantime, why don't we help The Society finally lay down to rest, huh? Say, some kind of a euthanasia. When you spot a Phoenix, kill them. Paralyze their remaining operations. Destroy it in any way you can. This war is almost over, Syndics. And it will end with our victory."
Never mind that Bumper Allen could be arrogant and self-centered. After all, he was a great leader. He could commit his entire being to The Syndicate, and it's always a great advantage.
Beca stopped at the farthest hallway where the darkness could extend at its maximum with Cynthia-Rose trailing right behind her and then lit a cigarette stick as she leaned back on the grimy wall. All that was left to do was to patiently wait for Thud to lure the target into them. It could take a while, so why not play Flappy Bird for the meantime? Stupid thing, she never got past 13. It was seriously just a matter of time before her brand new communication device could get wrecked for the nth time due to paramount frustration. Lilly should really start stacking loads more for her boss. Or simply delete the game.
"Aw shit," she slurred against the cigarette between her lips as the ugly fowl hit the green post. And it wasn't helping her cause that she could feel a pair of eyes fixed upon her. CR was watching her intently, prying right into her very soul, digging in too deep for something; it was discomforting, if not off-putting.
"You're going to lose," said the mindful observer.
True enough, Game Over flashed on the screen once more, and Beca had lost her tiny sense of control. She slammed the electronic device against the floor shattering into broken pieces. Then in the silence that followed, there were only her, and CR, and the warmth emitted by the burning cigarette. But even through the obscurity, she could still ridiculously feel the pair of snooping eyes lurking around her being.
"Bumper happens to know how to play the game," the other revealed causing the Head Phoenix to turn her gaze anywhere else but the woman standing on the opposite side. "Fine, you don't have to talk, but I need you to listen to me, Mitchell. One thing I've learned from Fat Amy's TV habit is that people have pressure points… and it's a chain reaction. Yours happens to be Chloe. They can get to you through her, and if they have you, it'll be the end for The Secret Society. Bumper will surely grab that opportunity, you know that… Do you ever wonder why they call you 'the mighty Phoenix', why Phil believed that you're the best weapon? It's not because you're so good at this job, it's because you don't have a kryptonite… Yeah, you're not supposed to have a kryptonite, Mitchell."
Annoyingly, Beca didn't say a word. Instead, she inhaled on the cigarette before dumping it down the floor and extinguished it with her shoe. She searched for her friend's eyes through the dark sending her one of her infamous blank stares. There was nothing to read, but Cynthia-Rose quivered in fear. Beca was a monster, effortless. But it wouldn't be enough.
"Fidelity to The Society," the Head Phoenix muttered then much to the other's surprise, drew a knife and pitched it viciously to the side.
CR hastily reached for her flashlight and shone light upon the same direction – the target they'd been waiting for who had a gun on his hand was already sporting the knife in his throat; he was choking on his own blood while Thud stood next to him, stupefied, as he watched the enemy collapse to the ground. Fuck, that was so close.
"Yo, it could have been Thud!" she screamed at her boss, reprimanding.
"But it wasn't," was the only heartless response. The horrible monster walked over to the dying man who struggled to grab hold of her feet for dear life.
"S-Spare my life," the man was able to request. "I-I can help you… f-find the treasure…"
"What do you know about the treasure?" Thud, almost in automatic, questioned in behalf of his boss.
"B-Back to Basics… F-Find… it…"
"The fuck is that?"
The man opened his mouth to respond, but it was already his last breath. The grip around Beca's feet loosened as he unfortunately succumbed to death. No more life to be spared no matter what, so the mighty Phoenix bent over to retrieve the knife allowing more volume of blood to flow out of him and stain the floor.
"What did I miss?" Lilly arrived, even her panting was too quiet, holding on to the pocket PC device in her sweaty palms, but her face instantly lit up at the sight of a dead man. "Can I set him on fire? I have my lighter."
"Back to Basics," CR instructed although she was practically more than confused herself. "Find 'Back to Basics'… whatever that is."
Without warning, Beca quietly turned her heels around to leave.
"Hey, where are you going?"
Home, obviously. The night was over. The Head Phoenix, however, spoke no word to voice it out and instead, maintained her pace, no sign that she would stop for any reason to come.
"We have a new lead. Well, sort of. What are we going to do next?"
"Start by deleting the ghost number permanently," Beca, surprisingly, answered. "You should know that I am all in on this. Chloe Beale no longer mean anything to me. I will see you all tomorrow."
And with that, she vanished. She had disappeared into the dark, into the same hollow of pure isolation. The rest of the team helplessly looked into the invisible trace she left, swallowing all their terrors and doubts. It certainly felt like betraying a friend, but they needed the impenetrable Beca. Twelve million people were still counting on her. Besides, this was what she chose. She chose the code, and thus, there were sacrifices to be made. So at Cynthia-Rose's command, Lilly deleted the ghost number. One push of a button and that single bridge of connection came tumbling down.
The grandeur of Beale Manor once more glorified the world for the first time since its sole heiress abandoned this gigantic home. The banquet hall lit up its glamorous chandeliers in a yellowish bloom giving a warm welcome to the hundreds of guests invited for the evening. The string quartet filled the air with melodious songs in between the line-up of famous artists set to perform.
Jesse and Fat Amy consciously struggled to hide away their disgusted faces at the abundance of sophistication around them. It honestly felt like being surrounded by a hundred Posens. On the other hand, Stan remained awfully quiet on his seat while Aubrey attempted to at least persuade Chloe who purposely wanted to stay away from her father. The only one among the group who seemed to be enjoying the elite party was Ronie who sealed pledges of endowments for Barden Homes.
The pair of blondes, later on, joined a pair of cute fashion models on the dance floor making Stan Mitchell secretly cringe his nose in jealousy. That's when Chloe swiftly sat up in panic at the sight of her father fast approaching. Oh boy, how to escape from him this time?
"Chloe, would you like to dance?"
The offer, unexpectedly, came from Stan. Chloe turned to him, and they instantly made an agreement. So just before Clarence could reach the table, the young heiress gladly followed the old Phoenix to the dance floor leaving poor Jesse awkwardly forgotten on his own.
"Thanks," she exhaled, relieved, as Stan delicately placed a hand on her waist and the other took hers. Wow, he actually knew what he was supposed to be doing. "I owe you one."
And the young Mitchell responded with his ever charming grin. "I'll remember that. Still running away from him, huh?"
"Aren't you?"
"At least he's not my father."
He gave her this knowing look sending a pang of guilt to the young heiress. Yeah, nothing would ever change the fact that he was still her father.
"This is weird," Stan broke her bubble of thoughts with an adorable laugh. "You and me, dancing."
"You're supposed to be dancing with either of them," Chloe agreed by playfully nodding her head towards the blonde duo just a few meters away from them. "They're right, you know. Eventually, you're gonna have to choose or you may end up losing both of them."
"But I like them both."
"You must like one more than the other."
"I don't know," he shrugged a little. "With Fat Amy, I can be my true self. And Aubrey is so easy to talk to, all you have to do is… listen."
Chloe chuckled at how simple yet ridiculous he was acting towards the dilemma.
"I wish I can figure this out," his sneer was replaced by a frown. "This is one of the many things that I can admit my little sister… was better than I am. At least she… knew what she wanted, who she wanted."
Chloe let out a small smile. So she wasn't the only one struggling with using the past tense after all.
"Don't think," she advised. "Just feel… That roller coaster feeling… No matter how bad, you still never want to get out."
Stan quietly nodded his head in understanding letting the redhead savor that little spur of the moment with Beca in her head. She needed that, it was pacifying – the thought that one has ever loved somebody like that.
"You could have been the best sister-in-law I could ever have," he smiled at her sweetly when the music had faded to end.
As Chloe giggled at the old Phoenix's unusual display of adoration, a man in a fine navy blue suit appeared on the side.
"May I?" he politely asked Stan who was taken aback by the certain finesse but ultimately gave way. He then turned to Chloe, grinning, pulling her hands into the proper places so they could start dancing to the next song.
[We watch the season pull up its own stakes
And catch the last weekend of the last week]
Chloe died a little at the familiar melody. Just why the hell was the string quartet playing this sentimentally valued song?
[You have stolen my heart]
"My," the man spoke, almost gasping in great disbelief, fixing his eyes on hers as they waltzed to the music. "The tabloids finally stopped making up stories. It is true… you are breathtakingly beautiful, Chloe Beale."
[Invitation only grant farewells
Crush the best one of the best ones]
Gorgeous, he undeniably was. He was almost as appealing as Stan; the bouncy dark brown locks, the pair of ocean blue eyes, the dose of creepiness, and the initiative of doing things without her necessary permission – maybe the song had something to do with it, but he reminded her of Beca Mitchell when Chloe was already desperately trying to forget.
[You have stolen my heart]
"I am tremendously flattered…" her voice trailed off to emphasize how much of a stranger he was to her.
"Benjamin McDouglas," he supplied what she demanded with a beam. Great, same initials too. "Call me 'Ben'. Let's drop the formalities, shall we? It would be such an honor to be your friend, Chloe."
"Future CEO of the McDouglas group of companies," she recognized the name from years and years in the business industry.
He chuckled, "It's going to be a long wait before I finally get the job though. My dad still enjoys his throne. For now, I'm stuck at the Social Responsibility department… which is wonderful by the way. I love helping people. Most businessmen think that they're another bunch of investment, but I think they're more than just an instrument for positive publicity."
[I watch you spin around in your highest heels
You are the best one of the best ones]
Impressive, she thought. When you had been living all your life in a high society where there were certain perspectives to abide with – yes, some of it might sound rather egoistic – being a radical thinker like this had always impressed Chloe. After all, not everybody was thinking like a Posen, or acting like a Tom Jacobs. Somewhere in this horizon, there were some people who could be genuinely humble.
[You have stolen my
You have stolen my heart]
"You should come see Barden," she told him freezing in place when the dance was over, completely enthralled and mesmerized. Barden was personal, but his close resemblance to Beca made it feel like she could trust him. "The kids there are lovely. You're going to love it… Ben."
Yeah, it was important that she called him by his name, and only by his name.
"It's a date then," he winked at her as he escorted her back to her seat.
The entire table directed their eyes towards the redhead with questioning looks, begging for a hint or a preliminary explanation as to why she had a surprise company for the evening. Chloe, however, bid Ben a simple goodbye and sank into her deep thoughts ignoring the rest of the world. Date? Was it just a mere expression or was it really going to be a date? Either way, it already felt like cheating on Beca. But it shouldn't be, right? It shouldn't be when the mighty Phoenix was said to no longer come back.
"Ladies and gentlemen… Mr. Clarence Beale."
The business tycoon walked up to the platform taking over the microphone from the emcee and then grinned back to the applauding crowd.
"I hope everybody's drunk," he started, and people surely laughed. "Kidding aside, I want to thank all of you for gracing my home tonight. I hate to ruin such a good party, but I just need to make a few announcements, if you don't mind… I am happy to announce that the Phoenix Corporation welcomes my good friend, Richard Posen, to the Board."
The Posen patriarch stood momentarily to be recognized, relishing the sounds of applause echoing around the banquet hall; Aubrey elbowed her best friend excitedly for the pleasant surprise - they're on the same team, finally.
"And," Clarence continued earning everybody's ears once again. "I want everyone to know how much I love Phoenix… but sadly… I am no longer capable of heading the team."
That last sentence ignited distressed whispers and murmurs, and Clarence easily had his daughter's full attention.
"And so I must do the right thing here, do what's best for the Corporation. First thing on Monday, I will be officially stepping down as the Chief Executive Officer… That's all, thank you. Now please enjoy the evening."
But who had the decency to? Paul even had to cue the band to start playing a blissful country music while his boss marched back to the presidential table to keep the party running. The buzzes though were already glued into the scene. It appeared like only Richard Posen then was keen to celebrate more than ever. Finally, he had the chance to steal Phoenix, to be the most powerful man in this game. Who knew Clarence Beale was also meant to be on the verge of collapse?
"Chloe, I swear I didn't know this would happen." Aubrey turned to her best friend nervously, pleading for her to believe. "My father is a total dick. You know he's worse than a slutty bitch!"
But the redhead was already leaving her chair, hurriedly making her way out of the banquet hall without any word. She didn't hate Aubrey, she cherished her best friend. It's just that her emotions were too much to handle, she couldn't say anything. As a matter of fact, she could only burst into tears and she couldn't let the rest of the world see her this miserable. That's her life – Phoenix was her family's history, present, and rightfully their future. And her father was going to let it all go just like that?
"Chloe," she heard her father's voice as he followed her into the hallway. "Honey, wait!"
Clarence grabbed her arm as soon as he could to force a stop, but his estranged daughter angrily shook it off.
"I'm sorry," he tried to tell her.
"Mom built that corporation, too."
"I had no choice, Chloe!"
"You always have a choice, dad!" she yelled at him in angst. "You're just making the wrong ones!"
Defeated, he muttered in regret, "I lost the airlines."
"Shit," was all she could say and slapped a hand on her forehead as she fought the impulse to cry. "H-How did all of these happen?"
"People are not as stupid as businessmen think they are. Who am I to offer them security when I couldn't keep my own life out of danger? It's all about the criminal circus we had to go through. The media went out of hand. The Board had lost their confidence on me. The police are also on my tail now. They're trying to find a strong set of evidences to tag me with black market activities."
"Why didn't you tell me you're in trouble, dad?"
"You're shutting me out, Chloe!" exclaimed Clarence. "We haven't seen each other for weeks, and you haven't talked to me for months!"
"You killed Beca!" she cried in a string of firm whisper. "She died trying to save your goddamn treasure."
Her father lowered his head in embarrassment and sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"No... I am."
And she gave him one last look before pulling herself together to leave. She was going to abandon the manor once more; her father helplessly watched his precious treasure walk away from him all over again.
"You might not need me anymore, but I do need you, Chloe."
But what she needed was sanctuary. More than anything or anyone, she needed Beca - this very instance. Where was the mighty Phoenix when Chloe needed her so badly? So badly, just her mere presence would have been more than enough, a simple assurance that shades of black could still turn into palettes of bright yellow. Hence, the young heiress dug into her purse as soon as she hopped into her car searching for her phone among all things. Before she knew it, she was scrolling over the contacts to find Beca's name, calling the ghost number for an attempt at redemption.
"Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number and try again."
"Damn it," she desperately called in again, her tears staining her cheeks as time ticked by. "Come on, Beca. Just this once. Please."
But the intercept message was the only response. Chloe weakly released the phone out of her grip and weakly leaned on the steering wheel. More than a year had passed, and it was finally starting to sink in. Beca Mitchell was dead. Beca Mitchell was already gone beyond her reach.
Had she known that she would be awaken by a ringing door bell just a few minutes after drifting off to sleep, Chloe would have never went to bed. However, all the complaints had gone away when she opened the door and came face-to-face with the one and only Beca Mitchell. She didn't look like a ghost, she looked real. And she didn't say a single word which made it more believable. The mighty Phoenix simply grabbed the stunned redhead by the face and kissed her.
It was sweet and gentle and romantic, the kiss - exactly like the first time only it felt a thousand times better. Chloe waited more than a year for this - to breathe the same air as her love, to touch her skin in her palms, to taste her lips and crave for the rest. It's happening. Beca was right there standing dangerously too close to her. Chloe would never let go of her again. Unfortunately, Beca broke what was supposedly an eternal kiss to embrace her favorite redhead.
"I love you," she whispered into Chloe's ear, and it wasn't a lie.
Just as Chloe was about to say it back, everything was liquefied, swirled away into a pool of fantasies. She shut her eyes open and panted. She was still all alone in the Yellow Room with Beca to hold her close. Goddamn it, it was only just a dream.
Song: Stolen (originally by Dashboard Confessional) - String Tribute
You probably hate me now because there's no reunion yet (the dream must be frustrating). But we're almost there, people. This is the last blow for Chloe, I promise. She won't be so broken again... and it won't be because of Ben, don't worry. BeChloe all the way! :) And I'm sorry about injecting the idea of 'pressure points'. I think I'm having Sherlock withdrawal.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Perfect.