Author's Note: Hi, guys! Sorry for the wait. I'd like to point out that there is a slight TRIGGER WARNING in this chapter. Slight mentions of sexual assault though nothing is terribly graphic and it's not at all something hard-core. But to be safe, if even the slightest bits trigger you, please don't read this chapter. I apologize for any inconveniences that that might cause. Also, I didn't proofread (What else is new?) so any and all mistakes are my own and I'll probably eventually go back and fix them. xD Let me know your thoughts. Oh and I know I usually only pick one POV for each chapter, but I thought it would be better to switch in between for this one. I hope it doesn't confuse anyone.
Disclaimer: Eh. You know the drill.
Chapter Ten
Chloe is so aca-freaking-excited right now that she's practically vibrating with energy. Beca is back and she and Aubrey are getting along and they're going to work on the set and do aca-amazing. From the moment that Beca had walked out at the Semis, it had been horrible. She and Aubrey had been out of sync and just plain sad. Aubrey had felt guilty and angry and Chloe just missed Beca (and even Jonah) and of course the Bellas.
But they got a second chance - everyone got a second chance. So as they all walk down into the empty pool, Chloe grins wide as Beca speaks. "Alright, let's remix this business." She turns, eyes meeting Aubrey's. "Um, Aubrey would you pick a song for us, please?"
Aubrey glances at Chloe and smiles this shy little thing before taking a breath. "Bruno Mars, Just The Way You Are."
Beca looks a little surprised, but she nods, smiling softly. "Okay. Um, Chloe are you okay to take the lead?"
Chloe nods, smiling over at the brunette. "Yeah."
Beca nods and takes a breath then shakes out her hands before she starts off the beat. And then Aubrey starts, easily harmonizing with Beca as the other Bellas pick up the beat as well until it comes time for Chloe to sing. She takes a breath and sings and Beca smiles something soft and warm and as the second verse starts, Beca begins to sing 'Just A Dream', her smile growing (and Chloe isn't surprised since it was one of Beca's mashups). And by the third verse, Beca is full on smiling as she points to Aubrey to pick up the next verse of 'Just A Dream'.
Chloe glances around her, noting Aubrey's bright smile as she starts, and the way she looks at Beca as she sings. Beca seems to be blushing under Aubrey's gaze, but she doesn't stop smiling, in fact her smile seems brighter as she joins Aubrey, backing her up and Chloe thinks she's never heard anything more amazing. They sound fantastic together, all of them do and she's so excited.
As the song ends, everyone goes quiet, glancing around at each other before Aubrey finally breaks it. "Hands in." She says with a grin.
Beca promises to come up with a kick-ass setlist before the next practice while Aubrey tells them to rest up because they're going to have to work hard to be ready in time for the finals.
"So… that was kind of amazing." Chloe says as she unlocks the door to their apartment.
Aubrey hasn't stopped smiling since they all left the pool and it makes Chloe's heart swell with love. "Yeah." She says, sounding a little breathless. But then her smile drops and she sighs. "I wish I had done this sooner. Maybe then none of the drama would have happened."
Chloe offers a comforting smile as she tugs the blonde over to the couch. "It's okay, Aubrey. You didn't know. And I think it shows that as a unit we can all overcome anything, that we'll always be there for eachother."
Aubrey smiles weakly. "Maybe. But what if I've ruined any chance we ever hoped to have with Beca?"
"You didn't." Chloe says gently, recalling the way that Beca had been staring at the Bellas captain with something like awe.
Aubrey's brows furrow slightly and she sighs. "How do you know?"
"Because she was looking at you like you had just given her the moon. And when you picked that song, she looked a little surprised but, then like maybe she was realizing something."
The blonde smiles something shy. "Well, I was hoping she'd get the hint if I picked that song, and I think she did. I mean, she picked 'Just A Dream'. But then again, this is Beca we're talking about. She's emotionally stunted."
Chloe chuckled. "As true as that may be, your hint wasn't very subtle, especially with the looks you were giving her."
"What looks? I wasn't looking at her any differently!"
One perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose. "You were looking at her like you look at me. Your eyes go all soft and you smile this little affectionate thing."
Chloe watches as a soft pink starts from the blonde's chest and crawls up to color her cheeks. "It's just-I hate how I treated her, and I - god, I missed her. I missed you and I was just so happy to have her back. I didn't know I cared so much about her until she wasn't there anymore."
"I know, Bree. Me too." The redhead smiles in understanding.
Chloe feels a little light a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. Things can only go up from here for the Bellas, and as for Beca… Well, Chloe could only hope that she and Aubrey would get a proper chance to woo the little alt-girl.
After their nightly routine, the girls settle on the couch. "Beca said she had to close up tonight… I told her to text when she got home safe." Chloe says, checking the time on her phone. It's almost midnight and she's pretty sure that the brunette should have texted by now. "She should have texted… Do you think she's okay?"
Aubrey bites her lip, eyeing Chloe's phone. "I'm sure she's fine," The blonde says and Chloe thinks she's just saying that to help ease her own anxieties. "She probably just forgot or she's checking on Jonah."
Chloe nods gently and just as she opens her mouth to agree, her phone starts to ring, a picture of Beca flashing across her screen. Suddenly, it's all she can do not to worry. She reaches for the phone hesitantly. "Beca?"
The voice that comes over the phone isn't Beca's however. Everything is garbled and there's a lot of banging in the background and then there's Jonah's terrified voice. "C-Chloe!" It's evident that he's crying hard and fear immediately rushes through Chloe like lightning. She puts it on speaker phone and holds it out to Aubrey with shaking hands.
"Jonah? Hey, what's wrong, where's B-your momma?" Chloe asks anxiously, though trying to keep calm at least for the child's sake.
There's shuffling on the other end and the sound of Jonah whining and hiccuping tears. "She-she's hurt. I called 9-1-1 just like m-momma said to if something bad happened but I'm scared."
Aubrey takes the phone, already standing up and searching for her keys. Chloe is at the blonde's heels, veering off to grab their jackets. "Jonah? It's Aubrey. What's happening, sweetie?" Chloe is almost surprised at how calm Aubrey sounds but as she gets a good look at the blonde's face, it gives her away. She's pale and her brows are furrowed and she looks like she's about to be sick.
"B-Bree?" Jonah hiccups over the phone. "Bad man." He whispers after a long pause.
Chloe feels all the blood rush down to her stomach and she has to grip the wall to steady herself. Aubrey's hands tighten around the phone and Chloe watches as she takes a few breaths, working to make sure her voice is steady. "Is the bad man still there?" She asks gently as her hand hovers over the door knob, ready to leave.
Chloe holds her breath, heart beating loud in her ears. "Yes. But he's n-not awake."
"What about your momma, Jonah? Is she okay?" Aubrey's voice is wavering and Chloe can feel her own throat tightning. "Where are you?"
"I don't know where momma is - she said to hide. I grabbed her phone and hid in the closet. Will you come? Please?" Chloe can tell that by the way the little boy's voice cracks that he's about to cry again. She spares a glance at Aubrey as they rush to the car and her blonde counterpart looks like she's going to be sick. Chloe feels like she might be sick, too.
"We're coming, baby." Aubrey says tremulously. "You stay put, okay? Chloe will stay on the phone with you until we get there."
Chloe takes the phone and immediately and talks about nonsensical things, like what he did that day and what songs he listened to, anything to keep him occupied while Aubrey breaks every law just to get to them.
Beca couldn't keep the smile off of her face when she went into work that night. She felt like she was on cloud nine. They had never sounded so good, not since the riff-off. They were finally listening to each other and as a result, they were creating beautiful music. To think Beca had almost decided against going, until she had received a text from Stacie telling her to get her head out of her ass and be an adult, and that they needed her.
So Beca had gone and she was so happy that she did. And the song Aubrey chose? What the fuck was that, like what the actual fuck! And what was with the looks she was sending her. If Beca hadn't known any better, she'd say that… Aubrey was… flirting with her? Or sending some sort of signal? It couldn't have been a coincidence that Aubrey chose that song. She had to have heard Beca's mix off of Jonah's Ipod. But Aubrey and Chloe were together! And speaking of Chloe, Beca didn't even want to talk about the soft looks that the redhead was sending her. It almost seemed like they were both flirting with her. But that was fucking impossible because again… together.
'It's possible to have feelings for two different people', Stacie's voice echoes in her head. 'Sometimes you possess so much love that you can't just share it with one person.' The leggy brunette's voice continues and Beca mentally groans. She can't think about it right now. It was too much. And she had Jonah to think about.
She sighs as she unlocks the door to her apartment. It's 11:45 and she's exhausted. Emily greets her at the door, letting her know that Jonah is in bed. Beca thanks the teen and pays her before she opens the door and watches the girl until she's safely inside. Though they live next to each other, Beca doesn't like to let her walk home so late by herself, regardless if it's just a few feet away. Anything could happen between her door and the Avery's. Once the girl is safely inside, Beca closes her own door and locks it.
She hated closing. It meant she had to kick one of the Coffee shop's regular customers - one Beca really disliked. He always gave her trouble and Beca always got weird vibes around him. So she never allowed herself to be alone with him, or any of her co-workers. Especially on nights that Beca closed, because he was always there. Watching her.
Beca sighs and reaches for her phone in her back pocket. She had promised she'd text Chloe when she was home. Just as she's about to unlock it, there's a knock on the door. Beca freezes, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. "Emily probably forgot something." She mumbles to herself, turning on her heel and moving back toward the door.
She opens the door a crack but doesn't remove the chain and she's glad she doesn't because the person on the other side isn't Emily. "Hey, Beca."
Beca's heart seems to drop down into her stomach. "What the hell? What are you doing here? What do you want?" She snaps, hands tightening on the door.
He's tall and muscular and generally good looking, not someone you would expect to be a stalker, but here he was, at Beca's doorstep and while Beca thought it was a total creep, she had never thought that he would go this far.
"I was in the neighborhood." He says, smiling. But Beca has never fell for that smile. She's never fell for any of his charms or attempts to get a date with her.
Her fingers tighten on the door knob. "Dude, it fucking midnight… And I don't recall ever telling you where I lived." She snaps irritably.
The man just continues to smile, head tilting a little to the side. "I wanted to make sure you got home safe." He says, moving closer. "Can I come in for coffee?"
"Dude, seriously? Go away. I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I'm not interested, okay? No, you can't come in for coffee. Now leave, before I call the cops." The smile drops from his face and he pushes against the door roughly. "Fuck off!" She presses herself against the door, trying to close it, but he's too strong and as he rams his body into it, the chain snaps and the door flies open. Beca lands on her side and before she can even think about getting to her feet, he's yanking her up by the arm.
"I'm really tired of these games, Beca." He says, pulling her close until their faces are inches apart. Fear grips her like a vice but she works to keep her composure, trying to find something to her advantage. Her phone is on the floor somewhere, having gotten lost in the scuffle and there is nothing in sight that she could use to maybe hit him with. Of course.
"I'm not playing games." Beca says through clenched teeth before she pushes hard against his chest. "Get out of my house or I swear to -"
Before she can get anything else out, he slaps her hard in the face, causing her cheek to burn and sting. Tears spring into her eyes but she blinks them back and turns her face back to look at him. He's smirking but there's anger in his eyes. "Don't talk to me like that." He shoves her back against the door, effectively closing it and knocking the breath out of her. "You're going to pay for all those times you teased me." His hand travels down to the button of her jeans and Beca nearly loses herself to the fear.
"Don't fucking touch me." She tries to shove him away once more, but he slaps her again and this time she can taste blood.
"Momma?" Beca's heart seizes in her chest at the sound of her son's voice. She looks around broad shoulders to see Jonah rubbing his eyes tiredly.
The man turns slightly to glance behind him and then he looks back at Beca, smiling in a way that makes Beca's skin crawl. "You'll do what I say, or I'll hurt him and I'll make you watch."
All of the fight seems to leave Beca and she nods, chin trembling. "Please, just… leave him alone." She says quietly. "I'll do whatever you want, just… don't…" She glances over the man's shoulder to see her son looking confused and frightened.
"Momma?" He calls again, and Beca watches as he takes a tentative step forward. "Who's that?"
The man gives her a look and she closes her eyes tight. "N-no one, baby. Go back to bed." Her voice trembles as the words leave her lips. A hand moves to unbutton her jeans once more before it slips beneath her shirt and Beca feels sick. She can't… She can't do this. Before she can second guess herself, she's kneeing him hard in the groin and he falls to the floor. "Run and hide!" She yells as she moves to try and get past him but he grabs her foot and she trips, falling to the floor, but not before dragging a lamp from the side table with her.
"You stupid bitch!" He yells, tugging at her ankle. She holds onto the lamp and quickly glances up to see that Jonah has disappeared and her phone is gone. Thankful her son is at least out of sight, she turns onto her back, bringing the lamp up and then shattering it onto his skull before he can pull Beca to him.
His grip on her loosens and she scrambles to her feet. She looks down to see him disoriented and before he has a chance to figure out what's happened, she kicks him in the head, effectively knocking him out.
"Jonah?" She rasps out, still trying to keep her emotions in check. She glances back at the man on the floor, afraid he'll suddenly come to. She feels something wet and sticky dripping down the side of her head and reaches up to touch it only for her hand to come back with blood on her fingers.
She's suddenly lightheaded and finds herself leaning against the back of the couch, panting. "Fuck!" She slowly slips down the back of it, head drooping forward as the tears start to fall. Briefly, she hears the sound of sirens but it doesn't quite register.
She's not sure how long she's been sitting there but when a pair of hands go to touch her, she nearly jumps out of her skin. "Don't fucking touch me!"
"Beca," Beca's head snaps up to meet Aubrey's worried eyes. "It's me."
"Aubrey?"
Aubrey and Chloe manage to beat the police and though Chloe is sure that they'll be scolded by them for going in, they do it anyway. The door is unlocked and they walk into the sight of glass shattered everywhere and a man unconscious on the floor. "Aubrey!" Chloe grabs her arm and then points at the small figure curled in on herself behind the couch.
"Go find Jonah." Aubrey instructs, already moving toward Beca.
Chloe rushes down the hall, calling out for the little boy. She eventually finds him in Beca's closet, curled up with the phone laying beside him. "Jonah?"
The little boy looks up and before Chloe can even think to say anything else or try to look him over for injuries, he's flinging himself at her, a new wave of tears running down his cheeks. Chloe scoops him up and holds him close to her. "Hey, shh. It's okay. I've got you." She rubs his back and whispers words of comfort in his ear, swaying gently.
"Momma's hurt." He says after he manages to stop crying.
Chloe brushes her lips against his temple. "Aubrey is with your mom, buddy. And the police should be here. Everything is going to be okay."
After Beca is looked over by the paramedics (and the cut on her forehead is stitched up) and a statement is taken, they advise her to find someone to stay with, to which Aubrey says that she will be staying with she and Chloe.
Aubrey helps Beca pack a few bags before they all take a silent car ride to the girls' apartment. "You can stay in the guest room, Beca - or wherever you want." Aubrey says gently as the enter. Chloe locks the door behind them and moving to take Beca's bags to what used to be Chloe's old room. When she returns, she finds Beca on the couch with Jonah curled up in her arms. Aubrey is sitting beside them, her hand pressing against Jonah's back as she says something low and quiet, smiling at him.
The little boy manages a timid smile back and Chloe sighs. It's going to be a long night.