Title: Elevated
Rating: M
Summary: Lieutenant Beca Mitchell was one of the best fighter pilots in the US Air Force. Chloe Beale was a nurse for the Armed Forces. What happens when the two fall in love and Beca is shipped off to England to fly with the RAF? G!P Beca. Based on Pearl Harbor AU (see authors note).
Disclaimer: I do not own Pearl Harbor or Pitch Perfect, nor do I take full credit for any of the similarities/dialogue used. All mistakes are mine.
A/N: Just a filler. Will post the next chapter either later today, or tomorrow. Depends on when I finish it. The next one is going to be loooong. A lot of shit happens, like a lot. And I have way more time to write now, since I got dumped the other day. *laughs* Also, the new chapter for Darling, You'll Be Okay is also in the works, so if you read that, you have that to look forward to as well! Enjoy, guys! Thank you for all of the support and reviews.
Pearl Harbor; Oahu, Hawaii. May 12, 1941
Chloe was sitting in the hospital ward, stitching up a Naval officer who had been in a fight with another. The reality that Chloe was pregnant had moved to the back of her mind, trying to keep it filled with thoughts of Beca and her return. When she originally got the news from the doctor, she was shocked to say the least. She never expected it to happen, not fully understanding Beca's condition, but embracing it all at the same time. Chloe sighs loudly, and focuses her attention back to her patient.
"How did you get this laceration?" Chloe asks as she pulls the stitches through the Naval officer's head.
"I was in a fight, ma'am." The man, Petty Officer Miller replies. "Other guy looks worse."
"Did you win?" Chloe finishes the stitches, adding a small dressing to his forehead.
"Yes, ma'am."
"And what do you get for winning?"
"Respect." He replies.
Chloe's heart breaks at this confession, noticing how differently the military had treated African American soldiers.
"Why do you have to fight with your fists to gain respect?" Chloe wonders, but she knows the answer is very clear. They start to walk out of the hospital and he turns to face Chloe and answer her question.
"I left my mom back home, ma'am. I wanted to make something out of myself, be a man..." Miller starts out, "joined the navy, and they made me a cook." He scoffs. "Not even that. I clean up after sailors eat. Two years in the service and they never even let me fire a weapon."
"Let's hope you never have to." Chloe sympathizes.
"Yes, ma'am." Miller replies, putting his hat on.
"Well, you take care of yourself, Petty Officer Miller."
"You as well." He turns to leave and Chloe is seeing him off when an air force car drives up. Chloe holds her hand up to block the sun out, wondering what they were doing here. She holds her breath, hoping Beca is behind the tinted windows. But when Lt. Stacie Conrad steps out of the car, her head down and a somber look on her face, Chloe fears for the worst. She puts her hand over her mouth when Stacie shakes her head softly, tears filling her eyes.
Stacie walks slowly towards Chloe, no words spoken, engulfing the nurse in a hug. "I'm so sorry." Stacie pulls Chloe closer as she hears the nurse start sobbing uncontrollably.
Beca was gone. Beca was really gone, and Chloe could feel her heart shatter over and over again. She feels Stacie's embrace loosen, hearing the pilot repeat "it's okay", but Chloe knew it wasn't. She got lost in her thoughts of the reality she was now faced with. She was pregnant with Beca's child, and Beca was dead and never coming back.
Chloe thought of the last time she saw Beca, the night that all of this happened. Chloe stood in front of Stacie in shambles, and the pilot let her cry on her shoulder. The two didn't need to say anything, because Chloe could feel everything in the look that Stacie gave her.
How was she going to do this without Beca? How was she going to raise their child without the brunette by her side? How was she going to move on when her heart felt like it would never be repaired? Chloe grows numb, slumping against Stacie who was trying to keep her composure.
"You need to sit down." Stacie suggests, knowing that Chloe should not be standing while so emotionally distraught and pregnant. Chloe nods and Stacie leads Chloe over to a bench. "You know, she taught me how to fly."
Chloe knows Stacie's just trying to get her mind back to a better place, in better thoughts of Beca, but it was hard.
"I always knew that no matter what kind of trouble I got myself into... That I'd never be alone in it. Beca would always be there with me. She pushed me to be this great pilot, better, faster..." Stacie's voice cracks as her memory floods with instances of her and Beca as kids.
"She always told me you were a great flier..." Chloe says softly. "It was the same night that she told me she'd volunteered to go to the war."
Stacie lifts her head up and her eyes widen. "Volunteered? She told me she was assigned..." Chloe's eyes look somberly into Stacie's, watching as the pilot turns her head away. Stacie gently laughs, before tears filled her eyes. "She was always trying to protect me."
Stacie lifts her arms, looking at the uniform she was in before continuing, "But I look at myself in this uniform, and I still can't catch glimpses of who I am. I look like a hero... I look like a hero, but I don't feel like one. But Beca... She always looked the part, didn't she?"
Chloe nods, wiping away the tears from her eyes and inhaling sharply. "She couldn't wait to be one... God, I miss her. I don't know how I'm going to do this without her." Chloe motions towards her stomach.
"You'll figure it out, Chloe. In the meantime, I'll be like Aunt Stacie or something. I don't know, I could probably get Aubrey in on it, too. I know it won't be the same as Beca, but we're willing to help." Stacie shrugs, knowing very well that her and Aubrey, a nurse she was seeing in Chloe's division, couldn't do half of what Beca would have done, but she wanted the offer to be on the table.
Chloe sends a small smile Stacie's way. "I think Beca would have liked that."
May 15, 1941
Chloe and Stacie stood at the Air Force base, gathered in a circle of pilots and nurses. They were here to have a memorial service for Beca since the RAF said they could not locate her body to be put to rest.
"Today, we are here to celebrate the life of our fallen pilot, Lieutenant Rebeca Leigh Mitchell, of the United States Air Force." Major Jesse Swanson announces. "Beca was a good friend of mine, and one hell of a fighter. She never let anything get her down or get in her way. She fought for our country voluntarily, knowing the risks she took. She was one of the best pilots I've ever seen in my career. Lieutenant Mitchell, you will be missed. Lieutenant Conrad?"
Stacie nods and steps forward, removing her hat. "Beca was one of my best friends, ever since we were little. For as long as I remember, she wanted to be a pilot. She had me make her makeshift wings once, claiming she could fly. So, I did. Beca took a fall off the barn roof. She didn't let that get her spirits down any. Next day she was up there, broken leg and all, telling me to make adjustments to those wings." Stacie laughs lightly before continuing. "She was always so graceful when she was clumsy, definitely not the best on her feet. But she could fly a plane like it was the easiest thing in the world. I miss her so much, and I know she's watching over all of us. To Beca!"
"To Beca!" Everyone replies loudly, lifting their fists to the sky as the soldiers start firing rounds into an open field, honoring the fallen soldier.
Everyone stared blankly at the makeshift memorial, but Chloe was burning a hole through it, especially at the words it said.
In Memory Of
Lieutenant Rebeca "Beca" Leigh Mitchell
October 25, 1919 - May 12, 1941
Eagle Squadron No. 71 Pilot
United States Air Force Pilot
Loving daughter, friend, and mother
Chloe's heart shatters at the last word, knowing that Beca never had her chance to actually be a mother. She knew in her heart that Beca would have been the best mother out there, but she dies a bit inside every time she realizes that Beca was taken too soon.
She knew that Stacie had that engraved, and while it hurt, Chloe was happy with the decision to add it to the plaque.
Everyone falls out, leaving Chloe by herself. Stacie and Aubrey stand out in the distance waiting for the redhead to say her final words.
"I'm so sorry, Beca." Chloe chokes up. "From this life to the next, I will always love you. You mean the world to me. I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye, or tell you the news..."
Chloe sets the test results from her blood draw that indicated that she was pregnant on the ground in front of the memorial. "You would have been a great mother, Beca. I have no doubt about it. I love you, Mitchell..."