A/N: Still heartbreak guys, sorry for the angst fest in this chapter. We get multiple POVs though, namely Beca, Luke, Jesse, and Aubrey. Next chapters feature the Bellas yet again and then something happens in chapter 12 so stay tuned for that ;)

On that note, chapter 9 will be up tomorrow, and 10 most likely on Monday.

Songs featured are 'No Good in Goodbye' by the Script, 'The Last Goodbye' by David Cook, 'Everybody Knows' by John Legend, and 'You Could Be Happy' by Snow Patrol.

I don't own pitch perfect.

Jesse had been in a somber mood for most of the past three months. The impossible having had happened.

They've been to so many things together. He's been roped into so many misadventures with the Bellas, and he's been a good friend to both Beca and eventually Chloe in that length of time too.

So many days gone by, now lost in the wind with nothing but fragile memories left to remind them of what used to be.

It's been three months and still, Jesse couldn't believe that Beca had left. That she had chosen to break Chloe's heart for both their sakes. That it was all over. The great love affair that had swept them up in college. All of it gone.

"Been waiting long?" Jesse heard Luke ask as he sat down on the bar stool next to his.

"I can't believe you've used me as your replace drinking buddy for Beca." Jesse then said with a chuckle as Luke motion for the bartender for his usual drink. Their favorite bar was usually cheery and lively and yet somehow, Jesse knew, their quite little corner felt like a world of its own. They were weighed down by so many emotions they couldn't simply hake off.

"You're not a replace Beca, besides you've always crashed anyways. " Luke commented. It didn't take Jesse long to see, the break up has affected them all. The Bellas were half the time lost in mourning and half the time trying to come up with some crazy scheme to get the back together, it's taken a toll of them. With all honesty, if it wasn't for Luke and Aubrey they would have probably went through whatever crazy hastily hatched plan they could come up with. The two were the only ones still somewhat rational about things.

"They need time apart." Luke had explained. "And Beca needs time to be by herself and breath. Chloe needs to get back to who she was without Beca too."

"What are you thinking mate?" Luke finally asked Jesse after a few moments of silence.

"Nothing much." Jesse quickly covered, but in the back of his head he was still trying to figure out how the most beautiful love story he has ever witnessed still ended up in tragedy. The only way he could convince himself to move forward and not lose hope was that he strongly believed that this wasn't the end. Not yet. There would be another chapter. There just had to be. "How is Beca?" Jesse finally asked.

"Same old." Luke replied. "Still amnesiac though. She's doing better in terms of creative output though, or so she's told me."

Jesse nodded.

Beca was on her way to getting better, or at least Jesse hoped. And if she needed this time alone, then she should take it.

If only so that she could come back one day feeling whole again.

So she could one day come back to Chloe, not as anyone people wanted her to be but as Beca and only the Beca she wanted to be.

All the things that we've lost
Breaking up comes at a cost
I know I'll miss this mistake
Every word I try to choose
Either way I'm gonna lose
Can't take the ache from heartbreak

Ghost, Beca and Chloe's old dog, instantly jumped up on the couch as soon as Luke had entered his apartment and had chosen to slump down on it. He was a bit buzzed, true, but not so much to choose to sleep on the first cushioned furniture he could find. It was mostly because out of tiredness.

It's been a hard few weeks.

The past three months had been too much of a haze. At one point he remembered Aubrey barging in yelling at him for condoning Beca's actions. A few arguments later and the two of them found common ground.

His phone rang and Luke instantly checked who it was. "Guess it's one of your mommies." Luke absent-mindedly muttered to Ghost as he scratched the back of his ears. "How are you doing Becky?"

"Hey to you too Luke." came Beca's annoyed response. "How's everything going with you?"

"Awful, you left me with no one but Swanson to have a drink with." Luke replied with a chuckle. "How's New York? By the way, when are you planning to get Ghost? Are you ever planning to take him back from Uncle Luke?"

Beca stayed silent for a while and Luke could only guess why. Chloe didn't want Ghost around, for now at least, it reminds her too much of Beca.

And Beca is reminded by the dog of Chloe too, and of things she could potentially never recover.

"Never mind. Sorry I asked. You probably don't have the time to take care of him yourself. No matter, Uncle Luke will treat him well." he then said trying to cover it up with a cheery tone. "I got promoted today, sort of."

"That's great news!" he heard Beca say through the line. "No more midnight shifts?"

"Only on weekends, and hey! We used to love those and I stand by that amnesia or not." Luke retorted. "I also got a daily afternoon show."

"Knowing you, it should be a hit."

"How about you, any hits coming my way? Worked with any famous artist lately? How are they like?"

"You know I can't tell you anything Luke." Beca replied. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Luke chuckled yet again and smiled, shaking his head. "But seriously though Beca, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I guess." Beca replied and then silence yet again before she finally spoke up. "I ran into Stacie today."

"Conrad? Well…" Luke started to say. "How'd that go? You haven't spoken to anyone but me the last few weeks."

"Awkward." was Beca's reply as she said it with a sigh. "We ran into each other at the local pub a few blocks away from my place. We talked for a bit. She mostly asked just how I was, if I was adjusting to New York fine. Said if I needed a friend to talk to I could always just talk to her."

Luke nodded, mostly to himself. "Will you?"

"I don't know." came Beca's honest reply.

"I'll leave that to you. But if you ever need a break from your soul-searching…"

"Hey!"

"Well, what do you want me to call it then?" Luke then retorted. "I'm glad you're keeping in touch though."

"Considering I don't have anyone else right now…"

"Doesn't have to be that way." Luke then said.

"I need to do this Luke. At the very least for me."

"I know. Just glad you call to check in, is all." Luke then mumbled and he swore he could her Beca chuckle on the other end of the line before saying goodbye and hanging up.

It was all new to him in some ways. He saw Beca grow up, change for the better, and then he saw those wretched walls be brought up again from the ground up. If being alone was what it took for Beca to tear them back down again, then he'll let her.

There was no easy way out of this, no right way either.

But their trying to move onward, at the very least. And Beca was doing the one she knew for sure with absolute certainty in his trying times. She was chasing her dreams.

And Luke knows he could be content with that. For now.

No matter how it falls apart
There's an "art" in breaking hearts
But there's no fair in farewell, no
And when I see you in the street
I pray to God you don't see
The silent "hell" in "I wish you well.

It had been one hell of an evening for her. Beca's been working night and day, making the most out of the opportunity she's been given. She wanted to busy her mind, her hands, and create something from whatever the hell it was she was feeling.

She never felts saw raw and vulnerable, so afraid and hurt. But she's got to be brave and face the outcomes of the decisions she's made.

She works as music producer extraordinaire in the day and some nights she works as marvelous DJ at night at a club of an acquaintance she's made when she was still back in LA.

Somehow, some semblance of sanity was crawling back into her head. A fog had been lifted and she could think clearly again. She wasn't hitting a wall anymore when it comes to her work.

And if she doesn't let herself stop for even just a single moment, if she doesn't let herself think it, she could almost forget the painful hole that's been punched right through her chest, steadily aching with beat of her heart.

She doesn't think about her…

…which is of course a lie, because Beca knows that somehow, someway, Chloe had snuck up and crept into her works and her creations. Memories she couldn't remember lived on through her mixes.

And for once, in the months of living alone, she finally had a real reminder of her when she ran into one of the Bellas, Stacie.

Stacie had been good though, she avoided the topic that was Chloe and they kept to light chit chat, as if they were just old friends catching up. Which they were, in a sense of things, and Beca was somewhat thankful that Stacie knew her enough not to open up a topic that would have her bawling her eyes out, as embarrassing as it sounds.

Beca was lying on her bed, her phone to her right, just having talked to Luke on the phone, when it started ringing again.

"Emily?" Beca answers and the young Bellas immediately pops up on screen for her video call.

"Beca! You won't believe it! We're going to regionals!"

"I assume sectionals is over then, and are you drunk?" Beca asked as she saw the usually already bubbly Emily triple with the bubbly and clumsy, making her way through the Bella house.

"No I am not." Emily adamantly defended herself before tripping on some cord and almost falling to her place. "Okay, maybe I am a little."

Beca laughed a little. "Oh my God, you really aren't little Emily anymore."

"Beca, let's face it, I've never been little Emily. I've always been taller than you." was Emily's response.

Beca shook her head. "I don't know whether to like drunk Emily or not, but you should definitely sit down and just breath for a sec. You look dizzy and tired."

"A little yeah." Emily admitted and Beca smiled. All she's had for a while had been Emily and Luke, their constant messages on checking up on her and all, but the last few weeks Emily had been hard to reach, trying to whip the current Bellas into shape and keep their reputation in the acapella world. It was nice to hear from her again after the radio silence from a while.

"So how are you?" Emily then asked.

"I'm fine Ems. I'm glad you won though."

"Yep. Me too! And for sure we'll kick butt in regionals so you better come watch us win Nationals this year, okay?" Emily then said. "Everyone's gonna be there for sure to and…" she kept rambling on before realizing the implications of what she said. "I mean, you know, it would be nice if you come watch, don't feel pressured into it though." Emily then said, trying to backtrack to her earlier statements.

Beca smiled and nodded. "I'll see what I can do." she replied. "You should go get some sleep Ems."

"I will. You too, okay? You need to be strong to conquer the musical world and all!"

"I will." Beca replied before ending the call, Emily waving her goodbye.

Oh, but as you walk away
You don't hear me say

Beca sighed. Emily's words got to her, she knew the younger girl meant well of course, but…

…but it still to her.

She knew she couldn't stay off radar for long. Excellent example her running into Stacie Conrad earlier that day.

She knew that she'd have to face Chloe again one day.

And Beca wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.

Where's the "good" in "goodbye"?
Where's the "nice" in "nice try"?
Where's the "us" in "trust" gone?
Where's the "soul" in "soldier on"?
Now I'm the "low" in "lonely"
'Cause I don't own you only
I can take this mistake
But I can't take the ache from heartbreak

Somehow she drifts off to sleep with Chloe on her mind. Nothing new, it's been like that since she left.

They had some good times together, despite the impossibility of their situation.

And Beca knew she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss her.

No, I can't take the ache from heartbreak

It's been a few days since Beca last called but Luke figured she was just probably busy. Last month she didn't mention something about working on a super big and super important album before refusing to tell him anything else.

So maybe that was that.

Luke's been busy with his job too. For the most part, it's just Jesse he talks to nowadays. He sometimes runs into Chloe at their apartment building where they exchange pleasantries but that was it.

No 'how is she' or no 'have you heard from her' anymore. Not like the first month or so of Beca's absence.

Luke could see, she's trying her damn best to give living without Beca a try. He could see it behind the carefully crafted smile that Chloe wears lately.

And somehow it was breaking his heart. IT was like they've all been reduced to being nothing but strangers to each other. Beca and Chloe, Luke and the Bellas, everyone involved with all of it, quite possibly.

How? How come?

Why was it that one of the most painful things in this world is to watch someone you know become a stranger again?

He understood the motivations, he understood that life was complicated and sometimes reality sucks.

But why did it all have to happen?

I didn't want to lose you
Leave you with a broken heart
But wherever we are, we're miles apart
I know that we've tried
but this is our last goodbye

"That was David Cook's 'Last Goodbye' as requested by one of our usual followers, jack98. A fitting end for today's show. This is your favorite DJ, Luke Walker, signing off. Until next time faithful listeners." Luke said as he wrapped up his shift.

He was once again on his way to meet Jesse at their local bar.

Funny how things go, the guy he never wanted to be friends with was now his only go to friend many years later.

People come and go in life, Luke supposed.

But some, he knew for sure, come back as if they never truly left.

And he could only hope against all hope that this was the case for Beca and Chloe.

Aubrey was a little annoyed that morning.

Mostly because of Stacie.

Given that she's already been working a lot lately because of some project she needed to wrap up, she had to come home the other night even later than before.

More than that she had apparently run into Beca.

In truth, Aubrey knew she shouldn't be mad at Beca. But she was. She broke her best friend's heart after all.

But wat she hates even more was that Luke pointed out Beca's arguments for doing what she did and it helped her understand the hobbit better.

She's still mad though.

"We're not taking sides in this Bree. Beca's our friend too." Stacie had argued the night before.

"Yeah, but we're not to her." Aubrey snapped back and Stacie shot her a look that made her double back on what she said. "I don't understand why any of this things are even happening. Why for that matter too? She hurt Chloe."

"She's hurting herself, I can tell. You might be Chloe's best friend but Amy and I, we were Beca's. Hopefully still are. She did what she thought was best and I can tell she's suffering because of it too. But she does look better now, she's been more of herself last night since the accident and anytime we had contact with her when she was still at LA with Chloe, living without a memory. She's finding herself again."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't suck or hurts."

"Oh, I agree. But what are to do Bree? We don't have the answers to everything." Stacie concluded.

And the words were still ringing true to Aubrey.

Cause everybody knows, that nobody really knows
How to make it work, or how to ease the hurt
We've heard it all before, that everybody knows
How to make it right, I wish we gave it one more try
One more try
One more try
'Cause everybody knows, but nobody really knows

She just wished that there could have been some other way. There could have been, couldn't it?

Or would they just all keep hurting until there's nothing left of their old self in them?

Aubrey wasn't sure, she doesn't have the answers. All she knew was that she's never seen Chloe so broken before, and she's seen her in all of her lowest of the lows too. She was devastated and all Aubrey could do was try to pick up whatever pieces were left that she could use to put Chloe back together.

But she knew it would never be enough. Chloe gave her heart and soul to Beca.

And all they could do was try, try to stitch back a heart, stitch back a soul. Try to move forward and hope that one day, everything would simply fall into place.

'When' and 'how' were the ever persistent question that follows Aubrey every single day.

"Hello? Beca? Earth to Beca! I said you're meeting with Justin was moved to tomorrow." Kaelyn, Beca's ever so spirited assistant, repeated in her attempts to get the message through to Beca.

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah, meeting with Justin, tomorrow. Got it." Beca said as they made their way through the busy streets of New York, on their way back from a coffee run.

"Are you okay, boss?" Kaelyn then asked just as they stopped outside of heir building.

"I don't know, just a lot on my mind." Beca shrugged. Which was true. The events of the other day still fresh on her mind, her thoughts completely wrapped around about the idea of one day running into Chloe again. She knew it would be inevitable, she just didn't think of the possibility of happening soon.

"Hey Kaelyn?" Beca then asked, a different thought popping into her head.

"Oh no, I don't like that tone you have." was Kaelyn's immediate response.

"What tone?" Beca asked, feigning innocence. But she knew the tone. Of course she did.

"You're going to take a day off again, aren't you? Beca, there's still so much to do." Kaelyn whined.

"Which I know you are more than capable of handling yourself. Besides, you know I'm more productive when I'm out of the office. Many thanks in advance!" Beca then replied before taking off in a spur of the moment leaving Kaelyn no other choice but do what she must as Beca's assistant to make sure they're up to speed with work.

You could be happy, I hope you are
You made me happier than I'd been by far

Truth be told, Beca should feel guilty. Kaelyn was a great assistant and the closest thing she has to a friend in New York. There was Fitz too, but Fitz was her boss so really she doesn't spend a lot of time with the guy.

The early signs of fall had started to grace the city with its colorful beauty. Beca had always loved fall, there was just something about the season, really. She found herself at Bryant Park, the skating rink still closed but Beca knew she was looking forward to it being opened again, and it should happen soon. It gives her something else to do, some form of amusement to pass the time.

Somehow, Chloe never left her mind, despite Beca leaving her behind in LA.

And Beca could only wish the best for her, hoping she could live her life once more, now that she's free of giving things up for Beca.

Somehow everything I own smells of you
And for the tiniest moment it's all not true

Beca places a hand on her chest as she finally leaves the park. She could feel it. Something was missing, some big piece, and a part of her knew what it was. She just wishes she could understand why soon enough.

That ache in her heart was the constant reminder that nothing was right.

But Beca knew she was getting better. She could breathe again, she could think again.

She just needs to leave again.

She hadn't thought about her missing past for a few months, and somehow, it helped her to relax. There was no pressure on her to do anything, just be herself and do what she must do.

But she couldn't help but see Chloe in every corner of her new flat in Manhattan.

She was there by her piano, she was there in her favorite flannel shirt.

She was there whenever she listened to her old mixes, ones that Beca could only guess were for Chloe.

She was a constant she couldn't shake off.

Do the things that you always wanted to
Without me there to hold you back; don't think, just do

And there are moments when Beca could catch herself thinking about the redhead believing that maybe she made a mistake.

But somewhere deep inside she knew she made the right decision. For them to be happy again at least.

And it was going to be hard, but Beca was hopeful they'll both make it through.

And when the time comes, she could only hope that when they see each other again she could see Chloe smiling again.

More than anything I want to see you, girl
Take a glorious bite out of the whole world

Yes, Beca knows she's made the right decision. But the irrefutable fact was that she misses Chloe terribly so.