Chapter 18

A/N: I actually struggled with this chapter for a while. Then it just developed a mind of it's own and became around 15-20k words, so I ended up splitting it into two chapters. Here is part one!

Beca felt a hand rub over her back, barely waking her as a voice above her said, "Becs? It's time to get up."

"Nope," she groaned out, quickly burrowing under the covers.

She heard Chloe laugh, followed by a clunk of something being set on the nightstand. "Come on, I made you coffee. We have school."

Beca peeked out from the blankets to look up at the steaming mug before eyeing Chloe. "Is that supposed to be an incentive for me get up? No one likes school."

"I do," Chloe replied, beaming at her.

Beca scoffed, "You would. Teachers just like to boss us poor kids around and make us miserable."

Chloe retorted sarcastically, "Of course. That's exactly why I became a teacher. Not to help kids learn new things, not to help them discover and reach their potential, not to encourage them to strive for something better, but to make them miserable."

"Your class makes me miserable," Beca quipped, smirking up at her teacher.

Chloe's jaw dropped in mock anger, and she quickly moved to straddle the brunette, her hands reaching under the blankets to tickle her. Beca recoiled at the cold hands sliding over her sides. "Shit, your hands are cold! Stop, I'm sorry...Ah...I didn't mean it..." she trailed off, squirming as Chloe's relentless torture finally ended.

Panting, she fell back against the pillow, glaring up at the redhead who was wearing a satisfied smile. "How much time do we have?" she asked innocently, sliding her hands up Chloe's thighs.

Chloe hopped off her, stealing a sip of coffee from the mug before returning it to the stand. "Not enough time for that," she replied stripping her shirt off and heading into the bathroom without a backwards glance.

Beca swallowed hard as she watched Chloe disappear, only to hear the shower turn on. "Fuck, she's trying to kill me," she mumbled to herself, leaning over and grabbing the mug off the nightstand. Breathing in the scent, she was about to take a sip when Chloe's voice rang out over the sound of the shower. "Are ya gonna join me?"

Beca froze with the mug halfway to her lips, looking up slowly to see Chloe wink at her before disappearing again. All thoughts of coffee vanished, replacing the mug as she scrambled out of bed faster than she ever had before.

Before long, the water ran cold cutting their shower short, and Beca was currently searching through Chloe's closet for a shirt to wear to school. Throwing up her hands in frustration, she gave up and walked into the main room, grumbling, "This is hopeless."

She watched as Chloe's eyes trailed shamelessly over her body, clad only in a bra and her skinny jeans from yesterday. "Focus, Beale. You're the one that's insisting we go to school. I'd be fine with playing hooky and staying in bed all day," Beca continued, crossing her arms over her chest.

That comment seemed to jar Chloe back into the present, as she rolled her eyes and headed into her room, emerging a minute later with a blue and grey plaid shirt. Tossing it to the brunette, she retorted, "We're going to school. And I can stare at my girlfriend as much as I want."

Beca felt her lips curl into a smile as she slipped the shirt on, not quite believing that Chloe Beale was actually her girlfriend. She was still a little anxious, a little hesitant about the whole thing, but Chloe had an uncanny ability to calm her by simply being there. The pull that Beca had always felt around the redhead was still there, and stronger than ever. It just felt right when they were together, and that fact alone had her wanting to trust Chloe, to push herself outside of her comfort zone and try harder. Chloe's words had bounced around her head since yesterday, her claims that Beca didn't talk to her about anything personal, and as terrifying as the thought of really opening up was, she was determined to try with Chloe.

"Hey, Chlo?" Beca said, hating the way her voice wavered nervously.

Chloe looked up instantly from the kitchen, a hesitant look crossing her face. "Yeah?"

"I...I really like my stepmom, Sheila, a lot. She's really helped me and my dad over these past few years since..." she trailed off, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Since my mom died. She supported my music even when my dad didn't, and helped me show him why it's so important to me. I kinda didn't want to like her, but she was always patient with me, never pushed me to like her or anything, and now we're pretty close," she finished, nervously playing with her fingers, her eyes watching as Chloe's expression changed from confusion to understanding.

Chloe slowly made her way around the counter to stand in front of Beca, smiling as she leaned down and hugged her tightly. "She sounds pretty awesome, Becs," she whispered. "I'd love to hear more about her sometime. Your dad too," she added.

Beca just nodded, wrapping her arms around Chloe, holding on for a few more seconds as her racing heart slowed down. In that moment, she knew she could do it. It was terrifying, and her heart felt like it would beat out of her chest, but she could do it. Chloe hadn't left, or misunderstood how difficult those few simple sentences were for Beca, and she wouldn't abuse Beca's trust. Feeling the need to say it out loud, Beca murmured, "I can do it."

Chloe leaned back just enough to rest her forehead against Beca's, softly replying, "Yeah, you can. And when you're ready, I'll always be there to listen."

Beca gave her a small smile, leaning in and meeting Chloe's lips. She could do it. And she would, no matter how hard she had to try.

Chloe leaned back suddenly, spinning away and heading back into the kitchen to grab her travel mug. "Let's go, Mitchell. Aubrey won't hesitate to give you detention if you're late."

Beca groaned, shuffling slowly towards the door. "I've changed my mind. You go to school and I'll just go...anywhere but Gen...I mean Posen's class," she stuttered, quickly correcting herself at Chloe's raised eyebrows.

"I'm gonna make this real simple," Chloe said, fixing her gaze on the brunette. "No school, no sex. Choice is up to you."

Beca's jaw dropped, immediately whining, "What happened to the teacher who texted me 'sex before homework?' I liked her a lot better."

Chloe retorted, "In order to get homework, you have to go to school. What's it gonna be?" she asked, holding the door open.

Beca scowled, grabbing her keys and trudging out the door. "You don't fight fair, Beale."

Chloe grinned, locking the door and striding past Beca toward the parking lot replying, "I told you before. I play to win. Come on, stop complaining and I'll put in a good word for you with Aubrey."

Beca sighed and followed behind her, mumbling, "Better make it an essay."

Beca dropped onto the grass beside Stacie, feeling the exhaustion of the day hit her as she yawned widely. She'd managed to make it to English class on time that morning, not missing the disappointed look that crossed Posen's face when she slipped through the door with a minute to spare. Thankfully, the day passed without incident, and she was going to enjoy an afternoon without detention.

Stacie's voice brought her back to the present. "If it wasn't for that giant grin on your face, I'd think you were about to die here and now."

Beca chuckled, replying, "I was remembering how upset Posen looked this morning when she wasn't gonna get to lock me out of class again."

Stacie laughed with her. "I can't believe she didn't give you detention when you started gloating."

"She couldn't," Beca scoffed defensively. "Technically, I didn't say anything that wasn't true. And I didn't curse," she added proudly.

"Saving that for later with Ms. Beale?" Stacie asked slyly, grinning when Beca's eyes widened. "What? You owe me details, by the way."

"Dude! Not here," Beca whispered anxiously, looking around to make sure no one was near them. "No one can know," she continued, smacking Stacie's thigh.

Stacie rolled her eyes, gesturing around the empty campus. "We are the only ones out here. It's like a morgue. Dunno why though, it's really nice out today."

Beca watched her friend lean her head back and close her eyes, letting the sun hit her face. "What do you want to know?" she asked, hesitating at the way Stacie's eyes shot open excitedly.

"I want to know what happened yesterday. You were all gloomy about it and next thing I know you send me that text, so, obviously you were going at it like rabbits," Stacie said casually, the glint in her eye betraying her tone.

Beca sighed, glancing around again before replying. "Well...uh...I just went over to her place after I dropped Sheila off at the airport and we talked. We worked it out and then we went to bed."

"I bet you did," Stacie smirked, running her eyes over Beca's body. "Explains why you look like death warmed over today. Did you get any sleep?"

"Yeah, a couple hours I think," Beca replied, unable to hold back another yawn.

Stacie didn't hesitate with her next question. "So what happened? What'd she say when you went over there?"

"Uh...she apologized. Then she asked me to be her girlfriend again. I said no, she called me a liar, I tried to hold out and instead I kissed her. She asked me a third time and I said yes. Happy now?" Beca asked, giving Stacie the cliff notes version of yesterday's events.

"You said yes?!" Stacie squealed, launching herself at Beca and pulling her into a hug.

Beca cowered as Stacie tackled her into the grass in a hug, protesting, "Stace! Get off me!"

She managed to squirm out of Stacie's grasp, rolling a few feet away to look suspiciously back at her friend, who was staring at her with a ridiculous grin. "What? You're creeping me out, weirdo."

Stacie rolled her eyes, retorting, "Can't a girl be happy for her friend without getting called a creeper?"

"Only if her face doesn't look like a creeper's," Beca reasoned, still ready to duck and roll if Stacie tried that move again.

"Fine," Stacie said, holding her hands up innocently. "But holy shit, Becs, you have a girlfriend!"

Beca grinned as Chloe popped into her mind. "Yeah, crazy right? I've never had a girlfriend before."

"It's weird, but awesome at the same time," Stacie said, clearly thinking about it for a minute. "I'm really happy for you, Becs," she said, giving her a genuine, non-creepy smile.

"Thanks, Stace," Beca replied, relaxing back onto the grass and looking up at the sky. "You know, I was so sure I was gonna end it yesterday. I'd talked myself into it and everything. And today, it's like a total one-eighty. Now that we're together, I realize how much I want it...how happy I am."

Stacie snorted, "You sure that's not the amazing sex talking?"

Beca swiped blindly in her friend's direction mumbling, "Fuck you. I get it though, I'd be jealous if I were you. My girlfriend is fucking gorgeous."

Stacie snickered, easily dodging Beca's hand. "Damn, down girl! And yeah, no one's arguing that she's sexy as hell. All kidding aside, I think she's good for you. You've been different since you met her...a good different. As long as she doesn't jerk you around like before, I give you the best friend seal of approval."

Beca opened her eyes, raising her eyebrows at Stacie. "Is that a thing, Stace?"

"It's totally a thing. Like, I could never date someone that you hated. How would we double date?" Stacie reasoned, momentarily distracted by her fingernails. "You've never had to worry about it before. It doesn't apply to hookups, only real relationships."

"Mmm hmm," Beca hummed doubtfully. "Whatever you say, dude. Glad you approve. Don't hold your breath on that whole double dating thing." As she was speaking, an idea popped into her head. "Hey...uh...are you free for dinner on Wednesday?"

Stacie looked up from her nails, her expression curious. "Sure, what's up?"

Beca's eyes darted around again before turning her gaze back to Stacie. "Chloe's best friend and girlfriend are coming into town to visit, and she invited me to dinner to meet them. Since her best friend will be there, I thought maybe mine could be there too."

A thoughtful expression lingered on her friend's face before she answered. "That's kinda a big deal, don'tcha think? Meeting the best friend? Why do you want me there? I'll totally be fifth wheeling it."

"I guess I just thought you could meet Chloe. I mean, I know you've already met her at school and stuff, but this would be different. And...um...well I'm trying to be more open with Chloe and tell her stuff and let her in, you know? And I'll be nervous as hell and having my best friend there would help," Beca rambled, getting frustrated at the amused look on Stacie's face. "Fuck you, Conrad, you don't have to stay long. Will you just go?" she asked, breaking into a sheepish smile and deciding to finally shut up.

Stacie rolled her eyes and nodded. "Sure, Mitchell. I'll come to dinner. I'll even let you buy me dinner tonight. I've been craving pizza."

Beca grinned, relieved that Stacie had agreed. "I will happily buy you a pizza," she said, getting up and offering Stacie her hand. "Thanks."

"What are best friends for?" Stacie replied, grabbing Beca's hand and getting to her feet.

Beca was officially freaking out. She'd just dropped her dad off at the airport for his flight to Hawaii, and was on her way home. She had the house to herself for the evening, and was already planning on putting it to good use. Things with Chloe were going great, well as great as can be for day two of the relationship, but Beca was still nervous about meeting Jess and Ashley. She tapped her fingers anxiously on the steering wheel, her mind running wild with all the ways the night could end badly. Jess could hate her instantly. Ashley could hate her instantly. They could both hate her, and convince Chloe she was making a huge mistake.

"Fuck...sack up, Mitchell," Beca muttered. It was getting ridiculous, the way her mind was taking over the situation. There was every possibility things would go well. And if not, at least Stacie would be there and have her back. That thought calmed her somewhat, feeling relieved at the knowledge her best friend would be there, even if only for a short time. Her phone chimed with a new text, and she grinned seeing Stacie's name.

Stacie [4:03PM]: Wanna hang out?

Beca [4:05PM]: Can't. Got plans

Beca dropped her phone back into the cupholder, Sheila's voice in her head already reprimanding her for texting while driving. It was just then that Beca realized she'd completely forgotten to tell Chloe that Stacie was coming.

"Shit," she mumbled under her breath, grabbing her phone and quickly calling her girlfriend.

Chloe answered on the second ring. "Hey you! Did you drop your dad off okay?"

Beca replied, "Yep, just dropped him at the airport and I'm on my way home. Want to come over later? I've got the place to myself."

"Sounds great!" Chloe's cheerful tone immediately caused her to break into a smile. "I'll grab us dinner on my way over."

Beca felt her grin widen as she got an idea. "No, that's okay. I'll cook."

Chloe's voice sounded impressed. "Wow, pulling out all the stops. Okay, I'll see you in a few hours."

"Chlo, wait!" Beca called out quickly before the redhead could hang up. "I...uh...I forgot to tell you that I invited Stacie to dinner tomorrow," she said quickly, wincing slightly at the long pause on the other end of the line. Unable to handle the awkward silence, she rambled on, "I figured since I was meeting your best friend, you could really meet mine. Like...not in a school way but in a normal way."

Chloe remained silent on the other end of the line, and Beca sighed, a feeling of dread falling over her. Chloe's voice jarred her out of her regrets. "I think that's good, Becs. We didn't really start off on the best terms, and I know how important she is to you. We can start fresh."

Beca breathed out a sigh of relief. "Okay, cool. Thanks, that means a lot to me. I'll see you soon."

She hung up, already feeling better about tomorrow. Chloe's words triggered the memory of her last encounter with Stacie, and Beca fought back a smile at how protective her best friend had been. She made a mental note to chat with Stacie beforehand, not wanting the night to start off with any threats.

Beca moved easily around the kitchen, piling ingredients onto the island counter as music played from the speaker in the corner. Ducking into the fridge, she added a package of sliced steak to the red and green peppers and onion. She set a large pan on the stove and added some olive oil, turning the burner on before starting to slice the onions and peppers. Glancing at the clock, she figured she had a solid twenty minutes until Chloe arrived.

Tossing the peppers and onions into the pan, Beca grinned at the satisfying sizzling sound. Giving the Mexican rice simmering in a different pot a quick stir, she circled around the kitchen, digging back into the fridge for shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and salsa. Setting them on the counter, she poured the salsa into a small bowl and opened the new bag of chips. Dipping one into the salsa and tossing it into her mouth, she hummed happily and returned to the stove, moving the vegetables around so they wouldn't burn.

After a few more minutes, she added the steak strips to the pan, mixing it in with the onions and peppers. She heard the front door open and close, smiling at Chloe when she entered the kitchen moments later.

"Hey," Beca said, turning her attention back to the stove. "Hope you like fajitas."

Chloe came up behind her, sliding her arms around Beca's waist and pressed a kiss to her neck. "I love fajitas," she replied. "Smells delicious." Beca leaned back into Chloe for a moment, before the redhead asked, "Anything I can do?"

She turned halfway around, pressing her lips to Chloe's before responding. "Yep, you can grab the tortillas out of the pantry, over there. And the plates are in that cabinet over there," she added, directing her gaze over the dishwasher.

Chloe returned the kiss, before spinning away and opening the door to the pantry. "You know," Chloe began as she placed the tortillas and a couple of plates on the counter, returning to her former position behind Beca. "You're pretty hot when you're being all domestic and cooking me dinner," she teased, slipping her fingertips under Beca's shirt, touching her hips.

"I'm just trying to get into your pants," Beca retorted, shivering as Chloe's lips skimmed her ear. "Okay, dinner's ready," she said, giving the fajitas a last toss. Beca turned off both burners, moving the fajitas and rice to the cool side of the stove before turning around and kissing Chloe firmly, sliding her hands into red hair.

The pulled away after a few minutes, both breathless. Chloe shifted them a few steps, her hands sliding under Beca's thighs to lift her onto the counter, murmuring, "Dinner can wait."

A few hours later they were laying comfortably on the couch, munching on cold fajitas, rice, and chips and salsa. An episode of Master Chef was playing in the background, but neither of them were paying it much attention until Chloe said, "You could totally be on this show, Becs. These fajitas are amazing."

Beca snorted. "They're cold. No such thing as amazing cold fajitas. Or generally any cold food that's not meant to be cold."

"What?!" Chloe sounded scandalized. "I could name ten foods off the top of my head that are awesome cold. What's it like being so wrong?"

Beca threw a chip at her, grinning as Chloe flinched, hold a hand up to block her face. "Fine, ten foods. Go," Beca challenged, not liking the way Chloe's eyes lit up.

"Fried chicken. Thin Mints. Pizza. Chinese food, which, if I singled out items could go on forever," Chloe began, ticking them off on her fingers.

"Whoa, whoa," Beca interrupted. "Don't you dare say pizza is better cold. That's a sin in this house."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I didn't say it was better cold, but you can't deny that cold pizza for breakfast is amazing."

"Get out of my house," Beca deadpanned, pointing at the door. "I can't date a crazy."

"Oh, so when I suggested something crazy in the shower yesterday, that was fine, but you draw the line at cold pizza for breakfast?" Chloe argued, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"That...that was different," Beca sputtered, turning defensive. "I can't be held accountable for anything that happens when your boobs are in my face."

Chloe quickly moved to straddle the brunette, leaning forward a little so that Beca could see down her shirt. "Like right now?" she asked coyly, laughing as Beca's eyes darted back up to meet her own.

"Yes, exactly like right now," Beca sighed, shamelessly dropping her gaze back down to Chloe's cleavage. "I think you're actually some sort of sex machine," she said, collapsing back onto the couch and looking up into clear blue eyes. "Do you ever get tired?"

"Of course. I am human," Chloe replied, sitting up on Beca's hips. "Is that your way of saying you don't want to have sex with me anymore?" she asked, unable to hold back the laugh at the look of horror on Beca's face.

"NO! No, that's...that's not it," Beca stuttered, her hands sliding to Chloe's hips and holding her in place as she made to move away. "I was only curious," she continued, a glint in her eye. "Plus, can't beat this view."

Chloe's eyes twinkled as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt, innocently asking, "Not even if I were topless?"

Beca's eyes darkened with that visual implanted firmly in her brain. "I'll never win, will I?" she mumbled, her eyes drifting down to Chloe's chest.

"Nonsense," came the reply from above her. "I'm pretty sure you just won a little while ago. Twice."

Beca was hard pressed to disagree with that logic. She certainly felt like a winner at the moment, with her gorgeous girlfriend perched comfortably on top of her. "Can't argue with that, Beale," she said, her gaze drifting over Chloe's body before returning to her face.

"Why did you invite Stacie to dinner tomorrow?"

Chloe's question caught Beca a bit off guard, and her brow furrowed as she tried to formulate an answer. "I told you earlier," she began, shrugging as well as she could for being flat on her back. "I thought since I'm meeting your best friend, you could really meet mine. You know, outside of the Biology classroom anyways. And..." she trailed off, trying to find the right words to explain the rest of the reason.

"I keep thinking about what you said to me," Beca confessed. "That I don't talk to you, or let you into my life. Stacie said something to me about that...not specifically about you or anything, just that it's a really lonely way to live. I don't want that. And I don't want to do that to you. I thought that maybe if you guys met outside of school, you'd get to know a little more about me since Stacie's friendship is a huge part of my life." She trailed off, frowning at how she seemed unable to properly communicate her thoughts.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, looking up to find Chloe's eyes glistening and immediately panicked. "Shit, I'm sorry, I should have asked you if Stacie could come. I'll tell her it's off, it's no..."

Beca was cut off as Chloe leaned down and kissed her, the redhead moving both hands to her cheeks to hold her in place. Pulling back, she mumbled, "So...you're gonna have to help me out here, Chlo. I clearly suck at this."

Chloe laughed, taking a deep breath as the emotional moment subsided. She leaned down kissing Beca again, whispering against her lips, "Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for letting me in." She gave the brunette another kiss before sitting back up. "Of course Stacie can come tomorrow. She's important to you, so that makes her important to me. And I do want to get to know more about you. Tell me something new," she asked, breaking into an excited grin.

Beca hummed for a few seconds before responding. "I can play four instruments," she offered. "Five if you separate out the bass guitar."

Chloe's jaw dropped. "Seriously?!"

"Mm hmm," Beca nodded. "Guitar, bass, drums, violin, and piano."

"Which one is your favorite?"

Beca hesitated, knowing the answer immediately. "Piano," she said, glancing over at the instrument in the corner of the room.

Chloe followed her gaze, before shooting her an even bigger smile. "Will you play something for me?"

Again, Beca hesitated, fighting off the initial urge to say no. It was habit by now, when anyone asked her to play the piano. She hadn't played for anyone since the day her friends came over, she and Emily trading off singing original songs, and it had been even longer before that.

"Please?" Chloe's puppy face broke her. It was embarrassing how quickly she nodded her assent at one bat of those blue eyes. "Awes!" was the response, followed by a wet kiss on her cheek before her girlfriend bounced quickly off the couch and over to the piano.

Beca rolled her eyes at that, slowly getting to her feet. "That's not a word," she quipped, taking a seat on the bench and slowly running her hand over the keys.

"Yes, it is," Chloe argued playfully, taking a seat on the arm of the closest chair, waiting eagerly for Beca to begin.

Beca thought for a moment, then began playing the opening notes to Walking in Memphis. Chloe's jaw dropped for the second time that evening, exclaiming, "Oh my God, Becs, I love this song!"

Beca grinned as she hit the first verse and Chloe immediately joined in singing the lyrics. About halfway through the song, Beca realized Chloe had stopped singing along, and was studying her carefully. Pausing, she flipped around on the bench, shooting her girlfriend a nervous look. "Everything okay?"

Chloe nodded, meeting her gaze. "Are you some kind of piano prodigy? You were just improvising in the middle of one of the most difficult songs out there."

Beca flushed and looked down at her fingers twisting together, not even realizing what she'd been doing. It had always been that way for her, ever since her mom taught her to play. She recalled how her mom had always told her how lucky she was, how she had a gift that very few people were lucky enough to have. She remembered how they would sit side by side at the piano for hours playing and singing together.

She felt Chloe move to sit on the bench beside her, slipping a hand in between hers. "Hey, Becs," Chloe said softly, causing the brunette to give her a small smile and intertwine their fingers together. "Thought I lost you there," the redhead continued, her fingers tracing patterns on the back of Beca's hand. "Where'd you go?"

Beca took a deep breath, squeezing Chloe's hand tighter. "My mom was a professional pianist. She taught me to play, but in a way it's just always come naturally to me. We would play and sing together all the time, before she got sick, and even for a while after. It was our thing, you know? Like her thing with my dad was cooking. They would always cook together."

Beca paused, feeling the familiar tightening in her chest whenever she thought about her mom. Talking to Chloe was helping though, as her girlfriend made no move to interrupt the momentary silence. Maybe Stacie was right, that keeping it all bottled up inside wasn't the best way. It must be the Chloe Beale effect, the one that causes her to confess her thoughts and feelings even when she doesn't particularly want to. What was surprising to her was that the more she spoke, the lighter she felt, as if she was finally setting down this heavy thing she'd been carrying for years.

"After she died," Beca continued, feeling the pang of hurt pierce her as she said the words aloud. "I didn't play for a long time. Just like my dad didn't cook for a long time. I guess we were both dealing with it as best we could, by staying away from the things that most reminded us of her. I was so torn though, because after a while, the memories start to fade no matter how much you want to keep them. I could barely look at the piano because it reminded me of how she's gone, but I found that when I started playing again, it was like she was right there next to me," she admitted with a smile.

"So I started playing again, but only when I was alone. It became this time where I could still be with her, even if it was only for a moment. Not counting my dad and Sheila walking in on me, I played in front of other people for the first time a few months ago, and the second time just now, for you," Beca trailed off, glancing up at Chloe's face.

She wondered if Chloe could hear her heart jack-hammering against her chest, not having time to think much on it as the redhead wrapped her in a tight hug. Feeling the tears pool in her eyes, she swiped at them before grumbling into Chloe's shoulder, "What are you doing to me, Beale?"

Chloe laughed, only holding her tighter. "Shh, I'm experiencing a miracle. Don't ruin it," she quipped, shifting to kiss Beca's cheek before leaning back to look into her eyes. "Do you have any idea how amazing you are? How strong you are?"

Beca shook her head dumbly, already feeling more than a little embarrassed at Chloe's words. "I'm not amazing, I'm just...me," she finally said.

"No," Chloe's voice was sharp and serious as she turned to face Beca, her hands cupping the brunette's cheeks for the second time that night, looking deep into her girlfriend's dark blue eyes. "You are amazing. And brave. And strong. And you, Beca Mitchell...you're mine," she finished, leaning in and kissing the brunette soundly.

A/N: A huge thanks to my beta Ravenclawsome33 for continuing to proof my story despite battling through her crazy busy life! Kudos to you my friend...Spring Break is right around the corner!

So I know you guys were probably expecting Jess and Ashley to arrive, but as I mentioned above, this chapter just kept going on and on and on like the Energizer Bunny. Sorry that you'll have to wait a little longer for that scene, but I promise you'll get it in the next chapter, which will also probably end up being at least double my usual word count. So there's something to look forward to!

Thanks to everyone who keeps reading and reviewing! You guys are the best!

**Special shout out to my "Usual Guest" because seeing how you signed that review made my day :-D. Never Change.