They Had Time

by Psy456

A Bechloe endgame rewrite of the first movie that literally no one asked for. There is Staubrey groundwork, but they're not the main focus in this story. Story 4 (for now) of my A Shared Lifetime series.

10. Finding Harmony

A/N: Chapter title inspired by the amazing "Finding Harmony" by AliciaMeade whose stories were an inspiration to try my hand at my own

---

~C~

Chloe unlocked the door to the house, letting Aubrey and Beca go first before she followed them in and locked it again behind her.

After the auditorium had been thoroughly cleaned and sufficiently aired out, they had all agreed to meet back at the Bellas house in a bit, giving Aubrey and Lilly a chance to shower and change. Chloe didn't have a chance to ask before Beca was by her side, as if there wasn't any question that she'd just come back to the house with them. Aubrey had merely led the way, her smile small but genuine.

"I'll shower first, if that's okay?" Aubrey hesitated on the stairs, looking from Beca to Chloe.

"Sure, Bree." Chloe smiled. Her anger had completely faded on the walk home, unable to maintain it with in the complete disappearance of Captain Posen and Aubrey's obvious contrition. The fact that Beca had been walking quietly on her other side was the icing and cherry on top of her good mood.

She watched Aubrey walk up the stairs and started to follow Beca into the living room when she stopped. "Um." Beca turned to look at her. "I know we need to talk, and really, that's all I want, but I need to check on her." She bit her lip and looked away. "We said some horrible things to each other." She looked back up in surprise as she felt Beca take her hand; she hadn't even heard Beca move.

"Of course." Beca smiled at her. "I'll wait for you." Beca stroked her thumb across the back of Chloe's hand and she had to hold back a shiver.

"Thanks." Chloe cleared her throat as her voice cracked, her heart beating way too fast for such a simple touch. "It won't take long." Reluctantly she backed up, letting her hand pull free, and hurried up the stairs after Aubrey.

She knocked softly on Aubrey's closed door and said, "It's just me. Can I come in?" At Aubrey's quiet 'Of course,' Chloe opened the door and slipped inside. Aubrey was standing by her bed, laying out a fresh outfit for after her shower. She'd taken off her stained top but still had on her bra, jeans and boots.

Chloe leaned against the door. "I just…" she hesitated and Aubrey spoke into the silence.

"I'm sorry." She smoothed the fabric of the top she'd just laid out. "For this whole year." She took a deep breath and looked at Chloe who felt her heart ache at the misery in Aubrey's eyes. "I have treated you like shit and I don't know how to make it up to you."

Chloe felt herself drawn to Aubrey's side, unable to stand the pain radiating from her. "You've already started." She gripped Aubrey's arm when it looked like she was about to protest. Aubrey quieted and waited. "Right now… You're a different person." Aubrey's chin quivered like she was going to cry and Chloe realized her mistake. "No, no… just." She took a breath and tried to organize her thoughts. "When you came back this year, you've been becoming a different person. More driven and focused than I have ever seen you, but also harder. You felt different; you didn't laugh or smile as much as you used to. I just chalked it up to the embarrassment you were feeling over last year."

Chloe felt bad about everything she was laying on Aubrey in this moment, but she knew it had to be done. That was the only way they could begin to heal. She squeezed Aubrey's arm again and smiled. "You don't feel like that anymore. You feel like you. My best friend; who I love more than anything."

Aubrey gave a watery smile. "Thanks, but you don't have to… I know I was horrible and it should take time for you to forgive me."

Chloe watched her for a minute then went with her heart. "I know you know I was going to walk out the door if she did."

Aubrey flinched but looked at Chloe squarely. "It's what finally snapped me out of it." Unshed tears lined up against the bottom of her eyes. "The fear of losing you in my life was greater than the thought of losing control or admitting my failures."

Chloe spoke past the lump that had formed in her throat and took a step closer. "I came up here because I needed you to know that I wasn't walking away from you. I was walking away from Captain Posen."

Aubrey stilled under her touch. "You weren't?"

Chloe shook her head. "I could never walk away from you, Bree. You're part of me."

The sob finally broke from where Aubrey had been holding it back and she collapsed into Chloe's arms when she tugged Aubrey to her. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. I don't know how it happened. I never wanted… I never meant… I just couldn't…" Her words fell over each other as she talked faster, unable to complete any of her thoughts as she tried desperately to explain something she clearly hadn't understood she'd been doing until now.

Chloe soothingly rubbed her back but she made no attempts to stop Aubrey's tears even though seeing her break down this way was killing her. Her first instinct was always to soothe and fix whatever was broken. Except this time what had been broken was Aubrey herself and Chloe knew that this was another form of release that Aubrey needed to begin healing. Chloe was willing to stand there as long as necessary, relieved beyond measure that she was slowly getting her best friend back, who she loved without reservation. Beca knew this was important and would wait for her as long as it took.

Chloe didn't like to think of what would have happened if Aubrey had let Beca walk out that door and Chloe followed her. She knew they'd still have been friends, even remain close best friends, but she couldn't help but think that something indefinable and irreplaceable would have been broken forever if Captain Posen had won instead of Aubrey.

Eventually Aubrey finally cried herself out and merely rested her head on Chloe's shoulder. Her voice was soft and tired. "I'm sorry." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, all remaining tension leaving her with it. "And thank you."

Chloe let out a startled chuckle. "Why are you thanking me?"

"For staying by my side, even when you know you should have left." Aubrey sniffed but didn't raise her head. "I'm so sorry, Chlo."

Chloe's hand continued to move in comforting circles. "I know you are. And I'm sorry too." She pressed lightly to keep Aubrey quiet when she would have spoken. "I egged you on earlier. Intentionally." She sighed. "Once I realized that you weren't you, I'd gotten this stupid idea that if you threw up, it would get whatever poison was in you… out."

Aubrey finally lifted her head and took a step back, her face tear streaked but still clearer than it had been when Chloe walked in. "Poison?"

Chloe sighed as she went to the dresser and grabbed a couple Kleenex. "Yeah. I know, it's crazy. But there were two parts of you all year. There was Bree and there was Captain Posen." Chloe smiled ruefully as she handed the tissues to Aubrey. "I didn't like her very much most days."

"Looking back, me neither." Aubrey sniffed as she blew her nose and cleaned off her face. "I'm shocked none of you left."

"That's because you let them see the real you outside of rehearsal." Chloe smiled gently at her. "They all like the real you. So they stayed."

"Until today." Aubrey threw the tissue away and straightened slightly.

"Because Captain Posen…" Chloe hesitated.

"Turned into Alice." Aubrey finished for her. At Chloe's nod, she sighed. "That's really what got me thinking. How could I turn into the person who treated us like garbage for three years?"

"Except she treated us like garbage in and out of practice." Chloe pointed out, not sure if it would help. "You also didn't really treat anyone like garbage until today. You were just…"

"A bitch." Aubrey interrupted.

"Sometimes," Chloe said honestly. "But usually you were just pushing us to do better. To be perfect."

"You know I'm going to stay I'm sorry for the rest of our lives, right?" Aubrey turned back to her closet and grabbed her robe.

"You don't need to." Chloe shook her head firmly. "Not to me. I'm sure we'll talk more later, but now I think we can do it without the yelling and screaming." Chloe felt herself relax even further as the casual mention of the rest of their lives reassured a fear she didn't know she had. Though, in hindsight, the fact that it was the thought of losing Chloe in her life that snapped Aubrey free meant that Aubrey had chosen Chloe over what she viewed as the way to winning. Aubrey had never chosen anything over winning before and Chloe found she was smiling at the realization that Chloe was just as important to Aubrey as Aubrey herself was to Chloe.

"Oh god!" Aubrey suddenly turned to her. "I forgot Beca was downstairs." Chloe smiled again, happiness stealing back over her. "Why are you wasting your time up here with me?"

"Aubrey." Chloe said gently. "You are never a waste of my time. Got it? Never."

"Okay, Chlo." Aubrey's smile trembled around the edges, but it was there. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Bree." Chloe opened her arms and Aubrey came back into them. "I love you."

Aubrey clutched her tightly. "I love you too. I'm glad…" She sighed. "I'm glad you finally kicked some sense into me. It finally got through that you weren't fighting me. You were fighting for me. And no one has really done that for me, other than my brothers." She pulled back and kissed Chloe on the cheek. "I don't know if I can ever tell you how much that means to me."

"You're worth it, Aubrey." Chloe cupped Aubrey's face. "And I guess I'll just have to spend the rest of our lives proving it to you." She planted a loud kiss on Aubrey's lips. "And you're going to let me."

"Alright, alright. That's enough." Aubrey laughed and pushed Chloe toward the door. "Now go back downstairs and talk to Beca." One corner of her mouth twitched down in a frown. "I'm going to have to apologize to her too. A lot."

"You can do it while I'm in my shower." Chloe reached out and squeezed her hand one more time. "No blood on the furniture though."

"I'll be on my best behavior, I promise." Aubrey crossed her heart. "Now get out so I can change." But she held on to the tips of Chloe's fingers as she turned away. "We're really okay, you and I?"

"Yeah, Bree. We're aca-awesome." Chloe winked at her and left the room.

When she got downstairs, Beca was sitting the end of the sectional, closest to the door. Her head was back and her eyes were closed but Chloe could tell she wasn't sleeping.

"She okay?" Beca asked without opening her eyes.

Chloe smiled settled on the couch next to her, but not so close that they were touching. "She will be." It warmed her to know that even after all that had happened, Beca was concerned enough about Aubrey to ask. She knew that Beca was actually concerned, not just asking for appearances, and it both made her happy and annoyed the hell out of her.

Chloe had always thought the two of them could be great friends if they just stopped judging each other by that first meeting; Beca wasn't as 'I'm above it all' as she appeared and Aubrey wasn't really the snobby, judgmental college senior. From the way they were both slightly broken to the fact that they'd made themselves strong to make up for it, Chloe could see so many similarities that it was ridiculous. They just needed to get past their petty squabbles, get their shit together and realize that they could be great friends on their own and not just through their shared connection to Chloe. She hoped that after everything that had happened that day meant the two of them might finally start to get along.

"Are you okay?" Beca rolled her head to look at Chloe as she opened her eyes.

"I am now." Chloe said. "Beca…"

"Chloe…"

They laughed as they started speaking at the same time.

Chloe scooted a little further away from Beca but only enough that she could turn towards her, pulling one leg up on the couch. "Can I go first?" At Beca's nod, Chloe took a deep breath. "I need to tell you that I'm sorry, that I was wrong for not supporting you after the semi-finals." Beca watched her carefully, pulling in one corner of her lip to worry it with her teeth. "You were right. We weren't going to win that night, not against the Footnotes."

"I still… I know I shouldn't have done it without asking but…" Beca sighed.

"How could you ask us in the middle of the set?" Chloe offered and Beca nodded. "I said as much to Aubrey that first week."

"Did you guys fight a lot?" Beca winced.

"Boy did we." Chloe half laughed then stopped when she saw Beca's face fall. "No, don't put the blame on yourself. It might not have been quite as fast without your… nudges, shall we call them… But she was different from the beginning of school. I think this would've happened no matter what."

"I'm still sorry for my part in it." Beca said and put her hand on Chloe's knee. "I was just as stubborn about thinking that my way would be better. I couldn't see that I hadn't yet earned the trust… or the right, I guess."

Chloe took a moment to absorb the warmth from that small touch before she refocused on Beca. "I should have challenged Aubrey sooner. I definitely should have done it after regionals when I heard your music. I'm sorry I let you down, in so many ways."

"I forgive you." Beca said after they were silent for a minute. "For all of them."

Chloe looked up, startled. "What?"

---

~B~

Beca shrugged. "I forgive you." She knew they were going to have a lot of longer talks about this, but the simple truth of it was that she needed Chloe in her life and was willing to work through whatever was necessary to make that happen. It still kind of annoyed her that it took talking to her dad – and to a lesser degree, Jesse – to figure that out.

Chloe covered Beca's hand with her own. "How can you say that so easily?"

Beca pursed her lips and thought about how to answer that. "I just spent two weeks without you around. I don't want to do that ever again." She exhaled softly, determined despite the fact that it terrified her to put so much of her heart on the line, to be completely honest. "Every day I sat down at the studio desk and thought the same thing: This is where I belong." Beca scuffed her shoe against the floor. "Except after a few days, one of those small voices you get at the back of your mind had something to say." Chloe squeezed her hand. "It asked me if I was so sure I was exactly where I needed to be, so happy about it... Then why did I feel so lonely."

"Oh, Beca." Chloe said and leaned forward to brush away a tear that Beca hadn't realized was running down her cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Beca licked her lips. "Yes, it did hurt me when you didn't say anything when Aubrey… said what she said. At the time, it was just one more person in my life who chose anyone else over me." She turned her hand over and grabbed Chloe's when she tried to pull it away, sorrow filling her clear blue eyes. "But for the first time in my life, being alone hurt worse."

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way," Chloe said softly, looking away from Beca. "I just… I froze. You are both so important to me and…"

"I know." Beca said quietly.

"You don't understand." Chloe took a deep breath. "If I had been thinking clearly, I would have realized that Aubrey and I would have fought, but been fine in the long run. The past few weeks have proved that." She tightened her fingers around Beca's hand and looked up again. "I should have told her you were trying to help the group, not steal the spotlight. That she was wrong to say what she did. I should have chosen you."

Beca took a breath, feeling that settle somewhere inside and make itself a home. "Thank you. That does mean a lot." She winced. "And okay, maybe some small part of me wanted to save the day, but I swear I really was just trying to help the group." She hesitated a minute. "I just… Kind of remembered how Aubrey had said she was proud of me and my music making it on the radio. I thought… I don't know. I thought if we made it through to finals, then maybe that would be the first step to Aubrey and I finally finding some common ground. But I never meant to come between you and Aubrey – I don't ever want to be the cause of problems between you two."

"You're not." Chloe sighed. "And I know you wouldn't try, even if you could. I'm sorry I let you think you weren't important to me. I promise – Aubrey and I are going to be fine."

Beca brought her other hand over so she could hold Chloe's hand between both of hers. "I'm not going to lie and say that fear of being left behind is gone, because it's not. That's going to take some work. I'm also going to probably regress into being a total dick at times to hide my feelings. Which I apparently have." She muttered the last bit but Chloe heard her and let out a watery chuckle. "But if you're willing to put up with me…"

"Yes!" Chloe said immediately then bit her lip and looked embarrassed. "Oops. I didn't mean to say that out loud."

Beca laughed, feeling most of the worry drop from her shoulders. "Then I'm not going anywhere." Chloe started to speak then stopped. "What?" It came out more wary than she intended, but she was still feeling extremely vulnerable and exposed.

"Can I hug you?" Chloe asked quietly.

Beca could tell she was trying not to push; there was no way she could know that Beca had been aching to feel her arms all day. For weeks. "As long as you want."

Chloe was immediately on her feet, tugging Beca up after her. Beca felt the laugh bubbling up inside her and let it out. She sighed in contentment as Chloe's arms closed around her, tentatively at first then tighter as Beca pushed closer, not wanting any of the hesitancy that continued to linger between them. Sure, the pain was still there, but it was fading as the warmth from Chloe's body spread, pushing away the cold loneliness she'd been feeling since she'd walked out of the concert hall. She was so tired of thinking and just wanted to feel in this moment where it was just the two of them.

They had time to work out the rest of it.

After a minute, Beca pulled herself from where she'd burrowed into Chloe's hair. Slowly she let her nose trace across Chloe's cheek until they were face to face; she pulled back slightly to look Chloe in the eyes but saw nothing but peace and… love… staring back at her. Gently, half afraid that Chloe would disappear or that she would wake up alone in her bed, Beca brought their lips together.

It was like coming home.

Beca felt the last of her tension slip away and she leaned into Chloe. The kiss was slow and soft as Beca took her time to get reacquainted with the woman in her arms. Even when Chloe slipped her tongue past Beca's lips, deepening their kiss with a quiet whimper, their pace remained unhurried, almost languid.

"Oh." Aubrey's startled voice came from behind them. "I… I'm sorry, I'll just…" Beca heard her footsteps retreating back to the stairs.

Chloe pulled away, reluctance in every muscle, but she smiled as she looked over Beca's shoulder. "Wait, Bree. Come back." She rubbed the tip of her nose against Beca's.

"I didn't mean to intrude." Aubrey said as she came back to the entryway.

"You didn't." Beca offered. "We were just getting to know each other again."

"That's one way to put it," Aubrey said wryly, making Beca smile.

Chloe laughed. "Guess that means it's my turn to shower."

Beca nodded sadly. "I didn't want to say anything-" The back of Chloe's hand hit her in the stomach and she grunted. "Just kidding."

Chloe stepped past her, her hand sliding down Beca's arm. "I'll be down in a bit."

Beca linked their fingers together at the last minute and tugged a laughing Chloe back in for one last kiss. "Alright." Her nerves were coming back at the thought of being alone with Aubrey. Some of it must have shown in her eyes because Chloe whispered against her lips.

"You'll be fine." Then she was walking upstairs, pausing long enough to touch Aubrey's shoulder reassuringly and whisper, "It'll be okay." Beca could only smile at the way Chloe made sure to soothe them both.

Beca and Aubrey both watched Chloe walk out of the room and then faced each other, awkwardly alone for the first time since Christmas.

Beca's mind went blank as she tried to figure out what sort of ice breaker was used in a situation where you had to apologize to your semi-nemesis. Then she noticed that Aubrey's hand was lightly stroking her throat and she spoke without thinking.

"Um… Would you like me to make you some tea?" Beca could only assume throwing up that much would cause a strain. "I know it's your house and all but…"

"Oh." Aubrey blinked at her then shook her head. "No, that's… you don't have to do that."

"Peace offering?" Beca felt the corner of her mouth turn up. "My cooking skills are still lacking, but I can rock an electric kettle."

Aubrey took a slow breath and nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Beca." It sounded a little stilted, but the smile with it was genuine enough.

Beca immediately turned to the kitchen, happy to have something to do with her hands, even if it was only for a few minutes. Aubrey followed slowly behind her as Beca filled the kettle with water. As she turned it on, Aubrey reached up into the cabinet for a mug then raised one at Beca in question.

"Sure." Beca smiled and it felt more natural this time. "Thanks."

'What is it about us that we can relax together in the kitchen?' she thought to herself. 'That's weird, right?'

But she couldn't deny that she herself felt more at ease and she thought that maybe Aubrey's shoulders had less tension in them as, together, they prepped three mugs for tea. Once the water was boiling, they made their own, saving the third for when Chloe came downstairs.

Beca sat on one of the stools and sighed. "I'm sorry." Aubrey hesitated as she took the stool on the opposite side of the center island. "For being a dick all year."

"Thank you." Aubrey said simply and part of Beca bristled at the agreement with her words, though rationally she knew it wasn't like anyone, especially Aubrey, could deny that's exactly what Beca had been.

She forced her hackles back down. 'This is what you need. Get everything in the open, clean slate. Figure out where you go from here.'

Aubrey was watching her over the rim of her tea; after another sip, she carefully set it down and her fingers tightened on the handle. "I'm sorry for being a drill sergeant all year."

"I didn't mind the drill sergeant," Beca found herself saying. "It was the aca-dictator I had a problem with."

'Let's just poke the fucking bear, Beca.' She groaned at herself but to her surprise, Aubrey chuckled. It was another reminder that Aubrey wasn't one of the typical snooty college bitches that she'd first appeared to be back at the Activities Fair. Aubrey had slowly been showing that she actually had an excellent, sometimes dry, sense of humor and could admit when she was wrong. Most of the time. Eventually.

"Fair." Aubrey twisted the mug in her fingers. "I'm sorry for her, too." She sighed and met Beca's eyes. "I had this idea in my head and I couldn't let it go."

"I think I can relate," Beca said wryly and Aubrey's mouth twitched into a small grin that quickly faded.

"I thought…" She stopped and took a second before finally exhaling in a sigh. "Oh… I thought that if we came back this year. Did everything exactly the same way as we had done it the previous year, we could get to finals. I could get on stage and…" Aubrey let out a bitter laugh. "Just… erase everything that had happened last year."

"Doesn't seem all that crazy." Beca tilted her head. "Maybe a little," she smiled to take the sting out of it. "But we all get ideas stuck in our heads."

"Yeah, but we don't all berate the people that are supposed to help us make them happen." Aubrey said softly and looked down into her tea as if it held the answers.

"We're only human, Aubrey." Beca finally said after a bit. "I kept thinking that my way would be better. And that you were just too…" She fell silent, looking for the right words.

"Stupid?" Aubrey offered.

"No." Beca replied instantly. "I never thought you were stupid, Aubrey. Especially not after I've seen you at this counter, surrounded by law books." Her self-made promise for honesty made her keep going. "Stubborn, pig-headed and… a grade-A pain in the ass maybe."

Aubrey flinched as if Beca had hit her. "I'm…"

Beca held up her hand and shook her head. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I just meant to show you that you were right." Beca said. "My attitude did suck all year and I would deliberately find ways to annoy you." She shook her head. "I thought my way was better."

Aubrey sighed again. "Maybe it would have been. Maybe it would have prevented all… this."

"I don't know if I would've been ready." Beca mused.

Aubrey's brows drew down. "What do you mean?"

Beca sighed. "I've done…. A lot of thinking. More than I really have all year. Maybe ever. If it wasn't about what I wanted to do with music, it didn't matter. Wasn't part of my plan." She took a sip of her tea to give herself time to figure out how to answer, realizing that maybe they still had to open up a little bit. "And… It took a lot of things, but I eventually realized that I'd been incredibly arrogant."

Aubrey snorted behind her mug and immediately looked horrified. "Oh my god, I'm sorry."

Beca grinned. "It's fine. You can say it."

Eyes beginning to twinkle with amusement, Aubrey rolled her lips together. "Maybe… Maybe just a bit." She sighed. "Of course that's the pot calling the kettle black."

Beca only smiled as she continued. "I realized I joined the group and just expected you to do it my way. That you'd listen to some rando freshman just because she was so convinced she was right." Beca smiled ruefully. "I never thought to sit down and explain my ideas to you; I just complained and expected you to take me seriously. Maybe if I'd done things privately instead of in the middle of rehearsal, everything would've been different."

Aubrey thought for a minute. "Maybe. But I don't know if I'd have listened anyway." She tapped her temple. "I knew best, remember?" She pursed her lips. "I almost gave in once."

"You did?" Beca looked up in surprise.

"Yeah. After you got back from jail – nice left hook, by the way." Aubrey smiled at Beca's bark of startled laughter. "You'd offered to show an arrangement you were working on – but…"

"I said I sounded queerballs," Beca said, realizing she'd once again insulted Aubrey's and Chloe's passion without thinking. "So what changed…? Can I ask what happened today?"

"Chloe didn't tell you?" It was Aubrey's turn to look surprised.

"We… had other things we had to work out." Beca said delicately.

"Which I walked in on," Aubrey said ruefully. "I'm sorry for that too." She flattened her hand on the counter between them. "Beca, I'm sorry I accused you of cheating on Chloe. I… I was hurt and I lashed out like a child. It… I… was wrong and I know you would never..." She shook her head sorrowfully.

Beca nodded. "One of the other things I realized this past week is that I did the same thing. When I made the crack about Chloe not having a say." Beca reached out and touched the back of Aubrey's hand. "Which I am sorry for."

"I think mine was worse." Aubrey looked down at their hands. "I knew better."

"So did Chloe. You happened to have picked the one thing she knew I would never do because of my dad." Beca watched Aubrey's eyes widen in surprise and realized that she hadn't known about that. Beca echoed Aubrey's question, "Chloe didn't tell you?" Aubrey shook her head and Beca laughed. "Man, she's done an amazing job all year at keeping everything so separate, between your stuff, my stuff and all the Bellas. I'm surprised she hasn't snapped."

"She did that today." Aubrey murmured. "I owe her – and all the rest of you – several thousand apologies."

"I can't speak for the rest of them, but I'm willing to start fresh after this talk." Beca realized she still had her hand on Aubrey's and pulled it back awkwardly. She picked up her mug and took another sip of her tea. "If you want to."

"I'd really like that," Aubrey said shyly. "Thank you," she said suddenly and Beca stared blankly at her, confused as to where this was going. "For… for telling Chloe that you guys shouldn't talk about the Bellas as a group – or me as a captain – so Chloe wouldn't feel like she was choosing sides. It was more consideration than I apparently was giving either of you."

Beca shrugged one shoulder awkwardly. "It didn't seem right." She took another sip, trying to work through all the frustration of the past few months. "Because I do like you, Aubrey. Just…"

"Not in rehearsal." Aubrey waited until Beca nodded. "Chloe said it was like there was two of me. Aubrey and Captain Posen."

Beca sat up. "Exactly! But… I didn't know how to broach that with your best friend. While I may have been convinced I knew what was better for the music, I don't have a lot of experience with friendships and how this all works." She blushed slightly. "I just knew I didn't want to get in the middle or step in something I shouldn't. So I usually waited for your cue on how we would interact on any given day."

When she fell silent, Aubrey studied her face. "You're a good friend, Beca. I'm sorry I didn't realize that sooner."

"We got along well here in the house." Beca pointed out. "I know that wasn't just me. I wouldn't have bothered if I thought you were just humoring Chloe."

"No it wasn't just you." Aubrey agreed. "I just didn't realize how perfectly I'd split myself while in and out of rehearsals until now."

Since they'd come back around, Beca decided to ask again. "So… that scene I walked in on?" Beca asked delicately, unsure if Aubrey was still willing to share.

"Chloe decided it was finally time to kick my ass." Aubrey looked down at the counter and started to trace the grain of it. "I had been particularly awful all day. I don't even know why and part of me kept trying to stop. But the most horrible things kept coming out." Aubrey sighed. "Chloe told me I sounded like Alice."

"Alice?" Beca thought for a minute. "I kind of know the name, but…"

"The Captain from our prior three years. She was a total bitch." Aubrey looked into her tea, scowling.

Beca wondered if Aubrey knew her lip had curled ever so slightly when she said it and couldn't hold back her grin. "I think you've said that about me."

"No, she was… She was a terrible person. She would say demeaning things to almost all the girls, except her chosen inner circle. Chloe and I took the brunt of it as the 'youngest'." Aubrey's eyes flashed with anger. "She told Chloe just before the final performance that her breath smelled like egg."

"She sounds like a whore," Beca said, immediately angry on Chloe's behalf.

"That too," Aubrey agreed, the anger changing to amusement. "But it kicked my brain into gear, when Chloe said it today, though it wasn't quite enough at the time. Finally the girls had all had enough and were getting ready to walk out of rehearsal. Chloe said I was too controlling." Aubrey began to blush and Beca looked away to give her time to collect herself.

"So I said I could let go if I wanted. That I wasn't going to hold back. So I… didn't. All over the place." Aubrey rubbed her stomach briefly. "Next thing I knew, Chloe was yelling and ran at me, so I ran away. Unfortunately it was into Fat Amy – or Fat Patricia?" She looked up at Beca, one eyebrow raised.

"I'm still going to call her Amy," Beca said. "It's too late for me to call her something else at this point."

Aubrey nodded. "So she grabbed me, Chloe ran into us and we all scrambled for the pitch pipe." She frowned. "Actually, Chloe was grabbing for that, I think Amy just wanted to wrestle." She took a drink of her tea. "Somehow it flew out of my hand and landed on the floor, so we leapt for it. Amy jumped on us, and you know the rest."

"Sounds like I missed quite the event." Beca mused. "If you don't want to – or aren't ready to answer this – it's okay, but… Why did you ask me for help?"

Aubrey's answer was as quick as it was matter of fact. "Because you were finally a Bella." Her eyes were clear as they focused on Beca.

Beca's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? I auditioned, I'd been at every practice…" she trailed off as Aubrey shook her head.

"That didn't mean you wanted to be there." When Beca just stared in confusion, she continued. "From the moment I saw you at the Activities Fair, I just knew you would never want to join the Bellas. I knew you weren't going to be interested with your ear monstrosity and 'I'm too cool for this place' attitude." Beca tried to interrupt but Aubrey spoke over her, smiling. "And in practice I never felt that you wanted change things to make us better."

"That whole 'I know I'm right, so you should just listen to the new girl' thing." Beca said quietly. "Aubrey, I'm… I'm really sorry." Beca reached out and touched Aubrey's hand again. "In addition to all that – All I could think of was getting through the year and making it to LA to become a music producer. My dad told me that if I joined a group, made some friends, and make any sort of effort to take this year seriously, he'd help me move at the end of it. That day, right after, is when Chloe cornered me in the shower and told me I had to audition." She smiled at the memory. "After I got over being freaked out and…. Uh…" Beca felt herself blush. "… super pissed, I figured I could just… skate through."

Aubrey had smiled at the mention of the shower, but it dropped from her face as she twisted the mug. "It's not like I ever tried to welcome you in because I'd made up my mind about you. I'm sure wasn't easy to be in a group of talented, strong, beautiful women and feel like you have something to show, to contribute to make us better, but couldn't, because you weren't being given a chance to speak." She sighed again. "It also can't easy when the supposed leader isn't really leading, just barking orders and expecting to be obeyed and never questioned. I guess I'm saying I should have made it easier for you to want to fit in and that's my failing. As a leader, I let everyone down."

"I could've maybe tried less to get under your skin," Beca offered. "I should have tried harder to show everyone that…" She paused and took a deep breath as she looked down; it was her turn to search the slowly cooling tea for answers. "That I wanted to be there – here – that I considered you friends." She looked back at Aubrey. "All of you, not just Chloe."

Aubrey searched her eyes for a moment then seemed to come to a decision. "I could tell what it cost you to say that, in the group share. To open up to us and admit it. That's what made me realize that you'd become one of us when I wasn't looking – because I'd already dismissed you. And then Chloe dropped the surgery bombshell and… If she could be that brave, then how could I not follow her example? She's always been a guiding star for me, and I stopped listening to her. And now here we are."

"I feel like I should say I'm sorry again," Beca said wryly. "I'm sure I didn't make things easy between you. You must have hated the idea of us together."

"No." Aubrey sat up and looked at her earnestly. "Okay, maybe at first. But not after I realized how well you were taking care of her even as you tried to make it look like you weren't. You guys are good together. You're good for her, not just to her." She twisted her mouth a little, considering. "And maybe it's time we stop saying 'I'm sorry' to each other," Aubrey mused. "We've both done and said horrible things to each other."

Beca nodded slowly, the same thought having been circling in the back of her mind. "They do sort of cancel each other out."

"Exactly." Aubrey held her hand out and smiled when Beca took it. "Clean slate?"

"Clean slate," Beca repeated and they shook on it before picking up their mugs again. "She's been gone a long time – does it always take her this long to shower?"

"No." Aubrey looked over her shoulder as if Chloe would suddenly appear. "She's giving us time to talk."

"Always so considerate." Beca shook her head. "She's literally like a ball of sunshine."

"You have no idea," Aubrey laughed. "But you will."

"Oh boy." Beca said then jumped as there was a loud knock at the door.

"I got it," Chloe yelled as she started down the stairs. "You guys just keep talking – unless you've murdered each other. Then I'm going to be extremely disappointed in you both."

"Smart ass," Aubrey muttered though she was smiling. "Can I ask if you've figured out what will save us from my mistakes?"

"I've got a few ideas, but I'd rather wait until everyone is here to share it, if that's okay?" Beca said hesitantly, still unsure of her footing in this new peace between them.

"Sure." Aubrey shrugged easily then laughed as Beca's eyebrows shot up. "I'm not sure how long it'll last, but for the first time I'm okay with not being in charge and having to make all the decisions."

"I know you're trusting one of the rookies on your team to score the big goal or whatever sports metaphor works best. I really appreciate that you think I can do it." Beca said earnestly. "So please, don't abandon me completely. I know I'm going to need advice at some point."

"You got it." Aubrey said, her expression softening and Beca hoped that Aubrey understood that she wasn't trying to take over entirely, she just wanted to help them win. Aubrey and Chloe were still running this ship and Beca was more than happy to simply provide new ideas. Aubrey lifted her mug. "To the Bellas."

"The Bellas." Beca clinked their mugs together.

"Are you guys drinking booze without me?" Fat Amy suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking at them suspiciously. "Or was that the only way you two didn't kill each other?"

"Why does everyone think we're going to do that?" Beca asked Aubrey, exasperated.

"I don't know," she said airily. "You'd think we don't get along or something."

"I, for one, would say we've always gotten along in the kitchen just fine," Beca noted.

"I would definitely agree with that statement," Aubrey affirmed with a mischievous grin.

Amy stepped up to the end of the island and reached for Beca's mug. "No, seriously. Are you guys drunk right now?" She sniffed it then took a drink and made a face. "Ugh! If you're not going to spike it, you definitely need to put more honey in your tea, Beca."

Shrugging, Beca said, "Told you." She smiled at Aubrey as Jessica, Ashley and Lilly walked into the living room. "We're just high on life, Ames."

"What, you're high?" Amy perked up again, sliding the mug back across the counter. "Where's at?"

Groaning, Beca dropped her head into her hands as another knock came from the front door. "Please let that be the rest of them so we can get this show on the road before Amy tries to strip search me."

Aubrey's delighted laugh filled the kitchen as Amy snorted. "In your dreams, Shawshank."

Beca only let her head thump against the counter as she groaned again. She felt a hand gently pat her hair and thought it was Chloe, but then she heard Aubrey say, "There there. I'm sure they'll be here soon."

"You two bonding is too weird for me, I'm out." Amy turned on her heel and strode back into the living room. "Don't go in the kitchen, it's like the Twilight Zone in there."

Beca tilted her head so she could look at Aubrey with one eye. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Maybe just a bit." Aubrey smiled serenely then grew more serious. "But honestly, I'm really just enjoying feeling lighter than I have in a while." She shrugged. "And maybe I'm looking forward to seeing how you handle all…" She waved a finger at the bodies still piling in the living room. "That."

Chloe appeared at Aubrey's side and gave her shoulders a hug. "How're my two favorite people doing?"

Aubrey leaned into her while Beca merely closed her eye again. "Amy's accused us of being drunk or on drugs and Beca's afraid she's going to get strip searched for her stash."

Chloe gasped. "Over my dead body!" Startled, Beca looked back up in time to see Chloe stomp her foot.

"You've no room to talk; you already invaded her shower, Chloe." Aubrey said, obviously trying not to laugh.

"Uh." Beca felt her face heat up and she looked away from green eyes filled with amusement and crystal blue filled with mock outrage. "Oh look, the rest are here." She slipped off her stool and grabbed her mug to put it in the sink. "Let's get going guys." She didn't look back and she walked out of the kitchen, Chloe and Aubrey's laughter following behind her.

"Where are we going, DJ?" Stacie asked when Beca joined the rest of the girls.

"To the sweet spot." Beca realized her mistake immediately after the words left her mouth.

"Why, Beca." Stacie put her hand on her chest. "I didn't know you were interested." She fluttered her eyelashes as her eyes drifted over Beca's shoulder. "What will Chloe think?" Then her eyes went wide. "Or am I joining you guys?"

"Oh my god." Beca stared at her. "That's… not… Why… Holy crap!" She jumped when Chloe slipped her arms around Beca's waist.

"Sorry, Stace." Chloe hooked her chin on Beca's shoulder. "Not this time."

Stacie winked. "Maybe next time."

"Next time for what?" Aubrey walked past them on the way to the door.

"Nothing!" Beca practically yelled and both Chloe and Stacie laughed at her as she pulled herself away from Chloe. "Come on guys, we're going back to the pool." She didn't even look back. "The one without the water, Stacie. I can feel the skinny dipping comment you're about to make."

Beca opened the front door and escaped into the falling night, grateful for the cool air on her burning cheeks.

'I swear they're going to be the death of me.'

---

~B~

"All right." Beca said as she led the way back to the center of the deep end. "Let's remix this business."

It had seemed the perfect place to show them what she thought they could do. The empty pool really did have great acoustics but it was also the first place she'd actually put any effort into being one of the team. And it was the first time they had really come together and sang outside of rehearsal. She hoped Aubrey understood that and didn't only think of it as a place they lost to the Trebles.

"Um," Beca began as she reached the bottom of the incline. "Aubrey, would you pick a song for us please?" She turned around as the rest of them came to a stop a few feet away. She hoped it showed Aubrey that she was serious about Aubrey continuing to lead the group. Beca scanned the group and realized all eyes were on her and felt the sudden weight of their expectations fall on her shoulders.

'Jesus. I hope I don't fuck this up.' She felt her nerves begin to jitter. 'Man do I understand Aubrey a bit better right now.'

Aubrey looked around briefly before she said, "Bruno Mars, Just The Way You Are." Aubrey's eyebrows went up as she nodded encouragingly, her face clear of any hint of doubt. Beca felt her shoulders straighten a little, like she'd already met the extremely high standards she knew were ahead of her; like she'd gotten the Aubrey Posen Seal of Approval; that one nod, the purity of trust in her expression, showed that she was in this because she believed in Beca and not just because she didn't have any better options. It was almost identical to the one she'd given Beca on the bus – the one she'd thought of on stage – and it made Beca more determined than ever to make Aubrey proud; to show her that she hadn't made a mistake.

Beca was slightly shocked that it wasn't a song sung by a woman – she'd have almost sworn that Aubrey wouldn't have listened to male artists at all, but she supposed that was just her own snap assumptions that she never bothered to find out if they were true. She also briefly wondered if this was Aubrey's way of once more telling Beca that she was sorry for any past judgements on her character; that she's done trying to change Beca to fit the group… That she wanted Beca to be just the way she was. It caused her to freeze for half a second as she tried not to laugh or go all gooey with emotion. "Okay." Beca found herself nodding back as she tried to pick a song that would fit just right with it. She wasn't sure if she'd have more than one chance to convince them, so this had to be perfect. "Um… Chloe, are you okay to take the lead?" She hadn't heard Chloe singing in rehearsal, and while her talking voice was a little rough, the last thing Beca wanted to do was push her after surgery.

"Yeah." Chloe nodded confidently, nothing but trust and confidence in her eyes.

Unexpectedly nervous at all their eyes on her, Beca cleared her throat and looked back at Aubrey. Taking note of Aubrey's own nerves, evident in the way she flattened her hands like she was bracing herself, Beca closed her eyes and listened for the melody in her mind before locking gazes with Aubrey.

Beca let the first notes slip free, her body and left hand bouncing in time to the beat as she kept her focus on Aubrey. She was second to follow Beca's lead with the rest of the girls finding their places easily. Beca let her own voice still as the simple melody built; she couldn't help being proud of them as they blended together so perfectly once they finally stopped fighting each other. When she felt it was time, she looked back over at Chloe and gave her a small nod; she smiled when Chloe returned it and began to sing, her voice clear and steady.

Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shinin'
Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful and I tell her everyday

She hadn't really considered it when she'd asked Chloe to start them off, but the song was kind of perfect for how Beca felt about her. Hadn't she already thought there were stars in Chloe's eyes at least twice? While Beca hadn't gone so far as to tell Chloe she was beautiful, it was definitely something she'd thought at least once a day since The Shower Incident. Maybe, after all this, she'd finally find the courage to actually tell Chloe how she felt, instead of just hoping her awkwardness somehow translated correctly. Then she saw the smile hovering around Chloe's lips and realized that maybe her emotions were written on her face for anyone to see.

Feeling herself warm with the emotions she could feel building between them as well as the simple pleasure that she was feeling in singing with her new friends, Beca just hoped she wouldn't derail everything as she began to layer 'Just a Dream' into it. It was a little different to listen to a remix versus singing song A and have someone else start with song B – the urge to switch to song B was difficult to ignore; Beca had found this out when she started doing her own vocals for songs, having to start over several times until she got used to it.

Beca watched Chloe carefully, ready to stop if it looked like it had knocked her off balance, but Chloe's smile widened even as she kept on singing, perfectly in time with the beat the rest of them were still creating. She looked back at Aubrey, unable to stop remembering the scathing looks while they were on stage; but Aubrey merely watched her, waiting to follow Beca's lead.

Beca felt herself smile. 'Time to push her beyond her comfort zone or this was all for nothing.'

She pointed at Aubrey, hoping that she realized Beca wanted her to swap songs. This was the hardest part, she knew, in seeing if they really could change how competitions were done. She knew Aubrey got it by the sudden light in her eyes and then her voice was blending with Beca's as beats created by the rest supported both songs.

She wasn't looking for it, hadn't expected it to happen, but Aubrey's obvious approval radiated from her like a wave as she kept her eyes on Beca, willing to follow wherever Beca cared to lead them. Beca couldn't help the feeling of pride at finally, finally, being able to show Aubrey – all of them – the things she knew could win them the trophy.

Beca felt chills as they continued, each individual adding more flair as their confidence grew until the pool rang with their voices. As they drew to a close, she was thrilled as Aubrey and Stacie paused when she did, joining back in until all of them were singing the same final word. Beca waited as she caught her breath, watching Aubrey closely.

Aubrey's face lit up as she drew in a deep breath, and Beca was surprised to feel relief and more than a little trepidation as she waited. Beca looked at Chloe and was met with that special smile that Chloe rarely gave to anyone else. Then Chloe looked at Aubrey and where almost anyone else might have silently sent an 'I told you so', Beca could tell that Chloe was just as thrilled as Beca was that Aubrey had loved it.

As the rest of the girls exchanged grins, Aubrey broke the silence. "Hands in." But her eyes remained on Beca, as if she was waiting for her to object.

Beca felt a surge of pride at Aubrey's obvious approval and finally let herself relax. She wondered if Aubrey expected her to yell or be upset that Aubrey had slipped back into Captain mode. Beca understood that was bound to happen, especially because Aubrey had been doing it for so many months. It also wasn't as if Beca really wanted to lead the group – she was happy just providing music. She just hoped that Aubrey wouldn't fall back into her old habits – though with Chloe's new stance on speaking her mind, Beca didn't think that would happen. The two of them, when they were acting together, made a great team and Beca was more than willing to support them.

Aubrey held her hand out, smiling as widely as Chloe was and waited. With a grin of her own, Beca slid forward and placed her hand on Aubrey's, the rest of the girls crowding around them. And it was perfect, they didn't have to ask 'on three or after three', they just began the count together, as if they'd been doing it for years.

Then Chloe scared the living hell out of everyone with an almost bone rattling bass note that reverberated through the entire pool.

Even as Chloe slammed her hand over her mouth, Amy was already asking "What was that?"

"I don't know; I've never made that sound before." Chloe's face was the definition of confusion as she touched her throat.

Beca's first thought was, 'Shit, her hands are fucking blue again!'

Her second thought was, 'Oh god, I hope that didn't hurt her vocal cords or set her back on recovery.' But Chloe didn't look like she was in pain, just surprised, and Beca let her suddenly tense shoulders relax again. She watched as Chloe touched her throat then must have felt Beca's eyes on her because she turned and smiled reassuringly.

"Yo," Cynthia Rose stepped up. "But with your messed up vocal cords, you could hit the bass notes."

"Do you know what that means?" Aubrey said earnestly, but before she could finish her thought, Lilly put her hand up. "Yes, Lilly?"

Beca leaned forward with the rest of them to hear the reply, only to jump again when Lilly's voice carried clearly to the rest of them. "I think I have something that can help us out." Even years later, Beca was never sure if it was because Lilly had actually spoken up for the first time ever, or if it was the acoustics in the pool.

"Excuse me, bitch, you don't need to shout." Fat Amy said.

As the rest of them laughed, Beca stepped up to Lilly and put an arm around her. "Don't get mouthy." She urged the group toward the end of the pool. "But, let's get out of here and back to the house where it's less cold."

Aubrey looked over her shoulder. "You guys are welcome to have a sleep over. I know classes start tomorrow, but, if you wanted to get a change of clothes and whatever books you need then come back and I'll make something for us to eat?"

It was the first time Aubrey had made the offer of a sleep over directly. Always before the invite had been delivered by Chloe, though Beca did know several of them were because Aubrey had wanted them there.

"Sounds great!" Jessica beamed.

"I could eat," Fat Amy said as she climbed the ladder. "All that wrestling today used a lot of energy." She slapped her waist as she stepped back from the pool edge. "It takes a lot to keep this gorgeous motor running."

Beca was next up the ladder and, shaking her head in amusement at Amy, she turned and helped Lilly, Aubrey then Chloe step up onto the concrete. She winced when she felt just how cold Chloe's hands were.

She was distracted when Stacie finally reached the top and smirked as she accepted Beca's offered hand. "Such a gentleman."

"Shut up, Legs." Beca grinned back at her before turning back to the rest of the group. "That sounds like a great idea. I'll get my laptop so we can go over music."

"Yes!" Ashley cheered. "The mythical library of mixes! I'm bringing my laptop too."

Beca laughed. "Alright, I get it. I'll make sure I have everything." She tugged Chloe to hold her back for second. "Your hands are fucking blue. Again."

Chloe looked down and shrugged. "I'm cold."

"Dude, we're past that. Those are like… cadaver hands." Beca raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Seriously. Like, the hands of a dead person."

She looked up at Beca from beneath her eyelashes. "Would you like to read my palm again to warm them up?"

Beca felt herself flush. "That's… I didn't… I wasn't…" She closed her eyes and took a breath before opening them again. "I didn't know how to ask if I could warm them up."

"I know." Chloe smirked at her. "It was a really cute try, though." She bit her lip. "You could ask now…"

"There's no way I'm touching those ice monstrosities." Beca pretended to back away, but there was no way she was going to let Chloe walk anywhere else with her hands like that.

"Oh, Beca you don't –" Aubrey called over but it was too late, Chloe was already moving, her hands pushing their way under Beca's shirt to press against her stomach.

"Holy fucking shit!" Beca screamed and tried to push her away. Chloe's fingers felt completely frozen and Beca's skin tried to crawl away from the contact. Chloe, laughing at Beca's reaction, only pushed closer, her hands sliding to curve around Beca's ribs. Beca pulled in a breath to scream again but then Chloe leaned forward and kissed her. Beca's brain short circuited under the onslaught of conflicting sensations and her brain chose to focus on the warm lips against hers instead of the cold hands around her waist.

As the thought crossed her mind to deepen the kiss, several people coughed around them, reminding her that they were not only in a public space, but surrounded by their friends. Reluctantly Beca pulled back, opening her eyes to meet Chloe's mischievous grin.

"Thanks for warming me up, Becs."

Beca took a steadying breath, realizing that Chloe's hands were indeed warmer, which had been her entire goal. "You're… uh… welcome." She fought the urge to lick her lips and looked around at the rest of them who just smiled at her. "You guys are all aca-pervs." She couldn't help the grin at Chloe's delighted chuckle.

"You guys put on a good show, I couldn't help it." Stacie said with a wicked grin that only deepened when Beca's cheeks flamed with a different kind of flush. "God you're so easy to rattle, DJ."

Aubrey spread her arms and waved everyone forward like she was herding cats. "Alright, let's go. We can resume making her uncomfortable when we've got her locked in the house."

Beca felt her mouth drop. "Who are you and what have you done with Aubrey?" The words were out before she could think to stop them and she winced. Thankfully Aubrey only threw her a smile over her shoulder as she kept the others moving.

Chloe slid her fingers from under Beca's shirt. "I think you'll notice a few differences from now on." She pursed her lips. "I figure she'll fall back into bad habits a time or two, but I think we can all keep that from happening too much." She linked their arms together and shoved her left hand into Beca's coat pocket. "Let's go get your stuff."

Pushing down the sense of loss at not feeling Chloe's skin against hers, Beca nodded and followed the rest of them toward the dorms.

It might have taken longer than it would have for someone else, but as they excitedly traded ideas back and forth, Beca finally realized that being here, amongst these wonderful nerds, was exactly where she belonged.

---

~C~

Chloe hadn't known what to expect when Beca led them into the pool, but she'd had faith that it would be exactly what was needed to put Aubrey's mind at ease.

The fact that she knew it would also give them a shot at winning the ICCAs wasn't bad either.

"Um, Aubrey, would you pick a song for us please?" Beca said as she turned around to face them.

Chloe stopped with the others, her hands already starting to chill as she waited for Aubrey to come up with a song.

"Bruno Mars, Just The Way You Are." Aubrey said almost immediately.

Chloe grinned to herself as Beca took a moment to process the fact that it was both from this century and not sung by a woman. Asking Aubrey also showed that Beca was serious in wanting Aubrey's input and making sure she was comfortable in actually letting Beca show what she could do.

"Um, Chloe?" Beca turned to her. "Are you okay to take the lead?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, trying to hold back her grin. She couldn't wait to see what Beca had planned.

Shaking out her nerves, Beca set the beat. Aubrey was next, followed by Cynthia Rose and then the rest until the pool was filled with their voices blending together in perfect harmony. At Beca's nod, Chloe felt a last flare of nerves rise but once she'd started, Beca's eyes on her calmed her again.

Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shinin'
Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful and I tell her everyday

Chloe felt the words settle inside her heart. Kissing aside, she and Beca had yet to make any declarations of love though Chloe had realized months ago that she'd fallen hard for the sarcastic freshman. She was also at least ninety percent positive that Beca returned those feelings but was too used to keeping people at arm's length to allow herself to admit to them. Chloe had been content to follow Beca's lead, never pushing too far past her comfort zone no matter how many times Chloe had actually pushed into her personal space. The song became her way of telling Beca at least some of the things she'd been holding back, hoping that Beca could read the truth in her eyes.

She could tell Beca was worried that she'd throw Chloe off when she started in with 'Just A Dream' but Chloe had spent the last month or so listening to Beca's mixes; she knew what to expect and had 'Just The Way You Are' firmly in her mind. Beca's pleased smile sparked her own as they continued to weave their lyrics together. It was easy for her to stay focused – she just had to keep singing to Beca and it didn't much matter that they weren't alone.

That didn't change as Beca's focus shifted to Aubrey and Chloe looked over at her best friend. Aubrey didn't look stressed out or worried; she looked content to follow Beca's lead – until suddenly the brunette was pointing and Chloe knew that she wanted Aubrey to switch songs and take lead. With only a grin, Aubrey dove into the new song, switching seamlessly with nothing but as wide a smile as she could manage while singing.

Chloe felt the shift as the girls around them put more enthusiasm and energy into the song, feeling like one cohesive group for the first time since the riff-off. She'd never felt that type of connection with the prior Bellas group, never felt like they all made each other better. They may have been good enough to make it to finals, but Chloe realized that they probably wouldn't have won because they only had the technical side – they lacked heart.

But now… They were instinctively following Aubrey's lead; her pace, her enthusiasm and her strong voice - even the smile on her face that was obvious without even looking - kept them all on track while Beca kept their pace and acted as conductor. Chloe felt her skin prickle with the magic of the moment, realizing that this is how it should have been all year: She and Aubrey leading the group and Beca directing their choral arrangements. It would have been – it was – perfect.

'One might even say it was pitch perfect.' Chloe thought to herself with a mental eye roll at her cheesiness.

It was almost funny that they were being shown the way by one petite brunette who would swear up and down on a stack of bibles that she was heartless. Except she was leading them into new territory because she believed in them and what they could do – what they as a group could become. Chloe glanced around as they began to clap or stop a foot to the beat, realizing that it wasn't just her; the rest of them felt it too.

As they drew to a close, Beca's eyes remained on Aubrey, waiting to see what she thought. Chloe looked over, already knowing that she would be smiling and couldn't resist grinning back at her; there was still a distinct lack of the tension that had radiated like an aura around Aubrey since the start of the year.

Aubrey exhaled happily. "Hands in."

Chloe looked over in time to see Beca grin in relief before they were all crowding around, ready to finally get the signature Bellas pre-show move down. Aubrey counted them down and Chloe felt so happy she could almost cry – until the sound coming out of her mouth scared the hell out of her.

"What was that?" Amy asked as Chloe slammed her cold hand over her mouth.

"I don't know; I've never made that sound before." Chloe touched her throat. It hadn't hurt in the slightest, which was a relief, but it certainly wasn't normal.

Cynthia Rose leaned forward. "Yo, but with your messed up vocal cords you could hit the bass notes."

Chloe rubbed her throat again, feeling Beca's concerned eyes on her. She gave a reassuring smile as Aubrey spoke up. "You know what that means?" Chloe grinned again at the poorly hidden excitement under Aubrey's voice. Lilly's hand went up and Aubrey turned to her. "Yes, Lilly?"

"I think I have something that can help us out."

The rest of the girls had leaned forward to hear better and they all moved back with startled expressions at, for the first time, being able to hear Lilly speak clearly.

"Excuse me, bitch, you don't need to shout," Fat Amy joked.

Beca moved up to Lilly and put an arm around her as the rest of them laughed and turned to leave. "Don't get mouthy. But, let's get out of here and back to the house where it's less cold."

Chloe saw the look that Beca gave her hands and grinned. 'Always so considerate even when she's pretending otherwise.'

As they reached the ladder, Aubrey looked back at them. "You guys are welcome to have a sleep over. I know classes start tomorrow, but, if you wanted to get a change of clothes and whatever books you need then come back and I'll make something for us to eat?"

Chloe had to swallow the lump that suddenly appeared in her throat. Aubrey had always used her as an intermediary when she wanted the girls to hang out – or the cover of a mandatory Bella bonding night. This was the first time she'd felt comfortable enough to reach out on her own and Chloe finally felt the last of her worries fall away.

Following Jessica and Ashley, Fat Amy headed up the ladder. "I could eat. All that wrestling today used up a lot of energy." At the top she stepped back and slapped her waist. "It takes a lot to keep this gorgeous motor running."

Beca was next up the ladder and Chloe didn't even try to hide the fact that she was admiring the view. As Lilly followed, Aubrey shoulder bumped Chloe and whispered, "Your toner is showing."

"That happens sometimes. I blame Beca." Chloe shrugged as Aubrey laughed and started up the ladder.

"I blame her ass." Stacie said as she stopped beside Chloe, the two of them momentarily alone. "Not that I'm looking – don't claw my eyes out."

"I wouldn't." Chloe winked at her. "Aubrey would kill me."

Stacie grinned. "Yeah?"

"Mmhmm." Chloe put her foot on the ladder. "Even if she's too stubborn to admit it."

Behind her she heard Stacie mutter, "Tell me about it."

Beca was waiting at the top, hand outstretched to help Chloe from the ladder, and she held back a grin at Beca's wince. One day Chloe was sure she would remember to bring gloves with her when she went outside.

"Such a gentleman." Chloe turned as Stacie let go of Beca's hand, amused at the disconcerted expression that crossed over Beca's face.

"Shut up, Legs." Smiling, Beca turned back to the rest of them. "That sounds like a great idea. I'll get my laptop so we can go over music."

"Yes!" Ashley threw her arms up. "The mythical library of mixes! I'm bringing my laptop too."

"Alright, I get it. I'll make sure I have everything." Beca laughed as Chloe started to follow the group away from the pool. Except Beca's fingers caught her sleeve and tugged her backward. Chloe turned to look at her, eyebrow raised in question. "Your hands are fucking blue. Again." While the words were almost accusing, the tone was both amused and worried.

Looking down, Chloe shrugged. "I'm cold."

"Dude, we're past that. Those are like… cadaver hands." Beca gave her an earnest look. "Seriously. Like, the hands of a dead person."

Chloe didn't even try to fight the mischievous feeling rising up in her. She looked back up at Beca. "Would you like to read my palm again to warm them up?" She grinned at the color that rose over Beca's cheeks and fell a little more in love as Beca began to awkwardly stutter out an explanation.

Finally Beca closed her eyes and took a breath. "I didn't know how to ask if I could warm them up."

Chloe felt herself melt, somewhat surprised her hands weren't instantly thawed with the warmth that admission spread throughout her body. "I know." But the urge to tease was still there. "I know. It was a really cute try, though." She bit her lip coyly. "You could ask now…"

Beca shook her head immediately, though the mirth in her eyes showed she was playing along. "There's no way I'm touching those ice monstrosities." She began to back away.

Chloe looked over as Aubrey's voice carried to them from where she'd stopped to see if they were coming. "Oh, Beca you don't –"

But Chloe was already moving, having done a version of this to Aubrey numerous times over the years. She pushed closer to Beca, her hands already under Beca's shirt until she could press both palms against Beca's stomach.

"Holy fucking shit!" Beca cried, trying to push her hands away.

Chloe couldn't help the laugh that slipped free, but she was distracted by the feel of Beca's stomach muscles jumping against her palm. Her hands were still too frozen to truly feel Beca's skin beneath her fingertips, but that didn't stop her from curving her hands around Beca's waist. Ignoring the squirming woman, she slid them up Beca's ribs and tugging her ever closer until Chloe couldn't resist the urge that was pushing at her brain.

She captured Beca's lips with her own, feeling Beca instantly stop moving except for the gentle pressure of her mouth. After what felt like hours, Chloe wormed a little closer, her hands beginning to slip around Beca's back to pull her tighter and just as Beca's mouth began to part, there were several pointed coughs around them.

Chloe pushed down the tingling that had begun to crawl its way up her spine and grinned when Beca pulled back and groaned quietly. "Thanks for warming me up, Becs." Her hands felt nice and toasty where they rested against Beca's sides.

"You're… uh… welcome." Beca looked around. "You guys are all aca-pervs."

Chloe laughed happily. 'If there hadn't been any other signs of it, the fact that Beca just used an aca phrase would've sealed it. She's totally one of us.' Stacie's teasing voice pulled her back to the group.

"You guys put on a good show, I couldn't help it." Chloe watched, fascinated, as Beca's cheeks turned scarlet. "God, you're so easy to rattle, DJ."

"Alright, let's go. We can resume making her uncomfortable when we've got her locked in the house." Aubrey began to usher everyone into motion.

"Who are you and what have you done with Aubrey?" Beca asked in surprise.

Chloe took pity on her when Beca winced, obviously regretting her choice of words. Reluctantly she slid her hands out from under Beca's shirt. "I think you'll notice a few differences from now on. I figure she'll fall back into bad habits a time or two, but I think we can all keep that from happening too much." She hooked her arm with Beca's and shoved her hand into Beca's pocket. "Let's go get your stuff."

---

~C~

Chloe settled into the middle of the sectional with a sigh, a glass of wine in her hand.

Aubrey was in the kitchen making up a pot of pasta with a couple different options of sauce, since it was both easy to make and could be done in bulk.

Beca was at the center island with her laptop, busily copying her music library to several different hard drives that the girls would then share amongst themselves after they'd finished dropping their bags off upstairs.

Stacie dropped down on the couch next to her. "How's the throat?"

Chloe smiled and leaned against her. "It's good."

"Even after that bass note that, in the right crowd, you could make a fortune off of as a human vibrator?" She wiggled her eyebrows at Chloe's bark of laughter.

"You are…" Chloe trailed off, unable to come up with the right word because she was laughing too hard.

"Amazing." Stacie winked. "The word you're looking for is 'amazing.'"

"I can only imagine." Chloe chuckled again and took a sip of her wine. "There was a bit of strain during rehearsal, but I think some of that was just all the tension, you know?"

"Yeah, I felt it too." Stacie mused. "It's funny how that feels like a lifetime ago already."

"Right?" Chloe shook her head. "It keeps flashing through my head that only, what, five or six hours ago we were all screaming at each other?"

"Is that it?" Stacie let her head rest against the couch. "I know there's still a lot to be said, but… Is it wrong that I would just rather move on?"

"No." Chloe tilted her head until she was leaning on Stacie's shoulder. "But Aubrey's going to need to apologize to you guys. A lot."

"Yeah, I know." Stacie hesitated, looking over her shoulder into the kitchen. "Is she okay? I mean, really okay?"

Chloe nodded, though her smile was sad. "She is. For the first time all year, she's not a coiled spring. Once she stops being embarrassed, she'll be even better."

Stacie sighed and faced Chloe again. "She's going to beat herself up over this, isn't she?"

"For a bit, yeah." Chloe sat up again and took a drink of her wine. "But maybe between all of us, we can keep her from sinking too low." She looked over as the rest of the girls began to file down the stairs.

"Sounds like a plan, Red." Stacie sat up. "There more of that in the kitchen?" She pointed at Chloe's glass.

"Yup. Couple bottles, actually." She grinned at Stacie's raised eyebrow. "I thought we'd need it."

"You're so smart." Stacie leaned forward and kissed the side of Chloe's head before pushing herself up off the couch. "I'll be back, save my spot."

"Always," Chloe called after her, wondering if Stacie realized just how many times she'd looked into the kitchen before finally giving into her need to be near Aubrey.

'Probably not. Stacie's inability to realize her interest in Aubrey is a lot more than sex is only matched by Aubrey's ability to ignore her own feelings. If that doesn't prove they're perfect for each other, I don't know what does.'

She looked over her shoulder again, smiling as Stacie casually leaned on the island across from Beca and slightly behind Aubrey at the stove, showing no sign of moving despite the full glass of wine in her hand.

Chloe smiled to herself. 'Nope, definitely clueless. The amount of teasing that I'll be able to do when they figure it out will be aca-awesome.'

/

Once dinner and most of the clean-up was over – and the musical library of one DJ Mitchell was quickly shared –the talk finally turned to ideas for their set.

Chloe was sitting between Aubrey and Beca, the rest of the girls arranged on the sofa or ottoman as they slowly digested what seemed like a ton of pasta. They'd been listening to random mixes that Beca had made for the past hour, but they kept going back to the one that she'd almost played for them the night she was arrested.

"I like that it starts out kinda slow, for all of two seconds before it picks up and doesn't really stop." Cynthia Rose said.

"I do have at least one change I want to make," Beca said and she looked at Chloe from the corner of her eye. "I… Jesse and I had a fight, and I don't have any idea if he'll ever talk to me again."

Chloe smiled at her. "He will. What's your idea?"

"I want to include that song from the Breakfast Club." She clicked around in her list until 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' started playing. "It was one of the movies he tried to get me to watch."

"The one where you watched the end first?" Chloe still didn't understand that, but it had obviously been important to Jesse.

"Yeah." Beca flashed her a grin. "But I finally watched it over break, along with a bunch of others, and maybe it would be the thing that at least gets him to talk to me again, so I can apologize."

"Wait." Fat Amy put out her hand. "You watched movies? On your own?"

"Yes, Amy." Beca rolled her eyes. "Please don't make a big deal about it. I'm sure it was a fluke and won't happen again."

"Yeah, no. It's going to happen next weekend." Amy said firmly.

"We can watch a horror movie," Stacie offered before Beca had the chance to protest. "No chances of emotions there – unless jumping at every loud noise is an actual emotion."

"Jesus – you guys – no way." Beca shook her head. "That's…" She trailed off when Chloe touched her arm.

"We can cuddle under a blanket and I'll protect you." Chloe promised. "Plus Bree will probably laugh at it – until she snorts." Chloe looked over at her best friend. "Again."

"You're lucky I love you," Aubrey muttered behind her wine glass.

"I know." Chloe replied airily.

"If we could please get back to the task at hand?" Beca asked plaintively. "Instead of ways to annoy me?"

"Sure, DJ." Stacie said from Beca's other side. "It'll give me longer to plan how best to torture you." Beca groaned and Stacie patted her knee. "I think that song would fit fine in this mix."

Chloe sat back as the discussion continued. She knew nothing would be fully decided tonight, they'd still have plenty to discuss the next few days. Aubrey and Beca had agreed that they'd have no actual rehearsals for the week, but they were all welcome at the house while they finalized the song list.

"So what kind of choreo do you see with it?" Ashley asked.

After a beat, Beca realized they were all looking at her. Chloe bit back a grin as Beca turned a little green. "Why are you all looking at me?"

"Cause you're in charge." Aubrey said, a little smugly.

"Oh no. My job is music." Beca shook her head. "I'm not a dancer."

"Liar." Chloe leaned forward and whispered in Beca's ear. "I remember how you danced at hood night." She grinned as Beca's eyes glazed briefly and her cheeks flushed.

"Uhhh…" Beca cleared her throat. "That's… That's different and all I'm going to say about that right now, here, in the middle of your living room."

Chloe took pity on her. For now. "Alright then, I suppose Aubrey and I could come up with a few things to start us off, once we've got the songs." She looked around the room. "As long as you guys promise to speak up if you have any ideas or changes?" As the group voiced their agreement, Chloe scooted to the edge of the couch. "Then I think I'm going to call it a night."

Almost as if on cue, Aubrey yawned. "Me too, I guess."

"Those suckers are contagious," Ashley said around her own yawn. "Guess I'll head upstairs too."

Chloe watched as Beca shut down her laptop as the rest of them pushed themselves to their feet. "I didn't mean to break up the party."

"It's been a long day, Red." Stacie said as she stretched. "I just hope the bed I'm trying tonight is half as comfortable as Aubrey's mattress."

"What now?" Fat Amy turned to face them. "Did you guys start doing your own version of horizontal running?"

"No!" Aubrey exclaimed, her voice cracking in the middle.

"But she just said…" Jessica trailed off, obviously unsure how far they could tease her.

"I wasn't in it at the time." Aubrey stood and straightened her shirt. "She took Chloe to the airport the morning after I left and I told her it was alright to sleep in my bed the night before."

"I'd taken all the other sheets off to do laundry that night." Chloe offered when the rest of them looked at her questioningly. "Empty house meant I wanted to keep myself occupied." She turned and smiled at Stacie. "Though I think we ended up talking all night and didn't do laundry until last night." She stood and clapped her hands once. "So fresh sheets for everyone!"

"Including you, Aubrey." Stacie said as she walked toward the stairs. "I changed them this morning before I left."

"Thanks, Stacie." Aubrey said before she began to clean up the various glasses and plates that dotted the tables behind the couch. When Chloe moved to help her, Aubrey shooed her away. "I've got this, I'm just going to let it soak and I'll wash them in the morning."

"If you're sure." Chloe said and let Aubrey push her back toward the couch. "Night, Bree."

Beca had just finished putting her laptop back in her case when Chloe stepped up beside her and tugged her hand. She waited until the other girls at least appeared distracted and leaned close enough that only Beca could hear her. "Share my bed with me?" She grinned at Beca's startled look toward the group of women heading upstairs. "Just to sleep." Chloe looked down as she took Beca's hand. "I understand if it's too soon after… everything."

Beca was shaking her head before Chloe had finished. "No – that's… I'd like that." She looked like she had more to say, but she only smiled and gave a half bow. "After you then."

Chloe grinned at the reminder of the first, and only, time they'd shared a bed, though the positions had been reversed. "Definitely a gentleman." She walked in front of Beca and laughed at the frustrated growl behind her. "Don't fight it, Becs. It's cute."

"Yeah yeah." Beca poked her in the side and Chloe let out a yelp as she jumped forward. "It's all an act to lure you in."

Chloe stopped in place and spun quickly, causing Beca to run into her. "And what'll you do when you've got me where you want me?" She could tell she'd caught Beca by surprise by the way her eyes widened in panic.

"You'll… uh… just have to see." Beca said, striving for a confidence she obviously didn't quite have a grasp on. She ran her hand through her hair as she licked her lips nervously.

Chloe forced herself to look away from Beca's mouth and reached out and took her hand. "Guess I will." She tugged gently as she stepped backward, turning as Beca willingly followed her upstairs, briefly detouring to get the bag she'd placed in the double room she thought she'd be sharing with Amy.

Both of them were quiet as they readied for bed, stealing not-so-subtle glances at each other and smiling as they were caught at it. Soon enough they'd brushed their teeth and settled into bed, both of them lying on their backs as Chloe's bed was marginally bigger than the one in Beca's dorm.

"I'm glad you came today," Chloe said into the darkness. "I don't know how any of that would have ended if you hadn't shown up."

"Probably a slap fight next," Beca said lightly and Chloe chuckled.

"I did pull her hair," she admitted and the bed shook with Beca's laughter.

"How very elementary school of you," Beca said when she'd finally stopped giggling. Chloe thumped her in the side. "Ow." Beca sighed as the last chuckle faded. "I think you guys would've been fine."

"I don't know about that." Chloe admitted. "We were… we were horrible."

"Aubrey told me some of it." Beca fumbled between them until she found Chloe's left hand and squeezed it. "I still think you guys would've found your way out of it." She took a breath and paused before continuing. "I'm not sure if the group would've been intact, but… I think you and Aubrey would've been okay."

Chloe thought for a minute, remembering all the anger and rage she'd been feeling at the time. "Maybe. Eventually." She sighed. "I don't know how long that would've taken though." She threaded their fingers together. "So – thank you."

"I almost didn't. But I had an eye opening talk with my father." Beca sighed. "He did that parent thing where they're brutally honest and force you to really think about what you want."

"How rude." Chloe rolled over onto her left side, regretful that the action required her to let go of Beca's hand.

"Right?" Beca rolled to face her, her left hand immediately tucking a strand of hair behind Chloe's ear. "But he made me realize that I really liked being part of the Bellas. That I like all of these crazy women spread across this house. And it made me realize what he'd been telling me all along, which annoys me to no end."

Chloe laughed. "What's that?"

"That making an effort was worth it." Beca smiled wide enough to be seen in the dim light as she rolled onto her back. "Especially if the friends I make are willing to forgive me when I act like an asshole."

Chloe wiggled closer and put her head on Beca's shoulder. "I think we were all assholes, honestly." She felt Beca's arm circle around her back and pull her close. "We probably deserve each other."

"Probably." Beca yawned and they both fell silent, the long day finally stealing over them.

As Beca let out the softest snore under her, Chloe let herself drift, happy and secure for the first time in weeks, safe in the circle of Beca's arms, vowing to do whatever was necessary to remain there for as long as humanly possible.

---

Chapter End Notes:
This is the second time I thought that I was going to have to come up with a long Bechloe talk and they both totally threw that idea out the window and decided to cut through the angst. It's… almost annoying, but I'm getting used to them – especially Beca – derailing any plan I actually make.