A/N: Another filler-ish chapter but don't worry, I am building towards something.

Thanks to everyone reviewing, please please please keep them coming. They really really help keep me going.

I do not own Pitch Perfect or Fallout or any of their characters

After a few days things started to go back to normal for Beca. She missed Chloe constantly, but being back with her friends and back in her home was a relief. She was glad to get back into the routine of living at Sanctuary.

She particularly enjoyed the more physical jobs. Things like working on their Power Armour, upgrading weapons, repairing turrets, and mending their houses helped her forget about everything else. If she could go to bed in the evening with an ache in her muscles it was a good day.

Almost a week after they got back, Nick Valentine returned to Diamond City.

"Don't be a stranger, kid," he said to Beca as she walked him to the edge of Sanctuary.

"I won't," she said, hugging him when they stopped. "Thank you for everything, Nick."

"Anytime," he said. "I'll keep an ear out for any news of Chloe for you."

"Thanks," Beca said, feeling the familiar pang in her stomach at the sound of her name.

"You'll see her again," he said, reading her mind.

"Yeah, maybe," Beca said, knowing she probably never would.

A few days after he left, a radiation storm rolled through Sanctuary.

A murky orange cloud blew through their small settlement, forcing them all to barricade themselves into the most secure room they had, but even that wasn't very protective. Beca's Pip-Boy crackled like a Geiger counter, and they all spent the day feeling sick, and taking RadX.

It was the first time since they'd been apart that Beca was glad Chloe wasn't there.

"How long is this storm supposed to last?" Fat Amy asked after a few hours.

"No idea," Aubrey replied. "No more than 24 hours I think."

"We need to make a proper shelter for this kind of thing," Beca said, rubbing her head. "Something underground maybe."

"You hate being underground," Aubrey said.

"I do," Beca said. "But I hate this more. It's dumb just sitting here and getting sick when we could be somewhere safer."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "When this is over, we'll start making plans for it."

"The sooner this storm's over the better," Fat Amy said. "I'm a free-range pony, ya know? I can't be hemmed in."

The others laughed.

Beca was glad they were all with her.

She was glad she had them.

Across the Commonwealth, Chloe and Emily were in the supply room, counting everything they had.

Jesse liked them to regularly check their supplies, so he wouldn't ever run out without realising.

Chloe and Emily volunteered for it that day.

"So, have you ever been outside?" Chloe asked as they removed all the purified water from the shelves in order to count it. "I mean, apart from when you were a baby."

"I guess I must have," Emily said. "But I can't remember it."

"Nothing?"

"I don't think so," she said.

"And you've never been curious what it's like?" Chloe asked, counting the cans in groups of twenty before Emily replaced them on the shelf. "You've never even wanted to go and look?"

"I've looked," Emily said. "Guards come and go a lot, and sometimes I'd walk up to the entrance with them, just to see what it was like."

"And you never wanted to go out? Even for a day?"

"Not really," Emily said. "Jesse told me how dangerous it is out there. Michael was killed out there. And half of the time a group of guards go out to get food and water and stuff, only a few of them come back. Look, I know why you're asking me all this."

"You do?" Chloe asked, surprised.

"Yeah. You wanna go back to that Beca girl," she said. "Were you, like, in love with her or something? Because it's totally cool if you were, I'm just curious."

"I think I was... Or am..." Chloe said, after a few seconds. "But that's not why I'm asking. I mean, I'd like to be with her, but you're my priority. I'm asking because I'm afraid you're going to spend your whole life down here. It's such a big world out there, and I'd like for you to at least see some of it."

"I'm happy here, Mom," she said. "And my life will be a lot longer if I stay down here."

Chloe sighed. "Okay then," she said, trying to smile. "If that's what you want."

"Yeah," she said. "It is. I'm not saying I never want to go outside ever. But for now, I'm happy."

They carried on counting supplies in almost silence.

After almost two weeks in the hideout, she was starting to feel claustrophobic. She missed the feel of the wind on her face. She missed watching the sun set and rise, and the colours in the sky.

There wasn't much colour down here. Just different kinds of greys.

But most of all she missed Beca.

She had a lot of free time these days, and she spent them thinking about the brunette. She imagined how it would have been if Emily had wanted to leave and they'd left together. She imagined sharing a bed with Beca. Waking up next to her and sharing early morning kisses. She day-dreamed about going off for supplies with her. About helping repair the houses in Sanctuary. About watching Beca and Emily bond and the three of them becoming a family.

She longed for something to keep her busy so she wouldn't have time to day dream about these things, because it was killing her.

But there was nothing for her to do down here. So when she wasn't getting to know her daughter, she was thinking.

God, she missed her so much.

Jesse popped his head into the room once they were almost done.

"Just a heads up guys, you might here some loud noises later, but don't worry about it," he said.

"How come?" Emily asked.

"You know the blocked tunnel right at the very end of the main track?" He asked. Emily nodded. "Well the guys think they can shift the rocks with a little bit of dynamite."

"Why do you want to clear the tunnel?" Chloe asked.

"Because there could be supplies in there. People may have been trapped on the other side of the before it collapsed, and they might have food or weapons or anything," he said.

"And you're sure dynamite won't just bring the whole thing crashing down?" Chloe asked.

"I'm sure," he said, an edge creeping to his voice. "Look, just don't worry about it, okay? I was just letting you guys know."

"Okay," Emily said, missing the annoyance in his voice. "Thanks Jess."

A few hours later, the explosions started.

Chloe swore she could feel the whole world shake beneath and above her. It felt like she was going to be buried alive.

She sat on her bed, gripping her hands together tightly, wishing more than anything she could just be outside.

"It'll be okay, Mom," Emily said, sitting beside her and taking her hand. "They'll be done soon."

"You're not afraid?" Chloe asked, clenching her jaw together as another explosion sounded. "God," she muttered, through gritted teeth. "How much do they need to use?"

"What's to be afraid of?" Emily asked. "The tunnel is miles away, and the dynamite isn't very powerful. They can probably only clear small bits at a time."

Chloe looked at her, amazed that her daughter who was so afraid of even stepping outside, could be so calm and logical about this.

"Jesse won't let anything happen to us," Emily said. "Don't worry."

But Chloe did worry.

And she was right to.