A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. I still can't believe I am still getting them. I only read through this chapter in its entirety once. So please keep that in mind. This is getting posted a smidge early just because I have to wake up earlier tomorrow. I have another music selection I will post a link to on my tumblr. I picture it playing when Amy and Beca go out. It's as follows:

S.O.B by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats

I was going to answer some guest reviews again below, so feel free to skip ahead. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

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Guest (the last one to comment): I realize it might be a little repetitive, but I need to move things forward in the time line some before I can get to certain things. This chapter might quell things for you a bit. You should definitely like the next chapter or at least aspects of it.

Fleurhermione: Lol! I don't plan on disappearing. I completely made up Lily's gift. So there is no reference. At first I wanted her to carve something for Beca because I mentioned it during the truth or dare scene, but I didn't think it was good enough. Then I was thinking it would be great if she made an abstract sculpture out of a random object. I picked paperclips. Then I thought it would be even better if it was actually functional. Bam! Lily's gift. Haha! I'm more of a Hermione and Bellatrix shipper. Take it as you want. Yes, I'm a grad student. Right now I'm doing research so I can graduate on time. I should have probably been looking at inhibitors or studying this week instead or writing this, but here I am. So, yes, I'm technically on vacation, but that doesn't mean I don't have shit to do. (Sorry this is so long.)

Stopbechloetime: Lol! We should probably get to know each other more first, but thank you! ;)

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Chapter 17

The shower she took left her feeling refreshed and brand new. Beca was happy to see that she had a half an hour before she had to go into the radio station. The perfect amount of time for a quick twenty minute nap. She was pretty ecstatic about it, changing into sweat pants as soon as she got back to her room. Then when she was done napping all she would have to change was her pants. The next step was setting up an alarm to make sure she didn't exceed the twenty minutes. She was then snuggling into her covers, tucking them around herself so if felt like she was being held by someone. If she tuck her nose into the right spot on her pillow, Beca could still smell the faintest hint of a very familiar floral scent. She inhaled deeply as she closed her eyes, completely content as she drifted off to dreams where blue eyes and red hair would be present.

She was almost there when a distinct knock came from her room's door. Instead of waiting like a normal person for Beca to answer the door before knocking again, they just kept on knocking. With all the traffic her room was getting, Beca was starting to think she should invest in a 'Do Not Disturb' sign. Then she was yet again grumbling as she shuffled to her door to answer it. When she did, there was Amy with three duffle bags worth of stuff and her own personal comforter that depicted what would be the equivalent of a jungle scene in Australia. Before Beca could ask the Aussie what she was doing there, she was shoving herself, bags and all, into the room. She deposited her bags on Kimmy Jin's side of the room with a resounding thump.

"What are you doing here?"

"I figured I should stay with you. You're so tiny that if you are left on your own you'll probably get lost in your own room." Amy shrugged as if it was the most logical conclusion.

"Dude, you know that's, like, physically impossible, right?"

"You were lost all this week."

"I was studying!" Beca exclaimed incredulously.

The other girl just shrugged. "Same difference."

"Look Amy, I really don't have time for this. I need to take a nap and then I have to go to work." As if on cue, the alarm she set went off. Apparently it had taken a lot longer than she thought to almost get to sleep. "Shit!" Then Beca was running around the room, grabbing her pants to go get changed and all the other things she needed. While she was running around Amy was starting to unpack. When Beca was finally all set to go she found Amy bouncing on Kimmy Jin's bed, testing how soft it was. "Here's the deal. I have to go now, but when I get back all of this," she gestured to the Amy's bags, "needs to be gone. Okay?"

Amy seemed far more pleased than someone should be when they had been told to leave. "No problem Shawshank."

Then Beca was headed off to the radio station. There wasn't a lot to do. So she spent most of the time wondering through shelves, pulling out random records or CDs and jotting down a song she wasn't familiar with from the back. Later that night she would try and mash it with something. It was a new game she played with herself. It helped distract her from making depressing mash-up after depressing mash-up about Chloe. Somehow some of them still wound up being about the bubbly redhead, but it was better than everything she made being about her. Then her shift was over and she was headed back to her room. She was looking forward to a quiet night of mixing and maybe a red bull from the sample pack Cynthia Rose had given her. Only her plans were kind of ruined when she walked into her room to find Amy hanging upside down on her bed playing 'Mario Kart' on Kimmy Jin's Xbox.

Beca slammed the door after she entered, resulting in Amy falling to the floor in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Living here. Duh! I already told you I was moving in temporarily."

"And I told you to get rid of your bags."

"And I did that. I unpacked and the bags are gone. Jeez it's like you think English is my second language. I'm not an aboriginal. I don't even have the right bone structure."

For the first time Beca actually looked around the room, specifically at Kimmy Jin's half of the room. Amy had certainly been busy. She had decorated the sterile white walls with posters of muscular men and, what Beca assumed were, pictures of dingoes. There were a few family pictures, but most of them were of the other variety. Then there was Amy's collection of boomerangs that she would later want to demonstrate the use of to the smaller Bella, much to Beca's dismay. Then there were her clothes that were either thrown on the floor of slewn across Kimmy Jin's desk. Beca's jaw dropped in shock. Amy must have gotten up at some point as Beca was taking it all in. Amy placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Pretty impressive huh? Don't worry, I put your flag up too. I can't sleep without one hanging." Then she was patting Beca on the shoulder and went back to playing video games.

Beca's eyes went wide as she frantically searched the room for the location of the flag. She sighed, relieved, when she found it hanging on the back of the door to the room. That was neutral territory after all, right? Then she turned back to the side of the room that had recently been redecorated. All she could think about was 'Kimmy Jin is going to kill me!' So she rounded on Amy. "What about Kimmy Jin?"

Amy shrugged. "What about her?"

"She does actually live here."
The Aussie seemed just as complacent. "I'll just hoover it or something."

Beca was on the verge of freaking out because you can't just vacuum a wall and make it go back to normal. So she stepped outside and called Stacie. Who then told her to give the phone to Amy. A ten minute conversation later, something about Amy going too far and not following the plan, everything was sorted. The other Bellas were to come back a day early to make sure that Amy was packed and vacated the room. Then everything was fine. They ordered a pizza and Amy gamed while Beca made a mash-up from the random songs she had collected that night at work.

That was pretty much how all of their nights together went. Amy would play video games and Beca would occasionally join her between mixing, sleep, and work. They would eat together and sometimes have odd conversations before bed about what type of dingo they would be. It was nice, having someone to spend time with again. Amy really wasn't that hard to live with. In fact Beca wished Amy was her roommate. Then she wouldn't have to live with a pair of eyes staring her down if she left a single sock on the ground. And she didn't have to put up judgmental eye rolls when she came back into the room past 10 pm. The only downside of living with Amy was the fact that she snored. That problem was quickly solved with Beca wearing her headphones to bed, which, thanks to Lily, were now located within reach when she was laying on her bed. There was also the interruption of her nap schedule, Amy finding Beca's bed to be the perfect place to sit when gaming. Which maybe wasn't the worst thing ever because Jesse kept sending her articles about constantly sleeping being a sign of depression. Articles Beca found herself scoffing at because she was not depressed. She just had a lot going on, obviously.

Things had been going well until they reached the week and a half mark. Which just so happened to be Christmas Eve. Christmas Day Beca would be subjected to a meal with her dad and Shelia and whatever family they could scrape together. So Beca was more deflated than usual. To make things worse Amy was restless, shifting every five minutes with a loud huff. It was really starting to get on Beca's nerves. When Amy huffed for the umpteenth time, the tiny brunette couldn't take anymore, hitting her desk with more force than intended. Amy quickly looked to her, startled. The look settled Beca a bit. She sighed.

"Could you like… stop."

The silence lasted for all of two minutes and then Amy was letting out a dissatisfied huff. "IIII'm boooored!"

"Why don't you just-just…. Play as a different character?"

"I have!"

"Well… I don't know… Read a book?"

The Aussie acted like Beca had just suggested she sell a kidney on the black market for fun. "You know for a DJ you're pretty lame."

Beca definitely bristled at the remark because she was not lame. She was a badass alt chick. Badass alt chicks were not lame. So she crossed her arms and set her jaw as she fully faced the other girl. "What did you have in mind?"

Amy's face seemed to light up. Beca should have probably known better than to ask Amy for a suggestion, but it was too late. A half an hour of prodding on Amy's part and another half an hour of trying on half of Beca's closet, they found themselves at a dive bar Christmas Eve night. The bar was close enough to campus they didn't ID if you were quiet about it. It was a small place with the classic glaze of unidentifiable grime expected of a dive bar. The place was obviously popular, a wall full of signatures to prove it, but on that night there were only roughly ten to fifteen people. Beca had gone against Amy's suggestion to show some skin and instead wore her usual skinny jeans and flannel. She was glad she did because she would have not fit in with the crowd of jean and t-shirt clad folks. For Amy, a night out was a night out, so she was in a sequenced top, sparkling like a disco ball.

Amy must have been to the place before because she seemed to know everyone. Well except for a group of girls in a booth in the back. Beca just trailed reluctantly after the Aussie to the bar. She did not really want to be there. The following day would be Christmas Day. A day she was supposed to spend with her dad and Shelia. She had never actually met Shelia, but she had this Stepford wife image of her in her head. She really did not want to show up hungover and prove right everything that was said about her and her reputation as a delinquent child. The bartender immediately slapped down two shots of some unknown liquor, but Amy must have known what it was because she was over joyed. As soon as they knocked back one shot another one appeared. Even though she didn't want to get plastered, the consistent stream of alcohol was welcomed at the thought of the next day and what it would be like.

It was around the fifth shot that Beca caught a flash of red out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze instantly followed it. There was a part of her that hoped it was her redhead, well not her redhead exactly, but Chloe. There was a part of her that hoped that was why Amy took her to a dive bar with the obvious intention of getting her plastered the night before Christmas. Beca tutted to herself disappointedly when it just wound up being one of the girls from the booth in the back. On further examination, Beca had no idea what about the woman made her think Chloe because everything down to the shade of red of her hair was wrong. At the end of her assessment she looked up to find the woman watching her. Beca's eyes went wide and she immediately looked away. She felt eyes on her the rest of the night. When she looked up to check that it was in fact the same woman, the non-Chloe woman gave her a sly grin and a wink that reminded her of the redhead she wanted to be there. It was un-nerving. Non-Chloe was definitely attractive and she did feel a stirring low in her body, but she wasn't attracted to her. No, it was more so the similarities of that look and wink to the actual Chloe that had her going. Then there was the fact that the constant stare had her mind going to Chloe. Thoughts of Chloe brought on arousal. Then Beca found herself looking at the other woman far more than she should for someone that wasn't interested. Each time she did she was hoping to see Chloe because she had been ignoring Chloe's gaze for a few weeks now. She really missed looking at her old friend. Only each time she did Beca was disappointed to find non-Chloe and non-Chloe just became cockier with each glance.

Beca kind of forgot about the Aussie sitting next to her, who, when she wasn't plying Beca with drinks, was taking in the whole interaction. Then there seemed to be a spark of something in the Aussie's eyes.

"I see you're still a pumpkin pounder."

"What!?" Beca was seriously concerned that Amy was implying she had some weird fetish for pumpkins.

"You know, if you and a ginger were getting it on." Amy thrusted her hips a little for emphasis.

"Oh my god! Eeeeew! Dude, you know that sounds like something else."

Amy didn't seem concerned. "It's true though. You have ginger fever or something. Like herpes, it gets everywhere and you can't easily shake it."

"I think alcohol is affecting you're analogies."

"Naaaah! They just get better. Anyway, are you going to hit it or just continue staring like a perv?"

"I told you I'm not a perv!"

"So hit it it is." When Beca just stared at her, Amy shoved Beca a little. "Well go fly the nest. I can't hold your hand forever."
"What are you talking about?"

"The redhead you've been making goo-goo eyes at."

"I have not been making goo-goo eyes at anyone." Beca stated exasperated.

"And I'm the pope. Go get that fire crotch blazing."

"You know that's really offensive, right?"

"Half pint do I need to physically drag you over there because I will?"

Beca stiffened, eyes wide, believing Amy would do just that. She settled a little before talking. "Look, I like appreciate the confidence and all, but I'm not interested." Beca took another shot so she wouldn't have to talk anymore.

"Okay, then you're doing a random body shot."

Beca contemplated for a moment the pros and cons of each option before agreeing to the body shot. Really how bad could it be? Then the Aussie was running off with a squeal of excitement to find someone for Beca to take a body shot off of. Yet, Beca had failed to lay down some rules before Amy ran off. Which was a big mistake.

The petite girl took another shot as she contemplated the other woman. Normally Beca didn't mess with redheads. It was one thing to get lost in blue eyes because they reminded you of a ghost from your past, a ghost that actually wasn't a ghost, but it was another thing to go after a carbon copy. So redheads were never appealing because whenever she pulled back from kissing them she usually had to do a double take or wound up looking at them dumb founded. Which never boded well with the person. Beca liked the separation between reality and her dream land. But this girl was different. Her hair was that unnatural dark maroon shade of red, cut short and asymmetrical. Buzzed in the back and just reaching chin length in the front. Her eyes were all wrong too, a dark gray reminiscent of a wolf. Which fit because she had been looking rather predatorily at Beca all night. From the outside they looked like they would go together too, the other girl had the same black skinny jeans and combat boots. But her shirt was different, a dark denim vest with nothing on underneath, plenty of toned skin on display. And really Beca should have maybe been more cautious because if she wasn't hung up on another redhead, the one in front of her could easily destroy her.

Of course she was the woman Amy approached about doing a body shot with her pint sized friend. The women even seemed to perk up once Beca was pointed out. Maybe it was the alcohol she had already ingested or the way those gray eyes cut into her, but Beca wasn't sure if she should protect herself or just pull the woman to her. Then she was watching as the other woman unbuttoned a few bottom buttons on her vest to expose a flat toned stomach. Beca found herself self-consciously licking her lips and gulping as the lady situated herself on the bar top. Amy was shoving Beca forward to take up her place next to the woman's torso. Then she was doe eyed and red cheeked as a salt line was drawn from the woman's waist line to her naval, tequila put there, and a lime slice nestled in between the woman's lips.

"Well are you going to take the shot or just continue impersonating one of those tarsiers?"

That seemed to bring Beca back to earth. "Oh, right… I'll just, you know." She felt like a complete idiot gesturing towards the girl in question. It didn't really matter when her eyes met amused gray ones. Something about it reminded her of Chloe. That teasing fliting look she'd get that always meant mischief. It bothered Beca, but she shoved it away, concentrating on the muscles contracting as her tongue expertly licked up salt and dipped into tequila. When all the tequila had been licked and sucked up, Beca moved up to take the lime from the woman's lips. Only the other woman pressed up as Beca moved down, fully pressing her lips to Beca's. When Beca pulled back to spit out the lime, the girl had sat up so she could pull the brunette back into her. Beca let her. She didn't know why she let her. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the fact she craved that kind of contact. The feeling of being wanted. But even as the girl was pulled at her hips to press Beca further into her and Beca let her hands slip under her denim vest, it wasn't how Beca wanted to be wanted. There was something essential missing that she couldn't place. It wasn't lack of skills because the woman definitely had those. It was something else. So when they came up for air, a flushed Beca let the girl slip her number into her bra and then she excused herself. She was so distracted the petite brunette didn't even notice the Aussie filming the whole thing on her phone. Or the five minutes of frantic typing followed by the click of a 'post' button.

Then Beca found herself contemplating the kiss and what was wrong with it far too much to be pleased with herself. When Chloe came to mind for the millionth time that night, she just drank more. Before long she was pretty drunk and it was just Amy and a few locals left, the non-Chloe long gone. When Amy pulled her up to dance to a song she put on at the jukebox, Beca didn't protest. No, she actually enjoyed it, feeling free and uninhibited. Then Amy was pulling her back to the bar for more drinks. She complied, matching her shot for shot, nothing else catching her attention. Then she was in DJ Beca party mode and nothing was really off limits. Amy still seemed relatively sober.

At some point her phone went off and her whole 'no cellular devices while drinking' went out the window. Especially when her phone claimed it had a multi-media message from 'C-Bear'. Then she was swiping and clicking. Her efforts were rewarded with a picture of Chloe clad in a holiday sweater with a penguin dressed for winter on it and fuzzy pajama bottoms. Her hair was slightly tasseled like she had been sleeping. The message that came with it was 'Merry Christmas'. She glanced at the time, thinking it was a bit early for such proclamations, but it was already 1 am. Then she was looking at Amy because maybe it was a group text, which seemed strange at 1 am, but it was Chloe's favorite holiday. Only the Aussie was busy ordering drinks and there wasn't a flashing light on her phone indicating she had received a notification. Then she thought maybe it was a mistake, but it was such an innocent picture. Surely if it was meant for Tom there would be less clothing. Beca sat there for a few minutes brow furrowed, as she let her alcohol soaked brain catch up. Finally she just sighed wistfully sloppily tracing the edges of the picture with her finger. She was just poised to type out something like 'You're really hot' that would probably look more like 'ylur teall y bot', when Amy noticed what she was in the middle of doing. Then the Aussie was skillfully distracting the drunk brunette, which really wasn't that hard to do given Beca's state.

"Hey Shawshank, what are you up to? Talking to body shot dyke?"

It took extra effort for Beca to pause what she was doing, turn her neck, and focus on the other girl. When she actually spoke her speech was slurred. "NO-pe. I go-THs ah massage."

The brunette seemed so excited about it, which Amy used to her advantage. "Really? What does it say?"

She swung her head back around to her phone, her neck dipping a little before fixing itself. "Um, it's ah Pic-Ture."

"Ooooh! Is it a twat pic? Can I see?"

Then all of Beca's concentration was spent on sliding the phone carefully over to Amy, hiccupping halfway through the process. An action that caused Beca to pause and blink a few times, as if she didn't know what just rocked her body, before continuing her original action. Once Amy actually saw the picture, a self-satisfied smile worked its way onto her face. Only Beca misinterpreted the action, only really having one thing on her mind. She swayed forward a bit, almost falling off her stool, as she leaned towards Amy.

"I Kn-ow shes LI-ke weally preh-tty. LI-ke whoaaa preh-tty." She flung her hands in the air at the 'whoaaa' part, almost falling off her stool again. Amy just sat there for the time being, letting the petite girl ramble on about the girl in the picture on her phone, a pleased smile in place. After a while Beca forgot what she said and just kept repeating herself, having nothing else to hold her attention. After the fifth telling Amy was getting fed-up with love sick Beca.

"Do yak kn-ow w-hose weally preh-tty?"

Amy sighed, stating sarcastically, "Let me guess, Chloe?"

Beca seemed truly surprised. "Whoooa! H-ow'd ya Kn-ow?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it was the five other times you told me."

Beca seemed to not fully process the sentence, asking, "AR-e ya psy-Chick?"

"Yes, I'm psy-chick. I know all about ladies because I'm a big old lesbian." Beca missed the sarcasm completely.

"Whoooa!" Beca paused eyes wide in disbelief. Then something seemed to brighten in her eyes and she was speaking again, her eyes big and hopeful. "AR-e Chloes and ME go-Ing to beee to-geTHer?"

Amy paused, debating on what to say for once in her life. Then she was flagging down the bartender. "We need water. Lots of water. Make it a double."

After making Beca drink three whole glasses of water and a bathroom break later, they were headed back to Beca's dorm room. They stopped for a burrito at Beca's insistence. Afterwards Beca had sobered up significantly. She was still a little wobbly, but her speech was back to normal and she was definitely more coherent. Amy still had to help her into bed and take off her shoes, but she was okay. Then they were both in bed, Beca in her own and Amy in Kimmy jin's, trying to wind down. Something suddenly came to her and she didn't know why. Her filter was still not fully back to normal. Maybe it had something to do with Chloe and all the possible lies she had told. So she just blurted it out, playing with the edge of her blanket.

"Hey, Amy… Why do you make up all those stories about yourself?"

There was a long silence. Beca seriously wondered if maybe Amy had gone to sleep, but that was unlikely considering the lack of snoring. Then there was the sound of someone turning in bed.

"They're not all lies. My uncle does own a crocodile wrestling place and I love dingoes. Now have I wrestled them eeeeh! I like all my sexy limps to be in place. I have won a lot of awards in Tasmania and I do have a bunch of boyfriends. My other stories are a lot more interesting though."

Beca let the information sink in as she fell deeper towards sleep. Amy's reasoning made sense. She wasn't going to rat her out. Beca liked her stories. She was just on the edge of sleep when Amy spoke again.

"Beca?"

"Hmmmm?"

"My-My name's not really fat Amy. It's… It's fat Patricia."

The petite brunette wanted to laugh at the admission, she didn't think it was that big of a deal, but she knew not to. Instead she just chose to reassure the Aussie before falling asleep.

"I won't tell anyone."

There was a sigh of relief from the other side of the room.

When morning came the next day, Beca was definitely hungover, but not as bad as it could be. It was manageable, just a dull headache and cotton mouth. Both were fixable with pain meds and water. So she went about getting ready for what she was sure to be an awful day. She looked at her phone first to check the time, which was maybe a mistake because there was the picture Chloe sent her the night before. Without the haze brought on by alcohol, she could see Chloe did not look good. Sure she was still cute and very Chloe, but there were little additions. Bags under eyes that were rimmed in red and a nose and cheeks to match. It looked like she had not been sleeping and that maybe she had been crying. All those little details went against the big smile she wore. The whole thing messed with her head and she had other things to worry about. Like her dad and Shelia. Really, in her opinion, Chloe had no right to be upset. So she just exited out of the picture, saving it for later. Then Beca tip toed around, collecting everything she needed for a shower, on her way out the door, making sure not to wake a sleeping Amy. When she came back, Amy was wide awake looking at something on her phone, as Beca went to grab a red bull.

"I've never gotten this many likes over a post before and it's all thanks to you." The Aussie exclaimed.

Beca took a long sip of her drink before commenting, trying to wipe away the little bit of sleep left over after her shower. "What do you mean?"

Amy's eyes went wide as she visibly scrambled for something to say. "Uuuuhm, uuuuuhm…"

"Amy!"

"I posted a video of you doing a body shot last night." She winced as she spoke, preparing for the out lash.

"What!?" Beca slammed her can of red bull down.

"Well if you had accepted my friend request on Facebook you'd know this already."

"Dude, I haven't used Facebook since I was 15."

"Well that certainly explains your profile picture."

Then Amy was getting up, like they weren't having a semiserious conversation, collecting stuff for a shower. Beca sighed. "Are you going to show me the video?"

"Accept my friend request." She paused in her movement for a moment to face Beca. "And then maybe update your profile picture. You now all of the Bellas are going to send requests and you don't want that picture getting around."

Beca groaned figuring she wasn't going to really be getting anything else out of the Aussie. She ran a hand through her hair to calm herself down. "Are you coming to my Dad's for Christmas?"

"Nah, I'd rather not get between a papa bear and it's angry cub." She patted Beca on the head on her way out the door to the showers, indicating she was indeed the cub in question. She paused right before she left to pull out her phone and snap a picture of Beca.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping you out with your profile picture. You look very Mitchell today. You know, broody and grumpy. You should have worn that skirt last night. A lot better than pants." Then she was gone.

Beca spent half of the bus ride to her dad's neighborhood trying to remember her old Facebook login password. When she finally got in, she cringed at her own profile picture. At the time she had been really heavy into the whole punk scene and she had tried to gel her hair into some type of Mohawk that folded in half on her head for a concert. She was wearing nothing but black and even more eyeliner than she currently did. At the time she had thought she looked really cool, now she was just embarrassed for herself. So she quickly accepted Amy's friend request and then went to her wall. There was the picture from this morning, her in a plaid skirt and black short sleeved button up. She had to admit she looked good, but she didn't really appreciate the comment that went with the picture, 'Grumpy Cat in 4D.' Given she did look broody, but it was her. So she quickly set the picture as her new profile picture. She didn't really like the picture, but it was a lot better than fifteen year old Beca.

Then she continued scrolling down to the video, posted a little before 12 a.m. She looked around the bus before silencing her phone and playing it. In a way it wasn't too bad. Amy was kind enough to have started filming after she started licking the salt trail to non-Chloe's naval. That way the whole awkward fumbling beforehand was cut out. After she took the lime from the other girl's mouth she figured it would cut out but no. Amy continued filming well past that, capturing the other woman slipping her number into Beca's bra and a cool Beca walking away like a complete stud after a heated make out secession. Really Beca should feel proud, but she didn't. No, she just felt embarrassed, thinking of all the comments the Bellas probably left. Sure enough when she scrolled down there was Stacie claiming to have taught Beca everything she knew and CR saying she was all grown up. Beca's face was on fire and they weren't even there in person. Then the rest of the comments were all from random people saying how hot it was. She just wanted to get away from it all.

Instead of exiting though, she accidently clicked on Amy's friends list and of course who was at the top of the list, Chloe Beale. She didn't know why she cared, but she really didn't want Chloe to see that video. She probably already had though. Then she was thinking maybe that's why Chloe sent her the picture last night. But then why was she possibly crying. It just didn't make sense. Before she could really ponder it further, the bus had stopped at her stop. For the time being she just pushed it off as yet another game Chloe was playing with her. It was the easiest explanation.

Before she knew it, Beca found herself outside her dad's house. It was nice, the typical middle class home with the perfectly manicured lawn. Inside it had all the modern features and even some stone work. Beca found herself comparing it to the house she lived in with her parents when they were still together. This home was nicer and cleaner. Upon entering Beca had shoved the box of chocolate she got them into her dad's arms in place of a hug. Then introductions began and Beca finally met Shelia. She reminded her of her mom in several ways. They had similar features and even had similar personality traits. There were differences though, Shelia seemed more attentive, self-sufficient, and a few years younger. Then again maybe that was how her mom was before the divorce. When things were more stable. She wasn't sure because all she could remember now was the broken woman that cried every day when she got home from school.

She kind of hated herself for it, but she actually liked Shelia. She asked Beca about music. There were details that only her dad would have known and would have had to have talked to Shelia about it for her to know. Which was surprising given his aversion to her future as a DJ. Shelia's family were the main people there. They were all nice to her, treating her like a long lost relative. It was nice, feeling included and supported even if she was stand-offish still. Dinner was good, for once, even without her cousin for company, Beca felt like she belonged. Everything was the picture perfect family she had wanted since her dad left when she was twelve. There was the questions from her dad about classes and from Shelia about if she was working on anything music related over dinner that she longed for in Seattle. For once she thought maybe her and her dad could get along. She might actually want to be a part of this family. Feeling wanted in the exact way she wanted to be the previous night, but couldn't find with non-Chloe.

Then she was gathering her plate and silverware to take it to the kitchen, actually wanting to be polite for once. Shelia and her dad were talking about something to the few people gathered. They seemed overjoyed. Beca wasn't really tuning in until she saw her dad place a hand on Shelia's stomach. It seemed odd. There were only a very few reasons why a man would touch a woman's stomach in such a way. That was when she froze and listened.

"We're finally pregnant! Five years of trying it finally worked." Shelia and Beca's dad were smiling that sickening sweet smile couples in love got.

Everything started to click in Beca's mind. The timeline of the divorce solidified. It was a little over five years ago her parent's divorce was finalized. Before that Beca's dad moved to Atlanta to take a teaching position at Barden University. A location closer to Shelia's family, obviously given those attended. Soon after Shelia and her dad got married. She began to wonder how long they had been dating while he was still married to her mother. How long they had been planning on run away together. Now she was pregnant. Shelia really did look similar to her mom. They would have a kid that looked a lot like Beca. She wondered if they'd have a little girl because that would really make the whole replacement family complete. Then Beca really didn't want to be there anymore. So she put the plate down just inside the kitchen and went to the closet by the front door to get her coat and shoes. She had just put the items on when someone grabbed her arm. She immediately shook it off, finding her dad being the owner.

He had that father of the year smile in place. "Where are you going kido? We're severing desert."

"I think I should go." Her voice was cold.

His smile faltered a little. "Come on stay for a slice of pie. We have pumpkin pie. That's still your favorite right?"

"Really, I have a lot of stuff to do."

"You passing up pie? Are you sick?"

She knew he was joking, but it was a little too much. There was no way he was just going to let her leave apparently. So she went for the gusto just saying what was on her mind. She sighed. "Were you going to tell me?"

"What?" He seemed truly confused.

"About the baby."

"Eventually." It was said so casually.

"So…" Beca ran a hand through her hair. "What was this? …. Was this like a trial test? Show Shelia what a great father you're going to be. Is that why you wanted me to come here so badly? To Barden?"

"Beca, of course not. We've always had a relationship. We talked all the time."

That kind of pissed her off. She always knew his idea of an actual relationship was different than her definition, but this was the first time he had actually confirmed it. "Dad, a ten minute conversation once a month over the telephone isn't a relationship. You didn't talk to me for six months after the divorce. We don't, like… have a relationship. You're just that guy that provided the sperm basically." She knew that last line was a little much, but she wanted to hurt him just a little bit.

"Beca…" He seemed shocked. "I wanted to call you afterwards."

"Then why didn't you?"

He rubbed at his forehead. "I don't know, Beca. Life happened. I had a new job and we had to set up the house. We were trying for a baby. Things just… happened. I did what I could."

It wasn't really a good excuse. She had a life too and he had gone right along and disrupted it twice now, once when she was 12 and now when she planned on going to L.A., but was redirected to Barden. He couldn't take the time to disrupt his own life for her. She really didn't care. She was used to it. She had lived with it for six years now and currently she just wanted to leave. So she reached for the doorknob as she spoke. "Well, have a good Christmas with your family. I think I should go."

"Beca…" Before he continued saying whatever he planned on saying, Shelia came out into the hall to see who was there. She had a big genuine smile in place. So Beca forced one on her face in return.

"Beca, leaving so soon? We just brought out desert."

"Thanks, but my friend is locked out of their dorm and needs somewhere to go. So I should like really get going." It was an easy lie.

Shelia accepted it. The usual pleasantries were exchanged, her dad staying back, and then Beca was outside the house. A short walk and a bus ride later she was back at her dorm. When she walked into her room Amy was playing video games per usual. Beca changed into some sweats before taking a seat next to Amy on her bed.

"How was it half pint?"

"Okay." Amy probably could tell something was up, Beca's voice was more downcast than usual.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope!"

Amy didn't say anymore after that. She just handed Beca a controller and put an open pack of watermelon Oreos between them. They spent the rest of the night eating cookies and trash talking each other. She honestly was okay, just disappointed. She really would have liked to have a family like that or be a part of one like Shelia's family with her dad. But there wasn't a space for her there. When break came to a close all the Bellas came back as promised to help Amy pack and put Kimmy Jin's half of the room back to its original state. Beca kind of missed the Aussie, especially when her roommate greeted her with a judging stare upon her return. So Beca left the Australian flag up, only she moved it to her closet door. She received some satisfaction in the fact that she found Kimmy Jin occasionally staring it down like it was some sort of threat to her existence. The small things made everything better.

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A/N: The term "pumpkin pounder" is something I found while doing a google search for a term for someone who likes redheads. It was the only thing that came up and it was in urban dictionary. Also, how was Beca's plastered drunk dialogue, the formatting that is? Good? Bad? Confusing? I had some trouble figuring out how to write in slurred speech. There are no good video references. Please let me know if it was bad because it might just appear again and you'll be stuck reading it. I don't really know where all the stuff with Beca's dad and the Christmas dinner came from. I almost didn't put it in. But it's there now, soooo yeah…