Thank you everyone who has stuck with this story! I know there are a few of you that have been reading and reviewing from the beginning and I cannot properly express how much that means to me. I promise that you will be rewarded for your long journey through angst ville. There will be another hic-up or two, but the main drag is over. So rest assured that it will all be okay. With that said, I want to remind you that the song picks for the last chapter also applies to this chapter. I am going to answer guest reviews below. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Awesome: I'm not really qualified, but I would be honored to be your therapist. I am so glad my fic has had such an effect on you. I never imaged something I wrote would mean so much to someone. Yeah, I love Donte and David too. They are a lot of fun to write. I thought everyone could use a little break from all the angst. Your question will be answered really soon.

Guest (The one with the fix): You are very welcome! Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Guest (The bored one): What chapters are you referring to? Beca has been broody for a while. It is engrained in her DNA. Do you mean pre love confession or post love confession chapters? (You could say B.L.C. or A.L.C. respectively.) Sure, like I and you have said, Beca has been broody for a while, but there has been small developments each chapter with her and Chloe's relationship, Beca, or Chloe's backstory. I disagree with your Chloe statement. They are maybe mixed signals to Beca, but she is being very consistent in her actions and how she expresses herself. There is a reason behind it, but that is for you to hypothesize about before I reveal it. Maybe this just isn't your type of story. Which is fine, not everyone likes everything. If that is the case, I would understand if you stopped reading.

Mia: Thank you so much! All in time. I post usually every Thursday, if not Wednesdays. These double post weeks are rare.

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Chapter 23

Towards the end of the week Beca made the trek to Jesse's house. He said he had something to show her. Which worried her because it was Jesse and he liked pushing her buttons. Instead of being bombarded with some strange prank or something, He had her sit on the couch in his basement. While he puttsed around with things around the room. Beca did the only thing she could think to do. Look at her phone.

Beca had been looking at her phone for the last 30 seconds and Jesse knew what she was looking for. He had noticed her randomly looking at her phone longingly throughout the whole break with increasing frequency. It also helped seeing that the contact name at the top of the text message feed was 'C-Bear'. He figured it was time for him to finally give Beca her Christmas gift. Jesse turned to Beca as he spoke, effectively drawing her attention to him.

"I think I should give you your Christmas gift."

Beca scoffed. "Dude, I think it's a little late."

He got up, moving towards box that was pushed up against the base of the TV stand. "I gave you an I.O.U. for a reason and you haven't exactly tried to cash it in."

The girl shrugged. "Okay, what is it?"

"Well," Jesse started pulling out a bunch of movies. "You know how you told me that you're 'the friend'?" Beca already looked uncomfortable, but nodded. "I think you have been watching the wrong films. I did some research and I found a bunch of lesbian films that I think you might just like."

"You do realize I hate movies, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

Beca cut him off, getting up from the couch. "Great! I'm going to get going then."

"You still owe me." Beca paused, giving Jesse time to elaborate and make a case for himself. "Remember you owe me a ten hour marathon with snacks? Well if you won't accept your Christmas gift, I wouldn't be opposed to using that instead. You can still owe me the snacks at a later date."

The petite woman seemed to contemplate his words before rolling her eyes and flopping back onto the couch. "Fine. But not an hour more."

"Deal!"

Jesse quickly ran off to make popcorn and grab drinks. Then he settled in on the couch besides Beca and started the first film. He couldn't hold back his excitement. It only grew as the night went on, the supposed movie hater sitting next to him actually paying attention to every second of every movie. For once Beca didn't fall asleep or take out her phone to mess around with an app. His months of research to find links online to watch tons of lesbian films, a lot of which were horrible in many aspects, and then track down actual DVDs of all the good ones with happy endings to give to his bestie were rewarded. Beca actually was paying close enough attention to group the movies into categories. At the end of each film she made a point of expressing her opinion about each one.

She didn't seem to like 'The World Unseen' or 'I Can't Think Straight' claiming they were basically the same movie. They even had the same leading ladies, which definitely did not help. Most of the other ones had women that were originally married. There were one or two from that category she seemed to like. 'Imagine Me and You' being one of them, but Jesse suspected part of that was due to the florist having reddish colored hair. Then there was 'Desert Hearts', which Jesse thought would be a favorite, but Beca wound up saying was unrealistic. That in the end the couple would break-up. No, surprisingly, Beca's favorite movies were 'Bound', 'But I'm a Cheerleader', and 'Room in Rome'. 'Bound' was just a kickass mob film about two women who planned to rob a guy. The whole movie had an intimate sexual undercurrent that resulted in Beca finding her jaw slack a lot of the time and herself taking several more giant gulps of her drink than normal. 'Room in Rome' was intimate for a completely different reason. Given the two women in the film were nude through the whole film, but that was quickly forgotten as the story unfolded. She liked the idea of two strangers meeting, connecting, and then taking one whole night to create a world that they would only ever live in. Besides the nudity, there wasn't actually all that much content deserving an 'R' rating. As for 'But I'm a Cheerleader', she just really enjoyed the campy humor throughout the whole film. How they made fun of programs meant to reverse homosexuality. When she wasn't laughing, she was smiling. Overall the whole experience was enjoyable, but she wasn't going to tell Jesse that.

"So?" Jesse looked at Beca expectantly. "What did you think?"

She shrugged, playing with her sleeves. "It was okay."

"I just wanted you to have other options besides the usual boy girl meet and fall in love thing. Maybe one or two films you could see yourself in."

"You know movies don't really happen though right? None of it's real."

"Yeah, but just in case." Jesse pushed the box full of DVDs towards Beca. "Anyway, these are for you. They're your Christmas present. Maybe you'll want to review them. You know, for techniques or something." Jesse had a goofy smile on his face.

"Eeeew, perv." She shoved him lightly. They both just sat there for a while, Beca's one hand playing with the DVDs in the box. "Thanks."

Jesse just nodded and a comfortable silence fell over them. Beca's mind started to drift back towards her phone and just everything that had to do with Chloe. She was realizing that if she wanted to fix things with the redhead she was going to have to really start opening up about herself. There would be no time for moments of hesitation or second guessing. Maybe Jesse would be a good place to start. She had never actually opened up to him about their relationship. They never actually talked about it. One day they were together and then the next they weren't. There was no actual transitional period.

"Dude, like, I think I owe you an apology."

Jesse's brow immediately scrunched up in confusion. "What for?"

"For, you know, everything that happened in high school between us. Our, uh, relationship."

"Becs you really don't-"

Beca cut him off. "Just-just let me finish, okay?" Jesse nodded. She took a moment, trying to figure out what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. Then she looked down at her lap, catching the tattoo on her wrist of a pair of head phones. Maybe that would be a good place to start. "My grandpa died."

Jesse immediately cut in. "I'm so sorry Beca. Is that why you didn't come back over Christmas break?"

She just smiled at him, shaking her head. "No, it happened our sophomore year of high school."

"Oh, I didn't know."

"No-No one did. I didn't, uh, tell anyone." Beca looked down at her wrist before showing it to Jesse. "That's why I got this. For him. He was the first to- He believed in me and we just-we had this bond." She smiled fondly at her wrist. "He got me my first set of headphones." She met Jesse's eyes again. "Anyway, I was, um, I was hurting. A lot. And I, uh, didn't know how to handle it. So I-I used you." Beca winced. "To escape. And I'm just-just really sorry. I-I treated you like shit. It-it wasn't, like, uh, anything you did. I was-was just-you know-acting out and trying to, ah, forget. I'm sorry."

It wasn't the full truth. She left out the parts about Chloe and the music her grandpa helped her find to cope. It was a good starting point. Besides, she thought only Chloe really needed to know the other parts. Beca was hoping she'd be given the opportunity to again one day as friends. At least for the time being.

Surprisingly, Jesse was just smiling at her. "Thank you, Beca."

"Your… welcome? I-I just thought you should know. We never talked about it." She wasn't really sure if he was being sincere. She was bracing herself for his real reaction, but it never came. "So… Are we okay?"

Jesse just looked at Beca fondly, a hint of amusement mixed in. "Becs, it's been almost two years now. Of course we are fine. I wouldn't be friends with you if we weren't. Sometimes I wonder about you."

Beca just grumbled. There were a few more teasing remarks and then they were back to being them again. There was a feeling of relief after, like a weight had been lifted. She had no idea if it had actually been there. Who would have known actually sharing your feelings was liberating. Certainly not Beca. She was thinking maybe it wouldn't be so hard to open up more with Chloe. After all, the girl knew her better than anyone. It would be easy, she had started to before. She just needed to get the courage to start the conversation. There were a few more days of Spring break left she could spend doing just that. She still had a few more texts to read as well.

By the time they were done watching all the movies, it was so late Beca just wound up crashing at Jesse's family's house. They had a fairly large and comfortable sofa in the basement that she commandeered. Jesse had to go get her a blanket, but besides that, it was perfect. She settled in rather quickly, tucking a throw pillow under her head. Once settled, Beca pulled out her phone just to see if there were any new messages from Chloe, but there were none. The petite girl sighed before flipping back to the last old text that she had read. She was getting closer to the date of the semifinals. The first message she saw was an apology and plea for Beca to talk to her. Her brows immediately scrunched together, wondering what that was about. The text before then goes back to Chloe just talking about her day. Then the next one was Chloe pleading again for Beca to get back to her and about how she screwed up. The more the younger girl reads the more upset and stupid she started to feel because there in plain text was Chloe saying she should have stood up for her. That she was sorry and that she missed her. That she wanted her around. Beca really wanted to read more, but tears were starting to well up in her eyes again because Chloe obviously cared. She felt stupid for thinking any differently. Jesse still hadn't come back with the blanket he promised. So instead of reading more, she flipped down to the picture of Chloe curled up in her comforter with a thermos of tea. Beca just stared at it, trying to imagine herself there with Chloe, tucked underneath her chin or draped over her shoulders. The warmth. Something about it Beca found calming. Her eyes quickly droop and then she was asleep.

Jesse finds her asleep, her phone pulled into her chest, the picture of Chloe still clearly displayed. He immediately takes a picture and sends it to Chloe. A comment was tacked on as well. Only somehow, he winds up sending the comment first. There's an almost instant frantic movement of little dots at the bottom of the screen, indicating someone was typing. Then the picture finally sends and they stop. Jesse just smiles figuring Chloe was over joyed, surprised, or both. There was probably a feeling of awe.

The Treblemaker: Beca and the girlfriend all tuckered out.

Then he loosely tucked the blanket he promised around the small woman sleeping on his couch before making himself comfortable on the other one.

The next day was spent packing and then boarding a plane. The whole time Beca was reading over text messages sent by Chloe after semifinals. The ones about her day slowly dissolved into texts asking how she was, apologizing, telling her to call her, and just sounding generally upset, begging her to hear her out. By the time she was seated on the plane next to Jesse, she had read them all. Then there were the ones from after the treblemakers party that they had kissed at. There were fewer of those, but they all basically said the same thing. All were apologies, confessions of wrong doings, and claims of truly caring for her. The first message sent from that night, probably right after Beca left, was pleading for Beca to come back. That she was falling for her and just wanted to be with her. They could sort things out. That she'd tell her everything. Beca just sat there staring out into space wondering how she got it all wrong. Given, Chloe wasn't exactly forth coming, but Beca hadn't exactly let her talk or explain herself when she had tried to. She had always shut her down, assuming the worst. Then all that was left were voicemails. Beca was just about to listen to them when the 'fasten your seatbelts' sign came on. Then the stewardess was telling them to turn off their phones. Beca sighed exasperated at the thought before reluctantly putting the device away.

The flight seemed to take forever, Beca's leg bouncing impatiently the whole way and checking the time every few minutes. Once they landed, Beca declined Jesse's invitation for food, shocking the boy. Then she was running off to her dorm room, hoping Kimmy Jin wasn't there. Finding that her room was vacant, Beca dropped her bags on the floor, kicked off her shoes, and flopped stomach down onto her bed. Once settled, she played the first message.

There was Chloe. She sounded so entirely broken, like one of her parents had passed away. It was obvious she had been crying. "Beca... Please pick-up. I'm begging you! I-I know I've been a shitty friend, but-but it's been, it's just been… so much. And-And I know I should have said something to-to get you to stay, but-but… I didn't think it-it would matter. That-that you'd believe me." Chloe practically whispered the last two words. Her voice broke as she continued, seeming to get even more upset. "I-I never got to tell you just how-how important you are to me… Like really important."

*end of message*

Beca quickly wiped away the few tears that had fell before flipping onto her back and immediately playing the next message.

"You're just- this wasn't supposed to happen. I-I wasn't supposed to fall for you. I don't-don't fall for people. And Tom… I'm just so, so sorry you had to see that. I thought… I was just so stupid…. I wasn't thinking. I-I just acted when I saw Stacie and you… and then there was Jesse. There was Aubrey with her ideas. I-I just thought… figured you didn't like me. I really wish I-I could do it over, with-with Tom and you." Beca's mind instantly went back to the day she was 'caroling' with Amy. Chloe had said the same words. Beca began to prepare herself for what she thought was to come. What she thought Chloe would have told her then too, but it never came. "I-I… I should have never been in that bed."

*end of message*

Beca immediately played the next one, more tears dropping, not really caring. This was everything she ever wanted to hear.

"I-I've been falling for you since Bella tryouts. Tom… Tom meant nothing. Which-which is really stupid because-because I-I should have said something. I should have told you, but you-you were so upset when you found out and-and told me everything. Would-would you have believed me because I wouldn't believe me. Who-who tells their best friend that just confessed their feelings for them that they feel the same and-and their on and off boyfriend of almost four years in their bed meant nothing. I-I just…" She sighed, hiccupping on tears. "I didn't know how to make it right."

*end of message*

"I'm so incredibly sorry! I just… I just don't want to lose you. And-and you-you didn't want me around. So I-I gave you space. I just-I just really messed up and I-I don't think I can fix it now, but-but I have to-to try because-because you're my everything Becs… You always have been. And I-I'd never be able to forgive myself if I didn't at least try… You're worth so much more than you know. I wish you could see it. I know I should have-have pointed it out. And… and I'm sorry for making you feel less than that."

*end of message*

The next message came a few days after the semifinals. Chloe almost sounded like her normal self, but there was something distinctly off. "Hey, I went by your room today again. You weren't in. I told Kimmy Jin to let you know I stopped by, but sometimes I think she doesn't understand what I am saying. She has a real mean scowl not even I can break." There was a pause and a hitch of breath followed by a few snivels. Then Chloe just sounded desperate and broken. "I just-just wanted to lay eyes on you. Make sure you're okay… and-and explain everything if you'd let me. I don't-don't know what I was thinking. ... You probably don't want to see me."

*end of message*

The next message was from the day Beca ran into Chloe, handing off tea and honey packets to Stacie for the ginger. Chloe was hesitant as if she was being challenged to walk across a path of broken glass. "Hey… I just wanted to thank you for the tea. You're so sweet." Then she was clearly upset with herself, sighing. "I-I'm really sorry, that was uncalled for. I-I just wanted to say it was good to see you… You-you look really good. I-I'm sorry. You are probably tired of hearing these. This will be the last one… I promise. I just… I hope happiness finds you."

*end of message*

Beca tried to ignore the tears that were easily flowing from her eyes, quickly swiping them away. There was one more message left, just a few days before spring break. When she hit play there was silence and then the distinct sound of someone crying.

"….. I, ah, promised I wouldn't call again, but I just… I really miss you Becs and I wanted to hear your voice. I-I really miss your voice and just… you. I-I hoped you'd pick up, not knowing it was me. But… but I guess not." Chloe's voice broke at the end, a new wave of tears clearly approaching.

*end of message*

Beca just laid there for what felt like the longest time, staring down the untouched ceiling above her. She wondered where she went wrong before. How she could have ever thought Chloe wasn't interested. Really she was right from the start. They all were, Jessie and the Bellas. Then she wondered if she could have known sooner. If maybe she had made a mistake somewhere along the way. What came to mind again was the day they had spoken again after not speaking for a while. The day she was dressed up as cupid asking for donations. The words used, mentioning wanting to do things differently with Tom, were just too similar. Then Beca started to wonder what Chloe would have said if she had not interrupted her. Would it have matched the voice mail? If it had how different would things be. Sure she maybe would have needed a little bit of time to process it, but they would most likely be together by now instead of whatever they were now. Then Beca thought about the night of the Treblemakers party. Chloe wanted to talk then too, but Beca had shut her down. She replayed what was said over and over in her mind and she realized there was a 'I'm fa-' she didn't remember being there before, but it had been. There was only so many words that snippet could have turned into and it matched the voice mails perfectly. Beca felt so incredibly stupid.

As she looked up at the ceiling, for once Beca didn't want to be untouched. She wanted Chloe. She knew she could move on. That she could easily find someone else less complicated, but Chloe was her person and all she wanted was her person. Beca began to wonder if she had waited too long. If Chloe had given up on her because the messages had stopped. Then she was sitting up so she could properly stare at her phone, hoping for a new message from 'C-Bear'. For once she would actually answer this time. Finally she started to type out the simply message 'I miss you too', taking things into her own hands, when the universe actually decided to listen to her for once. There was a text message notification from 'C-Bear'.

C-Bear: The Bellas are back in the finals! We are having an emergency meeting in a few minutes in the gym. I figured Aubrey wouldn't message you. But the Bellas, we all need you. So… please come.

Beca read over the message a few times before snapping into action. Never sending her message. Then she was in her ensuite fixing her makeup and then running out the door. Once again ready to go get her girl.