A/N: There are no excuses. Well, there are a lot of excuses, but none that matter.

Between Jesse's classes and Beca's studio schedule, they didn't see each other again until the night before she returned to New York. They were in Beca's room in the hotel, packing. Well, she was packing; Jesse was lounging on the bed, watching her.

"I thought I missed you before," Jesse told her, getting up to block her way to her suitcase, "but now that you're here and I can see you and touch you and kiss you," he paused to do just that, "it's going to be unbearable."

Beca dropped the clothes she'd been about to pack to wrap her arms around his neck. "We'll see each other in a few weeks."

Jesse groaned. "Weeks," he scoffed. "Might as well be years."

Beca rolled her eyes playfully. "Dramatic much?"

Jesse sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm just really gonna miss you."

I lieu of answering, Beca rose on her tip toes to give him a hungry kiss that showed just how much she was going to miss him, too. She broke the kiss when breathing became a necessity and tried to slow her rapid pulse. Jesse had other ideas, however, as he moved his lips downwards and his hands found their way under her shirt to caress the sensitive skin on her stomach. "Jesse."

"Mm-hmm?"

She was finding it hard to think, let alone speak. "Jesse, I know we said slow, but if you keep that up, slow won't be an option." He hummed into her skin sending a shiver through her body before ending his delicious assault. His fingers still caressed her stomach idly, as if he couldn't not touch her.

"Why did we decide to wait again?" His voice was all but a whine.

Beca chuckled. "It was your idea."

Before he'd even set her down, his lips found hers. They quickly and carelessly (she'd have to pay for that vase) made their way to the couch. She pushed him down to straddle him; it was her turn to make him moan. She needed more skin.

Beca grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled up, only to get snagged by Jesse's hands keeping it in place. She looked at him, confused and panting.

"We should wait."

"We should what?"

"Wait."

"Why?" His body clearly hadn't gotten the memo and the feel of him between her legs was so good. She ground down on him, eliciting a moan that did delicious things to her body.

Jesse carefully moved her off of himself. "Because we're seeing where we're going" he took her hand, "and I want us both to be completely sure where we're at when we…" He made some vague hand motions. "I need to woo you."

She smirked and arched her brows. "You need to what me?"

"Woo you." He grinned.

Beca shook her head. "Don't use that word." She cupped his cheek. "And you don't. You already did."

"I need to again."

"You don't."

He pecked her on the lips. "It's happening. It'll be easier if you just accept it."

Honestly, she agreed with him. The waiting until they're sure part, not the wooing (ugh) part. But he tasted so good and it had been so long.

Jesse nodded as if remembering. "Right. I have to woo you first."

"You don't."

"But I must."

Beca sighed and dropped her head to his chest. "I'm gonna miss you, too," she whispered.

She'd been back in New York for three weeks and, despite being busy meeting with songwriters, stylists, PR reps, and the list goes on, she'd made a genuine effort to talk to Jesse at least once a day. She'd text him between her endless meetings, and he'd call her when he was done with classes. They'd gotten a routine down to deal with the three-hour time difference. They Skyped only when Beca had the apartment to herself, because "privacy" and "boundaries" were not concepts that Fat Amy understood.

It had only been three weeks and they weren't officially labeling their relationship, but she'd noticed her mood had changed (after Fat Amy had mentioned her lack of crankiness in the morning and Theo commented that she was smiling more). Her outlook on life wasn't sunny by any means, but she found herself not as annoyed by little things, like her train running late or Amy flushing the toilet while she was in the shower; she even found herself not openly scowling at couples performing all kinds of PDA on the subway.

A couple just outside of the coffee shop she'd stopped at that morning kissed goodbye and parted ways, only to turn back after several steps to blow each other another kiss. Beca smiled at the display and then immediately frowned. She sent Jesse a text.

What have you done to me?

She was surprised at his quick response (it was 5 a.m. in LA).

That's a very open question…

Beca sat down at a nearby table and typed furiously.

I just saw the most movie-esque display of PDA and thought it was CUTE! This is all your fault.

She checked the time and mentally calculated how long she had before she needed to descend into the land of no cell reception to catch her train. She gathered her things before sending another text.

Also, why are you up?

She was halfway to the subway station when Jesse's responses came back to back.

I KNEW I'd get to you eventually.

Couldn't sleep. Went for a run to clear my head.

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Screw it. She'd take a cab.

Wanna talk about it?

Beca was already hailing a taxi when her phone signaled his reply.

We'll talk tonight. Skype?

She gave the cabbie the studio's address and sat back. She stopped herself from hitting "call" twice; if he wanted to talk, Jesse would be the first one to say so.

I may have to lock myself in the bathroom, but I'll be there.

Beca felt uneasy all day. She thought things were going great with Jesse, but she couldn't help but think his need to "clear his head" that morning had something to do with them. It distracted her so much that Theo finally told her to go home and (she tried not to cringe when he said it) clear her head.

She walked into a blissfully empty apartment and promptly face-planted on her bed. She groaned into her comforter when she heard the toilet flush. Amy was supposed to be performing in Times Square.

"Beca?"

Chloe's voice was not what she'd been expecting and she jumped a little. "Chloe!" The redhead came to sit next to Beca on her bed. "You're home. Did I know you were coming home?" Beca maneuvered into a sitting position.

"It was kind of last minute." Chloe reached for Beca's hand. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

Beca moved her hand out of reach and shrugged. "Nothing's wrong. I just had a rough day at the studio."

Chloe ignored Beca's obvious lie—she'd been much better at deception in college—and tentatively asked, "Is it about Jesse?"

Beca's gaze snapped to Chloe's and her voice held anything but the nonchalance she was going for. "Why would you think Jesse has anything to do with it?"

Chloe slapped a hand over her mouth when a loud laugh escaped it. "Beca, come on. I know you guys are back together."

Beca looked away. "We're not really. We're just…seeing where things go." She covered her ears when Chloe let out a squeal and jumped off the bed.

"I knew it! I knew once you guys saw each other in person you'd realize how so not over each other you are." She sat down again. "I mean, especially since the whole long-distance thing is essentially not an issue anymore."

Beca ignored the huge smile on her friend's face (seriously, why was everyone so emotionally involved in her love life?) and concentrated on the last part of her little ramble. "You know we still live 3,000 miles apart, right?"

Chloe shrugged. "For now. But you can work from anywhere. You can record an album in LA just as well as you can in New York." The realization must have shown on Beca's face because the smile finally fell from Chloe's. "Beca, you have thought about moving to LA, right?"

No, she hadn't. Logically, of course she could record in LA. She'd just been to the studio there, hadn't she? But the thought of actually moving across the country and living in LA, living with Jesse, hadn't actually formed in her mind…until just now. And now that she'd thought about it, she was even more apprehensive about their talk that night, because if his need to clear his head did have to do with them, it would be so much worse.

A tear escaped Beca's eye, and Chloe immediately wrapped the brunette in a hug. "Hey, come on. You know you can tell me anything."

Beca did know that. And because she'd learned the hard way that keeping secrets from the Bellas was not an option, she stumbled through an explanation of why she was certain Jesse was going to end it. When she was finished, Chloe didn't wrap her in another bear hug as she'd expected, but waved her hand in dismissal.

"That's nothing to worry about."

Beca grabbed a pillow and held it to her chest. "He didn't wanna talk, Chlo. When does Jesse ever not want to talk?"

"He'll talk tonight." Beca wished she could be as sure as Chloe seemed to be. The redhead sighed. "Beca, there are a ton of explanations that have nothing to do with breaking up. Trust me, Jesse won't let you go so easily this time."

Beca hugged the pillow tighter. The rational side of her brain knew she was jumping to conclusions—probably the wrong ones—but that didn't loosen the knot in her chest. She had to take her mind off of it. She wouldn't get any answers until their Skype call that night; there was no use in wallowing, as tempting as that was. "So, why are you home?"

That's all it took. Maybe Chloe knew she needed a distraction or maybe her friend was just really excited about her new guy. Either way, Beca did her best to listen to every annoyingly romantic detail.

"So, when he got his PCS papers—that's Army speak for transfer—for Fort McNair in DC, I decided to come home. I'll visit once he's settled." The bright smile on Chloe's face calmed Beca, if only a bit. One of her best friends in the world was blissfully happy and, no matter what turmoil was going on inside her own head, that happiness was contagious.

"Sounds like you got a good one, Chlo." Beca leaned her head on Chloe's shoulder. "I'm happy for you."

"I've got a good feeling about this one, Beca. A really good feeling."

Chloe had always been one to rely on feelings; follow her heart. Sometimes, Beca really envied that.

It was several hours later that Beca got the text, Skype in 10?

Exactly 10 minutes later, as she was ushering her roommates out the door, her laptop chimed an incoming Skype call. She took a breath, strengthening her resolve to take Chloe's advice and not worry about it until she'd talked to Jesse.

The moment his face filled her screen, however, her resolve was outmatched by the need to know. If he was going to break her heart—again—they could skip the preamble.

"Hey."

Beca's hands shook in her lap. "Look, Jesse, if this has anything to do with us or wanting to not be an us—"

"What? No!" The look on his face would have been comical if her heart wasn't in her throat. "Where did that come from?"

His adamant denial calmed her nerves the tiniest bit. She had to fight the urge to stand up and pace. "You didn't wanna talk this morning. You always wanna talk."

The shocked expression was still firmly on his face as he told her, "You were on your way to work. I didn't wanna make you late. Your career is important."

Still on edge and unable to censor thoughts before they became words, Beca shouted, "Not more important than you!" into her computer screen. She inwardly groaned at the self-assured smile that lit up his entire face. "Don't be smug."

Jesse kept smiling. "Wow, Becs. I mean, I knew you had the hots for me, but…"

His smile, his laugh, his energy was contagious, and she couldn't help the stretch of her own lips. For a moment, as they just looked at each other, she wondered how she had ever been afraid of this—a life with him. Before she could remind herself of the realities of divorce and heartbreak, she asked, "So, if you're not breaking up with me, why did you need to clear your head?"

He was still smiling, but Beca saw the sparkle dim in his eyes. "I was up for an internship with John Williams—"

"The Star Wars guy?" The light was back in his eyes for a moment. Yes, she'd actually listened to his endless ramblings about movies and composers. He got so excited when talking about the things he loved, it was hard not to get drawn in. Jesse looked like he wanted to say something besides the "Yes, the Star Wars guy" that came out of his mouth, but she didn't push it.

"We found out today who had been accepted, and I was too anxious to sleep."

Beca waited a beat. "Did you get it?" The smile that looked like it hurt was all the answer she needed. "Oh, my God, Jesse, that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" Her elation on his behalf was quickly overshadowed by concern when both his eyes and his smile fell. "Jesse?"

"The internship is in LA." The words were so simple that the misery in his tone confused her.

"You live in LA." She said the words slowly, as if explaining it to a small child.

"But you don't." Whoop, there it was. "I thought that after graduation…"

Beca's stomach dropped. Jesse had been thinking about—planning even—relocating across the country to be with her, and the mere thought of doing the same hadn't even occurred to her until her conversation with Chloe a few hours before.

She swallowed her guilt and the fear that no matter how much she'd grown, how much she tried, she would never be good enough for him. "Hey, we'll figure it out, ok? You'll take the internship, because it's an amazing opportunity to work with one of your heroes, and we'll put the relocating on hold for a bit."

Beca watched a familiar sadness eclipse his chocolate colored eyes. He thought she was running again. She hoped she wasn't.

Jesse nodded. "Speaking of relocating, I have purchased my plane ticket and will be arriving at JFK in nine days."

Beca was grateful for the subject change. "Great. Text me the time and gate info in eight days."

"Of course. Now, I want to do the touristiest New York stuff possible. I'm talking Times Square, Stature of Liberty, Empire State Building, the whole shebang." The knot in her stomach loosened as he talked animatedly.

"You know you've been to New York before, right?" She rolled her eyes at his scoff.

"If you'll recall, we never got much sightseeing done on any of our trips to the Big Apple." Jesse waggled his eyebrows.

Beca smiled, recalling each of their three trips to the city while attending Barden. The first year, they'd snuck away from the floor-wide party to talk—and kiss—about the new development in their relationship. The next two years, they'd snuck away to do naughty things to each other in the comfort of a room with a lock on the door.

"I recall seeing some of my favorite sights on those trips." She bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud at his blush.

"Yes, those are wonderful sights—amazing!—and I can't wait to see them again." Beca licked her lips and stretched, arching her back. Jesse continued absently, "But I was talking about buildings. Lights and buildings and theatre."

Beca knew she shouldn't tease him (mostly because payback was a glorious bitch and Jesse was its master), so she changed the subject. "Ok, so what do you think about the Mariott Marquis in Times Square? It's a tourist's wet dream."

"I think it sounds delightful." Then why did he sound disappointed?

"I just figured it's kind of in the center of everything and it has the plus of being nowhere near this apartment. The farther we are from the girls, the better this trip is going to be."

"We?" His brows rose along with his voice. "You'll be staying at the hotel with me?"

"Well, yeah." The words were scarcely out of her mouth before her mind was in overdrive. They were taking things slow, which was a lot harder when you were alone in a hotel room. Maybe he didn't want to rush into that. Maybe he didn't want her there. "Unless you don't want me to. Because I can not—"

"I do! I definitely do want you there. With me." When he flashed that smile that used every muscle in his face, her shoulders relaxed.

They talked for a while longer about their plans for his visit.

"We're definitely kissing on the top of the Empire State building."

"That's so cliché."

"I prefer 'iconic'."

And how each other's day had been.

"Why didn't you just call me if you were feeling like that?"

"You had class. School is important."

"Never more important than you."

Jesse's yawn was what alerted both of them to the time. It was almost one in New York.

"You should get some sleep," she told him after his third yawn in as many minutes.

He nodded through yet another. "Yeah. Ok. Goodnight. I love you."

Beca froze, her hand half way to closing her laptop. As she watched him panic and ramble through phrases like, "I know we're taking it slow," and "It just came out," she didn't feel the trepidation she would have expected at his declaration. And why should she? They were beginning their relationship anew, but the feelings had been there for years, resting comfortably in their chests. She felt a smile tugging at her lips. "Jesse." His rambling ceased at the sound of her voice. "I love you, too."

The sun itself would have been jealous of the light radiating from his face. "Yeah?"

Beca nodded. "Yeah. Now go to bed."

"Ok, ok, just one more thing." At her raised brow, he continued. "I love you."

She sighed in mock annoyance. "If I say it again, will you go to bed?" He nodded. "I love you, Jesse."

He threw both his fists in the air like Rocky Balboa after a win, and she was so happy, she didn't even wince at the mental movie reference. "Nine more days." The words held a promise that sent her pulse racing. "Night, Becs."

As she closed her laptop and glanced at the clock—1:15 A.M.—she groaned. The next nine days were going to last an eternity.

A/N: Worth the wait? Not so much?