"Turn the car around," Chloe glanced away from the road for a brief second, completely caught off guard by her girlfriend's request. The redhead frowned, unsure about the idea, but slowed the car down significantly.

"Beca…I'm not sure that's a good-"

"I need to get her things. We said that we would and, God, I don't know. She needs something to come out of this day and her guitar makes her happy." Beca cut her off and Chloe could hear the desperation, quite evidently in her voice.

"Okay," Chloe relented and pulled into the nearest driveway she saw. After a quick three point turn, the two of them were headed back towards the house they had just fled from. Chloe's hands drummed on the steering wheel nervously and her eyes flickered again to her girlfriend. "What exactly is the plan here?"

"I'm going to grab the first solid weapon I can find and threaten to call the cops if he touches me. He's a drunk, but I think he'd be competent enough to realize his ass will go back to prison. You stay in the car and get ready to drive." Beca instructed definitely. Chloe felt a wave of unease at the thrown together course of action, but pursed her lips and said nothing. She hadn't been remotely prepared for what had actually happened at the house and felt utterly useless to the situation.

"Please be careful." The older girl requested finally. Her hand still gripped Beca's and she squeezed it once for good measure.

"I will. I promise. In and out." The brunette assured her. Chloe pursed her lips and nodded, while her hand gripped the steering wheel tighter.

Jaiden pulled her car into the space Beca had already reserved for her and killed the engine. The left side of her face was throbbing painfully and she took a second to inspect it in her rearview mirror. The discoloration had darkened already and she sighed, knowing that she was going to have to use a lot of concealer for the next few weeks. Breaking her gaze away from her reflection, Jaiden unbuckled her seatbelt and started into the apartment complex, grateful that Chloe had already gotten her a copy of their key made.

After a quick elevator ride, Jaiden unlocked the door to the apartment and stepped inside. She figured her other two roommates couldn't be too far away, but was grateful for the little bit of solitude she had now. The freshman wandered into the kitchen and opened the freezer, looking for an icepack of some sort. She settled for a bag of frozen vegetables and held it to her eye, wincing at the cold contact. Just then, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket and she fished it out.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Chloe. We just pulled into your driveway because your sister wanted to go back and get your stuff, so we won't be home for a while. There's leftover pizza-"

"What? No," Jaiden interjected. "You guys shouldn't be there. Don't let her go in."

"I already said I didn't think it was a good idea." Chloe's voice was laced with uncertainty and Jaiden took a deep breath, feeling her stomach twist into knots.

"Can you just put her on? She hasn't gone in yet, right?" The 18 year old requested nervously. She heard a bit of shuffling on the other end of the call before her sister's voice filled the speaker.

"Jaiden? You okay?"

"Don't go in. We already…we already made him mad enough, and Mom probably already told him that Chloe's your girlfriend-"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. He's not stupid enough to get himself sent back to prison already and he's probably passed out by now anyways. I'll be fine." Beca assured the younger girl.

"Please don't get hurt."

"I won't. Get some ice on your eye, take a nap, and I'll see you when we get home. Chloe can text you when we leave if it makes you feel better." Beca offered finally, glancing at her girlfriend as she offered. Chloe nodded in understanding and then went back to staring at the front door of the house nervously.

"Okay. Bye." Jaiden relented finally. She hung up her phone and set it on the counter, still entirely against the idea of Beca going back, and retreated to the couch. Her nerves were entirely frayed from the last few hours and she yanked the blanket down across herself tiredly. The 18 year old drifted off to sleep within minutes, snoring lightly with a bag of thawing vegetables resting on the left side of her face.

"Don't do anything stupid." Chloe blurted out just as Beca opened her door. The brunette froze for a few seconds and looked back at her. "I mean, I know you're pissed at him. I am too. But please just…be rational about this. Because if you get hurt, you know she's going to blame herself." Beca's defensive stare softened at the statement and she nodded slightly. Chloe finally released her grip on the other girl's hand and watched her go, chest tightening as she got even closer to the house. The redhead popped the trunk, wanting to be ready to go as fast as she could.

Beca kept her footsteps silent as she stepped through the grass, listening for any voices that might make their way through the building's exterior. Knowing that the lock on the back entrance to the garage probably hadn't been fixed yet, she hurried around the side of the far wall and tried the doorknob. Sure enough, it opened and she crept inside the mess of a garage. The first thing she spotted was her old softball bag from 3rd grade, and she unzipped it hopefully. Beca pulled an aluminum bat out of it and stood up, knowing it would have to do if it came down to defending herself

Beca stood up from her crouched position and walked back outside, shutting the garage door behind her. She circled back around to the front of the house, shooting Chloe a look when she crossed through the driveway, and tip-toed up onto the porch. The brunette took a shaky breath before letting herself in and gripping her weapon tighter. The house was silent, apart from the low sound of a television from the living room, and she stepped past the room quietly. Her breath caught in her throat as she spotted the figure sprawled out on the couch. Ted was lying there, snoring loudly every few seconds, with a cigarette still smoking in the ashtray on the coffee table.

Don't do anything stupid. The words echoed in Beca's head as her jaw locked at the completely vulnerable man in front of her. Forcing herself to turn, Beca exited the living room and jumped a bit at the sound of water running upstairs. She figured her mother was about to get into the shower and relaxed significantly, knowing that she would be able to be out of the house by the time she was done.

Beca made her way down to the basement silently and found the small abandoned pile of items at the bottom of the stairs. The brunette carefully gathered the few books and was forced to set her bat down in order to lift the guitar case as well. Satisfied that she had grabbed everything, Beca scurried up the stairs, down the hall, and out the front door without waking her sleeping stepfather.

Chloe relaxed finally as she watched her girlfriend exit the front door, no sign of fear or fleeing in her steps. Beca circled around the car and set the guitar case and books in the trunk before slamming it shut. The second she had let herself into the passenger seat, Chloe leaned over and kissed her quickly.

"What was that for?" Beca asked, pulling her seatbelt across her chest.

"I'm just glad you're safe." Chloe replied simply. She started the engine and pulled out of the driveway, feeling like she couldn't get away from the house fast enough.

Jaiden paced through the apartment rapidly, staring down at her phone and debating her options. She had woken up after two and a half hours, only to find that her phone was free of notifications. Her mind had immediately jumped to the worst case scenario and now she was caught between calling the cops or calling Chloe. The idea that the two older girls could be in danger kept her from dialing the redhead's number immediately. The last thing she wanted to do was infuriate her step-father. She knew the smallest things could set him off if he was in a rampage, even something as insignificant as an ill-timed phone call. Making her decision, she had just dialed a 9 when the lock on the apartment door clicked and she heard it open.

"Be quiet, she might still be sleeping-" Jaiden rounded the corner abruptly, cutting Chloe's hushed whisper off in her tracks as she took in the younger girl's disheveled appearance. The brunette looked in between her and her girlfriend quickly, taking in their apparently uninjured appearances.

"You didn't send anything." She said finally. Chloe's eyes widened in realization and she set the guitar case in her hand down apologetically.

"God, I'm sorry, I completely forgot. Everything went fine." She clarified quickly. Jaiden's tense demeanor softened and she let out a held in breath. Beca finally shut the door behind them and sat the books she had carried onto their counter. Jaiden, now assured that the two of them were fine, turned around and started towards her room suddenly. Chloe and Beca glanced at each other as she shut the door behind her and Beca knew what her girlfriend was going to say before she even opened her mouth.

"I know," Beca muttered, starting towards the room before Chloe could prompt her to. She knocked quietly before letting herself in and finding her sister curled up on the bed. The older Mitchell crawled up next to her and laid down tiredly.

"You probably don't want to talk, do you?" Beca guessed.

"Nope."

"Do you care if I just stay here for a while?" She asked.

"That's fine," Jaiden rolled over so that she could look at the older girl. "I'm sorry I put you and Chloe in danger." She apologized shamefully.

"Don't," Beca shook her head. "We're fine and you…you're going to be fine too." Jaiden didn't reply and Beca listened as her breathing eventually evened out, knowing that she was asleep.

I can't believe how many views this story is getting! Thank you all for reading it and I'd love to hear what you think. Some major angst coming up in the next few chapters!