"What the hell did you say to her?" Beca demanded, closing in on Chloe the second Jaiden slammed her door shut. She could see guilt plastered all over the redhead's face and for a moment, she regretted how harshly she had called her out.

"Beca, listen, I was just trying to get her to realize that she hasn't been treating you-"

"She's been treating me as well as she can manage, and she's not your little sister." Beca cut her off fiercely. She was in no mood to hear any form of an excuse for what had set her sister off. Not when it had gotten her hurt.

"She might as well be!" Defensive, Chloe offered the remark without hesitation. Her girlfriend glared at her, having not expected her to play that card, and she shot a wary glance towards the closed bedroom door beside them. The last thing she wanted Jaiden to hear was them fighting, so she grabbed Chloe's arm and hauled her into their own room.

"You made her cry, Chloe. She doesn't really do that too often, in case you haven't noticed. My anxiety, my problems, aren't on her. They're on me. I'm her older sister and I'm supposed to be the one taking care of her, so you need to just lay off. Got it?" Beca's tone left no room for argument, and Chloe was forced to nod.

"I swear I didn't mean to upset her. I'm sorry. I just don't want to see what happened tear you two apart again. Neither…neither of you have been dealing with it very well," Chloe took a deep breath before saying what she had been thinking since Beca had woken up their first night home, screaming. "I think that you two should consider therapy."

Beca accepted the idea in skeptical silence, mulling over what her girlfriend had said. Therapy wasn't a terribly welcoming concept in her mind. The man she had gone to for a whole three weeks was dispassionate, uninterested, and hardly had taken the time to listen to her before he prescribed medication. Not that Beca was especially open during her sessions.

"I don't think so." The brunette answered finally. A look of dismay crossed Chloe's face and she pursed her lips in frustration. She had known this conversation wouldn't go easy when the time came.

"I know it might be uncomfortable, but Jaiden's said more than once that she's been there before. And if it helped her to come to terms with…her past, then it could again." Chloe pressed. She could see the gears turning in Beca's face as she weighed the pros and cons. Was the cost of opening up and talking about her demons worth the potential idea that she could deal with them?

"I'll talk to her about it in the morning." Beca said finally. The weight of the statement was heavy, and the brunette knew she was probably in for an argument the next day. "I'm going to bed." She sighed. The girl hobbled over to the bed and began to strip. Chloe couldn't help but watch her; taking in her slow, pained movements and the cuts and bruises that marred her smooth skin. A rough abrasion damaged the shoulder tattoo that Chloe loved, and she bit the inside of her cheek when Beca turned towards her dresser.

"Do you need some help, babe?" Chloe asked. She took a few steps towards Beca before the girl responded defensively.

"No."

"Beca, don't." The older one chastised gently. She closed the distance between the two of them as Beca tried desperately to hide how sore she was. Lounging on the couch all day had left her muscles stiff and her injuries swollen and painful. Beca handed the t-shirt she had been attempting to put on over to Chloe in mute defeat and slowly limped around to face her. Her dark eyes met Chloe's light ones, and just like always, it was impossible to stay angry with the older girl. All she could see in their blue hues was adoration and concern.

"Let's not do a t-shirt." Chloe tossed the garment aside and exchanged it for a button up flannel from their closet. She figured it would be easier than having Beca lift her arms over her head, and the brunette seemed to get the shirt over her bare torso with little trouble. "Do you want shorts?"

"No. Can we just sleep?" Beca's voice was calmer and Chloe read the apology in her eyes. The older of the two nodded at once, and she hurried to turn out the lights. By the time she got back to the bed, Beca was already under the blankets, curled up in the most comfortable position she could manage. Chloe slid in next to her as lightly and slowly as she could, terrified to jostle Beca's frame too much. By the time she settled, Beca couldn't restrain herself anymore.

"You can touch me, Chloe. I'm not going to break." She mumbled irritably. Being babied was something Beca was not fond of, and having Chloe tip-toe around her was both aggravating and weakening.

"I-I know. I just don't want to hit one of your bruises or something-"

"I'm trying to tell you I want you to hold me." Beca rolled over with a grunt of effort and locked eyes with Chloe. Taken back by the blunt honesty of the rare request, it took her a few seconds to react and wrap her arm carefully around Beca's waist.

"Is that good?" She questioned softly.

"Yeah." Beca sighed contently. Chloe felt her girlfriend's forehead rest against her chest and held her just a little bit tighter, glad for their first real case of physical contact since the hospital. It had been mostly hand holding and a few aiding touches here and there. But this was different and real and affectionate.

"I love you." Chloe reminded her.

"Love you too."

The next morning, Chloe woke up earlier than her girlfriend, which was nothing unsual. She was careful to unwrap herself from around Beca's still form, wanting her to get some rest. Beca had woken up only two times the night before, but Chloe knew she was still sleep deprived. And from all of the articles she had been reading about anxiety when Beca wasn't looking, she knew that sleep was beneficial.

The apartment was cold in the morning, considering the timed heating system, and Chloe was forced to slip on a sweatshirt before leaving the bedroom. She knew quite well that Jaiden wouldn't be up for a while, which was why she was. The redhead opened their fridge and pulled out the ingredients she needed to make a mean omelet. Chloe's mother had taught her early on that food was the way to a lot of people's hearts. An apology was a lot harder to accept when someone was handing you a plate full of deliciousness.

15 minutes later, Chloe was nervously standing outside the closed guest room door. She balanced the plate and a cup of coffee in one hand, a talent left over from her waitressing days, and knocked lightly. A small shuffling sounded from inside the room and she let herself in just in time to see Jaiden desperately trying to fan smoke out of her open window. No wonder the apartment was especially cold this morning.

"Shit." Jaiden muttered as she sat down, defeated, on the window sill. To her surprise, Chloe didn't so much as glare at her. Instead, she came in, shut the door behind herself, and set a fully made breakfast and mug of coffee down on her desk.

"Stressed out?" Chloe asked. She made herself comfortable on the edge of Jaiden's bed and did her best to ignore the distinct smell of pot that filled the room. It mixed with the scent of autumn that the breeze carried in through the window, and Chloe watched as the younger girl deemed her presence safe and took a hit from the joint she had been hiding behind her back.

"A little. What do you want? Are you here to make sure I didn't sneak away during the night?" Jaiden scoffed. She peered at Chloe, red-eyed, and obviously trying to judge her disposition.

"I actually came to check on you. And apologize. I was harsher than I needed to be last night-"

"Save it, Jaiden interrupted. "You were right. And that's why I'm moving out."

"What? Jaiden, no, that's not what I wanted." Chloe shook her head desperately.

"Really? You want what's best for Beca, right? Well, this is obviously it. I'm not going to cut her off or anything, but maybe she could use a little bit less of me." Jaiden said. She took another hit and Chloe could see how much the realization pained her. This wasn't what she had meant at all. She just wanted Jaiden to step up; to start trying to make progress with Beca again. Not this.

"Jaiden, no, that's not going to help anything." Chloe told her earnestly. "Just hear me out for one second, okay." The redhead stood up and went to sit beside her at the window. "I think…I think that you and Beca should go to therapy to help you deal with this. Both of you. I've already talked to her about it, and she's just…unsure. But you know it can help, Jaiden. Do it for her."

"I feel like I just got out of that shit," Jaiden sighed. Smoke drifted out of her mouth and nose after her last hit and she felt the effects almost immediately. Her head swam and her limbs tingled, and she couldn't help but shake every now and then. She had gotten her own hookup last week, tired of using Beca's stash, and his medicinal grade was potent, to say the least. "And here I am, in college, about to go right back into it."

"So you'll go?" Chloe asked tentatively. She wasn't prepared for Jaiden to turn to her so violently.

"Do you know how hard it is to sit across from a complete stranger and talk about the things that give you nightmares? The very real things that you'd never say to anyone else. Do you know how awful it is to try anti-depressant after anti-depressant and fuck up the chemistry in your brain until you find something that lets you sleep at night?" She demanded. Chloe was at a loss for words, not having expected that out of the very stoned girl, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"I don't. I just…I want to help you. Both of you, and I don't know how. Maybe someone else can." Chloe's voice cracked, and if she was being honest with herself, she felt utterly useless.

"Maybe. I mean, I'll go. But I still think it's a good idea for me to move out." Almost instantly, Jaiden shrugged and went back to being indifferent. The girl turned around and faced out the open window again, filling her lungs with smoke again once more.

"I don't. I think you're just distancing yourself because you think you're getting close to Beca again, and that scares you. You're scared it won't last, or things will get worse, or you'll hurt her." Chloe told her. Her voice wasn't unkind; in fact, it was immensely gentle and in a word, sincere. Jaiden glanced over at her, accepting the slight accusation, and nodded after a few seconds.

"Maybe it won't though. Maybe things will get worse, and it'll be even harder than before." The 18 year old pointed out.

"But if there's the possibility for things to get better, wouldn't you want that? Even if you have to work for it?" Chloe said.

"I guess.." Jaiden's voice trailed off and she was lost in the twisting train of thought that was chugging its way through her mind. Taking her cue to leave, Chloe stood up and then faltered before she could move too far towards the door.

"You know I love you right?" The redhead reminded her softly. Jaiden looked away from the breezy morning outside and met her vibrant eyes.

"I know."

Stacie hated her Calc class. Not because of the subject, which she actually found only slightly challenging, but because of her dinosaur of a professor. Listening to a man that old drone on and on about mathematics could only hold her attention for so long, and she knew she could be done with the lessons in half the time he took. Nevertheless, she sat through them as patiently as she could.

When the class finally ended, and she was on her way back to the dorms, Stacie was more than grateful to be free for the weekend. Her steps quickened as she neared the building, thinking about her bed and a nice bottle of beer. Or maybe, just maybe, she'd call Jaiden and see if the younger girl wanted to come over. She had seen the look in her eye when she had found out Stacie really had cheated. And she knew that Jaiden would be crushed. Hell, she was crushed when she had woken up in that boy's bed. Her fingertips on her skin had made her sick when he had woken up and tried to get round two in the morning. Stacie's jaw clenched shut at the thought of it, and she was about to relive what had happened that night when she came upon Jaiden. The 18 year old was sitting on the floor outside her door with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a six pack in the other. She smiled up at Stacie, especially at the surprised look on her face, and struggled to get to her feet. Stacie caught her by the shoulders when she faltered and the Jaiden shook out of her grip reassuringly.

"I'm good. Just a little sore. Also, surprise." She grinned. Jaiden held out the flowers and then waited patiently for Stacie to open the door. The older girl took her cue and unlocked it quickly, still in a bit of a shock from Jaiden's sudden appearance.

"So, what's all this about?" Stacie asked. Jaiden shrugged, setting the beer down on the nightstand. She turned around to face the older girl and watched as Stacie found a mason jar still half filled with water to put the flowers in.

"I don't know. I just wanted to do something nice for you after…everything." Jaiden told her truthfully. Stacie's face reddened at the vague term she had chosen, but the gesture made her blush just the same.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, I did." Jaiden replied bluntly. "You got any plans tonight?"

"None that don't involve you." Stacie winked. The bit of tension that had rested between them dissipated as she crossed the room and pressed a chaste kiss to Jaiden's lips. The two collapsed on the bed together and Jaiden found herself tensing when Stacie her hands across her hip bones. The tiny action didn't go unnoticed by the other girl, and she pulled back in concern.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked anxiously.

"No, no, it's not that." Jaiden replied quickly. She forced a small smile, not wanting Stacie to worry for the wrong reason, and shifted uncomfortably under her.

"Then what?" Jaiden didn't reply right away, and the longer she was quiet, the more Stacie's stomach began to twist.

"I just…can we not have sex for a while? After we broke up and…you know, what happened, I just…I'm not super comfortable with it right now." Jaiden's voice was quiet, almost ashamed, and she averted her eyes. She was a little more than scared of disappointing Stacie, and when the older girl cupped the side of her face, relief flooded through her system.

"It's okay. We can wait, as long as you need." She assured her. "I love you."

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