Usually I wouldn't upload a chapter until I, at least, start on the next one and this one is shorter than the previous ones but... I feel you have waited long enough. My writer's block lifted on my other story but developed in this one. I know what the ending will look like I just want the journey to be something I create with confidence. I am still writing. Your reviews fuel me so thanks. Also, I stepped away from a common Kommissar trait and I hope you don't absolutely hate it.
Enjoy...
6
"I can't believe you did that." Beca exclaimed. Beca and Kommissar had finally slowed their pace as they made their way deeper into campus. Kommissar chuckled and silently cursed in German while looking over her right hand. "How's your hand, tiger?"
"Fine. I should not have done so. Violence is not the answer." Beca rolled her eyes at Kommissar's serious tone.
"I'm not ten, okay, you don't have to try and lecture me about violence." Beca casually responded as they strolled down the walkway.
Kommissar eyed her with a raised eyebrow. "It seems so. You were arrested before?"
Beca scrunched her face at the reminder. "Yeah, sort of. It wasn't a big deal, really. I was just in holding basically." Beca quickly added.
"What happened?"
Beca recounted the night of her first Regional competition. She told Kommissar how the old dude acapella group were trying to start a fight and Beca jumped in to help Jesse. She shared the same painful feeling of punching a guy and the accidental breaking of a window with an acapella trophy.
Kommissar showed concern when Beca said she joined the fight but found herself laughing at the situation. "I do not mean to make light of it, little mouse, I am sure it was stressful."
"At the time it was crazy, yeah, and my dad was livid. After his long ass lecture, though, I could laugh about it with the Bellas."
"This Fat Amy sounds like a trouble starter." Kommissar chuckled. "It reminds me of Pieter."
Beca became a little more serious at the mention of him. "Where did they go anyway? Are they alright?"
Kommissar nodded her head before she even pulled her phone out of her pocket. How does that even fit in there? "I am sure they made it back to the group's house. If not the other members could pick them up." She said while she tapped away on her phone. After a minute she returned the phone to her pocket. "I let Pieter know I am okay."
Beca nodded and then decided she should do the same. When she looked at her phone she discovered the Bellas already beat her to it. She had a couple texts from Chloe and one from Fat Amy and Stacie.
CB: Becs didu tak off?
CB: Wer u fiting again U ok ?m
SC: Hey B you alrite? Chlo's worried.
FA: shawshank has returned!
Beca rolled her eyes at Fat Amy's text. Where the hell was she anyway? Beca figured after Chloe's drunk attempt at texting she made Stacie do it. She responded that she was okay and had left the party quickly. She did not say with who and told Amy that she did not do anything. This time.
Beca put her phone away before they could respond and ask more questions. "Sooo, you wanna tell me what that was back there?"
Kommissar sighed heavily as she rubbed her hand. They had made their way to a large green with a medium sized pond. The water was a kidney bean shape and there was a wooden bridge that went across the middle. The night was illuminated by lamps and the moon. The pair walked along the bridge and unconsciously stopped halfway to lean on the railing. Beca waited for Kommissar to gather her thoughts as she looked out over the dark water.
"I let my frustrations get to me. That guy was just the last straw on my back." Beca mulled over her words and decided to not correct the metaphor. "Also, it annoys me when people remain ignorant to others."
Beca looked over at the blonde. "What do you mean?"
Kommissar let out a groan. "The whole time we talked with those guys they called us every European person except for German. Even after I corrected them, they still found it funny to make jokes about our nationality."
Beca raised her eyebrows at that. It must of been really annoying if it resulted in a punch to the face. "Sorry bout that." Beca mumbled, not sure why she needed to say it.
Kommissar shook her head. "It is not you, little one. You guessed right on the first try." She smirked at Beca and Beca could feel a smile spread on her face.
"That wasn't a guess. I knew. Well, the boss man was all German group this and German group that for, like, days. Then you turn up and it just clicked." Beca shrugged and dropped her head to examine the water more intently than need be.
"Ok, Maus." There was a long comfortable silence where the two simply enjoyed the company and the view. Beca pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"I saw the man ready to strike. It was too late I noticed with what. If you had not stepped in…I would be very injured right now." She gave Beca a soft smile and because of the colder air Beca could feel her cheeks grow warm.
Beca shrugged. "I wasn't thinking really. I just had to help. Guess I can't stay out of a fight." Beca chuckled dryly. There was another long moment where Beca did not know what else to say. A moment later Beca heard the blonde's soft quiet voice.
"Elyse."
Beca turned to the blonde. "What?"
"Das ist mein Name. Heiße Elyse."
Beca's heart stuttered at the foreign words rolling past the blonde's lips. "Elyse." Beca said softly, seeing how the name fits to the German. They shared wide smiles and Beca held out her hand to the blonde. "Hallo, Elyse. Ich bin Beca."
The taller woman chuckled lightly as she clasped the brunette's hand and her eyes shone by the light from the lamps. "Angenehm, Beca. Ich mag, wie Du sagst, mein Name."
Beca was still smiling but her eyes showed her confusion. "Okay, you can't expect me to understand what you're saying. Beginner level German here, remember?"
"Ah, but how will you learn if I do not speak naturally to you?" Elyse said trying to contain herself from grinning widely.
"I don't know…google?" Beca laughed at Elyse's look of disgust. "Or maybe youtube?"
Elyse shook her head at that. "You Americans. Always looking for the easy way." She teased.
Beca shrugged lightly. "What can I say, I'm an easy kind of girl." Beca's face dropped when she heard what she said. Ugh my stupid mouth. "Never mind. I didn't say that." She chuckled sarcastically.
There was silence, Beca and Elyse became extremely aware that they had not let go of each other's hand. God her hand is so soft. Beca realized how blue Elyse's eyes were and shook that thought away. She realeased her grip and turned back towards the water. Both women had to take a deep breath to escape that heavy moment.
Beca cleared her throat. "So, the mystery is over. Elyse. Why didn't you just tell me sooner?"
"I am here for business, little one. Kommissar is my title. It helps me remain professional with others." She looked at Beca with a soft expression. "Then you came along. It was too much fun to joke with you and tease."
"Ha ha ha." Beca deadpanned. "I already figured out all DSM members like messing with me." She was still a little sore about that and she crossed her arms over the railing. Beca took a deep breath and let the night's events settle in her mind. She chuckled lightly. "I don't think the Bellas will ever have a normal performance. Something always happens."
Elyse smiled at that. "An eventful performance and its after party always provide a good story though."
"Yeah, at least we didn't embarrass ourselves somehow, at least."
"There is plenty of time, tiny Maus."
"Yeah, shut up." Beca rolled her eyes and Elyse chuckled. A moment later Beca spoke again. "I don't usually dance like…I mean, before when I- when we-" Beca stumbled over her words. "Sorry." She mumbled. She refused to believe that her face was burning bright red. Why the hell did I bring it up?
After a long minute, from the corner of her eye she could see Elyse slowly shrug a shoulder. "We may forget it. As the song says 'blame it on the alcohol'."
Beca whipped her head to look at the blonde with wide eyes. "You know that song too?"
Elyse simply looked confused. "Why show surprise, Maus? I said I listen to all types of music and not just European ones. Germany is not a secluded island." She added sarcastically.
Beca shook her head. "Yeah, no, I get that. It's just… I guess I have a hard time seeing past a person's outward appearance. Or whatever. Like your first impression of them."
"I believe it is: judge a book not by its cover."
"Pretty close, yeah. I know. It's just a bad habit I have." Beca shrugged. Why am I always telling her about myself? I hate talking about myself…but I don't want her to think I'm an awful person. That's normal, right? Beca furrowed her eyebrows as she thought on it.
Beca would be understating it if she said she never interacted well with people. Her two friends in high school were around but never really close. People liked her because of her musical abilities but never stayed long because of her attitude. It just seemed easier to not get caught up in other people's business or care what they thought about her. It saved her a lot of trouble and effort. Yeah, she hated to try. Trying to be friends with someone was a headache. Since the Bellas stuck around and did not mind her moodiness, Beca found that with certain people you never really had to try to be friends. It just happened.
"Maus." Beca looked at Elyse, the woman had a small furrow in her eyebrows that Beca found cute. For some reason. "You are making a face again while thinking." Her lips tilted up slightly on one side.
Beca forced her features back to her stoic neutral look. "Oh." She silently replied.
"Is something bothering you?" Elyse asked softly.
Beca shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "No I'm good. I guess…" She blew out a deep breath. "I'm just thinking about the night. A lot happened." She chuckled but it sounded forced even to her ears. Beca straightened her back and cleared her throat. "So where in Germany are you from?"
Elyse took the charge of subject in stride. "Near Berlin. I study there now. Well, when I am home. I miss it." Beca could see the far off look in her features and could practically feel the homesickness grow. She never felt homesick but something in Elyse's features made her understand in that moment.
"What about your parents?" Beca asked softly. She never cared to ask about someone's life. They were the ones to overshare. Beca found herself curious when it came to the foreign woman.
Elyse hummed her agreement before she responded. "Mein Eltern?" She smirked at the shorter woman, who just rolled her eyes. Subconsciously, though, Beca tried to memorize the word. "I miss them more. My mother and her home cooking and my father and his big humor." She smiled brightly and Beca could not help the small tug at her lips. "He is silly but protective. He was a boxer and taught me how to protect myself." Her smile turned mischievous.
"So, that's where the right hook came from?"
Elyse's smile was almost proud. "Yes. It was beneath me to hit the man and I will most likely hear about it from Pieter." Her shoulders sagged slightly.
"Why?"
"I am the leader. I am the one to set an example. I told Michael not to push the man but I did worse, not a minute later." She sighed deeply. "I suppose my own bad habit is my temper, sometimes."
Beca was confused by this. She had never seen the blonde very upset. A little strict, yeah, but nothing close to being prone to a bad temper. Tonight was the first time Beca had seen Elyse lose her composure and even then it was momentary. Every time Beca saw Elyse she seemed easygoing and quick to smile and anything different made the Bella curious. "I've never seen you with a temper."
"That is a good thing, Maus. I do not snap at people but if I hold in all the negative emotions it comes out eventually." Elyse had become serious at the topic and Beca could feel the shift.
"I can understand that." She nodded slightly. She thought back to her first year. "First year with the Bellas, I felt like I was on autopilot. You know, acapella intrigued me but I felt like I had to do it all someone else's way and that was not my thing at all. I wasn't the person to hang out in groups and participate. I stayed for the music but even that was not going my way. When I tried to do something different it blew up in my face and I snapped at people." Beca shrugged and pretended that her sharing was completely normal. "I realized that forcing my way on other people was no different than someone forcing theirs on me. And I hated that feeling. I guess you don't see the damage caused until after the explosion."
It was silent for a long moment as Elyse thought on Beca's words. Beca could not believe she actually shared something with someone without being forced to. It's just to help. I'd like someone to understand me a little so why can't I be that someone to her? Oh that's right because I don't do that. I'm probably not helping at all. What the hell am I doing?
The silence dragged on before Elyse broke it. "You had an eventful first year at college. Anything that did not happen?" The lightness in her tone broke Beca's suddenly tense mood and she smiled lightly.
"Well, I didn't meet an annoying German that sings in an acapella group. Guess I can cross that off my list now." She smirked out over the water. "What about your first year?"
Elyse took a deep breath and let it out quickly. "My first year was much like yours in a way. There were many moments I had to adjust and mature. I was already in DSM then, however, and we had some recognition. Winning the World Acapella Competition was a whirlwind and greatly stressful."
"Wow. I didn't know there was a Worlds." There's more aca-nerds out there than I thought.
"Ja. I was granted a solo part in that performance. I was extremely nervous I thought I would faint on stage." Elyse lightly chuckled. "Thankfully nothing embarrassing happened that time."
"I know- wait. That time? When did something embarrassing happen?" Beca could not help but become curious.
Elyse leveled her with a no nonsense look. "You will not be getting that story out of me, Maus."
"Fair enough." Beca shrugged. The calm moment of the two looking over the pond was interrupted by a loud group that strolled through the green.
Beca could tell from the nearby light that they were dressed in various costumes. From the way they leaned in to each other and shouted every sentence, Beca knew they have been drinking too. The two women remained in silence as the group passed them on the bridge. They ignored the group's exuberant shouts of Happy Halloween and one's attempt at a creepy ghost sound. When the students passed them by Elyse drew away from the railing.
"Perhaps we should be going." She did not say where or if they would be going there together so Beca slowly turned and leaned back against the railing. "Where is your house?"
Beca was surprised by the question and hurried after the woman, who walked back the way they came without a response. Beca fell in stride beside her. "Yeah, no, it's this way." Beca responded almost sarcastically. They walked in silence for a while and it slowly began to eat away at Beca's resolve to stay quiet. She liked the quiet before. The fact that it was late and Elyse did not seem to have a ride to, wherever she was staying, made Beca speak up. "How will you get home?"
"I will have to stay over night with you." Elyse said without missing a beat. Beca stopped suddenly in her tracks and her widened eyes watched Elyse turn to eye her.
"What?" She did not yell but she did not exactly calmly say it either.
Elyse chuckled and smiled, very amused. "I am joking, tiny Maus." She tilted her head and turned to keep walking. "Come, Maus. You know you have to tell me where to go."
Beca shook out of her frozen thoughts and resumed her place. "Right. It's near where the Frat house is. Down the road."
"Gut." More silence after that. Beca found herself thinking she should have grabbed another drink before she left the party. So she had something to do with these long pauses but more so she would not sober as quickly as she was. As good as she is being at conversing, Beca can not help but think it is because her filter has been slightly compromised.
The Fall air got a little colder or as much as it could be in an Atlanta October. Beca pulled her jacket around her when she crossed her arms. She did notice that Elyse did not seem to mind the temperature and she was wearing mesh! She's a cyborg. They winded their way past buildings and houses to the Bellas' street.
Along the way Elyse had comments or questions about Barden or Atlanta. Beca found herself talking easily with the blonde but her responses began to get shorter. Beca could see the Bella house a couple houses away and unconsciously slowed her walk. The women walked on in comfortable silence and enjoyed the Halloween atmosphere still seeping through the campus housings. People could be seen running or chasing others, laughter, shouts, stumbling, and houses alight and humming a beat. As she observed this, Beca cast a glance at Elyse and noticed a far off look and a small smile across her lips.
Beca did not realize she was staring at the women's soft features for as long as she was. She was torn away from her dazing when Elyse turned her head to look right at Beca. "Was ist es, Maus?"
"Huh?"
"I said, what is it, mouse?"
"Oh, nothing." At the blonde's pointed look Beca shrugged and looked ahead. "Really. You just had this look on your face or whatever."
"A look? How so?"
"I don't know. It's just a look, like, you're spacing or thinking about something. But, like, a good something, I don't know." 'Please stop rambling, you idiot' Beca internally rolled her eyes at herself.
Elyse lightly chuckled. "I see. Well, I was thinking of home so that would make it a good something. More precisely, I was thinking of school and how this place still feels similar to it."
"So like, Germany and American dumb drunk campus parties are the same?"
"Something like that. Though, it would take more alcohol to cause such riotous behavior." Elyse smirked. "I am surprised to feel a connection to home so far away from it."
Beca mulled over that a moment. "Some things are just universal. Like college parties, crazy students, and acapella nerds." Beca sighed loudly and in somewhat a huff. "More aca-nerds. That's still so weird to imagine." She let out a breathy laugh.
Elyse followed Beca in her airy laughter. "It is I suppose." Beca motioned towards the house to their left. Elyse stopped and looked over the house, both sharing a small disappointment that they reached their destination.
"This is me." Beca stuffed her hands in her back pocket, unsure of what to do with them.
"Right. I will call Pieter to pick me up then."
"You want me to wait here - I mean with you? I could…wait. If you wanted." Beca mumbled off the end of her sentence. She berated herself for sounding so stupid and being the cause of Elyse's amused smile.
"That would be nice, Maus." Elyse said succinctly and then pulled her phone out. She was talking quickly in German so Beca did not know what was being said. She figured it was directions and assurances. After a minute Elyse ended the call and turned back to Beca. "It will be a few minutes."
"Cool." Beca rocked back on her heels once before remembering she hated fidgeting, so she crossed her arms and locked her knees stiff. After a few moments Beca grasped at any conversation topic. "So, the medley songs…are kinda good." Really? That's how you put it? "I mean they are good and catchy. Music wise cause I still don't understand it but…yeah. My favorite is…" Beca pulled her phone out to open her music app to her recently added list.
Elyse moved closer to look upon the phone as well and did not contain her surprise. "You saved the music to your phone?"
Beca kept her gaze on her phone and ignored the feeling of the tall blonde being so close to her. She felt like she had been caught doing something embarrassing but quickly realized that was silly. What did it matter she put some random German songs on her phone? It was good music.
"Yeah so?" Beca said a little too defensively as she finally clicked on the song. Music flowed from her phone's speakers surrounding the pair.
Elyse took a moment to listen to the music before responding to Beca. "I am just surprised. This is a wonderful song. I thought you would pick a much faster song."
"Yeah me too but there's something about the melody that pulls you in. It's still kind of upbeat and I could easily remix it."
Elyse watched Beca bob her head to the music for a little while before speaking. "Do you know the words, Maus?" Beca shot her a look like she should know the answer. "Not all the words I'm sure but the title at least?"
Beca shook her head as she tried to remember what the words translated to. "Something about a light, I think."
Elyse smiled slightly as she agreed. "Mein Sternenlicht means my starlight. Du bist mein Sternenlicht means you are my starlight. It is repeated quite a bit in the chorus."
Beca remained quiet a moment until she heard the familiar words in the song. The upbeat tempo kept her head slightly bobbing along and a small twitch of her lips appeared. "I hear it now. That's cool."
Elyse smiled as they listened to the song a little longer. Beca got the feeling that blue eyes were boring into her but could not bring herself to look. "I have time tomorrow to work on the arrangement. Would you like to join me with the work?" Elyse asked.
Beca looked up finally and saw hesitant and hopeful eyes looking back at her. She thought a moment before shrugging a shoulder. "Yeah, sure, I don't have class on Fridays. I'll tell you now though I won't be up before noon."
Elyse chuckled. "That is fine. The evening will be preferable. After I meet with our manager at 2 I will let you know where to meet me."
Beca nodded her head and agreed. Just then a van pulled up to the curb right next to them. Beca eyed it warily and totally saw it as sketchy. When Elyse made a move towards the passenger door Beca shot a hand out to stop her. "Dude, have you heard of any cliche horror movie, ever? You don't get in a shady van!"
Elyse simply raised an eyebrow at the brunette and smiled very amused. "Why, Maus, are you trying to protect me?" She teased. Beca rolled her eyes but kept her hand on the blonde's forearm.
The passenger door swung open quickly and it made Beca jump slightly. "Los geht's. I do not have the whole night to wait, troll."
Beca instantly relaxed when the familiar voice sounded from inside the van. The dashboard lights barely made out Pieter's features. Beca huffed and finally let go of Elyse's arm. "Of course you guys got a dark, shady looking van."
Elyse laughed again as she made to get into the vehicle. "Danke, kleine Maus, für huete nacht. Es hat Spaß gemacht." At Beca's confused look, Elyse translated. "Thank you, tiny mouse, for tonight. It was fun."
Beca nodded and offered a tight lipped smile quickly. She took a subtle deep breath before speaking. "Guten nacht, Elyse."
Elyse looked at her a moment longer as if debating weither she should say something. A small smile crossed her lips as she replied softly. "Guten nacht, kleine Maus. Träume suß."
Before Elyse hoisted herself into the van and closed the door, Beca heard a yell from inside. "Ja, Guten nacht to Pieter as well. Danke for saying so, Maus. She is really so sweet." He added sarcastically to Elyse. Beca shook her head and Elyse laughed at her friend.
"Bye, giant." Beca yelled as the door was shut and the van rolled away. A smile fought its way to the surface before Beca shook it away and walked inside the Bellas house. The night went as well as one could go for the Bellas and maybe better for Beca personally.
When she entered the house Beca was not surprised to see most of the girls still up. Fat Amy, Stacie, Jessica and Lily were spread across the couches in varying positions. When Beca stepped into the living room there was a chorus of greetings from the girls.
"Thank God you're not dead."
"Where you been?"
"Did you get bailed out again?"
Beca rolled her eyes at them and plopped down at an empty space on the couch. "Yeah, I'm alive. I just walked around a bit and no, I wasn't arrested, Amy. Thanks for the concern."
Stacie smiled tiredly. "That's good, B. What happened back there? One minute we're all dancing and then you wander off and then there's a fight breaking out. Then I heard the window breaking, was that you?"
Beca ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I don't know. I found myself in the middle of it all. I didn't do that though." I may have been the cause but I didn't technically do it. "I just ran out of there though. Ya know my history with broken windows and cops."
There were hums of agreement and Amy spoke up. "Well, no cops were called. The Frat guys handled it quickly and cleaned it up. Really, everyone just kept dancing around them. As long as they kept the bar open I wouldn't care if the roof came off." Beca scoffed at Amy and looked around.
"Where's-" A high pitched squeal cut Beca's words off before she could finish them. Beca's wide eyes saw Chloe at the entrance to the kitchen and followed her as she sped towards Beca. She flinched as the redhead got closer and even when she mentally prepared for impact it still hurt when Chloe landed on her lap. Chloe's arms snaked around Beca's neck as Beca huffed out her pain.
"Chlo." Beca groaned as her hands hesitantly went to the redhead's back. She patted it lightly. "What's up?"
Chloe pulled away to glare at Beca through bloodshot and glossy eyes. "What's up, Beca, is I worried. Why'd you just disappear?"
Beca refrained from rolling her eyes because she knew Chloe would not appreciate it, even in her state now. "Sorry, Chlo. I just didn't wanna be around there. Ya know, with the fight and all."
Chloe's eyes softened quickly. "As long as you're okay, Becs. At least tell us where you're going. You can't be lone wolf all the time."
Before Beca could respond Stacie spoke. "She wasn't alone, though." Beca's widened eyes landed on Stacie's smug little smile. Chloe spun around best she could on Beca's lap which caused her to land halfway onto the couch. Beca adjusted herself so she was not in pain anymore and Chloe's legs draped over her lap. Chloe's face looked similar to Beca's. The only difference was Chloe's was curious and Beca's was nervous. "What? I saw you bolt with a certain German following close behind."
Beca cursed the tall woman and bit back a groan of frustration. Chloe's eyes landed back on Beca. "You left the party with the German guy?! Becs, that's danger-is. Dangerous." She corrected her still inebriated slip up. "He's a stranger."
Beca looked between Chloe and Stacie, waiting. Stacie continued to smile knowingly but said nothing else. Beca shut her eyes tightly. "I know. Stranger danger and all. I got it. It's okay though. I'm fine. I wasn't thinking then but it's all good." Chloe opened her mouth to continue her questioning but Beca spoke up and moved to get up. "Look, I'm tired. I want to shower and get into bed."
Chloe sputtered for a moment and huffed when nothing came out. Fat Amy raised a cup to Beca as she moved Chloe's legs back to her previous spot. "Good idea, Shorty. A night of property damage, misdemeanors, and debauchery can be tiring for you. You need a bedtime story?"
Beca glared at the blonde who looked back at her innocently. "No." She deadpanned and moved to the stairs. She turned around quickly. "Thanks for waiting up and worrying about me, guys. Really, I uhh just...drink some water. Especially you, Chlo." The girls smiled brightly at the awkward woman before them. Beca offered a tight lipped smile and shrugged before turning sharply and leaving. Beca shook her arms, trying to lose the heavy feeling she felt in her gut. Those nerds.
By the time she had showered, got ready for bed, and settled underneath the covers, Beca felt completely sober. That is when her thoughts came slamming into her about Elyse. Elyse.
Beca rolled the name around her mind for a while. It was so easy to talk with her about...everything. Anything. Sure, she was still awkward as hell and could not keep her mouth shut sometimes but that was just how she was. The blonde was a mystery to Beca and the brunette found herself curious to figure her out. That alone was a weird feeling. As her body began to succumb to the comforting feeling of her bed her mind lazily flitted through thoughts. A song. Like a song roaming in the back of her mind. She tried to grab the melody, tried to find the right beat, and it was there at the end of her fingertips. It was ready to be heard, ready to be mixed, ready to be sung and danced to. She strained for the chords and yearned for the feeling it would bring her. She wanted to dissect the song and add her own touch and hear it become something new. Something that was two separate entities, completely different, merging into something unique and special. Beca's mind drowned into heavy sleep and she sighed out a breath of contentment. A single word leaving her lips was unheard by the world.
Elyse.