A/N - A day later than I meant to post but here's part two of Chloe's barbecue. I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out regarding the last few months. Really does mean a lot!

A huge thank you to my beta, I couldn't do this without you. :)

.oOo. Chapter Twenty Eight .oOo.
Part Two of Three

It had just turned three o'clock in the afternoon and Beca was quite happily flipping some burgers and marinating a couple of steaks in the warm sunshine. She was hiding out from the current crowd of people who were enjoying the sunny afternoon by the pool.

Beca wasn't completely peopled out yet, as Chloe had strategically engineered the timing of the afternoon, suggesting that different groups of people come at different times and Beca had appreciated that. It was no surprise to her that Chloe was gifted when it came to entertaining. Everyone who came through the side gate, immediately sought the redhead out, bestowing the host with small gifts as they hugged or kissed cheeks.

Chloe exclaimed over each gift as if it was the best thing she'd ever received and showed each person where everything was situated, even if they'd been to her home before. Beca lost count of the times she heard Chloe say the same thing as she walked past her.

"The pool is a great temperature today, if you feel like swimming. Drinks and ice are in the kitchen should you run out, and food is out by the grill and on the deck. Come and find me if there's anything you need! And I hope to catch up with you in a little bit."

For a solid hour, it had been complete chaos when Kate and Alex's little friends and their parents had all come along. Some of them straight up ignored Beca (which she was fine with) and some were giving her curious glances. One mother, who Chloe had side whispered was the one to watch out for, had kept on glancing, not so subtly between Beca, Alex, and Jessie as if her life depended on it. It made Beca so uncomfortable that she'd almost dropped a platter of brats and burgers.

Chloe had swooped in at the last minute, catching the tray and setting it down on the table as if it were a polished move and she did all the time.

"Everyone, this is Beca," She said, laying a hand on Beca's back and encouraging her forward. Beca didn't fail to notice that Chloe's fingers trailed a little too long for comfort but she fought the urge to smack Chloe's hand away with the barbecue tongs. "She's the genius behind the amazing music you hear. All her own work."

Beca's face flushed but as Chloe turned to speak with someone, a couple had moved along to chat with her. She blanched a little as they were both over six feet tall and, embarrassingly, had to bend a little to talk to her.

"Hi, Beca? We're Greg and Jo Phillips," Jo said, holding out her hand to Beca. "Our daughter, Indigo-Marie, goes to the same Tumble Tots as Alex and Kate... and Jessica as well, I guess now"

"Nice to meet you," Beca shook hands with them both.

"Are you local?"

"Los Feliz," Beca explained. "You?"

"We're in Sherman Village, just the other side of the freeway."

"Oh cool."

"It's certainly a lovely day," Jo continued, glancing up at the sky as if to explain why she said that.

"Yes, it is. I still can't quite get used to the heat out here."

"Indigo-Marie loves the sunshine. She's definitely an outdoorsy kid, like her dad," Jo seemed quite content to make small talk but Beca was desperately trying to think of an excuse to get away.

"Which one is your daughter?" Beca asked, looking around.

"She's the one in the pink top, talking with Kate," Jo pointed out.

"That's Jessie," Beca said, though not unkindly. It was hard to tell them apart to the casual observer, especially since they now wore a similar hairstyle, at their own choosing.

"Is it?" Jo narrowed her eyes. "Gosh, they really do look alike."

"They do," Beca muttered, catching Luke's eye. He instantly saw that she was uncomfortable.

"I hope you don't mind but we bought a little gift for all three girls to share."

"Um, yeah, that's fine and very kind of you."

"It's our pleasure. It's a unicorn hoopla. I know how much all the girls love unicorns."

"That they do." Beca mused.

"So, you're the DJ," Greg stated, changing the subject. It was more of a statement, than a question.

"Um, yes," Beca replied awkwardly.

"Where do you work?" He asked.

"At Universal Music Group."

"Bet you see a lot of famous people?"

"Um, sometimes, yeah. Mostly, I'm just in the basement, keeping out of the way."

Greg laughed as if it was the funniest thing he'd heard in a long time, and Beca desperately tried to school her face into something that didn't resemble her usual resting bitch face.

"Do you like famous people?" Jo asked. "I mean, if you hang around them all day and with Chloe..."

"I don't really think about it," Beca mumbled, wondering where their line of questioning was going. She looked up in relief as Luke came walking towards them.

"We like knowing Chloe," Jo explained. "We're trying to get her to help out in the school's Christmas play this year. Her name and her status would certainly help sell more tickets. She's turned us down in the past and said she didn't want the focus to be on her but always made a sizeable donation to the-"

"-Um, this is my friend Luke Bryant," Beca interrupted as Luke joined her side, laying his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Luke, this is Jo and her husband Greg. Their daughter is Indigo-Marie and she's playing with Jessie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am," Luke said, offering his hand.

"You're British," Jo blanched, stating the obvious. She looked almost disparaging.

"What gave it away?" Luke tried to charm the woman and gave her his most pleasant smile.

"Your goofy hair," Beca deadpanned, earning a dig in the ribs from Luke.

"But to answer your question, yes, I am British."

"Do you know the Queen?" Greg's laugh boomed around the backyard. "I heard that everyone always asks a British person that and-"

"-Yeah, he does actually know her," Beca smirked, remembering their first ever conversation. Luke's cheeks flushed for a second.

"Seriously?" Jo asked, her face changing into something completely different. Beca was getting the impression that Jo was one of those people that worshipped celebrities; she'd read about this after joking around with Amy how weird she was around anyone famous too.

"Long story, but yes, I've met her a few times. She's a wonderful lady."

"Oh, well then," Jo mumbled.

"What do you do Luke?" Greg asked.

"I work over at Universal Music Group with this mastermind," Luke said, nodding towards Beca and sending a small wink her way. "How about you both?"

"I'm in construction and Jo is a dental nurse," Greg explained, as Beca took this opening as her cue to make escape plans.

"I'm just gonna go check on the grill," Beca said quietly, slipping away from the conversation. She had the distinct impression that the only reason they approached her was to ask her to persuade Chloe to do something and that didn't sit well with her and knew Luke was the perfect person to protect Chloe's privacy.

Luke immediately took over with the small talk, distracting the friends as Beca was grateful for the hundredth time for Luke. She walked over to the grill, noting the coals were now a perfect temperature to start cooking. She was surprised that Chloe had a coal based grill, rather than gas. Chloe had explained that she preferred the smoky taste that it provided.

Hurrying to the kitchen, Beca was pulling out a tray of meat waiting to be grilled from the refrigerator, head buried into the top shelf when she heard high heels click clacking on the tiled hallway floor, followed by the tail end of a telephone conversation.

"I must insist on the Formica being removed from the office area. Please ensure this is taken away by Monday. The carpenter will be there by eight in the morning to start working the bespoke cherry wood furniture and the area will need to be clear and spotlessly clean. I am at my next engagement now, so I will speak with you after the weekend. Goodbye."

Beca heard a deep sigh as she wrestled the tray she wanted free from underneath a bag of salad and several lemons.

"Hi Clo, sorry I am a few minutes late. It's been quite a morning," The crisp voice spoke as Beca pushed the fridge door closed. The blonde in front of her was startled a little. "Oh, you're not Chloe."

"Nope," Beca said, shaking the hair from her eyes. She recognised the woman in front of her, having seen her at the courthouse and in various pictures around the house.

"You must be Rebeca," The clipped tone was almost offensive. "I'm Aubrey Posen."

"Hi Aubrey. Chloe's out back."

The blonde nodded bristly and moved past Beca with purpose. She paused in the doorway.

"Forgive me, Chloe always needs me to help with setting out the tables. We can catch up later over a beverage if you want to. It's nice to meet you."

"Sure," Beca said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Balancing the tray on the edge of the kitchen counter, she reached over for the other grill utensils that Chloe had pointed out earlier just as a second girl walked into the kitchen, carrying a couple of bags.

"Oh my goodness! You must be Beca!" The tall brunette squealed, dropping the bags onto the kitchen counter and rushing forward to hug Beca, who instinctively held up a spatula and grilling fork in front of her, in self defence.

"Emily!" Chloe called as she came in from the deck, seeing one of her favourite people in the kitchen.

"Chloe, darling!" Emily stopped descending on Beca who shook herself a little, before she side stepped around Beca and embraced Chloe tightly.

"How are you Em?"

"I'm so good, really good, like the goodest good I could be. I'm soooo good! Benji says hi and he's sorry he couldn't make it this time but he'll see you soon! He's good too," Emily gushed out, turning back to face Beca. "I was just saying hi to Beca."

"Becs, this is Emily. She works for Aubrey and is just a beautiful soul inside and out," Chloe explained, smiling up at the girl.

"Oh Chloe, you're too kind."

"It's all true," Chloe said, giving Emily a beaming smile.

"It's lovely to meet you at last. I've heard so much about you. And I can't wait to meet Jessie finally! I bet she's as cute as a button and just as lovely as-" Emily babbled.

"-Chloe!" The shrill tone cut through the kitchen interrupting Emily's babble.

"Bree!" Chloe beamed, reaching out for her friend.

"Who made your table arrangements?" Aubrey said, air kissing Chloe's cheek. "Did you hire someone? They are very professional. Tell me who, as I might want them for a future portfolio project I'm putting together."

"Um, no, I didn't hire anyone. Beca took care of that."

"Who did you hire?" Aubrey asked, turning on Beca who stood there, watching the friends interact. She'd barely spoken so far and was feeling quite intimidated by the loud voices and easy way the friends spoke to each other, even if one did appear to be overly forthright as she spoke. Beca couldn't see how the blonde and Chloe were friends.

"No Bree, she did them for me. She's got quite talented fingers," Chloe said, sending a soft wink in Beca's direction. Beca's face flushed and she began to fidget with the tray cover to avoid looking at Chloe at the obvious innuendo that was sent her way.

"Oh," Aubrey said, narrowing her eyes at Beca, as she rested her hands on her hips. "Well, one less job for me to do, so thank you Rebeca."

"It's just Beca," The smaller brunette mumbled.

"What's that?" Aubrey bit.

"Come and get a drink," Chloe said, looping her arm through Aubrey's and walking her quickly back towards the patio doors.

"Don't mind Aubrey." Emily said, leaning over to whisper in Beca's ear as they watched the two friends disappear outside. "She's really nice once you get to know her. She's actually-"

"-Emily!" Aubrey called from outside, clicking her fingers at the same time, making the young girl jump a foot in the air and race around the kitchen island to catch up with Chloe and Aubrey without even so much as a glance back at Beca.

"Yeeesh," Beca shook herself a little, and gathered up everything she had originally come into the kitchen for. She was just walking back towards the grill when she heard Amy call out to her.

"You okay Shortstack?"

"Yeah, you?" Beca asked as Amy drew up next to her.

"Yup. Just found out that Chloe used to sin' a capella in college."

"Yeah, think they toured a lot and there was something about singing with Prince."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh right!" Beca laughed. "You were swooning enough about Chloe already, so I tried to downplay everything else. It's okay not to know everything about everyone all at once, Ames."

"But it's somethin' we have in common Beca,'' Amy whined. "You know I'm the best singer in Tasmania... with teeth."

"I didn't think you'd-"

"-Becs?" Luke interrupted their conversation as he popped his head out from around the wall that sheltered the grill from the plants.

"Um, yeah?"

"Who's the blonde talking to Chloe?" Luke asked, subtly jerking his head backwards. Beca looked over his shoulder, where Chloe was in an animated discussion with Emily and Aubrey.

"That's Aubrey, Chloe's best friend. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," Luke said, stealing a glance as he pretended to look around the garden.

"Dude, no," Beca shook her head and returned to her task of uncovering the tray of marinating meat.

"What?" Amy asked, looking between the two of them. While she had known Beca the longest, she was often confused how Luke and Beca could communicate without using sentences.

"I was just asking who she was," Luke muttered.

"Just no. She's like the ice queen," Beca countered.

"What's goin' on?" Amy demanded to know.

"Brit Boy likes the look of the Bitchy Ice Queen."

"I didn't say that, I just asked who she was," Luke explained.

"Then why is your face all red?"

"Probably for the same reason yours does when you talk about Chloe," Luke hissed, giving Beca the look to drop the line of teasing. Her eyes widen dramatically and she looked towards Amy who thankfully was not listening at that exact moment and was still looking around to see what she was missing out on.

"I think I'm going to go and explore for a little bit," Amy said. "Leave you two alone with your secrets."

"Okay, but Ames?"

"Yeah?"

"This house cost like, a billion dollars, so don't touch anything," Beca warned.

"I'm not going to break anything Beca," Amy whined.

"Well... you usually do, so maybe just try and be careful?"

"I will!" Amy said cheerfully, as she stepped away.

"And don't go through her underwear drawer," Beca grinned. "There's laws against it."

"Only if you get caught." Amy laughed, walking away.

"Luke?"

"I'll check her pockets before we leave, don't worry!" Luke smiled, reaching out for the set of tongs and clacking them together a couple of times. "Need a hand?"

"Sure," Beca handed Luke the tray and he started unloading it onto the grill. "Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for helping me escape from those people earlier."

"It's okay, I could see you weren't having much fun. They seemed nice though."

"Yeah, I guess."

"I know there's a lot of people here but try to enjoy yourself a little, okay? Chloe's gone to a lot of effort to do this, to include you in her plans."

"I know, she's been really good at that for the past few weeks and I have been trying," Beca explained before catching the look on Luke's face. "I have. I like her friend Stacie, she seems pretty cool. Hey, you should get all red faced and silly over her when she gets here later, rather than over Bitchy McQueen."

"I do enjoy how you always try to steer the conversation away from yourself."

"What? No, I don't."

"Yeah, you do," Luke said, as he finished stocking the grill. "Do you need a hand with the rest of this?"

"No, I got it. Kinda just need to hide out a bit."

"You mean until all the kids and their parents have gone?"

"You read my mind!"

"Okay, well, I'll leave you to it. I'm going to go hang out for a bit. Need anything else?"

Beca shook her head and Luke gave her one last wink before he left her to it. He knew Beca wasn't shy, she just didn't manage big crowds well. He looked over towards her a few times as he mixed with some of Chloe's friends, explaining for the tenth time that no, he wasn't Alex's dad and was simply a friend. He was glad to see her relax as the early afternoon wore on, checking on the food and laying out trays of cooked burgers and sausages onto one of the nearby trestle tables.

On one of her trips back and forth to the grill, Beca squeezed past a small group of parents that clearly knew each other well. She knew they hadn't seen her, as they had their backs to her, looking out over the rest of the garden, facing the pond that Stacie loved so much.

"Well, the kid seems normal."

"What did you expect, Bryce? Two heads?"

"I heard that she grew up in very humble surroundings, yet she seems to know how to play with toys."

"She's still a kid." Beca heard a female voice say and it clicked that they were discussing Jessie and her.

"It's so good of Chloe to accept the child back into her life. Does anyone know if the child has been vaccinated? I'm not sure I want Victoria-Mae hanging around with her if she could catch something from her."

"Sami! You can't say that."

"Sure I can. What was the mother... well, not the mother, thinking?"

"I heard that they lived in a car. Surely, any self respecting person would have just bought a house."

"Not everyone has the means to do that, Clara."

"Then she should have asked her parents for assistance Angelina."

"Not everyone is a trust fund baby."

Beca cricked her neck and decided not to bother defending herself. She didn't want to embarrass Chloe in front of her friends and walked away just as the threat of tears began to prickle her nose. She knew she'd tried her best with Jessie but this group of people clearly had no idea how some people lived.

Luke popped by a couple of times to check that she was okay, he had noticed a sullenness come over her. Fetching her a drink, she declined to tell him what was wrong and blamed her quietness on dealing with summer allergies.

Beca slipped inside the house to use the restroom and to splash some water on her face. She went in search of her purse and found her sunglasses, wanting to use them to hide behind rather than to keep the sun out of her eyes. The grill was under a small pergola which provided decent shade.

Resuming her position back at the grill, she blanched as another parent came up to introduce himself.

"Hi, Beca, right?"

"Um, yeah. Hi," She said awkwardly.

"I'm Marti."

"Nice to meet you," Beca automatically said.

"My son is Benjamin. He's in preschool with Kate and Alex," Marti explained, pointing to a small boy who was desperately trying to hold Kate's hand by the edge of the pool. Kate was having none of it. "I was just wondering if I could ask a favour?"

"Sure..."

"This is your music playing, right?" He asked and Beca nodded. "My nephew is seventeen and trying to break into the music business. It's pretty tough."

"Tell me about it," Beca half smirked.

"He's really good. If I give you his number, do you think you could get him an interview at Universal?"

"Um, well, that depends. What style of music is he into?"

"Anything really."

"Usually, they like you to focus on one type."

"Surely music is music? It's just notes, right?"

"That's what the industry would like you to believe but no..." Beca smiled.

"So, he needs to choose between pop and classical?"

"There are over thirteen hundred different types of music out there. These days, musicians and fans are more free and honest about their influences. Genre differences evaporate, expand and change month by month. If you listen to the current charts, you'll hear African drums in the background in more than twenty songs. Next month, that will disappear and you'll probably hear something completely different, like a bicycle bell or something."

"A bicycle bell?"

"That's just an example," Beca explained, looking back to the grill to check the food wasn't burning. "If your nephew-"

"-Tom."

"If Tom wants to get ahead, he'd be best to focus on one of the main genres like blue, rock and roll, dance, hip hop, soul, country, rock, rhythm and blues, jazz and get some demo's made and start sending them out to the big studios. Maybe do some free gigs, upload some of his work on YouTube, even write a blog and definitely attend local gigs and open mic nights. You never know who attends these things and if he's good, like you say he is, he'll get heard."

"Can't you put in a good word for him?" Marti pushed.

"I would be able to speak to someone if I heard his recordings but I am still just an intern myself."

"You're an intern?"

"Yes. I work with Luke, over there," Beca nodded towards Luke. "He's technically my manager."

"Oh right... I'll go and speak with him then," Marti said, turning abruptly and walking away.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Beca muttered to his retreating figure.

She was slowly catching onto what Chloe had meant when she said, a few weeks previously, when she questioned if people were her friends or were just out to get what they could from a celebrity. She felt her face flush a little as she felt a pang of sympathy for Chloe.

"Beca?"

"Yeah?" Beca replied, snapping herself out of her thoughts and looking over as Stacie came over. She easily recognised her, having now met her on a number of occasions and had even, to Chloe's delight, swapped phone numbers with the tall brunette.

"So sorry I missed you this morning."

"Huh?"

"I took the girls out for breakfast and dropped them home but didn't come in to say hi, as I needed to go and pick my friend up," Stacie explained.

"Oh, no, it's fine." Beca said truthfully.

"Can I introduce you to my friend?"

"Sure."

Stacie turned her head and nodded towards a woman, standing a few feet behind her.

"This is Cynthia Rose. CR, this is Beca."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Cynthia Rose held out her hand towards Beca. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Uh oh."

"Yo, it's all good!" Cynthia Rose smiled. "My girl here said you're responsible for these awesome beats this afternoon."

"Yeah, it's some of my early tunes."

Cynthia Rose nodded appreciatively.

"If this is your early work, I'm sure the later melodies will be awesome."

"Thanks," Beca mumbled shyly.

"How are you finding it?" Stacie asked, subtly flicking her hand towards the crowd. "I know big gatherings can be overwhelming."

"Yeah, a little bit," Beca admitted.

"Chloe's gatherings can draw quite the crowd," Cynthia Rose grinned. "She's a great person, so down to Earth but some of these people are such limpets."

Beca breathed out a sigh of relief.

"I noticed that," Beca admitted. "What do you do Cynthia Rose?"

"Oh, please call me CR. All my friends do, and if you are a friend of Stacies, you are a friend of mine."

Beca tried to keep her expression neutral. She hadn't really thought of Stacie as being a friend, not yet anyway. She felt something stir in her gut and was surprised to find she didn't mind the feeling.

"Thanks..."

"So, yeah, I run my own catering business. Got a cafe over on Hollywood and Vine, and I cater for events; weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, sweet sixteens, that sort of thing."

"That's cool!"

"She's being modest," Stacie laughed. "She's really good, and has had some of her cakes in wedding magazines. She's catered for one of Chloe's movies too... it was one of the independents, wasn't it, CR?"

"Yeah."

"CR is also in college with me." Stacie explained.

"Busy lady," Beca commented.

"She's studying theoretical music."

"That's so different to catering," Beca blurted out, before she could stop herself.

"Not really," Cynthia Rose mused. "For example, cake base is simple...flour, eggs, sugar and butter. What you add into it changes the base from a plain cake to chocolate, or nutty or a fruit cake. Music's the same, right? You've got your base beat, add in different components and you've got a completely different tune, each time."

"You're so right," Beca nodded. She flinched a little, waiting for the inevitable question of whether she would be asked to help out with anything.

"But we're not here to talk about me," Cynthia Rose grinned. "We're here to talk about Beca."

"No, please. I'm absolutely fine with the focus not being on me."

Cynthia Rose laughed out loud and held out her fist for Beca to bump.

"You and I are going to get on great! Now, tell me a little more about yourself."

.oOo.

There was a break in the festivities as the girl's playmates began disappearing around two in the afternoon. Beca was just clearing away from glasses and discarded plates when Chloe came up to her side.

"Hey, you don't need to do that," she said kindly, gently slipping her hand around Beca's elbow. Beca was soon catching on how much Chloe needed to be touching people, all the time.

"It's okay, someone needs to." Beca said, determined not to socialise with any of the parents, who clearly thought so little of her. She'd hung out with Stacie and Cynthia Rose and decided that they were decent people.

"Yeah, but it doesn't have to be you doing all the work."

"Honestly, it's fine," Beca insisted.

"Come and sit for a bit. Jessie's been asking where you are."

"She okay?" Beca said, instantly looking around for the little redhead. She'd seen her a minute before playing in the shade with Alex.

"Yes, but you've been working all morning and grilling while the parents were here. You aren't here to work. Come on, I want you to come and sit for a bit."

"Okay, I just need two minutes to finish up, then I'll come and sit, okay?"

"Hmm mmm," Chloe smiled. "Drink?"

"Yeah, a beer would be good."

Chloe nodded, and took off in the direction of the large ice chest that was tucked away under the shade of the trees in the far corner of the garden. Beca watched her bend over the cooler before she finished gathering up the empties, picked up the small bag of rubbish and headed towards the kitchen. She quickly loaded the dishwasher with the remainder of the glassware and switched it on, hoping she used the right setting. She pulled on the small trash compactor Chloe had in one of the kitchen cabinets and shoved the bag instead, closing the lid tightly and listening as the machine did what it was supposed to do.

"Mommy?"

Beca's head snapped around as she heard Jessie calling her.

"Hey Bug!" Beca said, holding out her hands for the little girl to take. "Are you having a good day?"

"Uh huh." Jessie nodded, smiling broadly. Beca could see the smattering of freckles on her nose really beginning to show now she was spending lots of time outside, and she brushed away the sliver of guilt that she had about Jessie never spending much time outdoors before.

"Did you get a hot dog?"

"Yeah! It was yums. Mama Chloe put the kitchen pup on it."

Beca froze for a second. That was the first time she'd heard Jessie refer to Chloe as anything other than just her name before. It made her feel a little uneasy despite the little girl doing nothing wrong. Brushing away her own insecurities and desperately trying to pop the little bubble of worry that Jessie might be moving on from her, she crouched down next to her.

"It's ketchup, baby, not kitchen pup."

"Oh, okay," Jessie said brightly. "We's not had that before?"

"No, Mommy... I mean, I... we didn't have the money for things like that. But you liked it, huh?"

"Yeah, I did. I ateded all my hot dog."

"Well, that's good baby. Did you play lots as well?"

"Yeah, played with Axe and Kate and Indi and Julia and Thomas and... some boy," Jessie frowned.

"Wow, that's so many people."

"Yeah, lots of people here."

"There was."

"And we gots presents."

"You did?" Beca mused, knowing there had been a few presents bought for the girls. As she'd been avoiding small talk with people, she'd missed out on seeing what the girls had been given. "What is your favourite thing?"

"You, Mommy."

"I meant what gift was your favourite." Beca laughed, but was overjoyed with Jessie's response anyway.

"Oh. Um, I dunno." Jessie shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm sure it was all great."

"Mama Chloe said we could go swimming later if you come too. Me and Kate and Axe."

"I don't want to swim baby but I'll watch you in the pool."

"Yeah, okay."

"Do you need help getting changed?"

"No, I gots it."

"Come on then, let's go and join the others." Beca said, standing back upright and letting herself be tugged towards the patio doors by the impatient redhead.

"Beca?" Chloe called out as Beca came down the deck steps. She patted the seat next to her as a definite invitation to join them.

"Yeah, two minutes," Beca held two fingers up to confirm. She looked around for any stray glasses that could delay her joining the large group of people that had formed a circle with chairs. Reluctantly, she realised she had no further excuses to delay so, after checking that Jessie was back playing in the sand pit with Alex and Kate, she made her way over towards Chloe.

She noticed that more people had arrived since she'd been inside and was trying to work out who everyone was.

"Becs, you okay?" Chloe whispered as Beca took a seat next to her.

Beca didn't know how, but she could feel the happiness radiating off of Chloe, even as she looked at her with a flicker of apprehension. It didn't take a genius to work out that Chloe loved being surrounded by people she cared about but Beca recognised that Chloe was concerned about her.

"Yeah, I'm good. Was just clearing up," She answered as she took the beer that Chloe held out to her. She wasn't surprised that one of Chloe's fingers trailed over her hand as she let go of the bottle.

"I told you that you didn't need to do that."

"I know," Beca took a swig of her beer in an effort to not continue the conversation.

"Let me introduce you to everyone you haven't met properly," Chloe announced loudly as she noticed Beca shutting down in front of her a little. She clapped her hands together a couple of times to get everyone's attention. The group stilled as she began speaking again. "You've met Aubrey, Emily and Stacie."

Beca nodded towards them, noting Emily's enthusiasm hadn't wavered in the last couple of hours as the girl looked ready to pop sitting on one of the benches with a girl who did not share the same vivaciousness and was side eyeing her strangely from under a very neat set of bangs.

"Next to Stacie is Cynthia Rose. She's in college with Stacie but is working on theoretical music."

"Yeah, I chatted with her early. She seems really cool." Beca side whispered, awkwardly. She liked the look of Cynthia Rose, the girl smiled broadly before she briefly let her eyes drop to Stacie's cleavage as Stacie leant backward on the chair to shake her hair out a little.

"Then next to Emily is Lilly. She works with me at the studio," Chloe explained, dropping her voice and subtly continuing. "She's weird but you get used to her."

"Noted," Beca mused, in the same low tone.

"Then," Chloe continued in a normal voice. "Next to Luke is Flo who also works with me and helps me look less like a beast when filming. She's in charge of my hair and make-up and I just love her."

"Hi." Beca nodded again.

"Then there's Tom and his wife Rita and Aubrey's bench buddies are Meryl and her husband Don."

"It's nice to meet you all," Beca said formally before she retook her seat and reached down to pick up her beer. The group burst out laughing which made her jump. "What?"

"Told you, she has no clue who is famous and who isn't!" Luke belly laughed as he shot a not so subtle look towards Aubrey.

"What did I miss?" Beca asked, her forehead creasing in confusion. She looked to Chloe for confirmation, a move that didn't go unnoticed by Luke.

"Nothing," Chloe smiled as one of the group stood up and held out his hand for his wife to join him. She turned slightly as the man came up to Beca's side.

"Hi, I'm Tom," He said and held his hand out to Beca., who stood up to greet him.

Beca glanced over to Chloe for a brief second before taking Tom's hand. He pulled her hand towards him, bending at the waist a little and kissing her hand gently.

"Um, Beca," She looked as awkward as she felt.

"And this is my wife, and my much, much, much better half, Rita," Tom continued, taking half a step back and circling a hand around his wife's back.

"It's really nice to meet you both," Beca nodded stiffly as she shook Rita's hand.

"And you," Rita smiled politely.

"Um, how do you know Chloe?" Beca asked, feeling she should say something.

"We're working together at the studio," Tom explained, sending a quick wink in Chloe's direction.

"Oh, right," Beca nodded. "Are you behind the scenes? Um, like in the production or... I don't know much about filming stuff, sorry."

"That's okay," Tom spoke politely, his voice warm and friendly. "I just play a small part in Chloe's new movie. Only a small part."

He pinched his fingers together to emphasise his point as Beca became acutely aware that Amy was laughing her head off in the background. She was mouthing something and gesturing towards Tom but before Beca could figure out what she was doing, Chloe was leaning forward and all Beca knew about was how close Chloe was to her ear and how warm her hand on her arm was as she half turned her away as Tom and Rita snuck away back to their drinks.

"He's the male lead in my new movie," Chloe whispered.

"Lead?" Beca hissed back. "That's like the top guy, right?"

"Yeah."

"He's famous too?"

"He's Tom... as in Tom Hanks."

"The fuck?" Beca glared at Chloe. "Even I've heard of him."

"I did say a couple of friends from the studio were coming."

"Yeah, but I thought you meant your assistants or something."

"We try to keep things pretty informal."

"But he's like famous," Beca blanched, trying to ignore the amused twist to Chloe's mouth.

"It's okay. He's really cool. His son is into music too, although he's... not quite in the same league as you."

"Oh God..." Beca breathed out hard.

"Okay, so maybe now might not be the best time to explain that Meryl is actually... Meryl Streep. I think you mentioned you'd watched The Devil Wears Prada?"

"Yeah, cos Luke said some British woman was in it and I dunno, he was having some Brit solidarity thing happening."

"Well, Meryl played Miranda Priestly."

"The fuck she did," Beca did a double take towards Meryl who was laughing over something Aubrey had just said. "Doesn't look like that battleaxe woman."

"It's all smoke and mirrors Beca, makeup and camera angles."

"Jesse always wanted to educate me in movies, perhaps you should so I don't embarrass myself anymore."

"I'd love that! Now seriously, Luke explained that you don't watch television so no one is going to take any notice if you don't recognise them. Honestly, it's actually really nice when people just treat you like a normal person. Just talk to them, like you talk to me."

"Nu huh." Beca shook her head violently. "I'm going up to that place in your closet you said I could escape to."

"Beca?"

"Or actually, I'm going to go and get the kids changed for swimming and I'll be over there," Beca said, thrusting her thumb in the direction of the pool. "And I'll be avoiding any conversations with people I don't recognise."

"Beca!"

.oOo.

A/N - Part three will be up in a couple of days. Until then...`