A/N - Happy Monday one and all!

Huge thanks, as always, to my beta for their help, patience and support :)

Have a great week everyone!

.oOo. Thirty Three .oOo.

"Aubrey's here," Chloe announced brightly, looking more like herself as she opened the front door, as soon as Beca arrived home with their daughters.

"Oh," Beca looked over Chloe's shoulder.

"Did you have a good time?" Chloe asked happily. She paused as she noted one of the girls was missing. With a puzzled look, she asked, "Where's Kate?"

"I sold her to a travelling circus that has just rolled into town. Got a hundred bucks for her," Beca deadpanned as she handed over the picnic basket to Chloe, and Jessie pushed past her to run into the house.

"Katie is asleep in da car Mommy! Mommy Beca didn't solded her!" Alex laughed, looking up at Beca like she put all the stars in the night sky.

"I'll just grab her," Beca said, laying her hand on Alex's shoulder. "Then I'll be out of your way."

"Oh? You've got something else... you're busy now?" Chloe asked, slightly confused.

Beca shrugged, turning back to Chloe. "Your friend is here."

"So? You don't have to go just because Aubrey is here," Chloe replied hopefully.

Beca chuckled to herself, thinking she didn't really want to be in the same room as Aubrey, thank you very much.

"No, it's cool. I don't want to get in the way." She said as tried to cover the twist to her mouth.

"Beca, you aren't in the way," Chloe cocked her head to one side as she spoke, reaching out a hand towards Beca, but withdrawing at the last second. "It would be nice if you two got along, you know?"

Beca resisted the urge to roll her eyes but nodded along, despite her misgivings.

"Yeah, okay."

"Thank you," Chloe leaned forward, ignored the half step back that Beca took, and kissed her cheek. "I'll get Kate out of the car, if you want to take Alex inside."

"Yeah... yeah, sure," Beca nodded, ignoring the tingle on her cheek as she, still holding onto Alex's shoulder, steered her towards the front door, taking the picnic basket back from Chloe who passed by to get to the car.. "Come on Alex, let's get you inside for a drink."

Beca and Alex walked into the kitchen where Jessie was busy twirling by the window. Alex ran over to join her as soon as Beca dropped her hand and began to unpack the basket.

"Here we go!" Chloe beamed as she walked into the kitchen a few seconds later, carrying Kate on her hip.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Beca asked Kate, leaning over and giving a quick kiss on her cheek. Kate nodded sleepily and yawned about as wide as anyone could.

Chloe set Kate down on the floor and was about to say something to Beca when her phone began to ring in her pocket. Pulling it out, she grunted when she saw who was calling.

"Sorry, I'll be just a minute with this. Would you mind setting the kids up with a movie or something in their playroom?" Chloe paused, her voice taking on a more hopeful tenor as she asked, "And then perhaps go on through to the lounge, and make yourself at home."

Beca blanched, thinking that she didn't have a clue on how to make herself at home, considering she'd never had a place like knew Chloe didn't see the large house as anything other than her home, but to Beca, it was like a five star resort. She entered the living room, and flinched a little to see Aubrey sitting there. The blonde was leaning back, ever so slightly, against the couch cushions. To Beca, it was like Aubrey was in a yoga pose, with her knees crossed, and hands laying neatly over the top.

Not wanting to disturb the blonde for a couple of reasons, Beca ushered the girls into the playroom and switched on the television.

"Do you guys want anything in particular?" She asked, watching the girls clamber onto the comfortable chairs and settle back against the soft cushions. "How about One Hundred and One Dalmatians?"

"Yes please!" Jessie clapped her little hands together as Beca reached for the DVD case. She was sure they'd probably only watched it a couple of days ago, but if it kept them quiet for a little while, she was all for it.

"Okay, I'm just going to be next door so I'll see you in a bit, okay..." Beca smiled, but there was no answer as the opening sequence had already claimed their attention. She turned to leave the playroom, wishing she could stay, but she knew Chloe wanted her to speak to her friend.

"Hi," she said simply, taking in Aubrey's outfit of pressed linen slacks, ruffled blouse and a tailored jacket. Beca wondered if she owned anything other than formal clothes.

"Hello."

"Chloe's just gone to take a call," Beca waved vaguely towards the kitchen and patio.

"I'm glad to have the opportunity to speak with you privately, Rebeca," Aubrey brushed a crumb of fluff off from her slacks.

"It's just Beca."

"Oh, yes, quite... Chloe informed me you prefer a nickname."

"Not a nickname, it's just my name. Rebeca is too formal," Beca said, wondering if Aubrey would pick up on her tidbit of snark.

"Hmmm."

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Beca asked, as she took the furthest possible seat away from Aubrey.

"I hear Chloe offered to let you stay in the pool house," Aubrey remarked, coming straight to the point.

"She did, yes," Beca confirmed. "And I told her it was a bad idea."

"Why, may I ask?" Aubrey asked, leaning in towards Beca, giving the brunette her sole focus.

"Why, what?" Beca was truly perplexed by the question. She felt the answer was pretty self evident.

"Why do you think it's not a good idea?" Aubrey clarified her question.

"You actually want to ask me that?" Beca grew defensive.

Aubrey could see Beca was being triggered, so clarified, "I'm just trying to make conversation."

"I know you have Chloe's best interests at heart and that's great, but we don't have to do this," Beca indicated between the two of them.

Now it was Aubrey who was perplexed. "Do what Beca?"

"I'm not here to get anything out of Chloe, I'm not in a position to ask anything from her and I don't understand why you think I am," Beca answered defensively.

"If I've given you the wrong impression of me, then I sincerely apologise," Aubrey said formally. "Chloe is my best friend and a good person. Throughout this whole debacle, you've only seen one side of her and you most certainly have not seen the best of her."

"No, I understand. Like people haven't seen the best of me, yet I'm still being judged on something that wasn't my fault."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, it's nothing. Forget it."

"Beca, I'd like to get to know you a little better, for Chloe and the children's sake," Aubrey continued, after scrutinising Beca a little. "You are part of their lives now. How it came to be is irrelevant but I feel-."

Beca cut in, "-It's not irrelevant though, is it?"

"Hmmm, that was a wrong choice of word, I apologise," Aubrey said sincerely. "This was not how she wanted the conversation to go. She tried to change tact. "Whatever the circumstances surrounding you and Chloe coming together are, nothing will change the fact that you are now part of each other's lives. And whatever happens in the future, you will still be connected. You have raised a wonderful little girl and she's an absolute credit to you. And you should be proud. I have been apprised of the facts of your upbringing and that says even more about how delightful and capable Jessie is."

"Thank you," Beca warily accepted the compliment.

"And Alex has taken to you quicker than anyone I've ever known. She's a shy little girl, likes her own company and would often play on her own and here she is, just a few weeks later and she's saving things to show you, she wants to hold your hand and you are all she talks about. She is always quite bashful around me and I can barely get her to say more than a couple of words but she's quite enamoured with you."

"Is that a problem?" Beca said, defensively.

"No, of course not."

Unconvinced, Beca pressed, "Has Chloe said something about it?"

"No, she hasn't. All I know is that she is really happy the girls love you as much as they do," Aubrey's clipped tone was starting to grate on Beca. "I do think, however, that you should reconsider your thoughts on the pool house. You'd be closer to the children and whilst, I agree, it might not be a long term solution for you, it would help you both out for now. Chloe isn't well at the moment and-"

"-What's wrong with her?" Beca interrupted, suddenly very worried about the redhead.

"Excuse me?" Aubrey asked l, surprised by Beca's interruption.

"You said she isn't well?"

"She isn't, at the moment. I know it doesn't compare to what you are going through, which is why she probably hasn't said anything to you."

"Are you able to tell me?" Beca asked softly.

Aubrey looked at her for the longest moment.

"David leaving has been hard on her. Very hard. They married young, moved away from their families so it was just the two of them for so long, then the struggle to get pregnant and as you clearly know, the accident. David was such a happy go lucky guy, and then overnight, the husband she loved changed into... well, a sort of monster."

"She's told me some of it," Beca mumbled, a bit uncomfortable with talking about Chloe's life behind the redhead's back.

"That's good," Aubrey said, like a teacher would, whose student had given a correct answer. She continued, "I am sure it's not all of it as I don't think even I know all of it."

"I can't understand why someone would do that to her," Beca said in all honesty.

"Believe me when I say that people have been hard on her, her whole life," Aubrey explained, again very much like a teacher. "The Chloe you see and know now is very different to the one that was around a few years ago."

Aubrey paused to carefully consider her words.

"Being a successful actress has afforded Chloe the ability to build a bubble around her life. This has served to help protect her from many who look to get something from her, or just want to be close to a celebrity. The downside of this is she's become so unaware of the realities of life." Aubrey fixed Beca with a look. "That's why you are so good for her."

"Me?" Beca jerked her head up; she definitely wasn't expecting the blonde to say that.

"Yes," Aubrey said with a nod, ignoring the brunette's incredulity. "She changed after meeting you and is starting to look and sound like herself again."

"Really?" Beca asked, skeptical of what she was hearing. With a shrug she observed, "I thought she seemed okay."

With a sigh and a shake of her head no, Aubrey explained, "David and Chloe are getting a divorce and she's struggling with it. She knows it was all over a few years ago but despite her giving David absolutely everything she could, he still sought comfort elsewhere. No amount of fame, money or help could stop it and she has to live with that. She's a really good person and I hope you give her a chance to show you what a wonderful person she is. I know how she probably comes across but while you can't help her upbringing, she can't help hers either."

Beca nodded along, understanding Aubrey's attempt at helping her get to know Chloe a little more.

"So, maybe just consider her offer of the pool house, it's as much to help her, as it is to help you," Aubrey continued. "It might certainly help her sleep at night."

Beca looked over to Aubrey quizzically.

"Is she worried about being in this big house by herself?" Beca asked.

"No, not in the sense you are thinking of. There are alarms and there are security patrols around the area. The house is also very secure."

Truly intrigued, the petite brunette asked, "Then what causes her to not sleep?"

"You," Aubrey said simply.

Beca was totally not expecting the clipped response of the blonde. Her response came out a bit higher pitched than she would have wanted. "Me? What did I do wrong now?"

"No, it's not that. She worries about you, all the time. Every conversation we have, you are now the main subject."

"That's not... I don't know why."

"She cares for you Beca," Aubrey explained gently.

"I don't need rescuing," said Beca, her guard coming up again.

"I'm not saying you do. You seem perfectly capable of looking after yourself," Aubrey smiled for the first time.

Beca knew there was more to what Aubrey was saying but she didn't really understand what it was all about. She sat back against the cushions and studied her hands for a little while, unsure of what to do and say next. She kept remembering people saying how nice Aubrey was when you got to know her, but she still couldn't see it.

"Um, so Aubrey, you are a designer, right?" She asked, in an attempt to break the tension in the room.

"Yes, I work for Kingston Interiors."

"Do you like it?"

"I do, very much," Aubrey answered with a smile. Something in her features actually seemed to lighten as the blonde continued, "There's something restorative and pleasing about transforming a space, or even just a piece of furniture, and to have a client fall in love with their home again."

This actually surprised Beca, and she was actually quite curious as she said, "I guess I always thought it was painting walls and hanging drapes."

Aubrey laughed kindly at Beca's words.

"A lot of people think like that, which is fine! It is probably the same people who think you would, perhaps, sit down at a piano and two minutes later, there's a fully loaded track ready for market."

"That's the truth!" Beca grinned. "So much more behind the scenes."

"Exactly. It's the same for me. The client may pick an item of furniture, for example..." Aubrey looked around the room, her eyes falling to the large wingback chair in the corner of the room, besides the bookcase. "... take Chloe's reading chair, I had it restored for her a few years ago... well, that chair is the focus of the room. Notice the red piping around the arms?"

"Yes."

"Now do you notice the red piping around the lampshade, and drapes, and cushion covers?"

"Oh... yes. I didn't before, but I do now." And she did, as she looked about the room.

"Once you see it, like you do with a set of notes, how a subtle hint can draw a room together without being ostentatious. It would, similar to you, be noticed if it wasn't there. Like an underlying base beat on a dance track."

Beca nodded along appreciatively.

With a cheeky grin, Beca joked, "Once I get my mansion, I'll be sure to call on your services."

"And it would be my pleasure to help you. I am sure, if you decided to move into the pool house, and wanted to give it a mini makeover and make it your own, Chloe wouldn't mind."

"It just feels a bit weird," Beca replied, feeling much more comfortable than earlier in their conversation.

Aubrey arched her right eyebrow as she asked, "Why, may I ask?"

"No one has..." Beca took a deep breath, and changed her answer, "I've always done everything by myself. Chloe said no rent and that just feels wrong."

"Then you could pay her rent," Aubrey smiled. "She'd appreciate the company but while she does love to be around people, she does respect privacy."

"Not always," Beca said bluntly.

This elicited a chuckle from the blonde. "No, you are quite right. I know she can push a little, when it's not needed. She gets scared, like the rest of us do."

"She's probably told you that I'm back living in my car."

"No, actually, she didn't tell me that."

This actually caught Beca by surprise.

"That's the reason why she suggested that I move into the pool house."

This caused Aubrey to chuckle. When she noticed the look Beca was giving her, she admitted, "Actually , she had the idea a few weeks ago. I was the one who jokingly suggested it, and she was all for asking you then."

"Why didn't she?" Beca asked, confused at this new bit of information.

"My earlier comment still stands," Aubrey answered politely. "She can respect privacy. She'll only push too much when she's scared."

"I get it. I thought it was because she felt guilty," Beca nodded; the spat between them both the day before making more sense.

"The best thing to do is-"

"-Sorry ladies!" Chloe interrupted their conversation. "I didn't think the call would go for so long. Everything okay here?"

"Absolutely fine, Clo," Aubrey answered and Beca gave a subtle thumbs up.

"Are the girls okay?"

"Um, not heard a peep from them," Beca replied, looking towards the playroom room. Chloe crossed the lounge and pulled on the door, and the unmistakable sound of something cartoonish invaded the quiet. Chloe grinned and pulled the door closed.

"I don't know what you did to them this morning, but they are all out for the count!"

.oOo.

The next hour or so was spent with Chloe busying herself in the kitchen, cutting up some fruit to share and making a quick batch of chocolate chip cookies. Beca teased Chloe on the sheer volume of cookie batter she made but she explained that always made extra for Aubrey whenever she visited to take home.

Beca looked at Aubrey and couldn't decide if it was true, as she thought the blonde wouldn't know an additional calorie if it hit her square in the face. The girls were still napping when Aubrey announced she had to leave.

"Please stay for dinner at least," Chloe tried.

Aubrey shook her head no. "I can't stay Chloe, I have a date tonight."

"With-"

"-Yes," Aubrey said quickly, shooting a look across the kitchen island, making Beca feel a little uncomfortable.

"Well, have a great time my dear friend, and call me tomorrow. I want all the gossip," Chloe grinned, turning around to pick up a container full of cookies for Aubrey to take home.

Aubrey slipped off the bar stool with grace and collected her purse from the kitchen counter. She turned to Beca.

"It was a pleasure to spend time with you today Beca. I hope to see you again soon," said Aubrey, somehow combining straight-laced formality with a genuine warm smile.

"Yeah, nice talking to you too," Beca said, awkwardly. She meant what she had said, the past couple of hours hadn't been all bad and she enjoyed hearing their shared stories and telling Aubrey a few things about herself. She was surprised when Aubrey moved towards her and held out her arms, wrapping one around Beca's shoulder for the briefest of seconds. Beca, worried about what to do with herself, couldn't help but notice the contented look that passed across Chloe's face before she schooled her features.

"See you again soon," Aubrey nodded as she made her way out of the kitchen, taking the cookies from Chloe. "I'll see myself out but please give my love to the girls, when they wake up."

"We will," Chloe clapped her hands happily, waving as Aubrey swept out of the room. She waited until she heard the front door close before she turned back to Beca. "Thank you."

"What for?" Beca asked, her voice and face both showing her confusion.

"For making the effort with Aubrey. She likes you." Chloe's smile was soft and warm, just as the tone of her voice.

"How can you tell?" Beca muttered.

"Because Aubrey Posen doesn't just hug anyone, you know?" Chloe laughed, giving a mock salute. "I didn't get one."

"You are so weird, you know that?"

"Yup! And you love me for it..." Chloe giggled.

"Geez, slow down lady, we haven't even been on a date yet. You can't go throwing that word around," Beca teased and watched Chloe sparkle as she spoke. "But, hey, I've got a question. Is Aubrey always so formal?"

"Yes, a little," Chloe leaned down over the island, giving Beca a direct view down her shirt. "Her father was in the military, but I think she's just quite uptight."

Suddenly finding her hands really interesting, Beca asked a question she had been wondering for awhile, "Does she ever wear jeans or sweats?"

"Hmmm, not in the last few years but that's probably because of Bentley."

"Who's Bentley?" Beca asked, scrunching her nose at the name.

"Her ex suitor."

"Boyfriend?" Beca asked.

"Yes, he was in the country club set and there was a period of time where he'd call and she'd have to be ready at a moment's notice."

"For what?"

"To attend a golf tournament with him, or a polo match or lunch at some swanky high brow eatery," Chloe explained.

"He sounds like a right-"

"-No, they were good together. I don't think he ever stoked her fire though."

"Aaaand we're done with this conversation," Beca exclaimed, her face pinking up.

"Okay," Chloe grinned. "You want to discuss your past conquests instead?"

"Absolutely not," Beca blanched, looking horrified. "Besides, there's nothing to tell."

"Oh come on, everyone has a skeleton or two in their closet."

"What about yours then?"

"Mine... I fooled around once or twice in high school, and met David in college so that's about it."

"I don't believe that for one minute. I bet you had a line of desirables lining up to take you out in high school."

"Funnily enough, no. Aspen was my date for my sweet sixteenth."

"Aspen?" asked Beca, intrigued by such a unique name.

"Yeah, parents had a ski lodge and guess where she was conceived," answered Chloe with a light laugh.

"Aspen was a girl?" Beca's voice pitched higher, the surprise quite evident in her follow-up question.

"Yes, and so was Charlie, who was my date to prom," Chloe explained. "There was also a brief fling with Steve. Well, that lasted three months. He was definitely the one that got away. And then, David."

Trying to cover her shock, Beca focused her next question away from Chloe's personal side. "Your high school allowed same sex dates to prom?"

"Not officially no, but as obnoxious teenagers, we didn't care and broke the rules," Chloe grinned. "Who was your date to prom?"

"I didn't go to prom," Beca answered flatly; a small shrug of her shoulders, meant to convey her indifference.

This floored Chloe. Prom had been important part of her high school years. She couldn't not ask, "How come?"

"Because when I say my only real friend in school was Jesse, I meant it."

"He didn't ask you?"

"Oh he did. Several times. In fact, one time he actually begged but we couldn't afford a dress, not even anything basic. So I just didn't go."

"Who did Jesse go with?"

"He didn't go either. We just hung out in the field behind his house and looked at the stars."

"You miss him, don't you?"

"All the time. He was a great guy. You'd have loved him!" Beca said thoughtfully. She noticed Chloe's smile drop and didn't want her feeling sad when they were just being silly about everything. "Who was the best kisser?"

"First kiss was Aspen and that... will... be something I treasure forever. But what do you really know at sixteen? Steve was great, respectful, funny as hell and so handsome. Charlie was a lot of fun, but she was more about wanting to get my clothes off after prom than about anything serious."

"So David was your first real love?"

"David swooped in when I needed him to, although I didn't know it at the time. Honestly, I met his family straight away and they were always as rowdy as when you met them a few days ago. I immediately got caught up with them as well, and it was easier to go through the motions, than be on my own. But my first real love, no, I don't think he can have that title."

"Maybe your next person will be the one?"

"Maybe," Chloe repeated. "Now, your turn!"

"There's nothing to tell."

"I'm sure there is."

"Not really, a few girls I had some fun with in high school but nothing more serious than first base."

"How did you get through high school with no one noticing how amazing you are?" Chloe asked in all sincerity.

"By being pale, awkward and not giving a fuck, I guess. Jesse had a couple of girlfriends but it never lasted. Everyone thought we would end up married but we just didn't feel that way about each other. He might be Alex's dad but as I said to you before, I think that's because he knew to leave a piece of him behind."

Chloe looked thoughtfully towards Beca as she studied her hands at the last part of the conversation, a few more things falling into place. She was surprised, after their brief argument yesterday, that Beca was opening up as much as she was and she really appreciated the effort Beca was putting in. Sensing the shift in the discussion, she decided to change the subject.

"Well, whichever girl captures your heart next, will be lucky to have you. Do you want to go for a swim?" She asked.

"Yeah, okay, I can stick my feet in the pool for a bit. But what about the girls?"

"Ummm..." Chloe looked at her watch. "Stacie will be here in just a couple of minutes. Thought we could spend the afternoon together and if you are up for it, I wondered if you'd let me take you out for dinner tonight."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know I don't, but I want to."

"I was joking before," Beca said with a sardonic laugh.

"About what?" Chloe asked in confusion.

"When I said we haven't been out on a date yet," Beca blushed.

"I know, silly!" Chloe responded with a laugh. "I want to thank you for everything you are doing for the girls."

"You don't need to thank me..." Beca started but stopped when she saw Chloe's face drop. She shook herself a little. "... dinner would be great, but please, nothing too expensive, I don't get paid for another week."

"This is on me."

"I can't-

"-And I won't hear another word about it, okay?"

"But-"

"Nuh huh," Chloe clicked her tongue and turned to clear away the fruit and cookie mess, leaving the tray ready for when the girls woke up.

"I just..."

"Oh, and these are for you."

"What is it?" Beca asked, taking the envelope that Chloe had produced from her back pocket. She dipped her fingers inside and pulled out two smaller pieces of paper. She turned them over and saw there were a couple of checks, made out to her.

"That's the return of the money for the maintenance of Jessie."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. You shouldn't have been paying for it in the first place. I'll place a call to the courts in the morning and arrange to have the payments stopped."

"Well, thank you. I'm..." Beca's eyes bulged at the numbers she was reading. "Whoa, fuck... what's this one for?"

"That... that is our share of the compensation amount that was awarded to us from Flinstone Hospital, where the girls were born. I know you had to use yours to pay off the medical debt that was in your name, but for Jessie's asthma. You didn't come away with much after that and as you said earlier, you are still paying off your court costs."

"I'm not taking this from you," Beca laid down the check for one hundred thousand dollars and slid it back across the island towards Chloe. "No way."

"I want you to have it," pleaded Chloe.

"I don't want it," Beca argued stubbornly. "My share paid off my debt, that's all I care about."

"You've given up every last penny for Jessie. It's time you were paid back for that."

"I can't... I don't have... you've spent more on Alex than I ever did on Jessie. I can't pay you back for that."

"I'm not asking you to."

"And I cannot accept this check."

"Beca... look," Chloe walked over to Beca and took a seat next to her, scooping up one of her hands into her own. "You saved my life the day the girls were born. You saved their lives too. No one ever thanked you properly."

"It's not worth one hundred thousand dollars."

"No, it's worth so much more."

"I'm not taking this from you."

"Okay, okay..." Chloe said, picking up the check and looking at it. Beca felt her nose prickle.

"I appreciate what you are trying to do, honestly. And thank you, really."

"It's all right," Chloe said a little stiffly as she folded the check and slipped it into the back pocket of her jeans.

Suddenly Beca felt her conviction faltering. She didn't like how this was playing out. "I don't want to offend you."

"You haven't, at all," Chloe breathed out. "But you will have to let me take you to a nice restaurant tonight to say thank you."

"All right, okay, you win!" Beca laughed. "But, wait, what about your lines?"

"I did a read through with Aubrey earlier."

"Is that enough?" Beca asked, real concern in her voice.

"It will have to be," Chloe responded with a shrug.

"I can help you," Beca offered, hoping Chloe would accept this olive branch.

"Really?" Chloe asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I mean, if it will help."

"Of course it will. Thank you Beca."

"Yeah, no sweat."

.oOo.

Half an hour later saw Stacie stationed in the lounge with a trashy, gossip magazine and a plate of Chloe's cookies. The girls had stirred from their nap and Stacie had loved hearing about their adventures in the park that morning, promising Beca that she would do the collage with them. Beca had set the girls a challenge and whoever did the best one would get a prize.

There had been a flurry of activity as glue sticks and bits of card were being hurried from the playroom to the lounge where Chloe had spread out the plastic backed playmat for them to do their art work on. Beca had unceremoniously dumped a pile of twigs, leaves and other treasures in the middle of them all before grinning at Stacie and hurrying to the laundry room to get changed into her bikini.

Chloe had pulled out two of the pool float's from the pool house and was currently hovering by the pool waiting for Beca to come out and join her. She picked up a few petals from the pathway and began to deadhead a few wilting flowers, wondering whether she should call the gardeners and ask them to make a special trip as the backyard looked like it needed a little care. She was deep in thought by the time Beca joined her.

"Hey, you okay? You look miles away," Beca asked, reaching up to tie her hair into a messy bun.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm good. I was just thinking," Chloe replied, trying not to notice the pale skin on Beca's neck as she gathered her hair up.

"It's too hot for thinking."

"Says you, still wearing your shirt!"

"The world is not ready for my paleness yet."

"There's nothing wrong with you," Chloe said kindly.

"Huh, where do I start?"

"Well, I think you are perfect," Chloe hitched a little as she realised she was getting a little carried away. "What say we read these lines in the pool?"

"I'd love to, but I can't swim."

"I thought we could relax on the pool floats while we talk."

"Not sure how I'm going to get on it."

"I'll hold it steady by the side of the pool, and you can just... well, just sort of roll onto it."

"That sounds like the sort of thing Amy would tell me to do. But she'd pull it away at the last minute and I'd fall in."

"I won't be doing that," Chloe said earnestly.

"Hmmm."

"Honestly."

"Okay then."

Chloe slipped into the water, and swam over to one of the pool floats, grabbing it with one hand and pulling it to the edge of the pool and began to tread water as she held the air mattress in place.

"Probably should have done this in the shallow end," Beca said as she shuffled along the edge of the pool, stripping off her tee shirt as she did so. She balled it up, and tossed onto the nearest sunbed.

"You'll be okay," Chloe said softly. "I've got you."

Beca sat on the edge of the pool, reaching out for the side of the pool float.

"That won't help. Lay down on the edge, and just roll onto it."

"You sure?" Beca asked, laying down at the same time. She pushed herself off of the edge of the roll and neatly rolled onto the pool float, just as Chloe said she would. "Hey, thanks."

"You're welcome. Wriggle around until you're comfortable and then I'll let go," Chloe nodded and Beca did as she was told, shifting until she was on her back. She adjusted her bikini top a little, pulled her sunglasses down and gave Chloe a thumbs up.

Chloe gave Beca a grin, let go of the pool float, and swam back towards the steps of the pool, collecting the sunscreen in one hand and a copy of the script in another. She half waded, half jumped on her way back until her feet couldn't touch the bottom of the pool and then called out to Beca.

"Catch!"

Beca neatly caught the bottle of sunscreen as it came hurtling towards her, grinned towards Chloe and popped the cap. She had just finished smoothing it over her skin when Chloe's pool float bumped into hers. She tried not to let it show just how much it freaked her out as Chloe fidgeted around until she was comfortable. She laid back for a few moments, letting the sun warm her skin for a second or two.

"You can start from page eight, when you are ready."

"What's your character's name in this thing?" Beca asked, flicking to the page.

"Marissa. I'm the daughter of Olivia and Drake, played by Meryl and Tom."

"What's the story about?"

"It's set in the future, think two hundred years ahead. Loads of aliens have taken over the planet and a group of renegade fighters have to save it. It shows them going through the training school, all the way to the big scene at the end. I play one of the three leaders of the group. There's currently two endings for it, so I'm not sure if my character survives."

"How come?"

"It's quite common for two endings to be shot. Sometimes it's so the studios have the power and the ending or twist can't be leaked and sometimes it's because the writers don't know which one will work best."

"Makes sense," Beca nodded along.

"There'll be lots of action scenes and I've got to do some more martial arts training. Don't be surprised if you see me covered in bruises for a few weeks."

Beca laughed.

"You think it's silly?" Chloe asked.

"No, actually, I think it sounds pretty good. I mean, my experience with movies and television is pretty bad, but if I was going to watch something, it wouldn't be romance or anything too, I dunno, girly. So, yeah, I'd watch it."

"Well, in that case, I'll bring you with me to the premier next year!"

"That's the second date you've offered me today!" Beca laughed. "Lucky me!"

Chloe laughed airly, trying not to show that she was loving this playful side of Beca. She was about to hit back with what she thought was a low key flirty comment when a small brown bird flew down from the tree to the back of the pool area, flying low over the water and towards Beca, who jumped violently as the bird skimmed right over the top of her head.

Chloe foresaw what was about to happen but there was nothing she could do as Beca's pool float began to tip over as Beca had jerked back so violently. They locked eyes but before Chloe could even react, Beca was half way into the water and going under, head first, at an alarmingly fast rate.

"Fuck!" Chloe yelled, as she scrambled to get up and off her own pool float, ungainly entering the water a second after Beca.

She straightened up as soon as she was in the water, twisting her body around. Chloe swam quickly towards her and ducked under the water, seeing Beca slowly sinking towards the bottom. Reaching down she managed to grab hold of Beca's arm and tried to pull her towards herself. Realising that she didn't have the strength to pull her up, she lifted her head out of the water, took a huge breath and dived down as best she could and grabbed Beca around her waist, kicking hard with her legs on the bottom of the pool. Breaking the surface, Chloe reached around Beca to get a better hold of her, grabbing a handful of her left breast instead of her arm, as Beca's head cleared the water.

"I got you, it's okay, I got you," Chloe urged as Beca took a huge breath in. She had only been under the water for about fifteen seconds, but it felt like a lifetime to her.

Chloe pushed Beca to the side of the pool, and made sure her hands were on the sides before she let go of her grip on her arm and chest. Beca coughed a couple of times for good measure before taking a few deep breaths.

"Are you okay?"

Beca nodded her response, as Chloe swam behind her and slotted her arms underneath Beca's to hold her higher out of the water.

"You sure?"

"Yeah..." Beca breathed out, coughing once more.

"Let's get you out of the water," Chloe said, beginning to hand walk them along the edge of the pool. They weren't too far from the shallow end at this point. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have made you get on a pool float."

"It's okay," Beca answered between coughs.

"Here, grab the stair railing."

"I got it, thanks," Beca whispered.

"Can you touch the steps with your feet?"

Feeling the metal of the ladder, Beca nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay."

Beca began to climb out of the pool and Chloe resisted the urge to give her a shove to get her moving quickly. She knew she'd already grabbed more of Beca than she should that afternoon.

Beca climbed up the last step and flopped onto one of the chairs at the top and Chloe followed closely behind. She grabbed a towel from the pile she'd brought out earlier from the pool house and shook it out, before laying it around Beca's shoulders.

"Sit here for a minute, you're okay."

"Sure," Beca answered with a nod. She relished the feel of the towel, as she began to shiver as the adrenaline of the moment effected her.

Still concerned for the petite woman, Chloe said, "I'll just go and get Stacie real quick, she's a qualified lifeguard and I'll get her to give you the once over."

Beca nodded her response but as Chloe took off towards the house, she called out to her.

"Hey Chloe, if you wanted to touch my boob that badly, you only had to ask!"

.oOo.