A/N - I know, I know... I know! It's been over three months and I'm sorry! In my defence, I've moved house (and countries), changed jobs, sorted my life (health problems) out and had my wonderful mum move in with me as my dad has had to go into a care home and it's been wonderfully chaotic!

Anyway, enough of that... here's the next chapter, and, as always, a huge shoutout to my Beta for giving this the read through all those months ago.

Best wishes to you all xxx

.oOo. Chapter Forty Nine .oOo.

"Surprise!"

Jumping backwards in surprise, Beca looked at Chloe in complete shock. She hadn't been expecting that when she looked out into the corridor. She still had her hand on the door handle as she uncharacteristically squealed in delayed surprise.

"Luke! What are you doing here?" Beca asked again, unable to move from her position.

"Are you going to let them in?" Chloe laughed at the look on Beca's face.

"You knew about this?" Beca's eyes shot to Chloe for confirmation.

"It was her idea," Luke said, stepping through the partially open door. He was closely followed by Aubrey, clutching her purse tightly to her side. Beca found it weird that Aubrey was still on edge around her and wondered briefly if she could use that to her advantage some time. "Happy Christmas Beca!"

"Happy Christmas! Oh My God!" Beca cried out, reaching up to hug Luke, patting him on the back a couple of times instead of their usual fist bump. He stepped aside to wrap his arms around Chloe as Aubrey awkwardly stood in front of Beca. "Happy Christmas Aubrey."

"Merry Christmas Beca," Aubrey tentatively held out her hands towards Beca. They embraced briefly but it was friendly and warm. Aubrey pushed past Beca as she shut the door and Chloe squealed with happiness as the two friends hugged, rocking slightly as it went on for longer than necessary.

"Dude," Beca lightly punched Luke on the arm as she walked up to him.

"I know. Hardest secret I've had to keep." He smiled down at her, before looking around the room. "I had to keep walking away from you when Chloe and I were planning all of this so you didn't overhear anything."

"Oh!" Beca squeaked, remembering all the calls that Luke would take elsewhere. She had thought something was going on but never would have guessed that it was this. She was suddenly looking forward to their break even more. "That explains so much!"

"This is quite posh and fancy. Where are the girls?"

"One's asleep on the sofa and the other two are making a mess in their bedroom," Beca answered, pointing to the Alex shaped lump on the couch. She turned to Chloe. "We really should wake her up soon."

"Yes, we don't want her to miss us setting sail," Chloe turned and knelt down by Alex and started rubbing her back to wake her up.

"So… you and Aubrey. Here," Beca grinned, rocking on her toes a little.

"Chloe thought you might like some company over Christmas," Luke said. "She asked us to come a few weeks ago. I thought it sounded like a great idea and Aubrey agreed straight away to accompany me."

"So, it's really going well then. You two, I mean," Beca questioned, watching Aubrey kneel by Alex as she started to wake up.

"It is," Luke said simply and Beca raised an eyebrow in his direction as the look on his face. "Chloe thought it would be good for us all to spend some time together. Get to know each other better, you know? I know things have been tense with you and Aubrey in the past."

"Not tense, more just we are complete opposites of each other and I dunno, I guess I don't feel we have much in common."

"She doesn't hate you Becs, if that's what you are thinking," Luke said, putting his arm around his friend. "She just doesn't know you all that well."

"Yeah well," Beca rubbed her hands together, in such a way that Luke just knew she was uncomfortable. "I'm really happy you are here."

"Me too. It would be good to spend some time together outside of work."

"I know and the girls are going to love seeing you. Oh, I'll call the girls. Chloe, is Alex awake?"

"She's just coming too." Chloe said, lifting Alex up into her arms. "That sniff of sea air must have knocked her smooth out."

Alex lifted a chubby finger and pointed at Luke, her eyes widening comically a few seconds later when she saw Aubrey a couple of feet away from her.

"Auntie Bee Bee!" She called out, suddenly wide awake. She held out her arms towards Aubrey who scooped her up and held her tightly to her. It was clear to Beca that Aubrey really did love her Goddaughter.

"Look who Santa Claus brought as an early gift!" Beca said happily. Alex gave her such a wide grin in response that it made Beca's heart jump a little. Beca reasoned that if her daughter could love someone so much to produce a smile like that, she could learn to get on with Aubrey too. Turning towards the girl's bedrooms on the left, Beca called out to the twins, "Kate! Jessie! Come and see who Santa Claus brought!"

There were a couple of thumps as two sets of feet landed on the floor and the deep, muffled pitter patter of small toes on an expensive carpet got louder as Kate threw open the door to their room, shrieking in delight when she saw Aubrey. Jessie followed closely behind, jumping into Luke's arms before he even had the chance to say hello.

"My darling!" Luke hugged Jessie tightly to his chest, not caring that his shirt was wrinkling as Jessie threw her arms around him.

"Uncle Luke! I love you!"

"I love you as well, sweet girl!" Luke kissed Jessie's cheek, before setting her down on the thick carpet. He sank to his knees and embraced Kate, as Alex pulled away from Aubrey to join in the hug.

"Why are dey here?" Kate asked Beca happily.

"Mama thought you might like some company on your vacation, so Uncle Luke and Auntie Bree said they would come too," Beca explained.

"I hope that is all right Beca," Aubrey said quietly.

"Of course it is dude," Beca nodded, suddenly feeling weird calling Aubrey 'dude'. "But wait a second?"

"What is it, Bec?" Chloe looked across to Beca, a little worried.

"The random Australian isn't going to make a sudden appearance from a wardrobe or something, is she? Tell me I get to relax on this cruise and not be chaperoning Amy everywhere!"

Laughing, Chloe shook her head. "No, she's not joining us."

"Phew!" Beca made a big show of mock wiping her forehead, making the girls giggle.

"Shall we have some champagne?" Chloe asked and Luke immediately reached for the bottle to open it for them all. He wiped the watery ice from the bottle on one of the napkins on the table.

"Great idea," He said, unwrapping the wire cage and foil from the cork. "Can you grab the glasses Beca?"

Beca reached out and picked up the glasses, holding them out for Luke to pour into when he was ready. He popped the cork on the champagne to the soft cheer from everyone that always came when someone opened a bottle of bubbles. He quickly filled the glasses and handed one to Chloe and Aubrey.

"No booze for you three." He joked with the girls as they sat on the sofa giggling about something else that they found funny.

"Here's to us," Aubrey said, holding out her glass in the middle of the foursome. "Merry Christmas to us all and to fresh beginnings."

"Cheers," Luke said, clinking her glass.

"Happy Christmas." Chloe said, not taking her eyes off of Beca who smiled back.

"Is there a plan for this evening?" Beca asked as she sipped her champagne. It wasn't her favourite drink of choice and was already planning on tipping most of her glass into Chloe's when she knew she could get away with it.

"We have a dinner reservation at La Mer at seven. I thought we could order a pizza for the girls, bath and get them ready for bed for six, it wouldn't hurt for them to have an early night, especially with Alex feeling a bit under the weather. The sitter is coming about then. Then we could get ready, head down to the bar for some drinks and have dinner. Then come back here, order some more drinks if we feel like it and sit out on the balcony."

"Sounds perfect." Beca nodded along. "What's La Mer?"

"It's the French restaurant, the one Jimmy talked about earlier."

"Ah, un choix de champions," Luke smiled, raising his glass a little.

"The what now?" Beca asked.

"The choice of champions."

"You speak French?" Beca raised an eyebrow at Luke.

"Un petit peu. That means a little."

"I didn't know that."

"I lived in France for eighteen months when I was seven so I picked up the odd word or two, a couple of phrases, nothing more."

"You're fluent, aren't you?" Beca quietly asked. Luke shrugged his shoulders, a sly grin appearing as he raised his glass to his mouth.

.oOo.

Dinner was a convoluted affair.

There were seventeen courses to get through which almost had Beca worried until she saw the size of the first plate that was laid out in front of her. She was subtly trying to copy what Chloe was doing, her lack of formal dinner etiquette bothering her. Chloe quickly picked up on this, so began overexaggerating her movements so Beca could see what she was doing. The redhead wished Beca didn't fret so much, it was only her and their best friends and none of them would have cared if she'd picked up the food with her fingers!

A lightly spiced fruit cocktail was placed in front of them as they'd taken their seats, along with four small dishes containing olives, peanuts, tiny cubes of cheese and thinly sliced tomato.

The second course arrived, consisting of two bite size canapes. The small menu card on the table was in French and Luke picked it up and in his best fake French accent read out quietly that this was a salmon mousse on pumpernickel bread and a small savoury pancake filled with ham, cheese and mushroom.

"Try the salmon first," Chloe whispered as Beca took a moment to admire the presentation of the appetisers. She was impressed that something so small could look so good. As Chloe reached for her water glass, she let her pinky finger trail over Beca's hand, sending a jolt through Beca.

It was the same feeling Beca had when Chloe had asked her to help zip up her dress for dinner an hour earlier. They'd showered quickly in the master ensuite, with Chloe going first, announcing she was done as she stepped back into their shared bedroom wearing a towel that didn't leave much to the imagination. Beca couldn't help sneak a glance at Chloe's toned legs as she shut the bathroom door behind her, setting the shower at a slightly lower temperature to keep her mind from wandering too much.

Drying her hair in the bathroom, noting that Chloe hadn't washed hers so wouldn't need to use the drier, Beca decided to keep her hair loose around her shoulders, applying a little product to enhance the waves. She dressed in her underwear, wishing she'd brought her dress into the bathroom with her as she applied her makeup quickly, slipping on one of the bathroom robes she'd taken in with her.

She'd come back into the bedroom to find Chloe putting on mascara in the bedroom mirror. Beca's breath caught in her throat a little as Chloe had turned and smiled at her. She had a dreamy look about her, happy and relaxed.

"Zip me up?" Chloe asked, replacing the wand back in the mascara bottle and tossing it into her make up bag.

"Sure," Beca nodded, crossing the room quickly. Chloe's dress was a deep blue with a shimmer to the thread which caught the light. Beca thought it was quite appropriate that the light made the dress shine almost as much as Chloe. Chloe had a matching shawl wrapped loosely around her shoulders.

"Thanks," Chloe said when Beca had finished. "You smell nice."

"Just shampoo," Beca shrugged; she didn't own perfume.

"Well, it smells good," Chloe said and Beca shyly smiled. She didn't want to assume that she was picking up a slightly playful flirty side to Chloe, in case she was wrong. "What are you wearing tonight?"

"I thought I'd wear the black Armani dress you leant me."

"Ooh, yes, good choice. If you need help with the zipper, let me know," Chloe smiled, turning to the bathroom to wash her hands. Beca watched her walk, the heels making her legs look even better as she moved around the bed.

Dressing quickly, Beca managed the zip by herself and was just finishing putting on her shoes when Chloe stepped back into the room. She'd purposefully taken a little extra time in the bathroom to allow Beca some space to dress. Chloe wanted to respect Beca's shyness when it came to changing in front of her.

Standing up, Beca teased her hair a couple of times and announced she was ready.

"You look beautiful. Really beautiful," Chloe breathed out and Beca looked down at herself, shrugging her shoulders. "You do, Beca."

"I mean, it's not jeans and Chucks but I think that's a bit over-."

"-Let people tell you once in a while."

"I'm trying Chloe," Beca smiled, although she could feel her cheeks pinking up. Any sort of compliment made her uncomfortable.

"Something is missing though."

"Missing?" Beca said, checking she had shoes on her feet. She only owned a couple of pairs of heels and wasn't all that good at walking in them but if Chloe and Aubrey were wearing them, she knew she'd need to, too.

"Across here," Chloe indicated her neck and chest.

"Oh yeah, I don't have any jewellery to go with this," Beca explained. She'd taken off the necklace that had belonged to Jesse and stored it in with her make up. She didn't feel a pop top on a thin necklace would look right for the evening ahead.

"Hmmm," Chloe said, looking thoughtful.

"It doesn't matter no one is going to be looking at me," Beca shrugged her shoulders again. She picked up her discarded bathrobe and crossed the room back to the bathroom to hang it up. She batted the light off as she picked up her watch, wrapping it around her wrist as she walked towards the bed. Chloe came up to her side with her hands behind her back.

"This is an early Christmas gift for you," Chloe said, holding out a long, thin box wrapped in Christmas paper.

"What? We said no presents."

"I'm not good at following instructions," Chloe mused.

"You've given me so much," Beca started to protest. "I can't afford-"

"-You've given me so much more."

"Hmm," Beca huffed, lowering her gaze to the floor.

"A reason to smile again. David, not on purpose, had given me more doubts about myself than I realised he had. It was a loveless marriage in the end and I thought that was all I deserved."

"You deserve the world," Beca muttered so quietly that Chloe almost missed it.

"As do you," Chloe hooked a finger under Beca's chin, lifting it upwards. "I just wish you could see what others see."

Chloe leant down and placed a small kiss into the crook of Beca's mouth.

"I know we still need to talk," she whispered, somewhere near Beca's ear. "And we will. But not tonight. Let's enjoy the evening with our friends. But I just want you to know what I'm willing, one hundred percent, to try."

"Yeah?" Beca said, pulling back a little to look into Chloe's eyes.

"Yes."

"I'd really like to try too."

Planting another kiss but this time on Beca's lips, Chloe pushed the box into Beca's hands. Rolling her eyes, Beca smiled brightly as she pulled off the colourful paper and opened the box. The box revealed a simple but beautiful, antique silver necklace with a small diamond pendant and matching earrings.

"Chloe…" Beca breathed out as she took in the pretty jewellery that she knew would go with her dress perfectly.

"These were my grandmothers. She wore them on her wedding day," Chloe explained.

"I can't take these," Beca stated adamantly, pushing the box back towards Chloe, her face pinking.

"I want you to have them," Chloe nodded in confirmation, even as she stepped back, out of Beca's reach.

"Your Grandma's jewellery should stay-"

"-Around your neck. Please accept it," there was a finality to Chloe's voice that Beca recognised so she made a snap decision to just put them back in Chloe's closet when they got home.

"Of course, thank you," Beca nodded, not wanting to upset Chloe. She was just a little overwhelmed. "This is really lovely. Will you help me put it on?"

"Sure," Chloe said, reaching for the necklace. Beca pulled her hair aside as Chloe slipped the delicate chain around her neck. Beca could feel her warm breath on her skin, making the hairs on her arm stand up on end. Beca had taken out her original earrings earlier, conscious of Aubrey's opinion of them. She slipped the small diamond studs in and turned to Chloe for her thoughts.

"Perfect," Chloe smiled.

"Not as perfect as you," Beca breathed out. She'd seen Chloe dressed up before but there was something different about her.

"Need a jacket?" Chloe asked as they made their way from the room to join the others.

"No, I'm quite hot."

"Yeah, yeah, you are," Chloe mumbled as she picked up her purse from the chaise on her way out.

Aubrey and Luke were waiting in the lounge area, making polite conversation with the babysitter who had arrived promptly and was perfectly content to hang out in their lounge, prepping for her day job the next day. Luke's eyes widened as they joined them.

"What a lucky guy I am! Three beautiful girls on my arm tonight," he exclaimed. "You all look stunning."

"Oh you charmer. We don't compare to your lady tonight," Chloe laughed, gesturing towards Aubrey. Aubrey's short dress was pale pink, and she wore a cream coloured jacket and clutched a colour matching purse. Beca was just glad that Aubrey had left her stuffy three piece suits behind.

"I'm a lucky man," Luke repeated, picking up Aubrey's hand and kissing the back of it. "Are we ready?"

"Yes," Aubrey said simply, smiling shyly at Luke.

"Do you have everything you need?" Chloe asked Kelly, the babysitter.

"Yes ma'am, thank you."

"Please order yourself something from room service, if there's anything you want," Chloe said.

"Thank you ma'am," Kelly smiled brightly.

"What time do we need to be back tonight?" Chloe asked.

"I'm not on the early shift tomorrow so anytime around midnight would be great," Kelly remarked.

"We'll be back around eleven thirty, I think."

"That's fine. Have a great evening everyone," Kelly gave a half wave as the group began moving towards the door.

"Thanks," They all chorused together.

They'd left the room and walked towards the restaurant, realising they didn't really have time for drinks before their reservation. No one was too upset about it, knowing they had two full weeks to sample and try all that the ship offered.

Their waiter was called Gaston, which no one believed was his real name for a second but went along with it regardlessly. He'd shown them to their table in the back corner. It gave them a good view of the restaurant and a small hint at the view outside, although it was too dark to see anything anyway.

Luke had pulled out the chair for Aubrey who'd chosen a seat next to Beca, who had thought that was weird but didn't want to say anything. They'd made polite conversation until the sommelier had brought over the first set of drinks, iced lemon water for the table and a light white wine to have with the appetisers when they were served.

And now as Beca enjoyed her appetisers, she couldn't tell if it was the food that was making her feel good or Chloe's knee lightly bumping into hers every now and then.

"I'd like to make a small toast," Aubrey selected her wine glass from the array of goblets and tumblers in front of her. Everyone else picked up their glass and turned towards Aubrey. "I'd like to say congratulations to Beca for her new job and her first award nomination. I was so very pleased when Luke told me the good news."

"Oh, um, thanks," Beca said, her face pinking up as everyone toasted her. "While we're here, I'd like to say thank you to Chloe for making all of this possible. I never thought I'd get to do something like this. So, um yeah, thank you."

"You're welcome," Chloe smiled, clinking Beca's glass again. There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Luke started grinning.

"How polite are we all being right now?" He laughed. "Someone needs to start spilling the tea... the gossip!"

It broke the tension and the foursome looked around the table smiling at each other.

"Yeah, where's Amy with the inappropriate quips when you need her?" Beca laughed.

"Amy's Australian, right?" Aubrey said to Beca. "We met in the summer at Chloe's barbecue, very briefly at your birthday party but I didn't really get the chance to talk to her at Thanksgiving."

"Yes, that's right."

"She seems like quite the character," Aubrey stated.

"That she is! She's an amazing friend but even I can say that she's a nightmare in public sometimes."

"Is her new show going well?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, she's on twice a week now," Beca turned to Aubrey to explain further, "She's a stand up comedian... some of her material is pretty funny."

"That's amazing." Chloe said happily, watching as Luke took the wine from the cooler and refilled everyone's glass. "We should go along and support her one night."

"Great idea," Aubrey said.

"Her humour is… a little out there," Beca gave a soft warning. "She talks of our shared time in our van and some of her more polite escapades; pretty similar to the stories she was sprouting at Thanksgiving and I'm usually her victim."

Aubrey laughed delicately just as the waiter arrived with the soup. He served the ladies first and announced the flavour, before whisking away the now empty wine bottle.

"What did he say?" Beca asked when he walked away.

"It's called potage de pomme de terre et poireau." Luke answered.

"It's called the what now?" Beca looked suspiciously at the bowl in front of her, worrying about the look of the soup, despite there only being enough for a couple of mouthfuls.

"Leek and potato soup."

"Oh cool," Beca said, selecting the same spoon as Chloe after a quick glance to see which one the redhead had picked up. The thick soup was delicious and flavourful but the egg course that followed had Beca surprised. She didn't really like eggs but had dug in happily when Luke had announced the course as 'oeufs en cocotte'.

"Eggs in pots," He simplified..

"What are the red dots on the top?" Beca asked, poking them with the small spoon that had been on the side of the plate when she'd been served.

"It's fish roe," Aubrey explained.

"What's that?"

"Like caviar?"

"Oh. Sorry, I'm such a heathen with this stuff."

"I don't care for it myself," Aubrey laughed, pushing it to the side. Beca was glad to do the same thing. As the meal was progressing she found that Aubrey was warming up a little, giving her an insight into Chloe's best friend. Luke seemed to be really into her judging by the casual glances and soft smiles he sent her way.

The next dish was Gnocchi Parisienne which Chloe announced was her favourite so far. The lighter than air dough was flavoured with lemon, butter and parsley and was just the right amount of a serving to get the taste buds interested in more. The next bottle of wine had disappeared just as quickly as the first and the waiter offered to bring an extra bottle if they needed. They declined, already feeling the effects and said they'd wait until the next course.

"I'm glad this dress is a bit stretchy," Beca moaned, as she leaned into Chloe a little. "The food is so yummy, I can't stop."

"I'm so glad you are enjoying it."

"Thank you so much for bringing me."

Chloe just beamed at how happy Beca looked. She often wondered how much she took for granted. She'd lived a simple but good childhood, they'd vacationed twice a year, Christmas and birthdays were always big events and they ate out when there was call for it. She had a new bike when she'd outgrown the last one, clothes when she needed them and she had pocket money to visit the movie theatre or a concert when she wanted it too.

As an adult, her life was easy. They had money to explore, buy what they needed, live in a safe area and new cars when the mood took them. She was away filming once or twice a year but they'd managed to vacation as a family at least four times a year. Seeing someone experience something for the first time was amazing. She loved watching her girls discover the world around them, but there was something about watching Beca, coming from humble beginnings, that had Chloe captivated. Perhaps it was because Beca could so clearly articulate her feelings towards the new experience. It simply made Chloe happy to see Beca so delighted.

"I'm glad you are having a good time."

"I really am," Beca replied honestly. She'd been worrying about coming on the cruise, worried that she might not fit in but she realised, after a couple of hours, that no one was watching her at all. Everyone was too busy enjoying their own vacation to take notice of anyone else. She was surprised that, while it was obvious a few people recognised Chloe, no one was bothering her for autographs or coming up and subtly starting to make conversation. At this point in time, she was just a girl, hanging out with her friends.

"It's the fish course next," Luke said, reading the menu just moments before the waiter appeared with a large tray filled with four dishes. The courses came at evenly spaced out times, the wait for each dish wasn't too long but just enough time for the food to settle. 'Gaston' laid the plate down in front of Beca who cocked her head to one side trying to work out what was on her plate as the food was served on a large shell.

"Coquilles Saint Jacques."

"Seared scallops," Chloe said. "You'll like this dish."

"It looks like marshmallows and cheese," Beca narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar dish, causing the group to laugh with her. She cut a small piece and sniffed it cautiously.

"You look just like Alex when she's forced to try something new," Aubrey said, before blanching slightly. The subject of whether it was okay to talk about the children's past was still a grey area in Aubrey's mind and the hint of tension between Beca and Aubrey was still there.

"That doesn't surprise me," Beca smirked, appreciating Aubrey's efforts. She popped the food on her fork into her mouth and chewed tentatively, realising pretty quickly that she liked the flavour even if the texture was a bit dodgy. She wanted to say something to Aubrey before the conversation changed but the words were stuck in her throat. "Um, Aubrey?"

"Yes?"

Beca noticed a hint of an eye twitch on the flawless face of Chloe's best friend.

"I just wanted to say thanks for loving Alex. I mean, I know you'd have loved any kid of Chloe's; her own or not her own but you've been a major part of her upbringing and if she is anything like me, she's finding the world a strange place and knowing she has an auntie out there who'll help her through her darker days is really reassuring," Beca said, rushing her words. "I know you've done a lot for all three girls so, um, yeah… thank you."

"You're welcome Beca," Aubrey laid down her knife and fork for a moment. "Alex is a super kid. All three of them are and it's been a pleasure watching them grow. I guess I acted out of fear when I thought I'd be losing her out of my life and for that I'm sorry."

"I'd rather she has people fight tooth and nail for her… for all of them, than nobody who gave a crap."

"I'd do anything for all three of them. I don't quite know how you ladies are making it work, but you are, and in the best way possible. I know it's not ideal, but they are terrific kids, and don't seem to be faring too badly from it all."

"Here, here," Luke said, raising his wine glass again. Chloe remained quiet as they foursome clinked their glasses together, something that didn't escape Beca, but she didn't want to bring it up at the table, judging how Chloe was currently worrying the ring on her thumb, her tell tale sign that she was uncomfortable.

Beca picked up her cutlery and tucked into the rest of her course before it got cold.

"Do you like it?" Luke said, gesturing with his fork towards Beca's plate.

"It's okay. Not my favourite but it's nice. Do you like it?"

"We eat a lot of fish and seafood in England," Luke explained. "I guess being on an island…"

"Do you miss living there?" Chloe asked.

"Yes and no. I don't miss the bad weather, yet at the same time, I miss the sound of the light rain that we regularly had. Something quite soothing about listening to it as I went to sleep at night. It's very green and there's nothing like taking a walk in the woodland over there. I miss that smell. I don't miss the small cars and apartments. I miss being able to get a proper cup of English tea."

"Do you still have family over there?"

"Yes, most of them in fact. My grandparents still live in the south of England, and my parents own a farm in the north. My eldest brother lives in Cali but the others are back in England. I miss them but I get to travel back for a month at a time which tops me up for the year."

"Have you been to Europe?" Beca asked Chloe and she nodded her head.

"I spent a couple of weeks in Italy when we were shooting Utopia and we drove through France and stayed for two weeks in Spain for the mountain scenes. I didn't get to England as I was on a tight shooting schedule but what I saw of Europe, it was pretty cool."

"You'll all have to come with me the next time I go back home," Luke said, offering it to the table but looking at Aubrey as he said it. They spent the next few minutes discussing the possibility of making that happen while their plates were cleared and their wine topped up again. Beca had lost count of how much she'd had to drink and hoped Chloe hadn't scheduled anything too early or strenuous for the morning so they could have a lazy start. She liked the idea of a lazy day before the fun of Christmas Eve began.

A small minute steak, served with a tiny dish of mixed mushrooms and onions was served next and Beca couldn't help the groan that escaped her lips as she bit down on the sumptuous flavour. The steak was seasoned to perfection and she looked over at Chloe who nodded gently back.

"This is delicious, isn't it?" Chloe smiled, knocking her knee against Beca's again. She'd noticed a couple of glasses ago that the wine was having an effect on Beca. She was relaxed, smiling more and joining in the easy conversation with Luke and Aubrey. It was a far cry from the girl she'd known in the spring. She knew Beca had built a wall up around her and Jessie, to keep them safe and protected but seeing her lean towards Chloe more, gave the redhead hope for a future for them. She snapped out of her daydream as she heard Luke finish his sentence.

"… and then Jesse paid Beca a hundred dollars to drive back to Atlanta and pick up his pants!"

"Oh my gosh!" Aubrey covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed.

"I know, right?" Beca giggled. She loved sharing stories of her best friend. "And that was one of the more sane stories of my life with that stupid asshole."

"What about the time he lost his clothes in a poker game and had to do the walk of shame across campus?"

"Oh God!" Beca laughed. "He told me he had one sock remaining which he used to, um… cover himself… up with."

"And the Campus Police stopped him, didn't they?"

"All I remember about that was they wouldn't let him sit in the back seat of their car butt naked. He had to wear a trash bag!"

"He sounded like a real character," Aubrey remarked.

"He really was. I sincerely miss him every day," Beca said lightly, not wanting to sombre the mood. "You'd have liked him. He was a people person, got on with everyone. But I do see some of him in Alex already, so his legacy is sure living on."

"Tell them about the time he got stuck in the girls' showers back at high school," Luke smirked. "And why was he wearing suspenders again?"

.oOo.

"How many more to go?" Beca groaned, rubbing her belly.

"Two more babe… Beca," Chloe said, patting her leg a couple of times. The meal so far had been amazing. Every course was unique, fresh, flavourful and exquisitely presented.

After the first meat course, they'd been served a calvados sorbet which was served with a glass of premium champagne. The second meat course was thinly cut slices of roast lamb, served with a couple of fluffy roast potatoes, green beans and a light gravy. Beca was starting to get into a food coma and Chloe had quietly asked the waiter to hold the next course for a few extra minutes. She'd pulled Beca to the bathroom with her, smiling inwardly as Beca held onto her arm as they navigated the tables in the restaurant.

The short walk had revived Beca a little and by the time the next course of braised duck and a green salad was placed in front of her, she was ready to tuck back in. The next bottle of wine was finished by the time the eleventh course was served, this time a bubbling dish of cauliflower cheese was placed on the table for them all to share.

"Ah, one of my favourite dishes," Luke said, as he served the ladies from the small dish in front of him. "I shall certainly be running laps around the boat in the morning to work all of this off. Are you up for joining me Beca?"

"Not in a million years," Beca said, her words slurring a little. "I have a date with the balcony, my child and my iPod in the morning and that's as far as I think I'll be moving."

The salad course arrived next, a simple but artistically arranged mini platter of lettuce, tomato and egg with a spicy vinaigrette before a selection of chilled cubes of meat and fish were served on a long, thin plate. They all had decided the lobster mayonnaise was their favourite.

Crepe Suzette followed next and the way Beca was swaying about in her seat, Chloe pulled her chair towards her for safety as the chef set fire to their dessert on a small portable stove that was wheeled from table to table when needed. The air was lingering with the scent of fresh oranges and burnt brandy as the last of the canape courses was served.

Canape Diane was served in what Aubrey described as an egg cup which for some reason they all found hilarious. The whole evening had been entertaining, the brief silences weren't uncomfortable and the tension between Aubrey and Beca had all but gone. Beca had chosen not to finish her canape, passing it to Luke as she wasn't a fan of chicken liver. He gladly taken hers and Chloe's too.

The next two, and final courses were served together, due to their short interlude earlier. The cheeseboard was laid in the centre of the table and consisted of perfectly ripened Brie, hard Edam, an English cheddar and an almost gooey Camembert. There was a selection of crackers to accompany the cheese. Small dishes of cut up fresh fruit were also placed on the table alongside a platter of cake, cookies and mini pastries. A small dish of butter mints was the final thing to be laid on the table and this was left for the rest of the evening for them to enjoy.

Gaston would walk past surreptitiously every now and then to offer tea, coffee, brandy or more wine and soon enough the foursome couldn't eat or drink anything more.

Luke checked his watch, saw it was almost midnight and signalled to the waiter that they were ready to go. Gaston nodded his understanding and busied himself behind a small desk.

"How does the gratuity work?" Luke quietly asked Chloe as they all prepared to leave. "Do we leave cash?"

"No, it's charged back to the room. We just sign for the meal and add the tip amount or percentage."

"I'd like to take care of it, a small token of my thanks for a lovely evening."

"We can sort it out in the week if that's what you'd like to do," Chloe smiled.

Luke nodded gently and straightened up, just as Gaston came to the table and respectfully laid a small padded folder to Luke's side. Luke opened it quickly, signed his name and authorised the meal. He closed the folder and left it on the table. Pushing back his chair, he stood and held out his hand to Aubrey.

"Ladies, this has been the most enjoyable of evenings. Thank you for your company. Gaston…" He turned to the waiter. "… your service has been perfect. Thank you for enhancing our evening."

"You're welcome sir," Gaston bowed slightly and Beca had to hold in a giggle as she stood up from the table. He turned to Aubrey. "This is for you."

"What is this?" Aubrey asked, peering into the cardboard bag that Gaston held out towards her.

"These are the pastries that were left untouched. You can enjoy them at a later time." Gaston explained in his now very Amercianised French accent bowing again and taking his leave.

"Oh no. More food," Beca groaned, rubbing her belly.

"Poor baby!" Chloe laughed, not bothering to stop with the pet name this time.

"I can't ever eat again," Beca moaned, gathering up her small purse from the back of her chair and following Chloe as they left the restaurant. "That really was delicious though."

They walked along the corridor towards the elevators to take them up to the top level and their room. Beca walked unsteadily on her heels. Chloe reached out and grabbed her elbow at one point, supporting her as she almost walked into one of the display cabinets mounted on the wall.

"Sorry," Beca mumbled. "I'm not used to drinking that much."

"It's okay, you don't need to apologise," Chloe said, following Luke and Aubrey into the elevator. Luke pressed for their floor and held out his arm as Beca almost stumbled when the lift began to move.

"Are you drunk Mitchell?"

"Nope," Beca slurred, popping the p.

"You sure?"

"I have no idea what's happening," Beca giggled, wobbling a little as the elevator came to a stop. "I think I need some air."

"I think I'd better hold your hand!" Chloe laughed, reaching out for Beca.

"That's a fine idea."

"You go ahead," Chloe said to Luke and Aubrey. "Please apologise to Kelly that we are a little later than we thought we'd be."

"I'll check on the girls. See you in a minute?" Aubrey checked.

Chloe nodded and guided Beca out of the lift.

"Let's get a little air, shall we?" Chloe said to Beca, watching as Aubrey and Luke hurried along the short corridor to their suite. There was a communal balcony next to their room and Chloe thought Beca might like a minute before negotiating getting ready for bed. Chloe pushed open the door to the balcony and pulled Beca through it. There were a number of small balconies dotted along this part of the ship. There was a small seating area and table, soft lights and a couple of large pot plants in each one. Chloe propped Beca up at the railing before she shut the door.

"God, this is something else," Beca exclaimed, leaning onto the railing. She laid her head onto her hands. "Fuck."

"You okay?" Chloe asked, coming up beside her.

"How is this my life right now?"

Chloe didn't know what to say to that. She'd been a little quieter than normal that evening, listening to her friends talk rather than hosting the conversation as she seemed to have to do with her other friends. She liked not having to be the centre of attention. She enjoyed watching Beca have fun, enjoying the new foods that she'd never tried. Her heart had quickened when she realised Beca was trying to copy her, making sure she didn't make a fool out of herself.

"Well, you deserve this. I'm not saying it would always be like this but we could have a good life," Chloe explained, after a couple of minutes of silence. She'd been staring out into the inky blackness, unable to see any coastline. There was too much light on the balcony to see any stars at that moment. "I mean, as friends or whatever."

"Whatever?" Beca baulked, raising her head and looking sleepily at Chloe. "So, in twenty years, you'll introduce me like, 'Hi, this is my whatever, Beca. She's the mother of one of my children. We're married but she's just my whatever.'"

"We're getting married now?" Chloe flinched a little.

"Huh?"

"You just said that in twenty years, we're married."

"No, I didn't."

"Pretty sure you just did."

"I don't know," Beca groaned, laying her head back down on her hands. Quietly, she began to sing.

There's a calm surrender
To the rush of day
When the heat of a rolling wave
Can be turned away
An enchanted moment
And it sees me through
It's enough for this restless warrior
Just to be with you

And can you feel the love tonight?
It is where we are
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer
That we've got this far
And can you feel the love tonight? (Tonight)
How it's laid to rest?
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best

Can You Feel the Love Tonight – Elton John

Chloe noticed that Beca was shivering in the light breeze that was blowing around the balcony as she sang out quietly into the night sky. She loved hearing Beca sing, marvelling how she could hold a note and keep everyone's attention, even slightly inebriated. Chloe was feeling a little overwhelmed with her emotions and used the corner of her shawl, dabbed at a tear in the corner of her eye.

She stepped into Beca's side and tugged the shawl off of her shoulders, wrapping it around Beca's shoulders. As she touched Beca's arms with her own, she realised that Beca was absolutely freezing cold. Gasping, she pulled Beca closer to her, in an effort to warm her up quickly. She hadn't noticed Beca's teeth chattering until she pulled Beca's head into her chest.

"What are you doing?" Beca murmured.

"Warming you up. You're cold."

"Nah…"

"Yeah…"

"Your kindness keeps me warm," Beca twitched slightly. "What the fuck am I saying?"

"Nothing I'm going to remember in the morning," Chloe teased. She lightly kissed the top of Beca's head. "Come on, we'd best get you to bed."

"Thought you'd never ask."

Chloe shook her head as they took the short walk back to their suite. She kept her arm around Beca's waist the whole time, Beca's head on her shoulder. If Beca's legs hadn't been moving, Chloe would have been convinced that she was asleep. Chloe fished in her purse for her key card but the door was opening before she got a chance to find it.

"Oh Kelly," Chloe remarked as the babysitter smiled politely. "Thank you so much for tonight."

"It was my pleasure. I checked on them a couple of times, but they were fast asleep by about seven thirty. We did three stories which was fun," Kelly grinned. She stepped into the corridor.

"Thank you," Chloe said, reaching into her purse. "Just a second, I've got something-"

"-Oh, the gentleman already…"

"Oh good. Great. Well, I'm sure we'll see you soon."

"Yes, hopefully. Enjoy the rest of your night," Kelly's eyes drifted to Beca's sleepy face and she chuckled lightly. Chloe nodded and stepped through the suite door, jostling Beca along with her.

"Can you manage?" Luke asked, stepping past the sofa. He was busy undoing his tie.

"I've got her. Although I think she's ready to sleep," Chloe said, closing the door with her foot. She was feeling Beca get heavier and heavier in her arms.

"As much as I'd like to sit up for a little while, I'm just about ready to drop. Six bottles of wine and goodness what else tonight…" Luke explained.

"We did ourselves proud!" Chloe mused. She looked around the lounge area. "Aubrey in bed?"

"Um, taking her make up off or something. She checked on the girls. All sound asleep."

"Well, tell Bree I said goodnight. We'll see you at some point in the morning."

"You sure you don't need a hand with her?" Luke nodded in Beca's direction.

"It's okay. Thanks for a lovely evening Luke."

"And you. Goodnight."

"Night."

Luke waited until Chloe had taken Beca into their bedroom before he switched the lights off in the lounge. He walked to the room he was sharing with Aubrey. She was just coming out of the small en suite when he shut the bedroom door.

"Everything okay?" She asked, running her hands through her hair.

"Yup, I think Chloe's putting Beca to bed right now."

"I'm worried about Chloe," Aubrey explained as she sat on the edge of the king size bed.

"I think she can manage Beca. She's really tiny and pretty drunk. She won't be a problem."

"No, I know Chloe. I know the look she wore on her face all night."

"Is something wrong?" Luke asked, stripping off his jacket and laying it over the chair in the corner of the room.

"She's fallen for Beca."

"You say it like it's a bad thing. They are good for each other. It would make things simpler for them."

"That's what worries me," Aubrey clicked her tongue, standing and beginning to strip the bed of the throw pillows. Luke did the same on his side. She pulled back the covers and slipped under the warm duvet.

"What worries you?"

"That it's so simple. Is Chloe doing this for the right reasons? Is Beca convenient? Has she fallen for her because Beca's paid her some attention?"

"Knowing Beca as I do, she's not one to play games," Luke backed up his friend as he climbed into bed. "If the feeling is reciprocated, then it'll be obvious it's for love, rather than convenience."

"I hope you are right," Aubrey smiled, settling down into the pillows.

"I hope so too," Luke said, clicking off the bedside lights before rolling onto his side and pulling Aubrey towards him. He kissed her gently on the lips and she wrapped her arms around his neck and they snuggled down together.

.oOo.

"What are you doing?" Beca slurred as she sat slumped on the chaise in the master suite.

"Helping you with your shoes."

"I can manage. It's all right."

"Okay," Chloe said, walking towards the bathroom. She quickly changed out of her dress and hung it up on the bathroom hook. She scrubbed her face clean, applied a thick layer of night cream and brushed her teeth. By the time she stepped out into the bedroom, dressed in one of the fluffy robes she wanted to take home with her, Beca was already changed into shorts and a tee shirt.

"Where are you going with that?" Chloe asked, watching as Beca scooped up one of the pillows and the bed throw and headed towards the door.

"I'm going to bed," Beca finished her sentence with a small hiccup.

"But, where are you going?"

"The sofa," Beca pointed dumbly in the direction of the door.

"Why are you sleeping on the sofa?"

"Where else-"

"-You're in here with me silly."

"Oh, right. Yeah. Cause that's what people do," Beca rolled her eyes at herself.

"If it makes you uncomfortable…" Chloe trailed off, hoping against hope that Beca would stay.

"No. No. Just…"

"Just?" Chloe questioned, reaching into her suitcase for her pyjamas. She usually liked to unpack when staying somewhere for a few days but there hadn't been time yet.

"Nothing," Beca shook her head, closing one eye and screwing up her face. She sighed heavily. "I've had such a nice evening but I'm beyond fucked. I'm so tired, I don't know what I'm saying."

She looked almost ready to cry.

"Go brush your teeth." Chloe said kindly. She held her pyjamas in one hand and gestured towards the bathroom with the other.

Beca nodded dumbly and shuffled across the room, dropping the pillow and throw on the floor. Chloe chuckled to herself as she picked up the discarded items as the door shut loudly. She heard the water running and Beca telling herself off as the redhead changed into her nightclothes. She piled up the cushions on the chaise and rearranged the pillows, before she laid down.

She waited for Beca to come out of the bathroom for an age and was about to get up to see if she was all right when the door opened and Beca came out, padding her way towards the bed.

"You look nice," she said sleepily and Chloe smirked. She liked tired Beca and her sweet comment but she was only wearing sweats and a tee shirt. "You okay on that side?"

"Yup, that side okay for you?"

"Yeah."

Beca switched the light off before she clambered onto the huge bed.

"Shit," she mumbled as she lay down. "This is all kinds of fucking comfortable."

Chloe giggled and turned onto her side.

"You were quiet tonight," Beca continued, stretching out on the soft bed. Her toes touched Chloe's leg and she didn't react.

"No, I was content just listening."

"It was fun."

"It was."

"What we dooo 'morrow?" Beca's eyes closed as the whispers came out in the dark room.

"Let's plan that tomorrow."

"Hmm. I sleep now," Beca flung out an arm in an attempt to reach out to Chloe but ended up hitting her shoulder instead. She wiggled a little closer to Chloe, and kissed the first bit of skin she could find, which just so happened to be Chloe's elbow. Chloe kissed the top of Beca's head, inhaling the scent of the girl she loved. She desperately wanted to cup Beca's face, lift it to her own and do more with the girl who had stolen her heart.

"Goodnight Becs."

"Goo nymph."

There was silence for a short while and Chloe laid still until she was convinced that Beca had fallen asleep. She sat up in bed, listened to Beca's breathing change and the light snuffling snore rhythmically sounded around the bedroom before she slipped back out of bed.

"I'm sorry Beca but I can't do this." Chloe whispered into the dark before picking up the bathrobe and leaving the bedroom.

.oOo.

A/N - I promise I won't keep you all waiting another six months. I'm back on schedule for weekly posting at least. Take care everyone xx