Chapter 30 up on May 30!

This one is short, but the next one will be rather long. This is basically just a set-up to things happening down the line.

Can y'all guess some of them?

I don't own pitch perfect.

Aubrey wasn't entirely sure what to do or how to feel with the current situation she found herself in. Confused is a good chunk of what she was at the moment, at a loss for words was true too.

But ever since Beca Bella's arrival in their tower, she supposed, she should know better by know and expect things to be just about exactly the way things were at the moment.

"Care to explain what's going on?" Aubrey asked frantically, halting a few steps up the stairwell. She was just about to reach the fourth floor of the tower, rushing down to come up with a plan for Beca's dire situation and a way to avoid the police about to storm through the tower to find a dead Kirk Montmorth, when she found Bumper on the floor of the landing, wrestling down a man dressed in an all-black attire, complete with a black mask to obscure their face. Bumper was gnawing at the poor man's ear as he winced in pain. To his side was Uni and Donald holding pinning down a similarly dressed chap who was struggling to break free of their control.

"We ran into these suspicious looking individuals on our way back home, attorney," Donald replied.

"When we asked who they were, they tried to hit us," Uni added.

"But we got them!" they then chorused.

Aubrey chuckled. If these men were Kirk Montmorth's killers and the goons who worked to set-up Beca, then Beca Bella must have been born under a truly lucky star.

Because catching the perps this fast was not what Aubrey expected.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked, arriving at the scene, rushing up the stairs. "Bree, why is the police about to head this way?"

"Right, long story, let's get these men out of here and regroup fast," Aubrey then said, taking command of the situation. "Explanations and interrogations later," we need to quickly figure out a way to get these two to confess to murder."

"What?" Chloe exclaimed.

"Come on!" Aubrey then hurried them, opening the door of the stairwell through the fourth floor, "Let's get them prepared in one of our offices, Beca can handle herself for now, but we need our stories straight."

The Trebles struggled a bit but managed to drag the perps along nonetheless while Aubrey filled in a worried and equally confused Chloe. But Aubrey knew they couldn't just hand them to the cops now, not without making sure they would cooperate in telling the truth. They could just implicate Beca some more, after all.

No, they had to hand deliver the goons on a silver platter to the police, knowing and understanding the consequences of not telling the truth first.

Besides, she trusts Beca could get herself out of this sticky situation until Aubrey can deliver her part.

She has the uncanny ability of making the impossible possible after all.

Beca has made Aubrey a believer that devils could also perform miracles too.

Chloe's head was still pretty much spinning with their late-night unexpected misadventure, but one look at Beca Bella across her dining room table and it was enough to still the insanity of the world. Beca was the explanation, and her uncanny knack for finding trouble and solving them was a big part of it.

Beca quirked an eyebrow at her, and Chloe simply shook her head, mostly because she wasn't sure where she was going to start. She did want to ask her questions, after all, the only thing was she wasn't sure what to ask for first.

Chloe hummed, remembering how they found Beca earlier at a small old chapel near the university where Dr. Mitchell used to teach. She was seeking sanctuary there, unofficially of course. Beca managed to dodge the police by way of the emergency escape ladder on the side of the building. She was a good runner, and small and talented enough to stealthily hide through the crowd and avoid any pursuers.

On their end, Aubrey handled the police, pretending that she knew nothing about the dead Kirk Montmorth in the rooftop and willingly cooperating with the police to rush them out of the building premises. Chloe, along with the Trebles, managed to hide the real perps in the Bye Bye Balloon offices. They brought Stacie and Jesse in for help and within minutes managed to pull up their rap sheet and a seemingly never-ending list of crimes that can put them away for life. They were also part of the Hangers, the gang that Babel had in their back pocket, which definitely meant that Chicago was behind this. How much Theo knew about the situation, Chloe wasn't sure, but he's been rather co-operative with them lately, which makes her feel this was all Chicago, and maybe the Kommissar's doing.

At the very least, she could tell that Theo's admiration of everyone's favorite consigliere was real and sincere. He had the same starstruck look on his face that Jesse had every time Beca was around. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or concerned about it, but with regards to Beca's well-being, she knew she could strangely enough trust the former puppet CEO of Babel.

The perps, however, feared Chicago – or their "boss" as they simply referred to him as – more than what they could put together on them. That's when they called back-up in the form of Lilly.

Chloe wasn't sure what Lilly whispered into their ears upon their arrival, but it was enough to make them turn pale as ghosts and immediately agree to sign any sworn statements that they killed Kirk Montmorth and setting-up Beca, muttering something about how the only place they'll be safe from Lilly is behind bars.

Whatever it was that Lilly said, Chloe was thankful for. They managed to eventually track down Beca through Luke, since she didn't want to risk contacting any of them directly.

That's how they found Beca sitting on the back aisle of the old chapel, confused at how they found her with great news so fast, before handing over the perps to the police at their station, who were all but willing to sing their confessions.

Problem solved. Case closed.

Poor Kirk Montmorth though.

"What are you thinking about?" Beca finally asked, taking a sip of her wine. Chloe managed to convince her to stay the night over her place for a change, just in case Babel had last minute murderous surprises that night. The two of them were back to their usual late-night drink and conversations.

Something Chloe had grown to love. Something born out of Babel's insane plans, and their need to take them down.

Something Chloe had a bittersweet feeling about, afraid of the day it would end.

Chloe sighed. Too many things were being left unsaid and simply felt, and once more she finds her head swirling, spinning, filled with too many thoughts.

"Is it because you found me in a chapel?" Beca then asked, breaking the silence. "Do I not strike you as the religious type?"

Chloe chuckled and shook her head before asking, "Well, are you?"

Beca returned the gesture and shook her head as she chuckled.

"See, and you ask why I would be surprised. Who would ever expect a self-proclaimed devil be in a holy place? I didn't know devils believed in God."

"Ah, but the devil was once God's favorite angel, you know?" Beca then replied. "I don't know why I ended up there, I was just running absent-mindedly. The last time I was there was when I was a kid."

"Really?"

Beca nodded. "My dad took me there to pray, I suppose, ask for a miracle. But then a week later he dropped me off at the orphanage…"

"Do you still – " Chloe had started to ask, but Beca shook her head and stopped her from finishing her question.

"I'm not mad, not anymore. And I don't hate him," she answered truthfully, guessing what was in her mind. "I just, I feel like I'm running out of time to feel that way, you know? You're right, I don't want to live with regrets, and I want to fix this thing between us. I promised him, after all, that when we clear his name, when we win, when he gets better, I'll be there, as his daughter. I'll be there," Beca replied with a genuine smile on her face and silent tears running down her cheeks.

Chloe leaned over to wipe away her tears. "Does that mean you'll tell him the truth soon?"

"Who knows when, but I know I will," Beca replied. There was a lightness in her tone, as if a heavy weight had lifted. "Thank you."

"For what?" Chloe asked, surprised by her words, but Beca didn't explain.

Instead, she pulled Chloe closer and wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in the crook of Chloe's neck. "Just, thank you."

And what else could Chloe do but wrap her arms around Beca too, and enjoy the stillness of the moment.

Some good was still born of the madness that surrounded them.

Luisa wasn't sure what to expect. Chicago was in a foul mood all week, and setting up Beca Bella for Kirk Montmorth's death, and then spinning the story to be a nefarious deal gone wrong to besmirch Chicago's name was supposed to work. It was their master plan to wash off the blame, to escape yet another attempt at taking them done. But like always, their plans have gone awry.

Once again, Beca Bella had thwarted their attempts at retaliating against her.

That's why before agreeing to meet with Chicago, the Kommissar had made sure that she had time to figure out a counter offensive. This give and take had to end at some point, and it had to end with them being the victors.

She found Chicago waiting for her at the end of the bar at a private club. Head in his hands, a nearly empty glass of bourbon set down to his side. She wasn't sure how many he's had, but the expression on his face suggested that he probably had a few already.

He's been having a rough time since nearly being arrested. If it wasn't for Prosecutor Jin's own ambitions and agenda, they would have been had by now.

"I never lose," Chicago grumbled, acknowledging Luisa's presence before waving the barkeep for another glass of bourbon. The Kommissar pulled up a seat next to him, setting down the brown envelop she had in her hand on the bar counter before accepting the drink from the quick on his feet barkeep.

Chicago emptied his drink in one go and set down the glass before turning to Luisa once more. "I. Never. Lose," he seethed. "But since that annoying little Italian mobster entered the scene, I've done nothing but lose!" he exclaimed, his voice getting louder by the word before slamming both his fists on the bar counter.

Luisa jolted from her seat before looking around, but the place was close to empty, and everyone in there seemed to mind their own business, even the barkeep.

"All my carefully laid out plans…" Chicago said, constructing an invisible tower in the air as he spoke. "One by one came crashing down," he went on to say, waving his hand through the invisible tower he constructed. "My tower is stalled, RDU-90, BLSD… I even lost Chloe… all because of one person. Beca Bella. If I could kill her myself, I would, but she's one slippery little fish, now isn't she?"

Luisa took a sip of her bourbon before patting him reassuringly in the back. "You're right about that sir," she went on to say. "But every person has a weakness," she stated and Chicago looked at her with genuine interest. "A person's heart is always his weakness," she said knowingly.

"Didn't my stupid brother already attempted to go after Chloe? And didn't that end poorly?" Chicago replied, matter-of-factly. "Besides, I don't want another attempt on Chloe, she's mine to deal with. Mine."

"No, sir, not that lawyer. I wasn't talking about her," Luisa replied, sliding down the brown envelope on the counter towards Chicago.

Chicago looked at the envelope curiously. He cast a quick glance towards the Kommissar before pulling out the contents. "What's this?"

"You want to beat Beca Bella, correct? For us to win, we need to strike at the heart," Luisa knowingly said. "And that is what we need to do just that."

Chicago smiled and nodded approvingly. Luisa breathed easily afterwards.

Soon, Beca Bella would know not to mess with them.

With her. She was the Kommissar after all.

Beca sighed before proceeding to chew on the noodles of the spicy chicken ramen she made. Jessica and Ashley were hooked on it, and as much as she hated to admit it, she was getting into it too. It was just the right level of spiciness, and add some cheese and you get something even more special.

Who knew?

But her current craving of cheesy spicy chicken instant ramen was not the reason she was sighing, no. That came in the form of one Theo Walters dressed like a spikey haired anime protagonist sitting around her apartment's coffee table across her, smiling like a golden retriever puppy. Why? Because Beca made instant ramen. She was hungry, so of course she did. He was there, so of course he offered some food to him.

Why was he there? They did have an arrangement after all. Beca helps him review and study up on economics and business administration, throwing in social studies and politics every now and then, in exchange for information on Chicago's movements. The anime protagonist get-up was his way of going in the tower undercover. He's pretty good at dodging Chicago's eyes on him, she had to hand it to him and give credit where credit was due, but the fact he changes into something so stupidly crazy is what drives her mad.

Nevertheless, he does provide good intel, namely Chicago's current plans with the tower. It's been five days since Kirk Montmorth's death. DSM and Babel let the cronies they caught and delivered to the police as the ones in cahoots with Kirk Montmorth, and Babel's PR is spinning the last article Atlanta Daily published under his helm as an act of personal vendetta against Babel and Chicago. Beca's able to plan accordingly with the upcoming battle for the tower thanks to Theo's help, so she's letting the crazy outfits slip.

"This is really good," Theo said beaming like a child on Christmas day.

"I'm surprised you like it that much," Beca replied dryly.

Theo nodded enthusiastically. "I don't know how exactly you grew up but my world wasn't much like this. Yeah, I had everything provided for before I can even ask or want for anything, but I've always lived under the shadow of Chicago. A shadow of fear. Not to mention my father was a cold-hearted man. My mother was nice, but by the time I reached puberty, she passed away. My father's wife wasn't as welcoming either, she was quite mean when she got sick and passed away shortly after I officially lived with them."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Beca replied, not sure how to feel about the current situation of Theo opening up to her.

Theo shook his head, "Don't be. I suppose I can complain about how unfair life has been to me, but I'm starting to realize that there were things I could have done too. I'm doing that now. By the way, maybe I should warn you, but Chicago and the Kommissar has been thick as thieves lately, what with their clandestine meetings away from both Babel and DSM offices. I don't know what that's about, but with the Tower bidding and approval process happening soon, he might be plotting something. I'll try to get more info, just gotta be creative."

"Don't forget to stay safe," Beca commented. "Besides, you've done good so far, so don't push yourself too hard. I'm even impressed you know the word 'clandestine,' so good job."

Theo grinned. "Thanks, I am trying after all. And I want to impress you all too, you most especially, you're just so darned cool, Beca. I've never seen anyone calmly and cooly turn the tables on my brother like you've done. I wish we were siblings, you know. You're a better sister than Chicago a brother."

"Thanks, but I don't think that's saying much, considering how low the bar was set."

"Ah, but it's true," Theo insisted. "Hey, if it's just the two of us, would you mind if I called you sis? Oh and you can call me bro too."

Beca sighed yet again. "Just shut up, eat, and don't push your luck," she replied.

Theo nodded and smiled again, eyes shining like a puppy. It wasn't hard for Beca to imagine a wagging tail behind him at this point.

But she does have to admit, she felt bad for him having to grow up with a psychopath of a brother. He might be a coward, but she could also see him trying really hard to change.

So, maybe Theo wasn't so bad after all.

But like hell will she let him call her sis or ever call him bro.

Over their dead bodies would she ever let that happen.

Chicago watched as a nurse parked a man in a wheelchair near one of the benches in the hospital's little garden. The two chatted for a bit, the nurse promising to be back in a little while. The man in the wheelchair looked ill, with quite a few IV bags hanging off the metal rod that jutted up from the handles of the chair. Nevertheless, he had a light smile on his face, looking at a photograph he carried along with him. It was small, and fitted on the palm of his hand.

The gentle breeze picked up into a strong gust of wind for a few seconds, and the man had dropped the photograph a few steps away. He tried to reach it and struggled to pick it up. He looked worried about the wind suddenly picking up again and losing the photo for good. Chicago took this as an opportunity to approach him.

He stopped short a few steps away from him and picked up the photograph. "This must be yours," he said, after taking a look of the photo of the man with none other than his sworn nemesis, Beca Bella.

The man, once a university professor nodded and smiled.

Chicago returned the photo and sat on the bench next to him. "Please don't mind me I'm visiting my own father in the hospital but they're running test on him right now, so I'm just here killing time. My name's Charles," he said, introducing himself. "Is that your daughter? She's quite pretty."

The man smiled. "My name's Robert," he introduced. "Robert Mitchell, and yes, why she is," he went on to say, looking at the photo lovingly. "We've been apart for so long, I'm not even sure she remembers me. If she does, she hasn't said anything. But I hope she does."

"Why haven't you?" Chicago then asked. "You have a picture that looks recent, after all."

Robert shook his head. "It's complicated. But she's here helping me. Do you know she's paying for my treatment? Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve her kindness. I have a hard time telling her I know who she is, that she is my daughter. Sometimes I feel like just addressing her as my daughter to let her know, but in case she's forgotten about me, I don't want to upset her. But there's a part of me that thinks she knows who I am too. Who's uncertain but who hasn't forgotten. I really do hope that's the case."

"You clearly haven't forgotten her though," Chicago remarked.

"How could a father forget?" Robert replied before pointing to his heart. "I knew the moment I saw her again, my heart recognized her. It recognized the part of me that is her."

Chicago nodded along and smiled. "Sounds like you love her very much."

"I do," Robert reaffirmed. "What I would give to hold her in my arms and tell her how much I've missed her, how much I loved her. I wasn't always there, and I've made many mistakes I want to apologize for."

"For what it's worth, I think she knows. She's probably just waiting for you to make a move. Maybe she thinks you've forgotten about her, but you clearly love her. I hope you're able to have that moment you're most looking forward to," he said before looking at the time. In the distance, he caught a view of the nurse on her way back to.

"I should probably go back soon, it was nice chatting with you," Chicago said and he heard Robert Mitchell say something alike as he turned to leave.

Chicago felt a self-satisfied smirk settle on his lips as he went on his way.

Beca Bella's real father was very much alive and loved her very dearly. Clearly, Beca loved him too, no matter how she may seem to struggle accepting that truth.

Chicago was glad to know that.

Because soon, very soon, Beca Bella would know true despair all thanks to that love.

A/N Pt 2: Gimme a week (maybe two) to write the next chapter, cause that one might end up being very long and it ain't easy to write. Two POV's in that chapter if for sure gonna be very long, and one might end up being longer than expected (there will be 5 total).

UPNEXT: a turning point