A/N: yeah… so last chapter happened…
The meaning of the title is revealed in the last POV of the chapter.
I don't own pitch perfect.
Aubrey didn't know what to make of it. Too many emotions were coursing through her veins that night – sadness, pain, hurt, anger – but perhaps the one that she had felt the most with its profound vastness was loss.
The blue and red lights and the unmistakable sound of the sirens interspersed with the rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain had drawn her curiosity as she made her way towards the pub, walking the short distance, an umbrella shielding her from the rain.
The next thing she knew, dread sank to the pit of her stomach, realizing the direction the ambulance and police cars were heading.
Yes, that feeling of dread, growing more and more by the minute, her blood seemingly draining from her face as with every step she took she could sense more and more that something terrible had happened. Something horrible and tragic.
Aubrey stopped walking and started running, hoping that when she got there, she would be proven wrong. Somewhere along the way, she had dropped her umbrella, but she didn't mind the rain anymore. If anything, it helped mask the tears that started trailing down her cheeks.
She halted just in front of the gathering crowd. There, at the pub, she saw that a small white truck had barreled through the storefront, right where the glass window was. Between the lines of yellow tape that the investigators started placing and the crowd of onlookers wanting to see what happened, Aubrey saw the unmistakable red hair of her best friend.
Aubrey wasted no time in rushing towards her side. Chloe dropped her own umbrella just in time, growing pale from the sight of the accident. Aubrey was quick to wrap an arm around her, and partly supported Chloe's weight as her best friend shivered from both the cold of the rain that soaked them and the quiet sobs that she tried to suppress.
She didn't dare look at the direction Chloe's eyes were fixed at, Aubrey found no strength to do so, and she needed to be the strong one between them. Instead, her eyes scanned the faces in the crowd, looking for Beca Bella.
But she didn't.
Her eyes fell on Pat, the pub owner instead, his shirt had blood stains. He was being treated in one of the paramedic vehicles. Pat looked like he had a few scratches here and there, nothing serious, talking to one of the detectives on scene to give his statement. He looked visibly shaken as he spoke.
"Excuse us, coming through," Aubrye heard one of the paramedics say, and she obliged, carefully dragging Chloe along with her.
A set of the paramedics stepped out with a body covered in a white sheet, taking it to one vehicle, and another followed carrying an unconscious Beca, still being stabilized by the team. Aubrey drew one shaky breath, between her and Chloe who was falling apart in her arms, someone had to have a rational mind and handle things. Clearly, that fell on her.
They had to make sure Beca was safe.
They had to… they had to make preparations for her Uncle Chris.
And they had to make sense of the tragedy that had befallen them that day.
It's been ten days since.
The wounds left on Beca's skin looked more like fading red lines instead of a furious scarlet. It's become a bit of a habit now, as Chloe does on her with her day, settling a few important matters, before ending it with a visit in Beca's rather expensive hospital suite. Beca made for an excellent listener for all her troubling thoughts and woes, after all, she's been in a coma for ten days now.
Every time Chloe played the events of the past days, every time she tried to relive those days, it became more and more like an old film, playing in the distance, pieced together by an expert cinematographer. There was this surprising level of detachment to it, only having little recollection of living through some of those moments, but for some reason, they were somehow part of her memory.
This wasn't the first time she lost a parent. She knew the feeling already, of grief and loss, and yet, this one was just a little bit more painful. A little bit more bitter.
A little bit crueler.
The wake, the funeral, and all the preparations all went by with Chloe going through the motions of things. With her mom, Chloe's dad handled everything. With her dad, well, she had to handle things but the truth of the matter was that Aubrey did. She was too much in shock to do much of anything that Aubrey handled the paper work, all Chloe needed to do was sign a few documents, maybe give a speech about her father – she doesn't really remember much of it – and cry. The whole thing was handled quickly with the efficiency that was very much to be expected from Aubrey. It was only after the funeral that her best friend allowed herself to cry.
It was also after the funeral, right around the fifth day since the incident, that the shock felt like it started to ebb away. It was replaced by fury, and anger, and a desire to right what was wrong.
It was also around the time Chloe felt clear headed about she needed to do.
She caught up on what she had missed, important details about the incident that Aubrey shared with her, updates on Beca's condition – because despite the visits, Chloe was pretty much nearly in a catatonic state – and the outcome of the trial.
A trial they clearly lost. And by "they," Chloe meant her and Aubrey.
Because the first thing Chloe did on that fifth day was type up a letter, march into the DSM offices, and submitted her resignation.
She could hear the murmurs that surrounded her during that quick visit to the office, but she paid no mind to the words.
Because despite the lack of an evidence, Chloe knew without a shadow of a doubt who her enemies were. She knew who had her father killed, and who had put Beca – the only person who could explain what had happen that night – in a coma.
Her anger only burned brighter than the sun when Aubrey shared with her the news that the very next day of the incident, a body was found in a coastal Georgia town, that of one of Babel's researchers. The one that went missing. In his possession, police found confidential files from Babel that Luisa managed to keep concealed. An hour after the news reported the body's discovery, the story developed into one that paints a bad picture of the researcher, the only one who was brave enough to pursue the truth, claiming that he had been promised money in exchange for committing perjury to implicate Babel Pharm guilty of the crimes they were being accused of, complete with "fabricated" documents. The story about the gas leak also evolved, with claims that the researcher actually murdered his team to keep the truth from coming out.
The person behind the bribery? Apparently, Chloe's dad who died in a freak accident involving the truck that crashed into the pub.
Because it wasn't enough that Babel had her father killed. No. They had to ruin his reputation too. The media was quick to jump on the chance too be the first to "reveal" his deep-rooted hatred for Babel, no one cared what motive could exist, the general masses were quick to fill-in the blanks already. Chloe could only guess why they did it. She had her suspicions, but the missing link could only ever be provided by Beca who was with him last, because all Aubrey had was suspicions too.
Beca, in a way, now became their last straw of hope… at least, when it comes to the truth.
"So, you have to wake up," Chloe said, snapping out of her reverie, looking over at the unconscious Beca. "Do you have any idea how expensive it is to keep you in this fancy suite? I had to fight Aubrey about this, she thought it was excessive, but with your style and tastes I figured you'd be very mad at us if we put you in a normal room. I'm using my last bonus here, and that's it. A few more days and if you don't wake up, you're going in a room that we can afford!"
"Then send me the bill," Beca grumbled, much to Chloe's surprise.
"B-beca…?" Chloe then asked, eyes fixed at the previously unconscious woman on the medical bed before her. Beca kept her eyes shut, her eyebrows furrowing together before she grumpily pulled up the sheets to cover her face.
"You are entirely too loud," Beca replied. "Let me sleep some more."
"But… you're awake! You're okay!" Chloe exclaimed. "Since when?"
"Since now," was Beca's ever so grumpy reply. "Just lemme' sleep some more, 'kay? Before you inevitably call the doctors…" she grumbled.
Chloe can't believe she was crying with just that simple exchange.
All hope was not lost.
Beca spent two more nights in the hospital after she woke up. She was pretty much getting antsy just being there. Lilly could tell she had a lot of thoughts running through her mind.
The rest of the tenants rejoiced of the news about Beca waking up, although they were pretty anxious themselves. They barely had two weeks to process the news about Christopher Beale's passing, after all. They paid their respects, even their new tenant who recently moved in a few days after the incident. Lilly was a little bit wary of him, but she could at least tell he was a person of good moral character. Lilly had a good eye for that. The reason he, Jesse Swanson, claimed for moving in was that during the festivities Beca hosted, he had tasted Cynthia Rose's rather sublime – or so he claimed – cooking and wanted to become her apprentice, for free, all he asked was lodgings. Even if it was at the restaurant's supply closet. That was pretty much why Lilly was still cautious about him, because CR's cooking was far from sublime.
Each and every one of the tenants, Jesse included, were there with Chloe, providing their support, as she moved back to her father's old place and cleared out some of his old things both from his residence, and the office. They rejoiced in Chloe's news of continuing the fight with Aubrey, now taking on her father's place in the law firm, but also dreading that Babel make another move on them.
They were understandably on a roller coaster of emotions. Grief, anger, fear, joy. It all went cycling through with each and every news and updates they received.
Lilly, for the most part, played her part well too. She went through the same motions that the tenants did. Except, there was also worry and guilt for her part.
Beca had very nearly died after all. How could she call herself her body guard after what had happened that night?
Perhaps that's why she would sneak out at night to keep an eye at her boss in the hospital, make sure she was safe. She even dropped by the day sometimes too, Luke helped her conjure up an excuse that since they were both two of the new tenants, they were kind of friends.
Luke did the same. Staying at the same hospital as Beca, he would ask his attending nurse to take him up to Beca's room from time to time to check in on her. He even managed to get out of the hospital before Beca did. His leg was still in a cast, and his arm still hurt from time to time, he was getting used to moving it around again, but he didn't let that deter him from his goals.
Both of them knew Beca well, which meant they had to have the information she would undoubtedly ask for when she wakes up.
To her surprise, Beca hasn't asked for anything just yet.
Lilly helped Beca back to her apartment after she got discharged, under the excuse of being a hired car services driver and concerned neighbor. The tenants all wanted to check in on her the moment she had arrived, bit Lilly calmed them down.
Beca was pissed off. Very much so. And although they had good intentions to see her, Lilly didn't want Beca's foul mood to make their situation with the tenants worse. Sure, they were warming up to her, but they still had a bit of reservation when trusting her about Barden Tower.
After all, that's what they were the most anxious about. They worried about another demolition attempt some time soon, or Beca going back on her word of helping them, especially after the incident that put her in a coma. They care about her, but they also haven't spent much time getting to know her. How could they just trust her blindly and not worry about anything at all?
When asked about her opinion on that matter, Lilly told them the truth and reassured the tenants. That much she was sure of. Her boss wanted the gold out of the building after all.
The rest was up in the air.
Day one of her return, therefore, was a quiet one. All Beca wanted to do was rest. Lilly convinced the tenants that she be their volunteer to check in on Beca, this allowed her to freely visit her boss make sure she was at least settled in her apartment and kept her company. For the most part, Beca kept to herself, her brows practically stitch together, a brewing storm building inside of her. Lilly decided to stay and sleep in her living room that night just to be sure she was going t be okay. This resulted in a rather entertaining moment around midnight where Lilly, who was a light sleeper to begin with and who kept her eyes opened as she slept, heard Beca cursing in Italian from her room at a pigeon that kept tapping away at her window. Beca practically yelped when she saw Lilly in her living room with her eyes open, on her way to grab some crackers. Lilly apologized and Beca relaxed a little. Muttering something about how inconsiderate Inzaghi – apparently her boss named the pigeon after her favorite football player – waking her up when she needed to sleep. Lilly watched as Beca crushed the crackers and proceeded to open her window enough to feed Inzaghi some crackers before she went to sleep.
Day two was mostly spent sulking and ranting. Beca wanted to resolve matters quickly, she didn't care about Babel anymore. Something she retracted minutes after stating so because of her interest in their interest in the building, but she did say that she wouldn't interfere anymore. She needed to focus on their main purpose for the visit. The gold was what was important. Not to mention she nearly died fighting for a cause that wasn't hers. That if she had stayed even longer in the hospital, Paulo may have caught wind of it, and sent an assassin after her – not that Lilly would have let that assassin get away with anything. Lilly for the most part simply nodded along, and patiently listened to her boss. The tenants wanted to check in on Beca, but Lilly figured that it wasn't the time for a visit yet. Chloe did drop in to check in on her and Beca simply hid in her bedroom, claiming that she wasn't ready to talk to her again. That night, Lilly overheard her talking to Inzaghi about not wanting to disappoint Chloe, and about how Beca just noticed those ocean blue eyes and how she couldn't stand seeing such sadness in them, making it hard for her to say no. But she had to say no, she had to prioritize the Bella family, and her fight against Paulo.
Day three had Beca focused on the building, asking Luke for updates on what she had asked him to look into. Day three was also attempt number three of the tenants wanting to check in on Beca and try and ask about what her plans were for the building. Lilly managed to sway them away in the morning, but they took an opportunity early that evening when Aubrey Posen went to check in on Beca, wanting to speak with her. Lilly was impressed by Aubrey's indomitable will. Not even her best glaring moved her. Instead, she marched on in to meet with Beca anyways. The rest of the tenants took that as their chance and invited themselves in.
Even Aubrey was confused at what they were doing and how easily they took control of the visit. Amay gave Beca incense to help her clear her thought and relax. She even started demonstrating a few breathing exercises and meditation techniques for Beca. While Amy went on ahead to do her thing, the rest focused on the purpose for their visit,
Ashley and Jessice brought with them a couple bags worth of groceries they though Beca might like. It wasn't much, but they had ingredients Beca could use to whip up an actual Italian meal. Flo brought in a few containers of frozen meals for Beca to reheat so she wouldn't have to worry about cooking for a while. Benji felt sorry for Beca's lost suit, the one they had to cut through to help stabilize her, so he actually made her one in similar likeness. Emily brought her a few books to read, while Denise got her a record of an Italian opera she might appreciate. Stacie volunteered to give her a sponge bath if she ever wanted one, throwing in a wink for safe measure. This earned a glare from Aubrey but then Stacie dialed up her charms and said she was only kidding.
Cynthia Rose brought her a meal as well, her own version of a ragu. Beca humored her for a taste, before quickly spitting the food in her sink. "That's not Italian cooking. Who taught you to cook?" she said annoyed.
To which CR replied, an online cooking course.
Jesse was there too, simply looking at Beca at awe for some reason, before coming to CR's defense of saying that he probably messed things up when she asked for his help. Beca only looked more annoyed at the newcomer.
To Lilly's surprise, Beca didn't throw them out after that. Instead, she simply sighed, shook her head, grabbed a few pots and pans and asked everyone to settle down. It was rare, but Beca did know how to cook. Aubrey asked her if they could talk while she was busy in the kitchen, but Beca simply told her to give her a few more days. It would seem that even Aubrey Posen wasn't too sure if Beca still wanted to help them.
Beca made enough for everyone to have a taste. It was a rare occurrence, but Lilly did savor every single moment that Beca cooked. Now that was sublime. "That's how a ragu should taste like," Beca then told them all. The taste of the food had the tenants fully silenced, only wanting to savor each bite. It even made them forget the question they wanted to ask Beca in the first place.
It would seem that the tenants of Barden Tower had at least touched Beca a little with their actions for her to grace them with the gift of her cooking. Not to mention, her generosity. Beca, a little bit calmer than she was the past few days, addressed their concerns without being prompted. "Don't worry about my promise, I always keep my word," she said, before turning around to address CR. "Remember the taste, the texture… if you can make me that meal without me ever spitting it out after the first bite, I'll pay for your culinary school expenses."
"Wh-what…?" Cynthia Rose then asked, astounded.
"If I'm moving your restaurant to a new place and making sure it's rent free, I might as well be sure it's a success," Beca grumbled. She let them finish the food she prepared before seeing them all out, claiming she was still tired. Once again, Lilly pulled out her best acting chops – she should really win an award for this at this point – to convince the rest that Beca at least tolerates her silent presence and that she would make sure that she's okay and update the rest, totally no other reason she was allowed to stay.
That night, Beca fed Inzaghi in silence. Her boss deep at thought.
But something was different this time. In those stormy blue eyes, Lilly did not see anger or frustration. The gears of Beca's minds were turning. A plan – maybe more than one – was forming.
Day four arrived, and finally – FINALLY! – her boss asked her the questions she had expected her to ask. Beca didn't miss a beat. She tried out the suit that Benji made her – black blazer with a simple white button down, and a pair of black pants – and even complimented his skills, making a few notes on where he could improve in terms of how well it fit her – it was a little loose after all. She ordered Lilly to get the car, even asked her to take her to a dealership that afternoon, as they might need an extra one so she could move around on her own with ease too. Lilly protested.
"You can't stay as my shadow all the time, and you know why," Beca reprimanded her. "We've all learned our lessons, Babel won't get another chance to take me out. Unless I call for you, this is the last day, alright?"
Beca told her where to go, and Lilly wasted no time in taking her there. She called Luke along the way to make some preparations as well.
They stopped for flowers along the way. Beca gingerly placed them on the stone slab that marked Christipher Beale's final resting place. Lilly stood behind her, merely observing. Beca said nothing out loud. She simply fished for her lighter in her pocket and started fiddling with its cap, a habit she had formed through the years of Lilly's service.
"Look who's finally out and about," they heard Chloe say as she walked towards where they stood, flowers in hand as well. Lilly watched as she placed them next to the ones Beca brought. "Hi Lilly," she then greeted. "Visiting my father as well? I didn't think you were close."
"She's here with me," Beca then said before turning to face Chloe. She stopped fiddling with her lighter and with her other hand placed a finger on her own lips. "She is my bodyguard," Beca admitted. She then proceeded to shove her hand in her pocket once more, the other holding the lighter resumed flicking the cap on and off again. "She's supposed to go incognito but she's still shaken, so I'm letting her follow me around today. I know Lilly well enough to know that if something else happened to me, she would be too ashamed to call herself my bodyguard. I want to reassure her make sure she doesn't commit seppuku."
"Oh, don't overexaggerate, Beca. She's not gonna do that, right, Lilly?" Chloe remarked.
Beca simply quirked an eyebrow at Chloe, Lilly chose not to respond.
Her boss wasn't exactly wrong.
Chloe cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you still be resting?"
"I'm here to pay my respects," Beca said, "and to make a promise."
"A promise?"
"Un diavolo scaccia l'altro," Beca then replied, "I said something similar to your father the day he died. It takes a devil to drive out the other, and I promise you, Chloe, by the time I'm done, Babel will crumble."
Chloe nodded slowly, looking away from Beca. Lilly had to admire the resolve and strength she was putting on display, hiding away her grief and sorrow with her smile and cheerful disposition since after the funeral. "So, you'll still help me and Aubrey?"
"Of course," Beca remarked before turning to face Chloe fully. "And then some."
"And then some?" Chloe repeated, returning her attention to Beca.
"We'll make Babel pay, but we'll do it my way, my personal brand of justice," Beca edified with a smirk. "With your permission, of course. You're the one who lost a father, you get to decide what's enough."
"You're not gonna kill anyone, right?" Chloe then asked, partly sounding concerned. "I don't want you to kill anyone."
"As you wish," Beca replied. "But do we have a deal?"
"I'll still need to bring Aubrey into the loop," Chloe noted. "We'll make Babel pay and bring justice to their victims, your brand or otherwise," she went on to say. "But where would we even start?"
A mischievous smile formed on Beca's lips. "I'm so glad you asked."
A/N Pt 2: I did say minor character(s) death, right? Now the question is will I change it back to major character death?
Also, you'll understand Jesse's character more and more as the story goes on… he's at the tower for a reason xD
UPNEXT: Avengers! Assemble! I mean… close enough…
