Pitch Perfect 1. Expect the unexpected

**A/N: This will be a series of unconnected Bechloe one shots based off prompts I receive on tumblr ( .com)  
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**Prompt: Beca finally lets Chloe in. (received from bechloe-feels)  
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She's found her way to one of the numerous underground clubs that surround their picture perfect college. It's the only thing she likes about Barden; that underneath its perfectly manicured lawns and smiling freshmen it hides a dark side of misfits and angst. She walks in, alone, and immediately feels her whole body relax in a way it does nowhere else. The music pulses through every cell in her body, strangers brush past her and don't even look her way, and best of all darkness lurks in the corners of the old warehouse. Through the collapsed ceiling and charcoaled rafters above her, the velvet black sky is sprinkled with stars, and on the barren concrete floor people pulse and grind to dance music. No one here will give her a fake smile or expect her to give one in return. Her ripped black jeans and angry black wrist cuff fit in perfectly here. Thoughtfully she twists her 'ear monstrosity' as Aubrey called it a long time ago. She hasn't seen either of the seniors in several months, since they won the ICCAs, and she's not particularly distraught about that fact. As she turns she catches a flash of red hair as if it's leapt straight from her thoughts and she feels herself stiffen as her eyes frantically scan the crowded mass of people for another glimpse.

Nothing.

She shrugs, relaxing slightly again. Of course it couldn't be Chloe. There would be nowhere in the world she'd expect to see the bubbly red head less. As she begins to push her way towards the mix tables she tries to shake off the strange feeling tingling through her. Despite how she'd been thinking she was glad to be rid of the seniors, the way her pulse had skipped when she thought she saw flaming red hair betrayed that thought. She physically shakes herself as if she can shake off the thoughts. What is wrong with her? Geez.

She makes her way through the people and picks herself up a drink from a friendly guy. She hesitates before accepting it, still stuck in the idea that she is taken. It is with renewed bitterness that she takes it from him with a smile, her own little revenge against Jesse. Still, the hurt is stronger than the triumph and soon she finds herself in one of the darkened corners, hiding, brooding as she watches the crowd.

She's furious at him, but it doesn't even compare to how angry she is at herself. Of course she should have expected everything to come crashing down. It's not a new phenomenon to her that you can't trust people, even if they say they loved you. Everyone lies, everyone cheats, everyone leaves.

The stupidest thing was that she'd expected Jesse to be different. She glares at a couple dancing nearby as she thinks about it. This is it for her, she knows that. There are only so many times you can open your vulnerable heart to people and have it sliced before you padlock it shut forever. She thought the last time would be her father. After he'd left them, left her, seventeen year old Beca had vowed that she'd never let herself be hurt again. _Your happiness is in your own hands_, her grandmother used to say (before she too had abandoned them all for greener pastures in the Bahamas). If her happiness was up to her then that meant if she didn't want her heart broken, she didn't put it in a dangerous situation.

Simple. She goes to take another swig of the drink in her hand and realizes with dismay that it's empty. It had tasted foul, she's pretty sure the 'punch' was about 80% vodka, but it's making everything not feel quite so real and that was always welcome. She rises to go hunt some more, perhaps even to find the boy who had originally come with it, and immediately almost falls over.

"Careful there, Beca." The teasing voice comes with a hand on her arm and, when she turns with a sinking heart, she realizes with a flow of red hair and a pair of bright blue eyes too. Shit. So she hadn't been imagining it. Chloe's here.

Chloe smiles broadly. "Long time no see."

Beca doesn't smile back but that's not unusual.

Chloe raises an eyebrow questioningly. "Cheerful as always. Nice to know you've not changed too much since I left." Her voice is playful but there's an intensity to her eyes which is unnerving. How can she make Beca always feel so completely out of her depth? It's not just her seamless confidence and near constant smile. There's just something about Chloe Beale.

"I wouldn't have expected to see you at a place like this," Beca replies eventually, lifting her cup to her lips even though it's empty. The words come out harsher than she'd intended but she can't take them back now. Chloe seems to brush them off though and shrugs, rolling her shoulders and looking around her happily.

"Expect the unexpected, Beca."

"Mmm," mutters Beca sullenly into her empty cup, thinking the words are actually pretty true. She'd expected Jesse to work, and if she'd expected the unexpected she might have been better prepared for this.

Chloe looks back at her and then steps closer, too close in Beca's opinion. She resists the urge to comment that Chloe's inconsideration of personal space hasn't changed either. To distract herself she focuses on a grinding couple a few feet away and then realizes too late that that is definitely not the best distraction when Chloe's hair is tickling her neck and her breath is fluttering against her shoulder.

"I heard about you and Jesse," Chloe says quietly.

Beca rounds on her, furious. "What!? H-?"

"Your roommate told her friend who told Cynthia Rose who told Stacie who told Aubrey who told me."

"Great," Beca mutters, crossing her arms. "So the whole campus and even those who've graduated somehow know that my boyfriend cheated on me with some drunken girl at a frat party?"

Chloe frowns and place a hand on her shoulder, which Beca shakes off. "Um actually, I just heard that you broke up."

"Oh." Beca closes her mouth before she can humiliate herself more and glares angrily at a piece of graffiti on the wall.

"I'm sorry Beca. That sucks," Chloe says eventually after failing to catch her eye.

Beca shrugs. "Whatever. It's good. At least now I know for sure there's no point even trying." She's ready to end this conversation. Chloe is too close and she feels too upset and the hot tears threatening at the corners of her eyes are too damn close to falling.

"You can't just close yourself off to everyone for the rest of your life," Chloe persists.

"Yes I can," Beca rebuts angrily. "People just fuck you over and then leave. I'm not signing up for any more of that thank you very much. Humans are hardwired to-"

She's silenced by the sudden pressure of a finger on her lips and she jumps in fright. Chloe has moved in, inches from her face, just like when they were in the shower. The tip of one finger silences Beca's words and sends a tingle down her spine. "Humans are hardwired to love, Beca," Chloe says firmly, her blue eyes sparkling. "Try all you want, it's human nature to seek out friendship and love, and sooner or later you'll get caught again. And one day that love will be forever. One day it will be someone who doesn't lie, or cheat, or leave. You'll see."

She says it with such conviction that even when she's let her finger drop from Beca's lips she can't find the words to speak. She stares at Chloe, wondering how the girl who seemed endlessly bubbly became so wise. It's the sort of wisdom that only comes from something deep and dark. The question must have been readable in her expression because Chloe rolls her eyes.

"Oh come on Beca," she chides. "You're not the only person to ever have their heart broken." She pauses, pursing her lips for a second before she drops her eyes. "And you're not the only person to ever be abandoned."

Whatever angry retort had been on Beca's tongue vanishes. She stares at Chloe again, this time wishing she'd look at her. The tinge of hurt in her words is obvious, and surprisingly painful for Beca to hear. She feels guilty, though she can't explain why. And she suddenly feels exposed, as if suddenly she realized Chloe had seen more in her than she realized. She'd thought Chloe was shallow and bubbly and generally superficial and so she hadn't really considered what she may have revealed to the other girl. But now she wondered exactly what things Chloe has picked up with this hidden wisdom and perceptiveness and shared hurt. It makes Beca nervous, but for once in a good way.

She clears her throat and Chloe looks sharply back at her, the expression of a moment ago gone and she's once again the familiar old Chloe. Beca can't unsee what she saw, or unhear what she heard though.

She shifts slightly, the apology she knows she should make awkward and unfamiliar on her tongue. Sensing it Chloe waves a hand. "Don't go changing too much on me now, Mitchell, alright?" She smiles again, a genuine smile. Beca wants to smile back but it's as if she's forgotten how. She gazes at Chloe though and it suddenly doesn't seem quite so far away. Perhaps it's the darkness, or the alcohol, or her own plain stupidity, but she wants to talk to Chloe. She wants to tell her how much it hurts, every single second of every single day, and she wants to ask Chloe if she hurts too.

Before she can do anything too silly she lifts her empty cup to her lips again, again finding it disappointingly empty. Is more alcohol and good idea or a bad idea at this point? Reluctantly she lifts her eyes from the cup back to Chloe, knowing the redheads gaze hasn't left her. She can feel it, every second it's upon her, like a searchlight seeking out everything she tries to hide. She feels far more vulnerable under Chloe's gaze than she ever has putting her heart in someone else's keeping. And suddenly she realizes it's been that way all year. She hadn't noticed, not until now, and if she did she didn't understand it. But now she realizes that the entire time she's been far more defenseless to Chloe than she ever let herself be to Jesse. And Chloe never cheated, or lied, or left.

They stare at each other for a long moment and Beca opens her mouth to say something but pauses as her ears pick up a familiar beat. Her head turns slightly, a frown creasing her forehead in thought.

_I'm bullet proof, nothing to lose…_

The lyrics pulse their way through her, a remix that she begrudgingly admits is quite good. Her eyes find their way back to Chloe whose gaze is still fixed firmly on her. Chloe gives the smallest, smuggest of smiles. The song begins to build towards its climax and a slight smile tugs at Beca's lips too.


	2. The girl you used to be

**Prompt 2: Chloe hates who Beca has become since dating Jesse (from anonymous)**

The last year had been complete madness for Chloe. Straight out of her senior year she landed and internship with one of the state's leading law firms. Practicing law had been her father's dream, not hers, but she agreed it was too good an opportunity to miss. She'd given up long ago trying to convince her parents that there were other options than following in her father's and brother's footsteps. Their family knew two things; law and politics. Chloe was smart, and charismatic, and perfect in her parent's eyes. It was just that she didn't want to spend her life defending wealthy corporate scumbags against fraud charges, or debating tax breaks for the upper class. Chloe wanted to perform, she always had and she always would. In high school it had been easy enough to join the drama club and the choirs and the musical theatre. These things looked good on a college application so her father was more than happy to support her little fancies. In college it had been harder, but after some very persuasive lectures she'd convinced him that there was merit in the Bellas. Not that he'd ever been to a single performance mind you.

So she'd spent her year after graduation sitting quietly in the back of important meetings and collecting coffee orders and spending hours hunting through case files for details which changed the outcome of the case but for which her boss took all the credit. She missed the Bellas and she missed performing and at night she still fell asleep dreaming of getting on a plane to LA and starting the cliché, crazy journey of someone trying to make it in Hollywood. By the end of the year she'd had enough though. Next summer, everything was going to change.

She couldn't give up on the Bellas completely though. She went to Regionals, just to make sure they were still holding their own she said, and she texted or rang Beca almost every week. Not that Beca hardly ever replied. To begin with she had given a few curt, replies but recently she'd stopped communicating altogether. Chloe tried not to be disappointed. She'd spent most of last year trying to break through the other girl's shell and she'd finally felt like she was getting somewhere. And now Beca was back to ignoring her completely. It was after two months of no communication that she'd had enough and she decided one morning to surprise the girls with a visit to their rehearsal.

It felt familiar and good to be walking the old path into the hall where they trained, and as she got closer she smiled at the sound of clapping and the medley of voices that drifted to greet her. She heard a loud, boisterous voice rising above the others and smiled broader at the memory of Fat Amy and her stage presence. Her pace quickened and it was only then that she realized how much she had missed the girls and the music. It was like an addiction, and she'd been in withdrawal for months.

She slipped through the door of their practice room and stood quietly inside, watching as they finished one of the dance routines which Aubrey had taught them. Of course it had its differences, but the foundation of the routine was the same. Stacie pranced across the front and Chloe chuckled to herself as the dark haired girl predictably grabbed her own boobs and winked to the imaginary audience. She was pleased that some things didn't change. As she scanned the group though she could tell instantly that something was missing, or rather some_one_. There was no short brunette going methodically through the paces of the dance and she frowned, looking further around the room. Beca was the leader of the group this year, so why was she not here? She wasn't standing to the side observing or clapping out the rhythm at the front either. Chloe felt a twinge of nervousness. Where was Beca?

As the finished their set it became painfully obvious to Chloe that the girls hadn't improved. In fact they sounded scarily similar to the start of last year. Their choreography was unoriginal and out of time, and their voices just didn't blend anymore. They seemed fractured and disjointed as a group.

They finished on a high note, the balance of voices awful as Amy boomed above the others and Lily once again barely made a sound. They dropped their arms like lead weights and turned to catch sight of Chloe.

In a second she was enveloped in a screaming mass of limbs and hair and she eagerly hugged each girl.

"I've missed you guys so much!" she exclaimed and they all reciprocated the statement.

"It's just not the same without you and Aubrey," Amy declared after they'd all detached from her, giving her an inch of breathing space. Chloe saw it as the in she needed and pounced.

"Yeah…you guys look like you need your leader. Where's Beca?" She asked the question innocently but was instantly nervous as they all exchanged dark glances. "Guys?" she asked seriously, worrying.

"Beca hasn't really been around much lately," Stacie said vaguely.

"She bailed." Cynthia Rose cut her off with the blunt statement, glaring darkly.

"Well no she's still with us…she just doesn't turn up to rehearsals anymore."

Chloe crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. That didn't make any sense. By the end of last year Beca had loved these girls and the group. She would never have let them fall apart again, and she would never have let them down. What had happened to change her so much?

"It's Jesse," Cynthia Rose said as if she was reading her mind. There was a dark muttering passed around the group and a series of dark looks. Obviously Beca's Treble Maker boyfriend wasn't popular among the group. If she was abandoning them in favour of him Chloe could understand why. This was unacceptable.

"Tell me everything," she declared, leading the group over to the chairs. She would get to the bottom of this and when she had she would drag Beca back by her hair if she had to. It upset her to think the other girl would give up on everything she had achieved just because of a boy. It seemed to her that Beca had come full circle, from being too afraid to rely on the affection of another person to letting it completely change her. It wasn't the first time Chloe had seen it happened, but she was surprised it had happened to Beca.

* * *

Two hours later Chloe was storming through the corridors of Beca's dorm and then slamming her fist angrily against the door. Vaguely she thought of Beca's roommate, the sullen girl, but then she decided that with an attitude like that it didn't matter if she annoyed her. Sure enough the girl swung the door open glaring daggers at her.

Chloe pushed passed her without an introduction and ignoring the girl's dark looks. She stormed into the room and glared at the lump in Beca's bed that she guessed was her friend.

"Ugh, I'm going out," Kimmy Jin said after one look at Chloe's furious expression.

"Wise idea," Chloe snapped without taking her eyes off the lump which had begun to groan slightly. She heard the door snap shut behind Kimmy Jin and pounced, dragging the covers away from Beca.

"Argh! What are you _doing_?!" came a shrill voice from the lump which landed with a loud thump on the floor. A familiar head emerged from the covers and Beca glared back at Chloe. "Jesus! Chloe!?"

"You're meant to be at a Bellas rehearsal!" Chloe countered, looking scathingly around the room. Silently she took in the shut down computer, the cleared desk, the covered keyboards. It looked completely different to the last time she'd been in the room. Everything that made Beca, Beca, seemed to be packed away and unused. Chloe could practically _see_ the dust covering her mixing equipment. This was worse than she thought. Abandoning the Bellas was one thing but she couldn't believe Beca would stop mixing. Music had been like oxygen to the girl she'd known. Her eyes travelled all the way back to Beca who was glaring at her from the folds of her covers, hair touselled and looking very much like a sulky teenager.

"Fuck, Chloe. What is this? Mom patrol?" Beca began to struggle her way out of the tangle. "I'm skipping it today, alright? I had a late night, Jesse and I were watching movies, and I just didn't quite make it. Doesn't give you permission to hurricane into my room." By now she was standing, shivering slightly in her pajama shorts and singlet, but still glaring.

Chloe huffed dramatically. "Beca, you've missed exactly 6 of the last 10 Bellas rehearsals. If you missed each of those because of Jesse so help me God I will rip out that boy's vocal chords myself!" She startled even herself at the vicious threat, but it had really thrown her to see Beca not making her music anymore. People were allowed to change, sometimes they needed to, but Beca had only just begun to grow into her own skin last year and here she seemed to have abandoned all of that already.

Beca shifted uncomfortably and dropped her gaze but didn't reply. It was all the confirmation Chloe needed. Her hands were on her hips and her lips were pursed disapprovingly. She marched over to the equipment on the desk and flipped a cover back from one of the keyboards.

"Hey!" Beca exclaimed, lunging towards her.

"What?" retorted Chloe, turning and holding up one fingertip lined with dust. "You don't seem to use this stuff anymore so why can't I touch it?" She rubbed her fingers together and sprinkled the dust in the air before Beca's blank eyes. "What's the deal Beca? How are you going to move to LA and produce music if you don't make music anymore, either here or with the Bellas, who, by the way, are relying on you and not doing so great in your absence." She raised her eyebrows and waited expectantly for an answer.

Beca plonked herself down heavily on the side of the bed. She reached for a sweater underneath and began to pull it on. "I'm not going to LA," she mumbled through the safety of fabric and hair. It was quiet and muffled but Chloe still heard and she pounced.

"You're what?!" she exclaimed angrily, taking a threatening step forwards. "What do you mean Beca Mitchell isn't going to LA anymore? What, you've decided to give up music and become an astronaut?" she spat sarcastically. Beca gave her a scathing look, only just managing to resist rolling her eyes.

"No," she replied in a tight voice. "I'm just not going to LA. Things are just starting to work out here and Jesse doesn't want-"

"What does any of this have to do with Jesse?" Chloe asked in frustration, throwing her hands in the air. "I don't understand why what Jesse wants is entering a conversation about you giving up on your dreams. Unless-" she stopped, and closed her mouth as it all clicked into place. She turned a severe gaze on Beca. "Were you going to say Jesse doesn't want you going to LA?"

Beca's evasive glance away was answer enough. "Oh my God!" exploded Chloe, letting her dramatic side take over. She began to pace up and down the room, jabbing a finger in Beca's direction to emphasize her point. "Please, _please_, don't tell me what you, you of all people, are letting some guy tell you what to do with your life. Please tell me he didn't want you to go so far away so you just said yes like a good little girl and gave up! Please tell me that Jesse has nothing to do with the fact that you haven't touched your mixing equipment or gone to Bellas rehearsals in weeks. Because whether you decide to go to LA or not, a certain Treble Maker should not be having such a severe influence on what are, in my opinion, the things that are the essence of Beca Mitchell. Because a girl that let some guy, no matter how high his belt might go, a girl that let some guy change everything about her in a few shorts months would probably be the stupidest girl I've ever met! And I grew up in _Kentucky_!"

When she had reached the end of her speech she halted, breathing heavily and staring expectantly at Beca like she expected her to rebut as if this were a moot in one of her law classes. Beca just stared dumbly at her, slightly open mouthed. After a tense silence Chloe heaved a sigh and collapsed onto the bed next to Beca. "Look, I'm sorry," she said more quietly. "That was harsh. It's not stupid. But I just hate seeing you give up on the Bellas and your dream like this. I know how important it was to you only six months ago, and now you talk about it like you don't even care!"

Beca dropped her eyes. "I do care," she murmured.

"What?"

"I do care," Beca said a little stronger. "It's not like I decided all this overnight, Chloe. I just- I just haven't been able to face making my music without the fantasy of LA, and the Bellas…"she trailed off into embarrassed silence, which she maintained until Chloe poked her demandingly. "It's just not the same without you there," Beca babbled quickly, ducking her head.

Chloe broke into a grin and squealed, wrapping her arms tightly around Beca in a quick hug before pulling away again and resuming her composure. Beca looked at her warily like she was afraid she'd hug her again. "Do you still want to go to LA?" Chloe asked solemnly.

Beca frowned. "It's not like-"

"Yes or no, Beca. In your heart do you still want to go to LA and produce music? Don't think about what Jesse wants you to do. What do you want to do?"

Beca's frown deepened and she dropped her head, staring intently at the floor. Chloe waited, knowing she was this time giving it proper consideration. If Beca said no then Chloe would leave it, but she had a gut feeling she wouldn't say no.

"I…" Beca began carefully and then looked up, meeting Chloe's gaze evenly. "I still want to go to LA." She exhaled as she said the words, like a weight was being lifted from her, and then actually smiled, a proper, genuine smile.

"Well, aren't you in luck," Chloe said without missing a beat. "You just happen to know an awesome red head who is moving out to LA this summer and is currently looking for a roommate."

Beca's mouth fell open. "You're going to LA!?" Chloe watched the temptation and the doubt dance their way across Beca's face.

"And currently looking for a roommate," Chloe repeated firmly, leaning forwards.

"I can't just go to LA now…can I?"

Chloe shrugged. "Be spontaneous Beca, isn't that what you told Aubrey after the riff off last year? After the ICCAs you can defer your course here and come back if you really want to, and Jesse will cope with visiting you if he must, and your dad said he'd help you move there. What's stopping you?"

Beca bit her lip but her eyes were bright. It made Chloe smile, to see such a turn-around in her. "N-nothing," Beca said, smiling gradually too. "There's nothing stopping me. Chloe?"

"Mmm?"

Beca stood up suddenly and practically bounced. Chloe rose to, feeling Beca's infectious excitement. Beca grabbed her hands and pulled her towards her. "Chloe, let's go to LA!"


End file.

Pitch Perfect, Hurt-Comfort, Romance