Aubrey frowned as she walked down the corridor. She wasn't sure why she was here. Since Beca had recovered, she had tried to avoid the hospital as much as possible. It just hurt too much.
Being mean to Beca had been her defence. Her way of protecting herself. But now, Beca was nice to her, and vice versa, and it was the worst kind of pain. But now she knew that wasn't the case. Now she had to keep her head up and keep the smile on her face.
She took a deep breath and then entered the room. Dark blue eyes met hers and she felt the crushing weight of sadness upon her again.
"Beca. You wanted to see me?"
Beca smiled, oblivious to the blonde's internal turmoil. She was actually really nervous about why Aubrey was here. She was really hoping that the blonde wouldn't shoot her down.
"Well, you see, I thought that because the Bellas are back in the competition that you might want this. But thinking about it, you probably won't, because of tradition and whatnot-"
"Beca! You're rambling."
Beca smiled sheepishly. She was actually quite cute when she was nervous and rambling, Aubrey thought.
"Right, well," she reached over and opened her laptop, "I made a set list..." she watched Aubrey's face for any signs of anger or rebuttal, and seeing none, continued. "Well, there are just some songs that I threw together really, but I thought that it might sound kinda cool done acapella..."
Aubrey tried not to show how happy she was. She realised that she needed to change the set list when the Bellas were officially brought back into competition and had been thinking about how to ask Beca to help since. But it seemed now that the brunette had solved her problem for her.
"Uh-huh. Well? Let's see then."
Beca was shocked. Had Aubrey just accepted her help, after everything? She pressed play on her laptop and let the beginning notes of the song begin. Beca knew that there were bits and pieces that could be changed, but she had really wanted to show Aubrey. She watched the blonde's face throughout, but to little avail. Aubrey sure knew how to hide her emotions.
Finally the song ended and Aubrey's eyes met Beca's.
"It's good. Really good."
Beca let out a breath that she didn't even realise that she had been holding. Aubrey liked it? That was something that she wasn't expecting. She didn't even really think this far ahead. She had expected the older girl to shoot her down straight away.
"What? Really?"
"Yes Beca. I'm not entirely stuck in 90s." she smirked before frowning. Beca noticed the sudden change in mood and a look of concern adorned her features. Aubrey whipped out her phone and began typing furiously. Finally she looked up at the quiet brunette. "Emergency Bellas meeting." She explained.
Beca's face fell. She knew that after the stunt she pulled at the seki-finals that she wouldn't be welcomed in the Bellas anymore. Her sadness wasn't overlooked by Aubrey however.
"Beca? What's wrong?"
The small brunette hesitated. "Shouldn't you be going to the meeting?" suddenly the blonde understood Beca's sudden change of mood.
She couldn't stop the warm smile that spread across her features. "Beca, I called for the meeting to be here. In this room. You can't quit being a Bella that easily."
Beca smiled at the older girl. "Really? Even after the semi-finals?"
"Beca. Don't push your luck." Aubrey didn't mean it to sound so harsh, but she really didn't want to admit how much the Bellas needed Beca. She knew that the other girls thought that she was too harsh and that the set list was outdated. Deep within her, she had known it all along as well. But her desire to make up for the puke gate was overwhelming. She hated that it had taken all of this to give her the courage to actually listen to Beca and use her help.
Beca seemed to understand Aubrey's pride line. Rather than pushing the older girl, as she would have once done, she decided to drop it with a simple, quiet, "thank you."
Aubrey smiled, settling into a chair, grateful to the smaller girl.
"So, where's Chloe?" she had been surprised that the redhead hadn't been there. She knew that the bubbly girl hated to be separated from Beca.
Beca shifted. "I told her that she could go home and get some sleep in a non-hospital bed." Something was bothering the brunette. She sighed. "She's going to be upset about me not sharing this with her."
"Why didn't you?"
"I felt that I owed it to you, really. I wasn't the easiest towards you either." she chuckled nervously and Aubrey scoffed, but restrained any other comments. She knew what the brunette was trying to say to her.
"Apology accepted, Mitchell."
...
It took a total of fifteen minutes before Chloe bounded through the door to Beca's room, thoroughly confused. Aubrey stood and left her and Beca to quickly talk things over.
"Beca? Why did I get a text from Aubrey saying that there was an emergency Bellas meeting in your hospital room? I didn't even know that she was visiting you."
Guilt flooded Beca's face. She had been so flippant towards Chloe since realising that she had to make it up to Aubrey.
"Chlo," she choked back a sob and Chloe rushed to her side, worried about her. "I'm so sorry that I've worried you. It's just that I realised the other day how I could make it up to Aubrey about everything that I put her through. I know that you're the co-captain and that I should have told you as well it's just-"
Chloe cut off Beca's rambling with a passionate kiss. She poured all of her worry, tension and love into that kiss, taking out any annoyance in the situation on Beca's lips. Finally, well after both of them needed oxygen, she pulled away and looked into Beca's eyes.
The brunette opened her mouth to say something but Chloe placed her fingers over Beca's lips. Chloe loved how swollen she had made them and was sure that hers were no different, but there was a primal part of her that really loved the idea of marking Beca as hers.
"Beca. It's ok. I understand."
Beca looked at her for a second in wonder before pulling her in for another kiss, this time being the one to take the lead in the kiss, leaving Chloe absolutely breathless and flustered. Beca was the only person who could leave her like that after only a kiss.
When Beca pulled away, she remained an inch from Chloe's face and softy said, "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you, Chloe Beale."
And just like that, Chloe fell in love all over again. How Beca knew how to say exactly the right thing, Chloe will never know, but she realised that Beca was the one. She would happily spend the rest of her life with the younger brunette.
She couldn't think of anything to say and so just sat there, an inch away from Beca's flawless face, with her mouth slightly open. Beca looked at her face in amusement, her eyes travelling leisurely all over her features, drinking everything in. Chloe didn't know how she didn't jump Beca's bones then and there when the brunette's stormy blue eyes stared at her lips before darkening. Chloe gulped at the intensity of Beca's gaze but the brunette didn't notice. She closed the gap between them and caused Chloe's heart to nearly burst out of her chest again.
She didn't know how she ended up straddling Beca, but she wasn't complaining. Beca's hands ran up and down her thighs, leaving a blazing trail behind. The brunette settled them on the redhead's hips whilst Chloe attacked her neck, happily marking Beca like she had only ever imagined before. Her hands slowly moved up and under Beca's top, revelling in the smooth skin on her abs.
That was until she reached the first scar. Beca winced out of habit, not out of pain, but Chloe pulled away instantly. She had felt where the smooth skin had been jarred by everything that had happened. For a second she was terrified that she had hurt Beca but when she saw Beca's downcast gaze, she knew immediately what the other girl was thinking. She slowly pulled up Beca's top, ignoring Beca's attempts to stop her. She had never actually seen the other girl's injuries and knew how self-conscious she could get.
She tried to stop her breath from catching when she saw the scars. They were still pink but it contrasted horribly with Beca's naturally porcelain skin. She looked up to see the brunette with tears glazing her eyes and she looked down at her body. She had never thought about how ashamed of her scars she was. She hadn't given it much thought that somebody else would see them. But seeing Chloe's reaction to them really brought it home to Beca. She was embarrassed by them. She knew Chloe wouldn't want to be with her when she was so grotesque.
She watched as Chloe leant down and Beca thought that she was going in for a closer look. That was until the redhead gently kissed the scar. Her lips were so warm and gentle that butterflies erupted in Beca's stomach.
Chloe look up and pulled Beca's top back down before leaning forward and capturing her lips in another searing kiss.
"You are beautiful. Never think otherwise." The sincerity in Chloe's voice caused something in Beca to snap. Her tears that had been threatening to spill over finally did and she cried into Chloe's shoulder. Chloe just held her and kissed her head. She hated seeing Beca like this, but she had been expecting it for a while now. She was glad that she was there for her and seeing her like this made her protectiveness explode. Beca would never show this side of herself to anyone, so Chloe was honoured that she was showing it to her.
Finally, Beca's sobs subsided and she pulled away from the redhead. She expected to see disgust in those clear bright blue eyes, but instead she saw pure adoration. She knew then that Chloe loved her. Like truly loved her. The thought made a smile grace her features, causing the redhead to smile back at her. She leaned forward and placed a tender and gentle kiss on her lips. She knew everything was going to be alright if Chloe was there with her.
She smiled into the kiss as the door opened.
"Have you guys finished – oh god. Seriously? I leave you alone for like fifteen minutes and look at yourselves. Jesus. I'm coming back in her in a minute whether or not you have moved." Aubrey's voice cut through their kiss and the two pulled away, blushing furiously. Chloe was still straddling Beca and her hands were back under Beca's top.
Chloe giggled as the door closed again.
"Well that was embarrassing." Beca couldn't believe that she had just been caught with Chloe.
Chloe giggled again, causing Beca to smile. The redhead got off Beca and tried to make herself look more presentable, but to little avail. Her eyes were wide, her hair tousled, her clothes creased, her lips puffy and her cheeks were flushed. Beca looked no different, except for the large dark marks appearing on her neck. Chloe smiled to herself upon seeing them. Beca was hers now.
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