A/N: Hi! So this is it, guys, final chapter :( This is my first ever fic and I'm so happy that it got received so well. It first came to me three months ago, and to be honest, I had my doubts about publishing it. Maybe because I was scared people wouldn't like it, or perhaps I was sure I wouldn't be good at writing fanfic without having any previous experience. Whatever it was, I'm glad I plucked up courage to publish my story. I wanna thank all of you who read it and got involved with it. Thank you for your lovely comments and your suggestions. Although I had most of the story planned from beginning to end, sometimes I had to make a few modifications that seemed appropiate. I hope you didn't get bored at some point, and I'm sorry if you ever did. I'm already breaking down three more PP stories, and I have hopes that because of your lovely reviews and suggestions they will be better than this one :) Thanks to Joshifer4Everlark for correcting my mistakes. Hope you enjoy it!
"I think we should do something." Beca told Jesse. It was almost midnight, but none of them felt like sleeping. They were in the couch, arms crossed and staring at the white wall ahead of them. Emily had just dropped them at their apartment because she was the only one that hadn't had anything to drink that night, so she drove everybody home safe and sound.
"Like what?"
"Like... anything!"
"Maybe we could go to Waffle House."
"We need the car to get to Waffle House, and we aren't precisely sober right now."
"We could walk."
"Ten blocks?"
"It's a lovely night."
Beca laughed. Obviously, Jesse didn't know what he was saying.
"I am drunk, and so are you."
"Nah, you and I don't get drunk. We are buzzed at best." Beca had an amazing alcohol tolerance, even when she rarely went to any parties. However, that night they both had drank a little more than usual, and they were really drunk at the current time.
"Should I remind you our first aca-initiation night?"
He was going to say something to her, but stopped mid sentence.
"You're right, it was a terrible idea." And they went quiet again.
"This is depressing." She said after a while.
"Do you wanna watch a movie?"
Beca grumbled with disgust.
"Jesse, come on! These are the last hours we will be spending together in at least six months. I don't feel like watching a freaking movie."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He said, with a guilty tone. "My brain isn't fully working right now, I don't even know what I'm saying." He leaned forward in the couch, and Beca had to grab him by the shirt to stop him from falling face first. "It's just..."
"What?"
"I feel very sad."
"Oh God." She muttered. It wasn't very common to hear Jesse say stuff like that, as he was a rather optimist person. "No, no, no, don't you get all sad drunk on me."
"Then do something to make it stop." He said. Beca could have swore she saw a tear trying to release itself from Jesse's eye. She forced her brain to think of something to distract him –and her as well. She stood up, not without some difficulty.
"I have the perfect solution." She went to their room and took out her laptop from its case. She turned it on and made a few clicks.
"What are you doing?" Jesse asked from his spot in the couch.
"Wait and see." She answered. I don't remember this stupid screen being this bright.
"Beca…"
"Shhh!" Then, a song began playing from her computer.
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Jesse inmediately raised his head.
"Really?" He asked her, with a drunken smile.
"Oh, yes. "
"I thought you hated that song!" He had to yell in order to make his voice heard above the loud music.
"Yeah, well, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the people you love. Besides it's our song, you said it yourself!"
She was dancing and playing air drums (or that's what it seemed like, anyway), although her movements were clumsy and off-rhythm because of the alcohol in her system.
"This isn't a song you can dance to!"
"But we can sing!"
That being said, she began singing.
Won't you come see about me?
I'll be alone, dancing, you know it baby
Tell me your troubles and doubts
Giving me everything inside and out
And love's strange so real in the dark
Think of the tender things that we were working on
Slow change may pull us apart
When the light gets into your heart, baby
Ironically, the song was proving to be pretty appropiate for their current situation.
"C'mon, weirdo!" She encouraged him. Alcohol always made her uninhibited.
"You will regret this in the morning!" He said, while standing up. He walked towards her and began singing while playing air guitar.
Don't you forget about me
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Don't you forget about me
Will you stand above me?
Look my way, never love me
Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling
Down, down, down
Will you recognize me?
Call my name or walk on by
Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling
Down, down, down, down
They were screaming rhythmically rather than singing, but they had a great time while doing it. Although they were both excellent singers, they rarely sang together, mostly because Beca didn't consider her voice to be very good and Jesse felt more comfortable while playing an instrument.
Don't you forget about me
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Don't you forget about me
As you walk on by
Will you call my name?
As you walk on by
Will you call my name?
When you walk away
Without noticing it, they moved from the living room to the bedroom while singing the song. When the time came for them to raise their fist, Jesse lost his balance and fell backwards. It wasn't a hard hit, but practically no one in his condition could stand up after falling to the ground. Beca tried to help him, without success.
"Listen... Becs." He told her, altough he could barely string two words together. "You be... great, okay? You be better... than anyone... else. I... trust you will be... running the place... by the time... you are... thirty. Otherwise... I will get mad." He then smiled at her. His eyes were slowly closing. "Never take a step backward... not even... to gain... momentum. I know I'm not worth it... but don't you... forget about me... because I won't. Do you understand..." He couldn't finish his sentence, as he inmediately passed out in the ground.
"Jesse?" She called him, but he was already snoring. Well, this idiot will have to sleep in the floor. I can't lift him. She pulled a blanket from the bed and covered him as best as she could, although she was almost passed out as well. Beca tenderly kissed him in the forehead. She then managed to climb into bed and fell asleep right away.
When Beca woke up the next morning, she had a terrible headache. She yawned a couple of times and streched, as she slowly sat up in bed and looked around, disoriented. It took her eyes a while to adjust to the light that was coming from the window. Once she was fully awake, she took her phone from the nightstand to check the time.
Half past eight. Good, I've still got time.
She stood up and kneeled in the floor beside Jesse, who was still sleeping. His baby face looked even more tender when he was resting.
Why do you think I will forget you, huh? She thought as she gently rubbed his cheek. What did you mean with that?
He growled in his sleep. Beca decided she would let him rest a little longer, so she went to the bathroom to take a quick shower to eliminate the smell of alcohol from her body. After she was done, she got dressed really quickly and went out. She walked through the streets of Atlanta to Chloe's house, something that wasn't unusual as both friends lived relatively close to each other. Once she arrived, she rang the bell three times. After a brief moment, her friend opened the door.
"Beca?" Chloe's hair was messy and her eyes weren't completely open. Clearly, she had just gotten up. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be in New York by now!" She was also holding a cup of coffee in her hands.
"You think I would leave without saying goodbye?"
Chloe looked at her, visibly moved.
"You know, I would hug you right now but I'm afraid beer is coming out of my pores. You clearly just took a bath, I don't want you to stink."
"Thank God Emily didn't drink and could drive us all back home."
"Girl's still in college, she's responsible."
"Yeah, I'll give her that."
Chloe looked over Beca's shoulder.
"Where's Jesse?"
"He's sleeping. Last night we both passed out, I don't know how I woke up."
Chloe laughed.
"Please tell me you didn't sleep on the kitchen floor."
"Not me, but Jesse definitely did. Although it was in the bedroom rather than in the kitchen. I guess he'll be awake in a couple of hours."
"Hey, do you wanna come in? If people see you, they're gonna think you are selling me bibles."
"Okay. But just for a minute."
They both went inside. Chloe lived in a two-story house that she had inherited from her maternal grandfather. The house was big and spacious, and she had managed to give it a modern look thanks to her creative mind. White furniture gave it an elegant look, and plenty of light came in through the large windows. They both sat at the kitchen bar stool, and Chloe poured some coffee in a cup for Beca.
"Is Aubrey still out?"
"Yeah. The girl drank her weight in beer. I can wake her up if you want, I have done it before."
"No, no, no. Leave her rest." Beca said, and took a sip from her coffee. Both girls went quiet for a moment.
"How are you, Beca?" Chloe asked after a while. Beca sighed.
"You want me to be honest?" Her friend nodded. "I'm excited for the most part, but also damn scared."
"It's good to be scared. It means you still have something to lose."
"Who says that?" Beca asked out of curiosity, as the quote seemed familiar to her.
"Richard Webber."
That explains it. Chloe was obsessed with Grey's Anatomy.
"You should start taking advice from real people, Chlo."
"Beca, listen to me." Chloe said, ignoring her friend's words. "You are gonna be okay. It may be difficult at first, but you always adapt. You do great with change." Beca didn't say anything, she just stared out the window. "You won't have a problem getting used to a new job, or a new city, or new people. Come on, let me see some optimism!" She said, and friendly hit her on the arm. Beca forced a smile, although she didn't possess her friend's optimistic nature.
"You know, Jesse said something last night that made me feel a bit uneasy."
"What did he say?"
"He said, and I quote: "Don't you forget about me, because I won't.""
"Oh, really?" Chloe asked, as she stirred her coffee.
"He was just rambling but I can't help but think he was saying goodbye. Not in the "I'll-see-you-soon" way, more like "Be-happy-and-fulfill-your-dreams"."
"Like you guys would never see each other again."
"Yes! What the hell is that supposed to mean? Why does he think I will forget him?"
"Well, he was drunk. Men get all emotional when they are in that state."
Beca snorted, annoyed.
"Seriously? You don't have anything else to say?"
"I'm not very good with subtext, Beca, that's Emily's forte. I'm just a 26 year old with a History Major that loves cake too much and earns her living by teaching children how to sing."
"Please, Chlo."
Chloe scratched her head, trying to gather her thoughts.
"Okay, here's the thing: the music industry can be tricky and ocassionally creepy. I think Jesse is afraid that once you are in New York, doing your stuff, living the good life, you will get dragged into that world and, eventually, you'll forget him."
"What?" Beca exclaimed, incredulous. "Come on!"
"Lots of people have difficulty keeping their feet on the ground when they meet someone famous, orwhen they become famous. You wouldn't be the first person to fall for the glamour and all of that. "
Beca was going to fight Chloe's argument, but an invisible force kept her from doing it.
"You think I would?"
"Honestly? No, I don't."
"Why?"
"Because you are very focused, very leveled, very smart. You don't give a crap about money or stardom, you just do your think and immediately move onto the next level. However, Jesse's fear doesn't seem unreasonable to me. He loves you, and he doesn't wanna lose you. He knows this is what you want, and he won't get in the way. That doesn't mean the thought of losing you isn't scary."
Beca didn't say anything, she just leaned back in her chair, reflecting on her friend's words.
"What do I do?" She asked, with a shred of desperation.
"That's up to you." Beca could have sworn she heard her late dad's voice coming out from Chloe's mouth.
"You sounded just like my dad."
"He was my teacher, after all." Dr. Mitchell teached Comparative Literature, which used to be Chloe's favorite class when she was in college.
"I don't wanna lose him, either."
"You don't have to." Chloe said, with a smile. They both finished their coffee in silence. After she was done, Beca took the empty cup to the sink.
"Well, I guess I gotta go. I don't wanna start off on the wrong foot by missing my plane."
"Yeah, tell me about it. I always miss them!"
Chloe accompained Beca to the front door. Once there, she surprisingly hugged her as tight as she could.
"I thought there was beer coming out from your pores!" Beca joked.
"I'm gonna miss you so much, Beca." Chloe said, with a choked voice. Beca hugged tighter.
"I'm gonna miss you, too. But hey," she pulled her friend apart to see her in the eye, "now you have the perfect excuse to go to New York, what you have always wanted."
"I'll try to visit you before Christmas, okay?"
"Okay."
"And call me as much as you can, I wanna know all the juicy details of your new co-workers."
"I will." They hugged one last time. Then, they broke the hug and Beca walked away, while Chloe stayed by the door frame. When Beca was about to turn in a corner, she heard her friend's voice calling her from a few feet behind.
"Hey, Beca!"
She turned to face her.
"Yeah?"
"Take care or yourself, and good luck!" Chloe waved at her, as a sign of goodbye. Beca did the same thing.
"You too!"
When Beca arrived at her apartment, she was surprised to see Jesse was already up and bathed. There were some empty boxes scattered around him.
"Hey, you!"
"Hi, weirdo." Jesse greeted her with his usual enthusiasm. "Where were you?"
"I went to Chloe's to say goodbye. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you because I wanted to let you rest."
"Don't worry, I just woke up like twenty minutes ago. By the way, you let me sleep in the floor." He said, with fake reproach.
"Dude, you are 5'10" and weigh 170 pounds, do you really think I could have lifted you? Besides, we were drunk. I can barely lift my own bag when I'm sober."
"All right, all right. Don't get mad at me, I already have a headache." He said, while giving her his puppy eyes. There was nothing Beca could do but smile when he looked at her like that.
"What's with the boxes?" She asked out of curiosity.
"I was about to start packing my stuff."
"But you don't move until Saturday."
Jesse shrugged.
"I have nothing else to do." He then rubbed his hands as if he was getting ready for something. "So, is there anything else left for you to pack?"
"Only my clothes, unless you have already packed them for me."
"You know I never go through your stuff without your permission." Beca gave him one of her severe looks. "What? It's a matter of privacy."
"It's not like I have something ultra-secret kept in there. Besides, you have already seen it all." She sighed.
"Well, while you finish packing, do you want me to take these to the car?" He pointed at Beca's laptop case and the bag in which she had her DJ console, her most valuable possessions.
"What if you help me take out the stuff that's still in the closet?"
"Okay." He said, and they both went to the bedroom. Jesse began unhanging Beca's jackets and her one coat, while she took out her clothes from the drawer and put them in a black bag. However, her mind was far away from there.
"Jesse?"
"Yeah?"
"Last night you said something to me when you fell to the ground."
"Did I? Well, I hope it wasn't something embarrasing. What did I say?"
Beca hesitated before answering.
"Never mind." She finally said. "It wasn't important."
"Seriously?"
She nodded.
"You were just rambling, that's all." She reassured him. "I'm hungover, don't listen to me."
"Okay." He shrugged and resumed his doing.
"I'm done." She said after a few minutes in silence.
"Me too." Jesse carefully placed Beca's clothes in the black bag.
"Are you sure?" She asked him, with a suspicious tone.
"Positive. Why do you ask?"
Beca took a nearby chair and stood on it. She looked inside the closet and leaned forward to grab something that Jesse couldn't see because it was in a corner. After some struggle she finally reached it, and stepped down from the chair. She had a medium-sized box in her hands, all wrapped up in blue wrapping paper.
"You missed this." She showed him the box.
"What is this?"
"It's your birthday gift!" She said, with enthusiasm. Jesse looked at her, slightly confused.
"But my birthday is not until September."
"I know, but I won't be around by then. I thought it would be a good idea to give this to you today."
"Well, thank you!" He exclaimed, excited. He began unwrapping it, but Beca's hand stopped him.
"Don't open it!" She reprehended him.
"Why not?"
"You said it yourself, it's not your birthday yet."
"You mean I'll have to wait three months to know what's inside? No way!" He protested.
"Please Jesse, I promise you will like it. Just wait a little longer, okay? Remember that all good things to those who wait."
"But Beca..."
"Please?" She then gave him her own version of puppy eyes. Jesse looked at her, and then at the box. He repeated the action a few more times. Finally, he sighed in defeat.
"All right. I'm not gonna open it until my birthday."
"You promise?"
"Yeah, I promise. If that makes you happy."
Beca leaned forward and kissed him. It was a very soft kiss, quick and casual. Routine even, but really sweet.
Suddenly, she pulled apart.
"Dude, what time is it?"
He took a look at his watch.
"Ten to eleven."
She looked at him with terror.
"Oh shit, I'm gonna be late!" She closed her bag and took it to the living room. "Do you have your keys? Where the hell is my passport?"
"Right here." Jesse handed it to her. "You asked me to keep it."
"Right." Beca took the passport and quickly stuck it in her purse. "Too bad we didn't have any goodbye sex!"
"But think about what's gonna be like when I join you in New York." He mischeviously smiled at her. She winked back at him.
"I'm really gonna miss you, Jesse."
"Me too. I'm gonna miss you when you are gone."
"It actually is you are gonna miss me when I'm gone, but I get your point."
"In a more serious note," he said, and suddenly grabbed her by the hands, "you have to kick ass in there. You learn new stuff and you have lots of fun. And remember to call every week or I'll get worried, okay?"
Beca tightly squeezed his hand as a sign of agreement. She wanted to say something, but words got stuck in her throat. She felt the urgent need to cry, but managed to containe it.
"Are you ready to go?"
She breathed deeply.
"Ready."
He helped her take her luggage to the car. Beca gave one last look at the aparment where she had lived for the past year. Then, she walked away without looking back.
Okay, let's do this.
A/N: Okay, so here's the thing: originally, this fic wasn't supposed to end here. I'm sure you have already noticed that I'm a die-hard Jeca shipper. I'm aware there are lots of people out there who aren't a fan of them as a couple. I don't mind with that, we can all ship whatever we want and play in the sandbox together :) However, I don't want to make you read stuff that doesn't interest you. Because of this, I'm gonna publish what happens with Jesse and Beca as another story -after all, this one is named "The new tournament", and they have already won it. I'm not sure when I will publish it as junior year started this week and being in college claims lots of your time, but I promise you I'm gonna do whatever it is in my power to bring it to you as soon as I can (well, except failing a class three times).
Thank you again for reading "TLT" :)
Oh, by the way, special thanks to those of you who said this is how PP3 should be like. You made me blush :*