Chapter One: Dog Days Are Over

As Beca stood at the top of the steps that led down into the outdoor theatre, she couldn't help but think that this was a stupid idea. It was one thing to arrive fashionably late to a party, but she hardly knew anyone here and from the pile of empty red cups scattered in and around the garbage cans, she was pretty sure that mostly everyone was drunk. She desperately wanted to turn around and go back to her room, immersing herself in a new mix and ignoring the glares from Kimmy Jin, but Chloe had asked her in person to come and she couldn't let her down.

Beca watched the party for a good minute and sighed heavily before pulling her jacket a little tighter around her body and starting down the hundreds of steps that led to the festivities below. She looked around as she started down the stairs and smiled when she immediately spotted one of her fellow Bellas, Stacie. Her joy was short-lived though as she watched as Stacie joined hands with a seated Cynthia-Rose and pulled her to her feet. They both appeared to be heavily drunk and Stacie leaned on the bigger girl as they made their way up the stairs.

Beca grinned to herself and made a mental reminder to text Amy with the news. They had secretly been betting on how long it would take for the fierce lesbian and the sex-obsessed freshman to hook up and it looked like Beca had just won herself twenty bucks.

The music was getting louder as she headed further into the pit and she allowed herself to bop along with it to try and loosen up. Whoever was in charge of the DJing was doing a pretty good job and she was surprised to hear some decent music instead of the garbage that was popular on the radio. Sure, she remixed popular songs and had a hard drive full of club ready jams, but she wasn't all that fond of them as stand-alone songs. Maybe that made her a music snob, but she knew that she was good and could easily see her stuff replacing any Top-40 hit on the radio.

Once she reached the bottom of the theatre, she headed towards the music so she could find out just who was putting together this enviable playlist of songs. She let the pounding bass guide her body and almost fell over when she saw Aubrey standing in front of a laptop, adding songs to her queue on iTunes and moving her body back and forth in time to the music.

Beca touched Aubrey's shoulder and tried not to smile when the girl whirled around in surprise. It took Aubrey approximately two seconds to compose herself before giving Beca her patented glare and raising one of her eyebrows in a questioning manner. Beca allowed herself to smirk and said "You have a really nice set list playing. So, when can we expect to hear the pumping jams of Ace of Base and Mariah Carey? It can't be an Aubrey Posen music session without flashing back to the '90s."

Aubrey simply shook her head and took a long drink out of her glass, wincing as she tasted the strong grain alcohol slide over her thirsty lips. She had started the party out with a beer, but allowed herself to get distracted with Amy and soon ended up with a cup full of the spiked punch. She knew that it would get her drunk quickly, but she just wanted to have fun tonight and soon one cup turned into three. She had no idea where the vivacious Australian was now, but wasn't worried. If anyone could handle themselves, it was Amy.

Aubrey flashed a fake smile at Beca and said "That's cute. For your information, Mariah Carey is still popular and I'm sure that there are tons of people that love Ace of Base. I know that you're still high off of remixing us into a winning team, but those songs still got us to the finals and they mean a lot to some people."

Beca nodded as she continued to smirk, hearing a slight slur in Aubrey's speech and wondering just how much she had drank so far. She had never seen the militant girl drunk before and while the prospect of it excited her, she also was a little uneasy as she remembered how notoriously weak Aubrey's stomach was. She could smell the alcohol in the drink that Aubrey was holding and said "Maybe you should take it a little easy on the punch. You never know what can happen when you get drunk or who you might hook up with. Keep this up, and you might end up in the bed of a Treble."

Aubrey rolled her eyes and said "I'm not drunk, Beca. Posens don't get drunk, we can handle our liquor. Anyway, I don't want to fight with you. This party is for Chloe and she'll be seriously pissed if she finds out that we're bickering again. Also, I didn't make this set list. This is something that Chloe put together before we got here. Apparently she didn't trust her best friend to make the perfect soundtrack to her birthday party."

Beca gazed down at the playlist on the laptop and tried to remember a few of the titles so she could make Chloe a mix later. The redhead went crazy whenever Beca gave her new music and it helped to get some insight into the musical mind of Chloe Beale.

She felt Aubrey's eyes boring into her and sighed before saying "Do you know where Chloe is? I love talking to you and all, but I kind of want to see the birthday girl."

Aubrey smiled knowingly at Beca and said "The last time I saw her, she was sitting on stage. By the way, I hope you got her something good for her birthday. After the stunt that you pulled in New York at ICCAs, you seriously owe her. I don't want to have her crying on my shoulder all night again."

Beca rolled her eyes and didn't question Aubrey further, knowing full well what had made the bubbly girl upset. It had made her upset too and when she tried to approach Chloe at their hotel that night to talk about it further, Aubrey practically slugged her in the face. Chloe never mentioned it after that night and things went back to the way they were before, but Beca wasn't sure if that was what she wanted.

Beca walked away from Aubrey and climbed onto the stage, making her way across it when she caught a flash of flaming red hair towards the wings. She spotted Chloe sitting on a folding chair, with her cell phone in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Chloe didn't notice her as she poured over her phone and when Beca got a little closer she said "Hey, Beale! What are you doing sitting all by yourself at your party? You only turn twenty-two once; you should be living it up."

Chloe immediately jumped to her feet and gave Beca a warm hug, one that Beca desperately wanted to last longer than the few moments that Chloe held her. The redhead had a huge smile on her face and Beca felt warmth spread through her body at the sight of it. She swore sometimes that Chloe's smile could cause heart failure. It lit up her whole face and somehow made her eyes seem a little bluer, if that was even possible. In short, Beca was head over heels for Chloe and was fighting herself from pulling the girl back in for another embrace.

Chloe kissed Beca's cheek and said "I didn't think you were coming. I know you're not that comfortable with a lot of people and I just figured that you wouldn't show. I'm happy that you did though. Did you see any of the other Bellas?"

Beca shrugged and said "I saw Cynthia-Rose and Stacie leaving with each other, but I think we all saw that one coming. Besides them, the only other person I saw was Aubrey. We had a nice debate about Ace of Base and I could see that she was getting a little tired of my presence, so I left in search of you. She looked like she was kinda drunk, which should be interesting. From the looks of it, you've been drinking too."

Beca pointed at the water bottle that Chloe was holding and Chloe shook her head before saying "I haven't had a drop of alcohol tonight. I think that birthdays are best remembered when you're sober and since this is my last one at Barden, I wanted to remember everything. Things aren't so great right now though since everyone is pretty drunk. We should probably call it a night soon before the cops show up and breaks things up. It's only a matter of time before someone does something stupid and campus security hands out a bunch of under-age citations. Do you…want to go someplace a little quieter?"

Beca nodded and pulled Chloe to her feet, linking hands with the girl and walking with her back to a small dressing room just off of the stage. They went inside and Chloe shut and locked the door behind her, not wanting anyone to bust in and break up her conversation. She had been preparing for this since ICCAs and while she didn't want her heart broken on her birthday, she didn't have much time left. Graduation was in four days and she wouldn't see Beca after that, so time definitely wasn't on her side.

Beca slumped onto the couch in the room and Chloe pulled up a chair in front of her and sunk onto it, gazing down at the brunette and studying her face. She looked really tense and Chloe worried what was eating at the girl, but knew that she wouldn't get a straight answer if she asked Beca. Beca was a private person and that was something that Chloe knew she wouldn't be able to change. Besides, she had a few secrets of her own and never thought of divulging them, especially to the one person that she never wanted to judge or think badly of her.

After a few moments, Beca broke the silence and said "So, what kind of stuff did you get? You were going out to dinner with your parents before this, right?"

Chloe nodded and said "Yeah, with my mom and step-dad. My father is still over in Tokyo on a business trip, so he had my mom give me my present. He's not going to make it to graduation, but I always figured that would happen."

Chloe's eyes became a little teary and Beca sat up, placing her hands on Chloe's forearms and gripping them tenderly. She gazed into Chloe's eyes and said "He doesn't know what he's missing out on. As much as my dad has disappointed me over the years, he would never miss something this big and I'm really sorry."

Chloe simply nodded and swiped her tears away with the back of her hand, trying not to break down as the disappointment weighed heavily on her chest. Her father had missed every major moment of her life so far, so why was this bugging her so much? She could count the amount of times that she had seen him in the last ten years on one hand and while he took care of her financially, she just wished for something more.

Chloe fished through her purse and pulled out a set of car keys, tossing them into Beca's hands. Beca looked down at the emblem on the key ring and said "Holy crap! He bought you a Beemer?"

Chloe smiled and said "Yeah. My dad is the king of apology presents. Last year when he missed my birthday, he paid the rent for me and Aubrey's apartment for the entire year. This time, I think he's also including a graduation present. You know what it's like though. Isn't that how you got all of your DJ stuff?"

Beca nodded and said "Yeah. My dad missed my sixteenth birthday and forgot about it for a month while he was on vacation with the step-monster. My mom laid into him really hard when he got back and the next day, I woke up with a new Mac sitting on my bed and all of my mixing stuff. Never a car though, which is kind of disappointing. I guess this kind of makes up for him not showing up, right?"

Chloe just shrugged and said "I guess. He probably didn't even try to come home, but I'm not all that surprised. Anyway, my mom got me a new laptop and my step-dad got me my first hospital coat with my name stitched into it. Bree knitted me a blanket with the Bellas logo on it and apparently it took her three months to make it. I got a bunch of other stuff, but the best present came from Amy. Check this out."

Chloe reached for a box that she had stashed in the room and took the top off, pulling out a hat and putting it onto her head. Beca laughed loudly at the sight of Chloe wearing a replica of Crocodile Dundee's hat, complete with fake crocodile teeth in the brim. Chloe smiled as she tugged it off and said "She insisted that she wrestled an alligator for those teeth. I'm not so sure if I believe her, but you never know."

Beca grinned and said "Well, it looks great on you and I'm glad that you had a nice birthday. So, I know I can't measure up to a BMW, but I got you something too."

Chloe sighed heavily and said "Bec, I told you not to get me anything. You're going to need your money once you're in LA and I don't want you to blow it on me. Just having you here is enough. I don't know half of those people out there and that's why I was on my phone when you found me. I was trying to get a hold of you because you're the only person that I wanted here, besides Aubrey and the other girls."

Beca looked down at her shoes and softly said "Well, I'm here now and you have me for as long as you need me. Anyway, this gift didn't cost me anything and I think that those are the best kinds of gifts. So, here."

She pulled a folded up piece of paper out of her pocket and watched as Chloe unfolded it and scanned over it. After a few seconds, Chloe smiled and said "A Barden housing contract! I haven't seen one of these in a while. It's a little late thought to try and get me as your roommate. You're going to be across the country and I'll be at a different school next semester. It's a sweet idea though."

Beca rolled her eyes and said "Sometimes, you can be really dumb. Read what's written on the paper and then talk to me about it. I think you'll like it."

Chloe shoved her playfully and turned her attention back to the paper, really reading it this time. As she made her way down the sheet, she felt her breath catch in her chest and tears sting at the corners of her eyes. She read over it a few more times and could practically feel Beca staring at her, but she had to be sure that this was real. Once she was certain, she looked up at Beca and said "You're really staying? I thought you were ready to pack your bags and go out to LA. What's this all about?"

Beca shrugged as a smile played on her lips and said "Well, it all started when a very nosey redhead busted in on my shower. I knew she was checking out my body, but she also had a really great voice and it kind of woke me up. I had never heard something like that and we sounded really good together. So, I followed her advice, tried out for her nerdy group, and found a bunch of friends that I never knew that I would need in my life. I can't leave them now, especially now that our fearless leaders are leaving. We have a reputation to uphold and I'm not going to let them destroy what you and Aubrey put together. I'm kind of cool like that."

Chloe smiled widely and said "Well, I never knew that I had that effect on you. I'm not going to lie about checking out your body, but I had no idea that I "woke you up". I didn't think that the cool and confident Beca Mitchell needed awakening."

Beca sighed and said "Chloe, I needed you more than you can imagine. I didn't have anyone before you walked in on my shower and I felt a connection to you instantly. It wasn't just that I needed this club to get to LA…I needed a friend too. You always defended me against Aubrey and seemed so interested in me, in a way that no one has ever been. We really did become fast friends and you opened me up and now I have the other girls and I'm not alone anymore. This is all because of you and I want you to know how important you are to me. I'm really going to miss you when you head out to North Carolina for school, but Atlanta is a lot closer to your school then LA will ever be."

Chloe felt the blood rush to her face and she looked down at her feet, stumbling to find the right words to counter what Beca had just revealed to her. She couldn't think of any and instead looked into Beca's eyes for a moment, her heart racing when she saw the tears forming in the younger girls eyes and ignoring her own that were sliding freely down her cheeks. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity and then Chloe did the only thing that made sense, taking Beca's face in her hands gently and stroking her cheeks before kissing her firmly on the lips.

It wasn't earth shattering or anything like a kiss in a movie, but to Beca it meant everything. She had imagined this moment since she met Chloe in the shower and to finally have it happen took her breath away. She didn't want it to end, but eventually Chloe pulled away and smiled shyly at her, worrying her lip as she tried to get a read on Beca's reaction. Beca looked up from the redheads' lips and gazed into her eyes, staring at her in a comfortable silence for a never-ending moment before pulling her in for a hug.

Chloe gasped as Beca's arms wrapped around her back and melted into the hug, burying her face into Beca's shoulder and murmuring soft encouragements that Beca would never be able to hear. Beca had never been the one to initiate contact and it felt so overwhelmingly good that Chloe had to bite her lip to stop the tears from leaving her eyes. She had wanted this for so long, practically since she met the girl at the activities fair, and now it was finally happening.

After a minute, Beca pulled away and Chloe softly said "So, this is what it feels like to get everything that you've ever wanted. What took you so long? Do you know how long I've waited for that kiss?"

Beca looked down at her boots and said "I just didn't want to scare you away. You're my best friend and I didn't want to lose you over a kiss. I didn't want to lose the Bellas either and I just pushed the feelings away so things didn't get screwed up. I'm sorry about what happened with Jesse at ICCAs. I just wanted to give him his movie ending and it wasn't anything serious. It actually felt like kissing my brother and he agreed, so we're not together now or ever. I wanted to tell you that when I came over to your hotel room, but Aubrey stopped me. She actually tried to hit me when I tried to push past her to see you. I'm sorry I put you through that and now I just wish that we had more time. You're going to be gone in a few days and I have no idea when I'll see you again. I have terrible timing."

Chloe watched as the girl tried not to make eye contact with her and could hear the unshed tears in her voice. Chloe guided her to the couch and kneeled down in front of her, taking Beca's face in her hands again and kissing the tip of her nose. A single tear made its way down Beca's face and Chloe wiped it away with the back of her hand, before softly saying "Don't cry. It doesn't matter when you acted on it or how long it took; I'm just glad that we finally have each other now. I have something to tell you and I hope you don't get mad at me for keeping it from you. I'm not going to med school in North Carolina. I applied at a few different places and I got into one of my choices in Atlanta. I'm really happy here and I couldn't imagine myself leaving you guys behind. I don't want to make new friends or live by myself, so Aubrey and I are going to get an apartment in the city and we'll only be twenty minutes away. We'll see each other all the time."

Beca looked up at her in shock and said "How long did you know about this? Did everyone know but me?"

Chloe sighed and said "Pretty much. I asked them not to tell you anything because I didn't want to give you an excuse to give up on your dream. I didn't want you to feel like you had to stay at Barden for me. I'm just glad that you made the decision on your own and that we're going to be able to see each other and not do some long distance thing. I just hope that you're not regretting your decision now. Are you prepared to be Amy's roommate for an entire year?"

Beca smiled and said "Yeah, it should be interesting. She's...definitely one of a kind and I'm sure that it'll be a little different than rooming with Kimmy Jin, but I can handle it. If she annoys me too much, I can always visit my gorgeous girlfriend and annoy her roommate. I'm actually really looking forward to next semester now."

Chloe laughed at the idea of Beca spending time with Aubrey and said "You called me your girlfriend. I like the sound of that. Come on, let's get out of here and see what kind of damage the hoodlums did. I would normally trust Aubrey to keep everyone in line, but she's finally loosening up and she's a little different with alcohol in her."

Chloe flung her arm around her girlfriends' shoulders and walked with her out of the room. The music had been turned down a little and Chloe hoped that things were wrapping up so she could go home and get some sleep, preferably with her favorite brunette accompanying her. When they rounded the corner to enter the stage, they were greeted with the sight of their fellow Bellas holding a flaming birthday cake and a collective cheer of "Happy Birthday!"

Chloe blew out the candles and Amy said "What did you wish for, Ginger?"

Aubrey shot Amy a look and said "If she says, then it won't come true. Where were you at anyway? I thought when I sent Beca back there it would be a distraction, but not an hour long one. We got everyone cleared out and then we had to wait a half hour for you two to come out. It was pretty rude Chloe and I think you should tell us what you were talking about. We're all very interested in what Beca had to say to you."

Beca could feel her face turning red and Chloe softly said "Well, it's not really any of your business. What we talked about is between my girlfriend and me."

Cynthia Rose cackled loudly and slapped hands with an equally elated Stacie. They had both been taking bets on how long it would take for Beca to man up and admit her feelings. From the looks of it, they had both hit the jackpot.

Beca rolled her eyes and said "What are you two celebrating for? From what I saw earlier, Chloe and I aren't the only ones that are dating each other. Do you have something you'd like to say, Cynthia? Stacie?"

Cynthia simply shook her head and said "You're wrong about that one. When we left together, we were going to get Chloe's cake. I saw the look on your face and while it's humbling to hear from Amy that you were betting on our relationship, you're not going to win. Some girls can just be friends with each other without falling in love."

Beca bit her lip as a smile threatened to reveal itself and Amy broke the awkward silence by saying "I'm surrounded by lesbians! Let's eat this cake before it starts to spread. I can't beat you lot off of me and eat cake at the same time."

Aubrey shot Chloe and Beca a warm smile and carried the cake over to a card table where she started to dish it out onto plates. Chloe looked down at Beca and was about to say something sarcastic when a song started to play from the speakers. It was Dog Days Are Over by Florence and The Machine and Chloe smiled before saying "This is my jam! Dance with me!"

Beca begrudgingly let the taller girl pull her over to the speakers and wrap her arms tightly around her back. They swayed back and forth as the music swelled and Beca could see the other girls watching her, but didn't really care. She felt comfortable in Chloe's arms and that was all that mattered.

Chloe kissed Beca's cheek and said "Do you hear them? They're talking about how cute we are. Aubrey looks like she's practically going to cry."

Beca laughed lightly and said "Let them talk. I'm the one going home with the prettiest girl at the party. So, what did you wish for? I hope it's not to get lucky, because I'm not that kind of girl."

Chloe grinned despite herself and said "It's tempting, but I didn't ask for that. I have something to ask you and don't feel pressured to say yes. I'm going to spend summer break at my grandparents' vacation home up in Maine. I'm leaving after graduation and driving straight up the coast. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come with me. It's just a road trip and there's no real rush to get there, so we can stop at whatever looks interesting and see a bunch of stupid stuff. I just…I'd like to spend some time with you away from all of this. You can stay as long as you want at the vacation house and I think it'll really be fun. What do you say?"

Beca smiled as Chloe exhaled heavily, having rushed through all of that nervously, and said "Are you done? You had me at road trip. I'd love to spend the summer with you."

Chloe kissed Beca passionately and didn't pull away from her until they could hear wolf whistles and cat calls coming from the other girls. Beca shook her head and flipped them the bird before leaning her forehead against Chloe's and softly saying "I wish we could disappear from here. Go somewhere where we can just be alone."

Chloe stroked her hair gently and said "We have all summer for that. Besides, I just got my birthday wish and that calls for a little more celebrating. Come on, let's go get some cake."

Beca nodded and watched as Chloe went over to the table and was met with good natured ribbing and a giant hug from Aubrey. They all looked so happy and after everything that they had been through over the semester, they deserved it. She deserved it too and for the first time in a long time, Beca allowed herself to feel happiness and joined her friends as they feasted on cake and sang at the top of their lungs until campus police broke the party up at dawn. Life was pretty good.