A/N: Full disclosure, folks. I've just gotten back from a night out to celebrate a beloved co-worker's last day with my company. So I may have been a bit tipsy when I proofed this, but... what the heck? I wanted to get it to you all on Tuesday, like I always promised. Enjoy! (But the grammar Nazi in me requests you let me know if there are any typos, please & thanks.)

Chapter 14

There's Not a Thing That I Would Change (Just the Way You Are)

The redhead's teary-eyed confession about her nodes surgery was met only with support from her fellow Bellas. No one blamed her for the decision she made. No one even noted how it could hurt their chances at Nationals. No, the revelation was met only with love and kindness. Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. She was embarrassed by how surprised she was by her friends' understanding. Of course they would all be there to help her get through this. How could she have thought otherwise? She was confident that the girls would find a way to overcome any obstacles Chloe's new voice might present.

The real surprise came only moments later. Chloe's jaw almost dropped to the floor when Aubrey asked Beca what they should do. The blonde had made a complete 180 in a matter of minutes. Chloe suspected that this meant her best friend had known she was wrong for a while now, but was simply too proud to admit it out loud and to apologize.

Chloe took a silent moment to admire Aubrey. The girl had come so far since the two had first met as the freshmen newbies to the Barden Bellas. Aubrey was never shy or quiet by any means, but she had really come into her own. She grew up a lot. And maybe valuing the perspective of others still wasn't her strongest suit, but she was trying and she was learning, and for that Chloe could be nothing but proud of her friend. Letting go does not come easy to a Type A personality, especially one as strong as Aubrey's. The sight of it left Chloe in awe.

Beca instructed that the girls should meet back at the pool in an hour. Chloe suspected this was so the two of them could have a moment alone. After all, they had a lot to talk about, too. But the redhead knew the other girls would be grateful for this moment as well, to take a step back from the chaos and get their heads in the game. Besides, Lily, who had fallen into Aubrey's vomit during the struggle, was in desperate need of a shower.

As the Bellas began to disperse, Chloe felt a hand grab her wrist from behind.

"Hey," came the soft voice. Chloe turned to face the younger girl. Her eyes locked on dark blue ones and Chloe felt her knees weaken. She couldn't stop the wide grin that slowly spread across her face. She missed those eyes. She missed this woman.

"Hey," she responded, trying not to notice the warmth that quickly flooded her chest as she felt Beca's thumb gently rub against the inside of her wrist.

"Can we, uh, go somewhere? To-to talk?"

Chloe nodded, and smiled almost shyly, as Beca pulled her toward the exit of the rehearsal room. They walked in silence to the nearby tree, the same tree they had spoken under after the party where they had kissed for the first time. That seems so far away now, Chloe thought. She couldn't believe how much a year had changed things for her. Beca Mitchell had really thrown her entire world into upheaval, she reflected. And she wouldn't change a thing about it.

Beca stopped walking and Chloe turned to look at her. "Do you, uh-want to sit?"

"Okay," Chloe said, and took a seat, crossing her legs with her back up against the tree. It took an extra-long moment, in which Chloe simply stared up at the other girl, for Beca to join her. Beca sat close, her hip pressed against Chloe's, her back also against the large oak. Her knees were bent before her and she rested her elbows on them, pulling on the thumb of one hand with her other. Chloe watched Beca carefully as she stared into the expanse of grass in front of her.

The girl's brow was ruffled; Beca had something she wanted to say. Chloe waited, but she said nothing. Chloe sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, before looking back to her girlfriend. She spoke quickly, but deliberately, "Listen, Becs – I should have stood up to Aubrey sooner. And I'm sorry."

"No, Chloe. I'm sorry," Beca jumped in. She still wouldn't look up at the redhead, instead she stared at her own fingers before her. "I shouldn't have run away. And Aubrey? I mean, I get it now. She's really important to you. And I put you between the two of us. And that was really unfair of me." Chloe wasn't sure how to respond, so she let Beca keep talking. "I should have realized what was happening sooner. Aubrey just… She was just so infuriating. But I took it personally, and I shouldn't have. And I definitely should not have made you feel like you had to choose between the two of us. And I know that's exactly what I did. And I'm sorry." Beca finally looked up at Chloe. Her dark blue eyes were wet with tears. It pained Chloe to see the other girl look so broken. She leaned forward and pressed her palm to Beca's cheek before placing a delicate kiss on her forehead.

"It's okay."

"No," Beca shook her head, and Chloe retracted her hand. "No, Chlo, it's not okay." The brunette took a deep breath. "Jesse made me realize something. I," she paused, "I shut people out. I always have. It's just… well, easier that way. But," she stopped again, "Jesse, he… he helped me understand that, sure, it may be easier, but it'll ultimately leave me totally alone." Her voice dropped. "And I-I… I don't want that." Beca stopped and took a breath. "I mean, I shut you out before we even started dating. Because I was afraid… of what could happen. You just, you… scare me." Chloe's brow furrowed at that. "No, I mean—" Beca tried to cover, "I mean, uh, the way I feel about you? It's-it's scary."

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

"Like…" Beca paused. Chloe could tell she was taking a moment to choose her words carefully. "I feel like if, if we keep going like we are that if I lost you? I'd lose everything."

"That's what you're afraid of?" Chloe's voice conveyed her surprise. She couldn't really understand what Beca was feeling. I mean, if the girl was afraid of losing her, why would she push her away like she had? Isn't that counter intuitive? But Chloe knew that she herself loved much too easily. She understood how someone could be afraid of the loss of someone else's love. Chloe had been there many times before herself. And she knew firsthand just how awful it was. But she also knew that she could never get by without loving at all.

Beca nodded slowly, almost sadly, then looked back down at her fingers and worried a nail. Chloe realized then that that was the piece Beca was missing. That's what she didn't understand. That the pain, if and when it came, was worth it. All the joy that came with caring for someone was worth it. Always, no matter the outcome.

Chloe's voice was barely a whisper. "Look at me." When stormy blue eyes connected with her own, she felt something warm begin to swell in the pit of her stomach. She took a breath and spoke sincerely, "You'll never lose me, Beca Mitchell."

Something flickered in the DJ's eyes. Chloe could see her swallow hard, and she reached out a hand to comfort her, placing it on her lower thigh with a soft squeeze. Beca looked down again, but her lips contorted into an odd sort of grin. Her head nodded twice, and then she looked back to the redhead. There was a very Beca looking glint in her eyes. The kind that usually accompanied Beca's most confident, and often sarcastic, moments.

"I know that now," she said carefully. There was a pregnant pause before she added, "I love you too."

Chloe's face went slack as her eyes widened. "You… you, um… what?"

A small snort escaped the brunette. She looked down and back again. "Jesse told me what you said."

Chloe froze. She had been so focused on the situation with Aubrey, she had completely forgotten about her little slip-up on the phone with Jesse. A brief moment of panic overtook her. Oh my God. How could I have—And then click. Wait. Did Beca just say she loved me too?!

The redhead refocused her gaze. She followed the curved line of Beca's lips and found the girl was smirking at her boldly. No, proudly. Chloe had to admit, over-confident Beca was simultaneously the cutest and sexiest Beca there was. A slow grin spread across Chloe's face as she surged forward, capturing the other girl's lips in her own, each of them smiling against the other. Beca pressed warm hands against Chloe's cheeks and pulled her desperately closer. Chloe felt like Beca had never kissed her quite like this before. It was so passionate, so… so, full of love. And it was incredible. Beca Mitchell was incredible.

The younger girl pulled back and pressed her forehead against Chloe's. "I could kiss you all day," she breathed.

And Chloe couldn't help herself. She saw the opportunity, and she took it. "If I let you," she giggled.

"Oh, we're gunna play that game now?" Beca teased.

"No! The song, Becs!" But the brunette just stared back, a blank look on her face. "Bruno Mars?" Beca gave an exaggerated shrug and Chloe slapped her shoulder playfully, but the other girl simply just rolled her eyes.

So Chloe did the only thing she could do. She cleared her throat and began to sing.

"Oh her eyes, her eyes

Make the stars look like they're not shining

Her hair, her hair

Falls perfectly without her trying

She's so beautiful

And I tell her everyday"

Chloe reached forward and tucked a stray strand of brown hair behind her girlfriend's ear. Beca's eyes flickered down at the touch. Chloe continued to sing.

"I know, I know

When I compliment her she won't believe me

It's so, it's so

Sad to think that she don't see what I see

But every time she ask me 'Do I look okay?'

You know I say"

Chloe placed a hand beneath Beca's chin and gently lifted her head so she could see her. The redhead leaned forward and smiled.

"When I see your face

There's not a thing that I would change

'Cause you're amazing

Just the way you are

And when you smile

The whole world stops and stares for a while

'Cause girl you're amazing

Just the way you are"

As the chorus ended, Chloe held a finger in the air and nodded her head with wide eyes, noting that this was the part of the song she was referring to earlier. Beca flashed a typical crazy looking smile at Chloe's exaggerated gesture, but nodded firmly to acknowledge that she was paying attention.

"Her lips, her lips

I could kiss them all day

If she'd let me"

Chloe emphasized each word as she sang, sure to prove her point to Beca as each word fell delicately from her mouth. The DJ gave a simple nod in response, and when Chloe's song petered off, the girl pressed forward and took the redhead's lips between her own. She sucked gently and Chloe couldn't help but release a soft moan through her nose. She felt Beca's lips curve into a smile then, and she broke the kiss and pulled back to look at the woman she loved.

"Does that mean you'll let me?" Beca played.

Chloe grinned. Like an idiot. She was fully aware of how stupid she must look to the outside observer. But Beca was wearing the same stupid grin, so embarrassment was far from her mind. Instead, she felt love, for the girl with the giddy smile plastered across her face. And, perhaps more importantly, she felt love in return.

"Absolutely," she intoned, before leaning forward again to once again press her lips to Beca's.

Chloe was certain she never felt so happy, so complete, in all her life. Beca was hers to keep, maybe forever. She knew life's journey would be that much prettier with the brunette in it. And as she felt Beca's tongue lick at her lips, she knew she would spend the rest of her days reconfiguring her senses, adjusting to the love of the woman before her. But it felt like her life had led right to Beca's side and she felt certain, no matter what happened, that's where she would find herself from now on.

A/N: And that's it, folks. That's the end of this story! Thanks for coming along on this journey with me. Please leave me a review and let me know your thoughts! As for my future? I'm going to take a brief break from fic writing, but I do have a Triple Treble one-shot brewing in my mind... so, I'll be back with that soon! Hope to catch you all there. Peace, Love, and Light - VeronicaSummers