She kicked the crate under the table. Beca had returned from Massachusetts several days earlier, her mother all but kicking her out.

Unfortunately the dorms were still closed so she had to stay at her father's house. Her saving grace had been the radio station, where she was able to spend the entirety of her day doing as she pleased.

With Luke out of the country for break, Beca was able to play her music without the risk of him hearing it on the channel. Not that any was listening to the station during break. She would admit though, the hours rolled by much slower without a certain annoyance talking in her ear.

"Do you plan on being home before dark tonight?"

She shifted to hold the phone between her ear and shoulder, "I don't know, there's a lot of work to be done."

"It would mean a lot to Sheila, her sons will be there."

"You're making it a lot easier to say no."

"It would mean a lot to me too."

Beca sighed, her dad always playing the guilt card that he had no right to, "I'll think about."

"Well the dinner's tonight-"

"I said I'll think about it." Cutting him off before hanging up.

Beca strode into the booth taking a seat in the chair facing the computer. It'd be nice of her to at least show up to dinner and then she could lock herself in her room for the rest of break. Her father was making an effort, albeit late in life, but at least he was trying.

She opened the back door to her father's house.

Beca was hoping everyone would be in the dining room, and using the back door would give her the option to escape to her bedroom if she decided she didn't want to eat with the She-Devil and her spawns. Unfortunately Shelia was just pulling what looked to be her attempt of a roast out of the oven.

"Beca! You made it!" She was surprised she could still smile with all of the Botox in her face.

Beca grimaced in return, "Yeah, dad asked me to come."

"Well this is just lovely. Why don't you put your stuff away, wash up, and join us in the dining room? I was just about to bring out the last of the food."

"Sure, I'll be down in a minute." Beca scurried up the stairs quickly making her way to her room. Throwing her bag on the ground, she mentally kicked herself for coming back. The last thing she wanted right now was to try to sallow her step monster's cooking and listen any dull conversations that she could bet were occurring right now.

Grabbing her phone, Beca walked back down stairs, not ready for the night.

"Beca, I'm so happy you came." She tried not to grimace as her dad gave her an awkward side hug when she entered the living room.

Before she could respond a tall woman wrapped her arms around her petite form, "Beca! I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Hey Eliza." Beca responded, less enthused, "How are you?"

"Wonderful as always- Oh my gosh! You weren't here when I told everyone, Alex proposed!"

"Oh wow, that's great." Gently pushing her soon to be step sister in laws hand out of her face, "And where's the lucky guy?"

"Right here sis." Alex wrapped his arm around her neck, Beca fighting back a smile.

The only thing Beca liked about Shelia was her oldest son. When her father remarried she was only fifteen where as Shelia's sons were already in college. Her younger son was just a dick wad, but Alex wasn't too bad. He at least took the time to listen to her music, having somewhat similar interests.

Plus he would buy her alcohol. So yeah, he was alright.

"And how is Barden treating little Mitch?"

Beca shrugged indifferently, "It's alright."

"Oh Alex, didn't you hear?" Shelia walked in carrying the last of the dishes, "Beca joined the Bellas! Now everyone take a seat, dinner's ready."

Beca clenched her eyes, ready for the tormenting that was about to hit her.

"You joined the Bellas?" Alex asked incredulously.

"Oh, wasn't that the girl group honey?" Eliza asked sitting beside Alex.

Alex nodded, "And just what made you join the Bellas."

"Extortion." Beca muttered under her breath. Micheal rolled his eyes at his daughter.

"Alex, where's your brother?"

"Right here mother!" Called joyfully.

Beca resisted the strong urge to roll her eyes at her second step brother as he kissed Shelia on the top of her head.

"John, take a seat, we're just starting."

"Everything looks amazing." Making a sound of approval, "And Mr. Mitchell, thank you for having us in your lovely home."

"John, for the millionth time, you can call me Micheal."

"Of course Micheal. Eliza, looking beautiful as always."

Beca couldn't hold back her snort when Alex kicked John under the table, earning his glare.

"Rebeca." John bit out, "I see you're still a fan of the gothic look."

"Bumper. I see you're still a kiss ass." She sneered, matching that of her step brother's.

"Beca." Her father scolded her.

"Anywho." Eliza cut in, "John, how are the Trebles?"

"Oh great Eliza. We'll have no trouble winning the ICCAs again this year."

"Well I don't know about that. The Bellas may have a saving grace this season." Alex nudged Beca's shoulder.

"Please, those dumb b-" Bumper stopped himself, realizing were he was, smiling wide "I mean, we'll have to see come Regionals."

Beca scoffed, leaning back in her chair.

"Hey. Don't a stranger, okay?" Alex asked, standing in the doorway.

"Sure thing." Beca answered, "See ya later Eliza."

"Bye sweetie, we'll be supporting you at Regionals."

Beca smiled watching the two walk down the pathway leading to their car. She was sad to see the two of them go, her other step brother though.

"Rebeca."

"What do you want?" Suppressing a groan of annoyance.

Bumper smiled widely, "Can't I just talk to my favorite sister?"

"What happened to 'Don't talk to me, don't look at me, you don't know me.'?"

"And you've been doing a great job of it." Beca rolled her eyes, "But I just wanted to know how things were going? School? Bellas? Jesse?"

"Why do you care?"

"So you don't deny it?"

"Deny what?" Beca exasperated.

"You and Jesse?"

"We work at the station together if that's what you're wondering."

"Sure." Bumper laughed with a wink, "Work." Beca tried to protest as he walked out the door, "Won't see you around Becs."

Beca flicked him off when he his back was turned.

What the hell was everyone's deal with Jesse? And why did everyone feel the need to point it out to her. They weren't that obvious, never showing affection outside of the confines of a dorm room or the station.

Beca had to hide her laugh watching the Mrs. Applebaum and her son.

"Yes mom. I'll make sure to breath every now and again as well."

Did they fret over him this much on the first day too?

"Is that attitude? Harold! Do you hear this attitude your son is giving me?"

"Yes dear." Mr. Applebaum answered his wife, "Maybe it's time that we left though. I'm sure Benji has a lot of unpacking to do."

"Fine, fine." She threw up her hands in defeat, "You'll miss me though!"

Beca arched a brow looking at a response from Benji.

He let out a defeated sigh, "I'll miss you."

"Now was that so hard?" She turns towards Beca, "Was it?"

Beca, failing to hide her laughter, shaking her head. "Goodbye Applebaums!" She waved as the couple walked out of the room.

"I thought they'd never leave. Beca. They suffocated me over break."

"You're over exaggerating."

"No. So many turtle necks." Beca rolled her eyes, flopping on his bed, watching as he began stuffing clothes in his drawers, "And how was your break?"

"It was fine. Met mom's new love. Hung out with my dad and the she devil, plus her spawns." Beca never talked much about her family, especially a specific step brother. She could never gauge how Benji would react if he knew she was related to his idol (past idol?). Regardless, she just didn't bring it up.

"And how is everyone?" He asked.

"Probably fine."

"Well you didn't miss out on much after you left."

"Didn't think I would, Cokesworth is the place where dreams go to die."

Benji couldn't suppress the urge to roll his eyes, "It's not that bad."

"Not that good either." Beca said pointedly, "Now hurry up so I can go eat."

"Anything for you my lady." Benji said in a posh accent, even throwing in a bow.

"Dork." Beca managed through her laugh, whipping a pillow at his head.

"Why are we doing this again?" Beca asked in a bored tone, following Chloe into the preforming arts building.

"Because." Chloe took out a key, unlocking the door to a private room, "I can't sing both solos at Regionals, and the sooner Aubrey realizes it, she'll let someone else pick it up, and I think it should be you."

Beca rolled her eyes, leaning against the wall as Chloe took a seat at the piano, "Can't you sacrifice someone else to her?"

"She's not that bad once you get to know her." Chloe said softly, "She's just really driven."

She scoffed, "I bet."

"Anyway, if you know the part, you're a shoe in to be picked!" She placed her fingers on the keys, "Now just follow my lead."

"So when Aubrey asks if you want the solo, you say?"

"I say no."

Chloe narrowed her eyes, "No, you don't say anything that'll give her a stroke."

"Aye, aye, captain." Beca gives a mock salute.

Chloe smiles, "Perfect! I'll see you then."

Beca watches her leave the room before letting out a sigh and taking a seat at the piano. Frowning, she pushed one of the keys. She really should have give Chloe a mocking laugh and said no way when the solo was brought up. But here she was, part learned, and one step closer to accepting the solo.

Standing from the bench, Beca grabs her bag, turning off the light before leaving the private room, and looking at her phone for the time.

About an hour before her shift.

She could hear the sounds of a piano coming from another room down the hall. It was a Saturday, and most didn't have access to this building on the weekend.

Quietly walking down the hall, the door to the room was propped open. Her curiosity getting the bests of her, Beca slightly pushed open the door.

"I don't know why I thought it would be anyone else." She crosses her arms.

Said piano player let out a girlish shriek before grabbing the sheet music from the stand, "Beca!" Jesse exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"Just listening." She shrugged.

Still shocked by her presence, he paused slightly before a small smile formed on his lips, "Why Miss. Mitchell, are you here to listen to me?"

"What? No!" She could feel her face flushing, "I was just wondering what nerd spends their Saturday here."

"Calling the kettle black, are we?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Chloe dragged me here to rehearse something."

"I don't see Chloe." Jesse turned back to the keys.

Beca ignores the comment, "What are you playing?"

"It's nothing." Jesse mutters, shuffling the papers.

She purses her lips, suspicious of his reclusive attitude, the dork is usually an open book about anything he's up to. "Well, you want to play something for me?"

Jesse looks up at her with a questioning stare, "Okay." He places his fingers on the keys and start to play, and Beca recognizes it as some Beethoven melody. Narrowing her eyes, she grabs the papers that were placed to his side, which causes the music to abruptly stop with a disoriented sound of keys, "Beca!"

She quickly turns, shielding the music from his reaching hands with her body. Scanning, Beca recognizes it as sheet music, hand written that is. "Did you write this?" Turning around, raising her hand, keeping the papers out of his reach.

Jesse rips the papers from her, "It doesn't work when you're the shorter one." Taking a seat back at the piano.

"Well?" Beca asks, "Are you going to play for me?"

"I already did." He responded childishly.

"I meant what you have there." She pointed at the music.

Jesse turned to face Beca, searching her eyes. Resigning, he faced the piano once more, fingers laid on keys, pausing slightly before looking at the sheet music, and letting his hands do the rest.

Beca moved slightly closer, listening to the intricate melody, watching as Jesse flawlessly played each note.

She hadn't even noticed he stopped playing, to enamored by the sound. Meeting his stare, she spoke, "You wrote that?"

Jesse cheeks grew slightly red, "I haven't really worked on it much. Well, actually, I was working on it when you showed up. But I know it still-"

"It was good." Beca said simply.

"Really?" Jesse asked, eyes slightly large.

"Really." Beca rolled her eyes, "But." She took a seat beside him,"This part," pointing at a line, "I think it would sound better if you raised the note, and then lowered it here." Moving her finger.

Jesse grabbed a pencil from behind his ear, changing the notes, and playing the newly fixed melody. "Wow. That sounds so much better." He exclaimed, "Do you play or something?"

Beca shrugged, "No, not really. But I know how to tamper with notes."

"Is that what all the equipment in your room is for? Fixing music?"

"I like to think that's what I'm doing." Beca said shyly, her eyes moving to the piano.

"I could teach you some, you already know how to read music. It wouldn't be that hard." Beca looked back at the boy beside her , "I mean, that's if you wanted-"

"Okay, show me." She placed her hands on the piano.

Jesse smiled, stood, taking the spot behind her, hands over hers. Rearranging her fingers, he took a small breath, "Okay, you're going to go from the inside out, starting with the C minor, and we'll do it eight times."

Beca had already zoned out by the time he began to gently press his fingers down over hers, too consumed with how his breath on her neck sent shivers down her spine. Only pulled back into reality when the weight of his hands disappeared from hers.

"And that was the opening to Moonlight Sonata. You think you could do it on your own?" He was still extremely close behind her, enough so that she could feel the warmth from his body against hers.

"Uhh." Beca looked at her hands on the keys, completely at a loss, "Show me one more time?" Throwing over a look over her shoulder to see him nod in agreement.

Beca could feel her cheeks redden when his hands were placed against hers again, watching as they began to move together. Wondering if he knew she wasn't paying attention, but only asked for a second lesson at the price pf her own perversion.

"I'm going to let go now." He whispered in her ear, looking at her profile.

Beca turned her head slightly, seeing his intense gaze out of the corner of her eye. She tried to contain a shiver as his hands left her own, only to run up her arms, finding a resting place on her shoulders. She strained her memory trying to remember what the hell the notes were.

Plucking away at a few keys, she turned, opening her mouth to admit defeat, that is until she was cut off with his own.

Jesse had used his advantage of turning her by the shoulders, pressing Beca into the piano, mixing her sound of surprise with a cacophony of notes.

Both eagerly responded to one another, having been so many months since any contact.

Beca gasped in pain when Jesse pushed harder, her back connecting with a sharp corner, which he utilized the opportunity to slip his tongue in her mouth.

Biting back a moan of pleasure, Beca wrapped her fingers through his curls, somewhat longer since the last time she had her hands interlaced in his hair.

Jesse continued his attack on her mouth, moving to kiss the corner, and slowly down her neck.

Beca starred at the ceiling as Jesse continued his path, earning a rather loud groan when he bit a particular spot on the curve of her collar bone.

Glancing at the clock in the hallway, Beca realized two things. That she was due to be at the station very soon. And that window was very very see through.

"She's gone." Beca said breathlessly. Jesse lifted his head, a confused look on his face. "Kimmy-Jin, she's not here this weekend."

Jesse gave her a crooked smile, which unfortunately made her stomach flip.

He ran his fingers down her spine.

She said she was just going to close her eyes for a minute. She promised it would be a single minute.

That being said almost half an hour ago.

Not that Jesse particularly minded. He had no where to be.

But he was pretty sure she had a shift soon. With Luke.

Yeah. They could stay here a few more minutes.

"What's up, weirdo?"

Beca looked up when a shadow cast over her computer, "Okay. What's this?" She watched ad he lay out a blanket and began making himself comfortable.

"As much as I love spending time with you stacking CDs, and I do. I love it, like more than life. I figured we could do some other fun things that don't make us wanna kill ourselves, right?"

"Yeah." Beca smirked, thinking back to a day ago when they were doing just that.

"So, brought some movies. Jaws, E.T., The Breakfast Club, Star Wars and Rocky." He tossed them onto his blanket, "Best scored and sound tracked movies of all time. That's what I wanna do when I grow up. I wanna score movies. Bring people to tears, you know. Blow their minds. I feel like only music can do that."

Beca felt her stomach lurch for a moment at the deceleration of his passion for music, "Yeah. You must really sweep your girlfriend off her feet."

"I don't have a girlfriend?"

"What?" She feigned surprise, "You have juice pouches and Rocky!"

"Okay, so what do you wanna watch first?"

"Wanna do something else? We could relive my parents' divorce. Or visit a gynaecologist."

"What, do you not like movies or something? Like any movies? You don't- What the hell is wrong with you?" Realizing she wasn't kidding, "How do you not like movies? Not liking movies is like not liking puppies!" And everyone loves puppies, he thought to himself.

Beca shrugged, "They're fine. I just get bored and never make it to the end."

"The endings are the best part." He exclaimed unbelievably.

"They're predictable. Like, the guy gets the girl, and that kid sees dead people, and Darth Vader is Luke's father."

Jesse scoffed, "Okay, right, so you just happen to guess the biggest cinematic reveal in history?"

"Vader in German means father. His name is literally Darth Father." She deadpans.

"Huh. So you know German. Well now I know why you don't like fun things. You know, you need a movie education. You need a movie-cation. And I'm gonna give it to you."

Beca raised a brow, was that an innuendo? After examining his serious expression she realized it wasn't, "Yeah, in between Bellas rehearsals, which are always."

"Are you guys getting ready for the riff-off?"

"What the hell is a riff-off?"

Jesse smiled, faltering slightly, "Wait. You really don't know?"

"Sorry I don't keep up to date on the A Capella bullshit."

"It's like a singing competition, and you connect the words of songs. Trying to cut the other person off."

Beca looked back down to her laptop, "Sounds dumb."

He shrugged, "I think it'll be fun. There's even a prize for the winning group."

"A prize!" She patronized him.

"Laugh all you want Miss. Mitchell, but when the Treblemakers are in possession of Hoobastank's microphone maybe then you'll realize how serious you should have taken your competition."

"Such a dork." She muttered, taking another sip from her juice pouch.

"So, what are you working on?"

"Nothing, really. Just a mix."

"Can I listen?"

Beca turned her attention back to the boy beside her, no one had ever actually asked to listen to her work, "Uhh, I'm actually still working on it."

"Oh, okay." Taking the hint she didn't want to let him listen to it, "Is that what you want to do? Make music or something?"

"Pretty much." Beca nodded her head.

"So what are you majoring in?" Wondering why he'd never seen her in any of his music theory classes.

She laughed, "I'm not majoring in anything." Beca rolled her eyes at his confused look, "I'm only here because my dad is a professor. I plan on leaving for California over the summer."

"Wait, so you're not coming back next year? But what about the Bellas?"

"The only reason I joined was to appease my dad. Kind of a deal we worked out so I don't have to come back in the Fall." She looked up from her screen when he didn't respond quickly as he usually does, "What's wrong Swanson?"

"I, nothing."

"Don't miss me too much."

Jesse scoffed, his eyes betraying himself, "Please, you'll be missing all of this."

"So were you going to tell us about the riff-off tomorrow?"

Aubrey stopped mid wipe of the dry erase board, "I don't see how that concerns you." She turned around to meet Beca's stare, earning the glances of a few Bellas that were packing up to leave.

"So are we just not gonna go?"

Fat Amy made a face, "What's a briff-off?"

"Riff-off." Aubrey corrected her, "And it's a Barden A Capella competition."

"Well let's go and kick some Treble ass!" Cynthia Rose piped up, gaining the mummers of the fellow Bellas, Amy punching the air.

"Ladies, ladies." Aubrey cut them off, "We have more important things to focus on."

"I don't know Aubrey." Chloe began, "I think it could be good for us."

Aubrey pressed her lips into a firm line, "Fine. But we aren't devoting any of our rehearsal time to practice for the riff-off."

"Jesse's not here."

"Okay." Beca said, brushing past her friend into his room, a confused look on her face, "And why do I care?"

Benji shrugged, "I just figured you were looking for him, since you guys seem to be together all the time." His voice sounding hurt.

"Seriously dude?" She looked up from the spot on his bed, playing with one of his weird ribbon things, "You know that your like, my best friend, right?"

She could see his shoulders visibly relax, "No, it's cool. I get that I'm not helping your street cred."

"While that may be true, I doubt that nerd is any better." Beca smirked, "Besides, I hear magic is gonna be real big soon."

She smiled when Benji rolled her eyes. Although faltering when he looked away.

There were more than a handful of people that had questioned her relationship with Jesse.

A/N: This piece of shit has returned from the grave. I'm sorry, truly. I've just been so wrapped up in school and work and what not.

I really want to finish this story, it nags at me almost daily.
I think part of the reason I don't continuously work on it is because I've thrown myself into Harry Potter books and fics.
But my new end goal is to finish this story before it meets it's two year mark. As well to have more regular updates, because I feel the worst thing ever is when you get an update alert, but literally remember nothing from the previous chapter.
So I'm sorry to probably all of you that suffer from that while reading this fic.

Till next time.