A/N: So I guess I have some explaining to do?

I can't apologise enough for leaving it so long between updates. The last few months have been super up and down for me. My anxiety has been crazy and I've really really struggled to write this. I tried a lot times but just ended up getting angry because the writer's block was so bad. I also have to say sorry because I know I said there would be a couple more chapters but actually this is the last one. I feel like there might be a lot crammed into this so I hope it doesn't feel rushed, and I hope I haven't left anything unanswered. If I have, please let me know.

I'd love it if you reviewed. This fic has been a big part of my life for almost 2 years now. It's the longest thing I've ever written and has also received the most reviews of anything I've ever written. What was originally meant to be a slow-burn high school au has turned into something else. I'm pretty proud of it, and I hope you've enjoyed this journey with me.

So, for the last time, enjoy.

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters.

Beca was lying on her side on Chloe's hospital bed, Chloe curled into her, her head tucked into the crook of Beca's neck. They'd been lying like this for about 20 minutes. Aubrey had popped her head in to say she was leaving but that she'd give her a call later.

"Hey, Aubrey?" Beca said, just as the blonde was leaving. "You should call Jesse. He really likes you, and I think you guys would be great together."

Aubrey smiled. "I will," she said, and she left them alone.

"How's your wrist?" Beca asked, her fingers lightly threading through Chloe's hair.

"It hurts," Chloe replied. Beca could feel her breath on her neck as she spoke and she instinctively pulled her closer. She'd missed this. She'd missed her. "Will you come back with me tonight?"

"I think," Beca cleared her throat slightly, "I think maybe you should just be with your family tonight." She felt Chloe start to pull away but she held on even tighter. "Just for tonight. You all have a lot to talk about. I'll come and see you tomorrow and, if you want, I can stay over."

"Okay," Chloe said, relaxing into Beca's arms again. "I really am sorry. About everything. I've… I've treated you really badly. I never meant for you to get hurt, it just all got too much."

"I know," Beca said softly. "I'm not going to say it's okay, or that I wasn't hurt, but I know you didn't do it deliberately. I know you're having a hard time. I just wish you'd let me help."

"I wish I had too," Chloe said. "I won't do it again, I promise."

Beca knew it wasn't as simple as that. Chloe was bound to shut her out again. But Beca was willing to be there with her, for as long as Chloe wanted her to. She loved her.

So Beca just kissed her forehead and closed her eyes, thanking God and whoever else that she still had Chloe in her life.

It felt like Beca had only closed her eyes for a second when she heard someone talking.

"Chloe, the doctor said we can take you home," Chloe's mom said, gently shaking her daughter's shoulder.

"M'kay," Chloe mumbled, rubbing her eyes and untangling herself from Beca's arms.

Beca stood and stretched, as she watched the nurse removed the drip from Chloe's hand.

"Do you need a ride home, Beca?" Chloe's dad asked.

Beca shook her head. "I'm good, thanks. I have my truck." She turned to look at Chloe, who was easing herself off the bed, her ankle still sore. "I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

Chloe nodded. "Can I call you tonight?"

"Of course you can," Beca said, kissing the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Chloe didn't call Beca that night until almost 11pm.

Beca had been dozing on the couch, Jasper curled up on her lap, when her phone buzzed and jolted her awake.

"Hi," Beca said, clearing her throat.

"Hi," Chloe answered, sounding exhausted. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Beca lied, rubbing her eyes. "How's it going?"

"I don't really know. Mom's not sure if she wants me to go back to college after the winter break. My dad definitely doesn't want to go back," Chloe said. Beca could picture her as clearly as if she was there. Chloe would be running a hand through her hair, rubbing her forehead as a headache settled behind her eyes.

"What do you want to do?" Beca asked, wishing she was there with her.

"I want to go back," Chloe said, sounding determined. "I don't want to lose my scholarship, or let the Bellas down. I want to prove that I can do this and not fall apart."

"You won't be letting anyone down, Chlo'," Beca said. "And you don't have to prove yourself to anyone."

"You don't think I should go back," Chloe said, after a pause.

"I didn't say that," Beca replied. "I just don't want you to put so much pressure on yourself that you end up hurting yourself. I want you to be happy, Chloe. And I want you to be okay."

"I will be okay," Chloe said, her voice softer. "I need to do this, Becs. I need to go back."

"If that's what you want then I'll help you in anyway I can," Beca said.

"Thank you," Chloe said. Beca heard the rustling of sheets and new Chloe must be in bed. "I miss you. I wish you were here."

Beca felt a sudden wave of longing inside her. "I wish I was too," she said quietly.

There was a pause. "Can you come over?"

Beca looked at the clock. She could hear the TV in her dad's living room so she knew he was still up.

She knew she should probably give Chloe some space. She knew she probably shouldn't be rushing straight back into things. But she missed her.

God, she missed her.

"Sure," Beca said. "I can come over."

Beca ended the call and pulled her shoes and coat on as fast as she could. She dashed upstairs and grabbed her toothbrush and other bits she would need before running back down into the den, loading up her iPod full of her newest mixes that Chloe hadn't heard.

"Dad?" She said, popping her head into his living room. He grunted in response, his eyes closed, Sheila's hand in his, the news playing quietly on the TV. "I'm gonna go see Chloe. I'll be back tomorrow. Is that okay?"

He opened his eyes and turned to look at her. "Is that a good idea?" He asked.

"She needs me," Beca replied, as if that settled it. "I need her."

He closed his eyes again, seemingly satisfied. "Be careful," he said.

"Give her our love," Shiela said.

"I will," Beca said, leaving. "Thanks."

She called out a goodbye as she left and was soon in her truck driving towards Chloe's house.

Chloe was curled up in bed, hoping Beca would arrive soon. She just wanted to hold her. To be held. To fall asleep with her the way they'd done a hundred times before.

She wanted to feel Beca curled against her. Feel the weight of her. To know that Beca was really there. To know that she wouldn't leave.

She heard a light tap on her door.

"Come in," Chloe said, turning in her bed so she was facing it.

The handle turned and the light from the hall spilled out into the room. She could see Beca silhouetted in the doorway, her hands were shoved into her pockets, her backpack falling off one shoulder.

"Hey," she said, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. The room was plunged back into almost darkness again. The only light coming from the moonlight filtering through the curtains. "Your fairy lights are gone."

"They're in my dorm room," Chloe said. She hadn't had a chance to pack anything before her parents had come for her. She'd need to go back for her clothes if nothing else.

She heard Beca stumbling slightly, moving around her room. She heard the sound of Beca's foot hitting the leg of her desk, and the muffled "shit," that followed caused her to laugh lightly.

Beca pulled her small bluetooth speaker out of her back, relieved she'd remembered to bring it, and connected her iPod. The glow of the screen lit Beca's face up, and Chloe wondered if she'd ever looked so beautiful.

A few seconds later, soft music started playing. Songs Chloe didn't recognise were blending together to create something new and wonderful. Chloe was never not amazed by the music Beca could make, but this was possibly the best thing she'd ever heard Beca make. She heard Beca's own voice in there, something which she didn't do often, and the sound was so pure it made Chloe want to cry.

Beca changed quickly in the dark, trying not to stub her toe again. Chloe reached out for Beca's hand when she was done, pulling her towards the bed.

"Hi," Chloe said, her voice cracking as Beca climbed in beside her.

"Hi," Beca said back. They lay face to face, just looking at each other, Beca's music playing softly in the background. "Don't cry," Beca whispered, bringing up her hand to brush away a tear. They both thought of the last time they'd shared this bed, when Chloe had said the same thing to Beca.

A lot had changed.

"I never want to lose you again," Chloe said.

"You won't," Beca replied, moving impossibly closer, their noses touching lightly.

Things started getting blurry as Chloe's eyes filled with tears again, and Beca moved into kiss her, slowly, gently, her hand cupping Chloe's face.

Beca kissed her like she was trying to make up for a lifetime of not kissing her. They had kissed more times than they could count, but it had never felt like this.

They had come so close to losing each other.

Chloe's hand gripped Beca's waist, her t-shirt riding up so she could feel Beca's skin beneath her. Beca's hand moved from Chloe's face to tangle up in her hair as they kissed with more urgency.

And suddenly the kissing stopped, because Beca was crying to hard to continue. She buried her face in Chloe's neck as the redhead did the same, squeezing her even closer.

"God, I love you so much, Chlo'," Beca said, her voice shaking.

"I love you too," Chloe replied, her own tears falling quickly.

"I thought you were going to die," Beca said, choking the words out between sobs. "I thought you were going to fucking die."

Chloe couldn't respond, so she just held on tighter, trying to show Beca that she was still here. That she wasn't leaving.

Eventually, they both calmed down. Chloe went and got them some tissues and some water, and they sat side-by-side in the bed, slowly catching their breath and drying their eyes.

"How many times have I cried in front of you now?" Beca asked, laughing as she dabbed at her eyes.

"Way too many. If I'd known what a softie you are, I never would have agreed to date you," Chloe said, grinning as Beca nudged her.

"Rude," Beca said, laughing harder.

They fell into a comfortable silence, and Beca felt like she could breathe for the first time in months.

"This music is amazing Becs," Chloe said. "It's the best stuff you've ever made."

"Thanks," Beca said, smiling. "I've, um, actually sent it out to a few places. Residual Heat wants me to go in for a meeting next week."

"Beca, are you serious?! That's huge! They're huge!" Chloe practically yelled.

"Yeah, it's a pretty big deal," Beca said, feeling nervous and excited all at once. "I mean, if I get it the job will basically be getting coffee and stuff but it's a start."

"I'm so proud of you!" Chloe squealed, pulling Beca into a hug.

"Thank you," Beca said, smiling, closing her eyes as Chloe hugged her tighter.

The day of the meeting with Residual Heat arrived, and Beca didn't know if she'd ever felt this nervous. She stood in front of her bedroom mirror, obsessively trying to smooth out the near-invisible wrinkles in her shirt.

"Okay," she whispered to herself. "Just be cool."

She checked her phone and re-read the good luck text she'd received from Chloe that morning, which had consisted of a selfie of Chloe in her "I love Beca" t-shirt with the caption "you got this!"

Beca smiled. Looking at the photo made her anxiety drop. Having Chloe back in her life was the best thing she could imagine. She didn't think she'd be able to do this without her.

Beca sent Chloe her own good luck message, because she knew she had a meeting with her university tutor and university counsellor about possibly going back to school after the break.

She slipped her phone into her pocket, and headed out the door.

The drive took about an hour, and Beca wondered what it would be like doing it twice every day. On the plus side, the studio was close to Barden University, so she'd be able to see Chloe after work.

She sat in the reception area, nervously tapping out a beat on her legs.

"Beca Mitchell?" The woman sat behind the desk called.

"Yeah," Beca said, jumping up.

"Sammy will see you now," she said. "Follow me."

"Cool, um thank you," Beca replied, following her down a corridor, past a room full of computers and and weird shaped chairs, down another corridor and then into a room where an man wearing gold sunglasses sat behind a large desk, seemingly texting.

Beca opened her mouth to introduce herself but he held up a finger, not looking away from his phone.

Beca stood awkwardly, not sure if she should sit or not, and waited for him to address her.

Suddenly he slammed his phone down on his desk, causing Beca to jump. "God damn Candy Crush," he muttered. He finally looked up at Beca. "Why are you standing there?" He didn't wait for an answer, he just gestured to a chair and took off his gasses.

"Okay, I've already forgotten your name so I'm just gonna call you Reggie, you cool with that Reggie?"

"Um… sure?"

"Great. Okay Reggie, here's the deal, usually when one of these idiots I have working here hands me a USB full of mash-ups, I make them scour youtube looking for the next Justin Bieber for about a week." He spoke very fast and didn't break eye-contact. Beca wasn't sure what the hell was happening. "I was ready to throw this USB into the trash with all the others, but then I heard this song."

He hit a button on his laptop, and Beca's cover of George Michael's 'Freedom! '90' started to play.

"I'm not one for covers," he said, "but there's something about this… And… And I don't like it, okay? I don't like it when people can do what I can do. It makes me feel intimidated and small. I don't like feeling small, I wear inserts in my shoes because I don't like feeling small."

Beca opened her mouth to speak again but he kept on going.

"But there's something here. The way it builds it's just… Ahh! I don't know! I like it."

"Thank you?" Beca said, unsure. It felt like she was being praised, but he looked so angry about it.

"So here's the deal. I'm gonna give a job as an intern here," he said. "And I'm also going to let you use one of the recording booths after hours. I want to hear what else you can do. Okay?"

"Oh my god, are you serious?" Beca said, as he held out his hand for her to shake.

"Do I look like a man who makes jokes?"

"I guess not? Um, thank you. Thank you so much for this," Beca said, rambling as she shook his hand. "I won't let you down, I promise."

"I hope you don't Reggie. Because I've got a room full of interns in there that can make mash-ups and sing covers. I wanna hear what you have, okay? I wanna hear your voice. And I also want my coffee to be hot but not too hot, with 2 and a half sugars and a dash- are you getting this? - a dash of almond milk. You should really write that down because you're going to need it on Monday."

And suddenly here was walking out.

"Gina will take your details at the desk!" He called as he walked away.

Chloe practically blew out the speaker on her phone when Beca called her to let her know she'd gotten the job.

"How did your meeting go?" She asked, putting the phone on speaker and dropping it into the empty seat beside her. "I can come pick you up if you're still there?"

"I'm home now, but you could come over?"

"Sure, I'll be there in like an hour," Beca said, feeling lighter than she'd felt in months.

She arrived at Chloe's and was immediately pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm so proud of you, baby," Chloe said, squeezing her.

"Thanks," Beca said, grinning as they went and sat in the living room. "How did your meeting go?"

"Well, they've agreed I can go back after Christmas vacation, but if I miss any counselling sessions without a valid reason and don't stick to my meal plan then they might not let me carry on next year. I've got to have regular meetings with my tutor, my counsellor and the college nurse to make sure I'm healthy and I'm eating and stuff. I'm not allowed to push myself when I work out, I need to always have someone with me basically. It's going to be hard but I think I can do it," Chloe said, looking anxious but determined.

"I know you can do it," Beca said, squeezing her hand. "I've been thinking though. After this year you won't be in dorms anymore, right?"

"Right," Chloe said.

"Well, the studio is like twenty minutes away from Barden University, and I don't think I want to make that commute every day. So I was wondering how you'd feel about maybe… maybe getting a place together? We could even ask Aubrey and Stacie too if you wanted? Rent would be cheaper if more of us shared."

"You wanna move in together?" Chloe asked, sounding surprised.

"It was a stupid idea," Beca said quickly.

"No, Beca that sounds awesome!" She said. "Are you serious about this?"

"Of course I am," Beca said. "So you really want to?"

"I really want to," Chloe replied, pulling Beca into a hug. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

And Chloe laughed and held her, because she knew Beca meant it. And Beca knew Chloe meant it.

They had almost been together for a year. A whole year. And even if they just got that one year together, Beca would think it had all been worth it. But she knew they'd have more. She knew they'd have more than one more year together. She didn't doubt it for a second.

The End