There were times when Beca Mitchell truly loved and appreciate all her friends did for her. Times when she felt their unconditional love and support and where she knew they'd do anything and everything for her. Right now was coincidentally not one of those times. "Tessa I swear if you do not speed his car up by about thirty miles per hour I will find myself a new PR manager and you will find yourself about six feet underground in a ditch."

Tessa rolled her eyes though she kept them studiously trained in the road. "You need to calm down Beca." Had Tessa looked over, she would have seen the vein above Beca Mitchell's left eye start to throb and twitch dramatically.

However, Tessa was looking dead ahead and white knuckling the steering wheel as she mentally scrambled through everything she would need to do. Fortunately, when Beca had split from the club her late-night replacement was ready to go. He'd started about twenty minutes earlier than he'd been scheduled to, but it was no huge deal. No, she was thinking about what to do with her best friend. She hadn't seen Beca this agitated ever. Even when it seemed the world was falling down around the short DJ, she'd remained composed. But one damn blast from her past as Beca falling apart at the seams.

"Alright, here's what's going to happen," Tessa said shortly as she pulled onto Beca's street. "You run up and grab the keys to your car. We'll start looking in a circular pattern. You head over to the airport and see if she's trying to catch a flight out. I'm heading back to the office to see if anything pops up on the search queries. If she doesn't immediately start blabbing, I'll start making calls to the hotels around town. I doubt she'll be able to find anything this late but I'll check. You find her, you text me. I text or call you, you answer. You got it Beca?"

When Beca didn't immediately answer, Tessa snapped. "I get your worried about your girlfriend or whatever the hell this woman is to you, but you are not letting five years of hard work go up into smoke. We have to be careful how this handle this and you damn well know it." Beca finally nodded tersely. "Good," Tessa pulled up to Beca's apartment building. "Now go."

Tessa didn't have to tell her twice as Beca was out of the car like a bullet. She barreled inside and waited impatiently for the elevator. Beca rushed into her apartment in a mad scramble to find her car keys. She didn't really have a plan beyond find keys then find the wayward ginger. She would for sure check the airport but she knew that if Chloe truly wanted to get out of LA, there were more ways to leave the city that she had no way of tracking her through. Beca stormed into her apartment with all the force of a hurricane. She groped for her keys on the rack and had a mini heart attack when she realized they weren't there.

She was about to start tearing her apartment apart when she heard a voice say, "I didn't want you to leave immediately." Beca whirled around wildly. Chloe was sitting on her couch, toying with Beca's keychain almost absently. Beca felt all of the fight and urgency drain out of her body at the sight of the redhead. She staggered over to sit by Chloe in the chair next to the couch. She remembered her coerced promise to Tessa and shot a quick text that said, 'She's in my apartment.' Tessa didn't respond immediately but Beca wasn't waiting for one. As a matter of fact, as soon as she'd sent out the text, she tossed her phone onto the coffee table face down.

Beca took a few deep breaths as she tried to get her wild emotions under control. Chloe had always had that sort of effect on Beca. Finally, Beca was composed enough to ask, "Why'd you run?"

Chloe immediately countered, "Why did you lie?" Beca sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She bit her lip and looked intently out the window to the Los Angeles skyline. She knew she had fucked up with Chloe but honestly, what was she supposed to say? She'd been keeping this secret for four years and she hadn't spoken to Chloe in five. She wasn't the same surly freshman that had walked onto Barden's campus and she wasn't the same disenchanted freshman that had stormed away from it halfway through her second semester. Somewhere along the lines, she'd changed. She'd grown into a mature ass individual that did her taxes and everything (well she paid someone to do them, that was basically adulting and counted).

"What do you want me to say Chloe?" Beca finally asked. She could have thought herself in circles but years in the music industry (and more importantly, with Manny) had taught her if you wanted an answer you asked the question you wanted the answer to.

Beca watched as Chloe's eyes watered ever so slightly and she bit her lip as she replied with no hesitation, "The truth Beca." Beca sighed again and regarded Chloe with a guarded look that hurt the ginger's heart just as much as Beca's deceit.

Beca nodded once resolutely and leaned back in her arm chair and gave it a slight wriggle in an attempt to get comfortable. "Honestly it all started about a week before semifinals. Back in like April and May, I had sent a bunch of flash drives with mixes to a shit ton of recording companies. I didn't honestly expect to hear back from any of them, but I had to start somewhere, you know?" Chloe nodded once but she got the distinct feeling Beca wasn't really listening or looking at her. There was a slight glazed look to her dark blue eyes as Beca relived her memories.

"So I went to college to get my dad off my ass, that was the only reason I was at Barden. I could have gone plenty of other places, I had a 3.9 GPA in high school and a 32 on my ACT. I'm plenty smart, way smarter than a lot of people give me credit for, I just had no interest in college. So I was there and I kept working on my mixes and sending stuff to companies. And then I met you guys and suddenly being at college didn't seem like such a chore. I was actually excited to be there with the Bellas. But four days before semifinals, I got an email. One of the companies I'd sent my resume and mixes to back in high school was TurnStyle Records and they'd finally emailed me back. It was the first response I heard back from ANYONE so I was so incredibly psyched I can't even begin to tell you what was going through my head at that moment. But I was so scared to open it. Either they hated my stuff and I didn't have a shot in the business or they liked my stuff and wanted to talk to me about heading out to LA which meant leaving the Bellas high and dry. Either option was terrifying. So I didn't open the email. Didn't even look at the subject line. And then the shit show that was Semifinals happened."

Here Beca paused her story to give a wry smirk. "And suddenly I didn't have anything left to lose." Chloe's mouth immediately opened to protest, but before she could make a sound, Beca was holding up her hand to silence here. "Think about it from my point of view," Beca pleaded quietly. "I told you the only reason I was even at Barden was because of my father and later the Bellas. My relationship with my father hadn't improved at all and I had basically been thrown to the wolf that was Aubrey all because I tried to help. Yeah, it was a little misguided and I could have been a little more tactful, but none of you stood up for me. And I'm sorry I snapped at you when you tried to help, but it just felt like too little too late, you know?"

Chloe nodded guiltily and kept her eyes glued on Beca, captivated with the brunette's version of events. "Anyway, you know what happened after that, I stormed out and caught a taxi back to Barden. I read the email, called Manny for the first time, and was on a plane to Los Angeles a day later. Spent my last day in Georgia with Jesse who was like the only person still talking to me at that point and that was that. Soon as I got to LA, I hit the ground running. I was spinning at clubs whenever and wherever I could. For the first four months, my sleep schedule was absolutely wrecked but it paid off. More and more people heard me and were asking about me. About six months in, things were getting a little out of hand and safety concerns came up. I was doing a show out in Munich, I was the opener for some well-known German DJ and ended up getting knocked out in an altercation. That evening, CC Hale was born."

Beca smiled sheepishly and explained, "The name comes from people always used to spell my name with two c's when I was younger and my mother's maiden name." Chloe found her lips curling upwards at what she was almost sure was unknown information to most of the world.

Beca continued, "Like two weeks after I returned from Munich, I met one of my bosses, Sid. He's in charge of the production side of TSR and he helped formulate a cover story between me and Manny. Beca Mitchell became a small time producer at TSR and CC Hale became the big name DJ. I met Tessa several weeks later and she was brought in to keep everyone off CC Hale's back. Like, four years ago, everything got blown way up and suddenly I was winning Grammy's and working with these big-name artists. Everyone wanted to know everything about CC Hale and all it took was a beanie, some heels, and some sunglasses and I kept my privacy. The best of both worlds and all that shit. I couldn't just give that up. I still can't if I'm being honest."

Beca finally fell silent, her story out in the open for the first time in a very long time. The last person she'd detailed even a portion of this to was Benji when he'd ended up in Los Angeles on Jesse's recommendation and crashed with Beca for a month while he got his feet underneath him. Her dad had heard bits and pieces of what she did, though he didn't know about the CC Hale persona at all. Beyond that, the only people who knew what Chloe now did were Jesse, Benji, Manny, Sid, and Tessa. Everything else was just bits and pieces of memories in people's minds whose mouths were sealed with enough contracts to sue the entire city of Los Angeles if her secret ever got out.

To Chloe's credit, she felt she took things rather well. It wasn't often that you found out that your long-time crush had become one of the hottest music sensations while pulling some Hannah Montana level deception. And truthfully, Chloe could admit that she sure as hell didn't deserve the explanation that Beca had just given her. She had truly let Beca slip away from her. She'd had the greatest girl in the universe next to her and she'd taken her for granted. Chloe sighed and looked over at Beca.

"Well where does that leave us now?" she asked, her voice cracking ever so slightly. Beca exhaled and raked her fingers through her hair, her features twisting ever so slightly when one of her many rings got snagged in her long brown hair.

"Couple of options," she said, her face scrunched as she deliberated her options. "Option 1. I drag you soul-less ginger ass kicking and screaming down to TSR where Manny and Tessa make you sign so many gag orders and secrecy pacts your head will spin." Chloe looked noticeably queasy at that suggestion so Beca hurried to move on to Option 2. "Option 2. You tell me you won't tell anyone and I believe you."

Chloe's eyes flew open wide as she asked guardedly, "Would you really trust me."

Beca leaned backwards and observed Chloe with her piercing deep blue eyes. "Once upon a time I considered you my best friend Chlo," Beca stated baldly. "I'd like to think you could do this for an old friend."

"For an old friend, no," Chloe stated. "For you though? Anything."

Beca smiled and stood up. Chloe met her halfway and wrapped the small DJ into a tight hug. Chloe didn't pull away, instead choosing to comfortably rest her hands on Beca's waist. Beca made no motion to stop her, instead reaching up to sling her arms around Chloe's neck. When Chloe kissed her softly, Beca swore it felt like remembering the title to a song that had been stuck in her head all damn day. It was easy and effortless and then it was over.

Chloe pulled back and studied Beca's face intently. Beca smiled at her. But then she put her hands on Chloe's shoulders and gently took a step back. Chloe nodded in understanding and took a step back to mirror Beca. The two women regarded each other for a long moment.

Beca headed over to the kitchen and Chloe followed before settling into a stool at the breakfast bar. Beca wordlessly pulled out a bottle of vodka and some cranberry juice. She made two drinks quietly and slid one over the counter to where Chloe was sitting. Neither woman said anything for a while, instead choosing to try and process all that had gone on that night. Chloe sipped occasionally on her drink, choosing to take it nice and slow for once. Beca mirrored her, cradling her tumbler in her hands and leaning against the stove.

Finally, Chloe sighed and said, "It's not going to change anything, is it?"

Beca didn't have to ask what exactly she was referring to. "I don't think so," she said apologetically. "It was nice… but we're not the same people we were five years ago Chlo." Chloe smiled as her nickname slipped out of Beca's mouth unbidden.

"Maybe not, but I'll always know you," Chloe declared emphatically.

"And I'll know you," Beca agreed. "But we're different Chloe and you can't honestly tell me you think that this would work long distance. I can't leave LA and you're just starting to make your life in Chicago." Beca shrugged helplessly and Chloe had to agree. While the kiss had been nice, it wasn't nice enough to try something crazy like a long-distance relationship just as she entered into residency. And Beca lived a hectic life, one that she knew wasn't conducive to having a relationship of any kind.

She couldn't help as her voice quivered as she asked, "Do you regret letting me kissing you?"

Beca huffed in laughter, "Chloe, when have I ever let anyone do something I didn't want?" Chloe chuckled as she remembered Beca's stubborn and independent streak. "But to answer your question, Chloe Beale I have never regretted anything about you except for the way I left. And don't think that that has changed."

Chloe smiled sadly as she let herself think about what could have been. She knew that the day she let Beca walk away had been one of the greatest mistakes of her life and she was dealing with the aftermath now. But she still couldn't bring herself to regret kissing Beca Mitchell. It felt like kissing Beca was closing a chapter in her life that she hadn't even realized was still open. Like a weight and dream that she'd held on to for five long years were final just… gone.

And yes, Chloe's heart hurt for what could have been, but she wasn't going to dwell on it. She'd managed to make a good life for herself outside of Beca Mitchell and she knew she could continue on just the same. She had a good group of friends back home. She had a dog that thought she was a goddess. She had a job she'd worked for almost her whole life. She would be okay. She would be just fine.

Chloe smiled at Beca contently and Beca smiled back. She had seen the emotions play across Chloe's face and relaxed as Chloe smiled with content. It broke her heart to let the girl she'd loved go, but she knew it was for the best. Chloe would go back to Chicago and became the greatest surgeon in the world, Beca was willing to bet good money she'd work with kids. Beca would stay here in Los Angeles and live out her dreams with the family she'd made for herself. Beca was happy and she knew that she'd always miss the lost connection with Chloe, she was happy. She really truly was.

The two woman smiled at each other and each mourned what could have been and mentally celebrated what they still had. They spent the rest of the night talking about nothing important and drinking. The stopped only to text and call those still looking for them.

A week or so later, Beca, Kat, Jesse, and Benji were driving the Bellas to the airport. Beca's number had been distributed to the Bellas, as had Jesse's, Benji's, and Kat's. The Bellas were soon sent off, with Kat and Aubrey spending a few last seconds hugging just a little longer than would usually be deemed socially acceptable. As the pop star and the ex-captain said their goodbyes, Beca and Chloe embraced. Chloe pressed her forehead to Beca's but made no further move. Beca tightened her hold for a brief moment before gently disengaging Chloe's arms and pushed her towards the security lines.

"I'll call you later?" she asked uncertainly.

"You better," Chloe's voice cracked as she said goodbye to Beca. She threaded her arm through Aubrey's and the two women made their way through the gate. Chloe paused only once to turn around and wave goodbye to the small DJ. Beca waved back and watched the flash of ginger hair disappear. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and then another around her waist.

"You okay Beca?" Jesse asked softly.

Beca took a deep breath and smiled, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just go home, okay?" And so they did.

The Bellas scattered back to every corner of the country. They all did their best to stay in contact with their wayward tenth member and Beca responded in kind. She acted as a third person sounding board between Kat and Aubrey who kept up their incredibly strong friendship. She acted as Maid of Honor when Jesse finally got his shit together and proposed to Tessa, who of course said yes. She then acted as aunt and godmother to their two kids, spoiling her niece and nephew rotten. She won several more Grammy's and even got an Emmy through a movie soundtrack that she and Jesse had worked together on. CC Hale continued to be one of the greatest musical unknowns and Beca was happy to leave her as just a façade, one that one day would be retired. And years later when Chloe moved to LA to start at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital, Beca gladly acted as her taxi from the airport to her home.

The right person, the wrong time
The right script, the wrong line
The right poem, the wrong rhyme
And a piece of you, that was never mine
K. Towne Jr.

I know this probably isn't how anyone wanted this to end, but this whole story was based off of that short little poem. People change from year to year and most certainly through college. While I think we'd all like to believe love would be enough, sometimes reality just keeps us apart. I hope the last line offers enough hope for Beca and Chloe, but this is what I felt had to happen.

Believe it or not, I'd had the bulk of this chapter written for almost two years. I just couldn't get it to flow the way I wanted and instead it existed as disjointed paragraphs. Thank you to all who waited so long for an ending.