Monday: Accidental Kiss

Luckily for the Bella's, Fat Amy's official birthday only came once a year. However, nobody could ever find her driver's license or sneak a glance at her passport. Once the girls noticed that she was having them throw her parties every few months, they voted that March 2nd would be her one and only birthday, the only day a year she could celebrate.

This year, the a capella girls were partying at the Westin Hotel in Atlanta. Fat Amy had rented one of the banquet rooms on the second floor and had the hotel staff decorate with bean bags chairs and overstuffed floor pillows. After checking in, Amy wanted to immediately start drinking. Of course the others thought it wiser to get a bite to eat. But shortly thereafter, the alcohol was freely flowing in the banquet room.

"Truth or Dare! Truth or Dare! Truth or Dare!" Amy's incessant chanting was annoying, but it was her birthday after all so they acquiesced to her wishes. She then commandeered the largest bean bag chair, plopped her birthday tiara on her head, and proclaimed herself the Truth or Dare queen. "I am now in command," she stated as she waved her wand around. "All truths and all dares must go through me."

Amy ordered her friends to write down their suggestions for consideration and put the slips of paper into one of two cups – Truth or Dare. She reminded them that she held the monarch power to override any slip that was drawn from the cups.

Several rounds circled the girls as Amy would pull slips of paper. Sometimes she would use the suggestion; sometimes she would toss it aside to make up something asinine. Eventually Chloe's turn came around again. Frankly she was tired of drinking the concoctions Amy was coming up with, so she blurted out, "Truth!"

Amy made a huge production of pulling out a truth recommendation and made as if she was seriously considering the words someone had printed. She finally decided to accept it and read out. "What is your biggest fear?"

The redhead's eyes grew wide, and she began to get antsy as she wished she had taken "Dare" and just taken the inevitable alcohol hit. She could feel her throat getting a bit tight since just thinking about what scared her the most could bring on a panic attack in an instant.

"Come on Red. Out with it." The drunker Amy got, the less patience she had.

"Ummm, heights. I'm terrified of heights." Chloe hung her head down, waiting for the laughter from her friends. She didn't recall ever telling any of the Bellas except for Aubrey about her biggest fear. When no laughter came, she breathed a sigh of relief as she looked up to see her friends carrying on as if she hadn't just told them about one thing that frightened her most in the world. Beca, who was sitting next to her, looked over at her and flashed her a comforting smile.

Next was the tiniest Bella's turn. "Dare!" Beca announced. She was nervous as fuck that the birthday queen would squeeze some dastardly truth from her, and everyone knew she wasn't big in the sharing department. So dare it was.

Amy didn't even bother drawing a slip of paper. Her eyes flitted back and forth between Beca and Chloe before she got a nonchalant look on her face. "Are you sure Shortstack?" Beca nodded. "Okay then, I dare you to take Chloe to the top of the hotel. In the glass elevators."

Both Beca and Chloe's mouth dropped opened. "Dude. No! This is my dare. Not Chloe's."

"My birthday! My rules." She threw her wand at Beca's head for emphasis.

Beca stood up and looked down at her friend. Chloe put on a brave face and held out her hand to be pulled up and out of the bean bag. As the two walked off towards the glass elevators, Amy called out after them. "Pictures or it didn't happen, Pitches!"

"Chloe, we don't have to do this. The girls will never know." Beca tried comforting the redhead as they walked to one of the two enormous glass elevators that would take them seventy-three stories to the top of the Westin Hotel.

"You know we do Beca. Pictures or it didn't happen." She mocked Amy's words sarcastically. "I would never do anything like this to her." Her voice was shaky, but she was doing a good job at trying to hide her terror.

"Nobody says you have to look. Here." Beca pulled off her hoodie and gave it to Chloe. "You can cover your face the entire way up." When they arrived at the elevator, Beca pushed the button and then the wait began. Luckily they were the only two waiting for that car, so no strangers would be present for Chloe's struggle.

Once the doors opened, they stepped in and Beca pushed the button for the top floor. "Well there is a bar up there. A cool rotating one. If you end up being okay with things, maybe we can take a look around and have a drink." She grasped Chloe's hand. "I won't let anything happen to you."

There were flashing blue neon lights surrounding the windows of the elevator and an annoying woman's voice coming over the speakers narrating their trip up. As soon as the elevator cleared the lower floors and the outside became visible, Beca's body tensed up as she choked back a gasp of her own. Chloe had Beca's hoodie pulled tight around her face, and her eyes screwed shut for extra protection from the view. She was so apprehensive that she didn't not feel Beca's agitation.

About forty-five seconds into the ride, Chloe's stomach sank as she heard Beca whimper as the elevator came to an abrupt halt somewhere around the middle of the ride. "Beca. Beca? What's going on?"

"Umm, I think we are stuck. At least the lights are still on." Beca began banging on the emergency call button. They could hear the phone ringing, but nobody picked up. "Surely they know their elevators are busted."

Chloe began to hyperventilate. "Beca! We can't be trapped in this monstrosity of a glass coffin. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." She grabbed Beca's arm as she slid to the floor, pulling the brunette with her. Chloe took a chance and peeked out at her friend for reassurance. "Becs, what's wrong? You look as though you've seen a ghost." Beca shook her head and clung tightly to Chloe. Somehow Chloe mustered some bravado. "Tell me Becs. We are in this together."

Beca buried her head into the oversized sleeve of the hoodie she had loaned Chloe and was using it to wipe some errant tears. Both women were quite a mess, nerves shot to hell. "I'm badass Beca. I'm badass Beca." Her repeated words were muffled by the thick cloth and spoken so low that Chloe barely heard her.

"My badass." Chloe teased. "Now talk to me. This is my biggest fear. We can't both fall apart in here."

Scooting closer still, Beca closed the gap to give comfort to both of them. As she opened her mouth to speak, the elevator was plunged into darkness – even the neon lights fading in their illumination. Both women shrieked. "Talk to me Beca. Please? Now I can really see the lights outside and know how high up we are. I need you to talk to me."

"God I hate Amy." Beca grumbled then took a sigh. "Chloe – nobody knows this – but my biggest fear is… being trapped in an elevator." The women kept a tight grip on each other's arms.

Finally, Chloe spoke. "Well this just sucks." Beca laughed at the redhead's candor.

As time passed, the pair became more and more nervous – Chloe at how high they were above the city and Beca as she went through all of the ways she could fall over forty stories and die. Eventually Chloe pulled the hoodie strings tight again hiding her face. Beca needed to see Chloe's eyes since she felt that was all that was keeping her calm. She positioned both their bodies facing each other and began to run her fingers across Chloe's face, tucking her hands in to brush her red hair back behind her ears. Beca leaned up and pressed a friendly kiss against Chloe's forehead, something she had done hundreds of times before as they cuddled in bed or on the couch during a movie.

Beca then used the pads of her thumbs to brush away the tears flowing from her friend's eyes. She ducked her head down to kiss Chloe's cheek, trying to find some familiar comfort for them both. What she didn't expect was the redhead turning her head about the same time, so Beca's lips caught Chloe's firmly on the mouth. Beca froze at the electric shock she felt race through her at the intimate contact. Even more surprising was before she realized it, Chloe was actually kissing her back.

Just as Beca truly realized what was happening, the lights flashed back on in the elevator as the car lurched and began its upward journey to the top of the hotel. The pair quickly broke the kiss and scrambled to their feet, both seemingly relieved to be moving again. Despite ending the kiss, neither was willing to let go of the other's arms. Once they got to the top of the building, they quickly exited and snapped the requisite pictures. From the top of the hotel, Chloe pulled up her Instagram and posted several pictures of both women – ragged but grinning from ear to ear – #fearsconquered.

A/N: I'm coming to the party a little late and will be writing day by day to get caught up. I figure it's still Monday somewhere in the world!