Hey,

It's been two weeks since Chloe and Aubrey took off to the university. School starts tomorrow for me. Stacie hasn't still spoken to me yet. She's pretty pissed at me for what I did to Chloe. I'm sure Aubrey is angry, too, which is probably feeding Stacie's moods. Yeah, I miss Chloe. But I know I made the right decision.

Beca

Hey,

The first week of school is over now. I've mostly been keeping to myself. At lunch, I work on my mixes in the quad with my headphones on. I've been working on a few original songs, too. Guess I put off the perfect leave-me-alone vibe because nobody has approached me. Not even Jesse.

I only have one class with Stacie – choir. I sometimes catch her looking in my direction, but I've tried to keep from making eye contact. I think she wanted to catch me as I was leaving today, but I kept walking.

Beca

Hey,

Sorry I haven't written in a while. Why am I apologizing to a stupid journal? UGH. Anyway, I haven't much been in the mood. I know why, but there's nothing I can do about it. Chloe's gone, and that's all there is to it. I made the decision, and I pay the price.

Anyway, Stacie texted me today. She remembered my birthday is coming up and wanted to get together. I miss hanging out with her, so I said yes – but only if we could eat Thai. I knew I was pushing it because that's not her favorite type of food, but she agreed anyway.

Beca

Hey,

Happy birthday to me. Hanging out with Stacie made for a pretty good day. She completely acted as if it'd only been a few days since we had spoken. I know that we were both kinda at fault, but knowing she's the type of friend that can jump back in right where we left off, no matter how much time had passed, made me feel better.

Neither of us brought up Chloe or Aubrey. Stacie asked when I was going for my driving test. I had honestly forgotten all about that. I guess I need to ask my dad if I can take driver's education so I can get my license. I'm sixteen now. Duh!

Before we left, she surprised me by pulling a long, wrapped box out of her backpack. I told her that we were just now talking again that I didn't expect a present. She rolled her eyes and made me open the box anyway. Stacie gave me a mini USB keyboard! What a perfect gift. It fit right in my backpack, and I could take it anywhere. My headphones plugged in so I could compose music in public, then I could transfer the music to my computer.

She was shocked when I hugged her and seemed almost embarrassed at my reaction. I made a note to find out more about her favorite music so I could make her some killer mashups.

I'm feeling much better about life now. I think having Stacie's friendship back will help me move forward.

Beca

Over at Barden University, Chloe was unsuccessfully trying to acclimate to college life and life without Beca. Aubrey attempted to pull her out of her funk by making her try to for an all-girls' a capella group – the Bellas. They made the cut, so Chloe had a little more distraction and socialized with people other than just Aubrey.

Being a Bella led to going to parties which led to drinking. After a night of partying, she would try to hook up with some random guys and end up going home alone. The girls in the group were always trying to set Chloe up with some guy or another. Most of the guys were courteous, while some were assholes. But no matter how hard Chloe tried, she could never find it in her heart to go on a second date with any of them. Aubrey even set her up with some girls. Nobody stuck.

Finally, Aubrey confronted her best friend. Chloe admitted that no matter how attractive someone was – male or female – she or he wasn't Beca. She compared everyone to Beca. Kissing people felt wrong. And when some tried to go further, that felt like she was cheating on Beca, and that's why she ended up back in their dorm room every night. Alone. Aubrey tried to be supportive but was getting fed up with her best friend. Beca had broken up with Chloe so she could enjoy her college experience – not mope around about her ex all the time.

Stacie would sometimes come and visit Aubrey, but nobody ever talked of Beca. Aubrey knew Stacie and Beca were hanging out, but since Chloe never asked, Stacie never offered any information. The holidays were approaching, and Aubrey and Chloe's first trip home was Thanksgiving, where they planned to serve at the shelter as usual.

Hey,

Stacie gave me a heads up that Aubrey and Chloe were coming to our side of town for Turkey Day. When my dad asked if we were going to go to the shelter on Thursday, I told him I didn't think it would be a good idea. He knew I had broken up with Chloe and supported my decision. But I felt terrible about not having a repeat of last year's Thanksgiving because I know he enjoyed hanging with the other parents. I think he understood though. Instead, we heated some Hungry Man turkey TV dinners and watched football. I did make a pumpkin pie, though, since I knew it's his favorite.

On Friday, my dad and I were hanging out watching more television when someone knocked on the door. Stacie was outside, holding a huge cardboard box. She grinned at my dad then proceeded to unload gobs of food on our kitchen table. I guess Friday Thanksgiving with the Beales, Posens, and Conrads had caught on. Stacie must have included bowls of every dish they served.

I was amazed that she hooked us up with so much food or even thought about us at all. I felt that with Aubrey temporarily at home, she wouldn't have given me a second thought. She did tell my dad that her dad expected him to go out with him for a drink on Saturday. I'm glad my dad gets some time to socialize!

I adore Stacie. I'm sure it took a lot of guts for her to pack us up a box of food at the Beale's after I dumped Chloe. Come to think about it, Chloe probably helped.

Beca

As the semester went on, Chloe began to acclimate a little better without Beca. She started attending classes more steadily which helped despite the semester drawing to a close. Her last-ditch study efforts pulled her grades up so she could at least receive credit for all her courses. At Christmas, the Beales and Posens went on their annual ski trip. Aubrey invited Stacie, who declined under the guise that her family wouldn't understand her leaving over the holidays.

But in truth, Stacie didn't want to leave Beca alone. No matter how much she loved spending time with Aubrey, Stacie had some type of loyalty to Beca that her romantic relationship with Aubrey couldn't compete with.

Hey,

Christmas break is here. Finally! I expected Stacie to go skiing with Aubrey, but she said she was going to stay here and keep me company. What a loser.

Anyway, I've about finished this song I've been composing. The lyrics have been running around in my head since the night Chloe and I broke up. They aren't much, but I finally found a melody to match. Maybe I can get it polished enough to let Stacie listen – to get her opinion.

Beca

The once high school, now college friends knew the winter break would be their last downtime for a while. The Bellas spent the Spring semester preparing for a capella competition season. Practices were every day. Tedious. Challenging. They were even more difficult hungover. The harder the a capella captains pushed their team, the more Chloe drank. When Aubrey tried to step in, Chloe refused help. The blonde was afraid her friend would start to resent her for pushing, so she decided to stop trying to get her to stop drinking and simply make sure that Chloe made it back to the dorm safely each night and to class and practice the next day.

Aubrey again tried to set Chloe up with girls. And guys. When Chloe continued to come home early night after night, Aubrey confronted her. Chloe admitted that she was still comparing everyone to Beca, and well, they didn't measure up. However, despite Chloe coming home early, she still sweated alcohol from her pores during practice every day. Aubrey was at her wit's end as to what to do.

Hey,

Aubrey called me today. She told me Chloe was having a hard time adjusting to college and being away from me. I let her know that only Chloe could be in control of her own happiness. I know that Aubrey was trying to be Chloe's friend, but I feel like I'd be the world's biggest hypocrite if I tried to help Chloe out, even if it were just as friends. I'd be sending her mixed messages, maybe. I don't know.

Being away from Chloe physically hurts as I can only imagine withdrawal from any drug could be. Perhaps I should visit her. It might do us both some good. I know cutting off our relationship cold turkey sucked and probably wasn't fair.

After getting off the phone and thinking a bit longer, I texted Aubrey and asked what she thought about me coming for a visit this weekend. Just a visit. She said she thought seeing me would help Chloe. There's no reason I shouldn't help Chloe since she never did me wrong. So I guess I'm going to BU Friday.

Beca

Hey,

Talk about a whirlwind weekend. By the time I got out of class on Friday and got Stacie's slow ass in the car, we got caught in Atlanta rush hour traffic. I told Stacie she'd better be happy that I needed her support this weekend, or I would have left her ass at home.

In case I chickened out, Aubrey didn't tell Chloe I was coming. But when I tell someone I'm going to do something, I follow through. Always. When we were about fifteen minutes out, Aubrey texted Stacie to let her know that Chloe had a particularly stressful day. She'd stayed up the night before cramming for an exam and decided to celebrate by getting an early start on the weekend. Chloe was already drunk off her ass by the time Aubrey got to the dorm. By the time we got there, Aubrey had tucked her into bed where Chloe had fallen to sleep immediately.

Stacie asked me if she and Aubrey needed to find another place to sleep. I reminded her that she was my buffer for the weekend and asked them to stay in the dorms. So she and Aubrey went out for dinner. I told Stacie if it was good to bring me leftovers!

Chloe was zonked out on her bed, wearing these adorable PJ's that I'd never seen before. Blue pajamas with little baby yellow ducks. Her fluffy hedgehog slippers were under the edge of her bed. Despite not having spent any time with her in almost nine months, I could tell by merely looking at her that the core of Chloe remained the same. How could anyone wearing baby duck PJ's not be sweet and adorable?

I changed into a super-soft sleep shirt and pulled on some PJ pants and slipped under the sheets to snuggle in behind Chloe. Granted, we had a little less room than at home, but this was fine. As much as I hated to admit it, I missed her. I buried my face into her hair and breathed in the essence that was Chloe Beale. I felt like I was home.

The next morning, I felt her begin to stir as she woke up. I think she started to freak out when she felt someone in bed with her. I tightened my grip and whispered that everything was okay, that I was there, and she was fine. As she relaxed, she was able to turn over. Her shocked expression soon turned to surprise that I was in her bed, holding her. When she asked me what I was doing there, I told her the only thing I could think of – just because we ended doesn't mean I stopped loving you.

Beca

Chloe's shock quickly morphed into happiness. Just to simply be able to see Beca, to hold Beca, to smell Beca filled her with things she hadn't felt since she left home. They agreed to not talk about their relationship but to spend their time catching up on life, on each other. Aubrey and Stacie wanted Beca to visit their favorite places - a few restaurants, the coffee spot on the corner, and the ice cream shop. Chloe wouldn't leave Beca's side, which seemed to be okay with Beca since she had made her intentions clear that she wasn't trying to confuse Chloe, only trying to reassure Chloe that Beca had not disappeared from her life.

Before Beca left, she left another USB drive and told Chloe there was a short song she had written based on something Chloe had said the night they broke up. She made sure Chloe wouldn't take it the wrong way and said she could listen to it after she and Stacie were gone.

As Beca's car disappeared from sight, Chloe plugged the USB and played the single song on the device.

Don't tell me you're sorry by saying that you love me

Those words were never meant to be an apology

There's other ways to show your feelings than that trite little phrase

It's so overused that it doesn't mean much anyway

Show me how your heart feels when I walk into the room

Tell me how my soul chases away the gloom

But don't tell me you love me with words

Don't tell me you love me with words

Tell me that my dark eyes always brighten up your day

How the memories of our time together never go away

But don't act like that trite little phrase never meant anything anyway

Don't tell me you love me with words

Don't tell me you love me with words

Beca's visit did a world of good for Chloe, and the rest of the semester went a lot smoother. The redhead cut back on her drinking, her grades improved, and the Bellas made it all the way to the semi-finals during competition season. Beca texted periodically to check in which helped to keep Chloe grounded. It took an entire school year, but she finally understood why Beca broke up with her. It wasn't because Beca didn't love her anymore. Quite the opposite. Beca didn't want to hold Chloe back because she did love her.

Flash forward two years

Beca had finally made it through high school. Her time had been enjoyable, but she was happy it was over. The next phase of her life had begun. She got her things unpacked and put away in her dorm room then went out to check out the Activities Fair. Her dad had told her she should sign up to intern at the campus radio station so she could get some experience on the music front. Plus, there were a few other organizations she wanted to check out.

She saw a pair of girls trying to pass out flyers to takers with little luck. When Beca walked up, one girl approached her, brochure in hand, and asked, "any interest in joining our a capella group?"

"Oh, right. This is like a thing now." Beca couldn't help but chuckle as she replied.

The girl was chipper, bouncy almost. "Totes. We sing covers of songs, but we do it without any instruments. It's all from our mouths."

Beca gave a shocked look. "Yikes!"

The girl put her stack of flyers on the ground and threw her arms around Beca. "You are finally here, Becs. I thought you'd never show up."

"I told you I was coming, Chloe." Beca shoved her hands in her pockets and looked down, knowing a blush was spreading up her chest to her face.

"Not so fast, Beca. Come back here." Chloe pulled Beca's hands from her pockets and placed them on her hips. She then kissed Beca deeply as Beca tightened her grip on Chloe's dress, pulling the two of them closer together.

When someone behind them cleared her throat, Beca broke off the kiss. "Oh, hi, Aubrey."

"Don't hi Aubrey me, you little hobbit. Come, give me a hug." Beca sheepishly hugged her girlfriend's best friend, who also happened to be her best friend's girlfriend. "Now skedaddle and let Chloe recruit. Try-outs are in a few weeks, and we have to find eight super-hot women with bikini-ready bodies who can harmonize and have perfect pitch."

Another voice rang out from behind Aubrey. "Make that six. You already have Beca and me." Stacie wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. She stage-whispered over to Beca. "Try-outs are just a formality. I have information directly from the Bellas' captains that we are already in."

"Sorry, I don't even sing." Beca laughed as she motioned for Stacie to join her as they walked off. She turned and yelled over her shoulder. "Dinner at 6:30, right?"

"Have I told you that I'm glad you are here?" Chloe squeezed Beca's hand.

"Yeah, you have. Every day since the semester started." Beca settled down on the blanket, her back against the tree and Chloe between her legs. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Beca started by reading the title. "The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne."

…

"But what I like doing best is Nothing," said Christopher Robin.

"How do you do Nothing," asked Pooh after he had wondered for a long time.

"Well, it's when people call out at you just as you're going off to do it. 'What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?' and you say, "Oh Nothing.' and then you go and do it."

"Oh, I see," said Pooh.

"This is a Nothing sort of thing that we're doing now."

"Oh, I see," said Pooh again.

"It means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."

"Oh!" said Pooh.

…

Chloe gave a tremendous smile as she wriggled around to wrap her legs around Beca's waist, who closed the book and gently lay in on the quilt beside them. "Becs?" She reached over to tuck some strands of hair behind Beca's ear.

"Mmm?" Beca always enjoyed Chloe's touch.

"I'm glad you kept your promise?"

"Yeah? Which promise was that?"

"When you said that if we were meant to be, our paths would cross again."

"No problem; best promise I've ever kept." Beca gently pushed Chloe forward and crawled to her feet. She reached down for the redhead's hand. "Come on. Let's go do Nothing."

A/N: That's it folks. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I hope this final chapter makes up for the last!