A/N: This is it. I wanted to thank y'all for the kind reviews, they were really sweet and uplifting. I enjoyed writing this a lot. And I don't think it'll be my last Bechloe-fic, either, so...
Epilogue
"We're late," Chloe said as they almost jogged towards the auditorium where they practiced with the Bellas.
"They're lucky you got me to get up from your bed at all," Beca answered and grinned up at the redhead. At the same time she tugged at her hand, pulling her to a stop and then close. Their lips came together by unspoken consent and quite naturally as minutes passed and the need to make it to practice on time flew out the window.
"I could get addicted to this," Chloe whispered.
"You mean you're not yet?" Beca teased and the redhead giggled.
"Maybe I'm in that phase where I'm still denying my addiction." They kissed again, and again.
"Let's go back to your place," Beca tempted and was about to pull Chloe into that direction but the taller girl didn't budge.
"No, we're almost there and we're going to tell them."
"It's not that I don't wanna tell them, it's... I wanna be alone with you some more, please?" Beca was begging and knew it.
"You're quite the cuddler, you know that? And a kisser, and a toucher..." Chloe giggled as the brunette blushed.
"Yeah, well, if asked I will liberally confess that that's your fault. You make me do all those things..." Beca pushed her arms around Chloe's waiste and pulled her to her. She knew that Chloe was right, that now that she had started to... feel Chloe, she was very reluctant to let go. And Chloe didn't make it any easier, effortlessly finding some very interesting buttons to push that kept Beca on edge, dizzily balancing between arousal and emotions she had never had before.
"That's good," Chloe murmured as Beca found a sensitive spot on her neck to kiss. "And now I'ma gonna make you go to practice and tell everyone that... I'm your girlfriend." The word made Beca look up; Chloe had chosen it quite deliberately.
"You are?" Chloe nodded.
"I'm yours, and you're mine," she confirmed. Beca grinned.
"I am," she nodded.
They linked hands again and resumed their way to the auditorium. When Beca pushed the door open, everyone was looking up at them.
"You're late," Aubrey immediately said. For a moment she seemed to consider reading them the riot act but instead she just looked at them thoughtfully. She looked at their smiling faces, at their linked hands and knew... she knew Chloe too well to not see the happiness radiating from her, and she could read the same even more clearly in Beca - as the snarky, wise-cracking persona seemed to have gone and been replaced with someone softer, someone who couldn't keep their eyes off Aubrey's best friend.
"We know and we're sorry. It's just... we have to tell you something and we wanted all of you to be here..." Chloe pulled Beca into their little circle, just next to Aubrey who stepped aside a little.
"Are you joining the Trebles?" Amy asked and everybody looked at her.
"The Trebles?" Beca shook her head.
"No? Well, it was just a guess...," she tapered off.
"We are dating?" Chloe said, grinning proudly at the other women.
"Trebles?" Amy asked again. Aubrey sighed dramatically.
"Each other," she groused and rolled her eyes. Beca and Chloe looked at her. "That's what you were saying, right?"
"Yeah, that's... we're dating, each other. Chloe's my girlfriend," Beca confirmed proudly.
"Even I didn't see that coming," Cynthia Rose exclaimed. "But good for you," she grinned.
"Thank you, Cynthia Rose," Chloe smiled and it seemed to just spread over the whole room.
"So, how did that happen, I mean... I thought you liked that Jesse-kid," Stacie stage-whispered that last part with a sly look at Aubrey.
"Jesse and I are just friends..."
"But you went on a date, I have that on good authority," Amy piped up but then caught Aubrey's look and added in a smaller voice, "or not so good an authority. Bumper really doesn't know anything... "
"It wasn't a date, it was two friends going to the movies... and one of them mistunderstanding the situation," Beca informed her friends.
"Did he try to get into your pants? Did you punch him in the face?" Lily whispered and everybody just looked at her awkwardly because nobody had understood.
"So, how did this happen?" Stacie repeated her question from earlier.
"Oh, yeah, tell your little love tale," Amy pleaded and everybody leaned forward eager to hear. Chloe looked at Aubrey who gave her a small smile and then grabbed a chair next to Lilly.
"Well... you know how we met, at the activities fair. I thought Beca was cute..."
"You thought I was cute?" Beca asked, blushing slightly but also unable to keep the grin off her face.
"You are cute. And I thought it would be nice to have you on the Bellas... but then you said you couldn't sing and weren't interested... so... I was a little disappointed," Chloe confessed. "Until I heard you sing and I knew I had to get you to audition," she smiled brightly. Beca grinned evilly.
"So, that's why you stalked me in the shower?" she asked, knowing well that Chloe would rather have kept this particular information between them. But Beca saw her chance to make Chloe blush and it was such a rare sight that she had to go for it. And Chloe did indeed blush, her eyes sparkling even more than usual.
"Now this I wanna hear. Did anyone bring any popcorn, by any chance? No?" Amy asked but was mainly ignored as everybody looked up at Chloe in various degrees of shock and admiration.
"I didn't stalk you. I was already there, in the showers..."
"With Marc," Beca reminded her.
"Yes, with Marc," and with a look at her audience, she said: "It wasn't as kinky as it sounds. Marc was messaging my neck, it gets very... hard...," she stopped, seeing the amused faces of her friends.
"I will get you for this, Mitchell," she promised.
"Oh, get on with the tale already," Cynthia Rose said a little too eagerly and everybody looked at her, "What? I mean, this is porn..."
"It's not porn. Beca was singing Titanium which happens to be one of my... favorite songs. And I had to know who was singing and so... I went into her shower... and made her sing it for me," Chloe explained. It sounded indeed a little like porn - and if she recalled correctly what Beca's voice singing her jam did to her...
"While we were both naked," Beca added with a grin.
"If that's not porn, I don't know what is," Cynthia Rose murmured.
"She's right, you know," Stacie agreed.
"It wasn't all that sexual," Chloe defended lamely. "We were just singing." But all the women in the room knew how music could affect the body, how sensual it could be, how intimate and stimulating.
"It was a little sexy," Beca confessed which earned her a smile from Chloe who saw her whole argument undermined but was still happy that Beca had felt it, too.
"So, when did you fall for the redhead?" Ashley asked Beca. The DJ seemed to think about it.
"I think I fell for her when I came into my dorm room after my short gig in prison... and you were all there... and..." now it was Beca's turn to blush. Chloe looked intently at her, biting her bottom lip in an attempt to keep the emotions in but they practically leapt at Beca out of Chloe's eyes. They just looked at each other. Chloe lifted her hand and carressed Beca's cheek.
"Awwww..." they heard some of their friends coo and couldn't even have said who it was.
"Anyways...," Beca said and shook herself lose from the intense stare from blue eyes. "...I guess the connection was there from the beginning... just... it took us a while to realize it. And just for the record," the DJ looked at Aubrey, "I may have had a toner but it was never for Jesse." There were catcalls at this. Chloe pulled Beca close and kissed her.
"Yeah, I can see that," Aubrey smiled and looked pointedly at Beca's crotch. Cynthia Rose whistled, and the others laughed.
"I know," Beca laughed. She put her arms around her girlfriend and pulled her close. Amy saw this as an invitation for a free for all and got up.
"You two are so precious," she said and wrapped her arms around them.
"Group hug," Stacie called out and joined them.
Everybody joined the hug, even Aubrey finally put her arms around Jessica and Denise. She caught Beca's eyes through the mess of heads and hair and held it for a moment. Beca looked questioningly.
"Alright, everyone. I have something I want to say... or discuss," Aubrey broke up the huddle and everybody resumed their earlier seats with Beca and Chloe sitting down as well, next to each other, holding hands. Beca raised her eyebrows at the word 'discuss,' it wasn't really one Aubrey used a lot. Usually it was just her 'telling' them.
"I have thought about... our routine for the Semi's. I've been thinking about some of the changes since... we rearranged the group and you all joined. And the old set isn't working so well, anymore," she finally got out.
"No kidding," Cynthia Rose agreed. Aubrey shot her a look, this was hard enough for her. She had built her whole aca-career on the rules that Alice had practically carved into her flesh, and they went well with the convictions of her father. She hadn't questioned either yet but this was her last year and she wanted to create something new, for herself but most importantly for all of the current Bellas. They weren't model types, they weren't all the same, they were better than that - and they could sing. It was time that they all sang together.
"Well, I have been thinking about some of the things Beca said and I think... she's right," she pushed through her teeth.
"Looks painful the way you say it," Beca said and smiled. Aubrey couldn't help the surprised laugh that escaped her as she tried to look stern.
"It is," she confirmed and everybody else relaxed visibly. "I don't want to overthrow all the rules this group is build on. I think we should stick to songs by female artists, songwriters and singers but maybe we can include some newer songs," she looked questioningly at Beca who contemplated her words.
"Are you serious?" she asked.
"Dixie Chicks serious." The two former rivals locked eyes.
"Sounds good to me," Beca finally agreed.
"There's a lot of music out there by women. It's not like we are going to run out of music," Aubrey was still arguing her point. Beca's smile finally made her aware that she had already agreed, that they would do what Aubrey had suggested. Aubrey smiled.
"We could include some music by women of color," Cynthis Rose said and Aubrey nodded.
"Of course," she said.
"I like Madonna, oh, and Britney Spears," Amy said. Beca looked around at her a little shocked but Amy just laughed.
"Dolly Parton," Stacie said.
"I like Nancy Sinatra," Denise piped up.
"Rihanna, girls, Rihanna." There were more names of singers and quite a number of songs, then they began singing and throwing around ideas. Some were good, others ridiculous but they were working all together. And as they finally broke up the practice, way later than usual and in far better spirits, Beca went over to Aubrey and hugged her. The blonde stiffened for only a second before she answered the hug in kind. As Beca was about to let go again, she heard the tall Bella whisper into her ear:
"If you hurt her, I will end you," Beca looked at Aubrey surprised but then smiled.
"And what will you do if she hurts me?" The DJ asked.
"Then I will end her," Aubrey gave back without missing a beat. Chloe came over, and slipped her hand into Beca's.
"You coming with us?" She asked her girlfriend.
"I don't know. I don't have anything to sleep in, and just fyi, your sleeping shirt is also still over at my place."
"Hmmm, then maybe we'll have to sleep naked," Chloe stage-whispered and Aubrey rolled her eyes.
"TMI," she told her friends but smiled.