Beca walked out of the base, her bag slung loosely over her shoulder. With a sigh of relief she turned her head, looking at Jesse. They were both still in uniform, but there was a smile on his face. The man's eyes were turned forward and he laughed loudly, tears forming in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" the brunette asked, stopping in her walk to face the taller man. Of course, she was short for a woman, but it never stopped her. Considering she was the highest rank in her unit, others would agree with her.

"Nothing's wrong," Jesse turned, smiling as a tear fell down his cheek. "I'm happy. I get to see Aubrey again." Beca couldn't help but smile at him. Seeing her best friend so happy was something that hadn't happened since before they'd left on their last deployment. She shook her head at him, tilting her head to the side. "You are a lovesick puppy, Jesse."

"I'll be the first to admit it," they walked together, going down the sidewalk side by side. "You know, Becaw," at her nickname she rolled her eyes. He would use it in front of their unit on occasion, but only he was actually allowed to call her that. Though, she did make him do pushups for it sometimes. "I feel bad for you."

"Why?" at this her brow rose, he was rarely so serious with her, much less to the point where he would feel bad for her. They were happy together, seeing as they'd been best friends in college. They'd tried a romantic relationship, but considering she hated movies the two knew it would never work out. "Because you don't have anyone to come home to," Beca turned her head away to face forward again, letting her lips turn from their previous smile to the serious expression she wore so often.

"I don't need it, Jesse," she replied, but after hearing his sigh she began to explain. "I have my music."

"Your music isn't going to do much, Becs," the brunette thought he had far too many nicknames for her, but it was Jesse, so she didn't mind too much. "You need someone to hold when you come home, someone who's going to hug you and make sure you're okay."

"I feel bad for you too, Jesse," when he raised his eyebrow Beca sighed and forced herself to continue. "I don't want to think what would happen to Aubrey if you didn't come home." This seemed to get his attention, but he shook his head.

"I'm always going to come home," he said, but the girl wasn't convinced. "Besides, we made a promise. We always come home together, right Becs?"

"Right," she agreed with a smile, shrugging her shoulders as they finally reached the garage where their cars were parked side by side. "Hey, when's the last time you saw Aubrey?" Beca shrugged, trying to remember. "One or two years ago? Why? What are you planning?"

"You should come over for dinner," the brunette tilted her head, giving the taller man a questioning look. "I'm serious. I'll ask Aubrey about it as soon as I get home and I'll call you." After a sigh and realizing Jesse wasn't going to give up, she replied, "Fine."

"Oh, by the way, Aubrey's friend from college is living with her now, so it won't just be us. Try to be nice."

"I'm always nice." Seeing the man roll his eyes, Beca punched his shoulder, laughing slightly. "I'll see you later, Jesse. I have mixes to go sell."

"Okay, but don't forget about dinner. I'll call you later to tell you when it'll be." Beca nodded, but called out before he got into the car. "Tell Aubrey I say hello."

"Will do!"

The brunette sat in her car for a moment, thinking about the last time she'd had a moment so quiet. Between patrols and making sure everyone in her unit was safe, Beca had barely had a second to just breathe. Thankfully, at the turn of her key the engine roared to life, bringing a smile to her face. It wasn't anything too luxurious, but the black exterior brought a sense of mystery which she loved.

A CD of her personal mixes was still in the player, and as she turned on the stereo her mix blasted through the speakers. The volume wasn't loud enough so other cars could hear, she didn't want that. Her music was personal, it was the one thing she was able to come home to after spending countless days at war overseas. It was everything to her, her heart, her soul. No one had really heard her music, not even Jesse.

She let the music flow through her ears, letting the each beat touch her heart. Beca often wondered if she would find someone to share her life with, but decided against every time. She had chosen a life of loneliness, it hadn't been thrust on her in any way. The decision was made, and she would have to live with it. Yet, the brunette wondered if Jesse was right. What would life be like if she had someone to come home to? If there was someone waiting for her?

Perhaps she'd find them one day, but at the moment it didn't matter. As she pulled into the parking place in front of her apartment the girl couldn't help but smile. She had paid the rent using money she made from selling mixes and from her normal army wages. It wasn't much, a single bedroom and bathroom apartment, but it was enough. Beca hadn't decorated, she didn't exactly see the need to. Her DJing equipment was still on her desk exactly as it had been left.

When she was in college, Beca dreamed of becoming a famous DJ in L.A., but things changed. Her family grew smaller and smaller, and after she learned Jesse was joining the military, it seemed like the best option. Of course, the girl still made her mixes and sold them to local clubs. Still, the dream of becoming a DJ was in her mind, but it wasn't as lively as it used to be. She often wondered what life would have been like if she hadn't joined the military, and instead traveled to Los Angeles to pursue her dream. Most times she imagined herself being homeless and begging off the side of the street.

Shaking her head to clear memories, Beca walked over to her desk, reaching into the drawer and grabbing a flash drive. With a sigh she looked down at her uniform, growing tired of the green camouflage. Of course, the army wouldn't let her wear ear spikes as she had in college, but during the months overseas she missed the accessories. They gave her personality, and helped people to know who she really was. She wasn't just a soldier, but a person.

She changed into a dark leather jacket, a black t-shirt, and putting in her ear spike and earrings she had been missing. Beca grabbed the flash drive and locked the door to her apartment. There was only one thing on her mind: selling her mixes. She'd made them before her last deployment. The brunette was anything but stupid, she made a total of fourty-eight mixes to sell in her several months off of deployment. The first twenty four were to be sold just before she left for war, and the other twenty four were sold after she returned. In another show of intelligence, Beca made copies of every single mix she'd ever made to an external hard drive, just in case her computer decided to crash.

However, she couldn't count how many mixes she'd made personally. Her personal mixes were for her ears only, no one else's. They were very different from those she sold to clubs. The clubs heard what she wanted them to hear, but her real mixes couldn't be remade or copied. They were from her soul, and it was the greatest way she knew to pass the time before deployment. Music was her life, that was all there was to it, but somehow she wanted more.

Beca was careful when parking the car in the club's parking lot. Luckily, this particular club had been the first she'd ever sold her mixes to. She and the owner had become good friends, and it was definitely one of the most interesting experiences she'd ever had. Walking into the club, the brunette heard one of her mixes sounding through the speakers. She nodded her head to the beat, walking up to the office towards the back corner of the club. The girl knocked loudly on the door, and when it opened a smile immediately sprouted on the owner's face.

"Beca!" the blonde said, pulling the brunette in for a bone crushing hug. The brunette hugged back, a smile on her face as well. "As I live and breathe. I didn't know if you'd be coming back."

"Good to see you too, Fat Amy," she pulled back, shifting her weight to one of her legs and resting her hand on her hip. "Tell me you've got something good for me, Beca." The soldier laughed and pulled out the flashdrive, "Don't I always?"

"You're the best client ever," the owner's Aussie accent was recognizable anywhere, not to mention her size. Though, Beca never thought of that. She was certainly one of the nicer club owners she'd met, and realized her talent immediately. Patiently, the brunette watched Fat Amy pull an envelope out of her desk. When the blonde opened it there was a pile of hundreds in it. "Here's your cut just for getting me these mixes, you'll get the rest of it after I listen to how good it is, but knowing you, it'll be epic."

The brunette put the envelope in her pocket, making sure it couldn't fall out. "Listen, I have to actually listen to the mixes before you can get your other cut, new policy and all. You should stay, have some food, maybe a drink. I'll have my best waitress on it."

"You actually have waitresses now?" Beca smiled, receiving a slap on the arm from Fat Amy. "Yes, we do. There's two that are especially good. There's Stacie, but I doubt you'll want to see her. She can be a bit... scandalous. Then there's Chloe, a ginger."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," they walked out of the office, Beca smirking at Amy's roll of her eyes. "Just sit down, I'll get her for you."

Laughing as she shook her head, Beca sat in the booth. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her hazel eyes looked around the room. People seemed to be enjoying themselves, while she sat alone. She would be lying if she said it didn't affect her.

"Hi!" the brunette was pulled out of her thoughts by the red headed waitress standing at her table. Though, something was off. There may have been a smile on her face, but it wasn't real, of course that was to be expected with waitresses. She seemed tired, and she had dark circles under her eyes. "What can I get you?" Beca only smiled and shook her head.

"Your shift just ended and your boss asked you to come over here, didn't she?" The brunette watched as her mouth hung open, and a slight red blush came to her cheeks. "How did you know?"

"I know when people are overworked."

The red head closed her mouth, smiling slightly. "You overworked?" Beca could only shrug, giving her a small smirk. "More than you know, but I get enough time off between trips to talk to beautiful red heads."

She watched her blush, her cheeks turning almost as red as her fiery locks. Beca couldn't help but smile, looking into those beautiful blue eyes. The waitress shrugged her shoulders, shifting on her feet. "Look, I don't want to keep you here longer than you have to be. I'll just get a Coke," the brunette paused, smirking slightly, "then maybe after I get my business finished up with Amy you'll let me walk you to your car."

"Coming right up," she couldn't hear any hesitation in the red head's voice, signaling her flirting had been downright successful. "By the way, I'm Chloe."

"Beca," as Chloe left, her eyes wandered downward, smirking as the waitress walked away. "Wow."

The brunette chuckled, letting a full blown smile erupt on her face. It was certainly turning out to be an interesting night. She shook her head lightly, looking out over the other people in the club. As she watched them dance, someone joined her at the table.

"This is one of the best mixes yet, Beca," Amy said, pulling the soldier from her thoughts. "I don't know how you do it."

"It's just something I do," she turned her hazel eyes to meet Amy's, giving her a small wink. "Look, here's your cut. You've definitely earned it." Beca took the second envelope of money and placed it in the same pocket as the first. When Chloe returned with her glass of Coke, she quickly drank it and looked at Amy, who had an angry expression at the red head.

"This is all you got her?" it surprised the brunette to see Fat Amy almost yelling, but taking a look at Chloe's eyes was all it took to make the soldier's cold heart melt. "It's all I asked for, not her fault." A sigh came from Amy as she looked between the two of them.

"It's on the house, Beca. Thanks again, now if you'll excuse me I have other things to attend to."

As Chloe sighed, Beca turned her head. The waitress' eyes were red, like she was about to cry. Yet, she held it in. The brunette raised an eyebrow at her small smile. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know," Beca replied, smiling slightly. "You didn't deserve to get beat up over something like that."

"Just give me a few minutes to get changed," Chloe shrugged, "then I'll take you up on that offer of walking me to my car."

Beca smiled and nodded her head, taking another drink of Coke as Chloe walked off. What a night. She had met a beautiful red head, someone she wouldn't mind coming home to after every deployment. Setting her empty glass on the table, she heard one of her mixes come out on the speakers once again. Though, the brunette didn't have time to gloat or even think about it. Her thoughts were too focused on Chloe and maybe, just maybe, she had found the person she was looking for.