#potential ending

At one point towards the end of the tour John & Gail had invited each Bella, one at a time, to take part in a private individual interview as part of the documentary.

Beca had been pretty nervous going in, not being one to enjoy talking to others about her personal life. She’d been asked about what it was like being a Bella and what it had been like in college and winning all of those titles with the group. Beca had answered them honestly and awkwardly – just like her personality. She had had a small blip towards the end however, when almost out of nowhere she’d been asked what she thought about Chloe. And at first it had surprised her. But as she thought about how to answer she realised perhaps it hadn’t been an accidental question. After all, John & Gail had been following them for weeks now so must have seen the way Beca had been looking at Chloe. Longingly. Miserably.

So Beca had found herself confessing to Gail (and John, and inadvertently the camera) that she was actually in love with Chloe. And no sooner had she said it she’d immediately insisted they moved on to another question. She remembered how she’d begged them before she left the room not to include it in the final cut of the documentary. Because it would make things weird between her and Chloe if Chloe ever found out that she harboured feelings for her. And Gail had given her a sympathetic smile then agreed not to include it in the final edit.

Beca took a deep breath and double clicked on the email. She was surprised to see a short message and a video attachment:

Beca,

Chloe insisted I didn’t include these parts of her interview but I feel it’s only right you see it because of the thing you said in your interview.

I hope it’s what you’d want to hear.

Good luck with everything.

Gail.

Beca furrowed her brow as she re-read the email, ignoring her best friend who was jiggling in her seat, clearly thrilled that the new Amy Poehler movie was about to start. What had Chloe said that she’d so desperately not wanted included in the documentary? Beca bit her bottom lip and double-clicked on the attachment.

Her heart rate increased slightly as a video of Chloe popped up onto her laptop and Beca found a soft smile growing on her face as she thought how beautiful Chloe had looked. Her long red hair flowed down and over her shoulders, her makeup had been done to perfection, and she wore a stunning black dress which had been finished with a black leather jacket. Beca hesitated, however, when she saw Chloe looking past the camera nervously. She knew the woman was looking at John & Gail who had also been sat behind the camera during Beca’s interview.

“What about that nice young man you seem so taken by…” John was asking and Beca swallowed as she watched Chloe take a noticeable deep breath. “…that handsome marine? Do you think you’ll end up having babies with him?” Beca cringed inwardly at the forward question from the older man who never had tact when it came to speaking to The Barden Bellas.

To Beca’s surprise though, Chloe was very quick to shake her head with a nervous giggle, “Oh no! No-no-no-no-no. Definitely… um… definitely not, no.” And when John asked Chloe why not, the redhead seemed to shuffle a little uncomfortably on the stool she was perched on, fiddling with her thumb ring, “Becaaause…my heart belongs to another…” Beca sat up suddenly to peer closer at the screen, at Chloe’s expression, trying to find the answer to who that ‘another’ might be.

John & Gail seemed to be just as confused as Beca was becoming, and Gail could be heard saying off-camera, “Oh…we just presumed you didn’t have anyone else on the scene because…well we’ve followed your life these past couple of months and not seen any notable men.”

“What makes you think it’s a noticeable man that matters to me?” Chloe said quickly and John & Gail appeared to become quite flustered by her comment. Beca’s heart began hammering away against her chest as she stared intently at Chloe on the screen.

A small smile crept onto Chloe’s face. She shrugged, biting her bottom lip for a moment as she looked down at her thumb ring, twisting it about on her left thumb. Beca brought her hands to her headphones and held them against her ears tightly, not wanting to miss a millisecond of what Chloe might say next.

“College may seem like a long time ago, and we Bellas have all changed a lot. But…for me…one thing has always stayed the same…and that’s my feelings for Beca.” And Beca felt her stomach flip, her jaw dropping open as she whispered an “oh my god” under her breath. That was the end of the clip and Beca panicked as the screen went blank. Her breathing became fast and shallow. Chloe had feelings for her. Chloe had feelings for her! But…what feelings? And since college? How had she not realised?

Beca quickly reached for the keyboard of her laptop to replay the video, to see if she’d missed anything, but all of a sudden the video continued and Chloe popped up on the screen again, at what seemed to be several minutes after the previous clip had ended. Beca froze as she heard Gail ask behind the camera, “And what about Beca?”

God, this was it. This was what Beca had been dying to know for weeks now. Months. Heck maybe even years. What did Chloe think of her? Over the past 6 weeks Beca had been falling deeper and deeper in love with Chloe. Love that she had understood to be unrequited because Chloe had barely looked at her during that time. Unrequited love that had been confirmed merely an hour ago when Beca and Fat Amy had said goodbye to The Bellas at the airport, to make their way to their departure gate to catch the flight back to New York. Chloe hadn’t really smiled when Beca had got to her. She’d just enveloped the brunette in a tight hug, as she did with every Bella, and Beca had simply patted her on the back not wanting to make things awkward between them. Though had they been in a little less of a public space she would’ve gladly hugged her back.

There had been no declarations of love. In fact there’d actually been nothing more said than a mutual “Have a safe flight home” from both of them to one another. Then Fat Amy had dragged Beca physically by her jacket in the direction of their gate, desperate to board their flight so she could start her intended movie marathon.

“Oh Beca’s amazing! Really! She’s so so talented and amazing and beautiful!” Chloe said to John & Gail with a huge beaming smile on her face and Beca could feel herself blushing at the compliments. Then she froze at Chloe’s next words spoken much quieter than her previous, “And I love her.” Chloe’s smile seemed to soften as her voice lowered to a more delicate tone, “I love every bit of her. And I will always love her. Nothing could ever change that.”

Beca’s heart was in her mouth, her breathing intense as she stared at Chloe’s face on the screen while the redhead asked John & Gail not to include what she’d just said in the documentary because it would make things weird between her and Beca if her feelings were revealed. Then the video ended, and the email popped up again as the attachment closed.

Beca sat staring at the screen for a moment in shock. Chloe loved her! She loved Chloe and Chloe loved her. And she was here on this stupid plane while the woman she loved was so close yet so far, over at her own gate, waiting patiently for her flight home which was in…an hour and ten minutes time. She had two choices. Stay in this seat and wallow for the next seven hours until she landed at JFK or…

“Hey was that a video of Chloe?” Fat Amy asked and Beca suddenly slammed the lid of her laptop closed, pulling her headphones off and getting to her feet.

“I have to go.” The brunette said firmly, and her best friend looked at her in confusion.

“What?!”

“I have to go…” Beca said, flinging her laptop and headphones down on her unoccupied seat, “…Chloe, she…” Beca clambered up on the side of her seat to reach into the overhead locker for her hand luggage, “…that video was of her telling those Acapella dudes that she loves me…” Beca landed back down on the ground with a thud, her hand luggage over her shoulder. She grinned at her best friend who was looking up at her in shock. It was the first time in the seven years they’d known one another that she’d ever seen Fat Amy lost for words. “She loves me Amy.”

A broad smile grew on the Australian’s face as Beca paused, primed to put her laptop and headphones in her bag. Beca knew this was a momentous moment for the woman, who had always been someone Beca could talk to about her feelings towards Chloe. She’d spent months telling her she should just tell the redhead. Now was her opportunity to see it happen in person.

“Well what are we waiting for Shawshank?” Fat Amy said, scrambling for her seatbelt that she’d already done up, “Let’s go get your girl!”

Beca couldn’t help the smile on her face as she fumbled to put her laptop and headphones in her bag. Adrenaline was beginning to pump around her body at the prospect of seeing Chloe again. She just had to get to her before she got on her plane.

“Okay what’s the plan?” Fat Amy asked as she slid over to stand up in the aisle beside Beca.

“Uh..well we just run to her gate right?” Beca said with a little hesitation, her smile having dropped somewhat. Because moments like this, when they happened in the movies, well there never seemed to be a plan. The lead just seemed to know exactly what to do.

“Which is?” Fat Amy asked as she reached into the overhead locker to pull out her two large pieces of hand luggage.

“Gate 13…isn’t it?” Beca asked as her best friend winced at the weight of her respective hand luggage, swinging it over her shoulders and turning back to her.

“I dunno,” the blonde said with a shrug.

“No it’s definitely Gate 13.” Beca said confidently, remembering the number that was deemed unlucky for some. She turned on the spot, ready to dash back down the aisle and off the plane. But the two Bellas didn’t get much further than three rows down before they had to stop for a passenger who was piling their hand luggage into an overhead locker.

“Er excuse us!!” Fat Amy called out to the passenger, who jumped at the sound of her voice and looked over. He was met by two very serious faces, glaring at him. The man swallowed nervously, cleared his throat, then squeezed into his available seat to let them past.

Beca and Fat Amy rolled their eyes then continued moving. A few more rows down and they were forced to stop again, this time because of three passengers, side-by-side, placing their respective pieces of luggage in the overhead lockers above their seats. Beca was becoming agitated and her eyes darted about, trying to look for another way off the plane. She glanced over her shoulder and around her best friend. Passengers were stood down the aisle behind them now too and Beca let out an impatient sigh.

Fat Amy sensed the urgency and she nudged the brunette, “Over there” she said, motioning to a row of unoccupied seats a few rows ahead. Beca turned back and looked past the passengers stood in the aisle in front of her. She could make it off the plane in no time if she crossed along those unoccupied seats and down the aisle on the other side where the passengers appeared to be mostly seated.

Beca took a deep breath and attempted to squeeze past the first passenger but her large bag prevented her from getting far. She growled slightly under her breath, but Fat Amy grabbed the straps of Beca’s bag and gently tugged, “Give me your bag. Without it you’re small enough to get past them and over those seats!”

Beca furrowed her brow, hesitating for a moment as she looked at her best friend, “What about you?” she asked.

“Beca, you need to get to Chloe,” Fat Amy said firmly, her eyes fixed intently on her best friend, a small smile creeping onto her face, “I’ll meet you at Gate 13 yeah?”

And with those words Beca relaxed her shoulder, allowing Fat Amy to slip the bag off to sling onto her own shoulder with the rest of their hand luggage. The brunette gave her one last grin then quickly began making her way past one passenger in the aisle, then another, and another until she reached the empty row. Beca didn’t pause for a moment, Chloe’s words in the video repeating in her mind (“I love every bit of her.”) and it gave her a burst of energy. The brunette leaped onto the first seat and dashed over the next two, landing in the aisle on the other side, grinning as her best friend yelled “Team Bhloe!!”

Beca skidded to a halt as she was met at the door of the plane by two very unimpressed flight attendants.

“I’m sorry Miss, the final passengers are on board. Please return to your seat” one said politely with a patient smile on her face. Beca wasn’t in the mood to be told what to do at the best of times, not least of all now.

“I need to get off the plane.” Beca said seriously.

“Miss, please return to your seat!” The other flight attendant said with a stricter disposition.

“No, you don’t understand, I can’t fly back to New York just yet-” Beca tried to protest, but she was interrupted by the first attendant.

“Miss, I don’t want to have to say it again...”

“-I just have to tell someone I love them-”

“I don’t care who he is Miss, you’re too late. Everyone has boarded the plane. Now please return to your seat immediately!” the second attendant barked. But before Beca could say anything more she heard her best friend’s loud voice approaching behind her.

“I’m sick!!” Fat Amy cried loudly, “Oh God I’m sick!”

The colour drained from the faces of the two flight attendants as the Australian arrived behind Beca.

“Beca…” she winced, “…ugh Beca...I think I’ve got the shits…” Beca kept a straight face. She knew what Fat Amy was up to and was grateful for her commitment to this distraction technique, “…we need to get off this plane!” the blonde bellowed.

The two flight attendants looked uncomfortable as they looked at the two young women before them.

“You heard her!” Beca exclaimed, “We need to get off the plane!”

And suddenly Beca and Fat Amy both began calling out at the two flight attendants, “We need to get off the plane!”, “I’m gonna shit myself!!” over and over again, intimidating the attendants so much that they had no choice but to step aside and let the two young women go.

Beca felt her heart racing as she began jogging off the plane at Fat Amy’s pace, not wanting to leave her best friend behind - unsure whether she’d make it to Gate 13 without her grand ideas. But the Australian soon tired.

“Go on Shortstack!” Fat Amy panted, “Go! Chloe’s not going…to be…at her gate…for long…” the Australian came to a halt and buckled over slightly to catch her breath, the three large bags around her shoulders swinging in front of her, pulling her down slightly. Beca had stopped to help her but Fat Amy had waved her on. “Go! I’ll...I’ll meet you there!”

Beca gave her a nod, turned on the spot again, and began running off, calling out a loud “Thanks Amy!!” as she went.

“Team Bhloe!!” Fat Amy called out to her, before taking another batch of deep breaths to psych herself up for the next run.

Beca slammed through the double doors that took her back out into the waiting area of her Gate. Gate 7. She looked over at the clock that hung on the wall to her left. 9am. Chloe’s flight left at 10am and she knew how time-conscious the redhead was. Beca needed to find her, and fast, before she boarded her flight and left for Atlanta.

The brunette took off from her gate, her boots skidding slightly on the polished floor as she left her Gate and dashed down a corridor towards Gate 13. The look that had been on Chloe’s face when she’d confessed to John & Gail that she loved Beca flashed in the petite woman’s mind as she ran faster and faster, passing the entrance to Gate 11, then Gate 12, until she finally arrived at Gate 13.

Beca paused, out of breath, and furrowed her brow as she saw it was empty. An alarmed looking member of airline staff peered over at her from a desk at the far end of the room by the double doors that would lead to Chloe’s plane. 

“Wha-” Beca began, slightly breathlessly, “Has anyone boarded yet?” she blurted out. The staff member simply shook their head, and before they could say anything Beca took off, running back in the direction she’d just come from. But she didn’t stop at Gate 7. Instead she ran straight past it, down a long tunnel, and finally out into the departure lounge.

Beca stopped, breathing heavily, looking around at all the people sat on the seats before her. She couldn’t see her. WHY couldn’t she see her?? Beca began to panic as she looked from one waiting passenger to another, then another. Where was Chloe? 

Beca had kinda been riding on that whole ‘soulmates’ theory. You know the one. Where two people who are meant to be together just find each other against all the odds. Well right now Beca firmly believed being on separate flights had been ‘against all the odds’. That running off to find the woman she loved – the woman who loved her – would be easy. As though their hearts were magnets that would immediately find one another when they most needed to. But that ‘theory’ had failed her. Because Chloe wasn’t here.

Beca wasn’t one for crying, but right now she could still hear Chloe’s tone when she’d said to John & Gail that she loved her, and the unfairness of this situation was gradually getting to her. What if this was it? What if she’d missed her chance to tell Chloe how she really felt and now had no choice but to spend a crazy amount of money on the next flight out to New York. Back home. Home. What an odd thought… Because Beca couldn’t honestly see how anywhere was going to feel like home if she wasn’t going to be with Chloe.

Suddenly Beca’s eyes fell upon the back of a figure with beautiful long red hair, moving to sit upright as she looked at something in her lap. The brunette felt her heart skip a beat then return with an almighty thud. Because there she was. Her Chloe. At the far end of the departure lounge.

Beca found her feet carrying her slowly across the airport floor, almost in slow motion. She felt in some sort of a trance as her eyes remained on the woman she loved. A small smile etched into the corners of her mouth. A smile that quickly dropped when she stopped several feet from Chloe. 

Beca held her breath as she heard the woman sniff loudly. Chloe cleared her throat and appeared to bring a hand up to wipe tears from her cheeks with another sniff. Beca couldn’t believe she was crying. Why was she crying?

Beca took a right turn, and slowly walked along the row of seats behind Chloe’s row, trying to catch her breath post-dash, not taking her eyes off the redhead once. Chloe had pulled her phone out of her pocket and seemed to hang her head again, letting out a gentle tut, as though bitterly disappointed about something. The brunette came to the end of the row and went around it, arriving at the row of seats that Chloe was sat in the middle of. She paused as she watched the woman she loved - her beautiful face tear stained and sad. Beca’s heart ached for her as she watched Chloe bring her phone to her ear.

At the sound of Chloe blubbing her name Beca began to slowly move towards her, “Beca it’s me…um…Chloe…” Beca couldn’t even begin to imagine what Chloe planned on saying to her and as she pulled her own phone out of her pocket, the brunette immediately felt disappointed in herself for having put her phone on ‘aeroplane mode’. No wonder Chloe was having to leave a voicemail message.

Chloe rubbed her nose on her sleeve, still looking down at her lap and Beca put her phone back in her pocket. She took a deep breath as Chloe continued to talk nervously into her phone, “I…uh…can you call me? When you land?” Beca arrived at Chloe’s side, her heart racing in anticipation, desperate for the woman to look at her. But Chloe still stared down at her lap, “Or…actually just call me when you get home…” Beca’s heart was breaking with each word Chloe spoke. She still wasn’t sure why Chloe was crying, but she knew that for some reason she was the cause of it. Why else would the woman be trying to call her?

Chloe pulled her bag from the seat beside her, having presumably noticed that someone was wanting to sit there. What she hadn’t realised yet was that that someone was the very woman she was leaving a message for at that moment in time. “I just really…I need to talk to you about something…uh…it’s nothing to be worried about…don’t be worried…um…safe flight…bye.” Beca took the seat beside Chloe as the redhead ended the call with a very quiet goodbye, before bringing her other hand to her face and letting out a loud sob.

Beca swallowed loudly bringing a pack of tissues out of her jacket pocket. A pack of tissues that Chloe had actually given her a few weeks ago when Beca’s allergies were giving her one hell of a runny nose. She tentatively nudged Chloe’s elbow, then reached over and handed her the pack of tissues. Her heart warmed when she heard Chloe blub a “thanks”. She looked intently at the redhead as the woman beside her froze before looking up suddenly at her. 

Their eyes locked and Beca felt her heart soar. Yeah, this was how it was supposed to feel. That ‘soulmates theory’ thing. The part where their hearts were like magnets and they were finally united together. Except neither had officially confessed their feelings for one another. 

“Wha-? What are you doing here? Your flight left five minutes ago!” she heard Chloe splutter as the redhead turned her body to face her. And for the first time in weeks Beca finally saw Chloe look at her the way she had so desperately wanted her to look at her. Yes she was shocked, but beyond that Beca saw how Chloe looked at her with such affection. And it was that look that reminded her of the way Chloe had said to John & Gail how she loved her. Loved everything about her. And how she always would.

Beca began to smile nervously at Chloe, taking a deep breath, her breathing only just returning to normal after her run from the gate, “I got an email from Gail. It had a video of you with it that I was watching as I was getting on the plane and…I had to see you.” 

She noticed the way Chloe’s face had softened. How her bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle at her. And Beca felt that feeling again. That feeling of falling in love. Because, God, she was so in love with her. Beca found her gaze drifting across the woman’s tear-stained cheeks and down to her lips then back up to her blue eyes again. She wondered what had made Chloe so upset, “What did you need to talk to me about?” she asked.

Beca saw Chloe hesitate, “Oh…um…Gail sent me a video too. Of you.” And the brunette found that her heart soared. This must’ve been from her interview. The clip where she confessed she loved Chloe. The clip she’d asked John & Gail not to include.

“Ah…” Beca said, and a small smile grew on her face as she raised her eyebrows, “…and?”

To her relief Chloe let out a giggle. That giggle she’d missed so much. That giggle she’d heard so many times before. That giggle she was over the moon to realise was exclusively for her at this very moment in time.

“And as you can see it made me cry!” Chloe said in a light tone, causing Beca to chuckle and smile broadly. They fell silent and Beca was almost certain she could hear her own heart beating in excitement at Chloe’s next quiet words, “You said you’re…in love with me.”

Beca took a deep breath, feeling her smile soften as she nodded, “Yeah. And you said that you love me…and would always love me.”

“I did…I do…I will…” were the words Chloe admitted. Beca bit her bottom lip as she saw Chloe look at her with a soft smile. So beautiful. So real.

Suddenly the two friends jumped, turning to see a breathless Australian dash up to their seats, “Did you do it?” Fat Amy asked Beca with a heavy exhale, wincing slightly as she dropped the hand luggage she’d been carrying to the ground.

“Yeah Amy, I think so…” Beca said in an amused tone, turning to see Chloe looking at her with a soft smile, and the redhead nodded gently.

“We made it?” Fat Amy asked breathlessly, bending over to try to catch her breath.

“Yeah, we made it Amy.” Beca said with a smile, not taking her eyes off Chloe once as Chloe beamed back at her. And Beca’s heart felt so full for the first time in her life. Because this was it. Everything she’d ever hoped for over the years. Ever since the end of college. She’d dreamt of a moment where maybe Chloe felt the same way and they confessed their love for one another. And they’d finally done it!

It all started in that prison cell, the one where I found my potential. My magic.

I could have escaped when those... limbs formed, but I didn’t. I learned to hide it. Reignite it. Control it. And from there, I trained every day. They had no clue.

I slaughtered them all. Tore them limb from limb, and enjoyed every second of it. Their blood felt nice, warm, as if I had fulfilled some kind of... need of mine.

From there, I moved on. Trained. Grew in power, until I could only rise from there. What else was there to aspire for? Eventually, the power overtook me.

I became something new, something... something only I could handle.

I left my weaker form behind to rot. He was so fragile, so weak and incapable.

But now? Now, all the Kingdoms fear me. They prepare for the day I come and leave nothing behind. Leaders, Kings, Monarchs. They are nothing to me.

What can a world of mortals do to a God like me? I am above all. They’ve begun to praise me, some of them have. They know they’ll die all the same.

I will leave this world behind to burn, and only ash will be left as my namesake.