Day 5 – Enemies to Lovers – The Soldier and the Bella
A/N: Thanks to 22-Ti for helping me with the military information on this.
Aubrey had a great idea. She and the Bellas, her award-winning a capella group from college, would be going on a USO tour. They hadn't sung together in years, and they'd had a reunion recently. She'd suggested the tour, and everyone was on board. Her dad was in the army, and he was a big deal. Besides, maybe she'd get to see him. Or, maybe not, because he had something important to do. Or, maybe, she'd be the most important thing in his life this time. She wasn't sure what to think, but she knew she had to try. Her parents had divorced years ago, and she'd hardly seen him since then. He hadn't been the greatest dad leading up to the divorce, but Aubrey still wanted him to be part of her life.
The Bellas got off of the plane, and they were immediately greeted by two soldiers in fatigues. Aubrey looked up as a woman and a man approached. The woman spoke first.
"Welcome to Spain, Bellas. A few important things to know..." The woman continued to speak, but the sounds of various jet engines nearby drowned her out completely.
"I hope you all heard each and every word. Or else you might very well end up dead." The Bellas all looked worried, and her face immediately softened and she grinned. "Ladies, I'm messing with you. On behalf of the department of defense, we would like to welcome you to naval air station Rota, Spain. And a sincere thank you for coming out to entertain our troops and their families. We're excited for this tour. My name is Stacie. Over here to my left is Captain Bernie, who we like to call Zeke."
The African-American soldier gave a nod and said, "Ladies."
"We're gonna be with you the whole tour as your escorts and security detail," said Stacie. She checked her watch. "First up is a soundcheck. We'll have you back to the hotel by 1430. Maybe hit the rain locker. Back here for the big show at 1700."
The soldiers led the women into the hangar for the soundcheck. They introduced the women to the three other bands, and the Bellas began a riff-off. Aubrey was upset because the other groups didn't play by the rules. They'd used instruments, and some groups had even combined. She and her group walked out at the end, and Aubrey yelled, "We won, guys."
Aubrey noticed Stacie rolling her eyes at them during the riff-off.
"What's your deal? Never seen a riff-off before?"
"No, definitely not," said Stacie. "You're General Posen's daughter, aren't you?"
Aubrey straightened up. "Yes, I am."
"So that's why you guys are part of this. I should have known."
"What's that all about?"
Stacie replied, "Nothing. Forget I said anything."
"What?"
"Nothing. It's not important."
Stacie refused to say anything else. She was cold to Aubrey the rest of the afternoon. Aubrey's mood improved a bit when the Bellas discovered that DJ Khaled was hosting the tour. Rumors stated that he'd be picking a group to continue the tour with him and maybe sign a recording contract for his label as well. The Bellas were very excited about this, and it helped Aubrey forget about the bitchy soldier in charge of their security detail.
That night, the Bellas were in the middle of singing "Cheap Thrills" when "Taps" began to play. They were supposed to salute, and they were all confused. Stacie couldn't believe that even Aubrey didn't seem to know immediately what to do when hearing "Taps."
As they got off stage, Stacie yelled at Aubrey. "Of all people, you should have known what to do."
"I was just caught off-guard."
Stacie rolled her eyes. "I seriously drew the short straw. Why the hell did General Posen order me to babysit you idiots?"
The Bellas managed to sneak into a party in DJ Khaled's suite at the hotel across the street. Aubrey was very excited to meet a soldier who had just been with her dad. "He was so excited to see your show. It's just too bad that he can't make it."
Aubrey tried to hide her letdown. "Oh. That's okay. It's totally fine," Aubrey said. "He's a busy man. And my dad always said, 'Expect finite disappointment, and remember, there's always more where that came from.'" Aubrey went to lean on what she thought was a pole, but she ended up knocking over a bunch of candles, setting the suite on fire.
Stacie and Zeke arrived quickly to get the Bellas out of the suite. "I can't believe you guys set a hotel suite on fire!" exclaimed Stacie.
"It was an accident," said Aubrey.
Stacie just rolled her eyes. Aubrey was quickly growing tired of seeing her roll her eyes. This was going to be a long USO tour.
The next morning, the Bellas were waiting for their bus. One of the other bands, Evermoist, laughed at them for burning down the hotel suite. Aubrey was especially annoyed when she saw Stacie chuckling along with them. She took a deep breath and tried to ignore her. The more angrily she reacted to her, the more it seemed to egg the soldier on. Aubrey had to be able to tolerate her, at least for the three remaining days of the tour. If they got the contract with DJ Khaled, they would likely have to deal with her even longer. Stacie and Zeke walked past the group to check on the buses, not saying a word to them.
Aubrey's attention left the soldiers when Emily, the youngest member of the group, said, "Guys, can we stop trying to win this tour and just sing together? I mean, that's why we're all here, right?"
"Yeah," Aubrey said quickly. "But also, let's still try and win this thing because I don't know how else to live." Aubrey had been fiercely competitive in her college days, and this had usually resulted in the group winning competitions.
Stacie walked over. "Ciao, Bellas! Who wants to go to Italy?"
The Bellas boarded the bus. Aubrey managed to avoid talking to Stacie on the bus ride.
As the Bellas relaxed and focused more on singing, their performances got better and better. The soldiers really loved them. Well, all of the soldiers except Stacie. She was rough on Aubrey, so much that Aubrey avoided her as much as possible. The few times they were together, Aubrey made a point to keep her mouth shut. She'd speak if necessary, but she found it much easier just not to say anything at all.
Unfortunately, Aubrey's dad didn't make it to her performances. She was hoping she'd see him on the last day, but no such luck. The only thing she could hope for at this point was for her group to be chosen by DJ Khaled. An extended tour meant more chances for her father to see her perform. It also meant more time avoiding Stacie, but Aubrey had gotten pretty good at it by the last day.
The Bellas had been doing so well, they'd made the band Evermoist jealous. They'd quickly gone from making fun of the Bellas to simply ignoring them.
On the last scheduled day of the tour, DJ Khaled announced that he'd be signing the Bellas. They would open for him at the performance the next day and continue to tour with him for the next few weeks. The Bellas were super excited. Aubrey was especially thrilled because this meant her dad had to get to her performance. He just had to. After all, he couldn't make excuses forever, could he?
DJ Khaled introduced the Bellas, and they all sang a cover of Freedom '90 by George Michael. They ended their performance with huge hugs onstage.
They were all backstage, and Aubrey still hadn't seen her dad. She sucked it up and decided to congratulate her fellow Bellas instead. She said, "That was amazing! It's like my dad always says, 'Always give 100%, unless you're donating blood or getting a divorce.'" She heard a familiar voice join her in saying, "getting a divorce."
She ran up and hugged her dad. "You were great out there, honey!"
"Thanks, Dad."
"So, how have you been? Still no husband?"
"Fine, Dad. No, no husband. Thanks for asking."
"Aubrey, you're 29. You should be moving forward with your life."
"This isn't the 1950's, Dad. Besides, you haven't been married to Mom in years."
"Come on, Aubrey. You should at least try. I'm not getting any younger, and I want some grandchildren."
"There's more to life than marriage and kids."
"You don't have your eye on somebody?"
Aubrey groaned. She spotted Stacie, and suddenly had a crazy idea. "I do," she said. "Her." She pointed to Stacie. The second she noticed the shocked look on the woman's face, she ran up to her, threw her arms around her neck, and whispered, "Just go with it." She crashed her lips into Stacie's in a searing kiss. Luckily for Aubrey, Stacie kissed her back. She was one hell of a kisser, and Aubrey found the other woman's lips soft and warm. They quickly drew wolf-whistles and cat-calls from the other Bellas. They broke the kiss and turned to General Posen.
"You're gay?" he asked, pointing to Aubrey. She nodded. "And you're gay?" he repeated, this time pointing to Stacie, who also nodded.
"Yes," said Stacie. "Your daughter and I are in love."
Aubrey froze for a second before remembering to continue. "Exactly. What she said. We're in love."
Stacie grabbed Aubrey's hand and the two left the backstage area while General Posen stood in stunned silence.
As soon as they were alone, Stacie asked, "What the hell was that?"
"My dad and I haven't been close in years. He and my mom have been divorced for a long time, and he wasn't terribly involved before that."
"Wait, what? You two aren't close?"
Aubrey shook her head. "Not at all. This USO tour was my last-ditch effort to see him. It's been years since I last saw him in person. We don't agree on a lot of things, but he's still my dad."
"I get that. At least, I think I do. Are you really gay, or was this just some weird stunt to piss off your dad?"
Aubrey chewed on her bottom lip. "Both. Does that make sense?"
Stacie looked at Aubrey and raised an eyebrow.
"Well, yes, I'm gay," said Aubrey. "I figured that out in college. I did a fair amount of experimenting back then, and I discovered that I enjoyed being with women – both romantically and sexually – way more than I'd ever felt with any of the guys I dated. But, I did kiss you to bother my dad. He doesn't know I'm gay. Well, he didn't know I was gay before today anyway. He was on my case about getting myself a husband, and he made me really mad. I shouldn't have used you like that, and I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted. And I owe you an apology as well." When Aubrey didn't say anything, Stacie continued. "I've been treating you unfairly because I assumed you were General Posen's spoiled daughter. He doesn't like women or gays in the military, and I took my frustrations out on you. That wasn't fair, and I'm really sorry."
"That explains a lot. I'd wondered why you'd been so angry with me. I promise I'm not like my dad. I love having gays and women in the military. It's not something I want to do, but I'm glad the option is there for those who want to serve."
"I come from a long line of soldiers."
"Me too. But I never wanted to do it myself."
Stacie took a deep breath, smiled, and said, "Let's start over. I'm Stacie Conrad. I'll be your escort and security detail." She put her hand out for Aubrey to shake.
"I'm Aubrey Posen. I'll be your fake girlfriend to annoy my homophobic and misogynistic father," she said as she shook Stacie's hand.
"So, how do we want to do this?" asked Stacie.
"I don't know. I only came up with the idea on the spur of the moment."
"Well, we should definitely stay together at least through the end of the USO tour. Hopefully dating you will get me moved up a little faster in the army, or, at least, take your father's attitudes toward women and gays a few steps in the right direction."
"It should definitely get him to stop asking me when I'm getting a husband," said Aubrey. "If you don't mind my asking, are you gay?"
"Pan, actually," said Stacie. "I figure if we're going to fake date, I can certainly answer that question."
"Okay," said Aubrey. "Should we set some ground rules?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"I don't know. I've never fake dated someone."
"Neither have I," said Stacie. She thought for a few beats. "How far are you willing to take PDA's?"
"Kissing is good, obviously. Hand-holding and hugging are also good. No groping, though."
"I can live with that."
"So, I guess we should get back to the rest of the show," said Aubrey.
Stacie offered her hand to her new fake girlfriend. Aubrey smiled as she took it and they walked back to the show together. She saw her dad glance at them, his lips pursed. She sent a sweet smile in his direction as she and Stacie took their seats directly in front of them. Stacie put her arm around Aubrey and pulled her close. Aubrey forgot for a second that this was all fake and sighed and snuggled close. She waited for any sign from Stacie that she wasn't comfortable with this, but she found none. She decided to stay like this. They'd discuss this later, or maybe they wouldn't. For now, she'd just enjoy how nice it felt to be this close to Stacie.
Fake dating Stacie had proven much easier than Aubrey had expected, and she was still enjoying the effect it had on her father. All they had to do was hold hands or exchange a look in his presence, and the man would huff in annoyance and turn away. General Posen had been joining the group for the USO tour as "additional security detail." Aubrey knew this wasn't normal, and she figured her father had joined them to see if his daughter really was dating Captain Conrad.
The problem that was starting to surface was that some part of Aubrey's brain had convinced itself that she was actually dating Stacie. Real feelings were threatening to develop, and Aubrey had been doing her best to squash those feelings.
There had been a time the entire group had gone out to dinner after a performance, and she saw Stacie eyeing the waiter. She'd barely been able to eat her meal, and it had gotten worse when Stacie had laughed at one of the guy's corny jokes. She and Chloe talked about it that night in their hotel room, and Chloe had insisted that Aubrey was jealous. Aubrey told Chloe she was wrong. Stacie wasn't her real girlfriend. It was just something they'd been doing in front of General Posen. Deep down, Aubrey realized that Chloe had been right. She didn't like seeing Stacie look at the waiter, and she definitely didn't like it when she laughed at his jokes. Aubrey's dad hadn't been at the dinner, so why did Aubrey care?
Stacie walked Aubrey back to her hotel room another night after they'd finished their performance. Aubrey spotted her father walking down the hall toward them and immediately pulled her into a kiss. She heard him grumble as he walked by the two of them. She smiled into the kiss.
Once they broke the kiss, Stacie asked, "What was that?"
"Didn't you hear my dad?"
"Oh. I thought I recognized that grumble."
"Can you come into my room for a bit? Just to talk?"
Stacie nodded. Once they were inside, they sat on Aubrey's bed. "What did you want to talk about?"
"I can't help but think I'm getting more out of this fake relationship than you are."
"How so?"
"Well, my dad can't easily make too many comments about me finding a husband when I'm dating a woman. I'm not positive he believes I'm gay. I'm positive I overheard him talking to General Daniels about how he hopes I'll get over this 'weird gay phase.'"
"Ouch."
"Yeah. So, how about we work on how I can help you? There's got to be something you want out of my dad, right?"
"Well, I really want to get to major. But it's a huge promotion."
"So, you want me to talk my dad into helping you?"
"If you don't mind. What I really need is to get into the Army War College. I can get my master's, and that would help a lot."
"And you need my father's help with that?"
"It would move things faster."
"Consider it done."
Stacie broke into a smile. "Thanks." She fiddled with her fingers for a minute. "I should go."
"Sure. Thanks for being such a great fake girlfriend."
Stacie waved as she left the hotel room. Aubrey was relieved there seemed to be something she could do.
Aubrey talked to her father over breakfast that morning. She'd convinced him to eat alone with her.
"Hey, Dad, what does it take to get into the war college?"
"Where is this coming from?"
"Stacie. She wants her master's, and she wants to become a major."
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
"Did she put you up to this?"
"I offered, Dad. I love her and I want to help her." He winced at his daughter's words.
"Aubrey, when are you going to come to your senses?"
"I'm making perfect sense, Dad."
"When are you going to find yourself a husband?"
"Never, Dad. I'm gay."
"I don't believe that."
"How would you know? You were never there."
"I was busy."
"But I'm your daughter! You should have tried harder!"
"That's not fair."
"Neither is insisting I'm straight when I'm not."
"You really want me to help Stacie?"
"Yes. Think of it this way. If I'm going to marry a woman, and a military woman at that, wouldn't you want her to be as high-ranking as she can?"
"You're going to marry her?"
"I don't know. We haven't been together that long. But supporting Stacie is supporting me. And I think you know you owe me that much." Aubrey surprised herself with that comment. She had forgotten for a moment that her relationship with Stacie was fake.
"Okay. I'll talk to her and see what I can do to help. Will that make you happy?"
"Yes. Thanks."
General Posen kept his promise. Aubrey spotted him talking to Stacie very seriously at dinner, and this time Aubrey was feeling jealous for an entirely different reason. She could see her father showing genuine interest in what Stacie had to say, something he never did for her.
By the end of the meal, Aubrey was seething. She steeled herself as she walked to her girlfriend. She had to at least try not to make a scene. She walked up behind Stacie, put her arms around her neck, gave her a peck on the cheek, and said, "I hate to break this up, but I need someone to walk me back to my room. I'm awfully tired."
"Of course. Thank you, General Posen."
"Good night to both of you," he said.
Once they were alone in the hallway, Stacie said, "What was that all about?"
Aubrey didn't say anything, choosing to head straight to her hotel room with a confused Stacie in tow. She surprised her by grabbing her hand and pulling her into the room and pinning her against the wall, kissing her hard.
When they came up for air, Stacie asked, "What's going on?"
Aubrey didn't answer and began unbuttoning Stacie's shirt.
"Aubrey?" she asked as she watched, surprised.
Aubrey continued to unbutton Stacie's shirt, immediately covering Stacie's bra-clad breasts with her hands. Stacie's breath hitched at the unexpected contact. "Want me to stop?" Aubrey asked.
Stacie spun them around so Aubrey was against the wall and crashed her lips into hers again in response.
After a round of what was definitely the angriest sex either woman had ever had, Stacie stopped Aubrey from going for a second round. "Okay, seriously, what's going on?"
"I.." Aubrey stammered. "I don't know."
"Mad at your dad still?"
"Yes. No. Both, maybe?"
"Let me guess. You're glad he's helping me, but you're mad because he's giving me more attention than he's giving you."
Aubrey thought for a moment. "I think you might be right. Oh, no. I'm the worst person alive. You probably think I'm the most spoiled brat ever. I shouldn't have used you like that. Are you okay? Was I too rough?"
"Relax. I'm good. You're not a spoiled brat."
Aubrey gave a watery laugh, not even realizing there had been tears in her eyes. "That's good. I feel awful, though. I really have grown to like you. I just didn't know how to deal with all of those feelings, and you were there, and..."
"It's not that weird a response."
"It isn't?"
"No. I was a psychology major in college. They covered this one in early classes."
"Oh. Are you mad?"
"I'm not. I'm surprised, but I'm not mad. Are you going to be okay?"
"I guess. I don't know. I just have all of these confusing feelings."
"I'm a good listener."
"I convinced the girls – the other Bellas, I mean – to do this USO tour. My greatest years were spent singing with them in college. We had a reunion of sorts, and I came up with the idea so we could all sing together again. I was hoping that, for once, I'd be the most important thing in my dad's life. It's stupid, really. He and my mom divorced when I was a kid, and he was hardly ever around before then, whether or not he was in the country. I shouldn't still be looking for him to pay attention to me, but he's still my dad."
"I'm sorry he hasn't been there for you. It's okay to feel this way about him."
"I guess, but the way I've been treating you isn't okay."
"I agreed to all of this."
"That's not what I mean."
"Then, what do you mean?"
Aubrey took a deep breath. "I did initially start all of this to get attention from my dad. But I'm finding all sorts of confusing feelings. I'm not just jealous that my dad likes you better than he likes me. I'm jealous of...well, a lot of people. I'm sorry. I'm not finding the right words." She paused for a minute, thankful that Stacie was letting her find the words. "I'm jealous of the waiter from the other night, for one."
"What about him?"
"You were flirting. I know you're not my girlfriend for real and it's silly for me to be jealous, but I was. Am. Chloe and I were talking, and I denied it when she said I was jealous. She's right, though. We should end this. I'll tell my dad everything, and I'll deal with the consequences. I'll take responsibility. Hopefully, he'll still help you."
"Aubrey, you don't have to."
"No, it's the right thing to do. It was a stupid idea, and I shouldn't have dragged you into my stupid family drama."
"I don't think I know a single person without some sort of family drama. I could have said no."
"Why did you agree to this?"
"Time for me to be honest," Stacie said. "Once I understood that you weren't remotely like your father, I realized how much I liked you. Maybe I don't want to be your fake girlfriend. I think I want to be your real girlfriend."
Aubrey looked at her incredulously. "You want to date me, knowing I'm a hot mess?"
"Eh. Everyone's a hot mess," said Stacie with a shrug.
"I guess we all are. Okay, I'll be your real girlfriend. I don't know what we'll do about my dad, but that's something we'll figure out another day."
"That's a plan if I ever heard one," said Stacie, smiling as she pulled Aubrey in for a real kiss.