AN: I don't know how this story popped into my head, but the moment it did, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It is definitely not canon, but it was fun to write and explore Staubrey and Bechloe in a different way. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Aubrey couldn't sleep. She told herself it was because of the list of things she had to do before leaving. It was her last night home in Portland before she headed to college at Barden University. It was her last night in the home she once loved but now hated. The divorce ruined that for her. Her mother ruined that for her and made her senior year anything but the perfect year she originally planned. Aubrey was a planner, goal-oriented, and always determined to make sure her plans were carried out to perfection, so it made sense her mind was going through its mental checklist of final things to do before driving away from Portland and never looking back. That is what she told herself, but deep down she knew it was more than that. She tossed and turned and eventually settled on staring up at the ceiling. She is just down the hall. The thought kept creeping into her mind but she did her best to push it away. She told herself she would be strong. They were over. Whatever they had was finished and no one knew. No one got hurt. She tried to assure herself of that but the ache in her heart reminded her how hard it was going to be. She could say goodbye to her mother with ease. If anything, she'd done that over a year ago. She could even say goodbye to Beca. She would miss her baby sister dearly, but they grew apart over the year as their family fractured and she knew her choice to attend Barden was like choosing their father over their mother in Beca's eyes. She hoped one day her baby sister would understand, would be able to look back and put the puzzle pieces together, but until then, saying goodbye would be difficult but necessary. Saying goodbye to Stacie was different though and she closed her eyes as she felt the tears prickle, daring to fall at any second. The sound of her bedroom door opening made her sit up and quickly wipe her eyes. She sighed when Stacie crept in and locked the door behind her.

"Stace, we can't," she whispered, but it didn't stop Stacie from sitting down on her bed beside her.

"Beca is asleep and so are your parents. I waited until your dad finally went into the guestroom. That man really loves his late night TV shows," she teased and Aubrey smiled.

"It has always been part of his routine. When I was little, on nights when I couldn't sleep, he would let me watch with him sometimes."

"I know it is different but it is kind of nice having all of you here again. This place has always been my second home. After everything went down, spending the night here felt so strange."

"Divorce sucks for everyone involved. I don't plan on getting married unless I know for sure that person is the one for me, the only one," admitted Aubrey and Stacie slid her hand over Aubrey's. Aubrey laced their fingers together as Stacie scooted closer.

"You aren't like her and we aren't them. Is that why you keep pushing me away?"

"Stace, we have been over this."

"Then let's go over it again because I am confused as hell right now."

"Stacie…"

"I know you love me," whispered Stacie as she straddled Aubrey's waist. Aubrey gulped as her hands instinctively gripped Stacie's backside, causing the brunette to whimper.

"We can't keep doing this. Beca would freak if she knew. You are her best friend and with everything else going on in her life, you are the last piece of consistency she has. I can't take that from her."

"This has nothing to do with Beca. This is about us and you being scared of how much you love me," said Stacie as she gazed lovingly into Aubrey's eyes. She leaned in to brush her lips over the blonde's, smiling at the quiet moan she got in response.

"Tell me you don't love me and I will leave," challenged Stacie and Aubrey gulped. Everything about their relationship was impractical. Aubrey was about to go off to college while Stacie stayed behind in Portland to start her senior year in high school. She was also the best friend of her baby sister and had been since Beca was ten, but Aubrey remained silent. She tried, but she could never lie to Stacie. Her life was full of secrets and lies, but Stacie Conrad was the one person she refused to lie to. Instead, she captured her lips in a passionate kiss and Stacie moaned as she deepened it. Aubrey peeled off Stacie's shirt and whimpered when she saw the bare breasts she couldn't get enough of. Stacie giggled when Aubrey rolled on top of her. Aubrey cupped her face and sighed as they gazed into one another's eyes.

"I can't help but love you, Stace. I always have," she confessed before tenderly kissing the only girl to ever have her heart. She told herself she needed to be practical about their relationship, but she could never deny how much she loved Stacie, and added a new item to her to do list. Make love for one last time.

Aubrey's eyes fluttered open and she took in a deep breath as she woke up from her dream. It was more of a memory and she buried her face in her pillow as she groaned. Her alarm began ringing on her phone and she cursed under her breath as she reached for it. She managed to turn it off and closed her eyes again, but a knock on the door made her open them again.

"Come in, Chlo," she called as she sat up in bed. Chloe practically skipped into the room with a cup of coffee and bowl of yogurt, fruit, and granola.

"Morning, I figured we could go for a jog together. It is actually cool this morning and not too humid. Cynthia Rose and Amy will be back in town this afternoon, so everyone will be in attendance at tomorrow's meeting. I already checked the bylaws. As long as Denise is a graduate student at Barden, she can still be a Bella and…"

"Whoa, slow down, Chlo. It is eight in the morning and you know my brain cannot function this early without either food or caffeine first."

"Which is why I brought you both, why aren't you more excited? It is the Thursday before our sophomore year starts and we are officially co-captains. This is everything we spent freshman year working toward and there is still much to do." Aubrey ran a hand through her hair and sighed as she nodded.

"I know. Sorry, I am just tired." Chloe sat down beside her and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Have another bad dream?"

"This one wasn't bad, just a memory that was a reminder of something I lost. You are right though. This is an exciting time for us. We had a great summer in Florida at your family's beach house. The Bellas are back and ready to defend our first ever ICCA Championship. We moved into this amazing apartment and are officially starting sophomore year as co-captains. Life is pretty good."

"Life is aca-amazing of course! I will let you get ready for the day and meet you out in the living room," Chloe said excitedly before leaving and Aubrey fell back onto her pillow. She knew she should confide in her best friend about what was really bothering her, but she wasn't ready. Admitting it out loud made it real and she wasn't ready to face that yet.

After their jog, Aubrey and Chloe went to their favorite café for lunch. When her name was called to pick up her order, Aubrey walked up to the counter and smiled at the way the waitress looked her up and down. Ever since she told her dad she was gay over the holiday break, she found a new confidence in her sexuality. While she wasn't one to act on the advances, she loved to flirt and had no problem finding women to engage with in town. She winked at the waitress as she grabbed her smoothie and salad.

"Thanks, it looks great."

"I see you in here so often that I feel like I should know more about you than just your name." Aubrey giggled.

"You also know my order," she teased and the waitress bit her lip as she leaned into the counter to give Aubrey a closer glimpse of her cleavage. Aubrey obliged by letting her eyes linger on the waitress's breasts as the woman spoke.

"I was thinking more personal details."

"What did you have in mind," asked Aubrey as the waitress wrote something down on a napkin. She handed it to Aubrey with a wink.

"Call me and find out," she suggested. Aubrey couldn't hide the blush that crept onto her cheeks as she took the napkin.

"Bye," said Aubrey and the waitress gave her a wave before giving her attention to the next person in line. Aubrey rolled her eyes when she walked outside to sit at a table on the patio with Chloe and the redhead gave her a cheeky grin.

"I knew she had it bad for you. Are you going to call her?"

"How did you even see that from out here?"

"I see everything and stop deflecting. Are you going to call her?" Aubrey sighed and shook her head as she picked at her salad.

"That was just a little bit of fun. It isn't a big deal."

"Bree, there are so many women around here that would love to date you and yet you turn them down. Why? What am I missing?"

"Nothing, I am just not really looking for someone right now." Chloe's eyes widened when realization dawned on her.

"You know, when we first met, you were so withdrawn and reserved. I thought it was because that was just your personality, but now that I know you, I can tell something else was going on. Bree, did you have someone in Portland, someone you lost when you moved here?" Aubrey slowly nodded.

"It isn't a big deal. I just am not ready to move on. I mean we were never official or anything, but a part of me thought she was the one."

"And now?"

"Things back then were too complicated. I am in a great place now. I have the Bellas, my best friend, and a really good thing here. I don't want anything to get complicated."

"And yet you aren't moving on either."

"Sure I am in."

"Bree, if you really wanted to move on, you would be dating and probably have a smoking hot girlfriend by now, but you don't. I have watched so many women throw themselves at you at parties or when we go out but you never go beyond flirting. It's like you want them to know you are into them, but you can never take the step to start dating. Whoever has your heart must be pretty special."

"She is, but it doesn't matter. I am just healing and still need time to move on. My last year in Portland sucked. It was messy and complicated and I didn't like the person I was there. I am happy here and I am not going to do anything to mess it up." Chloe gave her friend a sympathetic smile.

"Then maybe it is time to put yourself out there with someone new," she suggested before digging into her salad. The words hung in the air between them as Aubrey thought about how that option made her feel. There was only one person to ever have her heart and she wasn't sure how she felt about the prospect of moving on.

Aubrey spent the rest of the day burying herself in work. Winning the ICCA Championship for the first time brought more responsibilities for the Bellas. They no longer simply represented their acapella group. They represented Barden and there were certain aspects that came with such attention. The next day, the Bellas met in their practice space for their first official meeting of the new season. With school starting back up the next week, there was much to discuss before they could focus on preparing for ICCA. She looked down at her clipboard at their roster and the potential singers that signed up for auditions. It looked promising and they were bound to have a bigger showing than the previous year. Cynthia Rose, Amy, Denise, Jessica, Ashley, and Lilly were nodding along as Chloe updated them on what needed to be done.

"In the eyes of the administration at Barden, we have taken over as the lead acapella group on campus. The Treblemakers are no longer the top dogs and it is important we show the rest of the groups and the administration that we take this seriously. As such, we are going to do what the Trebles never did and take the Residence Life Committee up on their offer to volunteer for freshmen campus move-in tomorrow," announced Chloe and the rest of the Bellas groaned.

"Oh come on, is that really necessary," whined Cynthia Rose.

"That just sounds like extra cardio," grumbled Amy and Aubrey shook her head in amusement.

"This isn't about cardio. It is about showing that we are willing to volunteer and help out around campus. It was either this or help with orientation, which would have taken up an entire week. All we have to do is greet newcomers and their families, make sure they find their way to the registration desks, and ask them if they need any help moving in. I will take the first shift from 8-10 tomorrow morning because I won't be available in the afternoon."

"No fair, why does she get to relax the rest of the day," asked Amy and Aubrey rolled her eyes.

"Because I am not relaxing," she assured.

"Then what will you be doing," asked Denise and even Chloe looked at her curiously since Aubrey was vague on the details. Aubrey took in a deep breath and decided to be honest with her friends.

"My little sister is coming to Barden so while I will be at one of the dorms, I promised to help her move in and see my family in the process," she confessed and Chloe frowned in confusion.

"Why didn't you tell me that sooner? Bree, that's great! We can add your sister to the list of prospective Bellas. We have to add at least one more girl to round out the group and adding her would take the pressure off at auditions," said Chloe and Aubrey shook her head.

"Beca isn't Bella material," assured Aubrey.

"Can she sing," asked Ashley and Aubrey crossed her arms.

"This isn't really her scene and it doesn't matter anyways. We have a great list of singers looking to audition, so we just need to volunteer tomorrow, hold auditions next week, and before you know it we will be the first group on the list for our very own house. Remember, that is the goal this year. We want to defend our championship and get a Bella House on campus. Everything else needs to be put on the backburner until our goals are accomplished."

"But if there is another one of you running around and she is attending Barden, wouldn't it make sense to…" Aubrey stomped her foot to interrupt Chloe.

"I said the answer is no and that is final," she snapped and all the Bellas were surprised by her outburst. She sighed when she saw the hurt in Chloe's eyes.

"I am sorry. It has been a long week and I need a break. Sorry," she said before hurrying out of the room as Chloe looked down.

"Aca-awkward," mumbled Amy and Chloe took in a deep breath to regain composure.

"Okay, um, I will text everyone the available hours. Plan to group up and have at least two of you working at the same time. It will go by faster that way. Let me know when you can work and I will text everyone an official schedule by the end of the day. I am going to check on Aubrey," informed Chloe and they all nodded as they gathered their things to leave. Chloe headed out in search of Aubrey, already having an idea where her best friend would be. She sighed when she saw Aubrey sitting on the stage of the amphitheater and staring up at the sky. Chloe sat down beside her and waited for Aubrey to speak, knowing her friend would talk when she was ready.

"I am sorry for snapping at you and not telling you about Beca in the first place."

"Why did you feel the need to hide something like that from me?"

"Because I am scared. Chlo, I have spent the past year trying to outrun the tidal wave of crap my family was dealing with before I left. Now my two worlds are about to collide and I don't know how to keep them separate."

"Then maybe you shouldn't," she suggested and Aubrey sighed.

"Trust me, you don't want to deal with my family drama." Chloe wrapped an arm around her.

"Bree, you are my best friend and I will always be here for you. What is going on?"

"I don't even know where to start."

"Then try the beginning," she suggested.

"My family used to be as close to perfect as possible. We used to be happy or at least I thought we were. Beca and I were really close. You know my dad is a professor here and my parents divorced during my senior year. My mom is a photographer and I used to think they were so in love, but all that changed. One afternoon, I came home early after school. I ended track practice early because I wasn't feeling well. My dad was still at work and Beca was at her friend's house. The moment I saw the car in the driveway, I knew something was off. I walked inside and they were just out there in the open, on the couch like no one else lived there, like no one would see them. My mom was having an affair with another man. His name is Dave and he owns a popular record store in Portland. Apparently they met one day when my mom took Beca in to get a vinyl. I had no clue, my father didn't either."

"Bree, I am so sorry."

"At least they had the decency to cover up and feel ashamed. He quickly dressed and left, but my mom just sat there on the couch wrapped up in a blanket crying. We were both crying. I didn't realize it until she tried to reach for me. I was in shock. She promised me she would tell my father, that I didn't have to, and she would do it as soon as he got home, but it barely registered at first. That night, I am guessing one of them asked Beca to stay at her friend's house and they called me downstairs. My dad looked…I still don't know. It was like he was stunned and angry and sad and scared all at once. I have never seen him like that before. You know my dad. He is pretty happy-go-lucky and light-hearted, but he looked so different that night. They said they were getting a divorce and things had been bad for a while. My mom begged me not to tell Beca."

"What did Beca say when you did," asked Chloe and Aubrey sighed as she looked away.

"You never told her, did you? Why would you go along with that? Your mom cheated in your house, on your couch, she should've been the one to clean up the mess, not you or anyone else for that matter."

"Trust me, I know, but my mom has always had a fragile relationship with Beca. My dad is the actual parent. My mom can be flighty and scatterbrained. She would forget birthdays and important dates, but after that, she tried to be better. She promised to be a better mother and I think she has been that….for Beca."

"What about you? What about your needs and the fact that you are her daughter too?"

"My dad is there for me. I knew after that day I could never look at my mother the same way. I asked her why she did it in the house. Why not go to some cheap motel for an affair and you know what she said to me? She wanted to get caught. She wanted out of the marriage and wanted to be found, but not by me. My dad was supposed to be home soon, not me or anyone else, and that was her reason for it. I know she is ashamed and I know when I look at her with anger and disappointment it kills her, but I can't stop seeing that day and I still can't forgive her because we both know it was intentional. She wanted to be found, so she was. I feel like I lost my mother that day, but my dad has always been there for me. That's why I chose Barden in the first place, to be closer to him."

"And that's why you spent the summer in Florida with my family instead of going back to Portland," said Chloe as she began to understand.

"I couldn't stay in that house. My mom wanted me to come back home and reconnect with Beca, but everything about it just reminded me of what happened. Beca thinks I am avoiding her and I guess in some ways I am, so seeing her tomorrow isn't exactly going to be an amazing family reunion. From her point of view, I am a total bitch who made a war out of an already messy divorce. I chose my dad over my mom in her eyes for no reason."

"Maybe this is your chance to make things right with her too. I don't know her, but if it were me, I would probably think you chose your dad over me as well, like I was being punished for being in Portland with your mom and seen as the bad guy."

"I never meant to abandon her, but things just got too intense and I had to leave."

"Would your special someone fall into that category of things getting too intense as well?"

"It doesn't matter. That is over. What matters is Beca will be here tomorrow along with my mom and I don't know what to do."

"I can't believe she doesn't know. Are you going to tell her?"

"Of course not, she would hate our mother for it and I can't have that on my conscience. I can't be the reason Beca hates my mom. I just can't and since you are probably going to meet her soon, I need you to promise me this stays between us." Chloe hugged her and nodded.

"You are my best friend, Bree. Everything you say to me stays between us. I promise," assured Chloe and Aubrey sighed in relief. She didn't expect it to feel so good to be able to tell everything to her best friend, but she was relieved someone else knew the truth.