A/N: This story is based off of a prompt I got from an anon on Tumblr who we will call 3 Part Anon. I'm not going to include the actual prompt here since it's lengthy and it would give away the whole story. I haven't written a one shot in a while but I actually like how this turned out. It's Emily centric for anyone who's been looking for that. Enjoy and as always I would love to hear your thoughts. If you have a moment you can leave a review or comment here or send me a message on Tumblr (shesamarshmallow) and it would really make me smile.
Emily knows that gossip travels faster than a speeding bullet in the a capella community. She's used to her mother's horror stories. Back in the 80s the competing groups would spread rumors about each other constantly. Catherine Junk shamefully admits one night that she may have spread a rumor about the captain of one of the opposing teams being pregnant. She's not proud of it and she warns Emily not to get caught up in harmful gossip and to just focus on singing when she joins the Bellas. Emily always corrects her and says if she joins the Bellas, she doesn't think it's a forgone conclusion that they will accept her.
She's been following Barden's a capella groups since she was a child. Her mother has taken her to every ICCA final at Lincoln Center since she was two. She watches Barden's Bellas, the Treblemakers and even the Harmonics in awe, waiting for her chance to be up on stage with them. Along with the singing though, Emily also hears bits and pieces of their gossip. She tries not to let it consume her, but some of the things she's heard spark her curiosity.
She had promised to ignore the gossip but that promise is harder to keep when she actually shows up at Barden. Emily has heard that Beca Mitchell, current captain of the Barden Bellas is dating the captain of the Treblemakers, Jesse Swanson. She recalls a rumour about them kissing after the Bellas' first win at the ICCA finals a few years ago. Emily knows from her mother that the Bellas have a very strict rule about hooking up with Treblemakers. She remembers being scared as an eleven year old when her mother said the worlds "or may your vocal chords be ripped out by wolves." It's part of the Bella oath apparently and Emily worries about the person who added it in, and why. Beca doesn't seem like the kind of person to play by the rules though, that's probably why she's dating him. Why follow the rules when you can make your own? Beca is a total badass and Emily can't wait to meet her.
To make things more confusing though Emily has also heard that Beca Mitchell is dating her co-captain of the Bellas, Chloe Beale. It's totally cool if she is of course; Emily is just really confused. Just when she thought Beca and Jesse were an item she heard about Beca and Chloe. It makes sense though; she's seen the way they look at each other during their performances. There is almost nothing in the world that will convince Emily that Chloe is not head over heels in love with Beca Mitchell. She always has what Emily's mom refers to as "heart eyes" whenever she looks at Beca. It's so obvious; she can't believe she didn't see it before. She learned about Beca and Chloe when she over heard the large Australian Bella who goes by Fat Amy talking about them. She mentioned something about a Bhloe and Emily tuned out, but she heard enough.
Emily wonders what the truth is, is it Jesse or is it Chloe that Beca is dating? She wishes she wasn't so curious but it's kind of hard not to be. She's obsessed with the Bellas and she would love more than anything to be like Beca effin' Mitchell. She'll just have to find out for herself, there has to be a way.
When Emily knocks on the door of the Bella house to audition she can feel the nerves in her stomach. She doesn't know what they'll think, what they'll say. She could be thrown out on her butt in a matter of minutes. She was devastated when she heard the Bellas had been suspended for the year and couldn't accept new members, but she figured it was worth a try anyway. She's a legacy and it's her dream to be a Barden Bella, she can't give up on it without at least an audition. She sings an original song and maybe that was a mistake, they are an a capella group who does covers after all. Their faces are all so hard to read, even Chloe's. All she can hope for is that they at least want to hear her sing again.
She breathes a sigh of relief when the girls start harmonizing and Emily is welcomed to the Barden Bellas. She's finally a Bella and she's totally flipping out. This is insane; Emily Elizabeth Junk is now a Barden Bella. She thinks about getting a tattoo to commemorate the occasion but her parents would kill her. Maybe when she's older, maybe she's getting ahead of herself. She hasn't even sung with the Bellas yet, they could still hate her and throw her out. This could still be a disaster, she takes a deep breath and tries not to think about all the ways this could go wrong.
Emily wonders where Beca is, she's actually kind of disappointed that she didn't see her audition. She knows Beca wants to produce music and she was kind of hoping to get her feedback on her original song. If she could collaborate with Beca that would totally be a dream come true but she's getting ahead of herself again. If Beca's not here with the Bellas maybe she's with Jesse. She chalks this event up to one point in Jesse's favor. She's going to have to watch Beca's behavior closely when she gets back to the house if she wants to figure this out.
She starts observing Beca's behavior, Beca just thinks she's an awkward teenager trying to fit in with the cool kids; not that the Bellas are the epitome of cool or anything though. She looks out for clues. Beca sits next to Chloe like all the time; always super close. Half the time she's sitting in Chloe's lap, but they never kiss. Emily thinks back to every day she's seen Beca with Chloe and/or Jesse, she's never kissed either of them. Besides that one rumored kiss after the ICCAs, Beca hasn't exhibited any behavior that would lead Emily to believe she's with either Chloe or Jesse. Maybe she just hates PDA.
Beca talks on her phone a lot, Emily notices this immediately. It usually sounds like she's talking business but occasionally she ends the call with I love you. She's probably not in love with her boss at the internship she always sneaks off to, so it has to be either Jesse or Chloe. She tries to catch Beca on the phone when either Chloe or Jesse is in the room but it never happens. Emily knows she would make a terrible spy; she can't even manage to figure out who Beca is dating. She thinks about giving up, it's really none of her business anyway. She also thinks about just asking, but that would be even nosier of her. She can't exactly walk up to Beca and say, "so are you dating Jesse or Chloe?"
The Bellas must know she figures, she'll just ask one of them. The small matter of which one would be the best to ask is her next dilemma. She thinks about asking Amy first. She seems to be very close to Beca and they are roommates after all. If any of the Bellas know who Beca is dating Amy is probably the most likely candidate. She sits down next to Amy one afternoon as she watches some Australian soap opera in the living room at the Bella's house. For the life of her Emily can't figure out what any of the phrases Amy shouts at the TV mean. It's pretty funny really, Emily doesn't think any American housewives shout at their television sets when they watch Days of Our Lives. She observes Amy for a while and then thinks better of asking her about Beca's relationship. Amy isn't exactly subtle or good at keeping secrets; she'd probably just try and mess with her head anyway. Emily walks away and leaves Amy to continue shouting at the characters on screen. She is currently very unhappy that a blonde lady kissed a dark haired gentleman in an alleyway.
She can't ask Chloe. She risks looking very nosy and potentially offending her. If she is actually dating Beca she might want to keep it private. She also might be offended by the suggestion that her girlfriend is in a relationship with a Treble. If she's not dating Beca it might just upset her because either way Emily is still convinced that Chloe likes Beca. She almost says something one night when she's studying alone with Chloe but keeps her lips sealed. Chloe is probably the nicest person she's ever met, she doesn't want to risk hurting her feelings in any way. Emily just keeps her eyes on her textbook; the answers Chloe is giving her are all wrong but luckily this is her best subject. She totally understands why Chloe has failed three years in a row now.
She rules out Flo altogether very quickly. The last time she tried talking to Flo one on one she was treated to a horror story involving a boat, some livestock, a lot of mud and a lot of swearing. Flo is generally pretty nice and talented but Emily isn't in the mood for another story about her life. She's pretty sure Flo's stories have more truth to them than Amy's, which kind of makes them that much worse.
Emily thinks briefly about asking Lilly but rules her out for two different reasons. For one thing she can never actually hear Lilly when she speaks and for another she's pretty sure she lives in her own world. She would be surprised if Lilly actually knew who Beca was dating at all. She's a nice girl and her skills are both surprising and impressive in every way, but she definitely isn't the type to gossip or pay attention to the social lives of her fellow Bellas. Even if she did want to ask Lilly, she couldn't find her. Emily hopes she's not hiding in the rafters of her room again. It's a little too freaky when you're trying to fall asleep and a full grown adult swoops down from the roof like a bat.
Cynthia Rose strikes Emily as a good person to ask. She's always really nice to her and is probably one of the more sensible girls in the bunch. As she walks toward Cynthia Rose's room though she remembers one thing about her that will probably derail their whole conversation. Cynthia Rose is convinced that everyone plays for her team and will most certainly focus on Chloe and Beca. Emily just wants a straight answer, not a series of points to prove that Chloe Beale is probably a lesbian. I mean she might be, but that's really not the information Emily is looking for right now. She skips past Cynthia Rose's room and takes a seat on the couch.
When Stacie enters the room Emily thinks about asking her. She seems close with both Beca and Chloe and she learned early on that Stacie loves to gossip. She definitely knows the scoop; the question is whether she can get it out of her. Emily really isn't in the mood for another sex talk. Stacie is always lecturing her about safe sex every time they talk. She gives her condoms almost every time she sees her too. She tells her to be careful with Benji because it's always the sweetest looking guys who are the most dangerous. Emily doesn't know how she knows this but she always nods and smiles anyway. It's nice of her in a very roundabout way, it's clear she's looking out for Emily. Still though, she just wants to know about who Beca is dating and she doesn't feel like Stacie has yet exhausted her list of safe sex tips. She smiles politely as she leaves the room and sure enough Stacie hands her a condom on her way out. This one is scented, Emily tosses it in the garbage in the kitchen. She's pretty sure Benji doesn't want his junk to smell like strawberries.
That leaves just Jessica and Ashley left to ask. Emily still isn't sure which one is which and she's barely heard either of them speak in her entire time at the Bella's house. Even so, they certainly strike her as the most normal of the Bellas. They'll probably give her a straight answer if she just asks them. Now it's just a matter of finding them. She heads up the stairs, straight toward their bedroom. They share one of the bedrooms right next to the bathroom. Emily knocks on the door and opens it when they call out for her to come in. They're cuddling on the couch in their room and reading from what she can tell. The blonde one has her legs draped over the brunette. They put down their books and begin to stare at her and Emily is starting to rethink her decision to talk to them.
"What's up Em?" the one who Emily thinks is Jessica asks her.
"I've heard a lot of rumors and I was kind of hoping you could clear them up for me."
"Oh yeah, rumors about what?" Ashley asks, clearly excited by the prospect of gossip.
"Beca actually," Emily starts nervously, "I heard that she's dating Jesse but I've also heard that she's dating Chloe. I'm just not sure what the truth is and I know I'm being nosy but I'm just really curious."
She raises her eyebrow when Jessica and Ashley just look at each other and start laughing. Apparently her question is very funny to them because they laugh for a full minute or two before they look back at her.
"Beca, dating Jesse?" that's hilarious Jessica says, still laughing.
"Beca's engaged," she explains, "to Aubrey," they both say in unison.
Emily's jaw drops. They said it like it was the most obvious thing in the whole world, Beca Mitchell engaged to her arch nemesis Aubrey Posen, former captain of the Barden Bellas.
Jessica and Ashley move over and make room for Emily to sit down on their couch. She's still surprised and she definitely wants to know more. If she was confused before about Beca's love life this revelation certainly hasn't cleared anything up. Jessica and Ashley explain about how Beca and Aubrey always used to butt heads, but eventually learned to appreciate one another. They got together at the end of Beca's first year at Barden, just after they won the ICCAS. That rumor about Beca kissing Jesse after the competition is totally false and it annoys Aubrey to no end. Beca actually kissed Aubrey after their big win, something that only the Bellas actually know.
Emily is definitely stunned. She's tempted to ask them about Chloe and how she feels about the whole thing but figures she's been nosy enough for one afternoon. It shocks her; she finds it hard to imagine Beca having romantic feelings for Aubrey, much less being engaged to the woman. Jessica and Ashley just say that they balance each other out.
A few days later the Bellas are headed off on a retreat. When they arrive at the Lodge of the Fallen Leaves she's surprised to see that Aubrey Posen is the owner. It figures, she finally meets Aubrey Posen in person just days after finding out that she's Beca Mitchell's finance. She watches as Beca runs into Aubrey's arms first, hugging the blonde tight, a bright smile spread across her face. If she's not mistaken Beca is definitely looking at Aubrey with love in her eyes, it's sweet really.
She spends most of the retreat watching them, observing Beca and Aubrey together. Everything falls into place; she's kind of surprised she ever thought Beca wanted anyone but Aubrey. The way Aubrey touches her arm gently every time she's near. The way she smiles at Beca, even when she's shouting at the Bellas. The way both of their eyes always light up when they see one another, like they're always seeing each other for the first time. It's actually kind of gross but half the time they finish each other's sentences. She's heard over the years about the way Beca and Aubrey used to fight like cats and dogs; they're certainly not fighting now. Aubrey brings Beca a sweater and wraps it around her shoulders as they sit around the campfire. Beca toasts a marshmallow for her just the way she likes it and pops it in her mouth before pressing a kiss to her lips. It's unexpected for Emily but they're actually really sweet together.
She gets an answer to her other question as they sit around the campfire talking about their futures. Chloe tells them all that she's going to teach music to underprivileged children after she finally graduates Barden this year. She also tells them she's moving in with her boyfriend Tom and that they're renting a condo together in downtown Atlanta. Emily realizes that Chloe is talking about the brown haired guy from Barden's baseball team who is ever present at the Bellas' performances. Emily noticed him before but just thought he was a fan. It all makes sense now; Chloe has always been really close and friendly with everyone, including Beca. It explains the time she saw her with her arms around baseball dude's neck, Emily thought she was just being her usual self, getting far too close with a stranger for comfort. She was actually just about to make out with her boyfriend.
Emily lays awake in the tent that night, trying to process everything she's learned over the last few days. Keeping up with other people's love lives is exhausting; she should probably just leave the rumor mill alone next time she thinks. Next time she hears a rumor, she's just going to forget about it. Unless of course that rumor involves her and certain curly haired Treble, she wouldn't want her vocal chords to be ripped about by wolves.