"Beca?"
The brunette looked up from her phone at the sound of the familiar voice calling her name.
"Aubrey, hey," Beca responded, finding herself caught in an embrace by the blonde.
"Long time no see, what brings you back to Atlanta?"
It had been 6 years since the DJ left for the bright lights of LA, and she hadn't done a particularly good job of keeping in touch with Aubrey, or any of her friends from Barden. She threw herself into her music and trying to make it and never looked back.
"I'm uh, here to see my parents," Beca offered, although the truth was a bit more complicated.
"Oh, that's nice."
"Yeah, I mean, I figure the holidays are coming up and I haven't seen them in a while."
"Yeah," Aubrey started, deciding whether or not she wanted to ask her next question. "Have you, uh, seen anyone else?"
"If you're talking about Jesse and Chloe, then no I haven't. I actually just got in yesterday, haven't really been out and about. I'm assuming they're both still around then."
When Beca left for LA she left Barden, her family, and not one but two people she didn't know how to deal with her feelings for. She started seeing Jesse after the Bellas' big ICCA win, all the while wrestling with her feelings for a certain perky redhead. When her father agreed to pay her way to LA, she left with nothing more than a quick, I'm sorry, goodbye to both parties. LA was her fresh start, and dragging herself through a long distance relationship she wasn't even sure she wanted to work just wasn't going to happen.
"Yeah, pretty much everyone stuck around Beca, you're the only one who was dead set on getting out of here."
"I guess, I just never wanted to go to school in the first place so it seemed like the right thing to do at the time," Beca shrugged.
"Mama!" a small child squealed, and ran into Aubrey's arms. The small girl was blonde, with pale blue eyes. Aubrey picked her up, and brushed the hair out of her eyes before turning back to Beca.
Beca felt bad now about not asking Aubrey how she was. Beca should have known the determined blonde would be happily married with children. She always struck Beca as the classic white picket fence type.
"This is Charlotte," Aubrey introduced her, "Charlie, this is my friend Beca."
"Hi Charlie," Beca smiled at the little girl.
"Hi," she squeaked shyly, burying her face in Aubrey's arm.
"Well, I think it's time to take someone home for a nap, but we should catch up while you're here."
"Yeah, that would be nice," Beca scrawled her new number on a piece of paper and handed it to Aubrey. "Text me when you're free."
Beca left half way through her second year at Barden, and in the time between their win and her move she had been what she would consider friends with Aubrey. She felt bad at the time, leaving not only Jesse and Chloe but all the girls who had made her short time at Barden as great as it turned out to be. At first she would respond to e-mails and texts, but time, work and distance eventually got too much and the e-mails and texts sent to check up on her became few and far between. In fact, Aubrey had probably been one of the last people to stop trying, sending her a 'hey, how are you?' text just a few months ago.
A few days after running into Aubrey in the park Beca's phone buzzed, all it read was coffee this afternoon with a question mark.
Aubrey arrived at the coffee shop just after Beca took a seat at a corner table. She was alone today, Beca assumed her kid was with whoever it was Aubrey had actually deemed good enough to marry.
"Over here," Beca waved the blonde over.
"How's your vacation treating you?" Aubrey asked, taking a seat across from the brunette.
Beca coughed, "umm, its fine. Staying with my dad and Shelia isn't exactly the greatest but whatever."
"Oh well, at least it's only for a…" Aubrey stopped, realizing Beca never actually told her how long she was in town for.
"Anyway," Beca changed the subject, "how are you? I felt like such a dick after the park, you've got a kid and I didn't even ask you about your life now."
"Oh don't worry about it, there's not much to tell. I'm teaching now, at an elementary school and Charlie just turned 4."
"Well, who's the lucky guy?" Beca pressed.
"What?"
"Your husband?"
"No, no husband, no dating life at all to speak of actually," the blonde informed her friend sadly.
"Oh, umm, sorry, I just kind of assumed with the kid and all, sorry" Beca hadn't noticed it before, but Aubrey's ring finger was in fact bare. It was just like her to miss important details, details that would help one avoid awkward situations such as this.
"It's okay; I always thought I'd be married when I had a kid too."
Beca didn't want to pry, and she thought what happened might sound a little rude, so she sat silently waiting for her friend to continue.
"Long story short, condoms are not always effective," she started, "and douchebags you had a one night stand with in a bar bathroom aren't exactly reliable. Although he did offer to pay for an abortion, classy right," Aubrey scoffed.
"Ouch, so it's just you and Charlie then?"
"Yeah, just the two of us since my parents cut me off when I had the gall to tell them their only daughter was pregnant out of wedlock, god forbid."
"So, do you enjoy it then?"
"What, motherhood?"
"Yeah."
"I love it, I love her, I always wanted a daughter, and while it didn't happen at all in the way I planned, I'm very grateful to have her in my life. She's amazing," the sad, distant look on Aubrey's face was instantly brightened when she talked about her daughter.
"That's awesome, but it still must be hard, doing everything alone."
"Well, I'm not completely alone; I mean I still have Chloe and her…" Aubrey stopped, remembering that Beca probably had no idea of anything that went on in the last six years here in Atlanta.
"Her what, come on, you can tell me. I'm fine, I want to know."
"Her husband; they married just over a year ago and now she's pregnant with their first child."
"That great," Beca's words were genuine, "what about Jesse?"
"Also married, we obviously don't hang out but last I did see a birth announcement in the paper about 18 months ago; a boy I think."
"Well I'm glad they're both happy."
"Are you?"
"Yeah, I mean I think I loved or at least really cared about both of them at some point but I left because it felt right at the time. I wasn't ready to give either of them what they wanted and it's not like I expected them to wait around for me. I'm over them, I swear."
"Well good. Jason's a good guy too, I think you'd approve."
"Good to know. I'd hate to think of Chloe married to one of those dicks she's used to fool around with at Barden."
Aubrey laughed and flashed Beca a knowing smile, "no, she met him at the grocery store of all places."
The old friends spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and catching up. Beca learned that Aubrey and her daughter live in a two bedroom apartment near the park, and that Charlotte's favourite thing to do is feed the ducks. She teaches the fourth grade, and hasn't been on a date since she got pregnant. She sees Chloe at least once a week, and Chloe always babysits for her when she has a PTA meeting to attend. Aubrey didn't have many details to share about their former Bellas, having been too pre-occupied herself the past few years to really keep in touch. As the afternoon drew to a close, Aubrey finally plucked up enough courage to ask Beca what she'd been wanting to all afternoon.
"What are you actually doing back here?" she asked, changing the subject suddenly from talk of her class' first field trip of the year.
"I already told you why I'm here."
"Don't give me that bullshit, the holidays are weeks away and I know damn well you don't want to spend that much time with your father."
"Fine, you caught me, I'm not here for the holidays, but who the fuck cares."
"I do, tell me what's going on."
"Things just didn't work out in LA, I've struggled trying to make it there for years and it just didn't happen okay. I got sick and tired of being broke and lonely so I moved back here, although I'm not sure there's anything for me here these days anyway," Beca sighed.
"Well you've got a friend here, so I guess it's already less lonely than LA," the blonde smiled.
"Thanks Aubrey," Beca was genuinely glad to know that at least here, she had a friend.
"I need to go pick up Charlie, but I'll call you again soon. You can come over to the apartment and at least get away from your dad's house for a bit."
"Sounds good, I'll see you soon then."
Beca walked out of the coffee shop happier than she'd be in months, years maybe. Life in LA had taken a toll on her. Maybe Atlanta was the best place for her, it was the last place she'd been genuinely happy and maybe, just maybe she could be again.
When the weekend ended Beca hit the pavement with resumes. She was now almost 25, jobless and with few prospects since she didn't do as her father said, and get a good education before flitting off to LA to pursue a hobby. She hated that her father was right in this case, but as he said when she showed up back on his doorstep, mistakes make us human and all we can do is learn from them. Her plan now was to secure some form of employment to make money, and to take a second crack at the whole education thing. Her father was still gainfully employed by Barden, and therefore Beca was still eligible for a free education. A smile crossed Beca's face when she noticed a record store near Barden had a now hiring sign in the window. Maybe that CD stacking experience would actually come in handy. She walked out an hour later and promised to show up at nine am sharp the next day. She had impressed the manager with her musical knowledge, and the fact that she could string a proper sentence together. It worked to Beca's advantage in this case that she wasn't a seventeen year old popping gum and declaring her love of Justin Beiber.
Back outside she checked her phone and noticed two missed calls and a text from Aubrey. Dinner at my place, I'm making pasta and Grey's is on tonight. Beca didn't know if that last part was supposed to entice her since she'd never seen an episode of the medical drama. A home cooked meal that didn't involve conversation with her step mother sounded excellent though. Beca quickly typed up be right there, and hit send. Less than ten minutes later she was at the door of the blonde's apartment.
"Hello B," came a small voice as Aubrey opened the door for the brunette.
Aubrey laughed, "I guess she forgot your name."
"Hey she got the first letter right, that's better than some of my dates after a few drinks."
Beca walked over the threshold, taking a moment to examine her surroundings. The apartment was small, but decorated nicely. There were books and toys all over the floor of the small living room, but the rest of the place was not surprisingly clutter free. Beca found her eyes drawn to the mantle; it was covered in photo frames, the same small blonde child smiling at her from each one. She picked up a small silver frame on one of the ends, it was a picture of Aubrey holding baby Charlie who could be no more than a few days old in the photo.
"Nice apartment," she said finally, making her way over to the small table in the kitchen.
"It's small, but it works for us," the blonde smiled.
"Whatever you're cooking smells delicious," Beca spoke up again after a few minutes.
"It's just some sauce from a jar and penne, but if I recall correctly you were never able to master the whole cooking thing. How did you even survive the past six years?"
"Mostly on fast food," Beca revealed truthfully. She really never mastered the whole cooking thing, and with all the hours she was putting in trying to make something of herself she never really had time to cook anyway.
"Well, dig in," Aubrey plopped down a bowl of pasta in front of the brunette, and a few pieces of garlic bread.
"Here you are sweetheart," she handed the small child a fork to eat her small bowl of plain noodles, "she's a picky eater," Aubrey admitted.
"I was too at that age," Beca laughed, remembering her own affinity for plain pasta and how much it drove her mother nuts.
"So, what are you going to do now that you're back?"
"Work at the record store by Barden, and start taking classes again. Not sure what I want to major in yet, maybe business or something."
"That's great Beca, let me know if you need any help."
After dinner Beca helped the blonde clear the dishes. It was nearing seven thirty when they finally finished chatting, and it must have been nearing Charlie's bedtime as the small child was yawning in the chair.
"I think it's time for someone to go to bed," Aubrey picked up her daughter and placed a kiss on her head. "I'll be right back," she assured the brunette.
"Night Charlie," Beca called to the small blonde as Aubrey carried her to her bedroom.
"Goodnight B."
Beca made herself comfortable on the couch as she waited for her friend to put her daughter to bed.
"She was out like a light as soon as her head the pillow."
"Does she usually go down that easily?" Beca found herself genuinely curious about the little girl.
"Not usually, but she had a long day, she was playing soccer and then had a play date with a little girl on the 3rd floor."
The women sat and talked, and Beca even found that she enjoyed the episode of Grey's. When it got a little chilly Aubrey instinctively threw a blanket over both of their legs. It was well after midnight when Beca finally got up to leave, it was so nice to actually have someone friendly to talk to that Beca let time get away from her. She had to be up early for work, and needed to get home.
"I had a nice time," Beca smile, "again next week for Grey's?" she asked, almost not believing the words had come out of her mouth.
"Sounds good, I'll get wine and text me if you have a request for dinner."
The next few weeks were spent working at the record store during the day, and either spending the night creating mixes in her room or with Aubrey and Charlie. She hadn't made mixes just for fun in a while, but lately she was feeling the inspiration. Their weekly Grey's date, had turned into multiple nights of eating dinner, playing games with Charlie and watching Aubrey's favourite shows. Beca planned to start classes in the New Year, and so her nights were free. In her free time she found the only thing she wanted to do was see Aubrey and her admittedly adorable little girl.
Beca had never been particularly fond of kids and the thought of having her own had never crossed her mind, but Charlie was special. She was smart, sweet and not at all loud or annoying the way Beca always pictured kids. Aubrey also made great company. Beca had gotten the chance to know her a bit before leaving for LA, but this was different, she had gotten know Aubrey on a much deeper level. Aubrey shared her joy, her fears, her everything with Beca and Beca found herself doing the same, something she'd never done with anyone else, not even Chloe or Jesse. She was so used to pushing people away that she hadn't even noticed herself actually letting someone in.
It was five thirty and Beca had just gotten off work when she her phone began to ring. On the other end Beca could just make out what she was pretty sure was Aubrey crying, clearly in a panic.
"Hey, hey, Aubrey calm down, what's wrong?"
"Its…its, sniff, its Charlie, she's in the hospital. The school called…sniff, I'm…I'm on my way there now."
"I'll be right there," Beca hung up the phone and raced to the parking lot behind the store.
Aubrey's car was already in the parking lot when Beca arrived and she parked her beat up Honda next to it. The woman was visibly distressed when Beca found her standing by the nurses' station.
"Where the hell is my daughter, she's four and I get a call from her school that she's been brought here, just tell me where she is," this was the Aubrey that Beca could remember from early Bellas' practices, irate and determined.
Beca put her hands on the taller woman's shoulders, "hey, Aubrey, calm down, it's going to be okay."
"Thanks for coming Beca, I just, I needed someone."
"Anytime," the brunette smiled.
When the nurse finally found out where Charlie was she had an intern walk the two women to the little girl's room. A doctor was already there, and he smiled at them as they entered.
"I'll assume you're her mother," he addressed Aubrey, it was obvious that they were mother and daughter as Charlie looked just like her, the same bright hair, pale eyes and smile.
"Yes," Aubrey managed, more concerned with wrapping her arms around the small child in sitting in the big hospital bed.
"She must have fallen off some playground equipment at the school," he started, "she's got a broken leg, a wrist fracture, but luckily no serious injuries or head trauma."
"Thank god," Beca let out a sigh of relief. Aubrey was still clinging tightly to her daughter.
"You can take her home in a few hours; we've run all the necessary tests. As you can see she's got a cast on her leg and her arm. Luckily she's a child, so she'll bounce back fast but she'll need those on for a few weeks. You just have to sign all the discharge papers."
Aubrey kissed her daughter on the head, she hated to see the pained look on her face and decided she'd call the school and ask questions rather than trouble her.
"B, you came to see me?" the little girl questioned.
"Of course I did, I wanted to make sure you were okay."
Aubrey got up from her spot at her daughter's side and walked over to the brunette. She hesitated for a moment before pressing a kiss to the shorter woman's lips.
"What was that for?" Beca asked shocked.
"For being here, for caring, for…" Beca caught the blonde off, returning the kiss she was too shocked to moments earlier.
"And what was that for?"
"Because of course I'd be here, because I care and because I love you."
"You do?"
"I do, I love you Aubrey Posen."
"Well good, because I love you Beca Mitchell."
A few hours later Beca and Aubrey left the hospital, Beca helped Aubrey load Charlie into the blonde's car.
"I'll meet you at the apartment?" Beca said, almost like a question.
"You better," the blonde smirked.
A few days later Beca moved her stuff from her father's house to Aubrey and Charlie's apartment. She hadn't accumulated much in LA, but what few possessions she did have fit right in, like they were meant to be there the whole time. Beca had spent years in LA searching for something she never found and in the few months she had been back in Atlanta, she found something she never even knew she wanted. Beca wasn't lonely anymore, she now had all the love she needed and more. She didn't know how or why but Aubrey and Charlie had become her life, and she wouldn't have it any other way.