Hello! Its been awhile so sorry but finals are over so wooooop! Annnyhow. This ones a bit more angst-y, and a lot longer. But I also want to make it clear that its not just Aubrey who's iffy about the label, its Beca too. You will see that and why in later chapters.
And JustLettie, there will be jealousy, those are my favorite fics to read so don't you worry homie.
&& thank you for all the other reviews, y'all are the best.
Chapter 4:
When she opened her eyes, she noticed the sun wasn't completely up yet. Beca didn't particularly like this time of day. The in-between. The sunrise was beautiful and all, but the room wasn't illuminated with life and yet not engulfed in the black. It was grey, matched with the silence of the world. It made Beca feel dreary. Not that she saw it very often, as she usually slept until the late morning. However with the tour two days away, there was no way her stress of making sure everything goes smoothly was going to let her sleep. She rolled onto her back and tried to rub her face awake. When we opened them again, she glanced to her left and noticed the blonde laying next to her.
"Shit," she whispered to herself. It was the fourth night in a row where she had let herself stay the night in Aubrey's bed. Truthfully, Beca acknowledged, this happened a lot. But usually she put forth the effort to not let it happen so many consecutive days in a row.
However, it was more difficult now, because during the year she would leave in the middle of the night and go back to her dorm, Uber-ing or sometimes walking when she needed it. Or if she was too tired for that she would at least retire to the couch. She did this when she would wake up, look at the girl, and feel anything close to devotion. Anytime she felt absolutely right where she was, she would leave. She didn't want to ruin what was happening with too much feeling.
But now, with summer, she was staying at her dad's place and she couldn't wander in in the middle of the night. Not that she really wanted to go back there most of the time anyway.
Aubrey got angry sometimes, not about her staying, but instead on leaving and giving Beca a lecture on being alone on campus so late at night. As far as Beca staying so often, Aubrey knew that Beca knew where the line was, and when they were crossing it, so she let the younger girl deal with that. She liked having someone to make her her coffee in the morning anyway.
This morning, Beca laid in bed for a little, until she caught herself staring. She seldom woke up before the blonde, and seeing her so peaceful, in the "in-between" lighting that usually caused a knot in her stomach, made it flutter. That was her que.
She rose, and threw on a large Barden hoodie she found in one of Aubrey's drawers, as she was only in a black bra and lavender lace underwear before. The green sweatshirt hung to her upper thigh, so it was good enough, Beca decided. She wasn't going to leave, because truthfully she had no where she could go this early, but she couldn't lay in her bed any longer.
She walked out of the room and although the hall was dark, she knew it well enough to end up standing in the kitchen doorway and flipping on the middle light switch to the left of the archway. She went straight to the cabinet to the right of the fridge, and grabbed the coffee before noticing the pot was missing. She sighed, and moved to the bottom cabinet to the right of the stove, where she found the pot. 'Aubrey,' she thought. She always puts the pot away instead of just letting it sit on the machine, 'like where it should be,' she said in her head, rolling her eyes.
She stood, leaning her back propped against the counter, hands holding the edges lightly, staring around the kitchen while her fuel for the day brewed. She let out a breathy laugh after a second when she realized how fluidly she could move around the apartment. But it was followed by a groan, because that meant she was way too comfortable. Fortunately her coffee finished brewing that same second, pulling her away from that thought all together.
She took her mug to the deck, grabbing her computer off the coffee table on her way. She couldn't go anywhere yet, but she could start double checking all the arrangements and schedules. She logged into her email, and noticed one from the National A Cappella Association. She opened it, and immediately recognized the name attached- Grace Hall, one of the women who came to her with the tour. The tour, technically, had to be arranged by them. They received 10% of the profits and recruited the Bellas for representation- a way to pull in sponsors for future competitions. As well as general awareness for the public. As if everyone in the world didn't already actively follow a cappella!
The email read:
"Dear Ms. Rebecca Mitchell,
We have not spoken for a couple of weeks and with the tour just around the corner, I wanted to check in. I was going over the schedule you emailed and realized you have quite the heavy load! I would like to remind you, Ms. Mitchell, that on this tour you will be responsible for representing the National A Cappella Association's brand. As the captain, it will be your job to make sure your Bellas are behaving exceptionally on stage, as well as off.
The teams that we have sent on the Victory Tour in the past have had the same responsibility, and unfortunately not all of those teams were able to live up to our standards. Venues and hotels have uninvited our association from using their services. In turn, those teams have been disinvited from performing in any official a cappella competitions. We will hold you to the same consequences if there is any trouble reported.
Because of these prior incidents, the board and I have would like to offer my services to you, Ms. Mitchell. As the captain, you have enough to worry about. Your number one priority on this tour should be to put on an excellent show. What I propose to you is that I would like to accompany you and the girls on this tour. I will take over the responsibility of the girls safety, behavior, as well as scheduling and all other arrangements.
I realize with the tour only two days away, it is very last notice. I apologize for that, however, I will need you to let me know as soon as possible. In addition, I would require a 40% cut of all proceeds. This 40% will go toward my housing accommodations, dining, and my working fee.
The board and I strongly urge you to accept this offer, as we would like nothing less than to lose you as an addition to the a cappella family.
-We look forward to hearing from you,
Grace Hall"
Beca stared at the screen for a long moment. This was the first she was hearing of anything she had just been informed of. The fate of the Bellas from now until forever were in her hands. If anything went wrong, the Bellas would be over. How the hell was Beca expected to keep the crazy group of girls under complete control for a month?!
"Fuck!" Beca yelled, before burying her face in her hands. She sat like that for awhile, turning over her options in her head, none of them sounding right. "God fucking damnit," she said quietly.
"Must you always use that language?" Beca jumped. The voice came from the doorway of the sliding glass door. The blonde was sporting short, floral silk robe, and a cup of coffee. She was leaning against the frame, eyebrows raised, looking down at Beca on the outdoor lounge chair.
"Christ, Aubrey!" Beca, half yelled.
Aubrey pursed her lips, and stepped down out of the door frame. She set her turquoise mug on table next to Beca's chair. Beca watched her, evidently still put off by being scared, following Aubrey through squinted eyes. Aubrey on the other hand showed no sign of being phased. She simply went to pick up the DJ's laptop, which of course caused Beca to flinch and go to grab it. The older girl pulled it away slowly, "I have it, Beca." She whispered, kindly, yet with serious reprimanding eyes. A skill that took long to master. Beca opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted. "I have it," she said again. Beca sighed and dropped her reach, letting Aubrey close it shut and set in on the side table as well.
"It could spill," Beca tried, staring at the items.
Aubrey didn't seem to care, only sitting down on the tiny girls lap, wrapping her left arm around the other's neck, and pushing messy brunette hair away from her face with the right. Beca looked at her, silently allowing her defeat, head tilted and mouth straight. Aubrey smiled sadly and let her right arm fall around Beca's neck as well. Beca sighed, and decided to just lean back, pulling Aubrey closer into her.
Aubrey smiled a bit happier now, "Good morning," she said, just above a whisper.
Beca let out a light, breathy laugh. She leaned in and delivered a kiss, pulling away after a few seconds, and replying with her own, "Good morning, Aubrey."
"So," Aubrey sighed, reaching to pick up her coffee now, but not moving from her seat on top of Beca. "What's the problem, Mitchell?" She took a sip, and shook some hair away from her face.
The sun was half way up now, so Beca looked into the distance with squinted eyes. She cleared her throat. "You know Grace Hall?" She asked, then looking into Aubrey's eyes. They held confusion and Aubrey opened her mouth to answer and nothing came out for a half of a second, but eventually she answered, "yeah, of course. She's one of the board members. Yeah we've worked together a few times. Why?"
Beca nodded. "Yeah, her. She's, uh, one of the coordinators for our tour, she emailed me last night." Aubrey nodded, motioning her to go on.
"She uh, she thinks," Beca stuttered, trying to find the best way to explain. She shook her head, and said, "here, just read it."
She pulled her laptop onto Aubrey's lap and let her read the email. Aubrey's mouth pulled into an almost sarcastic, almost cynical smile. Shaking her head, she let out a definitely sarcastic laugh. Closing the laptop, she said, "Is she joking? What a manipulative bitch." She laughed again, this time into her mug as she went for another sip.
Beca looked up at her, shocked. Aubrey didn't curse, first of all, and second of all, Beca didn't understand Aubrey's reaction.
"What?" Aubrey asked, after swallowing a mouthful.
Still staring up at her confused, Beca moved the laptop back to the table with the free hand that wasn't wrapped around Aubrey's waist. I guess it took too long for Beca to answer because suddenly Aubrey's eyes bugged out a little and she goes, "Oh my god, you weren't seriously thinking about it were you?"
"Actually, yes I was." Beca got defensive now. Gesturing her free hand toward the computer, "She's right! I don't know what I'm doing! I cant be responsible for the very existence of the Bellas now and future!"
"Becs you're being crazy! She's just trying to make more money off of us! She didn't 'read the email and realize you have a heavy load,'" she said, using finger air quotes. "She read your email and realized how much profit we were making!"
"Aubrey I've been freaking out for weeks. How am I going to handle everything? I don't think she's trying to get money out of us, she wants to help. She doesn't want us to make the same mistakes the others have made."
"Sweetheart," Aubrey said, gently. "Why do you think she contacted you two fucking days before we leave?" Aubrey's voice sounded light and sweet, but most definitely had an underlying tone.
"What do you mean?" Beca asked.
"I mean, think about it. This is the most stressed about the tour I've seen you yet. It's getting close and you're worrying, and she knows that you'll make a rash decision."
Beca looked away from her eyes. She looked to her right, biting her nail, and mumbled something incoherent.
"What?" Aubrey asked.
Without looking to meet her gaze, she responded, "You don't get it." It was clear this time. When Aubrey just looked at her, she went on. "You're not the captain anymore. This is my responsibility now." Aubrey tilted her head back, rolling her eyes in the process, but before she could remark on that comment, Beca went on. "I'm going to call her and have lunch with her, so we can work something out."
Aubrey looked down at the younger girl, who was now tracing the rim of her mug that was still on the table next to her. She'd never seen her like this before. So unsure, and frankly, Aubrey thought, so needy. It infuriated her. She had worked with Grace a few times over the years, and knew how much of a money hungry bitch she was. She was going to take advantage of Beca, and her Bellas. It wasn't even about the money. It was about what she was doing to her tiny DJ. The more she turned it over in her head, the angrier she got. To the point where she just couldn't sit there anymore.
Her jaw was tightened and she rose off the girls lap. Beca looked up now, curious. "This fucking, woman I swear." Aubrey shook her head, pacing.
"Aubrey, it's for the better."
"No, no," Aubrey gripped her mug hard. "Listen, I'll call her, talk to her, assure her we have everything under control. She knows me better anyway."
Beca shook her head, running her fingers through her hair. She stood up, grabbing her own mug as she rose. Walking toward the entrance, she said "No, Aubrey. This is not your responsibility anymore. You're intervening too much."
The blonde followed Beca into the apartment, fast. She grabbed Beca's shoulder and stepped in front of her, causing Beca to stumble back a step. "Dude!" Beca half yelled, trying to stop her coffee from spilling out.
"Beca! Listen." Aubrey looked her hard in the eyes, but it wasn't reciprocated well.
" Aubrey! No. This is my call," Beca said at a volume maybe too high for this time in the morning.
"Beca the Bella's don't need her! If we explain the circumstances they will-" she tried, a little louder than Beca.
"I am not taking that risk! Let it go!" She said, definitely too loud, because Chloe was definitely trying to cover her ears in the next room. Beca shook free of Aubrey's hold, and walked into her room. She started looking around on the floor for her jeans from the day before.
Aubrey followed quickly. She was getting increasingly angry. She went straight to her bedside table for her phone and started scrolling rapidly through her contact list.
Beca caught sight of this out of the corner of her eye as she was bending down to scoop her jeans off the ground. "Aubrey, what the hell are you doing?" She asked, accusingly.
"I am calling this aca-bitch and telling her to get head head out of her ass and stop messing with you. I will not have her manipulate my-" there was a pause, as she almost said the word she was definitely not supposed to say. Beca's eyebrows raised, waiting for the label to come out of the blonde's lips. Aubrey cleared her throat, and saved herself. "My team." She said quietly.
Beca scoffed sarcastically. It was ridiculous, Beca thought. Aubrey slipped up with that word a lot, for someone who was so anti having a "girlfriend." Saving that argument for later, she pushed it down and tried to focus on the topic at hand. Speaking slowly, she said, "You're not going to call her Aubrey. This is not your team anymore. Stop fighting me on this."
The words cut deep into Aubrey. She knows that Beca didn't mean that Aubrey wasn't a Bella, just that she wasn't the captain, but it didn't feel like that. The Bella's had been her sisters for the past four years, especially this last one, and the words Beca spoke sounded like she didn't belong to that sisterhood anymore. Suddenly all the times Beca had tried to overstep her position in the Bellas, and the feelings that arose with them, came rushing into Aubrey all at once. "Not my team?" She asked, coldly.
As Beca jumped around as she pulled her jeans up her legs, she shook her head an rolled her eyes. "You know that's not what I mean Aubrey." She buttoned the front clasp and looked at Aubrey, waiting.
Ignoring the other girl, Aubrey said, "Right. I made this team. I made you the captain of my team. I helped you for hours planning this fucking thing, and now suddenly its not my team?" By the end of her words, she was shouting. It took Beca by surprise, and she stepped closer, hand reaching out. Aubrey stepped back from it though. "No!" She shouted, "no don't try to sugarcoat it. If you think I'm intervening too much on your team then I won't go!" She started walking toward the bathroom door, Beca following her.
"Fucking shit Aubrey I didn't mean it like that stop taking this out of proportion!"
Aubrey stepped inside the bathroom, holding the door open, and facing Beca, she shouted back, "I was trying to help Beca. If this is how you're going to act I will not spend the next month trapped in the same hotel room as you!" With that she slammed the door.
Beca, without much thought about it at all, shouted at the now shut door, "Fine! Just do what you always do! Leave! Go to Montana! Theres nothing holding you here! Don't forget to pack warm! I'll leave your fucking sweatshirt on the bed!" She was definitely not crying as she ripped off the Barden sweatshirt and flung it somewhere at least toward the bed. She grabbed her top, and put it on haphazardly. She moved wildly around the room, grabbing what she could quickly find of her stuff and shoving it in her bag. Aubrey was going to leave anyway, Beca thought, might as well be now.
The two were lying on the floor, at least, next to Aubrey's bed one Tuesday afternoon. Naked, entangled, and covered in a grey throw blanket that Aubrey pulled off the end of the bed. They were a little sweaty, and breathing heavier than usual, and Beca was definitely going to be late to her next class. So when Aubrey spoke, it wasn't exactly what Beca thought she would be saying.
"We've been doing this for a while now." The blonde stated in-between breaths.
Beca stared back at her, confused. "Yeah… Aubrey we just had this discussion like last week do you really want to bring it up again now after we-"
"'So I thought you should know I'm moving. After graduation. I'm leaving Barden."
Beca dropped her gaze. She knew, that she would leave this apartment eventually. Soon even. She was graduating and she would have to move on and get a job. She kinda just, forgot. "I know," she said quietly. "I know. I mean, I was hoping it wouldn't be too far. So maybe we can still…hang out, sometimes. So when you find out where you're getting a job we'll talk about it then but for now-"
"I'm moving to Montana." Aubrey blurted.
"What?" Beca asked, barley above a whisper.
"I'm moving to Montana. My dad, he has a business there. He wants me to help him start off a new branch in a neighboring city. Run the whole thing. It has been in the works for while, but I always thought he was kinda just joking. You know, 'hey sweetie you'll be running the family business one day,'" she poorly mimicked a males voice. "'We're expanding, and I'm gonna put your name on the office door sweetie. No one can do it like a Posen can.' But turns out, he wasn't kidding. He has this job lined up for me. I won't be gone like the day after graduation or anything because theres still construction going on but I am going and I thought you should know."
Beca cleared her throat, and nodding her head understandingly, she started sitting up. "You thought I should know." It was a statement, not a question.
"Well yeah. I mean even if we aren't.. you know. We still see each other most days. So, I thought you should know." Aubrey started to sit up now, pulling the throw with her to cover her front.
"Yeah, yeah. I heard you. Thats really thoughtful of you. To, you know, let me know." Beca nodded again, and started putting on her bra she found laying behind her.
"Where are you going?" Aubrey said, confused.
Beca was slipping on her underwear now. "You know, Aubrey, I thought you should know, some girl from Psych class gave me her number. And since, we aren't, well, 'you know'. I made the decision to call her, and accept her invitation to coffee. Since my decisions don't affect you. But, since we spend a lot of time together, I thought you should know you won't see me on that Friday." She was buttoning her jeans by now, standing up and talking to Aubrey still on the ground.
Aubrey's jaw was tightened, and was staring daggers into Beca. Through clenched teeth, she said, "How thoughtful of you."
Beca was still pulling her shirt down as she walked around searching for where she left her backpack. "Well, I'm gonna be late to class. But thanks for the fuck. It was fun."
"You're being unreasonable. You knew, you knew when we started this, that eventually-"
Beca turned around and said, "I gotta go, can't afford another absence." She smirked and slammed the door behind her
Beca was storming out of Aubrey's room, headed for the front door, but Chloe stepped out of her room and cut her off.
She was half asleep still, in a loose tank-top and sweat pants, eyes not fully open yet. She must've finally gotten up after being woken up by the yelling. "What's going on?" She asked, in a scratchy voice.
"You want to know why we aren't together Chloe? This! This is why!" Beca shouted, making Chloe jump a little. She shoved past Chloe, and slammed the door behind her.