Nowish

by Psy456

Post Worlds. Bechloe. Staubrey. Bellas Squared/Stechlobree. A story in which I created a life I fell in love with and convinced myself by accident that this could work. Let me try and convince you too. Story 3 (for now) of my A Shared Lifetime series.

11. What Happens Now

~C~

Monday, July 3rd, 2017

Chloe woke to the soft touch of fingertips tracing her jaw. They trailed up and smoothed across her brow and she hummed softly, stretching slightly in place. The body she was half sprawled on was too long to be Beca or Aubrey, even if the size of the breasts cushioning her head didn't give it away.

She tilted her head up, still not opening her eyes, pleased when her lips were met and nibbled lightly. Chloe reached up to cup Stacie's cheek and parted her lips, inviting her in. Stacie took her time, sucking first Chloe's top lip, then the bottom, before finally slipping her tongue inside. Chloe hummed again, but it turned to a purr as Stacie pulled Chloe to lie fully on her and tangled their legs together.

"Okay, I totes can see why Beca loves this." Chloe shifted, biting her lip as their bodies slid together.

"Hey." Stacie's voice was low, still husky with sleep. "That's my job." She leaned up and pulled Chloe's lower lip in, biting lightly.

Chloe sank into the kiss, feeling Stacie's hands run down her back before one trailed up and tangled in her hair, holding her in place. Their kisses were slow, neither of them quite awake, but deep and filled with quiet passion. Their unhurried pace reminded her of last night.

/

They'd woken up after an hour or so, Aubrey having shifted from between Beca and Stacie to spoon behind Chloe. Chloe still wasn't sure how she'd not woken up when that happened, but the lips on her shoulder did the trick. Stacie scooped Beca back into her arms and the four of them picked up where they'd left off in the shower, tracing curves and, unexpectedly, learning where they were ticklish. Though, that really had been Beca telling Aubrey everywhere that Chloe was ticklish, which had Stacie sharing Aubrey's weak spots, and finally the two of them getting revenge upon their wives by doing the same. That had ended when all three of them pinned Beca down, first to get even for starting them down that path, then to make her scream their names in a far more carnal way. Chloe had added her mark next to Stacie and Aubrey's on Beca's thigh and it had started off a chain reaction until all four of them had matching sets in various places.

It had been a lot of laughter, kissing and soft cries in the dark. And touching. So much touching. Whether it was interlacing her fingers with Stacie while Beca's hand was on her hip as Aubrey made love to Chloe or Beca reaching for Aubrey as Chloe and Stacie spooned beside them… they never really stopped touching. It never felt like they 'paired off' exactly, even if two of them were only watching as they recovered their breath. The emotions and feelings coursing through her always encompassed the other three and she swore they all felt the same.

When they finally collapsed again, knowing they needed at least a few hours of sleep before morning, Chloe went into the bathroom for a quick drink of water. When she came out Beca was on the left side of the bed, if you were standing at the foot, playing big spoon to Stacie. Chloe thought it was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen. By the soft expression on her face, so did Aubrey. Beca's head was propped on Stacie's arm and Aubrey was pulling back from where she'd obviously been giving both of them their now requisite goodnight kisses. Stacie wiggled back into Beca's embrace as Chloe started to lay behind Aubrey.

Stacie patted the space in front of her. "C'mere, Chlo."

Chloe willing slid over Aubrey, pausing to squirm a bit just to make her laugh, and into the space between them. She lifted up to meet Beca's willing lips, deepening the kiss just enough to make her breath hitch. Stacie's hand ran up her leg to settle on her hip.

"Don't start." Beca tugged at her hair. "I can't be held responsible for my actions if you keep that up." She stole another quick kiss before resting her chin on Stacie's arm.

"I don't know," Aubrey's voice came from behind them. "I wouldn't mind watching you guys again." Chloe's toes curled at the memory. Beca had slid behind her, and into her, while Stacie did the same behind Aubrey. They were close enough that Chloe and Aubrey were able to kiss… to touch… or watch when they could open their eyes at all.

Chloe took a breath and rested her forehead against Beca's for a second, feeling Aubrey's hand slide up her back and link her fingers with Stacie. The warmth that hadn't really gone away all day spread through her again, soothing instead of arousing this time. She let her head drift down to meet Stacie's already parted lips, cupping her cheek as they kissed. Sighing in contentment, Chloe turned around to face Aubrey, feeling their joined hands still skimming her skin. Aubrey smiled at her and leaned up, not waiting for Chloe to fully settle before their lips met.

Once she'd pulled back, Stacie's hand slipped down across her stomach and pulled her in, nestling her rear in the cradle of Stacie's hips. Aubrey winked and turned around to wiggle herself into place as little spoon to Chloe, but Beca's gasp stopped her.

"Oh my god, Bree." Beca giggled and after a second Stacie snickered.

"What?" Aubrey and Chloe both turned around to look at her.

"Uh…" Beca let out another giggle. "Chlo maybe needs to trim her nails."

Aubrey laughed. "How bad are they? I forgot to look."

"I dunno, DJ." Stacie reached out and traced across one of the scratches that Chloe now focused on. "There's a certain artistry to it." Her voice shook with stifled laughter.

Chloe bit her lip. Still visible in the soft light, Aubrey's back had a collection of random red welts and, in several areas, actual scratches that broke skin. The welts would fade shortly but the scratches… well those were a different story. Chloe leaned forward and kissed one, feeling Aubrey flinch slightly then push back against her.

"It's ok, Chlo." Aubrey rolled over to look at her, her eyes flashing with mirth. "I'll wear them with pride." She rocked as Chloe pushed her shoulder a little.

Chloe shrugged. "I needed something to hang on to while you thoroughly ravaged me against my shower wall." She didn't feel too bad about it because it was the utter truth. Having Aubrey take her that way had, admittedly, caught her by surprise for a split second, but then Aubrey's need had ignited her own. She inhaled slowly as the memory of their desperate striving lingered in her mind. She had felt an overwhelming love in every touch, every thrust; it rose from herself, from Aubrey and from the two women who she'd still felt beside them even though she didn't have enough left of her to focus on them. Aubrey had demanded everything, and Chloe had willingly given. So no, she didn't feel too bad about leaving her mark on Aubrey.

"Well, I think I should also point out," Beca offered. "You both have a lovely collection of teeth marks on your shoulders."

"Yeah, I wouldn't suggest tank tops at dance this week, Chlo." Stacie's fingers rubbed lightly over her skin.

"Agreed." Chloe yawned. "Oops."

"Aw, now who's the old lady." Beca grinned then yawned so loud and wide her jaw popped. "Damnit."

"That'd still be you, DJ." Stacie settled back down and gave a yawn of her own. "Stupid things are contagious."

Aubrey rolled back on her side again and pushed back against Chloe who wrapped an arm around her. It hadn't taken long for them to fall asleep, four spoons lined in a row.

/

By the lack of extra hands on them now, she knew that both Beca and Aubrey likely weren't in the bed, though Beca could be a hard sleeper. She lifted her head slightly, "Where…" but she broke off, gasping, when Stacie's hand ran down to cup one cheek of her ass and pull her tight. Then, feeling she'd been away from Stacie's lips too long, she dropped back down, deep and insistent.

After several more long minutes, Stacie pulled back enough to say against Chloe's still moving lips, "Dunno." She shifted under Chloe, causing both of them to groan briefly, even though they weren't really trying to escalate anything. Stacie swallowed. "Downstairs maybe? I think I heard the word 'breakfast' when I felt Beca get out of bed."

She rested her head on Stacie's shoulder. "When was that?" Chloe really wanted to go back to her lips but if their girls were making breakfast, maybe it was time to get up after all.

"Mmm." Chloe could feel the rumble underneath her as Stacie hummed. "Maybe thirty minutes? I'm not sure exactly." She kissed the top of Chloe's head then nuzzled into her hair. "I've been a bit distracted." Her arms tightened around Chloe as she sighed in contentment.

"Oops." Chloe sighed too. "I suppose we should get up." But she snuggled down. "Food does sound good." And as if on cue, her stomach rumbled.

Stacie laughed. "Okay, I could feel that." She squeezed Chloe lightly. "How have I never heard this before?"

Chloe shrugged. "It's not like we've spent 24 hours mostly naked together before." She reluctantly slid off Stacie and onto her back, stretching. "And in college, Beca always had a stash of snack bars handy for our long rehearsals."

Stacie did her own stretch then propped herself up on her side, her hand tracing Chloe's stomach. "This is true." She kissed Chloe's nose. "We'll have to stock up on your faves. Just in case." Chloe's stomach spoke up again. "But I guess for now, we better go down and see what trouble those two are getting into."

"Think we'll find them naked in the middle of the center island?" Chloe grinned wickedly as she slid out of bed, Stacie following her.

"Bree normally vetoes sex on eating surfaces." Stacie shrugged. "But she's open to the right persuasion." She bent backward a bit and Chloe heard her back pop twice as Stacie let out a groan of relief.

They brushed their teeth together and then took turns using the restroom. When Chloe came out, Stacie had pulled on some underwear and a white button up shirt from her drawer, though she only did a single button below her breasts.

"That is a distracting amount of skin." Chloe smiled as she walked over and drew a line down Stacie's cleavage. "I like it." She stepped past to open a drawer and don her own underwear before pulling Stacie's hoodie on. It went to mid-thigh and was more like a dress than anything.

"Good." Stacie dipped down and gave her a quick kiss. "That looks good on you." She linked their fingers and tugged Chloe from the room. They headed downstairs, hearing the quiet murmur of voices from the kitchen.

Beca's voice grew clearer. "Argh! How do you get that cinnamon swirl perfect every freaking time?!"

They could almost hear Aubrey's shrug. "Hidden talent."

"You gonna show me how?" Beca pleaded.

They reached the entry to the kitchen and paused to watch, Stacie stepping behind Chloe and wrapping her arms around Chloe's waist, chin resting on top of her head. Four plates were set out and in the process of being loaded with French toast. Aubrey was in Beca's hoodie and Beca was in simply a tank and underwear.

Aubrey had turned to face Beca, spatula raised and pointing. "If I do, what'll you keep me around for?"

Beca's reply was immediate. "To keep me in line." She dropped her voice confidentially. "I get mouthy, you know."

Aubrey laughed loudly before stopping herself and pretending to think. "I think I've heard that before."

Beca snorted. "You've said that before." She bumped Aubrey with her hip.

Aubrey smiled. "So I have." She leaned forward and stole a kiss. "But I'm still not telling you all my secrets." Beca's lips pushed out in a pout and Aubrey nipped at the bottom one. "Yet." Beca's smile returned and lit the room as the two of them turned back to making breakfast.

Stacie leaned down and whispered in Chloe's ear. "Have they always been that adorable together?"

Chloe shook her head. "No. Close, but no. I'm kind of in love with it." She felt Stacie nod against her.

When Aubrey looked up and saw them in the doorway, she smiled brightly. Chloe was struck by the fact that it was different somehow. In the years since the move – since Stacie – Aubrey had grown more open, more free and prone to smiling. Chloe thought it had started during their first Disneyland trip, at least as shown to her and Beca. But this morning her smile seemed... weightless. That something none of them, except maybe Stacie, had even known was there and was suddenly gone. It echoed in the laughter she'd heard earlier, now that she was aware of the difference in her friend. Like maybe this was an Aubrey who no longer held herself in chains when she was anywhere but the privacy of Stacie's arms. Or, at the least, that Chloe and Beca were included in a circle that until now had consisted solely of one.

"Morning sleepyheads." Aubrey grinned. "I thought we were going to have to drag you out of bed."

Chloe smiled, though it trembled slightly as she swallowed down the sudden rise of emotions in her. "I'm not sure if I'm happy to miss that." She felt Stacie tighten her arms and plant a kiss on her head before moving past her to greet Aubrey with a kiss as she finished the last of the French toast.

Stacie waited until Beca had scooped eggs onto everyone's plates and set down the pan before pulling her into a dip. Beca squawked then laughed, looping her arms around Stacie's neck and pulling her down until their lips met. "And a good morning to you." Stacie pulled her up and twirled her into Chloe's arms. They were laughing as they kissed, then Beca burrowed into her, humming happily.

Aubrey swept by on the way to the fridge, though she lingered for a second at Chloe's lips, to get the orange juice. "We're almost done. Stace, can you get the glasses?"

"Of course, babe." Stacie gave Beca a wink. "They're on the bottom shelf, right, DJ?" When Beca flipped her off with a smile, Stacie blew her a kiss.

The next little bit was spent in domestic simplicity as the four of them set the table and finished loading their plates with bacon and sausage before settling down at the table. Chloe's feeling of contentment only grew as Aubrey and Beca continued bantering, Aubrey's laugh more frequent than it had ever been. She also watched Stacie watching Aubrey, could tell that she had noticed the difference, as Stacie's smile grew somehow wider yet softer. Beca caught her eye and winked, her own smile as bright as Chloe had ever seen it.

Chloe smiled to herself as she dug back into her breakfast. 'Oh yeah. We're gonna be fine.'

Once breakfast was over and the clean-up was done, they all flopped on the couch.

Chloe, Stacie and Aubrey sat together on one side as Beca dropped down over their laps. "Why do I feel like I need a nap?" She yawned. "Holy crap that was a lot of food." She rolled over and rubbed her belly. "So good, Bree."

"Thanks." Aubrey grinned wryly and tickled the bottom of Beca's foot, laughing when she yelped and jerked it away. "Not so bad yourself."

"Only because of the hard work of many other people teaching me how to be an adult." Beca laughed as Stacie pushed her hand out of the way and ran her fingers under Beca's shirt. "You tickle me and you're a dead woman, Bucky."

"I could take you." Stacie shrugged, but let her fingers settle. "Again."

Chloe smirked and brushed Beca's hair out of her eyes. "Don't tempt her, Stacie."

"Chlo, what's your next competition?" Aubrey asked, trying to distract them.

"Oh!" Chloe looked down. "Becs, can you get your laptop and play that mix for me?"

"Yeah, it's up in the studio." Beca rolled off their laps and landed on her hands and knees. "Ooh, that might've been too quick after all that food." She groaned and pushed to her feet.

Aubrey winced in sympathy. "Don't pull a Posen." She grinned as the three of them stared at her. "What, I know you called it that once I was gone." She shrugged. "I was never mad. I stopped doing it after I graduated, so it never stung." She considered. "Well, mostly. There were a few tense times at the Lodge until I got into the swing of things. But it's not like Amy didn't yell it at least once at every party I was able to make it to."

Chloe reached across and rubbed her hand. "I hadn't thought of that in years. I'm sorry we were jerks." It's not like they used it a lot, and it actually was mostly all Amy, since she'd come up with it. But Chloe knew how mortified Aubrey was when she threw up at finals. Chloe had been there every second after, trying to – well, not that you can really cheer someone up after that, but trying to build her confidence back up. She'd always felt mildly guilty whenever one of them had said it at a party, looking around to make sure Aubrey wasn't in earshot even though logically she knew Aubrey was hours away at the Lodge.

"I promise, I'm fine." Aubrey flipped her hand and grabbed on to Chloe's. "Dixie Chicks serious."

Beca went upstairs to get her laptop and was back quickly, setting it up on the table in front of them. She brought up a playlist of current 'Ideas for Chloe's Kids' songs and set it to play before draping herself over their laps again.

The next few hours were spent listening to music, the rest of them offering suggestions and critiques, and Beca ended up sitting on the floor against Stacie's legs with her laptop pulled into her lap. She was jotting down notes and ideas they came up with for future routines or just random mixes they wanted to see if she could make. Stacie finally had to button up her shirt when both Aubrey and Chloe's hands couldn't stay out of it.

Eventually Aubrey stretched her back and said "How about some lunch, my treat?"

Beca let her head fall back on Stacie's knee. "I could eat."

Chloe laughed. "You can always eat. You're like a bottomless pit." She ran her hand through Beca's hair affectionately.

"Hey, you're one to talk." Beca shot back, grinning.

"I dunno, DJ," Stacie offered. "I haven't seen Chloe eat almost two large pizzas by herself."

"I was stressed!" Beca said indignantly. "I took a lot of credits that year while working at the radio station." She sniffed. "Besides, it was like, one slice from the second pizza." Then she made a face. "Maybe three."

"Even I heard about that." Aubrey laughed. "Or at least, I heard you moaning in the background about how your stomach hurt while I was talking to Chloe that night."

"Okay, yeah. That was a dark period." Beca closed her laptop and set it on the table. "Let's never speak of it again." She stood and faced them, putting her hands on her hips. "Except I know you guys and it'll come up often."

"Eh. Probably." Stacie shrugged. "We're kinda like that."

"Rude?" Beca snorted but laughed. "I wouldn't have you guys any other way."

"Aw, DJ. You do love us." Stacie stood and pulled Aubrey to her feet. "So how about you guys get dressed and come over to our place? I'll drive… wherever it is we're going."

"I was thinking your favorite deli." Aubrey put her arm around Stacie's waist. "A sandwich sounds good."

"I could eat a sammich." Beca nodded enthusiastically. "That's the place that has the amazing fries, right?"

"Yup." Chloe stood. "Best fries anywhere, really."

"Got that right." Stacie pulled Chloe in for a side hug. "Ok, we'll see you guys soon?"

"Yeah, shouldn't take us long to get ready." Beca wiggled into the space between Chloe and Aubrey, making it a four way hug. "I'll walk you out." Her brow furrowed a little after she said it though, like she was confused she'd offered. She shook her head.

Aubrey laughed. "It's ok, Becs. It's not like we don't know the way." She and Stacie quickly kissed Beca's cheeks then Chloe's before heading home.

Beca snapped her fingers. "Crap, I forgot to tell them not to scandalize the neighbors."

"Guess we got used to being mostly naked with them, huh." Chloe bit her lip, grinning.

"Apparently." Beca shrugged. "To the shower, my love?" She gave Chloe a sweeping bow and offered her hand.

Chloe laughed, taking it. "Of course, my dear." She let herself be tugged upstairs and into their room. "You know we can't shower together, right?"

Beca turned, her mouth dropping open. "What? Why?"

"Because there is no way I'm keeping my hands to myself." Chloe ran her finger under the edge of the tank Beca was wearing. "The four of us just sat in our underwear and stolen hoodies all morning. That's a lot of temptation."

"Pssh. Since when do we not give into temptation?" Beca took off her shirt and underwear, turning to put them in the hamper.

Chloe stifled a giggle and pulled her phone out of the hoodie pocket. Quickly, as Beca paused to stretch, after making sure it was on silent, she opened the camera and snapped a couple of pictures before she got caught. She snickered again as she checked the last one and quickly shoved the phone back in the pocket.

"What?" Beca looked over her shoulder.

"Um." Chloe cleared her throat. "It's just, when we… uh…" The laughter bubbled up again.

Beca frowned then her expression cleared. "Oh god. You guys really did it." She frowned again and went to the full length mirror. "Stacie got you all to put a happy face on my back."

"Um…" Chloe sat on the bed and bit her lip. "Not… exactly."

Beca turned around and looked over her shoulder in the mirror. "Holy fuck." She craned her neck, trying to get a better view. "Holy shit." Her head snapped around to look at Chloe, her expression slack in shock. "Is it on my ASS?!" She looked back again. "Seriously?" She twisted her body. "I… I can't believe you guys did that."

Chloe's laughter pealed out of her. "But you enjoyed when we did it!" She couldn't help looking at the somewhat lopsided smile with affection. There was one hickey 'eye' high up on each of Beca's cheeks and a string of them across both to make the smile.

Beca looked back in the mirror, her eyes narrowed. "It's not even straight."

"That's because someone kept squirming and yelling 'That tickles!'" Chloe fell back on the bed, giggling. The mix of laughter and desire between the four of them hadn't been higher than that moment, and Chloe tucked it safely away for a rainy day.

Beca scowled. "It did." Then she grinned crookedly. "And it was amazing, even if I didn't realize what you were doing at the time." She sighed and walked over to the bed. "But a happy face on my butt?" She flopped on Chloe and pressed their noses together. "Really?"

"What? It's hidden by clothes. Only the four of us know it's there." Chloe skated her fingertips down Beca's side. "Unless you're showing your cute butt to other people and I don't know about it." She pinched one cheek, winking when Beca yelped.

"Ha. Ha." Beca deadpanned. "Alright, I'll go start the shower." She blinked. "Er, did we…" She looked uncertain.

Chloe knew what she was trying to ask. "Yeah, I took care of it when I came upstairs while you were jamming out to 'Fireflies'. It's washed and in the drawer and the rest is in the laundry."

"That's why you're the brains of the operation." Beca kissed her quickly and started to push up, then dropped back down again. "I sure do love you, Beale." She said it softly, just before taking Chloe's mouth in a slow and tender kiss.

Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca, pulling her in. They stayed like that for several minutes; lost in slow kisses and light caresses, until Beca groaned.

"Ok, Chlo. We gotta get in the shower." She reluctantly pushed off the bed held out her hand. "Except now we have to shower together to save time. Which I know was actually your plan all along."

Chloe laughed and allowed Beca to pull her up. "How do you know that?" She grinned again at their handiwork as Beca walked into the bathroom.

"I've known you for six years. We've been dating or married for five of them." Beca opened the shower and turned on the water.

"Are you saying I'm predictable?" Chloe pulled her phone out of the hoodie and quickly scrolled through the photos she'd taken. Stifling a laugh she sent two of the best ones in a separate group text to Stacie and Aubrey. Quickly she closed the app and locked her phone, setting it down on the dresser as she heard Beca come back out.

"You are anything but predictable, babe." She leaned against the doorframe. "But you do have a fondness for us showering together."

Chloe pulled the hoodie off and folded it, setting it beside her phone. "This is true." She laughed. "Is it weird that, even now, every time we do, I think of the day I first made you sing with me?" She strutted forward and ran her finger over Beca's flower tattoo.

"Nope." Beca stepped backward, pulling Chloe with her. "I do the same." She kissed her again. "It was kind of memorable."

"Mmm." Chloe slid their bodies together. "That it is." She rubbed her nose against Beca's. "Every time."

Beca grinned slyly. "We're gonna be late, aren't we?" She moved them both back until she could open the door. Heat and steam billowed out at them.

Chloe's eyebrow quirked. "Yup." She popped the 'p' and followed her wife into the shower.

~C~

"And, because Beca brought it up yesterday," Stacie said as she pulled back into her driveway. "I think we should watch a movie and let all this settle before we figure out dinner."

"When did we become the people who revolve around food?" Aubrey frowned as she undid her seatbelt.

"It's a holiday." Beca offered as she got out of the car. "What else is there to do?"

Chloe looked up as Stacie opened the door for her and smiled. "Beca's gentlemanly ways are rubbing off on you, I see."

"She's good for a few things." Stacie grinned and locked the car when they were all out.

"Thanks, Bucky." Beca's voice dripped sarcasm and Chloe hooked her hand in Beca's back pocket as they followed Aubrey up the walk. "I'll remember that."

"You should." Stacie looked over her sunglasses at Beca. "I definitely remember a few things you're good at." She winked when Beca tripped over the step onto the front porch.

"It's not nice to tease a person whose mental capabilities are dulled because they're digesting a pound of fries, Stace." Aubrey said as she unlocked the door.

"But they're so good!" Beca whined. "I couldn't stop eating them."

Chloe pushed her in. "We noticed." She kicked off her shoes by the door. "Aubrey gets to pick the movie."

Aubrey paused in front of the shelf of discs and scanned the titles. She turned slowly on her heel and said, "Beca." But it wasn't just her name, it was the way she said it. It was completely, I'm-going-to-ask-you-what-to-do-and-hand-over-my-beloved-pitch-pipe-to-help-us-win-the-ICCAs serious.

They all paused and looked at her, but Beca looked around before pointing at her chest. "Me?"

"I dare you…" Aubrey's lips twitched. "To make out with… that moose over there."

Beca started laughing, leaning on the sofa for support.

Stacie said, grinning, "Um, Aubrey? Have you ever seen a moose before?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Whatever that mysterious beast is."

Chloe played along. "That's a wolf. That's clearly a wolf."

Aubrey waved her hands. "I'm living in a womb of food coma, leave me alone." Beca laughed harder at the changes to the dialogue and slid over the arm to collapse on a cushion. "Beca. I dare you to make out with that wolf."

Beca held her stomach. "Ok, but the last time we quoted 'Cabin in the Woods' I'm pretty sure we designated Stacie the wolf head."

"I'm still ok with that." Stacie flopped on the other side of the sectional.

Aubrey shrugged as she pulled the movie from its spot. "Why should we break tradition now?"

Chloe walked past a still chuckling Beca and sat next to Stacie. She watched Aubrey load the movie while Stacie turned on the TV and stereo with the remote. "I'm good with tradition." Stacie kissed the side of her head and Chloe snuggled in.

As the production credits rolled, Aubrey flipped off the lights and dropped down on the couch beside Beca who immediately wiggled over and put her head in Aubrey's lap as she lay on her side. Chloe smiled as she noticed that, just as quickly, Aubrey's fingers began slipping through Beca's hair.

"How many times have we seen this together?" Beca asked, looking up at Aubrey, but it was Stacie who answered.

"Enough that you, Miss Every-movie-is-boring-and-predictable, can quote it just as easily as we can." Stacie ignored the raspberry Beca blew at her.

"Yeah, well, this one is kind of awesome." Beca shrugged. "Besides, half the fun is watching Aubrey laugh at the gory parts."

Chloe smiled. No one ever suspected that the prim (sometimes) and proper (most of the time) blonde loved scary movies. It wasn't something that she'd known during That Whore Alice's™ Bella years, but one night Amy had insisted they watch something scary. Chloe had fully expected Aubrey to say no, or leave for her room, but Aubrey had merely said "I'll make the popcorn."

They had ended up watching 'The Descent' which was a really well done indie type flick, but what Chloe really remembered most was the fact that Aubrey had laughed during most of it. Not a lot, or anything, no full belly laughs. But a snicker here or there. A quiet "ooh" during a particularly painful broken limb reveal. But they'd all had fun, including Beca, and it was one of the few times that Chloe saw Aubrey willing to relax with the other girls. It was also something the other girls noticed and they tried to make Scary Movie Night happen at least once a month. Sometimes Beca joined them, sometimes she didn't, but it was one of the few times they didn't glare daggers at each other.

She was brought back to the present while her girls shouted out their favorite lines and heckled the screen. The first time they'd watched this movie was also with the Bellas as a group. Aubrey had picked it up on a whim on one of her weekend visits that last year at Barden. It was after they'd stayed at her retreat, but before Worlds, and they'd been working their asses off on the new routine. So hard that Chloe had declared the weekend a rest break and asked if Aubrey could come down.

Emily had at first been reluctant, saying she'd just stay at her dorm and let them all catch up, but Beca had snagged her arm before she could leave. "Dude, no, you have to stay. I can't be the only one who jumps at this crap." So Emily had stayed, hiding under a blanket with Beca. The two of them had jumped and squeaked, but both had been equally engrossed in the movie. And Aubrey's reactions, which included her laughing so hard she snorted when Beca and Emily jumped so hard they kicked the popcorn off Cynthia Rose's lap where she was sitting next to them on the couch. Cynthia Rose refused to ever sit near them again during scary movie night, muttering that popcorn was sacred.

Chloe smiled to herself. That was really the start of Emily and Aubrey bonding. Emily never watched horror movies unless Aubrey was around. At first. She said it was because nothing could be scary as long as Aubrey was laughing. If Emily wasn't under a blanket with Beca, she was curled into Aubrey's side. It took a few visits over the years in LA, but Emily was finally able to see past the outward persona that Aubrey had – intimidating and imposing as heck – to the warmly supportive, and awesome, woman she was. One who laughs in the face of horror. Movies, at least.

Chloe had come home early from work once and found the two of them curled up on the couch during one of Emily's visits to the condos. At first she wasn't sure anyone was home, because it was so quiet. Then she heard the muffled snickering from the living room and her heart melted when she stepped in. They were watching a horror movie Chloe recognized and the current scene had lots of loud jump scare music cues. Aubrey had muted it for Emily and was giving her advice. "See, it's ok to watch these with Beca, because when you start to freak out, you can always watch her. Every time she jumps, she yells 'Jesus Christ!' and it's never not funny."

Chloe let her eyes drift over to where Beca and Aubrey were currently sitting. Beca still had her head on Aubrey's lap, though she was lying on her back and had turned her head to the screen. Aubrey was still playing with Beca's hair, a small smile on her face that turned into outright giggling as Curt's character met his untimely end in the movie, something that always made Aubrey laugh.

When Holden's demise happened, Beca jumped and yipped. "I don't even know why I do that. I know it's coming!" Aubrey tried to answer, but she laughed so hard she snorted, waving her hand in faux apology. "Well, at least you're amused." Beca head-butted Aubrey gently in the stomach before they turned back to the TV, both of them still laughing.

There was a scene where the movie pulls back and shows all the horrors that could've awaited them, and Beca turned her head and buried her face in Aubrey's stomach. Chloe felt like melting in a puddle of goo when she saw Aubrey's left hand come up and rest along the side of Beca's head, making sure she didn't accidentally roll back over and see the giant spider in one of them. Or the clown that none of them ever mentioned.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you when it's safe to look." Aubrey stroked Beca's cheek with her right hand.

Chloe shifted slightly and looked over at Stacie who wore an expression of fondness, adoration and love that Chloe knew matched her own.

During another scene, later in the movie, the edges of the giant spider show up again in the control room. Aubrey had just spent a good five solid minutes laughing at the mayhem and gore on the screen while Beca ranted - "Who the fuck puts a goddamned giant 'system purge' button that makes it so ALL that shit funnels into one place ALL AT THE SAME TIME. WHAT SENSE DOES THAT EVEN MAKE?" -but just before the legs of the spider show up Aubrey turned Beca's head to look up at her, instead of the screen.

"Thanks, Bree." Beca smiled at up at her and then pulled her down for a quick, chaste kiss.

Stacie pulled Chloe closer, "Seriously, Chlo. If they get any cuter, I'm either going to explode or take them both on the couch."

Chloe whispered back, "I vote option two." She giggled when Stacie poked her in the side.

After the movie finished, Beca looked up from where she was playing with Aubrey's fingers, still stretched out with her head in Aubrey's lap. "So, food?"

"Even you can't be hungry already, B." Stacie snorted. "Don't you still have fries in you?"

"Yeah, but I was thinking we'd just order in. Chinese or something. If we order in the next thirty minutes or so, it'll still be a bit before they get here." She shrugged. "Don't judge, we used up a lot of energy this weekend."

"I'll say we did." Aubrey smiled at her.

"I'll go get the menu." Chloe stood up though Stacie tried to tug her back down. She made her way to the kitchen, pulling open the drawer of take-out menus that every kitchen seemed to have, and dug through until she found the one for their favorite Chinese place. When she walked back in, Aubrey was patting around her pockets. "What's the matter?"

"Not sure where my phone is." Aubrey frowned as she stood up.

"Again?" Stacie dodged the finger that tried to flick her nose. "Hey, I'm not the one who keeps losing my phone."

Aubrey walked out of the room. "Yeah yeah, let me check my jacket." She came back in, shaking her head. "Nope. I'm going to check upstairs. You guys order."

Chloe dropped down next to Stacie and motioned Beca over to her other side. "I'm pretty sure I know what our orders are, but just in case." Once the order was placed, they waited for Aubrey to come back down. "Should we go check on her?"

"Nah, she'll be down in a second. We were only in our room before lunch." Stacie shrugged. "It might be in the car, who knows."

"Darn it." They looked over at Aubrey's frustrated tone. She was standing in the entryway, one hand on her hip and her foot tapping as she frowned at them.

"No luck?" Beca asked.

"No." Aubrey sighed again. "Before I head out to the car, can you try calling my phone, Beca?"

"Sure." Beca picked her phone off the coffee table and opened her frequent contacts. Hitting the button, they all waited to see if they'd hear the ring tone somewhere in the house.

Chloe suddenly jumped as her ass was vibrated. "Oh!" She chuckled sheepishly as she dug the phone out of the couch cushion, leaning practically in Stacie's lap while she did so. "That scared the heck out of me. Guess we found it." She looked down out of habit and suddenly threw her head back and began to laugh. Loudly.

"What the…" Beca grabbed the still vibrating phone out of her hand. "IS THAT MY ASS!? AUBREY!" She turned suddenly. "CHLOE!"

Chloe was laughing so hard that tears were already streaming down her cheeks. Aubrey had taken one of the two pictures she'd sent them that morning and made it her ID screen for Beca's number. So any time Beca called her, she'd see that crooked little happy face and a large swath of her back, up past her equalizer tattoo.

"Oh my god. I can't…" Beca started to laugh despite herself. "You… You can't… I can't believe." She trailed off. "Holy shit. Remind me never to call you if I don't know who you're with."

Chloe managed to pull herself together for a second and look over at Aubrey, who was still standing in the entry to the hall. Aubrey looked incredibly pleased with herself, her eyes were twinkling and the grin on her face kept getting wider as Chloe watched. She moved back over to the couch and dropped down beside Stacie.

Chloe bumped Stacie from the other side. "You totally knew, didn't you?"

Stacie shrugged. "What can I say, we share everything." She pulled Aubrey's hand to her lips and kissed it. Chloe felt the warmth of the adoring smile that Aubrey gave to Stacie in return and gave her own soft smile at the way it made them even more beautiful.

Beca had zeroed in on Stacie with narrowed eyes. "Am I still Boobs McGee in your phone?"

Stacie pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Guess you'll have to call me and find out." She held it up and wiggled it.

Beca rolled her eyes but obediently called Stacie's phone next. Chloe scooted closer and watched the screen eagerly. After a second, it lit up with the name "Boob Man" at the top and the picture was from the video Chloe had taken the night of the party. Beca was lying on her back in bra and underwear, both hands firmly on Aubrey's chest and grinning like the drunken idiot she was.

Chloe looked out of the corner of her eye at Beca, saw the mix of amusement and horror on her face and Chloe started to howl again, completely unable to stop herself at Beca's indignant sputtering.

"Not my fault your initials are BM and go with so many things." Stacie declined the call and put her phone back in her pocket. It had brought a great deal of amusement to the rest of the Bellas when they found out that Stacie had put Beca's number in her phone under the name "Boobs" that first year. Every so often she'd change it to some other inappropriate thing, but it'd been "Boobs McGee" for the past year. Until now. Chloe was pretty sure this would stick for a while.

Chloe wiped the tears from her eyes, the laughter still spilling out in drops. "Man, I love you guys."

Stacie kissed the side of her head. "Love you too, Red."

Beca muttered, "I can't believe you. Both of you! That's… I literally can't call you ever again."

"Aw, Becs." Aubrey smiled at her. "You know I'd never answer that in front of a client." She paused, thinking. "Probably."

They watched another movie as dinner was delivered and devoured, and started a third one after. The four of them were piled on the couch together and, though they never said it, Chloe got the feeling they were all reluctant to part for the night. None of them really wanted their current happy bubble to pop, so they willingly prolonged it, even Beca didn't object to the movie. Of course, that could be because she knew she'd pass out half an hour into it, cuddled between Chloe and Stacie.

When the movie ended, the hour wasn't horribly late, but it was late enough that Chloe knew they had to head home. Sighing silently to herself, she leaned down and whispered in Beca's ear to wake her up.

"Mrmph." Beca didn't open her eyes but turned and buried her face in Stacie's arm.

Aubrey laughed. "That's the movie fanatic I remember."

"Becs." Stacie reached out and ran her finger down Beca's nose which scrunched up at the touch. "Beeeeeca." She poked the tip of Beca's nose. "Time to wake up so you can go to sleep."

"What sense does that even make." Beca muttered without opening her eyes. "I mean, if I'm already asleep, then why do I have to wake up to do it again?

Aubrey's voice was warm. "So you can kiss me before you go to sleep this time?"

"Oh." Beca's lips quirked. "That does make sense." She stretched a bit then finally opened her eyes. "That's totally worth waking up for."

Slowly they all stood, stretching out the kinks in their backs from sitting on the couch all afternoon. Chloe pulled Aubrey into a hug, trying to ignore the strange sense of loss she felt at the thought of her and Beca going home. Slowly she pulled back, running her nose across Aubrey's cheek until their lips met and Aubrey's tongue slipped between them. Chloe let herself get lost in the kiss, full of love and tenderness.

"Trade you." Stacie's voice pulled her away and she looked over as Beca rested her head on Stacie's chest, a small smile on her face.

Aubrey laughed and let her hands drop from Chloe's arms as Stacie reached out and tugged Chloe over. Beca willingly went into Aubrey's arms and they said goodbye all over again.

~S~

"Dinner tomorrow still?" Chloe asked, as they walked to the back door together.

"Yup." Aubrey hummed in agreement. "I'll text tomorrow with a few options of what I can make with what I've got here. I don't feel like shopping until Friday, if I can help it."

Stacie shuddered. "Me either. I don't know how mid-week shopping is worse than the weekend, but…"

"Eh, I think we need to go. If you find anything you can't live without, let me know and we can get it." Beca paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Um." She trailed off, uncertainty in her expression. "I don't know how to…" She looked at Chloe, then back over at Aubrey.

"Actually say goodbye?" Stacie asked. When Beca nodded, Stacie did too. "We don't."

"We don't?" Beca frowned again.

"Beca, would we say goodbye any other day?" Aubrey asked, leaning into Stacie's side.

"Well, no." Beca's face was clearing. "I usually tell Stacie not to look at my ass on the way out." Her grin turned cocky. "I know she can't help it."

Stacie shrugged. "I'm a slave to my hormones, what can I say. But Bree's right. This isn't different than any other day. Not really." She vaguely felt like she was lying, but not in a bad way. They were not going to suddenly not be in each other's lives after this. They weren't going to spend less time together. At least, she didn't think they were. "Except this time our good night kisses were more than just a peck on the cheek."

Chloe had her lip between her teeth. "You're right. We're making this awkward for no reason."

"None at all." Aubrey stepped forward and hugged them both again. "We'll see you after work tomorrow."

With a final glance back, reluctance in their every move, Beca and Chloe opened the door and headed across the way to their house. Stacie stood with Aubrey in the doorway, watching them go and feeling the pull to follow after them. She assumed it was because they had all just basically spent three solid days together, if you counted the party. And most of it was naked. She was sure it was just a matter of everything being so 'new' and wanting to remain in their own world of four for a while. Once the other two had reached their door and stepped inside, they turned and waved. All four of them stood there for a moment longer before slowly closing their doors.

Sighing, Aubrey locked the back door and they walked back into the living room.

"I've got to use the restroom, I'll be back in a second, Babe." Stacie kissed Aubrey's temple and left the room.

When she got back, Aubrey was sitting at the piano, singing softly as she played 'Can't Help Falling In Love.' Stacie moved up until she was standing by the piano and leaned on it, her eyes closed as she let Aubrey's voice wash over her. For the first six months that she'd known Aubrey, Stacie would have bet she didn't have any emotions beyond the drive to win. And now… now she felt wrapped in Aubrey's love, an ever expanding and growing thing that Stacie never knew she needed. Never wanted until now.

As the song drew to a close, Stacie asked her, "Who are you thinking about with that somehow sad yet happy smile on your face?"

Aubrey was silent a moment, choosing her words carefully. When she spoke, her voice was quiet. "All of you."

"Mm." Stacie turned the words over in her mind, feeling how they fit between them.

Aubrey's voice was subdued as she asked, "Are you mad?"

"For what?" Stacie looked at her, confused. Mad was the furthest thing from what she was feeling.

"Mon soleil." Aubrey paused a second, searching for the words. "You're my only too. But... I kind of..."

Stacie waited. She had a strong idea of what Aubrey was trying to say, but this was too important for Stacie to finish her sentence for her this time. There couldn't be any hint that she might be putting any pressure. The words had to be Aubrey's and Aubrey's alone for this to work.

Aubrey took a deep breath. "I kind of love them too. Am in love with them. And I didn't realize how much until now." She ran her fingers across the keys again, avoiding Stacie's gaze. She looked like she might cry from her confession as she waited for Stacie's reaction.

Stacie realized she hadn't answered and kicked herself for it. "I could never be mad at you, love." She waited until Aubrey finally looked at her and smiled her special just-for-Aubrey smile. "Because… I love them too." She finally moved closer to sit on the bench, facing backward so could lean back a bit and look her in the eyes. "I mean it, Bree."

Aubrey's eyes searched hers. "You… do?"

Stacie shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah. Surprised me too, honestly." Aubrey just waited for her to go on, one of her hands resting on Stacie's thigh. "Back when I made that first joke, when we moved here. That's all it was, a joke. I mean, we were all still getting closer, sort of. Sure, I'd lived with Bloe before, but you and I were still finding our legs and it was all a new dynamic." She sighed. "And, like I said before… Eventually I did think about it. But it was always… Physical."

"Never the emotional." Aubrey murmured.

"Exactly. Looking back on it now, I feel so stupid." Stacie bit her lip.

"Me too." Aubrey laughed. "For not pushing sooner, maybe."

Stacie laughed with her. "No, that wouldn't… I mean, ok, yes. But…" She trailed off. "I don't even know where to begin, honestly."

"Me either, but… while we figure it out, let's lock up the house and go to bed." Aubrey stood and held out her hand.

Stacie took it and squeezed. "Sounds like heaven."

Once they'd locked up and done their nightly routine, they slid into bed naked and Aubrey wrapped herself around Stacie's side.

Stacie never thought of the act of sex as 'intimate.' It was just… temporary and once the thrill was over, she quickly lost interest. But this? Here? With her hand tangled loosely in Aubrey's hair, Aubrey's face nuzzled into her neck, this was intimate. This was her safety. Something she had never wanted before. Something she didn't have until they came back from Worlds and she spent time with Aubrey at the lodge. Stacie was already graduating with honors; it didn't take much for her to get a weeks' worth of bullshit assignments from her teachers. She'd worked on it while Aubrey ran the lodge during the day. But at night… They spent the first two evenings chaste, though wrapped together just like this, as they started talking about what a future together would look like. It was the most vulnerable Stacie had ever felt in her life.

Until now.

She felt the tension in Aubrey's body and gently scratched her scalp. "Bree?"

Aubrey took a breath and let it out slowly before answering. "Is this…" She trailed off for a second. "Really ok?" Another pause. "This weekend?"

Stacie tightened her arms briefly. "Honestly? I feel like... It isn't just going to be 'this weekend.' There was… I mean, sure the sex was…"

Aubrey chuckled softly. "Yeah it was."

Stacie kissed the side of her head. "But the sex wasn't… everything."

"What do you mean?" Aubrey pulled back to look at her.

"I watched you with them, Aubrey. I saw everything you felt with them." Stacie ran her hand down Aubrey's back and along her ribs. Aubrey hissed a little, shivering. "That hurt?"

Aubrey chuckled again. "Only in the 'sore for all the right reasons' way."

"I know the feeling." Stacie gave a little stretch, reveling in her own soreness from the marks on her skin. "I could see on your face what it meant to get them – and to give. It was a lot more than just a physical reaction. It was never, for one instant, just sex."

Aubrey went quiet and Stacie could almost feel the uncertainty rolling off her. Uncertainty of what this would mean for them if Stacie had a problem with any of it. When Aubrey finally spoke, her voice was quiet. "I didn't know. Not until it was happening. And now – I feel like I should've known a long time ago. Except I don't know how I could've." Stacie could hear the guilt under it, that she was afraid that Stacie would think Aubrey had been hiding it all this time.

"It's ok, love. I know." Stacie stroked her arm. "I'm the one who kept making the jokes. It was almost on a timer when I'd feel the need to make one. I should have realized there was… more." Her voice was firm, trying to take away any guilt Aubrey felt, or at least shoulder it with her. "We should have known we had deeper feelings for them a long time ago. But now we do. It was making love, between all of us, from the first second Beca put on that song and looked at you like you were the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen." A soft shy smile touched Aubrey's lips at the memory. "I felt it when Chloe pulled me down into a kiss only after we watched the two of you lose yourselves. So…" Aubrey sighed in contentment and lightly traced the swell of Stacie's hip with her fingertips.

She let herself go quiet, waiting to see where Aubrey would take it. Stacie didn't want to, couldn't, lead this talk. She knew what she wanted, but she needed to know if Aubrey wanted them to leave it to just the weekend – or did they continue.

Aubrey took a breath. "After everything we went through to get here – after basically making you jump through hoops… Convincing me that I was your only… Making me finally believe it to the depths of my being…" She tensed a little. "And now… now I feel like a hypocrite for wanting to see where this goes. For wanting more. Them. With us." She reached up and touched Stacie's cheek with her fingertips. "You spent so much time doing everything for me and I'm so sorry I made you go through that."

Stacie spoke without really thinking about it. "You broke me, you know." Aubrey immediately tensed and tried to object, her face beginning to crumble. Stacie tipped up Aubrey's chin and stopped her with a kiss. "Never in a bad way, but it's true. I never knew I had the capacity to love at all, much less in this… All consuming… deeply passionate… way that you've shown me." The pain was slowly leaving Aubrey's eyes, replaced by a kind of wonder.

Stacie didn't speak this way often. She only really brought out her emotions to this degree for Aubrey. First at the lodge, then at their proposal. Small ways here and there. But this felt like one of those moments. Wrapped in the darkness like this had become their confessional.

"Sure, I love my family and the Bellas. Legacy is definitely our family." Stacie met Aubrey's eyes. "To know that I can be in love with Bloe… To love those two women in the same type of way that I love you? After a lifetime of saying I didn't need anything like that? It's both surprising and scary as hell."

"Scary?" Aubrey ran her thumb across Stacie's lips. "I don't think I've heard you say that before."

"So much more to lose," Stacie said simply.

"You'll never lose me." Aubrey kissed her, a passionate promise that Stacie believed without question.

Stacie decided it was time to ask the question directly, though she was pretty sure she knew the answer. "So, do you want to be with them then?"

Aubrey's nod was small, but it wasn't hesitant. "Not because I'm missing something here with you. Because I'm not. You're my sun. My whole world revolves around you." Her voice grew quiet again. "But… I'd be foolish to not admit there's something between us all."

"My Aubrey is never foolish." Stacie grinned crookedly.

"Sometimes." Aubrey shrugged. "Beca brings it out in me."

Stacie laughed. "Yes she does. The two of you are unbelievably fucking adorable, by the way. It's actually almost painful how cute it is.

A shy and pleased look crossed Aubrey's face. "Yeah?"

"Oh yeah. Chloe and I almost melted when we came down for breakfast. No, I take that back. It made me so happy my heart actually ached." Aubrey put her hand over Stacie's heart, smiling as it thumped again at the memory. "And during the movie." Stacie smiled again. "Bree, this entire day… You've been so open and free."

"What do you mean? I don't feel any different." Aubrey pushed up on one arm to see Stacie better.

Stacie took a moment, trying to figure out how to explain something that was mostly feelings. Though, she supposed, that's what they'd been doing this whole time. "You're different with me than anyone else. Even with Bloe. Until today." She brushed some of Aubrey's hair off her forehead. "You have layers of walls, where you keep your true self hidden. Safe. Who you're with depends on how thick it is. Those are all gone when you and I are together. You let me see you at your silliest; at your softest… And I treasure every second of it." She paused as Aubrey leaned down and kissed her, her eyes starting to shimmer in the darkness. "It's the thinnest with Beca and Chloe. Even more so since we moved, parts of it kept getting shaved away every day. And when Chloe and I came down this morning – it was gone."

"Gone?" Aubrey's voice was soft as she lay her head back down on Stacie's shoulder.

"As if it never was. I saw my beautiful wife, free of any worry. I know Chloe noticed the difference too."

"You make it sound like I'm…" Aubrey trailed off.

"Uptight and reserved?" Stacie grinned and briefly tickled her side before relenting. "No, it's never like that. Not with the Bellas. You know better. They love you because you let them all in. But not like you did me. And now like you've let in Beca and Chloe." She tilted Aubrey's chin up again. "And I think it's beautiful, love, how you open yourself to those you love." She didn't mean to do it, but she snickered at the double meaning in her words. Aubrey rolled her eyes but grinned. "Sorry not sorry I'm a gutter baby."

Aubrey laughed. "That's my girl." Then she grew quiet for a second. "I think I realized just how much was under the surface when I was in the shower. Maybe hinted at it a bit earlier when I was… uh… same – with Beca…" She trailed off awkwardly and Stacie could see the blush even in that dim light.

Stacie felt her body react to the two visuals instantly brought to mind with Aubrey's words and gave a throaty laugh. "That. Yeah, that was… I don't even have the words for it. But… I was good with it." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Like, really good with it. You're kind of a natural at that, babe." Watching Aubrey's face in the shower, how she lost herself in Chloe… To Stacie, it was beautiful to see Aubrey let herself go in a way she rarely allowed. Only Stacie got to see her that unguarded, that passionate. It didn't bother her in the least that Aubrey allowed Beca and Chloe to see her that way. It was fitting; they loved her just as much as Stacie did, even before all this.

It wasn't like they didn't have toys that they brought into bed with them, but for some reason a strap-on wasn't something they'd brought up. In hindsight it was really stupid that she hadn't. But she supposed it was because she never found their sex life lacking, what with all the public places Stacie was able to seduce Aubrey into sneaking away in. Stacie never stopped being surprised when Aubrey let her get away with it and she was beyond delighted when Aubrey initiated it. All it took was that certain look and Stacie immediately started looking for whatever hidden corner Aubrey had spotted. Then there was all the surprise middle of the night sex… Stacie grinned. Yeah, their sex life was certainly not boring. And now, well… now she had multiple reasons to take Chloe to redeem her IOU.

Aubrey flushed. "It kind of surprised me, really." Her lips twisted a bit. "So you're not mad at me?"

Stacie ducked her head, wanting to be close enough that Aubrey could see how serious she meant this. "I can't be mad, Bree. You needed Chloe in a way you'd buried. Needed it to be that way, that intense. I loved seeing you find yourself even as you got lost in each other." Stacie closed her eyes briefly, a flush moving through her as the image of the two of them appeared, lost and complete all at once. She swallowed. "I also love that Chlo was there to catch you. Like she always has been and always will be." She hesitated a bit before adding, "The same with Beca. Watching the trust between you – all night – I don't think I have the words to describe how completely okay I am with everything that happened."

Aubrey let out a sound and pulled Stacie to her, kissing her deeply. When they broke apart, she had a shimmer of tears in her eyes. "How do you always get me, Stacie? How do you always, always, know what I'm thinking?" She swallowed and pushed playfully at Stacie's shoulder. "Are you the mind reader Beca's always paranoid about when she has dirty thoughts?"

"Maybe. Except Beca's dirty thoughts are usually written all over her face. And sometimes, apparently, on our skin." Stacie ran her fingers through blonde locks as Aubrey laughed. "You're my only, Aubrey. I will always know what you need. You're written into my DNA."

Aubrey let out a soft sob and pulled Stacie even closer. "Don't make me cry, Science Nerd."

Stacie bit the inside of her cheek, reluctant to say her next thought. There was a very good chance that she was going to hurt Aubrey in the next few seconds and that possibility went against everything she'd said to Aubrey for the past two years. But it had to be done; she had to know what Aubrey's gut reaction was. Otherwise Aubrey had a tendency to over analyze and take into account what she thought Stacie wanted. Because no matter how she personally felt about any of this, if Aubrey had any hesitation, Stacie would end it before it began.

She pushed to make her voice steady, trying to hide how important this was. "Which, I guess, leads me to my next question. How would you feel if I wanted to do something with one, or both, of them while you're at work?" Her stomach tightened as she said it, feeling actual anxiety pains shooting through her. "Or while you're on the road with Chlo, and Beca and I…?"

Aubrey sucked in a sudden and deep breath and Stacie's heart stopped. She opened her mouth, drawing in her own breath to call everything off, when she realized that Aubrey was laughing. Stacie felt her brows contract as she let her mouth close, watching Aubrey's face closely. She saw relief and amusement but no anger. She let herself relax again, only then realizing her muscles had tensed as if for a blow.

Eventually Aubrey pulled herself together. "I tell you, if both of us proposing at the same time didn't prove we're in sync, this surely does." She saw the quirk of Stacie's eyebrow and grinned. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

Stacie let out a laugh of her own. "Ok, that's just… awesome." She squeezed Aubrey tighter. "The sync, though I guess the question was too."

Aubrey nodded slowly against her shoulder. "I wouldn't mind. It's like… There's different rules for them." She frowned. "Actually, that's not true. It's like there are no rules for them. At least…" She pushed up a little. "I mean. This is how I feel, not how I'm saying things will be."

Stacie nodded. "No, I get what you mean. Get everything on the table. See what happens after."

"Right." Aubrey settled back down against her. "They're. Different. I'm not saying I want an open marriage, because ew." Both of them made a face. "But they've been part of us for so long. This feels like just an extension of that. Watching them with you – watching you watch me with them… There was no jealousy in me. None. Just…" She trailed off, her fingers rubbing against Stacie's side.

"Love." Stacie ran her hand down Aubrey's ribs where three sets of love bites ran down her side. "I felt the same. And it was totally fucking hot."

Aubrey barked a laugh as she said, "Yeah." She fell silent a moment. "So no, I wouldn't care if I'm late at work and you wander over to their place for more than making Beca watch a movie." Stacie snorted. "Together or individually… they're part of us, Stace. But this can't be all about me, love. Time to tell me what you want, what you need. How would you feel? Chlo and I on the road, or the three of us for whatever reason?"

Stacie let herself drift from one thought to another, testing their weight. Aubrey remained silent, giving her the time she needed. "I want and need you. That hasn't changed in three years. Longer, if I hadn't been so…" she waved her hand at her younger self. "Me." She tilted Aubrey's head up again, meeting her eyes. "You're my only. My whole world. What are my feelings on doing this with Bloe? Do I want to keep doing this, see what happens, where it leads? Yeah, I kind of really do. They're so deeply embedded in our life together, from the beginning, that I can't imagine being without them. I don't want to. There is no part of me that's jealous at the thought of you being with them if I'm stuck at the lab. I feel maybe it should, like it should feel weird for me to not be jealous. But I don't. Not in the least. Not when they clearly love you like I do." She swallowed as emotion suddenly swept over her, unexpected and strong. "I don't need anyone but you. Ever. But I do want them with us. As part of 'us.' They make us better. I just don't know if they feel the same way, or if they want to…"

Aubrey's voice cut her off, the certainty in it unequivocal. "They do. I can… feel it."

Stacie laughed slightly. "Yeah, me too." She thought a bit more, Aubrey cuddling in. Stacie ran her hand down Aubrey's ribs again. "Why do you think we never did that before?"

"What? The love bites?" Aubrey shrugged, and Stacie's focus sharpened. "I don't know."

"No, that's your 'I have an idea but it seems silly' shrug." Stacie settled her closer. "For me… They imply – or did – possession. In the past, I didn't care about anyone enough to want it. Or to give it. So it wasn't ever anything I thought of." Maybe if she went first, let her know it was okay, Aubrey would stop downplaying her feelings and remember that she could say absolutely anything to Stacie and she'd never judge. They'd broken through a lot of their past issues together, but sometimes they both fell back on old habits.

Aubrey buried her face in Stacie's neck again, breathing deeply. "No one ever wanted to keep me around. Not for me." She gave that half shrug again. "That's why I never thought of it. I never cared enough about anyone." She placed an open mouth kiss to the skin beneath her lips. "Until you. But by then, it wasn't even in a thought in my head."

Stacie felt a flash of anger over all the people who had hurt Aubrey before. She pushed it down, made her tone light on purpose. "Well, had I thought of it, you also would be wearing board shorts into the pool. Possibly a full wetsuit." She loved hearing Aubrey laugh like she did now. So free. "Because I'd want, and do want, everyone to know you're mine." She pretended to think. "Or, nowish, maybe ours." Feeling the anger surge a little, one she knew Beca and Chloe would both echo, she cleared her throat again. "I love you, Bree."

"Tu es le soleil dans mon ciel, je t'aime." Aubrey leaned up and kissed her.

"So, we're totally going to do this?" Stacie asked one more time. "Because I'm on board if you are."

Aubrey nodded. "Oh yeah. The four of us make sense in a way that shouldn't. I think we'd be really stupid if we let any fear or uncertainty keep us from it." Her voice held a hint of remorse and Stacie knew she was remembering the pain of walking away from Stacie until Stacie was able to prove that she really, truly, with every molecule of her being, wanted Aubrey in her life.

"Well, if there's one thing my wife never is, it's stupid. Can't have that." Stacie wrapped her arms tighter around Aubrey. "Is it wrong that I want it to be the weekend already?"

"The weekend?" Aubrey yawned immediately after she asked.

"Yeah. I'm almost positive that when we tell them our thoughts and hear theirs – and they match – there is a 99.999% chance we'll end up in bed again." She felt Aubrey twitch against her, a slow full body roll followed. "Mmm. Exactly. Weekend means we don't have to get dressed and go to work again for a few days."

Aubrey hummed in contentment. "Well now I wish it was the weekend, thanks."

"Any time, my love." Stacie kissed her head. "Guess we better sleep, get one day closer."

Aubrey yawned again. "Okay." She placed a kiss to Stacie's collarbone. "Night, love."

"Night, my only." Stacie kissed her temple, Aubrey's happy sigh warmed her skin.

The two of them settled deeper into their covers, wrapped in each other and the certainty of what they wanted, no more worry or confusion.

Stacie had a final thought pass through her mind. "I will say, again, while I'm in no way going to be upset at you sleeping with either or both of them – I'm pre-sad I'll miss seeing it. You all look so good together." She let her hand drift down Aubrey's back to pat the swell of her ass.

Aubrey's voice was sleepy. "Mm. Me too, for the same reason." She wiggled closer. "Guess we'll just have to film it for each other."

Stacie felt her jaw drop. "Holy fuck."

"Indeed." Aubrey's wicked laughter filled the darkness and drove away all thoughts of sleep from Stacie's mind. Probably on purpose, knowing her wife.

"Well, shit." She gently pushed Aubrey to her back. "That brings a whole new level to our Skype dates while we're out of town." She gave an open mouthed kiss to Aubrey's neck.

"Mmm. I hadn't thought of that." Aubrey's voice was intrigued, even as it deepened. "Tell me more." Stacie thought Beca would fall off the bed if she heard the way Aubrey sounded right now.

"Maybe later." Stacie kissed her way down Aubrey's body. "Maybe this weekend, with a bigger audience." She fit her shoulders under thighs already parting for her. "If that's okay with you."

Aubrey's fingers wrapped in her hair and pulled her closer. "Totes."

Stacie smiled against Aubrey's thigh. "Chloe would be proud you said that." Her tongue traced up and gave a teasing lick.

"She'll be sad she missed it." Aubrey's voice shook as she tried to remain unaffected, but her hips were already twitching and her fingers had tightened in Stacie's hair.

"I mean," Stacie paused to place a soft kiss on her clit. "I can always FaceTime them…"

"Stacie?"

"Yes, love?"

Aubrey's voice dropped two octaves. "Shut up and fuck me."

"Always, my only." Stacie lowered her mouth again, loving the high whimper it pulled from Aubrey's throat.

While she couldn't wait for the weekend, Stacie was more than happy to extend this moment as long as Aubrey would let her. They could sleep when they were dead, right?

Later, as they both lay panting in the middle of their bed, Aubrey's voice slid over her. "Ok, this is ridiculous."

"Mm, what?" Stacie nuzzled into Aubrey's stomach.

"This is a king size bed. It cannot feel too small and too big at the same time."

She sounded so annoyed that Stacie felt guilty for laughing. "Blame Beca the size queen for that one."

Aubrey snorted. "Oh I do."

Stacie slid upward until she could spoon Aubrey from behind. "That sounds like you're going to find some way to pay her back."

"I might." Aubrey teased as she pulled Stacie's arm up so she could cuddle it.

"Can't wait to see that." Stacie grinned even as she yawned.

"Aca-perv." Aubrey kissed her knuckles.

"You love it." Stacie let her eyes drift closed.

"Mmm. Yeah I do." Aubrey's voice was a muffled innuendo as she slid into slumber.

Just before Stacie dropped off completely, she thought Aubrey had a point. Spending that much time in that massive bed made theirs seem small. But the lack of two extra bodies beside them, well that made it seem too big. She knew they'd adjust back –they had to, they still had two separate houses – but for now…

They were definitely looking forward to the weekend.

~B~

Chloe was washing the last of the breakfast dishes in the kitchen when Beca came back in from locking up the house. She noticed the soft smile on Chloe's face as she looked toward the house behind them.

Beca came up behind her and snuggled close, a matching smile on her face. "I was just thinking about them too."

Chloe's voice was teasing. "How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Because I know you." Beca kissed the back of her neck. "But what I don't know is why you're hand washing those. We have a dishwasher."

Chloe finished the last dish and set it to dry. "There wasn't a lot." She turned in the circle of Beca's arms and touched their noses together. "Kept my hands busy while I let my brain wander."

"Oh yeah?" Beca rubbed her nose against Chloe's, smiling even as it made Chloe smile. "Wander around what?" As if she hadn't been doing the same.

"So. That really happened." Her smile grew sly. "A lot."

Beca laughed. "That's Aubrey's fault."

Chloe's face beamed in agreement before her expression turned thoughtful. "About that time we fell in love with our best friends…" She bit her lip as she trailed off.

"And into bed with them." Beca smirked. "Yeah, that's… different."

"Bad different?" Chloe pulled back a little to meet her eyes.

"No, I don't feel bad about anything we said. Or did. Or… felt." She said the last slowly. And, honestly, it was her feelings about all the, well, feelings that had been tumbling in her mind since they had come home. But it was all true. She wouldn't change a single second of the weekend.

Chloe showed no such hesitation, or she'd also worked it through. "Me either." Her voice soft, she asked, "Are we doing this, then? Wanting more – wanting to be all that… with them?"

Beca hesitated briefly, turning the words around in her mind, tasting how they felt. "It feels… Right." She squinted up at Chloe. "Does that sound stupid? That totally sounds stupid. Like, I don't feel greedy for wanting all of you. And that sounds stupid." She bit the tip of her tongue. "But it feels…"

Chloe was already shaking her head. "No, it doesn't sound stupid at all. I thought it felt right when Bree called me 'love' in the hot tub." Beca smiled reflexively at the memory. "Every touch, every kiss… They felt right. Watching you with them, watching them make love to you felt…" She sighed softly. "So right."

As she let the words sit between them, Beca could see the uncertainty in Chloe's eyes. But it felt more that she wasn't sure how Beca would take it. Beca leaned forward and rested their foreheads together. Closing her eyes, she breathed out, "It felt like home. Like you feel like home."

"Exactly." Chloe's voice held relief. "That's the exact word I thought at the time."

Beca let out a half laugh. "You know, I don't even know why I offered to walk them out earlier."

Chloe snorted and rolled her eyes. "For the same reason I almost knocked on the back door when we went over. It's like a new relationship and the uncertainty, or the wondering if you have to do things differently. If you're allowed."

"Crap." Beca laughed again. "That's – you're right. That's – weird. Right?"

"No, I don't think so." Chloe bit her lip. "I don't think it's weird at all. Despite the fact that it doesn't feel new because we've been around them for so long – the sex is definitely new. It'll just take some time to adjust. Probably not as much as we think, though. I bet we're back to normal in no time. Well. With kissing." She winked. "There definitely needs to be more kissing."

Beca pulled back a little again. "So, what does this mean? Are we like, trying to date them?" Her voice was teasing, though she really did mean what she was asking.

Chloe was silent for a minute before a small, sly grin spread across her lips. "Haven't we already been dating them?"

"What?" Her brow knit in confusion, Beca pulled back a little more to see her clearly.

"Think about it, Becs."

"I mean… Okay." Beca was silent for a while before she spoke slowly. "Since we moved, we've spent as much time with them as with each other. We have dinner together most of the week, and every day of the weekend. Vacations, holidays with each other's families, shared holiday parties…" Where she'd started out hesitant, feeling her way through, now her voice firmed. "You bring us all lunches on your days off. You leave cute notes for Aubrey that she not-so-secretly saves. We buy each other extravagant gifts." She winked once and clicked her tongue. "I've now seen them naked more than anyone else in my life but you."

Chloe blinked. "Really? Tell me -"She stopped herself. "Wait, we'll come back to this at a later date."

"No, it's fine. I mean, I wasn't a virgin in college, but I didn't let a lot of people in – no pun intended – in high school." Beca shook her head, returning to the important topic. "Oh my god. How did we not realize we've been dating our best friends? For years?"

"Right?" Chloe laughed, free and full of joy. "I mean, we should've realized it when you started cuddling with them as much as you did me."

"What do you mean?"

"Becs." Chloe gave her a faux pitying look. "Think for a minute, before March, on how much it bothered you to hug either one of them. Or pile on a couch for a movie."

Beca answered immediately. "Not at all."

"You do realize you're still standoffish to every other Bella but Legacy, right?" Chloe waved her hand. "I don't mean… You still hug them, you love them. I know this. They know this. But it's usually just a one and done. You don't usually linger, or let them."

Beca frowned. "I guess I hadn't thought of that. So, I'm not really a secret cuddler. I'm more an in-love-with-my-wife-and-secretly-in-love-with-our-best-friends type person?" She shook her head, laughing at herself. "I guess since the others aren't here that often, it's not something I realized." She paused, feeling a pang of worry. "Do you think they noticed and, I don't know, resent it?"

"Who?" Chloe settled herself against Beca and traced the neck of her shirt.

"The Bellas? That I hug Staubrey more?" Beca worried at her lip with her teeth.

"There's nothing you could do that would make them resent you." Chloe tapped her chin and pretended to reconsider. "Except maybe not take them around Disneyland anymore."

Beca laughed and rolled her eyes. "Since that'll never happen, I probably should stop worrying about it."

"Totes." Chloe took a deep breath and laughed again. "Guess that's settled then."

"What do you mean, love?" Beca kissed her nose. She knew that Chloe had returned to the previous topic.

"Staubrey. They're ours." She said it simply, but Beca felt the truth in it.

"You know, I thought this talk would take longer. But, guess I was totally expecting more angst and drama. The uncertainty of what this would mean." Beca laughed and hopped up on the center island. "But, we've spent years working on any insecurities. With their help most of the time." Her head bobbed from side to side as she thought. "Yeah, I guess that's true. They're ours. They belong to us. And us to them." Chloe hummed in agreement, watching her. "So, ok. What're you thinking about this weekend then?"

Chloe stepped up between her knees. "Ridiculously hot. Unexpectedly intense? Wait, no. That's – I expected it to be intense, but not like that. That took me by surprise."

Beca smirked as she ran her hand down Chloe's cheek. "You mean Aubrey's intensity took you by surprise."

Chloe shivered and heat bloomed in her cheeks. "Whew. It's warm in here, right?"

Beca laughed. "You're totally turned on right now, remembering the shower, aren't you?"

Chloe bit her lip as her eyes lingered on Beca's mouth. "Maybe." She looked up suddenly. "Speaking of, what were the two of you doing while we were... I sort of lost track, shall we say."

"Oh, I'd say you were just focused on the important things." Beca leaned down and brushed their lips together. "Honestly, we watched."

"Dirty birds." Chloe grinned.

"I'll accept that. We just kinda – I mean, there was touching, it's not like we could keep our hands still watching you and Aubrey. But it was… soothing. I'm not even remotely ashamed to admit that I think we both shed a few tears watching Aubrey lose herself." Beca cupped Chloe's cheek. "Lose herself in you only for you to catch her." She swallowed as the body memory hit her. "It was beautiful. You were both so fucking beautiful."

Chloe pulled her down for another kiss. "Flatterer." When they finally parted, Chloe mused, "Watching you with them? That was… everything." She wrapped her arms around Beca's waist and burrowed in for a hug. "When Aubrey took you?" Beca felt her shiver even as her own body clenched at the memory.

Beca chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Still thinking the porno thoughts?" As if she herself wasn't right back there, bent over the bed, while Aubrey took her second claim; the first being the mark Beca could still feel if she flexed her thigh a certain way. She took a careful breath, feeling heat prickle her skin.

"Totes. But that's not all that I meant." Chloe half shrugged, her ear resting against Beca's heart. "The way you played big spoon to Stacie? The way you just put your head in Bree's lap without hesitation? You'd never done that before." Chloe sighed. "God, you guys making breakfast this morning…" Chloe pulled back a bit to look up into her face. "I can't think of a universe where seeing you that happy is wrong."

Beca's voice was quiet. "You make me happy, Chlo. And if you think, that I might think - that you're not enough, we won't continue at all…"

Chloe reached up and covered her mouth. "Whoa. Slow down there, tiger." Beca let herself be pulled down and into a kiss, Chloe's tongue immediately rolling along her own as it deepened. Several long minutes later, Chloe let her go. "You know I'm not saying that. We've just spent the last ten minutes talking about how they make us more."

"You're right – sudden random fear. It's what I'm best at." Beca sighed. "Sorry. I know better, I really do."

"Totes Titanium, remember?" Chloe stroked her cheek. "You make me happy. I know I make you happy." She pulled Beca down a bit to meet her gaze. "They make us happier."

Beca let a soft hum of agreement. "They do." Beca laughed. "I can't believe it took getting naked to realize how much they meant to us. Isn't that supposed to happen after the feelings are discovered?"

"Sometimes, my overly traditional wife." Chloe grinned.

"Yeah, I don't think you can call me overly traditional anymore." Beca hopped off the counter and pulled Chloe against her. "Considering our marriage is about to expand by two." She frowned. "That's, not – I mean, we're –"

"Beca." Chloe laughed. "I'm your wife. But I don't think you're actually wrong, with that. They're our Staubrey. We're their Bloe." She paused, her eyes twinkling. "In more ways than one."

"Oh my god." Beca laughed.

Chloe grinned then said, "Though, I guess that brings up a good point. Do we only do this together, as couples?"

"Oh. I hadn't…" Beca leaned back against the counter. "What do you want to do?"

"Everything." Chloe said honestly. "I don't feel like we need limits. Not with us. Not with them."

"So, when you're off on your trips, you'll be rolling around with whoever can go?" Beca grinned.

"And you'll be not-so-sleep groping whoever stays behind, yes." Chloe said smoothly.

Beca sighed in relief. "I feel the same way. And, to be clear – if I'm late at the studio and you feel like having them for dessert, I'm okay with that too." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Chloe slowly pressed into her. "And the next time you and Stacie get in a wrestling match while I'm at class – if your clothes happen to fall off, maybe I'll convince Bree to work on her 'artistic angles' before she gets involved to try and 'break things up'."

Beca's laugh was full as she started tugging Chloe upstairs. "God I love you, Chlo. When do you think we'll have time to sit down and talk about all this?"

"A little eager, are we?" She only laughed when Beca gave her a mock glare. "The weekend, probably." Chloe was already stripping as they hit the door and Beca paused to let her pass, eyeing the row of marks down her spine appreciatively. Chloe turned, bra in hand. "What?"

"Nothing, just admiring all our handiwork." Beca bit her lip. "Seriously, we're going to have to wear turtlenecks if we keep this up."

Chloe tossed her shirt and bra toward the hamper and walked back toward Beca. "Totes worth it." She slowly pulled the shirt off Beca's head, admiring the hickeys that darkened their skin, front and back.

Beca grinned. "Totes." She walked them back toward the bed.

"My my, aren't you tired?" Chloe let herself fall back, lifting her hips when Beca reached for her shorts and panties.

"Too tired to want you?" Beca quickly finished stripping and crawled on the bed, sliding her knee between Chloe's legs. "Never." Chloe rose to meet her as she lowered herself.

Much later, as they snuggled down to sleep, Beca frowned. "Why does this bed feel so damn big right now?"

Chloe's laughter filled the room and followed them down into slumber.

~E~

Friday, July 7th, 2017

Emily was nervous as she waited for the Skype chat to connect. Not because of who she was calling, but because of why she was calling.

Today was the day she was going to give Beca her pitch for her first – though, really technically it was probably her second – song for Residual Heat. Beca had told her a month ago that her boss finally gave in to her constant nagging about giving Emily a chance to intern as a song writer for them. She'd already been practically ripping her hair out as she juggled the Bellas and her schoolwork at the end of the year. Adding the pressure of finding the right song on that had not been fun, but the end goal was so worth it.

She had such a strange mix of emotions running through her that she was afraid it was going to make her twitchy when she tried to sing in a few minutes. She was nervous because it was a much different and, admittedly, risqué song than she'd ever written before, but she knew it was the song that would get her the job. When she'd finally shown it to her mom, she'd immediately thrown her arms around Emily and told her it was amazing and how proud she was. Then she'd spent the next ten minutes laughing her ass off. "Beca is going to kill you."

Catherine Junk found it hilarious how much Beca insisted that Emily was perpetually the innocent eighteen year old she'd first met. Emily liked it for a few reasons: one, because it made her feel loved and protected, and two, because she could do things that would scandalize Beca and make her yell the soon-to-be-trademarked "YOU ONLY HOLD HANDS" at the top of her lungs. It was as frequent as Emily's own 'Gross™'.

She bounced lightly in her chair, fingers tapping on her knee when suddenly Skype chimed and she saw all four of her adopted parental types piled onto Beca's couch, close enough that they could all fit in the view from Beca's laptop. "Hey guys!" Emily beamed and waved.

"Hi sweetie!" Chloe waved at her and Emily could already feel the support and confidence in her already flowing through the screen, calming her nerves.

"Looking good." Stacie was more like the older sister who tried without end to make Emily blush with innuendos. She never quite hit the level of crude that Emily knew Stacie was capable of, and not all of it was because Beca, Chloe or Aubrey hit her whenever she tried. Stacie seemed to know how much Emily could take without her head popping off.

"Hello, Em." And Aubrey… Emily smiled. Aubrey had intimidated her at the retreat. But then she'd come to the house several times before Worlds and Emily had finally seen the warmth underneath. That caring nature had finally begun to bloom after the move to LA and just kept getting bigger once the wedding took place. It's like she finally allowed herself to… be herself. Though, she wasn't ashamed to admit it, when Aubrey clicked into full lawyer mode she still kind of scared the crap out of Emily. Just a little bit.

"This better be good, Legacy. I had to put my reputation on the line to get this." That was Beca and her smile showed that she was kidding. Mostly. Probably. Emily pushed away her worry once she saw Beca's lips twitch.

"Well, that's why you guys get to hear it first, before I do the thing." Emily swallowed. "Just… Uh. Be gentle?" Not that she was worried. Much. They were her family.

"You know us better than that." Stacie grinned. "We are never gentle." She huffed out a breath of air as Beca backhanded her in the stomach.

"It'll be great, I just know it." Chloe nodded firmly. Emily appreciated Chloe's unwavering belief and loyalty – except that one time with DSM. But they didn't talk about that. Anymore. Unless they were drunk.

"You got this, Emily." Aubrey's voice was calm. "They'll snap you up in a heartbeat."

"Ok, let's hear it." Beca leaned back and the other three pushed in closer.

Emily cleared her throat and picked up her guitar. She wasn't very good at it yet, mostly enough to pick out the notes for her songs, but it was enough for what she was about to do. "Ok, so –" She grinned. "Let's not be dicks about it."

As Chloe and Stacie laughed in delighted surprise, Emily cleared her throat again and began to sing "Love Myself" in a clear voice. She knew she wanted to be more pop with it, but without the full synth and whatnot, the acoustic version was softer and a bit slower. She'd wanted to keep her eyes closed, so she wouldn't be distracted by their reactions, but found that she'd opened her eyes at some point.

Aubrey was beaming and nodding encouragingly; her face already proud and it warmed Emily instantly, helping her relax further as she played. Stacie was nodding along to the beat, grinning slyly and it took Emily everything not to blush at it. Chloe literally had her hand over her mouth, but her eyes were so happy; bright and shining above it. Emily had to look away or she was sure she'd start crying. Which meant she looked at Beca.

She almost faltered anyway, but from laughter. Beca was the most amazing mix of emotions that Emily had ever seen and they chased each other across her face, non-stop. There was pride. There was love. There was the utter horror she'd expected. There was also anger; even through the distance Emily knew it wasn't directed at her, but she was extremely curious at its inclusion.

When she drew to a close, she set the guitar down and looked back at them. "Well?" She tried not to fidget but her leg was bouncing nervously.

"It's amazing." Chloe and Aubrey said at the same time and they both laughed.

"Seriously, Emily. It's good." Aubrey smiled at her. "I'm so proud of you!" Chloe nodded so fast she looked like a bobblehead on crack.

"It's quite the song, Em." Stacie said. "You've put a lot of work into that. A lot of layers and meanings."

Beca groaned. "You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" She dragged her hands down her face, pulling her cheeks down and then her mouth. "Oh my god."

Emily had been waiting for this, but she was still so nervous that words just flew out of her mouth. "It's not good?" Which wasn't what she meant to say at all, but it was already out now.

"No, Legacy." Beca was shaking her head, groaning. "They're right, it's great. And I'm so mad about it!"

"Beca!" Aubrey hit her in the shoulder. "How in the world can you be mad about that?"

"Because it doesn't matter how much pop I layer over it - and it needs to be upbeat, fast and pop, right?" She looked at Emily who nodded back, waiting. "It's still… The lyrics, Emily." She groaned. "Are you trying to kill me? Like, straight up are you trying to give me an aneurysm? Because that's what's happening right now. I think my eye is twitching. Maybe it's a stroke?"

Emily finally couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. "What's the matter, Aca-Mom? Is it…"

"GROSS." Beca yelled, turning her head to the ceiling and throwing her hands up. "YOU ONLY HOLD HANDS™! HOW CAN YOU WRITE THIS?" She let her hands drop to her lap. "And make me like it! That's just cruel."

"Seriously, Em." Stacie pushed Beca out of the way and basically into Aubrey's lap so she could lean closer to the camera, ignoring the squawks and slapping hands Beca directed at her. "The lyrics are genius and you're so getting hired."

"Yeah?" Emily asked shyly.

"Oh yeah." Stacie winked at her. "I'm super proud of you, too, Em."

Beca finally pulled herself out of Aubrey's lap and pushed Stacie to the side. "Me too. It's going to be the death of me, but… It's really damn good, Legacy." She sighed gustily and it made Emily smile when Stacie pet the top of her head comfortingly.

"Yeah?" At Beca's nod Emily stood up and yelled, "YES!" She quickly sat back down. "I mean, that's awesome."

"So we'll go into the studio and crank out the demo for the boss when you're here next month? You're staying for two weeks, right?"

"Yep!" Emily bounced in her chair. "I'm so excited!"

"Maybe you should go listen to your song again, then. Sounds like it could help." Stacie offered, full of innuendo that made Emily blush slightly despite her best efforts.

"Stacie!" Beca spun around and looked at her. "I… you did not just..." She trailed off, her eyes wide and a little panicked.

As Aubrey covered Beca's ears, Chloe covered Stacie's mouth. "Ok, don't break my wife." Something happened behind her palm and she pulled it away and made a face. "Ugh!" Emily's eyes widened slightly as she watched the split second decision in Chloe's own eyes an instant before she grinned mischievously as she reached past Stacie and wiped her hand on Beca's cheek. "I can't believe you just licked my hand."

Emily didn't miss the fact that Beca didn't react to Chloe's action and she didn't think it was just because Beca was still freaking out about Stacie's comment.

Stacie shrugged. "I don't know why this is hard for you to believe at this point."

Opening her mouth to say something, before deciding against it, Aubrey shook her head. "Seriously, I can't take you three anywhere." She turned Beca's face toward her and wiped off her cheek with her sleeve then stroked her fingers along Beca's jaw. She almost started to lean forward and then cleared her throat. Settling back down, she said, "It's embarrassing."

Emily watched in amazement as an impromptu four way wrestling match took place on the other end of the camera. She'd seen Beca and Stacie push and shove each other before; she'd even seen Chloe get trapped in the middle of it as she tried to stop it. But she'd never seen Aubrey get involved, laughing as she tried to separate Beca and Stacie who suddenly turned on her and began to tickle her. Emily hadn't even known that Aubrey was ticklish, but there she was, squeaking as she tried to yell at them to stop but laughing so hard she snorted while the other three ganged up on her.

She leaned on her desk with one elbow and rested her chin in her palm, wishing more than anything that she was done with school and able to hang out more with them. She desperately hoped that she'd get the job and be able to move out there. Her second hope was that she could find somewhere near their house that was cheap and not in Sketchville so she didn't have to travel far to visit them. If she was going to have to spend time away from Benji as he worked Off-Broadway, she'd need them nearby to keep from being lonely.

And it wasn't like Emily didn't love her new Bellas, she really did. They were her sisters and they had all been through a lot together these past three years. They were an amazing team that she had literally built from the ground up to lead and she would keep in contact with them for the rest of her life. But they would be staying on one more year, she would be leaving, and while she would miss her new sisters, her family had been formed that first year at Barden and she missed them dearly almost every day.

Eventually they got themselves under control but they continued to giggle. Emily smiled again at the sound. It was rare to see all of them this relaxed and she loved every second of it. "I really miss you guys."

Chloe leaned forward. "We miss you too. Hopefully not for too much longer."

"Plus you'll be here in a few weeks. Then again in October." Aubrey sighed. "I love our Disney tradition."

"Me too!" Emily crowed.

"Can you really have an annual tradition when technically you've only done it once and have only planned the second?" Beca asked.

"Oh! And your birthday in Vegas!" Chloe pointed out, ignoring her. "And we'll come see you when you guys perform at the Aquarium, of course. And when you graduate!"

Emily wiggled in her chair happily but then her face fell. "Ok, I hate to sing and run, but I promised mom I'd help with dinner." She was already trying to figure out when the next longer Skype session could be.

"Hey, Legacy?" Beca's voice brought her focus back to the screen. "Make good choices."

Emily's smile softened. "Love you too, Aca-mom."

After they all said their goodbyes, Emily disconnected from Skype.

There was something different in that call, she decided. Something different with the four of them. Maybe they'd finally taken that extra step they'd always joked about. She already more than half thought of them as one whole person anyway. Sure, they were four individuals and two couples, but honestly, the way they worked together had become seamless. They were all so good together and took such good care of each other – and Emily; it was obvious for anyone to see. It made her happy, even if she only had her suspicions and no actual proof. She totally wouldn't mind having four aca-moms. She still had all her other crazy aca-aunt slash sisters.

"Hey, Kiddo. Where you at? These potatoes aren't going to peel themselves, you know." Her mother's voice carried to her.

"Coming mom!" She ran her fingertips down her monitor.

They were her chosen family. All she ever wanted was for them to be happy, whatever form that took.

As she played back their reactions to her song, an image solidified in her head and she stopped so fast she ran into the doorframe. It was a gesture she'd seen the four of them do a million times. A certain look, the start of a lean, the slight parting of lips... But never those particular two together.

Eyes suddenly huge, Emily squeaked with all the joy of a ten year old after being told they were being given a pony, "Did Aubrey just try to kiss Beca?!"

"What honey?" Her mom asked from the kitchen. "Did they like it?" She laughed. "Did Beca pass out?"

"They loved it." Emily answered absently as she continued down the hall, her mind now producing the half grins that had been on Chloe and Stacie's faces when Aubrey wiped off Beca's cheek. They were… amused, affectionate… Definitely the furthest from jealous and, maybe, anticipating?

She grinned so wide it felt like her face was going to split. "Oh. Em. Aca. Gee!"

~A~

Stacie leaned back as Beca shut her laptop. "Think Legacy noticed Aubrey almost kiss Beca?"

Aubrey immediately flushed a deep crimson. "Oh my god." She covered her face. "I was hoping you didn't notice." But of course she did. Stacie always saw everything about Aubrey.

Beca looked around, confused. "Wait, what? No she didn't."

"Oh, totes. It was adorable." Chloe sighed dreamily.

Beca looked between them. "Someone explain."

"It was right after Chloe wiped my spit on your cheek." Stacie said helpfully.

"Wait, what?!" Beca's head pulled back. "Was I actually present for any of this or are you guys just fucking with me?"

Chloe said, delicately, "It was right after Stacie suggested the thing." She searched for the right way to phrase it. "With Emily…"

"The…OH…" Beca began blinking rapidly. "Uh."

"Don't finish that, Chlo. We'll lose her again." Aubrey said. Though her face was still flushed from embarrassment, she found it adorable how much the thought of Emily and anything sexual threw Beca into the deep end.

"Wait – fuck, I've said that a lot in the last sixty seconds." Beca looked past Stacie to Chloe. "You wiped Stacie's spit on my face? Dude! What the fuck?"

"It just seemed right. I thought, 'Stacie's spit. Beca's face.'" Chloe shrugged. "I went with it."

Stacie leaned over and kissed Beca's cheek where Chloe had wiped her hand. "And then Bree wiped it off with her sleeve, like any good parent. And you let her, like any good unruly child." Beca started to sputter but Stacie kept talking. "And then she almost kissed you in a way totally inappropriate for those analogies." She watched as Beca's mouth opened and closed as she tried to process what she was hearing. "In front of your aca-child."

"Our." Aubrey looked surprised that she'd even spoken. When they all looked at her she shrugged helplessly. "Oh come on, at this point she's got guest rooms in both our houses, and spends equal time with all of us… And I think of her as family."

Stacie nodded. "Fair enough." She pursed her lips. "Though, I think I'm still more of the hot older sister – we're only three years apart – and I'm still totally going to make sex jokes in front of her to make her blush."

Aubrey's cheeks still felt hot. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Bree." Chloe suddenly leaned across Stacie and Beca to grab Aubrey's hand. "It was fine." She tugged her awkwardly until she could kiss Aubrey's cheek. "It was so cute."

"Yeah, babe." Stacie kissed her cheek as well. "Besides, can't you just hear the adorable little 'gross' that would've followed?"

Aubrey's lips quirked. "Yeah, but still…"

Stacie and Chloe covered Aubrey's face with kisses until, laughing, she pushed them away. "Okay, okay. I'm fine." She caught sight of Beca's face between them. "Why are you pouting?"

"Because my face feels unloved." Chloe and Stacie had had to pull Aubrey practically into Beca's lap to reach her.

"Did your lip actually just stick out!?" Stacie snorted. "Oh, DJ." Her voice was warm like sunshine, full of laughter and affection. "C'mere." She pulled and tugged until Beca was even more between all of them and they took turns peppering her with kisses until she was laughing with them.

Aubrey cleared her throat. "So, uh. Guess last weekend wasn't a fluke then." She chuckled nervously as they all froze at her words. She played with her watch as they settled back on the couch in their previous positions.

By unspoken agreement they hadn't discussed anything for the entire week. They'd had dinner together every night and while their hugs may have lingered a little longer, been a little tighter, that was it. Not that she'd expected them to clear the dishes off the table and start making out while someone prepared after dinner coffee or cocktails. But everything was normal. Not even the kind of tense 'normal' where they're all thinking about it so hard it could be felt. They were just themselves.

But, she supposed, they also hadn't been quite this close together. Where it was easier to forget who else might be watching and almost kiss Beca because she was so adorably broken. Though, and she didn't feel like bringing this up to anyone else, Aubrey didn't think Emily would be all that surprised. She'd spent enough time with them to start to wonder, now that Aubrey could look back on their interactions with this new clarity of vision. They had all basically been acting like one giant couple since almost the second they moved. Emily wasn't dumb, not by a long shot. Aubrey had also noticed a few looks between Emily and Cynthia Rose and it wouldn't surprise her in the least if there was a Bella betting pool on whether or not the four of them were actually going to sleep together. She made a mental note to try and figure out the details of that.

"No, it wasn't." Stacie's voice was warm, her eyes full of love as she looked at Aubrey.

"Oh thank god." Beca flopped back against the cushion. "I mean." She sat up and cleared her throat. "I mean, uh. No. I don't think it was either."

Chloe laughed. "Way to be cool, Becs." She bit her lip. "But, yeah. No. That was a lot of things, but fluke wasn't one of them."

Beca shot a look at her laptop. "We disconnected on Skype, right?"

"It's closed, DJ. Stop being an aca-mom." Stacie teased.

"Besides, think of it as payback for her song lyrics." Chloe said helpfully.

"Oh GOD." Beca covered her eyes. "How could she do that to me?"

"It's really a very good song, Beca." Aubrey paused, thinking. "Think we can take any credit for how good she is? You know, as her adopted parents and all?"

"You know you're going to have to downplay the mastur-" Stacie's voice was cut off as Beca threw a hand over her mouth.

"Do not finish that sentence, Bucky." Beca grimaced as Stacie's jaw worked. "I don't care how much you lick my hand right now. That's not – no. It's about being an empowered young woman who doesn't need anyone else to be happy."

"Oh! That's a great way to sell it!" Aubrey bounced once in her seat.

"That's how Legacy explained it to me, the little liar. It's totally how I'll have to do it. I had no idea there would be a second meaning that would TOTALLY OVERSHADOW the first. But I can already hear how great the song can be. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I can't wait until we can record the demo." Beca finally let her hand drop and stared at it. "Jesus, you're weird." She wiped her palm on Stacie's leg.

Stacie shrugged. "Just giving a preview."

Aubrey paused, her mind immediately visualizing Stacie's tongue put to other uses. The expressions on Beca's and Chloe's faces showed they were doing the same. Stacie just grinned at them. "Uh." Aubrey cleared her throat. "Where were we?"

"Do you think the boss will like it?" Chloe thankfully steered them back to a safe topic.

"Oh yeah. He'd be stupid not to; this is exactly the type of song that's huge right now. What Emily doesn't know is I'm going to pitch letting her record it as more than the demo." Beca frowned. "Well, I mean we'll do the demo first when she's here in a few weeks. With the way the 'Flashlight' demo turned out, I don't see any problems with that. But you heard her, her voice has gotten so much stronger. She's an empowered young woman, who better to sing- Don't you say it, Conrad!"

Stacie's mouth had opened and now it twitched into a sly grin. "I was just going to say that she's definitely improved since that first audition in the Bellas living room. I agreed with Amy then that there was no way she was going to be a soloist." She shrugged. "After all that, today? Totally changing my tune."

Beca hummed in agreement. "Legacy's done a lot of growing over the years."

"She's not the only one." Chloe said.

Aubrey smiled. "We've all come a long way."

"Babe?" Stacie leaned forward to look at her. "You can't say 'come' like that anymore."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Oh please."

"No, seriously. Look at Beca's face."

Beca's eyes had gone distant and her lips had parted slightly. After a moment she blinked, jerking back as she realized all of them were staring at her. "What?!"

Aubrey started to laugh. "Nothing at all." She laughed harder as Beca tried to look like she hadn't just been in the gutter.

"I'm sure it's just because it's new." Chloe said thoughtfully. "I'm sure eventually Beca will stop being a teenager about sex."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Stacie disagreed.

"Plus I think it's kind of cute." Aubrey said, eyeing the blush growing on Beca's cheeks.

"Well, if dating Chloe for five years hasn't stopped feeling new, I can't imagine this is going to be any different." Beca scrubbed at her cheeks then rolled her eyes. "Now I have three of you to worry about."

Aubrey tilted her head. "What do you mean, Becs?"

"Oh. Uh." She looked to Chloe who nodded encouragingly. "Er." She wiggled, trying to look at both Stacie and Aubrey at once, but since they were sitting on either side of her, she gave up and leaned back, darting her eyes back and forth. "So, Chlo and I were wondering if you'd like to date us." She frowned, as if that's not quite the way she meant to say it. "That sounds so queerballs and high school when actually said out loud."

Even as they all chuckled, Aubrey felt her heart clench. "Really?" She couldn't have stopped the smile from spreading across her lips if she'd tried. "That's – I hadn't even figured out a way to bring it up, exactly. But that sounds… perfect." She kissed Beca's cheek as Stacie leaned in and did the same on the other side. "We," she paused and looked at Stacie who smiled at her. "We want that too." She exchanged another look with Stacie and bit her lip. "We need you." She reached over and took Chloe's hand.

"Yeah?" Beca's voice was shy.

"DJ." Stacie waited until Beca was looking at her. "You couldn't get rid of us now if you tried." She turned and gave a beaming Chloe a kiss on the lips. "You're kind of stuck with us."

"Awes." Chloe leaned forward and tugged Aubrey into a kiss with their joined hands.

"So, what exactly does this mean?" Beca asked. "I mean…" But she trailed off, frowning.

"Nothing has to change." Stacie tipped Beca's chin back toward her. "Nothing will change. We'll still have dinner. We'll still hang out. I'll still force you to watch movies." She smiled as Beca mock groaned. "But now I can also do this."

Aubrey watched as Stacie cupped Beca's chin and leaned forward to capture her lips, gently at first then more insistent. She smiled as Beca pressed forward into it, shifting smoothly until she was straddling Stacie's legs. Aubrey scooted closer, watching as their mouths worked, parting and coming together, the quick flash of their tongues tangled together. Her heart beat faster, desire spiraling lazily through the love she felt watching them.

Eventually they parted and Beca rested her forehead against Stacie's for a second as she caught her breath. She sat back. "When did I get on your lap?"

"About three minutes ago." Chloe reached up and ran her hand through Beca's hair, then Stacie's. "It was kind of hot."

Aubrey hummed. "Oh yeah."

"But like – not to be that person, but I don't want any misunderstandings." Beca shifted a little on Stacie's thighs. "And it seems weird to ask from this position, but – are there any rules?"

"Not that we could think of." Aubrey shrugged. "I think at this point, we consider you part of us. Entirely." She paused, looking at Stacie who only smiled back at her. "There's nothing off limits that I can think of. Though I suppose if things come up, we'll discuss it then. But-" She flushed. "I mean, sure, whenever any of you are in bed without me, I'll be sad to miss it, but I'm ok with it."

Beca half chuckled. "We said the same thing."

"Aubrey offered to film it." Stacie interrupted.

"Chloe said she'd ask." Beca laughed.

"Well, if that doesn't prove the four of us are on the same page, I don't know what will." Aubrey pressed closer and bit her lip.

"What's up, Bree." Chloe shifted closer to Stacie. "You look like you're thinking too hard." Chloe was always as good at reading her as Stacie was.

Aubrey swallowed. She hadn't intended to say it, didn't realize she needed to, but now it was there, with its new-yet-old meaning, and she had to let it out. She glanced at Stacie, feeling the love directed at her then back at Chloe. "I love you." She watched as those clear blue eyes filled with tears and felt the sting of her own. "I think I have for a very long time. I just never knew it. Or maybe I just never allowed myself to know it."

Chloe reached between Stacie and Beca and took Aubrey's hand. "Bree." She sniffed and coughed to clear her throat. "I love you too. There was no one else I was closer to even before college. And no one after. Until this broody looking girl came up and said a capella was pretty lame."

Beca's hand stroked through Aubrey's hair as she spoke softly. "Sorry, I don't even sing. But it was really nice to meet you guys."

Aubrey pulled Beca's hand down and kissed it. "We played the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, you bitch." Her voice broke over the last word and Stacie's hand closed on her knee. Aubrey pulled Beca down to whisper against her lips. "I love you too, alt girl with the mad lib beats."

Beca choked out a watery laugh. "Is this the wrong time to say that I was very amused and a little aroused when you said that to me?" She leaned forward the extra bit to bring their lips together where she lingered before pulling back to wipe under Aubrey's eyes.

Chloe answered. "No, I think it's the perfect time."

"Well, now that our wives made us all cry." Stacie's voice was thick and when Aubrey looked up she saw that all three of them had tears running down their faces. She reached up and touched her own, surprised to find her cheeks were wet. "I'm probably going to continue that. Just a bit."

Stacie let her head fall back on the cushion and looked at Chloe. "I love you too, Chlo. For taking care of Aubrey from that first post-it note you left her about that first Bellas audition, tucked safely into her desk with all the others. For helping both of us realize we needed to get past our fears." Then, despite the tears still slowly sliding down her cheeks, her tone turned sly. "For being there when Aubrey needed you last weekend."

Chloe flushed. "Is it tacky to say that it was my pleasure?"

"Nope." Beca answered before the rest of them could. "Though, honestly, I think it was all of ours, at that point."

"Oh yeah." Stacie nodded as she looked up at Beca. "And you. I love you for the same reasons. Because, once you finally let us in, you gave everything you were to the Bellas as a team. You made Aubrey's dream come true. At the time, I didn't realize how big a deal it was. Not truly. I was a stupid frosh. Younger than the rest of you. And then, when you came up with the idea to have all the Bellas at Worlds. Where the love of my life kissed me and told me she would never let me go again?" Stacie placed her hand on Beca's heart, then her own. "That's when I think I fell in love with you a little bit." She sniffed and said it again, softer. "I love you, DJ."

Aubrey felt her heart skip a beat. She hadn't meant to start this, they had all turned so serious, but she didn't have words for how much love was filling her from head to toe as they continued.

Beca wiped at her eyes. "I think I basically declared my love for Aubrey the night I gave her the pitch pipe." She shook her head. "I didn't even think of it at the time, what it meant. How important it was to get her… you…" She turned to Aubrey. "To have you understand what you mean to me." She cupped Aubrey's cheek, her thumb gently stroking across her skin. "I probably should have realized then that I was at least a little bit in love with you." She grinned. "But I've always been a bit slow on the whole feels thing, so by then, it was probably a lot more than a just little bit." Aubrey laughed with her. "I love you, Bree."

"And you." Beca turned to Stacie and shifted closer, still on her lap. "No one who watches the way you watch Aubrey could miss the size of your heart. You're so good with her. For her." Beca considered for a second. "For Chlo and I, too. You're as careful of her feelings as you are Aubrey's. And you help me not be so serious. I don't think I've ever wrestled with anyone before we moved to the condos. Or felt like it was okay to just… be silly without worrying what anyone would think." She leaned closer and kissed Stacie's lips. "I love you, Bucky."

Chloe sighed and Aubrey heard the pure happiness in it. "Beca's right, Stace. I've got high standards when it comes to people that I trust with Aubrey's heart. For the longest time, that consisted of only me." She frowned. "Well that just sounded way more possessive than I intended it to. But…"

Aubrey felt her heart flutter, finding she liked that possessive streak all her girls sometimes showed towards her. She had honestly never felt so cherished and loved until they were in her life.

Chloe shrugged. "I didn't want to lose Bree as my closest friend, which I guess I thought was a possibility back in the… the bad Bella days. I needed her to help me stay sane when That Whore Alice™ made our lives miserable."

Beca held up her hand. "Wait, not to interrupt, but – you just called her That Whore Alice™ for the first time, instead of just her stupid name."

Chloe's lips twisted and she frowned. "That bitch tried to put her lips on Aubrey! That's just… not allowed. At all." She scowled so strongly that Aubrey reached back out and took her hand again, unable to stop the smile from crossing her face. She knew Chloe was fierce in her defense, but this felt like it had been moved up a few notches. Visibly calming herself, Chloe continued. "My girlfriend didn't even meet that standard until somewhere at the end of her sophomore year."

Beca looked like she was about to protest but nodded. "Fair. We were still finding our way after the rough start the year before."

Aubrey nodded as well. "I'll say."

"Right. And Stacie, you used to frustrate the heck out of me. I knew. Knew you loved Aubrey. Even if the two of you wouldn't say a thing to each other, you'd say them to me." Chloe mock frowned at her.

"She'd totally tell me too, by the way." Beca offered helpfully. "Some of it, at least."

"Totes. I was already trying to find a way to shove you together when we came for our retreat."

"Two nights in the fart tent, you mean." Beca muttered until Aubrey thumped her leg. "What!? You weren't in there; you don't know what it was like!" Her voice dropped. "Amy was in that tent, Bree. Amy."

Aubrey made a face. "True. But, hey. Not my fault the tree fell after you finished making both tents."

"Yeah. Convenient though, for your team building exercises." Beca eyed her. "I've always had my suspicions about that…"

Aubrey shrugged. "I can't control trees, Beca."

Beca's reply was immediate. "I don't think there's anything you can't do if you put your mind to it."

Aubrey blushed, suddenly shy. "Thanks, Becs."

Chloe smiled at them. "God you guys are so fucking cute I could eat you."

Aubrey felt her mouth go dry as pure desire rushed through her veins like liquid silver. She knew that wasn't what Chloe had meant, but the sudden memory of what Chloe could do with her mouth lit her body. She swallowed and tried to ignore it. Then she made the mistake of looking up at Beca, who was looking at Chloe as if Beca was two seconds from ripping off her clothes.

But Chloe was oblivious, or at least ignoring, the reactions she'd created and had tipped her lips up to meet Stacie. "I love you. For taking care of my best friend as if she's the most precious thing in the world."

Stacie looked back at Aubrey with such love that it cooled the fire a little bit. "She is the most precious thing in my world." She looked up at Beca and back at Chloe. "Now I've got two more people I care about just as much."

"Seriously, if one of you says 'you complete me' I'm outta here." Beca said and broke the tension as they all snorted at her.

"That was the biggest lovefest I have ever seen in my life." Stacie said between giggles. "I'm surprised DJ didn't combust from all the feels."

"Hey! I have feels." Beca said indignantly. "At least like, three of them!"

Aubrey pulled Beca's arm until she slid off Stacie's lap and into her own. "Don't you even try to lie to me. You're so full of feelings I'm actually surprised you don't pop from them."

"Yeah, well…" Beca trailed off. "You guys are different." She cuddled into Aubrey's side, tucking her head under Aubrey's chin. "Even more so now."

Aubrey wrapped her arms around Beca and kissed the top of her head. "Sap." She looked up at the other two. "Sorry."

"For what?" Chloe had curled into Stacie.

"Crying. Emotions." Aubrey shrugged. "It wasn't how I envisioned it going."

"Yeah, Bree was totally picturing us declaring our love by stripping naked and running upstairs to your bed." Stacie flinched as Aubrey backhanded her in the stomach. "Oh, maybe that was me."

Aubrey laughed. "No, you're right. It wasn't quite that, but… Yeah. There was definitely stripping."

"And The Expanse." Stacie turned to Chloe. "She took two nights to stop complaining that our bed was both too big and too small at the same time."

"How does that even work?" Beca pulled back to look up at Aubrey.

"Too small, cause it's just a king." Aubrey grinned down at her. "Too big because there were only two bodies in it."

"Me too!" Beca suddenly sat up. "This week was the first time The Expanse felt like… well… an expanse!"

Chloe laughed. "She tossed and turned for three nights, until I pinned her down."

"Oh?" Stacie purred. "Tell me more."

"Aca-perv." Beca laughed.

"You love it." Aubrey whispered in her ear.

"Oh yeah." Beca shivered against her.

Chloe ran her finger down between Stacie's breasts. "I believe there was talk of stripping?"

Aubrey clicked her tongue. "There was, wasn't there."

"So why are your clothes still on." Beca nipped at her chin.

"Because, B." Stacie leveled a look at Beca that made Aubrey's thighs clench. "You haven't taken them off us yet." Her voice was low and it slid straight down Aubrey's spine to pull at her stomach.

Beca blinked at Stacie. "Wow. That… That…" She cleared her throat. "Have you been holding back or something?" She waved her finger at Stacie. "Cause, I feel like… there's a lot more you… going on… right now." Aubrey didn't miss the way that Beca's breathing had gotten quicker.

Aubrey wiggled slightly. "She has, actually." She leaned down and nibbled along Beca's ear before purposely dropping her voice in the way she knew drove Beca crazy. "Me too."

Chloe let out a whimper as Beca whispered, "Oh. Fuck."

Aubrey whispered back. "I intend to. Repeatedly." She sucked lightly on Beca's earlobe, loving the shudder that went through her.

"Oh. Fuck."

It came from all of them and Aubrey just grinned. "Nowish even."

She laughed as three different bodies flew off the couch and headed upstairs, shedding clothing as they went.

She stood, taking a second to make sure the front door was locked, before she followed them.

Sure, there was now – but Aubrey was betting on forever. It just felt right.