Hourglass
Chapter 36
Mitchsen
Rating: T

Aubrey was standing at the gate, waiting for her family to arrive. Her parents had asked the senior to meet them at the airport though the reasoning was beyond her. It wasn't like she had to drive them anywhere. They had all rented cars, her parents getting one for themselves and her little sister and her brothers had both gotten one. She felt like they wanted her to meet them at the airport just to inconvenience her.

She'd much rather still be in bed with Beca, the freshman had spent the night after their date the previous day. But her parents were all about punctuality and she knew she'd get a lot more grief if she didn't show up. And considering Beca had some odd desire to meet her family, she figured she should make it as easy on the freshman as possible.

Her parent's flight had just landed and she watched the gate for any recognizable faces. She quickly saw her parents, followed closely by her sister Casey, her brothers Mark and Adam bringing up the rear. She waved half-heartedly to her parents as they made their way over to her.

"Aubrey." Her dad greeted in his normal, overly formal tone. She wanted to cringe at the way he talked to her nowadays. It was like he was meeting a client rather than his own daughter. Her mother was a little more personable, immediately gathering her into a hug.

"We've missed you, honey. Christmas seems so long ago." Aubrey nodded stepping back from her mom. She nodded an acknowledgement to her brothers, who returned the gesture.

"Finally getting out with that random business degree are you?" Casey remarked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Aubrey really wanted to roll her eyes at her sister's obvious barb. Maybe Beca was really rubbing off on her.

"Yes. Graduating with honors and a 4.0 GPA, thank you." She shot back. Her sister scoffed.

"Like business is a hard branch of schooling." Aubrey frowned. Her sister was never this confrontational. But her father immediately shut her down.

"Casey, Aubrey," He said in a firm tone of voice that meant stop. Both girls rolled their eyes but complied. The senior couldn't wait until she was done with the next couple of days and she could just head off on summer vacation with Beca. Her father turned to her. "So Aubrey, I have a high profile client meeting tomorrow evening, so we can't celebrate afterwards. So we're going to have our dinner tonight." Aubrey blinked. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Of course, her life wasn't important enough to take the weekend off.

"Ok. Where?" She asked, knowing her father had probably booked some high-end restaurant to be seen at in Atlanta.

"Atlas," her father replied. Aubrey nodded, her thoughts confirmed. Atlas was a fairly exclusive, not to mention expensive place. "Our reservations are at seven. I expect you'll bring someone." Aubrey raised an eyebrow, a little surprised at her father's request.

"Bring someone?" She asked for clarification.

"Don't take me for a fool Aubrey. I disapprove of your choices, but I do make a point to know what my children are doing in the public view. I know about your little girlfriend." Aubrey's expression blanched. She had expected her girlfriend to meet her parents briefly at the ceremony. Not at a fancy dinner that Beca would definitely not be prepared for.

"I… She.." Aubrey stammered. Her sister laughed.

"What's the matter Bree-Bree? Too afraid to show off your girlfriend?" The tone of voice in which her sister said the word ground the senior's gears.

"Casey." Her mother said sharply. Her brothers had been tactful enough to stay quiet throughout the entire discussion.

"We're going to get settled at our hotel. I expect to see both of you at Atlas, seven o'clock tonight Aubrey. " Her father said, leaving no room for argument before ushering his wife and younger daughter towards the baggage claim. Adam went to follow them, but Mark, the oldest child of the Posen family hung behind.

"I'm sorry," He said, Aubrey nodding, still processing what her father had just demanded she do. "Between you and me, if you're happy, that's all I care about Bree." The senior's eyes met her brother's hazel ones. She saw no sign of deception in them and she sighed.

"Thank you, Mark." Her brother patted her shoulder.

"If she's what makes you happy, don't worry about what pop thinks. You've already flouted all of his expectations anyways. Might as well go for broke." He said before following the rest of the family, leaving Aubrey to figure out how she wanted to pitch this idea to Beca.

Aubrey opened the door to her dorm room, seeing Beca sitting on Chloe's bed, chatting with the redhead who had obviously reappeared sometime in the hour or so the now graduate student had been gone. "Hey, Bree. How did it go?" Her girlfriend asked. Aubrey swallowed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Not that good huh?" Aubrey bit her lip, her eyes flicking to Chloe.

The redhead seemed to get the hint that she wanted to talk to Beca in private. "We'll talk later Beca. Remember what I said." The brunette nodded, leaving Aubrey somewhat curious what they were talking about but she had more pressing matters taking up her mind. The now sophomore patted the bed next to her. Aubrey sat down next to Beca.

"Now tell me. What's wrong?" Beca asked her girlfriend, a little concerned at her lack of enthusiasm.

"I… I don't know how to pitch this to you." Beca furrowed her brow.

"Just tell me." She prodded.

"So for some odd reason, my parents wanted me to meet them at the airport. I have half a mind to think that it was just a way to assert authority they knew I wouldn't ignore, over me or something. I don't know. But I thought complying easily would make your meeting tomorrow simpler." Beca nodded.

"So, what was so bad about it?" Aubrey ran a hand through her messy hair.

"My father has a business meeting tomorrow evening so they moved our family dinner tonight." Beca cocked her head to the side.

"I'm missing something here. That doesn't sound that awful." Aubrey pursed her lips.

"They expect you to be there." Beca frowned.

"They… what?" That was the last thing the sophomore expected her girlfriend to say.

"I don't know what their motive is, but they expect you to be my date to this dinner that was going to be extremely awkward as it was." Beca nodded slowly. "I.. you don't have to go if you don't want to. They'll be pissed at me of course, but…" Beca cut off her girlfriend's rambling.

"What should I wear?" Aubrey looked at her girlfriend incredulously.

"You… want to go?" She questioned and the brunette nodded.

"I was going to have to meet them anyways. Who cares if it's at the ceremony or at a restaurant." Aubrey laughed.

"You do realize that this is going to be a little more formal than our usual dates, right?" Beca nodded.

"Of course. Your dad doesn't seem like the type of person to do anything half-assed. Especially when the purpose is to scare away his daughter's girlfriend who he's already decided he's going to hate." Aubrey snorted.

"Dinner's at seven tonight. He booked us a table at Atlas." Beca raised an eyebrow.

"Upscale place. Though I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less." Aubrey nodded.

"Formal wear, maybe get Chloe to help?" Beca laughed.

"Thanks for the confidence in my ability to dress myself, Bree." Aubrey was about to open her mouth before Beca stopped her. "No, you're probably right. I'm not known for my impeccable fashion sense. And hey, the first impression is everything, right?"

"Yeah. But like I said, I wouldn't think any less of you if you wanted to back out…" Beca sighed.

"Bree, relax. I'm not going to let myself get intimidated by your family. I don't care if your parents disapprove of me. I love you and as long as you want me, I'm not going anywhere." She said, wrapping an arm around Aubrey's shoulder.

"Sometimes I don't know what I did to have a girlfriend as amazing as you," Beca smirked.

"I often think the same thing. But what matters is that we have each other." Aubrey nodded.

"But seriously, dress code? Because knowing Chloe it will take eight hours to get me ready and we'll end up being late." Beca joked. Aubrey laughed, pulling out her phone to text the redhead to come back.

She responded that she was grabbing a coffee and she'd be up in five. "We have five minutes before an overly excited redhead comes back and I don't think I've gotten my good morning kiss yet," Aubrey said cheekily. Beca smirked.

"Well, let's remedy that."

The two were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't hear the door open until Chloe cleared her throat, and the couple jumped apart. The redhead laughed.

"You two act like you just got caught committing a crime." The redhead teased. "But what was so urgent Bree?" The blonde explained the situation to the redhead. Chloe nodded here and there, shooting Beca a sympathetic look.

"Think you can do it Chlo?" The redhead scoffed.

"Of course I can. What do you take me for?" The redhead went over to her closet, thumbing through her clothes, pulling out a couple of dresses that she thought might fit the brunette. "C'mon Becs," She said, grabbing the sophomore's wrist, and pulling her out the door.

"I'll pick you up at six thirty babe," Aubrey shouted out the door after her girlfriend, shaking her head amusedly at her best friend. The blonde got up off the bed, glancing at the clock. It was still only eleven AM. Plenty of time to get ready, but still. She started going through her collection of dresses, looking for the perfect one.

"So, are you nervous?" Chloe asked as she forced Beca into another dress, this time, a strapless red one that ended mid-calf. Beca nodded.

"A little bit. I know I told Bree that I wanted to, but that doesn't stop me from being scared out of my mind of the harsh criticism I know I'm going to get." Beca admitted to the redhead. Chloe looked at the dress, before shaking her head, making Beca take it off.

"Her father is really the only one to watch out for. Her brothers are nice, if not a little competitive. Her sister will probably ignore you. And her mother is tactful enough to not go after you in a public place, in front of family." Beca rolled her eyes as Chloe handed her an asymmetrical white, sleeveless dress. The brunette stepped into the outfit, smoothing out the dress, allowing Chloe to get a better look.

"I like this one. I bet you that Bree is going to go for black too, so you'll contrast nicely." Beca raised an eyebrow. "She's my best friend Becs. I've known her for four years. I'm right, you'll see." Beca snorted.

"I'll take your word for it. So this one?" Beca looked herself over in the mirror. She admitted she liked the look of the dress on her. It had a cutout in the middle of the halter that wrapped around her neck, showing off some of her cleavage, but not enough to look scandalous. It was a warm summer day, so the lack of sleeves was attractive to the sophomore. The asymmetrical cut had the dress' long side hanging from her left side, almost down to her ankle, while it ended mid thigh on the right.

"Definitely. Hot enough to show off, but not too sexy that Mr. Posen will have a conniption." Beca rolled her eyes, but took off the dress, putting her shorts back on.

"So, any extra advice?" Beca asked she pulled her white v-neck back on. Chloe took Beca's dinner dress and hung it up in the sophomore's closet.

"Mr. and Mrs. Posen are probably going to grill you about everything. Your home life, your future plans, your ability to support Aubrey, and, of course, the fact that you're a girl isn't going to help with them either. Neither of them approve or support Aubrey's choice of partners. But there's nothing they can do about it. Trying to do anything about it would tarnish the image of the family. As it stands, they tend to just ignore Aubrey beyond paying for her schooling and the forced visits for Christmas." Beca couldn't help but feel horrible for the graduate student. She knew how much she wanted her parents to accept her, but as it stood, it didn't look like they ever would. She knew what that was like.

"Right. So, prepare for an interrogation?" Chloe nodded.

"Basically. They're going to put you on the hot seat and not let up all night most likely. This is probably the only chance they have to try to scare you away from their daughter. Or at least, show their disapproval and hope that Aubrey will snap out of whatever phase they think she's going through. I don't know really. She's been pretty consistent since she started college."

"Awesome. Sounds like I'm in for a great night." The brunette groaned. But she was doing this for her girlfriend. She knew if places were reversed, Aubrey would do the same for her.

"It's just one night Becs. You can do it. If you can fight with Bree all year and still end up together at the end, you can handle a night with her family." Beca took a deep breath.

"Yeah, you're right. It's just… intimidating. Walking basically into the lion's den." Chloe nodded.

"It'll be worth it, though." Beca smiled.

"Yeah, it will be."

Chloe and Beca took a short break to grab lunch on campus before getting Beca ready. Chloe had returned to her dorm room to grab a black belt to fasten under Beca's bust, to accent the dress. She also checked in with Aubrey who was doing some final paperwork for her internship in the fall. The blonde had indeed picked a black dress as the redhead had expected. Chloe told Aubrey that she had forced Beca into a white dress that looked absolutely gorgeous on the sophomore, but didn't tell her anything else, increasing Aubrey's anticipation of seeing her girlfriend.

The redhead knocked on Beca's door before just barging in. Beca was sitting at her computer, seemingly killing time by working on a mix. She turned to see Chloe holding up the belt. "Already?" The brunette looked at the clock. "I still have three hours!" The sophomore protested.

"And it'll take me at least that long to get you looking perfect, especially with how much you always complain." Beca rolled her eyes, grumbling. "It's for your own good Beca. The more put together you look, the less Mr. Posen will probably threaten you."

"Fine," She said, getting up from her chair. "What's first?"

"Makeup, then hair." Beca huffed, but complied, pulling out her makeup stuff from a drawer in her desk, putting it on the wooden surface. Chloe got started on Beca's face, chatting with the brunette as she sponged on her foundation. "What are you and Bree up to this summer?" She asked conversationally.

"After graduation, we're probably going to go back to Maine and stay with my mom for a month. Then I think she said she wanted to come visit you in Florida in the middle of July, end of July. Something like that." Chloe nodded.

"She did mention that. I hope you two do come visit for a while. Summer back home is sometimes lonely. Close your eyes for me." The senior said Beca complied, shutting her eyes so Chloe could work on her makeup.

"Well, when we're done in Maine, we'll come keep you company Chlo. Promise." The redhead grinned.

"We'll have a ton of fun. Trust me." She said cheekily. Beca snorted.

"I'm sure." Chloe spent an excessive amount of time of Beca's makeup, making sure that it was perfect. Not too much or too little eyeliner, blush that was in the right place, a dark eyeshadow that made Beca's royal blue eyes pop a little. She handed a mirror to the brunette to admire her work.

"Wow, Chlo. I'm impressed. You really pulled out the stops for this one." The redhead looked extremely proud of herself.

"So for hair, I was thinking to pull it all over to one side. You always manage to make that look hot." Beca blushed a little bit but nodded, trusting Chloe to put her all together. It didn't take as long to do Beca's hair. And she found her face all ready a good hour before Aubrey was supposed to pick her up.

Beca got up from her chair, pulling out the dress that Chloe had helped her pick earlier. "Black heels with this?" She asked the redhead. Chloe nodded.

"Of course." Beca nodded placing the dress on her bed before looking through the bottom of her closet for one of the three pairs of heels she owned. They weren't anything too fancy. Or tall. But they looked nice enough to pair with the dress and complimented the white very well. With her heels on, she added a couple of inches. Enough to, hopefully, at least, look her girlfriend in the eye.

She, carefully, stepped into her dress, fastening the halter around her neck. Chloe got up off the bed, grinning at her friend. "You really do look beautiful Becs." Beca smiled nervously. The redhead also held out a small box that she had grabbed from her dorm. "Here, wear these." Beca accepted the box from Chloe, opening it to see a really nice pair of silver and crystal earrings.

"Wow, Chloe. I.. Are you sure?" The redhead nodded eagerly.

"Of course," She said brightly. Beca smiled, pulling the redhead in for a one armed hug, careful not to mess up her own outfit or hair.

"Thanks, Chlo. You really are the best friend I've ever had." Chloe beamed to herself, wrapping her arms around Beca's waist.

"I just want you two to be happy," She said quietly into Beca's ear. Beca pulled back.

"And I'll love you forever for it. You've done so much for me over the last year. I don't know how I could ever repay you. You know, when you meet your soulmate, I will be there for you, right?" Chloe smiled, nodding.

"Of course. And trust me, when I meet them, you'll be the first to know." Beca grinned, before looking at the mirror hanging on the wall, taking out her own earrings and gently putting the one's Chloe lent her in.

"Aubrey's family is really going to get an eyeful of those tattoos of you," Chloe commented. The dress had a pretty low back, so both tattoos that were normally covered up a shirt were out in plain sight. Beca shrugged.

"Just another thing to disapprove of I guess," She said, checking her makeup again. Chloe really had done a great job. Beca also couldn't believe that she was looking at herself. But at the same time, she still looked exactly like herself. Just an enhanced version.

Chloe laughed a little bit. "Hate to break it to you Becs, but I think they're probably going to disapprove of most of you. But at least, they can't say you don't look super hot."

Aubrey finished the final touches on her makeup before stepping into the black dress she had chosen for the night. To say that she was nervous was an understatement. It wasn't that she was ashamed of Beca or afraid that Beca would be offended by her family. Because both of those things were a non-issue. She was just worried that dinner would be so awkward and maybe even offensive to her that she'd lose her temper with her father.

She put on a necklace and a pair of earrings, checking her makeup one last time. She just hoped that the night would go as smoothly as she could expect and then she and Beca could be free to live their own life. Somedays she wondered why she still let her parents have such an influence on her life. But then Beca's words came back to her.

I know your family is and will always be important to you.

Beca was right, in a sense. She could care less that her parents and sister didn't approve of her. Especially of things that she couldn't control. But growing up she did have a loving relationship with her parents, if not a little strict. Her father could be a cold man. That much was obvious. But he was a loving man with his family, even if his expectations were extremely high. As a kid, she thought that they were so high because he wanted them to be the best.

But when she had broken that reality, her father had stopped really treating her like family. And more like a client. Or even just an investment. All she wanted as a teenager was for her father to say he was proud of her. But when she had chosen business over law. Women over men, that dream had a snowball's chance in hell of coming true.

And now, despite this, she still loved her family. She wanted them desperately see what she did in Beca, but she knew, at least, her parents probably never would. They had always imagined her eventually marrying a clean cut, handsome Southern gentleman and raising a family. But that's not what she wanted out of life.

Aubrey sighed, pushing her thoughts aside. Tonight was going to be awkward, maybe even painful, but she was determined to make the most of it. She got to at least spend time with the woman she loved. And as long as Beca was around, she could weather any storm.

The blonde picked up her purse, grabbing her keys and locking the door to her dorm room, heading for her girlfriend's room.

Aubrey knocked, waiting for Beca to open the door. But instead, she was faced with her red-headed best friend, pushing her way out into the hall. "She's just grabbing her keys. Man Bree, I envy you tonight. She looks amazing." Aubrey raised an eyebrow, not doubting that Chloe had managed to do just that.

But when Beca emerged from her room into the hallway, Aubrey had to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. Chloe had not been joking. The asymmetrical white dress hugged Beca's upper body, revealing a sexy amount of skin. The heels that Beca had chosen put her at eye height with Aubrey, rather than chin height. Her makeup flawless done, Aubrey assumed by Chloe with the amount of eyeliner that Beca had on. Aubrey could almost feel her libido skyrocket as she stared, speechless at her girlfriend.

"Wow, Beca. You look amazing. Not that you don't all the time, but wow." Beca smirked.

"Well, you'd probably better keep in your pants for tonight. I don't know if your parents want to see the leering looks you have been known to give me." Aubrey blushed slightly.

"I can't help that my girlfriend is drop dead gorgeous." Beca smiled, placing a soft kiss on her girlfriend's lips.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Beca said, her eyes raking over her girlfriend's outfit. Aubrey had chosen to go conservative on the makeup, giving herself a fairly natural look, as well as having taken the time to straighten her hair, leaving it down. The black dress she had chosen had been a bit of a risk considering who she was having dinner with. But she had gone for it anyways. Like her brother said, if she was flouting her parents expectations, she might as well go all out.

The strapless black dress was tasteful in a slightly risque way. The way it was cut showed off Aubrey's cleavage though the graduate student's dress didn't show off as much skin as her girlfriend's did. It ended mid-thigh on her, and she paired the dress with a pair of shorter heels, not wanting to widen the gap between her and Beca's difference in height. Funnily enough, Aubrey's dress had a few white accents on it, pairing perfectly with Beca's white dress and black belt strapped right under her bust.

Chloe couldn't help but be proud of both her friends. Looking at them now, so wrapped up in each other and happy warmed Chloe's heart. And she only hoped that when she found her soulmate that she would be as happy as they were. The redhead subtly pulled her phone out again, snapping a picture of the unsuspecting couple.

"You two better stop eye fucking each other and get going. Otherwise, you're going to be late." Chloe said, amused at how lost the two were in each other. Aubrey nodded.

"She's right, probably wouldn't do to be late. And damn, I can't wait to show you off. My parents approving of you or not. They can't deny you are beautiful." Beca smiled gratefully, taking Aubrey's hand.

"Thanks, Bree. It's not too much?" She asked, Aubrey shaking her head.

"No, it's perfect."

Beca took a breath, stepping out of Aubrey's car in front of Atlas. She had given herself an internal pep talk in the silent car ride over, but even that probably wouldn't prepare her for the meeting they were going to have. Aubrey put her keys in her purse, before walking over to her girlfriend, placing a hand possessively around her waist. "Relax. After tonight, you don't have to do this again." And then Aubrey placed her lips closer to Beca's ear. "And I cannot wait to get you out of that dress tonight," She whispered.

Beca groaned. "That makes two of us," She said. "But stop saying things like that to me. I'm trying to get in the zone here." Aubrey kissed her girlfriend on the cheek before guiding them to the front entrance, entering the restaurant and approaching the podium.

"Reservations?" The waiter asked.

"Should be a reservation under Posen." The waiter searched the listings before nodding.

"Posen, party of seven. The rest of your party has already arrived. Please follow me." He said, beckoning them to follow him. The couple looked at each other before proceeding deeper into the restaurant before Aubrey spotted her family. They had kindly left two seats next to each other open so the couple to sit together.

Though when they reached the table, Aubrey's father stood. "So, you're the infamous Beca Mitchell." Beca nodded.

"Yes, sir. Guilty as charged." She said nervously, offering him her hand, which he shook. He seemed visibly surprised at Beca's firm grasp but didn't comment.

"Please sit." He gestured to the chair next to his, quite obviously directed at Beca. The sophomore gulped, shooting Aubrey a side glance as the blonde pulled the chair out for her girlfriend before sitting down next to her, Mark on her other side. Their waiter came by straight afterward, asking what they would all like to drink. Aubrey's father ordered the table a bottle of wine, though since Casey and Beca were both underage, they both opted for water instead.

"So Rebecca, how did you meet Aubrey?" The blonde's mom asked. Beca blinked.

"Actually, it's just Beca. And we met through the Bellas." The brunette corrected. She hated it when people called her Rebecca. "Chloe Beale approached me about auditions and I thought it would be a good opportunity to get involved," Beca said tactfully, leaving out some key details like how Chloe had approached her naked in the shower and how she had not been entirely happy about joining the Bellas. Aubrey's parents didn't need to know those things.

"And you are a freshman correct?" Aubrey father asked in a disapproving tone of voice. Beca cringed a little before nodding.

"Yes, sir. I just finished my freshman year, going into my sophomore year." Beca answered curtly.

"So you are what? 18? 19?" Mrs. Posen inquired.

"19. My birthday was in April." The sophomore replied. Casey scoffed.

"You're closer to me in age than my sister," She commented. Though before anyone else had a chance to speak, their waiter came by to take their orders. Everyone picked out what they were planning on eating, before handing their menus to the young waiter.

"So Beca, have you thought about a major yet?" Mark asked kindly. Aubrey shot her brother a grateful look. Anything to steer her judgemental father away from grilling her girlfriend. Beca took a sip of her water.

"I initially wanted to be a DJ, music is a passion of mine. But I'm thinking about pursuing a degree in marketing or management for a fallback. And even if I do go into music, business skills will definitely come in handy." She replied. She knew her future plans were going to come up at some point during the night, so she had made sure to have a satisfactory plan. At least for someone that was only 19.

"Right on," Mark said. Though Mr. Posen seemed to be pondering Beca's response. He took a sip of his wine before sitting back in his chair.

"Aubrey, I'm assuming you're still adamant about this idea of Barden's graduate program and this internship in Atlanta?" Aubrey gritted her teeth at her father's condescending tone of voice but responded affirmatively.

"Yes. I already have a place in the city signed. I just have to close the deal and move in August." She said shortly, also taking a drink from her wine glass. Her father sighed.

"If you must," He said. Adam, sensing the tension between his sister and their father, jumped in.

"So Bree, how'd you manage to snag a hottie like her? You've never pegged me as one to settle down." Aubrey glared at her older brother. Her two brothers were aware of her bedroom tendencies, though her parents did not. As far as they knew, she didn't engage in any such thing.

"It was not my initial plan, believe me," Aubrey said, thinking back to how Chloe had basically forced the two together before the blonde had been overwhelmed with feelings for the brunette. "But she was persistent, if not a little shy," Aubrey said happily. Everyone at the table could tell that Aubrey was completely smitten by the short brunette.

"You're telling me that she had to go after you?" Casey asked Beca in disbelief. "My sister is one of the most stuck up and stubborn people I've ever met. How did you manage to get her to do that?"

"Casey." Mrs. Posen scolded her youngest daughter as Aubrey glared at her sister. "I'm sorry about her dear. She's not usually this rude." rMrs. Posen said to Beca. Aubrey scoffed under her breath, but it was unnoticed by their mother.

"No, it's okay. I know I'm not what any of you expected for your daughter." Beca said, daring to glance at Aubrey's father, who seemed to at least agree with that statement, nodding slightly, more to himself than directed at anyone.

Their waiter suddenly appeared with their food however and that topic was left for another time. The party all dug into their dinner as general dinner chat commenced, allowing Beca a few minutes to breathe. Mark shared that he was being scouted for a promotion at the law firm he worked with, perhaps being assigned to a couple of high-profile cases, to which his father seemed extremely proud of.

Adam, on the other hand, was still working as a junior lawyer at their father's company though Mr. Posen commented that he was doing good work and hinted that he may be given additional responsibilities in the near future.

Casey was leading her debate team to state semifinals soon, which the teenager seemed extremely smug about. Beca got the feeling that Casey had basically replaced Aubrey as daddy's girl of the family.

And perhaps the most telling sign of the family dynamic was that Aubrey's accomplishments in life were not brought up much. Her father did comment on their ICCA win, though only in passing and not seeming to recognize it for the big deal that it really was. As Beca ate her food, she couldn't help but find herself wishing she could jump in and really show this family how much Aubrey had really accomplished in the last year. But she couldn't find the voice to do it.

The family had finished eating and they all sat around the table, continuing their after dinner talk. "So Beca, you never told us, what's your story?" Adam asked his sister's girlfriend. Aubrey had her arm lazily resting on the back of Beca's chair. She tensed a little bit, looking at the brunette trying to silently tell her she didn't have to answer that question if she didn't want to. The blonde knew family was a touchy subject for her still.

But Beca answered anyways. "I'm from Portland, Maine. My parents are separated though my dad teaches English at Barden. I grew up living with my mom during middle school and high school before moving here to go to college." She said truthfully.

"Your father is a professor?" Mr. Posen asked, to which Beca nodded.

"Yes, sir. He works full time at Barden though I don't see him too much. We don't have the best of relationships." Mr. Posen blinked, looking at Beca once over before nodding and going back to his wine.

"What about your mother?" Aubrey's mom asked. Aubrey wanted to strangle her family for digging so deeply into her girlfriend's personal life where her nose didn't belong. Beca noticed Aubrey's tenseness and placed her hand on the blonde's thigh in an attempt to calm her down.

"She didn't work much when I was younger because she didn't want to miss my childhood. And well, one of my parents needed to look after me. But when my father left, she started going to school for accounting and works with the local accounting firm in Portland." Beca said.

"That must not have been without challenges, growing up with a single parent." Aubrey was now grinding her teeth at her mother's inappropriateness. Beca squeezed her girlfriend's thigh, sensing Aubrey's unease turn into anger.

"Of course, it wasn't. There was a lot of adjusting during that time in my life. It's where I got really hooked on music. Where others in my position might turn to less desirable habits, I found my sanctuary in music. There were sacrifices on both our parts to make our home life work. But I love my mom and she loves me and I wouldn't have traded that for anything." Beca said curtly, effectively shutting Aubrey's mom down.

Mr. Posen suddenly stood up. "I'm going to grab a coffee at the bar, Beca, would you like to join me?" Though the way in which he said it let everyone at the table know that it wasn't a question. Beca swallowed, nodding. Aubrey gave her a little push to get up, giving her an apologetic look. Beca smiled at her girlfriend before walking off with her girlfriend's father.

Though the two had just barely gotten out of view of the table when Aubrey's father stopped and turned to face Beca. "Sir?" Beca asked nervously.

"I want to get one thing straight between us right now." Beca nodded, a little scared of what he was about to say. She dare not speak as she didn't trust her voice to not crack. "I do not and will never approve of my daughter's preference for women." Beca nodded once, knowing that to be the case.

"However, she is an adult and as much as I do not like it or this," He said, gesturing between Beca and in the direction of the table, "There is nothing I can effectively do to stop it. So let's get one thing clear right now. If you hurt my daughter, I will find a way to bring you down."

"I.." Beca stammered. She had thought of a whole speech should this conversation crop up during the evening, but right now her mind was drawing a blank.

"I may not approve of my daughter's life decisions at all and I think they are wrong for her. But she is still my daughter, my family." That statement lit a fire in Beca though.

"You've done a hell of a good job showing it then." Beca retorted. "Because she thinks you have basically kicked her from the family. The only reason I'm here at all is because I thought you deserved to meet me in person, rather than hear about our relationship and myself from a second or third party. She was willing to take the brunt of your anger should I have not wanted to show. But I wanted to, at least, give you that much respect."

"What makes you think that…" Aubrey's father started, but Beca wasn't finished.

"Your daughter is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. She is intelligent, driven, loyal and extremely beautiful. If you can't get over yourself and your messed up expectations and the mold that you thought she would fit into, then you don't deserve to have that amazing woman in your life." Beca fired back. Though her tongue was running away with her, she meant every word.

Mr. Posen stopped for a second, giving Beca a once over. And suddenly Beca's outburst and the fire died down and she was scared shitless of what the male was going to say to her next.

"You've got fire kid. I'll give you that." He said clapping Beca on the shoulder. "I can respect someone who is direct. To the point. I still don't approve of you. But maybe you're not all bad." He chuckled a little. "You might not approve of my parenting or vision for my children, but all I've ever wanted is what I think is best for my kids. You do not fit into that vision. But Aubrey had always been more headstrong than her siblings. I suppose she gets that from me. And as I said, I cannot make her choices for her. I can see enough that you made my daughter happy. So for your sake, don't fuck that up. Because I will destroy you." He threatened. Beca gulped, nodding. Not exactly sure what had just happened.

The two then proceeded to the bar to grab a coffee together like nothing had happened. Beca, herself was still processing what had just happened. She took a drink of the liquid in front of her. "So, I hear that you're a pretty big deal in a cappella." Beca was surprised at the small talk Aubrey's father offered her, but she took it.

"I just put together our last setlist. We needed a new sound. I just helped move it along. Aubrey and Chloe did most of the actual work throughout the year." Beca said with a shrug.

"Modesty. An admirable trait."

"It's the truth, sir."

"Steven. You can call me Steven." Beca raised an eyebrow but nodded.

The two returned to the table and took their seats. Aubrey gave Beca a concerned look, but the brunette returned the look with one that said We'll talk later. Aubrey's father pulled out his card and gave it to their waiter to pay. Beca figured there was no point trying to get him to have her pay for her own, so she didn't even try.

"Well, congratulations on your graduation Aubrey. I think it's time we all head back." Steven Posen said. "I'll see you at your ceremony tomorrow." Aubrey nodded, relieved that their painfully awkward dinner was over.

"It was nice meeting you Beca. I assume I will see you tomorrow as well." Aubrey was surprised at the pleasant tone her father addressed her girlfriend but Beca didn't seem shaken by it, simply nodding. "Good," He said as the waiter brought back his card. Aubrey's father thanked him. leaving a nice tip on the table before getting up.

"C'mon Casey let's go," He said, beckoning his wife and his youngest daughter to follow him.

"It was nice meeting you Beca." Aubrey's mom said politely, but it didn't reach her eyes. Beca just nodded.

"Likewise." Casey just passed Beca without a word. The brunette wasn't offended, more amused than anything. That left Aubrey, Beca, Mark, and Adam.

"I'm happy for you sis. She seems like a keeper." Mark said, hugging Aubrey. The blonde nodded.

"She is," Aubrey said, stepping back, wrapping her arm around Beca's waist again.

"Take care of my sister. Or you'll be in for a world of hurt." Mark jokingly threatened though he seemed to know that Beca was also entirely devoted to her girlfriend.

"I know I will. And don't worry." Beca said with a grin. Mark nodded before leaving as well, leaving Adam to say goodbye to the couple.

"Does she make you happy?" Adam looked Beca over a couple of times. Out of everyone at the table that night. Adam had stayed silent most of the night. Aubrey nodded.

"Very." Her brother curtly nodded, turning to Beca.

"Understand that my sister is a very picky person." Aubrey scoffed. "If she's picked you, you're special. Don't mess that up."

"I don't intend to." Adam also stiffly nodded before taking his leave. The couple followed him out, Aubrey still with a possessive arm around Beca's waist. When they reached the blonde's car, Aubrey looked around to see if anyone was watching, which no one was, so she pressed her girlfriend up against the car, kissing her hard.

"God, I'm so glad that is over," Aubrey said. Beca laughed.

"I know. I could feel your stress levels rising. I'm surprised you didn't have to choke it down." She said cheekily. Aubrey just rolled her eyes, resting her forehead against Beca's.

"As curious as I am as to what you and my father talked about, watching you hold your own against my family all night was extremely sexy and we need to get to Barden so I can show you how sexy it was." Beca's pupils dilated at the thoughts.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We can talk in the morning."

A/N: Uhm. It's long. 7.5k words long. But I thought that since I haven't been very regular with updates lately, I should treat you guys to a longer chapter. This wasn't obviously the direction I had initially planned, but I actually like this better than what I had in mind previously.

Meeting at graduation could have been an interesting dynamic, but I couldn't resist the chance to dress Beca up nicely and have her confront Aubrey's dad in a more intimate setting. So, I don't want to go too deeply into the relationship between Steven Posen and Beca Mitchell, but I will say that there is no love between them. There is a mutual respect that they both think they know what is best for Aubrey. And while they think the other is completely wrong, their ultimate goal is the same.

Casey is just a brat. Mark is the personable older brother and Adam is the over-protective older brother. And Aubrey's mom is just nosey.

There were a couple of questions in regards to things that we might see before the end and I want to first off say that this story was not outlined as well as it should have been. I had a rough skeleton when I started but a lot of this was written off the top of my head, in completely different directions and therefore things that should have been addressed in an outline, simply were not. And because of this, there will be some loose ends that won't get tied up before the end.

Beca's relationship with her dad was one of those things. I have obviously throughout the story brought him up once or twice, but he was probably never explained as well as he should have been. An oversight on my part. I may do a little bit with him at the end, but in terms of developing anything, that's probably a no.

And another thing was the subject of Chloe's soulmate. Initially I had not planned for Chloe to believe in them. I had originally written her to be accepting of the idea, but not have pre-knowledge about it. Something now that I regret not outlining that way in the first place. I didn't anticipate so many people wanting to see Chloe meet her soulmate. And perhaps if/when I write a sequel we'll see that. And that relationship would probably be the more conventional soulmate, love at first sight thing, rather than this slow burn of a relationship Beca and Aubrey have had.

Anyways, I keep saying it's almost over. And then I drag it out. I promise next chapter is graduation. Then we'll see if I write another one after that. I don't know. Maybe. Anyways, thank you all for the support and positive feedback. Mistakes are mine, probably more than normal due to the length. And leave a review if you'd like. Thanks!

A Charmed Vampire