A/N: 16/06/17: A real life Pitch Perfect 3 update from Universal and a new chapter from me? Say whaaaat?
Happy Friday everyone!

Epilogue XVI - Aubrey

The Lodge of Fallen Leaves was a bright retreat that lay in the depths of the Georgia countryside. Surrounded by trees and nature, a cluster of plush log cabins lay towards the back of the land allocated to the staff that worked at the retreat. And the largest of those log cabins belonged to the owner and manager of the successful complex, Aubrey Posen.

The environment around the cabin was silent, save for the birds that were singing their early morning song, and the sunrise began drifting through the windows, blocked by the thick blinds. The twenty eight year old stirred in her sleep, taking in a deep intake of breath and holding it as she heard her phone beginning to ring. She exhaled loudly, reaching out to her bedside table to pick up the device.

Aubrey let out a little groan as she blinked at the screen and saw Chloe's name flash up. Her heart sank. It was 5am and she'd not had a drunk call from Chloe at this time in the morning for a very long time. Not since Chloe had been in her final year of college and called Aubrey on occasion after a house party, drunk and upset about how much she loved Beca and how unfair it was that Beca didn't seem to feel the same way. She'd not had a call like that in several years and Aubrey wondered if Chloe and Beca had had a falling out.

"Chloe?" Aubrey mumbled drowsily as she answered her phone, sitting up slowly. She could hear heavy breathing coming from the other end of the line and the blonde furrowed her brow.

"Aubrey…hey!" Chloe breathed merrily down the phone.

"Chloe what…what's going on?"

"Huh? Oh…I just…had to go for a run…to de-stress…"

"De-stress?" Aubrey heard Chloe stop running, breathing deeply, and the blonde let out a yawn as she waited for her best friend to elaborate.

"So...later today," Chloe explained, her breathing steadying with each word, "I'm meeting Beca's Dad and Step-Mom for the first time…And I'm really nervous."

Aubrey looked to her right, "You've met Beca's Dad before though?" Aubrey said in a low voice. They all had met Beca's Dad before. In fact she didn't think he'd been quite as bad as Beca always seemed to make out.

"Yeah but not since Beca and I got together. Bree, he really doesn't like me."

Aubrey stifled a yawn before ribbing her eye with the palm of her hand, "How do you know he doesn't like you?"

"If he liked me, he would be happy for Beca that she and I were together." The woman had a point. When Aubrey had met up with Chloe in the new year she had been surprised to find out that Beca's Dad had reacted pretty badly to the news. Apparently it hadn't seemed to affect Beca so much, but it had really affected Chloe. Chloe who had come from a warm loving family, who cared for each other deeply, and never wanted to see each other unhappy. The redhead had struggled to understand why Beca's Dad had reacted so badly.

"He's still not apologised for Christmas huh?"

"Not exactly. If it wasn't for Sheila sending Beca a message on Facebook we would've never known they were coming up to the city for the week."

"Are they staying at yours?"

"God no!" Chloe said quickly, a horrified tone to her voice, "No, Beca's Dad wants to see the state of the apartment and Beca said they could pop round for a coffee. I just…ugh I really want him to like me!" Aubrey knew her best friend well and she knew that Chloe wanted everyone to like her. She knew that the redhead hated it if she sensed or knew that someone didn't like her, and she'd go out of her way to make them like her. But Beca's father was going to be a tough cookie to crack, even for the loveliest person on the planet. "Beca may not have seen him in three months but he's still her family." Aubrey pushed back her bedcovers, quietly sliding across to the edge of her large bed, bringing her legs over the side, keeping her voice low.

"Well, Chloe you make Beca really happy. Only an idiot could miss that. So I wouldn't feel nervous. Beca loves you. You love her. And that's all that matters right?"

"Yeah…right…thanks Bree. And thanks so much for answering! I figured you'd be awake, what with the retreat and everything."

Aubrey swallowed loudly. Normally she would be awake at this time. Normally she'd be up and showered and sipping her first green tea of the day by now. But Aubrey turned to look over her shoulder at the figure that lay serenely on the other side of her bed.

It had been almost eight months since Aubrey and Staci'd had a fling in Europe. Since leaving Prague neither woman had really messaged each other. They hadn't Facetime'd. But Staci had found herself conveniently checking into the retreat to 'use the spa facilities' every three to four weeks when she wasn't required to work on some photo shoot, or go to perform at some fashion show somewhere in the world.

For many of Aubrey's colleagues, Aubrey having a friend stay at her lodge didn't seem like an unusual assumption. Even if it was the same friend. What they didn't know was that the two women were essentially still having a fling. Four-day flings every three to four weeks. Aubrey would run the retreat during the day while Staci did use the spa facilities. Then come the evenings they curled up with wine and movies and sex.

"So how are things?" Chloe asked down the phone, just as Staci began to stir in the bed beside Aubrey. The blonde swallowed loudly again as the tall brunette gently sat up slightly, looking over at her, wondering why she was on the phone. "Are you seeing anyone?" Chloe's voice rang out of the phone loud and clear and Aubrey noticed a mischievous grin appear on Staci's face.

"Um…" Aubrey hesitated, watching as the tall brunette began slowly crawling towards her on the bed.

"Oh my God you are! Okay, spill…" Chloe demanded enthusiastically, but Aubrey was speechless as Staci arrived behind her, placing a long soft kiss on her left shoulder blade. "What's his name? How did you meet?"

Aubrey swallowed again as she felt Staci's lips trailing soft silent kisses from her shoulder blade up to the side of her neck, and she closed her eyes, bringing a hand to her forehead. "It's nothing. There's nothing to tell. Early days..." she said hastily as Staci's breath sent goosebumps racing over her body from her neck down to her fingertips, "I...have to go start work, but good luck today Chlo and let me know how everything goes!"

Aubrey had never spoken so quickly in her life. And she most certainly had never hung up on Chloe so abruptly. But this time she had, and with a sigh she ended the call and placed her phone on the bedside table as Staci let out a chuckle.

"It's nothing huh?" She heard Staci ask with a grin and Aubrey turned to look at her again, the woman in her bed putting her chin on her shoulder, "Do you have to go to work today?" Staci asked in a disappointed tone and Aubrey felt her stomach lurch. She didn't want to go to work today. Of course she didn't. Not while the beautiful brunette sat in her bed with nothing more than an oversized t-shirt that Staci left at Aubrey's during the weeks that she worked away. Aubrey never told Staci that she wore it overnight while she was away, but Staci knew. It smelt of Aubrey's 'Nivea Passion Fruit Body Butter' each time she wore it when she returned to the retreat – the body butter that the blonde moisturised her skin with each night.

"You say that every morning we wake up together" Aubrey said with a smile, loving the feel of Staci's breath on her neck as the brunette began gently kissing her skin, "and every time I tell you yes, because I actually run this place…

"And you run it very well I might add." Staci mumbled while her fingers traced delicately down the skin of Aubrey's left arm.

"Thank you" she replied, sitting up straight, proudly. The movement caused Staci to sit back from Aubrey's neck as the blonde looked at the woman with her eyebrows raised, "but that's because I don't pull a sicky whenever my friend conveniently flies in for a few days from wherever she's been in the world, every few weeks or so…"

"Just your friend huh?" Staci said with a wink and an affectionate poke with her finger into the woman's side, moving away from Aubrey and laying back on the bed with a gentle sigh. Aubrey adjusted her position so her body was turned more towards the brunette, replaying her words in her head. Did Staci want to be more than just friends?

Aubrey was normally someone who knew what she wanted and held herself with enough air, grace and confidence to get it. But Staci revealed a side of Aubrey that even the blonde hadn't known existed. She was far quieter around Staci. Timid even. And that was probably due to the younger woman's confidence when it came to sex and affection. But it was also because Aubrey felt as though she had the weight of her strict family on her shoulders. If her father was ever to find out that she was having something with another woman, he'd likely disown her. She loved and respected her father so couldn't imagine her life without him and her mother in it. She was coy about broaching the subject of her and Staci becoming serious because she would eventually have to tell her family.

The thing was over the past few months she couldn't help but think how perfect her life had been going. Her retreat was in its fourth year and was going from strength to strength. She still stayed in touch with The Bella's who she'd once feared she'd lose touch with. And one of those Bella's laid before her right now, and was fast becoming someone that Aubrey was falling for. So the concept of becoming more serious with her didn't seem so terrifying. After all, it seemed to be working well enough for Chloe and Beca.

"Do you…want to be more than friends?" Aubrey risked asking, peering at Staci intently as the brunette stared up at the ceiling, biting her bottom lip in deep thought, and silence fell in the room so the older woman continued, "Because…I'd be lying if I didn't say I missed you whenever we're apart…" Aubrey's heart began racing as Staci turned to look at her, a coy smile growing on her face.

"And I'd be lying if I said that I actually can't stop thinking about you whenever we're apart. Like, ever." Staci said quietly, sitting up in Aubrey's bed, taking a deep breath before continuing, "And there's nobody I want to be with but you. Because I've kinda fallen for you, Aubrey Posen. Hard."

Aubrey couldn't help the smile that beamed from her face as she watched Staci bite her bottom lip again, evidently nervous and excited about where this conversation was leading. Because it had been eight months. And they had been exclusive. Even if they hadn't talked about it.

"I feel the same way about you" She admitted softly, and her heart soared as she saw a grin spread across Staci's face. Another silence fell over the room as the two women stared at each other, smiling, their chests rising and falling noticeably.

"I hate that we don't talk much when I'm away" Staci added.

"I hate that too!" Aubrey gushed, hardly able to believe that Staci was essentially reading her mind, "I figured you didn't want to talk to me."

"I figured you didn't want to talk to me!"

The two women giggled, excited that they were both on the same page. That this thing that had just started as a fling. A spur of the moment, one-off, 'what-stays-on-tour' type fling had blossomed into a…relationship?

"So…are we doing this then?" Aubrey asked quietly.

"Uhuh" Staci said with a soft grin.

"Like…exclusively?"

"Exclusively" Staci said confidently.

"You don't just have to say that because I'm sat right here you know." Aubrey couldn't help her slight reservation. Staci was a model, and a hot one at that. She was gaining more recognition the further the months went on. She was attending film premiers. Having photo shoots with gorgeous men who she draped over. Lavish, messy after-show parties that she was photographed at by the paparazzi. It was far from the world that Aubrey lived in. And suddenly the blonde felt insecure, "I get if you don't want to commit to anything. You're away so much and meeting so many handsome men and gorgeous women. If you want to keep things the way they are between us I ge-"

"Aubrey!" Staci interrupted, her expression being that of a woman who couldn't believe what she was hearing, "They don't matter. Nobody else matters. It's you I want to be with. I want to be your girlfriend."

Aubrey felt her heart soar as the brunette's green eyes shone at her in excitement and all of a sudden she felt a surge of tingling energy. She said nothing more and instead threw herself at Staci, wrapping her arms around the brunette's neck, kissing her hard as Staci pulled her back onto the bed and on top of her body.

Aubrey conceded. She was going to have to skip her morning green tea.

Well who'd have thought I'd end up writing more epilogues than chapters when I'd posted chapter 15 yonks ago!

And what are the chances that the Pitch Perfect lot just posted that Pitch Perfect 3 Behind The Scenes/Wrap video with new peeks from PP3! Hope you've all had a chance to watch it and if not then get over to YouTube as you'll catch a lovely couple of BeChloe hugs :D

The next chapter I've been dying to write since I decided to thread a tiny drop of Staubrey into this story about 18 chapters ago. So I'm really excited that it'll be my next thing to write!

And, as always, thank you for the quick reviews. You guys are awesome! I'm having a crazy busy week as a grown up with deadlines and finals so I'm sorry it's been a few days since I updated!

lincky13 - hey there and thank you so much for your review! I love that you love this story and I'm pleased you're liking the evolution of the characters and their respective relationships :)

skyeze's.10 - I knoooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww!

Laurathechef - Thank you. Yes a dog is a must for them, especially after Beca had originally said no. It'll be another big step for them. As for starting a family, well you'll have to wait and see ;)

LightningShades - Dude, I see you and thank you for your review on Chapter 1 that you just posted a couple of days ago! Hope you've enjoyed the story so far and dont think that I'm rude because you've had to read 29 chapters to see my response here haha!

GanHer - haha! Sure, chapters can be classed as adorable. Why not eh :)

sulpicia29 - Wow thank you so much for the review. I'm so pleased you like it and that you like the way the relationship between B and C is written! Thank you for leaving such a long review :)

laco0417 - HEY! Welcome baaack! I'm so pleased you love Chloe's family. I do too! Hope you enjoyed this Aubrey & Staci update.. just you wait until the next one when someone finds out about them!

(And for those who are eagerly awaiting the 'M' rated version of this fic, I actually get really cringey when writing M rated stuff so you'll have to wait a while for me to actually get it written! I can't really write more than two sentences before giggling and closing my word processor off!)

xx