A/N: TW Mental/emotional/physical abuse

Walking into the house, Beca was met with a delicious smell. She couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her lips as she sat on the bench by the door and took her shoes off. Aubrey had told her she was making her favorite dinner, but part of her assumed that something would happen between that text message and Beca actually arriving home.

She stood up, taking a breath and walked through the foyer and the main hall towards the kitchen.

"Bree?" She called softly as she neared the well-lit room.

She smiled again, seeing Aubrey standing with her back to her as she worked on something at the stove. She was wearing one of her aprons that Beca had always thought were adorable. The woman turned around and greeted her with a smile.

She knew that smile well. It was the one that she had grown used to over the last four years. The one that had only recently been replaced with the disgusted scowl that told her she had done something to upset her Wife.

She could almost forget that things had changed so drastically when Aubrey looked at her like this. If it weren't from the slight pain in her arm, from the kick Aubrey had given her, reminding her that she was indeed in an abusive marriage and she had no one to blame but herself. She should have left. But, she couldn't. Aubrey did love her. She couldn't help that her father is the way he is. He was the only parent she was really close to, as her mom had distanced herself from her children when she divorced their dad.

Her Wife was stressed, and was doing the best she could. She was loving her the best way she knew how. She was following the example that was set before her as a little girl. The one she was used too. The one John Posen made sure she carried on.

"Hello, my love. How was the label?" She asked, breaking Beca from her thoughts.

She walked around the island, feeling like it was okay to do so and planted a soft kiss on Aubrey's cheek. Aubrey smiled, reaching up and placing her hand on Becas jaw, pulling her in for a real kiss. When they pulled apart, Aubrey stepped back over to the stove.

"It was good. Kate had already left for the day, she is neck deep in preparations for the transfer of power, as she calls it." She chuckled as she grabbed a wine glass and set it down, picking up the wine bottle Aubrey had already opened and poured herself a glass. The sound alerted Aubrey and she flipped around as Beca was lifting the glass to her lips.

"Beca, stop." She said reaching out and snatching the glass.

Beca froze as she set it on the counter and took a deep breath. "You can't be drinking, love. You were just inseminated today." She said and Beca let out a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Habit, I guess."

Aubrey picked up the glass. "Well, we can't pour it back into the bottle, so I suppose I'll have to drink it." She said taking a sip before turning back to the stove.

Beca watched her, feeling her body relax. She hadn't noticed how tightly she had tensed the moment Aubrey turned around.

"It smells amazing, I'm just going to go change and wash up." She said walking around the center island and toward the stairs.

"Don't be long," Aubrey called as she made her way up. "It will be ready shortly."

"Yes, love." She called back and continued up the stairs.

She washed her face, ridding it of the days make up. Then, put her hair up in a loose ponytail and changed into some comfortable pajama pants and a t-shirt. She wanted to shower, but didn't want to keep Aubrey waiting so she decided she would do that in the morning.

Aubrey had turned on music while she was upstairs and the soft instrumentals drifted through the house, making her relax further as she descended the stairs and made her way back into the kitchen.

Aubrey was just carrying two plates of food into the dining room when she appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, good you're back, will you please grab my glass and a drink for yourself?" She asked as she passed her and walked into the dining room.

"Of course." Beca smiled and did as she was asked before joining Aubrey at the table.

They had a nice dinner, Beca thanking her multiple times for taking time out of her evening to make her favorite meal. They talked a little about what the rest of the week looked like for the both of them, Beca not mentioning Chloe's visit that Friday. Aubrey was working on a case and would be home late for the next couple of days. That was perfect, as it would give Beca a chance to pick Chloe up from the airport and bring her home. Aubrey congratulated her again on her promotion, and told her how proud she was of her.

Aubrey's mood seemed more stable than it had in a while and she wanted to ask her how she was feeling about everything that had been happening. Though she didn't want to upset her seemingly happy Wife and Aubrey seemed happy enough to not talk about it. They spent the rest of the evening watching a movie before both retiring to their room to read a little before bed.

Beca kissed her goodnight before rolling over and getting comfortable, with her back to Aubrey. Seconds later, she felt the bed dip behind her and Aubrey wrapped her arm around her waist, nuzzling her face into Becas neck and pulling her close.

She was truly acting as if the last nearly three weeks hadn't consisted of horrible, degrading fights and ended with Beca bruised and bleeding. The way she had behaved this night, was making Beca question her own sanity. Why was she suddenly being so kind? So, loving?

Was it because she had just had some kind of mental break and that is why she lashed out and hit her Wife? Was she getting better and maybe she didn't remember doing it? Or, was she pleased with Beca going along with her father's demands and getting inseminated? Was she treating her well, because she had done what she was told?

These were the thoughts she fell asleep too. Her sleep was disturbed however, and she woke up every hour or so, drenched in sweat. Aubrey sleeping soundly beside her. She had let her go at some point and rolled over to her own side of the large king-sized bed. Beca's breathing was labored as she stared at her wife a few feet from her. The nightmare she had just woken up from still fresh in her mind. She could still feel the searing pain of Aubrey's angry fists hitting her over and over. She rolled away from her, and looked to see it was nearly 6 am.

Knowing she wasn't going to get anymore sleep, she quietly got up and got a change of clothes before leaving the room and heading to the upstairs guest bathroom, for a shower. She knew Aubrey would be waking up in the next few minutes and liked to shower before work. She wouldn't be happy to find Beca in their shower that early, and she wasn't about to make her nightmare a reality.

XXXXXX

It was Thursday and Beca was just getting ready to leave the label and go home. This time not needing to have a car take her, as she drove her own car that morning. Wednesday had gone just as well at home, as Tuesday did. Aubrey seemed to be back to her normal self. Sweet, loving, and gentle. Beca was still confused, and her bruises had fully healed, so she was doing her best to just put it behind her. But she couldn't help the gnawing feeling that it wasn't over. That what she was feeling, was a false sense of security.

She hadn't heard from Aubrey since that morning, when she informed her that it was the last day of her case. The client she had been representing had been in court all week and today the verdict would be read. She was nervous, but confident in her work.

So, when Beca arrived home and found Aubrey sitting on the front porch, still in her pantsuit, without shoes, and a drink in her hand, she felt her stomach turn.

She parked her car, and walked up the front steps, approaching her carefully.

"Hey, love, are you okay?" She asked gently as she knelt in front of her.

"I lost." She mumbled taking a drink out of the glass she was holding. Beca could smell the vodka on her breath with just those two words and felt the fear creep up her spine. How much had she had to drink already?

"I'm sorry, love." She didn't know what else to say. She didn't lose often, but even when she did, she usually took it fairly well. She never turned to hard liquor.

Two bloodshot eyes lifted and locked onto Becas.

"Why do you look like that?" Aubrey asked, her words low and slurring.
"Like what?" She blinked, trying to subtly fix whatever expression she had been wearing.

"Scared. Like a lost puppy." Aubrey said pushing up out of the chair and Beca had to stand quickly to get out of her way.

"I don't know, love, it wasn't intentional." She said following her into the house.

"It's your fault you know." Aubrey said as the reached the bar that was on the far wall in the living room.

"What is?"

She looked up at her as she refilled her glass then topped it with a splash of cranberry juice.

"I was thinking about you, and not the case. I was thinking about the last few weeks. How our dynamic had changed. How you suddenly became so fucking pathetic." She said taking a drink and then pointing at her as she walked toward her.

She felt sick. She knew the last couple of days wouldn't last. She knew something wasn't right. Aubrey had been right though; their dynamic had changed.

She backed up until she hit the back of one of the couches and Aubrey stopped a couple of feet from her.

"I was thinking about, how there is no way you're going to be able to run that label. You are going to be the downfall of it. Just like you are the downfall in everything else you do."

Beca looked down, feeling her eyes begin to burn with tears. Why was she doing this?

"Aubrey, I think I should go. You're clearly upset and I seem to be the reason for it, so-"She said softly as she tried to move away from the blonde.

"You're not gong anywhere. You cost me my case today!" She yelled and Beca flinched hard, closing her eyes, waiting for the hit to come. When it didn't, she looked up at Aubrey, her tears falling.

"Do you know how much money I lost today?"

She shook her head, trying not to let anymore tears fall. Aubrey took another drink.

"A lot. More than you could only dream of making as a lousy music producer." She knew just what to say to replace a physical punch with a mental one.

"Aubrey, please, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I caused you stress and made you lose your case. I'm really sorry." She was shaking and it came through in her voice.

She was inching to the side, trying to get on the other side of the couch. She was so close, nearly to the end, then she just had to round the end table to put the furniture between herself and her seething, inebriated wife.

"You should be sorry. For everything. You are a sorry excuse for a Wife. You bring nothing to this relationship but stress and misery." Aubrey snapped. "I don't know why I even married you. I was always too good for you."

"I know." Beca said trough tears. These were the fears she had opened up to Aubrey about before they got married. Things she told her, that Aubrey comforted her over. She was using her own insecurities against her now.

"Please, Bree, let me go. I can leave, and you won't have to worry about losing a case because of me again."

"Shut up! Always a pity party with you!" She screamed and Beca moved the last few feet to try and get away from her.

Aubrey reached out though and grabbed her arm, yanking her back.

"No, please, Aubrey, please?" She cried as the older woman finished her drink and smashed it on the ground before grabbing her other arm and holding her close to her face.

"Marrying you was a fucking mistake; you ruined my life!" She yelled, shaking her hard.

"Stop! Please, please let go?"

She held her tighter and took a breath through her nose, Becas eyes grew as she balled her fist and pulled it back.

"No, stop! Chloe is coming to visit!" She yelled reaching up and trying to block her face, realizing that if Aubrey punched her, she wouldn't be ablet to cover the fresh bruise. There would be no hiding it.

Aubrey stopped. "Excuse me?" She demanded letting her go.

"It was supposed to be a surprise, she gets here tomorrow, I'm sorry, she told me she wanted to surprise you." She cried.

"Goddamn it Beca!" She growled and shoved her hard, causing her to fall over the end table, shattering the glass top.

She instantly curled up, afraid she might be kicked again, when she felt something hot on her hand. Aubrey wasn't coming at her, and she looked up to see the blonde looking at her in horror. She looked down, to see the blood staining the white carpet.

Her hand had gone through the glass top of the end table, and her palm was split open. It was deep, and she couldn't feel the pain yet, just the warmth of the blood.

She looked back up at Aubrey in desperation. "Bree?" She cried and Aubrey was instantly pulling her off the floor and rushing her to the kitchen. She yanked a hand towel off its hook and wrapped it tightly around her hand.

"Call for a car." She spoke.

"What?" Beca asked in confusion as the pain started to set in.

"I'm drunk I can't drive and that is your left hand, you can't either. Call a car to take us to the hospital!"

She nodded quickly and carefully maneuvered her phone out of her pocket with her other hand and called for a car.

XXXXXX

Four hours later they were walking back into the house. Thirteen stitches and the possibility of nerve damage, was the result of Aubrey's shove.

Aubrey had sobered up, and had the decency to look ashamed. Beca hardly spoke. The story was, they were playfully chasing each other through the house, when she tripped over the dog and smashed the table with her hand. They didn't have a dog. And she knew that the doctor didn't buy it, especially with Aubrey being visibly intoxicated.

Chloe would be there in less than twenty-four hours. Now, she wished it were just a black eye she would have to cover up. Her hand would be a lot harder to hide.

Aubrey walked up the stairs, not looking back as Beca dropped down next to the shattered table and began cleaning up the glass. Wondering, how she was going to get the blood stain out of the carpet.

A/N: Please review?