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Chapter Eight: Pt. II

The eighth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:

"I WANNA TRANSFORMER FOR CHRISTMAS!"

(Charities

And what'd'ya mean YOUR in-laws?!

Five months of bills!

Oh, making out these cards

Honey, get me a beer, huh?

What, we have no extension cords?!

And finding a Christmas tree)

It doesn't make a lot of sense when Beca thinks about it (like really thinks about it) why Chloe gets a never ending pass while Aubrey and herself never get a break. It's not like the world doesn't give them a break; they just don't give each other a break. You know what, maybe Beca does make Aubrey out as crueler than she actually is – but Aubrey makes her out to be stupider than she actually is. In the end, it's just every little thing constantly being blown way out of proportion. And fuck Stacie for making this all she can think about while she wraps gifts. Gift wrapping should not require her to be so introspective. Life would probably be a whole lot easier if she really was as reckless and dumb as she is in Aubrey's mind.

Beca finishes taping the two gifts she bought. She wishes they could just get this whole secret Santa thing over with already so she can stop internally panicking over whether or not Chloe is going to like the gift she bought for her. She kind of wants to blame Aubrey for putting the idea in her head if Chloe's doesn't like it – and that's the problem right there.

She should probably apologize for being a dick the car – and give Chloe's sweatshirt back.

Sighing, she climbs off her bed and places the gifts on her desk then ventures out into the hallway toward Chloe's room. The door is slightly ajar, and she's about to just push it open when the realization that they're talking stops her.

"I should have said something so you didn't have to talk about it," Chloe says, "I'm sorry, Aubrey."

"It's fine." It definitely doesn't sound fine. "I've accepted it. And I get to spend Christmas here, so…" Aubrey sniffles – and not the allergic to pine trees kind of sniffling.

"Are you okay?" Chloe asks.

"I'm fine," Aubrey clips, "I just…I thought we were all finally going to spend a Christmas together this year. It was a stupid thought."

"It wasn't stupid. You still have me to spend Christmas with," Chloe says, "And Beca. Mostly me. You know, maybe if you tried to be nicer to Beca…"

"Why?" Aubrey asks, "You think that's going to make Beca be nicer to me?"

Chloe doesn't answer – and that says enough.

…Beca can be nice. Sure, maybe she hasn't made much of an effort, but she's not incapable. Aubrey just makes it so damn difficult. She'll show both of them though. She will be nice. She'll be so nice to Aubrey that Aubrey won't know what to do. And lucky for her, she already got a head start while gift shopping.

xxxxx

"Bec, are you coming?" Chloe calls up the stairs again, "We're about to start exchanging gifts!"

Beca leans her head against her door and closes her eyes. "Be there in a second, Chlo!" Just after she convinces herself to leave her room and subject herself to the public humiliation about to come.

"Beca!" Chloe calls again.

"Dude, I'm coming!" Beca grabs one of the gifts off her desk, "I'm coming…" She just needs to own the next few minutes and then they'll all be focused on their gifts.

xxxxx

The Bellas are all seated in a circle in the living room – which actually looks decorated nicely now that the tree is no longer hanging from the ceiling. She's kind of iffy about all the popcorn hanging from the walls – but rather than attract mice, it looks like it's just attracting Fat Amy. She is going to replace it with cheap garland after they all leave though as a precaution. Because if one thing can make this holiday worse, it's rodents. They all look at her when she walks inside, and she spreads her arms, showing off her outfit – red pants with silver bells and a shirt that says: All The Jingle Ladies.

Chloe openly grins and Aubrey suppresses a laugh. Laugh it up now.

"Look at you finally bein' all festive with the rest of us," Cynthia-Rose says.

Beca nods and walks inside to throw herself down on the couch next to Chloe. "Believe it or not, my heart actually grew three sizes."

"I didn't know you were a single lady," Chloe comments.

"First of all, it says Jingle. Second of all, I might be now thanks to Stacie," Beca says, "Moving on – in light of my newfound Christmas spirit, I would like to give my gift first. Chloe." She places the wrapped present on Chloe's lap.

Chloe grins wider and peels the paper back until she's holding a simple brown box.

Beca holds her breath.

"Beca!" Chloe exclaims as she pulls off the lid. She lifts the matching pajamas to look at them then puts them down again and wraps Beca in a hug. "We can be Jingle Ladies together now."

Aubrey is frowning ever so slightly as she looks at the box. She is jealous.

"Okay, your turn Chloe," Beca says before anyone else can chime in.

Chloe presents Stacie with some new lingerie and a terrifying looking 'contraption' that Beca is pretty sure has some sexual purpose. She's one-hundred percent sure that she does not want to know how it achieves that purpose.

It finally comes around to Aubrey who reaches in front of Chloe and hands Beca a card.

"Thanks," Beca says. So it's her getting the gift card. But she's not going to complain about free money. Unless the card is empty… She peels it open and laughs when she opens it to a pop-up Christmas tree. And, ha! There is a gift card. $50 for Guitar Center. As well as a note…

Beca, I have a gift for you upstairs. ~ Aubrey

Beca finds herself both curious and mildly afraid. But this is perfect. Because Beca has a gift for her too.

xxxxx

"Do you know what it is?" Beca asks.

"I don't know," Chloe answers, "She wouldn't tell me."

"I don't believe you." Beca bites the head off a gingerbread man. "You're best friends."

"We're also completely opposite. I share everything. Trying to get information out of Aubrey is like trying to pick a Haliburton."

Beca sighs and sinks down into a kitchen chair.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about." Chloe sits beside her with a gingerbread man and a cup of milk. She reaches over and pats Beca's hand, letting her hand longer a little too long.

Beca flexes her fingers. They feel cold when Chloe finally moves her hand.

"If there's one thing I know about Aubrey, it's that she gives the best gifts."

"But why wouldn't she give it to me in front of everyone else? Also, she didn't buy anything at the mall except for that card."

"Well, I mean she's left the house a few times without us," Chloe says.

"Yeah – to retrieve her car."

"So, she still could have went into the mall again when she went to pick up her car."

Beca dips the leg of her gingerbread man in Chloe's milk. "I just wanna know what it is."

"So go ask her. You want me to hold your hand?"

Beca pulls back when she actually goes to hold it. "No. I don't need you to hold my hand. I'm just going on finish this cookie first. And then eat about twenty more. These are really good. Did you make these?"

"Aubrey made them. I just gave them faces."

…of course.

xxxxx

There is a knock on Beca's door, and that's how she knows it's not Amy or Chloe. "Come in!" She closes her laptop and lifts her head from the pillow to see around her tree.

"A little assistance, please?" Aubrey responds.

Assistance with what? Beca is about to ask her if she forgot how to use a doorknob, but she stops herself. Instead, she pushes her laptop to the side and gets up to open the door. She's momentarily shocked as Aubrey walks inside carrying two boxes – one that's the size of a normal gift and wrapped and one that's unwrapped and looks like a giant moving box. It's takes a second for her to find space with Beca's tree in the way, but she finally finds a spot next to Beca's bed to put them down.

"The big one is heavy," Aubrey claims.

Beca stares.

"Shut the door," Aubrey demands, and Beca hops to it, "Have a seat."

This is weird already. It becomes a struggle trying to maneuver herself onto the bed with both a tree and two boxes in her way, but she manages after a minute then turns to sit crisscross.

"Don't be mad," Aubrey says.

Don't be mad. Now Beca is worried – because in what world does Aubrey Posen care if Beca is mad at her? She's gone out of her way in the past to piss Beca off on purpose.

Aubrey picks up the perfectly wrapped box and fiddles with the green ribbon on top. "I didn't know what to buy you – and Chloe's suggestions were…interesting."

"What did she suggest?" Beca asks.

"Can you be quiet for two seconds?"

Beca shuts her mouth.

"So, I asked your dad. I had him as a professor once; his email was still in my contacts. But let me finish before you get angry."

"As long as you're not his new mistress, I'll let it slide just this once."

Aubrey gives her a look. "He said he didn't know either – but, we got to talking and he also said there was one particular Christmas where you asked for something really specific and he bought it for you, but he never gave it to you because your mother claimed she had wanted to buy it for you and told him to take the back, but then she never bought it. He said it's been in sitting in his attic for years because you never spoke about it after that and he wasn't sure you would want it. But I thought you might like it – and he insisted I be the one to give it to you and tell you I found it at a flea market or something. But I think you should know it's from both of us." She holds out the gift.

"So, let me get this straight," Beca says and carefully takes it from her, "This is a gift from you and my dad?"

Aubrey nods. "May I?" She looks at the bed.

"Uh, yeah, good luck getting up here though."

Aubrey manages to lean forward over the box then get a knee over it as well so she can join Beca on the bed. It's almost comical to watch Aubrey struggling to get over a cardboard box. "Are you going to open it?"

Beca peels back the paper and she knows, she knows what it is immediately as soon as she sees just a portion of the box. She has to be dreaming though, because it can't be. Fuck the wrapping paper. She tears it off and tosses it carelessly to the side. "Holy shit, Dude, this is G1 Omega Supreme! He transforms into a whole track and a rocket!" Get a grip. "I mean, yeah, this is…" Nope. She is definitely not getting choked up. No way. She laughs and quickly wipes her eyes. "This is cool. Thanks."

"So you like it?" Aubrey asks nervously.

Like it? She fucking loves it. "I had this huge Transformer collection, and I begged for this guy. Like, I didn't want anything else that year. I really thought he was going to be under the tree. I ripped open every package as fast as I could – and I was so disappointed that he wasn't there, I never talked about him again." Beca wipes her eyes again. "I have dust or something…"

Aubrey nods and feigns understanding.

"As much as I want to know what is in that unwrapped, definitely not a gift box, I got you something too."

"Why?" Aubrey asks, "You had Chloe."

"Because we're going to be spending the holiday together." Beca nearly falls on her face trying to reach around the tree to get to her desk. She falls back with a sigh once she has the gift then drops it on Aubrey's lap. "And it would be unfair to leave you out."

Aubrey is a lot more meticulous about peeling off the wrapping paper than Beca is. She even folds it once she has it off the box.

Beca can see her holding back a smile as she takes the lid off. "You have to wear them," she says, "If I have to wear a shirt that says 'All The Jingle Ladies' on it, so do you."

"I love it."

"You know, I don't even know – are you a Jingle" – Beca stops herself – "single lady?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Like are you dating anybody right now?"

"Oh, um, no." Aubrey shakes her head, "I'm just too busy with work, you know? Men are a waste of time."

"I can definitely agree with that right now. Now show me what's in this giant box."

"I told your dad about your tree and he insisted I take this too. Go ahead."

"I'm kind of scared," Beca admits and pulls open one of the flaps. Decorations. All of the old decorations her parents used to decorate their tree with. She knew her dad had taken them and decorated his tree with them every year – but it's been years since she's seen them. She pulls out a little clay ornament that has her tiny three year old handprint in the center and dangles it in front of her face.

"Aw. You don't have any teeth."

"Give me that." Beca tugs an ornament the she made in first grade that she was forced to glue a picture of herself on out of Aubrey's hands.

"I didn't lose my front teeth until fourth grade," Aubrey says.

"Seriously?"

Aubrey nods. "Everyone made fun of me, because they'd already lost theirs. It was terrible. My dad said it was punishment for sucking my thumb."

"You sucked your thumb?" Beca asks incredulously.

Aubrey's cheeks turn a rose shade of pink. "It's normal. Plenty of kids suck their thumbs, Beca."

"I slept with a Transformer every night growing up – which looking back now was not the smartest, because I was constantly rolling on it. Plastic is nowhere near as comfortable as a stuffed animal." She looks back down at G1 Omega Supreme. "I know that I am decreasing the value, but I am totally taking this guy out of the box tonight."

"We should decorate your tree," Aubrey says and gets up, "I'm going to holler for Chloe."

"Dude, no, there are so many embarrassing ornaments with my face on them in here."

"Exactly."

xxxxx

"Awwww, Beca, look at this one," Chloe gushes.

Beca sends Aubrey a look. Every single homemade ornament Chloe has pulled from the box has gotten the exact same reaction. "I don't need to look at it. I know what I looked like when I was twelve."

"It's not much different than you look now," Aubrey comments.

"Hardy har, quiet in the peanut gallery."

Aubrey smirks and resumes adjusting the lights on the branches so they're 'perfect'.

"You should add some recent ones," Chloe suggests.

"I do not need ornaments with my adult face on my Christmas tree," Beca replies, "It's bad enough I have these."

"You don't have to put your face on them," Chloe laughs, "We can just make some dough and use the cookie cutters. We could make one where we both put our thumbprint in the center to make a heart."

Aubrey glances downward.

"Yeah," Beca agrees, "Could you excuse me for a minute." She stands up and nods toward the door. "Aubrey?" She leads her out.

"What?" Aubrey asks.

Beca shuts the door. She feels weird saying this but, "You should go for it."

"Go for what?"

"Chloe," Beca answers.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You just said men are a waste of time. And you're both Jingle Ladies. I can tell half the reason you hate me is because you like her, so why don't you go for it?"

Aubrey rests her hand on the doorknob like it's a reminder she's not trapped in a corner with no way out. "I could ask you the same thing."