After setting up the coffeemaker to do its business, Stacie pulled herself up and sat down on the kitchen counter, and watched as Aubrey explored the kitchen, opening drawers and cupboards. It was later in the morning, well past ten, and if either woman was curious as to why Stacie's mother hadn't bothered to wake them, neither one was bringing it up. It was when Aubrey picked up a frying pan and hefted it in her hands when Stacie decided that she couldn't keep quiet much longer. "What are you doing?"

Aubrey glanced over her shoulder at the younger woman. "Figuring out where everything is, what does it look like I'm doing?"

Stacie pointed at the pan. "Practicing for your audition for the live-action version of Tangled?"

Aubrey frowned, and turned to her. "I was going to cook us breakfast, but if you'd rather make fun…"

"Shutting up." Stacie promised, lifting her hands in a gesture of surrender. "What are you cooking?"

"I don't know yet." Aubrey admitted. She shrugged. "Christmas morning used to be a tower of pancakes event when I was growing up, but you don't have flour."

"Whoa there," Stacie lifted a hand, stalling Aubrey. "'Tower of pancakes'?"

Aubrey nodded absently, and gestured with her hands, at least a foot apart, an approximate height for said towers. "My mom used to tell me it was so guests would show up early and leave us alone the rest of the day, but I'm only partly sure she was kidding."

"We're so following that tradition." Stacie declared. She repeated, mostly to herself, "tower of pancakes."

Aubrey lifted an eyebrow at her, but opted not to pick up on that thread, figuring some things were best left to the abstract and not examined too closely. "So pancakes are out. So are waffles, or crepes."

"You make crepes?" Stacie was inappropriately excited by the prospect of a girlfriend who could make crepes, and she knew it.

"What were you fed as a child?" Aubrey asked curiously.

"Pop Tarts." Stacie shrugged. As if having been asked the question often in the past, she explained, "My mom used to take a lot of night shifts for the pay differential. She makes the best PB&J."

Aubrey only merely nodded, and declared, "We're going to pick up a few stuff later." But for now, she put her hands to her hips, and frowned. "Do you at least have eggs?"

Stacie pointed to the refrigerator. "You're not going to suddenly tell me you know how to cook eggs in a hundred ways, right, because I might never let you leave my side if you do."

Aubrey took out the carton, and rolled her eyes at Stacie. "Not a hundred, no." She placed the carton on the counter, and examined the leftovers. She took out some ham, and cheese, and milk. She paused, and then turned to Stacie. "Your mom's not allergic to eggs or dairy, right?"

"Will you throw up if I said yes?"

Aubrey narrowed her eyes at her in a glare.

Stacie rolled her eyes. "She's not allergic." She watched as Aubrey nodded in satisfaction, and proceeded to the stove with her ingredients. "And, are you seriously still sucking up to my mom, because you should know that she likes you already."

"I'm sorry, but you must have me mistaken for someone not sleeping with her daughter." Aubrey retorted. She pointed to the loaf of bread beside Stacie, who obediently handed it over.

"No, really: she thinks you keep me honest." Stacie insisted. Off Aubrey's skeptical expression, she expounded: "If you haven't noticed, I'm kind of a flirt."

Aubrey let out an indelicate snort at that, making Stacie attempt to kick her, despite the respectable distance between them. "What? No way. When was this?"

Stacie mocked her own laughter. "Funny."

"And she thinks I'm going to keep you from flirting?" Aubrey asked warily. "Because now would be a good time to tell her that I don't work miracles."

"You got me into a relationship." Stacie pointed out.

"To be fair, we both kind of stumbled our way into this relationship." Aubrey pointed out.

Stacie conceded that point. She went to the coffeemaker, and poured a cup each for herself and Aubrey. After handing over a cup, she brought the cream and sugar to Aubrey, and watched as Aubrey mixed her drink. "Anyway, it's still a feat. She was never too impressed about my lack of interest in relationships, and don't get her started on how often I get an STD test."

Aubrey paused, and turned to her. "Why does your mom know how often you—"

"Health insurance coverage." Stacie rolled her eyes. "She told me the primary holder had to be informed about everything I do, which I think we both now regret."

"I see." Aubrey tilted her head to the side inquisitively. "And how often do you get an STD test?"

"I don't know. Every three months? More, if I know they're sleeping with other people, too."

Aubrey shook her head in bemusement, and mused, "Better safe than sorry."

"Exactly." Stacie picked up her own mug, and stepped up behind Aubrey, and kissed her cheek soundly. "Thanks for the time you're saving me from sitting in clinic waiting rooms."

Aubrey laughed, and smiled as she felt Stacie start to kiss down the side of her neck. She lifted her hand to idly play with the other girl's hair. "You're welcome."

"And for letting me freak out when I did."

"You should probably know there's got to be a whole lot of freaking out left ahead of us."

Stacie paused from the trail of kisses she was placing on Aubrey's neck, before she sighed, and rested her chin on the blonde's shoulder. "Remind me why being in a relationship's a good thing?"

"Moral support."

Stacie grumbled playfully.

"Love, unconditional?"

"I guess." Stacie mumbled, although Aubrey could feel her smile against her shoulder.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Sex on demand."

"Now you're talking." Stacie chuckled. "I love you."

"Love you too. But," Aubrey still shrugged Stacie off her shoulder to be able to return to her task of cooking.

Stacie acquiesced, and returned to her earlier perch on the kitchen counter. "When do you need to get back to the city?"

"The fourth."

"Leave time?"

"Break." Aubrey corrected. "We've actually officially been on Christmas break since the 22nd, but we had to fly out."

"And when do you get to start traveling again?"

"Probably mid-February."

"We have a date for Presidents' Day." Stacie reminded.

"I haven't forgotten." Aubrey assured her. She paused, and glanced at Stacie. "I know it's after semis, but what are you doing for Spring Break?"

Stacie shrugged. "We're either heading to New Orleans with Ashley or shacking up at Chloe's in Florida. Why?"

"I might have to travel for work around that time, but if I'm not, do you want to go somewhere?"

"And you coming along to New Orleans or Florida isn't an option?" Stacie asked.

"How do you think the Bellas would feel about Spring Break with me around?" Aubrey countered, because they both knew the current crop of Barden Bellas were not Aubrey's biggest fans.

Stacie sighed, because she really needed to figure that part out; since Denise and Cynthia Rose already knew part of the equation, it really was just a matter of time before she would have to tell the rest of the girls, and inform them about the most important detail about her relationship, which was the identity of exactly who she was dating.

Aubrey finished preparing the ham and cheese sandwiches, placing them on the pan to fry, and after checking on the pot of water she was waiting to boil, went up to Stacie in a placating manner. "I'm sorry if I'm putting you in a tough spot."

Stacie sighed again. "It just sucks that we have to consider other people, you know?"

Aubrey smiled faintly in response. "That's why they say happiness doesn't exist in vacuum."

"Is that what this has been?" Stacie asked, looking down to watch Aubrey take hold of her hands. "And does that mean that the more people are involved, the less happy we're going to be?"

"That's the theory."

Stacie made a face. After a moment, she frowned up at Aubrey. "Have you told any of your friends about me?"

Aubrey blew out a breath. "A few."

"And what did they say?"

"Other than making fun of me for dating a former intern, a college student, and a Barden Bella?" Aubrey asked dryly. "Mostly they're just happy, and glad that I'm actually taking a relationship seriously."

"Why are they making fun of you?" Stacie asked curiously.

Aubrey exhaled. "Well, the irony of my job – making sure organizations adhere to the rules set in place – and how we started dating. You're still in school, an undergraduate, no less, which is like every dirty fantasy when you're supposed to be a functioning adult. And, well, the last part's mostly from people who knew me from, or right after, college."

Stacie raised an eyebrow.

"You know," Aubrey shrugged, pulling away and returning to the stove to turn the sandwiches and poach the eggs. "The way I tried so hard to put the Bellas behind me and ended up dating one."

Stacie considered what Aubrey had just told her, and wondered exactly how Aubrey must be taking the jibes at her relationship. "And you're okay with that?"

Aubrey glanced over at her, tilting her head inquisitively.

"That they make fun of you for who you're dating?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "They make fun of me regardless, and I know they're actually happy for me, so it's not as bad as it sounds."

And that, Stacie realized belatedly, was the big question in telling the Bellas about her relationship with Aubrey: She honestly had no idea how they were going to react to it. Would they be happy that she was happy dating someone and in a serious relationship with someone? Sure. But to find out it was Aubrey?

She'd seen their expressions, the Sunday after Halloween, when Aubrey had called Beca as a distraction. There had been alarm and trepidation, in varying degrees, as if the mere act of Aubrey calling Beca's phone would mean the end of their idyllic existence and mark a return to the complete soul-crushing exhaustion that had been characteristic of their rehearsals under Aubrey's guidance. Stacie knew that a lot of them never saw past the determination and need to succeed to realize why Aubrey had been so ruthless in getting the Bellas competition-ready. She also knew that with the exception of herself and Chloe, and maybe Beca, none of the other girls understood that while they may have won that very first ICCA Final because of Beca's set, they wouldn't have gotten as far as they had if Aubrey and Chloe hadn't been so driven for them to be the best.

After all, Aubrey had only just started warming up to them, considering them more friends than merely teammates, when they'd won the ICCAs, and before they knew it, finals and graduation were just around the corner.

Stacie mulled it over, trying to figure out how to merge her relationship into her life in Barden, particularly where the Barden Bellas were involved, and was so preoccupied that she couldn't even bring herself to be bothered when New Year's Eve came around and they were still in Pennsylvania, even though Aubrey's phone clearly had some issues with that fact.

Stacie looked away from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to watch as Aubrey picked up her phone for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, read the incoming message, and typed out a response. "What's wrong?"

Aubrey shook her head. "I didn't tell them I was back in the country. But I guess one of them's stalking your Instagram and noticed my bag in one of the pictures."

"What?" Stacie started to reach for her phone to check, but Aubrey stalled her hand. "He's harmless, I promise. Just really curious about you."

"How did I not know one of your friends follows me on Instagram?"

"Because the Bellas are minor celebrities and all your social media accounts are public?" Aubrey suggested.

"Is that why all your profiles are locked and private?" Stacie demanded.

"Partly." Aubrey admitted. "And also because I've been advised to keep separate private and public accounts and I actually haven't had time to go through the motions of setting up a public profile."

"I can't believe this." Stacie frowned. "So what if your bag's in a picture?"

"He's going between being ecstatic and being angry; I'm having some whiplash on that, myself."

Stacie furrowed her brow. "Why is he happy?"

"Proof that I'm not having some random girl pose for pictures for my phone and calling and sending me messages?" Aubrey surmised. "My bag in your room is like hard evidence, I guess."

Stacie laughed. "What!"

"Why do you think he's stalking your Instagram? He's been looking for proof that I'm not making you up."

"Why would he—" Stacie stopped herself, shook her head, and realigned her question. "And why is he pissed off?"

"Because we're supposed to be at his New Year's Eve party." Aubrey informed her.

Stacie blinked, because now that she thought about it, they were supposed to be at a New Year's Eve party in New York. More specifically, they were supposed to be in Times Square. "But…?"

"But the last time he heard, you weren't taking my calls. And I was in England. The last thing I want is for us to be celebrating New Year's with my friends who you don't know and probably won't be very kind about the fact that you were blowing me off since before Thanksgiving." Aubrey pointed out.

"And you're seriously choosing a Harry Potter marathon over a New Year's Eve party?" Stacie asked warily.

"I really don't want to field questions about us, and about England, to start or end a year, so…" Aubrey shrugged.

"What about us?" Stacie asked curiously.

Aubrey glanced at her in confusion.

"What questions would they ask about us?" Stacie asked, clarifying her question.

Aubrey sighed, because while she liked that her friends were concerned about her welfare, especially in regards to her relationship with Stacie, she had no idea what she'd done to make them so overly invested in it. (A complete lie, because most of them had stood by as witnesses to her train wreck of a year before she took the assignment in Philadelphia, and this new relationship with Stacie had them clamoring for every ounce of information they could find.) "Like why you wouldn't take a call."

"But you know why."

"Yeah. And they're going to ask why the prospect of being in a relationship freaked you out that much, and so we'll have to discuss your entire dating history, and probably mine, and they'll try to figure out our weakest points and magnify them." Aubrey said, sounding tired. "And they mean well, I know, but I really just don't want to deal with that tonight."

Stacie moved closer, and put her head on Aubrey's shoulder. "That sounds a lot like how the Bellas will react."

Aubrey turned slightly, and rested her head on Stacie's own. "I honestly don't know who'll be worse. At least I know my friends just enjoy taking shots. They'll be rude, but they'll welcome you anyway."

"You think the Bellas won't welcome you?"

"I think the Bellas have a whole dynamic that isn't very kind to outsiders." Aubrey admitted. She quickly added, "And that's nothing against you. It isn't even new. It's been like that for a very long time, because the Bellas have always kind of been standing on their own forever, that it's just a defense mechanism. I just never thought I'd see the day that I'll be the outsider the Bellas will be protecting itself from."

Stacie sighed. "I want to tell them."

"I know."

"I just don't know how."

"I know." Aubrey agreed.

Stacie lifted her head, making Aubrey lift her own in turn, and they faced each other. Stacie gazed thoughtfully at the blonde. "Maybe you should just show up one day declaring your love for me."

Aubrey narrowed her eyes at her. "You've seen one too many teen movies."

"I was going to say let them walk in on us having sex in the gym, but I know the gym's sacred to you."

Aubrey momentarily faltered, because, oh, she'd had no idea sex in a public place was even anywhere near the table, and while she'd never considered it, she realized now why it held a certain appeal. She wasn't much for exhibitionism, but she certainly understood the thrill in the risk of being caught. After all, the possibility of being caught was partly why sneaking around had been their modus since they started seeing each other.

And, yes, Stacie was right: the gym where the Barden Bellas rehearsed was sacred to Aubrey. And she really shouldn't be thinking of having sex in it. Especially with another Barden Bella. Like on the bleachers. Or under it. Or by the piano.

Stacie snapped her fingers in front of Aubrey's face, startling the blonde out of her momentary trance. Aubrey turned to the smirking brunette, and a moment of understanding passed between them. Stacie lifted an eyebrow knowingly. "Put a pin on it?"

"We really shouldn't." Aubrey bit her lip.

"But it'll be so much fun." Stacie drawled.

Aubrey let out a soft whine, already knowing she was going to lose this battle, and it was really only a matter of time.

Stacie smiled in triumph, and like a gracious winner, didn't push the issue. "So I was thinking maybe breaking it to them slowly? Like, telling a few of them at a time."

"We both know that the moment you tell anyone who you're dating that the whole thing's going to be blown apart." Aubrey pointed out.

"So I don't tell them your name right away."

"If you tell them you're dating someone and don't give them a name, they're going to speculate." Aubrey warned.

Stacie threw up her hands in frustration. "I don't know, Aubrey! I'm serious: just show up, start making out with me, and let them figure it out themselves."

"Do I bring wine, or champagne?"

"Bring tequila." Stacie muttered. "Because we're all going to need to get drunk for that clusterfuck."

Aubrey smiled in sympathy. "Let's go with your original plan."

"Oh, really? The one you're poking holes all over?" Stacie remarked sarcastically.

"Maybe you're right and breaking the news gently will make it less shocking." Aubrey acknowledged. "At least it'll help them get used to the idea."

Stacie groaned, and dramatically dropped down to rest her head on Aubrey's lap. "Why did you have to be such a bitch when you were captain?"

Aubrey had no answer for that one, so she merely placed her hand on top of Stacie's head and started to run her fingers through the girl's brown hair.

Stacie sighed, and lifted her gaze up to look at Aubrey. "Just promise me that no matter how bad they get, that you won't break up with me?"

"That'll take away the whole point, won't it?" Aubrey joked, earning herself a playful hit to her shoulder. "Ow. And I promise."

Stacie gazed at her for long moment. Finally, she declared, "But you're so going to be the one to deal with Chloe."

Aubrey sighed in resignation, and mutely nodded.