There were, Stacie readily admitted, a few things (a lot of things) that being in a long-distance relationship left to be desired. She didn't see Aubrey as often as she wanted, or she couldn't just drop by and give or receive a hug if either of them needed it. And since the other half of her long-distance relationship was Aubrey, that meant there were a lot of things Aubrey didn't readily tell her until Aubrey was ready.

But the upside of dating Aubrey was that the other girl had a romantic streak that went along with her competitive streak, and that meant given half a reason, Aubrey was willing to go the distance in proving her place in the relationship.

On Sunday morning, that meant crepes.

Stacie didn't know how Aubrey figured out where the ingredients or utensils were, or how the stove worked - or even where Aubrey found fruits beyond apples, because that sure as hell wasn't in the Bellas' kitchen - but she'd been woken by the blonde and pulled towards the kitchen for breakfast, and Stacie couldn't even bring herself to complain about the fact that she had been forced out of bed before ten on Sunday morning.

She also couldn't bring herself to care about the fact that Aubrey went from mild incredulity to fond amusement as she kept handing Aubrey her plate for new crepe combinations.

"I'm sorry, Nutella and mango?" Aubrey asked, echoing the latest request, finally unable to keep her bewilderment at bay, Stacie's plate in hand.

"What?" Stacie questioned. "I like Nutella. I like mango. Why can't I like them together?"

"No, of course, of course you can." Aubrey said quickly. "I just…" She shook her head, and proceeded to create the crepe as requested.

Stacie watched her, wondering if she'll ever get over the sight of her former Bellas captain making her breakfast, because she had witnessed this very sight every day the week between Christmas and New Year's, and it still made her giddy to realize the girl making that much effort to make her happy was Aubrey, and that Aubrey was her girlfriend.

And those thoughts usually led back to their conversation months ago, when Aubrey admitted to her apprehension of starting a relationship, looking at her history and telling Stacie she was afraid of history repeating itself, that she could screw up so thoroughly she feared she could get Stacie to swear off relationships indefinitely.

"I love you, have I told you that today?"

"Just once so far." Aubrey smiled at her. "And I think you were talking to the crepe when you said that, so…"

Stacie threw a balled-up paper napkin at her, which missed Aubrey by a good few inches. "Jerk."

"No littering." Aubrey told her, making Stacie stick her tongue out at her. When Stacie went to pick up the napkin and put it in the trash, Aubrey chuckled softly. "I love you too, Stacie."

Stacie approached her at the stove, and they shared a few quick kisses while the batter cooked. "Stay an extra night."

Aubrey made a soft sound of complaint. "I can't."

"I can make it worth your while." Stacie promised.

"I have a meeting on Tuesday morning." Aubrey informed her, forcing herself to move her attention away from her girlfriend and to the… overcooked crepe. Muttering under her breath, she removed it from the pan, and poured a fresh layer of batter on the pan. "Red flags and bells and whistles, so it's clearly a big deal."

Stacie pouted, returning to her chair. "Have they told you anything about England yet?"

Aubrey shot her a curious glance. "Is it that obvious?"

"Red flag meeting? And I know you know about my weakness for crepes, so either this is celebratory crepes, or this is brace-yourself-for-bad-news crepes." Stacie pointed out.

Well, Aubrey figured she was dating someone who was almost a certified genius. She finished preparing the crepe, and handed it to Stacie. She turned off the stove, covered the uncooked batter with a clear sheet and placed it in the fridge, before returning to the kitchen island where Stacie was eating to take the other seat by the counter. "I got promoted."

"That's—" Stacie stopped herself when she saw Aubrey's expression. "No? Not good?"

Aubrey sighed. "Good for my career. Not good for us."

Stacie frowned, wondering why that would be, and took a guess. "No more trips to the Southeastern United States?"

"Fewer." Aubrey corrected. "And less opportunity to keep my work travel concentrated on just one corner of the country."

Stacie pouted. "But we don't have to sneak around anymore."

"I know."

Stacie furrowed her brow, trying to puzzle out why Aubrey hadn't told her sooner, and asked, "How long have you known about this?"

"My boss said it was the natural progression of my job, but the official email came through last night." Aubrey informed her, picking up her cup of coffee and taking a sip, letting Stacie take her time in absorbing the news.

"That sucks."

"I know."

Stacie glanced at her. "But not England?"

Aubrey smiled faintly. "I might still have to take a trip or two, but I'll still primarily be focused on this side of the Atlantic."

"Guess I can't complain, can I?" Stacie mused, and mirrored Aubrey's weak smile. "Good thing you got me plane tickets for Christmas."

Aubrey regarded her thoughtfully. "You're taking this surprisingly well."

Stacie smiled and shrugged, taking a bite of her crepe and chewing thoughtfully. "What can I do? I'm a multimillion patent away from making you a kept woman, and as much as I like having you around all the time, I know you have a job and career that you need to attend to, and being co-dependent just isn't the best thing for either of us right now." She paused, swallowing, and added, "Or ever."

Aubrey leaned forward, and captured Stacie's lips with her own, refusing to allow herself to go another second without kissing her girlfriend, finding words inadequate to convey just how much, exactly, she appreciated the younger woman for loving her the way she did. She had always admired how easy it was for Stacie to like and appreciate other people; and if she were someone who believed in reincarnation, she was glad her past self had done something so right that she had someone like Stacie in her life now.

She had been dreading the announcement of her promotion since she first heard about it; the momentary relief that it wasn't an assignment to England or some far-flung office in another country quickly disappearing as she had been told more details about her new position. It was more office-based, and the job was primarily coordinating with the rest of the company to ensure projects were being carried out according to the implementation process outlined by the Oversight Committee. It meant less time traveling to different sites checking on their processes and troubleshooting any glitches in the internal clockwork that was the multinational corporation, and less travel meant less opportunity for her and Stacie to spend time together.

Yes, technology was their relationship's best friend, but she can't exactly kiss or hug or make love to her phone, despite what her coworkers liked to joke. (She and her coworkers were all attached to their phones, but there were still some lines left uncrossed.)

Stacie, for her part, immediately parted her lips as she pulled Aubrey closer, forcing the other girl to stand, leaving her seat and moving closer to cover the distance between them.

A slight change of angle, and Stacie slid off her chair, and kicked it aside, pushing Aubrey against the kitchen island as the kiss grew more intense, as if their impending separation was the imperative to breach whatever agreement they had previously come to about sex in public spaces of the Barden Bellas' house.

"Oh my—What the fuck, you two?" Beca exclaimed, forcing the two to separate, a little embarrassed, because they both knew they very easily could have gotten carried away. Beca threw them both a dark look as she went to the coffee maker and poured some coffee. "People eat in here."

"Sorry," Stacie apologized. "We didn't think anyone was awake yet."

Beca waved off the apology, because everyone had stayed up late having a Harry Potter movie marathon, and Beca herself would still be sleeping, too, if she didn't have a reason to be up. "I promised my dad I'll have brunch with them today."

Stacie winced. "Sorry."

Aubrey glanced at Stacie, and then back towards Beca, confused. "I thought you and your dad were getting along."

"Stepmom." Beca said, as a means of explanation.

Aubrey tilted her head towards the pile of cooked, but unrolled crepes. "Have some breakfast."

Beca furrowed her brow, and gave her a confused look. "I'm meeting my dad for brunch."

"Yeah, but if you've eaten, you can take as long as you want in eating what's on your plate to prevent yourself from having to contribute to the conversation, and if it takes a turn for the worse, you can tell them the light breakfast you had isn't agreeing with your stomach and you can leave." Aubrey advised.

Beca stared at her for a long moment, before she blinked and glanced over at Stacie. "Who is this, and why do I like her more than the girl who used to make us do cardio?"

Stacie only smiled, and pulled her chair back up to the island, sitting back down.

"Oh, and you might want to dilute your coffee." Aubrey noted, picking up her own cup.

Beca gave her a look, and drank from her cup, almost immediately gagging at the taste. "What the— That's disgusting."

"Aubrey drinks hers as rocket fuel." Stacie explained, getting Beca a glass of water and handing it to her. "She did try to warn you."

Beca shot Aubrey a disconcerted look, but figured it was too early for that discussion, walked over to the stove, and picked up a plate and started putting together her breakfast. "Where'd we get fruits?"

"Aubrey got them." Stacie answered.

Beca glanced over at Aubrey, who was eating from a bowl of fruit. "How long are you staying?"

"My flight's on Monday afternoon." Aubrey answered.

Beca nodded, looking down at the crepe she was assembling.

Stacie turned to Aubrey, pouting. "I thought you were leaving Monday night."

"I know, but that was before my presence at the Tuesday meeting became a thing, and before this weekend I could wing it, but that's not an option anymore." Aubrey admitted. "I have things to read and we both know I'd rather hang out with you doing anything else other than my homework."

"What happened this weekend?" Beca asked curiously.

Aubrey and Stacie glanced at her.

"…Or that was a private conversation." Beca suddenly realized. "Sorry. Forget I said anything."

"No, it's fine." Aubrey glanced at Stacie, and back at Beca. "I got an email last night telling me that my job description went from being sent to local offices to mostly staying at the head office."

Beca glanced at Stacie, even as she asked Aubrey, "Meaning what?"

"Meaning I have to know what's going on from reports and proposals, instead of being sent to the site to see things for myself." Aubrey explained. "It means I'm going to see Stacie less than I already do."

"Oh." Beca glanced at them. "But you'll be okay, right?"

Stacie sighed, even as Aubrey smiled faintly. "We hope so."

"We better be." Stacie grumbled.

Beca frowned, recalling other details of the conversation between the couple. "Aubrey, why do you have homework?"

"Aubrey has to read a pile of stuff, since she gets copied in everything. She's hot stuff at the office." Stacie explained, ignoring the look of exasperation Aubrey shot her even as she smiled brightly at her girlfriend. With a level of pride, she declared, "She's kind of a boss."

Beca chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "Figures you'd bang the-" and then she nearly dropped her plate, her fingers going numb as she realized what she'd been about to say. She looked up sharply, eyes wide. In what can only be described as growing horror, Beca uttered: "No."

Aubrey shared a confused look with Stacie, before shooting a concerned look towards Beca. "Beca?"

Beca placed her plate on the counter, and then set her palms flat on the countertop, bending her head as if the mere act of holding it up was a burden she was not equipped to bear.

"Beca-?" Stacie asked hesitantly, unsure of what was going on with her friend.

Beca looked up sharply, and looked at them both, pointing from one to the other, unsure of just where to start making accusations. "You!"

Aubrey and Stacie glanced at each other again.

"You've been together since summer?" Beca hissed.

"No," Stacie said vehemently, as Aubrey shook her head, "Not exactly…"

Beca pointed at Stacie, getting her attention, before she pointed at Aubrey. "Aubrey's the coworker you were sleeping with last summer?"

Aubrey glanced at Stacie, who rolled her eyes, evidently understanding the conversation Aubrey was utterly flabbergasted by. "Beca knew? When did you tell Beca?"

"I didn't tell Beca." Stacie shook her head. "She's not completely clueless, that's all."

"Did you tell her not to tell me?" Beca demanded towards Aubrey.

"There was nothing to tell!" Aubrey answered defensively.

"You were banging your boss!" Beca practically shrieked at Stacie.

"I'm not her boss." Aubrey corrected.

"It's a totally different corporate hierarchy." Stacie added.

"Seriously?" Beca asked incredulously, in disbelief that the two of them were going to argue the technicalities of how Aubrey hadn't been Stacie's boss.

"It was a summer fling," Stacie told Beca. She paused, and then shook her head again. "Well, not a 'fling', exactly, but we weren't entirely sure if it was going to go anywhere—"

Beca gestured wildly at Aubrey, "Aubrey?!"

"Hey!" Both Aubrey and Stacie exclaimed in protest.

"You didn't think it was relevant to share that bit of information?" Beca whisper-yelled.

"And say what?" Stacie retorted. "That we were sleeping together, but we weren't ready for a serious relationship? That she wasn't ready to face the Bellas again, and that I respected that?" She sighed, and her voice lost a lot of its confrontational tone. "Or that I wanted to let her just be mine, for a little while, so we can screw up, like we knew we would, the way only we can, before we told our friends?"

Aubrey turned to her, concerned, and stepped closer, placing her hand against Stacie's back as a gesture of reassurance.

Beca frowned, watching them. "Why did it take you so long to tell us?"

"Because there was nothing to tell." Stacie insisted softly. "We didn't know how far we were willing to go, how far it could go. When we were sneaking around, we were just having fun. I didn't want to have to explain that." She glanced at Aubrey as they exchange weak smiles, because their relationship was a mess, but it was theirs. "I wanted her, and I didn't want anyone asking me why, or to tell me why I shouldn't."

Which pretty much killed every other question Beca still had, because anything else she had to ask was centered around the question of why. Why they didn't tell anyone they hooked up over the summer. Why they felt they had to sneak around. Why they both felt they had to break the news the way they had, and not introduce the idea slowly over time.

Beca glanced at Aubrey, eyeing her warily because history had shown that Aubrey pretty easily dropped out of people's lives. As Stacie's friend and Bella captain, Beca felt like she had to do what she could to protect Stacie, even though she probably didn't need it, and to ascertain Aubrey's intentions. "And after all of that, this is different now?"

"It was different from the beginning," Aubrey corrected. "We're just better at defining it now."

Beca rolled her eyes, but partly in need of averting her gaze, because there was an intimacy to the way Aubrey and Stacie were looking at each other that made her feel like she was intruding on a private moment.

And she probably was.

Beca frowned suddenly, and looked up at Aubrey, who leaned close against Stacie, the two of them having a softly-spoken conversation. "Wait."

The couple glanced over at her.

Beca crossed her arms, and gave Aubrey a grave look. "Why didn't you tell Chloe?"

"Beca…"

"I mean, I get it, Stacie knew we'd be a little judgmental and a lot skeptical about her dating you," Beca admitted. "And I get it, you don't owe the rest of us an explanation - or a phone call to catch up before randomly showing up, I guess - but why didn't you tell Chloe?"

"Beca, stop." Stacie warned.

"She's your best friend!" Beca exclaimed, not heeding Stacie's warning. "She deserved to know! She didn't deserve to be blindsided, like the rest of us, by her best friend, by you showing up after months of nothing and making out with someone like you're redefining what qualifies as fit for the public, and refusing to even explain what's happening. I mean, I get it, you got out of college, I'd be hightailing it out of Georgia too, once I graduate. But Chloe deserves better than a phone call once every… God, I don't even know when you two last talked to each other." Beca shook her head. "Chloe deserves better. And you know it. She deserves better than to be caught by surprise by something like this. And maybe we don't deserve it like she does? Maybe Stacie didn't feel like there was anything to tell? But you should have made Stacie tell us, too."

Aubrey, to her credit, having expected a variation of the confrontation at one point with any of the Barden Bellas, only took hold of Stacie's hand to keep her from escalating the argument, and sighed, in both exasperation and defeat. "You weren't told everything right away because Stacie and I wanted to break the news slowly but you, and the rest of the Bellas, didn't give her that opportunity."

Beca stopped, her righteous indignation losing all its fury, because Aubrey had a point, and she had to concede that for all their shock and disbelief, the Bellas really had forced Stacie's hand. She knew from the way Denise and Cynthia-Rose had readily accepted the couple that they had had some kind of idea, or at least an inkling, about Stacie's relationship, and Stacie had tried to dissuade everyone from making them meet the person she had been dating in the way Chloe had wanted them to.

"And in case you haven't noticed, Beca, Chloe hasn't exactly been the most forthcoming about things in her life lately, either." Aubrey went on, now on the offensive, having seen the way Beca paused at the realization that things were a mess, and it was a mess that everyone had contributed to. "And I'd like to think wanting to keep a relationship private for a little while is nothing compared to your best friend deciding to repeat a whole year again without telling you."

Beca lowered her gaze, feeling the impact of the accusation because even though she knew that on the surface, Aubrey was talking about her relationship with Chloe, Chloe hadn't exactly told Beca about failing Russian Lit for the second straight year, either.

"We all have our secrets, Beca." Aubrey said quietly. "You don't get to make accusations when you don't know half of what's happening."

"Aubrey." Stacie said softly, a gentle warning urging her to stop.

Aubrey glanced at her, and nodded when she saw the look on Stacie's face. "I'm gonna go shower."

"I'll join you in a bit." Stacie told her, earning herself a wry look which she answered with a smile. She kissed Aubrey briefly, and let the older girl leave the room, leaving Stacie alone with Beca.

"Gross." Beca told her, an attempt at lightening the mood.

"Don't." Stacie cut her off, unwilling just yet to let Beca off the hook for the morning's turn of events. She took a moment, trying to figure out what she wanted to say, and ultimately decided she could only be honest. "She didn't have to come, you know."

Beca frowned.

"She had tickets, reservations. We had plans for this weekend, did you know that? She has work she could be doing, but she's here. She's here, because I asked her, because she knows I wanted her to, because everyone thought they had a right to know the details about my relationship." Stacie said quietly. "And everyone's avoiding her, Chloe won't talk to her, and you just reminded her why she didn't want to do this in the first place."

"Stacie—"

"Beca, yesterday - yesterday - we thought you were on our side. You were treating her like she was one of us again, and you know how much the Bellas mean to her, and now you basically told her that she's not?" Stacie pressed, a tinge of desperation lining her voice. "And you were there the last time she and Chloe were on the outs, you had a front-row seat to that mess; but you just had to remind her, didn't you? And in case you missed it? Chloe doesn't tell us everything, either, and we see her every day." Stacie sighed, suddenly drained. "They've got their own mess going on, Beca, and as much as we might want to help, they have three years' worth of complications we don't know about, and they don't need us to be barging in on."

Beca looked down, appropriately chastened. "Sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Stacie reminded. "But either you treat Aubrey like one of us, or you respect her at a distance as my girlfriend. Don't talk to her that way again."