Chapter 2 - First Sleepover

Stacie chopped the rest of the vegetables and put them in the pot of boiling water as her mother giggled. They were in the middle of their weekly video chat, a stipulation of her moving across the country.

"Poor EJ was cornered, but he did handle it with all the class of a Conrad and managed to get Hanae to sign the agreement in the process. Conrad Industries is officially partnering with Fushimi Tech in research. You should call and congratulate him."

"I will. I have just been busy, but that is great. See and dad thought the company would go under if I wasn't on the path he wanted." Helen rolled her eyes.

"Your father is dramatic. It is where you get it from." Stacie gasped dramatically.

"How dare you make such an accusation against me? I will have you know I am a mature, stable adult doing adult things here. Look, I am cooking," she said as she showed her pot of vegetables.

"Oh, how very independent of you, it's as if you never were able to cook for yourself at home or something. We didn't exactly force you to eat Jonah's cooking and encouraged you plenty of times to make your own meals."

"Jonah is a world-class chef. Of course I was going to eat whatever he put in front of me. It is nice to have to fend for myself a bit though. Thank you for the apartment and not going along with dad's suggestion to make me stay in the dorms. I have visited some of my friends in them and they are disgusting. You know I don't do communal bathrooms."

"I am sure the scientist in you would be calculating the germs the entire time you were in one. It is nice to see you adjusting so well to college life. How are the Bellas?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that…well….sort of. I need you to be honest with me about something."

"When am I not honest with you?"

"I know. I just need it now, even if you think it will hurt my feelings."

"Okay, ask away." Stacie turned down the heat on the stove and sat in front of the camera.

"Were you and dad disappointed when I told you I was pansexual?" Helen's eyes widened at the question and shook her head.

"No, of course not, we were a bit surprised since you only really spoke about having crushes on boys, but we raised you and your brothers to be open to sexual orientations and identities. We were briefly concerned about the prospect of never seeing you have a baby, but we are scientists, dear. We know the old traditions of reproduction are not the only options anymore. Why do you ask?"

"A friend of mine is gay and she wants to come out, but is afraid. When I was talking about it with her, I thought about my experiences and how great you two were, but then started to wonder if I could give her the right advice. I also realized we don't talk about it often."

"There really hasn't been much to talk about. You have never been one to be in a relationship for long and have never mentioned dating a woman. Is this friend of yours someone that could be more than a friend to you?" Stacie looked down.

"I don't think she is ready for that and maybe it is a bad idea. There are a million reasons why we shouldn't be together. That isn't the point though. This isn't about me or us. I am just worried about her. I keep encouraging her to come out, but what if that is the wrong advice?"

"Do you think she could be in danger if she comes out? That her parents will respond extremely if she does?"

"Her mom passed away when she was younger, but her dad is very no nonsense and conservative. They don't see each other often because of his profession and she is going to have dinner with him tonight."

"All you can do is be there for her and be the amazing young woman you are. Aubrey is lucky to have you," said Helen with a knowing smile and Stacie's eyes widened as she shook her head.

"I never said it was…"

"Come now, Anastacia, you aren't the only intellectual in the family. We are scientists. We deduce things. You speak of your captain often in our conversations and get this faraway look in your eyes when you do. You mentioned before that her father is a General in the Army as well. Is Aubrey coming out to her father tonight?"

"You can't tell anyone, not even dad." Helen scoffed.

"We both know I don't keep secrets from him, but I promise you it stays between the three of us. As for Aubrey, just be there for her and see where it goes."

"Thanks, mom. I love you."

"I love you too. Be sure to call your father tomorrow. He and the boys arrive back home in the morning. He misses you."

"I miss him too."

"Then act like it," she suggested and Stacie smirked.

"He is the one that acts like I am a disappointment."

"You aren't a disappointment. He is disappointed in your change of plans. There is a difference. Your father has planned for you to attend MIT since you were born and up until two years ago, we thought that was your plan as well."

"It was. I just…don't you ever get tired of being the face of the company? The successful inventor, the scientist all about facts and curing the world," asked Stacie.

"No, but I also chose to be that. It wasn't expected of me at birth. It was a path I chose to go down and build. I understand why you need to be just Stacie Conrad at Barden University. On some level, your father understands too. Just don't forget that Anastacia Conrad is pretty amazing as well."

"I know, mom. I should finish up dinner. I will be sure to call dad in the morning. I love you."

"Love you too, always," assured her mother before signing off.

An hour later, Stacie was lounging on the couch waiting for the next episode of her favorite show to start up when her phone began ringing. She quickly answered, feeling her heart flutter and the butterflies in her stomach.

"Bree, hey, how are you? You okay," she asked as she sat up and frowned when there wasn't an immediate answer.

"Can I see you, please? Sorry, that was a stupid question. I am sure you have plans and…"

"Definitely, always, I mean about the seeing me thing, not the plans. Do you need me to come pick you up?"

"No, I can come to you. I am in downtown right now, but if you give me your address, I can come over…if that's okay."

"Of course, um, just let me text them to you. Come on over. I will be waiting."

"Thanks," said Aubrey before hanging up and Stacie gulped. She quickly texted Aubrey her address before hurrying around the house. She shook her head in amusement at her sudden nerves. Her apartment wasn't messy and tended to be quite tidy, but in that moment she wanted everything to be perfect for Aubrey. She grabbed a couple of mugs and placed them on the counter just in case she needed to make tea, remembering that while Aubrey preferred coffee during the day, she was a tea drinker at night. It amazed her how much she enjoyed learning those tidbits, things the rest of the Bellas didn't know about the captain, but Stacie always took the time to ask. She jogged over to her full length mirror in her bedroom and bit her lip nervously. Her face was clean of makeup, she was wearing her comfy shorts, favorite hoodie from home, and her black-rimmed glasses. She wanted to change but thought better of it. She wasn't sure what Aubrey wanted them to be, but knew at the moment she needed a friend. She looked just fine for a friend coming over and decided to sit back down to watch the rest of the episode while she waited. She was surprised to hear a knock on the door only fifteen minutes later and took in a deep breath to calm her nerves before opening it. Her heart broke when she saw Aubrey standing there, eyes puffy from crying.

"Hey," she rasped out and Stacie immediately pulled her in for a tight hug.

"What happened? Do I need to go scream at him? I can do that. The Hunter is very protective of you." Aubrey gave a small smile and shook her head as they walked over to the couch.

"No, I knew he would probably respond badly."

"What did he do? Are you hurt? If he hurt you, I swear to God…" Aubrey cupped Stacie's cheek as she shook her head.

"Of course not, my father is a lot of things, but he isn't abusive. I told him after dinner. I told him I have feelings for women the way I am supposed to feel for men. At first, he didn't believe me, so I told him the truth. I never really allowed myself to think about it growing up because I was taught girls only liked boys, but when I got to middle school, I started to realize that I was different. I thought I just didn't like anybody and that included boys, but in high school, I realized that there was something else going on. It took a couple of failed attempts at having a boyfriend in high school and college for me to realize the truth though. I am gay."

"What did he say to that?"

"He told me I was making life hard on myself and no one would accept it. No one in the family would accept this and it wasn't okay. He told me he was disappointed in my choice to be gay." Stacie shook her head in anger and gritted her teeth.

"It isn't a choice. No one chooses to have to announce to the world that they can only feel something for people they are told their entire lives not to desire. Bree, this is his loss. Not yours. I don't care how much you love him. You don't owe your father your life, your happiness, or your future." Stacie sighed when Aubrey crumbled into her arms, burying her face in Stacie's chest as the brunette stroked her hair. They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other in a mess of limbs on the couch for a while as Aubrey cried and Stacie held her close. Stacie kissed the top of her head when the sniffles slowed and Aubrey began to wipe her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I barged in here and ruined your night," apologized Aubrey, but Stacie smiled warmly at her.

"You didn't ruin anything. I am happy you called and came over. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"Really," asked Aubrey and Stacie nodded.

"You are important to me, Bree. I know what it is like to have this constant weight on your shoulders. You deserve happiness."

"I am sure my weight is nothing like the pressure of being Anastacia Conrad," said Aubrey as she rested her head on Stacie's shoulder and Stacie rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe you knew who I was the entire time."

"I can't believe you thought you could hide it. I am your captain. It is my job to know about my Bellas."

"Is that what you call your snooping? Finding out about your Bellas," teased Stacie, which made Aubrey blush.

"No comment. Anyways, thank you for letting me come over. It all happened in hushed tones outside of the restaurant and after he left, I just didn't know what to do. I know I could have gone home or even called Chloe to come get me, but I don't know. I just didn't want that. I wanted you," confessed Aubrey and Stacie gulped when Aubrey ran a hand through her hair, pulling her closer in the process. Stacie melted into the kiss the moment their lips meshed together, missing the way Aubrey tasted and how it felt to be immersed in her, but the nagging in the back of her brain made her pull away.

"We should stop," whispered Stacie, partially hoping Aubrey wouldn't hear her. Aubrey's eyes widened and she quickly stood up.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry. I must have read this wrong. I should go. I…I'm sorry," said Aubrey as tears filled her eyes again. Stacie hopped to her feet and shook her head profusely as she pulled Aubrey back to her.

"Bree, no, that's not…I want you. You have to know how badly I want you," assured Stacie and Aubrey looked down as she frowned.

"Then why are you stopping right now?" Stacie titled her chin up to her and gazed into her eyes.

"Because you are vulnerable and hurting and I don't want to take advantage. I want you to stay. I just think we should take things slower. It has been a long day," explained Stacie and Aubrey slowly nodded.

"That is an understatement," she agreed.

"Then how about we get some sleep? I want you to stay…if that's what you want too." Aubrey smiled and bit her lip.

"Are you asking me to spend the night with you, Stacie," she asked in a teasing tone and Stacie laced their fingers together as she pulled her toward the bedroom.

"Come on, I'll even let you sleep in my other favorite hoodie," giggled Stacie and Aubrey smiled as she followed her.