Title: Meanwhile - Before
Author: slacker_d
Pairing/Characters: Aubre/Beca, Chloe, Benji
Rating: PG-13
Summary: How Aubrey and Beca started dating.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: ~3,510

Winter Freshman Year

"Do you ever worry that you're going to give yourself a heart attack?" Chloe asks as Aubrey pulls out all the books she feels she needs for the weekend. "Or at the very least, an ulcer."

"I'm hardly stressed out," Aubrey replies.

"We're only freshman, Bree," Chloe says.

"I am fully aware, Chloe."

"You to relax a bit."

"I know how to relax," Aubrey replies.

"Glad to hear it," Chloe says. "Because I got you a date tonight."

"You what? Why?"

Aubrey whirls around to face Chloe, who looks completely unapologetic as she nods. The grin on her face makes Aubrey nervous.

"Because the year's half over and you haven't gone out on one yet."

"So?"

"Plus, I found the perfect girl for you," Chloe continues.

"Again, so?"

"Her name's Beca," Chloe explains. "And she's in my Algebra class."

"What on earth would make you set me up with a stranger in your math class?"

Chloe shrugs. "She's just as intense as you are, just about music, not school and she thinks you're cute."

"That doesn't mean— wait, what?"

Chloe nods. "When I told her I had a friend I wanted to set her up with, she naturally asked who."

"Naturally," Aubrey echoes, voice full of sarcasm.

"She's seen you around," Chloe continues. "I guess she works on the paper too. Writes the music reviews."

This makes Aubrey pause again. She does vaguely remember the brunette who writes the music reviews. A bit alternative and is always wearing headphones around her neck. Aubrey remembers being impressed watching her school last year's music editor. He'd been an arrogant jerk and it had been kind of satisfying to see him be one up-ed.

"She sounds... familiar."

"Uh huh," Chloe says, smiling. "She knows who you are. She tried to act all cool when I was talking about you, but I'm pretty sure she's more than noticed you around."

It is nice to be noticed, Aubrey can admit. Though she is also wary of how much of what Chloe says is true and what she's simply saying to get Aubrey to agree. It's happened before.

"Fine," she says, finally. "Give me the when and where."

"Yay," Chloe exclaims. "You two are having dinner at that new Asian Fusion place on Rune and Berg.

"Whose idea was that?" Aubrey asks, warily.

"Mine," Chloe replies. "Otherwise you two would just float in the land of indecisiveness."

"We would not," Aubrey protests.

"You would," Chloe insists. "But that's what you have me for? Right?"

"Right."

"You'll thank me later," Chloe says. "I gotta go. I'm meeting Ryder in a bit, so we can study."

"Study. Right."

"Bye Bree," Chloe says. "And you better not cancel."

…

Aubrey's surprised how well this blind date is going. She supposes she shouldn't be. Chloe's instincts are usually spot on about relationship type things.

Though initially Aubrey hadn't been impressed by Beca's lackadaisical attitude towards school, the blonde was reassured by Beca's surprisingly positive reaction to Aubrey being so academically minded. There had been no mocking or disdain like Aubrey had been expecting. Instead, Beca had just nodded for Aubrey to continue her point by point argument for genome mapping.

Aubrey hopes that Beca's laid back attitude is more related to her uncertainty about her future rather than laziness. When they begin to debate whether or not marijuana should be legalized, Aubrey is not reassured, despite the fact that Beca matches each of Aubrey's arguments with logical and articulate replies. It's been a while since she's had a good debate. Probably before she was kicked off the debate team in middle school for being too aggressive.

"So you're a stoner," Aubrey says.

"Because I think weed should be legal?" Beca retorts. "Talk about generalizations."

"Then you were arguing pretty passionately for something you don't care about," Aubrey replies.

"Because you were," Beca says.

"What?"

"You're really hot when you're arguing," Beca replies. "Plus it looked like you were enjoying yourself."

"Well it had been a while since I've had a good debate," Aubrey says, trying not to blush at Beca calling her hot.

"I could say the same thing."

"Really?"

Beca nods.

Aubrey feels herself energized at the thought. "How do you feel about praying in public schools?"

"How do you feel?" Beca counters.

"I'm against it," Aubrey says.

"Oh, well, then I'm definitely for it," Beca grins. "Any thoughts?"

…

Aubrey can't sleep past sunrise, so she goes for an early morning drive that has her picking up muffins and coffee before ending up at Chloe's house.

"So how was your date?" Chloe asks as she settles at the kitchen table.

"Not as horrible as I imagined it'd be," Aubrey replies.

"And you brought me muffins," Chloe smirks. "Which you only usually do when I'm right and you just can't admit it."

"I was in the neighborhood."

"So you're going out again, right?" Chloe asks.

Aubrey sighs. "If you must know, we're studying together Monday afternoon."

"Where?"

"Her house," Aubrey replies. "Her mom works late."

"Please tell me that you don't actually plan on studying," Chloe says.

"Just because it's our freshman year, doesn't meant that we shouldn't take our schoolwork seriously."

"Whose idea was the study date?" Chloe asks.

"Mine."

Chloe groans.

Aubrey's confused. "What?"

"She's going to think it's a "study date" type of date," Chloe says, making air quotes.

"Who does air quotes anymore?" Aubrey asks.

"Forget about that," Chloe says. "What matters, is that to most teenagers, study dates imply something else."

"Really?" Aubrey questions. "Most? Who are the ones, besides me, who don't fall into that category?"

"She's going to be expecting something," Chloe says.

"You say that like I'm against all physical contact."

"No," Chloe replies. "I say that because I know that you have very specific date guidelines. And I just worry that Beca's going to accidently over step one of your guidelines and..."

"And what?"

"Just," Chloe says. "Try to stay calm. Okay?"

"Can we be done talking about me, now?" Aubrey asks. "How was your study date with Ryder?"

"Productive—"

"Ewww."

"We finished our entire history project a full week early and now we can focus on other things," Chloe says.

"Like each other?"

"We're going out tonight, actually," Chloe replies.

"Wait, what history project?" Aubrey asks.

"The weird one," Chloe replies. "You remember last week, I was complaining because Patterson gave us such a strange one?"

"Remind me again," Aubrey says.

"We have to give a presentation on McKinley's assassination—"

"What's so weird about that?"

"And explain how it had a bigger impact than Lincoln's."

"Bigger impact, really?" Aubrey questions. "Well it certainly did take the country in an entirely different direction, but I hardly think that it—"

"Anyway," Chloe interjects. "We have enough for a ten minute presentation and should even be able to answer follow up questions."

"I'm impressed," Aubrey says.

"Please try not to sound so surprised, Bree," Chloe retorts. "Just because you're the brains of this operation—"

"I meant that I can't believe that you did all that work in just one evening," Aubrey clarifies.

"Oh. Okay."

"I don't think you're dumb," Aubrey says.

"I know. I just forgot for a second," Chloe replies. "So tell me more about last night?"

Aubrey groans and lets her head fall onto the table with a soft thud.

…

Benji's been so into learning his latest trick, that Beca kind of forgot that he's lounging on the other side of the couch. When he finally does say something after almost an hour of silence, Beca almost jumps in surprise.

"You're in a good mood."

"You say that like it's so unusual," Beca replies, trying not to seem too shook up.

"You say that like it's not," Benji retorts.

"Touché."

"So we're not going to talk about you date?" Benji asks. "How was it?"

"Surprisingly nice," Beca replies.

"Aubrey Posen doesn't really seem like your type to me," Benji says. "No offense."

"Me and you both," Beca agrees. "But she's... She wasn't what I was expecting."

"I take it your guys are going out again?"

"We're hanging out tomorrow," Beca replies.

"That's... vague," Benji says.

"She's coming over and we're going to study."

"Oh. Study or study?"

"I'm up for either," Beca replies with a shrug. "But I have a feeling that Aubrey meant studying, not studying."

"Does dating a girl mean less pressure for sex?" Benji asks.

"I have no idea," Beca says. "Aubrey's my first."

"In more ways than one, soon," Benji grins.

"Perv," Beca says, throwing a pillow at him.

…

Aubrey almost wishes she hadn't talked with Chloe about Monday afternoon; if she hadn't, maybe she wouldn't feel so nervous. They hadn't kissed the other night and Aubrey had been fine with that, but after talking to Chloe she'd spent the weekend worrying that she'd ruined things without a good night kiss.

Thankfully Monday morning brought school, which was the perfect distraction and before Aubrey knows it, school is over and it's time to walk home with Beca. She's supposed to meet Beca in the parking lot and they're going to walk to Beca's house, since that's what the brunette does every day.

"Hi," Aubrey says, shyly.

"Hey," Beca replies. "Ready?"

Aubrey nods. "Lead on."

Beca smirks and begins walking. Aubrey falls into step and tries not to let her nervousness show.

"You okay?" Beca asks after a block.

Apparently, she's not very successful. She stops and turns to face Beca. "Look," Aubrey says. "Before we get to your house, I think we should talk."

"All right," Beca replies.

"I just wanted to make sure you knew that when I said we should study over at your house because your mom works late, I didn't mean that—I wasn't trying to imply that we, uh, should, um..." Aubrey's not sure she can finish that sentence.

Beca chuckles and Aubrey cringes.

"Do you know why I agreed to this study date?" Beca asks, smirking.

Aubrey shakes her head.

"Three reasons," Beca says. "One, I like you and I want to spend more time with you. Two, I'm willing to bet that you're super cute when you're concentrating. And three, I was hoping you could help me with my Algebra because I suck at math and you're awesome at all things school related."

"Oh."

"Was I hoping that I'd get to kiss you?" Beca asks. "Absolutely. I mean, have you seen you? But I also get the feeling that you want to wait a bit longer. And that's cool. Most great things are worth waiting for and I bet you're no exception."

Aubrey feels herself blushing.

"You still want to come over?"

Aubrey nods and Beca smiles.

"Okay then," Beca says, giving a mock half bow. "Shall we?"

Aubrey rolls her eyes, but begins walking again. Beca teasingly bumps into her and Aubrey grabs her hand, interlaces their fingers. She feels Beca squeeze her hand and she squeezes back. The last five blocks are walked in silence as they arms swing slightly between them.

Spring Freshman Year

When Aubrey arrives at her locker Wednesday morning, Chloe is waiting for her.

"So?" is Chloe's greeting.

"You're going to have to be more specific, Chlo," Aubrey replies as she opens her locker.

Chloe sighs. "It's been three months since your first date with Beca. Are you finally going to admit that I was right?"

"If I say yes, do you promise to keep the gloating to a minimum?"

"When I'm around you? Yes."

Aubrey sighs, though she can't help but smile. At least Chloe's honest. "Then, yes, I can admit that I'm glad you set me up with Beca."

"Good," Chloe says. "That means next time I tell you I know what I'm doing, you'll believe me, right?"

"Depends on the situation," Aubrey replies. "If you're referring to that time you actually managed to hotwire your brother's car, then no, because I'm pretty sure that was pure luck."

"It was not," Chloe insists.

"Chlo," Aubrey says. "You got it on the first try and you learned how from reading a bunch of Youtube comments. That's luck."

"Fine," Chloe huffs. "But in matters of the heart, I am an expert, right?"

"You've dated more than me," Aubrey replies. "But I'm not really the best measuring stick."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, it's a yes," Aubrey says. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic," Chloe smirks.

…

"So the reason that you don't sit together at lunch is because you guys aren't serious?"

Beca sighs. She feels like they've been talking about this for hours, not minutes. "It's not the only reason, but maybe?"

Benji is very skeptical. "Maybe?"

"We haven't really talked about it," Beca replies. "It just always ends up that way."

"I know why you're reluctant to sit by her—"

"You do?"

Benji rolls his eyes. "But I definitely don't know Aubrey well enough to guess what her hesitation is."

"She's not big on PDA," Beca offers.

"It's just that you guys have been dating for like three months and if I wasn't your best friend, I would have no idea that you have a girlfriend."

"Whoa there, buddy," Beca says. "She is not my girlfriend."

Benji sighs. "Right. Of course not. What was I thinking?"

"Don't start, Benji," Beca warns.

"Fine," Benji replies, holding up his hands in defense. "But if you're not careful, you're going to fuck up one of the best things that ever happened to you."

"I don't see how you can say that when we're only fifteen," Beca mutters.

Summer

It's still early when Beca arrives home. Benji's mom had invited her to stay for dinner, but Beca hadn't felt up to an Applebaum family dinner and so she'd declined.

Thankfully, Aubrey isn't sitting on her front steps like Beca expected. She'd been over at Benji's avoiding Aubrey for the past few hours and figures enough time has passed for the blonde to have given up on her.

It's not that Beca doesn't like spending time with Aubrey, just the opposite in fact. Therein lies the problem. They've been... doing whatever it is that they've been doing for a little over six months and Beca's having serious feelings, serious love type feelings and she doesn't want to. If there's one thing her parents' divorce has taught her is that love is fickle and there's no such thing as happy ever after. She doesn't want to fall into the trap of falling in love.

Beca almost has a heart attack when she enters her room to find a very pissed off Aubrey Posen waiting for her. Beca curses herself for telling Aubrey where the spare key is hidden.

"What the hell, Beca?" Aubrey asks. "I thought we had a date."

Beca shrugs. "Sorry. Forgot."

"You forgot?"

Beca shrugs against as she nods.

"Just like you forgot last week, too?"

"Yep."

Aubrey sighs. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

"Look, I know you wanted to see the movie, but we can go another—"

"That's not what I meant," Aubrey interrupts. "I thought we were moving towards something serious, but you obviously don't feel that way."

Beca sighs. "We're barely sixteen, Bree. I thought we were just messing around, having a good time. I never... I'm not looking for a girlfriend."

Aubrey just barely holds back a growl. "Of course. Of course you would pull this."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Beca asks, defensive.

"It means I shouldn't be so surprised. You're so afraid of getting hurt that you're not even willing to try."

"Not everything I do is about my dad," Beca protests.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Aubrey scoffs. "But I know better."

"Are you done psychoanalyzing me?" Beca asks. "Because I'd really like you to leave now."

"I'm going," Aubrey replies, stalking out of Beca's room. "Good riddance."

"My thoughts exactly!" Beca shouts after Aubrey.

…

Aubrey manages to hold it together until she reaches Chloe's house. It takes a great deal of effort, that is mostly Aubrey trying to think about anything, but Beca.

Chloe is apologetic, as if she could have known about Beca's defensive mechanisms. Still, Aubrey appreciates the effort as they lay on Chloe's bed and watch movies. She lets herself cry, even as she curses herself for being surprised. She's known for a couple months that the growing feelings between them have been making Beca nervous. Aubrey, stupidly, chose to ignore that very obvious fact.

"She'll come around," Chloe offers.

"I'm not so sure."

"She loves you," Chloe replies. "Even I can see that."

"Too bad she can't," Aubrey says.

"Give her some time," Chloe says. "Like I said, she'll come around."

…

Beca sighs.

Benji looks up annoyed from his card trick. "Would you just call her?"

"Who?"

The scoffing noise that Benji makes is so loud, Beca's pretty sure that her neighbors heard it.

"It's been two weeks and you're miserable," Benji continues. "Just call her and apologize."

"I can't."

"Why not?" Benji questions. "You two are in love—"

"We are not."

"So I'm sure if you just apologize and tell her that you're scared—"

"I am not."

Benji sighs, walks over to Beca's bed and sits on it, facing her.

"Beca, I love you like the sister I've always wanted, but you really need to stop lying to yourself. It's not healthy."

"I'll be fine," Beca says when the silence becomes too much. "Eventually."

"Oooh, fine," Benji mocks. "That sounds fun. Wouldn't you rather be happy and in love?"

"No."

"Course not."

Autumn Sophomore Year

Aubrey accepts Josh Sylvester's invitation to the Halloween dance at Chloe's prompting. He seems like a nice guy and he's cute, but it's mostly because Chloe's right. She needs to start moving on and forget about Beca.

Aubrey had hoped that once the school year started, Beca would come to her senses, but it's been almost two months since Aubrey stomped out of Beca's house and the brunette has made no effort to contact her, so maybe it's time that Aubrey gave up on her.

…

The Halloween dance is tonight and Beca is definitely not thinking about Aubrey going with Josh Sylvester. Because like Beca told Aubrey, she's not looking for a serious girlfriend; it's just too bad that Aubrey takes dating so seriously. Beca knows she shouldn't be surprised, she's known that from the beginning.

She's spent the last two months trying not to think about Aubrey, which of course, has the opposite effect. Maybe Benji's right. She's spent months trying to purge the blonde from her mind and if anything, it's just made Beca realize how much she really loves Aubrey. And what's worse is that the realization doesn't scare her as much as it did over the summer. While Beca may have been afraid of being in love with Aubrey, she realizes that she's even more scared of not having Aubrey in her life, having suffered through sixty-seven days without her.

Beca groans to herself. She fucked up. Badly. She needs to fix this. It might be too late, but not trying is worse. It's even worse than the denial that's been dictating her actions for the last couple months.

Glancing at the clock, Beca guesses that Aubrey's still at the dance. She has no idea what she's going to do, but Beca has to talk to Aubrey and try to explain. She just hopes it's not too late.

…

"Are you mad that we're not out at school?" Beca asks.

Beca woke up early and as she laid there wrapped around Aubrey, the brunette let her mind wander. She meant everything she told Aubrey the night before, but at the same time, there are some things she's not sure about. Her and Aubrey's interaction at school is one of them.

"Why would I be mad?" Aubrey questions.

"I don't know," Beca replies. "Because if I really do want you to be my girlfriend, I should want to shout it from the roof tops."

Aubrey laughs. "I can't seeing either of us doing that any time soon."

Beca lets out a sigh of relief.

Aubrey shifts about until she's facing Beca. "As long as you can admit that you love me, I don't need public declarations. If anything, I'd rather not. People are sharing too much of themselves lately, if you ask me."

"Um..."

"I just meant that I've never been a fan of those couples who can't spend any time apart. I like having our own social circles at school. Our academically related interests are so different, that being attached at the hip at school would probably be difficult, even for a master planner such as myself."

"Dork," Beca smirks, fondly.

"The only two people's opinions that matter in this relationship is mine and yours. Maybe your mom and my dad have a smidge of influence, but no one else."

"I agree," Beca says.

"So nothing changes," Aubrey continues. "I like things how they are. I'd much rather spend five minutes alone together, just you and me, then five hours together surrounded by our classmates."

"Me too."

"Finally," Aubrey says. "We agree."