Title: Reliance
Chapter: 2/?
Author: jdc15
Rating: M/NC-17
Word Count: About 3.2k
Summary: "She hadn't really thought about Stacie in any way except friendly since seeing her but now that it's been brought up and questioned she can't help but consider it, hard as she tries to push it away."
Notes: I made a lot of changes/additions etc. to the first chapter because I wasn't totally happy with it, so please go re-read that before you read this one!
/
"Aubrey!"
She turns at the sound of her name and sees Chloe pushing through the throng of people in the club, a wide smile on her face, her hair and clothes rumpled. She wraps Aubrey in a tight hug, nearly knocking her backwards with the force of it.
"Where's Beca?" Aubrey asks when they part. She's so used to Beca and Chloe as a package deal that now when she sees one of them on their own it's a little strange.
"Signing autographs over there," Chloe says with a wave over her shoulder. "They wouldn't let her get away. Did you like the set?"
"Yeah, it was amazing."
"You couldn't get Stacie to come?"
"I'm not meeting up with her until tomorrow."
"Oh, then tell her I say hey." Chloe bounces on her toes and then spins around to scan the crowd. "Oh, here she comes!" She waves furiously and Aubrey spots Beca ducking between the people packed into the room, managing to look both harried and exhilarated at the same time.
"Hey, Aubrey," she says when she reaches them. "Glad you could make it."
Aubrey gives her a quick hug. "You were great."
"Thanks."
A guy taps Beca on the shoulder and hands her a piece of paper, which she signs quickly before turning back to them, annoyed. "Can we get out of here? My hand is starting to cramp, I swear."
Chloe ruffles her hair playfully. "You're adorable."
"Don't call me adorable," Beca says, but she presses a kiss to Chloe's lips anyway. "Let's go."
/
"So I heard you ran into Stacie?" Beca asks tentatively, once a very tipsy Chloe has occupied herself arguing with the hostess of the small restaurant they've sat down in, leaving the two of them alone in the booth.
"Chloe told you?"
"Yeah, she mentioned it," Beca says, and she appears to be choosing her words carefully. "How is she?"
"Not bad. Kind of skinny but she didn't look terrible."
"That's good," Beca says thoughtfully, stirring her water with her straw. "I haven't talked to her in ages."
"Chloe said you guys used to talk a lot."
"We were really good friends for a while, actually."
Aubrey waits for her to elaborate but she doesn't so she prods, "What happened?"
"She changed her number and fell off the map," Beca shrugs. "I found out she moved, but I didn't know where."
"She dropped out of school."
"Yeah, she never had enough money to pay tuition."
"You never tried to find her after she left?"
Beca sighs, pinning pieces of ice to the bottom of her cup with the straw distractedly. "I don't think she wanted to be found, honestly. She didn't even tell me she was leaving."
"She told me she got some job as an escort and then moved here to make more money."
Beca nods. "That's what I thought, honestly. I knew she was doing that kind of work before she left."
"I wish she wouldn't," Aubrey says quietly.
Beca shrugs again. "It's her life."
"It doesn't have to be," Aubrey replies.
Beca shakes her head and finally stops fiddling with her drink. "I don't think you should meddle, Aubrey."
Taken aback, Aubrey just stares at her. "Meddle?"
"I just mean that if she's got something going that's working for her, you shouldn't mess it up for her unless she wants you to."
"I don't see how this could be working for her," Aubrey argues. She throws a glance to Chloe, who is thankfully still occupied at the front of the restaurant.
"It's good money," Beca says fairly. "And I mean, it isn't like I think she should be in that industry, because she's way better than that. She had straight A's at Duke. She should be a doctor by now, or, like, on the moon or something. But basically, you do what you have to, and she's probably embarrassed enough with the fact that you know what she's doing for work without you trying to stop her."
Aubrey isn't quite sure how to respond so she just sits in silence, and Chloe chooses that moment to slip into the seat beside Beca and drape herself completely over her.
"That girl is a bitch," she whines. "She tried to tell me Swedish House Mafia was better than Beca."
"They definitely are," Beca says with a roll of her eyes.
"No way. You're the best," Chloe says, brow furrowed. She pokes at Beca's nose and Beca swats her away, but twines their fingers together when Chloe pouts.
"Thanks, babe," Beca says, choosing wisely not to argue. She looks like she wants to say something else to Aubrey but now that Chloe's back, and very intoxicated, it probably isn't the best time. Aubrey swallows her annoyance at Beca, yet again, trying to tell her how to live her life for the sake of having a good evening with her friends, but she doesn't stop thinking about what she said all night.
/
She gets off work at five-thirty on Friday and spends the two hours until Stacie is meant to arrive alternating between pacing and cleaning. She digs through her pantry for things that the girl might like; she has some memory of her liking candy so she searches until she finds some, probably leftover from last Halloween. She doubts it's gone bad, though. Candy probably can't rot, not with all the preservatives.
At quarter past seven she puts on the kettle for tea. Ten minutes later there's a quiet knock on the door and she rushes to answer. She's prepared a bit of a speech but it dies in her throat when she sees Stacie on the doorstep, shivering slightly in the chilly January air. She's wearing a black coat and skirt, her hair is loose and lightly curled around her face, and she has on about a pound and a half of makeup.
"Hey," Aubrey greets her.
"Hi," Stacie replies. She looks unsure of what to do, so Aubrey steps back and motions for her to come in.
"How are you?" Aubrey asks. She's desperate to break the tension, to regain the bubble of trust that they just scratched the surface of the night before.
"I'm okay. How are you?" She sounds stilted, uncomfortable, but layered over that is another tone that Aubrey guesses is supposed to be seductive.
"Pretty good. You left your scarf here yesterday," Aubrey says, and holds it out with a smile.
"Thanks." There's a pause in which they avoid eye contact entirely before she continues. "So, my boss told me you didn't have any special requests, but do you know what you'd like to do?"
"This isn't—I'm not a client," Aubrey says, hoping her words don't sound as shaky as she thinks they do. "Well, I guess technically I am, but I didn't call you here for…you know. I just wanted to see you again."
"Why?"
"Because I've missed you."
Stacie just stares at her, like she isn't quite sure how someone would miss her. "How did you even manage to get me here?"
"My boyfr—ex-boyfriend still had the number of your boss, so I got it from him and made an appointment."
Stacie nods, looking impressed.
"It was Chloe's idea, actually."
"Chloe?"
"Yeah, you remember her, right?"
"I'm not an idiot, of course I remember her," Stacie says sharply. "I was just wondering why you were talking to her about me."
"I just asked for her opinion on how to see you again," Aubrey says quickly. "I didn't tell her what you told me, I swear."
"Good," Stacie mutters. "Because I shouldn't have told you all of that."
"You—why not?"
"I'd been drinking," Stacie says offhandedly, as if this is the norm. Maybe it is. "And I was really taken by surprise, so I didn't think about what I was saying."
"You know I'd never judge you, right?"
Stacie twitches her shoulder in response. "I guess."
"Are you drunk now?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Do you have to ask so many questions?" Stacie snaps, and then backs down quickly. "I'm sorry." Even though she's towering over Aubrey in her heels, she looks small.
"I made tea," Aubrey says mindlessly, and spins around to walk into the kitchen. "Come here."
Stacie follows her cautiously, looking as though she expects every inch of the wall to be booby-trapped. When they reach the kitchen Aubrey pours her a mug and shoves the milk and sugar toward her.
"Thank you," the girl says quietly. She adds milk but no sugar, and sips the tea slowly.
"Of course." Aubrey studies her for a moment before he clears her throat. "So, how was your day today?"
"Fine."
Aubrey shakes her head. She doesn't understand how someone can change so much in so little time. She knew Stacie before, knew how open and carefree she was. She wants that girl back, not this empty one who's standing in her kitchen looking like she'd rather be anywhere else.
"I know we weren't really that close," she begins. "But we were friends, right?"
"Sure," Stacie shrugs. She looks as though she's hiding behind her cup.
"Tea really isn't that interesting to look at," Aubrey says exasperatedly, and her words have the desired effect: Stacie's eyes flicker to her own. "We were friends."
"Okay."
"Why can't we go back to that?"
"I don't see why you're so interested in hanging out with me. You were the captain of my a cappella group and I only knew you for a year. If I recall, you spent most of it yelling at me about choreography or making us sing outdated songs."
"I'm worried about you!" Aubrey says, ignoring the jab at her captaincy of the Bellas.
"You can worry about yourself," Stacie says bitingly, returning her mug to the counter noisily. "I don't understand why you're suddenly so interested in my life."
"Because we were friends!"
"So? I was friends with a lot of people. I don't see any of them buying my time just to try to hear about all the shit I've done." She's breathing hard and her eyes bore straight into Aubrey's, intense and almost intimidating.
"Okay," Aubrey backs down. "I'm sorry if I've overstepped. I didn't mean to offend you. I just wanted to get to know you because honestly, you clearly need some help."
"I don't need any fucking help," Stacie argues, and Aubrey fires right back up.
"Stop lying to yourself," Aubrey says, and she surprises herself with how scathing the words sounds as they leave her mouth. "You're twenty years old, selling yourself to strangers and not even getting anything out of it. I'm trying to offer you some help but if you really don't want it, fine. Just know that you're making a big mistake."
"It isn't like I'm being forced into anything," Stacie says. "You're acting like I've been trafficked or something. I chose to do this and I'm planning to keep doing it, so why don't you mind your own business? If you're that desperate to be friends with me, fine, but don't just pretend to be interested in me in order to get me to change my life."
There's a long stretch of silence during which Aubrey fumes and Stacie looks straight down at the floor. Aubrey isn't sure whether Stacie's going to leave but after a while she only reaches for her mug again, and says quietly, "And my day was okay. How was yours?"
/
They talk for hours.
Aubrey's too proud to admit that Beca was right in what she said, but she still has the sense not to say anything further to Stacie about mistakes and lifestyle choices. She's positive Stacie will walk out if she tries anything like that again, anyway, so she just forces herself to be satisfied with talking to her about everything else.
When Stacie, cheeks pink, starts telling her about what it's like to do what she does, Aubrey has to bite her tongue to keep from jumping in. She wants to be there for her, but it's hard to just listen.
Stacie tells her some things that Aubrey doesn't want to hear. She tells her things that make her cry, and others that make her laugh. She talks about people doing things to her that make Aubrey feel sick but still she stays quiet; she's confident that they're on their way to being friends but she doesn't dare voice any more of her own opinions yet.
This time, when Stacie stands up to leave at nine-thirty, she scrawls her cell phone number on an old receipt and presses it into Aubrey's palm with a smile before she disappears again into the city.
/
She lasts exactly forty minutes before she texts her and asks her to lunch. She lets out a breath she hadn't known she was holding when Stacie agrees.
/
"Hi, mom."
"Aubrey! I'm glad you called. I was starting to think you'd forgotten I existed."
Aubrey rolls her eyes. "I called you two days ago."
Her mother clicks her tongue at her and lets out a sigh. "Yes, but you know how I worry, especially with you living in that awful city, and so close to your father, too. He'll corrupt you one of these days."
"That isn't going to happen," Aubrey assures her. "I saw him on Tuesday, for his birthday and he pissed me off, as usual."
"As much as I wish he'd run away to China and take that horrible woman with him, he's most likely here to stay," Julie sighs.
Aubrey lets out a laugh. "I'm so glad you left him when you did."
"Join the club, honey." Her laugh matches Aubrey's when it crackles down the line. "What were you calling about?"
"I need your advice."
"Oh, and here I was thinking you just called to hear my voice."
"Mom…"
"Okay, okay. What's going on?"
"Do you remember when I was captain of the Barden Bellas in my senior year?"
"How could I forget? It's all you talked about, honey."
"Well, there was this one girl who was in the group. Her name was Stacie, and she was a freshman so I only knew her for that one year. We weren't particularly close—" She leaves out the part about finding her extremely attractive, because that really isn't necessary for her mother to know. "—but the other night I came home and she was…in my house." She stops then, trying to decide how to proceed.
"Yes?" her mother prods.
"Well, she's kind of…a sex worker."
"Oh. Okay," Julie says, sounding taken aback. "Can I ask why she was in your house?"
"I didn't hire her, mom," Aubrey says quickly. "Don't worry. Henry did, but it was a misunderstanding. But the reason I called is because I wanted your opinion. I'm worried about her and I don't think she should be doing what she's doing but I don't know how to stop her."
There's a long pause and Aubrey's about to ask whether her mother's hung up on her when Julie says, "Aubrey, I don't think you should tell this girl how to live her life. You can worry without getting too involved."
Her mother's words are too similar to Beca's and Aubrey feels a sudden pang of annoyance. She never quite got over Beca's need to tell her what to do and she isn't going to admit she's right unless she absolutely has to. "I don't see why everyone thinks she should just keep doing that."
Another silence, and then: "Aubrey, I have to ask…do you like this girl?"
God damn it. Why is everyone asking her this? "No, mom, I do not. I'm just worried about her."
"Okay," Julie says, sounding unconvinced. "But maybe you should ask yourself why you care so much about her before you go any further with this."
/
She hangs up slowly half an hour later, her mother's words still echoing fresh in her mind. She hadn't really thought about Stacie in any way except friendly since seeing her but now that it's been brought up and questioned she can't help but consider it, hard as she tries to push it away.
She's still distracted by the time she's due to meet Stacie for lunch. The conversation with her mother did nothing to assuage her confusion; if anything it worsened it and she's practically a frazzled mess when she walks into the café and spots Stacie at a table by the window. She hasn't had any time to just ask herself what she really thinks, and she realizes this just as she reaches the table and Stacie turns to greet her with a smile.
When she sits down across from her she starts to think that maybe she is kind of into her. She regrets getting everyone's opinion, then, wishing she'd taken the time to think it over alone but it's too late now and all she can do is smile back at Stacie and ask her how her day is going.
/
"So is Beca playing around here again?" Stacie asks, swirling her milkshake around in its glass. "Sucks that I missed her on Thursday."
"Yeah, she's in Long Island day after tomorrow." She tries to think of a way to invite her without coming off as desperate. She feels weird, edgy, and she doesn't trust herself not to embarrass herself every time she opens her mouth.
"I haven't seen them in ages," Stacie muses. "Maybe I should go say hey."
"You can come with me, if you want," Aubrey says automatically.
"That would be cool," Stacie says thoughtfully. "What time is the show?"
Aubrey's surprised that Stacie seems interested in seeing them but she doesn't dare comment on it. "The club opens at six but she doesn't start her set until ten. I was planning to get there at like nine-thirty so I can say hi to her and Chloe before she starts."
"They're still together?" Stacie sounds overly surprised, her brow furrowing a little as she glances up at Aubrey.
"Yeah, why?"
"Just wondering," Stacie says with a shrug. "I'm happy for them, I just never would have expected Beca to commit to a relationship, is all."
"Yeah, you knew her pretty well, right?"
"We were friends," Stacie says quietly. "I've missed her."
"Why did you stop talking?" Aubrey asks. She wonders how far she can push this topic before Stacie shuts it down. She knows she really should shut up but she can't seem to stop talking.
Stacie clears her throat. "I moved and I didn't really want to drag anything here with me, so I changed my number." She stands up abruptly, then. "Are you about ready to go? I have somewhere to be."
"Yeah, let's go." Aubrey wants to kick herself. It seems as though every time she has a chance to get closer to her she messes everything up, and now when Stacie splits away from her as soon as they walk out the doors with nothing but a wave, she presses the heels of her hands so hard into her eyes that she sees stars for the entirety of the drive home.