Aubrey has been putting in an unhealthy number of hours at the Lodge following her absence. It had been 3 months of working from dusk til' dawn and it was clearly showing on her. Beca tried pleading with her to slow down or else she would end up hurting their relationship, and more importantly, herself.
"Bree baby, you're not Wonder Woman you know?"
Aubrey was working at a breakneck pace at her desk when she snapped, "Of course not, I'm a damn Posen! Wonder Woman is a bitch compared to me!" Aubrey let out an exhausted, sinister laugh that scared Beca for her wife's wellbeing. Aubrey seemed helpless, she never knew when to quit.
"Well ok. Just please try and get some rest?" Beca asked timidly.
Aubrey just waved her hand at her, not even turning around to kiss her goodnight.
"Come on Mittens, let's leave mommy alone," Beca scooped up Mittens and headed for the couch. Even though Aubrey wasn't get much sleep, she did manage to crawl in bed for at least an hour. Beca did not want to deal with Aubrey's crankiness in the mornings, so she's been sleeping on the couch.
Mittens couldn't really understand this change in behavior in his owners. Well for one, he was just a cat, but even animals know when problems arise. He's been in a different routine as of late and he didn't like it. He went from prowling around at night, to sleeping in bed with his owners and now being trapped against his will on an uncomfortable couch with Beca as of late.
Beca was slowly losing Aubrey day by day, so Mittens was all she had. Mittens had other intentions. So, when the brunette fell asleep he sprung into action. He wiggled free of Beca's grip and ran upstairs to hop onto the desk Aubrey was seated at.
At first, he startled the girl. But Aubrey quickly regained her composure, "Mittens, mommy has work to do, I can't play with you right now."
Mittens plopped down on Aubrey's notepad, so she would stop writing and purred, trying to gain her affection. Aubrey sighed and started rubbing Mittens,
"Ok, but only for a minute then I'll have to get to work." A minute turned into thirty, and Aubrey was passed out on the desk. Mittens woke her up by pacing back and forth by her head and bumping her awake.
As soon as she awoke, Mittens scattered of the desk and meowed from the door,
"What is it Mittens? Are you hungry?" Aubrey asked following the cat downstairs into the living room. Mittens perched himself behind Beca on the cushion and yawned, laying his head down and closing his eyes. Aubrey shook her head at this and smiled,
"Mittens? Are you telling me it's bed time? She looked at both her sleeping beauties and smiled. She felt so guilty for the way she was acting towards Beca. Starting that night, she would change herself for the better, just like it was before she got sick and then became a workaholic because Beca and Mittens were everything to her. So instead of waking up Beca or even carrying her to their room, she did something they haven't done in years. She slipped in behind her wife, wrapped her up tightly and fell asleep instantly on the couch with Mittens watching over them.
…
Aubrey did as she promised and left all her work, well at work. She focused more on her wife and Mittens. Beca still got jealous when Mittens would show Aubrey more attention than her, but it was something she was trying to work through. Except one morning when Aubrey informed Beca that she was taking the day off to rest. Beca thought it was odd that Bree would randomly decide to take off, because quite frankly, she has never taken a personal day.
It all became clear when she saw Aubrey playing with Mittens in her chair. She had him laid back against her propped-up legs and was scratching his belly,
Mittens doesn't let me rub his belly! Why does he like Aubrey more than me?
Aubrey had got up to use the bathroom, leaving Mittens alone in the recliner. Beca thought how wrong it would be to take Mittens, thus, leaving Aubrey here alone. But damnit, she wasn't going to lose Mittens again. Like everything else between the couple, it was a competition.
Beca approached slowly, placing her index finger over her mouth in a shushing motion,
"Wanna come to work with your momma Mittens?" She snatched the cat from his spot in Aubrey's chair and yelled back to Aubrey that she was heading to work.
Aubrey had returned from the bathroom to find Mittens gone. She looked all over the house for the fur ball and couldn't find him. She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Beca,
"Mittens is missing, I cannot find him anywhere :( "
Beca received the text as she walked into work carrying Mittens to her office,
"Now mister, you stay here and sleep, momma has work to do." She pulled her phone out and replied to Aubrey because she knew the blonde was having a panic attack,
"Sorry Bree, I guess I forgot to tell you that it was bring your pet to work day."
Aubrey just grinned at the text, "Liar." She typed up a response, "Oh, well okay then, I guess I'll just mope around here all day. Want me to bring you lunch babe?"
"Yea that's fine. Can you bring Mittens something to? I forgot his food."
"Yeah, I wouldn't want my babies going hungry, now would I?"
"You're the best Bree."
Aubrey just smiled, "The trap has been set."
Aubrey arrived at lunch and gave Beca her lunch as she sat on the couch with Mittens,
"So, you're the little star today are you?"
"Everyone loves him," Beca said with a smile.
"How Is he getting along with the other pets?"
"What other pets?" Beca gasped as she remembered her lie, "Oh yeah! He has been very playful with the others. But as you can tell he's pretty wore out."
"Yeah poor baby,"
Beca was relieved Aubrey didn't catch the slip. One of her employees slipped in and asked Beca for a moment alone,
"Sorry Bree, I guess I gotta go."
"Well okay then, I better get going myself. I got some errands to run." Aubrey stood and kissed her wife bye and Beca slipped out leaving Aubrey and Mittens alone,
"Your momma is not very slick, let's get you out of here and have some fun." Aubrey picked up the cat and slowly made her way out of the building and begun the trip home.
It didn't take Beca very long to find out what happened to Mittens, she texted Aubrey automatically,
"Aubrey! I know you took Mittens! I will get you back!"
Aubrey just smiled as she sent a picture of her and Mittens snuggled back together in bed,
"Sorry babe, he likes me better."
"I literally hate you right now."
Aubrey laughed at Beca's last message, "Mittens, your momma is a mess."
…
It took Beca a few years to settle into the fact that she just wasn't Mittens favorite anymore. Aubrey had him locked up and really Beca couldn't complain, she loved seeing her wife so happy. But this time it was different, Aubrey left for Los Angeles to put all her hard work to a close, she was opening a second retreat on the west coast.
Beca was lying in bed when the highly anticipated skype call came through,
"Hey Bree! How was your day? Is Mittens ok?"
"It was…eventful. Trying to train the new staff is almost as bad as trying to train eight freshmen wannabe A cappella singers," She said sticking her tongue out.
"I'm glad you're having fun. But where is Mittens?" Right on cue he jumped into the frame for Beca to see,
"Hey buddy! Do you miss momma? Hopefully mommy is taking care of you."
Aubrey looked at Beca in disbelief, "You know I take care of my own Beca! Speaking of my own? Where are the little devils?"
"Hold on and I'll get them, Eva! Mia! Mommy is on the phone!"
Yes, it's true. The couple were mother's now. Aubrey had finally decided to have a child, and with her luck, she ended up with identical twin girls who were the spitting image of herself, even at the age of 5. From their taller stature, green eyes and blonde hair, Beca swore they were cloned. Aubrey adored them, but they quickly took after their other mother Beca and her habits. Now it was Aubrey who was jealous of Beca, because the girls showed more of a liking to her. But Beca insisted that it wasn't the case. They were both mothers and both girls loved their mothers equally.
It was just a few quiet moments later when Beca started to hear the scrambling foot steps of two little girls fighting to get to the room first. The girls rushed into the room and hopped up onto the bed playfully attacking Beca first,
"Not fair!" It's two on one!" Beca squealed.
Aubrey sat back trying to hold back her tears, she was truly blessed to have such a loving adorable family.
"Girls, that's enough." Your mommy is waiting to see you.
"Hi mommy!" Eva and Mia yelled in unison.
"Hello babies! You miss me yet? I sure miss my girls," Aubrey said with a frown.
"When are you coming home?" Eva asked.
"I'll be home in two days. Can you make it for that long?"
"No! We miss you." Mia protested.
Beca sat back and pulled the girls in tighter to her sides,
"Yeah Bree, we haven't been sleeping well without you.
"Momma has been letting us sleep in the bed with her!" Eva said sticking her tongue out to the camera.
"Eva! That was a secret!" Beca looked at Aubrey who wasn't impressed.
"Beca you know I don't want them in our bed, they could fall or get hurt climbing out of bed."
Beca rolled her eyes, "Bree, I'm a better mother than that, right girls?"
Once again in unison they said "Yes! Momma gives the best snuggles!"
Aubrey tried not to look hurt,
"Even better than mine?"
Beca whispered into her daughter's ears and they both smiled,
"Momma said her snuggles are the best. Plus, she said since she's in charge we have do what she says." Mia explained.
"That's a scary thought," Aubrey said.
"Hey! I heard that!" That earned a giggle from the girls.
Aubrey noticed the look on the girls faces eventually change to sadness,
"What's wrong girl's?"
They couldn't hold back their tears any longer,
"We miss Mittens."
It cut Aubrey deep, she had been so selfish with Mittens. For years it had been a competition between her and Beca of who could gain control over the cat's affection. But when her girls were born, Mittens had become their cat. He was their friend since the day they came home from the hospital and Aubrey had taken him with her to L.A., so she wouldn't be lonely. But even with Mittens, she was still lonely. She wanted to be in that bed with her girl's sharing snuggles.
And to see the sadness in her their eyes hurt the most. To Beca and Aubrey he had slowly become just a pet, they had a set of twins to raise now. But to their girls, he was their whole world. Beca shot Aubrey a sympathetic look as she was cradling both girls trying to comfort them.
Aubrey looked at the slowly aging Mittens, then back at her girls on the screen, she had made up her mind.
"Girl's, Mittens and I are coming home."
