Author's note: This chapter is a bit more longer than the previous two. I know I usually switch between perspectives, but in order for the story to progress, it had to be Beca. I didn't really proofread, so any mistakes are my own. Your reviews help me to write faster. Let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy the story. (:

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize. You know the drill.

Chapter Eight

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Beca holds the phone between her ear and shoulder as she sets a dinosaur shaped plate in front of Jonah before moving to the fridge and retrieving a Capri Sun and setting it beside the plate. She leaves the straw attached because Jonah likes to do it himself.

"B, I've totally got this. No worries." Stacie says through the phone.

Beca sighs. "I know it's kind of last minute but… with everything that's happened, I just - I let it slip my mind that I'd be doing a few night shifts at the station.

"I get it." Stacie replies quietly. "I don't mind at all. Jonah is like the sweetest kid in existence, we're gonna have a blast." The smile is evident in her voice and it makes Beca smile too. Somewhere down the line, she and Stacie had gotten pretty close as friends and she really seemed to adore Jonah.

It had been somewhere in between Beca calling Stacie (It had been late and she figured the brunette would be more likely to be awake) in a panic because some creep customer was following her around on her break and Stacie showing up out of nowhere at Beca's work at the end of her shift to follow her home. After that, Beca insisted on buying the taller girl lunch the next day as a thank you and they sort of just hit it off. Stacie was easy to talk to and she didn't judge or push and she was smart as hell, Beca had found out. Like… scary smart and she was good at making Beca laugh so becoming friends with Stacie was easy.

"Thanks, Stace. I know you could be out partying or… hunting," Beca grimaces but chuckles anyway at the word as she continues. "But you're giving that up to hang out with a five year old."

Stacie laughs. "The five year old sounds more appealing to me. Besides, he's more polite and chivalrous than most of my dates. Raisin' him right, Becs." Beca smiles as she looks over at the little boy eating at the table. He's humming something quietly and kicking his feet as he eats a fork full of carrots (his favorite). "I'll be there in like thirty."

"Bye, Stace." Beca says before she hangs up the phone and walks over to the table to take a seat. "Stacie is coming to stay the night with you, buddy. You gonna be on your best behavior for her?" She watches as the little boy nods vigorously, unable to talk with his mouth full (it's impolite).

Jonah swallows his bite before smiling brightly. "I can show her my hotwheels collection!" He says in delight. "And we can listen to music and color, and watch Scooby Doo!" Beca smiles and reaches over to brush a few strands of hair out of his face. He needs a haircut, but Beca has yet to find the time.

"I'm sure she'd love that." Beca says before standing up. "Finish up your dinner, buddy. She'll be here soon. Mommy's gonna get ready for work, okay?" Jonah nods before digging back into his dinner.

True to her word, Stacie arrives thirty minutes later, not even bothering to wait for Beca to answer the door and letting herself in. "The best has arrived!" Beca hears from the livingroom. She rolls her eyes with a smirk and exits her bedroom to see Jonah tackle hugging her skinny jean clad legs. "Hey, little Mitchell!" Stacie says excitedly, reaching down to lift the boy up and perch him onto her hip. She glances Beca's way and grins. "Hey, big Mitchell!" She gives Beca a wink as she walks over to the brunette and gives Beca a quick hug.

Everyone knew Beca wasn't a hugger, but Stacie didn't care. She wasn't necessarily as affectionate as Chloe, but Stacie wasn't afraid of Beca's death glares. "Hey, Stace. Thanks again for staying with him. He's been fed and bathed. Bedtime is at 8. You're welcome to take my bed or the couch, whatever. You can have whatever food is in the cabinets and fridge and there's leftovers. Basically, make yourself at home." Beca says with a shrug.

Stacie smiles and nods. "Sure thing, B. Jonah and I are going to be fine, aren't we, handsome?" She turns her attention to the little boy on her hip and blushes at the compliment but nods eagerly. Stacie just grins before looking back at Beca. "No worries. Is it cool if I just stay until I've gotta get to work? It'd just be easier than having to rush back to my dorm, ya know?"

"Sure, I don't care. You're welcome here anytime, Stace - regardless of whether or not I'm using you to watch my kid." Beca says with a smirk.

"You're the best, B!" Stacie chirps, smacking a kiss to Beca's cheek. "Now, go on! Leave so I can corrupt your child."

Beca scrunches up her nose and wipes at her cheek like Stacie has just licked the whole side of her face. "Ugh. Keep your cooties away from me." She grumbles, causing Stacie to stick her tongue out at Beca and Jonah to laugh. She smirks before moving to press a quick kiss to her son's cheek. "You be good, kiddo. I'll see you in the morning for breakfast." Jonah nods as Beca picks up her bag from where she'd set it on the couch and heads for the door. "Make good choices!" She calls behind her, hearing a "We won't!" from Stacie just as she shuts the door. Beca rolls her eyes and shakes her head before heading to her car.

…

The night seems to drag, but Stacie texting her updates does help. That, and being able to play her music. She laughs loudly as she opens up a picture message from Stacie of her and Jonah, Jonah sporting a mohawk, having apparently gotten into some hair gel and both of them wearing a pair of shades. Under the picture stacie writes, 'don't worry, I'll wash it out.' Beca just shakes her head in amusement. "You two are trouble." She texts back with a silly smiley.

She doesn't get a text back until it's close to 8:30. It's another picture message, but this one is of Jonah asleep in his bed, hair washed and free of any moose. Beneath, Stacie had texted: "I got through two pages of 'Stellaluna' before he was asleep. I'm gonna use your shower and then do some light reading, but I'll be up for a bit, so text me if you get bored." Beca just smiles at the picture before composing a quick reply.

8:40 [Beca]: Thanks, Stacie. Feel free to use whatever, you know I don't mind.

8:43 [Stace]: Cool, thanks B! We've been listening to the radio, btw. Pretty sick beats! You've been holdin' out on me!

Beca smirks as she reads the text, rolling her eyes. She spends the next couple of hours playing her music and texting Stacie until the other girl says she has to get some sleep. The rest of Beca's shift is spent playing Candy Crush in between queues and thinking about things she shouldn't. Specifically a certain redhead and blonde.

It always causes a painful twist in her heart to think about Chloe and Aubrey, so most of the time she doesn't allow her mind to travel that far. But as she sits inside the booth with nothing but the music to keep her company, it's hard not to think about them. Usually there was Jonah to keep her mind busy, or school, or work at the Coffee shop, but tonight she was alone.

Beca sighs and rests her head on her arms on the table. Chloe had tried to contact her after everything, but Beca never texted or called back. Eventually, the texts and the calls gradually stopped and a huge part of Beca was saddened by that because it was just like every other person in her life. They leave, they give up on her, or they die. And apart of Beca knows that that's not all Chloe's fault, apart of her knows it's her own fault because she never tried to text or call back. It's what she's good at, she thinks ruefully - pushing people away. But sometimes… sometimes she wishes that someone would just fucking push back, that they would prove her wrong and break down her walls anyway… that she was worth it.

She doesn't realize she's crying until something wet hits her arm. She sits up and quickly wipes away her tears, before taking a slow, shaky breath. Shaking her head, Beca sighs again and grabs her phone to try and find something to do to keep herself from falling in a pit of her own sadness.

...

4:30 AM can't come soon enough, and as soon as her replacement comes in, Beca leaves. She's exhausted both mentally and physically, but she knows she's got to get Jonah ready to stay with Emily. She feels terrible about having to leave him with another sitter, but Beca has to get at least a few hours of sleep. She's running on empty these days.

Beca arrives home close to 5 AM. She creeps through the house quietly, she notes Stacie's sleeping form on the couch, a large book open on her chest. Beca squints to try and read the title but all she makes out is 'Astrophysics'. "Light reading, my ass." She quips in an amused whisper. With a roll of her eyes, Beca gently moves the book from her friend's chest and pulls the blanket down from the back of the couch to gently lay it over Stacie.

Moving further into the house, Beca peaks into her son's room to see him still sleeping soundly. Satisfied that all was fine in the house, Beca moves to her own room, depositing her things near the bed and kicking off her shoes before falling face first into bed. She barely manages to cover herself up before she's asleep.

…

The first thing Beca notes when she wakes up is the scent of coffee. It seems to lure her slowly into the kitchen where she finds Jonah sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal and Stacie leaning over a magazine while she sips her coffee. "W'time'sit?" Beca mumbles as Stacie holds up a large cup of coffee in Beca's general direction without even looking up from her magazine. "Thanks. You're a godsend."

Stacie glances down at her phone and then back at Beca, an amused smirk creasing her lips. "I know, and it's 10:15."

Beca mumbles something unintelligible as she sits next to Jonah who leans over to smack a sloppy kiss to her cheek before going back to his fruity pebbles. It takes Beca a full two minutes before she realizes… "Shit! 10:15, Stacie, your shift started at 10! And Jonah was supposed to be next door with the Averys, and -"

"I called in." She waves Beca off before closing her magazine. "Well, technically my boss called me to tell me that they didn't need me today. That they were overstaffed and since it's spring break, it's slower than smoke off of sh-" Stacie's eyes fall on Jonah as she catches herself. "Crap. So in order to avoid sending people home, they said to stay home. I'm not complaining." She smiles, taking another sip of her coffee as Beca's tired brain tries to register everything.

"Oh." Beca says after a moment. "Alright. So, what, you just decided to let me sleep?" Stacie nods at the question, smile still in place. "Uh, thanks." Beca senses that's not all because Stacie looks like she's holding something back. "And….? Something else?"

Stacie puffs out a breath and glances to one side before looking back at Beca. "Have you uhm… checked your phone?"

Beca raises a brow, suddenly feeling anxious. "Uh, no… Why?"

"Well, because… I got this text this morning…" Stacie starts hesitantly, fidgeting with a ring on her finger. When Stacie doesn't continue right away, Beca gives her a pointed look. "It was from Aubrey." Stacie finally says quickly. "Apparently, the Footnotes were disqualified because one of their members weren't over 18, so… we made it to the finals."

A myriad of emotions suddenly rush through Beca, so much so that she can't really tell what's what. The only prominent feeling is one of a heavy sadness.

"Beca?" Stacie asks hesitantly.

Beca blinks a few times, glancing up at Stacie with a carefully blank expression. She clears her throat and forces a smile. "That's great, Stace. I'm sure you guys are gonna rock it." She finally says, proud that her voice came out steady.

Stacie frowns, abandoning her coffee on the counter and coming to sit across from Beca. She looks over at Jonah who is drinking his milk from his bowl. Offering the boy a smile, she pokes him to gain his attention. "Hey, little man. Can you go play in your room? I wanna talk to your mom. Boring adult stuff." She rolls her eyes playfully and Jonah just giggles and nods.

"M'kay!" The little boy chirps, scooting down from his chair and running off to play.

Beca watches his retreating form, silently wishing for him to come back so that she could use him as an excuse not to have this conversation. "What do you mean, 'you guys'? Beca, you're going to be right there with us." Stacie says with a frown.

"No. No, I'm not a Bella anymore, Stacie." Beca replies, arms folding over her chest and eyes glancing away.

Stacie scoffs, leaning forward in her chair. "Look, I don't pretend to know exactly what's going on between you, Aubrey and Chloe, but I do know that you're all being stupid." Beca's eyes snap up to meet Stacie's, heart seeming to beat a little faster. A small smirk flickers across Stacie's face as Beca stares at her. "What? You thought it was a secret? You thought all that sexual tension wasn't noticeable?" A carefully sculpted brow raises and Stacie chuckles. "C'mon, B. This is ME, we're talking about. Anything to do with sex and attraction, I know about it. I know how to read it and recognize it. And those little lingering glances and the way Chloe was always touching you, and how Aubrey was always yelling at you."

"Aubrey hates me. And Chloe and Aubrey are together." Beca is so shocked, it's all she can think to say. But Stacie just chuckles and that irks Beca for some reason.

"Everyone knew they were together, Beca. It wasn't a secret. But Aubrey doesn't hate you." Stacie says with a knowing smile. "The opposite, actually."

Beca gives Stacie an incredulous look. "Uh… the bitching and yelling and talking over me says otherwise."

"No, it says: 'Wow. Beca Mitchell is hot as hell and she challenges me and frustrates me but yelling is easier than accepting those feelings.' Something like that." Stacie says with a wave of her hand.

"Dude, you're crazy." Beca says with an uncomfortable laugh. "And again, let's do a quick recap, here, Aubrey and Chloe are TOGETHERRRR." She says, drawing out the last word with a pointed look.

Stacie rolls her eyes and sits back. "I know that, Beca. But it's possible to have feelings for two different people, and while it's still considered pretty taboo, it's entirely possible to be in a threeway relationship."

"What? Dude, no." Beca snaps, crossing her arms. "That's fucking weird and crazy!" She winces at the way her voice unintentionally raises and squeaks. She takes a second to regain her composure before continuing. "Besides, this is about Aubrey kicking me from the Bellas. I don't know how we got onto this - this - topic." She says anxiously, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

Stacie sighs. "It's not weird or wrong or crazy. It's just… a thing that happens. Sometimes, you possess so much love that you can't just share it with one person. It's not for everyone and that's okay, too. But there's nothing wrong with it." She explains softly. "But, it's not my business. I just… If you need someone to talk to, I'm here, and I'm not going to judge, ya know?" Stacie glances to one side before she looks back at Beca. "Anyway, the Bellas are my business though and I'll bet you a coffee that you have a text message from either Aubrey or Chloe." She smiles confidently at this and it unnerves Beca a little.

She wants to talk more about this, but then again she doesn't. There's so much to take in, Stacie has inadvertently released a slew of emotions and thoughts that Beca had purposely kept locked away. She tries to switch gears, to smile back at her friend, but she thinks it comes out as a grimace. Instead of replying, she gets up and walks back into her bedroom to grab her phone, stopping on the way back into the kitchen to peek in on Jonah who is playing contentedly in his room. As she steps into the kitchen, she wordlessly hands over her phone to Stacie, suddenly feeling too anxious to look at it.

Stacie smiles reassuringly and takes the phone before swiping and glancing down. Beca seems to hold her breath, heart beating erratically in her chest. As Stacie looks up, Beca notes the smug smile on her face before she hands over the phone. "You owe me a coffee."

Beca scoffs, trying to hide the relief that seems to wash over her as she snatches the phone to read the text.

8:30 AM [Incredi-BEALE]: Hey, Becs. I wanted to let you know that Aubrey was contacted today by the Judges from Semis' and told that the Footnotes were disqualified and that we were back in the competition. Anyway, I hope to see you at practice on Monday.

"That doesn't mean anything." Beca says halfheartedly, finally looking back up at Stacie. "Aubrey probably doesn't want me there."

Stacie just sighs. "That's a lie. Stop making excuses, B. All of you fucked up, now it's time for all of you to grow up and apologize. Because we can't do this without you."

Beca looks away, suddenly finding the table much more interesting. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask." Stacie says before standing up to go and grab her abandoned coffee. "Now, if you want to get a little more sleep, I'm free all day to stay with Jonah."

"Thanks, Stace." It was more than just the offer that Beca was thanking her for, it was for just… being there. She hoped that Stacie understood that.

Stacie merely smiled in understanding as she moved to pour herself another cup of coffee.