~B~
After the riff-off, their coffee trips – Beca refused to call them coffee dates though she secretly loved when Chloe did – became more regular after practice and they slowly started to get to know one another better. Chloe also started to invite some of the other girls at least half the time, allowing Beca to be social without having to actually ask anyone to hang out. She still wasn't staying past this year, but she decided that it was easier to agree when Chloe brought it up and, honestly, the girls were kind of fun to be around. In small doses.
By universal unspoken agreement, the group as a whole avoided talking about the Bellas during their down time together. They also didn't bring up Aubrey and her controlling tendencies while at coffee. Beca was sure that the others discussed it amongst themselves, but they, especially Beca, did not want to put Chloe in the awkward position of either defending her best friend or criticizing Aubrey behind her back.
As much as she enjoyed being with the others, Chloe was still the only one that defied all Beca's 'no interaction' rules and it still confused her how it kept happening. Beca was slowly getting used to how Chloe would link their hands and arms, or pull her into a hug when she could tell Beca was having a rough day. While she hadn't yet worked up the nerve to actually reach out and take Chloe's hand on her own, Beca really liked knowing that she could. Emotions and feelings were still difficult for her to express, thanks to her father instilling a fear that everyone will eventually leave, but even she couldn't deny how special Chloe had become.
This closeness was also fostered by Bella Bonding Nights. These happened at least twice a month and consisted of parties (under Aubrey's watchful eye), Karaoke and - to Beca's chagrin and Jesse's amusement - movie nights, where Chloe invariably attached herself to Beca's side the whole time.
Beca had drifted off once and when she woke, she found herself tucked under a blanket, Chloe's arm draped across her waist and head on Beca's shoulder. It was a testimony to how much Chloe had wiggled her way into Beca's heart that Beca didn't immediately get up and leave the house. Instead she'd spent a moment talking herself out of it, and a few more telling herself that it was okay to cover Chloe's hand with her own. Something she was able to allow herself to do only because no one else was looking and she were covered by a blanket. She could feel Chloe's body stiffen for the briefest moment before she let herself sink further into Beca's body. Eventually Beca had drifted back off to sleep, feeling warm and happy, knowing that she was safe with Chloe.
Another unexpected side effect of movie nights was discovering that Aubrey liked horror movies. The first time they'd watched one Aubrey had laughed on and off, relaxing slowly throughout the evening. Beca could almost feel the tension draining away and by the end of the night it was almost… comfortable. It was enough to get Beca to agree to show up most movie nights, especially the horror ones. Not feeling the usual hostility from Aubrey was just an added bonus – an admittedly worthwhile one - to Chloe cuddling Beca every time either of them jumped.
The weeks seemed to fly by and suddenly there was Christmas break to deal with. And Chloe's sad expression as they sat across from each other at their usual back table.
"What do you mean you're staying here for break?" Chloe looked like Beca said she was going to take away her puppy.
Beca sighed. "Don't give me those eyes, Chlo." She shifted in her chair. "It's cheating."
"But… You'll be all alone." Chloe took Beca's hand. "And it's Christmas! You can't be alone for Christmas!"
"But… I won't be." Beca said. "I'll be with my dad and the Step-Monster for part of it." And she couldn't begin to explain how much she wasn't looking forward to that. It's not that Sheila was ever mean to Beca. In fact she usually was… normal. But Beca couldn't shake the feelings of her younger self: loss, confusion, resentment and so much anger that it had changed her. She loved her father, she did. But he hurt her when he left. Hurt her mom by marrying another woman. And Beca couldn't find it in herself to forgive him; especially since he never really listened when she talked about her hopes and plans. No matter how many times she explained it, she couldn't shake his belief that she just wanted to be some DJ on the radio.
"How much of it?" Chloe eyed her narrowly.
Beca squirmed, finding she couldn't lie. "Christmas Eve and Day." Chloe's mouth opened and Beca cut her off. "No, it'll be fine. I've got some stuff to catch up on. And Kimmy Jin will be gone, so I'll have a hostility free environment to get some real work done." Beca was actually looking forward to being able to work on her mixes without the wall of hostility behind her.
Chloe sighed. "Fine. But you're coming to the house on Friday for our party."
"Yes, Chlo. I'll be there." Beca grinned. "I gotta give Aubrey enough grief to last through the break."
"Becs!" Chloe slapped her hand. "No teasing allowed."
"I promise to try not to start it." Beca crossed her heart with her free hand. "That's the best you're going to get out of me, Beale. Take it or leave it."
"I wish you two would get along more." Chloe sighed and took a drink of her coffee.
Beca grunted indelicately. "That'd be a Christmas miracle." It wasn't that she hated Aubrey, because she didn't – which was a fact that surprised Beca every time she realized it. It also maybe made her a bit sad but mostly tired. But it was Aubrey's obvious dislike of her that kept Beca pushing and prodding. Plus there was the routine. Beca hated it with a passion and couldn't see why Aubrey clutched onto it with both perfectly manicured hands. While they finally had the choreography down and they were able to sing in harmony, it was still… Boring. Beca had a few other words for it, but that was at the top. Not that Aubrey was willing to listen.
"I believe in miracles." Chloe declared. "After all, you're still a Bella aren't you?" She grinned and Beca found herself smiling back. "Weren't you the girl who said a capella was lame?"
"Just because I'm part of the group doesn't mean I don't still think that." Beca replied and Chloe's lip stuck out. "Oh my god! Stop pouting." She squeezed Chloe's fingers and took a deep breath. "I didn't say I thought you were lame." It was as close as Beca could get to allowing herself to tell Chloe how she felt.
"Aw, Becs." Chloe beamed at her. "You do love me."
Beca rolled her eyes and took a drink, trying not to think about how accurate that was coming to be.
~B~
Beca knocked on the front door to the Bellas House and shifted her grip on the large bag over her shoulder. A faint "Come in" reached her after a few seconds and, taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped through. Closing it behind her, she called out again. "Aubrey?"
"Kitchen."
Beca made her way through and tried not to think about the image she made standing in the entry with a large Hefty bag over her shoulder. "Hey."
"Hi." Aubrey said from where she was mixing something in a bowl with her back to the door. It was said almost absently and lacked the usual bite it held when she talked to Beca at practice. "One sec."
Beca moved to the island and set her bag on an unoccupied corner. "No rush." She pulled out a stool and checked her phone to keep her hands busy as she sat down. Being alone with Aubrey made her a little twitchy.
"Alright, that can sit a bit before I have to…" Aubrey trailed off as she turned around and Beca saw her eyes narrow in on the bag. "Put it on a tray." She looked back up at Beca who tried not to smile at the dusting of flour over Aubrey's nose, as if she'd scratched it while her hands were covered. It made her look… human. "What's, uh…"
Beca saved her from trying to come up with a polite question. "I didn't have time to wrap anything. That's why I asked to come over early." She slid off the stool and took the bag to the back table and began to empty it. "I have time, right?" She stacked a few tubes of wrapping paper on the table, aware of Aubrey coming to stand beside her.
"Yeah, Chloe is in class for another hour and the girls won't be here for at least two." She answered absently as Beca pulled out a single wrapped gift. A badly wrapped gift, in a Beca's opinion.
Beca cleared her throat and turned to her. "Merry Christmas, drill sergeant." She started to hand it over, then paused awkwardly. "Unless there's a designated gift… gift hour?" Beca closed her eyes for a second before meeting Aubrey's questioning look. "Sorry, I don't… This is kind of new. For me."
She also hadn't meant 'drill sergeant' in a bad way and it wasn't until it was out of her mouth that she realized Aubrey might take it differently. But to her surprise, Aubrey didn't react anything like Beca would have bet money on.
"That's… Very thoughtful." Aubrey's expression softened a fraction. "Drill sergeant?" A laugh lay under the question and certainly not the prickly response Beca had expected.
With a half grin, Beca lifted one shoulder. "If it helps, I mean it in a good way?"
Aubrey actually smiled at her. "Then that's how I'll take it. And if you want me to open it now, that's ok."
Beca nodded and held out the gift. Maybe this would be the beginning of another truce, out from under the watching eyes of the rest of the girls. Where they could just be them instead of Captain and newbie. It was also the only present she'd wrapped because she knew Aubrey would be home. She watched as Aubrey pulled back the tape and unwound the two needless feet of paper Beca had basically wrapped around the gift.
A shiny whistle dropped into her palm.
Aubrey had turned the 'Official BU rape whistle' into a different tool: she used it when she made the girls run cardio. Often. She'd let out a blast to start them running, stop them and frequently to get Amy out of the seats. The pitch pipe used for their routine and choreography runs was a lot less intrusive. Shortly after the SBT disaster, Beca had quietly lost her mind and stolen the whistle. Later that day she'd gone to the lake and chucked it in, giving it the one finger salute as it sank. With both hands. The next rehearsal, when Aubrey couldn't find it and seemed honestly distressed, Beca had immediately felt bad.
Aubrey looked up at Beca, her expression touched and confused. "Thank you, but…"
Beca blew out a breath. "I kind of lost the other one. And I felt bad about it." She braced herself for the explosion she knew had to follow. "So… I'm sorry."
But Aubrey merely took a breath of her own before letting it out slowly. "Now the drill sergeant makes more sense." Aubrey shocked her by laughing a little. "Thank you, Beca."
"You're welcome, Aubrey." Beca looked back down at the table and shifted around her gifts to give herself something else to focus on.
Aubrey hesitated a second. "Do you want me to get your…?"
"No," Beca shook her head. "I mean… Unless…" she trailed off again. Actually talking to Aubrey one on one as a human was harder than she thought it would be. "Mine was more… I wasn't sure how it would be received?"
"I think I understand." Aubrey said, nodding slowly. "Then I'll save yours for the exchange."
Beca nodded back, grateful they weren't talking about the herd of elephants between them. "Um. You've got…" Beca awkwardly pointed at Aubrey's face. "Some flour. On your nose."
Aubrey took a swipe at it. "That doesn't surprise me. Did I get it?"
Beca swallowed the laugh that bubbled up. "Almost." Aubrey had in managed to spread more across the top instead of wiping any off. Beca tapped the spot on her own nose. "It's just a little sprinkle." She briefly thought of reaching out to wipe it off for her, but while she and Chloe may be at that stage, she and Aubrey definitely were not.
Of course, if it were Chloe, Beca would have let her walk around all day until someone else pointed it out. And while the thought was tempting to do the same with Aubrey, Beca didn't want the night to end in potential murder.
With a laugh, Aubrey took another pass at it and peered at her hand. "I don't know how it ends up everywhere. Did I get it?" She looked down at her nose, going cross eyed, and Beca held back another laugh.
"Yup. You're good." Beca smiled at her as Aubrey dusted her hand off against her jeans.
"If you'll give me a few minutes to get the dough onto the tray, I'll come help you wrap these?" Aubrey set the whistle down on the table.
"Oh, you don't…"Beca started but Aubrey waved her off.
"Let's just call it saving a tree by not using excess paper." But she touched Beca's shoulder briefly with another smile to take the sting out of it. "It won't take but a second."
Beca nodded wordlessly again as Aubrey went back to the counter and began to wonder if this was actually PodAubrey and if she should flee the house before she was taken over. Jesse had made her watch 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' a few weekends ago and apparently it had made an impression.
Finishing emptying her bag, she kind of folded it and put it on the floor under the table, thinking they could probably use it later that night. She turned and watched Aubrey finish prepping a cookie tray and putting it into the oven. After getting some things from a drawer, Aubrey set a timer before placing it on the island behind them.
"Alright, I'm set. Where shall we start?" She set down scissors, tape and a felt pen before looking at Beca and waiting.
Beca blinked at being asked instead of having Aubrey take over. Maybe it was because this was Beca's thing and Aubrey's future didn't ride on it. "Um, I guess whatever's easiest? I don't do this often, I just…" She nodded at the wrapping from Aubrey's present. "Wind the paper until it's covered then slap some tape on it."
"I see that." Aubrey took another look at the gifts. "Alright, let's start with… the framed 'Black Swan' poster?" She quirked a brow in question.
"It's for Stacie. Cause she likes Mila Kunis and, you know, ballet stuff." Beca explained, feeling awkward. She'd just happened to see it going through an old record store that also doubled as a used DVD store. The 12x16 poster just screamed Stacie to her after hearing Stacie go on and on about Mila Kunis one afternoon at the house.
"I see." Aubrey's smile tightened just a bit before it relaxed again. "Seems perfect then. Let's get it wrapped, labeled and under the tree."
"You got a tree?" Beca turned and looked into the living room. "You got a tree." There was a small fake tree decked out in yellow, blue and white sitting in the center of the ottoman. "And I'm just blind."
"We got a tree." Aubrey said, clearing a space and rolling out one of the rolls of paper. After placing the frame in the center and figuring out what was needed to perfectly cover it, she held out her hand. "Scissors."
Beca handed her the scissors with a grin. That was the Aubrey she was a little more familiar with.
Aubrey asked for scissors and tapes like they were instruments and cut paper like a trained surgeon. Beca wrote the appropriate name and stacked finished presents to the side. They took breaks as the current batch of cookies was done and Beca helped Aubrey place them on cooling racks. The cycle repeated as the house filled with the smell of vanilla and chocolate as Beca's presents joined the pile under the Bella tree.
She sort of thought Aubrey was as shocked as she was that the rest of the afternoon passed without any major squabbles. They got along so well that they lost track of time. And when Chloe blew into the house calling out 'Is there any blood I have to clean up?' they both replied with an exasperated 'No dear' at the same time.
Chloe stopped in the doorway, worry and astonishment warring on her face.
Beca tried for deadpan. "What? You thought we'd shed blood on the cookies?" She shook her head as Aubrey wordlessly handed her a cookie without looking at her. Beca plucked it from her hand and took a bite. "We're not heathens, Chlo." She let herself smile as Aubrey began to laugh.
It was weird, standing here in the Bella house and having a good time with Aubrey. If nothing else it proved that they could bond over an unspoken agreement to do nothing to harm cookie goodness.
For the first time, Beca began to have a little hope that there was more to Aubrey than just practice and cardio.
~C~
Chloe dipped herself another heavily spiked cup of eggnog and paused on her way out of the kitchen to survey the living room. The party was a success, without question, but the biggest gift, an apparently granted Christmas miracle, was Aubrey and Beca were getting along.
When she'd gotten home both of them were sitting in the kitchen on their laptops. Beca was at the back table putting together a playlist while Aubrey was at the island looking up new eggnog recipes.
They'd looked at her with near identical innocent expressions that she didn't trust in the slightest. But the atmosphere was relaxed and tension free and Chloe felt a tightness drop that she hadn't realized was in her shoulders. Their twin 'no dear' responses had tickled her endlessly when she'd finally allowed it to play back in her mind.
"Penny for your thoughts." Aubrey said as she stopped beside Chloe.
"Just thinking of this afternoon." Chloe looked at Aubrey. "Thank you."
Aubrey's brow knit. "For what?"
"Getting along with Beca. Plus that hoodie is awesome." Chloe looked back at the couch where Beca was pulling her present from Aubrey on, a black hoodie with 'Sorry I Don't Even Sing' in white lettering.
Aubrey followed her gaze. "It was the only thing I could think of. She keeps to herself and doesn't really share a lot about… anything, really." Chloe turned to look at her, eyebrow high. Aubrey sighed. "Yes. I know I haven't made any efforts either. I may be able to spend time with her, but I still don't think she's a Bella. Plus," Aubrey's face tightened for the first time that night. "All she does is push in practice."
Chloe put her hand up. "I know, I know. And I'm working on it." The problem was that she was starting to see Beca's point of view. Not that Beca ever tried to subvert Aubrey or sway Chloe to her point of view. They actually only rarely discussed the set at all. But Chloe had to admit, she was a little tired of those three songs.
"It really pisses me off that Beca is one of our strongest voices and she's just…" Aubrey continued, waving a hand in frustration. "So damn obstinate." She frowned and Chloe could see that Aubrey was a little more tipsy than she'd thought, especially when she muttered under her breath, "Otherwise she could potentially be a great Bella."
Chloe tucked that away for later examination or blackmail. "Bree…" Chloe stopped and squeezed Aubrey's forearm. "Just… Thank you. For today." She watched Aubrey's eyes move back over to Beca, softening slightly. Chloe looked over in time to see Beca burrowing into the hoodie, a look of contentment on her face. She looked back at Aubrey, realizing that the fact that Beca had immediately pulled on her gift had pleased Aubrey more than she probably realized. Maybe Aubrey was closer to finally being okay with Beca than she realized.
"I couldn't help it. She showed up like a trashbag Santa with literally a garbage bag of unwrapped presents over her shoulder." Aubrey laughed. "Except my gift, which was basically just rolled in paper and taped."
Chloe laughed with her at the image. "But wait, everything she handed out tonight was wra-" She thought she detected a hint of embarrassment on Aubrey's face as she interrupted.
"I helped her wrap them." When Chloe only arched a brow, Aubrey said defensively, "What? I couldn't let her kill all those trees."
Chloe decided to let it drop. "You never said what she got you, just that you opened it earlier." She'd been dying to ask this all night but they'd never really been alone until now. Her own gift had been an honest to god cassette mix tape that came with a USB drive so she had a digital copy as well. Beca had mumbled some apology about it being lame but Chloe had cut her off with a hug. She could tell Beca felt awkward about it, but Chloe could already tell it was because it meant more to Beca than just a gift. This was something she'd made specifically for Chloe and Chloe alone. She would treasure it always for that reason.
"A new whistle." Aubrey glanced at Beca. "To replace the one I 'lost.'"
"Aw, that was sweet and thoughtful!" Chloe said.
"It was." Aubrey looked back at Chloe. "Especially since she's the one who helped me lose the other one. Which she apologized for." The last was said with grudging admiration.
Chloe bit her lip. That was another almost another fight between them. Aubrey had immediately blamed Beca – though thankfully she'd waited until they got back home and she could tear apart her room looking for it. Chloe had basically dropped the subject all together, not engaging when Aubrey would bring it up again except to say 'Hopefully it will turn up soon.' "Sorry, Bree."
"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault." Aubrey paused, considering. "I've got to say, I'm impressed she owned up to it at all."
"She's not all bad." Chloe ventured. "I hope today helps mend things between you."
Aubrey's face softened again but whatever she was about to say was overridden by a third person stopping in front of them.
"Two things." Stacie took another drink of eggnog. "You both look entirely too serious for this party. That's not allowed." She waggled her finger at them.
"Second?" Aubrey prompted when Stacie just stared between them as if she was sizing them up.
A truly mischievous smile spread across Stacie's face. "Look up."
Aubrey looked up automatically and said a soft "Oh."
Chloe laughed. "Oops. I forgot you put that up there." The second Stacie had arrived she'd pulled over the small step stool from the kitchen and hung a sprig if mistletoe from the doorway. It hadn't surprised Chloe in the least to notice a second was hanging from her belt.
"That's cause I haven't caught you under it until now." Stacie said. "Either of you." Aubrey started to say something but Stacie stepped into her space. "What do you say, Bree. It's a tradition."
Chloe watched, fascinated, as the word Aubrey liked to say the most trapped her in a situation she couldn't escape from. "I… uh." She pulled herself up to her full height and Chloe already heard the decline in her head. "Fine. But," she held up a finger, "no tongue."
"Why Aubrey, what kind of girl do you take me for?" Stacie put her hand on her chest.
"One who has thoroughly Frenched half the people in this room already." Aubrey said flatly.
"True. I'll behave. Promise." Stacie leaned forward and waited, forcing Aubrey to lean the rest of the way. But where Aubrey would have pulled back at the first touch of their lips and called it good, Stacie had already cupped the back of Aubrey's head and held her there.
It was gentle, Chloe thought. Far more gentle than she'd have thought. Neither of them opened their eyes, or moved closer or further apart once Stacie's hand was in place. But it radiated something that Chloe couldn't quite put her finger on.
Stacie stepped back, letting her hand linger for a bit longer as her fingers toyed with blond locks. "See? Didn't hurt at all." She let her hand slip free and Chloe thought she'd figured out what she'd been sensing. When Stacie had first started talking to Aubrey, her face held the usual cocky expression that tried to challenge Aubrey and her resistances to getting into Stacie's bed. But after the kiss that had dropped off Stacie's face and she almost looked surprised. As if a lot more had just happened than a just a chaste kiss.
Aubrey seemed to come back to herself and looked around the room to see who might have been watching. Chloe took a quick scan as well and so far the only one looking at them was Beca. Who, Chloe noticed, had a small grin on her face, one that grew when she caught Chloe looking back.
"Now your turn." Stacie was suddenly in front of Chloe who laughed.
"Do you have some sort of checklist, Stacie?" Chloe asked.
"Maybe." Stacie ticked one finger through the air. "But really, I think I just have good timing. So, pucker up." She leaned forward when Chloe opened her mouth to make some sarcastic comeback, but didn't wait for Chloe to meet her like she had Aubrey.
Chloe suddenly found herself in a much deeper kiss than anticipated, Stacie's tongue tangling with hers briefly. Purely on instinct Chloe chased it back into Stacie's mouth for an instant before they both pulled away, laughing.
"Guess you forgot to behave that time." Chloe chuckled, trying not to think about the fact that even that short few seconds told her how good a kisser Stacie was.
"Eh." Stacie shrugged. "Sorry, not sorry." She grinned. "Now you two should probably finish the tradition."
"Oh I don't…" Aubrey started but trailed off when Chloe looked at her, an exaggeratedly wounded expression on her face. She looked to the ceiling and sighed deeply. "Fine." She looked back at Chloe, one eyebrow quirked in amusement.
Chloe had a moment of debate, remembering the one and only time she and Aubrey had shared a drunken kiss. Well, to be more precise they had basically been in each other's laps as they attacked each other's face for a good five to ten minutes, until their prior Captain, Alice, had made a bitchy comment. But Chloe settled for simply pressing her lips to Aubrey's and letting her dictate how long it lasted. It didn't surprise her when it ended after only a few seconds.
"Happy now?" Aubrey turned back to Stacie.
"Almost." Stacie's grin turned lecherous. "I do have this second set of mistletoe…"
The words hung in the air as Aubrey went pale and then flushed a deep scarlet. "I don't… You… that…"
Stacie cackled. "Just fucking with you, Bree. It's just for show." She leaned forward and whispered in Aubrey's ear though Chloe could still hear it. "Unless you want it to be more." She turned and walked away before Aubrey could say anything else.
Chloe took pity on her as Aubrey helplessly watched Stacie walk away. "Come on; let's get you more to drink." As she turned back to the kitchen she noticed Beca's face. It had gone still, her eyes a bit wide, as she looked away quickly, as if she hadn't wanted to be caught staring.
'I'll have to ask later what that's all about.' Chloe thought to herself as she poured another glass of eggnog for Aubrey. When Aubrey drank a third of it in a single gulp, Chloe frowned. "You ok? I… I'm sorry if that… I didn't mean to kiss her like that."
"Yeah. I mean, no." Aubrey shut her eyes and visibly tried to regroup. "It's fine. I know it didn't mean anything. Not that it should matter if it did. I just…" She shook her head. "That was. Unexpected."
"The kiss itself or that you liked it?" Chloe asked with absolutely no inflection. The last thing she wanted Aubrey to think was that Chloe was making fun of her. Or judging.
Aubrey started to answer, but stopped. "Both," she said with surprising honesty. "I thought she might try and push it, but she didn't. It wasn't anything like I had expected. " She trailed off again. "But I can't." Chloe wondered if Aubrey knew her tone was wistful instead of its usual firm denial.
Chloe thought about pointing out Stacie turned 18 in less than a month. Or how she'd been right, mostly, in Stacie's maturity for her age. Except for her apparently compulsive dating habits – Chloe didn't ask how many she slept with but she got the idea that it was a lot more than Aubrey would ever be comfortable with – she found Stacie had a very solid head on her shoulders. Her courses were incredibly science heavy and when she wasn't on a date she was in the library.
Well, she had been in the library. One Thursday night Aubrey had found her half asleep over a table, starving, but refusing to go back to her dorm. Her roommate was throwing a party and there were at least twenty people crowded in it and it was too loud and she couldn't study for her quiz the next day. Aubrey had all but dragged her back to the Bella house, sat her down at the table and made them dinner. After that, Stacie didn't study at the library anymore, Aubrey having casually given her permission to use the empty Bella house instead. Except Aubrey usually studied with her and Chloe hoped that, eventually, this new budding friendship might turn into just a bit more.
But Stacie seemed to understand that pushing Aubrey wouldn't work, so she merely prodded here and there to test the waters. Chloe honestly thought that they'd make a good match, but Aubrey was still adamant that she could - would -never go there. She'd even started adding to her counter to Chloe's arguments: "Besides, we graduate this year. Starting something serious with someone would be… foolish." Chloe had remained silent, not even about to suggest something casual to Aubrey, but it caused a pang in her heart because it could also apply to her and Beca; a fact she refused to think about now. There would be time for that later and things didn't have to be casual. For either of them.
But instead of bringing any of this up at the party, Chloe merely squeezed Aubrey's arm in sympathy. She would see how things progressed after Stacie's birthday… Chloe chewed lightly on her lip thought. But maybe one more, tiny, nudge wouldn't hurt.
"There's always her present." Chloe suggested slyly.
Stacie had insisted they open them at the same time, which they did and found she had given them all bullet vibrators because apparently she gets 'a sweet deal when I buy them in bulk.'
When Beca had opened hers, Stacie had said she could use it to take the edge off before her first date. But she was looking at Chloe when she'd said it and Chloe had actually felt herself blush a little. Beca had paled, but rallied in time to flip Stacie off as if she hadn't just gone wide eyed.
"Oh my god. Shut up." Aubrey hissed, looking back into the other room. "Do. Not." Chloe began to laugh. "I don't even… that's…"
Controlling her laughter, Chloe said airily, "That's why she made her offer, Bree." Stacie had told Aubrey if she wasn't sure how it worked, she'd be willing to give her a helping hand. Aubrey had swallowed, but not in a way that meant she was about to lose it, but more to give herself time to answer, which she must have done on autopilot because what she'd said was "Thank you."
"She's seventeen Chloe!" Aubrey hissed again. "Stop laughing, it's not funny!" But her lips were twitching as Chloe's amusement bubbled up again.
Chloe started to giggle. "It's actually totes hysterical from my perspective. You even thanked her for her offer to show you how to use it."
"Chloe!" Aubrey's scandalized tone was ruined as she began to laugh.
"Just saying-." Chloe shrugged and threw her arm around Aubrey's shoulders. "Come on, let's go back in and join the others before you drown me in the eggnog."
"Don't tempt me." Aubrey said but wound her arm around Chloe's waist.
They walked back to the living room in time to watch Stacie sit herself across Beca's lap and drape her long arms around Beca's shoulders.
Chloe's vision tinted green at the edges even as she tried to talk herself down. After all, she'd literally just had Stacie's tongue in her mouth, accident or not. Stacie knew she and Beca had an… understanding. Right? But she couldn't help drifting closer to listen.
"When are you going to let me catch you under the mistletoe?" Stacie pouted. "I've somehow missed it all night."
"That's because I'm small and sneaky like a ninja." Beca said, leaning her head back on the couch to focus on Stacie.
"I think you're avoiding me." Stacie wound a strand of Beca's hair around her finger and tugged. "My feelings could get hurt."
Beca schooled her face into deadpan though her lips twitched. "Am I supposed to care about that?" She took another sip of her drink.
Stacie sighed. "Fine. I suppose you don't have to go stand in the entryway."
"Good, because that wasn't –" Beca started to say.
"I've got some on me. We can just substitute that." Stacie said innocently.
"Oh my god!" Beca cried. "You even think about using that one and I'll shove it so far up your ass..." But she was laughing.
Stacie practically purred. "Ooh. Don't tease me now, Beca."
Chloe forced a chuckle through the jealousy suddenly beating at her temples. A glance to her right showed Aubrey's lips had tightened again, her eyes on Beca and Stacie. Chloe figured their faces probably looked pretty similar at the moment. 'Where there's jealousy, there's passion.' Chloe thought.
"You're unbelievable. You know that, right?" Beca started to push Stacie off her lap but she merely tightened her grip and remained in place.
"One day you may find out just how unbelievable I can be." Stacie jumped when Beca poked her in the side and laughed. "Alright. Fine." She pressed her lips to Beca's cheek with an exaggerated smack. "I'll just have to settle for this."
She started to get up but this time Beca's grip tightened. She kissed Stacie's cheek so fast it was almost like it never happened. "You'll have to make do with that, Legs. Forever."
Stacie tugged Beca's hair again and laughed as she stood up. "For now, B."
It had meant nothing from either of them. Chloe knew that. She knew it. Her own kiss had been much more – Chloe suddenly understood the look she'd seen on Beca's face. Her own felt tight and stiff as she finally looked away. It took her longer than she was proud of before she worked herself out of her jealous fit.
Later, Chloe was sitting on the couch talking to Aubrey and Jessica when Beca sat down between her and Aubrey. All traces of jealousy washed away when Beca reached out and took Chloe's hand. It was the first time she'd initiated any form of contact after that first night they had coffee. It was all she could do to remain still instead of flinging herself on Beca from the sheer joy the simple gesture caused.
By pure chance she caught Stacie's eye across the room. Stacie's glance dropped once to Beca's hand in hers and back up. She shrugged and winked and Chloe smiled at her, all earlier discomfort forgotten.
~B~
Beca sat between the two captains, feeling warm from both the alcohol and the hoodie Aubrey had given her. It was just the right amount of oversized that allowed her to bury herself but not feel lost in it. When she'd first opened the present from Aubrey and saw her own words staring back at her, all she could do was look up and say "Oops?" through her laughter, thankful when Aubrey laughed with her.
It was these type of moments that reminded her why she didn't just walk away from the rest of them, no matter what her dad said he would do for her if she stayed, because Aubrey in practice was almost always a walking bitch nightmare. Aubrey out of practice was prickly but tolerable. The hoodie showed she could be thoughtful and funny, which was something Beca wouldn't have said in their first couple meetings. Though, to be fair to Aubrey, she had to have some redeeming qualities because Beca couldn't see Chloe sticking up for her like she did.
Beca felt a gentle squeeze in her fingers and looked out of the corner of her eye at Chloe, but she wasn't looking at Beca, still talking to Jessica on her other side. Beca looked back down at their joined hands, wondering if it was only alcohol that had given her the courage, or if she had finally reached the stage where she could reach out and hold Chloe's hand without overthinking it to the point where she just didn't. She supposed she'd find out the next time they saw each other without any alcohol in her system; a thought that gave her a pang when she realized it would likely be after the break.
It had been so long since she'd let someone in far enough that she would miss them when they were gone and now she had a whole group of people pressed against that wall. Sure, Chloe had made the furthest run for her heart, but seeing these girls every day had started forging a bond she hadn't anticipated. She laughed with them, rolled her eyes with them behind Aubrey's back and while she wasn't really admitting it to herself, she was beginning to think of them as friends. She couldn't come up with any other reason why she would bother getting more than gift cards to the local campus coffee shops and eateries for this gift exchange. She had even allowed Chloe to drag her around the past two weekends as they both tried to find the perfect gifts for their ragtag group of misfits.
She'd gotten Jessica and Ashley Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts. They were together all the time and Beca wasn't really sure, truly, which one of them was which. It wasn't that they looked the same, but they were still sort of interchangeable except one was just a little bouncier than the other. The shirts had seemed the perfect opportunity to maybe remember who was who when she found them hanging at the back of one of those hole-in-the wall thrift stores; Chloe had squealed when she saw them, which Beca took it as a sound of approval. Jessica and Ashley had both made the same sound when they opened them together and went into the bathroom to change into them for the rest of the party.
Fat Amy was a bit trickier, because while they joked around a lot, Beca hadn't yet got a sense of who she was beyond the humor. Most of what she talked about from home sounded like absolute nonsense and Beca didn't really know what Amy liked beyond boys and booze. But then in November Amy had spent a week singing Amy Winehouse. Non-stop. Beca and Chloe had spent hours scouring nearby shops until they found the perfect Amy Winehouse wig. Amy had immediately gotten the joke and yelled "Fat Amy Winehouse!" The gift was obviously a hit and Beca was happy that she'd nailed it, but she was also starting to wonder if she'd made a grave mistake. Amy had yet to take it off and kept bursting into song when there was a lull in party conversation.
Cynthia Rose had almost passed out when she'd opened the card Beca had handed her. Luke the station manager had gotten tickets for an upcoming Rhianna concert for the station. He'd been seeing some girl he was trying to impress and was going to take her. When she dumped him in the middle of his shift after he found out she cheated on him with one of the jocks, he'd handed the tickets to Beca before he stormed out the door. While Beca loved Rhianna's music, she was very much not a crowd person and almost handed them back to him the next day. Then she remembered she hadn't gotten Cynthia Rose a gift yet and how much she loved Rhianna. Like, loved Rhianna. So Beca stashed them in with her music equipment where Kimmy Jin would hopefully never find them.
But the one gift that she hadn't been sure of was Lilly. In that same thrift store where she'd found the t-shirts, she had found an old framed black and white picture. It was of a group of self-proclaimed carnival freaks and in the center were a pair of twin contortionists wound around each other. They looked exactly like Lilly. She'd fidgeted when Lilly had opened the gift and stared at it; began to worry as the minutes passed and Lilly simply continued to study the picture with an unreadable expression on her face. Then at the edge of her hearing, Beca had heard Lilly say "We were so happy then." Before Beca had time to really process that Lilly had flung herself forward and Beca was enveloped in the briefest and most terrifying hug of her life.
While Beca had thought her gifts would be the oddest ones there, because really who shops for Christmas at a thrift shop that smelled like an old person's attic, Lilly actually beat her. Which, in hindsight, shouldn't have surprised her in the least. Looking up from the contents of the small pouch she'd just opened, Beca awkwardly thanked Lilly with a smile. She then carefully put away her new switchblade. And tooth. She, and the rest of the girls, refused to let her ask what the tooth was for or what kind of tooth it was.
Stacie was a close second with her idea of gifts. Aubrey had almost dropped it when she'd figured out what was in the package she held and Beca had smirked at seeing the normally put together Aubrey lose her composure a little. She'd had to smother a giggle when Stacie then offered to show Aubrey how it worked. Until Stacie had told Beca when exactly hers was to be used. Beca had refused to look at Chloe and it took longer than she liked to think to flip Stacie off. She and Chloe hadn't even gotten to a date stage, much less a date she'd need to take the edge off for.
Beca smiled into her cup, thinking of Chloe's gift. It was a black tee that said in alternating green and red letters, 'Bah Fucking Humbug' and she'd immediately replaced the tank top she'd worn to the party with it. Her flannel was then replaced by the hoodie and all in all, Beca thought this was the first Christmas she'd really enjoyed since her father had left. Frowning briefly, she pushed the thought away, not wanting the memories it would bring.
Thankfully her attention was drawn to the entry to the kitchen where Lilly had apparently materialized in front of Stacie who was walking out. They were standing sideways so Beca could partially see their profiles from her section of the couch. She tugged at Chloe's hand and nudged Aubrey's leg with her knee and nodded toward the kitchen when they looked at her.
Lilly's face remained impassive but Beca thought Stacie's eyebrow was beginning to rise in question. Lilly slowly raised one hand, extended her index finger and pointed up. Twice. She lowered her hand again, her face never changing and her eyes never leaving Stacie's.
Beca didn't think she could have gone through with it, that brief hug had been enough for her. But this was Stacie and Beca saw the corner of her mouth curl upward. She watched in fascination as Stacie leaned forward much as she had done with Aubrey and let Lilly come to her. Except when she did, she grabbed the side of Stacie's head to pull her lower. But instead of kissing Stacie on the lips Lilly licked from between Stacie's eyes and up the center of her forehead.
By this point the others had noticed the scene being played out in the entryway and Beca thought all of them were making the same mental note: Do not get trapped by Lilly under the mistletoe.
Aubrey turned back to Beca and Chloe, looking a little ruffled around the edges. "Did I just see that?"
"I wish I didn't see that." Beca said and took another drink before looking down into her cup. "But not as much as I wish I hadn't just run out of eggnog." She looked up at Aubrey. "I don't suppose you'd play hostess and fill it for me?"
"Not a chance," Aubrey said, grinning.
"I was afraid you'd say that." Beca frowned and looked over at the entry. "Hey, where'd she go?" Stacie had come back in and was sitting on the other side of the couch, on the arm, but Beca had no idea where Lilly went.
"Not sure." Chloe peered past her. "We could make a run for it?" When Beca hesitated Chloe stood up. "C'mon, there's safety in numbers." She tugged their joined hands until Beca reluctantly followed.
"Famous last words." But she let Chloe lead her to the kitchen where they passed through the entry without being jumped. They each refilled their cups and headed back out until Chloe stopped them both. Beca looked around swiftly. "What? Where?" Chloe only raised her eyes to the mistletoe and back down and Beca couldn't believe she'd been snared so neatly. "Clever girl."
"One of my many good qualities." Chloe said, stepping into her space. "But Stacie's right. It's tradition."
Beca licked her lips as her eyes dropped to Chloe's mouth and immediately felt like a horny teenager. 'Which I guess I am.' "You know I'm not much for tradition, Chlo."
"Not yet." Chloe's eyes dropped to Beca's mouth and back up. "I've got time to work on that."
"You do?" Beca said, finding that she was already leaning forward.
"Yeah." Chloe met her halfway and as their lips brushed together, Beca let her eyes close.
They were as soft as Beca had imagined, warm and smooth under her own. She hadn't really expected fireworks, Beca wasn't that kind of girl, but she did feel a thrum along her nerves, something sliding into place and finding a home inside her. She tilted her head just the smallest bit, just to see what it felt like to have their lips move across each other. She was aware of nothing else except Chloe, how she could feel the other woman restraining herself, letting Beca guide them. And Beca felt nothing but gratitude. She had never been a public display of affection girl either. She didn't want their first real kiss to be in front of an audience.
But this… this was a nice preview of what waited for her if she ever found the nerve to take things to a new level.
She pressed a little closer, not aware that she was going to move until they were almost flush, and felt Chloe's breath warm her face with what Beca was 95% certain was a stifled whimper. Even while that last five percent was trying to convince her it wasn't, another smug voice in the back of her head kept saying it was.
When that voice began to get louder, and she started to worry that she'd deepen the kiss despite her earlier reservations about their audience, Beca leaned back a little and opened her eyes, meeting Chloe's twinkling blue from closer than they'd ever been. "I'll keep that in mind."
Chloe winked in that way that scrambled the circuits of Beca's brain. "I hope so." She turned and walked back into the living room.
Beca stood there a second more, noticing Aubrey's eyes on her. They were unreadable and though it was close to the expression she had after Beca's audition, it lacked the anger and annoyance from that day. After trying to figure out the emotion she could see shifting behind those bright green eyes, Beca decided she was too drunk to contemplate what any of it meant. So she merely looked away and followed Chloe back to the couch, which had gotten more crowded as everyone took a dancing break.
Beca settled herself back down between Chloe and Aubrey, listening as Fat Amy started up a story from back home that Beca eventually tuned out as she drank her eggnog and thought about where she was and where she was going.
Perhaps joining an a capella group wasn't the worst thing in the world. Not if it gave her this new sense of belonging. She sank down into the warmth around her with a contented sigh.
Not if it gave her family.