MaliXx: Thank you.
96itadakimasu96: Conrad and Beca. BFFs. Spending all their free time irritating Aubrey.
FromTumblr: I was eating French Toast as I wrote it, lol.
G: That's just how I talk in every day life. We all have our heartbreaking moments.
Pixie1913: Thank you.
SunDanceQT: Anyone that fabulous should do drag.
Surreal: No suspense here. It's broken.
RJRMovieFan: I think the fact that if Chloe was there, Aubrey being unable to connect with Beca poses a problem, tbh. I am sure this story is not TT as much as it is Chaubrey with TT elements now when it comes to the endgame. And Chloe hasn't really been gone that long in their time, only about a week.
Mwallace: I was a little worried people would be bored without Chloe, so I'm glad you're enjoying reading Aubrey's dynamics with everyone else as much as I'm enjoying writing them.


Dysrhythmia


I haven't been to church since I don't remember when;
Things were going great til they fell apart again.
So, I listened to the preacher as he told me what to do:
He said, you can't go hatin' others who have done wrong to you.
Sometimes we get angry, but we must not condemn.
Let the good Lord do his job; you just pray for them.
I pray your brakes go out runnin' down a hill.
I pray a flower pot falls from a window sill,
And knocks you in the head like I'd like to.
- Jaron Lowenstein


"You can sleep in the bed," Aubrey offers. It's clear now that Beca's cot is about as comfortable as a wood plank. She releases Beca's hand and sits down on the edge, looking at her lap. "If you want to, that is."

"Uh, yeah." Beca goes to get the radio. "That sounds great. Thanks."

Aubrey nods and turns to fix the blanket. "At least in New York, we'll have a bigger bed," she says, as Beca crawls in bed next to her, "…hopefully."

"Good, because this sucks." Beca readjusts the blanket after her, and positions herself so Aubrey can get comfortable against her. "I don't know how you and Chloe's mom manage to sleep in this bed together all night long without anyone falling out."

The guardrails help. "It's way too small," Aubrey agrees, "And sharing it with you is agonizing."

"Super awful…"

"The absolute worst."

"I am despising every second of being in this bed with you."

Aubrey's glad they're on the same page. She curls up with her forehead against Beca's cheek again, one leg draped over Beca's, then closes her eyes. She's not really intending to sleep, just to be still and hope the pain eases up – specifically the pain in her chest. It's difficult to take breaths deep enough to keep her from feeling lightheaded.

"You're just letting me in bed with you, because I'm warm," Beca accuses her.

That is definitely a pro. Aubrey doesn't have an argument for that. "I see no other reason to keep you around."

Beca laughs quietly. "Got it."

"I thought you were going to sleep," Aubrey reminds her.

Beca opens her mouth to respond, but their conversation is cut short by the door to their room opening and a familiar, albeit slightly older, voice that sends a chill straight down Aubrey's spine. Aubrey doesn't even have to turn around to know exactly who it belongs to.

"Holy shit, the rumors are true. You're a fucking dyke."

If Aubrey felt like she couldn't breathe before…

She has to think fast – faster than she's ever thought, because she's still in her pajamas, and she looks like hell, and she's in bed with Beca, and it's just fucking like someone in her family to show up hours early to catch her off guard and mess with her. She needs to have the upper hand, and she needs to have it right away. She can do this. She has the only advantage here.

She extracts herself from Beca, and turns to face the door as she sits up. "Brian," she addresses him instead, watching him walk up behind her brother, looking more pissed than she's ever seen him, "What kind of lesbian would I be considered?" She may not be the most well versed in gay culture, hell, she's never even been to a Pride parade, but she knows there are many labels and 'dyke' probably isn't the one she falls under. She doesn't even ride a motorcycle. She still isn't even sure if 'lesbian' is the right word to describe her, but for the purpose of the here and now, she'll take it.

"A lipstick lesbian," Brian answers, then subtly points to JJ and his own dick at the same time before making a 'tiny' motion with his fingers.

Aubrey actually kind of likes the sound of that… Lipstick lesbian.

Beca clears her throat.

"Is something funny?" JJ asks, "I take it you're the girlfriend. Is the whole faggot community here? Dad is going to have a field day with this one."

Aubrey's chest aches for an all new reason, but it may be better for Chloe if she doesn't deny it. "You're not going to tell Dad," she informs him with every ounce of confidence, "Because you're in deep shit right now. That's why you're here. You don't think that I know the truth?" She has him. There is nothing he can say right now, because Aubrey is right – and she's angry. "That's why you agreed to come see me, and why you're holding whatever is in that box in your hands right now. Because you want my loyalty, but you don't want to earn it by treating me like a fucking person - by showing up at the time you're supposed to and having a civil conversation. You're here to buy me. Good luck."

Brian makes a ball-grabbing motion. "Drag him down, Aubs," he mouths silently.

Aubrey takes JJ in – standing up straight, in his uniform, buzzed hair, so much effort put in to being exactly like their father that god knows who he really is, who he could have been. He'll never experience life the way Aubrey is able to – even though she's realizing her life is hers to live far too late. At least she's realizing it; she feels bad for him. "Where is Liam? Playing some more Dungeons and Dragons? Having a good heart to heart with some more serial killers?" She can feel Beca tense up; she'll apologize to her later.

"You really think that-"

"Don't feed me the bullshit, James Junior," Aubrey cuts him off, "You think you're the only one who ever willingly got their ass beat to save his? He has never taken responsibility for anything he has done a day in his life, and you know what? Neither have you. I got my ass beat so many times for both of you. That's how I know, if you were involved, you wouldn't be here." Her nostrils flare as adrenaline begins coursing through her body, bringing her sweet relief from everything.

"What do you want, Aubrey?" JJ asks.

"I want to know what you know," Aubrey answers.

JJ looks doubtful. "That's it?"

"That's it." It's amazing how the tables can turn when their father isn't around for JJ to leach power from. Aubrey can't help but smile. Because unlike JJ, she doesn't need someone else to give her power. She's strong on her own. Pride swells in her chest.

JJ seems to realize Aubrey knows what she's saying, and that he's outnumbered – especially as Brian ushers him completely inside and shuts the door. "How do you know I know anything?"

Aubrey takes a deep breath. It stills hurt, but she's better able to ignore it now. "JJ," she addresses him like the idiot he is, "In order to be covering for Liam and still cooperating with the police, you have to know what Liam knows. Otherwise, you can't answer their questions." He's so stupid, she can't believe they're related.

He's faltering under her gaze – the same way he's always done when Daddy isn't around to protect him by instilling fear into her. Smoke practically billows from his ears, yet he can't do a single thing to her. "He was talking to some guy on a Dungeons and Dragons forum, and he thought they were friends," JJ tells her, "The guy said he had a really annoying sister, and Liam said so did he. He thought the guy was legit; turns out he just wanted to kill you."

"That's it?" Aubrey asks, "That's all you have?"

"That's all I have, Assmouth."

That's still the best insult he has too. "I don't believe you." Aubrey actually does believe him. As much as Aubrey hoped he could tell her something she couldn't figure out on her own, or say something to make Beca realize they should be digging deeper, she knows better than to have expectations. He has never done anything to help her. But, this time, he isn't going to make things worse for her either.

"That's all I fucking have, Aubrey!"

"There are police swarming this place," Aubrey reminds him, "Lower your voice, unless you want them to be present for this too."

"Liam told him what a shit sister you were as a kid," JJ reiterates, "He laughed about how Dad smacked you around like you deserved, because, you know what? Watching it was funny."

"You're lying," Aubrey says, "Liam never laughed. Only you did. You convinced him I deserved it. He liked me when you weren't around."

"Maybe he became enlightened with age."

"Careful," Aubrey says, "That's a big word. Did you become literate with age? You must have if you could read through messages Liam sent, or did he read them to you?"

"Are you enjoying this, Assmouth?" JJ asks, his face growing redder with everything Aubrey says.

Every single second of it. Aubrey nods, not bothering to suppress her smirk. "Yes."

"Are we done here?" JJ asks.

"No." Aubrey has waited her entire life to finally feel on top. She's not going to just waste it.

"You want a chair?" Brian asks him. "Or does your body just, like, naturally not bend?"

"Fuck you, faggot."

"You wish." Brian makes a kissing face at him as he collapses onto a chair himself, slouching down with his legs spread wide.

Looking at JJ is like looking into a mirror in so many ways, and Aubrey hates it. She hates that they have the same eyes, the same nose, the same chin, the same mouth. She hates that it would only take one glance at them to know they're related. She prays that nobody ever sees them together in the same room again after this. And she knows he's thinking the exact same thing about her.

"How's the family?" Aubrey asks casually. She follows Brian's lead, and gets more comfortable – raising the back of the bed so she and Beca can lean against it. "Dad, Mom, Liam… I heard we have a sister."

"You want to talk about that little princess?" JJ asks, "You didn't hear? Mom's gone, you ignoramus. Dad backhanded her precious little pride and joy for mouthing back, so Mom took her and left. No one's heard from them for a year. How does that make you feel about how much she cared about you?"

There is a lump that begins to form in Aubrey's throat, but it's not the negative feeling JJ is expecting. "Good for her." Good for both of them. Good for that little girl for getting out, and for their mother for, hopefully, being able to love and take care of her.

"Good for her?" JJ asks, "She's probably off living in some trailer park, leeching money off some man."

"He probably doesn't have that much if he lives in a trailer park," Aubrey points out, "At least she's probably happy."

"Like you in your apartment?" JJ asks.

"Honey, one apartment in Queens probably costs more a month than the price of buying three houses wherever your from," Brian informs him.

"How about you save opening your mouth for a dick," JJ replies, "We're done here. I'll get Dad in here to keep your big tattle mouth shut."

"Aren't you going to give me my gift?" Aubrey asks, eyeing the box. She doesn't know what he could possibly think he could buy her silence with, but she's really damn interested.

JJ seems to be debating – hard. He looks between Aubrey and the box, then nods. "You know what? I'll still give it to you. You might need it with all your friends dead."

"JJ!"

"Did I strike nerve?" JJ asks, "Are you going to puke?"

"I still have one fist that I'm capable of punching you with," Aubrey says, "Again. Are you gonna piss yourself?" She fucking hates genetics.

JJ storms right up to her, box in hand, like he's going to slam it down right on her head.

Aubrey can't see what Beca does behind her, but Aubrey doesn't even so much as flinch. "Go ahead," she dares him, hovering her finger over the call button for the nurse, "Hit me. See what happens."

JJ places the box down next to her instead. "Open it." He takes a single step back.

It's a rectangle box, only slightly bigger than a shoebox. The lid is held on by some scotch tape that Aubrey can easily peel off, even with one hand. "I see you really went out of your way to wrap it." She peels off the tape and sticks it neatly to the top of the lid.

"Pinterest taught him," Brian comments, "Nailed it."

Aubrey is fairly certain if this box contained a bomb, JJ wouldn't be sticking around to be part of the explosion, so she lifts the lid to what he thought she might like. Well. He was right, for once. The levity in her approach slowly fades away, and her expression turns upside down. "Where did you get this?" she asks, looking down at the doll staring up at her, "Dad took this while I was sleeping."

"You thought Dad took it, after all the money he wasted on that thing? You act like you're so smart, but you couldn't even figure that out? I thought he was going to kill you for losing it, but you never brought up that it was gone."

Aubrey looks up, absolutely livid. "You can leave," she says, "We are done now."

"You may have shit on me, Assmouth, but I have shit that would kill you to know," JJ says, "So, if you want to keep pretending to live this happy life of yours, keep your mouth shut."

Aubrey just stares, face red, nostrils flaring, imaging taking one of the machines off the wall and bashing his head in with it.

"I know that's not your girlfriend," JJ says, motioning to Beca, "Dad and I know exactly who she and her family are. You think they love you, but they feel sorry for you, Aubrey. They have always felt bad for you. That's all it is."

"You're wrong," Aubrey tells him.

"Not this time." JJ backs himself up toward the door, "I hope your girlfriend dies."

Aubrey is about to dump her doll out of the box and throw the box straight at his head, but he closes the door before she gets the chance.

The room becomes the 'so silent, one could hear a pin drop' type of silent.

Aubrey just barely registers Beca's hand coming to rest on her back.

"Well, that was a nice reunion," Brian finally comments, "Good guy. I like him."

Aubrey looks down at her doll, trembling in rage. So, he tells their father she's in love with a woman? So what? By the sounds of it, he somehow already knows. There is nothing any of them can do to touch her now. Nothing.

"I bet that'd uniform would look really hot in court," Brian hints.

"I don't like the uniform," Beca says, "He should trade it for one of those orange jumpsuits."

"So sexy," Brian agrees, then looks down at his phone, "Oh, shit."

Aubrey quickly looks at him.

"My phone must have malfunctioned again. I just accidentally audio recorded this whole thing," Brian says, "I hate when that happens."

Aubrey shifts her gaze to the closed door.

"Does your father have any sayings about opportunity?" Beca asks.

"If a window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade," Aubrey growls. She may not be willing to talk about what happened on that island, but that doesn't mean she's going to just withhold this very vital piece of information. The police should know they're questioning the wrong person, and that her father is most likely in on covering that little fact up.

"Let's take that fucker down," Brian says, and stands up, "I've been waiting my entire life for my first chance to say that out loud."

Aubrey slowly lifts her doll out of the box. She looks exactly like Aubrey remembers her – her beautiful green and red dress, her matching shoes, the red clip that Aubrey always liked to take out and put back in her hair again. She's a painful reminder of being alone, and a comfort to feeling that same ache all over again without Chloe. How dare he take something so special from her and it keep it all these years like a trophy on a shelf? How dare any of them? Her entire life, they have ripped everything she has ever loved out of her tightly closed fists with no repercussions. This is where it finally ends. Because they will not be partially responsible if she loses Chloe and not feel it.

She's not just going to take JJ down.

She's going to take them all down.