Chapter Text
Aubrey does not regret having her daughter. She understands that she can’t change the past, nor does she want to; she simply wishes that the circumstances were a bit different. She wishes Rebeca’s father had stepped up instead of running away. She wishes Rebeca didn’t have to stay with her parents during the week while she attended school. She wishes she could keep Rebeca hidden away from the real world forever. Aubrey has many wishes, but she never regrets having Rebeca.
Aubrey dislikes having to stay on campus during the week and leaving her six-month-old with her parents until the weekend. After discovering she was pregnant with Rebeca, Aubrey’s parents insisted that she finish high school and attend college. When Aubrey tried to argue, her dad pulled his wallet from his back pocket and handed her money to ‘handle the situation,’ as he put it. Aubrey graduated at the top of her class.
Chloe loved that she got to room with a fellow Barden Bella, she just wishes that the blonde wasn't so secretive. Every night, Aubrey would get a FaceTime call and sneak away to somewhere private, leaving the redhead to her curiosities, which were eating her alive. When Chloe started trying to follow Aubrey out of the room, Aubrey began to wait until Chloe left the room before she made the call each night. Chloe was well known for pushing people’s boundaries, and she couldn’t help but push Aubrey’s.
“Hey, Bree?” Chloe flopped onto Aubrey’s bed, making the blonde quickly grab her phone from where the redhead had landed. “Do you want to do something this weekend?”
“No, I’m sorry.” Aubreys straightened her back and took a deep centering breath. “I have a family dinner this weekend.”
“You said that last weekend when I asked.”
“We have weekly family dinners. Now, with me away at college, I must be there—Father’s orders.”
“Oh yeah.” Chloe sighed and locked eyes with the slightly older woman. “Do you think General Posen would let you bring a guest?” The redhead wiggled her eyebrows at her blonde counterpart. “I’m sure that they will love me.”
“Family only.” Aubrey’s phone started ringing, signaling it was time for her nightly FaceTime. “I am truly sorry, I would love to be able to spend the weekend with you, but unfortunately, I have other, more pressing responsibilities.” Aubrey frantically grabbed her AirPods off her nightstand and started to head out the door. “Be right back, love you!”
Aubrey was not right back. Her mom called to tell her that Rebeca was sick and needed to go to the Doctor. Aubrey immediately went back to her room and packed her weekend bag, and left a day earlier, telling Chloe that there was a family emergency and that she would be back in time for Monday night's Bella rehearsal. She left in such a hurry that she didn’t notice the picture that she kept in her journal fall out as she ran out the door to catch the Uber that was waiting for her.
-
Chloe wanted nothing more than to punch Alice in her stupid face for changing Monday night’s practice to Monday morning on such short notice. She wasn’t sure what made the captain change it two hours before the newly scheduled time, but she was sure that she was pissed. Chloe texted Aubrey to make sure she got the text messages, but she never got a response. She just assumed that she was busy and that she would see her at rehearsal.
“Where the hell is Posen, Beale?” Alice shouted at the redhead who had checked her phone for the thousandth time in the twenty minutes since rehearsal started. “If she is not here within the next five minutes, she is off the Bellas!”
The doors to the auditorium flung open, and a very disheveled-looking Aubrey Posen ran in. Chloe was out of her seat in an instant and used her body to shield Aubrey from the rest of the team. Aubrey had her hair thrown up in a messy bun with a strand of hair sticking up everywhere; she had no make-up on, her shoes were left untied, her bag had papers shoved in it, and there was a pacifier clipped to her baby spit-up-stained Barden University shirt. Chloe quickly ushered Aubrey outside.
“Go back to our dorm, I will handle Alice and will be there in a few.”
Aubrey wanted to protest, but listened anyway. Rebeca had contracted a cold and was in the process of getting her first tooth, so Aubrey’s weekend was rough. When she was home for the weekend, her parents left her to her our devices, which normally she appreciated, but she could have used the help this weekend. Mrs. Posen’s doctor's appointment ran over this morning, and with Rebeca not wanting Aubrey to leave and Alice calling for an early practice, Aubrey did not have time to clean herself up.
Chloe walked into their dorm a few minutes after Aubrey. The two of them just sat there staring at each other, waiting for the other to break the silence. After about five minutes, Chloe finally gave in. “I told Alice that you had the stomach bug and that is why you were late.”
“She let you leave to come take care of me?”
The redhead laughed. “No, she took a big step away from me and told me for neither of us to return until you are no longer diseased.” Both of the girls fell into a fit of laughter, knowing that any type of sickness freaked their captain out.
After a few minutes, both of the girls stopped laughing, and the room fell tense once again. “Aubrey, why didn’t you tell me you have a daughter?” Chloe handed Aubrey the photo that she had dropped out of her journal on Thursday.
“I didn’t want to be kicked from the Bellas.” Aubrey ran her hand through her hair and tried to force the tears that had formed in her eyes not to fall. “Because I didn’t want anyone to look at me differently.” Aubrey looked into Chloe’s eyes and gave her a weak, sad smile. “And most of all, I didn’t want to lose you.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Chloe wrapped Aubrey in a tight hug. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried. I’m like a bad case of herpes.”
Aubrey laughed while hugging her best friend back just as tightly. “Before you say that, you should know the whole story.”
That night, Aubrey told Chloe everything. She told her about how she got pregnant the first time that she had sex and about how her then-boyfriend ran away as soon as he found out. She told her about the arrangement she had with her parents so she could still go to school. Aubrey told Chloe about how she hated the arrangement, but she could not afford daycare, an apartment, and school by herself. Aubrey laid it all out on the line, expecting Chloe to run like everyone else, but instead Chloe held her and soothed her all night.
-
When Aubrey woke up the next morning, Chloe was nowhere to be found. She knew that Chloe would run, just like everyone else. Aubrey started to grab her bag from under her bed so she could move back home. Chloe had probably already told the Bellas about Rebeca and was already putting in a request for a new roommate. Aubrey did not want to stick around to see the life she had made over the past two months crumble before her eyes.
“Hey, Bree!” Chloe walked through their door with two large coffee cups in her hands. “I’m sorry for dipping out so early this morning, I had some errands to run.” The redhead put her bag on the chair before turning to hand Aubrey the coffee she had gotten for her. “Decaf, right? That way, little Rebeca doesn’t lose her mind when she feeds. How does that work, by the way? Where do you store the milk that you pump throughout the week?”
Aubrey was staring at Chloe with her mouth agape before she finally answered. “Oh, uh, I store it in Dr. Mitchell’s office. He knows of my situation and offered to help out since he was a teen dad himself. He has a freezer he doesn't use in there.”
“Oh, cool! I didn’t know he had a kid.” Chloe looked at Aubrey’s suitcase and furrowed her eyebrows. “I didn’t even tell you yet, why are you packing?”
“Tell me what?”
The redhead pulled two sets of keys from her pocket. “Surprise!” Before Aubrey could ask any questions, Chloe continued. “I found a nice little three-bedroom apartment about two miles away from campus. The security deposit and the first two months' rent are paid. We can start moving in tomorrow.”
“Chloe, what?”
“Well, I think it’s kind of bullshit that you can’t see your daughter everyday because of money problems, and money is not a problem for me or my family.” Chloe took a drink of her coffee and explained further when she saw that Aubrey still looked confused. “I called my dad, and he was more than happy to help. So what do you say, Bree? Will you and Rebeca move in with me?”
“What about when we are at school, where will Rebeca go?”
“There is a daycare right down the road from the apartment with amazing reviews, and they already have a spot for Rebeca.”
“What about on days when we can’t get there until late?”
“There is this adorable family that just moved back. The mom of the family is Katherine Junk. You know, the Katherine Junk? Anyway, yeah, she’s like totes down to watch Rebeca until we can pick her up.”
Aubrey shook her head and smiled at her best friend. “You have thought of everything.”
“Oh, totes!” Chloe grabbed Aubrey’s hand and gave her a serious look. “I am all in, Bree.”
“Thank you. I don’t even know what to say except thank you.” Aubrey couldn’t stop the tears that were now freely falling down her face. “You’re crazy.”
“Yes, yes, I am. So is that a yes?”
“Of course.”
The pair wrapped each other in a tight hug, both now crying into the other's shoulder. “So, is now a good time to tell you that I went shopping and bought Rebeca everything that she needs for her nursery and more clothes than you could ever imagine?”
“Chloe!”