Beca, Chloe, Stacie and Aubrey were currently walking to the collection of shops, that were near the academy, to find all of the things that they needed.
The shops were all open 24/7 as certain customers in the magical world were most active after the light of day had faded. Plus all the students there were all teenagers and they usually go out to drink and party at night.
Beca was only here to her sister a favour and Chloe was her buddy; so she was tagging along, which she didn't mind at all. Stacie and Aubrey however; they were on a mission. They had to find a way to get the two some alone time, observe everything and report it back to Emily.
"Why do we have to watch what happens with them and tell every bit of detail to Emily again?" Aubrey and Stacie were walking a slight distance behind of the redhead and short brunette so that they couldn't hear them.
"Because if she wasn't a werewolf then she would definitely have been an angel and take over Cupid's job. She is a master when it comes to love." Stacie paused and looked ahead as if trying to figure something out. "I don't know how she does it."
"Really?" Aubrey asked the brunette. "She must've had a lot of boyfriends."
"Actually she quite sucks when it comes to her own relationships. It's ironic actually," Stacie chuckled to herself.
The chuckling increased as Stacie saw Aubrey trying to find sense in what she had heard. 'How can she be a master with love when she can't even get herself into a relationship?'
"Don't ask questions. Just accept," Stacie gave the blonde a smile which she happily returned .
They soon reached a small supermarket that mainly sold food, but there were toiletries and medicine too.
"Ok, Chloe and I will go get some food for that white devil and you guys go get your...... whatever you need," Beca waved them off and walked to the fruits and vegetables isle.
"Do you even know what he likes!?" Chloe called after her.
"Not he; IT. And yes; Carrots. Everyone knows that."
"Ugggh, you have to show some love to HIM," Chloe ran after the brunette and they disappeared into the isle still having their small argument.
"So what should we pretend to get?" Aubrey asked as she thought that the whole 'we need groceries' thing was just an excuse for them to have come along.
The blonde was surprised to see that Stacie had actually pulled out a small piece of paper from her jacket and unfolded it, revealing a small list.
"I actually do need some ingredients."
Aubrey playfully facepalmed herself before adding, "Off course you do."
Stacie shrugged and gave and smiled sheepishly, "I like to cook with some fresh ingredients."
The two walked into the sauce isle and when Aubrey rounded the corner the corner; a blonde werewolf nearly collided with her.
"Hey watch it!" she yelled at the guy as he managed to slow down just in time.
"Oh sorry. I didn't see you there."
The guy didn't look like the type of person that was usually careless or irresponsible. He actually looked like a normal sweet guy.
"Well then open your eyes and pay attention to where you're going," the vampire snapped at him while passing.
As he apologised once more, he turned and left for the cashier and out the entrance.
"Well that was a bit unnecessary."
Aubrey turned around to face Stacie who was giving her a small glare.
"No it wasn't. They never watch where they're going and they act like they own the place. They don't respect anyone and they only look out for themselves. They're all the same." Aubrey crossed her arms after explaining her actions.
"They?" the brunette asked; her glare now replaced with confusion.
"Werewolves," Aubrey groaned not knowing why Stacie hadn't known that fact. Then it hit her.
She finally realised her mistake as she saw a hurt look with a pair of grass green eyes, glassing over from a small amount of tears.
"So Beca only looks out for herself?" Stacie felt like someone had taken a blade and took a long slow cut at her heart. She knew Aubrey wasn't fond of werewolves, but to say all that; right in front of her to make things worse.
"No no I didn't mea-"
"So Emily acts like she owns the place?" Stacie asked with a slightly more bitter tone.
"No Stacie it's not like tha-" Aubrey was trying to make up for her mistake, but Stacie wasn't giving her a chance. She wouldn't blame her.
"So. I only care about myself? And we're all the same?" As she said those words out loud; Stacie was now fully progressing what Aubrey had said and it hurt. It really hurt.
"Stacie please let me explai-"
Stacie stopped her by throwing her hands in the air, " No you know what. Just forget it."
The brunette pushed past Aubrey and walked on.
Small tears were forming in Aubrey's eyes. She never wanted to hurt Stacie like that. It actually felt like someone was squeezing her heart when she saw the brunette looking hurt like that. She had fucked up big time and she had to fix it, NOW.
Without thinking she threw her arms around the werewolf's waist, "Please Stacie."
The brunette was about to push the vampire off of her, that was until she heard a sniff.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean you. Beca and Emily either, but especially not you. Please just..... just let me explain, please."
No matter how mad Stacie was; she didn't want to be away from Aubrey. So she relaxed into the blonde's arms and turned around.
Stacie had never seen Aubrey cry. She was always this tough and strong girl, but now she was nearly balling her eyes out and it broke Stacie's heart.
She wanted to yell and accuse, but looking at the girl in front of her; she knew she had to bring out her gentle side.
As she was about to talk; she heard Beca and Chloe coming around the corner and quickly, but gently, wiped away Aubrey's tears.
"Hey." Aubrey looked up and was surprised by Stacie's calm and soft voice. "We'll talk about it later ok? Right now we have a mission to accomplish."
Aubrey nodded, but turned her gaze back to the ground. She felt like she didn't deserve to even look at Stacie.
However she felt a hand lifting her chin and bringing her face to face with those beautiful green eyes.
"Don't give away our cover, otherwise demon Emily will definitely make you cry." Stacie grew a small smile as a soft chuckle escaped Aubrey's lips.
"You gals ready go home?" Beca walked up to them with a few carrots in her hand. Behind her, Chloe had a bunch of lettuce, tomatoes, cherries and a cucumber.
"What's with all the greens?" Stacie turned Aubrey around so she could quickly fix her puffy eyes before facing her friends.
"Beca here," the redhead pointed towards the brunette, "Only wants to buy carrots for poor Lucky and he deserves more than only carrots."
"For the last time. He's a rabbit! He won't care," Beca threw her hands in the air for emphasis.
"Ok well Aubrey and I still need to get a few things. Why don't you two go and we'll meet you guys at Taco Bell."
"Oh yay. I'm actually kind of hungry. What about you?" Chloe smirked as she knew that Beca wasn't going to pass up an opportunity for Taco Bell.
"Well..... I guess we can go and, you know. Just snack on something while we wait." She was trying her best to keep her cool and not get all excited about the new opportunity she had gotten.
With a giggle from Chloe; Beca was dragged to the cashier to pay for their groceries and head out the exit.
"C'mon let's quickly get your stuff so we can catch up with those two," Aubrey gave a small smile to test the waters with Stacie.
The tall brunette nodded and returned the smile as she checked her list for what they needed to get and they were off. They had to do it quickly; otherwise they could be missing some valuable information.
_________________________________________
Beca and Chloe were sat at a small table in Taco Bell waiting for their orders.
Chloe had ordered one Taco while Beca had ordered six. When the food arrived; Beca dug right in while Chloe watched amusingly.
"I thought you were only going to get a few snacks?" The smirk on Chloe's face didn't go unnoticed by Beca.
"These are snacks. Just very big snacks," Beca grinned back while Chloe giggled. Off course Beca would argue like that.
A few minutes went by and nothing was said.
Beca eventually broke the silence as she finished her fourth taco. "So how did you start liking this place?"
"Well where I came from; my family would always try and get all this fancy food and whatever. One day I saw this restaurant and I just wanted to know what the non- fancy food tasted like and here we are," Chloe shrugged.
"So where do you come from?"
Chloe had barely been able to hear the words as Beca had a mouth full of food.
"New York. My father has a business there." Beca nodded as she swallowed. She actually wanted to pay attention to this girl and wanted to know more about her.
About twenty minutes had passed and the two were so deep into their conversation that they hadn't even noticed the time that went by.
From a table, way in the back, Stacie and Aubrey were intently observing the two. They had been watching the pair for fifteen minutes now and they had nothing to report back.
The two hadn't talked much since the little incident in the supermarket.
"I wasn't always like this you know?" Aubrey broke the silence and met Stacie's eyes before looking back to her plate.
"When I was little; I was a bundle of joy as my mother used to call me. I was always eager to meet new people and usually friendly to everyone."
Aubrey didn't notice the silent tear that ran down her cheek as she thought back to how she used to be. Everyone wanted to know her and look at her now. The bitch all creatures stayed clear of.
The blonde felt a soft hand wipe her tear away and when she looked up; she was met with a gentle smile and sparkling eyes.
With a nod from the brunette Aubrey continued.
"My father however; never liked other creatures that weren't part of our bloodline. When I was ten; my father called me to his office one afternoon. He lectured me on how I shouldn't make friends and focus on my studies."
"I off course didn't pay attention to him and went off to go play the next day. When I got back I-I........" Aubrey's voice was breaking and she struggled to find her words.
"Hey it's ok you don't have to-" Stacie tried to help.
"No. No I need to tell you. I need to get it off my shoulders and I have to make you understand why I said what I said."
Aubrey took a second and inhaled a deep breath to calm herself down.
"The next day I returned home and my father knew that had been playing instead of studying. I heard my parents arguing in the kitchen and got closer, but careful enough that they couldn't see me."
"What were they arguing about?"
"Me." Aubrey answered and Stacie's face went from curious to concern.
"My mother was trying to make him see that having friends was good for me, but he didn't want to listen. When she told him that he was going to ruin my life; he- he hit her."
After the last few words left the vampire's mouth; Stacie took hold of Aubrey's hands. Although she knew it was stupid; Stacie thought that her touch could at least give some comfort.
"My dad threatened that if I didn't change; that he would hit my mom again. From that day on I barely made contact with anyone and focused on my studies. A few months later however; I met Chloe." A small smile crept up onto Aubrey's face as she recalled the redhead.
"Since she was an elite vampire, my father allowed her as my 'only friend' as he used to put it."
"As I got older, my father showed me all the flaws of every other creature. Especially werewolves. I guess because he only showed me the bad, I never saw their good sides."
At that moment Aubrey looked up to Stacie.
"I guess I was so used to knowing the bad ones; I never thought that there might be any good werewolves. I was so used to that, that I actually wanted to walk away the day Emily asked us for help."
A new set of tears were welling up in Aubrey's eyes as she was now realising what she could've been responsible for.
"I could've been the reason that Beca almost died. I am so sorry Stacie. I'm so so sorry."
Stacie immediately got up from her chair and embraced the blonde.
The warmth of Stacie's body and her soothing words started to calm Aubrey down. After a few moments Aubrey tried to push Stacie off, but the brunette didn't let go.
"Stacie look," Stacie followed Aubrey's gaze and her jaw nearly hit the floor.
Beca and Chloe were holding hands and leaning in.
They were going to kiss.
_________________________________________
A few minutes earlier.
Beca and Chloe were still talking and enjoying each other's company.
"Hey. I just noticed I never asked where you're from." Beca's eyes widened slightly and memories came flooding back to her.
Chloe took notice of Beca's reactions and lack of words.
"Oh, did I say something wrong?" Chloe felt guilty as she thought that she had overstepped on something.
"Uh? Oh no, it's just."
Beca sighed and looked down at her now empty plate.
"My family liked to be away from the city. My parents had their in LA, but almost always took us to Europe to our private cottage in the woods."
"Emily and I used to play there all the time and hang out with our parents until my mom died."
Beca didn't know how, but this redhead had ways to break down her walls. No matter how much she wanted to keep everything to herself and build up the walls around her heart. Chloe always found a way through or around them.
"I- I'm sorry," Chloe was surprised that Beca, who usually kept everything to herself and tried to keep her tough exterior, was willing to share such a sensitive subject with her.
"Ha it happens. It's no big deal." Beca tried her best to keep her eyes free from the tears threatening to fall. She always told herself that if she acted like it wasn't a big deal, that she would eventually believe it.
The brunette's eyes widened as she felt a hand gently grab her own. When she looked up; steel blue eyes met sky blue orbs.
"It is a big deal. It's your mother and I can't even imagine how much it must have hurt."
A small smile crept onto Beca's lips as nobody other than Stacie, Emily and her father had ever tried to comfort her like the redhead in front of her.
"If I may?" Chloe paused as she searched Beca's face for permission. The brunette gave a small nod towards her. "What happened?"
"We were a big happy family, but she was killed six years after we found Emily." Beca spoke softly, but confidently as she felt like she could share anything and everything with this vampire.
"Found?" Chloe raised an eyebrow in confusion at Beca's words.
"Yeah, like after I found out she was born," Beca explained and although it was weird; Chloe decided not to push it.
"It was summertime and our cottage was broken into and my mom was murdered."
Chloe unknowingly tightened her hold on the other girl's hand.
"Since that day; my father tried his best to take care of the two of us and I knew I had to be strong for Emily. I had to be strong for my dad too. So I didn't allow myself to become soft," Beca shrugged as she finished.
"Well you can always come to me about it." Chloe smiled widely at the shorter girl.
"Thanks, but why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"Being so kind to me. I mean I saw that you're usually nice to everyone, but I would've given up on me a long time ago." Beca looked deep into Chloe's eyes as she put her other hand on the table.
As soon as the brunette asked; Chloe took her other hand as well. "Because I can see you that you need it."
Beca glanced from eyes to her lips. Those soft lips. Beca's heart started beating faster, even faster than when she was running. She started to lean in as it felt like gravity was pulling her towards the redhead.
Chloe did the same, feeling the butterflies in her stomach. She wanted to taste those lips on hers. Her mind telling her to stop, but her heart pushing her across the table.
They were nearly there, almost feeling each other's breaths. Their hands remained intertwined. Lips inches apart, eyes closed and then.
'Clank'
Both jerked their heads away as Beca's drink accidentally spilled all over the table.
Stacie bowed her head down while Aubrey buried hers in her hands.
"So close," Stacie whispered as Beca apologised profusely while Chloe was in a fit of giggles, trying to calm her down.
"C'mon let's get them and go home." Aubrey stood up and walked to the pair with Stacie in tow.
_________________________________________
As soon as the front door opened; Emily's eyes shot up to look at the four girls entering the house.
"Hey. What are you doing up?" Beca asked the younger girl as she walked to the kitchen to put away the groceries with Stacie.
"I was waiting for you guys," Emily replied with a smile.
"Aww thanks Em," Chloe walked over and embraced the werewolf. "But I think I'm going to bed. Night guys." Chloe walked up the stairs, trying to avoid conversation for the night as she was still trying to process what had happened the night.
"Ok Em. All the stuff is in the kitchen, you just have to put it where you want it." Beca walked out of the kitchen towards her sister. "Ok I think I'm going to go to bed too."
"Ok thanks Becs." Emily hugged her sister and the brunette bid everyone good night.
As soon as she was sure Chloe and Beca were out of earshot; Emily immediately turned to the other two. "Ok what happened?"
"Well you were right. There's definitely something between them," Stacie stared at the stairs.
"They almost kissed, but unfortunately little miss midget, accidentally knocked over her drink," Aubrey crossed her arms as Emily sighed.
"Ok. I'm going to have to step up my game." Emily started pacing as she was rattling her brain for another plan until she was stopped by Stacie.
"You can do that tomorrow. Right now our little pup needs her sleep," Stacie smirked as she knew Emily hated being called the pup of the family.
"I'm not a pup," Emily whined while pouting.
"Yes you are," Stacie chuckled while Aubrey watched with awe at the family's little argument.
After a little while Stacie started nudging Emily towards the stairs. "Come on. Off you go."
"I hate you," the young girl mumbled while ascending.
"No. You love me," Stacie followed while Aubrey turned off the lights.
"Yes. I think I do," Aubrey whispered as she followed the brunette to their bedroom. The blonde was actually falling for the werewolf.