AN: Something that was originally just supposed to be a oneshot but- I had too many ideas. Working title, I think. There's a bit of a nod to one of my favorite books/movie, "Where The Heart Is" in here. If you've read or seen it, you'll know what I mean, otherwise, just enjoy. :P Also, I specifically left out relationship tags, because- I want it to be a surprise for y'all. I'll add them eventually, once this first chapter has been up for some time. But for now, it's empty. :P Let me know your thoughts if you get a chance, to. (:

Also, I feel the need to make it clear, that this is a Staubrey fic. With some bechloe. People seem to assume otherwise.

Now, I /might/, and I mean /might/, add both Beca and Chloe's perspectives and just make it as like - sort of equal, because this story is called 'The Trouble With Love', and both parties are certainly having trouble, and I could actually see how it could all tie in. But don't get your hopes up. If you're reading this in hopes of a lot of bechloe, then I suggest you leave. I'm not trying to be mean, I just don't want you to waste your time if I decide not to go that route, because I came into this confident that it would be staubrey-centric with bechloe in the background. So, just keep that in mind, guys. Thanks! You guys are awesome.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

The thing about love is that- it's a fickle thing. At least, in Stacie's eyes it is. And in that, she means that, she doesn't think anyone has actually meant it when they said those three little words. In fact, she can count on one hand the amount of times someone has said those words to her without her saying them first.

Because like love, people are fickle. People are selfish and uncaring unless it's for themselves. Her mother is uncaring, her sister is uncaring, her boyfriend is uncaring. Nobody gives a shit anymore, if ever. The only time they ever show any sort of interest in her is if it benefits them in some way. And that's where Stacie fucks up, because- she cares. She cares even when she knows she shouldn't, because they don't deserve her love, or the many chances she gives them.

And she has given them so many second chances that they're not even that anymore, they're more like 20th and 30th chances- so many that, Stacie thinks she's just about run out of them to give, anymore... Until someone comes back begging - promising to do better. And then Stacie sighs and just- hopes for change, but knowing that ultimately, there won't be any.

But it all changes when those two little pink lines show up. Everything changes - except the people in her life. Her mother tells her to get out, because she can't afford another mouth to feed, even though Stacie has a job and feeds herself and sometimes even them. Her sixteen year old sister smirks and tells her, 'hey, at least you're out of high school. You're older than mom was when she had you.' And her boyfriend, Johnny- he gets angry at her, tells her to abort it.

Which- Stacie had thought about abortion. Because Stacie doesn't have much in her life, and she's only nineteen and- god damn it, she was saving to go to college. Because she wanted to get out of this bumfuck town and make something of herself instead of drinking herself to death and spending her life being angry and bitter like her mother.

Logically, Stacie knew that at that stage, it was just a small cluster of cells, barely the size of a bean. It wasn't a person, yet. At least, in her opinion it wasn't(and that wasn't to say that she was negating other women who solely believed it was a baby from the start. She respected that). But, Stacie knew the science behind it and when it all boiled down to it, it was just a cluster of cells that didn't have brainwaves or feelings, yet.

Still, even as she thought about it, she didn't think she could do it. And even if she could, she sure as shit couldn't afford it. And the thing that really solidified that decision was Johnny. After he had cooled off he came back to her, apologizing and promising change and that they'd be a family together. They'd save up and move out of this town.

And Stacie gets so caught up in that, that she forgets that people are fickle. Johnny is fickle and the only changing he does is his mind.

She's six months pregnant, now and they're finally on their way out. They've been driving for hours now in Johnny's beat up impala with half the passenger's floorboard missing, until Stacie begs him to pull over to a gas station so that she can pee and get something to eat, because she's starving.

"Eat? Didn't ya eat before we left?" He looks at her briefly from his peripheral. "You're gettin' kinda fat, Stacie." He remarks, making a face as they pull into a gas station.

Stacie clenches her jaw a moment, trying to keep her anger to a minimum as she turns her head to glare at him. "That was four and a half hours ago, and that's the baby, you ass." And then the tears start and Johnny's eyes widen and he holds his hands out as if he's trying to calm a rabid dog.

"Hey, okay, babe. Chill. I'm sorry. Here." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a wrinkled 20. "Go get somethin' to eat, and pee."

Stacie sighs and smiles a little despite herself. "Thank you." She reaches across the console to kiss a stubbly cheek before heading inside.

And Stacie should know by now, that people are selfish.

Something like dread fills her, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Even as she's paying for her water and food, she can feel that something isn't right.

Her suspicions are confirmed when she steps back outside to see Johnny's car is nowhere in sight. Her heart drops to her stomach before shooting back up into her throat where it seems to lodge itself. Panic washes over her like ice shooting through her veins and the only thing she can think to do - probably the only thing she can do in that moment - is sit on the sidewalk just outside the door.

For a long moment she just blinks disbelievingly and then her vision blurs with tears as she realizes that she literally has nothing, now. Nothing but the sun dress she's wearing and her bag. Johnny has all her things, all her money. All she has is 15 dollars and 78 cents.

And why should she be surprised, really? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me, she thinks bitterly as she angrily wipes at her tears. Except she had been fooled too many times to count, which she thinks is probably really pathetic.

She isn't sure how long she sits there, just crying until a pair of worn chucks come into her line of sight. They're planted in front of her and unmoving. There's an awkward throat clearing, so Stacie slowly tracks her eyes up a pair of faded blue skinny jeans, continuing over a grey tank top and an open purple plaid shirt until she comes up to meet concerned stormy hues as a pair of aviators get pushed off of them and into chocolatey locks.

The girl scratches the back of her neck anxiously as she glances to the side before moving back to Stacie as if she's not really sure about her decision to approach her. Before Stacie can ask her what she wants, the girl is shoving her hands in her pockets and opening her mouth. "Dude, are you okay?"

Stacie swallows thickly and nods. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

The tiny brunette's brow quirks. "Really? You should probably tell your face that, because I don't think it got the memo." She makes a small gesture at Stacie before sighing. "Do you like- need a ride? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that shit for brains isn't coming back." Stacie's eyes snap to hers again and as if reading her mind, the girl juts her thumb behind her toward the gas pumps. "I was pumping gas when you guys pulled in."

Stacie sniffs. "Oh. Yeah." She glances back down, staring at the girl's shoes as she considers her options. What options!? Her brain yells. She can feel the tears building back up as she meets the girl's worried and hesitant gaze. "I uhm- I don't- I don't have anywhere to go. I'm not from here- we-we were supposed to be m-moving." She brings a hand up to cover her face.

"Oh." The girl replies, the single word being blown out by a puff of air. "Well that- that sucks, dude." And Stacie kind of wants to laugh at how awkward this girl is, but her chest burns with anxiety and hurt, and shame and many other emotions that she can't place. "So… like, you don't have anything?"

"No." Stacie replies weakly, trying hard to stave off tears.

Stacie is surprised to see the girl's brows crease in anger. "What a fucking piece of shit." She mutters, shaking her head. But then her anger deflates a little as she seems to come to some sort of decision. "Okay, so, like- it goes against my better judgement to offer a total stranger a ride, but I'm banking on a pregnant chick not being a murderer."

Despite herself, Stacie chuckles and swipes away a few errant tears. "Stranger things have happened, but no. I'm not a murderer." She says with a grin. But then her eyes narrow. "How do I know you're not a murderer?"

The girl smirks this crooked little smile. "I'm not a murderer."

Stacie grins back. "Good."

"Glad we could have this discussion." The girl says before holding out her hand to help Stacie up. "I'm Beca, by the way. Beca Mitchell."

Stacie holds onto her bags with one hand and takes Beca's hand with her free one. "Stacie Conrad." She replies after she gets to her feet.

Beca offers small smile. "Cool to meet you. Uh- so, like…" she suddenly looks anxious again. "You can uh, come back to my place and shower or something and… figure shit out instead of trying to do it sitting in the Georgia heat, I mean it can't be good for uh- someone in your- condition." She gestured to Stacie's rather prominent baby belly.

Stacie nods gently, the gravity of her situation making itself known, once again and snatching up whatever small comfort Beca had brought to her. Though the idea of a shower and getting out of the heat, even for just a few hours sounded really good. "Thanks, Beca. I- I really appreciate this."

The smaller woman looks uncomfortable at Stacie's earnest reply. "Don't worry about it, dude. C'mon, my car is over there." She starts to head toward a black little Sedan and to Stacie's amusement, holds open the passenger side door for her.

"So, Georgia? What part, exactly are we in?" Stacie asks after Beca had started in the direction of her home.

Beca glances a few times at Stacie through her peripheral. "Atlanta." Beca supplies, eyes moving back to the road. "Where were you headed… I mean, you know… before-"

Amused by the girl's obvious ability to make anything sound awkward, she mercifully cuts Beca off. "Just… away. I should have known, though." She smiles ruefully. "I should have known that he'd change his mind. Apart of me knew he would- knew that he didn't really love me. He never has, but the other part of me… hoped, ya know?" And she can feel the familiar burn of tears in the back of her throat.

Stacie watches Beca's profile, watches the way her features darken and she offers a rueful smile of her own. "People only change if they want to change, dude. Can't help those who don't want to be helped. People are full of shit and no matter what they say, no matter how much they swear up and down- they always leave." She says it with such conviction, such coldness, that Stacie knows that Beca is speaking from experience.

There's a pregnant pause where, Stacie takes in Beca's words, before she sighs quietly. "Well," she starts, licking her lips to stall a little. "You don't seem like shit. I mean- you're offering a stranger your shower and your house for a few hours."

Beca's lips quirk up in a small smirk. "There's still time."

Stacie audibly scoffs. "I don't need time. I can already tell that you're a good person."

Rolling her eyes, Beca glances over at Stacie with a playful grin. "Yeah, well- don't tell anyone, you'll ruin my street cred."

And Stacie can already tell that she's going to like this girl- even if this is the only day she gets to spend with her, Stacie will always remember what Beca has done for her. And later, she'd realize just how lucky she'd been to have Beca come in at that moment, a time when she needed someone most.

After a long, cooling shower, Stacie emerges from Beca's bathroom with a pair of sweats that are a little(read a lot because she is so much taller than Beca) short on her, and a large band t-shirt (Radiohead) of Beca's. Stacie had intended to just put her dress back on, but Beca insisted that Stacie let her wash it.

Making her way into the kitchen, her nose is immediately assaulted with the scent of food and it causes her stomach to growl quite loudly, which- is what gives her presence away.

Beca turns swiftly with an amused smirk and a raised eyebrow as dark eyes drop to Stacie's baby bump. "Are you renting out your uterus to a lion, or…?"

A blush colors Stacie's cheeks, but she chuckles despite it. "Shut up, I haven't eaten in like 5 hours."

Beca's features soften a little as she turns around fully to place a plate of grilled cheese in front of her. "Guess it's a good thing I made lunch, then."

"You didn't have to…" Beca just shrugs, so Stacie picks up one half of the sandwich before taking a bite. "Oh my god, that's good."

Chuckling, Beca takes a bite of her own sandwich. "Thanks." She says after she swallows her first bite.

A companionable silence settles between them as they both eat, until Beca takes her last bite and brings her gaze to Stacie's.

"So, uh- have you thought about what you're gonna do?" The smaller woman asks, and Stacie suddenly feels ill. She sets down the last bit of her grilled cheese and swallows thickly, eyes downcast.

"Oh, I don't mean to take up your time, I'm sorry, I can go-" Stacie goes to stand but Beca quickly cuts her off.

"Dude, no! I didn't mean it like that," She stammers, a frown marring her face. "I just meant, like-" she gestures at the air before her hands drop to her sides. "-like, have you thought about it. I'm not like- rushing you or anything." She finishes, twisting the ring around her thumb.

Stacie brings her gaze back up to meet Beca's, biting the inside of her cheek as her mind races. After a moment, the taller woman sighs. "I'm not really sure… I don't- I don't have any money, he took all of it. So I don't know where I'll go."

"Why don't you stay here." Beca says on a shrug, as if it's no big deal at all.

Blue-green eyes widen in shock and for a moment, Stacie just sits there, mouth moving silently. "What?" She asks, finally finding her voice. "Why would you- you don't even know me!" She says, voice so unnaturally high that it has Beca wincing slightly. Stacie shakes her head and works to lower her voice again. "I mean- even if you did know me, I don't- I can't help with rent or-or food, or anything."

"Look, I'm not about to kick out a pregnant chick, okay?" Beca huffs, arms akimbo. "My roommate just moved out to be with her boyfriend, so I've got a spare room and you need a place to stay. You don't need to worry about rent, right now. Just stay here until you get your shit figured out. You can find a job and offer a part of rent then, if you want, or you can save up for a place of your own, it's up to you. But right now, I can handle it." The smaller woman sighs, seeming to calm a little, and offers a small smile. "It's up to you, though. I just- the offer is there, okay?"

Still overcome with shock, Stacie just sits there dumbly, blinking a little owlishly at Beca. Her mind races with the offer and after a moment, she finally nods. "I-okay." She says gently. "But, I'm going to get a job so I can help out. I'm not going to just mooch off of you." That isn't who she is.

Beca smiles at that. "Whatever you want, dude."

Stacie is four days in her stay with Beca when she finds a job at a coffee shop near by. With her job experience, she knew it wouldn't be too hard. Beca is a little surprised, though - Stacie can tell. And when she asks the smaller woman about it, Beca just says she expected Stacie to at least give herself a chance to settle in, but Stacie had shaken her head and reminded her new friend, that she was not about to be a charity case.

Beca had simply shrugged and told her that she was fine with whatever Stacie wanted to do, but that she should probably save her first paycheck for necessities for herself, like clothes that actually fit her (because Beca is short, especially compared to Stacie and with her prominent baby bump, there was no way her shirts would fit unless they were one of the many band t's that Beca owned), and probably even baby things. Beca had also offered to buy a few outfits for Stacie so she'd have clothes to go to work in, which- Stacie had begrudgingly accepted because, well- she only had the one little sundress, but Stacie swore she'd pay Beca back.

But something about that conversation has Stacie thinking. How is she supposed to care for a baby when she can barely take care of herself? Babies are expensive, and with nothing but the clothes on her back, it would be hard to start saving, now- especially if she planned to help with Beca's rent.

The only thing- the only solution that Stacie can see is adoption.

For days she has been mulling the idea over in her head, agonizing over it, really. It would be hard, but she knows it would be for the best.

She's sitting on the couch, staring out the window when she finally decides it's what she wants to do. And it's at that moment that Beca chooses to come over and plop down beside her with a groan. "Ugh. Sometimes I wonder why I agreed to go to college."

Stacie turns her head and quirks a brow. "Agreed?"

Beca turns her own head and something like concern replaces the frustration on her face. "Whoa, dude- have you been crying?" She sits up a little and angles her body so that she's facing Stacie. "Are you okay?"

Blinking at the sudden change of subject, Stacie frowns and glances away. "Yeah, I just-" She sighs and combs her fingers through her long hair. "I made the decision that, it's probably best that I put the baby up for adoption." She bites the inside of her cheek and chances a glance up at Beca, half expecting a look of judgement, but the same concerned, if not slightly uncomfortable look still adorns her face.

Beca nods and her shoulders sag a little as she looks down at her jean clad thighs. It's evident to Stacie that the smaller girl is really awful at handling others' emotions (and her own, Stacie suspects privately), and terribly awkward (which, Stacie finds that a little amusing). "Oh," She says after a moment. "Well, uh-" She scratches the back of her head and with what looks like a great effort, she brings her gaze back to meet Stacie's. "If you think that's best, then- it's what's best, I mean- you're giving the kid a better chance at life." She goes back to biting the inside of her cheek and then glances to the side, a sudden look of contemplation furrowing her brows.

Stacie goes to open her mouth, to change the subject, but Beca brings her stormy hues back to Stacie, her expression now unreadable. "Actually," She starts, rubbing her palms against her thighs nervously. "I uh- I might be able to help you." She visibly swallows and it's not hard to tell that the smaller brunette is anxious. "I've got this friend who is actually looking into adoption." She finally says. "She's-she's- well, I've just never seen anyone who's had their shit together more than her. She's got this whole ten year plan thing-" Beca rolls her eyes at this, but there's a small, affectionate smirk itching at the edge of her lips. "-I think it's stupid, but, like I said, she's got her shit together. I could give her a call if you want- if you're seriously considering this."

"I-" Stacie falters, her decision becoming all the more real with Beca's suggestion. She hadn't expected to get the ball rolling this quickly, had more expected to be looking into agencies, but- "Sure, I mean… what could it hurt?" Because a friend of Beca's would be easier to trust, easier to start out with than someone she had no background information on. And despite just knowing Beca for a short period of time, Stacie has already began to trust the other woman. "Is she married?"

Beca chuckles a little. "Uh, no. She had this whole plan to get married and start having kids at this point, but the guy didn't work out so much, so she's decided- screw the guy, she didn't need one to start a family. It wasn't 'apart of the plan', but she's bound and determined to continue with it, regardless."

Stacie smirks a little, wondering exactly what type of person this woman was. "Alright, what's her name?"

"Aubrey. Aubrey Posen."