~C~

Sunday, July 23rd, 2017

Chloe felt Beca roll over in bed for what felt like the twentieth time since they crawled into bed.

They, plus Stacie and Aubrey, had spent the day moving Jessley into their house. They'd been able to find a place a few streets over and a few more down, but they were still in the same community with them. It made Chloe happy to have more of her sisters nearby.

Aubrey had invited them all back and made them a huge 'Welcome to the Neighborhood' meal and they'd had a great time reminiscing. It was all laughter and "do you remember that time when" stories that had kept them up well past their normal bed time for a work night.

As they all went to leave, Chloe barely stopped from giving Aubrey her normal full body hug that usually included a lot of tongue. Aubrey had smiled at her, her eyes twinkling, and it was enough that she knew what Chloe was thinking. This was going to maybe require another talk, now that they had their friends who would be around all the time. But she wouldn't trade Jessley being nearby for the world.

Not that Chloe was ashamed of the four of them or anything. Sure, their relationship wasn't exactly normal, but she never cared about being normal. But they were still new to this and she didn't really want to share. Or have to explain yet.

She was still surprised by how easy the two weeks since their talk had been. Despite their 'nothing is going to be different' promises, part of her still expected something to change. But it really hadn't. Everything was exactly the same as it was before – except now there were naked times and a whole lot of kissing. She smiled in the dark of her room. The kissing really was amazing. They just fell into whoever was closest and got lost for a while.

Beca rolled over again, a soft sigh slipping free as she wrapped her arm around Chloe's waist.

If there was one downside, it was this. Sometimes they had problems sleeping alone. Which Chloe felt was particularly silly right now because they'd just spent two nights with Staubrey in this very bed. Though, maybe in hindsight, that's why it was harder tonight.

They, for the most part, slept in their respective houses during the week, mostly because if they all were in the same bed, they didn't do a whole lot of sleeping. Someone – usually, but not always, Aubrey – would wake them up in the middle of the night and they'd spend an hour or two lazily making love. When Beca fell asleep on the mixing board at work, thankfully without a client in the booth, she'd brought it up at dinner on Tuesday.

/

"Maybe we need one rule." She looked unhappy about it though. "I woke up with a slider up my nose at work today."

Aubrey snorted a laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean… but… Come on, that's a visual."

"Ha. Ha." Beca rubbed her nose as if she could still feel it. "You know I don't want to say it."

Stacie sighed. "No, but I agree. I almost blew up the lab today."

Aubrey sat up. "Holy shit, Stacie." She looked stricken. "I'm sorry…"

Stacie put her hand on Aubrey's arm. "No, sorry. I, it wasn't quite that bad. I wasn't actually super close to it, but my team's notes were wrong. Had I not caught it, it could've been bad and it took me longer than I care to admit to figure out why it was wrong."

Aubrey settled back, but her brow was still furrowed. "Then… I know I said we were done with rules when I threw out the one about the back door, but…"

Chloe's lips twisted. "But, yeah. Maybe we need one more. At least until we can keep our hands to ourselves in our sleep."

"Beca is the sleep groper, not me." Aubrey said immediately.

"Aubrey." Beca looked at her. "Your hand was up my shirt last night when I woke up."

"Pictures or it didn't happen." Aubrey took a sip of her wine.

"You asked for it." Stacie grinned. "You can't be mad when it happens now, Bree." Aubrey just smiled at her. Stacie looked at Chloe. "But, sleep groping aside. You know none of us are ever going to keep our hands to ourselves." She looked down where Beca's hand was slowly rubbing the inside of Stacie's thigh. "Case in point."

Chloe sighed. "You're right."

Beca pouted. "I'm mad I even brought it up."

"But you're right, DJ. Maybe…" Stacie's voice was slow, her reluctance obvious. "Maybe we sleep in our own homes during the week."

Aubrey winced. "Ugh. That sounds awful."

"Agree." Chloe put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm. "But probably the best. For now."

"We should just move in together." Beca said suddenly.

"Yeah, right. We'll just sell our houses and get a mansion." Aubrey laughed.

Beca sat upright. "Can we afford that?"

"No we can't afford that." Chloe answered.

Beca slumped again. "Damnit."

Stacie put her hand over Beca's. "You just want a harem."

"There's nothing wrong with that." Beca objected. "I mean… No I don't."

"Too late, Becs. Your secret is out." Aubrey laughed.

"Well, if the three of you count as a harem, sure. Maybe." Beca pouted. "It'd solve a lot of problems."

"How? We'd still be in one bed. I know you, you'd get that twelve foot bed." Stacie pointed out.

Beca's eyes lit up then she deflated again. "Ok, you're right."

Stacie patted her hand before picking up her wine. "Don't worry, DJ. You'll get to sleep grope us every weekend. And on holidays, if you're good."

Aubrey kissed Stacie's shoulder. "She's always good." She reached over to put her hand on Beca's where it still rested on Stacie's thigh. "Baby." Aubrey's voice was full of adoration, soft and warm. "It's not like you won't see us during the week. Nothing there needs to change."

"I'm pouting like a toddler, aren't I?" Beca grinned reluctantly.

"Who's just had their favorite toy taken away." Aubrey nodded and watched Beca take a drink of wine. "Except we all know that's still upstairs in the drawer." She exhaled with the hint of a moan. "It's mine too." She bit her lip and eyed Beca a little bit like she was prey, then ducked as wine sprayed across the table.

"Aubrey!" Beca wiped her face while the rest of them laughed till they cried.

/

Beca wiggled closer, trying to find that one spot that would allow her to fall asleep. Chloe stroked her arm soothingly, her other hand in Beca's hair. She wasn't surprised when, ten minutes later, Beca rolled over and sighed again.

Chloe let out a sigh of her own and rolled across the bed to pick up her phone. Thumbing to her messages, she brought up Aubrey's conversation. She debated a moment before deciding that if Aubrey was asleep, a single text wouldn't wake her.

Chloe:
We can't sleep.

She waited as it sent and as she set her phone down, she heard the distinct sound of Aubrey's text alert from the hall. She and Beca sat up and stared at the door, seeing the familiar glow of a phone screen appear at the entry.

Aubrey's eyes looked up at them, Stacie's familiar outline behind her. "Us too."

"Holy shit. You guys are already in the house?" Beca's voice was torn between laughter and shock. "And we didn't know it? Maybe we need a guard dog."

"Awww, a puppy!" Aubrey cooed.

Stacie held up the key and shook it. "Plus, it's not like I need it if I really wanted in." She set it on the dresser as they both kicked off their shoes and pulled off various stolen hoodies.

Beca's eyes narrowed. "True." She watched as they split, Stacie climbing under the covers on Beca's side on the left and Aubrey crawling in behind Chloe on the right. "This is so stalker cute."

"Shut up and cuddle." Stacie said but before she'd finished saying it, Beca had already wrapped around her like a koala, legs tangled and a happy sigh left her lips as Stacie slid an arm around her back.

Chloe grinned and scooted closer to them, feeling Aubrey follow behind. She lay on her back and held her arms out. With a mirroring happy sigh Aubrey lowered herself down, her head on Chloe's shoulder. Chloe pulled her close, feeling her body relax into sleep for the first time in the past ninety minutes. Beca was already snoring.

It's not that they weren't enough for each other, Chloe knew better than that. Even now, as her body warmed under Aubrey's breath, Chloe knew all she really needed was Beca. They'd had sleepless nights long before the Fourth party, and they'd have them again in the future.

Sliding her left hand over, she curled her fingers around Stacie's arm, feeling Beca's gentle breathing against the back of her fingers.

But for tonight – she slid her right hand up the back of Aubrey's sleep shirt to feel her skin – tonight they apparently all needed just a little bit more.

She was more than okay with that.

End Notes: Thank you to everyone who left me a review or reached out to me on Tumblr. I'm not sure if I'd have finished it this quickly without your encouragement and support. I started this around 3/27/18 and finished the final edits for 11 & 12 on 6/29. It's been a wild ride and I hope you enjoyed it.

7/5/18 - Please don't worry about this being the end of Stechlobree, because it's completely not. There's a lot more planned in this universe, I promise.

A Shared Lifetime:

Series Written Order: Candy Wars, Getting Even, Nowish, They Had Time, The Middle, Hood Night, Bechloe's First Official Christmas, A Taste of Home, Can't Help Falling, The Auditorium.

Series Chronological Order: They Had Time, Can't Help Falling, Hood Night, Bechloe's First Official Christmas, Getting Even, The Auditorium, Candy Wars, Nowish, The Middle, A Taste of Home.