Emily Finds A Stick

It's an average Georgia autumn night. The temperature is humid but somewhat comfortable. Emily's bare feet walk along the dirt path through the woods.

Heels in hand, she moves swiftly. It's way more efficient than trying to trudge through the woods in stilettos. The ground beneath her soles gives her a sense of calm.

She needs it after what happened earlier. She's on edge. Her body vibrating. She's fucking pissed. And if there's one thing Emily Junk hates feeling more than anything, it's being angry.

But she has a right to be angry, right? That unfamiliar man put his hands on her girlfriend. She acted the way any wolf would.

*Flashback*

Emily is so bored. She's really not of fan of these big parties. She wouldn't even be here if she wasn't being a plus one.

She spots her girlfriend across the room. Aubrey Posen looks absolutely gorgeous in the black dress she's wearing. Emily smiles and puffs out her chest a bit. That's her girl. She's the one who gets to take her home later.

"You got a preference?" A voice startles her from her staring.

"Excuse me?" She asks finally tearing her eyes away from Aubrey and looks towards the voice.

"The food. Got any preferences?" The woman asks pointing at the table of hors d'oeuvres.

"Oh! The sausage tortilla things are good. Pickle rolls. Liver pâté if that's your...thing..." Emily trails off getting distracted by a man who seems to be very close to her girlfriend.

The lady she was talking to might have said something else but Emily didn't hear it. She couldn't hear anything actually. She could see that this unknown man has put his hands on Aubrey and she seems uncomfortable.

Emily sees nothing but red after that.

Maybe spraining the man's wrist by twisting it behind his back was too much. She could've done worse. She could have broken it. She could have ripped his whole arm out of his socket. She didn't even realize the deep warning growl coming from her until Aubrey grabbed her face.

"Emily! Stop!" Aubrey lets go of her face and turns back to the man who's now holding his wrist and groaning.

"Are you alright?" Aubrey asks him in concern.

"That bitch broke my hand!" He venomously accuses at Emily.

"I didn't break anything." She mutters. The frustration showing in her voice.

"Go take a walk." Aubrey says turning back to her girlfriend.

"What?! But he was-"

"Emily. Go. Take a walk." Aubrey is serious. She's using the voice she uses to make people fall in line. Like when the Bellas were on the retreat. Aubrey didn't know Emily then and she's never used that voice on her since.

To hear it now, she's shocked. She immediately deflates and lets a small pout show. Aubrey glares, almost challenging Emily to defy her.

Emily slumps, losing the battle of wills. It's a fight she'd never win anyway, not when it comes to the beautiful blonde. She backs away slowly and slinks out the door.

*End flashback*

This is where Emily finds herself now. Walking in the woods alone, being pissed off that she got kicked out of a party for protecting her girlfriend by said girlfriend.

Somewhere through the fog of being mad, sad, and guilty for upsetting her person, she spots it.

A stick.

Her eyes widen. She releases a breath.

"Oh wow" she whispers almost reverently. She walks over to it, and bends over so that she can get a closer look. It looks like it's around the length of a yardstick. Not perfectly straight but pretty close. Definitely from the birch tree nearby.

Very carefully she reaches out and picks it up. She likes how it feels. She looks closer. It smells woody and earthy. Closing her eyes, she smiles as she grips the stick tighter.

This is a good stick. 'It's mine now,' she thinks, standing back up straight. With her bad mood subdued, and new stick in hand. She heads back to Aubrey's cabin.

She's still admiring her find when she senses Aubrey on the porch. Looking up, Emily's breath hitches again. Her girlfriend is dressed down from the party, in pjs with a light blanket wrapped around her shoulders in the chair she's sitting in. She's the most beautiful woman Emily has ever seen.

"Hey." Emily calls out while smiling.

"Hey yourself." Aubrey says a little smirk on her face.

"Whatcha got there?" She asks gesturing to what Emily has brought home with her.

"Oh!" Emily brightens.

"I found a stick!" She holds it up for Aubrey to see, beaming. She's very proud of it.

Aubrey takes a second to just soak in how preciously adorable Emily is. Her happiness is practically contagious. It never ceases to amaze Aubrey how easily this young woman was able to break down her emotional walls.

"Can I see it?" Aubrey asks with a knowing smile on her face.

"Sure!" Emily bounds up the porch steps and holds her prized possession out to her girlfriend.

Aubrey grabs the stick and lightly tugs it towards herself. Emily subconsciously tightens her grip on it.

"Em?...Can you let go?" Aubrey asks with grin and an eyebrow raised playfully.

"Oh my stars! Sorry!" She let's go of the stick, slightly blushing.

Aubrey looks at the stick and hums in approval. Yeah, Emily's really proud of it. Aubrey looks back up into her eyes and holds her gaze for a second. Then she takes the stick and throws it as far as she can away from them.

Emily's jaw drops. She's looks at Aubrey. Then towards the stick. Then back at Aubrey. Then back at the stick. And finally back to Aubrey.

"Emily...Go get it."

'Well fuck' Emily thinks.

Immediately, Emily turns and runs in the direction where Aubrey threw the stick. She finds it, grabs it, then trots back to the cabin. Aubrey is giggling.

"I can't believe you just did that" Emily gasps in mock offense. A small smile growing on her face.

"Come on babe. Let's go inside and get to bed." Aubrey beckons. Emily walks right up to the doorway when she's stopped by a hand on her chest.

"Leave the stick, Em."

Emily drops it and lets Aubrey pull her inside.