A bit of a slow start but let me know what you all think :]

WON'T YOU STAY FOR AWHILE?

(first attempt at a) MITCHSEN AU

Aubrey has never been one for relationships and infatuations, but there is just something about the mailwoman that she can't shake.

A young woman sat at the desk of her in-home office, her green eyes darting across some paper work as she reviewed a client's credentials. Her honey blonde hair was pinned up in a neat bun and her blouse and skirt were pressed neatly as they hugged her toned body in a flattering, yet professional, way. The sun shined through her blinds with an orangish glow that only made her more aware of how tired she was. She needed to get some rest. She had been in and out all day, meeting with clients to negotiate and successfully sell a few homes.

Aubrey was her name. Aubrey Posen. Daughter of the one and only Richard Posen. The owner of Posen Real Estates. From the time Aubrey could walk, her parents had already had her life blueprinted. She would become proficient in many languages. She would be a cheerleader. She would be the president of student council. She would graduate at the top of her class( A valedictorian, at that ) She would get accepted into one of the toughest universities in the country and she would graduate with a degree in Business Administration.

All of this she had done in efforts to appease her parents, but nothing ever seemed to be enough. Sometimes, she wondered if she would be like them, if she ever had children. Then, she would wonder if she would even have children...since reproducing kind of required her to be "intimate" with someone, which would probably require her to "get close" to that person as well.

So, no...maybe Aubrey Posen WOULDN'T ever have children.

As Aubrey's mind returned to the paperwork on her desk, her cell phone began to vibrate against the polished wood of her desk. With a glance at the phone's display, she could see that it was her mother. What could she possibly want NOW?

With a sigh, Aubrey raised the phone to her ear, answering the call.

"Good Evening, dear..." Mary Posen greeted.

"Mother..." Aubrey answered, reluctantly.

"I was calling to ask you to join your Father and I for dinner, tonight..." The older blonde continued, cutting right to the chase.

Translation: "Aubrey, you WILL be joining us for dinner tonight."

Aubrey knew this wasn't debateable. She'd never been brave enough to decline a dinner "invite" from her parents, but she wasn't trying to to find out what would happen if she did. Her father was a rather intimidating man...even more so when he was angry.

"Yes, ma'am." The younger blonde answered quickly.

"Good," Came the reply. "We'll see you at seven...and try not to be late this time."

*CLICK!*

It was amazing how much Aubrey and her parents didn't talk. Other than the few instances when she was younger, neither of her parents had even told her they loved her. The Posen family had always been a dictatorship, run by Richard Posen. There was never any time for pleasantries and affection. As a former Drill Instructor, Richard Posen's methods of "training" were all the same on and off the base. The Posens were a unit and they would be strong. Emotionally... Mentally...Physically...

They didn't need hugs and kisses. They didn't need lollipops and bandaids... They would be hardened warriors, prepared to take on whatever life threw at them.

To anyone on the outside, the Posens were weird. Everything about them was weird. From the way they addressed each other to their posture and excessive grace.

But to Aubrey, it wasn't weird at all...it was all she knew.

Aubrey cut her steak carefully as she tried to distract herself from the tension in the air. This was always how it started. Things would be going so well as the three of them sat in silence, napkins draped over their laps... Cutlery placed properly on either side of their dinner plates... Backs stiff with good posture...

Then, one of the elder Posens would speak, in an attempt to lighten the mood and strike up conversation. Incidentally, those conversations usually became interrogations of Aubrey's love life and her obligation to "continue the Posen legacy".

Tonight was no different.

"So, Aubrey..." Mary started, raising the napkin to dab the corners of her mouth before setting it back down on her lap.

"Yes ma'am?" The blonde looked up from her plate for the first time that evening.

"I hear Stacie and Jesse are finally tying the knot."

Silence.

"They are..." Aubrey stiffened, waiting for the inevitable.

"She's a bit younger than you, correct?"

Aubrey swallowed, uncomfortably. "Yes, ma'am. I believe she is."

Richard observed the exchange with a clenched jaw. His patience was wearing thin. How long was Aubrey going to wait?

"You're almost thirty..."

Aubrey said nothing, filling the silence by taking a sip of wine.

"Don't you have anything else to say?" Richard finally spoke, his green eyes darkening as his grip on the fork tightened. His knuckles whitened as he fought to contain his temper.

Aubrey's eyes widened as she turned her attention to her father.

"Stop being so goddamned selfish ,"

"Richard..." Mary coaxed the veteran. She knew he had a short fuse, especially on this topic, and she could see that it was burning quickly. She REALLY didn't want the night to end with her sweeping up broken china, so she knew she had to do something quick.

"You've been looking, at least. Correct?" Mary told-more-than-asked Aubrey. She had a way of doing that.

Aubrey nodded quickly.

Not a COMPLETE lie. She'd developed in interest in someone lately. Whether she would ever profess this interest and whether her parents would approve of her interest...that was a totally different story.

Mary continued before Richard could ask anything that would lead Aubrey to anger him further. "Good. I WOULD like to have grandchildren before I'm dead...is he good looking?"

Another nod. Aubrey allowed her mind to drift to dark hair, steely blue eyes, and a crooked smile that could bring her to her knees if she wasn't too proud to admit that someone had that effect on her.

"Can I trust him to run my company, when I'm gone?" Mark interjected, seeing the faint smile on his daughter's face. "If the answer's no, then you can forget it."

Aubrey's gaze dropped as she continued to eat her dinner. "Of course, sir... "

The Next Day-

Aubrey was seated in the living room of her home with her best friend, Stacie. The latter was flipping through the TV channels as the former sat quietly.

Stacie could sense that something was troubling her friend. She just seemed so distracted. With one last glance across the couch, she turned the television off and set the remote down, tuning in the chair to give the blonde her full attention.

Just as she was about to speak, the doorbell rang... Aubrey's eyes bulged as she stood and made her way to the front door. As she looked through the peephole, she could see her favorite postal worker standing on the front porch. The worker seemed even smaller through the tiny glass.

Aubrey stepped back and unlocked the door before pulling it open with shaky hands. Stacie watched curiously, peeking over the back of the couch as the scene unfolded.

The door opened to reveal a small uniformed woman. The woman had brown hair that was french braided beneath her safari mail cap, a white button-up, navy shorts, brown boots and navy socks that scrunched just above her boots. From this angle, Stacie also spotted an ear spike (which she was almost POSITIVE postal workers couldn't have).

But more than anything, Stacie could sense the nervous tension between the two women.

"Ms. Posen," The worker greeted with a crooked smile, extending one arm to hand the clipboard to the blonde as she balanced the small box in her other.

Aubrey's face took on a soft smile as she took the clipboard.

Stacie saw the flush of their cheeks in the brief moments that they'd locked eyes... She saw the tension in her friend's hand, as it gripped the doorknob for dear life...she saw the occasional lick of the mailwoman's lips and the way her friend all but passed out before she signed for her package.

The postal worker smiled fully as the taller woman turned her attention to the clipboard. She took in Aubrey's soft features...that adorable slope of her nose... her curly ponytail (wondering just for a moment how her hair would look if she let it down).

"This is your third package this week," she teased. "I'm starting to think you just want to see me."

Aubrey's head snapped up as she finished signing the clipboard, exchanging it for the package in the delivery woman's other hand.

The shorter woman grimaced, kicking herself internally for what she'd just said.

Aubrey's heart began to pound in her chest as she met the brunettte's eyes again...

Such a nice shade of blue...or is that gray?

The woman's eyes widened nervously once she realized Aubrey still hadn't answered.

"I'm just...going to-uh...yeah. Have a good day." She turned and rushed off down the sidewalk towards her parked delivery van.

The blonde closed the door with a sigh, resting her forehead against it as her best friend looked on with amusement.

"She's cute." Stacie pointed out, well aware that her friend was thinking the same thing.

"Is she?" Aubrey straightened up, remembering that she wasn't alone.

"She has really nice legs, too," Stacie continued, smirking as her friend made her way back to the couch.

"Really? I-uh...I haven't noticed."

Stacie's eyes narrowed as she watched her friend.

"I think you have. I think you totally want to bang that little woman's boots off..."

"What? No! We're... acquaintances. I couldn't even consider her a friend." Aubrey defended, her cheeks reddening slightly.

"That doesn't mean you don't like her." Stacie argued. "Besides, I'm PRETTY sure she's gay...or at least bisexual."

"Why do you say that?" Aubrey asked, with genuine curiosity.

"You didn't see the thumb ring? And the ear spike?" Stacie laughed incredulously. "She's flaming gay."

For some reason, this gave the blonde a sense of hope and relief. But none of this meant anything if she could never gather the courage to speak. She always became a sweaty, blushing-mess in front of the other woman.

Luckily for her, Stacie Conrad (soon-to-be Swanson) was on the job.