Jauregui.

two

I was in shock so I just smiled and waved at all of them, standing in the middle, the five girls talking to me all at once. I repeatedly glanced at Lauren, who looked like she was in shock, but quickly regained herself. 

"Hey sweetie!" she said, smiling. "What's your name?" she asked her voice a bit shaky.

"My name's Averi James," I responded. She gasped as her green eyes grew large.

"That's a beautiful name!" She said and smiled.

I finally regained some of my thoughts and asked the girls a couple of questions, to which they responded patiently. It was soon time to take the picture, and I stood in the middle, while they all hugged me. I waved one last time before stepping out, only to be stopped by Lauren.

"W-wait," she said.

I turned around. "Where are you sitting for the show?" she asked quietly. 

"My seat?" I asked her, worriedly. Were they going to take away my spot or kick me out of the show? I thought to myself.

"Yes, do you know what it is?" She asked again, softly and gently. She had a way of making me feel so safe. 

I looked on the back of my badge, which I had written the seat number and section, to look back on in the future. "Section C, row 3, seat 7, "I said to her, as she smiled and nodded.

"Okay, thank you. Enjoy the show sweetheart," she said as she hugged me again and they all waved.

 I was then ushered out and found my way to my general venue area, where I met up with Maia. The two of us fangirled for the next thirty minutes and replayed every moment of the meet and greet, before we were finally allowed to find our seats. 

--

The crowd cheered as the girls returned to the stage for an encore performance. It had been the best night of my life and I did not want it to end. I had so many interactions with all of the girls, especially Lauren, who would look at me every few minutes. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. 

Towards the middle of the song, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a lady dressed in a Fifth Harmony shirt with a badge that said TEAM. "Are you Averi James?" She asked and I nodded.

"My name's Emilie and I am on the 5H team. Congratulations, you're the winner of an exclusive post-concert session with the girls. You get to go to their dressing room and spend some time with them. Would you like to do that?" She asked, and I nodded ferociously, not believing my ears.

"Cool! After the show, come to Exit 8 just behind the stage and I'll take you back!" Emilie said, and I nodded again, the words not coming out. 

--

"Thank you for coming out tonight! We love you all!" Ally said with her slight accent.

After the girls left the stage, everyone began filing out. Lucky for me, I was headed in the opposite direction, so I was able to quickly make my way over to Exit 8.

"Averi!" I heard a voice call out, before turning and seeing Emilie. "Here is your badge, you're gonna need to show it at the checkpoints," She handed me a shiny silver badge that had the words Backstage on it and I looked at it in shock, again. This whole day has been crazy, from start to finish.

"Now come on, let's go!" She said, grabbing my hand as we walked through, flashing our badges. 

Lauren's POV:

After hair and makeup, we went to the meet and greet.Personally, while this part was time consuming, it was also my favorite. I loved hearing the stories of each person that we met and every moment was meaningful.  We took many, many, pictures and met some lovely fans. Finally, our tour manager approached us and said that the last fan was on deck.

We all smiled, waiting for the fan to enter, and when she did, my jaw dropped. I heard Ally gasp, but she quickly regained herself. I, however, was in shock. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but this girl looked exactly like me. Exactly what I imagined my daughter to look like.

It's probably a coincidence, Lauren. I thought to myself.

 I looked at her again, and admired her features. She had a tiny frame and a beautiful face and hair. She smiled and waved, but I was still shocked, so I put on a smile and she walked over to me. After we hugged, I asked for her name.

"Averi James" she whispered, stuttering. I wanted to ask her if she went by any other names, but I couldn't scare her. Something in me knew, though. Call it a reactivated motherly instinct, but I knew that she was my girl.

"That's a beautiful name," I smiled and tears came to my eyes. I quickly blinked them back, before putting another large smile on my face as Averi asked us a few questions. My head was spinning and I couldn't focus us, as I looked at the beautiful little girl in front of me. 

We finally took the picture and Averi turned to walk away, but before she could, I stopped her and asked for her seat. I knew that I had to see her again, and would think of some way before the show. Now I knew where to find her.

"You guys . . ." I said, when I was sure she had left the room.

"I think I just met my daughter," I said, my bottom lip quivering. My legs felt like jelly as I began to feel myself drift towards the floor, but was stopped by Camila, who gripped onto me.

"Shh, you'll see her again. We'll make sure of it," Camila tried to comfort me, as I felt my breath quicken. 

Finally, I was able to calm myself down enough to walk to the dressing room, the girls following me. I sat on the couch, taking deep breaths, replaying the moment that had just happened. Everyone remained silent, unsure of what to say. 

Soon, our manager told us that we needed to get ready. Before we did, Camila ushered her over and the two sat down on the couch opposite of mine. Camila quickly explained a synopsis of the situation to which Molly, our tour manager, responded surprisingly well.

"I thought that we could just have one of the team members find her and give her a badge, letting her know that she won a backstage meet and greet after the concert or something. She probably won't question it and will be super excited," Camila said, to which Molly nodded, typing  on her computer, setting it up. 

After a few seconds, she spoke up. "It's set up! She'll be here a bit after the show, to give you guys the chance to get showered and changed," She smiled, to which I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you Mol," I smiled, as she nodded knowingly, patting my arm.

"Of course, Lauren. Now, can you all please get ready. My manager heart is having palpitations!" She laughed, as did we. 

Everyone began putting on their concert outfits. I had one thing on my mind the entire time. I needed to do this show. For my daughter. 

-

After the show came to a close, I headed towards my changing room. I was in much better spirits than before the show. I was able to find Averi's seat relatively quickly, and could not take my eyes off her the entire show. We even had a few interactions and seeing her smile made my heart melt. As I entered the room, I quickly hopped in the shower, cleaning the sweat and grime from the day. 

I was the first one out of the shower and in the sitting area, that was connected the different changing rooms. Of course I would be first. It's my daughter that I'm going to officially meet. As the minutes trickled by painfully slowly, the other girls joined me and sat around the sitting area, all of us anxiously waiting.

After what felt like both a second and forever, there was a soft knock at the door. Mani shouted an affirmative and my beautiful little girl walked in.

--

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!