shots of camren (camren)

Midnight Discussions

Pallid moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating a rousing silhouette in a bed. The source of its disruption was a howling, squirming infant in a nearby cradle. Lauren groaned irritably, rubbing a hand over her face as she swung her legs to the side of the bed and rose shakily to her feet. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as Camila sat up, bleary-eyed and disoriented, squinting up at her through the darkness.

"Lo?"

"I'll get this shift, Camz. Go back to sleep."

Camila sighed softly, nestling back against the cocoon of blankets, still warm with their shared body heat. "You sure?"

Lauren lifted their newborn son into her arms and instantly, the baby quieted, sniffling against his mother's shoulder. "Yeah. I got him."

"Hmm...thanks, babe," Camila gave her a sleepy smile, gratitude and love evident in chocolate eyes. Only two days since they had brought the baby home, Camila's sheer exhaustion was evident in the dark shadows under her eyes, her disheveled state. Lauren figured she was a little better, but she wasn't the one who had pushed another human being out of her, for twenty hours straight. She had married a real champ, that was certain.

She kissed Camila's forehead, tucking the covers around the smaller woman's shoulders. The baby murmured against her neck, restless, as Camila's breathing evened out and Lauren made her way out of the bedroom, padding down the hallway toward the kitchen.

The infant cradled in one arm, she moved through the motions of preparing a bottle, rocking gently as she softly hummed.

Twenty-six and married for three years, it had been a mutual decision a little less a year before that led to Camila and Lauren adding on to their little family. With Camila just coming off a fantasy-drama movie trilogy that had firmly established her career, the well-deserved hiatus she was planning on became one devoted to motherhood when she decided she wished to carry her and Lauren's first child. The first procedure, involving Lauren's egg fertilized by a donor and implanted into Camila, had successfully taken, and Leo Jauregui gave screaming and howling into the world nine months later.

Lauren checked the temperature of the formula mixture against her skin, shifting her squirming son on her shoulder as she went to the living room, seating herself on the couch. "Open up, bucko," she murmured as she settled Leo against her, pressing the bottle nipple to the child's mouth.

He really was a tiny little thing, Lauren had to admit, only eight days old. He was a beautiful child, with delicate features and caramel skin, and Lauren saw so much of herself in him, in the shape of his jaw and chin, the pert little nose. Curling wisps of fine brown hair covered his head, soft to the touch as Lauren stroked her fingers through it.

"You and me, we've got a lot in common, junior," Lauren said softly as Leo sucked greedily on the bottle, "Most of it involving that pretty lady sleeping down the hall. At some point, we've both made her life pretty hard and I get the feeling that's not going to stop. You at least have the newborn excuse going for you. You weren't around to see what a bit-meanie I was to Mama in high school. Why she forgave me for the shi-stuff I put her through, I'll never know. If you're going to be anything like me growing up, we better get her dam-darn good presents on Mother's Day."

Emerald green eyes opened, staring up into an identical pair as Lauren spoke, and though she knew logically the baby couldn't even focus on her, let alone understand her at this point in his life, the attentiveness on his small face (or was it gas?) gave the impression otherwise. She sighed. "That's just the kind of person your Mama is, though. Forgiving to the end. So you and I gotta make a deal, bud."

Leo finished the bottle off with a loud, slurping sound and Lauren tilted him against her shoulder to burp him. "I'm going to need your help to look out for Mama, okay? We have to protect her from those people that want to take advantage of how good and forgiving she is." A soft, hiccupping burb escaped the baby and Lauren smiled. "I'll teach ya to kick serious as-fanny, just when Mama's not watching, and we'll look after her together. We're Jaruegui's, Leo, and we're tough as nails. Got it?"

Leo yawned, nestling closer against her shoulder and Lauren gently rubbed soothing circles against his back. His fingers closed into little fists in the fabric of her pajama shirt and he huffed, emerald greens fluttering closed.

Tired as she was, Lauren slumped against the sofa cushions, her jaw opened to encompass the large yawn escaping her. She laid back her head, protectively cradling the tiny body in her arms.

"And I'll be watching out for you, too, kid. 'Cause you're mine, God help us. And I look after what's mine."