Sunday morning. Lauren woke up cold and pulled the bulky blankets around her shoulders tightly and forced her eyes open. Camila had the thick curtain pulled open along the glass doors and was sitting out on the front terrace. She couldn't wait to get her out door breakfast nook set up and ignored the rigid temperatures. Lauren just laid there for a few minutes watching Camila sip her coffee and look out into the distance, basking in the peace of it all. She was so in love with that woman and seemed to fall further every time she looked at her.
Slowly, as to not draw the diva's attention with her movements, Lauren rolled over and leaned out of bed to reach her camera bag. This was the photo opportunity that she was wanting. She wiggled her way back over to her side of the bed and aimed her lens at Camila. It was perfect. Camila was lost in distant thought, her knees pulled up to her chest, hair blowing slightly in the wind, and the frame of the doors and curtains adding a little texture, blurred in the foreground.
As soon as she had snapped the third picture Camila caught sight of her and covered her face in embarrassment. Lauren smiled adoringly and abandoned the bed, throwing on some boots and a full-length coat before greeting the bashful diva outside.
"Why do you have to do that when I'm not wearing any makeup?" Camila whined as the brunette kissed her cheek before stealing a sip of her coffee and sitting down at the tiny table next to her.
"Because you don't need to be wearing makeup for me to think you are the most beautiful woman in the world." Camila rolled her eyes and the brunette shuffled her seat closer, resting her head on the diva's shoulder. "There's no point in arguing. I'm right. You're wrong. I win."
"I love your logic, despite the fact, that it is lacking any semblance of the word."
Lauren shrugged tiredly. "You're just mad because you know I'm right."
Camila shook her head before resting it on top of Lauren's, inhaling the light scent of her hair. "So, today is the big day. Are you nervous?"
"...terrified. What if she doesn't like me?"
"She's going to love you, Baby. Who wouldn't? Besides, you're going to have moral support there. I'll be there. Your mom will be there. Hell, thanks to this last-minute work thing you have going on, you'll even have Kim and Meg there."
"Yeah." Lauren sighed and pulled Camila's hand into her lap, sandwiching it between hers. "What about you? Nervous?"
The diva took a deep breath and lifted her head to look down at their hands, intertwining their fingers. "Not really, actually."
"No?"
She shook her head. "No. It's weird because I was terrified up until a few days ago."
"What changed?" Lauren asked as she moved to rest her chin on Camila's shoulder, resting her forehead to the brunette's ear.
"Your mom. I guess...I've always seen Sinu as my only hope at having a mother in my life. Your mom has sort of changed that."
"She loves you like her own...sometimes more."
Both woman laughed at the fact that the statement might actually have some truth in it. The pair had Clara over for the first dinner in their new place and had found themselves in a lover's spat over something they couldn't even remember. It was mostly just Lauren teasing Camila and Camila giving the brunette the cold shoulder to prevent her from laughing at her girlfriend's antics. But Clara didn't catch on to that fact. Instead, the older woman had gotten very upset with her daughter, calling her a bully and was highly disappointed that Lauren hadn't learned from the mistakes she made in high school. The whole thing made Camila feel truly loved and accepted by the woman.
"Yeah. Sinu may be my birth mother but now I don't need her to be any more than that. If she wants to be...I'll think about it, but I'm not holding my breath. Besides, today, I am focusing on you. And I'm taking advantage of Meg being there." Camila informed the brunette who arched an eyebrow in interest as she sat up and pulled her coat tighter. "I have asked her to take pictures of the event because I'm going to be a blubbering idiot."
"Don't cry. If you cry, then I'm going to cry and then I'll just be a mess all day." Lauren begged her, knowing that it was useless.
"You're going to be crying anyway. I know you like to have that bad ass exterior, but you're a sap and you know it."
"I'll never admit to anything of the such." The brunette protested.
"I know you won't. But that doesn't make it any less true."
Lauren huffed and stood up to retreat back into the warmth of their home. "I don't like your logic, because of the fact that there is an abundance of it."
~/~/~/~
"That is such a cute picture." Meg gushed as she snapped the moment before the couple looked over at her. Lauren had been fidgety beyond belief all day and had worn through Camila's patience. Now the brunette was sitting on the workstation table, legs kicking back and forth in excitement, while Camila stood between them with her back pressed up against her girlfriend. Lauren had her chin dropped down on Camila's shoulder while the diva held the brunette's hands in hers, keeping her from fidgeting with anything else on the table.
"I want that picture." Lauren stated and Meg arched an eyebrow as she slowly strutted up to the couple, knowing she held power over the brunette since she possessed the memory chip. "...please?"
"I'll make sure you get a copy." Meg assured her as she pocketed the chip. "So..." The tall woman began, knowing that her question didn't really need to be asked.
"Any minute." Camila responded as she tried to hold the bouncing brunette still. "They will be here any minute within the next half hour."
"She's going to wear herself out if she keeps that up." Kim noted as she emerged from the dressing room. "But to help occupy her time, I need her judgment call in reorganizing things in here." Since Kim had finally organized the brunette's schedule and made it user friendly, she was bored out of her mind. Meg had told Lauren that Kim needed variety to keep her happy, so the assistant was pretty much given free reign to do anything she wanted. Things had changed a lot from that day Lauren had decided she was going to fire the nervous and bland girl. She had grown to like her. She meshed well with the little dysfunctional family they had developed.
Camila relented and the brunette hopped off the table to busy herself, leaving both the diva and the apprentice shaking their heads as they watched her go. "I really hope this turns out well for her." Meg commented as she replaced the memory chip her camera.
"You and me both."
"How are you holding up?" Meg asked without looking at Camila, knowing she really wasn't wanting that much attention. But the older woman was still worried.
"I'm...I'm okay. It's been a long time. I've already had the chance to vent. And I don't really need her in my life anymore. I don't feel the need anyway. I'm perfectly content with keeping today for Lauren and Alex. And if things don't go well between Sinu and I, it's not that big of a deal because I still have an early show today. I'll be here for a few hours before I have to leave."
Meg bit her bottom lip to keep herself from saying something. Camila didn't know but Lauren had already arranged to take everyone to the diva's show. Camila was a big part of the brunette's life and she wanted Alex to know her as well, even if not as Lauren's girlfriend but as Alex's adopted sister. She was also hoping to rub Sinu's face in the diva's success, knowing that Camila wouldn't do it on her own.
"Will you be able to watch over her when I leave?" Camila asked, pulling the apprentice's eyes up to her in confusion. "Lauren. Just in case things don't go as we hope. Will you be there if she needs you to be? Because, as much as I love Clara," She continued, moving away from the table and facing the other brunette who was now leaning against it. "You know Lauren's emotional state better than her when it comes to the topic of Alex."
Meg nodded. "Yeah. Sure. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't?" The diva smiled at 'friend' title. "Speaking of." Meg began, pointing as the older brunette in question walked into the studio and headed towards them. "Do you find it a little strange just how much she and Lauren look alike?"
The diva laughed and shook her head. "If you think they look alike, just wait until you see Alex."
"You've seen her?" The apprentice asked, snapping her eyes to Camila's.
"No. Well, I've seen a picture though. Sinu gave my Dad one when he helped her out with parenting an adopted child." Meg furrowed her brow in disapproval but Camila waved it off. "What's done is done."
"They're not here yet are they?" Clara asked, looking around, noting that Lauren was missing.
Camila shook her head. "Not yet. Soon though. I'm glad they gave you the time off from work."
"Oh, I would have taken it off even if they didn't give it to me." Clara announced, wrapping her arm around Camila's shoulder. "I need to be here for my girls."
"You know," Meg interrupted. "I have been holding my tongue, but I can't any longer, Clara." The older woman's smiled faded slightly as she looked to the apprentice in front of her. "From everything that Lauren had told me about her childhood and how your family worked...I can't even begin to say how impressed I am with how you've turned around. I mean, I know I never had the chance to meet you before, but you are nothing like I was expecting."
"Oh," She beamed at the unexpected comment. "Well, you're never too old to finally grow up and see things the way they ought to be seen. I just wish I had done it sooner."
"You did it when it mattered the most." Camila assured her, smiling at the woman as she lifted her hand to set on the brunette's resting on her shoulder. Meg leaned forward and tugged at the diva's shirt. "What?" Meg kept tugging. The diva followed her gaze to the studio entrance and gasped. They were here.
"Fricking identical." Was all the apprentice could say as Camila dropped a stunned Clara's arm and scurried to the dressing room.
"Lauren! Lauren..." She didn't make it to the door before the brunette emerged in a panic and Camila froze with a beaming smile on her face.
"What's wrong? Are you-" The room fell silent and motionless as the green eyes saw across the room to another set of green eyes. Lauren didn't even notice Sinu, just the little brunette girl in a pink dress and cardigan that the older woman was helping out of her jacket. Neither brunette smiled, but only gawked, slowly taking shuffled steps closer. Lauren nervously wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and swallowed hard as her daughter clasped her hands in front of her.
Camila stood back and watched as the two closed the gap between them, only pulling her eyes away when she heard the snap of Meg's camera. Alex was Lauren. Thin, strong jaw, slightly dimpled chin, big green eyes, and brunette hair done in light curls. She didn't seem to have an ounce of Harry in her. When they were close enough together that Alex had to arch her neck back to look up at Lauren, the older brunette slowly knelt down on the ground. The little girl lifted her hand but retracted it quickly, looking back to Sinu. The brunette smiled warmly and nodded her head. With the approval, Alex turned back around to Lauren and only hesitated a second before crashing into a big hug and the older brunette lost it.
Tears were flowing down her face as her daughter wrapped her tiny arm around her neck and buried her face into her shoulder. Her senses raced as she pulled the smaller version of herself closer, taking in her feel, her smell, her everything. Just in case this was the last time she was to have the chance, she was going to memorize everything that she could. They stayed there for what seemed like hours and it must have been a decent amount of time because the others had worn out of their shock and had congregated around them.
"She's a very touchy child." Sinu explained as her daughter only shifted in Lauren's arms, turning so her face was in the crook of her neck. "She likes to touch and to be held." Camila and Meg both huffed a little laugh, knowing exactly who she got that from.
"It's security." Lauren answered, absentmindedly. "Feeling someone else's warmth, their strength around you. You're safe...and they're real. When you let go..." She hesitated as they separated slightly. "It's all about remembering what it was like. What it was like to be that safe...actually makes everyone seem further away." She suddenly realized she was rambling out loud and cleared her throat. "Sorry, Hi."
"Hi." Alex answered in a small voice and Camila gripped onto Meg's arm as she started crying. The older woman let her sob as she tried to take a few more pictures.
"Um..." Lauren faltered as she tried to compose herself and pointed to Clara. "This is, um, this is my mom. Your..." She looked up to Sinu who nodded lightly. "...your grandmother." Alex hugged the woman lightly and pulled away, looking back to Lauren as if she was studying the woman's face. "And this here, I'm sure you already know, is Camila." The diva followed as Lauren called for her with an outstretched hand while remaining on her knees. "She's-"
"My sister." Camila didn't make it down to the girl's height before Alex's arms were wrapped around her. One of Camila's arms was caught between her body and Alex's tight grip, but the other gently ran through her brunette curls. She had a sister. Even if that wasn't technically true, it was family, and Alex was claiming her as family. Lauren smiled lightly but looked back to Sinu again, wondering if Alex knew everything or not.
"She knows."
Alex pulled away and looked up at the women's faces, stopping at Meg's. "And you are the one the papers say they're cheating with." Meg arched an eyebrow while the other's laughed nervously and blushed.
"She also has no filter." Sinu explained as she covered Alex's mouth, only to have the feisty girl pull away and smile broadly.
"She would have inherited that from her father." Lauren confessed as she absentmindedly ran her hand through her daughter's hair. "He was very much one for saying what was on his mind." The room fell silent again as everyone watched the rather odd display of a silent conversation that was going on between mother and daughter, each smiling and shifting their facial expressions slightly, but never saying anything. They were studying each other, knowing what the other was thinking based on the expressions they used themselves. It was like looking into a mirror that showed the past or the future.
While it continued on Sinu looked to Clara, hoping to break her awkward tension in seeing her daughter bond with another woman. "You're Lauren's mom, I'm Sinu Rodriguez." She held out her hand and the brunette woman shook it, smiling politely but clearly showing that she was unimpressed with the woman.
"Clara Jauregui. It's nice to meet you." She swallowed her animosity for a few minutes. "I want to thank you for giving Alex everything that you have. Lauren always knew you would give her everything she wanted. It was a peace of mind to all of us."
Sinu smiled at the compliment and retracted her hand, moving her gaze to Camila who was still immersed in Lauren and Alex. Sinu couldn't believe how grown up she was. She had thought that when she met the sixteen-year-old, she was meeting her daughter as an adult, but this was reality now. Camila was a woman, a beautiful woman. After a few seconds of being ignored, Sinu moved on to the other two, introducing herself to Kim and Meg.
Suddenly the brunettes were off, the older being pulled along by the hand as Alex wanted to explore every inch of the studio, see every back drop, ever costume in the dressing room, see all of Lauren's camera. The photographer, of course, obliged when her mini-me requested to take a few photos herself. Lauren pulled out the big camera and had to help Alex hold it because it nearly weighed as much as the lithe girl. The little brunette displayed some closeted diva flare as she ordered Camila to pose for her and to 'use more emotion' or if she needed to show Camila how it was done.
The room was all smiles as Meg captured some wonderful shots of Lauren showing her daughter how to use the camera and the little girl refusing to let go of her hand as time went by. The first pout on her face was when Camila said she had to leave, but Lauren bent down and whispered something in her ear that made the pout instantly vanish, and gained the photographer a questioning glance from her girlfriend. "We'll see you later." Lauren stated as she stood up and kissed the diva good bye, causing Alex to giggle. "And what do you find so funny?"
"Nothing." She crooned as she followed Kim and Meg who promised to show her Lauren's collection of photos on the computer.
"She's handling us very well." Camila stated as she grabbed the brunette's hand and pulled her into another light kiss.
"Better than you know, actually." Sinu replied, finally pulling Camila's attention to her. "You two have caused a little bit of a stir back in conservative Miami. One of her classmates repeated something their parents had said that shouldn't have been said in the first place." Sinu explained and the couple understood it was probably along the lines of what Michael had said the last time they saw him. "Well, when Alex heard it..." She shook her head. "She has earned her very first suspension from school for fighting."
Camila laughed lightly as Lauren shut her eyes and shook her head. "She may look like you, but she definitely takes after Harry when it comes to personality. I feel sorry for you when she becomes a teenager." The diva offered her condolences. "Let's just hope she doesn't try and drive off with an ATM."
Both Sinu and Clara's eyes widened in shock. "Baby, you're going to give them nightmares."
"I know, I'm sorry." The diva apologized. "I need to get going anyway. I'll see you later." She said, kissing Lauren good bye. "You as well." She hugged Clara, seeing out of the corner of her eye that Sinu diverted her eyes to the floor. "And I'm not sure when we will cross paths again, but until then." The diva hugged her mother lightly before pulling away and waving goodbye, stopping at the office on her way out to see Alex again.
"So..." Sinu started without knowing where she was going, but Lauren picked up the conversation.
"So... I was actually thinking that Alex might enjoy seeing Camila's show. If you two didn't have any other plans...I just happen to have six tickets for the front row. Would you two be interested in joining us? Maybe you would like to see what Camila has been up to as well?"
"Um..." The brunette furrowed her brow and looked out into the empty studio, delaying until she could come up with an excuse not to go.
"I think you owe her that at least." Clara stated, pulling Sinu's shocked gaze to her.
"Excuse me?"
"Alex." The brunette woman explained, all three knowing that's not who she was talking about. "Your daughter wants to know her sister. I think it would be nice to see that happen. I believe Alex would very much enjoy seeing Camila on stage, in her element."
Lauren waited anxiously as the two women seemed to be sizing each other up. This was a very dangerous game her mother was playing and while Lauren was thankful for it, she was also scared she would lose it. One of three things could happen. One, Sinu said yes and everything went smoothly. Two, Sinu said no and would have once again refused Camila, angering both brunettes. Or three, Sinu could be so offended that she took Alex and walked out of the studio right away. So instead of waiting, Lauren intervened. "It's an early show. It will be over with around dinner time. Alex won't be kept up late." Come on, please say yes. Do this for Camila. Show her you're interested.
"I..." Sinu stumbled looking between the women's eyes. Clara's were hard, daring her to refuse, while Lauren seemed to be pleading with her. "I think it would be nice to see Camila's show. I mean, she's won a Tony and a Grammy with it."
The young brunette let out a soft sigh of relief. "Yes, she has. I'm sure she will love seeing you both there."
"So, we can go?" Alex chimed as she emerged from the office. Sinu shot Lauren a quick look, not knowing that she had already told Alex.
"I know it was a dirty trick, but I figured you couldn't refuse Alex if she wanted to go."
"I was her back up plan." The youngest brunette explained in pride, not realizing that Lauren would normally have gotten in trouble for pulling something like this. "So, can we go?"
Sinu sighed and nodded her head. "Looks like we are going."
"She's going to be so surprised when we all show up." Alex chimed in excitement.
"Surprised?"
Lauren nodded to the confused woman. "She doesn't know that we are all going. She was disappointed when she couldn't get today off because she had missed several other performances with a sore throat, so I thought it would be nice to surprise her." She finished explaining, looking back down to Alex who nodded her head furiously, beaming a huge smile.
"You played me." The brunette huffed in half amusement.
"You didn't get played." Alex corrected her adoptive mother. "You got owned."
Lauren bit her lips in amusement as Sinu covered her daughter's mouth with her hand again and the young girl struggled to remove it. "Have you ever thought of having her meet Harry?" Sinu shook her head. "You should. I think they would actually calm each other down. You know, challenge each other into submission, so to speak."
"And share stories of ATM thefts?"
The brunette shrugged. "He's a cop now."
"Oh! He could teach me how to get out of hand cuffs."
Sinu replaced her hand and laughed nervously. "So, when is the show?"
~/~/~/~
Camila was back stage running over her lines in her mind, despite having had them memorized for nearly two years now. Nevertheless, this is what she did every night before the curtains came up.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dinah exclaimed, hurt in her tone, as she lightly shoved the brunette.
The diva stood wide eyed and stunned, at a complete loss for what her friend was talking about. "Tell you what, exactly?"
The excited Polynesian woman pushed her again. "That you have a full house tonight."
Camila just shook her head. "Don't we have a full house every night? I didn't think I needed to inform you of it."
Dinah scrunched her brow and studied the baffled diva. "Oh my God...you don't know."
"I don't know what?"
A broad smile slowly crept over Dinah's face and she shook her head. "Nothing...that you won't find out soon enough."
Camila didn't have to wait much longer either. The lights dimmed and the show began. Instantly the diva's eyes looked out to the crowd when the curtains rose, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was a full house, no empty seats, smiling faces that she had never seen before and possibly wouldn't remember if she was to ever see them again. Thankfully her body moved on impulse from muscle memory as her attention was lost in the audience and not on her cues. She began her dialogue and managed the first scene effortlessly, still lost in confusion until her exit. Her eyes were draw to a small waving girl in the front row and Camila had to be nearly pushed into the wings.
"Take it you saw them?" Dinah whispered as Camila stood next to her, shocked and peeking out into the crowd.
"Yeah. Saw them." Was all she managed to say before Lauren caught her eye and smiled. "She brought my mother too." Dinah nodded her head in excitement. "I don't know whether to kill her or to give her a really big thank you when we get home."
The other performer's smiled faltered as she shivered and began to walk off. "I'm glad you two are in love and everything, but it's still really weird to think about you having sex."
Camila ignored the comment and looked back out into the audience, mostly at Sinu. She was smiling but it wasn't her normal smile. It was as if she wanted to be up on that stage, living the dream she never had the chance of fulfilling. Part of Camila was sad, but part of her also realized that while one of the older woman's dreams failed, she fulfilled another by having Alex. She had one dream, Camila didn't need to feel sorry for her. Clara said she didn't owe Sinu her forgiveness and she didn't owe her any sympathy. Camila just couldn't seem to convince herself of that.
During intermission Lauren snuck back stage and found a pouting diva. "What's wrong, Baby?"
Camila looked at the brunette in the mirror, not realizing she was there before and shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine. And you," She crooned with a playful tone, trying to convince the brunette that she truly was okay. "Surprised me."
Lauren wasn't buying it. Instead of swooping in and hugging the diva she just stood there and worried her lip. "I messed up, didn't I?" Camila hesitated but shook her head. Lauren nodded hers. "I did. I'm sorry. I thought that you...I'm sorry."
"No, no. Baby, it's fine. Alex seems to be really enjoying it out there and I had trouble trying to do my enraged scene because she looked like she could have been up here doing it for me. Her little face was all scrunched up and she even pounded her fist on the armrest when I stomped my foot." The diva laughed in her memory of the event. "She's adorable and I'm glad she came."
"But not your mother?"
Camila tilted her head and looked away. "She looks heartbroken watching me on stage, like she wants to be there. I feel so bad for her. I know that I shouldn't or at least that I have ever right not to, but I do."
"That's because you have a big heart, Camila." Lauren replied, kneeling in front of the diva, grabbing the hands resting in her lap. "You care and feel so much for people, no matter what they've done to you. You become emotionally attached to everyone that you meet. But you can't feel guilty for living your dream. It's just as much yours as it is hers. Don't let her take that joy away from you."
"She's not trying to." The diva argued lightly, leaving Lauren smiling and shaking her head.
"You amaze me, you know that? I'm serious. You absolutely amaze me. You are defending a woman who has been nothing but selfish and hurtful to you...but then again, if you weren't so forgiving, you and I wouldn't be here right now."
"Don't say that." Camila hated to think of all the little things that could have happened that would have kept them apart. If Lauren had given in to her depression. If she had never picked up photography and moved to New York. If Camila hadn't agreed to do the magazine shoot after finding out that Lauren was the photographer. There was just too much that could have gone wrong, and it terrified her to think about it.
"Fine. But I'm really sorry this surprise backfired. I'll make it up to you. I promise." Lauren assured her, kissing her hands. This evening wasn't turning out like she had hoped. While Sinu was getting her nose rubbed in it and Alex was enjoying herself, Lauren hadn't thought that Camila would actually feel sorry for her mother. The brunette's impulsive decisions had a way of turning out worse than the diva's.
"It didn't backfire, Baby. I love it that everyone came out to see me. But if your mother keeps giving me a thumbs up, she's going to cause me to break character and smile."
Lauren blushed and covered her face with one hand. She couldn't take her mother anywhere. "I'll let her know. Oh, and you should probably know that Meg has decided that she doesn't like Jake. I
I'm not exactly sure what he did...but it's best if they never meet."
"Noted."
The brunette smiled and stood up, kissing the diva lightly, lingering to make it count. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."