Never Let Me Go » Camren

Prologue

Another late night at work.

Another long night alone in bed.

It had started to become some kind of routine, one that both Camila and Lauren wasn't so fond of. But it had been needed- they need the money.

A small sigh left the brunette's lips and she turned onto her side, facing the empty side where her wife would occupy. She doesn't remember the last time they were both in bed before midnight. Hearing the door creak, the woman sat up, fully expecting her wife to appear only for a much tinier version of her to.

"Mommy?" Samantha whispered into the dark room, clutching onto the teddybear her godmother gave her.

"Yes, baby?"

"I can't sleep."

And she hadn't been sleeping in her own bed for the third night in a row. Something about monsters lurking from the closet, but she swears she closes it before tucking the girl in.

"Come here then," Camila urges, a faint smile playing on her lips as the door shuts and quick pitter patters were heard. It didn't take long before the girl jumped onto the bed before snuggling against her mother's side, face nuzzling against the side of her neck.

"I want ma," she murmured tiredly, which Camila lets out a sigh to, her hand comfort her daughter by rubbing circles against her small back.

"She'll be home soon, baby. Mama's just working." After feeling a small nod from her, Camila leaned down and pressed a kiss on her jet black hair.

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It was about a whole half hour later before she heard the front door open and shut. It had became fairly hard for her to sleep until she knew Lauren was home.

The last time she've fallen asleep without the comfort of knowing her wife was home safe, she had woken up to her wife's bruised up face. Apparently she had gotten into a small fight in the parking lot before she left to go home with a homeless man who had actually tried to steal her purse.

The door creaked once again and Camila had to squint her eyes as the light from the hallway hit her. Even though Lauren knew Camila was still awake, she kept the lights off and closed the door, letting only the light from the moon keep her from tripping.

"You're home earlier than usual," The younger woman pointed out, her eyes moving to the nightstand clock. Her wife would usual be home around three. Tonight she came back at one.

"I didn't have much work today," Lauren explained, taking off her work clothes until she was only left in her boxer-briefs and a big t-shirt. Walking to the bed, she slipped under the covers and raised a brow when she felt her daughter's body between them.

"She couldn't sleep," Camila explained, which her wife nodded to before moving closer. Lauren's arm moved to wrap around both the girls, leaning over to press a small kiss against the other woman's temple.

"Just because I'm not sleeping as early, doesn't mean you have to lose sleep, too," Lauren frowned, disliking the idea of her Camila sleeping at the same time as she would.

"I know, I just like see you lie down beside me before I sleep."

"Yes, but you need as much sleep as you can get. Especially when yo-" Her words had been cut off with a small hand covering her mouth. She couldn't have been mad even if she tried.

"Mama, go sleep," Sam murmured tiredly, moving out of Camila's hold to turn to Lauren. The girl really had taken her mom's trait of being a light sleeper.

From Camila.

Lauren was dead to the world when she's asleep.

Her arm tightens around Sam as she clings onto the taller woman.

"Mama, you smell funny," Sam mentions, scrunching up her nose as she breathed in her mother's scent.

She could see her wife's perfect brow arch with the help of the moonlight and Lauren furrowed her brows, raising up the arm her daughter wasn't lying on. Taking a quick sniff of herself, the mother only got more and more confused until she heard the small giggle coming out of the young girl's mouth.

Camila herself couldn't help, but laugh with her.

Lauren and her daughter always had an ongoing teasing game with each other.

"Alright there, you lil' poop. Go back to sleep before you become a grump in the morning."

"But that's you, mama," the girl spoke back, though her words had became hard to understand as it became more and more slurring.

She didn't bother responding to her baby girl's words, simply kissing the top of her head before turning to face Camila.

Her eyes was closed, but she knew her wife hadn't fallen asleep yet.

"I'm going to call off tomorrow so I can come with you to the clinic. Then maybe we can just have a movie night with this cutie," Lauren suggested, her own eyes shutting, too.

"That sounds good. You don't have to come with me, though. You can spend the day with Sammy." Lauren hadn't taken a day off in weeks and after having Sam, she learned to not be selfish when it came with Lauren. Even though she'd love to spend all their time together.

Shaking her head, Lauren reached out to blindly take a hold of Camila's dainty hands, carefully intertwining their fingers together.

"I want to. It's been awhile since I came with you," she whispers, a small, guilty frown on her lips.

"Alright, baby. Now go to sleep. I know you're tired," the shorter girl spoke before leaning over to press a small kiss against Lauren's lips. She didn't have the heart to keep the exhausted girl up another minute to argue. After their lips parted, Lauren nuzzles the side of her face against the pillow before quickly drifting to sleep.

Camila stayed up a little while longer, letting the natural light give her the opportunity to examine the girl's face. She did this whenever she could because most of the time she looks into Lauren's eyes, she sees exhaustion and worry. And as usual, guilt would hit her because she couldn't do anything to help her. She wanted to, fuck, she'd do anything to lessen the load on her wife's shoulders, but she physically couldn't do much to help her anymore. She's just always... Tired.

She's a burden.

Letting out a heavy sigh, brown eyes finally shuts and she lets sleep take her.

A/N: Love me.