"Good girl," Lauren praised as Camila sat down in her lap, handing her a red block.

They were at the day care centre and Becky had invited Lauren in to do some work with Camila seeing as she'd been acting out particularly badly since the news about her parents.

"Okay, let's tidy up the blocks and then we can go play with the other kids," Becky smiled.

"Tidy up time!" Lauren said enthusiastically, helping Camila up.

"She's doing well," Becky said quietly as they watched Camila carefully packing up the blocks.

"She's okay when I'm around, but at school or with Dinah she's becoming a bit of a handful," Lauren explained.

"Camila, do you want to play tag?" Another lady who worked there, named Ariel, asked.

Camila glanced at Lauren for approval before running to join the group.

"It's such a difficult situation," Lauren sighed as the two of them sat down on a bench. "I can't believe anyone would abandon a child like her."

"You'd be surprised, people don't expect their children to have special needs, it's an adjustment some are never able to get their heads around," Becky explained. "Is she going to go into care?"

"Oh, uh, no, we're not going to let that happen, me and my partner, I mean," Lauren rambled.

The conversation was interrupted by a cacophony of disruption.

Lauren quickly ran over when she saw that Camila was sitting on the back of another girl, pulling her hair in one hand and pinning her down on the floor with the other.

"Camila!" she shouted, lifting Camila up off of the child and into her arms. "Hey, stop it," she snapped as Camila wriggled and tried to get back to attacking the girl.

"What's going on?" Becky asked as Ariel comforted the now crying girl on the floor.

"She called me a baby!" Camila shouted, pointing accusingly. "She took paci, GIVE ME PACI!"

"That's it, we're going to go have some quiet time," Lauren said, carrying Camila into the nap room which was now empty. 

"I need my pacifier," Camila sobbed, reaching for Lauren for some comfort.

"What you need is to start behaving," Lauren said angrily, her temper getting the best of her. 

Camila cried even louder, stamping her foot.

"Okay, come here," Lauren sighed, opening her arms to Camila, who completely ignored her. "It's okay," Lauren soothed, picking the distraught girl up and sitting down on a bench. "Shh," she hummed as she held Camila against her chest.

She had quietened down ten minutes later when Becky slipped in, holding up the pacifier to show Lauren she had retrieved it.

The dark haired girl quietly shook her head and Becky nodded, slipping it into her pocket.

"Look who's here," Lauren said once the pacifier was safely out of sight.

Camila clung onto Lauren, not wanting to have to go play with Becky.

 "You shouldn't have called Sarah a baby," Becky said carefully, lifting Camila off of Lauren's lap and standing her in front of her. "I understand that she called you a baby and took your pacifier but it doesn't excuse your behaviour."

Camila's bottom lip wobbled; she hated being told off.

"LoLo," she whimpered, trying to climb back into Lauren's arms.

"I think it's time to go home," Becky nodded as Lauren stood up, not reciprocating to Camila wanting to be picked up.

"Go get your coat and bag from your coat peg," Lauren said, tapping Camila's diapered bottom in the direction of the coatroom. "I'm sorry," she sighed once Camila was out of earshot.

"It's okay," Becky reassured her. "Try talking to her about it tonight once she's had some time to reflect."

Lauren nodded, saying a quick goodbye to Becky and retrieving the pacifier before hurrying over to Camila who was struggling to get her coat on.

"There you go," Lauren said gently, zipping Camila up before taking her hand. "We were supposed to meet Dinah for dinner but I think someone might be a little tired, would you rather go home?"

"Nuh-uh," Camila insisted, shaking her head.

"Okay, if you say so," Lauren said skeptically. 

"Can you hold me?" Camila asked, reaching for Lauren.

"Big girls walk on their own, don't they," Lauren tried to encourage. 

"P'wease?" Camila lisped around her thumb.

"Okay, come 'ere," Lauren gave in, picking Camila up. The little girl immediately settled down in Lauren's arms, wrapping her legs around her waist and nuzzling into the older girl's chest. 

Camila, although not asleep, was unusually quiet and calm, curled up in Lauren's arms until they got to the restaurant.

"She tired?" Dinah asked, chuckling slightly and reaching out to take Camila from Lauren.

"It's been a bit of a day," Lauren sighed, handing Camila over. 

"DJ?" Camila sat up straight in her arms, slightly confused that Lauren wasn't holding her anymore.

"It's okay," Dinah soothed.

"I want to play," Camila started bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Let's get that diaper changed first," Lauren said, putting her handbag down on her chair.

"Babe, should I get a highchair?" Dinah asked.

Lauren glanced at Camila, who was now bouncing up and down on the spot, before nodding.

"C'mon, sweetheart," Lauren said, guiding Camila to the family bathroom.

"LoLo?" Camila asked as the dark haired girl pulled down the changing table and lifted Camila onto it. "Do you have Mr. Bunny?"

"Hmm, I think Mr. Bunny might be at home, angel," Lauren said, untaping Camila's messy diaper. "It's okay, no one's looking," she reassured her when she felt Camila tensing up at someone walking out of a cubicle. 

"Can we go get him?" Camila asked, squirming slightly as Lauren started putting on the diaper cream.

"We can't go all the way home to get him now, doll, but I have a feeling he's going to be very excited to see you when we do get home," Lauren said animatedly, proceeding to wash her hands before lifting Camila off of the table.

"Kay," Camila said, skipping back to the table while Lauren let out an internal sigh of relief that the bunny situation hadn't escalated into a tantrum.

"Look, there's a special princess chair just for you," Lauren exclaimed when they got back to the table.

Camila glanced at the princess chair skeptically, fidgeting on the spot. She didn't have time to think about it because Dinah's strong arms were already lifting her up into it.

"I'm starving," Lauren mumbled, sitting down and grabbing a menu. 

"Out," Camila whined, kicking her legs.

"Here," Lauren said, pulling out Camila's pacifier and pushing it into her mouth. "Why don't you try this colouring in?" she suggested, turning over the kiddie menu and handing Camila the cup of crayons.

"You okay?" Dinah asked, glancing at her girlfriend.

"Just really tired," Lauren sighed. "The B-A-B-Y has been giving me a hard time at the play centre," she said, nodding to Camila who was now absorbed in her colouring, suckling her pacifier as she bent over the menu with her eyebrows furrowed from paying attention.

"Maybe we need some time together tonight," Dinah said suggestively with a smirk.

"Keep it in your pants," Lauren rolled her eyes.

"What, I just meant a movie and some popcorn," Dinah said feigning innocence. 

"I wan' movie," Camila interjected, looking up.

"It's going to be pretty close to your bed time when we get home, nena," Lauren pointed out. "How about I read you a book after bath time instead?"

"Kay," Camila agreed.

"Hi, are you ready to order?" A friendly looking man asked.

"Uh, yeah, could I please have the margarita and could she have the kiddie chicken nuggets?" Lauren asked. 

"I'll have the spaghetti, and could we get two glasses of the house special," Dinah ordered.

"Mila, baby, do you want some milk?" Lauren asked, tapping on the tray of the highchair to get her attention.

Camila nodded.

"Could we get some warm milk please?" Lauren asked.

"Coming right up," the man smiled before walking away.

"LoLo," Camila whimpered, reaching out of the highchair.

"Hey, what's wrong? I thought you were having fun colouring, hmm?" Lauren asked, glancing at Dinah.

"Wan' you."

"Kid, Lauren's really tired, do you want to come sit with me?" Dinah tried.

"No," Camila broke into tears, spitting out her pacifier.

"Okay, okay," Lauren quickly scooped Camila out, sitting down with her in her lap. "Shh, I got you," she whispered, rocking back and forth. "She's tired," Lauren explained to her girlfriend, helping Camila with her pacifier. "She'll be out once I give her a bottle."

"Camzi, do you want me to get your carrier seat?" Lauren asked the sleepy girl. "Okay, let's go to the car and get it," she hummed, standing up. 

She carried Camila out of the restaurant and into the parking lot.

"Hey, why are you crying, honey?" she asked softly, knowing that Camila was just tired. "Do you want me to sing you a song?"

Camila nodded, wrapping her legs even tighter around Lauren's waist.

Hush little baby don't say a word
Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird
And if that mocking bird don't sing
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring

Lauren realised Camila was now settling down, her long eyelashes becoming heavy with sleep. She continued to sing as she opened the car door and set Camila down in the car seat before detaching it from the seat and holding it by the handle.

She walked back to the restaurant; how had she gone from being a normal 25 year old to essentially having a baby to look after?

***

A/N: HELP NEEDED I HAVE NO IDEAS SOMEONE DM ME