Lauren pulled up outside Camila's house, pressing the horn for a few seconds before getting out of the car.

Camila's dad looked out the window before disappearing and after a couple of seconds Camila's bedroom window opened.

"What're you doing? Come up."

"If you can pick anywhere in America to go. Where would it be? Three seconds to answer, go!" Lauren called, smiling up at Camila.

"Uh, Niagara Falls."

Lauren nodded. "Pack a bag and come down here then."

"Are you nuts? Did you hit your head or something?"

"Come on. I have a car full of gas, three hundred bucks and ten days to fill. Come down here."

Camila rolled her eyes, closing her window and appeared at the door a while later.

"Have you lost your mind?" Camila smiled, walking down the path to Lauren.

"Come on, why not? It will probably take around twenty four hours to drive there so if we leave now we can get to a motel around ten-ish, which would only leave us ten hours to do tomorrow. Come on, bug, you said yourself you wanted to go." Lauren grinned hopefully, placing her hands on Camila's waist.

"And your parents are ok with this?"

"Yes, it'll be just you, me and the SatNav lady. We'll get there by tomorrow, spend the night at a hotel, go to Niagara Falls the days after, stay at a hotel that night then drive home the next day." Lauren said, smiling cutely at Camila. "I have it all planed. What'd you say, baby?"

"You're crazy."

"That's a given."

"Ok, we'll go."

"Yeah?" Lauren grinned when Camila nodded, pressing a quick kiss against her lips. "Go pack for about four days."

"Ok." Camila agreed, grabbing onto the back of Lauren's neck and placing a lingering kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, bug."

Camila smiled, pull back as running back into the house.

"What her you doing sitting out here?" Ally asked as Lauren sat up on the hood of her car.

"Waiting on Camila, we're going to Niagara Falls."

Ally looked surprised, "What?"

"Well, why not? The schools getting debugged for termites so we have ten days off and I wouldn't wanna spend it with anyone but her."

"What about me?" Ally gasped with faux hurt.

"You're great, sometimes, but no."

Ally laughed, pulling Lauren into a hug. "See you when you're back then, Casanova."

"Bye."

Lauren smiled, looking up at the house just as Mr Cabello left the house. "Hello, Mr Cabello."

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Alejandro?" The man smiled, stopping by his car.

"At least one more, sir." Lauren said gaining a smile from the man.

"Look after my daughter while you're away."

"With my life, sir."

The man smiled before getting into his car.

After another five minutes Camila left the house with her backpack on her shoulder.

"After you, me lady." Lauren smiled, opening the door for Camila and taking her bag.

"You're a dork." Camila mumbled, her cheeks turning red, no matter how much time she spent around Lauren she still wasn't used to the way she treated her.

"You love me." Lauren grinned, pecking Camila on the forehead before throwing her bag in the back with her own and getting into the driver's side.

"How long have you been planning this?"

"Since last week." Lauren said as she pulled away from the sidewalk. "I knew you could us a break after the anniversary and stuff so I planned this. I wasn't intending on doing it until summer but this is the perfect time. But maybe we can go away again in summer? LA? New York maybe. And we could invite the girls along, turn it into a road trip."

"That sounds great."

"Why Niagara Falls?"

Camila shrugged, "I guess I've always wanted to go there but just haven't had the chance."

"Well, I'm happy I'm the one to take you."

"My dad gave me money, a hundred and fifty."

"Great. You hungry?"

"I just had pizza."

"It's eight am." Lauren frowned, glancing over at Camila.

"So? It's never too early for pizza."

"I'm sure a doctor would disagree but alright." Lauren grinned, "We'll stop somewhere for lunch, ok?"

Camila nodded, resting her head on Lauren's shoulder.

"No sleazy motels."

"Why not? It adds... Flavor?"

"Well, you can sleep in one but I'll sleep in the car. Who knows how many people have, you know, in those sheets that probably rarely get changed."

Lauren laughed. "Right you are, no sleazy motels."

"Good. How is this SatNav lady? Is she bossy?"

"Very. We have a love-hate relationship."

"She looks like a bit of a tool."

Lauren gasped dramatically. "Sh! She might hear you and you'll hurt her feelings."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot she wasn't just machine."

Lauren grinned, pressing a quick kiss against Camila's forehead before focusing on the road.

-----

"Hey." Lauren whispered, poking Camila's cheek.

"Leave me alone." Camila mumbled sleepily, turning away from Lauren.

"We're at a motel." Lauren huffed, reaching over and pulling Camila's eyelid open, smiling when the sleepy girl glared at her. "Hello, beautiful."

"You're a massive pain in my ass."

"Well, that seems fitting since you have a huge..." Lauren stopped when Camila glared at her.

"No, go on, continue."

"See, I feel like if I continue on the route I was originally going to go down you'd punch me so I think I'm gonna change my original word to heart." Lauren smiled cutely at Camila but Camila still glare playfully at her.

"You're an ass."

"That's the word I was gonna use." Lauren said gaining a punch on the arm from Camila. "Ouch! I told you."

Camila rolled her eyes, looking over at the motel. "This looks respectable."

"Yeah, I passed about six before I found this one."

"Come on then, I'm sleepy." Camila said as she climbed clumsily out of the car.

Lauren rolled her eyes, grabbing their bags before following Camila out of the car and into the building.

"How can I help you ladies?" The man behind the desk smiled, leaning his elbows on the desk.

"A room for the night, please."

"It's forty bucks for the night and we can give you a wake up call in the morning."

Lauren nodded, handing over the money.

"What time do you want us to wake you up?"

"Uh, well we have about eight hours left to drive." Lauren mumbled, looking down at Camila before looking back at the man. "Ten o'clock?"

"Right you are. Room twenty five." The man smiled, holding out the key to Lauren.

"Thank you, sir." Lauren smiled, pulling Camila towards their room.

"He was nice."

"It's the nice ones you have to watch out for." Lauren commented, throwing the bags on the floor and wrapping her arms around Camila. "I learned that first hand with you."

Camila grinned, sliding her hands up to Lauren's shoulder. "What time is it?"

"A little after midnight."

"You were driving for sixteen hours."

"And you fell asleep at nine."

"I'm sorry."

Lauren shook her head, pressing a kiss against Camila's lips. "It's ok."

"I'm gonna get changed." Camila pecked Lauren on the lips before grabbing her bag and heading into the bathroom.

Lauren quickly got change into sweats and a hoodie before lying down on the bed and grabbing the TV remote.

She turned on the TV and started to wish she had brought her glasses because of how small the TV was.

Lauren smiled at Camila when the girl left the bathroom and opened her arms just as the girl fell down half on top of Lauren.

"Sure you just don't want to lie fully on top of me."

"That wouldn't be very comfortable." Camila teased, resting her ear against Lauren's chest. "What you watching?"

"Don't know." Lauren shrugged, running her feet up and down Camila's bare calf.

"I didn't think they made TV's this small anymore." Camila commented making Lauren huff out a laugh.

"What do you expect for forty bucks?"

"True." Camila agreed. "Where are we staying when we get there?"

"I found this really nice hotel online when we stopped for burgers. It's ninety dollars a night and has an indoor pool."

"Sounds good."

Lauren just hummed in agreement, wrapping her arms tighter around Camila.

-----

"Finally." Lauren groaned as she fell down onto the bed.

"But Lauren," Camila pouted, climbing onto Lauren's back. "There's an indoor pool."

"It's nine o'clock, bug. It'll be closed."

"So? Come on, live a little."

"I'm tired, Camz." Lauren whined but Camila pulled at her shoulder.

"Pretty please, Lo."

"Fine." Lauren groaned, letting Camila pull at her arm.

"You're so whipped." Camila grinned over her shoulder.

"I'm too tired to deal with you." Lauren mumbled, dragging her feet behind Camila.

Camila dragged her all the way down to the basement and Lauren grinned to herself when she saw the door to the indoor pool was closed.

"Aw, it's closed, bummer." Lauren gave Camila a fake pout but it turned into a real one when Camila pulled the door open.

"Too bad." Camila grinned, grabbing onto Lauren's hands and walking them backwards into the room.

"I don't like that grin." Lauren said, unable to stop the grin from spreading across her own lips.

Camila pecked Lauren on the lips before turning and jumping onto the water. "Come on, it's warm." Camila called, pushing the hair out of her face.

"I'm wearing sweats, bug, I'll end up drowning."

"Don't be ridiculous. Get your butt in here!" Camila demanded, splashing her hands in the water.

"Jesus, I hate you sometimes." Lauren huffed, walking over to the edge of the pool and sliding tentatively into the water.

"Finally." Camila huffed, reaching out to grab onto Lauren's hands.

"I should've told you I couldn't swim." Lauren said, pulling Camila towards her.

"I love you." Camila smiled, wrapping her arms around Camila's neck and kissed her.

Lauren hummed, kissing Camila back and pulled back after a few seconds. "I love you, too." Lauren smiled, wrapping her arms around Camila's waist.

Camila smiled, hiding her face in Lauren's neck. "What made you want to get away?"

"I thought you would've probably needed a break and I just wanted to spend as much time as I could with you." Lauren shrugged. "Which makes me sound really clingy."

"That's fine." Camila laughed against Lauren's skin. "I like that you actually want to be around me all the time."

"All the time." Lauren said, gasping lowly when she felt Camila's lips press tentatively against her neck. "Twenty four seven."

Camila hummed, lightly biting the skin under Lauren's ear.

Lauren ran her hands down Camila's bare legs until she reached behind the girls knees and hiked her legs up around her waist.

She could feel Camila smile against her neck as she spun the smaller girl around and pressed her back against the wall of the pool.

"Is this the reason you wanted to come down here?" Lauren asked, keeping one arm around Camila's waist and brought the other hand up to the girls cheek, pressing her forehead against Camila's.

"Maybe." Camila shrugged.

"Our first time isn't gonna be in a pool." Lauren smiled and Camila pouted. "Tomorrow though, when we get back from Niagara Falls."

"Yeah?"

Lauren nodded, her hand gripping onto the back of Camila's neck as she pulled her into a kiss. "I've never wanted anyone like I want you."

"Same. Well, I've never really wanted anyone, not really."

Lauren laughed, pressing a kiss to Camila's cheek. "Now that you've had your fun can we go to sleep." Lauren pouted.

"You're no fun."

"I don't think you would be much fun either if you had to spend nine hours driving instead of eating doughnuts and sleeping."

"Those doughnuts were good." Camila said with an approving nod.

"I wouldn't know, you ate mine." Lauren huffed, turning her face away from Camila and pretended to be mad.

"You said I could!" Camila argued, grabbing Lauren's chin and pulling her face back to look at her.

"You were eyeing it like a starved wolf."

"I would've stole it if you hadn't given it to me anyway." Camila shrugged. "Let's go before we get caught."

"Finally." Lauren huffed, using her grip on Camila's waist to lift her up onto the side of the pool before heaving herself up.

"We didn't think this through." Lauren muttered, holding her soaked sweats up and looking down at the puddle at her feet. "We're gonna leave a wet trail all the way to the room." Lauren said, laughing as Camila grabbed her hand and began dragging her along the hallway towards the elevator.

Camila pulled Lauren into the elevator and quickly pressed their floor before anyone else could get in.

"You, sweetheart, are a lot more mischievous than I realized." Lauren grinned, walking over to Camila, who was leaning against the side of the elevator, and placed one hand on the wall beside Camila's head, the other gripping onto her sweats to keep them up. "I like it."

Camila rolled her bottom lip between her teeth, a grin tugging on the corner of her mouth.

Lauren let her hand fall into Camila's cheek and stepped into her personal space, rubbing her thumb along the girls cheek as her smiled down at her.

"You can't look at me like that and expect me to just go in and go to sleep." Camila mumbled, gripping onto the wet fabric of Lauren's shirt and pulled her as close as she could.

"Like what?" Lauren whispered.

"You know like what."

Lauren just grinned, pushing herself away from Camila when the elevator stopped at their floor.

Lauren could hear Camila mumbled stuff behind her as they walked towards their room. She could make out the word 'tease' and 'unbelievable' but that was about it.

"What are you muttering about?" Lauren asked as she opened the room door for Camila.

"You're just lucky I don't know any voodoo curses." Camila said, quickly pecking Lauren on the lips before rushing into the room.

"You're an idiot." Lauren smiled, walking up behind Camila, who was routing around the bag on the bed, and wrapped her arms around her waist.

Camila instantly relaxed back against Lauren, a content sigh leaving her lips.

"You're adorable and cute and sweet and beautiful but an idiot none the less." Lauren hid her face Camila's neck, wondering how she got so bloody lucky.

"You love me though." Camila mumbled lazily.

"I do." Lauren agreed, resting her chin on Camila's shoulder and pressed her nose against her cheek. "I really do."

Camila turned her head, her nose bumping lightly against Lauren's. "You know, my mom would've loved you."

Lauren pulled back to be able to look Camila in the eyes and couldn't help but smile when she noticed the happiness in her eyes, this was the first time she had seen Camila talk about her mom with nothing but happiness.

"Really?"

Camila nodded. "She always said that I shouldn't be happy with someone who doesn't treat me like I'm the only person in the world to them and at thirteen I thought that was crazy, who would want to treat someone that special, you know? But you make me feel like that, like I can do anything as long as you're here. You make me feel like maybe everything will be ok now."

"Baby, it is gonna be ok. I'm not saying that feeling will ever go away, the pain and the missing your mom but, as bloody cliché as this sounds, it gets better. You'll get better and you'll be happy and you'll be stuck with me forever."

"Forever? You promise?" Camila smiled cheekily, turning in Lauren's arms so she was facing her.

"If you'll have me then, yeah, forever wouldn't be long enough."

"That's not fair. I'm like a stuttering mess when I try and say something meaningful but you say stuff like that so easily."

"I'm just that smooth." Lauren grinned, kissing Camila's nose. "Now, get changed, bug. I wanna go to sleep."

Lauren pulled back from Camila and grabbed her dry clothes, when she turned her head to see if Camila had got her own clothes she saw Camila's eyes were glued to her butt as she bite down on her lip distractedly. "Bug?"

"Hum?" Camila hummed, slowly raising her eyes to look into Lauren's. "I wasn't looking at your butt."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, I was- uh- no, I was looking at your butt but it is very lovely."

"Lovely." Lauren chuckled, rolling her eyes at Camila and headed into the bathroom.

When she came back out Camila was lying on the bed in dry clothes with her hair pulled up into a pony and she was looking down at her phone. "I just got a text from Ally."

"She ok?" Lauren frowned as she pulled up her hair and laid down on the bed next to Camila.

"Yeah. She just felt the need to inform me that koala bears aren't actually bears."

"What? Of course they are!"

"Nope, apparently they're marsupials." Camila frowned down at her phone before looking up at Lauren. "Why does she think I need to know these things?"

"She does it to me, too. I'll wake up and have all these random facts texted to me by her. She's been doing it since forever, I'm used to it now."

"Have you and Ally ever dated?" Camila asked making Lauren laugh.

"No. No no. Ally's nice and I love her to death but no." Lauren shook her head definitively. "Why? Did you think we had?"

Camila shrugged, resting her head against Lauren's shoulder. "You both are close and I was just curious."

Lauren shook her head, wrapping her arms around Camila. "Night, bug."

-----

"Where are we going?" Camila huffed as Lauren dragged her through the crowed.

"Niagara Falls."

"But which part of Niagara Falls."

"The water part." Lauren grinned when Camila stopped and pulled her back to stand in front of her.

"I am going to hit you."

"That would make a scene." Lauren mumbled, wrapping her arms around Camila and pulling her closer. "And would also be domestic abuse, darling."

"Don't 'darling' me, butt head."

Lauren's laughed, kissing Camila's nose. "Mature." Lauren grabbed onto Camila's hand and began dragging her through the crowed again. "We're going on the boat."

"The boat?"

"Yeah, come on, it will be leaving in five." Lauren pulled Camila the rest of the way to the dock. "It lasts for about four hours and we don't need the papers to get into Canada."

Both girls climbed onto the boat, Camila grinning in excitement.

"I love it when you're like this." Lauren smiled, leaning back against the barrier of the boat.

"It's only you that makes me feel like this." Camila chimed, leaning her elbows on the barrier and leant over to kiss Lauren. "I love you."

"I love you more."

"Not true." Camila grazed her nose against Lauren's, smiling at the older girl.

"Completely true." Lauren argued, pecking Camila on the lips.

-----

"You ok?" Lauren asked, throwing her purse on the floor and looking at Camila as they entered their hotel room. "You've been really quiet?"

"Yeah, I'm just thinking."

"About what?" Lauren wrapped her arms around Camila's waist and pulling the smaller girl flush against her.

"You." Camila smiled, wrapping her arms around Lauren's neck. "How lucky I am."

Lauren smiled, dipping her head and taking Camila's bottom lip in between hers.

Camila's tightened her grip around Lauren's neck, pulling the girl closer to her, effectively deepening the kiss.

Lauren couldn't help but smile against Camila's lips, sliding her hands around to Camila's hips and down to the girls thighs, lifting her up and wrapping Camila's legs around her waist.

Camila giggled against Lauren's lips, muttering out an 'I love you' as Lauren walked them over to the bed and tentatively laid Camila down on the bed.

Lauren kissed her way down Camila's neck, sliding her hands under Camila's shirt.

"Off." Camila demanded making Lauren grin against her collarbone, the last thing she would've expected was for Camila to be bossy.

"Say please." Lauren muttered teasingly.

"Now." Camila huffed, sitting up an allowing Lauren to pull her shirt over her head before falling back onto her pillow.

Lauren licked her lips, her eyes traveling down Camila's body and lingering on the scars across her toned abs.

"You're beautiful." Lauren whispered as she reached out to touch her fingers against Camila's stomach making the muscles there tense up.

Camila bit down on her bottom lips as Lauren looked up onto her eyes.

Lauren placed on hand on the pillow at the side of Camila's head, the other remaining on Camila's stomach, and kissed Camila's jaw. "Unbelievably beautiful."

-----

Lauren probed her head up on her fist, the sheet just barely covering her, as she looked down at a sleepy Camila's bare, and red raw, back.

Camila had her face hid in her arms in an attempt to hide the stupid grin she had plastered on her face.

Lauren reached out, lightly ghosting her fingers across the scratch marks over Camila's back and shoulders.

Camila smiled against her arms, resting her cheek against her arm and looking up at Lauren. "Baby?"

"Hum?" Lauren slower drew her eyes away from Camila's back and looked into her eyes, smiling at the younger girl.

"I love you."

"I love you and I want you to promise me something?"

"Whatever you want." Camila agreed.

"That these," Lauren ran her fingers over the scratches on Camila's back again. "Will be the only cuts that will be on your body from now on. The marks from my nails, nothing else."

"What about your teeth?"

"Those too." Lauren grinned, moving her fingertips to Camila's neck and collarbone.

"I promise." Camila swore, shuffling closer to Lauren.

"I'm not push you, ok? But you can't hide these forever." Lauren whispered against the top of Camila's head, running her fingertips across Camila's inner wrist. "I think you should talk to your dad, tell him how you were feeling but that you're getting better now."

Camila pushed herself up onto her elbows, rolling her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought about what Lauren said.

"I'm behind you whatever you decide to do, bug, but I just think you're ready to do it." Lauren assured, running her fingertips down Camila's spine and over the dip in the bottom of Camila's back.

"I just don't wanna disappoint him."

"You won't be. I'm sure he'll be upset, maybe a little mad, but he'll understand because he's gone through the same pain as you have, that you are. But he'll love you regardless, just like I do."

"I know you're right I'm just scared and ashamed that I let myself get that low."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of the fact you been in pain, bug. You made I through, and sure you have a few battle wounds but you're here and you survived and you should be proud of yourself for that. I know I'm proud of you."

Camila smiled stupidly, letting we forehead fall against Lauren's collarbone. "Ok, I'll talk to him."

"We'll talk to him." Lauren corrected making Camila look up at her. "I told you that you weren't alone and I meant it. It's 'we' from now on."

"We?"

"Oui. That's French for yes."

Camila laughed against Lauren's collarbone. "You're an idiot."

Lauren hummed, pushing her lips against Camila's temple.

Camila smiled and closed her eyes, feeling for the first time in four years that everything was going to be alright.