New Adjustments to a Little World

Epilogue

A/N: So again, not much of DNA in this chapter.

Prepare yourselves, this is the final chapter.

Read and enjoy. :)

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Lauren took a breath as she reached for the door handle.

"Do you want one of us to go with you?" Dinah asked from the passenger seat.

The green eyed girl shook her head. "No, I'll be okay."

Normani gave her a small smile. "We'll be here if you need us."

Ally turned in her spot from the driver's seat. "Take your time, Lauren. We'll be waiting here."

Lauren nodded and hopped out of the car. She began to walk away, almost like she was on autopilot. It had been a while, but she still knew exactly how to get where she headed.

Her mom's grave.

She couldn't remember when the last time she had been here, but it was sometime shortly before she got her determination letter.

Lauren slowly sat down on the dirt and ran a hand over the smooth marble of the headstone. She was too young when her mom died that she doesn't remember much of anything about her, but her dad would always bring her here on her mom's birthday, before he turned into an asshole, anyways. After he began to get so invested in his company, Lauren would come here on her own.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around in a while," she spoke quietly to the air. "A lot has been going on." She fiddled with her hands in her lap for a moment before continuing. "I got my determination letter a few months ago. And, and it wasn't what I wanted. At first."

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, exhaling after a moment. "I didn't think there could be anything worse than Dad beating me, but when I first read that letter and saw Little as the result, I thought it was the end of the world." She gave small laugh and shook her head. "Obviously it wasn't, but I was so scared, but I'm not exactly sure what I was scared about, really.

Camila, she's known since freshman year that she was a little. And I helped her out until she could find actual caregivers. I don't know how she did it, but she found three that are perfect. And they were willing to help me, too. And I'm so grateful for them."

She stopped and turned to look back at Ally's car where it was parked at the entrance.

"They're amazing. They're so loving and nice, and they were just so patient and gentle while I figured everything out." She stopped to laugh once again. "Ally is definitely the most mature of the three, though. But I don't know what I would do without Camila or them. Maybe Camz was right. Maybe I would still be denying the fact that I'm just a baby."

She wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged herself tightly. "I think things would be a lot different if you were still here, though. Maybe Dad would have actually cared about me and wouldn't have hit me like he did." She sniffled slightly and wiped away a few tears. "Maybe my test determination would have been different. I don't know." She shrugged and leaned back on her arms.

"Maybe a lot of things would have been different. And, sometimes I wish they were. But I've found people who care about me now, and it's okay. Camila's been on my side since I was five, and she always will be. And now I've got Dinah, Normani, and Ally, even though it took a while to accept their help. And Dinah likes to tease me about being a baby, but that's okay, too. I know she means well."

She took another look at Ally's car, and saw a figure standing in front of it this time.

Lauren turned back to the grave and gave a watery smile. "I didn't want the result I got at first, but now I think it's the one I needed most. With them, I've learned a lot. Like just how messed up my life was as a kid." She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "They're going to help me see if I can still press charges against Dad. I don't know if it's too late or not, but I don't think he should get to get away with it. And even if there is nothing I can do but it means I never talk to him again, I'll be okay.

I have Camz and her family, Dinah, Mani, and Ally. And I still have you, in a way. So, yeah, I'll be okay." She grinned widely before adding, "In fact, I'm going to ask Camila out later today."

She heard footsteps approaching, and gave a final sad smile. "I still miss you, but I thought you might like to hear a little bit of what's been happening with me. I'll make sure to visit again sooner, Mom."

She stood and brushed off her legs, and turned to see Camila slowly walking towards her.

"You okay, Lo?" the younger girl asked cautiously.

Lauren nodded and reached for the brunette's hand. "Yeah, I'm fine. Did I take too long?"

Camila shook her head. "No, I just wanted to be sure you were okay. You can stay longer if you need to."

The green eyed girl smiled as she shook her head. "No, it's alright. I was done anyways."

The smaller girl wrapped an arm around the other girl's waist as they walked back to the car. "Ally said we could get lunch before we went back to their house. Want anything in particular?"

Lauren smirked slightly. "Pizza?"

"I knew I loved you for a reason." Camila grinned and leaned up to press a kiss to the older girl's cheek.

They continued in silence before Lauren spoke again. "Camz?"

"Hmm? What's up?"

The raven haired girl stopped and looked to the younger girl seriously. "We're still gonna take on the world together, right?"

Camila smiled softly and nodded, squeezing Lauren's hand tightly. "We're gonna take on the world together, Lo," she confirmed, nodding resolutely. "Together."

Lauren nodded and smiled. "Together."

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A/N: Hopefully you enjoyed, let me know what you think!

I would like to thank you all for reading and going through the emotional ride that was this fic. You guys are amazing and the reason there's a fancy sticker on the cover. Thank you all for the support, ideas, comments, and general love you gave this fic. It is by far my biggest endeavor so far, and it was a pretty enjoyable fic to write.

Now I've got a few works in mind, but no set posting date, mostly because I don't have anything written for them. I'll get them out eventually, though. Some of them are actually pretty cool, I think.

Alright, that about wraps it up. Once again, thanks for all the love and support you gave this fic. Have a happy New Year!

This is Battlecry7473, signing out. *gives salute*

To anyone reading this again as of October 2022, I have a rework of this fic in progress. It's called This Is the Safest Place I've Ever Known. It carries the same overall premise, but finer plot points are being reworked. Feel free to check it out if you'd like, but no worries if you don't.