Author's Note: Revenge was all Claire's story, with all the focus on hurt and vengeance. Exclusive, though, is both Cam and Claire's, allowing me more room to develop their romance. If you're reading this mostly for Massington, sorry. Clam is the main focus. And yes, this will mostly include fluff. Sorry if it's not your cup of tea!

I wanted you guys to see how their lives are together before Claire is thrown into the world of Westchester. As someone who's been in a relationship for over 4 years now, what really makes relationships is not the fluff, but the trials and drama and the things you go through together. Clam right now is written basically perfect because they're in their own little world. They'll have a journey and problems, but this is listed as a romance. So fluff warning, starting now and for future chapters too! And for the record, Aurora was one of my faves as a child, no hate intended.

Chapter One: The Big Apple and Blueberries

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Claire Lyons woke to the sounds of her boyfriend's voice drifting from their kitchen. Rolling over and squinting slightly from the bright sunlight streaming through Cam's bedroom window, Claire rubbed a hand over her face. Her cell phone read seven in the morning, an unreasonable time for both of them to be up. She wondered who Cam was talking to so early in the morning.

Claire continued to lie in bed, rubbing her face up against the comforter, burrowing deeper under the blankets, too lazy to get up. Cam wasn't long at all; it seemed his phone call was wrapping up. He entered her room quietly in fear of waking her, but when he saw that she was already up, he grinned slowly. Cam loved everything about his girlfriend in the morning, the way her long blonde hair looked so disheveled, reminding him of the night before, the way she wrinkled her nose in frustration at the morning light, and the slow sleepy smile she gave him when she opened her eyes.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he whispered, sliding into bed next to her.

Claire groaned out loud, swatting him with her eyes still closed. "Ew, I told you never to call me that."

"I can't help it," Cam murmured in her ear insolently. "It's what comes to mind whenever I see you in the morning."

"That's awful," she murmured back sleepily, turning in his arms to burrow into the crook of his neck. "You know, Sleeping Beauty is my least favorite Disney Princess. She's sheltered and coddled and falls in love with the first guy she sees before falling into cursed slumber for the rest of the plotline."

"Yeah," her annoying boyfriend smirked above her head. "Isn't that you? Minus the cursed slumber, I mean. But blonde, sheltered, and falling in love with the first guy thing—"

Claire whacked him over the head with her pillow. Cam laughed, ripping away her weapon and flinging it across the room out of her reach. He gripped her chin and kissed her. Claire sighed and kissed him back, but broke off to yawn. She laughed and Cam rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Stretching her arms above her head and arching her back, Claire's curiosity got the better of her. "Who were you talking to this morning?" she asked when she reopened her eyes.

"Derrick," Cam told her. He sat up and swung his feet to the ground. To Claire, he seemed rather nervous, which rarely ever happened. Claire sat up too, in curiosity. She didn't pry though; Cam would tell her if he wanted to share. Her boyfriend so rarely talked about his childhood, but she had heard of Derrick Harrington, who he had been friends with since childhood, a handful of times before. They still caught up with each frequently, but Claire had never met him. Cam turned to look at her over his shoulder and smiled ruefully. "He's getting married."

"Really?" Claire tilted her head. "That's happy news."

"Yeah," Cam grinned, elation for his friend showing on his face. "Yeah, it's kind of weird though, but good for him too, you know?"

Claire nodded. She tried to imagine any of her friends getting married. It did seem weird. The only people she knew their age that were married were distant friends from her old middle school who she never talked to anymore. The only reason she knew was through Facebook, so she understood completely what he meant.

Cam turned to face her on the bed and Claire stared into his mismatched eyes in confusion at his intensity. "He, uh, asked me to be his best man," Cam told her.

Claire's eyes widened and she grinned. "Wow. That sounds great!" But when Cam didn't return her enthusiasm, she frowned. "…Or is that bad news…?"

"No," Cam chuckled lightly. "I kind of thought that he would ask when I first heard that he was getting married, but…" It was his tone that told her something was wrong. She didn't think that she had ever seen her boyfriend so sober. Cam wrapped his arms around her and though he grinned, Claire knew he was still serious. He licked his lips before speaking. "But… I was wondering if you'd like to come too," he finished.

Claire blinked, her mouth opening in surprise. That wasn't at all what she was expecting. "Wait, like… to the wedding?"

"Yeah," Cam shrugged lightly. "Why not?" He nuzzled her neck, sending goose bumps down her arms. "Best man duties means I'd have to be there for more than the wedding. There's fittings and rehearsals and—"

"Bachelor parties?" Claire joked with a raised brow, though her mind still hadn't really caught up to what Cam was asking of her.

"Right, those too," her boyfriend nodded with a smarmy grin on his face. Claire fake scowled at him. "…And I'd have to be there for all that… I'd be gone for more than a month. Knowing my mother, she'd want me to stay for a while… so why don't you come with me?"

Claire leaned back to look up at him incredulously. "Come with you to New York? For a more than a month? …But Cam, what about work? And Amy's gallery is opening next week and—"

Cam shook his head fondly at his girlfriend. "Claire, you're a free lance photographer. You're your own boss and even if you weren't, you'd have about a year of leave." Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, he rolled his eyes at her again good-naturedly. "And Amy even told you she didn't need your help, that she had it all under control. If she knew about this, she'd probably drive us to the airport herself. When was the last time you took a vacation? When was the last time you even took a day off? And doesn't your friend from college Layne live in New York too? You could visit her while we're there. And yeah, there's the wedding, sure, but I'd be free most of the time too. You—we—can experience New York."

And while Claire still thought that it was outrageous for her to take a whole month off to go to New York with Cam, she couldn't help but imagine them strolling the streets of the Big Apple together, taking pictures at Times Square, visiting art galleries in Brooklyn, eating New York Style pizza and drinking coffee in Soho. Her heart beat just a little bit faster. She'd never been, but it was practically every artist's dream.

Claire bit her lip, still a bit hesitant. "A month though—"

"Maybe more," Cam corrected. His earlier sobriety was gone, his face was animated and his eyes glowed with excitement. It was contagious. "After the wedding, if we haven't had our fill, we can spend time together in the city, just us."

Claire's heart beat faster at the romantic notion. "I—Are you sure about this, Cam?" Her boyfriend was such a private person, and though they'd been dating for almost two years now and she practically lived at his place, it wasn't official official. She still had her own flat with a roommate named Amy. And they had never entertained the notion of spending a whole month together on a romantic getaway before.

Did Cam know what this meant? Inviting her to a wedding of his childhood friend's, in his hometown?

Cam didn't even hesitate. And Claire wondered if it was because he wasn't taking this as seriously as she was. But no, it couldn't be, because she knew Cam. He was probably more of a romantic at heart than she was. He wouldn't be inviting her if he hadn't thought this through. And from his tone and posture and anxiety earlier, it seemed that this had been on his mind for a while now. "Yes, Claire. Yes, I'm sure."

He gripped her hands, rubbing his thumbs soothingly over the back of her hands. "I want you to meet my friends... They'd love you. My parents—everyone would. Come on, let me show you my hometown. Where I grew up, the places I hung out at, and—"

"Your childhood bedroom?" Claire interrupted jokingly, feeling her heart soar at the invitation. She was never a pusher, she never pried, but she had always wondered about Cam's childhood.

"Yeah," Cam laughed brightly. He knew he had his answer now.

Claire tilted her head, still pretending to deliberate, then arched her brow, "The spot near the lake at the country club where you lost your virginity?"

Her boyfriend tugged her closer and whispered into her ear even though there were alone in his apartment. He wiggled his own eyebrows. "Definitely. We can stage a reenactment."

"Classy," Claire laughed, shoving him away.

Cam flopped down onto the bed with a shit eating grin. He pulled her down with him and Claire sprawled out next to him, her mind still whirling. She had never even realized she knew so little about where Cam had grown up or what his life had been like before college until right now.

But now he was extending an invitation for her to see and experience it all first hand.

Claire turned her head and stared at her boyfriend. Claire knew that if she accepted, she wasn't just agreeing to a vacation. Cam was opening up to her, inviting her as his date to his best friend's wedding, introducing her to his family. Cam might not even mean what she was thinking he meant… that this was another step towards… well… the next step. But Claire knew that if she accepted, she was getting in deeper.

Claire brushed Cam's dark hair away from his forehead and leaned in so their foreheads were almost touching. She thought about it, about him. The way he looked on stage at their local coffee shop shows, strumming his guitar and dedicating his songs to her, the way he always seemed to fall asleep before the ending during their at-home movie nights, the way he licked his lips when he was nervous and the way he looked at her when she woke up in the morning.

She loved it. She loved him. She wanted it to continue. The only way was forward. There was only one answer.

"Okay," Claire whispered softly. A giddy laugh burst from her lips. "Yeah… Yeah, why not? Let's do this. Let's go to New York!"

Cam wrapped his arms around her and kissed her breathless in response.

##

"Wait, so you're finally taking me up on my offer and coming to visit me?!"

Her best friend squealed so loudly, Claire had to pull the phone away from her ear. After a round of excited lovemaking, Cam had headed out to pick them up some breakfast and Claire had taken the opportunity to call her old friend, Layne Abeley. They had both met in the same art class at the Institute of Chicago, and had become instant friends. But after graduation, Layne had moved back to New York, where she had been born and bred, to launch her own art charity, while Claire had stayed in Chicago after falling in love with the city.

"Yes," Claire laughed. "Well, no. Cam's the one who really convinced me. He wants me to be his date at his best friend's wedding."

"Oh my god," Layne gasped.

"No, Layne, stop," Claire rolled her eyes. "It's not what you think."

"Isn't it?" her friend asked her briskly. "I didn't even know you guys were that serious. I'm so out of the loop. And now you're flying to another state with him for his best friend's wedding? Are you meeting his parents too?"

Claire let the silence answer that.

"Claire!" Layne cried. "How are you not freaking out right now? This obviously means that things are getting serious—"

"It doesn't mean anything," Claire interrupted her glumly. But in all honestly, she wasn't even one hundred percent sure if it didn't. "You're blowing this way out of proportion. He just thought I needed a vacation and that it'd be great for me to catch up with you too."

"Sure," Layne said sarcastically. Claire didn't take offense; she knew her friend was just teasing. "You keep telling yourself that, Claire. I know you think Cam's all hipster or whatever, but he's a huge softy. It's nauseating watching the two of you together. This trip means something. To the both of you. So, ugh, gross. You guys are way too immature to get marr—"

As excited as Claire was at knowing the thoughts she had dreamed were validated, Claire wouldn't get her hopes up. She had never even entertained the notion of marriage with Cam. She cut off her friend. "Layne, stop!" she cried, feeling amused. "No one is getting married. Except his friend, I mean."

"Speaking of which, how well do you know this friend? Have you ever met him before?"

Claire leaned back against Cam's pillows and made a noise. "He's Cam's best friend since childhood. He mentions him a lot, but I've never met him, no."

"I can't believe you don't see what a big deal is." Claire could practically visualize her friend rolling her eyes in aggravation. "Jesus! Claire, this is like, the ultimate test. How do you not see this? ...So, where are you guys staying? At a hotel or oh my god, at his parents place?"

"Oh, I haven't even thought about that," she muttered, sinking down so that she was once again buried under blankets. "At a hotel, maybe?"

"Wait, where is his hometown again?" Layne asked. "Have you ever even told me before? I can't even remember. Is it far from the city?"

Claire furrowed her brow. Cam had always referred to it at New York, but she wracked her brain for more specifics. "I think it's, like, West Chester County or something. …I'm pretty sure."

"Westchester County, you mean?" Layne asked incredulously. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, that's it," Claire confirmed, staring at Cam's ceiling, wondering what was taking him so long. The coffee shop where they picked up their usual bagels were only a few blocks away. "Why?" she asked absentmindedly.

"Cause that's like Land of Trust Fund Brats," her friend replied.

Claire barely heard. Speak of the devil; Claire heard the jiggle of keys, signaling her boyfriend's return. She regretted leaving Layne so soon after calling her, but she was starving. She rolled out of bed, preparing to wrap up her call.

"What was this childhood friend's name of Cam's again?" Layne asked slowly.

"Uhm… Derrick," she answered. "Sorry, Layne, I gotta go, but I'll call you back as soon as I figure out the plan, okay?"

"Okay… Yeah, sure, sounds good. But wait, Derrick what, do you know?" Layne asked before she could say her goodbyes.

Claire blinked in confusion. "Derrick… Harrington? I think?" She shrugged. "Yeah, that sounds right. Anyways, sorry, Layne. Cam's brought Kaufman's and you know how I get over Kaufman's. I'll talk to you soon though."

"Yes, I do know how you get over Kaufman's," Layne sounded like she wanted to say more, but she stopped herself. "Alright. Call me when you have more details!"

"Will do. Bye!" Claire hung up with a smile and tossed her phone back onto Cam's bed, the smell of blueberry bagels drawing her out to the living room.

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Author's Note: Thank you so much lydiamartins, psychotic honeybadger of death, in perpetuum, outside of the crayon box, and twizzler addict for the reviews, you guys. Most questions will be answered very soon. Thanks for keeping in mind how AU this is. I'll expand more. But no really, thank you, the prologue was all exposition and background and must have been so boring, but I'm glad you let me know your thoughts! It's inspired me to write more. Next chapter is parents, I'm thinking.

Review if you like?