I'm gonna kill her. That was the thought running through Carmilla's head as she climbed out of the ocean with the Blade of Hastur in her hand. Of course Laura would be stupid enough to run off and try to stop this on her own. She should have seen it coming and cuffed her to the bed or something. Although, if she was being honest, her tenacity was one of the qualities Carmilla admired the most in her…but still. She was going to get herself killed trying to stop something that can't be stopped.
"And you're going to get yourself killed trying to help her," she muttered as she looked down at the weapon she'd just retrieved. "What the hell are you thinking…?" She shook her head. She knew what she was thinking. She was thinking of how devastated she'd been when her mother had taken Elle. It took her over a century to allow herself to feel those feelings again. She would be damned if she was going to lose Laura without a fight.
She took a deep breath and pulled the wet hair out of her face. She had a few hundred miles to cover and only about ten minutes to cover them…with a battle likely waiting at the other end. "Well," she said as she rolled her shoulders. "That girl's not going to save herself." She closed her eyes and gripped the sword tight before racing back the way she'd come roughly half an hour earlier.
When she reached the Lustig building she could hear the sounds of a battle raging. It was still rather far away, but clearly the fighting was still going on which meant she wasn't too late. She raced into the basement and the cave system below it, following the sounds of the battle. She was almost there when the rumbling started. "Oh shit…" she muttered. Rumbling was never good. She turned into the cat of Laura's dreams to increase her speed over the remaining distance.
When she reached the main room, she had to pause as she was overtaken by a bright light. After allowing her eyes to adjust, she saw something that made her gasp. Laura and the others (the ones who were still alive anyway) were staring at the light, transfixed on it and walking toward it as though under a spell of some kind. Humans and their weak resolves, she thought with a hint of disgust. She didn't dwell on that for long, though. She needed to find Laura. It didn't take long. She had long ago memorized the girl's scent and she quickly honed in on it, finding her about a hundred yards away, closer to the light than anyone else who had been fighting with her. Of course she was. Little Miss Nancy Drew would be the one leading the rest of these people into battle. Hell, she'd been leading the charge on this mess all semester. Carmilla raced toward her, grabbing her by the scruff of the neck and pulling her away from the light.
This was apparently enough to snap Laura out of her trance and she looked up in time for Carmilla to change back to her human form and pick up the sword, which seemed to be absorbing the light…eating it. She looked down at Laura, about to say something mildly clever when a scream broke her concentration. She looked up and saw her mother looking at her with fire in her eyes. She shifted into a swarm of crows and came at her. Cleverness would have to wait. Now it was time for some long overdue teenage rebellion.
To say that the claws on the swarm her mother turned into didn't hurt would be a lie. They hurt like hell. And the dialogue was a torture in and of itself, riddled with clichés about how she was a terrible daughter, a disappointment, 'I gave you everything, blah blah blah'. But Carmilla didn't let it stop her as she channeled all the anger she had been building up since Elle into her attacks, eventually weakening her mother just enough to force her to the edge of the pit where she shifted back into her human form. Not wasting any time, Carmilla raised the sword again, hitting her mother in the face with the hilt and knocking her back into the pit.
Again, the urge to say something clever overcame Carmilla and she was about to give into it when she looked up and the words caught in her throat. There, standing before her, was Elle. The girl she'd lost so long ago. The girl she'd loved. The girl she had heard the others describe, but had never seen herself. She was reaching out to her, calling to her…'come with me' she said. 'Come with me, Carmilla. And we can be together.'
Tears formed in her eyes. There before her was her love. And she was saying the words Carmilla had always wished to hear…the words that would ensure their happy ending…And it's likely she would have taken Elle's out stretched hand, had it not been for a flash of a face before her eyes. Laura. She was here to save Laura. Elle was gone…No, she was dead. Had been for a long time. And whatever the thing infront of her was, it was not the girl she had loved all those years ago. She turned to her roommate…her friend…her new love and saw the worry on her face.
This time, when the urge came, Carmilla gave in to it. "You know," she smirked. "I am really starting to hate this 'heroic vampire' crap." Then, turning back toward the light, she took one step backward and then ran toward the edge of the pit, leaping toward the light, Blade of Hastur raised over her head. She wasn't really sure what she was supposed to stab, but the blade seemed to know. She let it lead her and it found its mark.
A scream like nothing she had ever heard filled the cavern, coming from every spirit, Elle included. And the light seemed to penetrate her…and then there was nothing but darkness. Darkness and the vague sensation of falling…but mostly darkness. There were voices too…but they were far away, fading, impossible to understand…the only thing that was clear in her mind as everything else faded in and out was Laura. Laura was safe…not matter what else happened, she did for Laura what she hadn't been able to do for Elle…she had saved her…
The next thing she felt was a sensation similar to flying...brightness…warmth…more voices, a little clearer, vaguely familiar…then someone was lifting her head and blood was being poured down her throat…and things slowly started coming into focus…and she immediately wished they hadn't.
Her head felt like there was a whole drumline pounding away in there…and every muscle in her body ached as she sat up. It was like every hangover she'd ever had had decided to come back for an encore all at once. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking. There was something familiar about her surroundings…and there were people here. She turned and saw the face that had been clearest in her mind in the cavern. Laura. And immediately Carmilla knew where she was: In her room, on Laura's bed, with Laura, Danny and Perri standing over her. "Well…that was a kick," she said weakly as she moved to the edge of the bed, rubbing her head.
She winced a little as Laura slammed into her, hugging her, but the pain was short-lived and totally worth it. She was alive. Laura was alive. They had stopped her mother and whatever that light monster was…Laura took a step back and Carmilla looked up at her. They stared for a moment, then Laura spoke.
"Hey."
Carmilla smiled. She had actually managed to render Laura speechless. Add that to the list of miracles for today. "Hey," she said, looking into Laura's eyes. She was vaguely aware of Perri and Danny leaving, and then Laura started babbling, but Carmilla wasn't really listening to what she was saying. It didn't matter. She was alive. Laura was alive. They had both made it. She slowly got to her feet, keeping her gaze on Laura and slowly moving closer. Her body seemed to be resisting what she wanted it to do, as though the fantasy would never live up to the reality, but still she pressed on. She gently cupped Laura's face in her hands and leaned in and kissed her, her heart leaping as she felt Laura kiss her back. It was real. She was alive. Laura was alive… They were going to be alright.
She pulled back and smiled at Laura, who almost immediately started babbling again. Carmilla smiled and leaned in, kissing her again to shut her up. Laura let out a small squeal of excitement and moved closer and Carmilla's heart leapt again. After a few more seconds, she pulled back again, hoping that Laura got the message this time.
She got her answer a few moments later when Laura moved in, kissing her. So this is what a happy ending feels like, Carmilla thought as she returned the kiss. When Laura broke it off, she took a quarter step back. "Wow," she said, staring into Carmilla's eyes, again left momentarily speechless. But only momentarily.
"So you're a giant black cat, huh?" she blurted out, causing Carmilla to roll her eyes and let out a small laugh. Well…maybe it wasn't a fairy tale ending, but it was close enough.