A/N: I originally posted this on my AO3 (CeceAsh), but I realized not everyone had an account over there, so I decided to post it here as well. Enjoy.
A/N: If you aren't watching the Carmilla web series, go YouTube it now and enjoy all the canon gay!
She didn't feel anything. She couldn't see anything. And she couldn't hear anything, except for the faint thoughts in her head. Is this was being dead is? Had her end finally come? She tried to focus and think back to what had gotten her here. For once in her three hundred and thirty-four years, her memory was fuzzy. What the Hell happened? The first thing to come to her mind was Maman. Right...she'd found her in Germany, studying in a cafe. It was time to return to Silas. She had almost forgotten. Almost. Right, so she had come back to Silas University. It's the year two-thousand-fourteen. Laura! Her roommate, and annoying, smart, brave, tiny, human crush.
What happened to her? Is she okay? What...oh. The missing girls, the bad dreams, The Light. She'd come back to the dorm to find Laura gone. Then Danny showed up, bursting through the door. Never before had she been happier to see the Beanstalk. They split up. The sword! Yes, she'd gone for the sword...and met at the Lustig. The pit. So huge, so bright with The Light. All her siblings fighting. All her friends fighting. Laura getting way too close to the pit. She shapeshifted into her cat form and grabbed the dirty blonde back from the edge. Then she looked at Laura, assuming this would be the last time. Spout out a sarcastic remark and ran.
The sword had been heavy in her hand. The metal still cold from its time a thousand feet below. Full speed, she had ran, avoiding her mother's minions. She needed to end this. Right here, right now. Lifting off the ground, she jumped over the edge and pierced The Light, slicing into it as she slid down, further into the put. A rumbling filled her ears, and light surrounded her. Everything was vibrating, she could feel it in the sword, that was now glowing a warm orange and getting hotter by the second. Then there was nothing. Darkness was all around her, filling every crevice until there was no hint of light anywhere. She waited. Waited for the ground to open up and swallow her. For Satan himself to drag her down into Hell, where she would burn for all eternity.
But still...nothing. Silence. Darkness. Only her thoughts as company. Was it over? Had she saved them? Had she saved Laura? Was she actually dead this time? There was no way for her to know. Maybe instead of Hell, this was her punishment. Never knowing if the one good thing she tried to do in life had actually meant something. Time seemed to pass slower than it had in the blood coffin. At least down there, every once in a while she'd hear something. A thunderstorm, or humans messing about. But here there was nothing. She had no concept of time. Either an hour had gone by, or a century. The realization that she may actually be stuck wherever she was for forever hit. But she couldn't cry. She couldn't do anything.
Suddenly, she had the vague sensation of someone touching her. What the Hell? Who was it and what the fuck did they want? She prayed for the first time since she was alive, that it wasn't her Maman coming back for revenge. Then, after a few minutes had passed, she recognized what was sunlight shining behind her eyelids. It stung her pupils, and if she could frown, she would. Being in the dark for so long made it ten times as bright as she guessed it actually was. Very faintly she felt the warmth of the sun on her skin, but as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. No. Not the dark again. If she could move, she would be panicking right about now. If she had a heartbeat, it would be pounding. And who the fuck was carrying her?!
She hadn't been around long enough to see which side of the battle was winning. It could be Willy Boy, taking her to Maman to finish the job. Or worse, put her back in a coffin of doom. She had to get out of here, wherever here was now. But she still couldn't move. She needed energy. She needed blood. Before she could think anything else, she felt herself be laid down on a soft and cool surface. Her best guess is that it is a bed. Suddenly hands were on her again, first on her arm, then on the back of her neck, pulling her up. Oh God, were they going to slice her throat?! Decapitate her?! If she wasn't dead now, then she surely would be after that!
She stopped freaking out when the familiar taste of blood splashed into her mouth. Whoever it was, they seemed to be helping her. While confused, she let the liquid run down her throat on it's own, not even having the strength to swallow. It tasted like heaven. Like it was her first drop in a hundred years. And it made her realize just how hungry she really was. She wanted nothing more than to gulp it down, draining whatever container it was coming from. Then it stopped. Maybe the supply had run out, which she really didn't want to think about while she was laying there, starving. If only she could get her body to do what she wanted, she'd beg for more. And begging was something she hadn't done since her mother had put her in that blood coffin.
Slowly but surely though, she regain more feeling in her body. The bed she was resting on became softer, and she could feel the knitted blanket below her fingertips. Also, every so often, the bed would shift, as if someone was sat down or got up. She willed her eyes to open, to know who it was that was taking mercy on her, but it wasn't until her heart started to slightly beat again that she was able to breathe, and for the first time since she had thrown herself into The Light, she could at least smell things again. Small wifs of sweat, blood, and...cookies, wafted to her nose. She knew that smell, but before she could pinpoint it in her mind, her head was lifted once again, and blood flowed into her mouth. Yes. This is what she needed.
Finally, she was able to swallow, and it was like a miracle had occurred. At least she was improving, little by little. But still, no matter how much blood she was given, it was never enough. The Light had sucked every bit of energy from her body, so no wonder it was taking so long to regain it. When hands touched her, she could now feel the individual fingers and the warmth that they provided. They were soft, unflinching, caring. And the better her senses became, the more that smell plagued her mind. It wasn't until the hand came back to her face, pushing away a lock of hair that was tickling her cheek, that it came back to her. Laura! She should have know.
But how? Did they win against the vampires? Or was this a trick? Her mother was known to play dirty after all. She willed her eyes to open to find out. She needed to know where she was and what had become of the tiny girl she had fallen in love with. Even she surprised herself with that confession. But it was true. No matter how hard she tried to deny it...that irritating, frustrating, God damn adorable girl had stolen her heart. And right now she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up in those arms, burying her face into her neck, not to bite, but to kiss, to smell, to nuzzle, and to kiss again. She wanted to make her hers. If Laura would have her, that is.
Again, blood came, and she swore she moaned at the feeling this time, although she didn't hear it, she felt the vibration in her throat. She was getting closer and closer to getting all of her senses back, and could now feel how much damage flinging herself into The Light had done. She was so incredible sore, every muscle in her body was aching, and for the first time was thankful that she couldn't move, knowing they would scream out in pain when she did. Typically if she was hurt, it would take a few hours for her to fully heal, but this was...bad. She had never been hurt like this in all of her years, so her guess was as good as anyone's.
Not long after than, a different set of hands started touching her. They were slightly rougher than the ones that had been so carefully touching her before, and were feeling her lower limbs. It didn't take long for her to determine that whoever it was was checking for serious damage. Squeezing, poking, and prodding her body. She hated being touched on any regular day, but this was just too much. She felt her throat vibrate again, but she didn't know if she'd let out a growl or a whimper. It hurt, and she wished those hands, that were now checking her arms, would just go away. It didn't take much to determine, if she really was in her and Laura's room, that it was most likely LaFontaine.
She didn't want to be angry at them for trying to help, but if they knew what kind of pain she was experiencing, maybe they would think twice about it. Finally, when those hands left her body, the softer ones made a return, gently resting on her own, thumb softly rubbing circles onto her skin. Now she had no doubt in her mind, it was Laura. She'd only touched those hands a few times in her months at Silas this time around, but now that she was more aware of her surroundings, she knew. And she was okay. As was LaF, but what about everyone else? Even though she wasn't fond of Danny the Beanstalk, she hoped that her and Perry were okay too. In truth, the Dimwit Squad were the closest thing she had to friends...so it would suck it they had died. No matter how irritating they are.
But with knowing that Laura was safe now, it was like all of the tension had left her body, and a huge wave of exhaustion came over her. She didn't want to give into it, wanting to stay as present as she could be, needing to keep feeling Laura's hands on her, but she was slipping away. Thankfully, she lasted long enough to swallow another round of blood before blacking out. When she woke up, she wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it didn't matter. Her body wasn't as sore anymore, and to make things better, she could feel a warm body pressed up against her, even breaths hitting her neck. She felt herself smile, inhaling Laura's scent.
Wait, she can smile! Then she smiled even more because she could finally move her damn face again. Trying anothing thing, she moved her fingers one at a time. Then her toes, that were still confined to her boots. Then, finally, she peeled her eyes open, revealing their dark dorm room that was now only lit by one lamp. Her vision was fuzzy for a little bit, but she waited it out. Eventually, they cleared and she let out a breath, appreciating the fact that, not only could she see what was going on now, but also that she was actually still alive, and not dead in the pit, left for someone, or worse, her mother, to find her and torture her for ruining everything.
Swallowing, she slowly turned her head, her neck still achy, but a lot less pained than before, and looked around the room. It looked about the same as it did when she last saw it. Maybe a bit cleaner, which was no doubt due to Perry. Speaking of, her and LaF were currently asleep in her bed, looking like they passed out before they could even get under the covers. Perry looked fine, though she slept with a worried expression, and she wondered if the curly-haired woman ever relaxed. Next to her, LaF seemed to be sleeping just fine, even though she had a dark bruise under her left eye. Then she noticed Xena, laying on the hardwood floor in between the beds, and using what looked like a bookbag as a pillow. She also had an injury. A red line and bruising that went right across her nose.
Battle wounds. She hated to think what she looked like when she came out of the pit. And then she turned her attention was Laura. Sweet Laura, laying next to her, as close as she could be without putting much pressure on her body. While she was thankful of the consideration, especially because it definitely would have hurt earlier, all she wanted now was to press their bodies close together and hold her, never letting go. And of course, as if the blonde knew she was being thought about, she woke up, leaving behind a little pool of drool on the pillow, and looked up into the vampire's eyes. Her eyes widened and she sat up so fast it was surprising she didn't give herself whiplash. Then her lips were moving, but no sound was coming out.
She frowned, wondering why she couldn't hear her. Everything should be healed...right? Even though she hadn't heard Laura, the others did, and all of a sudden three more pairs of eyes were on her, all looking like they were talking at once. She tried her best to focus on Laura and what she was saying, but as always, the girl was talking too fast to make out anything. Gathering up the energy for a moment, she focused on getting her arm to move, which sloppily made its way up to her ear. She didn't know what to find, but she stuck her finger in and wiggled it around, as if it was just wax that was blocking the way, but when she did, she yelped and withdrew her her hand.
That had caught the attention of the four standing over her, and when she looked back at her hand, there was fresh and dried blood on her finger. Shit. Laura immediately produced a tissue, seemingly out of nowhere, and wiped the blood off. Then mouths moved again, this time everyone looking at LaF, as if wanting an explanation. Though by the look on their face, they didn't seem to have one at that particular moment. She chose this moment to try and speak. Taking ahold of Laura's hand, she drew the girl's attention back to her, in an instant.
"I...can't hear...anything." She said.
Or at least that's what she thinks she said. Her mouth felt dry, and she could only hear and feel the vibration of her voice, not the actual words she was making. But it seemed like she said them well enough for the four to understand. Their words with each other seemed more frantic now. Feeling the dryness in her throat, she coughed, instantly giving herself a headache. God damn it. Couldn't she catch a break? The next thing that she knew, Laura was waving a glass full of blood in the air. Her lips moved, asking her a question, but since she couldn't hear, all she could do was reach out for it. Laura gently put her hand down on the bed, out of the way, and like she had done earlier, wrapped her hand around the vampire's neck and lifted her head up so she could drink without choking.
She drank one cup, then two, then three, so fast and easily before she started feeling a little better, but again, the exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. As the four girls turned into two, she assumed that Danny had gone back to her room now that she knew the Mistress of the Snark was okay, and it looked as though Laura had asked LaF to go and get more blood, leaving Perry and the blonde to look after her. It wasn't like she was going anywhere in such a condition, but before she passed out once again, found Laura's hand and squeezed, trying to convey that she was alight. Then back to sleep she went, thinking about the girl she loved.
The next time she woke up, it was still dark. Or by the looks of Laura having changed clothes, it was dark again. Had she really slept all day? Not that it wasn't something that she hadn't done before. But this time rather than laziness, it was necessity that she'd stayed asleep. Her body felt ten times better, the achiness almost all gone, she was just slightly stiff from keeping the same position for so long. She stretched and yawned, which had gotten the attention of the blonde, who turned around from the desk where she was standing, and smiled down at her with that cute as fuck smile of hers. That face alone made everything she'd done, and all the pain she'd been through worth it.
Then her expression fell a little, and spoke. Still, she couldn't hear a word that was uttered, and Laura caught on quick this time, pointing to her own ear. She shook her head at the blonde, which made her face fall even more. It looked to be that her hearing was probably gone for good, or else it was just so badly damaged, that it was going to take a lot more time to heal. She hoped it was the latter, because she wasn't prepared to never hear Laura's voice again. To try and reassure her that she was fine, at least, as fine as she could be at the moment, she sat up in bed. For the first time, she saw the rest of her body, which clothes were covered in dirt and dried blood, and torn up. What the Hell had happened to her in the pit? She may never know.
Moving to stand, Laura stepped back out of her way, though holding her hand out at the ready in case she needed it. She sighed, it felt good to finally stretch, but she had another motive in mind. As smoothly as she could, she took ahold of Laura's hand, pulling her closer until they were chest to chest, and looked down at those big, shiny eyes. Without hesitation, she used both of her hands to reach up, grasping Laura's face, and leaning down to kiss her. The girl instantly reacted, her knees weakening slightly, and her arms wrapping around the vampire's waist to hold them together. It was better than she had imagined it would be, not feeling this alive since she was well...actually alive. When they parted, smiled matched before Laura cradled the back of her head and pulled her into another kiss.
She could really get used to this, already addicted to the way their lips slid against each other's. Biting Laura's bottom lip, she couldn't help but smile. She was the first girl in a hundred and fifty years that made her feel this way. Granted deventy of those she was stuck in a coffin in the ground, but still, it didn't make what she felt for Laura any less meaningful. Sure, she had loved Ell, but Laura challenged her in a way that she hadn't been before. She was so stubborn and brave, never backing down from a dangerous task, or just a dumb fight with her equally as stubborn vampire roommate. And she wouldn't have it any other way. She loved that spark of fire in Laura, that no matter who or what tried to extinguish it, kept on going, stronger than ever.
It took two more weeks of taking it easy, drinking twice the amount of blood as usual, letting her body fully repair itself. Her hearing slowly came back, but only about halfway. She could hear, just not that well. LaFontaine ended up putting together a special hearing aid for her, and although she refused at first, Laura had talked her into using it just once to see if it would actually help. Since then, she's worn it pretty much every day, if only to be able to hear the blonde going on a rant about this or that. And if the redheads got on her nerves at all, she was happy that she could take the hearing aid out, making their voices mere whispers as she read her books. All in all, things had turned out alright. Not perfect, obviously, but still much better than any of them could have anticipated. And for once in her life, she was looking forward to what the future brought her.