Now

(Six Weeks to Go)

Carmilla made her way to the bathroom as soon as she entered the building and had dropped off her bags in the lineup of fighters waiting to have them checked for contraband. She splashed some cold water on her face and then studied herself in the mirror.

"Get it together, Karnstein, you can do this," she told herself.

She wandered back out into the holding area and rejoined the lineup. When finally it was her turn she lifted her bags onto the table for them to check.

"Only three packs of smokes for six weeks?" the woman checking her bag questioned.

"It's already more than I need as I only plan on having one a day," she replied.

"Fair enough," the woman replied with a smile. "You're good to go, good luck."

"Thanks," she answered and gathered her things to wait with the others. She looked around and counted, sixteen fighters; they must be waiting for Dana.

A few of the fighters seemed to know each other while others stood making awkward conversation with women they'd just met. She recognized a few of them; Tecia Torres, Joanne Calderwood and Carla Esparza, the former Invicta strawweight champion, among them. The women she didn't recognize she decided not to concern herself with too much. She noticed that several of them seemed to have recognized her and were giving her odd looks but didn't have time to question it as they were ushered into the gym proper.

She mimicked the other fighters and took a look around the gym as they made their way over to where Dana White stood. It was big, sure, but her gym was nicer. But then again, maybe she was biased. She, along with everyone else listened intently as Dana welcomed them and gave them the plan for the day. Once he was done Carmilla tentatively raised her hand in the air to ask a question.

"Karnstein, right?" he asked as he acknowledged her.

"Yes, sir," she replied with a nod, "I was wondering if we're going to get a chance to warm up first?"

Dana looked to the coaches on each side of him before answering.

"She's got a point, mind losing half an hour?" They both shook their heads. "Alright, after you all warm up we'll split the group in half so the coaches can get to know you a little before they make their team picks."

Carmilla, unlike most of the other fighters had come ready to work out so grabbed her wrist wraps and gloves from her bag, threw her bags off to the side, dropped her wraps and gloves next to closest treadmill and was already at a quick jog before most of others had even started.

She let her mind wander as she upped the speed and took stock of her cast mates. There were a lot of things she was going to miss; first and foremost, Laura and everything that came with her. She wasn't sure how she was going to sleep alone and the thought of Laura alone in their big bed at home almost brought her to tears. She shook her head and upped the speed again.

Carmilla had learned long ago that there were things worth stressing about and things that weren't. Yes, she could worry herself sick thinking about what was going on at home but there was no point. She couldn't do anything more than trust that Laura, and everyone else, could handle whatever came their way. No, the only thing she could control was here and now. While they might be split into teams, MMA was an individual sport. Yes, good coaches helped but only as much as she was able to learn from them. It was up to her to perform, no one else. Unfortunately she didn't only have to perform in the cage; for her plan to work she had to tell her story and tell it well. She had to make people care if she was ever to see Deanna brought to justice.

She was abruptly torn from her thoughts as a towel landed across her hands. She hit the stop button and stepped off the treadmill as she sought out who had thrown the towel.

"Time's up," an Aussie accent announced.

"Oh," she smiled in her direction, "Thanks," she held out her hand after wiping it on the towel. "Bec Hyatt, right?"

"Yeah, and you're Carmilla Karnstein," Bec answered as she shook her hand. "A bunch of us were already in town a couple of weeks ago and got to see your fight."

"Ah," she chuckled as they made their way over to the others, "that explains the weird looks I was getting."

"Naw, just surprised to see you here so soon after two great fights in two weeks," Bec confided.

Dana motioned the fighters to quieten and then separated the group in two. She got lucky and was in the same group as Bec. She'd done her research on the few fighters she thought might be on the show and Bec was someone whose heart in a fight she admired. Not many fighters took short notice fights, let alone for a belt, but she had and had held her own. She also knew a little of Bec's background; the Aussie had recently gotten out of abusive relationship. It might not be the nicest of common ground, but if she was to tell anyone her story, Bec might be a sympathetic ear.

Her group was paired with Anthony Pettis and his coaches first. He explained that he'd come around and talk to each of them as his team put them through fitness and grappling drills. Once the fitness part was done the eight women paired up, Carmilla and Bec choosing each other, and started grappling on the mat. Carmilla was holding her own, but only because she suspected it was also a weakness of Bec's.

"Hold up," Anthony interrupted them, "Karnstein, right?" she nodded. "You stole my move."

"With all due respect," she replied evenly, "mine was an elbow and it ended the fight."

"Right," he nodded crisply, "don't want you on my team." He looked to Bec. "Hyatt?" She nodded. "What team you want?"

"If that's how you treat people, not yours," she replied.

"Done," he replied and left.

"What was that about?" Bec laughed.

"Ego?" she shrugged. "Don't know, don't care," she nodded in his direction. "The only person who controls how well I do in here, is me." She looked back to Bec. "You didn't have to do that."

"He was being a dick," she replied, "I don't want to train with him."

"Yes," she thought, "but we might end up with him if Melendez picks our opponent." But Bec didn't know that. "Oh well, I'll deal."

Soon enough the coaches traded off and immediately she liked Gilbert better. He took the women into the ring and had them do striking drills while he asked them questions. Carmilla tried to answer his questions as best she could but she was concentrating more on hitting the pads as hard as she could; she wanted to make an impression, not just on her perspective coach, but on the other fighters. She had no idea how many of them had seen her fight with Rose, however she wanted to leave little doubt in any of their minds that she belonged there and deserved her ranking.

Finally the coaches were done and went off to confer with their team about who they wanted. Carmilla and the other fighters waited patiently, none of them talking, and many of them looking tired. She smiled and took a drink of water; "Wow," she thought, "if that's all it takes to tire them out, I might just do okay."

Dana and the coaches rejoined them and the little bit of whispering died down as Dana went to speak.

"So things are happening a little differently this season," he began. "Since this is a tournament for the belt you've all been ranked," he paused as that sank in. "What this means is that, once a coach picks a fighter, the opposite team automatically gets the fighter they're to face in the first round," he looked around and seeing that some didn't understand, explained further; "In a tournament of this style, the fighter ranked number one, will fight the sixteenth seeded fighter, and so on." He waited until the muttering died down. "We'll flip a coin, winner gets to choose first fighter or the first fight," he looked to the coaches who both nodded and watched as the coin flew through the air and then landed Melendez side up. "First fighter or first fight?"

"First fight," Gilbert Melendez replied.

"Alright," Dana said as he looked to Pettis, "you get first fighter."

Pettis looked at his list a moment; "Carla," he announced.

Dana looked at his list; "Carla is ranked number one and will be fighting number sixteen, Angela Hill.

Carmilla wasn't surprised at the pick, or their rankings. Carla was the former Invicta champion and she'd never heard of Angela.

"I'll take Tecia Torres," Melendez interrupted her thoughts.

"Tecia is ranked third and will be fighting number fourteen seed, Randa Markos," Dana supplied and again the two fighters faced off in front of him.

"My next pick is Joanne Calderwood," Pettis informed them.

"Joanne is ranked second and will be facing off against number fifteen seed Emily Kagan," Dana stated.

"I'll take Carmilla Karnstein," Melendez said, smiling at the look of disbelief she was sure was on her face; she hadn't expected to be picked so early. Judging by the whispers among the fighters, she wasn't the only one.

"Carmilla is ranked seventh," more muttering was heard at Dana's announcement, "and will be fighting number ten seed Alex Chambers."

As Alex came to join her in front of Dana and faced off she chanced a glance at the other fighters, many of whom were still whispering. Only Bec caught her eye and smiled. She met Alex's eyes and saw someone who was trying to act tougher than she was. Carmilla smiled, shook her hand and wished her luck before going to stand beside Tecia.

She watched as the rest of the fighters were sorted, pleased when Bec ended up on her team a few picks later, Pettis having picked her opponent.

Once all the picks were done Dana announced that there would be two performance bonuses of twenty-five thousand, as well as a fight of the season bonus, with both fighters getting paid. Then, just to up the stakes a little more, as if the World Championship wasn't enough, the winner would get their very own, brand new, custom built Harley Davidson motorcycle. He waited for the murmuring to die down again and then looked to Melendez to pick the first fight; Torres versus Markos.

Dana offered a few more words of encouragement and then sent them off to settle into their home of the next six weeks. As she and her teammates piled into one of the vans, she sighed; that was another thing she'd have to cope with, living with fifteen other women, in one house. Not to mention the ever present camera crew.

"Oh well," she thought and looked out the window, "I knew what I was getting into."

She and the others made their way into the house and chose their rooms. Already Carmilla was getting annoyed being around so many people so decided to stay on her bunk and decorate her wall with the various pictures she'd brought. She smiled as she placed them one by one on the wall. She had a few pictures of her and Laura, and several more of her friends holding signs of encouragement. She wasn't just here for herself, no, she was here for all of them. If she managed to get Deanna brought to justice they'd all be free.

Eventually she made her way downstairs for something to eat and to socialize. In reality she was just biding her time until nine o'clock when she could find a quiet spot outside to look at the moon and think of Laura. She made herself something light to eat and sought out Bec's company on the patio. They didn't really talk much, just listened to the various conversations around them.

Carmilla started when the alarm on her watch went off at eight forty five, causing Bec beside her to jump as well.

"Got somewhere to be?" Bec joked.

"Come with me and I'll explain," she offered as she stood. As they ascended the stairs she explained; "My girlfriend, Laura, and I made a promise; every night at nine o'clock, no matter what we're doing, we'll try to go outside, look at the moon, and think about each other." She looked to Bec to gauge her reaction as they entered their bedroom. "We expanded on it a bit," she continued as she took a cigarette out. "We both smoke when we're stressed," she took out her journal, "and she sprung this one on me this morning," she said as she showed her the journal. "We're going to write to each other."

"You sound like you miss her already," Bec observed.

"We've barely spent any time apart in the time we've been together," she replied, "I feel like a piece of me is missing," she admitted sadly.

"I feel the same way about my kids," Bec offered, "We'll help each other through it, yeah?"

"Thanks," Carmilla replied sincerely and offered the Aussie a hug, "nice to know I've got a friend in here."

"Do you want company?" Bec asked as they parted.

"Maybe another time," Carmilla replied; she really wanted some alone time with her thoughts but knew that having Bec join her at some point would be a good way to introduce her story.

They wandered back downstairs together, splitting up as Carmilla went to grab a Corona. She opened it a put a couple slices of lime inside before heading outside to find a spot where she could both see the moon and have enough light to write by. She wandered out towards the pool, scanning the sky for the moon as she went. Once she'd found it she looked back to the pool's edge, found a lounge chair and went to drag it next to a light. She settled herself into her chair and tried to ignore the camera crew about ten feet away. She lit her smoke, inhaled and closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the chair.

As she exhaled she felt two fat tears roll down her cheeks. Carmilla sighed and wiped them from her face. She looked up to the moon, her vision still watery and thought; "I hope you're looking at the moon, baby, I miss you so much." She felt her chest tighten and suddenly felt as though she was on the verge of breaking out in all out sobs. She looked down and rubbed her chest with her free hand, took a deep, but shaky, breath before taking another drag of her smoke and looking back to the moon. "We'll be okay," she reassured herself, "we have to be."

Then

(Six Weeks Ago)

Laura woke in roughly the same position she'd fallen asleep in; on her right side, her broken arm resting on her yellow pillow, her head on Carmilla's right arm and her left arm around her waist. She turned her head, kissed the inside of Carmilla's elbow and then carefully moved the arm from around her waist. Which, given she was using her left, was not an easy task. She sighed as she realized it wasn't about to get any easier as she awkwardly rolled to her back. She meant to roll to her other side next so that she could watch Carmilla sleep, but between her complaining bladder and how hard it had been to get to her back in the first place, she decided to get up instead. Which, of course, was another trial when she sat up and had to wait several minutes for the room to stop spinning.

She grabbed her sling from the bedside table, slipped it over her head and adjusted her arm inside it. She sighed deeply as she stood and then waited for the room to stop spinning again. "Fucking Oxy," she thought and made a mental note to call the Doc and request something weaker; she couldn't do her job if she was too stoned to think straight. She slowly and quietly made her way out of the bedroom, closed the door behind her and then crossed the apartment to the other bathroom. It wasn't even five yet and she didn't want to wake Carmilla.

She washed her right hand the best she could and then studied her reflection in the mirror. She looked like she felt; like she'd been hit by a train while stoned out of her tree. She could barely distinguish her eye color her pupils were so dilated. She shook her head as she dampened a washcloth with cold water and used it to wipe her face.

"Well," she thought, "no point trying to go back to sleep."

She went into the spare bedroom, slipped on a robe and grabbed her phone. She looked for her keys before remembering they were in her bag which was still in the Jeep. Laura walked back into the living room and spotted Carmilla's keys on the table beside the door. She briefly considered checking on her sleeping girlfriend but decided not to when she realized she probably wouldn't want to leave her side.

"My girlfriend," she smiled and shook her head; she wasn't looking forward to talking to her Dad. He'd been against her getting directly involved from the beginning but she'd argued, that the more desperate Deanna becomes, the more danger Carmilla would be in. While they'd had great success the last couple of years helping and guiding Carmilla without her, but more importantly, Deanna's knowledge, Laura reasoned if she were to become a part of Carmilla's inner circle she'd be in a far better position to keep her safe. Though, granted, she'd gotten far closer than any of them had expected.

Laura made her way into her bedroom once she reached her apartment and started throwing everything she wanted to take to Carmilla's on the bed. She let her task distract her, for a little while, from the call she had to make to her father. She was saved further procrastinating, however, when her phone starting playing, 'Taking Care of Business'.

"Hey Dad," she greeted.

"Hey honey, how you feeling?" he asked.

It wasn't the first thing she expected him to say, but she'd take it.

"Not too bad," she replied, "a little sore but the Oxy I took before bed still has me a little stoned."

"Want to tell me what the hell you were thinking yesterday?" he questioned calmly.

"I saw Bruce pull up as we were heading into the bush," she explained. "I was worried he somehow got ahead of us."

"Goddamn it, Laura, you need to start trusting me," he said with an edge. "I might not be as young as you but I also wasn't alone out there. We had him in our sights the entire time; if he'd so much as come close to either of you we'd have taken him down in a heartbeat."

"What aren't you telling me?" she queried. "Why are you so worried about this guy?"

"We figured out who he is," he replied reluctantly, "and he's far more dangerous than we realized. He's got a list of warrants for his arrest as long as my arm. Everything from petty theft to aggravated rape," he took a deep breath. "He murdered his last victim."

"Crap," Laura muttered. "We can't wait for proof any longer."

"What do you suggest?"

"I think it's time to talk to Rick," she started. "He's helped us before, with things about to get worse, maybe it's time to bring him into the fold. Besides, Frank already has a working relationship with him and Carm trusts his judgement." She considered their next move before sharing it with her father. "I have an idea," she said thoughtfully, "you're going to mention wanting to go to the Aquarium tomorrow and we're going to make sure that Carm notices him. Once she does she'll probably have the cameras checked around the gym and realize he's been following us since shortly after we picked Will up at the airport."

"Speaking of which," he interrupted, "Frank called to warn me about a few reporters already camping out at YVR."

"Seriously?" she sighed. She'd meant what she'd told Carmilla the night before; it was time to face the press head on. The only problem was, every time they did, Laura was more exposed as well. It was only a matter of time before someone recognized her. "Maybe we can use it to our advantage," she offered. "Have Frank call Carmilla to warn her about the vultures and tell her you're now flying into Abbotsford."

"She'll probably notice Bruce following you on the highway," he deduced, the pride clear in his voice, "that's perfect."

"Let's give Rick until Tuesday to get everything set up and if she hasn't figured it out by then you can mention it to her," Laura further suggested. "I'll probably have to see the Doc by then anyway so we'll have an excuse to go downtown."

"Yeah, about that."

"What?" she questioned.

"He said he shouldn't have released you last night," he admitted sadly. "You sure you're feeling okay?"

"No," she sighed, "which is the other reason I want to wait until Tuesday. I doubt I can go without the meds for at least a couple of days but I should be able to manage by then."

"I'm worried about you sweetie, about what's going to happen when you tell her the truth, or worse, she finds out from someone else," he confided.

"Who's going to tell her?" she countered. "You? Dark? Frank?" She sighed. "We've spent just as much time covering our tracks as we have actually helping them. The only way she's going to find out is if we tell her."

"And you know that you can't, not yet," he reminded her.

"I'm not an idiot," she replied dryly.

"I know honey, but I also know it can't be easy," he prodded.

"Lying to the woman I love every single day?" she answered edgily. "Sucks."

"I did try to warn you."

"I know," she sighed. "But Dad? If, in the end, she hates me and never wants to speak to me or see me again," she smiled, "at least I'll have had this time with her and I'll always remember how happy I was. As long as we accomplish what we set out to do, I can live with the sacrifice."

"You know what I think?" he asked. "I think, if she loves you even a fraction of how much you love her, that she'll find a way to forgive you."

"I hope so."

"If she's anything like her mother," he replied, "she will." He let the silence stretch a moment before changing the topic. "I need to get moving if I'm going to get things sorted out and get out to Abbotsford."

"Yeah, me too," she answered. "Daddy?"

"Yeah pumpkin?" he replied affectionately.

"Thanks for not giving me too hard a time about this, about me and Carm, I mean."

"Do you love her?" he asked.

"I think I've been in love with her since the first time I laid eyes on her," she blushed.

"That's definitely something you need to include when you tell her the truth," he suggested, "and it certainly explains why you've always been so passionate about all this." He paused a moment. "Just, don't let it cloud your judgement. You can't protect her if you run off half-cocked and get yourself hurt," he sighed, "again." He chuckled. "I still can't believe she managed to carry you out at a jog."

"Yes, and she's paying for it now," she replied ruefully. "She won't be able to train for at least a few days."

"Is she injured or just sore?" he asked, concerned.

"Sore," she replied. "And that's the most frustrating part of all this," she admitted. "She was making such amazing progress and now I can't train with her anymore."

"You can still teach her," he countered.

"Not without her figuring out how much Martial Arts training I really have," she differed. "It doesn't matter; she's so convinced Danny's the mole, I doubt she'll have much trouble with her."

"She called me this morning, Danny I mean," he informed her.

"What did she have to say?"

"More of the same shit whoever called last night said," he replied. "She does seem to care about you though."

"I know," Laura sighed, "but there isn't much I can do about it right now. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure, honey, take care," he replied and hung up.

She looked over her shoulder and saw how much stuff she'd accumulated to take up to Carmilla's and realized it would take far too long to carry it all herself. She dialed the gym's number in hopes that either Dark or Kirsch could give her a hand.

"Hey midget two, why you up so early?" Dark questioned.

"Midget two?" she laughed.

"You know, like 'thing one and thing two'?" he joked.

"Brat!" she teased. "Can you or Kirsch come up to help me with some stuff I want to take up to Carm's?"

"Fucking dykes and their U-Hauls," he teased. "Yeah, I'm just helping Kirsch open the gym, give me five minutes."

"Thanks sweetie," she replied warmly.

She went to the kitchen to grab a couple bags and a larger one for her arm so she could take a shower. She'd gotten most of her stuff packed up before she heard Dark call a hello from the living room.

"In here!" she responded.

"Wow!" he remarked. "You got a lot done for a one-armed midget," he joked.

"Not the first time I've broken an arm," she admitted and sat on the bed. "I broke my arm in a pillow fight on the day of New Year's Eve when I was ten," she laughed at his look of disbelief. "I'm serious, hit me straight on and I had a hairline fracture," she explained. "My parents didn't think it could possibly be broken so it took a few days before they took me to get it checked," she shook her head. "I was supposed to get a small cast but as the doctor was putting it on he turned my arm and I screamed," she shrugged, "ended up with a cast almost as big as this one but on my right arm."

"You really are a clutz, aren't you?" he teased.

"You're not much better," she sighed sadly.

"Hey, you okay?"

"No," she admitted with a sniff. "Dark, there's something I need to tell you," she started and looked down. "I was, um, I was there the night you stepped off the Granville Bridge."

"What?!" he exclaimed in shock.

"I was trying to work up the nerve to talk to you, despite my father's wishes, and I," she shook her head and wiped away a tear, "I couldn't get to you in time."

"You the reason the ambulance showed up so quickly?" She nodded. "Thank you."

"But I could have..."

"Laura, stop," he interrupted, "that accident was no one's fault. If you'd managed to grab hold of me I would have just taken you with me and then neither of us would be here now for Carm." He smiled and put an arm around her shoulder. "Besides, you still saved my life," she looked at him skeptically. "You got me help when no one else was around."

"I guess," she sighed again.

"Laura, look," he prodded and waited for her to meet his eyes, "it was only you and your Dad back then, right?" She nodded. "Then I was lucky you were there at all."

"Dark?"

"Yeah midget two?"

"Thanks," she slipped her arm around his waist and squeezed, "for being a friend, for helping, for not telling Carm the truth."

"First off, I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for her and Will," he replied warmly, "and second, I won't tell Carm until you're ready to. I get that you're scared that you'll lose her when she finds out. Hell, I'm terrified of what she's going to do to me when she finds out that I already knew and was helping you," he laughed and shook his head. "I love her, Laura, like a sister, and we've been to hell and back so many times together that we know the way by heart," he smiled. "If you, your Dad and everyone else can help stop that?" He smiled. "I'm happy to piss her off."

"I really hope she sees that," Laura said sadly.

"She'll be angry, at first," he admitted, "but she loves you and she'll get over it. Actually, I think she'll be quite impressed all you've manage to do without her knowing it."

"I had help," she replied dismissively.

"True," he acknowledged, "but it will be okay."

"You can't promise that," she countered.

"Do you promise to love her the best you can?" he queried.

"For as long as she lets me," she answered sincerely.

"Then I can almost guarantee it'll be okay," he assured her and gave her squeeze. "Now, shall we get you shacked up with my best friend?"

"If you can help wrap my arm, I thought I'd take a shower," she said.

"Thought you two were planning on a bath?" he teased to her glowing cheeks.

"That was the plan," she confided, "but she was tired and I was too exhausted to really put up much of an argument," she said as she stood and then had to close her eyes as the room spun.

"You okay?" he asked as he stood and took her hand to steady her.

"Yeah," she shook her head, "just dizzy from the blood loss and Oxy."

"Good thing it's Oxy though," he replied seriously.

"You don't think she'd," Laura shook her head. "It's too close to her fight, she wouldn't risk it."

"Before she met you, she might have," he informed her. "And it's not just the training you've been giving her that's made the difference, but that you've given her something more to fight for." He laughed. "How you've managed to convince her you're not a fighter is beyond me."

"I've only had one professional fight," she countered.

"But you could kick her ass if you wanted too!"

"Probably," she shrugged, "but I've got better uses for that ass," she winked. "Now help me wrap my arm so I can shower, I must stink."

He walked over, sniffed her hair and then kissed the top of her head.

"You do kind of smell like the hospital," he admitted and wrapped her arm for her. "You need help in the shower?" he offered.

"Uh, no thanks," she laughed as she reddened, "but I might need help getting dressed when I'm done." She nodded to the stuff on the bed. "Can you put all that in Carm's spare room? I'll sort it out later." He nodded and started gathering her things. "Thanks Dark."

"No problem," he smiled, "I'll check on you when I come back for the rest," he said and left.

She made her way into the bathroom and awkwardly undressed as she waited for the shower to warm up. She stepped under the water's spray and sighed; she really did hurt everywhere. She eyed the shampoo bottle and realized she'd probably need help to wash her hair so set about washing her body instead.

Could she kick Carmilla's ass in a fight? Maybe. But Carmilla possessed something she never would; the aggression needed to fight. Sure, she had more than a decade of varied Martial Arts training, including a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, but technique only got you so far in mixed martial arts. The one professional fight she'd had she'd won, by a lopsided decision no less, but she could've finished the fight on more than one occasion but couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. What Dark didn't understand was that it took a very skilled fighter to make everyone believe you weren't.

She chuckled as she aimed the showerhead so she could lean against the wall. She'd almost blown her cover the first time she'd sparred with Carmilla. Not by knocking her on her ass, no, that had been planned, but the efficiency with which she'd wrapped her wrists. Dark had told her about the first time they'd met, how Carmilla had come in looking for a job and then challenged him to a fight. She'd been banking on Carmilla's sense of nostalgia to give her a chance.

So far everything had gone to plan, mostly. She sighed and looked down to her broken arm. Well, maybe not everything. She wasn't supposed to fall in love with her. Yes, she realized now that she'd loved her from the moment she'd first seen her more than a year and half ago, but she fallen 'in love' with her the moment she'd actually spoken to her.

Even choking her out had been planned; her Invicta fight was all but assured and she knew who her opponent was. Laura needed her to learn how to defend the choke before then. Although having Danny replace her next opponent was a curveball, she had a feeling it would work to their advantage. Laura had trained with her, knew her weaknesses, and most importantly, knew that Carmilla could beat her.

"Danny," she sighed; it complicated things. She treated her horribly in an effort to push her away. She'd gotten herself into Danny's Lit class just so she could meet her. She'd hoped that Danny would be a way into Carmilla's life. Unfortunately, by the time she'd worked up the nerve to talk to her, it was too late and having Danny as a friend would do her no favours. Despite that, they'd become friends and started training together, until Danny screwed it up and tried to kiss her.

Maybe, had things been different, maybe she could have seen herself with Danny. She smiled and shook her head; she couldn't imagine herself being any happier than she already was. She sighed and pushed herself off the wall. Danny needed to be dealt with but it would have to wait until after the fight; she needed both of them focused. She needed Carmilla to justify the Invicta fight and her invite to the Ultimate Fighter, both were all but done deals, only the paperwork needed signing, but if she won both decidedly it would pay dividends on the show.

Laura turned off the shower and did her best to towel off. She slipped back into her robe and exited back into the bedroom to find Dark sitting on her bed staring off into space.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Will is waiting downstairs to talk to you," he replied.

"You left him alone in our apartment?" she questioned tersely and went to grab clothes, tearing through her underwear drawer before choosing a white dress with small black polka dots.

"Woah," he cooed as he stood and faced her, "what's the big deal?"

"Dark," she sighed and pulled on her underwear under her robe before turning her back to him, shrugging off her robe and slipping on her bra; "do me up?" she asked. She heard him walk over and tentatively take the two ends of her bra.

"Where do you hook it?"

"Middle," she supplied and then turned back to him once it was done. "I'm sorry, there's a lot I haven't told you."

"Why?" he interrupted.

"I didn't want to put you in an even more uncomfortable position," she offered and met his eyes, "any more than I already have anyway." She handed him her dress and as he helped her put it on she continued; "I don't trust Will."

"Because Carm thinks he's been talking to Danny?" he questioned.

"Worse," she replied grimly, "I think he's been talking to Deanna."

"Shit, seriously?" he asked in shock as she straightened her dress and then slipped on a pair of white sneakers.

"And I wouldn't put it past either of them to try to sabotage Carm's next two fights," she supplied with a nod. She grabbed her phone and called Doctor Coughlin. "Hey Doc, sorry to call so early."

"No, I'm glad you called," he replied wearily. "It seems an overly enthusiastic lab tech decided to bump your numbers up so you'd be released last night," he sighed. "You should have had at least one more unit. Any chance you can get away today for another transfusion?"

"Not really," she answered as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Any way you can get someone to meet me here? I can say I want to spend some alone time with my Dad and do it then."

"I'll figure something out," he replied.

"Good, and Doc? Think we can use this as an excuse to get Carm's blood tested too? Maybe Tuesday?" she asked.

"I guess. Want to tell me why?" he queried.

"Just a precaution," she offered. "Oh, and can you call me in a prescription for Tylenol threes? The Oxy is kicking my butt."

"Will do," he replied. "I'll text you the arrangements later."

"Thanks, Doc," she said warmly. "We'll probably be back sometime around three."

"Alright," he answered, "take it easy, okay? You're bound to be feeling lightheaded and dizzy from the blood loss."

"That would be an understatement," she admitted, "but I suspect it's more the meds."

"Probably a combination," he conceded. "I'll be in touch soon."

"Thanks Doc," she answered and hung up.

Dark slipped her sling over her head and helped her adjust her arm inside it.

"Do you miss it?" Dark asked out of nowhere.

"Miss what?"

"Being a cop?" he asked seriously.

"I'm still, technically, a cop," she countered lightly. "And, no, not really," she shook her head as she motioned him out. "My last high school was rough," she confided. "I still pulled it out, mind, and made some really great friends, but I needed a break."

"So what? You're on vacation?"

"Leave of absence," she corrected, "according to anyone who matters but I'm actually on deep cover witness protection."

"Which means what, exactly?"

"Which means I can carry a gun, for one, once I have an excuse I can give Carm for carrying it," she supplied. "But my Dad was hired by Frank shortly after she contacted him. I started helping him with the case a couple of years ago and then decided, about six months ago, that it was time to get more directly involved." She paused as they entered the elevator. "But everyone thinks I'm on leave of absence because a big part of our case involves officers within the department."

"How old are you again?" he joked.

"Twenty-five in October," she laughed. "You need to remember I graduated high school at fourteen and had finished two university degrees by the time I was nineteen," she shrugged. "And maybe I was the youngest ever person accepted to the Police department."

"And so modest too!" he teased.

"It is what it is," she replied sadly as they exited onto Carmilla's floor. "After my Mom was killed I threw myself into school and Martial Arts," she sighed. "As much as I could, anyway," she shook her head. "I was too busy trying to help my Dad hold it together to worry about myself." She looked to Carmilla's apartment. "I think that's why it's so important to me to help her," she shrugged. "I could have so easily have been her. In some ways I was." She shook her head. "No, my father never laid a hand on me but I was just as alone with my pain as she was," she smiled. "I guess I don't want her to have to deal with it all by herself anymore."

"You know why I decided to help you?" he asked, taking her off guard. "Because I could tell you already cared about her and I saw a chance for my friend to finally find happiness," he offered fondly as he drew her into a hug. "You want me to come in? Help you deal with Will?"

"No," she answered and pushed him away. "I want to deal with him myself," she looked to door. "Be careful around him," she looked back to him, "and keep an eye on him whenever he's here."

"Sure thing," he replied and ruffled her hair. "Later midget."

She chuckled and shook her head as he walked away. She took a deep breath and entered Carmilla's apartment to find Will sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee in front of him. She looked from him, to the coffee pot, and then back to him.

"Does it taste okay?" she asked and made her way to the kitchen.

"It's fine, why?"

"Oh, I was just meaning to give the whole thing a good cleaning before I made the next pot," she replied nonchalantly as she dumped the fresh coffee into the sink and refilled the pot with hot water. She added a generous amount of dish soap laden with a secret disinfectant Laf had created. She swished it around as best as she could, and after removing the used coffee grounds, dumped the whole thing into the coffee maker. This close to Carmilla's fight? She wasn't taking any chances.

"Why are you here Will?"

"What did the Doc give you for pain?" he asked.

"Oxy, why?"

"Good," he smiled, "she never liked Oxy anyway."

"You really think she'd risk everything for a temporary high?" she countered, trying to hide her anger.

"What happened yesterday?" he changed the subject.

"You know what happened," she replied tiredly. "Everyone knows what happened. It was an accident, nothing more."

"Sure," he answered slowly and regarded her. "Be careful, Laura, you have no idea what she's capable of."

"You should be more worried about I'm capable of," she answered quietly, "if you threaten someone I love."

"When did I threaten her?" he laughed.

"I don't trust you Will," she stated flatly, "and I'd appreciate it if you stayed out of our apartment when we're not around."

"Hey, hey, hey..." he soothed as he stood, "where is this coming from?"

"You invited Danny here despite knowing how much it would piss her off," she replied. "Why did you do that?"

"Danny's my friend," he answered; she'd have almost believed him if she didn't know better.

"Sure," she said skeptically. "If there's nothing else?" she prompted as she motioned towards the door.

He studied her a moment, nodded and then left without a word.

She shook her head and returned her attention to the coffee maker. It finished its cycle a few minutes later so she dumped out the soapy water, rinsed the pot, filled it with clean water and then poured it into the coffee maker to make sure no soap remained. As she waited for the water to make its way through the machine she threw out the used coffee and refilled the filter with fresh grounds.

She stepped back and fished her phone from her pocket as she leaned against the opposite counter. She dialed Frank's number and waited for him to answer.

"I already talked to your dad, everything's been arranged," he said when he answered. "Get Carmilla to call me when she gets up and I'll let her know."

"And good morning to you too, Mr Grumpy Pants," she teased.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his tone softening.

"Like crap," she admitted with a sigh. "Doc's arranging for me to get another transfusion this afternoon. But that isn't why I called; I need you to start having Will followed."

"What's he done now?" he asked wearily.

"Nothing specific," she replied with a look at the door he'd left through, "I just don't trust him," she shook her head. "He's been back for two weeks and we've barely seen him. I want to know where he's going and who he is talking to."

"Since when did you start giving the orders?" Franks laughed.

"Since I have gotten the two of you further along since I joined you then you ever got on your own," she supplied evenly. "And until we have an excuse to have the security heightened around here, I want the Xanders watching our backs as much as possible. Especially Tuesday, I want to take this Smith nutjob out of the picture before anyone gets hurt."

"About that," Frank began slowly, "you sure about bringing Rick into the fold?"

"Yes," she replied firmly as she pushed herself off the counter to deal with the coffee, "he's still, technically, my boss."

"Even if you're the one who suggested it? Going undercover to protect Carmilla and Will?" he asked carefully.

"It's time he knew how long we've already been doing it," she countered. "He's determined to see this all end too, he'll be happy to help in any way possible. Besides, this way we can better control how much he tells Carm and when."

"True," he conceded.

"And Frank? Do a background check on Danny," she started. "She mentioned some stuff with her mother and father, I have a feeling Deanna's responsible."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because it's just like Deanna to put someone in a tough financial position so she can offer them aid in return for their help," she offered. "Danny was on the verge of being kicked out because she couldn't pay her tuition when Will suggested the Karnstein Foundation. She's received three grants so far."

"Karnstein Foundation?" he said thoughtfully. "I'll look into it."

"Thanks Frank but I need to get going," she told him as she realized she needed her one good hand to make the coffee and putting Frank on speaker wasn't an option.

"Alright," he replied. "Be careful, this Smith guy is dangerous."

"I know," she sighed, "have we found any connections between him and Deanna yet?"

"I'm still working on it," he answered. "I'll update you when I find anything."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later," she said, hung up the phone and slipped it back in her pocket. She set up the coffee machine to brew a fresh pot and then made her way into the bedroom.

She stopped at the foot of the bed and smiled; Carmilla was hugging her big yellow pillow. She grabbed the bottle of Oxy from the bedside table and checked to make sure none were missing; she wasn't worried about Carmilla taking them but she was concerned Will had. Once she assured herself that none were missing she settled herself on the bed near Carmilla's feet and watched her sleep.

She looked so innocent in her sleep, so young. She leaned forward and carefully brushed the hair from Carmilla's face so she could see her better. As she sat back she couldn't help but smile. So what if most of what Carmilla knew about her so far was a lie? At least she could always be honest with her feelings. She'd spend the rest of her life making up for the deception and manipulations if she'd let her.

There were a great many things Laura was concerned about, Deanna being at the center of most of it, but she feared the day the Carmilla found out the truth the most. She shook her head and sighed.

"There's no point focusing on a maybe future," she thought, "All I can do is cherish every moment of the here and now." She nodded. "Yesterday is done with, and I know it will take a lot of explaining about why and how I did the things I did but they're already done and I can't change that." She reached out to stroke Carmilla's exposed calf. "I can only hope you'll understand." She sighed deeply. "Maybe," she smiled, "maybe if I can prove how much I love you by then, you will."

Carmilla woke slowly and hugged Laura's pillow tighter, seemed to sniff it and then figure out it wasn't Laura before rolling to her back and stretching. Laura felt her face flush at the sight; "By gods, she's beautiful," she thought, her smile widening when the tousled haired brunette noticed her, the look on her face causing the butterflies in Laura's stomach to start anew. She might have accepted her feelings for Carmilla within days of actually meeting her, but that look, the look Carmilla was giving her, told her she felt the same. Hopefully it would be enough to help them weather the storm that was sure to come when Carmilla found out the truth. If not? Well at least she'd have perfect moments like this to hold onto if it wasn't. She'd always remember a time, if Carmilla came to hate her for the things she'd done to help her, that she had loved her.