The next morning, Laura rose slowly and yawned. She lightly cricked her neck and stretched her back, arms in air: a slight cool breeze and the sound of birds chirping came in through the open window. She glanced over at the bed opposite her at the snoring vampire lass. Of course, Carmilla had snagged her pillow again and was clutching it (probably drooling on it, too. Gross.)

She merely watched the sleeping pale girl for a few seconds, then shrugged and forced herself out of bed and closed the window shades. May as well be considerate to the undead girl: she didn't particularly want Carmilla to get accidently burned by a strong ray of sunlight and have that be all her fault.

She dressed quickly, splashing water on her face, applying deodorant and few quick lines of makeup. Her hair got tied back in a loose ponytail and she stepped into her pre-tied Vans, tightened the laces quickly and jammed a baseball cap on her head. She didn't need to be late for her first class of the day yet again. She bolted out the door and fumbled the key in the lock after slamming it, then turned to half-sprint down the hallway and almost bumped directly into the Dean of the school.

Laura yelped softly and took a step backwards, then chided herself inwardly. Great. The tall woman was looking her over, clear and calculating blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles. Her hair was a dark auburn with streaks of grey and she favored rather severe cut business suits, conservatively dark in color with either knee-length skirts or slacks. The short student girl gulped softly.

"I am so sorry, Ms. Sheridan. I didn't see you there and did not want to be late for class. I don't normally run in the building, I assure you..."

At that, the stern looking woman relaxed a little, a hint of a grin touched her features.

"Very well, young lady. Merely be more careful in the future. I rarely venture into the dorms myself, but the building Proctor wished to speak to me about an urgent matter with someone on this very floor. Do be on your best behavior, yes? I would so dislike to have to come back if you were causing...further issues."

"Yes, of course, Ms. Sheridan. I will do well in class and not cause problems. Thank you for understanding."

With that, Laura walked away as fast as she reasonably could while still looking casual. Once outside the building, she shuddered. She had very seldom encountered the Dean one-on-one, past her initial interview at Silas - but something about the woman just put her on edge. Gave her the creeps. Get your act together, she told herself. All this with Carmilla and the rest can't distract you to the point you flunk out.

One interminable hour in Professor Crump's world folklore class later and she was free for the afternoon. She had nearly nodded off during the segment about the Wendigo, elbow sliding off her textbook and striking the table to jar her awake in sudden fright. She stifled a yawn and stretched, shifting her bookbag, when she nearly walked into Danny who was standing and waiting seemingly for her near the building exit. Twice in one day - great.

All the same, Laura was glad to see her: Danny watched as the shorter girl's eyes sparkled and a shy grin came to her lips. The redhead shifted awkwardly but hugged her lass warmly when she pressed into her arms, cuddling the girl under her chin.

"Good, I found you, Laur. I...missed you, you know, overnight. It's good to see you. When I got to the dining hall this morning, saw Carmilla again - surprising a bit, she be up this early. But we talked. Things are cool now, with me and her."

The shorter girl nodded slowly, mind sorting through those words. It was good the two had reconciled in some sense, but Laura was still nervous a bit. She desperately did not want to manage to mess all this up. As she stepped back from Danny, looking up at her, she noticed something new: a black single strap collar about her friend's neck. She frowned slightly and touched it instinctively - it looked like something a cat or dog might wear. It even had a nametag. Where in the world would her friend have gotten such a thing from? Unless..but no. Laura tried to swallow the sudden anger that had bubbled up. That nickname, though...

"Danny...what is this...? 'Gingersnap'? Is that...did she...Carmilla give this to you? Why would you, would she..."

Laura looked intently up at her friend, eyes narrowed, her words trailing off. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, hear it in her eardrums. Calm down, she cautioned herself. All the same she felt the anger rising in her against all logic and the reasonable thoughts she tried to come up with. Danny was staring at her, rather flummoxed and uncomfortable, her face red. Her hand worked the collar gently, sliding it back and forth on her slightly muscular neck.

"Y-yes. Yes, Laura. It's from Carmilla. You know...she knows, what I am. I think she thought of it as a joke mostly. You know, doglike, and all. But we talked this morning and she was...very kind. Eloquent. I think truly she wants to um. Have us both? You and me. Not for sex or whatever. But, she likes us both a lot. I know it sounds weird, crazy. I'm not explaining well. But I trust her now and I think you do too. We should um. See what happens, maybe."

Danny felt ashamed as her memories drifted to that morning: the warm ease the pale girl had greeted her with, a cup of putrid coffee cupped in her hands for warmth, a picked over bear claw and nibbled at hard-boiled egg before her on a paper plate. Carmilla had of course raised the issue of the collar first thing - did Danny like it, was it too forward, and so on. What was more, the vampire had openly spoke of her outright caring for Danny. She may have used terms like 'foolish' and 'weak', but she said in essence - yes, she loved Laura, and it meant a lot to her that the older student looked out for her. She vowed not to make any more moves on the smaller girl, even. Strangely, and rather touchingly, she added (looking slightly nervous) she hoped it would be ok if she hugged Laura though sometimes, and also, Danny herself.

Slowly but surely, the redhead's natural suspicion was worn down. Carmilla thanked her openly for talking with her, sharing and listening. She may be a fool for doing so, but she was growing to trust the young vampiric woman. So, she had put on the collar when she returned back to her room for a few things she needed for her own classes without thinking too much about it.

Laura was gazing at her, half frown on her face. She drummed her fingers softly on the notebook she held and fidgeted softly. Finally, she responded, her tone measured and calm.

"She claimed you. Is that it...? And she wants to what, claim me too? Add me to her little 'harem'? That...that...damn bloodsucker!"

Her friend's voice grew louder and shook with emotion as she went on. Danny stepped back a single pace, alarmed. She knew the warning signs of Laura well and truly losing her temper by this point. This was not good, she thought, as her friend continued, picking up steam.

"I don't want her to have you, she can't! I love you Danny and I'll kick her ass if she is trying to make moves on you...she can't, she can't just...take you from me. I won't let her. Please, please don't leave me."

The brown-haired girl's voice broke and wavered on that last, suddenly sounding near tears. Her eyes shone and she sniffled, covered her face some, hiding it in her hair. A wave of guilt washed over Danny - what had she done, what was she doing...? She could not hurt Laura, betray her, involve her in anything that upset her so. Yet all the same, she knew Carmilla would be good for them both, wanted the best for them, to make them safe. Her insides roiled uncomfortably and her throat clenched. She stepped forward and embraced Laura even as the girl stiffened slightly against her: she did not pull away, however. Her voice was low and soothing as she spoke.

"Listen to me, Laur. I don't want to sleep with Carmilla. I mean, you know, fuck her. She doesn't want a threeway or somthing gross. She told me...she flat out said, she loves you. And she looked scared as hell saying it out loud. She says, she never has had a family...and she thinks she wants us. This is difficult and new for her too. I am not in love with her, I can't say that plain enough. But I think yeah...she does love me, too, in some way. I trust it, I believe her. And I'd never cheat on you or fool around behind your back. This is going to take some getting used to, clearly, pretty obviously. But I think the three of us...well, maybe we really do need each other. Please, give me a chance? And this. Us."

As she spoke, the tall redhead softly stroked Laura's hair and neck. She kneaded her shoulders and felt the girl's soft sobs fade away gradually. At last, her girl pulled away and regarded her solemnly, cheeks still wet, shaking a little. Her voice was quiet but clear.

"I trust you, Danny. And I love you. And I know...I know, she loves me. Carm. This is really difficult for me though. I never thought, ever, I'd have like...even one girl coming after me. Fighting for me, to get my attention. Two is...pretty fucking crazy, you know? And them being somehow together, also...and you are...what you are. And vampires. I am struggling here. That doesn't mean I am going to bolt...but this is really, really hard for me right now."

Both Danny and Laura turned at the sudden voice that sounded behind them, half-turning, the taller girl pushing Laura behind her instinctively as if to protect her...

"Well, I can see um. My timing a little bad here. Sorry creampuff. Ginger."

Carmilla stood there, inclined her head respectfully. Her dark eyes peered out from behind waves of hair and she shifted from one foot to the other. She studied Laura the longest, gazing at her.

"I can see now the little...gift. The collar. Might have been presumptuous. I apologize to you both. I hope, Laura, you can forgive me...and accept that, well, I have feelings about you? This situation is highly unusual for me. As Danny said...I am not trying to seduce anyone. But the idea of the three of us, together, holds sway over me. A certain power. It's weird as hell, I mean, I know that...but I feel like I need it. Like it would be good for all of us."

The shorter girl regarded her warily, and the silence held for some seconds. Her expression was unreadable as thoughts swirled about inside her brain. Could this be true...? Would they be a family, truly, in essence..? She must be going insane. A dead girl...well, kind of dead...and a werewolf both in love with her? Since when was her life turned into a supernatural romance novel some bored housewife might flip through on a summer afternoon while their kids screamed and the dishwasher ran...? She snorted a little at that thought to herself, as Danny and Carmilla looked at her, slightly puzzled. The pale girl in particular looked concerned, scared even - an emotion Laura never thought she'd view on her face.

The short lass stepped forward, and without a word or warning, suddenly she was hugging Carmilla tight. The girl flailed a bit for a second, arms pinned, before relaxing. Laura gripped her fiercely and whispered into her ear, three small words ("I trust you"), before releasing her grip. The vampire looked rather flustered, but she hugged Laura anew, arms going about her shoulders. A few seconds hesitation followed before a shadow fell over them both - Danny was standing there, and then she was hugging both girls, drew them in tight to her tall frame as their arms encircled her as well. In for a penny, in for a pound, the redhead thought. What the hell.

Unnoticed and unseen, a curtain twitched in a upper level window of the administration building overlooking the central courtyard. Of course none of the three young women below would have noticed it, even if not distracted. The window was very high up and the movement was quite slight as the watching figure withdrew.

Inside her dark-wooded, comfortable office, Ms. Sheridan grinned to herself. The light from the fire in her fireplace glinted off notably pointed and elongated incisors. Her daughter certainly was making some interesting choices, and cultivating a fascinating little group of friends. Possibly even lovers..? Carmilla would need a mother's intervention, and sooner rather than later. No need to rush, though. She was very interested in the wolf girl, and there was time to watch things play out. She would make her move at precisely the right time, and would be getting to know young Madames Hollis and Lawrence very well indeed in the near future. She had quite a few plans for her dear daughter and her friends that would be put into motion in due time.