"Get out." Carmilla is on her feet the second Mattie waltzes through the door. She stands between her sister and her girlfriend, no longer sure where her loyalties are supposed to lie. Carmilla has forgiven her sister for a lot of things over the centuries – and vice versa – but she can't make any excuses for her now.
"I'd think long and hard about what you're doing before you kick me out of here." Mattie glances over at the couch, where Laura is curled up in a ball. Carmilla has only just got her to stop crying. "You need me."
"No. No I don't...We don't." Carmilla holds her ground in front of Laura and her friends.
Dr Frankenstein is sat on a bunch of cushions on the floor in front of Laura. For all the littlest vampire almost drained them dry, LaFontaine is still fiercely loyal. They don't blame Laura for what happened back at Mattie's house. Perry isn't quite so forgiving. She keeps giving Laura wary, sidelong, glances as she fusses over LaFontaine, trying to force them to drink glass after glass of orange juice.
"Really?" Mattie cocks an eyebrow. "And what do you think would have happened tonight, had I not intervened when your girlfriend tried to make a snack out of that one?" She nods at LaFontaine. Laura would have bled them dry by the time Carmilla pulled her away; and everyone in the room knows it.
"I wouldn't have gone after LaF if it wasn't for you!" Laura snaps. It's the first thing she's said in hours. Her throat feels rough. She can still feel her friend's blood coating the inside of her mouth. It makes her want to puke, but at the same time it also makes her hungry; that just makes the urge to gag come on even stronger.
"Let's not split hairs over the details, Sweetie." Mattie narrows her eyes on the fledgling vampire, before moving them over to Carmilla. "The simple fact is, you need me now. Both of you."
"What I need is for you to leave." Carmilla keeps her voice low and steady. She knows Mattie's right. Mattie is always right. That doesn't mean Carmilla has to be happy about it though. "Laura needs some time-"
"The little rugrat has eternity now. That's the point." Mattie sighs. "Fine. Take some time. Think it over. Just don't take too long. The little scamp will be hungry again soon." With that, Mattie flounces off, leaving her warning hanging in the air like a bad omen.
"She's right." Laura stiffens, wrapping her arms around herself as she curls up in a ball. There's a resigned note to her tone, like she's already given up. "I can't be here. I can't... I can't be responsible for someone I care about dying."
"Laura-" LaFontaine reaches out for her as she tries to stand. Laura jerks away from them. She already has the taste of their blood, the last thing she wants to do is hurt one of her best-friends for a second time.
She moves too quickly in her effort to put some distance between her and LaF. One moment she's curled up on the couch, the next she's crashing in to the bookcase on the other wall. "Laura!" Carmilla races to her side, dropping down beside her to comfort the confused teen.
She expects her to pull away, to blame her for every sorry thing that's happened to her since she came to Silas. Instead, Laura grabs at her shirt, pulling her in closer and burying her face in the crook of Carmilla's neck. "I think we should go have that talk with your sister."
"Laura!" Danny bursts in through the front door just as Laura is getting back to her feet. The loud bang of the door flying against the wall startles the fledgling vampire. A growl rips its way out of her throat and her fangs tear through her gums. Danny skids to a stop, not a foot from the other girl. She swallows hard, unable to process what it is she's seeing. "...Laura? What the hell's going on? Karnstein?" Shock turns to anger as she turns her accusing glare to Carmilla.
Carmilla doesn't deny anything. She doesn't say anything. Even if she didn't turn Laura herself, she's still responsible for it. Mattie did this for her; and now Laura has to pay the price. "What...what the hell did you do?" Danny demands some answers. Her fists are clenched at her sides and she's actually trembling with rage.
Her anger has her blood pumping so fast that Laura can actually hear it. She can hear everything. It's so loud and confusing. She has no idea how Carmilla can stand it. The noise isn't the only thing overwhelming her either.
Laura only just ate and she's already starving. The muscles in her stomach are clenching in protest, like she hasn't eaten in a week. It's hard to focus on anything else when she's so hungry; and Danny's heart is pounding so loudly.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Danny, now isn't a great time..." The hunger pangs are quickly turning in to physical pain. Laura needs something to take the edge off. She knows she'll be alright if she can just get something inside of her. Something sweet, and warm and...
"Laura!" She isn't sure who screams her name. Maybe it's Danny. Maybe it's Carmilla. It might have even been both of them. It doesn't matter. She reaches Danny before anyone can move to stop her.
It only seems to take one fluid step and she's right there, clawing to reach at Danny's long, elegant neck and enticing jugular. The other girl's height is the only thing that saves her from having her throat ripped out. Carmilla reaches Laura before she can do any real damage, wrapping her arms tightly around the struggling teen's waist.
Laura is still young and inexperienced. It's easy for Carmilla to get a handle on her; this time at least. "Laura! Calm down! Laura! Stop it!" She squeezes her tighter than she would have ever dared to, back when Laura was human.
"Xena, fridge! Go!" She snaps at the stunned girl, kicking her in to action. It takes a second for the command to sink in, but once it does, Danny takes off at full speed. LaFontaine tries to get up off the floor to help, but Perry practically has them pinned down, keeping them away from the danger.
"Got it!" Danny tosses the blood bag she got from the fridge, hurling it through the air like a well aimed fast-ball. Carmilla catches it with one hand, the other still pinning Laura firmly against her. She doesn't hold on to it for very long.
Laura snatches the blood pack out of her hand, not even bothering with the little plastic top. She rips it open with her teeth, sloppily spilling blood all down her front and over her hands She devours the blood in a frenzy, gulping it down like it's her last meal.
Only once it's gone does the haze seem to wear off. The bag drops from her sticky fingers. She stares at it, looking as disgusted with herself as Danny and Perry do. Carmilla looks guilty – and maybe even a little hungry – while LaFontaine just looks fascinated by it all.
Laura can't take her eyes off her hands. "Carm..." She whimpers, her own fangs sinking in to her bottom lip as she worries at it.
"It's okay, Cupcake. It's okay. Come on." Carmilla covers Laura's hands with her own, leading her towards the door while she glares at Danny, daring her to stop them.
"She's asleep. Finally." Carmilla sighs as she comes walking out of Mattie's spare room, closing the door behind her. Her older sister is waiting patiently with a glass of wine for her. Carmilla takes it without protest. She's saving her objections up for later.
"Poor baby, all tired out from her first rampage." Mattie coos, like a proud parent fussing over their child's first word. "We'll let her sleep. You and I can make the necessary arrangements."
"Who says we're going anywhere with you?" Carmilla huffs. It's mostly just to save face. She knows she needs to get Laura somewhere safe; somewhere she won't be able to accidentally kill any of the people she loves. She's still pissed at Mattie though, so she isn't about to roll over and admit she needs her.
Mattie regards her with an amused smile. "As much as I'd love to indulge your little tantrum, you know I'm right. We need to get away from Silas. If she stays she'll hurt someone. She may even kill one of her playmates." Laura would never forgive herself if that happened, and they both know it.
Carmilla isn't ready to just go ahead and forgive her sister so easily though. She keeps Mattie on the hook a little longer. "You played her this whole time, didn't you?" Carmilla crosses her arms over her chest, glaring daggers at the older vampire. "You wanted Laura to brake in here. You wanted an excuse to turn her."
"She was on my property. I was within my right to defend my interests... Besides, she and her friends wiped out half of our kin not so long ago. Turning her was the obvious first step in rebuilding our family." Mattie shrugs as they walk in tandem down the stairs, retiring to the parlour. She slinks in to an overstuffed chair, looking far too pleased with herself for Carmilla's liking. "Don't act so coy. I only did what you weren't capable of doing yourself."
"I never asked you to turn her..." Carmilla sulks.
"You never asked me not to, either. Did you?" Mattie gives her a pointed stare back. "Don't even try and tell me you didn't want this. You can act all indignant in front of the children, but we both know you're relieved... You wanted this, Kitty-Cat. Don't deny it." Carmilla says nothing. She doesn't need to; her silence speaks volumes in and of itself.
"Where are we going?" Carmilla knows her sister has a plan. She wouldn't have turned Laura otherwise. Everything with Mattie is calculated, the older vampire is usually at least two steps ahead of Carmilla; she always has been.
Mattie doesn't miss a beat before answering. "I still have the chalet in Geneva. We can take her there while she adjusts. I'll make the arrangements for our passage in the morning."
"Then what?" Both vampires look up as Laura's timid voice carries from the foot of the stairs. A moment later and she appears at the doorway.
She has Carmilla's red silk robe wrapped around her, since the clothes she was wearing earlier got covered in blood. Despite what she is now, what Mattie has made her in to, she looks so vulnerable. Standing there, with her arms wrapped around her chest, Laura looks so small and lost.
She looks just like the child she is.
"And then, my dear, we show you the world." Mattie's smile is all fang as she turns it on Laura. It still unnerves the teenager, even now. The playing field still isn't exactly level. They might be the same species now, but Mattie still has a millennia on the fledgling vampire. "Of course, it will take a decade or two before you get a handle on your urge to snack on your friends... You can't see them. You understand that."
"Yeah. I figured that one out for myself, thanks." Laura answers bitterly. Carmilla feels a pang of guilt. She knows how much Laura's friends mean to her; it will kill her to leave them behind. Carmilla moves to stand by Laura, hoping to comfort her.
"Laura, this isn't 1698. You can call them, and there's that Skype thing and-"
"I could call my Dad every day, and it still wouldn't be enough for him. Nothing I could tell him would stop him coming looking for me... He'd move heaven and earth to find me." Laura casts her eyes down in anguish, and her jaw tightens as her resolve strengthens. She knows what she has to do.
Mattie is quicker on the uptake than Carmilla is. She nods solemnly, understanding what Laura is asking of her. "We'll come up with something appropriate. Something relatively painless, and which won't leave a body."
"Just as long as it's not multiple choice..." Laura mutters quietly. Carmilla has never seen her looking so resigned before. It's like the spark inside of her died along with her humanity.
But then Laura's hand reaches out and takes hold of Carmilla's. She draws strength from her lover. Eternity won't be so bad with Carmilla beside her. Laura looks up again. Her gaze is steely as it narrows on the oldest vampire. "I appreciate what you're doing to help me; but I will never forget that you caused all of this to begin with. I will hate you forever !"
The teenager growls out the last word, making her feelings for Carmilla's older sister – who is technically now Laura's own sire – crystal clear. Mattie lets out a hollow laugh, taking the threat on the chin. " Forever is a long time my darling. You'll feel differently in a century or two... After-all, we're family now."