2014

Laura wishes everyone would just leave her alone.

Two days have passed since the war of Silas, and life seems to have receded back to normal for every student here, or at least, as normal as Silas allows. The missing girls have been restored, and Betty dropped by her room to express her deepest sympathies. She has been living in the Summer Society building, because when the question of the girls' housing came up , Laura thought of her sleeping in Carmilla's bed, occupying Carmilla's space, and nearly burst into tears. It seemed unbearable, almost obscene that somebody would try to live there. As if Carmilla could be replaced that easily.

People keep dropping by. Perry came over at mealtimes and forced her to eat, Danny and Kirsch tried to get her to come out in the open and do normal people stuff (like 'living', Kirsch had said, which had made her think of Carmilla's death, and that was it, she had started crying). Laf was the only one she could stand around her, because they didn't make her do anything she didn't want to. Just sat next to her quietly, and let her blubber all over them as she mused about what had occurred and what could have been. What Carmilla and she could have been.

'Maybe you should make a video, Laura,' they had said yesterday evening after they'd tried to make her watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and she had started sobbing when Harry kissed Cho, because she never got to kiss Carmilla (not in this life, anyway), and this really wasn't fair 'And I'm not telling you what to do, I mean, I don't want to force you into anything, but maybe it'll be good for you. Therapeutic or something like that. Talking about your feelings might get it out in the open…maybe give you closure.'

'Which is what brings me here,' she addresses the computer screen now 'Welcome gentle viewers, to The Wreckage of Silas Part 2. You've pretty much heard the basics from my friends or "the heroes of Silas", as Kirsch refers to us, but if you don't remember, well, I sent Danny and Carm…..Carmilla,' she chokes over Carmilla's name, still unable to say it without it sending a stab of pain through her chest 'To get the blade of Hastur, and then set off to get caught by Will, so he would have five girls for the sacrifice, and Danny would keep Carmilla trapped in our room so she wouldn't get ki…..killed.

'But that did not work, because, no, wait, that part came later. The Dean was talking to me, and telling me about her evil plan to take over the world when Kirsch, Perry, and Laf along with the rest of the students of Silas burst into the place and declared war on the witches she had standing around for backup. So the Dean raised these weird dead bodies from the ground, and they started shuffling towards us to attack, while she herself picked me to fight with her….because 300 year-old feud and all that. When she actually had me trapped and was about to end my life…..I heard Carmilla's voice telling her mother to spare me, and take her instead,' she smiles sadly through her tears, no longer able to keep them in 'The idiot fought her mother for me. Battled an all-powerful witch with nothing but a stupid sword in her hand. And then, ordered me to go away because that was between her and the Dean, which, like an idiot I listened to.'

Laura rubs at her eyes, furiously trying to get rid of the tears, takes a deep breath, and continues 'Then Perry killed Will. She actually, honest to God, destroyed a powerful witch's second in command just by sticking out her hand in the dark and burned him up, like he was nothing. After that, things were kind of easy. For us, anyway. When the building threatened to fall down, there was a mess of students just rushing towards the entryway to get out. Kirsch and Danny had to grab me and drag me out of there, because, Carm, she was still fighting her mother and the Dean wasn't showing any signs of losing, and she told me to get out, but I couldn't…'

'Kirsch and his bros went to check the area around the ruins, because the rest of it was still unstable, but there was no sign of Carmilla. Or the Dean. Or the light. I guess she really, actually, managed to do it. She defeated her mother. She saved us all,' Laura pauses, takes a deep breath 'In other events, Silas is being rebuilt, and the broken parts are being restored, all by the students, because turns out, nobody knows the school even exists except for the…Board of Directors, who nobody can get a hold of, because Silas school records are woefully inadequate, and nobody can figure out the Dean's password. We have tried.'

(They had. Apparently it's not Iwanttokillmydaughterandherroommatewhohappentobepastlifelovers1697)

'In the meantime, a lot of things changed. Laf and Perry have been spending a lot of time together, and I think they are…..dating? I caught them kissing yesterday when they thought I was asleep, which would be cute, except for the fact that….ew, because it's kind of like catching your parents making out or something. Kirsch has been following Danny around like a puppy ever since she saved him from getting eaten by the Hungry Light, and her reactions are hilarious…..it's just that I don't feel like laughing a lot these days.'

'Look,' she takes a sip of hot chocolate out of her mug, trying not to let her voice break pathetically 'I know she was kind of a douche. I've talked about it so many times now, about her leather pants she left lying on the floor, all the books lying here and there, all her snide comments, her sarcastic remarks when I said or did something she found idiotic. She was a terrible roommate. But she was my terrible roommate. And she came charging into a fight with her mother to save me. She did that for me.'

'We may have been lovers in 1697, but that whole part just seems so disconnected to me I can't even think about it. There may be all sorts of romantic passionate feelings going through my mind that weren't there before I remembered 1697, but that doesn't make a bit of a difference to the way I feel about her. I had fallen in love with my incredibly brooding, grumpy, asshole roommate even before I realized that we had been past-life lovers or some shit like that….'

'Whoa,' a voice interrupts her monologue, and she freezes, astounded because the voice isn't Perry's, or Laf's or Kirsch's or Danny's.

It's Carmilla's.

She wheels around in her chair abruptly to find her roommate, completely covered in dust, and mud, and with some streaks of blood stuck to her arms, staring at her in shock.

Then she faints.

Stephenie Meyer had said – Life sucks, and then you die.

But apparently, she had forgotten to mention, that after you die, you come back.

Because she'd never attended Silas.

Laura comes to, and sees the strangest sight she has ever had the good fortune to view in her life (and which immediately confirms her assumption that she is dreaming) : Perry is fussing over and scolding Carmilla, and her badass, snarky roommate is simply listening, Danny looks like she wants to hug Carmilla, Kirsch looks like he already has, and Laf is playing doctor. Admittedly the last part isn't really a surprise, but the patient they are playing doctor over is Carmilla, so…..

'Oh God,' she groans.

'Ah, it's awake,' Laf says, smiling wide.

'No, you idiot,' she replies 'I'm dreaming.'

Carmilla looks concerned, and everybody else looks amused 'Um, no you're not.'

'Yes I am.'

'You're awake, Laura.'

'But Carmilla's alive.'

'Would you rather I was dead?' the dark haired girl asks her, arching an eyebrow.

'Don't say that!' she chides, because it's not true. She'd give her own life to see Carmilla alive, sell her soul, and apparently, dream a very vivid dream… 'Ouch!'

'Do you believe us now?' Danny asks, after pinching her arm.

This is crazy. This is crazy. This is absolutely crazy. This is so crazy it's practically Silas. But she hasn't woken up yet, so…..

She turns to Perry 'You see her?'

'I'm touching her, sweetie.'

'And you see her, Laf?'

'Considering I'm the one bandaging her wounds, yes.'

'Before you ask us, yeah, we see her too, Laura,' Danny answers for Kirsch too.

She'd cried over Carmilla two days straight. Refused to eat, stayed in bed, simply replaying videos in which her roommate was included. Mourned the loss of her love. Carmilla's death had nearly destroyed her. And now….

She sits up, leans over Perry's arm, and whacks Carmilla right on her arm.

'Three days. Three freaking days. What were you doing for three freaking days?'

Carmilla raises her arm to ward off future blows, and looks alarmed 'It was Silas, okay?'

'Carmilla, I swear to God if you don't start making sense within the next ten seconds I'm going to….'

'Silas is built on the ruins of that town. I mean, the place where the sacrifice took place, it used to be Karnstein hall. There was a secret passage running through the ground and I think when the building collapsed I fell right into it, and banged my head really hard. So hard that I passed out for like…..a day or something. After I woke up I had to find my way out of there, and that took another day. I promise, I got here as soon as I could.'

She looks right at Carmilla, who is staring back earnestly, as though begging her to believe. Laura takes in the sight of her, completely covered in dust, her hair tangled, a bruise marring her forehead, still the most beautiful girl she has ever seen, and believes her.

'Guys,' she addresses her friends, not taking her eyes off Carmilla 'Can you give us a minute?'

Her friends file out in silence, and she waits until the door has closed to speak.

'You're alive.'

'I am.'

'No messing around, right?'

'No messing around.'

The next few seconds are a blur, but the next thing she knows, she's in Carmilla's arms, and sobbing hard.

'You were dead,' she blubbers, drinking in the smell of dust and ground and grass and Carmilla, so much Carmilla 'I thought you were dead…..and I didn't know what to do, and God, Carmilla, I missed you so…so much, don't do that to me again please, Carm….'

'Hey, hey Laura….baby,' Carmilla whispers gently, running a hand through her hair, and Laura stills, a smile threatening to come over her face through her tears (she called me baby, she thinks, and her heart threatens to burst with joy. Carmilla's alive, she's alive, she's really alive…..) 'Don't cry, please. Romantic passionate feelings aside, I really don't know how to….'

Right. Oh God.

'Speaking of,' she starts, face still buried in Carmilla's shirt 'Is there any chance you didn't hear the whole thing?'

'Oh, I heard the whole thing.'

'Oh.'

'It felt so nice, the girl of your dreams calling you a damn hero and proclaiming her love for you…'

'If you remember,' she interrupts, raising her head, completely mortified 'I also called you a brooding, grumpy asshole….'

She can't say anymore, because Carmilla tips her chin up, and presses her lips to Laura's in the middle of her speech.

Her head is currently a mess of 'Oh God' and 'What the hell' and 'Girl of her dreams' which, did Carmilla really say that, she thinks hazily. The entire world has been reduced to an insignificant dot which she probably can see out of the corner of her eyes, but she doesn't want to, because Carmilla is kissing her, and her whole body is tingling and buzzing as though every atom on the surface has come alive and is ready to party, and yeah, they've got a reason to party because Carmilla Karnstein is kissing her and 'Holy whooeeee, you're lips are so soft.'

'Um, thank you,' Carmilla replies, amused.

There is complete silence for a while, the kind of silence in which she just stares into Carmilla's eyes and Carmilla stares into hers.

'I do remember, you know,' Carmilla whispers.

'Remember what?'

'1697. That day at the library…I knew when I saw the picture.'

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'I didn't want you to think that I only liked you because of 1697. I didn't want you to be obligated to like me back because we were past life Juliet and Juliet. I wanted you to like the sarcastic, lazy, grumpy…'

'Wow, you're really giving me a great reason to like you back,' she says, and her roommate chuckles.

'I'm just saying, 1697 or 2014, I like you all the time. Because you're annoyingly cute, and ridiculously funny, and crazy awesome. Not because you were Laurel once.'

'Laurel was kind of an idiot,' she mumbles.

'So was Mircalla. But, 2014 Laura is kind of awesome.'

'Wish I could say the same for 2014 Carmilla.'

Carmilla smirks, then suddenly growing serious, looks her in the eye 'Laura?'

'Yeah?'

'You know, right?'

It took them more than 300 years to get here. 317 to be exact. And they only got here because of a psychotic witch who was obsessed with killing both of them. But they did get here. And they did fall in love, despite not remembering anything about their past. She has no idea how two completely different people managed to find each other two different times, but guesses it's magic. The kind of magic that only exists in Silas. The kind of magic that makes people fly and turn into barn animals and grow weird things on their heads may not be conventional magic, but it's her kind of magic. It's the kind of magic which spreads when Carmilla smiles, the kind of magic which speed up her heart when the girl laughs. It's the magic that brought them together.

Carmilla kisses her again, and her heart skips a beat.

Yep, definitely magic.