Disclaimer: Still don't own Carmilla (the series), or any recognizable characters.
Two days crawled by.
Laura had taken advantage of it being so late in the term, skipping a number of her classes. (As evidenced by how few people had been present in her Journalism class even back during the most recent series of revelations she'd had to deal with, once they'd handed in their work, some people didn't feel obligated to even show up.) She'd had one or two finals to study for, but aside from that, she'd devoted most of her time to an entirely different type of cramming: extended lessons with Kheelan.
She'd literally lost track of time, made all the worse by how most of her hours-long individual lessons could fit into the space of a moment or two. She was usually worn out and sore by the time she got back to her dorm room where she'd rest, recover, then head back for more. Even with that, even with as quickly as she picked things up, it was becoming more and more clear that she was never going to be ready in time the way she was.
Talking to LaFontaine only made her feel worse.
They'd been relieved to learn that Perry was still alive and unharmed, brain parasites notwithstanding, and they did understand why she wasn't just rushing off to rescue the sacrifices. The only thing worse than Perry's life being in danger, to them, would be if Laura got herself killed (or worse) by acting before she was ready, and Perry being sacrificed anyway. What they didn't know was that, if she'd taken up the mantle of Summer Princess, Laura could have gone and saved them already. The sacrifices were safe enough where they were, true, but she still felt horribly guilty knowing it all could be over if she'd just stop thinking of herself.
She tended to cling a bit desperately to Carmilla at night, often staring at her girlfriend like she was trying to burn her face, the emotions she was feeling, into her memory. That wasn't far from the truth, really.
Because she knew what she had to do. What she should have already done.
She slept in on the third morning, having been informed that she was being given the morning, if not the whole day, off from lessons, to give her time to recover fully. That just drove home how woefully inadequate a mere changeling would be in taking on the dean. Fortunately, once she woke up, she did have a distraction from her thoughts. When Carmilla woke up later on, she blinked in sleepy confusion to find Laura, dressed in a gray tank top and a blue pair of shorts, sitting cross-legged on Carmilla's own bed (which was mostly unused these days for anything beyond throwing stuff onto it), biting her lip as she filled out some kind of paperwork. "Didn't you tell me you were finished with schoolwork for this semester?" she asked, stretching.
"I am," Laura confirmed, not looking up. Carmilla stretching like that even while clothed tended to distract her far too much. Given that she hadn't even put on a shirt, yet...
Laura knew from experience that she'd immediately forget what she'd been doing if she watched that. "Remember how Aunt Mab said she'd have a copy of that test she uses to make sure all the evil fairy tale villainesses and such are up to snuff sent to me?"
That did ring a bell, yes. "That's it?" She started getting dressed, if only so that Laura might look at her while they were talking. She'd learned when she could successfully distract and tempt Laura into another round of lovemaking, and this clearly wasn't one of those times.
"Yeah." She shook her head and picked it up off the textbook she'd been using as a flat surface to write on, holding it up so Carmilla could get a good look at it. The sheaf of papers was easily as thick as the Toronto phone book. "This thing is worse than the SATs and filing your taxes combined. Some of these questions..."
"Why are you filling it out, then?" Both of the examples Laura had named were things one might have to do, after all, not forms of recreation.
"I started because I was kind of curious what score I'd get, you know?" She shrugged. "I'm just about halfway through it, now, so I can't just quit. Besides, it's already used up one of my pens. It's personal, now."
Carmilla snorted and got up to get a glass of blood from the fridge.
The next few hours were quiet ones, Laura slowly but steadily making her way through the certification test, occasionally pausing to read aloud a question that had amused, confused, or disturbed her, while Carmilla read one of her philosophy books. By the time Laura was finished, her hand was cramping severely, and her back was rather unhappy with her for staying in one position for so long. "Ow, ow, ow," she complained as she set the test off to the side and twisted, eliciting a series of pops that would have been audible from the other side of the room even without vampiric hearing.
Carmilla winced in sympathy, then got up and tugged Laura to her feet. "C'mere," she said, leading Laura back toward her own bed. "Lay down," she instructed. Once Laura was laying face down, Carmilla began massaging her shoulders and back.
"Ooo, that feels nice..." Laura told her, all but melting into the mattress as she worked.
"After that, I think you've earned it."
"Mm."
"How do you get that thing scored, anyway?"
"I dunno. I guess..." She felt a flicker of magic from across the room, centered on the test. "I guess I just had to wait a little while."
"Huh. Well, it's not going anywhere," Carmilla said as she began kneading her trapezius. Laura's reply was a mostly incoherent moan that she correctly interpreted as an agreement. By the time she was finished with her massage about half an hour later, Laura felt like a boneless puddle on the bed.
She was sure Carmilla would have happily kept her there all day, but she couldn't do it. Taking some (apparently much needed) time off from her magic lessons was one thing, but spending all day doing nothing while innocent lives hung in the balance...? She didn't have that in her, and Carmilla clearly knew it, as she didn't offer more than a token protest when Laura started getting up. She padded over to Carmilla's bed, picking up the test... and froze, staring down at it in shock.
"How'd you do?" Carmilla asked, honestly curious by this point.
"I... got a ninety-five," Laura said, sounding disturbed. "Out of a possible one hundred. I don't... know how to take that."
"Huh." Carmilla's eyebrows rose. "Pretty sure Maman only got an eighty-nine, the last time she took that test."
"Oh, well, that makes me feel even better," Laura snarked.
"Cupcake, chill," Carmilla told her. "Keep in mind, that test only asks you what you'd do, not why you'd be doing it. Things that the kind of people who usually fill that out would be doing out of cold, calculating pragmatism, you'd probably be doing out of compassion and kindness. Where they might be setting someone up for a later trap, you'd just be being nice."
"That's... true," Laura allowed. "Still, this kind of weirds me out."
"Personally, I'm more amused by the fact that you'd apparently be better at the evil villainess game by accident than my mother is on purpose."
"Heh. Yeah, I guess."
"You should mention that, next time you see her," Carmilla suggested innocently. "You know, just to see what she'd have to say."
"You are terrible."
"Yes, but I'm so good at it."
"Oh, would you like a copy of Mab's test to fill out, then?"
"It's good to see all that paperwork didn't have any affect on your sense of humor." Because they both knew Carmilla didn't like putting a lot of time and effort into even the things that she actually needed to do. Something like this...?
Nope. Not happening.
Laura actually did have one final paper to hand in. Political science was not exactly a course she enjoyed, but she'd found wasn't all that hard for her to learn. Taken as an omen, she supposed that was promising, given the direction her life seemed to be going in.
It also made her wonder what, exactly, she'd be learning from royal tutors and whoever, were she living in Faerie right then. Did they have separate math and science courses? Art history? Clearly, based on Mab's unfamiliarity with something as simple as a cell phone, human technology wasn't something she'd have been learning anything about. Josie's message proved there were likely magical equivalents for a lot of them, but probably not all. She was also pretty sure they didn't know much of anything about pop culture.
If she wound up living there, she'd have to work out some way of getting Netflix access or something, then. Who knew? Maybe she could teach the Fae a few things.
On her way back from handing in her paper, she found herself stopping and staring at the Lustig across the campus. Right then, while she was off wasting time with schoolwork and pointless quizzes, five people were being prepared for sacrifice to an eldritch creature. Oh, sure, they were currently so far gone that they were likely having the time of their lives - evidently, the vampires were even piping in music for them to dance to - but still... Betty, Elsie, Natalie, Perry, and Kirsch. Their lives - hell, their very souls - were in danger, and she was just standing there, doing nothing?
She abruptly spun around and marched toward the administration building. This was likely a complete waste of time, but she had to at least try for a peaceful resolution to the whole mess. She'd never be able to forgive herself, otherwise.
She followed the same route she'd taken last time to the dean's office. She noted without much in the way of a surprise that the door had already been replaced. She knocked, then opened the door and looked inside. As expected, the rest of the office was also back to pristine condition. The dean, she was sure, wouldn't have tolerated anything less.
"Yes?" Lilith began, traces of impatience in her voice. "What is-" She broke off upon seeing who was at her door. For a long moment, no one moved, or spoke. "Ah. Miss Hollis. I was wondering if you were going to be paying me a visit before the end of the term." Neither even bothered pretending they didn't know about the sacrifices, or when they would happen. Things had gone beyond that some time ago.
Laura stepped into the office, shutting the door behind her. "You know why I'm here, then?"
"To plead for the lives of your friends, and threaten me, should I refuse to relinquish my claim upon then, I presume."
"You're half right." At Lilith's raised eyebrow, she continued, "I'm not going to threaten you. We both know that would be pointless."
"True."
"I will, however, absolutely plead for their lives." Laura took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "This is pointless," she said feelingly. "You don't need to kill anyone. You know that I could bind the creature, or even come up with a replacement."
"If you could do that, Miss Hollis, I believe you would have already done so, whether I wanted you to or not."
"I'm pretty sure trying that without your okay would be construed as an attack on the Gate," Laura countered. "I can't believe you want to continue this feeding cycle forever. I'm offering an alternative to that. Why would you not want to take me up on it?"
"Why should you care what happens to a handful of humans every twenty years, Daughter of Summer?"
"You mean aside from growing up thinking I was one?"
"Granted. But even you must admit that the deaths of five mortals is preferable to what the Deep One would cause, were it to fully wake and go searching for its own dinner."
"Which brings us right back to you not letting me do something about it!" Laura replied, growing frustrated by her refusal to even consider the possibility.
"Because I don't need to. To be perfectly frank, Miss Hollis, the fact that you're here saying this, rather than your mother or anyone in the Summer Court, tells me you're the only one who cares about the mortals' fate. It was made quite clear to me when the task of guarding the Gate was inflicted upon me that doing so is my responsibility. Asking for help, ceding any of my authority, would be seen as a weakness, my admitting I couldn't handle it."
Inflicted? Who had- No. She pushed the question out of her mind. That wasn't important, just then. "Except I'm asking you to let me help you," Laura plead. "What do I have to do to convince you?"
Lilith considered her for a long, long moment. "Bleed," she finally said.
Laura's heart skipped a beat. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Miss Hollis. If you truly wish me to accept your aid in this matter, that is what it will cost you. It wouldn't necessarily even have to be much."
"But... I can't," she said, fighting down the burst of panic she'd felt. "My mother... I promised."
"I see." Clearly, she knew what a promise to a Faerie Queen meant, as she didn't press. That was good, since Laura technically hadn't actually promised her mother any such thing. "That is unfortunate, for your friends."
"Having me owe you a favor wouldn't be appealing enough?"
Lilith considered that. "A tempting prospect, I will admit," she conceded. "Yet, I have found, over the course of my life, that getting involved in faerie games of who owes whom what only results in irritation, in the end. And regardless of what you may wish me to believe, your mother would claim that, since her daughter was kind and selfless enough to help me, I was in debt to Summer by a considerable margin, and others would support that. So no, Miss Hollis. There will be no deals, no bargains. If you must, take solace in knowing that the sacrifices will be giving their lives to ensure the safety and well being of the rest of the mortal world."
Which, even if that may have been true, offered no comfort. She sighed, shoulders falling. "So be it, then," she whispered. She'd been so hoping that there would be some way - any way - to resolve matters without... But she'd just been fooling herself, hadn't she? "I tried," she said to the universe in general. "Let it never be said that I didn't try." She reached for the door, then paused. "There is one thing, though. Since you don't want to owe me any debts."
"Ah. That." Lilith's eyes narrowed. "I should warn you, Miss Hollis, that information, while helpful, was not worth accepting your proposal."
"I know. But it is worth one life."
"Even if I gave you one of the sacrifices, I would just have to collect another. Would your Society friend want that?"
"I'm not talking about Elsie. Or Perry, or any of them." They obviously weren't going to settle anything related to them in the here and now. "I mean Carmilla."
"Oh?"
"I want you to leave her alone. You know she hates this, all of it. Let her go and live her life. You and yours stay away from her. Set her free. Promise me that, and your debt will be settled."
Lilith was silent for a full three minutes, considering that. She weighed her hatred of owing anybody - especially the Fae - anything against whatever she might have felt for Carmilla... and agreed. "Very well. I accept your proposal." She paused as the magic of the bargain settled into place. "You may inform my d- Mircalla that I will not be troubling her again. However, you should also warn her that also means that, should she interfere in my business in the future, those who are mine will see no cause to hold back in the course of dealing with her."
"I'll do that." She opened the office door and left, not stopping until she was outside, but still out of sight of the dean's window. She braced herself against the building, closing her eyes, and struggled to regain her equilibrium. She supposed she shouldn't have expected any less, and she had actually accomplished more than she would have thought she might, but still... She just could not understand why Lilith wouldn't want to cooperate. People could achieved more together than they could separately, after all. Why wouldn't anyone want to avoid conflict when possible? Working together for the common good just made more sense, to her.
But she seemed to be alone in that. And it seemed that she wasn't going to have a choice in her actions, after all.
Not if she wanted to be able to live with herself.
The Summer Society was understandably surprised when she walked through the front door, since they knew she had the day off. "I need to talk to my mother about something," she told them. "There's one last thing I can try. If this works... Well. I don't wanna raise false hopes."
She caught Danny frowning at her, knowing full well that she was referring to rescuing the sacrifices, and that there was nothing she could say or do that would let Queen Titania act.
She headed upstairs to the summoning room before Danny could figure out what the one exception to that was. She couldn't let anyone even try and talk her out of this. No more being selfish. No more avoiding responsibility.
No more refusing her birthright.
It didn't take long, anymore, to call her mother. Usually uttering her name three times was enough. "Good afternoon, Laura," Titania said once she'd appeared in the circle. She was wearing a forest green business suit, today, the skirt ending just above her knees, with a pair of heels that made her even taller than her daughter than she usually was.
Was it afternoon already? No time... Why was there never enough time? "Not really," she said dully. "You know what day it is, don't you?"
Her mother's smile faded away. "I do," she confirmed solemnly. Technically, the new moon was tomorrow, with the dark moon still in effect. (She'd needed to do a fair bit of research to understand the difference between the astronomical new moon, sometimes known as the dark moon to avoid confusion, and the new moon in the lunar calendar, which was what the dean, who apparently predated modern astronomy completely, used.) With only the space of a few hours separating them from the first sliver of moon appearing in the sky, it was close enough that the victims could be sacrificed tonight, if need be.
And given that she was undoubtably expecting an attempt to stop it, Lilith almost certainly would be doing so.
"I've told you before, Laura, much as I might wish it, this is not something I can interfere with," Titania told her sympathetically.
"I know." She fidgeted silently for a moment. "I'm... as ready as I'm ever going to be."
Silence.
"Are you certain?" Titania asked quietly. "This is not something to decide lightly. Once you have become the Princess, it cannot simply be undone."
"I know," she said again. "But this is about more than just one rescue mission. More than me. What's happening here is wrong. More over, I can't let things stay so unbalanced. Earth and Faerie alike need there to be a Summer Princess, and I'm the only one who can do it. I probably should have done it sooner, but..." She hugged herself. "I wasn't ready. I don't know if I really am, now, but we're out of time. So. Here I am, asking you to give me the mantle, and the time I'd need to adapt." She met her mother's eyes. "I have conditions, though."
The Summer Queen raised an eyebrow. Rather than pointing out that Laura was the one asking for the mantle, she merely asked, "And what might those be?"
"There's the obvious one, of course. Giving me the knowledge and power I need to not only take care of Lilith, but also bind Lophiiformes until a replacement can be procured."
"Both of which you will be getting with the mantle."
"I also want to ensure Carmilla's safety. I don't want any Faerie magic affecting her, passively or aggressively. Wouldn't want anyone in the Court who might be seeking favor to have any... accidents, would we?"
"I can order the Seelie to leave her alone and ensure that she not be harmed by any defenses of ours, but I have no authority over my sister's subjects."
"I guess that will have to do." She'd just have to work something out with Mab later on, she supposed. "So?"
"I will do as you have asked, my daughter. Though, in the future, you need not bargain for your lover's safety, whoever that may then be."
"I know." Because despite what Titania seemed to think, she wasn't just going to forget about Carmilla, no matter how long it took. "Okay. Let's do this."
Her mother walked up to her, placing her hands on her shoulders. "I am sorry, Laura, but this is going to hurt." It was well known that those of Faerie, especially the Queens, couldn't lie.
However, it seemed that they could understate matters severely.
Laura had been in the summoning room for over two hours. Given what Danny had become certain she meant to do, she had no idea how much time that meant had passed from Laura's point of view.
They had no stories that talked about what it was like, adapting one's self to the mantle of Summer Princess. It hadn't been passed to a new girl in longer than the Summer Society had existed - centuries longer, in fact. The only thing Danny knew was that it would probably hurt.
A lot.
More time must have passed than she would have thought, though, because Laura wasn't even wearing the same outfit when she opened the door, staggering to a stop and bracing herself against the doorframe. The tank top and shorts had been replaced by a full-sleeved shirt, pants, and boots, all in varying shades of gold. They also glittered and shimmered, and if one looked very closely, they'd notice that they were either covered in or made from some kind of infinitesimally fine mesh. Laura's head was bowed, hair hanging over her face and shoulders heaving, like she was catching her breath after running a race. "Laura? Are-"
"Don't worry, I just need a minute," she said, holding up her left hand to get them to stop in their tracks - as time had gone by, Danny had been joined in her vigil outside the summoning room by most of the other Summers present in the building. Without looking up, Laura turned slightly as she addressed them, somehow knowing exactly where each person she was talking to was. "Gail, go tell the Zetas that it's time. Mel, round up the troops that aren't here. Everybody else, get whatever you need for a fight. We're going."
Gail stared at her in surprise for a long moment, then let out a whoop of delight, grinning as she turned and left to go carry out her instructions. The rest of the crowd was similarly enthused, eagerly heading off to get anything they might need as they finally got to do something about the pointless cycle of death.
Except Danny.
She simply stood there, waiting. Finally, once Laura had caught her breath, she straightened up, brushing her hair back. Despite expecting it, Danny couldn't help but wince in sympathy when she saw her face: features sharpened beyond mere mortal beauty, her power radiating out as a sort of aura that enhanced her draw even more, and eyes that were vertically slitted like a cat. "Oh, Laura..." she said softly. "You didn't have to-"
"I did, if we wished to have any chance of success," Laura interrupted. She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head, then reopened them, seemingly dispelling the illusion of her inhumanity. In fact, Danny knew, she'd done the opposite, placing a glamour over herself. "I need you to go get the sword case from upstairs. I... can't, anymore." The case being made of steel, and all. "Then call Carmilla. She's the only one strong enough to be able to throw it far enough that our side won't be caught in the backlash." Clearly, she'd picked up on Danny's desire to do it herself, if only to spare Laura from having to drag the woman she loved into the epic battle they were facing.
"Okay," Danny said, because what else was there to say when her Princess was issuing instructions? "But what about-"
"This?" Laura asked, gesturing toward her face to encompass the whole of the transformation she'd undergone. "You're not going to say anything about this until the battle is over."
"Look, I get that-"
"No, you misunderstand me." Laura looked pained, but nevertheless repeated, "You're not going to say anything about this until the battle is over." This time, the note of command was unmistakable in her voice... and when Danny opened her mouth to object, no sound came out. "I'm really sorry, Danny, but I can't let you distract everyone when they most need to be focused. Afterward... You can tell them whatever you want. I've been thinking about it over the last couple days, and that seems to be the best way."
"Days?" Danny echoed. That, apparently, was okay to ask about.
"Yeah. I... wasn't adapting very well, at first. I got the hang of it, though." She sighed. "Come on, we've got a challenge to issue, and a fight to win."
A very, very overdue fight.