Carmilla, upon coming out of her car, suddenly became aware of another car pulling into her driveway just moments after she had, and when she turned to see who it was, the answer deeply surprised her.

"Laura—what the hell are you doing here?" Carmilla spat angrily as Laura got out of her car and started walking briskly up to the porch steps. "Were you following me?"

She stopped herself before she started yelling and telling Laura to leave. It wouldn't go over well, and if anything, it might make Laura want to stay even more. Perhaps she could somehow manipulate the situation before Laura could even get a foot in the door. She wracked her brain for words calmer than the ones that had just popped into her mind in that moment.

"Carmilla, we've been dating for months."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Carmilla asked, forcing herself to sound more calm, collected, and innocent.

"I know exactly nothing about you," Laura answered, which was the response Carmilla had been expecting. "Like, I can only assume that you have a mother and father because, well, where else would you have come from? Do you even have any friends? Best friends? The only person you've ever spoken about—and very briefly did you speak of her, might I add—was your sister, Mattie. I didn't even know where you lived until now."

"You could've just asked," Carmilla hissed as she began to lose her patience. So much for sounding calm.

"I did!" Laura protested. "But you always change the subject or find something else to distract me with—not that I mind some of your distractions because seriously..."

She trailed off, but then refocused herself on her original point.

"What're you hiding from me, Carmilla? What are you so afraid of—"

"Carmilla?" a frail voice called from inside. "Is that you?"

"God dammit..." Carmilla muttered as she stuck her key into the doorknob and unlocked it. "Yeah, it's me."

"Is someone out there with you?"

"Uh... Yeah... My um..." she glanced over at Laura with a pleading look in her eye, begging her to play along with whatever was about to leave her mouth next. "My friend."

"Bring her in! It must be chilly out there," the woman replied, and Carmilla reluctantly welcomed Laura inside. Upon entering, Laura saw an older woman with kind eyes and a solid grip on a walker. She had to be in her nineties.

"Laura..." Carmilla whispered so that the old woman wouldn't hear. "This is my grandmother on my father's side. She's going a bit senile, so you'll have to excuse her."

She paused and cleared her throat before speaking a little louder so the woman could hear her this time.

"This is my friend. Her name is Laura."

"Hi, Mrs. Karnstein," Laura waved, and the old woman smiled pleasantly at her.

"Oh, so nice to meet you!" she exclaimed as she reached out to shake her hand. "I'm glad Carmilla has made a friend. She's always been quite the loner, you know. I keep telling her that I'm not always going to be around to keep her company."

The old woman's face suddenly drooped, and she looked up at Carmilla as if she had bad news.

"Oh, Carmilla darling... I'm afraid your mother has passed. There was an accident and... she was dead by the time any help got there. I'm so sorry."

Carmilla's heart sunk, and she felt sick inside. But even then, she forced herself to breathe normally, and keep a neutral face; she hid her pain well and looked nearly unaffected. The only hint was when she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"I should go..." Laura murmured, feeling guilty for pushing her way into her girlfriend's previously private family life. The only thing she could come out with was an apology, for both her own nosiness and Carmilla's loss. "I'm sorry, Carm."

"No, don't. I..." Carmilla guided Laura away from the woman and lowered her volume again. "She's sick, Laura. She has some kind of degenerative brain disorder. My mother's been dead for years now. She just doesn't remember."

"I still think I should go," Laura insisted, and Carmilla masked her relief.

"Alright," Carmilla nodded before looking up at the old woman. "Laura's feeling suddenly ill. I'm going to walk her out to her car and make sure she gets there okay. It'll just be a minute."

"Alright, dear."

Laura followed Carmilla in silence all the way out the door to her car.

"This is why I haven't told you anything," Carmilla confessed. "My family situation is in shambles... I didn't want you to feel bad."

"Well, I feel worse having forced myself into a situation that is without a doubt none of my business."

"No, it's okay. Really. You were right that it was odd of me to not tell you anything about myself. I would've gotten suspicious myself if I were you," Carmilla assured her and gently grabbed her arm. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything you feel comfortable telling me."

"She's ninety-seven, but her birthday is in a few days. I've been taking care of her ever since my mother died..." Carmilla thought hard as she brought her hand back. "So I guess I've been taking care of her for a while now. But her disorder's only really been a huge problem in the last two years."

"Where's your father?" Laura inquired delicately.

"Dead too. He died before I was born."

"And Mattie?" the name felt strange in Laura's mouth; she'd only ever heard it once and it had come from Carmilla's mouth.

"She's got a life. I don't want her to have to put her life on hold. She visits from time to time. Offers help when she can," Carmilla paused. "I guess I should tell you that I have a brother too, Laura. But I haven't seen him in... years."

"So you've been doing this all by yourself..." Laura realized aloud. "Wow."

"It's alright. If it weren't for her, I'd probably get into some trouble. She keeps me good," Carmilla forced a smile.

"If you say so," Laura replied with a hint of disbelief. "And Carm, if you ever need help, just ask. I won't mind. And again, I'm sorry for prying."

"It's really okay, Laura…" Carmilla insisted. "Just be safe on your way home, okay?"

Laura leaned in for a kiss, but Carmilla dodged it and nodded toward the house.

"Can't. She's watching," she informed her with a small smile and opened the car door for her. "Goodnight, Laura."

"Goodnight," Laura responded as she sat down and strapped herself in the seat.

Carmilla watched Laura close the door, start the car, and cautiously back out of the driveway. She waved as Laura turned her head to look at her one last time, before watching Laura drive away. Carmilla sighed and walked back up the driveway, muttering to herself. She hated that she had been so obscure to Laura, and that it took Laura a desperate measure of following her to find information about her. She shook her head and made her way back up the porch steps, closing the door behind herself.

Upon Carmilla's return, the old woman remarked, "Laura seems like a nice girl. She's pretty too."

"Yeah, she is," Carmilla cautiously admitted and began scraping at the black nail polish on one of her finger nails. It hadn't even begun chipping yet, but still it beckoned her. She brushed the loose chips away.

"Do you like her?" the old woman inquired.

"No."

"I don't believe you..." the woman teased. "Next thing I know, she'll be taking all your time and I'll be here alone, left to my own devices."

"That won't happen," Carmilla assured her. "I promise."

"Taking care of me doesn't make you unavailable, Carmilla. Get out there again, would you?"

"I'll try," Carmilla meekly responded.