Six years later, Carmilla found herself standing in the doorway to her apartment's bedroom. Asleep on the bed was her girlfriend, Laura Hollis. It was very late, but Carmilla herself had been unable to get to sleep. Instead, she paced the apartment listlessly and downed a few bottles of Lafontaine and Perry's Hemo-Soy Blood Substitute. It still didn't taste as good as real blood, but it was the more moral option. (Morals?! Since when had Carmilla ever cared about those?! She might as well change her name to Cullen instead of Karnstein! But at least she didn't sparkle!) As Carmilla finished her latest bottle of Hemo-Soy, she stared pensively at Laura's sleeping figure, but despite her outwardly calm appearance, there was a torrent of thoughts swirling through her mind…

It had been a very long and hard six years. In the first, following Carmilla and Laura's little escape from Silas (dragging two of the three gay gingers along), the two ended up realizing that their little stunt down in the bowels of Silas had instigated an apocalypse of Biblical proportions. The whole rest of that year and into the following summer was spent trying to stop Mother, who was no ordinary vampire as Carmilla had first thought. Instead, she was actually the Sumerian goddess of love and war: Inanna, and all of the work she'd had Carmilla do was all in the name of performing a ritual that she thought might help bring her dead lover back to her.

Carmilla might've sympathized, but Inanna was just too selfish and abusive to forgive. Besides, for that part of the year, Carmilla's own love life had been pretty shaky, to put it lightly!

"Tell her to go cry me an ocean," Carmilla grunted in dry amusement once they all realized what Inanna was really after. "She ain't the only one with a broken heart or romance problems. I mean, look at me! 317 years of being a lovelorn vampire and you don't see me trying to end all of humanity to fix it, do you?" though of course, the more Carmilla thought about it, the more she had to admit that she might've very well done such a thing, were it in her power. Or at least, she would try to get things straight (ha, ha) with Laura. Were they dating or not? Were they a couple or not? The main desk at which they worked while hiding out in Silas' master library certainly would say so... How many impromptu sex sessions had they had on that poor thing? Yet both of them were still skirting the stupid question. Yea or nay?

Or at least, they were. At the end of that summer, though, just like all the others, Laura died.

"Nononononono!" Carmilla wept into Laura's lifeless body. Of course! She should've known! She should've known her curse would be cruel enough to take Laura away from her right when they were about to celebrate their greatest triumph of all! She should've known! But she hadn't. She'd forgotten. In a moment of rapture, Carmilla had forgotten all about the dangers of love and the curse she bore. All she could remember was Laura, and how happy Laura made her. But in that one moment of forgetfulness, that was when the curse decided to strike again. So now, Laura was becoming Carmilla's undoing again, lying uncharacteristically still, quiet and cold as Carmilla cradled her, fruitlessly trying to bring her back.

Inanna tried to intervene, tried to make amends for her actions which she finally understood the severity and wrongness of, but the best she could do was restore Carmilla's mortality so that, if she did have to suffer without her soulmate, it would no longer be eternal. Then perhaps, the two could finally reunite in death, properly. Would there be a point or purpose to keep bringing Susanna back to life if Carmilla, herself, was no longer there? So that was Inanna's best idea: give Carmilla her life back and then let her die naturally, taking the curse to the grave once and for all.

But then Ereshkigal, the goddess of death herself, and the twin sister to Inanna, stepped in. She took pity upon Carmilla and was able to bring Laura back. Never in her un-life, or regular life, had Carmilla been quite so happy! There was no guarantee how long Laura would last this time, but either way, both she and Carmilla were fully human, so they were on equal footing. Maybe the Sumerian gods had undone the curse the Christian God had cast upon Carmilla. Maybe, just maybe, this Laura would be her last and she and Susanna would finally get their happy ending.

But things weren't over yet. That was only one of the six years Carmilla had to slog through. Although the other five were nowhere near as hectic as that first, there was still plenty more to do. Carmilla had to get used to human life and domestic life, with a romantic partner no less, and none of that was very easy, contrary to what cheesy romcoms and soap operas showed. Getting used to a peaceful life after spending an eternity in a warzone was really hard. And learning to be emotionally vulnerable after being so emotionally isolated was not a fun or smooth lesson. There was a lot to learn in every aspect from all sides.

Carmilla had a lot to get used to as a human, and as a domestic lover, and not some mysterious, sexy, seductive vampire, though Laura might've argued that the first two traits were still very active within the once-again-human Carmilla. She had opted to keep this alias as well, no longer Mircalla thanks to Laura. But five years of domestic life, quiet as they were, gave Carmilla plenty of time to reflect upon what she had done during her time as Mircalla, and none of it was pretty. The mental and emotional scars that she suppressed before meeting 2014 Laura were finally forced to open up again and they stung like fresh wounds. Laura had recommended talking to a therapist, but that hadn't helped much. On the contrary, it only segued them into their next little adventure: a date with 1872 Laura, Elle, Carmilla's old ex. The only reincarnation of Susanna (outside of 2014 Laura) still around. Joy of joys.

But that mess had been resolved too, and it did help Laura and Carmilla find new perspective on their lives and each other. More sappy, happy endings. Of course, the entire adventure had been somewhat painful for Carmilla, having to come back to this old schloss again and look her original Laura right in the eyes as she admitted all of her sins and secrets and how she had moved on while this poor, innocent version of Susanna had been left alone in a blinding white light, to rot and be tormented by her worst memory: the day she lost Carmilla. It was a heartbreaking thing for Carmilla to see because it was then that she remembered that this curse of love wasn't just her own. It was Susanna's too.

Susanna was cursed to a doomed love just as much as Carmilla was. Elle was a reminder of that, because Carmilla had selfishly forgotten that this curse was supposed to kill two birds with one stone. Maybe Susanna never remembered Carmilla each time the punishment repeated, but that did not make her love for Carmilla any less real. And the pain that sprung up when that love failed was no less poignant either. Susanna was suffering just as much as Carmilla was. Elle was proof of it.

"I want my life!" Elle had screamed to them time and time again, bitter, vindictive and vengeful. She had cried out for justice and revenge, demanding Carmilla's blood as a sacrifice for all the years she'd had to suffer alone, lost and forgotten, cast aside to waste away in her suffering. While Carmilla at least eventually escaped her own prison, the coffin of blood, Elle never escaped her own Hell. And if 70 years could turn Carmilla from a hopeless romantic into a girl too callous to love and dead set upon making Susanna's other reincarnations miserable, what would 150 years do to one of those reincarnations? If it had only taken 70 years for Carmilla to snap and turn "evil", apathetic, what would 150 do to Elle? When Carmilla looked into those hating eyes, she saw herself reflected back, even clearer than if she had been looking into a mirror. When Carmilla saw Elle, she saw the Carmilla that had existed before 2014 Laura.

It was with great relief, then, that Carmilla had been able to finally help Elle pass on, to move forward, from this life into the next. Perhaps it had not been Elle's idea of a happy ending, but by then, she resembled Carmilla so very much that thought of an eternal sleep did not frighten her anymore. She was a changed girl too, and when she realized that her only option was the grave, she took it in stride. It was clear, she was still in a lot of pain from all the damage the curse had inflicted upon her, but at least she was free now. And that piece of Susanna had finally been reunited into the body of 2014 Laura. Maybe that was how Elle would get her life back. Maybe that was how Elle would get her happy ending: by finding peace and love through Laura from Carmilla. If Elle really was only one of Susanna's reincarnations, Elle's happiness would come from Laura's. The two weren't just connected by phantom dreams.

Now here Carmilla stood, in the peace and quiet of midnight as she stared at Laura's sleeping figure. How different it was from what she was used to! And how far Carmilla had come in life! Especially in the past six years alone! Because for the first time ever, Carmilla finally felt true hope. Like she actually had a chance to live life right this time. Maybe this would be the final cycle? Maybe Inanna and Ereshkigal really had freed Carmilla and Susanna from their curse? Maybe they would finally be able to live the life they had always wanted…

Carmilla had ended up needing to trade her mortality for Elle's immortality so that Elle could move on, but Carmilla had little concern about how her relationship with Laura would look in 20 years because, not too long ago, scientists had managed to find a Fountain of Youth. So maybe, even though Carmilla was a vampire again and Laura was still only human, she could achieve immortality too? Maybe this really was their happy ending. No more chapters or reincarnations, just this one closing piece before they were able to live freely, slaves to nothing and no one.

Domestic life was looking good for the two of them right now and, at this current viewpoint, it was going to be this way for a very long time more. So had fate finally decided to show mercy upon the vampire and forgive her and allow her to keep her lover at long, long last? Would she live a full life with Laura? Would Laura be able to join her in immortality just like they had planned centuries ago? Carmilla sure hoped so...

But watching Laura as she slept so peacefully, hair messy, arms tangled in the sheets and a bit of drool escaping her lips, Carmilla knew that even if life were to change its mind and take Laura away again, Carmilla would never go down the same path that she had when she lost Laura back in 1872. She would not become like Elle had. She would not go back to that dark and loveless place. She swore it!

If anything were to happen to this 2014 Laura, Carmilla would fight through it and never lose the person she had become thanks to this Laura. She would not become cold, cruel and bitter ever again. She would do her best to remain good and kind, no matter what. They would always come back together again anyway, because if Laura was taken away again, that meant the cycle was still in place and at least the cycle promised that the two lovers would always find one another again in the end, no matter the time or space between them.

Carmilla and Laura had already been subject to that fate to die as lovers may, so that they may live together, and they had already suffered so much together in this one life alone that it seemed that they were destined to be together, regardless of what curse or magic may or may not be acting upon them. Although Carmilla wanted desperately for 2014 Laura to be her last, she had already promised that if this weren't true, she would be good enough to deserve whoever came next.

And whatever reincarnation would come up next, Carmilla would be ready to love that reincarnation with her whole heart, no matter how much time they did or didn't have together. She would be ready to love again, no matter the pain. Their love was eternal, so it didn't matter who lived or died, or who went first, or who came back. All that mattered was that they would always find one another again. Besides, as Carmilla knew all too well, love could be cruel and it would have its sacrifices. There were no sacrifices without blood. So love was going to hurt, dead or alive. The only question was whether or not those sacrifices were worth it. And as Carmilla curled up around Laura once again, finally feeling tired, she decided that she already knew the answer. Yes. It would be worth it. Whether it was Susanna, Elle, Laura, or whoever, their love would always be worth its sacrifices.

AN: So, the epilogue chapter leaves it ambiguous as to whether or not Carmilla and Susanna's curse is over. Yay! But at least it seems that they will be ok for now. And either way, Carmilla had promised to remain good even if she does lose Laura. A big character growth, eh?

And as for why Elle is the only one with part of Susanna's soul (aside from Laura)? It's because she was the only reincarnation to never die properly, as it was explained for all the Lophii victims. And none of the other victims were reincarnations, BTW, as explained by the promise between Mother and Carmilla. Elle was just that one exception, and that might explain why she seemed to have a natural connection with Laura even beyond what other would-be victims received. (The dreams in S1 vs the dreams in the movie).

Also, quick timeline:

Carmilla meets Hollis in fall of 2014 (when S1 was first aired)

S2 and S3 take place in the New Year and summer of 2015

5 years later, in 2020, the movie occurs. My headcanon is that it occurs in the summer of 2020, meaning that Laura and Carmilla will celebrate exactly 6 years of knowing each other when the fall of 2020 arrives, which is where this epilogue occurs.