A Ghost of a Chance

Love Will Have Its Sacrifices

Laura backs away slowly. "Oh. Okay... Cool." Her voice cracks and she takes two small steps towards the doorway. "So I'm just gonna..."

Not-Perry raises her hand in the same choking motion that Mattie had done, and Laura starts gasping, unable to run as her hands grasp at her throat, trying to free herself from the hold.

"Let her go, Mother!" Carmilla yells.

"Silence, child!" Not-Perry hisses. "You wouldn't deliver her to me so I had to come for my sacrifice myself!"

Tears well up in Carmilla's eyes. "She's not a sacrifice! I love her!"

Carmilla looks over at Laura, who makes eye contact before the Dean tightens her grip.

"Love is weakness," the Dean spits out, venom dripping from every word. "And love will have its sacrifices."

Carmilla steels herself and swallows hard. "Not if I have something to say about it." She lobs whatever objects she sees lying around the room at the Dean and it isn't until a lamp flies across the room and strikes her in the face that she finally lets Laura go.

Laura lands on her knees with a grunt and Carmilla quickly manages to grab her by the arm and drag her up the stairs and into her bedroom. They manage to barricade the door with the dresser and even the bed before Laura collapses to the ground in a coughing fit.

"Don't die on me, cupcake," Carmilla says, a tremor in her voice betraying the dry tone she was aiming for.

"Don't tell me what to do," Laura says between coughs. "I'll die when I want to."

Carmilla rolls her eyes, but her lips twitch upwards in an amused smile. "Guess it's a good thing you've been getting my ghostly strength abilities a workout before this. You recovered from taking a lamp to the head way faster than she is. I could probably even fling you across the room."

Laura giggles. "Sounds like a fun way to kill the time. When we're not, y'know, being chased by your Mother." She sighs. "How is this even possible? How is she in Perry's body?"

"Mother can't enter houses without a vessel, and they're usually sensitive to the supernatural," Carmilla explains.

Laura frowns. "Perry had that Wiccan phase in college... and LaF said Perry's been acting weird since she stormed out of the house the other day. You don't think..."

"That that's when she took over her body? Pretty sure it was."

Laura huffs. "I'm feeling way too weak to be digesting possession right now."

Carmilla frowns and tucks a strand of hair behind Laura's ear, pleasantly surprised they're both constantly in sync now. "That hold she had you in might've felt like choking, but she was actually draining the life force from you. It's the same reason you felt so tired after Mattie did it to you."

"Wow," Laura sighs. "Your mom plays dirty."

There's been some rustling on the other side of the door during the conversation, but there are no other sounds or indication that the Dean is trying to get in.

"What do you think she's doing out there?" Laura sighs.

Carmilla shrugs. "Where's your cell phone?"

Laura pats her empty pockets and pouts. "I think it's downstairs. Should I go back down there and get it?"

Carmilla narrows her eyes at her before pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing. "Cupcake. Cutie. Sweetheart. Sun of my life, moon of my sky, star of my heavens..."