Biggest Thing In My World

Lafontaine stared unseeingly down at all the plans and tests and charts that they made. They had been hard at work, trying to concoct a way to save Perry from the dean and yet nothing had come up! What's more, they had been at it for a month now! Anger was finally setting in.

"This is impossible!" they roared suddenly, lashing out and sending a slew of technology crashing to the floor. It was a rash decision, but it was made in a moment of fury and it wasn't like the technology had done anything for them anyway. If it was of any value, it would've helped her find some way to wake Perry up and eject the dean from her body.

But even after sending some very high-tech lab equipment to the ground, Lafontaine wasn't finished. Instead, they began screaming.

"Come on, you worthless pile of books! Why don't you come on and help us!? Help us! Help us save Perry! There's got to be something you have that can help!" but the library made no sign of helping. Finally, Lafontaine turned their anger to the dean.

"You don't deserve her! You don't deserve to be in her body! She's worth 1000x of you!" they howled.

At last, however, Lafontaine had used the last of their strength and they simply collapsed to the ground, sobbing and worn, surrounding by torn papers and broken machines. All of their rage and hatred had vanished, being replaced with grief, fear and total exhaustion.

"Oh, Perry! Perry! Perry!" Lafontaine moaned. "If only there was something I could do to bring you back! I'd do anything! And you know it! I'd trade in myself if I could!" they continued to mourn, banging their head on the floor from time to time as they imagined Perry suffering in the dark. Those horrible images, mixed with the beautiful memories of Perry in the past, tormented Lafontaine for the better part of that day. At last, however, the grieving came to a halt and an angry determination that was fueled by the fire of hate filled them with a new sense of vigor...

"Quick! Make the circle!" Lafontaine screamed as they carried an unconscious Perry-dean into the library-hide-out.

"Lafontaine, tell me you didn't just kidnap the dean!" Laura sounded horrified and Carmilla's dark eyes flashed with rage.

"I sure did!" Lafontaine shouted. "Now MAKE THE CIRCLE!" they screamed and Laura scrambled to obey while Carmilla continued to watch.

After the initial shock of brining back Perry-dean had subsided, Lafontaine finally convinced Laura and Carmilla to keep her. Laura had been far quicker to agree, but Carmilla followed soon after simply because Laura was able to talk her into it. Of course, tensions were high after that, but Lafontaine didn't care. They had Perry back. That was all that mattered. The only thing left to do was the exorcism. But it wouldn't work until the full moon, so that meant the trio had to babysit the dean for the next week. Then at last, the night came.

"I'll take first watch," Lafontaine spoke almost robotically to Laura and Carmilla. The pair looked at them uncertainly but said nothing. Carmilla finally took Laura's arm and led her away. Lafontaine, all the while, pulled up a chair beside Perry-dean.

For the better part of 30 minutes, Lafontaine simply stared at Perry's limp figure, then they began to speak.

"I am getting you back," they vowed, longing to touch Perry but knowing that they couldn't break the circle. It was hard to see her like this. "And I'm sorry I treated you like wanting things to be nice was small because you're not small," they continued, choking up slightly. "You're the biggest thing in my world," they whispered. "You were my first, closest, and only friend for so long! We've been together for 15 years and we're practically an old married couple now! You knew it. Everybody did. Even JP. You were, no, are, my everything. You're my life, my strength, my dream, and my purpose. Everything! And you gave me so much and you taught me so much! Your love means more to me than anything ever could..." they said before finally breaking down and sobbing. "You're the biggest thing in my world," they repeated and they had never meant anything more seriously in their whole life...

One long, crazy adventure later, Perry had been saved.

"I knew you'd come!" Perry sobbed, launching herself into Lafontaine's relieved arms. Lafontaine hugged her so hard that their arms went numb, but neither of them cared, too glad to be together again to care about anything else anymore. "I was all alone in the dark, but then I heard you and I knew you'd come for me! Oh, my best friend! I knew you'd save me!" Perry continued to sob and laugh while Lafontaine did likewise. It was over! Finally! And Lafontaine had succeeded in their quest. Perry was safe again and that was all that mattered!

Later, however, after the tears had subsided, the pair was able to have a more serious and coherent talk.

"You said you heard me," Lafontaine began slowly. "What did I say?"

"Well, I can't remember exactly what you said," Perry confessed. "But I remember continually hearing that you would come save me somehow." Perry's eyes softened as she did this and so did Lafontaine's. The pair fell in for a hug.

"Wait a moment," Perry interrupted her own hug. "I actually do remember something!"

"Oh?" Lafontaine asked, voice too quavery to say more.

"Yes," Perry replied. Her eyes filled with wonder and pure affection. "You said I was the biggest thing in your world..."

Once Lafontaine managed to stop crying, again, they reaffirmed what Perry had said.

"You are, Perry," they promised. "You are the biggest thing in my world. You've been my best friend before anybody else has and even though we've grown apart, I don't want to continue that. I want you back. Almost losing you has made me see how much I really need you and although I regret that it took your possession for me to see that, at least I know it for sure now. So now, no matter what happens next, I want you in my life. I want you as my best friend. I promise I'll try to make it work better this time because I don't think I can lose you again... I already came too close," Lafontaine's pretty speech became a rambling mess as they finished up and the last four words they said destroyed them. "Perry, I love you."

Perry's reply wasn't much better, though.

"Oh, Laf! I forgive you! Of course I do! Nothing you did was entirely your fault! I am to blame too. I wasn't as brave as I could've been in some situations and I think that's why this happened. But believe me, I never wanted to lose you either! I regret growing apart from you and treating you so poorly and giving up on you! I should've been a better friend to you. After all, you were the best I've ever had. Why, in first semester, when you went missing, I thought my heart would break! But then you came back to me! You always do! And I love you for it. I love you too... And you, you were the one I thought of while I was stuck under the dean's control. Every moment I felt like I would go mad or never get out again, I would think of you and I would feel ok again and I knew that, somehow, you really would save me... And you did! Just like you promised and just like I always knew because you're my friend. You're my best friend. You're the biggest thing in my world too..."

Any further words were lost as the pair pulled in for an embrace that ended in several kisses. Years later, this didn't change. And as the couple stood at the altar, exchanging their final vows, Lafontaine got to say seven words more before being dragged in for another kiss that they knew was Perry's way of agreeing.

"You're the biggest thing in my world."

AN: Just Laferry stuff because I adore their ship and that "Biggest Thing In My World" clip made me cry... hard.

BTW: Perry-dean is a reference to Perry's book counterpart: Perrodon. ;)