No Matter How Dark It May Be, There Is Redemption

Something We Agree On

Carmilla paced in the kitchen, tears in her eyes, borderline hyperventilating, as she had been for the past hour and a half.  “I messed up, I messed up,” she repeated, running her hand through her hair.

“Okay, okay,” Perry said, trying to remain calm while leaning against a doorway next to Lafontaine.  “Maybe she just, uhm, threw things all over in her room i-in anger, and then snuck out through her window?  Could that be a thing?”

Richard, who was sitting with Danny and Kirsh, shook his head and sighed.  “She’s never snuck out before and I don’t think she would’ve just jumped out her window from that high up onto all those rocks.”

“If something happens to her, the last thing she’ll remember is that I called her mortal and stupid.”  She was visibly becoming more agitated.  “I screwed up,” Carmilla growled, slamming her fist into the wall and creating a small hole.

“O-Okay,” Danny stammered, rushing over to the vampire, but not touching her.  “That’s not helping.”

“I’d say Carmilla has done more than enough helping,” Richard snapped.

“Whoa, alright,” Laf said, holding their hands up.  “I mean, I appreciate you letting us stay in your house, sir, but turning against each other isn’t going to–”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Carmilla demanded.  “This coming from the man who almost got his daughter eaten by a werewolf after lying to her for her whole life?”

“None of this would be happening if you didn’t walk into her life!”  He slammed his fist down, making everyone except Carmilla jump.  “I had her protected for eighteen years, and then you move in with her and she finds out everything!  And now look where she is!”

Carmilla charged across the room towards the man.  “If it wasn’t for me,” Carmilla said through gritted teeth, “Laura would’ve been sacrificed to lophiiformes and you would have been none the wiser.”

As if right on cue, Carmilla’s phone rang.  She looked at the screen and her eyes widened when it showed it was Laura.  She looked around the room and was met with similarly befuddled faces.  She answered the call and put it on speakerphone.  “Hello?”

There was some slight scuffling.  “Ah, hi.  Hey, Carm,” Laura stammered, her voice dripping with trepidation.  “So, uhm, I’ve been kidnapped, and, uh–”

Carmilla could hear a voice in the background that she couldn’t quite place.

“Okay,” Laura quickly replied, presumably to the voice.  “Your mother took me and she would really, really like the Blade of Hastur and the Pommel of Azathoth.”

“Are you okay, Laura?”  Carmilla’s mind was going a mile a minute, imagining the worst.

“I’m great, just peachy,” Laura answered, her voice much higher than usual.  “In fact, I’m doing so great that I’m gonna suggest you ignore your crazy mother––”

There was a loud smacking sound accompanied by a grunt, then a loud cracking noise.  Carmilla stifled a gasp.  After some rustling, another voice spoke.  “Mircalla,” it greeted.

“Mother.”

A snicker was heard.  “This little cockroach you’ve claimed as your lover probably has a slight concussion from the blow I just delivered.  If you do not wish me to cause further harm to her, you will deliver the items I have requested tomorrow at 5pm at the location of our last encounter.  Am I being unclear in any way?”

Carmilla closed her eyes and sighed.  “No, Mother.”

“You will do as I have instructed?”

“Yes, Mother.”  Carmilla received mixed looks from around the room.

Laura’s voice rang in clear in the background: “Carmilla, no!  Don’t do––”  Another smack was heard.

“My, my, this one sure is chatty.  Much more talkative than Elle was, huh?”  Carmilla winced and could practically see the grin on the other end.  The Dean cackled.  “Okay, bye-bye now, Mircalla.”  The call ended.

A long silence followed.  Lafontaine finally spoke up.  “What are we going to do?”

Carmilla looked at Richard, who was wringing his hands.  “I love your daughter,” she admitted.  “I haven’t actually said it to her, but I love her.  I never thought love was something I could feel, or was worthy of feeling, but I swear to you, I love your daughter.”  She took a deep breath.  “And I won’t let anything happen to her, if I can help it.”  She looked around the room.  “I’m bringing my mother the Blade of Hastur and the Pommel of Azathoth, and then I’m killing her and lophiiformes with them.”

Richard regarded Carmilla for a few seconds in silence and then a small smile appeared.  “Something we can agree on, then.”