Chapter Text
“Oh, no! Not a chance in Hades, Dead Girl!”
“What are you going to do to stop me Red?”
“You don’t want to know the things I could do to you!”
“That sounds like you’re offering something up there.”
“That is not what I meant, and you know it! Now back off!”
“Will you two shut up?”
LaFontaine’s voice rang out, cutting through the argument between Carmilla and Danny. The two were nose-to-nose and both faces were red from the screaming match. There was silence for only a moment before the sounds of crying broke through. Three heads turned to the sound to see a small girl, her light brown hair covering her face as she had curled into herself on the bed. “Oh no, no, no.” Danny muttered as she rushed to the child’s side.
Carmilla was right there next to her, with Laf just behind them. Danny kneeled in front of the bed, “Hey there, sweetie. It’s okay. Don’t cry. We won’t yell anymore. It’s okay.”
Her voice was soft and the child peeked out from behind her hands. Danny smiled at her. “Hi.”
The girl waved weakly at her and started to sit up. She pushed her hair out of her face, only to have most of it fall back where it was. Carmilla reached out and pushed the fallen strands behind the girl’s ear. The child looked up and smiled at her, before quickly averting her eyes, “Thank you.”
The words were quiet, and somewhat slurred in the way any small child will speak. The sound brought smiles to the other three in the room. Carmilla patted the child’s back, “No problem, Cupcake.”
“I’m not a cupcake!” The girl’s hands hit Carmilla’s mattress underneath her with some force. She squinted up at Carmilla. “I’m Laura!”
Danny and LaFontaine laughed at the exchange, but tried to hide it behind their hands. Carmilla glared at them before returning her attention to the now even tinier Laura on the bed. “Alright Laura. Let me ask you something: how old are you?”
Laura looked like she was deep in thought for a moment before she raised her hand and put up all of her fingers except her thumb. “I four.”
Carmilla nodded and looked over to the other two in the dorm room. Danny was still looking at Laura with a small smile. LaFontaine, on the other hand, was just shaking their head muttering “Where’s Perry when you need her?”
Carmilla didn’t quite enjoy the company of the floor don as much as Laf, but they had a good point. The motherly girl would be very helpful here. “Where is she anyway?”
LaFontaine looked to Carmilla and shrugged, “She had some homework to finish up and then she was going to a coffee shop with one of the residents, they needed to talk to her about something.”
Carmilla nodded and looked at the floor. It was getting late, so Perry would probably end up going straight back to her room and crashing once she got back. No help from her tonight. Danny was looking between everyone in the room and rubbed her eyes, “Alright. We need to figure out a plan here.”
Carmilla nodded and Laf just looked at Laura. “Well, that would be nice, Danny, but, and I don’t know about you two, I know nothing about taking care of a little kid.”
“Hey! I’m not little! I’m a big girl!”
Laura’s outburst, complete with her hands on her hips and a glare at LaFontaine, earned a smile from Carmilla and an extended “aw” from Danny. Laf looked almost impressed, while trying not to smile. Laura’s steely look at Laf was broken by a yawn. Danny finally spoke to the de-aged girl, “Looks like someone is sleepy.”
Laura shook her head but yawned again. She pouted like she was angry at her body for betraying her like that. Carmilla reached out and grabbed Laura and put the toddler on her hip. Laura immediately laid her head on the vampire’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “Let’s put you in your own bed.”
Carmilla took the short trip and bent down to place Laura on the bed, only to find her arms tightly wrapped around Carmilla’s neck, and not letting go. Carmilla tried pulling at the girl lightly, but she wouldn’t budge. Carmilla stood back up and looked at the other two with raised eyebrows. LaFontaine cleared their throat and pointed to the door, “Um, looks like she likes you. I think I’ll just get out of here and we can regroup tomorrow.”
They headed to the door and left Carmilla and Danny staring at each other in the middle of the room. “So, are you going to leave too? Let me deal with the monkey?”
Laura tightened her grip even more and mumbled her own name into Carmilla’s neck. Carmilla refused to let the word adorable flash through her mind. Danny broke her out of her own mind, “As much fun as I’m sure leaving you to deal with a toddler would be, I told you I could take care of her earlier; before we scared her. Plus, I don’t really trust you with her.”
Carmilla scoffed, her breath rushing across the hair on the back of Laura’s head and causing her to giggle. “What do you think I’m going to do to her? She’s four.”
“I think you don’t know how to take care of a four year old.”
“Like you are any better.”
“Maybe, but if we, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, if we work together we can keep the little one fairly safe until Perry gets back, or we can put her back to normal.”
Carmilla sneered slightly, only to have it fall when she felt Laura shift against her. Instead, she sighed. “Fine, Jolly Green. But just because I don’t want to deal with a crying child by myself.”
Laura raised her head and looked between the two, now significantly, older girls. “Where’s mommy?”
Both girls froze and stopped breathing. Two pairs of wide eyes met in stunned silence. Danny tried to speak, but nothing came out. Carmilla had similar results. It was almost a full minute before Danny spoke softly, “Um, she just went out for a while. So, you’re going to stay with Carmilla and me for a little. Okay?”
Laura nodded and then looked at the redhead, “You’re pretty.”
Danny’s face nearly split in half with the size of her smile. “Thank you, Laura. I think you’re pretty too.”
Danny reached out and booped Laura on the nose, earning a giggle from the child and a gagging noise from Carmilla. Laura looked up at the dark-haired girl, “Ca-Ca-Car…”
She bunched up her face in anger. Some things never change, as she simply looked like a much smaller version of her angry normal self. Carmilla actually smiled at her, “Carmilla.” The vampire spoke her own name slowly.
“Carmilla.” Laura beamed up at the girl holding her when she said it correctly.
“Good job, Cupcake.”
Laura sat up straight, forcing Carmilla to quickly readjust her hold on the girl. She then grabbed Carmilla by the cheeks and looked into her eyes. Speaking slowly and precisely she told the girl, “Laura.”
Carmilla nodded at her, “Laura.”
“Good job.” Laura patted the older girl’s cheek.
Danny laughed from behind Laura. With the hand on Laura’s back, Carmilla flipped a finger up at Danny while hiding it from Laura’s gaze. Danny stuck her tongue out at Carmilla and went over to Laura’s bed. “Hey there, Laura. Why don’t you climb in and go to sleep. It’s getting late, and I know I’m tired.”
Laura tried to fight off a yawn at the very mention of the word tired, but failed. She resorted to shaking her head and burying her face in Carmilla’s neck. Carmilla sighed, “Well, now we know the stubbornness isn’t a new development.”
Danny nodded and pulled the covers down on Laura’s bed. Carmilla suddenly had an idea and sat down on Laura’s bed next to Danny, “Laura. How about this: if you lay down and go to sleep like a good girl, you can have a cookie when you get up.”
Laura’s head shot up, almost knocking into Carmilla’s jaw. “Cookie?”
Carmilla nodded at her, “Yeah. All you have to do is lay down and go to bed.”
Laura jumped out of Carmilla’s arms onto the bed when she heard that. Both Danny and Carmilla nearly fell over trying to make sure she didn’t hit the floor. The toddler threw her head against the yellow pillow and tried to pull the blankets up. Danny reached up to help when she heard Laura yell at her to stop. The redhead froze, “What’s wrong?”
“I need jammies.”
Danny cocked an eyebrow at Carmilla, who just shrugged. The girls looked around the room for any ideas. Danny jumped up from the bed and grabbed one of Laura’s t-shirts. Looking at Carmilla she held it up, “Nightshirt?”
Carmilla did a half-nod and waved towards Laura. Danny brought the shirt over and put it next to Laura. Laura tried to pull her shirt off and got it stuck on her head. She squirmed and grunted as she tried to force it over. Carmilla reached over to help, grumbling about how this is not how she imagined this happening. Danny was caught between wanting to laugh and growl at the vampire. After some effort, Carmilla was able to throw the now oversized shirt over Laura’s head and Laura had removed her pants on her own and thrown them to the floor. Danny stood up and turned out the lights before turning and joining Carmilla on the vampire’s bed. Carmilla whispered to her once she sat down, “I don’t know what the Alchemy Club did, I’m just amazed it shrunk her clothes with her.”
Danny snorted out a laugh, then groaned. “Oh man, we have to get real clothes for her.”
Carmilla looked up at Danny questioningly. Danny threw her arms up, “We don’t know how long this is going to last and she can’t run around in big Laura’s shirts as dresses all the time.”
Carmilla chuckled, “I didn’t think I’d ever hear Laura described as big.”
The girls laughed quietly at that. They stayed silent for a moment, long enough to hear Laura snoring quietly on her bed. Both breathed a sigh of relief at that. Danny ran her hand through her hair, “Alright. Now what’s next?”
Carmilla rolled back onto her bed and let out a small yawn, “I say we go to sleep.”
“One problem with that, Bloodsucker. There are two of us, and one bed. And I am not sleeping on the floor.”
Carmilla growled, “I got it last time we had three people in the room, so I’m not doing it. So either you take it, or we bunk together.”
Danny squinted at Carmilla, “Did you just suggest we share a bed?”
“I suggest you sleep on the floor, but if that’s not your thing then there aren’t many options.”
Danny unlaced her shoes and kicked them off, then clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath, “Scoot over.”
Carmilla rolled over towards the wall, giving Danny room to lie down next to her. Danny scooted down to a horizontal position, leaving as much room as she could between her and Carmilla. “Those fangs get anywhere near me and you’re dead.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. I don’t particularly want to vomit tonight.”
Danny bit back a reply and just closed her eyes, hoping she could fall asleep soon; next to her, Carmilla did the same. Both girls using the soft snores from across the room to lull them into what was sure to be a restless sleep.