Work Text:
It was four in the morning when Carmilla woke them up, half a dozen bags fixed awkwardly over her shoulder and a flashlight in hand. She pointed it directly at all of their faces, one by one, until they were all sitting up and squinting at her. Seemingly satisfied, she threw them each a bag and gestured towards the front door, where Laura was standing, barely awake herself, clutching the backpack Carmilla had undoubtedly made up for her. When none of them moved, she pulled LaFontaine to their feet and gave them a little push, glaring at the others as she did so.
“You fell asleep in my living room last night,” Carmilla grumbled as she moved on to Kirsch, “and when Laura saw you this morning, she said you had to come too. Just go get in the car, Xena,” she snapped when Danny, the most awake of the group, tried to protest. “You’ll see why when we get there.”
Manhandling the exhausted college students like they were toddlers, it only took Carmilla a few minutes to get everyone buckled into the van parked outside the house- where she got said van, none of them knew, and none of them were awake enough to ask. Instead they all- including Laura, who had been woken up in a much gentler fashion than the rest of them without any extra knowledge- just shuffled around so they were each comfortable, backpacks in laps and between knees and under heads as they were used in place of pillows. Half were already starting to doze off by the time Carmilla slid into the driver’s seat, a pair of sunglasses-which Danny immediately commented on, resulting in a quick bird flipped her way- on her face, despite the hours before sunrise.
“Go back to sleep, Laura, Squad,” Carmilla said, throwing the van into reverse and backing down the long driveway. “It’s a couple hour drive, and…”
Whatever she was going to say was lost as Kirsch, at her recommendation, crashed and began to snore, his head at an awkward angle and making more than enough noise to make conversation difficult. The others followed his lead, and soon enough, it was only her.
Leaving Carmilla alone to grumble about the oversized toddlers she had somehow become responsible for, something she hadn’t been expecting when the school year had started.
*
Perry was the first one awake, her sleepy mumbles quickly quieting as she rubbed the sleep away from her eyes and stared out the van window, watching the mountains that had kept them captive slowly roll behind them, leaving nothing but forest and the dusty haze of rock. Shifting so her arm was free from under LaFontaine’s neck, careful to make sure her friend was leaning against Kirsch instead, she leaned forward, whispering under her breath to not disturb the others.
“How did you get off campus?” A simple question, if one twinged with annoyance. They had hiked those mountains for almost two months and hadn’t been able to find a way through, and in the matter of five hours Carmilla had driven them into the distance, free of campus and the horrors that waited back there.
“Mattie’s moving van is…special,” Carmilla said quietly back, leaning to the side so Perry could see the wide arrange of glowing runes and buttons littering the dash board. “It’s why she was able to get here so quickly with all of her things just a few days after the board was called into meeting. She normally takes her other car, but since she was going to be at the school for a while…” Carmilla shrugged, as if her sister’s decisions actually didn’t matter that much to her. “She’s letting me borrow it for today, Ginger Snap, so get that idea out of your head now. If it’s not back by tomorrow at sun up, she’s coming after us. And you do not want that.”
Perry, her lips pursed at Carmilla’s denial of the plan she hadn’t even mentioned, leaned back in her seat, returning her gaze to the forest passing besides them. Sliding her arm back around LaFontaine, pulling her friend into her side and playing with their hair, she sighed and raised her eyebrow, well aware that Carmilla could see her in the rearview mirror.
“Two more hours,” the vampire replied.
Two more hours they could do. Tucking LaF into her side, Perry watched and waited, keeping the many other questions she had to herself for now.
*
By the time the van pulled to a stop, everyone but Laura was awake, their quiet chattering- kept to a low level by the glare Carmilla shot them every time Laura began to stir- as they tried to guess where they were going and kept themselves entertained while they waited for an answer filling the last few hours of the drive. With their questions finally answered as Carmilla put the car into park, a stunned silence fell over them all, their eyes wide and excitement clear as they stared at their destination.
“Bathing suites are in the backpacks,” Carmilla grumbled, leaning her chair back to take a bit of a nap. “Sandwiches too, if you get hungry. And don’t worry,” she said, motioning towards the giant lake, the wind blowing gentle waves that lapped at the almost sandy shore. “I checked, and the scariest thing here is me. Now get out.”
“Dude,” Kirsch said, clasping her shoulder with his hand, ignoring the warning hiss she shot him, “this was totally bro-level cool of you.”
“For once he’s right,” Danny pipped up as she shoved Kirsch out of the van, waiting for him to pull himself to his feet before getting out herself. “This really was nice of you. Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it, Amazon,” Carmilla said, trying to hide the small smile that was threatening to break out on her face. “Seriously, don’t. I thought Laura would enjoy this place, and figured it’d be easier just to bring the entire Weird Squad along instead of bringing her here, going back to get you when she mentions how much you nerds would love it, and then driving all the way back. Now get out, before I make you.”
“Does that include me,” Laura asked sleepily as she shifted in her chair, her eyes only half open from sleep, though even her tiredness didn’t hide the excited gleam in her eye. Sitting up and stretching, she quickly rubbed the grit from her face, unable to hide her excitement as she bounced in her seat.
“For once, Creampuff,” Carmilla said gently, biting back a yawn as she spoke, “it does. Go enjoy your friends. I’m going to have a snack, enjoy a little cat nap, and come join you, okay?” Reaching into her own bag she pulled out a thing blood, nails pulling at the little tab that would allow her access to her meal.
“Don’t take too long,” Laura replied, leaning over to place a quick kiss on her lips before she began to feed, well aware from previous interrupted meals that a mouthful of blood was not a welcome experience. “I think I might know what bathing suite you packed me, and if that’s the case…”
“Half an hour, I promise, Creampuff,” Carmilla said with a little smirk. “I can’t properly appreciate you in that bikini if I’m exhausted, now can I?”
“Half an hour,” Laura repeated, “and I get to see you in yours.” Winking, Laura quickly left the van, laughing at the sight of LaFontaine and Kirsch, the first two to get changed, jumping into the water, splashing each other and Danny and Perry as they did so.
Finally letting the yawn slip past, Carmilla quickly slurped down the blood and leaned back in her chair, relaxing for the first time since the drive had begun. Just a single half hour nap, and then she’d let the fun begin. And after the road trip she’d been on recently, she deserved it.
And half an hour later, Laura was pulling her into the lake and into a welcomed kiss, both temporarily forgetting about the trip back home and what would be waiting for them when they got there.