A/N: This tiny little fic thing explores somewhat of a different angle of Carmilla and Laura's relationship than we've been seeing this season. I've set it at an ambiguous time between when they arrived at the Dean's apartment and Tuesday's episode (episode 15). Probably earlier on in their relationship. It was inspired by a post on Laura's tumblr account, in which an anon asked, "Do you feel a little scared when Carmilla is close to you neck? Cause she is your girlfriend but she is a vampire too." To which tumblr Laura said, "Not really. I trust her."

I don't know, I just thought that Laura might sometimes feel a teensy tiny bit scared/intimidated when she remembers she's dating an actual vampire….you know, if Laura actually had more time to think about her girlfriend and her relationship rather than trying to save the world…

I wake up without opening my eyes and immediately feel the emptiness in the bed beside me. I don't expect Carmilla to stay with me all night; she is not one to conform to normal sleeping habits, and watching someone sleep can become particularly tedious and not to mention, somewhat creepy. I know that once I doze off, she prowls around a bit, reads, stares wistfully at the stars, and partakes a number of other activities that appeal to a sullen, brooding vampire. She is always back by morning, which is why it is often disconcerting to wake up alone in the night.

I have woken up gently tonight, perhaps roused by a dull creak or an itch or some other mild irritant. I haven't even opened my eyes, as I breathe softly, trying to detect Carmilla's presence in the room, a near impossible task. I listen for a hint of movement, a small sigh, a pricking sensation alerting me of her nearness.

"I know you're awake, Laura."

I startle, because I wasn't expecting something so forthright. I open my eyes, blearily finding her silhouette against the window.

"Your breathing changed." She answers my unspoken question, sliding down from the window sill, soundlessly. She is beside me in a moment, feeling icy as she burrows beneath my blankets.

"I'm sorry," I murmur. She tangles her legs between mine, stealing my warmth.

"Why are you apologizing?" I feel her frown against my hair.

I curl into the crook of her chin, and she wraps her arms around me until I effectively cocooned against her. "I didn't want to bother you." I didn't want to need you. It frightens me at times, to realize how quickly I have fallen for her.

"Silly, Laura," she dismisses my soft confession, her lips breaking through my veil of hair and tickling my neck. "I've had years to fill my restless nights with mundane hobbies. You however - I haven't had quite nearly enough of you yet."

Her words spiral down my spine and I involuntarily quiver.

"You're rather jumpy tonight," she notes, pulling her hand away from my stomach.

"You're especially alluring," I defend, a weak laugh edging from my lips.

"Mmmm," she seems rather pleased with herself and this time goes for my lips. She is an incredibly good kisser. I often worry that I am sloppy in return, hesitant and inexperienced. She does have three hundred years on me after all.

Her lips stray to my jaw, as she dots a series of tiny, precise kisses against the length of it. They dip lower once again - she is always rather preoccupied with my neck. She nips lightly, and I am immediately dizzy, momentarily paralyzed. She sucks softly, my skin growing damp beneath her tongue. I can feel my heart rattling loudly, caged and frantic. Her touch is so immensely gratifying, but the reality of her being flashes brightly in my mind at the most inconvenient of times. She's my Carm, of course - eccentric, stubborn, begrudgingly compassionate, fleetingly sensitive, but she's something so much more, and when I dwell on the matter, I am immediately frightened.

But I cling to her neck as she decorates mine, soft and deliberate, and I realize that I am much more fearful of losing her.