Poultrygeist

Carmilla’s blood boiled and she could feel her heart beat rapidly in her throat as her mother’s words sunk in. Red crept into the edges of her vision, she felt like she could puke.

“Carm! Carmilla please look at me!” Laura voice finally cut through to her and she blinked at their change of scenery. When had they gotten into the bedroom?

Laura was cupping her face wearing a worried expression. Carmilla took a deep breath and sunk to a sitting position at the foot her of her bed. She couldn’t help but smile as her girlfriend shifted her weight on her feet and wrung the bottom of her shirt with nervous hands. She knew Laura better than she knew herself, and questions were probably about to explode out her eyes in a few seconds.

Carmilla reached her hands out for her and Laura complied, stepping between her legs. She pulled her waist until Laura was seated comfortably in her lap, and hugged her tight.

“Are you okay? It looks maybe like you’re not okay. I’m sorry I dragged you all the way upstairs it’s just that you weren’t really responding and now you are and I know that you’re probably going though-“

Carmilla tilted Laura’s chin towards her.

“-through a lot of stuff with your mom, it’s just that…”

Carmilla cupped her face and brought her mouth to hers in a slow, firm kiss.

“I’m so sorry about your mom Carm,” Laura breathed against her mouth. Carmilla just shook her head.

“I warned you that she was awful did I?”

“That’s doesn’t excuse what she did! I just see her and I want to UGH!”

Carmilla’s shock and anger subsided slightly, and she was comforted but the weight in her lap and arms. “It’s fine Laura, just stay with me like this. My mother fed the only person I cared about to the wolves, and maybe I don’t feel like letting that happen again. She won’t get to you, Laura, I won’t let her.”

“Carm, I did something the other day. I know you told me not to look in to your mother, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was off so I told JP to look into it. Maybe he can find something and-“

“Laura, check your messages.”

Laura gave her a confused look, but obeyed. She opened her messages and saw a read message from JP and opened the document. It was a series of legal documents that JP had so graciously highlighted the important parts.

Her eyes flew across the screen as familiar names popped up. Lilita Morgan Karnstein, Mircalla Karnstein, and Richard Karnstein kept popping up all over the documents and Laura was trying to make sense of the legal jargon.

“Carm, I’m really trying to understand here.”

 Carmilla took a deep breath before beginning. “My father’s company, now Morgan Industries, was left to Mother. Where I’m sure there IS probably a lot of shady stuff going on, what is most eye catching is what your little research nerd dug up.”

Carmilla gently took the phone out of Laura’s hand and scrolled to a specific spot before handing it back.

Karnstein Industries will be left in the care of Lilita Morgan Karnstein. Mircalla Karnstein will receive complete control of said company when she reaches the age of 21. If she does not choose to take action by the age 25, the control of the Karnstein Industries will shift under the control of Lilita Morgan Karnstein permanently.

“Carm! This is in a couple months!” Laura fumed.

Carmilla nodded. “My siblings have different fathers, but it looks like my father left more much more than I thought.”

Laura hopped off her lap much to Carmilla’s displeasure and began flailing her arms around wildly in her shocked.

“This is huge!” she yelled. “She can’t get away with this! We won’t let her. I won’t let her. She can’t be so shitty to you and take this from you too.”

Carmilla did nothing but continued to nod and stood to stop Laura’s pacing. “Cupcake, you are ridiculous and headstrong and naïve and I adore this whole Lois Lane Junior gig, but we have time. My birthday isn’t until Feburary and we can work this out. For now, let’s just go home.”

Laura stepped into her space and brought Carmilla’s forehead down to hers and echoed her. “Let’s go home.”

Good Evening gentle viewers! Tonight’s show is about the biggest raging b-bad person. She makes my skin crawl, babies cry, and grown men wet themselves. Okay so maybe no that…but she’s pretty awful. So lets just jump right in!

Lilita Morgan, formally Lilita Karnstien. Yes, that is Morgan as in Morgan Enterprises, and yes that is Karnstein as in Richard Karnstein. Ms. Morgan has been quite the busy bee this last decade or so with the scandals, so let’s jump right in shal we?

The two girls we seated comfortably on the large couch, Laura tucked safely into Carmilla’s side, and Carmilla’s arm draped over the smaller girl’s shoulder. Carmilla turned and planted a small kiss against the cupcake’s temple.

“You didn’t have to go and do that cupcake,” she spoke against her hair.

Laura snorted softly. “Yes I did, she needed to be taken down. No one messes with MY girlfriend and gets away with it!” she shook her fist in the air dramatically.

“You’re truly terrifying,” Carmilla laughed.

“And don’t you forget it,” Laura punctuated the you with a peck to the broody girl’s lips.

Two years later

“Whoever says Paris is overrated is clearly blind.” Laura marveled at the sight from the top of the Eifel Tower, the early Parisian night was still bustling and the distant lights looked like low stars.

Carmilla had been quite the whole way up. The romantic date was going strangely. She had planned for the tulips and the champagne at the top, but the string quartet and the cheesy decorations definitely were not hers.

“Carm?” Laura turned back towards her girlfriend and gasped when she saw the nervous girl on her knee. Her hand flew up to her mouth and she began swinging her head side to side, trying to take everything in.

“Laura, I-“

“Bleh! Marry me!” Laura blurted out.

Carmilla’s eye’s widened in shock and she watched Laura fumble around with her dress pocket to dig out a small velvet box and all but throw it at her.

She couldn’t help the laughter that began to bubble in her chest until she was full on howling, tears and everything. Carmilla dropped her own velvet box onto the ground as she clutched her sides.

“Why are you laughing!” Laura had a panicked look in her eyes.

Carmilla wiped her eyes, picked her box back up, and stood swifly in front of Laura.

“I love you Laura Hollis. I would love to marry you,” she said sporting the largest grin of her life.

Laura let out a watery chuckle and yanked Carmilla’s mouth to hers. “I’m going to marry the crap out of you.”

Carmilla dissolved into another fit of giggles and fumbled with the rings.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”