By Chance

"Um, sorry."

Carmilla looked up from her book with a cocked brow. She had been sitting in the park at the foot of her tree, leisurely reading on her day off. When she let her gaze drift upward, a cute dirty blonde smiled at her hesitantly.

"I'm sorry if he was bothering you," the woman with honey eyes said sheepishly as she tucked loose tendrils behind her ear.

Carmilla raised both brows in complete bewilderment. Then, she noticed slight movement next to her. The wagging of a tail was her first acknowledgment. Then, she saw the furry face, which happily hung it's tongue out toward her.

The brunette's mouth gaped for a moment as she stared at the golden retriever. Then, her eyes met honey brown again. The sun reflected off her hair as a breeze swept through it. Her eyes squinted from the sun's rays, but her face still showed concern. Her bottom lip was tucked between her teeth and Carmilla's heart stuttered at the sight.

"I didn't even notice the beast was here."

The woman turned toward her dog with a frown. "Wulfy! I know you don't like Danny, but did you have to give me a heart attack?! I was running around like a lunatic trying to find you!"

"Wulfy?" Carmilla questioned with a smirk as the dog whimpered at his master's disappointment.

The woman's cheeks tinted red. "His name's Beowulf."

"How literary of you."

She shrugged. "I like books. Clearly you do too," she answered with a nod toward the open book in Carmilla's hands.

The dog then rose to his feet and walked a few steps toward Carmilla. He sniffed a hand holding the book before moving his cold, wet nose up her arm, and reaching her jaw. She scrunched up her nose and turned away as the dog began to lick her skin.

"Beowulf!" the woman scolded as she reached forward and pulled him away. "I'm so sorry."

Carmilla turned back, wiping her face with the back of her hand. She stared at the dog curiously, who stared back happily; tongue sticking out. "He doesn't look very sorry," she answered in amusement.

"He constantly wants to make friends," the dirty blonde responded. She then looked down at her pet as she held his collar. "You can't lick everyone's face!" He whimpered. "Don't give me that! She was doing fine without you bothering her."

Beowulf pulled himself out of his owner's grip and laid down against Carmilla's outstretched legs. He placed his head down on her ankle.

Carmilla stared in awe at the beast before looking up at his owner with wide eyes. "Uh, I think you need to work on your lack of authority..."

Her cheeks turned even more red. "I'm so sorry! He's usually not such a punk."  

The brunette let a hand drop from her book as she caressed the thick fur. Her dark eyes looked up at the blonde again; turning on her charm. "You're lucky he's got such a cute owner."

The blonde's honey eyes widened. Her mouth opened to respond, before closing again. "I- He's-"

Carmilla chuckled at the woman's reaction as she closed her book entirely and rested it on her lap.  "What's your name, cutie?"

"Laura. Laura Hollis."

"Well, Laura, Laura Hollis. I was having a peaceful afternoon until you came along..."

"I know, and I can't apologize enough," Laura answered with remorse. "He's never run off for so long before!"

"He must've spotted something special," Carmilla smirked.

"Clearly," Laura answered as she took in the brunette's appearance; glancing over every visible feature and failing to find a flaw. Then, her eyes immediately widened from her comment; causing a grin to appear on Carmilla's face. "You weren't supposed to hear that," she squeaked out with her face now permanently red.

"Hear what?" Carmilla asked innocently.

Laura's brows furrowed. "Wait, did I say that out loud?" 

"I don't know. What do you think you said?"

She opened her mouth to respond before frowning. "You're teasing me."

Carmilla smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart." Beowulf snuggled closer to the brunette.

Laura glared at the fur ball. "Traitor..."

"Hey, Laura! Everything okay?" a tall redhead approached slowly. Beowulf lifted his head and began to growl at the incoming woman. Carmilla's brows shot up in surprise.

"Yeah, Danny. He's decided to change owners," Laura answered with a grumble as she lazily waved toward the dog.

Danny lifted her hands to show no offense toward the beast; stopping from walking any closer. "Well if everything's under control, I gotta get going. Gotta meet Betty for dinner."

"Okay. I'll see ya later," Laura smiled in return.

"Later, Hollis." She looked down at the glaring dog. "Bye, beast."

Carmilla scoffed as the redhead turned and made her exit. Laura looked back down to see Beowulf relax against the brunette's leg again before closing his eyes.

She tucked her hair behind her ear again. "I don't understand why he hates my friend so much."

"Might have to do with the color red," she smirked.

Laura rolled her eyes. "I have two other friends with equally as red hair. He loves them just fine," she argued as she crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip.

"Maybe he's just afraid she's gonna trample you," she added as her fingers ran through his thick fur. 

"Are you usually this offensive?"

She shrugged. "Depends on the day. Could be worse," she answered nonchalantly.

Laura eyed her curiously. "You know, you still haven't told me your name."

Carmilla leaned back into the tree; the slightest hint of a smile at the corner of her lips. "You never asked."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm getting the impression you're a difficult person to be around."

The brunette lifted a brow in amusement. "Now who's being offensive?"

Laura took a deep breath. "May I have the pleasure of knowing your name, snarkiest stranger I've ever met?"

Carmilla grinned. "Is that how you get all the ladies, Laura, Laura Hollis? Insult them into submission?"

"Typically I buy them dinner, but I would need to know their name first."

The brunette's eyes widened. "And here I thought you were the shy, quiet type."

Laura shrugged. "You've already embarrassed me as much as possible. Nothing left to lose at this point."

Carmilla began to smirk again. "I'm sure I could embarrass you much more, sweetheart. In fact, I sincerely hope to."

The blonde tilted her head to the side curiously. "And why is that?"

"That shade of pink on your cheeks is quite fetching."

Laura chuckled. "Fetching? Who talks like that?"

"I do." She lifted her hand up toward the woman. "Carmilla Karnstein."

The blonde beamed at finally getting her introduction. She reached down and took her hand. Soft skin and a gentle grip as their eyes locked in that moment. Laura forced a swallow. "Nice to meet you, Carmilla Karnstein."

The brunette smirked. "Pleasure's all mine." Their hands fell back to their sides. Beowulf began to stir from his short nap. Carmilla's dark eyes refused to leave Laura though. The blonde felt a shiver run up her spine from the intensity of her gaze.

She tucked her hair behind her ear again; a nervous tick Carmilla gathered. "So, do you think, maybe, I could," she began to fumble for words as she stared down at her hands fiddling with each other. Laughter interrupted her train of thought. She looked up and noticed the woman smiling at her; her gaze still burning through her.

"I thought you said you were done being embarrassed."

Laura huffed in annoyance as she felt her cheeks heat up. "I thought I was, but then you were staring at me like... that!" She gestured her hand toward Carmilla.

"And how am I staring at you exactly?" she asked in amusement, purposefully continuing to stare at her in the same fashion.

"Like- Like you're staring into my soul or something!" she exclaimed in frustration.

Carmilla chuckled as she pushed herself up to her feet to Beowulf's disappointment. She held her book to her side as her other hand began to brush off any dirt on her pants. When she looked back up at Laura, there was a softness in her eyes that left the blonde breathless.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," she said sincerely with a kind smile. "You're just... a breath of fresh air, I guess."

Laura smiled in return. "We're in a park. Not enough fresh air for you here?" she chuckled.

"Wherever wind visits, there it freshens the air."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you have successfully blown me away," she answered with a sly smile.

"Oh my God," Laura laughed as she shook her head. "That was horrible."

Carmilla couldn't hold back the grin on her lips. "But it got you to smile, so I think it still worked out."

"And why would you care about making me smile?"

"Because it's a good indication of whether you'll give me your number or not."

"That's terrible logic!" Laura commented with a laugh. "Maybe I'm just being nice, Miss Not-As-Smooth-As-She-Thinks-She-Is."

"Oh please! That was incredibly smooth!" Carmilla protested. Beowulf barked at her feet as he stared up happily. "See? Even he agrees!"

Laura glared at her hairy son. "His opinion doesn't count."  Beowulf barked at her twice in response. Carmilla's hand fell to his head; petting him as the canine nuzzled into her touch.

"That's right, big guy. Don't let her speak to you like that," the brunette cooed. "Your beliefs matter."

Laura glared at the woman. "What if he's an atheist?" she asked in a monotone as a challenge.

"Believing in nothing is still believing in something."

"That doesn't even make any-" the blonde cut herself off as she shook her head roughly. "What are we even talking about?"

Carmilla chuckled. "I don't know, but you're entirely too adorable when annoyed." Laura's cheeks turned red again. "So how 'bout that number?" the brunette added with a satisfied smirk.

"Karnstein! My office! Now!" she heard from across the room. She sighed heavily before shoving herself out of her chair. She had just sat down after arriving at the station.

Disregarding the obvious tone in the Chief's voice, she was actually glad for the interruption. She had been thinking about the case since she woke up and her head was already pounding.

"That doesn't sound good, Kitty," Will commented from his desk as she passed by. His eyes were trained on his computer screen.

"Shut it, Luce." She heard him laughing and rolled her eyes. When she got to the half open door, she knocked lazily.

"Come in." Carmilla entered, closing the door behind her. "Have a seat."

She threw herself down in the seat across from her boss' desk. "What's up, Chief?"

Matska Belmonde was a proud woman. She knew how to command her officers. She was blunt, domineering, and at times, terrifying. She also happened to be like a sister to Carmilla after growing up together as orphans.

"Kirsch broke his leg."

"What?! How?!" Carmilla exclaimed, sitting up straight in her chair. 

Her superior glared. "Riding that death trap you've been teaching him on."

Carmilla frowned. She had been unwillingly teaching him to ride a motorcycle. She lost a bet. "I told him not to ride it without me around! What was he thinking?!"

"He said you had been helping him practice a lot lately and he thought he'd be fine if he just rode around in the parking lot."

The brunette dropped her head into her hands. "Jesus Christ," she mumbled before looking back up. "Well is he okay?"

"He's still in the hospital. He had to have surgery. I was just informed that he's all drugged up, so I'm assuming he feels quite wonderful," she humored before sighing.

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Knowing immediately wouldn't have changed anything."

"He's my partner, Mattie!"

"And he's now being taken off the case because of you," she growled.

"How is this my fault?"

"Teaching Wilson how to ride a motorcycle is the dumbest thing you've ever done. He can barely walk without falling over!"

"I lost a bet! I didn't even want to teach him!"

"What are you? Twelve? You still could have said 'no'."

Carmilla crossed her arms over her chest and slouched into the chair. "Excuse me for being honorable."

Mattie scoffed. "Anyway, since our undercover cop is now unfit to fulfill his duties, we'll have to go in a different direction."

"Shit," she said as she ran a hand through her wavy locks. "We've been preparing for this for weeks! We need to get in there, Mattie."

"I know," she agreed simply. "Which is why you're going in."

Carmilla's eyes widened. After a few seconds, she started to smile. "You're kidding, right?"

"Your first day is tomorrow."

"Are you crazy?!"

Mattie lifted an elegant brow. "You said it yourself, darling. We need to get in there."

"I can't teach first graders! I don't think I've ever even talked to a kid!"

The Chief rolled her eyes. "I'm sure your lovely attitude will scare them into submission."

"Do I look like the kind of person that won't punch a bratty kid in the face?"

"You're the only person that would rather go undercover into an underground drug-infested gambling den than teach a bunch of seven year olds."

"Yeah! Because I won't get sued for punching anyone!"

Mattie couldn't help but laugh. "You're unbelievable." She shook her head before taking a deep breath. "You're the only one that knows the case as well as Kirsch. Actually, you know it better than him. We need someone with that knowledge in there."

Carmilla groaned, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple. "I'm gonna have to deal with these kids' parents too."

"Most likely."

Carmilla groaned again. She looked up at her boss with a glare. "If Lilita Morgan isn't the woman we're looking for, I'm not getting you a Christmas present this year."

Mattie grinned. "As broody as you are, I highly doubt that."

The buses had already let out the students and parents were still dropping off their kids in front of the school. Carmilla rode up on her motorcycle and came to a stop in the parking lot. She felt eyes on her the moment she drove onto the property. Turning off the engine, she yanked off her helmet. She tossed her messenger bag's strap over her head for it to rest across her body. Tucking her helmet under her arm, she started to make her way toward the school.

She pulled her sunglasses out of her leather jacket and put them on. People staring intensely at her this early in the morning was bound to make her glare. It was best to try and avoid that; or them seeing that.

Mattie had told her to dress professionally, but 'professionally' doesn't mean the same thing to Carmilla as it does to everyone else. Her lucky leather pants were crucial. If she was to face twenty-something kids, she was going to take all the luck she could get. Although, usually when she wore them, she was getting lucky in a completely different way.

The rest of her outfit consisted of boots, a dark red button-up shirt, and a black tie.

Ignoring the looks and whispers as she passed, she entered the school and saw the sign for the main office. She reached out for the door handle before it suddenly flung open. The woman coming out of the office jumped in surprise, clutching a stack of papers to her chest. Carmilla took in the appearance of the blonde. A cute blouse with her hair in soft waves resting over her shoulders. Flattering dress pants. Carmilla approved. The surprise on the woman's face caused Carmilla's signature smirk to appear.

"Carmilla?" Laura asked with a hint of a smile on her lips.

The brunette took off her sunglasses and tucked them into her jacket. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm the new teacher, sweetheart."

Laura's mouth hung slightly ajar. She blinked a bit before smiling. "I didn't take you for the teacher-type."

Carmilla tilted her head. "And what type did you take me for?"

The blonde let her eyes rake down Carmilla's body. "The leather wearing badass-type." She forced a swallow when she met dark eyes. Laura felt that penetrating stare again and her body tingled.

"Teacher's can't be badass and wear leather?" Carmilla asked with her smirk still present.

"I guess they can," Laura answered as she gestured toward the brunette with a chuckle. She then eyed her curiously. "Lose my number?"

Carmilla openly laughed. "Absolutely not. I didn't want to seem desperate." She had planned on contacting her that evening actually. It was going to be a nice way for her to relax after a day of subjecting herself to Teaching Hell. She took a step into Laura's personal space. "How can I make it up to you?" she asked a little too huskily for an elementary school hallway.    

Laura took in a sharp breath. "You're making me think of a lot of very inappropriate things before I have to go teach children," she answered with her eyes glued to Carmilla's lips.

The brunette smirked. "I would very much like to hear those things, but we're gonna be late." She took a step back.

Laura cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Right. You're right. Okay," she went to walk away before turning back to the leather-clad woman. "I'll see you later."

"I count on it," Carmilla replied with a wink; smiling more when she saw Laura's cheeks redden. Carmilla watched the blonde's hips sway as she walked away. She couldn't help herself.

"Oh! Hello," a voice broke through her thoughts. She turned to see a curly redhead had exited the office. "You must be Miss Karnstein."

Carmilla sighed. "Must I be?" The woman's brows furrowed in confusion. Carmilla stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She had to remind herself to play nice. "Yes, I'm Carmilla Karnstein."

The redhead immediately brightened up. "Great! It's so nice to meet you! I'm Lola Perry, the Vice Principal. Everyone just calls me 'Perry'. Ms. Morgan is currently in a meeting, so she'll have to meet with you later."

"Oh, joy."

Perry didn't catch the sarcasm. "So if you'll follow me, I'll lead you to your classroom," she started down the hallway. Carmilla walked beside her, but a step or two behind.

"It's unfortunate about Mr. Kirsch. Thank goodness he could recommend you as a replacement. We would have been in trouble."

"Yeah, thank goodness for me," Carmilla answered; the sarcasm lost on Perry again.

Suddenly, a bell rang loudly. School started.

"You were emailed everything you needed. So you should be all caught up and ready to go," the redhead stopped next to a door and turned to the brunette. She held out keys in her hand. "This is the classroom key and the key to the large cabinet in the back. It has supplies and the like inside."

Carmilla took the keys and pocketed them. "Great. Thanks."

Perry then took in her appearance. "You are aware of the dress code, right?"

Carmilla lifted a brow. "Why do you think I'm wearing a tie, Red?" She then let her eyes settle on the door. "Time to face the music, I guess," she said before taking a deep breath.

Perry smiled sweetly at her. "You'll be fine," she reassured, which surprisingly comforted Carmilla a bit.

"Yeah," the new teacher agreed. "I'll be fine." She then stepped forward and entered the room.

Carmilla spotted the desk in the front and went straight for it. She tossed her bag down on it and then finally turned to the students. Most of them were sitting at one of the large tables in the room. Some were standing, most likely playing around with each other before she walked in and grabbed their attention.

She lifted a brow at the kids who weren't seated. "Any reason you're not sitting?" They hurriedly ran to open seats at the tables. Carmilla then let her eyes wander over the students.

"My name is Miss Karnstein, and I'll be teaching you guys. How's everybody's morning? Good? Good. Awesome. Great," she spun toward her bag to get out the pages of names and pictures of all the students. "Let's take attendance." After going through the list, a girl raised her hand. Carmilla nodded toward her, signaling her to speak. 

"Are you a superhero?"

Carmilla stared at her in confusion. "What?"

"You look like a superhero," the girl continued. Another girl that was sitting next to her chimed in. "Yeah! You look like that lady from the Avengers!" This girl had a lisp.

The brunette was still confused. "Which lady?"

"The one with the red hair!"

A boy with glasses piped up. "She does look like Black Widow!"

"She's awesome!" another boy yelled.

"I think she's scary..."

The kids started to erupt in conversation. Carmilla's brows shot to her hairline. "Hey! Knock it off!" she yelled, cutting through the commotion. Some kids actually looked afraid.

Carmilla then looked down. "It's the leather, isn't it?"

"Probably," the original girl answered.

The teacher sighed before pulling off her jacket and hanging it on her chair by her desk. She rolled up her sleeves and then placed her hands on her hips. "How about we hit up some ABC's?"

Lunchtime came and the kids were left in the cafeteria. Carmilla was sitting hunched over at her desk; forehead against it's surface from when she smacked it down minutes ago. Then, a knock came from the open door. She sat up abruptly and turned to see Laura standing there with a worried smile on her face. 

"Are you okay?" she asked with a soft chuckle.

Carmilla sighed. "I'd like a glass of whiskey, please."

She cringed with another laugh; the sound was already making Carmilla feel lighter. Laura took Carmilla's answer as an invitation to enter the room. "Rough start?"

"Some of them didn't have anything to write with. Some of them were writing all over each other. This one girl has a cold and keeps sneezing on people. I literally saw snot fly across the room. And it got some distance too. I'm talking like five feet at least. And you know what? Kids are mean!" Carmilla exclaimed. "A boy peed himself and then a few of them kept teasing the crap out of him. He then cried after they stole his snack. Like, what am I supposed to do with that?"

"Did you punish them?"

"I sent them to the Principal's Office. I figured beating the shit out of them for being little assholes wasn't the best idea," she groaned.

"Yeah... Not the best," Laura chuckled. "It's the first day. It'll get easier when you find your groove," the blonde reassured with a kind smile. Carmilla's heart pounded from the sight.

"How's your day goin'?"

"Pretty good. There was a boy-"

"Miss Karnstein?" a voice dripping in authority came from the door. The two teachers turned to look. 

Lilita Morgan. Carmilla felt her body tense.

Time for the real work to begin.