The Disease

Hello all,

As per what it says on my profile, this is a story that has been dwelling on my mind for… ohhh over a year now. I think I was watching an episode of YD (possibly Kiss of Death) when the thought occurred to me 'Why does the Count prefer Vlad over Ingrid, beyond the sexism?' He clearly loves Ingrid and is proud of her, in his own way. So why is Vlad favoured?

After rewatching season 5, for probably the gazillionth time it came to me and this story came from that.

This is only meant to be a one-shot. It will mainly being in the Count's head, if you have read my fanfics for YD before you know that is how I do things. It also may be scattered across all five seasons so if you aren't too familiar with YD, then you may be confused by the goings ons. I am more than aware people aren't all as addicted to YD as me, so if you are confused either rewatch YD, or PM me and I'll clear things up.

I don't own Young Dracula (haha, if I did then I could have all my stories made into various seasons and spin offs…)

The Count looked in horror at his daughter as she cackled happily on his throne.

This was precisely what he thought would happen, what he knew would happen. Ingrid had betrayed them.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise, and it didn't but what did surprise the prince of Darkness was how much it hurt to see his daughter like this. It was bad enough that his son and heir was laid on the ground, possibly dead, but this was a whole new level.

This was betrayal, it wasn't just going out when grounded or sneaking out during night hours. This was turning around and planning the murder of their own family. The Count had done some cruel and evil things in his time, but nothing like this. He would ever turn on his family.

The problem was he should have seen this coming, this is what he had always expected. What he had known all along, the reason he was so cold and unfeeling towards his eldest child.

Magda had been like she, she was so evil, so cruel she was willing to do anything, anything, to gain power. Even if they meant killing her own family, or worse making them hurt and live with that pain the rest of their lives.

Ingrid at least didn't seem to be planning to leave them to their emotional pain. She planned on ending it, literally.

The Vampire Times confirmed it, Ingrid was dead. Killed in the castle fire.

The Count felt overwhelming pain at that but didn't allow himself to express it, instead he rooted the feels to his castle instead. He couldn't allow his daughter to root herself into his heart the way Madga once had.

He looked at his son who was scowling with disapproval and anger, but the expression was one that he knew it was an expression that was on his own face regularly. He may not be able to see his won reflection but he knew well enough how much Vlad had picked up from himself, most of which without Vlad consciously realising it.

Seeing Vlad with that expression scared him, because he knew his own capabilities when he was angry so he could tell how his son would react. But with his daughter, that was another matter entirely, every expression, every movement reminded him of Magda and the pain she had inflicted upon him. It all showed her potential to be like her mother, to inflict that pain that was like no other.

The Count had been through many hardships, he'd fought off demons, vampires and slayers but nothing they had done compared to what Magda Westenra had done to him, and in turn what Ingrid could have, and nearly did, done.

Vladimir was different, he looked like the Count himself but with his humanity the Count not only saw himself reflected in the boy but that just made him easier to control.

Seeing both his children fighting their own brother for him was too much. The Count never thought he would see the day pass where he was in more pain than the times Magda left, and yet here it was and the pain had nothing to do with the lethal poison in his veins.

Both Vlad and Ingrid had true reason to hate him. Ingrid for her mistreatment, and Vlad for being disinherited, ridiculed and not believed.

The irony was that this was all a result of his favouritism. He had very good reason for his favouritism but had never truly expressed why it was there.

Ingrid was like Magda, she had to capability of inflicting so much pain and suffering and that scared the Count more than anything. So he pushed her away to spare his own feelings to avoid being hurt, yet all that did was make her more determined to make him hurt. To gain a position of power that was equal to his, to have the capability of tearing his down, ruining him and breaking him. It was ironic how the very thing he came to avoid come to be because he tried to avoid it.

Vlad was no different, the Count thought about the boy's mother the one person who he tried not to think of because it hurt more than Magda ever had. In Sally's case though, she had not intentionally inflicted hurt on him, she was young, naïve and most importantly human. Humans were weak willed and succumbed to their emotions and yet they were oblivious to the feelings of those around them. Yet the Count had loved Sally all the more for it, more than Magda even...

Vlad, the Count had hoped would be like him and push his feelings aside instead to accepted hem with open arms and even cared about other people's feelings. He was sensitive and kind just lie his mother, and the Count wasn't sure if that was worse than being evil and cruel especially in a situation like this. His son cared so much he was putting his life on the line for them all…

Vlad had been the favourite and yet that had driven him to be something the Prince of Darkness hadn't wanted, a vampire who acted human. Vlad had been the favourite because the Count hoped that the boy could not be the one to break his unbeating heart, because his mother hadn't abandoned him instead she had carried on with life.

It all turned out the wrong way round. There should have never have been a favourite, then they both may have ended up better. Not trying to kill each other.

The Count paused looking at his son as he smirked in amusement at his sister after she had escaped from the tunnels with her blood bag of a new boyfriend, not that Ingrid would admit he was her boyfriend.

Though neither of them would admit that they really cared for each other, well Vlad might but Ingrid most certainly wouldn't. The fact that Ingrid cared changed everything, she turned on them over and over and yet she never killed them. That spoke more than anything, the fact she cared, didn't show it, but had her own way of showing it.

Magda would never care, she never had or will. The Count mistreated Ingrid because she was like Magda, but didn't Vlad because he was like his mother.

What h didn't realise is that while they both had different mothers, they had something in common. The same father. A father who cared for them both unconditionally, despite suggestion otherwise. The pair of them may both be like their mothers but they were like the Count himself too, and he forgot that.

It meant that while they both had his anger, they also had the same other feelings too.

All this time, he had being trying to shape them into something they didn't want to be. Vlad into a mini version of himself, and Ingrid into a subservient vampires who didn't question anything.

He never needed to put the pressure on them in the first place, they were both Dracula's. So they could both take care of themselves.

That was comforting, knowing he could let go of his children knowing they weren't going to inflict pain on the world.

This isn't quite as long as I was expecting. I may revisit this at some point, by doing an episode by episode in depth thing where we sort of see things from the Count's POV, but that would extent this to a short story.

Thanks for reading and please review.

C

xx