Family Meetings

The moon's radiance peeked through the bare branches of leafless trees to shine upon the snowy mist covered forested path, a seemingly deserted road leading to nowhere, yet this was merely a deception to those who weren't truly looking and at one time known only for those who wished to remain hidden.

The land conjured unto itself a bleak isolation as having been untouched for centuries by the outside world, and somehow even blanketed in snow had a quiet serene beauty in its isolation surrounded by tall craggy snow covered mountains to offer protection or sanctuary from the dangers and troubles of the outside world. The wilderness surroundings of the land also seemed timeless, untouched and pristine, yet ominous as though inhabited by an unknown presence not of this world, haunted and ruled by dark entities.

It was enough for those of the faint of heart to lose themselves to primordial fear, to become lost in the darkness seemingly forever, the last of the lost souls only to be heard from them as a bloodcurdling scream of terror.

The road lead to a hidden mist filled open valley where mighty snow covered craggy mountain peaks surrounded a now frozen inland lake where it became a bridge to lead to a massive and tall Gothic castle jutting upon a single island within the inland lake, alone, isolated, untouched, and unknown to the unwanted sight of deplorable humankind.

And this is how a small black bat liked it as she flew towards the isolated Gothic castle, for surely nothing could change from this place as she heard a scream of terror from inside the castle.

Yet, she sensed something in it was off about the place now as she could smell an all too familiar scent which permeated the air and just made her even more suspicious.


Inside the Great Hall of Hotel Transylvania, elegantly if somehow still macabre, and simply decorated for the Holiday season, amongst a gathering of humans and Monsters a little girl gave off a high pitched shriek as she jumped up and down as she hugged tightly to her new present from Auntie Ellie, a Demented Debbie doll on the suggestion of Mavis.

Little Ally just looked so happy with her new toy as it suddenly came to life cackling maniacally in a disturbing if playful kind of way, though Elona gave an uncertain look.

"Are you sure about this, Mav?" Elona asked, "After what you've told me about your experience with this toy, is it really appropriate for a human child?"

"Don't worry, Elona," Mavis assured her, "This one is custom ordered, more delightful than demented, limited power batteries, and an on/off switch for quiet times. Trust me, it's perfect."

"If you say so," Elona said with a shrug.

"Hee, hee, hee! Hi, I'm Delightful Debbie!" the ghost doll giggled as she flew around Ally, making her smile, "We're gonna be bestest best friends, foreveeer and eveeer!"

Ally hugged her new doll tightly again as another brightly wrapped present was passed to her brother DJ by their Uncle Sean and he just literally tore into it with excited gusto to find a rather retro looking video game that made him scoff,

"Rainbow Doom? Sounds so lame."

"DJ," Liz scolded her son as she gave him the stern look, making him sink into himself a bit as she told him, "I thought I taught you better manners, now what do you say?"

"Thank you," he moaned.

"Trust me, it's a lot more fun than it sounds," Mavis said, "I played it with my Uncle Gene a few times, but I was so eager to finish it I got a cursed cheat code and it just brought the whole thing to life and everything went crazy. So don't knock it 'til you tried it."

"You mean it's interactive?" DJ perked up, "Cool! Now I can't wait to try it!"

Mavis just shook her head as Dracula said, "Oh, man, do I remember Uncle Gene telling me that story; my entire hotel turning into a giant video game with a crazy giant cupcake that could've taken over the underworld. Mavy, what were you thinking?"

"Hey, I was a kid, and besides my friends and I defeated the villain and finally won the game, so no biggie, right?"

Dracula gave his daughter a bit of the sink eye as he said dryly, "Sometimes I wonder if you still are."

"This from a guy who still pulls pranks on his friends and pulled elaborate schemes to keep his family together," Mavis bantered back to him.

"Hey, it worked out in the end, and it isn't like I can't handle you going away now."

"Only for a short time; and besides I know how much you wanted to come back here while at the Vampire World Council a few years ago."

"Yeah," Dracula sighed, "And from what I heard you and your crazy friends got into all sorts of trouble while I was away. I can't believe all the trouble you kids caused after I tried to make this hotel safe and orderly for you, Mavy."

"Hey, we always got out of it, and things worked out. Mostly."

Elona just smiled in amusement as she said, "Sounds like your family has the craziest times together. Besides, I'm curious, where is this Uncle Gene and when do we get to meet him? Or this Klau-sh I've heard about, or even Lydia? It's Christmas, or Creepmas if you want to call it that, and it's when family should be together."

"Well, uh…," Dracula could only moan, but Mavis jumped in,

"Uncle Gene should be here soon enough, I had the zombies go wake him up from his ten year long nap, though that might've been a bad call considering what they are. But he should be here sooner or later."

"I'd be surprised if he got here at all, considering the first thing he'd want to do is play more of whatever crazy game he's got," Vlad said dryly with a shrug, "Lucifer knows it's hard to tear him away from those things, rotting his brains even zombies wouldn't want to eat and I never got why he's into them anyway."

"That's because you always refused to try anything new or fun, little brother," a rather high raspy voice said happily, "Always trying to impress Dad with your strategies in battle and stuff, hardly taking any time to just relax and socialize and have some real fun, even as a kid. It's seems a miracle you ever settled down and had kids."

Everybody looked around trying to find where the voice was coming from to finally see a hunchbacked, extremely pale and elderly bald Vampire with heavily wrinkled grayish white skin, glowing white eyes like he could be blind, wearing a black robe, and sat in some kind of antique Gothic styled wheel chair like he had no legs.

He rolled into the Great Hall on his seat as though it were automatic, yet Elona was certain the ancient Vampire was controlling it with his will and this had to be Uncle Gene she had heard about as he clearly had the sharp if graceful Dracula facial features and friendlier and fun loving personality Dracula and Mavis had shown.

Mavis's eyes went wide and adorable as she saw her favorite elderly uncle finally make it to the Christmas family gathering.

"Hi, Uncle Gene," she cried happily as she practically flew into his arms for a hug.

"Hello, Little Mavy," he greeted her happily as he tried to stifle a yawn and hug her at the same time, "My goblins, look how much you've grown."

"Hello, Gene," Vlad greeted respectfully if dryly to his older brother.

"Nice to see you, too, Vlady Boy, how are those crazy giant bat friends of yours? As destructive as ever, I imagine, or not, it's not like they're good for anything else anyway, heh, heh, heh!"

Vlad just grunted low from his throat as Mavis told Gene excitedly, "C'mon, Uncle Gene, there's so many new and special people you have to meet."

Johnny walked up to Gene as he greeted happily, "Hey, Uncle G, how's it hangin'?"

"Yaah, human!" Gene shouted in fright as his arms flailed about crazily, looking around to see even more humans and yelling loudly, "MORE humans?! Mavis, run, how did humans get into the hotel?!"

He nearly grabbed his niece, but she easily evaded him with flexibility and supernatural speed as she tried to reason with him, "Uncle Gene, calm down, this is Johnny, my husband, remember?"

"Husband?!" Surprise and confusion colored his face.

"Yeah, don't you remember? We got married a few years ago, just before you went to sleep."

Gene gave this some thought as he searched his foggy memories, finally a minute later he seemed to recall the wedding as he said with an embarrassed smile, "Oh, yeah, it's coming back to me now. My memory isn't what it used to be, and I'm still a little groggy from waking up. (Yawn) How long was I asleep?"

"Only seven or eight years," Vlad said as he leaned on Gene's chair, "And don't take it personally, Gene, I didn't know about Mavis marrying a human or the whole 'humans liking monsters' thing 'til earlier this year when Mavis invited me to Denisovich's birthday party."

"Who's Denisovich?" Gene asked confused when a little red haired boy flew up to him in green mist.

"Hi, Uncle Gene, I'm Dennis," he said happily, eager to meet a new family member, "Or you can call me Denisovich, Papa Drac says it's my Vampire name."

"Oh, hello there, little fellow, where did you come from?" Gene asked with a friendly fang filled smile.

"This is our son, Dennis," Mavis introduced as she held her son and Johnny stood next to her and they all smiled.

"Oh, boy, I really have been asleep too long," Gene said as he scratched his bald head, "Or not long enough, from what you're all telling me now. Oh, well, I'm just glad to be here."

"C'mon, Uncle Gene, there's someone really special you need to meet," Mavis said with a wide fang filled smile as she lead him to her dad and Elona.

"Hey, Uncle Gene, Scary Creepmas," Dracula greeted with a polite smile, and while Dracula was glad to finally have his elderly uncle make it to the family gathering, all he wanted to do was kiss Elona under the missile-toe, certain to make sparks fly in more ways than one.

"I want you to meet someone very special to me; Elona Parker, my fiancé."

"Hello, Mr. Gene," Elona greeted with a polite smile.

"Fiance? Wow, am I glad I was woken up early," Gene laughed, "When did this happen?"

"Kinda just now," Elona shrugged with a bit of an embarrassed if happy smile as she stared up at Dracula and he wrapped a long wiry if muscular arm around her to hold her close and gave his own love struck smile.

"Okay, but how did this happen?" Gene questioned, "It's one thing that Mavis fell for a human boy, but you, Drac, it seems impossible. I mean, you're you."

"I thought so, too, once," Dracula just shrugged, "But here we are, Elona and I Zinged, so it's a long story."

"Ooh, I'd love to hear it." Gene gave a tooth fang filled smile, ready to hear it but Mavis was too excited as she intervened.

"C'mon, Uncle Gene, there's more people for you to meet."

She led him away to meet the other humans, beginning with Elona's older sister, Liz and her family.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Gene," Liz said as she shook his gnarled wrinkled hand, "I'm Liz, Elona's sister, and these are my kids, DJ and Ally, and this is my husband Daniel."

"Oh, nice to meet you, Liz, and if you're family now you can call me Uncle Gene."

"We're not quite family yet, but seeing we will be soon, okay, Uncle Gene it is."

Gene then noticed DJ's present and gave a wide toothy smile as he inquired enthusiastically, "Oh, neat, you got Rainbow Doom, little human?"

"Yeah, Aunt Mavis said it's interactive, but the name is so lame," DJ said.

"Oh, don't let the name fool you, little guy, it's a reeeally hard game, nearly impossible to beat. But that's half the fun, and with two players, twice the fun."

"Really? Will you play it with me and show me?"

"Sure, but just don't put in a cursed code to bring everything to life, or you'll get everybody eaten by the giant cupcake monster boss, Red Velvet."

DJ wasn't sure if Gene was kidding or not, but just rolled his eyes.

"A giant cupcake monster sounds funny," Ally said with a wide smile.

"Oh, yeah, just imagine the giant tea party to go with it," Delightful Debbie nearly squealed, "and the cookies and the finger sandwiches and the fruity turnovers and…ooh, I'm getting sooo hungry."

The ghost doll just started drooling as Ally dashed to the tables just to grab as much treats as she could for the both of them.

Gene also seemed to be in a drooling trance as Debbie mentioned all the delicious treats as he was snapped out of it by a new voice, "Uh, hello, Gene, I'm Stewart and this is my wife, Maggie."

"Huh, wha-?"Gene snapped out of his drooling trance, "Oh, hi, Stewart and Maggie, are you related to Johnny or Elona?"

"We're Elona's parents, and it's a pleasure to meet you," Maggie said as respectfully as possible, though she tried to keep a growing apprehension at bay so as not to freak out.

Something about this really elderly man just didn't sit right with her, like everything else about this whole place and the man her daughter had just become engaged to. Maggie just held to a small cross necklace beneath her shirt and quietly prayed.

"So how long have you lived here?" Stewart asked politely, trying to make small talk in this rather awkward moment, "You're okay with the show your nephew and his family put on?"

"It's nice to meet you, too," Gene said, "Though I don't know what you mean by show, but I've lived here since the hotel was built. I could've gone to live with Vladdy Boy in his cave, but having a colony of giant demonic bat monsters as roommates I would've gone positively batty in a week, heh, heh, heh! Get it?! Because they're giant bats and we're vamps?"

Gene laughed at his own corny joke while Stewart and Maggie just gave wide eyed confused looks but forced even more awkward laughs if not appear rude.

"Ah, never mind," Gene waved it off, "Even I know that one was bad, but what're you gonna do?"

"C'mon, Uncle Gene," Mavis said as she led him away, seeing how awkward her potential future in-laws were feeling, "Come get reacquainted with Johnny's family."

Being ever easygoing, Johnny invited for Gene to meet the rest of the extended human family; his parents, Mike and Linda Loughran; older siblings Brett, Kent, and Janet; and finally his nephews, Troy, Conner, and Parker.

"That explains where you got the crazy red hair, little Denisovich," Gene said, "I used to have red hair myself years ago, before it fell out, so enjoy it while it lasts, heh, heh, heh!"

"I always thought it was a toupee," Mavis whispered with a smile to Dennis, making him give a concealed giggle.

"So, Vlad didn't know about all this before the kid's birthday. C'mon, don't leave me in the dark, any longer, what's the story?"

Everybody looked at Mavis as she gave a deep sigh and told the story of what happened the past summer, with Dracula giving some details here and there, and finally Vlad giving his part of the story to teasing his son and great-grandson with his dentures and doing a shimmy with Dracula at the party, just bonding again and having fun with family.

"Ooh, boy, am I sorry I missed all the excitement," he happily yelled, "He really tried that Wussy Exorcism spell? Heh, heh, heh, that explains it, our dad used it on Vladdy Boy before he even turned five."

Vlad gave a low annoyed grunt to his brother.

"Really?" Johnny cried as he gave Vlad a wide eyed look, but it sank as Vlad gave him a cold stink eye.

"Sure, Jackie," Gene said.

"It's Johnny."

"Whatever, anyway, long story short, our dad was really big on tradition and stuff so much he wanted his kids to be born with their fangs. I was lucky, but Vladdy Boy here was only a year old when Dad used the Wussy Exorcism on him by possessing a cute little mouse or squirrel or something he loved, right, little bro?"

"It was a field shrew," Vlad grumbled grumpily.

"Oh, man, it really does run in the family," Johnny laughed.

"Don't push it, kid," Vlad warned coldly, making Johnny laugh more nervously.

Mavis gave a wide eyed look to her grandfather and just shook her head a bit in amusement and sympathy. Clearly, they needed to have a talk later.

Which was something a certain well meaning mother-in-law needed to have with Mavis at the moment.

"It's, uh, nice to meet you, Uncle Gene," Linda said politely with a bit of a crooked awkward smile, then asked Mavis, "Mavis, could I talk to you for a sec?"

Going to a private corner, Linda gave Mavis a bit of a confused look as she said, "Not that it's not nice to meet your uncle, Mavis, but I thought you said it was just you and your dad."

It only took a moment for Mavis to realize what she meant and just shrugged as she said, "Oh, I thought you meant anyone else who would be coming to Dennis's party at the time. I guess now I should've mentioned my cousin, Klaus, and my Aunt Lydia. But the truth is there isn't much to tell about my family, they're just overbearing and embarrassing, and Dad and I have always been so tight. Plus, I doubt they'd be okay with humans and monsters being together, especially my Aunt Lydia."

"Oh, so you do have cousins, and an aunt. It would have been nice to know about earlier, but I guess you had your reasons. Honey, I'm sure it can't be that bad," Linda tried to reassure with a bit of a laugh, "Everybody thinks their family is like that, I'm certain Johnny thinks the same thing about us, but we're always here for you guys, you know that."

"Yeah, I guess."

Mavis still had her misgivings about her side of the family, but she knew Linda always meant well.

"Okay, you've finally met Uncle Gene, Elona, my Puss Dumpling," Dracula said overly sweetly if sarcastically as he lead her out to the middle of the dance floor.

All Elona could do was roll her eyes in either annoyance or amusement with his ever over doting on her, she wasn't sure which and just said, "Not one of your best pet names, Drac, so don't over do it."

"Okay, no more 'Puss Dumpling', so how about Beloved Honeyfang?" He twirled her, making her moderate deep red dress flare gracefully, as he snapped his fingers and a spider suddenly lowered itself to hold what looked like mistletoe above them, making Elona giggle like little school girl.

"I've been wanting to do this all night. I'm so happy everyone could make it tonight for the holidays," he announced to the extended families, "I know this is still kinda freaky to some of you, but trust me you'll get used to it, I know I did. All I want to say is this is the best Creepmas/Christmas I could ask for; family, friends, and a future with a wonderful woman I Zinged with and never thought I could have again."

The gathered crowd gave some claps as some glasses filled with none alcoholic apple cider and/or eggnog were raised to the newly engaged couple.

"Happy Holidays, everyone," Dracula cheered as he brought Elona closer to his figure to embrace her.

Though she couldn't have been happier, Elona still couldn't help but feel like something or someone was missing.

All she could say was, "Not everybody is here, what about your sister?"

Dracula rolled his eyes as he said low to her, "Can we please stop talking about my sister. I think I see why you didn't want to have your parents here, but it's different with Lydia. You could say she's something of hot head. Now drop it and just kiss me already, okay, Miss Nosy Pants?"

Elona gave him a dirty if amused look, but then exclaimed as he suddenly dipped her and puckered for a kiss, making her giggle some more as she prepared for those cool delicious Vampire lips that always made her tingle with intensity.

She closed her eyes as hers and Dracula's lips were mere millimeters apart when a polished suit of armor ran up rapidly to them in loud clanks to report in an at attention salute,

"Sir! Sir! Sir! I must announce to you she has arrived!"

Dracula just gave an annoyed groan at the sudden interruption. Not this again.

"Who's arrived?" he asked with disinterest when a gust of wind suddenly blew so strongly throughout the Great Hall to nearly blow everything to the other side of the chamber, as though summoning something.

The doorway suddenly burst into flame, making some of the small gathering give yells of fright, while Dracula just straightened up and slumped over to just groan to himself, "Oh, no."

The burning doorway was so intense the wooden doors could have turned to ash instantly, but instead became a swirling miniature vortex of a firenado to bring forth a tall and willowy silhouette and finally vanish as though the fire never was.

A woman now stood in the doorway, her features and figure strikingly familiar with graceful if sharp characteristics like a long face with broad if sharp chin, a small hooked nose, and a casket shape face, a slender hourglass shaped figure and she had to be about as tall as Dracula, though her hair made her look taller. She wore a long elegant black gown with dark purple and violet trimming around her collar, with an equally long and elegant black cape with a high collar and dark purple inner trimming, while her hair was done up in a swirling purple and white beehive style and framed with black bat wings which may or may not have been part of her hair. Her pale face gave a deep sinister scowl with dark purple lips and pale bluish gray eyes beneath violet and purple eyeshadow, while she carried herself with a chilling if prestigious dignity while she carried some kind of black staff of authority with a dark violet orb at the top upon which sat a purple mottled white hen, which just seemed ridiculous.

"What is the meaning of this?!" she yelled, her voice raspy if still strong enough to carry and echo throughout the Great Hall.

"Ugh, and I thought my dad made overly dramatic entrances," Dracula grumbled to himself, making Elona look at him.

Vlad seemed to be the only one happy to see the new arrival as he glided up to her with arms spread for a hug and he greeted her happily,

"Lydia, my little sweet slime bug," he greeted with syrupy sweetness as he hugged her, surprising Lydia for only a moment as she awkwardly hugged him back.

"Hello, Father," she said politely, "I received your letter, though I admit what it said sounded too preposterous to believe. What exactly is going on here?"

"Exactly what my letter said, Lydia, my sweet ghoul," Vlad said as he took her by her padded shoulders deeper into the Great Hall, "Mavis got married, had a kid, humans like monsters now, and well, take a look for yourself."

Looking around the Great Hall, Lydia could only go wide eyed as she saw at least 20 humans among the many monsters, including her brother, she knew.

"This might explain the pungent smell I whiffed just outside," she said with a clear disgust, "I circled outside several times certain I was imagining things. It actually smells like an entire village of humans in here now, and it's repulsive, and not in a good way."

Everyone gave frowns or insulted looks at this, but Lydia didn't seem to care as she just glided as though she had no feet and eyed everyone with a cold aloofness to further criticize,

"Monsters and humans in the same place, it's beyond a travesty, an atrocity, an abomination, an insult to the very name of Monster integrity. How is this even possible? Who would allow such insolence to happen?"

"Ba-kaw, insolence," clucked the hen, Diane.

"I would," Dracula spoke up, glaring at his older sister as she looked wide eyed at him, "And I won't have you insulting how I run my hotel or my household."

Lydia just gave a wide eyed surprised look at Dracula's boldness, but her expression became a smirk as she laughed daintily,

"Well, hello, my dopey little brother, it's been a while."

"Hello, Lydia," Dracula groaned, "Not long enough for me."

"No, I suppose ten years isn't that long, but that's no excuse to not write or call or something. Seriously, you ask me to run this ridiculous monument to your dead wife without so much as a courteous thank you and you don't even keep in touch. Honestly, I'm insulted."

"What do you expect, an apology? Fine, thanks for looking after my hotel ten years ago, you happy? And if you really don't want to be here, you can leave, which is fine by me."

Vlad frowned at this as he scolded, "Drac, don't be rude, I invited her since you wouldn't, and I say she stays."

"Ugh, Daddy, can you believe his attitude? Disrespecting his older sister, since we were children."

"My attitude?! Who's the spoiled brat and Daddy's little girl who always wanted her way, and wanting my things? Even now, you wanted what's mine, taking my chambers while I wasn't here when there are perfectly good rooms all over the hotel."

"I did not always get my way!" Lydia yelled, "And is that what this is about, using your room? You were at the Vampire Council and you had the best chambers in this castle, and I need the best!"

Dracula actually growled deeply from his throat as his eyes began to glow a sharp red until Vlad came between them and yelled like the authoritative father he is,

"That's enough, you two, you're acting like a couple of 40 year olds, I expect better from my kids. Besides, this is supposed to be a family gathering for Creepmas."

"Pfft, please, Dad, she hates Creepmas almost as much as she hates humans."

"Actually, it's grown on me again since I learned why Krampus left me a rotten jingle bell instead of the present I wanted centuries ago," Lydia said dryly.

Dracula just frowned deeply to make his sharp handsome face seem even sharper as a growing thick awkwardness hung in the air and Lydia eyed him with an icy if arrogant stare.

"So Krampus is like the Santa Claus for the monsters?" Elona asked with a smile, hoping to relieve the awkward coldness, "Figures. He leaves something shiny for naughty monsters while Santa leaves coal for naughty human kids."

"Actually being naughty is the opposite for us, My Love."

"Who is this?" Lydia demanded with a hiss, finally noticing the human next to Dracula.

Elona tried to give a polite smile, but it became crooked with nervousness as Lydia sniffed at her like a suspicious dog sniffing an unknown stranger with even more suspicious intent, making Elona uncomfortable.

Seeing this Dracula pushed Lydia away as he introduced her, "This is my fiancé, Elona Parker. Elona, this is my older sister, the Dark Baroness Lydia Dracula."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Lydia, I've heard a bit about you," Elona said as politely as she could as she held out a hand for Lydia, but the Vampiress just eyed it with an indifferent frown.

"How nice for you, where as I hear nothing about humans taking over Hotel Transylvania and invading its sanctum. If I were still in charge I would have consumed the first human who dared set foot in here."

"No, you wouldn't, Aunt Lydia," Mavis finally spoke up as she stepped out from the small crowd to face her strict aunt face on, giving Lydia a brave glare in the eye.

Lydia went a bit wide eyed as she eyed her now older niece, her face dropping to its usual cold glare as she eyed Mavis, her expression slowly softened to a cold smile as she greeted,

"Hello, Mavis, and what exactly do you mean I wouldn't have eaten the first human who dared step into the hotel?"

"Because I would've hated you for the rest of eternity for eating Johnny," she declared boldly, and held out her hand as Johnny and Dennis stepped forward to take it and stood beside her.

Johnny had been starring in awe at the arrival of Aunt Lydia, though he felt a deep chill from her since she arrived minutes ago and couldn't help but think she meant what she said. Bravery and reassurance grew within him as Mavis stood up to the ice cold Baroness as he took his Vampire wife's hand and smiled at her as she said,

"We Zinged, Aunt Lydia, you remember what that is, right? Dad may have hated humans almost as much as you do, but it took Johnny to show him, and to show me that they're not all bad, and deep down Monsters and humans aren't all that different. Ever since then I've learned there's so much more to the world, and Johnny's shown me so much and given me more than I ever thought I wanted."

"You Zinged? With a human?!" Lydia gasped in growing shock and outrage, "Impossible! Unacceptable! How could this happen?! Everybody knows humans and monsters shouldn't interact, it upsets the natural order of things, and you know how I feel about order!"

"It just did," Mavis said with a bit of a shrug, "And I've never been happier."

"I thought the same thing once, too, Lydia," Dracula said as he gently and lovingly grasp Elona's hand, "But things have changed, and you have to accept that, even if you don't like it."

Lydia looked to Vlad with a growing frustrated outrage as she raged to him, "Father, you of all Vampires know this is unnatural and an outrage. Talk some sense into them!"

Vlad just shook his head in pity as he told Lydia, "I did, and I tried, just like you are now, Lydia. But it took a lot for me to realize my family is far more important than our most ancient traditions, and those traditions are because of family. So I suggest you be on your best behavior right now because it's Creepmas, a time to be with family. Or like Drac said, if you don't want to be here you can leave."

Lydia just went wide eyed at her father as he gave her his own glacier icy cold look which actually sent a chill down the Dark Baroness's spine and could have made frost and icicles form throughout the Great Hall and even made a few of their human in-laws shiver and try to wrap themselves to keep warm.

Lydia seemed to back down an iota as she gave a soft scoff and frowned again. She would have flown out the door as a literal shadow at that moment, but was stopped in a half a second when Mavis offered and pleaded to her,

"I know this isn't what you expected, Aunt Lydia, but please stay. Stay and get to know the rest of the family, get to know your great-nephew. I know you don't really want to be alone on the holiday season. Think of it as a way to make up for not being invited to my wedding or any birthdays. This is a chance for new beginnings."

Lydia could only look conflicted, as though she knew Mavis was right. She only gave a small softened if still cold smile as she said,

"My, my, Mavis, you have grown up. Fine I'll stay, but not because you think I don't want to be alone on the holidays, which I'm fine with, but because you and Father insist and it's rude to leave so soon. And I'll watch this hot mess you've got going on here."

Mavis rolled her eyes at her aunt's dismissive insult, but was just glad she chose to stay.

Elona then offered with a polite smile, "I'm glad you're staying, Lydia. Would you like to join me and Drac for some Christmas coffee?"

Lydia just gave a low growl in the back of her throat as she sneered with a slight hiss, "Christmas. The very word leaves a…ackgagh…a vile taste in my mouth. Be serious, Vampires and your little holiday for some pathetic magic baby don't mix."

Elona actually felt a bit insulted, though not for the reasons some people would think, but she wouldn't let it deter her from trying to getting to know Lydia.

"Okay, Creepmas coffee. Truth be told, they've become the same thing to me and I've been using them interchangeably."

Lydia just sneered again as she gave Elona a cold sink eye.

"It's alright, Elona," Dracula said reassuringly as he wrapped a long arm around her, "If she doesn't want to, it's fine. I certainly wouldn't want her to get heated about it."

Lydia glared at Dracula as she warned coldly, "Be careful, Brother, you know how your mouth can get away from you. Besides, I can't believe you've stooped to this, I thought you'd out grown this childish nonsense."

Dracula gave his own hot glare as Elona gave him a confused looked.

Lydia smirked at this as she said, "Don't you know, human? You're not the first; he's had his fun with human women before, even men on occasion. So I doubt you're really so special to him as he's made you think."

Elona gave a look at Dracula and he seemed to break into a light sweat while also visibly trying to keep his cool as he glared stone faced at Lydia.

Elona could sense, somehow psychically as well as physically from him, he was trying to keep his temper under control over the insult. She took a moment to think about what Lydia might be referring to and just inquired,

"Are you talking about Mina and Lucy?"

Lydia's eyes narrowed a bit as she simply said, "There were others, long before those humans."

Elona just gave a soft laugh as she said, "I know all about that stuff, and it doesn't matter to me because Drac told me all about it. I know that isn't him anymore and it's all in the past."

This seemed to momentarily surprise Lydia as Dracula and Elona just gave loving smiles to each other and Elona continued, "His honesty is one of the reasons I love him, despite his flaws."

"It's because of you I try to be better from my flaws, my Darling Night Star," he said cutely to her with a sweet smile, making her giggle low.

"Ugh," Lydia groaned in reserved disgust, "If this gets any more saccharine I think my fangs will fall out."

Elona gave Lydia a dirty look, but then just laughed a bit as she said, "I guess that's not untrue, you're funny, Lydia."

She just gave Elona a cold stare with clear insult, making Elona loose her smile.

Lydia just sneered deeper as she stared Dracula in the eye to say critically, "This is what you've sunk to, brother? Allowing humans into your hotel and even pairing off with one? This is the example you set for your impressionable daughter after what they've done to your wife? So hypocritical."

Dracula gave his own low growl as Mavis spoke up again, "No, Aunt Lydia, haven't you been listening? Johnny and I Zinged, and it's because of that things are the way they are now. He did it for me, for all of us. And besides, like you said I'm not a kid anymore."

"And I've finally moved on, I had to let go of the past," Dracula said, "It wasn't easy, and I did stupid things just keep Mavy and my family with me. But I had to put their needs before mine, and I finally realize I'll never really be alone as long as I know we care for each other. I'll always remember and love Martha, but I now know she would've wanted me to be happy. I've found it with Elona, and I would think you'd be happy for me, too, Lydia."

Lydia eyed Elona again and smirked as she said, "Hm, I think I see why, she does look an awful lot like Martha. You may not have moved on as much as you claim."

Elona felt a bit of a cringe in her stomach as she said with a controlled voice, "I'm aware of that, but Drac and I have worked through it. He loves me for me, and not because I look like Martha."

Dracula brought her closer to himself as he smiled with pride.

"Are you really so sure about that, human?" Lydia said doubtfully, "A Zing only happens once in a lifetime, everybody knows that. And I just don't see why or how he could Zing with a human."

Elona's stomach cringed a bit more at how Lydia sneered the last word with such distain as she just tried to say patiently, "It just did, and I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life because he's saved my life so many times. And I've been tolerant so far, because you're not the first prejudice person I've met. So, please, Lydia, give me a chance."

The Dark Baroness just glared at Elona deep in the eyes to nearly penetrate her human soul and send a chill down Elona's spine, but she held firm as she sensed Dracula's reassuring presence beside her.

"Do you really think I care about what you think, human?" she hissed, "Your kind have been a threat to Monsters for centuries, so why should I give any of you a chance?"

"Because Drac and I are getting married and we're going to be family," Elona said with a confident if shaky voice.

Lydia suddenly became monstrous and frightening like a demon from Hell as fire surrounded her like a burning aura and the seams of her gown became living shadowy tendrils as fire blazed upon her head like a crown while her eyes were red and bloodshot as she gave a fierce roar. Her countenance seemed to border on giving in to her own Vampire Hunger.

Elona gave a scream of fright as she fell to her knees and held her hands over her face and tried to squeeze her eyes shut from the painful blast, feeling the intense burning heat from Lydia's demonic literal fiery temper.

In a half second there was a living shield in front of her as she heard a familiar equally fierce roar. She slowly looked up to see a glimmering silky darkness of a black cloak to then feel familiar strong hands slowly help her up and hug her close as Dracula gently swayed with her as she then heard another even louder and fiercer roar.

Somehow she knew it was Vlad even before he yelled the next second, "That's enough, Lydia! Clearly we need to have a talk. Now!"

Elona looked up from Dracula's chest to see Vlad dragging a surprised Lydia to another corner of the Great Hall.

Elona relaxed a bit in Dracula's embrace as she took a slow deep breath, taking even more reassurance from his presence as she said quietly,

"I think I see why you didn't want to invite her."

"It seems we both have family we didn't want to see on the holidays," Dracula said with a low laugh, but became worried as he asked, "Are you okay?"

Elona looked at her hands to see how red they had become as they felt tender and stung with the beginnings of slight burns.

"My hands," she gasped softly.

Dracula gently held them as he looked at them with concern, but was just glad Elona was okay as he reassured her, "They'll be okay, the burns should heal up in a couple of hours."

"How?" Elona only look confused as Dracula gave her a look with a raised eyebrow, making Elona give a small laugh as she remembered, "Oh, right."

She gingerly touched at the right side of her neck, not noticing how her parents had looked on at the exchange between her and Lydia along with the rest of the small crowd.

"Did you see that, Stewart?" Maggie breathed low, her heart pounding in her chest as fear seemed to grasp it in its icy grasp, "How is that possible? Could they be real? Oh, heavens, what's our precious daughter gotten herself into? We have to save her, get her out of this God forsaken place."

"I don't know, Maggie," Stewart said with worry and doubt, "But I'm not about believe that man and his family are Vampires or all this is real because there's such thing as monsters, and there's still a logical explanation. But clearly I was right about that man being so lost in his fantasy it might make him mentally unstable, and that makes him dangerous not only to Ellie, but to himself and those around him."

"What can we do then?" Maggie asked with a shaky voice, "I pray for his soul, Stewart, but even I know that if our prayers are to be answered we must do something. We have to help Ellie and get her home safely."

"Don't worry," he tried to reassure Maggie, "I've already called Jason and he'll be here soon enough, and hopefully with his help we get her to see reason again."

Maggie gave a bit of a relieved smile as she leaned in his embrace and said, "Now that will truly be a Christmas miracle."

On the other side of the small crowd out of ear shot and unaware of Elona's parents' conversation, Mavis and her family could only be shocked and a bit disappointed about what had happened.

Mavis hugged Dennis close when Aunt Lydia got 'flaming' mad as it scared him. But her son was the bravest and most caring boy she had ever known and just quickly recovered from the fright.

"Why is Aunt Lydia so mean to Miss Elona?" he finally asked with a bit of timidity.

"It's just the way she is, Honey," Mavis could only shrug, "It's how I knew her when she was here before you were born. But beneath that is…a cold almost evil monster. But even deeper beneath that is a genuinely caring woman, even if she doesn't show it. You just need to get to know her."

"I highly doubt she's want to get to know me," Johnny said with a disappointed shrug, "But I'm willing to give her a chance, even if it takes a while. I get why Drac didn't like me at first, but what about your aunt not liking humans?"

"The only way she's ever liked humans is as a tasty snack," Mavis said to give her human husband a big enough smile to show off her own fangs.

Johnny just gave a nervous laugh as he saw a stern Vlad and a scowling Lydia finish their conversation as she limped a bit away from her lecturing father.

She just slumped to the buffet to help herself to some dinner to be followed by Diane who flapped onto the table and started pecking at some food.

As the three of them approached Vlad, Mavis asked him, "What did you say to her, Grandpa?"

Vlad seemed to smirk as he simply said, "Just if she doesn't behave I'll do something worse than just roar and lecture her."

"Like what, V man?" Johnny asked.

Vlad's smirk just deepened as he suspiciously drolled, "I have my ways."

Seeing he wasn't going to reveal anything, his kin just shrugged.

Dennis then remembered something as he asked, "Did you really have a pet shrew when you were little, Grandpa Vlad?"

"Yeah," Mavis spoke up, "Like Dad had a raccoon for a pet once. That is something I've never known about you, Grandpa. I've never really had a pet, unless I count Margaret the cockroach I used to keep in my pocket."

"You had a pet, too, Mommy?" Dennis nearly squealed with a smile, "Can I have one, too?"

His parents just gave awkward looks to each other as Johnny finally said, "Uh, well, you've already opened your Christmas presents, little dude, so maybe we'll talk about it a little later."

"Yeah, maybe, Honeybat," Mavis concurred, "Why don't you go play with Winnie and your new friends."

Dennis was half way across the Great Hall with Winnie and the other kids as he told them his parents were going to get him a pet after the holidays.

"What kind of pet, Dennis?" Troy asked.

"I don't know," Dennis just shrugged to his cousin, "But I think I really want a puppy."