Present Day

The sun was rising. For most of the world, that meant a new day and fresh beginnings. Not so for Hotel Transylvania. When the world went to sleep, that was when the guests and denizens of the castle came to life. Birds chirped their songs in the morning breeze outside as Mavis stood at the door to their bedroom.

"Well, this is it." Johnny said to her, his fingers still intertwined with hers.

They pushed the door open together and took their first sight of the room. It was truly coming home. Everything was as they remembered. Even the furniture had been made to match what had been lost in the fire. Mavis shed a tear at it all.

"I… never thought…"

"Neither did I" Johnny shared her feeling of being where they belonged.

Though she wouldn't admit it, Mavis had the desire to dive into the room and jump up and down on the bed, just as she had done as a little girl. She chuckled to herself at the thought. It was all perfect. From the entrance to the tallest towers erect atop the hotel, it was all the same. There was just one thing missing. Her father.

Johnny could see that wanting look on her face.

"He would have been proud to see it again, and to see you in charge." He attempted to cheer her up.

"Maybe, I'm not so sure."

He didn't know what she meant. The place was as it had been years before. Was she doubtful of herself?

"We can do this, together. I know it's daunting, but we've got plenty of help." Johnny told her.

She gazed at her feet and frowned. It was a look that didn't feel Johnny with confidence. He wanted her to be happy. He'd hoped that the resurrection of her childhood home would help with that. Her gaze broke off and a huge grin covered her face.

"It's back. Our home is back Johnny." She announced triumphantly.

It was a sudden change of emotion and Johnny was worried that she was hiding the truth from him.

"Are you sure there isn't something else? I understand that it's not all how it used to be. I know it never can be, but I'm here if you ever want to talk about anything."

She was so close to taking him up on the offer, but decided against it. The things that plagued her mind were things she wanted to bury as much as she could.

"Thanks Johnny."

The curtains had not yet been drawn, allowing sunlight to pierce the room. Mavis rested her head against Johnny's arm. He assumed she wanted comfort, but her true intention was hidden from him. She placed her hand by her neck, directly over where her enchanted necklace should have been. Johnny's own crystal shone brightly as it shielded him from the sun. Together they stood in warm rays, unharmed, leaving Mavis afraid of what it meant as haunting words repeated in her head.

They were not the only ones to see the morning light as it filled the valley. Standing on the highest tower in the castle, a lone person smiled as he breathed in the fresh air. This was something he had wanted to do for years. Stretching out his arms and closing his eyes, Dennis Loughran let himself fall. He heard the roar of the air in his ears and felt the exhilaration of his powers taking hold. Mere feet above the ground, he transformed.

The beautiful landscape surrounded him. He soared under the bridge, caring not for the danger, or the burning sun, for a hybrid was untouched unlike the rest of his kind. When last he had enjoyed the thrill of flying like this, he had been younger and less stable. Now, he enjoyed it to its fullest. Mavis still scolded him for such actions, but he couldn't help himself. That rush was inherited from his grandfather, and much to Mavis' embarrassment, from her.

Dennis took in every moment of freedom in his flight. He had known imprisonment's cold embrace and couldn't suffer to think about it anymore. Hotel Transylvania's return was his excuse to bask in his own voluntary isolation among the vast skies and towers of the castle. He wouldn't let anyone know the inner reaches of his mind, he was too frightened of what would come out from the thoughts he'd had in the clutches of his captor. The creator of monsters had left his toil on the boy who was becoming a man. Though they had celebrated in the night, the morning was when Dennis' eighteenth birthday was starting to feel real to him.

He landed in his natural form outside the front lobby. He breathed in heavily, feeling the rush of his activities. He had waited long to do it, and only being accompanied by his mother could have made it better. Sadly, Mavis no longer flew with him as often as she once had. Much had changed over the last three years.

Dennis was startled by the sound of clapping and giggling.

"That was amazing, you really are a speed freak aren't you?"

Dennis felt embarrassed at his antics. Winnie had been watching him.

"How long have you been there?" he asked her, trying to hide the redness of his face.

"Long enough. I saw you flying up to the top of the hotel and couldn't resist watching you."

He hadn't been alone after all, though it begged one question.

"You came out here to watch?" he asked.

"Actually, I ran around the hotel, looking through the windows. I think I may have annoyed a few guests." She joked.

"Oh really? You shouldn't get on the guests' bad side Winnie. It's bad for business." He pretended to tell her off.

"And you shouldn't be leaping from buildings. Maybe I'll go tell your mother about it."

"No!" He grabbed her arm gently as she turned round.

She laughed and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm only joking! Since when did you turn into the responsible business man anyway?"

He struck a heroic pose.

"Oh, well, seeing as the hotel is open again, I thought I better do my part for the family."

She raised her eyebrow and gave him a playful grin, clearly unconvinced.

"Well, maybe you could be a helpful employee and escort this poor lost guest back to her room."

Dennis' face went bright red in an instant.

"I… err…"

She was almost in hysterics at his response.

"You're the best for teasing! Forget bats, you can transform into a tomato!"

He had to look away, for the sake of his dignity.

"I was just joking!" She tried to spin him round, only to find herself inches from the ground, wrapped in his arms moments later.

"You shouldn't tease a vampire Winnie, they may bite." He said, trying to sound suave.

"Half vampire, half adrenaline junky you mean. Maybe I will tell Mrs Loughran after all, just to see her reaction."

"Please don't." he asked in a quick burst.

Winnie pulled herself from his grasp and stood up straight.

"You'll have to do me a favour." She said with her arms behind her back.

"Anything. What is it?"

"I've never really seen everything Hotel Transylvania has to offer. Not the grounds, not the towers. I want to see the sky the way you do."

He was thrilled at her request.

"But! Not now though. We should go to bed before we get as many bags under our eyes as my dad. I counted four last I saw him." She said with a grin.

Dennis didn't know what to say. He had been running off adrenaline. If it hadn't been for his flying, he would never have had the courage for such a conversation with her, even after their first kiss.

"OK." He answered with a croaky throat.

Winnie held in a giggle.

"I'll see you when the sun falls, my knight."

She gave him one last wave and ran towards the entrance.

"Oh!" She stopped for a moment. "Happy birthday."

With that, she was gone. Dennis stood alone, watching her silhouette slowly disappear in broken vision through the revolving door. He looked up at the marvel that was Hotel Transylvania.

"Happy birthday, me."