She woke up to the sound of voices. It was too early in the night for the guests to be stirring, she thought in her groggy mind. The sun had barely faded, and whoever it was that had awoken Mavis was gone. She couldn't put a face to anything she had heard just mere moments ago. All voices had been replaced with the caw of crows. Having lived in the world of humans, she knew how they saw such birds as symbols of woe. It had puzzled her at first. Their voice had always been as sweet as the song of robins to her. They didn't sound so beautiful anymore.

More guests would arrive. The bookings were full, and most guests would be walking through the front door before the sun rose again. Each day brought with it new challenges and Dracula had been up to all of them. Mavis wasn't her father, and yet the same tasks now weighed down on her shoulders. As Mavis traversed the tunnels of her home, her husband by her side, she felt like a ghost. Paintings covered the bland stone behind them, just as they always had. Shrunken heads snoozed as they hung on every doorknob. The familiar glow of lights lit the halls, leading her on. It was all as it had been, so why did she feel uneasy?

She began the day behind the front desk. Jonathan wanted to stay with her, sensing something was out of the ordinary, but she'd convinced him otherwise. She wasn't sure where he had gone. She was only half focused on his words. Behind the desk she stood alone. The front lobby was as marvellous as ever, with welcoming furniture on both sides and a warm hearth that gave the place a homely glow. It was all silent. So many years had passed since Mavis had first gazed upon the grandness of it all, and although she couldn't remember those days, she knew in her heart that it had never been so quiet in her life.

Her hand moved lazily over the guest book, with only the scratching of her nail on paper and the cracking embers of the fire to block out the screeching in her ears. The absence of sound was so alien to her. She found herself looking away and imagining how it had once been. Guests flooded the hall in excitement, free from persecution and safe from the dangers of the outside world. They were spectres in her mind's eye.

The boredom she had felt then was nothing compared to the desire she had now for things to go back to the way they were. It would all be the same, she had told herself, once it was all built again. Only one night had passed and already horrid thoughts nagged at her. She felt foolish for letting it happen. She had to let time do its work, even if she couldn't pull her eyes away from the grand painting that hung over the fireplace. The painting of her father.

Next to it was Vlad. Her ancestry truly was a legendary one, and one that would not soon be forgotten. It had been marked with tragedy and blood from the start. She smiled back at Dracula's flat gaze. He had been better than those that came before him. He didn't plot revenge, or justice, or even a fight for fairness. No, he did something stronger. He kept his only daughter and his friends safe from the pain he had to bear. She never got to thank him for everything he had done for her.

Glass was between them again. Her hand could not touch his. Only empty air filled where he should have been. The beast that had taken him away was gone, but she knew too well that immortality has many forms. Her mind lived on, and so did the memories. Only few secrets burrowed between her and the man she loved. Honesty had helped her to cope with the terrors that had befallen her three years ago. Johnny had been there for her, along with everyone else. That gave her strength, but she couldn't break their hearts any more. She kept a bigger secret from them. As it plagued her mind, she looked up at her father again.

"I'm sorry Dad. It's… dark."

"What's dark?"

She slammed the book shut and turned anxiously to see her son standing behind her atop the steps.

"Oh… The lighting. The bulbs should be brighter." It was the quickest lie that could come to mind.

"Right… they look fine to me. You should tell dad. You know what he's like about everything looking just right."

She let out a weak laugh.

"I know. His party displays are amazing, but I've had to convince him not to make every bulb flash different colours more than once."

She didn't look herself. If Dennis had to guess, he would say that she had just heard some awful news.

"Is everything alright Mum?"

He closed the distance between them. She took his hand in hers. She had savoured the warmth of his touch since what had happened every chance she got. It was absent the coldness of her own hand. He had always been special.

"It doesn't feel the same. It should, But I… I don't understand it."

Dennis' eyes flicked quickly towards the paintings.

"I guess it never will fully. It's okay Mum. I understand."

As they looked into each other's eyes, they felt a mutual guilt for the things they hid from each other. If only they both knew.

"You should go enjoy yourself. Your father should have the firework display ready. I know it was pretty hectic last night, but at least we can relax now."

Her efforts to hide the book behind her were in vain.

"Some of us can relax. Are you sure you don't want help?"

"No, no! It's fine. I can handle it." She gave that same reassuring smile she always did. Dennis found it hard to hold faith in it anymore. "Go! Find Winnie, I know she will be dying to see you."

She had succeeded in turning the focus on him, and making him blush.

"It's not… whatever. See you later Mum."

He was up the stairs in a flash, using his nature to sprint away. The carpet and drapes wouldn't last long if he kept at it. She remembered how torn the last hotel would get from Dracula's rushing, and as the first guests began to pour in, she felt she would have to be something similar.

"Easy! Easy… down a bit!"

Johnny was having as much luck at instructing the zombie staff as one would expect. In five minutes, one had managed to drop the same firework on his foot twice.

"We really need to get better staff." Johnny said under his breath.

"Nah! They always added a certain charm to the place." Murray said as he put his arm on Johnny's shoulder.

They both grimaced as the test firing went horribly wrong. The same zombie that had crushed his foot stood in place as his head went skyrocketing high above the castle.

"That's gonna be hard to get back." Murray remarked as they looked up.

The rocket exploded in a display of colour.

"It just got a lot harder." Johnny answered.

The zombie's body didn't seem too bothered, and naturally attempted to scratch where its head should have been.

"A job's just opened up if you're interested Murray." Johnny joked.

"I think I'll stick to holiday maker thanks! Speaking of zombies, Frank's found them!"

The hulking monster carried a number of instruments on his way past the empty pool.

"Some are a bit battered, but they still work at least!"

It had been quite a find, considering the devastation that had befallen the castle. Some of the old hotel remained, and Johnny was happy to see his old guitar again.

"Oh, yeah! I can't wait to get some rifts going on this!"

He mock played, making noises as Murray closed his eyes and imagined the beat.

"This is gonna be crazy! Just like the old days!"

Frank let them have their fun and glanced towards the pool.

"Still not fixed?" he asked.

"Oh, the architect should be back today. It's probably got the same problem as the old one. Mavis wasn't too pleased. To be honest…" Johnny stopped himself.

"Huh? You alright Johnny?" Murray asked as he bobbed his head to some imaginary tune.

"Don't worry about it. Just forget I said anything. The pool should be up and running in no time. I'm sure we will have something organized for when it is."

The two monsters looked at each other but let it go all the same. Before they could say anymore, familiar howls and the ruckus of Wayne and Wanda's pups took the place by storm.

"No, no. Sit!"

Wayne found himself completely covered in his kids in a mosh pit.

"Why does the guy keep having kids?" Frank commented.

"I think he enjoys self-torture." Murray laughed.

"At least some of them are older, and more mature." Johnny said.

"Yeah, where is Dennis by the way?" Murray asked with a grin.

"Oh he's… don't mention the whole kiss thing to him. He gets embarrassed all the time. Sadly, I don't think he has the charm that his father has around women." Johnny straightened his collar in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Says the guy that literally crashed into his future partner." Frank answered back.

"Well, you could say she fell for me."

"Yeah, in a heap!"

Johnny felt his confidence fade. With his mind on his son, he realized he hadn't seen him since the sun had set. He wasn't one for sleeping in, so he could give three guesses as to where he was.

High above them, two monsters looked over the dark horizon. The full moon illuminated the valley, even brighter than the lights below.

"Just one more step…" Dennis helped pull Winnie up. "I don't know why you insisted on climbing.

"It's cooler than flying up. Even if you are cute as a bat." She said with a dubious smile.

His cheeks flushed red once again.

"You are too easy to embarrass."

He looked up towards the moon to avoid making eye contact. He felt her beside him as they both sat on the hard tiles of the castle tower.

"Humans like to say that full moons cause werewolves to turn, but I've always known you like this." Dennis said inquisitively.

"Some of us change, but my family isn't like that."

The idea puzzled him. It was curious how different each monster really was from each other.

"I've sometimes wondered what it would be like to be human."

He was surprised to hear her say such a thing.

"Really? Why?"

"I don't know. You have to admit, we don't exactly look like each other."

"So? I don't care about that. We're all different in some way or another. That shouldn't hold us apart."

She was happy to hear him say that. She snuggled up to his arm as they gazed at the moon. He still didn't know how to react, so he kept his focus away.

"Dad told me a story, about how Mum brought him up here once. It was the first time she ever saw the sunrise."

Winnie rubbed her hand over his sleeve.

"I bet that must have been magical." She said lazily.

"Can I tell you something, Winnie?" he asked nervously.

"Sure, you can ask me anything." Her eyes looked sincere.

"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be human too."

She was confused.

"But you are half human, and you look just like one."

"I know… but I don't feel like one." He looked drained of energy all of a sudden.

Concern grew in Winnie. She knelt down beside him.

"What do you mean?" She asked, desperate for an answer.

"Ever since… what happened, I don't feel the same. I…" he stopped.

Her grasp fell to his hand. He felt her fur in its warmth.

"You can tell me. Please trust me, like you used to when we were on the run."

She was scared of the look on his face. Years ago she had seen it as chaos took hold around them. She had held him then, desperate to let him know that he was safe. Maybe that feeling had lived on in his mind all that time, she thought.

He sighed.

"I feel like a different person. I was human, I guess. Before my fangs broke through. Even after that, I felt like my father, and my mother. I flew with Vampa Drac like any other vampire. Now I don't feel like any of them. I'm something else."

His hand was shaking.

"Please don't think like that. You are still the same caring person. Don't let what happened ruin that."

He felt angry all of a sudden, like her words were a mockery. That rush of adrenaline he used to feel would still come back on occasion. He suppressed it as well as he could for her sake.

"It's already ruined. I won't see him again, and mother doesn't seem the same either. And…"

He stared out into the starry sky.

"What?" she asked softly.

"I'm a puppet. Just like Jeremiah Constantin was."

He didn't hear a response. Her silence was jarring, so he turned his head towards her. She was staring deeply into his eyes, her face showing her disappointment. Before he could utter another word, she lunged forward and took him in a powerful embrace. He didn't know what to do. A single tear fell down his face.

"You aren't a puppet. You're my knight!"

He felt so blessed that he wasn't alone. He didn't know what he would do if he didn't have his family and friends around him. He thought about the last hybrid. He had been alone, and what he became scared Dennis. He had killed his own family, and his zing. Dennis had already done the same to his mother, accident or no. The thought was chilling to him.

"I… want to be human."