"Son?" A knock came from outside of Dracula's office. "Son it's your father...are you in?"
"Come in dad..." a tired voice replied.
Vlad turned the door handle to reveal a Dracula leaned back in his chair, his usually put together suit was wrinkly and unkept. Strains of his slicked back hair hung loosely at his forehead. A bottle sat on his desk and he held a glass half full of an amber liquid.
"For god's sake, look at you..." Vlad said concerned.
Drac took another swig, he closed his eyes, feeling the burn as it went down his throat. "Its come back after all these years..."
Vlad rubbed his temples before he took a seat in front of his son's desk. "What's back, what are you talking about?"
"My past, all the things I've done, all the humans I killed, just for the hell of it."
Vlad understood Before his son settled down he was a 'monster' there was a reason they called him the son of the devil. Vlad did what he did, killed who he had to kill back in his day but not to the point his son took it, before he met his grandson in law he never liked humans much but he certainly never took it far as to kill for sport, before blood substitutes were invented he killed for food nothing more, nothing less. The only thing he regretted was earning the name 'Vlad the Impaler,' he only did those atrocities to protect what at the time was his kingdom from the Ottoman Empire. That was a long time ago even for his standards.
"Martha really did save my soul, she was a saint, I... a devil!" He finished the glass and chucked it behind him. Vlad winced when the glass shattered. Dracula reached for the bottle opting to drink from the source.
Vlad sat up grabbing the bottle from him, "this," he said referring to the bottle, "won't help you, trust me I know." He said placing in by his feet.
Drac gave him a scowl then ran a hand down his face.
Another knock sounded at the door, "Dad it's me and Jonny, can we come in?" Mavis' voice asked.
Dracula stood up smoothing out his clothes and running his fingers through his hair fixing the loose strands back across his head. "Y-Yes my little mouse come in..." he answered trying his best not to slur his speech.
The door opened and in walked Mavis and Jonny.
"Heh hey Drac." Jonny greeted awkwardly. Mavis held her arm and looked to the floor. "Dad we need to talk..."
Drac raised an eyebrow, What is there something I should be aware of?" He asked suspiciously.
"Dad, with everything that has been going on lately, the death, killings, the chaos..." Mavis looked down again struggling to tell her father what she wanted him to hear.
Jonny stepped in, "We think its best if we take Dennis and ourselves and stay with my folks in California." He said preparing himself for what was to come.
"W-what, no, no it will all be fine,"
"Son it probably would be best if the boy takes his family someplace safer," Vlad stated, agreeing with them.
"Damn it first they take Martha now they're taking the rest of my family too!" Dracula yelled frustrated.
"please dad calms down, just till all this blows over," Mavis said trying to calm her father down.
"T-this is all your fault, Jonathan! You caused this, now you're trying to take my only family away from me!" Dracula eyes glowed red with drunken anger.
Jonny recoiled "H-How, how is this my fault?" He questioned.
"The damn plane, if I didn't come to find you," he looked at his daughter a bitterness in his heart, "If you haven't zinged, they would have never found us."
"Damn it boy that's quite enough, you drunkard!" Vlad scolded.
Dracula slumped in his seat. Vlad looked to the duo at the door, "Mavis darling, your father is a little... out of it right now," he looked to Drac with a scrunched eyebrow then to Jonny, "he
didn't mean a word of what he said, but I agree you should take the boy to..cal...celfona?" He struggled to pronounce the new word but gave up altogether, "Take him to live with the humans for a while, my advice though, pack plenty of blood beaters." He chuckled, "the little devil could get hungry especially with all the humans around!" He joked trying to lighten the mood.
Jonny looked over to Mavis nervously, Vlad's statement causing concern for this family back home. "Right ill do that sir." He agreed.
"Thank you, grandpa, I truly believe it's for the best at for now." She looked over to her father, "Dad I," she saw the resentment in his eyes, "just know I love you and I'll be back," she gave a sad smile, "I promise."
Drac stayed silent, keeping his gaze to the window.
Vlad walked them out, "Go rest up, I'm sure it we'll all be fine in the morning."
"Ok were gonna get some things ready and start packing," Jonny said the first one out.
Mavis gave one last sad look to her father before the door closed. With the duo gone Vlad turned on his heel and made his way back over to the desk. He looked at Drac accusingly, "what was that all about? I know things are tough right now, but we have to pull through this. The future of this hotel and your family depends on it!" Vlad pleaded with his son.
"Oh yeah ok ill just 'pull through' the hunters, 'hey guys could you stop hunting me and my kind, my daddy says we're going to pull through.'" He mocked
"That's not what I mean, we need to bolster the hotel's ranks. If the Order truly means business then we have to prepare for war. Before I came to live with you all, I had my run-ins with them nothing to write home about but their Hunters are no slouch, taking one down is fairly difficult." Vlad explained.
Drac sobering up, ran a hand through his hair, "Look, I need some time to myself." He got up and made his way to the open window.
"Where are you going?" Vlad asked after him.
"To clear my head," he answered simply, he fell backward out the window and turned into a bat shortly after, taking in the night as he flew.
Vlad watched after his son from the window, "Where did I go wrong?" He asked the cool air as if it would tell him.
XXX
"But why are we leaving the hotel and Papa Drac, I love it here, I love him?" Dennis questioned.
"Sweety were going someplace safer till dad fixes some things in the hotel, think of it as a mini vacation!" Mavis explained to him.
"Then why can't Papa Drac come? And I know it's not to fix the hotel but to get us away from the bad people, I'm not stupid." He said crossing his arms.
Mavis and Jonny looked at each other, "Well kiddo, we know you aren't we just didn't want to worry you." Jonny said taking a break from packing and sitting next to his son.
"I wanna stay here with Papa Drac and Grampa Vlad."
"Honey I do too but the bad people might hurt us If we stay. Going to grandpa Mike and grandma Linda's house won't be that bad. It will only be for a little while, I promise."
Mavis heard her father's light knock, "Mavis Jonny can I...talk to you for a moment?" He asked behind the door.
Mavis opened the door and Dracula walked in, "
"Papa Drac!" Dennis jumped out of his bed and ran over to hug him. Dracula gladly returned the hug now smiling.
"Hello, my little devil dog."
"I-I wanna stay here with you..." Dennis said sadly.
"Dennis," Drac began looking at his daughter and son in law, "It is for the best, that you stay with your family in America, at least till I take care of things here."
Dracula looked back over to his family, "Jonny, Mavis I'm sorry for what I said, I just-" Dracula was cut off by the window shattering, everyone in the room hit the floor out of reflex.
Picture frames and other objects crashed to the floor...
The door swung open, it was a hotel maid. "Miss Mavis I heard something shatter! is everything- ah!" She dropped dead, blood leaking from her, wound?
"Someone is shooting at us!" Dracula concluded. "Everyone stay down and follow me!" They crawled and once Dracula was out of the sights of the windows he pulled a light fixture and a passage opened, "In, get in now!" He demanded.
They were in a passageway that led to the castle's tunnels.
Dennis was whimpering and his parents held him close trying to console him.
"I-Is everyone ok?"
"Yes, dad no ones hurt a little shaken but..." Mavis trailed off.
"Dude are they back again?" Jonny asked, looking back towards the room.
Dracula pulled a torch off the wall and handed it to Jonathan, "take this, follow this tunnel it should lead you to the Cemetery. They are probably attacking again," Dracula walked down a different path.
"Dad where are you going?" Mavis asked worriedly.
He looked behind him before walking off, "To greet our guests."
