Act II: Bastard Blood

A One-Sided Zing

"Mavey, it's past your bedtime," Drac pointed out. "I already tucked you in, so don't make me do it again."

"I don't want to sleep," replied Mavis.

The little, five-year-old Mavis had just flown in and onto the Hotel lobby desk. She then hopped off of it, landing behind the desk next to Drac. She was short enough so that her head didn't peer over it.

Luckily for Drac, the lobby was relatively empty - because it was almost morning and most monsters were nocturnal - so Drac was able to focus his full attention on his young daughter. It was also incredibly rare for monsters to check in or out when the sun was up, so Drac knew for a fact that he wouldn't be busy.

"Mavey, a good vampire always needs sleep," Drac reminded. "Remember why?"

"To be strong against humans," Mavis answered.

"Excellent, blood-raisin," said Drac as he patted his daughter's head. He then picked her up and held her with one arm. "I'm going to take you back to bed, and you better stay there this time. The sun is almost out, and I wouldn't want you to get burned."

"I don't need you to take me upstairs," Mavis insisted. "I'm a big vampire now. Look at my fangs." She bared her teeth at her father while trying to look as menacing as she could.

"If I let you go alone, do you promise you'll get to bed and stay there?" Drac asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mavis nodded furiously with a confidant smirk.

"Okay, sweetheart," obliged Drac. "Sleep tight."

Mavis hugged her father, transformed into a bat, and flew off towards the stairs of the Hotel lobby. The Count smiled with pride and affection as he watched his daughter leave his sight. He wasn't too worried for her safety inside the Hotel because he knew that nothing would be able to get to her. He opened a safe haven for monsters everywhere. The Hotel had only been open for a year, and most monsters in the world have already visited it.

Because he was lost in thought, he was startled when a voice spoke to him nearby.

"You have an adorable daughter," the voice said. Drac recognized it to be a female with a British accent. Most guests did not possess a British accent, so it easily caught Drac's interest.

Standing at the front desk was a female vampire in a black dress with sleeves that went down to her forearm. She had shoulder-length, curly black hair and striking green eyes. Furthermore, she was especially beautiful. Drac almost felt guilty when he thought that to himself. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn he saw a pink flash in her eyes.

"Hello," he greeted. "Welcome to Hotel Transylvania. You must be a new visitor."

"How'd you know?" she asked.

"I know all of the monsters that come here, but I don't know you. It's always nice to learn about another vampire." Drac held out his hand over the desk, and she took it and shook it.

"I am Dracula. Count Dracula."

She smiled, showing her fangs, and said, "My name's Lucine."

"Well, Lucine, what brings you over to my Hotel?"

"I suppose for the same reason any monster comes here. I thought I could make my life work in London, but the humans aren't very progressive."

"You wish for progress? After centuries of conflict?"

"Of course. I'd love to be able to live my life not looking over my shoulder every few seconds. Unfortunately, my dreams and wishes have done little to change the status quo, so here I am."

"That's very admirable of you," he complimented. "I'm afraid we'll have to wait a long while before they stop hating us if they don't stop hating us at all."

"Well, this drab talk seems hardly appropriate as of now, wouldn't you think? I apologize that I'm checking in so early in the morning. I was walking on my way here to take in the atmosphere, and I didn't start flying until I saw that the sky was getting brighter."

"No problem," Drac assured. "It's my duty - after all - to take care of my fellow monsters. Do you have a preference on which room you'd like?"

"I didn't realize that there was variety. Anything with a bed and bath will suit me just fine."

Drac turned to look at the wall of hanging keys he had behind the desk. He stood on his toes and grabbed a key very swiftly. Already, he knew which room the key unlocked. He had memorized all the key and door pairings after his first few months running the Hotel.

"I'll do you one better and escort you," Drac said.

"You don't have to," said Lucine. "I'm sure you're a very busy man, and I wouldn't want to - "

"Nonsense," he said, holding out his hand. "I was on my way up anyways."

"It sucks that we can't stay year-round," complained Frank.

Just like most nights of the Hotel, the large dining hall had about one-hundred round tables and was full of guests eating breakfast on them. Like always, Frank was sitting with his close friends: Wayne, Griffin, and Murray. On the table were plates of cow-snot-jelly, moose-nose salad, and bowls of fish-guts-soup. If there was one good thing about the Hotel, it was that they always had a variety of amazing dishes.

"Just enjoy the time we have here now," Murray suggested as he took a sip of his soup.

"Please, Drac doesn't want to hang with us all year," Wayne revealed. "At least, he doesn't want to hang with Griffin all year."

"Hey!" Griffin exclaimed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

As Wayne and Griffin were going back and forth, Murray took it upon himself to continue the conversation with Frank. He knew how thick-headed his friends were, and he didn't expect the argument to die down anytime soon.

"So, where's Eunice?" Murray asked.

"She's at a private sauna session," answered Frank.

"I thought you couldn't have a private session," said Murray.

"You can't, but who would want to be at the sauna with my wife?"

"You make a decent argument," admitted Murray. "Anyway, where's the man of the castle?"

"Drac? He and Mavis just entered the room."

Frank pointed his large, meaty finger over at the entrance where they found the Count and his young daughter walking hand-in-hand into the dining hall. Zombies closed the large, double-doors behind them.

"Sleep well, pumpkin-spider?" Drac asked.

"Yeah," Mavis answered. "I'm really hungry."

"Let's see what Quasimodo has for us tonight."

At the corner of his eye, Drac saw Lucine sitting alone at a table at the corner of the room. She seemed to be slowly sipping on the soup that was Quasimodo's special for the morning. Nothing about her appearance or expression seemed sad, but Drac couldn't help but think that her loneliness at her table made her feel that way.

"I need to talk to someone really quickly, honey," Drac told Mavis. "Can you find your way to your uncles?"

"Of course," Mavis said, furiously nodding.

She transformed and flew off, leaving Drac alone to walk towards Lucine. She didn't notice him coming until he stood over her table. Putting her chin on her palm and resting her elbow on the table, Lucine greeted the Hotel's owner with a smile.

"You didn't come all the way over here for me, did you?" Lucine asked.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked.

"It was the best rest I've had in years. Had I known how amazing this place was, I'd have gone when it first opened."

"Amazing? Did you find time to explore the Hotel?"

"No," she admitted. "My room and the owner were enough to make my opinion."

Drac was extremely flattered by her comments, but he couldn't help but feel guilty deep inside. There was no reason for him to be guilty at all. All he was doing was making conversation with a vampire staying at his Hotel. There was no unspoken rule which his actions were breaking.

She motioned for him to take a seat at the table, and against Drac's better judgment, he accepted. He tried to sit as respectfully as he could: his back was straightened, and his hands were folded over his lap. Her green eyes looked at him with fascination and reverence as if Drac was a majestic creature she was looking at for the first time. He wasn't really sure what was going on in her head, and he was even more unsure of whether or not he liked the attention.

He reckoned that it would be best to start some more dialogue between the two before things got awkward.

"Tell me about yourself, Lucine," he requested.

"There's not much to tell, really," she admitted. "I'm just your average vampire. I was born and raised in the outskirts of London by my mother and father. We stayed in the shadows, doing our best to not interfere with human affairs. I spent my days reading, chasing mice, and seeing the wonders of the city. My parents..."

Lucine became suddenly somber. Her eyes broke their fixation on Drac, and she was looking at the bowl of soup in front of her. He could easily tell that she was disturbed by what she was recalling. It was a feeling that he was all too familiar with. He knew exactly what happened to her parents.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," he assured. "Humans. I lost my wife to them."

"I'm sorry, Dracula," she said. "Loss is something we're all too familiar with."

"Continue on, please," he said.

"Of course. I lived alone for the next hundred or so years. I was lucky enough to make friends with other monsters living in hiding. Then, you opened the Hotel. I wasn't sure when I heard about it at first, but I eventually motivated myself to come. Here I am, and here you are."

Drac noticed an empty goblet on the table. Another goblet was filled with a blood-substitute, and it belonged to Lucine. Drac telekinetically grabbed a carton of the substitute on the table and poured it in his goblet. He raised his cup in front of Lucine, saying, "To surviving."

"To surviving," she cheered. She then hit her cup against Drac's, and they both took a sip.

"So, Dracula," said Lucine. "What do you want out of the Hotel?"

"Haven," Drac answered. "What else? Haven for all monsters."

"I imagine your daughter was your main motivation for building it," she assumed.

"You're right." Drac looked to his left to find Mavis at a far away table being the center of attention among his friends.

"You're a good father," Lucine said. "You seem very preoccupied with your daughter's happiness, however. Did you forget to fulfill your own?"

"As long as she's happy, so am I," Drac revealed.

Lucine giggled. She didn't realize it, but she put her hand over Drac's hand. It seemed like the natural reaction for her. When he made his toast with Lucine, he placed his hand flat on the table far in front of him without even noticing. When he finally did notice, he gave off a look of confusion.

Drac hadn't felt an attraction so strong since Martha. He hasn't been with a woman since his wife's passing, either. However, that was all to honor Martha's memory. With Lucine, however, he was scared that he was disrespecting his marriage in some way. He hasn't done anything that was considered taboo, but the fact that he enjoyed Lucine's company so much made him incredibly weary of what he could do.

Before he could take his hand away from hers, Griffin's voice asked, "Who's your friend, Drac?"

Drac got startled, and he pulled his hand away. "Griffin! What did I tell you about sneaking up on people?"

"Hey, I'm the Invisible Man; I can't help it. Besides, that's not what's important. What's important is that you introduce me to your lady friend here."

Drac groaned. "Lucine, meet Griffin. Griffin, meet Lucine."

Lucine looked at the floating spectacles beside her table, smiled, and extended her hand. Griffin shook it with pleasure.

"Drac's getting back in the game, huh?" Griffin said.

"That's not what this is," argued Drac. "We're just friends."

"Well, Drac, you got lucky to have a friend so pretty," Griffin said, taking Lucine's hand and kissing it.

"Do you flatter every woman you meet?" Lucine asked.

"Only the ones that are worth it," replied Griffin. "I winked. Did you catch my wink?"

"How can I help you, Griffin?" Drac asked, clearly annoyed.

"Well, Mavis wanted your permission to hit the pool with us," said Griffin.

"She has it," Drac said.

Griffin's glasses started to float away, so they knew he was leaving.

Drac leaned in closer to Lucine and said, "Listen, we got to go somewhere else right now."

"What for?" Lucine inquired.

"When Griffin gets back to his table, he's going to tell my friends that I'm talking with you, and they might take it the wrong way. No offense."

"None taken."

"Anyway, I'd rather not have my friends surround us and bombard us with questions about the nature of our relationship. You coming with me?"

"Just lead the way."

When Griffin got to his table, he put his invisible hands on Frank and Murray's shoulders. They were almost startled, but Griffin did it enough times so that they were rarely frightened by his random appearance. Of course, they were actually expecting him that time.

"Pool party is a go," revealed the Invisible Man. "The big man himself was chatting up a new vampire lady friend, too."

Mavis was too busy playing with the eyeball in her soup to notice what Griffin was saying.

"What do you mean chatting up?" Frank asked.

"Like... Intimately?" Murray asked.

"It was private; that's for sure," explained Griffin. "Look over there."

Murray, Frank, and Wayne were confused. They all turned their heads around in many directions to see what their friend was referring to. Griffin always forgot about his invisibility.

"Look where I'm pointing!" Griffin demanded. "Whatever. They're gone, anyways."

"What?!" Murray, Frank, and Wayne all exclaimed at the same time.

"You don't think he..." Wayne started.

"It's not like he's doing anything wrong if he is," Frank asserted. "Martha is near and dear to us all, but sometimes people just have to move on."

"Drac built this entire place in her memory," Wayne reminded. "Do you really think someone that dedicated can simply move on?"

For the next few days, Lucine and Drac spent a great deal of time together. Drac made sure to keep her from the company of his friends and daughters, however. Little did he know that his friends already had their assumptions made. The last thing he wanted was to be called out for having a girlfriend. He didn't see Lucine as a romantic partner. He saw her as a good friend with a heart similar to his.

"I've never seen anything so amazing," Lucine said.

Lucine and Drac stood side-by-side on the roof of Hotel Transylvania. She stared in awe at the full moon that shined bright over them. She then looked down at the lake below to see the wonderful reflection of light. She looked out over the forest and felt it's tranquility.

"It's funny," Drac started. "I've only ever seen this place as a sanctuary to protect. But, standing here now, I feel... I don't know what I feel. At peace? Yes, that's the word. Peace."

"You should really stop thinking about things like fixing the Hotel's plumbing," Lucine lectured. "Take a moment for yourself. Let all of your worries go away. Even you need a vacation sometimes."

Lucine sat down where she stood, never breaking her gaze from the scenery. She would have liked nothing more than to sit there for all eternity. Her content grew when she heard Drac sitting down beside her.

"Thank you, Dracula," she said. "For everything you've done for monsters. I've been here less than a week, and I already feel like I'm home."

"As you should," confirmed Drac. "It's your home as much as it is mine or my daughter's."

"You're a good man, Dracula," complimented Lucine. "Perhaps the kindest man I know. I can see why everyone loves you so much."

"Everyone?"

"Slip of the tongue," Lucine giggled.

She turned her attention away from the scenery to look at Drac. He - in turn - focused his sole attention on her. Under the moonlight, to Lucine, Dracula was the most handsome man alive. To Drac, Lucine was the most beautiful woman alive. They didn't notice when they leaned their heads in closer to each other.

They definitely noticed when they kissed.

When Lucine woke up from the pillows and blankets on the ground, she didn't find Drac next to her. She scanned Drac's chamber to find him standing up - fully clothed - in front of his large portrait of him and Martha hand-in-hand. He held a candle in one hand, and the only light in the room came from the candle.

Lucine quickly got dressed and approached Drac. However, she knew better than to stand next to him when he was looking at his deceased beloved. It was almost insulting to her memory. She reckoned it'd be best if she stood a few feet behind him.

"You don't have any regrets, do you?" Lucine asked. She realized it wasn't the most appropriate question to ask after intimacy, but she could feel how conflicted Drac was at the moment. She needed to straighten things out before things got muddier.

"If I do, it's not your fault," Drac explained. He sounded rather stoic, but Lucine could tell he was just covering up his true feelings. His true feelings were a lot more negative.

"I never meant to replace her," Lucine admitted.

"I know you didn't," said Drac. "No one can ever replace her."

Lucine noticed him run his forearm over his eyes. He was in tears, but he wouldn't show it. When his face was dry, Drac turned to face Lucine. He didn't - however - get closer to her. He didn't even provide eye contact to her.

She had no idea what was going through his mind. Was it guilt that filled him? Was it shame?

"This isn't fair for you," Drac said. "But, I need to make sure we both are at an understanding. I know I don't have the right to ask you, but do you love me?"

She stood and thought about it for half of a minute. She did love him. She didn't need time to answer that part. However, it was analyzing the results of both answers - yes or no - which she thought about. What was the best way to answer his question which would prevent any ill-will? Would he drive her away or closer if she said yes? If she said no, was everything she experienced in the past few days all for naught? In the end, she reckoned that it was best to be honest.

"I do," she answered.

"I'm... I'm so sorry," he apologized. He didn't look shocked. Rather, he was incredibly disappointed. "No matter how much I try to move on, my heart cannot leave Martha. Lucine, I don't - "

"I get it," Lucine interrupted. "You don't have to say anything. I'll... I'll give you some time to yourself."

"This doesn't mean we can't be friends," said Drac.

"Of course it doesn't," she said, feigning a smile.

Lucine walked to the door out of Drac's room as he watched. The look on his eyes could tell anyone about the despair he felt on the inside. When she opened the door, she saw Frankenstein's monster, Wayne the Werewolf, and Murray the Mummy standing outside of the room. They all gave looks of shock when they saw Lucine.

She acknowledged them all with a quick nod before walking down the Hotel hallway to search for the elevator.

"Drac?" Frank asked as he entered the chambers. He clearly wanted an explanation.

"Her name is Lucine," Drac informed. "No, there's nothing between us. Not anymore, at least. As your friend, I ask one thing of you: don't tell Mavis."

Little did they know that Lucine left the Hotel that night, and she wouldn't be seen since.

9 months later

The house Lucine was given to live in New York in was quite modest. It had all the comforts anyone could've asked for at the time. She was laying in her bed with her back against the wall. In her arms was her newborn son. He was sleeping soundly, and she cherished every breath he took and immortalized them in memory.

"I promise you," she started, "that you'll never have to feel the same loneliness I did. I promise that you'll grow up to be a great man. I promise you that one day... One day, you'll learn the truth about him. I'm not ready for it, and neither is he."

The baby boy slowly opened his eyes revealing the same green eyes his mother possessed.

"I haven't named you yet," she said. "How about Dracula - after your father and so you achieve greatness? No, there can only be one Dracula, don't you think? Don't worry. I've got just the name. You're going to be a light in this world, son. You will be there when humans and monsters eventually learn to live together. You're going to be as great if not greater than your father. You're the hero of your own story, and mine. My sweet Alucard."

One-hundred-and-twenty-one years later

Alucard was walking down a hall of the Hotel after a quick chat with Lily in her room. As always, he was listening to his tunes on his phone. The hallway he was walking through ended at an intersection with a perpendicular hallway. There, he turned right to walk straight to the elevator.

However, he saw Mavis storming down the hallway not too far in front of him after exiting the elevator herself. Only a blind person wouldn't notice the scowl she had on her face.

"Everything okay, Mavis?" Al asked. "You look a lot more pissed off at me than usual."

"I'm fine," she lied.

She - of course - had just finished eavesdropping on Drac's private conversation with his friends at his private sauna. The emotions that went through her ranged from upset to livid. There was little positive. Of course, she had no intention on telling Al what she heard. She reckoned that it was more appropriate for Drac to reveal the secrets.

"Its just... Things have changed," she said as she walked past her possible half-brother.

Her own room was further down the hallway, and when she reached it, Al had already left on the elevator.

Mavis knocked on the door to the room whilst impatiently tapping her foot. She had forgotten her key inside. It seemed like a century before Johnny opened the door.

"Hey, Mavey," he greeted. "Good to-"

Mavis transformed into a bat, flew over his shoulder, and transformed back inside the room. She then briskly walked to the living room couch where she sat down, straightened her back, and crossed her arms. She had every intention to tell Johnny. Her justification was that she needed some advice with what to do with the information, and the information wasn't going to necessarily challenge everything Johnny ever believed.

It was quite unfair that Johnny would know before Al, but Mavis reckoned that it would be for the best and there was little damage it could do.

"Is Dennis home?" she asked.

"He's out with the wolf-pups and Tinkles," Johnny answered.

Johnny closed the door and approached his wife.

She then asked rather bluntly, "What would you do if you knew your dad kept a secret from you for one-hundred-and-twenty years?"

"Uh... I can't say I'll ever have that experience," he said. "But, I guess I wouldn't be surprised. Everyone has secrets."

"What if he told his friends about his secret before he told you?"

"Mavis, where is this coming from?"

She sighed. "Johnny, don't let anyone know I'm telling you this. Hell, I'm not even supposed to know. Not yet, anyway."

"I swear, I won't tell anyone."

"My mom wasn't the only woman my dad has ever been with," she revealed. "He had an encounter about one-hundred-and-twenty-two years ago with another vampire. Her name was Lucine."

Johnny groaned. He didn't think of it to be a big deal. It was Drac's business who he was becoming involved with decades ago. It wasn't like Lucine became Mavis's stepmother or anything of the sort.

"Mavis, it couldn't have been anything more than a fling," Johnny said. "He must've been lonely, and... Where have I heard that name before?"

"Lucine is Al's mother," she stated.

Mavis watched as the realization came over Johnny. His eyes widened, and his jaw practically dropped to the ground. It turns out that it was a much bigger deal than he thought.

"So you and him are... Would this classify as ironic?" Johnny asked. He was - of course - referring to the negative attitudes the two held towards each other.

"Textbook definition," she confirmed.

Johnny sat down to her left, and she immediately laid her head against his shoulder. He then used his right arm to stroke her hair. He hoped he was comforting her in one way or another.

"How could he do this?" she asked. "I thought his relationship with my mom was... I don't know. Sacred? At least, that's how we treated it."

"You're not mad at him, are you?"

"I know it's really selfish of me to be mad, but I am," she admitted. "I'm even more disappointed. Something this big isn't something you should keep a secret for more than one-hundred-and-twenty years! The fact that he might be a Hunter makes this all so much worse!"

"You're still on about that?" Johnny asked. "Mavis, Al is cool. I'd bet my life on it. If he is your brother - "

"Half-brother," she corrected.

"He'll fit in just fine," Johnny asserted. "Want my advice? I don't think it's our place to tell him who he may or may not be. I say we keep trusting Drac on this. When Drac says the time is right, he'll tell Al. Until then, don't do anything irrational."

To be continued in the next chapter

Author's Note: Hope you guys liked the chapter. Please leave a comment/review to let me know what you think.