dream1990 asked for this one. Here you go, Amigo! :) Enjoy! :)

Vampirina belongs to Disney. I only own Spooker, who will make his appearance later on.

A/N: This story is an AU.


All The Same Inside

Chapter 1: Tragedy

Poppy and Edgar sat together outside the hospital room where their mother was, waiting to hear what the doctors had to say. Both looked at each other and didn't know what to say, but fear filled both of their hearts.

They were only nine years old and their mother had been very sick for almost as long as they could remember. They didn't know where their father was, though they had been told he had died long before they were born.

"Edgar?" Poppy asked softly.

"Yeah?" He replied, his voice also soft.

"Do you think Mom's going to die?"

At the fearful question, the boy didn't know what to say. He took a deep breath and faced his sister, but his face was filled with worry. "I don't know, Poppy," he said softly.

The doctor came out then and he looked at them sadly. "I'm sorry," he said. "We've done all we can, but I'm afraid your mother only has an hour left to live."

"Can we go see her?" Poppy asked.

He nodded. "Of course," he said and let them in.

The two ran up to the bed their mother was in, noticing how pale she looked and her breathing was a bit labored. "Mom?" Edgar asked in fear, to which she opened her eyes and gently smiled.

"I'm here, kids," she said softly.

Both of them carefully hugged her. "Mom, the doctor said you're...you're not going to be around anymore," Poppy said, her voice cracking a bit as tears filled her eyes.

Eda nodded. "I'm sorry, you two. I'm afraid my sickness is too much for my body to handle," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "In this little time we have left, I want you two to have something."

She pointed to the small nightstand near the bed. "Edgar, can you grab the two boxes in there for me?" She asked.

The boy did so and brought them over to her. Eda opened the box that was colored red and felt like velvet. Inside was a beautiful silver heart necklace and she motioned Poppy closer. The young girl scooted closer to her mother and held still as Eda fastened the necklace around her daughter's neck. "Your grandmother gave this to me long ago and I'm giving it to you now, Poppy," she said. "So that you always have something to remember me by."

Poppy took hold of the heart pendant and squeezed it tight in her fist, tears filling up her eyes. Eda then opened the other box that was colored gold and also felt like velvet. Inside was a gold watch, the same one both siblings had always seen their mother wear before she got so sick. "Edgar, I'm giving you this watch so that you'll never forget me," she said.

"I'll never forget, Mom," he promised.

"I won't either," Poppy said.

Eda smiled at her two children. "Even though I won't be there physically, I'll always be with you and watching over you two," she promised. "No matter where you go."

The two tried not to cry, but as their mother hugged them, tears fell down their faces as they didn't want their mother to go, but they knew it was inevitable. A nurse came in and she gave them a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, little ones," she said softly.

The siblings hugged their mother one more time, but it was hard to let go and Eda smiled gently. "I have to go now, my little angels," she said softly. "But remember, I'll always be with you."

"Love you, Mom," Poppy said.

"Love you, Mom," Edgar said.

"I love you both too," their mother said before another lady, one from Child Services, came in and she gently touched Poppy's shoulder, making the child turn to her.

"It's time to go, little ones," the woman said sympathetically.

Both nodded, having met her before as their mother had called Child Services to ask them for help for placing the twins in a new home after she passed. The kind lady took them outside the room and the doctor looked at them sadly. "She'll always be with you," he said gently and they nodded sadly. "Keep hold of the good memories and they will help you through the tough times."

He then closed the door and the twins knew this meant their mother was gone. More tears fell down their faces as the social worker took them out of the hospital, tears in her eyes as well. Normally she wouldn't have gotten emotional, but seeing as this was a case of a mother who had had no other choice and wanted her children to be safe, she shed a few tears. "Your mother was a good woman," she said to the twins. "She earned her wings."

That made the twins feel a little better, but not by much. "What's going to happen to us?" Poppy asked.

"Well, I'm taking you to a group home for children until things are settled," the social worker said. "It won't be much, but you two will at least be together and as soon as things are taken care of, you'll hopefully be in a new home with a new family because I would honestly dislike it if I had to take you two to the orphanage."

Her gentle voice told them that she meant that last part. "But we don't have any other family," Edgar said. "We don't have a dad and no other family members. They're all gone."

The lady nodded. "I believe your mother arranged something, but until we know for sure, you'll at least have a roof over your heads, three meals a day, and you'll be safe and warm," she said.

"What about school?" Poppy asked.

"I'll speak to your teacher about you two doing your schoolwork at the group home, that way you don't fall behind," the social worker promised.

Both nodded, holding hands as they both grieved for their mother.

One week later...

The social worker looked a bit pensive. "Well, everything is set, but I'm afraid no one has come forward with the papers your mother said she had sent out," she said to the twins. "I was hoping the person she had chosen to take you both in would have come forward by now."

Edgar hugged his sister protectively. "Then...we have to go to an orphanage?" He asked.

The lady looked a bit saddened. "I'm afraid so," she said sadly. "I'm so sorry, you two."

Poppy sniffled as she hugged her brother before they went and grabbed their things and the social worker took them out to her car, but before they could get in, they heard a voice. "Wait!"

They turned to see a woman coming towards them. She had blue skin and red hair, which seemed odd, but she was dressed very nicely and she came up to them. "Oh, good. I was worried I wouldn't make it in time," she said, her accent catching their attention.

"Good afternoon," the social worker said. "May I help you?"

"Yes, please. My name is Oxana Hauntley. And I believe the children's mother named me and my husband as their guardians if anything happened to her."

The woman handed the social worker some papers and the woman looked them over before nodding, seeing all was in order and it had been signed by the local judge. "Everything's in order," she said before taking out her clipboard. "If you'll just fill out this paper and sign at the bottom, you can take Edgar and Poppy home with you."

"Oh, thank you," Oxana said. "I do apologize for not coming forward sooner. My husband, daughter, and I have been busy getting our new bed-and-breakfast up and running that I didn't hear about Eda's passing until yesterday, to which I quickly began looking for those papers she had sent me."

"No worries," the social worker said, smiling. "I can see the papers are legit as Eda had me grab them for her and send them out."

Poppy and Edgar looked at each other, a bit skeptical as they looked back up at the strange woman, who smiled at them. "Hello, Edgar. Hello, Poppy," she said warmly.

"Um...what's with your voice?" Edgar asked. "You sound weird."

"Edgar!" Poppy whisper-hissed at him, elbowing him in the ribs.

Oxana chuckled warmly. "Oh, you mean my accent," she said, not offended at all. "My family is originally from another country. We moved here to America about a year ago."

The social worker smiled as she checked over the paper she had Oxana fill out and she nodded. "Okay, you're all set," she said before looking at the twins. "Miss Oxana is going to take you two in. Be good, you two."

"We will," Poppy promised while Edgar looked at Oxana unsurely.

After the social worker left, Oxana turned to the two and smiled gently. "I can't imagine what you're both feeling right now, but I promise you, it will be alright," she said. "My home is actually next to your old home, believe it or not."

Both twins looked fearful then. "You mean...you live in the spooky house next door?" Edgar asked, holding his sister protectively.

"Oh, it's not spooky at all," Oxana said reassuringly. "I promise you both it is safe."

Poppy looked at her brother, who looked at her, both unsure before seeing Oxana reach her hands out to them in the gesture for them to hold her hands. "It's okay, little ones," she soothed. "I don't bite."

Both looked unsure until Poppy carefully reached out and took Oxana's hand, closing her eyes tightly but opening them a moment later when she felt the woman's hand gently hold her own, giving it a comforting squeeze. Edgar, seeing this, hesitantly took Oxana's free hand and the woman smiled, standing up so that the children were on either side of her. "Well, let's get you two home," she said. "My husband and daughter are looking forward to meeting our two newest family members."

The twins didn't say anything, but nodded politely while going with Oxana, looking a bit pensive as they arrived at the spooky house that was next door to their old house, the house looking scarier now that ever before.


Looks like Edgar and Poppy have been taken in by the Hauntleys, but will they really fit in? What happens when they discover there is more to their new family than they first realized? Stay tuned to find out! :)

And please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418