Kate awoke an hour or so before sunrise. She felt more refreshed than she had in a long time. She stretched before standing and grabbing her clothes.

Her clothing felt so rough against her skin after the softness of the sheets and comforter. She had to wonder just what count the sheets were to be that soft. No wonder her aunt sprang for the smaller B&B rather than this huge hotel.

After dressing she walked downstairs leaving the key on the front desk. There were a few people about in the lobby, but primarily it was quiet. Weird for a hotel, but it was early so she shrugged it off. She started down the steps to leave.

Then Dracula came out from around the corner. He smiled at her when he saw her and her heart skipped two beats.

'Calm yourself, he's married.' she told her heart, but that didn't stop it from skipping another beat when he walked over to her.

"Leaving so soon," he said.

"Well, the sun will be up soon and I need to get back. I have a few other things I want to do this week, including the Monster Bash Celebration. The food is sure to be wonderful."

Dracula watched as her eyes lit up at the mention of food. They had done the same when she was eating the night before.

"Don't hesitate to return," Dracula heard himself say. "We have lots of different Transylvanian dishes you can try. I'll even let you go into the restaurant without having a room key."

Her eyes widened and brightened. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you!" How she wanted to hug him at those words, but that would be awkward. They barely knew each other. "I just may take you up on that."

"Dad! Dennis is looking for you!"

Dracula turned and Kate followed his gaze. The young woman she had bumped into in the hallway before. She glanced back at Dracula and then at the girl. Dad? There was no way. Not unless this guy had a kid when he was around 10 year old. Must be something she misheard.

"Be right there Mavis," he replied before turning back to Kate. "I must go, but do come again."

She nodded before turning and walking out the door.

The woods were becoming brighter as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. She glanced back at the hotel behind her and wished she could stay, but she had a million things to do.

First she had to go back to her room and change, although she was sure that no clothing options she had brought would be as soft as those sheets had been.

Kate spent two days in town, exploring the smaller shops and cafes there, listening to the villagers talk about the upcoming Monster Bash celebration. She enjoyed it, but found that she wanted to return to Dracula's hotel. She hadn't wanted it to seem like she was hunting Dracula down, but somehow she couldn't help herself. She wanted to find him.

Thinking about him caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach and her heart seemed lighter. That feeling of confusion that she had before when she approached the hotel the first time never came back. It must have been jet lag or something.

The people in the town were extremely kind to her, and always spoke so highly of the "Count in the hotel." All spoke about him as if he really was the Count Dracula of legend.

She smiled at that. Even the villagers were in on the whole Dracula thing. It didn't bother her, but she wondered just what his real name was. Surely it wasn't actually Dracula, that would be so weird.

Today she played it smart, taking a scooter to the hotel instead of walking. She arrived just at sunset to enjoy a fine meal in the restaurant.

As Dracula had promised, she was allowed access, even without a room key. It was amazing. She sat down and took in the room as she read over her menu.

Suddenly the confusing feeling, a mix of understanding and fear, came back full force just as she heard someone take the seat across from her. She looked up and found herself looking into a pair of smiling blue eyes.

"Hello Kate, welcome back."

She smiled, setting her menu aside. "Well, you invited me back to try more of your chef's delicious food. How could I refuse?"

He smiled at her. "So, what are you planning to try tonight?"

They sat together and talked while she had her meal. He didn't take her offer to try any of the food she had, but he did like watching her eat.

She seemed to savor every bite. Every time she had something new to try, she closed her eyes and slowly enjoyed it. She even would give a slight sigh if the bite was particularly good.

They chatted about nothing much, but still laughed a lot. She told him about her school life and he told her about the cuisine she was eating and the history of the area. She asked a dozens of questions about the area and Dracula enjoyed answering them. She was a bright and intelligent woman and she was easily able to pick out some of the spices in the more complicated dishes. She would make a great chef one day.

"This dessert is so wonderful!" she said as she ate the dessert Dracula insisted she have. "The berries are so fresh and the cake has such a unique flavor. It's not cinnamon or nutmeg, but something...different. Oh! It's just so good!"

Dracula smiled and Kate felt herself blush. He had such a handsome smile.

"I'm glad that you like it," he said, his accent rolling over her in a way that sent shivers down her spine and warmed her.

"I'm glad that you suggested it. I may have to take some pastry classes when I get home."

As she stood, Dracula stood as well. "Can I show you around my hotel?"

Kate looked at him with surprise in her eyes. She hadn't expected him to offer to show her around. She smiled, excited to see more of this beautiful hotel. "I would love to!"

The two walked out of the restaurant, Dracula's cape sweeping behind him gently caressing her arm. She knew that he wasn't doing this on purpose, but every caress caused her blood to warm even more.

'He's married!' she told herself, reminding herself this over and over again.

He showed her around the hotel, running into tons of people still dressed in costume. Everyone was friendly and had wide smiles. Kate couldn't help smiling back at everyone she passed, even though that feeling she didn't understand remained around her, it was easier to ignore it as she was overwhelmed by the beauty of the hotel.

"This is the library," he said opening the next door. Kate walked in and her smile almost widened even more.

"This is amazing!" She said looking around the room.

Books lined the walls, floor to ceiling in the round room. The only area not covered with books was a fireplace with a wooden mantle and dark brick pipe. There were two dark red armchairs facing the fireplace with a chessboard set up between the two.

"Wow! Chess," she said walking and taking a seat. "Do you play?"

Dracula walked across the room and took a seat in the opposite chair. "I have been playing for centuries, but as of late I have been unable to find a partner for the game."

Kate chuckled before gesturing to the board. "Your move Count."

Dracula smirked at Kate as he moved his Queen into position. "Checkmate," he said firmly. Kate looked up at him with wide eyes before she examined the board.

He watched her emerald eyes scan over the board, looking for any move that could counter him. There was no move she could make, but she was cute to try and find one.

It had been a long time since he had played chess. Mavis hadn't been interested in learning and his other friends were not the type to relax playing a game like this. He hadn't really played since Martha had been alive.

The thought of his late wife made him slightly saddened. He knew that she was gone and had been for years, but the pain was still as fresh as it was the day it had happened.

"You're right," she said drawing his attention back to the present. She leaned back in her chair and had a mock pout on her face. It gave her an adorable look he hadn't anticipated she would make.

She glanced at him from the side of eyes and tried to hold the look on her face but the corners of her mouth slowly and the pout turned into a smile, and then a laugh.

"Sorry," she said. "It's been a long time since I've had a good game of chess, even longer since I've lost a good game of chess."

"I can agree with that," he responded before standing. "It is late, you will not be able to get back to your hotel tonight."

She blinked and stood, looking at the watch on her wrist with wide eyes. "Oh dear! You're right. It's already midnight." She smiled up at him. "Don't worry though, I brought a scooter. I'll be back in town in a jiffy."

"Are you sure? I would not wish for anything to happen to you in the woods."

She nodded. "Positive. Besides, all my clothes and things are back at my hotel. If I stayed here again, I would be wasting the money my aunt paid for that room there."

They stood and walked back to the front of the hotel. It had been a long time since Dracula had felt at peace around a human, at least one that wasn't Johnny. He was sure that she didn't believe him about being the real Dracula, but she was just a tourist. At the end of the week she would be gone and forget about him. He didn't have to prove that he was a vampire to her.

Besides, the thought of her rejecting him because he was a vampire bothered him.

He walked her out to her scooter. "You should come again," he said.

She hopped on the scooter and looked back at him. "For sure. I have to take back my chess champion title."

Dracula nodded as she revved up the scooter and drove off down the driveway. Dracula smirked before turning to walk back into the hotel.

He didn't know what it was about that girl that made him want to spend time with her, but she was interesting.

They met every night after that. First they would eat, well Kate would eat, in the restaurant and then they would retire to play a round of chess.

Kate didn't win a single game, but she still enjoyed playing. After 3 more nights of losing Kate chuckled at her continued loss.

"I guess I can't compete with someone who's played for centuries," she said with a joking tone.

"I suppose not," Dracula replied. "Are you coming to the Monster Bash Celebration tomorrow? It's going to be fun and there will be lots more foods for you to try."

Kate eyes widened at the promise of more food choices to try and she smiled. "Of course! It's my last night in town before I have to head back. School starts again on Monday after all."

Hearing that she was leaving made Dracula sad. It had been a long time since he had a friend like her. Frank and the others were great pals, but they didn't enjoy quieter things like he did from time to time. Martha had been like that, but she was gone. It was kind of nice to enjoy those things again after so long.

Kate waved as she rode away, promising to return the following night for the celebration. Dracula smiled, excited that he would see her again and even surprised by the feeling. He hadn't set out to make a friend of her, only to treat a tourist to the food and history of his homeland.

He was as excited for tomorrow's celebration as a young 50-year-old would be.