The attic was dusty, as usual, but I felt more at peace up here than downstairs at the moment. People were rushing about, getting more and more tense the closer and closer to the wedding. It was only a few hours away now, and I felt a wash of sadness flow over me. I sniffed back tears, partially due to my feelings about the wedding and partially to the dust. The bats here avoided me, unlike Count Fabulous. I really wanted to cuddle my BBFF, but I knew the moment I showed my face people would be swarming me with advice, questions, scolding, wondering who was who and where did this go.

I had found a painting of my mother that was done five hundred years ago, and propped it up against the wall. Running my fingers along the curve of her face occasionally. My aunt, Justine, had sketched an image of my mother before she had died, and then had presented the complete painting to my father. I remembered seeing it and seeing the sadness and anger in my father's eyes when he saw it. That was the last time I saw the painting until I climbed up into the attic to hide away from the commotion downstairs.

Part of me felt guilty that sometimes I found myself not thinking about her for weeks or months on end. As if by forgetting to, she was dying all over again.

I had feared that my father had thrown the painting out, or had it destroyed. To know that he had just hidden it away, pleased me greatly and made me angry at the same time. If he didn't want it, I did. Once this wedding was over, I would display my mother's painting in my room. My mother did not deserve to be hidden in a dusty old attic, no one seeing her beautiful face. I wouldn't allow her to only live in the minds of the few who knew her.

The sound of the attic door being opened tore me from my thoughts, and I quickly twisted around. Ready to defend my actions against whoever found me. Uncle Vlad popped his head up, looking around and quickly pinpointing me. He sighed and took another step up into the attic before he saw the painting.

It took a moment, but he closed his mouth and tore his gaze from the painting to rest on me. "You need to get ready," he informed me, climbing the rest of the steps up into the attic. A cobweb caught on his shirt and he dusted it off with the back of his hand.

"The wedding isn't for a couple hours, I can get ready later," I brushed off his concern, turning back towards the painting.

Uncle Vlad rested his hands on my shoulders, his eyes focusing on the painting. "You have her eyes," he whispered, and squeezed my shoulders. "And her hair. I think you got your nose from your biological father, though."

I pressed my lips together, struggling not to cry. I doubted that even when I was forty thousand years old that I wouldn't feel the pure urge to cry when people spoke about my mother to me.

"I know this isn't what you want," Uncle Vlad added quietly, "but it's what your father wants, and we just have to trust that he knows what he's getting into, and if he doesn't we'll be there to help him. It isn't the first time he has fallen for a human, and I doubt it'll be the last."

"I know."

"Take solace in the knowledge that your mother will be the first and only human that your father respected and cared for without wanting anything in return from the beginning. He took you two in without wanting anything from her, no money, no promise of her first born, not even requesting to feed on her. He brought her home, introduced us to her, and told us that if we ever harmed her, he would personally inflict ten times the pain she received back on us," he moved around and stood in front of me. His eyes were distant as he remembered far distant memories. "When Camilla had you, it was the first time that I had ever seen your father smile for more than a brief second. He held your tiny body in his hands, and sung you a lullaby in an ancient language. I think that was the moment when Camilla fell for your father, and she realized he had fallen for her the moment he brought her to Romania."

Tears were falling freely from my eyes. No one ever spoke about my mother to me anymore. They used to speak about her after she died, and not all of the comments were nice. 'How could she not want to become a vampire?' and other words that were used with harsh tones.

Uncle Vlad pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and allowed me to dab away my tears before speaking again. "Today is a day where we allow ourselves to be happy for him. He's truly happy, and neither of us should be the one to break that happiness."

I nodded, hiccupping. He patted my cheek, "Good girl. Let's get you downstairs and get you ready for the wedding."

Guiding me downstairs, I was quickly whisked away by Clawdeen and Frankie into my room. Once the door closed, the voices of the wedding party faded into a quiet murmur.

"Oh! This is voltageous!" Frankie gasped, clapping her hands together as Clawdeen forced me into the vanity chair. "I've never been to a wedding before; it's going to be so beautiful!"

I didn't want to burst her bubble and forced a smile, "My father is a stickler for perfection."

Clawdeen picked up a brush and snorted, "Yeah. A normie marrying a monster, that's perfection."

Frankie rolled her eyes and waved her hands dismissively as she began to pin my hair back so that Clawdeen could apply my makeup without any trouble from my hair. "It doesn't matter what you are, Clawdeen, it matters who you are. That's what my parents say. If you love someone, it shouldn't matter if they are monster, normie, female, male, or what! As long as there is love in the relationship."

Clawdeen said nothing in return, looking at a picture on her phone before turning attentively back to me and telling me to close my eyes.

"A monster and a human can get married," I spoke, trying hard not to move my face too much, "but the human should know the monster is a monster before they get married."

I felt a zap from Frankie and jumped.

"Samantha doesn't know your father is a vampire?" she asked, her eyes wide. "Oh no! That's horrible. Why hasn't he told her yet?"

"Frankie," Clawdeen complained, wiping at my eye with a makeup remover pad. "If Lala's father walked up to her and said 'yeah, I drink blood to live' would Samantha really be okay with that? The woman is already upset about Lala kissing my brother's cheek. Who knows if that's because we're not on the same level financially, or if it's because we're black."

"You're not black," Frankie tilted her head in confusion, "You're a werewolf."

"Some humans are racist against other humans with darker skin tones," I explained to her. I couldn't see her facial expression as Clawdeen made me close my eyes again.

"That's...that's dumb!" I heard a spark as Frankie got worked up. Clawdeen sighed.

"If Samantha is that way with someone she thinks is a human, how do you think she'd react if she found out that we aren't just black, but werewolves? How do you think she'd react if she figured out that Lala's father is the Dracula?"

Frankie was silent until Clawdeen told me I could open my eyes. She was frowning and shaking her hands attempting to lessen the electricity in her body before touching me.

"If my father truly loves her, he will wait until he knows that he can tell her for sure before doing anything. He didn't tell me he was a vampire until I was sixteen," I explained to her, reaching over and patting her hand. Ignoring the shock I got from doing so.

Frankie sighed, "I wondered why people didn't like her so much, but I guess I know why now. Maybe if we give her a chance to get to know us for our freaky flaws she'll accept us?"

"Let's hope," I agreed.

"Let's get your hair done, the wedding party needs to gather downstairs in an hour," Clawdeen successfully brought the conversation back towards the now. Frankie tried to help with my hair, but apparently the static electricity from her emotions caused my hair to frizz too much and Clawdeen suggested that she go and grab my gown.

I waited patiently as Clawdeen finished my hair. I stared at her through the mirror. Feeling a sense of déjà vu.

Before Frankie got back, Harriet entered the room. Peering in at first before entering fully and walking up behind us.

"Clawdeen, Frankie needs help figuring out which dress is Draculaura's," the woman touched her daughters back, "I'll take over if you want to go and help?"

Clawdeen finished up a curl, letting it fall against my cheek before passing the curling iron to her mother and sighing. "It's probably the smallest one out of the bunch," she gave me a grin and then brushed a loose curl behind her ear. "I need to ask Dad something anyways. I'll be right back."

She was gone quickly, leaving Harriet to curl my hair. We were silent for a while before Harriet placed the curling iron down on the vanity.

"Your father has come far," she whispered, her hands resting on my shoulders, "and so have you."

I felt tears in my eyes, "Am I a horrible person to wish that he hadn't come this far?"

She wrapped her arms around me and pressed her cheek against my forehead, staring into the mirror. It looked odd, her holding nothing but floating clothes. "You've never been a horrible person. You've got a big heart. Just remember who you are, and don't let Samantha or anyone effect that. I don't know your father well enough to tell if he loves Samantha, but if he does, then let him be happy."

I squeezed her arm, "I've missed you, Harriet."

She laughed, "I've missed you too. I've gotten old since the last you've seen me," she gave me a huge joyous smile, "I have seven children now, and I'm free and happy. Because of you."

I twisted around and hugged her fiercely, feeling happy and sad tears mix as they burst from my eyes. We broke apart just before Clawdeen and Frankie entered the room. Clawdeen saw my tears and hurried over. "What happened?"

"She's having cold feet about the wedding," Harriet rubbed my back, giving me a sympathetic look. "Why don't you show her that app you got? I've got to go and make sure your brother and father haven't gotten their suits dirty," she patted her daughters shoulder and walked out of the room.

I sniffed back more tears as Clawdeen scolded me. "You're makeup is smudging," she dabbed the tears from my face and tidied up my makeup. "Now, I have a treat for you!"

She pulled out her phone. She opened a camera app and ushered Frankie to my other side. She turned the phone around and grinned. I frowned, I wouldn't show up. Why were they trying to take a selfie with me? Frankie poked my side, "Smile!"

"I won't show up-"

"Just smile," Clawdeen tickled my side, and without my consent I let out a laugh and wriggled away from her.

The flash of the camera went off and Clawdeen quickly looked at the photo. She burst out laughing and showed Frankie.

"What?" I asked, taking the dress from Frankie. The wedding was soon. I needed to get downstairs. Clawdeen seemed to have the same thought.

"The wedding! You need to get downstairs, like yesterday!" she shoved the phone away and urged me to change. I could feel the excitement begin in the house, escalating as the hours turned into minutes, and I was rushed downstairs and into the library where the groomsmen and bridesmaids were waiting for the procession to start.

It barely processed in my mind as I went over and stood with the Wolf's. I remember Clawrk discreetly rubbing my back, before whispering to his wife about something. Clawd give me a quick introduction to Viktor, Frankie's father. Viktor was happy to see me again, and I felt really bad when I didn't respond as positively to meeting him. He was an intelligent man with a big heart, and I barely said anything to him.

I was a mess of emotions.

Samantha waltzed in, splendid in her white gown, I felt like crying. Not because she was beautiful, though she was. It was due to what could have been.

My mother should've walked down the aisle towards my father, or any form of marriage ceremony between then and now. She should've been the one dressed in a white gown, ready to stride down the aisle towards my father. Instead, it was another human, another time, and I couldn't bring myself to be happy for my father.

Why couldn't I be happy for him?

Clawd escorted me down the aisle, and I felt lost when he let go of my arm so we could go stand in our respective places. I kept my gaze away from my father, even though I knew I felt his eyes boring a hole into the side of my face. I was trying hard not to cry, and probably looked like the most miserable Maid of Honor in the entire world.

When the music started, everyone stood and turned towards the house. I could see smiling faces of Samantha's friends and little family. My father's side looked politely happy, but I knew none of them were ecstatic about the marriage. Cleo's family was nowhere to be seen, they did not support this marriage by far.

This wedding should've been happy. I should've seen my Grandmother, uncles, aunts; I should've seen the Council standing amongst the crowd, applauding politely at the King getting married once again.

My father took Samantha's hand and the ceremony began. I felt tears flowing as Uncle Vlad performed the ceremony. Not an actual priest, but then again my father wasn't religious in the slightest, and neither was Samantha.

When it got to the vows, I dared a look at my Uncle. His face was drawn tight as my father spoke his lines, 'I, Vladimir Dracul, take you, Samantha Harker, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me, through all our years, and in all that life may bring us."

I drowned out Samantha's lines in my head, wishing that it was anyone else standing beside my father at the altar. Hoping that my father knew what he was getting into, and hoping that my uncle was wrong about Samantha, that she wasn't a vampire hunter and truly did love my father. For my father's sake.

I met my father's eye and saw him smile brilliantly at me; I couldn't help but smile back. Not letting my emotions show true. This was his day.

"You may now kiss the bride."

It was official, the audience clapped and cheered with varying degrees of excitement. Cheering for the future of the couple, and cheering that it was over and the part could begin.

I felt a selfish sense of abandonment as my father walked down the aisle and away from his family with his new bride.

A/N: Whoops. Totally forgot I was reuploading this (almost a year later haha). Have you guys seen the trailer for the new MH movie? It looks great :D Though, I hear that's an uncommon opinion, a lot of people don't want the characters redone.