Chapter 13: Meet the Loughrans p1
The next night after Ericka's old schoolmates had visited, Johnny became really excited when he got a text from his own family in California that they will be visiting in a few days, having received all his texts and e-mails about where he had been and wanting to see Transylvania and meet the nice girl he met.
"Oh, man, this is too awesome!" Johnny yelled with excitement as he told Mavis the good news.
"Your family is coming here?!" Mavis nearly squealed excitedly. "I can't wait to meet them! You hardly talked about them, but I know from what you've told me they're nice."
Johnny gave an easy going shrug. "Yeah, they're okay, not always the most out going or exciting people to be around, but they're cool." But then Johnny began to have some doubts as he remembered other things about his family, mostly why he wanted to get out and see the world away from them.
Mavis continued with a smile, "Well, I'm certain I'll like them, and I hope they like me, Mom and Dad. When they get here, I want to make the best first impression, as we're all going to be family soon, right Johnny?"
"Family..." Johnny droned, trying to hold back apprehension, "Right. Uh, first, Mavy, you gotta know, uh, about my family, well, uh, mostly my mom. She's, uh, she means well enough, but she can be kind of, well, out spoken I guess is the best way to describe her. And my dad, he's uh, pretty easy going, like me, but not much of a conversationalist. "
Mavis took Johnny's hands in reassurance when she clearly saw his nervousness as she said calmly, "Johnny, it's going to be okay. I'm sure I'll love them, after all, they're you're family."
"I hope so," Johnny added doubtfully. "I only told them about meeting you and your dad in Transylvania, and that he runs a hotel here. I haven't told them yet your vampires, or that your dad is the famous Count Dracula. And I haven't told them yet about your stepmom and her monster-hating father."
Mavis gave a familiar raised eyebrow at this, but just said with a smile, "Well, they'll be here in a few days, so you should i-mail or tax them and tell them, so they won't be too freaked out if that's what you're worried about."
"I guess," Johnny shrugged, '"And it's e-mail and text. I'm just worried even if they don't mind you guys being vampires, they'll think you're not good enough for me, and they'll want me to move back to Santa Cruz and get a boring regular job, like my dad, so I'm just so nervous about them seeing how really awesome this place is, and what a great girl you are. But maybe we should tell your dad, first, seeing as how he gonna have more humans visiting his hotel so soon after Ericka's friends."
"That might be a good idea," Mavis said, then became a little sneaky. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when we tell him."
In their chambers, behind the closed curtains of their new four poster bed, Dracula and Ericka slowly awoke from restful sleep as the Count brought his lightly sleeping wife closer to him, and she stirred at his touch.
He inhaled in her scent and kissed her cheek as he said sweetly, "Good morning, my Sexy Fang."
"Good morning, Darling," Ericka breathed. "How are you feeling?"
"Fang-tastic," he said teasingly on a play of words. "Especially from the oral sex and that 69, last night. But the 'blowjob' has to be my favorite, though I don't understand why it's called that. I look forward to exploring more of it with you."
The Count nuzzled into her and Ericka giggled, "So am I, Honey, but maybe we should slow down on the sex a little."
Dracula frowned at this and asked with a near whine, "Why?"
Ericka hesitated for a moment, not wanting to ruin her surprise but she felt a slight pain in her lower area so she said, "Ugh, I'm just starting to feel a little sore down there, y'know. And I keep forgetting as a vampire you're way stronger than me." This was true, of course.
Dracula's long handsome face dropped a bit as though hurt as he tried to reassure her, "Ericka , I never mean to hurt you, if that's what you're saying. Perhaps you're right. We should cut back on the sex, and I'll try to control myself, my sweet blood peach."
Ericka smiled at him as she caressed his cheek and gave him a quick peck on the lips, whispering, "Thank you, Drac."
They both got out of bed and set to getting ready for the new night, after they both brushed their teeth really well, and gargled mouthwash for a good long minute and a half. Ericka a flavor fresh mint, and Dracula a minty blood red mouthwash.
They got dressed and went to have breakfast with Johnny and Mavis in their private dinning area where Dracula's and Mavis's favorites were served, wormcakes and bagels with scream cheese, along with a couple of more 'human friendly' food for Johnny and Ericka.
"So, how did you two sleep?" Mavis asked teasingly. "I bet really well considering the whole hotel heard your roar of orgasm again."
Ericka could only blush, as did Dracula while he gave his daughter a parental glare of 'you're too young to talk about such things.'
Johnny added teasingly, "Hopefully you won't be so loud when you roar from sex after we're married, Mavy."
Johnny gave a childish giggle as Mavis laughed at Johnny's cheekiness. But Dracula gave him a dangerous glare as he began to feel protective of his daughter's honor and felt insulted for Johnny daring to speak of such things in front of him, while Ericka tried to hold back a laugh with a snort and a snicker.
Dracula was about to berate them for such talk when Johnny suddenly spoke up, "Uh, Drac, there's something I have to tell you. I got a text from my family in California, and they're coming to visit in a few days to meet you and Mavis, now that we're engaged."
Dracula actually gave a wide eyed surprised look at this announcement, while Ericka gave a big smile to Johnny.
"Johnny, that's great," said Ericka . "If they're anything like you, it should be a fun visit to meet the future in-laws, just like with my friends last night."
Johnny gave an awkward smile of uncertainty, but Dracula remained frowning as he said, "More humans at my hotel, so soon? I don't think I like where this is going."
"C'mon, Drac," Ericka groaned. "They're our future in-laws, and we were going to meet sooner or later now that Johnny and Mavis are getting married. At least we can meet them on better terms than you did with my family. If my father hadn't been hostile toward you, maybe you could've met my family in a better light. This could be like a chance to make up for that."
Dracula still looked unsure, and yet as always his wife was a voice of reason and had this strange way of convincing him to try new things and giving humans a chance, and he remembered how Martha was the voice of reason when he had self-doubts or problems. He gave a deep sigh of reluctance as he groaned, "Alright, alright, Ericka . As usual, you're right. I'll have the staff get some rooms ready later tonight for Johnny's family."
Everyone gave big smiles at this as they enjoyed the rest of their breakfast. But Ericka wasn't feeling very hungry, instead she felt her lower front hurt very strongly and quickly excused herself and left the dining room, leaving her family perplexed at her suddenly departure. Dracula began to feel concerned for his wife, as she had been acting pretty strangely the last few days since Johnny and Mavy-Wavy came home from Hawaii.
Ericka decided she needed to see Dr. Gillman and a nurse because she began to worry about her pregnancy and how it was going to affect her and the baby's health. She fought through the pain she felt and tried to make it to the hotel infirmary without throwing up, but she didn't thank goodness. Dr. Gillman and a witch nurse helped Ericka to an examination table and she handed them her secret test she had once taken with Wanda.
The doctor and the nurse were thrilled the new Countess was now baring a child with their master, but she swore them to absolute secrecy because she hasn't told anyone, not even Dracula, yet and wanted to surprise everyone at a special time. A few minutes later they told her happily that she was going to be fine, as humans and vampires weren't all that different and completely compatible to make a baby. However, the doctor and nurse gave her strict instructions and several lists of foods she could eat and couldn't eat, and certain kinds of pregnancy friendly exercises, take certain kinds of parental vitamins, and to come in for regular checkups until the baby was born.
Ericka, Eunice knew Dr. Gillman and the nurse were only looking out for the best for their and their new babies, but she couldn't help feeling confined and limited now. But it was all for the baby. She thanked them and she left and went to find her husband, but he found her in a hallway not too far from the hotel infirmary.
"Ericka !" Dracula cried in overprotective relief as he embraced her, then gripped her shoulders as he asked with lingering worry, "Where have you been? I got worried when you didn't come back to breakfast."
Ericka could only look up at him with a confused and flustered look, but she tried to reassure him, "I'm okay, Drac, as you can see. I just, uh, I had to take care of an emergency, and uh, it took longer than I thought it would."
"Oh," Dracula sighed, though he began to get a little suspicious.
"Besides," she continued, "You really need to get over your protective nature of me, or at least control it better, because I worry one of these days it'll drive you over the edge again, like with the whole fake village thing." That made Dracula look of guilty as he remembered how that whole thing blew up in his face as he looked at Ericka , but she smiled, "It's okay, you have good intentions, but I know you're not like that anymore. I forgave you, remember?"
They embraced for a few moments, and then Ericka reminded him that he needed to get some rooms ready for the new visiting in-laws as they would be there in a few days.
At least another day later, Ericka and Dracula took the elevator to the lobby, as it was the day they were going to meet Johnny's family and they were to arrive that morning at the human town's airport. Dracula looked around and saw no one, literally no one, in the lobby. He and Ericka were completely alone. That familiar fire of desire burned in his chest.
"You know," Dracula said with a kinky smirk. "We have a little bit of time, and as you can see, we're all alone here."
"That's nice," Ericka said with a toneless voice, but felt nervous as she suspected what Dracula was thinking.
Dracula brought her closer to am embrace and held her to his body as he began to kiss her, which she gladly returned, their lips dancing and tasting each other like exquisite sweetness. He then tried to deepen the kiss with his tongue to taste her more, but she suddenly pulled away.
"Wait, Drac, honey, this really isn't the time." Ericka attempted to reason with her vampire husband, but it looked futile.
"Why not?" Dracula questioned as his eyes glowed a faint red and he smiled amusingly. "Johnny's human family won't be here for a least another half hour, and besides, I know how adventurous you like to be."
"Any other time would be great, Drac," Ericka tried to reason with him. "But I'm not really in the mood, because we're going to have company soon. They could walk in any moment and see you leaving hickies on my neck."
"Oh, I'm sure I can change your mind," Dracula said with a teasing seduction, and he slowly leaned down and began nawing at her neck, teasing her with his fangs, moaning deeply in pure lust.
"Ohh," Mina gasped, but tried to keep her wits as she tried to gently, if firmly, push him away as she said hard, "Drac, no, not now!"
But the vampire kept nawing and moaning, neither of them noticing several people coming through the revolving door. Some of them gave wide eyed gasps of shock, the older woman covered her mouth in worry, as they heard Ericka cry, "Drac, stop, let me go!"
"That man's hurting that woman!" a young man, a little older than Johnny, cried.
"We have to save her!" cried another, "He might be sucking her blood dry!"
"No, guys, wait!" Johnny cried when he entered the lobby, but the two men didn't listen as one of them pulled an old looking baseball bat from his suitcase and swung it high and hit Dracula hard on the head.
"Aargh!" Dracula cried in pain as he fell to the floor and grip his head, knowing her was going to have a large bump soon and big headache later in the night. He then glared dangerously at the new human, but Ericka was able to see what they might have thought was happening, but she was still maddened about it.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?! Do you go around hitting people on the head with a bat?" Ericka yelled furiously at them.
The two new young men, who had to be Johnny's brothers, stared at Ericka in surprise and embarrassment as one of the stammered, "He was... I thought you were..."
"He was sucking your blood, Lady," the other stammered. "Wasn't he?"
"I tried to stop them, Ericka , really I did," Johnny said timidly as he looked at his future mother-in-law ashamed not even looking at a mad Dracula as he rubbed his head.
"'Ericka ?" the others repeated in confusion.
"Everyone," Johnny announced proudly as he stepped beside Ericka and Dracula to introduce them. "I told you that you were going to meet the real Count Dracula, and remember I said he married an amazing woman called Ericka ? Well, this is her. Drac, Ericka, this is everybody, my mom and dad Mike and Linda, my brothers Kent and Brett, and my sister Melissa but I call her Melly."
They all gave the couple waves of embarrassment, Brett and Kent going the reddest, as they said quietly, "Hello" or "Hi."
"Hello," Dracula said as he glared at them, and Ericka smiled awkwardly.
"So your Ericka ," Linda spoke up as she gave a polite smile. "Johnny said met a lady named Ericka as well as vampires, but he didn't mention you were human. We thought everyone was vampires, how silly of us. "
"Of course I'm human," Ericka said with an awkward smile. "It's only Drac and Mavis who are vampires in the family."
"So, he wasn't sucking your blood?" Brett asked in embarrassment.
"No, of course not, dudes," Johnny told them. "Drac doesn't drink human blood because it's fatty and you never know where it's been. He drinks a blood substitute like Near Blood or Blood Beaters. It looks to me like he was getting hot with Ericka again, he can't keep his hands off her."
The family gave flabbergasted looks, while Dracula glared annoyingly at him and Ericka blushed as she face palmed. She then moved her collar with a finger and exposed her neck to show the new arrivals the light red scratches and red spots on her neck.
"Wow!" gasped Melissa. "He wasn't sucking her blood, he was giving her vampire hickies." She gave a little girlish giggle, but Johnny gave a nervous and embarrassed chuckle.
At that moment a little blue eyed black bat flew into the lobby and changed into Mavis in a puff of violet mist as she landed beside Johnny.
"Johnny, you're back!" Mavis said happily as she embraced Johnny and gave him an eager kiss, and then saw the rest of the new humans. "Oh, hi humans! I mean, hi everybody!"
"Hello," Johnny's family greeted in awe or silent surprise.
"Everyone, this is the awesome girl I'm marrying, Mavis," Johnny said as he introduced his vampire fiancé.
"Oh my," gasped Linda. "Tell me, Mavis, did you not have any clothes on when you're a bat? Or were they bat sized?"
"Nice question to ask your future daughter-in-law, Linda," Mike drolled sarcastically.
Dracula finally stopped rubbing his head and asked, "Does crazy run in your family with asking crazy questions, Johnny, or is it just you? Especially the way after you realized my guests were real and you wailed like a little banshee girl."
This actually made Johnny's brothers and sister laugh, while Kent gave Johnny a playful punch in the arm.
"Why are you here so early, anyway?" Dracula asked.
"The plane landed a little early," Johnny shrugged. "Y'know, clear skies, good weather, it happens sometimes."
"Look, we got off on the wrong foot," Brett said as he rubbed the back of his head. "So, I'm really sorry for hitting you with my bat."
"My dad was hit with some poor bat?" Mavis gasped, but then gave a confused look as Brett showed her the baseball bat. "How's that supposed to be a bat? You saw me change from a bat, and that doesn't look like a bat to me," she added in confusion.
"Don't worry, Mavy, I'll explain later," Johnny told her and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"So you're Mavis," Linda said sweetly. "Oh, Johnny, she's adorable, despite being a vampire, she's so cute."
"Uh, thank you," Mavis said, feeling both flattered and uncomfortable.
"Brett's right though, we did get off on the wrong foot," Melissa added. "It was just a misunderstanding. Maybe we could start over."
Ericka smiled at Linda and Melisa, saying, "Of course, it great to meet you both."
The three women shook hands and Ericka set to shaking hands and properly greeting Johnny's father and brothers, and Dracula did the same, giving a civil smile as he properly welcomed Mike, Brett, and Kent, and like the old fashion gentleman he was, he even gave a bow as he lightly kissed Linda's and Melissa's hands, making Melissa giggle like a little girl and Linda smile in flattery as she put a hand to her chest. Dracula then invited them to show them their rooms as he went behind the reception desk and got the keys for their rooms.
As they walked to the elevators, Linda humorously said, "Amazing, he's actually the real Count Dracula, as in 'I am Dracula, bleh, bleh-bleh.'"
Dracula turned to her bad imitation of the Hollywood Dracula and said dryly, "I don't say 'bleh, bleh-bleh.' I've never said that in my life, I don't know where that even comes from."
"Oh, okay," Linda shrugged.
After the Loughrans were shown to their rooms, Johnny's parents in one, his brothers in another, and his sister got one all to herself, they were taken to the pool area for another get together for some lunch and got introduced to the rest of Dracula's friends, which unsurprisingly the Loughrans were taken aback by meeting more legendary and iconic monsters.
As lunch was served by gargoyle and zombie waiters, which looked strange to the humans with monster food mixed with human foods, and Mavis had quickly changed into her new yellow and white human spring dress from Lavinia to try and fit in with Johnny's family, while Johnny joined Ericka in telling about how they both found the hotel.
After they told about the fake human village and the zombies being the 'townspeople' which is how they found the hotel, Mike shook his head in disgust as Dracula seemed to shrink lower, even though Mavis said she forgave her father now because all he wanted was for her to be happy.
"Don't worry, Mavis," Melissa said. "Plenty of girls have to deal with overprotective dads. Like mine, Dad here thought I'd hurt myself if I joined my high school cheerleading team and thought I should join the Girl Scouts instead. First time camping I fell into a patch of poison oak, and he wouldn't leave my side at the hospital."
Somehow this reassured Mavis as she smiled at her new future sister-in-law. Stories were then told about how Johnny and Mavis met, that wonderful moment of a zing and all the crazy adventures Johnny had before his and Ericka's human identities were revealed by Quasimodo Wilson at Mavis's birthday.
It lead to the story of how Dracula risked his very undead life to bring Johnny and Ericka back, which lead to stories of her young life, how she really first met Dracula as a little girl, her mother's death, and her father's controlling of her life, and even the story of their honeymoon and his rescuing her from a rapist.
"That's quite a story, Ericka , like a reverse fairy tale somehow," Linda said. "Only it's the scary monster that rescues the princess. It's still romantic in a creepy kind of way."
Ericka got uncomfortable at Linda's description of how Dracula rescued her, but she gave a polite smile anyway, saying, "Uh, thank you, Linda, it was pretty romantic. I only wish my dad could understand."
"Yeah..." Johnny then jumped in as he saw Dracula also give an uncomfortable look. "I know Drac's got a legend about him being a scary guy, but once you get to know him, he's totally not scary, Mom. He's actually a big softie when it comes to Mavis, and he's really charming to Ericka. It's adorable."
"Oh, isn't that sweet," Linda said sweetly. "Who knew the Prince of Darkness was really such a big softie in real life."
"Nice way to sum up your future in-law, Linda," Mike groaned, while Dracula, Ericka , Mavis, and Johnny all looked at each other awkwardly.
More stories were then told about more recent events, the final night of Mavis's 118th party, as well as Dracula's and Ericka's wedding the same night, and Johnny going to Hawaii with Mavis and all the fun stuff they did while there, and more stories about Ericka's and Dracula's honeymoon in Bucharest, though they tried to leave out the more private and explicit details.
Of course this didn't stop some of the Drac Pack from getting sneaky looks on their faces when Griffin announced, "Drac and Ericka certainly had a great honeymoon with all the pictures she e-mailed, especially that one outrageous picture that explained it all."
Knowing fully well what he was talking about, Dracula gave the Invisible Man a dark frowning glare, Ericka matched his expression as she sank into herself, while Mavis and Johnny gave looks of deep disapproval. Johnny giving a clenched jaw and a look of 'shut it' as Griffin gave a nervous chuckle. All the Loughrans exchanged confused looks, though Melissa went a bit wide eyed as she suspected what kind of picture it might have been they were all talking about.
"Whoa!" Kent chuckled. "Well, it must've been one interesting picture, and surprising that Mavis and Dracula could appear in them."
The vampires and their human love interests gave awkward and uncomfortable smiles for a some long moments before Dracula offered, "Eh, uh, how about a tour of my hotel."
"Yeah!" Johnny said enthused as he jumped up. "You guys gotta see how awesome this place is, it's so cool. C'mon, you gotta check it out."
The Louchrans all got up from their seats, giving answers of interest at seeing more of the monster hotel. Dracula first took Johnny aside and told him what was off limits such as his and Ericka's chambers, his office, Glen's room, and to keep a very close eye on his family to avoid opening any hidden tunnel doors and getting lost in the escape tunnels like she and her friends did only last week.
Eager to please and show her future in-laws she could fit in with them in hopes of being good enough for Johnny, Mavis got up quickly from her seat and said with a smile, "I'll take you on the tour! I grew up in the hotel and know all the great places to see."
The Loughrans said thanks to Mavis, but Dracula told her, "That's okay, Mavy, my little mouse, but I'll give the tour to our guests."
Mavis frowned in embarrassment at her father's old nickname for her as she tried to reassure him, "Dad, it's fine, I know the hotel as well as you, maybe better as I explored and played in it the last hundred years or so, even in the tunnels."
"Mavy..." Dracula began to gasp as his parental instincts grew.
But Mavis tried to reason with him, "Dad, I'm the one getting married to Johnny, and I should be the one to give the tour. Don't worry, I know certain places are off limits, including the tunnels, which I probably know my way around better than you."
Dracula went wide eyed at this, while she, Ericka , and Johnny could only give amused smiles while the Loughrans looked on with more confusion and curiosity. Mavis also mentally remembered one other place that would be off limits and secret was her personal secret garden, which so far only Ericka knew about.
"Mom told me about what happened with her and her friends last week," Mavis said with a smile, "It was pretty funny."
Mavis and Ericka shared smiles while Dracula frowned at his daughter and her human fiancé, then she began to lead their future in-laws on a personal tour of the hotel.
"It's okay, Honey," Ericka reassured her husband. "Mavis will do great on the tour, and I believe she'll be more careful of the tunnels than I was, if they don't go in them."
Dracula could only continue to frown in concern for his baby girl.
Mavis began with showing the Loughran family around the pool area, then lead them to the large auditorium where Kent thought it would be a great place to play indoor sports like something called basketball or volleyball, which intrigued Mavis as she asked what those were, but Johnny told her he would explain later, so they continued with the tour.
She also showed them the library, the grand ballroom where her 118th birthday party took place several weeks before, the lounge and bar, the sauna and spa, and even a few vacant guest rooms, which the human family looked at with a mix of morbid curiosity and some stomach churning discomfort as some of the rooms had spiked beds, chains like from a dungeon, or what looked like fowl smelling swamp muck covering one entire room for Gillmen and other swamp dwelling creatures.
Sensing their discomfort, Mavis quickly took them to look at a view from a balcony from one of the more expensive rooms on one of the top floors, and it was breathtaking as they could see the mountains and vast lake go on forever and see how the hotel was so easily isolated for so long.
"This is so nice," Linda said as she smiled and breathed in fresh night air. "So peaceful."
"Thank you," Mavis said politely.
"Hey, what's this?" asked Brett, something caught his curious eye and he went to take a closer a look.
It was a handle on a trap door, and while Mavis had been showing her future mother-in-law the view, she then realized what Brett was doing. "Brett, wait, don't open that!" she cried, but was too late.
Brett opened the trap door in the floor and a thunderous grumpy roar shook the room and made a few bones fly up. The humans let out frightful screams as the entire room shook and everyone backed up in random directions away from Glen's grumpy roar.
Unfortunately the vibration in the room made Melissa loose her balance and she felt over the balcony railing as she cried, "Aah!"
"Melly!" Johnny cried.
Mavis gave a frightened gasp and the next moment turned into a bat as she dove down the side of the castle and soon caught up with a falling Melissa and caught the young woman by the scruff of her shirt.
"It's okay, Melly, I got you," Mavis cried to her in assurance as she flew them back up to the balcony.
Melissa shut such her eyes from the height as she gasped frightfully, "Oh, my goodness!"
They soon made it back up, much to the relief of the family as they gave sighs of relief. Mavis gently set Melissa back down and resumed her real form. Mike and Linda embraced their daughter, as did Johnny and his brothers,
Mavis looked down the trap door and tried to say politely, "I'm so sorry, Glen, we didn't mean to disturb your nap. Go back to sleep, okay?"
She shut the trap door again as another grumpy roar shook the room again, making the Loughrans huddle tightly close to each other while Johnny hugged Mavis in gratefully thanks for saving his sister. The human family looked on his silent shock, not knowing what to do or say, which worried Mavis as she tried to think of something to reassure them.
"Are you okay, Melly?" she asked in concern.
Johnny's family stared on in wide eyed bewilderment until Melissa finally said, "Yeah, I think so. Thank you, Mavis. But what was that thing, anyway?"
Mavis gave an awkward smile as she said, "That was Glen, he kind of lives at the hotel with us and he always takes really long naps, even though he's chained up down there like a dog for some reason. He didn't meant to scare you, he just gets really grumpy when you wake him up too soon."
The Loughrans seemed to calm down at this, while Linda said, "Oh, so he's your pet?"
Mavis smiled uncomfortably and awkwardly smile again. "Uhh... no." Then she continued. "But his room, and other private rooms such as the tunnels, my parents' chambers, and my dad's office are off-limits."
Brett got a slap on the back of the head. He turned to see his dad, Mike, scowling at him as if telling him to never open another door to a giant monster's cell or bedchambers.
Suddenly, another black bat flew into the room, startling the Loughrans more, but then it turned into Dracula, and the Loughrans only calmed a second at his suddenly appearance, but still stunned in silence.
"Mavy-Wavy!" Dracula cried in fatherly worry as he grasped her shoulders and then hugged her, almost smothering her, "I heard Glen's roar, are you alright? What happened, who woke him up?"
"I'm fine, Dad," Mavis said annoyed as she loosened from his grasp. "It was an accident, poor Melissa fell over the edge, but I saved her."
Dracula looked over at the Loughrans with a raised eyebrow, but he was glad Mavis was okay. "Oh, Mavy, that's wonderful," he said with a cutsy tone as he pinched her cheek, "That's my brave little ghoul."
Seeing her discomfort with his mom's comment and her dad's continuous doting, Johnny quickly said, "Uh, how about we finish the tour, guys? Or maybe we can play a game like when we were kids. Show Mavis about basketball and baseball and stuff."
"Oh yes," Melissa agreed with lingering nervousness. "That's a good idea. Something on the ground