It could have happened at any time.
Ericka didn't know what struck Drac into the particular mood or what exactly went through his mind, but all she knew is that when the first few melodic plucks of his little beloved instrument began to play, his crooning voice was soon to follow suit in perfect harmony with it.
He did it the first time on their second date. Well, technically theirfirstdate, as both she and Drac saw it. It had been a redo of the previous one at the ship's cantina. Ericka had worn the same sunflower-patterned jumpsuit and Drac donned himself down in the same stylish Halloween-inspired black-and-orange Hawaiian shirt. They talked and laughed, swapping stories and reminiscing about the short time spent together thus far on the cruise. And then, right as they had finished their tasty meal of chips and guac, Drac had gotten up and dropped to one knee in front of her.
The woman's breath hitched, not at all prepared if this was to be the big question already, but she relaxed when she saw that he had only summoned a small ukulele. Curious and captivated, Ericka watched as the wonderful vampire proceeded to play the instrument with great precision, and furthermore began to sing.
"There's my sweet little Ericka
Who I love 'til the end of time
Captain of a wonderful cruise
Who I'm hoping will always mine
It's a good thing that I'm dead,
because you take my breath away,
And now that we have zinged,
Together we will stay
Because you're my sunflower
Our zing is true
I love you my sweet
But… how about you?"
He sang the last lyric with question, peering shyly to Ericka for a reaction as he continued plucking away at the instrument. The small, bashful smile that was on her face had widened significantly, and she couldn't help but give in to the impulse to throw herself into his arms and wrap him in a tight embrace, the Count gasping in surprise at first but quickly returning the gesture by wrapping his strong arms around her waist. Ericka giggled giddily in spite of herself, kissing him lightly on the cheek before whispering her answer in his ear: "Yes, my zing."
Dracula had whooped in delight, spinning her around in a wide circle for everyone to see their blossoming relationship on full display.
From there, the Count continued with what ended up becoming his new favorite way to entertain the woman. The next time he caught her was only a day later, after an exciting evening of karaoke singing on the main deck of the ship. Ericka could barely hold back her laughter as Drac tried his hardest to not cringe to death upon hearing Johnny's very loud, off-key rendition of "Wake Me Up Before you Go Go." As soon as the enthusiastic redhead was finished performing, Drac gladly took the stage, using his magic to dim the lights and set the main spotlight onto Ericka in the crowd. The woman blushed with the attention being brought onto her, and she listened as Drac chose a rather short but romantic ballad to sing, using the same little ukelele to play.
"Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you?
… Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be
… Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help falling in love with you…"
Dracula floated down from the stage, his cape flowing elegantly behind him while the cooing monsters made a pathway for the Count to approach his love as he sang the last line over in a husky whisper.
"For I can't help falling in looove with yooouuu…"
Cheers erupted around them as Drac nuzzled his nose lovingly against Ericka's, the two laughing happily together and holding hands in the midst of their happiness.
An almost identical scene had been set up on the day of their wedding, when the reception party went into full swing. Right before the happy couple whisked off to engage in a more personal celebration, Ericka was treated to yet another special little performance from Drac and his ukulele at the ballroom stage, the song a cover of a popular wedding tune.
"It's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do
Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you
Is it the look in your eyes or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares, baby, I think I wanna marry you
Well, I know this little chapel on the boulevard we can go
No one will know, oh, come on girl
Who cares if we're trashed, got a pocket full of cash we can blow
Shots of patron and it's on, girl
Don't say no, no, no, no, no
Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
And we'll go, go, go, go, go
If you're ready, like I'm ready
'Cause it's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do
Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you
Is it the look in your eyes or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares, baby, I think I wanna marry you, oh…"
A soft kiss was pressed onto the woman's lips, mirroring the one they had just shared up on the altar, and Ericka had returned it with equal fervor.
The following morning, it was not necessary for an alarm clock to pull Ericka out of her slumber. It took a moment for her legs to gain enough strength to arise from the bed - her body unaccustomed to the sensation of soreness from the pleasant activities she had performed the night before - but soon enough she started making her way to the bathroom, following the hovering self-playing ukulele that coaxed her to get up with its soft tune. Raising an eyebrow, Ericka could see the silhouetted shadow of her husband behind the pink shower curtains embroidered with the Hotel Transylvania logo, the man belting out a lively song while lifting and raising his voice without a care in the world.
"YooOouu
My darling, yooou
Mmm-mmm…
Bittersweet memories –
That is all I'm taking with meeeEeEeee
So good-byeee
Pleeeease don't cry
We both know I'm not what you, you neeeEeEEEeed
And IIIIIiiIIIiiIII... will always love yooooOOOooUUuuu
IiiiIII will always love… YOOOOUUUUU!"
Drac had popped out his shower-capped head from the curtains at the last word, holding the note high and proud and giving his lover an exaggerated wink. She clapped at the spectacle, chuckling in gleeful amusement as he stepped out of the shower, the man wrapping a towel around his waist and bowing down as he took the praise from his beloved.
"Ah yes, thank you, my sweet blood orange, thank you!" He grabbed the ukulele from its float in midair and got his hands into position upon the instrument. "Any requests, my love?"
"Hmmm…" Ericka ran through a few songs in her head, but then smirked, coming up with a better idea. "How about you sing me that special song you sang last night?"
Drac's eyes lit up. "Ohhh, you mean the one I sang for you at the wedding?"
"No," Ericka replied. "I'm talking about the one you werescreamingout once we got up here to the honeymoon suite…"
Drac paused, her line of thinking becoming quite clear in his head at the manner in which she spoke so flirtatiously. "Ericka!" he exclaimed. "Sweetheart, I just showered!"
"I know," she said, running a hand down his bared chest still dripping with water. "But I'm about to shower you inlove."
Drac quirked an eyebrow and she cringed. "Oof... that sounded super cheesy, didn't it?"
The Count laughed. "Nah, it was perfect, my love."
Ericka smirked, drawing closer to him. "Yeah right."
Drac chuckled, his arms wrapping around her waist. "Why argue the matter, sweetfangs?" He leaned in closer, lips brushing tantalizingly against hers. "Don't we have a 'song' to get to?"
And then, without warning, he swept her into his arms and kissed her soundly, Ericka yelping out before reciprocating eagerly. The ukulele was placed carefully on the nearby vanity table ready to use for more of Drac's spontaneous singing later.