Chapter Text
Count Dracula only wished to observe the unexplored areas of Holland - a place he'd wished to take his family so they'd ride across the canals someday. Johnny insisted that the whole family should try; something he never ticked off his bucket list.
Although, Mavis' esteem in her father exploring the world for the first time in one-hundred years seemed...risky. Without a guide or another member of the Pack. Anything could happen, given that he assured this trip could be accomplished single-handed.
"Mavy, you won't even realise that I've left." Drac reassured his daughter, kissing her upon the forehead.
Mavis only found the strength to clasp her father's hands. "It's not just that. You've rarely been outside the hotel since...since you began raising me by yourself."
Drac mirrored her frown, but refused to allow the past to confront him. He smirked, noticing the anxious family trait oozing from her words. Today, he'd begin a new future for himself and his family.
"Don't worry," he smiled, tilting her chin upwards with a finger. "I'll make sure we can find many things to do, so we can all make new memories together. I promise, my precious bug."
He hadn't, however, planned to meander around a large apartment block whilst admiring the beauty of each house. Like gigantic paintings - the colours blending perfectly with one another. Only some windows were lit, as the depths of night lured people into their beds. However, one window in particular caught his gaze.
As Dracula hovered around the mid-section of the block, he caught a glimpse of a blonde-haired woman in the window beside him. Short blonde, with adorable kiss curls above her soft face.
That's when, all of a sudden, he felt that familiar tingle through his body. His eyes widened, focusing on the woman who reached for her mug in the cupboard. No, it couldn't be. Yet, these feelings never lied.
He Zinged.
All the joints in his body halted. Everything blurred. He felt infatuated with this woman, so beautiful and seemingly lonely, despite never meeting her once. Maybe that's what their fate decided. They'd both be lonely; they'd meet each other and restore that empty hole. A goofy grin spread across his face, watching the woman's endearing movements despite the mundanity of them.
Yet, whilst Drac could only imagine how blue her eyes were, his body began falling from the sky. He couldn't concentrate on his wings. This woman embraced his heart, sending him crash-landing on the lawn below.
The woman he Zinged with, after this event, slumped onto her couch. A blanket tumbled down from the cushion, engulfing her exhausted body. Ericka Van Helsing - yes, a descendant of the infamous monster-slaying family - sighed upon realising the heaves of work she'd been assigned, only in her first week.
So, whilst the kettle boiled, Ericka meandered around her apartment in order to strategise a plan for these assignments. Juggling work, social life, and sleep wasn't an easy task. Yet, the only social life she involved herself within was her college dancing class, who weren't as attached as she hoped. Nevertheless, they invited her for a casual nightclub outing that Friday - she wouldn't dare be a second late.
Although, sometimes, Ericka wished for something...exciting. A life-changer. Something so incredibly stimulating that could yank her from this sense of nihilism. There must be something - or someone - in her life that seemed worth living for. Besides Milky, of course.
Grasping her pet's bowl, Ericka tapped the side and cooed, "Milky!"
Her cat scratched and meowed behind the door, attracting Ericka's smile as she travelled to the door to greet her snowy-white cat, Milky. Nothing could be accomplishable without her cuddly feline friend. After long days, she'd cuddle up in a blanket, a book in one hand and Milky resting in her free arm. An ideal evening.
She unlocked the door, already beginning, "I'm glad to finally see you again, Milky, you're not gonna believe the day that I've-"
Yet, what lay inside Milky's jaw cut her conversation starter short. The bowl collapsed from her palms, biscuits sprawling everywhere.
"Oh my gosh!" Ericka gasped, clasping both sides of her face. A coal-coloured bat lay inside her cat's jaw, unconscious and presumably injured.
Milky seemed impressed with himself, sitting between the door frame with his victim trapped between his teeth. Outstretching her palm for the bat, Ericka caressed Milky's head, avoiding getting bitten or potential growls in order to prevent the poor mammal from its doom. Ericka pouted, examining the scratch marks and its unsettled expression. Its chest rose and fell, so she held no worries about her cat bringing a dead bat into the apartment. Her finger caressed the soft fur, carefully stroking its tiny head.
Cradling its figure in her palm, Ericka searched for an object in her apartment that could assist her. A blanket and an empty shoe box - that could make an effective bed! So, laying the bat beside her, Ericka stuffed the soft fabric inside the box, before placing the bat gently in the middle of the space. She secured the blanket across the bat's body, tucking the fabric gently around him.
"Poor little guy," Ericka frowned. She glanced at Milky, "You've got perfectly good food here, there's no need to harm innocent creatures like him."
Milky, not understanding the slightest form of human language, prowled over to the scarfed biscuits. After clearing the floor, he yawned and settled himself in his basket.
Rolling her eyes, Ericka left the box secure within her walk-in wardrobe. Hopefully, Milky wouldn't break his way into the room, and the bat wouldn't fly far and injure himself once more. After a final glance, Ericka switched off the lights and readied herself for bed.
Just another day, Ericka puffed out her cheeks, except taking care of a bat.
Once her pyjamas were thrown on, Ericka snuggled into her comforter. Her head crashed against the pillow, before a hand reached for her novel. She wouldn't dare keep it inside her book-bag. Gosh knows what would occur if her classmates found a Vampire Romance novel there. Maybe she'd throw herself out the window; save the pain of embarrassment.
Although, as soon as she attempted to absorb one line of her novel, Ericka found herself collapsing back into the pillow and falling into a deep slumber.
Little did she know, a surprise awaited her inside that small box once the sun rose.