"Hey kiddo, breakfast is ready. Mom's been calling for you."

"Sorry, I'll be there shortly"

"Are you alright?"

Something about Nathan's tone and demeanor seemed strange to Johnathan, who made himself welcome into the teenager's room.

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

"And I'm supposed to believe that? Come on buddy, what's going on?"

"You know what it is. It's that day of the year again…"

Of course. The day.

The anniversary of his father's death.

"Of course it is. I almost forgot"

Nathan was fully aware of the fact that Johnathan was not his biological father. Mavis and him had agreed that the truth had to be told to him a couple decades before when their son had started asking questions and digging into genetics on the Internet. The decision had been a gamble, either he accepted what had happened and made no fuzz about the issue, or he would raise hell and become rebellious against them.

After a long hour of talking to him and making sure he understood the circumstances surrounding his father's absence, they finally breathed in mild relief. He had, of course, been stunned by the revelation that he was the product of his mother's relationship with another man that was not who he considered to be his father, and had asked for time to process this new discovery on his own, to which they agreed a little reluctantly. It was a quite stressful week, while not exactly tense, until he made up his mind and heart about the issue. He loved both of them, he wouldn't pretend the contrary, and Johnathan had dedicated his life to raising him and protecting his mother. He might not be 'father', but he was definitely 'dad' for him.

"Yeah, well… maybe telling me wasn't such a good idea, huh?" Nathan ruefully declared, trying to make light of the situation.

"Probably, but we didn't want to lie to you, so, you know, there's that. Besides, even if you never met him, you should know that he loved you, and he would be proud of you, kiddo. Trust me." Johnathan told him,

Johnathan hadn't exactly known Nathan's biological father, but he had sat down with Mavis to talk about him. Not a pleasant experience, honestly, but it had to be done, like many things in life. In the end, he was grateful the she had trusted him enough to tell him what had happened, but sometimes he'd rather not know some of the things he now did.

"Yeah, I guess so. Is that why we didn't do the Santa Clause thing either?"

Johnny could only roll his eyes and chuckle, infecting his son with some of his good spirits and making him chuckle too.

"Come on, kiddo, mom will lose it if we make her wait too much"

"No, Dennis! I told you you had to eat your veggies before you got any cookies!" Mavis exclaimed with light exasperation. Her youngest son shot her a look of innocence and apologized with a mouthful of chocolate-chip cookie, obviously not giving up his sweet prize. She knew better than to try and take it away from him, so conceded defeat and settled with her own breakfast, now that she was done cooking.

She heard footsteps approach, and decided to address the new comers with a loving hug, first for her eldest son, who returned it eagerly, and then to her husband, who added a detail of his own by pressing his lips softly against hers for a brief moment. Nathan rolled his eyes good-naturedly, taking his sweat and looking at his plate.

His mother hadn't forgotten. She'd made his favorite, a simple dish of fried bacon with a serving of scream cheese, mashed potatoes, and a side of vegetables. He wasn't picky about his food, so sue him. A simple glance around the table confirmed what he already knew: she had gone out of her way to make this solely for him. Sure, it wasn't anything overly complicated, but the gesture meant everything to him. As breakfast wore on the food on the plates grew scarce, Mavis took a moment to ponder about everything. Nathan and Dennis picked on each other playfully, ever the rowdy bunch (do NOT get them and their werewolf cousins together, you'll regret it instantly), while their father just chuckled and captured one of his wife's hands on his own, directing a smirk at her spaced-out look and bringing her back to the real world.

"What are you thinking about, Mavy?" he asked, while their kids continued their laughing and teasing at each other.

"I was just thinking about everything. Is it wrong that I sometimes wonder how different my life would be if… well…" of course she didn't need to end the sentence, he wasn't a dumbass.

"Not at all, honey. I'd be worried if you didn't. Remember what I told you about having a sense of curiosity? It's alright to wonder where we would be if things had turned out different. As long as it doesn't take us away from the present, we could all use some remembrance, don't you think?"

"When did you become all wise and sage?" she teasingly asked to her husband, smiling wildly at his mock-indignation.

"When you became a boring mother" he fired back, obviously joking. Mavis gasped and narrowed her eyes at him, following the game, while both their sons silently 'Ooooh'ed and looked away. Suddenly everything was more interesting than what was happening in front of them.

"I'm not a boring mother! Come on kids, tell your dad…" she looked at them and found both children pretending to whistle non-chanantly and avoiding the gaze of the vampiress, "you little traitors…"

"See? Our kids agree."

"Yeah, well, both you and they are on the dog house for the next week" Mavis casually countered, grabbing a bagel from off a small basket in the center of the table and spreading scream cheese on top of it, while the three men sighed in frustration.

"Dennis my boy! Look at you! You've grown up so much!" Count Dracula gushed upon seeing his youngest grandson bounding happily into the lobby. Behind the child, the eldest grandson crossed his arms in mock indignance, "and you have grown too, Nate. Already breaking hearts and scoring some vampire chicks?" the older vampire teased, making Dennis laugh at his older brother's embarrassment.

"Dad! Don't give him any ideas!" Mavis answered, making her way to the three with her husband in tow.

"I'm just saying, my voodoo doll, he's already of age. I'm surprised he doesn't have scores of young girls gunning for him"

"Yeah, well, I'm not that popular, so…" Nathan tried to lightly divert the topic of conversation, partially succeeding.

"Alright, alright. How have you been doing my Mavy Wavy?" the Count finally addressed her fully, embracing her petite frame and bringing her close for a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm fine, Dad. Hotel's fine. We've been hard at work on it too."

None of them had counted on the crazy idea of opening a second Hotel (in another country, no less). But one day, he had broken the news over to the then-newlywed couple. The dumbfounded and shocked expressions on their faces was a memory he still treasured to this date. Even better, the faces they made when he told them that they were the ones who would be running this second hotel were ones that he would tease them for until the day he couldn't do so anymore. And then came the day, where the three of them (Mavis, Johnathan, and Little Nate) had to go. The farewell had been emotional, not that anyone could predict any different. Promises were made, that they would visit at least two times a year (which then got upgraded to once every two months), and that he would visit them himself whenever he could. With a final coo to his grandson and another round of hugs for her daughter and son-in-law, he allowed them to climb into the carriage and be driven off to their new home.

"Good, good. I trust you've been keeping Johnny here out of trouble?" he casually teased the redhead, still obviously remembering the clumsy idiot that first stumbled into the hotel.

"Come on, Drac, I've been a vampire for the better part of 118 years, I think I can take care of myself…"

"Is that why you ended up in the dog house this evening along with the kids?" Mavis flatly asked, rebutting her husband.

Johnathan winced, as did the kids, and the Count just arched an eyebrow with an amused look in his face.

Mavis and Nathan stood in front of a single headstone. Her left hand rested on her son's shoulder, while he was slightly hunched over. He hadn't known his father, so there was little emotion to feel for him other than regret for his misfortune. Other people got to be so lucky.

That's unfair. He thought almost immediately, realizing that he was basically demeaning everything Johnathan had done for them. Johnny had been a stand-up guy about everything, and had set a good example for him and his little brother. Him not being his biological father was just a stroke of bad luck for both of them, but the man had made the best out of the situation, dammit!

Nathan sighed deeply, while his mother shook him slightly and offered a smile, infecting him with her better mood, and without words decided to return to his family back inside. This left Mavis all by herself, suddenly making her feel slightly down, looking at the polished stone standing in the otherwise plain and gloom terrain.

"He's grown up so much already… he is always so curious about you. Being smart like his father, and all that. He's also a bit indecisive, can't get him to decide what he wants to do with his life. Johnny tries to help him too, but you know, he got your stubbornness too." She smiled fondly at remembering one of her first husband's traits, "It still feels unreal at times. After all this time, I would think that I would have gotten used to the idea of you been gone and my life having gone on with someone else… but at times I lapse out of it and end up wondering where are you. I don't want to feel the way that makes me feel. Johnathan tries to understand, I know he tries, but it can't be easy. It surely can't. Even if he keeps saying that he'll roll with it, I can tell he gets upset at it…"

They had agreed that they needed some sort of professional help, but they would never do anything about it. An incredibly long life was still ahead of them, and here was a problem that could possibly turn their blissful family into a disaster if allowed to go unchecked.

"I know you understand…" she patted the headstone, then running a hand over it with as affectionate a smile as she could muster.

The lobby was a disaster. As usual. Dennis was flying all over the place, while Wayne and Wanda's latest litter (When are they ever gonna stop with that?!) ran around trying to catch him. Mavis just arched an eyebrow and rested her hands on her hips, not even trying to stop the roughhousing going on. At the feet of the stairs she found her husband and father, respectively amused and annoyed.

"Mavy, you've got to stop this! The children are going to destroy this place with their antics!"

"Mavis!" another voice, of a younger woman, beamed from atop the stairs. Lilith rushed straight at her older sister, nearly knocking her down.

"Oooof! Hi, Lilith!" she hugged the young girl tight, chuckling as she did, "how are you?"

"Well" Lilith looks around and her expression hardens, "I was fine, until all these guys started tearing apart my home!" she nearly shouted at them, being ignored by the hyperactive children

"Right, maybe you could help Dad break up all this?"

"You want me to get killed?" Mavis' sister asked with disbelief, clearly not keen on the idea of having to wrestle the youngest members of the family into order.

"Young lady you better get on it" Claire now butted into the conversation, carrying in her arms a small bundle by the name of Jack. The little baby amusedly giggled at the disaster going on, not bidding well for the years to come, while his mother sighed just slightly, "Mavis, it's so nice you're here. How's everything going?"

"Way better than how it's going here, from what I can see" Mavis teased into the embrace, trying to mind his little brother's welfare, "and how are you doing, Jack?" she cooed, obtaining a giggle out of him and extended arms towards her, implying he wanted her to carry him. Mavis obliged and carried him, tickling him lightly here and there to make him laugh.

"You have no idea… Lilith, what did I tell you?"

"But mom!" a little over 118 and she was behaving like a little kid, unbelievable.

"Now! Or I'll find something to get back at you!"

"Fine" with a sigh, Lilith and her father took off to control the situation, adding up to the drama.

"Oh, for ghoul's sake… Hold on to him for a moment, please?" Dracula's wife asked the couple remaining standing where they were, both agreeing with a nod before the Countess went off to control the situation. Johnathan and Mavis just stood there, looking at it all, before diverting their attention to the little vampire in her arms.

"Reminds me so much of when Dennis was that age" Johnny casually commented, smiling at his brother in-law.

"Yes, he does. Although Dennis was a little more… active" Mavis grimaced a little at the memory of her baby boy crawling into impossibly hard places and causing them a never-ending stream of trouble.

"Oh… yeah…"

"Anyways… uh, there's something we should talk about. As soon as all this" she points to the slowly dwindling nightmare before them, "is under control"

"Is… everything alright?" nothing good could come with any variation of the phrase 'we need to talk', and Johnny was an overly cautious person when such phrases came from his wife.

"Yes, I don't mean to scare you, it's just…. Something we should address as soon as we are able to"

"Ok, then…uhm… maybe we shouldn't wait that long? This is all going to take a while."

"Be patient, Mr. We still have a baby to take care of, remember?"

The commotion was over after some hours (and severe ear-wringing from some very upset parents), and everyone settled back into what they were supposed to be doing. By the time morning came, Mavis and Johnathan were back in their room, keenly aware that the time had come to "talk".

"So…" Johnathan tried to encourage, taking her right hand in his, and running his thumb over the back of it.

"So… I got these thoughts in my head. I know you said is not a problem to you, but you don't fool me Johnny… I don't want to be sitting on an emotional powder keg…"

"Mavis, we are not…"

"Yes, we are, Johnathan, because you do care about it. And I care about you, and our sons, and…" her mouth felt dry the closer she got to that last word, realizing that lumping two important points in a single conversation were probably not such a good idea, "…and…" she unconsciously patted her still-flat belly and looked down, which Johnathan picked up on immediately.

"Mavis... are you…" he couldn't quite finish the thought, but she understood what he meant and nodded affirmatively at the question. Before even having time to think about continuing her argument, he had wrapped his arms around her into a bone-crushing hug, pulling her towards him across the bed and landing her petite frame over him. His lips sealed themselves over hers, adding to the surprise and shock she was feeling, but surrendered herself at the familiar warmth that she felt in these situations. After what felt like an eternity they pulled away for some air and gazed upon each other.

"I love you, you know that?" he asked, running a hand along her back and cupping one of her cheeks with the other.

"I do, and I love you too. Which is why I… I want to go see someone about… the past. I want closure. I want to be able to live in the present every second of my life, instead of constantly being pulled back by my memories. You guys deserve it, and even if it sounds a little selfish, I think I deserve it too"

"It's not selfish, and… I am very happy to hear you say that, Mavy" he was being sincere, and there was no reason to add anything else to the argument, any more words would feel awkward and unnecessary, so he instead decided to set the mood for something far more up their alley. He trailed her neck with his lips, finding that sweet spot where he just knew he could make her purr. Mavis gasped and tried to pull away, but hot damn if that didn't feel good!

"Johnny! Not here… not now!" she protested, fully flushed.

"It's alright, the kids are in their rooms, door is locked, and I bet anything you want that the Count is otherwise preoccupied…"

She gave him a light slap and looked away, playfully 'refusing' the idea just to tease him.

"But…" her breath caught in her throat and interrupted her line of thought as he went at it again, this time testing for more sweet spots to find, and just making her lose her mind with every move he pulled on her.

It felt real. It was real.

And no one would take this from her, never again.

This is the end for this story. It was fun to write it, even if at times... yeah some parts were really crazy and highly unrealistic, but hopefully it was something for you all to enjoy reading. I still have some stories in this fandom to work on, plus one sitting in the wings to be started, hopefully soon, but don't hold your breaths for it, I'm in college and is my senior year, so, yeah, little time for updates.

Anyways, please leave a review, I try to take them into account for improving, and I'll see you around for more stories.