Chapter 5: Restored Friendships

The three children snuck downstairs with Remy and Pepi, who were watching for Edna. Thankfully, the older woman was in the living room and didn't see them go for the kitchen. Moving quickly and assessing what Edna had for ingredients, the skeleton chef quickly got to work on making one of his famous French dishes while Pepi kept a lookout and the kids watched, helping Remy.

Thankfully, Edna hadn't come near the kitchen the whole time, so an hour later, Remy had his famous French Onion Soup ready with a tossed salad with French dressing, and French rolls. He then hid in the nearby pantry with King Pepi while the kids set the table for six people before going to the living room where Edna was.

Edna was indecisive on what to do. She felt like she had to warn other neighbors of a potential threat, but if she told them there were vampires in the neighborhood, they'd think she was crazy. "Oh, what do I do?" She asked herself, feeling lost.

"Hi, Mom," Poppy said.

"Oh, hello, kids," she said before a delicious aroma caught her attention. "What is that delicious smell?"

The kids smiled. "Lunch," Bridget said.

"A French lunch," Edgar added.

"Why don't we go eat before it gets cold?" Poppy suggested.

Edna followed the kids to the kitchen and was surprised to see the table set and the food that graced her table. "My, what's this?" She asked before looking more closely. "French Onion Soup?" She noticed the fresh salad and the rolls. "A French meal? Where did you kids learn to make this?"

"Well, we helped out a little, but it was mostly a good friend of ours who made it," Edgar said, winking at his sister and friend, who winked back. "Poppy and Bridget introduced me to him and said he's a very famous chef."

"Why don't you try the soup, Mom?" Poppy suggested.

Edna took a small bowl and poured in a little soup, took a small bit of salad, and a roll and tried them, her face lighting up as she ate. "Why, the soup tastes just like my grandmother's recipe," she said. "The salad. Why, how did this person get the salad so crispy? And these rolls. Heavenly."

Pepi and Remy smiled. "Sounds like she likes your cooking," the mummy said.

"Let's hope she likes us too," the skeleton said worriedly.

Edna looked at the kids. "Okay, I've got to meet this chef," she said. "So, where is he?"

The kids looked at each other and looked worried. "Mom, promise you won't freak out if we introduce you to him," Poppy said.

"Freak out?" Her mother asked. "Why would I freak out over meeting the chef of this wonderful meal?"

"Well, because he's different than most chefs," Bridget said. "But he's really nice."

"He even let us help," Edgar said.

Edna looked at the kids before coming to a conclusion. "Is he shy?" She asked.

Pepi just barely managed to silence his laughter while Remy gave him a half-hearted glare as a red tint came to his cheekbones. "Um, maybe just a little," Bridget said unsurely. "Because he really hopes you'll like his food."

Remy made a mental reminder to thank the bespectacled girl later on. "Yeah," he and Pepi heard Poppy say. "He also looked different from most French chefs and wants you to try the food and see if you like it before meeting him."

"But he's a really cool guy," Edgar added.

Pepi smiled. "Looks like the boy has accepted you, Remy," he said.

"It does look like it, Your Majesty," the skeleton said.

"Well, I've just got to meet him!" Edna said excitedly. "I have to know how he knows my grandmother's recipe!"

Poppy took a deep breath. "Okay," she said.

"You might want to sit down, Mom," Edgar suggested.

Bridget went over to the pantry and opened it slightly, seeing the two monsters inside. "Okay, she wants to meet you," she said.

The door opened the rest of the way slowly and Edna's face went to surprise and shock as a skeleton and a mummy walked out. As she looked at them, they waved sheepishly.

"Bonjour, madame," Remy said in greeting.

"Greetings, Miss Edna," Pepi said with a polite bow.

Edna was glad she was sitting down as she tried to process that there was a skeleton and a mummy standing in her kitchen. She at first thought they were costumes but she noticed how thin the skeleton was, convincing her that it was no costume. "Mom, it's okay," Poppy said. "They're our friends."

"Chef Remy helped me when I had some bullies bothering me at school," Bridget said. "He scared them off and they don't bother me anymore."

"And King Pepi healed my arm," Edgar said, showing his mother. "He had a really neat potion that just made it disappear."

Another moment of silence followed and Poppy took another deep breath. "The skeleton is Chef Remy Bones and the mummy is King Pepi," she said. "Chef Remy works with the Hauntleys in their Scare B&B as the resident chef and King Pepi is from the museum."

Edna took another moment to process that. "King Pepi?" She repeated.

"Yeah," Edgar said. "Remember when we were looking for him? Well, apparently, he is real."

The woman took a deep breath before looking at the food and at Chef Remy, who looked a bit nervous. She stood up. "You made this wonderful food, Chef Remy?" She asked.

"Oui, madame," he replied.

"How do you know my grandmother's recipe?" She asked gently.

"To be honest, the recipe is one I learned from culinary school," he admitted. "I've tested some herbs and ingredients before getting it just right and it seems to be a...how do you say it?"

"A hit?" Bridget offered helpfully.

"Ah, yes, merci, chere," the skeleton said to her gratefully.

Edna couldn't deny that the food was definitely good and she took a deep breath, deciding that it would be rude to let such good food go to waste and...the two really were nice, something she could see when the children hugged the two and the two hugged them back. Bridget was also telling Remy about a science test coming up. "We're learning about the human skeleton," she said.

"Yeah, but we're having a little trouble with some of the names of the bones," Poppy admitted.

"Well, I'd be happy to help you both," Remy offered. "If your mother is okay with that."

The older lady smiled. "I'll consider it," she decided. "For now, why don't we all enjoy this wonderful lunch?"

That was met with agreement and King Pepi pulled out Edna's chair for her in a chivalrous gesture and she smiled. "Thank you," she said with a curtsey and sat down.

The meal was absolutely delicious and Edna decided that if two monsters could be chivalrous and not only cook a wonderful meal, but help her children and Bridget, then perhaps they weren't so terrible.

She then remembered how she reacted at learning about the Hauntleys. "Oh, how am I going to apologize to Oxana and Boris?" She asked. "And...oh, I hate to ask, but what if they simply had Poppy fooled and chose her as their slave?"

"Oh, no. The Hauntleys aren't like that at all," King Pepi said.

"No, not at all," Chef Remy agreed.

"Mom, we were never in danger. Vee just smelled Edgar's blood and...well, she had a hard time controlling her...I guess they're called primal instincts," Poppy said.

Edna nodded. "Well, I'm going to go talk with Oxana and Boris," she said.

"Can we come?" Edgar asked hopefully. "I owe Vampirina an apology."

"Alright," she agreed.

Moments later, they were inside the Scare B&B and the Hauntleys looked a bit nervous. Edna decided that it was a good day for the kids to play outside. "Kids, why don't you all play outside?" She suggested. "We'll be in here if you need us."

"Okay," Bridget agreed and the other two echoed her. Vampirina looked a bit unsure, but she was happy to see her best friends again.

"We'll keep an eye on them too," King Pepi said with a smile as the four kids headed outside.

Edgar turned to Vampirina. "Vampirina, I owe you an apology," he said. "I know...you didn't mean to...at the park, I mean."

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Edgar," she said. "I didn't think human blood could affect me that way."

"And you did stop yourself in time with Bridget's help," the boy said. "So, can we be friends?"

Vee was surprised. "But, what about your show?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I don't think my viewers would even believe me if I said it was all real," he said. "Plus, Poppy pointed out to me that I was being selfish in thinking that my vlog was ruined when she had lost her best friend."

Vampirina saw he was being truthful. "Edgar, can I really trust you with my secret?" She asked.

He nodded. "I won't tell anyone," he promised. "Especially since I owe King Pepi one. He healed my arm."

"He did?" She asked.

"Yeah, and Chef Remy made a great lunch," Poppy said. "Mom was so impressed and she got to see that Remy and King Pepi are really nice monsters, just like you and your parents, Vee."

"I hope it goes well," Bridget said worriedly.

Inside the house, Edna had apologized to the Hauntleys for thinking they were evil, but she was curious. "If you don't bite humans, how do you deal with your need for blood?" She asked.

"Well, there is a special food called scream berries," Oxana explained. "They are red in color and have the same nutrients as human blood."

"They're also good for baby vampires," Boris said. "Once a month, we eat the scream berries and that helps us with our blood needs for a while."

"We had run out and I was getting more from the market when you called about Edgar being hurt and our little Vee...having the reaction she did," the vampire woman said.

Edna took a deep breath. "Would either of you or your family ever hurt my children or Bridget?" She asked.

"Never," Boris said firmly.

"We care about them as if they were our own," Oxana said.

Edna smiled. "Then, I'm sorry again. And I'll allow my children and Bridget to be friends with Vampirina. And...I hope we can still be friends," she said hopefully.

"Of course!" Oxana and Boris said in unison, much to the other woman's relief.

King Pepi and Chef Remy, who had been listening, smiled and headed out to find the kids, smiling when they found them. Vee saw them and her face lit up. "Everything's okay?" She asked.

"Yes," Remy said.

"Looks like your friendships are mended," Pepi said, smiling.

The kids cheered and Vampirina looked at her friends. "It's so good that we can be friends," she said.

"And not predator and prey," Edgar added in agreement.

"Very true," Poppy said.

"I'd rather be friends instead of prey too," Bridget said as the four hugged happily.

They were all best friends despite differences.

And that concludes our story. :) A big thanks to eacox1787 for requesting this one. :)

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