Vlad woke with a start to see Ingrid sitting on their father's throne laughing maniacally while twirling a stake in her hands. He was about to get up, but then decided against it. It seemed like Will's death had been the final nail in the coffin for Ingrid, she was acting completely crazy, and pretending to still be out cold seemed like the best option.

"The streets of Stokely will run red with blood! Will's death will be avenged, and I will be the most feared and powerful vampire in Britain! Countess Dracula, the Princess of Darkness" She started to laugh again, but this time was cut short by the Count, who Ingrid had quite forgotten about.

"Oh Ingrid, don't be ridiculous. You, the head of the family? Ah, girls have such strange ideas. Besides, don't forget that I am the head of the family, or has your brain turned to garlic?" Vlad inwardly groaned. He really didnt think it best for his father to be antagonising Ingrid in her current state.

"No, Father, of course it hasn't. But with you out of the way" She flicked the stake into the air and caught it again "the honour would fall to me. Now, are you ready to become dust Father?"

"Oh, for garlic's sake Ingrid. You're acting like a breather. That half- fang boyfriend of yours was a bad influence on you."

In an instant, Ingrid was next to the Count's cage, eyes glowing red and fangs bared. "Don't you ever talk about Will like that" she snarled through the glowing bars, and then a second of confusion passed across her face. "What do you mean, for garlic's sake? Of course I will have the throne when you have been slain! Won't I?"

"No, of course not Ingrid" replied the Count "How could you be so stupid?" Then he added under his breath "Though I couldn't really expect anything more"

"What?" Yelled Ingrid quickly returning to a near hysterical state "Well," said the Count calmly " If I die, or whatever it is that one who is already dead does, or relinquish my position, it goes to young Vlad. I was hoping that he wouldn't have to take over for at least another three hundred years or so. Then I could retire to a nice place out in the countryside, with nobody around to stop me from eating the peasants....."

"SHUT UP!" yelled Ingrid. "Why does Vlad get the throne before me? He's a stupid breather- loving idiot. He isn't even a proper vampire!"

"Oh, I would have thought it was obvious" said the Count

"It's the "Chosen One" thing isn't it" Ingrid stamped her foot " It would just be unheard of if I was head of the family above the Grand High Vampire, right? So stupid!"

"No Bat-Brain. It's because you're a girl" exclaimed the Count with an exasperated sigh.

"Urgh!" Ingrid screamed at the roof, startling several bats nesting there "I didn't want it to come to this, but I'll just have to stake the little breather wannabe as well"

"Uncle Ivan" Muttered the Count.

"I'm so sorry" Ingrid laughed sarcastically "but Uncle Ivan won't help you now"

"No, you silly girl" The Count rolled his eyes "If Vlad is killed then your Uncle takes the throne"

"Well I'll just have to kill him too, then!"

"Magda"

"For garlic's sake! How many vampires would I have to slay to become head of the family!?" Ingrid was fully hysterical now.

The count was silent for several seconds before speaking "Sixty- four. That's fully grown vampires, there would be a few who haven't quite reached their powers yet, and that number could have significantly increased, if more young heirs have been born"

Ingrid slumped to the floor and screamed a high piercing scream, while beating her fists against the floor. "Look at it this way" said the Count, clutching at his ears " there is every possibility you could become head of the family" Ingrid stopped screaming and looked at her father " If not many new vampires are born, most of the other head of the family retire early, and you live over one thousand years. No, wait, make that 800. I have every confidence that you would be able to defeat Olga." Ingrid raised her head.

"OLGA IS GOING TO INHERIT THE THRONE BEFORE ME?"

"Why, yes, of course" Said the Count.

Ingrid couldn't take any more of this, she immediately turned into a bat and flew out the window, leaving the stake she had held in her hand to clatter on the floor.

Immediately Vlad scrabbled up from his position on the floor and ran to the glowing cage holding his father. Oddly, the Count did not seem at all worried, despite still being stuck in a slayer's cage, and theoretically at the mercy of whoever decided to torment him.

"Dad! Are you okay? How do I get you out of this thing? Oh, but you really shouldn't have said that thing about Olga to Ingrid, it was cruel, even for you. You know that she hates Olga! Dad. Dad! Are you listening to me?" Vlad babbled at the Count through the bars of his prison. The Count looked up from inspecting his fingernails with a look of surprise on his face.

"What? Is somebody talking to me?" He said, while looking around the room before his eyes finally found his son standing next to him "Ah! Vladdie my boy! Finally, you're awake. I always knew that sister of yours would go completely batty. Now! How about helping me out of this blasted cage?"

Vlad rolled his eyes but chose not to comment on his father's nonchalance about Ingrid's "battiness". Perhaps it had seemed different from his perspective, but from what Vlad had seen, the Count had come dangerously close to getting a stake through his chest. Instead of voicing his opinion, Vlad bit his tongue and set about the task of setting his father free. After ten long minutes of working on the small disk projecting the cage, Vlad tweaked a wire and the cage blinked several times before finally disappearing. The count stepped away from the sparking ruins of the cage, and spun around with his arms held out.

"Ah! So good to be free! Well done Vlad, I knew you had it in you. One day you will become a wonderful vampire like....well, like me! Now, before I forget, please get rid of that thing," he gestured towards the stake lying on the floor "such...dangerous objects to have lying around with your sister in such a state." His cape billowed around him as he turned to leave the room.

"Oh, and Vlad?"Vlad turned to his father

"Yes Dad?"

"Don't think I've forgotten about this Grand High Vampire business. We'll talk about it later" and with that the Count left the room in a billow of black cape.