#htfanatic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kittyball23 · 2 years

Text

The Inevitable (a Hotel Transylvania fanfic)

Summary: Ericka comes to a realization that makes her a little downcast. Luckily, she and Drac come up with a way to resolve the dilemma; Based on HTFanatic’s “The Midnight Hype”

A/N: A birthday gift for @neo-storm! Based on her fic “The Midnight Hype.” This oneshot is a scene that takes place at the end of chapter 34/beginning of chapter 35. Hope you enjoy!

__________________________________________

“Who’s the birthday girl?”

Ericka stifled a laugh at Dracula’s childish tone of voice. She sat at the table in their chambers, Venus to one side of her and Saturn and Mars on highchairs to her other side. A little party had been set amongst themselves to celebrate the occasion, and Ericka appreciated the effort put together by her husband.

Drac then proceeded to take out his ukulele and began to strum softly, letting out a little hum to get himself in tune before he began to sing, the accent in his voice pronounced as always.

“Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, my sweet little tarantula cake…“

Dracula paused for a second to make kissy noises, Venus responding with a loud “eww!” while Mars and Saturn looked curiously at their father. Then he finished his song.

“Happy birthday to you!”

Using his magic to allow the ukulele to continue playing by itself, Dracula reached behind him and pulled out a sizable cake, vanilla in flavor and decorated with a brilliant purple icing. Little spider webs had been created in black icing, spelling out ‘happy birthday to mommy!’ And right at the top, glowing brightly in a sparkling wax, was the two numbered candles that helped in indicating her brand-new age.

51.

A strange clench seized her heart at the sight. She had known she was already into her middle ages, but to see it confirmed once again - as it was the previous year when she turned 50 - made her feel, well, old. But she smiled through it all for now; as she blew out the candles and her children clapped, and Dracula - who had turned 551 only a couple months ago - side-hugged her.

“What did you wish for, mommy?” Venus asked eagerly, her little hands clasped together.

Ericka looked down at her daughter and ruffled her dark hair. “Oh sweetheart, I’d say but if I did, it won’t come true!”

“Awww…” the girl exclaimed, slumping. But, she immediately perked up again when Ericka fondly bopped her on the nose, Venus eliciting a delightful giggle.

The family ate and shared hearty laughs, exchanging hugs and cake in the little celebration. And yet, through it all, she couldn’t help but have that thought still eating away at the back of her mind, making her uncertain and unnerved. She of course didn’t let it show to Drac as he cleaned up the table, or to their children as she brought them along to their beds and kissed them goodnight.

She sighed, tucking in a drowsy Venus into bed. Venus, she thought. Her first child, born within a nightmarish situation that was still a rather fresh scar in Ericka’s mind. Nonetheless, she and Drac had managed to keep her out of harm’s way, and from a destiny that had awaited in becoming her great-grandfather’s next crony.

Ericka then moved on to tuck Saturn into bed. Of their three children, Saturn was no doubt the strongest of the group. A whopping ten pounds at birth had made him very sturdy as an infant, with a spirit that resembled hers and an appearance that looked much like his father's. She knew he would grow up to be a big and strong vampire like his father.

But, sadly she didn’t think she could say the same about his twin. Ericka sighed again, going to tuck Mars into bed. Like their names, Mars and Saturn were practically worlds apart. Where Saturn had been strong, Mars was weak. Where Saturn had energy, Mars was dull. Where Saturn was loud and outspoken, Mars was quiet and meek. It didn’t help his case that he had plenty of health-related problems that contributed to his overall well-being. His difficulty breathing at times and his frail appearance always had her on edge. Of course, she was also aware that his issues likely were due in part no doubt to her age.

Yes, it was possible that it could have been a completely unrelated matter, but more likely than not it wasn’t. And every time he was short of breath or behaved sickly, it was always a reminder of that little fact - she was old.

Ericka huffed out, letting the whole reality of it overtake her mind. Being half-vampires, her children would take almost twice as long to grow up, and she just didn’t have that time. She was only a human, and her life would come and go quickly. She would never be able to see her children age past being toddlers. Her hair was already practically white, but there were still other indicators of her age. Like…

She stroked Mars gently on the head as he drifted to sleep and then walked over to the vanity mirror, brows furrowed as she didn’t have to look too close to find the slightly darker circles under her eyes, accompanied by the lines of crow’s feet. She touched her fingers to them, pulling back the skin slightly, feeling it sag just a touch under her fingertips and scowling.

“Ericka?”

Ericka turned at the sound of her voice, a little too fast and she nearly knocked over a vase with sunflowers over from the vanity desk in her startlement.

Surprised, Drac’s eyes widened at her reaction to him. “Whoa, whoa, honeybat, are you alright? It’s just me.” He came up to her and she nodded, a hand reassuringly patting his shoulder.

“Yes, I’m all right,” she said, briefly catching her breath.

Drac noted her wide eyes and forlorn expression on her face. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but uhmm… you don’t look alright.”

Ericka opened her mouth but quickly shut it again, knowing that she would not be able to say anything that would be convincing. Besides, she didn’t have to hide her feelings around Drac. It was Drac - her zing - and she trusted him the same way he trusted her.

So, she rubbed the back of her neck and stared up at him, a tinge of sadness in her blue eyes. “Drac?”

“Yes, sweetfangs?”

Ericka sucked in a breath, not really wanting to continue, but choosing to anyhow. “Drac… you do know I’m getting old, right?”

Drac blinked. “Getting old? No, of course not, what makes you say that?”

“How about the fact that I just turned fifty-one, hmm?” Ericka asked, crossing her arms.

“Fifty-one? That’s nothing,” Drac said, blowing a raspberry and shaking his head. “When I was fifty-one, I was still small enough to sleep in my kiddy coffin.”

Now Ericka shook her head. “Drac, you and I both know that we don’t age the same way. I mean, you’ve been alive for five-hundred years. You do realize that humans usually don’t even live a full century, right? And I’m already halfway there…”

Drac paused to consider what she was saying and, with much deliberation, found that she was right. He didn’t want to really agree with the idea that she was old - he didn’t really see her that way - but from her perspective, he could see why she thought that.

“I guess I see what you mean…” he said, trailing off and not really sure how to continue.

But he didn’t have to, as Ericka did. She sighed and moved away from him to sit on the edge of their bed, her head in her hands and a quiet sob starting at her throat.

“Oh, Drac this is terrible!” she cried. “Our children… I won’t even see them grow up! They won’t even get to go into middle school before I pass on. And… and you Drac…” She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “You’re going to be alone again.”

Drac did not like the sound of that and broke his gaze from her to look down at the ground. One way or another, what she was saying was bound to come true one day. Sure, he would have their children, but without his love by his side to make their family whole, it would feel like there was a permanent piece missing to their unit. To him. And then he thought of something they hadn’t exactly discussed, but that he was intending to bring up at some point, just didn’t know when. But now, he could see that perhaps it was a good moment to.

“I understand your worries, my sweet,” he said softly, coming up to sit next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “But I think we can resolve this, if you are interested.”

Ericka lifted her head up. “Really?” she asked. “How?”

He chuckled a little awkwardly, opening his mouth and pointing at his fangs within. “All it would take is one bite,” he said.

Ericka’s eyes widened as she understood. “Oh…” she whispered. “You can turn me into a vampire!” Suddenly, she sat right up and grabbed his shoulders. “It’s a wonderful idea, Drac. Let’s do it.”

But Drac pushed her back gently. “Wait a minute, Ericka. I think there are some things you should probably know about this. I mean, it’s a long process and - “

“I don’t care,” Ericka interrupted. “Long or not, I want this.”

“But Ericka - “

“Drac,” she said a little more sternly, grabbing his hands. “Come on, honey, we’re right here right now. The kids are asleep, and the day’s just started. I want this, and I know that you do too. It will help us in the end, and I want to do whatever it takes to be there for our kids… and for you.” She leaned forward and kissed him, short and sweet, and pulled away, looking into his eyes and hoping that he understood. He had to.

And Drac did… it’s just that he was still very uncertain.

Ericka then tilted her head to the side, scooting closer to show him her exposed neck on full display.

“Come on, Drac, right here. All it takes is a bite, and then my body will take care of the rest itself with the transformation.” She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and tried to make him come down to her neck, but he refused to budge.

“Ericka, honeybat, please,” he pleaded gently, straightening up. She stared up at him, confused and a little hurt.

“You don’t want to change me?” she asked.

“Oh, no, no, my love, it’s not that,” he said. “It’s just… are you really sure this is something you want?”

“As if what I’ve been saying for the past few minutes hasn’t given you a clue,” Ericka muttered, a little upset.

Dracula couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him at her pout, and tucked a wispy curl of her ivory hair behind her ear. “Of course it has,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure. I’m…” He sighed. “I’m just a little nervous about actually doing the whole process.”

“And you think I’m not?” Ericka asked, scoffing. “I mean, you’re going to be sinking your fangs into my neck!”

Drac felt a little uncomfortable at the thought. “Yes, I know.”

“But regardless, this is still something that I’m not going to change my mind about,” Ericka added.

“Right,” Drac confirmed. "And I will do it. But maybe not tonight. I still have a lot of preparing to do up here." He tapped a finger to his temple, and she understood.

"Yeah, same," she admitted, a little perturbed. She knew Drac would never hurt her, but she still felt a little nervous about the whole ordeal. But the choice had been made, and she was set on it. Drac spooned her on the bed as they prepared to turn in for the day as well, and she felt his cool arms wrap around her from behind. She knew that quite soon enough, they wouldn't feel that way, in the same way that her body would not feel warm to Drac, but rather, the same.

__________________________________________

The following night, Ericka was in the middle of rinsing a plate when the cool air and light mistiness that always indicated the arrival of her husband's daughter surrounded her. She smiled and turned around, finding the ghostly girl standing a few paces away. The girl grinned back and began to approach her.

"So, you've decided to turn, huh?" Mavis asked.

Ericka nodded. "Yeah…"

Mavis nodded back. "I had a feeling you would one day. Johnny had been considering changing too, before…"

She trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. Neither she nor Ericka wanted to remember the horrific sight on the lower decks of The Legacy. The awful fate suffered…

The brief silence was broken by the entrance of Drac into the kitchen, two emptied bottles of formula in his hands. His eyes first landed on his wife, then at his daughter. "Mavey!" he exclaimed, running up and accepting her ghostly hug.

"Hi Dad," she said, hugging him back. Then she pulled back to look him in the eyes. "So when are you going to transform Ericka?"

"Oh, so you know about that?" Drac asked.

"Yes," Mavis replied. "Ericka and I were just talking about it."

"Ahh," he said. "Yes, it is true. We're not really sure when just yet, but we know it will be soon."

Mavis considered this. "Hmmm… how about tonight? I could watch the kids and then you'll have all the time you need to go through with it."

Drac looked to Ericka. She wore a face of seeming agreement, so he turned back to Mavis. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said. "You focus on the transformation. Wouldn't want you to suck all of Ericka’s blood by mistake!"

Dracula seemed to pale a little more at that, causing Mavis and Ericka to snicker. "I was just joking, Dad," Mavis said, her ghostly hand resting on his shoulder.

Drac breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh good!" Then he turned to face Ericka. "Well, honeybat, are you ready?"

Ericka gave him a thumbs up. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay." Drac looked back at Mavis. "Well, Mavey, I guess we’ll start getting set up here."

"No problem, Dad," Mavis replied. "Are the kids in their room?"

Drac nodded. "Yep. All up and excited to see their older sister."

Mavis smiled. "Great!" She always loved seeing her younger siblings, and they were always pleased to see her. But before she went off to babysit, she looked at Ericka and her father, taking each of their hands in hers.

“Good luck, and don’t worry. I just know it will all go well.” She gave them a reassuring grin, gently squeezed them, and then went off, leaving the pair alone in the kitchen.

“Soo…” Drac began.

“I guess I’ll meet you in the room,” Ericka said.

“Right,” Drac replied. “I’ve got a few things to grab.”

__________________________________________

Ericka only had to wait a few minutes before Dracula came in. In his arms he toted a variety of first aid items with him - wipes, disinfectant, bandages, gauze - all of which was laid on on the bed beside her.

Ericka stared at it all. “Do we really need everything?” she asked him.

“Just a precaution,” Drac said. “In case things get messy. Also don’t want you bleeding all over the place.”

“Ah, right. So how should I get into position?”

Dracula tapped a finger on his chin and thought about it. “Maybe… if you sit back against the bed, like this” - he helped in moving her - “and that way I can lean you down on the pillows for the actual bite, like this” - he showed her by half-laying her, helping prop her to him with a hand behind the base of her neck and the other on her lower back to keep her steady. He leaned in, but did not bare his fangs just yet, as he was only demonstrating, and then he leaned back again.

“Seems like it will work,” Ericka said with a shrug. “Let’s do it.”

Drac nodded. “Okay.”

They got back into the position, but already Drac ran into an issue. He leaned back again, and Ericka looked at him questioningly.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Oh nothing much,” Drac said, trying not to concern her. “I just think that you might be a bit too tense right now. Maybe if you relax a little it might help? I just don’t want it to hurt too much when I do it.”

Ericka nodded and took a few deep breaths, swallowing down her nerves. This procedure, if anything, was nothing too different from an injection at the doctor’s. In fact, that’s practically exactly what it was. With his venom pumping into her veins, the actual biting part of the process would go by quick. She eventually managed without much difficulty to relax her muscles so that her husband would be able to proceed much easier. Drac mumbled a thanks and started moving in again, then backed out. It was now he who had to set himself straight. He shook his head a few times and attempted to clear out his thoughts, willing himself to focus. In no time he had composed himself as well, moving in with certainty and determination. He bared his fangs, opened his mouth to the fullest, hesitated for just one quick moment or two, and then bit down. Hard.

As soon as the fangs penetrated, Ericka let out a sharp gasp and then went limp in his arms, her eyes shutting and her body going slack. A wave of panic nearly flooded through Drac, but he felt relief at still being able to sense her beating heart and knowing that she wasn’t dying. Not yet, at least, because as soon as the taste of her blood hit his tongue, he almost found that he did not want to stop feeding on it.

She was incredibly sweet, almost like candy, but also rich like a fine wine. It reminded him of the days when he used to hunt and feed on animal blood, except Ericka’s taste was much more addictive than those ever were. Absolutely delicious. But then a voice in his head quickly shouted out at him.

What are you doing? This is not your food, this is your wife! Dracula paused his actions for a moment, recalling the fact that this was a transformation bite, and attempted to jog his memory as to how to inject the venom. The muscles in his mouth started, working to squeeze, and soon enough he felt the thin, transformational liquid seep from his fangs and into the puncture wounds. A few pumps and he felt her stiffen, the paralysis side effect of the venom having worked its way into her body. Satisfied with the amount he injected, Dracula slowly released himself from her, sliding his fangs out delicately from her neck and pulling her back. Two visible pin-sized holes were now embedded into the side of her neck, red and still bleeding out in streaks. He quickly fluffed up the pillows underneath her with his magic and then laid her down, grabbing from the supplies he brought. Using the sanitation wipe, he cleaned at the wound until no more blood flowed. Grabbing the gauze, he placed one of the pads on the wound and used some of the medical tape to keep it in place until it would heal completely.

After removing the rest of the medical items from the bed and placing them onto the nearby desk, Drac took a good moment to look at Ericka. She looked a little rigid, but otherwise no different than how she regularly looked when slumbering. Her eyes were peacefully closed, her chest rising and falling gently with each breath she took. Quietly, he scooted into the bed next to her, making himself comfortable but remaining alert. He had promised himself he would keep an eye on her through the whole process, and it was exactly what he was intending to do.

__________________________________________

It took a while, but then again, he was expecting it to.

Nevertheless, Drac remained patient. The need to sleep for a vampire like him was not absolutely necessary, so he did not mind waiting in silent observance as his wife turned.

And, slowly but surely, he saw the process happen before his eyes.

Within her mouth, which had become slightly ajar during her slumber, he could see her canine teeth starting to sharpen and elongate. The smooth rounded dome of her ears began to peak into points as well. And her skin, always so rosy before, was draining itself of the pinkish tone into a more pale complexion.

When Ericka began to stir a little in her sleep, Drac knew that the time of her awakening was about to come. He shut the lights of their bedroom, knowing that her eyes in their new state would be better accustomed to the dark atmosphere.

He hugged her close in those last few moments of her still retaining her humanness. Pressed up against his body, he could feel her comforting warmth slowly dwindle and dwindle away. More and more and more, until… nothing. In touching her hand, he didn’t feel the immediate difference between their body heat. In fact, he couldn’t feel a difference at all. Because now, they were the same.

As if it were on cue, Ericka began to limber up even more. Her fingers curled against their place on his chest, and a groan emanated from her throat. Dracula perked up. His hand brushed away some loose curls hanging by her face just as she opened her eyes.

They were slits at first, but quickly changed, dilating until adjusted accordingly. She blinked a few times and raised her head slightly, looking around at the room and unsure of whether the lights were on or off. She got her answer when her sights landed on the lamp in the room and saw that it was turned off. Ericka’s eyes widened further as she came to the realization. Whoa… I can see perfectly in the dark! She felt the inside of her mouth with her fingers, confirming the pointed teeth that lay within, and looked at her hands, seeing that they were indeed quite pale.

Arms hugging around her around the waist closer made her tilt her head up, where laying right next to her was Drac. She smiled, and he could perfectly see the pointed fangs that now jutted from the upper row of her teeth.

They stared at each other fondly for a moment, before Drac spoke.

“So… what’s it like to finally be immortal?”

Ericka regarded the question, pondering over an appropriate response with a twinkle in her eye. “Well,” she finally said. “It’s better now that I’m with you.”

He grinned at her reply and, like a magnetic force, the two naturally leaned in towards each other. Their lips met in the middle, kissing slowly and lovingly, with all the tenderness and affection that they always displayed toward one another. It was full of gratitude and longing, and fueled with passionate desire.

Ericka pulled back first to catch a breath and looked deeply into his eyes again. “So, how long was I out for?” she asked.

For the first time since having started his vigilance over Ericka, he pulled out his phone and checked the time, making the calculation in his head. “Hmm. About seven and a half hours,” he answered.

“What?!” Ericka practically shouted. She sat up, her expression turning to one of panic. “I need to check on the kids!”

She tried to get up, but the combination of her moving too fast and the fact that her body lacked the blood flow it used to have immediately made her dizzy. She grabbed onto her head in surprise, her trembling knees about to give out. Drac was able to notice and stood up to stabilize her, grabbing onto her shoulders and standing behind her.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down, sweetfangs! Mavis came to watch them before we even began the transformation, remember?”

Ericka looked at him a little confused, but then she did remember. “Oh, yes, of course.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, Drac. Sometimes I just get so worried still. I know it’s been years since everything that happened on the cruise, but still I just - “

Drac put a finger to her lips to hush her frantic rambling, and then took her hand, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. “I know. I get worried too. But everything is fine. I’ll show you.” He linked his arm through hers, helping Ericka walk along and exit the room. She happened to glance over at the vanity mirror as they passed by. It was empty of a reflection.

They continued shuffling along, out through the hallway and then to the childrens’ room, where they could hear some activity. Drac led them to the open door, and he and Ericka were greeted to the sight of ghost-Mavis right as she had finished rocking Saturn. She placed him gently down into the crib next to Mars, who was already fast asleep. In the bed on the other end of the room, Venus was already dozing contently.

Ericka clasped her hands over her heart at the touching sight. “Ohh,” she breathed.

The sound of her voice made Mavis turn around. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Dad, Ericka… you’re done.”

She walked over to them, eying the two. “I take it it went well?”

The pair nodded. “Yes,” Ericka said. “I guess I’m a vampire now!” She struck a pose and the three shared in a laugh.

“Not just any vampire, a Dracula,” Mavis reminded. “And I know you’re going to be a great one too. Now you guys can finally stay together. All of you.” Mavis looked back at the sleeping kids with a fond look in her eyes.

Moved by her words, Ericka enveloped the girl in a hug, Drac joining in as well so they were all in the group embrace.

Ericka knew that Mavis was right. She was a vampire now. And, while their family may still run into troubles, she knew that somehow in some way, everything would work out for the best.

#hotel transylvania #count dracula #ericka van helsing #drericka #fanfiction #love #kittyball writes

16 notes · View notes