Young Dracula 1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A strange one-shot. Not my best piece of work I admit; I haven't written in a while since my GCSEs are coming up.**

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Hospitals. I hate them. I hate everything about them. The white walls, the awful stench, the grief, the chaos and most importantly, the deaths of loved ones... Being a vampire, I never though I'd have to come here. Only breathers came here when they were severely ill. Only breathers came here to visit their loved ones. Only breathers came to say goodbye. So why did I never see this coming? Why didn't I know that I would be coming to a hospital myself, to say goodbye to my own father?

I was going to be alone. So alone. Mum had already been dusted a few weeks ago by some other vampires, in the name of revenge. Revenge on my grandfather who had apparently wronged them a few hundred years ago. And the worst thing was that my mother's death was all in vain. My so called grandfather didn't even care whether she was dead or alive. In fact, throughout her whole childhood he made it painfully clear that he was indifferent towards her. He treated her like dirt, favoured my uncle over her and never did anything for her.

I touched the 'locket' around my neck. It was actually a vial, containing my mother's dust, attached to a chain. I know this may seem weird, but I could feel her presence when I touched it.

On the surface, my mother was a typical cold-hearted bitch. Mean, sneaky and ruthless. However, on the inside, she was so much more than that. She was strong, independent and believe it or not, loving too. Thus, she turned out to be a great mother. Perhaps the fact that she was neglected by both of her parents (my grandmother was just as bad as my grandfather) drove her to be the mother her own mother could never be.

I shall strive to be like her. Strong and independent. I just hope I won't become deranged like she was in her childhood and youth. Unlike me, she had my father to support her. My father... My father who was dying right now.

"Excuse me, you asked to see your father?" the receptionist asked, bringing me back to reality. I merely nodded; I didn't want to risk speaking and then bursting into tears. "Room 131, East Wing."

I left without even thanking her. The journey to Room 131 was agonizing. My enhanced vampiric hearing didn't help much. All I could here was screaming, shouting and crying. The relatives - especially the females - of dying patients were yelling at the doctors, ready to fight them. Some were begging the doctors to do the impossible while the wealthier ones were offering up abundances of riches, as if money could defeat death.

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Upon entering Room 131, I spotted him straight away. The strongest man I had ever known, lying helplessly on the hospital bed, with a graceful smile on his face. A smile? Unbelievable.

"Daddy..." I called out, running to sit on the chair beside him. He turned to me, eyes half open but open enough to know that he was awake. "Daddy!" I grabbed his unusually cold hand and held onto it for dear life. Ironic. He should have been holding on for life. Not me. I was already dead.

"You haven't called me that in _years _love," he simply replied in his Scottish accent, looking at me with a tired smile.

"Your hand is so cold... It's icy like vampire skin!" I cried, my voice full of emotion. Tears were threatening to fall from my eyes, as I gazed at my dying father._ Be strong._

"Then you know what this means," Daddy stated, still smiling.

"Yes... I- I just wish it was different. Daddy, I could do it you know... I could turn you," I blurted out, instantly regretting it. Mum would hate me if she could hear me now. Despite being a vampire, she always threw a hissy fit when someone suggested she turn Daddy into a half-fang.

Daddy just gently shook his head. "Your mother wouldn't want it. And nor would I. After all, I'll see her again very soon. And I don't want to tell her that you've been a bad girl."

"But all vampires go to hell, Daddy. And you're a breather... you'll go to heaven. You and Mum will never be re-united. And that means I won't see you again either. _Never_."

"Not all vampires go to hell, love. And not all breathers go to heaven. Maybe your mother and I will meet in the middle. And as for you, heaven and hell are still far away."

"Aren't vampires already in the middle? Aren't we already in limbo since we're undead?" I questioned frantically. "I don't want to be alone! As soon as you go, I'll follow you without hesitation."

"Stop right there Valerica!" Daddy exclaimed. "Don't think like that. Your life is precious. You have a very special purpose in life."

"Special? Do you mean because I'm Dimidius, because I'm a half breed? I'm precious because I'm a mistake?" I asked bitterly. Well you see, according to certain VHC members, I was conceived through an 'inevitable mistake.' Hmm, apparently since my parents were two youngsters living under the same roof all alone, one night they just _pounced_ on each other and created me. That was before they were officially together so it was classed as a one night stand rather than... love.

"You're not a half-breed or a mistake. Don't listen to what the VHC say. You... You were born out of love. Wow, this is embarrassing," Daddy chuckled nervously and appeared to blush a little. "What can I say? You know your mother was emotionally damaged when she was younger, right?" I nodded, remembering when my mother told me about her miserable childhood. "Well, when I bought the castle, I asked your mother to stay with me and of course she accepted because she always 'wanted a throne of her own.' But she stayed for another reason too. Me. But she would never admit it whereas I was always acting like a love-struck teenager around her. So because I kept pestering her and she kept holding her feelings in for so long, it just... burst free one night."

"The night I was conceived?" I queried, although I already knew the answer. "Didn't she freak out afterwards?"

"Yes, she did. She went back to being cold after I had worked so hard on getting her to open up and become friends with me. It broke my heart because I thought I meant nothing to her. She avoided me, I avoided her and things only got worse. I was thinking of moving out and leaving the castle to her while she was thinking of moving all the way to Transylvania and leaving it to me. And then one day, your mother finally spoke to me. She told me she was pregnant and that she was scared. And I couldn't believe what she told me next. She said she was a curse."

"Why?" I asked in shock. A curse? Sure, my mother wasn't the nicest person on Earth, but a curse? Never.

"Because she lost everyone she loved. Your mother had a boyfriend called Will when she was around sixteen. She bit him in the heat of a moment and he was dusted by a serial slayer a little while later. It haunted her for years; he had been the only in the world to make her feel special and loved. After that, she met her so called half-brother Malik. Only, they found out that they weren't related at all. She developed feelings for him too. Sadly, he was tragically dusted like Will. After two losses, your mother thought she was meant to be alone."

"So when she started loving you, she thought you would die too?" Daddy nodded. "And that's why she refused to turn you..." I realised. It was starting to make sense. Mum thought she was supposed to be alone for the rest of her unlife so she pushed Daddy away. And maybe she thought the situation with Will would be repeated. Since Will and Malik were both vampires, perhaps she thought Daddy would be safer as a breather?

"So I told her that I would stay with her until my death. I never imagined she would go before me. She was only 39, barely nothing for a vampire. Anyway, you brought us together. I hate to say it, but if she wasn't pregnant with you, I think she would've left me forever," Daddy confessed sadly. I could see that as the pain in his eyes was growing, the life in them was fading.

"Daddy! Stay with me! Please! I'll do anything!" I started to sob uncontrollably. The tears were running free. If only my pain and troubles could go away like that too.

"You can't do anything sweetie. Just let me go in peace. But please don't lose yourself. Always remember who you are. Valerica Teagan Davis, only child and daughter of Ingrid Dracula and..." Those were Daddy's last words before he fell into an eternal sleep.

"Piers Davis," I finished for him as I closed his eyes. I was alone now, completely alone.

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**A/N: IDK what Piers' surname is so I just gave him a random and pretty normal one. As for Valerica Teagan Davis, I chose a Romanian/Transylvanian first name and a Scottish middle name. Apparently Valerica means strong, which is exactly what a 17 year old orphan needs to be.**


	2. Chapter 2

** A/N: I guess I missed writing way more than I initially thought.**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE. THERE'S A POLL ON MY PROFILE ABOUT WHICH STORY I SHOULD CONTINUE AFTER I'VE FINISHED DINO THUNDER: A NEW BEGINNING. IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE THIS, VOTE. BEARING IN MIND, I WILL FINISH ALL OF MY IN PROGRESS STORIES EVENTUALLY BUT THE POLL WILL HELP ME PRIORITISE.**

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"Come on Dad! Tal and I came all the way here, at least listen to us!" Vlad pleaded with his father, who was as stubborn and lazy as ever. He and Talitha travelled for so long with great difficulty just to reach Australia only to find that it seemed to be a wasted trip.

"Why would I want to go back to Garside Vladdy? I'm sure your sister is fine!" the Count yelled. He wasn't going back there.

"We haven't heard from Ingrid in 2 years now," Talitha stated as a matter of fact. She didn't fancy standing around listening to her mate and father-in-law argue over whether they were going to check on her sister-in-law or not.

"Well lucky you, the last time she sent me a postcard was a week ago," the Count lied.

"Actually Master, it was a year and a half ago," Renfield corrected, unaware that his Master was deliberately lying.

"You're really not helping!" the Count snapped just as Vlad rolled his eyes. He was growing agitated; Australia was way too sunny. How the Count and Renfield managed to live (and survive) in the country for 17 years was beyond him.

"I can't believe you Dad. Ingrid's your own daughter. Stop pretending you don't love her because I know you do. What will you do if she's in trouble?" the Chosen One asked.

"Trouble? No one in their right mind would touch her with a ten-foot stake," Count Dracula claimed.

"That didn't stop Piers," Vlad mumbled.

Either his father didn't hear him or completely ignored him. Probably the latter. "I reckon she's too busy destroying Garside to write to you. Don't you remember what happened in Stokely?"

"That's only because she lost Will. I wasn't exactly cheerful after losing Erin either," Vlad argued. Talitha pulled him away from his father and took him to a corner of the room, for a more private chat.

"Use the Chosen One card," she whispered so the Count or Renfield wouldn't hear her. After all, vampires had a heightened sense of hearing. Vlad only looked at his lover and chuckled for a while. He stopped when he noticed Talitha wasn't laughing with him.

"Oh, you're serious," he realised.

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Valerica didn't think her unlife could get any worse. After holding a funeral for her father and burying him, all she wanted to do was go home and sleep. But no. As soon as the sun set, her grandmother had to show up with the step-grandfather and uncle in tow.

"Oh Ricky! I'm so sorry for your loss!" Magda shrieked, sobbing dramatically. Patrick sat on the hard ground beside her, picking at his fleas and looking bored. The only one who was genuinely upset was Wolfie.

"Which loss?" Valerica asked tiredly, tapping her foot impatiently as she stood outside the door, determined to keep the power hungry maniac out.

"Your mother of course! Who else?" Magda asked, unaware that her granddaughter was now fatherless as well as motherless.

"My mother? Oh, you mean the daughter you never gave two rat-droppings about before she got dusted three weeks ago, opening up a spot for you as my regent?" the 17 year old questioned. Magda was well aware that she was the closest biter family relative to Valerica at the moment, who happened to be the current heiress to the Dracula name since Vladimir Dracula had no children as of yet.

"Oh Ricky, I loved Ingrid! Really! From the bottom of my cold, undead unbeating heart!" Valerica's grandmother wailed, not even denying the accusations she was charged with.

"Mother, please stop! That's enough!" Wolfie intervened. Magda pouted. He ignored her and made his way over to his niece, who was only a few years younger than himself. "I'm sorry Val, I really am. As Ingrid's brother, I should've been there to protect her from those assassins."

"It's not your fault, Uncle Wolfie," Valerica told him, too dried out to cry.

"Come here," Wolfie said, holding his arms out. Valerica hugged her favourite uncle without hesitation. "Where's your dad?"

"He's gone," she whispered, so that only Wolfie could hear. Her uncle released her and pulled away to look into her eyes. Upon seeing the pain in her bloodshot eyes, his own eyes watered up. He felt pain for his niece, who had lost both her mother and her father within the same month, at the tender age of 17.

"Oh Val, if only I could help," Wolfie said wistfully. "Will you be alright on your own? You can at least call the Count over."

Valerica's heat shot up in an instant. "Don't talk about that coffin-lodger in front of me!" she roared, shaking with rage. Magda and even Patrick stared at her in disbelief and... fear. Wolfie looked taken aback, shocked at her outburst. "This is ALL his fault. He should've been staked, not mum! If he ever appears in front of me, I'll take him to the assassins myself and force them to dust him in the most cruel way possible. And then I'll destroy the rest of those vermin!"

"Valerica, darling, I soo agree with you," Magda drawled, coming closer to Valerica and taking this opportunity to get onto her granddaughter's good side. "Bun Buns won't know what hit him!" Before Valerica could dust Magda, Wolfie grabbed his mother and zoomed over to his father using his vampire speed.

"Father, get mother out of here!" he commanded. Patrick merely gawked at him. "Now!" the 23-year old yelled at his father, losing his patience. The werewolf finally got up from the ground and ran off with his reluctant, whining mate.

"Calm down Val, I'm here," Wolfie cooed, hugging his niece again until her anger subsided.

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"You dare to threaten me! I am the Prince of Darkness!" Count Dracula screeched insanely, glaring at the Chosen One and chucking a fire-ball at him.

"Oh please, you're just a has-been! Now you're merely the father of the Chosen One," Vlad countered, his eyes flashing blue. He caught the fire-ball and sent it back to his father, knocking him over. The Count immediately cowered in fear as Renfield tried to help him up from the floor. Talitha pulled Vlad away to the corner again.

"When I said the Chosen One card, I meant just tell the Count that you're the Chosen One and what you say goes. I didn't mean start a massive Dracula style father-son banter where you try to destroy each other!" she scolded, trying to keep her voice down.

"Oh, haha!" Vlad laughed sheepishly. What followed was a somewhat evil cackle and hysterical laughter. "As if he could've defeated me! Nice one love!" Talitha rolled her eyes. Her family was weird, even for vampires. Vlad finally stopped laughing and became serious. "So Dad, what will it be?"

"Vladdy, actually I've been thinking. I'd love to see my old castle again!" The Count exclaimed enthusiastically although he was visibly shaken up. "As well as my favourite daughter and her unmatchable wit! And Pears!"

"I believe it's Piers, Master," Renfield corrected, running around the place with suitcases in tow.

"Ahh, that's right!" the Count agreed.

"That's the spirit Count!" Talitha cheered on, linking arms with Vlad.

"I hope Ingrid's not in trouble. It's not like her to suddenly cut off communication like that," Vlad told Talitha, concerned about his sister. Despite knowing she was only his half-sister, he always thought of her just as his big sister. After all, they had been through a lot together, whether Ingrid liked it or not.

"I'm afraid you're right Vlad. If she didn't want anything to with us, she wouldn't have sent us letters and postcards from the beginning. Something's up. But what?" Talitha pondered aloud.

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** A/N: I have no clue where I'm taking this...**


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Young Dracula, Family, Hurt-Comfort