A/N: Takes place in the 1-year gap of Hotel 4 :) (minor adult themes briefly implied/mentioned)

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The moonlight, bright and full, awoke Ericka from the depths of sleep. A quick glance at the clock on the suite's nightstand told her that it was midnight. A little later than she had hoped to get up for that night, but it was what it was. So they'd miss the tour of the Eiffel Tower. Oh well. There was always tomorrow. It wasn't as if France would go anywhere in the next few days, so there was really no big rush. Shifting to her side, she caught sight of her husband, still dozing contently beside her with an arm wrapped loosely around her waist. Ericka sighed softly in admiration and carefully undid herself from their tangle so not to wake him just yet. Once free, she slipped on a cream-colored robe and silently strode into the bathroom.

It was a small and simple room, with the sink and toilet to one side and the bathtub on the other. The flooring was tiled with a marble finish, and had a rather questionable film of grime over it. She grimaced as she took in the sight. Hotel Transylvania it certainly wasn't.

Just then, a wave of nostalgia hit her. The hotel was gone, destroyed at the hands - or paws, rather - of her own great-grandfather's guinea pig, Gigi, when the little rodent was turned into a monster for that brief amount of time. A part of her felt at fault, but Dracula endlessly reassured her that she was not to blame. Nobody could have guessed what would've happened, and it was all said and done now. It gave her relief to know that Mavis and her husband Johnny would rebuild the place to fit their own unique vision. If there were any two people who loved that hotel more than Dracula himself, it was his kind-hearted daughter and his exuberant son-in-law. Yes, the hotel was in good hands now.

With a sigh, Ericka proceeded with the typical morning routine duties in a mechanical fashion. She brushed her teeth and combed through the tangle of platinum curls on her head. She turned on the sink, but no sooner did she unwrap the plastic from the bar of soap before she stopped short, recoiling at the odor. It was foul, putrid, and... sickening. Without warning, Ericka felt a surge of bile rise up in her throat. It was quickly followed by an awful feeling of nausea. She held it back long enough to hastily flip open the toilet's lid and lurch the remains of the boeuf bourguignon that she and Drac had shared last night at a local restaurant. With an uneasy groan, she sat back. The bar of soap was still in her hand, cracked in two from the force of her grip as she'd emptied the contents of her stomach. It looked no different than any other soap bar she might find. It was even the same brand Hotel Transylvania had used - vanilla-scented in fact, according to the wrapper. And yet, the scent was so repulsive that she flushed its remains down the toilet along with the rest of what was retched. Ericka was confused. What had triggered such a strong reaction from her? Could it be a stomach bug? No. Dracula, in his doting ways, had insisted on only taking her out to the finest cuisines throughout their international travels. And then, another thought entered Ericka's mind. Could she be.....? Nah. She would know about it, wouldn't she? She had been feeling a little queasy waking up for the night as of late, and - if she had to admit - they were being a bit more fruitful in the past couple months, with yesterday being no exception. She flushed at the thought, and placed her fingers delicately over her abdomen. Could it be? There was only one way to find out. With much uncertainty, Ericka searched in the cabinets until she found a small First Aid kit. Sifting through the objects, she found the one she was looking for, followed its instructions, and then waited.

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It took a few moments for Dracula - still in the hazy conscious of his sleep - to realize that the warm body that was his wife was no longer beside him. With a start he awoke, sitting up in bed and relishing the feel of sore muscles and aches throughout his body. He grinned, recalling the same feeling from the previous night. And a few nights before that. And a number of times from the previous weeks of their vacationing ventures. There was just something wonderful about being alone with his Zing for such a long and interrupted period of time, that he took advantage of it, as did she. He was eager to see their touring itinerary for that night. Glancing over, he noticed the light peering out from under the bathroom door and quickly concluded that she was in there.

Summoning a towel from the closet with his magic, he arose from the bed and made his way inside. "Good morning, honeyfa - "

Dracula stopped his greeting short, seeing his wife sitting on the tile flooring with a distant expression on her face. She looked paler than usual, and his nose crinkled at the foul almost vomit-like scent that still hung in the air. "Ericka?" he asked with growing concern and a questioning look. "Honeybat, what's wrong?! Are you okay? Are you sick?" He frantically placed the back of his hand against her forehead and attempted to feel for any sign of illness. She gently pried his hand away from her temple and firmly gripped it in hers.

"I'm fine," she assured quietly. "It's just..." her voice trailed off as she bit her lip and attempted to think about how to formulate her next words.

Dracula's brows creased with worry. "Yes?"

Ericka looked up at him, and held out a small object in her other hand that he only just now came to take notice of. "See for yourself."

He peered down with curiosity at the little piece of plastic between her fingers. It was a white stick-like thing, more rounded on one end than the other. His eyes noticed a small indentation in the middle with a red double-lined stripe. The reading would have not meant much if it were not for the legend next to it putting a label to its meaning. One stripe was indicated as negative, and two lines were positive.

His eyes lit in understanding in the next moment, and his mouth gaped open as he stared at her wide-eyed.

"Ericka... you... you're..."

She nodded slowly, and a smile grew on her lips. "I'm pregnant."

He was speechless.

He couldn't even form words to express how much he wanted to kiss her, or hug her or hold her, or simply want to meet this tiny, perfect person growing right inside of her. The person that would be a perfect blend of him and her. But instead, he just stood there for a few moments, gawking at the news. Then, without warning, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Ericka's still-slim waist and lifting her high into the air. "You're PREGNANT!!" he exclaimed, twirling her around several times.

"Drac!" Ericka exclaimed, laughing as he finally set her down gently.

"Sorry! I... I just can't believe it! You... you..." and then he paused, a look of realization coming over his features as though he had just been told the news for the first time. "You need rest!" he suddenly exclaimed, sweeping her off her feet, out of the bathroom, and back onto the bed in one athletic motion.

"But Drac," she began to protest, "I'm not - "

"Shh, shh, shh! My love, don't argue, you'll only exhaust yourself even more! And 'What to Expect when You're Expecting a Vampire' says that exhaustion can put stress on you and the baby, and we don't want that!"

"But Drac - "

"And the book also mentions that you must be well-fed with a diet that includes lots of red meats, spider-mash, and mutton acids to give your little one the right nutrition they need for the development of their powers,"

"Drac..."

"But it's okay if he or she doesn't have powers! I mean, I won't force it into the kid like I tried to with Denisovich... now that was a story. Did I ever tell you the whole thing? Anyway - "

His words were cut short mid-sentence when Ericka silenced him with a kiss, short but sweet all the same. He nearly collapsed in a lovestruck daze when she released him.

"Drac," she began tentatively, and he gazed up at her obediently. "Please, calm down for a minute. I'm fine! I'm probably only in the first month. Honestly, is this how you were with Mavis when she was pregnant?"

He averted his gaze with a mild flush of embarrassment. She chuckled, and hooked her fingers under his chin to turn his head and face her again.

"I love you for it, but keep in mind to not overwork yourself either." She raised an eyebrow at him, and he nodded meekly in response. Then, more softly, she added, "I promise we'll get through this," she took hold of his hands, "together."

He let out a breath he was holding in relief. It was really all the reassurance he needed in that moment. "Yes, yes. Of course, sweetfangs. Together." He cuddled up cozily next to her, all else forgotten for the time being as they simply enjoyed each other's presence. It was silent for a moment, before she spoke up again.

"Our friends are certainly going to be in for a surprise when we see them again, won't they?"

He only smiled, tracing a hand over her stomach in the lightest of touches.

"Definitely."

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A/N: Happy Valentines Day 2022! ❤️