Winter Legacy -3.7-

Shayne sat on his grandpa's side of the bed, his grandma was sitting in the living room, she had been crying for hours. His daddy said that Grandpa wouldn't be coming back, but Shayne didn't understand what his daddy meant. Cupid tried to explain that it was like Aunty Snowie, they would never see them, but Shayne still didn't understand. Grandpa Claus had been there for as long as he could remember, his not coming back just didn't make any sense. 

In Shayne's mind, everybody was wrong. His Grandpa would come back, they took him away in the ambulance and he would be gone for a couple days but eventually he would come home, and when he did Shayne would be the only one waiting for him and that would make Shayne Grandpa's favorite for sure.

Rudolph was not feeling good, he had a fever, or what felt like a fever. Maybe he was just sick, after Claus' sudden death. His father was fine, he was in good health, it made no sense for a healthy person to fall asleep on the couch and never wake up. After the autopsy they would learn that a blood clot in Claus' bad leg was the reason for his death. Rudolph rolled over and twisted and turned on the bed, he was restless, his dreams were a mess of bats and other dark things.

Regan had taken Claus' death the hardest, he had retreated into herself. She sat on the couch playing home videos over and over. Rudolph was leaving for work, he got the boys ready for school, he hated to leave his mother alone but none of his siblings were free to keep an eye on her.

Rudolph paused at the painting his father had started. He sighed heavily, on his way out the door the whipped out his cellphone and called up some of their family, a party made Claus feel better after Snowie died, perhaps it would do the same for Regan.

Rudolph hosted a memorial gathering at the Winter house. 

The guests had begun to arrive and Regan was still in her position on the couch. She did chat a little with her children and a few of the guests but she refused to leave the couch, she refused to eat or drink, she just wanted to sit on the couch and watch home movies.

Some time during the gathering, Regan quietly slipped away to join her husband. Rudolph was beyond broken. This had to be the worst birthday ever! They were just about to start celebrating when Shayne started wailing and everyone ran to see what had upset the boy.

The following night, Claus stood staring at the beautifully crafted tombstones. He had lost both parents in a matter of hours. He was officially in charge of this legacy now, now the weight of the this family's world did rest on his shoulders.

No sooner had he gotten home did it happen. He thought he was imagining the red fog and swirling bats, it was over in a matter of second so he was completely confused. Suddenly his senses were heightened, he was aware of everything around him, especially the sound of hammering heartbeats and rushing blood.

Claus had no idea what he had become, but the musterious mark on his neck and the glowing eyes and fangs made it quite obvious. Vampires had been the things of legend, there was no way in hell that he could become one, that he had become one.