Series 1/Chapter 10: A FULL MOON (Part 2)

The moon stood in it's silent position, a white faced orb spilling it's milking glow all over the foggy fishing town of Collinsport, Maine. The wind's kept the sea at an icy chop rocking the docked boats in the marina back and, back and forth.

In a coffee shop in the quaint downtown area of Collinsport Alexandra Thorne waited at least an hour for date Christopher Reed to arrive. She text messaged him profusely but he never responded. Eventually, she packed up her things and headed home. As she stepped out into the cold Collinsport air she failed to notice Chris' car just a few parking stalls away from hers in the cafe parking lot sitting there abandoned by it's owner

 She got in her car and drove back home.

As Alex drove home to Collinwood, Claudia lay in the Collins Family crypt at Eagle Hill Cemetery. There was no simple way of for her to get her eyes back inside the mansion and continue on her quest to destroy every last of her father's descendant, the man who took her from her mother Angelique's arms and placed in the hands of stranger in an orphanage back in time.  Her obsession for getting even with the family she always felt abandoned her was now at a fever pitch.

Claudia writhed and screamed inside the crypt in a frustrated and sweaty rage. She had to get out, but being locked away in a cold dark crypt on hollowed, sacred ground had stifled her powers...except one.

The only power she had left was the power of metaphysical transportation which didn't use black magic, it only used the power of her mind. Claudia still retained the use of her mental strengths, every last once she she could muster, to transport her life force into someone innocent and someone pure to continue her mission.  And just as Claudia plotted this, Alexandra drove past the cemetery. Alex's eyes fixated on the passing cemetery and the fog covered tombstones. A shiver went up her spine as her eyes turned back to the darkened street in front of her.

****

The full moon was now high above  Collinsport, and Victor made his way as fast as  he could with his werewolf son sedated and tied up and covered in a black cloak in the back of his jeep so that no one would see the monster he had become. As Victor drove, a beam of  moon light reflected off  the syringe Victor tossed on the passenger seat after he and Chris  scuffled. It had been filled with the sedative Victor gave Christopher so that he could safely transport him home, but the syringe was only half empty.

During the fight with Christopher in the coffee shop parking lot, Victor had plunged the syringe into his son's neck, but in his rush neglected to use the entire amount of the sedative. Victor panicked and sped up the jeep to get home faster. The winding and curling roads that led to Victor and Christopher's home felt longer and longer, the closer they got, the further Victor felt. And he could hear the werewolf begin to waken.

Victor sped up.

As he did, a vicious groan came from the back of the jeep. The werewolf snarled and tried to move but was still tied. He growled louder and Victor tried to reach for the syringe on the seat next to him so that he could use the rest of if the sedative. Victor leaned over and reached and as he did he pulled the steering wheel too far over into on coming traffic. On the other side of the road the other cars started honking and moving out the way and Victor tried to over correct his jeep and it spun out into thick woods, blasting through trees and bushes deep into a forest and finally slamming up against a large thick trunk. It was an explosion Christopher the werewolf's favor.

Bruised and bloodied, Victor pushed open his crushed door and made his way to the back of his jeep, limping and holding the right side of his rib cage. He could hear people trampling through the forest from the road; witnesses of the accident calling out to see if he was ok.

He had to think quick, no one could see Christopher in this shape. He popped open the back of his jeep, and there was Christopher a hairy beast growling and foaming at the mouth still tied up and looking Victor dead in the eyes. Victor took a pocket knife and freed Chris' legs and arms. Chris howled and swung his sharp claws at Victor nearly slashing  his jugular vein. A terrified Victor fell backwards into a snow heap and Christopher dashed off into the forest just as the people from the road arrived to help.

"Jesus man! Are you ok!?" A witness said helping Victor up.

Victor only nodded but never looked at them, he only looked out into the foggy forest in the direction Christopher ran in, praying he'd be safe until day light.

* * * *

Back at Collinwood, Leopold and Kimberly were having a conversation but it was getting late and Leopold began to feel l the need for his nightly vampiric feed. Being in Kimberly's presence was not a good mixture--for Kimberly.

He politely excused himself and set off to old house where he had been staying, leaving Kimberly in the drawing room alone awaiting Carolyn and Caleb's return.

Kimberly  peeked around the corner of the foyer and up the stairs making sure  it was safe enough to grab her phone to make a phone call. It was essential  no one would hear. Carolyn and Caleb were still upstairs so she went into her purse and pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

She waited and waited but the phone only rang.

"Come on Victor.  Answer your phone!" She said as his voice mail picked up. "It's Kim. I'm back in town and at Collinwood. I needed to see Caleb before we ....well, you know. Give me a call later tonight. I'll have my own room. Ok. Bye."

Just as Kimberly hung up her call to Victor, Alexandra pulled into the long winding drive up the from of Collinwood mansion. Her body immediately registered with Claudia's powerful pull from her locked state in Catherine Collin's tomb at the cemetery.

In the darkened tomb Claudia closed her eyes, her dark soul lifted from her body like a black mist surrounding the entire coffin. It seeped out through the tight cracks and into the air surrounding cemetery floating through the air all the way Collinwood faster than the wind blew through the trees. The spirit was looking for Alex's body to inhabit.

Alex still sitting in her car rolled her eyes at the floorboard of her car. Her purse had spilled. Flusterd, she slowly put her things back into her purse and the tightened the scarf around her neck to step out into the cold.

She opened the door and almost as soon as she stood on her own two feet Claudia's black mist of a soul descended on Alex like an sinister fog engulfing her. Alex gasped for air and tried to bat the strange black fog away but as she did portions of the fog morphed in to the heads of vicious black dogs with red eyes biting at her hands.

The mist soon overcame Alex and entered her body tossing her to the ground. She writhed on the floor, tossing and turning in the cold snow, fighting Claudia's soul but it was too late. As soon as Alex got back to her feet her beautiful blue eyes has flashed black, Claudia had possessed her body.

Now inside of Alex's body Claudia made her way into Collinwood . No one was around. She heard voices upstairs and recognized one as Carolyn.

As Alex, Claudia quietly made her way into the main drawing room and closed the flu of the lit fireplace.

Claudia lit a candle from the drawing room and made her way into the library. She looked around at the centuries of books the family had collected over the years. Vast amounts of stories from the world's greatest storytellers.  She picked up one book and opened it to the center, the flickering light from the candle shined on her face like a setting sun. She smiled and put the flame to the page and set books a blaze.

Book after book, over and over until the flames spread to the drapes and passed shelf to shelf enveloping the entire room.

The smoke was thick and gathering and not filtering through the old house, especially now that the flu of the fire place was closed. One room a blaze. Then another. Then another.

As the whole bottom floor of Collinwood started to glow orange and red, Claudia made her way outside to watch it burn. Her  eyes flashing black again and again reflecting the inferno that was now Collinwood.

****

At the police station a frustrated Kat walked in throwing her purse on her chair causing a loud noise and lots of attention. Her partner, Loomis sat across from her at his desk eating a sausage sandwich with a big grin on his face. This was a moment had been waiting for all night.

"Let me guess? Didn't get as much Collins access as you would have liked eh?" Loomis said wiping his mouth.

"You won't even believe what happened. We're sitting there, drinking and talking and this hot gorgeous blond shows up..." Kat said finally taking a seat at her desk.

"Another chick?" Loomis questioned.

"His mother. His mother is some gorgeous doctor lady who he hasn't seen in like 10 or 15 years and she just so happens to show up right when we're trying to re-connect. Needless to say he cut the night short and bolted with her back home to see the rest of the family." Kat explained.

"Where's she been all this time?" Loomis asked sipping coffee from a paper cup.

"I don't know. He didn't really say. All I know is that something went down with his mother and father back in the day and she skipped town and his father ended up raising him alone here in Collinsport, at least that's the cliff notes of the story I got." Kat explained.

As the two detectives talked about Kat's failure to get closer to Caleb and his family a commotion came from the other end of the room.

Loomis flagged down a passing police officer heading to the call.

"What's up?" Loomis asked.

"Massive fire! Just over by Widow's Hill!" He said dashing off.

"Widow's Hill? That's on Collinwood!" Kat said as she and Loomis grabbed their coats and followed the other police officers to the scene.

As Kat and Loomis arrived at the Collinwood the blaze had risen to the second of its three floors. The smoke flew high into the dark sky flowing up as if it were two giant hands reaching for the full moon the orbited above.

Kat ran over to the front and saw Alexandra still standing in the drive way, still possessed by Claudia's evil sprit.

"Alex! What are you doing get back?!" Kat said as Claudia quickly changed Alex's blackened eyes back to blue.

Loomis, Alexandra and Kat hurried back to safety as the  fire raged on. Carolyn, Caleb and Kimberly no where to be found.

Series 1/Chapter 9: A FULL MOON (Part 1)

Dusk was quickly  turning to night and Collinsport would  soon see the birth of a full moon that would fill the sky like a giant grey disk floating alone with only grey and black clouds to keep it company. This meant a great deal to Victor and his son Christopher.

Earlier that morning  Victor had warned his son about Alexandra's Collins family connections which didn't sit well with Chris and they hadn't spoken for the rest of the day. The full moon meant  they had to take precautions--and soon.

Victor grabbed a leather satchel from his room that he used on nights like this. In it he carried a gun, flashlight, and vials of a  sedation potion. Victor then scurried around the house looking for his son, but he couldn't find him. Then he looked at the basement door. A door that every full moon he and Christopher went into. A door that kept the people of Collinsport safe from  something they wouldn't understand, something they would fear, something deadly.

Victor quickly opened the door to the basement and crept down the dark stairwell trying his best not to make a single sound. It was quiet in the basement, there was no light. He took a deep breath and lifted the flashlight over his right hand  that pointing a gun...the light scanned the room but Victor was alone. When he felt safe enough he turned on the light of the basement. A giant steel cage emerged from the darkness, a cage that was open and empty. A cage for Christopher on nights of a full moon.

Victor began to panic, Christopher was missing and time was running out before the full moon's light hit Collinsport.

He whispered to himself "God help us."

*    *    *    *

Collinwood manor was just as busy as Victor and Christopher's house. Leopold and Carolyn had just returned from the family cemetery where they had finally rid themselves of the witch who had turned their lives upside down.

Carolyn for her part felt strangely safe in Leopold's presence; protected and secure.

"What will happen to her?" Carolyn asked of Claudia pouring herself tea.

"She'll die. Her powers are gone, and she can't live forever on hallowed ground. It's over." Leopold said reaching for Carolyn for a hug. "We're safe now." He added.

They embraced, and Carolyn almost felt like she was hugging Jack. One last time.

"What will happen to you?" She asked.

And before Leopold could answer  Caleb burst in, interrupting the private moment excited and happy.

"Carolyn!" He said loudly. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I don't mean to interrupt. But I have an amazing surprise!"

Carolyn and Leopold stepped away from each other in that somewhat awkward moment waiting for Caleb to reveal his surprise.

As Caleb stepped away from the door, the tall blond woman who came to see him at The Blue Wale while he was on his date with Kat stepped in.

Carolyn gasped in shock. "Kimberly!" She said.

"Oh Carolyn! It's been too long!" The blond said reaching out for Carolyn.

"Leopold, this is Caleb's mother Dr. Kimberly Collins; my cousin David's ex wife. What are you doing here Kim?" Carolyn asked.

"I heard about Jack, I'm so very sorry. I wish I could have been here for his funeral.
It's a pleasure to meet you.... mister?...." Kimberly said introducing herself with a  formal handshake.

Leopold's eyes were fixed on the beautiful Doctor. He was instantly fascinated and attracted.

"Divernet, Leopold Divernet. And the pleasure is mine." Leopold said kissing Kimberly's hand.

Leopold could feel Kimberly's pulse, the blood raced through her body,  it was as if her heart was beating in his ears. It was an incredible sensation that he hadn't felt before. It was invigorating and alluring. Something Leopold wanted more of.

Carolyn could see there was a spark in Leopold's eyes, Kimberly was, after all, incredibly beautiful. And even though she knew that Leopold was no longer Jack it still stung. It was like seeing her husband at a younger age flirt and kiss another woman's hand like he did when they first met. It was a stab to Carolyn's heart.

"I hope you don't mind, I've asked her to stay here." Caleb said to Carolyn who seemed surprised at his invitation.

"Oh! Of course. She's family." Carolyn said through a tight jaw. "I'll set up one of the bedrooms up stares. Excuse me." Carolyn continued, happy to make her exit.

Caleb followed.

"Carolyn introduced you as a doctor? What kind of medicine do you practice?" Leopold asked as he made Kimberly a drink from the bar.

"I dabble in DNA geneticists. I work with genetic medications to create new medications. But after my divorce from Caleb's father David, I took some time off. It was a bit hard on me." Kimberly said excepting the Gin and Tonic from Leopold.

"And you're originally from Collinsport?" Leopold inquired.

"No.... I lived here after the marriage but once David left I did too. Which I realize now I shouldn't have. I feel awful about leaving Caleb here alone when he was so young." She answered.

"All that matters is you're back. I'm so happy to meet more of the family." Leopold said sitting next to Kimberley on the sofa under the giant portrait of Barnabas Collins over the fireplace.

"And how do you know Carolyn?" Said said sipping her cocktail.

Leopold paused for a second to think, he couldn't come right out and say who he really was. The bizarre story would certainly confuse the good doctor.

"I'm related to Jack. He was my mother's nephew. And I came, like you, to be by Carolyn and Alexandra's side as they mourned."

The story seemed to work perfectly, Kimberly smiled kindly and continued to drink from her cocktail.

"Well, I'm sure they're all happy we are all here to be with them at this time." She said.

Leopold's eyes seemed to be smiling along with his whole face. It was love at first site.

Upstairs Carolyn and Caleb set up Kimberly's room. Carolyn made the bed...furiously.

"What's the matter?!!" Caleb said noting her icy body language.

Carolyn threw the large empire pillows on the bed and turned to Caleb. "Caleb this is not the time for visitors. How could you have invited her here! Especially after everything that she did to your father!"

"She's my mother Carolyn." Caleb said sternly. "I won't turn her away. No matter what she did. I've put that in the past. I think you should too."

Carolyn lifted an eyebrow  cryptically "We'll see about that."

*   *   *   *

Earlier that evening Alexandra had received a text message from Christopher to meet her at a coffee shop in downtown Collinsport, he said he needed to talk to her. She had a feeling it had to do with her father's death. The Jack/Leopold  situation had progressed so quickly she hadn't had time to explain. Her nerves were on edge.

It was now just a half hour  before the full moon was visible, and Christopher, unknowing was putting not only his and Alex's life in jeopardy but the whole town of Collinsport.

Christopher pulled into the parking lot and could see Alex waiting inside the coffee shop and as he got out his car his father's jeep quickly and recklessly turned into the parking lot too, throwing an icy sludge from the ground all over Chris.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Chris said to his father as he dusted the Ice off.

"You have to come home." Victor said.

"No!" Chris said defiantly.

"Get into the jeep Chris, right now! Do you hear me, there is no time!" Victor said grabbing his son's forearm.

"No time? What are you taking about?" Chris asked confused.

Victor grabbed Chris and they began to struggle in the parking lot. Pushing and shoving each other between the cars. Victor could not get a good grip over his powerful son who was stronger then he even knew, Victor feared Chris would soon overpower him.

"Dad, what are you doing!?" Chris said looking over at Alex in the shop hoping she wouldn't see them arguing.

As Chris turned to look Alex Victor removed one of the syringes filled with the sedative and plunged it into Chris' neck causing him to instantly faint in his father's Arms.

Victor quickly dragged his sleeping son to the back of his jeep and place him in the back tying his legs and hands together, then closing the back.

He jumped into the front seat and started to drive off just as the night clouds parted and the moon was revealed. A beam of lunar light seeped into Victor's jeep as they drove back home, and then just as Victor's worries began his sons transformed quickly, and fiercely into a sharp toothed angry werewolf, a beast.

Series 1/Chapter 8: TRAPPED LIKE A WITCH

At Collinsport's local watering hole, The Blue Wale, Kat anxiously awaited Caleb for their impromptu date. She sat in a window seat table overlooking the same docks of the Collinsport marina that Jack Thorne's body was pulled out of the night before...or what everyone believed to be Jack's body. Kat's suspicions that the family knew more than they were leading the police to believe on how Jack disappeared and what or who was involved made her more aware of just how much her old High School friend Caleb Collins admired her.

And she was about to use that admiration to get herself inside the Collins inner circle to find out what really happened to Jack.

Kat sat in a leather jacked and black top, causally listening to the house jazz band play some standards while the noisy bar carried on with their own conversations never paying much attention to the hardworking musicians. The 50 year old jut-box sat in the corner, a small reminder of the old days of The Blue Whale were the music wasn't life but from the old box that required a dime a song.

A waitress named Leigh smiled and poured another drink for Kat.

"Don' tell me he isn't coming." Leigh said.

"He's coming! ...at least I hope." Kat nervously grinned.

"I'll keep your tab open." Leigh smiled a cynical grin and walked off.

Kat waited for another 15 minutes and two more of Leigh's sarcastic laced drinks and finally Caleb rushed into the Blue Wale and made his way to Kat's table, clearly flustered on his tardiness.

"I was just about to give up on you." Kat said with a snap in her voice, after all she didn't really want a date, just an inside look to the Collins family, Caleb's heart was the key.

"I'm so sorry I'm late Kat,  I had a little bit of car trouble." he said pointing to Leigh to bring him the same drink as Kat.

"Car trouble? Aren't you a member of the wealthiest family in Maine? You own half this town. Money shouldn't be an object for repairs or a new car." Kat asked sarcastically as she sipped her cocktail.

"I see you've jumped on to that bandwagon." Caleb said before Kat interrupted.

"Bandwagon?" She laughed.

"The family has hit some hard times, it's not as it used to be. The fishing fleet has slowed down, the investments my family had have dried up, money is tighter. You've seen the mansion! It's not up to its hay-day glory. That's why Jack was here in the first place. We were planning on selling everything off." Caleb explained as the waitress Leigh plopped his drink on the table with an annoyed look on her face.

Kat nodded, she could see it was a touchy subject, but she was happy to hear he brought up Jack.

"But anyway, I'm glad you asked me out tonight." Caleb moving on to the next subject.

"Me too. Its been so long since we last hung out, and since it's all been so crazy I thought you needed a night away. How're your cousins holding up?" Kat asked.

"Better then I thought. They had Jack cremated and buried on the Collinswood grounds. So, it all went fast. Poor guy." Caleb said reciting the tale Carolyn and Leopold had crafted for the body of the transient Leopold killed.

Kat was stunned, she hadn't expected the remains to be given to the family so quickly, and certainly not before she could order a second autopsy.

"Cremated? They cremated Jack already?" Kat asked surprised.

"Yeah, that's what Carolyn said he wanted. Why?" Caleb asked starting to feel interrogated.

"Just seems so quick." Kat said noticing his discomfort.

"Did you call me out to ask me about my cousin's funeral or, did you have ulterior motives? Because I'm certainly hoping for ulterior motives." Caleb boyishly grinned as he sipped from his beer, trying to make sense of her scattered conversation.

Kat did have ulterior motives, but they weren't the kind Caleb was hoping for. She had an itching feeling the Collins family was hiding something and that the body found in the water wasn't actually Jack. But now with the body gone it would be harder to prove.

And just as the two got a little deeper into their conversation, Leigh brought over something different to the table to see Kat and Caleb: a tall beautiful blond woman dressed all in white. Her hair coiffed perfeclty, her eyes blue and bright. She was tall, and had a smile that would light up Collinsport's darknest night.

"Kids, Sorry to interrupt, but she said she was looking for you." Leigh said walking off leaving the blond at the table.

Caleb's eyes became wide and filled with a look of utter shock. He stood, and looked at the woman in front of him as if he had seen a ghost. This was a woman he hadn't seen in over 15 years, a woman that came back from his past.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice slightly monotone and timid.

The woman removed her gloves and put her chilly hands on  his face and smiled with a little tear coming down  her cheek.

"I've come back. I'm here." The tall blond said to Kat's surprise.

"Where have you been? What have you..." Caleb said, his voice trembling.

The woman only smiled and pulled Caleb in for a big hug. She held on to him for what seemed like hours. Kat sat at their table, the lights from the Collinsport marina shining in from the docks and reflecting off of the tall blond's beautiful face.

"Kat..." Caleb said releasing himself from the hug. "This is my mother."

****

Over on Collinwood, Leopold sat in his darkened room lit only by a small candelabra nearest the window. He was thinking about what his life would be come. Everything that was, was gone, now the only thing left behind was a creature created selfishly by a witch to use for whatever cruel plot she had in mind.

. As he sat in silence there was a knock on the door. Leopold paused for a second and thought that it was his imagination, but it wasn't. The front door of the old house squeaked open and in walked Carolyn, Jack's beloved wife.

"Carolyn, what are you doing here?" He asked as he stood up from his chair.

"I needed to see you. I know that now things are awfully changed, and we can't go back to how they were but...I just needed to see you." Carolyn standing in the foyer and looking into the room Leopold stood in.

"I can't begin to express how sorry I am that this has happened to you and to Alexandra, but I hope that we can all still somehow be a family. At least in some sort of capacity." Leopold said.

"Here, I wanted you to see this. Its a photograph and Jack and I when we were younger. You look so much like him, and yet so different." Carolyn said walking closer.

Leopold smiled and took the photograph and stood shocked how just how much he did look like Jack.

"There's still so much of Jack inside of you Leopold, I can see it. I hope that in the future when you feel that inside...you'll remember the human part of you. The Jack side of you." Carolyn said adjusting her coat from the chill of the room.

"Thank you for this." Leopold said as he placed it over the open flame of the candle and let it burn.

Carolyn stood in the room shocked and confused. "What are you doing?!?!" She yelled.

And to her horror Leopold began to morph from the light skinned, amber eyed man before her into the witch who created him, Claudia Bauchard, laughing at the pain she was causing Carolyn.

"Do you think he's still the same man? The same man that still loves you?" Claudia hissed. "Did you think coming here with this photo would turn  him back into your old withered husband. It's over Carolyn those days where you believed in true love are gone---forever!" Claudia said, coming closer to Carolyn.

"Stay back!" Carolyn said. "Stay back or I'll scream!"

"Scream all you like but no one will hear you. I control everything there is around Collinwood now, and everyone on this land. Even Leopold. He's mine now." Claudia said reaching for Carolyn to grab her.

Just then out of the shadows came Leopold's arm. He grabbed Claudia's wrist and yanked her to the floor knocking over furniture and old photo frames that were caked in dust and webs.

"Leave her!!" He growled as his eyes changed from amber to red.

"Careful my love, if your hungry, I am not the one to bite." Claudia warned again with a smirk, reminding the novice vampire of the toxicity of witches blood.

Carolyn stood in the foyer with tears in her eyes, not knowing what do next. She just stared at Leopold who had Jack's young face and couldn't believe her eyes.

"You think you have all control, but you have none." Leopold said lifting Claudia up.

For all her power of the people of Collinwood, Claudia made a crucial mistake in the spell over Jack when she turned him into her lost love Leopold Deverniet. her powers had only turned Jack into Leopold and gave him immortal life as a vampire but that's where the spell ended. She had no more control over his actions then anyone else and the will of his mind was still that of Jack Thorne.

Claudia tried to get away but Leopold's grasp was like a bear trap around her wrist, they struggled as he pulled her around the foyer and towards the front door, dragging her kicking and screaming.

"Where are you taking her?" Carolyn said from behind.

"Our little witch friend wants everyone here to suffer but never thought she'd have to suffer herself. But she will." Leopold said coldly as Claudia continued to struggle from his grip.

"Release me!!" Claudia screamed.

Leopold yanked on Claudia's arm and pulled her out into the snowy evening as Carolyn followed. He pulled her and pulled her all the way past Widow's Hill, the cliff-side which was at the far edge of the Collinwood property. The kept going further and further into the frozen night Claudia continuously locked in Leopold's strong hands.

Claudia tried desperately for release, muttering spells as she went, but nothing worked, Leopold's bewitched hand had severed her touch with black magic, and just then, they arrived at their destination. The Collins' Family tombs, Claudia's face turned serious, her once she stepped on to the hallowed grown of a cemetery her powers were useless.

Leopold kicked in open the gates and dragged a fighting Claudia onto the hallowed ground, Carolyn in tow. The walked over the frozen ground under the large canopy of beech-birch trees.

"Leopold what are doing?!" Carolyn screamed as she saw him go to her mother Elizabeth's tomb.

"Locking her away forever, so she cant hurt anyone ever again." He said as he opened the tomb next to Elizabeth's and threw Claudia down inside of the heavy stone sarcophagus that belonged to Elizabeth's grandmother Catherine.

Claudia screamed as she fell into the sarcophagus face first, as she turned her body around all she could see was a giant slab of stone close down upon her and lock. She pounded on the stone as much she could but she was trapped. Her powers were useless and she was locked away inside forever.

Leopold grabbed a horrified Carolyn and whisked her back to the main house at Collinwood, leaving a screaming and pounding Claudia alone inside the family mausoleum scratching and clawing at the stone cover powerless and livid.

But she had one more trick  up here sleeve that didn't require black magic, just very deep concentration, and it involved sweet Alexandra Thorne. Alexandra, Claudia thought, would be the key to her freedom.

Series 1/Chapter 7: THE FUTURE'S PAST

After eavesdropping on Leopold and Carolyn's chilly meeting in the snow Claudia retreated to her chambers within the secret passage ways inside the old house on Collinwood's land. Her jealousy and anger towards Leopold had boiled over. Everything she had worked for seemed to be slipping through her hands. Her plans, her revenge, her very existence depending on him falling back in love with her and doing her bidding. But it seemed her spell to change Jack into Leopold was not without it's flaws.

She felt betrayed by Leopold for not doing as she hoped: attacking Alexandra, and then revealing his identity to Carolyn: it was just one more note in the history books of her bad luck. The Collins family was the reason for her long unhappiness and loneliness, they reason for her mistrust and pain, the reason for her thirst for revenge; now a new generation had emerged thwarting every bit of justice she hoped for. The reparations she desired would only be paid when every last Collins family member was dead in their graves. It was all beginning to be too much for her.

She had a long history with the family. A history that went back decades. Her past was a patch work of secrets and lies that destroyed so much of her life, and now, in this time, the cracks were reforming, like stained-glass windows connecting one piece to another, her story would finally be told.

Claudia lay her head down on a soft bed inside a secret room in the old house. Her heart bounded in her chest. She closed her eyes, tears of rage trickled down her cheeks as she lay back in a trance like sleep that soon brought  dreams of her past.

**COLLINSPORT, MAINE 1850 **

In the dark of night the infamous Barnabas Collins, arrived inside Collinwood through a secret time portal that allowed one to pass through centuries of time without being detected. Within the walls of the old mansion, this time shifting portal saw Barnabas come and go many times over the years...this time period, one that was before the time of the old house, was no different.

Barnabas crept through the hallways of the old house as not to wake anyone who was living there. He was stealth, and sly. All the while holding a very precious  bundle with him that he carefully held in his arms. He had traveled back in time from the year 1972 where he had been living as a member of this family, his biggest, most darkest secret still deep inside his heart.

As he sneaked into an empty bed room to rest and was careful to make no noise. Still in his arms the tiny bundle, a sleeping baby girl he brought from the future, a baby he hoped would be kept all the dangers 1972 had to offer her. This baby, innocent and sweet, needed to be kept away from every evil that threatened her existence. Placing her almost 100 years in the past through time travel in safe keeping was Barnabas' only choice.

"No one will ever hurt you here. sweet Evangeline, no one. I promise to keep you safe from all harm. Especially from your mother." Barnabas whispered to the baby girl as she cooed at his face.

That night he and the baby girl slept well in the secret bedroom away from the unknowing family members in the home. The two had a long journey a head of them before dawn.

To keep the baby girl safe, Barnabas decided to place her in an orphanage in Boston, far away from her devious mother Angelique who had been living in 1972 under the assumed name Cassandra Collins, a clever guise she created to infiltrate the Collins family and be closer to Barnabas.

Under this disguise Cassandra had married Barnabas' cousin Roger, who was none the wiser to who she really was: she was the same witch, and former lover, who cursed Barnabas created him the night dwelling monster that he fought so hard against. Cassandra followed Barnabas into the future and attempted to ruin his life over and over again, at one point enchanting him and making him believe he was his true love Josette and seducing him into bed where the baby Evangeline was conceived.

Cassandra attempted to pass the baby off as Roger's but still use her as a stepping stone into Barnabas life by manipulation and cruel blackmail, but Barnabas was two steps ahead of her and would not allow her to ruin the child's life by using the baby against  him.

After the baby was born, Cassandra's days became numbered at Collinwood when an associate posing as her brother, Nicholas Blair, began blackmailing Cassandra into helping him destroy the family in his own twisted revenge plot. When that failed Cassandra disappeared with the baby girl. When Barnabas discovered them, he could not allow her to raise a child to be evil like her so he kidnapped Evangeline, leaving Cassandra do die alone of despair in her secret safe house just outside of Collinsport, never seeing her child again.



Just before dawn, 100 years in the past, Barnabas snuck out of the old house undetected with the baby girl he called Evangeline. He placed the baby in a small basket and rode for and hours and hours on horseback to Boston from Collinsport, finally reaching the orphanage where the baby he had conceived with Angelique, would be hidden away for her own safety. Angelique's body was not found, but her powers of sorcery were strong, her death would not impede her search for her missing child. Here, in this orphanage surrounded by nuns, Evangeline would be safe.

He handed the baby to two nuns at the gates of St. Catherine's Orphanage for girls.

"She is so small, and so sweet." A nun at the orphanage said as she reached for the baby girl. "Who gives her up?" She asked.

Barnabas thought for a second. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell the nuns the truth, the a vampire, a man of the living dead had conceived this baby with a daughter of the devil, a witch. He knew that they would not understand, nor would they accept Evangeline as innocent if her true pet-agree was divulged.

"Her mother could not care for her, she was a friend of mine many years ago but she went mad, this place, this is where this baby needs to be to stay safe. You must keep her safe." Barnabas said handing over extra blankets.

"Goodness. Well she will be very safe here sir, thanks to you. And who are you?" Replied a second nun.

"I am no one." Barnabas answered.

"Well you are to this baby. You saved her life. Whatever happened to the mother, this baby can thank you for that. A child is a gift from god, a gift that you are protecting by bringing her here to this place where god is strong." The other nun said.

Barnabas winched, he was beginning to feel uncomfortable, like the sun was starting to creep over the Church's steeple and pierce his skin, but the sun was only a figure of his imagination and displeasure with what the nuns were saying. Their crucifixes were burning his eyes, staring at him straight in the face.

"I must go!" Barnabas yelped, as his horse raised it's front legs restlessly.

Barnabas then thanked the nuns and smiled as best he could through the pain of seeing their crosses hanging from their necks.. As he turned to  prepare his horse for the journey back to Collinsport the first nun, still holding the baby, quickly called out to him before he rode off.

"Sir! Wait, her name! What is she called?" She asked.

Barnabas thought about telling the nuns the baby's name was Evangeline Collins, but saying her name, conjuring the truth could bring Angelique's dead spirit back...he paused....

"She was given no name. Name her as you wish." Barnabas said lying to keep the baby's identity safe.

"When was she born?" The first nun asked.

"Two days ago." Barnabas responded.

 The seventh of August." The first nun asked again.

Barnabas nodded yes.

"The seventh of August." The nun repeated.

"The feast of Saint Claudia." The second nun added. "That settles it,  we shall call you that. Claudia."

**COLLINSPORT, MAINE PRESENT DAY **

Christopher woke up the next morning sore from the night before. Next to his bed his phone chimed reminding him of several missed  text messages from Alexandra apologizing for the crazy first date. He smiled and text her back that it was the most exciting date he'd ever had, and hoped for another. She responded quickly, with  just a "😀"

Downstairs his father Victor was making coffee, waiting for Christopher, who was late, he finally called out to him.

"Hey! Boy you ever going to come down here?"

"Sorry, sorry! I over slept." Christopher said dashing around the table and grabbing the cup of coffee.

"What the hell happened to your lip?" Victor asked.

"Oh, craziest thing. Some weirdo jumped Alex and I last night. He didn't even take anything. Something must of scared him off. We were pretty lucky." Chris explained.

"Jumped? You were mugged? My god! Kid, why didn't you tell me?" Victor said standing up from the table.


"I don't know. No one got hurt so..."

"No one got hurt? Look at your lip!" Victor said grabbing his son's face.

"Dad calm down everything is fine." Chris said.

"I knew it. The minute you told me who those women were the other day, I knew something bad would happen. Nothing good comes from the people that live in Collinwood. Nothing." Victor explained.

"What are you talking about?" Chris questioned as he sipped his coffee.

"That family has a long history here kid, and it's filled with dangerous situations. The whole town knows their story. I don't think you should see her again." Victor warned.

"I'll see her again dad." Chris said furrowing his brow. "I'm not a kid anymore. I like her."

Christopher defiantly got up from the table. As he made his way back into his room he picked up his cell phone and logged into his favorite website, a local news blog. The headline read "Collins Family Member Found Dead in Bay".

It chocked Christopher like hands around his neck, but it got worse. The report said it was rumored to be the body of Alex's father Jack, yet Alex didn't seem fazed in her morning texts to him. Was Victor right? Something was definitely amiss. And he was going to find out what.

As Chris read the news on Alex's father, Victor went into his room and closed the door behind him. He  pulled out a large create from under his head and opened it. Inside were large wooden crucifixes, bottles of holy water and a gun  next to many rounds of silver bullets. He picked up the gun and loaded it, closed one eye and pointed it at the wall where there was a photo of Collinwood manor  and mouthed "pow!"

****

While Christopher Reed and his father Victor debated the Collins family over breakfast, the Collins family themselves had a few things to talk about now that it they knew Leopold was really Jack under Claudia's spell.

At their own breakfast table inside the ornate dinning room of the Collinwood Estate Alex, Caleb and Carolyn ate in relative silence. Perhaps still in shock over last nights events. The table was filled with everything you could think of when it came to breakfast, but no one seemed to have an appetite.

They were all up to speed on the events of the night before. Jack was now Leopold and under a strange spell by Claudia. It was all hard to believe, but Carolyn did. She knew it all too well.

"Are we going to mention what happens last night?" Caleb wondered out loud.

"We have to wait Caleb." Carolyn said sternly.

"No one else has questions?" He explained.

"Hundreds!! But we won't get answers until we hear from Ja... uhh, I'm sorry Leopold." Carolyn said catching herself.

As they all chewed awkwardly Kat and Loomis walked into the room. They both had very stern looks on their faces.

"Detectives!" Carolyn said in surprise.

"I apologize for barging in, the butler, Powell said you'd be in here." Loomis said.

"Of course! Any news?" Carolyn asked nervously.

"Mr. Thorne has been found Mrs. Thorne. And I'm sorry to tell you this....he's dead." Kat explained.

The family knew that it wasn't true, that it was all an elaborately conjured up by Leopold  as a cover for his new life as one of the undead. Someone had to die to make up for the lack of body for Jack and now the man Leopold killed would do just that The family had to play along as horrible as it was. Carolyn cried and Alex consoled her.

"Do you know how it happened?" Carolyn said, her tears real for the man she once loved was truly gone.

"We did find some strange wounds on his body, but the coroner is convinced that it was a suicide. There seems to be no foul play." Kat explained.

"So what were the wounds?" Alex questioned.

"Without getting too graphic and upsetting everyone, the coroner seems to believe that it could have been some kind of fish, or eel that leached on to your father's body in the water that made those marks." Loomis further explained causing Alex feel ill.

"Did you know if your father was depressed or feeling suicidal?" Kat questioned.

Carolyn quickly jumped into the conversation so that Alex wouldn't have to lie to police.

"He had his dark side yes, but I never thought he would do what he did. I want to thank you both for all you've done. If you wouldn't mind, I think we'd like to be alone now." Carolyn said, lying through her teeth to protect Leopold.

"Of course." Kat answered.

After  the family was briefed on details the detectives had on the situation, the detectives saw themselves out.

Kat placed her seatbelt on in the car but did not start the ignition.

"I don't know Loo. Something tells me there's more to this. There was no sign of trauma on the body aside from those little cuts on his neck and the coroner is ruling it a suicide, doesn't add up? Why would a wealthy man married to an even wealthier Collins family heiress do himself in?" Kat wondered.

"And how did his skin get that way?" Loomis wondered too.

"Water expose wouldn't do that, would it?" Kat answered confused.

"You think foul play?" Loomis responded. "That doesn't add up to me either, and the case is officially closed, what can we do?" He added.

"I don't know. But I've got to get inside that house more often, there's got to be answers there. That family knows more than they're leading on. And I know just the person who'll get me in." Kat said.

Kat picked up her cell phone and looked through the phone book. She found Caleb's number and text:

"I know your family is going through a lot today. Sorry again,  about Jack. If you need to get away meet me at the Blue Wale for a drink later. What do you say?"

She waited for a response but it didn't come. The detectives shrugged and began to make their way back to the station. As they drove Kat's phoned beeped.

"Your phone!" Loomis said

"Pick it up! Read it!!" Kat said excitedly  as  she drove.

"It's from Collins. He says 'Hey Kat. Blue wale sounds good. How's 9:00?'" Loomis read.

Kat smiled a Cheshire-Cat grin and said "I'm in!"

Series 1/Chapter 6: THE DEATH OF JACK THORNE

The winds continued to pick up speed, swirling around the turrets of Collinwood. Inside the great mansion, a family's anxiety began to bubble up, as one of their own was still missing. For Carolyn, the likelihood that Jack's disappearance was due to something more sinister and Collinwood related was becoming more and more clear every day he was gone.

"Thank you for meeting with me this evening." Detective Kat Banning said as she walked into the living room where Alexandra and Carolyn had been waiting. "We've done a very extensive investigation over the last few days and haven't had a single lead Mrs. Thorne. I'm hoping you've had better luck. Is there anything new that you were able to think of that might get us to some answers? It's almost as if he's just vanished into thin air." 

Carolyn swallowed a heap of air. Her mouth was dry. She could feel it in in her bones that something else was amiss. Over the years and in her youth, she witnessed various bizarre and unexplained occurrences similar to Jack's vanishing. This wasn't new for her, but explaining it to someone who may have a hard time understanding --and worse ---believing that maybe, just maybe, something supernatural had happened was a challenge within itself.

"No, detective Banning, I haven't. I agree with you,  it is as if Jack vanished into thin air. Things like that have happened before. People just ....go away." Carolyn said grabbing Alexandra's hand.

"What do you mean by that?" Kat asked, her mind scanning that statement for anything incriminating.

"I don't know. I can tell you that Jack wouldn't just leave me and Alex without telling us why. He wasn't the type of man to do things of that nature. He loved us."

"Well no one is saying otherwise Mrs. Thorne. I just think that maybe.....well maybe someone knows more than they're saying." Kat answered closing her note pad.

"I think we're just under a lot of pressure, thats all." Alexandra said, clutching her mother's hand and trying to quell the tension in the room.

"What we've decided to do is continue our investigation, but minimize the man power on the case until we have some sort of lead. At this time we have officers searching the grounds here and around town and the waterways for any kind of sign of Mr. Thorne, but as of just before I came to see you, there hadn't been any new news." Kat explained again.

"I understand." Carolyn said with tears in her eyes.

"Please, if you do hear anything, or see anything or find anything, give me a call." Kat said handing her another business card.

She excused herself walked over to the foyer where Caleb was waiting at the end of the staircase.

"So level with me, what do you really think? I've known Jack for almost my whole life and this really doenst seem like something he'd do." Caleb questioned.

"Well, obviously something isnt right. A 72 year old man doesn't just vanish into thin air without a good reason." Kat said.

"What about what Carolyn said? Things like this have happened before." Caleb mentioned.

"What did she mean by that?"

"She meant this house. You grew up in Collinsport, you've heard all the stories, and listen, I'm not saying something weird happened, but would you consider it?" Caleb asked the beautiful brunette detective.

"Are you seriously asking me to consider if Jack Thorne's disappearance is related to some sort of folklore? Caleb, come on!" Kat said with a wide grin.

"Look, I know, it sounded crazy in my head when I thought about it too, but my father's family has had some really dark and twisted things happen to them and no one can explain it. No one outside the family that is.  Kat, Look at me...." Caleb said, his face turning serious "This could be really bad. We still don't know where my own father is."

"I don't care what people say about this house. Jack did not go into some kind of ghostly time warp thing. He either left on his own, or someone ...someone took him. This family is loaded! I'm guessing as soon as the kidnappers find out Carolyn is back in town you'll all receive a ransom note. And as horrible as this sounds, that's exactly what we want. That ransom note will get us clues where, right now, we dont have any." Kat answered matter of factly. 

Caleb backed down, and smirked. She was the same Kat he remembered from high school. Strong willed. Smart and still very beautiful. He had been in love with her for so many years but that admiration came to stand still when his father too disappeared from Collinsport and his mother left him in Carolyn's care in London.

"You know it's been really nice seeing you again. Maybe we can hang out? Drinks? My treat." Caleb said flirting with Kat.

She smiled and put on her jacket ready to brave the snowy cold outside. As she flipped her thick black hair out from under her coat she turned to him and winked.

"I'll call you."

Back in the living room Carolyn again stared blankly out onto the frozen garden outside that looked out onto the Old house, she noticed what looked like candle light coming from one of the windows. "What in...." she said, confused as Alex was looking in the mirror adjusting her earrings. 

"Mother I just don't feel right going out to meet Christopher tonight with everything thats going on."

"What's that?" Carolyn answered turning back from the window where she saw the candles from the Old House.

"Are you ok? You look like you saw a ghost." Alex said noting her mother's ashen appearce, a side-effect of the shock at seeing some sort of activity at the Old House when she was sure no one had been there in decades.

"I think I'm just tired, and of course everything about your father being gone." Carolyn said decding not to say anything about what she saw in out of the window.

"That's exactly why I shouldn't have taken Chris up on the date tonight. What kind of daughter am I going out, leaving you here on your own and daddy still missing!' a guilt ridden Alex said.

"Oh stop it! I know you're worried about your father too, but we can't just stop our lives. We're going to find him, honey, we will, but we also have to carry on living normally until then. Besides, it's nice that you're making new friends in Collinsport. It'll get your mind off of everything that's happening" Carolyn said hugging her guilt-ridden daughter.

"No it won't. I'll be thinking about you and him all night." Alex answered.

"You have to take a break. Chris seems nice, and ....well, you need it honey." Carolyn reassured  her.

"Ok, but I won't be out long. I promise, a few hours tops and then I'll be back here before you know it." Alex said picking up her coat and heading out in to the frosty night.

****

It was later that evening and the shops around the small downtown of Collinsport were closing up, restaurants and bistros were switching to their dinner menus. Alex and Christopher walked along a snowy path in Founder's Park talking about everything they liked, and everything they didn't. The typical first date jitters were masked by shivering of the winter air.

As they walked they never noticed the shadowy figure following every step behind. The figure was Leopold still hungry and waiting for his first real taste of fresh blood. His sites were set on the young Alexandra.

The couple continued to walk and talk and laugh. Making eye contact then shyly looking away never noticing they were going off into a much denser part of the park covered in thick bushes and ever-greens. Leopold, dressed in his thick black peacoat with his color lifted, protecting his neck from the icy wind on his face knew this would be his chance.

He walked closer and closer to the couple doing everything he could not to be detected. But he failed, as he approached he stepped on some fallen branches making a sound that started the couple.

They quickly turned to see Leopold frozen in his tracks.

"Hey!" Christopher yelled back at the follower. "Do you need something?" 

Leopold zeroed in on Christopher, the vampire hissed, his amber eyes turned to fire red. He lunged on at Christopher in a quick motion that made him look like a flash of light knocking Alexandra to the floor and into a snow bank.

The two men rolled around on the floor punching and kicking each other. Leopold kept trying to bite but there was something about Christopher, something that turned Leopold off, his blood was not desirable for some reason. Instead of a succulent bite, the vampire was repulsed and jump off his victim.

Undeterred, Christopher lunged back and Leopold and swung three times, missing the shadow dweller each time.  Leopold smiled evily and reached out with this long, strong arms and grabbed Chris by the throat. While in this hold, Leopold lifted Christopher up by the neck to Alexandra's horror, and threw him up against a wall the that held up a walking bridge just above them. Christopher fell unconscious to the floor into a mound of snow.

With Chris out cold, Leopold then turned to Alexandra, his first choice of prey. She screamed but no one came to her rescue. Leopold began to walk closer and breath harder. She kept walking backwards keeping her eyes right on the monster in front of her. As he got closer and closer he could feel the vibration of her pulse float through the air, it pumped harder and harder, and only intensified as he came closer.

"What do you want from me?" Alex said as Leopold stepped closer. "I can give you money. I can give you as much as you want." 

"This wont  hurt a bit." He said in a deep menacing voice.

And as Leopold got close he grabbed Alexandra's face, then a flash of Jack's memory came to his mind. He recognized Alex...his own daughter.  Suddenly Leopold's eyes changed again from the deep red back to the amber, his fangs returned to their natural state, changing his entire face. When the twisted vampire's face returned to normal, Alex too recognized the man...it was the exact same face of her father when he was younger. She rememeberd  his face from photos and memories of her youth. She couldn't believe her eyes, but it was true, the man, the monster, right in front of her had morphed from a vicious blood thirsty creature to the face of her father as a young man.

Leopold backed up and covered his face realizing what was happening and what he was about to do. His mind racing was filling with Jack's memories of his past life, his wife, and his daughter, the woman he was about to murder with a single bite.

"Daddy? Daddy is that you?" Alex said, slowly stepping closer to the man with his hands over his face. "How is this possible? Daddy?" Alexandra said again, slowly stepping closer to him.

"Stay back!! Don't come any closer!!" Leopold yelled now starting to back away himself.

"It is you, isnt it?! What...what's happened to you...my god!" Alex said running up to her father and grabbing his coat collar, horrified of what she had just witnessed. 

Leopold pealed Alex's hands off of his coat and tried to get away but tripped and fell on the path. When he got up Alex was directly above him, and now there was no question in her mind. It was indeed her father's young face. She knew it deep inside her heart, but she couldn't explain it.

Christopher began to groan in pain and regain consciousness over by the wall where Leopold threw him in a rage. Alex knew as soon as Chris was able to, he'd come back and try to protect her from the assailant that, inexplicably, was her own father. She had to think quickly and protect her father.

Alex quickly helped Leopold up and whispered for him to run. 

She then quickly turned back to see Christopher getting up out of the snow as Leopold rushed off into the winter shadows of Founder's Park. 

"Are you ok?" Alex said helping Christopher up.

"I'm fine!" Chris said, rubbing the bump on his head "What the hell happened? Did he hurt you? Did he take anything?" Christopher asked looking around to see if the assailant was still around.

"I'm fine. Oh you have a little cut on your lip too." Alex said wiping his lip for him. "It was a mugger, but he didn't get anything. He just took off running." Alex said looking in the direction her father ran off too. "Come on, lets get you home."

****

Leopold's mind felt out of control. His memories from his previous life as Jack were filling his brain. How could he have almost killed his own daughter. No matter who he was now, she was still his flesh and blood. He sat in an empty room at the Old House filled with candles and roaring fire. The guilt seeping into faster and faster.

Claudia, the witch who made him this way stood in the corner of the room fuming at his defeat. 

"You failed Leopold." She said telepathically into Leopold's mind.

"What have you done to me? You've made me a monster thirsty after the blood of his own kin!" Leopold replied to her our loud. 

"Forge them! They're nothing to you anymore! The only thing they are good for is the blood in their veins, without them, you'll die!" She said swooping around him in her red cloak.

"You're insane. I cannot drink from Alexandra. I should rip open your veins right here right now and end us both." Leopold said jumping up and grabbing Claudia's neck.

"Do that, and the curse of this home and this family will haunt your sweet  Alexandra and her mother the rest of their lives. I've made it so that if anything happens to me, they're lives will be destroyed. Is that what you really want? Their lives are so precious to you, but you'll put them in danger by killing me?" Claudia warned with a slight trick to her curse.

"You're the monster." Leopold hissed at her.

"I am my mother's daughter." Claudia replied, her voice slightly strained from the choking grab of Leopold's hand

Leopold released Claudia dropping her to the floor. He put on his thick peacoat and dashed out of the old house, his mind split between the monster Leopold that Claudia had created and Jack Thorne, the man he once was. As he walked out of the Old House front door he saw Carolyn standing in the frozen garden that grew between the main house and the Old House. she had come to investigate the mysterious candle light coming from the Old House.

She stood in the frozen, dark night. Their eyes met. Her breath came out of her mouth in puffs of frosty smoke and she realized it was the man she married, his face the way it looked when they met decades ago and were married.

"My God!" Carolyn said stunned. "It's you." She said in a whisper.

"Carolyn..........I ...." Leopold said, his voice still in tone of Jack's.

"What....my god, what has  happened to you!?" Carolyn said, tears spilling from her eyes.

"Something terrible. Something more wicked and twisted than your nightmares can ever imagine." Leopold said, stepping into the garden now eye to eye with his wife from a different life.

"I thought I'd never see you again, but....I just never expected this." Carolyn answered.

"How did you know where to find me?" Leopold said covering his face.

Carolyn said nothing put her hands on Leopold's face, her hand trembled from the cold, she looked deep into the eyes she fell in love with, hers were now of a woman in her early 70's and his were of the 30-something young man she fell in love with. She began to sob and fell into his arms.

"I saw the candles through the living room windows earlier this evening." Carolyn said, revealing how she discovered Leopold. "I don't understand Jack, I don't understand!" She kept repeating.

"I'm not sure how I can explain it. But it's not a trick, its much worse." Leopold said.

"The police, they think you're missing. How are we going to explain you're a live, and....and you look so much younger?" Carolyn questions still crying.

"There is no way that I can come back to how I was, not now at least. That's all the past now. This is who I am. This is what I am." Leopold said.

"What do you mean 'what' you are?" his wife questioned.

"Someone......someone made me something."

Carolyn released herself from Leopold's hold. She stepped back and wiped her tear stained face. It was all becoming clear now, she had had seen this before, many many years ago. This man had become one with the shadows, one with the darkness, one of the undead.

"I've seen this look before, I can feel it now, I can feel what you are in my heart and in my body. Its like it was with Barnabas. It's come back to us... I know what you are." Carolyn confessed.

"I can never resume my regular life. Its too late for that, and because of this we must make it so that everyone believes Jack has died. Carolyn, Whatever happens from here on out, go with my plan. Do not question me at all costs. It must remain a secret."

Leopold buttoned up his jacket and rushed off into the snowy night.

Carolyn was stood alone in the snow shivering, her eyes filled with tears, not knowing what would happen next but knew the darkness she hoped to have left behind when she moved from Collinsport to London were again reemerging. 

And inside the Old House, an eavesdropping Claudia seethed with jealously of their love. Her eyes burned, the tears streaming down her face like lava making paths down her cheeks. 

****

Kat and Loomis arrived to the Collinsport harbor docks around 2am in the morning. The flashing red and blue lights of the parked police cruisers reflected in their unmarked car like forth of July fireworks. The two detectives were ushered over by a uniformed police officer to a large yellow tarp covering something that was fished out of the ocean.

The officer looked at them with an eyebrow lifted and pealed back the tarp, there laying in salt water puddle was a withered corpse of an older man.

"What do we have here?" Loomis asked another  police officer's on the scene.

"Dead guy, looks like he's been here for a while, couple of days at least" The officer said shining his flash light into the water.

"No, this guy's been here for a least a few hours--tops!" Kat answered kneeling down at the body for a better look.

"How can you tell?" The uniformed cop asked, the flashing police lights still reflecting their light, this time on the yellow Police line tape around the scene.

"His skin. I'd guess...." Kat began before Loomis interrupted.

"5 hours."

Kat agreed

"There's no bloating. Its like the opposite happened. He....he looks like he's been drained." Loomis added.

"Of everything." The cop said.

"What do you mean?" Loomis asked.

"Well, there's no blood. Like none. There's these two little wounds on his neck and when the coroner came out, he noticed there was no more bleeding. Like, the blood just stopped."

Kat and Loomis looked at each other confused, baffled even.

"Any ID?" Kat asked as she removed her plastic examining gloves. 

"Yup, that's why we called you two, aren't you looking for a fella named Jack Thorne? I think we found him." The police officer said handing them Jack's wallet.

Kat and Loomis were stunned at the turn of events. And standing just out of site in a darkened corner of the docks observing everything was Leopold, his belly full of fresh blood and his former life now extinguished.

Jack was gone forever, thanks to a homeless man Leopold fed on that he found drunk and sleeping in Founder's park. 

Series 1/Chapter 5: LEOPOLD AWAKENS

The sea thrashed against the razor sharp rocks along the coastline that made up the cliff known as Widow's Hill. The wind blew fiercely, howling through the trees and the pitch black of night, in the distance a small figure began to imerge from the mansion. It was Alexandra, dressed only in her nightgown, no shoes, no coat, her hair blowing wildly in the wind.

She was headed for the edge of Widow's Hill.

 Alexandra walked across the grass slowly listening to the waves crash against the cliff side, stronger and stronger the beat up-against the rocks. As she got closer and closer, she could feel the crash in her chest like a beating drum, pumping and pounding the beats of her heart. The wind was like ice and the clouds above were like silver pillows filling the sky.

"There's nothing left for you Alexandra. This is your fate." said a voice from in her mind. 

Alexandra could feel eyes watching her from some unknown place. Their presence was heavy and cold, constantly pushing her closer and closer to the edge and wind blew harder and harder pulling her in all directions. Suddenly, Alex's instincts told her to turn around, they told her to look behind her, they told her to do it fast. The eyes watching her were behind her. Alex turned quickly and there standing behind in her in the frozen white snow was the dark haired woman in a blood red cloak.

"Who....Who are are you?" Alexandra said as the woman floated closer to her above the snow.

Alexandra shivered in her nightgown and started to back away from the approaching woman in the red cloak came closer and closer extending her arms in Alexandra's direction.

"What do you want from me? Who are you?" Alex screamed over the howling icy wind.

The woman in red, was the same woman who had taken Jack. She got as close as she could to Alex and whispered only one word in her ear, "Claudia." 

Then Claudia pushed Alex off of Widow's Hill. 

Alexandra screamed as she fell to her impending death, but just before her body fell on to the spike like  black sea rocks to her death Alex woke up screaming in her warm bed inside the mansion. 

"Darling? Are you OK? I heard you scream." Carolyn said rushing through Alex's bedroom door.

"I was falling. I was ....someone pushed me...I was falling!" Alex said hysterically as she double checked her surrounding.

"Pushed you? What do you mean?" Carolyn said hugging her panicked daughter.

I don't know, I was walking in the cold and a woman was behind me, she whispered to me something.....a name....I don't remember....then she pushed me from the cliff." Alex said burring her face in her mother's chest.

"It was just a nightmare, you're here, you're ok." Carolyn consoled running her fingers through Alex's blond hair.

"It was so real. I can still smell the sea. I can still feel her hands pushing me. What was the name...what did she tell me her name was?" Alex said trying to remember.

"Was a name you heard before?" Carolyn wondered.

"I think so, but not a name of someone I know." Alex answered.

"Well it wasn't real. You're safe and you're here with me." Carolyn confirmed kissing her daughter on the forehead.  "Detective Banning called, she wanted to come by this afternoon, but I asked her to come this evening. I wanted to run out to the store and get more things for us. Would you mind coming with me?" Carolyn then asked politely.

"Of course, just give me  sometime to get out of this bed." Alexandra answered feeling silly about her nightmare.

"I'll meet you downstairs." Carolyn said as she walked out of the room.

Alex shook her head in disbelief. She was a 25 year old woman having childlike nightmares and felt silly. But the truth was, she was terrified. The dream felt real to her, ever element around her from the frozen grass on her feet to the feeling of wet sea-spray covering her exposed skin was real. She could still feel the water from the on her arms. 

Alex got up from her bed and looked at herself in the mirror and whispered: "Claudia." 

The two later went and braved the cold and were driven by their driver, Powell, to the store to gather supplies they needed for the house. It had been a while since Carolyn had set foot in town. But not much had changed. The town had grown some from what Carolyn could remember, more homes, more buildings, even Collins Enterprises had  become 12 story high-rise in the center of town by the marina, the tallest building in the small fishing village.

Founder's Park, with the copper statue of Collinsport's founding father Issac Collins still stood strong. The lake in the center of park named after Issac's wife Annabella sparkled in the winter sun.

As they left the grocery store, Caroly and Alex hurried back to their car  where Powell was waiting for them. The snow was about to fall again and Carolyn wanted to make sure to avoid a frothy drive home. As they made their way back to the car the town's people were already starting to whisper and gather in little groups in the parking lot togawking and the strangers, strangers that oddly seemed familiar.

"They're looking at us funny." Alex said trying to get back into the car.

"Excuse me miss!" A man's voice said from behind.

Alex turned and a handsome man with big brown eyes, thick fingers and dark hair handed Alex her wallet.

"You dropped this back there." He said smiling.

"Oh thanks! I would have been lost without it." she said smirking.

"I'm Christopher. Are you new here?" He asked, suddenly smitten with the beautiful Alexandra. 

"Yes! Well, I am! My mother is actually from here. I'm Alex." Alex responded.

"Oh....." Christopher said, standing awkwardly with Alex by the car door.

Carolyn noticing the strange interaction decided to break the ice and interject.

"Hello!" Carolyn said from the back-driver's-side of the SUV.

"Oh hi! Umm... I'm Christopher ...Chris...Chris Reed." he said introducing himself to Carolyn too, still awkward. 

"Carolyn Stoddard-Thorne, its a pleasure Mr. Reed... We're just about to leave."  Carolyn said, helping Chris with his exit.

"Listen, I know this is really sudden and your mom seems to be in a hurry, but could I call you sometime? Show you around maybe?" Christopher said in his shy 25 year old voice.

Alex blushed and placed beautiful blond strands of hair behind her ears and nodded yes. She went through her purse and pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen to write her number.

Christopher ran back to his own car where his father awaited him in the passenger side.

"Finally! What was that all about, I thought you were just going to take her the wallet you saw her drop." His father Victor grumbled.

"I did, but she's really cute." Christopher said smiling.

"God. Whats her name?" his father responded.

"Alex. She's new, cute british accent, her mother though is from here.  Carolyn something...Stoddard? yeah that's it. Carolyn Stoddard-Thorne. Guess she used to live here."

Victor's eyes became serious. He knew exactly who she was.

****

At the old house, in a darkened bedroom, candles splashed a gloomy red light on the walls.
There had been someone else living in the House for a very long time, awaiting the perfect storm to finally strike: he mysterious woman in red that attacked Jack and appeared to Alexandra in her dream, the woman named Claudia ,

Claudia was a powerful sorceress watching over Collinwood, she had hidden away there through years of abandonment. Collinsport was practically void of any family members and the state of the family compound, Collinwood, was in decay. But she remained there. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. For one man in particular. 

An old family secret involving Claudia kept here there... Plotting her revenge on the Collins family she saw as her one true enemy

.

The old house was dark and damp and lit by only candles. Claudia made her way from her champers to another dark room that was also filled with candles. There were thousands of them, lit with a snap of her fingers, melting fuming all around her and in the center of the room, a small black coffin with the initials BC carved meticulously on the very top.

Claudia's true love, a man by the name of Leopold,  died years and years ago. When she saw Jack enter the main house two days before, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Jack, albeit older now, was the spitting image of her long lost love Leopold. She watched Jack walk up the path and into the house and knew it was fate that had brought him back to her. Claudia would not neglect the opportunity for the reunion with him, and with her powerful spells, she would revive Leopold through Jack for her to love once more and together they would seek revenge on the family that had brought Claudia so much pain and suffering. 

Claudia took a breath and removed the hood of her blood red cloak and carefully opened the coffin lid.

She gasped!

There he was, the exact image of her lost love just as he looked the day he died. Young. Beautiful. Filled with youth and vigor. The spell to reverse Jack's aging and turn him back into a young man had worked, inside this new being's mind would be the memories of two men, the love of Claudia's life and the man who Carolyn was searching for, her own love, Jack Thorne.

"Leopold. Wake my love, It's Claudia." the witch said leaning in for a kiss.

As she got closer to kiss his lips, Jack's eyes and mouth snapped open! His teeth had now two long fangs protruding, he hissed and grabbed Claudia by the neck and seemingly flew out of the coffin pushing her to the wall knocking over candles and tables. Her spell was not only one to bring back the dead in a new body, but was one that would make Leopold blood thirsty and immortal.

He now a vampire and he was starving for blood.

Claudia reached around and placed her hands on his face, then released a powerful jolt of energy, like sunlight, blasting Leopold  away.

"You fool! You cannot feed from me! You'll kill us both." Claudia explained.

Leopold's renewed life inside of Jack's body that had been bewitched to look younger gave him a dangerous hunger, his thoughts were confused and jumbled mixing those of Jack's and Leopold's. Vampires cannot feed from witches. A Witch's blood is tainted by Satan, something the new Leopold would have to learn again.

"What am I?" He said as his fangs slowly morphed back into normal incisors "What have you made me?"

"Soon your memories of life as Jack will fade, and only Leopold's will remain. I've made you perfect. I've made you immortal. That is, unless you become foolish and feed from a witch." Claudia explained as she went over to comfort the confused vampire now cowering on the floor next to his coffin.

Just then came the sound of Carolyn and Alexandra's car rustling up in the snow of the stone driveway of the main house.

"Look! There. Tonight, when the sun has set, and the fog has rolled in. There is you next feed." Claudia said pulling Leopold up by his arm, her red cloak still securely around her shoulders.

Leopold's Amber eyes gazed out of the boarded up windows of the small house behind Collinwood. He squinted in the bright sun light but then, through  the cracked wooden board saw his former wife and daughter getting out of their car.

Leopold's eyes turned red. He was hungry, and thirsty. Not even Jack Thorne inside of him could stop his maddening cravings for blood. Anybody's.

"The night will come soon my love." Claudia said turning him from the window.

"Love?? This is not love! What have you done to me! You've made me a monster again!" Leopold said pushing Claudia's arms away.

"What? But this is who you were?" She said.

Leopold's memories were foggy and confused, but he knew that this is not who he was. This is who she had made him and he began to remember how it all started.

  ***COLLINWOOD In another time****

Years ago when Claudia first met Leopold, she was suspicious of him. His beauty was alluring but she had many secrets and lived as someone else. Hiding herself Hiding who she was as to continue her quest to find her family and seek revenge on those who wronged her all her life. He met her, and  as her love for him grew, so did the her lies. And her secrets. 

Despite their troubles they fall in love albeit a tortured one. Eventually time and truth caught up to came Claudia. She exposed herself as the daughter of a witch, and that she too carried the gift of sorcery and black magic. How could he go on with their love with such a secret. It was a shame and a dark curse upon them both. Most of all, for Leopold, it was deadly. 

He fell into a deep depression after losing his heart to her. How could he go on, he thought, without her? Leopold was no stranger to lost love. He had lost a love before, and stronger love, a love that he had paid dearly for and now, he was losing it all over again, this time with Claudia. 

In a dark frothy night, Leopold walked found himself stalking Claudia near Widow's Hill. A 300 foot cliff side awash with dark and violent crashing waves called to him. When Claudia detected him they argued. She knew in her heart they could not go on together. Not now, not ever. Their love was never ever to be

. In that moment of despair and loss Leopold could no longer live knowing his beloved Claudia was a daughter of such dark individual. 

Then there was a physical struggle between the two lovers. A fight at the edge of a hill known for lost loves and death. 

Leopold felt as if he has no choice and to take the woman whom he knew as a witch to death with him at the edge of the hill ….but his plan failed and fell to his death to the crashing waves below, leaving Claudia screaming and crying on the Widow's Hill cliff side. His body impaled at the bottom and crushed by waves.

His deep secret safely gone with him in his watery death. 

That is the moment Claudia knew the secret of her true identity is what made her life to this point a disaster and a living hell, and someone needed to pay, and pay dearly.

After Leopold's death, Claudia became a recluse. Locked away her heart and her mind inside a room where she would remain until the time was right to emerge with the truth of who she was, the daughter of a witch and a monster. And they would all pay dearly for causing her centuries of loss and pain.

 ****COLLINWOOD, PRESENT TIME**** 

"I know those women." Leopold said coming back from his memory and seeing Alex and Carolyn from the window. His eyes now back to Amber and glowing in the candle light.

"They are relatives of Barnabas." Claudia said, the name Barnabas sizzling off her tongue.

Leopold turned to Claudia, his newly young face still frozen in anger, but now a glimmer of hope. Even though he was now a monster, dammed for all eternity to feed off of blood to stay alive, perhaps at least killing every last member of the Collins family would make it worth it, if it weren't for them Claudia wouldn't be who she was, and he would never have had to jump from Widow's Hill.

"I can feel their blood pumping." Leopold said, his eyes closing the smell of Carolyn and Alex's blood filling his brain.

If he was going to be miserable, why not spread the misery around.