Series 3/Chapter 10: CIVIL WAR

The full moon sank under the grey clouds beyond the horizon, settling in for it's own slumber allowing for a brilliant morning sun to wash all over Collinsport.

It was a new day. One that would bring new beginnings that were stained with the curse of past events. One such curse, the Collins family knew well, the curse of death.

Off on a desolate and wooded part of the land around Collinwood, Kimberly and Caleb searched for Christopher who ran off in the chaos of the night, the chaos of killing Leopold.

They searched every corner of the woods and finally found Christopher laying naked, shivering and covered in morning dew fresh off his deadly transition from the werewolf.

Caleb and Kimberly looked at each other, saddened at what had to be done to insure their family's security. But at the same time they both knew deep down inside, this was not the end.

They picked Christopher up, wrapped him in blankets and helped back to Collinwood.


At the mansion, Carolyn had not slept, and was struggling to deal with Jack's death yet again, even when she explained it to Alexandra who at this point seemed accustomed to all the horror around her.

With the help of Caleb and Sebastian, they buried Leopold on Eagle Hill, the cemetery on the Collinwood land that held the remains of every single Collins family member since the 18th century.

It was a long and complicated morning. Each of the Collins family members dealing with the death of Leopold in a different way: Caleb and Kimberly felt relief, Alexandra kept her emotions distant, for she no longer saw Leopold as her father Jack, and Carolyn was completely devastated.

She stood alone gazing out of one of the large windows in the drawing room, dressed in all black, her hair up in a tight clench, and pearls around her neck and dotting her ears. She was the spitting image of her mother Elizabeth.

"Are you ok?" Kimberly asked as she walked in with some of Carolyn's favorite tea.

"It's almost like a dream, you know. Even though mentally he was someone else, inside he was Jack. I feel like I've lost him again Kimberly." Carolyn confessed.

"I wish I could say something that would help." Kim said.

"You can tell me why you did it? Why did you allow Barnabas to use Chris like he did?" Carolyn retorted.

"Carolyn, it was our only solution. Leopold was dangerously close to being discovered....by Kat. You of all people know how important it is for this family to keep its discretion." Kimberly said in hushed whispers knowing Kat could have come in from any corner. "You have to separate Leopold from Jack. I know that it's difficult for you, but they were two different people. Barnabas, in his own way, did this for all of us. We had no choice." Kimberly further explained.

"That seems a little bit misplaced." Carolyn said.

"What seems misplaced?" Kimberly asked confused.

"This sudden change in you....this 'one for the team' attitude you're displaying. You've been behind so much distress at this house since you've returned Kimberly, pretending any of this bothers you is simply disgusting. Did you plan this all along?" Carolyn said turning to Kimberly from the windows, in an angry rant.

"Carolyn, you're not making any sense. And yes, what Victor and I attempted to do, destroying the family by using Christopher was wrong and I've admitted that, and Victor, well, he paid the ultimate price for that didn't he? I'm making up for my part of that every single day when I look into my sons' eyes. I can assure you, I had nothing to do with planning this."

"If you say so." Carolyn answered coldly.

Kimberly took note of Carolyn's understandably dismissive attitude and left her to be alone in the drawing room with her grief. It was a pain that only she could understand at this time.

"Fine. Suit yourself, for what it's worth, I know we've not been the closest, but we're still family. If you need me....I'm here." Kim said, as she walked out of the room.

Carolyn turned back to the window and continued her glazed off gazing into the morning light that stung her eyes. A single tear fell from her eyes and sparkled like a diamond as it rolled down her perfect white skin.

**** 

**BANGOR, MAINE**

A car pulled up to the large baroque style building, the sign out side read: Windcliff Sanitarium. The man driving the car had just come back from staying with a family for a few days just north of Bangor. He walked in and instantly the smell of old unwashed sheets, damp towels, and burnt toast hit him in the face. It was a smell he didn't miss very much. He walked down the noisy green hallways that were lit with florescent lights that zig-zagged across the ceiling and passed a nurses station with two very bored nurses playing on their cell phones. One with un-kept curly red hair stuffed under a nurse's cap that looked like it was from the 1960s. The other with thick curly blond hair, a giant mole on her face and a faint peach fuzz mustache adorning her upper lip peered up at the man from her coke bottle glasses.

"Ohhhhh well, well well. Look who's back! How'd they treat-cha all the way up in Collinsport?" the nurse with the red hair said to the man in her Boston accent.

She picked up the phone and dialed an extension. "Hello Dr. Grayson, Sebastian's back.... yes, I'll let him in....you can go back Mr. Banning." the red headed nurse directed flashing her grotesque smile.

Sebastian walked to the locked door, and waited to be buzzed in from the nurses station. As he walked back to Dr. Grayson's office he could hear screams of patients and people yelling all around him. He wasn't at all intimidated. He was used to it all. Windcliff Sanitarium had been the place he had been working for years and years, this was his second home.

He carefully knocked on a door that read DR. JOANNA GRAYSON and waited for her to let him in. Once he heard her voice he carefully turned the knob and walked in.

Inside the office stood Dr. Joanna Grayson, a woman in her mid 50s with a striking face and thick brown hair. She was a brilliant psycho therapist that had been at Windcliff for decades. And  was  the person Sebastian was calling on the phone with reports back from Collinwood. A place Joanan was very, VERY interested in.

"Glad you're back. What else did you bring me?" Joanna asked as she sat at her desk.

"That place is ....I don't even know how to explain it. I mean my phone calls were probably too vague. But here...this is what happened last night." Sebastian said passing her his cell phone that he used to take video of Christopher and Leopold's fight in the court yard.

"How did you get this?" Joanna said with an evil grin.

"It happened last night. I mean it was just right in front of me. I heard all these loud noises and I looked out my window and there it was. Things like this happen almost daily, Joanna. The things that happen at Collinwood are going to make us rich!" Sebastian said.

"With what I already know and what we've learned with your sister's unknowing help, we can certainly make a bundle. All the years of research and waiting and finally It's here. My time is here. Sebastian." Joanna said as she stood up and walked over to a second side door in her office.

She opened the door and both she and Sebastian looked in. Inside the side room to the office was a private recovery room with a single bed, a sofa, a chair. Inside that bed was a man in a sedated sleep. 

"Has he come to?" Sebastian said standing next to Joanna and looking at the man in the room.

"When we have our sessions I wake him, then I sedate him again. He's done very well." She said of her patient. 

"When do you think you can pump more info out of him? Will you show him the video?" Sebastian asked. 

"Of course, I'll show him the video. I'm sure he'd love to see photos of his old home." Joanna said turning to Sebastian with an evil grin.

Joanna and Sebastian both looked at the man in the bed, who had been at Windcliff for two decades. A man very familiar with Collinwood and Collinsport, and knew it like the back of his hand. 

A man that had disappeared from his family and hadn't had contact except for writing one vague letter.

A man by the name of David Collins.

****

Kat decided to take a walk around Collinwood with Caleb, when they returned home they walked back into the house and passed the drawing room where Carolyn was still sitting alone drinking her tea, they decided to leave her in peace and walked over to a smaller, side room with smooth leather couches and large bar at the back. It was the old smoking room, filled with wooden art, hunting weapons, a large fire place and hunted game all over the walls.

"Do you think she's going to be ok? She's taking this pretty hard." Kat said as she sat down on one of the sofas.

"She will, Leopold's death was unexpected last night, but heart trouble runs in the family I guess." Caleb said, using the lie the family created to cover the truth about the manner of Leopold's death.

"How did she take it when your dad died? I know they were pretty close growing up." Kat asked trying to figure out the next step in Carolyn's mourning.

"My dad didn't die! He's still alive. Somewhere out there." Caleb answered.

"Wait, what? This whole time I thought he was dead. So your dad is out there and you don't know where he is?" Kat questioned.

"No! I mean the last I heard he was somewhere here in New England but no one has seen or heard from him. He's been sort of missing I guess. But on his own terms. He did write me a while back." Caleb answered.

"Have you tried to find him at all?" Kat questioned again.

"Kat, I don't think he wants to be found. If he did, he would have dropped a few clues, don't you think? I haven't seen him since I was---God, like 15 years old." Caleb said.

"Well what did he say when he wrote you last? Did he say where he was?" She questioned further.

"....I don't really remember. I have the letter here actually." Caleb said as he got up and went to a large dark wooden bureau that sat in the far corner of the room. He pulled open the thick drawer and shuffled through some folders that belong to Collins Fishing Fleet & Cannery, then pulled out a large manila envelope. He pulled the tab at the top of the envelope open and walked over to Kat with it's contents. Then handed her the letter.

"That's the letter he sent me. ....See, its really short and kind of to the point. 'Hello, how are you, hope you're well' type of stuff. Actually that's the the only thing in this envelope, I guess, he only wrote me once." Caleb recalled.

"This letter was post marked with a zip code in 1996. We can trace it back to this zip code Caleb! We can start from there and find out where the letter came from. Maybe its an old apartment complex or some sort of boarding house that might have kept records." Kat said using her detective's wit. 

"You really think that can work?" Caleb questioned looking over the envelope the letter came in.

"Absolutely. I've done it a hundred times. I'll call the station and have them pin point this zip code and post office. Once we find out what post office this letter came from we can find out if your dad is still around there. Most people mail out letters from a local post office. Unless they're really trying to hide from someone. But if he was really trying to hide from you---he wouldn't have sent a letter...know what I mean?" Kat explained.

Caleb smiled a huge smile and jumped back on the sofa next to Kat and kissed her all over her face like a happy puppy. He was ecstatic. The thought of his father actually being found would bring so much happiness to the house, and even, just maybe bring Carolyn back from the brink of depression. 

Kat laughed a gitty school girl laugh and picked up a land line that was set aside on a table. She dialed the station and gave her credentials and the extension she needed.  As she waited for the person on the other line, she looked over and Caleb who was still reading over his father's letter, but this time with a giant smile on his face. 

"Hey, Ralph, it's Detective Banning, how are you?......I'm good too, thanks. Listen I need your help, can you punch up a zip code for me and get me a list of post offices around that zip?.....great, thanks, it's 04401-41....."

Kat waited for a few seconds as Ralph on the other end of the phone typed in the zip code from the envelope. Then her expression changed from a smile to confused and serious.

"Yes, I'm sure there's a 41 on the end....why?.....what do you mean?...........are you sure? You're positive?.....Ok..... well thanks Ralph. I'll see you soon." She said as she hung up the phone.

"Whats the matter? What did he say?" Caleb said standing up and noticing Kat's expression.

"Something very strange. He said that zip code is a private zip within the city of Bangor. Sometimes, places that have heavy amounts of mail can register for their own zip code, like airports and universities. This zip is like that." 

"Ok?" Caleb said still questioning.

"Caleb, this zip code is registered to Windcliff Sanitarium in Bangor! Your father has been only miles away this whole time." 

"A sanitarium?" Caleb said concerned and confused. "What the hell would he be doing there?"

"Only one way to find out. Let's go to Bangor." Kat said with a grin.

****

Over in the drawing room, Carolyn, still in a terrible depressed state, fell asleep on the sofa. Her unconscious mind wondered into dark places and she began to have terrible visions of Jack. He was calling out to her, begging her to help him but all she could do was scream in the dark and watch him fall deeper and deeper into an abyss her mind had created. There were so many screams and so many painful memories bubbling up and reaching for her and pulling at her and trying to drag her into the abyss with Jack but Carolyn resisted. She screamed and tried to pull away but couldn't. Then she saw Alexandra. Alex too was standing in the dark screaming "Mother! Mother! MOTHER!!!"

"Mother!" Alexandra said shaking her mother and trying to wake her. "You're having a nightmare." Alex said as Carolyn came to.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I ....I fell asleep." Carolyn said adjusting her clothes that had been pulled in uncomfortable positions while she slept.

"What did you dream?" Alex asked.

"You don't want to know Alexandra. You really don't want to know. I feel so guilty about everything. If I hadn't asked your father to come here in the first place instead of me, none of this would have happened. He would have never met Claudia she would have never turned him into Leopold. None of this would have ever happened." Carolyn confessed.

"That's not true. We don't know what would have happened. Maybe something terrible would have happened if you had come instead." Alex said.

"When I was in that mirror, I thought all my days were over. I thought for sure, I was gone, but I felt that at least you would be here with Leopold, who in some way was still like Jack. He was still some how your father deep inside. I felt like he would protect you when I was gone. And I couldn't protect him. I let him down." Carolyn said tearfully.

"Mother you have to stop blaming yourself. You had nothing to do with what happened to daddy, or even with what happened last night. He had no control over it either." Alex said sternly.

"You're right. I had no control over it." Carolyn said in a sudden realization. "This house seems like it's always out of control--or at least in someone else's control. Like a board-game, and we're just the pieces shuffled along. Always pawns in someone's game." Carolyn said cryptically as she stood up and looked at the portrait of Barnabas over the fireplace that was blazing a hot fire.
"We need to take back control." Carolyn continued.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"The book! The book you found in the attic. You can read it can't you? We can use it to take back control of this house. Take back control from Barnabas." Carolyn said.

"Mother No! That book only brought terrible things, one mistake in a spell and it could be a disaster. I would never ever want to use it again. I almost lost you!" Alex said grabbing a hold of her mother's hands. "There has to be another way." Alex said.

"'Another way'.....that's what I told Barnabas when he told me what he had planned for last night. I said there had to be another way. But he wouldn't listen. He said it was too late." Carolyn remembered.

"I'm sorry this is happening. I really am. But, we just have to pick up from this and move on. That's what daddy would have wanted." Alex said.

Carolyn smiled at her daughter and touched her cheek with the back of her hand.

"You're right. He would have wanted us to move on. Listen, why don't you have the rest of this tea, I'm going to go upstairs and rest." Carolyn said.

But Carolyn was not going upstairs to rest. She was still very much sure there was another way to get back control over the house from Barnabas so she set off to deal with him the only way she knew how. Confrontation.

As she made her to see Barnabas, she passed a room where her great-great Edward kept ancient artifacts and old family heirlooms: The old smoking room, now empty. She walked in and walked directly to large oak case sitting at the foot of a large stuffed grizzly bear Edward had shot and killed in the mid 1800s.  The bear had large fangs and was standing on it's hind legs with one paw lifted ready to strike. It reminded her of Christopher and how he killed Leopold. That reminder was the permission she needed to open that case.

Inside the case was another small box, this one painted black, and on top of the black case was a Gothic crucifix, adorned with four red rubies, one on each tip of the cross. In the center the letter C shaped in smaller red rubies.

Carolyn opened the box, inside was a pistol and 6 silver bullets, all molded by the melting down of 6 blessed silver rosaries made when Edward Collins first knew of curse the held his family down. These six bullets were never used, but Carolyn intended to.

Carolyn carefully loaded the pistol and walked out of the room and headed for the old house where Barnabas had taken up residence after Leopold's death.

As Carolyn made her way through the sunny courtyard and past the very sport Christopher had left Leopold's body, cold and bloody Kimberly noticed Carolyn from an upstairs window where she was watching over Christopher who was medically sedated from the night before.

Without regard , Carolyn walked up the creaky steps and stopped at the door. She took a breath then turned the knob.

Carolyn walked into the darkened house carefully, making sure no one was around to see her. She looked around and all she could see were candles flickering in the rooms. Tears came to her eyes when she realized what she had in mind to do, but she understood that this was the only way. Barnabas had to die, and the blessed silver bullets would do the trick.

She walked into the darkest room in the old house, and there was Barnabas' coffin. The black lacquered coffin sparkled brilliantly in the candle light. She paused and thought for a second, the voice in her head told her to open the lid. She complied and carefully reached over to open the coffin Barnabas was asleep in.

"What the hell are you doing?" a voice said from behind.

Carolyn turned and it was Kimberly who had followed her from the main house.

"Get out." Carolyn said sternly as she flashed the gun.

"Carolyn, I know you're upset, but you have to let this go. You can't seek revenge this way. There must be----" Kimberly spoke before Carolyn interrupted.

"---another way?" Carolyn said finishing Kimberly's sentence. "That must be a catch-phrase of the house, isn't it. That's what Alex said to me, and that's what I said to Barnabas yesterday but he didn't listen. So why should I listen?"

"This isn't you." Kimberly whispered as to not wake Barnabas in his daylight slumber.

"Isn't it? Kimberly I think you should leave. I think you should leave now." Carolyn said as she angrily lifted the lid and watched it crash to the floor. Inside the coffin was Barnabas, his arms crossed at the chest, his face still soft and white in a deep sleep.

Carolyn lifted the gun filled with the silver bullets molded by Edward Collins and pointed it at Barnabas sleeping body.

Kimberly came from behind and grabbed Carolyn's arm and lifted it up, Carolyn shot one shot waking Barnabas, his eyes snapping open. He slowly levitated his upper body up and saw Carolyn and Kimberly fighting over the gun.

"You can't do this!" Kimberly said as she pulled at Carolyn's wrist.

Carolyn said nothing and continued to struggle, Barnabas' eyes filled with anger as the realization of what he was seeing registered. His own cousin tried to kill him, an act no Collins had ever attempted so boldly.

Carolyn and Kimberly continued to fight and struggle over the gun, Carolyn again shooting off a bullet that went into the wall.

Kimberly put her leg behind Carolyn's knocking her to the floor, the gun spun out across to the other side of the room. The two women looked at each other then at the gun, Kimberly jumped at the gun but Carolyn grabbed her by the ankle causing Kimberly to fall. They both wrestled and struggle some more moving closer and closer to the gun.

Barnabas, jumped from his coffin, hissing and turning into his vampire self, his eyes completely black, his skin white like fresh frost, his body lifting from the coffin in mid air. His anger manifested in the release of his fangs, he hissed again and jumped to the floor, his mouth gaping open ready to feed.

Barnabas saw the gun gleam over in the corner and  made his over to it, but Carolyn had already gotten hold of it by crawling over Kimberly in a the scuffle. Kimberly composed herself and stood up as  Carolyn, gun in hand, pointed it at Barnabas. In the blink of a eye Kimberly lunged at Carolyn with all her might.

"You can't do this Carolyn." Kimberly said twisting Carolyn's wrist.

The two continued to struggle for power of the gun.  Barnabas saw this as moment to grab control of the opportunity and reached for the gun himself and tried to pull it from Carolyn's grasp.

At this point all three had their hands on Edward Collins gun, a gun that was meant to protect the Collins family from the evils that surrounded them and the curse that caused them all so much pain.  The three were in close proximity, their bodies touching, pulling and pushing, each one still trying to gain control over the fire arm that was tightly bounded between their three hands and between their intertwined bodies standing in the center of the room. 

Then, in a sudden blast, the gun went off, a single silver bullet piercing skin in a hot violent blow. Blood droplets sprayed on the wall and dripped to the floor like the first drops of rain in a spring storm. Droplets then turned to a river that turned into a pool.

The gun slipped out of Carolyn's hands and fell to the floor into the pool of blood. The blast was so strong it knocked Barnabas, Kimberly and Carolyn all to the floor; all three slumped down in a pool of blood that belonged to one of them.

The three lay motionless in the room with only the sound of candles flickering away in slight breeze, dancing to the sound of silence.

Series 3/Chapter 9: A FULL MOON (PART 3)

In the slow burn of the late morning sun, Kat sat alone in the garden room of Collinwood; a large screened off area of the house that allowed fresh air to come in off the ocean. She was waiting for Caleb who was inside the main house putting together a small late brunch for them to share. Kat had been recuperating at Collinwood for 3 days now, and had easily fallen in love with the old mansion and its many elaborate rooms. As she waited, the door opened and one of the servants pointed Kat's partner Detective Loomis McGovern in Kat's direction.

"Loo! What are you doing here?" Kat said happy to see her old partner.

"You remember me?" Loomis answered noting that she had some memory loss after the attack.

"Things are coming back slowly. So to what do I owe this visit?" She asked patting the seat next to her for Loomis to sit down.

"Well, I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to check in on you. I haven't heard from anyone in a few days. Sebastian was supposed to keep me in the loop but, I guess he's gotten a little carried away in Collinwood grander." Loomis said looking up at the house.

"The neighborhood? This is the only house up here...." Kat said with a laugh. "Look, I'm sorry. I know things have been really crazy these last few weeks. But I want to thank you for all you've done, you know being there for me when I needed you." Kat said.

"Of course, you're my partner!" Loomis responded.

"I also wanted to talk to you too about the night I was attacked. I have a bit of that night back. Just pieces really, but I do remember that Caleb came to me after the attacker had fled. He had nothing to do with it." Kat confided.

Loomis scoffed and seemed and shook his head in disbelief but Kat insisted that her attacker was for sure not Caleb Collins.

"How can you be so sure? You were knocked out." Loomis countered with an eye roll.

"Loo...come on. You know me. I know me! I wouldn't be here if it was Caleb." Kat said with a smirk. "It wasn't him. I'm sure of it."

"I DO know you, and I know you wouldn't just let something pass without asking questions....but I won't press you about it anymore, if you're sure. I'll drop it. But promise me something. Promise me you'll keep your eyes open around here. Even if Caleb had nothing to do with your attack that still doesn't explain the countless stories and reports I read about in the files at work. I mean you really got to get a hold of them some day. They're incredible." Loomis said.

"What do you mean? What's in the files?" She asked.

"Just really weird things, and they all some how connect members of this family with really strange occurrences in town and to this  house You should ask Caleb about his Dad. There's a few things about him in there too. And be careful, that's is all I ask." Loomis pleaded.

"Detective McGovern. Pleasure to see you." Caleb said coming from inside the house.

"Mr. Collins. I was just leaving." Loomis said.

"So soon? You just got here." Kat said standing up with Loomis.

"I got to get back to the station anyway, which is something I hope you say pretty soon too." Loomis said as he hugged Kat goodbye and shook Caleb's hand.

Caleb sat down next to Kat and started placing down the items for their brunch picnic.

"What were you guys talking about?" Caleb asked.

"Oh you know small talk. Nothing big. He said he was going to make sure you were cleared for the attack. That's good news right?" Kat said in a happy tone.

"Yeah! Absolutely! That's great." Caleb said pouring Kat orange juice.

"He kind of glossed over some stuff though.... I don't know it was odd. He mentioned weird things happened years ago here. Apparently there's a huge case file or ....case files. You're dad is even mentioned. Do you know anything about that?" Kat wondered.

Caleb knew all the stories his father David once told him of his own childhood at Collinwood in the late 60s and 70s, and even some he begrudgingly got stories out of Carolyn a few times when he visited her in England on Christmas break from boarding school, and of course he knew Leopold's secret, and Claudia's and Barnabas'. But as true a Collins as Caleb was, he knew those stories remained in the family vault, never to be spoken of. Never to be acknowledged and revealed.

"You know how small towns are. Rumors always make for a better reality, know what I mean? This family has been here since ---god, since the 1700s. There's a lot of urban legends." Caleb answered.

"But for things to be in a police case file? that doesn't strike you as odd?" Kat asked in her typical police detective voice.

"What I think is odd, is that these amazing strawberries are sitting in front of you and you're not at all interested." Caleb said as he picked up a strawberry and dipped it in whipped cream and fed it to Kat.

She smiled and picked up some whipped cream on her finger and tapped it on his nose. They looked at each other lovingly and kissed, a long and passionate kiss. Finally a symbol of real love within the walls of Collinwood.

****

Hours later, the late afternoon and the sun had moved on to a different part of the house, enveloping the eastern part of the house where Carolyn was recovering from the events of the seance from the night before. She sat in her room on a comfy sofa dressed in a soft casual outfit with her eyes closed listening to silence. Her mind was else where. Her mind was on Alex and what she had done.

She was in utter disbelief that her own daughter would dabble in black magic and bring such terror to their lives, even after everything Alex knew about the family. She was hurt, and disappointed. But that Alex was the only person who would cause her pain and disappointment.

As Carolyn rested her room dropped in temperature. A slight breeze began to blow and caused her drapes to quickly close blocking any of the sun light to creep in. And up from the shadows rose Barnabas Collins uncharacteristically appearing in daylight.

"This is new." Carolyn said in her often sarcastic tone of voice.

"How are you feeling cousin?" Barnabas said still standing in a shadowy corner of Carolyn's bedroom.

"Like I've been to hell and back....oh wait, I did go to hell and back." Carolyn said with more sarcasm.

"I'm please to see you have your wits about you." Barnabas said coming closer to her, but still not disclosing his face.

"How else can I be? Last night was the most horrific thing I have ever experienced, and I've lived in this house for decades. That should tell you just how traumatized I am. How could Alexandra do such a thing? Play with that book she found. How? Barnabas I don't understand her." Carolyn confessed.

"She was bewitched. Angelique has a terrible effect on people, I know first hand." He said now sitting next to her on the sofa.

"Are you here to check up on me?" Carolyn asked realizing that he had never actually been in her room before.

"Of sorts, yes. But I also came to tell you about what will happened tonight. Unfortunately, it's more of a warning." Barnabas explained.

"What are you talking about? What's happening tonight?"

"Leopold Divernet has gone too far. He's taken too many risks with the lives of the people in this family and this town. Especially with that of a law enforcement officer. A person that, had she not lost her memory, would surely begin to investigate the people in this house further. Causing quite the panic in Collinsport, wouldn't you say?" Barnabas pointed out.

"Yes, I guess I can see how his behavior has been ....troubling." Carolyn conceded. "But he's only doing what you would do Barnabas. He felt that he had to, I don't know. I mean if he actually did attack Kat Banning, then I assume he had good reason to." She continued.

"I would have killed her." Barnabas answered, coldly pointing out their differences. "And Good reason? He attacked her and let her live Carolyn. Then allowed for one of our own to be implicated as the culprit. That alone should show you he has no regard for this family. That is why I've made the decision that I did."

"Decision? What decision?" Carolyn questioned as she carefully sat up on the sofa.

"Upon the transition of Kimberly's son Christopher on tonight's full moon, Leopold will be cornered and killed. A vampire cannot survive the viscous bite of a werewolf, and on his death I will take my place back in the old house across the main courtyard here on Collinwood."

 "WHAT? You're going to have Leopold killed? Barnabas you can't!" Carolyn said in shock.

"It has to be done. There is no other way." Barnabas replied.

"There has to be some other way Barnabas. You cannot do this. You can't take Jack away from me again!" Carolyn said with tears in her eyes.

"Jack is gone, Carolyn. Whatever is left of Jack has been eaten up by Leopold, and now it's time to rid ourselves of him. You know that this is the only true way." Barnabas answered her.

Barnabas got up from his place next to Carolyn and walked back towards the shadows he emerged from. He turned around and faced her to see Carolyn's face in utter anguish.

"You haven't changed one iota. You're the same selfish, cruel maniac that has haunted this family for decades Barnabas. I don't care what you pretend to be, or how kind you behave, you're never going to change. And there's not a gene therapy or blood transfusion on this planet that will help get your humanity back. Do this, and I promise you, I will make sure you finally answer for everything you've done. Past. And present." Carolyn warned.

"You don't know what you're saying Carolyn." Barnabas replied crudely.

"Don't I? I've know you my entire life! I know what you did to Maggie Evans, and Victoria Winters. I know how you used Julia Hoffman. Don't think I can't tell that you're trying to do the same to Kimberly....not to mention everyone else you've come in contact with. I mean for god's sake, you kidnapped your own baby and took her back in time a whole century to hide her from her mother. You're cruel! And now you'll kill ----"

"ENOUGH!" Barnabas said snarling at Carolyn and flashing his fangs, his eyes turning to pitch black staring deep into Carolyn's soul. But she had no fear.

She carefully stood up and walked over to Barnabas who seethed with anger at Carolyn's protest and looked him dead in his angry black eyes.

"---I wasnt finished talking." She said referencing his interruption. "If you have Leopold killed Barnabas, I promise you, it will be the last thing you do."

"You're too late cousin Carolyn. Jack and Leopold are both dead. In one way or another. I'm just making sure they stay that way."  Barnabas said before lifting his cloak and vanishing into thin air back into the shadows leaving Carolyn standing alone in her bedroom as the curtains began to open slowly again allowing sun light to cautiously dip its way back into the room.

****

As the evening turned to night the energy at the Collinwood mansion shifted to electrifying. Tonight, when the full moon rose to its highest peak Christopher would transition again to his werewolf alter ego, and kill Leopold Divernet for Barnabas Collins.

In her laboratory Kimberly scurried around monitoring Christopher's vital signs. She constantly checked of his heart-rate and blood pressure every second it seemed. She was consumed by worry. As she looked down at her son who seemed nervous himself, she gave him a warm half smile and patted him on the shoulder, sending him a message that everything would be alright. Even if she had no idea of the outcome herself.

Barnabas soon walked in, casual and calm. His normal demeanor in times of crisis.

"I don't know how you convinced me of this." Kimberly said quietly to Barnabas.

"Everything will be fine. And this is for the good of everyone." Barnabas said as he looked over at Christopher who was resting before the main event. "How is he?" He continued.

"He's calmer than I expected. But it's still early, things will change closer to midnight. Barnabas how can you be so sure this is all going to work the way you want it to?" Kim asked consumed with doubt.

"It will. It has to." Barnabas said.

"And Claudia, how can you be so sure you can trust her to deliver Leopold?" Kim continued her questioning Barnabas' motives for involving his daughter.

"Claudia knows that this is the right choice too. If she ever wants any kind of relationship with Christopher, Leopold must be out of the way. That I can assure you. Everything Kimberly, will work out." Barnabas said with one eye brow raised in a very confident tone of voice.

"It better. Because if it doesn't and something happens to Christopher......I will never forgive you Barnabas." Kimberly warned as she walked over back to Christopher who was laying on his back attached to machines monitoring his every heartbeat.

It was then that Barnabas realized, there actually was a real danger that if his plot to rid Collinsport of the reckless Leopold failed his relationship with Kimberly would too. That was something he could not afford, for Kim held the key to unlocking the vampire curse that haunted him for over 300 years.


The hours crept by and the moon slowly made its accent above the sleepy seaside town. The waves crashed upon the rocky shore and the late night fog rolled in, thick and soupy surrounding every building in town.

Claudia, stood at the edge of Widow's Hill looking out on to the sea. She thought about how she came to this section of her life and how her former lover, the real Leopold Divernet jumped to his death in the very spot over 100 years ago when he realized Claudia was a witch, and now, she had to help in taking his life again. But it didn't matter, This Leopold was different. Cold and vengeful. The plan to remove him from their lives was indeed necessary.

Claudia pulled her hair back from her face and wiped away a tear then made her way from Widow's Hill to the old house on the Collinwood property ready for everything that was to come.

She entered the old house quietly. As usual, all the front rooms were dim, lit only with candles wall to wall. She carefully made her way down the blackened corridor, her arms extended wall to wall touching the sides of the hall way. She felt every single bump and crevice in the paneled walls all the way down  to the room where Leopold kept his coffin, the coffin that once belonged to Claudia's own father, Barnabas Collins.

She peeked into a room, and there was Leopold standing near a large candelabra carefully lighting it and allowing the light to surround his chiseled face.

"Settling in for the night?" Claudia said with a smirk.

"What do you want?" Leopold replied as he kept his back to Claudia and lit more candles.

"Can't a girl visit a friend? I came to see how you were doing. Maybe even catch up." She teased.

"Go." Leopold said plainly.

Claudia circled the room like a caged panther looking, she looked around and noticed near a large black chair there was a mettle table and on that mettle table was the carcass of a decapitated hare, the same type that ran wild on the Collinwood property.

"Did I interrupt dinner?" Claudia said again with a tease in her voice. "No thanks, I already ate." She added.

"I asked you you go!" He yelled and turned to her with his fangs protruding and his eyes yellow and angry.

Then something came over Claudia, the Leopold she once loved was kind and caring and this Leopold, the one she changed Jack Thorne into was filled with anger and spite. She furrowed her brow and unloaded on him.

"I should have never created you." She said in a angry tone. "You've done everything I never thought you would do, and now....you're just this empty monster attacking female detectives in the middle of the night and eating hares for dinner." Claudia said condescendingly.

Leopold growled and lunged at Claudia grabbing her by the throat and lifting her up, his mouth open showing his white fangs ready to pierce her soft flesh.

"I should tear your flesh apart.....your powerless now, your witch blood wont kill me." Leopold siad sensing her powers had gone. "What do you know about that detective?" Leopold hissed.

"Barnabas....................knows." Claudia said struggling to breath. "Everyone knows." She added.

Leopold threw Claudia to the floor, she fell on her knees clutching her throat gasping for what air she could.

"You don't know anything." Leopold growled as he picked up the hare and squeezed blood from its open wound into his mouth.

"Barnabas........He wants to meet you, at midnight. In the courtyard." Claudia said still panting for air.

"Meet me for what? Barnabas Collins is old, decayed. He has no power over me of what I can do. But if grandfather Collins wants to wants to meet I will. But I cant' guarantee he'll make it out alive." Leopold said coldly.

Leopold looked up at a twisted old grandfather clock that had been repaired and placed in the corner of the room. It was 5 minutes to midnight. He snarled at Claudia and grabbed a cape like tweed coat and began to make his way outside to the courtyard to meet Barnabas.

As he stepped out of the old house, the large courtyard between the main house and the old house was quiet. The fog rolled across the grass like puffs of smoke searching for a way to dissipate and dissolve into nothing.

Leopold put on his cape and fastened the top notch around his neck and carefully walked down the front steps, Claudia knowing she had set a trap wickedly smiled to herself from the door watching Leopold walk out to eerie emptiness of the courtyard and looked around, all he could hear was the waves from the sea crash near by.

Christopher cautiously walked out of house from a secret side door, apprehensive yet calm, knowing that in just seconds when the clock struck midnight and the moon was in the highest position he would begin his transformation and fulfill his part in Barnabas' plot to rid Collinwood of Leopold. Taking another life made him weary, but he trusted his mother Kimberly and Kim seemed to trust Barnabas.

If Barnabas believed Leopold to be a threat to their existence, it stood to reason that he had to be stopped. His mind was made up, he would go through with the plan for Barnabas and Leopold.

Chris' mind raced as he walked into the shadows keeping his eye on Leopold standing in the courtyard alone. Then it came, like a single sail boat alone in a calm sea the moon rose to its full glory. The hairs on Chris' body began to twitch, his bones began to stretch and pull his skin inhuman directions. His teeth grew sharper and his mouth watered for human flesh. His body collapsed to floor writhing in pain, breathing heavy and hard. His heart pounded deep and fast. 

Leopold turned back to his left side and noticed two bright yellow eyes looking at him from brush near the main house.

"Come out." Leopold said thinking it was Barnabas.

But what Leopold heard, did not come from Barnabas. A growl came from shadowy bushes nearest the main house. Then yellow eyes that got larger and larger and started to come out from the shadowy corner revealing Christopher, in werewolf form snarling and shooting hot breath from his nose like the beast he was.

Leopold hissed again and opened his mouth revealing his large fangs and flicked his cape backwards to giving his arms space and hissed again at Christopher.

The werewolf carefully paced pack and fourth then at the stroke of midnight, bayed at the moon and lunged at Leopold who instantly jumped 20 feet in the air and landed on the opposite site of the werewolf directly behind him.

The wolf quickly turned and snarled and lunged again, Leopold again jumped but the werewolf caught the end of Leopold's cape and dragged him down to the ground and swiped his large claws and sliced Leopold's face.

Leopold punched and hit the werewolf across its large vicious snout then stuck a thumb in the werewolf''s eye causing him to back off and regroup. Leopold then lunged at the wolf and tried to bite but missed when Christopher turned over and pushed Leopold off of him.

The werewolf again carefully and methodically moved across the foggy courtyard, both of them pacing and waiting for the other to strike again beneath the purple light of the midnight moon that sat in the sky with a halo of light surrounding it.

Claudia walked out on to the veranda of the old house causing Leopold to be distracted at the motion to his right side and looked over at her. In that perfect moment Christopher the werewolf moved to strike, and he did.

The wolf pounced on the distracted Leopold and laid his giant paws on Leopold's chest pushing down and crushing him, then with one final swoop of his claw swiped at Leopold's throat.

Leopold got up and gasped for air, blood seeped from the giant gash like a waterfall. He stumbled and walked towards the center of the courtyard leaving the werewolf growling off to the side to watch him die. Leopold held his neck and looked up and Claudia for help, gasping and clutching his neck, but Claudia backed away slowly from the light of the moon that hit the veranda and stepped back into the shadows.

Suddenly a door burst open from the main house. It was Carolyn with a gun pointed at Christopher.

She shot one bullet but missed and Christopher howled at her and then ran off into the shadowy distance of the Collinwood estate, Claudia gasped and ran out on to the grass passing Leopold who had collapsed.

"Carolyn what are you doing?" Claudia said standing between the gun and Leopold with her arms stretched out.

"Where is he? Where's Jack?" Carolyn screamed rushing out into the purple light.

Leopold lay in the center of the courtyard between the old house and the main house in a pool of his own vampire blood. Carolyn gasped and covered her mouth. She couldn't believe her eyes. Leopold was slowly turning back into Jack, Carolyn's husband.

All his features were turning back to normal, his eyes, his beautiful kind eyes. The curse had been broken once Christopher slashed his throat.  Carolyn broke down and collapsed on Jack's chest in tears.

"How will I ever tell Alex? How....how can I tell her?" Carolyn said devastated.

Claudia stood over Carolyn and Leopold's dead body and looked up at the main house to a window where a shadowy figure was standing and watching. It was Barnabas.

Barnabas looked down at the scene, Leopold was dead. Now he could once again rule over Collinwood like he was meant to, alone. Now, there was no one alive that could stop him from getting what he wanted.

Series 3/Chapter 8: A FAMILY SÉANCE

Night came quickly and consumed the entire Collinwood estate leaving lights from one of the downstairs rooms to pour out of the windows, but that light filled room was empty. The real action was happening in an upstairs bedroom that belonged to Alexandra Thorne.

Alex and Claudia stood in the bedroom together staring at the mirror both their mother's were trapped in under the spell Alex cast, the spell meant for Claudia. But by mistake, Alex's own mother Carolyn was pulled in by Angelique's book of spells that trapped her behind the glass. Alex's use of black magic and her inability to fully grasp it's treachery was to blame and Claudia would not let her forget it.

"You can change this can't you?" Alex pleaded with Claudia knowing full well the extent of her powers since she possessed Alexandra's body and posed as her for weeks.

"I don't think you get it Alexandra. Half of my abilities have been depleted after I left your body. I can't undo anything any more, especially not in this capacity. Angelique's book is much too powerful." Claudia explained as she inspected the mirror Carolyn was trapped in.

The mirror, a large ornate 18th century piece, was hanging on Alexandra's wall. It had angels on each of its four corners, all four angels trumpeting long skinny trumpets that added to its golden frame's elegance. The frame was crowned by a sun made with crystals and etched with the initials JC for Josette Collins, Barnabas' first wife that leaped to her death off Widow's Hill. The glass inside the frame looked normal, just like any other, but behind it was a portal to the underworld, where all the souls damned there for eternity could only look out on the world of the living in vain.

"We have to do something. We have to get my mother out of there." Alex said, now looking at the mirror with Claudia.

Alexandra went over to the book that had fallen to the floor and knelt down to open it hoping and find another spell to reverse what she had done and pull Carolyn out of the mirror and save her from the land of the dead. The book, that had earlier felt as if it were welded shut, now was opened without struggle, but just as Alex pulled back the cover it was forced shut by someone standing over her.

Barnabas had walked in and with the bottom of his cane pushed the cover closed, and held it down tight.

"I believe you've done enough damage with this, haven't you Alexandra." Barnabas said reaching down and picking up the book.

"Barnabas, you have have to help me. I made a terrible mistake. I listened to Claudia's mother and I tried ---" Alex said jumping up to her feat.

"Claudia's mother? How do you know Claudia's mother?" Barnabas said interrupting Alex.

"She was here Barnabas. She convinced Alexandra to use her book and this is the result. Carolyn is gone." Claudia coldly explained.

"Gone? Where? Did Angelique take her?" Barnabas asked.

"Into the mirror." Alexandra confirmed as she pointed to Josette's mirror on the wall.

Barnabas looked over at Claudia who stood next to the mirror and waited for her to further explain but Claudia only had a plan of action in mind.

"Time is of the essence. If we don't figure out how to get Carolyn back from the other side she'll be there forever Barnabas. We have to use Angelique's book. Something in there will help us. What's left of my powers alone won't do." Claudia explained.

"No. That book will only work counter to our motives. Angelique has always been that way. Twisted and devious. We'll have to do find Carolyn a different way." Barnabas said turning to the mirror and running his fingertips over it's gilded frame, allowing small memory flashes of his sweet Josette to cloud his mind for split second.

"How?" Alex said with tears in her eyes.

"Before the witching hour strikes, we'll have to summon Carolyn. A séance perhaps. Her life is at stake, and if we can reach her through an open portal she can come through and hopefully find her way back to us." Barnabas explained.

"Hopefully?" Alex said in a worried voice.

"What you've done here Alexandra has no grantee of repair. You've opened a door to the other side and it's not been shut closed. The only way we can get your mother back is if we try to re-open that portal again, but this time without the help of Angelique's book. Using her book will only cause a larger tear in the veil between the living and the dead, allowing who knows what to escape. A séance is the safest way to find Carolyn.....and only Carolyn." Barnabas explained.

"We'll need a fourth person." Claudia instructed.

"I'll find Kimberly." Barnabas said.

As Barnabas left to find Kimberly who was in her laboratory, Claudia and Alex collected the mirror and headed down to the drawing room to prepare for the séance. Carolyn's life was a steak and there was no time to spare.

****

In a completely different part of the house, a much quieter scene. Caleb was helping Kat into a large canopy bead filled with pillows and comforters. The room was decorated to the highest of elegance, a room fit for a queen. And Kat certainly felt like a one.

"I really don't need this kind of treatment Caleb, but thank you." Kat said jokingly.

"I just want to make sure your comfortable and taken care of. That's all." Caleb answered tucking her in.

"I'd like to thank you too, my room is very accommodating." Sebastian said as he hung up some of Kat's things in the adjecent closet.

"Of course." Caleb answered.  "So, Kat, why don't you get some rest, and I'll show Sebastian around."

Kat smiled as Sebastian and Caleb made their way out of the room and closed the door behind them. As they walked Caleb took Sebastian to a large dining room that had a 24 person table in the center.

The walls were covered in a soft maroon wallpaper depicting scenes of Collinsport's ship yard and the ship that brought the Collins family from England to America 4 centuries ago. The 20th century chandelier given to the family by Elizabeth Collin's mother's father's family (the Stoddard's) sparkled and twinkled above them as a cook brought over specially made Maine clam chowder for the two to have for dinner.

"I hope you don't mind chowder." Caleb joked.

"No, its fine. Thanks. Listen, I really do want to thank you for having us here. It's very kind." Sebastian said.

"Listen, I love your sister. I would do anything for her. This is really no trouble at all." Caleb answered.

"How long have you lived here?" Sebastian asked as he took a sip of his soup.

"Most of my life really. After my parents divorced my mother took off and my dad and I lived here on our own for a bit. But then he took off too, I was here all by myself with a Nanny for a while then went off to boarding school. I would spend Christmases and birthday's in England with Carolyn and her family. When we figured my father wasn't come back, Carolyn and I decided to sell the house, but that's changed now. The family business is still doing well, so we're keeping it." Caleb explained.

"No word from your dad--ever?" Sebastian asked dipping bread into the chowder.

"I got a letter from him a few years ago and----oh excuse me!" Caleb said as his cell phone starting ringing. "Jesus, Sebastian, I'm so sorry. This is the office, I really have to take it. Ever since I've been back on the board at Collins INC, it's been really crazy. Would you mind if I excused myself and took this call?"

"No! Please by all means." Sebastian said as Caleb rushed off to answer his phone call in a different room.

As soon as Caleb left the room Sebastian wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin with the light blue embroidered C and dropped it on the table. He was alone in the dinning room, this was his moment to look around Collinwood without being detected and find what he needed within the walls of the mansion for his boss.

Sebastian sneaked through the hall way, a long winding corridor dotted with large portraits of former family members, each portrait painted more severe then the next. He came to one of Roger Collins dated 1976, and across from him, an unfinished painting of a teenage boy dated the same year. The boy stood in a court yard within the confines of Collinwood, his face cold and sad.

Sebastian's face took concern over the image, he believed he knew who was in the painting, David Collins.

He made his way down the hall and down the back stairwell that lead into The Blue room. No one was inside. He looked around, the shelves were freshly dusted, the books were neatly organized, the furniture clean and perfect. Nothing out of the ordinary it seemed.

As Sebastian continued to look around the room he noticed there were two large gargoyles on either side of the fire place sitting. The right one had it's right paw raised, the left one had its left paw raised. But one gargoyle's paw looked different, it had some sort of break in it, at the base where it attached to the rest of the body. Sebastian walked over and placed his hand on the paw that instantly lowered and released a lock the pushed the large fire place inward revealing a secret passage within the walls.

Sebastian looked around, still no one in the room, and he carefully walked in the secret passage and followed down the dark hallway.

****

Back in the main drawing room, Alexandra and Claudia had set up a round table with a large 3 pronged candelabra in the center for the séance. They dimmed the lights and waited for Barnabas and Kimberly.

"Do you think this will work?" Alex asked a quiet Claudia.

"It has to, if we ever want to get your mother back, it has to." Claudia replied as she lit the candles.

"Have you ever done this before?" Alex asked shyly. 

"No." Claudia said matter of factly and in truth a bit nervously. Every since Leopold had trapped her in the cemetery and she used her powers to possess Alex, nothing felt the same. Her powers were weaker. She felt different.  Even the confidence in her abilities waned, a mortal symptom. 

"You don't think it'll work do you? I can see it in your eyes." Alex said in a panicked tone.

"Alexandra, listen to me. Barnabas isn't going to just allow Carolyn to wonder around the world of the dead without a fight. Regardless of what he is, and what he's done, he actually cares about this family. More than anyone wants to give him credit for. We just have to trust him." Claudia said aggressively.

"I don't know what I believe anymore. I don't even know what I am anymore. Ever since Christopher and I broke up I've been this whole other person. I don't know what's happening to me. I just want things to be back to normal." Alex confessed. as she broke down on the sofa.

Claudia couldn't help feel responsible for Alex's pain. After all Claudia was the main factor for Alex and Carolyn coming back to Collinwood after she changed Jack into Leopold and then set fire to the mansion, and possessed Alex and left her to deal with the residual powers inside of her. It was all Claudia's fault, but she couldn't change anything anymore. All she could do was offer her help.

"Are we ready?" Barnabas said as he walked in with Kimberly who herself looked white as a ghost.

 "We are." Claudia said picking Alex up by the hand and walking her over to the séance table.

"Barnabas I don't know what I'm doing here, this is lunacy. A séance?" Kimberly said as she nervously poured herself a glass of water. 

"It's the only way we'll be able to reach Carolyn on the other side, if we don't she may never return to the life of the living." he explained.

"This is insane!" Kimberly said in a loud whisper as Barnabas took her by the hand and sat  her down at the table. 

Claudia dimmed the lights further and propped the mirror that Carolyn disappeared into up against the sofa facing the seance table. 

"Hold hands, never break the circle our hands create." Claudia instructed. "Close your eyes." She continued. "In the wilds of the beyond, we call out to those that have gone. Send us our's who was wronged. Send us Carolyn Collins Stoddard-Thorne!" Claudia called.

Nothing happened. 

"Carolyn....we ask that you listen for Claudia's voice and try to make your way home. Carolyn...can you hear us? Can you hear Claudia call out to you?" Barnabas said, as Kimberly opened one eye to look around.

And just as Barnabas' sentence ended the mirror began to shake. It moved twice then stopped.

"It's her. Try again Claudia." Barnabas asked.

"From out in another space. Another time. Another world. Come home Carolyn to this time. This place. This realm. Find my voice and listen well, come back to home --away from hell."

The lights in the room flickered on and off. The table began to shake, then lifted then dropped to the ground, the mirror began to shake again and the glass began to morph into liquid and inside they could see, deep down below was Carolyn screaming, her call echoing through out the room.

"Its her!! Mother!! Come back! Follow my voice!" Alexandra said as the portal from the mirror began a wind all around the room.

"Alexandra don't get close. She has to do this herself, or you'll risk falling in too!" Claudia said holding on to Alex's hand and Alex tried to reach for the mirror.

On the other side of the wall, through a hollowed out portion of the room, Sebastian stood peeking through the eyes of a painting the looked directly into the room where the seance was taking place. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was witnessing first hand the living contacting the dead on the other side through a mirror, just a regular mirror. To Sebastian it was extraordinary, and would be further good news to report back to his boss. 

"Carolyn, you must try! You must try and come back! Reach through!" Claudia yelled, trying to make her voice reach Carolyn as best she could over the loud sounds coming from the mirror.

The wind from the portal grew stronger and stronger and things from inside the room began to swirl in the air and fly into the mirror, and Carolyn still stood there screaming trying to escape but to no avail. 

"Barnabas do something!" Kimberly said now terrified and in disbelief at what she was seeing.

Barnabas let go of Alex and Kim's had and placed them together as to not break the circle, he carefully walked over to the mirror that was now spewing energy matter all around in colors of green and blue. He stood up, strong and stern against the mighty winds coming from the portal and put his cane into the mirror pushing it further and further in hoping Carolyn would use the end of it to find her way out.

Barnabas' hand was now almost entering the mirror itself, Carolyn was just inches from the edge of the other side and almost grabbed on, but suddenly a hand reached out from inside the mirror and grasped Barnabas' wrist and began to pull him in. He struggled and struggled. His arm was now half way into the mirror. 

"Barnabas!!!!" Kimberly screamed.

"Don't..............break .................the circle!!" Barnabas screamed as he continued to struggle against the hand.

The energy matter from inside the mirror soon turned from only just colors to Angelique's face, it was she who was pulling Barnabas into the mirror laughing in his face as she was finally going to get her revenge on her former lover.

"This is the end Barnabas Collins. For all your evil deeds ....for taking my daughter away. For taking her away from her life with me.....for destroying our love and killing me.....you finally pay!!!' Angelique hissed, then put another hand on his wrist gathering more strength to pull him in.

As she continued to pull Barnabas in, Claudia knew there was only a matter of time before he fell in, and once Barnabas was in, he would never return, for he was the un-dead... she made a choice. She closed her eyes and whispered a soft chant to herself, one she knew would work, and mustered all the powers she had left in this one last spell.

"...from this place I lead you out, from this time I have no doubt. away with you, and we'll be free, this is the way it has to be."

It was a spell that no witch ever wants to use, it is a spell against another witch to banish them forever. By using it, Claudia would be able to use her powers one last time before for-fitting them forever...for she used her powers against a sister witch, her own mother.... all her powers would be gone forever.

Soon Angelique began to fade and her strength over Barnabas's wrist weakened, she knew what had been done, Claudia had  betrayed her and used the power over a witch. As she began to dissipate within the glass she looked out onto Claudia's tear stained face, this was the last time they'd see each other.

"Evangeline Why?" Angelique said her voice echoing away in silence.

With Angelique slowly going away, Carolyn was able to grasp on to Barnabas. He saw her terrified face and pulled her and pulled her. His arm now coming back out of the mirror, then his wrist, then Carolyn's head and shoulders. Then finally a large bright explosion that locked the portal and knocked everyone to the ground.

Alexandra crawled over to her exhausted mother and curled up next to her crying profusely.

"Alex! Come on! Come on! Lets take her up to her room! Come!" Kimberly said grabbing on to mother and daughter.

As Barnabas and Claudia both got up and dusted themselves off he walked over to his daughter and hugged her.

"You saved me once again." He said softly.

Claudia couldn't believe she did it too, knowing that she no longer had powers and that she would never see her mother again. But it had to be done.

Claudia smiled and hugged Barnabas back.


Sebastian ran back through the corridor after watching what was the most amazing, exhilarating event he had ever seen. He closed the hidden passage in the blue room where he first found the secret door and dialed his boss on the phone.

"Hey! Hey!! It's me again. You're not going to believe what I just saw. Everything you've told about this place is true. Everything. We're in! We're in!!!!" Sebastian said excitedly.

****

In the library Christopher sat alone still looking through books completely unaware of what had just happened downstairs in the main drawing room when Caleb walked in.

"Oh! Hey! Did Sebastian come in here?" Caleb asked looking for his dinner guest who had disappeared.

"Who?" Chris asked.

" Kat's brother Sebastian, they're staying with us for a bit. He didn't come in? I had to leave during dinner and when I came back he was gone. Weird. Anyway, what are you doing in here with all these books?" Caleb asked.

"Research I guess. Listen, when's the next full moon?" Chris asked awkwardly.

"Ummm I have no idea. There's gotta be an almanac in here somewhere right?.... Oh here." Caleb said cracking open the almanac.

"Does it say?" Chris asked apprehensively, knowing the next full moon was the date of Leopold's demise.

Caleb looked up from the passage he was reading. Knowing what he knew about his brother Christopher and what happens on full moons he took a gulp of air and said "Tomorrow night."

Series 3/Chapter 7: REVENGE OF THE WICKED

The moon had dissipated into the sky, slowly swallowed up by the morning sun, blanketing Collinsport. It was a foggy day as usual and Collinwood stood on it's bluff basking in the cool ocean air surrounded by a thick fog.

In the library that had recently been re-constructed and cleaned after a fire, Christopher poured over book upon book of the history of werewolves and likens. Those that were his kind. If the cure for his transitions were gone forever, he would have to learn to live with it and Collinwood's library had an extensive back log of research.

As Christopher researched, Claudia quietly approached and hugged him from behind and kissed the side of his head.

"What are you doing here?" Chris said gleefully.

"I have a few things I need to take care of for my father. What are you doing here?" Claudia asked as she curled up into one of the over stuffed sofas next to Chris.

"It's hard to explain. Last night I was at home and Alex came by." Chris said to a now more serious looking Claudia. "I don't know whats going on with her but she's not herself. She's different."

"What were you doing there in the first place?" Claudia asked.

"It doesn't matter now, all that matters is that I have 4 days to figure out what I'm going to do before the next full moon." Chris said knowing Claudia's powers were weaker now, and there was nothing she could personally do.

Claudia thought about it for a second then realized there was a way to break Christopher's werewolf curse and help her father Barnabas at the same time. The way to reverse Christopher's werewolf transitions was to kill and drink the blood of the werewolf's mortal enemy...the vampire, and there was one particular vampire she and Barnabas needed dead. Leopold.

"Chris, what if I told you I could help you become normal again?" She said now scooting over to him on his side of the fluffy sofa and entangling her fingers with his.

"What do you mean? I didn't think you could help me." Christopher asked confused.

"I believe you can actually help me! Or, better yet, we can help each other. You see, there is a way that you can break this curse yourself but it will require you to do something you may not exactly ... it's something you might find difficult." She said cautiously.

"Anything! I'll try anything!" Chris said sitting up straight.

"Christopher, the only way a werewolf can rid himself of the body morphing during a full and high moon, is if he kills and drinks the blood of the undead. A vampire." She explained.

"WHAT!? Claudia what are you talking about?" Chris said jumping out of his seat in outrage.  "I've already killed my own father! Now You want me to kill some folklore character I don't even know exists? What does that even mean?" Chris continued standing on the other side of the room.

"You're real aren't you?" Claudia said pointing out Chris himself turned into a sort of folklore character. "Of course Vampires are real Chris. And they are closer to you the you realize. One in fact so close that he will consume everyone and everything if he isn't stopped. I think you can be the one to do it. You must!" Claudia continued pressing Chris on the topic then grabbing on to his shoulders.

Christopher pulled away from Claudia's grasp, completely confused and horrified at the notion that he should kill again. And as he walked away from Claudia who grew frustrated and knew there was only way to explain this more clearly. 

"You leave me no choice." She said

Claudia closed her eyes and began to mutter words in Latin as if she were praying but Chris could tell it was not prayer. She was summoning something. 

Suddenly an icy chill oozed into the room filling its four corners. Then the heavy drapes that hung neatly on the giant glass windows began to sway and pull themselves closed causing the brightness of the room to dim, darker and darker until not a single ray of outside light could be detected.

"What's happening?" Chris asked to Claudia who sat down again recognizing what was about to happen.

Christopher walked over to Claudia, his heavy breathing pumped puffs of smoke from his mouth from the chill in the air, his eyes darting back and fourth at each corner of the room that had been blackened  by the lack of light.

 In a corner, a large oak shelf adorned with small statues and a small globe that belonged to Joshua Collins began to spin. The  shelf, filled with hundreds of books from the world's greatest authors slid open revealing a secret passage door that lead into a black corridor.

Christopher's mouth hung open, he could't believe what he was seeing, and suddenly a man came through the passage way dressed dark and carruin a cane. It was Barnabas.

"Christopher Reed I presume." Barnabas asked standing in silhouette as the chilly air swept around his black suit.

"Who is this? What's going on?" Christopher asked, lifting Claudia from the sofa.

"Relax Chris, relax. This is Barnabas Collins. He's here to help you. She said calming Chris.

"When my Claudia mentioned that she has began to fall in love with a man with your particular issue I wasn't too keen. Historically our two kinds rarely get along you see. And truth be told I haven't exactly been the most discerning when it comes to love myself, but we have bigger troubles a foot." Barnabas said to a shivering Christopher.

 "I don't understand, Claudia said I needed to---"

"We. We need you to kill Leopold Divernet. As soon as the moon fills the sky in just four days, your transition will take place, then you'll do what needs to be done." Barnabas said as Claudia stayed off in the background.

"This is insane! All I want to do is find a way to stop being this way! Why would I want to kill him?" Chris asked innocently.

"He's a threat to us all Christopher. My daughter has foolishly created a monster and he's already began a war without you even knowing it." Barnabas said.

"What do you mean?" Chris asked.

"He attacked Katherine Banning last night. Caleb was arrested by mistake. The police will no doubt begin investigations." Claudia explained.

"Yes, even perhaps investigate the death of your own father." Barnabas said digging into Chris guilty conceives a little more. "You see, if Divernet is not taken care of, his disregard for this way of life will put us all in danger. Discretion, Mr. Reed, is key to our survival and Leopold no longer fits that dichotomy." Barnabas said in a manipulating tone.

Chris stood back from both Claudia and Barnabas and thought for a second. If he did this, he could not only get his life back but also might save a few too. Could that make up for what he had done and wha he was about to do. Chris turned and stared Barnabas dead in the eyes and asked:

"What will happened to me once he's dead?" 

"It'll be over. You'll be back to normal." Claudia said.

"I want to hear it from him!" Chris barked.

Barnabas smirked and walked over to Chris. His body almost seemed to float as his black suit was camouflaged within the shadowy library. 

"Once Leopold Divernet has been removed from this world, you too will be free. That I promise you. Does this mean you agree?" Barnabas asked coyly.

Christopher looked at Barnabas then back to Claudia. 

"I'll do it. I'll kill Leopold." 

****

At the hospital, Kat was feeling much better, but still had issues remembering everything about the night she was attacked, more so her long term memory was still a foggy mess, but her brother Sebastian who came to Collinsport from his home in Bangor was there to help. As the two Banning siblings reminisced on their past as a way for Kat to start to remember, Caleb knocked on the hospital room door and walked in.

Sebastian, who had only seen Caleb's photo in the paper that morning knew what he looked like and immediately stood up and tried to block him from entering, after all he was still a "person of interest" in Kat's attack.

"You shouldn't be  here!" Sebastian said stopping Caleb at the door.

"What? Who are you?" Caleb questioned as he had never met Sebastian before.

"Kat's brother." Sebastian answered.

"It's ok. He can come in." Kat said from her bed, as she sat up looking directly at Caleb.

"Kat, I'm so happy to see you. How are you feeling?" Caleb said rushing to her side.

"Better, but I can't remember a whole lot. Small things have come back to me, thankfully." She said

"Kat, listen, I just want you to know I had nothing to do with what happened. I swear it." Caleb said as a suspicious Sebastian stood close.

"Everyone keeps saying you do, but I don't remember anything. It's all really just a blur." Kat responded.

"What was the last thing you do remember from last night?" Sebastian asked.

"I was talking with someone, I don't remember if it was in person or ...maybe on the phone. I just felt like I was being followed the whole time. You know, when you have that feeling you're being watched." She responded.

"Have the doctor's said when you'd be released?" Caleb asked, looking up at Sebastian who shook his head "no".

As the trio made small talk in Kat's room, hoping more of the return of more of her memory, Leopold, in human form, walked in, to a shocked Caleb, who knew that he had been behind Kat's attack but for the sake of Barnabas' plot, kept it secret.

"Good afternoon. How is my favorite detective doing?" Leopold asked with a twisted grin.

"This is the man I was telling you about Kat, he came to see you last night." Sebastian said.

"You came to see her last night?" Caleb asked with a twinge of anger. "Why?"

"I had heard of the indecent, and wanted to come by and check on her, that's all." Leopold answered as he swooped over to Kat's side. "And I couldn't help but over-hear that you should be released soon. I insist that you come back to Collinwood and recuperate.:

Caleb scoffed, making an audible sound of air, knowing full well Leopold wanted nothing more then for Kat to be dead and gone, he was certainly not interested in her recovery.

Kat too felt a strange feeling of discomfort towards Leopold, and even though she didn't know why, she felt it enough to decide that wasn't the best place for her to go to recover.

"Thank you, but I don't think that is necessary. My brother is here, and he can take me home and I can recover there. In my own home." Kat said forcefully.

"I would't hear of it! Collinwood can be a very peaceful place at times, and that is the best place for you to go and have some peace of mind until you are back on your feet. You're like family now." Leopold said with a cold grin towards Caleb.

Although the notion of Kat going back to Collinwood to recover from the attack and the wound on her head was strange, Sebastian instantly knew that this would be the best way to get into the mansion and get what he needed. He thought about it for a second and finally interjected.

"You know, sis, it doesn't sound all that bad! I mean if the Collins family is willing to help you out, why not take them up on the offer. That is if they wouldn't mind me coming along too." Sebastian said.

Caleb was shocked. The whole conversation was strange to him. He knew that Leopold really only wanted Kat close by so that when the time came that she begin to remember everything that happened the night before when he attacked her, and of course, his true identity, he could easily destroy her; and for the life of him, Caleb couldn't figure out why Sebastian would encourage Kat to go back to Collinwood at all.

"I think the family would be most happy to have you near, wouldn't you agree Caleb?" Leopold asked of his cousin.

Caleb took a breath and a split second to answer. The danger of having Kat that close to Leopold was evident to him, but as long as he was at the house too he would protect her, and surely Sebastian only wanted what was best for his sister too...even if Caleb couldn't tell if it was sincere or not.

"Absolutely. As long as I'm around you'll be safe and you'll get better. We'll have Kim monitor you and make sure you don't need another other medical care, and if you do we'll send out for a doctor." Caleb said, reaching for Kat's hand.

"Alright. I'll go back with you. And hopefully I can begin to remember everything. I know Loomis is going crazy trying to figure this all out." Kat answered.

"You remember Loomis....so your memory is coming back!" Caleb said excitedly.

"In bits and pieces. But it's not all there yet." She responded to him.

"And when it does come back....we'll be there. All of us." Leopold said cryptically.

As the doctor and a nurse came into the room to check on his patient Caleb, Leopold and Sebastian were asked to leave so that they could assess Kat for discharge.

Just on the other side of the hall from Kat's room Caleb and Leopold waited together. Caleb seethed over Barnabas' theory based on Caleb's description of the person he saw, that Leopold was the person who attack Kat the night before, but he could't lead on.

"You seem distant Caleb, distracted." Leopold noticed.

"It's been a long night, as you can imagine. What were you doing here lat night?" Caleb asked.

Leopold sensed Caleb's suspicion, a cold look came upon  his face and he walked over to Caleb and stood just inches away, but Caleb stood strong and showed no fear.

"Your insinuated something. I can feel it. But whatever you have in your mind, let it go. I have a need for a certain red bodily fluid, as you understand. I have a connection here that gives me stolen pints of blood for my own personal use. How else would I be surviving?" Leopold said in  bold face lie.

Caleb had no choice but to pretend to believe, after all he trusted Barnabas, and knew that whatever Barnabas has plan he had for Leopold.

Caleb then turned and walked over to Kat's room and waited for the doctor to come back out, Leopold stood in the waiting area, knowing that Caleb knew that he had attacked Kat, now there was more danger then just Kat's memory recover.

As Caleb and Leopold talked, Sebastian went off into a corner again and grabbed his cell phone and dialed a number. He waited for a few seconds, the other end picked up.

"Its Sebastian. There's good news.......They're discharging Kat, and she's been asked to recover at Collinwood. We're in!"

****

The sun began to set on Collinwood. Alex sat in her room staring at the black book she found hidden in the attic with Angelique's help. She walked slowly to the book to open it again. She walked slowly, feeling the book's powerful energy seeping out into the air around it. It energy was so strong it illuminated a light, as if the old pages within were glowing a bright white light.

Alex reached and touched the book's black cover and felt the engraved red letter A that stood for Angelique. 

"You feel it's power don't you?" Angelique said from behind in a transparent state, dressed in all white. 

Alexandra turned around and saw Angelique coming closer to her, a plume of white smoke swirled around her, as she floated over.

"Barnabas Collins must be destroyed! Do you understand me Alexandra. You must use the powers in this book to destroy him." Angelique demanded.

"Why?" Alex asked truly not understanding the history Angelique and Barnabas shared.

"He took the one good thing I ever did away from me many years ago. He took my child away, a child I bore out of my desire to finally turn another leaf in my life." Angelique answered.

"You had a child?" Alex asked.

"Yes. I was married too. Everything had changed, I was living my life ---here---in Collinwood with Rodger Collins, your great uncle. I did everything I could to leave my old self behind: I changed my name, I lived for the most part honestly. But Barnabas knew who I was the whole time. I don't know why, but even as much as we hate each other, we always come back together. The child is his....but he took her away and I never saw her again." Angelique explained. "And now he must pay."

"What should I do?" She asked.

"Open the book and the book will tell you where to go." Angelique explained backing away from Alexandra.

Alex walked over to the book and carefully opened it's cover. The pages instantly began to flip, faster and faster as if a mighty wind was turning the pages. Alex stood back and waited for her instructions.

Then the pages stopped turning and a spell was revealed.

Alex carefully read over the spell then turned back to Angelique for guidance.

"You want me to trap Barnabas into falling into your portal?" Alex asked.

"Once Barnabas is no longer in the realm he will no longer have control over Collinwood, or the people around him. It's the only way I can find peace. And maybe find my daughter." Angelique said as tears fell from her eyes on to her pale white skin.

Alex turned back to the book and then things began to be more clear. Barnabas had told them that Claudia was his daughter, but had never revealed Claudia's mother identity. Then, Alex had an idea. The only way she could get Claudia away from Christopher would be to twist Angelique's plan for Barnabas for Claudia removing her from the equation all together.

Alexandra looked down and began to chant the French words on the pages of the book as the pages began to glow. There was a small tremor in the room, the picture frames began to shake, the curtains began to sway slightly with as Alex's chanting got louder and louder. Alex lifted her hands and her head with her eyes closed at the ceiling, still chanting as the mystical glow from the book began to swirl all around her and the room and even Angelique's spirit.

Angelique began to feel the energy in the room, the spell was working all Alex had to do was name the person that was to be trapped in the realm of the dead with her for all eternity.

"Name him Alexandra. Call Barnabas Collins back to the land of the dead!!" Angelique called as the glowing and swirling energy in the room intensified.

As Alex and Angelique called from the book, Claudia was making her way to the Old House from the library with Barnabas and Christopher down one of the many vast hallways in the mansion. From the edge of the stairwell she saw a bright flashing light coming from under Alexandra's door. It flashed yellow, then white, then yellow then white.

"What are you doing?" Carolyn said from the bottom of the stairs

Claudia not knowing what to say stepped down on the first step going to the bottom but kept her eye on the door, baffled by what she was seeing.

"What? What are you looking at?" Carolyn said in a frustrating tone.

"What is that?" Claudia asked as she pointed, even though she knew something supernatural was happening before her vary eyes, it was all too familiar to her.

Carolyn dashed up the stairs to see what Claudia was looking and saw the same lights coming from Alex's room.

"Alexandra!!" Carolyn screamed in fear as she ran down the hall to Alexandra's room with Claudia hot on her trail.

Carolyn tried to open the door over and over again but it seemed locked. Angelique sensing someone at the door and foolishly believing it was her tormented lover Barnabas released the door lock. It slowly opened showing Alexandra floating above the floor swallowed in yellow and white light and in a trance repeating the French spell from the book over and over again.

"Alex!!!" Carolyn screamed.

A scream the broke Alex from her trance and she looked at her mother Carolyn. Alex opened her mouth and called to Carolyn but all that came out was a whisper that echoed through the room. 

"Mother......."

Alexandra had never once said Barnabas' name and had yet to say Claudia's name, the book interpreted this as Alexandra wanting to pull Carolyn into the realm of the dead when she whispered "mother". The light that swirled around Alexandra shifted and formed two bright beems of energy that  grabbed Carolyn by the neck and waist and lifted her from the ground.

Claudia gasped and raised her arms and chanted her own spell, an attempt in vain to use her own powers to fight against the book, but a third branch of energy was released from the book and swung it's way to Claudia knocking her to the ground.

Alex could not stop the book's powers from grabbing her mother, all she could do was watch Carolyn get pulled all the way to a large mirror on the wall and disappear into the glass that had morphed into a liquid like state submerging Carolyn completely.

When Claudia opened her eyes she saw the floating woman in white, Angelique, coming towards her.
They locked eyes, and Angelique instinctually knew Claudia was her baby girl Evangeline. Angelique could see it in Claudia's soul and in her eyes. Claudia too seemed to recognize her mother but as the two reached out to touch each other's hands in a make-shift reunion the book begin to pull Angelique back into the mirror too to join Carolyn.

All that was left was the echoing sound of Angelique's voice crying out to Claudia by her birth name 

"Evangeline!!!"

The light from the book instantly dissipated and causing Alexandra to drop to the floor from her elevated state. The energy in the room settled. The frames on the walls stopped moving but remained crooked on the walls, the curtains stopped swaying and Claudia stood up massaging her neck from the fall.

Alex go up from the flor and  on to her hands and knees.

"What have you done?" Claudia asked in anger.

"Mother! Mother!!" Alex said ignoring Claudia and jumping up to the mirror and trying to find her mother. But it was no use. Carolyn was gone.

"What have you done!?!?!" Claudia said again this time much more forcefully and pulling Alex's body around to face her.

"She made me! She made me do it!!" Alex said bursting into tears and thrashing her arm away from Claudia's grasp.

"Who?" Claudia asked.

"Your mother!!!" Alex said filled with anger and resentment that her own revenge against Claudia for taking away Christopher backfired and now her mother was gone.

"This was all your doing Alexandra. No one else, what you've done cannot be repaired." Claudia explained. 

"It can! I can be fixed!" Alex said rushing over to the book to find a reversal spell but the book wouldn't open. She pulled and pulled but the book seemed to be welded shut.

"It's over Alexandra. You've dammed your own mother to the land of the dead."