Kat was in the bedroom she shared with Caleb. She looked at herself in the mirror. The elegant black dress she chose for the service clung to her body tightly, tighter then she had expected. Her pregnant stomach was starting to show, and this surprised her. She was only a little over 4 weeks along, yet she was showing like she was in the middle of her fourth month.
She turned to the side and ran her hand over her baby bump smoothing out the dress that curled up at the top of her stomach. Suddenly she felt a little kick from inside her womb. But that was impossible! There could be no way her baby was already kicking. As she smoothed out another wrinkle in her dress with her hand she stopped hand over the baby bump to see if she could feel it again...this time, nothing. Kat closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Crazy." She thought, thinking the stress of the day was getting to her.
"You decent?" A voice said from the door way.
Kat turned to the sound of the voiced, it was her partner from the police department Loomis McGovern.
"Loo!" Kat said, jumping over to give him a hug. "Thank you for coming." She added.
"I'm so sorry Kat, I wish--I'm just so sorry about everything." Loomis said sadly.
"Thank you. I'm just glad you're here. I really appreciate it." Kat replied.
"Have you thought about what you're going to do after?" Loomis asked.
"After?" Kat answered with her own question as she sat in side chair rubbing her stomach.
"After today. You're not staying here, are you?" Loomis asked.
"Why wouldn't I?" Kat asked again.
"Kat, you can't be serious. You and your baby aren't really safe here. Everything that's happened, everything from years go...I mean...when Caleb was here with you I felt more comfortable, but now you're alone with a baby. Things are different." Loomis explained.
"This is Caleb's home Loomis, I would never leave. Not now at least. Why would you think it wasn't safe here?" Kat asked, neglecting the past events and also the fact Loomis had brought up the sorted past of the Collins family before.
"You know all I want is the best for you, right?" Loomis said sitting down next to Kat on her bed.
Kat nodded her head yes.
"And you know we're more then just partners at work right? We're like family." Loomis continued.
"I'm not going to leave Loo. The Collins family has been really good to me, I don't see what the problem is!" Kat said standing up and heading to jewelry box to put on her earrings.
"Remember all those things I read about...all those weird situations that happened here for years and years. That's what I'm afraid of. Having you here with a new baby, god knows what could happen." Loomis lamented.
"What exactly do you think is going to happen Loomis? This family is very tight knit, and they loved Caleb, and they'll love his baby. Nothing will happen to me. Trust me." Kat said walking over to Loomis and putting her hand on his shoulder.
"I know I'm not going to persuade you, I've never been good at changing your mind, so I guess on days you're not at work, you won't mind if I just keep tabs on you here until I feel comfortable enough to just let it go." Loomis stated.
"If you really want to drive all the way up here for that, I won't stop you." She smiled. "Caleb would really appreciate how you're looking out for me, you know? I think he would really love that." She added now getting emotional.
"You have a lot of people looking out for you. Me, the Collins family apparently. Your brother!" Loomis said.
Kat took a moment to wipe her eyes. The tears had started to slowly tear away at the make up she put on. She carefully cleaned up her mascara and sniffled a bit before answering.
"Not my brother." She said softly, with a sniffle.
"No? Why not?" Loomis asked.
Earlier in the week Kat and her brother Sebastian had a small talk about his secret keeping. The fact that he never told her he was working at Windcliff Sanitarium while David was locked away bothered her. They had always been so close, and this entire time he had been keeping something away from her, something that actually involved her. David was Caleb's father, and Sebastian knew the family ever since she and Caleb dated back in High School. The secret keeping was something Kat pushed aside at first, but in the coming days had started to eat at her.
"I just feel like there's something going on with him right now. I don't know if I can actually count on him." She said, side-stepping the family drama.
"Well you can count on me, alright? No matter what!" Loomis said walking over and hugging her.
As they embraced, Kat began to feel her anxiety over the memorial service start to fade. Loomis was like a big brother to her and great comfort.
As the storms continued to drop more and more rain outside, a sudden thunderclap broke the friendly embrace, and with it another jolt from inside Kat's womb. Feeling the push from within, Loomis yelled and jumped back. He looked at Kat who was standing there in shock at his bizarre out burst not knowing he felt it too.
"Loomis what is it?" She said walking over to him now cornered by the door.
"Your stomach....the baby. I felt it kick. But----How? You just found out you were pregnant?!" Loomis said startled at what he felt.
Kat didn't know what to say, she knew she felt a kick earlier too, but wasn't sure if it was what she thought it was. Now, if Loomis felt it too, she had confirmation.
"I might be further along then I thought I was. With everything going on I don't think I calculated correctly." Kat answered hoping Loomis would leave it at that.
Kat turned and looked into a full length mirror and slowly caressed her stomach, she smiled as she started to now feel the baby move around at a shockingly early stage.
"I guess Collins babies are just more active then others." She said staring deep into the mirror at her reflection.
Loomis for his part, stared too, silently. He was paralyzed with shock.
****
The rain clouds began to dissipate and dissolve into the distance over the Atlantic, finally allowing for the family and a few random friends to join together at the Collins family plots at Eagle Hill Cemetery.
Carolyn, who had just returned that morning from a Boston hospital was still nursing injuries from the airplane crash that took Caleb's life, was brought by wheelchair to the front of the gathering.
Alexandra, dressed in a dark dress, and large black hat sat next to her mother and held her hand tightly. Alex had just been through a turbulent moment of her life herself, living through a terrible curse placed on her by Claudia. Alex's emotions where all over the place, she just wanted things to get back to normal, and seeing her mother in the state she was in and knowing her closest relative Caleb was gone forever, was tearing her apart. She clung to her mother like a small child would.
"Its ok." Carolyn whispered as Alex wiped away tears from under her dark glasses.
David and Kimberly sat stoically at the end of a row of seats, Christopher directly behind them.
Kat slowly walked up the wet path to the memorial site. Everyone waited on her. As she made her way up, she could feel the blades of wet cemetery grass brush up against her exposed ankles, the lasting evidence of the storm that had just blown through.
Loomis helped her sit next to the family, while Sebastian quietly sat behind his sister.
Soon other friends came in and took their seats, and a priest calmly made his way to the front.
Father Joseph Helsing, a 90 year old white haired man with tiny blue eyes and happy grin, was a very well known priest in Collinwood. He had been at the perish of St. John for over 70 years, and with all those years and history under his belt, he was no stranger to the mysterious family that lived on the Collinwood land. They kept their distance, and he kept his. But Carolyn specifically asked for Father Joseph. Kimberly and David agreed on the choice.
Being the kind priest he was, Father Joseph obliged the grieving Collins family no matter his hesitation.
"In the name of the father, son and holy spirit." Father Joseph said in his old shaky voice as the audience followed. "We are gathered here today to remember our brother Caleb who left this earth too soon. He....." The priest said before pausing and looking down the row of family members as if he were searching for someone specific.
"Father?" Carolyn whispered seeing the priest freeze mid speech.
"Yes!....uh... we are gathered here today to remember our brother Caleb who left this earth too soon. Life is and should always been lived to its fullest especially if we are in the prime of life like Caleb was." Father Joseph said as he continued to look down the row of Collins family members peculiarly. The local folklore on the family had never been lost on him throughout the years, but there was something more to his stare.
As Father Joseph lead the crowd in a quick prayer, the waves over the cliff side sent a wet spray over the mourners and one by one Caleb's friends came up to say good things about him. There were tears, there were laughs and there were many memories shared through out the hour long service.
Soon each one came to say goodbye and their condolences to the family, shaking hands, hugging and sharing tears. It was a quiet and peaceful movement the Collins family rarely shared with outsiders.
Seeing an out, Father Joseph made quick retreated back to his parish.
Sebastian came over to Kat who was still sitting in her chair staring off into the distance with a glazed off look, her eyes puffy and full from crying.
"You ok sis?" Sebastian said patting her back.
"What? Oh! Yeah. I'm ok. Just thinking." Kat said never breaking stare into the foreground.
"That baby is getting big huh! Do you know your due date?" Sebastian asked carefully digging out information for Victoria who's interest in the baby depended on the date of it's birth.
"No, actually, I've gotta go see a doctor soon. Listen, Bash, thank you for coming. I think Carolyn said she was having some refreshments for the family back at Collinwood, please come." Kat said cutting her conversation short with Sebastian as she got up and went off with Loomis who looked over at Sebastian with a suspicious eye.
They then joined Carolyn, Chris and Alex heading back to Collinwood.
As Kimberly got into her own car to head back to the main house, David grabbed her arm pulling her towards him.
"David!" She yelled almost falling over in the gravel.
"I want you to tell me everything you know about "The Organization", and I want it all to be the truth. No lies. Do you hear me Kimberly?" David said sternly his frustration over his ex-wife's involvement in so many terrible things in his past was boiling over.
Kim took a deep breath, looking around fearing someone was listening, but all she could see was a strange imagine hidden in the shade of some trees of the cemetery. It was her sister Joanna's spirit still keeping watch over Kimberly. Joanna was covered in her own blood, and looked forlorn just staring at Kimberly from across the green grass.
Kim was swore secrecy to the Organization and to Vickie. Even in death Joanna came to make sure Kim hept her promise to Vickie and rest of the organization even though she had officially defected.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kim said starting to shake at the sight of her dead sister in the foreground.
"Barnabas told me everything. He told me about Joanna, he told me about Vickie, and he told me why I was taken to Windcliff all those years ago, he told me everything." David said hoping that would jog Kim's memory.
Unfortunately for David Kim was telling somewhat of a true story. She truly wasn't sure about events in her life in the past few weeks. The night Barnabas went searching for Maggie Evans at the Sanitarium where he killed Joanna he also wiped Kim's memory clean. Kim's only memories of working for The Organization were foggy at best.
Kim, still seeing Joanna lurking under the shady willows with her bloody index finger up to her lips once more, kept her composure as best she could but she knew her ex-husband David wouldn't let it go.
"I can honestly tell you, I don't remember everything." Kim said as David tightened his grasp of her arm and scoffed with disbelief. "It's true, I swear David. I don't know whats happened to me, but I really have no memory of anything involving you at Windcliff." she added in a hushed tone.
"It would't be like you to tell the truth if you did remember, so this is pointless." David lamented as he let Kimberly out of his grasp. "You know, after everything that's happened with our kid I hope you've finally learned your lesson. This isn't a game anymore. So listen to me, and listen to me well, you're only still living at Collinwood because Caleb was your son too so consider yourself lucky and on notice. I'm watching you Kimberly." David warned.
"I swear, David, I had nothing to do---" She said as David interrupted.
"I know you did. Barnabas wouldn't have gone to all the trouble he did to tell me about everything if it wasn't for a reason. You're out of this organization now...fine, but if you have any contact with any of them at all...you tell them that I'm back and so is Barnabas. They'll have a hell of a hard time pulling the wool over our eyes again. This time, its we wont be taken so easily." David said as he left Kim standing in the cemetery parking lot shaken and confused as Sebastian carefully watched it all unfold.
Kim only wanted to get back into the good graces of the Collins family, the truth was, she was still in love with David...she loved him with all heart and now that Caleb was gone, that love of family and togetherness was inside her and it was stronger then ever.
Kim's mind since Barnabas' memory swipe was scattered and confused at best, but there was one last dark secret that lay inside Kim's mind, one she knew could uproot her whole life should anyone discover it. One that spirit of Kim's late sister, the diabolical Dr. Joanna Grayson wanted to make sure stayed hidden even from beyond the grave.
****
In a darkened office hidden somewhere within the small sea side town of Collinsport, Victoria Winters pored over old photos, old papers and old memories of her past, from her childhood in a New York orphanage and then her days as a governess for David Collins when he was just a little boy 50 years ago. Being back in Collinsport was certainly stirring a lot of emotional energy. Especially of the day that changed her life. The day the Origination came to the Orphanage to see her.
When she was only 6 years old, checks came into the orphanage in her name. For decades she believed it was from her biological parents. For decades she believed that perhaps someone out there knew where she was and was trying to help her along. But it wasn't until 1966, when Vicky was in her mid 20s,
The Organization came to see her and told her they were her benefactors, and that they had a very important job for her to do; a job that need that required the utmost secrecy. And with that new job, they were going to make it so that she wouldn't have to live in the orphanage any longer. They were going to change her life forever. The place she was to go to was called Collinsport, MN and the wealthy East Coast family she would be surveying for them, was not your typical family.
**HAMMOND FOUNDLING HOME, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 1966**
A young Victoria sat in the mess room with the men in suits. They were dashing and clean cut and had fresh hair cuts. She could smell the expensive cologne on their skin, it was enticing and every word that came out of their mouths was exciting and a bit strange. But they had promises, they had something she was never aware she could have before: A future.
"We'll need you to be very discrete. This is a job that we wouldn't just ask any young woman. At time it could be dangerous." A man with tiny blue eyes The Organization said to a gobsmacked Vicky.
"What is it about this family...why are you so interested in them?" Vicky shyly asked.
"What is it about this family...why are you so interested in them?" Vicky shyly asked.
The men looked at each other then, one of the men, heavier set, bald but strikingly handsome took his own seat and sighed: "Vicky do you believe in the supernatural? Do you believe in things that can't exactly be explained by what you see and what you hear?" He asked.
"Like ghosts?" Vicky asked again.
"Yes, like ghosts and spirits...and other things. We believe this family has, some how, for decades really, been hiding a very deep and dark secret. A connection to something other worldly. And we believe they carry this familial connection in their blood. Its something they've inherited. We believe this family, the Collins, are hiding a dangerous vampire." The bald man said point blank.
At first, Victoria smiled, she thought it was all a joke. She looked around and even giggled a little. How could three grown men come to her with such none sense of vampires and secrets. It was all like something out of Mary Shelley novel. It couldn't be real.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. A Vampire?" Vicky said with another laugh.
"It's true Miss Winters. We believe they've had something like that hidden for centuries. We're unsure if the current family members know the truth, which is why we need you. The lady of the house, Mrs. Collins-Stoddard, is currently searching for a governess for her young nephew. His widowed father is often off working in the family business and she needs someone to look after the boy. What we're proposing is that our people will send you a letter posing as Mrs. Collins-Stoddard specifically requesting your assistance. Once you get the job, you'll be our informant on the family; reporting back to us all you see, hear and know. You must keep that you know the truth away from your headmistress Mrs. Hopewell. Any leaks could cause irreversible damage." The man with tiny blue eyes said.
"This is an amazing opportunity Miss Winters. As our informant in the house we could find this being and make sure it never ever hurts a living soul. Ever." A third man said who had been quiet the whole time.
"But why me?" Vicky asked now noting the men were quiet serious.
Them men looked at each other, one of them men pulled out another manila envelope marked with Vicky's name on it and slid it across the table.
"Open it." the first man said.
Vicky opened the envelope and pulled out papers and carefully read them over. Their contents shocked her to her core.
"This ....this can't be true!" Vickie said looking down at the paperwork.
"We believe it is." The bald man responded.
"I can't do this! I just can't! You're asking me to risk my life and do things that you don't even know are accurate? You're asking me to..." Vickie responded before she was interrupted by the bald man again.
"We're asking you to take charge of this investigation in a very important role. This is what made you an orphan, Miss Winters. This is what killed your parents." The man said pulling out a photo of an old painting of man with a stoic expression in a black coat, a cane with the head of a horse on the end and a black ring.
"This ....this can't be true!" Vickie said looking down at the paperwork.
"We believe it is." The bald man responded.
"I can't do this! I just can't! You're asking me to risk my life and do things that you don't even know are accurate? You're asking me to..." Vickie responded before she was interrupted by the bald man again.
"We're asking you to take charge of this investigation in a very important role. This is what made you an orphan, Miss Winters. This is what killed your parents." The man said pulling out a photo of an old painting of man with a stoic expression in a black coat, a cane with the head of a horse on the end and a black ring.
**COLLINSPORT, PRESENT TIME, VICKY'S SECRET OFFICE***
50 years later, Vicky kept this meeting a secret. She took the job and worked for The Organization gathering evidence for them for years through the harshest and most bizarre of circumstances. It turned out those men were right. The Collins family vampire was real and she knew him well.
Vicky then went into the small room where she was keeping the unconscious man she knew would be the key to finishing the job she started so many years ago. The same man that Sebastian found unconscious and brought in for treatments to become the knew weapon against the forces of evil, the forces The Organization believed were growing within the walls of Collinwood and in Kat's womb.
She looked down at the man and smiled. After 50 years, she would finally finish what she started and he was the key, if the Collins family had anything to do with the death of her parents like the papers she was given said, it was time they paid the price.
Vicky then went into the small room where she was keeping the unconscious man she knew would be the key to finishing the job she started so many years ago. The same man that Sebastian found unconscious and brought in for treatments to become the knew weapon against the forces of evil, the forces The Organization believed were growing within the walls of Collinwood and in Kat's womb.
She looked down at the man and smiled. After 50 years, she would finally finish what she started and he was the key, if the Collins family had anything to do with the death of her parents like the papers she was given said, it was time they paid the price.
Vickie went back into her office and found the old manila envelope she was given many years ago by the men from "The Organization". She she scattered the papers on her desk. The Organization had successfully given Victoria her marching orders, they had successfully planted in her brain that the real reason her parents were gone leaving her an orphan all her life was because the Collins family and the secret monster they were harboring was directly responsible.
She picked up one of the forms, her eyes moved across each and every word, then she pulled out the photo of the old painting...the painting of Barnabas.
"When we meet again....it will be for the last time." She whispered.
She picked up one of the forms, her eyes moved across each and every word, then she pulled out the photo of the old painting...the painting of Barnabas.
"When we meet again....it will be for the last time." She whispered.