Dark Are the Shadows 03/02/2020

Dark are the Shadows
03/02/2020
by Ms. Hunter Ash

rating: PG13
pairings: Willow/Tara; Giles/Angelique, Buffy/Quentin, Xander/Anya, Barnabas/Roxanne

## # # #  #

SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA

Giles sighed as he knocked on Quentin's door.

“What?” he heard Quentin call.

“Sorry to knock but I've had an encounter with Glory and the Initiative, neither were pleasant,” Giles said through the door.

He heard Buffy swearing softly and both getting out of bed.

He headed back downstairs and wasn't surprised when Willow and Tara left the master bedroom, both blinking in the lights.

“You heard,” Giles said.

“Yeah,” Willow said. “Your... neck. What happened?”

“Wait until Buffy and Quentin come down,” Giles suggested.

Giles sighed when the two couples sat down. He glanced toward the kitchen where Angelique was warming some blood.

“We went out for a cup of tea and a group of young men entered,” Giles began. “I recognized Graham Whatever-his-name-is. We finished our tea and began walking. Glory decided to harass us. She demanded to know where Quentin was, that it was time for him to die. I said he was out of her reach so I became the substitute.”

“The bruises on your neck,' Willow ventured.

Giles nodded. “She called me a half-breed and Angelique a vamp,” Giles continued. “She was choking me and somehow Angelique got her scarf and tied it around a poppet.”

“It's something I specialize in,” Angelique said as she entered the living room.

“Why do you carry one?” Buffy asked with a frown. “To work black magic whenever you want?”

“I learned to carry one when my husband tried to burn me alive,” Angelique said. “I barely protected myself. Would you rather Rupert had been choked to death?”

“Wait, it affected Glory?” Willow asked.

“It seemed to,” Giles said. “Enough to drop me. She hit Angelique to end it. She wasn't choking but...”

“It bothered her,” Angelique said. “She dropped Rupert and hit me.”

“She became bored with us and left. We were walking away when the group of young men confronted us,” Giles continued.

“The one that seemed to be in charge said he recognized Rupert as hanging with you. Rupert corrected him. They had heard what Glory said and demanded that we prove we weren't vampires.”

“How did you get out of that?” Tara asked.

“I grabbed the cross Graham was holding and said Glory's pet terms for us were actually just insults,” Giles said. “I also threatened them with the Council by letting them know that the Council will protect us and be very unhappy if the lowly ranked soldiers tranquilized us.”

“Wow,” Willow said softly.

“He was amazing and they let us go,” Angelique said. “I'm surprised they didn't ask about the magic.”

“I told them we didn't know what Glory was yet,” Giles added. “Perhaps they think you're only a witch.”

“Let's hope,” Buffy said. “I'll try and talk with Graham and tell him to pass along to his superiors that this is my territory and the military doesn't want the attention of the Council and US government to take a closer look at them.”

“It also tells us that Glory hasn't given up and she still doesn't know the key is Dawn,” Quentin pointed out.

“We have got to find some answers... like magic affecting her...” Buffy said thoughtfully.

# # #

COLLINSPORT, MAINE

“Please don’t be afraid, Maggie,” Barnabas said. “I won’t harm you, I swear.”

“But…how? You’re young!”

“No, I just don’t age,” Barnabas said. Oh, how he wanted to hug the woman. They had become good friends before he had died and rose again and turned Julia into a creature of the night as he was. It had pained him to leave Collinwood and to put Maggie and Joe and the Collins family behind him.

“Maggie, I…”

Barnabas resisted the urge to disappear as Joe Haskell walked into sight and froze.

“It is me, Joe,” Barnabas said. “I won’t harm either of you, I swear.”

“How?” Joe demanded as he rushed up and put an arm around Maggie, ready to pull her back and away from Barnabas. The man was still quite handsome, Barnabas thought even with the gray in his hair and the few pounds he had put on over the years.

Dawn rushed up to stand beside Barnabas.

“You remember the dream, Maggie,” Barnabas said.

“Yes, but…you survived it,” Maggie protested.

“Yes, I was the target of the final dream,” Barnabas said. “I did survive but I was also bitten by a bat immediately after and was sick for a short period but seemed to recover. I had a hint of what was to come when the Leviathans temporarily cursed me for fighting against them. You remember how Jeb buried Quentin.”

“Yes,” Maggie said and pulled Joe a few steps closer to the vampire.

“They changed me into what Cassandra had promised, a creature of the night,” Barnabas said.

“The attacks on the girls in the village,” Maggie said softly.

“Yes, I didn’t understand myself at the time but quickly learned,” Barnabas said. The story was a very twisted take on what had really happened but there was enough truth in it that he thought the two would believe it.

“But…you…” Joe stammered.

Barnabas did not want to bring up Angelique, Joe had no memory of his life being destroyed because of the thrall that the vampire witch had him under while preying on Barnabas.

“I became very ill in late 1971,” Barnabas continued. “I already had problems being in direct sunlight and thought that an after-effect of the curse.”

“That’s why no one ever saw you in the daytime,” Maggie ventured and Barnabas nodded.

“Julia helped me when I was ill and became ill herself,” Barnabas said. “I suspected what was happening and begged her to stop it.”

“How?” Joe asked.

“With a stake through my heart,” Barnabas said. He knew he was taking a great risk, Maggie knew about the cell and hidden rooms in the Old House, if they thought he was a danger… if he stayed at the Old House he and Julia would be vulnerable during the day with Tom having a broken leg. “She tried but didn’t have the strength nor really the desire to do that. I woke that night.”

“That’s when the two of you left abruptly?” Maggie surmised.

“Yes, we didn’t want to endanger anyone,” Barnabas said. “We learned how to adapt without hurting others.”

“How?” Joe demanded. “You need blood, right? Like in the movies?”

“Yes,” Barnabas said. “There are usually animals within reach, horses, cattle, deer and such. There’s also butcher shops that will sell blood for English blood pudding.”

“Why are you telling us?” Joe asked.

“Because I’ve missed seeing the two of you and seeing how happy you’ve been together,” Barnabas said. “It can be a lonely existence.”

The vampire looked at the grave. “And for Willie. He was a good friend. What happened? Julia wouldn’t tell me.”

$ $ $ $

COLLINSPORT, MAINE

“The three of us were at the Blue Whale, we’d go out with him pretty frequently,” Joe replied. “He had almost gotten past that last stroke, you know. Only sign was a slight droop of his eye and mouth on the left side and his hand and arm. We were just… having a nice night out.”

“Alex Thornton, the son of one of the town’s bigshots, was there and he was drunk and being… aggressive with his friends and others,” Maggie added. “His father owns the hotel and he’s a realtor.”

“Go on,” Barnabas urged.

“There’s this guy in town, Steve Carter,” Joe continued. “He’s the town drunk. I mean the typical town drunk stereotype but he’s harmless. He used to be a fisherman until his boat got caught in a storm and he lost his son and his left hand when he was fouled up in the rigging. He fell apart after that.”

Maggie nodded. “Everyone wants him to stop drinking but he won’t. People will buy him a drink and dinner and let him talk about being on the sea. Everyone somewhat takes care of him. He sleeps in one of the sheds down on the docks and some of the women will make sure his bedding is washed once a week and things like that.”

“A blessing for him, no doubt,” Barnabas said.

“Steve was there trying to cadge drinks off the regulars,” Joe continued. “Like we said, he’s harmless and totally dependent on the alcohol. Alex started tormenting the guy, making him sing sea shanties and stuff while promising him a pitcher of beer. Alex is big, strong and doesn’t mind using his fists.”

“He’s also dumb, arrogant and mean,” Maggie added. “He started making Steve dance for his beer. Joe jumped up to put a stop to it but Willie beat him to it. He tried to talk Alex into leaving Steve alone.”

“And?”

“He hit Willie twice,” Joe said, softly. “The second time Willie fell and he hit his head on a table when he went down. He….”

“He said to tell Barnabas and Julia that he wouldn’t change a thing,” Maggie said softly. “We thought he was… delirious because everyone thinks you two died somewhere in the Orient.”

“He wouldn’t change a thing…” Barnabas repeated. After all he had been through, the torment, the terror… Willie had cherished the friendship with him and Julia. Amazing. “What happened to Thornton?”

Both Joe and Maggie looked away.

“What? Tell me!”

“His friends swore to the sheriff that Willie threw a punch,” Joe said. “He didn’t. He placed a hand on Thornton’s chest to try and put a stop to the momentum building. There weren’t a lot of people in the place and we were the only ones willing to say otherwise.”

“The sheriff said as long as his friends back him up there’s enough reasonable doubt that he might not be convicted,” Maggie informed the vampire. “The sheriff is hoping that the autopsy will prove that Willie didn’t throw a punch but he doesn’t think that will even be enough, especially with Thornton’s father having a lot of influence in town.”

“Thornton,” Barnabas repeated.

Maggie stepped closer and touched his arm. “I know that look, Barnabas. You can’t touch him, please. Let the courts catch up with him eventually.”

“I can’t promise that,” Barnabas said softly. “Willie was my friend and family.”

“They’ll blame Joe, Barnabas,” Maggie protested. “We’re the only ones that told the truth.”

“Don’t worry, if I were to actually do anything you and Joe wouldn’t be in danger of being blamed,” Barnabas said. “You both are very special to Julia and I.”

“Is she here?” Maggie asked.

“Yes,” Barnabas said. “We were trying to avoid seeing either of you. It’s hard to explain what happened to us so long ago.”

Maggie looked up into his eyes and suddenly hugged him tightly.

“We’ve missed you both,” she said as Joe moved closer.

“We missed you as well,” Barnabas said with a smile as she pulled back. “You both look amazing.”

Joe hesitated a moment and then stuck his hand out and Barnabas shook it weakly.

“Your wrists, what happened?” Joe asked. “And who's the kid?”

“Nicholas Blair chained me by my wrists standing up and bricked me in an alcove in a basement,” Barnabas explained. “It took several nights to find me. This is Dawn, she accompanied me from California. She's part of my extended family. Dawn, this is Joe and Maggie Haskell.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Joe said with a charming smile.

“Hi.”

“When did you last see Willie?” Maggie asked.

“Two months ago,” Barnabas responded. “He was really pleased at his recovery and wanted to come back to Collinsport so we arranged it. I wish I could have seen him here. He hated this place at one time but came to love it and everyone.”

“Come into town, Barnabas,” Joe suggested.

“There are some that will remember me, Julia has changed quite a bit but I haven’t,” Barnabas said with a frown.

“We’ll tell them you’re the son of Barnabas Collins who went to England and the Orient with Julia,” Maggie suggested. “They’ll know you’re a Collins but they won’t believe you could be the same man.”

Barnabas hesitated.

“Please,” Maggie asked. “Bring Dawn, Julia and Carolyn.”

“Amy, Thomas and Elizabeth are here as well,” Barnabas said.

“Amy? Oh, I haven’t seen her in forever!” Maggie said with a wide smile. “It would be perfect if David were here as well.”

Barnabas smiled and nodded. “He’s enjoying the South American branch of the business. He said he loves the hot weather and sun.”

“Definitely a change from Maine,” Joe agreed. “Please, meet us at the Blue Whale. Your secret will be safe with us, I swear.”

Barnabas nodded after a moment. “I’ll gather as many as I can. Let me call Julia, I haven’t talked with her yet. I came straight here.”

The vampire pulled out a cellphone and turned slightly away and dialed.

“Hello? Barnabas?”

“It’s me,” Barnabas acknowledged.

“Where are you?” Julia’s voice asked.

“At Willie’s grave,” Barnabas said.

“But Carolyn said that Maggie and Joe were…”

“I know, I’m with them,” Barnabas responded. “Maggie saw me and I told them how the dream curse caught up with me when I became ill and that you joined me at that time. I assured them that I don’t kill humans for their blood.”

“Barnabas… have you lost your mind?”

“You’ve asked that question before over the years,” Barnabas commented. “They’d like to see everyone at the Blue Whale. You and I can talk afterwards. Where is your…where are you sleeping?”

“In the basement, why?”

“I’ll take the small room,” Barnabas suggested. “Dawn is also with me, she can take Josette's room.”

“Barnabas, Thomas is…”

The vampire frowned. “Are you about to tell me that I wouldn’t be safe in my own home? A place that’s been my home for… many years?”

“We need to talk about things,” Julia said.

# # #

COLLINSPORT, MAINE

“Just come and spend time with Maggie and Joe, we’ll talk afterwards,” Barnabas said. “I’m going to call Carolyn. Damn, I need to tell Amy. I don’t want her to walk into the Blue Whale and have a heart attack.”

“Are you going to tell everyone?” Julia demanded.

“What would you suggest?” he countered. “Carolyn, David and Elizabeth know. Now Maggie and Joe.”

“You didn’t have to tell them,” Julia responded.

“I didn’t want to use my powers on them or them to think me a ghost,” Barnabas said. “it’s done. They aren’t going to tell anyone.”

“Are you here to stay?”

“No, we're returning to California tomorrow night,” Barnabas answered. “Once that’s settled we’ll discuss if I can return to my own home or not.”

“Barnabas…”

“No, not now,” he said firmly. “Come spend time with Maggie and Joe. We’ll talk afterwards and I will find somewhere for the day unknown to anyone.”

“Even me?” Julia asked.

“I’m not discussing this over the phone, Julia,” Barnabas said, his voice almost a growl. “We'll see you at the Blue Whale in a bit. I must talk with Amy.”

“All right, I still think this is a mistake.”

“See you soon.”

Barnabas closed his cellphone as his jaw clenched. He turned to find Maggie and Joe talking quietly.

They both looked up.

“Barnabas, we couldn’t help but overhear all of that,” Maggie said. “What’s happening?”

“Julia and I are having some marriage problems,” Barnabas admitted. “I’m in California helping some heroes fighting supernatural terrors. We'll return there tomorrow night. I don’t know what will happen between Julia and myself. The man who normally watches over us during the day… he and Julia…”

“Will you be able to find somewhere safe?” Maggie asked with a frown. “You could stay with us, the attic is hard to find and we'd be happy to have Dawn for the day. We could show her Collinsport or she and I could drive up to the city.”

“And my workshop has strong locks and we could cover the windows,” Joe offered.

“You… have no idea how much that means to me,” Barnabas said. “Not many would offer sanctuary to something like me.”

“They would if they knew you,” Maggie protested. “We’ll figure it out after dinner and drinks. Go talk to Amy and Carolyn, we’ll see you at the diner first. We’ll call the Old House and let Julia know to go there first.”

“All right, thank you,” Barnabas said. “I’ll drive over to Collinwood now.”

The vampire and teenager quickly left his two old friends and he shook his head. Things had definitely become strange since they began taking on the Leviathan threat again.

# # # #

y

SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA

“What are we looking for?” Quentin asked as he and Buffy slipped under the crime scene yellow tape and onto the passenger car.

“I want to see if I can tell if this was a vamp attack, demon attack or if Glory got bored,” Buffy said. “The bodies have been removed... good, tape outlines....”

“Some missing fabric from seats and parts of the carpet,” Quentin noted.

“Most of the blood is near the head rests, near the neck or on the floor where someone fell,” Buffy said thoughtfully. “No sign of intestines or organs being tossed around, no body part outlines.”

“You know, I thought there was little that could rattle me,” Quentin commented.

“Sorry,” Buffy responded. “Okay, this wasn't a demon attack and there's no smashed windows or pieces of skull which there might be if Glory was tossing people around and she doesn't drink blood. There's blood here but not as much if there would be if six people had their throats cut.”

“Uh, what's this?”

Buffy frowned as she approached a luggage rack that had crime tape on it.

She looked down to where Quentin was pointing and her frown deepened. There were two “voids” in the puddle of blood.

Buffy bent over and then stood up. “Footprints where someone was standing while bathing in blood. Shoes that look a lot smaller than most men sizes... and they were heels.”

“Your vampire is a woman that bathes in blood?” Quentin asked. “Who is she, Elizabeth Bathory?”

Buffy's eyes narrowed. “I might have an idea.”

# # # #

COLLINSPORT, MAINE

Carolyn laughed as Elizabeth made a move on the gameboard that she, Carolyn and Amy were hovered over. “Oh, let me get that,” she said when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Carolyn, it’s Barnabas.”

“Oh hello, it’s been awhile, how are you and where are you?”

“You have company,” Barnabas ventured. “Amy and Elizabeth?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Carolyn confirmed. “Where are you?”

“On my way to Collinwood,” Barnabas answered. “I came to… see Willie.”

“Oh, I’m just having a game night with cousins,” Carolyn said.

“Carolyn, I saw Maggie and Joe and told them what Julia and I are, they saw me at Willie’s grave. They’d like everyone to come into town for dinner and drinks which means I need to talk to Amy beforehand.”

“Is that a wise decision?” Carolyn asked.

“Wise or not, I miss my family and friends,” Barnabas said. “I’m almost there as it is.”

“All right, we’ll figure it out,” Carolyn said. “see you in a minute.”

The mistress of Collinwood turned and smiled at her cousins. “We’re about to have company and they want to take us to dinner and spend some time at the Blue Whale with Maggie and Joe.”

“An old friend of theirs?” Amy asked.

“You could say that,” Carolyn said. “Elizabeth, go get on that pretty blue dress your father bought you last week.”

“Okay!”

Carolyn smiled as the child scampered and dashed up the stairs. Then she turned to Amy. “This is going to be a surprise and a shock. Just… I don’t know.”

“Carolyn, what on earth are you talking about?” Amy asked.

“It’s Barnabas,” Carolyn said. “And he hasn’t changed, he looks the same as when you were a child. He’s… like your brother Tom, both him and Julia only they don’t hurt people.”

Amy swallowed and looked down at the gameboard. “Like Tom?”

“Yes, they… oh, there’s his car now,” Carolyn said and went to the front door and opened it.

“Hello, Carolyn,” Barnabas said as he walked into Collinwood once more and he laughed softly as she hugged him tightly. “I’ve missed you as well.”

“Dawn! This is a surprise! You get to see Collinwood and Collinsport! Barnabas, I told Amy that you and Julia are like Tom but that you don’t hurt people,” Carolyn said. “That’s as far as I got.”

“Oh, I have hurt people, especially if they’re villains like Nicholas Blair,” Barnabas said. “I’ll try and explain to her. Joe and Maggie took it surprisingly well, they even offered to put us up during the day tomorrow. I’ll explain later.”

“Barnabas?”

Barnabas turned and looked at Amy.

“I knew you’d be a beautiful woman, Amy,” Barnabas said. “It’s me.”

“But how?”

“I am a vampire and so is Julia,” Barnabas said. “The short version is that I was cursed by a witch before you came to Collinwood and the curse hit me when I became very ill and died. I’ve struggled for decades not to hurt anyone innocent.”

“And Julia?”

“She was dying and asked to continue on with me,” Barnabas said.

“It’s really you?”

“Yes, I’m the same man,” Barnabas said gently.

“You tried to help Chris,” Amy said. “I heard him and Sabrina talking about it.”

“Yes, I was hoping to find a way to cure him,” Barnabas replied. “This is Dawn, she's a member of my new extended family.”

“Uncle Barnabas!”

Barnabas looked up and saw Elizabeth running down the stairs and caught the girl as she jumped into his arms.

“Hullo! I’ve come for a short visit,” he told the young girl. “Maggie and Joe want to catch up and want to invite the three of you in addition to Julia and myself.”

“And Daddy?” Elizabeth asked.

“We’ll see if he’s up to it,” Barnabas told the young girl. “Julia said he gets tired quickly with that damned, uh, darn cast on.”

“Okay,” Elizabeth said.

“Are we picking Julia up?” Carolyn asked as she grabbed her coat along with a stunned Amy.

“No, we’ll meet her at the diner with the others,” Barnabas said.

Carolyn hesitated and looked at her cousin the vampire. “That bad?”

“Things haven’t been mended,” Barnabas told her. “Come, let me catch up with everyone and try to explain why I’m the way I am.”