Life After Death

by Jo A Curl

(4) TOS Barn/Vicki does life go on after death, how will this premise affect Barnabas and Vicki as he finds his life will become one with a Frankenstein monster that wants nothing more than to be as normal as the rest of the world. How will this affect the residents of Collinwood when one doctor decides he can play god and create new life through animation?

1. Chapter1

Chapter 1

Prolog

My name is Victoria Winters; my life has taken an unexpected course since my journey to this house high on top of Widow's Hill. I find myself caught in a timelessness that is like this very house I occupy. Like the great lady, the matriarch of this house, it is as timeless as age itself. I think to the past, for I have lived in the past and I have escaped death on many occasions. Which brings me to this point where I question, is there life after death? I follow the laws of god and man and feel that there are higher planes to aspire and embrace. I believe that life at conception starts a new journey, similar to the one that brought me here three years ago.

In that time, I have lived with this family and have embraced them as my own. I have experienced things most mortals would tremble at and I have faced my own demons. I have loved, been loved, lost love and found love again. I believe that as in life from conception to the time of developing and learning, that to stop learning would be the end of the ones very own existence. That when the brain function ceases in the shell we are born, it continues on to another form, another birth a new life after death. So begins a a new cycle and a new world to grown and learn,

Collinwood Vicki's bedroom

Vicki put down her pen sat back and looked around the room she had grown to love and be comfortable in for the past three years. Standing she looked to the window seat walked to it and sat. Peering out to the grounds below she sighed. She thought back to her first night arriving here in this gloomy huge house.

Vicki's memories

Then she was young, excited and curious. Why had she been offered this job to the very troubled young boy David? She had come to a house to meet a woman that was cold, austere and very daunting. This meeting was after her long journey on the train. Her first steps into the great drawing room she paused to look around and felt a sense of finality with the closing of the set of oaken doors and the rather dour looking woman that posed in front of those doors. She turned to look from her employer to a set of French windows overlooking the front of the house; Vicki had felt her heart beating rapidly with anticipation and fear. What did she have to fear? Her thoughts were tumbling over why she was there standing in that great hallway holding her suitcase feeling out of her element.

The fear could not be from the unknown, it was all unknown and just awaited to be learned. It was from the uncertainty she just might find out who she was and whom her parents were. Then would she be disappointed or find the pot at the end of the long dreamed of rainbow? Or would there be disappointment that they did not live up to her expectations? She just wanted a family for so long that sometimes she wondered if she should just be happy with her lot in life or did she really want what she had wished? There was an old adage that kept tumbling through her mind, be careful for what you wish. Or you may get it and not like what you get.

Pushing aside those thoughts, she knew that for now that had to wait. She would take whatever was dealt to her and accept it as her lot in life and learn to love it or live with it. She had to acclimate herself to her new surroundings and what had been a very hostile environment. Between David and his father they both had created situations that seemed to be designed to torment and drive her away.

David had been so troubled; she had thought him to be misunderstood but a very bright boy with way too much time on his hands to create mischief. He had spent so much time alone that he had formed relationships with the resident supernaturals. In the beginning Vicki thought all his imaginary friends had been invented in his active imagination.

His father was a functional alcoholic that was more of a playboy than a father and had moved back to Collinwood with David after his wife; Laura had suffered a break down and was institutionalized. Mrs. Stoddard had put David in the local school but soon found that there was a problem. Roger had neglected to tell his sister about his son's problem with fire. David had tried to burn them all to death when they lived in Augusta.

After being enrolled in school David was caught trying to set a maintenance closet on fire and was expulsed from school. Elizabeth Stoddard was then forced to bring in a governess for her nephew and the current titleholder of the Collins name. Elizabeth was a loving mother to her daughter but she was also a loving Aunt and surrogate mother to her nephew.

Elizabeth's Memories

To secure the only male heir apparent to her control and supervision Elizabeth offered her brother a job at the family cannery. In return she was to be given sole guardianship over David. With the need of a tutor or live in governess Elizabeth had to use the one way she knew how to bring home an unknown Collins. So when Elizabeth offered the job to Victoria this woman who had been a total stranger offered a waif a job in the big house o the hill. To Vicki's ignorance, she was that unknown Collins that was being brought to Collinwood and as far as Elizabeth was concerned; she was brining her daughter home.

With all these negotiations and mechanizations going on behind her back, Vicki was offered the job at Collinwood. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard wanted her child home with her so she could be where she needed to be. So enter one Victoria Winters, a young female from the Hammond Foundling Home of New York City.

Victoria's bedroom Collinwood

That had been her introduction to Collinwood almost three years ago. Elizabeth Stoddard had brought her to this room and said it would be her bedroom. Having shared a dormitory until the age of eighteen with the other children in the foundling home, Vicki had felt over whelmed with the huge room, that had held priceless antiques, a huge four poster bed with canopy, a lovely fireplace with beveled glass and antique plating. The dresser had been late 19th century and was filled with various useless small drawers for which she found uses. The armoire was perfect for her meager wardrobe.

The room had been decorated with area carpeting slightly worn but still beautiful. A wingback chair with table for reading and a lovely Louise the sixteenth desk with petite point chair that matched the bedside table. This had been her room now for over three years and was feeling like her home. Victoria leaned over placing her head on her folded arms and studied the tree at the edge of the wood line. It was a mighty and proud oak, at least easily eighty feet tall, now standing like a sentinel against the backdrop of the woods, its long large branches stretched over an expanse of thirty feet in either direction. It was a fitting backdrop for this great house. Why not should that majestic and strong tree such as that oak standing to protect the boundaries of this house be a part of what was Collinwood?

Fall was on them and with the hint of a first frost in the air; the leaves on that tree had already begun its photosynthesis of turning colors. They were beautifully large leaves vibrant in color and were slowly with each new storm bringing more of the leaves down. She watched a pile of leaves swirl in a tumultuous tempus at the base of the tree, causing the dance of fall to look poetically beautiful in a surreal sort of way. Glancing up she looked at the dark sky now softly lit by the half moon behind the tree, Vicki could almost feel it was a tranquil look but for the fact the tree seemed to impose its nature over the entire area it took up. She knew that very same tree took on a more ominous look in the stark winters. It had seemed to become alive with is huge arms stretching out to give a fertile imagination vent to it being prepared to grab and gobble up the unsuspecting innocent that dared to cross beneath its boundaries.

Sighing she glanced to the clock by her bedside table and blinked, "Oh my." She had not realized that it was nearly six thirty. Barnabas would be arriving shortly for their date. She had to decide what she would wear tonight. She had been tempted to wear her blue jeans and sweater. She somehow got the feeling that Barnabas did not approve when she wore pants. Turning to her closet she looked at the meager fare her wardrobe offered and she sighed, well nothing for it but her regular standby blue dress. Pulling the dress from the hanger, she laid it on the bed, then stepped to her dresser to find a matching ribbon to use in her hair.

Methodically as she had since the age of eight she began to get ready, taking meticulous care with her hair, light make up, and dress. Hearing the wind whip against the window, she turned to frown, another nor'easter was beginning to brew to the north and she sighed. Walking back to the closet she opened the door and stopped. The room had grown cold and the air filled with the soft scent of jasmine. "Josette?" Vicki pulled her sweater from the closet and turned looking the room over.

"Oui Cheri." The figure formed in the corner of her room.

Vicki smiled; she had made fast friends with Josette in the past when she had saved Vicki from the horrible fate that Morgan Matthew would have delivered. It had been a fate filled night and had opened the door to her friendship with the resident ghost of Collinwood. Josette along with the other widows had saved her from certain death. It was not only the beginning of a friendship with Josette; it was also the discovery that David did not have imaginary supernatural friends.

She had become a firm believer in the supernatural inhabitants of Collinwood with her introduction to two Ghosts. Before Josette had appeared to her she had seen the spectral form of Bill Malloy in the deserted wing of Collinwood. Seeing Bill Malloy had sincerely convinced her there that there was life after death in many forms. This one appearing to be the most prevalent one that was so openly displayed by the nocturnal residents that was such an integral part of this old house.

"Victoria a time of great need is coming. Soon, you will be asked to make a decision and you must weigh your feelings before you respond. You must know that Barnabas is very much in love with you and he will wish to ask you a question."

Vicki's breath came short and with trepidation thinking about this question. "How do you feel about Barnabas?"

There was the question she had repeatedly posed to herself over and over. 'How did she feel about Barnabas?' She had worried she fell into this courting relationship that had been ongoing for over six months. She wondered if she was feeling lonely and went to the easy relationship with Barnabas or if it had been a need for contact with another after the death of Burke. She had not wanted to examine her relationship with Barnabas because it had become comfortable. She knew she would according to the laws of society, she would be expected to be a productive human being, meet someone fall in love, get married, have children, be a grandmother and then die. She had no higher aspirations except to be happy at this time, and for the most part Barnabas did make her happy. He was the perfect gentleman. His manners so old world, and attention so concentrated that sometimes, she felt a little over whelmed by his attention.

Then there was the mysterious side to him, the side that he kept personal and away from her. This did bother her a little; nothing was secret about her to him. She looked around the room. "Josette, I think I am falling in love with him. I just need more time."

Josette smiled and glided around the room, drifting on the very air that circulated the room. "You will know when the time is right. I am here to prepare you for when the time will come and it will come chéri. I just do not wish you to say something if you do not mean it with your whole heart."

Vicki smiled, "I know you are a very good friend Josette, I do miss your company and I miss you." Vicki said softly she thought back to those days so long ago when she sat in this very room with her friend and they talked of their lives and their loves. That had been the time she had found herself thrown back to the late seventeen hundreds.

"I am always here for you chéri, even when the time comes for me to be reborn into another life, I shall carry this love for you with me and await your arrival on the other side."

The room's temperature returned to normal and the smell of jasmine dissipated. Vicki shrugged into her sweater as Carolyn knocked on her door. "Vicki!" Carolyn opened the door and poked her head into the room smiling. Carolyn looked radiant in her pink dress, her hair done up in a sophisticated upsweep making her look worldly and of course beautiful.

"Gregory tonight?" Vicki asked as she walked towards her friend.

Carolyn laughed, "Of course, we are going to Portland. He is entertaining business partners tonight and wants me as his trophy girl on his arm." She preened loving the idea of being so sought after and admired by others that she gladly played a role Vicki found degrading.

Vicki kept her opinion to herself watching her teeter on her four-inch heels. "You seem to be seeing a lot of Gregory lately?"

"Oh yes, he is quite the dream boat and I love being with him, he makes me feel special." Carolyn giggled and Vicki could readily see she was smitten with the man.

"Well that is what is important that you feel special to the man you are with." Vicki said wistfully as she watched Carolyn step about her room.

"You sound like you don't feel special with Barnabas? Is there a problem? Oh speaking of he is waiting in the drawing room."

"Oh no, he makes me feel very special, I have never had so much wonderful attention lavished upon me as I have with him. He is the kind of man any woman would love to have as their very own."

Carolyn got a curious look on her face she studied the distant look her friend was trying to hide. "You miss Burke and you are wondering what it would have been like had he lived." Carolyn stated it matter of fact and turned to the door.

"How do you know that?' Vicki was astonished, that was exactly what had been bothering her since Quentin, Barnabas and Willie rescued her. She had felt disjointed and at a loss, she had come so close to the one death that had frightened her the most. Being burned alive was a nightmare for her. It was the main fear she had always kept to herself and was not prone to discussion. When the girls had played truth or dare and she had been asked what would be the worse way she could think of to die, the first thought had been death by fire. This was one time that it had nearly come true. It had shaken her to the core of her being.

"Because I felt the same thing after I lost Joe to Maggie. I wondered if I had made a mistake and I wondered what it would have been like had I done what mother wanted and married Joe." Carolyn plopped down on Vicki's bed with a bounce looking up at her friend.

"You are just like me in a lot of ways Vicki, you have the same emotions and feelings and you have the same insecurities and fears, so I figured with the moodiness you displayed recently, that you were going through the what I like to call 'the what if's'. It is kind of natural you know."

Though Carolyn was a couple of years younger than her, she was a very bright girl. She pretended to be flighty and shallow. However, Vicki knew she was far from any of those and she actually did care about Vicki and her feelings, she just did not show it as readily. Vicki stopped turned and hugged her. "Thank you Carolyn, you helped me so much just now and I can't begin to tell you how much."

Carolyn laughed, "No biggie, sometimes you just need to hear it said out loud to believe it, now come on Greg will be here shortly and I am sure that my cousin is very anxious to see the beauty he is going to be sporting on his arm tonight at Q's place on the lake."

Drawing room

Quentin stood waiting for his date. Drink in hand; leaning against the fireplace mantel he gave the appearance of cosmopolitan casual sliding his right hand into his pants pocket to complete the picture. "So, you and Vicki are going to Q's? Mind of Daphne and I tag along we could make it a double date for the night."

Barnabas smiled, "I would welcome the company shall we ask Vicki when she comes down?" Quentin sipped his drink looked up as Daphne entered, her slender tall figure encased in a three piece pant suit, her hair parted in the center and tied back with a ribbon. She was the picture of youth, beauty and health.

"My dear may I say how absolutely charming you look." Quentin set his glass down and stepped to her to take her hands in his kissing her on the cheek. Noting the lovely flush of color that came so readily to her cheeks and allowed that adorable dimple poke through on her right cheek.

Eyes shining brightly she spoke softly, "Thank you. And you look very handsome too."

West Wing Ballroom.

Harlan Waddington, climbed up on the ladder in the ballroom of the west wing of Collinwood. His oversized body was daunting without the height of the ladder, he was a young man that had been directed with his desire to learn and be accepted in a community that thought of him as a giant and intimidating.

His nature had been gentle and his voice soft even though he towered over others by a good foot. Born to Wanda and Charlie Waddington, he was never to know his mother because she died giving birth to him. His father had raised him the best he could but being a man that was driven to work and forget the loss of his wife and love, he had brought in his sister to help raise his son.

Lorraine James had been a good surrogate mother to the boy that was her brother's boy. However, there had been a reticent on the boy's part to accept her fully as his mother. She put her life on hold and loved the boy wholly, even after his father had passed and left them on their own to fend for themselves. Lorraine had found job after job to help keep food on the table, and when Harlan was eighteen she paid for his admission to electrical union. So, Harlan became the local electrician and enjoyed his work, it gave him time to think and be with himself.

On rare occasions would he find a chatty homeowner and with his quiet voice would give only cursory responses to the many questions until the homeowner got tired and moved on, with an impression that Harlan was short on brains. Tonight he climbed up the ladder to check the last of the west wing wiring in the ceiling and was pleased with all that had been done. Stepping down the ladder he walked to the electrical switch box and turned on the power.

With the power restored, the current surged through an open wire it arched and caused Harlan to frown and walk quickly to the ladder, stepping up on the metal frame of the ladder he looked up at the wiring and saw a wire that had not been capped. It had been years and he had felt the bite of a current many times and not wanting to have to get down off the ladder he used his ungloved hand to reach for the cap in his pocket and then the wire, when his hand connected to the wire he felt the ladder begin to wobble. Looking down he frowned seeing the foot had been trapped on top of a tool he bucked the ladder to shift it and felt the ladder begin to topple. Instinctively he reached forward and made contact with the current filled wiring and felt the shock of the electricity shoot though the ladder and his body. The electrical surge sent a shock through the entire house causing the house lights to blink and then go out. However for Harlan, he was dead before his body crashed to the floor of the ballroom. Harlan lay on his back, his eyes going dim and his life flashing before his eyes.

He lay for three minutes knowing he should have been better to his aunt and he should not have been so stupid to do the one thing he had cautioned others to not do and that was touch open wiring. His life and his memories faded from his body he felt peace and he waited for the next journey of his life.

Elizabeth looked up from her desk seeing the house was in total darkness she was not sure what had happened but it was definitely not the weather that caused this outage. Walking to the cupboard she found a flashlight and started into the hallway and headed to the west wing in search of Harlan to see if he could pin point the problem. Entering the room the flashlight's beam narrow and limited danced around the room as she advanced towards the center shadows that appeared to be a fallen ladder. "Harlan?" She called stepping forward.

Her toe caught the hardness on the floor and she felt her body tumble forward so that she lay face down on the fallen Harlan. A scream of such intensity filled the room and reacted around and down the hallway. Quentin turned to look with concern to his cousin Barnabas, "Elizabeth?" He stated with his sudden movement towards the sound of the scream with Barnabas closely behind, followed by Daphne and now Vicki coming down the stairs with Carolyn.

Carolyn walked to the kitchen where she found the fuse box and opened the door. Looking in she saw two burned fuses, replacing them she threw the switch and watched as the lights flickered and came back. Turning she dashed off towards the west wing ballroom and paused watching anxiously while Quentin and Barnabas helped Elizabeth off of the fallen Harlan,. This allowed Daphne go down on bended knees to check out thenow dead Harlan.

"I am sorry he is dead, someone needs to call the sheriff and an ambulance to have him taken to the morgue." Daphne stood with a look of compassion and sadness edging her pretty features. Hearing the arcing of the overhead exposed wire, Quentin looked around the room. Stepping to the hallway he found the switch box. Looking into the room he began to throw switches to see which one of the switches sent current to the overhead wiring and found the right one. Cutting power to the switch he entered back into the room.

"It looks like he got electrocuted by that exposed wiring over head." Quentin assessed the situation. Barnabas looked around to make sure everything else appeared to be secure and not a danger to the others he walked to the doorway to check on Elizabeth.

Vicki carefully handed Elizabeth over to Carolyn, 'Maybe you should take her to the drawing room Carolyn. I am going to call Sheriff Patterson." Vicki quietly left the room to call the sheriff's department. Daphne looked around the room looking for something to cover Harlan's body, finding a tablecloth she came back and gently laid the covering over his face with his now fixed and sightless eyes.

Collinsport Hospital Emergency Room

Eric Lang was on duty at the emergency room. He had been waiting for Julia's return from Windcliff when the meat wagon rolled under the awning of the emergency room entrance. Watching the bagged body being unloaded he waited for them to bring the remains in and followed them down to the morgue. He had never seen such a huge man before in his entire career. Doing a cursory exam he smiled, this had been the body he had been awaiting to finish his experiment and to move Barnabas on to another phase of curing him of his problem. Shifting to the tag he noted the man had no known living relatives and nodded.

Walking to the sidewall he called his clinic and waited for Beth to answer the phone. "Find Harry Johnson and tell him to get over to the morgue, there is a volunteer for research under the name of Waddington, he is to pick him up take him back and put him in the solution."

Beth sighed deeply, she did not like this messing with the dead and more importantly all the body parts he seemed to have been collecting over the last few months was beginning to really get to her and creep her out. If it were not for the fact he held her life in his hands, Beth would have left a long time ago and now she wanted more than ever to get the hell out of this house.