A/N: Hello and welcome! Yes, you're reading correctly! Another DS story from me. This plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone, I swear! I had to write it down, people! But don't worry, I will continue all my stories because they're all planned out.

So this is AU and a BC/OC story. It takes place in the 1700s. Enjoy and if you find it even remotely interesting please let me know.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Shadows.

Chapter One

~ Prelude~

'If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?'
~William Shakespeare

Collinsport, Maine, 1782

I am lying upon the wet grass but it doesn't bother me. I have my eyes closed but then I feel lips upon my brow and I smile. I open my eyes and lock them with the soft gaze of my husband. He grins down at me and I feel his hand, gentle and warm upon my swollen stomach.

"Where are we?" my voice echoes in the quietness around us and he looks beyond me before he replies.

"To the place where it all started." Is his whispered reply and I am already lifting my head from the ground to look.

My heartbeat quickens when I realize that we are at the infamous hill. I grasp my husband's hand and shake my head.

"No…we have to leave. I do not like it here." I murmur as something around me makes me feel cold and numb.

The hand under my own stiffens then. The skin starts changing and it is no longer soft and warm. Instead it is calloused and wet; odd yet at the same time familiar. Before I can look down and see whose hand it is, the fingers upon my belly turn cruel. His fingers instead of cradling my bump are now digging into the skin, clawing at it and I cry out.

I look up and my husband's face is no longer there. Instead I see the handsome but sneering face of James Black. My former fiancé.

My eyes widen and I start pulling back but then the fingers bite down on my skin like razors and I cry out.

"Jesus Christ!" I scream as extreme pain pulses inside me like molten lava.

"You don't want to be here?" James' blue eyes are accusing and mocking and I am suddenly sick. This is not the man I love or had loved in the past. He is dead and he didn't deserve my affection. I thrash in his hold but the movement only causes his nails to dig further into the skin of my belly.

What is he doing? My child-…

"Be careful, my little bee." I almost gag at the pet name because it is so familiar but now it sounds so revolting that I want to vomit. His free hand glides over the pendant around my neck and I slap it away. I won't have him touch it. It's my husband's gift. I won't have him taint it with his touch.

"I am not yours." I reply as another groan of pain escapes my throat. I turn my head away from his frozen glare and even though he is the same, he feels dead. I am not even sure he's breathing.

Suddenly, his hand, slick and hard is upon my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"But you won't be his either." He replies with a snarl and then he's grinning at me. I used to love that smile. The look upon my face must amuse him because his grin only widens and I feel his cold breath on my face. It feels like death itself upon my skin and I lower my eyes to look at my stomach but all I see is blood; blood on my belly and blood on his fingers which are still gripping my chin.

I scream and try to push him off but then he's pulling me up and his hand forces me to look ahead. There, at the edge of the peak, I see my husband. He has his back on me and he's staring at the horizon. He's in his wedding clothing and the image brings hope in my heart.

"Barnabas." I call hopefully but at the sound of my voice his entire form goes stiff and I can hear James laughing cruelly.

I wiggle in his hold but what happens next makes me scream in horror. Barnabas is leaning forward, arms outstretched and then he's diving right off the hill without sparing me a glance.

Tears are clouding my vision and it is unnatural when I listen to the sickening thud as he falls upon the rocks below. I fall on my knees and claw at my hair but James is still laughing and he is still holding onto me with his bloodied fingers.

A sob escapes me and I scream again, so loudly that even the wind stops whistling and then there is quietness and-…

I wake up drenched in cold sweat. I place a hand upon my belly and frown. I stretch out my hand and brush it up and down the empty bed next to me. The sheets at his side of the mattress are cold. I turn to look at my right but all I see is my empty chamber. It was just a dream; a nightmare.

Thank God.

I inhale deeply but something feels off. I wince when I feel a twist of pain in my abdomen and turn onto my side. I take quick breaths, just like the midwife had instructed in my last visit but the pains do not stop. In fact they start getting sharper. I groan and curl into a ball, pushing my knees against the bump on my belly but the position only hurts me more. I sit up, clutching his pillow as I do so and look down upon my lap. I push away the covers and I see crimson upon the sheets. A pained yelp escapes my mouth and my hand flies up to cover it. No, it cannot be time yet. I am only five months along! I cannot have my baby yet! It's so small, so tiny and weak.

But another wave of pain confirms my worst fears. I have to get up. I need to call for help.

I stand up on my feet and I moan in pain as I take a few steps away from the bed. I squeeze my eyes shut and grit my teeth against the pain. I have to keep going.

I hold onto the vanity stool and make my way towards the door but I falter when I feel wetness between my legs. I clutch my stomach and shake my head.

"No. No!" I scream as my toes slide over the wooden floor with ease. I gaze down upon them and watch with horrified eyes the trickles of blood that are running down my ankles, staining my feet. My stomach lurches and I cannot help it. I fall upon the floor, right next to the carpet. I claw at the wooden floorboards as unbearable pain makes my vision go blurry.

I open my mouth and take huge gulps of air before I scream the only name I can think of, "Barnabas! My God!" the name leaves my mouth in a desperate plea but he doesn't respond. Where is he?

"Barnabas!" I cry out again as I fall onto my back and clutch onto my stomach with both hands. The pain has progressed and I feel as if someone is splitting me in two. Jesus Christ, my baby!

I close my eyes and scream again because I feel something pushing against my insides, clawing at me and I know that I am losing the child. His child.

"No." I shake my head and take a deep breath. I have to get onto the corridor. I have to find someone.

I turn onto my side and shuffle towards the door. I can feel the wetness of my blood underneath me and I know that I am staining the floorboards, the carpet and my own skin but I won't give up.

I reach the door but the pain makes me falter. I reach up with my hand and I manage to grab the handle tightly. I turn it and crawl my way out of the room.

Just as I am in the hall I hear a blood-curdling scream that is not my own. It's not even feminine. My eyes widen and I wipe at the tears that are rolling down my skin.

"Barnabas!" my voice is hoarse and not as loud as I want it but I know that scream. It's my husband's voice.

"Helen!" I scream for one of the maids as I slap the ground hard from the pain with both hands, "Angelique!" I try out the last person I want to see but I have no choice. I cannot go any further. I have no strength. I am covered in my own blood. My baby's blood.

I lean my forehead against the floor and more sobs wrack my body but then I hear footsteps and my hopes blossom again.

"Barnabas?" my voice is quivering and I blink back the tears as I raise my head and look at the darkened corridor.

A form appears several feet away and my breath hitches.

"Please, help. I-…"

"Is it not done yet? Pity." The voice is malicious and I frown through my tears.

"Angelique?" I whisper.

"Bravo, ma petite." She claps her hands as she comes to stand right in front of me. Her apron is wrinkled and her clothes look disheveled.

"Where's my husband?" I ask and I try to keep a tone of authority in my voice despite the pain and blood loss.

"He's coming along." She purrs as she leans down and reaches out to tuck some hair behind my ear. Her touch is cold and I flinch back. It's unnatural.

"Who are you?" I murmur as I itch back and as I do so she grabs hold of my calf and keeps me in place.

"What are you doing?" I gasp as she puts force. My bone gives way under her grip and I cry out when I hear the sickening sound.

"My God!" I scream, "What do you want?" I ask her because now everything makes sense. Her stares, her rude behavior since the moment I stepped foot in Collinwood, her affair with Barnabas right in front of my eyes, everything; everything makes sense. She wants him for her own. And I am standing in the way.

"Nothing. I am just waiting for Master to come. He most certainly wants to spend time with you right now." She murmurs with glee.

"Are you mad?" I whisper but when another vicious spasm in my belly arrives I throw my head back and scream.

"Am I? Perhaps I am simply fighting for justice. You took my place. You with your fair skin and blond hair. Your wide gray eyes. Haven't you realized why he pretends to love you? Because you look like her." She grins and I shake my head.

"No." She's simply confirming my worst fears and I hate it.

"Oh, yes. Remember Josette? I do. He does. And now it's the perfect time to get my revenge on this little fish village. Starting from you."

"What have you done?" I ask shakily as I hear rapid footsteps coming towards us.

Angelique only smiles and releases me. She stands up and takes several steps back from me.

My gaze is immediately drawn to the space behind her and my eyes go wide with relief when I see Barnabas.

"Barnabas?" my voice is barely my own and as I shift I can hear the slick sounds of my limbs slapping against the pool of blood around me.

He steps forward but he's…looking at me oddly. There are stains upon his cheeks and his skin is a deathly pale color.

"Oh my God…" I whisper as he backs away against the corridor wall and slowly starts sliding down towards the floor. His dark eyes are fixated upon my form and I can see him swallowing back rapidly.

Angelique turns to him with a smile, "What's the matter?"

"Get away from her." Is his hoarse reply and I can see that his hands are clawing at the wall behind him. He's actually leaving nail marks and scratches along the wall. Christ.

I groan and start shuffling backwards as his eyes fall upon my bloodied legs. Why is he looking at me like that? I know he cannot stand the sight of blood but this is not a fearful stare…It is a lustful one.

"Why? Afraid I'll do this?" and then her hand is pointing towards me and I feel something hot creeping up my broken leg. It starts with a small sting but as it progresses I feel as if my leg's on fire.

I scream as I see a long thick burn along my calf and the fire combined with the pain on my abdomen is making me see black spots.

"Leave her alone!" he screams at her and all I see next is a flash of motion. Then I am being lifted up and cradled against his hard but extremely cold chest.

Angelique stares at him with a grin as she lowers her hand before she steps back.

"I will. But will you?" she asks with her head cocked to the side before she turns and disappears into the darkness.

He lingers for a moment but then I can hear him growling softly and I can feel his body tensing up. I look up and through my pain I see his unfathomable dark eyes eyeing my skin with hunger.

"B-Barnabas…I need a doctor…The child…" I sputter but he's already walking towards our chamber. His lips are parted and I can see something protruding from his mouth. Is that…Are those his teeth?

He places me gently upon the mattress and I groan in pain as he does so. I stagger backwards upon the mattress but even as I move back he's moving towards me slowly, like a formidable predator.

"Elita." He whispers hoarsely as he grabs my bloodied legs and leans down towards me. I am almost blind by the pain by now but I have given up. I am going to die along with my baby because this is not my husband. This creature…is not him. He's as blindingly beautiful, in an ethereal way, but it's not my Barnabas. It's not.

"I am so sorry." His voice is barely audible before he throws his head back and bares his elongated canines at me. I scream but it's barely even a whimper by now. By the time his teeth are breaking and tearing apart the skin of my neck I know no more. I am lost into blissful oblivion.

"O powerful love,
That in some respects makes a beast a man,
In some other, a man a beast."

~W. Shakespeare

End of chapter 1

Author's note: If I have lost you, then I am on the right road! Lol. Why I am saying this? Because unlike my other stories this will begin a bit differently. You shall see what I mean in the next chapter. In the meantime, please review if you want me to continue. I will settle for weekly updates for all my stories but if I have feedback I might post the next chapter sooner. I don't want to leave you in the dark for long…Especially with this prelude.

So, review, please?

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Until next time!

Xxx Lina :o)