Author's Note: Welcome, one and all, to my new story! It is, in fact, a Dark Shadows story. This is a Barnabas/OC story, and it takes place after the events of Tim Burton's film adaptation, but with a twist. What's the twist? You'll have to read to find out. If this kind of thing displeases you, then don't read.

Without further ado, the first chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Shadows. Just a copy of the DVD and my OC. And sadly, I don't own a DVD copy of the original TV series either, which I would really like to have :( Oh, stuff and fluff.

Chapter One

Weep not for roads untraveled. Weep not for paths left alone,
'Cuz beyond every bend is a long blinding end.
It's the worst kind of pain I've known.

~Roads Untraveled by Linkin Park

~Liverpool, England, 1989~

The only light in the darkness of the room was coming from the gentle glow of five candles. A small girl sat on one side of the table while friends and family stood near the other. Her bright blue eyes gave away her excitement as did her smile, showing off the one tooth she had lost already. A vanilla-frosted cake sat in front of her, the multi-colored candles sitting on top. The little girl smiled up to the people who had joined her in celebration of her special day.

A group of people who had joined the girl's parents in a chorus of "Happy Birthday!"

Her eyes darted to each and every person who attended, but her eyes fell upon the people she cared about most of all. The people that had given her life.

The girl was a spitting image of her mother—dark, brown locks; soft, pink lips; high cheek bones; kind and warming personality. Everything except her eyes. Hers matched those of her fathers, a bright blue that would deepen whenever angry, or become a silvery blue when upset or up to mischief. She echoed his intelligence.

As the group of friends and family drew the song to a close, the girl's mother smiled and said, "Happy Birthday, darling!"

"Make a wish, Alice," he father called out, camera in hand.

Without a moment's thought, young Alice blew out her five birthday candles. But she didn't make a wish. She didn't have to. She had everything she ever wanted. She had the love of her mother and father, the love of the friends and family standing near them. She was completely happy and content.

All of that was taken from her.

It had happened so quickly. At one moment, her parents were smiling at her, and in the next, they were gone. Bright lights lit up the dining room, gradually getting closer as a car came crashing through the bay windows, taking down everything and everyone in its path. Except Alice. Everyone she ever loved was taken away from her in the form of a drunk driver. She was the sole survivor of the accident.

She screamed as she saw her parents ran over by the black car.

Time seemed to slow. To a young Alice, it seemed to take forever for the police and paramedics to arrive at the scene. A river of tears emitted from her small form in the realization of what had happened. Soon, flashes of red, white, blue, and orange lights filled what was once the dining room. Police officers ran in to apprehend the driver while paramedics rushed in to remove the bodies, hoping that they were on time to save the victims. Young Alice felt someone grab her and drag her away from the scene. But she knew it was too late. She knew the horrible truth they would tell her in the morning.

Her parents were dead.

~London Heathrow Airport, 2012~

Twenty-five years had passed since that tragic night, and an older Alice Watson stood at the gate, waiting for the attendants to check her ticket so that she could board the plane. She was already fidgety when she heard a sharp bark off to the side, causing her to jump. She looked down and locked eyes with a wire-hair black Terrier.

Alice took a deep breath and squatted down. She held her hand out in front of the small dog, allowing it to sniff her hand. When it licked her fingers, she gently pet it.

"Hey, boy," she said. "Where on earth did you come from?"

"Sparky!" a small, high-pitched voice called out.

Alice looked up and saw a small, blonde-haired girl run up to her. She looked to be no more than nine years old. Sparky's owner, no doubt, she thought.

The girl came up to her with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry if my dog is bothering you," she said. "He doesn't really like airplanes."

Alice gave the girl a small smile. "It's fine. I don't mind."

The girl smiled. "It's a good thing you were the one to stop him, or else I would have had to chase him all around the airport!"

"What's your name?"

"Jemima, but my friends call me Jemmie."

"Well, Jemima, you have a very good, very cute dog," Alice said.

"Thank you, miss."

"Jemima!" a woman called out.

Jemima turned around and saw a woman, who looked quite similar to her with the exception of having auburn hair, coming towards them. Alice assumed that this woman was Jemima's mother.

"There you are, darling!" she exclaimed. "I was looking for you. I looked away for a split second and you just disappeared!"

"I'm sorry, mum," Jemima said. "But Sparky got away, and I didn't want to leave him behind!"

Jemima's mother shook her head, knelt down, and hugged her daughter. "It's alright, but next time say something to me or your father, understand?"

"Yes, mum."

The woman smiled at her daughter and stood up, as did Alice. She looked at the younger woman and said, "I'm sorry if they had caused you any trouble."

"Oh no," Alice said. "They were no trouble at all."

"Well, you have my thanks, Miss—?"

"Watson. Alice Watson."

"Thank you so much, Miss Watson." Looking down at Jemima, who was now holding Sparky, she said, "Come along, Jemmie, dear. Your father will be wondering where we are."

"Okay," Jemima said. She looked at Alice and smiled. "Thank you, Miss Alice." With that, the two walked away.

Alice couldn't help but smile. She turned to face forward in the line, and noticed that it had gotten shorter during her chat with Jemima and her mother. Suddenly, it was her turn, so she walked up to the attendant on duty and showed her the ticket. As soon as she was clear, Alice turned her head, facing the direction they walked off. Turning back to walk through the gate to board the plane, she also couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

Once aboard the plane, she found her seat easily. First class, front row.

As she stored her carry on underneath her seat, Alice couldn't believe her luck. She thought she had run out of it, but was surprised when Lady Luck gave her one more stroke of good luck. She had wanted to leave the country for months now, ever since her foster parents had passed, so she began looking for jobs in the United States. She had found an advertisement about a Governess position in Maine, USA. Within seconds of reading the ad, Alice dialed the number to ask about the position.

After about ten minutes on the phone, talking to the father, she got the job.

Mr. Collins, her new employer, had been kind enough to pay for the plane ticket and for the hotel she would be staying at. It took her seven days to get the ticket, and now here she was, one day later.

Alice pulled out her iPad and headphones, so that once they were in the air, she could open up her drawing app and get started on the sketches that were still left unfinished. She was starting to get comfortable in the window seat when the sound of a body flopping into the seat next to her broke her train of thought.

She jumped and stared at the man who was sitting next to her, who looked to be around her age. Once he noticed her wide eyes, he said, "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Alice gave the tourist a small smile. "It's quite alright."

The young man got settled into his seat, and then turned to her again. "Name's Josh," he said, holding out his hand.

She stared at it, not really wanting to touch him. "Alice."

When she didn't take his hand, Josh withdrew it and put it in his lap. There was a moment of awkward silence until he cleared his throat. "So, where are you headed?"

Alice was hesitant in her answer. "Maine."

"Ah," Josh said. "I love snowboarding up there. The place is great in winter."

"I'm sure it is. And you?"

"Back home to Florida. Going back for Christmas vacay."

Alice nodded. "I see."

Another moment of silence. During that time, the flight attendant had gone over all airplane procedures and the plane took off. They were maybe in the air for a good fifteen minutes before he spoke again.

"What part of Maine?"

She tried not to roll her eyes or show her frustration at all of his questions. She, in all honesty, wanted to be left alone. "Collinsport," she said.

Josh nearly choked on his Coke. "Collinsport?"

"Yes."

"Why would you go there?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Josh gave her a look that said "Just tell me."

"I got a job as a Governess at Collinwood Manor," she said tersely.

Josh shook his head. "You've got guts, I'll give you that."

She quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He gave her a look of confusion. "You mean you don't know?"

Alice had wanted to say "Yes, I know. I just like hearing about it," but she knew that sarcasm would get her nowhere. So she answered honestly. "No."

"There are stories about that place. They say that Collinwood is cursed."

"Cursed?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yeah. Something about witches and vampires."

She couldn't help but scoff at that. "Yeah, okay."

"Seriously. They say back in the 70's there was some big fight between a vampire and a witch and that they caused Collinwood Manor to go up in smoke."

"If that's the case, then why am I going to Collinwood now?" Alice asked. "Why would Mr. Collins pick up the phone and give me the job."

Josh shrugged. "Probably rebuilt the manor. And you were probably the only person crazy enough to apply for the job."

He wouldn't know, but that crossed the line for Alice. "I am not crazy."

"I didn't say that."

She didn't hear him. After she had informed him of his mistake, she quickly put on her headphones and cranked up the volume, Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 playing in her ears. Josh seemed to notice that he had struck a nerve with her and left her alone for the rest of the flight.

xxx

~Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts~

Alice's flight landed in Boston, Massachusetts several hours later. As soon as she got through Customs, she headed outside, pulling her coat closer to her shivering form, and hailed a cab. It was the middle of December, and snow was covering the ground. She was glad that she had planned accordingly.

The cab took her to the nearest train station, where she caught a ride to the Upper Bridge Station in Belfast. Alice then caught a bus to Collinsport. She finally arrived at her destination, a small hotel, late in the evening. Grabbing her things and paying for bus fare, she hopped out and headed inside.

"How can I help you this evening?" the concierge asked.

"Hi," Alice said. "There should be a reservation made for me. It should be under Collins."

"Ah. I take it you are Miss Watson, then?"

She nodded. "That would be me. How much is it for the night?"

The concierge smiled. "Oh, there's no need to worry about the bill, miss. Mr. Collins had paid for it ahead of time and had the room held for you."

"Oh. I suppose I shall have to thank him for that."

Another smile. "If you'll follow me, miss, I'll show you to your room."

Picking up her things, she followed him up to the second story of the hotel and then down the hall to a small room. Handing her the key, he said, "Here it is. If you need anything, just call down to the front desk and we'll help you as much as possible."

"Thank you. Um…did Mr. Collins say anything about a cab or anything?"

"He will be sending a driver for you tomorrow morning at 10:00."

"Great. Is it alright if I put in for a wakeup call?" Alice knew that, with her sleeping issues, she would need someone to wake her up or she'd miss her ride to the manor. She wanted to make a good first impression.

"Yes. For what time?"

"9:00 please."

"Very well, miss. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you."

Alice watched as the concierge walked down the hall and back to the elevator. She took her things inside the hotel room and shut the door behind her. She didn't really bother with unpacking. She only took out her pajamas, her outfit for tomorrow, and her toiletries. Her dirty clothes were folded and then put into a plastic bag she had put in her suitcase. Alice then pulled her phone out of her purse, checking the time and for any messages she may have missed. It was 10:30pm, and she had no messages.

Realizing that staying up any longer wasn't really worth it, she put her pajamas on, brushed her teeth, and then climbed into bed. She pulled her iPad out and put on some music, hoping that would help her wind down and get some sleep.

Twenty minutes later, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

A/N: So...what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Not sure about it? Feel free to let me know in a review. I love feedback, as they become an inspiration for me and that will mean that chapters will get out quicker, because I'll be motivated to write them :D Just...no flames, please. I don't respond to flames well. They make me feel icky (since it's Mardi Gras, a slice of King Cake goes out to those who know where I got that from :3)

Feel free to also join me on Facebook for updates, pictures, and more! There is a link on my profile!

Happy Mardi Gras everyone! And Happy Birthday to Abraham Lincoln! To celebrate...I'm going to watch Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter! Wait...uh...that's a bit awkward...*gets a weird look from Barnabas* I won't let him get you Barnabas! I promise! I won't do it! And don't hate me people. He doesn't go after good vampires. Just evil ones.

~Xanthe :3