Correspondence

Barnabas stood frozen in the great room, Angelique's voice weaving through his ears. No… No! She can't be back! He screwed his eyes shut and when he opened them all of the candles were once again lit. Confusion parked in his mind and he sat back down in the chair collecting himself. Did I really hear her? Perhaps I am just tired.

The curse free existence that Barnabas was living was acceptable by his own description. He had his family and the few business partners in and around town, but that was it. He was not considered one of the citizens of Collinsport. He was the one who owned it, and because of that there were few who wanted to extend friendship to him. As a mortal his longing for Josette never seemed to wane, and it always cast a hue of grey over anything that might be remotely vibrant in his existence. It was acceptable.

On occasion he allowed his mind to fantasize about what would have been had he simply died so long ago as nature intended it, instead of now being forced to live outside of his time. This life is a different kind of punishment. He thought often of Willie, searching for moments where he could have called him his friend, but there were no memories of friendship there, only darkness.

With thoughts of longing and regret he blew out all but one of the candelabras. He grabbed the last remaining one and made his way up the stairs; his thin frame casting an eerie shadow across the foyer as he slowly ascended. He walked down the hall passing Josette's room and paused in front of Willie's old room and stared in. He hadn't touched a thing since Willie left, the empty duffel bag still lying on the bed.

His thoughts continued to be clouded by the thought of Angelique returning. I'm tired. I just need some sleep. Barnabas turned and walked back to Josette's room, which he now inhabited as his own. He found comfort with her picture looking down on him.

His dreams that night were visited by the witch and no words were spoken, just her penetrating eyes staring at him while her laughter echoed through his mind. He woke up with a jolt the next morning and knew she was back. He knew he must warn Willie. If he were to be turned back into the monster he once was that meant there was a possibility that Willie too would be turned back into the monster's slave. He sat down hastily scribbling a letter to Willie to warn him.

After leaving the letter in the good hands of Victoria he returned to the old house finding her standing in the foyer.

"Angelique!"

"Hello Barnabas. Miss me?" She hissed.

"What do you want with me. Haven't you done enough? You've had your revenge. Even now my life is a punishment."

"Oh no! An eternity of punishment is not enough for what you did to me. You made me think I was yours and convinced me to fall in love with you, and as soon as I did you pushed me to the side for that bitch Josette! Oh no, you will continue to pay. And this time I won't leave a way out."

Barnabas paced in the opposite direction that Angelique walked. As if they were doing some type of demonic waltz.

"Where is she Barnabas? Where is the girl…Abby is it?" Angelique plastered a wicked smile on her face as she walked towards Banabas, slowly pulling her elbow length gloves from her hands.

Barnabas backed away from her as the storm raged outside and the sounds from the trees scraping against the house penetrated the great room.

"I-I don't know. Angelique they left over a year ago. I – I don't know where they are now."

Angelique paced around the room. "They? Who is THEY?"

"Ms. Chilton and Willie. They left together, I don't know where they are. What on earth do you want with her anyway? Your issues are with me, not the girl." Barnabas growled the last sentence at her.

Angelique thrust her hand out at Barnabas and he was thrown up against the wall.

"My issue is with her as well as you! She set you free did she not? I require her participation to turn you back to what you deserve to be."

Barnabas scrambled back to his feet, brushing off his suit as he did so. He watched her as she gracefully moved towards the desk and picked up the stationary sitting on the table.

"This stationary is quite beautiful Barnabas. Keeping up on your correspondence I see?" She thumbed through the papers that were neatly stacked on the desk and then pulled out an address from the bottom of the pile. Barnabas tried to rush at the table but a simple raise of her hand froze him in his tracks, creating some kind of invisible barrier that he could not pass through.

"Mr. William Loomis" Angelique waved the piece of paper at Barnabas and he just opened his mouth as if to protest, but nothing came out. "Chicago... Ms. Chilton and Willie. William. Why Barnabas I do believe I have found her. That was far too easy." Her voice was sticky sweet, too sweet, it was nauseating.

"No! Angelique please, whatever is to happen it is between you and I. There is no need to involve the young couple."

"I NEED her Barnabas…and I will find a way to get her back here, one way or another. Who have you been writing to? Mr. Loomis I presume? Let's see what your last letter entailed." Angelique didn't need any witchcraft to determine his last correspondence. She simply took the top piece of stationary and rubbed a pencil gently over the top of it, revealing a ghost of the last letter written.

"You should not have tried to warn them. I will need to move quicker than I thought. This is a problem Barnabas, you are responsible for what happens next." Angelique stalked closer to Barnabas, her face was as beautiful as the day he met her, but when her anger was released her face would flash to a monstrous image, flesh peeling from her bones allowing the skeletal frame to poke through. A horrific face lying beneath angelic like eyes. She pointed her long finger towards Barnabas and whispered harshly.

"You are to remain silent about me! Do you understand! SILENT!"

Willie's arms and back were cold. He sleepily opened his eyes and tried to pull the covers around his back when he stretched out and realized that Abigail wasn't in bed with him. He glanced out the window and the sun was shining brightly. Willie sat up and dragged on a sweatshirt as the aroma of coffee filled his senses. It was a welcome smell. He lay there for a few minutes and silently thanked the heavens for the new life he had been given. He didn't understand why he was given this second chance.

He stood in the doorway watching Abigail in the kitchen without her knowing. How beautiful she is. As he gazed at her he was overwhelmed with emotion and quickly brushed a tear that escaped from his cheek. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve her.

"Good Morning!" Abigail turned and caught him spying on her. "Are you spying on me?" She smiled mischievously at him.

"Feeling better I take it?" Willie slipped behind her, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. It had been several days since the party and he smiled seeing her finally back to her usual self.

"Much better. Coffee?"

"Yes please." Abigail gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and then wiggled out of his grip and poured the coffee.

"Are you going to the house today? It's supposed to snow terribly this afternoon."

"Yeah, I need to head over there. No one will be there today so I can make as much noise as I want without havin' anyone around."

It was a pleasant morning, and after she sent Willie off with his coffee and lunch Abigail sat down and began a task that she hated. She pulled out the business ledger and the bills. It was the first of the month and time to settle things up. She stared out the window pausing before she started, this was not a task she was fond of. The business started to pick up but she still wished they had more money and that things were easier. Abigail thought about taking on a permanent position at the historical society and giving up on her dream of having her own business, and she knew Willie could find work just about anywhere as a handyman. They didn't have many bills, just the typical ones. Rent, groceries, utilities…all the basics. But she didn't want to have Willie out working all hours on the projects. She wanted him home more and she desperately wanted to start a family. This was a secret that she had kept to herself and she spent many nights watching Willie sleep and torturing herself as she ran through every scenario of the conversation. None of them ended well.

The afternoon got away from her and when she looked up it was nearly 4:00 in the afternoon. Damn! She wanted to try and make dinner for Willie, even though her efforts in the past were futile, she still hoped to find something that he would be able to eat. He was so thin and it bothered her that his appetite had not fully returned.

Willie drove around for what seemed like forever trying to find a place to park. Parking in the city was near impossible and with the snow falling as heavy as it was driving through the streets was proving difficult. Shit…screw it. Willie took the first spot he found, which happened to be about twelve blocks away. Willie started walking back to the apartment watching as a snow plow ate up the snow and piled it along the sides of the street, only to have the snow fall and cover the pavement that had just been cleared. He trudged his way down the sidewalk, his head tucked down into his chest as he went.

"Hey ass hole look where you're goin'!"

Willie looked up abruptly, accidentally running into someone on the street.

"Oh… jeeze I-I'm sorry. I'm just in a rush. S-sorry" Willie's eyes met the stranger and his stomach tried to escape through his throat almost instantly. Oh no… oh please…please don't recognize me.

Willie lowered his head again and maneuvered around the man walking faster than he had before.

"Loomis? No shit… Willie Loomis?!"

Within seconds Willie found himself being thrown up against the brick wall of the building, a gloved hand tightly gripping around his neck. The man was a good foot taller than Willie and built as if he lifted semi-trucks off the ground for a living.

"Well I'll be damned. You know I often wondered what I would do if I ever ran into you again. How's your buddy Jason huh? What's it been 8 years? Damn you look the same. What are you doin' in town? Scammin' some poor old lady out of her retirement?" The giant then dragged Willie's protesting body into the alleyway.

"Look…was a long time ago." Willie was struggling to get loose from his grip. " I-I'm sorry, I-I was just a kid back then. Please…please I was just a stupid kid!" Willie was squirming.

"Do you have any idea how much you and your pal cost me? I lost Janet because of you, you son of a bitch." With that the ogre of a man pulled back and smashed his fist into Willie's face. Not once but three times, and one more into his gut. "You are a real piece of shit Loomis. I wish nothin' but the worst for you." The giants hand then released Willie and he dropped to the ground, his blood spilling into the freshly fallen snow.

When Willie woke up he was soaking wet and still slumped onto the ground, the snow piling around him. He pulled himself up and his head was pounding. Once on his feet he looked at his watch, it was dark and difficult to see. He walked himself under a street lamp and saw that it was almost seven. Oh God she is going to be worried sick.

Willie began to walk briskly back to the apartment, the snow was still pounding down. How am I going to explain this? Willie had pushed his younger self and all his crimes far in a corner of his memory. He wasn't that person anymore and he felt sick thinking about talking about it with Abigail. What if she leaves? The entire walk home he found that the closer he got the slower he walked. He didn't want to have to talk about what had happened.

Abigail paced in front of the window as the snow fell at a thunderous pace. Where is he? Please let him be okay. He was late. He was never late. The wind was howling through the windows and the snow was sticking to the glass, fogging up the separation between the glass panes. Abigail returned to the kitchen and pulled the chicken from the oven filling the room with a savory aroma. Abigail jumped when there was a knock at the door. Her body grew tense and she cracked open the door just wide enough so that the chain was pulled tight.

"Abby honey let me in." Willies tired voice flushed relief through her.

"Willie! Where? Where have you been? I have been worried sick!" She took a step back gasping when she set her eyes on him. His face was bloody and his eye was swollen shut.

"Willie! What happened? What happened to you? Who did this? Oh God are you okay?" She rushed at him throwing her arms around him.

"I-I'm okay. Really. It's okay Abby."

"What happened?" Abigail grabbed Willie's hand and dragged him into the bedroom, stripping the wet clothes from him as he stood there. Willie slowly changed into a dry sweatshirt and sweatpants while Abigail was in the bathroom getting the first aid kit, a washcloth and warm water.

"Sit. Let me clean you up. What on earth happened?"

Willie winced as she dabbed the washcloth against his face.

"I had a run in with someone I knew a long time ago. David. David Kincey. At least I think that's his name." Willie shook his head. "I deserved it. Abigail I wasn't kidding when I said I was a real jerk in the past."

Abigail just looked at him with concerned and curious eyes.

"Not just me, Jason too. You remember, I told you a bit about Jason?" Abigail just nodded her head silently. "We met David on the west coast. We were in San Fransisco, Jason had just come into a small amount of money. I think I was 15? Maybe 16… I don't remember." Willie stared at the ground shaking his head in disgust. "Jason got to be friends with him, real good friends, long story short he ripped him off for an incredible amount of money… and I… I… well…" Willie turned and looked at Abigail, his face twisted up. "I slept with his wife… she thought I was older. I had never been with a woman before." Willie remembered the experience a little, it was not the kind of scene that romance novels are made of. "I think the first time was over in a matter of minutes. Possibly seconds." His face flushed with embarrassment and Abigail smiled a smile of compassion for him. So young… she thought to herself. "Jason encouraged her to leave with us and he convinced her that I was in love with her, and that I was almost 20. She was not a very smart woman that's for sure." Willie sighed at the memory.

"In the end we ditched her, left her behind in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea what happened to her. No ties Jason always said. No ties anywhere."

Abigail sat down next to Willie and gently pulled him into her.

"I don't care about any of that. It's the past. I love YOU. Here. Now. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Abby I'm always okay with you."

Kissing Willie softly she stood up. "Go finish cleaning up and come to the kitchen. Dinner is ready."

Willie sat down and there was a small feast there, chicken and potatoes, broccoli and hot rolls. They talked about the new site and Abigail tried to ignore the swelling in Willie's face, and Willie hoped she didn't notice that he was not really eating the rich meal in front of him.

"Willie it's okay, I know you're trying…you don't have to eat it."

"I-I'm sorry … I – I just can't. I want to…" He dropped his head in his hands.

"Willie…" Abigail grabbed his hand, "Willie look at me… It's okay…"

"It's not okay…It's been so long. How much longer do I need to feel this way? I just don't understand. I hate that I feel this way."

Hesitantly Abigail made a suggestion that she had made many times before. "Maybe you should see a doctor. I mean it has been a long time Willie. I cou—"

"No…no way. No doctors. What on earth would I tell them? And if they found anything in my blood…I-I'll become some kind of science project. It will come back, I'll get there. I can eat more now than before, just give me some time. No doctors."

Willie sat back in the chair feeling deflated.

"I just want to forget this day Abigail. I just want to curl up with you under our blanket and forget about everything."

Angelique walked over to the mirror that was hanging on the wall in the foyer. She waved her hand in front of it and the mirror fogged up and then cleared revealing a young man in the snowy street getting a fist full from a larger man.

"Willie…" Barnabas choked under his breath. He walked behind Angelique watching. "Oh no Willie!"

"This was your servant? Well he is not very impressive, but possibly the key to getting the couple back here. Whoever that gentleman is, it is quite clear that he is not fond of you chosen beholden one. I think it is time the couple receives some correspondence of my own."