Author's Note: Hey! I'm back! I'm sorry that I haven't updated in months. I was in a kind of funk where I just had no inspiration/motivation whatsoever. Plus, my life hasn't been the best...when will the Fates finally allow me to win the lottery? *looks up to the heavens* Anything? *is suddenly disappointed when it doesn't rain money* Oh well...I tried...

But I obviously haven't died, or there wouldn't be this chapter :3 I really do apologize for not updating sooner. Now that I have my creative spark back, you should be seeing more updates from me...I just hope I haven't lost anybody...that would make me very sad :(

So, I believe thanks are in order for those of you who have read the story and added it to your alerts/favorites. Huge thank you to those who have taken the time to review: Malfoygirl18, linalove, dionne dance, XxrudexbutxnicexX, TorontoBatFan, TARDIS-follower, cerysclark, and Tiryn. You are all amazingly awesome!

Special shout out to TorontoBatFan for getting my butt in gear to update this story, and for all of the awesome ideas he's been planting in my cranium. You rock man! And another special shout out to my dear friend linalove, because it is her birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This chapter is dedicated to the both of you :3

Without further ado (I've kept you people waiting long enough, haven't I?), here's the chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter Two

Wish I could find a crystal ball

For the days I feel completely worthless.

You know I'd use it all for good;

I would not take it for granted.

Instead, I'd have some memories

For the days I don't feel anything

At least they would remind me

Not to make the same mistakes again.

Now, by Paramore

She kept running. She kept running as if her life depended on it. She didn't dare look back, because that is what he had told her to do. To run and never look back.

The temptation to look back was strong. She hadn't wanted to leave him with that woman. He was in danger, but he had insisted, and he had made sure that she would leave. Alice didn't want to leave him, but she had no choice. It was as if her feet had a mind of their own.

She could hear the screams behind her, as if they were right next to her. She ran harder than ever, cutting through the trees as fast as she could. Once she broke through the last line of trees, that's she saw them—a girl in an old-fashion, pale blue dress and a man dressed in black standing at the edge of a cliff. Alice couldn't get a good look at the man, for his back was to her. But the woman…her blonde hair swept across her face, her sky blue eyes in a dream-like state. She seemed to be in a trance, Alice observed, for she stared at (more like through) the man as if he weren't there.

But she knew he was there, for very quietly, albeit loud enough for them to hear, she said, "Help me," and then fell backwards. Alice ran as fast as she could, but was too late, as was the man who tried in vain to stop the woman from going over. Alice made it to his side in time to see that the woman had landed on the rocks, the waves crashing against her mangled body. The sight caused her to become queasy. A sniffle beside her caused her to look at the man, who stood up from looking over the cliff. In anguish, he yelled a name and then sent himself over the edge. Alice tried to stop him, but an unseen force kept her from doing so.

As darkness shrouded her senses, Alice couldn't erase the look of anguish, pain, and despair on the man's handsome face. A face that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

xxx

Just as she knew she would, Alice awoke twenty minutes before her wake up call. Reluctantly, she drew the covers back and headed for the bathroom, hoping that a shower would clear her head of what she had just witnessed.

The dreams and visions were no strangers to her, for she had been experiencing them since she was ten. A psychic had told her that she had a gift, but her psychiatrist would say differently. She knew the psychic was right, because she had help solve a number of problems for her classmates when a vision would pop up. But once in a while, she would get some that didn't make sense to her. Alice would see images of a manor as big as a castle, or of a woman jumping off of a cliff. No matter how hard she tried to make sense of it, the harder it was to summon those images back to get a clear picture.

Nowadays, Alice didn't concern herself with it anymore. After several trips back and forth between foster families and psychiatric appointments, she decided to try for something else.

I really hope that I get this job, she thought as she turned off the water. At least for my sanity.

She dried off, brushed her teeth, and then got dressed quickly. Being polite, Alice made the bed so that housekeeping would have to worry about it, even if they would be stripping the bed anyway. If everything went well for her, she wouldn't be coming back here.

On the first ring, Alice answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Miss Watson," she heard the concierge chime. "This is your nine o'clock wake up call."

"Thank you very much, sir. Any word on when my ride will be here?"

"Mr. Collins called this morning and stated that the car will be here early. In about ten minutes, to be precise."

Just as she suspected. "Thank you very much."

"Anything else?"

"No, that'll be all. Thank you."

"My pleasure."

She heard the click just as soon as she pulled the phone away from her ear. Alice put the phone back onto the receiver and gathered her things. Making sure that she had everything, she left the room and headed for the elevator. She got in right behind a small family. The little girl, no older than two, looked up at Alice and smiled. She couldn't help but smile back and say, "Hello."

"Hewwo," the little girl said. "You pwetty."

"Thank you. You're very pretty, too."

"Thanks."

The rest of the ride down was rather quiet, but it didn't stop Alice from wondering what it would be like to have a family of her own.

Someday, she thought. As soon as these dreams end.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, she headed for the desk and turned in her key. She headed for the continental breakfast (Thank God they have one, Alice thought. I don't think the Collins family is providing breakfast) and grabbed a blueberry muffin and a cup of orange juice. Eating and drinking as fast as she could, she threw the wrapper and cup away and headed out of the building, just as her ride had arrived.

When the car pulled over, a man of about fifty had gotten out of the driver's side and walked over to her.

"Miss Watson, I presume? You have impeccable timing," he said, extending his hand.

She took his offered hand. "So I've been told many a time."

"David Collins. Pleasure to meet you."

Alice looked at her future employer with wide eyes. "Alice Watson, and the pleasure's all mine." Letting go of his hand, she continued. "I must say that I wasn't expecting you to be the driver. I would have thought that you would be—"

"Back at Collinwood?" he interjected. "Nah. Besides, I like driving into town. It usually makes for a good day."

"I couldn't agree more. Especially when it's one of the small villages close to where I'm from."

"Back in Liverpool, correct?"

"Yes sir." Alice was surprised that he remembered that much about her. It was on the application that she had emailed him, after all.

"That happens to be where my cousin is from. You'll meet him eventually," David said as he helped her load her bags into the trunk of the car.

"Does your cousin do business with you?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Yes and no. He's a big help to the company when it comes to the finances and dealing with the paperwork, but when it comes to public affairs…well, he's not much of a people person like he used to be." At that statement, he seemed to sadden a little bit.

"Used to be?"

"Yeah, but that's a long story." David lightened up a bit and shivered, as if that pulled him out of a reverie. Rubbing his hands together, he asked, "What do you say to getting out of the cold and heading to the manor, huh?"

"It sounds like a plan, Mr. Collins."

"Please, Alice. Just call me David."

Shocked nonetheless, she nodded and said, "Ok."

With that, the two hopped into the car and drove away towards the hill overlooking the town of Collinsport, and toward Collinwood.

xxx

"Welcome to Collinwood, Alice."

She couldn't believe her eyes. She had seen photographs of Collinwood back in the 70's before the fire in 1972, but those couldn't compare to what she was seeing in person. It was outstanding. She had never seen anything like it before—the chandelier, the fireplace that made it seem like it would swallow you whole—it was pure art.

"It's beautiful," she finally said.

"Wait until you see the entire house," David said, hanging both of their coats on the coat hanger next to the door. "I think you'll love it here."

At that, Alice turned towards him quickly. "Beg pardon?"

David scratched his head a little with a smile on his face. "Well, I was going to take you to my office and tell you then…but in all honesty, I don't see the point. You've got the job, Alice."

Alice released the breath that she didn't know that she was holding. She was relieved albeit very suspicious. "Just like that?" she asked in wonderment.

The older man chuckled. "Just like that. I was impressed with the way you handled your phone interview, so there was no way I couldn't hire you. You had more qualifications for the job than the last Governess we hired."

"Oh…well…I don't know what to say. This certainly didn't turn out the way I expected."

"I'm hoping you'll say you'll take the job."

Alice giggled for once. "Of course."

David clapped his hands. "Well, do you want to meet the kids before I show you where your room is?"

"I'd love to meet them," she said enthusiastically.

"Right this way then."

Alice followed David up the stairs and then left up another flight of stairs. They headed into a hallway off to the right, which led to another flight of stairs. The stairs didn't go very far, but lead to a closed door. The paint around it was a faded grey color, adding age to the wood.

Odd, she thought. Why would they repaint and remodel every other part of the house and not here?

She didn't dare touch the paint, lest she have another "episode" as her past psychiatrists would say. So she allowed David to turn the handle to open the door. Sitting on the floor, playing with their toys, were a boy and girl—twins, in fact—with the same black, curly hair as their father's.

"Kids?" David called out.

Both of them looked up to reveal pale blue eyes. "Yes, grandpa?" they asked.

"There's someone that I want you to meet. Come say hello."

The children got up from their dolls and cars, and then held hands. They walked up to both adults and then looked at David.

"Kids, this is Alice. She's going to be staying with us and be your Governess." Looking to her, he added, "Alice, this is Madeline and Matthew. These are my grandchildren."

And I thought that they were his children, she wondered to herself. What an idiot!

"Well, that makes sense," Alice said albeit softly.

"It's nice to meet you," Madeline said, stretching out her hand.

And Alice was more than happy to shake her hand. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"You sound funny," Matthew pointed out. "Kinda like our Uncle Barnabas."

"Matthew," David warned. "Remember what we talked about."

"It's alright," she said to him. Looking at Matthew, Alice said, "I'm sure I do. According to your grandfather, I'm from the same place as your uncle."

"Really?" both of them asked.

Alice nodded.

"Okay, children. Why don't you go play?" David suggested.

"Okay," they said in unison, and then turned and returned to their room and their game of Cops and Robbers, by the sound of it.

David shut the door and sighed. "They've been with us since they were five."

"What happened? You seemed a bit down."

The older man rubbed the back of his neck. "Their parents passed away then. A boating accident. Both of them took it pretty hard when it happened."

Alice knew how they felt. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"They're doing better, but sometimes I wonder…I had lost my mother the same way, and it took me a while to cope."

"I know how you feel."

"Right," David said, nodding. "You do understand, don't you?"

Alice was confused. "I'm sorry?"

"I still did a background check, Alice. I'm not going to hire someone I'll think will harm my grandkids."

She blushed a little. "Of course not." Of course you would see the accident in my records. You would have also seen the doctor appointments as well.

"Which is why I hired you."

Well, this keeps getting more interesting.

"You understand what they are going through and can help them. I can't always be there for them. That's why I put in the ad for the position."

Alice nodded. "I see."

"Yeah," the older man muttered. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Well, let me show you around and then to your room. Follow me."

Alice obliged, not hesitating to look back at the room where the children were playing. The two of them headed back into the main room of the manor. As they were headed up the second set of stairs off to the right, someone had grabbed their attention.

"Hey, David, I was just checking on those numbers and—"

Both David and Alice looked down towards the newcomer. She was just a smidge shorter than her, with light blonde hair and blue eyes. She was carrying some papers with her at the time with wide eyes, as if she had spilled a secret she wasn't supposed to tell.

"Carolyn, this is Alice," David said so suddenly that it caused Alice to jump. "She'll be the new Governess for Maddy and Matt." To Alice, he said, "Alice, this is my youngest daughter, Carolyn."

Alice didn't miss the eye roll Carolyn had exhibited, though David seemed to. "It's nice to meet you," Carolyn said, albeit a bit reluctantly.

"The pleasure's all mine."

"I just hope you last longer than the last one. She couldn't take our family or our—"

"That's enough, Carolyn," David warned her. "I'll be with you in a moment to look at those numbers. I need to show Alice to her room."

"Where are you putting her?" the girl asked.

David didn't answer, but gave her a knowing look. One that Alice wasn't so sure about.

Carolyn sighed. "You know that grandma isn't going to be happy about it."

"Well, I think this time will be different."

The girl shrugged and walked away. "If you say so," she called over her shoulder.

Alice looked at David, who merely shook his head. "Come on," he said.

She did as she was asked and continued to follow him. "What was that all about?" she asked.

"Oh, our last Governess didn't work out so well, because of morality issues. So we had to let her go. And Carolyn and my aunt have been skeptical of every Governess we hire."

"How many have you hired before me, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Three, and they all ended up badly. That's why we did the background check this round."

"Oh. I see."

They headed down another hallway, up another staircase. Taking a left turn, they walked down passed at least three windows before they passed a door. It was the door next to it that they finally stopped. David opened the door, allowing Alice a view of the inside. There was a four post canopy bed against the left wall of the bedroom, a wardrobe across from that, and, as Alice saw when she walked further into the room, a large vanity on the wall closest to the door. There was a large window on the opposite wall, but the curtains were closed, keeping the light out.

"And this will be your room," David announced.

"My room?" she asked, completely surprised.

"Yes. Where did you think we would put you? In the servant's quarters?"

Alice laughed at his little joke. "Well, I didn't think I would be getting as grand a room as I am getting."

"Nonsense. You're practically part of the family now. We don't even use that part of the manor anymore."

"I see. Well, thank you nonetheless."

"It's not a problem," David said with a smile. "Well, I'll leave you to get unpacked. Meet me downstairs when you're done. I just have a few more things to go over and then you're free to do whatever you like."

Alice smiled. "Thank you, for everything, David."

"No problem." With that, he closed the door, leaving her to her own devices.

Taking a deep breath, she walked around the room, dropping her suitcase on the bed. As she looked around, she noticed that everything was dusty. I'll have to ask David where they keep the dusters, she thought. Alice then took to opening the curtains to allow some light into the dark room. She then opened the wardrobe and then her bag, and began unpacking.

It was now official. She was employed, and she would remain that way until she either quit or was fired. And she had no intention of letting either happen.

xxx

Alice climbed down the stairs as quickly as she could. She saw David standing by the fireplace and walked right up to him.

"Unpacked?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "You wouldn't happen to have a duster, would you?"

"Yeah, we have a Swiffer in the kitchen. I'll get that for you once we finish with our current business. If you'll just follow me to the drawing room."

"Of course. Lead the way."

David led her to a hallway just passed the fireplace and then through a door on the right. In this room there was another fireplace (not nearly as eloquently decorated) and a desk, couch, and T.V. There were other pieces of furniture lining the room, but it was still roomy enough to walk in. In the back of the room, sitting at the desk was an elderly woman, writing away as if she hadn't heard anyone come in. The two of them headed towards her until finally they were sitting in two chairs in front of her. David coughed, and that's when she looked up.

"So," she said, taking off her spectacles. "This is the new Governess."

"Yes, it is. She's perfect for the job."

"Hmm," the elderly woman said. "We'll see."

I guess not everyone is excited to see me, Alice thought.

"You'll have to excuse my aunt," David began to explain. "She's been pretty skeptical since the last Governess."

She nodded. "It's understandable."

"This is my aunt, Elizabeth. It was because of her and my cousin that the family business was able to rise from the ashes, so to speak."

"I could hardly say that it was both of us," Elizabeth pointed out. "It was mainly Barnabas. If it weren't for him…we wouldn't have went through the trouble of bringing the business back up if he hadn't of come along."

"He's really done a lot for you," Alice said. I wish I had that when I was growing up.

Elizabeth looked at her, her eyes twinkling. "He has."

"I was kinda hoping that he would come down and join us," David began. "But it seems that he'll be staying in his room for the day."

"Why is that?" Alice asked.

"Barnabas doesn't leave his room much," Elizabeth stated. "Once in a while, he'll come down, especially for business meetings."

"I see." Barnabas…why does that name sound familiar?

Besides hearing it from the children?

Alice shook her head and ignored the rare voice in her head. She looked back towards her employers and noticed them exchange a knowing look. She thought it suspicious, but didn't dwell on it. Wouldn't want another episode, she thought.

"So…" she said, trying to break the tension in the air. "What will be my duties while I'm here?"

David turned to her and chuckled. "Straight to the point, huh?"

"I try to be."

"Very well," he said. "Basically, we just need you to tutor the children, make sure they're ready for school on time—"

"So, I'll basically be Marry Poppins, just without a magic carpet bag and dancing penguins."

This caused both of her employers to laugh.

"Yes, something of that nature," Elizabeth replied.

"Alright," Alice said nodding. "When do I start?"

"Tomorrow. The children have to be on the bus by 6:45."

"Very well. I'll be sure they're dressed and ready."

"Excellent!" David exclaimed. "Then you're free to get a good feel of the house, get to know the children better…whatever you would feel more comfortable with."

Alice gave them a small smile. She said, "Thank you," and then left the drawing room.

When she was going up the stairs, she thought about going up to Madeline and Matthew's play room, but she thought better of it. So instead, she went up to her room. As she passed by the door next to her room, she thought she could hear the faint sound of a music box playing. She almost walked closer to the door to get a better listen, but decided against it.

That's enough curiosity for me today, she thought.

Alice opened her door and quickly entered. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the bed and sat down. She threw off her shoes and then pulled back the covers. Within minutes, she fell asleep.

In her nap-time dreams, she could hear a haunting melody, and it lulled her into a deeper abyss of sleep.

xxx

It happened again. But this time, whatever was the cause of that scent appearing had gotten closer. Cherry blossoms. A scent he had only smelled once before, and he wasn't sure if he should fear it, or love it.

Then it was gone. Not entirely, but it wasn't as strong as it had been just a moment ago. Whoever caused it had left, or…

They're in the next room.

He knew he had to be careful now. Extremely careful.

He hadn't realized that he had been standing until he sat down again. And when he did, he looked back down at the small, golden music box that played a sweet, yet haunting melody and remembered why he was in here in the first place.

This time…he would leave that room.

A/N: And...that's the end of this chapter. Wait...nope, that's the end.

So...did you love it? Hate it? Just not sure? Well, let me know how you feel by typing in a review and then pressing that review button below it. Please...for the children.

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~Xanthe :3