I decided to write another chapter, since the last one seemed to turn out pretty well. Thank you to everyone who's favorited/followed/reviewed this story or is reading it at all!

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Shadows, as cool as that would be. I only own my writing.

Elizabeth ushered Barnabas and Victoria away from the children and into a fairly large room that housed a marvelous fireplace, the contents of which were currently casting a fiery glow across the walls. On various tables sat pictures, which caught Barnabas' attention at once. All appeared to depict members of the Collins family. To him, this was sufficient evidence that, although the physical wellbeing of the household was deteriorating, their sense of family held strong.

"Now, why don't you tell me who you are," Elizabeth said after closing the door behind them.

Victoria, who was still gripping Barnabas' hand, glanced up at him, giving a silent cue to proceed with their introductions. Consequently, it was he who spoke. "My name is Barnabas Collins. I've been… gone for many, many years, but I have finally returned to restore the honor of my beloved family. I bring with me Miss Victoria Winters, who has been promised a position in your household."

Elizabeth raised one eyebrow, crossing her arms as she did so. "Oh really? And who, might I ask, promised her this position?"

"I did, Madam," Barnabas answered after a short, uneasy pause.

"Well, Mr. 'Collins'," she said with a disbelieving tone, "I'm afraid that you have no authority to be promising positions to anyone." Barnabas opened his mouth to protest, but she continued. "However, it just so happens that I've been looking for a new governess lately, so I'm willing to make you a deal. If you can somehow prove that you are in fact a member of this family, then I'll gladly give the position to Miss Winters."

"And lodgings within the manor?" he asked skeptically.

"We can arrange rooms for both of you," she confirmed with a nod. "That is, if you can prove yourself first."

"Very well," he answered, dropping Victoria's hand to wander around the room, cane in hand. She looked a little uneasy, so he tried to give her a reassuring look, adding a small nod for good measure. As he took slow, calculating steps, he addressed Elizabeth. "Tell me, what do you know of Barnabas Collins?"

"Just legends. It's been said that he went insane, claiming that a witch had turned him into a vampire." She said all of this in a tone that suggested that she was sure that everything she said was pure myth.

"And what of his death?"

"Barnabas—" Victoria cut in. She knew that he was only trying to prove himself, but she had a feeling that revealing himself as a vampire might not be the best decision.

He sensed her hesitation and fixed her with another reassuring gaze, pausing as he did so. "Trust me," he said. After a slight pause, she nodded, allowing Elizabeth to answer him.

"I can't remember off the top of my head," she answered, still refusing to believe him.

Barnabas began to take slow steps once more, stopping in front of the grand fireplace. "That, Madam, is because he never died." With this, he jabbed his cane into a small hole in the floor, turning it with two swift motions of his wrist. Behind him, the fireplace began to transform, opening to reveal a dark passageway. "I am Barnabas Collins," he stated simply. "And yes, I am a vampire. But as I have already explained to my dear Victoria, no one under this roof need fear my accursed nature."

Although Victoria was stunned at the revelation of the secret passageway, Elizabeth was understandably far more astounded by his confession. However, it was not her reaction that Barnabas was watching. Throughout this entire proclamation he had been staring at Victoria, waiting for… well, he wasn't exactly sure what. Maybe he had expected her to awake as one does from a reverie, to come to the realization that she hadn't been hallucinating before, and that he was, in fact, a vampire.

But nothing of the sort happened. She did not back away slowly or run out screaming or gasp in horror. She simply stood there and stared wide-eyed for a single moment at the now deformed fireplace. After the initial surprise had faded, she turned her eyes to Barnabas, who had been as still as a statue during that time. Seeing his apparent unease, she offered him a weak smile, which he returned with relief.

When at last he spoke, he was not looking at Elizabeth or gauging her belief in his story. His eyes were locked on Victoria. "Shall we?" he said, holding out an arm to motion to the passage.

Elizabeth was the first to enter, picking up a lantern that hung on the wall and lighting it using the still-burning fire. Barnabas pulled his cane from the veritable keyhole in the floor and held it in one hand while Victoria moved to regain her grasp on the other. They entered the passage together, and though it was fairly narrow, did not break contact with each other.

Victoria clung to Barnabas as though he were a sort of life preserver, as though simply holding his hand was enough to keep her from drowning in this unfamiliar world. For most of her life, she had seen nothing of the outside world but what she saw through the bars of her padded room. And then a man who claimed to be a vampire had appeared out of nowhere to save her, allowing her to become a part of what used to be his world. As strange and unusual as these circumstances were, though, she was comforted by the fact that much of what was happening was as foreign to Barnabas as it was to her. As they walked, he explained more of his background to Elizabeth, and if what he said was true, then that would mean that he had spent nearly 200 years locked in a box. She supposed that this world must confuse him as much as—or possibly more than—it did her. This in itself gave her a sense of unity with him, and although he was a monster, she couldn't help but find that she was drawn to him.

These were her thoughts as they walked. However, they were interrupted when the three of them came to what seemed to be the room for which this passageway was built. Barnabas led the way inside, making his way straight to a large medallion that hung in the back. He slipped it on as the others gaped at the riches that surrounded them. Every corner of the room was packed with all sorts of treasures: jewels, masterpieces, and enough gold to fully light the entire room when reflecting the light of the lantern that Elizabeth still held.

"You see," said Barnabas, "I do not come asking for money, rather, to supply it." After several continuous moments of stunned silence from Elizabeth, he pressed on. "Have I sufficiently proven myself to be who I say that I am?"

With a small shake of her head, she snapped back to reality. "Yes… of course."

"Excellent! In that case, I believe there is the matter of lodgings to discuss."

Reluctantly, she turned away from the treasure. "Right this way," she said a little sarcastically, moving to walk back through the passage.

Barnabas, who had broken contact with Victoria in order to slip on the medallion, again offered her his hand, which she graciously accepted with a soft smile. Together, they followed Elizabeth through the narrow passageway and out of the fireplace once more. After extinguishing the lantern and placing it back where it was found, Elizabeth nodded for Barnabas to seal the entrance once more. "Best keep this—all of this—our little secret, okay?" He nodded in agreement before turning his cane in the keyhole yet again to return the fireplace to its original position. "Come with me," she then said. "I can show you to your room."

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