A Remedy

"OH NO! I'M RUINED!" Millicent Collins cried in the woods while the two men stood there discussing other trifles.

"Oh, good Goddess Persephone... Who cares?" Angelique prayed to the heavens, as she riffled through the woods with a concoction for her fair damsel. "I venture NEVER to clean the motherly cloth of that Millicent Collins. She can just as well suffer her monthly agonies on her own! However, my wanton mistress will have all of my attentions."

Angelique, ever the stolid Witch, knew what herbal remedies would serve her own lady's needs to these monthly annoyances. Not that Millicent "Shrieking" Collins would ever deserve that honourability. Ah, no. But Josette Dupres would. And it was lovely, thought Angelique as she regained her composure in the kitchen while boiling the water, "At least My Lady will be served to higher regard and will have some relief."

The kettle bubbled and Angelique steeped the tea. "At last," she said to herself, "perhaps this will prove to her how I care."

Abigail Collins entered the room to sniff.

"Oh, what the hell is she doing here?" Angelique thought. Angelique, herself, knew very well that there was a system above stairs as so below, but Abigail was beyond such concerns. She just had to stick her nose everywhere. "Well," thought Angelique, "I'd love to pit the Countess against that disgusting woman. Even the Countess is better than that one; Whomever she'd been sleeping with! At least The Countess had lovers... not like Abigail Collins. Nasty old wretch... Maybe I'll re-shuffle the deck tonight and see how Madame Natalie Dupres might take a fancy to slapping Miss Abigail... if I can manage to make it happen... I'd just love to see it."

When she stepped up the stairs of The Old House she noticed Barnabas Collins at the door of her Mistress.

"How is she?" he asked in concern.

"As well as a woman can be during such a troubling week... not that you would know, SIR."

"Angelique," said the man, "it's not as if I would not wish to. My need to endure what she endures is a burden. To know what her needs may be? I realise we've had our differences in the past, but perhaps with this woman, you and I may understand one another?"

"Perhaps," admitted the hand-maiden, holding her tray of teapot and cup, "but you are not a woman and you shall never know what we suffer to bring further people into this world... will you?"

Barnabas Collins nodded abashed and Angelique went in with her tray. He obligingly closed the door behind her.

Josette blinked her brown eyes upon her friend. She lay on her bed and held out her hand. Angelique took it, wanting to kiss the fair skin but not daring.

"I have a remedy that may serve well, my lady." She explained.

"You've always been so good to me." Josette smiled weakly.

"I've always wanted to be, Mademoiselle," Angelique told her, warmly, and put the tray upon the nightstand.

"What is that?" Josette asked, turning on her side to investigate.

"A few steeped herbs to help you along the way," confessed Angelique, knowing her Mistress's trouble and wanting to do more than offer a warming liquid to her.

"Angelique," breathed Josette, "might you console me in another way?"

The blonde hand-maiden was hopeful now. Her brows raised and her eyes lightened.

"In what way do you desire, my mistress?"

"Come closer," begged Josette in her miserable state.

Angelique stepped closer to the bed.

"Allow me your hand," Josette said.

Angelique offered it and Josette took it to hold. Then she placed it below. Far, far below.

"You know what to do," Josette yearned, "you've done it before, haven't you? Please... provide me with a release from this treachery. You and I know during this time... we have only... each other."

Angelique pressed down on the area her mistress requested in a strained sense of bliss, wondering if this would finally lead to what she wanted all along.

Well, now's the time to voice with reviews. Want me to take this to the M-Rated section? *wink*

As you can see I never bothered taking it into that realm. My heart was already broken by the proof that the numbers on this thing skyrocketed for its brief work. No wonder all the true Dark Shadows lovers went into hiding when it came to pass that the likes of this BS were all they were getting. I'll admit it's kind of cute, but in comparison to my better work it's pretty shocking to find out what the lowest-common denominator actually is.

After shelling out a week of my wages to OTW, I'm also pretty sick of receiving emails and seeing banners to support that site monetarily. I'm very disappointed in Archive of Our Own. The only thing they do to protect the creators of it is to make guest reviewers type in an email address. If anyone has noticed in the last decade discussion online has dwindled and flaming rarely happens.

Fanfiction dot net protects the work far more by not allowing people to download it easily. Nor can one copy and paste to a word file. A03? Just give it away for download. In essence? A good idea... but with lower reviewing and discussion, rather heartless. However it does *allow* for longer discussions whereas fanfiction dot net just allows one review per chapter. Too bad that better trait isn't used more often there.