A/N: Welcome, welcome!

Before we proceed with the chapter, I want to thank: yvje94, clarali, Amelia V. Sparrow, watergoddesskasey, runningfromurdad, fundamentallyloathsome, TheBrightersider, Echo M. Blake, IgnitingFireworks, BluecladChipmunk, Babygirl555, MikaMikaru, darkensoul0013, lazymazy, Dionne dance, Leyshla Gisel, BellaMarieRosaCullen, blackstar778, TinkerbellxO, Eclipsica, Adelene Abnormal, smiling steph, sullsinger and Jay D. Moore.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Shadows…Obviously…


Chapter 9

This time it was different. It was dark again, of course, but this time she couldn't feel his presence next to her or anywhere close to her body. The only thing she could feel was the gentle touch of his cool, smooth fingers as they stroked her hair in downward patterns.

Abigail shifted slightly but the touch was kind and she did not feel threatened by it. Even if she couldn't indentify the person who was so attentive to her the caresses were welcomed. His presence was familiar but every time she tried to open her eyes he was there to lull her back to sleep with his smooth hypnotizing voice. And so, Abigail fell back to sleep with the man's fingers still combing through her hair.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Abigail stepped back from the canvas and adjusted her hat on her head before she sat down in her stool. She looked back at the grand mansion and took a deep breath. She gazed at the slightly cloudy sky before she bit her lip in thought. It was a good day to work on the painting. The light was good and it gave an ethereal look upon the house, while the sun was not hot enough to actually bother her.

"Yoohoo!" the sharp call made Abigail jump.

"Just me, my dear! How's it going?" Ruth asked from the high window.

"What are you doing?" Abigail called with a small frown. That was Mr. Collins' room.

"Cleaning of course, love!" Ruth laughed as she waved her cleaning cloth at her.

"That's Mr. Collins' room." Abigail clarified and Ruth frowned.

"Yes, and? I clean it every week. How's it going?" Ruth called but Abigail was confused.

He let Ruth go into his room to clean but when she had offered to do it he had refused?

What the hell?

"Um…I haven't really started yet." She called back and Ruth shook her head.

"Well, go on then! I am anxious to see it." The older woman called before she disappeared from the window.

Abigail blinked up at the still wide open window and then sighed. With a last look upon the window, she turned to her right and picked up her pencil to draw a first draft. It was time to start.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I see you've started without me." A quiet voice said next to Abigail's ear just as she was wrapping up her stuff for the day. The sun had long set but she had found it relaxing sitting there, just watching the sunset.

Quickly she turned around and faced Barnabas who was like always smartly dressed.

"Oh…Yes." She said before she hurriedly turned around and covered the canvas with a sheet.

When she noticed his raised eyebrows she stammered out a response, "I hate it when people look at my unfinished projects. I don't like it." She explained and the man smiled.

"I understand, of course. Shall I help you to take these back inside?"

Even as he asked the question he was already picking up the stool and colors.

"Thank you." She said and together they made their way back to the house.

Barnabas opened the door for her with dexterity and she slipped inside while he followed at a close distance.

"You seem tired." He observed keenly, "Where do you want them?" he asked and she paused.

"My room, please. I am tired." She nodded as they started climbing up the stairs.

"Why?" he asked and she hesitated.

"I haven't been sleeping very well." She replied as she looked at him sideways.

"Oh?"

"Yes…"

"Bad dreams?" he asked in a low voice as they arrived at her door.

Abigail opened the door and stepped inside, "Um…bad?" she laughed quietly as she placed her things next to her window while he followed suit, "Not exactly." She murmured and Barnabas looked up at that.

"Good dreams then?" he asked as he looked at her intently.

Abigail flushed deeply and turned away with the pretence of trying to open the window, "You could say that…Strange is the right word for them." She replied as she wiped her sweaty hands on her pants and then turned to face him. As she did so she noticed that he was staring at her nightstand.

"Oh!" she exclaimed before she rushed over to it, "Your handkerchief. I washed it." She said as she handed it to him.

Barnabas looked at it for a moment before he turned his back to her and started perusing the shelves of her bookcase.

"Um…you don't want it?" she asked with a small frown while he leaned close in order to look at the movie titles that were lined up on the middle shelf.

"Gifts cannot be returned." He murmured and Abigail looked down at the soft cloth before she slowly put it away with a kind of gratification.

"Thank you." She whispered before she turned to him. She sat down on her bed and kicked her shoes off.

"You can sit." She called and he turned to face her with a DVD case in his hand.

"Apocalypse Now?" he quirked an eyebrow and Abigail shrugged.

"I like it."

"You enjoy war films?" he asked with slight amusement and she smiled.

"That and Marlon Brando." She chuckled and Barnabas frowned.

"I see." he murmured before he put the movie away.

"Will you sit?" she asked again but Barnabas shook his head.

"No, thank you…I will be down for dinner, so…I'll see you there?" he asked and Abigail seemed surprised.

"You will dine with us today?" she asked and he smiled.

"Am I not welcome?" he asked and she laughed.

"Of course you are!" she said a little too eagerly and his smile widened.

"Excellent then." He said softly and Abigail stood up so that she could close the door.

As he stepped outside and she made to shut the door, his hand shot out and grasped her hand. She gasped in surprise when he looked at her wrist. The mark was barely visible.

"Good." He murmured as he brushed over it with his thumb and then released her, "I'll see you soon." He said quietly before he walked away, finally allowing her to close the door.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Everything was almost like every night once more. Only that this time, he was sitting next to her on the bed like the first time. She was turned onto her side, facing him and when she felt his cool breath on her face she smiled.

"Sandalwood." She whispered and the man next to her held his breath for a moment.

"My heart?" he asked and she could detect the frown in his beautiful voice.

"Hmm." She murmured as she nuzzled her face in the pillow and sighed softly.

The man's breath fanned over her face again and she waited expectantly for his touch. This time it wasn't his hand that touched her though; it was his lips. His lips were the ones that pressed a kiss to her cheek and then to her jaw.

Abigail released a small sigh and turned onto her back. The man's mouth followed the path that led to her neck and once he had reached it he settled there. He kissed the smooth skin gently and as he did so his hand touched the side of her face.

"Is this alright?" he murmured in his smooth voice.

She could only nod in response and as he nipped her skin between his lips she made a small noise at the back of her throat similar to a weak moan. He paused at that sound and when his lips touched her again it was with more force, with more ferocity and passion.

Abigail's lips parted as she gasped for breath and her hand sleepily went to his head to thread her fingers in his soft hair. He sucked at her skin hard and Abigail could feel herself waking up more at the sensation for it bordered on pleasure-pain. She gasped out loud and her fingers tightened their hold on his hair as he kept up his sweet torture. It was only when she whimpered that he froze and ceased his actions completely. He released her neck with a low grunt and he softly pulled her hand away from his hair. He pressed a kiss on her palm before he disappeared from her bed completely.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Abigail yawned as she entered the bathroom and went straight ahead to splash her face with water. The cool water felt heavenly upon her skin and she sighed as it refreshed her. She reached for a towel and wiped her face before she looked up in the mirror. She gazed at herself for a moment before she grimaced.

"God." She muttered as she looked at her hair. She quickly reached for her brush and pulled it though her locks before she pulled it back in a high ponytail. As she secured her hair up in her head, her gaze fell to the purple mark on her neck. At first she thought nothing of it but when she looked at it, really looked at, it her eyes widened. She let out a loud yell of disbelief and her fingers gently touched the mark. She stared at it speechless, trying to understand how in heavens it was there. It couldn't be there unless…

"Oh my God." She whispered shocked as she closed her eyes and recalled her dream, her very vivid dream. If the mark from his kisses was there then that meant…That could only mean that she hadn't been dreaming.

"Impossible." She muttered and then scanned her brain for any possible explanation. She tried to remember if anything else could have caused the mark but she had no results. Only lips could have done that and she didn't recall falling on anyone's lips the previous day.

She abruptly pulled her hand away and covered her face with her hands, trying to keep calm.

"Don't be crazy…It was just a dream." She muttered at last before she walked out of the bathroom to get dressed for the day.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

With a last sweep at the floor Abigail put the mop back in the bucket and leaned against the banister. She wiped at her brow and waited until the floor was dry in order to get away from the stairs.

As she waited she heard footsteps and when she looked up she saw Barnabas walking down the stairs with a newspaper in his hands.

"No, wait!" she exclaimed but it was too late. He slipped and lost his balance. He fell onto his bottom at the top of the stairs with the newspaper on top of his head.

Abigail gasped out loud and she kicked her shoes off before she climbed up the stairs to reach him. She kneeled down next to him and snatched the paper from his head only to find him shaking with silent laughter.

Abigail huffed and sat back while he burst out in loud laughter, "I thought you broke something." She said as he kept laughing at himself.

"I assure you, my dear. I am fine." He said, still chuckling and she looked down at his clothes.

"You're wet." She stated and he shrugged.

"No matter…" he muttered as he tried to stand up. Abigail quickly offered him her hand and he took it to pull himself up.

"Thank you. That was ungraceful." He chuckled as she handed him his newspaper back.

"I'm sorry but I thought you weren't in the house." Abigail said as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Barnabas' dark eyes went to her neck and she frowned.

"Um…"

"You might want to cover that." He said hoarsely and she blushed a deep shade of red.

"Oh…I…I don't…" she trailed off but he was already walking away from her and back to his room.

Abigail covered her eyes with her hands in sheer mortification before she put on her shoes, picked up the cleaning supplies and walked back to the kitchen with her cheeks still a deep red.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"We should go back." Ruth said as she looked at the dark sky. A storm was approaching.

"I would like to walk a little more first." Abigail replied as she looked around the garden.

"It's getting late, dear." Ruth said as she looked at her with a frown, "Are you alright?"

Abigail looked up and took a deep breath, "Have you ever had dreams that actually felt…real?" she asked and Ruth paused.

"Sometimes…Why?" Ruth asked her softly.

"I just…I have been having some dreams that really feel real. I mean…They just seem so vivid." Abigail groaned.

"Do you have them often?" Ruth asked her slowly and the younger woman nodded.

"Almost every other night." She murmured.

"Don't worry, dear. Perhaps it's the change of scenery and all the quietness of this place. It takes some time to get used to it. Maybe your subconscious is trying to adapt, hence the dreams." Ruth rubbed her arm comfortingly and Abigail nodded.

"Perhaps…"

"Let's have a nice cup of hot chocolate." Ruth grinned and Abigail chuckled.

"I'll be there soon." She nodded and Ruth walked away.

Abigail turned and walked further down, past the garden until she arrived at the edge of it, just where the woods started. She fixed her gaze on the tall trees in front of her and let her mind wander back to those dreams. They weren't frightening but after the last one, they had turned unsettling. She never had dreams as a child; never. It was weird but it was the truth. And now she had them all the time. And they were almost identical; the same scenery, the same man and the same cold touch. Funny because if the person was actually real she could surely tell who it was just from his touch. She was certain of it.

As she stood there thinking, rain started pouring down from the sky. Abigail closed her eyes and reveled in it because it was familiar. Just like her dream man's hands; cool. She sighed and let the water soak her hair and part of her clothes until she felt a firm hand tugging her away from the fence.

"Good heavens!" at the sound of the voice her eyes opened, "You'll get soaked." Barnabas' voice was shocked and Abigail blinked.

"I was thinking." She stammered but he was already removing his coat. He wrapped it around her and then placed a hand on her lower back.

"You can think while being indoors. Let's get you out of the rain. Do you want to get sick again?" he asked as he dragged her along, his pace abnormally fast, so fast that she had trouble keeping up with him. As the rain intensified they had to run in order to get to the back porch of the mansion. Barnabas groaned and pushed her in front of him so she could reach the veranda first.

Abigail fell breathless against the cold wall of the mansion and the man behind her gasped for breath as well as he pushed her under the shelter. She pushed back his half drenched coat and craned her neck to look at him as he shook water out of his hair. His clothes were soaked and as he pressed against her from behind she could feel every solid part of him. He felt strong even if he seemed slim. His hips were pressed up against her tightly and she suddenly realized how close they were.

"Are you alright? Did you get too wet?" he asked her and a droplet of water fell from his chin and fell on her neck as he stood with his cheek pressed against hers.

"N-no." her teeth chattered but she didn't feel him shaking from the coldness at all. In fact his body, even when pressed up against her so intimately, didn't exude any sort of warmth whatsoever. He was just cold.

Abigail's eyes widened.

Just like my dreams. She thought and her suspicions were further raised when he sighed gently and pressed a reverent kiss to her slick wet hair. She shivered and closed her eyes, using the moment to her advantage. She tried to compare the two men and her suspicions were further verified when Barnabas' hand - his cold hand- touched her cheek gently.

"You gave me a fright when I saw you standing there staring into nothing." He murmured and her wet locks stuck to his lips as he pulled back after the kiss. He chuckled and removed them from his mouth but she could only stand there frozen.

"Abigail? Are you alright?" he asked with a frown as he turned her to face him.

She blinked and forced herself to snap out of it, "I'm fine." She said quickly and her eyes slid down to his lips for a brief moment.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he pressed the back of his hand against her forehead.

"Yes…You're so cold." She murmured as she gazed up at him.

He froze in front of her and his hand went limp and fell at his side.

"It's the rain." He said quickly and on an impulse she reached for his hand. She rubbed it between hers, trying to warm it but when he realized her intention he snatch it out of her hold and stepped back.

"It's of no use.' He whispered hoarsely with an odd look upon his face before he composed himself quickly, "I mean, I need to change my clothes." He stammered before he hastily walked away.

Abigail stared after him in shock.

End of chapter 9

Author's note: Thank you for reading. Please review! Sneak peeks are in store for everyone who reviews! What are you waiting for then?

Until then!

Xxx Lina :)