Willie sat on one end of the police station while Abigail was sitting at the other. Willie explained what had happened twenty times if he explained it once. Over and over they asked him to recount the day, each time pressuring him to take some fault in the activities.

"I-I told ya everythin' I know. You can keep askin but it won't change my answer. I don't know what you want me to say. Is this really necessary? I came here willingly…I didn't do anything wrong." Willie yanked up his arm that was hand cuffed to the desk and he was getting visibly frustrated. It was 5:30 and at this time of year the sun had already set.

The lanky officer sat on the other side of the desk twisting a toothpick between his teeth and playing with the handcuff key.

He leaned in closer to Willie, "Ya know Loomis, you've given us a lot of trouble in the past, forgive me for not trusting ya. Now…tell me again what happened."

"Ms. Chilton please…is there anything we can get you?" The officer was sitting on the edge of his desk and was a little too close for her taste.

"No…please can we just go? We have answered all your questions. Why aren't you out looking for Nick? He's still out there!" She started to raise her voice. "He's out there and he tried to kill us and you are HERE instead of out looking for him!"

Willie looked over to her and stood up to walk over when his hand was jerked back to the desk. Abby walked over to him and stood infuriated at the sight of the cuff around Willie's wrist.

"What the fuck?! Take that off him… take it off him NOW! He didn't do anything, he was almost killed! He saved my fucking life! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Everyone in the room quieted when a dark shadow was cast across the floor and Barnabas Collins stood in the door way, cloaked in black; cane in hand. A strange quiet came over the room.

"I heard there was a problem while I was away. I would like to help in any way that I can."

The officer that had been questioning Abigail nervously approached Barnabas. Willie thought to himself Even the police are nervous around him. They should be.

The situation was explained, Abigail jumping in and correcting several of the police's so called facts.

"And why is my employee shackled to this desk? Did he do something?" The skinny police officer stood up and walked up to Barnabas pushing his chest out trying to look assertive as he spoke.

"Loomis ain't no good…don't trust him. He's got a record here."

Barnabas reached slightly down and ripped the toothpick from the young man's mouth and snapped it with his fingers.`

"Release him. NOW!" Willie could see his eyes flash black. The vampire's blood was getting heated and the officer stood back and released Willie from the desk without uttering a word.

"I trust that you will be out looking for this Nick person. Ms. Chilton where will you be staying? I don't think it is safe for you to return to your apartment." Barnabas was a demanding figure to be reckoned with.

"I – jeeze I didn't think about it…I-suppose I can go to my uncles." Abigail looked at Willie as she answered.

Barnabas knew of her uncle, he knew him well and the fact that he spent the majority of his waking hours drowning at the Blue Whale. "Nonsense…you will stay with me, it will be safe there. Willie will retrieve some things for you from your apartment."

"Officer, I assume that it is not too much trouble to drive Abigail and myself to my home."

The officer agreed without hesitation.

"And Willie…you will go retrieve some items for Ms. Chilton and return immediately to the house."

"Y-yes Barnabas." Willie was extremely uncomfortable with her spending time with Barnabas alone.

Barnabas walked Abigail up to the house.

"I want to thank you again for extending your home to me." She was greatful to stay there, but she did wonder where exactly she would sleep, to her knowledge there were only two bedrooms in any condition to sleep in, one of which was in the forbidden zone in the basement.

"You will stay in Willie's room. I hope that will suit you." She looked at It and was taken of guard, it was as if he had read her mind.

"Of course, and Willie? He will have a place?"

"Yes, there is an extra room in the basement that has a small bed in it. It will suit him just fine."

"There is something I need to take care of Ms. Chilton, please make yourself at home." With that Barnabas disappeared into the kitchen.

Abigail looked around the great room, the house had a strange feeling to it at night. She grabbed one of the candles on the desk and walked up stairs to Willies room…but she didn't go in. Instead she continued to walk to the end of the hall and stood on the landing of the second floor back staircase. She looked up at the attic and curiosity got the best of her. She climbed up the stairs to the attic and twisted the door knob, disappointed to find it locked.

"Ms. Chilton…" Abigail jumped and spun around almost losing her footing on the staircase. "Are you lost?" Barnabas stood at the bottom of the stairs, the candelabra he was holding cast a strange glow across his face.

"Oh.. Mr. Collins… you scared me half to death… I am sorry to be here... I guesss I am terribly curious about the attic."

"And why is that Ms. Chilton."

"The attic is the brain of houses like this. It contains all of the memories of times past. You know people often say 'if the walls could talk' … all they need to do is go into the attic." Abigail started to descend the stairs. "If you think about it… all the items that have gotten too old, or broken... the old decorations…the old clothes…things that would otherwise be considered trash are placed in the attic. You know whay? ... It's because the owner of these items could not bear to part with them, they were too important... It is the place where the history of the home is hidden. It's locked away in trunks and boxes, pushed into corners and piled in layers. It is in some ways a memorial to the lives and traditions that have long since been abandoned."

Barnabas looked at her inquisitively. Her answer somehow made perfect sense and he had never really thought of it in that way. He was impressed and he now wanted to see her reaction as she explored the space.

"You are most intuitive Ms. Chilton. Come…I will show you."

Willie drove with haste trying to get to her apartment and back to the old house. He pulled up in front of the building and wasted no time running up to apartment. There were still officers in the room and he didn't even think they noticed him enter.

Willie entered her room and found a small suitcase in the closet. He filled it with the things he thought she would need and then walked back into the living room where an officer nodded his head to him acknowledging his presence. Willie saw the large fluffy blanket lying on the couch and he grabbed it. There were no blankets like that at the old house, she would need something warmer.

He ran back down to his truck and wasted no time driving back to the old house.

Barnabas opened the door to the attic and they both entered, a puff of cold air rushed out of the room and gave Abigail the chills.

Barnabas lit a few of the oil lamps and Abigail stood in the doorway taking in her first view of the mysterious room. She walked in further and stared at the beams in the room. Her mind was running at warp speed as she processed what she saw in front of her.

"A-are these what I think they are?" She was shocked and a bit alarmed.

"Yes. Eight in all. Something my ancestors built into the home." It watched her face grimace as she inspected one of the posts. The vampire knew she had her suspicions. It also knew that she loved his servant and fact bothered him. She ran her finger around one of the metal cuffs, the edges were sharp, and then images of Willie's wrists flashed into her mind. No…God no no…oh Willie NO!

Abigail stood and looked down at the ground, blood stained the floor boards. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath to control her outrage.

"Mr. Collins, so far this attic definitely reveals secrets of this old house." She needed to get away from the posts or she would lose her control. "What is in the corner over here?" She tried to pretend she was interested in other things.

Barnabas walked to the far end and lit several of the other oil lamps. In one corner sat several large trunks.

"May I?" she asked gesturing at one of the trunks.

"Of course."

She opened one of the trunks and a pungent smell came out, a sweet, musty and oddly garbage like smell; it was unpleasant. She reached in and pulled out one of the garments. A dress that was yellowed and decaying where the lace was attached.

"Clothing…" She muttered to herself.

She closed the trunk and looked further around the attic.

In the other corner there was furniture stacked and stacked papers, it would take several days to go through all of the things up there to really get a good judgement.

"I would like to take some time up here if you would not mind Mr. Collins." She was proud of herself for maintaining her composure, but she needed to get out of there.

"Of course Ms. Chilton."

It blew out the oil lamps and they descended down the stairs.

"Mr. Collins if you wouldn't mind I would like to go to Willie's room and rest for a bit. It has been a terribly long day and I must admit I am a bit shaken from it."

"Yes please, you must be exhausted. I will send Willie up with your things when he arrives."

Abigail entered Willies room and closed the door. She sat down on his bed and picked up a sweater of his that was lying on the bottom of it. She pulled it up to her face, breathing in his smell and instantly began to cry.

Willie walked through the door and Barnabas was there waiting for him.

"Are you okay?" The vampire asked almost humanely.

"Y-Yes…"

"Take the things up to the girl and meet me in the kitchen.

Willie did not hesitate. He walked up the stairs and knocked on his bedroom door. There she stood in one of his t-shirts and a pair of his flannel pants.

"I hope you don't mind." She looked at him intensively.

"N-no .. of course not. Here are your things."

"Thank You. ... Willie?" Willie turned around and looked at her.

She rushed to him and gripped him tightly. "Oh thank you Willie"

His arms remained at his sides, his back was in terrible pain.

"Get some sleep Abby. Don't worry, you're safe here. Just get some sleep."

He walked out of the room but all she wanted was for him to stay with her.

Willie returned to IT. The vampire was standing in the great room waiting for him.

"Turn around Willie."

Willie turned around and faced the wall, his jaw clenched tight. Barnabas' fingers grazed his lower back and it sent chills up his spine. It gripped his coat and his shirt and undershirt and pulled them up forcefully, the undershirt ripped from the wounds where it had dried against the bloodied wounds, shooting excruciating pain into each ounce of flesh. It then pushed his clothes out of Its hand and grunted in disgust.

"Go to the kitchen Willie and take your shirt off."

Willie knew not to disobey. He entered the kitchen and reluctantly stripped to his bare chest and tossed his clothes on the counter. Barnabas walked up behind him grabbing Willie by the back of his neck and forcing him to bend over the table so that Willies forearms and elbows were flat against the table, his cheek flattened against the hard wood.

"Stay"

Willie dare not move, and waited for It to come back into the room. He wasn't clear what would happen next and Willie thought the worst. When It returned it pulled the hot water from the fire and placed it on the table next to Willies head, he could feel the heat radiating from it. It poured something into the water that had an that familiar odd smell and soaked a towel in the bowl.

Its touch instantly sent chills deep into his spine. Willie lay there, the events of the day spilling out and into the forefront of his thoughts and tears began to run down his cheeks. He didn't understand why the Vampire would care for him, after all many of the wounds were because of It. All he knew was that Its touch was excruciating and he cried as It touched him, he was so confused and totally alone, there was an emptiness that filled him and in this moment he could not control the emotions.

Eventually It finished and let Willie up. "There...I am going out Willie. I will call if I need you."

The day and night had been more than Willie had bargained fore. It was unusually warm for November and Willie walked out the back door, restless and in desperate need of fresh air. He walked down the path that led to the gardens listening to the snow crunch beneath his feet. Willie pulled at one of the iron benches, leveling it and freeing it of the leafless overgrown vines that entwined it. He sat down and closed his eyes, inhaling the lush aroma of the final days of autumn that mixed in with the woody, smokey smells of the wood burning in the fireplaces of the old house.

"Hey" Her voice was soft "Can I sit?" Abigail had watched him sitting there for a few minutes before she let him know she was there. Watching him when he wasn't aware seemed to be a habit she couldn't break.

Willie scooted over on the bench. "Y-yeah…"

Abigail had the large blanket that Willie brought from her apartment and she draped half of it around Willie and nestled in close to him.

"Why are you out here?" She asked with concern.

"I-I just needed some fresh air is all." Willie responded with a sigh as he looked out across the decaying garden."Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Been a bit of a long day" she said with a touch of sarcasm.

"Yeah..." Willie paused for a few minutes and then spoke again. "Sometimes I…well I think about a time when someone actually cared about this place ya know? So full of life." His voice was so melancholy and Abigail got the sense that it wasn't just the garden he was talking about. She reached her arm around him and tried to hide the fact that she was wiping a tear from her eye.

"It only takes one person to care for something and bring it back to life Willie." She shifted her body over so that she could look at him.

"Abigail…I…It's just that…" Willie paused trying to think of what he could possibly say that would make any sense. "My world is broken Abby. You …you can't fix it…you can't be in it."

Abigail paused for several minutes.

"I was in the attic Willie."

Willie's body went stiff, and then he bent over and dropped his head between his hands, entwining his fingers through his hair.

"I know what's up there."

"No.." Willie muttered under his breath.

"I know what he did to you."

"No..no…" Willie continued to shake his head in his hands.

"I saw him taking care of your wounds in the kitchen Willie."

"Oh God no.."

A/N: I hope to post one more chapter tonight. A thanksgiving touch :-) Thank you everyone for reading! If I don't post tonight I will in the next day or two. Happy Thanks giving and eat lots of pie :-)