Greetings dear readers. Well, here's the wrap-up to the story. The chapter runs a little long, but I've been so busy of late, finding time and mental energy to write had become problematic. Hence, I wanted to get this completed so I wouldn't leave everyone dangling.

I hope everyone enjoys the chapter.

The segment where Victoria reads her old diary in a homage to the series -bother original and 1991 reboot.

Not to worry, I'm already mentally planning out further DS fics.

You all know my desire for reviews.

And awayyyyy we go. :-)

The full moon shone down on Collinwood Manor and the surrounding grounds, bathing the newly rebuilt house and gardens in a pale blue light.

On the verdant lawn that spread out from the gardens, an enormous, bipedal wolf rose to its feet and turned its yellow eyes to the moon. Rearing back its head, the wolf let out a savage, berserker howl.

Inside Collinwood, the howling was easily heard through the windows left open to allow in cool ocean breeze on the July night.

In the upper-level suite of rooms that she and Barnabas occupied, Victoria heard the howls as she perused the book shelf, reorganizing the various tomes collected there. Unlike the main library downstairs, the books here were a most private collection. They were a collection of the books on the occult that Barnabas had studied back in his human life. After Angelique had turned him into a vampire, he had relegated the collection to the treasure room downstairs, thus they'd been undamaged by the fire. Barnabas had decided that he didn't want to leave the books in a place where other members of the family could see them, as he felt they contained too much knowledge of dark arts. (As well, there were likely no other books like that still in existence, so Barnabas didn't want to destroy them, as one could never tell when their information might come in handy at Collinwood). So, Barnabas kept them locked away in his own rooms.

Victoria pulled another book from the shelf. It was a modern diary. Its cover was scorched and some of the pages were blackened, but it had miraculously survived the fire in the original Collinwood. She smiled as she recognized it. It was the diary that she'd carried with her when she'd first come to Collinwood the previous year. She'd been wondering where she'd put it since they moved back in a few months prior. The young vampire opened the cover and read her own words, still quite legible despite the soot marks….

My name is Victoria Winters. I must get used to saying that. Maggie Evans is dead to the world now. Victoria Winters now lives in her place. My name is Victoria Winters….

I am on a journey the ending of which I cannot predict. The spirit that has been my companion all these years is now guiding me. She's guiding me to a place called Collinwood. Collinwood…I've never heard of it until I answered the advertisement in the paper, but it seems familiar to me. It's as if I've seen it before…as if I've lived there before in another time…in another life.

Why is she so insistent I go there? The newspaper advertised for a live-in governess. Why does she wish me to take that position? I've never taught anyone before. Yet, the idea feels right to me.

What awaits me at Collinwood? Will I find answers to the questions that have plagued me all my life, or will I find only more mysteries?

What type of people will I find there? The Collins family…I know nothing of them, but the name stirs echoes of familiarity in my soul. Something tells me that they will become very important to me in time. In time perhaps, but for now they are not real yet. They are merely dark shadows upon my wall…

Victoria smiled again as she closed the book. Her words then had been prophetic. She had indeed found answers to some of the questions that had long plagued her. She'd come to the place she belonged. The instant she'd opened her eyes as a vampire at the bottom of Widow's Hill, it had all become clear to her. Her memories now were not only of her life as Maggie Evans, but of Josette DuPres as well. Barnabas turning her into a vampire had allowed Josette's spirit to reunite with her reincarnated form. Victoria's personality was the dominant one but she had all of Josette's memories now and could feel all the things Josette had felt but in her human life and the almost two centuries she'd been a ghost. She could even speak perfect French now, Victoria thought with amusement.

Her words about the Collins family had proven prophetic as well. They were indeed the most important thing in her life now. She felt a closeness to them that she'd never felt with her own family before they'd had her committed. The dark shadows upon her wall had indeed become real and come to life, and become her life as well.

Barnabas was not only the man Josette had loved and waited for, for nearly two hundred years, but he was the man that she herself had fallen in love with. True, she'd been shocked upon learning he was a vampire…But when she allowed herself to consider how she came to Collinwood to begin with, it shouldn't have been that great a surprise to her.

Elizabeth was perhaps the most remarkable woman Victoria had ever met. She personified intelligence, dignity and calmness in the face of adversity. She simply refused to give in to adversity and set an example for everyone else. In face of nearly having a witch kill her whole family and destroying Collinwood, her governess turned into a vampire and learning her daughter was a werewolf; Elizabeth had simply refused to give in to the stress of everything. She'd kept her head held high, straightened her back and set out to do what was needed. Not two weeks after the events of that night, the family was settled into the hastily refurbished Old House, the wreckage of the old Collinwood had been cleared away and the construction crews had arrived to begin rebuilding.

And then there was David. When Victoria had first met him, as he entered the dining room with a sheet over his head, she instantly sensed that he was like her. He was someone who wasn't crazy but could actually talk to the dead. She felt an instant affinity for him, as he clearly was regarded as mad by the rest of the family. Now, David had no further need for a governess. In the fall, he would be attending the local school in town…after she and Barnabas had "convinced" the principal to allow him to return as a pupil.

Just then, Victoria heard the howling from outside and her thoughts turned to the final member of the Collins clan, Carolyn. She had probably given Victoria the least welcoming reception of anyone when she arrived. In fact, Carolyn had intimated that she wouldn't last more than a week here. In the ensuing weeks, Carolyn had proven very hard to get close to. However, the same night Victoria had been turned into a vampire, the mystery of much of Carolyn's personality was solved…she was a werewolf. Victoria could now see why she was so guarded and always so short-tempered. The fear of discovery and what would happen to her had been her constant companion since she turned twelve. (And as she herself had been locked away in a mental hospital for years, Victoria could completely see why her fears could be reasonable.) As the creature outside howled again, Victoria smiled at how different her relationship with Carolyn was now. Once the need to keep everything a secret was no longer there, Carolyn had opened up and mellowed quite a bit. She'd gladly accepted Victoria's overtures of friendship. Indeed, it could be said that the two were now each other's best friend. Victoria's relationship with Barnabas technically made her Carolyn's aunt…but their dynamic was far more of sisters. And, according to her watch, in a few hours her surrogate sister would be turning sixteen. Victoria would –as she always did at full moon- venture out as the moon set and Carolyn changed back, to make sure she was alright and to bring her a robe to put on. She wondered how Carolyn would like what Elizabeth had planned.

Downstairs at Collinwood, Barnabas heard Carolyn's howls as he was giving David a chess lesson. A look of mixed emotions crossed his pale features. He felt more than a little guilt each month, when Carolyn left the house to undergo the change.

With the wisdom of hindsight, he could see what a cad he had been in his initial treatment of Angelique. It was wrong for him to have seduced her –a member of the household staff- when he knew he didn't love her. Barnabas now saw how wrong it was. It would have been acceptable if he had true feelings for her. Then, their different stations in life would have been irrelevant, so far as he was concerned. However, to have –as he now felt he did- taken advantage of his position and used her for his carnal pleasures when he could see she felt something towards him…That was something else entirely. He well knew that men in his position often did such things back then –and from what he'd gleaned from books and television- apparently still did. With hindsight though, it didn't make it right in the slightest.

If he allowed himself to be completely objective, Barnabas could see where Angelique's anger at him could come from. He could even accept that she would justifiably want vengeance against him. Of course, he still felt that what she did was disproportionately excessive.

If it had been only he that she had aimed her wrath at, Barnabas might have been able to make somehow forgive her. However, he could not forgive what she had done to seemingly every member of the Collins family that Angelique had encountered over the years. Barnabas had to way to calculate the effects the family had suffered at her hands. The family business nearly destroyed…David's mother being drowned…Roger's neglect of his son. (The better angels of Barnabas' nature allowed him to hypothesize that it was Laura's death that had caused Roger to become the irresponsible, dishonest and neglectful person that he had sent packing. It likely wasn't true, but Barnabas hated to think a member of the Collins family would've become like that on his own.)

Another howl sounded and Barnabas' thoughts turned to his niece. Of all the plans of vengeance Angelique had inflicted upon the family, what was done to Carolyn was truly the most bizarre. Barnabas could perhaps see her reasoning for turning him into a vampire. Angelique wanted him to suffer the thirst through eternity while always alone. That he could see the reasoning, demented as it was. But sending a werewolf to bite Carolyn as an infant to turn her? Even after all these months Barnabas could still not decipher what Angelique's reasoning was in doing that. Was it just to torment another member of the Collins family? If so, why imbue Carolyn with the abilities she now had? Had she planned to control Carolyn in wolf form? Then, how was Carolyn still able to control her actions when the change had come over her? Did Angelique hope Carolyn would blame her own family for what had happened? Well, if that was the plan it surely backfired as Carolyn had stood with her family and fought Angelique with them. Angelique was never one for rational behaviour…But what she did to Carolyn truly defied logic. He shook his head in puzzlement and returned his attention to the chessboard.

In her bedroom, Elizabeth –after finding herself unable to sleep- had turned on her bedside light and was propped up, reading Herman Wouk's The Winds of War. The sound of the howling wafted in through her open window. Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut, as if that could blot out the sound. Every month, at full moon, when she heard that howl, it brought home perfectly what was done to her daughter. More than once, since the previous year when she'd learned what Carolyn had become, she found herself berating herself for allowing it to happen. Angelique had said she'd sent a werewolf to bite Carolyn when was still in her crib. Well, where was she –her mother- when this had happened? How had she not been there? How had she not noticed anything was wrong? She'd thought back to those times and despite her best efforts could not recall when it could have happened. She'd never noticed anything out of the ordinary. But that wasn't the worst of where her guilt came from. It could reasonably be said that being on guard against a werewolf was not something a new mother was expected to be. Of course, this was Collinwood, so future generations could probably expect anything from late-night teething problems to zombies. Future generations…Elizabeth had once asked Barnabas how lycanthropy could be passed. Barnabas informed her that according to his ancient books, it could be passed through the bite of a werewolf…or by being born of a werewolf. Silence had hung between them when he said that, as they realized that any children Carolyn had would inherit the condition from her. Apparently, Angelique's legacy would carry through the future generations of the Collins family in more ways that just Barnabas' presence. The bright side was that Carolyn's children would not have to hide it the way Carolyn had. The greatest guilt Elizabeth felt was her daughter's need to keep it all a secret. That was something she could not excuse herself for. She thought back to months ago…

"Well," Elizabeth said as she sat down in the dusty kitchen of The Old House. "It's all arranged. Barnabas went and –as he put it- 'had a most convincing chat' with the Board of Directors from Angel Bay. Apparently, they've all now gone to Sheriff Patterson and signed confessions that they –and 'Angie'- blew up the cannery and set the fire at Collinwood. They're all being charged with arson and Angelique's insurance company will be covering all the costs of rebuilding."

"When will that happen?" Carolyn asked as she held an icepack to the back of her neck.

"I made some calls from town. Crews arrive tomorrow to start salvaging and clearing away. That should take a couple of weeks. Then, the contractors arrive to start rebuilding. I promise you, honey…In a few months, we'll have Collinwood back better than new." Elizabeth said with some forced cheer, as she tried to cope with the stress of the last twenty-four hours.

"That's great mom." Carolyn said in a typically subdued voice as she removed the icepack.

"You should keep that there." Elizabeth said as she went to inspect where her daughter had been thrown against the staircase. She looked at the back of Carolyn's neck and gasped as she saw that the bruises had completely disappeared. Carolyn instantly guessed what her mother had seen.

"Yeah, I, uh, heal up pretty fast now." Carolyn said quietly.

"Honey…How long has this been happening to you?" Elizabeth asked, as she still tried to process what her daughter was.

"Since a month after I turned twelve."

"Oh Carolyn..Why didn't you tell me?"

"What could I have told you? That I turn into a wolf every month at full moon? Would you have even believed me, if you hadn't seen it for yourself?" Carolyn asked bluntly.

"You still could have come to me. I'm your mother!"

"I was…I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of what you might do."

"What are you talking about?"

"You've said all my life that the Collins family built this town! We have to set an example! We must never do any wrong! I thought that if you saw what I was, you might want to make sure I couldn't tarnish the family name by being a freak. I was afraid I might get locked up in a padded cell someplace to keep me out of sight. I mean, that's what Vicky's family did with her and she just saw things they couldn't!" Carolyn exclaimed.

"Oh sweetie…"Elizabeth said as she hugged her daughter. "I am so sorry that you felt that would happen. You are my daughter and you are the most important thing in my life: more than the cannery, more than Collinwood, more than the family name. I don't want you to ever think again that I put how people perceive us as more important than how things really are. Do you understand?"

"Yes" Carolyn said simply, as she realized this was probably the most honest conversation she could recall having with her mother.

"Good" Elizabeth said simply. "Things are going to be much different now. We have Barnabas living with us and now Victoria has been…turned." She said as she reminded herself there were now two vampires living under the Collins roof. "It'll be fine. In a few months, we'll have a new Collinwood. Well, we can make it a new start then as well; the new and improved Collins family for the new Collinwood." Elizabeth said triumphantly as she hugged her daughter.

Elizabeth sighed again as she looked out the window at the full moon. When she was a teenager herself, growing up at Collinwood, she always liked to sit outside and look at the full moon as it shone down on the Atlantic. She never would have dreamed that one day the moon would have such an effect on her daughter –of course, she also never figured that she'd have vampires living at Collinwood and helping to run the family business. Hoping that reading would relax her enough so she could get to sleep, Elizabeth turned her attention back to Herman Wouk's epic historical romance, as Pug Henry was being given a ride through Berlin by Pamela Tudsbury.

Out on the lawn, Carolyn –now fully transformed- bounded off into the woods. As she always did at full moon, she followed no set or preplanned path. She just let her instincts or senses guide her where they would. She sniffed the air, trying to detect any sort of prey. She wasn't compelled to hunt and feed at every full moon, but would do so if the opportunity presented itself. She sometimes stalked animals –and occasionally people- just to see how close she could get without being noticed. Animals detected her presence fairly often –but generally couldn't move fast enough to escape her if she really wanted to feed. Humans though, were pretty much oblivious to her. She realized that if she had meant them harm, or if she had been one of those out of control, predatory werewolves you saw in the movies, they would have been dead. More than once, she had come within ten feet of a teenaged couple at a nearby spot that was a hang-out for the town's teenagers. It had acquired the name of Roger Maris' Mound…because of all the 'home runs' that were scored there. During the full moon in May, a seemingly uptight high school couple Carolyn was vaguely acquainted with –and who both vocally preached abstinence - had engaged in an amazingly raunchy session of sexual intercourse- while the werewolf Carolyn observed from the trees. (At school the following day, Carolyn had to force herself to not scream out what they'd done when she saw them in the hallway, chastely holding hands.)

Now, as Carolyn silently stalked through the summer foliage, a new smell was picked up by her senses. It wasn't a natural scent. The werewolf turned its head, back and forth, as if trying to locate the stream. As it did, the scent was recognized…really cheap cologne. The very same cheap cologne Ron wore far too much of. Carolyn emitted a growl and began to track the scent back to its source.

After several minutes of slowing creeping through the trees, Carolyn came to the tree-line at Maris Mounds. Her golden eyes that could see perfectly in the dark, took in the sight before here.

There, on a blanket, was Ron. He was unmistakable with his mutton-chop sideburns and a mustache that looked like something from a really cheap porn film. He had his shirt off and gold chains glittered on his chest from the moonlight. In fact, the only clothing he appeared to still have on was a pair of amazingly (aside from the cuffs where they flared out) tight, hideously loud polyester pants. Beside him was a girl Carolyn recognized from school. Rebecca James, the fifteen year old middle daughter of the deacon for the town's Episcopal Church. (Carolyn knew her slightly from school. She was nice enough, but seemed to chafe under pressure from her family and wanted to rebel. She was just the type Ron would see as a prime target.) It appeared Rebecca was more susceptible to Ron's dubious charms than she herself was, as Rebecca was almost completely undressed, aside from her panties. Another scent caught her nose…wine. Carolyn looked and saw that Ron had a fiasco-style bottle of Chianti and a pair of plastic glasses next to the blanket. Ron was pouring some wine into them…making sure Rebecca received significantly more than he did.

"Ron…Haven't we had enough wine?" Rebecca said in a somewhat slurred voice.

"What? Nah Rene…"

"Rebecca"

"Whatever…Look at me, I'm fine…" Ron said with a leer as he handed the girl the wine glass and watched her drink it. She giggled and fell back down on her elbows, not apparently noticing or caring that Ron took that opportunity to slide her panties off and throw them away. Carolyn's eyes narrowed…She'd warned him. She took a step forward, deliberately stepping a large branch, causing it to loudly snap under her massive frame.

Ron, meanwhile, was congratulating himself on the efficiency of his latest achievement. He'd just met Rebecca that afternoon and it took such a small amount of sweet-talking to get her up here. It was clear this would be her first time. Well, she's surely remember Ramrod Ronnie…This would be a great party. He even had some cocaine in his car for afterwards if he started to lose energy…He had undone his –glaringly- white mesh belt and unbuttoned his pants when he heard it. A loud snap from the trees like a branch broke…and then another. Just as Ron was wondering if someone was trying to get a look at the show that was about to happen, he heard something else: a growl. Through his slightly inebriated brain, he tried to place the sound. It was kind of like a dog…but far deeper and louder. Another snap then, came from the wood right in front of him.

Ron blinked, trying to make out if something was in there. He looked into the darkened woods and was puzzled to see a pair of fireflies, seemingly hovering over a good six feet off the ground. That was when he realized that it wasn't fireflies. It was a pair of eyes. It was a pair of golden eyes of something that at least six feet tall. Then the eyes seemed to come closer and shadow emerged from the woods and took shape.

Ron's own eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as the moonlight revealed the largest wolf he had ever seen in his life, standing upright on two legs. His jaw dropped open in shock and terror while his brain tried to process this. The two stared at each other for a long second. Then, the wolf reared its head back and let out a roaring howl. It lowered its head again and looked at Ron as it narrowed its eyes –the classic sign of aggression in an animal.

Ron let out a high, piercing scream of terror. Rebecca looked up from the blanket and took in the sight. However, she was so drunk she really couldn't process it enough to comprehend it. (Indeed, the next morning, while enduring a punishing hangover, Rebecca would remember little and attribute what little she could recall to an alcohol induced hallucination.) The wolf took a step forward. That was the catalyst Ron needed. He turned and bolted for the car that he'd parked halfway across the field. Carolyn waited a few seconds then took off in pursuit.

Several times, Ron stumbled on the way to his car. Once, he fell down with a scream as he felt the tremor of the huge wolf's bulk at it pursued him. Carolyn, on her part, was deliberately keeping a distance from Ron. Even though she considered him to be scum, Carolyn had no intention of doing him any serious harm; even though a part of her felt he would richly deserve it. (As well, Carolyn would never feed on Ron… She had a feeling he'd cause her indigestion.) So, she played cat and mouse with, staying close enough to keep him terrified but far enough back that he'd be out of her reach.

Just before Ron reached his car, a new –and horrendously foul- odour reached Carolyn's nostrils. It was coming from Ron. Apparently, Ron was so terrified he'd lost control of his bowels and soiled himself thoroughly. (For an instant, Carolyn wished she was in human form and able to talk, so she could tell Ron that his brains were leaking.) After a seeming eternity, Ron reached his 1964 Mustang convertible. He leapt him, looking back to see the beast still after him, screamed and brought the engine to life. He roared off for the twisting road that led back to town. Carolyn continued her pursuit. As he raced for the turn that led to the exit road, Ron looked back to see the nightmarish creature still behind him. As a result, he didn't see the headlights coming up the road. In fact, he was totally unaware of Sheriff Bill Patterson's patrol car…until he smashed into it.

The two cars came to a halt, smoke pouring from the hood of both. Bill Patterson cursed loudly at the damage done to his car. At least, he'd been wearing his seatbelt. (He'd read about how their use was greatly reducing traffic fatalities, so he felt he should be setting an example to the people of Collinsport by always wearing his own two-point belt with a supplementary shoulder sash.) He got out of his car, to see the driver of the other vehicle, his face bloodied and bruised from hitting the steering wheel, scrambling out of his convertible.

"Ok mister, where do you think you're going?" Bill said to the wild-eyed, half-naked man. Behind the Mustang, Bill thought he saw something –he could not tell what- stealthily move back into the trees

"It's a giant wolf…it's walking like a gorilla…it's after me!" Ron screamed as he tried to push past Bill, as he did so his polyester pants fell to his ankles. He was wearing no underwear and was thus now wild-eyed with terror, naked but for a pair of black socks and covered in his own excrement..

"Just hold on one goddamned minute pal…" Bill started as the sight and smell hit him..

"Let me out of here!" Ron screamed as he lashed out at Bill, with a punch to his jaw. Bill was taken by surprise but quickly recovered. He grabbed Ron's arm and applied a take-down hold. Ron was forced to the ground, where Bill quickly handcuffed him. All the time, Ron was still screaming about the gorilla-wolf. Bill walked over to the Mustang and shone his flashlight in. Right there on the front seat –in plain view so a warrant was not needed- was several bags of white powder. Bill would bet ten bucks it was cocaine (and the county sheriff's lab would verify this the following day). The Collinsport sheriff looked across Maris Mound –where he'd been on his way up to check, as he was well aware it was where the high school kids went to park- and saw what looked like a young, naked girl laying on a blanket. He shone his flashlight on her and was relieved to see her moving, as well as the wine bottle; correctly deducing she was just drunk.

"Oh ayuh, mister, you're in all types of trouble" Bill said as he went to radio in from his wrecked car's radio. Every full moon, it seemed, there was strange things going in town. At least this incident here was something that was clear cut and something he could handle. (Which was a welcome relief, since from the time that Barnabas Collins guy came to town and moved into Collinwood; it seemed that the weird events never seemed to end. In fact, Bill Patterson had made ignoring the strangeness of the man into a fine art. He had to admit that the Collins guy was extremely polite and congenial to all he met, and had a great deal of civic pride…but was just plain weird.)

Twenty minutes later, two other police cars had arrived on the scene. One had bundled the still naked and screaming Ron into the back for his trip down to the sheriff's office and the local lock-up. The other was taking Rebecca to the local hospital to be checked out before bringing her home.

Bill got into the driver's seat of the car taking Ron in. One deputy was remaining behind with the wrecked cars to await the tow-trucks that had been called in, but was not on the far side of Maris Mound packing up the blanket and making sure the James girl hadn't left anything behind. As Bill adjusted his rearview mirror, he could've sworn he saw something in the taillights, before he drove away. He couldn't be sure…But it looked like some sort of animal had approached Ron's Mustang…and was lifting its leg on it. Bill shook his head and decided this was another thing he was going to forget about.

On the far side of Maris Mound, Deputy Frid was doing a final check before walking back to the cars to await the tow trucks. That was when he heard it. He couldn't find a good way to describe what he heard, but it sounded like…a dog (or a wolf) was making noises like it was laughing. Then it faded away. Oh well, thought Frid…For Collinsport during the full moon, that was nothing.

The pale figure of Victoria stepped across the lawn as the moon set, in the predawn darkness of July 16th, 1973. She saw the huge wolf collapse as its body contorted and shrunk. The dark fur receded…the muzzle retracted…the paws reverted to Carolyn's feet. The sounds of bones realigning reached Victoria's ears and she suppressed a shudder. Carolyn had told her that the change no longer hurt…but the sound of her bones doing that simply did not sound pleasant at all. Soon enough, the change back was complete and Carolyn was standing to her feet, brushing some grass from her bare knees as Victoria hand her the bathrobe she was carrying.

"Happy birthday Carolyn!" Victoria said, giving her a hug once Carolyn had put the robe on.

"Thanks" Carolyn responded. Victoria looked at her and was puzzled. Carolyn had a greatly amused smirk on her face. Usually after the change, she simply looked becalmed and tired.

"Did something happen?" Victoria asked.

"Oh yeah, and it was a blast." Carolyn said as she recounted the Mound incident as the two walked back towards Collinwood.

"A gorilla-wolf?" Elizabeth repeated into the phone in the sparklingly modern kitchen of Collinwood. (Elizabeth had insisted on a totally modern kitchen when the house was rebuilt.) "Bill, you said he was drunk and had drugs with him. Wouldn't that be a good enough explanation?...Yes, I know it's weird here at full moon, but a gorilla-wolf? But, if that's what was going on, then his employment at the cannery will definitely be terminated. You want to talk to some of our female staffers? Well, send someone over today and I'll leave word to fully cooperate. No, I'll be away for a few days. Thanks Bill…Bye." Elizabeth said as she hung up the phone and carefully removed the waffle from the iron. She turned as she heard Carolyn –her hair wet from having showered- come into the kitchen and sit down at the breakfast nook.

"Well, happy birthday sweetheart." Elizabeth said as she gave her now sixteen year old daughter a hug and a kiss. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down while Carolyn tucked into her breakfast.

"So…My little girl is now sixteen. It seems like yesterday you were still a newborn." Elizabeth reminisced. "So, I've been doing some research."

"Into what?" Carolyn asked as she took a drink her orange juice.

"Schools"

"Schools?"

"Yes. In New York City. There are quite a few good ones that accept borders. We can easily afford it now and…"

"Mom…"

"Yes?"

"Thanks, but…Well, I don't want to go anymore."

"Really?" Elizabeth asked, with feigned curiosity. She rather expected this response but she did want to know why. "I thought this was what you wanted."

"It was what I wanted. But, that was when I thought I still had to hide. I thought that I didn't fit in here. I thought I was the freak in the family that couldn't do wrong. So, I wanted to go away someplace that was big enough and weird enough that I wouldn't get noticed. I thought I could fit in there."

"But you don't now?"

"No" Carolyn said with a small smile as she poured some maple syrup on her waffles. "I'm a Collins. This is our home. It's where I belong. And I realize now that I really do fit in here than I would anywhere else."

"Well, I'm very glad to hear that sweetheart. But, I hope you're not totally against going to New York City." Elizabeth said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Carolyn said with a puzzled look on her face.

"Well, I've already made the arrangements. We catch a train to Portland at nine this morning and then get one to New York City. The Carpenters are performing at Madison Square Garden tonight and I have a pair of tickets for us, as well as reservations for three nights at the Plaza. I thought we could see the sights and do some shopping." Elizabeth said with a smile as she could see that she'd succeeded in surprising her daughter. "Now finish your breakfast then go get dressed. Willie will drive us down to the train station." Elizabeth said as Carolyn complied.

As Carolyn started up the stairs, Elizabeth called out to her.

"Honey…Do you know anything about Ron from the cannery getting arrested last night after having hysterics about a gorilla-wolf?" Elizabeth asked as she gave Carolyn a synopsis of what Bill had told her.

"A gorilla-wolf?" Carolyn asked with feigned ignorance.

"Why yes. It was up at Babe Ruth Point last night."

"You mean Roger Maris Mound?"

"Oh, it was Babe Ruth Point when I was your age, but what he said….?"

Carolyn smirked. "I think someone who somehow thinks a wolf and gorilla can go together is clearly too dumb to work for us. I'll be right down!" Carolyn said as she bolted up the service stairs.

Elizabeth put down her macramé magazine and looked over at her daughter as the Massachusetts countryside sped by. The train's whistle blew and the red flashings lights of a level crossing passed by the window. Carolyn seemed highly interested in the scenery and was definitely enjoying the train trip so far. Elizabeth was enjoying it as well. In fact, she couldn't recall the last time they'd ever gone on a trip together. In fact, this three day holiday was something Elizabeth was looking forward to as much as Carolyn seemed to be. She well knew how long it had been since she'd been able to really relax.

She thought back this day last year and found it amazing at how different things were. Then, she felt like the Collins family was a ship slowly sinking and she was the captain. But now, she felt something she hadn't felt in so long she couldn't remember…optimism. She was actually optimistic for the future of the Collins family.

A year ago, they were in increasingly desperate financial straits. Her brother Roger was more of a problem than any sort of help. Carolyn was like a stranger to her and only seemed to want to leave. David was –so they thought- mentally disturbed. And she herself felt that the whole burden was on her. But now…Roger was gone and –as much as it hurt her to talk of her brother that way- the family was the better for it. David was being raised jointly by her and Barnabas. Barnabas was proving to be a far, far better father to David than Roger had ever tried to be. David himself was proving to be turning into a fine young man. Of course, there really had never been anything wrong with him to begin with. It turned out he had been correct all along in that he talked to his mother's ghost. There was Victoria who had proven to be a gentle and calming influence on everyone and who had brightened the entire family when she became a part of it. And Barnabas…Elizabeth would have never dreamed that one day the man whose portrait had hung over the mantle would walk through the door and prove to be the family's salvation. Despite all the drama that had come from their battle with Angelique, Barnabas' arrival had turned the family around. He was directly responsible for their fortune being restored and their cannery now on its way to being a huge success. (When she got back later in the week, she recalled that Business Week wanted to interview her about how the cannery was now the success story of the decade so far, with its stunning turnaround in just one year.) But, even more importantly, he had seemingly showed them what they all were. They were not a normal family and shouldn't try to be…but they were still a family. It was as if…Barnabas arriving had shown them that they should accept that they were different. And so far, it was working. It was like by accepting that they were dysfunctional they had become functional.

And then there was Carolyn. If anyone was the biggest reason for her to be optimistic about the future of the Collins family, it was because of her. Carolyn, Elizabeth was now sure, would be more than able to fill her shoes one day and be able to effectively run the family businesses. She knew now that the future was in secure hands.

Carolyn looked out the window at the summer scenery of New England as the Amtrak train sped south to New York City. She couldn't help but smile. For so long, she'd dreamed of making this journey…one way. Now though, she was bubbling with excitement –even if she refused to show it much- at this trip to New York, but was extremely glad that they'd be back at Collinwood before the end of the week. Collinwood was her home. It was that simple. It was her home and it was where she belonged. The cannery was their legacy and she planned to step into her mother's shoes one day and run it and their other businesses as well.

She couldn't pinpoint just when this change in attitude had come over her. She just knew that it had. Maybe it was witnessing the destruction of the old manor and realizing just how much a part of her it had been. Perhaps it was the gladness of moving in when Collinwood had been rebuilt. Most likely, it had been the moment she dropped onto the foyer floor that night; ready to fight Angelique to the death to defend her family. That moment, she knew she'd accepted that she was a Collins and that she would defend her family from anyone.

As well, she had to admit that Barnabas' arrival had greatly helped. It let her feel that she wasn't a freak after all. She now saw her condition as a gift rather than a curse. It was funny. She thought she had to go to Manhattan to fit it, but it turns out that Collinwood was where she fit in better than anywhere else in the world. After all, when a house has (two) vampires, ghosts and someone who talks to ghosts…How could she, as a werewolf ever NOT fit it?

She'd once thought Collinwood boring. But now, she felt that New York City, despite all it had to offer, was the dull place. Sure, it had great restaurants, theatres and shopping (and not to say Carolyn was against going to New York occasionally for a weekend getaway), but Collinwood had stuff you literally could not –so far as she knew- find anywhere else in the world. It had supernatural events happening as regularly as a train schedule. It had a stairway to a parallel time. (During the rebuilding, a workman accidentally slipped through the portal. He returned three hours later, but had spent two weeks in the other reality. He'd then gotten into an argument with Barnabas about how he was owed two weeks pay. Barnabas settled the argument by hypnotizing the man into forgetting what he'd seen and then having the stairwell access firmly locked up tight.) It had Barnabas! Watching him adjust to the 20th Century was almost better than television. She thought, where else could she get to see a vampire watching H.R. Pufnstuff on television and trying to understand what it was about. (Personally, Carolyn felt that the magical mushrooms on the show were most apt, as magic mushrooms surely were involved in the writing process.)

Carolyn smiled and sat back in her seat. She recalled wanting to see the world. And she still planned to do that. However, she now knew that she would always return to Collinwood after any trip or journey. She was a Collins. She belonged at Collinwood. Perhaps the greatest gift she'd received for her sixteenth birthday –at least so far- was being able to realize that fact. Knowing one's place in the world was truly the most precious gift of all.