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....."I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
.....As Barnabas' lips gently met Angelique's, her ice-blue eyes sparkled with joy. Smiling they turned to their guests and were officially presented to them - Mr. and Mrs. Barnabas Collins.
.....It had only been a short time since Angelique gained Barnabas' trust. She had returned to Collinsport to confront him once again with her feelings for him. Despite all the pain she had caused him, she knew that deep inside, he held a spark of passion for her that the centuries had not extinguished.
.....It had been a long and difficult road to this joyous day. Barnabas had been extremely - and understndably - wary of her kindness toward him. Angelique was responsible for the deaths of so many people he cared for - Josette, Sarah, Jeremiah, Naomi, Roxanne - and the wretched curse that haunted him. She didn't expect him to casually forget their tainted past and accept her right away.
.....Strangely enough, she didn't return to town in expectation of rekindling their romance. Naturally, that hope blossomed perennial in the back of her mind, but her first and foremost desire was to regain his friendship. If, miracle of miracles, he fell in love with her again, that would be a dream come true for her. But it was his forgiveness she sought most of all.
.....The years had left Angelique weary of her way of life. The powers she wielded with a mastery and skill that came from years of practice, could get her anything her heart desired. Except for love. Except for him.
.....She laughed bitterly, thinking back on how she cast her evil spells right and left, trying to gain his favor - while never placing one directly upon Barnabas, because she wanted him to come to her willingly. Willingly? She laughed again, a laugh filled with much hurting. Was he hers "willingly" when she caused Josette and Jeremiah to betray him, which led him to turn to her? Or when she later caused them to die?
....."Stupid fool!" Angelique silently cursed herself, wondering how she could have been so blind. Barnabas had never been hers willingly, for the horrible tragedies that she brought about had swayed him just as strongly as if she had placed a love spell on him. But this time, it would be different.
.....These feelings almost frightened her. It was a foreign emotion, to be concerned about someone other than herself. And she wondered if it truly was unselfish. Maybe she was just trying this last-ditch effort to snag Barnabas. Maybe she was trying to soothe the throbbing ache of her conscience.
.....Or maybe, just maybe, she loved him.
.....Whatever the case, after much effort to make amends and to show him that their lives could indeed be very different, Angelique won Barnabas over. With his full knowledge, she fashioned a spell that - temporarily at least - lifted the curse from him, without asking anything in return. But happily, she not only won his forgiveness, but his love as well. They made their wedding plans, and now, they were married.
.....It was a small but elegant service in the drawing room of Collinwood. Elizabeth, Roger, Carolyn, David and Willie were the only guests. Angelique was a vision in a street-length dress of ivory silk and lace, while Barnabas wore a black wool suit with a red rose boutonniere. She thought that he was the most handsome man in the world. But then, she always had.
.....As the couple clinked glasses, Barnabas whispered in her ear "What's the matter, Angelique? You seem to be miles away."
.....She squeezed his hand. "I guess I'm just thinking about the past." Her gaze lowered to the floor.
.....He set his glass down on the oak end table and looked intently into her eyes, his hand on her arm. "The past is behind us, Angelique. Nothing will ever change that. We've hurt each other, and ourselves. But now, we must only look to the future. A future, I promise you, filled with nothing but love and happiness." As if to emphasize his vow, he kissed her.
.....She smiled, the twinkle returning to her eyes. "Oh Barnabas, you make me believe it can truly be."
....."It will, my darling, you shall see."
.....His words eased her fears as the couple received heartfelt hugs of congratulation from everyone. And then, they were off to their home, the Old House.
.....He insisted on carrying her over the threshold. Somehow she knew, with his old world ways, that he would. And she loved every minute of it.
.....Inside, he took her in a passionate kiss. She gently, reluctantly, broke free and whispered "Barnabas, come with me. I have a surprise for you."
.....With a sly grin, he took her into his arms again. "How delightful," he said softly as his mouth sought hers.
.....Giggling, she playfully scolded him. "Patience, dear husband. Patience! That's not what I mean. Come with me into the living room, I have a wedding gift for you."
.....Curious, he took her hand as she led him to the fireplace. From a silver box on the mantle, she took a small vial filled with a pale green liquid.
.....He studied it for a moment. "I don't understand, Angelique. What is this?"
.....She pressed the small glass vessel into his hand, which she enfolded within her own, slightly trembling, hands. "Barnabas, do you remember when I managed to cure you, that I told you there were no guarantees that it would last?"
.....In a low voice, he replied. "Yes. But I told you that I love you anyway, that it doesn't matter..."
.....She interrupted. 'Please, let me finish. After we shared that picnic in the woods right after you were cured, and seeing your face in the glow of the sun..." She hesitated, touching his cheek. "Seeing you so happy, I knew I had to make sure you would never change back. And so, I have been throwing myself into creating a permanent cure. I've worked every spare moment, trying to discover just what was needed."
.....Barnabas rolled the cool, smooth bottle in his palm. "So that's why you were tied up so much the past couple of weeks. I thought it was just wedding plans."
....."Mrs Stoddard was kind enough to take over much of that work for me," she replied.
.....He looked at her. "Did you succeed?"
.....Angelique's expression was one of childlike excitement. "Yes, Barnabas! This serum will cure you, forever, from the vampire curse. All you have to do is drink it, and you will be a normal man for the rest of your days."
.....He couldn't speak. Slumping down in the large, overstuffed chair, he caught his breath and looked up at his bride. "Cured, forever? Can it be?" he finally asked, hoarsely.
.....She came behind him and rubbed his shoulders reassuringly. "It can, and it is;" She paused. "And that's not all."
.....He turned around to face her. "What else?"
.....Coming around to the front of the chair, she sat at his feet. "Barnabas, not only does this formula take away your curse, it takes away for all time any powers I have over you and those you love. After you drink the potion, it will be impossible for me to ever harm you again."
.....She began to weep. "It is because I know myself and what I am capable of that I offer this to you as my gift tonight." With a quivering voice, she continued. "Yes, I have changed, but for how long? What if someday we argue and I lash out at you by doing something awful? I don't want that, I don't ever want to hurt you again." She dried her eyes. "Please, Barnabas. Please drink the serum."
.....He arose and ran his fingers thoughtfully through her soft blonde hair. "Angelique, you wouldn't. I - I know that you wouldn't. Not now."
.....She stood and replied softly "Wouldn't I?," knowing full well the answer. "Please."
.....He nodded, ashamed for the appearance of distrust, but knowing that she could be right. They embraced as they anticipated a future free of all their past sorrows.
.....Angelique was at peace, for this was the most totally unselfish act of love that she had every done in her life. It was frightening to give up control over Barnabas, but she knew it was the only way for either of them to be happy.
.....But suddenly, as her beloved bridegroom raised the bottle to his lips in a toast to this new beginning, a strange, overwhelming feeling swept through Angelique like the winter winds of Maine.
.....She couldn't breathe. Invisible hands gripped her heart, shooting razor-sharp pains through her chest. Within her ears, a loud voice screamed horrible words. Words that terrified her more than any she had ever heard before in her life, for they were sickeningly familiar. She fell to the floor in agony. "No! Dear God, please, no!" she choked, realizing the awful truth of what was happening.
.....Barnabas quickly recapped the undrunk elixer, placed it on the table, and took her in his arms. "What is it, Angelique?" he pleaded with her. "What's wrong?"
.....She didn't reply. How could she explain? With a desperate surge of energy, she managed to do what she knew she must. She got up and grabbed the vial from where Barnabas had placed it.
.....Still struggling for air, she looked at him with tears flooding her eyes. "Forgive me," she whispered lowly, knowng it was impossible. And before he could even react, she hurled the bottle to the floor, shattering it into a thousand slivers.
.....Immediately, air poured into her thirsty lungs, and her chest was free of the tortuous death-grip. She stood quietly, watching as the serum seeped into the wood, as useless and as futile as her dreams.
.....Barnabas was completely bewildered. 'Angelique, what.. I don't understand?"
.....She turned away from his questioning eyes. "Perhaps someday you will. I'm so sorry." With a final, painful glance at the man she loved, she fled the Old House and ran into the woods. When she could run no more, Angelique flung herself onto the cold ground and wept like a child until she fell asleep.
.....The chest pains never returned to her, but that mocking, tormenting voice would haunt Angelique for the rest of her life. She knew with a tragic certainty that a future with Barnabas could never be. And it was all because of her own fateful words, spoken in the heat of blind rage, almost two hundred years earlier. Words that, she never realized until this very moment, had cursed her own soul to an eternal destiny of sorrow and loneliness, from which she could never break free.
....."For whoever loves you, Barnabas, shall die..."
THE END
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