Subj: Angelique-Seven
Date: 12/6/01 2:19:46 PM Central Standard Time
From: Aesgaard

Arriving at the dock, Angelique looked up and up and up at what looked like a huge steel structure without any doors. Her eyes floated over the portholes to the huge letters which read "HMS Titanic." It was obviously much more bigger then the ship which had brought her to England over fifteen years ago. From amongst the busy rabble of passengers and stewards loading the ship, she attracted on-lookers who admired her appearance and then finally one porter who rushed to collect her baggage and wheel it on ship to her First Class suite.

Once on board, she didn't feel as if she were on a ship. It felt more like a very grand hotel, and an extravagant hotel at that. It could have been a floating city with opulent surrounds dedicated to wealth and prestige. The furnishings were Olympic-level, more suited to the gods. The ambience and atmosphere invaded her spirit and soul almost immediately. From somewhere beyond time and space, she heard a cosmic vocalist feeding her lines from a song she had never heard before !

"Every night in my dreams...." she sang to herself under her breath. "I see you, I feel you. That is how I know you......"

She was getting so tired of having people run into her. Curbing her first instinct to turn the miscreant into a cat, she realized it was her fault and looked up. He looked like Tim Shaw !

"I am so sorry." he smiled at her appearance."I'm Thomas Andrews, the ship's designer. Are you alone, Mrs. ??????"

"Collins." she responded. "Angelique Collins."

"Married ?"

"Separated."

"Please let me make up for this most uncourteous act. Join me for dinner tonight at the Captain's Table." he tried not to flirt.

"Well, I'd be honored." Angelique smiled as she caught scant notice of someone watching her. It was a massive man with long blond hair pulled tight in back. He was tall and built like a warrior restrained in the clothes of the time. He glared upon her protectively as if he were an unknown older brother. "Mr.. Andrews, who is that man ?"

"What man ?" He turned around. The figure was gone!

A slight chill passed through Angelique as Mr.. Andrews escorted her to her room. She knew she had seen him, but where had he gone to in such a brief second. Wandering the ship later, she hoped to find him, but he must have left ship. Her mind floated elsewhere as she rushed to meet her admirer for dinner that night. But then that nasty chill returned..........

She was still finding her way around ship when she heard something flitting amongst the huge smokestacks of the ship like a demonic bird of prey.

Rearing her head up to the noise, a brief shadow flew out of the side of her vision. Turning around, she looked up to a overhead balcony.

"Amanda Harris !" she muttered under breath. It was either her, or her twin sister. A very lovely, darker and more intimidating twin at that with a wild look in her eye. One blink of the eyes, and she was gone as fast as the blonde man that morning.

"Mrs.. Collins ?" Thomas Andrews surprised her.

" Oh !" Angelique shrieked at the surprise. He escorted her arm and arm to the main ball room where he promptly introduced her to Isidor Strauss and his wife; they marveled at her beauty. Colonel Archibald Gracie lamented he wasn't a younger man for her. J.Bruce Ismay and steel tycoon Cal Hockley were charmed as Molly Brown called her a Yankee beauty. The introductions led to Ruth DeWitt-Bukater and her daughter, Rose, accompanied by her escort, Jack Dawson.

"And this....." Andrews continued. ".....is Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary."

Angelique froze in the presence of the Countess. She was the vampire she had seen flying over the ship !!

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.