Subj: DS:Legends 15
Date: 3/7/02 7:23:16 PM Central Standard Time
From: Aesgaard

Clara reared her horse as she watched Ben stop the coach. The horseman had thrown Isaac hard to the ground as Ben jumped to its back. Flicked off like an ant, Isaac scrambled to his feet as the horseman reared back with his rapier.

Clara held up the crossbow and aimed it at her true love. The horseman tossed his sword.

"If I can't have Isaac......." She mumbled as Isaac ducked from the deadly blade. Clara's head gushed from her body as the deadly blade impaled into a tree. The crossbow dropped to earth. Ben covered his mouth and looked away from her hideous death, as appropriate as it was. He grabbed the silver weapon from where it was imbedded and ran back to help Isaac.

"I hope this works !!!" He imbedded the rapier into the chest of the ghost.

An unholy scream from beyond the grave rocked the woods. The spirit's clothing collapsed in one mess as if nothing more was in them. It was just a pile of clothing stabbed with a rusty sword now.

Grace and August had rushed to Isaac's side.

"I love you !!" He kissed his wife and hugged her tight as August watched. "I'll never forget you again !"

"I know." Grace forced a grin. "How could I have believed Clara ?" She looked around.

"Where's Angelique ?"

"What happened to Clara's head ?" Ben looked back to the decapitated corpse laying off the road.

Things changed in Collinsport over the next few months. Amadeus stayed to build a courthouse and Isaac turned down the role of mayor to back Ben in the job. He sold part of the land to him, to Aloysius Stokes and to Chloe Harridge. Grace continued her role as the schoolmarm, eventually giving it to Chloe. Emily Bouchard returned as well to work at Collinwood.

"Mother," She returned to the cabin. "I have your supplies."

"Good," Hester stood before a small girl hovering around her skirts.

"Who is that ?"

"Angelique Miranda DuVal." Hester introduced the child. "Tell my daughter who you are now, little one."

"Angelique Bouchard !!!" The child stared back with a possessed grin.

"What happened next, Uncle Quentin ?" the eight year old face of William Collins looked up to his favorite uncle. He had the face of his mother.

"Angelique became a witch just like Clara." Quentin replied casually. "And Clara ? Some say her ghost still roams these woods...... waiting........... looking............... for Isaac to return to her." He sipped his hot chocolate a minute.

"Now," He continued. "I want all of you boys to hit those sleeping bags. We're going fishing early !" He fatherly tapped his boy on the butt as he stepped over J.R. and headed to Carolyn. She was still standing outside her tent eating from a tupperware bowl.

"Quentin," She realized he was the biggest boy of all. "How much of that silly story is true ?"

"Most of it," He poured hot chocolate from a thermos. "Some family members have added their own bits over the years, but most of it's true. There were several hideous deaths when Collinsport was founded and Isaac was exonerated of them."

"And the little girl ?" Carolyn shifted her weight. "Was her name really Angelique ?"

"Would you believe me if I told you she was an ancestor of our Angelique ?"

"No."

"Then I won't tell you." Quentin turned to the fire. For just a brief moment he had a brief glimpse of something. By the look of Carolyn's face, she must have seen it too. It had to be the light of the fire reflecting off the mist of the lake downhill. It looked like an ethereal presence floating between the trees. She seemed to approach then vanish. A petite female phantom with long blonde hair...........

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.