Imagine you're a vampire and you meet Barnabas Collins.
*Requested by DarlingOfMirkwood*
In 1942, you served in the Armed Forces during World War II, where you were critically wounded after you and other soldiers were attacked by an enemy bomber aircraft. You were close to the impact where you were badly burnt and close to death. But before your life was about to end, you were encountered by a soldier, who turned out to be a vampire. He kneeled down next to you and he bit the side of your neck. Afterwards, he immediately ran off and left you screaming in excruciating pain from the venom that was transforming you into a vampire.
Once the venom had healed your wounds and stopped your beating heart, you completely turned into a vampire and started a new life as your immortal self. You ran off and went back to your hometown, unseen by anyone who you knew closely, and found out in the newspaper that you were presumed 'missing in action' from where you were attacked. Afterwards, you left your hometown to avoid anyone noticing you and your new appearance. You started going into different towns, using a different name than your real one, working odd jobs, and looking for any source of blood to help gain your strength each month. Once that happens, you leave the town you stayed in to avoid suspicions of you not aging and the mysterious 'blood sucking' attacks and looked for a new location, under a new name.
After thirty years of hiding, you decided to settle in a little town called 'Collinsport'. You found a job advertisement in the local newspaper for the governess position for the Collins family. You packed all of your belongings and traveled to the family grand estate, Collinwood, where you were interviewed by Elizabeth Collins, the family matriarch. You used your real name this time after three decades of not using it since there was no possible speculation of the family knowing about your past. After you answered some questions, Elizabeth hired you as the family governess for her daughter, Carolyn, and her nephew, David.
Working as the new governess for the family for the next few weeks has been a joy to you since you rarely ever stayed at a certain job for a long period of time and you got along with everyone, except for Roger, Elizabeth's 'ne'er-do-well' brother and David's father, who a couple of times tried to flirt with you, in an uncomfortable manner, which got to the point of keeping your distance from him. Even living with the family, you still kept your life as a vampire a secret and acted like normal human being. No one, not even Dr. Julia Hoffman, the family psychiatrist, questioned you about your pale skin and why you didn't eat with the family. Whenever the thirst for blood got the best of you, the only way to do it without the family knowing was sneaking out at night and look for someone to sink your teeth in.
Even though you finally settled into someplace where you felt like it was home, you felt like there was something else missing in your life that came across your mind. Being a vampire and being on your own for three decades was fun while it lasted, but it was rather lonely for you at the same time. Even when you have, briefly, made friends with people that you have worked with through the years, you still felt that you wanted to be with someone for the rest of your eternal life. Like a companion or even a mate.
***
It was late in the evening as you finished reviewing David and Carolyn's homework that you have given to them earlier during their private tutoring sessions with you to see how they were doing with their academic work with a certain subject you taught earlier with them. You walked out of your bedroom and headed to the living room, where the children were lounging, to let them know that it was time for bed as Elizabeth requested for you to do every night. But as you were getting closer to the staircase, you heard an unfamiliar voice speaking down below in the living room. You walked down the stairs, slowly, curious to know who it was.
When you reached the middle of the stairs, you stopped in your tracks when you saw a man speaking, in what sounded like a British accent, about any detailing in the Collinwood mansion as if he knows about it, which confused you. His face was porcelain white, he had long fingers, and he had black hair. His outfit looked as if he was from a different time, like the eighteenth century, and he walked with a cane. "Are you stoned or something?" You heard Carolyn ask the man. "They tried stoning me, my dear. It did not work." The man responded. You furrowed your eyebrows, in confusion, about what was up with this mysterious man that appeared out of nowhere until he introduced himself, "My name is Barnabas Collins."
After he said that name, that's when you instantly recognized it when you glanced up at the painting above the fireplace. The day you were hired, Elizabeth gave you a tour of the mansion, she explained the man in the painting was a distant relative from the eighteenth century named 'Barnabas Collins', who owned the Collinwood estate with his parents a long time ago in the before he somehow disappeared off the face of the Earth. But now the man claiming to be the distant relative of the family looked the exact resemblance to the one in the painting, which means he's telling the truth. 'I can't believe it's really him. But how's that possible? Unless, could he possibly be...a vampire, like me?' You thought to yourself, as you stared at his appearance, without him noticing you.
"Children, get away from that man!" Your thoughts were soon interrupted when you heard Elizabeth's voice from the top of the staircase. You turned to her as you watched her coming down the stairs and walking to the living room. "He says his name is Barnabas Collins." David explained. "And I'm pretty sure he called me 'hooker'." Carolyn added. "That'll do, Carolyn." Elizabeth said, as she approached the man. "A word, please." She told him, and, then, she gestured him to follow her to her office.
But as the two of them were walking up the stairs, the man noticed you and, then, he stopped in his tracks to take a good look at you. From your perspective, he seemed as if he was interested in you. Once you had made eye contact with his dark brown eyes, you started to feel some sort of connection with him as you were staring at his handsome facial features. "Forgive me for not noticing you. I am Barnabas Collins." He said, as he held out his hand towards you. At first, you hesitated, but, then, you took his hand and shook it. Barnabas raised an eyebrow, in confusion, as he looked down at your hand before looking back at you. "We have the same temperature." He whispered, which caused your eyes to slightly widen.
Then, the moment was interrupted when Elizabeth cleared her throat and the two of you turned to her. Barnabas looked at you one last time before he released your hand and continued walking up the stairs with Elizabeth. You couldn't help but stare up at him as he reached the top of the staircase, still feeling that connection from him, like you didn't want him to leave. If you were human, your cheeks would've been blushing pinkish-red, while your heart would've been fluttering nonstop as you couldn't help but think about that handsome face of his.
Later on that night, you were walking down the dark hallways when you were suddenly stopped by Barnabas. You exclaimed in fright. "Oh, goodness me. My apologies for frightening you, my dear." He said. "It's alright. I didn't see you. It's like you appeared out of nowhere...so fast." You said. "Ah, yes. Well, I have a knack of getting to places...so quickly. I had just a discussion with Miss Elizabeth and has accepted me back into my own house. But enough about that, I didn't get a proper introduction from you. What is your name, my dear?" "My name is (y/n) (y/l/n)." You answered. "(y/n). The most beautiful name to hear after being locked in a box for two centuries." Barnabas complimented.
It was very sweet of him to compliment on your name, but when he said the last part, you furrowed your eyebrows, in confusion, on what he meant by that. "You've caught my attention with the last part you have mentioned. Mind if we take this conversation in the library?" "If you insist. Lead the way, my lady."Barnabas said, gesturing you towards the direction of where the library was located. You, then, walked down the hallway towards the library, with Barnabas following behind you.
When you and Barnabas made it to the library, you closed the doors to make sure no one would hear you both. "May I ask you a question, Barnabas?" You asked, while you walked towards him. "I will be more than pleased to answer whatever it is you're about ask me, my dear (y/n)." Barnabas said. "Just out of curiosity, because of your cold pale skin, the way you are dressed, and the way you speak, are you...a vampire?" You questioned, just before you stopped in front of him. Barnabas hesitated to answer your question, but, then, he answered, "As much as I promised the good Elizabeth not tell anyone in this household, but with you, (y/n), I will indeed answer your question. I am indeed a vampire."
Your eyes had widened. Never in your eternal life have you were ever face-to-face a vampire like yourself; it was always human beings you were always surrounded by. Although, he did seem rather different than you because of what he had mentioned about 'being locked in a box for two centuries'. "I was cursed by a witch named Angelique after she had killed the love of my life, Josette, out of jealousy. She cursed me so that my suffering would never end and she had the townspeople turn against me and bury me in a coffin underground for two hundred years." He explained.
"Intriguing. Through all of my years of my eternal life, I have never heard of a cursed vampire." You said. Barnabas looked straight at you when you mentioned 'eternal life'. "You speak about your eternal life. Interesting. Tell me, my dear (y/n), are you a vampire yourself?" He questioned.
You came to realization when you completely forgot that you didn't tell him your secret. You never told anyone, except the victims you drained their blood from. But since you learned that Barnabas happened to be a vampire himself, you felt that wouldn't hurt to tell him since you somehow could trust him. "Um...if I tell you this, Barnabas, you promise you won't tell anyone in this household, not even Elizabeth since she's the one who hired me?" "I can guarantee that your secret is safe with me and I promise I will not tell anyone." Barnabas kept his word. Then, you said, "To answer your question and because you noticed that we both have the same temperature, I too am vampire myself."
Barnabas seemed rather astounded after you revealed yourself as a vampire. "How long have you've been a vampire, (y/n)?" "For thirty years. The year 1942." You answered. "Were you cursed yourself?" He asked, curiously. You shook your head and said, "No. I was turned. I served in the Armed Forces during World War II. I and many other soldiers were attacked by an enemy bomber aircraft. I was close to facing death when I was encountered by what I thought it was a man in a soldier's uniform, but it turned out to be a vampire. I assumed he was there because he smelled the blood from my wounds. He bit my neck and ran off, leaving me in pain and misery as I felt the burning venom changing me. After I became a vampire, I've spent my whole life on my own, traveling to different places, using different names, and keeping my vampire self a secret."
After you explained everything to Barnabas, it honestly felt great to finally tell someone who you really are instead of pretending to be someone you're not for the past thirty years. "Did you ever feel lonely being on your own for all these years, sweetheart?" Barnabas asked, with sympathy in his dark brown eyes. "Honestly, there were times that I did feel lonely. I didn't stay places very long and I made friends with some humans for a short while before I left. I often wished I was with someone that was like me. Even when I settled with the Collins family, I still feel left out because I'm not human like them. Hiding myself from the sun is difficult whenever I'm around everyone here." You said, sadly, looking down a bit.
Then, you felt a finger under your chin lifting your head up, where you saw Barnabas closely standing in front of you. "You will no longer have to feel lonely or left out because I'm back at my Collinwood once again and I will be with you. We both are so much alike. Also, I don't know how or why, but for some reason, the moment my eyes saw you like I am right now, I feel this sort of connection with you." He said. You were blown away when he said that. "You feel it too?" You questioned. "Yes. It feels like...like I don't want to leave you." Barnabas said, softly. If you were human, your face would've been turning beat red after he said that. "As if we are meant to be soulmates." You said. "Exactly." He whispered, and, then, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on your forehead, making you smile.
Afterwards, you placed your hand on your neck as you were starting to feel a burning sensation in your throat, which indicated that you were thirsty for blood. "Are you alright, darling?" Barnabas asked, sounding concerned. "I feeling the thirst for blood, Barnabas." You answered, as the burning sensation was intensifying. "Perhaps we shall search for a source of blood for you to drink." Barnabas said. "Care to join me for an evening juicy treat?" You said, smirking. "As much I would like to find a source of blood for myself, I will pass on that since I had drank a lot after I got free from my underground prison." He answered. Your smirk went away as you were bummed about it for a moment.
"However, I will be more than welcome to accompany you so I can get to know a lot more about you, while you enjoy your juicy treat." Barnabas said. Your smile reappeared and, then, you said, "I would like that a lot and I would like to get to know a lot about you as well." After you said that, Barnabas walked over to the main library window and opened it. "Lead the way, my dear." He said, gesturing you with his cane. You, then, hopped onto the window sill with your vampire strength, with Barnabas doing the same, and you both hopped out of the window, where the two of you ran through the forest together.