If you like Dark Shadows fan fiction, you’ll love the Midnight’s Edge Series written by David Chappuis and Michael Klinger. Midnight’s Edge is the time of night when the veil between the living and dead disappears, and for a brief moment in time, the dead can return to the mortal realm and live again. Join us as we tell the story of Jeremy Wickcliff, a vile, evil spirit who drives a young woman to madness and drastic measures as part of his cruel plan to return to the mortal realm and to his life to seek revenge on all those who stole his life.
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Midnight’s Edge: The Secrets of Sleepy Meadows- Book 1
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Midnight’s Edge: The Possession- Book 2
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—-
My name is Victoria Winters. The halls of the great house of Collinwood are full of secrets this night. Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard will soon discover that no matter how far the past is buried, it will find its way into the present. The revelations will serve to affirm everything I ever suspected about my past, but will also change the future for everyone else forever.
—
“I never thought in a million years that I’d find my way back to Collinwood,” Maggie said, entering the front hall of the main house. “But it feels good to be back. I somehow feel as though I belong here.”
“You mean you fit right in with all the ghosts and goblins that walk these halls?” Quentin said, following close behind.
She turned to him and smiled. “That’s not what I meant. It’s funny. As a kid growing up in Collinsport, all I ever heard about was the spooky, macabre house on the hill. Legend said that people would come into this house and never come out again. I remember the first night I met Vicky. I tried to convince her to get as far away from this place as she could. I was lost a bit after I lost Pop, not quite sure what I was going to do or where I was going to go next. This house became a home.”
Quentin embraced her. “And now you’ve come back as Mrs. Quentin Collins. Things are going to be different now. You never have to feel lost or alone ever again. You’re going to have everything you ever wanted. I promise you that.”
Maggie’s smile faded. “Can you promise me that? After what you said in Bangor about what you are?”
“What I am is someone who loves you and would do anything to make you happy. I’d never do anything to hurt you, Maggie. Ever. You have to believe that.”
Maggie’s eyes met his, and he kissed her. “I do believe that.”
“I forgot a bag in the car,” Quentin said. “I’ll be right back.”
Maggie touched his arm. “I’ll get it. You find Mrs. Stoddard and break the news.”
“Maggie, you’re my wife now. She’ll insist that you call her Elizabeth, and so must I.”
She nodded. “I’ll work on that.”
When Maggie got to the car, she heard a rustle in a nearby bush. She gasped and turned around.
“Is someone there?”
Hearing nothing, she turned back to the car, opened the door, and grabbed the suitcase in the back seat.
“Hello, Maggie,” Joe said.
Maggie let out a shriek and turned around. “Joe? What are you doing here? How did you get out of Windcliff?”
“I was released,” Joe said. “I’m under Dr. Hoffman’s continued care, but I’m doing much better.”
“I see. Well, I’m pleased that you’re doing so well. Excuse me; I’ve got to get back inside.”
“Maggie, wait. You’re my best girl. I bet you can do better than that.”
Maggie studied his face, seeing the hope in his eyes. “Joe, I don’t want to hurt you, but things have changed since you’ve been in Windcliff. I didn’t know if you’d ever be well enough to be released. I had to move on. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”
Joe’s face fell. “There’s someone else.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for that to happen, but it did. Quentin Collins and I were married in Bangor just a short while ago.”
Joe grabbed her arm. “Married? You’re making a mistake. You’ll never find with another guy what we had.”
Maggie writhed in his grasp. “You’re hurting my arm.”
Joe let go. “Maggie, I’m sorry. I…”
She rubbed her arm. “I’ve got to go. Take care of yourself, Joe. I mean that sincerely. I hope that Julia can provide you with the help you obviously still need.”
—
“It’s extraordinary, isn’t it Barnabas?” Liz said. “That Vicky’s here?”
Barnabas studied Vicky’s face, and despite his love for Angelique, there was still a part of him that remembered the time where his only desire was to make her his. He wanted her to be the reincarnation of Josette in every way. “Yes, it’s extraordinary. I’m still not exactly sure what happened or where she’s been, but I intend to find out.”
“Sebastian Shaw found her and brought her here. I don’t know why or how she got there, but he found her in a cave at the foot of Widow’s Hill.”
His eyes narrowed, and he remembered that’s where he’d met his son for the first time. “Are you sure that’s where she was?”
“Yes, I believe that’s what he said. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is I’ve got my daughter back in my life. It’s going to be different from now on. There will be no more secrets between us and no more running from the past. I should’ve told Vicky the truth when she first came here. She knew there was more to the flimsy excuse I gave her about why I commissioned her to come here from New York. We’ve missed out on so much time. I’ve got a second chance, and I don’t intend to waste it.”
“Elizabeth, I’m sorry. I really must go.”
Liz’s eyes widened. “Now? We’ve just got Vicky back. She’s still unconscious. I’m not even sure she’ll survive. Forgive me for saying so, but I think your place is here with the family.”
“I’d agree with you at any other time, but I’ve got an urgent matter that’s come up that cannot wait. Please excuse me.”
—
Outside the room, Carolyn had overheard what Liz said about Vicky being her daughter. She wasn’t sure how she should feel, relieved to know that Vicky was alive, hurt that her mother would keep such a secret, or indifferent about the entire thing. It didn’t surprise Carolyn that her mother lied. It hadn’t been the first time. Rather than confronting Liz, she ran instead, not knowing what she would say to her or even if she should bother. She didn’t think that there could’ve been any worse betrayal than the secret her mother kept about her father, but she’d been wrong.
Walking around in the woods and lost in thought, she hadn’t heard Joe sneak up on her.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” Joe said. “There’s spooks out in the woods at night.”
Carolyn turned to him with tears in her eyes. “I’ll take my chances.”
Joe realized she was upset for the first time. “Hey, what is it? I didn’t scare you that much did I?”
Carolyn shook her head. “It’s not that. I just found out my mother’s been lying to me my entire life. I don’t know why that would come as such a surprise. Joe, Vicky’s my mother’s daughter.”
He nodded. “I know.”
Carolyn fumed. “You know? How could you know and not tell me?”
“I tried. I overheard your mother and your uncle Roger talking about it in the drawing room. That’s what I wanted you to hear that night that you chastised me for listening at the door.”
Her face fell. “I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to you. I’m so tired of the secrets and all the lies. I feel like there’s no one in my life that I can trust. My life has been nothing but a façade.”
“You can trust me, Carolyn.”
“I believe you. In fact, I think you’re the only one I can trust these days. Marry me, Joe.”
He chuckled nervously. “Marry you? I wanted to marry you once, and you turned me down over and over again.”
“I must’ve been out of my mind to stay in that house. I’m going to break out of that prison my mother calls home once and for all. Will you marry me?”
While Maggie was the only woman he ever wanted and knowing that he wouldn’t stop until he got her back, he found himself able to say yes.
—
In the drawing room at Collinwood, Barnabas embraced Angelique.
“What was it that you wanted to talk to me about, my darling?” Angelique said.
“We must not let Crispin walk in the night any longer,” Barnabas said. “When dawn comes, I must go to his coffin and destroy him.”
Angelique’s eyes widened. “I understand why you feel this way, but he’s still our son. I don’t know if I can just stand back and watch him be destroyed.”
“We’ve discussed this before,” Barnabas said. “We agreed that it would be better for him if he didn’t exist only at night, a prisoner to the curse.”
“You made that decision for us. I never committed to that plan fully. I told him that we would be enemies if he wished to harm you in any way, but as a mother, I don’t know if I could follow through on that promise. There’s part of me that’s human.”
“You don’t fully understand what’s happened. He somehow went back into the past and stopped Vicky from committing suicide. They found their way back here, and he’s been keeping her prisoner in a cave near Widows Hill.”
“Victoria Winters is alive?”
“She is, and I won’t let anyone or anything harm her, not even our son. She’s innocent. She’s done nothing wrong, and I will protect her using any means necessary.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I see. You would rather see our son destroyed than Victoria.”
“Don’t speak to me that way,” Barnabas said. “I remember what you did to Vicky in the past. Framing her to be the witch that cursed Collinwood was cruel, but I know you’re not that person any longer. Vicky’s presence here changes nothing. You’re still the only woman I love.”
Angelique smiled. “I believe you when you say that. Alright, Barnabas, I will do whatever it is you wish me to do. I want my son to have peace just as much as you do.”
—
At the Collinsport Inn, Crispin found his way into Drew’s room, who was still unconscious after an altercation with Roger.
“Wake up you useless fool,” Crispin said. “We need to talk.”
Drew groaned and started to come to. His eyes widened as the room came into focus and he propped himself up on the bed. “How did you get in here?”
Crispin came closer to the bed. “You know the answer to that. You can’t get away from me no matter where you go. I always know where you are and I’m always watching you. You let Victoria Winters get away.”
Drew gulped. “No, I didn’t. She’s right where I left her.”
“Don’t lie to me. It’s useless. You know, I’ve only kept you alive because I needed someone to watch over Ms. Winters and me during the day. If I can’t depend on you for that, what good are you?”
Drew stood up, his voice shaking. “Give me another chance. I’ll prove to you that I’m worthy.”
“I’m tired of your incompetence,” Crispin said. “You made a fatal mistake when you let Victoria out of your sight. You were too concerned with Roger Collins to do what I asked you to do. I warned you before that your loyalty was only to me. I told you what would happen if you ever betrayed me. It’s time for you to pay the price for your disloyalty.”
—
Crispin found his way back to the cave at the foot of Widows Hill to find Hallie waiting for him.
“What are you doing here?” He said, curtly. “I didn’t summon you. The sun’s almost up. We’ll both be destroyed if we don’t get to our coffins.”
“I have to talk to you,” Hallie said. “It can’t wait.”
A rooster crowed outside.
“We haven’t got any time for that. Get to your coffin.”
“If you don’t move, you won’t live to see another night.”
Crispin’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”
“I went to Collinwood planning to lure David outside. My plan got derailed when I overheard your parent’s plans for you. Barnabas is going to destroy you and Angelique isn’t going to stop him.”
Crispin smiled. “I see. How interesting.”
The rooster crowed a second time.
“What are we going to do?”
Crispin shrugged. “Me? I’m going to do nothing. I haven’t the power over my mother to stop her. I know who does. I’m going to make them both sorry that they ever crossed me.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll see.” Crispin paused, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. “I call upon the powers of the dark that are available to me this night. One of your own has betrayed you and has given her life to the power of good. She must be punished for her betrayal; she must suffer. There’s one man who lives in the pit of hell that’s darker and more sinister than the devil himself. I call upon the spirit of Nicholas Blair to come to me. Allow him to live and breathe again, allow his spirit to do my bidding. Angelique Bouchard must suffer. She must endure a thousand deaths if necessary. Escape from your bondage, Mr. Blair. Return to roam the earth and seek your revenge. Rise and live.”
Hallie covered her ears as intense screaming filled the air, the sounds of wailing, shrieking, and pain filled the air. The air smelled of sulfur, and there was a blinding light in front of her. When the light faded, she realized that Crispin’s call had been answered.
There before them stood the warlock, Nicholas Blair.
Crispin broke the silence. “Can you speak? Can you understand me?”
“I can.”
“I haven’t got much time before dawn, so I need you to listen carefully. I’m the one who summoned you here from hell, so you’re here to do my bidding. You will do what I tell you to do. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good. You have but one job to do. Go to Angelique Bouchard and Barnabas Collins. Keep them away from my coffin through any means necessary. Is that clear?”
“It is.”
“Make them suffer, Nicholas. I want you to inflict more pain and agony on them than a human being has ever experienced. They must pay for attempting to destroy me.”
A sick twisted grin crossed Nicholas’ face. “It will be my pleasure.”