#elizabeth collins stoddard imagine

[multimilfs]

Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard x Fem!Reader: Of Signatures and Subtlety 

Summary: "I chose you." or A late-night conversation between you and your partner.

AO3

A/N: I've been sitting on this one for a minute! I wrote it at the beginning of October when I attempted to do Fictober (privately) and then ended up in the midst of the busiest month I've ever had! So I fell off the Fictober train but not without writing this. I feel like Elizabeth is really unappreciated and that makes me sad.

Little snippets into day-to-day life are always my favorite to write, but also what I struggle with. So I really hope everyone enjoys it!

Tag List: @escapetodreamworld @ghostsunderstoodmysoul @multifandomfix

Warning(s): None

Running a Cannery was a lot more involved than you expected. You curse Angelique for making it look simple as you sign off on another contract and throw it on top of the enormous pile, wincing as you try and flex your hand. Had you known better, you wouldn’t have agreed to take on such a large role; you’d rather run around all day than sign another piece of paper. 

A hand settles on your shoulder and you look up into a pair of smug eyes. Elizabeth raises an eyebrow, a not-so-subtle smile pulling at her lips. 

“Yes, dear?” You ask. 

“You’re grumbling under your breath again,” Elizabeth says and her smile grows a little, “I told you that I can transfer some of the contractual obligations to Barnabas.” 

Absolutely not. Barnabas is a good cousin, sure, but he’d been very odd in the beginning about how your role in the company was larger than his. You wouldn’t give any of his outdated views fuel, however small they may be. 

You give Elizabeth a long look and she chuckles. Her hand brushes over your shoulder and the back of your neck as she crosses around the desk, glancing out the window overlooking the Port. It’s raining and growing darker with every minute. Lights on the fishing boats out in the water bob up and down, while some pass and dock just below the window. 

It’s a peaceful scene that you often take a few minutes to enjoy, when the paperwork is manageable. Busy season had brought in enough money for new boats and with it, new employees. More fish meant more work, who knew? 

“How are the preparations for tonight going?” You ask, capping your pen and joining her by the window. 

She takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose, “Are people always so infuriating?” 

“Typically. That’s why I let you handle them.” 

“Well, they’ve been nothing short of exhausting. It’s a banquet for investors, for heaven’s sake, not a coronation. And that awful Scavena woman won’t stop interrupting preparations to suggest changes to the floral arrangements.” 

You try to hide your smile, “Still holding energy about her, Liz?” 

“I’ll stop doing so when she stops asking after you. ‘Oh how is the dear girl, Elizabeth?’” She mocks, a scowl on her face, “'Do tell her to give me a call, would you? I so miss our teas.’ Ugh.” 

“She’d be less obnoxious if you’d let me make a scene.” 

Many times you’d suggested some overt display of affection to ward off the woman. A few dates—a few very bad dates—had left her following after you like a lost puppy. Sure, she was pretty, but why settle for pretty when you had Elizabeth? Miss Scavena had been a moment of weakness before your perfect woman had given you a chance. 

Elizabeth wasn’t one for public displays of anything, least of all affection, so all you’d managed was a lingering kiss on the cheek in front of the other woman. And you’d been given a stern lecture afterwards for that. It didn’t help that Carolyn had been going on and on that night about how obnoxiously loving you two were; you conveniently forgot to pick up her favorite ice cream at the grocery store that week. 

“Absolutely not.” 

“Then ignore her. I chose you. Doesn’t that count for anything?” You ask, batting your eyelashes. 

“I suppose.” Elizabeth rolls her eyes. 

Arms crossed over her chest, she tries to keep her scowl in place when you steal a long kiss. But her blushing cheeks say all you need to hear. She even goes so far as to steal one herself before pulling back and crossing the room, throwing behind her, “I want those contracts done before the dinner!” 

“Yes, dear.” You laugh as the door closes behind her and settle in for another few hours of cramped signatures. 

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

And, exit Victoria Winters. After being played by a different actress for awhile, she finally faded 200 years back into the past to be with Jeff Clark/Peter Bradford.

I know it happened because original actress Alexandra Moltke (now Isles) wanted to leave the show due to her reduced role and pregnancy, but it was a shame to lose Vicki, who was originally the main character of Dark Shadows. We never got a resolution to Vicki's search for her past. Apparently, the original plans for Vicki involved her being the illegitimate daughter of Paul Stoddard (Carolyn's shitty dad) and another woman, those plans were then changed to Vicki being Elizabeth's secret illegitimate child, given away for adoption. I understand that Barnabas the vampire produced far more interesting stories, but I wish we'd at least gotten a resolution or acknowledgement of Vicki being an actual Collins. The 91 revival was also planning to explore that plot line, but was cancelled after one season.

Having now watched all the Vicki episodes, I think she wound up being a stronger character than I remembered from watching bits and pieces of show via reruns on the Sci-fi channel as a kid. Vicki often had characters (men especially) pressuring Vicki to agree to things and generally be agreeable and pleasant in a way that seems related to her being a young woman in the 1960's. But she often pushes back. She remains polite, but she is firm, and is often (but not always) able to stand her ground. Vicki even manages to defy Nicholas Blair, a character who can hypnotize people and get them to do things with just a casual conversation. And in the early episodes she is very proactive in investigating the mystery of her past, and why Elizabeth chose to hire her (which Elizabeth is clearly lying about).

I wish the last real Vicki episode hadn't spent so much time on Barnabas and his feelings. I know Barnabas is our main character now, and he is really into his "noble (former) vampire" redemption arc, he seems to genuinely care about everyone at Collinwood now (remember when you had to be talked out of killing David, Barnabas? Willie and Julia remember). But I really don't care that Barnabas loves Vicki. It's character development for him - emphasis on for him. Vicki is so much more than a potential love interest or damsel in distress for Barnabas to protect/pine after. And she never loved him, not in a romantic sense. She considered him a friend and greatly respected him, she didn't love him. When given a choice to marry Barnabas and forget Peter, Vicki chose to fade 200 years into the past to be with Peter, completely separating herself from the life she knew forever. And after Vicki spent so much time with men (including Jeff/Peter) trying to rush her into marriage, at least Vicki's decision there was entirely her own - she had to convince Peter to take her along. But anyway, I wish we'd gotten a final goodbye with Vicki and David, or Vicki and Carolyn (who was both like a sister, and an actual sister to Vicki).

I have a soft spot for the 91 revival, and I actually liked how that show made Vicki the "reincarnated Josette" rather than Maggie, as it seemed like a way to keep Vicki as a main character alongside Barnabas. And Maggie got the affair with Roger (ugh, Maggie you can do better) and also psychic powers/knowledge of the occult. And I actually liked that as well, it gave Maggie something to do while Vicki was the new "Josette." I didn't care for the whole Roger affair thing, but it set Maggie up against Laura, whom the show was planning to bring on in the cancelled second season. I can imagine Vicki and Maggie joining forces to stand up against Laura, it would have been great. Oh well.

Anyway, bye Vicki, it was fun following you for several seasons. Sorry you didn't get a better send-off on the show. Also apparently Alexandra Isles is now a documentary filmmaker, good for her.

[mxdam]

postmark: Bangor, ME.

inside, a brooch that once dangled off a branch of the family tree, spirited away before her brother could pass it off to his latest wife. the accompanying note is written on Collinwood letterhead, in an elegant, dated hand. "For a friend. Affectionately, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard." ( from terrorpenned muah )

Margarethe's thumb draws slow circles over the milky stone at the heart of the brooch. An opal.

She supposes it's fitting. Always something... Murky about the Collinses--remote, foggy, rather like their damp, sea-clinging home, but she does enjoy a thoughtful gift, and she does enjoy Elizabeth, whose letter she now taps idly against her lips. She can nearly imagine a whiff of salt air from the page, a hint of perfume.

She draws down a sheet of her own stationery. My dear Elizabeth, she writes. How touched I am that you think of me... She draws the edge of Elizabeth's letter idly against her lower lip, feels the touch of it against that sensitive part of herself, smiles.

[notmanagingmymischief]

𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐧

well...here's the last one. I hope y'all had a good Halloween! Remember, go get some candy tonight, dress up, watch something spooky, whatever, just have fun!!! Love you all, and Happy Halloween!

--

warnings: light swearing

--

enjoy xx

--

Normally, costume planning was relatively simple. Pick something, get the materials, put it on your body. But of course Carolyn had to make it the most complicated thing is the history of forever. You sigh heavily and check another one off the list, sitting on the girl's bedroom floor as she reclines on her bed. "Alright, what about...a werewolf?" You look up at her, smirking evilly as the brunette glares heavily at you. "Shut the fuck up," she hisses, and you laugh, apologizing quietly. "Fine, fine. Vampire?" Carolyn thinks for a moment, looks at her clock, sighs, and finally says "Fine, whatever," in a bored tone. And you smile, sighing heavily in relief; you'd been sitting here for nearly forty-five minutes trying to figure out what Carolyn wanted to dress up as for Halloween. You had chosen your costume weeks ago and gotten it all ready, but now you had to help your girlfriend's daughter figure out hers too. With it all chosen, you stand up and brush yourself off as you state "I'm going to go to the store and pick up a few things to help you. Do you have a white shirt?" Carolyn nods, mumbling "I know what I'll wear, just get the rest."

You suppress the urge to roll your eyes at her tone, knowing that this is just her normal shenanigans. "Fine, I'll be back in an hour. Don't misbehave." You walk towards the door and barely catch the "Fine mom," that the brunette grumbles under her breath and laugh, calling out "In a few years I will be your mom, so watch it young lady!" closing the door before she can respond. Smiling at your obvious win, you skip down the hall, reaching the foyer and grabbing your coat. Before you can get out the door, you hear your partner's voice calling out your name behind you, and a smile curls on your lips as you turn to face her. "Hiya Liz," you reply, watching the blonde come closer. "And where are you going?" she asks, ever the suspicious one. You reply "Carolyn chose a costume, I'm going to get some extra supplies. You wanna come?" and Elizabeth hums, but shakes her head. "No thank you. But thank you for helping her, I appreciate it," she mutters, and you smile a little wider, telling her that it's really no problem. And after stealing a quick kiss, you slip out the door and into the chilly air.

The town is bustling with activity, everyone getting ready for tomorrow. The lamps are decorated and shop windows show pumpkins and candles and various other Halloween-themed items. It makes you smile excitedly, loving this time of year. Collinsport might be small, but they sure as hell knew what was good for them when it came to holidays. So you walk along, admiring the view, your bag tucked securely under your arm as you head towards the nearest shop that supplies Halloween makeup. On the way there, you run into a familiar face, smiling politely at her. "Good afternoon, Angie." The blonde tips her head downwards, returning the greeting and pausing to talk to you for a bit. "Excited for Halloween?" she asks, and you nod eagerly, replying "Oh, absolutely. I'm out searching for some things for Carolyn's costume. How about you? Got any special plans?" Angelique shrugs indifferently. "Not really, no. Angel Bay is doing their usual, I'm sure you know." The mention of your girlfriend's competitor makes you roll your eyes; you've never been into their drama, and therefore have maintained your close friendship with Angie even after you started dating Liz.

A few minutes later, Angie finally states "Well, I'd best be off. Have fun, darling." You nod, saying goodbye and watching her strut off, still amazed at how the woman manages to exude so much confidence and still look hot doing it. Though, your girlfriend was much of the same--perhaps you had something for powerful women. Humming to yourself, you continue on and into the store, collecting what you'd come for before heading back home, where you find Carolyn already downstairs and waiting for you. "Took you long enough," she exclaims, making you scoff. "Shut up," you respond, and dump her things down on the table. The brunette looks over everything and finally nods in satisfaction, mumbling "Yeah, this'll work. Thanks y/n." The use of your name, along with thank you, has you smiling yet again, rubbing Carolyn's shoulder as you pass her. It earns you a disgruntled murmur.

I hate doing this to a perfectly good shirt..." you mumble, but with a cringe, you help Carolyn to drip the fake blood onto her white blouse. Once she's satisfied you stop, setting the bottle down and twisting the cap back on. As you do so, Carolyn adjusts her outfit, shrugging on a jet black blazer and making sure her belt is straight before looking at you. You nod, and hand her the fangs you had found the previous day, which she carefully fits over her own canines. When she snarls at you, they look surprisingly real, and you almost spook at how much she resembles Barnabas in that moment. But you shake yourself out of it and quickly say "That looks awesome, Carolyn! C'mon, let's go show your mom." The brunette sighs but does as asked, following you downstairs. Your own costume is already on, and the two of you all decked out are quite the sight. On the way downstairs you collect David, who skips beside you with a beaming grin, dressed to the nines as a pirate, fake sword and all. You compliment him quietly and he grins even wider somehow, exclaiming "Thanks y/n!"

The three of you hop down the steps where Julia and Elizabeth stand talking between themselves, Barnabas over in the corner doing something similar with Vicky--though the women's version doesn't include the making out, thankfully. As you take the first step onto the landing, Liz's eyes shoot towards you, landing on yourself, then Carolyn, then tiny David. And a genuine smile appears on her face as she approaches you all, saying "You all look lovely. You did quite well." You nod, agreeing with her, and after she checks out all of your costumes, she allows the kid's to run off and start trick-or-treating. You stay behind, speaking with your partner and resident psychiatrist, who also compliments your costume with a glass of who knows what clutched tightly in her hand--probably whiskey. But you want to get in on the action too (and make sure David and Carolyn stay safe), so you manage to slip away from the two, exchanging a kiss with Liz before she lets you go. You mumble a quick "Love you, honey," against her lips, which she returns, and then you slip outside.

[collinsportmaine]

In parallel time Pixar’s next big hit is the Dark Shadows Animated Series!!!

[s0022034a2film]

R. Creative Investigation - Collated Quotes

After going through 12 source review sheets, I had collected around 100 quotes. Here, I will gather some of the more useful ones. Thus eliminating those that are not of great value or repeat other quotes making them useless. Below, I have selected a handful of quote that have been annotated revealing the helpfulness and how they relate to my question. 

Style:

Sleepy Hollow:

Considering Burton was considering to experiment with black and white footage, his mention of colour is very interesting. His films are known for their gothic dark colour scheme and it isn’t a surprise to him this is beautiful. This point highlights how the stylistic elements feed into his themes within the film. 

The layout and the colour and the design were so beautiful... it had a very good mixture of humour and scariness -  a sort of fun, energetic, visceral kind of scariness.” - Tim Burton p.g. 167 (Burton, 2006)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street:

A director should have full control of all aspects of the film. And this point proves how Burton’s reworking of the songs is new territory. It is his vision complied with stylistic techniques we have grown to know from Burton. 

“It’s not just his DNA deep love for the grisly and gothic, but the sophisticated, intelligent way in which he has re-imagined this hollowed sung-through musical for the cinema, paring it back stylishly yet opening it up to new readings, and reworking ‘song’ as intimate musical dialogue.” (Stables, 2008)

Shows how he adapted his own styles to accommodate the fact this is a musical. 

“He’s very musical. And you can see it in the rhythm of– Not just the cutting, but the was the camera glides. The way it moves. The choice of angles. He’s responding to the music” (Young, 2007)

Dark Shadows:

Likewise with my previous observation with Sweeney Todd, this shows how he has responded to a change in the material his film is based on. Here, it is an adaptation of a soap which he has considered and impacted the shots used.

“The director’s affection is evident, and his homage sometimes acute: as in afternoon soaps, many shots are medium closeups of the actors staring pensively off-camera (presumably at the Teleprompter).” (Corliss, 2012)

General:

Emphasises the lexical field Burton is associated to: halloween.

“That was Christmas of 1998. it’s now two days before Halloween 1999, in Manhattan, where midtown shops are decorated with holiday cutouts of ghosts and black cats. Outside delis, stacked pumpkins wait patiently for the sharp knife that will be taken to their throats. It’s the time of year when a guy like Tim Burton should be a pretty happy fella.” (Nashawaty, 1999)

Burton may not have created his screenplays but he, according to Sarris, can still be the auteur due to the fact he has a consistency between his films. Defiantly my three focal films. 

“Over a group of films, a director must exhibit certain recurring characteristics of style, which serves as his signature. The way a film looks and moves should have some relationship to the way a directors are generally superior to foreign directors. Because so much of the American cinema is commissioned, a director is forced to express his personality through the visual treatment of material rather than the literary content of the material.” (Sarris, 1962)

Themes:

Sleepy Hollow:

Only because Burton has a past representation as a ‘eccentric visionary’, it doesn’t mean that is true of my focal films as two of them are past 2007 which is a 7 year gap between this quote. I would agree with this as, my focal films at least, don’t show a director who is extremely eccentric and experimental. I would say that when he first started out, with films such as Beetlejuice and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, his experimental use of stop-motion was ‘eccentric’. The technology has changed and so has Burton stepping away from consistency between his earlier films and the ones audiences experience now. 

“Even with an almost mythic story as its foundation, Sleepy Hollow doesn’t seem like the work of an eccentric visionary, as Burton has long been labelled.” (O’Hehir, 2000)

Shows how he has built onto his gothic themes and style with the horror element. It isn’t new but rather a progressive sweep in context to earlier films. 

“With this film [Sleepy Hollow], Burton returned to the gothic and the macabre, and to Johnny Depp, and tackled a new theme: the horror of dismembered bodies and severed heads.” p.g. 134 (Baecque, 2010)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street:

Shows how beauty is such an impactful part of the society we live in. A possible reflection of his life as he wasn’t perceived to be beautiful. 

“Rather than a balanced pairing, then, Burton places beauty and the sub- lime in tension, then shows the historical process by which, in the Sweeney narrative, beauty is tainted by, falls to, and is ultimately consumed by the urban sublime over the course of the film.” p.g. 175 (McMahon, 2014)

Dark Shadows:

Death is a theme that links all my focal film together. He explores this theme to the same extent throughout all the focal films.

“And death in infiltrates all aspects of Barnabas’s character. Death is not only what leads him to be a vampire; it is what he is. He is a dead man walking. And death is what he doles out, albeit apologetically.” p.g. 228 (McMahon, 2014)

General:

Fairy tale elements of his films are evident (more so in Sleepy Hollow with it being based on a fairy tale) within my focal films. It shows how it has always been apart of his filmography even when he began his work at Disney. 

“The visionary and “slightly twisted” (Tiffin 2008, 148) auteur began using fairy tales quite early, when he was still slaving during the 1980s as an under appreciated cartoonist in the dungeons of Disney Studios.” p.g. 198 (Ray, 2010)

Flashbacks are a motif of a Burton film (evident in all my focal films). Therefore, this theme of childhood experience, is well represented. Plus, the way he links this with the horror genre.  

“What is it about the horror genre—especially in the way that Burton channels its dark magic—that appeals to children and seems to express something fundamental about the experience of childhood?” p.g. 48 (McMahon, 2014)

This quote explains itself. Blessed to have a quote mentioning all my focal films and their linking themes. 

“Sleepy Hollow (1999) combines the historical romance and the police procedural with the horror film. There is also an element of the fantasy film genre, given the supernatural figure of the Headless Horseman... Sweeney Todd:  The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) draws on the horror film, the musical, the revenge tragedy, and family melodrama... Dark Shadows interweaves familiar features from the horror film and family melodrama within the narrative structure of a romantic comedy.  ” p.g. 196 (McMahon, 2014)

Collaborations:

Sleepy Hollow:

Shows how Burton has made changes from the original source just so the he could have Johnny Depp as the main character. A bold move that is interesting due to such a redirection of the focus point of the film.

“For while Burton’s Ichabod retains some of his comic qualities—he is still vain and jittery—he also solves the mystery, defeats the Horseman, and gets the girl. Burton’s Brom, meanwhile, is demoted in status to a minor, one-dimensional character who is quickly dispatched. Burton’s decision to cast handsome Johnny Depp as Ichabod affirms the director’s intention to redirect viewer sympathies toward Brom’s rival.” p.g. 114 (McHanon,2014)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street:

Shows the collaboration extends to the producer who is willing to step into this unknown realm. To do this is risky for both of their careers and so such faith in Burton shows the bond between them.

“Tim is an auteur, he’s a visionary. And he takes chances that most directors are fearful of. And this is a musical, which he’s never done before. Either have I, as a producer, been involved with a musical. So it’s very challenging.“ - Richard D. Zanuck (Producer) (Young, 2007)

Burton has his reasoning to have Depp but for Depp, he doesn’t think about the content but the fact it is Burton creating it. Meaning, if it is good enough for Burton, it is good enough for him. Interestingly, nobody had ever listened to Depp sing and so this was such a risky move by Burton.

“As always, with anything that I end up doing with Tim... the initial attraction is really Tim, more than anything else.” - Johnny Depp (Young, 2007)

Emphasises the work of the art team in creating the vision. 

“While such a style might seem anachronistic in the Victorian milieu of Sweeney Todd, Burton’s art team, led by scenic designer Dante Ferretti and costumer Colleen Atwood, constructed a hybrid imaginary that blends Victorian streetscapes and costumes with Weimar interiors and makeup.” p.g. 176 (McMahon, 2014)

Dark Shadows:

For the first time in their partnership, Depp offered the job to Burton. This could be why it sucked. Once again, he is working with the same actors. 

“Depp bought the rights to the show, produced the new movie version and stars as the courtly vampire Barnabas Collins. Burton, in his eighth collaboration with Depp, signed on as director; and Pfeiffer, who was the majestic-pathetic Catwoman in Burton’s 1992 Batman Returns, plays Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, doyenne of the cursed Collinwood estate.” (Corliss, 2012)

General:

Burton uses Depp to reflect his own characteristics onto. I feel this also a reflection on the character Depp is as well proving how strong the bond is.

“The Burton-Depp films often deal with characters who are artistic or skilled yet reclusive, idiosyncratic, or doubted by others. Contrasted to them are characters whose lives embody cultural norms and norms of social behaviour, as well as characters in positions of authority or influence who reveal to us something of the dark underside of human psychology and self-interest.” p.g. 193 (McMahon, 2014)

[multimilfs]

Elizabeth Collins x Fem!Reader: Good Behavior

Summary: ghostsunderstoodmysoul sent... Elizabeth Collins + 36 -- "You were put on this earth to give me a headache."

AO3

Prompts found here!

A/N: To this day, this is one of my favorite Michelle roles. I think it's just so fun. Also I need you to know that when I saw the number and the character I was SO EXCITED. It's the perfect combination for her character!!!!

Full Ficmas List

Tag List: @escapetodreamworld @ghostsunderstoodmysoul @multifandomfix

Warning(s): None

You’re sitting at the long dining room table, flipping blindly through the newspaper for something interesting. Carolyn is half-sprawled a few seats away on your left, eyes closed, head bobbing. The chair groans and squeaks as she shifts her whole body the longer the song goes on. 

The coffee in your cup makes you wince with every bitter sip. Someone—Barnabas—had been asked several times to get milk at the store, which he forgot, along with a whole manner of other things. You haven’t worked up the energy to make the trip yourself but you and Elizabeth both made the decision that Barnabas is not to be trusted with family errands; you’re not entirely sure why he was trusted in the first place. 

Carolyn hums a few chairs away as the record player goes quiet, spinning and crackling, before another song starts. The girl is up and out of her seat as the first note hits her ears. She sways and dips, making you raise your brows, but ultimately you turn back to the newspaper. 

“Good morning.” A quiet voice comes from your right. 

You jump. Dropping the paper onto the table reveals David. He silently takes up a seat, dark curls flattened on one side and pajama set rumpled. You grin and resist the urge to lean over and ruffle his hair. 

“Morning, David,” You say, “Sleep well?” 

He nods. His eyes are focused intently on the bowl in front of him as he goes through the motion of fixing his cereal—though it isn’t much, without the milk. 

“I saw my Mom again last night.” 

“Sweetheart, your Mom moved on, remember?” You say gently. 

A shadow comes over his face. You wait, sipping at your coffee, every painfully bitter sip infusing your bones with warmth. David has struggled separating dreams from reality as of late, mentioning conversations with his Mother like they happened just yesterday. It pains you every time you have to remind him of the truth. 

He lifts a spoonful of dry cereal to his mouth and nods. You almost regret having said anything. 

“Yeah,” David says, “It was a dream. It felt real.” 

“I know. She was with you for a long time, so that’s only reasonable.” 

“Do you think she still is? Aunt Liz says she—” 

Carolyn cuts in violently, “Will you two shut up? This is the best part!” 

David goes silent and drops his spoon into the bowl. He pulls his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms securely around his legs. You breathe deeply and take a moment to gather your patience. Despite her outburst, it took Carolyn no time to return to her dancing. 

You level a heavy look her way, but she doesn’t notice. It’s only a few days until the full moon now. You can blame her temper on her magical affliction all day, but you’d be wrong to ignore how she has methods of coping with her anger to use rather than blowing up. 

Clearing your throat, you push your chair back from the table. 

“Turn it off, please, Carolyn.” You request. 

It goes ignored. 

“Either you turn it off or I will.” You say. 

That earns you a reaction. She groans and turns, teeth bared. David flinches away from the display of her elongated canines and yellowed eyes. You just stare back. The challenge makes her growl, deep and low in her throat. 

It’s an impressive display. Unfortunately, Carolyn is all bark and no bite. You’re not going to bend to her performance. 

“God!” She shouts, finally breaking, “You’re the worst!” 

Carolyn turns off the record player and stomps out of the room, huffing the whole way. She passes Elizabeth coming in on her way out. Her Mother turns as if to say something, before thinking better of it. Elizabeth is still shaking her head when she comes to sit beside you. 

You lean over and place a fond kiss on her cheek. It earns you a warning glance. The paper you discarded on the table catches her eye and she tilts her head, taking in the headline. 

“What was that about?” Elizabeth asks finally. 

All too aware of David still listening at the table, “I’ll explain later. Sleep well?” 

She did. You know that because you sleep next to her and she was snoring—rather obnoxiously —when you woke up. 

“I did,” She says. She pours herself a cup of coffee before glancing over at your cup, “Black coffee this morning, dear?” 

“We still don’t have milk.” 

You motion to David, who has returned to eating his dry cereal, and Elizabeth sighs. Two fingers pinch the bridge of her nose. It makes you chuckle into your coffee. 

There’s a grocery trip in the very, very near future. But you have to make sure Elizabeth is distracted before you attempt to leave. She’ll fight hard to go with you, but you can see the strained look in her eyes, her smile not feeling completely authentic. 

You’ve made it your mission that Elizabeth spends the day relaxing. No errands, no business, nothing. All of it will fall to you; you’ve made sure that any calls from Collins Cannery are held until tomorrow and any bright ideas Barnabas may get are brought to you instead. You even went out of your way to restock her macrame supplies. 

“We’ll go after breakfast.” Elizabeth decides. 

Lucky for you, you’re already done up for the day. Elizabeth has forgone her makeup for breakfast which leaves you just enough time to slip out of the house. You’ve also made sure to hide the keys in case she catches on.

She doesn’t, though.

After breakfast, she leaves you with a small kiss, and ascends the stairs to your shared bedroom. You wait a good thirty seconds before fishing out the car keys from a vase near the door. 

David catches your exit and his brows furrow. You don’t resist the urge to ruffle his hair this time, to his dismay. He frowns at you through an abundance of curls. The action reminds you how young he still is. Emotions welling in your chest, you kiss his forehead. 

“Tell your Aunt Liz I’ve got groceries covered and that she should do some macrame while I’m gone.” You relay. 

“...Okay.” 

— —

Elizabeth stands in the doorway when you return. Her arms are crossed over her chest and she looks displeased, but not truly; her frown isn’t deep enough. You flash her a smile when you turn off the car. 

“Get some macrame done?” You ask. 

“You were put on this earth to give me a headache, you know that?” She says, ignoring your question, “I come downstairs and David tells me I should go do macrame. He didn’t tell me where you were, I didn’t realize until I saw the car was gone.” 

“You know what cures a headache?” 

“Don’t.” 

“Macrame.” 

“I despise you.”

“If that were true, I wouldn’t live in your house… or sleep in your bed.” You point out. 

Elizabeth glares, “You can just as easily sleep on the couch.” 

“You’d miss me too much, Lizzie.” 

She turns around and closes the door behind her. You hear the heavy lock click into place on the other side. The groceries in your arms feel much heavier. Carefully balancing the brown bags, you round the house to the back door, only to find that locked too. 

Damn her. 

You try to do one nice thing for her and she kicks you out; Carolyn’s mood swings must be an inherited trait. It seems you’re going to wait on the front porch until her mood blows over. 

Turning to head back up front, you hear the lock click, and the squeal of the hinges as the door opens. David stands in the doorway with a small smile on his face. That isn’t a good sign. 

“Aunt Liz said not to let you in until you learn your lesson.” He says. 

“Oh, yeah?” You say, “Then why open the door?” 

His smile widens. 

“What’s your price?” You ask. 

“I want ice cream for dinner.” 

You try not to wince. Elizabeth will never go for the idea, but your arms are aching. The only way inside is to agree and risk pissing her off more. 

Maybe, you think, you can smooth things over. She’s kept you around this long, hasn’t she? 

“Fine,” You agree and he lets out an excited yes! before you hold up your hand, “but it has to be tomorrow night, I don’t want to stress your Aunt out anymore today.”

This time of the month she’s already bogged down dealing with Carolyn, so where usually she’d find ice cream for dinner amusing and playfully scold you, it could possibly mean hell over the next few days. You have to be careful about this. 

“Okay!” David agrees. He opens the door and lets you through. 

You drop the groceries on the closest available surface. 

No sooner have you done that than Elizabeth appears, arms crossed over her chest, lips pursed. David walks by as if he wasn’t the one to let you back in the house. Once he’s passed, you offer her a smile. She raises a brow. 

“You should be relaxing, honey.” You advise. 

Elizabeth reaches into the bags and begins to unpack them. 

“I’d relax more if you wouldn’t sneak off.” 

You laugh, “Would you have actually let me go this morning, Liz?” 

She says nothing. 

Putting the eggs and milk away is very interesting all of a sudden. You try to hide your knowing grin, but when Elizabeth glares, you know you’ve failed. 

You kiss her sweetly on the cheek. She’s impossibly cute, even when she’s annoyed. 

“I know you, sweetheart,” You add, “You need a day off.” 

“I take days off.” She argues.

“When was the last day you took, hm?” 

“I–” Elizabeth starts, only to pause. You can practically see the gears turning in her head. Finally, her face settles into a frown, “I’d have more time to take days off if you all behaved.” 

“You mean if Barnabas behaved.” 

Of the Collins family, Barnabas is by far the worst behaved. It forever astounded you that your werewolf step-daughter had more decorum than the centuries old vampire. It’d astound Elizabeth too, if she wasn’t the one handling the fallout. 

The people of Collinsport had been more amiable to Barnabas’... affliction than you’d expected. When you hadn’t woken up the morning after the fires to a mob outside the dingy hotel room you were staying in, you were amazed. They had even helped you all rebuild—the house, at least; the bones had survived, being made primarily of stone, but the insides… a lot had been lost, but a lot had been saved too. 

Collins Cannery had been a completely different beast. 

Luckily, Elizabeth had been smart enough to set the business up with insurance this time, rather than relying on old family funds. Barnabas had made his first very blatant error when he—badly—hypnotized the insurance adjuster into fudging a few numbers. 

You swore up and down that you thought Elizabeth was going to tear her hair out when the threat of a lawsuit came around. Thank god for plausible deniability. 

Since then, Elizabeth had taken on the bulk of the Cannery work, attempting to make sound business decisions while dodging accusations of foul play on Barnabas’ end. You’d been fortunate enough to sit in on a meeting where Barnabas had loudly proclaimed that he only engaged in dishonorable play. He was promptly removed from the board after that. 

“Do you think Barnabas would take offense to us sending him on a short vacation?” Elizabeth asks, face contemplative. 

“Why not a long one?” 

“David enjoys having him around.” 

You nod, “Short vacation it is. And when our dear cousin is on this vacation, will you finally take that break?” 

Elizabeth looks over her shoulder with eyes full of amusement. You know the answer without her having to say it. Smiling, you saunter over to the phone, dialing a well-known number. The line rings before you’re connected to someone on the other end. 

Smiling and throwing Elizabeth a wink, “Hi Delia. I’ve got a quick question—where did you say you sent your Mother-in-law last week?”

[collinsportmaine]

Listening to the first “Dark Shadows” audio book pointed out a jarring image I never considered before. Like the series, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard is described as not having left the mansion in 18 years. She dismissed all the servants, except Matt Morgan who did manual labor on the estate. I never considered who did the house work, made the beds, cooked the meals. The novel specifically says Elizabeth did all that household labors.

When we first meet Elizabeth in the series, she has her hair piled high, wears a black evening gown, a necklace of pearls, and some big-ass jeweled ear rings.

It’s hard to image Joan Bennett as a chairwoman doing all that work for 18 years, probably sorting Roger’s dirty clothes and pressing his underpants too.

That imagine is even more scary than all the ghosts, werewolves, and vampires that haunt Collinwood!

[collinsportmaine]

For sometime I've been toying with some idea for Dark Shadows FanFiction. I finally typed one up. It's not a complete story - more of a story treatment with minimal dialogue. The story is part of a large idea where the modern family is in peril. This segment follow Elizabeth as she flees from an unspeakable horror. I've included some actor suggestions above - Alexandra Moltke as a young Elizabeth, Roger Davis as young Paul, and fittingly John Karlen as young Jason. I thought it would be fun to imagine some guest stars - Vincent Price as Jamison Collins and Joan Crawford as Nora. Crawford once appeared on a daytime soap opera. So here the scenario. Do you find it interesting? Should I flesh it out? Add your comments or message me. ELIZABETH'S JOURNEY TO 1946 Something was coming for her and she had to escape. If she locked herself in the tower room Elizabeth knew she would be trapped. She hurried down the corridor, trying to think of a route that would get her outside unnoticed. Then as she turned a corner she saw something that was wrong. Something that shouldn't be there - a stairwell. She had been in this part of the house many times and this was the first time she every saw that stairwell. She had no choice but to go down the steps. There wasn't another way out. She didn't even know where the stairwell would lead her. Tentatively she began walking down. Almost afraid the stairs would disappear out from under her. Each step she took, the air around her got colder... almost freezing. But as she reached the last step suddenly she was warm again. The temperature changed so abruptly that she stumbled. And when she looked back, the stairwell was gone. She could see a light at the end of the hallway and she walked slowly towards it. A radio was playing... swing music like she used to dance to as a girl. Standing in the shadows she looked into the room - it was the kitchen. But it was the kitchen of her youth, with all the remodeling undone. Matilda, the family's cook stood at the counter filling a china teapot with hot water. Elizabeth had always loved Matty, her name for the cook, and the delicious muffins and cookies she would bake. Elizabeth slowly looked about the room, trying to make sense of it all. Then she saw a calendar on the wall. She nearly gasped, having to cover her mouth in case she made a sound. The year was 1946! Each preceding day had been carefully X's out. Today was March 2, 1946. It two days Elizabeth would have one of the most important and saddest days of her life... her daughter would be born and she wouldn't see the child... Victoria... for over 20 years. Elizabeth couldn't repress the tears so she moved further back into the dark shadows of the hallway. She was about to turn away when she heard Matty speak to one of the maids. "Phyllis," she said, "Miss Nora will be retiring to bed soon. Please take this tray of tea up to her room." Nora! She had forgotten Aunt Nora was staying at Collinwood that winter. She didn't know what to do but she knew Aunt Nora would help her. If she could only explain how she got there. Elizabeth made her way up stairs using the servants stairwell. She hid in a linen closet, with the door slightly ajar, and waited until Phyllis came up stairs with the tea tray and put it in Aunt Nora's room. When the coast was clear, she entered the room. The lights were on but she quickly turned off the lamp at the table. Then she sat in the darkness, waiting. Later Elizabeth heard someone at the door. It was Aunt Nora. She fumbled at the doorway and tried to turn on the light switch but it didn't work. "Aunt Nora... I've turned off the lights..." "Elizabeth? Is that you? You know you should be out of bed. The Doctor said---" Elizabeth interrupted. "Aunt Nora... bear with me for a minute... please... I need help." Nora sounded concerned, "What is is Betsy? Is the baby coming?" "No, it's not that. Will you come in and close the door. I need to tell you something." Elizabeth said. Nora entered the darkened room, shut the door and sat on the side of the bed nearest her. "Very well, Elizabeth... what's wrong?" "Aunt Nora... do you remember that time you and I went to Frenchmen's Bay. We had such a wonderful time. You let me sip my first taste of champagne..." "And you promised not to tell you father!" Nora smiled. "I never told him... I never told anyone. You and I are the only ones who know about that day. You also told me about many of the strange things that happened at Collinwood when you were a girl. Some were so fantastic they were hard to believe. But because you told me, I believed you." Elizabeth explained. "It seems as if every 20 or 30 years things go bonkers at a Collinwood." Nora said. "Then things go back to normal for a while." "I think something strange has happened again." Elizabeth said in a whisper. "Earlier today I was upstairs near the tower room. I discovered a stairway I had never seen before---" "The stairway..." Nora said to herself. "I went down the stairs and found myself... in a different time... it sounds incredible but I seem to have traveled 20 years into the past!" Elizabeth turned on the table lamp and stood up. Nora stood as well, in shock and in joy. "Elizabeth! Betsy! You've grown into such a beautiful woman!" Nora crossed to Elizabeth and embraced her. After many hugs and tears, the two women sat on the bed side by side. "My grandfather told stories about his crazy inventions. A stairway through time! We never believed him but Jamison once swore that he saw a stairway appear out of nowhere with a woman with red hair hurrying up the steps. Then he said the stairway disappeared." Elizabeth didn't tell Nora the circumstance that she found the stairway. She didn't want to scare her aunt. Just that she was now in 1946 and didn't know how to get back. Nora concocted a plan. Nora and Jamison had a cousin by their uncle Caleb. She would be about the same age as Elizabeth was now. But she moved to California many years earlier. Until they could figure out how to return Elizabeth to her own time, Nora would introduced her as cousin Katherine Collins. Nora went through her own wardrobe and found several outfits that would fit Elizabeth. She gave her "niece" a stylish traveling suit to change into, then packed the other items into a valise. She called Hendricks the chauffeur to bring the car to the entrance at the rear of the house. When he met her, she told him she'd forgotten her purse and asked him to fetch it. That's when Elizabeth snuck into the rear of the limousine. When Hendricks returned she asked him to drive her to the train station. Nora knew from her many trips from Boston that a train would arrive at the Collinsport station in 20 minutes. She asked Hendricks to park then told him to go an fetch some coffee from the cafe. Once the we're alone, Elizabeth, now Cousin Katherine, climbed out of the car with her luggage, and enter the waiting room. A few minutes later both Hendricks returned with the coffee and the 9:05pm train from Boston arrived. Elizabeth exited the waiting room just as the passengers from the train filed out of the station. Nora greeted her "cousin" with a hug and instructed Hendricks to pack her bag into the car. They returned to Collinwood, with Elizabeth's new identity established. Jamison, the current head of the household, seemed perplexed by the arrival of Katherine Collins. But it seem like a tradition for one odd cousin or another to arrive at Collinwood unannounced. The fact that Katherine looked like an older version of his daughter Elizabeth was not unusual. One only had to look at a few of the family portraits that lined the walls to see how strong family resemblances passed on through the generations. Elizabeth wanted desperately to meet her younger self and warn her of the heart ache to come. But she knew that was dangerous. Jamison her father would take her baby away and put it up for adoption. Then in less than a year's time he would marry her off to Paul Stoddard. At the time she felt like damaged goods. But there was one important thing that came from her marriage to Paul - her second daughter Carolyn. Elizabeth needed to make sure that she didn't do anything that might Carolyn's birth never happen. Even if that meant marrying Paul. But once Carolyn was born... if Elizabeth was still stuck in the past she would make sure both her daughters lived happy lives. Two days later Elizabeth could hear the faint cry of a baby. Young Elizabeth had been sequestered several months with a delicate unspecified illness so that no one would discover she was pregnant out of wedlock. History repeated itself and her father Jameson had the baby sent to an orphanage never to be seen again. But Elizabeth already knew which orphanage... the Hammond Foundling Home. With Nora's help, Elizabeth would ensure the baby would not be forgotten. When young Elizabeth eventually recovered, she was pleased to meet her new aunt Katherine. Older Elizabeth showed affection to the girl but was careful not to get too personally involved... just yet. When Nora was ready to return to her townhouse in Boston, Elizabeth/Katherine joined her. As much as she wanted to stay at Collinwood she knew that she needed to let history follow it course. Soon they heard news of Young Elizabeth engagement to Paul Stoddard, a young manager that Jamison recently hired. Of course Nora and Katherine attended to wedding but Katherine (older Elizabeth) stayed in the background, making sure she never appeared in any of the photos. Then two months later Jamison died in a car accident. And Young Elizabeth was now the mistress of Collinwood. When it first happened Elizabeth was too grief stricken to consider he might have been murdered. But with a clearer head, older Elizabeth saw other possibilities. Paul Stoddard had never been ambitious in the sense that he wanted to improve himself. But he was greedy and wanted easy options. Could he have murdered Jamison to get at the Collins fortune that much quicker? After Jamison's funeral Nora and Kathrine returned to Boston and waited. Older Elizabeth finally told Nora her suspicions and about her misery with Paul. How he had mistreated her and cheated on her. And of Paul odious friend Jason Maguire. And especially of how Maguire tricked her into thinking she had killed Paul. And her self imposed exile at Collinwood. How different her life would have been if she never married Paul. But the bright spot was her daughter Carolyn. Could she hide out in Boston for 20 years while her younger self was in a prison of her own making? Nora asked for details of Elizabeth's last night with Paul. And exactly how Maguire tricked her. Elizabeth clearly remembered it was exactly 6 months before Carolyn was born. Carolyn was born in July 16, 1947 so the date was January 16 of the same year. For a year and a half since her arrival Elizabeth avoided impacting the timeline. But now Nora insisted they do something. On January 15, the two women took the train to Collinsport. When they arrived at the Great House there was tension in the air. Young Elizabeth, barely showing from her pregnancy with Carolyn, was distraught. Paul Stoddard and his crony Jason Maguire were drunk. Paul had sent all the servants away several days earlier. They taunted each other and teased Elizabeth, even with her two aunts present. It was clear Stoddard thought he was king of the Collins empire. What happened next was Nora's doing. Older Elizabeth might have stopped her if she knew in advance. Nora asked Katherine to help Elizabeth to bed and sit with her. Alone with Paul and Jason, Nora point blank asked Paul how much he wanted to leave Collinwood and never return. He laughed. Why should he give up collinwood when it was already his. But Nora reminded him that with a wife and child on the way, he would never be as free was he wanted. Then there was Elizabeth's brother Roger. He was away at college but he owned half of the estate. Wouldn't Paul be happier without any strings attached. Maguire told Paul to listen to the logic of the offer. If Nora, who had wealth of her own, could buy them out, then the two of the could travel the world as carefree playboys. It was Maguire who negotiated. He asked for half a million dollars. Nora looked him straight in the face and said yes. She had jewels worth twice that much that she would give him. They were the famed jewels of Naomi Collins given to her by a pirate in 1767. As part of the agreement she asked Paul to write a letter to Elizabeth, asking her forgiveness and saying they should get the marriage annulled. Paul did so quickly and Nora put the letter in the desk drawer. She told the two friends to come join her at the limousine outside where she had the jewels in a box. Stoddard and Maguire were both still tipsy from the wine and Brandy they had imbibed that evening. At the car she asked them to wait on one side while she got the jewels. Maguire was already talking about how he knew where to fence the jewels and where they should go first. Both men were nearly shocked sober when they saw Nora walk around the car with a shotgun. The men protested. They threatened. Paul said he could get rid of Nora as easily as he had gotten rid of her brother. If Nora had any hesitation, it was gone now. She would avenger Jamison and ensure Elizabeth would have a happy life. Nora ordered the men to walk towards the nearby forest. They didn't obey until she shot a round into the air. Paul seemed genuinely scared but Maguire was convinced the old lady was bluffing. Soon they found themselves at Widow's Hill, the dangerous cliffs overlooking Collinsport Bay. Nora gave them a choice - jump willingly off the cliff. Since they were both new comers, they didn't know how dangerous the cliffs were. She told them they had a better chance diving into the bay than surviving a shotgun blast to the gut. Maguire wanted to try and overpower Nora but she told them she was an expert shot. She fired the gun into the air again but Paul was so startled he lost his balance. He reached out to Maguire for help but he'd already started over the edge. Maguire tried to pull away but Paul clung on to him. Soon both men tumbled over the edge, into the darkness. Nora could hear them both scream then a moment later the splash into the fridge water below. Nora had never heard of anyone surviving that fall. She would tell the police how both men had been drinking all evening. How they decided to walk down to the village. She warned them to stay on the path but at night it could be very confusing. They must have turned left instead of right and ended up at the cliff. Such a shame. Now Elizabeth Collins Stoddard was another widow. Back at Elizabeth room, Older Elizabeth heard the first gun shot near by then a few minutes later another, but from further away. She considered going down stairs to investigate but decided to stay with her younger self. A short while later Nora returned and suggested that she and Katherine go to bed. Tomorrow would be a busy day. The next morning Nora called the sheriff's office to report the men missing. A few days later a fisherman found them washed ashore miles north as the current flows. Based on Nora's, Elizabeth's and Katherine's testimony, the authorities concluded the two men accidentally fell of the cliff while intoxicated. A short time later, Nora showed Elizabeth the note from Paul. It helped to ease her grief. Six months later Elizabeth second daughter was born - the beautiful Carolyn. While Nora split her time between Collinsport and Boston, Katherine (the older Elizabeth) helped with caring for the baby. She noticed that sometimes as young Elizabeth nursed her child, she looked wistful. One day while Baby Carolyn was napping she spoke quietly with the young mother. She revealed she knew where the first baby was... now named Victoria. She suggested that she could adopted the child and bring her to live at Collinwood. Elizabeth's two daughters could grow up together without anyone knowing their secret past. Young Elizabeth hugged her older self. There was a small part of her that made her realize that Katherine wasn't who she said she was. But she knew in her heart that Kathrine cared for her more than anyone could know. Soon the great house was filled with laughter like it had never been before. Dark haired Victoria playing gleefully with her cousin (sister) Carolyn. Even Roger who usually had a sneer on his face enjoyed the company of his two little "kittens". Katherine wondered whether she should warn Roger about Laura Murdoch. But she had a few years to decide.