Barnabas and Magda -- 5
Date: 12/31/98
From: Beverly LaCroix

Jasmine

Quentin could smell jasmine, the smell was very pleasant. He knew it belonged to Josette. The beautiful woman who had managed to capture the heart of his cousin. Thinking of Barnabas brought back that overwhelming sadness. Quentin woke up with tears streaming down his eyes, he could hear that evil laughter, and with the smell of jasmine only served to enhance the sadness he felt. He knew that behind that evil laughter was the cause and the reason that beautiful woman who wore jasmine never had a chance to live and love, know the laughter of a baby that would be her own.   How did Barnabas do it? How did he keep on going with no end in sight? Quentin knew he was losing control again, and he was so depressed, because he knew he couldn't go to Barnabas. There was no one he could talk to but Barnabas.

When did this dependence that seemed to be increasing daily begin? When did he need anyone in the way that he seemed to need Barnabas? Barnabas was his cousin for crying out loud, Quentin admonished himself. What was he going to do when Barnabas went back to his own time? Every time he would look at that portrait he would feel the loss of his cousin, he knew he would have to leave Collinwood. I just can't go like this. I know what's going to happen. I can't stop it without Barnabas. It just seems I can't do a damned thing without Barnabas anymore, he thought getting angry. Stop it, he said to himself. Stop thinking like that.

"He needs you too, you know," a soft ghostly voice said.

Those words seemed to lull Quentin back to sleep. He was brought to wakefulness by soft ghostly hands stroking his face, caressingly, soothingly, and the scent of jasmine was now beginning to suffocate him. Now fully awake he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he had seen lots of beautiful women the world over. She was dressed in widows weeds, with the black veil pulled back, and he saw the sadness in her eyes, and it threatened to consume him. She touched his forehead, and the sadness left. The jasmine was enveloping him now bringing a sense of peace. Sitting up in his bed, the woman had now moved back away from the bed, and Quentin saw why this room was hers, and always would be. Beautiful and feminine like her. No wonder Barnabas couldn't let her go. It made sense to him now. He knew if he had known her in life, he would never let her go. He just wanted to look at her, and do nothing more, say nothing, hear nothing, just soak in her beauty and loveliness, so it would etch on his mind for an eternity. Then he knew he would never forget what his cousin loved and lost. The enormity of it was a lot for a man as young as Quentin, but he wanted the burden to share with his cousin, then he would be able to help him learn to love again.

"Josette." Quentin finally spoke.

"Oui, mon cher." Josette said in reply.

Quentin noted that her regal bearing and elegance bore her pain like a mantle.

"Why are you here?" Quentin asked now standing.

"You have to stop him, mon fils," the ghostly voice whispered," with the accent of the French aristocracy.

"Stop him?" Quentin asked unbelievably, feeling like an adolescent in the throes of a first crush. It seemed from her voice that he should know what she was talking about, when all he could do was stutter and stare at her.

Quentin heard the pounding on the door down below, and Josette disappeared.

Quentin pulled his shirt on, grabbed his jacket, and went downstairs to answer the door. The pounding was persistent. Quentin noticed that it was almost sundown, as he opened the door, and saw Angelique standing there. Rage coursed through his body as he looked at her, and remembered all that Barnabas had shown him.

"Well, Quentin, this is a surprise," Angelique said, then she looked at him quickly as if she knew something that had happened in the Old House within the course of the last 24 hours.

"Yes, it is. But Magda couldn't be here, so I told Barnabas I would guard him today," Quentin said with a velvety tone. He had managed to suppress his rage.

"I smell jasmine," Angelique said almost amused.

Quentin was becoming more enraged by the moment, and her tone and demeanor was making it worse, when he said, "My dear, Angelique, I'm surprised the scent of jasmine doesn't follow you wherever you go."

"What do you mean by that?" Angelique asked quickly and suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing. Should I mean something by that?" Quentin asked her.

"Well, if I didn't know you better, Quentin, I would say that you had a visit from your ancestor," Angelique said almost smugly.

"That's ridiculous. As you know Barnabas isn't up yet, so you may wait or come back later," Quentin said smoothly.

"I think I'll just wait," Angelique said, walking over to Quentin, and caressing his cheek.
When she touched him, he cringed. He still had the vision of Josette fresh in his mind.

"What's the matter with you, Quentin? You're acting strange. Now, do you want to tell me what's wrong. You can do it willingly, or I can make you do it." Angelique said, getting angry. She wasn't used to Quentin rebuffing her like this, just the opposite, in fact.

"Angelique, don't be silly," Quentin said putting his arms around her.

"That's better." Angelique said, now satisfied that everything was okay.

Magda walked in the door at that moment, and said, "Quentin, Angelique, my two favorite people waiting to greet me from my journey."

Quentin just looked at Magda, and all he could see was her planning to rob Naomi Collins tomb for her jewels, and the rage was back. But, wait, he told himself -- he saw the image that Josette had shown him of Barnabas standing over a very dead Magda, and Barnabas' fangs were dripping blood, and he had a very evil smile on his face, as he stepped over her body, and walked away.

"Angelique, did you know Naomi Collins very well?" Quentin asked in a conversational tone, causing Magda to jerk her head toward him.

"Quentin, good evening. What are you asking about my mother?" Barnabas said as he walked into the room, greeting Magda very affectionately at the same time.

"Barnabas, I need to get back to Collinwood before Edward sends out the Army looking for me," Quentin said nonchalantly, ignoring Barnabas' initial question.

"Thank you for staying here today, Quentin." Barnabas said looking at his cousin, questioningly. Quentin walked out the door, and down the path, in a hurry to get to his room in the West Wing. He didn't know how Barnabas could be in the same room with Angelique and Magda, without murdering them both. But when Barnabas had come in, and asked him what he wanted to know about Naomi Collins, and greeted Magda with that false affection, an idea had come to Quentin. Watching Angelique out of the corner of his eyes, when Barnabas walked in the room, he had seen the longing for him, and it had sickened Quentin, and that's when he knew what he had to do.

Walking in the back way, and making his way to the West Wing, he went in, and locked his doors. Barnabas had told him how he had come back in time to change the past, using the I-Ching wands, Quentin had formulated the plan, if Barnabas could go back in time to change the past, then so could he. The Collins family meant a lot to Barnabas, and now, it would seem it meant a lot to him. He would take the risk.

Grabbing the I-Ching wands, Quentin spread them out, and saw the hexagram of change, and began to concentrate until the door opened. He saw the Old House, then the door closed. Where was he? What was this time?

"Monsieur, are you okay?" a female voice asked him, with a French accent. Quentin looked up, and with a sharp intake of breath, he found he was looking into the face of Josette Collins, and he could smell jasmine.

To be continued...

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