Subj: What if Julia Instead of Vicki? ch. 6
Date: 5/26/99 6:20:52 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beverly LaCroix

Solutions

1967

"Barnabas, what are you doing?" Willie asked when he saw Barnabas looking like he was going to attack at any moment. Willie knew Roger and David were in the house, but he knew what Barnabas was planning was not smart.

David and Roger had not realized Barnabas was in the cellar with them until they heard Willie.

They stared at Barnabas in terror! His eyes were still red, but fortunately his fangs had receded.   Barnabas whirled around to face Willie, and if looks could kill Willie would have been in the Bronze age,

"What do you want?" Barnabas hissed through tightly clenched teeth.

"Don't do anything stupid!" Willie mouthed in barely a whisper.

"What do you think I should do, then, invite them to dinner?" Barnabas hissed again getting angrier by the minute.

Willie could see the top of his fangs threatening to come through clenched teeth. "Let me handle it, Barnabas." Willie said, his whisper was hysterical by this time, he had visions of solitary confinement in a padded cell somewhere in No Man's Land, Kansas.

"YOU!" Barnabas shouted in a voice out of control, it reverberated throughout the house. Barnabas had forgotten to control his vampirism.

Looking at Roger and David, he could see the fear on their faces as Willie had retreated and was now cowering behind David.

Thinking fast, Barnabas decided he would deal with that little coward Willie after he was done with Roger and David. He had had enough of David anyway, but Sarah had always interferred when he was going to end the miserable little brat's existence. Oh, I don't mean that, Barnabas thought rapidly looking at the scared look on the boy's face. What? What? What? He was thinking.

"Is something wrong?" Barnabas managed to croak out, sounding somewhat absurd.

"Does this mean that we have to go back to Collinwood?" Roger asked. Barnabas noticed a pleading look on his cousins faces. Now, he was confused.

"What do you mean by 'does this mean you have to go back to Collinwood?' Barnabas asked, automatically holding his breath, if he had any, waiting for the answer.

"Well, we obviously interrrupted quite a heated discussion between you and Willie," Roger answered apologetically.

With what sounded like a laugh of relief, Barnabas answered with "oh that. Of course not. I'm delighted to see you both.

"Willie let go of David's leg. Whatever has come over you?" Barnabas stated incredulously staring at Willie.

"Cousin Barnabas, this coffin is the one that I saw in my dream. It wasn't here when Dr. Woodard, Burke, and I looked here before. Do you sleep in this?" David asked bravely now that his father was here.

Barnabas felt paralyzed, when he heard Roger answering, "David, apologize to your cousin at once. He probably found this down in the catacombs of this Old House, and he and Willie were probably arguing about what to do with it. That scoundrel -- and I apologize, Barnabas -- probably wanted to sell it and keep the money for himself. It's an antique, and I'm sure our illustrous cousin knows the value of what an item like this would bring at an auction." Roger said, all the while never taking his eyes off Barnabas. He and Barnabas' eyes were locked in a very steady gaze.

Finally Barnabas was able to talk, "why, yes, Roger, you sound as if you were here," Barnabas' voice was very weak.

Roger had a pinch on David that Barnabas couldn't see, but Willie had noticed it before he had scampered up the stairs.

"Barnabas, do you have a drink? I could use one," Roger said in a friendly tone, the pinch still on David.

Roger having finished his fourth drink, he had insisted on whiskey. He didn't want a weak drink meant for a lady's tea party, he needed something strong. When Barnabas had gone to see if Willie could find another bottle, David pried himself away from whatever had his interest at the moment, and whispered to his father, "Father, why were you pinching me so hard?" David asked, over his anger at his father's pinch.

"Because, son, I didn't want you to upset Barnabas with that coffin business." Roger said.

"Why? Why did you take up for him?" You lied," David said petutantly.

"No, I didn't. I was looking out for your welfare," Roger said.

"Why? What do you mean, Father?"

"David, look at this way" -- Roger said slurring his words, and hesitating.

"What way, Father?"

"Oh, oh, yes. I don't care if Barnabas spends his days in a coffin for whatever reason, he can be a vampire for all I care. I would rather be here than at Collinwood on my sore knees, and at the end of that harpy Abigail's pious preaching, and nagging. So, son, I was thinking of your poor little knees chaffed and red, probably bleeding, that's why I eased Barnabas out of his obvious discomfort.

Now, do you want to go back there with that woman? God knows how long she'll be there. Right now, I just can't face it. Maybe Barnabas will let us stay here for a couple of months if we explain to him why. I mean, he must understand. He hasn't been to Collinwood since that shrew popped in from the 1700s. These people and their absurd fascination with the past. See what it's brought on us, and especially me and you, son." Roger was saying when Barnabas walked in.

David nodded, a complete look of understanding on his face now. He was in complete agreement with his father. And just to show how grateful he was, he said "Cousin Barnabas, your house is beautiful. Father and I need to talk to you about something. If it's okay with you?" David said politely.

Willie watched as the three Collins males walked into the study, and closed the door. He was a bit fidgety about the earlier events, and had been very surprised at Roger Collins. Oh well, the Collins family were a bit strange, but always loyal to their own. Better go see if I can find some more whiskey, maybe cognac would do he thought as he remembered a bottle he had saw stashed behind the bureau in Josette's Room.

"WILLIE!" Barnabas called.

Willie jumped and bumped his head on the cupboard door when he heard Barnabas calling for him. "I wished he wouldn't do that, " Willie said to himself.

Walking slowly to the foyer to find Barnabas, Willie said when he saw them standing and talking happily to one another, "Barnabas?" Willie asked questioningly, straining to see if Roger and David had the dreaded marks on their necks. Seeing none Willie visibly relaxed.

"Could you prepare two of the upstairs bedrooms. Roger and David are going to be my guests for awhile," Barnabas said still somewhat confused and dazed by the evening's events. It had been the sight of David's chaffed and reddened knees that through Barnabas back to when he had been a sinful boy David's age, and had been subjected to the same torture by his Aunt Abigail, that he had agreed to let Roger and David be his guests. The rest was easy, a little hypnotism, and they wouldn't
question his lifestyle. Barnabas smiled.

1795 Old House

Julia was ecstatic! She had found a stash of tobacco in Jeremiah's old room, and had been busily rollling cigarettes when Nathan Forbes entered room unobserved.

"Are you ready, my darling?" The handsome man asked her in a low seductive voice.

"Yes," Julia replied her eyes glazed with happiness.

"The preacher is here, and we are waiting for you," he said extending his hand to take hers.

"Do you, Barnabas, take Josette to be your lawful wedded... I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.

Now, for the other couple.

Do you, Mr. Riggs take Angelique...

And do you, Angelique, take"...

Tears glistening in her eyes, Angelique finished her wedding vows. She was deleriosly happy.

Julia knew what she had to do, and got Angelique's attention.

Nathan watched the happy couples, thinking of in a few hours Julia would be Mrs. Nathan Forbes, he pushed thoughts of Suki away to be dealt with later. He and Julia were leaving for the Orient tonight. Joshua and the U.S. Navy gave permission when they learned he was going on a honeymoon, and Joshua was happy for him. He hadn't wanted to participate and be married here . He wanted his little Hoffsie to say I do to him where he could take her to be alone with him on a ship, where he was most comfortable. Broken out of his reverie by Angelique's shriek, he saw Julia approaching with a devious smile on her face.

"Honey, what happened?" Nathan asked her.

"She saw a spider. Nothing serious." Julia answered, watching Riggs take his new wife out the front door.

When the Old House was empty, and Angelique knew Josette wasn't around, only Barnabas was there, she went in and found him.

He was surprised by her presence, and standing up from his desk, he walked out into the drawing room, and told her it was pleasant to see her, but she must refrain from this kind of visit in the future. It wouldn't look right. Riggs might be his father's valet, and number one right-hand man, but they were after all servants. He personally, didn't feel that way, and neither did Mrs. Collins, Josette, but there protocol had to be followed.

Angelique's fury was growing as she told Barnabas she knew what he had done to be rid of her. She knew he had used his knowledge of the black arts to cast a spell on her so that she would think she was in love with Riggs, and just to be cruel it would be lifted when they were married.

"Well, Barnabas, I have fixed your plans of happiness," Angelique told him passionately.

Adjusting the pistol that he had tucked in his belt earlier when he had walked out of his study, he had noticed it lying on the desk, and was going to put it away. When Angelique arrived he had tucked it in his belt. He knew it was also loaded, and was trying to be careful, so now he stood up, knowing this was going to be very unpleasant when he said in a very deadly voice, "what are you talking about, Angelique?

Angelique pulled Sarah's dolls from her wrap, and Barnabas saw the pins, and knew what they represented, and Angelique was pleased with the look of pure terror in his eyes.

"Your sister, Sarah, will hover on the edge of death as long as you do what I say, Barnabas. And I warn you, don't try anything else like you did with the marriages, or she will die and it will be long, and painful. And I won't stop there. Next will be your precious Josette"...

Barnabas was truly horrified a the words he was hearing and the sight of Sarah's doll with the pins, and he knew Angelique would go through with every word. That's when he thought of the gun, and without any further thought he pulled it from his belt and fired.

Angelique screamed as the blood gushed, and she thought she lay there dying, and the red anger that clouded her vision spurted forth the next words without thought, "Barnabas Collins, I put a curse on you"...

Julia looked at Natie and without hesitation said, " I do." She knew the ship was ready to sail, the sun had set an hour ago. Watching the retreating back of the handsome man she was married to, she smiled when she looked up and saw the large vampire bat flying towards the heavens.