Subj: The Birthday Gift Part 5
Date: 5/10/00 1:07:17 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Daphne

Requiem

There was a spiritual warmth in the darkness that beckoned to him as he felt a gentle hand brush against his cheek, but in spite of the love that suffused him, Quentin was afraid. He was afraid to believe that this was real, for life had never given him any reason to have faith in peace. His parents and Beth had been stolen from him, and his family had been torn apart– everything he could have ever cared about had been taken from him, and he'd been forced to not care about or believe in anything. It was the only way to shield himself from the pain of his existence. Quentin knew he didn't deserve salvation and wondered if perhaps this was a trick created by Ceberus to further torment him. After all the evil he'd seen and experienced, how could it be anything else?

It's not a trick Quentin, but you won't believe me until you open your eyes.

I can't Beth, his soul sobbed, I'm so afraid this isn't real!

I know, my love, but I've never given you any reason not to trust me have I?

The question was a simple one, one with an even simpler answer. Beth had never given him any reason to doubt her sincerity; the only times that he had done so were when he'd given in to his paranoia and fear. She'd kept the truth of his children from him because she wished to protect them from the curse, and because he'd been too selfish to have been a good father. There was nothing else she could have done, and so she had cared for Lenore and Michael, taking them clothes and toys, and spending much of her time with Mrs. Fillmore in a vain attempt to give them a life worthy of what they deserved. Although it had taken almost a century for Quentin to realize that her actions had been altruistic, he understood that she had never tried to purposefully hurt him by keeping their existence a secret. No, everything she had done had been out of respect for his family, and love for him, and he knew that if she said was there, then his experience had to be real. Slowly opening his eyes, Quentin awoke to find Beth at his side, looking as regal as she had the first day he'd met her. She was wearing the pale blue gown Judith had chosen for her funeral, and her hair fell down her back in the golden curls Quentin had so loved to touch. In her hand, she held a single yellow rose, the one special token of affection they had shared; Beth's favorite flower was a yellow rose and he'd gotten into trouble many times by cutting them off Judith's favorite rosebush for her. Now it seemed as though the simple blossom was nothing less than a perfect symbol of the miracle that had unfolded before him.

"Please be real," he cried as he reached out to touch her and suddenly found himself in her embrace.

"I'm here," she whispered, "I'm here." She held him as he wept, her strength and love erasing the years of pain that had so mercilessly scarred him. In its place, Quentin felt the stillness of peace and for a long moment, no words passed between them. When he finally had control of himself, Quentin raised his head from her shoulder and looked into her eyes; when he did, he saw nothing of the past. Before her death, Beth had been frightened because of the mind-switch that Petofi had used against him. In spite of his attempts to make Beth realize he was himself again, she'd died thinking he was a monster, and he'd never forgotten the look of terror on her face when he reached out for her that last time. Now there was nothing but joy and love in her eyes, and Quentin knew for the first time what it meant to truly love someone. His life had been incomplete without her, and now that Beth was back, he felt alive again.

"I've missed you, Beth."

"I've missed you too, Quentin. I've never been completely alone - Sarah has been here, as well as her family and mine, but being without you has been terribly painful for me. I wanted to come for you sooner, but I couldn't. I apologize for that, my love. I never wanted to hurt you by staying away so long, but I had to be certain that the time was right before I came to you."

"Why are you here now? What makes this day any different than the rest?" His birthday had only served to remind him of his loneliness and of how he had done nothing to deserve redemption. What had possibly made this day so special?

"I heard your wish, my love. Tonight you told me that you love me, and that you're sorry you didn't realize that before I died. You've changed, Quentin...you're not at all the same man I fell in love with when I first came here. You would have never been so open and honest with your feelings before. You have a caring and compassionate soul...when I heard your wish tonight, I realized that it was my time to be with you again. Are you ready to come with me, Quentin?"

"Ready? Oh Beth, the only thing that ever kept me from burning my portrait and joining you was meeting Chris..."

"Chris? He's related to you?"

"Yes," Quentin sadly admitted, " he's my great-grandson. He's a wonderful kid, but he's suffered so because of me. Before I came here, he was engaged, but his fiancee saw his transformation and had a breakdown. I've visited her at Wyndcliffe a couple of times and she's barely alive now. She's trapped inside herself, and I don't think she'll ever completely recover. Chris still blames himself and I couldn't leave him without trying to help him find a cure for the curse. That's why I couldn't come to you, Beth. I had to stay here until I could help my family. They shouldn't have to suffer for my sins."

"I understand, darling," she whispered, caressing his cheek. "but the cure was never about finding the right potion or
incantation. Magda cursed you because you killed Jenny without remorse. Ending your punishment meant looking into your heart and seeking forgiveness. Now that you've done that, it's over."

"It is?" he asked, his voice breaking as he thought of what Beth's admission meant to him. Now that she was here, Chris could find the love he deserved and Amy would be able to be a mother without having to worry about passing the curse on to her oldest son; did he dare believe that the answer he'd been looking for was that simple? Could it be that his time as an immortal had finally come to an end?

"Yes, Quentin. It's over. Come and look in the mirror if you don't believe me." She rose from the bed and held her hand out to him, smiling when he took it and followed her into the suite that adjoined his room. When he looked at his reflection, he merely stood before the mirror in shocked surprise, unable to say anything. The Quentin Collins who looked back at him was older, having visibly changed in a matter of moments. His hair was silvery gray and time had whispered across his features, leaving the slightest traces of its presence around his eyes and the corners of his mouth. It was almost as if the portrait had never existed, and he brushed his hand reverently over the glass to assure himself that he wasn't dreaming.

"I did this?" he whispered in awe when he felt the smoothness of the glass beneath his palm.

"Yes, Quentin. I always knew you were a good man....you just had to believe that you deserved forgiveness. Are you ready to go now?"

He was more than ready to join Beth, for he had grown weary of the price of immortality. It had been so painful to watch his family evolve generation after generation, knowing that eventually he'd lose everyone he'd grown to care for. Even the happiness he'd found with Carolyn's family had been tainted by the specters of the past, for he would have to distance himself from them when his eternal youth began to raise questions he couldn't answer. He welcomed death's embrace, and knew that he would only be separated from those he was about to leave behind for a little while. "There's someone I need to tell goodbye first, Beth, but then I'll be ready to go."

He returned to his bedroom long enough to retrieve his dreamcatcher so that he could leave it with Arianna and they walked hand in hand down the hallway, stopping when they reached her room. For a moment, they stood in the doorway and watched the young girl sleep; she was curled up next to a teddy bear that Quentin had given her and the moonlight kissed her hair as it streamed in through the window, giving her the appearance of a tiny angel. She'd finally found peace in her dreams; the monsters had been vanquished, and Quentin was relieved to see that he could leave knowing she was no longer frightened.

"Oh Quentin, she's so beautiful," Beth whispered, sounding as if she was about to cry. Alarmed, Quentin turned to face her, worried by the sudden change in her emotions.

"What's wrong Beth? Why are you so upset?"

"Nothing's wrong, Quentin, but there's something I was unable to tell you before I died. I know that Arianna reminds you of me..."

"Yes," he interrupted, "she always has. From the moment she was born, she had your personality...she's very innocent and beautiful but stubborn. Just like you."

"Quentin there's a very good reason for that.....you see, she is the reincarnation of the daughter we never had a chance to love. I was pregnant when I fell from Widow's Hill."

Quentin felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach as the truth made its impact on him.. Beth had been pregnant with his child, knowing the pain he'd suffered in losing Michael, and had told him nothing. How could she have done this to him? "Why didn't you tell me, Beth?" he asked, trying not to sound as hurt and betrayed as he suddenly felt.

"I didn't even know the truth until a few weeks before my death. By that time, Petofi had used his black magic against you, and I was so frightened and confused that I didn't know what to do. I knew that if he was capable of switching minds with you to reach the future he wouldn't have any trouble with harming our baby, too. Knowing that a part of you was with me in that way was the only thing that kept me alive those last few days. My plan was to wait and see if everything would be alright before I told you the truth; I thought that if Petofi gave you your identity back, we could leave Collinwood and start a new life...that was all I ever really wanted to share with you, but Fate was never kind to me..."

Quentin was silent as he contemplated his daughter's destiny, one that had been so tragically taken from her before her life had even begun. Was death the worst thing that could have happened to her? If she'd lived and had a son, she would have been helpless to end his suffering. He remembered the torment he'd felt when he realized there was no way to save Michael, and a mother's bond with her child would have been infinitely stronger; it would have killed her to know that her son was going to become a monster and that she couldn't help him. He was grateful that she hadn't had to endure the wrath of his punishment, and happier still that she had been given a second chance at life with parents as loving as Willie and Carolyn. His only regret as he watched Arianna sleep was that Beth had been robbed of her chance to be a mother to such a beautiful little girl.

"I'm so sorry, Beth," he whispered as tears blurred his vision, "I'm sorry that we couldn't share a family. You would have been an incredible mother..." Before Beth could speak, Arianna stirred in her sleep and awoke, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

"Quentin?"

"Yes, darling, I'm here," he reassured her as he crossed the room to hold her. "What is it?"

"The monsters tried to come back, but I wouldn't let them. I told them you would make them leave again and they got scared and left. Aren't you proud that I sent them away?"

"Yes, I'm very proud of you." He preoccupied himself with hanging the dreamcatcher on her bedpost as he tried to think of a way to tell her goodbye.

"What's that Quentin?" She asked, reaching out to touch the feathers that adorned its delicate webbing.

"It's the dreamcatcher your mother gave me last year for Christmas. If you sleep with it over your bed, it will trap all the bad dreams and monsters so they won't hurt you. When the monsters see it, they'll know I'm here with you, even if they can't see me, and they'll stay away."

"Can't see you?" Arianna looked puzzled, her features creased with the frown that all children wear when they are trying to understand a grown-up. "Why wouldn't they be able to see you? Are you going somewhere Quentin?"

"Arianna, I don't expect you to understand everything I'm about to tell you. I don't really understand most of it myself, but I want you to know the truth. Beth is here now...she came to me tonight because she knows how lonely I've been without her..." He stopped, unable to speak; he didn't want to upset Arianna, but couldn't leave without telling her goodbye. After all, she carried the spirit of his daughter with her in this life- didn't that somehow make her his own
child?

"Beth is here?" Arianna asked, peering over Quentin's shoulder into the darkness of the room. "Where is she Quentin? Can I see her?" Beth reluctantly appeared at Quentin's side, worried that she might frighten Arianna, but when she saw the look on the little girl's face, she knew that she had made the right decision.

"Wow, are you an angel, Beth?" Arianna asked, her eyes wide with awe.

"I suppose I am something like that," she whispered, taking Quentin's hand in hers as she sat at the foot of the bed beside him. When Arianna hugged her, Beth began to cry as she finally held her daughter for the first time.

"I didn't know angels could cry!" Arianna gasped, astonished to see that Beth had tears as real as her own.

"We do when we're happy, darling. And I'm very happy that I've had the chance to meet you."

"Are you going to stay with us now, Beth?"

"Arianna, that's what I wanted to talk to you about,"Quentin interrupted, "Beth has come back for me. There were many reasons we couldn't be together before, reasons you're too young to understand, but now the time has come for us to love each other again. I have to leave you for a while now, but I want you to know that I'll always be here with you, even though you won't be able to see me. Do you remember what we told you when your grandmother left us?"

"Yes,"Arianna whispered as her sudden understanding of the situation registered on her face. "You told me that she was heaven and if I needed her, all I had to do was say a prayer and she would hear me."

"That's right," Quentin nodded, "and you can do the same with me. Your love will keep me alive in your heart. I'll watch over you and someday we can be together again. You've got to promise me one thing, though."

"Anything Quentin," the little girl vowed, even as she began to cry.

"You've got to be strong for your mother and father. They won't understand why I have to go, and it will be a sad time for them. Tell them that you love them, tell them often, and that will help them more than anything else. Do you promise?"

"Yes...but I don't want you to go, Quentin! You're my best friend!" she wailed, throwing her arms around her cousin as if she could make him stay with her through sheer force of will.

"I have to go darling, but I don't want you to be sad. I'll be with Beth, and I want that to make you happy for me. I won't be alone anymore. I'll miss you, but I'll always be here, whenever you need me."

"Quentin, it's time to go now," Beth whispered, " It's almost dawn and we should leave before the others wake up. It will be easier on everyone that way."

"Yes, Beth, I'm coming," he answered, watching as Arianna laid back down, curling up with the teddy bear he'd given her. She was crying softly as he neatly arranged the blankets around her and kissed her cheek for the last time. He'd never had to consider his own death before, and the pain of separation that it would cause his loved ones, for he had grown so used to being the one who was left behind. Rising to join Beth in the hallway, he refused to look back; instead he chose to think only of his love for her, and the peace he would finally find.

"Come, Quentin, you're so tired....you deserve a chance to rest now." He let her put her arm around his waist as she had done so many times in the past, and together they walked through the long corridors. When they finally stood outside, Quentin took Beth in his arms and kissed her, the gesture one of healing and redemption for him. As she responded to him, he felt himself becoming one with her in a way he'd never before experienced. All of the uncertainties he had of their reunion disappeared with the waning moonlight, and as the sun began to rise, he felt that he had physically-as well as spiritually- transformed. He was no longer confined to the prison of his heart, and for the first time in his existence, Quentin knew what it meant to be truly free.

"Is my family waiting for us Beth?" he asked, wondering what it would be like to see his mother and father, Edward, Judith, Nora and Jamison again.

"Of course they are, and they're very happy that you're coming with me. But they want us to have some time together before we join them. Where would you like to go first my love?"

"Why don't we take a walk on the beach? It's been so long since I watched the sun rise..."

It would be many years before he and Beth would return to Collinwood, the place where the eternal circle of his life began. He wouldn't know how the family had found him the next morning, or that they had learned he'd died peacefully in his sleep, the victim of a silent yet deadly heart attack. He wouldn't be witness to his family's heartache; instead he and Beth had many journeys ahead of them, for they were finally being given the chance to share all the moments they'd never had in their previous lives together. He would always listen to the sound of the wind, waiting for Arianna's prayers to be carried to him, and if it was in his power to do so, he would answer them. All she had to do was ask for his help, and he would be by her side to guide her through whatever obstacle had overwhelmed her. Someday he and Beth would return to Collinwood and watch over the family he'd left behind, but for now eternity belonged to them. He was once again with his true love, and as they walked along the beach, leaving no footprints behind to reveal their path, Quentin finally understood the meaning of happiness....

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.