Subj: Fiery Forbidden Love: A Smoldering Flame Chapter 11
Date: 11/17/98 9:59:28 PM Central Standard Time
From: Cassie Rademacher

Chapter Eleven: A unique collaboration between Cassie and Bev

Julia got off the plane at the airport, the hot air leaving her lungs feeling seared. Perhaps I'd better follow Quentin's advice and give up smoking, she thought as she went down the steps with her bag. The air was very dry as well. The walk to the cool terminal seemed miles away. Once instead, she paused, allowing herself to feel refreshed by the air-conditioned comfort. Then, following Cassandra's advice, she began to concentrate. She focused first on Quentin's face and then the sound of his voice. She had never believed she'd had any psychic abilities and perhaps this was a latent power enhanced by Cassandra's help. She suddenly felt sure which hotel she should have the cab take her to. She had to hurry-it was almost dusk.

Cassandra embraced Roger lovingly. "What do you think, my darling? We have the house to ourselves tonight! I have told cook to prepare a special dinner for just the two of us!"

Roger looked surprised and delighted. "Where is everyone?"

"On a little excursion across the Channel," Cassandra replied with her lilting laugh. "They're not due back until tomorrow. We are quite alone!" She gave him a very passionate kiss, feeling him respond to her warmly. She wanted him very much, it was true, but her desire for him was coupled with another sense of urgency. She was sure she would be able to stop Nicholas and Laura without having to go to Alexandria if she could have but a few minutes alone to cast a spell. For that, she needed Roger sated and happily preoccupied with something else. She would take care of their needs first -- then tend to Nicholas and Laura.

The sharp rap on the door of the suite literally made Quentin jump. He'd been standing at the window, looking at the horizon and watching the sun go down with an increasing sense of dread. He'd been up all night with Barnabas combing the streets of Alexandria. Barnabas was in a rage. He could sense Laura's closeness but was unable to trace her exact location and it made him irritable to the point that Quentin worried about his own physical safety. Once when he'd asked when they could stop this pointless searching, his cousin drew his arm back and Quentin braced himself to be struck; Barnabas only barely managed to stop himself and growled the search would stop when *he* was ready, not before.

The daytime hours were worse, not better. He'd only managed to drift off to sleep once and had a similar dream in which he thought he was being kissed and caressed by Julia only to see his cousin's face or hear his voice instead of hers. After that, he'd simply refused to sleep. He paced back and forth restlessly all afternoon. Now that it was growing dark, he apprehensively anticipated another night of Barnabas' cold and bitter rage.

"Quentin!" he heard Julia call through the door.

God, no! He thought, both frightened and relieved to hear her voice. He swiftly went to the door and unlocked it. He pulled the door open wanting to sweep her into his arms but he was only able to stand there staring at her
speechlessly.

Julia was unsettled by his appearance. Quentin looked haggard and frightfully upset. "I'm here, dearheart," she said to him, moving into his arms. Mechanically, his arms went around her, and she looked up at him, puzzled. "What is it?"

He started to pull away. "You shouldn't have come. You're in danger here."

"I couldn't stay away." Julia followed him into the room and shut the door. "I could feel that you were in trouble. What is it? What's happening?"

Quentin turned away from her, shivering as if he was cold. "Julia, it's bad enough that I have to be here under his control. I don't want to have to worry about you, too. I want you to leave. Where are the kids?"

Julia's jaw set stubbornly. "I am not going to do that, and Jon and Donna are safe where they are. I have dealt with Barnabas for many more years than you have. He is not going to harm me."

Quentin sat on the bed, covering his face with his hands. He felt Julia sit down beside him. She reached over to stroke his hair. He turned to her for comfort. For just a moment, it wasn't her face that he saw-it was Barnabas' and he drew back with a cry of protest. She put her hand on his arm, alarmed at how quickly his face blanched of color. "What is it, dearheart?" she whispered.

The door to the connecting room opened and Barnabas entered. "Good evening, Julia," he said pleasantly. "How nice to see you."

Julia stood up and faced Barnabas, her eyes narrowed to angry slits. "What have you done to Quentin?" she demanded.

Barnabas looked both amused and insulted. "Why, nothing. Why on earth would you ask me such a thing?" He turned his eyes to Quentin, his eyes boring into his cousin. Julia followed his glance suspiciously.

Quentin lowered his head. "He hasn't done anything, Julia," he muttered. With a show of disbelief, Julia gently turned Quentin's head from side to side. She made a big show of examining his neck for wounds. There were no marks.

"There, now, are you satisfied, dear Julia?" Barnabas asked with contempt.

"Not by a long shot," Julia snapped out each word. She examined Quentin's arms as well, remembering full well that Barnabas had victimized Willie by biting his wrist. I have to be satisfied with this, she thought. She was not going to embarrass her husband by taking his pants down to check the femoral artery in his legs. Later, though… She met Quentin's eyes briefly and was distressed by the desperate expression in his eyes.

Laura knocked awkwardly at the door of the sumptuous hotel suite. Nicholas himself came to the door and smiled broadly when he saw who it was. "My dear Laura, won't you come in!" he exclaimed.

"Thank you," Laura replied, stepping into the room. She was carrying Jamie in her arms and was accompanied by David. Elizabeth came in from the bedroom, a serene expression of sublime satisfaction on her face. "Laura!" she exclaimed. "How wonderful to see you again! And my darling David!" She reached her arms out toward her nephew. He ran to her with a cry of relief. Now he could trust totally--his beloved aunt was here, and everything *must* be all right!

"Won't you come in and sit with us?" Nicholas invited.

"I'd love to, but I really came by to ask a favor," Laura said. With her eyes, she communicated with Nicholas. There is something I must do-I must go to the Temple of Amen-Re with Barnabas. He demands it. "I have an appointment I absolutely must keep, and I wondered if I might leave the boys with you?"

"Well, absolutely!" Nicholas said heartily, reaching for the baby. "We'd be delighted, wouldn't we, my love?" He was addressing Elizabeth, who looked at Nicholas with shiny eyes.

"We would love to, Laura," Elizabeth agreed. "They can have dinner with us. We'll order something to be sent up to us."

Laura smiled charmingly at her former sister-in-law, dimpling. "I won't be gone long. I will return, and we'll all have much to talk about."

Elizabeth looked at her blankly and smiled. She was totally entranced.

Laura called a cab from the suite and asked the driver to take her to the hotel where Quentin had booked a suite of rooms. She'd sensed how frantically Barnabas had searched for her the night before and was grieved that he'd suffered so. There was no way she could come to him before winning an assurance from Amen-Re that Barnabas would be safe. Barnabas loved her enough that she knew he would not mind assuring her god of his neutrality in any supernatural matters pertaining to him and his domain. She arrived at Barnabas' door, flush with the prospect of seeing her lover again and heard angry voices from within. Julia-that meddler! Laura thought with disdain. She tried the door and found it unlocked. She opened the door and stepped into the room. The scene in front of her stunned her. Quentin had just stepped in front of his wife, who was red with furious rage. Barnabas had taken a menacing step toward his cousin, who had the audacity to pull out a cross from under his shirt and hold it up. Crying out, Barnabas turned away and saw her.

"Beloved!" she cried. She stared intently at the cross, and Quentin cried out as it burned his hand. He let go of it. When it touched his shirt, it burned his chest, too, and so he pulled the chain over his neck and threw it onto the bed, shaking his burned hand. Laura herself ran into her lover's arms, pressing her lips against his. She felt him return the kiss passionately, and then he took her by the arms and set her back a little. He gave her a brief smile, turned, and knocked Quentin to the floor with a single backhanded blow.

"I have not finished dealing with you!" he threatened in a sinister tone of voice. As Julia bent over her husband, Barnabas turned back to Laura, pulling her back into his arms, kissing her again. "You didn't come to me," he said in a low voice, distressed. He was unable to control himself and sank his fangs into her neck.

"Yes, yes, beloved, it is all right, though! I have saved us!" Laura murmured in a state of ecstasy. Through their link, she communicated to Barnabas that they were to go to the Tomb of King Zoser where they would communicate directly with Amen-Re. He would let them go in peace after that. He would not require Jamie as a sacrifice; as for David and Laura, that was not necessary at this moment. Satisfied, Barnabas raised his head and kissed Laura again. He wanted her now, but there was Quentin and Julia…Angrily, he turned toward them.

Laura gasped, sensing Barnabas' intent to punish. At the sound, he turned toward her, puzzled. "Don't hurt them, my love," she begged.

"They have defied me!" Barnabas protested.

"I know," Laura agreed. "They are weak and frightened. They won't defy you again. Besides, we'll need them…" She gave him a look of intent longing and love. He couldn't reject her appeal on their behalf, although he felt they were unworthy of her attention.

"All right," Barnabas said grudgingly. He turned toward Julia and Quentin. Quentin had managed to sit up and was holding his aching head, while Julia had her arms around him. Julia's eyes blazed with fury but she made no move against Barnabas or Laura. "Get up," he said harshly. "We are going now."

They had no choice but to obey.

Cassandra excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving a thoroughly content Roger reading before the fire. They'd made love before dinner, enjoyed an exceptionally fine meal, and then enjoyed more passionate lovemaking as dessert. They'd been sitting before the fire, reading in companionable silence, for about a half-hour when Cassandra decided it would be appropriate to take her leave. She had everything she needed for the spell she was about to cast. She knew she was not in favor with Diabolos, but there were other nether-gods she could appeal to who would help her. Diabolos would not interfere; his evil could be quite mischievous. He'd want to see how Nicholas would respond to the spell. Cassandra was no fool. She'd accumulated small possessions of a number of people and had kept them in case she'd ever need them. She had a small ribbon that belonged to Maggie Evans. She began her incantation, rubbing the ribbon between her fingers almost lovingly. She wasn't going to hurt Maggie, oh no- she had no intention of doing that . . .

Nicholas chucked Jamie under the chin. He neither liked nor disliked babies and children. He understood that they were necessary creatures and so he tolerated them. He knew how to be charming to them and knew well how to entrance children as easily as he could win over suspicious adults. As he played with Jamie, he was struck suddenly by a frightening image in his mind. Maggie was going to die within the next 48 hours!

He stood up abruptly. Startled, Elizabeth and David looked at him. He brought the baby to Elizabeth and set Jamie on her lap. "Elizabeth," he said quietly and intently, "something has come up and I must go for a little while. But you'll be all right here with the boys, won't you?"

Dazed, Elizabeth answered automatically, "Why, yes."

"Good. I have faith in you." Nicholas kissed her on the cheek and then swiftly retrieved his trenchcoat and hat. He called for a cab before leaving them without another word. Diabolos would not be pleased, Nicholas knew, but he there was no way he could allow anything to happen to Maggie. He'd fully intended on reclaiming her once his mission here was completed. He was positive that Laura had things under control and so he would be able to go and deal with whatever danger Maggie was in. Concern for Maggie abruptly kindled the small flame of love he still carried for her in his corrupt soul.

At the tomb of King Zoser, Laura reverently approached the pyramid. "The opening is through here, Barnabas. We can only stay momentarily because you are not one of us-it is only to assure the god that you will bring no harm to us."

Barnabas took Julia by the wrist and pulled her close. "We cannot take a chance of leaving them alone together out here even for a moment. She will come with us."

"No!" Quentin protested. "I'll do it." He stared into Barnabas' eyes, thinking: do what you want to me but leave my wife alone!

Barnabas let go of Julia. For just a moment, he looked back at Quentin kindly and with compassion. His expression had become cold again when he said, "Come along, then."

"Quentin-" Julia protested, frightened.

Quentin pulled her to him. "Now, don't you worry," he reassured her. "I'll be fine." He let go of her and turned, following Barnabas and Laura to the base of the pyramid. Stunned Julia watched as one moment they were there, and the next-they were gone. It's like that parallel time room, she thought.

She paced back and forth, thoroughly frightened for herself and for Quentin. There was no reason to worry about Laura and as for Barnabas-her lips became a thin furious line and her eyes narrowed to angry slits again. This was his choice to put everyone in harm's way. She no longer gave a damn what happened to him. She didn't know how long she'd been pacing when they suddenly reappeared out of nowhere-it seemed.

Relieved, she ran to Quentin, who was very pale. He squeezed her hand to let her know that he was all right.

"And now my love, we will be together," Barnabas was saying to Laura. Their arms were around each other's waists. "Come along," Barnabas called to Julia and Quentin in an off-hand manner.

Julia opened her mouth to snap at him, but Quentin grabbed her elbow and shook his head at her furiously. She kept her peace. At the hotel, Barnabas disconnected the phone in their room and carefully locked both doors from the outside. They were prisoners. In the adjoining room, Quentin and Julia could hear the happy reunion taking place. "Are you all right, dearheart?" Julia asked, concerned at the defeated droop in Quentin's shoulders.

He was sitting on the bed, pulling his shoes off. He sighed heavily. She climbed onto the bed behind him, massaging his neck and shoulders. He was very tense; she could feel the knots and lumps in his muscles. Leaning forward, she placed her lips on his neck. "No!" he shouted, leaping to his feet. She was stunned. He'd covered his face with his hands and when she went to him, she felt him trembling.

"What has he done to you?" she asked softly.

"I can't tell you." His voice sounded agonized.

Her jaw set in a determined way. "Quentin, sit down on the bed," she said firmly. He didn't argue with her. She got her purse and fished around in it until she found her medallion. He'd taken his hands away from his eyes and looked up at her with a trusting, questioning expression on his face. "He's done something to you to cause a wall between us," she explained. "I'm going to take that wall down-if only temporarily. I'll do it everyday if I have to. You and I are going to be together tonight, Quentin-we are going to bring comfort to each other. I love you. Do you trust me?" Wordlessly, he nodded.

"All right, dearheart, I want you to look at this. Do you see the light? I want you to look deep inside-and tell me when you find the center of the light…"

Roxanne concentrated hard on her baby's blanket. She was beginning to get an image in her mind of a room…a hotel room. She could see the furniture, and now she could see Jamie-lying safely in Elizabeth's arms. She sensed but couldn't see David. They were safe because…they were alone in the room. Good! She thought with determination. She hailed a cab.