Subj: FFL:Burning Embers: Chapter 7
Date: 99-02-26 23:07:01 EST
From: msann

Chapter 7
Alliances

"I will not leave here without my son!" announced Roxanne as she descended from the top of the stairs. This was the last straw for her. It was one thing for Barnabas to act cold and indifferent towards her while he recovered, but to have such behavior encouraged by his psychiatrist was unforgivable. "I can't believe
that you would even entertain such an idea!"

"Roxanne, dear, I was only thinking of you. I didn't want to put you through the ordeal of dealing with Nicholas Blair in your condition," Barnabas replied calmly.

"And I suppose that you want to put Jamie through the ordeal of Nicholas?"

"No, Roxanne," said Barnabas. "I guess I wasn't thinking clearly."

"And you were going along with him, Julia. Why?" spat Roxanne.

"Roxanne, I wasn't trying to separate you from anyone. I was only thinking of what was best for you and your child. That's all."

Roxanne wasn't fooled by Julia's kind words for a moment. She sensed the jealousy and bitterness behind Julia's sympathetic exterior and what Julia's true goal had been: removing Roxanne from the Old House. Roxanne sympathized with Julia's marital problems, but she was not further jeopardizing her own marriage to please Julia. Barnabas meant too much to her for that. "Just so that you both have it straight. I'll go to England if I have to, but I am not leaving without Jamie, and I won't leave until I feel it's necessary!" said Roxanne as she walked out the door.

Roxanne wandered out into the woods to think. She had to come up with some way to get her husband back and it now seemed obvious that Julia Hoffman-Collins was not the person to turn to for help. It seemed that Julia too had been caught in the madness that now infected the family. Roxanne knew that she had to find another person to help her get her Barnabas back. But whom could she trust? A slow smile spread across her face as the answer came to her.

Nicholas Blair left the bedroom he shared with Elizabeth Collins Stoddard in a very good mood. Everything was going according to his plans. Elizabeth would be pregnant soon if she wasn't already, and there was so much of a circus going on at The Abbey and the Old House that it would take months for them residents to straighten it all out. The only thing that concerned Nicholas was the return of his sister Cassandra from England. He had hoped she would stay away until his plans were further along, but that couldn't be helped. Cassandra could become a very formidable enemy if she felt her family was threatened by the powers of darkness. The only way to make sure that she was occupied with something else that would keep her from discovering his true plans until it was too late. For that, he needed to go to Hell and speak with his Master, Diabolos.

Cassandra Collins was seated in the gazebo on the Collins estate. She had to leave the house for a while to think in the gazebo's relative privacy away from her "brother" Nicholas. Nicholas' presence represented a threat to her husband and children and she had to figure out a way to get Nicholas back into Hell and away from Collinsport forever. Cassandra knew that somehow she had to find a way to get Diabolos to think that Nicholas had betrayed him again. With all the chaos on the Great Estate of Collinwood, that would be a very difficult task.

Cassandra's musings were interrupted by the approach of a person upon the path towards her. "Roxanne, is that you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," sobbed Roxanne. " I didn't mean to disturb you. I just had to get away from the Old House for awhile."

"What is it? Did you and Barnabas have a fight?"

"No, not really," Roxanne cried. "It's just that he and Julia had the insane idea of sending me off to England without Jamie for my safety. They feel that I'll be safer from your brother there. I was just shocked that they would think such a thing. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things about your brother, but I'm just fed up with it all." Roxanne knew she had to be in the submissive role if she were to gain Cassandra's help. And what better way to
appear submissive than to play the role of the crying upset wife.

Cassandra, sensing an opportunity to gain an unlikely ally, decided to ignore Roxanne's last remark and replied, "You know that Barnabas is still recovering from his experiences with Laura. He is bound to still have some hidden resentments towards you."

"But that's just it. He doesn't hate Julia. If anything, it seems as thought she is trying to use his mental state to get back at me."

"How do you know that?"

"She thinks I don't know, but I did get that impression from her today at the Old House. She thinks I am responsible for some of her problems with Quentin."

"I see," Cassandra replied. She knew the manipulation of Roxanne had to be handled carefully for her plan to work. "There is one thing that Julia was right about, though."

"What's that?"

"Nicholas is dangerous. I don't know what he wants, but I do know that it isn't good for any of us, especially the children."

"So you think I should leave here to protect Jamie and my child?"

"No. I believe that you would be most effective here," Cassandra said.

Roxanne stared in confusion as she asked, "How? What can I do against your brother?"

"Alone, neither one of us is capable of destroying Nicholas. Together as a team we can. I believe I can teach you how to use your power better. However, Nicholas must not know of our allegiance, or he will try to destroy us. Outside this gazebo, we are casual acquaintances whose children play together. The only reason I am doing this is to preserve my marriage and keep my children away from Diabolos. Is that understood?"

"That's perfectly fine with me. I'm sick of being run over by everyone around here. I want my husband back, and if Nicholas must die for that to happen, then so be it," said Roxanne as she extended her hand out to Cassandra.

"Good, because I am going to ask you to do something that you might not like. I want you to go to Nicholas and ask him for help with your husband."

"Nicholas, I am glad that for once you decided to report to me as you should. What is the progress of the plan?" asked the hooded figure known as Diabolos.

"So far, everything is working as it should. The mouse Willie Loomis is still possessed by one of his characters. He and Joe Haskell are keeping Maggie Evans busy."

"Remember what happened the last time when you thought Maggie was busy? She helped to destroy the plan with the Leviathans."

"Master, I assure you that she is taken care of," assured Nicholas.

"And what of Julia Collins? She cannot be allowed to find out anything of significance either."

"Although I still think it was beneath me to do so, I planted the messages in her subconscious."

"Did she respond as we predicted?"

"She distrusts her own husband and is helping to prevent Barnabas Collins from recovering from his ordeal with the Phoenix. If anything, he seems to have gotten worse instead of better. His wife is too busy being heartbroken to pay any attention to me. There's only one problem, though. Cassandra has reappeared. I need more power to deal with her."

Diabolos stared at Nicholas carefully before responding. He needed to make absolutely certain that his servant was telling him the full truth. Finding no hint of deception, Diabolos responded, "All right, Nicholas, just what do you have in mind for Cassandra?"

------------------------
Passing the pen to Bev...