Subj: A Return to the Shadows Part 12
Date: 2/6/01 9:25:56 PM Central Standard Time
From: KimD and Vicki Reed

Professor Stokes pulled out a large binder he always carried in his car. He had written down in here things that caught his attention, or anything he might want to refer to a later time, it was a Bible to him. He and Julia sat in the hospital cafeteria as he flipped through the pages. "Julia, you must tell me everything."

"I know the vampire...," she said nervously. "I tried...am trying to save him."

Professor Stokes' eyes widened, with excitement. "My God. You simply must tell me."

"I will Elliot, but the biggest threat now is that of the vampires nemesis. A witch named Angelique Bouchard." Professor Stokes clapped his hands together. This was his dream! To live among these people, to learn their stories. The name Bouchard rung a bell. "She is a very powerful witch, is there anything on her in your notes?"

Thumbing to the pages Stokes found Bouchard. "Ah yes! This Angelique...she is from Martinique is she not?" Julia nodded silently. "Her mother was Giselle Bouchard, a voodoo priestess in the Caribbean. She combined European witchcraft with that of the voodoo priestess...she was one of the most powerful in that time. She had a daughter, this Angelique, but when Angelique was very young wealthy plantation owners saw the power her mother had, and she was...killed. Another family, the du Pres family." He watched Julia's reaction go from calm to shock. "They had a young daughter Josette and Angelqiue was to be her maid." He shook his head. "Have you heard this story before?"

Angelique opened the coffin lid and gazed down at the prostate form of her ex-lover. He was still as handsome as he had been two hundred years ago. She smiled in satisfaction at what she had done. He had thought he could be cured and live a normal happy life with Victoria Winters. He was to be alone for all eternity, and she would make certain that he was. Victoria would have to be taken care of. She smiled as she thought of what she would do. Barnabas would destroy Victoria, and it would all be by his own hands. Jealousy would be one of the weapons she would use. "You will see Victoria, but you will think of Josette and how she betrayed you."

Now to give him a reason to be jealous, she thought. Victoria has been fighting her attraction to Quentin, but she would take care of that. Victoria knowledge of Carolyn's condition would also help to push her toward Quentin. Angelique would make sure that she would be so horrified that she wouldn't help but turn to another. Angelique left the old house smiling again as she thought of her plans.

Maggie wrapped her coat around her as she left the Blue Whale and got in her car. She had heard from a few of the Blue Whale patrons that Carolyn was in the hospital. She had known something would happen to her. She remembered the vision she had the lost time Carolyn had come in with Joe. The face she had seen had been old and withered. She knew it wasn't his true appearance, but she hadn't been able to detect anything familiar about him. She felt like something was blocking her efforts to see who it was.

She thought of the spirit that had taken over both her and Julia. It had been so vengeful. She knew that it hadn't left so easily. There was only one other that could compare to the hatred and pure evil that she had sensed. That was Laura.

The hospital room had fallen into a sullen silence when Maggie entered. She walked over to Elizabeth Stodard and said, "Elizabeth, if there's anything I can for you, please tell me."

Elizabeth looked at the younger woman and said, "Thank you so much dear. Everyone's being very kind to me."

Just then a nurse walked past the room and looked at all the people inside. "This is too many people for one room. I'm afraid some of you will have to wait outside."

"How would you like for me to treat you to coffee in the hospital cafeteria?" Quentin asked Vicki. She couldn't find a graceful way of declining his offer, so she let him accompany her out of the room.

She had meant to stay away from him, but she seemed to be spending just as much, if not more him with him than before. "Quentin I want to talk to you about this morning," Vicki said.

"You asked me to stay away from you," he said calmly.

"Yes, but I wanted to explain why."

"The reason I'm guessing is Barnabas Collins." He remained calm as if this fact didn't matter.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Elizabeth told me about the two of you soon after I came here." It was as if last night hadn't happened, or at least was a vague memory. Victoria felt as if she were in a dreamlike world. This man, she barely knew him, yet it was as if she knew him better than anyone else at Collinwood, and that frightened her deeply. "Do you love him?"

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.