Subj: A Return to the Shadows Part 14
Date: 2/18/01 8:49:17 PM Central Standard Time
From:KimD
A Return to the Shadows
By
Vicki Reed and Kim
Part 14
Julia and Elliot were still sitting in the cafeteria, two cups of cold coffee in front of them. Both stunned in their own way. "Yes Elliot, I do know Angelique's story."
Elliot's thoughts again turned to the girl lying in the hospital bed upstairs. "How much do you know about this vampire?"
"I know the vampire, I tried to cure him."
"Remarkable," he whispered. "The things that you must have discovered in the filed of science with this man, you are a genius!"
"No Elliot, no. The young girl upstairs, Carolyn, she was his servant. But, there have been several complications in the curing process. Carolyn had an allergic reaction to the original formula I used. I have secured blood samples from her and when I go back to Collinwood, I will lock myself in my study until I make some progress."
"So you believe vampirism to be a disease?"
"Well, yes." Julia said after thinking for a second. "Yes, it's a blood disease, my cures proved that."
"I have to disagree with you on this Dr. Hoffman. It's a curse, so many legends about it in Central Europe. I spent time in Romania last year, there was a vampire rumored to be in a village, one night the villagers brought in a young girl, saying she was the vampire..she had the teeth, the signs...she was a vampire. Try telling these people that it's because of a genetic defect or a lack of blood cells. Who else knows about this vampire?"
"I have reason to believe that Victoria Winters, the governess may know." Julia explained to Elliot Victoria's time travel.
"My God!" He breathed. "Imagine that, to travel back in time. I would give anything for such an experience! Does she talk about it?"
"No, I believe that it is too painful for her. She and Barnabas were in love." Elliot noticed how Julia tensed up at the words in love.
"Have you tried hypnotism since she came home?" Julia wanted to hit herself, why hadn't she thought of that before?
"No! But I will certainly look into it."
"What we need now Julia is someone with a spark of the supernatural in them to be on our side."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone who can contact sprits. These people can be helpful, I've done a bit of that myself, but I'm not nearly as successful as someone who has the natural gift of physic abilities."
"Do you love Barnabas Collins?" Quentin repeated the question.
Vicki considered Quentin's question as they entered the cafeteria and took
a seat. Did she love Barnabas? The answer used to seem so clear. As much as
she tried, she couldn't deny what he was. She also knew that he wasn't
responsible for his condition. But seeing Carolyn had horrified her. When she
had first met Barnabas he had seemed so gentle and charming. He had been completely
unlike anyone she had known before. Their relationship could never be the same
as before, but she couldn't let Quentin know that, her closeness with Quentin,
who looked so much like Jeremiah would only hurt Barnabas. No matter how confused
she felt she didn't want to hurt anyone. "Yes," she finally said, "I do love
him."
The long pause she took to think didn't go unnoticed by Quentin. "You're hesitant. Is there something wrong?" He looked at her with his dark beautiful expressive eyes.
"My relationship with Barnabas isn't as simple as it once was." She paused as she again reflected on the time she had spent with Barnabas.
He waited to see if she was going to explain further, then said, "I'm sorry. I had no right to ask that."
"It's alright. I don't mind. It's just not something I've talked to anyone about before. Sometimes you can think that you know a person so well, then you find out something that completely changes everything you thought you knew about him. Everything becomes different, and you're no longer sure how you fit into their life, or if you should even try."
"You found out something you didn't like?"
"Yes, I often wish I could go back to before, when I didn't know anything." He reached across the table for her hand in a gesture of support and understanding.