Subj: Consequences of Falling Ch. 4
Date: 7/4/01 1:11:17 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Nicole

April 13, 1972, Beach, Noon

"You never told me what you thought of her," said Julia.

Barnabas groaned. Julia had been nagging him since he had returned from the cottage, begging him for his impressions of Constance DuVane. Now that they had seen her with David and Hallie at the beach, Julia became more insistent for his opinion. Barnabas was not willing to admit to anything. He quickly tired of Julia and left her, soon starting a conversation with Maggie. Although she was no longer the governess at Collinwood, she had driven them to the beach, seeing that David was no longer trusted with the car after a rather heinous accident. He could not believe that he had lost her to Willie. I suppose you lose touch with people during time travel. He still had Julia.

At any rate, Maggie thought Constance DuVane was wonderful. "She's a charming woman. How can you not like her?"

"I don't know," mumbled Barnabas. "But do you think she's right for Quentin?"

"I'd hope so, especially since I saw him wander out of the cottage this morning." Maggie leaned in and whispered, "Don't tell Constance but I invited Quentin to come. He said that he had some business in town but that he would find his way here eventually."

"Why shouldn't I tell Constance?"

"He wants to surprise her. Isn't it exciting!"

"Very." Barnabas lightly grabbed Maggie's arm, breaking her attention from the teenagers. "Are you happy with Willie?"

"Very."

Barnabas nodded and wandered back to Julia, feeling as defeated as he had so many times before. "What does Maggie think about her?" asked Julia the moment he returned.

"She likes her," grumbled Barnabas.

"How well do you think the children like her?"

Barnabas glanced out to the sand to receive his answer. As she watched Constance DuVane run and flip (all too careful to avoid the rocks) with the teenagers, he knew that they probably loved her. She looked so graceful waltzing down the coast, the legs of her long pants covered in damp sand and her hair forming tangled dreds. She looked like a ragamuffin fairy. When she looked in their direction, she smiled broadly. The smile soon rescinded, however, and she looked down the beach to the children. Barnabas looked to his side to see Julia scowling harshly at Constance. "Must you be rude to her?"

"I don't like that girl," insisted Julia.

"Well, since we don't know all about her, I'd suggest you not make an enemy of her!"

For a moment, Barnabas was convinced that Constance would approach him when something down the beach caught her eye. The smile returned to her lips as she sauntered down the sand. Constance eased into Quentin's arms the moment she reached him, planting a curiously chaste kiss on his forehead before pulling away. "I'm sure you even had a problem with that," mumbled Barnabas.

"Whore," snarled Julia.

"She's no more a whore than Quentin is. And you have to admit that they are an attractive couple."

There was a charm to the duo. Constance had somehow convinced Quentin to join her in her barefoot revelry, damning his beautiful blue suit to a permanent seat at the back of the closet. Quentin was not as successful as the others, landing flat on his back. David and Hallie rolled to the ground in laughter as Constance helped her fallen lover to his feet. Quentin seemed embarrassed until Constance whispered something to him, kissed his cheek and walked away, moving slowly enough for him to think about her words and catch up to her. They disappeared quickly. "She has a way," said Barnabas.

"She has a problem," said Julia.

"I don't think she's human."

"What do you mean 'i don't think she's human?'"screamed Julia. "How did you come up with that?"

"Look at her. Her skill is uncommon. She charms everyone with a wave of her hand. Very few humans can do that," explained Barnabas. "And if she knew Quentin before this time, that seals the deal."

"Don't you think you should tell Quentin about your little theory?"

"Quentin isn't completely human either, Julia. Besides, I don't think she means anyone any harm," said Barnabas. He kissed Julia's cheek and said, "You don't have to deal with Constance DuVane. Quentin does and he seems more than willing to take on the challenge."

"Quentin's up for many challenges that he shouldn't be up for," sighed Julia.

"This is different! She's perfectly harmless. She doesn't know anything about us, any of us. Quentin may be infatuated with her but he won't spill any secrets. Even if she were up to something, she has nothing to really hold against us and she'll never have anything. Julia, just let this go!"

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