Subj: Consequences of Falling ch. 15
Date: 7/12/01 9:30:37 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Nicole
Cottage, 6:55 PM
Constance had not expected to hear another knock at the door. By now, she was too interested in her bottle of Chartreuse to care. However, the increasing intensity of the knocks forced her to answer. "Quentin!" she squealed. "What are you doing here?"
"You can't leave," he said as he took her into her arms. "Constance, you can't leave this way."
This was what Constance had wanted. Why was she feeling guilty? She pulled away from him but took his face into her hands. "Quentin, I can't stay. This place is no good for me."
"Is it this place of me?"
"It's Collinwood! You are...you are the best thing to happen to me in a long while."
"Then why are you willing to leave me like this?" asked Quentin tearfully.
"Because you won't leave this damn estate!" Constance pulled away and returned to her bottle, taking long, heavy swings before tossing it to the side. She was afraid to turn back to Quentin, afraid one glance into those ice blue eyes would keep her at Collinwood. She could easily deal with those eyes; she would not be able to stand the stare of Julia Hoffman, especially knowing that she knew her secret. "You don't know what it's like to have them stare at you like you're some kind of freak! I hate it. I can't take it anymore."
"Constance, I know better than you can understand." Quentin walked up behind her and tenderly stroked her cheek. "I know what they can be like. I know the things they'll say and do to get their way. I'm ashamed to admit that I've played those games myself. But I'm not that person anymore and I can't foresee anything you have done or could possibly do that could make me love you less. I want you to stay."
Constance did not know what to say. She had wanted him to say these things. He was falling perfectly in line with what she had wanted. But she was guilty for it now. She knew that she could not stay. "Quentin," she whispered upon gaining her composure, "why don't you come with me? I'm not talking about what we had planned. I want you to leave with me and never return."
"What?"
"Yes!" Constance turned back to Quentin, overjoyed as the plan blossomed in her mind. "Leave with me! We can go to Manhattan first and then travel until our senses overload. You know you don't need to stay here. You've admitted that Collinwood is a dangerous place and it will only grow worse with time. I'm not saying that there's no danger with me, but it's much different than this. Besides, we'll be together. What do you say?"
Quentin paused only a moment before saying, "Yes! I'll go with you. You're right: I can't stay here any long. I'd be a fool to stay on."
"Great! We can leave tonight. I could just leave this junk here. None of it matters. I don't need it to survive."
Quentin seemed slightly troubled as he pulled Constance into him. "I need to bring one thing."
"Fine. It doesn't matter. I'm just so excited to have you coming with me! Bring what you want."
"It's jus this one thing. I could go back to Collinwood to get it and then we could just drive away. Just drive far away."
"Yes," whispered Constance, leaning into his embrace. "I don't care as long as I'm with you." Constance glanced back to
the door to see Barnabas standing in the doorway. Couldn't she have given me just ten more minutes? She clung tighter to Quentin, waiting
for the verbal assault to begin.
Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.