Subj: Consequences of Falling ch. 28
Date: 7/24/01 3:09:54 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Nicole

Angelique focused her stare on Josef, hoping her gaze pierced through his shell and engaged the organ inside his body that resembled a heart. She had heard the entire conversation between Constance, Josef, and Julia. She would have asked to join the séance, but, once she learned they would invoke Beth Chavez, she knew it was best to stay out. Angelique knew she would only distract Beth, bringing on accusations instead of sorely needed answers. The disclosure of Quentin's relapse had been unexpected, but the revelation about the child had been stunning. She had wanted to listen for more, but she saw Quentin descending the stairs and thought it best to keep him away. This gave her enough time to think about the child's paternity, and to remember an earlier conversation with Josef. She had her suspicions and she wanted them confirmed. Angelique ushered Constance and Quentin into the drawing room and shut the doors, locking them all away from the outside world. She took a seat across from Josef and asked, "What about the baby?"

Josef pretended not to understand, mumbling, "I...I...I don't know what you're accusing me of but I...I...I don't like it."

Constance immediately caught on. She pulled away from Quentin and stood next to Angelique. "Yes Josef," she snarled, "what about the baby?"

"What child are you talking about?" asked Quentin.

"I'm not sure yet," answered Angelique. "That's why I'm asking Josef."

"Tell us about the baby!" insisted Julia.

Josef shot up from the table and moved towards the doors. "I owe no one here an explanation."

They all moved in around Josef, barraging him with words and accusations. Josef only slid to the floor, covering his head with his arms as if to protect himself from the assault. He suddenly jumped up, sending the four of the scattering to opposite ends of the room. "What do you people want of me?"

"The name of the mother," said Angelique.

"Fine, fine! It was Sabrina Stuart."

The silence was deafening. Only Constance failed to wear a horrified expression but that was to be expected. They all began to gravitate towards Josef, forcing him back to the floor. "Who was the father?" asked Julia.

"Does it really matter?"

"Answer the question!" demanded Constance.

"All right. It was...dammit it was..."

"It was Chris Jennings," answered Quentin angrily.

"That sounds right. How did you know?" asked Josef.

"How did I know?" Quentin lunged for Josef only to have Constance pull him back and guide him to a chair. "How the hell do you think I know? Chris and I are family."

"Chris is his descendent," added Constance.

The information slowly began to hit Josef, the gravity of his actions suddenly dawning on him and causing him to cry. "Oh my God, I...I had no idea! Constance, you know that I..."

"Sure whatever," mumbled Constance angrily, her attention on Quentin as she tried to calm him.

"I mean, I felt something strange about Jennings when I was with him, but I couldn't understand it."

"You felt something?" asked Julia.

"Yeah. We're all very sensitive to the supernatural vibrations of a partner," explained Josef. "But I'e never been with a 'were' before so I didn't recognize the sensation."

Angelique did not buy his explanation and one quick glance back to Constance revealed that she didn't either. "So you're telling us that you would have sex with something you don't understand, something that could very well hurt you in some way because you can't recognize it."

"Well, I mean, I didn't know any better."

"That's a lie," said Constance solemnly. "You do know about 'weres.' You used to squeal to the authorities about them during the dark times and you urged to see them tortured in the streets."

"That was long ago."

"Not to me!"

Josef jumped up, seemingly ready to take on all who challenged him. "You seem to have no trouble fucking them," he snarled.

"I've never professed a hatred," sniped Constance.

"You won't profess to anything your vagina won't agree to."

Constance scowled before jumping for Josef, only moving a foot before Quentin grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into him. "You're one to talk! You don't think before you act and this is proof of it!"

Josef glanced angrily between the four of them, carefully choosing what he would say next. "All right," he conceded. "I knew while I was with him that Jennings was a lycanthrope but I didn't know his lineage. I heard later that he no longer changes with the full moon, but whenever nature seems to deem it time. That should have been a sign not to do it. I later
heard about his sister dying from a wild animal attack. I didn't put two and two together and I'm sorry."

Angelique did not have to look behind her to know what carnage his words had left behind. Julia was the first to react, running from the room as she cried the name Amy repeatedly. Angelique glanced back to Constance, who was doing her best to comfort an obviously startled Quentin. He urged her to check on Julia, who could still be heard from outside the building. Constance hesitantly left, giving Josef an evil look as she passed. "All you bring is pain," she cried.

"It's not my fault," he yelled back to Constance, her only response being the middle finger salute. "I didn't kill the girl. You can't blame me for the girl."

"No one can blame you for what happened to Amy," said Quentin, "but you have ruined this new child."

"What?"

"By bringing it into existence! Chris knew better than to have a child but you had to circumvent his will do do what you wanted."

"What is it?" asked Angelique.

"It's a boy. She named it Cameron."

"Beautiful." Quentin rose languidly from the chair and approached Josef, backing him into a corner as he walked. It had been years since she had seen him squirm, so watching Quentin tower angrily over Josef almost brought a smile to Angelique's lips. "You don't know the damage you've done."

"And if you weren't the ground zero lycanthrope, we wouldn't be discussing this," said Josef.

"Are you saying that your actions would have been moral had I and my descendents not been cursed?"

"By my standards."

"God! For someone who should have so much potential, you sound like an idiot." Quentin left the room and went to help Constance comfort a still frantic Julia.

This left Angelique alone with Josef. Quentin was right: Josef sounded like an idiot as he attempted to rationalize his actions. She knew that he was not an idiot. She also knew he would do her no harm if she stated her mind. So she calmly approached him and slapped him hard, sending Josef falling to the floor. "Did I deserve that?"

"What do you think? You brought a life into this world that is simultaneously blessed and damned."

"How was I to know?" demanded Josef.

"You knew!" screamed Angelique. "You knew all along. How could you not understand the vibrations?"

"I wasn't thinking," he said softly.

"No you weren't. You were so foolish." Angelique swallowed hard, knowing the next words would be the hardest to say. "I can't stay with you if you insist of doing such things."

"What?"

"You heard me! Don't make me say it again." Without looking back at Josef, she left the room, walked past the three outside the door, and ran back to the cottage. She could not deal with it anymore, at least not for some time. It was going to be hell attending the wedding, but she knew she had to go. She had to prove that she did not care about Josef, even if it was a lie.

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.