Subj: Consequences of Falling ch. 42
Date: 8/2/01 7:24:29 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Nicole

The morning after

When Quentin awoke, he felt sluggish, lazy. He could barely move, only able to loll his head from side to side. From what he could see, he had not created too much havoc. Had he created any? The room--and himself, for that matter--seemed pristine. He wondered how he had made it to the bed. Usually, the wolf would fall out in some horribly conspicuous place. The last thing he remembered was speaking to Constance. It was then that he realized that she was not in the room.

Quentin shot up from the bed and began frantically searching the house, looking desperately from some sign of a struggle. All he found were the remnants of the previous day's booze binge, a sea of bottles surrounding the sofa. The only sign of life throughout the house was him. But he knew Constance could not be dead. Unless the brandy had completely blurred his memories, Quentin had not seen the mark on her forehead. The wolf would not attack those that were not marked for death. He reasoned that she must have left early. She had feelings to sort through, some new and some long dormant. For a moment, Quentin considered searching further for Constance but quickly decided against it. He only wanted her to return soon so that he could explain what had happened.

As Quentin returned to their bedroom, he could hear someone rummaging through their things. As much as he wanted it to be Constance, he knew that it was not her. He knew that she had not gotten past him. He would not have let her do so. He carefully walked in to find the intruder going through Constance's things. As the man pulled a paper bag from her drawer he noticed Quentin and pulled away, his dark brown eyes at first terrified but then calm. "It's lovely to see you again Quentin. Where's the little lady?"

"What the hell are you doing here, Josef?"

Josef ignored Quentin, choosing to pilfer through the bag until he pulled out a wad of tissues. He carefully unwrapped the flimsy papers to revel an empty syringe. Josef looked slowly up at Quentin, joyously waving the needle as a smile spread across his face. "I'm surprised to see that you're still standing."

"What are you talking about?"

"This bag is full of tranquilizers and quite a few of these bottles are empty." Josef carefully walked up to Quentin and touched his shirt. "And look what he have here! Could this be a pentagram? Indeed it is. I've learned from my mistakes and I can sense a full fledged werewolf."

Quentin felt the chain, following it to the familiar pointed star. He instantly knew that Constance had left it with him. She had saved him from the wolf. Now she was gone and the only one around the offer clarification was Josef. She could not have wanted it this way...could she? "Leave now!"

"It's too much to digest all at once. I know." Josef put the bag back into the drawer and took a seat on the bed. "You're making a mistake."

"I thought I told you to leave!"

"And I told you that you were making a mistake. See, they cancel one another out. Anyway, you need to follow Petofi."

"I'd rather be the wolf," mumbled Quentin.

"Because Constance loves the hairy bugger that much? What will she think of this new monthly occurrence?" asked Josef in faux innocence.

"She is already aware."

"And by the looks of things, I can see that she's delighted! Think about it Quentin: do you really think she wants to repeat the whole Corrin thing with you?"

"Didn't you have more than a hand in that?" asked Quentin.

Josef stiffened, his face taking on the hardness of marble. "I did it for her own good," he answered. "You didn't have to watch that elegantly beautiful creature desperately follow a man-sized ball of fur! It degraded her. Above all things, I don't want to see that repeated."

"What's in it for you?"

"Nothing."

Quentin began laughing, starting softly but soon becoming hysterical. "You never do anything without wondering what you'll get in return!" He turned to the door to see Angelique standing in the walkway, her eyes focused on Josef. He calmed instantly and asked, "Did Constance send you?"

"Yes," she whispered, her eyes never wavering from Josef. "She's all right. She's with Avery."

Josef snorted and rose from the bed, walking steadily towards Angelique. "You say that you love Constance but you leave her with Avery. Do you know what you've done?"

"Should I have left her with you?" asked Angelique, moving in on Josef until they were touching. "You care nothing for Constance."

"But I wouldn't do what Avery would," countered Josef. "You think you know him but you don't. He'll be your friend and help for awhile, but if he sense 'the problem,' he will do anything to correct it and it's never pretty."

"What are you talking about?" asked Quentin.

Josef turned to Quentin, and, for what was sure to be the only time, there was a trace of pity in his glare. "This concerns you too. I don't like you and I don't tell you this to help you. This is about Constance. You tell her never to go back to Avery and to run from him every time she sees him from this point out."

"Don't listen to him," insisted Angelique. "He's only trying to get a rise out of you."

"He's succeeded. What are you talking about?"

"I don't know you well enough to say if you'll like it but it is what it is. Don't let Avery near her."

"He's lying," said Angelique. "You've never said anything worth believing."

"That's not what you said a year ago."

Quentin backed away from the arguing duo. In their eyes, he was no longer there. He laid on the bed, closing his eyes in an attempt to shut out their arguing. He could not understand why Josef had concerned himself with his marriage. Josef had no real say in his twin's life. When did Josef care about anything that did not...directly...affect...him? "You bastard!" screamed Quentin as he sat up. "You were the one he was talking about."

Josef's eyes grew wide as he stared at Quentin. He attempted to hide his fear but failed miserably. "What are you talking about?"

"You work for Petofi." Quentin turned to Angelique and said, "Petofi wanted me to kill you. He said an 'associate' of his asked for it."

Angelique glared at Josef but soon turned her glare to Quentin. "Can you prove this?"

"Why do you think he's here?"

"He's lying," insisted Josef. "Can you really believe Quentin Collins?"

"Can I believe you?"

"Of course. Why would I want you dead?"

"Because you exist. The list of people who want me dead is quite lengthy. Why shouldn't you be on it?"

Josef closed his eyes tightly as he backed away. "Why are you choosing him over me?"

"I'm choosing him over Petofi. God Josef! I always knew that you were unscrupulous but even this is out of you league. You've gone too far."

"How can you tell the difference?" demanded Josef. "Quentin is no better than the worst of us. Bad is bad is bad: that's the way it always has been that's the way it always will be. You can't make any distinctions between evils, Angelique. Bad is nonnegotiable."

"But I've made the distinction," said Angelique. "I've made my choice. You knew that if anyone would make the distinction it would be me."

"This is ridiculous!" mumbled Josef.

"What's ridiculous is your notion that I could actually kill Angelique," said Quentin. "What were you hoping for?"

"Actually," murmured Josef deviously, "I had expected her to kill you. I know what Petofi has in mind for you Quentin. Your body doesn't have to be alive for him to take you over. As long as he lives, he can reanimate the body and use it as his own. You'd be out of my way. I've longed for my little unholy triumvirate for quite awhile. All that stands in my way is you. With you out of the way, I could talk Constance back into the fold and it would be as it once was."

"But that's out of the question. I'm here to stay."

"We'll see about that." As Josef spoke, his face turned a fierce crimson, his eyes seeming to burn from within. "You've ruined my plans and you'll pay for it. When you least expect it, I'll extract my pound of flesh. I might not take it from you, but there's always Chris, his bastard, or whatever else may be in the line-up. You're line will pay."

"They've been paying for my mistakes for quite awhile. What can you do that I can't?" asked Quentin.

Josef huffed and stormed for the door. Quentin fought to repress his laughter as Josef left the house. He did not believe that Josef would hurt anyone. Once he fell out of Petofi's favor, he would be begging for forgiveness. Quentin eased back into bed, still sitting up although he could easily fall asleep in that position. "What happened to you a year ago?"

"None of your business." Angelique took a seat at the foot of the bed, appearing weary as she braced herself against the bedpost. "How do you feel?"

"Groggy. I suppose the drugs have yet to completely wear off."

"Constance hates that she had to drug you, but she did not want you to feel any pain."

Quentin nodded and fell back into the mattress. "Is she coming back."

"Yes," said Angelique. "She'll be back before nightfall."

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.