Subj: Consequences of Falling ch. 57
Date: 8/11/01 5:21:03 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Nicole

January 5, 2001, The Old House, 11:42 PM

"I can't believe that you have filled his mind with such nonsense!" chided Barnabas. "Chris is dear to me and I don't want you to hurt him."

Constance ignored him. She sat horizontally on the ancient loveseat, a small crystal ashtray lying in her lap to collect the soot from the cigarette Cameron had given her. Barnabas thought it smelled of burning leaves. It did not matter. She was acting openly insolent to him in his own home and he did not appreciate it. "I'm not trying to harm him," she said calmly. "I honestly want to help him."

"What do you gain?"

"Peace of mind. These men are suffering and I think I can help."

Barnabas groaned and turned away. He could not look at her anymore. He almost felt sorry for Constance, who seemed trapped in a fantasy world. Barnabas could not deny that Quentin would return to her but he knew that Quentin would not be as she wanted him. Barnabas knew that they never would be the same. He turned back to her and said, "Move on! Find someone else and begin again."

Constance did not reply quickly. She rose from her seat and emptied the ashtray in the fireplace. When she turned back to Barnabas he could see her anger. She stormed up to him and asked, "How easy do you think it is to find another? You wake up and there's always some chick ready for you. I've been without Quentin almost 25 years. It took me over 400 years to find Quentin. He wants back into this world and I gladly help him."

"Let him find the light!"

"The body is still alive. A soul can't move on while the body lives."

"You can fix that."

Constance backed away. Had he not known her better, Barnabas could swear her eyes were filling with tears. "You're saying that I should kill Quentin," she whimpered.

"No...no I'm not," stammered Barnabas.

"Yes you are!" cried Constance, the tears now flowing freely. "You're saying that I should destroy the portrait to kill the body."

"Quentin would want to be free. I knew him longer than you. I think I know what he would want."

"I spent much more time with him. He told me things you can't fathom. How dare you say you know him better?"

Barnabas watched as Constance stumbled back onto the loveseat and buried her head in her hands. He began to move towards her as Angelique and Cameron descended the stairs. Angelique ran to Constance, attempting to comfort her as she moaned about Barnabas wanted her to kill Quentin. Cameron could not understand the situation so he played the concerned bystander, watching as Angelique helped Constance to her feet. Constance pulled away and ripped her cell phone from her coat, dialing some number as she stormed from the building with Cameron in tow. Barnabas was alone with Angelique. He knew this conversation would not be pleasant. "I can explain," he said. "It's not what you think."

"You told Constance to kill Quentin," said Angelique. "I don't see the misunderstanding."

"Maybe it's the right thing for all involved. Maybe he should be placed to rest."

"It wouldn't be good for Constance. She thinks she can pull this off and I have no right to say otherwise."

"But you do understand what I'm saying, don't you?"

"Yes and it's sad," replied Angelique. "You're taunting Constance when she doesn't deserve it. Why do you bother her?"

"Because it is for her own good. She needs to let go and move on."

Angelique sighed and moved away. "I with you could understand how she feels. She believes that she can have Quentin again. I don't know if she can but she thinks she can. She's running on emotion, not reason. You ought to understand."

"I do understand what she is going through! She's in pain and I sympathize with her. That doesn't mean that I think it's right for her to dwell in her pain. I think it would be better for her if she forgot about Quentin, forgot about the family, and moved on with her life. Everyone survived perfectly well when we had no knowledge of one another we and we will survive just as well after we've gone our separate ways," said Barnabas.

"You didn't always think such things. What has changed your mind?"

"What do you mean?"

Angelique looked as she approached him. "Don't play innocent with me. You searched for Josette until her ghost told you to move on. You were just as persistent with Vicki, Roxanne, and...well, me. It's too bad that you didn't love Julia enough to obsess."

"You don't understand: I do love her!"

"You could never prove that to me. I have seen no signs of affection on your end of that relationship," sniped Angelique. "You probably let Julia die alone while you were trying to contact Roxanne via séance."

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Then how did Julia die?"

Barnabas stepped back, quietly contemplating whether or not to tell her. He swallowed and said, "I killed her."

Angelique shuddered and stepped back a step. Both she and Barnabas turned towards the foyer to see Constance at the stairwell, her eyes large with disbelief. She quickly looked away and ran up the stairs. A few minutes later she ran back down, the duplicate portrait of Quentin Collins in her arms. She did not turn back as she ran out the door. Barnabas had not expected her to say anything. He had expected Angelique to speak although she waited for Constance to leave the building. The entire time she had stared at him, her face frozen, unreadable. "You killed Julia?" she finally whispered.

"I drained her gradually until she died."

"Then Dr. Hoffman is a vampire?"

"Yes," sighed Barnabas.

"Did you stake her?" asked Angelique.

"No...she is chained inside her coffin. It's next to mine."

"Why?" Angelique backed away and took a seat on the loveseat. "It's sadistic. Julia had fairly good self control. Why would you have to restrain her?"

"I couldn't let this spread." Barnabas took a seat across from Angelique. He had yet to tell anyone the story behind Julia's death. He supposed that this woman, the one who knew him best, was the only suitable person to tell. "I don't know why I regressed but I did about 10 years ago. Julia began the injections again but they didn't work. As before, I was forced the scourer the docks for victims. About a year ago, Julia tried to stop me and I bit her."

"How long did it take?"

"It was stretched out over a month. I drank from her every third day. I actually enjoyed the wait, letting my hunger for her build until I could take it no more. I didn't want to kill her but I wanted her with me. When I finally killed her, i became scared. I didn't want her to suffer as I do but I couldn't kill her. The only person I could trust to do it was Willie, but I can't bring him back into this world. Likewise, I could bring in no one new. So the next night, Julia rose as a vampire."

"What was the problem?"

"Julia surprised me by becoming so enthralled with life as one of the living dead. She saw the world as it really was and it enchanted her. The world enchanted her and I no longer did. She wanted a new mate and she had a candidate. She had been treating Chris for 10 years. Her best effort was injecting him with vampire's blood and these injections regulated his transformation. She thought that Chris might enjoy life as a vampire over life as a werewolf. It horrified me that she would even consider this. Did she not remember how tom reacted to the change? I stopped her the only way I knew how: I woke before Julia and chained her inside her coffin."

Angelique did not speak. She would look between Barnabas, the metal door, and the foyer, seeming to want to be interrupted once again. She eventually looked back to him and said, "You were jealous and you chained her up! Oh God, it's mad. You never know that you love a woman until she's left you or this world."

Barnabas looked away. Angelique was right: he could not realize what he possessed until he lost it. He could always let Julia out but she would be a threat to the newly released Chris. He was jarred out of his trance by the roar of a motor. Cameron walked in and waved to whomever had left. He nonchalantly walked into the drawing room, glancing awkwardly between the sad duo. "What happened?" asked Barnabas.

"Astrid left with some guy. She said she was going to Collinwood to give them the portrait and to pick up a few things." Cameron turned innocently to Barnabas and asked, "Where's Collinwood?"

"It's on the estate."

Cameron mouthed a quiet "oh." He looked between Angelique and Barnabas and asked, "What's wrong? Did I interrupt something important?"

"No," snarled Angelique, her eyes burrowing into Barnabas. "We're just having a recurring problem. You, dear Cameron, are not to blame."

Angelique took Cameron's hand and led him from the room. Barnabas knew why she was ostracizing him. He did not blame her. He knew that he deserved it. He could end the angry stares by releasing Julia but he could not do it. One vampire was all Collinsport could handle.

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.