Subj: Out of the Past, 12
Date: 11/25/01 11:29:12 AM Central Standard Time
From: R J Jamison

“Come rest with me before I retire.” Jeannot took Natalie’s hand and pulled her down onto the sofa. “I wish you would relax a bit.” He kissed her hand and placed it between his cold palms.

Natalie looked into his eyes. Hers were filled with tears. “There was no outside intervention. The witch that started it all, ended it for Barnabas and me.”

“We will continue looking. I am not worried.”

“How can you be so calm?” A tear spilled across its damn and slid down her cheek.

“We have survived for nearly two hundred years, together. We’ve loved, fought and searched through it all. I am here with you and that is all that matters to me right now.”

Natalie rested her head on his shoulder. She breathed in the scents she had always associated with him. He still smelled of God to her. She pictured the first time she saw him in the cathedral of Amiens. He had been beautiful and young. She watched him closely and when taking communion, her eyes and his met. Years later they would encounter one another again. His beautiful brown hair salted with gray. Fine lines creased his face and hinted to many days of laughter. She had never known such a jovial man of God.

“Are we to stay and torment your poor creator Barnabas or are we done here?”

“I want to meet the woman doctor.”

“Can’t resist your doppelganger, hmm?” Jeannot brushed aside Natalie’s hair, which hid her face.

“Its too amusing what we’ve heard of him and her. Lovers? Barnabas is a lover with my replica.” Natalie laughed at the thought. “I never found him the least bit appealing. Oh, I flirted—“

“You flirt with any walking being.”

“But he was always too serious and pious. I didn’t understand at all what Josette saw in him.” Natalie sat up and noted the hour. “It is time to retire.” She pulled Jeannot up and led him into the bedroom. She quickly pulled the heavy curtains. Behind her, Jeannot reclined on the large bed.

“You will rest too?”

“Of course, Mon Cher, in a few hours.” Natalie leaned down to kiss his forehead but Jeannot took her face and touched his lips to hers.

“I have faith in us, we will find a way.” He assured her.

Natalie left him behind in the room. Outside the door, she turned the bolt. She murmured words that no one would hear and few would understand. It was a spell of protection for the one who resided in the bedroom. She sat down at the elaborate desk in the corner of the suite. She removed a file and gazed down at the contents. “Dr. Julia Hoffman,” Natalie glanced up from the file. “blood specialist. I wonder how good you are?”

Barnabas tossed about the large bed. Memories of the room when it had belonged to his parents flooded his mind. Finding Naomi in here crying due to her unhappiness. Sarah playing with her things at her mother’s feet near the hearth. Troubling and yet familiar memories of his life before; before everything went wrong. He wondered what Natalie was thinking of this morning. Barnabas rose and crossed to the window. The morning sun was sitting at the bottom of the horizon, ready to flood lives with its brilliance. These moments were still precious to him. He rose most mornings in time to see the sunrise. He was so grateful that Julia was not here. Barnabas closed his eyes. What would he tell her, what would she think if she met the Countess Natalie De Pres? Would it send all his plans fumbling backward? He finally embraced the love of a good woman and he knew it teetered upon the edge of oblivion. He knew Julia would not understand how he could’ve attacked Natalie. She would see the obvious physical similarities and her usual logical mind would stop there. What conclusions she would draw, he could only guess.

Elizabeth went through the jewelry pieces she had retrieved from the jewelers. He had wanted to send them to Boston for an accurate appraisal by an antiques specialist. She had agreed but wanted to take one last look before they were appraised and
cleaned before returning them to their rightful owner. Elizabeth carefully placed the pieces in the midnight blue velvet box she had purchased.

“Mother,” Carolyn breezed into the room. “I am going to the University, is there anything I can get you while I’m out?”

“No,” Elizabeth stood and appraised her handiwork. “I wanted to go into Collinsport today to see Louisa. May I ride along with you? I'll get a ride back with Roger.”

A worried expression clouded Carolyn’s face. “Mother, I am a bit nervous about the Roussins.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I am too Carolyn. I don’t know what to make of many things. But I know Louisa is a kind person, just as her mother was.”

“But she hates Barnabas.”

“Oh, that much is obvious. She doesn’t just dislike him. She blames him for something. If only Julia was here to help sort it out.”

“Julia’s away—“

“I know. I have missed her very much these last several months.” Elizabeth stood. “She entered here so casually and has become such an important part of our family.”

Carolyn followed her Mother to the foyer where they both collected their coats. “She seemed so unlike herself when she left. She was already very sad before everything came out about her husband.”

“The loss of Wyndcliffe hit her very hard. I thought rebuilding it would have been an absolute priority for her.”

“I was very surprised that she just left like that after Uncle Roger gave her the land, especially with Barnabas acting the way he was.” Carolyn smiled deviously at her Mother.

Elizabeth sighed. “Sometimes the one thing you want is the scariest thing when it finally is within reach.”

Carolyn giggled. “Oh, Mother, Barnabas’ love scares Julia?! If only you knew.” Carolyn walked out ahead of her mother. Internally she continued to consider the irony. She had watched and participated in some horrible moments of torturing Julia. She was no longer proud as she had been then. Once she had realized how much Julia loved Barnabas, she became ashamed. Carolyn shivered as she remembered one particular moment watching him bait her. Afterwards Carolyn had chided him. ‘She really loves you.’ Barnabas had not cared. It would be so interesting for Barnabas of 1971 to meet himself just a few short years ago.

“Where are you?” Elizabeth stood next to her daughter.

“Just worried about your friends children and what it is Louisa or Natalie wants from Barnabas? How exactly does she expect him to make amends for whatever fault he made.” Together Mother and daughter climbed into the car. What had Barnabas done to this woman and when? And who was she really?

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.