Greetings dear readers and -to my American readers- Happy Fourth of July. I was inspired to do this story after reading "Watching" by Ranguvar27. I thought Barnabas should be able to enjoy watching some Fourth of July fireworks once he's emerged in the 20th Century. After all, it would likely be his first time doing so, as the holiday wasn't celebrated before he was entombed.

To all fans of the Original Series, I know Joe Haskell was an adult there. However, as Carolyn is a teenager in the 2012 film, I thought Joe should be a teenager as well.

Hey, props to FF.N for making it far easier to review now. Um, that's a non-subtle hint, btw. LOL

I hope everyone south of the border (49th Parallel, that is) has a happy Fourth of July. :-D

July 3rd, 1973

"Alright, that about does it for today, Mr. Collins; we'll see you on Thursday." Jim, the burly construction foreman said as he closed up his toolbox and noted the puzzled look on his employer's –very- pale face.

"Thursday?" Barnabas Collins asked in a most puzzled tone. "Why won't you be back here tomorrow?"

"Uh, you know what tomorrow is, don't you?"

"Why I most certainly do. Tomorrow is Wednesday." Barnabas said with great assurance. The foreman looked at the man who hired him like he'd said something most vexing.

"It's the Fourth of July tomorrow."

"Well, yes it is. And today is the third, yesterday was the second and Thursday shall be the fifth. I still am unable to discern why that should be of any relevance though." Barnabas wondered if the leader of the crew currently working on the interiors of Collinwood was –as his niece Carolyn would term it- 'stoned or something'.

"People don't work on the Fourth of July." The foreman said with growing exasperation. He wondered again about the man who'd hired his construction crew to do the interiors of this creepshow of a mansion. The guy was polite enough, he'd give him that. (The foreman had worked for some people who regarded him and his crew as some sort of serfs who they felt they could speak to any manner they liked as they were being paid by them. This Collins guy though, he always spoke to them in an unfailingly polite manner.) However, he was definitely weird. He was pale as snow, dressed in formal three-piece suit, was usually not seen for most of the day and when he was seen, he apparently liked to hang out in rooms with the curtains drawn. And the job itself…Was giving him nightmares. It wasn't particularly hard. But this house itself gave him the creeps. It was newly constructed and to the most exacting specifications to match the one it was replacing. According to their employer, the plan to make it an exact match was a success. Thus, in Jim's opinion, this house would be tied with its predecessor as the creepiest place in Maine, if not the eastern seaboard. The mansion looked like something out of those Hammer films his kids watched on the late show. He and his crew, when the work week wrapped on a Friday, would head for the Blue Whale Tavern and try to drown out their jitters in beer and enjoy the fact they wouldn't have to re-enter Collinwood Manor for the next two days.

And then there was the Collins family themselves. They were like something out of…Well he didn't know what to compare them to either. The little boy seemed to think the house was the coolest place in the world. He seemed to be in the habit of strolling down the as yet unfinished corridors carrying on a conversation with nobody. Jim wasn't sure, but he could've sworn he heard the kid saying 'mom' a few times. That Mrs. Stoddard, the woman who actually owned the place, she seemed normal. Although, her seeming inability to notice how strange everyone else was seemed strange in and of itself. Then there was her daughter…Well, Jim knew that more than a few of his guys were checking the girl out when she and her mother left in the morning for their cannery business down in town (the mother ran it and the daughter was apparently working a summer job there). Jim conceded she was damned attractive…for a sixteen year old. However, he refused to let his thoughts even go there. Even if he wasn't married, she was jailbait…he did wish she didn't dress so…loosely…when she was home though. But even if she wasn't…there was something about her that would've stopped him in his tracks. She had a look…She was like a predator. Once, a delivery guy from the lumber yard gave a stereotypical whistle at her when she was going across the yard, down to the beach below the cliffs. The girl turned and gave him a look that wiped the smirk from his face but good. It was a look that said if he took a step towards her, she'd rip him apart. Jim had served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. He'd known a Gunnery Sergeant (a World War II veteran of combat on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan and Tinian) who could freeze the men with a look…None of his steely glares looked as threatening as what that girl did then. Jim wasn't sure, but he also thought he heard her growl too…And that growl sounded like something a wild –and savage- animal would make. The girl, after cowing the fresh deliveryman with that look, just gave a half-sneer and continued on her way to the beach.

But even that couldn't compare to the guy who seemed to be in charge of the rebuild. This Barnabas Collins guy seemed like he was from another world. Aside from the weird paleness and formal clothes, he just didn't seem to know a lot of stuff, especially considering he seemed to be an educated man. When he first hired Jim's crew to rebuild the place he was astounded when the time estimate was given as only a matter of months. Had this guy never heard of power tools and machinery before? And now he didn't know that the Fourth of July was a holiday? What was up with this guy? Had he been living underground all his life?

"It's a holiday." Jim tried again. He really hoped this Collins guy didn't offer him double-time or something to work tomorrow. He'd be sorely tempted to take it, but to be truthful was more than anything looking forward to a day away from this dungeon of doom house here. He wanted to enjoy the sunshine tomorrow, not creep around in this house…This house of dark shadows.

"Of course, it's a holiday." A new voice sounded from behind, making Jim jump. He turned around to see the fifth member of this collection of freaks. Although she wore no ring, or anything, she referred to herself as Barnabas Collins' wife. Well, in Jim's opinion, Victoria Collins was the perfect woman for this Barnabas guy. She was the exact same type of pale he was and crept around in the shadows like he did. (She also appeared to homeschooling the boy, which possibly explained a lot as well.) They seemed perfectly suited for each other. Of course, she did seem quite more 'with it' than her husband did. "Barnabas, dear, it's Independence Day, tomorrow. It's a national holiday. I know you don't have it in *England*." She said with an inflection on her last sentence, as Barnabas nodded ever so subtly as though he remembered something.

"Please excuse him" Victoria said to Jim in a pleasant tone. "He's lived in England most of his life and it's his first Fourth of July here."

"Oh, that explains it." Jim said to himself. "Well, have a good one Mister Collins. I hope you don't mind everyone talking about how we kicked it to the redcoats back in '76."

"I shall cope."

"Oh ayuh" Jim said, using the classic Maine colloquialism. "We'll see you on Thursday." Jim said as he followed his crew down the stairs and out the front door of the mansion.

"I'm so glad you were here, just now, my love." Barnabas said to Victoria. "I'd completely forgotten about the celebration of Independence Day tomorrow."

"I overheard your conversation and guessed that was the case."

"Tell me…What do people of this era do on July 4th?"

"They have barbeques. They watch ballgames. They watch the fireworks at night. At least, that's what I remember."

"You remember?"

"When I was in Windcliff Asylum, they didn't do anything for July 4th. No special dinner or anything of the like. The last July 4th I had was before my parents had my committed. It's been a long time since July 4th meant anything to me."

"Then, my dear, we shall make it extra special for you then." Barnabas said with a smile. "Willie!" He called out.

"Yeah, Barnabas?" Willie Loomis answered as he came running out of the kitchen into the foyer.

"Willie, we shall have a barbeque tomorrow."

"Gotcha"

"Willie?"

"Oh ayuh"

"Do we HAVE a barbeque anyplace?"

"Oh ayuh, we've got one in the garage. It's not real big, but it'll be big enough to cook for Mrs. Stoddard, David and Carolyn." Willie reported, figuring that Barnabas and Victoria wouldn't be partaking.

"Then make it ready. We shall cook tomorrow's dinner upon it."

"I'll get it out of the garage now." Willie said as he dashed out the door, nearly bumping into Carolyn and Elizabeth, who were just returning home from the cannery.

"What's the matter, Willie?" Elizabeth Stoddard asked. She knew Willie wasn't one to hurry. As a rule, Barnabas was the only person she'd ever met who was ever able to motivate Willie to get any job done.

"Barnabas says we're barbequing tomorrow. I have to get it out of the garage." The handyman said as he hurried along to the garage.

Mother and daughter exchanged a glance.

"I wonder who or what's being barbequed." Carolyn said with her typical deadpan voice as she gave a half-smirk.

"Carolyn" Her mother sighed with a shake of her head. She herself was wondering what brought this on from Barnabas.

"Ah, Elizabeth and Carolyn, I was just telling Willie we need to have a barbeque tomorrow night to commemorate the Declaration of Independence being signed."

"I don't remember the last time we did that." Elizabeth said as she took off her shoes and replaced them with her house slippers.

"You didn't commemorate it in years gone by?"

"We didn't feel like celebrating much back then." Elizabeth said as she recalled what most holidays were like then: constant worries about the family finances and business affairs, tensions within the house over Carolyn's moodiness, David's insistence that he could see ghosts, Julia's drinking and Roger's, well, everything.

"All the more reason to celebrate now; the family fortunes are restored, our cannery is the predominant one in New England, our fishing fleet again dominates the Atlantic and we'll be taking control of boats in the Pacific by year's end. This is what my father brought us to this country for. Dare I say, we must celebrate our good fortune. If we had more time to prepare, we could invite the townspeople again." Barnabas said with a flourish.

"Barnabas…You really have a way with words." Elizabeth said with an admiring nod.

Carolyn, meanwhile, had heard what Barnabas said about inviting the town.

Later that evening, Victoria heard a familiar knock on the door to her dressing room.

"Come in." She announced. Carolyn opened the door and entered the large room where Victoria kept her clothes and various personal items. It connected to the room that served as the bedroom for her and Barnabas. "You're right on time." She said to her niece and closest friend as she looked at her watch.

Victoria sat down in front of her mirror, while Carolyn set about the nightly routine of doing Victoria's hair after showering. She looked up at the large dressing mirror…and only saw Carolyn reflected from behind her, moving a hairbrush through apparent air…but was in actuality her hair. Victoria exhaled in amazement. In all the months since she was turned into a vampire, the inability to see a reflection in a mirror was the strangest adjustment she'd had to make. Luckily, Carolyn had offered to help her do her hair following her shower every evening.

"Carolyn"

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"You seem distracted. It's not like you…At least not yet." Victoria said, in reference to the fact that Carolyn's mood began to change in the days leading up the full moon and her transformation.

"Vicky…Can I ask you something…A favour?"

"Of course you can."

"Well…About the barbeque tomorrow."

"What about it?"

"I want to invite a friend over."

"A friend?" Victoria said in a tone that indicated a pleasant surprise. She knew Carolyn didn't have a lot of friends…at least none that she ever seemed to talk about.

"Yeah, um, Joe Haskell; I know him from school."

"You never mentioned him before."

"I just really got to know him the last couple of weeks. He's working for the summer at the McDonald's in town. I started talking to him when I went in to get a root beer a couple of weeks ago. He wasn't freaked out by me, or the family name, like most people in town are. We talked and it was really nice. He made me laugh. I…I liked that. And he's cute, too. I called him tonight invited him to come to the barbeque tomorrow night. My mother said it was alright." Carolyn said as she worked on Victoria's hair.

"If your mother says it's alright, why do you need my help?"

"Barnabas"

"Ah"

"I'd like it if…."

"You'd like it if he doesn't say anything inappropriate or strange?"

"Yes" Carolyn said with a nod. She'd grown very close to Barnabas over the months he'd lived there, she had to admit. However, she was all too aware of his tendency to unknowingly say things that just make him –and the rest of the family- look strange…Stranger than they already were, that is.

"If this boy likes you, it shouldn't matter to him what Barnabas says."

"I know…But not the first time he meets everyone."

Victoria smiled to herself, as she completely understood what Carolyn meant. "I see."

"And, I really don't think it would good if Barnabas cornered him and demanded to know whether his intentions to me are honourable or not."

"Are they?"

"I'm hoping that the first time he comes here, they are. After that, I'd be more than alright if they became less than honourable. I know my intentions aren't honourable." Carolyn said with a sly smile. "Don't tell Barnabas that, though."

"What if he ever asks you out on the night of a full moon? What will you tell him?"

"I don't know."

"Would you ever tell him the truth?"

"No…yes…I don't know." Carolyn said quietly. "I think it would depend on if I thought he really cared about me and could keep it a secret." Victoria wondered to herself at the fate that dictated Carolyn felt that being sexually intimate with a boy was less of a decision to her than revealing the fact she was a werewolf to him. She smiled at her friend.

"You make sure the both of you behave on his first visit here…and I'll make sure Barnabas behaves."

"Thanks Vicky." Carolyn said as she resumed doing Victoria's hair.

July 4th, 1973

"You must be Joe. It's nice to meet you." Elizabeth said as she appraised the athletic –but awkward looking- dark haired boy.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Stoddard." Joe Haskell said with visible nervousness as he shook hands with Elizabeth on the lawn in front of Collinwood. He was awed by the size and grandeur of the mansion as it sat illuminated by the setting sun. He wondered what it looked like inside. Joe was well aware that most people in town refused to even talk about the place, or the Collins family in general. The other kids who he worked with at McDonald's seemed to all regard the family as creepy and their newly rebuilt mansion as a spooky place. Joe had to admit that the house had a certain...presence about it. But so far, Carolyn's mother seemed perfectly nice and normal. Carolyn herself did seem different than other girls from the local high school...but Joe actually liked that about her. And, of course, his own family wasn't exactly normal.

"Carolyn's never mentioned you from school before. Are you new?"

"Yes, Mrs. Stoddard. My family just moved here this spring."

"How do you like Collinsport?"

"I like it." Joe said, as he surreptitiously glanced at Carolyn. Carolyn was glancing down at her bare feet –she found it increasingly comfortable to not wear shoes at all of late- in the grass as she fought her own nervousness. She knew her mother could be intimidating –one didn't run a company like the Collins Cannery without having steel in you. She was just glad Victoria had taken Barnabas and David off to keep them from interfering.

"Wonderful. Now, let's get you fed. Would you like a hamburger?" Elizabeth said as she led her daughter's new friend to the barbeque that Willie had going.

"Yes please." Joe said as he tried to discern how well this was going. He looked over at Carolyn who gave him an encouraging smile.

"Willie?" Elizabeth said quietly. Willie took a burger from the grill with his spatula, placed it in a bun and handed it to Joe. He pointed towards a table that contained any condiments that would be desired.

"Oh, here's your burger Carolyn. I did it just how you like it." Willie said as he handed Carolyn a very rare looking burger.

"Uh, thanks Willie." Carolyn said as she took the burger and handed Joe a bottle of Coca-Cola from an ice filled tub next to the barbeque.

"Wow" Joe said as he looked at the burger Carolyn had.

"Wow what?" Carolyn asked with a shy smile.

"Well, at McDonald's we have to make burgers all the same way. I've never seen one made that rare before."

"Oh, uh, I hate my meat overcooked." Carolyn said sheepishly. That was true, at least. She'd found, as she grew to accept what she was, that tended to like her meat (her red meat, at least) cooked quite rare. In fact, her ideal way of cooking was if blood was still coming out of it.

"Most girls at school hate eating red meat like that."

"I'm not like most girls, Joe." Carolyn said plainly.

"Yeah…You're a lot cooler than they are." Joe said with combination –if it was possible- of smoothness and nervousness. Carolyn smiled at that, not her usual half-smirk but a rare (for her) full smile as her nervousness melted away.

"Where's Carolyn?" David said anxiously from his folded chair by Widow's Hill.

"Yes, we should go and discern what is transpiring with this caller of hers." Barnabas said as he got up from his own chair.

"The both of you: Sit. Down." Victoria said in a tone of voice that clearly transmitted she would accept no argument about this.

"But my dear…"

"Barnabas…"

"This boy's intentions…"

"Are of no concern of yours today." She gave Barnabas a look that Josette had first given him two centuries before and that Victoria had clearly adopted when her essence merged with Josette's. The look said that Barnabas would not be told a third time. She knew Barnabas' intentions were good, but he might inadvertently make a remark about Carolyn being tragically unmarried (when she was twelve days away from her 16th birthday) or -just as bad- some sort of comment about her 'birthing hips'. Victoria discerned that would definitely be a little strange (or, more accurately, freakishly weird) for this boy on his first visit to Collinwood.

"Yes, my dear." Barnabas said resignedly as he sat down in his chair. Behind him, a pair of large beach umbrellas were used to keep the setting sun off of the vampire couple. The three were facing down towards the harbour for Collinsport. As soon as it was dark enough, the town's annual Fourth of July fireworks display would begin. The three of them had perhaps the best seats in town.

"Do you think the fireworks will be good this year, Uncle Barnabas?" David asked as he took a drink of his Tang and another bite of his (second) hamburger. So far, the day had been fun. As his Uncle Barnabas couldn't really go to attend any ballgames in person, the two of them had spent the afternoon in front of the television, watching the Boston Red Sox defeat the New York Yankees by a score of 1-0.

"I'm certain they shall be, David. What were they like last year?"

"I don't know. My dad didn't let me watch them."

"He didn't?"

"He said he had a date, so I had to go to bed."

"Well, then, this will be an evening we shall all enjoy." Barnabas said as he put his arm around his nephew as a whistling noise reached his supernatural hearing from the harbor and an explosion of red, white and blue exploded high above the harbor to begin the annual Fourth of July fireworks display.

"Magnificent" Barnabas said as he reached over and took his mate's hand. A year before, he was still buried beneath the ground, while Victoria was still locked in Windcliff Asylum. But now they were enjoying their first Independence Day together. Barnabas smiled contentedly and watched the fireworks display burst over Collinsport harbour.

A crescendo of noise burst into the air, muffling the screams coming from the alley. Of course, the screams didn't last too long anyways.

The Fourth of July in New York City was usually celebrated in a big way. There was lots of noise and lots of crowds. That made it perfect.

The red-haired woman walked purposefully from the alley, leaving behind the body of drunk she'd happened upon. The smell of liquor on him brought back memories of her own drinking days. Of course, now, her desire was for a red liquid more fiery and quenching than the finest wine.

Julia Hoffman licked the blood from her lips and walked along the sidewalk as fireworks exploded over The Statue of Liberty. She didn't look at the harbour. She'd see more than enough water than she ever cared to again. This most recent meal satisfied her. Soon, she thought, she'd have to go north again. To Maine...to Collinwood...to have a chat with Barnabas Collins and that crazy little family of his. The former psychiatrist smiled, revealed her sharp fangs as she walked along the New York streets.