Barnabas has gotten in the news, and not in a good way. Maggie, who fears for her political career, asks Sabrina Jennings to "take care of him". Sabrina exiles him to Parallel Time, which he has not visited since 1970. He does not know what to expect there.

HILL OF BEANS

"I y a des pays/ou les gens au creux des lits/font des rêves/ici nous vois tu/nous l'on marche/nous l'on tue/nous on crêve"

Song of French Partisans during the German occupation

(There are countries where people can dream in their beds. Us, we just march, we jus kill, we just die...)

Chapter 1

This was not his room, Barnabas realized the moment he woke up.

Then he remembered what had happened the previous night.

Not only it was not his room, It wasn't his Universe, either.

He was back in Parallel Time. Forced into it by gunpoint by Sabrina, acting on Maggie's orders.

He rubbed his wrists, remembering how it had been done, then stopped guiltily. There were no marks on his skin. George had made sure that the handcuffs fit comfortably enough.

And he had given him some earth. He could manage with the local earth, as he had done the first time, but it was nice to have. It was the only link to the people he had left behind.

"Don't be melodramatic" he ordered himself "It is only for two or three months. Maybe earlier, depending on how well Maggie's campaign is doing.

Where was Buffy, by the way? Could she get here easily enough? A cemetery was not the kind of place where people went for a stroll.

He would use her a couple more times, at most. By then he's find others to take the pressure off her.

Buffy... he cold not shake the memory of how it had been with her last night. That was as good as it was going to get. No one here knew him, nor trusted him the way they did back home...

No one except Roxanne. She had been the first one who hadn't minded. The first time for him when he realized it did not have to be the way it had been until now...

But the name Roxanne brought other memories. Of the Roxanne of his own time, the one that he had helped to push into a servitude so terrible that she had chosen death as her only escape.

...If the same thing were to happen to this Roxanne...

Who else was there who might remember him? He had used many women that time. He had managed not to hurt them. But he had never achieved the intimacy, the friendship that now he realized he needed as much as the blood... No, those women might more likely fear him and be unpleasantly surprised when they found out that he had come back.

He thought of Will Loomis. Something clawed at him when he remembered how Will had died and couldn't have made it in time to rescue Will from Angelique. Yet, he should have at least tried. Even with the dawn at his heels, he should have tried... Will had died trying to protect him and he had not tried...

And because Will had died, so had Carolyn. She had been too distraught and drunk to watch her words. She said the wrong thing in front of Roger and he killed her.

And because Carolyn died, so did Elizabeth.

Will... Carolyn... Elizabeth... They would have been spared if he had reached Will in time.

Then there were steps coming towards him and he knew that Buffy was coming back. It had to be her. Not many people knew what the ring in the lion's mouth was for.

The door swung open and Buffy came in.

"Did you have any trouble coming over here?" he asked softly, trying not to frighten her.

"Not this time." She shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin, white line.

"Something wrong?"

She shook her head again, avoiding his eyes.

"Come here."

She obeyed him, still looking away.

It hurt him, to have her act so. He touched her lightly on the shoulder and saw her flinch.

"Are you afraid?"

She shook her head without conviction.

"I didn't hurt you so badly the last time I was here." he said solemnly "and I won't hurt you this time, either."

"You'll only use me" Buffy said, suddenly emboldened.

"Yes. It is true" he admitted "that cannot be avoided. But did I hurt you?"

"No."

"Did I mistreat you in any way?"

"No."

"I guess that is the best we can hope for. I will continue to use you, and others, because that is the way it is with me. But I will never abuse you. I can't offer anything else. But maybe later on I will be able to give you something for your trouble."

"You will use me again, now?"

"Today and tomorrow. By then I will find someone else to let you recover."

Buffy shrugged and submitted to his need. Barnabas, knowing how unwilling she was, took extra pains to be gentle with her.

When he could speak again, he asked her if she felt all right.

"Yes, I do." She still sounded unhappy about the arrangement.

Barnabas sighed and changed conversation. "You didn't tell me much of what's happening now."

"You were too busy talking about yourself last night." she answered " complaining of how you had been treated, waking up to find yourself bound and gagged, and about to sent away with as much ceremony as a package at the Post Office."

"I guess I got tiresome." Barnabas admitted, then added. "I am glad you feel well enough to try score points against me."

"You don't like it?

"I like it."

She smiled and then sat over the coffin, crossing her legs "Well, what is that you want to know?"

Barnabas was surprised to see her lose her inhibitions so fast, but did not comment on it. "How are Quentin, and Maggie, and Daniel? Is Roxanne still around?"

"Didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

"Daniel and Mrs. Collins are dead."

"Maggie dead? And Daniel? How?"

"Daniel was killed in the war. He was supposed to be married to Amy Collins, but did not survive the battle. Which made her brother turn sour on Quentin,... "The war?"

"We are at war with Mexico and the Southern countries, as well as Canada. The Canadians keep bombing us from a base in Cuba. In the last foray they bombed Washington, and burned the White House."

"And Maggie? How did she die?

"Mrs. Collins died shortly after she gave birth to Edmund. Roxanne Drew is Edmund's governess. And Quentin's mistress."

The news hit Barnabas hard...Maggie... he remembered her as she had been. She had endured so much since coming to Collinwood, had so many obstacles to surmount... And she barely had the chance to enjoy happiness...

...And Roxanne was now Quentin's mistress...

'You said something about Chris Collins."

"There is no love lost between him and Mr. Collins. He had the idea of Amy marrying Daniel and uniting thus the branches of the family. That is no longer possible. Amy found someone else, someone that Chris thinks is beneath him... And now Chris has the idea that he should be the Master of Collinwood, not Quentin... And he's using his wife to get it."

"Is he married?"

"To Victoria. Victoria Winters Collins."

"Vicky?"

"Yes, they call her that. She is Lieutenant Todd's lover., and Chris is the one pimping her."

"Lieutenant Todd? Lieutenant Phillip Todd?"

"Yes. Very well regarded in the Party."

"Democratic or Republican?"

"Uh?"

"Democratic or Republican Party?"

Before Buffy could answer, Quentin came in, a gun in one hand and a small cross in the other.

"You play the innocent very well," he said, coldly.

Barnabas had to turn around "I mean no harm" he said.

"Where do you really come from?" Quentin barked. "Don't bother to invent. I got the whole story out of Roxanne."

"If you know already, why?"

"Tell me what you told her."

"I come from a Parallel Universe."

"Specifically how?"

"There is this room in Collinwood. In the East Wing."

"Go on. Is that how Hoffman, my former housekeeper disappeared.?"

Barnabas hesitated.

"Tell me or I'll shoot. And these are silver bullets."

"Julia killed her and took her place. She was my Universe's counterpart of Hoffman."

"That's right." Quentin put his gun in his belt. "You are the real McCoy. You can turn around now."

Barnabas did.

"I guess I owe you an explanation. I had to be sure you were who you claimed to be."

"Who else could I be?"

"A plant from the secret police."