Disclaimer: Dark Shadows is the creation of Dan Curtis.
A Little Knowledge
by Lucidscreamer
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." - common misquotation
They had, all of them, crowded into the bedroom - a room already packed with medical equipment - their combined attention focused on the delicate figure huddled on the bed. Phyllis Wicke was gone, and in her place, returned from the past, was Victoria Winters.
As Elizabeth gathered the trembling girl into a tight embrace, all the while murmuring soothingly, Julia Hoffman's dark gaze darted around the room, taking in each of her companions' reactions. Roger hesitated in the doorway, obviously concerned and - just as obviously - uncertain what to do. His niece rested a reassuring hand on his arm, but her eyes were turned elsewhere. Nearly forgotten in the excitement, a dazed Maggie Evans pushed past Julia and stumbled into his arms.
Julia ignored her, her own gaze following Carolyn's, alighting on the object of her rapt concentration.
Barnabas.
He stood in shadow, even now instinctively seeking the darkness. His lean face, as open to Julia as any book, was made gaunt by his concern. Hovering anxiously on the edge of the group, he seemed at war with himself, the need for circumspection struggling with his desire to be at Victoria's side, to hold her close and offer comfort.
Then Victoria gasped...and Julia watched as his gentle concern twisted into fear.
Turning, she saw that the girl was staring at Barnabas, her eyes wide with shock. Biting back a whimper, Victoria retreated further into Elizabeth's embrace.
She knew.Barnabas' stricken expression was a knife in Julia's heart. His pain, the bleak realization...etched so clearly on his face. Her own fear turned to anger as she realized that the girl saw none of it, was aware of nothing beyond her own terror. Unlike Julia, she looked at Barnabas and saw only the monster.
Julia snatched up her medical bag and quickly prepared an injection. Before anyone could question her motives, she had administered the sedative. As the fast-acting drug bore Victoria to dreamland, Julia ushered the others from the room. The family had come to trust her, to rely on her medical skills, and no one questioned her judgment when she said the girl needed to rest and recover from her ordeal. Even Barnabas, locked in his silent grief, for once accepted her words without argument.
When they had gone, leaving her alone with her patient, Julia stood over the girl, observing her drugged sleep. She pressed her fingers to Victoria's wrist - the pulse was steady and strong. Apparently, time travel left no adverse effects.
Of course, no one else knew that.
Julia reached for her medical bag.
Swiftly, alert for any sound outside the door, she prepared the syringe, mixing an ampule of Tubocurarine chloride with sterile water then with a liberal dose of lidocaine. Locating a suitable vein, she administered the injection.
It was over in minutes, the silent life-support monitors the only witnesses.
Capping the spent hypo, she tucked it into her pocket and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Note: Posted for archival purposes. This is an older fic, inspired by the cliffhanger ending of the '91 revival series (and obviously AU for that ending). Originally published in "The Collective 'Zine" and "Inside the Old House"; written circa 1993 or thereabouts.
Information on the method Julia uses comes from "Deadly Doses" from Writer's Digest Books.