Chapter 21

Elliott Stokes House

1969

Barnabas felt his life easing from his body slowly, his eyes fixed and glassed over, he was dying in this body and in a few short hours he would awaken and be one with the night. Standing in ethereal form he drifted up and out of his body to return to his body in the basement of the old house. Opening his eyes a gut-wrenching moan of such immeasurable pain filled him. "NOOOOOO!" He collapsed over on the table cradling his head to his arms. He had gone through that horrible moment again, had relived what he had relived in his coffin for nearly two hundred years when he awoke every night to know he was trapped. He had been forced to relived that moment over and over and it was because of Bradford.

He sighed pushed up and rubbed his eyes. Vicki needed him, she needed him then but to go back would bring back all he was before. He had to decide what to do. What was more important to him living a life of living hell and remembering all the grief it brought or the pain and anguish? He had to focus on Vicki, his thoughts were interrupted when he saw Quentin's body convulse, fall forward on the table and then slowly he began to lift his head. He shook his head then remembered and grabbed his throat. "Bradford! Daphne! He attacked Daphne!" Quentin still disoriented jumped up to rush up the stairs when Barnabas' voice halted his steps.

"They are still in the past Quentin, they are trapped in the past." Quentin froze in place, looked around and saw he was in Elliott's house. Siting down he put his hands to his face and moaned softly.

"What if he turns her? What then, the past will be changed again." He sat back down at the table and peered over at the body of Professor Stokes still held in stasis while he occupied Ben's body in the past.

"We will make sure that does not happen." Barnabas stood paced the floor. "Quentin, I am not so sure I can go back." Barnabas was wringing his hands as he paced back and forth in the basement. "I died again, I felt death take my body before I vacated and returned here. I remembered it all, how I died, how I awoke with the blood lust, and then I remembered being trapped in my coffin for those years of torment and torture."

Julia had been sleeping quietly on the sofa waiting to see what would happen. She was aroused by the painful moan from Barnabas, lifting her head she peered around and saw Barnabas had awaken from his trance. Standing she tugged on her suit coat walked to the table. "What has happened?"

Barnabas sighed deeply, "I have died and I am about to become a vampire again. Bradford attacked me."

"He attacked Daphne and me. I don't know how badly Daphne is injured but he nearly drained me when Vicki came in and interrupted him."

Julia grew more concerned, "Then I need to go back with you this time. I will do the transference part of this journey. Something Elliott and I one night had this discussion at length while Adam was studying. I am taking my medical bag with me." She was glad she had the fortitude and forethought to pack the bag and bring it with her. We don't know how badly she is hurt so I will pack a few more things. Give me a moment." Julia walked into Elliott's library and was gone to return with a first aid kit and her doctor's bag. "I am ready, tell me what I need to do to find the door and I will do what I need to do to go back there."

Barnabas paused in his pacing he was not being reasonable. The woman or for that matter the two women he loved were trapped in the past and they both needed him, he knew what he needed to do but he was not ready to face it. "Barnabas, we cannot leave them there with Bradford on the loose. You are about to discover that Bradford has attacked Josette. You will in turn go and attack Phyllis Wick. Then there is my persona trying to court Vicki. He is being persistent according to what I was told. Do you want to leave them in that mess because you can't face what you were?"

Julia sat down and waited patiently for them to join her, she checked Elliott and found he was still in stasis form. Looking anxiously to the near panic ridden Barnabas, then to Quentin she placed the doctor's bag in her lap, put her hands on the table and waited. She wanted to get back there as quick as possible. So she closed her eyes and began to concentrate and followed the instructions that Elliott had carefully detailed in his book to do transition. Feeling her body grow light she smiled, it was working.

Barnabas did not know how to argue the point. Then again, he could not argue his point because he could not explain the feelings he was having at that moment over what he knew he was about to face. That there would be the night after night of bloodlust he could not control. He had already lived it and it had been so horrific to think of living it again was down right frightening. He rubbed his hands anxiously together rolling them one over the other as he tried to explain. "I know you are right, I know the thing to do is to go back and assume that part of my life that was lived and to set the course of time right again. What you don't understand Quentin is I am living it again and it was hard enough to live it the first time."

Quentin could not hide his anger and disgust at the coward that was his cousin standing in front of him like a cowering mass of nerves and anxiety. "I have never seen you so indecisive Barnabas. What has changed? What has you so unsure as to what step you will take next. For me there is no decision to make I have decided I will not leave Victoria or Daphne alone. They need me and if you decide you can be the man I know you are then I will see you back in 1796." Feeling his strength return, Quentin reseated himself and began to re-enter his trance.

Both men turned and was surprised, Julia no longer sat in solid form in the chair instead in the chair was a transparent form of Julia's image, she had crossed over and was now entering into the realm of the past. Quentin smiled, placed his hand through the image of her hand closed his eyes and began to transcend time and enter into the other world that was 1796. Leaving Barnabas to slump into the chair and wrestle with his conscious.

Josette's Room

1796

Daphne knocked lightly on the door. Vicki walked to the door and opened it, smiled tensely. "He wants to see you Vicki, he has lost a lot of blood and I think he needs a transfusion. Elliott thinks he needs one too. I am going to try and find some tubes to use and hope his blood type is the same as Quentin's if that is the case, we will need your blood and mine." Daphne left Vicki in the doorway as she went in search of what could be used to do a blood transfusion. Vicki smoothed her dress down and with open trepidation began to walk with uncertainty down the hallway to Jeremiah's old room. Pausing she knocked on the door and heard his weak call.

"Come in my love." It was Henri but Quentin's voice. Opening the door she walked into the room to see how ghastly pale he had become and the dark circles under his eyes told his story. Vicki walked slowly towards the bed and knelt beside him. She felt his hand reach for and clutch her hand. "I fear my time on this Earth is limited my sweet one. Before I go, tell me what I long to hear that your answer would be yes, that you would have married me and become my Duchess?" He weakly held her hand drawing it to his lips.

Vicki smiled, he was dying and knew it. She felt the weakness in his cold hand and looked into his eyes and there she saw Quentin, she spoke softly because if these were his last moments on this earth she did not wish him to be disappointed. "Henri, if I had to choose a husband from this moment in this time, I would have gladly taken your hand and stood at your side." She was being Vicki to the very end of someone's life that needed to hear what they wanted. That was the giving side of her. He smiled lifted her hand to press a tender kiss to her hand.

"One last kiss before I go into the unknown that is the next part of my journey?" He had closed his eyes and smiled at the thought of a kiss from her. Vicki stood leaning over him she pressed her lips to his. Just as Henri was about to go unconscious, Quentin stepped into his body as his lips touched Vicki. He finished the chaste kiss and spoke softly in this weakened body. "As much as I would have appreciated that kiss when we first met and you saw me naked, I am afraid that my girl would be jealous." He chuckled softly and felt his body was weakening.

"Now that I am here, where is Daphne and oh my goodness. Quickly we have to begin." Julia rushed towards Quentin and Vicki. Grabbing his arm, she laid her bag on the bed opened it and pulled out the tubes needed for a transfusion. Daphne appeared in the door paused, blinked, and was grateful she had brought the glass jars in and that Julia had brought the needles and the tubing.

"Aunt Julia thank god! You came. We have to hurry, I fear that body is dying." Daphne set the two jars on the bedside table; she grabbed the needles and tubing. Thrusting the needle into her vein she sat on the edge of the bed, reached for Quentin's hand and waited for her Aunt to begin the process. Julia had trouble finding a vein that was not going to collapse, finding one she sighed, then began to transfuse the blood from Daphne going into the Jaw into Quentin's arm.

"Vicki, until we need your blood, I need you to hold this jar up like this." Julia demonstrated to have the jar lifted over her head. "Just hold it there for a few minutes until I can find something that will hold it for me. Daphne do you think you could stand? I need you even with the jar." Julia knew when she started to loose her blood she would begin to feel a little dizzy and would need to sit. "Wait, this is what I am going to do, don't move!"

Julia turned and lifted the second jar that Daphne had brought. Pinching off the tube from Daphne, she lifted that tube and put it in the second jar. "Are there any more jars around here?"

Vicki lowered the jar she had been holding. "I can go to the kitchen the pantry will have more jars." Julia's smiled was one of tense relief. "I will hurry back." Vicki handed the jar to Julia, and dashed from the room skirts flying. Julia turned to sit the jar on the bedside table. Reaching into her bag she pulled out her stethoscope and her blood pressure cup and began to take Henri's blood pressure.

"Daphne how are you doing sweetie?" She glanced up and noted his blood pressure had not dropped drastically, he was holding his own for now. She checked the tube and then turned to Daphne and saw she was filling up the jar pretty quickly. Timing it right she frowned noting how pale she was. Daphne began to sway and Julia caught her. "Why did you do this?" She looked at her throat and saw she had bite marks. Taking her pulse she frowned. "VICKI!" Julia called out in a panic.

Through the door stepped Elliott. "Oh my what did she do? Give up her blood for him when he had already drank from her?" Elliott rushed forward to scoop her up and walk from the room. "Good to see you Julia, you may wish to change your clothing after you are done. I will take her to Josette's room."

Elliott carried Daphne from the room just as Vicki arrived with four more jars. "Oh dear, we should have started with my blood Julia, I have the vampires blood in my system and the two life forces of Quentin and Barnabas. You need to take my blood now."

Julia frowned. "I need pure vampire blood Vicki, your blood will stabilize Henri, but Daphne . . . "

Vicki swallowed hard and then took a deep breath. "Barnabas is in his pre-vampire state right now, he is a vampire now Julia whether we like it or not he is turning as we speak, so you could have pure vampire blood from him." Vicki fought to keep her emotions under control.

"Take me to him." Julia felt a little resistance from Vicki who paused to put the jars down. "No bring one jar." Julia snagged one jar, her bag, and thrust the jar in Vicki's hands. "Hurry we don't have much time if we want to save Daphne and Quentin." Julia pulled Vicki down the hallway to Peter's bedroom. Pushing open the door she paused and turned to Vicki. "Are you up for this?"

Vicki took a deep breath and nodded slowly. Walking past Julia she had to lock down her emotions. She saw him pale and bloodied on the bed. "I hope there is enough of his blood in him that we will be able to get what we need." She saw the blood on his lips so knew that Peter had forced him to drink from him. Julia began to search for areas that she could use her scalpel to cut in and take some blood from his body.

"How long ago was this done?" Julia turned to look at Vicki and waited anxiously, she knew if she had at least twelve hours what she would get would be the vampire gene with the blood and it would hold healing properties.

Vicki leaned over and lightly kissed his cold lips. Stroking his hair back she spoke softly, "Joshua came to find his body about an hour ago. I think Peter attacked him over five hours ago." Julia nodded, looked at his side and plunged her scalpel into his side and smiled, the blood had pooled to the back, although there was barely a cupful left it was enough. Putting her jar under the wound she drained the blood into the jar. Lifting the jar, she turned to leave the room.

"Vicki are you coming?" She looked at the tragic figure of Vicki still peering into the cold dead face of her love and sighed softly, her eyes welling with tears she nodded slowly again.

"A moment Julia, I will join you." She bent one more time and placed her lips on his lips. "I love you Barnabas, you are my heart, you are my soul and you are my life." Her tears splashed on his eyes and she gasped, she watched as the eyes twitched. Stepping back she knew if he were about to waken she could not be here, he would take her. Turning she rushed from the room. Following behind Julia.

Barnabas had entered his dead body at the moment Vicki had kissed his lips, and brushed his hair from his forehead he had heard her heartfelt confession of her love for him. When she had started to cry and her tears had hit his eyelashes he twitched. It was not time to awaken so he was glad she had left. When he awoke he would need blood. He could take her blood, she would rejuvenate her blood faster than most because of her shared life force with Quentin. So he laid in this state waiting as he had waited when he was trapped in his coffin. His mind fixed to one thing, Victoria. He was doing this for Victoria because he knew in the future he had a life with her and she was worth every miserable moment he had to go through.

Jeremiah's room

Julia filled the syringe with the mixture of Vicki's blood and Barnabas' transforming blood and injected into one of Henri's veins. She looked anxiously to Vicki and muttered I hope this works and he does not seize because we tainted his system." There was a surge into Henri's veins and Quentin could feel it filling him and then a sudden impact to his heart and it stopped, once again Quentin was thrown out of Henri's body as Henri's body convulsed, he took a deep gasping breath, his chest heaved then he laid still and unmoving. "Oh my god!" Julia rushed for her stethoscope.

Henri's chest heaved again, he gasped and his eyes flew open. Vicki rushed forward, pushing Julie from his sight. Speaking rapidly. "Go check on Daphne I will stay with Henri, and in my closet you will find clothing change before you come back!" She blocked Henri's view of Julia as she made her escape from the room. Vicki looked around saw the modern contrivances of medical equipment and hurriedly hid them from Henri. She only suspected that it was Henri, she had a second sense when it was Quentin, they had shared life forces so she could slowly start to tell the differences of who was in residence in Henri's body and at this moment it was Henri.

His voice was raspy and his eyes were starting to show signs of recognition. "All my beloved Victoria, you have stayed to see that I survived this night. My beloved you made me a very happy man when you agreed to marry me." He smiled and knew he had her trapped in his proposal. He knew that Petofi would never let him die, he needed Henri's money and status to get him what he wanted and around in society that he so longed to travel.

Vicki frowned, "I said had I and that was only when you were dying, or thought you were dying that I agreed to this ridiculous proposal." She huffed slightly and stood with her arms crossed. A part of her was glad she had given a part of her blood because it would save him long enough to allow Quentin to come back into his body. It was also a way to heal Daphne. She heard him chuckle.

"It matters not, I got your agreement, you are stuck with me my dearest one and you will be compelled by the honor code to marry me, I shall put my petition directly to your father who could turn me down? I am a Duke as opposed to a common but very wealthy criminal. Now all I need is the name of your father and where he lives." Victoria closed her eyes.

"Please Quentin where are you!" She muttered softly under her breath. Then she remembered he said he had trouble entering Henri's body while he was awake. Sighing softly she rolled her eyes. Looking around she saw a syringe that Julia must have taken out while she was preparing the transfusion tubes and needles.. Walking to the syringe she looked at the small print on the vial inside the container, it read Valium. She smiled. Picking up the syringe she walked back to Henri's bed and sat on the edge.

Henri smiled and it was one of those triumphant smiles. "I wonder my dear are you ready to capitulate to my demands?" He half wiggled his eyebrows and the mischief danced in his eyes. "Now your father's name."

Victoria sighed dramatically, "I would be happy to give you my father's name and his address but unfortunately, he is living in the year 1969 and his name is George Patterson, he is the sheriff of Collinsport. Since I am already engaged to Barnabas in that year, I can't marry you." She smiled, took his cover and drew it back. Lifting the syringe she watched his elation at her uncovering him go to curiosity to abject confusion. Victoria plunged the syringe into his leg and depressed the plunger sending the Valium coursing through his system. He went limp then his eyes fluttered shut.

Sighing softly she spoke to the room. "Knock, knock Quentin you can come home again!" She stood from the bed and covered him. Once again, she watched his eyes flicker and then open and he smiled.

"Hello gorgeous, thanks for the little bit of help." Quentin was alert in the now sleeping mind of Henri. Pushing himself up he looked around the room. "This looks familiar, I think Barnabas let me use this room once before." Then he regretted he had brought up Barnabas when he saw her look away.

"Oh I am so sorry Vicki, I forgot he wanted to come back with me but I think he was conflicted I am sure once he is ready to join us he will be coming back to Barnabas' body." He stood on unsteady feet and set quickly. "Please go check on Daphne." He laid back across the bed.

Vicki was grateful that she had Quentin back; she turned and walked from the room meeting Elliott as she exited the door. He was performing some kind of ceremony. She slipped past him and let him continue with his task. Walking down to Josette's room, she pushed through the door and saw Daphne setting up in the bed. Rushing to her side Vicki sat on the edge of the bed. "You are fine?" She touched her cheek and smiled into her eyes.

"Yes, Aunt Julia gave me the combination of Barnabas healing blood and your blood and well here I am feeling a little tired but fine. How is Quentin?" She asked focused on Vicki, a movement behind Vicki and she turned to see Julia dressed in one of the gowns that was in Josette's closet, dressed as she was except for her hair, she looked a lot like Natalie duPres. "Aunt Julia, you need to pin your hair up, it looks too modern."

Vicki shook her head. "Not really she looks like she treated herself for bedbugs. She could easily keep her hair short like that except she needs to spit curl it." Vicki turned and noticed she had her dress undone. "Oh turn around and we will get you buttoned up. I fear though many will think you are Natalie duPres if they see you or if Josette sees you." She sighed and turned Julia around. "It will feel bulky but you will adjust to it."

Daphne did a circle with her index finger, "Turn around and let me look at you Aunt Julia." She watched Julia hold her arms out and then do a small spin the dress floating out and then down by her feet. "I think had you been pregnant still you would not have fit in that dress at all." Daphne was sat that something they had done had affected her pregnancy in the future. "I promise we will figure out what needs to be done and we will fix this so you have your baby back."

Julia looked perplexed as if Daphne had lost her mind. "Daphne darling, I think this experience has addled your brain. I was never pregnant." Julia smoothed the dress down and paused turning to the sound of someone at the door. Turning their heads all eyes were on the figure that stood in the doorway. Josette with Joshua stood watching all three women. With a squeal and a happy skip, Josette dashed to Julia.

"Aunt Natalie! When did you arrive?"