Chapter 21

Megan was waiting for them, when they returned from the Old House. For once, the sight of her didn't bring a smile to his face. As Matt entered the house, Sebastian pulled her to one side, and explained about the fight he had had with Barnabas. Matt's subdued mood continued for the rest of the evening, and Sebastian guessed that he was taking his mother's words to heart.

Several hours later, after Megan had gone, Sebastian tried to talk to him, but Matt silenced him with a glance, then headed to his bedroom. With a sigh, Sebastian let him go, and after scanning a number of books, found the one he wanted and began to read.

/

Matthew stirred uneasily, as the nightmare continued. In his dream, Petofi laughed insanely, as he held up the grotesque thing that was his hand. His scarred face filled with mirth, as his one malevolent eye glittered.

The dream changed, to the night he had witnessed his father, snapping his mother's neck, and he moaned, moving restlessly. Again it changed, as Barnabas advanced towards him, mouth agape, his fangs exposed. It switched to Petofi and his maniacal laughter, Barnabas, strangling Julia, then back to Petofi. Petofi reached out towards him, with both hands outstretched, Matt tried to scream, but the scene changed once more, and this time it was Petofi strangling his mother.

"Mom!" he cried, sitting up, sweat soaking his body. His body shook with the effects of the dream; a sense of fear descending over him. He tried to make sense of what he had dreamt, and what his mother had said. It made his head spin. Still upset, and trying to accept his mother's ghostly appearance, he bowed his head. "Oh God, Mom!" he whispered. "What happened to you!"

/

For a change, Matthew was waiting for Sebastian, the next morning.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, in surprise, but said nothing, as he busied himself making his morning coffee.

"Tell me about Petofi," said Matt, after five minutes, of watching his guardian.

Sebastian took a sip of his coffee before he spoke. Looking over the rim of his mug, he asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

Again, Sebastian took his time in answering. After taking another sip of his coffee, he looked keenly at Matt. "Are you prepared to listen, Matthew? Because I'm not going to waste my time, if you're not."

Matt turned away from him, bowing his head. "You had the dream..."

"Yes, I did. But that still doesn't answer my question. If you really want to know the truth, then, you must accept that I might not say anything you might like."

Matt faced him again. "Like Barnabas' innocence?"

"In a nutshell. And right now, I still doubt your sincerity."

"My mother said I don't know everything," said Matt, slowly.

"Barnabas and Quentin, myself included, have been telling you that for years, Matthew. It took your mother's spirit to convince you?"

"Kind of," he admitted, reluctantly. His expression became haunted looking, his eyes clouding. "And that last dream...he makes my skin crawl...and that Hand!"

Sebastian looked at him, with a new understanding; and hope. "Can you accept, that Barnabas, could be partially innocent? That he was desperate, and desperate men do desperate things?"

"My mother can," he said, and then looked up at him. "She's the victim in this, remember? Help me to understand, Sebastian!" he implored. "What don't I know!"

"I repeat the same thing, I said last night; for the complete truth, you must hear it from Barnabas. I can only tell you so much. Are you prepared to do that? And accept that Barnabas isn't guilty of half of the things he's being accused of?"

Again, Matthew grew silent for several minutes, and Sebastian realised that for once, he was actually thinking about it. Perhaps, Julia's ghostly appearance had done some good, after all. It seemed that all he'd ever wanted was his mother's assurance.

"Alright," said Matt finally. "Tell me what you can."

Sebastian nodded. "Very well. I've been doing some research on Petofi that I suggest you read, after I tell you what I can. It will help prepare you, for the confrontation that is bound to come. It will also mean more hours of training...think Megan would mind sharing you for a while?" Sebastian added, with a smile.

Mention of Megan brought a smile to his still pale face. "I'll talk to her about it. I should call her, and apologise for last night, I was a bit of a heel."

"She'll understand, I'm sure," the older man agreed. "Now, to work."

"Are you serious?" questioned Matt, after Sebastian had finished telling him what he could.

"Quite," said Sebastian, firmly. "Turning you against your father, and making Barnabas responsible for your mother's death, Petofi's revenge was complete."

"I don't remember, ever meeting him," said Matt, deep in thought. "And Quentin didn't mention any of this. Even though he's father must have mentioned it to him."

"Perhaps he felt, your father, or myself, had already mentioned it," Sebastian alibi. "Read this, it should any questions you may have," he added, handing him a book. "Of course, I'd be willing to answer any more questions you have."

Matthew took the book, and flicked through the pages. After a few seconds, he looked up. "If he's so afraid of gypsies, and only one can hold the ultimate power over him, how can I possibly defeat him?"

"You're a Slayer, Matthew. Besides, you'll have some extra help. And I plan to use his fear of gypsies against him. Something he won't be expecting."

"You make it sound so easy," complained Matt, looking down at the book again.

"What is it, Matthew?" asked Sebastian, watching him closely. "There's something else on your mind."

"I was just thinking...about Barnabas," he said quietly. "He's been saying for weeks that my mother's presence was at the Old House, and I didn't believe him. The morning after I destroyed Julian...on the way back from the Old House, I thought I smelt her perfume on the early morning breeze. I thought I imagined it."

"The night he give you the booklet from your mother's trust fund, I thought I'd smelt it then. I wasn't sure at the time, and when you didn't mention it, I just assumed, I was imagining it. I guess the unexpected trust fund she set up added to not noticing. When you were in hospital, after Ben stabbed you...he never left your side."

He paused; knowing that Matt's willingness to listen was still fragile. "I'm not defending him, nor do I agree with what he did to Ben, after what happened, but I can understand his reasons. He was extremely worried and concerned about you. As he saw it, he'd lost a wife, and was about to lose a son, too."

"I guess I can understand that," he said, grudgingly, standing up. "I need some time to think this over, Sebastian. It's still too soon to even think of Barnabas, as completely innocent in all of this."

"Time isn't something we have a lot of, Matt. We don't know when Petofi will strike, or what disguise he will be using. By all means, think over what I've told you, but stay alert and be prepared for anything."

He watched as Matt left the cottage, thanking Julia once more, for what finally seemed to be a breakthrough. But had it come too late? Would Petofi's hold over him reassert itself, before he could fully understand the truth? Would Petofi be victorious once more, or would he finally be defeated?

He prayed for the latter. Barnabas and Matthew had both suffered too much at Petofi's hands, and Sebastian vowed to do everything he could to see that didn't happen. Once more, vowing to put his life on the line, in protecting what was left of the Collins family. He'd failed ten years ago; he was determined not to fail this time.