Dark Shadows: Back to the Past

Chapter 31

1

"Jamison, I want you to go back to Collinwood. There are things that I need to do. I believe everything that you have told me. I am not yet ready to go into the future. As soon as I take care of the necessary arrangements, I will come for you. Then you and I will find that time portal."

Jamison wanted to leave now. He didn't see any reason to go back to Collinwood. He certainly would run into David Collins. Why take that chance, when they could just leave? "Why don't we just go now?"

"Barnabas saved my life. He can tell us exactly where the portal is."

"Quentin, don't you understand. He has no intention of allowing you to cross over into the future. You can't tell him I'm back. You said so yourself. We must say nothing and cross into the future without Barnabas' knowledge. We'll find the portal without him."

Quentin really didn't want to talk to Barnabas. He hadn't any doubt Jamison was right. He just wanted the boy out of the way so he could find the portal himself. The vampire wasn't going to let him cross into the future if he could stop him. He may have avoided accidentally killing Jenny, but who was to say she wouldn't escape from Wyncliff and make another attempt on his life. If Barnabas and Ironside left, then who would be here to stop him again from killing her in self-defense? Then there was Petofi to worry about. He didn't want him to take over his body any more than he wanted to become a werewolf.

Quentin would miss Jamison terribly as he was certain the boy would also miss him. He simply couldn't take him with him. There was no telling what it would do to the future of the Collins family. Jamison had to remain here. On the other hand, Quentin was fairly confident if he left the past behind, it would not have much effect on the timeline. Staying here would either have him turned into a werewolf or he would be trapped in Petofi's body. Either way, he knew he would never marry, let alone have children.

"Jamison, please do as I ask. I am not prepared to leave, but will be by tomorrow night. First thing first. You must go back and make sure David is somewhere where he can't be found for the moment. Right now, he's likely in bed. Convince him to leave his room and lead him somewhere in the mansion he can be kept where no one will find him for now. Then we will leave tomorrow. Okay?"

"Well, alright, if that is what you think best."

Quentin smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "I do. Now get going." He wanted to hug him knowing it might be the last time he would ever see him, but he might become suspicious of Quentin's intentions. He watched as Jamison left and headed in the direction of Collinwood.

As soon as the boy was out of sight, Quentin began walking down the area where Jamison had been seen. The time portal had to be in this area somewhere. Quentin was determined to find it. He had to get out of this century before Petofi decided to make the switch in bodies. There wasn't any way he was going to live his life in Petofi's body. He was an old man, and Quentin was a young man. He had most of his life to live, where much of Petofi's life was behind him. Depending on how long a warlock could live. He would find the time portal and leave before anybody knew he was gone.

He'd been walking around for more than two hours and was about to give up when he saw a staircase. Quentin stared at it. There was no possible way anyone put a staircase in the middle of the woods. It could only mean one thing. It had to be the time portal! Hurrying over to the staircase, Quentin Collins hesitated. Was this really the time portal? Was he really prepared to go more than a hundred years into the future? As he stood there contemplating, he had no idea he was being watched.

What choice did he really have? If he stayed in his own century, he would either become a werewolf or be taken over by Count Petofi. Neither prospect was very comforting. At least in the future, he could live his life as a normal human being. Realizing this, Quentin walked up the staircase and disappeared.

Aristede watched in amazement as Quentin Collins disappeared before his eyes. He rubbed the bruises on his face that stung with pain. He'd taken quite a beating from the count for not bringing his gun with him into the living room. As a result, Chief Ironside was able to rescue both Barnabas and Eve Ironside. Petofi blamed Aristede for ruining his chances of discovering where the time portal was. It seemed Aristede took that beating for nothing. He now knew where to find it.

He would go back and tell the count exactly what he saw. Hopefully, he would leave immediately, and Aristede would be rid of him.

2

Jamison reached the double doors of the Great House. It was just after dawn, and he would have to be extremely quiet, so that he didn't wake anyone in the household. Fortunately, everyone would still be sleeping. He'd have to lure David out of his bedroom, or Jamison would have to spend the day in hiding. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He just wanted to get out of the house and join Quentin. Jamison could not bear the thought of Quentin leaving without him. Life at Collinwood could never be the same.

Hopefully, the front doors of the mansion would not be locked. Normally, they were not. He didn't realize that in the century which he wanted to go to, all of the doors were kept locked. It was a totally different time, and people were not trusted as they were in the current century.

He reached for the door knob and turned it. The door opened immediately. He breathed a sigh of relief, yet he didn't know why. The doors were rarely ever locked to begin with. As quietly as he could, he went up the stairs, trying to avoid making any noise. Entering the hall, he turned to his right and walked down to his bed chambers where he knew David Collins would be sleeping. He opened the door slowly and entered. Jamison stood there for a moment contemplating how he was going to get David into a locked room somewhere. He knew of one in one of the secret passageways. The problem being, that if David explored the passages as much as Jamison did, he would already know about it. Jamison might not be able to convince him to go there. Nevertheless, he had to try. It was important that he get David out of the way, so that he and Quentin could cross through the time portal.

Walking over to the bed, he tapped David Collins on his shoulder. The young boy slowly opened his eyes. The light of the morning sun was creeping into his room. His eyes widened when he saw what he thought was himself standing beside his bed. Fully awake, he realized that Jamison had returned from his future.

"You found your way back!" David said.

"Yes. I must apologize to you, David. You were telling me the truth."

"I told you I was. You should not have crossed the staircase. Your return here is going to complicate things," David told him.

"That is why I came straight to you. We have to talk about what we are going to do. I know you want to return home, and I do not want to interfere with that. Has it been difficult posing as me?"

"Mostly everybody ignores me. I was actually able to fool Quentin. However, he now knows that I am David Collins, and not you. My cousin, Barnabas, has told him the truth about where we are from, and what we are doing here. Since Cousin Barnabas was able to stop Quentin from accidentally killing Jenny, we should soon be ready to return home. It is entirely up to Chief Ironside when."

"David, I must take my place."

David sat up in the bed. "If you do that, what am I supposed to do? I don't yet know when we will be returning to the future."

"I have that all figured out. There is a room in the secret passages. Do you know about the secret passages in the Great House?"

David rolled his eyes. "Of course, I know about them. I know and have explored every inch of this house. I think I know about the room you are talking about. What are you suggesting?"

Here it was. Jamison had to convince him to go to that room. "There is a cot in that room. I suggest that you stay there until your cousin and Chief Ironside are ready to return to the future. As soon as I find out, I will come and tell you. You will then be able to join them."

"That doesn't make any sense," David said, shaking his head. "I can just go over to the Old House. Barnabas will let me stay there until we are ready to return. The only reason I am here is because Barnabas felt the family would panic if they could not find you. So he had me pose as you."

"I don't think we can take the chance that you will be seen by other members of the family. They would not understand why someone who looks exactly like me is in Collinsport. It could cause a problem."

"What sort of problem? Barnabas could easily come up with an explanation as to who I am. He is very good at that."

Jamison was losing this argument and he knew it. He had to think. There had to be some way to get David to go to that room. He decided there might be another way. "Well, okay if you think so. I guess it would be okay for you to stay with your cousin. In the meantime, how would you like to go exploring the secret passages with me?"

"I know all of the secret passageways. I have been through all of them." David got out of bed and began getting dressed. Jamison watched as he dressed in his clothes. He supposed David certainly couldn't have remained in his clothes from the future. He would really have stood out.

"I think I do too, but maybe one of us knows of a passage that the other doesn't. Don't you think it would be fun to find out?"

David thought about it. He had never considered that he might not know all of the passages in the Great House. Maybe Jamison knew of some that he didn't. What would it hurt to explore with him and find out?

"Well, okay. I don't see any reason why we can't. It'll give me something to do today. I have been rather bored since I arrived here. There are no computers, no smartphones, and no televisions. There is nothing to do."

All of the things that David had just named were completely foreign to Jamison. "What are those things you were talking about?"

David Collins smiled. It was nice to know something that Jamison didn't know. "It would take too long to explain it. They're just things that we have in the future that you don't have here."

"Maybe you could tell me about them while we are exploring."

"I guess I can do that," David agreed. "We better get started before the rest of the household wakes up."

"Good idea," Jamison said and headed for the door.

David, now fully dressed, followed his look-alike into the hallway. They headed into the west wing of the mansion. When they reached the end of the hall, Jamison reached behind a portrait, and pushed a button. A wall opened, and he turned to David with a grin.

"Did you know about this entrance into the secret passages?" Jamison asked David.

"Of course I did," David said. He stepped into the passageway, and looked back to see if Jamison was following.

When they entered, Jamison pushed another button and the entrance closed. He reached over to a table standing against the wall. Picking up the lantern, he turned it up until it lit the way in front of them. "Let's go this way."

David said nothing and let Jamison lead. They turned in several different directions. "Is all of this familiar to you?" Jamison asked.

"I am afraid so. Let's try a different direction." Now, it was David who took the lead. Since he was headed in the direction Jamison wanted to go, he allowed him to do so.

When they reached the room Jamison wanted David to enter, he stopped. David soon realized that his companion was no longer following him. He no longer had the benefit of the light from the lantern. Stopping, he turned and looked back. "Why are you stopping? That is nothing but a storage room, or at least that's what it is used for in the future," David said.

"I fixed this room up for you. I even put some really cool things in the room for you to do. Don't you want to see what they are?"

He really didn't, but he didn't want to insult Jamison. So far, his ancestor seemed to be a lot like him. He liked to explore things just like David did. It was too bad they didn't live in the same century. David would be less lonely. He would have had a playmate his own age. "Okay, I'll take a look."

"This lantern is getting kind of heavy. Would you mind carrying it for a while?" Jamison asked.

David shrugged, but took the lantern from him. He didn't understand why he thought it was so heavy. It certainly didn't look like it was. Once he had it in his hand, he couldn't believe Jamison was having a problem carrying it. It didn't seem very heavy to him.

"You better lead now that you have the lantern," Jamison told him.

David walked into the room. It immediately lit up with the light from the lantern. There was indeed a cot sitting in the corner. There was an old-time desk against another wall. It had a wooden chair pulled up to it. Other than that, there was nothing else in the room. Confused, David turned around to see the door being slammed shut. He heard the key turn in the lock. Racing over to the door, he started pounding on it. "What are you doing? Unlock this door."

"I'm sorry, David, but I can't do that. You see, Quentin and I are going to go through the time portal into the future. Like I told you, two of us can't stay in the same time. You will be staying here and become Jamison Collins. I am going to your future and I will pose as you. Before we leave, I will leave a note that can be found. Someone will come to let you out. I don't know how you will explain getting locked in this room, but if you are anything like me, you will find a reason."

"You can't do this! Unlock the door. I want to go home. I am going back with Barnabas and Chief Ironside. You belong here."

"Maybe so, but I do not want to live here if Quentin leaves. Life is just too unbearable when he is gone. You will get used to living here. I would think it will be easier for you than it will be for me. I am sure they had you study the past. There is no way I could study the future."

David doubled his fist and pounded on the door again. "You can't do this. You will never be able to pass for me. Barnabas will know it is not me. He knows me."

Jamison laughed. "You were able to fool Quentin, and I have no doubt that I will be able to fool Barnabas. I only have to fool him long enough to enter the time portal. It was nice meeting you, David. If we had been born in the same century, I am sure we would have been great friends. Goodbye, David."

David could hear his footsteps as he left him behind. He continued pounding on the door. "Jamison! You come back here! Let me out of this room! Let me out of here!" But soon the footsteps faded.

He knew this section of the mansion only too well. He could pound on the door and yell and scream, and no one would hear him. He went over to the cot, sat down and put his head into his hands. David did not want to stay in this century. All he had wanted since he got here was to go back home. Now, it looked like he was going to be stuck here for the rest of his life.

3

In the future . . .

Quentin Collins stepped out of the time portal into the present day of Collinwood. For a moment, he didn't know where he was. Then he realized he was in his own room. Only the room was in shambles. It was covered with dust and cobwebs. How could the Collins family ever allow the mansion to deteriorate to this condition? It upset him greatly.

He walked over to the table to see his phonograph sitting there. It brought back many memories of the times he sat and listened to the one song that was able to calm his troubled mind. He touched it gently as if it were an old friend. He couldn't believe it! He was in the future at Collinwood. Barnabas Collins and Robert Ironside had told him the truth. There really was a time portal, and he had crossed through it. The proof was in the condition of his room, or was it? He needed to get out of this room and check the rest of the house. He needed confirmation that he really was now in the future.

A problem he knew he would be facing, from what Jamison had told him, was the family was not going to be happy to see him. Apparently, his ghost had terrorized them for some time. They probably would think he was a ghost when they saw him. How could he convince them that he wished them no ill will? He only escaped to this time to avoid the werewolf curse, and Count Petofi. Quentin wanted to take his rightful place as a member of the Collins family. He smiled as an idea came to him. After all, Barnabas had been able to fool the family that he was a grandson of the original Barnabas Collins, when he was in fact, the original. Quentin was sure that they had no idea he was a vampire. It was likely that only young David knew the truth.

He would have to establish himself in the same manner. The first thing he had to do was to get out of the clothes he was wearing. They did not fit the time. The problem was he had no money, and even if he did it would be over a hundred years old. No doubt, it would be useless in this time period. He couldn't buy any clothes, so where would he get them? Certainly, Barnabas would have clothes at the Old House. But that would not do either. He was much taller than Barnabas. His clothes would not fit him. Besides, Barnabas was rather stuffy in the way he dressed. Quentin didn't think that he had assimilated to this new century very well. He would have spotted him in an instance if someone had told him there was a man here from another century. Barnabas wreaked of the past. So that idea was out.

He left his room to head for the main section of the mansion. Surely, the Collins family had maintained it much better than they did his room. If not, he certainly wasn't going to live here.

Since he hadn't run into his ghost, Barnabas must have ended his curse and banished the ghost. When he arrived at the door that led into the sleeping chambers of the family, he opened it slowly and peaked down the hall. There wasn't anyone in sight. He entered the hallway and continued toward the entrance that would take him to the staircase that led to the foyer. It seemed that everyone in the household was still sleeping.

He only wished that he could have brought Jamison with him. David would've been able to help him if he were here. But neither of the lads were, so he had to do it himself. The only thing he could think of was to head to the Old House. Maybe he would be able to locate some clothing that would fit him. Since he had been left an inheritance, there must be a way he could collect it. He would need money to live on. Quentin couldn't think of anything worse than having to go to work. He despised working at the shipyard. He didn't do it in the past, and he certainly wasn't going to do it here in the future. Quentin had no idea what he would do, but was certain he would figure it out.

He descended the stairs to the foyer. Quietly, he left the house. Looking around, it looked much the same. The foliage in the woods was not as thick as it was in the past. He noticed there was a clear path that headed in the direction of the Old House. It would be much easier to navigate.

He hadn't gone very far, when he came up on a road. Suddenly he heard a beeping noise, and looked to his right. Some type of contraption was bearing down on him. Quentin jumped back as it went racing by him. He heard that there was a new invention called an automobile. This must be what had nearly hit him. It was nothing like what had been described to him. The vehicle that had just raced by him looked more like an alien vehicle to him. He'd never seen anything like it. Yet, Quentin knew that he was going to see a lot of strange things from now on. He kept going and entered the woods. Following the path, it only took him about 15 minutes to arrive at the Old House.

He looked up at the ancestral home. He was aware that this was the original Collinwood. It was nowhere near as big as the current Collinwood, but it certainly was huge by any standard. It too was somewhat run down, although it showed signs someone was in the process of restoring it. He supposed that would be Barnabas.

Quentin walked up the long flight of stairs to the double doors. He had visited the mansion many times in the past. It was also run down, but still livable. Standing at the double doors, he wondered if he should knock? Barnabas was a vampire. Certainly, he must have a servant who watched over him in the daytime when he slept in his coffin. Quentin would have to make his acquaintance to whoever that was.

He decided to knock on the door. After doing so, he soon heard footsteps on the other side. The door opened and a sandy-haired young man stood there. It was obvious he recognized Quentin as his eyes grew larger, and the expression on his face left no doubt of his recognition.

The look on Willie Loomis' face turned to outright terror. As he attempted to slam the door, Quentin pushed it open. "That is no way to treat a guest. Relax, I am not a ghost. I am Quentin Collins in the flesh. I have come from the past. And who might you be?" He entered the foyer despite not being invited in by Willie.

"I'm Willie Loomis. I work for Barnabas Collins. You have no right to be here. You must leave."

"I am sorry, but I am not going anywhere. I am a Collins. I have a right to be here. Barnabas will be along shortly when he realizes I have left. He has accomplished his mission. I did not kill Jenny."

Willie's eyes widened. "He finished his mission?"

"Yes. I owe him a great debt of gratitude. Barnabas saved my life."

"What are you doing here? Barnabas would not have let you come here. He did not want to change any more of the past than he had to. How do I know you are telling the truth?"

"I suppose you don't. But it will be proven when Barnabas and Chief Ironside return. I have no doubt that will be very shortly."

Willie began shaking his head and pacing in the foyer. "Barnabas isn't going to like this. You have to go back. You don't belong here."

"Take it easy. Why are you so nervous? I'm not going to hurt you. I can't go back. If I do, I will either suffer the werewolf curse, or be taken over by Count Petofi.

"Willie? Who are you talking to?" Julia Hoffman entered the foyer. When she saw Quentin, she put the back of her hand to her face. "It's you! The ghost!"

Quentin couldn't help but smile. "Actually, I am flesh and blood. Barnabas succeeded. I came through the time portal."

Julia became alarmed. "Where is Barnabas? Is he all right?"

"Relax, Barnabas is just fine. So is Chief Ironside, Professor Stokes and Eve Ironside."

"You mean Eve Whitfield, don't you?" Willie asked.

"That's right, she really is not Chief Ironside's daughter, is she?

"Of course not," Julia said.

"I need your help. I cannot go roaming around in these clothes. Is there a chance you might have something that would fit me?"

"Julia, he can't stay. We can't help him. He needs to go back to where he belongs. Barnabas is going to be very upset."

"I already told you, I can't go back. I have no intention of becoming a werewolf. Nor will I let the count take over my body. I came here to escape that fate."

Willie began to say something again, when Julia interrupted him. "Willie, go see if you can find some clothes for Quentin."

"You can't mean that. You know Barnabas won't want him here."

"At the moment, that doesn't make any difference. He's here and he cannot go around in those clothes. Now do as I say. Go find him something to wear. And make sure it fits our time period."

Quentin nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Julia. Isn't that what he called you?"

"Yes. I'm Doctor Julia Hoffman. I'm Barnabas Collins' fiance."

He raised an eyebrow at the revelation. "He did not tell me he had a fiance. I am very pleased to meet you."

"Why don't you come into the drawing room, Mister Collins," Julia suggested.

"Thank you." He followed her into a drawing room that was already familiar to him. Looking around the room, he noticed the room had already been renovated. Still, it looked like something out of more than two centuries ago. Barnabas had not modernized the room at all. Not from what he had seen at Collinwood. The furniture there was strange to him, but what he was seeing in this drawing room was similar to what he had left behind.

"So, you plan to stay here?"

Smiling, he sat down in one of the chairs beside the fireplace. Julia sat in the opposite one. "I have every intention of staying here."

"You will never be accepted by the family. Your ghost has been terrorizing everyone for some time now. Everyone here is scared of you," she announced.

"Scared of me?" He chuckled. "I find that hard to believe. I'm not very scary. You see, I am somewhat the black sheep of the family, but no one is scared of me."

"Nevertheless, you will never be accepted."

"Oh, I think I will. I think I will introduce myself as a cousin of the family. Does that sound familiar?" He smiled again.

Julia couldn't help but notice how handsome and charming the man was. She had been reading up on him since Barnabas and Chief Ironside had entered the time portal. He was known to be quite the ladies man. Julia could see why. With his looks and that charm, not many women would be able to resist him.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, but was sure she already knew the answer.

"I think you already know what I mean. Isn't that how Barnabas introduced himself? As an English cousin? Yet, we both know he is the original Barnabas Collins. I traveled extensively through England. There is no branch of the Collins family living there."

"You are wrong, Mister Collins. Barnabas is from England." She attempted to correct him and change his mind, but she could tell from the expression on his face that he didn't believe her.

"Come now, Doctor Hoffman. We both know that isn't true. I must tell you that he revealed to me who he was . . . and what he is." He could see the good doctors discomfort, but she said nothing. "Come, come, doctor, we both know that Barnabas is a vampire. But do not fret. His secret is safe with me. After all, he saved my life. If it weren't for him, I shudder to think what I would have become or even I would still be alive."

Willie returned to the drawing room. Draped over his arm, were several suits. "This is the best I could come up with. I think they will fit him." He handed the clothes to Quentin.

"Thank you. Now, if you will excuse me, I will change my clothes."

"Willie will show you to a room where you can change them." Dr Hoffman stood up and faced him.

Again, he smiled. "That will not be necessary. I dare say I know the layout of the Old House as well or better than you do." He turned and walked out of the drawing room.

Willie joined Julia. "I can't believe you are helping him. Barnabas would not approve."

"I don't really see what we can do about it, Willie. We will have to wait until Barnabas and Chief Ironside return. He can decide what to do about Quentin when he gets here."

"How do we know he's going to return? We can't be sure he won't be stuck there." Willie began pacing the room and running his fingers through his hair.

"Calm down, Willie." Julia shook her head. "It looks like we are going to have a guest until Barnabas arrives back. Please go make up a room for Quentin."

"You must be kidding! He can't stay here. Julia, you know what Barnabas is. He would never allow him to stay here."

"He knows, Willie. He knows. Now do as I ask." Her words came out with such a force, that he argued no further. He turned and left the drawing room.

Julia Hoffman walked back to the fireplace and stared into the flames. She wondered how Quentin's arrival had affected this timeline. No doubt, they would soon find out.