Chapter 5

"Mike, did you dad tell you to fetch my cane?" Laurie looked at the golden retriever in amazement, as the dog thumped his tail then dropped her walking stick at her feet.

"Did he do it, good dog!" Rick's voice came down the hall. "Yes, you are a good dog, looking after me, Mikey!" she choked up, patting the bed next to her then hugging him when he jumped up.

"Do I get one of those too?" Rick teased, walking into the bedroom. As Laurie turned toward him, she simply held her arms up and he lifted her into his embrace.

"I love you, Rick, oh, I love you." she said, then met his lips with hers in a lingering kiss.
"My sweetheart" he murmured as they came up for air, 'Maybe I ought to stay home to teach
Mikey some more tricks to make you happy!"

"Oh, darling, you staying home alone would make me happy!" she teased. Picking up her cane,
she allowed Rick to help her down the hall into the living room, as he shook his head.

"I wish, Laurie, but if we're going to be closed tomorrow as well as Friday, A.J. and I have to
turn in a couple of reports." "I know, bless you both!" she told him. "You two work so hard, don't think I and Linda don't appreciate it!"

As Rick was ready to step out the door, a familiar jeep honked, and the two Simons
grinned to see Oscar at the gate. Hitting the buzzer, Rick went down the steps as
Oscar drove in, then got out to greet his friend.

"Morning, Rick, I hoped I'd catch you before you left for work." the big man said,
smiling at his niece in the doorway. "I thought you were a little early, what's up?"
Rick asked, seeing a serious look in his friend's eye.

"I've never been free to tell Laurie the identity of her aunt, but now, well, I think she
deserves to know who the rest of her family is." Oscar told him. "I wanted you to
be here too, it's bound to open up some of Laurie's past that she may or may not have
told you about."

"I always wondered, well, when you were going to tell her, but I figured..." Rick
trailed off, as Oscar filled in, "I didn't have permission, you're right. Now, it doesn't
matter."

Walking back up the steps behind her uncle, Rick winked at his wife as she hugged
him. "You're early, I was going to make you some biscuits and bacon!"
"I'll take a cup of coffee, more important I need to talk to you about something,
honey." Oscar explained. Realizing this was serious, Laurie went to get a couple
of cups, as Rick picked up the phone and called A.J. to let him know he was
going to be a little late.

"Take your time, Rick, I just got a call that the power's out at the office,
they're not letting anyone in until 10 am." A.J. told him, to his brothers'
relief. "Ok, you have fun with the kids, I'll see you when you get there."

As Laurie settled on the sofa, she gave Rick a questioning look as he sat down
next to her and put an arm around her.

"Oscar, is something wrong, you're not in trouble because you were involved with Thomas's arrest, are you?" she worried, then sighed when he shook his head at her.

"No, no, honey, not that kind of serious. It's, well, do you remember when I told
you who your Grandfather was. I mentioned your Grandmother's name was Margaret,
but what I didn't tell you was her name. I'd spoken with her attorney some time before,
but her family, well, they were against her identity being disclosed." Oscar reached out
and took her hand.

"I never understood their attitude myself ,but you knew them more then I did. Now, well,
what they want doesn't matter." he continued. Taking a deep breath, Laurie replied,
"Oscar, you say I knew my aunt's family, you're not saying, um, Elizabeth, Mrs. Collins, is my Great-Aunt, and Roger's my Great-Uncle?"

"Yes, honey, Elizabeth and Roger Collins were brother and sister to Margaret Anne Collins;
she was their older sister. She gave your father up for adoption, then went back to Maine.
Your Aunt Elizabeth only found out about you after her sister had died. When you and
Steve went to Maine to search for that missing scientist, I heard from her through her attorney.
She wanted to meet you, and after you left, your aunt told me that you were very much like her
sister and she wanted to make sure you were taken care of." Tears came to Oscar 's eyes as
he added, "I've always tried to make sure you were safe, Steve used to get angry with me
when he thought I was risking your life for assignments, but I never let you do anything
I didn't think you could handle."

"Oh, Oscar, you've always been there, I know." Laurie put her arms around him and
hugged him, tears on her cheeks. "You never let me feel that I was alone. You and Rudy
always made sure I wasn't by myself during the holidays, and when I remembered about my
father's death, you helped me find the truth!"

Rick handed both Oscar and Laurie a kleenex, bringing a smile to her uncle's face as
his niece blew her nose noisily. "I see what you mean, Rick, when you tease her!"
"Very funny!" she sniffed, then giggled as Rick made a honking noise.

Once she had wiped her eyes, Laurie looked at Oscar, then asked in a quiet voice,
"You said it didn't matter now what Aunt Elizabeth's family wanted, I take it
you mean David and Carolyn and Roger."

"No, baby, your Uncle Roger's very ill now, but he always wanted you to know.
Your cousins had some problems I guess with the idea of you being a Collins. Not because
of you, so to speak, but of the affection your Aunt had for you. At least that's what
the attorney thought." Oscar sighed, then taking Laurie's hand again, said "Your
Aunt died three months ago, I got a letter last week from her attorney, along with
a letter from your Aunt. She loved you, Laurie, I know she stopped writing some years
ago, but she was so happy when I wrote and told her you were married."

Laurie bowed her head and wept as Oscar went on, " She wanted to make sure you
were remembered in her will, but I guess that was a sore spot for your cousins, so
she authorized an amount to be placed in trust for you several years ago. Also,
Dr. Hoffman, I mean, Dr. Collins left something for you as well."

"I knew she'd died, but I never knew she, oh Rick, I wish you'd known her, well,
both Julia and Aunt Elizabeth." Laurie turned to him and he put his arm around her
shoulders, then gently stroked her face.

Comforted, she told him "I know I told you about her, but, she really treated me like
family when I would visit. The last time I heard from Aunt Elizabeth was when I told her
we'd found each other, then she got sick and she stopped writing. I never knew why, but
now I can guess."

"I wish I knew why, I never met your cousins, honey, but to shut you out like that all these
years, well, I give up." Oscar shook his head, then pulled out two letters, both addressed
to Laurie . "As for Barnabas..." he frowned. "He contacted me last year when you were
attacked by Willowby's people. He was very concerned, offered to help find you."

"Who's Barnabas? Is he one of your cousins?" Rick asked, taken aback at the startled
look on his wife's face. "Well, I guess he is, Barnabas Collins is, you could say,
the head of the family now!" Laurie replied, glancing at her uncle's stern look.
"Well, you're right, honey. He's been helping run the Collins firm since your uncle's been
ill, according to the letter I received. He authorized the attorney to inform me of your
aunt's passing, since your cousins didn't." Oscar was silent for a moment, then Rick
cleared his throat. "Thank you, Oscar for handling all this. I understand now what
Steve once told me, that a lot of Laurie's work was dangerous, but that someone always
watched over her."

"And I always will, pal." he smiled at the two Simons. "Now, I've unloaded a lot on
you two, so I think I'll take Mike for a walk while you talk. I'll be back before you go to
the office, Rick."

As he stood up, he handed the envelopes to Laurie, then she came to her feet and again
embraced Oscar, saying "I love you, thank you for being there." Giving her a kiss,
he took Mike's leash and whistled for him, bringing the spirited dog running for the door.
Laughing at the two, Rick looked down to see a worried looking Laurie sitting, staring
at the envelopes in her hand. "Darlin', what is it?" She looked up at him.

"Rick, I'm sorry, I love you so much and I tried to tell you as much as I could about the assignments I worked on for the OSI, all those years ago."
"What I didn't tell you, I guess the most important thing I didn't tell you about, was.."
Suddenly Rick got a funny feeling, then looking out toward the barn, spotted a familiar
figure. "Laurie, I don't mean to interrupt you, but your Grandmother's outside again."
he said.

"I wonder why, wait a minute, I wonder if she knew Oscar was going to tell me about
my aunt," she wondered, then Rick raised her up off the sofa, saying "it's okay, darlin', we'll see why she's here."

Walking outside with Rick, Laurie saw a loving expression on her Grandmother's face,
then she sat down on one of the patio benches as Rick said, "Thank you for watching
over Laurie in the blizzard, Grandmother."

"I just wanted to make sure she could reach you, Richard." the spirit said, then
smiled as Laurie told her "Grandmother, I tried to remember what you said, I
wasn't very good at it, though. I won't forget what you taught me again, I
promise."

"Just as long as you don't let anything or anyone divide you, you'll be safe. Your
uncle has always been there and he always will. There is one thing I need to tell
you, my child. What Barnabas Collins once told you...." Kasey Adams hesitated,
then Laurie nodded, "Yes, Grandmother, he loved you."

A wistful look crossed her face, "Yes, I know he did. He knew he couldn't compete with
my love for your Grandfather, though. I think you can understand what happened. You'll
find what I remember in the journal you found in my father's cabin. Open the binding, and
you'll read the truth." Surprised, Laurie found her voice as Rick tightened his arm around
her shoulder. "Grandmother, you know what happened, what I was going to tell Rick?"

"Yes, my child. Your love will help you both understand what happened, and Richard..."
Rick looked at the spirit, startled again by a ghost speaking to him. "Yes, Grandmother?"
"Always believe her, your wife is entrusting you with her past, so you'll understand why
you and your family are so important to her now. Never let go. It will be all right."

"Thank you, Grandmother." Laurie said, then Rick felt her shivering and as Kasey Adams
faded into the sunlight, he scooped Laurie up in his arms and carried her back into the house.

"Laurie, it's okay, I'll get you warm again." he soothed his wife, sitting her down in the kitchen and getting her a cup of tea. As he held Laurie in his embrace, she sipped the warm beverage and cuddled against him. "Darling, I'm all right. That was a shock. I didn't know what was true and what, well, what Barnabas Collins told me. Oh, Rick, it was so many years ago."
she finally said, gazing up at him.

"Sweetheart, whatever you want to tell me, what happened when you were lost to me
all those years, I'll believe you. I listened to your Grandmother too, you know." he replied,
then felt her kiss on his ear. "I love you, Rick, I know you'll understand. One thing you
have to know, when I first knew the Collins family, I didn't know anything about
Grandmother Kasey. I'd only been working with the OSI for a year or so, and Steve
was mad at Oscar for scheduling me for what he thought was a dangerous assignment
and he was ticked off at me for accepting it.

I went to Collinsport in Maine to supposedly write an article on a new amusement park
being built there, and Oscar had arranged for me to meet Aunt Elizabeth, to get some
historical background on the town. There were so many rumors about a curse on the
family from the townspeople, that when I got there I expected a crabby old woman
to answer the door. Instead " Laurie started to choke up. " I met the warmest, most
welcoming woman. Aunt Elizabeth took me under her wing and gave me all sorts of
background info and treated me like a special guest.

In fact, I got attacked when I went to the construction site for the amusement park, and she made me move out of the motel I was in and into Collinwood so I would be safe. Steve and I completed our assignment, but in catching this crazy scientist, I got hurt, so Aunt Elizabeth persuaded Oscar and Rudy to have me stay a couple of extra days. That's when I met her cousin Barnabas Collins."

Rick took Laurie's cup and filled it with tea, as she stopped, as if trying to remember.

"Laurie, if you don't want to continue, it's okay." he reminded her, then she took his
hand in hers. "Rick , I want you to know, it's just that, looking back it seems so
unreal. I was finishing my article and looking at the condemmed site of the
amusement park, when I heard this voice call my name. I turned, and this very
magnetic man was standing there. He introduced himself as a British cousin to the
Collins's, then started asking me questions about my work. I was flattered, and then
he told me he knew something about my family. That was my weak spot, I wanted to know more and well, I let him take me to his home. He was living in an old house on the Collins estate and when we entered, I had a strong sense that I was in danger."

Laurie smiled wryly. "At first I got the feeling he was coming on to me. Fortunately, Steve came looking for me and I went back to Collinwood, but that night Barnabas came to me, as a vampire."

She stopped and took a drink of tea, as Rick stared at her. "Laurie, he's a vampire?"

His wife smiled. "He was, my love, but he was cured several years ago by his late
wife. Back then, he was still under a 200 year old curse, and he bit me. I tried to
fight him, but he took me back to the old house and tried to force me to become what he
called "his" for all time. That's when he told me he had been in love with my Great-Grandmother, and that he wasn't going to fail a second time. He tried to hypnotise me, but I managed to reach Steve, and he came and stopped him. He almost drowned us both in the cellar of the old house." Laurie put her head against her husband's shoulder, "I pleaded with him, I said "if you loved my Grandmother Kasey, if you cared for me at all, you'd let us go. I don't love you, I only feel sorry for you, let us go and I'll keep your secret." He stopped the water from coming in, then told us to leave. Steve took me back to Collinwood, then the next day Aunt Elizabeth told us that "Cousin Barnabas" had left town on business.

Of course I never told her what he had tried to do, but Steve and I ended up telling
Rudy and Oscar when they saw the marks on my neck. Oscar was livid, and when
Aunt Elizabeth invited me to come back he didn't want me to go. I went to visit
lots of times without seeing Barnabas, then several years later he was cured by
Dr. Hoffman, Julia Hoffman, who he ended up marrying. The witch who had condemned him to the curse tried to talk him into becoming a vampire again by biting me, but I told him I loved someone else, and Steve freed me before the witch could destroy us both. Once she was gone, he married Julia, and well, finally started to age. If you met him, Rick, you'd just think he was a distinguished old man."

Rick was silent for a moment, then he felt Laurie's gaze on him. "Darling, when I
heard Grandmother speak about Barnabas, I realized she thought about him the
way I did, I felt sorry for him, but I never loved him. And when I told him I
loved someone else, I was telling the truth. You see, I'd already broken up with Steve. I was comfortable with him as my best friend, but I was still hoping someday, that I would find you." she whispered, as Rick put his arm around her.

"You did, and I'll never let you go again, I love you. Now I understand that look Oscar gave when he told you Barnabas Collins offered to help find you when you were missing." Rick told her. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was almost 10 am.

"Sweetheart, I have to go, but, as crazy as it sounds, I believe you. I'm sorry the
rest of that family kept you from your Aunt, but if someday you want to go back
and pay your respects, I'll go with you." Rick kissed her , then getting up, felt
her small hand in his. "Rick, my love." she pulled herself up, then putting her
arms around his neck, kissed him passionately. "Thank you for believing in
me, and loving me, my Lionheart."

"Lionheart, huh!" he pretended to growl, making her giggle, then he swept her up
in his arms and carried her to the living room.

Setting her down finally, she caught her breath enough to get his jacket and his lunch and walked him to the door.

"You behave yourself and use your cane if you go outside, promise?" he reminded
her, hearing Oscar coming in the back door. "I promise, darling, now you drive
carefully, and call me when you leave the office." she answered. Oscar came into the living room and put an arm around his niece as he said "I'll keep an eye on her, Rick, Rudy will be here later to start the fish, so don't forget to have Cecilia
bring her special tartar sauce!"

"I'll remember, and Oscar?" The big man looked over at Rick. "Thanks for your advice,
I appreciate what my girl went though all those years and you and Rudy looking after her more then ever!"

Grinning, Oscar waved him off. "Any time, pal!"

As he started to drive away from the house, Rick suddenly put the brakes on, then rolling back
to the front of the house, he got out as Laurie came out to the porch.

"My sweetheart." he said, striding up the steps and taking her in his arms. Looking in his eyes,
her wondering expression changed to one of joy, as he kissed her and said "thank you for waiting for me!"

"Rick, thank you for being there, always. This is the happiest Thanksgiving, we have so many things to be grateful for, but most of all." Laurie embraced him. "I'm thankful for you!"

"So am I, darlin'," he whispered, "so am I!"