Chapter 24

"Barnabas," Julia said again, "what are you doing in here? Is there something wrong?" Puzzled, she sat up further and looked at him. He looked weary and she thought that maybe he had been through something stressful.

"Julia, I'm sorry I woke you," he said, thinking of an excuse as to why he was in her room. "While passing your room, I thought I would check in to see if you were back. You have been gone a long time." Barnabas didn't have a clue how long she had been gone, nor did he know what time it was. "You look very tired, are you feeling alright?"

"I AM tired," she admitted.

"Then I will see you later, when you are refreshed." Barnabas started to turn away to leave when she called him back.

"Barnabas, would you do me a favor?" Julia asked very seriously. Barnabas turned back.

"Yes, anything."

"Would you lie down next to me until I fall asleep? It would be a great comfort to me." Julia patted the right side of the bed as she slid over to the left side. Barnabas thought this was unusual behavior for her but he didn't mind. Noticing she still had her street clothes on except her shoes, he sat down and took off his shoes. Lying next to Julia, he thought how nice it felt to be close to her again. After a moment, he felt Julia take his hand, hold it, and then drift off to asleep. This could be the beginning of their intimacy, he thought, trying to remember when it started. Barnabas held her hand and closed his eyes to rest a while. He didn't want to intrude so he planned to get up after a few minutes. However, some strange force had other plans for them. It felt like the 'game' was beginning again so Barnabas attempted to let go of Julia's hand, not wanting to intrude on her privacy. It was useless though, because a force linked them together and he was bound to find out what came next. So he tried to relax as he found himself viewing what happened to Julia earlier that day.

Julia had just left the Old House after eating breakfast with Barnabas. Stomping on her cigarette butt outside, she thought about what she told him before leaving. She said she was going to Wyndcliff Sanitarium, where she has been the doctor-in-charge for years. She hated lying to Barnabas since he trusted her and she valued their relationship. However, she couldn't tell him where she was going, not yet. She had to acquire more information before sharing it with anyone. But she had her suspicions that Barnabas knew what was happening already. Driving down the narrow road that led to the main gate of the estate, Julia reminisced about the first time she heard about the Collins family and Collinwood. She worked at Wyndcliff when her colleague and friend, Dr. Dave Woodard, admitted the frightened comatose Maggie Evans. Julia was Maggie's doctor, using hypnosis and other means to discover where the young woman had been for months, when everyone else thought she was dead. After many sessions with Maggie, Julia suspected a Collins played an important role in Maggie's kidnapping and mental condition. At that point, Julia decided to visit Collinwood under the pretense of being an historian. This way she could study the Collins' history books and get to know the different members of the family. Then Victoria Winters, the governess, suggested that Julia talk to Barnabas Collins because he was very knowledgeable about the Collins history. Julia remembered when she first met Barnabas. They did not get along but with her persistence, she learned the truth about him, which almost cost her her life. Because of her specialist in blood disorders, she was able to convince Barnabas not to kill her so she could experiment on reversing his vampirism. He was intrigued and decided to let her try, never fully trusting her.

As Julia turned the car into the Collinsport Hospital parking lot, she again focused on her immediate task. She decided she would get all the answers to her tests from Dr. Hall. Dr. Sam Hall was another colleague of hers, but she knew he would try to convince her to leave Collinsport if the results were unfavorable. She would never leave Barnabas.

"Julia, it is so good to see you again, come in." Dr. Hall led Julia into his private office and closed the door. He walked behind his desk and sat down. Julia stood for a moment. "Please Julia sit down and be comfortable." Julia sat but she wasn't very comfortable.

"Did you get the test results back, Sam?" Julia wanted to skip the pleasantries and get to the point. "I want to see them myself, please."

"Julia! What is your rush?" Sam forced a smile but he knew the answer already, as she frowned at him. "Ok, I will give it to you straight." Sam got out of his chair, picked up a folder, walked in front of his desk and sat on the edge of it, in front of Julia. "Here." He handed the folder to her. As he watched her go through the papers, he added, "You must give up smoking, it will kill you!"

"Yes, I know the theories but I am not totally convinced that cigarettes are the cause to lung cancer." Remembering how she craved for one after eating and waking up in the morning, she continued to read the report. After she read the papers, Julia closed the folder and placed it in her lap. For the few moments she looked at Sam, she thought of Barnabas and his cravings for blood while he was a vampire. She understood the similarities of their addictions more than ever. "I don't know if I have the willpower to stop smoking."

"You must try. I know of a place in Bethesda, Maryland that you can by admitted immediately." He was trying very hard to reason with her, but he knew it was close to impossible to reason with any doctor. Doctors made the worse patients.

"What is the name of this place?" Julia already knew she had no intentions of going but she would be polite and let him offer the information.

"The National Institute of Health," he said. Sam found this the hardest thing to do, try to convince another doctor what was best for them. He already knew what was coming.

Julia looked at Sam, handed him the folder and said, "After looking at those results, I still have many good years. I won't admit myself to any institution, become a lab rat and forget my life here, Sam. I plan to live my life the way I want however long that may be." She would never leave Collinwood and Barnabas.

"Julia, are you sure about this?" he asked, thinking the situation was worse than she did.

"I appreciate your concern." She got up, walked over to her colleague and shook his hand. "Good-bye Sam." As she walked out of his office, Julia heard Dr. Sam Hall say good-bye.

Barnabas still tried to break loose of Julia's hand with no luck. The vision continued. Julia was driving back to Collinwood when she decided to make a detour to the Blue Whale, the local pub. She wanted to have a drink, think about what she would tell Barnabas about her medical report. She figured he would think the worse too. Walking into the Blue Whale, Julia noticed a man sitting at the end of the bar, a couple chatting at a table and a young woman sitting in the shadows at the corner table. Music was playing in the background as she asked the bartender for a drink of bourbon and walked over to a table. After the bartender served her the drink, Julia lit a cigarette and sat quietly thinking about her relationship with Barnabas. Her feelings for him were boundless, wishing her love could be shared intimately. If she regretted anything in her life, it was the fact that her relationship with Barnabas had never reached that point.

At this point Barnabas felt uneasy viewing her experience without Julia's permission. While he tried again to let go of her hand, he recognized a few people. Julia stirred in bed for a moment and then the vision continued. As she reflected on her thoughts and drink, she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head to the side, she saw Willie and Alondra standing by her.

"Julia, ya so deep in thought, ya didn't hear us callin' ya. What's up?" Willie asked as they sat down at her table. Julia didn't want to be rude so she asked them if they wanted a drink. She called the bartender over to order drinks for her friends and place it on her tab.

"I'm just unwinding after driving from Wyndcliff on my way back to the Old House," she lied, not wanting to share her news with anyone at this point. "Are you having a good evening?"

"Oh yes, Julia, the best evening I have ever had," said Alondra excitedly. "We have wonderful news to share with you and we wanted you to be the first to know!"

"Yeah," said Willie smiling, "since ya the person who introduced us to each other." Of course, this intrigued Julia's curiosity.

"What is it?" she asked. Both Willie and Alondra looked at each other, and then turned their attention to Julia.

"We are getting married," they said in unison.

"Oh how lovely. Have you set a date?

"In a week, and we want ya and Barnabas there. It'll be small, just ya two and us," said Willie. He was so happy but Julia could tell that Alondra wanted something more.

"That would be wonderful, Willie," Julia replied, "However how about if you two get married at Collinwood and let the Collins throw you a party. I think Elizabeth would be happy to organize it for you." Julia could see Alondra approved of these arrangements more than a small court wedding. Besides, Julia thought, Barnabas owes it to you, Willie.

"Oh gee, Julia, I don't know. The Collins, they don't think that highly of me, considerin' my past and all."

"Willie, that is all under the bridge. You are a friend of Barnabas' and mine. Barnabas is a Collins and I will see to it that he talks to Elizabeth. Let me do this for you, ok? As a wedding present."

"Ok, Julia, you can try, but if it don't work, we'll just get a justice-of-the-peace," Willie said as he looked at Alondra. She didn't hide her disappointment from her future husband. They finished their drinks and departed company about 15 minutes later. Julia drove back to the Old House. She was feeling very tired after that drink and conversation with Willie and Alondra. She was ready to go to bed for a while.

As Julia walked through the entrance of the Old House, she noticed how quiet the place seemed. Where was Barnabas? She would look for him later. Being too tired, she slowly walked up the stairs remembering how she helped Barnabas yesterday after he woke up from his food poisoning. He was acting very strange, thinking he was from the future. They had traveled in time together, so that was not completely impossible. She needed to know more before she could believe he was not just dreaming about the future. Besides, it would be fun to solve a mystery and get her mind off other things. As she entered her room, Julia took off her coat and hung it in the wardrobe. The door creaked when she opened and closed it. Too tired to undress, she sat on the bed and let out a sigh. As she lay back on the bed, she closed her eyes, which were burning from tiredness. As she started to fall asleep, she felt a presence that was familiar but different at the same time.

As Julia turned her head, she opened her eyes and saw Barnabas laying next to her. She smiled at him and then went back to sleep. Knowing that the visions ended, Barnabas felt their hands release as she turned over to face the other way. Barnabas quietly and quickly rose, walked out of her room and headed downstairs to look at the photograph he had in his pocket.