Chapter 25

After leaving Julia's room, Barnabas sat in the drawing room, in his favorite chair, thinking about what just happened upstairs. While he held Julia's handkerchief earlier that day, he felt like he was in her body, experiencing that horrifying night. As he held her hand while she slept, he felt like he was there with her the whole time, feeling her anxiety and fear. It must be the affects of the 'game', but he didn't understand how it could work without Maeve present. Being back in 1971 had some purpose but what was it? Everything and everyone seemed the same. So until he could figure out what was going on, he decided not to tell anyone about being from the future, not even Julia. He remembered telling her some of it earlier, but he wouldn't elaborate further. What would he tell her?

Looking down at his hand, one thing was different about this visit, finding this photograph. He didn't remember seeing it before. Examining it closely, he saw a woman sitting on a bench holding an infant. She looked familiar, her face, then he gasped. It looked just look Maeve. How can that be? The woman wore modern clothes, not from the eighteenth century, more like twenty's or thirty's. He turned it over and read the notation on the back. "To my daughter, I hope you always remember the story. Love, M." Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, Barnabas looked up and saw Julia heading towards him, looking refreshed. Happy to see her, he asked, "Julia, how are you feeling?"

"Much better, Barnabas, I was very tired when I left Windcliff. I couldn't wait to get some sleep. So, do you still think you are from the future?" she asked. He knew the truth about her day but he would not challenge her, he would grant her privacy on this matter.

"No," he lied, "I had a good night sleep too. I know now I belong here with you," he smiled. Now, he had to know about this photo. Could this be the reason why he came back? Was Maeve connected in some way with Julia? Why did she have this photo? He turned it over in his hands, examining the front.

"What do you have there?" she asked seeing the photograph.

"When I left your room, I saw this on the floor. I was just looking at it," he said, looking down, not meeting her stare.

"Oh? Let me see." Julia walked over to retrieve the glossy sheet and sat down next to Barnabas. She looked at the photo and read the notation on the back. "OH!"

"Who is that, Julia?" Barnabas asked inquisitively.

"It was my mother holding me when I was a baby," she said, looking up at Barnabas. "To my daughter, I hope you always remember the story, signed "M" for mother," she read aloud. "I remember her telling me that story when I was a child. I used to ask her to tell it to me at bedtime."

"That was your mother?" Barnabas asked in a surprised tone. He was not expecting to hear that. Julia looked at Barnabas, perplexed, holding a cigarette as she light a match.

"Yes, why are you so surprised?" Julia took a puff. "Who did you think it was?"

"Your mother was a very lovely lady, that's all I meant," he remarked, interested in the story her mother intimated it. "Julia, what is the story your mother told you as a child?"

"It was a charming tale but I don't know how much truth there was in it. My mother told me the tale as her mother told her when she was a child." Julia thought for a moment, and then started her tale. "I believe the story was passed down over the ages and I'm not sure how much has been lost or altered. It was in the late 18th or early 19th century when a young unwed woman got pregnant. For some unknown reason, she took her child to a church and left two notes. The first read, "I cannot take care of my baby girl so I leave her in your care to raise her. Her name is Maeve. Please save this note for her so she knows I love her." Then the second note was addressed to the baby and read, "Maeve, because of my circumstances, I am unable to take care of you. If you knew the situation, you would understand. You are my namesake, with the blood of a warrior. Although I cannot be with you physically, I am always with you in spirit." It was signed "M". The baby grew up and kept this note for her child to have. Each female descendant had Maeve in her name. The story continued to be past down over the generations and finally to my mother. The name 'Maeve' has been with each female descendent. I regret that this story will end with me." Julia thought about the missed opportunities of getting married or having a child of her own.

Barnabas listened intently and was astonished to hear about Julia's past. Julia and Maeve related? He thought there was something familiar about the slayer that he couldn't put his finger on, now it started to make sense. Consumed with his own family concerns, he never thought of asking Julia about her own past. She looked at her dear friend and saw him reflecting on the story. "Is there anything wrong, Barnabas?" she asked interrupting his contemplation.

"No, not at all, that was a fascinating story," Barnabas replied. They sat for a few minutes lost in thought. Barnabas looked into her eyes, smiled, consumed by her radiance. He thought about inviting her for drinks at the Blue Whale but first he had something more important in mind. He got up and stood in front of her chair. "Julia, may I ask you a favor?"

"Yes, certainly," she replied, wondering what he had on his mind. He held out his hands for her and as she placed hers into his, he helped her out of the chair. Still holding her, he slowly drew her close to his chest, feeling her soft skin, smelling her fragrance. As he lowered his head to her lips, he gently pressed his against hers, starting with a soft, light kiss. He wanted this day to be perfect. The next question startled her and made her face flush.

"Julia, would you do me the honors in joining me upstairs for a while?" Still in shock, Julia just stood staring at Barnabas. Was she dreaming? Maybe she was the one traveling in time, a parallel time, and this was not her Barnabas. At the moment, she didn't care so they strolled, arm in arm, upstairs and into his room. She wondered if she should question him, make sure this was what he wanted. She certainly did. Deciding against inquiring, she didn't want to interrupt the moment she had been waiting for since falling in love with Barnabas Collins. If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up, not now, not yet.

Their relationship was about to change forever and she looked forward to it. Standing in the center of his room, flabbergasted by this encounter, she watched as he walked up to her and stared into her radiant face. He lifted one hand up to her chin and gently touched her cheek. She smiled as he got closer, his hand glided down her neck and slid the top of her shirt off one shoulder. Glad she wasn't resisting, he bent down and gently kissed her bare shoulder. She responded by kissing his neck. Getting excited by her responsiveness, he placed his other arm around her waist and drew her into his arms. Passionately, he kissed her neck, shoulder and lips as he helped her off with her clothes. Now it was her turn. She placed her hands inside his shirt and easily slipped it off. Kissing his neck, her hands slowly moved around his back, feeling his silky skin. She took great pleasure in unfastening his belt, unzipping his pants, and lowering them to his feet. He stepped out of them as she tossed the pants to the side. Standing back up, she helped him off with the remainder of his clothes and enjoyed moving her hands down his back, below his waist, stopping on his backside. He slipped her shirt off her body in one gentle swoop, undoing her bra was a little catchy but he managed. As she finished removing his clothes, she slid into his chest. It felt so good to have him so close and intimate. After all their clothes were removed, he bent down and slid his arms around her and lifted her up into his arms. Walking over to the bed, he climbed in placing her gently on her back as he laid next to her, bodies touching. Exploring her erogenous zones, he started to touch her everywhere, learning quickly what pleased her. It seemed everything he did satisfied her. This excited him. His hand glided over her chest and stomach, to areas he never thought of touching before. This gave her chills and caused her muscles to contract. Their bodies joined effortlessly, their passion unleashed years of waiting, wanting, and their lovemaking resulted in a bonding that would last a lifetime, although neither would realize it until much later.

Hours later, Barnabas invited Julia to the Blue Whale for some drinks. As they talked in the car, Julia told her lover about her visit to the Blue Whale earlier and her conversation with Willie and Alondra. Barnabas said he would be happy to talk to Elizabeth about them getting married at Collinwood. He thought it was a great idea. After parking the car and finding a table in the bar, Barnabas ordered drinks. As he held Julia's hands, he thought of his devotion to her. This triggered a memory he had with Angelique, when he and Julia were still in 1840 pretending to be brother and sister.

Angelique became jealous of his relationship with Julia.
Wanting to destroy her, Angelique ordered her controlled
vampire, Roxanne, to turn Julia into a vampire. It didn't work.
"Barnabas," Angelique asked as she walked up to him, "Well,
are you going to see your dear sister?"
"You and I have nothing to say to each other after what you
did to Roxanne and Julia," Barnabas rudely replies.
"And I would have succeeded if it had not been for you!" she
said bitterly.
"Consider yourself lucky you did not succeed," Barnabas advised,
"I would have killed you if you had. I would destroy you even if it
meant my own destruction."
"You are really that devoted to Julia?" Angelique asked surprised.
"Yes, I am that devoted to her." Barnabas sincerely said.

Barnabas' devotion to Julia had lasted a very long time so it was time to share his feelings with her now. Looking deeply into Julia's eyes, he popped the question. "Julia, will you marry me?" Now he was feeling very nervous. He had never expressed his love to her in fear of the curse, of it claiming her, killing her too. Julia looked into Barnabas' eyes shocked to hear him ask the question she only dreamt of hearing.

She was equally shocked to hear herself say, "Barnabas! Are you sure about this?" He frowned at her and then they both laughed. Barnabas glanced around the room and didn't see anyone he knew. He asked the bartender to bring them another round of drinks. Right after the bartender left their table, the young woman entered the Blue Whale. She strolled over to the bar and requested a drink. After being served, she found a table in the corner. She sat in the shadow but Barnabas saw her face before she sat down. He gasped.

"Barnabas, what's wrong," Julia asked concerned.

"Julia, a woman just came in and sat at the table in the corner. She looks very familiar." He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Who does she remind you of?" Julia felt disappointed that he was looking at another woman. He looked into her eyes and knew what she was thinking.

"Julia, it isn't what you are thinking. The woman reminds me of your mother's photograph." He was about to stand up when he added, "Let me invite her over to our table and you will see the striking resemblance." Barnabas thought if he could get this woman over to their table, he could find out if it was Maeve.

"Barnabas," Julia said sternly forcing him to stay seated, "if you leave this table, you will never return." She was not threatening him, it was just a feeling she had. It made her nervous and she didn't want him to let go of her hands. So far, he didn't.

"Julia, that isn't true. You can come with me and we can sit at her table." He thought that was reasonable.

"No, Barnabas that isn't what I meant. If you leave me now, you will be lost from me." With one hand, Julia picked up a cigarette and light it. A strong craving came over her, it was uncontrollable and those feelings penetrated into Barnabas' hand as well. He started to feel the craving but his desire was not for a cigarette. He had an desire for . . . blood. NO, he thought. This can't be happening. It was still daylight and he's not a vampire. He glanced over at the table in the corner and saw two glowing eyes looking straight at him. His hunger increased as Julia's fear of loosing him increased.

"Julia, you aren't going to loose me." He could feel her anxiety as he looked between her and the woman at the table. He didn't know what to do. Maybe he should stand up and lead Julia out of this bar. He also feared the woman would follow, if it was who he thought it was. He had to take a chance.

"Julia, let's go." Still holding hands, Barnabas and Julia started to stand up but the cravings overpowered him and he fell back into his chair. Julia lost her balance and fell onto Barnabas' lap. His craving intensified and he found himself looking at Julia's neck. Glancing over at the woman at the table, he noticed she stood up and started over towards them. He closed his eyes, to control his fear and lust, in hopes that the craving would pass. He heard Julia say, "Barnabas don't leave me."