Elizabeth and Vickie began to discuss the costume gala that Elizabeth hosted each year for charities and how they would choose whom would play what part. Further discussion was over whether or not her mother would do one of her trademark waltzes with the Dunst boy.

Only he wasn't a boy any more. She had to admit she loved watching her mother dance, for a short time, her mother could transport the audience to a more romantic time. AS their conversation continued their conversation, the more serious the topic had become. Gone was the relaxed easy banter and more serious tones were taking over until the appearance of a figure in the doorway.

David Collins appeared in the doorway and Vickie smiled looking up at her old charge. Josette studied the handsome middle-aged man and was struck by how tired he looked. "Hello everyone. Vickie, I am glad you are here, I need about 10 minutes of your time to go over some business with Devlin Enterprises."

Vickie looked from her mother and then to Josette. "Will you both excuse me?"

Josette moved to sit next to her grandmother and smiled at David. "Hey David, how are you and Hallie doing?"

David let his glance go over Josette's figure and smiled, "Hello Jobeth, oh we are fine. Oh Roger won second place to DeWayne at the science fair and wanted to thank you for sending him those parts. How long are you in for this time?"

Josette had smiled at David's use her family's nickname taking the first part of Josette's name and the last part of Elizabeth. She stood feeling restless it had been at least 48 hours since her last supernatural encounter and she wondered if she was turning into an adrenalin junkie. Then as she knew David did expect an answer she replied, "I have 2 weeks I plan to just play lazy. I was tired from work and needed a rest, so I decided to come home."

David nodded, "I can relate to that. We will see you tomorrow, when you come for dinner. Maybe then you can bring me up to date with what has you so enamored of your job."

Josette looked questioningly to her mother, who nodded to her unspoken question. "Ok, that sounds good. You know I will be late getting back from Bangor with Nettie, she is flying in tomorrow and her plane is not due in until 2:00 p.m."

David nodded, "Yes, I know we were not planning to dine until 7:30 so that should give you all plenty of time to get home for dinner."

Josette watched her mother leave the room and then turned her attention to her grandmother. She noticed that her grandmother was watching the doorway where David and Vickie had stood. "I have been so blessed. Our family has grown so much. So, is there anyone special in your life?"

The question caught Josette off guard. "No, I am waiting for that special someone so I can have the kind of love you and Grandpa and Mother and Dad have. I rather like my work and don't need any interference with minor interests."

Elizabeth stood and moved to the windows overlooking the front terrace. "You, Nettie and JB work way too hard. You need to slow down and try to enjoy life."

Josette stood and moved next to her Grandmother. "Grandma, we are fine. We enjoy what we do and we are needed and are doing something about . . . "

She stopped what she was about to say and turned from her grandmother. She was tired she almost said about preserving mankind.

"Darling, I know you are working in the science field for the government and that you cannot discuss your job. It is just each time I see you, Nettie and JB you all look so worn out."

Josette laid her head on her grandmother's shoulder and sighed deeply. "Yes, we are working hard and making massive in-roads into the field of science. However, Grandma, remember I get to come home to you and all my family and that makes me appreciate you all so much more."

Elizabeth patted her cheek and laid her head against her granddaughters. "You have grown into such a beautiful young woman. I just don't want you to let this job stop you from finding a companion to share your life."

Josette closed her eyes and sighed. "I will make you a promise grandma, that no matter how much I love my job, I will find a really great man to love and will give you lots and lots of great grandchildren. Deal?"

She lifted her head and turned to look at her grandmothers' vibrant deep blue eyes. Liz was reminded of the time she had held her against her breast and had played goochie, goochie goo with her and how that chubby little baby face had wrinkled and she would give such a scattergun laugh that would normally make everyone laugh with her.

Josette watchedthose lovely blue eyes so filled with love and contentment began to crinkle and Josette knew she had her because she was smiling. When looking at her grandmother she oft times felt she was looking at what her mother would look at that age. She just hoped she could be termed an ageless beauty at the age of her grandmother. The way things had been going she just wanted to live to be the age of her grandmother.

"Hey Jobeth, when did you get home? The young voice of David Roger Collins greeted her from behind. Josette turned to see a younger version of David standing in the doorway. How could she ever forget David growing up, he made it a point to tell her he was her big brother and he could boss her around anytime he wanted and she would just have to get used to it. Josette had accepted that theory for the first six years of her life until David went away to college. It broke her heart that her big brother was going away.

Smiling brightly she opened her arms and asked teasingly. "Well how about a hug from my favorite cousin." Roger darted forward and hit her hard in a hug. Josette would have been knocked over had she not been prepared for the onslaught of the sturdy young body. "I just came from Aunt Penny's place and she said to tell you come by later if you have time. She is off today and is taking a much needed break."

Elizabeth sighed. "Did your father know you were at the old cottage?"

"Oh Aunt Elizabeth, Mother asked me to drop off some papers for her at the cottage for Penney to look over. So, yes they knew."

Elizabeth placed her palms together and walked over to the fireplace. "Have you done your homework?"

Elizabeth was thorough with her interrogation. "Yes ma'am I did, and I washed my hands when I got home too. See."

He held up his hands and waved them for all to see. "Very well then, you can go into the kitchen and ask Mrs. Wilson to fix you a snack. Your father is in the library with Vickie."

Josette felt a tingling sensation on her wrist and inwardly moaned. Surely to heaven they were not going to activate her. Josette covered her wrist and slowly moved to the doorway, "Will you excuse me a moment Grandma, I have to use the restroom."

Josette darted down the hallway towards the nearest bathroom, opened the door and rushed in, closed the door, locking it behind her. Sliding up her sleeve she noted the chip implanted under her skin was glowing yellow. She visibly relaxed and sighed.

It was just a test of the system to make sure they could contact her if they needed her. Pressing the glowing spot on her wrist, she counted slowly to 10. The pressure response would let her superiors know she received the test signal and would turn off the activation device. She was way too nervous and needed to lie down. Coming back from the bathroom she looked at her Grandmother sitting in her favorite chair thumbing through the family album.

Moving towards her grandmother she was stuck by how much her mother and Nettie resembled her. Josette could only imagine where she took her looks, until her Grandmother looked up and smiled. "Come here my dear."

Josette moved to the arm of Elizabeth's chair and glanced down and was immediately stuck by the picture in the album. "This was the album that Josette Collins brought with her from Martinique, amazing how much like her mother you look my dear. See."

Josette took the album from Elizabeth and looked down at the picture of Jeanette LaFrenier duPres. She could see a resemblance and was shocked. "I had always wondered where I got my looks. So, it must be from the LaFrinier family. Mother always thought she was descended from Josette. I guess I am proof of that connection to the gene pool." She smiled at her Grandmother and then handed her the book.

Elizabeth took the book and folded it shut. "I was sure you were wondering at times what side of the family tree you fell from and I thought you should see this. I know that Victoria has my side of the family, and Josette and Jeremiah never had children. But she had a cousin and they had children. I am sure if we traced the background we would find that one of her children eventually married a Collins."

Josette knew more than her grandmother could have known. "Perhaps you are right Grandma, but I like to think I got my beauty from you." She bent to kiss her grandmother's cheek and then stood up. "I know mother and David are going to be busy for far past that ten minutes he asked for, would you mind if I headed back home? I am so tired and we need to leave early tomorrow for Bangor to pick up Nettie."

Elizabeth rose and then set the book on the table. "Of course not darling. Do you want me to get someone to drive you home?"

Josette shook her head. "No, I think the walk will do me good to take that stroll through the woods home." She moved to the sofa where she had laid her scarf and paused. "Oh Grandmother?" She picked the scarf up and tied it around her neck.

Elizabeth glanced at her granddaughter. "Yes dear?"

Josette moved to the secretary by the sideboard. "Mother and Dad are giving me a birthday party, most of the family will be there, will we choose our parts then?"

Elizabeth moved languidly to Josette's side and smiled. "Darling, we have already picked who is playing what part. This year George and I will simply be the host and hostess. We are turning the reins of the Collins mix over to you younger ones and we drew names at the Christmas gathering."

Josette knew this was a soft admonishment to her because she had to bow out of the Christmas festivities.

What no one realized or knew was at Christmas; Josette was chasing a time shifter back to the 1600's during the witch- hunt trials. Even if she wanted to be here she could not. This was a major DP over ride and it had to be contained. It would have shifted the power from the light to the dark and her family would now be dead. She leaned against her grandmother and kissed her cheek. "I promise to be here next year. So, what part did I get?"

Liz laughed and kissed her forehead. "You of course got Josette duPres Collins to play."

Josette did a good job of holding in her cringe and sighed. "So, who plays Jeremiah?"

Elizabeth smiled and was about to say, when the phone rang and she went to answer it. Josette taking the opportunity of being left along darted out the front door. It really did not matter who played Jeremiah, it would probably be JB and she could practice the minuet with him.

Stepping outside she glanced up and noticed the sky was starting to show signs of a storm and she wanted to be home in her room when it hit. She hoped her mother would not get caught and would get a ride back to the house. She wanted to go by the stables first and see her horse and then go lay down. She had not realized how tired she was until now.

Walking along the pathway to the stables she was blissfully unaware of the figure partially hidden by the large maple tree near the edge of the wood line. Dark obsidian eyes and a mustache to top off the fact he was impeccably dressed in a 3 piece dark suit and could manage to stay so well hidden watching the lovely young lady move to the stables. "Well, well, well, who have we here?" His smile displayed perfectly aligned teeth. I do believe the prodigal daughter has returned home."

Nicolas Blair Jr. smiled a most irritatingly evil smile. "Well father, I will do what I need to do to find you and Angelique and get you released. I suppose to the best way to do that would be to get in with your enemies, for the enemies of my father are my enemies." Turning on a well-polished heel he moved back to the very expensive and very fast sports car. Sliding behind the wheel he fired up the powerful engine and drove to the entrance of Collinwood.

Josette found complete happiness in the company of the dapple-grey quarter horse. "Nikki! My precious baby how are you?"

She went up and rubbed her nose and kissed it. "I promise you a nice long ride tomorrow. Today though I have a cookie for you." She had reached into her jacket pocket and took out some horse treats she had scooped up from the grain room before entering the stables. A favorite thing she loved to do since she was 14 years old and had gotten Nikki for her birthday.

Looking around she noted that David must have increased the number of horses in the stables for there were at least six additional horses than the usual four. "10 would be a good number for a nice little herd. I suppose they brought you in with the storm about to break?" Nikki nudged her for another cookie and then nickered her appreciation at her mistress for coming and bringing her such fine fare. Turning Josette moved to the grain room and got more treats and went to each stall to give the horses their treats. Finishing up, she washed her hands in the bathroom sink attached to the stall.

She had recalled how her father had readily agreed to allow her mother to modernize the old house as long as it did not interfere with the ambiance of the house's original condition. She had been present during part of their conversation when she had folded to circumvent a dark power take over and interfered with Baal's last effort to bring he mother under his control.

It had been an endless battle between the two since they had met on that fateful day when Cameron had taken her mother to Baal. She was pretty sure she never truly forgave him for that.

Time travel had its advantages after all most her time was spent guarding her parents from those of a dark power influence. Pausing for a moment back at Nikki's stall, she heard the thunder off in the distance. Glancing outside the open doorway she could see the front line of clouds. Marty the stable hand moved to the doors and stopped. "Why if it aint Miss Jobeth, how you doin girl?"

Josette smiled at the stable hand. As a young teenager she had a major crush on the tow headed tall lanky young man that was hired by her grandmother to tend to the horses. She thought he had the dreamiest blue eyes only to discover they were contacts and his eyes were actually gray.

Finding her life a bit lonely she was always hanging out at the stables. The horses never teased her and called her names or try to bully her. Then she saw Marty with his shirt off one day and it was lust at first sight, well as much lust a 12-year-old girl could muster. He had been kind to her and from that point forward she would find a reason to be at the stable when he was there; doing the shoeing or mucking out the stables. Whenever she would smell a stable she would think of Marty.

"I have been fine and it looks like David increased the herd. What brought that about?"

Marty moved over to Nikki's stable and rubbed then patted her neck. "He said with the increase of family he should think about retiring some of the older ones and brought in those 6 new 4 year olds. I have been saddle breaking them and teaching them to neck rein. If you are going to be in for a few days maybe you should want to come and help me out?"

Josette smiled then again the rumble of the thunder reminded her she needed to get home. "I would love to. Do you need help with them before the storm hits?"

Marty moved around the stalls checking on the now nervously stamping horses. "Nope, I can handle it, you best skedaddle on home before the storm hits unless you want to wait for me and I can give you a lift."

Somehow experience in the world she knew had washed the flush of new found love from her rose colored gaze and what she saw now was a man that loved his beer and not enough exercise and the beginnings of a balding pate. Though she found bald headed men attractive, Marty was no longer all that and a bag of chips for her any more.

Josette had by the age of 16 gotten over her crush on Marty and given if she were 14 again she might have been tempted, she really did want to walk through the pathway in the woods and just enjoy her family's home and grounds. "I think I would prefer to walk Marty, I have been cooped up on a long drive from DC and now I just want to enjoy a nice short brisk walk home. Maybe next time." He waved to her with a nod and for a moment Josette thought she saw disappointment in his gaze as he glanced away.

Regardless, she knew she had to hit the trail and soon the storm was approaching fast and she certainly did not want to be caught in the middle of a downpour. Grabbing a poncho from the grain room, she slid it over her head and went out the door and headed for the pathway. Approaching the broken fencing between the two properties she felt as if there was someone watching her.