Chapter 23

Willie waited at the airport for Barnabas and Vicki to disembark the plane. He smoked nervously by the front doors. Watching as the red cap rolled their luggage out of the terminal. Willie dropped his cigarette moving to open the trunk of the estate car. "Barnabas Vicki, hi, did you guys have a good time?"

They looked tanned and happy as they waited for Willie to load the car; Barnabas moved to open the back door for Vicki and then joined her in the car. Holding hands in the back seat, Vicki and Barnabas glanced at Willie. The night air had turned brisk and Vicki hugged closer to Barnabas needing his heat. "Oh, Julia and Professor Stokes are waiting for you back at the old house."

Barnabas smiled and nodded his approval. Vicki brightened, "Oh good I brought them back a lace table-cloth and matching napkins I can give them. They are French lace."

Willie glanced into the rearview mirror and nodded holding a tight smile in place. "Oh that's good Vicki, I bet they will like it a lot."

Barnabas noticed Vicki was getting sleepy so he cradled her close to him and then spoke to Willie, "So, have all the improvements been made to the house Willie?"

Vicki loved hearing his voice as he spoke. The base vibrated against her cheek and she rubbed her cheek against his chest, yawned and then let her eyes close as she dozed.

"Oh yeah, they finished the cellar, we put a few light switches in the cellar and Julia had her lab wired, she paid for that Barnabas. Also, the contractor thought it might be a good idea to have a back up generator if we lose power in the storm and for when we needed to take shelter down there we converted one of the rooms into a storm shelter. I was thinking of putting in some cots and bedding if you had to sleep down there."

Barnabas nodded, "Thank you Willie, I suppose that would be helpful. So all the updates to the house have been made and we are no longer inundated with carpenters and electricians?"

Willie nodded, "Yes, and the plumbers put in the last of all the bathrooms. We went ahead and put in a shower, toilet and sink in the cellar."

Barnabas sighed as he felt Vicki shift against his chest. "Good thinking Willie."

Willie looked in the rearview mirror and asked softly, "She asleep?"

Barnabas nodded. "Good, cause there is something you need to know. There has been this strange lady hanging out at the Blue Whale asking a lot of questions about you and Vicki."

Barnabas frowned. "A lady?"

Willie nodded, "Yeah, I was in there the other night and she was sitting near the bar. She was Asking Bob Rooney about you and Vicki."

Barnabas frowned, "What did Mr. Rooney say?"

He shifted and dimmed his lights as another car passed them on the highway. "He said he did not know much about you, He said he had only known Vicki from her coming in with Burke Devlin. He did not tell her I worked for you." Willie sighed and then navigated around another car and back into his lane.

"Later after she left Bob came over and asked if I heard her. I said Yeah and I thanked him for not sayin anything about you and Vicki to her. Bob said we were family and he don talk about family with strangers."

Barnabas held Vicki a little tighter as he pulled her close to him. She snuggled tighter to him and rubbed her cheek against his chest. "We are in danger Willie, I need security tightened up around the house. I do not think we have seen the last of some old foes that are back in the picture and will not be happy until they are gone for good."

Willie looked worried. "Is that why the professor and Julia are at the old house?"

Barnabas nodded. "Our friend in Romania is back in the picture and wanting to make trouble he has enlisted the aid of Angelique."

Willie shuddered and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "When is she gonna leave us alone?"

Barnabas frowned, "I suppose she will not be happy as long as I am happy and in love with someone as wonderful as Mrs. Collins."

Willie smiled listening to Barnabas talk about Vicki as Mrs. Collins. "Gee Barnabas, that sounds so nice. Mrs. Collins and not Miss Winters." Barnabas was touched by his observations and smiled in return.

"I thought so too Willie, from this day forward she is in deed Mrs. Collins."

Willie grew quiet watching the road and navigating the turn off to Collinsport. Barnabas used the quiet time to reflect on what his next step would be to protect his family from Angelique and Vlad.

He glanced down watching Vicki as she slept. There was no way this was going to turn out as it had with Josette. No, he would make sure that whatever it was Angelique had in store for him and his family would fail this time.

No more would he allow his life to be used as a toy for a vindictive witch. He was growing angrier and his thoughts were turning darker and darker by the minute.

Glancing up he noticed lighting over the entrance to the Old house road and the road had been covered by a black surface. "What is this Willie? When did this happen?"

Willie smiled widely, "Roger and Elizabeth wanted to get you and Vicki a special wedding gift so they paid for the black top of the drive to the house."

Willie was happy for this improvement because it meant he would not get stuck in the drive during the snow and rain He could not wait to see what Barnabas thought of the pole barn garage they had installed to replace the dilapidated stables that had been nothing more than rat infested building and about to fall in.

Willie pulled up front to the main entry way to the Old House. "I will let you and Vicki out here and bring in your bags."

Barnabas gently shook Vicki. "Vicki, wake up my dear. We are home." Vicki raised her head smiled at her husband and yawned.

"Wow, so soon?" Barnabas opened the door for them and helped her out.

"Willie will bring in our things and put our bags in our room. Come we have visitors." Vicki blinked and then noticed how bright it appeared.

"Goodness we have lights!" She smiled widely and slid out of the car to look at the front part of the old house. What a difference the electricity made to the house, lighting it up to allow for excellent navigation to the front door.

Barnabas led her up to the doors and opened them. Elliott and Julia stood in the hallway. "Welcome back newly weds!"

Elliott was jovial and in a good frame of mind as he watched them come through the door.

Vicki went to hug them both. "Thank you! Oh, I have a wedding gift for you both, as soon as Willie brings in our bags, I will be able to get it for you."

The phone began ringing Vicki turned to answer the phone, "Hello?"

Her faces brighten immediately. "Oh thank you mother, yes, we just came through the door." She listened and smiled again. "Oh yes, please I would love to see you and Father. Yes, Julia and Elliott are here, so come on over."

She turned to look at Barnabas, "Is it ok for Mother and Dad to come for a short visit?"

Barnabas kissed her forehead, "Of course it is. Come Julia, Elliott, let's go have a glass of sherry and you must tell me what has gone on."

Willie moved down the stairs, "Vicki, your bags are on the bed, do you want me to unpack them?"

Vicki shook her head. "No, Willie, I will take care of our bags. Barnabas, Julia, Elliott, would you mind excusing me? I want to go and get your gift. With Mother and Dad coming over, I can get the things I got David and them."

Julia appeared gracious and nodded to Vicki, "Go ahead, we will wait here until you return."

Vicki kissed Barnabas lightly on the lips then moved to the steps. Barnabas watched her until she was out of sight. Turning to Elliott he waited, "Did you take care of the spell on Josette?"

Elliott nodded, "It was a matter of figuring out which spell she had used. Josette should be able to communicate again."

Barnabas appeared to relax. "She was so distraught when she appeared to me on the ship. Sarah was able to communicate the problem, and that was when I sent you the telegram."

Elliott held his monocle in his hand and frowned deeply. "If Tepes is truly back, we could be in for a nasty fight. I am sure he will not be too forgiving to any of us for what we did to him."

Barnabas stood and moved to look out the window. "George Patterson and Elizabeth just pulled into our drive. Julia, if he is angry with anyone, it will be you and myself. I am sure he has something very nasty ready for either one of us. "

Elliott smiled widely, "He will regret coming after Julia, I have something pretty nasty ready for him should that happen, don't I my dear."

Julia smiled and nodded, "Elliott has researched this since he got your telegram Barnabas."

Barnabas moved towards the entry way as Vicki's parents knocked. "We will discuss this later."

Barnabas opened the door and greeted his in-laws. "Elizabeth, George please come in and join us."

Vicki moved to the upstairs landing and smiled down at her parents. "I will be down in just a second." She moved back to her room and gathered up the bags she left on the bed, moving back downstairs she moved to her mother and kissed her cheek and then got scooped up in a big bear hug by her father.

"Oh Julia, I hope this will work for you and Elliott." She handed over one bag. Julia pulled out the lovely tablecloth and properly made over Vicki's choice and the gift.

Moving to give Vicki a big hug. Turning to her mother and father she handed them each a bag. George opened his bag and pulled out the t-shirt and ball cap. "This will be perfect for when I go fishing this summer. Thank you honey."

Elizabeth opened her small bag pulling out four small cases. "Oh silver tea spoons to go with my collection. Thank you darling they are lovely."

"This bag s for David, and this one is for Amy. I thought they could use some books, so I bought David one on pirates. I also got him a five masted schooner to go with his whaling ship. Then for Amy, I have a book on the tropical fishes of the west indies and a doll."

Vicki moved to sit in a chair Barnabas had provided for the other guests. "Ladies, I think I shall leave you to talk about the trip and gentlemen, if you will join me in my den, I am sure I have something more palatable for our taste buds."

The men moved to Barnabas' den as Vicki, Julia, and Elizabeth sat cozily before the fire as Vicki told them of their cruise.

Barnabas looked at Elliott and then turned to George Patterson. "George, because you are a part of my family, I feel I am compelled to tell you of an impending danger to our family."

George moved to sit in one of the chairs in the den. "I am not going to like what I am about to hear am I?"

Elliott moved to sit opposite George. "I fear it is far worse than you could imagine. I am pretty sure it is not going to stop with Vicki and could very well involve your children, your step child and your future bride."

George sighed and sat back cradling the brandy in his hand. "I know I am not going to like this."

Elliott studied his drink before he proceeded, "Sheriff, you know this family and this town has been steeped in the supernatural for sometime."

George smiled at Professor Stokes, "I know that there were superstitious suppositions of ghosts, witches, and werewolves from way back."

Elliott glanced at Barnabas and then spoke openly, "They were not suppositions. There are ghosts, there are witches and we know of at least one occasional weir wolf. What you don't know about is the existence of vampires."

George shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I am finding this hard to believe."

Elliott allowed Barnabas to remain silent as he continued with his point. "No, Sheriff I can assure you that there are such creatures and there is one very old and very blood thirsty vampire that has taken an unhealthy interest in Vicki."

George stood pacing the room his anger levels were growing.

"George do you remember about two months ago, when the tree ended up in the foyer of Collinwood. "

George quit pacing. "Yes, Vicki was hurt. We took her to the hospital."

Barnabas moved to sit behind his desk and leaned back. "That night Vlad Tepes had come to Collinwood. When he saw Victoria he thought she was his dead wife reincarnated. He had Vicki kidnapped and they took her out of the country to his home in Romania. He held her prisoner there until Julia, Elliott and myself were able to rescue her and bring her home."

George tightened his grip on his drink. "Why am I finding out about this now?"

Elliott glanced at George through his monocle and smiled tightly, "Because we thought we had destroyed him. Apparently, we were not successful in doing so and now he is back with the help of a witch that has had a grudge against this family for nearly two centuries."

Barnabas sighed and shook his head. "My ancestor had an affaire with a witch by the name of Angelique Bouchard. When he rejected her, she cursed our family, more particularly my family. Her curse was that no one from the original Barnabas Collins would ever find love. She was the reason Josette Collins jumped from widows hill."

Elliott nodded, "What you do not know is that during a séance' held in Collinwood, Vicki was transported back through time and exchanged places with a young lady by the name of Phyllis Wick."

Elliott paused dropped the monocle from his eye and continued speaking. "Vicki lived her life that Miss Wick would have lived. Vicki did this for several months. Living her life with the original Barnabas Collins and his family and saw Angelique nearly destroying every member of the Collins family in her zeal to seek revenge."

George was growing more and more upset as he heard what Barnabas and Elliott were telling him.

"So, now this Angelique has joined up with this Vlad?"

Elliott and Barnabas nodded. "Yes, Angelique arranged for it to appear that Vicki was the witch and was practicing witchcraft at Collinwood. So Vicki was arrested and tried for witchcraft in 1795. Vicki was hanged as a witch. However, when the actual hanging took place, the young lady that exchanged places with Vicki in the 20th century exchange places once again and was the poor unfortunate young lady that was hanged and Vicki was brought back to the 20th century."

Elliott paused then proceeded with his explanation, "This situation created a lot of conflict for Vicki. Vicki suffered some memory loss of what actually happened and was slowly getting her memory back when once again; this Angelique came to Collinwood in the guise of Cassandra Blair.

George nodded, "I vaguely recall this woman. Didn't Roger marry he and then she disappeared?"

Elliott nodded. "Yes, and she apparently was thwarted in her attempts to destroy the family. She just as suddenly disappeared and had not until now been heard from."

George moved to sit back down and set his glass down. What he was hearing was making him furious. He did not wish to break the delicate glass or spill the liquor on the antique carpeting.

"So, what are we doing about this situation?"

Elliott smiled and looked over to Barnabas. "We are preparing for his arrival and another attempt to take Vicki away."

George nodded, "So, I could post some guards around the house."

Elliott bridged his fingertips together having set his glass on the side table. "That would not help. They will use supernatural powers to effect the desired affect. What we will need to do is counter attack with our own supernatural remedies."

George stood controlling his anger, "I am not going to let my little girl be hurt by no monster."

Elliott smiled, "Which is why we will do all we can to counter any attacks that may come."

Barnabas glanced at the picture of Vicki he had on his desk. "I am not going to let a vindictive witch dictate my life or that of my wife. Which is why I wanted to let you know what is going on."

Barnabas opened the desk drawer and pulled out several little boxes with Braithwaite's logo. "Give these to your children. There is one for you. Make sure they wear them all the time. Vicki is going to give Carolyn, her mother, Roger and David one as a gift we brought back from our cruise."

George took the boxes and opened one. Lying on a bed of white satin was a silver cross. "So, this will help repel these vampires?"

Elliott chuckled, "There is one thing a vampire hates is a holy symbol. They are blood sucking creatures that live by night and avoid sunlight and all that is holy and good."

George took the cross out of the box and put it around his neck. "So this is our first line of defense?"

Elliott stood and looked from Barnabas to George. "You will want to hang crosses over the windows and the doors. There was a thought at one time that Garlic was a deterrent. That was wrong. I am still researching what we can do to arm ourselves against the undead, I would suggest you get a priest to bless some water and keep holy water handy."

The sounds from the drawing-room let the men know the women had exhausted their topics of conversation. "I think the ladies will be looking for us."

Barnabas stood and moved to the door waiting for Elliott and George to exit his den. "Ah, it seems my lovely wife is looking tired."

Barnabas said as he moved into the drawing-room. Elizabeth stood and moved to George's side, "Look at the lovely necklace Vicki gave me. She found it in Barbados."

George smiled and kissed her cheek. "It's lovely my dear."

Elliott moved to Julia, "I am thinking we need to let the newly weds get some rest, they had a long day."

Julia moved to get her coat and purse. "I will see you later tomorrow, I hope you both plan to sleep in and get lots of rests."

George was helping Elizabeth on with her coat. Leaning over her placed a kiss on Vicki's cheek. "I will see you tomorrow for supper I hope?"

Vicki looked at Barnabas; "Mother invited us to supper with the family tomorrow."

Barnabas put his arm around Vicki's waist and nodded, "Of course my dear. We look forward to it."

Vicki moved with Barnabas to the front door to escort their guests out. Standing in the chilled night air they watched as Elliott, Julia, Elizabeth and George left. Sighing contentedly she moved back with Barnabas and let him lock the front door.

"So, here we are my love. In our home." Barnabas took her hand and led her to the stairs. "Now, its time for us to prepare for bed. I am exhausted as I am sure you are."

Vicki let him lead her up the stairs and to their bed. Knowing in her heart she was where she was supposed to be and wanted to be for the rest of her life.

Pausing she smiled at her husband, "Now, I know our lives are complete and I am so happy you are my husband."

He kissed her lips and smiled into her eyes. "As I am happy to have you as my wife."

They moved towards the night of love and happiness, one thinking she could not get any happier. The other wondering when the next attack would come.

The End to Fall Festival of Love!

Coming soon, the next chapter, will the Collins family survive the next assault from Dracula Prince of Darkness? Only time will tell, in the next installment of a Winter of Discontent and Mayhem.