Chapter 13 - Season of the Witch
It was a warm afternoon and a sultry breeze was drifting through the grounds of Collinwood. Elizabeth and Barnabas were walking through the gardens, him carrying an umbrella and wearing a hat and glasses to protect himself from the sun.
Elizabeth sighed happily as they walked along. It was rare to have a really bright sunny day in Collinsport.
The breeze ruffled her hair and lifted it off her shoulders. It brought with it a lovely floral scent. "What is that exquisite aroma?" Barnabas asked, sniffing a bit. It was even stronger to a vampire's nose.
"It's the roses" she said with a smile, taking his hand and leading him around the corner to where there was a profusion of the beautiful pink flowers. The rose garden was by far her favorite part of the grounds.
"Beautiful" he said, looking from her to the roses. Her cheeks flushed slightly and she smiled as she realized he meant both the flowers and her. He picked one perfect flower and quickly stripped the stem of thorns before tucking it carefully behind her ear.
As his fingers brushed the side of her face her eyes met his and he smiled. That warm, charming genuine smile that she had only ever seen when he was looking at her. At that moment it occurred to her that quite unexpectedly… and against her better judgment… she was starting to fall for him.
The two of them of them walked back towards the house in comfortable silence, her hand in his. Neither of them saw Julia watching them from an upstairs window, a look of disgust on her face.
It wasn't until a bit later that she remembered the rose. It fell out of her hair to land with a soft thump the floor. She picked it up and raised it to her face to breathe in the scent. A smile slowly curved her lips.
It was about half an hour before closing time at the Blue Whale and most of the patrons had gone home. Julia sat at the bar with a half full glass and a half empty bottle of bourbon. She could have easily gotten drunk at home but she had felt a strong urge to get out of the house.
There was a sound of the door opening behind her but she didn't pay any attention. She sipped her drink, not even looking around. A look of surprise came over her face when a familiar blonde slid onto the stool next to hers.
"A gin and tonic please" said Angelique to the barmen. She smirked slightly as she looked over saw the redhead. "Doctor Hoffman" she said. "It seems you are becoming a regular here" she observed.
"What can I say… I love the atmosphere" Julia said dryly, her voice ever so slightly slurred. As usual she had had several more glasses of bourbon than was strictly good for her. The witch's red lips curved in a smirk. "So I see" she said, taking in the good doctor's inebriated state. "I wouldn't care to have your head in the morning though" she pointed out.
Julia shrugged. "I'm used to hangovers…" she pointed out. Every year she seemed to drink more and more. She had hoped that one day Barnabas might make her immortal like him… but now he was sleeping with Liz she considered that unlikely. A frown crossed her face.
Angelique noticed the frown and an expression of false concern came over her face. "Something wrong Julia?" she asked. "Are you just drinking for the fun of it or there a reason?"
If Julia had been sober she would have seen through Angie in a second but at that moment she was drunk, regretful and jealous as hell. "Well let's just say there was someone I wanted but they chose someone else…"
She missed the way Angie's eyes flashed and her body tensed slightly as she said that. The witch knew exactly who she was talking about. "Oh? How could anyone compete with your charms?"
Julia frowned deeply and knocked back the rest of the glass of bourbon, shuddering slightly as the alcohol hit her system. "No idea. She's pretty enough sure… but she's older than me and they are distantly related. It's insane!" she grumbled.
The psychologist jumped as the glass in Angelique's hand shattered into tiny pieces. Angie shook her hand to dislodge the glass, not injured at all. Even in her drunken state Julia was rather spooked. "Do excuse me" the witch said before casually sauntering from the room.