Chapter 17

Old House

Barnabas sat in the drawing room, thinking of how his life had come full circle. He moved to the windows and looked out at the icy fantasy world outside. To him the house had appeared to have lost its warmth with Vicki gone. He knew he had felt her and heard her call for help the other night. She had reached across miles and miles of oceans to contact him. He shuddered to think of what she; cousin Elizabeth, Carolyn and Maggie were being put through. Pacing back he watched as Willie brought out the jewel chest. Sitting it on the table next to him, he picked out some gold coins. "Give these to Quentin to sell to procure a private jet."

Willie took the coins; looking at Barnabas, "Do you think she is ok? I mean you don't think he has made her into what you are do you?" Willie's voice was filled with concern and the boy almost appeared to be defeated with the absence of Vicki from the house and in such terrible danger.

Barnabas stood and walked to the windows to look out. "I think he will wait until I arrive and he will force me to watch him make her his eternal mate." Barnabas' voice reflected the nearly two centuries of hurt, despair, and hopelessness he had felt. Now thinking of this happening to Vicki caused him to feel helpless and alone.

Willie trembled at the thought. "You know she never hurt no one and no one should hurt her. I feel helpless Barnabas. I want to help. What are we going to do? "

Barnabas paced back to the fireplace and stood lost in thought. "Willie please the sound of your voice is irritating me. Just take those coins to Quentin and be quick about it!" Pausing in his irritation Barnabas turned and apologized. "I am sorry Willie, I am not sure what I plan. I just need to think this through and I need to know I have a jet at my disposal for the trip to and from Romania."

Willie did not wish to upset Barnabas any more than he already had, Willie put on his coat and left. Going out the door he was headed to Collinwood in search of Quentin.

Barnabas walked upstairs and went to Josette's room. "Josette, are you here?" A soft light appeared and she formed for Barnabas to see her. Looking at the woman that had at one time consumed his life and his thoughts now stood before him in her radiant glow.

"Oui mon Cher I am here. Your Victoria is fine. For now, it is not much I can do. The evil one has seen to that. Jeremiah has told me how she is faring and no harm has come to her." Josette drifted around the room looking as forlorn as Barnabas felt. He watched her in quiet reflection. Then hearing her news he smiled. Josette watched him visibly relaxed. Even Josette was aware of the heart wrenching sadness in his voice as he spoke; the very soul and life had been drained from him.

"Thank you Josette, it is calming to know this. You cannot begin to know how upset I have been over all this. It would appear that Victoria has become so much more important than my own existence." He looked away from the woman that had been his life and had died to avoid becoming what he had become because of a witch that was vengeful and a woman scorned.

Josette drifted to hug him. "I do know how upset you have been. You must get ready to go to the cellar soon Mon Cher, do not worry. He will not do anything to her until you arrive. So we must be prepared to protect her any way we can until she can be rescued and brought home where she belongs."

Barnabas returned the hug with a sad smile. Turning to the windows and watched as the golden fingers of daylight began its approach. Once again he was damned to not enjoy the sunrise, or know the feel of the warm sunrays on his skin. Sighing softly as a way to release the tension from his body he spoke softly, "I will bid you adieu for now my sweet Josette."

Julia's lab

Julia sat at the lab table; she held a tray of blood specimens. Turning she walked to the window to place them in the sunlight. Standing back Julia watched the tubes as the sunlight hit the blood. She observed as four of the five vials began to boil, foam and then burst from the heat. Her eyes were transfixed to the one vial and the stability of the specimen seemed to hold in the sunlight. Watching the clock on the wall and then the vial, she noted the time. From behind she heard a door open and close, "Elliott?" She turned and stepped back involuntarily her arm raised and she put the back of her hand over her mouth in shock! "Dave!" her voice cracked and she trembled in fear and guilt.

In front of her was spectral figure of Dave Woodard, he looked at her sadly, in a hallow voice he spoke "Julia, why? Why did you let him do this to me?" The figure drifted towards Julia his hands outstretched the look of pain and hurt filled its ghostly features. "I trusted you. I believed in you. Look at what you did to me!"

Julia backed up against her lab table. "No, Dave. Please let me explain! Please Dave! I did not want him to hurt you. I tried . . . to convince him to let you live!"

Dave Woodard's figure drifted forward, and Julia could contain the fear no longer. "NO! NO! GO AWAY!" The door behind Dave opened and the figure disappeared. Julia covered her head cowered to the corner trembling in fear. She had no good reason for not stopping Barnabas from ending Dave's life and this had been a major upset to her since it happened.

Sorin entered the lab and looked around then back to Julia. "Doctor Stokes? Are you ok?" He bent help her up from the floor and to offer to comfort her. Holding her close to his body he gently stroked her hair and whispered. "it is all right Doctor Hoffman. It is fine." Peering into her fearful gaze he carefully guided her to the pristine stainless steel lab stool all bright and shiny now overturned. He steadied Julia and bent to right the stool. "There, there my dear. Here you look like you seen a ghost. He sat her on the stool holding it in place with his foot.

Julia's eyes were stained with her tears and she looked fearfully around the room. "Did you, did you see him?" Pale and shaken she glanced in shock to Sorin as she looked back to where she had seen the ghostly form of Dave Woodard. Sorin looked around and then focused back to Julia his features set and appearing to be concerned, released his foot from the stool he steadied her before making a grand show of walking around the room looking in all the corners for an obvious intruder that had upset Dr. Hoffman.

In a soft and soothing sympathetic sounding voice he asked,

"See who?"

Even the tonal inflections of his voice were appropriate where secretly seeing her so rattled he had been pleased with his slight of hand trick he had just pulled. Slowly, he turned and walked back to Julia. "There is no one here my dear woman."

Julia felt the tears sting her eyes and she looked around the room. The fear in her was very apparent on her face as she looked back to Sorin. "Gabe, there was someone here, surely you saw him when you opened the door? He was standing between you and me in the middle of the room. You had to have see him." Julia took trembling fingers that raked through her hair while she continued to look the room over.

Sorin shook his head. "No, Doctor I saw no one but you. Maybe you should let me take you home, you need some rest. Professor Stokes was afraid you might be pushing yourself too hard. That is why he sent me to pick you up." He offered to help her stand holding her body to steady her.

Julia stood on shaky legs and nodded Sorin steadied her quietly thrilled with her reaction, "Yes, of course you are right. I need to go home and lie down. Let me get my purse, it's in my office." Julia stood and then she heard a shattering sound, turning she looked at the last vial as it exploded in the diminishing sunlight. Glancing at the clock she sighed. "Give me a moment." The blood had lasted through the past two hours of sunlight so that would give Barnabas at least two hours of daylight he could tolerate. Ever the doctor and researcher; she went to her logbook and made a note. Closing her logbook she clutched it to her chest. "I am sorry, I won't be but a moment." She went through the open lab door and down the hall a short distance to her office. Going to her desk drawer, she unlocked it and took out her purse.

Once more she heard the door open and close. "I said just give me a mo. . . " Looking up she saw the apparition of Dave Woodard appeared before her. His figure drifted and floated towards her his voice filled with the sadness of the ages. The condemnation he kept repeating over and over to her.

"Julia, why? I was your friend, you let him kill me, why did you do that? Julia surely realized I had more than a casual interest in you. I was falling in love with you Julia, why? Why did you allow this to happen? "

For Julia the memories of the night Dave died flashed before her eyes and she began to weep. "You don't understand Dave, he was going to kill you either way. He was going to make you into what he was. I had no other choice, please forgive me Dave, please." Looking up she cowered before the figure holding her hands clasped together begging him to forgive her.

The figure looked at her with profound sadness, "Julia you could have stopped him, you took an oath, you broke that oath with me the one man that believed in you, loved you Julia, loved you."

Julia crumpled to the floor leaning against her desk she placed her head on her folded arms and wept. It had been bad enough she had lived with this nightmare for so long and now hearing he had loved her she raised her head, "You, you loved me?"

The ghost of Dave Woodard nodded, "For the sake of science you sacrificed me. The one man that did believe in you and loved you for you."

Julia stood from her desk and screamed, "NO! NO, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" Julia backed into the corner and began to cry, harder "Please Dave, please forgive me. Dave's form began to shift towards Julia, as she cowered in the corner of her office. "Dave please you must forgive me. I had no choice." Julia could not look at Dave's figure she buried her face in her arms and wept. She had never known he had tender feelings towards her and with this confession she was now feeling the guilt of her actions ten fold.

Sorin stood outside her closed office door and smiled, and then waiting as he heard her voice begin to falter and the weeping was more intense, he opened the door and stepped in. "Doctor Hoffman?" He spoke softly, as he walked to the huddled heap cowering on the floor crying. Stooping down he huddled in front of her and gently put his hand on her shoulder. "Dr. Hoffman, what is troubling you so? Why are you huddled here in the dark corner crying?"

Glancing up, Julia looked behind him, "Is he gone?" Fear filled her and desperation edged her voice.

Sorin looked around and then back to Julia, "Who?"

Julia stood and smoothed her lab coat down. She ran her palms down the side of her coat; she straightened; looking around one more time. Glancing around to her credenza she was searching for a tissue box. Sniffing she reached for the tissue box when Sorin intercepted her hand.

Smiling he offered, "Allow me." Sorin offered his kerchief. She lifted the kerchief and noticed an odd odor. Sorin smiled again, then took the kerchief and forced it to her nose, Julia tugged at his hand; struggling against the pressure. Sorin waited for her to become more pliable. He spoke softly into her ear."When you take on an enemy my dear Doctor, you should make sure you are strong enough to challenge that enemy. Now, don't struggle just a little longer and. . ." He felt her body go slack and finally she collapsed into his arms. Chuckling softly he spoke into her ear knowing that she could still hear him. ". . . that's right sleep, we have a long trip a head of us." Lifting her he continued to speak to her while he carried her out of the lab and to his car. "That was not very nice of you and Collins destroying poor Gilda that way. My Prince is very upset and saddened by her loss. She was a good and loyal subject. However," he reasoned with his one-sided conversation, "he will have his Elizabeta and that will comfort him in his days ahead."

Sorin's car outside of Wyndcliff

He laid her on the backseat of the dark car. Sorin looked around; he felt confident in what could not have been a more perfect place or time to attack, even the parking lot was deserted. He was able to successfully take Dr. Hoffman without fear or worry of being caught or seen. Securing her in the car he walked to the driver's door. Quite proud of this act he looked up at the starless night and smiled, pausing for a moment he leaned against his car, arms crossed, ankles crossed he continued his dissertation with no one, "Now, my Prince, I will bring her to you, thereby decreasing their numbers in the rescue attempt. Divide and conquer always a good tactic. Now we have so many to hold as bargaining chips it will assure them coming to Romania." Going back to the lab he went to her office collecting all the necessary items he would need. The last to be packed in his backpack was Julia Hoffman Stokes notes. Driving away from Wyndecliff, he turned on the radio and found a lively pop rock station and began to whistle with the tune on the radio. A short drive down the road he passed Elliott's car.

As Elliott passed the vehicle coming from his wife's lab he glanced in his rearview mirror. "Well, that answers my questions as to who was the traitor. Interesting." Giving himself a mental shake, he sighed and turned his car around heading back to Collinsport. Elliott knew Gabe's car would be gone and so would his wife. He had learned too little too late. He was mentally kicking himself for being so accepting of someone with impeccable credentials as Gabriel had. He just was not sure how he fit into Vlad's plans. Who was he really this man that had presented a perfect picture of a young man with a degree that would suit Elliott's needs. Elliott mused over this situation while driving back to Collinsport.

Old House

Quentin paced the floor of the drawing room in the old house. "How could we have been so wrong and misjudged Gabe. He now has Julia, what do you think he will do with her? Or do you think she is already dead?" Quentin did not want to think of Julia as no longer among the land of the living. He could see the anxiety on Elliott's face at the thought and wished he had kept that last question to himself.

Elliott though worried about his beloved Julia, waved his hand. "Quentin, dear boy, sit down will you? I hardly think pacing a worn path in Barnabas carpet will bring back my Julia. We merely need to regroup and preplan with a new strategy. We now know Gabriel is the traitor and one of Vlad's minions. With this information we can at least start to prepare for battle."

Quentin looked to the sun setting. "Barnabas will be rising soon. He is not going to be happy." Quentin ran a harried hand through his thick hair and slumped his shoulders forward waiting and he did not like to wait.

In the cellar, Barnabas opened eyes. Pushing the lid of his prison open he rose and closed the lid. Straightening his jacket, he thought about Vicki. It was the one consolation in this whole mess that she was not here to witness his degradation of being one of the undead again. He ran his hand over the lid of his coffin and sighed. He had the blood lust and needed to feed but something in him stayed that action of going to Julia's lab and finding the blood she had stored there for his use.

A sweet voice spoke from behind and he turned to face the ethereally sweet-faced figure of his little sister Sarah. "Oh dear Brother, Julia has been taken by the evil man. Quentin and Professor Stokes are upstairs waiting for you. We must bring home our family. I fear for them."

Barnabas frowned looked down. "Must another suffer because of me?" The sadness that edged his voice filled the chamber he stood in and he watched the shadows creep ever closer to him. Turning he walked to the stairs.

Sarah called to him, "Brother, it is not because of you, it is because something wicked and bad wanted what you had and another that was wicked wanted you to feel what she felt, which was loneliness and despair, she will win if you give into your self pity. You cannot do this, you must fight."

Barnabas paused on the steps; he smiled down to Sarah's now disappearing form. For the first time since his beloved Vicki had been stolen he smiled, "Thank you Sarah, for being the voice of reason." Barnabas turned and let his feet carry him to the hallway leading to the drawing room. The place he heard voices he knew and could trust. "Gentlemen, I understand we have another problem that must be overcome. I think it is time we implement the next phase of our plans don't you?" Turning he called, "WILLIE!"

Willie was upstairs in Sonja's room. He glanced to the door, "Look Babe, I gotta go for now, you just rest. I know you ain't feelin good. So, you lay down and rest." He looked at Sonja who was sitting in a comfortable chair by the fireplace. He tucked the blanket around her; kissed her on the forehead then walked to the hallway and down the stairs.

"Yeah Barnabas you called?"

Barnabas nodded, "Yes, I need the cash you received from the jewels I gave you."

Quentin stepped next to Barnabas. "What are you doing Barnabas?" Willie turned and went to the cellar doors. He returned a short time later with a brief case. "Here, just like you said Barnabas $500,000 in cash for the broach. I put the other jewels back in the cask."

Barnabas smiled and took the brief case. "Now gentlemen, come to the library and I will tell you what I plan."

Quentin looked at the brief case. Money meant little to him he had plenty from writing his books. He was a popular author and had a nice chunk of change from his residuals. "What do you plan to do with the money?"

Barnabas closed the case, took the money from Willie and smiled. "I have my own plans, now Quentin did you get the private jet plane we needed?" Quentin smiled, his cousin was up to something and he was ready for whatever wild ride it would encompass.

Elliott already had an idea of what he was going to do and smiled, "Brilliant Barnabas, absolutely Brilliant."

The men walked down the hallway to the library, as he closed the door, Barnabas smiled, "I plan to . . ."

Barnabas closed the door locking out all unwanted visitors hoping to hear their next plan. A stealthy silent figure retreated from the shadows of the upstairs landing, the voices were fading and then the house was silent. Slipping off to the upstairs sitting room, picking up the phone they dialed. Sorin set in the chair waiting, the phone rang. "Yes?"

The voice spoke softly, "They are meeting, they know about Doctor Hoffman. Collins is up to something, I am not certain what he intends, he sent Willie to sell some jewels and he got $500,000 for one piece. What are your orders."

Sorin frowned, "I am sure they plan to do something elaborate, just keep a low profile, wait and see what else you can discovered from their plans. You know how to contact me." The voice acknowledged then hung up, walking softly down the hallway to the shadows.

Sorin stepped to the side table and fingered the urn. "Gilda, I can't bring you back, but I will take you home." He shook his head and lifted the phone from its hook. Dialing he requested reverse charges and an overseas operator. He waited as the familiar voice answered and agreed to the charges. "Is it done?"

Sorin spoke softly, "Yes, I have her and we will be flying back tonight. Gilda is destroyed."

There was a pause and Sorin could see Vlad tightening his jaw at reliving this bit of news. "Do you have her ashes?"

Sorin fingered the vase. "Yes, I was going to bring her home."

Vlad spoke rapidly in Romania. "Non, déposez-les dans l'océan. Elle a échoué, elle devrait monter la marée, il est de loin préférable fin que ce que j'aurais fait de ce défaut."

Sorin sighed, "As you wish my Prince."

There was another pause then he said in a low threatening voice. "Are they coming?"

Sorin smiled, "Yes, our spy informed me they are concocting some plan and they bought a jet."

The voice that replied was pleased, very pleased. "Good, then we shall begin." The line was disconnected and Sorin looked one last time at the house he had actually become comfortable with. Picking up the urn, he walked out of his house down to the beach and looked up at the dark starless night. "For your failure the Prince has condemned you to ride the tides. Be glad you were not alive to face his ire, he would have staked you out for the morning dawn."

He uncapped the urn and let the dust and bone scatter into the wind and ocean. Sorin was not sure but at the moment he poured her ashes into the ocean he could have sworn he had heard her scream, a terrified heart breaking soulful scream. Hurling the urn as far out into the oceans depths as he could he turned and walked back to his car. Opening the trunk he looked down at the unconscious bound and gagged Julia. "Now we head to Romania Doctor Stokes." Covering her body he slammed the trunk and hurried with a sense of driven purpose to the drivers side of the car, pulling off into the growing darkness, he failed to see a small child, a little girl dressed in a style of long ago, watch with her arms behind her back. Her silent witness to his escape went unnoticed by Sorin. She stood in the cold unfeeling and uncaring that she was not dressed for the weather around her. She stood until the taillights disappeared and then she smiled and she too disappeared with the only sound of a small child's voice singing London Bridge.