Chapter 22

Nothing was routine when preparing a wedding, what was less routine was the announcement that a potential hurricane would make landfall the day of the wedding. This had been the second such hurricane in as many weeks to be knocking on the door of the Collinsport Residents.

Maggie was a ball of nerves as nothing was going the way she had planned. First her wedding dress had been destroyed in the last hurricane, Joe's fishing boat had been swept upon the shore by the storm surge and then the venue for her wedding had been completely decimated by a tornado spurned by the hurricane.

On more than one occasion, Maggie had burst into tears to run off to her room to fling herself across her bed and weep. She wept for her self, she wept for the poor citizens of Collinsport and she wept because at the moment it just seemed to be the right thing to do.

Vicki hearing of her dear friend's dilemma rushed over to Collinwood to see if she could help. As she arrived, with baby in tow, was immediately divested of the favorite and only grandchild Vicki grateful that there would be no further worries on whether Josette would suddenly break out into one of her loud attention grabbing screaming fits made her task a lot easier. She made her way to Maggie's room Vicki could only imagine in what condition she would find her dear friend. Knocking lightly on the door, she called to the sounds of muffled crying, "Maggie?"

Her call caused an immediate halt to the crying. Vicki had only a few moments to wait as the door was opened and a red-eyed still tearful Maggie stood looking at her friend. With the sympathetic look on Vicki's face much to her chagrin had managed to send Maggie off into another crying jag.

Maggie turned her back on Vicki and moved to her bed to throw herself across it in a renewed round of fretful tears. "Maggie, you have to control yourself. We are going to make this right." Vicki moved to sit next to her friend, patting her back and continuing with soothing tones.

"How can it be made better? My dress is gone; my church washed away, the reception hall washed away! How can you make that right? Oh and lets not forget, a hurricane knocking on the door of my wedding day."

Vicki watched Maggie bury her face into her pillow and her body heaved with despair and a tearful lament over how much more could ruin her wedding day. Vicki thought a moment and then snapped her fingers. "You dry your eyes, change your clothes and meet me in the foyer in 15 minutes. I am going to make this right."

Vicki slid from Maggie's bed and moved to the door. Maggie sat up and looked towards her friend's retreating back. "Vicki, how do you plan to make it right?"

Vicki turned around and raised an eyebrow; "I have friends in high places. You my dear are going to be Mrs. Joe Haskell on August 4, or my name is not Victoria Winters Collins." Maggie for the first time looked doubtfully hopeful. Rising she moved to follow Vicki and headed to the bathroom.

Vicki skipped down the steps to come up short seeing her mother holding Josette and speaking to her with pride and baby talk. Vicki leaned against the bannister watching her mother do the goochie, goochie goo bit, it warmed her heart to see her mother so happy holding her grandchild.

"Mother, I hate to ask this because I know you and Dad are really busy right now." Liz looked up from her seated position before the fire and waited to hear the favor her daughter was seeking. "Darling what is it?"

Vicki moved to sit across from her mother and sighed, "Maggie is so distraught, I was wondering if you could watch Jobeth while I take Maggie to Bangor?"

Liz was thrilled with the request. "Well of course my dear. By all means, I would love to watch our little princess."

To which another voice piped up from the doorway. "Already being usurped of my title as Princess by the little bundle of joy?"

Carolyn moved into the room to bend over Josette and tickle her chubby little cheek. Turning to Vicki Carolyn asked, " Why are you taking Maggie to Bangor?"

Vicki smiled, "We are going to pick out a new wedding dress she lost hers in the last hurricane, the church she and Joe were going to use was washed away and the reception hall was also washed away, so I am going to make sure she has her wedding despite what mother nature intends."

Carolyn was all over the idea of shopping in Bangor. "Ooh may I join you? We could even go and take Penny to lunch if we time it right."

Vicki laughed, "Of course how could I not take my sister shopping and to pick up my other sister for lunch?"

Liz was so proud of her two daughters she had wondered how well they would get along once they found out their relationship to each other and she was not disappointed. Liz looked from Carolyn to Vicki and offered, "Why can't she use the west wing ballroom for her wedding? She is more than welcome to do so."

Vicki pursed her lips and thought, "I think she is trying to be gracious and not impose mother, you may be using the ballroom as a shelter for those fleeing to higher ground because of Dolly, she is expected to make landfall just about the time Maggie and Joe were going to be married."

Liz stood holding baby Josette close to her chest and lightly patting her back. "I don't see why we can't have her wedding and be a storm shelter for those that need to take shelter."

Vicki smiled, "I love you mother, I knew you would come up with the right idea."

Maggie, eyes swollen looking rather forlorn stood in the doorway of the drawing room. "I am ready Vicki." She delicately sniffed and dabbed at her nose with her tissue.

Carolyn bounded to Maggie, tipped her chin up and smiled. "You just dry those tears malady, we have it all figured out and you will be married on August 4, come hell or high-water whichever arrives first."

Carolyn giggled at her euphemism but Vicki felt a shiver rise up her spine, she was not looking for high-water or hell but something deep inside told her that hell was not done with her.

Josette paced her apartment, she was coming off a particularly grueling week and she was exhausted. To make matters even more complicated, Cameron was beginning to become more aggressive in the display of his affections. She wanted to trust him but was not sure how she could.

She had tolerated his innuendos and hints that they were more than just co-workers. She anguished over if she had made a good choice in bringing him into the operations. She had also noticed how Jeanette had started growing closer with Radu and was worried he was using her sister as a replacement for her mother.

Flopping down on her sofa she put her legs on the coffee table. Reaching for her remote, she turned on her television's portion of her computer to the evening news. She was not particularly interested in world news until something caught he attention.

"Tonight this story comes to us from Logansport Maine, where local residents are reporting the sighting of what they are calling wolf men killing the cattle in the area. For more we go live to our sister staetionWLBZ2." Josette leaned forward and fixed her gaze to the perky TV reporter Jan Nickerson smiling brightly into the camera. "Live tonight from Logansport, we have spoken with a few of the residents that claim to have seen these wolves that walk like a man. I have here a Mr. Dorman who was nearly attacked when he investigated the cry of his cattle. Mr. Doorman, can you tell us what you saw?"

She poked the microphone right under his nose and his irritation was palatable he went to shove the offensive stick from his face. "Get that out of my face. Look, someone needs to do something. It ain't no pack of wild dogs, and it ain't my imagination, I tell you I saw it, wearing clothing that was ripped and a face that looked like a wolf. That is all I gotta say except if nothin is done then who knows what it might attack next, you let a kid get kilt and I guarantee nothing will stop the uproar and it will be heard all the way to Mount Rushmore!" He was angry and the national news anchor had the camera directed back to him.

"Well, I can see that the town of Logansport is angry and demanding something be done. Jan, can you tell us if the local authorities are taking any actions to find what exactly is attacking the local farm animals?"

The screen divided and showed the local reporter who smiled into the camera and tilted her head because she was told that was her best camera face. "I can assure you Ted, everything is being done to discover what or who is causing all this furor in the small community of Logansport Maine, back to you Ted."

The camera was then directed back to the national anchor and he finished the story and the channel took a commercial break. "Great, I am going home to wolf men?" Josette closed her eyes, she was exhausted and was not up for this, she needed a break and soon. She just wanted one day close to her birthday where she did not have to deal with a dark power or supernatural. "Well until I hear from Aiden, I am going home, I've done my time and its time for this girl to have some R and R."

Vicki drove the girls to Bangor, with the excited talk of shopping and what Maggie was going to do about attendants. Maggie flushed, "I had not thought about attendants because it was going to be a small church wedding and an even smaller reception. Joe and I did not have much money to put towards a wedding. I did want a white dress and my flowers in case when we had children and I had a girl she could wear my dress if she wanted."

Vicki smiled knowing that had been her thoughts then again she wondered if they would just want to have their very own dress. She had her dresses carefully preserved and packed away with Josettes dresses in the attic.

"Maggie our focus today is on you and making sure you have your wedding, and as Mother said why could you not have a wedding and reception in the ballroom even if it were going to be shelter. We can decorate, set the tables up that were used for Julia's and mine wedding and have a reception and shelter."

Maggie laughed and it was the first time that week she had laughed. "I just hope the hurricane does not want to cause problems for the Collins family."

Carolyn laughed, "Problems are our middle names Maggie, no you and Joe are going to have a wonderful wedding."

Maggie sighed, "I have been trying so hard to try and get this done on a shoe string budget."

Vicki glanced over to Carolyn, "Well no more shoe string. Today we find the dress you want and you are not to worry about the cost. I have it from mother and from Barnabas that as our gift to you we are buying your gown."

Maggie felt the threat of tears at such a generous offer. "I don't know if I should let you do this, you have already done so much."

Vicki laughed, "Oh pish posh my good friend, between mother, Uncle Roger and Barnabas you are going to have a fine wedding."

True to her word, Vicki helped Maggie pick out her wedding gown and together they decided that Vicki would be her Matron of Honor while Carolyn and Penny would be bridesmaids. The plans were set in motion and as one last gift to Maggie; Vicki made a special commune with her sisters to delay the arrival of Hurricane Dolly.

Two hours before the wedding was to take place, the West wing Ballroom was beginning to fill with residents seeking shelter from the storm and wedding guests, while Vicki walked placidly to the beach and looked upon the horizon as the storm clouds were building. Closing her eyes she called forth the balance of nature.

"I call to you Aerith the calm, Earwyna the true, Canice the wise and Sorcha the driving force, join me now." Vicki held her arms wide, head lifted and eyes closed. She felt the caress of the wind and knew her sisters had arrived. Opening her eyes she smiled. "Sisters, I have a small favor to ask, it will not bend the rules of nature but would make it very special for a very deserving young woman who will be married in two hours. The hurricane that approaches, could it be held for just an hour?"

The four sisters turned to look at each other. "We are not the ones bringing about a hurricane. This is news to us." Vicki frowned, "What do you mean?"

The sisters looked around then to Vicki, "This storm is nothing we have control over. This is something from a darker power than we have felt. We can divert it for a small portion of time, but sweet Victoria we can do no more."

Vicki frowned, "I see, is there any way to discover who is doing this?" Sorcha floated on the flow of the air.

"My guess it is a demi god of the underworld that has conjured this storm and hopes to create havoc to those that have caused his ire."

Vicki sighed as she studied the point of her shoe. "I see, thank you my sweet sisters. I shall be forever grateful. Perhaps with the short delay we will have a happy bride."

The sisters immediately looked excited. "We may appear to watch the joy being shared for a beautiful bride after we have done what we can to divert this storm." This was Canice as she looked around for an acknowledgement from her sisters and they all nodded excitedly. Vicki hugged them and made her way back to the great house on the hill.

She was worried because now there was a darker element involved in her life and that element was far worse than she had ever felt from Vlad or any of his minions. She knew that she would let nothing prevent Maggie and Joe from having the most wonderful wedding.

It was a semi sweet moment as she thought back to her own wedding and how wonderful it had been to become Mrs. Barnabas Collins. Although a part of her was not going to let that be what would define whom she was, it made her happy knowing she was the wife of Barnabas Collins.

Stepping towards the entrance to the west wing, she paused looking around she felt her hair tingle and stand on edge. She waited; the scent of death permeated her senses as she saw his image floating in the deepening shadows of the hallway.

He smiled and blew her a kiss. The action only made her wrinkle her nose and glare at him with open defiance. Just as the figure appeared it was gone. Vicki sighed with relief, she was determined that nothing would go wrong for her friend this night.

The wedding march began and Penny started her march down the aisle as she glanced to the excited and handsome Joe Haskell. He had eyes only for his future bride so his gaze was fixed as Carolyn moved into place and started her march behind Penny. Penny and Carolyn both were dressed in pale green organza dresses with an empire waist that allowed the gowns to drift down to their ankles and swing with their own little wild dance at the slightest movement.

Vicki glanced to the groomsmen and saw Joe had asked Chris to be his best man, and next to Chris was Quentin, then she smiled seeing her dear Barnabas watching with expectancy in his gaze. Vicki surmised he was recalling the day they had married in this same room.

With Carolyn's arrival to the make shift alter Vicki waited and then she moved down the aisle, her dress a yellow organza styled very much the same as Penny's and Carolyn's. Vicki's heart swelled as she watched the smile edge across her husband's face. She knew that as long as she had him in her life and had his love to draw on, she would be able to face anything.

Or would she?

This concludes our four part series of the seasons of the witch, the demi god, and the vampire. Soon, our favorite Collins family will find that time is irrelevant as the time folding children of Victoria and Barnabas travel back and forth through time to prevent the advance of Baal, Vlad Tepes, and Angelique as they have one goal in mind and that goal would not be a happy outcome for the Collins Family, thus we begin our next chapter with the Children of Collinwood Chronicles.

To those of you that have offered me encouragement and kudos I wish to thank you for your support and it is with heartfelt gratitude I bid you adieu until the next chapter.