Chapter 14

Camron moved through the passages of time to end up at the gates of the nine hells. Stepping forward into the domain that had been his brothers he paused and waited for the demon challenge. The area had become deathly quiet moving into the first layer of what should have been his first challenge. Surely his brother had not released the demons and the many other various horrors that were the gate keepers for the nine hells?

Moving on familiar territory he was arrested in his forward progress by the sound of the mocking tones that belonged to his brother. "Well, well, well the prodigal son returns to his nesting grounds. Did your whore reject your advances and now you have decided to come back to me and beg my forgiveness?"

Camron chuckled. "It certainly took you long enough to battle your way back brother. No my whore as you so charmingly call her did not reject me if anything she had become more agreeable and very well may be your sister in law."

Camron adjusted his eyesight to the area and then made out the malformed figure of the true form of his brother. "So do you protect Gerard?"

He moved into the open area that was his judgment chamber and stood before his brother looking about at the changes he had made to the area. "I like what you have done to the place. I think a little paint some carpeting you could almost make it habitable again brother."

He moved to the center of the room and folded his hands behind his back to rock back on his feet. "No I do not protect Gerard he can protect himself. What has brought you back dear brother?"

He watched his brother rocking on the heels of his feet and waited his body honed to take action should he try to challenge him where he stood.

"Forgive me dear brother if I do not believe you I know for a fact that you have allowed him to begin his new nest right here in this existence of this hell." Rocking forward on the balls of his feet he brought his arms around and crossed them over his chest.

"I also know you are holding the one called Lydia here until she is ready to deliver that demon child she carries."

Baal moved into full view and Camron could see the affects his fight with the lower hells had wrought on him.

"Camron, I hold no nest here, you might check with the other lords perhaps he went to one of them."

Camron smiled, "Dear brother I know for a fact she is here, I had her tagged and her transmitter is showing she is residing in your personal chambers."

Baal looked grimly while he considered his words and then sighed. "I have no control over what Gerard does or where he chooses to hide his newest first. You of all should know that Camron."

Camron cocked his head to the side and studied his brother. From his perspective Baal had seemed to give up on his reign over this hell and he wondered what had brought about this change. "What has changed you brother?"

Baal sighed and slumped to his Throne chair cupping his chin in his hand he studied his brother. "When you spend what seemed an eternity fighting your way back to where you were, you loose a part of yourself in that part of the lower hells brother. I am tired and I am ready to turn my power over to another younger and more fit and stronger for the fight ahead."

Camron did not know what to think of this Baal he continued in solemn silence to study him. "I think you are as you were brother only you have grown wiser with your ways and are not so volatile to take on things that are superior to your talent."

Baal studied his youthful half brother with a half smirk. "You think I am just playing you for time until Gerard can make away with the Patterson woman?"

Camron nodded, "I think you play a fool which is your mistake Baal. You know I am stronger and far more advanced and if I should chose to do so could destroy this domain you find so comfortable to in which to hide." The banter between the two brothers was exactly what Gerard had needed to gain time to move in and take Lydia and move her down to another level of hell to a lesser lord.

Having secured her deeper into the abyss that was part of the nine hells he moved his way back to the ninth hell that was held by Baal. Stopping outside the chamber room door he listened to the discussion being held by Baal and Camron. If he had to do battle with Camron he needed to be rested and in fit condition because this would be one battle he would not return from.

Camron was known for his ruthlessness and it was all because of that silly Collins woman the oldest daughter of Victoria Winters Collins and Barnabas. If it was the last thing he did it would be to bring down the whole Collins Family in one form or another and he was half a mind to start with Victoria Winters Collins.

Except for some odd reason he could not get a location on her. She had apparently slipped through the stream of time and entered into another universe entirely. If his luck held out perhaps they would not be able to locate her and he was going to make damn sure he did what he could to prevent her return. Even if it meant a cascade affect would fold in on all their worlds and destroy them.

He knew from nothingness that something could reform and if he could manipulate it, he was going to make sure it was his domain that would be the one to survive. He would ultimately rule supreme over the newly formed world that would be darkness incarnate.

He listened to Camron and Baal he realized his wool gathering had cost him his location and that Camron was demanding he show himself. Gerard was not quiet up to par to take on Camron and he knew he would need some time to gather his strength.

Closing his eyes he managed to slip back into the mortal world through the hellmouth. He did his slight of hand trick just as he heard Camron curse softly at his getting away from him. This sent a thrill of excitement through his system. So, he had learned that Camron and Josette were close enough that Camron was considering proposing to her. This was valuable information in and of itself.

Camron bowed slightly to his brother. "Try your mindless games on a weaker opponent dear brother. I will go get Miss Patterson and deliver her back to the mortal world from which she was taken and I will go after Gerard and I will kill him."

Baal smiled, "Brother I think being with the mortals on the other side of this darkness has turned your mind and your senses to mush. You should have considered whom you chose as a mate with a little more care than what you have. You played into the easiest ploy ever invented."

Camron smiled, "Actually brother I wanted you to believe that I was duped. I just needed him to move her so that I could see which lord he was going to try to replace you." Baal scowled as Camron made his reference and stood raising his arm and shooting a bolt of lightening at his brother.

"Die you bastard, die!" Camron held his hand up and deflected the bold of lightening to bounce harmlessly off his body to a nearby wall.

Narrowing his gaze he smiled, "Now there is the dear loving brother I remember so well. I knew you had not lost your fight but had to see ho much you had been weakened by your ordeal. Do you not realize I know you lost part of your powers as you had to work your way back to this domain?"

Baal slumped back weakly to his chair. "You will need another one hundred years to gain back what you lost and if you do not believe that I knew this when I sent you down to the lowest level of hell then you are the bigger fool."

Baal growled at his brother. "And you do not believe I know the deeper you go into the lower levels you risk more than your immortal soul?"

Camron gave a wry smile. "I risk all to protect those that I love and cherish Baal."

No truer words had been spoken by Baal. Camron knew that to go to the lower levels put him at a risk. He knew that to remain in that region for any period of time he would risk loosing who he was and what he stood for in this new life he had made for himself.

"I would risk my soul for her and her family, that is how convicted to this mission I have become brother. Pity you could not have these feelings then perhaps you would not be bored all the time. For now I will bid you adieu and will see you shortly."

With a blink of an eye, Camron had disappeared from Baal chamber and now found himself at the fourth level of hell he stood and looked to his tracking device he had a good lock on Lydia. The hope beyond hope was that she was not affected by the vile evil that now permeated the entire area around them.

Camron's concern was that she was not as protected as he had been with his powers that she would be swallowed and devoured by the darkness of the lower level of hell. That was the reason for haste on his part. If he had to locate her and put a teleport device on her so be it as long as he got her out of this location.

But that was not going to be as easy as he had hoped. Appearing in this level there were always demons that protect this level of hell and now he knew he was in for the fight of his life at this point in the rescue operation. Taking up his position and pulling forth the spells he had prepared for this fight he began his methodical way of fighting the demons with magic.

Enchanting the area with a wall of force, moving his hands forward he shoved the invisible wall forward sending the first three demons tumbling backwards to land on the ground. Then summoning forth blades of destruction he watched the air around him razor sharp blades dropped down around him and began to move in a scissor like fashion around his body.

The blades began to hit and decapitate and slice then dice up the second wave demons that rushed forward to try and swing their own razor like claws over his body. Deftly he stepped aside and in his mind he could hear a sympathy playing a lovely tune to the graceful actions of his spinning and kicking forth to find a chest, or crotch to plant his leaded boots on.

He was quite the site seeing him spin in his long black duster coat stepping forward to spin. Then to kick, roll jump to a standing position to grab a neck and break it and all this to the music he heard in his mind as he deftly with grace and flair as he spun, tumbled, kicked and then threw punches and the whole time he was finding this destructive forces he was summoning with his body or his mind was making him feel more powerful and the more he fought the darker his thoughts were becoming.

His thoughts were turning so dark that for a moment he did not realize he was loosing whom he was and why he was there. From the sphere of his own reality Baal smiled and it was a delicious and evil smile for sure for now he saw his brother was returning to that which was the darkest of his nature and he had to just wait for it to be complete and once again he would never have to fear Camron again.

"Oh yes brother you are not infallible, you are returning to your true nature. Soon enough you will bring me your whore for sacrifice and I will have my whore back to share my kingdom of darkness."

Josette moved down the hallway of the old house she was tracing the signature that had been her mothers and she frowned. The cascaded affect was beginning to over take the area and she was having troubling putting a lock on her mother and which realty to which she had been transported. Moving on silent footsteps she made her way from her mother's sitting room.

The very room down the hallway she had known from memories of living here and growing up. To love this old house that shared widows hill with Collinwood. Her padded feet were stepping lightly along the hallway following the slender flat instrument with a map and a green blip that kept pulsating with the direction she was being sent.

Moving the directional feed back and forth she watched the blip appear then disappeared and the ear piece was allowing the subtle sounding 'beep, beep, fading beep to emit she continued to concentrate on the last tracks her mother had made.

Josette knew each human individual had their own signature, something the developmental team had discovered years ago, it was just a matter of calibrating those waves to this particular piece of tech to track and trace the missing individual. So much had happened since the discovery of being able to go forward in time.

In the beginning it had been strictly folding to the past. That was what her mother had done when she went back in time to meet her father and now there was the advance of seeing what the future would. The same laws applied to the past as it did to the future. Nothing could be changed and if it did it could affect the future either way. In her case it was a matter of setting what others had meddled with right so that the right course and natural flow of time could remain and not affect the outcome of any possible future to avoid what they were facing at this very moment in this time frame.

Hearing a door open she slipped against the darkest shadows of the wall and she could feel and hear the soft footfalls of her father as he made his way down the hallway to the bedroom he shared with her mother.

The shuffling sound told his story well. Barnabas Collins was a former vampire that now had to face his mortality. He was growing older and tired with each passing day. His face was edged with worry lines that had been wrought by the many years of pursuing a dead love only to find his love was for a beautiful young woman that had blindly captured his heart and whom he had fought for against impossible odds.

Each crevasse that lined his gently aging face was a tribute to his dedication to protecting the family he had come to love so dearly out of his time and in the future. The other graying hair was for the love and family he had found and lost to the past and where he was now was comfortable and still very much in love with that beautiful young woman that had blessed him with five children.

Slipping behind him she followed him to the bedroom where he moved to the fireplace and looked up at the portrait of her mother that now hung over the fireplace. The lovely young woman dressed in a borrowed period gown of the purest cream satin sat demurely peering into his eyes holding a cup of claret in her hand as the visage of widows hill held the backdrop.

Behind her and the wide expanse of the Atlantic deep blue and calm seas. "Something in not right my dear, I know you were here and now I cannot feel you. Have you transition to the time of before or to be? I just want you home so that I can hold you, cherish you and keep you to my heart as I should have from the beginning."

Josette felt tightness in her throat and she stepped from her hidden place of the in between. "Father." Her words were soft she stepped forward dressed in her sensor suit to stand at his side.

"I knew you were there Josette, perhaps there is something you need to tell me?"

He turned his head to peer down at the lovely young woman that was his oldest daughter and named for the love of his life from so long ago."

"I am going to tell you I know of your past, I am going to tell you I have been there with you on many occasions and I was there to make sure you converted mother to a vampiric state so that I could take a part of your powers into my unborn body."

Barnabas smiled and nodded then moved to seat himself to the large comfortable fireside chair and fold his knee over his other knee. "Then tell me more my lovely daughter. I have suspected something for a while and I have known your mother was more than a mere mortal."

Josette moved to rest her slender hip on the side of the chair slumping down to lay her head on her father's shoulder only to relish the feel of his gentling fingers as he curved his palm to her cheek and stroked the softness. She could feel his life slipping slowly away and could feel his fear and this tore at her heart.

So much she wanted to stop the progression to the end of his life and sighed. "I am a part of an elite group that has been used by United States Government to protect the mortals that walk this earth. We here at Collinwood sit atop a hellmouth and the demons that occupy the nine hells do escape and wreak havoc over this earth. It is their hope to gain control and turn this world to darkness, mayhem and madness."

Barnabas took a deep breath he was taking his time to wrap his mind around what she was telling him. He had long suspected that she was more than just a collector of ancient artifacts for the Smithsonian Institute. The friends she had cultivated were more than just co-workers.

"You do this alone?" Josette stood and slid to the floor to kneel at her father's feet and lay her head in his lap. There is was the gentle soft touch of those fingertips as he pulled against her sensor embedded cap from her head. Then as he had when she was a child waited as her bound hair fell to her shoulders and lay in a cascade of silky cape over her shoulders.

With a tenderness he had used when she was a child he began to stroke his fingers through that mass of reddish brown hair that tumbled to her shoulders once released. "You were my special child, the one that would make things normal and right for your mother and I. I love you unconditionally my sweet dear daughter, but I suspect there is more you wish to tell me?"

Josette took a deep breath, closed her eyes and rested her head in her father's lap as he gently stroked her hair from her face and sat back closing his eyes to listen to her confession.

"Jeanette, JB and I are all involved in this trust to protect the Eastern seaboard from the hell spawn that escapes to this world. We have been pretty successful and we travel to right the wrongs that were committed in the past and to set right what others of a darker power would destroy and change."

Barnabas sighed, "And your mother."

Josette smiled as she thought of the aging beauty that was her mother. "She is what we called a time folder. She can fold time and travel back to the past. She has passed that ability onto myself, JB and Jeanette."

Barnabas nodded, "I see and what of Jeremiah and Sarah?" Josette grew quiet. "They show no such penchant for these talents. I guess mother ran out when she got to the twins."

She was trying to make light her observations and then immediately regretted her flippant attitude as she felt her father's fingers stop his comforting stroking and then sighed deeply. "I see two normal child?"

His words had grown very flat. Josette sucked in her bottom lip and sighed.

"I am not so sure you could really consider them normal father they are Collins with a very high I.Q's and too bright sometimes for their own good. They have not fully matured to their gifts if they have any."

Barnabas smiled and then looked down at his daughter. "Josette you have been very helpful giving me the information that I needed to destroy your family."

Josette jerked her head away from the gentle caress that had turned into a cruel grip to her scalp that attempted to hold her in place. Falling back on her haunches she looked up to watch as the beloved image of her father shimmered and was replaced by that of a young man with an handsome face, dark eyes and a evil glint in his dark malevolent gaze. He was a couple of years older than Jeremiah at the most and had a familiar feel to him.

Rising to her feet with a quick roll over to standing position she stood looking at the man. "Who are you and what have you done with my father!"

He chuckled as he studied her. "You know in another time we would have called each other brother and sister, but not in the time of our reckoning. You are a product of that reformed vampire and a mother that offered you love and held you close. I was not afforded that opportunity."

Josette put her guard up and waited for him to posture his alleged position she waited for him to explain what he meant. "Your mother had a child did she not before Sarah and Jeremiah?"

He stood from the chair in a sensually graceful movement. Josette nodded slowly. "Yes, he died premature it nearly devastated her."

He smirked and moved to stand behind the chair. "He did not die, in fact she did have a live birth another set of twins. My sister and I were taken from her and we were replaced with a male child, from an incubus nest. So you see Josette, you have another brother and sister that you knew nothing of and now I fight for my father."

Josette felt ill and she waited as she listened to his silky tone designed to sound soft and seductive. "And whom might your father be?"

He smiled and held his head in a superior attitude to her. "Why Baal of course. He now has your lover trapped in the fifth hell and even now as we talk of this, the darkness that was Camron and he held in abeyance for so long is beginning to over ride his lighter nature and he is reverting to what he was."

He smiled knowingly "As for you my dear, you are or will be our ultimate sacrifice and we shall wait for the cascade failure to take affect and when we reform the world, it will be in darkness, depravity and mayhem."

Before Josette could react, she felt her body seized by something that had stepped from the very air and fabric of time and she was no longer in her parents room but plummeting down into a darkness and her fear was now complete, she was afraid and she did not know if she would survive this fall into darkness.