Ep. 6: 'Precipice' Chapter 1
"You know something Nick?" Devlin had drunkidly blurted out to Blair, both men still mounted at the bar of the Blue Whale.
"Hmm... What's that?" Blair asked.
Devlin pinching his right index finger together with his thumb. "I'm literally this close to cracking that case wide open."
"Why don't you get some sleep, Burke? Afterall, our most prominent aspirations are better conquered in dreams."
Devlin's optimistic countenance quickly shifted into one of fear and irritability, shaking his head rebelliously. "No, anything but sleep!"
"I don't think I can handle another nightmare like last night's," Devlin continued.
"Why don't you tell me about it?" Asked Blair.
"Its all so vivid." Devlin had shut his eyes tight; trying to recollect the dream in detail.
"A darkly lit room... knocks at a door... and..." Devlin opened his eyes in sudden realization, slowly turning torwards Nicholas Blair.
"And you," he added.
Blair let out a light chuckle. "Me? But we only just met earlier this evening."
"I know," Devlin retorted in a fearful voice.
He continued, "I think I'm gonna go, Nick." After having reached into his pocket and thrown a few bucks onto the bar, Devlin got up and started torwards the exit.
Blair turned around to watch Devlin scuffle out of the bar, smiling onwards and eventually returning to his drink. "Such a peculiar man," he whispered.
Chapter 2
Victoria lied next to Barnabas on the bed, fast asleep. Barnabas had awoken suddenly from his slumber, glancing over at her. He proceeded to uncover himself and stand up. After having dressed himself in his evening robe, Barnabas exited from the room as discreetly as possible.
He made his way quickly down the stairs towards the cellar; dodging various scientific equipment scattered throughout the basement. Dr. Hoffman was hard at work preparing the antidote to cure Barnabas Collins of the vampire curse which had plagued him for over two-hundred years.
"You're absolutely certain that this will work Julia?" Asked he, informally greeting Dr. Hoffman.
"I've never been more certain of anything in my life," she assured him.
There were some moments of awkward silence before Julia changed the subject at hand. "You and Victoria have certainly become close. I'd even go a step further and say the two of you have become quite inseparable..."
Barnabas blushed slightly, displaying a mild look of discomfort. "There is no use in denying it any longer. My attraction to Ms. Winters began as a superficial one, blinded only by her resemblance to Josette. I have, however, come to truly love Victoria; moreso than I have any other woman."
Julia continued, "I can most certainly see your happiness whenever she is with you."
"I want to thank you Julia, for everything you have done to help me. You're an invaluable friend," Barnabas professed with a smile.
"And you're absolutely sure you want to go through with this tonight, with Victoria so close by?" Asked Julia.
"She's asleep in my room. And if for whatever reason this doesn't go the way we planned, you know what you must do Julia." Explained Barnabas.
Dr. Hoffman nodded, and proceeded to gather the liquid from one last test tube, emptying the material into a measuring cup. She then retrieved a syringe and continued to slowly extract the contents inside. Holding the syringe up to the light, Julia gave it a slight flick and a squirt to disparage any air bubbles. She then proceeded to inject the cure into Barnabas' upper arm.
"I'm not entirely sure what kind of after effects you will experience from this, Barnabas. I strongly recommend that we get you up to your room as soon as possible," Dr. Hoffman explained.
"Yes Julia. You're right, I'm beginning to feel that burning sensation throughout my body again," he retorted.
Julia pulled Barnabas up out of his chair. He leaned on her for support as they slowly climbed the staircase leading to the foyer. Barnabas began to break out into what appeared to be a cold sweat. She opened the door and shouted, "Willie! I need your help!"
Willie Loomis poked his head outside of the drawing room, hurrying towards the entrance to the cellar. "I'm comin' Doc!"
He continued, "Oh geez, did somethin' go wrong with t' cure?!"
"He's responding to it now. Barnabas is in serious pain and needs to be taken upstairs immediately!" Dr. Hoffman instructed.
Chapter 3
Willie and Julia supported both sides of Barnabas as they climbed the staircase leading to Josette's room. Upon entering, they carefully set him down onto the bed.
Willie instinctively began to cover Barnabas up with blankets. Julia took notice of this and stopped him immediately. "No, blankets won't help him. He needs to remain as cold as possible."
"A'right, Doc!" Willie exclaimed.
Dr. Hoffman was shaking nervously. "We just need to wait this out with him. He should be able to make it through this as long as we remain calm and look after him."
Willie regained his composure. "Barn'bas could die, Doc."
"That was a risk we were willing to take, Willie," she replied.
"I never agreed t' nothin' like this!" He exclaimed.
A barely audible, groggy voice broke forth from the bedridden Barnabas. "I've been dead for a long time now. I have very little left to lose."
"What about us Barn'bas? You might not have much left t' lose but me and the Doc sure do!" Willie seemed slightly hurt.
"You must both take great care. The two of you pose a greater threat to Angelique than you realize; with or without Professor Stokes. If I die..." He began to cough uncontrollably, spitting up blood. Julia immediately came to his aide, positioning him upwards to prevent him from choking. As he finished, Barnabas laid down and continued from where he had left off.
"In the event that I die, you must do everything within your power to find a way to destroy Angelique." Barnabas grasped a hold of Julia's hand as he felt the life force inside of him begin to drift. He closed his eyes, flinching one last time as precious memories from long ago flashed before him. First of his parents and then Josette; the bright flashes of light suddenly dissipating to absolute darkness.
Barnabas' hand fell from the Doctor's grasp as she came to the shocking realization that he had passed on. "Barnabas!" She reached over to place her index fingers over his throat, frantically searching for any sign of life.
"He ain't dead is he, Doc?!"
"No, he can't be, it isn't possible!" Julia shouted out in denial, taking a stethoscope from her medical bag and placing it upon Barnabas' heart, listening attentively for a rhythm. There was nothing. The Doctor fell to pieces as she began to beat upon his chest, in hopes of a successful resuscitation. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she helplessly conceded.
"Don't tell me Barn'bas is dead, Doc!" Willie began to break down as he moved towards the bed to examine his friend's lifeless body.
A sudden knock was heard at the door. "What's happened?! Please open the door!" Exclaimed a frantic Victoria Winters.
Sorrow, worry, and fear spread across the faces of Dr. Hoffman and Willie Loomis as they turned to look at one another, unsure of how to handle their current predicament.
Regaining her composure, Julia stood up and made her way to the door.
"Doc, what're you doin'!"
"I know there is someone in there!"
Dr. Hoffman unlocked the door and opened it, Victoria rushing in like water over the threshold. "Julia, whats-"
Victoria's eyes fell upon Barnabas' corpse. She continued in haste towards his body. "What's happened here?!"
Before Dr. Hoffman had a chance to explain, Victoria had placed her hand on Barnabas' forehead; proceeding to check for a pulse. "He's dead?!"
Julia nodded with hesitantly "He died of a fever. Willie and I brought him up here per his instructions."
"You aren't telling me the truth, Julia. I was with Barnabas only an hour ago and he displayed no signs of illness." Victoria argued, her voice unsteady and full of anger and mistrust.
Dr. Hoffman appeared to take offense at Victoria's words. "What are you insinuating?
"How dare you Julia!"
An unprecedented amount of animosity had begun to boil over as an emotionally compromised Willie came between the two women. "We gotta stop this right now! Vickie, Doc, none of us are enemies. An' Barn'bas wouldn't have wanted us t' fight with one another! Show some respect, will ya?"
"Willie's right, Julia. I don't know what came over me." Victoria began to regain some sense of composure as she knelt down beside Barnabas' cold corpse; taking his hand in her own.
"I apologize. I was insensitive. We have all lost a man very dear to us." Tears were swelling up in their eyes as they mourned the death of Barnabas Collins together.
After a considerable amount of time had passed, the three of them gathered in the drawing room downstairs. Both Victoria and the Doctor were seated on the sofa with Willie standing poised only a few feet away.
"What're we gonna do now?" asked Willie.
Dr. Hoffman glanced up as if she had something to say. However, after a few moments of silence had passed Julia fell back into her previous sullenly withdrawn position.
"We're going to have to announce his death to the rest of the family, of course." Victoria had chimed in.
"No, we can't do that," Julia protested.
"What do you mean we can't tell anyone?"
"It was Barnabas' wish."
Appearing rather annoyed by Julia's evasiveness, Victoria continued with her questioning. "Neither you nor Willie have been telling me the truth about what has happened tonight. I demand that you be straight with me..."
Julia was completely overwhelmed and uncertain as to how much information she should reveal to Victoria. After careful deliberation, she had finally come to a decision. "You're absolutely right, Vickie. I think its time I explained everything."