Series 12/Chapter 5: DEEPER INTO DÉJÀ VU

Barnabas retraces his steps & meets Elizabeth all over again

The mid-day sun couldn't be brighter. It stung the eyes and warmed the skin. It was as if everything it's rays touched were thawed into the breath of Spring. With every grace of sun light that ushered in a rebirth of Spring to the Maine village of Collinsport, a renaissance and new beginning was also afoot. And for India and Justin, their nerves were rightfully on edge from what they had witnessed just the night before. The real renaissance and rebirth; a new rejuvenated awakening of Barnabas Collins.

Together, Justin and India paced back and fourth in a worry filled dance in a back study at Collinwood that had carved wooden moldings of gargoyles staring down at them like devils from the doorway. The room smelled of tobacco, it was one of Roger's favorite smoking rooms even though Elizabeth had always asked him to stay in the real smoking room just off in the west wing of the house that was purposefully designated for his late night pipe puffs.

The Spring sun shined into the room in kaleidoscope patterns of leaves and branches from the large oak trees that sprawled the front lawn like giants holding out their arms. The windows that faced this this direction were large and were the first to welcome the morning sun, but when darkness fell at night they seemed to peer off into an abyss of blackness and shadows with no light from the outside.

India, still in Vicky's body walked over to a desk in the corner of the room that was almost invisible because it was made of  a wood that matched the wood panels on the walls. She turned on a lamp and allowed the orange light to shine on her face showing just how worried she was about what Barnabas had planned for that night---a plan that required her help in the most important of parts to his reconstruction of how he first met the family as to finally correct all the errors of the first time.

"I know you're scared but you have to be brave. This is it. This is what's going to get you back to your time." Just said, his face warn from a lack of sleep.

"I don't know how much longer I can be here. My family. My dad....." India paused realizing that her dad in 2019 was also her dad in 1966, just 50 years younger. "It's all just ...its a mess." She finished.

"Do you trust Barnabas? Do you think he'll do what he said he would? I don't know how any of this works....I...I just don't know what to think." Justin said, his brain still unable to comprehend exactly what he saw as Barnabas came out of his coffin the night before.

"I think I have to trust him. What choice do I have? He has me here like a prisoner of time, if I don't trust him and let him do what he needs to do I'll never get back to my time." India said staring at herself in another picture frame that reflected Vicky's face back to her.

"But what if it's all a trick? What if he's pulling us into a trap, I mean my god, he's.....he's ...." Justin couldn't bring himself to say the word, the word that meant a person of the undead. A person who needed the blood of others to live themselves, a creature of immortal and thirsts for blood.

"Stop. Just stop." India said quickly standing up to quell Justin. "I have to do what he says or else I'll be stuck here. I can't. I can't stay here." She said.

Justin knew she had to go back, even if it meant that she'd be leaving him. Even if it meant whatever friendship, or more, would end. It was the right thing to do no matter how many misgivings they had about Barnabas.

"How did he know to go to that other house, the one that's all rundown? How did he know that?" Justin wondered about the place where Barnabas was currently hiding, deep below the Old House floors awaiting the night to reveal himself --again--to the current Collins family of 1966.

"I don’t really know much about him other than a few myths. I mean no one really had time to explain to me who he was—other that he was once married to Julia Hoffman and that my father later marries Julia and Barnabas’ adopter daughter. Everyone in 2019 seems to recear him but also fear him. They love him but they hate him. My uncle Gabriel  sort of warned me... just before all this happened he...” India explained pausing as she remembered how fearful her maternal uncle Gabriel was when he finally introduced India to her Collins side.

“He what?” Justin wondered.

“He knew. He must of known all about this ... Barnabas. And what he was, and where he came from. He was scared for me. He was worried that I’d somehow ...fall into danger. He must have.” India concluded with a slight sadness in her voice understanding Gabriel was protecting her from the Collins family all her life.

"You know we could do something else." Justin remembered suddenly as he turned to a small globe standing next to the desk an spun it.

"What do you mean?" She wondered.

"You mentioned Julia Hoffman when we met.  If we don't trust Barnabas and how we he's handling all of this, we could always try Julia again. That is if you though she is the person who  could get you back too. Bangor is still an option, and that’s where Julia is.." Justin continued.

"Dr. Hoffman." India said in a whisper.

"Maybe she'll know what to do now that Barnabas is free. If she thinks we can trust him, then maybe we can and we won't have to worry so much." Justin said.

India began to mull it over. She knew that Julia and Barnabas had a special relationship, and eventually would marry, but they needed to find her before he did and make sure she could actually help---Barnabas was a live-wire. Could he be trusted? No one knew. Would he really do what he promised and send India home as soon as he made all his wrongs right? Another mystery.

"Ok. We'll go find her. As soon as I help Barnabas tonight when he comes to main house to meet the family you and I will get to Bangor and find Julia. I feel like I could trust her more with all of this. She'd understand. She'd be key to it all." India said agreeing.

"I'll head home and shower and change. Maybe nap even." Justin said

"You should rest." India said as she stood up and walked over to him from around the desk and put her hands on his arm.

Justin looked over at Vicky's face, he knew deep inside was India, the young woman he met over a week ago and almost hit with his car. He knew he was looking at a face that wasn't her's. He knew deep in his heart that his feeling were starting to grow and they were for India and Vicky's face was not changing that.

Justin smirked and slightly tilted his head and leaned down to kiss India on Victoria's lips but India pulled away.

"I'm sorry! I'm Sorry! Did I read that wrong??" Justin worried as India stepped back.

"No, I just.....I'm sorry. I just feel like, I'm not myself." India said looking down at the body she was in.

"But I see you. I see India. I really do." Justin replied.

India smiled. She could tell he was someone she could trust, right off the bat there was something warming and safe about him. She really wanted to kiss him but the situation was just too hazardous for them to start anything. Her time in Collinsport, 1966, would hopefully come to an end and where India planned on going Justin could not follow.

"Justin, I like you. A lot. But you know we ...we just can't." India said.

Justin smiled softly, he knew she was right. It wasn't meant to be that they even knew each other. They shouldn't even be in the same world, the same time. It was all a blur of reality and fantasy and confusion because of Barnabas' attempt at correcting all the hurt he had caused in his first awakening.

"I should go." Justin said sounding disappointed.

"Justin...." India said as Justin turned back around seeing India in the bright spring sunlight from the large windows. "I'm sorry." She said in a whisper.

"Forget about it, huh? It is what it is I guess." Justin said. "I'll be back later tonight so that we can get to Hoffman." Justin continued as he smiled sweetly then stammered off to sleep some of the previous night away leaving India feeling guilty, sad and alone in the bright study of the West wing.

****

In the tea room at the Collinsport Inn, Arabella sat with her legs crossed in a finely stitched Chanel dress, her neck wrapped in 3 strands of perfectly cultured strands of white pearls. She sipped her tea and watched as the on-lookers from town stared at her new, fresh face. Once in a while, she'd wink at a woman's husband who stared too long.

Her approach to get what she felt she deserved from the Collins family for what she saw was terrible treatment of her missing brother Paul seemed to be working. Carolyn had been manipulated to get rid of her rival for her mother's affections thus keeping Arabella's hands clean of any blood that would be spilled and Elizabeth was just days away from writing her a million dollar check to keep her silence over what she knew. Her plan worked out better than she had ever dreamed, all thanks to Beau and his expert detective work.

"Ma'am, there's a phone call." One of the hotel clerks said handing Arabella a white phone with a very long cord.

"For me?" She wondered.

"Its Miss Stoddard." The clerk said, knowing exactly who Carolyn Stoddard was.

Arabella quickly grabbed the phone and removed one of her pearl earrings for a better listening on the phone.

"Carolyn?" Arabella asked as soon as the clerk walked off.

"Aunt Bella, hi, I'm glad you're still there. I needed to talk to you." Carolyn said, her call coming from a payphone in town and her voice loud and clear, attempting to talk over passing cars.

"Where are you?" Arabella wondered hearing the background.

"I needed a safe line to talk to you on, I'm at a payphone in town." Carolyn confirmed.

"Honey, why didn't you just come to the hotel?"

"I didn't want anyone to hear the full conversation, at least this way if someone overhears they only hear one side." Carolyn replied cleverly to Arabella's surprise.

"Has something happened?"

"Well, yes and no. Last night Beau Cielvert and I were talking and a few things came up, nothing for you to be worried about but I think I have a way to handle you know who and you know what." Carolyn said cryptically.

"You Talked to Beau, I see." Arabella answered skeptical Carolyn knew what she was doing. "And what exactly did you and Beau talk about? Nothing that would put our plan off I hope." Arabella answered passive aggressively.

"No, no. Not at all. I didn't tell him anything that would interrupt our plan." Carolyn said as she tried to keep her voice down so that man waiting his turn at the phone booth didn't hear her. "But he has this sister that I knew, well that I know. She and I used to be friends and we had a falling out but I think I can get her to help us with ...you know. She's....well I can get some help from her and she wouldn't even know she was helping. Does that make sense?" Carolyn asked her conniving Aunt.

Arabella tried to add two and two together as Carolyn was being slightly covert with what she was saying but it was a puzzle that only had  few pieces. It was easy to make sense of it, and Arabella was fine with Carolyn doing most of the dirty work to off Vicky.

"Honey whatever you think is best for the situation, and as long as you think you can handle it, I'm all for it. You do what you want just keep me in the loop as best you can. Does that sound alright?" Arabella answered.

"So you're ok with me speaking with Noelle? I won't tell her of course what I need help with, I'll be as discrete and as vague as possible. I just want it to be done and I want it over with." Carolyn asked, despite her initial misgivings and second thoughts about the whole idea of killing Vicky to secure her place as the only heiress of her mother's fortune.

This was music to Arabella's ears. Things were progressing perfectly. Soon she'd have her money and she'd be on the next flight out of the country leaving the Collins family, hopefully, in ruins as the fall out over Vicky's murder would fall in the hands of Carolyn thus destroying Elizabeth in the process.

"That sounds perfect." Arabella said with a purr in her voice.

The two Stoddard women hung up their ends of the line. Arabella satisfied with her trap to leave the family in tatters for their treatment of her brother, and Carolyn feeling like she was really helping her cause. The lies and manipulation by her Aunt Arabella fully entrenched in her brain. It was a perfect storm of destruction, a train headed for off a cliff.

Death was near.

****

As the sun set and the crows began to swirl in large flocks around the large oak tress surrounding Collinwood awaiting the dark sky, many people inside the house were about to put on a show, a show of lies and deception, a show of hidden secrets that would ultimately lead to final exposure. 

Elizabeth, her brother Roger and an unwelcome guest who crashed an earlier dinner sat in the drawing room sipping on after dinner desert wine. Their guest for that evening had come in from the Inn in town, Arabella Stoddard, her bewitching green eyes constantly shifting to Elizabeth to see if the Collins matriarch would crack under her persistent pressure. 

The truth of Victoria Winter's connection to the family burned on Arbella's tongue and she wanted to scream it from the mountain tops to expose Liz and her betrayal, but money made everything work in her favor. Arabella would rather have a million dollar check in her name then real satisfactory revenge for her brother Paul's, and for Elizabeth's, suffering one more night with Arabella, who knew her presence was just one more heavy pill for Elizabeth to swallow and pretend everything was normal.

Things were never normal.

All of this, was to keep her secret. Keep the lie safe. Keep everyone away from the truth. Keep Elizabeth's world as intact as it was, and keep Victoria in the dark about her past. That was paramount in the matriarch's mind, the treat of the exposure of her secret child was a death knell that Liz did not want to hear.

As the three sat, in awkward small talk sipping their after dinner drinks, another part of the puzzle was about to reveal itself. India, inside Vicky's body came into the room. Her face a tapestry of excitement, nerves and worry---it was just one more person playing a role.

"Vicky, good evening!" Roger said first. "Can I pour you a drink?" He added as Arabella looked on, this being one of the first times she saw Vicky in the flesh.

Elizabeth noticed Arabella's gaze and began to feel uncomfortable, her real life secret standing literally between the two Stoddard women.

"No, thank you Roger. Actually I'm here with a very big surprise. You'll never guess who I ran into down in the village. Never in your wildest dreams." India said in Vicky's soft bubbly voice as she began to make up a story about how she ran into Barnabas by chance, in a random "bumping into" in town.

The other's looked confused, the sensation of surprise and jubilation  was a foreign feeling to them.   As India continued to explain how she met the mysterious  man, they all looked towards the entrance to the drawing room and in walked a living price of art. The supposed second Barnabas Collins. His hair slicked to the side, his eyes dark and  mysterious, his lips a quiver and a lively rose pink freshly touched by the winter-like wind from the outdoors. 

"Mrs. Stoddard, this is Barna---" India began before being interrupted by Liz’s shocked gasp.

"Barnabas Collins!! It can't be! It's impossible!" The matriarch said, stunned by his resemblance to the painting in her foyer.

"But how????!" Roger replied in the same amount of shock. 

"The second Barnabas Collins the second.." Barnabas confirmed with a very friendly grin. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, and by the look on your faces I can see that you do recognize me. Or shall I say, him." He too said, referring to the portrait in the foyer he was passing off as his great-grandfather. 

"But, how is this  possible? The likeness, its impeccable."  Elizabeth asked.

"I know, it does seem jarring when you get a good look at the two of us." Barnabas said with a wicked smirk. "The Collins blood is very strong as you can see." 

"I don't understand—what the hell is going on?" Arabella asked as she stood up to meet the new stranger in the room.

Barnabas turned to the red-headed Arabella and felt a tingle go down his spine. Her energy was like jolt of electricity that turned his insides into sparks. He could feel her cruelty, it was the same feeling he got when he was around Angelique Bouchard, the witch who cast him into darkness.

Barnabas slowly walked over to the new face in house, the first time he came to Collinsport, she was not there. This was a different faction of his existence, but her aura of evil warned him: she needed to be watched. 

"Please let me explain." Barnabas said to Arabella first, then turned back to the others. "I've come all the way from England in hopes to meet my American cousins, distant cousins. I perhaps should have called sooner or made myself known in a different way, for the intrusion and obvious shock I apologize.

Everyone froze for a moment staring at the man they couldn’t believe real. Then Elizabeth, ever the proud and astute hostess broke the awkward silence.

"Oh, please It's fine, we're just a bit surprised to see how much you look like, well, he must be your great-grandfather?." Elizabeth said trying to settle all their nerves.

 "Thank you, Elizabeth....cousin Elizabeth. And yes, he was my great-grandfather.”  Barnabas said in a charming tone smirking his toothy white grin winning over the glowing Elizabeth.

"How did you know where to find us?" Roger asked, his lips stained with brandy.

"Collinwood is all I’ve ever heard about as a child. The family. The family tree. This place. This land. It's like I .....its like I've always been here. It's like I never set foot in England." Barnabas explained.

"Hmm." Arabella muttered to herself, unsure of she believed him or not.

"I just had to see you all as soon as I got to town. Miss Winters and I had a chance meeting in the village and as soon as I discovered her connection to the family up on Widow's Hill I thought what a wonderful twist of fate. It was truly meant for me to come tonight. " Barnabas explained, his cover seeming to convince the family. 

"A Collins in England? I had no idea we still had distant relatives across the pond. This is remarkable!" Roger added still in a boozy voice. 

"Indeed!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her eager eyes taking in every inch of her handsome English cousin.
"Well this is no way to welcome a Collins; with confused reactions and down right slack-jawed faces now is it?" she added shaking her head of all her own questions. "Welcome to Collinwood!!" She gleefully added.

Barnabas smiled at Liz and playfully winked at the gawking Arabella--an attempt to win her over. It was all so familiar to him. The game. The lie. The push to get in good with the family. He had heard this before from her. He had seen it all before, of course in different circumstances, in different ways, in a different bend of time. It was all a sort of mirror image of  his first time meeting Elizabeth, but things were different in just the slightest of ways, he knew of course India's bodily presence being the reason for the changes to the first reality. Mainly Arabella's presence. 

Barnabas leaned down and kissed the back of Elizabeth's well manicured hand. He looked up at her and their eyes met. Friendly. Kind. 

"Odd..." She said suddenly with as a strange feeling suddenly came over her.

India panicked at Liz's sudden pause. 

"What .....what is it?” India asked unsure of what was coming next, perhaps their secret exposed.

"I feel like I've done this before. Like I've talked to you before Barnabas. A Deja Vu....But how? We didn't even know you existed or that you were coming?" Liz said.

"Well you're very familiar with my face of course. It's hung in your foyer for years. That is to say, my great-grandfather's face." Barnabas said covering. 

"But, how is it we never heard of you or the rest of the Collins family in England? Why is this the first time?" Roger asked as Arabella's eyes began to scan Barnabas for a wedding ring; to Arabella another Collins man, single, would be her crown jewel of husbands.

"That is a very good question. Distant relatives often don't have the ability to know each other in the flesh especially when time begins to chip away at the generations. You see, I am the last Collins alive in England---of our family." Barnabas said. "My entire mission was to come back---here---to reconnect with my roots. Right some wrongs. Fix the odds and ends." 

"And...your wife?" Arabella asked with a shark’s eye and hunger. 

Barnabas turned to her again, he had no idea how to respond to her, he already could feel she was not to be trusted.

"You have to excuse my sister-in-law Barnabas, she's visiting from San Francisco and gets quite attached to the idea of...." Roger stopped himself before anything off color came out of his mouth in front of his employee Victoria. "Never mind, besides she was just leaving.”

"I was?" Arabella answered confused.

"Yes, I'll take you back to your hotel. Barnabas, please make yourself at home. Arabella, I'll get your coat." Roger said, seeing that Arabella already wanted to sink her hooks into Barnabas and whatever money he my possessed. 

"Mr. Collins, Mr. Barnabas Collins, it was ...a pleasure to meet you." Arabella said extending her hand to the new family member as India looked on with hands trebling for Arabella's safety. 

Barnabas grabbed Arabella's hand. He could feel her skin: warm and soft like the perfect kiss. He could feel every cell in her body racing around in the crimson rivers of her blood. He kissed her hand and it was as if something electric touched his lips. She winked at him and sauntered over to Roger who was impatiently trying to get rid of her for Barnabas's sake---for everyone's sake.

"Alright, lets go." Roger snapped.

"I should check on David." India said too as she quickly left the room to allow Barnabas the full stage as he attempted the first round of fixing the wrongs he had done the first time in 1966.

"I really did not mean to intrude and break up your get-together. Had I known I would have waited for tomorrow to come see you all." Barnabas said to Elizabeth who quickly too her place back on the sofa.

"No, actually I'm glad someone came and took that horrible woman out of here. Mr. Collins, I--" Elizabeth began before Barnabas interrupted. 

"Barnabas, please." 

"Barnabas, yes" Liz said smiling, "I am elated to see your face. To see how well the Collins blood line has kept up with our final English ancestor. I truly am, but as you can imagine, the household is a bit upset and I would hate for you to get the wrong impression of us so soon." Elizabeth explained.

"Of course I understand. I did intrude." Barnabas answered. 

"No, no, no, not in the way you think. Really, it is a great pleasure to have you." Liz said, as Barnabas could feel she had more to say.

"Are you alright Elizabeth?" He asked.

"It's just.... I have this strange feeling that  I can tell you everything..., but I really shouldn't." Elizabeth said..

Barnabas sat down across from Elizabeth, he knew that because this was his second coming to this time fragment, that there was already a built in closeness to Elizabeth--she knew it too--although she could not imagine why. Elizabeth chalked it up to them being related but the truth was they had years and years of being close, just in a different time fragment. Elizabeth had no idea she was repeating her own life. But she was. 

He looked into Liz's eyes, and it was as if worlds opened up, he grabbed her hand and felt an energy flow from her to him, like a fire burning deep within their touching skin. And with Barnabas' electric mystical touch, Elizabeth opened up about everything that had her home-life so "upset" as she put it: how Arabella was blackmailing her, how she needed to give her money to keep a secret and soon leave town with it. How she was waiting for the company check to arrive before giving it to Arabella so that she could leave. How she was risking so much keeping this secret, that had to be kept to save her from ruin and embarrassment and scandal all over town. Elizabeth poured her heart out to Barnabas like she had never done before, not in any time period, not in any time fragment. It was an Elizabeth full of trust, and concern and hope that she could be rid of the cancer that was Arabella on her life. Elizabeth believed that she could not allow the secret about Victoria to be out, she could not allow it, and Arabella was a ticking time bomb. Anything that stopped her from getting her money would, in Elizabeth's words "destroy me completely." 

"So you see why I had to suffer her for this dinner tonight. Roger doesn't know anything. I can never tell him. I just have to continue to play the part: swallow my pride and let Arabella run around Collinsport until I get her the money and then hopefully be rid of her forever. I'm so embarrased to have to tell you all this on our first meeting." Liz said.

"Not at all Elizabeth, not at all. We're family after all. It pleases me to see that you trust me so." Barnabas explained.

"And so quickly!" Liz laughed. "Thank you...thank you for listening. I wouldn't have been able to tell anyone else and getting all of that off my chest ...well it made me feel better." She added. 

"I'm sorry this has happened to you." Barnabas said as his truth serum touch wore off an his distant cousin and Liz looked at the clock seeing that so much of the evening had passed. 

"My goodness I can't believe I've burdened you with all this family drama all this time. I can assure you I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't need to talk it out with someone. Where are you staying Barnabas? Not in town I hope, we have so much room here." Liz asked sweetly. 

"Well, actually if you wouldn't mind, I would prefer more independent quarters."

"Oh...so you are at the Inn in town?" Elizabeth responded disappointingly.

"Well, no, not exactly, you see cousin, I grew up with stories upon stories of the old house. I'd like to stay there. I'd certainly be out of your way and yet we'd be close enough to see each other as much as possible. I'd love to learn more about my New England family. It would mean the world to me if you'd allow me to stay there." Barnabas said, to Elizabeth's shock.

"The old house??? But it's in such disrepair!! I couldn't allow that!" She replied not knowing Barnabas had already set himself up in the basement of the old house with Justin and India's help the night before.

"Trust me Cousin Elizabeth, I am very resourceful and have all the intentions to make that place as good as new, not only for me but for this family and our history. Refurbishing the old house to its former glory would be a dream come true." Barnabas said.

Elizabeth took a pause to think. She was unsure how much this "Barnabas II" actually knew about the family. The stories he may have heard worried her. To Elizabeth, the dark side of the family, perhaps may be something this Barnabas needn't know...even though he knew it all too well.

"What exactly did you learn about our family Barnabas? Did you hear many stories about us?" Elizabeth asked, but strangely felt like she already knew the answer.

"Oh Endless stories." Barnabas and Elizabeth said together at the exact same time, shocking Elizabeth.

"Barnabas, why did I know you were going to say that? Why is it that I'm feeling like I've had this conversation before. Like I've been in this room...with you...talking as we are now? That can't be possible can it?" Elizabeth asked, unsure of what was really happening.

"It could not." Barnabas said, his voice sounding cold with worry that Elizabeth may be catching on to what was happening. "This has never happened Elizabeth. It has never ever happened." Barnabas said again, his voice filling her brain and taking hold of her thoughts for a split second.

Elizabeth felt at ease again, her strange feeling that she was oddly repeating a portion of her life began to dissipate. It was a control function Barnabas was good at. It was a tact he was able to use often that many many times before had saved his life. Mind control. 

"You must think me foolish, please for give me Barnabas." Elizabeth said as Barnabas' control lifted from her brain. "Perhaps its the Deja Vu again but I.....I feel so rather fond of you in such a short amount of time that it feels like you've come in like a breath of a fresh air, like an old friend I haven't seen in ages.." Elizabeth said shyly. 

Barnabas looked at his cousin and could feel her still searching for answers in her own mind but that sensation slowly faded away as Elizabeth gave in to the feeling that it was all just a mind game of her own design. 

"We're family. The Collins blood is thick with generational connection after connection. You can feel it, can't you? It's just our way. It's just our family ties. I feel it too." Barnabas replied comforting her further. 

Liz smiled, she felt a strange feeling of dread mixed with safety. It frightened her but yet she felt comfortable with her new cousin.

"Ok, I've thought it over and I'd be fine with you staying in the Old house, under one condition, you come here as often as you'd like. Do not be a stranger." She giggled. "But please if you want for anything let me know, like I said the old house needs a lot, and money is no object for your comfort there. I really want to make sure your stay with is us a good one. For however long that is." Liz said.

"Yes.....for however long." Barnabas answered. 

It was clear to him now that there was yet another obstacle to take care of in his second coming. He had not foreseen Arabella's arrival and her meddling and blackmail. Arabella's hold on Elizabeth could alter the future, for she had not come to Collinsport on Barnabas’s original foray into the 1960’s. He knew she had to be dealt with. He knew she had to be neutralized before her plots became even more convoluted and tangled. If he allowed her to continue to roam the streets of Collinsport the way she was, looting the family of a million dollars, keeping Elizabeth on a tight leash, there was no way he could finally fix the wrongs he had done to this generation of Collins family members freely. 

And he was thirsty and Arabella might just provide for the perfect nightcap.

****

India, in Vicky's body and Justin arrive at Windcliff

In an awaiting car just outside the iron gates of the Collinwood estate, Justin Patterson puffed a large white cloud of smoke out his driver-side window. The red 1962 Buick's passenger side flung open and India do Arco jumped in; still trapped in Victoria Winter's body.

"We really gotta stop meeting like this." Justin joked to Vicky's eye roll.

"Barnabas has his side handled. He's schmoozing with the family, the coast is clear." India replied as she buckled in.

"Was that safe? Leaving that whole family with a vampire who hasn't had a drop of blood in....who knows how long?" Justin worried as the car drove off to Bangor to find Julia Hoffman.

"Before we came in, Barnabas handled his business. He....." India gulped "found a few woodland animals and ....well, you can guess the rest."  She explained.

"Jesus!" Justin gasped. "Are you sure can trust him? I feel like a broken record, like I keep asking you the same questions but I don't know if we can! I don't know what makes sense anymore. Can we trust him?" He again emphasized.

"I don't have a choice Justin! It's either stay in this body in this time forever or allow Barnabas to carry out his plan note for note. Which is why, I guess it's better for us to bring in Julia. If Barnabas fails, and getting what he wants out of all this, then she's the only one that can help. I have to believe that!" India said.

"You're right now to put all your eggs in Barnabas' basket. Doing this, getting Julia involved too is a safety net India. I can feel it. I really can." Justin said reassuring her.

As their conversation progressed time seemed to escape them. The 45 minute south-east to Bangor flew by, and by almost midnight they arrived on Saynes Street, the street of Windcliff Sanitarium. It was a foggy, wooded street with almost no street lamps. The darkness from the margins of the road almost seemed to seep in like black water, slowly, deeply and mysteriously.

It didn't take long. Windlciff was in the distance. They could see all the lights on in what looked like a giant ranch-style house with three floors and white walls and 2 green-shutters that hugged each of the windows. Justin and India slowly made their nervous walk up the slick path to the front of the sanitarium hoping everything would work out. It had to. Julia had to help.

As they walked into the lobby, they could see a man at the front desk signing paperwork facing a nurse who seemed to be consoling him. It was almost midnight. Justin and India felt odd that someone was being admitted so late, but at the same time knew that if someone was being admitted that meant an attending doctor would have to be available--the only one at Windcliff was Julia Hoffman.

"She's got to be here." India whispered.



"Now doll, you'll have to remember that this is the best for you...and for your wife. It's going to be fine. You'll see!" A nurse said to the man who suddenly moved and revealed a small boy of about 5 years old huddled between his father's legs.

Justin's eyes watered at this sight. A boy, feeling the sadness of his father and confusion for his missing mother. At Windcliff, a sanitarium. It was all too familiar. It was all too real. Something similar had happened to him when he was young. His father too had to bring his mother to a sanitarium, his father too had to be the only parent while his mother was locked away at a place for the mad, the crazy, the mentally unstable.

The flash back gave Justin second thoughts.

"We have to go, this isn't right." Justin said as India grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly. She had no idea of his past but instinctively she knew he needed to feel secure. Somehow.

"Shhh." India comforted.

"Can I help you?" The nurse said as the man and his son passed Justin and India. The boy and Justin make eye contact as they walked passed.

"We need to see Dr. Hoffman. It's an emergency." India said.

"Sorry doll, we're only allowing light night admittance, you won't be able to see the doctor or any of the attending doctor's until 9am tomorrow morning." The nurse rattled off.

"I said it was an emergency. Please. I have to see her." India pushed.

"Miss, I don't like to repeat myself, but I will, One. More. Time." The nurse said forcefully as she stood up from her chair revealing a hefty frame. "Come back at 9am." She repeated.

"I don't think you understand. This is a matter of life and death and..." Justin began before the nurse continued to rebuff their request.

It caused a whole argument when finally, from out of a side door marked STAFF, Dr. Julia Hoffman appeared, seemingly appalled by all the noise.

"What is this all about?" Julia said dropped her clip-board on the nurse's desk.

India was instantly frozen in shock. Julia remarkably looked the same, albeit slightly bit younger but it was her. It was the exact woman she had met in the Collins family's foyer in 2019. The doctor that told her if she needed help, to find her. Well, India found her.

"Dr. Hoffman, I'm so glad I've found you. Please you have to help me. I've been trapped here. It'll sound insane when I explain but you have to believe me. I'm from ...." India paused, she couldn't believe what she was going to say next to a doctor of psychology in a mental hospital. "I'm from another time." She heard herself say sounding ridiculous.

"Another time?" Julia repeated with a strange look on her face.

"I know how that sounds, I know that it must bring up red flags all over me, but I need you to trust that I know you, and that I'm from the year 2019."

"Ok....let's be calm about this, tell me again how we know each other."

"It's a very long story." Justin interjected.

"Is that so?" Julia said taking out a blank pad to write down what she was hearing.

"I know it sounds insane, but it's the truth...and there's more. Much more." India continued.

"We don't use that word here Miss...?" Julia replied allowing for India to say her name.

"India...do Arco."

"Miss do Arco, we don't use the word Insane,  or crazy, or mad...none of those words. Nothing is out of the ordinary. Everything here at Windcliff is ordinary. Normal. Real. I try and make sure tha tmy patients believe and trust where I come from when I speak to them and when we discuss the world that they live in. Do you understand me?" Julia asked as India shook  her head yes. "

And who are you?" Julia then asked turning to Justin.

"Justin Patterson doctor., India's friend. And I can vouch for her. I met her, just a few weeks ago and she didn't look like this. She was herself. She was in her own body and form and then something happened to her and she turned into this person. You see this body isn't hers." Justin explained also feeling like the story was completely bizarre to tell to a doctor in a mental hospital.

"And Barnabas has come back. He's come back! Barnabas Collins in Collinsport." India said as Julia looked at her with weary eyes.

"Barnabas?" She said, although the name was unfamiliar, it rang in her ear as if she had heard it just the other day.

"YES! Your husband. Well, he isn't your husband until...well later in your life, but that's the thing, he has me trapped in this time so that I can help him right the wrongs of his life. He's....he come back from the dead!" India said.

Julia's brow lifted. She was unsure of what was happening with the two young people in front of her. Was one having a mental break-down, were they both having a mental break-down? The story they were weaving was almost out of science fiction, but Julia could tell the two new faces at Windcliff really believed what they were saying which made her job as Windcliff's attending doctor that much more important. It was her job to guide the visitation with the mentally infirm. Were they?

Julia, of course, not knowing it was all true and that her own life had just changed in a matter of minutes now that she too was involved.

"Are you both feeling overwhelmed? Frightened? Feeling like there's chaos all around you? Do you feel in distress?" Julia asked ticking away boxes on her writing pad and motioning to something with her hand that was behind India and Justin.

India and Justin looked at each other strangely. They knew their story was far-fetched but were hoping Julia would believe them and that she would help.

As the two stood there, two big men in white dressing scrubs with wheel chairs came in from behind.

Both men then pulled syringes out of pouches they had on belts around their waists.

"Wait, what is this? What are you doing?!" Justin said starting move away towards the front door pulling India along with him.

The giant men lunged for Justin and India and grabbed them hold them tightly. There was a scuffle, a fight. India fell to the ground, one of the men in white on top of her. She began to scream and Justin began to fight harder to get away from his opponent and get to India, to save India. To save them both.

Justin punched his man in white in the jaw who then turned over on his back writhing in pain As Justin attempted to get up he saw with  his own eyes a needle go into India's neck, then her screaming stopped. Justin gasped and froze as he watched one of the men pick up India who was out cold.

And in a split second a the second needle went into Justin's neck. Julia Hoffman standing right behind him injecting him with the same medicine India was injected with rending him motionless---asleep.


"Take them both back to Psychiatric room 210. Make sure they're on lock down. These two are very interesting." Julia said as the big men in white carried Justin and India to the wheel chairs asleep then rolled them off to the back of Windcliff.

"Also, see if you can find out what this Barnabas Collins of Collinsport business is all about." Julia added with her eyes firmly on the two wheel chairs getting smaller and smaller down the brightly lit hallway.

"Yes Doctor." the large frame nurse eagerly.

Julia felt something in the pit of her stomach. That name. That place. It was like it was meant for her to hear it on this night, only India had no idea she was a year early by introducing Julia to the Collins family. Adding Julia Hoffman to the mix before she was supposed to be, before she had ever even entertained the knowledge of the Collins family could be detrimental. .

Julia was NOT apart of Barnabas' plan. Arabella was NOT apart of Barnabas’ plan.

Now, both women were in the way of Barnabas’ plan of atonement and Barnabas did not like to be walled in, not in the slightest.