by Nancybe

No one at Collinwood who knew Julia Hoffman would have recognized her as she shut the heavy oak door behind her. Her face wore the dreamy expression of a high school girl who had just returned from her first date with the BMOC. She also had an air of triumph about her; any lingering doubts she had been nursing about Barnabas’ true feelings had just been put to rest. He had longingly kissed her goodnight at the front door, and she now had tangible evidence of the depth of his desire for her. She had teasingly leaned her body into his and rubbed against his expensive pinstriped pants. He had valiantly but unsuccessfully tried to suppress the low groan that had swelled in the back of his throat, and she, like a star outfielder, had snatched it from the air to tuck into memory. Leaning against the door, she now took the memory out to admire and cherish it.

Julia floated up the worn carpeted stairs with new resolve. She was tired of pursuing this relationship with Barnabas in a logical, scientific manner. She was a forty-something woman and he – well, he was well older than that! After this evening, it was abundantly clear what they both wanted. To hell with the cautious approach, she thought, it was time to consummate this relationship! Delicious possibilities spun through her head as she ascended the stairs. Candlelight, champagne, a cream-colored peignoir offset by her auburn hair….

Her expression turned serious as she found herself before Joyce’s guestroom door. Julia drew herself up as her knuckles made contact with the wood. She was determined to approach this conversation from a position of strength. Her sister pounced eagerly at the first sign of weakness and gobbled up whole those unfortunate enough to display vulnerability.

The door swung open to reveal Joyce - wearing a cream-colored peignoir which perfectly complemented her alabaster skin and flowing titian hair. Julia swore silently. Damn, did the woman have psychic abilities or something? At least one of Joyce’s assumptions about her sister was correct: Julia was insecure about her looks and did envy her half-sister’s great beauty, but not nearly as much as Joyce believed. What Joyce did not know was that Julia had often pondered how one with such exquisite features on the outside could harbor such wretched ugliness on the inside.

"Julia! Please come in. Did you have a nice time with Mr. Collins?"

Julia ignored the question, and moving closer to her sister, gave Joyce the "look," the look that she knew could stop Genghis Khan himself dead in his tracks. She had perfected this look over the years, and it had served her well, especially as a woman in a profession dominated by men.

"Let’s stop playing games, Joyce. Just tell me what you want from me. Why did you really come to Collinwood? Are you in some kind of trouble?" She left the word "again" unsaid, but it lingered in the air nevertheless.

Joyce retreated from Julia and gave her the most sincere, innocent look she could muster. She knew she was going to have to be at her best because Julia exuded confidence this evening. Joyce briefly wondered why. Could it have something to do with Mr. Barnabas Collins? "Julia, I meant what I said earlier. I came here to see you because I have missed you. There is no other reason." Her voice took on the childlike quality that so often had worked on her sister.

"I know you have an ulterior motive, Joyce. You always do. Why don’t you just tell me what it is so that we can stop wasting each other’s time?" Julia’s voice was steel-edged. She had fallen for Joyce’s lies so many times, and she was a firm believer in the saying, ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’

"Julia, there is truly no other reason. Well, that’s not entirely true," she offered in a contrite voice. "I guess I do have an ulterior motive, after all."

Julia’s eyes lit up in triumph. "I knew it!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at the woman. "Why don’t you tell me what it is so we can get this over with?"

Joyce bit her lip to suppress a smile. Julia had taken the bait! Now she thought Joyce was going to confess to some deep, dark reason for seeking her out. It was time to pull the rug out from under dear Julia. "I was a little cavalier earlier, Julia, when I said that my marriage just didn’t work out. Actually, it was a great deal more painful than that. I really loved Klaus. We talked about starting a family." She stopped to give Julia a timid smile. "A baby. Can you imagine, Julia? A little person who would depend on me, who would love me -. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be." Her voice trembled slightly, and she cast her eyes to the floor. Julia gave her a sidelong glance, and stepped closer to her. "What happened, Joyce?" Her voice held a combination of suspicion and tenderness.

"Oh, Julia! We were trying so hard to get pregnant, at least I thought we were. But Klaus was away so often. On business, he told me. Ha! His business’ name was Lorraine! He was cheating on me, Julia! And when I confronted him, asked him how he could have done this to me, he just laughed. Said he didn’t care and that he wanted me to get out. I ran out of the house, and when I came home later, my things were packed and sitting on the front step. He threw me out, Julia! And I felt so alone, so scared. I had nowhere to go, no one to care about me – but you. That’s why I’m here, Julia. I needed my big sister." Large, sparkling teardrops began to trickle down her magnificent cheekbones, the Hoffman family legacy.

Behind her tears, Joyce looked closely at Julia to see how credible her performance had been. Her sister’s face revealed a modicum of doubt, but in her eyes, her natural compassion could not be denied. It was so easy to play on Julia’s goodness, the young woman thought with disdain. How can she always be so weak?

"I’m sorry, Joyce. I know how hard it is to have the man you love reject you for another woman." This last was said with a trace of bitterness, and the tone was not lost on Joyce Hoffman.

It was time to move in for the kill while her quarry was weakened. "There’s something else, Julia. Another reason I wanted to see you, be with you right now. It only makes the break-up of my marriage that much harder to take." She turned and walked over to the window. "Do you know what the day after tomorrow is?" she asked in a small voice. She spun back around to look directly at Julia. Her lip quivered,and she put a tremulous hand up to cover it. "It’s the anniversary of Daddy’s death, Julia. And it just seems so much harder to bear this year with what I’ve been through."

Julia had forgotten that the date of her father’s death was approaching so rapidly. Despite an inner warning voice, she was touched by her sister’s words, and her need to seek comfort from Julia. Joyce was her last link to her adored father, and if they still had a chance to be a family, she didn’t want to lose the opportunity.

Julia’s face melted, and she moved toward her sister. Joyce fell into her arms for the first embrace they had shared in many years. "I’m here, Joyce. It’s going to be alright," she cooed softly, sounding much as she had when she had wiped her little sister’s tears away long ago.

"Oh, Julia! I knew you’d understand. And Daddy would want us to be friends again."

"Yes, he would," Julia agreed.

"Then I can stay here, with you for awhile?" Joyce whispered hopefully.

Julia released her and smiled at her sister. "Of course, for as long as you want to. As long as you need to. We’ll get to know each other again."

"Thank you, Julia. You have always taken care of me." Joyce wiped her eyes and smiled back at Julia. "You look tired, sis. Why don’t we talk in the morning?"

Agreeing wearily, Julia bid her sister goodnight and went to her own room feeling like her world had just been tipped onto its head. First, her new status with Barnabas, and now a renewed relationship with Joyce. Summer was changing into fall, and her life seemed to be making the transition right along with the seasons. She had completely forgotten the advice she had thought of earlier: "Fool me twice…."

As soon as the door had closed behind Julia, Joyce clapped her hands in glee. She couldn’t help herself. It had worked out exactly as she had planned. Striking a theatrical pose, she mimicked, "’I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.’ Oh, call the Academy! I deserve an Oscar for that performance!" she trumpeted.

She flounced over to the enormous mirror that adorned the bedroom’s wall to admire her fine features. "I have what you have always wanted, Julia," she hissed. "True beauty. And now I am here to make your life interesting again. I lied to you, Julia, and you never knew. Klaus was a loser; I was glad to be rid of him. But, unfortunately, his money didn’t last very long, and I need more. I have to have more!" She frowned as she recalled just how much money she needed this time. Damn! Why had she gone to Vegas this last time? She had been stone cold, and her debts had mounted at an alarming pace. Of course, it hadn’t helped that she had been so distracted by those kooky fans, the ones who were at the hotel for that ridiculous convention. Why would they want to waste their time on some old TV show? She shook her head in annoyance. It had been their fault that she had lost so badly; she just had not been able to concentrate.

Julia had been right the first time. Her sister needed money, a great deal of money. And for some reason, when she had found out where old sis was, Joyce had had the feeling that opportunities awaited her in Collinsport. Exciting opportunities, and if she was lucky, they would come at Julia’s expense. That would only make them that much more delicious. She was on a mission, a mission to refill her own coffers and to have a little fun with Julia while she was at it.

And now that she had arrived, she found that she had a new mission: to find out more about Barnabas Collins. Joyce couldn’t get the picture of Barnabas and Julia out of her mind. What was going on with them, anyway? She sensed an undercurrent between them, but she could not articulate all that this might mean. She smiled anew as a fresh idea came to her. The eminent Mr. Collins was rich. He wasn’t her type, but he wasn’t too hard on the eyes, either. And he had looked at her with plenty of interest this evening. She could tell that he was a man who appreciated a pretty, young face. Like mine, she thought. Just like mine.

"Hmm," she said out loud to herself. "Maybe I have found my new meal ticket sooner than I thought." She regarded her reflection with new purpose. "The conquest of Barnabas Collins. Marry him, get his money, and break Julia’s heart. What a delicious side benefit to my efforts to sustain my income! Oh, this could be fun. Maybe I can finally pay my dear sister back for all she has done to me over the years."

She turned out the light and slid beneath the soft covers. "Sorry, Daddy,"she whispered with a grin, "but it’s time Julia got what was coming to her."

MORE TO COME

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