Possibilities

Terry S. Bowers
August 13, 2000

Grateful that she was turned away from him slightly, Barnabas felt himself react rather strongly to Julia's statement, her example. His eyes grew momentarily wide, then he unaccountably grew nervous. As an example of Parallel Time, Julia suggested that she could have made a different choice; that instead of pursuing a career in medicine, she could have married and raised a family. Until that moment, Barnabas had not considered Julia in any other role than as his doctor, his friend. Had she made that choice, would she be here with him now, would he have ever met her? Barnabas suspected no, and somehow knew that his life, quite probably, would have ended when he grew too careless, too reckless, too... irrational, leading someone to discover him and his secret and thus destroy him, because Julia would not have been there to protect him.

Barnabas knew Julia was not... dropping hints or lamenting choices she had made, but he wondered why she'd used that example. Had she been faced with that choice; had she once been given the chance to marry someone, settle down and be mother to his children rather than become the doctor she now was? Or had Julia simply used that example as one with which he could identify because that's what women of his day did? He suddenly found himself wishing he knew while at the same time he realized he could not ask her. Not now, not yet.

Their discussion of the parallel time theory was interrupted by a sound that led them to none other than Megan Todd. On the way up to the room, Julia had told him that Elizabeth informed her of the fact Philip Todd had broken out of jail. Moments after Carolyn had spoken with the sheriff, Jeb Hawkes arrived to use the phone - he'd struggled with Todd on Window's Hill and Philip had gone over. He was dead. The police had not been able to find his body and they presumed it was washed out to sea. Elizabeth had shared this with Julia on their way to the carriage house just over an hour before and Julia had let Elizabeth talk, knowing the night had been an incredibly disturbing one for her, for all of them.

Neither Barnabas or Julia was surprised when Megan refused the injections. As Barnabas had speculated earlier, Megan liked her new life. That left only one course of action open to Barnabas and Julia. Megan Todd would have to be destroyed.

They were silent on their way back to the Old House, Barnabas staying close to Julia, knowing he alone could protect her from Megan, whom they were both certain was roaming the woods in search of a victim. They entered the candle lit foyer of Barnabas' home and he glanced around.

"I'll find Willie."

Julia nodded and wandered into the drawing room, coming to a stop in front of the fireplace. She was worried about Barnabas and his apparent growing fascination with that room in the East Wing. She'd warned him about the possible dangers once, and knew she would probably have to do so again. Julia had to admit she herself was curious about that other stream of time and about what she was like there, what kind of life she was leading based on the choices she'd made there. But she didn't feel compelled to return to that room, time and again, as Barnabas seemed to be.

Taking a deep breath, Julia wondered if this compulsion, this fascination could somehow be a... side effect from the serum. No. She shook her head, it wasn't possible. She knew what it was, why it was, and knew she would have to be alert for additional signs from Barnabas and do her best to keep it from going any further. No, the side effects from the serum were physical and clearly defined. She didn't like them, didn't like what she was reluctantly coming to realize, but she would not worry about it now.

Hearing Willie and Barnabas coming, Julia turned from the fireplace and prepared herself for the struggle she knew was to come in convincing Willie of his role in what had to be done.

When Julia's gaze flicked his way upon his arrival at Collinwood the second time that night, Barnabas realized she knew he was once again on his way to the East Wing, drawn back to that room. Julia had kept her conversation with Elizabeth going and not brought attention to his presence, so he did not hesitate to again catch Julia's attention seconds before Elizabeth left the drawing room to retire after the eventful night of her only daughter's wedding.

Certain Elizabeth did not see him, Barnabas hesitated a moment before slipping into the drawing room to tell Julia he'd located Megan's coffin by following Roger. The cock crowed, signalling their waning chances of doing anything more that night. Julia met Barnabas' gaze as she stood closely, speaking softly so as not to be overheard. Her glance flicked toward the window at the sound of the cock heralding the dawn, then it returned to Barnabas' gaze.

"We can't do anything now, Barnabas, it's nearly dawn. I'll come back to the Old House with you now and talk to Willie."

A brief smile flashed across Julia's face as she momentarily grasped Barnabas' hand in a gesture of comfort, support and understanding. Her touch conveyed so much more than that, but again it was something to be addressed and discussed later, in the future, when... when all this was settled.

Barnabas returned Julia's smile, their gazes locking for an instant before she turned away to head out of the drawing room. Barnabas allowed his fingers to gently trail up Julia's arm as she turned and he followed her, his hand coming to rest on her elbow. He escorted her to the door, helped her on with her coat, and they hurried through the fading darkness toward the Old House and Barnabas' sanctuary for the coming day.

As they hurried through the woods toward the Old House, Julia smiled inwardly, pleased to feel Barnabas' hand at her elbow. She knew in part it was now instinctive behavior he'd learned as a child and youth, to offer a steadying hand to a woman in any situation that could provide precarious or uncertain footing. She also knew it to be another subtle indication of the change in their relationship. Julia had noticed over the past few weeks that she'd gotten a bit more bold, a bit more brave in showing Barnabas any kind of physical contact. Before this he'd always reacted somewhat uneasily when she touched him in any way, but no longer. He seemed to not mind that she touched him and in fact had initiated the touching on occasion. As with everything about their relationship, Julia knew they would silently acknowledge the change but do nothing about it, at least for now.

Knowing part of it could simply be his need for human contact, something he'd been trying to avoid because of his nearly uncontrollable blood lust, Julia tried not to read too much into it, but was not entirely successful. Another part of her knew there was a great deal more to it. For now, she would have to be satisfied with simply knowing it. The time when she and Barnabas might someday be able to actually do something about it was still in the future. Julia hoped the not too distant future, but the future nonetheless.

Julia thought back to the toast Jeb Hawkes had made earlier that night, a time that seemed like days ago now, but was in reality only a few hours. She would not be so romantically dreamy as to think Barnabas would someday make a similar toast to her on the day they married, for she was not certain that day would ever come but Julia did hold out hope that - eventually - she and Barnabas could openly show their feelings for one another as freely and happily as Jeb and Carolyn Hawkes. It was one possibility among many and she hoped that neither of them would make a decision that would send them off into some parallel time in which they were no longer a part of each others' lives. Julia drew a little closer to Barnabas and savored the feel of his hand on her elbow for a little while longer.

??