Episode 1384

Aired: Thursday October 14, 1971

Jonathan Frid's voiceover: "On this night, a terrifying vision of the future of Collinwood has been revealed. Harrison Collins, the future grandson of young David, has traveled back from his own time to change the history he has known, a history that records the destruction of the Collins family in the year 1971. Harrison saw the spirits of the dead re-enact their horrible end, and now has confronted the still living whom he thinks will be responsible...."

At the old house, Harrison asks Barnabas if he understands "any clues" from the behavior of his spirit and the others in the future. Barnabas doesn't know what to say. "That's what I meant," Harrison says. "Your behavior since I arrived here has not been what I expected. I haven't seen the anger or the strange remorse I could not understand. There's something else about you that is different, something I cannot put my finger on. Somehow, you're not as menacing." Barnabas answers that he can't understand why he'd look so "menacing" in the future, but Angelique and Quentin look at each other as if they are thinking of an answer. Angelique asks Harrison how long he's been in "our time," and Harrison answers that he arrived in 1971 "about a week before I returned to Collinwood." "Returned?" Quentin asks, and Harrison answers that once he had the crystal set in the ring Quentin gave him for his 18th birthday in his time, he returned to Collinwood and the laboratory to open the vortex, concentrating on 1971. "My concentrations were slightly off, however. I didn't materialize in the laboratory, but instead further out within the vortex. I found myself in a linen closet upstairs. I quickly got out of the house before anyone saw me, though." Barnabas asks "How far does the vortex extend when it is opened?" Harrison answers that he's not completely sure, though "our ancestor seemed to think the vortex could transcend normal timeflow towards its edges." Quentin looks at Barnabas and says "The room in the east wing. The entrance to parallel time." Barnabas says "Of course! It must have been opened by Quentin Collins' experiments back in 1840." Harrison is surprised, and says "You know of that room? I traced its existence on the blueprints. Everything I saw there in the other timeband was destroyed by a fire." Barnabas answers "Someday I can tell you more about that room, but for now, we have a more pressing problem. How do we prevent the future you've seen?"

After the titles, Harrison answers that he first thought a way to prevent it was to separate Barnabas and Angelique, "though I admit my reasons for doing that were quite selfish." Barnabas answers "In an odd way, I suppose I can appreciate your approach. But let me assure you that I would never harm her." Angelique smiles, but doesn't seem to sure. Barnabas tells Harrison "I think we should go tell your story to Professor Stokes. He may be able to help us." Harrison asks "Can we trust him with this knowledge?" Barnabas gets his coat and answers "of course we can." Barnabas and Harrison leave, and Quentin notices Angelique's deep thoughts. "His story unnerved me as well," Quentin says. Angelique answers that it wasn't so much the story but a "fear" she has. Quentin asks what, and Angelique answers "Perhaps it's nothing. But there was a time when a very different Barnabas wanted to see me burn. If my powers could be restored by Nicholas Blair, who is to say that Barnabas cannot be changed to what he was?" Quentin realizes what this means "You think Blair will turn Barnabas back into a vampire?" Angelique answers "I don't know. I just don't know. Nothing makes any sense to me." Quentin answers "Even when Barnabas was a vampire, he didn't want to destroy the family. It must be something else that Blair has in mind." Angelique says "If it is Blair at all." Quentin replies "Who else could it be? Someone stole Harrison's ring. That means someone else knows about the time vortex." Angelique reminds Quentin that the last time he crossed Nicholas, Nicholas aged him and nearly killed him. Quentin is frustrated and says "There must be a way...."

Barnabas and Harrison have told Stokes the story of the future. He is fascinated, but adds "it seems we must find out what those visions of the future mean before we can act to prevent them. And perhaps, we may need to act quite differently." Barnabas asks why, and Stokes answers "Because the future as you know it, Harrison, may no longer exist anyway. Your mere presence here in your past may have already changed certain elements of it." Barnabas says "Vicky! Vicky wasn't here in the original timeline!" Harrison agrees, and says "But it's impossible to tell which are major changes and which are minor in the timeflow." Stokes nods and smiles, and says he's familiar with the theory that only minor fluctuations in a timeflow can be altered, "much like making minor changes in the course of a flowing river, even though it still reaches the same destination." Barnabas counters that his own knowledge of what Harrison saw "should prevent it from happening." Stokes replies that he cannot be sure, "especially if you were not acting in your right mind when these events took place in the original timeline. And if that is Nicholas Blair's intent, you can be assured he will try to make it so." Harrison says "The important thing is that the future is changeable from this point on." Stokes answers that there's no way of knowing if the changes that have occurred have made any difference. Harrison says "My ring... if I had my ring I could return to my own time and see what has happened from my actions here." Barnabas tells Harrison they will need to find the ring, and that "most likely, it was stolen by Blair himself." Stokes tells Barnabas that confronting Blair could be the pivotal event that causes him to turn evil. Barnabas answers that he must take that chance as he and Harrison leave.

Vicky stops by the old house to see how Sarah is, and Angelique answers that she's sleeping upstairs. Vicky asks Angelique why she is so upset, and Angelique says "I have been given a vision for the future, and it is horrible." Vicky asks what, and Angelique answers "I know how I will die... along with the rest of the family." Vicky is shocked and asks to know how. Angelique answers "It doesn't matter. I must find a way to prevent it from happening somehow." Vicky asks Angelique to tell her everything she knows so that "I can help you." Angelique smiles. We cut to Harrison and Barnabas walking in the woods. Barnabas tells Harrison that "perhaps you have already changed the course of events and don't know it. I learned that from my experience with Quentin in 1897." Harrison says he "has to be sure somehow. What if I've made things even worse? I must get that ring back from Blair." Barnabas says "Unless he has already unlocked its secrets." Harrison asks what Blair would want with the ring. "Who knows? But you can be sure of one thing," Barnabas adds, "he will use it for evil."

Vicky has heard Angelique's story and is devastated. "The entire family except for Roger, Quentin and David? That's horrible!" Angelique agrees, and adds "And there's no way of knowing if Harrison has changed anything by being here." Vicky points out that "he definitely changed one very important thing for me." Angelique says "Yes, of course." Vicky laughs a little and Angelique asks what's amusing. Vicky answers "I suppose in an odd way, I owe you my life. If Harrison hadn't been smitten by seeing your spirit and wasn't so determined to make Barnabas leave you, he never would have brought me back here." Angelique tells Vicky that "If either of us owed the other, it was me owing you." Vicky asks Angelique if she thinks Barnabas and Harrison can get the ring back from Nicholas, and Angelique answers "I don't know. I may have to find my own way to accomplish this." Vicky says she'd like to help. In the woods, Barnabas and Harrison are still moving, and Barnabas points out that they are "getting closer to Nicholas' house." Harrison asks what they should do when they get there, and Barnabas says "Hopefully, he'll be out and we can search for the ring. If not, well...." but before he can finish, they hear footsteps. When they realize someone is coming, they duck out of the path. Julia comes walking by, and when Barnabas sees her, he steps out into the path, startling her a little. "Barnabas! What are you doing out here?" she says. "It's a long story, Julia. But Harrison and I need your help with something." Julia says "Of course, what is it?" Barnabas says "Harrison has a story to tell you." Harrison looks at Barnabas with some hesitation, but Barnabas tells him "Please, Harrison. If there's anyone I trust with my life, it's Julia Hoffman. Tell her everything!" Julia looks at Harrison and smiles.