Episode 1508

Aired: Wednesday April 4, 1972

David Selby's voiceover: "A new day has dawned at Collinwood, and for the residents of the great house, an enemy is dead and a danger to them all has passed. But what remains is the very safety of time itself... for if Harrison Collins, the mysterious visitor from the future, cannot find a way to close the holes in time that have opened, that future may be doomed. Harrison knows that in order to save his own time, he must find a way to alter the destinies of those who live now.... but he also knows that the slightest error could lead to disaster...."

Julia enters the foyer of Collinwood and finds David and Vicky in the drawing room. They ask her what happened to Maggie, and Julia tells them "I left Maggie at Windcliff." Vicky asks if Maggie will be all right, and Julia says "You don't understand, Maggie isn't a patient there. I hired her to work with the patients." David and Vicky are surprised.

After the titles, David asks Julia why she hired Maggie, and Julia explains how Brian had left her with healing powers when he tried to "use her to save himself and destroy Barnabas." David sighs and says he should have "made sure Brian was dead after I fixed it so Chris would attack him." Julia tells David he shouldn't be angry with himself, since he saved Quentin and Lori, "as well as finding a cure for Chris... that was something that Barnabas and I spent a lot of time searching in vain for." Vicky tells Julia that "Barnabas was okay physically after everything that happened, but I'm not sure about him." Julia nods. "I know. I've never seen him the way he was out on Widow's Hill after Angelique made her sacrifice." Vicky tells Julia how Burke and she went to see him. Julia asks how Burke felt about seeing Barnabas. "Well, at first he was suspicious," Vicky says. "He was expecting the Barnabas he knew from his own world. He was genuinely surprised by what he found, but nonetheless felt sorry for him. I've never seen him that sad." Harrison enters and hangs his coat up. He starts to head for the cellar door, but instead hears the voices and enters the drawing room. "Oh, I'm sorry, I hope I'm not intruding," he says. Vicky tells him "No, of course not. How was your talk with Professor Stokes?" Harrison says he thinks Stokes is "brilliant" but that he must solve this problem on his own. David asks him what problem, and Harrison says "You may as well know that I came back here to seal up the holes in time opening in the west wing. If they continue to grow, all of the present time could be threatened." David says "But Burke came back here through one of those holes. I couldn't help wondering if..." Harrison says "If other people could too? People who are gone?" David nods, and Harrison says "Like your mother?" David, surprised, asks "How did you know that was who I was thinking of?" Harrison looks at Julia and Vicky a moment before telling David "David, you should know that I came through one of those doorways myself. Your mother cannot come back through time, I'm sorry. I cannot tell you any more than that, except to say that even after I go away, you will see me again. I promise you." David thinks a moment and says "I believe you. I was just wondering...." Harrison says "I know. But I'm glad you trust me. That means a lot to me." Vicky takes David upstairs as Harrison asks Julia how Barnabas is doing. Julia tells him about how sad he is, and Harrison nods. "That's what I had thought... perhaps if I talk to him...." Julia says "If there's anything you can do, anything that you know about the future, please tell him, or point him in the right direction. It really wasn't until now that I realized that even after everything she'd done... Angelique truly loved him. And me.....I.....care about him a great deal." Harrison looks at Julia for a moment and says "Yes, I know."

In the basement lab, Harrison looks around at how part of the room has been restored to new while the rest is old and dusty. "So odd..." we hear him thinking. "Some of this room reverting to its original state while the rest....." He walks over to the desk and examines it. "What could've caused this.... when I left, it was from over there.... yet when I originally arrived, it was upstairs in a...." Harrison suddenly realizes. "Upstairs.... along the line that led to the room in the east wing that was originally opened to parallel time by the things left in this laboratory.... that might be part of the answer...." He walks to the pile of old wooden planks he had used before. "The remains of the stairway through time...still here...." he thinks. He picks up a dusty book. "What's this... " he thinks. "Journal of Quentin Collins, 1839... April 4... My father in his delirium cried out for Morgan. Despite how many times I reminded him that my older brother died before he was 4 of consumption, father insisted he was alive... father's mind is getting worse...." Harrison puts the journal down. "Morgan... interesting... Grandmother Catherine in parallel time called me Morgan..." He scoffs and says "This is getting me nowhere. I need to try something." He spreads the planks around the perimeter of the desk and then stands back. He raises his ring to his face and says "Open..." and a swirling cloud begins to appear. The desk begins to fade and look blurry, and Harrison begins to smile. He says "Close..." and the swirling cloud shrinks into nothing. "It worked!" Harrison says as he looks over the desk - which is now totally old and dusty. He begins to spread the planks around the entire laboratory. "I can close the holes in this room.... but will that affect the west wing?" he thinks as he spreads the planks out. "I'll have to check later... in the meantime, at least this will solve one part of this riddle..." He continues to spread out the staircase planks.

In the drawing room, Liz is going over some papers when Burke comes in. Burke pours himself a drink and offers Liz one, but she says that she doesn't want anything to distract her while she's going over the books. "Anything I can help with? I'm pretty good with that stuff, you know," he says. Liz says "Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about that relates to the Collins family business." Burke starts to talk about "avoiding the cut throat competition" he felt before he was marrying into the family, and Liz cuts him off saying "Of course, Burke, I understand all that. I'm sure we can easily work together on all sorts of things. But that's not my concern. My concern is Vicky." Burke asks "Vicky?" Liz says "Yes, Vicky. With Carolyn going away and with David heading back to school soon, Vicky will be all I have here. She's very different than the Vicky you might remember from five years ago." Burke thinks that over, but answers "She's not too different... though I have noticed a little more assertiveness." Liz says "There's a lot more. She's older now, much more sure of herself. And now that she knows she's a Collins, I think she's been given more direction. And I was thinking that Vicky ought to be the one who helps me in my business affairs." Burke is surprised. "Vicky? Liz, it's your decision, but I don't think she'll be interested. And what do you think Roger will have to say about it?" Liz answers "Roger will understand. Vicky's a smart young woman, and she's already given me good advice. Now that I'm married, I don't want to devote all my time to the Collins enterprises, and while David is still too young, Vicky is the logical choice." Burke says "And you're asking me how I feel about that...." Liz says "I don't want to ask your permission, but I didn't want my suggestion to lead to an argument between you and Vicky. You see, I know she'll say yes to my offer." Burke nods. "I think I agree. And....." He takes a drink. "I have to admit that your idea makes sense. I don't think I'd want a wife to feel that her husband stifled her ambitions, especially when they're so close to his own. She's went through a lot to get me here, I can't say no to her for anything, I think." He laughs a little. "Liz, don't tell her I said that, or I'm doomed!" Liz smiles and thanks Burke for being so understanding.

Harrison walks through the west wing looking into some of the empty rooms. Suddenly behind him, a light appears under one of the doors. He opens the doors, and sees the same room from his own time that Vicky had landed in. Quentin comes up behind him and sees the room. "What, or should I say, where and when is that?" Quentin asks. "I recognize it," Harrison answers. "My own time. I could step into that room right now and be home. But I don't think I can just yet." Quentin asks why not, and Harrison answers "Because I didn't consciously open that doorway into my own time. It simply happened, which means that I have not solved the problem of these doorways opening... there may only be one way to do it, though it's taking a big chance." Quentin asks what the consequences of "failing at that big chance" would be. Harrison says he's not sure, since "it only involves guiding people towards the past I remember." Quentin asks Harrison if he can be "so sure of yourself in altering the present." Harrison says he can't be, but "there's no other choice." Quentin says "Why don't you do me a favor, and tell me what I'm supposed to do now? Lori has gone with Chris to Boston. Now that my curse is over, she has no scientific interest in me. My portrait won't change with moon anymore, it'll only appear as a bizarre sick joke to those who don't know its true meaning. But I thought you were giving me clues that Lori Slater was somehow my destiny..." Harrison is surprised. "No, I didn't mean to do that, and if I did, I'm sorry. You know, with your curse ended, you can have children again without passing on a curse." Quentin humphs and says "To have a son, I'd need a wife first, and that's only if I decide to be traditional about it!" Harrison takes a deep breath. "I don't want to tell you too much since doing so might alter what is meant to happen, from my point of view. But I can tell you this - when the next opportunity arises, go to the Collinsport train station." Quentin says "The train station? What kind of opportunity?" Harrison says "When Carolyn leaves with Stokes, I can't make it any plainer than that. Just make sure you're there.... and make sure you have enough money on hand to buy a train ticket. That's all I can tell you." Quentin grows curious. "A train ticket? Where am I going?' Harrison says "You'll know when you get there."