Episode 1482

Aired: Tuesday February 28, 1972

After a replay of Monday's close and the titles, Barnabas stands in front of the old house fireplace looking nervous when there is knock at the door. He answers it, and Brian walks in uninvited. "I have a business proposition to discuss with you, Mr. Collins," Brian says. Barnabas answers "You're certainly presumptuous, inviting yourself into my home." Brian smiles and says "How long has it been your home, Barnabas?" Barnabas answers "About five years...." Brian finishes his line "since you arrived from England?" Barnabas says "Yes," looking more suspiciously at Brian. "Where in England? I'm very familiar with that country," Brian says. Barnabas answers "I thought you wanted to discuss a business proposition." Brian answers "Why don't we simply be honest with one another, hmm? Why should we have any secrets when I know exactly what you're thinking I'm doing here." Barnabas says "If you think I will help you find Chris Jennings, you're mistaken. Is that the supposed secret you're talking about?" Brian laughs. "I've lost interest in Chris Jennings, Mr. Collins. Granted, he did lead me to much more interesting discoveries, one that you in particular can be quite helpful with. You know of my work in the sciences, I'm sure. I believe I'm on the brink of discovering a secret that has eluded mankind for all of history. Mr. Collins, I will soon discover the secret of eternal life." Barnabas snaps "You're being preposterous!" Brian answers "How preposterous is it that Quentin Collins walks, lives and breathes to this day, looking exactly the same as he did in 1897?" Barnabas answers "You're insane!" Brian replies "Enough, Barnabas. I know the secret of Quentin and that portrait. I only need to know what sort of scientific basis lies behind the supposed sorcery. Was it something in the paint, or perhaps some sort of connection between Quentin's blood, tainted by the same curse that affects Mr. Jennings, mixed with that paint somehow.... I wonder if that portrait ever bled for Quentin...." Barnabas interrupts him. "What would I know about it? I'm no sorcerer. Who can explain the supernatural?" Brian answers "You are close to Quentin and he suspects me. You will have to carefully watch whatever work Lori Slater does with him and report back to me." Barnabas angrily answers "Why would I betray Quentin to you? You know nothing of the loyalty I feel!" Brian says "I know what you fear more than anything, Mr. Collins, and ironically, it's something that might help me further in my quest for the secret of eternal life." Barnabas shouts "You're chasing after something that doesn't exist! There's no possible way to reproduce the effect of that painting! And you have no hold over me, none!" Barnabas moves closer to shove Brian out of the house, but Brian answers "Barnabas Collins, beloved of Josette DuPres, who died so tragically back in 1795..." Barnabas turns away. "What do you know of my ancestor?" Brian answers "More than you think. I even know what he did to Maggie Evans only five years ago, oh, right after you arrived from England...." Barnabas yells at Brian to get out, and Brian parts with "Perhaps you need more of a reason to help me...." Barnabas pushes him out the door and slams it shut. After a moment, Barnabas hears a tapping against the window. He walks into the living room to see what it is, and then screams in horror, backing away. We hear a squeaking sound, and suddenly a giant vampire bat smashes through the window, and heads straight for Barnabas' neck....

Barnabas fights off the bat, screaming "No! No!" but is soon cornered against a wall. To his surprise, the bat flies away from him without biting, going back through the broken window. Barnabas is out of breath and still terrified when the door opens again. Brian walks in and says "You see, Mr. Collins....I know all your secrets. Your choice is to help me discover the source of Quentin's eternal life, or become an experiment for me as I try to reproduce your own. Good evening." He leaves as Barnabas sinks into a chair, more worried than ever. We cut to Angelique coming into the house from outside. It's somewhat later, but Barnabas is still sunk deep into the chair. She asks him what's wrong, and Barnabas answers "Everything. I'm in more danger now than I've ever been." Angelique rushes to his side and asks what has happened, and Barnabas tells her about Brian's discoveries and threats. Angelique feels awful, blaming herself for involving Brian in "our affairs" when she tried to get rid of Maggie's Josette possession. Barnabas tells her it's too late to feel guilty, and that "perhaps I am to be eternally punished for the hell I put that poor girl through." Angelique tells Barnabas that he's more than made up for the things he's done and "you had no control over yourself anyway. If Maggie could understand that, perhaps even she could forgive you." Barnabas doubts that, but says that Brian is now the problem, not Maggie. Angelique tells Barnabas that she might be able to fight Brian, "but if he manages to put his own curse upon you, I cannot reverse it. I....I would lose you to his control..." Angelique says tearfully. Barnabas holds her. "If only I could make him understand that there's no way to bottle the secret of Quentin's portrait! He dreams of either getting it for himself, or even selling it for a profit. It was Petofi...it was Petofi's powers....there's no way to satisfy Brian with that!" Angelique tells Barnabas she'll figure out something since "I'll never stop protecting you, you know that." He kisses her as we pan over to see that Brian has become the cat again and has been listening.

In Lori's lab, Quentin comes in from another room and tells her that Chris is asleep, "safely locked up where he can't hurt anyone while the moon is full." Lori tells Quentin that she will find some way of ending Chris' "condition." Quentin tells her that he'll always blame himself for Chris' condition. Lori tells him that if "all of it is blood based, then it might be a condition that could be cured, or at least controlled." Lori tells Quentin that her interest in him and Chris first came out of her "competition with Brian Miller" over discovering a scientific basis for "legends of eternal life from the supernatural. If such creatures existed, I thought I might be able to use those things to advance science." Quentin tells Lori that she reminds him of "another scientist I know. Perhaps...." Lori asks perhaps what, and Quentin says "Perhaps if I contacted them, they might be able to work with you. Who knows?" We cut to Julia waiting by the fountain. Barnabas approaches her, and she asks him why he wanted to meet her "so late." Barnabas tells her what happened with Brian and that he's in great danger. Julia is worried and says "Brian Miller has been trying to discover Quentin's secret ever since he got here. I thought he was working with Lori Slater, but it seems they hate each other." Barnabas says "Then we may have an ally in Lori. Quentin has grown close to her. There must be a way for her to help us fight Brian's powers." Julia says "But what if she learns what Brian has discovered about you? You'd still be in danger there." Barnabas says "Perhaps. But there's something about her.... she actually reminds me of you a little." Julia asks "Really? How?" Barnabas says "She's a scientist, interested in the supernatural, yet.... she seems to have empathy. Understanding. Not the greed and commercial calculations of Brian Miller. If she's interested in Quentin, it's to help him, not use him. Like you when you discovered me." Julia says "That was a long time ago. So many things have changed." Barnabas says "Yes... I can't think what might have happened if it hadn't been you. What if it had been someone else who discovered me that way I was? Or if no one did? Sometimes I lay awake contemplating what kind of evil I might have done to everyone in this house....and others. It's too much to bear sometimes..." Julia says "Barnabas, it didn't happen that way. And it won't again." Barnabas says "You didn't see the bat, Julia. That bat embodied all the evil of Brian Miller, who wants to use me as his instrument. We must stop him, Julia, we must!"

Quentin escorts Lori into the Blue Whale, and he seats her at a table before going to the telephone. As Lori sits there, Barnabas and Julia walk in. They walk over to Lori and say hello, and she says "What a strange coincidence.... Quentin just went to call Collinwood to see if you had come back yet, Dr. Hoffman." Julia says "Oh?" Quentin comes back and says "Now that's service! I went to call you to invite you here, and here you are already." Lori says "Quentin thought that you and I should work together to help an old friend of yours, Chris Jennings." Julia, surprised, looks at Quentin who nods. Julia asks Lori how she intends to help Chris, and Lori says, quietly, "we both know of his condition. I believe that isolating and controlling a key element I discovered in his blood might be the key." Julia laughs a little and says "You sound a lot like me. Barnabas was right." Lori is confused, and then Julia says "I can help you, but I've tried to help Chris in the past. His condition might be unalterable. And in the meantime, we will both have Brian Miller to worry about." Lori asks Julia what she knows about Brian. "Not a lot," Barnabas says. "And that is where you can help us. You see, he's trying to force me to help him learn about Quentin." Quentin and Lori are intrigued.