Paths Taken

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Old House

Willie Loomis stood on the ladder, scrubbing the chandelier. He had been happy that Barnabas has the electricity put in and now while he scrubbed the wax off of this beautiful crystal piece he knew it would be the last time he would need to do so, that the light that had been recessed into the ceiling would shine down and be displayed onto the crystal. It would glisten and shine with a brilliance that no stinking candles could. He had felt kind of odd since Vicki returned from the past and had some problems with believing she had traveled back to the time that Barnabas was normal. He had been busy with his task and did not wish to push his luck with Barnabas. Barnabas had not beaten him senseless in some months and he was on a roll so he figured he would stay on the good side of him.

The knock at the door startled him enough that he almost toppled of the ladder. "Shit." Grabbing the ladder to right it he muttered and the ladder quit moving. Slowly on shaky legs he backed down the ladder to peer out the front door to see Carolyn standing all pouty face on the front porch. "What the hell?" He walked to the front door and slid the dead bolt back and opened the door.

The petulant and spoiled little rich girl huffed past him and stood with her hands shoved into her expensive leather coat. "Took you long enough to answer the door. What were you doing?" Willie did not like meeting her dressed with his apron and covered in brasso and silver polish.

"I was on a ladder, what do you want?" Carolyn glared at him, thinking she lowered herself to come here to see him. "I'm working on a project for Barnabas, what's it to ya?"

If she wanted to be pissy so could he. Carolyn shook her head sending her hair off her shoulders and out of her face. "I came to see if you wanted to go into town maybe to the Blue Whale and get a drink."

She pouted so pretty with those lips and he remembered how good those lips tasted when he was covering them with kisses. "Well I can't, Barnabas wants this done before he gets back and I ain't gonna be on his bad side because I did not get it done."

Carolyn frowned and huffed past him again barely controlling her irritation. It was bad enough she had gotten drunk and slept with him, and now when she wanted some company he or Jeff were not available. As a matter of fact Jeff was cuddled up with some other blond bimbo at Lookout Point. "Fine, see ya around." She snapped out of the door grabbing it behind her and slamming it hard. Willie was half glad she was gone, this was going to be a bit of a problem what with him having taken her on the golden pony ride and now she wanted him and his pony and he was not always free to be available for her whims or desires. He shuffled into the drawing room and was brought up short. A figure stood with her back to him, staring up at the portrait of Barnabas hanging on the wall. He could smell her perfume and see she was not really a solid person; she was more transparent while she stood looking up to the portrait.

"Willie Loomis." She turned and he was taken aback. She had never appeared to him before now, and here she was.

"Yeah?" He was confused and a little afraid. Not afraid like when he was with Barnabas but afraid like when Jason threatened him. So now he knew various degrees of fear he could compare them with what he was experiencing in the new situations surrounding him.

Josette studied the young man and saw why Carolyn found him attractive. He was cute in a common sort of way. "You must protect Victoria Winters. You must not allow Barnabas to go through with the plans he has. Vicki will remember everything from the past and trust me once she does she will avoid Barnabas. He is wanting to change her to me."

Willie began to pace back and forth, his concerns and fears for Vicki were a different fear and it was embellished with something he thought he knew nothing about and that was compassion. He figured he had learned that when Maggie was there. "But Miss Josette, you now I can't go against him. He has some kind of hold over me and well he knows things that I am thinkin! I don want him to hurt Miss Vicki any more than you do. But there ain't nothin I can do about it!"