CH 11: Planning an Escape
When Cal awoke the next morning, he turned to see Abigail sitting up in bed, naked and reading a book she'd found on the nightstand. He groaned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Alright," he admonished, "alright – I get it. As soon as I get dressed, we can go buy you some clothes."
With a smirk, Abigail turned the page and canted her head. "What's the rush? Your movement's all about embracing nature, so how come you find my nipples so offensive?"
Cal flushed. "It's inappropriate, for one, and two-"
"I don't care. The only thing that's offensive are your sleeping habits. I had to put up with you snoring all night, so the least you could do is let me read in peace."
Cal blinked. If he looked past Abigail's clear disdain, he could almost pretend they weren't at odds over his betrayal. Almost.
"I'm going to get dressed," he announced. "When I get back, I expect you to do the same."
"With what?" Abigail was finally annoyed. "My sweaty, dirty gardening clothes?"
"Well, it's either that or be arrested for indecent exposure."
Abigail stiffened. "Yeah? Well at the end of this trip, I'll be back in my own personal prison anyway, so that really doesn't sound so bad."
Cal ignored her. Getting out of bed, he began to change into fresh clothes, deciding to forego any modesty since Abigail clearly had no qualms with exposure. "I'm taking you to Walmart, so I expect you to put on your gardening clothes."
Abigail's lips lifted into a sneer. "Wow, look at you being a big spender! I'm really feeling pampered here." Nevertheless, she finally slid out of bed and complied with his request. She slipped into her grimy clothes, only pausing to fix her hair in front of the mirror.
Cal impatiently gestured to the door.
"Alright, alright, I'm done!" she groused. "You'd better not get me anything pervy to wear like a teddy."
Cal's expression was withering. "Honestly, Abigail. Does that sound even the slightest bit realistic to you?"
"No, but I'll bet you've thought about it." Slipping past him with a disdainful huff, she didn't wait for his reply as she headed into the hall.
"Could you please talk to me?"
Abigail scowled, remaining wedged against her side of the car. "I'd rather not," she stiffly said.
"And I get that," he assured her, "I do, but I don't think you're giving me the benefit of the doubt here."
"And why should I?" she viciously bit back. "In one fell swoop, you completely betrayed me, Cal. I didn't want to – no, couldn't – go back, and yet here we are!"
He cleared his throat. "What I mean is, I genuinely do intend to help you. Family is important… I want your fences to be mended before it's too late."
Abigail's expression grew frigid. "If this is about your drunken mom, save it. I don't need you projecting your familial failures onto me. This is my life, and I'll screw it up or change it however I see fit."
Cal released a quavering exhale, his hands opening and closing around the wheel. "It's…i-it's not as simple as all that."
"No, actually it is," Abigail spat. "Your shitty home life makes you feel like you need to save mine, and you're wrong. Most especially when you're going about it in this way."
Cal's eyes grew glassy, but he did not cry. "I just want to see you happy…"
"Do you? Or is this going to make you happy? 'Cause being reunited with my psycho dad isn't going to fix what's already broken!"
"You're right…" Cal swallowed. "I'm sorry."
They drove in silence for a long while, and when Cal finally pulled into the Walmart parking lot, Abigail leapt out the moment they came to a complete stop. Ignoring the burning sensation of repressed tears, she trekked across the asphalt as she heard Cal racing after her.
"Abigail, slow down!"
She ignored him. Though by the time she'd reached the sliding doors, he was at her side again, breathless and indignant.
"It's going to be a bit difficult to shop if you don't tell me what you want."
"I don't really care," Abigail snapped back. "Since you're so good at making decisions for me, I figured what's one more?"
Cal breathed a frustrated chuckle. "I suppose I deserved that."
Fuming, Abigail stopped by the bathrooms and announced, "I have to pee. Wait for me in that clothing department over there."
"Oh, but-"
"I'll be right back." Breaking out of sight before he could stop her, Abigail quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Marissa's number.
There came a pause, then a sleepy, "Hello?" crackled over the other line.
"Rissa, it's me," Abigail whispered.
"Abby?"
She nodded. "Yeah… I hate to bother you, but I didn't know who else to call."
Seeming to detect Abigail's distress, Marissa quickly began to sober up. "No, no, I'm glad you did," she assured her. "What's wrong?"
"I need you to come get me."
"What? Why? Where are you?"
"I don't know," Abigail choked, her voice catching as tears pricked her eyes. "I think we're still in New York, but Cal wants to take me back to my dad. He's…I-I mean, he's waiting for me out front, so I don't have much time. I told him I needed to use the bathroom."
"Jesus, Abby… Did you like…disobey him, or something?"
Abigail drew a breath. "No, I just…he thinks I'm a danger to his stupid public image, so he wants to get rid of me. So much for hospitality, right?" Laughing humorlessly, she raked a hand through her hair and sniffed. "I expect we won't get in until tomorrow, but I promise you, I will find a way to get away from him. And when I do, I'll text you where to pick me up."
"Okay," Marissa agreed, sounding leery. "Just be careful, alright? You're making me nervous…"
Abigail forced a smile to her lips. "I'll be fine," she promised. "I'll see you soon, okay?"
After hanging up, Abigail splashed some water onto her face and returned out into the crowd of shoppers. Cal was waiting for her, as promised, and appearing uncomfortable standing amidst the feminine apparel.
'Good,' she thought. Hopefully, someone had accused him of being some skeevy perv.
"I didn't want to start looking without you," Cal explained. As Abigail began sifting through the nearest rack, he sighed and passed a hand over his head. "Look, I'm sorry I had to take you here to shop, but-"
"It's not about the clothing," she said, lifting a shirt up to lay against her chest. "Trust me, I'm not turning my nose up at it. However, what does surprise me is you'd take me to such a popular place with tons of people." Her lips lifted into a smirk.
Seeming to realize his mistake, Cal quickly fumbled around on his person, patting his pockets before retrieving a pair of dark, sporty sunglasses. Abigail's smile instantly faded.
Taking a slight step back, she frowned as he placed them onto the bridge of her nose.
"There," he said. "Now you look like old Hollywood glamour."
"Or someone with something to hide," she challenged.
"Let's just pick something and go."
With a scowl, Abigail thrust the shirt into his arms, then slapped a pair of pants against his chest before storming toward the checkout.
"Pizza Hut? You really don't get this whole incognito thing, do you?"
"We need to eat somewhere, and it seems like our safest bet," Cal countered.
"Yeah, but who wears their sunglasses at night?"
"Haven't you ever heard that song by Corey Hart?"
"Very funny." Following Cal up to the entryway, Abigail offered a faint smile to the hostess, who then led them back toward the farthest booth in the room. After handing them two menus, she mumbled something about "their waitress being there shortly" and left.
"I didn't think you and the other Meyerists ate junk food," Abigail muttered, her eyes scanning the menu.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures."
"I'd hardly call eating pizza 'desperate,' but who knows? You might actually like it."
"I find that very unlikely."
With a scoff, Abigail settled on her order before leaning back in her seat. "Is this the part where we play nice and pretend everything's okay between us?"
"Ideally, we wouldn't have to pretend," Cal muttered. "I know I won't be."
Abigail opened her mouth to give a biting retort, but their appointed waitress cut her off, red curls bouncing as she poised a pen over paper.
"What can I getcha?"
Cal cleared his throat, scanning the menu with distaste. "Do you have anything vegan?"
"Umm, I can check? I actually just started..."
Cal's expression tightened. "Cheese will be fine."
Abigail rattled off a far more complicated order, then smirked after the waitress sauntered off. "Look at you, breaking bad and eating cheese. I'm sure an earthquake just rocked the compound."
Cal scowled. "What have I told you about making light of the movement?"
"Oh, you mean the movement that wouldn't shelter me from my murderous, abusive dad just because you're all worried about your public image? Yeah. Cry me a fucking river."
The muscles in Cal's neck tensed, but he somehow managed to retain eye contact. "It's nothing personal."
"It never is with you, is it? First Jennifer, and now me... I guess I got lucky that you didn't lock me up like some animal."
"Keep your voice down."
"Why? With your line of thinking, I'm just some helpless, empty-headed kid. Surely no one would listen, were I to tell them the truth." Her eyes narrowed with clear venom.
"You've made your point," Cal hissed.
"Yeah? 'Cause it doesn't seem to be sinking in that you use people, and only keep them around for your own benefit. And if that's the kind of person you truly are, then I'm glad I'm getting away from you. I've had enough underhanded bullshit to last me ten lifetimes."
"Got your drinks!" The waitress chose that moment to re-emerge, her cheeks rosy and eyes bright as she doled out their waters. Clearly ignoring the pall in the room, she chirped a quick, "Enjoy!" and made her exit.
Taking hold of her water, Abigail bitterly lifted it to her lips and took a sip, her eyes icy and cold as she watched Cal over the rim of her cup.
"What now?" he asked, sounding tired.
"Nothing. I'm just wondering how much more of this trip I'll have to endure."
Cal frowned, but decided to play along. "Not much longer. After we eat, we'll be boarding a plane headed for D.C., which will then cross over to Duluth."
"And after that?"
"We approach your father. He has to realize that he can't treat you this way."
Abigail huffed. "Oh yeah, I'm sure that'll do the trick. Years of abuse and crime will suddenly be amended by a 'stern talking to.' Wake up, Cal. You're delusional."
He tucked his chin. "Well, it's better than not trying anything at all."
"I did try," Abigail spat, "but when he started involving me in his dirty work, I needed out. Don't you understand, Cal? I can't go back there..."
He swallowed, his mouth feeling unspeakably dry. "He forced you to...um...?"
"I can't talk about this here," Abigail whispered. "I tried telling you before, but you wouldn't listen...just like you're not listening now."
Cal winced. "I know you don't believe me, but I still think I can help you."
"Then you're even more delusional that I thought." With tears in her eyes, Abigail excused herself and headed for the bathroom. She suddenly couldn't stand to even breathe the same air as Cal Roberts.
A/N: Hey, all! There will only be one more chapter for this story. I really struggled with this one (as if the tremendously long update wasn't an indicator of that). Originally, I had planned on writing them have sex and have an intimate relationship, but now that I've thrown this wrench into their dynamic it would go against Abigail's character to sleep with Cal. Even for manipulation's sake, IMO, since she's grown to detest and distrust him. I'm considering writing a one-shot where they become intimate (a sort of alternate universe for my alternate universe, if you will), but only if people are interested in seeing that.
Also, I feel dumb since I hadn't realized earlier that Cal wouldn't eat meat, whoops. I rewatched a few of the S1 eps, and yeah. Clearly, I was mistaken. Let's just pretend that scene never happened in CH 2, shall we?
