Salvatore Gardens~Time Marching Ever Onward
Abigail's screaming ended as quickly as it began. She'd released it, as Lily had advised. The pain and frustration was lessened, not gone, but made manageable. Her control regained, she felt curious, four down and two to go. Would her real mother appear?
As her thoughts coalesced, the voice she heard was a complete surprise.
"Abigail, you smart, brave girl." Giuseppe Salvatore complimented. "Even here, you impress me. I truly wish I'd lived to see you take my surname."
She smiled at the man who'd only recently came to be in her affections. "Mr. Salvatore-"
"Giuseppe, I think you long earned the right to call me by my given name, Abigail." He said, carefully sitting next to her. "I wish we'd had more time to become acquainted on this level."
"As do I," she said, even as she half-blamed him for his current state. "I also wish-"
"That I had given you to the correct son?" He said screwdly. "You'll never forgive me that, Abigail, I fear." His eyes looked tired and sad. "Alive, my only goal was to keep the Salvatore name unblemished and to add to our greatness. Grasping," he chuckled darkly, "you would call it."
"Why couldn't you see him as I did?" Abigail asked, truly curious. "You hated him, and never saw any of his goodness."
Giuseppe considered her question and observation of his relationship with his eldest son. "I feared him," he answered, shocking even himself. "His passion, his urge to make you happy even at such a young age showed a loyalty I wasn't sure I ever possessed. He loved you so completely, so early, that I knew he'd put you first. Not the family honor." He looked at her with guilt. "It took me far too long to realize that you shared his love, loyalty, and devotion. Yours running both to him and our family. If I hadn't been blinded by my fear of him, and his ability to reign in his passion, maybe this all could have been avoided."
Abigail realized that she didn't feel as much pain in this visit. She was angry, certainly. He'd kept them apart. Damon went to war to prove his worth to this man. She didn't want to rage at him, he'd just confessed to the real reasons behind his distrust and anger toward Damon. It proved her right, Damon had been the best of the Salvatore men.
"We would have been happy." She said wistfully. "I've seen it in my dreams. Our family, including you, happy."
His pain was evident. "I know what I've cost you, Abigail. Will you forgive me?" His tone implied what she felt she'd known since he'd appeared. Her forgiveness, his release, all part of her key home. Did she forgive him?
Thinking as her former guardian waited she did what she'd always done while suffering from indecision. She made a mental list. Why he treated Damon so badly made a dark sense, but keeping them apart for family pride? Didn't he know her? Hadn't he watched her grow and learn?
As she struggled, she realized the true question wasn't Giuseppe's problems or their past. It was how badly did she want to go home? And that did it.
"I forgive you." She said, truthfully. "For me, and you." She took his hand. "You and I had made peace before you passed, and I can't forget that." Lily again, providing her with the answers. "I wish we'd had more time. The man I met in the family crypt is someone I would have liked to know better."
She smiled as he squeezed her hand. Leaning forward, giving her the blessing of his kiss on her forehead, she felt as he faded. A single tear ran down her cheek. Quietly forgiving the man who would have been her father had eased her emotional torment. She knew home was closer.
One more, she thought, and the doors of this prison would open. Home, she felt, really was the sweetest word.
Mystic Falls, VA~January 2010
What's worse than finding out your vampire girlfriend escaped entombment and desiccation after working for half a year to release her? Learning that the other entombed vampires had escaped instead and weren't feeling very friendly toward you and your brother.
He felt really great when learning all the additional angst from Stefan and Elena. Baby brother got abducted by tomb vamps, tortured and rescuing him with help from history teacher/vampire hunter, Ric was-fun (insert eyeroll). Now, thanks to a little helpful blood donation to aid his recovery-Stefan was heading toward the inevitable Ripper nightmare.
Then there came the news that Elena Gilbert was ADOPTED! Maury moment. And? Since baby brother was heading toward disaster, the tomb vampires were heading toward destruction and he was over this entire nightmare-he didn't want to contemplate the next evolution of crap that could or would come crushing down.
What next? He nearly screamed at the sky. What could the earth possibly throw at him next?
