If Damon knew how much fun Abigail was having in Chicago, he might have felt more than a little put out. Especially as Elena was pulling an arrow out of his back that an over eager, trigger happy assistant, whatever she was to Isobel the birth mother from Hell shot at his very shoddy nursemaid.
She was pussyfooting it, and it was pissing him off. "Pull it out, I can't reach it, Elena." Nothing, and it was irritating on multiple levels. "Just pull the damn thing out, it hurts." There appeal to her soft side. She yanked it out and he made a noise that he hoped no one else heard. "That bitch is dead."
He didn't kill Vanessa, because Ric and Elena wouldn't allow it, of course. Plus she was in a more helpful mood now that she'd been corrected in her error about Elena's identity. Katherine Pierce once again rears her head and makes Damon's life miserable. They'd come to Duke to check out a theory he had, about Mason Lockwood and just what he REALLY was, even if Ric thought it was farfetched. Werewolves, like it was that big of a stretch, since he was talking to a vampire.
"Aztec legend mentions the Curse of the Sun and the Moon." Vanessa explained. The Sun of course was the one involving vampires, the Moon werewolves. And the kicker? If a werewolf got nibbly on a vampire it was fatal for the vamp. Great, that was great, since it was a full moon and Stefan was on newborn vamp duty with Caroline.
Elena checked in with Stefan while Damon found a tome on Katherine Pierce's history, family, and the like. The assistant mentioned the term doppelganger, but Damon knew that knowing more about Katherine would ease Elena's mind, so he handed it to her, a peace offering for killing her little brother. Even if it fell short, as he knew it did when she confirmed it at the end of their roadtrip, after he'd laid bare the truth about not knowing that Jeremy was wearing the family ring that would keep him safe if he died by supernatural means.
"You and Katherine have a lot more in common than just your looks," he'd said it without thinking, a jab, as Stefan had accused him of lashing out when hurt, but it didn't make the words less true. She'd manipulated him, just like her predecessor.
Gloria shook her head as she stared at the petite, yet oh so powerful woman standing in front of her saying goodbye. "Why you want to go back to that town," Abigail Morgan could pull up stakes and make a life anywhere, her path wasn't set, she'd told her that, yet here she was ready to go right back to where she'd begun. "Stay here, do you know how good my ledger looks with you behind the bar every damn night?" She was only partially teasing. The other woman, still learning to harness her power, didn't realize the pull of her persuasion. How her laughter seemed to urge people to congregate, to stay, to buy another round. The nights grew longer with her holding court.
"I miss Cat," Abi wasn't lying, the longer she was away, the more she missed the rumble of the animal's purr at night. The quiet companionship. It wasn't the same to talk to an empty room, that was sad and slightly crazy, but if you had a pet, well then you could barter it down to eccentricity. "And I did just buy a house, I'd like to live in it a bit."
Gloria knew those weren't the only reasons, but she also knew they were the only ones that Abi would cop to. Pulling the diminutive woman to her, she cupped her face and stared deeply into her eyes. "Remember this, Abigail Morgan, YOU hold the power. Not the Salvatores, not the dopplegangers, and NOT the Mikaelsons." Doppelgangers? Abigail almost asked, but thought better of it, she had almost 800 miles to cover again, and she wanted to get started while she still had light. "Stay safe," Gloria ordered, tipping Abi's chin up so she was forced to maintain eye contact with the other witch. "I don't just mean bodily, do you hear me?"
"Loud and very clearly." Abigail smiled. "And I'll call, to check-in and make certain you are as safe as I." She hugged the other woman, tightly, feeling a comradery and a feeling of loss at leaving her. "I'll miss you," she mumbled into her neck.
"Me too," Gloria answered, and then Abi pulled away, the time had come.
No more delays. Home called to her, as loudly as Gloria's warnings. Mystic Falls beckoned, and Abigail Morgan felt the urge to heed its call.
Practice makes everything more bearable. Even driving a metal box of death on wheels. Abigail made better time, while still being careful and taking caution. She stopped for gas, food, and sleep. She took photos with her phone, ignoring Marcel's demands, which were soon backed by Gloria's, for "selfies", instead content with the scenery that flashed past as she drove. She didn't warn Ric or Bonnie of her impending arrival, she wasn't trying to surprise them, she just wanted to slip in and get accustomed without fanfare. And honestly, she wasn't even sure they heard half of what she said past "hello" and "how's Cat?" anymore.
As she drove past the "Welcome to Mystic Falls" sign, she felt the tension build deep inside. Instead of feeling like she was coming home, she felt like what Damon must have as he marched off to war. The building fear, terror that she was walking into the unknown, which made little sense. What more could be wrong after all?