"Damon." Abi's eyes stayed closed, knowing whatever had him calling her now wasn't going to be good or easy to hear. He'd left her alone for this long after all.
Hearing him inhale on the other side of the line, she knew she was correct, and steadied herself. "I know you probably don't want to hear from me, Abi, ever." He waited to hear her deny it, or confirm it, or hang up. Nothing came, so he went on. "Today was Founders' Day. 150 years, or 146 years since I -" She heard the catch in his throat, and it hit her in the gut, the anniversary of his attempt on her life. How strange that he'd think to celebrate it. "I wish like hell I wasn't calling you today, not for this." She waited, wishing like hell she had the will to hang up, but his voice was potent, even across miles and filtered through the cell phone. "There was a device, Gilbert created it back when we were young," he gave a harsh laugh, humorless, and it cut her again. "It was meant to -" Another breath, she could almost see him searching for the words, the way to get through it. "Get rid of things like me." The twist her heart took at the thought of him being gone, really truly gone shook her. "The founding families set it off, rounded us up - I watched John Gilbert kill Anna myself." Anna? She was my size, barely more than a child, and hardly a monster. "Pearl died before -" An afterthought, more death, more destruction. "If it wasn't for Stefan, and Bonnie, I'd be -" He wasn't done, which scared her, so very much and she wished she could make him stop.
She stood up, thinking that she could move, get a different perspective, force herself to speak. Damon kept going. "Mayor Lockwood is dead. I'm not sure what he was, but -" Another pause, another wish from Abi for strength. "Tyler, his son, was driving a car with Matt and Caroline in it. There was an accident." No, please, no. They're children. "Tyler and Matt are fine, but Caroline -" The first tear finally broke free, and she waited for the horrible news. "Bonnie asked me to give her my blood, she - She could have deactivated the device, Abi, but she didn't, and I did, I gave it." She collapsed on the bed, thinking that had to be all of it, but it wasn't, because of course it wasn't. "Katherine is back, Abi."
"What?" If nothing else could break her silence, that could. "How?"
He was silent, bracing himself for something, some truly terrible confession, but she wasn't prepared, not really when it finally came. "I - I kissed Elena on her porch tonight, Abigail." She heard the words, understood their meaning, but in the context they made no sense. "Jenna, Ric's girl, Elena's aunt saw and -" Again silence, while Abi's mind tried to process it, she'd known, she even thought she made peace with it. The entire point of being here, in Chicago was this, wasn't it? "It wasn't Elena, Abi. John was injured, and when I saw Elena, the REAL Elena at the hospital - she had no idea what I was talking about." Abigail was still picturing it, again, Katherine and Damon, the smirking and the clothing being in disarray. A repeat of the past. "She's back."
"I see." Calm, deceptively so, but something broke inside her as she contemplated it. "Thank you for calling and telling me about Caroline, Damon." Cold even, cut off. The twisting was still turning, but at the same time, she was pushing it down. "I think my food's arrived." It hadn't, not even close, but anything to get off the phone. Away from his voice, from this nightmare. "Bye."
She didn't wait for him to return the parting. The end button hit the power button, and then Abigail contemplated precisely where in Chicago she could go and scream as loud as she wanted without anyone calling the authorities.
Damon was staring at the phone in his hand, wanting to throw it across the room and break it apart. He'd never heard Abigail sound so cold. Ever, not even when she'd walked out of his car when she first woke up and came across Elena's picture in his phone. Instead, he did what he usually did when things went wrong - he made TERRIBLE decisions.
Katherine wanted Stefan. Elena wanted Stefan. Jeremy's neck is not made of rubber. Thank GOD he has that damn ring. Look mistakes were made - Damon thought about all the crap decisions he'd made since - well since the moment he first laid eyes on Katherine Pierce actually. And for some reason he just kept making the damn things.
Abigail managed to find Gloria's. It wasn't an abandoned place where she could primal scream, at least not at first glance, but as she walked into the technically closed to the public bar, she thought it might just do for her needs.
"We're closed," the slim woman with the cap of blonde hair barked from behind the bar, her eyes on a ledger. "Can't you hear?" Her eyes rose and when they took in Abigail Morgan, whatever she saw stopped her warnings. "Well, well, well. I thought you were a myth."
Abi's lips curved. "I truly wasn't aware I was famous, until I left my hometown."
Gloria laughed and it sounded lyrical. "Come in here, let me have a look at you." Abigail came closer, smiling wider as she felt the crackle of energy around her. Magic, she knew. Almost tangible. "My, my, my. He wasn't exaggerating. You are a sight."
"Who?" Abigail wasn't entirely certain if Elijah had sung her praises near and far, or if Damon might have, since he'd actually travelled as well. And there was Stefan, and his obsessive mind. While she waited to hear just who had sung like a bird, she climbed a bar stool.
"Elijah came first," she nodded. "But he wasn't the only one. Those other two," she sighed and shook her head. "Those other two have issues."
"Yes, they do." Abi agreed, the call from Damon rising back fresh and new.
Gloria's gaze turned shrewd. "You look like you need to let off a little extra steam." Abi's eyes snapped shut. "Let it go." When she didn't, Gloria's hand touched hers. "Let it go."
And so, in the middle of a bar, in the middle of the day, in Chicago Abigail Morgan did just that. She opened her mouth and released a scream that would have shattered windows in every damn building for three blocks, if Gloria's wasn't magically reinforced.
Jeremy had come to kill Damon, but somehow it ended in a bonding session. Nothing made sense. Caroline was a badass vampire. Jeremy and Damon found common ground. Mason Lockwood came crawling in from who knew where? Mystic Falls wasn't the center of normalcy, but Damon could swear that things were getting weirder and weirder. And he just couldn't put his finger on why.
Once Abigail got her anguish under some control, she and Gloria got down to business. The entire reason for her trip to Chicago. Figuring out where she might come across her family, or how to steer clear from them, depending on the member.
"Klaus is problematic," Gloria admitted, pouring herself something that Abi begged off from a sample of. "He has worse mood swings than any woman I've ever come across, witch or not." She cracked a smile. "And you aren't safe just because you're family, it's worse then, if possible."
Abi nodded, smiling when she was handed a bottle of water. "The others?"
"Elijah has a tighter reign, but that can make him more dangerous, not less." Abigail sighed, this was the one she was promised to, she knew it. Yet everyone seemed certain he was somehow scarier than Klaus the moody. "Rebekka is the typical only girl, protected to the point of spoiled and she acts out." She had less to say about Kol and nothing good to say about Mikael. "Finding them isn't as difficult as you'd think, especially for you. Your blood is your guide, Abigail."
Abigail nodded, the book said as much, but she was still unsure. Of her power, and her purpose. Did she want to meet these people? No one seemed all that complimentary. "You knew Damon and Stefan as well?"
Gloria snorted and nodded. "Oh, I knew them." She shook her head and stared into Abi's face. "You are far too good for any of the likes of these monsters you're looking for, Abigail." She meant it, Abi could tell. "You're powerful and true and nothing but pain is coming from more time with any of them."
"Do you see that with your extra sight?" Gloria was a self described soothsayer. Something Abigail's father firmly believed in, there was a set of runes in her luggage she'd found in the family heirlooms. "Or are you depending on your knowledge of the other parties?"
"Give me your hands, smartass." Her lips were pursed, but Abi did as the other woman told her. As Gloria's eyes shut, the heat built between their hands. Abigail waited, silently for Gloria to see or hear what she could. It took less time than she expected. Gloria pulled away gently and opened her eyes slowly. "So many paths you can take, and so many choices." She stared at Abi, as if trying to find the path that she'd take. "It's not set. Your future. Your destiny." She shook her head. "Everyone's future can change, but I've never seen all the options laid bare, not like yours."
"There's no solution? No ending?" Abigail asked, curious.
Gloria smiled, soft and soothing. "No ending for you, Abigail Morgan. Nothing set at all in stone for your future."