Abigail had no idea what she was thinking when she walked into Mystic Falls High School. She should have stayed home, she should have gone out to search for the Hunter with Damon, she should have been doing anything else. She was not prepared for this; she was not prepared to put on the brave face she had been forced to perfect.
The chalkboard was still covered in his handwritten notes, his favorite jacket was draped over the chair, and the baseball paper weight she got him for Christmas was still on the corner of his desk. She stared at it all, unable to catch her breath, biting the inside of her cheek, gripping the straps of her bag.
"Morning, everyone." Rebekah entered the classroom with a stack of flyers. "So, I'm throwing a little anti-curfew party at my new house. Starts at fifth period and goes 'til whenever. Spread the word."
"Why are you still in town, Rebekah?" Stefan asked. "Don't you have anywhere else to go?"
"Well, history's my favorite class. Actually, where is Mr. Saltzman?" She paused dramatically as her face twisted up into a smile. "Oh, that's right, I killed him."
Abigail threw a pencil off Alaric's desk at Rebekah without much regard for the fact that students were trickling into the room. Rebekah scoffed as she caught it, turning it back on her before she could move away. Staring right at her, she pulled the pencil from her arm. She broke it almost as soon as she was healed, letting it fall to the floor one piece after the next.
Stefan and Elena ushered her out into the hallway, blocking her way back into the classroom. She was visibly furious, fighting against Stefan's gentle hold as something inside of her kicked and screamed its way out.
"Just breathe," he said, "just breathe."
"I hate her! I hate her." Abigail pointed at the classroom door. "She is so lucky that I haven't flipped the switch."
Elena gasped. "The switch? Abigail, are you-"
"I can't take a lecture from you right now." She turned to leave, but Connor was just down the hall, talking to an administrator. "That's the Hunter."
Stefan grabbed her wrist, holding her in place. "What the hell is he doing here?"
He walked toward Jeremy.
"No." Abigail took a step forward. "We-"
"Hey, hey, let me get this. Okay?" He showed her bloody hand to her. "You and Elena take care of that."
She took off her sweater, throwing it at her sister as she walked through the restroom door. Her vision came back into focus as she rinsed her blood-soaked hand, but her breathing didn't even out until she looked into the mirror. And even then, she was only steps away from the edge.
"Elena, I-"
"No, no." Elena wiped the blood from her shoulder. "It's okay."
She focused on one wall tile, just one, but it looked like three. "It's not. I-it's not okay, Elena. I-"
"Look at me." Elena gently took her face in her hands. Her movements were graceful, nowhere near what Abigail could manage when she was in her shoes. Movements that she wasn't sure she'd ever have again. "Abigail-"
Rebekah entered the restroom. "What's wrong, girls? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"
Elena whipped around. "Get away from us!"
Before she even had the chance to respond, Abigail slammed her against the wall. The tiles she had focused on became a target. Her arm a bow. Rebekah's head an arrow. Bullseye. "You shouldn't be here."
"What are you going to do about it?" She released herself from her grasp. "What are you going to do?"
"You have no idea what you took from us." Elena took Abigail's hand and pulled her back to stand next to her. "This is our school. These are our lives. And I'm not gonna let you ruin them!"
"It's my school now. My life. Maybe you're the ones who shouldn't be here. And I couldn't help but overhear that there's a vampire hunter roaming the hallways." Rebekah laughed. "How inconvenient for you. See you girls in gym. I think it's dodgeball day."
Damon texted her, requesting her presence at the hunter's trailer in the woods through a vague message. It took everything within her not to jump up in the middle of the math lesson and leave right then. Somehow, she managed to sit through the last ten minutes of class as if nothing was wrong. And then, as the whirl of students passing from class to class congested the hallways, she slipped through the east parking lot doors.
"Miss Gilbert, are you cutting class? And on the night of the career fair..."
"Mr. Saltzman!" She spun around, laughing once she realized she wasn't in trouble. "I, uh, yeah. I am. I haven't since before-"
"Well, then I won't report you." He shoved his hands into his pockets as he leaned against the wall next to her. "You know, this is my first teaching job, so I don't really know what I am doing. Some people would say it makes sense, me being here. Actually, when I told the only person I still talk to from college he said it did."
"You don't think so?"
"I say the wrong things. I drink too much. I pick favorites." He smirked. "I mean, I don't know... it's not exactly a nine to five."
"I guess not." The bell rang. "But you're good at it."
"Damon, I think-"
He cut her off, "Close the door."
She swallowed hard, finally noticing the trap he was caught in. "Tell me that is not a bomb."
"Okay. It's a kitten. It's an adorable, exploding kitten." As she glared at him, he added, "Come on, you're not gonna get hurt. All I need you to do is be my best friend and cut out the arrow. I'd do it myself, but if I move..."
He touched the string attached to the arrow buried in his shoulder.
"Don't!"
He pulled his hand away, mimicking the sound of an explosion.
"Okay..."
She grabbed the knife lying on the table, digging the point of it into the wound.
"So." He looked down at her. "How well did you know Pastor Young?"
"He was always a nice guy."
"Nice, crazy guy." He held up a piece of paper. "He wrote a letter about sacrifice and war brewing in Mystic Falls."
"What does he mean, 'a greater evil is coming'?" She pushed the knife deeper into his arm. "Don't we have great enough evil already?"
He shrugged gently. "You'd think."
Stefan's name flashed across Damon's phone screen.
"You are a good brother."
He smirked. "I'm the bad brother."
"You are strung up to a bomb while Stefan prances around town with my sister. Who happens to be the girl who broke your heart." She took a step back. "I think that should be good."
Damon yanked the arrow out in one swift motion.
"They are going to a party, Damon. A party!"
"I know."
"They are going to a party and I am so close to turning off my humanity-"
"It is not worth it, Abigail." He grabbed her shoulders. "Take it from me, it's not worth it."
"Really?" She banged her fist against his chest. "Because, if I recall, it's you who has always said that the switch is one of the best things about being a vampire."
He pinned her against the wall, holding her arms against her chest with such pressure she could feel her ribs breaking. "Think about what it did to Stefan the last time around. We almost lost him forever."
She didn't even struggle against him. "I don't think you're listening to me, Damon."
"And I don't think you're listening to me!"
"I am trying so hard to hold onto the good things. To the fact that I will have my sister forever. To the fact that my brother is back in town and he's not even mad at me for sending him to Denver. But Alaric is gone! He is dead! And I can't feel like this for one more second, so tell me what I am supposed to do."
His grip loosened. His eyes grew sad. And, for a moment, the only sounds were coming from the crack of the fire on the first floor and the water under Wickery Bridge.
"Tell me what to do, Damon!"
"Think about your sister. About your brother. Your friends. Think about all the things that matter to you, Abigail." He let her go. "Now you call Tyler. I am going to call Meredith."
She called Tyler.
"Hello, love."
"Klaus?" She furrowed her eyebrows. "Where's Tyler?"
"Tyler's otherwise occupied, making big decisions about honesty and whatnot." He let out a short laugh. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Damon and I are going after the vampire hunter, so if he'd like to join..."
"He wouldn't. I, however, would."
Once Meredith and Jeremy tricked Connor into walking inside the medical supply room that Bill Forbes was murdered in, he quickly realized that he had walked into a trap. But, even as he turned around to face them, he didn't realize just how many vampires were waiting for him.
"Is a hospital really the best place for a germaphobe?"
Damon leaned against a rack of medical supplies. "Did I say that I was a germaphobe? Pft, sorry, I meant vampire."
Abigail shot Connor with one of his own arrows as he drew his gun, forcing it out of his hand. He bent down to pick it up, of course, but they had planned for that. So, instead of regaining what little control he had over the situation, he triggered the same device that caught Damon in his trailer.
"Stings, doesn't it?"
Klaus kicked his gun out of the way. "Hello, mate."
"Keep it up, buddy," Abigail laughed. "We'll be scraping you off the ceiling."
"You are gonna kill me anyway."
"Well, let's not be too hasty." Klaus looked down at him. "I feel like we're just getting to know each other!"
"Let's start with the basics. Where are you from? What do you know? Maybe you can cue me in on this 'greater evil,' because we've fought this guy." Damon pointed at Klaus. "And there's nothing more evil than that."
Klaus smiled. "Yeah, truth be told, I'm as evil as it gets."
"I'm not telling you anything. And, if you think if you kill me, it's gonna be over..." He smirked. "There's another waiting to take my place."
She nodded slowly. "Vague threats, ominous prophecies, disappearing tattoos."
Klaus narrowed his eyes, kneeling next to him. "What do you mean, tattoos?"
"Don't bother... You can't see the damn thing."
"There's more to you than meets the eye, isn't there?" Klaus asked, blocking the stake that was coming toward him. "Nice try, but I'm faster than your average vampire." He twisted his arm, grabbed the stake out of his hand, and looked down at the mark carved into the wood. "You're one of the Five."
Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "The what?"
"And I'm faster than your average hunter."
Damon grabbed Abigail's hand and sped out of the room, leaving Connor and Klaus behind. The bomb exploded before they got to safety, sending them through the air. But by the time the flames from the claymore bomb dispersed, they were on their feet.
Firefighters and police officers investigated the scene, but it was mayor who asked Damon and Abigail, "So, the sniper was inside?"
Abigail nodded. "Yeah, he-"
"He's in tiny little pieces."
"Good." Carol nodded. "I'll cancel the curfew and call off the extra patrols. I can't say I approve of your methods..."
Damon smirked. "I'll give a donation. You can name a wing after me, Mayor."
Jeremy passed them in the waiting room with a smile. "See? I told you I could be a badass."
"Sh, badasses don't say that." Damon warped an arm around Abigail's shoulders as they walked away. "Now, we've got to figure out what the hell Klaus meant by 'the Five.'"
"Damon is convinced that he is the reason we get anything done."
She laughed. "Well, I'd like to think it's a team effort."
Damon sped up behind them. "Are you talking about me?"
"Could you, for once in your life, not interrupt us?"
He draped his arms around their shoulders. "Never gonna happen."
The professor who took over Grams' Occult Studies classes at Whitmore College invited Bonnie to campus. She invited the Gilbert sisters to tag along with her, and Damon invited himself. But as they approached the School of Arts and Humanities, the hesitation coming from all sides was at an all-time high.
"Are you sure that you're okay with this?" Elena asked.
"If I could spell you out of wanting blood, I would, but I can't." Bonnie linked their arms. "So, it's better you learn this now than at freshmen orientation."
Elena sucked in a breath. "Something tells me that college isn't in my future anymore."
"Oh, stop with the pity party," Damon groaned. "If I can go to college, you can go to college."
Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "You went to college?"
"Sure, plenty of times." He smirked. "I always had a thing for sorority girls."
"You're disgusting."
"I know."
Professor Atticus Shane was standing at the front of the lecture hall, clicking through a slideshow. "When I say the word 'witch,' what pops into your head? Halloween costume? Villain of a fairy tale? Maybe an ex-girlfriend? Well, whatever image it is it's probably not..." He flipped to another slide. "Tanyell Soso of Montego, Cameroon."
"Is that him?" Elena asked as they found their seats. "He's kind of..."
"Hot," Bonnie whispered.
Damon leaned back, draping an arm behind each of the Gilbert sisters. "Abigail will be the judge of that, she is the one who dated her teacher."
"Damon..."
"Sorry."
"Now, in reality, or in this reality at least, witches appear to cross every culture in history." He leaned against his desk; arms crossed over his chest. "They're the architects of the supernatural; responsible for everything that goes bump in the night from ghosts to vampires to doppelgängers."
"What is this guy, Witch-apedia?"
Elena laughed, Abigail stared straight ahead, and Bonnie hissed, "Shut up."
"Now, if you're a skeptic, you'd call that a coincidence. But, if you're a true believer, you know that there's really no such thing. It scares the crap out of us."
"What if," Elena whispered to Damon, "I'm a Ripper."
"Well then, pick someone and we'll find out. Stoner guys are no good to grab. They're too paranoid and you don't want the extra buzz. Now, she is a fun size, a tutor. Geeky girls are inherently suspicious of anyone who is nice to them. What you want..." They looked further down the row. "Is the little blonde, pretty girl. Self-absorbed, easily flattered, you just have to separate her from the pack and make your move."
Shane looked at them. "Am I interrupting you guys? Or is it maybe the other way around?"
Elena sunk into her seat. "Sorry."
"I was just saying how much I love witches."
"Yeah, you and me both, brother." He turned his attention back to the whole room. "Alright, listen, we should probably talk about the readings that none of you did."
Damon and Abigail watched as Elena followed the blonde girl from Professor Shane's class across campus. She was young and healthy, would heal quickly, but Elena was still nervous. And when she walked back toward them, they knew her nerves had gotten the best of her.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I just..." She looked at Abigail. "I saw the picture of her sister and I-"
"Everybody is someone's uncle or father or camp counselor or bible study teacher," Damon cut her off. "Elena, you don't know these people, why do you care?"
"I care because I'm still me. I still have the same feelings, Damon. Sorry if that spoils your master plan to turn me into a super vampire."
Bonnie walked up to them. "What's going on?"
"Nothing." He sighed. "Elena is educating me on the importance of feelings."
"Did you talk to the professor?"
"For a second. He found some stuff of my Grams' in his office and he's gonna dig it up for me." She held up a flyer for a murder house themed fraternity party. "But I found this."
"Oh, nice, the answer to all of our problems. A frat party: douche central. Which is why you'll be eating very well tonight." He rubbed his hands together. "So, what should we go as? Victims or killers?"
"I-" Abigail backed away from them, speaking only to Damon, "We've already had this conversation."
He followed her to the end of the sidewalk. "Hey, hey!"
"Take care of Elena, please."
She barely heard him say, "Don't go," as she sped away.
Elena climbing into her bed was the only way she knew it was morning.
"I got blood drunk and dirty danced with Damon."
"You want to talk about it?"
"Not about him." Elena turned her head to look at her. "H-How do you do it?"
"You have to figure out your own balance, Elena. Caroline prefers blood bags, Damon prefers blood from the vein, and I like a little bit of both." She took a deep breath. "You have to decide how much of yourself you want to give up, how much of you can handle the thought that you are no longer just another girl from Mystic Falls."
Taking in her blank expression, she asked, "How are you doing?"
"I'm scared, Elena." She finally looked at her. "I'm terrified at the thought of being in this world without him."
Damon walked into the room. "Abigail-"
"Excuse me?" Elena stood up. "What are you doing here?"
"Where's Stefan?" He asked. "He's not answering his phone and he's not here, which you know, big deal, we've only got a killer vampire hunter on the loose."
"I haven't talked to him yet today."
"Give me your phone. Maybe he's dodging me." It went straight to voicemail. "So, either he's dodging both of us or something's wrong."
"Why would something be wrong?"
"There were no remains found at the hospital."
Abigail got out of bed, revealing the same clothes she wore the day before. "That's impossible."
"Is it?" Right then, a text came through on his phone. "'Hunter at Mystic Grill with hostages. They all die at sundown.'"
The clock struck noon just as Stefan entered the Lockwood Mansion.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"Coming up with a plan."
"Yeah, we have a plan." Damon raised his eyebrows. "The plan is: I'm gonna rip Connor's heart out and I'm going to feed it to him."
"That's not a plan," Stefan said. "We need to be careful. Connor has Jeremy and who knows how many other hostages."
"Hence, the open-heart surgery."
"Damon's right," Elena pushed. "Connor's strong, but he's not going to be able to take all of us."
Tyler stood up. "I called in the hybrids to help too."
Caroline rounded into the room. "My mom put squad cars blocking the streets. They're saying it's a faulty gas main. We're good to go."
"Good, great," Damon said. "No cops, no witnesses, no reason to wait around."
"Hold on!" Stefan looked around at them. "You're not all going."
"If we're killing him, I want in," Tyler said. "He shot me, like, nine times."
Abigail took a step forward. "And he tried to blow me up into a million tiny pieces."
Stefan shook his head. "Listen-"
"He's got Jeremy," Elena huffed. "I'm going."
"Nobody is going anywhere until I figure out what we're walking into."
Damon scoffed. "Is that where you've been all morning? Out buying bossy pants?"
"This guy is known for setting traps, right? We'd be pretty dumb to walk into one, especially if he has werewolf venom."
"Fine," he surrendered. "If you want to take some time to do recon, you get one hour. But we're gonna need some extra help. So, where the hell's the Wicked Witch of the West?"
"She can't do magic."
"Well, call her, tell her Jeremy's life is in danger; maybe that will bring her out of retirement." He turned to the oldest Gilbert. "Guess it's time you finally reveal that safe place you have in Town Square."
The loft.
"Here we go. Our way in." Abigail rolled a large map out onto the island. "Courtesy of Alaric Saltzman's interest in the Mystic Falls Underground Railroad."
Elena looked over her shoulder. "The tunnels? Like the ones in the Lockwood cellar?"
She nodded.
"I can only make out the voices," Stefan's voice came through Elena's phone. "Three hostages. But, guys, it's Matt and April Young. I just need a little more time."
"Those two idiots, they're like danger magnets." Damon looked through the windows at the clocktower. "Well, the clock's ticking, brother."
"You know, I could do without the colored commentary." Elena stepped toward the door. "I'm going into the tunnels."
Damon blocked her path. "No, you're not. This guy doesn't know that you're a vampire, let's keep it that way."
"Well, maybe that's it. I can offer to trade myself in exchange for the hostages."
Abigail grabbed her wrist. "No. Best case scenario: you're a hostage. Worst case scenario: he figures you out and kills you. And, Elena, if anything happens to you or Jeremy-"
"Stop treating me like I can't handle myself. Alaric trained me, and I've been practicing with Stefan." Elena pulled away from her. "Not that you noticed."
"So, what? Now you're gonna take on a professional killer?" She rushed into the bedroom, grabbed the crossbow from under the bed, and pointed it at her. "Bang. You're dead. Now what?"
Elena disarmed her, but not without a fight. "Headshots are no good, it has to be the heart. So, now you're dead."
"Jeremy is my brother too, Elena!" She pushed her back. "Don't act like I don't want to save him just as much as you do."
Pulling the blinds apart, Damon said, "This will be over soon."
"Will it?" Elena asked. "I mean, haven't we already been here before with Jeremy? Isn't this why we sent him to Denver?"
"We'll get him out of this and then we'll compel him down to the Bahamas. Maybe he'll find an island girl."
Stefan walked through the front door. "Did you find the tunnel map?"
"Yeah." Abigail pointed at the dresser. "Along with the last remaining vervain in Mystic Falls."
Damon leaned against the wall next to one of the bookshelves. "So, how about we get this party started?"
"Klaus is sending one of his men. He'll take the front. You and I will take the tunnels."
"Since when did we team up with Klaus and the Lollipop Guild?"
"Well, I already told you, Connor has werewolf venom. We need someone to draw his fire, the hybrids are immune to it so they're our best bet."
"Why is Klaus involved?" Damon asked. "Start telling the truth, Stefan. Why is Klaus involved? Did he compel you?"
"Stop being paranoid, Damon." He turned his back to them. "I am telling you the truth. This is the best way to get everyone out."
Elena looked between them. "Okay, what is with you two? We're wasting time."
Damon walked toward the door. "Screw your plan. I'll kill Connor myself."
Stefan injected his brother with vervain, ignoring the protest of the sisters in front of him as he took photos of the map. "You had the right idea with the tunnels, Abigail. But I'm not gonna go down there with Damon if I can't count on him to do it my way."
"If you can't count on him?" She carried Damon's body to the couch. "You just vervained him!"
"Do you think he cares about April or Matt? He'll get Jeremy out for you, but then he'll go right after Connor, no matter who gets hurt."
Elena said, "Then I'm coming with you."
"What if Connor attacks and you have to defend yourself? And what if you kill him? The guilt will wreck you."
"You don't think that I-I'm afraid of that?" She stepped toward him. "Of course, I am. Stefan, I'm barely holding it together. If Jeremy gets hurt..."
"I'll get Jeremy out, okay? I promise you." He took her face in his hands. "This is the most important thing that I have ever asked you to do. I just need you to trust me. Please."
He kissed her. Right there. He kissed her.
"You could have died tonight!"
She furrowed her eyebrows, pointing at the bandage on his neck. "You almost did."
He shook his head at what she already knew. "I would have come back, and you know it."
"What?" She scoffed. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"Is it supposed to make me feel better that you would do anything for the people you care about?" He took a step toward her. "Even die for them?"
She thought it was obvious, but she answered him anyway, "Yes!"
"Oh, really?" He took another step forward. "You'd die-"
"Yes!" She cut him off. "I thought you would have realized that by now."
He sighed, running his hands through his hair as he turned away from her. "You can't put yourself in danger like that-"
"Why not?" When he faced her again, she repeated the question, "Why not?"
"Because I-" He shoved his arms down to his sides. "I-"
She took a step forward, ready for whatever fight was coming. "You what?"
"I need you."
"Where's Stefan? I'm gonna kill him." Damon sat up slowly only to be burned by the rays of light coming through the windows. "Ow! Ow!"
"He took your ring? Why would he do that?!"
"Because he's playing us." He crawled to a shadowy corner. "All this stalling, getting hybrids, taking my ring, add it up."
Abigail stood up, running her hands through her hair. "He's either made a deal with Klaus or he's compelled."
Elena started toward the door. "I need to get in there."
"No, Elena!" Damon exclaimed. "This guy is dangerous!"
"So am I, Damon!"
"Then you need to be smart. He doesn't know you're a vampire. You get as close as you can, and you kill him."
"No!" Abigail yelled. "What if-"
Damon snapped her neck, leaving her there without any regard for what might happen next.
It was the perfect storm, waking up alone in that apartment, just the right mix of all the wrong emotions coming over her all at once.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the ceiling.
There was nothing.