Whatever It Takes {Two | Alaric Saltzman}

Coming Home Was a Mistake

Red and blue police lights came through the open blinds of the house, illuminating the spaces the kitchen light could not reach. Radio chatter, questions, and memories floated around her, overlapping so that she could not pick out one sound over the other. People went to and from each room, all of them different, none of them Lizzie and Josie.

Everything was out of focus until it wasn't. In and out she tried to breathe, in and out those breaths took her from one place to another, in and out those breaths brought her no peace. She was rigid where she stood next to Alaric but shook with every move she made.

"When was the last time you saw the nanny?" The lead detective asked.

"This afternoon. Here. She offered to watch the girls for us," Alaric answered. "We spoke on the phone not long ago. She was getting ready to put the girls to bed."

"I have these of Josette and Elizabeth. I don't know which ones you want to use." Abigail spread photos across the countertop, photos taken off the fridge and from the place she was going through them the weekend before, and then she pulled up the picture she had shown Matt on her phone. "And this is them with her. Seline."

Alaric pushed a sketch from the box of things Matt had come into possession of toward the man standing across from them. "And, uh, this is Sybil, the woman who we believe is with them."

He looked from the photos to the drawings then from the drawings to the two of them. "How do you know they're traveling together?"

She took one of the pictures back into her hands. There had been one of her and Elena just like it in front of the clocktower in Town Square. It was taken by their mother from the opposite sidewalk while their father laughed at what she said from across the street. Abigail had taken it the same way, the story one she didn't tell to Alaric until it was one she had her own version of.

It was freshly printed, meant to go in one of the scrapbooks she was making to accompany her journals. Meant to be a picture Elena and Damon would recreate with their children. Meant to show her sister that she'd learned more from her than she'd ever known, that she was still learning from her.

"Sybil is Seline's sister," Abigail answered.

"And they're in your car?"

"Yes." She looked up at him. "I mean, it's gone, so..."

"We're gonna disseminate these photos, issue an Amber Alert, and get out an APB." She was listening to him, but the only thing that brought her something which resembled comfort was Alaric's hand on her shoulder. "I know this is an incredibly difficult time. Let us know if you need anything at all. We'll have at least one officer posted here around the clock."

Alaric squeezed her shoulder. "Appreciate it."

She turned into Alaric's arms. "Th-thank you."

The detective walked away. Alaric did, too. But only one of them pulled her with them.

"We have to call her. Have Matt trace it..."

She could not go to that place.

"See if they..."

She would not go to that place.

"Abigail?"

Covering her mouth with her hands, she nodded.

"Hi, Alaric," Seline answered.

It was fast the way he asked, "Where are they?"

"They're safe with me."

It was slow the way he said, "Let us speak to them."

"I'm sorry, I can't do that."

His eyes fluttered closed, leaving her without them.