(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Sixty-Three

Bonnie's car pulls up outside of Abby's house, the engine turned off before it falls quiet. Bonnie clutches to the steering wheel. Not at all ready for this. Daphne looks out the window and up to the house. It is the complete opposite of the Black house. This looks like it has life.

"Cute house" Daphne comments as she stares at the cottage-esque house with bright gardens. Definitely a long way from Grimmauld Place.

"Yeah, in the middle of nowhere" Bonnie adds and then lets out a long breath. Trying to pluck up the courage to get out and face the woman that walked away from her. Daphne gets it. She really gets it. That feeling, it buries itself deep, scarring them. And all three of them have been tarnished by it. Isobel. Tink. Abby. They all abandoned their daughters. For different reasons, but the reasoning doesn't matter when it hurts. It just hurts.

"You ready?" Elena asks softly. Bonnie shakes her head but climbs out of the car regardless. Daphne and Elena share a worried look before they follow her. They both understand that Bonnie is going to need the moral support here. She needs her friends beside her. Bonnie leads the way, heading to the front door where she rings the doorbell. Waiting patiently. But instead of coming from within, a teenage boy comes up the stairs beside them.

"Hey, there" He greets, looking between the three of them.

"Hey, we're looking for, um, Abby Wilson" Elena offers.

"She not home. There anything I can do for you?"

"It's okay, we can come back" Bonnie starts to walk away, but Elena grabs her arm and ushers her back.

"I'm sorry, but you look so familiar," The boy tells Bonnie.

"Ehm, Abby is my mom" Bonnie admits quietly.

"Oh...I'm Jamie. You guys wanna come inside? Right this way." Bonnie and Elena follow Jaime inside, Daphne hesitates. She frowns a little and glances around. Something about this set-up is rubbing her the wrong way.

............

In the kitchen, Jaime watches the girls as they join him, each one feeling a little out of place. Daphne can't shake that feeling. That there is something wrong. Something off.

"You guys sure you don't want anything?" Jaime asks them. "We got fresh OJ, coconut water, some mango guava something"

"Water is fine" Bonnie is quick to answer as Daphne opens her mouth. Mostly because she wanted to know what the mango guava thing was. Daphne huffs a little.

"Cool," Jaime comments and then moves to pour out some glasses.

"So, are we...like related?" Bonnie inquires.

"Oh, nah. Abby's not my mom" Jaime assures her. 

"Oh, good" Elena offers, but probably not the best thing to say. It's all very awkward. They are strangers to Jaime. They are in a strange kitchen and house.

"Yeah, she dated my old man back in the day. He's kind of a deadbeat, so when they broke up she took me in. Put me through school. Didn't freak out when I totalled her car. Twice" Jaime offers. And that's got to hurt Bonnie. For her to be left behind but Jaime taken in and raised.

"She sounds...great" Bonnie tries to be polite but there is definitely something in her tone. The front door opens as Abby enters the house.

"Jamie? Whose car's out front?" Abby asks as she closes the door and then heads into the kitchen, pausing when she sees the three girls there.

"That's mine. I'm Bonnie. Your daughter"

"Hello, Bonnie" Abby greets.

.......

Later, Bonnie is holding a picture of Jamie dressed in a graduation gown in her hands. She's feeling terrible about this, but that just makes her feel even more terrible for feeling so in the first place. She sighs and sets the photo down before turning to Daphne behind her.

"How are you holding up?" Daphne asks.

"I'll be fine. I'm not here to get my mom back, I'm just here to get her help" Bonnie answers but Daphne gives her a soft look. "I'm okay, Daph" Bonnie tries to assure her just as Abby walks into the room from the kitchen.

"So I hope you guys are hungry, cause...food has always been my go-to ice-breaker" Abby offers them.

"You have a really beautiful home" Daphne offers.

"You're so sweet. Just like your mom" Abby comments.

"You knew my mom?"

"Miranda was my best friend," Abby admits.

"So, you had a daughter and a best friend and you still left?" Bonnie asks.

"My best friend is why I left. Fifteen years ago a vampire came to town. Looking for Elena. Looking for the doppelgänger. No one could manage to kill him. So I lured him out of town and cast a spell to desiccate him in a crypt in Charlotte"

"Mikael. He was an Original vampire" Daphne informs her.

"It took every ounce of power I had. Almost killed me. I recovered. But my magic didn't. My powers never came back"

"And neither did you" Bonnie accuses, her voice breaking slightly as her emotions build up.

"It wasn't that simple"

"It wasn't? You cast a spell, put Mikael down and then...what? You had to teach Jamie how to drive?"

"Bonnie..." Daphne whispers softly.

"This was a mistake. She has no magic. She can't help us" Bonnie turns and starts to leave, but Abby rushes after her and grabs her arm to stop her.

"Bonnie, wait, please. Don't go. Talk to me...Please?" Bonnie rips her arm away and goes to leave, this time it's Daphne to stop her. Bonnie frowns a little.

"Daph?" Bonnie asks.

"There's something wrong here" Daphne admits to her.

"Like how?" Bonnie counters. Daphne catches movement out the corner of her eyes as Abby pours some herbs into her hands, rubs them together. Daphne reaches into her sleeve softly.

"Like someone beat us here" She pulls out her wand and turns, pointing it at Abby who stops what she is doing. "Open your hands," Daphne tells her. Abby doesn't make a move to do it. She turns her wand on Jaime as he walks into the room with Elena.

"Daph!?" Elena scolds but then notes that there is something going on here.

"Open them" Daphne repeats. Abby opens her hands to reveal the herbs. Daphne moves her wand to point at them. "Evanesce" She casts and the herbs disappear from Abby's hand. She then turns the wand back on Jaime when she sees him moving.

"Bonnie, listen to me." Abby tries. "I need your help. I need you to tell me where those coffins are" Daphne scoffs and shakes her head.

"Why?" Bonnie asks.

"Because if you don't, that man, the one that came here, he compelled Jamie to kill himself" Jaime grabs a bottle from the table and brings it down, breaking it. He moves the glass towards his throat. Daphne lets out a sigh.

"Stupefy" Daphne casts, Jaime drops the glass as he goes flying backwards, hitting the wall before he falls to the floor. "Incarcerous" Rope wraps around Jaime's hands, tying them behind his back.

"Please" Abby begs of Bonnie.

"I can't. This goes beyond you and me"

"Wait" Daphne starts, Bonnie looks at her. "I have an idea" Daphne comments, Bonnie frowns at her. "We're going to give Klaus exactly what he wants"

"Daph" Bonnie scolds, that is a bad idea, they have been working against that.

"He wants his siblings" Daphne gives her a look and Bonnie clocks on, starts to smile. Bonnie pulls out her phone. Klaus wants his brothers and sister back, nothing was said about the extra coffin.

"I'll text Damon" She offers. Daphne turns back to Abby.

"Contact the hybrid, get him here...." She tells the woman who glances at the wand aimed at her.