Try {One | Alaric Saltzman}

Isobel

Stefan had been locked in the cellar for a week. He refused animal blood every day, resigning to his own guilt in a way that would result in him rotting away. There was nothing Damon, Abigail, or even Elena could do as they watched him fall into hallucination after hallucination.

"It's so hard to see him locked up like this," Elena said, unable to tear her eyes from his cell.

Damon gave her a half smile. "You're the one who locked him up."

"You helped."

"I couldn't have him running around chewing on people while the town was looking for vampires, now, could I?"

Abigail tilted her head to the side. "And it has nothing to do with the fact that you care about him?"

He walked out of the cellar. "You are the one who cares about your siblings, not me."

Softening her expression, she turned back to Elena. "Are you ready to go?"

"I-I just need a second."

Upstairs, Damon was examining the Gilbert device that Pearl gave him in a last-ditch effort to make up for the actions of the tomb vampires.

She sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "Did you ever figure out what that is?"

"Nope, but whatever it is, it doesn't work."

"Pearl didn't say anything else about it?" She asked.

"She thought she was stealing his vampire compass, but that was the pocket watch. That Johnathan Gilbert was a crazy scientist." Elena came in then, taking the open space between them. "Have either one of you spoken to your uncle lately?"

Abigail stood up. "I've been avoiding him, actually."

"And, I've been here most nights."

"So, you'll be here again tonight?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Yes!" He was joking, but they wouldn't have known that if they didn't know him. "You're a complete nuisance."

"Ha!" Elena threw her head back in fake laughter as she followed Abigail to the door. "See you later."

It was Alaric's idea to acquire more information on what John had been up to. His motives laid in finding Isobel, Abigail knew that, but she was quick to agree. She wanted him to have answers; she wanted Elena to have answers. So, when the first lead came in, they made quick plans to follow it. Of course, it was her who insisted on inviting someone else along for back up, someone she knew who was just selfish enough to join them: Damon.

Damon's voice came through Alaric's phone, "Hello?"

Alaric sat up, almost surprised that he answered. "Hey, it's Alaric Saltzman."

"Before I hang up, how did you get this number?"

"Ah..." He glanced at Abigail who was already shaking her head. "It's a mystery. Listen, I've, uh, been doing some digging on John Gilbert. You interested?"

"What kind of digging?"

"I've got an old friend from Duke who studied criminology when we were there together." He looked sideways at her. "Let's just say he's become a very proficient digger."

"Well, did he find anything?"

"Well," he mimicked him. "I had him run a track on John's cell records. He was getting a call from a number. The same number that Elena dialed to get Isobel. And then the number was disconnected."

"Isobel knows John. Whatever. We knew that."

"Right. Anyway, after that, he started getting calls from a new number. And I had my friend run a geotrack. Got the address. It's...It's an apartment in Grove Hill. The records show it was paid three months in advance."