Try {One | Alaric Saltzman}

A Few Good Men

With their legs covered by their mom's favorite blanket, Elena and Abigail sat on the porch swing just like they had when they were kids. Abigail was holding a book Alaric loaned her, using one of her fingers as a bookmark, in one hand and Elena's journal in the other as they left Bonnie another message. She left town right after her grandmother's funeral and hadn't talked to them since. Abigail understood why she left, but she knew better than anyone what holding it all in could do.

"Hey, Bonnie, it's us. Just checking in, seeing how you're doing," Elena led the one-sided conversation. "We miss you here, so please come home soon."

Jenna joined them on the porch.

Abigail gave Jenna a look, one that made her stick her tongue out before she said, "Don't let your aunt drive you too crazy."

They closed out their message with, "Love you."

Jenna let out an amused laugh as she wrapped her coat tighter around her body. "What are you doing out here?"

"The, uh, funeral for Bonnie's grandma, it brought back a lot about Mom and Dad," Elena answered for them both. "I was wondering, you said that you would do some digging about them, the adoption."

Jenna sucked in a breath. "Right."

"So, did you?" Elena asked. "Dig?"

She waved them to the door. "Come inside."

They gathered around Jenna's laptop at the kitchen table. She had too many tabs open to tell what they all were, but she found the one she was looking for without effort. It was tense, waiting for that short time, yet that tension did not ease.

"Your dad kept everything from his medical practice: records, logs, old appointment books," Jenna started. "I found an entry from the night you were born. Patient and a birth date. Isobel Peterson."

Silently forming her own theories, Abigail voiced one, "Do you think that's her real name?"

"Pregnant teenage runaway? Probably not. First name, maybe. But where'd she get Peterson? Classmate? Best friend? So, I searched it." She opened another tab, this one bookmarked. "Out of all the Petersons in the area, three were born the same year as Isobel. Two men and a woman. Trudie, who lives in Grove Hill, Virginia."

Hopefully, Elena said, "That's not far from here."

Jenna pulled up a picture of Isobel and Trudie from when they were in high school. They were cheerleaders. Brunette and blonde. Abigail didn't say it, but it reminded her instantly of Elena and Caroline.

"Isobel," Elena hummed. "She was a cheerleader."

"Trudie still lives in Grove Hill." Jenna handed Elena a post-it note. "This is her address."

Elena waited for more when Abigail knew it would not come. "What about Isobel?"

Jenna shrugged. "I couldn't find anything about her."

The words settled quickly and without weight either of them could feel. It kept Abigail in her thoughts as Jenna told them she was running upstairs and silent as she told her to be ready when she got back.

Abigail took Jenna's seat. "Listen, Alaric Saltzman's wife was from around here. Her name was Isobel."

Elena shook her head. "Wait, 'was,' as in..."

"She died."

"How-" She brought her voice down to a whisper, "Abigail, how do you know that?"

"H-he told me." She forced her eyes shut. "I know should have told you sooner, but I-"