Cold Hearted | Damon Salvatore

seventeen

17. Break On Through

"What are you looking for exactly?" Aria asked Meredith, as she prepared to do a MRI on Alaric.

"I don't know, a tumor, vascular anomalies" Meredith listed, "Anything physical that might explain his behavior, if it's medical, I can treat it".

"What happens if it's not?" Aria asked, worry shown clearly on her face and voice.

"Well, then we'll deal with that too" Meredith assured.

"Meredith, when did you start suspecting Alaric?" Aria asked curiously, "How did you realise that it was Alaric going around and killing founding family members?".

"It was after he told me about his ring, I remembered a story my grandmother had told me about Samantha Gilbert and her secret journal" Meredith informed, "I don't know if you know this, but we Fells are notorious busybodies".

"Oh trust me, I know" Aria said, remembering Logan and Tori Fell, and their annoying habit of getting into everyone's business, "But what I don't get, if you knew the whole time, then why did you protect him?".

"Two reasons, one, his important to you" Meredith said, giving Aria a small smile.

"What's number two?" Aria asked curiously.

"Because I'm a doctor" Meredith replied, "I don't like to see someone hurt by something they have no control over, and because when he and I first met, I felt like, I don't know, I just kind of wanna help him".

"Because you like him?" Aria asked, raising her eyebrow.

Meredith chuckled, "Maybe".

Aria smiled, "Meredith I--I'm sorry", Meredith looked at Aria in confusion, "For the way I acted yesterday, you were just trying to protect Alaric from himself, but I went off at you for no reason, so I'm sorry".

"It's okay Aria" Meredith said, "You were just a concerned daughter, if I was in your place, I would have done the same".

Aria gave Meredith a small smile and both the girls turned to look at Alaric through the glass window.

"Everything all right in there?" Meredith asked through the microphone.

"Yeah" Alaric replied, after a moment of silence, causing Aria to frown, something didn't feel right, she felt like Alaric wasn't okay, "Everything's okay".

***

"So, Meredith claims everything is normal in your reports" Aria said, walking into Alaric's hospital room.

"Well, everything is normal because there is nothing wrong with me" Alaric snapped, "I didn't kill Brian Walters, I didn't kill Bill Forbes, and I sure as hell didn't shove a hunting knife into my stomach", Alaric looked down at the Gilbert ring, "Or I did, and I've gone insane just like Samantha Gilbert who--", Alaric picked up the Gilbert ring, "--wore that ring".

"Listen to me Ric, I made that ring for you, whatever's happening to you, it's my fault so I'm going to fix it, I promise" Aria said.

"You can't blame everything wrong on you Aria" Alaric said.

"Yes I can, this is how we work, I blame things on me and you tell me that it's not my fault" Aria said, "And if something happens to you, whose going to tell me to stop carrying the world on my shoulders? I'm going to fix this, I used Emily Bennett's spell to make that ring, maybe if I talk to Bonnie she will have an idea on how to help you".