Whatever It Takes {Two | Alaric Saltzman}

I'll Remember

"I raided the psychology department's research library, and in a nutshell, will be using a combination of hypnotherapy and memory reprocessing techniques. The more she talks, the more she'll open her mind up to me. We're going to be searching through memories that are deeply embedded, and each significant memory that we hit which is connected to Damon I will modify. And eventually it should lead us to the signature memory, which, once erased, will create a positive domino effect through all of her other memories." He sat down on the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped and eyebrows furrowed. "But, Bea, I don't know if I can do this."

"She needs you to do this."

"And Damon?" His bed head was not subdued when he ran his hands through his hair. "He was my best friend, the closest thing I ever had to a brother. I feel like I'm betraying him."

"I know. I know, Ric." She knelt in front of him, forcing him to meet her eyes. "But we all have to find a way to keep going."

"When I died, you found a way."

Pointing to herself, she rasped, "I turned off my humanity."

"You came back." He took her face in his hands. "Damon brought you back."

She reached for his hands, pulled them from her face, and held them between them. "Look, if this is her choice, I am going to stand by her. I want her to be happy."

On campus, Matt and Jeremy were sitting on a bench outside of Elena's building. She was pacing in front of them, waiting for them to tell her what they thought about her plan. It was written clearly across their faces, but they didn't say a word until Abigail was standing in front of them.

"So, what?" Jeremy asked. "Are you gonna erase Bonnie from your head too?"

"Missing Bonnie makes me sad, Jer. Missing Damon makes me dangerous." When they didn't respond, she repeated, "Alaric will compel away any memories and then make me forget that I had him do it. I need you to keep the truth from me too. Tyler and Stefan are on board."

He looked up at his oldest sister. "Abigail?"

"I never want to take a decision away from either one of you again."

"What about Caroline?" Matt asked.

Elena tilted her head to the side. "Somehow I doubt she'll take much convincing."

At the mention of Caroline, Abigail looked down at her watch. "I have to go."

Through the diner's windows, Abigail could see Alaric and Caroline sitting in the first booth, staring each other down and whispering in heated tones. They weren't talking about Elena, she knew that. Which meant he'd told her about Stefan.

As she slid into her seat, Caroline huffed, "You said that Stefan was looking for a way to bring Damon and Bonnie back."

"I thought he was," she spluttered. "We've been feeding him leads for months. He let us believe he was following them."

She would have gone on, let out everything she had the night before, but Alaric put his hand on her thigh, stopping her before she even started.

"Well, I've been a little focused on magic bubble duty. And as you can see by the lack of magic in Mystic Falls, it's a spectacular failure of a mission." Caroline dropped her fist onto the table as her back hit the red leather of the booth. "And now you're telling me that this whole time no one else has been doing anything to help Bonnie and Damon?"

Alaric tilted his head to the side. "I wouldn't exactly say no one. Enzo."

"You can't be serious."