Whatever It Takes {Two | Alaric Saltzman}

Nostalgia's a Bitch

"Good morning."

"That was thoroughly unconvincing," Abigail said to Caroline over the phone. "Do you want to grab breakfast with me and Bonnie before I go back to the Armory?"

"My fiancé turned Miss Mystic Falls into a vampire just to spite me." Caroline's voice had become muffled, telling her that she buried her face in her pillows. "So, no. I am not going anywhere."

"Fine." She pushed open the front door of the Salvatore Boarding House. "Breakfast in bed it is."

"Are you really here right now?" Caroline asked.

"Alaric and the girls just dropped me off." She stopped in the foyer. "Damon?"

"Wait, Damon's here too?"

The way she said his name made no difference in the way he was sitting stiff in a living room chair, unmoving in a way even vampires had to force. She cut right into his line of sight, but it was like he didn't see her at all. Her hand raised itself, reached out to touch him in hopes of stirring him from whatever had a hold on him; however, nothing came of the motion.

"Get down here, Caroline. Now."

Abigail, Bonnie, and Caroline stood in front of Damon.

"What do you think happened to him?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm guessing Sybil happened," Caroline said. "But the real question is: what did she do to his brain this time?"

"Only one way to find out." Bonnie took a step forward. "Can you jump all three of us in there?"

"Will you two let me go back to bed if I tell you I can't even jump one of us in there?"

"Not a chance."

Caroline took one of Damon's hands, offered her other one to Bonnie, and instructed Abigail to round out their circle. She closed her eyes, opened her mind, and waited. She didn't see anything, but the blonde jumped back so fast she must have.

"What was it?" Abigail asked.

Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't-"

Caroline shuttered. "It was just fire and pain."

"Then that's what Damon's feeling." Abigail crouched in front of him as a tear rolled down his cheek. "He's suffering."

Caroline's furrowed eyebrows were no longer of concern, they were of concentration. "Do you hear that?"

They followed her through the first floor of the house to the basement stairs, down those stairs and into the cellar, and right to the barred-window door that Sybil was sitting behind. She raised one of her cuffed hands to wave at them as if she was inviting them to join her.

"Well, looks like we have a rat in the cellar."

"Are you annoyed? I always thought that was just your resting face." Sybil tilted her head to the side. "Let me guess, Damon's not feeling well."

"What did you do to him?" Bonnie asked.

"I gave him what he wanted," she said. "I flipped his little humanity switch back on."

Caroline pressed through her words, "Then why is he a zombie?"

"Well, I guess his mind couldn't handle all those memories and feelings rushing in all at once. He's been consumed with guilt for killing Tyler Lockwood. For kidnapping Alaric and Abigail's children. For turning Enzo against Bonnie. For selling his brother's soul to Cade. And, if he's really honest, for stealing his girl." She stood up. "But don't worry, I can fix him. As long as I get what I want."