Sincerely Yours [Stefan Salvatore]

[54. Alter-Ego]

[3x17; Break On Through]

Lucy bit her lip, nervously fiddling with her bracelet as she and Joel waited next to Meredith in the MRI booth. Alaric was already in the machine, clad in a hospital gown, about to lay still for forty-five minutes so they could get a look at his brain. They had already been through a little testing and the MRI was the last test Meredith was able to give him.

Lucy was a nervous wreck but Joel's presence did calm her down. She was glad that she didn't have to do this alone, since Elena and Jeremy were out of town. She did have Stefan—who had sheepishly arrived at Klaus' house that morning with an apology bagel, which Lucy happily accepted even though she told him an apology wasn't needed—but since Alaric wasn't his guardian, he wasn't allowed back with her and Joel.

"What are you looking for?" Joel asked Meredith, just as worried as Lucy.

"I don't know," Meredith gave them a sympathetic smile. "A tumor, vascular anomalies...Anything physical that might explain his behavior. If it's medical, I can treat it."

"And if it's not?" Lucy spoke up quietly.

"Then we'll deal with that, too," Meredith assured her.

Lucy swallowed harshly and nodded. Meredith was right, if doctors couldn't do anything to fix Alaric, then she would find some way herself. Alaric had to be okay, she couldn't lose him too.

"When did you suspect him?" Joel asked the doctor. "That it was Ric who was killing all of those people?"

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

Lucy smiled faintly. "Why did you protect him?"

"Because I'm a doctor," Meredith looked back through the window, peeking in on Alaric. "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—" she shrugged. "I don't know, I just kind of want to help him."

Lucy couldn't help the fact that her smile grew. It was nice that Alaric was moving on and now that she knew the truth about Meredith, she knew that she was good for her biological father. She couldn't think of another woman who would be doing the same stuff to help him like Meredith was.

"No!"

Lucy, Joel, and Meredith turned toward the window, watching as Alaric's feet squirmed. Meredith furrowed her eyebrows and clicked on the microphone so she could speak to him.

"Everything all right in there?"

"Yeah," Alaric called after a moment. "Yeah, everything's okay."

After Alaric's MRI was finished, he was shown back to his room. Stefan was allowed to come in while they waited for results and Alaric got dressed. It wasn't long until Joel came back with news about the MRI results.