Whatever It Takes {Two | Alaric Saltzman}

Fifty Shades of Grayson

"So, I know I told you I was coming to Mystic Falls to help my mom but-"

"You lied. Yeah, you're not any better at it than you used to be." Abigail looked over the stack of books between her and Liv. "Sorry, I'll be right back."

Liv barely looked up, but she could tell she was rolling her eyes. It was playful, sarcastic, exactly what she was expecting. And, well, she really had become a rather fast friend.

"Who are you talking to?" Caroline asked.

"My study buddy. You know, because we are actually in college and I am taking junior level courses. Courses that are a lot harder than they sound." She leaned against one of the brick walls of Scull Bar. "But don't let that stop you from telling me about your Mystic Falls rendezvous."

"Katherine asked me to come help Stefan, but it's not really going according to plan." Just like she knew what Liv's expression would be without having to see it, she knew what Caroline's was in the moment she took before asking, "Do you think you can come help me?"

"I-" She looked at the table she'd left: the open books, the free drinks, and the person sitting there. It all offered her a day to be the normal college student she knew she could never be. So, even though her sigh was heavy, she said, "I'm on my way."

At the sound of the Salvatore Boarding House front door, Caroline turned around to face Abigail who was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyebrows pulled together, and her lips turned down at the corners. None of it was for being there, it was all for what she had seen the moment she stepped inside. The Pierce & Franklin safe that Stefan was locked in all summer.

"He passed out..."

She wasn't mad at Caroline, or all that opposed to the idea, she was worried about dragging out what Stefan described to her up in his room. "What exactly was your plan?"

"Prolonged Exposure Therapy." Caroline picked up a textbook, opened it to a bookmarked page, and read, "'In vivo exposure gradually introduces elements of prior trauma, e.g., physical objects, certain aspects of duress-'"

"I think we need to get to the root of the problem."

"You are right. 'Cause right now the score is safe: one, Stefan: zero." Katherine slowly rounded into the room. "So, how do we do that? Stefan's the hero. That's who he is at his core. He can't always come through for himself, but he can always come through for everyone else." Her thoughtful expression turned into a smile. "I've got an idea."

Stefan's gasp was gut wrenching, bringing the study efforts of Abigail and Caroline to a complete stop. "Let me out of here! Caroline!"

"I know it's a little extreme, but the baby steps approach wasn't working."

"See?" Katherine asked from inside the safe. "That's why I need you not to get mad at me because when you get mad, you get anxious and violent and you rip people's heads off, but I'm gonna help you fix that."

"Caroline, get me out of here before I hurt her!"

"Stefan, that's the point," Abigail said. "You-"

"Abigail?"

"I'm here. Caroline and I are right here, okay?" She took a step forward, not that it mattered, but it was better than a step back. "This is how it has to be for you to face your PTSD triggers. To face yourself."

Time passed painfully, each chime of the clock leaving them with only a glance away from the safe to each other.

Overly cheerful, Caroline asked, "How's it going in there?"