Whatever It Takes {Two | Alaric Saltzman}

The Downward Spiral

Caroline's side of her and Bonnie's dorm room was empty. Stefan was on speaker, from whose phone Abigail didn't know, relaying the same message from the Forbes house in Mystic Falls. Still, she opened and closed every drawer as if she was going to find something.

"So, what? She just flipped her humanity switch, came back to the dorm, took all of her clothes and thank you notes, and just left town?" Abigail slammed another drawer closed. "I left everything because it didn't matter. Why did she take it?"

Elena turned away from the window between the beds. "Do you guys think she's trying to cut off all ties to her past?"

Stefan's voice, louder than before, came with an answer, "I certainly don't think she's having a yard sale, Elena."

"Okay, why are you getting mad at me?" She asked. "I'm not the one who did this."

"I know," he sighed. "I'm sorry."

Abigail took a step toward Elena and then another one when stopping didn't seem like something she could do. She and Stefan were coming up with a plan, half of one at least, but their voices had faded. The back wall had always been blank, mostly because of the fireplace, she'd never realized that.

"Abigail, this isn't any more your fault than mine. She was going to do it whether or not you followed her. Whether or not I went to her house. Her mind was made up." Elena paused, giving Abigail the time she needed to face her. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I might have accepted all that I did when my humanity was off, but I don't know what to do about it." She stepped past her again. "All I know is that nothing that I do will ever be enough. And I-"

A voice came from behind her, "Looks like you could use a friend."

"Bonnie," she whispered. "Bonnie!"

Laughing, their arms found a way around each other.

"Oh, my God," Elena exclaimed. "How are you..."

"Alive? You think I'd be used to this part by now..." Bonnie walked toward her chest of drawers. "Just like how I got so used to flannel that I really, really missed my not-flannel blouse, my not-flannel t-shirts, and, oh! Oh! I really missed my not-flannel V-neck."

"Suck it, 1994!" Elena popped open a bottle of champagne. "So, we bought this the day we thought Damon and I were going to rescue you, but, obviously, we didn't, so we couldn't drink it." Their glasses were filled expertly before being raised in a toast. "So, this is to you. You were stuck there all by yourself while we were back here, living our lives. And this is the worst toast ever."

Bonnie smiled. "I'm back home. That's all that matters. Cheers!"

The clink of their glasses was followed by several refills, all of which brought them one step closer to filling Bonnie in on all that had happened while she was gone.

"Can we talk about the fact that I drove Jeremy away to art school?"

"So, does that make you his muse?" Abigail poured Bonnie another glass. "Because, well, that's not driving him away, that's inspiring him."

Bonnie's sip turned into a gulp. "Do me a favor? Don't tell him I'm back yet."

"You haven't called him?"

"I just... I want to give him a chance at normalcy." Bonnie sat down on her bed. "Before we just drag him back into all of this, you know?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"I-" Elena sat down next to her. "We do, too, but, Bonnie, you should at least tell him you're okay."

"And I will, I'll tell him. Coming back to life is complicated. Trust me, I've done it before," Bonnie said. "Besides, we have a friend without her humanity and in need of a severe intervention."