Whatever It Takes {Two | Alaric Saltzman}

Requiem for a Dream

Abigail and Alaric stood with coffee next to Caroline across from Damon who had a glass of bourbon, Enzo who was pacing in front of the fireplace, and Stefan who wouldn't have been considered a part of the group if it weren't the obvious way he was. Bonnie was still on the couch, unmoving since the moment her eyes closed the night before. There was a reason for the way things were, a reason that they pondered for as long as they heard it.

"Basically," Damon started. "Rayna screwed us. She failed to mention that by giving Bonnie her life, she was actually giving Bonnie her lifestyle. So now when Bonnie wakes up, she's gonna be Rayna 2.0."

"And does that gift begin with a very long nap?" Enzo asked.

"I didn't get a chance to ask as she burst into flames." Damon took a drink. "And before you ask, no, I did not get a chance to interrogate her little shaman friend because he vanished at the same time."

Enzo's eyes widened. "Damon, did the spell work or not?!"

"I don't know, Enzo. I have no idea why she's not waking up." Damon looked at Bonnie as if he was speaking directly to her. "I mean, the least she could do to thank us for saving her life is just open her eyes, let us know whether or not she wants to murder us."

Alaric looked from Damon to Stefan. "Then what do we do?"

Stefan shook his head. "I..."

"Clock's ticking, brother," Damon said. "You need to get your head in the game."

"My head is in the game, Damon. My life was blown apart when I was marked by Rayna's sword, you remember that? I had to leave everything I loved behind and run for years," Stefan said. "So as much as I want Bonnie to wake up, I'm not exactly looking forward to doing that again."

"Alright, alright, I get it. You don't have any ideas, I don't either." He sighed. "This conversation just got really depressing."

Abigail's furrowed eyebrows were no different than anyone else's, but she asked, "What if she doesn't?"

They were all staring at her, waiting for her to say more, but Alaric lowering his hand to hers was the only thing that made her realize that. "What?"

"Waking up means she'll have to kill Enzo, Stefan, Caroline, Damon..." She looked around at them. "What if the reason Bonnie isn't waking up is because she's Bonnie?"

Stefan moved toward them, creating a circle rather than lines. "Rayna used to say that she had to kill me, but she didn't want to. She could sense my humanity through some sort of psychic link. If Bonnie's fighting the same war in her head, we need to give her some ammunition."

Enzo took a long, deep breath. "So, one of us needs to delve into her subconscious and do what exactly?"

"Convince her hunter-brain that not all vampires are selfish vicious monsters," Damon answered. "Which is exactly why I'm the worst person for the job."

"She's my girl. I'll do it."

Caroline spoke up, "No, it should be me. I was her best friend before I was a vampire. I can show her the difference between the two."

Stefan nodded. "She's right."

Abigail entered Damon's bedroom with no intention of seeing him. She knew he wouldn't be in there, that the only two people in the room were Caroline and Bonnie, but she still felt the blow she knew she would have if he would have been one of them. The blonde stood all the way up at the sound of the door, bringing a soft smile to Abigail's face with hers.

"I think she's better off in here, don't you think? It's quieter and more peaceful..." Caroline looked at the duffle bag over Abigail's shoulder. "Did you grab those scented candles?"