(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Eighty-Seven

"What are you looking for?" Elena asks Meredith.

"I don't know" Meredith answers. "A tumour, vascular anomalies, anything physical that might explain his behaviour. If it's medical, I can treat it"

"And if it's not?" Elena counters, Meredith looks at her and then at Daphne.

"Well, then that is your sister's area of expertise" Meredith points out, Daphne snorts a little. She has no idea where to even start. Cursed objects are rare now, jewellery even more so. She only knows of two cases of cursed jewellery in the wizarding world's modern history and those both had to do with the Dark Lord. She really doesn't want to bother Hermione with this, but it is looking like she has no choice. This is well beyond even her knowledge base.

"When did you suspect him?" Daphne asks Meredith. "That it was Alaric who was killing all of those people?"

"It was after he told me about his ring" Meredith offers. "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"

"But then, why did you protect him?" Elena counters.

"Because I'm a doctor" Meredith reminds them. " 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...I don't know, I- I just kind of want to help him." Meredith moves closer to the glass and presses a button. "Everything alright in there?"

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's okay" Alaric answers, but he sounds unsure of himself. Daphne closes her eyes and tilts her head. It's not pretty in his mind. There is definitely some kind of interference there. Some corruption. But it's too messy and she is not strong enough to fix it like this. She isn't powerful enough to dig deeper. She lets out a breath and opens her eyes. Something is definitely wrong in there.

..........

After the scan, Alaric is in a regular hospital room getting ready to leave when Elena and Daphne join him. Elena shifts closer as Daphne lingers at the door. She and Alaric aren't as close as he and Elena are. Plus she's a little more worried than Elena. Because she knows that there is something wrong in his head. She's cautious now. She knows the damage that cured rings can do.

"Meredith says that everything is normal" Elena offers Alaric.

"Yeah, well, everything is normal, because there is nothing wrong with me" Alaric argues. "I didn't kill Brian Walters, I didn't kill Bill Forbes, and I sure as hell didn't shove a hunting knife into my stomach" Alaric looks down at the ring, which is the only thing he hasn't picked back up and put back on. "Or I did and I've gone insane, just like your ancestor who wore that ring"

"Look, Daph can call Bonnie....the rings were made by a Bennett witch so maybe a witch can reverse the damage"

"Yeah, no" Daphne argues, Elena looks at her. "Bonnie's mad at me for severing her mom's magic...like really mad...but I am all over this" She holds up her books.

"Aren't you exhausted?" Alaric asks her. She shrugs a little. Yes, she is tired, she has worked very hard since coming back home.

"I can call Bonnie" Elena assures Daphne. "You don't have to do this..." Daphne gives her a look. "Daph, you've done so much for us all already....you can take a break"

"No, I can't" Daphne argues. "Because from what I've seen, if I'm no watching your backs all the time, one of you is gonna end up dead" Alaric looks down a little, she's not wrong. There has been a lot of death, but since she came back, there has been a slowing down of it all. Alaric lets out a breath and then pushes the ring towards Elena.

"Here. Take it. I don't want it anymore" Elena takes the ring and looks at Alaric just as Damon enters the room.

"You ready to ditch this House of Horrors?" He asks and then looks at Alaric, and pulls a face. "Oof, you look terrible"

"Yeah, let me...let me check outta here" Alaric leaves the room. Elena gives Damon a hateful look and leaves too. Daphne frowns and glances at the doorway before she turns to Damon.

"What was that about?" Daphne asks, Damon lets out a breath and turns to her.

"She caught Stefan..." He pulls a face and shifts his head side to side trying to work out how to word.

"Feeding?" She counters, and he nods.

"Yeah" He answers. That is the simplest way to go about it, and he should have just gone with that. "Yeah...I thought it would help with his control so I took him for a drink. And well..."

"It didn't work?" She asks him with a small smirk. He snorts and shakes his head.

"You don't have a spell that would just straight up fix him?"

"Nope" She answers. "He's gotta work through his shit himself....no quick fixes"

"Don't say that" He scolds her a little, pulling her closer to him. "Come on, there's not like a little spell..." He pouts at her. "Just an itty bitty one" She chuckles but shakes her head. "Man, thought you were all-powerful" He rests his forehead against hers and closes his eyes. His worry for his brother shining through here.

"He'll be fine" She assures him, he snorts and leans away to shake his head.

"Yeah, sure" He argues leaning down to kiss her forehead before he takes her books from her. "Come on"

"Damon" She stops him with a hand on his arm. "He'll be fine...because he has you" She pokes his nose and he softens a little. "And all these friends around him...Neither of you is alone in this..." He reaches up and touches her cheek, curling his hand to pull her to him so he can kiss her.