vulnerability ● alaric/elena

[pomnit]

title| vulnerability

summary| But she's doing it anyway, because it's Alaric and she can't sleep knowing he's locked in cell somewhere, no matter what he's become.

A/N| The recent plot twist was just.. ugh. It broke my heart. Poor Alaric just can't catch a break can he? I sort of hope the plot-line plays out like this, but I also hope they can fix him. Also, be warned, here lies spoilers for 3x16. 

This is stupid, idiotic, foolish.

But she's doing it anyway, because it's Alaric and she can't sleep knowing he's locked in cell somewhere, no matter what he's become.

She slips through the shadows of the boarding house, murmuring small prayers that Stefan and Damon aren't home. She hasn't seen them so far, but that's sort of the thing about vampires. You don't know they're there until they've sneaked up behind you and bit into your throat.

She shivers, a cold chill sweeping over her. Being in her sleep shorts makes each breeze seem like ice.

She's reached the staircase to the cellar, takes one step at a time. The third one creaks and she winces. Please be quiet.

She doesn't let herself breathe until she's reached the bottom, her first breath one of relief. She sees the cell, is almost too scared to approach. But she has to see him, has to make sure he's okay. Her steps towards the cell door are small, quiet, resembling hushed whispers. (Meanwhile, her heart is going off like the wings of a humming bird, each beat thumping before the first was finished.)

When she reaches the door, it takes her a moment to gain the courage to peer inside. She sees him there, lying on the ground, facing away from her. He's shaking. She wants to open the door, to run inside and wrap her arms around him, tell him it's going to be okay. But she can't, she knows that. He attacked Meredith, he killed innocent people. He's not safe anymore. He could hurt her. But she watches him on the ground, a silent mess, and she can't hate him or be angry with him. She can't even be scared of him because this is Ric and he wouldn't ever hurt her. But this is for his own good, isn't it?

Her thoughts are cut off when something beside her falls, making a loud crash, and she startles, accidentally bumping into the metal door. She curses under her breath, and when she looks back into the cell, she sees Alaric has gone still. She freezes, watching him carefully, hoping he won't look. But that's exactly what he does, turning his head and staring at her, his eyes wide. He looks so scared, like he's been laying there waiting for his execution, for a monster to come rip him to pieces. (She doesn't realize until later that that's exactly what he was doing.)

His eyes soften when he realizes who she is. He starts to pull himself up, his eyes locked onto hers. "Elena?" His voice sounds scratched and broken and she can feel her heart breaking. "Ric.." Her fingers lace through the bars. She wishes he would just stay down, wishes she had the strength to run back home and forget. But a good chunk of her valor is trapped in that cell with him.

He's gotten himself up and has stumbled closer to the door. She moves her fingers before he can touch them, puts them at her side. He slips his through the bars anyway, and it's a struggle just to make sure she doesn't lose control and lace hers with his. "Elena, please, you have to help me."

She tries to swallow back the lump in her throat. "I can't do that, Ric."

He looks desperate, his fingers tightening around the bars. He might be shaking again, but she can only see his face. "Please, Elena, I won't hurt anyone. I'm better, I'm good now, I won't hurt anyone. Please."

She backs away from the door, inch by inch, because she doesn't know if she can control herself. Her hands want to reach for the lock, so she grasps her wrist, holds it to her chest. "Please, Elena, please, I won't hurt you, I promise, I'm better, I'm okay. I won't hurt you."

She shakes her head, gripping her wrist tighter, her eyes blurring. "You don't know that."

His desperation has seeped into his voice and she can see now how hard he's shaking. "I do, Elena, I know." She trembles, fighting the impulses telling her to unlock the door. His next words shatter her. "I love you, I love you, I would never hurt you. Please, Elena, you have to believe me, please."

She shuts herself down, closes her eyes and tries to block out his pleads. Her mind has turned into a battleground, one side conceived he's lying, he's insane, this all mind games. The other side is tearing her heart in half, begging along with him that he's okay now, he's better, he would never hurt her.

When she opens her eyes, he's still begging, his fingers reaching through the bars for her. He's crying now. "Please, Elena, please help me." Her mind spits out Crocodile Tears, while her heart chants his previous words like a battle cry. I love you. I love you I love you I love you.

She knows she's breaking down, wishes she could move so she could run. But she can't tear her eyes away from his. She feels a liquid run down her arm and realizes that she's digging her nails into her wrist and drawing blood. She feels like she's going to collapse. Ric.

"Please, Elena, I'm better, please."

A glimmer of hope cracks through her, shoots up her veins and infects her. He's telling the truth, he has to be. He's better now.

She doesn't remember consciously moving her arm, but she sees it reaching out, reaching for the lock, pulling-

And then she's backing away, even though she didn't tell her legs to move. She going backwards, back towards the staircase. Alaric is shouting something that sounds like 'no'. Her eyes are still locked on his cell and she doesn't understand what's happening until Damon hisses in her ear, "You're not supposed to be here, Elena." Then she starts to feel his hands on her, pulling and tugging and shoving. She can't move, she can't breathe. She numbly lets him take her, lead her up the staircase.

Once they're on the ground floor, Damon twists her around, looks at her like she's just done the stupidest thing he's ever seen. She probably has. "What the hell do you think you were doing?"

She stares at him wide eyed, still not processing what just happened. Once it all hits her, she blinks back tears and tries to swallow. The lump in her throat is even bigger and she almost chokes.

He softens a bit when he sees her condition, lets out a sigh before saying, "He was messing with your head, you know that. He would've killed you as soon as you unlocked that door."

She bites down on her lip to keep her chin from shaking. She's starting to cry now, silent tears making tracks down her cheeks. Her voice is small, barely a sound. "Ric wouldn't hurt me.."

His eyes narrow. "That guy in there, that isn't Ric. Not anymore."

She can't argue, too busy using the rest of her strength to just stand. Ric's screaming in the cellar, and each cry is echoing with the one's in her head. She doesn't know what to believe anymore.

She doesn't know who to believe anymore.