Chapter 23
Panic attacks

3RD PERSON'S POV:

Victoria just came back because she got call by Katherine telling her to come and help with Stefan who has problems with sleep. He has panic attacks and is feeling bad. Victoria knocked on Salvatore Boarding House's door as Caroline stood next to her.

She could hear Katherine talking to Stefan "And so, I may have called a backup." Victoria knew it was Katherine.

Stefan opens the door to find Victoria and Caroline standing outside, smiling as usual. "What are you two doing here?" He asked them confused.

Caroline smiles "I am your sober sponsor, and we heard that you needed help. So we came" She said.

"Really?"

Victoria nodded. "Caroline got her Mom to drop off something for us to use." She said as she moves aside to reveal the Pierce & Franklin safe that Stefan was locked in. Stefan stares at it in shock. "Don't worry. I sanitized it."

___________________________

Victoria and Stefan stand in front of the safe, which is now lying on the library's floor.

Stefan doesn't like the idea to see this safe in his livingroom. "I spent three months drowning in this thing. What the hell were you thinking?"

"Caroline was thinking it's time for you to deal with the source of your PTSD." Victoria said before Caroline could.

Stefan looks at Caroline. "And you are sure you are not just sublimating your feelings about what happened to Jesse last night?" Stefan asked and Victoria shook her head.

"Feelings? What feelings would I have about my best friend killing the guy I was crushing on?" Caroline asked.

"He was out of control, and Elena did what she had to do." Stefan said making Victoria and Caroline to roll their eyes.

"No. Elena did what she thought she had to do, just like she also thought" Caroline said as she faces him "...that Damon was good boyfriend material. Now you see where I am going with this?"

"Anyways, aren't you a drama major? What do you know about PTSD?" Stefan asked.

Caroline.smiles."Well, I know that you tried to deal with it your own way and you failed, so now..." she opens the safe door "...we are gonna try it my way."

Stefan stares at the open safe and then at Caroline and Victoria who are smiling.

___________________________

Stefan is locked inside the safe, looking around nervously. Victoria is worried.

"Caroline! Do you even know what you are doing?"

"Yes.  Well, it's in my textbook." Caroline said making Victoria to give her a look. "Let me find it."

Katherine is watching her with crossed arms, a curious but mischievous expression on her face.

"Did you ever, um...ahem...you know...?" She looks at Victoria meaningfully as she starts to pace toward her.

Victoria looks confused "No, I don't.'

"Oh, come on, you know." Kathrine said as she suddenly smirks at her "Have you?" Victoria's eyes widen.

"Oh, my god! Katherine, seriously?" Victoria scoffs in disbelief.

"That wasn't exactly a yes...or a no."

"No, no and no. NO. We are just friends."

"Your loss. He's great in bed." Kathrine said and Victoria glared at her. She looked a Caroline who had shocked face.

Caroline shakes her  head annoyed "Oh, God. I am so not listening to this." She said as she looks back at her textbook, then suddenly points to something on the page.] "Here! Okay, Stefan. Prolonged Exposure Therapy. 'In vivo exposure gradually introduces elements of prior trauma, e.g. physical objects, comma, certain aspects of duress, comma--"

Katherine walks ahead from her "Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Got it, got it, got it."

Victoria has shocked face to hear Caroline.

Katherine muffled "Stop talking. The words that are coming out of your mouth are giving me a headache." She safer.

"Victoria? Caroline? Victoria! Caroline!" Stefan yelled.

"We are just trying to help Stefan understand what we are doing." Caroline said.

Victoria shook her head. "How is he going to understand, when I can't understand any of words that just came out of your mouth, Caroline?" She asked.

"Acting like a school teacher isn't going to make him feel any better." Kathrine said.

Stefan breathes heavily "I can't breathe. I can't-- " Stefan continues to gasp for air, before quickly passing out.

Katherine thinks "You are right about one thing. He needs to get over the root of his problem. 'Cause right now the score if safe - one, Stefan - zero. So how do you help the guy that always comes to the rescue? 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." She said and looks thoughtful, then smiles at Caroline and Victoria "I have got an idea."

___________________________

Stefan is rousing in the safe and sees Victoria with him.

"So, try not to be mad at me." Victoria muffled. "I got in here when you were unconscious, and then Caroline and Katherine locked us inside. It was the only way." She explained and Stefan shakes his head.

"Let me out of here! Caroline!"

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

"See? 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 am gonna help you fix that." Victoria said.

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

"You can't or Kol will murder you" Caroline said.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "That's the whole point, Stefan. You need to get over your PSTD triggers, okay? Or else you will kill me."

Stefan breathes heavily "You are risking your life." She said.

"I was already killed by you, idiot. I know what I am doing. You are the one who wants to keep me alive. It's my turn to help you now." Victoria said.

Stefan is still breathing heavily "I can't be in here. Please."

Victoria leans closer, smiling a little "You are Stefan Salvatore. Suck it up." She moves away and lays on her back next to him.

Stefan is in an anxious daze "No, no, no."

___________________________

Caroline and Katherine are still standing near the safe, looking at curiously. Caroline decided to be overly cheerful "How's it going in there? Please tell me Victoria is alive or Kol will murder me for letting her in. Is she alive?" She asked.

Stefan is breathing heavily "I feel-- I feel-- I feel like I am dying."

"You will be, if Victoria won't come out alive" Caroline muttered and Katherine chuckled.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "So I have been using this time to think. I think there is actually a little bit of truth to this doppelgänger prophecy. I think you are still in love with Elena. I think you are miserable over the fact that she chose Damon over you" she flicks her fingers on Stefan's chest "and that you wanna get out of this one-horse town and as far away from their happiness as possible, and yet somehow, you keep finding excuses to stay in Mystic Falls. I think I am just that latest excuse."

Stefan grabs Katherine by the neck, choking her 'I am going to kill you."

Victoria starts struggling to breath "Good. Yeah. Get it all out, Stefan. I think this is healthy,..." she gasps for air as Stefan tightens his grip on her throat "...although don't forget you loved me before you killed me" she said.

"Stefan! Don't kill her!" Caroline yelled panicked. She was scared of Kol.

"Any reason why you chose to have this conversation with me locked in a safe?" Stefan asked her.

"Yes! So that I can show you that the safe isn't the problem." She said.

"How could you say that to me?'

"The problem is you are not facing you are real issues. The death you felt in the safe, the pain of dying over and over again? It's easier for you to focus on the physical pain than the emotional heartbreak of Elena leaving you. Your problem is you are not in touch with the reality of the moment, so let's bring you back to the present, shall we?"  She moves her head to side when Stefan starts to let go slowly, leaving her neck bare to him. "In this moment, are you going to feed on me or are you gonna save my life?"

Stefan's extremely close to her neck, his fangs coming out as he fights the urge to feed on her. Victoria doesn't move, but breathes heavily. Stefan hesitates, the veins around his eyes disappearing as he tries to stop himself.

"Fight it, Stefan, fight it!" Victoria said softly. "I am here. I am here." She grabs his face with both her hands as she looks into his eyes "I am with you. We are together."

Caroline opens the safe.

"It was so quiet, I got worried." She said.

Stefan stands up to get out of the safe and offers his hand to help pull Victoria out. She takes it, but quickly withdraws it the moment she stands up and pushes her hair back nervously. Stefan walks over towards Caroline but is still staring at Victoria with a confused expression on his face. Finally looking back to a worried Caroline, he gives her a reassuring smile.

Caroline smiles brightly."See?" She hits Stefan's shoulders playfully, then hugs him "You made it out alive!"

While hugged Caroline, Stefan looks at Victoria giving her thankful look as Lockwood girl smiles back. She looks at Katherine with saying. "Your idea actually worked, Katherine."

"Yeah I am glad. Caroline told me about Kol Mikaelson being protective dad. He would kill me." Kathrine said making Victoria smile.

"Correction: annoying protective dad." She said. "You already are dying" She added smiling as Katherine rolled her eyes playfully.

___________________________

A/N

DONE ✔

Ahhhh

I love this chapter!!!