Saying that Elena was different after the compulsion was an understatement. Alaric should have known. You can't alter someone's memories without expecting it to have a huge effect on their behaviour.
Initially, everything seemed fine. In fact, better than fine. Elena was smiling, hanging out with her friends and making plans for the future. She was involved in five thousand different activities and whether it was organizing the Whitemore parties or going for a hike during the weekend, she seemed perfectly content. Little did they know that Elena's need to be hyperactive was the first red flag.
The first time Alaric saw Elena drinking neat bourbon in the bar, he tried to shake the thought. It must be a coincidence. Elena might not have enjoyed bourbon in the past but it didn't mean that she couldn't change her mind.
It was actually after the first week of Elena making her daily visit to the bar to drink a glass of bourbon that Alaric decided to ask her why. Elena's reply took him by surprise.
"It soothes me", Elena stated honestly. "Whenever I feel sad or void or anxious, simply the scent of it helps me relax". Elena must have noticed Alaric's stunned expression and further explained " I can't quite pinpoint what it is but I feel like something's wrong lately. There's this weight on my chest and this vague sadness that I can't shake".
Elena's confession troubled Alaric. The reason they took such a radical solution in the first place was for Elena to feel better and fully move on. A part of Elena was still holding on, even subconsciously, which made Alaric wonder whether he made a massive mistake agreeing to help Elena.
The next few weeks, things took a turn for the worse. Caroline caught Elena repeatedly compelling students and turning them into her personal blood bag. Whenever Caroline tried to confront her about it her response was always the same. "Caroline, you are a vampire now. Act like one."
Alaric started suspecting what was going on, when he noticed that Elena wasn't randomly compelling students anymore. She had a type; black hair, blue eyes. The suspicion turned into certainty when Caroline found out another important detail. Elena wasn't simply compelling them to be obedient and discreet. She was asking them to respond to the name Damon.
This was when Alaric and Caroline knew that they needed to intervene. Elena was still obsessing over Damon and was even more dangerous than before.
"I'm losing my mind, Ric" Elena admitted as she was crying hysterically. "I can't control myself anymore. I'm having these very vivid dreams about Stefan's brother, Damon. Except that in the dreams he isn't just the vampire that tried to kill my brother. He is still impulsive and morally ambiguous and everything I should hate him for. But he is also the boyfriend who supports me and loves and would do anything for me. He is the love of my life and the one I want to spend forever with. And I know that it's crazy but I'm starting to believe more the dreams than what I know is true."
"The weirdest part is that I confuse reality with dreams so much now that I love him. More than I've ever loved anyone in my life. His loss cripples me and I don't even know him that much." Alaric and Caroline were staring at Elena in shock, unable to figure out how to help her.
"Do you remember, Ric, when I told you I felt sad all the time and didn't know why? Now it feels justified. I tried to look for answers in psychology books but none of them helped. I considered meeting with a psychologist but what was I supposed to tell?" Alaric had made his mind. They needed to reverse the compulsion, whatever it took. Elena's mental health depended on it.
Alaric's thoughts were interrupted by his ringing cell phone. "You need to come here now!"
"What are you talking about Ric? What's going on? Is Elena OK?" the voice answered alarmed, evidently confused by the emergency in Alaric's tone.
"Just do as I say", Alaric ordered and hung up the phone. Then he focused his attention again on Elena, who was even more distraught than before. "Calm down, Elena, I know how to help you. I promise. You are not crazy, trust me on this"
"No Ric, you don't get it. There's no way to explain this, other than me being utterly and completely insane. It's not just dreams anymore-"
"Elena, please just let me explain"
"No you don't get it!" Elena shouted at him. "It's not just dreams anymore. It's been a week that I see him Alaric. When I'm awake! He's always hiding in corners, watching me. Most of the times, it's just his scent that tips me off. Sometimes, I can spot a silhouette from a far that looks just like him. And whenever I come closer to see him, he's gone. Right now, I heard his voice on your phone. So please, don't say I'm not crazy. Because I'm struggling to be in touch with reality, but everyday I'm closer to surrendering to this imaginary world my mind created."
"I need help" Elena pleaded.
The process of uncompelling Elena was harder than Alaric would ever imagine. He tried for hours and every single attempt was failing miserably. If it weren't for the spell Luke suggested, they would probably still be trying and messing Elena's mind even more.
Luke's guilt along with the pressure he's been subjected to by a certain someone motivated him to find a spell that could undo compulsion. The success of the spell depended on two factors. The first one was that original compulsion was stronger and Luke couldn't warrantee that the spell would work. The second was that it was claimed to be an excruciatingly painful process for the individual who was subjected to it.
"Elena, who is Damon Salvatore?" Alaric asked Elena after the spell was over.
"He's my boyfriend and he died" Elena replied with tears in her eyes. Alaric wished that he had known better, that he wouldn't have subjected her to this process that ended up prolonging her torture instead of helping her. Erasing Damon from her memories was wrong. Not only because it didn't allow Elena to properly grieve and process her loss but also… Someone knocked lightly on the door and Alaric knew that he was finally there.
"I have a surprise" Alaric smiled at Elena as he reached to open the door to his buddy. Damon and Bonnie managed to get back to them a week ago. Despite their joy over getting their friends back, the real dilemma the gang had to face was whether they should tell Elena about Damon and Bonnie's return. After considering Elena's break down and the recent improvement of her state, everyone including Damon agreed that letting her continue the life she's built for the last few weeks was probably in her best interest.
It was only Damon that started questioning their plan a couple of days after his return. "Elena's falling apart and I don't know how you can't see it." Damon insisted. "She's miserable and being Elena she's trying to convince herself and everyone around her that everything's fine."
"I'm finding a way to break this compulsion and no one can stop me." Damon declared after he faced the skepticism of his friends. Fortunately, he did and that's why Alaric could help Elena today.
"I'm seeing him again, Ric!" Elena was terrified, sobbing uncontrollably. "I can't let go… I can't!"
Damon got close to Elena in seconds and hugged her as tight as he could. Alaric could tell that the sight of Elena being so lost and desperate shattered Damon.
"It's real, baby. I'm real. It's over" Damon whispered in her ear, hoping he would take her pain away. Elena looked at Alaric and Caroline, trying to make sense of what was happening to her. When they both nodded, confirming what Damon was saying, Elena relaxed and returned the embrace. She hugged him so passionately and fiercely, as if her life depended on it. After a while, she broke the embrace, needing to see Damon's face, to touch him, to make sure that he was still there with her. Alaric and Caroline stepped out of the room not wanting to intrude their moment.