Book One: Panacea (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty-Nine

Diana holds her hand down on the horn of her jeep outside of the lake house. Derek leaves the house and pulls on his jacket as he jogs to the jeep. She waves at him. Derek opens the passenger side door and climbs in.

"Thanks for the lift," He tells her.

"I did kind of abandon you here" She offers.

"I needed the space" he stops her, he knows that staying here was best for him. "I needed the time to catch up" He lets out a breath as she backs out of the drive. "Any...idea what happened to me?" he asks her. "Who hit me?"

"I'm working on it" she assures him, yes, she lied to him, told him he took a hit to the head so hard it knocked all his memories out. "Whoever did this to you....I...I can't find them" He nods a little and sighs. He knows she's trying her best to find out what happened to him, without telling him too much about what actually happened to him and happening around him.

.............

At the Grill, Elena is sitting alone waiting for Isobel. Stefan is standing at the pool table. He watches over Elena.

"Can you hear me?" Elena asks, Stefan nods. "Thanks for coming, I'm nervous." Stefan smiles at her. "I'm happy that you're here. I love you." Stefan moves his lips and tells her 'I love you' just before Isobel arrives and sits down with her. Elena lets out a shaky breath.

"Hello, Elena" Isobel greets. "You look just like her, that's eerie."

"You've met Katherine?" Elena asks her.

"She found me after I turned. Genetic curiosity, I suppose. She would be fascinated by you." Isobel answers, Elena's eyes are drawn to Isobel's necklace.

"Is that how you can walk in the day?"

"Katherine helped me obtain it."

"Who's my father?" Elena asks her.

"Not important. He was a teenage waste of space."

"A name would be nice."

"It would, wouldn't it? You ask a lot of questions."

"Why did you compel that man to kill himself? Right after he told me to stop looking for you."

"Dramatic impact. I wish it would have been more effective."

"Human life means that little to you?"

"Means nothing to me. It's just part of being what I am." Isobel counters.

"No, it's not. I know other vampires, that's not true."

"Your new boyfriend over there by the pool table? Stefan Salvatore. Why Stefan? Why didn't you go for Damon? Or are you enjoying them both like Katherine did?" Isobel asks her, Elena is shocked by the question. Stefan looks uncomfortable.

.........

Damon and Alaric are outside of the Grill, waiting across the street on the bench, Alaric glances to his cell phone in his hand as he receives a text from Diana telling him she's on her way back to town, she wanted to be here for Elena and for him, but she has an obligation to take care of Derek, because she is why he got hurt and played, she knows that. She hates that. He lets out a breath and looks away from his phone.

"We should be in there." Damon comments.

"No, Isobel made it clear we're not to step a foot inside." Alaric reminds him.

"I'm not going to kill her in a crowded restaurant.

"You're not going to kill her period!" Alaric snaps.