Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Eight

Alaric thanks the vendor and he pays for cotton candy just as Diana jogs up to him, almost colliding with him, he chuckles and smiles at her. She seems lighter, now they're not hiding, there is something so...happy and beautiful. When she smiles at him, when her cheeks look ready to pop, she's beautiful.

"Where did you disappear to?" He asks her. She nods to the plush Minion in her arms.

"I won this ugly yellow toddler, which is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen." she admits with a smile, Alaric laughs and hands her the cotton candy. Damon walks towards them.

"Diana. Ric."

"What do you want, Damon?" Alaric asks him.

"I know I'm the last person either of you want to see right now but I need you both to come with me."

"Whatever it is we're not interested." Alaric tells him.

"Oh...you're we people now" Diana and Alaric both shoot him a look. "Yeah, I need you to come with me right now, Watchdog, come on" He grabs her arm and pulls her along.

"Hey" Diana scolds and looks at Alaric who sighs and follows them.

"One night" Alaric mumbles. "Just one night without any vampire drama" He looks up at the sky. "Is that so much to ask?"

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

Diana, Alaric, Elena, Stefan, and Damon are in a classroom talking about Caroline having become a vampire.

"How the hell did this happen?" Diana asks them.

"Well, I fed her blood and Katherine obviously killed her and A plus B equals..." Damon answers.

"But why?" Elena counter asks.

"Because Katherine is a manipulative, nasty, little slut." Damon offers.

"And she said "game on"? I mean, what does that even mean?" Stefan inquires.

"It means she's playing dirty. She wants us to know."

"But why Caroline?" Alaric asks them.

"I don't know."

"Caroline must be completely out of her mind, she doesn't even know what's happening to her." Stefan points out.

"Oh I think she does. All of my compulsion from the past started wearing off the minute she was in transition."

"We have to find her." Stefan states.

"Yep, and kill her."

"You're not gonna kill Caroline." Elena scolds Damon.

"She knows who we are. She's officially a liability, and we've got to get rid of her."

"Damon, absolutely not." Stefan scolds this time.

"Need I remind you of a tragic little story of a girl named Vicki Donovan? Caroline, of all people, will not make it as a vampire. Her mother is a vampire hunter. Guys come on, we all know how this story's gonna end, just flip to the last chapter and..." Damon argues as Elena looks at Diana.

"Di?" Damon looks at her too. Diana sighs and looks between them.

"I have to agree" Diana offers.

"Thank you" Elena tells her and then shoots a smug look at Damon.

"With Damon" Diana corrects. Elena snaps her head around to Diana.

"What?" Elena asks her.

"Come on, I love Caroline" Diana defends.