Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Fifteen

Mason pulls on his jacket as everyone gets ready to call it a night. Alaric touches Diana's cheek as she smiles up at him. The two of them sharing a look.

"Yours or mine tonight?" he asks her, she steps closer to him.

"Yours" She answers. "Too crowded here" he nods a little and leans down to kiss her.

"No more takers for drinks at the Grill?" Mason asks and looks around at them. "It's like I'm with a bunch of adults here!"

"I prefer the term 'role model'" Jenna counters.

"Okay. Well, thanks for having me, it was awesome. Alaric, catch that game next week?" Mason asks, Alaric nods a little.

"Yeah, I look forward to it."

"You know, I should probably head out too," Damon admits as Mason leaves. "Jenna, you are a wonderful hostess." He kisses her hand.

"And you are a terrible artist."

"Is that the only thing that makes me terrible?" Damon asks Jenna.

"I'm still deciding."

"Good enough for me" Damon turns to Alaric. "Alaric, let's not catch that game next week." Damon glances at Diana. "Watchdog" he offers as he searches her eyes.

"Damon" She counters, he nods and then follows Mason out of the house.

"Thanks for dinner," Alaric tells Jenna who smiles and nods. "And for....letting me back in the house, and being okay with..."

"Just...you know, be careful, not everyone is going to be as agreeable as me..." Jenna comments, Alaric nods and moves to Diana.

"I'll wait in the car" Alaric whispers Diana and kisses her cheek before leaving.

"In or out tonight?" Jenna asks Diana who grabs her jacket.

"I'm going to stay at Ric's" Diana offers as she pulls it on. "If that's okay?" She asks Jenna.

"Yeah," Jenna tells her softly. "This was nice, seeing him around you...I get it now, how into you he is...." Diana smiles a little. "It's almost like watching your mom and dad together" Jenna admits, Diana softens. "He really cares about you, Di" she adds.

"I know" Diana agrees. "I really care about him too" Jenna nods and gives Diana a hug just as Alaric's presses the car horn outside. Diana pulls back from Jenna. "That's Ric" Diana offers. "I should go" Jenna nods and touches Diana's cheek before going about cleaning up. Diana smiles as she leaves the house.

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

Mason parks his car at the Grill, he cuts the engine and then climbs out. Damon walks towards him, determined to get answers seen as Mason didn't fall for the pie test.

"Damon? What? More dog jokes?" Mason asks him.

"Nah, those got old." Damon answers and then stabs Mason with a silver knife. Mason struggles and removes the knife from his chest.

"You know, I think it was werewolves who started this whole silver myth. Probably for moments like this." Damon stares a little, he kind of hoped Diana was wrong about that, hence why he still tried despite her telling him it was useless.

"Duly noted" Damon comments. "Listening to Diana from now on" He whispers to himself.

"I was really looking forward to last call. Now you made an enemy." Mason points out and then walks away. Damon lets out a breath and closes his eyes. Nothing is ever easy.

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

Alaric walks towards Damon who stands at his car waiting for him. Damon wants to talk about Diana, to see if there is anything else weird going on with her, he doesn't want to believe what he saw. That he saw that taint Mason talked about, but he did, he saw those eyes, he knows he did.

"You said it was important" Alaric states as he reaches Damon, Damon nods and looks at him.

"Diana" He admits, Alaric frowns a little. "She seem okay? Nothing weird? No strange behavior?"

"Why are you asking this stuff?"

"Because..." Damon takes a breath. "I think there is something wrong with her, something Mason said..."

"Yeah, because Mason isn't trying to shift your attention elsewhere" Alaric argues. "Nothing is wrong with Diana, leave her alone"

"Where's her necklace, Ric? Her crystal?" Damon asks, Alaric frowns. "She hasn't worn it since the Eva thing...."

"So? It's just a necklace"

"I talked to Elena, she told me that Diana hasn't taken that necklace off since she came back from Greece, not even to shower....so why now? Where is it?" Alaric looks away from him as he thinks. "There is nothing about her that's....different?"

"She's been quieter" Alaric admits. "Not sleeping, not really eating, sex is a little...rougher" Damon looks at him. Alaric shrugs. ".....I woke up the other night to find her sitting in the dark playing with her blade" Damon raises an eyebrow.

"And none of that seemed weird?" He asks.

"She just killed her sister, Damon...." Alaric defends. "It was bound to affect her. What did Mason say exactly?"

"That there was something very wrong with her" Damon answers. "That he could smell something sick in her"

"Sick?" Alaric asks, Damon nods. "Sick how?"

"Like an infection" Damon answers and shrugs. "I don't know what that means, but it can't be good...We already have enough to deal with without something happening in our ranks" Damon points out. "Figure it out" He then walks away, Alaric lets out a breath.

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

Alaric stares down at Diana as she sleeps, considering Damon's words. She has been off but he put it down to the emotional toll that comes from losing her sister. She groans and rolls slightly to lay on her back, his eyes drawn to her bare neck. Damon isn't wrong about her necklace.

"Diana" he whispers and she hums a little. "Wake up"

"What?" she mumbles and peers through her eyes at him.

"Where's your necklace?" he asks her, she frowns a little and touches her chest.

"I...must have forgotten..."

"Diana" he scolds. "Tell me the truth, where is it?" she stares up at him.

"Eva" She admits. "She broke it...."

"Why wouldn't you just say that?" he asks her. "Why lie?" She sits up and takes a breath.

"Because I was scared, I am scared..." he raises an eyebrow, she looks away from him. "Do you remember when I told you about the ritual that locked away the dark part of my soul?" he nods. "She locked it away in that crystal and when it broke...."

"Diana..." he starts slowly. "Is..." he stops and closes his eyes. "Is it loose?"

"It's in me" She admits as she pushes herself up to her knees. "I can feel it...festering inside me...It's why I barely sleep, it's why I barely eat.....I don't need to anymore...." she takes a breath. "You promised you would keep me...me" He nods. "I need you to keep that promise...." he nods again and touches her face before he holds it.

"Just tell me what to do"

"Make sure I don't hurt anyone," She tells him. "Make sure that...I only do good things...It will slow the spread"

"But not stop it?" she shakes her head.

"No, it won't stop...it won't stop until it takes over...I will go dark, Ric, one day it will happen, and when it does....promise me that..."

"No" He stops her before she can ask him what he knows she is going to ask.

"You have to" She argues. "You have to promise to kill me" he shakes his head.

"No" He whispers. "I can't..."

"You promise or I will go to Damon" He stares at her. "And I will ask him..."

"Then ask him" He counters. "Because I will never promise to hurt you, to kill you, Diana....never" she looks down and lets out a breath.