Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty-One

Damon walks with Diana up towards the Gilbert house. He did tell Alaric he'd look after her, so here he is.

"You going to be okay?" Damon asks Diana who hums and nods.

"Yeah, Ric's inside..." She tucks her hands in her pockets. He raises an eyebrow. "Sorry I hurled on your shoes" She whispers.

"You know....maybe you're preggo" Damon teases, she shoots him a look.

"Yeah, right" She grumbles. He holds up his hand towards her chest and cocks his head.

"They are definitely bigger" he points out, Diana holds an arm over her chest and slaps at his hands.

"Stop it" She scolds him. "I'm not pregnant" She argues.

"Bigger boobs, vomiting, tired all the time"

"I'm tired because I didn't sleep for a month" She counters. "I'm hurling because I've basically been eating nonstop for days....and my boobs..." She sighs and shrugs. "I don't know...I can't explain that one" Damon gives her a look. "I'm surprised at your knowledge of pregnancy symptoms," She tells him. He shrugs a little.

"Just....think about" They share a look, he sighs and shakes his head before walking away.

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

Diana takes two bottles of water in the fridge and when she closes it, John is waiting for her on the other side of the door. She groans.

"Are you still here?" She asks him.

"Don't worry, I got the message..." He answers. "I'm going to stay at a motel" She nods a little and then moves around him to leave. "I'm sorry about earlier." He tells her, she raises an eyebrow at him as she turns back to him.

"I don't want you here and I literally can't make that any more clear."

"I didn't come here to fight with you, Diana"

"Yeah, I know, you're here to protect Elena. Blah, blah, blah. Got it, get in line."

"I thought you might want this. It was your mother's." He holds out a bracelet to her.

"Penelope?"

"No, your mother, Miranda. I remember her wearing it when she was young. I found it in a box, with some things that your dad left me. Here, it's yours now." She glances at the bracelet and then at John.

"I still want you out of my house," She tells him and takes the bracelet from him and then walks away.

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

Diana closes her bedroom door and walks to her dresser where she throws the bracelet down and lets out a breath. Alaric leans up from her bed and raises an eyebrow.

"John" She offers and then brushes her hand over her cheek.

"Hey...come here" He pats the bed and she climbs in to join him. "Are you okay?" she shrugs and pulls a face.

"I'm fine." She answers and lays at his side, her head on his chest. His arm wraps around her so he can play with her hair. "I was thinking earlier" she starts, he hums. "I realized that I haven't written in months" he looks at her. "I used to write almost every day....I used to love it, now I barely know what to write"

"Maybe you could write about all this" he answers. She laughs and leans up.

"Who's going to read about that?" she asks him. He shrugs.

"Those vampires book are all the rage now" he answers. She hums a little, thoughtful.

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

Diana sits at her computer as Alaric sleeps. She clicks at her computer as she hears him stirring behind her. He turns over and touches the bed looking for her, but she's at her desk instead. He sits up and looks at her.

"What are you doing?" He asks her as he rubs at his eyes. Diana glances over her shoulder and smiles.

"I'm writing" She answers warmly. "You were right...." he smiles and lays back down.

"I love how that sounds..." He whispers as he already begins to fall asleep again, she chuckles and turns back to her laptop. Her smile falls a little and she brings up the web search she had actually been reading. Damon got into her damn head about everything going on with her body. She hates that he made sense. She closes the laptop and covers her mouth, tears gathering in her eyes.

..........

Alaric approaches the boarding house and tugs his jacket closer to him. Just before he can knock the door opens to reveal Damon and his newest squeeze, Andie.

"Have a great day, honey," Damon tells Andie then kisses her. They pull apart and Andie walks out the front door, acknowledging Alaric. "Oh. Hey, Alaric. Later." Andie gets in her car and leaves. Damon waves goodbye to her. Alaric moves to stand in front of Damon. "My new girlfriend. Andie Star, action news."

"It's not called action news."

"I know. I just like saying it." Damon looks at Alaric. "Where's Diana?"

"Hell if I know" Alaric grumbles, Damon frowns at him. "I woke up and she was already gone, and she's not answering her phone....so let's deal with a vampire problem and not a Diana problem..."

"Come on." Alaric enters the house. Damon shuts the door behind him and leads Alaric into the main room where he moves to a table. "So, John Gilbert gave me this to kill Elijah." Damon unrolls the dagger from its protective cloth. "Said you have to dip the dagger in the remains of an old white ash tree that dates back to the Originals, if there's any truth in that." Damon hands the dagger to Alaric and Alaric takes it.

"So you think it's a setup?"

"It could be. Guy's a weasel. Wouldn't put anything past him." Damon turns around and heads to the bar. "What are you up to today, Mr. Saltzman?" Alaric gets up and walks over to Damon.

"Well, Diana and I were supposed to go to her family's lake house for some R and R" He answers and shrugs. "Guess that's not happening now" Damon is looking down at his phone and then nods.

"So you can come with me to this Historical Society thing at the Lockwoods where Elijah's the guest of honor?" Damon asks.

"Tell me you're not gonna kill him at the tea party," Alaric complains.

"No. That would be stupid." Alaric gives Damon a skeptical look. "I want to know his endgame before I kill him, but I do think it's time Elijah and I officially met." Damon annoyingly taps Alaric with the dagger. Alaric looks on at him, clearly not amused. "Diana's with Derek" Damon then adds and holds up his phone. "They've gone shopping" Alaric frowns and takes the phone to look over the text from Diana.

"She responded to you" Alaric whispers.

.........

"What are we doing here?" Derek asks Diana at his side as they walk down the street together.

"Shopping" she answers, he shoots her a look. "Look...I just need you to whistle or something if you see someone we know" Derek frowns at Diana.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" He asks her, she hums and then shrugs.

"Maybe later, just help me?" he nods.

"Of course..." he nudges her slightly. "Go...do whatever you are doing" She kisses his cheek and then heads into the pharmacy next to them.