Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Fifty-Four

Diana leans her hands on her knees as she throws up, behind her Derek's car is parked and said man is digging around in shopping bags for the ginger ale Diana bought to help her through her nausea. Diana takes a breath and leans up with a groan.

"Here" Derek holds out the bottle to her, she hums and takes it.

"It's not so bad in the morning now" Diana offers before she takes a drink from the ginger ale bottle. "It's just every other moment of the day" Derek smirks a little. She takes a breath and nods. "Okay, I think I'm okay now" Derek takes the bottle from her and sets it through the window of his car and back into the shopping bag. He turns back to her and touches her arm. "Let's go" She offers. He nods and they walk away together.

"Thanks for coming to this thing with me" he offers as they head towards the Lockwood Mansion together.

"Yeah, it's kind of nice to do something that's not vampire related or...baby related" She admits. "Whilst I still can without people figuring it out" He looks at her.

"You still look great though" he assures her, she looks at him. "I mean it..." She shrugs a little.

"Well...I feel exhausted and gross...." She admits, he gives her a small smile.

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

"Hey" Elena greets Diana and Derek as they enter the Lockwood Mansion, Derek smiles at her.

"Hey..." He offers. "I'm going to go find my mom," Derek tells them both, he kisses Diana's cheek and then walks away. Elena smiles a little, glad to see their friendship again, and it is as strong, if not stronger, as it was when they were kids.

"How was shopping?" Elena asks her, Diana nods.

"It was fine, Derek made me stay way too long at the baby store...He pranced around for half an hour getting excited over onesies and high chairs. I think he's more excited than even Ric" Elena chuckles a little and then sobers slightly.

"Are you not worried about the cost? Diana, this is going to be really expensive....hospital bills, clothes...furniture and stuff...with twins" Diana shrugs.

"No" She answers. "Hunter of Artemis are equipped with Palladium credit cards"

"Credit card?" Elena asks.

"Yeah, it's a gift to help us hunt and stuff, pays for weapons, accommodation, clothing, travel.....etc"

"Babies?" Elena offers, Diana shrugs.

"I don't know yet, I've written to Artie, it's why I didn't go crazy at the store....and used the money I have left from Dad"

"If you have this card...then why are you looking for a job?" Elena asks her. "You could literally live off of that card"

"I'm not a mooch, Elena, I want to work, and what sort of example will I be setting for the babies if I never do anything" Elena nods in agreement. "Our parents instilled work ethics in us, I want to carry that on" Elena smiles. "Says the high school drop out" Diana adds teasingly.

"Your situation is not exactly normal, Di" Elena offers. "You dropped out because it was what was best for you"

"Was it?" Diana counters sadly. "I know it was best for my relationship with Ric" She assures Elena. "But something Jenna said bugs me a little"

"Jenna didn't mean what she said" Elena defends.

"I know, sort of, but...if this goes wrong, with Ric..."

"It won't" Elena stops her. "Diana, after everything we've been through, we all know you are meant to be together, think about....everything that's happened in your life, in both your lives, led you to each other"

"Elena" Diana sighs a little.

"Look, I'll spell it out" Elena teases. "You were born, Grayson and Miranda raised you. Isobel gave birth to me, Grayson and Miranda then adopted me. Isobel then went on and married Alaric. Her research led her to Damon who turned her. Alaric starts believing in the supernatural and starts looking for revenge. Fast forward to last year...Stefan comes to Mystic Falls. Damon follows him which leads Alaric here. He meets you. Different paths that brought you together, the same place, the same time...You fall in love.....see....it's fate"

"There's no such thing as fate."

"There's no such thing as vampires and werewolves," Elena argues giving Diana a look. Diana laughs a little, she has to give Elena that one.

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

Alaric walks towards his car, his cell phone pressed to his ear as he talks with Diana.

"Do I believe in fate?" He repeats her question back to her. "No, I don't think I do..." He admits. "Why?"

"Just something Elena was saying, about how our lives pushed us to meet because it's way too coincidental for it to be anything other than fate. You know, Isobel. Damon. Even Elena. It all led to us meeting...."

"Well, then sure, I can believe that fate might have had a hand in it" he corrects himself. "What about you?"

"No" She answers. "I don't think I do...I think a lot of things happened in our lives that brought us to the same place, but fate...I don't think so..."

"I thought Greeks were big on the whole fate thing" He points out, she hums.

"The Moirai" She offers in agreement. "I just...never thought about it before. Actually believing in it...I guess I should, right? Considering that I know that they are real...." He laughs and shakes his head as he digs for his car keys.

"Yeah, that would usually work for me...." He admits. "Tangible proof of something usually means that it's real...so that means...fate is real. Destiny and stuff...means we really were meant to meet..."

"Yeah" She whispers warmly.

"Everything in my life led me to you" He adds. "To the love of my life"

"Ric" she breaths. "You can't say stuff like that to a hormonal person" She scolds as she starts to cry but it's happy tears, she's utterly touched by that. "Now I'm crying, thank you" he chuckles a little.

"You're welcome." He smiles to himself. "You up for dinner?" He asks her.

"Yeah, I said I would be here for Derek, an hour tops, then I'll come home"

"Yours or mine?"

"Yours" She answers. "Just in case John is at the house, I can't deal with that energy tonight, I'm exhausted"

"Take away and a movie?" he asks her.

"Sounds perfect" She answers. "I'll see you soon" she promises and then hangs up, Alaric smiles to himself as he lowers his phone. He hears a noise behind him, he turns around to find Isobel standing behind him.

"Hi, Ric." He rolls his eyes and sighs.

"Isobel. What do you want?"

"Just cleaning up some loose ends."

"Yeah, we don't have any loose ends."

"You may not. I do. I need to apologize to you."

"It's a little late for that."

"No, not for what I've done in the past. We're beyond that. Although I am sorry for antagonizing your girlfriend. That was petty of me."

"Look, whatever jacked-up vampire amends that you're trying to make with me right now, I'm not interested."

"Of course not but I realized that I don't wanna do what I have to do without you knowing how much I loved you and I did. I loved you so much. He's all yours." A man is behind Alaric he puts his hands next to Alaric's head. He falls on the floor, unconscious. Isobel leaves, looking pained.