Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Katherine looks up when Klaus leaves the bedroom wiping the knife on a piece of clothing cloth he's torn from one of Alaric's shirts. Katherine attempts to see around him, to see Diana but he blocks her view. Klaus moves towards Katherine.

"Clean her up," Klaus tells Katherine as he cuts the ropes around her and takes the knife from her. "If she dies...you'll suffer for it" Klaus adds. Katherine watches Klaus leave before she vamp-speeds into the bedroom where Diana is propped up against the wall, covered in blood, her arms pretty torn up. Katherine heads into the bathroom and turns on the tap before looking for a bowl or something.

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

"Get up" Katherine scolds lifting Diana up slightly so she can pull her shirt off, she needs a clean on anyway. Diana hums a little as she struggles to stay awake. Katherine takes the cloth from the bowl at her side and begins to clear away the blood to see how much damage has actually been done. "Diana?" She asks and slaps Diana's cheek, Diana groans as she wakes. "Stay wake, princess" Katherine scolds. Diana groans.

"Bite me, bitch" Diana counters, Katherine smirks a little.

"Good girl" she counters and goes back to cleaning her wounds. "He knows what is growing inside you....and he knows that it's powerful; and he wants it, he wants them" She whispers. "He can hurt you...but he won't kill you, not yet" She sighs and brushes the cloth over Diana's arm to remove the blood there. "He's trying to break you" Katherine offers. "So you'll turn on your friends....your family, so you'll use your powers against them..." Diana stares at the wall across from her.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't actually hate you" Katherine admits, Diana scoffs. "You remind me of me actually...."

"By Hera, don't say that, I already feel terrible" Diana complains weakly.

"You're a survivor, Diana....just like me," Katherine tells her. "It's who you are....it's in your blood....built to survive...you are literally the best shot at ending Klaus, and he knows that now...that's why you're in here, that's why he's doing this...." Katherine bites her wrist and holds it out to Diana. "And that's why you need to get out of here alive...now drink"

"No" Diana argues. "I'll be fine in a few hours"

"But it will scar" Katherine points out. "Take the blood"

"This doesn't make us friends," Diana tells Katherine.

"Wouldn't dream of it"

"Very reluctant allies" Diana adds, Katherine nods in agreement with that. They share a look. Diana then takes her wrist.

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

At the Salvatore Boarding House, Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, and Elena are in the living room.

"So we go to the dance, we find him." Damon offers.

"Really? How are we going to do that? We don't even know what he looks like." Stefan scolds Damon.

"Something tells me he's not going to be sixteen and pimply." Damon counters.

"He could be anywhere at any time. He compelled somebody at school." Stefan looks at Elena and Bonnie. "I guess it's not as safe as you guys thought, huh?" Someone knocks on the door before letting themselves in. Alaric/Klaus enters the room.

"There you are." Damon states.

"Sorry I'm late." Alaric/Klaus counters.

"Where's Diana?" Elena asks him.

"Resting" Alaric/Klaus answers. "She's had a very long day" Elena shares a look with Stefan, she knows something's up, because Diana doesn't go this long without contacting her family, and not Elena, even when she was in Greece, Diana text and called her every day.

"Hey, I need you to put me down as a chaperone at the dance tonight. Klaus made his first move." Damon tells Alaric.

"Okay, so we find him, and then what, hmm? What's our plan of attack?" Elena asks them.

"Me. I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him."

"That's not going to be that easy. I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around." Alaric/Klaus offers.

"Alaric has a point. I mean, what if he..." Damon rushes at Bonnie but she throws him on the other side of the room with her powers, without touching him.

"Well, I was impressed," Stefan comments with a smirk.

"It doesn't matter if he's an Original. I can take down anyone who comes at me. I can kill him, Elena. I know I can."

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

Katherine is trying to brush the blood from Diana's hair, it would be easier if she could put her in the shower but she knows Klaus isn't going to allow that now, when Klaus walks back into the apartment. He takes a breath and glances at the two of them.

"Ah, you're right." Klaus comments, Katherine frowns a little. "This witch is all juiced up and aiming to kill."

"That's terrible," Katherine mumbles and ties Diana's hair back, Klaus looks over Diana and nods a little. She looks much better now. No signs of any injuries. Not exactly what he meant, for Katherine to use her blood, but it'll do. Maddox is in the kitchen.

"We're gonna have to kill her, Maddox." Klaus points out as he moves to the drawers and opens one. "Do you think this Alaric guy has anything vintage?" He asks and then looks at Diana. "Hmmm, honey?" She cringes and then shakes her head. Klaus looks at the shirts and sees that there's something under. He opens it and sees a lot of weapons to kill vampires. "Crossbows, wooden bullets, and automatics? Who is this guy, again?"

"He's the local vampire hunter," Katherine answers and pulls a clean shirt around Diana who slides her arms through the sleeves.

"Ahh. Well, that explains the clothing." Maddox holds out a glass of bourbon to Klaus as he walks into the bedroom.

"All I could find. Guy likes his bourbon." Maddox gives him the glass, Klaus takes it.

"I knew there was something about him I liked. There's a high school dance and I'm gonna need you to take out witch bitch."

"If she has that much power, she can sense me coming from a mile away. I won't be able to get near her. You have to do it."

"In this body? I'm a haggard history teacher. She can easily hurt me. I mean, not me, Klaus me, but you know what I mean." Katherine and Diana share a look from the floor, both of them listening to them.

"No witch could handle channeling that much power. It'll kill her. It would kill me. You just have to make her use it."

"You mean like provoking her to death?" Klaus asks.

"Won't take long. Just keep attacking her until it kills her. His body, Alaric's, will last longer than hers will."

"How? He's human." Klaus asks. 

"I can help in that department. I can do a spell to protect you." Maddox admits, Klaus looks at Katherine and Diana, both pretend to have not heard anything.