Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Sixty-Two

Katherine is looking for a blood bag in the fridge when she hears the key in the lock. She leans up and goes to the door to find Alaric on the other side. He stands outside his apartment without entering.

"Look who's dumb enough to come back," Katherine comments and walks into the apartment.

"Yeah, well..." Alaric shrugs and then turns to the door. "Damon. Would you like to, uh, come in?" Damon comes in and Katherine rushes over to him.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Katherine asks. Damon pushes her against the wall.

"Where is she?" Alaric asks, Katherine's eyes flicker to the bedroom. Alaric hurries towards his room. Diana is sleeping curled around herself on the floor and his heart breaks seeing her like that. She looks so small. So weak. And he knows she is neither of those things. He fights his own tears because he was part of this. Even if it was indirectly, this is still partly his fault. He crouches next to her and is actually scared to touch her in case he hurts her. "Diana?" he whispers as he takes her face in his hands, her eyes open and she instantly reacts with fear momentarily forgetting that Klaus gave him up. "No, no" he pleads with her. "It's me...It's me" he promises her, she nods because she knows, she starts crying. "I'm sorry," he tells her. "I'm so sorry" she nods a little.

"Get me the hell out of here" she whispers. He nods and looks over her, his eyes finding the shackle. His eyes follow the line of chain to the bedframe. He tugs on it, it's strong, too strong for him.

"Damon" Alaric states, Damon appears behind him. Damon moves to the chains and looks over them. He wraps it around his hand a little and pulls, intending to break them but the runes just light up instead.

"Jeez, what are these made of?" Damon asks when they don't give even a little, even with his strength.

"Try harder" Alaric scolds.

"I'm trying" Damon argues. Alaric then takes a breath and leaves the room. Damon glances over his shoulder and then back at Diana. She looks like utter shit.

"I looked worse yesterday" She mumbles seeing his expression, she adjusts the shirt around her middle. They share a look.

"How bad?" he whispers, she shrugs and shakes her head.

"You don't want to know" she answers him. "And neither does he" Her eyes water slightly as she remembers what she went through. Alaric hurries back into the room, Diana and Damon look at him.

"In a world of vampires and witches," Alaric starts. "Bet they didn't think human tools would be used" he holds up a screwdriver and a crowbar.

"That's not going to work" Damon points out, Alaric shoots him a look to shut up, because he has to at least try. Alaric then looks at the bedframe, thoughtful. He then ignores the chains and uses the crowbar on his bed, pulling the frame apart. "That will work" Damon corrects. Damon pulls the end of the shackle through the broken piece of bed. Alaric throws the tools on the bed and moves to Diana, she holds up her arms and lets him lift her up. She groans a little and curls her arm around his neck and attempts to carry her out the room. But is stopped by the barrier spell.

"What?" Alaric asks, Diana lets out a sob, her rescue faltered.

"I can't leave" she whispers clutching to him. Alaric looks around the door frame.

"Tear it apart," He tells Damon.

"Your apartment" Diana scolds, Alaric looks down at her.

"I don't care" he counters. "I'll tear this whole place down if it means I get you out of here" she presses her head to his chest as she starts to cry because she's missed him so much, and her hormones are all over the place. Damon grabs the crowbar and moves to the frame.

"Sure this is going to work?" Damon asks. Alaric takes a breath.

"No" He admits. "But..." Damon nods, they both know what's at stake here. Damon's friend. Alaric's fiance. The babies. Damon doesn't care about a lot of things, but these Gilbert kids, they are proving to be important to him. That now includes whatever is growing inside of Diana. Damon shoves the crowbar into the frame and yanks, ripping it apart until there is a hole big enough for them to get through. Alaric tests the gap with his leg before stepping through with Diana. He lets out a breath and holds Diana closer to him.

"You can't take her" Katherine warns stepping between them and the door. "He'll know..." Damon and Alaric share a look, Damon nods to him and turns back to Katherine, he vamp-speeds and shoves her against the wall again.

"I gave you vervain, now I'm here to collect. I got it from here, Ric."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, only one of us needs to get blamed for this. Get her back to the house, take care of her" Damon tells Alaric as he nods to Diana in his arms.

"I will" Alaric assures him and then leaves with Diana.

"Get blamed for what?" Katherine asks Damon.

"I need to know where Klaus is keeping his werewolf." Damon answers.

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"Dead werewolf equals no ritual."

"No. You can't interfere, Damon. Klaus will kill you and everyone you've ever met."

"I just need to delay this thing."

"No. No way."

"You should like this. It's going to buy another month of your pathetic life."

"Right. Except that I'm not the vampire he's planning on sacrificing."

"What?"

"Yeah. He's got Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood. Therefore, I'm in the clear."

"And where'd he get that idea from?" He goes toward her. She holds her hands up in innocence.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey, I'm just trying to stay alive long enough to get myself out of here."

"What if I told you Elena had vampire blood in her system?"

"What?!"

"Imagine how much fun that will be competing with Elena for Stefan's love for, I don't know, forever."

"The tomb. He's got them in the tomb." Katherine answers.

"Thank you." He then leaves. Katherine looks around the now-empty apartment.