Book Three: Ineffable (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Three

Diana adjusts her dress around her body as she turns in her mirror. Alaric appears behind her, his eyes on the dress as she moves, he smiles a little and shakes his head.

"That dress is ridiculously short for a maternity dress" he comments tugging on the bottom of it. She shrugs and smirks at him through the mirror.

"We're going to be late" Diana scolds weakly as Alaric nuzzles into her neck, his arm around her waist, hand flat on her bump. He notes her expression.

"Are you thinking about Tennessee?" he asks her, she sighs and nods as he pulls away from her so she can finish getting ready.

"Yeah...just...it's been almost two months now" She reminds him as she pulls on her necklace. "I keep thinking that we're never going to find them, that we're going to be playing this cat and mouse game for...well, forever"

"We're not giving up" he takes her face in his hands. "We'll find Klaus....and we will kill him for what he did to you, I promise" he kisses her forehead. "And we will save Stefan too" he adds as an afterthought, she hums a little and gives him a look. He shrugs back.

...........

Diana closes her bedroom door and then takes Alaric's outstretched hand, he kisses the back of it and smiles at her before releasing so they can head downstairs.

"You know what...I think my mom had some earrings that will work with this dress" She offers as she stops. "I'll meet you downstairs" He nods and heads down the stairs, Diana lets herself into her parents' bedroom and closes the door behind her. She crosses the room and opens their closet door to reveal more research but not on Klaus or Stefan. On mystical weaponry and the possibility of them being real. On if they would be capable of killing a hybrid. On the symbol she keeps obsessively drawing. On the things she's seen in her dreams. But considering everything in her life is so....weird, it's hard to find hard evidence of stuff, even with her knowledge base and her connections. She takes a breath and closes the door again. She can't concentrate on this now, she has to concentrate on her sister and her big 18 birthday.

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

"Oh wow," Diana states flatly as she and Alaric look around the heaving Boarding House. "I thought Elena said this was going to be a small thing"

"Yeah" He offers in agreement.

"I don't know how long I'm going to last" she admits. "It's already been a long day and I don't want to deal with drunk high schoolers" he nods and wraps his arm around her waist.

"An hour?" he asks. "Then we'll get you home?"

"Sounds great" she answers, he kisses her softly and then pulls back. "I'm going to find Elena...." She offers, pats his arm, and then walks away, Alaric smiles to himself as she goes. Alaric glances around hearing a whistle. Damon waves from the open backdoors, he motions for Alaric to join him outside, Alaric nods and heads that way, at least he gets to escape all these teenagers.

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

Later; outside on the porch, Damon and Alaric are talking together as they drink.

"I am every parent's worst nightmare." Alaric teases slightly. "I am the chaperone teacher from hell."

"I love high school parties," Damon admits.

"Isn't Andie supposed to be coming?" Alaric asks him.

"Ten o'clock broadcast. Should be here in a little bit." Damon answers, Elena comes out of the house and joins them. "Hello, Birthday Girl!"

"Drink!" Elena holds out her hand and takes Damon's glass as Diana leaves the house and rubs at her nose. "Di?" Elena asks watching her, Diana wrinkles her nose.

"I want to sneeze so bad" Diana admits.

"What happened?" Alaric asks her. 

"Walked through an aftershave cloud," She answers as she moves closer. "It was like being attacked by chemicals..." Alaric chuckles a little. "What is it with male teenagers?" She asks them. Elena smirks and shrugs.

"Oh" Elena turns to her sister. "Jeremy's smoking again." She takes a drink. Diana groans in response.

"You've got to be kidding me?" Diana comments.

"Is his stash any good?" Damon asks.

"You're an ass" Elena comments giving him the stink eye and then looks at Diana. "Talk to him, please. He looks up to you." She puts the glass back in Damon's hand and walks away. Damon and Alaric share a look and then both turn to Diana. She's not exactly the best morality model, high school drop out, pregnant before she's even hit 20, murderer, etc, etc. 

"You're screwed," Damon tells her.

"Yeah" She agrees. Damon then looks at his cell phone as it rings.

"Andie wants me to pick her up," Damon comments reading the message from Andie.

"Your fake, compelled girlfriend wants you to be a chivalrous boyfriend?" Diana teases as Alaric wraps his arm around her waist, he smirks a little.

"Well, it's a complicated dynamic." Damon answers, and motions between them. "You get that, right?"

"Yeah." Alaric agrees.

"Well, hold the fort down, will ya?" Damon asks them.

"You mean the fort full of my drunk history students?" Alaric counters.

"Drink more, you will feel less weird." Damon jumps down and leaves. Alaric shakes his head and glances at his watch and then to Diana.

"That's an hour, more than...actually" Alaric comments. "I have to stay...I'm sorry, I know I said I'd drive you home"

"I can drive myself" she reminds him.

"I know you can...but I want to go home too" he assures her, she chuckles a little.

"You" She starts as she turns to face him. "My darling husband" he smirks at her. "Are the only responsible adult here"

"That's horrifying" He points out as he plays with her hand. "Do you think maybe we should start telling people?"

"What?" she counters. "That we basically ran off and got married without telling anyone?"

"Not basically" he argues with a smile. "That's exactly what we did" she sighs a little.

"Everyone else has got something else going on" he nods in agreement. "We did this for us..." she reminds him. "Because it's what we needed, what we wanted....and once we deal with Stefan and Klaus, then we'll tell them....plus you know they'll get pissed that we didn't invite them" he nods in agreement. "Let's get a win under our belt..." he stands and kisses her head.

"Okay," he agrees. "We need a win" he kisses her softly and presses his car keys into her palm. "I'll be home as soon as I can"