Book Three: Ineffable (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Six

Two Months Later: 

Diana grabs a handful of books from her bookshelf and passes Jeremy sat on her bed as she moves to an empty box on her dresser. Jeremy watches her.

"I still can't believe you bought an entire apartment complex" Jeremy comments, Alaric hums in agreement as he leans against her desk and watches Diana as she packs up her things. "How did she afford that?" Jeremy asks Alaric.

"Athena" Alaric offers. "Apparently all graduates and stuff get a limitless credit card...."

"The card comes from Artemis" She corrects. "It's only for her hunters...." She offers. "It is to pay for weapons, supplies...accommodation" She explains. "So we can concentrate on the hunt and not having to worry about earning money" She shrugs a little.

"Pretty sure one apartment would cover the whole accommodation aspect" Jeremy teases, Diana gives him a look.

"It's an investment" Alaric defends. "Plus..."

"It gives me something to do" Diana finishes for him. "Something not vampire or werewolf or Klaus related"

"Still nothing huh?" Jeremy asks.

"Nope," Alaric answers with a disappointed sigh. They've been working hard to track them down.

"I've got a few ideas to try yet" Diana counters. "It's not over" Alaric nods a little and then takes a breath.

"I'll take these down to the car" Alaric offers as he moves to a full box, his eyes catching the statue figurine inside. "Diana?" Alaric asks picking up the Zeus inspired figurine. "What's this symbol?" he shows her the figurine and the 21 style symbol on the base, half of the symbol she's been drawing and focusing on.

"Oh...that's Jupiter" She answers. He frowns. She chuckles a little seeing his look. "You thought this was Zeus?" She asks taking the figurine from him.

"Yeah, he's holding a lightning bolt" Alaric points out.

"That's the master bolt" She counters and shrugs. "And yeah, I guess, technically it is Zeus" He frowns at her. "Jupiter is...Zeus and vice versa, just Jupiter is the Roman counterpart" Alaric raises an eyebrow.

"And the symbol?" he asks.

"It's Jupiter's symbol...." She answers. "So...Zeus' symbol. It's lesser-known cause everyone that thinks Zeus, they think lightning bolt..." she touches the symbol and zones out as she stares at it. Alaric and Jeremy share a look. She shakes her head and comes out of it before putting the figurine back in the box.

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

Damon looks around Alaric's old apartment, it's been stripped of everything, it's empty, void of even fixtures. He moves to one of the walls and looks over some papers pinned there, architecture designs.

"Who did these designs?" Damon asks as he looks over the designs. They're incredible. A conversion plan. Alaric's old apartment and their new one on the ground floor, directly below the old one, lucky for them that they can put in place things to join the two of them together. A nice spiral staircase. Diana loves that thing. Damon's not sure she's going to love it when she's trying to carry two babies down it but still.

"Derek did" Alaric answers. "He...has a gift" Damon smirks a little and looks at him.

"You don't think it's weird that you get along with the ex as well as you and Derek do? Especially when said ex stabbed your current baby momma"

"Whilst brainwashed and mind-controlled by her sister" Alaric argues. "Not his fault" Damon hums a little.

"So where's my room?" Damon asks, Alaric shoots him a look.

"You don't get one" Alaric answers and moves on to a box of supplies to check off the checklist they have for building supplies.

"So up here...this is going to be...?" Damon asks and looks back at the designs. Alaric moves to stand at his side.

"Master bedroom and nursery" Alaric motions to the design. "We're putting up a couple of walls to shape it up but..." He nods a little. "Yeah"

"And downstairs?"

"Open plan living space" Alaric answers and touches the design. "And the two bedrooms down there will be a study and a weapons rooms" Damon snorts.

"Only you guys would have a weapons room" He teases, Alaric shoots him a look.

"We need one, we need to put them somewhere safe....away from tiny hands" Damon hums in agreement.

"So you're nearly done?"

"Yeah...Trying to get it finished before Diana is too pregnant" Alaric comments. "Downstairs is pretty much done, the kitchen is installed and ready to use....new furniture will be here tomorrow. Derek's got contractors coming in to put the walls up tomorrow as well. Then paint....furnish, and it's ready, probably end of the week we'll be in here" Damon nods a little.

"Look at you...all grown up" Damon teases, Alaric shoots him a look.

..........

Diana sets a statue figurine of Athena on her new fireplace and smiles at it as she steps back. Alaric hugs her from behind and smiles into her hair.

"She looks great up there" he offers. "Next to this" he hands her a photo frame and she smiles wider taking it. Their wedding photo. Even though it was just the two of them, and two strangers as their witnesses, it was perfect. Diana in a little white lace number, Alaric in a casual suit. "I mean...when we can put it up" She looks up at him.

"Soon" she assures him. "We're so close to finding them, so close, I can feel it...in my gut"

"Sure that's not just the babies kicking?" he teases, she smirks and pulls him closer.

"We'll throw a little victory party" She offers. "And we'll tell them all...." he nods and then takes a breath. 

"Hey, this morning...You said you had ideas" he starts. "Klaus and Stefan?"

"Yeah" she nods and moves to a ring binder on the top of a couple of boxes and opens it up to flick through. "They're tracking werewolves, right?" he hums in acknowledgment. "So should we" she offers.

"Okay," he states and frowns at her.

"If we can get in front of them" She adds. "Figure out their next move...predict where they are going instead of where they've been" She turns to him. "I'm going to talk to Tyler" she admits. "I know he's not been a werewolf long but that time he spent away, Derek said he spent it with other wolves, maybe he heard something"

"It's better than nothing" He agrees and kisses her head. "But tomorrow..." he adds, she nods in agreement.

"Yes," She voices. "I'm exhausted....take me home?" he nods and kisses the back of her hand.