Book Three: Ineffable (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Later, Diana and Alaric come across Meredith talking with a man nearby.

"What are you doing? You're gonna ruin your career." the man scolds Meredith.

"Says the guy who got his job from his dad," Meredith argues.

"Do you have any idea what you're messing with?"

"I know what I'm doing."

"Damn it, Meredith!"

"Back off, Brian." Meredith scolds.

"Meredith" Diana states interrupting them. Brian glares at Diana. "Everything all right here?"

"Everything is fine," Brian tells her.

"I wasn't asking you" Diana counters as Alaric steps closer to them.

"I'm fine, Diana" Meredith assures her. "Just go away, Brian." Brian walks away. Meredith touches Diana's arm. "Thanks"

"What a jackass" Alaric comments.

"Unfortunately, I have to work with him," Meredith argues. "He is on the Council, he's the medical examiner. The guy who signs his name under Cause of Death: 'animal attack'." She admits and then sighs just as her pager goes off, and she checks it. "Duty calls." She tells them both. "Thanks for the hero moment, Cuz" Meredith teases Diana who smirks.

"Anytime" Diana assures her. Meredith walks away.

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

Damon and Klaus enter an empty room.

"What now?" Klaus asks him. "You just pulled me away from a fascinating conversation about landscaping the Town Square."

"Stefan just grabbed Elena," Damon admits.

"Well, he's getting desperate."

"He's gonna try and use her against you. Do what he says, get rid of your hybrids."

"Or what? Stefan would never dream of killing her." Klaus points out.

"You sure about that? He just tried to behead someone in the middle of a Council party. He's operating on crazy right now."

"Well, crazy or not, that kind of love never dies. He's bluffing."

"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't but if you don't want to believe him, believe me. I know my brother better than anyone, and right now, I don't have a clue how far he is willing to take this. So if he says blink, I suggest you blink." Damon admits. Klaus phone begins to ring in his pocket, he sighs and pulls it out. He gives Damon a look.

"Stefan" He admits and then answers it. "Stefan, how nice to hear your voice," Klaus comments as he picks up the phone.

"Tell your hybrids to get out of town, Klaus," Stefan warns him.

"Well, that's not gonna happen until I get my coffins back." Klaus counters.

"Okay, well then I'm gonna drive your blood source off Wickery Bridge."

"I don't believe you, Stefan. You won't kill her." Klaus points out.

...........

Stefan bites his wrist and forces it into Elena's mouth and forces her to drink his blood.

"No! No! No! What are you doing?" Elena scolds him.

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

"What's going on?" Klaus asks concerned.

"I just fed her my blood. No more hybrids if she's a vampire." Stefan admits.

"You won't do it." Klaus counters.

"Really? Try me, because your coffins are next to go. Say goodbye to your family Klaus."

"Stefan, slow down! Stefan! Stefan, stop it!" Elena screams down the phone.

"Fine, I'll send them away. You win." Klaus quickly tells Stefan.

"Stefan! Stefan, stop!"

"Stop the car, Stefan!" Klaus agrees with Elena.

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

Stefan slams on the brakes and skids to a stop.

...........

Klaus hears this and hangs up, furious. He shoots Damon a look before he turns and attempts to leave the room, attempts because Diana stabs a knife into the doorframe to stop him from leaving. He looks at her and smirks.

"Hello, Luv" He offers.

"Don't call me Luv" She warns him as she tightens her fingers around her knife.

"You're positively glowing" She growls a little. "You think you can take me?" Klaus asks her.

"Right now...yeah I do" She answers as Alaric hurries towards them. Damon shoots Alaric a look.

"She slipped away" Alaric comments and gives Diana a look. "For someone so pregnant you don't half move fast" she shrugs a little staring at Klaus. "Let's not do this here" Alaric whispers to Diana.

"Yes, run along," Klaus tells Diana.

"I'm going to quake you apart, bone by bone..." She offers. "And if that doesn't kill you, I'll start getting creative" She clutches her lasso in her free hand as it glows.

"Watchdog" Damon starts. "You don't want to do this"

"Oh, I do...I very much would love to do that" Damon shoots her a look. "And sooo much more" She holds up her knife and smirks darkly at Klaus. So dark that her crystal begins to glow around her neck, Damon's eyes flicker to it.

"Ric" Damon warns. "Get her out of here" Alaric grabs Diana's arm and pulls a little but she holds strong.

"Diana" Alaric whispers. "This is not the way to do it" She glances at him. "Is this a plan Athena would approve of?" She wrinkles her nose, because no, it is not, there is no plan, she'd just heard Klaus was here and reacted. This is not a plan Athena would have put her stamp on. She spins her knife and lowers her arm. Alaric lets out a relieved breath. "Come on.." He tells her as she slides her knife away.

"Be seeing you around, Luv" Klaus comments, Diana shoots a glare over her shoulder at him as Alaric leads her away.

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

Alaric pulls Diana into a quiet corner of the founder's hall and then releases her. She looks up at him.

"When I saw him...." She starts and sighs. "I saw red" He gives her a sad smile, he can understand that, after everything she went through at Klaus' hands, and everything that has happened since, of course, she got mad. "It was a stupid idea"

"Yeah" he agrees. "Still think you could have taken him though" he adds, she smiles a little. "Between the quakes and the lasso...I would have given you a shot, but not here...." He motions around them. "There are too many people here....too many hybrids" She nods a little. She can see that now. Even if she had taken out Klaus, the hybrids would have been waiting for them. Alaric touches her face as she lets out a breath.

"Take me home" she whispers, he nods and kisses her softly.

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

The next morning, Elena, Diana, and Jeremy are standing in the foyer of the Gilbert house. Elena is hugging Jeremy. Diana smiles sadly watching them together.

"You're gonna have to let me go, eventually," Jeremy tells Elena who nods and pulls back from him.

"Be safe, okay?" Elena asks him.

"Yeah, okay, all right. Alaric's waiting." He answers and gives Diana a smile, she smiles back at him. "Call me when it happens" He motions to her bump, she nods and touches her bump. Bonnie arrives.

"Good, you haven't left yet." She tells Jeremy.

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy asks Bonnie.

"I came to say goodbye." Bonnie answers, they share a look before she hugs him. Jeremy grabs his stuff, looks at Elena, Diana, and Bonnie one last time and goes to the car. Diana brushes her hand over her cheek, Elena glances at her and then takes Diana's free hand, squeezing it tightly.