Book Three: Ineffable (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty-Two

At the old Lockwood cellar cave, Alaric and Rebekah walk down into the cave. Alaric enters, but Rebekah stops where the vampire barrier is.

"Go get it. You know I can't get in." Rebekah scolds him. Alaric walks over to a crevice in the stone wall and pulls out the stake. He sits down on Esther's coffin.

"Now why would I give you the one thing that requires everyone to keep me alive?" Alaric points out.

"Are we bargaining now? Fine. What's your offer?" She asks him.

"There's only one stake out there. Which means only one Original has to die. Help me and I'll make sure it's not you." Alaric offerrs.

"Tenuous, but points for effort. You see, I don't want one Original to die." Rebekah steps over the vampire barrier to Alaric's surprise. "I want them all to die."

"How the hell did you do that?" Alaric asks her.

"It was easy to fool Niklaus, but I thought you of all people would understand. After all, my son did use your body at one point."

"You're not Rebekah." Alaric points out.

"No. My name is Esther and we have a great deal in common"

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

Diana paces the floor of Derek's bedroom, she's staying with him till this whole thing blows over. She's on the phone with Alaric.

"Where've you been? I've been calling you all day." Diana scolds as she cringes and curls around herself.

"Yeah, sorry about that" Alaric offers. "I just needed to get my head together."

"So I take it Rebekah got the stake?" She asks

"I don't know. I woke up alone. There's no sign of it." He answers.

"Great...so what now?"

"Well I think I need to get out of town. Somewhere secluded. I keep blacking out which means I'm still a threat to everyone."

"I don't know if right now is the best time for you to be going on a spirit quest, Ric." She adds and clenches her jaw, she hangs her head and closes her eyes.

"It's just for a couple of days. I'm stocked up on Bonnie's herbs, so I should be fine. I gotta go" Alaric hangs up, Diana stares at her phone and then twitches slightly.

"Ow" She complains as she drops her phone. She lets out a lengthy groan causing Derek to look at her weirdly from his bed.

"Di?" he asks.

"You have to take me to the hospital," Diana tells Derek who frowns. "Take me to the hospital right now" Derek nods frantically sensing what is about to happen.

.........

Meredith is walking down the hall at the hospital. She turns around and looks behind her to check if someone is following her. The hall is empty. When she turns around again Damon is standing right in front of her, surprising her.

"Don't do that, it's not funny!" She scolds him.

"Oh, come on, it's a little funny." Damon counters.

"What do you want, Damon?"

"Heard Diana was here" Damon points out. "Where is she?" Meredith sighs and then nods.

"This way" She walks away, Damon follows after her.

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

Damon waves at Diana as he and Meredith walk into the hospital room. Diana glares at him a little, but that's not actually got anything to do with him right now, she's just in pain and hates everything.

"How are you feeling, Watchdog?" Damon asks, Diana shoots him a look. "Okay" He whispers. "How's she looking?" Damon asks Meredith.

"She's only dilated two centimetres and she needs to get to ten" Meredith answers.

"Whilst you're here" Damon turns to Meredith. "I need medical advice. For a friend. Alaric."

"How is he? Are those herbs that Bonnie made for him working?" Meredith asks him.

"I don't know." He shows them a glass jar full of herbs. "Can they work if he doesn't take them?"

"What?" Diana asks.

"I found these in his loft untouched." Damon answers.

"Well...It's going to be a while here yet" Meredith points out. "And given her blood pressure, they want her to stay put...bed rest" Meredith gives Diana a look and then leaves.

"Get me out of here" Diana points out as she turns to get out of the bed. "I can still help...." She then groans and curls around her bump. Derek helps her back into the bed.

"Yeah, tough girl, that's not going to work" She huffs and lays back.

"Oh, Derek." Diana complains.

"What?"

"Here comes another contraction." She answers. He takes her hand and nods.

"Just breathe." He coos at her. She groans a little as it hits her, Damon pulls a face and looks away. Diana huffs when it is over and rests her head back before she looks at Damon.

"You fix him, Damon, or I swear to Hades you'll be begging for the Underworld when I am through with you" Damon's eyes widen slightly at that.

"Okay" he assures her and looks at Derek "Good luck with this" he offers and then leaves.

.......

At the Mystic Falls old cemetery, Esther and Alaric are walking though the cemetery towards the Salvatore tomb.

"Why are we here?" Alaric asks her.

"Long ago on this spot my son tore my heart from my chest. The violence of my death marked this ground for all time." Esther answers, they enter the tomb. Esther stands in front of a bowl. Alaric is on the opposite side, facing her. "I'll need your ring."

"Now, why would I give you the one thing that protects me from death?"

"I will give you all the protection you need, however the stake will burn up in the body of its first victim. If you are to kill all of my children I will need to bind the protective magic in your ring to the stake, thus rendering the white oak indestructible." Alaric gives Esther his ring. She drops it into the bowl and starts chanting a spell. Flames burst up from the bowl as the ring melts. Esther stirs the molten metal with the white oak stake and then turns it upside down. The metal pours down and covers and fuses with the white oak. "The ultimate weapon for the ultimate hunter."