Book Three: Ineffable (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty-Seven

Diana pulls on her jacket as she gets ready to leave the hospital. Meredith worries her hands together behind her trying to figure out how to keep her here for longer.

"I still think you should stay a little longer" Meredith offers, Diana shoots her a look.

"Yeah, in the hospital where my crazy psycho vampire husband can get in? No thanks" Diana counters and moves to the twins.

"You don't even have a carrier for them" Meredith points out.

"I'll manage without it" Meredith places herself in the doorway to stop her. Diana raises an eyebrow at her. "Are you physically going to try and stop me, Meredith?"

"If I have to" Meredith admits. Diana smirks a little and shakes her head.

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

Later, Damon is sitting on the floor in the storage units. He calls Stefan, who is in the woods with Jeremy.

"Damon."

"Bad news, brother. Alaric staked Klaus. He's dead."

"I feel okay, do you feel anything?" Stefan asks him.

"No."

"It took Sage about an hour before she got sick." Stefan reminds him.

"Yeah, or Klaus was lying about being the sire of our bloodline."

"Well, if he wasn't lying, an hour is not enough time to get you all the way back to Mystic Falls."

"For us to have our epic goodbye, Stefan?"

"Not us, brother. You and Elena."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to say goodbye for both of us, won't you? Call me if you cough up a lung." Damon hangs up.

..........

In Matt's Pickup Truck, Elena has her phone out.

"I need to call Stefan, but my phone is dying." She admits. Matt pulls out his phone.

"Here. Use mine." Matt hands over his phone as they drive towards the Wickery Bridge.

"Thanks" Elena looks up and sees a figure standing in the middle of the road. "Matt, look out!" Rebekah is the figure standing in the road. Matt swerves to avoid her and sends the truck flying over the guardrail and into the water.

........

Alaric has beaten Damon very badly. Blood is running down his face. He throws him to the ground and Damon stays there.

"You're not gonna fight back?" Alaric asks him.

"You're kind of invincible, Ric."

"Don't call me that." Alaric kicks Damon in the face. "We're not friends."

"We were."

"Well, our friendship was part of the problem. It's what kept me weak. It's also why it took so long for the real me to breakthrough and now I'm gonna break you." Alaric hits Damon in the face and knocks him backward. Alaric moves so he is standing over him.

"Is that all you got?" Damon asks.

"Not quite." Alaric gets down and tries to stake Damon, but Damon grabs the stake and throws Alaric off of him. Damon gets up and hits him in the face. Damon grabs Alaric's wrist and the stake falls out of his hand. Alaric starts to feel weak. "What's happening?" Alaric asks.

"Oh no."

"What's happening?!" Alaric falls to his knees and Damon goes down with him, cradling him in his arms.

"No. No, no, no, no. Ric, Ric! You are not dead. You are not dead." Alaric starts to desiccate and then dies. Damon shakes his body and tears start to glisten in his eyes, knowing that, not only has he lost his best friend, but that he has also lost Elena.

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

At the Gilbert Residence, Jeremy walks down the stairs and is leaving a voice message for Matt.

"Matt, man, where are you guys? You should have been back by now." Jeremy stops suddenly when he sees Alaric standing in the hallway.

"Jeremy." Alaric greets, Jeremy puts down his phone.

"Haven't you done enough? And how'd you even get in here?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to say goodbye and it kind of happened." Alaric answers.

"Ric?" Jeremy asks him.

"I just wanted you to know that I'll always be here to look after you, Jeremy. That you'll never be alone, okay? I promise."

"I don't understand." After a moment of silence, Jeremy realizes what must have happened. "Oh my God, you're a ghost. But if you're dead, that means Elena..."

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

In the morgue of the hospital, Elena's body is lying on a stretcher. Stefan is sitting next to her with tears in his eyes.

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

Upstairs, Damon bursts into the hospital.

"Where is she?" Damon demands, Meredith sees him and walks over to him.

"No, Damon, wait."

"Where is she!?" Meredith grabs Damon and stops him.

"You need to know, when Jeremy brought Elena in here earlier tonight, her injuries were worse than I let on. It wasn't a concussion, it was a cerebral hemorrhage, bleeding of the brain."

"What are you saying?"

"He was so worried, I didn't want to tell him, but I – I helped her. She needed my help."

"You what?" Damon asks her.

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

In the morgue, Elena's body still lies on the stretcher. Suddenly, Elena comes back to life, gasping for air.

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

Derek jogs towards the apartment complex as he sees Diana climbing out of her jeep.

"Diana" Derek begs as he follows her into the apartment complex, Diana ignores him and unlocks the apartment door and steps inside. She turns to close the apartment door but Derek's hand snaps out. "Wait" he blocks the door and she glares at him. "Please" he begs her.

"Get out of the way" she snaps at him.

"No" he snaps back at her. "I'm your friend and I am not going to give up on you, I'm not simply going to walk away when you need me...when you need us"

"I don't want or need you or any of the others, and I don't care...whatever problem going on now...I don't care. I'm done. You can tell them too....stay away from me" She slams the door in his face and sighs. She sets her forehead against the door and closes her eyes, her hand touching the backs of the twins she's strapped to her chest. Improvising a carrying device to get them home. She lifts her head. Alaric watches her sadly as she moves through the apartment. But unlike Jeremy, Diana can't see him. 

'Diana will return for Season 4 in Solitude.......'