Book Four: Solitude (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Four

In the barn, where all the vampires are gathered in cells, Elena included. She lets out a breath because she can feel that her end is approaching, Diana was right, she only has a few hours left.

"Stefan." She whispers.

"What happened?" Stefan asks her.

"I'm running out of time. I need blood. I'm dying." Stefan is worried. Elena is breathing heavily. Stefan pulls himself up off the ground and shouts.

"Hey! Anyone, hey!"

"Will you shut up?!" Rebekah snaps at him from her cell across from them.

"You think we're afraid of you?" Stefan counters. An officer opens the barn door and walks up to Stefan's cage.

"You want more vervain? Keep it down." The officer states.

"Listen to me. Elena's gonna die if you don't let her out of here." The officer glances at Elena who is in bad shape. He looks back at Stefan.

"Sorry, not my problem."

"She's innocent. Let her out." The officer begins to walk away. Stefan rushes towards the other side of the cage. "Let her out!" The officer shoots Stefan in the stomach and he falls to the ground.

"Stop!" Elena begs. Stefan gets back up and rushes back to the bars.

"I said, let her out!" The officer shoots him again, this time in the leg then leaves the barn. Stefan falls to the ground again. Rebekah watches him. Stefan drags himself over to the wall dividing him from Elena. He pulls the wooden bullet out of his leg. "Elena? You still with me?" Elena is sitting on the other side of the wall. She has grown even paler and is breathing heavily.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here. I'm okay." Elena answers.

"No, you're not. I can hear you breathing. Damon was right, you should have fed this morning. I'm so sorry." Stefan offers.

"Don't be. You had hope. That's all I ever wanted you to have and you had it."

"I love you so much."

"Do you know why I was even on that bridge? I was coming back for you, Stefan. I had to choose and I picked you." Elena admits, Stefan starts to cry silent tears. "Because I love you. No matter what happens, it's the best choice I ever made." Elena places her hand against the wall dividing them. "God. It sucks that I can't see you right now."

"I'm smiling." Elena is weeping too.

"Me too." Rebekah looks saddened by the fact that Stefan may lose Elena. Elena takes her hand away from the wall and closes her eyes. The officers come back in carrying more vervain with them. Stefan and Rebekah look at each other and Rebekah nods her head at something passing between the two of them, a plan forming. 

"I got this. Bring the other one in." The other officer leaves the barn.

"Excuse me? Hello, sir?" Rebekah asks then starts pretending to cough. The officer loads his gun and walks over to her cage.

"I thought I told you to shut up."

"Here's the thing, my family we – we have money, castles, apartments, jewelry; just name your price and let me out." The officer gets closer to the cage.

"I'd much rather watch you die." He counters. Rebekah gets up and rushes towards the bars. The officer is startled and pulls out his gun but he falls back towards the bars of Stefan's cage. A quake hits Stefan throwing him backward away from the officer, Diana stands in the doorway.

"Out, now" She orders of the officer who scrambles out of the room. "Nice try," She tells them.

"Do you really hate me this much?" Elena asks her, Diana lets out a deep breath and nods.

"Yes, yes, I do" Diana offers mockingly. "And now I get to watch you die..." Diana tells her as her eyes turn black, her crystal lighting up. "You, and him," she nods to Stefan. "Especially her" She looks at Rebekah. "And eventually Klaus, I think I will enjoy that one the most, and every vampire that currently exists" Diana lets out a happy little breath. "A world without vampires, Elena, it will be glorious. My children will never have to suffer as we have...."

"Your eyes" Stefan states watching her.

"Yes, it appears that my crystal is broken" Diana points out as she touches her glowing crystal, she traces it and sighs. "And it is seeping back into me slowly...I no longer care..." she shrugs a little. "I have nothing because of you" Diana reminds Elena who looks away from her. "My husband is dead...Ric was the love of my life...and you took him from me" Ghost!Alaric watches her sadly from the doorway. "And with him....all my love left, I don't feel it anymore...not even for the babies" She admits. "I understand that they are my burden to care for, to protect, that they came from me...but I don't love them"

"Diana" Ghost!Alaric whispers.

"When I look at them.....All I see is him, all I see if what I have lost...." She admits to Elena. "You did that to me" Diana takes a breath. "You took away my everything"

"I didn't kill Ric" Elena defends.

"Oh...but It's always been about you," Diana tells her. "If you'd just died the first time a big bad came to town, if you'd just died in Klaus' ritual......none of this would be happening....I'm going to put that right, never again will anyone come looking for you, no big bad that could hurt my children....his children. You will never take anything from me ever again" She frowns and touches her head. "Damon" She states and looks at the door. She whistles and two officers appear. "He's here...Tell Pastor Young to remove his men...This one is mine" they both nod and rush away. Diana pulls an arrow from her quiver and knocks it in her bow. "If I'm honest, I'm going to enjoy this" She admits and looks at Elena. "Whilst you still have time. I'm going to make you watch as I kill Damon" Elena shakes her head. "Yes," Diana corrects with a mock pout. "I'm going to take away your everything" She aims her bow at the doorway. Rebekah actually watches her sadly.