Book Four: Solitude (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Thirty-One

Diana hums a little as she picks up Veronica from the pop-up crib in the Gilbert kitchen, she is having to make do with what she could bring over for the twins. Derek kisses her head as he passes behind her and moves to the coffee machine. He glances at Jeremy close by.

"Not feeling homicidal this morning?" Derek teases as he pours out a mug of coffee, Diana smirks from where she feeds Veronica.

"No" Jeremy answers. "These guys kind of make me feel calm" Jeremy admits as he stares down at Ezra in his arms.

"Well, then you can get up at 2 am and feed them" Diana counters. Jeremy smiles a little and looks at her.

"You only have to wake me" He assures her, she smiles softly at him and nods. Diana glances at her cell phone on the counter and then motions to Derek who picks it up.

"Hello?" He answers. "Yeah, she's here but she's feeding the twins...." He adds. "Sure, I'll tell her" he then hangs up. He nods for Diana to join him as he leaves the room. Diana sets Veronica back into the crib and follows him. Derek turns to her when far enough away from Jeremy. "It was Stefan" He tells her. "He wants you to go over to Caroline's, apparently they need to talk to you....you want me to watch the twins?" he asks her. She hums a little.

"No, no, I'm going to stay" Diana tells Derek. "You go..." Derek glances at Jeremy. "Well be fine..." Diana assures him. "Just...see what they want, and see if it can wait until this emergency is over" Derek smiles a little. "When it rains it freakin' pours" Diana comments and moves back towards the twins.

...........

"Elena is sired to Damon" Caroline admits to Derek who frowns at her, sat across from her on her couch.

"What are you talking about?" Derek asks. "Like...when Tyler was sired to Klaus?" Caroline nods.

"We already know it's affecting her." Caroline points out. "She's become Damon's lapdog." Stefan looks at her. "It's true! Everything he says, she agrees with. Everything he asks her to do...she does." Caroline points out. "We need to do something." Caroline pulls her phone out and is ready to call Elena.

"Wait, no, hold on Caroline." Derek stops Caroline, Stefan nods in agreement.

"This isn't gossip. You can't just drop this on her before we know what's happening for sure." Stefan tells her.

"I need to talk to Tyler, okay? Maybe he'll know what to do." Caroline adds.

"All right talk to Tyler but please don't tell anyone else. If this is true, then it may have influence on Elena's every action and emotion since she became a vampire." Stefan points out.

"I will have to tell Diana" Derek admits. "She's already worried enough with everything going on with Jeremy....I have to tell her about this" Stefan nods, he saw that one coming, considering he did intend on telling Diana instead of Derek, he doesn't begrudge Derek going back and telling her about this.

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

Jeremy glances at Alaric who watches Diana as she coos softly at Ezra now in his crib with his sister.

"I see Alaric is still around" Jeremy points out. Diana hums.

"He follows me around like a bad smell" Diana teases, Alaric shoots her a look as Jeremy smirks. "Can't seem to shake him" She adds. Diana looks at Alaric. "It's better than nothing, right?" she whispers to herself and turns back to her children, Alaric moves closer to her, wants nothing more than to be able to reach out and comfort her, but he can't. He can't do anything to help her.

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

Later; Diana paces the floor in front of Derek who is telling her about what Caroline and Stefan had told him earlier about Elena and Damon.

"They think that Elena is sired to Damon" Derek admits, Diana pulls a face and then nods.

"It makes sense to be honest" Diana counters. "She's been hanging on his every word since she woke as a vampire.....Add in that she broke up with Stefan and..." She shrugs. "Yeah, makes sense. What are they going to do?"

"Talk to Tyler" Derek answers as he rests on the couch. "Figure out a way to break it" She hums a little as she listens to him.

"He's a werewolf" Diana counters. "Don't think it is going to be the same" She points out and sits beside him. Derek wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her into his side, she sighs and curls up against him.

"How are you doing?" Derek asks her quietly.

"Fine" she answers as she closes her eyes. "Tired" She corrects. She is exhausted. Dealing with the twins whilst grieving plus everything else going on, it is exhausting. And she's not really sleeping. She just lays awake staring at Alaric's empty side of the bed, she hates sleeping alone. She hates being alone. She hates that he is gone.

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

Diana sits in her old bed reading, the twins sound asleep in their crib set up at the end of her bed. Derek sleeps next to Diana, nothing romantic or sexual about it, it's just the only free space in the house, with Matt staying in Jenna's room, Derek not wanting to sleep in Diana's dead parents' room, or Elena's room, leaves Diana's bed. Plus they used to do it all the time just as friends. It's not a big deal. Derek groans when Diana's phone starts ringing, she picks it up.

"We have a problem" Elena states instantly, Diana sighs and closes her eyes. "Caroline's been taken by hybrids" Diana groans.

"So call Tyler," She counters. "It's his pack, his problem," She complains as she sits up and sets her book aside. "Seriously, is she like....catnip to the wolves?"

"Catnip is cats, Di" Elena counters.

"Yeah, well...it's late and I'm tired...." Diana defends slightly. And to be fair, there is no parallel for dogs. 

"Please" Elena adds, Diana groans and then nods to herself.

"Fine, just...text me where you want to meet" She then hangs up and flops back onto the bed, Derek is awake and watching her now. "Alright" She states, more to herself before she gets up out of bed. "Derek" she turns to him, he nods.

"I got them, go....go, be a big sister" He assures her, she smiles warmly at him.