Book Four: Solitude (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty-Seven

Diana's jeep pulls up to a stop at the high school, Stefan and Damon climb out of the jeep first, Diana takes a breath and follows them. The winds are still blowing fiercely. Elena comes out to meet them. They shout to be heard over the wind.

"Where's Caroline and Derek?" Diana asks.

"Inside looking for Bonnie. I think we should split up."

"I already know where Bonnie is going," Diana tells them. "I'll head there" She hurries into the school not waiting for an answer.

...........

Bonnie and Katherine are standing in a cave in front of the monolith.

"That is an impressive rock" Katherine comments. Bonnie nods in agreement and then frowns. Suddenly, Diana shoves Bonnie against the wall, her arm against her throat.

"How did you find it?" Diana snaps at her and holds her other hand back to threaten Katherine with a quake if she even thinks about moving.

"You've been spending too much time at the school considering you dropped out" Bonnie admits, Diana raises an eyebrow. "Please, Diana, you have to help me" Bonnie whispers to her. "I am not working with Silas..." Bonnie promises her. "I want to contact Qetsiyah" She admits, Diana stares at her.

"What? Why?"

"To help us kill Silas" Katherine answers, Diana glances at her and then back at Bonnie who nods in agreement.

"Well good luck with that...I haven't been able to get the box open" Diana admits. Bonnie holds out her hand towards the glass box of the monolith and it unlocks with her magic, Diana glances at it and releases Bonnie. "Of course it takes magic to open it" Diana complains and shakes her head. Bonnie turns to Katherine.

"Now, give me the tombstone," Bonnie tells Katherine.

"The fact that this spell hinges on some crappy hunk of blood-rock does little to inspire my confidence." Katherine hands Bonnie her bag and Bonnie starts taking the tombstone out of it.

"It's filled with the calcified blood of Qetsiyah, one of the strongest witches in the world. It'll work." Bonnie moves to the glass case and elbows open the door before she sets the tombstone at the base of the monolith. "Diana" Bonnie states and holds out her hand to her. "The Monolith needs the blood of Zeus to activate..." Diana groans.

"My blood" She adds and moves to Bonnie, Diana holds out her hand and wiggles her fingers. "Alright. But this better work....." Bonnie takes Diana's hand and pulls out a knife, she holds Diana's palm over the tombstone and then slices through the skin, Diana hisses as she bleeds over the rock below. The tombstone absorbs Diana's blood and then filters it through, the 'blood' that seeps out of the bottom of the rock glows slightly as it is then absorbed by the monolith which rumbles as it wakes.

"What is happening?" Katherine asks, Diana steps away from Bonnie.

"I'm channelling the Expression triangle," Bonnie admits. Torches placed around the cave suddenly ignite, illuminating the cave with dancing light. "It's done. The veil's down." Katherine smirks expectantly.

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

In the upper levels, in the school, Damon sits up, groaning as he tries to pull out the stake that Elena had hit him with. Suddenly someone walks up behind him - it's Alaric.

"Need a hand?" Alaric asks. He reaches down and pulls the stakeout. Damon groans in pain.

"So this is either really good or really bad." Alaric crouches down and laughs.

"It's good to see you too, Damon."

"I'd say the feeling is mutual, except a lot of people aren't exactly who they say they are around here."

"You think I'm Silas? Are you kidding me?" Alaric asks. He gives Damon a hand and they both stand up.

"See, now this puts us in a bit of a pickle because that is exactly what Silas would say." Alaric thinks for a moment, then walks away toward a locker. He pounds his fist on it once and it springs open. He pulls out a bottle of liquor.

"Now, would Silas know about Locker 42?" Damon starts to grin, as does Alaric, and they embrace, laughing.

"Ah, hang on. If I can see you..." Damon pats Alaric's arms and face. "...and I can touch you, that means the little witch did it. She dropped the veil."

"Well, not completely. It's only down inside the Expression triangle. If I step outside of it, it's back to ghost world." Alaric admits.

"Well, where is everybody? I figured with the veil down, it'd be like Ghost-a-palooza."

"Well, not every ghost has a reason to come back to Mystic Falls. Just the ones like me, looking after their idiot wives" Alaric teases and then takes a breath. "Speaking of...I would very much like to hold my wife" Damon nods in agreement.

...........

Bonnie is now kneeling on the ground as Katherine paces impatiently. Diana's eyes flicker between them.

"Tick-tock, Bonnie." Katherine pushes.

"Stop talking. I can't reach out to Qetsiyah with you breaking my concentration every 5 seconds." Rolling her eyes, Katherine walks over to a rock and leans against it, sighing loudly. She stares at Bonnie for a few seconds before tensing and standing up.

"Bonnie. Did you hear that? Someone's coming." Katherine states.

"Can you be quiet?" Bonnie scolds.

"I have vampire hearing, Bonnie" Katherine reminds her.

"She's right" Diana adds. "There's someone here."

"Unlink me so that I can go stall them while we wait for Qetsiyah to show up," Katherine adds.

"I'm not letting you go." Bonnie scolds.

"Then at least give me some slack."

"Fine. Go. Stop them." Bonnie adds. Katherine walks away and heads down one of the tunnels. Diana watches her go before taking a breath. Bonnie smiles. "Go," Bonnie tells her. "Go find him" She adds, Diana smiles and hurries away.

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

Damon walks into the boiler room at the high school with Alaric as he talks with Matt on the phone.

"Perfect." Damon comments.

"Yeah, it gets worse. The veil's down. Kol came by looking for Elena, and he seemed a little pissed."

"You got any good news for me, Donovan?" Damon asks.

"We'll handle this, just...watch your back." Damon hangs up and looks at Alaric.

"Find Diana," Damon tells him. "Get her to call Stefan and tell him about Caroline. Tell him to keep an eye on Elena. God knows he'll do a better job than me."

"Stefan? Isn't she your girlfriend?" Alaric asks.

"Who knows. I know she was sired to me. I know her emotions were off. I know she's so full of rage, she wants to rip Katherine's head off."

"But you have no idea how she feels about you, and now you're freaking out."

"Find the Watchdog" Damon then walks away.

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

Diana moves through the halls of the school, her heart pounding in her chest. After all this time. She might actually get to really see her husband again. To touch him. To hold him. She is already, a little bit, crying.

"Diana" Alaric states behind her, she turns and looks at him. She raises an eyebrow at him, questioning, he nods and she lets out a breath and hurries to him. Alaric catches Diana as she basically jumps him. His arms wrapping around her as she starts to cry, her hands in his hair, her legs around his waist. He closes his eyes and holds her tighter.