Book One: Panacea (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Twenty-Four

A/N -  SO I WENT WITH CHLOE AND ADJUSTED DIANA'S POWERS ACCORDINGLY. BUT I WILL BE USING CRYSTAL IN THIS STORY FOR SOMEONE ELSE THAT WILL COME UP LATER ON. 

Diana leans against her jeep, her eyes closed as she silently cries. Because she can't even do that right, she can't grieve a relationship that never was. That can never have happened.

"Diana?" Stefan asks, she opens her eyes to find him in front of her. "You okay?" she nods.

"I need to go home," She tells him.

"Why?"

"Because I need a nap" Diana answers. "And a shower, and food...I am human, remember?" Stefan nods and lets out a breath. "We'll find her," she assures him.

"You don't seem so hostile now" He points out.

"I still hate you" She stops him. "I always will, but if to save Elena, I have to work with you, and play nice....then fine" she glances across the street as Alaric's car finally drives away. She watches it go, longingly. She lets out a breath and then climbs into her jeep.

.........

Diana doesn't go home. She knows exactly where Elena is.

.........

In a motel room, Elena and Bonnie are seated on two separate beds staring at the vampire in front of them. Ben McKittrick. He paces the floor, nervous, unhinged. Dangerous.

"Witches don't have eternal life, right? So you guys can die." Ben enquires, Bonnie nods.

"Yep. We can die." Bonnie answers.

"Ah. That sucks." Ben comments. All of a sudden, Diana kicks the door in, her gun in her hand, ready and poised to shoot. Ben screams as the sunlight starts to burn his skin. Diana rips the curtain open, allowing more sunlight to pour in. Ben hides in the dark between the two beds.

"Diana" Elena cheers slightly, she knew someone would find them, and she is kind of grateful that it is her big sister. That after their talk, after everything that's gone on between the two of them, Diana is still there to protect her. To save her when she needs her.

"Come on" Diana snaps at the two of them. "Let's go" Bonnie and Elena get up and dash out the door, neither wanting to ignore or disobey Diana. Diana walks over to Ben, looking down at him, her gun raised in front of her. He stares up at her. She smirks darkly and shoots him in the chest. A wooden bullet piercing his heart. He gasps and stares up at her as he dies. Diana lowers her gun and lets out a breath. Adrenaline coursing through her. Not her first vampire kill, but her first in town. She helped Alaric kill Logan. She helped, a little, with Noah. But this feels good. And she needed good after Alaric. She tucks her gun into the back of her trousers and moves to the mirror on the wall. She smirks and grabs the knife from her boots before she cuts her arm. Using her blood she writes onto the glass: 'Anna. Leave town. If I ever see you again, I will kill you – D. Gilbert'. She lets out a breath and then leaves the motel room.

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

Diana knocks on the Bennett Residence door, Bonnie at her side, Elena behind her. Bonnie's grandmother, Sheila opens the door and sees Bonnie stood with Diana, she smiles at Diana who nods and smiles back.

"Sabrina the teenage witch delivered in one piece...." Diana teases, Sheila and Bonnie share a look. "Sorry, I didn't have any ribbon, I would have tied a bow" Bonnie nudges her with a smile.

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

Bonnie and Diana are sitting at a table together, Sheila sits nearby watching the two of them. She's always had a feeling about Diana, but when she hit puberty, it was like this beacon went out to all witches in the area that she had discovered herself. Sheila had helped Grayson and Miranda when they went researching, she helped as much as she could considering she had no idea at the time just what Diana is.

"How did you know where we were?" Bonnie asks Diana who takes a breath and shrugs.

"Drove past the motel....." she then motions at the side of her head. "Radar was on" She teases, Bonnie laughs a little. "Heard you and Elena...."

"You didn't think to tell Stefan?" Bonnie asks.

"And share the victory?" Diana teases. "Hell no, you were my find" Bonnie smiles and shakes her head. "I'm just glad I got to you when I did"

"Me too" Bonnie assures her and then realizes. "Grams" Bonnie looks at her grandmother. "I'm sorry. About all of this," she tells her grandmother. Sheila smirks back at her.

"Not as sorry as they're gonna be," Sheila responds just as someone knocks on the door. Sheila moves to answers it, opens the door to find Stefan on the other side.

"Are they here?" He asks her, she nods and pushes the door open. Stefan steps inside with a breath and nods at Sheila. Stefan looks at Diana as he walks into the room. She smirks and waves from where she sits. Stefan glares at her. Good. He's starting to get that she isn't his friend and that she doesn't like vampires. Elena walks into the room and moves straight to him, Stefan hugs her tightly. Diana's smirk falls into a glare.

"So what do we do now?" Elena voices as she pulls back from Stefan.

"Well, for now, you need to stay here," Stefan tells Sheila.

"A prisoner, in my own home? I don't think so." Sheila argues.

"I can't protect you if you leave the house," Stefan admits.

"As you probably noticed....we don't need or want your help" Diana points out. "I can protect them just fine" Bonnie nods in agreement, between the vampire and her friend's big sister, she's taking the sister. She trusts Diana.

"We need to let him have Katherine back." Elena offers. "He's not going to stop until he gets her. If we help him, maybe that ends it."

"No!" Bonnie snaps.

"Yeah, he doesn't deserve to get what he wants," Diana adds in agreement.

"What other choice do we have?" Elena asks them, Bonnie and Diana share a look, then look at Sheila as Elena looks up at Stefan.

"Witches being pulled down by vampire problems," Sheila whispers. "As much as we tried to do to stay out of it. I'll open the tomb. You get your brother's girl and Diana can destroy the rest with fire." Diana nods in agreement, she has the tools to do that, she can do that, she's actually already looking forward to doing that. "Then this will be all over."

"We still have to get Damon to agree." Stefan counters.

"He already agreed once." Elena reminds him.

"Yeah, and then we double-crossed him. So now he's angry."

"He's hurt. There's a difference. I think I know what I have to do." Elena and Stefan exchange looks. Diana purses her lips, unhappy about whatever is going on there. She doesn't want Elena anywhere near Damon. 

...........

Diana sits on the porch of Sheila's home, her knee jiggling with her nerves, knowing she watches Elena walk away and towards Damon. Sheila sits at her side and touches her arm, Diana glances at her, letting the older woman closer to her. 

"Don't worry" Sheila tells Diana, they share a look. "It ends tonight" Diana nods.