Book One: Panacea (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty-Eight

Isobel and Alaric are still at the bar, his heart pounding in his chest as he processes this whole situation, like in his head, he is trying to work out what the hell is going on. The day he decides to stop looking for her, is the day she shows up? There has to be some sick irony in that.

"It's good to see you." Isobel offers. "You look good. I hear that you're a high school history teacher? How is that?"

"Where have you been, Isobel?"

"I don't have any reasons that are gonna comfort you. I don't have any explanations that are gonna satisfy you. I wanted this."

"It's that simple?" Alaric asks her.

"Yeah. You were supposed to mourn me, and move on."

"You were my wife, and I loved you. How could I not search for you?"

"Because I wasn't lost, Ric." She takes a piece of paper and writes something down onto it. "I understand that you know my daughter Elena and I hear that she's been looking for me. So..." She gives the paper to Alaric. "I want you to arrange a meeting between us." Alaric looks at the paper.

"You want me to deliver a message?" He asks her as he frowns. Isobel smiles at him.

"Yeah." Alaric throws the paper at her.

"Screw you. You selfish bitch." He gets up and walks away, Isobel's eyes following him as he leaves.

...........

In the parking lot, Alaric is making his way to his car. Isobel vamp-speeds up behind him.

"What do you want from me?" Alaric asks her.

"I told you."

"I'm not gonna do anything for you." She strangles him and pushes him against his car.

"You better tell Elena that I want to meet or I'm gonna start killing the citizens of this town one by one and I'm gonna start with your friend" Isobel states with a tone that implies what he fears. "Diana" She adds, Alaric stares at her. "Got it?" She throws him on the floor and gives him the paper, he lets out a breath and closes his eyes. He pushes himself to his feet and pulls out his phone, scrolling through the contacts he finds the one he wants. Alaric sets his phone against his ear as it rings and is picked up.

"It's me...I need to see you, right now" He hangs up and walks to his car.

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

Diana closes her bedroom door as Alaric paces the floor of her room. She frowns a little as she turns to him. He looks wired, on edge. She folds her arms over her chest. This also breaches their friends agreement. Friends don't turn up in the middle of the night looking so flustered.

"What's going on, Ric?" She asks him.

"I saw Isobel" He admits, she steps closer to him.

"Isobel is here?" She asks him, Alaric nods. "In town?" She counters, he nods again. "Are you okay?" She asks softly, he looks at her.

"Am I okay?" he repeats and then shrugs. "I don't know" he whispers and then sits on the edge of her bed, he stares at a patch of her carpet until her feet come into view, he looks up at Diana. "I was too distracted by my dead vampire wife to even ask any questions." He admits sadly. She touches his shoulder and curls her hand around his neck, he closes his eyes and lets out a breath.

"What did she want?"

"She wants to see Elena" He admits as he wraps an arm around her back to pull her closer to him, settling between his legs. He knows they are just friends at the moment but he needs the comfort right now. "If she doesn't get what she wants....." he looks up at her. "She's going to start killing people"