Book One: Panacea (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Fifty-Five

Diana slides down the wall behind her as she clutches her head. A figure walks towards her with slow, steady steps. Dainty and feminine. Eva. Eva peers down at Diana in pain, a smile on her face as she watches. But this isn't her plan. This isn't what she wanted. Not here. Not yet. Not by these people. Eva crouches in front of Diana and pushes her hood down. Revealing her face to Diana.

"If anyone is going to kill you" Eva starts as she leans closer to Diana. "It will be me, Αδερφή" Diana stares at her.

"Αδερφή?" Diana asks and then realizes. "Eva" she whispers, Eva smirks at her.

"I don't blame you for not recognizing me" Eva assures her. "I've got a new face" she motions to her face. "A whole new body" she blinks and reveals her black eyes. Diana shakes her head.

"No, no...that's...you" She groans and touches her head. "The device?" Diana asks, Eva nods.

"Yeah, your witch lied" Eva answers.

"No...your head" Diana points out.

"I've been through worse" Eva admits and then holds out her hand to Diana. "Come on" Diana takes her hand letting Eva pull her up. Eva slings Diana's arm over her shoulder and helps her walk away.

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

Back in the Town Square, Stefan is better now that the device has finally stopped, he's talking with Elena, capable of talking again.

"Are you okay?" Elena asks Stefan who shakes his head.

"It was like needles were piercing my skull and it just stopped," Stefan admits as Alaric walks towards them.

"I saw at least five vampires go down." He tells them. "They're taking them to your family's old building."

"It's the Gilbert's device. It has to be." Stefan points out.

"But how did he get it to work? Bonnie unspelled it." Elena asks them.

"Maybe she didn't." Alaric offers.

"She did, we saw her do it!"

"No, no, no, he's right. Think about it. We asked Bonnie to deactivate a device that could protect people against vampires." Stefan agrees.

"So we could protect you." Elena counters.

"And Damon. Vampires. Where is Damon?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since this started."

"Or Diana" Elena points out. "Do you think she helped John do this?"

"No" Alaric is quick to argue. "She wouldn't do this" He lets out a breath, he knows she wouldn't do this, she wouldn't help John do this.

..........

Eva uses Diana's key to let herself into Alaric's apartment, Diana leaning against the wall at her side. Eva pushes open the door and then grabs Diana's arm to help her inside. Diana stumbles her way through the apartment to Alaric's bedroom where she lets herself fall face-first onto Alaric's bed with a groan. Eva watches her a moment before she turns and begins to leave, Diana turns her head and looks at her.

"Wait" Diana states, Eva turns back to her. "Why did you help me?" she asks her, Eva shrugs and then smirks.

"You're mine to kill.....Sister" Eva answers, Diana snorts a little.

"You can certainly try" Diana counters, the two of them share a look before Eva leaves the apartment. Diana lets out a breath and flops back onto the bed. "Ow," She complains and runs her fingers through her hair.

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

"Diana, it's me, will you call me back, let me know you're okay" Alaric states as he enters his apartment. "Something happen...I just..." he stops when he sees Diana on his bed. "Never mind" He hangs up and makes his way towards her. "Diana?" she jerks awake and looks at him. "Where the hell were you?"

"Please don't yell, my head is killing me" He looks at her.

"You got hit with it too" He realizes, she hums and closes her eyes again.

"Loud" she complains. "Stefan? Damon?" she asks.

"They're fine" he whispers as he sits on the bed and threads his fingers through her hair and rubs at her head a little, she hums happily. "Where were you?" he asks her softly.

"I was getting my jacket" she mumbles. "I left it here" he nods a little.

"You were lucky" he knows that to be true, if she had been out there she would have been caught up like the vampires were, she would have been caught in that fire. He lets out a breath and closes his eyes, he doesn't even want to think about that, at all. She sits up and leans against his side, his fingers lacing with hers in his lap. She nuzzles into his cheek and he turns his head to her. The two of them share a look, something passing between them. She brushes her lips over his and he closes his eyes. "What about X?" he asks her, she groans and pulls away from him, she stands from the bed and starts to pace, her footing still a little unsteady.

"I'm sick of this," She snaps. "I'm sick of having to stay away from you, of having to hide how I feel for you" she admits. "I don't give a damn what anyone else thinks." She adds as she gets upset. "I don't give a damn about X or her threats...I give a damn about you...about me...and us," He smiles at her. "And whatever is to come, whatever happens....we'll deal with it...together" he stands from the bed. "Look, we're here now, and it's just the two of us, and it feels good. So let's not care together." She tells him, he stares at her.

"Are you sure?" he asks her. She nods and steps closer to him.

"Yeah" She assures him. "I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life" She whispers, he lunges forward and kisses her, his hands holding her face in his hands.

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

Later; Diana glances to her side as Meredith Fell sits on the bench at her side, the two of them share a look before Diana looks out over the town square, it's drastically silent now compared to earlier in the night.

"So? Did you find anything? Did you figure out who's heart it is?" Diana asks her, Meredith takes a breath and turns to her.

"Yeah" Meredith answers. "I found a DNA match," Meredith tells her, Diana raises an eyebrow and looks at her.

"To who?"

"To you" Meredith admits, Diana frowns at her. "It's a match for you, Diana"

'Diana and Alaric will return for Season 2 in Aquiver.......'