Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Fifty-Three

Diana and Alaric are in bed, enjoying the early morning sun streaming in. Diana is settled in Alaric's lap as his lips brush over her neck. She sighs softly and drops her head back. He kisses up to her jaw and then pulls back a little.

"Ah, this is bad," Alaric complains as Diana shifts in his lap.

"This?" she asks as she wiggles a little, he shakes his head and clutches to her waist.

"No, this is good" He assures her. "I meant...Isobel showing up" she sighs a little and raises an eyebrow.

"You want to talk about your vampire wife whilst your future wife is straddling you....naked I might add" he lets out a small laugh and then shakes his head.

"No" he runs his hand up her back and pushes so she leans over him. "No, I do not" She kisses him. He smiles against her lips and strokes her back. Diana's bedroom door opens and John walks in.

"Don't you know how to knock!" Diana yells rolling off of Alaric and pulling a blanket around herself.

"Can you come downstairs, please?" John asks them. "Both of you....family meeting" John then leaves the room.

"How many times do I have to kick his ass out before he gets the message?" Diana asks as she leans up. "And where the hell does he get off calling a family meeting?" Alaric looks at her.

"Deep breaths" he offers. "Stay calm...high blood pressure is bad for the babies"

"My family is the cause of my stress, that's not going away any time soon" she lets out a breath and then climbs out of bed. "This better be good" She grumbles.

..........

Alaric closes Diana's bedroom door as Elena and Stefan leave Elena's room. Diana flicks her hair out the back of her jacket.

"You two got the early morning roll call too?" Diana asks.

"Yeah" Elena answers. "Do you know what this is about?" Elena taps her head.

"I was too busy trying to cover my modesty" Diana admits.

"Were you two...?" Elena asks motioning between Diana and Alaric.

"Oh yeah..." Diana answers. "John got a great view of me full frontal" Elena cringes a little.

"Eww"

"It's okay, I'm still hot" Diana offers, Elena chuckles as they head downstairs. Alaric and Stefan share a look, both worried about whatever is going on with John. They go downstairs. Isobel comes out of the kitchen and joins John in the living room.

"I asked John for a do-over," Isobel admits. Elena and Diana look at John.

"You invited her in?" Diana snaps.

"She has information about Klaus. Please, just listen to her, okay?"

"How about...no?" Diana counters, John shoots her a look.

"We need her..."

"No, we really don't" Alaric agrees with Diana.

"Diana?" Elena asks.

"I got it" Diana answers and shares a look with Elena. "I got everything we need...Can I kick her ass out yet?" Alaric smiles a little.

"I think you are seriously underestimating your chances" Isobel comments.

"I'm stronger than I look"

"Everyone always thinks that" Isobel counters.

"But...in my case...it's true" Diana offers Isobel a smirk. Isobel shows her vampire face at Diana and steps forward threateningly. Diana sighs and throws out her hand, launches a quake at Isobel who goes flying back through the kitchen, out the back door, and into the garden. "Told you" Diana steps into the kitchen and towards the back door. Isobel pushes herself to her feet. "Come near Elena again....I'll do more than fling you out" Isobel stares at her before she vamp-speeds away. Alaric approaches Diana from behind.

"Is it wrong that I was totally turned on by that?" Alaric whispers in her ear, Diana smiles. "You want some tea?" he asks her, she looks at him.

"What I would love is coffee, but I know I'm not allowed to drink that now" she leans up and kisses him softly. "So yes...I would enjoy some tea" he touches her cheek and smiles.

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

"All right. What did you find?" Stefan asks Diana when she joins then in the living room again.

"She's actually been trying to find Klaus" Diana offers as she takes the mug from Alaric. "Thank you" he touches her back.

"Was she able to find him?" Stefan asks her.

"No. Nobody knows where he is" She answers. "But Isobel's heard rumors going around that a doppelgänger exists. Which means any vampire that wants to get in favor with Klaus will be lining up to capture you." Diana tells Elena who sighs.

"I'm not buying any of this."

"I was in her head, Elena, this information is coming from me" Diana reminds her. 

"So maybe she found a way around your telepathy..." Elena offers. Diana sighs and steps closer to her.

"I am going to hate myself for saying this, believe me, but...." Diana glances at Alaric who raises an eyebrow, Diana turns back to Elena. "Isobel's been helping all along." She points out. "Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take was for one of those tomb vampires to spread the word around that Katherine was still alive and it would bring him straight here to Mystic Falls, where you were bound to be discovered, so they were killed"

"And John almost killed Stefan and Damon in the process." Elena points out. "And you, Di...You could have been killed"

"But I wasn't..." Diana tells her. "I'm okay" Elena nods a little. "Now is that it?" Diana asks them. "I am going shopping with Derek"

"For anything exciting?" Elena asks her.

"Well...I literally popped the hooks on my bra when I was getting dressed" Diana offers. "It's too small...most of my clothes are now borderline too small...I need to start thinking about maternity wear before I have nothing left because my boobs are soo damn big"

"Maternity wear?" John asks, Diana looks at him. "You're that far gone already"

"10 weeks" Diana answers. "Not that it's any of your damn business" She turns to him. "Get out of my house, this is your final warning..."

"Diana, you need my help....." John counters.

"What I need is for you to leave...."

"Don't be stupid" John snaps. "Just because you hate me, don't risk Elena's safety" Diana looks at Elena who gives her a sad smile but nods encouragingly. She doesn't want John here either. She turns back to John.

"I'm protecting my family," Diana tells him. "My current one...and my future one. You're toxic, John...hateful and loveless and spineless. And I don't want that energy in my house and I don't want it around the people that I love...you want to help? Great.....leave"