Book Three: Ineffable (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Thirty

Diana enters the old Lockwood cellar to find Tyler, Caroline, and Bill standing around one another, Caroline waves in greeting, causing Bill to turn around and spot Diana.

"What is she doing here?" Bill asks, Diana raises an eyebrow.

"I called her" Caroline answers. "Diana's a demigoddess and telepath...I figured having her help wouldn't hurt, plus rather have her between me and Tyler if he gets loose, no offense" Tyler shrugs and then nods in agreement.

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

Bill chains Tyler up. Caroline's standing beside them with Diana who watches.

"How do you know, this is gonna work?" Caroline asks.

"That's a process. It took decades, to train myself to resist compulsion." Bill answers. "Brain's like a muscle. The more you use it, the more it can do. A sire bond, at its core, is about one thing...gratitude. If you believe you owe Klaus your life, ask yourself why."

"I was cursed. Every full moon I had to change into a wolf. It was torture. Klaus took that away." Tyler informs them.

"He freed you from your pain and now you feel indebted to him. To break the sire bond you gotta make yourself turn. Own your pain then you'll owe Klaus nothing and you will be free." Bill explains.

"But how can he turn? It's not a full moon." Caroline points out.

"He doesn't need one" Diana counters. "You're a hybrid now, right? I mean, you can turn at will now, am I right?"

"Yeah, but I don't know how to just start," Tyler admits.

"You're making excuses." Bill scolds.

"You don't understand! When I turn, I break every bone in my body."

"You asked for my help. This is the only way. How badly do you want your freedom?" Bill asks Tyler, Tyler considers this and looks at Caroline. He nods slightly.

"Okay." Tyler answers.

"Okay," Bill adds, Tyler walks back near the wall, tugs at his chains, then concentrates. Suddenly he starts to transform. His bones break. Tyler looks up at Bill.

"I can't. I can't."

"Try harder." Diana snaps, Tyler looks at her.

"Can't he just rest for one second?" Caroline asks, Bill glances at Diana who still stares at Tyler.

"No, she's right..." Bill admits, Caroline shoots him a look. "We're doing this my way, Caroline. If you can't handle it, you should go."

"He's right, Caroline. Just go." Tyler agrees.

"What?! No! Tyler!" Caroline scolds.

"Go, Caroline!" He snaps, Caroline looks between them all before she does leave. Diana shifts around the room, pulling her lasso free from under the back of her jacket. "What is that?" Tyler asks her.

"Golden Promise" Diana answers. "Once owned by Athena herself" she adds. "Corrupted by Ares and locked away by Zeus....until I found it" She pulls the rope between her fingers. "It's completely indestructible" she tugs on the rope that begins to glow golden. "That word is passed around a lot in Greek history and mythology" She adds. "Unbeatable too....like Achilles" She hums a little. "Achilles was the strongest and most fearless warrior in the Greek war against the Trojans, unbeatable, indestructible...." she shrugs. "Invulnerable in all of his body, except for his heel...."

"Is there a point here?" Bill asks her.

"Everything has a loophole...Like Achilles and his heel" Diana tells him. "Sire bond is unbreakable?" she asks. "Yeah, and Achilles was undefeatable...." she looks at Tyler. "We need to find your heel....." She moves closer to Tyler. "And I think I know what it is"

"What?" Bill asks her. Diana smiles at Tyler.

"Love" She answers. "Strongest force in the universe" Tyler raises an eyebrow at her. "You love Caroline..." She points out. "And if you don't turn...if you don't break the sire bond....you will hurt her again...." Tyler nods a little, he knows this. "So..." She loosens her hold on her lasso. "Turn" She orders of him. Tyler takes a deep breath and moves back from her. He closes his eyes and starts to turn again. "Good" Diana tells him.

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

At Alaric and Diana's apartment, Damon enters. Alaric's lifting weights on his incline bench.

"What are you doing here?" Alaric asks when he notices Damon.

"Ehm...Looking for a bunny. You're good. For now."

"Are you still obsessed with Meredith? Diana told you it wasn't her...." He puts the barbell back in the rack and sits up. "I mean, don't you have an Original vampire to care about?"

"Uh ah ah!" Damon pours himself a drink.

"What's your problem?" Alaric asks Damon.

"Watchdog's doctor vervained me and then she blood jacked me."

"What? I mean, when did you even see her?"

"When I went to the hospital, to accuse her of killing her ex-boyfriend. Which by the way, very sensitive subject."

"Damon, what the hell are you doing?"

"Why are you mad at me?" Damon asks him.

"Meredith is Diana's family, you can't just...accuse her of stuff like murder" Alaric scolds him.

"I diagnosed psycho case. You're welcome." Damon counters.

..........

Tyler is turning. He rips the steel chains out of the walls. Diana and Bill's eyes widen with the sheer strength behind Tyler.

"Oh my god." Bill states.

"These chains aren't strong enough," Tyler warns them and then he is leaping forward to attack Bill who screams. Diana's lasso wraps around Tyler and glows, she yanks pulling him back away from Bill. The lasso holds down Tyler whilst Diana stares at an injured Bill.

"Shit" She states.

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

At the hospital, Alaric is waiting for Meredith. She comes out of a room and he moves towards her.

"Want to tell me what you're up to?" He asks her. He wanted to believe Diana about Meredith but her behavior with Damon makes him think otherwise, and he wants to make sure before he talks to Diana, he wants proof before he has to tell her that her family member is a psycho.

"You talked to Damon." Meredith offers.

"Yeah, I did."

" He wasn't supposed to wake up so soon. I used enough vervain, to sedate him for hours."

"Well, he drinks it every day to build up an immunity, so people like you don't get the jump on him."

"I'm not crazy, Alaric" Meredith assures him.

"Really? Then what are you?" Alaric asks her. Paramedics are bringing in a severely injured patient on a stretcher.

"You really wanna know? Stick around." Meredith tells him. Alaric looks at the patient's face.

"Is it Bill Forbes?" Alaric asks as Diana then follows the paramedics in, he notes that she is covered in blood. "Oh my god" He states and moves to her, Diana lets out a breath.

"It's not mine" She assures him. "It's Bill's" She admits as she looks over herself. Meredith whistles for them. "Come on," Diana tells Alaric and hurries after Meredith, Alaric follows behind her.