Book Four: Solitude (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Fourteen

Carol and Tyler walk into the Lockwood mansion where they find two strange men are standing in the foyer and Tyler immediately becomes suspicious.

"Who the hell are you two?" Tyler asks them.

"Tyler, it's okay. They're here for your protection." Carol answers.

"More deputies?" Tyler asks her. Klaus enters the room from the parlor. He has another hybrid following behind him.

"Not exactly," Klaus states, Tyler sighs.

"They're hybrids."

"I was halfway to Chicago when I heard there was a new hunter in town and that you had been attacked. I had hoped to leave Mystic Falls for good, but duty calls."

"Nice to know you care."

"I don't. I should have killed you for the little stunt you and your friends pulled. Stopping my heart, leaving me in a coffin to rot."

"Yeah, well you used my body as an escape hatch, then kissed my girlfriend. So, maybe we're even." Tyler reminds him.

"Not even close. But, you hybrids are a dying breed. I can't make more of you, and I won't have anyone taking liberties with the ones I have left." Klaus begins to walk off. "Consider them your new bodyguards." He points at the three hybrids in the room and walks out.

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

Diana sits on a bench close to the Lockwood Mansion. She glances at her side as Klaus appears at her side. He smirks at her, she sighs.

"Now where were we, Luv" Klaus states as he sits next to Diana who clenches her jaw. "You were saying that you had information..."

"I do" She admits quietly as she fiddles with her hands. "I assume you have heard of the Five" he raises an eyebrow and nods. "There's one in town" he stares at her.

"Are you sure?" He asks her, she hums and nods.

"I'm working with him" She answers. "Sort of a...infiltration type thing...." she explains and takes a breath.

"I think I would have noticed one of the Five, their tattoos usually give them away...."

"Not if you can't see them" She counters. He raises an eyebrow. "Over the generations, the ink became invisible to those they hunt" She leans forward. "A way of protecting them against the very thing" She shrugs. "It's the same reason Artemis stopped inking up her huntresses....word got around, vampires knew what to look for, made them targets.....so she stopped"

"And what is it you want for this information?"

"Your blood" She answers. "Specifically the venom cure that is in your blood"

"One of your little friends got themselves bitten again?"

"No, but considering the hunter has werewolf venom I am being pragmatic..." She admits. "So?" she asks him. He raises his wrist to his mouth, she lets out a relieved breath and pulls an empty vial from her pocket, she uncorks it and holds it out so he can bleed into it until it is full. He pulls his arm back and nods. "I know a lot of things" She points out as she stands. "And I am very good at getting information...." She looks at the vial of blood. "This was a lot to ask of you...consider me...owing you one" He frowns at her.

"You already gave up information for it, I would say that made us even..." She shrugs a little.

"Do you know why the Five were originally created?" she asks him, he frowns.

"To kill us" He answers, she smirks a little.

"Were they?" she asks him and then walks away leaving him to ponder that. He frowns at her retreating form.

........

Jeremy is in a classroom at the school with Connor, where Connor is flipping through the file he has on Jeremy.

"Do you mind telling me who you are and why I'm here? I mean, I'm happy to miss Bio but..." Jeremy comments.

"I looked into your family's history. You and your sisters have been through quite a lot." Connor points out as he throws the folder down onto the desk in which Jeremy is sitting.

"What are you, a social worker? Why do you care?"

"Because you saw this." Connor rolls up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing the tattoo that only Jeremy could see. Jeremy looks confused.

"It's a tattoo, big deal."

"I call this a Hunter's mark. As in vampire hunter." Connor points out.

"A-a vampire hunter?" Jeremy laughs. "Look, I'm sorry, man, but..." Jeremy gets up and heads for the door but Diana appears there. "Di?" Jeremy asks her. "What are you doing here?" She steps into the room and closes the door behind her.

"Jeremy. I know your family's history in this town, so you playing dumb just makes you look dumb." Connor points out. Jeremy looks between him and Diana. Down the hall, Stefan lingers listening in on the conversation.

"Why the show and tell? I don't even know you." Jeremy points out.

"Because his tattoos are only visible to two groups of individuals" Diana points out. "Hunters of Artemis" She points to herself. "And....what he is" She motions to Connor. "The male equivalent of the huntresses"

"He's a demi?" Jeremy asks.

"No" Diana answers. "His group ranks from humans" she crosses her arms over her chest. "That you can see his tattoos means you have the potential to become a proper vampire hunter...not like Ric"

"Thanks" Alaric mumbles as he appears at Diana's side, she looks at him, which causes Jeremy to frown at them.

"Find me a vampire" Connor starts as he steps closer to Jeremy. "I'll train you, teach you how to do what I do. I'm on Hudson off Route 13. Don't show up unless you find one." Connor begins to walk towards the door.

"Well, how am I supposed to do that?" Jeremy asks him.

"Why don't you start by asking your friend with the bandage on his neck?" Connor leaves the room as he talks. Jeremy shoots Diana a look and then points at Alaric.

"You can see him?" He asks, Diana sighs and nods.

"Yeah" She admits. "It's a long story" She offers.

"And you're working with that hunter?"

"She's double-crossing that hunter" Alaric answers. Jeremy frowns and then smirks.

"And he has no idea that you're actually on our side?" Jeremy asks Diana who nods. "And you are...on our side, right?"

"Of course I am" She assures him. "And I am sorry, for...everything, I've..."

"You don't have to explain, Di" Jeremy assures her. "I get it, it's okay" She smiles sadly at him. "How are the babies?"

"They're fine" She assures him and then pulls out her cell phone as it rings. She sighs seeing the caller ID. "Damon" She greets as she answers it, she listens to him as he talks. "I told you to leave it alone" She scolds Damon. "Right....well don't move" She hangs up and groans. "I forgot how accident-prone you all are," She tells Jeremy who raises an eyebrow. "Damon's got himself attached to an explosive device"

"Wow," Jeremy states. "You're right, we're totally accident-prone" He agrees with her, Diana smirks back at him and then sobers.

"Look" Diana steps closer to Jeremy. "I need you to help Connor" He frowns at her. "It's a long, long story stemming from Greek history and I need you to trust me" Alaric frowns at her. "The Five...they have a purpose, they were created for a specific task and those tattoos...they mean something, they're not just random lines of ink. You need to do everything he says to get your own tattoos....so we can kill him"

"Di..." Jeremy starts.

"Trust me" She stops him. "I will explain everything...when the time is right." He stares at her, sees something in her eyes, he nods.

"Okay," he tells her. "Okay. I will" He assures her.

"Thank you" she offers softly. "I'll see you later" she turns and walks away. Alaric and Jeremy share a look.