Book Four: Solitude (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Diana lays awake in her bed as the sun rises outside of her bedroom window. Her eyes are on Golden Promise which is set on the top of her old dresser. She hasn't slept. Yet again. Just laid awake and stared at her wall before moving onto the lasso. All it does is remind her of how much easier things were in Greece. Before she came home. Before all the vampires. It wasn't exactly conventional but it was safe and it was her normality. She lets out a breath and sits up. Having to get ready for the day.

...........

Diana stands at her jeep as she loads up some bags into the trunk. She and Jeremy, and the twins, are heading up to the lake house to help him with his vampire hunter side. But Diana's not really in the mood for it. She's not really in the mood for anything. Talking with Alaric the night before just...threw her a little. Admitting how tired she really is. How much she is still hurting. Everything about her is still hurting. Every move she makes hurts. She's just....drained. She lets out a breath and sets another bag into the back of her jeep. Jeremy walks towards her with a couple of bags in his hands.

"Here" Jeremy sets the bags into the back of Diana's jeep, she nods a little and pushes them into place. "You okay, Di?" he asks her. "You've been really quiet today"

"Just...lot on my mind" She answers and leans back to close the jeep trunk. Derek leaves the house with the twins and makes his way towards Jeremy and Diana.

"Bonnie's going to meet us at the Lakehouse" Jeremy offers as he takes Ezra from Derek.

"And me and Matt are staying to keep an eye on Tyler and Caroline" Derek adds. Diana nods a little and straps Veronica into the car seat. Jeremy and Derek share a look. Both of them worried about her. Diana turns and holds out her hands towards Jeremy, he hands over Ezra and Diana sets him into the car too. She leans back and closes the door.

"Right, get in," Diana tells Jeremy and then climbs into her jeep.

"Keep an eye on her" Derek whispers to Jeremy who nods in agreement.

.........

At the Gilbert Lake House, Jeremy is outside of the house, chopping wood. He pulls the axe out of the log he just chopped and places it into a tree trunk where a small wooden stake lies. He picks up the stake and stares at it. He then throws it down, picking the axe back up and chopping another piece of wood with vigour. Suddenly, he sees Damon and Elena pull up the driveway in Damon's car. Diana hurries over to him.

"Jeremy." She warns slightly. Jeremy walks in front of the car and looks at them. Diana stands right behind him.

"They shouldn't be here." Jeremy counters.

"They're here to help you." Jeremy continues to stare at Elena and Damon. "Do you trust me?" Diana has wrapped her hands around the handle of the axe which Jeremy is still holding with a firm grip. Damon glances over at Elena who has a stony look upon her face.

"Yeah. Yeah, I trust you." Jeremy assures Diana, he releases his grip on the axe and Diana takes it from him. She throws the axe aside and takes his arm in her hands.

"Let's go inside." Diana leads Jeremy back towards the house as Jeremy continues to look at Elena and Damon. Diana places her hand on Jeremy's back and continues to guide him towards the house. As they approach, Shane opens the front door and walks out towards Diana and Jeremy.

"What the hell is Professor Shadypants doing here?" Damon asks Elena.

"I invited him," Elena admits, Damon looks over at her, clearly not pleased with her decision making.

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

Inside the lake house, Shane and Bonnie move around some furniture for the hypnosis they will perform on Jeremy. Diana stands just a little way from them glaring at it all. She thinks this is stupid. She thinks Shane is stupid.

"He's an idiot" Alaric states from where he stands behind Diana, she smirks a little and looks down. "You don't need his help" He adds.

"Bonnie and Elena seem to think we do" Diana whispers back, Alaric shrugs a little. "He is an idiot though" She agrees as she looks at Alaric, he nods and smiles at her, but he can see in her eyes how done she is with all of this. She takes a breath and looks back at Jeremy.

"Okay, listen, we are ready to get started, but before we can do that, we need her," Shane tells Jeremy. Jeremy looks out the front door and sees Elena and Damon approaching. "In here" Shane shouts, Diana shoots him a glare. This is her house, where the hell does he get off being comfortable here? Elena pauses in the doorway and looks around the frame.

"You have to invite me in, Di"

"You can come in." Diana offers with an eyebrow. "Hate that stupid thing" She grumbles.

"Where are the twins?" Elena asks, Diana holds up a baby monitor in her hand and then points upstairs.

"Sleeping" Diana answers as Elena enters the house. She stops in front of Jeremy and looks up at him. She gently touches his arm and walks past him, setting her bags on a counter. Jeremy looks down at his arm where she touched him and suddenly grabs the small wooden stake from his waistband and attempts to stake Elena. Diana reacts quickly and grabs him by the wrist.

"Jeremy!" Bonnie scolds. Diana twists Jeremy's arm around and places it behind his back. She also manages to take the stake from him and puts him in a chokehold. Jeremy struggles to release himself from her grip. Bonnie, Damon, Elena, and Shane all look on in surprise, although Diana clearly has him under control.