Book Four: Solitude (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty-One

Derek hugs Diana tightly, even lifting her up slightly before he releases her and holds her arms as he looks over her. She looks better. So much better. Well-rested. Well-fed. Well tanned. She looks good.

"Well, at least someone appears to be happy to see me" She comments and runs her fingers through her hair. He smiles sadly at her.

"I am happy.....and a little annoyed too, actually.....I had to hear you were back from Caroline"

"Yeah, I meant to call but..." Diana offers and shrugs. "I don't know why I didn't"

"It's okay" Derek assures her. "So how big did they get?" he asks her. "Can I see them?" he looks around her for the twins. "Where are they?"

"With Athena" Derek frowns at her. "I didn't bring them" She admits.

"Oh," he whispers and then nods. "That's okay...." But he is disappointed that she hasn't brought the twins with her.

"So what did I miss?" She asks him. "Other than the release of Silas and the death of my baby brother" Derek gives her a sad smile.

"I am so sorry about Jeremy, Di....." He tells her.

"I know, it's not your fault though" She assures him as she touches his arm. "What else happened?"

"Klaus killed my mom" Derek offers, she looks at him.

"What?" She asks him, he nods.

"Day you left..." He whispers. "After he slaughtered all the hybrids he went looking for Tyler, found my mom instead....should be lucky he didn't find me I suppose..."

"Derek, I'm so sorry," she tells him, he nods a little and shrugs.

"Nothing you could have done" he assures her. "Urm...what else?" He asks wanting to change the subject. "Oh...They killed Kol" He offers. "So one original down..." She nods a little. "Tyler left" She looks at him. "Signed over the house to me"

"Didn't realise he would have to do that, as you are the oldest"

"House was in dad's name" Derek informs her. "It went to Tyler after Klaus killed my mom...it's kind of empty now" He shrugs. "Being in there all by myself...." he takes a breath and shakes his head, his eyes finding all of Diana's papers on the table. "What are you working on?" he asks her.

"Just sorting through some stuff before I go back to Greece" She answers.

"Must be a good sign that you haven't emptied this place" Derek points out as he looks around the room.

"I don't have to live here to manage the building, Derek" She counters. "I don't know why I kept this place, maybe because you designed it and....it feels weird thinking about someone else living here when it was built for....well, for me and Ric" Derek nods a little. He feels the same way. He designed this place for them. Specifically for them. He hates to think of someone else getting to enjoy it. Diana then moves as someone knocks on the door. Derek watches her, waiting to see how it is. Diana opens the apartment door to find Stefan and Damon on the other side. Damon's eyes widen slightly.

"You weren't lying" Damon points out, Stefan nods in agreement. "Hello, Watchdog" Damon greets, Diana raises an eyebrow at them.

"What do you two want?" Diana asks as she walks deeper into the apartment, mostly to cover up her maps and sketches and notes about the monolith.

"Your help" Stefan answers as he and Damon follow her, Damon closes the door behind them, Diana scoffs and shakes her head.

"I told you....I'm here for Silas, nothing else matters"

"She's dangerous now" Stefan adds.

"Not my problem" Diana counters and closes her notebook.

"She doesn't want the cure, Watchdog" Damon points out. "She told us...and she's gonna start killing people if she knows we're still trying to get it for her."

"Still not hearing a reason why this is my problem...." Diana argues as she turns to them both, crossing her arms over her chest.

"How about; she is your sister?" Damon asks. "How about; none of this would be happening if you hadn't left?" Diana raises an eyebrow at him.

"None of this would have happened if Elena had died in that car accident with our parents, like she should have" Diana counters. "Don't talk to me about what should have happened...." She snaps. "If you two had never come to this town, none of it would have happened....." Stefan looks down a little. "Because the two of you were selfish, because you" She points at Stefan. "Just had to save her life way back when....here we are..."

"If we'd never come to town, you would never have met Ric" Damon counters.

"Yeah, but he'd be alive, and that's okay with me" She motions to the door behind them. "Now, unless you wish to discuss how we are going to kill Silas...." She motions for them to leave. "There's the door"

"She really needs our help, Diana" Stefan offers. "She needs her big sister" Diana glances across at Alaric who stands watching them, he shrugs a little. It's up to her. It's her rules. She lets out a sigh and closes her eyes.

"Alright, if it will get you out of my damn apartment" She scolds as she turns back to Damon and Stefan. "How do you wanna do this?" She asks.