Book Four: Solitude (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty-Six

Diana stands with her hair up, dressed in work out gear as she reads from Penelope's journal again. Elena stands behind her doing press-ups. It's a little weird for Diana to see. Elena jumps up and cocks her head.

"So you found a magical rock that you think Silas wants?" Elena asks Diana who hums.

"I know he wants it" She counters. "He just can't have it....and neither can I right now.....cause I can't get into the stupid thing" She shakes the journal and groans.

"And Penelope was supposed to give this rock to you to protect...." Diana hums again. "Nothing is ever simple with this family" Diana laughs a little and looks at her.

"Yeah, nothing has ever been more true" She agrees and closes the journal. "How are you feeling?"

"I still want to rip Katherine's head off, if that's what you're asking" Elena mumbles. "You don't...know where she is, do you?"

"Trust me, if I knew where Katherine was, I'd march you to her" Diana admits, Elena smiles a little and nods. "About the things I said" Diana starts.

"Diana, you've been looking after me for so long that things have clearly built up inside of you, that you haven't been venting, just holding onto it....and it's just...."

"Pressure explosion" Diana offers. "I'm not going to say that I didn't mean it" she admits. "I did....you're an adult now, Elena, that comes with a certain degree of emotional maturity, vampire or not...."

"Is this how you felt towards me....after Ric?" Elena asks, Diana nods. "Did it go away?"

"No" Diana answers. "No, I still blame you for what happened, plus you burned down my house which just reignited that...pun intended" Elena cringes a little.

"Sorry" She offers, Diana hums a little.

"I just redirected those feelings into something productive....my training in Greece, the twins...Silas"

"How are the twins?" Elena asks. Diana holds out her phone to show her the newest photo from Athena.

"Fat" Diana answers, Elena smiles taking the phone from her.

"Wow...they are..."

"They are fat" Diana finishes, Elena smirks a little and chuckles. "I know...but they are living in a place that treats them as if the students have never seen babies before....every time someone picks them up, they get a bottle or...according to Athena, banana....they've started on solids..." Diana sighs. "And I missed it because of Silas"

"Diana" Elena whispers.

"I was just hoping to be back there by now...." Diana admits and shrugs. "I didn't think it would take this long to find the monolith let alone...Silas" She sighs and gives Elena a small smile. "But...." Diana clears her throat. "I don't actually want to kill you, and I don't think you really want to kill Katherine...."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I just want to feel the warmth of her chest cavity as I rip out her heart and watch her face as she realizes I took it from her." Diana smirks a little, she and Elena share a look. "Nah, I just want to kill her. It's that simple."

"And you'll get your chance" Diana assures her. "That bitch has destroyed our lives, she gave Jenna to Klaus, killed our brother....she doesn't get to live at the end of this..." Elena nods in agreement.

...........

Diana enters the hospital to meet Damon and Stefan. Police tape can be seen across a doorway and there are police in the reception area.

"You just missed the doughnuts," Damon tells Diana.

"Yeah, I was with Elena, burning off a few thousand hate-filled calories," Diana admits and then glares at them both. "What happened to you helping me?"

"Help, yes. Prolong the inevitable? Waste of my time." Damon counters.

"Mm, you're avoiding. How unexpected." Diana tells him with an eye roll.

"I'm not avoiding. Elena's only goal is to end Katherine's life, and that's not gonna just magically disappear with pilates and a juice cleanse."

"Yeah, well, sooner she kills Katherine the better" Diana comments.

"You want her to kill Katherine?" Stefan asks her.

"Yes, I do" Diana answers. "The only way Elena is going to have a peaceful life, and by extension...I will have a peaceful life....is if Katherine is dead.....so yes, I am encouraging her to destroy her" Liz Forbes approaches them.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming." She tells the three of them.

"Hey." Stefan greets.

"Why were we invited?" Damon asks.

"Well, the hospital has kept the blood banks empty ever since they were raided last month. We thought at the very least it would help keep the vampire population away."

"And it didn't?" Diana asks Liz.

"See for yourself." Liz leads them into a patient's room where a body lay on a bed, its wrists bloodied.

"Whoa." Damon breaths.

"There are four other victims in this wing, each one almost completely drained of blood. You think it's Silas?" Liz asks them.

"Or a doctor with some very questionable bedside manners," Damon adds.

"But 5 victims? That's a lot of blood, and it's not like he can take it with him." Liz points out.

"Unless he's fueling up for something big," Diana adds.

"Big? Any details would be helpful, considering I'm dealing with 5 grieving families out there and a psychic killer on the loose."

"Silas wants Bonnie to do a spell to drop the veil from the Other Side," Damon tells her.

"I have no idea what that means," Liz admits.

"It's an invisible wall that separates our plane from the plane of all dead supernatural creatures," Diana explains. "Now, Silas wants that to go away so he can take the cure, die, and not have to spend an eternity in a supernatural purgatory."

"And when do you suppose Silas plans on doing this?" Liz asks them.

"Next full moon. Tomorrow night." Damon answers.

..........

Liz, Damon, Stefan, and Diana are gathered after a town-wide power cut alerts them to magical energy being used. The four of them stand over a map.

"Well, these are the locations of the Silas massacres" Stefan points to each location. "It's the Expression triangle. Bonnie must be doing the spell." Stefan points out.

"So much for needing a full moon." Damon comments.

"And there's something else: one of the power company guys has a daughter who goes to school with Bonnie. He saw her leaving the Young farm an hour ago...with Elena." Liz informs them.

"But...Caroline's with Elena." Stefan points out.

"Looks like Bonnie has a new doppelgänger friend." Diana offers.

"So how do we find them?" Liz asks.

"Well, they must be somewhere in the triangle. My guess is that they would be right in the middle." Stefan draws a point in the middle of the triangle, then circles it.

"And where exactly might that be?" Damon enquires.

"The monolith" Diana answers and turns to leave. Damon grabs her arm and pulls her back.

"What?" he asks her, she sighs.

"It's a big rock" She answers. "Created by the Fates....you know, Greek mythology, all that...it's full of magical energy.....I'm taking a lot of energy....." Damon stares at her for more. "Silas wants it....and I've been trying to figure out how to get it out and move it back to Athens....but time has run out...I need to destroy it" She shakes off his arm. "Zeus forgive me, but I have to destroy it"