Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Alaric runs his fingers through his hair as he stands with Damon in the boarding house living room, discussing Artemis and the address Diana gave him the night before, as well as the fact that Elena is now missing. Everyone was so busy dealing with everything that had happened at the masquerade ball that they didn't even notice until the next day that she was gone. They kind of dropped the ball. Alaric hands Damon the piece of paper Diana had written on the night before and Damon glances down at it.

"One thing almost dealt with" He whispers and looks at Alaric. "So after she gave you this what happened?" Damon asks him.

"Diana took off..." Alaric shrugs.

"You did let her out of the cuffs" Damon scolds.

"She was faster on her own.."

"And she still failed" Damon counters. "Tyler still became a werewolf...we still have to deal with that, and a crazy murder demon. She could be anywhere by now. She could have left town"

"But I didn't" Diana states from the doorway to the basement, they both turn to her. Alaric smiles, a little proud actually that she came back here. He moves towards her.

"You came back" Alaric points out, she nods.

"I figured it would be better if I wasn't in a house filled with mortal individuals....be a shame if I saved Jenna from Katherine only to then kill her myself" She offers, he touches her arm and she shrugs a little. "I'm trying" she whispers, he nods.

"I know" He assures her.

"Plus Bonnie's got all these charms and stuff going on" She adds and holds up her wrist where there is a branding mark on her wrist. "Including this..." Alaric raises an eyebrow. "It's...softened the darkness" She admits as she lowers her hand and traces the branding. "It's been quiet since last night...no urges to kill" she steps closer to him. "Thank you" she offers, he frowns at her. "For...staying" he touches her face and smiles.

"You do the same for me," He tells her.

"Right now...I don't know if I would" She admits and gives him a sad smile that threatens to twitch up into a cruel smirk. She takes a breath and looks at Damon. "So Elena is missing?" She asks them.

"So it seems" Damon answers. "Stefan wants to talk to Katherine at the tomb about it....figured she had something to do with it" Diana

"What if there was another way to find her?" Diana asks, Damon raises an eyebrow at her.

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

Diana sits on a desk in Alaric's classroom, he leans against the wall watching her and Damon stands in the doorway watching for the others. Bonnie and Jeremy are the first to arrive, Jeremy smiling and waving at Diana who wiggles her fingers back at him.

"You're looking better," Bonnie tells Diana who nods.

"I feel it" She agrees and takes a breath. "Thanks" Bonnie nods.

"It won't last long" Bonnie offers. "Just...took the edge off for a bit" Stefan enters the room and looks straight at Diana.

"Damon said you had an idea" Stefan offers. Diana nods.

"I can track brainwaves" She informs them. "Elena is blood so it's easier for me to pick her mind out. Only problem is that my range isn't...very far, I can cover the town but if she's further than that...."

"I can help," Bonnie tells her. "I'll feed you my magic which should boost your telepathy but I will be telepathically linked with you...."

"Good luck with that" Diana mumbles. "Opening up my brain to every thought in town and beyond...it's going to be a freak show up there" she stands. "Alright, where do you want me?"