Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter One

Diana sits on the end of Alaric's bed as she thinks over everything that's happened. The heart. Eva. The DNA. She knows why the heart came back to her. And it's because of Eva. Eva must have dug up her original body and taken the heart out. Which means that Eva is definitely X. She had a feeling about that when Eva 'saved' her but this just proves it. Alaric wakes and reaches across his bed for her, but she's not there, he frowns and looks around, finds Diana sat on the end of his bed staring out across the room.

"Diana?" He asks as he leans up, she hums a little. "Everything okay?" she nods. But no. Everything is not okay. She understands now, she understands why her, why it is happening, why Eva is doing this. And it is all her fault. Derek got hurt because of her. Alaric shuffles closer to her and touches her shoulder. She looks at him. "Are you sure?" he whispers, she nods and touches his face. He smiles at her and leans closer to kiss her. "Come back to bed" he whispers against her lips, she sighs and closes her eyes leaning into him. He kisses her head and moves back up the bed, Diana joins him. He curls around her back, his arm around her waist, he almost instantly falls asleep again, but she can't sleep. Not with this playing on her mind. She did this to them. All that pain. All of it, was her fault. Her phone rings on the bedside table and she glances at it and lets out a breath before she picks it up.

"Elena?" Diana asks as she answers her phone. She then sits bolt upright, Alaric's arm falling from her waist "Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way" She hangs up and then lets out a breath before she shuffles out of bed. Alaric groans as he wakes again.

"What's going on now?" Alaric asks her.

"John was attacked" She answers. "Jeremy tried to turn himself into a vampire" He raises an eyebrow. "And Caroline, Tyler, and Matt were in a car crash...I have to go to the hospital" she grabs her dress from the floor and pulls it on. She then pauses and frowns. "Where's my underwear?" she asks looking around the floor. Alaric thinks and motions with his hand before looking over his shoulder to find her underwear hanging on his lamp. He picks them up and holds them out to her. She takes them from him. "Thanks" She whispers and pulls them on.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asks.

"No, it's fine" She answers and crawls onto the bed, he frowns at her. "Go to sleep" She whispers against his lips as she kisses him.

"You need me" he argues.

"I need you to sleep" she counters and pushes him back to he lays down.

"'M not even tired" he complains and then yawns. She smiles a little watching him get comfy, her smile falls slightly and she lets out a sigh.

...........

Diana makes her way through the hospital and looks around for Elena, she tugs her jacket closer to her. Elena stands from where she is sat with Bonnie when she sees her sister.

"Diana" Elena states and moves to her sister with Bonnie.

"What the hell, Elena?" Diana asks. "I leave you all alone for five minutes and everyone is in the hospital?" Bonnie opens her mouth, Diana shoots her a look. "I am not ready to talk to you" Diana scolds, Bonnie closes her mouth.

"Jeremy's fine, he's at home, Stefan's with him," Elena tells Diana.

"Right, well...John?" Diana asks.

"Yeah, he's here..."

"Caroline? Matt? Tyler?"

"Matt and Tyler are fine" Elena assures her. "Caroline's...not" Diana frowns at her. "She's weak. They don't know if she's going to make it." Diana looks around and lets out a breath. Her eyes landing on Matt.