Book Four: Solitude (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty

Diana stands in the weapons room of the apartment where she opens the case of her bow and looks over it before moving to the collection of arrowheads she has, she trails her fingers over the labelling before taking out some vervain filled ones, she turns them around in her hand and nods.

"Are you going to tell me what it is you are doing?" Alaric asks, Diana hums a little and sets the arrowheads into the case.

"No" She answers and moves to grab a couple of knives and looks over them before setting them away again and moving to another knife. "Not yet" She corrects herself seeing the look Alaric is sending her way. She throws the knife into her bow case and then leaves the room, her fingers pulling her cell phone from her pocket before she dials. "Meredith, it's Diana, I know it's been a while but I have some questions about Penelope" Diana starts as she leaves the apartment, closing the door behind her. Alaric frowns a little. She's so focused. No sign of her grief towards Jeremy at all. Her brother is dead, more than a month dead and she doesn't seem to be feeling it at all, couple that with the grief she was already feeling, the stress, she should be a wreck right about now. 

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

Caroline is collecting trash from around the Salvatore Boarding house. Finding a cup that still has alcohol in it, she thriftily drinks the last sip before tossing it in the bin. Klaus enters the room.

"Desperate times, I take it?" He asks her. Caroline doesn't look at him.

"What are you doing here?" She asks him.

"Not judging you, for starters, although if you are determined to get drunk, then perhaps I might recommend something a little more sanitary?" Maintaining eye contact, Caroline drains another cup and throws it defiantly into the bin she's carrying. "Well, then. You showed me."

"Shouldn't you be out chasing Tyler to the ends of the earth?" Caroline asks as she continues to pick up the trash. "Or are there still some hopes and dreams you wanna crush around here?"

"Depends. Do you happen to know where the young Brutus is?" Klaus asks her.

"I know where he's not-- with me. And he gave Derek the deed to the house, so he's gone for good." Caroline admits. Klaus nods and walks closer to her.

"Tyler made it his life's mission to kill me. You can't hate me for driving him away."

"Oh I can, and I do. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to spiralling, so go away." They stare at one another until Diana enters the house. Caroline looks up and then smiles with relief. "Diana" She rushes to Diana and hugs her. "Thank god you're back"

"Urm, yeah, nice to see you too, Caroline" Diana pats Caroline's back and pulls away from her. "I went by the house, but it's....ash, and no one is answering their phones" she adds and shrugs.

"Oh..." Caroline whispers, realising that no one's told her. Elena hasn't exactly been in the right state of mind to contact Diana and tells her about Jeremy. Stefan enters the room and notices Diana.

"Diana" he states, she looks at him and raises an eyebrow.

"Why are you two being cagey?" She asks.

"Actually" Stefan starts. "We need to talk about...about Jeremy"

"Oh, that he's dead?" Diana asks. "Yeah, I know...that doesn't explain why my house has been burned down"

"You know that Jeremy is dead?" Caroline asks. "And all you care about is your house?"

"I mourned and cried and got over it" Diana offers with a shrug. "My house on the other hand...I assume this has something to do with Elena" Stefan nods. "Good, then I know who to sue for criminal damage"