Book One: Panacea (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Forty-Seven

Henry sits on the couch looking up at Damon, Diana, and Alaric. He's cautious but friendly and welcoming.

"So, how do you know John Gilbert?" Henry asks them.

"Well, I've known him for years. He's a good friend." Damon answers and nods for Diana to get stuck in, she glares back at him. "Do your thing" Damon nudges Diana, she shoots him a look before she turns to Henry and offers him a soft smile.

"How do you know him?" Diana asks Henry.

"I met him right after I got out of the tomb. He's been helping me out."

"Helping you out how?" Alaric counters.

"Adapting. It's a whole new world...Cars, computers, match.com. There's so much to learn. He helped me get this place."

"So, do you live here alone or is there someone else here?" Alaric pushes.

"That's my friend's very passive-aggressive way of asking, uh, do you know a woman named Isobel?" Damon corrects.

"Uh, no. No, I don't know an Isobel. I know John. He's my only real friend. He really showed me the ropes...how to use a microwave, separate my whites."

"What else do you do for him?" Diana asks and steps closer to him.

"I help keep an eye on things...You know, with the others."

"The others?" Damon asks.

"From the tomb. They're still pissed at the founding families for trying to burn them alive. I'm cool, but those tomb boys, they want revenge." Henry explains.

"What does John want with them?" Diana continues.

"He's just keeping an eye on them, you know? Trying to make sure they stay out of trouble." Henry tells her.

"Well, that's John. Heh. He's such a do-gooder." Damon teases, he and Diana share a look. Henry receives a call on his phone.

"That's John now," Henry tells them.

"Oh. Hey, let me talk to him." Diana holds out her hand for the phone. "It's okay, he's my uncle"

"All right. Yeah." Henry hands over the phone to her. She doesn't answer it. "Are you gonna answer that?"

"Am I going to answer that?" Diana asks and looks at Damon and Alaric, they both shake their heads in answer. 

"What's going on?" Henry asks and then seems to sense the trap and runs at Diana. Damon grabs him and Alaric penetrates him with a stake.

"Let's not kill anyone tonight. Your words. Just pointing that out." Damon mumbles with a smirk at Alaric.

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

Later: Damon is emptying the blood bags from the fridge into the bin. He glances up when Alaric walks into the kitchen.

"Find anything yet?" Damon asks as Alaric walks closer to him.

"No, we looked everywhere. The place is...The place is clean."

"Well, I found this" Damon holds up a beer bottle. "Behind the blood in the fridge."

"Oh, man, this was a real dead-end," Alaric complains.

"I wouldn't beat myself up over it, man. What did you think you were gonna find, huh? Isobel with a cigar and slippers?" Damon asks, Alaric lets out a breath and glances at Diana in the next room.

"Oh, man. I...I gotta stop this. I can't...I can't keep searching for her." Alaric admits.

"Really? After only three years? That's actually moderately healthy."

"What are you going on? 146?" Alaric counters.

"Well, I figure the 200 mark is probably a good stopping point."

"Ahh. I mean, no answer is enough. I keep thinking I wanna know why, when, you know, the precise moment. When my wife decided life with me wasn't enough."

"She charmed me, your wife Isobel. She talked a good game, man. She was smart. She had this excitement in her eyes. I probably should have known there was something different about her, some tie to Katherine. There had to be some reason I didn't kill her."

"That's enough, Damon. I don't wanna hear anymore. I just don't want to waste any more of my life searching for answers that I really don't want. I'm through with Isobel." Alaric admits his eyes drifting back to Diana. "Yeah" he whispers. He knows what he wants. And he really feels like he really is through with Isobel. He found someone that makes him want to stop. Damon raises an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, well, Watchdog is something else" Damon teases with a smirk.

"We're just friends now" Alaric counters. "And stop calling her that"

"Come on" Damon states. "She doesn't remind you of one? All bark and all bite?" Alaric smiles a little because, yeah, he can see why Damon calls her that, Diana is all force and fierce and capable of punching with strength. She can back up her bark with a hell of a bite. Diana reaches into her back pocket to pull out Derek's cell phone as it rings.

"Is that Derek's?" Alaric asks her, she moves towards the two men.

"Yeah" She answers as she unlocks the phone. "New message" she adds and opens up the message before she sighs. "Diana, did you really think it would be that easy? I'm not done with you yet. X" She reads.

"Creepy" Damon comments.

"Yeah, tell me about it" Diana mumbles and looks at Alaric, they share a look. Because this just proves it. It's far from over. Even in the week since Derek, they both felt like they were just waiting for X to do something.

...........

Diana's jeep pulls up outside of the Grill after having dropped Damon off back at the boarding house. She leans on her wheel and glances at Alaric.

"I'm sorry" she offers, he looks at her. "That we didn't find any answers"

"It's okay" he gives her a small smile. "I think I'm done with that part of my life" He admits. She frowns at him. "If I don't stop" He reaches over and touches her cheek, curling his hand into her skin. "I'll miss out on the life I do have left..." She smiles at him. "Drink?" he asks her, she shakes her head. "As friends" he assures her.

"I have something to deal with" She offers. "I'll see you later" She adds, Alaric nods, the two of them sharing a look. She smiles at him.

"Yeah" he whispers and touches her shoulder before he climbs out of her jeep.

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

At Pearl's home, Harper prepares the luggage for Pearl who is waiting for Anna to return. She takes a breath and looks at her watch before looking at Harper.

"Thank you, Harper" She offers warmly.

"You're welcome"

"Annabelle should be back in a minute," Pearl assures him, he nods. "You know, you don't have to come with us if you don't want to."

"This was never my home, Miss Pearl. I was just a soldier who was left to die. You saved me. I'm coming with you."

"Let me help you with these." Pearl opens the main door and receives a wooden arrow in the heart. Harper catches her in his arm.

...........

Diana sets her bow and her quiver into the back of her jeep before dialing her phone and setting it against her ear so she can shut the back of the jeep. "Sheriff Forbes, it's Diana Gilbert. Sorry to call so late but I have an update about the vampires."

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

At the Grill, Alaric, sits at the bar, drinking alone. A woman approaches him from behind, her intent on him.

"Hello, Ric." She greets, he frowns and turns to face her, discovers that it is Isobel standing there in front of him.

"Isobel" He whispers.