Waking back up again, as groggy as Payton still felt from being knocked out, she felt almost lighter, her hands instantly wondered down to her stomach where she noticed a lack of bump.

Her head slowly turned to the side and she came face to face with Bonnie and Caroline who were looking at her warmly, "Hey." She grumbled out to them, her voice dry from being knocked under and feeling weak.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Caroline was quick to ask her friend as she stood by her beside with Bonnie.

"Yeah a little rough but nothing a blood bag or two won't fix," She smiled lightly, as her head nodded down to her bump, "I guess they arrived safely?"

"Yes they're here and they're perfect!" Bonnie assured her with a smile.

Payton slowly turned her head to look out the door, frowning slightly, when she failed to see her fiancé around, "Where is he?"

"Who?" Caroline first said in uneasy tone.

"Where is he?" She repeated again, turning her head back to look at the girls, who now looked seriously uncomfortable.

"Payton..." Caroline tried to calm her friend, feeling the guilt hit her knowing she had to be the one to tell her the news.

"Where the hell is he, Caroline?" Payton couldn't help but exclaim, thinking the worst already, she couldn't help it, so much had happened recently she couldn't not think the worst of this situation.

He promised he would be there for her. Stefan promised he would be here. And now he wasn't there. Her friends looked like they had seen ghosts. They looked so broken.

"You need to calm down for a second and I'll explain." Caroline went on to say in a gentle tone.

"Explain what?" She looked back in confusion, sadness and fear, this wasn't how she wanted to wake up, "where the hell could he possibly be?"

Caroline lowered her head slightly, as Bonnie sheepishly looked back at the girl, "Oh my god," Payton suddenly gasped, as she began to panic slightly, "he's not dead..."

"No!" Caroline was quick to clear that one up.

"He's um..." Bonnie went to speak up, thinking that Caroline was finding it to difficult to, "he got marked."

"Marked?" She frowned back in confusion, not understanding what that meant and if she was supposed to.

"Rayna Cruze. She's a huntress. Her sword is linked to the phoenix stone. She can put vampires back into the hell stone." Bonnie explained further.

"Oh my god he's not back in there is he?" Payton really hoped that wasn't the case.

"No," Caroline shook her head, as she went to explain, "but her sword marked him which means she's going to keep running after him until she can put him back inside."

"What?" She blinked back in surprise but also sadness to hear this, "so he just took off?"

"Afraid so." She nodded back painfully.

"How did he even manage to get marked? He was by my side! I remember him being in my head!" Payton couldn't understand how this could happen.

"He was protecting Damon." Bonnie admitted to her uneasily.

She scoffed, "Oh of course he was! It's always Damon isn't it!"

"We'll fix this." Caroline tried to reassure her even if they had no idea how.

"No I'm going to kill Damon! He is always screwing up and it's always Stefan who has to suffer for it!" Payton grumbled, going to kick her feet out of the bed and go track the guy down herself.

"No, you need to rest," Bonnie told the girl, pushing her back inside the bed, "we can handle it from here."

"My fiance is running for his life and I'm supposed to just sit here and do nothing!" She exclaimed.

"Not until you have your strength back," Caroline pointed out, as her eyes flickered to the ring, "Congrats by the way.'

"Thanks." Payton breathed, thinking her engagement was supposed to make her happy, now it just made her feel broken to know he was gone.

"Maybe you should give Stefan a call." Bonnie suggested.

So that's what she did, Caroline and Bonnie went to go grab some coffee, whilst Payton reluctantly picked up her cell phone and dialled Stefan's number, her chest aching as this sunk in more and more.

"Hey, how are you?" His voice answered back to her moments later, sounding so calm and normal, she almost wanted to kill him herself.

"Don't you dare!" She warned him in a frustrated tone, shaking her head as she did, "I'm not going to do this with you!"

"Payton..." He sighed lightly, knowing she would react like this and to be honest, he did deserve it.

"No, Stefan! Don't you dare try to act normal. What the hell is this? I wake up from surgery to find you have got marked and now you're on the run!"

"I'm so sorry," Stefan apologised to her sincerely, "I wish I could be there."

"Why is it always him, Stefan? It's always Damon who ruins everything!" Payton expressed her frustration.

"It was the only way I could stop her!" He tried to justify his decision to her although he knew she wouldn't understand.

"But it's always you who gets caught in the cross fire saving his ass!" Payton pointed out in the same anger, but as she sighed, her tone went more softer and sadder, "you don't deserve this."

"I promise I will come back to you." He promised her.

"Where are you even gonna go?" She wondered.

"I can't tell you that." Stefan told her thinking it was far too risky if she knew incase the huntress came for her.

"Why?" Payton cried.

"What if she uses you or hurts you to find me, huh? I have to keep low." He explained.

"Stefan..." Payton went to interject, but he stopped her.

"I love you, Payton." Stefan said thinking this call was far too hard, he couldn't do it anymore, it was breaking him.

"Please. Just wait." She begged.

"What is it?" He asked softly.

"Just please just assure me some how that you will be fine," Payton said to him, knowing it sounded stupid, but she just had to know, "how am I going to know you're safe?"

"Valerie is finding me a safe place. You can ask her. I put her number into your cell." Stefan informed her.

"Right." She drew in a shaky breathe, not liking the idea of Valerie still being involved, but if she was helping, then fair enough.

"Stay strong for me. I know you will." He then said to her.

Payton felt the tears prick her eyes, she shook her head to stop herself from crying, "I'm not gonna say goodbye because this isn't goodbye."

He hoped she was right.

"Alright." Stefan said accepting her decision and thinking they had to have hope right now, so he slowly pulled the cell phone from his ear, ending the call.

When she heard the line go dead, she broke down, a massive sob escaped her lips, as she quickly covered her mouth and let out a large cry, she couldn't believe this. So much had happened in such a short time frame. She felt like it was such a mess and now she had lost him all over again. It was always him. Payton felt just as broken as the first time. It never got easier. She hated it.

And when she needed him the most, he was gone.

Suddenly the door opened, Payton lifted her head up and stopped crying, looking back to see her Dad coming in, wheeling the babies on through, she felt her stomach drop at the sight.

"Oh crap, Payton," He felt awful seeing her looking so upset, so he quickly closed the door and came over to her engulfing her into a crushing hug, "I'm here now."

"No, no, no," She shook her head, pushing him away slightly, "it's ok. I'm fine. I'm upset obviously but I'll be okay."

"You sure? It's okay if you're not." Alaric wanted to be with her, as he glanced over at the babies for assurance.

Payton nervously narrowed her eyes over to them, thinking this felt so surreal, on one hand she was so happy and excited to meet them, but then she was so upset and broken over losing Stefan that her head felt like a mess.

"Let me see them then." She said to him, quickly wiping under her eyes and encouraging him over to the cribs where they were laying.

Alaric wheeled the twins over to her, Payton felt her once sad look be replaced with a happy one when she saw their faces, "Oh my god." She beamed, looking down at them, they were so beautiful and so perfect, so so so adorable.

How the hell had she carried them for all of this time?

"Do you want to hold them?" Alaric asked her looking down at his daughters.

"Uh yes!" Payton didn't even hesitate to answer that one.

Alaric carefully leant down and picked up one of the twins, before bringing her over to Payton, who had her arms ready and gently took her from him, "This is Josie." He told her.

"Oh my god..." Payton quickly caught onto what the name meant, as she looked from the baby up to her Dad, "Josie as in Jo?"

"Yeah," He nodded nervously, before asking, "do you like it?"

"I love it, Dad. And I know Jo would too." She smiled up at him, before her eyes trailed down to Josie in her arms again, her heart warming at the sight of her baby sister.

"And then this one..."Alaric picked up the second twin into his arms, before bringing her closer so Payton could have a look, "this is Elizabeth."

"As in Caroline's Mom?" Payton presumed, thinking he had picked such amazing names, staring at Elizabeth, taking in how sweet they both were.

"Yeah I thought it would be a nice tribute to her." He nodded back.

"Dad, it is an amazing tribute to both women!" She grinned back at him, her eyes going back to Josie in her arms, "I wish Stefan could be here."

"He will. He'll come back to you, P." Alaric tried to reassure her, even if he didn't know it himself.

After lots of baby cuddles, Alaric wheeled the girls back up the nursery, leaving Payton alone in her hospital room, she quickly typed out a text message to someone in particular, knowing she needed to see them and get their help, there was only one option she had right now.

When they came crashing through the door a while later, relief washed over her to see them, Mason came over to her bed, carrying a duffle bag, "Where are the babies?" He asked looking around the room for sight of the twins.

"They're with my Dad in the nursery," Payton explained, as she watched him lay the bag onto the chair, "but that's beside the point."

"Are you alright?" He asked picking up on her on edge manner.

"Honestly no," She drew in a nervous breathe, before going to tell him, "which is why I called you. I need your help."

"What is it?" Mason raised his eyebrows back at her.

"I need you to let me take your car." Payton answered him uneasily.

"Wait what?" He scoffed back shaking her head at the request.

"I know you love that thing, but hey, have mine for the time being or I'll just buy you a new one!" She explained to him.

"What's going on?" Mason questioned, not understanding what was going on with her or why she needed his car when she had a perfectly good car sat at home or the elephant in the room of where her boyfriend was, "Where's Stefan?"

"Exactly why I need your help, Mason!" Payton sighed, as she glanced down at her lap in sadness, "it's a long story. But he's had to go on the run because of some huntress who has the power to send him back inside that hell stone and I am not letting him go on the run alone."

"Payton, you've just had the babies..." He tried to tell her.

"Which is why I told you to bring me all the blood bags I need to build my strength back up," She looked back at him, seeing he was looking back at her sympathetically but also like she was a mad woman, "don't look at me like that!" Mason quickly held his hands up in defence, "I knew you'd be the person to understand and help me."

"Why?" Mason wondered.

"Because," Payton breathed, looking at him knowingly, "because you and I, we're the type of people who would do anything no matter how reckless it is for the ones we love."

He nodded back at her in understanding, before turning to the duffle bag and opening it up, he dug his hand into it and brought out a blood bag, "You're right."

Payton quickly caught the blood bag he had thrown her way and as he did, he noticed a ring on her finger, "It happened then."

She followed his gaze down onto her hand, feeling slightly awkward, "Uh yeah."

"Took you long enough." Mason chuckled lightly, as she went to rip open the bag.

"Stop it!" Payton shook her head in amusement, glad that this wasn't awkward or maybe they were being humorous to hide the unease.

"Congratulations." He told her sincerely as he watched her consume the first bag.

"Thanks," She nodded back once she was done and Mason went to go get her another, "I appreciate it."

"So what else do I need to do?" Mason wondered when he had handed her another bag.

"If I could have your car so I can get out of here." Payton said hopeful.

"I guess if you really have to."

"I also wanted to offer you something to say thank you." She looked back at him.

"What is it?" He was confused now.

"If the bar can reopen by some miracle whilst I'm gone because who knows how long I'll be gone for, I want you to reopen it and be the manager whilst I'm away." Payton proposed the idea to him.

Mason scoffed, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah I mean you can decline the offer if you want but I trust you and I know you'll do an amazing job." She smiled lightly back at him.

"I mean..." He was lost for words slightly, "I'm honoured..."

"Thank you," She breathed, knowing she had made the right decision, "I appreciate it."

"I haven't even said yes yet!" Mason chuckled once more.

"But you will because I know you and I know you want success just as much as I do!" Payton went to drink the next bag.

He smiled, knowing she was right, maybe too right all the time, "Will you stay in touch?"

"I'm not sure. I have no idea what will happen. I hope it's not going to take too long but who knows? All the plans for the Grill are in my bedside night stand and on my laptop. It's not password protected so you'll be able to get in. Don't ask why I didn't password protect it. I guess I trusted everyone in the Lockwood's place with my life."

"Have you told anyone else you're leaving?" He wondered.

"Nope. If I tell anyone else they'll try and stop me and I can't have them do that. Stefan doesn't even know!"

"What about your Dad? Doesn't he deserve to know?" Mason raised his brows up.

"He didn't tell me recently that he was going to leave..." Payton hated how petty that sounded, but maybe part of her just didn't want to break his heart.

"But he was eventually, right?"

"I guess." She sighed, feeling bad that she was just going to leave, but maybe Mason right, she had to tell him.

A little while later after downing several blood bags and feeling so much better and stronger already, Payton changed back into the clothes she had come in the day she was admitted to the hospital, although her clothes were slightly more oversized than before, but it felt so good to feel more like her again and not so damn weak.

Mason had left not too long ago, leaving her with his car keys and getting Tyler to come pick him up, not giving him an explanation as to why he didn't have his car to get home in anymore. He would keep her promise and keep this to himself for her sake.

Payton arrived at the nursey and located her Dad, who was busy staring down at the girls, not taking his eyes off the bundles of joys, when he heard the door open, her turned his head around and saw her coming through to join him.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Alaric asked with slight concern although he could see she looked so much better, "you should be resting."

"I was getting restless. Plus I feel fine!" She tried to tell him as she came over and looked down at the girls.

"Are you sure?" He couldn't help but worry about her, "I mean that was a pretty big ordeal," Payton avoided his eye contact guilty, "unless..."

"What?" She snapped her head up, thinking was it really that obvious.

"You've got that look!" Alaric remarked, she knew she could barely keep anything from him.

"What look?" Payton didn't even bother to try play dumb.

"That I'm about to tell you something that might just break you look." He answered back suspiciously.

"Well I hope it won't." She admitted to him anxiously.

"What is it?" Alaric leant away from the cribs and folded his arms.

"Are you still leaving?" Payton looked back at the girls in their cribs, thinking they were just so beautiful, they looked so much like Jo, but they also looked so much like a Saltzman.

"What?" He was confused at her question.

"Are you?" She pressed on still looking at her baby sisters.

"Uh, well, yeah, I mean it was my promise to Jo to go and get out of this town." Alaric nodded back at her knowing it was a touchy subject, but he didn't know why she was asking and what it had to do with what she had to tell him.

"Then I'm leaving too." Payton glanced back up at him.

"Wait what?" He was confused, he didn't know if she meant with him or on her own.

"Yeah I'm leaving." She nodded back.

"You're coming with me?" Alaric presumed.

"No...I'm..." Payton nervously looked back up at him, Alaric quickly caught on to what she was implying, he shouldn't have been so naive.

"No, no, no..." He began to shake his head at the idea.

"You don't get to lecture me on my choices," She interjected, thinking this was her chance to stand up for herself, "the same way I can not talk you out of leaving town, alright? We both have to do what we have to do for our families and," Payton paused, looking down at the ring on her finger, she wondered if her Dad knew and whether he had decided not to pass a comment due to her upset about losing Stefan, "Stefan is a part of mine."

"You're putting your life at risk!" Alaric pointed out to her.

"And you're prepared to move across the country with two babies and no one to help you. I'm not the only one taking a massive risk but we do it because we want what is best and we love the people involved." Payton tried to convince him otherwise because it was true.

Alaric sighed, shaking his head, before looking back at her, "There's no stopping you is there."

"Nope. I've made up my mind. I'm leaving and I'm going to be with my fiance." She told him strongly.

"What if something happens to you?" Alaric expressed his own feelings now.

"What if something happens to you or the babies?" She pressed back thinking it was just the same fear she had.

"'I can't lose you." He ran his hands over his face in distress at the thought.

"'You won't. I'll be fine. Because I have Stefan and when I have Stefan I'm sane." Payton pointed out to her father how much she needed her fiancé and how much he needed her.

"'I really hope you're right, Pay," Alaric breathed, before he pulled her into him, "come here."

Payton held onto him tightly, breathing him in, not knowing when the next time she would be able to because even if she could make everything with Stefan alright, Alaric wouldn't be here when she got back. He would be in his new home with the babies and she would have to go visit if she wanted to see him.

"I'm gonna miss you so much." He hummed into her hair as he held her so tightly.

"'You won't because your hands will be tied with these two trouble makers." She laughed into his chest, before she found the tears pricking her eyes.

"Well if they're anything like you then most definitely." He chuckled lightly back, before she lifted her head off him and looked at him through her teary eyes.

"I love you." Payton told her father.

"I love you." He replied back, the tears also pricking his eyes as he had to accept that he had to let her go.

Gathering up her things and a few more blood bags, saying one last goodbye to her Dad and the babies, Payton discharged herself and made her way out of the hospital, over to Mason's car where she would begin her journey in tracking down her fiancé.

As she got into the car and began to drive out of the parking lot, Payton decided to make a call to Valerie, knowing that Stefan had said she was helping him find a safe place.

"Hello?" Valerie answered clearly not knowing who was calling her because she sounded a little sceptical and confused.

"Valerie, it's Payton," She responded, before going on, not even giving the girl a chance to speak, "I need to know where you're sending Stefan."

"Shouldn't you be in hospital?" The heretic questioned her back.

"I'm a vampire! I heal!" Payton grumbled back, as she pressed, "now tell me where he is. He said you were finding him a safe place. So where is it?"

"He would kill me if I told you." Valerie answered back.

"Well I might have to kill you first if you don't tell me," She said back with warning, she wasn't going to mess around, Payton needed to find Stefan, "I'm not letting him do this alone."

"Fine," The heretic gave in, thinking there was no way she could talk her out of this, she was clearly on a mission, "I'm sending him to New Orleans."

"New Orleans?" Payton frowned back as she continued her drive, completely confused as to why she would pick such a place.

"Yes," Valerie said as she went on to explain, "there's a safe place there. I can send you the directions if you need me to."

"Wow you're suddenly being awfully compliant." She couldn't help but remark.

"Well, I do agree that Stefan shouldn't be doing this alone so." Valerie replied.

"I'm glad we finally agree on something. Text me the address. I'm on my way!" Payton said before leaning over and hanging up, sighing as she did, her eyes flickered briefly down to the ring on her finger, as she mumbled to herself, "I'm on my way, Stefan."

By the time Payton got to New Orleans, the sun had set and risen, she was exhausted, but so determined to track down her boyfriend based off Valerie's directions. She had decided on the drive over not to call Stefan because if he figured out she was following him, then he would flip out on her and she couldn't afford to have him force her back to Mystic Falls.

Payton was going to find him with the help of Valerie who also had managed not to tell Stefan during their exchange in phone calls, she knew if he knew that she had told Payton that she had given her the directions to find him, he would also be so angry at her and she wasn't going to make his anger put him off getting safe, as well as hopefully free out of this mess.

Arriving in New Orleans, Payton felt a weird atmosphere come over her, she didn't know what it was, but there was just something about this place that made her feel on edge, maybe it was the fact she might run into Stefan with the huntress on his tail or whether there was just something about this place that gave her a weird vibe.

"Valerie, it's me," Payton said as she jumped out of Mason's jeep where she had parked it in the centre of town and was now making her way down the side walk, "I've arrived. Can you give me the directions for the safe place now or what? Thanks."

Ending the voicemail, Payton let out a large sigh and ran her fingers through her hair, before she slipped her cell phone into her pocket, looking around the place, wondering wherever the hell she was supposed to be going, she knew she should have got more details out of Valerie the last time she had spoken to her rather than just the directions to the town.

Payton rounded a corner and headed down a street, she couldn't believe twenty four hours ago she had been preparing to have the babies, now here she was in another state, looking for her fiancé who had been marked by a huntress, no big belly in sight anymore, just the small remains of a stomach that was healing from having on, back in her usual attire, feeling stronger and more powerful than she had in so long, it felt so good.

She just wished she didn't have to go find her fiancé. Payton wanted him to be here with her. Safe. Happy. Content. This wasn't the plan after she had given birth.

"Hello, love."

She suddenly felt her whole world come crashing down, causing her to come to a stop on the side walk, her eyes widened slightly in horror, Payton almost thought she was hearing things when she heard an awfully familiar voice come from behind her, her stomach clenched upon hearing it and hadn't stopped being tense ever since.

Slowly turning round on her heel, Payton came face to face with a ghost from the past, she had no way ever imagined she would see them again, stood right in front of her in the middle of New Orleans, looking so casual and normal, it almost made her want to rub her eyes and make sure she wasn't hallucinating, that this was actually real.

But the more she looked back at that charming, arrogant grin on their face, Payton knew that this wasn't some made up shit, this was real and she wasn't in some nightmare.

"Oh my god..." She gasped as the realisation hit her more and more at what she was seeing, before his name left her lips in a uneasy whisper, "Kol."

"You look like you've seen a ghost!" Kol remarked at her with a small smirk upon her reaction.

"Y-y-you were dead!" Payton exclaimed, shaking her head, when a few passerby's looked on, she didn't mean to be so loud, but she was so shocked.

"I was..." He nodded in agreement, before they added with an amused look, "but so were you if I remember rightly."

"You were on the other side!" She pointed out, thinking back to everything that had happened a couple of years back, this was crazy to her, "I thought you went with it! How are you here right now?"

"I got brought back," Kol informed her, before he went on to correct himself, "well not so much as myself at first but here I am back in my true form," his eyes darted over to a bar across the street, "care for a drink?"

"No, um," Payton quickly shook her head, thinking she knew better to not be drinking with Kol Mickelson based on her past experience with the guy, but maybe she could use him to her advantage, seeing as he never had a problem with using her, "I'm actually waiting for someone to give me directions to a safe place."

"A safe place?" He frowned back intriguingly as a knowing look came over his face.

Payton instantly picked up on this, frowning deeply, "Do you know where this safe place is?"

"It depends what you class as safe." Kol shrugged back mischievously.

"As in safe for supernatural creatures." She answered him.

"Why do you need a safe place? You're not in trouble, are you?" He raised his eyebrows up at her.

"It's a long story." Payton sighed, thinking this was not going how she planned.

Could Valerie call her back already?

"I have time," Kol told her, as his eyes rolled back to the bar once more, "what about that drink?"

"You're not going to shut up unless I do, are you?" She looked back at him in annoyance.

"Nope." He answered honestly, thinking she should have known better than that.

"Fine! One drink!" Payton decided, knowing there was no way in hell she could trust him, but right now she had no choice, Valerie wasn't getting back to her and she didn't fancy wondering the streets looking for dead ends, it seemed like Kol knew something, so at least she could try pry it out him, she was good at that, "then you help me."

"It's a deal, love." Kol agreed, before he motioned toward's the bar causing Payton to sigh and go to head over to it, Kol following behind her.

A little while later, Payton was sat inside the bar with Kol, he had a typical whiskey whilst she decided to go for a beer, her first sip of alcohol in months and never did she expect it to be with Kol Mikealson of all people, like she said, she thought he was dead, stuck on the other side when it had gone down, not alive and well in a new state.

"I heard your father also came back." He began to say to her after taking a sip from his whiskey.

"Uh, yeah he did," She nodded back uneasily, as she wondered, "what else did you hear?"

"Not much, love. We're too busy with our lives here than to worry about what we left behind in Mystic Falls."

"How did you even get brought back?" Payton asked him thinking they had struggled so much to get Bonnie and Damon back.

"A spell or two," He explained keeping it brief, as he went on, "you just slipped through, right?"

"Something like that," She nodded, before taking a sip from her beer for the first time, in an ideal world, she'd be smiling and letting out a large sigh at the taste, but instead she felt like she could barely show any emotion in front of the guy, the last time she had he took advantage of her, she wouldn't be so stupid again, "it wasn't easy, especially on Bonnie."

"I guess you didn't hear anything about my family." Kol raised his brows up interestedly.

"Not much, no," Payton shook her head, as she hide her hand with the engagement ring under the table, she wasn't sure she was ready to show him that yet, "life got even more hectic after you left."

"I heard you went back to college." He reminded her.

"How did you know that?" She asked him in confusion.

"Like I said, word travels fast, especially when you have certain people going around all over the place." Kol pointed out to her.

She frowned back, "What do you mean?"

"Tyler and his little wolf gang's he likes to help. His Uncle tags along too, right?" He smirked back.

"Wow, I had no idea you would know about that!" Payton was kind of surprised how much it seemed that their lives were still very much made apparent to the others.

"How was it having Mason return back?" Kol looked back at her seriously.

"Weird I guess." She answered with a shrug, not wanting to do this with him, but she was stuck here now, there was no going back.

"Did it give you everything you want?" He raised his brows up suggestively.

"What do you mean by that?" Payton looked back at him, not sure whether she should be angry he was so interested in her love life or confused as to why he was.

"Well I just remember that night at the Mystic Grill, you told me how much you wanted him back..."

She couldn't help but scoff, her anger now bubbling, "I was drunk!"

"I think I remember it slightly differently." He remarked slyly.

"Where the hell is this safe place Kol?" Payton snapped, tired of this small talk and games, she needed to know so she could move on.

"I'm sorry, love." Kol leant back slightly and apologised to her.

"No you're not," She spat back, not wanting to do this, "just tell me where it is and stop messing around!"

"Tell me the real reason you need to go there." He pressed her for the truth.

"It's where I'll find Stefan." Payton said truthfully.

"I heard you two worked out." Kol then said, clearly he had been listening out for a lot of news about her.

"We're engaged." She then finally admitted, wanting to prove to him just how serious she was, not just about Stefan, but finding this place, as she brought her hand out from under the table and laid it on the top of it.

"Oh wow, it's that serious!" He exclaimed looking down at the rock on her finger.

"Yes," Payton hissed, as she went on, "so tell me where I can find it?"

"Come with me." Kol said before downing his whiskey and going to get on his feet.

"You're not trying to set me up and try to compel me again, are you?" She slowly got onto her feet in a nervous manner.

"Why would I do that? Do you really think that low of me?" He looked back at her offended.

"Honestly yes." She breathed, before reluctantly following him out of the bar.

Surprisingly Kol stuck to his word, he brought her straight to the safe place, but unfortunately Stefan wasn't there, so much so that she thought that maybe Kol had been playing games with her, that this wasn't even a safe place, but there was only one way she could check and be sure, it was to reach out to Stefan, break her silence with him and find out for herself.

Kol stood beside her as she brought out her cell phone in the back of the bar, she clicked on Stefan's name and brought it up to her ear, anxiously chewing on her bottom lip as she waited for him to pick up.

She was half expecting him not to but when he did, her stomach began to churn with unease, knowing he wasn't going to be happy with her for coming this, but she had no choice, there was no way she was staying behind and letting him go through this alone.

"Hello, love."

Payton's stomach flipped for the second time that day, she wasn't expecting to hear Klaus' voice on the other end of the line, but then again, she wasn't expecting to be sat in a bar with Kol either, but she shouldn't have been so surprised, this was her life and the supernatural world after all.

"Klaus?" She repeated in confusion, her eyes narrowing over to Kol, who had been shifting on his feet uneasily ever since Klaus had spoken down the line, "Where's Stefan?"

"'Isn't it funny how after all this time the two of you are finally together and engaged." Payton could imagine the smirk on this guys face, knowing he had been right all along.

"'Yeah real funny..." Payton grumbled back, going to ask again where Stefan is, but the guy interrupted.

"'I remember that day you begged me to save your life because you had feelings for him. I should have known it would have worked out." Klaus said gleefully.

"Yeah I remember perfectly well, Klaus," She answered back, making sure this time she pressed him for answers, "so where the hell is my fiance?'

"Stefan will be fine." Klaus tried to tell her.

"No..." Payton began to shake her head in annoyance, wanting to be able to speak to Stefan herself, "don't you dare say that! I need to know where he is."

"I will ensure he is fine." He assured her once more.

"That fills me with so much hope." There was no way she believed him.

"Well, then, I must be off." Klaus then went to say.

"No you have to tell me where he is! I haven't come all of this way and met up with your idiot brother..." Payton rambled on in anger, causing Kol to snap his head back to her with his own angry look.

"My brother?" Klaus repeated in confusion.

Kol gave Payton a hard glare, shaking his head as he did, she frowned back at him, not knowing why he looked so damn angry with her all of a sudden, "Yeah your brother..."

"Which brother?" Klaus was questioning her now with demand and authority.

Before she could answer him, Kol reached forward and snatched the cell phone out of her hand, hanging up once he did, Payton was now glaring back at him in confusion, "What the hell was that for?" She exclaimed, not understanding why he did what he did, "he was about to tell me where Stefan is!"

"I can't have Niklaus knowing yet!" Kol shot back at her in a stern tone.

"What why?" Payton glanced back at him, before she noticed a look in his eyes, a look she hadn't seen since a long time ago, as she nervously went to ask, "what did you do?"

Author note: Hello hello hello! Welcome to a brand new update. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this part. I hope you enjoyed it!

Kol's back ;) and Klaus! Eeeek! I love a good crossover not going to lie. Although it did take me a long time to watch The Originals. I didn't know why I didn't start it sooner after TVD ended.

Special thanks to team steroline mom, everylittleflowers and Adela for reviewing the last part.

I'd love to know your thoughts on this one.

Do you think Kol is here to stir up trouble?

How will Stefan react when he finds out Payton came after him?

Thanks so much.

Best wishes always,

guiltypleasurexo