Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing. Only the story is mine.
Note: All right, seven more reviews, that is epic! With that in mind, I'm going to go ahead with Chapter 3 of "Freedom isn't Free," having gotten an idea for it. Thank you for the wonderful reviews! You guys are great! When we last left everyone, Stefan stops by to visit Elena, who is waiting for Damon to return from the store. Then, Rebekah calls and tells her that she has Damon and if she wants to see him alive again, she has to retrieve a briefcase at the airport with over a million dollars in unmarked bills. No spoilers, except the action in this chapter takes place after Rebekah's call.
Damon & Elena's House – After Rebekah's Call...
Elena had a determined look on her face as she searched the closet in the master bedroom for the black box that she kept her gun in. She knew that she shouldn't be overexerting herself, but this was a matter of life and death. Stefan, who had followed her upstairs, stood in the doorway and watched her, gently petting Phantom and hearing his soft purrs. There was no doubt that he was worried about his sister-in-law, it was evident in his eyes. He wanted to get Damon back just as badly as she did, since he didn't want to lose his brother again after Elena had reunited them, and at the same time, he felt the need to protect Elena, knowing that if he let her do this alone and something bad happened to her or the baby, Damon would never let him hear the end of it, and the last thing he wanted was for Damon to hate him.
"I'm coming with you."
Elena stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "Stefan, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you're a civilian. I can't risk you getting hurt."
"You think I give a shit?" he replied. "Elena, I can't let you do this alone. If something happened to you or the baby, Damon would never let me live it down. I want him back as much as you do, but at the same time, your safety is my main concern."
"Again, I appreciate the concern," said Elena. "But, I..."
"I know, I'm a civilian, but I'm also your brother-in-law, and your baby's uncle," said Stefan. "As such, I'm not going to stand back and let you risk your life like this, and for what? Some ransom demand by some crazy bitch who's related to the psycho who took Damon from us years ago? I'm sorry, Elena, but I'm going to have to insist on coming with you. Damon would want me to protect you."
Elena sighed, knowing that she was fighting a losing battle. She had tried to be her usual stubborn self, but Stefan matched her blow for blow, and it was obvious that trying to argue against a Salvatore was futile, especially when said Salvatore was your best friend's boyfriend.
"Fine, Stefan, you can come with me," she said. "It's obvious that trying to argue with you is like shooting at a brick wall with gun loaded with blanks. No matter how hard I try, I can't break through. I realize that you want to protect me and I know that I should've thought about that before deciding to go on this mission, but..."
"You don't have to explain," said Stefan. "You're worried about Damon, and rightfully so. He's your husband and you can't stand the thought of another woman taking him from you."
Elena smiled and went over to him, kissing his cheek, after which she went back to the closet. After a few minutes, she finally found the black box she was looking for. She opened it to reveal her .38 Smith and Wesson Police Issue, which she then immediately holstered. She even grabbed an extra box of bullets in case she needed to reload.
Stefan smiled as well and put Phantom down. The kitten rubbed himself against him and then ran off. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Elena looked at Stefan before heading downstairs to see who would be knocking. When she got there, she saw the last person she and Stefan expected to see. Tyler had a rather serious look on his face.
"Tyler, what have you got?"
"We found Damon's car in the parking lot of the grocery store where he was last seen," he replied. "We also found a man a few feet away from it, whom we have in custody at the moment. If he's working for the one who kidnapped Damon, he'll lead straight to his boss."
Elena nodded. "Anything else?"
Tyler handed her a paper bag. "This was in the back seat."
Elena looked in the bag and saw that it was the caramel apples she had sent Damon out to get. Unfortunately, the caramel was melting within the protective covering. "My caramel apples." She gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. "Oh my God."
Stefan looked at her. "What is it, Elena?"
"This is my fault," she replied. "If I hadn't had that stupid craving, Rebekah wouldn't have kidnapped Damon. Don't you get it, Stefan? By sending him out there, I led her to him." Hot tears stung her eyes. "If anything happens to him, it'll be on me."
Stefan hugged her to him, running his fingers through her hair. "No, Elena, this wasn't your fault."
Elena sobbed against him. "Yes, it was. I was selfish, and because of that, I allowed this to happen."
Stefan stepped back, gently clutching her arms in his hands. "Elena, listen to me, okay? You had nothing to do with this. I know you think so, but you're not to blame, Rebekah is. Damon wouldn't want you to blame yourself for something you didn't do. He would want you to be strong and do whatever it takes to save him."
Elena sniffed. He had a point. She wasn't doing herself any good by blaming herself for causing this.
"You're right, he would want me to be at my bravest," she said. "If I let myself break, Rebekah wins. I can't give her that satisfaction. If she messes with one Salvatore, she messes with all the Salvatores."
Stefan smiled. "Now, that's the Elena I know and love."
Tyler, who was listening to this, spoke up then. "I'd hate to break up this little love fest, but we've still got a kidnapping investigation going on. What's our next move?"
"When Rebekah called me earlier, she mentioned the ransom demand," said Elena. "There's a briefcase in one of the lockers at the airport containing over a million dollars in unmarked bills. She wants to retrieve it for her if I want to see Damon alive again."
"Kind of a tall order, isn't it?" said Tyler. "What if she decides to kill you?"
"That's where I come in," said Stefan, answering the question for Elena. "I plan on protecting Elena and the baby. Damon would never forgive me if let them get hurt or worse." He saw that Tyler was about to protest and added, "And if you try to stop me, I'll neuter you."
Elena blinked at his threat. "Stefan!"
"No, he needs to be put in his place," said Stefan, looking at her. "I'm not about to deterred from rescuing my brother." He turned to Tyler again. "Are we going to have a problem here, or you going to let me help Elena stop this bitch from achieving her goal?"
Tyler shook his head. "No, not at all."
"Good, at least I know we're on the same page," said Stefan. "Though, I still intend on kicking your ass for what you put Caroline through."
Elena blinked again. "Stefan, stop it! You're not helping me or Damon like this!"
Stefan looked at her again and sighed. He hated to admit, she had a point. This was neither the time nor the place for petty disputes, especially when his brother was in danger.
Note: Here you go, Chaper 3 of "Freedom isn't Free." Stay tuned to see what's in store for our heroes!
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