Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.

Note: Previously, in "Freedom isn't Free," Damon and Stefan discuss their plan for dealing with Kol. Meanwhile, Elena arrives in Atlanta to take shelter with Elisabetta, where she finds out that the bag of money she had retrieved from the locker at the airport had been stolen from a bank some several months earlier.

Thank you so much for the reviews so far! You guys are the best!

Home of Elisabetta Salvatore, Atlanta, Georgia...

Elena sighed as she sat by the window in the living room, her hand gently rubbing her stomach and feeling the baby kicking. It had been nearly two hours since she arrived in Atlanta and although she did feel safe, she couldn't help but worry about Damon and Stefan. She was tempted to go to them, but the thing that was stopping her was the fact that if she did, she'd be putting the baby in danger.

She was startled out of her reverie a few minutes later by the sound of her cell phone ringing. Checking the ID, she saw Damon's number and a smile appeared on her face. Probably calling to check up on me, she thought.

Eager to hear his voice, she pressed "Send" and brought the phone to her ear. "Damon?"

"Yes, angel, it's me," he replied. "Did you get to Atlanta okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Elena. "Your mother is looking after me." She sighed. "I've been worrying about you and Stefan the whole time, though. I know that you two can handle yourselves, but I can't help but worry."

"I know, and I appreciate that you're concerned, Elena," said Damon. "I promise you, this whole nightmare is all going to be over soon. Once we get rid of Kol, we won't have to worry about anyone threatening our family."

"I hope so," said Elena. "I mean, after everything we went through, we deserve to be happy. Our son deserves to grow up where he won't be in danger. The less we have to deal with people from your past, the better off we'll all be."

"I definitely agree," said Damon. "This shouldn't take too long, and then, once Kol is dead, Stefan and I will return the money to the bank and we'll come to Atlanta."

"I'll be waiting."

"That's my girl," said Damon. "Just hang in there a little while longer, okay? I'll call you after we leave the bank."

"Okay," said Elena. "Be careful and stay safe. Both of you."

"We will," said Damon. "I love you, Elena."

"I love you too, Damon, and I'll see you soon."

With that, she hung up and sighed again. Elisabetta, who had been in the kitchen making tea, came into the living room, a tray in her hands. "Was that Damon on the phone?"

"Yeah, he was calling to check up on me," said Elena. "It felt good to hear his voice. I've been worried ever since I got here. Bad enough I had to deal with him getting kidnapped, but having to wait while he and Stefan deal with the brother of the bitch responsible for this mess is beyond nerve-wracking." She felt the baby kick her. "Easy in there, little one. Daddy's going to be okay, I promise."

"Probably sensed how worried you are," said Elisabetta. "Babies have the ability to detect when their parents are worried, sad, happy, or even angry. Could have something to deal with the bond that begins in the womb."

"Maybe," said Elena. "I just want this whole thing to be over and go back to the way things were before our lives were disrupted."

Bus Terminal – That Same Moment...

Stefan pulled the Viper to a stop just a few feet from the entrance to the bus terminal, ignoring his pounding heart. He couldn't help but get the suspicion that Kol might try to turn the tables on them. Not to mention the fact that he might have a serious grudge against him since he was the one who shot the tires out from under from him.

Damon noticed that his brother was anxious. "Don't get cold feet on me, Stefan. I need you in order for this to work."

"I can't help it," he replied. "Kol could have something in store for us."

"Then, we'll have to make sure that whatever he has up his sleeve, he doesn't get to use it."

Stefan hesitated. He wanted to believe his brother, but something just didn't feel right about the situation they were about to get themselves into. He also thought about Elena and the baby. What if they were led into a false sense of security and one of Kol's associates followed her to Atlanta, just waiting for the opportune time to strike? Worst yet, what if Kol wasn't the real enemy? What if there was more to this than they thought?

"Damon, wait a minute."

Damon looked at him. "What?"

"What if Kol isn't the real enemy here?" said Stefan. "What if he and Rebekah were part of something bigger? I mean, you worked for Klaus, you had to have seen something. I know that you don't like discussing your past and you want to move forward, especially now that you're about to become a father, but try to remember anything that might be useful."

Damon sighed. "Well, Klaus did mention that he was grooming me for some sort of operation that was bigger than the one he was involved in, and when I asked what it was, he said that his father has this huge empire that he's been building, and Klaus wanted no part of it, so he was trying to build an empire even bigger than the old man's."

"And he needed you to help him?"

"Yes," said Damon. "He said I was important to his operation being a success." He sighed again. "I just never knew how serious it actually became until the war between Klaus and his father nearly came to a head. Klaus wanted to kill the old man, but the old man evaded him every time."

Not giving Stefan a chance to reply, he added, "So, yes, Stefan, there is something much bigger here."

"So killing Kol won't end it?"

"Not even close," said Damon. "Killing Kol will draw the old man out of whatever hole he's hiding in. Our family will never be safe as long as the old man is alive."

"Why kill Kol?" said Stefan. "Why not keep him alive and then use him as bait? That way, we can kill both of them? I mean, think about it, Damon, you want to end this nightmare once and for all, so, why not kill two birds with one stone?"

Damon's eyes went wide and he looked at Stefan, a sly smirk on his face. "Stefan, you clever little bastard, that's a great idea!" He laughed. "All right, change of plans. When Kol comes out of the terminal, we grab him, tie him up, and call the old man. Tell him that we've got his precious little boy in our clutches and if he wants to see him alive again, he'll come to us with the ransom. Only he'll be dead before he can give it to us."

Stefan smiled and then, he saw Kol coming out of the terminal. He looked like he was on the phone. "Damon, there he is. He's trying to get in touch with Rebekah. Should we grab him now?"

"Not yet," said Damon. "We wait until after he hangs up."

Kol, unaware that anything was going to happen to him, waited for Rebekah to answer her phone. He tapped his foot impatiently as it rang and rang, checking his watch every few seconds. Finally, he got the machine and listened to Rebekah's recorded voice. At the sound of the beep, he sighed and began to leave a message for her.

"Rebekah, this is the third time I've tried to call you," he said. "I don't know where you are or what you're doing, but when you get this, call me back."

The second he hung up, Damon and Stefan saw that as their cue to move in. They drove up to where Kol was and Damon hit him over the back of the head with the butt of his stolen gun, knocking him out. Once he was out cold, he pulled him into the car, unrolling some duct tape he had found in the back and binding his hands behind his back with it. Once his wrists were bound, Damon took another piece and placed it over his mouth.

Looking at Stefan when he was done, he said, "All right, the prisoner is secure. Let's find somewhere private and call the old man with our 'ransom.'"

Stefan nodded. "Got it."

With that, he stepped on the gas and drove away from the terminal, again ignoring his pounding heart. What he and Damon were doing was reckless and it might even backfire on them, but at least this would guarantee their family's safety.

Note: I know, I'm behind on my updates, but I hope the wait was worth it, guys. Stay tuned!

ENJOY THE UPDATE AND REMEMBER TO REVIEW!