A/N: Surprise! Super fast update for you! I stayed up late and wrote almost all day today and lots of yesterday. I hope you love it! Lots of language and violence warning. This chapter is packed with so many feelings bad and good. Hold on and have faith for the good. Enjoy!

Be sure to check out all the amazing Delena authors on here. I have made some precious friendships with some of these talented women. Mariah April May, zaewrites, scarlett2112, deepwater1978, LittleMiss Vixen, SalvatoreQuinn, VitsAsh, MovingOnIsNeverEasy, Rachel 3003. Talent and passion and some are so young and just starting out and some are older and are only getting better with age like a fine wine. Your support and passion inspires me ladies!

Damon's POV

Damn it, I just promised her that I would not leave her again! My last glance back to her as I saw her struggling in Ric's arms behind the tree made me ache that she was fighting to be with me. I needed her safe. I wondered if she was even thinking clearly at all right then.

I was terrified in that moment that she would draw their attention to herself and so I tripped on pretty much nothing, grabbing for any and all branches to make as loud a crashing sound to the ground as I could. It worked and as I was scrambling to get back up I heard shouts and heard men rushing toward me. Anything to keep my Beauty safe.

She had looked more panicked than I even remembered when Donovan was dragging me away on the plane a mere few minutes after we had both confessed our love for each other. She had been in Enzo's arms fighting him as they hauled me away. Now it felt like that same scene was replayed with her fighting Ric's hold on her to stay away from me.

All we both wanted was to hold onto each other and yet over and over we were being pulled apart.

I felt the sting of small branches against my face as I raced through the dense foliage and I tried to ignore the yelling and pounding of the feet behind me. I didn't dare turn around, they felt so close already that I could not afford even that half a second of not pushing forward.

"Salvatore!" I heard Kai scream my name again, with as much fury in his tone as before when the light hit my face. I wanted their attention on me and not on Elena but I did not expect him to have a flashlight right there at that exact moment.

Fuck! I did not want him to know we were there at all. But I couldn't just leave the woman there either even knowing it wasn't Caroline. But when Elena showed up then I chose her, no question there. And with Klaus so close because the woman was literally crawling toward us I had no choice but to move and draw their attention or I knew Kai would have found Elena.

My ribs were burning from how fast I was pushing my body but I ignored the pain and forced myself to run faster. I had counted 5 whizzes of bullets in the air at me but each one by some miracle I managed to avoid. The last one blasted apart a tree trunk just beside my head and I gasped that that was way too close! Was Kai the only one with a gun right now? No, I remembered Klaus had been holding one before when the two men faced off on the beach.

The sounds of the shouting in my direction was growing quieter and I wondered if they had given up on catching me. My lungs were aching and I did not know how much longer I could push my already weak body. I felt the breaths just gasping out of me. I needed to stop, to hide. There had to be a place to hide!

I had not realized it in my pure adrenaline to get distance between me and the cons but I had steadily been running up higher and higher into the rolling hills. I nearly tripped on rocks just scattered all over the rocky ground. With it being so dark I could hardly see much in front of me as a started pulling myself up as the way became steeper. I felt a blast of air as I stepped up and over a fallen log and jumped back as my foot felt almost nothing beneath it!

I threw myself back and gasped out at the wide and empty expanse of a near sheer drop right in front of me! There was nowhere to go and I could not risk jumping with not even being able to see the bottom from there.

Then I heard the sounds behind me get louder and I whipped my head around wildly for a place to hide. I couldn't go back or they would see me and there was nothing but empty air in front of me! I felt the panic rising in my already sore chest. Where the hell could I go?! I heard more branches breaking knowing another few seconds and they would see me!

A bigger rock caught my eye as I scanned the terrain for anywhere to hide. The rock had a little dip in the ground below it and I dove into the gap, pulling my head down and the collar of my black shirt up to hide my skin as much as I could from the moonlight shining down. I closed my eyes as I curled up tight trying to slow my breathing. I needed to relax or those monsters would hear the gasping from my lungs.

But just as I saw a flash of bright orange coming the steep embankment I heard a crack of thunder and then more rain just poured down on the hillside. I mumbled my thanks silently that at least nature was on my side with the rain and pounding thunder masking any sounds I was making.

My blue eyes were widely dilated in the darkness and I could make out more than one more flash of orange as two men made their way up the hill in my direction. I pulled myself in as small as I could be in the little crevice in the ground.

"I told you he went that way!" a voice hissed out. "I saw the trees moving over there brother. Why don't you ever trust me?!"

The men had stopped a mere few feet away from my hiding spot and I tilted my head just slightly to see Klaus standing there waving the gun around near his brother as they both looked over the cliff.

"Well this is a dead end. What about that way?" Kol commented raising his hand and pointing further back the way I had come from.

"There isn't anything that way! It is just a sheer drop from there too so he wouldn't go that way. And if he did he would turn back this way anyway."

"How the hell do you know that?' Kol argued back. "You have been on this island as long as I have." They both had stopped only a few feet from where I was hiding. My heart was in my throat.

"Well I might have actually been doing something while the rest of you were just dancing around in front of the damn fire on the beach celebrating. There won't be much to celebrate if we can't get off this island before the cops find out where we crashed. As always your big brother is figuring out a way to get you out of another mess you got yourself in."

Kol stepped closer to Klaus and I could see his stance was aggressive. "Hey I didn't ask for that job! You know as well as I did that I was only on the team to pay back that debt or they would have killed me!"

"Oh I know. Who always races in to bail you out brother before all hell breaks loose? If I hadn't got mum and dad and Bekka on that boat to go across the ocean in time they could have been targets too. Your gambling will be the death of all of us brother!"

"How many times have I told you, I'm sorry Nic. I never meant for them to find her too."

"I will never believe that was an accident!" Klaus screamed. "She was always so safe while driving. The bastards after you, ran my girlfriend off the road and now she on life support because of everything YOU did!"

"I know its my fault. I'm so sorry Nic. Cami did not deserve that. I have no idea how they even knew about her and you and the connection to me."

"Well they were a hell of a lot smarter than you! If you had come to me sooner than maybe I could have gotten her safe too. But you and your damn pride to try to fix things yourself," the elder Mikaelson hissed out.

"I get it! And us taking that hit just to erase my debt was not worth it. It wouldn't bring her back. I know!" Kol jumped back in angrier than before. "But I had no choice. $90,000 that I did not have or take the job to assassinate the President. Dragging you along though...that was a mistake."

"No it was a mistake that I never got to kill those monsters for what they did to her! I was happy, I was out of that life finally and was ready to move to the States to be with her and maybe re connect with our brother, the golden child who actually made it in this world. You ruined everything with your greed!" Klaus spit a him.

I shut my eyes, feeling the ground getting more damp under my cheek as I lay as still as I could. I wondered why the other members of the team were with us. Stefan said the team was already being assembled by the criminal organization that created the tech but that they needed a leader and I fit the bill. I had no idea why the Mikaelson's were a part of it. Even Stefan didn't know that. Everyone on the team had their own reasons for being there. Wes and Markos' reasons I guess I might never know now that they were both dead.

"If Salvatore had not messed things up with the assassination then you would have been able to kill them. Lets focus our anger on him and not each other Nic," Kol said softer trying likely to sooth Klaus' pain. "Even saving his life when he was bleeding out did not get you face to face with the men that hired us. They screwed all of us over. Salvatore is the reason we had half the cops in Bulgaria after us and why we were caught. Prison was his fault!" Kol snarled and I saw Klaus put his hands up on his shoulders.

"You're right. And I am so sorry that I couldn't protect you from everything in that hell hole. How was I supposed to know they would take a week to interrogate me and dump you in there without my knowing. I wish none of it had happened little brother." Klaus mumbled with his head down. "Here you take the gun. You need it more than me." Kol nodded his thanks and took it tucking it in his pants.

"Then lets just focus on getting the hell out of here before we get caught Nic. They could go after the rest of our family since we failed. We need to focus on getting back to the States. Why do you even care what happens to the girl? I heard you tell that crazy kid that you wanted her. If you are so worried about getting away then what is with the girl? Did you give up on Cami?"

I heard Klaus snarled like an animal at that and I shut my eyes. "Never! And you don't get to say her name! But why I want the woman is none of your damn business brother," Klaus snapped at him. There was more yelling and I saw more flashes of orange as two more men came up over the ridge. I could not thank Ric enough for letting me change before. I would have been dead if I was glowing in the dark as much as these freaks that were looking for me.

"Hey, a couple guys saw movement over east of the beach. Lockwood swears he saw a guy carrying someone," the man said to the brothers. I nearly gasped out loud.

Elena!

Klaus and Kol nodded at him, listening. "Yeah he said he was following them and sent his buddy Brady back to tell Kai. Kai said to forget about Salvatore and all he needed was his woman and the creep would crawl out from whatever rock he was under." I felt my heart slamming so hard in my chest that I felt faint. Fuck! No they could not have seen Ric leaving with Elena. No no no!

Klaus nodded at him. "Fine there is nothing here anyway. Let's go."

I heard shuffling and more noise crashing in the bushes and the sounds got further and further away. I lifted my head slowly and peeked out at the way they had gone. The rain was still coming down, soaking me fully again. I could not hear any more footsteps as I crawled out and stood back up stretching my legs. I saw how dark and deep the ravine or cliff was in front of me and just leaned back on the rocky mountainside already starting to feel dizzy from how high up I was.

I could hardly breath I was so scared for her. Everyone had followed ME, how could they have possibly seen Ric at all? Damn it! My hands went into my hair pulling at it by the roots as I tried to figure out what the hell to do.

"My God baby. I can't lose you," I breathed out as the rain ran in trails down my face, soaking my thin shirt and jeans. I had no idea what to do. I could retrace my steps enough to get back to the beach and then back where we were hiding but that did not mean Elena made it back there. I shut my eyes, my dark lashes mixed the rain water with my tears as I trembled at the thought that Kai already had her.

I could give myself up. I could beg him to take me instead. I would do whatever his sick mind wanted and not fight him.

I opened my eyes, and lifted my head ready to die if that was what it took to save her. And I would save her if it was the last thing I did on this earth. I sniffled and wiped away the rain and hot tears with the back of my hand and stood back up and turned to head back down the hills.

"Not. So. Fast," a voice said and my blood froze in my veins as I lifted my head, the rain dripping off the ends of my hair to see Kol standing right in front of me...leveling a gun at my head!

I lifted my hand slowly as I regarded the man in front of me. I stepped back a half step but the cliff was only a few feet behind me!

"How did you..?" I began, having no idea what to do. Kol appeared to be alone. His brother and the other two cons were nowhere to be seen.

"Find you?" Kol said in his smooth British accent, raising an eyebrow. "I saw your footprints in the rain right under the rock by the cliff. We had not walked that way so I knew it had to be you."

I sucked in my breath trying to think clearly. "Well if you knew where I was then why did you wait and make me think you had left?"

"Maybe I wanted my privacy..." Kol mused as if he himself was still deciding what he wanted with me. Oh shit! So he wasn't planning to take me to Kai. Klaus promised to deliver us to him.

But Kol had other plans. He didn't want to catch me...he wanted to kill me...himself?

"You are the reason we failed Salvatore! And got caught! And were sent to that house of horrors! You! Everything that happened was because of you!"

Taking another tentative step away from him, I edged myself back from the sheer cliff. "Yeah I know I screwed up the mission and nearly got us all killed. I'm sorry I am." I stood up straighter, swallowing hard. "What are you going to do about it? I heard your big brother telling Parker that he would get Elena and me for him in exchange for your protection."

I took another slow step to the side and away from the gun nearly point blank at my head "He talked like you were too weak to protect yourself." I paused thinking this could go terribly wrong or offer me some tactical advantage.

My eyes narrowed at him as the water streamed down my face, my jaw clenched. "Are you somebody's bitch Kol? Do you need Klaus to fight your battles? That because of you, big brother has to do whatever that self absorbed baby wants?"

I was treading on dangerous ground figuratively and literally right now. But I had no idea how else to get any kind of advantage on him. Riling him up might just be enough to distract him so I could go for the gun. Of course he could just shoot me, but if he wanted to take his time then a gun shot would alert everyone to where we were.

I held my breath as my eyes watched his expression go from cocky confidence to boiling rage in about 2 seconds flat and the hand he was clutching the gun in shook in his grasp.

"I. Do..." Kol was spiting each word back at me while cocking the gun, "whatever the fuck I want, Salvatore. I'm nobody's bitch! I don't need protecting!" His voice was going higher as he spoke and I knew I was getting to him. I had no weapons, nowhere to escape, with certain death behind me and the gun in front of me there was nothing but my words to fight him with.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, my hands still raised in surrender as I saw his arm shaking more. "That was not what I heard. I heard your cellie Mr. Balls Johnson, as he so aptly named himself taught you a lot."

"Not another word!" he yelled at me.

Oh shit was I taking a risk here. "I''ll bet that's what he told you whenever you tried to fight him. He'd let you know when to open your mouth..." My voice was dripping with innuendo and we both knew it.

"Shut the fuck up!" His whole body was trembling now, as he shook his head back and forth wildly, the gun wavering in his lose grip and he did not even see my slow step forward. "You don't know anything!" His eyes were wide and he looked like he was lost in the horrific memories of prison.

"I know the night the air conditioning was busted, it was SO hot in there." I took another step forward my hands still raised, my eyes zeroing in on that gun. "The sweat was rolling down our necks, nothing could sooth that heat..."

I was so close to him, my arms raising ever so slowly. "Your brother could not help you…and wasn't even there yet. You were all alone..." I saw his eyes glaze over as the memories washed over him and his shakiness increased. "He pulled that sheet down hiding your cell from other prisoners eyes. But we could still hear you… begging him to stop...pleading..."

"NO! NO!" Stop it! Shut up!" he screamed and I dove for the gun, both hands around it as my body crashed into his and we rolled on the rocky ground. I groaned feeling every ache and bump on my body as I pried his fingers off the gun with every bit of strength I had.

I felt so much pain in my chest as my body rolled down the hill with him, my hands firmly around the gun. I had his wrist in my hand and was slamming it against the ground one, two, three times till the gun slipped from his grip. But I had to let it go because Kol dove for my throat and started squeezing! My hands flew to pull his off me and I grabbed him by the collar of his orange jumpsuit and slammed his head hard against the nearest tree.

I was gasping for another breath, feeling light headed as I slammed his head again and saw blood trickling from the back of his skull just before his eyes fluttered shut. I pried his fingers off my neck and just fell to the wet ground staring up at the night sky as the rain fell.

I blinked at the rain getting in my eyes as pulled myself up to check his pulse. It was weak and thready but he was alive. I never wanted to kill anyone if I didn't have to. I crawled back up the hill the few feet to the gleaming metal of the gun just laying in the grass. I picked it up and slid it open. There was a full mag of bullets in there and I spun it back closed. Finally I had a weapon! About damn time.

I started trudging down the grassy hill toward the beach, my boots smushing the soaked grass and mud beneath them. I would kill him if he didn't let her go. Hell I would kill him now just to watch the blood spray out from his skull and know that he could never touch her again.

The closer I got to the beach the lighter the rain fell. I had no idea how often the sky would just open up like that but it was nearly summer season so the weather could go from baking hot to wet and rainy as much as it wanted.

I could see footprints in the mud just as Kol had seen mine. Most of them were turned back away heading away from the water. There was no fire in the distance, the rain must have washed that out before already.

When I got back to the beach area there was no one there. I was surprised that I could not see a single con. Where the hell were they? Had they found our hideout? I saw more footprints in the mud and cautiously followed them. If the monsters had Elena then that was where I was going.

I struggled not to cry out from the pain in my chest from each step that seemed to lead me up higher again. The rolling hills went up and down as far as I could see in the moonlight. I was worried I could get lost out here and forced myself to remember markings or rock formations or anything in the environment that would look unique. I kept climbing higher again keeping the gun firmly in my grasp. I was heading north from the beach and where our little cave was deeper into the center of the island. I had no idea how big it actually was yet since we had not explored much in the daylight. Just enough to find Enzo a safe place to hide till I could wake him up. I kept looked around being totally aware of my surroundings as I walked. This was where it looked like people had gone but I still could not hear any voices.

Strangely I could hear a different sound getting steadily louder as I walked. Not rain but it sounded like a louder rushing sound. I pushed forward, my body feeling weaker and tired. I had hardly slept the night before. We had been rudely awoken and dragged on the plane, and then Captain Dickhead hitting me and my time with Elena as she stitched me up and how close we were when she fell in my lap. The only time I slept was dreaming of her in my seat on the plane before Kai woke me up and started taunting me about wanting her.

Now on the island I slept in her arms deeper than I had slept in ages for those couple hours and I longed for that feeling again. She made everything else just melt away.

I felt like once I found her I could just lay in her arms for hours. That was all I wanted. She had to be okay. Ric would have done everything he could to protect her just like I risked my life for them to get away.

I pushed aside the fronds of more plants around me and stepped out onto a clearing. There in front of me tucked among the plants and bushes was a magnificent waterfall! It looked so powerful and I could see the water rushing down the embankment and crashing to the surf below. There was a long winding river it looked like, that the waves were crashing to and fro in as the water rushed away down and out of sight. I just stood there admiring how beautiful nature was, how awe inspiring.

From where I had been before on the beach I felt like I was as high up as before when I had nearly stepped off the cliffs. The water was roaring so close by and it echoed around the wide open space at the top of the falls where I was leaning over.

I realized that I had not seen any more footprints anywhere for awhile and still had not discovered a soul since almost being killed by Kol before. My senses were really sharp from being in life and death situations so often and I could just feel that something or someone was near! I rushed to the side of a large rock at the bank of the falls and hid behind it, pressing my back against its smooth surface.

There were no sounds that I could make out beyond the pounding of the water, not breaking branches nearby or any other sign of someone near but I could just feel it in the shiver up my spine. My hands went down and cocked the gun as quietly as I could between my palms and raised it up in front of me. My hair was still a wet dripping mess and I pulled the strands behind my ears to have nothing obscuring my vision.

I took a deep breath and stepped out from the rock and whirled around, the gun raised...to be face to face with Kai pointing a gun right back at me!

My heart pounded as hard as the falls it felt like, as the psychos eyes roved over me, my stance rigid, my thumb hovering over the trigger. But I knew I would not get a shot off before he would shoot back. We were at an impasse just circling each other at the top of the waterfall.

I watched his lips curl up in a smirk of victory like he had already won. But where was Elena? If he had her why wasn't she with him? My arm stayed steady leveling the gun between his eyes. The rain had almost stopped now but I could still feel the water running in trails down my face and neck as my eyes bore into his.

Neither of us said anything and not daring to look away from his wild blue eyes I could just barely tell that there was no one else around. No one came up behind him on the hill. It was just the bastard defiler and me facing off.

I studied his stance, and he moved closer to me in daring bravado as we continued to circle around each other. I took a step back for each step he took forward and still no words had been spoken. I began to wonder if this was really happening. I started getting flashes of moments with him back at Maxwell Heights.

"Alakaday," the young man sauntered over to me leaning against the fence in the yard. Spike had just gone for visitation and this creep must have just been waiting for that opening. Damn it! "You are just as pretty as advertised," his words dripped from his pouting lips as he rubbed his shaved head. "Prettier even." He raised his eyebrows at me, his face inches from mine as he leaned over me.

"Not on your fucking life." I hissed at him, my blue eyes hard on his not blinking or backing down.

Kai grinned, cracking his neck. "Oh Pretty," I cringed at the sound of that pet name from him as he licked his lips. "You resist me and I will just make it hurt more and more, till you give in. Game on..." I shivered and finally turned my head away from him my eyes shutting, just waiting for the attempted seduction to be over. He stayed hovered over me till a guard saw us and yelled for him to back up. I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding as I watched him and his goons walk away. "Game on, Pretty. Game on," he said whistling at me.

Standing in line later for lunch and I was violently shoved forward into the massive muscular man in front of me. I reeled back, shaking my head fast that it was an accident as the man turned back to me towering over my height. I was scrambling, trying to say something, anything as he moved forward, grabbing me by the neck and slamming my head hard against the wall beside me. I fell to my knees, holding the gash on my cheek as I saw Kai trying to stifle his laughter as he was sneaking away down the hall. And I had only been here a day yet. What had I done by messing up the mission?

I took a bite of the meatloaf at supper a few days later proud that I had managed to avoid any more confrontations so far and stayed dreaming of the sad doctor anytime I was alone. I groaned and I saw Kai walk by just at that moment. "You will give in Pretty..." he whispered at me and I glared at him.

But the next second I started choking as he just smiled confidently at me, like he knew something I didn't know. "Are you mine or not?"

I grabbed for my throat knowing something was wrong. What the hell did he do?! I tried to signal Spike who was walking this way but Kai stood up blocking his view of me. I felt my throat closing up and I could hardly breath and my head fell to the table as I nodded wildly at him, hating myself for giving him any power over me and telling him what he wanted to hear. The room was spinning as I saw him lift his arm. "Hey St John, Salvatore here needs the doc." And then my eyes shut as I saw my best friend racing forward.

I felt arms grabbing me as we walked back from yard time to our cells and pull me through a doorway. I could see the steam floating up in the air around me and I was shoved forward and landed at a mans feet. I swallowed hard as I tilted my head up to Kai's psychopathic face staring down at me, his eyes nearly black with lust.

The sound of a zipper pierced the silence and I fought the arms of his buddies holding me down. Kai grabbed my hair and yanked my head up. "Do it! Bitch!" he snarled at me and I fought his hold on my head. My arms were tight behind my back feeling like they were bent so far past what they could handle.

"No way in hell!" I spat at him, slamming my mouth closed, feeling him pull my head down more. I pulled out of the grip the men had on my wrists and slammed my head back and punched one of them and I shoved the other back hitting his head on the wall and slumping down. Instantly I felt 'his' fingers around my throat and he dragged me up level with his face.

"I will come after you Pretty, every day till you give in or beg me to kill you," he hissed right in my ear and slammed my body back hard against the pipes behind me! I screamed through his other hand that covered my mouth as he held me back, his grip tight around my neck as every inch of me wanted to escape the scalding heat as the steam hissed. I felt so weak and my vision was getting blurry as I felt him let go and I crashed to the floor writhing in pain, my nerve endings on fire. I watched the other men just stumble out the door after him. They just left me there as I felt tears stinging my eyes, the pain was that excruciating.

"Elena," I whimpered as I crawled forward, pulling myself on my hands toward the door. "Elena. I need you..."

I jolted myself out of the horrors of that first week of prison our guns still raised as Kai smirked at me.

"Elena," he mocked me, pursing his lips. I glared back at him realizing I must have said her name out loud. "Elena I need you..." he mimicked me. I sucked in another trembling breath, my finger just itching to pull that trigger.

But I could not risk leaving her without me. Even if I killed Kai the same moment he killed me, the island was still crawling with freaks that wanted to hurt her. No! I could not let him bait me. This stand off could go on forever with neither of us backing down and I knew he sure as hell didn't want to die either or he would have fired his gun the second our eyes met.

I regarded him calmly, trying to swallow the fear wanting to consume me. I still had not seen anyone nearby. No reason to believe what I had heard about her being caught. "You don't have her do you?" I questioned, pretty damn sure I knew the answer. "She gave you the slip...right Kai?"

The psycho was shaking his head rapidly in denial, his eyes widening. "Oh I have her Pretty. And I am just waiting to drag your nearly dead and beaten body to her feet where you can watch me enjoy every fucking inch of her. I want you to be so close you can taste her screams, and feel her blood dripping down her body as she cries for you to help her. I told you the day I burned you that you would beg me to kill you and that day is here."

I felt another shiver just ice my veins and I reminded myself to calm down and think clearly as I steadied the gun again leveling it right between his eyes. His eyes were in my nightmares and I longed to make them dead eyes right now. An unseeing and empty dead stare was what I wanted to give him right fucking now.

Everything about him made me sick. I hated that he could get to me so easily, remembering his hands gripping my hair, forcing me lower against him. Seeing him so aroused by me as he gripped my neck. He knew how to scare the ever living shit out of me with what he did to me and wanted to do to my baby and he was using that knowledge in spades right now.

I studied his face so closely. His eyes were flitting back and forth, and he looked to be shaking ever so slightly too. "No," I shook my head, chiding him, clicking my tongue in my mouth reigning in my fear. I could do this. I could beat him at his own game. I was not going to let him manipulate me again.

"You don't have her." I felt a smile growing from the corners of my lips. "You have no idea where she is...do you?" I had been in enough interrogations to know when perps were lying, and this bastard was blowing smoke big time. I was on a roll being able to see through Kol's weaknesses and now I saw the nervousness all over Kai's face.

Holy shit! My eyes caught a glimpse of a big long snake just twisting its way slowly off of a tree branch behind where Kai was standing!

I fought with my face to remain indifferent and focused on him as I saw it fall, coiled up in a ball before its head popped up from the center of its curled up body. Jesus it was huge! It looked like a King Cobra! I felt my breath just heaving out of me and it took everything in me not to show him that there was anything behind him.

If I could just keep his focus on me for just a few more minutes…"Kai, you can't fool me," I spoke out smoothly, my eyes locked on him but I could just barely make out the big ass snake from the corner of my eye. "That is why no one is around anywhere right Kai? You probably sent all those thugs to the ends of the island you were so pissed off you couldn't find her. You think you are the king of them but you're just an alpha male douche bag."

He hissed at me like he was some kind of animal himself at that and I could not resist smirking at him, as the snake slowly made its way closer to him on the ground, apparently curious of the hissing sound that came from him.

"Let me guess that you told them the first one that comes back to the beach without her gets a dirt nap? That they all have no choice to do your bidding. Who died and crowned you king? They will get sick of your holier than thou shit I can promise you that and I would love to be there to see it!"

I saw him glaring fire at me and his hand with the gun at my head wavered just slightly as the snake moved with stealth like precision just a few more feet to his bright orange pant leg just waving to it like a red blanket to a bull.

But Kai was not Kol. And I was not going to be that lucky as to distract him by pissing him off alone. He was too smart for that. We had circled each other the whole time we talked until the second I saw the snake. By then I was standing just to the edge of the falls, my back to the roaring water. I could feel the mist on my skin. All I needed was a split second of his attention on the snake and I could go in for the kill shot.

Kai was laughing, actually laughing at me and I just started laughing right back at him for a very different reason. The cobra was barely a foot away from him and I squinted my eye ready to shoot. He was never touching Elena ever again!

But a split second later I saw his eyes dart to the side and I knew he had seen the snake! He jerked himself back the same second I fired and my bullet missed him by inches. The next second he fired his gun toward me too and I dove down into the water behind me to avoid it!

It felt like it all happened in slow motion as I felt the water swirling me fast into the current. I watched Kai scream and fall back shooting the gun wildly at the ground where the snake was before turning it back toward me. I dove under the water and felt the rush of the falls take me down fast and hard farther faster down the probably 4 story drop to the surf below!

I fought to stay conscious as I kicked hard to get to the surface in the darkness. The rapids were rushing me faster and faster down the winding river as I heard gun shots from above. Was Kai shooting at me from the top of the falls?! Did he freaking survive against the snake?! I had to hope he at least got bitten before he killed the snake.

My head burst from the water as I gulped in the fresh night air as I felt the river still pulling my body with it hard and fast down through the overhanging trees. I fought against the current, coughing and sputtering as the water crashed up and over me again and again.

Gasping again from being pulled under, I found the surface and started kicking my way to the grassy bank closest to me. I was almost there, my fingers clinging to a smooth rock to pull myself up it when another rush of water sent me careening forward and falling in a hole in the ground.

I screamed, feeling nothing beneath me as I landed with a splash and whipped my hair from my eyes and squinted in the darkness around me. I was in a cave, dark rock walls were all around me as I pulled myself from the water and onto the solid, shiny cave floor. What was this place?

My arms ached as I climbed back up through the hole in the ground and dragged my body to the bank of the river and just collapsed, my breath panting out of me. I lay there for a few minutes realizing I could hardly hear the waterfall from this far down stream. It was nothing but the dullest pounding on the horizon.

Elena

Now that I knew Kai didn't have her I knew I had to make it back to the cave. I had no idea how late at night it was but the moon was high in the sky so it could not be later than maybe 2 in the morning. I looked around hoping something would look familiar so I knew where to go. I walked about a half an hour or so and finally saw the shore close to where we had dragged ourselves up when we escaped the plane.

Yes! I knew where I was and then started just running back up and into the trees further east of where I came out. It was maybe 10 more minutes and I could see where the cave was so perfectly tucked into the hillside.

My heart was racing in excitement as I saw her, just curled up on the ground with Ric leaning over her. "Elena!" I called, my face breaking into the biggest smile as I ran ahead. I watched her head snap up and I saw tears streaking her beautiful face as she saw me and jumped to her feet to run toward me!

We met in a crashing of lips as she flung her arms around my neck as I wrapped my own around her bottom as she jumped into my arms. God I had missed her. I held her so tightly not giving a damn about the pain I was feeling right then that was radiating through my chest as she pressed against my ribs. I heard her whimpers as her mouth devoured mine and I slid one hand up to her face, cradling her head as my other hand held her up against me.

"Damon," she cried as she pulled back after a few minutes to look in my teary eyes.

"I'm okay Beauty. I'm okay," I nodded to her burying my nose in her hair as I kissed away her tears.

"I was so scared," I heard her mumble as she buried her face into my neck. We just held each other like that as she cried. I walked slowly carrying her back toward the cave my hands curled around her bottom as she clung to me.

"I'm right here baby," I soothed her as I nuzzled her nose and kissed her all over her face. "I'm so sorry I had to leave you."

Ric was watching us with a smile on his face and I nodded at him. "Thank you man. You have no idea how much it means to me that you kept her safe." I nuzzled her again, my face against her cheek and she had her arms so tight around my neck.

The sandy haired pilot nodded back at me. "You don't have to thank me. I would never let anything happen to her or Caroline. Those freaks would have to go through me to get to them."

I felt my strength fading even though it wasn't her weight I was feeling, I felt faint from how much I had pushed my body to get back to her. I leaned back against the outside of the cave and slipped down to the ground with my Elena still curled up pressing her every curve against me. I didn't care if she ever stopped holding onto me.

Ric sunk down to the ground beside us and I saw him breath a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you got away Damon. How the hell did you escape all those cons after you?"

I echoed his sigh, just breathing in Elena's scent as her hair was all around my neck. I leaned my head back on the rock wall of the cave and closed my eyes. "It wasn't easy Ric. I had some pretty major run ins with those monsters." I felt her arms around me tighten and I rocked her back and forth, whispering soothingly in her ear.

"Its okay Elena. I'm not leaving you," I mumbled against her neck. I wished I knew what else to do to reassure her.

She was sniffling against my wet shirt. "When I heard Kai scream your name and charge toward you I could not breath Damon. I heard the gun shots and I…I thought he had killed you!" Her face took on a more angry look at me as the warm brown eyes looked hard and fierce. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

I smiled and pulled her in, holding her so tight in my arms, my head against hers as I gazed in her eyes. I wiped more tears from her eyes and just stared mesmerized into pools of chocolate that looked like they were trying so hard to be mad at me.

I bent and captured her lips tenderly hearing her moan into my mouth as I buried my hands in her hair. "I'm so sorry baby. I didn't want to leave you." I mumbled between kisses. "I was just so scared that Kai would find you with Klaus getting so close to where we were hiding. I had to get their focus on me."

"You could have been killed!" She hit me on the chest, I groaned and she immediately gasped. "I'm so sorry Damon. I keep forgetting that your ribs are so sore."

I grimaced. "Yeah still really sore babe. Maybe take out your anger on something other than my bruised ribs," I winced again as she hugged me tight. Damn it everything hurt! I ran my fingers through her hair as she just lay against me and I tried to focus on anything but the pain. All I wanted was her in my arms and that was more than I could have hoped for after facing off with Kai and nearly being killed!

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just so scared that I lost you," she whimpered and I felt more tears dripping onto my neck. How could I sooth her more? She was shaking in my arms, her body so tight around me.

Ric stood up. "I'll give you guys some privacy and go check on Enzo and Care. She keeps mumbling in her sleep about someone hurting her."

I tilted my head up, raising an eyebrow. "Is she okay? Did she run into anyone when she was lost?"

Ric shook his head. "I'm not sure. She just keep crying in her sleep but hasn't woken up yet. But you guys need some time." I nodded my thanks to him as he smiled back. It felt great to have someone else to be able to count on. I missed Enzo a lot but I prayed that by mid day I when I gave him the antidote that it would revive him just as he planned.

Ric walked around the corner and stepped into the small cave and it was just us clinging to each other on the ground.

I breathed in again just loving the feel of her in my arms. "You have no idea how much I need you baby," I whispered into her ear. "I love you so much." My blue eyes locked onto her as I saw her head tilt up as she smiled at me.

"I love you too Damon, so much." Elena curled her fingers into my wet hair pulling my head down against her trembling lips. I moaned as I delved my tongue into her mouth, my fingers sliding down her sides to find her smooth silky skin under the leather jacket. We kissed lazily, soothing the ache we probably both had from the fear of losing each other. I still had no idea how they had escaped the goons following them and Kai closing in but right then I didn't care. All I wanted was to never stop holding her against me.

When we finally broke away to take in a much needed breath I leaned my head on hers and tangled our fingers together as I got lost in her eyes. "Baby I want to show you something. Are you up for a little walk with me?" I could see her eyes sparkling in the moonlight shining down on us as she bit her lip before she nodded slowly to me.

"Sure I will go anywhere with you Damon. Are you sure we will be safe?" I nodded, kissing her nose before shifting to lift her off my lap.

"Yes Beauty. I promise I will keep you safe and stay right with you." My eyes twinkled in anticipation as I stood up and twined my fingers with hers again. "I think you will love the surprise. But just give me a minute to check in on Enzo okay?" She nodded to me and I turned around to lean down into the cave, pushing the fronds aside while still not letting go of her hand. I think we both felt that we could not bear to be apart in any way right now after everything.

"Hey Ric," I saw him relaxing against the back wall with Caroline curled up, her head against his chest.

"Yeah Damon." He looked cramped in there but I knew he wanted his friend to feel safe.

"I wanted to thank you for the clothes. They literally save my life before to be able to hide without wearing bright orange." He smiled at me. I looked back down at my best friend. "How is he doing? Any change?"

Ric shook his head sadly. "No, sorry. He is still breathing and Elena just changed his bandages again but he is still not moving, nothing."

I frowned but I wasn't surprised. "Well I can give him the liquid to bring his heart rate back up around noon tomorrow. We will be back by then."

Ric cocked his head in curiosity. "Where are you going?"

"Oh I found someplace that I think could make a great hiding place and I wanted to show Elena tonight to give us a safer place to sleep. It might to big enough for all of us to hide once Enzo is awake."

"Sounds great man. I'll start working on the radio in the morning and hopefully we can get some kind of signal to get a hold of your brother."

I smiled at him glancing at Enzo still so still in a near coma. "Amen to that. We need to get Enz to a hospital. So I am hoping we can reach Stefan tomorrow. There are some really high hillsides that should help boost the signal."

I nodded to him feeling Elena, leaning against my back. "K sounds great. Let me know what I can do then too. Can I?" I asked as I reached over and tucked a couple things in Ric's bag, unpacking the radio and the sat phone. I saw Ric wink at me nodding his approval of my choices. "Thanks again. Night." I said smiling back at him zipping up the bag and swinging it on my shoulder. He nodded back at me and I slipped back out of the cave and just felt her bury her head in the crook of my neck and heard the cutest little whimper from her lips.

I closed my eyes just reveling in the sensations of her in my arms; her soft lips against my neck, my nose in her hair, her head just nuzzling my chest as I nearly gasped at the feel of her fingers finding the edge of my shirt and the warm skin underneath. I groaned holding her tight. "Mmm baby, do you have any idea what you do to me? I thought I would never find someone as amazing as you."

She giggled against me. "And I thought love this incredible would never find me either." She lifted her head so her eyes met mine again. "You have no idea how much I fought this connection I felt with you baby. Finding you in a prison is not the best story to tell our kids."

I beamed down at her smoothing a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Our kids? Ooh Beauty, can we get started on that goal?" I knew I was being crass and she made a face at me just like I predicted but it was so worth it to see her reaction to me bringing up sex for the first time. But the silence that followed made me feel like that might have not been the best thing to say so I took her hand and pulled her along.

"Sorry baby. I can barely think with you so close. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. You just bringing up kids just took my by surprise. No pressure, I promise. I am so excited for you to see the surprise."

Elena nodded and we kept walking as I led her through the darkness and pushed aside the branches and over hanging palms in our path keeping Ric's bag on my shoulder. I knew where I was going even in the dark and I was happy I had my dads good memory and sense of direction. I could hear the dull pounding of the falls building as we walked hand in hand through the trees.

We walked in a comfortable silence and I just enjoyed her presence and the closeness I felt with her hand in mine. It felt unreal that just barely 24 hours ago all I had remembered us doing was me rubbing her hand in mine. And now I clearly remembered how I cradled her against the wall in the prison staff shower as I kissed her with wild abandon. I wanted to talk to her about all of that. My time in the hospital and what I heard her say to me when she thought I was still unconscious, and what I said the last time I thought I would see her before she showed up on the plane.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely realized we were almost there. I heard her gasp and she pulled on my arm as we rounded the bend to be in view of the river flowing through the trees. I adjusted the bag on my shoulder as I saw her eyes light up in wonder.

"Wow Damon, this is beautiful." Elena leaned her head on my shoulder as she pulled our hands up to her chin and I felt her lips on my knuckles.

I smiled down at her. "That's not all of it yet, but you have to trust me and we might get a little wet." Her eyes widened at that and I pulled her along looking for the opening to the underground cavern. I stepped around carefully on the edge of the river until I saw the hollow tucked in the middle of the rushing water.

"So my love, do you want to get a little wet or a lot wet?" I winked at her and waggled my eyebrows at her. I hadn't even meant it as any kind of sexual innuendo but I could see the blush coming over her olive skin shining in the moonlight.

I laughed and pouted at her. "No, baby not like that. At least not if you don't want to." I stuck out my tongue at her and stepped into the water just before the where the water dropped off into the cave. "C'mon Beauty. A little or a lot wet..." I waited with baited breath biting my lower lip for her answer.

She took a deep breath, her eyes boring into mine. "Okay I'll play. Give me a lot wet!" she giggled and I felt myself wanting rock her world after that statement. I reached out for her and pulled her into my arms and lifted my feet so I could float as the current took us the few feet down the river.

"Hold onto me," I instructed. She was already squealing from the cold water as her head was against my throat.

"Always," I heard her breath.

I held my hand just lightly over her mouth as we fell down into the cave and under the water at the bottom knowing she might scream and I didn't want to attract any attention of the cons still on the island with us. And scream she did and we fell, her clutching me so tight.

We surfaced at the bottom and I pulled her into my arms just floating us in the water. She looked up at the roof of the cave to see the stars and moonlight shining in from the hole where the water cascaded down beside us. I watched her eyes roam the dark cavern with wonder.

"This is so amazing Damon. I have never seen anything so beautiful."

I kissed her chastely on the lips and pulled back to gaze in her eyes. "Neither have I baby." She blushed again as she caught that I meant her and not the cave.

We just floated there as I watched her eyes darted all over. The rest of the roof of the hidden cavern was sparkling with shiny stalactites that hung down over our heads, making the ceiling look like it glittered with stars. The waterfall poured down into the pool we were floating in as a beam of light shone through the water as the only light in the darkness around us. I could see a smooth ledge along the edges of the pool of water. It didn't look like the pool filled up more and more, flooding the ledges. There must be an area where the water drained out somewhere down below to keep it at relatively the same level.

I swam us over to the side and lifted her up and out of the water before I pulled myself out to sit beside her dragging the bag up and out of the water too. She leaned over me without a word, grabbed the back of my neck and pulled my lips down on hers kissing me deeply in the near darkness. I lifted my hands to her face, lightly caressing her cheeks as I sucked her bottom lip in my mouth.

I tangled my tongue with hers, just enjoying the taste of her till we both needed to pull back to take a breath. "Care for more of a swim my Beauty?" I whispered, licking the shell of her ear as I felt her shiver in my arms. I was tired sure but it felt like just being around her even though it was the middle of the night, I felt more awake than I had in ages. I felt young again, just asking her to play in the water with me like we were teenagers.

"I would love too. But this jacket feels like it weighs a ton, pulling me down in the water." My eyes bulged at that as I saw her cute little frown at her discomfort.

"May I?" I moved my fingers to the zipper as I saw her head nodding slowly as her eyes were locked on mine. I slowly inched the zipper down, not taking my eyes off hers. Once it was open I looked down to see her skin just glistening in the dim light.

I had forgotten that I had taken her tank top off her up in the tree to warm her up when she was shivering so much as the rain poured down on us. Then later I tucked her into the warmth of Ric's jacket only now realizing that she never put her shirt back on.

I gulped as my eyes roamed over her chest, her white satin bra wet and sticking to her skin exposing the shape of her hardening nipples beneath the fabric. "God Elena, you are so beautiful," I groaned as I pulled gently on the leather and tugged it down off her shoulders, pulling her arms out to let it fall to the stone floor. She sat back on her hands just grinning at me like a cat that got the cream.

I sucked in a breath just aching to taste more of her skin but she looked focused on me and sat up more and onto her knees. "You look uncomfortable too Damon. Are you chilly in that wet shirt?"

Oh hell yes I wanted my shirt off. I nodded to her numbly, words completely escaping me at that moment. I watched her moved her hands to press them against my chest as she slowly unbuttoned the buttons one at a time till she pulled the soaking wet shirt back off my chest, before tugging it down off my shoulders and tossed it aside. She sat more forward pulling her lithe body onto my lap as my legs just hung down into the water as I felt her fingertips moving over my muscles.

Her head bent down and a whimper escaped my throat as her lips fell to suck on the skin of my neck. Oh fuck, it felt so good. My hands moved to rub up and down her back as I threw my head back, giving her more access to my throat. I felt her lips lower on my chest before she ran her tongue over my one nipple as her fingers grazed over my skin, sending electricity zipping through me. I pulled her down more into my lap and heard her soft cry as my hands started tangling in her long wet hair as her tongue traced down my chest.

We both seemed to see the tight medical tape that was still over the left side of my chest at the same time, and I looked back up in her eyes. "Go ahead Elena. It doesn't feel that bad anymore. Take off the tape so I can feel your kisses all over me."

I saw a breath catch in her throat as she nodded to me and I leaned back more as her fingers curled under the tape to slowly tear it from my skin. Her lips and tongue licked at each new piece of skin she uncovered till the tape was in a pile on the rock.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her down and into the water with me, the waves lapping up and down on our bodies.

Elena's eyes looked darker in the faint light shining down from the sky as I saw her moving under the water and struggling with something. The next second she pulled her jeans up and out of the water and tossed them with our shirts on the ledge.

My mouth just hung open as I saw her eyebrows wiggle at me. "Still too many clothes Salvatore." I felt her hands by my jeans and I choked on the breath in my lungs as she slowly undid my jeans and pulled them down my legs.

Christ this woman had fire. I realized now that she had undressed me before in the plane with much more trepidation.

This time she looked like a goddess just taking what she wanted and not a shy scared human.

I pulled my jeans the rest of the way off and tossed them on the ledge too as I felt her arms twine around my neck and slip down my bare back. I turned back to her just letting us float in the water as she wrapped her legs around me. My hands snaked down her sides to palm her butt, holding her up in the water.

"God baby, you feel so good," I breathed as my mouth sunk down to her throat and I sucked her salty skin into my mouth as she threw her head back, her hair falling in wet strands down her nearly naked back.

I could feel her heart pounding rapidly against my own chest as we floated in the underground pool, as the light reflecting from the sky made the ceiling just sparkle like thousands of stars above us. I realized I could actually touch the bottom just near the outer ledges and I cradled her body against mine as I walked us around the sides till we were almost under the water falling down into the cave.

I didn't feel cold at all with the warmth of our skin pressed together at every curve of our bodies. She felt perfect in my arms, like she never belonged anywhere else in the world. Her eyes were shining as she looked up at me. I smiled at her, as I walked us under the falling water. The gasp as she buckled her hips at the sensation as the water poured down on her made me so hard in nothing but my tight white boxers.

"Damon, ahh so good," she mumbled as she shook her head as the water cascaded down every line on her angelic face. Her body was not hidden as much now as the moonlight shone down right on her as her head fell back, soaking her hair in the water. She lifted her head, her hair heavy with water falling down her body as she gazed deeply in my eyes.

"I can't believe I found you," she breathed out, her smile so wide on her face. I pressed her back against the rock wall behind the wall of water, as it pounded down against my skin. I kissed along the side of her neck as she tangled her fingers in my hair slicking it back from my face.

"I know, I can't believe it either." I gasped out. "It's real, Elena. You and me...it's real." I slid my hands up her arms to wind her fingers in mine as she held onto me with her legs under the water. Our fingers laced together beside our heads as the water lifted us up and down in its waves as I pressed closer to her and crashed my lips to hers.

I could stay in here forever in her arms, feeling her against me, tasting her skin and her kisses, my body wrapped around hers as the night sky twinkled above us.

If this was a dream...I never wanted to wake up.

A/N: Sorry there is more.. I hope you don't hate me for where I chose to end it.

I'm waiting to hear what you thought of that whole long chapter. Action, danger, suspense and the romance I promised you. Did I deliver? There is more to come. They are safe and sound in their little love nest…

Review and tell me even a sentence of what you loved. Its the only way I know you are liking the story.

I know there is lots of action and violence too and the bad guys are not gone. They are just able to hide away from them for this precious much needed time. I hope you like the balance of action and romance.

I gave you two chapters of over 10,000 words within a few days here so I hope you loved the quick updates! I need to focus on my family I was ignoring all day and work and my messy house for a while, that I have been ignoring to sit and pour out this story for you. But I will update as soon as I can asap.

Do you want more?