A/N; Massive apologies of the lateness of this update. We had family emergencies these last few weeks and then my family got hit by the worst flu. I was out for almost 2 weeks myself and then taking care of the kids too once it started hitting them. SO I am so sorry this took so long. I hope you love it all the same and can't wait to hear what you think. Kind of a filler chapter before some major action coming up but it was necessary to get all this information out this way.

Much love and I am hoping to update at least every two weeks over the holidays here hopefully more often but we will see how things go with all of us heath wise and other. If you pray that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and Enjoy the chapter.

Stefan's POV

I could not get over how real that dream felt. Was my brother in real danger? Had something happened to him? Before everything got so messed up when Lexi didn't come home, Damon and I always had this connection where we could sense the other in trouble. It might just be a brother thing but that was the first clue I had to something being wrong on the flight overseas.

I had woken up in the middle of the night after having fallen asleep on my desk at the office like usual. I had been keeping an eye on my brother's flight, dozed off in the early morning hours and when I woke up there was no plane on the radar. Something had happened to Damon's plane and I was on the phone with the tech department immediately and demanding to see satellite coverage of the area. I had a bad feeling then already and wished I could have sent him with more than just Enzo along as an ally. But then when the plane disappeared from radar I had no idea what to think could have happened to my brother.

Now I could hardly sit still but was strapped in because of the turbulence and just waited out the shifts and dips of the plane as we were almost there. I hated flying which seemed strange to even me because I had still gone on trips with Lex and Damon whenever I could till I had lost her. I did it for her and I would still fight through my fear of flying for her if she was still alive.

There was a buzz on the phone again and I picked it up right away. Hoping there was news about Damon.

"Agent Salvatore, someone wants to speak to you about the mission. He says its urgent."

That puzzled me. Who else would know about this mission? I had made it my personal duty to keep everything hush hush. We were so close to the finish line here too. Just getting Damon and the team to Bulgaria after the deal I made with their government was another step closer to finding out who was responsible for the hit. And I was damn sure that the Serbians who killed my Lex were right along with them.

"Okay put him through," I stuttered. Had I screwed up somehow that someone else knew about our mission? I had no idea what to expect on the call.

"Special Agent Salvatore?" The voice on the other end was crisp and clear and held a distinct English accent.

"Who is this?" I said my eyes narrowed and I wished I knew what was going on.

"I need to know if this is Stefan Salvatore? The man who has a brother Agent Damon Salvatore that was on Air Tran sat 815?"

Now I really didn't know what to say. How the hell did this guy know so much? "Umm, forgive me but I'm not telling you anything till I know who you are? How did you get this number?" I didn't want to give him any more information. He sounded well versed in far too much already.

"I apologize but I need to speak to Agent Salvatore but I can't tell you any more until you confirm with me that I am speaking to the right man. I believe we have a lot to talk about."

Scrambling in my head for what to say I stayed silent. I needed to know more without compromising anything. Why was this guy not giving his name? He must have given the right clearances to speak to me in the first place.

I gripped the phone tighter in my hand. "And why is that?"

The man cleared his throat and I held the phone pressed right to my ear. "Because if this is indeed Special Agent Stefan Salvatore... I think you will want to hear what I have to say... It could save your brother's life..."

Ric's POV

I knew by now how late it was, that I needed to go looking for Caroline. She had been gone far too long. I was kicking myself now for even suggesting that she go to the river to wash up. I should have waited and gone with her when we got back. But I knew her and knew she hated being sweaty and dirty. She showered at least once a day regularly and was so particular about her hygiene. I thought I was doing her a favor by leaving the shampoos and soap for her so she could go and clean up. Laying on the ground and after the long hike, I felt grimy too and wanted to go find the river myself.

Before I had gone to sleep I had wandered out looking for her but she had been nowhere, at least nearby the river where she should have been. I found the soap and shampoo right at the edge of the water so at least I knew she had made it there. But why didn't she come straight back? The ground had looked like there could have been a scuffle but other than that there had been no sign of anything. I had taken a few minutes to strip down and wash my body and hair before drying off the best I could with extra clothes and headed back.

Now though instead of going back out looking for her I was leaning down beside Damon's best friend and pondering the things he had already said. Damon needs to find...Find what? What was he trying to tell me? It had sounded very important too because Enzo had literally forced himself to sit up more to get it out, but collapsed before he could finish what he was saying. So here I was sitting beside an unconscious man waiting for him to wake up again.

I shifted my gaze back to the entrance of the cave as the wind whistled though the fronds hiding us. Should I go back out there and look for her again? I hated not knowing where she was. And it was probably my fault too, since I had suggested her to go to the river to get cleaned up while we were gone. I stood back up and looked around for the flashlight. I would be back quick and hopefully Enzo would not even know I was gone. Pushing the fronds to the side I was just about to step through, feeling the cool breeze against my face, when I heard a gasping breath from behind me.

My eyes widened as I took in the panicked expression on the man's very awake face. Enzo had pushed himself up to sitting and was looking around.

"Hey, hey man." I moved back into the cave. Enzo was already trying to pull himself to his feet and I rushed back to his side. "Hey. Take it easy. You need to stay here. You are far too weak."

The dark haired man froze and leaned back looking like he had understood as he studied me. "What happened? Where is Damon? We crashed didn't we?"

Now it was my turn to be confused. He didn't know what happened? Damon told him that he had done this to himself. He had given himself the injection to stop his heart to make them believe he was dead.

"What do you mean what happened? Do you mean to you?" I asked him, my brows furrowing.

Enzo nodded frantically and before I could stop him he had pulled at his shirt and exposed the bandages covering his near fatal wound. "Yes to me." he snapped at me. "What the hell happened? Where is Damon and who the hell are you?"

Damon's POV (Previously)

"Drop it Salvatore!" I heard Kai order me. Klaus had his gun pointed at Elena that I was still trying to hide behind me. He cocked it and I felt her bury her head against my side. Kai was still laughing and moving closer and closer to where were were standing trapped at the edge of the cliff. He was nearly jumping with glee at us being caught. "Drop it now Pretty! You are done!"

I cringed at that and heard her sob against me, her arms still tight around my waist. I released the trigger and dropped the gun to the ground and lifted up my hands.

"First things first..." Kai chucked. "You need to know what that felt like..." And the gun went off as I cried out and turned to see blood pouring from my shoulder just like I had shot him before. I heard Elena's soft voice cry out too.

God damn it!

I fell to my knees reeling from the pain as Elena looked to be cringing, her face flooded with tears as she held her hand to my wound. "No, no Damon," she begged me and I could barely focus on her I was so dizzy from the pain.

Klaus had his gun up and level at us still as Kai moved forward again. I growled, glaring at him as he lifted his gun more, and pointed it to my heart. "My turn.." he hissed out.

I shut my eyes as the sound of another the gunshot echoed…

Ric's POV

"You were shot Agent St. John." I said, still not understanding why the man was so freaked out. He scrunched up his face as he stared at me. "Damon told me everything. How you guys are on a mission here from the CIA and he thinks the men you are after crashed the plane. I was the pilot. I was in the cockpit when I heard the gunshot. Damon thought they had killed you. He wanted so much to go out and save you."

"But he was protecting Elena..." Enzo finished what I was going to say. "He loves her."

I nodded back to him. "And they are okay. She has been the one changing your bandages this whole time and Damon is desperately waiting for you to wake up." He looked like he had barely heard me.

"I remember the plane… I was...being beaten up to force Damon to come out..." he mumbled, seeming to be talking to himself. His head was down and he looked lost in his thoughts. He ripped the bandage off his chest and I watched him feel around on his bloody torn skin. "Who shot me?"

Now I really had no idea what was happening. "Umm. We thought somehow you shot yourself. The doctor said your wound was like one in a million. It missed you heart and lungs and any major arteries...everything. An inch in any direction and you could have died right there." I leaned back on the other side of the cave wall and watched him take in all I was saying. "So we thought you somehow shot yourself or at least guided the barrel of the gun after you injected yourself with the serum to slow down your heartbeat."

"I what?" Enzo sat up more and almost too fast and I saw him wince as he shook his dark hair back and forth his expression deadly serious. "I didn't inject myself with anything...What the hell are you talking about?"

This was news to me! I had no idea what had happened. My mouth was hanging open as I heard him again.

"He whispered something to me… Before he shot me he told me to tell Damon to find him when he got off the plane. That he could help us...that he wasn't who he looked like he was..." Enzo's dark eyes were wide as he stared out at me from across the small cave.

I shook my head trying to clear the fog from my brain and remember what happened in that plane…

"Say it!" Kai spat out and then another bang echoed and Enzo groaned.

"Damon, he wants me to tell you there is no way out. Either you and Elena drown in there or..." there was a long pause. "Or he will kill me."

I watched Damon shut his eyes, his forehead still leaning against the cockpit door.

Enzo's voice carried again, sounding nearly frantic. "Don't do it Damon! You have to forget about me! You have to keep..." I heard the another loud noise and a moan as Kai must have hit him again silencing his warning.

"Last chance...Your buddy has a gun to his chest. Mikaelson is ready to blow him away. Open the damn door…"

I jerked my head up.

"Mikaelson," I breathed out.

Enzo sat up more and reached forward, grabbing my arm as his eyes locked to mine. "Yes! Mikaelson! It was Klaus! I need to find Damon...now!"

Damon's POV

I had shut my eyes just waiting for the gunshot. The pain in my shoulder intensified with every gasping breath I took. My eyes fluttered trying to stay open as I felt a cold shiver race through me as I felt the muzzle of Kai's gun against my chest. I hadn't even had a second to find my precious Elena's eyes before the sound of the gun echoed around us on the clifftop.

I had been glaring right at Kai before he shot me, my eyes like pure ice at him for all he was taking away from me, from us and our future. And the next moment I felt a rush of air where he had been standing! I saw in the haze of my vision Kai jerk back, stumble a few steps and fall down and out of sight off the side of the cliff!

Oh my God! I blinked again and again rapidly, hardly believing what I had seen. Was he gone? Dead? I whipped my head around still hearing Elena crying and feeling her hand covering the wound through my shoulder. Forcing my eyes to stay open long enough to focus, I could see Klaus was standing there beside us, his gun raised and smoking in his hand!

Klaus had shot Kai? He had saved us?

"Damon!" I heard Elena again and my gaze went back to her. I could hear her...She was alive...I was alive. I thought he had shot me again or God forbid, turned the gun on Elena. But somehow we were both alive. I sunk down to the ground in relief and felt her arms gripping my shoulders and shaking me. "Damon. Stay with me!" she sobbed. I felt dizzy and weak and could feel the blood pumping from my wound despite her hand trying to cover it. The next second she had ripped off the hoodie I had tucked her in before we left the cave and was using it to stop the bleeding.

My eyes went back to Klaus who had been standing there beside us with his own disbelief at what just happened on his face. I had heard the conversation on the walkie. Had he just condemned his brother and Caroline to death?

"You…" I choked out. "You saved us? Is he…?"

The blonde man nodded and I watched him walk around us to look down over the edge of the cliff. He scooped up my gun from the ground before I could say a word and tucked in his pants before looking down over the ledge of the cliff. It was dark and the water was near black at the bottom where Kai had fallen. I had seen that before when we realized how close to the edge we had been trapped.

"Its too dark to tell tonight. I can't see him anywhere. But hell he could have fallen all the way to the rocks below and drowned already. Damn well deserved it!" Klaus spat out.

I nuzzled in to Elena's head as she reached over me to keep pressure on my wound, she was still crying quietly against my chest despite being all doctor mode for me. She had pulled the thick leather back from the wound and I groaned in pain at my shoulder shifting more. Elena pulled me up more forward to lean against her and I heard her gasp out.

"What?" I asked right away. I could see she was just in her red lacy bra right then while using the hoodie to keep pressure on my wound but I pulled on the rest of Ric's jacket to get it off motioning for her to take it.

"Its okay Damon, the bullet went right through!" I could hear the relief in her voice and I closed my eyes. The arm that was not weak from the bullet ripping through it reached up and I threaded my fingers in her hair. "Hey, hey baby. It's okay. I'm alive. We are okay Elena." I leaned my head down to press a kiss to her forehead. I still had no idea why the hell Klaus saved us but I sure wasn't complaining.

As I ran my hand down her arm I saw her wince and pulling my hand back I felt it was sticky. I brought my fingers toward my face to see blood on them. "Elena. Are you hurt?" My voice cracked with the worry and fear I felt and it brought me back to my nightmare when a stray bullet caught her neck as Kai and I had fought. It hadn't been real but it had sure felt like it.

"It's okay," she assured me but as I sat up more to examine it a saw the bullet wound literally through her forearm.

"Oh God baby!" I yelled and sat up fast ignoring my own body's protest of me doing any moving. "Could you not feel that? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I uh...i didn't feel it, at first. I was just thinking of you Damon." She was whimpering, her head against mine. "I watched him shoot you and all I could think of was saving you."

I nodded at her cupping her face with my one hand. Ripping off my one black shirt sleeve and wrapped it around her arm I tied off her arm from the blood flow as I saw her shudder. She shook her head at me weakly before her head fell down against mine again and cradled her against me. I pulled the leather jacket back up over her bare shoulders, hiding that she was half naked from using the hoodie to help me.

Tilting my head back up I followed Klaus around with my eyes as he bend to pick up the walkie from the ground and I saw him pause with it in his hands. He had been watching us without saying a word and I found myself really wanting to know what he was thinking.

"Who are you?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. "He had your brother and our friend right? So how? Why?"

Klaus bend down beside us and I watched him still clutching the gun he had tight in his hand. He flipped his longish hair from his eyes and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I need to save my brother. So far that monster Mason doesn't know I shot anyone. He still thinks Parker is running the show."

I nodded at that, understanding what he was saying and sat up more.

"No, no Damon you need to stay still. You need stitches." Elena's dark eyes were wide and her cheeks streaked with tears as she looked down at me. I could tell she was fighting her own pain but was so strong and again thinking of me. Her hair brushed against my own cheek and I smoothed it back behind her ear.

I laughed, remembering her stitching me up in the plane. But instead of giving her a smirk, I cringed at the pain laughing brought me and she looked down at me as if scolding a child. "Well that sounds familiar Beauty. Can't be any worse the second time right?" My eyes were teasing and trying to lighten the sadness I saw blanket her features. She was radiantly beautiful, but now looked so scared for me. Our love was still so new and I hated that she was worried about me and my damn injuries again. I wanted to help her more. "You need stitches too baby," I whispered. Seeing the pain on her face was breaking me.

Turning my head again I continued to study the man who saved our lives. This man had been with me on the mission in Bulgaria and he and his brother had saved me when I was bleeding out when the cops shot me where we were supposed to meet the men below the one who called the hit as a demonstration. I still didn't know what the hell the main event was yet either, but that didn't matter now.

"Mason...will he hurt them?" I asked Klaus cautiously and saw him nod at me. I had no idea what his intentions were with us or anyone. All I had known was how determined he was to keep his younger brother safe. "Who did he shoot?"

"I have no idea." Klaus stood back up fast and glared at me. "So you both were that close when that happened weren't you? I knew you had to be hiding her nearby."

I knew we had been and truthfully I was worried and not sure what had happened to the young blonde. Ric had already said she had been though so much. He turned on his heel before I answered and started pacing, still clutching the walkie in his hand. "I need to go to her..." he mumbled mostly to himself. "She is not safe there. Kol can't protect her from that dick."

Swallowing thickly I spoke again. "So am I to assume that you shooting Cobra Kai means you don't want to kidnap us for anyone? You aren't going to trade us for your brother's safety?" I was trying to gauge the situation to see where everyone stood. I was scared, not knowing how I could protect Elena. Hell right now I couldn't even stand up. Klaus stepped back toward us and I tried to pull Elena more behind me, but she stayed pressed to my side and holding the hoodie against my torn skin.

My glare back at him was daring him to cross me, as he advanced and watched him pull my gun from the back of his jeans! Elena cried out and curled up closer to me and I put my hand over her head shielding her in any way I could.

The blond man spun the gun in his hand to lay it on his palm and reached it forward to us. I grabbed for it without a thought and leveled it back up at him.

"I'm not going to hurt you or the Doc, Salvatore. You have my word." Klaus stated plainly.

I heard his words and searched his face to see if he really meant it. He had saved us from Kai. That was at least something. I felt the gun heavy in my hand as the blood loss was not helping my focus or my aim. I felt my hand waver as the gun became too heavy. I fell back, too weak to hold the gun up.

Elena was holding me, supporting me with her weight as I lay against her behind me. She kept steady pressure on my shoulder and I was surprised that it didn't hurt as much then. She reached up and took the gun from my shaking hand and aimed it at Klaus. We were both still curled up on the ground near the edge of the cliff.

"Hey, hey Doc. I promise you I am not after you at all. You and Salvatore are safe with me. Hell maybe we can help each other."

I wondered what he meant by that. "What the hell could you do to help me?" I spat out.

Klaus crouched back down beside us and I felt Elena flinch. "Relax, really Luv." He held up his hands. "I had asked your buddy the guard to pass on a message from me."

"Who? Enzo? What are you talking about?" My eyes were riveted to his now. If he didn't have my full attention before he sure did now.

"Yes Enzo. I know he was a plant in that prison just in time for us to show up, eh boss?" He looked down at me and clicked his teeth. "Did you really think you were the only good guy on the mission Agent Salvatore?"

I was dead silent listening to him. Elena whimpered again as she lay against me and she dropped the gun to her lap. I turned to her lifting it from her weak grip and tucked it back in my pants. "Baby, we need to get out of here and get you stitched up before it gets infected. Did you bring any supplies, anything we could use to sew you up?" I had hoped maybe she had something, anything to help ease her pain but she shook her head slowly at me as another tear slipped down her cheek.

"I can stitch her up."

I spun my head back forward to see Klaus holding up a small case, a sewing kit? I nodded to him pass it to me. "I'll help her. I sure as hell don't trust you with her." Truthfully I had no idea who to trust. I was terrified that Klaus was lying and if given a chance would rip her up from my arms and take her away from me.

"Suit yourself." Klaus shrugged and tossed the little case on the ground in front of me.

I lay Elena down beside me ignoring my own pain, seeing more tears slipping down her cheeks and I hated that she was in any pain at all. She had reduced the pressure on my own wound and I knew she must be getting weaker herself.

"Ssh, relax Beauty. I'm right here. I'm going to fix you up okay. Just like you did to me." I stroked her head and she opened her eyes and nodded to me. I ran my fingers through her hair over and over till her eyes fell closed again and I saw her swallow hard while biting her lip. I knew she was trying so hard to be strong.

"But honey what about you? You need help too." Elena started to try to sit up and I gently pushed her back down.

"No babe. Let me take care of you first. Please Elena. You have already done SO much for me." I flashed her my puppy dog eyes, despite the sharp pains still radiating through my shoulder. My girl finally relented and leaned back down. I smiled back at her, kissing her forehead. It was going to be okay, it had to be.

I opened the box and only then realized that I had been shot in my dominant arm and the hand I would normally use to do any kind of delicate work was not the one I could use fully now. Damn it! I was determined to try anyway though and pulled the needle out and unwound some brown thread. My hand was shaking and I heard Klaus who was still sitting on the ground in front of us chuckle slightly.

I glanced up at him, my eyes flashing with an angry glare. "What?!" I hissed out. I didn't want Elena to worry at all and her eyes were opening again. I realized then too that we didn't have anything to sterilize the wound with either.

"Nothing," Klaus replied evenly. He didn't seem riled at all by my anger and let me keep trying to stitch up my girl. I was getting frustrated and wondered why he was still hanging around even. He had shot Kai for us and I knew he was worried about his brother and somehow Caroline meant something to him already too. Why wasn't he racing back to them?

"Its just that my brother Elijah is probably talking to your brother right now. He knows how to get around in your circles and he knew when this flight crashed everyone here that we would have no choice but to work together to get the hell off the island. I tried to reach out to you by telling your buddy you needed to find me. Hell, I could have told Caroline but I didn't know if I could trust her then yet either."

This sounded unreal. I drew in a deep breath and tried to thread the damn needle but my hand was refusing to cooperate with me. I cursed silently and then decided that to hell with the pain, I was going to use my right hand anyway.

"But you shot him...my best friend. You shot Enzo and he wouldn't be alive if he hadn't took the serum to slow his heart." I narrowed my eyes at him. "And how the hell do you know my brother?"

"He didn't take anything. That was all me. I had the wound go just perfectly missing everything vital. I saved your friends life Damon. Kai would not have left him there alive, you and I damn well knew that. I've been doing nothing but try to save people since we crashed here. The pregnant stewardess and Caroline and my brother, Enzo, you and the doc. I ran into Caroline the first night we were here too and sent her back to you before any of the cons found her. I'll bet you had no idea about that either eh Damon?" Klaus smirked again.

He was right. I had no idea. Everything felt like it was coming at me in a whirlwind of way too much information to my already dizzy brain. I grunted back more pain as I tried to inhale without moving my arm more. Every little movement felt like it tore my wound more. "And why the hell would you do that Klaus? What is in it for you to play hero here?" I finally got the needle threaded and fought with myself to keep steady. Elena was whimpering softly and I knew she needed me to do this. I needed to fight the pain.

Klaus shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. I'm just doing my job Damon, just like you are. I'm just trying to save this mission and all the people that got dragged into it. Only thing was that I was under strict orders to stay silent about it to you or anyone. But the crash kinda changed everything and I knew you needed to know."

I cursed myself that my hand was shaking too much. It wasn't safe for me to try to stitch her up. I could end up hurting her more. I was furious with myself and projecting it out onto Klaus and what he was telling me. "Know? Know what?!" I snapped at him.

"Well I suppose whatever fallout there is, I'll have to deal with. We need to work together if we are going to survive this." He looked right at me, his blue green eyes deadly serious.

"I'm an MI 6 Agent, Damon. I have been for years."

A smirk grew from his lips as he reached toward me and took the needle from my weak hand. MI 6? Okay and I thought telling Elena I was CIA was a lot. I had been around this guy before prison, planning the mission and executing the demonstration that we were hired to put on and I had no idea he worked for another agency.

I saw him open his one hand to reveal a small bottle of whiskey it looked like. He had what I needed to sterilize Elena's wound.

"Trust me now?" Klaus smiled waving the bottle at me.

Stefan's POV

Walking down the steps off the plane the man's words echoed in my head. He had told me that Damon was on the plane with his own brother. That Damon needed to know he had an ally on the plane. That the Klaus Mikaelson that was on the mission to Bulgaria was also working for the 'good guys' as he so eloquently put it. MI 6 had an investment in this too but were told not to reveal themselves under almost any circumstance. Apparently the crashing of the plane was one such loop hole and so Chief Supervisor Elijah Mikaelson was asked then to reach out to the CIA and coordinate their efforts in salvaging things before the whole mission ended up compromised.

My grip on the railing as I stepped off the plane and onto the noisy aircraft carrier tightened as the wind nearly knocked me over. I had made it. I had barely stepped off the plane before a man was in my face and yelling through the wind and the sound of the helicopters and planes on the tarmac.

"Special Agent Salvatore. I'm Captain Logan Fell. Welcome to The Kennedy." I nodded to him and watched as he was pointing toward the helicopter just a few yards from us. "Are you taking her up sir? To survey the island?"

I took a look around. I had ordered Marines and a few battalions of Navy troops too. There were more men standing at attention further away. The roar of the various types of army transpo echoed in my ears. These guys had listened to my instructions and were prepared to launch a full scale attack on my word. This was my baby and everywhere I looked were more men looking to me for the go ahead.

"No! We aren't going to surveil the island Captain," I yelled over the noise. I took one more look at the helicopter idling there at my ready. I hated flying. Sure I could fly but I only ever flew myself when there was no other options. Being up in the air in any way, big or small always messed with me head, and I got dizzy and nauseous and had to fight to stay in control every moment. No I wasn't just taking one of their helicopters. I'd take a pilot with me, one that didn't have issues with flying like I did.

He had started me at a brisk walk to the buildings nearby and once the door closed the noise level fell considerably. I let out a sigh knowing I wanted nothing more than to jump in the copter and fly over to get Damon out of there, despite my own fears and dislike of flying. But I had no idea where he was, or where the criminals were too. Ordinarily Damon knew I would just barrel in there and go get him. But he knew by sharing with me that he had met someone, someone he loved that it made the rescue profoundly more difficult. Difficult or not I knew how much it meant to Damon for me to proceed with utmost caution and make sure he and the doctor he was in love with got off the island safe. I had reached the pilot Saltzman's wife too who was frantic and very grateful to know that there was a rescue in place and that her husband and the friend Caroline were alive and well.

"We wait here till my brother makes contact," I said against everything I felt in finally being so close to him. I saw the shocked and surprised looks around the room. They had led me to a meeting of everyone in charge, military, navy alike it looked like. I shook my head at the silence of the men in the room and walked toward the map on the wall of the island we were about to infiltrate. "There are women on that island and I am not taking any risks with the woman my brother loves. Our family has already lost too much. We do this my way gentlemen or this could end up a bloodbath."

Captain Fell cleared his throat and nodded I hoped his agreement to my plan. "Whatever you need is at your disposal Special Agent Salvatore. Just say the word. There are subs at the ready as well. We are prepared to take these criminals back into custody dead or alive. Presidents orders."

I lifted my hand as I spun around. "Not…till I get my brother back!" I snapped at him, my eyes flaring with anger. Of course by now the damn President was aware of a plane full of criminals that had escaped custody. I couldn't hide it forever. This affected more than just me and my family obviously. Thank God I was still in charge and could handle this the way I knew I needed too.

I continued to pace, looking out the window to the ocean and the island that was my haystack to finding my brother. "We wait till Agent Salvatore makes contact. Continue to scan the island on satellite. But my team in the States already tried that and the trees in most areas are too dense to figure out where people are hiding." I looked back up at Captain Fell, my eyes narrowed and I hoped my expression and tone was damn clear enough for them to see how badly this needed to go smoothly. I saw him nodding to me as I spoke to the rest of the men who were still silently listening to my commands.

Lowering my voice I stood still and looked pleadingly at my audience. "I know this might not be protocol or standard deployment for this kind of situation. But this is personal for me. That is my only family out there. I lost my fiance on a mission. My brother lost his partner. And now there he is on an island with murderers and rapists and I need to get him safe. But his best friend is there too and Damon has fallen in love with the prison doctor and I will be damned if I don't do everything in my power to get her out of there safely so my brother does not live through what I did in losing the only woman I ever loved. I will not let that happen after he had been alone for so long and now finally found love."

I looked around at the sad and somewhat even emotional faces in the room. "So if any of you know what love means, new love, you will understand that I will not risk destroying that for my big brother. The woman co pilot too, I saw a police file and she was almost raped in college and a widow when her own husband was taken by cancer. I can't imagine and now she is down there too. Captain Saltzman has a wife and young son to come home too. Agent St. John has a wife and a baby that could be born anytime that need him." I sucked in another deep breath. "So this mission has to go without any screw ups by any of us. These people need to get back to their families. THAT is the priority here...not those damn criminals!"

There was nodding and agreement from around the room and I smiled despite the stress of it all. This could actually work. "SO until we know that my brother, Dr. Gilbert, Agent St. John, Captain Saltzman, the co pilot Mrs. Lockwood, the stewardess are not in harms way we will NOT make a move and risk any of their lives. To them this was a massive game of hide and seek to avoid the prisoners and we will NOT take chances with their lives. We don't know if any of them have been captured and thus could be used as a hostage if we just storm onto the beach to take command."

A hand fell to my shoulder and I turned to see Captain Fell nodding vigorously. "This is your mission, your command Special Agent Salvatore. My men will give you whatever you need." He bent closer to me. "I lost my wife, a few years back; a home invasion while I was away at sea."

I frowned sadly at him. He did know the pain and without another word we just nodded to each other. I clapped him on his back too and strode out of the room. I walked quickly across the tarmac on the flight deck till I was leaning over the railing, gripping it tightly in my hands. I could do this. I could get my brother and all those innocents safe. I lifted the satt phone to my ear and adjusted the sound. He would call, he knew I wouldn't make a move till he did.

Damn it Damon! You need to tell me where you are!

Damon's POV

I squinted my eyes at Klaus studying him. Looking down at Elena in my arms I saw her eyes shut and her face pinched in pain. I bent down and pressed my lips to hers in a tender kiss and she moaned against my mouth. My hands stroked down her face as I pulled back, seeing her half lidded copper depths glassy. She was hurting and whether I liked it or not Klaus could help her when I couldn't.

Lifting my head I saw him again staring at the walkie in his hands. I cleared my throat and got his attention as his eyes focused on mine. "Do it Mikaelson. Help her. But don't you dare think this means I trust you." I spoke low and hoped I sounded intimidating and dangerous.

Klaus nodded to me. I watched him open the bottle and I shifted Elena up from the ground and more into my arms, so she could lean back against me as Klaus poured some of the whiskey on her wound. It sizzled and she cried out, her whole body stiffening in my arms. She was still only in her red lacy bra and jeans and I tried to keep her covered the best I could with Ric's leather jacket. I held her tight, my mouth right by her ear whispering over and over that I was right there and she was going to be okay. She shifted more in her own pain and I nearly cried out myself at the searing in my shoulder. But I was determined to focus on her.

I pressed my eyes shut, trying to mentally tell the pain to leave me alone. When I opened them Klaus was holding out the bottle for me and motioned me to drink. He knew I must be in hell with my own wound too. I took it gratefully and swallowed a few sips from the small bottle. I loved how it burned down my throat and for a brief moment I didn't feel anything. I held it up to Elena's lips and she looked up and me nodding to her. "It will help baby. Just try a bit," I coaxed her gently. She parted her lips and I dripped a few drops on her tongue for her to swallow.

The next time I looked back at Klaus I saw him ready with the needle at her arm. I tangled my fingers with hers, holding her up and as still as I could against me as I nodded to him to do it. She whimpered at the feel of the needle in her skin as I squeezed her hands tighter, pressing kisses all over the crown of her head. I saw her bite her lip so much so it drew blood and I cursed myself for forgetting to give her something to bite down on. I didn't even have a belt on. Before I could figure something else out I heard a rip and the sound of a belt racing through the loops and our hero here was handing her his belt.

I smiled tentatively as I took it from him. Maybe he could be trusted. The blonde man smiled back at me as I held out the leather to her and her mouth closed over it in an instant. Klaus nodded to me to continue and I nodded back. I buried my head by her neck, giving her more kisses, anything to distract her from the pain. She cried out more as he worked to slowly seal the skin on first one side of her arm and then the other. It sure as hell wasn`t ideal. There was probably dirt in the wounds but sealing it up to stop it from bleeding more was at least something. I prayed that we would be rescues soon and get proper treatment at a hospital before any risks got too great from how we had been taking care of any wounds here.

I had never felt so helpless in my life. I wanted to spare her the pain. The bullet Kai meant for me had literally ripped through her arm because she was huddled so close to me. I had been trying to protect her, shield her with my body when he had been advancing on us, but in doing so she got hurt too and badly.

"Almost done," Klaus looked up at me as he held her arm up to stitch up the gash on the back. I saw him looking down at her, her eyes were so wide and tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Just hang in there a few more minutes for me Doc," he spoke to her.

Elena leaned her head closer to mine, nuzzling her face against my throat even with the belt still in her mouth. I curled my arms around her more, cocooning her in my embrace as much as could as Klaus worked.

"It's okay baby," I soothed her as she cried out again. It didn't look like the bullet had hit any bone but it still must hurt like a bitch. "You are doing amazing Beauty. Just a little bit more." I kissed her more all over her face that she had turned toward me.

"Okay, all good. That's the best I can do here." Klaus snipped the thread after tying it off. I knew we still needed to get more meds for her and wrap it in gauze and use disinfectant but none of that was here. So I just adjusted the make shift tourniquet I had made with my torn sleeve, tightening it up.

I tilted my head up to him, my eyes narrowed, still trying to figure everything out. "Thank you," I mumbled and he nodded at me.

Elena was moving more in my arms and I saw her pass him his belt back. "Yes thank you," she echoed me and offered Klaus a weak smile.

"You are welcome Doc. I'd hope if things were reversed you would help me too." Klaus turned back to me. "Are you next Agent Salvatore?"

I knew he was right. I needed medical attention just as badly and had been slowly getting more dizzy as I had helped Elena. Nodding feebly I relented and knew I needed to trust him more. I picked up the little bottle of whiskey and dripped some all down my wound, cringing at the sting before gulping more down. Elena was at my side and handled me Klaus' belt to bite on as she laid me down in the grass. She moved around to my other side as Klaus threaded the needle again and began to pull the skin of the wound together stitch by stitch.

The wound almost in my chest he fixed up in record time and then I was being lifted so he could reach the one on my back. Elena held me leaned against her nearly bare body, her arms around me as I sat up and felt Klaus dousing the wound with more alcohol. I lay my head on her good shoulder and felt her fingers tangling in the strands of my hair. I moaned at how good it felt. Any touch from her was always heavenly. I lifted my head to gaze in her eyes. "Elena," I breathed out and she smiled back at me, framing my face in her hands. She leaned her head to mine and I soaked in the her scent and her presence allowing it to just permeate all of my senses.

Suddenly there was a voice covered in static on the walkie. Klaus snatched it up and held it to his ear. I could see the anxiety in his expression as he struggled to make sense of the sounds on the other side.

"Caroline? Your brother?" I gasped out and he nodded to me.

"I can't let that bastard Mason know Kai is gone. Kai promised that creep a way off this island. Hell he promised a lot of people he would get them out of here. The dick guard Julian that has been guarding my brother almost night and day to make sure I do Kai's bidding was also promised a ticket off this rock. All he had to do was keep Kol hostage so I would be Kai's little bitch. You have no idea how many times I tried to get my brother safe already. I even gave him my gun the first night here to protect himself. I was going to get him into hiding somehow but that damn guard got to him first."

I swallowed hard at that. I was the one that stole that gun from him and then lost it when Kai almost killed me at the falls. I had nearly ran into both the Mikaelson's that night up on the cliffs.

More sounds came from the walkie. "Parker!" came a low voice. It was Mason. "Parker! Answer me. Where the hell are you? Did you guys reach your guy on the outside?" I could hear a soft crying in the background from the call and knew it had to be Caroline.

Klaus looked back up at me and then down at the walkie. He pulled out a pocket knife and I saw him twist it back and forth a few times before he clicked on to reply. "I'm on my way back. Everything is all set for us to escape. You just keep your hands off the girl and the brother. Are they okay?"

I heard chuckling from the other side of the line and it made my blood run cold. Mason was a sadistic killer and that laugh, man that laugh could mean anything.

"One of them is bleeding pretty bad. You tell Mikaelson that I'm tired of waiting. If he doesn't get his ass back here then there won't be much left to save. His girl is looking mighty tempting, tears flowing down her cheeks, blood sticking to her torn dress, long bare legs."

Oh shit, I could see what the imagery of that was doing to Klaus and he looked to almost have crushed the walkie in his hand he was so upset. He twisted the screw again and I knew he was altering his voice on the other end. We had been taught that at the CIA too. But hiding his voice or not I knew none of us had made contact with anyone on the outside. Not Stefan or Klaus's contact which I assumed now must be his brother at MI 6. Hell I didn't even know where the satt phone was. Kai had it last before he took his swan dive.

"Leave her be! Mikaelson is our ticket out of here. You piss him off and he won't get us our ride!" Klaus was sounding desperate.

The menacing voice came through the walkie again. "Who says he has to know? You got him to make contact already so our ride is secure. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy the wait...right?"

Klaus nearly growled in rage. I pulled myself up to standing and took the walkie from his shaking hand. I twisted the screw again and called out. "Just wait till I get back! I'm still in charge and I can still say if you are coming along or not. You have nothing to hold over me dick! I've never had anything I care about so you can't manipulate me Mason. Just fucking wait till we get back and you can have all the big canned whores you want we are are free!"

I slammed the walkie back in his hand and we both just stood there with baited breath. Finally there was a sigh on the other end. "Fine. Just get back here fast Parker. Its been fucking years since I have been with a woman and you damn well better make it worth my while to wait! I'm having her first and then we will talk about more whores."

Klaus let out the breath he was holding gave me a shaky smile. We had helped each other here. Maybe he could be an ally here. God knows we needed all the help we could get.

"I will give you whatever you want. Just keep it in your pants and don't hurt her till I get back." Klaus snapped back and sounded tougher.

"You got it boss." Mason sounded like he finally understood who was in charge. Even though the man he thought was in charge was dead at the bottom of a cliff right now.

Klaus looked back up at me as I was helping Elena up. She had stayed silent through that whole thing but I knew it had scared her too to hear Caroline talked about like that.

"I need to go to them," Klaus stated simply. He was right. That creep could not be held off forever.

Nodding my agreement I put my arms around Elena to prepare to start walking back down the way we came. I pulled the bloody hoody over her head and then draped the leather jacket of Ric's I had adopted over her shoulders. Now there was a huge bullet hole in the shoulder part of the jacket and even that made me upset. I wanted to keep that jacket and now all it was was a reminder that we almost got caught and Kai nearly killed us both.

I picked up the gun and cocked it hoping I was ready for anything. "Stay safe man," I mumbled to Klaus and he nodded to me. But before we could leave he stepped in front of us.

"Here, take the walkie and that way once I get rid of Mason then I can radio you and tell you your friend is safe. Just keep scanning frequencies maybe every hour or so and I will reach you. Just stay off the one that it is on now. Mason still has it and is tuned into that frequency."

Nodding slowly I took it, tucking it in my jeans and felt Elena's arms around my waist as she leaned her head down against my chest. I put my hand over her head, stroking her hair. "I'll go with your guys as far as I can before we branch off to the beach. Then just keep the walkie on and I promise I will make contact when I get Caroline and my brother safe.

The three of us slowly made our way down to lower ground as I tried to gauge where we were on the island. Klaus looked like he knew the way so I followed him. His gun was up and pointed at any sounds around us just as mine was as Elena and I helped each other along down the rocky ground and toward the cave. It took more than a half hour before I finally heard the waterfall and then knew where we were heading. Klaus headed his own way from there and I nodded and smiled at him before he turned to head to the beach.

We were quiet as we made our way toward the cave to see Enzo and Ric. Ric must be worried sick by now too about Caroline. And I prayed that my bestie was finally awake, that the serum had worked. It had to. I could not lose another person. I couldn't.

I saw the cave in the distance and I turned to look down at Elena. I drew in a deep breath and swallowed thickly.

"He will be okay Damon. I know it. He has to be," she said confidently, looking up at me, her eyes wide. I prayed she was right. I needed my best friend and Bonnie needed her husband. I bent to press a kiss to her forehead, my hands around her head.

I sucked in another shaky breath and felt her arms go around me tighter. She knew exactly what I needed right then. My Elena knew how scared I was and how nervous. How much was riding on what we found in that cave. I cupped her face, burying my hands under her thick tresses as I gazed in her eyes. "I love you Elena," I breathed out. I could feel her breath on my face, the air between us warm with our quickening breaths. "You have no idea how much I need you right now."

Her hands slid up my sides and I felt her wind them around my neck. She leaned in more and I nearly stumbled back till I felt a tree behind me to support my weight. "I love you too Damon. More than anything," Elena whispered, her lips an inch away from my own. "We can do this together. Whatever you need honey, I am here for you." She nodded at me as I cast another glance to the cave ahead of us.

I moaned as I felt her lips capture mine and I tightened my grip in her hair, holding her and tilted her head to deepen the kiss. I knew whatever we faced, we could do it together. I hungrily tasted her, reveling in the softness of her lips, the curves of her body pressed along every hard plane of mine. We could do this. I could feel strength building in me slowly but stronger as we kissed, and held each other. Everything about her was helping me face my fears, my thoughts that Enzo would not be alive, that the serum hadn't worked. She was my strength.

Elena curled her body in closer to me and I felt her hands slide back down my sides and under my torn shirt. I shivered at the warmth of her touch and knew she was pouring all she was into that kiss. I cradled her head, sliding my own hands down to her waist and under the bloody hoodie. She whimpered into the kiss as I ran my fingers up her bare back, pulling her body in closer.

Panting I pulled back and took in her kiss swollen lips, and rasping breaths. Her hair was tangled and stray strands curling around by her cheeks. I smoothed them back gently with my thumb and smiled at her. She nodded to me and I nodded back. I felt her lace her fingers with mine and pull me forward. I took one more deep breath and pushed off, following behind her, trusting her completely. I was still shaking inside but I had to do this. I had to fight the fear and just rip off the proverbial band-aid and find out if he was alive.

I watched her push the fronds aside, pushing me into the cave with her and I nearly cried at the sound I heard.

"D?"

Oh God! No one in world except my bestie had ever called me D.

I gasped aloud seeing in the dim light of the flashlight that Enzo was sitting up and smiling at me as I moved closer. It was such a small space and before I knew it Ric had stepped aside and out the door, giving us more room. He had given Elena a hug as he passed and looked at me in the way that I knew he knew how much this meant to me.

Since he said his nickname for me I had been staring at him as he leaned against the far wall of the cave. It seemed surreal. I fell to my knees at his side on the ground and opened my arms to him at the same time he did for me. "Enzo...oh my God Enzo!" I cried out and fell into his open arms. My mind flashed to the last time I heard his voice, till now. I thought that had been the last time I would ever talk to my best friend.

"Damon." His voice sounded so pained and then I heard coughing and him moaning from the likely injuries he had sustained in saving our lives.

I reached out, my hand trembling as I laid my palm on the door. "I'm here buddy. I'm so sorry." I felt a lump in my throat and swallowed it down needing to figure out how to be the hero now when Enzo had been so much on our hero just a few minutes ago.

"You saved us Enz. You saved Elena. And I will never be able to repay you," I choked out feeling a tear in the corner of my eye.

"You can D. Promise me you will take care of Bon and my baby," he pleaded.

I nodded, not realizing that he would not be able to see me. I felt Elena's arms curl around my waist, her body warm against mine as she laid her head in the hollow between my shoulder blades. I reached for her hands tucked up by my stomach and squeezed them in mine, offering her what little comfort I could as she tried to support me.

That wasn't the end of our friendship. He had survived! Klaus Mikaelson had saved his life by making it look like he was dead so the rest of the cons left him. And now I could feel him holding me tight as I cried. He was like a brother to me, like Stefan. He had been there for me when Stefan was hurting so much and had rejected me when I hadn't been able to save his fiance. Enzo had been there through all of it and supported me and fought help me restore things with Stefan. I thought I had lost him and I could hardly believe he was okay.

I glanced back behind me at Elena who looked as emotional as I did. Her strength brought me here. I was so scared that he would never wake up.

Shutting my eyes I let my best friend hold me. He even felt strong and not weak at all like I thought he would be coming out of everything. I felt more tears slipping down my cheeks. I pulled back and looked in his eyes and saw the same emotions all over his face.

"I'm okay D. Can you see that now?" Enzo whispered. I saw him chuckle slightly as I felt Elena kneel down on the ground beside me and put her arms around my one arm and lean on my shoulder. I treasured her nearness in all of this. I had so much I wanted to tell Enzo about everything, about us and that she was marrying me. That we loved each other!

Enzo shifted how he was sitting and groaned slightly. "Don't you remember D how I said Bon would kill me if I didn't make it back in time for the birth of our baby. You didn't think I was going to miss that did you? Take on the wrath of my wife. No way. She would have kicked my ass back from beyond death."

His humor was still intact and it was almost like we weren't acknowledging how close he came to really dying. He preferred to gloss it over with his world class wit. I laughed but I knew we were both very aware of how dangerous things had been on that airplane.

"You are having a son Enz," I blurted out not caring that Bonnie told me that in confidence. I had told him when he was still in his near dead state hoping he would hear me and fight harder to come back but right now I just wanted him to know. My best friends eyes lit up at that and I beamed back at him. "Bon told me before we left on this mission. She said to save it unless you really needed a reason to fight to come back to her. SO I told you before Enz when you were out. I told you about your son."

Enzo sat up more and ran his hands through his messy hair. I realized then that Ric must have given him more clothes to change into because he wasn't wearing the guards uniform that had been caked with his own blood before when he had been shot. He looked good. Not pale and nearly lifeless like I had last seen him.

"I'm having a son?" he mumbled his eyes wide and darting around like his mind was racing through a million thoughts.

I nodded back at him twining my hand with Elena's as she was silent beside me but I was so glad she was there. She was giving us that chance to catch up and just be us and I couldn't love her more for it.

"You are, man. Bon will be so outnumbered and she will not let you forget that." Enzo laughed at that and I laughed too. It felt so good to laugh and smile. I saw Ric peeking back in the cave and knew I needed to tell him about Caroline. The man looked like he had aged overnight with worry.

"Hey Ric. We found out about Care. She had gotten taken to the enemy camp and got caught." I saw him already starting to freak out. I held up my hand and tried to calm him. "We have an ally in the camp and he is going to save her. He promised. He saved me and Elena tonight or we might not be here either. Long story." I tossed him the walkie and tucked my hair back behind my ear. "He promised that he would make contact as soon as he got her safe. Just don't use the walkie. Just wait for them to contact you. I just wanted you to know Ric. And if we haven't heard anything over night, we will do everything we can to get her back first thing tomorrow. We just gotta have faith." Ric nodded numbly and walked back out of the cave with the walkie. I wished there was more I could do for him, but right now I was overjoyed to just be talking to Enzo again.

Enzo looked back at us hearing everything and I was sure very little of it made any sense to him. He had missed a lot. But right now I saw him studying Elena all curled up against me, our hands tangled together, her head on my shoulder and his lips turned up in a hesitant smile. "What is this D? Are you guys?"

I nodded rapidly not even knowing where to begin in telling my bestie how much I loved this woman. I held up her hand to the dim light of the flashlight and showed him her ring.

Enzo gasped aloud and took her hand as she held it closer and he saw the ring. I held up my own hand too and the ring that Elena had so lovingly made me too. "You didn't D? Really?" He sounded shocked and I watched him turn to Elena. "Did he ask you to marry him?"

My buddies eyes were wider than I had ever seen them and I watched my girl smiling from ear to ear as she nodded to his question. "Oh my God D. I am so happy for you!" He sat forward and pulled me into another hug. I cringed a little this time from the pain from the wound. Before when he had hugged me I had felt such an overwhelming sense of relief that he was alive I had barely felt the pain at all. But this time it hurt more and I knew we needed to get the antibiotics and wrap up the wound properly.

Enzo noticed this time that I reacted to his hug and pulled back right away. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked me sternly. "I mean here we are celebrating me being alive and you guys getting engaged...wow I definitely need to know more there yet too but obviously we are still on the island and haven't been rescued yet so tell me guys..."

His eyes twinkled with curiosity as I looked back and forth from him to Elena and back… "You got the team back together here D and I can help you so tell me...what have I missed?"

There was faint sounds, static and then the words became clearer. It was coming from down the cliff...lower and lower, down the steep banks.

"Damon, damn it! Why aren't you calling in. I am trying every frequency here..." Stefan's voice echoed over and over. Repeating the same message.

Panning lower you can hear the crashing of the surf below. Its dark with only the moon to light the sky as the Stefan voice gets louder.

"Damon, where are you? I'm here...we are so close but I'm not risking your life or the woman you love there. I have an army here Damon. Tanks and subs and fucking everything. But you have to tell me where you are! If we storm that beach and something happens to you or your girl I would never forgive myself. So damn it brother tell me where you are. I can only assume that the phone you were using was damaged but maybe you found another one. Just call in big brother and we will send everything."

There was the sound of a long sigh and then what sounded like nearly a growl. "Okay. I'll try another frequency..."

The dim moonlight illuminates the satt phone laying on the rocky ledge. The surf is crashing below, the rocks glistening in the light. The wind spins it ever so slowly closer to the edge of the little out jutting piece of rock along the cliff…it teeters on the edge and the wind dies down and the phone is still...laying on the rocks tucked into the near sheer side of the cliff...

A/N; Review...