These final chapters to wrap everything up took longer so this is Part 2 of 3. Part 3 will be upload today yet too and I am so excited to hear what you think of the ending!

Happy reading :)

Damon's POV

There was a light knocking on the door and I squinted my eyes in that direction. The door creaked open and I saw a tall man in dress pants and shirt with his long sleeves rolled up, peek into the room. His brown hair looked messed up and his face wore a tired expression.

"Damon Salvatore?" he asked in a hushed whisper as I glanced down to the sleeping beauty in my arms before looking back to him with a finger to my lips.

I nodded to his silent question to come in and shifted to sit up more in the bed trying not to wake Elena. I had no idea how long we had both slept but it felt like it was never enough yet.

"Yeah, that's me," I replied in the same soft tone. "Elijah Mikealson I assume?"

He nodded to me and moved quietly to gesture to a chair by the bed and sat down when I nodded.

I let out a shaky exhale. This was about my brother...it had to be.

The man looked like those solemn police officers that tell you your family member just died.

I tried to steady my breathing as to not wake my fiance curled up against me. I didn't want her to hear this. Not now. There had been too much loss.

I bent my head and pressed my lips tenderly to her hair and breathed her in. Just her being in my arms calmed my emotions. I could do this...I could hear this and not fall apart. Elena needed me to be strong for her and all she went through. I did not want to look weak again after she thought she almost lost me.

Lifting my head back up I regarded the man silently and saw he seemed to be struggling too with how to say something. I drew in a deep breath sitting up more, careful to barely move and disturb her.

"Just say it. Spit it out," I hissed quietly at him, harsher than I planned to. I was trying not to panic. This needed to be like a band aid. Rip it off fast and tell me my brother's body was found. But I unconsciously closed my eyes like a child not wanting to accept what I knew he was going to say.

Elijah cleared his throat quietly. "No, Damon. We didn't find a body. At least no positive I.D'd body."

It was like he read my mind and I let out the breath I was holding. He nodded to my disbelief.

"Agent Salvatore could still be alive.," Elijah whispered. "The men dived to find the downed helicopter and there was no body in it."

Oh my… Letting out a choking gasp I felt Elena move more on my chest. "What? No..body? He wasn't in there?" My voice was shaking in its hushed tone. "There was no one found in the chopper?"

Elijah nodded. "That's right Damon. They found a handcuff that was still attached to the bar beside the pilot seat but it had been broken in half. The chain was just hanging from the single cuff."

"Oh my God," I breathed out, my eyes wide and disbelieving before my brows furrowed, as I narrowed my gaze at him. "He made it out? Are you sure? You are 100% sure he made it out?"

I was in shock at the news. I had watched the helicopter flood and go under the water so fast as Elena and I had been pulled into the boat with Enzo and Ric.

He nodded again. "Yes. The team said there was no one in there and otherwise they saw blood in the water and torn clothes, but no one in the chopper. There was a huge storm that came in from the ocean and after that transmission yesterday I haven't heard anything more till a quick burst early this morning. Lots of communication is down in that area from the hurricane but if they could reach us they would. Most radios are nothing but static since the wind got so bad."

My head fell back against the pillows as I digested what he said.

Stefan could still be alive. My only brother might not have died out there saving our lives.

"Yes Damon," he smiled weakly, reassuring my obviously disbelieving expression. He looked exhausted, not like a man in charge at all but more like a man suffering loss too. "This morning I had heard before the connection broke was some of our men had seen more flesh and blood and dismembered bodies near the shore and found a swat vest ripped apart floating in the water. There was likely sharks in the area."

His eyes fell away from mine as he continued and I felt a chill in the air. "Damon, the vest was his. They fished it out of the water and one pocket was still closed and untouched. It had his I.D. badge in it."

My eyes widened again as I held my finger to my lips for him to speak quieter still as Elena whimpered softly and snuggled down in the crook of my neck again, her fingers clenched around the thin material of my hospital gown at my neck.

Elijah saw me tense and he sat up more. "That doesn't mean what it sounds like. He could have gotten up on the beach and met with other enemies. It could be their bodies in the water. I was told the Serbians were there to kidnap you Damon, so it could have been them." The older man ran his hand through his hair as he leaned on his elbows.

"Kai Parker was shredded up in the helicopter blades," I spoke up, remembering it raining blood on us as I struggled to pull Elena up after Kai tried to take her with him. "It might have been his blood and...pieces of him you found." I cringed even thinking of the grotesque scene.

Elijah nodded at that. "We won't know more until we establish communication again and do some DNA testing. The storm knocked out quite a few cell towers on the coast. The marines were going to do a grid search of the water and island coastline just off where it crashed. So I have no idea if they were half way back to the air craft carrier, stayed on the island or went to a neighboring island to stay safe." He sighed and sat up in the chair closing his eyes. "We just have to wait for more news I'm afraid."

I nodded and looked sadly at him. Stefan might still be alive somewhere but I knew this man had lost his own brother. And I owed Klaus so much too for all he did to save Enzo and in trying to save Elena.

"I'm sorry about Kol," I mumbled quietly and he nodded back at me, scraping his hand across his face.

"Thank you Agent Salvatore. Really that means a lot. I still don't want to believe it." Elijah was ready to get up it looked like, likely not wanting to talk about it and I was glad Elena had slept through this conversation. She had been so exhausted and I knew she needed the sleep.

He was almost at the door when I called out softly. "Wait, one... question..."

He turned back around and lifted a brow curiously.

"How is MI 6 involved in all this? Klaus said that he wasn't to tell anyone on our team and he knew I was CIA...but I wasn't allowed to know about him?"

Elijah walked slowly back into the room from the door and stood by the bed silently.

My eyes narrowed again as I studied him. "What stake do you guys have in this mess? I think I've earned the right to know."

He sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You're right Damon and your brother already knew this when I reached out to him while he was still on the way to you. Klaus only knew about Kol's debt being paid off for him to do the hit with your team. He didn't know what else happened after he left on the mission with you.

This was the first time I had spoken with Klaus since the mission failed. We agreed to go dark when it looked like you were all going to prison. Klaus and Kol were going to testify just like you were in front of the Bulgarian government and share intel to finally get the son of a bitch who's behind all this...at least that was the plan."

"It's always the plan isn't it?" The snark in my voice was so clear and Elijah chuckled at that. I was curious where he was going with this. I had heard Elijah's brothers up on the cliff talking about Kol's debt and taking the job and I knew Klaus had family he had sent away to protect them.

They, the terrorists wanted to stop us from collaborating with the Bulgarian government to prove our innocence and figure out who ordered the hit, just like they crashed our plane to stop us from getting there…

My eyes snapped up to his. "Who...who did they get to?"

Elijah sighed deeply. "Our sister..." His eyes looked glassy as he sunk back down in the chair. "Klaus doesn't even know yet. And I don't know how to tell him after he just learned that we lost our youngest brother. I can't do that to him. It's too much too soon."

"He had gotten Rebekah and my parents across the ocean safely and in witness protection. After what happened to his fiance Cami, Klaus wasn't taking any more chances with these bastards. But our dear sister left behind her lover Marcel and once they were safe she sent word to him where to meet. I guess they intercepted the message, had a tap on his phone, I don't know.

Anyway she snuck away to meet him and explain everything that happened. She left a damn note on her bed about not being able to live without him and that she would be right back with him and that he was her family and we needed to be able to accept Marcel too. She had wanted a family and dreamed of marriage and babies since she was a little girl. And this man was it for her the way she spoke in the letter.

I had tried to explain as much as possible without compromising classified intel and she knew to stay in the compound for her own safety. That saying goodbye to her old life was the only way to be safe. She never told me about Marcel and I didn't know how much he truly meant to her till she risked everything to get him safe too. I know we told her to leave everything but if she had told me, maybe I could have helped him."

I was listening, riveted to the story. These damn terrorists had thought of everything. "What happened? Is she okay? Is he?" I prodded him as his head had fallen into his hands.

He lifted it back up as he continued. "We tracked her to the meeting place. I had put dormant trackers in her and our parents in case anything happened to separate us. But we arrived too late and Marcel was dead, shot twice in the chest and then the head after the door was broken down.

There was blood all over the bed beside him in the hotel and her tracker was laying right there like a tease that she was gone. There was a note saying that if Klaus or Kol testified they would kill her and mail pieces of her back to us. Damn it she was safe!" he hissed out and I saw Elena starting to wake up. I guess we were not as quiet as before.

She rubbed her nose against my neck and lifted her head. I had no idea what to say to all that. Stefan knew about this too. He knew the same terrorists that killed his fiance were holding Elijah and Klaus' sister hostage.

"Damon a man from the agency will be here tomorrow to take yours and Elena's statements of all that went down, especially in the end when Parker died. If there is anything, anything you can think of that would help us find those creeps, or find my sister, please let me know."

I nodded at him and watched Elena listening and still snuggled into my chest. Elijah introduced himself to her and shook her hand.

I recounted in my head what all happened on the island. Anything relating to the terrorists. There wasn't much.

"I know they had to have been the ones that crashed us but I couldn't recover the box they put on the nav system to control it from the ground. Someone must have gotten on the plane before we took off and planted it. I know what it looks like, cause they made me plant some in the States to test my loyalty before the bigger job."

Elijah was listening intently and had pulled out a note pad and scribbled things down on it.

Elena sat up more and stretched her arms and yawned as she still stayed laying against my side before getting up and heading to the bathroom. She gave me a quick kiss and smile with a silent glance that she would be right back. I loved that there were times we didn't have a say a word and we knew what the other was saying.

The door to the bathroom closed and I leaned back thinking more, running all the scenarios in my head. The beach, the cons on the hill top, hearing Kol use the radio on the cliff. Kai telling me Julian got messages to him inside the prison.

"Wait...Mason Lockwood." He was a clue. "Mason was hacking CIA black site accounts while we were up on the plane. You could trace the money. Maybe it would tell you something."

I squeezed my eyes shut and thought back. Lots of things were still a blur just before and after I got hit in the head so badly in the helicopter. I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and forefinger trying to find something else.

"The call!" I sat up more in the bed. "The call about where to drop me off to them. It went through the helicopters radio. You could find the..."

"Black box and find out what's on there. Maybe figure out the number," Elijah finished my thought out loud. We never had any kind of paper trail, bank info or anything on them.

And then more flowed from where I had started to dig in my head. "Kai's account too at the prison. He said that they paid him and then withdrew it after, which was why he decided to double cross them and deliver me dead to them."

I shivered as I recounted what happened and how close to being shot and thrown from the helicopter I had come. Elena's face in those moments had nearly destroyed me. She was clinging to me with everything she was thinking she would lose the last person in her life right there and then.

Elijah was smiling and scribbling quickly, not seeing my memories flood in as he turned to leave. "Thank you Damon that is a big help. Agent Davis will be here to debrief you in the morning. Try to get some more rest. You both have been through hell.

We will do everything we can to help you both recover and feel safe. MI 6 and the CIA can pull strings to help however you need. The president himself told me how grateful he was to all of you for getting those monsters killed or captured again. I'm glad too that you liked that I was able to get special permission for Elena to stay close to you and the doctors say its helped you both recover faster."

I nodded and smiled at him so thankful for all the help and considerations. That was incredible...the President! I hoped too that something I had witnessed would break this damn case open.

I thought about everything he said about Stefan as well. He had gotten out of the helicopter. That in itself was amazing and I knew if he fought to get free he would not have just rolled over and gotten taken out by a fucking shark or let any of the Serbs take him prisoner. Not without a hell of a fight.

No I knew my brother and I could feel it that he was alive still. He would find a way to contact me, just like I fought like hell to reach him to get us off the island.

The tables had turned it seemed and now I was safe and free and he was needing rescue. I would not let him down.

I would do what the doctor ordered, take it easy, relax and rest my brain and avoid screens and light and after this debrief I would not think about this case till I had the all clear from the doctor and my beautiful doctor too.

I lifted my head from the pillows and sat up more. I heard the water running in the bathroom and then she opened the door. By then I had almost pulled my legs to the side of the bed so they were hanging off the edge.

She rushed forward as I tried to push up on my arms to put even a little weight on my legs. "Damon, honey what are you doing?"

I gave her a look, like she should know, being a doctor and all. "I'm doing what the doctor wanted. He said I needed to get up and move around at least once today." I grinned at her, pursing my lips. "I'm being a good little patient...hoping my doctor will reward me."

She giggled at that and bent to let me put my arm over hers and took some of my weight as I shakily stood up. "Okay, okay Damon. We can walk, just let me help you."

I smiled tightly at her, hiding the pain I was already feeling being on my feet. "That's all I ask." I nodded toward the hallway. "Lead the way Elena."

My girl stretched and grabbed up a robe at the bottom of the bed and draped it around my shoulders and picked up one from the bottom of her bed for herself.

I nodded smirking at her. "Good thinking sweetie. No one but you needs to see my hot ass...or yours for damn sure."

"Damon!" she shrieked and turned a bright shade of red.

I laughed at her and almost fell back down to the bed as she had let go of me to pull the robe closed around my waist. I loved seeing her all shy and embarrassed. It was fricking adorable.

"Shh, no screaming." I looked around, my eyes widening. "This is a hospital we are supposed to be...quiet." I said the last word with a subtle raise of one brow.

Holding tight to the end of the bed with one hand, I put a finger to her lips with the other, once she supported me again and she stilled immediately.

I stood there...staring at her incredible, chocolate doe eyes gazing at me as I tugged gently on her bottom lip. I saw her breath pick up at the heat that such a simple touch brought out in her. My legs felt wobbly under me but I was still standing and hadn't fallen back down. Yeah me!

I smiled at her, that pure and wide smile she saw the first time before we made love. I was in awe of her here with me. I was weaker than I think I had been in a long time, hardly able to stand and she was holding me up, giving me her strength.

My hand moved up her cheek to caress her skin, so so soft and warm under my palm and my baby's eyes closed as she leaned into my touch. I cradled her cheek and moaned before tangling my fingers in her hair by her ear and pulling it back.

The air had gone from teasing and fun to heated in a few pulse pounding seconds as I watched her eyelids fall as her whole body reacted to my delicate caresses. I saw goosebumps on her bare arms and neck and she took her plump bottom lip between her teeth. Her hand not under my arm to support my weight, moved up my body to rest on my chest as I heard the softest whimper from those lips that I longed to kiss senseless in that moment.

"Thank you," I whispered, my head bent closer to her as her eyes fluttered open to lock on mine. I nuzzled her nose and smiled again. "Thank you for taking care of me. For being here. For being you."

I felt her breath on my face and she smiled so bashfully back at me. It still looked like she hardly believed she was worth loving. That my words were hard to swallow.

I would shower her with more and more till the day she finally believed how amazing she was with her whole heart and then I would continue to show her every day how much I loved her.

She stared back at me, her lips parted and I nodded to her, still proud I was standing, when her closeness was making my legs even weaker.

"I mean it baby. You stood in front of a gun for me, killed a man to save my life, nearly died saving me from Kai. You are truly my hero Elena and you need to know that. I wouldn't be here in your arms if it wasn't for you."

A choked sob came from between her lips. "I wouldn't be here either, if it wasn't for you Damon," she whimpered.

By then I felt the last of my strength give out and she helped lower me back to the bed and sat beside me. I winced at the pain from the incision on my belly and could not wait to be strong again and lift her up in my arms, my hands on her thighs as I slammed her against a wall and ravished her with kisses.

Being weak sucked. But I knew she wasn't ready for anything like that yet either. I needed to go at her pace in whatever we did.

Her breath raced out of her as my eyes had not left hers the whole time I was standing. My fingers tunneled more in her hair and I saw her eyes fall from mine and drop to my lips.

I was cheering inside as she nodded at my look back at her. She wanted me to kiss her and I damn well didn't need a second invitation.

Tugging gently at the back of her neck, I pulled her in and brushed my lips on hers. Their softness against mine was unrivaled and I leaned in, opening my mouth the same moment she did.

"Damon," she moaned as her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer as I tilted her head just slightly and dove in kissing her deeply, tasting all that I needed in this world to survive.

She tasted like sweetness and light and peace, all twined together. How I thought I could taste light was beyond me I was so wrapped up in the kiss.

I felt her fingers in my hair, holding my head to hers and I wished I could just lift her into my lap, pulling her body against mine. But I was as weak as a kitten so that was not happening here.

My girl scared me with how well she knew me sometimes and as I was thinking how desperately I wanted her closer, she pulled herself up on her knees on the bed beside me. With putting no pressure on my stomach or leg, she leaned into me, molding her curves with my hard body, curling her arms more around my neck.

I ran my hands down her sides on top of the hospital gown as she slanted her mouth further, her fingers tangling in my hair again, as she kissed me slowly and thoroughly.

Suddenly her knee slipped off the edge of the bed and she squealed as she started falling, her nails scraping down my arms. I caught her fast, my hands going around her small waist pulling her back up. My palms in steadying her, brushed along the bandages on her belly and I hadn't even realized I had touched her there before she jumped back from me, panting hard.

"Don't..." she started to say and wrapped her arms around her belly. "Don't... touch me there." Her eyes looked wide and fiery, her words angry in their tone.

I backed up more, my eyes wide with shock at her fear and yet seeking hers as she pulled away. "Baby, it's okay. It was an accident. Then I won't tou..."

"Its not okay!" she cried out and I held up my hands showing her I was totally backing away. "It will never be okay again!"

Shit. I knew we were in for a lot when it came to her feelings about what happened to her. I felt like I wanted to move closer, to reassure her that she was beautiful no matter what her scars looked like.

But I felt like I was in the middle of a minefield and not sure which way to go; which words to say or actions would be right to sooth her. I wanted to pull her into my arms and promise her I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt her.

"Okay, okay Beauty. I won't...I promise." My hands were up at my sides in surrender, as my heart ached for her pain.

Was it over? Her emotions had jumped all over the place since Kai's attack and I wished I knew what I could do to help. It wasn't enough to be so helpless physically but now I felt just as helpless with us too.

"Don't call me that! I hate when you call me that! I'm so ugly, so broken and it will never get better!" She was spiting the words out faster than I could even try to understand what she was saying.

"Baby no..." I whispered reaching for her.

She backed away more, right up against the end of the bed shaking her head more. "I mean it Damon. You should just leave now and find a woman that can love you wholly and completely. Someone who isn't dead inside. I hate myself...so how could I possibly love you the way you deserve?" she snapped at me and turned her head away, her eyes falling to somewhere on the blanket in the wide expanse between us.

I saw tears slipping down her cheeks, each drop another sign of how empty she felt.

"You..you don't mean that. Its just the fear talking Lena, I know it." But she shook her head more telling me with her eyes she did mean it.

Oh my God, my heart was breaking. My mind did not want to process her venomous words to me.

I sucked in a breath and felt my throat tight at the pain behind her anger. Of course she didn't feel beautiful. That tore me apart inside, more than the damn bullets and knife wounds had. She felt I should find someone else? No fucking way. I would rather die.

She curled up in a ball at the end of my bed, tucking her legs up and now hiding her scars even more. She started crying into the blanket, her hands over her face.

My mouth opened, wanting to say something, anything but I had no idea what to say. I pushed the button for the nurses. Maybe they would know what to do, what she needed.

My hand trembled as I reached for her, seeing her curled into herself. I felt an ache in my heart so deep that even here, safe and away from the island and all the criminals...she still felt so scared and had no hope.

The journey to her head, felt like it took ages till my palm was hovering over her silky hair, with almost the same trepidation as that first night in the plane as I wanted so badly to hold her hand when she was so scared of the plane taking off. I was scared now too she would scream at me more if I touched her. But I couldn't just let her lay there crying alone, while I waited for help.

I dropped my hand slowly till it weaved gently between her chocolate strands. Thankfully she didn't pull away and instead whimpered and cried, reaching for my hand and pulling it to her face.

I froze, watching her holding my hand in a death grip, so so glad I hadn't offered her the one with the I.V. still attached and felt her lips on my skin and she clung to my hand.

She suddenly shook her head, her eyes snapping back up and wild in their gaze at me. "No, no I didn't mean it Damon! I don't know what's happening to me! I love you. I trust you, I do!"

I struggled with what to say back, not sure of her response to anything I might reply. She moved more, sitting up and crawling toward me. I opened my arms to her, offering my baby all of me, whatever she needed.

Her tear stained cheeks were red and she sniffled back more tears as she crawled into my arms. I was still sitting on the side of the bed, my legs hanging off the edge and I nearly cried out as she straddled my lap, pressing her whole body against mine.

She might be tearing my stitches, I had no idea. But I didn't care in that moment. I bit back my pain determined not to pull away from her clinging to me, her head buried in the crook of my neck.

The door creaked open and the nurse May walked in. She took in the scene seeing Elena crying hard against my shoulder and passed me the most sympathetic smile. She moved soundlessly back out of the room and was back in less than a minute with another nurse or orderly with her. This man walked up to me and held out his arms and I knew they wanted to get her off me. May was readying a syringe and nodded to me that it would be okay.

As soon as Elena must have heard or felt the others in the room she only clung tighter to me and was sobbing more. "NO, no Damon. Don't let them take me! I need you!"

I winced as she shifted in my lap, her leg rubbing the bandage of my knife wound. I had tears blur my own vision as I struggled with what to do. I wanted to help her but I didn't want to let her go.

The man seemed more insistent but I shook my head. I looked back at May as she got closer with the syringe. I could feel stickiness on my stomach already and I knew the blood must be seeping through.

"Can you fix up my stitches? Would I be okay holding her like this longer?" My eyes were pleading with May and she slowly nodded. I let out a deep breath.

"I need to lay back down, please? Just turn me enough to lay back, okay?" I asked the man with her and he nodded too and moved to shift me so I was able to lie down again and sunk back into the pillows, feeling so weak. Elena was still straddling my body, her arms tight around my neck.

May moved in with what I knew must be a sedative after a few minutes of watching us sadly and I gave her a nod that I was ready. She injected it into Elena's I.V. and within a minute my Beauty was almost limp in my arms.

Elena lifted her head once more as her eyes were closing. "Don't let me go. Please Damon! I'm so sorry I screamed at you and told you to leave. Please, please don't."

I smoothed her hair from her face, wiping her tears and winced again at the pain in my stomach. "I won't baby. I'm right here. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm right here and I love you so much." I saw her nod sleepily at me and her head fell back to my chest.

Kissing her hair I rubbed up and down her arms. "We will get through this Elena. We will..." But she was asleep and didn't respond.

I held her close longer, not caring about my wound bleeding. I resisted as the gentleman orderly lifted her off me and laid her back down on the other bed. At that distance she might as well have been miles away. Anything further than in my arms was too far.

I felt May lifting my gown and I laid back more, my eyes locked on my fiances as the nurse stitched up the wound again and helped me change into a clean gown. I knew it wasn't safe for me to have held her like that but I had to. She needed me.

Watching her sleep I wanted to hold her again. I wanted her closer. May checked my vitals and nodded sadly at me. "She has a long road ahead. Mood swings and anger outbursts are a huge part of PTSD. She won't feel like herself for a long time and it will come in spurts."

I was nodding to her listening closely, my eyes still on my Elena's now peaceful face.

"Just keep doing what you are doing. Support her. Make happy memories with her. Once you are well enough, get outside and get some sunshine. Don't let her stay in the dark in bed just thinking about her pain. Remind her of hope and the beauty of love. People suffering like she is need so much support and love and based on the little I have already seen of you two I have no doubt you will get her through this."

I nodded and smiled weakly looking at the kind nurse. "I will. I love her more than anything. I hate seeing her like this. We were just kissing and suddenly when she slipped I touched her stomach, my hand was on her bandages and she jumped away like I bit her. It was an accident and I feel terrible."

May nodded in understanding. "It might not have been just that either Damon. So many things can trigger her fear right now. The scars, sounds or memories, even smells or her own thoughts as you were kissing could have taken her away from you and back into her pain. Or falling in your arms and rubbing the bandages could have triggered the memory of her getting cut. It must have been so horrific, I can't imagine what you both have been through."

She looked back to Elena. "I know you want to hold her but just rest awhile and I promise she will be asleep for a few hours and I will make sure she is back in your arms before she wakes up. You need your rest too. Your other nurse Carol went back to the air craft carrier before the storm hit thank goodness, but you have me here for the rest of the night and then someone else will be here in the morning to take care of you both till my next shift tomorrow night."

I smiled and nodded at that, grateful for the care. I did need to rest more and being able to move around and still be closer to Elena I knew would help us both. At least I had tried to stand up, so that was enough for today and I found out Stefan had escaped the helicopter.

May pointed to the bathroom now and I sat back up and she helped me slowly get there and back before I collapsed back in the bed again. I was exhausted from something as simple as going to the bathroom and I was ready to sleep for hours.

She left the room and Elena and I in silence but not before pushing the beds as close together as they could be. I smiled at her in thanks for her kindness and she smiled back. I laid partially on my side so I could watch my angel sleep.

My Elena was so beautiful and I hated that she didn't see what I saw. I would be there in any way she needed me and we would get through this. Somehow, in time we would and I would be right there for her through everything.

Stefan's POV

The wind had ripped the small boat up and down in the crashing waves as the sky was as dark as night. I didn't have a working phone so for all I knew it could be night already. I took a few steps up to the deck seeing the rain still pelting down on everything and the loud roar of the wind echoed.

We waited for a few more hours till the storm started seeming to die down. My hostage had been very cooperative and the map was plenty detailed to tell me where they were hiding out. I had threatened more torture feeling like he hadn't told me everything yet.

I had run interrogations at the rotunda many times and I knew when I man was still withholding information. I threatened to break his fingers one by one. I could see it in his eyes that he knew more and I was right. After only bending one back hard enough to hear a crack he collapsed against the table saying that he would tell me everything. But unfortunately for me...he didn't know much.

He told me that the place on the map was the only place he had ever been and he himself had never met the boss but only someone else in charge. He begged me to let him go and even said he knew that they were moving the base soon and planning another operation from a new location.

I needed to get this info to the CIA fast or we might still miss our window. If they were in fact moving the base then his map and location would not be of value for long possibly.

He said this was his second job he had been on after they recruited him. A friend of his set him up to make some money and all he knew was that they had come here to pick up someone named Salvatore that the boss wanted very badly. Once they had him they were to meet them at another island and they would take them from there.

His first job had been guarding a younger woman prisoner for the first few weeks before he was chosen for this one. He had made sure she had food and water and didn't escape. But he laughed and said it was the easiest job he had ever had because she was heavily pregnant and there was no way she would escape.

Woman prisoner? I arched my eyebrows. Elijah told me his sister had been kidnapped and used to prevent their brothers from testifying. The man told me he had moved her from the base before he left and she was en-route to their new hideout before being discovered. Were the terrorists going to kill her now and dump her body? Had Elijah gotten too close to finding her?

I remembered he had said she escaped witness protection to reunite with her lover. Were they planning to run away together? I didn't remember Elijah saying she was pregnant or maybe he did. Maybe he didn't know. I hoped we were not too late to save her too. Too many innocent people had gotten hurt already.

I dragged the man up on the deck after he drew me the map and told him to work on the radio. If he could get it working and I got a hold of my people then I would let him go but not otherwise. He had agreed and I had released his hands to allow him the freedom to work but I was not risking him getting away from me or getting the upper hand either.

Holding one of the guns up I stayed close and watched him examine the damaged radio. After an hour of trying to tie wires together and ripping more out to connect them he had said there was nothing he could do.

I had helped a few times offering suggestions of what to try to get a signal. I had even bandaged his wounds in the spirit of hoping that he would trust my word that I would actually let him go. But nothing helped and the night waned on even as the stormy seas finally grew still again.

I tied him back up again very securely, hands and feet in hopes that I could get even a few minutes of sleep. The boat was still rocking on the gentle waves but there wasn't anything else I could do in the middle of the night.

Waking up not long after, there was a loud sound and a hard bang. It felt like something hit us!

I scrambled back up top and saw a tall shadow of a huge ship towering over us. The boat banged into the hull of the other ship again and by the time I raced back down the steps my prisoner was awake too and looking around frantically.

Grabbing the map I folded it up smaller and stuffed it in my bag with Lexi's picture in case it got wet, tucked in my back pocket and hurriedly untied his feet and dragged him up with me, his hands still tied loosely together.

I nearly lost my footing as another bang shook the small boat as it must have hit the bigger one again. Staring up at the long hull, sparkling with raindrops in the darkness, I saw a ladder coming closer and I grabbed some rope and threw it to pull our little boat closer, only to crash into the larger one again. The side started creaking, the metal groaning in protest of the weight against it.

We climbed quickly, I kept my gun in the back of my jeans and held the other one and had the cell phone and more bullets in my pockets. I pushed the man up ahead of me and we hurried up the side of the huge ship.

Crawling over the top I saw my prisoner laying on the deck, panting for breath. It had been a long climb, harder still with hands tied I was sure. It was difficult enough for me to force myself up with one leg so weak just like he had too, from where I shot him. I rolled over the side, my gun raised ahead of me, pointing it in every direction in the near dark.

There were no lights on anywhere. Just the light from the moon illuminated the huge silent ship. I looked around curiously. Had the crew abandoned the ship in the storm?

I saw rows upon rows of massive metal containers lining the deck all around us. It was a container ship but it didn't even look like it had a captain or any crew left on board. I couldn't see any life rafts either.

I led my hostage forward ahead of me, shielding my body with his. So far we had not seen a soul as we made our way to the bridge. I checked around the whole room, behind doors and around corners, holding the man in front of me.

Finally I shoved him down in a seat and tied him to it as I studied the controls. Was there a chance this radio worked? I started playing with the dials to see if there was any kind of signal. The radio seemed to be in working order but there were no signal on any station, nothing but static and I wondered if the storm was still affecting communication in the area.

I leaned down on the panel and let out a breath, still clutching the gun tight in my hand. Well if the radio wasn't going to work then I was going to search the ship to see if anyone else was on-board. A ship this big should have a good sized crew too and it was like a ghost ship now.

Moving over to my hostage I untied him from the chair and pulled him back up. I had just got him standing when I heard the slightest creak behind me and I whirled around, grabbing his neck to keep him in front of me, his head in a choke hold.

I heard a click and as I spun I saw a man standing there dressed in all black, he was darker skinned too and he leveled his gun at me as I aimed mine right back at him.

"Drop it! Drop it now!" I ordered and turned more and backed away further to the back of the bridge, seeing a door there. If I could only get there. This man hadn't asked for my name, didn't appear friendly at all and merely held us at gun point in dead silence. Was he waiting for something, someone?

I backed further toward the door behind me as my eyes flared, daring him to try to take me. "Who are you? Where is everyone? What the hell do you want?"

I felt my chest heaving as I stared him down, my hand steady on the gun pointed right between his eyes. I didn't want to give away who I was at all. Not until I knew this man wasn't a threat. There was something about him. How he looked as he stared me down, the flicker in his dark eyes, his near shaved head glinting from the moonlight around us. He was dressed in black army boots and dark jeans and black shirt. He reminded me of Damon in that way.

But the look in his eyes was dark, chilling and somehow I knew I had stumbled on the terrorists.

"Drop your damn gun!" I hissed out again, trying to stay steady on my feet with my one leg still pulsing with pain. I took in another shaky breath, my eyes locked on his. "Tell me who you are and what you want."

The man still didn't say anything and merely started walking closer, slowly. I backed up, matching his pace to stay apart, moving closer to the door that was swinging gently on its hinges with the light breeze.

I knew I was not in kill shot range with my hostage in front of me and continued to level my gun at him. I saw him aim and fire and I fired back but felt the gun spin out of my hand as the shot rang out going wide and missing him completely. Someone else had shot at my gun to protect this man!

I felt my prisoner sink down as a dead weight in my arms as I grabbed for the other gun in my jeans to level it again at the man in front of me. I couldn't see anyone in the direction the shot came from that took out my gun.

My eyes snapped back from the still expression on the hostage's face, back to the man in front of me. I felt a chill run through me as his lips started to curl up in a hint of a smile.

"What I wanted...was him...out of the way," he said firmly.

My mouth was open in shock. He just shot him… like it was nothing. All to get to me? Shit.

"It's nice to finally meet you…Agent Salvatore," the man said in broken English. The dead hostage and him had the same accent. He was Serbian too. Was this the boss?

"We have been waiting for you, Stefan. Your headstrong brother...will be joining us shortly too. Him and his lovely doctor." The gleam in the man's eyes made me sick.

What? My eyes burned with new rage. "The hell they will!" They had gotten away, hadn't they? They had to have. Enzo was right there and more agents were on the boats he had sent him with.

Fuck, they could not have Damon and Elena too?! They had to have gotten away. They had been through so much. No, no, no!

The man held up his hand as he took another step. I backed up again to keep our distance equal. I was almost to the door. Just one quick step to the right and he would have no shot. I could not let him capture me.

My hands were surprisingly steady as I leveled the gun at him. Maybe they didn't get the memo from my heart and brain at how fucked up this situation was.

Where could I go? Dive back off the ship into the freezing water, with a leg that barely worked and a boat that was dead in the water? Umm, not a good idea.

But why would the boss be here all alone? So out in the open? Wasn't he scared that I could over power him? Were there more people hiding in the shadows? These people never did anything without purpose or planning.

"Surrender," I tried again, hoping to sound strong when I could feel the shaking in my legs. "You try to shoot me I will kill you too. You are out of options!"

He laughed. It was a deep, throaty, chortle and the sound echoed around the small area.

"No..." he chided. "I'm not. And I am not going to surrender to you. I know you want to kill me Stefan. To avenge your sweet lady friend...". His eyes flitted up fast, their gleam in the dim light terrifying. "Alexia was it? Your lady love?"

My arms now betrayed my strong exterior and shook as I heard him say her name. He knew my Lexi? Was he the one that killed her? Oh God...

"Don't you dare say her name!" I snarled at him and stepped forward fast with no idea where the sudden bravery came from, till I was right in front of him.

He held his position and grinned through brilliant white teeth. To my disbelief he started lowering his gun before dropping it on the floor, his arms up at his sides. What the hell?

But I wasn't thinking of anything but that I was facing her murderer after so so long.

"You want to kill me Special Agent Salvatore? Special...ha! What is so special about you...about her?" He walked closer till my gun was pressed to his chest, his large hand wrapped around it holding to his heart. My hands were shaking as I felt waves of grief again and gritted my teeth.

"Go ahead...do it," he taunted me, digging my gun more against his chest. "It won't bring her back. She was weak.. and endured SO much torture...she was begging me to end it..."

"NO!" I screamed and I pull the trigger...one, two, three times pumping the bullets right into his chest till their were none left. The man fell back and slipped to the floor.

I was panting and shaking but the next second I felt pain, so much pain as ripples of electricity raced through me and I hit the floor jolting. I felt the nodules on my back, my thin shirt still wet and making the shock waves even worse.

Writhing in pain, my whole body was jerking from the repeated shocks, my head dizzy and barely conscious as I lay on the floor. At least I killed the damn boss...her killer.

Blinking to try to focus I saw another man, also dressed dark holding the taser in his hand as he smiled down at me. I felt him digging through my pockets as I was manhandled and moved around to lay more on my side. He grabbed the cell phone, the bullets and the map, no not the map! And then he took the picture of my sweetheart out of the bag! I saw him standing over me unfolding it slowly.

I started fighting him to get to that picture and my head snapped back as I felt his boot hard against the side of my face.

Then there was a scraping sound behind me and I turned my head to see the dark-skinned man moving...what moving?! No fucking way...

I blinked, hardly believing my eyes. He lifted his head and with one eye I saw him rip his shirt apart and reveal a Kevlar vest. What the…

He pulled one, then two and then the third bullet and more out of the vest over his chest and dropped them on the floor with light pings. Then I was being hauled to my knees, the man behind me grabbing my hair to force me to look at her murderer.

Shit! I should have shot him in the head!

He reached back and I saw him take the map and study it for a few seconds, his brow furrowed. Then he took out a lighter and lit the corner and tossed it to the a metal garbage bin nearby. "You won't be needing that," he spoke smoothly as he looked back at me. He unfolded the picture and I struggled as I saw him lick his lips. "Ah yes. So beautiful young and vibrant. So much fire!"

"Shut the fuck up!" I snarled at him from between shaky breaths as I still felt the jolts of the electricity that had been running through me. I struggled more as I saw more men walking into view. So there were more people on this ship. Had they been hiding in locked containers? I hadn't been able to check those. Not without shooting the padlocks off of every damn container out there.

The man simply laughed and smirked at me. "Should we reunite you with your Juliet, Romeo? Maybe find her at the bottom of the ocean?"

I wanted him to stop talking. I wanted to rip his head clean off, but his voice kept torturing me with more horrific images.

"Do you want to know what we did with her?"

I froze. No I couldn't take anymore. I just wanted to join her. I shut my mouth, more curses at the tip of my tongue.

"You think you get off that easy...no Special Agent Salvatore...you don't get to join her...not till you are of no more use to us." I felt hands under my arms and I was dragged away out onto the open deck where I watched another man open a container. No, no, no. I struggled again but was too weak. The large metal door flew open and I was thrown in.

I whirled around seconds before I was plunged into darkness. Crawling up to the door, I slammed my hands on it, screaming at the men to let me out. Panting hard my head fell to the cold metal floor and I breathed her name. Somehow just her name could still calm me.

All I thought of in that moment was I prayed that Damon and Elena had gotten away. The man had said they would be joining us soon. So I had to hold out hope that they were no where near here and safe and guarded by the marines and CIA.

I let out a trembling breath and closed my eyes. I had to figure out a way out of here. I was not going to tell them jack shit and if they thought they could break me by torture alone...well they were in for a surprise. I was empty and broken...so what the hell else did they think they could take from me?

A/N; The island is over and now we are focused on the aftermath and the terrorist plot will still be a part of the plot as well. Don't forget to watch for Part 3 of the finale today yet too. I hope you like the ending. You know the drill. Please take a minute to review and I'd love to know what you would like to see in the sequel.

Looking forward to hearing from you and showing you the powerful ending! Stay tuned for the update. Have a great day and Happy Delena Birthday week!