CHAOS BACK AGAIN

5

Elena Gilbert

Elena hung up the phone, her hand shaking slightly as she placed it back on the table. Jeremy's voice was still ringing in her mind, his words heavy with fear and urgency. He was Kol Mikaelson in Beacon Hills. The name Mikaelson alone was enough to send a shiver down her spine, but knowing that Jeremy was in the same town as one of the originals made her stomach twist in horror.

She looked around the room at the familiar faces of her friends, each caught up in their own thoughts. Stefan was pacing back and forth near the fireplace, his brows furrowed in concentration. Damon leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, a sad expression on his face. Alaric was sitting on the couch, flipping through one of his old magic books, while Bonnie stood beside him, a worried look on her face. Caroline and Matt sat together, whispering to each other, their expressions reflecting the anxiety that weighed heavily in the room.

"We need to do something," Elena said, breaking the silence. Her voice trembled, revealing the fear she was trying so hard to suppress. "Kol being in Beacon Hills... it can't be a coincidence. What if he was there for Jeremy?"

Stefan stopped pacing back and forth and turned to face her, his expression softening. "We don't know for sure, Elena. There could be a number of reasons why Kol is there."

"But none of them are good," Damon interrupted, his tone sharp. "Whatever his reasons, having an Original in Beacon Hills means trouble. And if Jeremy is involved in it..." He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.

Elena's heart clenched at the thought. Jeremy was strong, but he was also weak, especially when it came to the supernatural. She couldn't bear the thought of him getting hurt—or worse—because of her and the world she had dragged him into. She had sent him to Beacon Hills to protect him and her plan had failed.

"We need to get him out of there," Caroline said firmly. "We can't leave him alone with an Original there."

Alaric nodded in agreement. "If Kol's there, the rest of the Mikaelsons probably aren't far behind. We can't take that risk."

Elena bit her lip, her mind racing. "So what do we do? Do we bring Jeremy back here? Or should we go to Beacon Hills and try to deal with Kol ourselves?"

She didn't get an answer and she didn't like it. "So what's the alternative?" "Are we supposed to just leave him there and hope Kol doesn't do anything? No, I think we should just take him and run," Elena said.

Damon pushed the wall away and stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "No, we don't leave him there. But we don't run either. Running is a losing game, Elena. Do you think we can take Jeremy and disappear? Can we outmaneuver the Mikaelsons? We'll be on the run forever, just like Katherine. And look how it ended up working out for the best."

Elena cringed at the mention of Katherine. Damon was right Katherine had spent centuries escaping Klaus, and in the end, it had only led to more misery. But the thought of facing Kol, and putting Jeremy in even greater danger, made her stomach turn.

"So what do you propose?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Damon's eyes darkened, a dangerous glint in them. "We fight smart. We steal the daggers and use them on Kol. Once we neutralize him, we can use him as a bargaining chip with Klaus. We swindle our way out of this mess."

The room fell silent as everyone took in Damon's plan. It was risky, incredibly risky, but it was also the only real option they had. Elena's mind raced with the consequences. If they could do it, they might be able to protect Jeremy and themselves. But if they failed...