She's gone in the morning.

She does what she's learned to do so well: picks up the pieces. She cries for a moment against Stefan's shoulder, cries for lives wasted and loves lost and families torn apart at seams that never were too strong. She cries for her parents, for the ones that died instead of her and the ones that died for her and the one that died because of her. She cries for her brother. She cries for her lover(s). Then she's standing on the cliff where she either hurls herself into self-pity or doesn't.

She steps away before she falls. Pulls herself together, pulls away from Stefan's arms. Walks away from the gym. Stares at the road as she drives to pick up Jeremy.

She would wonder at how she doesn't feel anything, but she can't - might lose her resolve.

Jeremy's drunk enough to be easily convinced. He sleeps as she packs in the darkness; clothes, money, passports, family pictures (she's numb now but one day she might want to remember).

The house looks tidy when she's done - like someone still lives there. She tries not to think about the fact that Damon will be the first one to notice she's gone - he's perceptive enough to see what's missing, knows her well enough to know what she'd take with her. She empties the fridge and realizes how the amount of food in it has slowly decreased in past years. Throws out the garbage. Makes the beds.

Picks up the pieces.

Calls a taxi.

Wakes Jeremy up.

Locks the doors.

The first rays of the sun hit the wings of the plane.

She's gone.

Running with my roots pulled up,

Caught me cold so they could cut,

What there was left of love.

I'm rootless.

I'm rootless.

Dragging my roots through the snow.

No home sweet and no sweet home.

I've got nowhere to go,

I'm rootless.

I'm rootless.

- Marina And The Diamonds "Rootless"