Let's pretend Jac works on Darwin at this point in Holby and not on Keller.

"A wife, son, dog… what's not to like?" Joe told her, standing in front of the table in theatre.

"The wife-son-and-dog bit…" Jac said bluntly.

"Be serious," Joseph uttered.

"You be serious!" Jac said back, still seated on her chair on the other side of the table.

"I am, come away with me…" Joseph tried to convince her.

"No!" Jac replied, coldly.

"Don't make this hard…" Joe pleaded, gazing his beautiful blue eyes in hers.

"I just can't… for so many reasons… You stay here, we'll rule the empire as husband and wife…I can wear nice shoes and afford to buy you decent clothes…" Jac proposed, saying the last bit with a smile.

"I can't stay here…"

"give me one good reason…" Jac uttered, before her face fell.

"The job… it's too much with a child…" Joe walked around the table to meet her side and sat on top of it, "this gives us the best of both worlds…"

"It gives us the worst of neither…"

"please…" Joseph pleaded, as he placed his hand on hers, "I have to do this… for Harry…"

"I understand that… I even admire it… prioritising…" Jac replied.

"but you won't give up everything…" Joe understood her point.

"I give up my life, my career, my whole identity… for a man that will always put me second… you said it Harry comes first…" Jac paused and with tears in her eyes, she added, "I love you…"

"I love you too…" Joe replied, almost crying, before they both leaned in and kissed.

"Stay. Please." Jac pleaded, now crying.

"I can't… I told Hanssen to stick his job…" Joe said with a smile. Jac couldn't help give out a small laugh.

…

Jac stood on the landing of the stairs of the Wyvern wing, watching Joseph, the love of her life, approach his car. She could see him taking out a handkerchief and wipe his car door handle. She smiled at his action; she knew what a neat freak he was because of his OCD.

Then when he opened his door, and looked around at the hospital area for one last time, she couldn't help breaking down into tears, still managing to hold a few in. But she felt something… something that made her stop him from leaving her forever…

Joseph started his engine, and just as he put the gear in first and was about to drive off, he came face-to-face with Jac, in front of his car bonnet. He almost hit her. He stopped the car abruptly in shock. He thought he was hallucinating, but she was very much real.

He got out of the car, "Jac what the hell are you playing at?" he told her, furious. He could have injured her, "I could have hurt you!"

"Yeah whatever…" Jac said in tears.

"What's wrong?" Joseph asked her confused.

"You can't go… I'm not going to let you go…" Jac told him, not able to fight back the tears.

"Jac, I thought we've been over this already… I can't stay…" Joseph sighed.

"Yes, but you can't leave…not without me…" Jac said, as she took his hand in hers.

"What?" Joseph asked her confused.

"If I can't make you stay, then I'm coming with you…" Jac told him.

"Jac, that's not what you were saying 5 minutes ago?! What about your career? and being afraid of coming second?!" Joseph asked her.

"I know, but I changed my mind… and it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make… when I saw you about to leave from up there," Jac told him pointing at the huge windows, "I couldn't let you leave, I lost you once to Faye, I can't lose you again, not this time…" Jac said with a broken voice because of the crying.

"Are you serious?" Joseph said, amazed, as he moved one step closer to her.

"I've never been more certain about anything in my entire life…" Jac told him, looking into his eyes. Joseph smiled at her, and pulled her in for a kiss. Jac smiled when they broke it off.

"Sorry to ruin the dramatic moment, but I can't leave, actually now… I have to hand in my resignation to Hanssen first…" she told Joe, still embraced in his arms.

"Right… I'll pick you up after your shift, tonight…if this is what you want…remember no one is forcing you to do anything here…" he told her.

"I know… I'm doing this because I want to… and because I love you…" Jac told him, convincingly. Joe couldn't help, but to kiss her again.

…

Jac gathered her things from her locker, and put them in her handbag. That was all she had to take with her, luckily she had no office to clear up. She couldn't forget Hanssen's letter, lying on the bench. She put it in too.

She grabbed her bag and walked out of the locker room, to meet Elliot, as she closed the door.

"You're leaving?" Elliot asked, as he walked up to her.

Jac was a bit surprised, she didn't recall telling him anything, so she replied with a simple "Sorry?"

"I take it your shift ended, you're going home?" Elliot explained himself in different words.

"Yeah… I am…" Jac lied, she said as she stood in front of him wearing her coat and bag.

"Right… see you tomorrow…" Elliot told her, but before he turned to walk away, Jac took hold of his arm and hugged him tight.

"Oh…" Elliot uttered. He wasn't expecting that, Jac doesn't do that every time before leaving work. She closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek, while her head was on his shoulder, "you take care of yourself, yeah?" she told him, before she broke off the hug.

"Right…" Elliot uttered, confused, "are you alright?" he asked her, as he sensed her broken voice.

"Yeah I'm fine… it's just allergies…" she told him as she smiled.

"Right then… see you around…" Elliot smiled and walked away. Jac smiled at him, watching him for potentially the last time. She took a breath in and out and turned to head to the lifts.

…

"Ms Naylor, I wasn't expecting this today…" Holby City Director of Surgery Henrik Hanssen, said after he finished reading Jac's resignation letter, seated behind his desk, with Jac standing still in front of him.

"Are you sure about this?" Hanssen asked her.

"Yes. I made my decision." Jac replied convincingly, with her arms folded across her chest.

"By any chance, does this have anything to do with registrar Mr Byrne leaving as well? I do know that you two were romantically entwined some time ago…" Hanssen added, sitting straight on his chair.

"No. and how do you know about that anyway?" Jac asked him, bluntly.

"Word goes round, Ms Naylor…" Hanssen replied.

"I am doing this because I want to, I made up my mind now." Jac added.

"What about a promotion? What if I offer you Connie's job? Now that Joseph Byrne turned it down, it's all yours…" Hanssen tried to convince her to stay.

Jac paused for a bit. Making consultant was her dream, being offered Connie's job was marvellous.

"No. I am no one's second best." Jac told him, staying strong. Even though she was tempted to say yes, she didn't want to get the job just because Joseph said no. If Hanssen really preferred her, he would have offered it to her in the first place.

"Ms Naylor, you are one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons this hospital has ever had…" Hanssen added.

"If I was one of the best, why offer me the job now? Why not before?" Jac told him, furious, "you know I work my arse off for this hospital!"

"Because you weren't ready yet… now is the right time…" Hanssen replied.

"Hah really? stuff your job, the answer is still no." Jac said as she turned and headed to the door, but just as she was about to open the door, Hanssen stood up and said, "You walk out that door, and you'll regret it you know…"

Jac gave him one last look and opened the door, but Hanssen stopped her.

"But…" he said. Jac stopped in the doorway, "the door is always open for you…" Jac closed the door and walked away.

…

Elliot was walking down the stairs, when he noticed something outside. He could see through the glass windows, Jac walking out of the entrance of the hospital, heading towards the car park and stopped in front of a car, a car which looked familiar. He watched her get into the passenger seat, and as the car drove away, he also recognised the driver; the, one and only, Joseph Byrne. He smiled as he saw them drive away – everything made sense now.

Hope you like it! I have a few ideas to carry on with it - it all depends on your response! thank you x