My kitchen was being tested as I tried the art of multitasking, cooking breakfast for Damon. So last night had been a complete write off, because I hadn't had a chance to talk with him – how could I? When he gathered me into his arms, and planted soft kisses against my lips, distracting me from anything but the feelings he induced inside of me.

Using a spatula I swirled the creamy eggs around in the pan, adding a dash of salt and pepper. The bacon was under the grill, along with the thick pieces of toast.

"Something smells good," he said. I turned towards him, noting his glorious hair dishevelled, and his bare chest glistening with beads of sweat. I flushed remembering our night, and more recently this morning together. I quickly diverted my attention away from him and back to the eggs.

"Coffee is there," I smiled, pointing over to the counter. How was I supposed to concentrate, he could at least get dressed? His mere presence was enough to fill me with longing, to forget about the rest of the world with all the problems that came with it.

Damon wrapped his arms around my waist, planting a kiss on my lips. "Good morning. You look extremely sexy, I like it."

"You are not too bad on the eyes either. Now give me a sec and breakfast will be served."

Detangling myself from his embrace, I took the plates and headed towards the table – Damon followed me. We sat down in silence, after a few mouthfuls, we caught up with his adventures in Chicago. He put his knife and fork down. "So that friend of Katherine's – she told me an interesting story."

"Really? Do you believe her?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Yes and no. The information she gave me, I need to look into it."

"So what did she say?" I asked.

"Well if it's true, it explains Katherine's desperation for the money."

I raised my eyebrows, doubtful that any information to do with Katherine and her posse would be trustworthy. "Oh come on. She told you a bunch of lies. Why was she so keen on divulging Katherine's secrets anyway?" I also wondered quietly how he managed to get the friend to talk – considering this was so hush hush, what did Damon do? I felt a sudden stab of jealousy tug at my heart.

He stared at me. "You seem annoyed – what gives?"

I broke away from his gaze, instead staring down at my plate. "What exactly did you do, to get this woman to tell you her story?" The anxiety over his answer was thudding away somewhere inside my chest, as I waited for his reaction.

Damon seemingly amused, answered, "Are you jealous Dr. Gilbert? Don't you know by now, I only have eyes for you? I thought it was pretty clear just how much last night, now if you want a repeat performance – I'll happily oblige." He raised his eyebrows, "The friend was pissed Katherine screwed her over, promising her something and never delivering."

My heart slowed down to a much more comfortable pace, I was being silly. "Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. Please go on."

His voice was serious again. "We know Katherine lived in Bulgaria, and her mother was determined for her to marry me and live freely in the USA for a green card. What she didn't know was Katherine's child, her grandchild was left behind."

The fork dropped from my hand, hitting the table with a loud clatter. Shooting him a scathing look, I asked, "Whose child?"

"No – not mine, get that idea out of your head. I was told – her daughter Nadia was conceived by one of her jilted lovers, someone called Elijah. The rumours are that he was a hard and abusive man – and Katherine didn't want knowing she was pregnant with his child. They eventually split along time before the baby was born, with Elijah none the wiser."

Damon paused, making sure I still had his attention before continuing. "Katherine obviously kept her mother in the dark too, hence her continuation of plotting the 'marriage' between us. Katherine jumped at the opportunity to flee the country and from the threat that one day, Elijah would learn the truth. If he knew what she had kept from him, she would suffer; along with an innocent child. She left Nadia in the care of relatives – a young couple, and childless who she knew would look after as their own. Katherine desperate to see them again; formulated her plan to bring the three of them into America, illegally – that was the only way it could be done, with no questions asked."

Unbelievable if true… "Katherine? She has a child?" I asked again. "What I don't understand is why the need to blackmail you? I'm sure the Lockwood's have lots of money – why didn't she ask them?"

"I told you the Lockwood's were unscrupulous, but they would do anything to protect one of their own. The couple in Bulgaria caring for Nadia, they are closely related to Carol; throw Katherine into the mix and she fits into the family tree somewhere too. They have money Elena, but how were they going to declare where large amounts of funds were disappearing to? They had to be accountable for every cent, caused by all the shady deals made in the past. They had the taxation office watching them closely, waiting to pounce. They are smart people – they know how to keep their noses clean."

Damon stood to stretch his legs. "Katherine can be a manipulative bitch; I can see why she resorted to those levels, for a child she hasn't seen in over 5 years. The love of a mother, you can never underestimate that."

I absorbed the information – Katherine's bid to reunite with her daughter, and the girl's temporary parents? Katherine who left everything behind to start afresh was now seeking her redemption and forgiveness. I couldn't comprehend being in that position – I would never leave a child I called my own without me, and I wouldn't go to the extremes of destroying other people's lives for my own personal gain. Glaring towards Damon, not liking the compassionate tone in his voice – I retorted, "So that excuses what she has done? Christ she was all out for ruining our lives, have you forgotten that?"

He flinched. "Of course not, being married to that woman has been my worst nightmare. Today I'm going to be putting an end to it. Katherine's scheme is finished, we win."

I got up and walked to the kitchen, tossing my plate into the sink. We win, but what had I lost? I turned around to find him studying me closely. "There is something I need to tell you."

Damon crossed his arms over his chest. "Ok – shoot. I know you wanted to tell me last night, but I had other ideas. Tell me?"

"Why wasn't your insurance up to date? That right there is trouble waiting to happen, considering the jobs we are employed to do."

He looked confused, and I was angry now – that it was all too late. "What happened whilst I was gone? I told you, we had nothing to worry about," he said.

The silence was palpable. I don't know why I couldn't open my mouth and get the words out; my tongue was sewn shut and lips sealed from uttering a sound. The tone from Damon's cell phone rang inside the bedroom. He said, "Do you have something to tell me? Otherwise I need to take that call."

I waved him off. "Go answer the phone."

Damon hesitated, then spun around quickly disappearing to my room. I filled the sink with warm soapy water; it was time to clear this kitchen mess. My hand nervously knocked over a coffee cup, with brown liquid spilling all over me. Flinging my dirty clothes into the laundry room hamper, I wrapped a towel around myself, and headed towards the bathroom.

Sometime later Damon knocked on the door. "Come in," I called.

He pushed the door open, smiling from ear to ear. "That was my lawyer. I'm meeting him this morning. All this mess is going to be over soon."

Ignoring him, I tugged the brush through my wet hair. He stepped forward placing his hands over my shoulders, asking, "So what did you need to tell me?"

We stared at each other in the mirror, I wasn't angry with him – how could he face my wrath when he was not the cause? I had choices and I made them; soon I would learn my fate. "I will tell you everything, I promise. Please go and do what you need to do. Call me later ok?"

"Are you sure?" he asked. I nodded. His hands cupped my face and leant down to kiss my lips. "Thanks for breakfast. I'll see you soon."

Glancing around my study I stopped at the photo on the wall of my graduation day. What a joyous occasion, I had made it through with flying colors. Ever since I was a little girl; I knew I always wanted to become a doctor, to help people who needed it – my ultimate dream coming to life. My eyes flickered to my medical degree framed and sitting proudly on the desk; realizing the gravity of my situation I felt the warm tears slip down my cheeks, tasting the salty residue upon my lips.

This time it was different as I walked through St Eloise. Anxiety gripped me – noticing the whispers being made behind my back and the disapproving looks. I straightened my spine. The receptionist greeted me, "Please take a seat Dr. Gilbert."

I sat down on one of the hard chairs. My mind drifting back to the last time I was up here.

"What are you doing? This room has restricted access."

Sweating profusely I could feel my blouse clinging to my body, leaving a pool of dampness across my back.

I was done, caught red handed at the desk with Tyler Lockwood's file open in front of me. The rewritten nurses notes I had forged slipped in and the old ones stuffed into my bag, hoping to never see the light of day again.

Alaric and I thought we had it covered, his flirty distraction attempts with the claims manager, so I had the opportunity to sneak into the room. We thought it was a one person/per file job – what we hadn't counted on was the fact the hospital had put on extra staff to help clear the backlog of files; running around doing all the mundane tasks such as photocopying.

A young woman with short blonde hair stared at me from the doorway. "I'll ask you again. What are you doing?"

I knew I was in serious trouble. "I'm doing what's right. Now what are you going to do about that?" I asked defiantly.

"Dr. Gilbert? They are ready for you now."

I stood mustering every inch of courage heading towards the room that held my fate. My hand smoothed down my black skirt skimming just above my knees, a white crisp blouse freshly ironed and a tailored black jacket. One of the security guards opened the door, walking into the room – three people were seated before me. A younger man told me sit down on the left, sliding into the cream chair I waited for the hearing to begin.

"Dr. Gilbert. Do you understand why you are here?"

I answered clearly, "Yes sir."

Liam Davis, who also happened to be Head of the disciplinary board, asked, "Is there anything you want to say before we begin Miss Gilbert?"

Yes – I wanted to shout in their faces how corrupt this place was that people with power could force staff members to subdue the truth, dragging down the innocent and leaving their careers in tatters. I glared at those seated before me. "I'm not going to bore you with the truth, it's not worth it. You wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Dr. Gilbert – do you understand the claims made against you?"

I nodded. Just hurry up and get it over with I say.

"Dr. Gilbert in relation to Tyler Lockwood's case, currently under review for a malpractice claim. You were caught in the office with the file. It was noted at the time, and upon inspection of the contents of your bag – the original file notes removed with the assumption being your intention to destroy. Furthermore, you also replaced these stolen documents with a forged copy of the surgery notes."

All pairs of eyes were staring at me. I knew what they were thinking, how could a doctor who had a bright future do such a thing?

"We have taken into account your stellar reputation since working here at St Eloise. You have no prior complaints regarding your conduct, in fact Doctor Gilbert – by all accords from fellow colleagues and patients, there has been nothing but praise for you work. We cannot condone your behaviour, with our unanimous conclusion being – your immediate termination from the position as paediatric surgeon. Furthermore you will also face a two year ban, commencing today. Your medical license will be revoked, and you will need to ask for reinstatement in the future – should you wish to return to medicine. Is this clear?"

Everything was crystal clear, right now I had to leave a job that I loved, patients I had started to develop and care for. I was told I had twenty minutes to go and clear out my office, it didn't take me too long – not when they had security as an escort, watching my every move. I piled all my personal belongings into the box, glancing around my office one last time, I shut the door.

By now details had spread like wildfire through the hospital, I stopped at the nurses' station. Caroline and Sarah were uncertain on what to say or do. Sarah raced towards me, hugging me fiercely. "I don't care what you did. I'm going to miss you, your patients are going to miss you – I promise I will tell them you said goodbye."

I could feel the tears start to prickle. "Thanks Sarah. I'll stay in touch, I promise – no matter what."

Without looking back, I started my final walk down the corridor – Caroline catching up with me. "I'm really sorry it came down to this. You will be missed around here, I hope for whatever reasons they were worth it."

"Believe me – my reasons were worth it. How much do you love Klaus?" I asked.

She open and shut her mouth, shocked. "You did this for love? I had no idea you were seeing anyone special." She bit her lip in concentration, when it finally dawned on her. "Dr. Salvatore was the only other surgeon assigned to work on the Lockwood case with you. You did this to save his ass? Oh my god Elena that is crazy."

"Yes, I did what I had to do for him. Take care of yourself Caroline."

Drawn again to the long stretches of white sandy coastline, I stopped the car at our beach. This time I got out and headed towards the sea, the strong winds blowing the sand in my face. Sinking downwards, I watched the surf roll in and then back out, the whitewash and clear water mixing together. The weather hadn't changed much from the other day; the skies were still grey, with dark clouds forming in the distance.

I don't know how long I had been sitting there; I'd lost track of the time, and it was starting to become dark. What were my patients doing? Where they asking where I was? I felt a wave of guilt – I wouldn't be able to finish what I started with them. I didn't have the chance to say goodbye, and hoped they didn't think I had abandoned them. What of Alaric? Was he being pulled over the coals for his part in this? I sure hoped not – he was too good a surgeon for the hospital to let go.

Most of all what was Damon going to say? I did this for him – I knew I was in love with him, if I admitted to myself – it was after our brush with death, I was drawn to him like no other. I could be a fool and have done all this for nothing, because I had no idea how Damon felt about me; I knew he cared about me, he had said so himself, but we had never expressed anything concrete. Was it a possibility that my feelings were one sided? I only followed what was in my heart and what felt right, and I loved him completely.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the footsteps stopping beside me and the sand sinking beneath their feet; a deep voice breaking my reverie. "I hope you're not thinking of doing anything stupid? Like running into that and never coming back? You know I'd jump right in and save you."

Refusing to meet his eyes, I answered, "No – of course not. How did you find me?"

He sat down next to me. "Just a hunch I had. I've been calling you for hours. Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

I shrugged. "I was going to tell you. Does it matter now? What's done is done."

His hand reached over forcing me to look at him, his blue eyes were surprisingly tender. "Of course it matters, it matters to me. What you did left me stunned. But it was an incredibly stupid thing to do."

"I had to – there was no other way." I tried pushing his hand away, but they held firm refusing to let me go.

"No. There is always another way. I would have handled this. Why would you be so bloody reckless?"

I jumped up, backing away from him. The tears I had been holding in all day, came bubbling out. "Why? Why? I did it for you. They had you Damon and I couldn't let that happen."

He grabbed me by the arm, preventing my escape. "Would you just listen for once? Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before. My god, you put everything on the line – your job, your reputation, all for me. Do you know how much I'm crazy in love with you? I love you Elena."

We stared at each other as the rain began to fall; his words forming a safe haven around my heart, protecting me from the elements. Like an inevitable missing piece coming together, our love was always meant to be.

Damon picked me up in his arms kissing me urgently – it felt different this time, both our hearts and minds were open and bounded to each other's. His arms wrapped around my body, pulling me tightly against him. My fingers caressed his chest feeling it flutter away furiously, he clasped my hand stilling it against his heart.

My time had come. "I love you so much Damon. I would do anything for you."

Locked on each other without another word, he found my lips again. His hands free to roam over my back, tingling against my skin. With our passion building he placed me down against the sand. Damon's fingers slowly unbuttoned my blouse and slid my bra undone, lowering his mouth over my exposed flesh sending desire coursing through me. I pulled at his jeans, unbuckling his belt without a care in the world.

"You are so beautiful, my love." He took his shirt off – covering his strong body against mine; we made love with the sound of the waves and the rain falling down around us.

Today I may have lost something that was important to me, but I had also gained something in return – my soulmate.

A/N: Thanks to you all for reading, and those reviewers thank you :) I think there will be only 2 or 3 chapters left to complete this story, coming soon :)