"He didn't have to do it in front of everyone," Isobelle sighed as she sat down at the cafeteria table, coffee in one hand and a packaged sandwich in the other. "He humiliated her. Poor girl."

"It was her own fault," Kai shrugged. "We told her not to take it and she chose to ignore us. I feel no pity."

Elena's heart was still racing like the clappers as she joined her work colleagues for lunch. Damon had just fired Vicki in front of everyone and he sure didn't hold back. The poor girl was reduced to tears, bright red and shaking like a leaf. She argued that she only did it because a client was doing it and she wanted to bond, but that didn't spare her Damon's wrath. She was humiliated, just as Katherine wanted.

"We've never had a drug test before. I don't understand why they chose to do one today, of all days," Isobelle continued.

"They knew we were all partying last night," Kai scoffed. "The company is losing money left, right and centre. The drug test was so they could fire people without getting in trouble and claim back some cash. Mr Salvatore knew exactly what he was doing."

They picked at their lunches and chatted aimlessly about London, work, Damon and Vicki, but Elena's head wasn't really in it. She couldn't break away from the knowledge that she was the reason Vicki's life had been destroyed.

She ran her hands over her stomach and took a deep breath. There was a sickness, a nauseating churn, at the pit of her stomach. This whole situation was making her sick, she knew it and she began to feel that she wouldn't survive the next two weeks.

Isobelle and Kai left to meet Elijah and Klaus for a meeting, saying goodbye and hoping that they wouldn't bump into Damon anytime soon.

"You okay?" Jenna asked. "You didn't touch your breakfast and you've barely eaten your pasta."

"Just feeling a bit sick," Elena replied. "I think it's just the travel."

"Yeah I hate flying, too. I'm glad I don't have to go back."

"I'm so jealous," she said honestly. "I've loved it here. I wish I could stay here with you."

"Why don't you?"

"What?"

"Ask to transfer here. Kol Mikaelson is still recruiting for a few members of his team, they much prefer transfers over outside hires," Jenna shrugged. "Talk to him. I bet he would jump at the chance to have you."

Elena laughed. It was a lovely thought - running away from home to a foreign land where she could start fresh. But could she really do it? Leave her family behind and everything she knew. Was she brave enough for that?

Maybe not, she thought, but she needed something drastic to change so she could find herself again, and maybe moving across the pond would help her do that.

"I don't know," she said. "I'd have to find somewhere to live and move all my stuff over."

"Live with me," Jenna grinned. "It would be great! They've put me in a two bed apartment near Greenwich, it's a quick journey to the office and we'd have a good laugh. It's furnished so all you need is your clothes and personal bits."

"Jenna-"

"You have to do it! Please, at least ask. For me."

"It does sound nice," Elena thought out loud. "A fresh start. A new challenge."

As she pondered over the biggest possible move she could make, Damon caught her eye. He stood in the large lobby, chatting and laughing away with colleagues. It was as if shaming Vicki in front of everyone hadn't bothered him. She knew it would have, he'd have been destroyed inside, but he was such a good actor that nobody would ever guess that was holding together by a single thread.

And that was it. It hit her. Damon was a good actor and so was she. She'd been acting as if their 'relationship' was real and healthy for six months. She'd been playing a part in a movie that she hated, fighting a villain that was bound to win. She knew the way that movie would end - heartbreak and destruction for her.

The movie needed a different ending. Damon was trapped, he couldn't change the ending. Katherine was winning, she wouldn't change the ending. Elena was the only one who could make a difference and, as hard as it was, she needed to change the ending to their movie. That ending was moving as far away as possible.

"I'll go talk to him now," she smiled. "Let's get a job in London!"

Kol Mikaelson, the youngest Mikaelson brother, had a babyface. He had the strongest accent of them all and the cheekiest appearance. People spoke highly of him, he was young but he was highly experienced. They said he was a good laugh, reliable and fair to his staff. Damon trusted him to run the London branch and keep the boat floating.

Only thirty minutes later, she was sitting in his office explaining why she'd love the opportunity to transfer to the London offices. She explained that she handed in her notice back home due to needing a change and when Jenna announced her own transfership, she had to jump at the chance to join.

"If I am honest with you, Elena," he said, tapping his pen on his mop of dusty blonde hair. "I would have said no if you'd come to me earlier this week, especially as you've just handed in your notice. BUT! But, we are looking into growing our publishing house and finally utilising it, and I think you'd fit in quite well with the team I'm building there."

He pulled out a few papers from his desk and quickly glanced over them. Every now and then his eyes would flick back to her and he'd smile, a genuine grin.

"So, what do you think? I can't really offer you a personal assistant transfer but what about Junior Rights Agent? You'd be communicating with authors, pitching books to publishers and attending events for us."

"Are you serious?" She asked. "That seems a bit too good to be true. What's the catch?"

"No catch," he laughed. "I've heard a lot about you, Elena. Alaric raves about you. Damon speaks highly of you and I know you're the daughter of a best-selling author. And, I really hate interviewing so the job's yours if you want it."

"Wow," she whispered to herself more than anyone. "I don't know. I don't know if I'm qualified for that."

He leaned over his desk and smiled. He placed down the papers in his hand. It was a job contract for Junior Rights Agent, based in the Canary Wharf offices of Salvatore & Mikaelson.

"Sometimes, Elena, when you close a door, life opens a window," he spoke softly. "So jump."

He placed a pen down on top of the contract and pointed to the line for her to sign. Taking a deep breath, she wondered what her family would think, if they'd understand why she'd signed for a job thousands of miles away from home without even telling them.

How would Damon feel? She asked herself. Would he be hurt?

She reached for the pen and held the tip on the dotted line. People would be angry at her, confused and probably upset that she didn't warn them or talk to them. It was too much of a surprise, her family wouldn't get it. Damon would be heartbroken, angry even.

It's not about them, a voice at the back of her mind said. It's about you.

"So jump," she repeated.

She signed her name on the dotted line and softly pushed the contract back to Kol, her new boss.

"Great choice, Elena," he said and reached out to shake her hand. "Don't look so surprised. You took control and asked for something you wanted. That's what I want on my team, someone who takes life by the fucking balls."

"I'm moving to London," she said in shock. "Shit. What have I done?"

"Yes you are," he smirked. "Welcome to the team."

He went over a few extra details of things she needed to know, but her mind was reeling and she switched off to most of it.

She'd never done anything like that in her life. She'd never taken 'life by the fucking balls' and took such a heavy risk. That wasn't something Elena Gilbert did, but, she thought, it was something that she'd do from now on.

And although it was scary, she was excited. The thought of starting over, making new friends and developing herself in a shiny new place filled her with a warm kind of hope and comfort.

A light knock at the door snapped her out of the vision she'd got lost in.

"Ah," Kol clapped, "just the man I needed to see."

Damon stepped through the threshold, a slightly shocked grimace and widened eyes as he saw Elena standing by the couch.

He coughed awkwardly and nodded his head in her direction, a casual hello. So casual, in fact, that nobody could have guessed that two nights before he'd confessed his love for her and she'd ripped his heart into a trillion pieces.

"Damon, you've met my NEW Junior Rights Agent, haven't you?" Kol said.

"Huh?" Damon frowned as he looked between the two of them. "What?"

"Elena came to me and asked for a transfer, however, as I know the hard work she has put in for yourself and Alaric, I offered her a role in our publishing house. She start's in two weeks time, exciting, huh?" he explained.

Damon's charade finally dropped. He stared deep into her eyes, obviously still not fully aware of what had happened in such a short space of time. He didn't say anything. She swore she saw the lights behind his eyes finally die out. If neither of them spoke, Kol would surely guess that there was more to their relationship than boss slash assistant.

As she went to open her mouth, Elijah walked past and called his little brother for a chat, leaving them both alone for the first time since she ended things.

"You're moving to London?" He managed to say. "When did you decide that? You never said-"

"I made the decision five minutes ago," she shrugged. "It… it just happened."

"'Lena, this is silly. Your whole family are back home. I'm-"

"You're what?" She cut him off. "You're getting married in three months time, Damon. You're trapped because of a mistake you made."

"And I'm paying for it."

"So stop asking me to pay for it too!" She pleaded. "It's not fair, Damon. It's not healthy. And I know it's not fair for you and I really wish I could help you and that we could work, but I can't fix your problems for you if it's going to create 100 more for me."

"I meant what I said, 'Lena, I love you. Don't move across the world to avoid me."

"And I love you too," she smiled, "but I have to love me more. And being with you, being around you, even being in the same city as you, is too hard."

"I don't know what to do," he urged as he roughly pulled at his hair. "I don't know what to say to you."

"Then say this," she said as she took his hand. "Good luck, 'Lena. You'll do great and we'll miss you."

They stood in a strange silence for what felt like hours, staring into each other's souls. Their hands clasped around each other, both able to feel their pulses thumping through their skin and the blood racing through their veins.

There was so much love between them and while it was toxic, it was real. It was a love they knew they'd never feel with anyone else, a love they wouldn't want to find with anyone else. They had a connection that was impossible to find but easy when you did.

Kol's presence snapped them apart as he pushed open his office door.

"Are you ready for the meeting, Damon?" He asked.

"Yep," Damon nodded. "Well then."

"Well then," Elena repeated.

"Good luck, 'Lena. You'll do great and…and we'll miss you."

It was the final party for the staff and clients before they all returned back home. Everyone who was anyone was there, dressed to the nines in beautiful suits and long, flowing dresses.

Elena wore a strapless, pale pink, chiffon dress that hugged her in the right places and then swished elegantly everywhere else. Her hair was tightly pulled back and she wore her grandmother's necklace that rested in the dip between her breasts.

"Are you sure you feel well enough to be here?" Jenna asked as they carefully walked down the steps together. "If you feel like you're going to vom again, you can use my bag. I stole it from my sister so I don't care if you ruin it."

Elena laughed and linked her arm with Jenna's. The sickness hadn't faded since the morning and while she said it was the travel, she really put it down to the anxiety her poor decisions had been creating. For the night, however, she wanted to put that all aside and celebrate the bravest choice she ever made.

Tonight she wasn't going to be heartbroken Elena Gilbert, she was going to be Elena Gilbert with a brand new job and an exciting journey ahead of her.

"You two look absolutely stunning," Elijah cheered and kissed their cheeks as they came to sit on their table.

Like a gentleman, he stood and poured them each a glass of champagne. They were at a table with Elijah, his wife, Damon, Katherine, Isobel and Kai. It could have been awkward, and deep down, it really was, but Elena knew that to survive the night she'd have to pretend. And pretend is what she did.

She laughed. She joked. She spoke about work and even talked to Katherine about her modelling career. Damon didn't talk much but she tried to pay little attention to that.

"So, Elena," Katherine began. "Congratulations on your big move. Have you managed to tell your parents yet? Damon told me it was a last minute decision on your half."

"I haven't told them yet. They're not going to be too happy, so I better tell them in person," she said. "It's probably going to give my mother a heart attack."

The table laughed.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Elena?" Elijah asked. "Children?"

"I was seeing someone," she said. "But it's not really going anywhere so I doubt he'll be too bothered about me moving across the pond."

"Liam?" Jenna asked. "He will probably jump on the first plane out and follow you."

"Don't say that," Elena cringed.

"Was it serious?" Katherine asked.

"For him," she replied. "More so than me. I'm seeing London as a fresh start, a blank canvas. No men, just work and new friends."

The meal seemed to drag longer than Elena could hold her pretence, but thankfully the interest in her waned quickly. Katherine asked a few more questions about Liam but seemed to buy the lies that Elena was feeding her. She was too busy fawning and throwing herself over Damon, like a dog marking its territory.

Every so often, her eyes would catch Damon's and they'd stare beneath their eyelashes until one of them broke. More so now than before, and very oddly, she felt a strange connection to him. It was more than love or lust, it was a sense of belonging. Her body ached to seek him for protection and nestle in beside him.

With that thought, she placed her hand over her stomach as it churned. She took a deep breath as a wave of nausea overloaded her.

"Excuse me," she said before rushing off to the toilets.

As she reached the first available toilet, her body wretched and convulsed and everything she had eaten that evening filled the toilet. She clenched the toilet basin as she continued to wretch.

Jenna came behind her and held back her hair for her. Carefully stroking back the sweaty strands of hair that stuck to her forehead.

"Elena," she said. "Are you sure this is just the travel making you sick?"

"Huh?" Elena mumbled as she wiped her mouth on some tissue.

"Is there any possibility that you might be, you know, pregnant?"

"Don't be stupid," Elena scoffed.

"So you're saying it's impossible?"

She paused. Well it wasn't impossible but fate wouldn't be that cruel. She pressed her hand against her stomach. She'd been sick a few times the past week and she was tired all the time, but she was on the pill and surely that was protection enough. No, she thought. No. Life wasn't that cruel.

"I'm taking your silence as a no," Jenna said.

"I can't be pregnant," she said. "I can't be. It's just the travel and a bit of stress."

"You're 100% sure of that?"

She shook her head.

"Look, there's a pharmacy next door. I'll go get you a test, okay?" Elena nodded. "I'll be five minutes. Wait here."

Katherine had thoroughly enjoyed the party as she did most gatherings where the attention fell predominantly on her. People were congratulating her on their upcoming nuptials, pointing out the obvious and stating how stunning she looked and obsessing over the huge diamond on her finger.

Watching her fiance fire that vile Vicki had set the ground beneath her feet on fire. She was glad to see the back of her and while it drove her mad to know that he'd strayed and got his dick wet elsewhere, she got a great kick out of knowing that he'd always have to come back to her. They could never have him. No matter how hard he tried, she would always be the one to win.

But she wasn't stupid. She knew that he was searching for ways to get out of her grip, he was digging around for dirt that he could hold over her and she wasn't ready to let him go just yet. She needed a guarantee, something that would really make him stay no matter what.

"Excuse me for a second," she said to her friends. "I am just going to make a trip to the ladies room."

She lifted her red dress up and made her way to the toilets. As she got to the door, it swung open at full force and out running came Elena Gilbert, her husband's assistant with Jenna Sommers not far behind her. She had her hands clasped over her mouth and black stains on her cheeks as if she'd been sobbing her eyes out.

She stumbled back as Elena ran past, obviously desperate to get away.

When she walked into the toilet stall, she saw why. Crouching down, she picked up the white and blue stick that had been dropped at the base of the toilet.

"So that's why she's leaving," she laughed. "Elena Gilbert - soon to be a single mummy. Poor girl."

Just before she could drop the positive test into the bin, a cruel and sadistic thought popped into manipulative brain. She placed her hand on her stomach and sniggered.