"Good morning." Elena wrote in her diary."This is day 11- of me be being home. Home. This place that looks like it appears to be a place of fairy tales. And here one more photo of me. Look at her. So graceful, a lady. Confident.

Me. Me? Who is really me? I wish I can press a restart button somewhere inside of me and get everything back. Or just go. Leave everything. Go far away from it all. But then there is him. Yesterday was not a good day. And I hurt him. I don't want to hurt him. He is so good. Good to me. He. Elijah. I so loved him they say. Love. I don't know if I love him. I know that I don't hate him. Why did I say that hated him. But I am now this fragile bird to him in this place. This place. This golden cage.'

Elena stared at the photo for a while as if compelled. Then at the photo of Elijah that apparently she had taken.

Then got up, taking the house keys and her camera and went out.

*

At this very moment Elijah and Rebekah were walking to a diner. He was retelling her what had happened the night before. Elena had left the house without notifying anyone, not even the cleaning lady. And was gone for hours.

"She didn't even take her phone?" Rebekah asked.

"No. And I just - I was so mad with worry. I know I overreacted-" Elijah explained sighing a little.

"So- tell me you lost it- when she came back?"

"No- I am not like that, Bex!! I approached her calmly- Dr Bennett said that bringing any emotional stress is a no-no. I just pointed out that she had to tell someone- me- that she is going out, and take her phone the next time she goes out."

"She lost it?" Rebekah asked.

"Yeah, well- not that bad. But it was like a drop too much in a glass that was already full. She screamed at me that she hated me, that she felt like we are keeping her in a prison, that she was fed up with everyone treating her like she lost her mind. She stormed off into her room. And - well, I let her be. Called Dr Bennett, who came over." Elijah explained.

"And then things were fine?"

Elijah rubbed his neck a bit- it was obvious that things were not fine.

"Did you talk to her later?"

"Yes. I apologized. And she apologized. Although it was not necessary on her part. And-"- he sighed-"it felt like - she looked at me with these eyes- I just want you to leave."

"She is adjusting. And I get where you are coming from. But I also get her." Rebekah said.

"I has all these scenarios in my head that something will happen to her, an I panicked. Those guys have never been found-with all the forensics-"

"But you can't have a bodyguard looking after her?"- Rebekah said.
"Maybe that's not a bad idea. I would feel stress-free if I knew someone is there when she goes out."

"I on't know- she might feel even more controlled" Rebekah said.

"I nearly lost her. Now that I got her back, I am more than ever scared I will lose her"

"Huh- where is all this coming from? You said you were doing so good?" Rebekah said.

"I know. I feel so lost. so, I've decied to get some professional help as well" Elijah admitted to his sister.

"Good." she said supportively.

They ordered the food. Elijah nervously looked at his phone. He wanted to call her, but he feared she might misinterpret it. Like switching out of the world he gaze out of the window of the diner.

Elijah's Flashback

Years back

Elena was assorting flowers for he net project. She always ha music blasting in her atelier that resembled more a big warehouse. He snuck up on her closing he eyes from behind. Elena startle a little smile then recognizing his hands, his cologne"three guesses?" she said putting her hands on his and slowly sliding them down.

He smiled at her as she flipped around facing him now, kissing the palm of his hand.

"I see you got the flowers," he said, "I see they will end up as a piece of art!"

"Thank you" Elena smiled cutely tilting her head,"yes- I got an idea. I want to make them last forever- to always remember this day."

"Marry me!" Elijah then said- impulse or not. She was this everything. The rarest rose.

Elena eyes widened, surprise sparkling at him. This was not something she expected him to say. She didn't hesitate.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed him wholeheartedly.

"Elijah? Where are you?" Rebekah kind of snapped her fingers to get his attention. "The food is getting cold"

"Ha? Ah... I am not really hungry." he pushed the plate slightly away from him then got up apologizing to his sister for having to leave, and walked out of the diner.

There was pain, rage, a strange of mix of helplessness inside of him that he had felt for such a long time and he kept it all bottled inside. He felt he hit a wall. He wanted to scream and tear the world apart. He asked the taxi to take him to where Elena's atelier was. The place that was the symbol of his pain. He had not been there since her fellow artist found her there lying barely breathing.

Flashback

"Who would want to hurt your wife in this way?" the detective asked.

"I really don't know. She had no enemies. Everyone loved her." Elijah said.

"Both her brother and yours have been involved with the drug scene. Her brother was killed in very shady circumstances. Maybe she had something to do with it? How well do you know your wife, Mr Mikaelson?" the detective continued.

This enraged Elijah and he took the man by the shirt collar. The other detective calmed the situation down. They could see that Elijah was genuinely in tremendous pain, and the provocation was not in order.

"I KNOW MY WIFE VERY WELL. SHE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF WHAT HER BROTHER WAS INVOLVED IN!" Elijah shouted.

The taxi brought him to the place and Elijah got out. Thousand emotions opened like as if someone popped off the genie's bottle open. He felt like a sledgehammer wanting to crush everything around him down.

"AAAAARRGH" he screamed out, making some of the people from the neighbouring studios to get out.

"Are you all right?" a man asked looking at this man in this impeccable suit. The other man, who had found Elena that night recognized who he was.

"Hey, man" he approached Elijah, who now collected himself waved off with his hand reassuring them that he was fine.

"Bad day, ha?" the man said and then wavered for a moment and asked about Elena.

"She... she is fine." Elijah said. "She got out of it"

"Really? Great, man! Wow! That's really great news"

"It is," Elijah said vividly cslm,"ahm- sorry about this- me- " Elijah sighed.

The situation was awkward, and the other two men understanding that things obviously had an underlying problem now left him and Elijah went on to press the entry code entering the atelier.

I hit a wall, I never felt so low, so low

Like a waterfall, my tears dropped to the floor

...

I am bracing for the pain and I am letting go

I am using all of my strength to get out of this hole

He walked around it. All of her art, finished and unfinished was there. Drawings. Writings. Elena would always take small clever sayings and make them into a poster sticking it on the wall- Elijah read-

**

This last poster brought tears out and he felt his heart would rip itself out of the chest.

"Elijah?" he heard and he turned around.

"Elena?" he couldn't believe she was there. Standing at the entrance.

"What are you-" he slipped.

She walked in.

"I... went out. And... I don't know. I called Vicky. And- then- I just wanted to come here. She told me the address. And I came."- Elena said as she walked to him looking around the place. "This is all my stuff?"

"Yes. This is all your stuff." Elijah confirmed.

Elena went to a corner where her table was-

She brushed over the things with her fingers now. The dust collected on them, but she didn't mind.

"Vicky said that maybe something here would click my memory back." Elena continued and then looked at Elijah with a sad glimmer in her eyes."Nothing."

"I am sorry-" Elijah bit a gulp back.

Elena shookher head, exhaling, "I am sorry"

"What?" Elijah didn't quite understand why she was saying sorry.

She moved over to him.

"I don't hate you" she said,"I could never hate you"

Suddenly it was clear to him that it was about all that had happened the night before when she came home from the hospital.

"Oh, Elena please- you don't have to apologize. Not again. I should keep apologizing forever. And I am so sorry that I overreacted." Elijah said.

"You didn't sleep" Elena then said.

"Excuse me?"

"I woke up at five- I saw it on the clock it was five- and the lights were on- and I walked around and you were out on the terrace-" Elena said.

"I couldn't- " Elijah uttered,"it- "

Sighing inwardly he stopped looking at her as the most precious thing on this planet now putting his hand out wanting to step closer and caress her hair, make the whole chocking feeling disappear and make the pain vanish, turn back time.

"I love you so much" he said,"and if I lose you I - wouldn't know how to go on"

Yeah I hit a wall, I prayed that I would make it through, make it through

I can't survive a life that's without you, that's without you, yeah
And I will rise up from the ashes now, the ashes now
Oh, the sparrow flies with just the crumbs of loving spilled, yeah

I was bracing for the pain and then I let it go
I gathered all my strength and I found myself whole

Elena's warm brown eyes hit him like the morning sun. She stepped closer and took hold of both his hands. She raising her head to him placing a kiss on his lips.