Elena's flashback

"Where is the money?" shouted at Elena as the other one grabbed hold of her with his arm around her neck.

"Take what you want. Here's my bag. Just don't hurt me please" Elena gasped looking horrified but thinking how she would kick the goon off. So she tried stomping with her heal on his foot and he screamed and Elena thought she got free, but the other one got hold of her and now kicked her in the stomach.

Elena fell on the floor gasping for breath. He got hold of her hair now pulling it.

"This is not a game. We don't want your few bucks. Jeremy Gilbert double crossed us! So where is the money? And don't tell me you don't know. You were tight. You look after him. We know that! SO TALK!"

"I really don't know. Please-"

The man was getting really angry and now slapped her across the face as he pulled her up to sit down.

"Talk! That scum played us all". He slapped her again. Blood was now running out of her nose and mouth.

"I don't know-" Elena murmurred.

That only angered the man and now he punched her hard.

"That is what I remember" Elena said looking into nothing as Elijah held her hand wishing so hard this was not the memory that would float out first.

"I am sorry" he said gently pulled her by the chin to face him.

There was a numb look in her eyes, "I had a surprise for you that night"

Elijah thought her heart would explode as his knew she was going to mention the baby.

"I did a test that afternoon. I was pregnant" she continued in her numb state.

Tears now streamed down his face and as he wiped them off with his palms he nodded. "They told me. There was nothing they could do to save it"

The ER felt as cold as a tomb. There were people, doctors, nurses buzzing around, but the of them felt like the whole place emptied.

Rebekah who stood not far from the examination area, stood silent witnessing all that Elena had said, cried as well. Klaus walked in putting his hands on his sister's shoulder nudged her a little to get ouy of there.

"He needs me," Rebekah said making Klaus move her arm off of her now," I have gone through it with Elijah once before"

"They need all of us now" Klaus stressed out."Go and wash your face. Then find Kol. I don't know where both Sophie and him are not answering any of my calls. Can you do it?"

Rebekah nodded.

"Good. I have sorted things out with mother and father." Klaus informed her.

"I should have known that Mason Lockwood would stir shit up" Rebekah said.

"You know the Lockwoods. Arch enemies never sleep." Klaus said.

"Caroline?" Rebekah turned to her brother quizzically furrowing her eyebrows.

"She left." Klaus said shortly. It was clear that this was one subject he didn't want to discuss further.

Rebekah now took her phone and dialled Sophie. Klaus went into the examination area.

***

Elsewhere, Kol went away from the Ball oblivious to Mason's clash with Elijah, sending a message to Sophie that he needed to slip away.

And Sophie left shortly after the message being a nervous wreck eversince she found out he was doing the undercover job.

At home, she listened to all voice mails Klaus and Rebekah sent. Her heart was in turmoil, but she swore she would keep quite till it all ends.

She took her phone and sighed as she now pressed Rebekah's name on speedial.

"Yeah, Bex- huh, sorry- no. Kol is not here. I am home. We got - we argued and he stormed out. He had one of his crazy moments. How is Elena?"

"Why - what happened?" Rebekah mellowed down a bit as previously she was not so pleasant as she picked up her phone.

"You know that he gets into this mood - after the prison. I deal didn't go the way he wanted- so I tried to calm him down and he just blew" Sophie continued with the pretence.

Flashback
A few hours before the Ball

"You have to keep your cool," Kol said to Sophie kissing her on the forehead,"Rebekah had already picked up that you are not your happy self. She's been asking me questions if things are not r8ght with us. They can't know anything. She will tell Elijah, Klaus, too- and he would get involved and things could fold. I have to make things right."

" I hate all this lying. Rebekah is my best friend" Sophie said.

"I shouldn't have told you either, but you are my strength and I just wouldn't be able to go through with it otherwise" Kol said.

Sophie nodded in acknowledgement.

Rebekah and her soon finished the conversation. It was now about finding Kol. And he was i meeting the suppliers.

The FBI Agent, who picked up what went off with Mason and Elena just before Elijah got to the terrace, managed to do some damage control, and took Mason away acting as a guy who just happened to be there to break up the fight between Elijah and Mason.

And so, all was just a brawl beteeen ywo men over a woman.

But Elena had told Elijah about Mason showing her the footage about Kol's drug deal. And telling her that the Mikaelsons killed her brother- seeing Elijah punch Mason and the blood coming out of his nose- all of it brought her to the breaking point that was like a dark key unlocking her memory of the attack on her and everything else just stormed out. Although not completely. It left them shattered like a mirror smashed into pieces.

Elena was released after she was checked by Meredith and Stefan. Elijah took her home.

Both Klaus and Rebekah followed them. They didn't let Elijah alone, even though he reassured them he could manage. But Rebekah was not letting it be.

Klaus and Rebekah went to the kitchen as Elijah helped Elena to get to bed. They discussed Kol and Sophie and their supposed fall out.

"She has been so edgy lately," Rebekah remarked,"if they wete having problems why wouldn't she talk to me?"

"It's their marital stuff," Klaus said,"maybe she thought you wouldn't get it"

"Seriously? We've always talked about Kol, even when they were dating. All the stuff they went through while he was on trial- please- there is something really odd going on here" Rebekah pointed out.

Klaus took some beer out of the fridge and handed it over to her.
"I need something stronger" Rebekah said.

Elijah then appeared and they inquired after Elena.

"Asleep," Elijah said and added,"I need to talk to you two"

Both siblings sighed. as it sounded ominous.

"Right," Rebekah said,"but first- whiskey! I need it. This so doesn't sound good"

She went in the living room to the liquor cabinet.

"What is it?" Klaus asked.

Elijah plucked whiskey glasses from the cupboard and put ice in them,"It's Kol."

Rebekah walked back with the bottle and poured them a drink each,"What is with Kol?"

Elijah took a good sip of the drink before he told them that Mason was accusing Kol of dealing drugs.

"WHAT?" both Klaus and Rebekah said simultaniously.

"Yeah" Elijah confirmed taking another sip of the drink.

"Mason Lockwood would say anything -he hates us. You especially." Rebekah said.

"Maybe" Klaus interjected, which made Elijah and Rebekah looking stunned at their brother.

"Do you know something?" Elijah looked at Klaus infuriating.

"No!" Klaus replied firmly."But- it makes me think. A few times he would get these calls and it would make him go all serious and he always walked away like he was hiding something- I don't know"

"Sophie and him had a bust up tonight." Rebekah added.

"Now-well, she either knows or suspects - the puzzles fit the picture" Klaus said as he took a sip.

"OMG! Please no!" Rebekah raised her voice, obviously rattled by the news."But why? He swore on Davina's grave he would never do it again. We were there!"

"It's Kol," Elijah said, "it's like the devil gets inside of him and he loses it. You never know when he is going to flip. "

His siblings could not dispute that. As a boy, Kol was very mischiveous. As a teenager, very problematic, getting involved with drugs and very shady people. All through the college years until his girlfriend Davina O.D. That threw him. It was a wake up call and he stopped. Cut all his ties. Then met Sophie and hope of love, new life came in giving him the will to leave the past behind. And as Elijah started dating Elena, he met Jeremy, who was no different from him as he got involved with the drug demons. Several times he looked out for Jeremy on his own accord. Same as the night before Jeremy was shot dead.

"When he gets home- and he will-I will go and confront him" Klaus said.

"Oh, no. I want to be there"- Elijah said-"I want to see it in his eyes when he denies the truth!"

"You are way too pissed off and hurt and - to go there" Rebekah shot at Elijah.

"This could cost me everything. My marriage- my life. I have already lost a child! My wife was more than a year in a vegetative state!" Elijah burst out angrily.

"But that was not Kol's doing" Klaus then said.

Rebekah stood up as she saw Elijah seeing red and on the verge of lashing out on his brother and her gown got caught up falling down awkwardly twisting her hand in the process.

It felt like that night had no ending. Subsequently Klaus then took her to the ER where it was concluded that she had a sprain.

Elijah, who stayed behind, received the message sitting on the balcony with the nearly empty bottle of whiskey lighting another cigarette as the sun appeared on the horizon.

***

Later that day

Elena woke up feeling as if her whole body was bruised. She turned around and looked at Elijah's side of the bed. It was not slept in. And as if she was a robot she walked to the bathroom. There, she washed her face and as she wiped it of she looked at herself in the mirror. Almost all her memories were back. She had her life back, but she was not rejoicing. She sighed a little putting the towel away and now went on to brush her teeth. She heard her phone ringing, but she ignored it. She could not stand talking to anyone. When she finished freshening up, she went to look for Elijah, finding him on the balcony asleep. She saw the empty bottle and ashtray nearly full of cigarettes.

Elena's flashback

First few months after the wedding

"Are you hiding up here to smoke?" Elena jokes as Elijah lit a cigarette.

"Just one" Elijah said.

"I thought you're a man of great will and character and you said you had beat this monster!" Elena stood there scolding him for still sneaking around to smoke.

"Ok, warden! Here done!" Elijah put the cigarette out.

"I married you knowing all your demons and darkness- but- still- I know I am not perfect either-"

He interrupted her there enveloping her in his arms."Oh, you're perfect. The rarest flower. My rarest flower andvI can see that your nose is smelling my bad cigarette breath and not liking it"

"Well, I want to kiss you, but - huh- the cigarette taste- no- sorry. I'd rather kiss a frog"

"Ok, let me turn into one quickly. Stay here. I'll be right back"

Elena now kissed him on the top of the forehead that made him move nearly jumping up.

"Elena- is everythina all right?"

"Yes" Elena replied shortly and took the bottle and the ashtray away. He followed her apologizing for having drank too much and smoking.

Elena didn't say anything and said that she was going to make coffee.

As she trailed away to the kitchen he stayed standing in the hallway wishing he had a magic wand and go back in time.

The breakfast went in silence. Elena was absent-minded and he later wrote to Rebekah.

"I don't what is worse- her being locked up now with all her memories back or then when she couldn't remember anything"

"I think it is the loss of the baby" Rebekah replied."You got to talk to one another. What does her therapist say, come on. You two are what true love is about"

In the therapy session, Elena revealed that she felt lost, that something was ripped inside of her, that she was not feeling herself anymore. That she wanted to curl up and sleep forever.

And then a few days after she came to a decision she now laid down to Elijah at breakfast.

"I got to go"

"Go? Where? Ok. Do you want to take time away from everything and go to the Hamptons? It's ok. Being away would do us good" Elijah said.

"No. I need to go away on my own- I just- inside of me I have this knot here in my chest and - all rreminds me of that night- all the time"

Elijah felt like someone had kicked him in the gut really hard.

"On your own?" he paused taking her hands in his and then continued,"we said we would weather any storm together, remember? Always!"

Elena's eyes watered. "Yes, I remember" she kissed him and looked him straight in the eyes. "I need to find myself again, so I can come back to you"

"I don't understand this logic. I - just got you back. I love you"

"I love you, too- I do, but I need to- I just need to get away from here. I just have to. But we will talk everyday. I just need to-"

"Where would you go?"

"I called Vicky. She is taking time off and asked her if I could stay in her house "

It was done. She went to Bodega, California. And before she got into the taxi taking her to the airport she gave him a hug whispering,"Love you, always!"

***