The darkness of the night has finally covered New Orleans and for once in the active city, all is quiet. The streets are packed as usual, but everything is strangely quiet. Elijah is grateful for that after the day he has suffered and the events that have taken , as he stands on his balcony with a class of bourbon in one hand, the fear of how today could of ended is starting to set in.

Today he could of died. He could of lost everything. He would of never had the chance to apologise to Klaus for not being the best brother he could possibly be, to tell Freya how appreciated she was and watch Hope grow up and maybe even start her own family. But most importantly, he would never of had the chance to tell Hayley how he feels, how he has always felt.

Hayley has always been able to tell that Elijah's feelings for her are true and run deep, but knowing he loves her and hearing those three words are two completely different things. But still Elijah can never seem to muster up the courage to tell her. And now that she has a gold band around her third finger, he probably never will.

Elijah finishes the last of his drink and leans against the metal railing that runs around the balcony. He looks into Hayley's apartment, hoping that like many nights before, she might come to her balcony and talk to him. They never discuss anything too important because its the little things that matter. And tonight he could really do with the company.

As if by magic, Hayley appears in the doorway to Elijah's room and leans against the door frame with her arms folded. She watches him closely, understanding the pain and torment he must be going through. But like usual, she chooses not to show the pain and torment she is going through.

Hayley decides to avoid taking her usual approach of storming over to him and acting all carefree. Instead she walks to him slowly, making sure he knows shes present. However, Elijah never turns around to see who is behind him, he doesn't have to. He knows its Hayley.

Coming to an abrupt halt, Hayley leans against the doorway that leads out onto the balcony. She had everything planned ; she knew what she wanted to say and what she was going to say. But her mind has suddenly gone utterly and completely blank. Elijah balances his empty glass on the balcony railing and places both hands in his pockets.

The silence which was relaxing just moments before is now becoming unbearable.

He is desperate to talk to her. He is desperate to watch her lips move as her words flow freely. But he doesn't know how to start the conversation this time. This time it is all down to Hayley. And all she can come up with is...

"You could of died today."

Elijah can't help but let a small smirk appear on his face. He remembers having a similar conversation with her almost two years ago.

Hayley quickly realises how insensitive that was and a part of her might regret it. But she doesn't take it back.

"I've been in worse situations."

Elijah tells a convincing lie, but Hayley is wiser and knows him better than before and is having none of it.

"No, Elijah. That's not the point. And how can you get a worse situation than nearly dying? Seriously, I know you've been through some shit in your life, but come on."

Unlike Elijah, Hayley refuses to lie her way through the night. She will tell the truth, even if it is brutal.

Elijah doesn't know how to answer and so he ignores her. He looks up at the moon, high in the sky, and a question pops to mind.

"Where's Jackson?"

The silence returns. And this time, it is Hayley's turn to be speechless.

She doesn't want to tell Elijah about the argument with Jackson, but if she is going to tell the truth, she doesn't have a choice.

"We had an argument and he went back to the Bayou. I haven't heard from him since."

Elijah's body tenses upon hearing this and he feels a strong anger towards Jackson. He doesn't care what caused the argument, he cares that Jackson would leave Hayley and Hope alone and unprotected while The Strix are looking out for blood. Hope and Hayley's blood in particular because of their strong relation to the Mikealsons.

"I believe Jackson to be many things, but I would of never assumed him to be selfish."

"He isn't selfish, hes just mad."

Hayley shocks Elijah and herself with her quick jump to defend Jackson. She clears her throat and tries to justify his leaving.

"He just needs some space. I'm sure he will be back soon enough" she says, with less aggression in her tone.

Elijah finally turns to face her.

"How many nights have you told yourself that, and how many nights have you actually believed it?"

Hayley swallows nervously.

The look in Elijah's eyes suggests a lot of things, none of them so noble. But the thing that appeals to her more than anything... Is the emptiness. He isn't himself. And he hasn't been for quite awhile now. Both of them know that. Hayley breaks his gaze and stares down at the floor.

Elijah also looks down, feeling slightly uncomfortable and ashamed for just blurting out such a question, but like Hayley he is stubborn and won't take it back. After a few seconds he looks back up as he takes a step towards her.

"Today has been no surprise to me. I am, after all, no stranger to near death experiences, Hayley."

"But that's different, I wasn't there the other times."

Their eyes meet.

They both know exactly what Hayley means. She means that the other times are unimportant because she didn't know him. But now, she does know him, and she is in love with him and she would hate to lose him.

"Hayley."

"Elijah."

The room is once again filled with silence. A silence that speaks lengths that no amount of words ever could.

Hayley realises how close they now are and bites her lip in anticipation. They have been in this position more than once.

They both know how this ends. But this time, Hayley is sporting a gold wedding ring. A gold wedding ring that was not given to her by Elijah. But she doesn't seem to care. Without hesitation, Hayley grabs the lapels of Elijah's blazer and drags his lips down onto hers. He kisses her back instantly and wraps his arms tightly and protectively around her waist.

Hayley lets out a small sigh of relief and she suddenly feels like a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders. A weight that she intends to continue lifting. Hayley pulls him in from the balcony and pushes him up against the wall next to the French doors. Elijah doesn't complain, he simply pulls her closer and deepens the kiss, letting his tongue run over hers.

Hayley claws at his blazer and he has it off and thrown to the floor within a second. She then wraps her arms around his neck and leaps into the air, knowing he will catch her. And he does.

Elijah switches their positions once he has his hands settled on her thighs. He pushes her up against the wall, causing every part of her body to touch his. Hayley lets out a small moan and pauses for a quick breath. While she does, she yanks her navy blue coloured top over her head. She then rips his shirt open and presses her chest against his bare one, adoring and treasuring the feeling.

Elijah pushes his shirt off and throws it on the floor, not caring where it lands. He then allows his hands to roam Hayley's bare torso. Carefully stroking her sensitive and ticklish hips before resting his hands on her waist. Shivers shoot throughout Hayley's body as Elijah touches her hips, but she doesn't jolt away like she did with Jackson. She doesn't even move, completely trusting him with her body, her mind and so much more.

Hayley rubs her core against Elijah's groin and lets out a small groan. He pushes her further into the wall and grinds himself against her as he moves his lips to her neck. Elijah kisses, nips and sucks the skin of her neck, causing Hayley to bite her lip hard. She throws her head back against the wall, closes her eyes and lets her hands gently scrape up and down his chest.

Hayley suddenly becomes extremely impatient and pulls Elijah's lips back to hers while she allows her other hand to wonder. Her hand stops when it reaches the button on his pants and pops it open. Elijah breaks the kiss and pants for air as Hayley's fingers rap around his hardness. Hayley moves her mouth to his ear and gently bites his earlobe as she moves her hand slowly around him.

Hayley can feel his warm breath on her neck and its driving her insides wild. She removes her hand from his pants and pulls him into another devilish deep kiss. Elijah moves his hands to her thighs again and walks over to his bed.

He gently lays Hayley down and removes his pants before climbing on top of her. While Elijah is removing his pants, Hayley unbuttons her own jeans and yanks them off as quick as possible, leaving them both in their underwear.

Hayley puts one hand on Elijah's side and the other on the back of his head, guiding his lips back to hers. Elijah places one hand on her waist and uses the other to support himself above her. Hayley uses her feet to push Elijah's final piece of clothing away. Elijah then pulls off her knickers while she unclips her bra.

Elijah then settles over her again and they make eye contact as he lifts one of her legs. He places her leg around his waist, not breaking eye contact as he does. Hayley bites her lip, trying to restrain herself, until she can hold it no more. She slams her lips against his and slips both her hands around his torso and rests them on his muscular shoulder blades.

He deepens the kiss and positions himself at her entrance. He stays that way for a few moments before he pushes his hardness into her core. Hayley breaks the kiss and gasps as he pushes into her.

This is everything they have been dreaming of since last Christmas and now that it is finally happening, it feels better than any of them could of imagined.

Elijah pulls half way out and then pushes back into her, making her groan in pleasure. He presses his lips to her collarbone in an aggressive manner. Hayley knows he will probably mark her, but at this point she is beyond caring. Its too late to go back now and even if they did, the mark would still remain.

Hayley wraps her other leg around his waist and meets his thrusts with small pushes of her own. This causes both of them to approach their climax even faster. Understanding her need for release, Elijah quickens the pace and thrusts as far as he can possibly go into Hayley. Her moans are getting louder and more frequent, telling him that he is doing the right thing.

Hayley gently bites his shoulder and he lets out a low moan before kissing her cheek. She then grazes her teeth along his neck, causing a small cut to appear just under his ear and a small trickle of blood to escape. Hayley does not hesitate as she leans in to lick the small trail of blood. And Elijah doesn't stop her. Instead, he waits until she has licked his neck clean and then gently sinks his teeth into her shoulder, causing her to let out a small growl.

A growl that causes his arousal to grow excessively. He laps up all of the blood that tries to leak free from Hayley's body and becomes instantly addicted to the taste. He wants more, but he knows he has to stop before he loses control. He reluctantly removes his mouth from her shoulder and stares down at her for a few seconds before he slams his lips down onto hers.

Hayley reaches her climax and growls into Elijah's ear, digging her nails deep into his back. She feels his blood trickle across her fingers, but she doesn't mind. She will lick it off later. Elijah pushes into her a few more times and then he also reaches his climax. He lets out a deep groan as he pours himself into her and presses his cheek to hers. None of them move.

They pant into each others ears, but make no attempt to put any space in between them. One of Elijah's hands finds one of Hayley's and he intertwines their fingers before he moves their hands to above her head. Hayley moves her other hand to his lower back and pushes his body down onto her. He doesn't protest, he just obeys.

At about two in the morning, Hayley awakes to find herself lay in between Elijah's legs. He is sat up slightly against the headboard and has one hand resting on her waist. She looks down at the pillow separating her head from Elijah's groin and smiles.

Hayley feels his thumb start to make small circles on her skin. She sighs happily and puts her head back on the pillow. Elijah's thumb stops once her head hits the pillow again.

Hayley's mind suddenly wonders to Jackson. What will he say? How will he react? Will he and the pack still have their powers? Will her leave her? She remains still for at least an hour thinking of at least a million ways to tell Jackson about this. To explain why he should stay and why there is nothing wrong with this, with her cheating on him.

And when her phone flashes with a message off Jackson saying he will return tomorrow, that's when she knows how she will tell him.

During the coldest hour of the night, she whispers...

"He can never know."

And his only reply is...

"And he never will."