In the previous chapter, Camille had another emotional moment with Elijah when she revealed how Vincent betrayed her trust. Simon and Victor tried to retrieve their liberty from Elijah, failing as Elijah used Melanie as his personal masseuse again. Hope gave Cami images of shocking events which occurred at the compound, and revealed Melanie to be in fact Elijah's first vampire lover, Mary. After her cover was revealed, Mary vanished. Meanwhile, Aurora and Lucien declared their plan to go forth with a special ball and get their enemies into a trap. Finally, Klaus tried to reach out to Hayley and to persuade her to leave the past behind them, to no success.

PLOT: The compound is panicking after Melanie's/Mary's disappearance, and in order to smooth the situation, Cami decides to organize a party at the compound for all the factions, in celebration of Labor's Day. Elijah shares with her the memories of when he first turned Mary and when he betrayed her, as well as for what reason. The vampires are liberated. At the party, an unexpected guest arrives to cause chaos, leading to Elijah making a desperate phone call. In the meantime, Klaus offers Hayley a surprise at the ball, making Lucien and Aurora change the course of their actions.

Hope was having Camille's full attention that day. There was no question about it. Cassandra had stopped by the nursery plenty of times and noticed with admiration how much Cami had been affected by what has happened. The other day, after Mary's disappearance, the vampires were released from their imprisonment in the compound. Davina searched Mary/Melanie's old room and found the potions the witch had secretly been hiding in a cabinet in her wall. The potions and spell books were returned to the coven, from which Mary had apparently stolen all she had. "She was the one who cursed you, Cami. It was stupid not to suspect her." "But what does she have against me? What have I ever done to her?" "Maybe Elijah shows a little more care towards you than he did towards her." Cami was not blinking as she was staring at Hope through the crib, fast asleep. The child had been through a lot of trauma. Neither one of them slept the other night. Cassandra was still standing outside the door and rubbed her hands together, nervous of what to say.

"Ms. Camille…" "Cami, please. I don't like the formality." She spoke at once, surprising Cassandra. "Yes, Cami. Okay, then. I think it would be best if you take a break and let me watch over the child. Maybe you should speak to Mr. Mikaelson. He is just as affected as you are by what happened. And now with the Labor Day festivities today, it will be harder and harder for the two of you to get some peace and rest." Cami was prepared to tell her off. She knew that she was being too harsh on the woman, but Hayley gave her a job, and Cami had to make sure that she was taking care of that said job properly, but constantly wondering if Klaus and Hayley were really having such a great time outside of the city, as they claimed they did. "Okay, but guard her with your life." Cami informed Cassandra, after making up her mind, and she walked out of the room. Was she right? Did Elijah and she really have to talk? So many embarrassing but also terrible things had happened between them and Camille was finding it harder to reach out to him now…but for the sake of what happened, she knew she needed to talk to him.

His head was bowed as he was writing something on his desk. Cami looked around the room after she slowly opened the door and noticed the many blood bags left there, untouched. He had chosen not to eat anything, which is why he looked weak as he did. But now was not the time to act this way. Cami knew that she had to find some way to talk some sense into him. Even Klaus would know that at this point, he would need to be the strongest in the family. He would need to be the Family Patriot, as he was used to being for these many years which had passed. Noticing that Elijah had not even noticed her, Cami intentionally slammed the door after her, making him look up. His eyes were indeed tired, with dark circles surrounding them, indicating the beginning of hunger for a vampire. His face even looked paler. Judging from the many blood bags left aside in this study, Cassandra had tried to offer them to him to nourish himself but he had refused. "What has happened?" he asked, seeing the concerned look on her face.

Cami shook her head and got closer to him. She pulled a chair over next to his and she took a seat. "You need to leave this room, Elijah. You need to show those vampires that you fear no one! You need to show them that Mary was a past which doesn't affect you anymore." "Camille, as you very well know, I am not the true King of this city. I am simply filling in for my brother, and shall continue to do so for another four days, I believe, as he and Hayley still have of their trip together." "You are Hope's uncle. You need to be strong. And in order to be strong…you need to be fed. Can you be fed? Can I trust you to feed yourself?" "Enough!" Elijah snapped suddenly and he knocked his fist on the table, making Cami jump a little. This move was unexpected. She realized that maybe the timing was not correct, but when she stood up to leave, Elijah grabbed her hand and softly whispered, "Forgive me. It is not in my nature to react in such ways." "You are upset because of what happened. I am not judging you, Elijah. I am upset too. But…help me understand. Why has Mary done all of this? What did you do to betray her?" Elijah rubbed his forehead. "You must understand that I was not always the Family Patriot or the Noble Stag as you wish to describe me."

"Then how were you? Were you like Klaus?" "No, of course not. My brother is unique. No one thinks the way he thinks and no one has thoughts as he has. But I was more stubborn…and had a lustful appetite for intimacy with women…especially when Celeste came into my life." "Mary mentioned her. What happened? You loved Mary and she loved you. Why would you leave her behind?" Elijah chuckled and shook his head. "Mary would do anything to claim that her version of the story is the correct one, but I propose to tell you a different version. One were she had proven to be vindictive and not the type of woman I thought I would have in my life. Mary was a very powerful witch when I began having intimate connections with her. She was bright, she was kind and she was interested in books. Her thoughts of how life was…her humanity…was what drawn me to her after I lost Tatia. When we become even more connected, she told me that she wanted me to turn her so she could be with me forever. I accepted because of what I felt for her…but her fellow peers in the coven didn't take things lightly. Mary finally chose me over them, and she left her life as a witch in order to be with me. So, I did what she wanted me to do. I turned her."

"And then what happened?" Cami furrowed her eyebrows, sensing quite a story coming up. "Unfortunately, her true colors were revealed only a few months after I turned her. She was no longer the sweet woman I had chosen as my companion. She changed. She used her powers as a vampire to kill innocent people…people with whom she shared many fights and misunderstandings in the past…but they were innocent nonetheless. She startled me with her behavior. I believed that it was my fault. That the reason she was acting in such way was because she had been turned, and she could have left her humanity behind. I was wrong. She was this way her whole life, but she chose to conceal it from me in order to gain the immortality and power she had always craved. She wanted to be above all witches and as a vampire, she thought that she could achieve that. She was wrong…and she paid the price for it. She lost my heart and I directed it towards Celeste many years later. She accepted my heart…the rest, I believe Mary had told you. We drifted apart. Simple as that. She betrayed me. She was not the woman I thought she was." "Your broke her heart." "She broke my trust." "Elijah…"

"She was evil, Camille. I just told you that she killed innocent people, she came back, she killed Rachel because I had a simple date with her and then she cursed you because I offered you too much of my attention. It is the reason you were hurt. She is the reason. I am the reason!" he stated, his voice breaking. Their eyes met and Camille could feel her heart fluttering madly at the effect he was having on her. It was something that she never thought she would experience again. "I want to make a change." Cami finally whispered, sending him in surprising thoughts. "What kind of a change?" "Today is Labor's Day and there will be festivities…but I want to have a party here at the compound. You don't have to do anything but show up and try to relax, okay? I will take care of everything." "And what of Hope?" "I trust Cassandra to take care of her just fine. We need this, Elijah." She put her hands on his own, feeling their softness but also some roughness around the edges. "And now you need to feed." She stood up and grabbed a blood bag from the couch, and came back towards him.

Elijah took a couple of steps back, taking a deep breath and pressing his hands on the wall behind him, as Cami came closer. There was concern written all over her face. "You need to feed. You have to be strong for all of us. You are a leader too, Elijah. Those vampires out there may have pride in them but they are also looking for a strong leader like you. Please, just do this for me and feed." Elijah's nostrils flattered. He looked unsure of himself. He didn't have the courage to say anything to her. Her eyes were full of kindness…the kindness he needed. The kindness he knew she possessed and was offering it to him. He no longer cared if it was out of pity or because she liked being compassionate towards him. His eyes darted over to the blood bag and he smelled in the strong sense of the liquid. He was dying to have it wash down his throat. He couldn't understand why he was fighting this. Why was he avoiding feeding? Was it to punish himself for the pain Mary was going through? Was it to make himself feel sorry? Was it to seek attention from the woman he felt more and more attracted to?

She came even closer to him, but he had no other way to back up. He was stuck, and he stopped fighting eventually. His eyes never left hers when he lips latched onto the top of the blood bag and he started sucking slowly. There was something about the look in his eyes, which made Cami lick her lips slowly, without realizing it. He felt her pulse. He felt her heart. But the desire on his face was not to suck her dry, as his vampire instincts usually told him. Her blood was tempting…but not enough to convince him to bite her. He realized by now…that he had started caring for this woman very much. Once he stopped drinking, his eyes were constantly on hers. Feeling the intensity heighten, Elijah leaned in and captured her lips with his own, gently creasing them, smearing them with the remains of the blood he engorged. He felt complete. He felt amazing by the touch. Cami closed her eyes and didn't move. The kiss was soothing and it pleased her as well as it brought her peace. Before he could deepen this kiss, Cami's eyes opened and she pulled her mouth away, making him open his mouth as well. "Thank you for feeding but I…I…have to get ready for the party." He didn't try to stop her when she ran out of his study. He felt just as mortified by their moment as she did.

…

She did her best to stay focused after what happened. Cami knew that she could never pull off a grand party as Rebekah could, but this was the best she could do and under the circumstances. She was scribbling down some finishing touches that evening once she saw that the food was ready, Hope was being cared for by Cassandra and the design for the curtains was chosen. "A red carpet for the grand entrance. All the factions are welcome. Labor Day should be celebrated with respect for hardworking people." Camille told some of the servants. Elijah had not come out of his room since their unexpected kiss. Cami didn't know what to make of it. How could she interpret anything from it? They got caught up in the heat of the moment and he couldn't resist. She couldn't resist either. He was hungry and she offered him blood, even if it was not hers. It excited him, and he kissed her. It most probably was a kiss of comfort. They were both upset and he was still mourning Gia, as well as feeling sorry for Mary.

One thing that she was starting to understand more and more that despite her deep research into Klaus' problems and in his life, Elijah turned out to be the most fascinating brother, with a reasonable mind, but actions which made him feel like a monster. Cami knew certainly that Elijah was not like his brother. Elijah was different. Elijah thought carefully about what he would do before taking action, unlike Klaus. Cami couldn't deny that she didn't feel attracted to this other brother. He was handsome, he was loyal, and he was smart and very sophisticated. And spending time with his for these past two weeks had been a blast. She actually enjoyed herself, wishing that Klaus and Hayley might never come back from their trip. But Hope, their daughter was here, and she must have been missing her parents, so Cami pushed that thought out of her mind. "I don't get why you're doing this. You're not making yourself any more likable to Elijah." Simon commented, and Cami's head snapped up in his direction. "That is not what I am trying to do. I am simply trying to clear the air after what happened with Mary." She was getting angry at his nerve.

Simon just laughed and with a crooked smile said, "Yeah, sure you are. Whatever you are trying to pull off here, it ain't going to work. Victor and I have the same opinion. Ever since you came here, things have been going off track. Why don't you just get back to serving tables at Rousseau's and leave us the hell alone?" Cami could feel the tears in her eyes. She normally had a weakness when it came to fitting in. She realized that no one really wanted her around there, but Hope was her responsibility, and when it would be time for her to go, she would go. She would have snapped back at Simon but no words were coming out of her mouth. She was just staring at him, weakened mentally for the first time in a long time. "I believe it is for me to decide if she is wanted here on not! For the time being, I don't necessarily enjoy your company. I suggest you and your friends take a hike around the city and find something useful to do, and unless you do so, the vampire community would be uninvited to Camille's party." Elijah appeared out of nowhere and said those words to Simon. "Too subtle?" the Original Vampire asked.

This time, Simon took a moment to look at Cami one last time with an angry look on his face before disappearing. He looked fed and well this time and Cami smiled at him, wiping away the one tear which had escaped. Elijah turned towards her and grabbed her hand. "Has he offended you?" "Well, I would be lying if I said he didn't, but…thank you for standing up for me. Rarely anyone does that because…" "Because?" "Because he is right. I am pointless around here and ever since I came to babysit Hope, I've been getting everyone in trouble. I am a mess and…" "No. As you may recall, I took over this town in my brother's absence. If anyone is at fault here, it is me, because I let my personal feelings cloud my judgement. Very much like you do." His eyes were soft upon looking at her but there was no touch of embarrassment over what happened between them earlier.

The party had started a couple of hours later, giving Camille plenty of time to choose a dress and go downstairs. She was very much surprised by how many people attended her party. She felt proud that she could organize such a big event, and from the way the vampires were just sitting and drinking silently, she got the message that Elijah threatened them to be on their best behavior or else. She gasped when she found Elijah right in front of her on the staircase. He was dressed in a fabulous new tux and there was a smile on his face which did not reach his eyes. She knew that he was trying to make everything work this night in her honor, and she really appreciated it. "You look beautiful." His eyes looked deeply in hers and Cami smiled. "You don't look bad yourself." He held out his hand to her and whispered, "I would like to share a dance with you. After all, you are the hostess of this spectacular event. You have accomplished your goal, Camille. This town lives on after the many tragedies it contained. Do me the honor of this dance."

She tapped her chin, pretending to think about this longer. Her face brought the biggest smile it could that day and she took his hand, accepting his proposition. The lights reflected them on the dancefloor. A slow song started, and all women wrapped their hands around the man's neck. Elijah swayed her gently and his eyes were searching for hers. Camille felt herself getting even more embarrassed. Their kiss…and the intensity of his gaze when he drank from the blood bag would remain imprinted in his brain. He noticed that she was avoiding his gaze, and he also had an idea as to why. "Camille…" he started saying and Cami looked up into his eyes with courage, at last. She longed to see his face…to see him happy and smiling. He looked hesitant…but he needed to get this out of his system. He had to tell her the truth. "What is it?" Cami asked, a little excited to learn. "About that kiss…" A blush crept on her cheeks and her smile disappeared at once. Her eyes averted from his and she focused all of her attention on Claire and the other girls, who were watching them dance attentively. His fingers ran over her chin and he pulled her head up in order to look into her eyes again.

"Let me explain." "Elijah, there is nothing to explain. It was a moment of weakness. You weren't feeling well and we have been through so much together these past few days and I…" "I want it again." He whispered, making her stop talking. For a second, Cami thought that she had misheard. "What?" she asked. She needed to be sure. She wanted to be sure…that she was not making a mistake and making a fool out of herself. "I want to kiss you again." He was firm but not demanding. No man had ever had the courage to be so straight forward with her. She didn't know how to feel. Did she want this too? Did she want to feel his lips? She did. She knew she did. But how could she do this? How could he accept something going on between them? A few months ago, she had eyes only for his brother. Now what? What could she say? What could she do? But then she remembered that Elijah had something going on with Hayley too, until they realized they wouldn't work out together. His eyes showed desire and she didn't want to pull back from what would inevitably happen.

Her eyes closed and she felt his hands pulling her by her waist closer to his body until it touched it. His breath was on her mouth and he very gently started kissing her like he did a few hours before. This was not a kiss of desperation. This was more…of something else. This was special. They had their moment in which she could hear some of the women gasp. She knew it was Claire and the other girls who were determined to fight for Elijah's attention. His lips gently left hers, but a while later, Camille could feel his forehead being gently put on top of hers. Both of their heads snapped up and they opened their eyes when they heard a scream from the nursery. The music stopped and Elijah immediately used his vampire speed to burst through the door. Cami followed immediately afterwards. They were both shocked to see Cassandra standing there and quivering with fright. "She was here. She was here and she threatened me not to say anything. She took the baby! She took the baby!" "Who took the baby?" Cami asked, trying to calm her down. But she already knew the answer. Elijah knew too.

"It was the woman who was banished from these grounds. The former masseuse. It was Melanie. But she had powers. She threw me against the wall. I am so sorry. There was nothing I could do to stop her." Cami could feel herself growing cold. "What does Mary want? Why did she take Hope? Elijah, what are we going to do?" "My brother needs to come home now. I shall send out our best fighters in search of Mary and I shall also alert Davina, to start a location spell. Niklaus and Hayley must return home." "They will be angry with us." "We were not responsible…" "Yes, we were!" Elijah sighed and the number of his brother's phone could not be reached and he decided that he should at least leave a voice mail. He had to know. Hayley had to know. In the meantime, they would search for Hope…whatever it takes.

…

"What are you doing? No comments on the ball I planned. I see everyone has attended. It would seem Italians sure love the romance." Aurora said with a smirk as she drank some of her cocktail. Lucien didn't smile back. His eyes were fixed on the woman who had entered the ballroom. Hayley Marshall was standing there, alone, with a small coat wrapped over her naked shoulders. Her gown was dark black, glimmering with the lights. Her hair was up in a bun and several strands were let loose on the back of her neck, making her look absolutely gorgeous. There was little to no make-up on her face, not that she needed it. But she was sad. A woman came and offered to take her coat off. She accepted. Aurora laughed and said, "You should have seen her face when I locked lips with her oh so faithful lover. It was priceless." "I am sure you would like to experience that again, right?" "Why not? Just give me a chance to. Go to her…woe her…she is desperate, can't you see? She can be putty in your hands, Lucien." "I am not interested. I just want her to be distracted enough." "Then what are you waiting for?"

Aurora pointed to Hayley, who was just standing there, the sadness clearly shown on her face. Lucien took a deep breath and gulped down the rest of his drink. "Let the show begin." He started going towards her, while Aurora was held back, attentive at the way Klaus had entered, in his suit, looking for someone. She rolled her eyes and walked over to him, determined to get his mind off of the hybrid woman. "I am so glad you came! I was hoping we could spend some time together!" Aurora exclaimed as she walked over to him and offered him a drink. Klaus looked skeptical but finally, he accepted her drink and muttered, "I don't like the game you are playing, love." An innocent look washed over her face at once. "What? What do you mean? Have I upset you with something?" "You have caused problems between Hayley and me." "Klaus, it was just a kiss…and like I told you, it was what I felt." He continued to stare at her and then asked, "Where is she? And where is Lucien? Is he not the host of this grand ball?" "I am sure Lucien is around…and I am also the hostess. The ball was my idea. I thought it would give us a chance to talk."

Hissing, Klaus took a step towards her until he was nose to nose with her. "You have caused enough trouble as it is. What makes you think that I would want to spend any more time with you now?" "Can't you see what she is doing to you? You have never been in a serious relationship with a woman before, and it's killing you. You are not made for something like that." "Are you suggesting that my only specialties are flings and one night stands?" "Long term flings, of course. And friends with benefits. You can also have that. You had that with me, or don't you remember?" Klaus knew what she was trying to do. He had gone through the exact same thing with Genevieve as well. But right before he could say something, he noticed Lucien gliding with Hayley across the dance floor. Aurora turned around and saw them too. She placed her chin on his shoulder and whispered, "It's a shame that she doesn't appreciate everything that you do for her. I know I would." The thought of Hayley finding Lucien as a suitable replacement for him angered him to the limit. He would not accept this! Hayley was his, and no one else's. She had always belonged to him. She had his heart and he had hers.

Pushing Aurora slightly away from him, Klaus whispered, "Listen to me, sweetheart. When I first told you that I am not interested, I would have thought that I have made myself perfectly clear. It would seem to be untrue as you continue to approach me with certain sexual advantages which are very displeasing for me. I suggest that you turn around and find someone who would take you as you are, because that is not going to be me." Aurora grabbed his hand before he could leave and asked, "You're going to pick her over me?" "What I feel for her is something I never felt with any woman. She is my vision of beauty, a Queen, a strong and faithful mother…the mother of my child. What I feel for her as more meaning than the numerous times we had sex over the years." He smiled when he realized that he had hit a nerve and Aurora was furious as hell. "That is a terrible thing to say to me. After all that we shared together…" "And I thank you for that but your sexual services will no longer be needed. Have a pleasant evening."

He tried controlling his anger when he stepped over to Hayley and Lucien and he tapped on his shoulder. "May I cut in?" Lucien immediately met Aurora's eyes, who shrugged. "Sure. She's your girl, isn't she?" Lucien stepped aside and let Klaus take Hayley's hand. Her face was nowhere near showing any happiness to dancing with him. She was passive, like she was doing her duty. As the two of them danced in silence, Lucien found himself going back to Aurora and hissed, "What was that? I thought you said that you were going to keep him busy." "I tried, but it's no use. He loves that wench!" "Klaus Mikaelson doesn't love. He craves something else entirely." "Trust me. He made it clear to me. He humiliated me, the bastard, after everything we have been through." She sighed and then asked him, "What are we going to do now?" "Have you been in contact with Mary?" "Yes. She's got the kid." "Good. In no time, the city will be ours." "What if he contacts his brother?" "It won't be a problem which can't be fixed. They will be too preoccupied to find the little brat. The city will be unarmed…and then we take what we want." Lucien explained to her.

The music stopped but another one started and Klaus was not about to let her go that fast. This was not meant to be more than just one dance. "Let go of me. You had your dance. I want to leave." Hayley whispered, noticing that people were staring at them, curiously. She felt ashamed of making a scene against but he was leaving her no choice. "No. You must come with me." "What? No…I…" "Hayley, love…" "Don't call me that! You no longer have the right to call me that anymore." "As far as I know, little wolf, you had not terminated our relationship." "I will right now. We're through." "Not convincing enough." He told her, right back. She was very confused. "What are you…?" "Come with me to the balcony. Please." He held her hand and dragged her over to that place, where the beauty of Rome could be very well seen. "Enjoying the view?" Klaus asked her and Hayley looked at him in surprise. She realized that she had been daydreaming. She did love this place, where he brought her.

"It would seem that I was greatly inspired when I chose to come here with you. Paris is not for us, sweetheart." "How do you figure?" "Because we are not the dating type. We are strong, united lovers…who will wreak everyone and everything that stands in our way." "What are you trying to say?" His hand closed over her cheek, and he pulled his face onto hers, kissing her passionately for the first time in what felt like forever since the start of their fight. She couldn't deny that the kiss was passionate and caring. She knew how much Klaus cared for her, but she still couldn't put past his betrayal. She pulled away from the kiss and looked into his eyes. "Strong? United you say? You made me feel weak. You made me feel like trash in front of Aurora. You ashamed me. You…" He kissed her one more time, this time gentler and then whispered against her lips, "And what do you think Aurora felt like a few minutes ago when I told her that she never meant anything but a long period of time involving sex…and I praised the love I have for you?"

Her heart was beating for a long moment. She felt like she was soaring through the air with happiness but Hayley also knew it would be weak of her to give in now. At once, he pulled out a box from his jacket and opened it, revealing a diamond necklace. "It's a symbol." He whispered. "And I don't fall head over heels when it comes to jewelry. The price…" "I know. I am not trying to buy your forgiveness, Hayley." His phone bleeped, interrupting his declaration. Groaning, he searched into his jacket and pulled out his phone, noticing that he had a missed call from Elijah, and a voicemail. Upon hearing what Elijah had left them in that voicemail, Hayley's eyes brimmed with tears as she dropped the necklace to the ground. "No." Klaus hissed furiously and slammed his phone over the concrete floor.

A/N: And the game begins. What do you think will happen now when Klaus and Hayley finally return? Will Hayley accept his apology and give in to her desires at last? Will Elijah and Camille talk about their kisses? What are Lucien's plans with Aurora now that Mary has captured Hope? Will they succeed?

Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!