To say the Original was surprised to see the redhead again was putting it mildly. They had come to a mutual agreement or so he'd thought. And yet, she'd called him and asked him to meet her at the club. And here he was. Elijah was slightly frustrated with himself, he shouldn't have answered the call but he did still owe her for the help she'd given Freya with the spell work, they only had to wait another day or so before the spell could be performed and Freya would hopefully be successful.

Entering the club during the day was always vastly different than in the evening, the silence of the place was almost deafening but peaceful at the same time. While Rae had an office she could be using she was currently set up at the end of the bar like so many other times he'd seen her there working on various paperwork. Her red hair was free about her face today, a freedom she didn't often allow. The curls were 'too wild' as she'd explained to him but they were beautiful. She was far too beautiful, a natural beauty that needed no makeup to enhance and he very much appreciated that she didn't cover herself in the garbage.

Realizing he was staring at her Elijah chided himself before he moved forward again to meet her at the end of the bar, "You called, Miss Buchannon."

Rae kept her green eyes on the papers in front of her, "Yes, thank you for coming, Mr. Mikaelson." So it was to be formal with each other again, it chafed a little she had to admit but it was that or they were all over each other.

Finally she lifted her eyes from whatever she was writing and looked up at him. Elijah attempted to keep the frown from his face, she looked tired and he could tell she had something to say that she wasn't going to like. Obviously she had called him here for a reason, was the coven giving her problems again? He wanted to kill them all, witches were quickly becoming a problem for him and his family and it was starting to annoy him.

"I believe I've found something you can help me with to fulfill our obligation," she said carefully before setting aside what she'd been doing as she watched him stand quietly waiting with his hands in his pockets.

Rae pulled a card from the pile of papers on the bar and held it out for him. After a moment of looking at her he took another step closer to take the paper which was in fact an invitation to a gala. The coven hosted a large gathering every year, even while in hiding when Marcel was in charge of the city they had still gathered. This year they were being rather obnoxious about their congregation and announcing it to any and everyone who would listen. It was a statement to say the least but Elijah hadn't put much stock in it as of yet, it meant little to him in the grand scheme of things.

After glancing over the invitation which was made out to Raeanne he lifted his brown eyes to look at her again, "Should I be surprised you received an invitation?"

She smiled a little as she crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair she was perched on, "Perhaps a little. I was rather surprised to receive the card. I do plan on attending, but given the current state of things with the coven I'm not sure it's something I should attend alone."

"So you are looking for… my protection? Backup? What is it, Miss Buchannon?"

Rae looked at him for a moment, choosing her words carefully, "You had said you would protect me, so in part yes I am looking for that."

"But there's more."

It didn't take a genius to figure out that this whole situation could be dangerous for her. The coven was not happy that she was now linked with the Mikaelson family, even though she wasn't doing much with them now that Freya had the spell and everything was set. Rae wasn't sure if the coven would have the arrogance to attack her or set something up at an event like this but if she was going to go she needed to have some things in order.

"The coven has recently made it abundantly clear they are… unhappy with me. I would like to know just how unhappy they are but I can't do that unless I'm around them. Putting myself in their path could prove to be a little more dangerous than I am capable of dealing with-"

"A little more dangerous?"

She went on as if he hadn't interrupted her, "And I'm sure you don't want to be in debt to me for any longer than you have to be. I would like you to accompany me, be an extra set of eyes and ears as well as provide backup should something happen. I need to do this but I also need to know that if something goes down someone is in my corner."

Surprised by the request Elijah merely looked at her for a moment. She was asking him to watch her back, she trusted him to be there for her. This was a dangerous game they were playing. He couldn't deny the attraction he had to this woman, the magnetism he felt whenever she was near but he knew he was a danger to her. By putting himself beside her in such a public setting it would be like painting a target on her and he wasn't sure he could do that to her.

Rae watched his face and for the most part the Original kept his thoughts from his features, after so many years she had a feeling he was pretty good at that. He'd expressed some concerns over her connection to him, it had been the main reason he'd said they needed to stay away from each other and she was very aware this was asking him to go against that. But she needed help, needed someone who would back her up and right now the only person she could trust was Elijah.

"If there was someone else I could ask for this I would, I thought about it a lot trying to come up with another solution. I need to figure out what the coven is up to and how much hot water I'm in with them but I need to do so as safely as I can," she said carefully.

Elijah finally frowned, setting the invitation on the bar, "Showing up with me is not going to turn up the temperature of said hot water?"

With a chuckle she shrugged her shoulders, "Possibly."

The look she got said he didn't appreciate her humor at the moment. Rae sighed as she looked at him, "Don't give me that look. It's not ideal for either of us but you can gain something from this too."

A dark brow rose in question, "Other than freedom from a debt?"

That stung a little but she understood he didn't want to owe her, "I'm sure there's a thing or two you can learn while you are there as well. Mikaelsons are always looking for the upper hand. This is an opportunity you might never have otherwise."

Rubbing his slightly stubbled jaw Elijah turned away from her, he couldn't think with her in sight. This could work to his advantage but at risk to Rae herself. Was that a trade off he was willing to make? He'd be there with her of course but what about after? There would be fall out from this he was sure so it was a question of how best to protect her from that. The thought of letting her walk into a den of vipers by herself didn't sit all that well either. It was unlikely he'd be able to convince her not to go so that left him with little in the way of options.

Elijah finally turned back to her to look into her green eyes, "What is the likelihood of you not attending this event?"

The look he received was what he'd expected, "I had to ask. This seems like little gain for the amount of risk you are putting yourself in."

"I don't see many other opportunities coming my way and aren't you the one who likes to know when a threat is coming your way? I'm trying to be proactive and see where I might need to be looking for attacks," she said carefully.

His eyes went to the invitation and then back to Rae, "You have reason to believe they will attack you?"

Rae laughed and slid down from the stool she'd been sitting on, "Yes, I wouldn't be doing this if it were merely a fear of being attacked. The coven told me they were behind the break in here as well as a few other minor inconveniences that have cost me a little time and money. I can't afford them going after my business so I need to see where things are with them. Yes, I'm aware the invitation is more than likely a trap which is why I called in the big guns."

He couldn't stop himself from chuckling, "Are you implying I'm the 'big guns' Miss Buchannon?"

"Not implying, I'm saying it directly. You are the biggest weapon I have right now and I'm aware this is a one time thing so I wouldn't be calling in the favor for something minor," she said as she started gathering the papers on the bar.

Watching her he was at a loss for how to handle this situation. He shouldn't have come here in the first place but he did owe Rae, she'd helped Freya and held up her end of the deal. Now she was cashing in so to speak. He could deny her this of course but then he'd just go on continuing to owe her. This way so long as they survived the evening he could be essentially free of her.

Twice now he'd not been strong enough to withstand his desire for this woman, he should know better by now. With a shake of his head he admitted his defeat as gracefully as he could, "When would you like me to pick you up, Miss Buchannon." The party was in two nights, a little short notice but he'd manage.

The relief that spread across her shoulders was visible, "The invitation says the doors open at eight."

Nodding his head curtly Elijah turned away from her and headed towards the exit, "I'll be here sharply at 7:30."

Before he could reach the door he heard her say softly, "Thank you, Elijah."

Everything in him told him to turn around and take her into his arms but he'd be damned if he gave into his desire again. He would get this woman out of his system sooner or later. So he merely kept walking though they both knew he'd heard her softly spoken words and the emotion in them. Rae might not be very good at keeping her emotions to herself but he had years of practice, though none of it seemed to matter currently.