Chapter 9 - The Truth

He couldn't differentiate if the anger boiling inside of him was because it was him on the picture...which means he was or is working with Ysabel or because Hayley was kissing him.

Either way he was angry.

Elijah felt a pair of hazel green eyes on him he looked down to Hayley who face showed signs of major fear.

"Conan"

They both said his name in such a cold whisper that it could have frozen the entire compound.

The named rolled off of their tongues in such distaste...anger burned through their bodies for many different reasons.

Hayley was upset because the baby vamp decided that she would spend her day stalking her instead of worrying about herself...she was even more upset that she decided that she would take a picture, like that, in hopes of it breaking apart her and Elijah's relationship.

Elijah knew and understood Hayley's feelings for him...he also knew that it was something they would have to talk about once everything settled down.

Unfortunately seeing this picture made him a little unsure of everything at the moment; that's justified right?

Of course it is but for now there were bigger issues going on; Conan is working with Ysabel.

That's a very dangerous combination if used properly and Elijah had no choice but to stop this before it got too out of hand.

"Surprised huh Elijah?" Gia asked completely oblivious to thoughts of the people around her. "You shouldn't be surprised maybe Hayley has turned into a fake bitch in your absence...maybe she's been playing you all the entire time-"

"What is your problem Baby Vamp; you're stalking me, you've been rude to me since you showed up, and you've accused me of things that is so far from the truth." Hayley could feel herself getting that much more heated. "These guys are my family; they would never believe anything you say over me...Elijah included; he knows that I love-"

"Cut the crap Hayley" Gia laughed. She couldn't believe that Hayley would still stand here and say that she love Elijah when the proof that she doesn't is right here on the phone. "You claim to be so in love with Elijah then why was this guys tongue down your throat?"

The Mikaelson's all shared a look all wondering the same thing...why exactly was Hayley kissing Conan? Were they back together? They couldn't be especially with Hayley confessing her love to their brother.

To Gia the shocked expressions on everyone's faces meant that they had finally realized what a lying two faced bitch Hayley actually was.

But she couldn't be farther from the truth.

"Baby vamp not that it's any of your damn business who I kiss and don't kiss -" She peered around Elijah's body to shoot daggers at Gia before letting out and breath and saying to him. "I wasn't kissing him Elijah."

He nodded his head; Hayley had no reason to explain to him what she and Conan were doing in regards to their on again off again relationship...but they must talking about it eventually.

Right now isn't the moment for that they must find out what the ordeal was between Conan and Ysabel...that was the important thing right now.

"It's okay Hayley you don't have to explain anything to me..."

His words lingered in the space between them. Hayley knew that the picture must have confused him; after all she had only moments ago confessed her love to him in front of everyone and now Gia shows him a picture of her kissing her ex.

Oh God he must think I'm crazy she couldn't help but think to herself.

Hayley very nervously ran her fingertips through her hair before letting out a breath.

"I'm going to kill him." She bit down onto her bottom lip as she continued to curse Conan in her thoughts. "He called me and said that he wanted to talk, I objected many times, but I finally agreed. I wasn't there for more than five minutes before he kissed me."

"Oh for the sake of God!" Gia suddenly groaned out; gaining all of the attention now. "Why are we still talking about a stupid freaking kiss; what's important is that she and this guy are -"

"Gia" Elijah held up a hand that momentarily silenced her.

Gia was slightly taken back by the sternness in his voice.

He sounded angry at her...was he? He couldn't possibly be angry with her it wasn't her fault that Hayley got caught conspiring with the man and woman that tried to kill her and who knows what else.

"No! Elijah..." She said grabbing hold onto his wrist that lingered in the air. "He's the guy that was Ysabel little companion and Hayley is clearly working with him -"

Suddenly Hayley let out a breath, looking at the screen once more before she handed Gia her phone back. "I am so sorry Gia, I'm sorry that this happening to you. I'm not working with him, he's my ex boyfriend -"

Ex boyfriend?? Was that supposed to comfort her...if it was it didn't. If anything it only confirmed what she already expected.

"Your ex boyfriend tried to kill me and you're saying you had no idea that he was -"

"No" Hayley quickly shook her head. "I had no knowledge of Ysabel or who she has been working with. Believe me when I say, baby vamp, I am just as confused as you are...once again I am so very sorry."

Hayley gave Elijah a small smile before she sped out of the courtyard.

Her mind was clouded with the two very names that she had hoped to never head again; Conan and Ysabel. She didn't even know Ysabel but she already despised her.

Elijah let out a sigh at the sound of the door slamming shut from upstairs.

"We have to talk." He said grabbing Gia's hand in his own and practically vamping her upstairs to his bedroom.

"Elijah you better get to explaining because I'm this close...to murdering Hayley -"

"Listen and believe me when I say this; Hayley is in no way working with Conan." Elijah shut the door behind him before coming over to her. "It's true that they are exes but that's it."

"And you know this for sure?" She asked folding her arms across her body. "How?"

Elijah paused he didn't know exactly how to answer that...he had no way of actually knowing the truth.

But this was, Hayley, the woman he loved and the one who would never lie or conspire against him.

So there's only way he could answer Gia's question and that was. "Because I know her and that's all that matters."

Comforting she couldn't help but think to herself as she ran a hand through her hair.

The last thing Gia wanted to do was put her trust in Hayley but what else could she do...Elijah's mind was made up. All of his trust was into Hayley.

"Okay so say she's telling the truth...we're just going to ignore the fact that Ysabel chose Hayley's ex to kill me or maybe -"

"Maybe he's been working with her all along?"

"I don't know Elijah...you're the expert on all of this." She sighed with a shake of her head. "I'm confused on everything but what I do know is that...we need to come up with a plan. And fast."

The two sat on the edge of the bed and quietly tried to come up with any solution that could help them through this situation.

Elijah knew that it finally had come time where he could no longer push everyone away; Conan is the prime example of how this is now getting too close to home.

He could sit here and do nothing; wait for the next move to be made or he could jumpstart and get ahead of the problem before it turned deadly and it would turn deadly and fast.

He knew what he had to do now...

"We leave tonight at midnight..." He suddenly said watching as Gia slowly turned her head towards him. "It's the only way."

"Leave - we leave - we run -" She stammered. Unsure if she had heard correctly she raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you saying Elijah?"

"Gia, my dear, you are a lot smarter than you are putting on right now." He smirked at her as he stood from the bed and begin pacing back and forth. "We leave tonight."

"That's true Elijah, I am very smart, but I don't think you are..." She let out a breath. "Do you not understand what you just said to me?"

"Yes" He said matter of factly before going over to his closet to pull his traveling bag out and tossing it onto the bed. "We're going back to France...tonight."

"Elijah!" She chuckled in disbelief "Will you stop to think for a second...you can't just rush out, again, on your family like this."

"They'll understand everything when we return Gia."

"Elijah" She sighed grabbing his wrist making him pause his packing to look at her. With soft and sad eyes she shook her head and said to him. "Think about Hayley."

That got him to stop and think. He stared into Gia's eyes and he knew that she was only looking out for him and he also knew that she was right.

He needed to pause and think everything threw; his family would forgive him...He and Hayley would not make it a second time if he tried to leave again.

Especially considering everything that was going on now.

"I am thinking of her..." He said angrily tossing the bag onto the floor. "I'm always thinking of her."

Gia smiled sadly at him; she could the wordiness behind his eyes, she could see how tired he was of everything, she could see how he blamed himself for everything...he needed to know that none of this was his fault.

Slowly she patted the empty spot next to her.

"I am the last person who wants to stick up for Hayley, believe me Elijah, but she just told you she loved you."

"Yes I know...and despite everything; the timing and the circumstances, I love her as well. I always have."

Gia had to smile to herself at that. She remembered all of the late nights spent with Elijah looking a photos of Hayley and Hope that he kept in his wallet.

She remembered him saying one night during one of his rare drunken rants "if I ever get the chance to get that girl back I'm going to marry her and never leave her again."

Gia may be very protective over Elijah, he's like the big brother she's never had, and her and Hayley may not be the best of friends but she has heard the stories of the two of them and she hoped that they could eventually work it out.

"So how can you be so ready to just up and leave her again. Why are you doing this?" She shook her head in the cutest way possible. "Don't be selfish."

"Everything I do is for that girl...me going to France and ending this is the only way I know how to keep her safe."

"Come on 'Lijah" She rubbed a comforting circle into his shoulder. "I know you want to keep her safe but do you honestly think that you leaving for France tonight will keep her safe? Especially after finding out how close to home Ysabel has gotten."

"Of course not" He scoffed "She's coming with us."

Okay so he has clearly lost his mind he's not thinking logically or practically.

Gia thought to herself taking Hayley to France without her knowing what it was that she was walking into...could only end in one way.

"Elijah you really just need to take a couple of deep breaths, go to your comfort place because you're thinking with anger..." Gia said to him as she stood from the bed. "Elijah we have to think this out. Us running into France, blindly, is not going to end well and now you want to take Hayley as well?"

Elijah slowly nodded his head. Okay his idea wasn't the best idea, sure he had just returned from France, but who knows what could have changed in between this time.

But he had no other solution...he couldn't just sit here and do nothing.

"So what do you propose we do, Gia, sit back and do nothing?" He asked running his hands over his head and grasping the back of his neck.

"What I propose is this; we stay here...In New Orleans and find out why exactly Ysabel decided to come here and recruit people in her army and why one of those people just happens to be your girls ex."

Elijah nodded his head; Gia was right, his plan did not seem practical in the afterthought...the three of them trying to take on an entire army would definitely be the death of them.

So after further conversation with Gia; Eli knew what needed to be done and he knew exactly where to start.

So here he was down the hall while Gia rested, it was sure to get hectic in the coming days and she needed sleep.

Down the hall he quietly peeked into the room, she looked angry, dressed in her leather jacket and muddy boots.

Elijah didn't know what to say to her...how could he possibly tell her all the horrid and unimaginable things he have done over the past five years.

He didn't know the answer to that but he had no other choice this now involved her and he had to tell.

Inside the room Hayley was stewing...she hated the feeling of being played by anyone.

Even worse she hated being taken advantage of by someone she cared deeply for.

There was no way she was going to let Conan get away with this, even though Gia wasn't her favorite person in the world, she still didn't condone what Conan had done.

She stood from her bed and angrily stomped over to her closet, stripping out of one leather jacket into another.

Suddenly she heard a whooshing sound and her hair, because of the sudden wind, moved her hair making it fall in her face.

She let out a breath she knew it could only be one person and she knew exactly why he was here.

But she didn't want to hear it, Conan had a lot of explaining to do and no one...not even Elijah was going to stop her from getting the answers she wanted.

"Stop" Elijah said his breath fanning against the nape of her neck.

To say the least she wasn't startled by his closeness but she was startled by his hands gripping her waist as he pulled her to him.

"You're angry. You're upset. You want answers...but please allow me to handle this." To her surprise he placed a chaste kiss to her neck. "I will get you those answers."

Hayley let out a breath she wished that she could just let Elijah handle everything but she couldn't. This wasn't about him Conan was pretending to really love she had to know why.

"Elijah" She sighed turning to face him. "This isn't yours to handle...Conan played me for years as - as - I don't know some evil psychological plan of his."

"Listen to me" He breathed out running a hand through her hair before cupping her face. "You can't just go running into this...if Conan is really working with Ysabel as some backwater scheme - which I don't think he is - he could possibly be dangerous."

"You don't believe Conan is working with Ysabel?" Hayley was beyond confused at this point.

Gia came to them with proof that he was the werewolf who was with Ysabel that day...how could Elijah not believe Gia? Hayley doesn't even like Gia and she believes her.

"What I believe is that..." He let out a deep breath. "Ysabel is still very upset with me and when she ran into you and him that day-"

"She basically recruited him that day?" Hayley said as it automatically clicked to her.

That would explain why Conan would act so calm and collected with her today; he probably had no clue who Gia was or her relationship to Elijah.

"Yes. And if I'm correct we can not be upset with Conan...he probably was angry and in walks a beautiful woman who asks a favor of him and he was more than willing to abide."

"You make him sound like he's been accused of cheating." Hayley joked stepping out of his arms before going over to her bed and taking a seat. "So if we can't be mad at Conan are we just supposed to forgive and forget."

"No" He shook his head sadly coming to sit in front of her. "Our next move is to act as though we know nothing about it...when we go visit Conan tomorrow."

"Right. Don't know anything about it...wait what? We're visiting Conan?"

Hayley wasn't sure if she heard him correctly or maybe she did and she misinterpreted what he was saying...when he said we're he clearly meant himself and Gia.

"Yes, Hayley, I meant yourself and I." He confirmed her thoughts. "As much as I hate it, hate myself for being the cause of it, you have now become a part of this and the only way I know how to keep you safe is to have you with me."

"Don't you think I'll be much safer and more of a help to you and Baby Vamp...if I knew exactly what I was walking in to."

"Yes which is why I'm ready to explain everything to you...but Hayley I need you to know; before I say anything, that I love you and everything I have done of the past five years was to keep you and your daughter safe."