OMG. You guys have been giving me the nicest reviews ever. As usual, thank you so much. Warning: Tissues may be needed.

Music

Red Arrow (John) - Gem Club

Beast - Nina Kinert (Leaving)

Embers - Max Richter

An unexpected knock was at Elijah's door. He could already sense it wasn't Hayley. He found Jonas looking quite uncomfortable on the other side. "Jonas, I wasn't expecting you." He quickly greeted and showed him into his apartment.

"Yes, I know. I needed to speak with you, Elijah." Jonas informed him.

"Alright, what is it?" He asked as he gestured for him to sit.

"We've been in Chicago for too long. There is nothing else that will help us here. Elijah, your desire to hunt down and kill Klaus is slowly disappearing. Hayley has changed you. She's altered your incentive and priorities. I understand if your motives have changed, but my son and I are only with you for one reason: to find and get my daughter back. If we are no longer on the same page, I'm afraid our time together has come to an end." Jonas shifted in his seat in discomfort. He didn't know how Elijah would react to what he had to say.

Elijah was quiet as the warlock's words sunk in. Everything he'd said was true. Someone else just needed to point it out for it to be clear to him. Elijah's love for Hayley replaced his hatred for Klaus and his motivation to kill him was dying. How had he not noticed it earlier? They were meant to stay in Chicago for only a few weeks and it had now become a few months.

Perhaps it was Elijah's inability to affirm what needed to be done if he were to move on to find Klaus. How could he leave Hayley here, by herself, so defenseless? And she already feared for him, she would never be able to handle him leaving for an indefinite amount of time.

"The longer you stay with her, the more danger you put her in." Jonas added when he didn't respond.

"I know that." Elijah snapped, which made Jonas jolt slightly in his seat.

"Klaus could be anywhere. We haven't been able to locate him in weeks. We need to keep moving, keep looking for anything that could help us. It isn't in Chicago. Bring her if you must. We just need to get back on track."

Once again, silence ensued. Jonas knew not to push him. Elijah was composed and was never to be misjudged. His silence meant he was thinking hard about the matter at hand and was not to be disturbed.

"We will leave tomorrow." Elijah confirmed.

Hayley sat at her kitchen counter, in sweats with, her hood up. Mindless cartoons were playing on the TV as she ate a bowl of cereal. It was just another Saturday morning, in the middle of October. She looked out the window to see that forest at the edge of her backyard was full of orange, yellow, and red instead of the usual green. Fall was her favorite season. It had the best weather, good food, and a change in scenery. It made her feel the most like herself.

Tomorrow was Hayley's birthday. She'd be turning 18. Getting excited to celebrate your own birthday always seemed weird to her. They always turned out bad anyways. Everyone always built them up and then became surprised when their expectations weren't met. Last year, her parents forgot about it and tried to play it off by calling the next day to send her wishes.

She'd failed to tell Elijah about her birthday. A part of her feared the measures he would take to get her something. It wouldn't be beyond him to fly her to Paris for the weekend or something ridiculous like that. Hayley understood that money had no value to him. It was something that was just there. But that didn't change how uncomfortable it made her sometimes. Buying her an Elie Saab dress at homecoming was enough for a lifetime, and even that she struggled with allowing.

Hayley was still in her zombie mode and she leaned against the counter, drinking her mug of coffee. Roscoe lay looking up at her with sad eyes. She looked outside to see that it was the perfect autumn day. It was in the sixties and the usual cloudy overcast made today perfect.

"Want to go for a walk?" She asked her dog. Roscoe's ears perked up and his tail immediately started wagging. Hayley ran upstairs to change. She pulled her hair up into a sleek ponytail; put on black jeans, black loafers, and a grey pea coat. Roscoe jumped around excited for his walk.

She walked out the door, with Roscoe in tow, and locked it. Her cell phone was in her coat pocket as it vibrated. Hayley struggled to grab it when Roscoe pulled her ahead, eager to keep the walk at a fast pace.

"Elijah." Hayley answered with a grin.

"I'm a little upset with you right now." Everything in his voice sounded off, but she knew he didn't mean he was actually mad at her.

"Is that so?" She played along.

"When were you planning on informing me your birthday is tomorrow?"

"Uh…well how exactly was I supposed to throw that into a conversation? I hate celebrating my birthday. It's so unnecessary and pointless. Wait, how did you even find that out?" She asked concerned.

"I have my ways." Elijah answered. There it was again. Something was off and Hayley needed to find out. He was acting unlike himself.

"Is everything ok, Elijah? It sounds like something's wrong." She asked carefully.

"I assure you, everything is fine." He quickly replied.

That was the first time Elijah lied to Hayley.

"Ok…so did you just call to yell at me about my birthday?" She smiled.

"No I was calling to let you know I'm giving you my present tonight."

"Elijah! That's exactly why I didn't tell you. No presents! I'm serious; you don't need to get my anything. Please." Hayley said unnerved.

"I'll see you tonight." Elijah ignored her protests and hung up the phone.

Hayley looked at her phone with concern. Everything seemed out of place, she could feel it. Roscoe looked up at his owner with his head tilted to the side. She told herself she would ask him tonight.

When she got back from walking Roscoe, the mood to paint suddenly hit her. Hayley ran upstairs to her bedroom. With her headphones on and music blasting, the brush started its strokes against the blank canvas. Two hours later, she was finished with her painting. It seemed different to her. She stood up and looked at it from further away. After a few minutes passed, it hit her. The painting was so different than any others she'd ever made. This one looked… happy. The colors, the vibe, everything about it looked blissful. She smiled at it, knowing the reasoning for the unexpected change.

A yawn interrupted the viewing of the painting. She hadn't slept at all last night. The wind storm kept her up. The sound of branches scratching the side of her house and the creaking of wood wouldn't allow Hayley's mind to rest. Looking at the time, she told herself that she could take a catnap before Elijah came over. She lay on top of her rarely made bed; it only took a few moments for her to fall asleep.

An hour or so later, Hayley felt lips faintly pressed onto her cheek. Her eyes slowly opened to meet Elijah's deep brown irises. He then kissed her other cheek. She closed her eyes again and her lips fell into a tired smile. "Hey you." She murmured. Outside the window, the sun had just set. The clouds were surrounded in pink and purple, preparing for the night sky.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep. I didn't know when you'd be coming." She sat up and leaned into Elijah's body, who was now sitting on the edge of her bed.

"It's quite alright." He replied. "May I give you my present now?"

Hayley looked at him suspiciously. "But technically, it's not my birthday yet."

He ignored her comment and handed her a fairly large box that wasn't covered in wrapping paper, it only had a simple black bow to hold it closed. She cautiously grabbed it from his hands and placed it on her bed to open. Slowly, she untied the ribbon and removed the lid from the box. Her hands clutched around a camera. Hayley gasped as she observed her gift.

"Oh my god. This is a Nikon d7000. Elijah, this camera is over a thousand dollars! And that's not even including the lens. You can't give me this." She tried handing it back to him but he wouldn't take it.

"Hayley, take the camera. I wanted you to have it. I should be allowed to give you what I wish for your birthday." Hayley stared at the camera in her hands. Elijah watched in amusement, satisfied that she loved her gift. After a few moments of staring in awe at it, she placed the camera on the bed. She wrapped her arms around him, her chin softly resting on his shoulder.

"Thank you. It's the best gift I've ever gotten. Oh that reminds me! I got you something. " She rushed off the bed and rummaged through her closet.

"Hayley, it's your birthday, not mine." Elijah stated.

"Yeah but they go together. I've had it for a while; I just didn't know when I should give it to you. And now seems like the perfect time." It wasn't wrapped. In her hand was a combined picture frame with two spaces for photos. In the first was a picture of Elijah leaning against his car smiling at the person holding the camera, which was obviously Hayley. But the other one was what caused Elijah to become captivated. On the other side was a picture of Hayley, her hands in her hair. Both were taken the day Elijah took her to the small town at the lake.

"I guess it's a little cheesy. But you don't have any pictures. So I thought I'd start your collection." Elijah just stared at the two photos in silence. She misinterpreted his reaction as a sign that he didn't like it. "You don't have to keep it if you don't like it." She said hurriedly and became suddenly unsure if her gift was a success.

He shook his head right away. "No, Hayley. It's perfect. Thank you."

She smiled at his response, glad that she misjudged it. Reaching over she pulled his face near hers to kiss. Elijah prolonged the embrace. His hands were firmly on her waist, refusing to let her go. His kiss was rushed and it felt like a good-bye. Hayley broke it, noticing something wasn't right. She placed her hands on either side of his face and looked at him with concern.

"Elijah, tell me what's wrong. I know you're keeping something from me."

He took her hands from his face and held them in his own. His eyes stared at her face, memorizing it. The idea of forgetting her beauty seemed ridiculous but Elijah savored it anyhow. There isn't a person in the world that could match her blue-green eyes or strawberry blonde hair. He didn't know what to do. The look in Hayley's eyes made it impossible for him to think clearly.

"You're leaving." Hayley said. Elijah didn't know what gave him away. He always seemed to underestimate her ability to read him. She grew keener with every day she was with him. His eyes looked down at the ground to try and find the words to tell her she was correct. But all he did was look back up at her to confirm the guess.

Hayley's grip on his hands tensed instantly, as if that would stop him from leaving. "I'll come with you." The words spilled out of her mouth.

But Elijah shook his head no. "You have a life here, Hayley. The best thing for you is to live a normal one. It's not safe for you to accompany me."

Hayley shook her head as tears quietly slid down her face. He'd never seen her cry and he hated how she looked even more beautiful with her eyes covered in tears. She moved away from him to look out the window before turning back to look at him.

"Please, Elijah. Don't leave me. He'll kill you. It will be just as unsafe for you as it would be for me. Please, just stay here with me." Her tears were heavier. She wiped them away and stared at her hand as if she hadn't realized she'd been crying until now. Elijah couldn't stand the pain he was causing her. Neither of them would be able to last apart form one another. He knew what he could do to stop this.

Before his heart could stop him, Elijah stood next to her and clutched Hayley's face. They kissed in such a passionate way. They both knew everything was about to change. Their kiss was full of pain, tenderness, and heartbreak. It was meant to distract her, to stop her from grasping what he was about to do.

Elijah pulled away but kept her chin cupped in his hand. He looked deep into her eyes, catching her in a daze. "I love you, and I will forever. You are to forget ever meeting me and disregard any memories we had together. It will be as if I never existed. Now you are going to sleep and when you wake up, I will be forgotten."

Her eyes instantly closed and her body collapsed. Elijah easily caught her and laid her quiet body on top of the bed. His jaw was clenched as he stared at her sleeping. He tried convincing himself that what he did was justified, that it was all to protect and keep her safe. If he hadn't, their separation would've destroyed both of them. It was better if it was only himself. She could move on and live happily without him.

Tearing his eyes away from Hayley, Elijah quickly moved around the room and got rid of any evidence of him. He took the negatives of any pictures of him. Before leaving the room, something at her desk caught his eye. A painting of hers he had never seen before. She must have painted it earlier that day for the paint was still wet. Thoughtlessly, he took the painting as a keepsake. One of the few things he allowed himself as a way to remember her. Little did Elijah know that he was also taking away one of the only things that proved Hayley had been happy once.

He walked into his apartment later that night to find Jonas and Luka already waiting for him in his apartment. The two of them could tell something in him had changed. His eyes were darker and posture stiff.

"Thank you for coming. I require a spell from you before we leave." He regarded both of them so formally. "An original vampire's compulsion is released if daggered. I need you to cast a spell so no matter what happens to me, it will not be broken unless I release them from it myself."

Luka looked at his father, confused at what was going on. But Jonas was too busy staring at Elijah in horror. "What did you do to her?" He whispered.

"Can you do the spell or not?" Elijah said through clenched teeth.

Jonas only nodded and spoke softly to his son, instructing him on what to do. The father and son joined hands and began chanting incomprehensible words under their breath. The candle that was lit in the room started to flicker. Carefully, they both raised their heads and looked at Elijah.

"It's done." Jonas said.

THE END

...JUST KIDDING!

So finally, everyone's same question has been answered. THAT is why they are not together in the present. Is it evil of me to hope that you all cried while reading this? NAHHHH. If you did, I'd love to here about it lol. Review please and thank you :)