Thanks for still reading my fic! I know it's been a long run.

Music

I Will Be Heard by Hatebreed [Gym]

Circumambient by Grimes [Hayley vs. Elijah]

The Waves Have Come by Chelsea Wolfe [Warehouse]

No Harm by The Boxer Rebellion [Jackson]

Elijah made sure to enter the gym as quietly as possible. The guy at the front desk nodded at him as he looked up from his paperwork. "You Elijah?" He asked. His voice sounded raspy. His hair had gone completely white, but his body showed he used to be in great shape.

Elijah nodded. Then the man, who he assumed was the owner, nodded his head toward the next door with casualness. Apparently he had been given the okay through compulsion to let him through. He had to give Hayley credit for covering her tracks carefully. He wondered what were to happen if the man hadn't recognized him as someone who Hayley had allowed in.

The music was blaring with the door to the gym closed tightly. Once it was opened, he was welcomed to metal rock and dim lighting. The gym looked like it had been built in the 1940s. It was not a new and improved modern facility, but gave an old school vibe that smelled of longstanding leather and sweat. He walked in to see that he was on a balcony looking down to the workout area below.

Elijah remained in the shadows as he watched for a moment. Hayley must have evacuated the building before arriving. She was below wearing only a black sports bra and workout leggings. Her hair was up in a ponytail, a rarity for her unless she was painting or working out. Wraps were around her hands and then Elijah noticed the set of boxing gloves that had been thrown aside. Her exposed skin had a layer of glistening sweat.

She was sparring a man taller and more muscular than her. However, despite her disadvantage, she seemed to be succeeding on overpowering him. With every movement, her bare abs flexed and showed the strength that most people overlooked when meeting her. Elijah then realized he recognized the man as one of her newborn lackeys from when she had no humanity. He must have stayed in New Orleans, even after she set them all free and left.

They started moving at a speed that only vampires and werewolves would be able to follow. He tried to throw punch after punch, but Hayley either dodged or beat him to it before any could land. Eventually she twisted her body so she was behind him and threw him onto the floor. Elijah smirked, feeling an odd sense of pride. He saw this as his opportunity to interrupt.

Hayley was straddling her opponent with a fist at the ready that she didn't remember rising. Then she felt him pounce into the ring. She could always sense when it was him. His appearances used to scare the crap out of her when she was human. But after becoming a vampire, she could decipher everything.

She gave a sly smile and got up from dominating position and gave her opponent a hand up. He took it gratefully and smiled, despite practically being made a fool by her. She was dripping with sweat, but it was nothing compared to him.

Hayley slowing turned to face Elijah. He looked out of place, standing in a nice suit while being at a dingy gym. "Hello." She greeted.

He tilted his head in response with a smirk.

"Elijah, this is Andy." She offered.

Andy immediately offered his hand. "The famous Original." He gave off the vibe of a boy-next-door. Their type seemed to have a magnetism toward Hayley. Elijah took his offered hand. "Sorry…a little sweaty." Andy immediately realized.

"Pleasure." Elijah responded, ignoring the sweat.

Then Andy looked at Hayley. "Next week, same time?" She nodded and gave him a smile. He seemed to sense that his presence was a nuisance and grabbed his stuff, heading to the locker room.

Elijah offered Hayley the towel that was sitting by her water bottle.

She nodded in thanks and started wiping the dripping sweat from her face. "I thought I'd show him a few moves." She stated as if she were answering a question that he never asked.

"Really?" He smirked. "Because it looked like you were just trying to emasculate the poor man."

She glared at him. "I left a lot of vampires here without any help on how to survive. If he wants to stay in New Orleans, he needs to learn a few things." Then she shifted a little. "And I might have added letting off some steam to the process."

Elijah leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "And what steam would that be?" He challenged.

She walked to her water bottle and faltered a bit at the question. No one in the world was more observant of her actions than Elijah. It was both a blessing and a curse. She took a gulp of water before answering. "It's not the nightmares." She stated before he could target the blame.

"Are you sure?" But he wasn't really asking, just proving that he knew he did not believe her.

Hayley sighed. She hadn't prepared for an interrogation from him. That was one of the reasons she slipped off the grid. "How did you even find me?"

Elijah held up his phone casually.

Her eyes darkened. "Seriously? What…am I a teenage girl now? You have to track my every movement like an overbearing parent?" She knew there was more to him just simply buying her a new phone.

"Not an overbearing parent, just an overbearing boyfriend."

She rolled her eyes. "Cute."

His playfulness disappeared. "Hayley, you were kidnapped by some of the most powerful witches in the world. I would not have even known had it not been for Wesley. I'm not going to apologize for being protective of you."

She knew he had a valid point, but it still bothered her. Hayley had always valued a high level of independence and this made it feel like it was being taken away. But after a moment, she nodded her head in acceptance instead of deciding to argue with him.

"Ever since I got my humanity back," She began without looking at him. Instead, she strapped on the discarded boxing gloves and started taking shots at the bag strung a few feet away from her. "My anger has been…a little testy." She hesitated on the wording, knowing how easily she could worry him. "Things set me off easily. So…I try to work out to get it out of my system." Then she hit the bag so hard that the seam split and sand starting spilling out. She sighed, putting her hands over her head. "Plus, Klaus has the bitch of a witch at the compound right now. And…she doesn't exactly help with my new found anger."

Elijah stood up straight from his place against the wall. "Hayley," He began, trying to make sure he chose his words wisely. "Have you ever considered talking to someone?"

Her entire body tensed. "What like a therapist?" She laughed at the idea. "'Yes, doctor, I've been having some issues since I came back from the dead.'" The last time someone had tried to convince her to do that, it had been her parents. Elijah had compelled her to forget him and their relationship. Her parents didn't want to deal with it, so they gave her an ultimatum: go to someone we can pay to care of it or we won't pay for your tuition.

Elijah immediately regretted bringing it up. In no way did he ever want to give Hayley a way to compare him to her parents. "It could be someone you already know." He tried to offer.

She had practically checked out of the conversation, knowing all too well that if she still participated, her anger would take over. "What, like Cami? Or should I say, Klaus' little human pet?" She started walking away from him.

"Yes, actually." He nodded. "She is a very clever girl. I think you would get along fairly well."

This suggestion seemed to make her even angrier, despite her efforts to remain calm. She whipped around to face him. "What? Because she took some fucking courses in psychology, that makes her an expert on my life? Don't think there's a class on how to deal with supernatural resurrection, Elijah!"

He didn't back down from her anger, but stayed composed, per usual. "Alright. What about a bet?"

Hayley blinked. "What?"

Elijah took off his suit jacket. "You beat me in a sparring match, you can cope how you want. But if I beat you, you sit down with Camille." He was now rolling up the sleeves of his button-up shirt. Hayley didn't respond, just raised an eyebrow at the absurdity. "You call yourself a feminist, it should be an even match." He added.

"The odds have nothing to do with gender. If we were the same age, I'd knock your ass and you know it. I'm thinking about the millennium you have over me."

Elijah smiled almost in mocking. "Are you turning down a challenge, Ms. Raymond?" There was a playful tone in his voice, but he knew it would only make her wilder.

Hayley threw the towel that rest around her neck on the ground. "Fine." She growled. She got back into the sparring circle, opposite of Elijah. She shifted her footing so they were ready for an attack. Her eyes darkened with competition and control. She knew he wouldn't make the first move, so she lunged for him but went for the opposite side she knew he'd expect.

They went on much longer than Elijah expected, hating to admit that he was actually getting breathless. Then he made a misstep, always underestimating her speed. Hayley somehow moved behind him and shoved his heel from underneath him, then pinning him to the ground with her arm. She pushed her foot onto his chest.

"I learned a few moves since I died." She smirked, but didn't truly finish the game.

Elijah saw his opening, knowing she had all of her weight on the foot that wasn't pressed on his chest. With his arm, he took out her other leg and sped around so his forearm was pressed to her throat. "You got too arrogant." He smirked before softly kissing her lips. Haughtiness in combat was one of the first lessons he had taught her.

Hayley shoved him off of her as a growl erupted from the back of her throat. Elijah wiped the smirk off his face, knowing it would get him nowhere shoving his victory back at her.

There was a difficult silence invading the room. It was thankfully interrupted by Elijah's cellphone ringing. He read Andrea's name on the screen. "Yes?"

Hayley crossed her arms and waited intensely. She didn't bother hiding that she was eavesdropping on the phone call.

"Elijah, Jackson and Oliver aren't back yet. They should have been at the compound hours ago." Hayley heard Andrea's panicked voice.

Elijah looked at her briefly before saying, "I'll be right there." He hung up and gave Hayley his full attention.

"Go on," She patronized while giving him a shooing gesture with her hand. "The she-wolf's calling."

He sighed heavily before turning to leave. While he had been trying to fix a problem, he seemed to only make it worse. Now there was a different tension between the two of them. He had only been trying to help.

Hayley's jaw flexed, waiting for him to make his exit. As soon as she knew he was gone, she grabbed her phone from her gym bag.

It only rang twice before being picked up. "Hello, darling. While I'd love to chat, I'm a bit busy." Klaus voice demeaned.

"That wouldn't have anything to do with two missing werewolves would it?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Andrea just called Elijah." She added. "I figured you would've figured it out before a 'few hours' passed…unlike her."

"Right…well, it seems like you are well informed. What was your point in calling me?" His tone was purposely annoyed.

"You obviously have a plan. I want in." Hayley clarified.

"I thought you didn't want any part in New Orleans business."

"This is an exception." Hayley sighed. "Now tell me where you are."

He muttered off his hiding spot in the Quarter. Hayley looked at the entrance for the women's locker-room. She just needed to shower and get the stench of leather and sweat off. "I'll be there soon."

Hayley remained quiet as she listened to Klaus' phone conversation with Elijah and Andrea. She didn't need to tell him to keep her presence a secret. Klaus could practically read her mind when it came to mischievousness. As soon as she had joined him on the rooftop, he could read that something had happened with her and his brother.

Klaus made a comment about leverage to use against Davina. Almost instantly Hayley heard a door open at the ground below. With her arms causally crossed, she peaked over the edge of the rooftop to see Josh carrying a duffel bag to his car.

Klaus hung up the phone and Hayley frowned at him almost in annoyance. "Really? It's him?"

He only smirked in return.

"Honestly, how is he even still alive?" She muttered before jumping off the roof. Doing so made her just miss Klaus' snicker at her comment.

Josh closed his trunk and jumped when Hayley was standing right next to the driver's door. "You know, you really make a terrible vampire." She commented.

"What are you doing here?" He almost stuttered. The two of them hadn't interacted since she got her humanity back.

"She's just keeping me company." Klaus said behind him before biting into Josh's neck. Hayley's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't realized this was the plan. But she didn't know why she was surprised. It was stupid of her to think that Klaus would just dangle Josh in front of Davina and threaten to hurt him. He just skipped right to the hurting him part.

Klaus pulled his mouth away with Josh's blood dripping down his chin and staining both his skin and clothes.

"Was that really necessary?" Hayley sighed.

He glared at her as he still held on to Josh' collar, holding his body up only by the handful of fabric. "You're the one that wanted to tag along."

"Josh!" Davina yelled out as Klaus threw him into the room. "What happened?" Josh whispered an apology to her; only confusing the young witch even further.

"Joshua went and got himself a werewolf bite. Well…a hybrid bite technically. But it will kill him just the same."

Hayley lingered in the shadows slightly. Davina hadn't noticed her presence yet. She had formed a bond of trust with the young witch, and this was not how she wanted to reunify with her.

"Why did you do this?" Davina whimpered with Josh in her arms.

"Once again you side with Marcel leaving me no choice but to harm the ones you love. He has a cloaking spell. I want you to locate him or I will kill your mate here." Klaus was always casual when threatening people.

"Why, so you can go and kill him too?" She snapped.

"No, so we can stop him from killing two werewolves." Hayley finally decided to make herself known.

"You…" Davina whispered. "You're a part of this too?"

The accusation was all in her tone. Hayley would be lying if she said it didn't hurt to see the way the witch looked at her.

"Oh, I can assure you, the bite was not her idea." Klaus smirked, ignoring the new tension in the room. "She's just on this little errand of mine to infuriate my dear brother."

"Klaus!" Hayley warned.

He ignored her forewarning. "Don't fret, love. Just give me the location and I can cure dear Josh. He'll be as good as new." He kneeled beside her, staring her down eye to eye. Then he got up and started pulling Hayley out of the room to appear as if he were leaving.

"Wait!" Davina cried out. Klaus slowly turned. "I don't need a locator spell. He's at a warehouse at the docks…it's Thierry's place."

Klaus smiled. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" He bit into his wrist and held it over Josh, blood dripping into the vampire's mouth. Then he disappeared from the room.

Davina was left to glare at Hayley. "I didn't realize you did Klaus' dirty work."

It was then that she remembered why she had decided to stay out of New Orleans business. This was a mistake. How childish was she to go out of her way to piss off Elijah, and as a result get involved in the stupid war?

"I didn't realize what he planned to do with Josh." She defended.

"But that's exactly what he does, Hayley." Davina snapped back. "You'd think you would realize that after knowing them for so long."

"He's not going to kill Marcel." Hayley tried to offer.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"He might not have cured him if I hadn't come with." She muttered looking down at the floor.

"Just go." Davina sighed as she looked down at Josh who was still laying in her lap.

Hayley went outside to find Klaus leaning against his car, looking impatient. "Let's go. Elijah's meeting us at the warehouse."

Klaus ripped off the cover over Jacksons. He looked surprised to see Klaus and her standing next to him. Elijah walked in a split second later. He stopped mid-step when he caught Hayley's eye.

"What is she doing here?" He asked his brother with an accusatory tone.

"Why don't you ask her? After all, she's not deaf and standing right here." Klaus responded with annoyance before addressing the wolves again.

Hayley ignored Elijah and looked at the chair legs that the captive was sitting on. There was a transmitter on each leg. She followed the wires to one of the many boxes that spread across the room. She ripped the lid off of one to find bombs she could only assume would carry both vervain and wolfs-bane as shrapnel. While an Original would easily survive it, she doubted she could and knew there was no way the wolf would.

"The transmitters are weight sensitive." She announced to them. "We move him and every single one of these bombs goes off."

Klaus ignored her. But Elijah bent down to verify what she had stated. "Where are the stones?" The hybrid asked Jackson.

"I don't know. Marcel took them."

"Our focus should be the stones." Klaus announced to his brother.

"I recognize these bombs from the Bayou." Elijah interrupted. "May I ask again why you believe Marcel wasn't the one behind the attack?"

"Remind me to ask him before I pull out his innards." Klaus replied.

Hayley rolled her eyes, which Elijah off course caught.

"You." He pointed to her with authority. "You are to leave right now." His voice was firm, showing no room for discussion.

"I didn't realize I was a dog." Hayley glared, ignoring his command.

"He's right, Hayley." Klaus' tone completely changed when the subject changed to her safety.

"You are the one who brought her here, brother." Elijah almost growled.

Klaus continued looking through the boxes for some reason. Then Elijah's cell phone rang. He read Andrea's name on the phone. Before answering he looked sternly at her once again. "Hayley, get out of here now before I break your neck and do it myself."

Klaus opened another box while Elijah updated Andrea on Jackson's condition. Hayley bent down and looked at one of the transmitters. She gave Jackson a shy smile, acknowledging him for the first time. She was trying to give him some form of reassurance. Obviously Klaus put no effort into hiding that his focus was on the stones instead of saving Jackson.

"Okay exercise caution in this general area, bit of a mess over here." The hybrid announced almost comically.

Hayley narrowed her eyes and sighed in annoyance. "Klaus, will you stop opening the damn boxes. What do you expect to find…not bombs?" As she spoke she opened up the plastic lid on one of the transmitters, hoping she'd find some way to disconnect the wire to the bombs' receivers.

Jackson made sure to remain completely still, hoping it would help her somehow. But just as Hayley starting observing the many colored wires, she heard Klaus call out her name in warning. Then she heard a buzzing noise that could not mean anything good.

Her eyes snapped up to Jackson's as she muttered a curse word. Without even thinking, she grabbed onto him and fled out of the warehouse as fast as she possibly could. She heard both Originals calling her name before the explosion erupted.

She didn't know how she got out in time, especially while dragging a werewolf that had two inches on her and weighed probably twice her size. She just thanked adrenaline. Her eyes opened and started to burn from the smoke erupting from the building. Her clothes were covered in soot and her ears could only hear ringing. As she tried to move, she noticed that parts of her body were heavily bruised and cut up. She was laying on the asphalt outside the warehouse. It hadn't exactly been a soft landing.

Then Jackson let out a cough from the smoke and probably from landing on the ground so hard.

Hayley winced at she tried to sit up with her injuries. "You okay?"

He nodded. She looked him up and down to see that his injuries were much less severe than hers. She realized she must have shielded him from the explosion.

"Bloody hell…" A British accent approached.

Hayley looked up to see Elijah and Klaus walking towards them, covered even more with soot than her and Jackson. Surprisingly, Elijah reached for her and gently helped her off the ground. He hugged her tightly. He barely pulled away as he rest his hands on either side of her face. "Next time we're in a building filled with explosives, don't try to save the werewolf."

His words were lighthearted, but she knew by his tone and expression that she was in for a lecture later. "Don't worry…I'll tell Andrea you were the knight in shining armor." She muttered before turning and offering Jackson her hand. He looked at her strangely but still took it.

Hayley then grabbed Klaus' car keys from his pocket before he knew what she was doing. Her eyes tore into his. "I told you to stop opening the boxes." Then she glanced at Jackson as if to gesture to him to follow her. "You can walk home for all I care." She added and started walking away.

Jackson didn't really know how to respond to the tension, so he just followed Hayley to the car and got into the passenger's seat. It wasn't until they spent a few minutes in car silence that he cleared his throat.

"You know that's the second time you've saved me from being burned alive."

Hayley remained quiet, her eyes focused on the road.

"Thank you." He added genuinely.

"What stones was Klaus talking about?" She knew Klaus was planning something. Why else would he allow Genevieve in the compound? But she didn't know quite what it was yet.

With her question, Jackson realized that she didn't offer to drive him home just out of spite. A part of him wanted to keep it a secret. But like he said, she'd saved his life twice.

"Stones that will stop my pack from changing every full moon. We'll be able to change at will."

Hayley whipped her eyes away from the road to him. It was the first time she'd looked at him since they got into the car.

"Jackson…" She began but she stopped herself.

He waited patiently.

She continued to open and then close her mouth, not sure how to phrase what she wanted to say… or if she should say anything at all. Andrea seemed to trust him. Hell, even Klaus saw something in Jackson. But Hayley didn't know what her place in all this was anymore. She didn't have to get involved in this feud. But she just had to get right in the middle of it right when it started to get bad.

"They're my family. I love them." She finally said softly. Jackson found himself nodding. They were at a red-light now, allowing her to face him when she continued. "But I know how everyone else sees them." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Klaus offered you some kind of deal, didn't he?"

Jackson hesitated a moment before nodding.

"You can't trust him." She finally gasped.

He blinked in surprise.

"He might give you the rings, but it will be for a price. A deal is never just a deal with him." She continued to reveal out in a whisper.

But Jackson already knew that. He would be an idiot to trust Klaus Mikaelson. His people needed this. They were weak, trying to reunite and regain their strength. He just didn't know why Hayley was going out of her way to warn him not to.

They were driving again, and almost back at the compound. "It must be hard to love people that can't be trusted." He added darkly.

Hayley put the car in park and stared out the windshield for a moment. "We trust each other." She corrected powerfully. "It's the other people that they worry about." Without another word or even a last glance at him, she jumped out of the car and walked toward the compound's entrance.

As Jackson watched her, he started totaling the debt he owed her. Then he wondered when it became so rare for people to do something good simply because it was the right thing to do. Hayley had created a reputation for herself in New Orleans amongst the supernatural. People said she was heartless, ruthless, and she was just as evil as the Originals merely by association. But Jackson couldn't see that person.

I really liked writing this chapter and I'm very curious about your thoughts. I love getting reviews from you guys. So please send one my way! 3