Hayley felt Greta's grip on her heart tighten. She looked past Greta and saw Hope lying, unconscious on the ground. She tried to gather any remaining strength she had left to fight back. She would not let this monster hurt her daughter.

Suddenly, the front door burst open and Hayley let out a sign of relief. Klaus stood in the doorway for a moment, assessing the situation. His eyes flickered from where Hayley was pinned to the wall to the ground where his daughter was sprawled out.

Klaus stepped further into the house, revealing someone standing behind him.

"Elijah." Hayley gasped.

*One Week Earlier*

"Out of all of the places in the world I expected Elijah Mikaleson to end up in, this is not what I would have guessed." Marcel joked, studying the small town in France they had ended up in.

It had been a tense journey from New Orleans to France. Freya spent most of her time trying to continue a locator spell to track down Hayley, gaining her some strange looks from the fellow passengers in first class. They met Klaus at the airport and finished the trip to Manosque together.

Klaus had attempted to convince Elijah to join their efforts in finding Hayley the night before, and it had ended less than spectacular. So Klaus called in some reinforcements. Freya made sure Hope was safe at her boarding school before meeting Marcel in New Orleans to fly over together. If Elijah wasn't going to listen reason, they would force him to.

"He spends his time at a piano bar up the road." Klaus pointed down a small alley way, heading in that direction.

"No time to take in the sites?" Marcel followed after Klaus. He was on a mission.

Freya was worried about the confrontation that was about to take place. She knew Klaus had a lot of surpressed anger at their brother for erasing all of them without consulting them. Add on top of that the guilt he felt for Hayley's disappearance, Klaus was in a volatile state.

"Just remember the plan." She reminded both of them. "There's no reason this has to turn into some bloodbath. While all of you can't be killed, I am still very much mortal."

"Don't worry sister," Klaus smirked at her. "I won't hurt him. That much."

"Reassuring as always." Freya rolled her eyes. They just had to restrain him long enough for her to to case the spell and then Marcel can force his memories back on him. Once Elijah had his memories, he would move heaven and earth for find Hayley.

Elijah was still reeling from the last couple of days. A man named Klaus showed up claiming to be his brother and begging for his help tracking down some woman Elijah Mikaelson had loved. Elijah tried to feel some sympathy for their plight but he couldn't find it in himself. He knew of his past family and all of the evil they had inflicted on the world.

He was also still upset with Antoinnette. They had met when he was Elijah Mikaelson and she lied to him. This was the woman he planned to marry and she had been keeping secrets. Elijah didn't know what to do with that. He loved her but he wasn't sure if he could trust her. Everyone seemed to have ulterior motives to want him in their lives.

Elijah's mind went to a pretty brunette he had met a few years back. He had felt a profound connection to her as soon as he saw her walk into the bar. The connection only grew as they spoke and danced. Part of him had wondered if this was someone he had known in his past life. But she hadn't said anything and her name wasn't one that he found in all of his research.

When Klaus mentioned Hayley, he wondered if that could be the same woman. Elijah secretly hoped it was not. That night had felt special to him. So special, he spent months making it up to Antoinnette, not that he revealed to her what had transpired between himself and Andrea. Nothing had happened, and yet he felt guilty for the way Andrea had made him feel. And now he was questioning if it was all just a ploy. A way to manipulate him to come back to his family, to the co-dependency, toxic relationships they had relied on for over a thousand years.

But she hadn't asked him to return with her. She hadn't tried to convince him to retrieve his memories. Rather, she had wished him well.

"You know at this point, the begging is just pathetic." Elijah said without looking up from his bourbon. He had paid the owner to close the bar for the day so he could wallow on his own. These plans seemed to be ruined by the arrival of his uninvited guests.

"I don't beg, mate." Klaus said with more bravado than he had shown the night before. This worried Elijah. The night before Klaus had seemed desperate. Now he didn't seem worried at all. "I take what I want."

"Brother, no need to get ahead of ourselves." The blonde woman next to him seemed to try and calm him down. She smiled over at Elijah. "I'm Freya, your big sister."

"Ah, the witch." Elijah said, remembering that name in his file. "So that's the plan. You'll take me back by force."

"I'd rather you come willingly but yes." Freya said with a small smile. "Trust me, you'll thank me once you get your memories back."

"I somehow doubt that." Elijah made a quick dash for the back door of the bar but ran into a tall man that he vaguely remembered from his early days of amnesia.

"Hello Elijah." Marcel grinned. "Remember me?"

Elijah backed into the bar. He was trapped. In the past seven years he didn't have to worry about enemies. He could take down anyone he came against, however, he sensed that was not true for the enemies before him. A powerful witch and two powerful vampires.

"Look, I don't want any problems. I'm just trying to live my life in peace." Elijah tried to reason with them. After all, to them he was family.

"Well you see, you are the problem." Klaus said, casually walking to the bar to help himself to a drink. "I need to find the mother of my child, who, in case you forgot, is the love of your life, and we need your help to do that."

"Do you?" Elijah questioned, keeping his eye on Klaus. He was trying to determine who the biggest threat was in the room. "It seems like you are just using this as an excuse to try and force me back into a family I clearly didn't want anything to do with."

Klaus and the man standing to his back let out loud laughs.

"I know you don't get the joke, brother." Klaus clapped him on the shoulder, sitting on the bar stool next to him. The man at his back moved to the otherside of him. "But you'll get it once you have your memories back."

"This is a waste of time." The woman, Freya, said from her spot behind the bar. She had poured herself a drink as well. "Hold him down so I can perform the spell."

And here Elijah thought she would be the weak link. The glint in her eyes told Elijah that she would likely be his biggest challenge.

"Alright, alright. I guess the fun is over." Klaus gripped Elijah's arm tightly. "Time for your little vacation to end, brother."

Before Klaus could pin him down, Elijah grabbed the soda hose from behind the bar and aimed it at Klaus, directly in his face. The bar keep was aware of his supernatural clientel and kept vervain in the water supply to prevent them from eating his mortal regulars.

Klaus let out a surprise grunt as the vervain burned his skin. It surprised him enough to release Elijah's arm. Elijah used all of his vampire speed to make it out of the bar, if he could do that, he could hide. He knew the town better than they did.

What he hadn't been expecting was the other vampire to be so quick. He had never seen a vampire move quicker than he could and yet the vampire was once again blocking his exit before he could even make it all the way to the door.

"I don't think so." The vampire had a cocky grin on this face.

"Valiant effort, brother." Klaus said, with a laugh. Elijah was getting really tired of his attitude. He was acting like ruining the life he had built for seven years was just a joke. "But you're not leaving this bar until your memories are restored, whether that be your choice or by force."

"I'm sorry, brother." Freya cam around to stand next to Klaus. "It hurts me to hurt you."

She raised her hand and Elijah felt the most intense pain in his head. It felt as if his brain was melting. He fell to his knees, gripping his head in his hands. He couldn't help but to let out a scream of pain.

"Now." He faintly heard Freya yell. He felt someone move behind him, pinning his arms back as Freya began to chant. Suddenly the other vampire was in front of him, forcing Elijah to look into his eyes.

Elijah saw the shift in his eyes and tried to look away. He knew what the vampire was about to do.

"Remember." The vampire commanded. "Remember 'always and forever,' remember your family, the last thousand years of your life, remember Hayley."

Elijah let out another intense scream. It was too much. Between the pain from the witch and the compulsion, his brain gave out. He collapsed in a heap on the ground.

"Do you think it worked?" Marcel asked, looking at where Elijah was slumped on the ground.

"We'll have to wait until he wakes up to see." Freya said, kneeling next to her brother. She hoped it did, she didn't want to have to ever hurt him like that again.

"And how long will that take?" Klaus asked. He could feel his anger rising again as he looked at his brother. He would set it aside until the found Hayley, but he and his brother would exchange words later.

"I don't know. I've enver done this before." Freya admitted. "But he has a thousand years of memories to remember."'

"Well at least there's an open bar while we wait." Marcel lounged on the stool by the bar, finishing off Elijah's drink.

Elijah felt himself slip into unconscious, but it wasn't the darkness he expected. Rather, he saw himself standing outside of a burned down house with the vampire who had just compelled him. He was once again commanding him, but this time to forget. Elijah was confused, he had never seen that house before, he wasn't sure where this vision was from.

But then the visions started to come quickers. He was standing in the quartyard of a run down home, surrounded by people he didn't recognize. But that wasn't true. He was Klaus, and the witch Freya, as well as a blonde woman he thought had visited him here in Manosque. And he saw a brunette sitting in the center, holding a small girl.

Andrea. But that wasn't right either. Elijah tried to pull on the memory. To follow the feeling of love that overwhelmed this memory. Because he knew he loved everyone that surrounded him here and he would do anything for them.

Then he was standing in a gazebo with lights strung up, he was looking into her eyes. Her eyes shone back with love. Hayley. Her name came easily to him now. So easily, he couldn't fathom ever not knowing it. He kissed her and carried her into the house.

And then he was somewhere else. The Abbatoir. He was kissing Hayley still, but he somehow knew this was the first time. He could feel the desperation of this kiss, the longing.

And then he was in a grave yard starting at Hayely for the first time. He was enraptured by her from the first look.

His memories went back further, he saw himself leaving a woman, Katerina. He saw himself with his hand in Klaus' chest. He saw himself in dated clothes, he somehow knew it was the 1930s, where he and Klaus appeared to be celebrating at a bar. The memories kept coming, at a speed fast than his brain could comprehend. But as they did, it felt that he had always known this information.

He remembered his siblings, their adventures, their pain and suffering throughout the years. He remembered their vow, 'always and forever.' The vow they had kept for over a thousand years.

Elijah's eyes flew open and he gasped. He was sprawled on the ground of the bar, staring up at the ceiling, but he couldn't bring himself to move.

"Elijah?" Freya asked, returning to kneel at his side. "Are you okay?"

Elijah couldn't bring himself to speak. He was still trying to get his barrings on everything that just happened.

"Great." He heard his brother mutter. "You fried his brain."

"Shut up, Nik." Freya snapped back at him, gripping Elijah's hand. "Give him a minute."

"We've waisted enough time." Klaus' voice did little to disguise his anger. "We'll throw him in the back of the SUV and he can process back there."

"Will both of you be quiet." Elijah groaned as he pushed himself to sit up. He rested his head in his hands.

"Oh good. He can speak." Klaus finished off his drink.

"Yes, Niklaus, I have not lost the capability to form sentences." Klaus tried to hide his relief at hearing his full name come out of his brother's mouth. It was a simple thing, but coming from his brother it always seemed like a term of affection. One he had greatly missed over the years.

"As fun as this is, Klaus, you need to get out of her." Marcel warned.

That pulled Elijah out of his head. He was still struggling to figure out the mess of his memories, but Marcel's words reminded Elijah of why they were in this predicament to begin with. He looked around the bar and saw blood dripping down the walls. A snake slithered on the floor not far from where he lay.

"Niklaus, you have to leave." Elijah said urgently. He got to his feet quickly, remembering exactly why Niklaus risked everything to bring his memories back.

Niklaus nodded, tears forming in his eyes. He hated this. He got his brother back and now he would have to run again. He thought their years of running were over after Mikael's death.

"Elijah, I have to tell you–" Klaus started.

"I know." Elijah pulled his brother to him, gripping the back of his neck. "Hayley. We'll find her."

Klaus felt a sense of relief that he hadn't felt in seven years. He had his brother back, his advisor, his friend. He finally felt hope. He knew his brother would not rest until he reunited their family.

"Go." Freya urged. "I've got him. We'll meet you back state side and we'll find Hayley together."

With that, Klaus nodded and he and Marcel vamp sped out of the bar.

"It's good to have you back brother." Freya hugged Elijah. He gripped onto her tightly. Even though he didn't remember them for seven years, he now knew what he had been missing.

"Thank you." Elijah smiled, remembering what she had said to him right before she helped bring his memories back.

"Anytime." Freya smiled. "Now, I brought you a present."

Freya held up a garment bag that had been draped across the bar. She unzipped it to reveal a pressed suit, tie and all.

Caroline had contacted Klaus to tell him that Hope and a vampire named Roman were missing. Klaus immediately traveled to Virginia to aid in the search for Hope. While Marcel headed back to New Orleans to deal with the vampire problem that was quickly getting out of hand.

Elijah and Freya remained in Manosque as Elijah was on his own mission.

The name Roman was not that common and it was one he had heard before. Antoinnette had a vampire that she lived with and considered a brother. His name was Roman as well. Elijah told Freya as much and they remained in Manosque to try and gather any information they could from Antoinnette.

When Elijah returned to their apartment to confront Antoinnette about her brother, he was surprised to find her mother was over to visit. Elijah continued to pretend that he did not have his memories as he sat down to dinner with Antoinnette and Greta. He listened to her spin her tale of how Roman had gone off to boarding school and gotten mixed up with Hope Mikaelson. He didn't have to pretend that Roman's life was in jeopardy however, because if Roman had run off with Hope, he was in danger of Niklaus' rage.

His biggest lie however was when he promised he would travel to the States to save Roman. He had no intention of saving the man who put his niece's life at risk. The vampire who was potentially responsible for Hayley's kidnapping.

The hardest thing for Elijah to do was to let Greta walk out of that apartment unscathed. He knew she had something to do with Hayley's disappearance. He knew the type of followers Greta had and how they would view hybrids, let alone a tribrid.

But he needed Greta alive. She hadn't disclosed where Roman might be and without that information, they would not be able to find Hayley, and now Hope.

Elijah couldn't believe he had missed seven years of his niece's life. She would be a teenager now. That thought scared him more than anything. Between both her parents, Hope was bound to have a strong temper.

Freya caught Elijah up on everything he had missed in the past several years. He was thrilled to learn she and Keelin were still together. And was confused to learn Marcel and Rebekah were not. He now remembered Rebekah visiting him in France. It broke his heart that she couldn't let herself find happiness.

"Vincent has a location." Freya said once they landed in Virginia. They figured it would be best to start near Hope's school since that's where she had disappeared from. "He said Greta is traveling not far from here. We can rent a car and follow her."

"Where is Niklaus?" Elijah asked, adjusting his tie.

"I just texted them the location as well." Freya confirmed. "He and Caroline should be arriving around the same time as us. They had been searching the grounds near the school."

Sure enough, Klaus and Caroline arrived at the abandoned farm house moments before Elijah and Freya.

"They're here." Klaus confirmed, ready to charge into the house. Elijah wasn't far behind him considering he could hear the fighting from where he stood. Hayley let out a grunt of pain from inside and Klaus took off, bursting through the door, Elijah hot on his trail.

Klaus took in the sight before him. Seeing Hayley pinned to the wall and his daughter, unconscious on the floor. He had never felt an anger so intense. He made a move to go check that his daughter was breathing, revealing Elijah standing behind him.

"Elijah." Hayley gasped, relief washing over her face.

Greta grinned at this, relief also clear on her face. She believed Elijah was here to help her, to 'rescue' Roman from the terrible Mikaelsons.

Before anyone could make another move, Elijah descended on Greta, breaking her hand to release Hayley's heart and slamming her into the wall across from her.

Klaus checked on Hope and signed in relief when he heard her heart beating steadily and her breathing even.

He looked up to see Hayley slumped against the wall, gripping her chest. He sped over their next. She looked much weaker than she should for just being blood starved for a couple of weeks.

Elijah was paying close attention to his brother's movements, as well as to Hope and Hayley. Hope sounded fine, while Hayley on the other hand didn't appear to be healing from the wounds Greta inflicted on her.

Elijah's hold on Greta's throat tightened and Greta let out a sharp cry.

"Get them out of here, Niklaus." Elijah ordered. The last thing they needed was for the sky to open up or serpents to appear out of nowhere.

"I can't." Hayley gasped. Both Elijah and Klaus' hearts clenched at how weak she sounded.

"What did they do to you?" Klaus growled.

"I'm not your little wolf anymore." Hayley said with tears in her eyes. "I can't go outside. I don't have a daylight ring."

Klaus had been wrong before. It turns out he could feel more rage. He attempted to stifle it though, he had to help his family. Elijah on the other hand felt no need to stifle his rage.

"I had planned to drag your death out." Elijah said calmly. "To make you feel of the pain you have inflicted on my family. But it appears we do not have time for that."

With that Elijah ripped off her daylight ring and unceremoniously tossed her out the front door. Elijah watched as Greta caught on fire, screaming as she burned alive.

With the threat neutralized, Hayley used her last remaining strength to dash over to her daughter. Klaus watched Greta burn, ensuring the threat was truly gone, before joining Hayley.

"Well that was dramatic." Freya said, from where she had remained outside the house.

"We require your assistance, sister." Freya walked past the burning corpse to enter the house, leaving Caroline still standing there, wide-eyed. She had forgotten what it was like to deal with the Mikaelsons.

Elijah handed Freya Greta's ring.

"Do you think you can rework it so that it will protect Hayley?" Elijah asked softly.

"Why–" Freya began to ask, but Elijah cut her off with a look. Realization dawned on her and her face fell.

"We'll fix it." Freya promised and Elijah knew she meant both the daylight ring and the curse. He merely nodded at her. "It may take some time and you all cannot be this close for that long."

Elijah sighed. His family would once again have to separate.

"I'll take Roman and Hope back to the school." Caroline volunteered.

"Over my dead body." Klaus growled. "My daughter will not be going anywhere with that traitor."

"Well than what do you suggest?" Caroline demanded.

"You take Hope back to the school. I'll deal with the boy." Klaus said, with murder in his eyes.

"Definitely not." Caroline argued. "He is a student at my school. I will not let anything happen to him."

"He is a hundred year old vampire." Elijah interjected. "He is older than you Ms. Forbes. He made his decisions and now he will have to face the consequences."

"Enough." Hayley whispered. "We are not going to kill him."

Everyone turned to face her. It was the first time Elijah had truly had the chance to look into her eyes. And she stared right back at him.

"This bloodshed is why we are in the mess to begin with. We have to end it." Hayley's eyes pleaded with him to back her up. She wasn't sure she had the strength to prevent Klaus from killing Hope's first boyfriend. Even if he was the cause of a lof of this mess.

Elijah nodded at her. She was right. Killing Roman wouldn't solve anything. It was over now. Hope and Hayley were alive and safe, mostly.

"Caroline will take Hope back to the school." Elijah instructed. "Freya will stay here to make the ring for Hayley. When Hayley is able to leave, they can go to the school to check on Hope. I'm sure she will want to know everyone is safe. Niklaus, you stay here with Hayley and I will take Roman."

"What are you going to do with him?" Caroline seemed concerned still.

"I will return him to his sister. I owe her that much."

Hayley watched as Elijah drove off with Roman in the back seat. Caroline had taken her daughter away shortly before that. She felt so helpless, she couldn't even put her daughter in the car herself.

"You need blood." She heard Klaus say. "You should be healing and your not."

"I'll be fine until we get to the school and then I'm sure Caroline will let me into their stash." Hayley didn't want to think about what it meant to only be a vampire now. It hurt too bad. She just needed to focus on her daughter. And one other person.

"His memories are back?" She asked, trying to sound casual.

"They are." Klaus leaned against the wall next to her.

"You shouldn't have done that." Hayley felt guilty. He had seemed to happy and unbothered in France. And now he was pulled right back into the mess that was their lives.

"I think you mean to say 'thank you Klaus for saving my life.'" Klaus rolled his eyes. He had seen his brother happy in France, but he had also seen his brother when he looked at Hayley. He didn't need to be burden free to be happy. Although figuring out how to get rid of the Hollow would certainly help.

"Thank you, Klaus." Hayley leaned against his shoulder. "I've missed you."

"Bet you never thought you would say that." Klaus teased, but they way he held onto her, she could tell the feeling was mutual.

"Okay, the ring should be done." Freya said, standing up from where she had been sitting on the floor.

"Should be?" Klaus questioned, concerned for Hayley.

"Yes, should be." Freya pretended to glare at her brother. "Daylight rings are meant to be designed for one person, they can get temperamental when you switch them over. We will make a more permanent solution once we get back to New Olreans."

Hayley was grateful to hear that. She really didn't want to wear the ring of a woman who tried to kill her and her daughter for the rest of her life.

Hayley put ont he ring. She didn't feel any differently. She looked at Klaus and he shrugged. She reached out the window, holding her hand in the sun. Nothing happened.

"It worked." Hayley felt the relief settle over her. She could go to her daughter now.

"You go make sure our daughter is okay." Klaus kissed Hayley gently on the forehead.

Hope woke with a start. The last thing she remembered was being at the abandoned farm house while her mother was being tortured.

She was now in her bed back at school. Hope frantically looked around her room, her eyes landing on her Aunt Freya. Hope began to panic.

"Mom." She called out. And with a woosh, Hayely appeared right next to her.

Hope threw herself into her mother's arms, gripping her tighter than she ever had before.

"I'm here baby. It's okay." Hayley rocked her back and forth like she used to do when she was a child.

"I'm so sorry." Hope said over and over as her mother attempted to console her.

"I know, baby." Hayley tried to calm her down. "Everything is alright now."

"How?" Hope was so confused. The last thing she remember was thinking her mother was about to be killed.

"Well your father and your Uncle Elijah saved the day." Hayley said, tucking Hope's hair behind her ears.

"Dad is here?" Hope asked excitedly, looking around the room as if he would materialize out of thin air. "And Uncle Elijah? I thought he didn't know who we are."

"Yes well your little plan worked." Hayley glared slightly at her daughter. "When a Mikaelson is in trouble, your family will stop at nothing."

"You almost died because of me." Hope looked down at her lap.

"No, baby. I almost died because of Greta and her antiquated beliefs. This was a battle that started long before you were born. And I'm sorry you are caught up in the middle of it."

"What happened to Roman and his mom?" Hope was almost scared to ask. She knew her family's reputation. She also hated the part of her that was concerned. Roman and his mother tried to kill her and her mother. Part of her wished she was more ruthless, like her father.

"Greta is dead." Her mother said gently. "And Elijah is returning Roman to his sister."

Hopes face must have betrayed her relief because Hayley stroked her cheek gently, placing a kiss there as well.

"It's okay to not hate him." Hayley reassured her. "He was just a kid when Greta started brainwashing him. He didn't know any better."

"You almost died because of him. I want him dead." Hope said with more venom than Hayley had ever heard.

"It's alright to hate him. But I know you better than that. You my sweet girl are too compassionate to actually want him dead." Hayley smiled at her daughter. "You get that from me."

Hope knew she was teasing but it worked. As much as she wanted to be her father's daughter, she wanted to be her mother's as well.

"Now, I promised your father we would FaceTime him as soon as you woke up."

Hope perked up at the thought of seeing her father, of talking to him.

"He wants to talk to me?" It broke Hayley's heart how shocked Hope seemed.

"Of course he does." Hayley pulled out her phone and saw the countess texts she already had from Klaus demanding to know what's going on.

She immediately called him, holding the phone out so Hope was shown next to her.

Klaus answered right away, with a look of relief on his face.

"Hi my littlest wolf. How are you feeling?" Klaus asked in a tone he reserved only for his daughter.

"I'm okay." Hope said in a tone that was more hesitant than Hayley had heard in a long time. "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for Hope." Klaus said, choking on his own guilt. "I'm sorry I made you think you had to do this to get my attention."

Hope looked away from the phone. She could see the looks of sympathy from her parents. She didn't deserve it.

"Hope, look at me." Her father commanded. "While I'll admit this could have ended very badly, this is nothing compared to some of the things I've done throughout the years. You are a teenager and you have had a harder life than any of us wanted for you. You have an immense amount of power and I have failed you by being so absent. But I promise I will do better by you."

Hope let her tears flow freely down her face. She could see her mom wiping her own tears and even her father's eyes were welling with tears.

"You didn't fail me." Hope argued. "I know you did everything to protect me. I just miss you."

"I miss you too, Hope." Hope leaned into her mother's arms, glad she at least could feel the physical comfort from one parent.

"We'll fix this Hope, I promise you." Klaus vowed. Now that he had his brother back, they would find a way to reunite their family.

"Have you heard from Elijah." Hayley asked, her voice tense.

"Ah, yes, my noble brother is once again attempting to take charge of all of our lives." Klaus rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you're being helpful." Hayley teased. It had been so long since they could all speak to each other.

"Is he going to kill Roman?" Hope squeaked, her voice small once again.

"No, he's not." Klaus sounded annoyed. "Your mother asked him not to and your uncle will not deny her any request."

Hope frowned at that. She never really had the opportunity to know her Uncle Elijah, but she grew up hearing about him from her mom. She could vaguely remember them interacting and everyone saying how much they loved each other, but it felt like another life. Now her mom was with Declan, who she had grown very fond of.

"Will you…" Her mother trailed off. She can't remember the last time she heard her mother sound so hesitant. "tell him I said hi." She finished lamely.

Klaus merely laughed at the request.

"I'll send you his new phone number and you can do so yourself. Although I'd wait an hour or so. I believe he is having an awkward discussion with his soon to be ex-fiance."

Hayley glanced away at the screen then. She didn't need to see the glint in Klaus' eyes. She knew he was enjoying the drama that she and Elijah always seemed to find themselves in.

"Uncle Elijah's engaged?" Hope asked, surprised. She guessed it shouldn't have been that surprising considering none of them had really talked to him in seven years. He must have created a whole knew life for himself.

"Was being the operative word." Her father laughed once again. "Turns out simply seeing your mother was enough to derail a seven year relationship."

"Shut up, Klaus." Her mother snapped. She could tell that her mother was uncomfortable and her father was enjoying it. It made her smile to see her parents able to joke with each other. She couldn't remember if she ever saw them like this.

"When can we all be together again?" Hope asked, wanting to be a part of the conversation. She had dreamed of having her family all together for so long and now they were all so close.

"Hope, it's still dangerous for us all to be together." Hayley said, her tone level.

The feeling of joy that had been rising in Hope since she woke up began to fade. After all they had been through, nothing had changed. The Hollow was still keeping her family apart. She couldn't keep living like this. It wasn't fair.

Ending his relationship with Antoinette had been one of the more difficult things Elijah had done in a long while. He cared deeply for her but it wouldn't be fair to her. He wasn't the man she fell in love with and he couldn't return that love the same way anymore. When all of his emotions and memories came back to him, he realized what he had with Antoinnette was comfortable and content, but not the passionate type of love she deserved. He couldn't give her that love, it was reserved for someone else. Even if that person had no desire to see him after everything he had done.

Antoinnette had met Elijah in Mystic Falls, picking up her brother. Elijah also had the unfortunate duty of informing her what happened to her mother. Even if Elijah's feelings hadn't changed, he could tell Antoinnette's had in that moment. She and her mother may have had different views on the world, but she couldn't bring herself to be with the man who killed her mother. She understood why he did it, after all she had known the type of man Elijah Mikaelson was, the type that would do anything for his family. Part of her was envious of that. For a short while, she had been his family. Now looking at him, they felt like strangers.

They parted on good terms with the understanding that they likely would never see each other again.

After Antoinnette left, Elijah didn't know what to do with himself. He knew he should leave, after all Hope's school was not far from here and he didn't want to test the Hollow's range. But he couldn't bring himself to leave. It had been seven years since he had been this close to his family, and knew who they were.

This was exactly why he erased his memories to start with. For someone who had thought themselves a master in self-control, he always seemed to lack it when it came to his family.

His phone ringing pulled him out of his thoughts. He sighed. He had just spoken with Niklaus before meeting with Antoinnette. He didn't have it in him to go another round with his brother. He went to switch off his ringer to give himself a couple hours of peace when he caught sight of the number on the screen. It wasn't one that was saved to this phone, but it was one he had memorized years ago.

Elijah hesitated for a moment more. This was another conversation he wasn't sure he was ready to have, but for her, he would find the strength.

"Hayley?" He asked, holding the phone to his ear.

"Hi." His heart clenched at hearing her voice. She sounded much better than she had at the farm house.

"Hi." He said in response. He may know dozens of languages, but words seemed to escape him.

"Where are you?" Hayley asked, sounding nervous.

"I'm in Mystic Falls. I know Hope is nearby so I will head out of town–"

"Don't." Hayley interrupted him. "I mean, Mystic Falls should be far enough away for now."

Elijah didn't say anything in reply, waiting for Hayley to lead the conversation. He wasn't sure what she wanted from him. Their last conversation had been one full of heartbreak and grief, he wasn't sure where that left them.

"There's a grill in town that makes a mean burger and milkshake." She seemed to trail off.

"I'm familiar." Elijah almost laughed. He was pretty sure there was only one grill in Mystic Falls.

"I could use some real food, if you're hungry?"

"I could eat." Elijah smiled. He needed to see her, even if it was just one last time. He needed to make sure she was okay. The image of her in that farm house was burned into his brain.

Elijah arrived at the grill first since he had already been in town. He stared across the town square. So many memories flooded his head. Memories he had forgotten up until a couple of days ago. He could see his siblings playing in the field that used to exist.

"Hey." He heard Hayley walk up behind him.

"Hi." He replied, turning around. He couldn't help but drag his eyes down her frame, checking for any lingering injuries.

"Did you erase your knowledge of the English language as well?" Hayley teased, but there was an edge of steel in her voice.

"I deserved that." Elijah looked down, shame written across his face.

"You're lucky I'm not slapping you again." Hayley had crossed her arms across her chest. "I did think about it."

"You would be perfectly within your rights." Elijah admitted. "Hayley, I –"

"Let's eat." Hayley interrupted, she needed food before they got into a heavy conversation. "I'm starving."

"Have you fed?" Elijah asked quietly, leading them over to an open table. His hand seemed to hover just over her lower back. She knew this was a gesture he did out of habit, but she yearned for him to actually touch her.

"Yes, Caroline made sure I had as much as I needed." Hayley reassured him. "See, all healed up."

Hayley had moved her jacket slightly to the side, showing the skin above her heart was unmarred. Elijah studied her skin for longer than necessary. Hayley knew what it was like to see someone you cared for harmed in such a way. How those images could haunt you. She knew Elijah especially hung on to those images.

"Hey," She said, stroking his cheek gently. "I'm okay."

There eyes connected and neither of them could pull themselves away. It had been too long since they had last seen each other. They both wanted that comfort from the other.

"Hi Ms. Marshall." A boy said, coming over to their table. His approach caused Hayley to pull back and sit down at the table. "Where's Hope?"

"Hi Landon. She's up at the school. I"m just down here grabbing lunch with one of her uncles." Hayley explained, looking anywhere but at Elijah.

"Hi Mr. Marshall." Landon held out his hand to Elijah, who shook it with a smile and small glance at Hayley, which made Hayley blush slightly.

"Good to meet you Landon." Elijah replied with a firm handshake, one that was more firm than it needed to be.

"Why don't you give us a moment to look over the menu." Hayley said, releasing the poor boy from Elijah's grasp. When he was out of ear shot she turned to Elijah who had settled in the chair across from her. She just shook her head.

"Yes?" Elijah questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Between her uncles and her dad, Hope's dating life is in trouble." Hayley snorted.

"Is she dating that townie?" Elijah's face furrowed. "She's much too young to date."

"She's fifteen, I was much younger when I started dating." Elijah just gave her a look. "Okay, maybe I'm not the best model for dating. I did always seem to find myself attracted to the bad boys."

Hayley smirked at Elijah who returned it with a smile of his own. She missed how easy it used to be with him. He always seemed to understand parts of her that no one else even saw.

"I'm sort of seeing someone." Hayley admitted. She knew she had to be honest with him.

"Ah, yes, the chef." Elijah said too casually, as if he had practiced.

"How–" Hayley started, but then it dawned on her. "Klaus."

"Actually, Freya." Elijah admitted. "We had a long plane ride."

"You would think there was enough drama in this family to take up the entire flight without discussing my relationship." Hayley muttered. "He's a good guy."

Elijah smiled slightly at her. She deserved a good guy. One who could offer her a simple, happy life.

"I imagined he would be. Anyone related to Camille must be a good person." Landon thankfully came over to take their order, interrupting any further conversation. Elijah surprised her by ordering a burger and a milkshake.

"Have you ever eaten a burger before?" Hayley asked once Landon walked off.

"Of course." Elijah scoffed. "I was around when the burger was first created."

"You're not going to eat it with a fork and knife." Hayley continued to tease him.

"It's much less messy that way." Elijah answered without really answering. Hayley just let out a loud laugh. This was exactly what she needed. For a moment, she just wanted to pretend that her family wasn't being forced apart by a mystical spirit, that she hadn't just been tortured and her wolf side surpressed, that her daughter wasn't going to have to deal with the trauma of hearing her mother be tortured and the guilt of feeling responsbile. It was all just too much.

But here she was, sitting with Elijah at a grill and laughing. Elijah's face lit up at her smile. He seemed to realize she needed it and he was more than happy to be the target of her teasing if it meant it could make her feel a sense of peace, even just for a moment.

When the food came out, Elijah did in fact eat his burger with a fork and knife. Although, Hayley did convince him to take a couple of bites eating with his hands. They caught each other up on the past seven years, although they avoided sensitive topics, like significant others.

Elijah mostly wanted to hear about Hope and how she had been doing. It pained him to learn that Hope was struggling with being separated from her family for so long. He let his guilt wash over him while Hayley filled him in on what the family had been going through. While he had been off living in his blissful ignorance, his family had been suffering.

"Hey." He heard Hayley call out, seemingly in the midst of a story she was telling.

"We're back to that?" Elijah asked, trying to seem at ease.

"I know that look." Hayley replied, not giving him the satisfaction. "You didn't do anything wrong. I mean, yes, we would have liked a heads up instead of being informed by Marcel and Vincent after the fact, but you deserved a few years of peace."

Elijah gave Hayley a half smile. He wasn't so sure that he deserved peace. Not after everything he had done in the name of his family. A family that was still falling apart despite his best efforts.

"I should probably get back to Hope. We are pulling her out of school for a little while and bringing her back to New Orleans. I think she could use some quality family time." Hayley said, standing from the table. "Walk me back to my car?"

She knew she didn't have to ask. That he likely would have followed her to ensure her safety either way. Even as they ate he had been doing his overprotective scanning of their surroundings. It typically annoyed her when Klaus and Elijah did that, but right now, after everything that had happened, she found comfort in it.

Elijah nodded his head in affirmation and waited for her to take the lead, following after her.

They walked in silence, taking in the surroundings. Even though this is where she first encountered the Mikaelsons, she had never been in Mystic Falls with Elijah. It was surreal to think that this was the place they grew up over a thousand years earlier.

She let Elijah get lost in his own thoughts while she resisted the urge to reach out to him. She had spent most of the day comforting her daughter, but what she really wanted now was someone to comfort her. And not just anyone. She wanted Elijah. She had never been so grateful to Klaus. It was like he knew Hayley would need him after everything she had been through.

Hayley tried to remind herself that she would soon be headed back to New Orleans, back to Declan. But that only served to put her stomach in knots. How would she explain any of this to him? He would have been back from Ireland and would have noticed her absence. She doubted anyone took to the time to fill him in. And what would they have said anyway? He had no idea about the supernatural world and she wanted to keep it that way. She wouldn't let another O'Connell die because they got dragged into this world.

"Elijah." Hayley stopped suddenly in the alley. He turned to her, surprised that she had broken the silence they had been walking in.

He turned to face her, stopping in front of her. Hayley threw herself into his arms, kissing him greedily. She expected some hesitation on his part, but found none. His arms instantly wrapped around her, holding her tightly to him. She wound her own around his neck, trapping them in an embrace. She felt the sharp brick walls press against her back as Elijah pushed her into it. She wrapped her legs around him, attempting to pull him even closer, if that was possible.

Hayley didn't think about the fact that she was making out with her ex, shoved up against an alley way wall in broad day light, like some teenager. She had missed him so much. She hadn't even realized the extent until she saw him standing in that farm house.

"Hayley." Elijah gasped, pulling away slightly. He still held her against the wall, but lowered her so her feet were on the ground. His hand tracing soothing patterns against her back. "We can't."

Hayley knew he was right. Out of all the morals Elijah was willing to bend, he was not a cheater. And neither was she.

"I know." She said, out of breath. Still, neither of them let go.

"I'm going to end it with Declan." Hayley said after a few more moments.

"Hayley, you don't –" Elijah began to object.

"It's not just you." Hayley explained. "It's not fair to him. I've dragged him into this dangerous world without him even knowing. I don't want what happened to Cami happen to him. And it's not fair because this whole time I've been with him, I've been wishing it was you. I can't do that to a second man."

Elijah signed and rested his head against her forehead. He knew better than to argue with her. He just wished, for once, they had an easy path ahead of them.

"I just want you to be happy." Elijah kissed her forehead gently.

"You make me happy." Elijah made a face at that. "You do. When I saw you in the farm house, I knew everything would be okay. You make me feel safe. All day, I just wanted you to hold me and tell me that everything would be okay."

Hayley's eyes welled with the tears she had been successfully been keeping at bay all day. Elijah immediately reached up to wipe the stray tears that fell.

"Everything will be alright." He said, kissing her cheek. "You have my word."

Hayley kissed him again, this time gently. Thanking him for saying exactly what she needed to hear.

"How exactly do you envision this working?" Elijah wanted to distract Hayley from the pain he knew she felt at losing her wolf side, not to mention all of the other physical pain she had been in for the last couple of weeks. "I can't come near your daughter and I'm fairly certain I am not welcome in New Orleans."

"Come to the bayou." Hayley said excitedly. Part of her thought he would take off again. "There's a little house I own out there that I think you'll like."

"You found the deed?" Elijah smiled at this. He had bought the house in her name shortly after they returned to New Orleans the last time. Right after Hayley had informed him she wished to live out in the bayou with her pack.

"I did." Hayley beamed back at him. "It's perfect."

She resisted the urge to kiss him again. She was trying to behave and she knew her self-control was slipping.

"Is it far enough away?" Elijah asked. The last thing they needed was New Orleans to breaking out into another supernatural war because the Hollow was attempting to gain power again.

"It should be." Hayley confirmed. "Hope doesn't leave the French Quarter much when she's home. Rebekah is back up in New York, and Klaus and Kol are god knows where."

"Alright." Elijah agreed and Hayley couldn't resist the urge to kiss him one last time. "I'll meet you there."