Elijah wakes up in New Orleans and is given his memories back. But, is his sanity up to having a thousand years' worth of memories thrown at him at once?

~The Path To Forever~

He woke up in a coffin. He sat up. "Where the Hell am I?"

"You're in New Orleans. Because your brother is an idiot who apparently doesn't care if the world burns."

"Enough, Marcel. Klaus isn't thinking clearly. And, from what I understand, Elijah has always been the one he turned to when he needed help. A thousand years of habit is hard to break."

"Yeah. But, what in the world does he think Elijah can do?"

"Who knows? But, he's here. So, let's give him his memories back. The sooner we find Hayley, the sooner Klaus will calm down and realize that he's an idiot. And the sooner Klaus and Elijah can once again go their separate ways. Hopefully before things start going horribly wrong." The woman held her hand out to him. "Come on, little brother. Let's get you the rest of the way back."

He shook his head. "I'm not your brother. And all I want, right now, is to go home to my fiancee."

The woman looked stricken. "Fiancee?" She looked at the man she had called Marcel. "Did you know about this?"

"No. All Klaus told me was that he was sending me a present, but it was a little broken and he needed the two of us to fix it for him."

"Well, this could get interesting." She looked at Elijah. "Look, the sooner you let us do what we need to do so you can help our brother find his daughter's mother, the sooner we can get you back to that fiancee of yours. Okay? We need your help, Elijah. Neither Hope or I can find her by scrying. I honestly don't know what Klaus thinks you can do. But… even if all you can do is keep him from going even more off the deep end than he already is… Well… that is something that only you can do."

"So, I help talk your brother down, help him find this woman, and then I can go back to Manosque?" It seemed too simple. There had to be some kind of catch. There was no way they were really going to just let him go home after everything they went through to get him there.

She nodded. "Yeah. If you still want to go back to Manosque once we've found Hayley, nobody will stop you. Not even Klaus."

Marcel snorted. "Yeah. Because if he still wants to go back after he remembers Hayley, there's really no point in keeping him here."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out, soon. Come on."

He climbed out of the coffin then, and sat on the chair they directed him to. And then the woman started chanting. After a few minutes, Marcel looked him in the eyes and started talking. "Remember, Elijah. Remember your family. Remember always and forever. Remember Hayley. Open the door in your mind where you hide the worst parts of yourself, and let it all come back."

And then he was in a corridor. A long white corridor lined with white doors. At the end of the hallway there was another door. A different one. This one was red, battered and old-looking. Something was drawing him to that door. Apparently that was the door that he was being told to open. But, there was something on the other side of it. Something he wasn't sure he wanted to face.

A voice came from behind the door. A woman's voice. "Elijah, stop!" Something inside him knew that voice. And knew that remembering how he knew it was going to hurt. He didn't want to open that door. He had shoved everything in there for a reason.

But, he didn't have a choice. Some force that was stronger than his own will was pushing him towards that door. Towards whatever was on the other side of that door. He took a deep breath. And then he opened the door.

And got hit by a tidal wave of memories and emotions. A thousand years worth. It was too much. He felt like his head was going to explode. Or like he was drowning. He searched his mind for an anchor, a liferaft. Something he could cling to while trying to process this. And he found her. Hayley. The woman he had loved from the moment he had laid eyes on her.

Images flashed through his mind. Almost too quickly to register. But, while his mind couldn't process all of them just yet, his heart welcomed them. Seeing her for the first time. Their first kiss. Making love to her. And smaller things. Simple things. Dancing with her at a party. The soft smile he would sometimes catch her giving him. Knowing that his own expression mirrored it.

How could he have forgotten her? How could even Marcel have erased her, not just from his mind, but from his heart? How could anything have erased the love he had felt for her, still felt for her? But, no. He had seen her again. Five years ago. He had been drawn to her in a way he hadn't understood at the time. But, he did now. His mind hadn't known her. But his heart… his heart had recognized its other half.

There were other memories, too. Not all of them were pleasant. There was pain there, too. Horrible things they had both said and done to each other. Things that maybe they would never be able to come back from. The reason he had left the way he did. But, he pulled his memories of her to himself, and clung to them.

And then he was able to pick other memories out. His siblings. Niklaus, Rebekah, Kol, Freya. The vow he, Niklaus, and Rebekah had made to each other a thousand years ago. Always and forever. Oh, things hadn't always been good between them, either. But, they were a thousand years old. And for a thousand years, they only had each other. Of course there would sometimes be anger and resentment. But, even at their worst moments it had always been tempered by love.

And then other things. Other people. A baby. Hope. The first time Niklaus and Hayley had seen her after months of her being hidden away. Bringing Hope to see Hayley every month on the full moon. Watching her first steps, hearing her first words.

Marcellus. The little boy Niklaus had connected with, bonding over their shared experience of having fathers who hated them. And who grew up to become the man Rebekah loved.

Camille. The brave little bartender who got sucked into a world beyond human comprehension and yet held her own. One of the few people who could stand her ground against Niklaus at his worst. She had paid for her loyalty to his family with her life. And yet, the effect she had had on his brother was second only to little Hope.

Davina. The little witch who had finally tamed Kol. She had done more to make him feel loved and worthy than even his own siblings had. Someday, Elijah needed to make amends to both of them. But, for now, it was enough to know that they were there.

And then, surrounded by his family, he forced himself to face the rest. The reason that door had existed in the first place. A thousand years of being a monster, hiding behind an immaculate suit. The people he had killed. Too many over the centuries to count. But, there were two that were harder to watch than the others. Tatia. And Marcellus.

At some point while remembering he had closed his eyes. He opened them now, looked into the eyes of the man whose heart he had once ripped out. "I'm so sorry, Marcellus. I am so, so sorry. I… I can't remember if I ever apologized. I… I was running scared. If it had just been about me… But it wasn't. I couldn't watch Niklaus and Rebekah die. And I couldn't take the chance that what was coming was going to hurt Hayley or Hope. I'm sorry." It wasn't enough. Wasn't nearly enough. They were going to have to sit down and talk about it. He knew that, and was not looking forward to it.

But then there were arms around him. "I know. I know, Elijah. I don't know if I'll ever fully forgive you, but I understand. I love them, too. If the situation was reversed I probably would have done the same thing."

He couldn't stop crying. There was too much. A thousand years was more than the human mind had been designed to deal with to begin with. Having all of it thrown at him at once was more than he could process. It was all too much.

But then one thing bobbed to the surface of his mind. A memory, not of Elijah Mikaelson, but of Elijah Smith. "Hayley is missing." No. Please God, no.

"Hayley. Where is Hayley?"

"We don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know? You're a witch. You're a first born Mikaelson witch. Scry for her. There has to be something you can do." He wasn't being fair. He knew that. But he couldn't help it. If he didn't embrace the anger, he would be overwhelmed by fear and grief. Anger would fuel him, give him the energy to do his part to get Hayley back. Fear and grief would shut him down. He didn't have time for fear and grief, right now.

"Scry for her. Why didn't Hope or I think of that? I'm so glad that you're home to make sure we do the absolute minimum to find my best friend and Hope's mother."

"Freya, chill. Can't you see that he's a wreck?"

"I'm sorry, Freya. I just… I just had a thousand years worth of memories thrown at me. Including shattering the woman I love's heart into a million pieces. And one of the last things I remember before waking up here is being told that she's missing. So, forgive me for being a bit frazzled, right now."

"Yeah. I'm sorry, too. You aren't the only one who is a wreck. Let's face it, Klaus was worried enough to risk everything to go get you. We're all spread really thin and getting ready to snap. But… That doesn't give us the right to snap on each other. Right now, we're all we have. Welcome home, little brother."

Elijah stood up and took his sister into his arms. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

She pulled away and wiped at her eyes. "There's time for that later. Right now, we need to find Hayley. I have no idea what Klaus's plan is. I honestly don't know if Klaus knows what Klaus's plan is. I think he was hoping you would have one."

"Unfortunately, right now, I don't. You heard me. All I can think of is the obvious, bare minimum."

"And me, Hope, and half the witches in Caroline's school are already on that. We're trying, Elijah. I promise you that. We are trying."

"I know. But, I can't help you with that part. So, I guess it's time for me to find out why I'm home." But, he noticed Freya exchanging a look with Marcel that chilled him to the bone. "What aren't you telling me?"

Freya took a shuddering breath. "A box came, while Klaus was gone getting you. Brought by a messenger that killed himself as soon as the box was put in my hands."

He wasn't going to like this. He knew that. But, he had to hear it. "What was in the box?"

She took his hand. "Come on. It would be easier if I show you." And she led him up the stairs and into the living room. She pointed at the small box on the table, but didn't say anything.

Elijah picked up the box with trembling hands and opened it. His heart clenched and his stomach churned as he saw what was inside. It was a piece of skin. Small, but recognizable. The birthmark he had told Hayley so many times to keep covered. Until she had found her people and that mark became a badge of honor. Technically, it could have belonged to any member of Hayley's pack. But, he wasn't naive enough to really believe that. Whoever had taken Hayley had mutilated her to send a message. He brushed his finger over the patch of skin. "I am so sorry, my love", he whispered. He looked up at Freya. "Does Niklaus know about this?"

Freya nodded. "He hasn't seen it, because he's been staying away from you. But I couldn't not tell him."

"Right. Well, I should probably call him and see what his plan is." He reached for his phone, and then realized that he wouldn't have Klaus's number programmed in it, and didn't have it memorized. "Except I don't actually know how to reach him."

Freya actually laughed, though the laughter didn't quite reach her eyes. and took his phone out of his hand and dialed for him before handing it back. "Here you go. After you talk to him, I'll program my number into it, too. And give you Rebekah's and Kol's."

"And mine."

He opened his mouth to apologize, for what, he wasn't really sure, but then there was a voice on his phone. "Hello?"

"Niklaus. Tell me you have a plan, brother."

"I'm with Caroline. Hope has run off with another student on her own rescue mission. Since scrying isn't working, we're trying a more modern method to at least find Hope, and having their cell phones traced. It's best if you and I don't spend too much time together. But, I promise you that once I have any information, I will bring you in on this, too. The Hollow be damned."

"Keep me and Freya informed. I'm going to see if there is anything I can do from here."

"All right. Well, if you get any ideas…"

"I'll call you."

"Good. Talk to you soon. And Elijah? Welcome back."

Elijah ended the call and then looked at his sister. "Okay. Since scrying isn't working, we need to go to more human ways of tracking people. Niklaus and Caroline are tracing Hope's cell phone. Has anybody seen if the wolves can help at all?"

"Unfortunately, Keelin is out of the country. So, our best liaisons with them would have been Hayley or Hope."

"Perfect. Well, I guess I should see if any of them will talk to me. For her sake." He ran a hand over his eyes. "Niklaus will keep us both informed on his and Caroline's progress. I… I don't know what to do. There have only been two times in my entire very long life that I have ever been this frightened, and felt this helpless. And both of those times were when I thought that Hayley was dead or dying. I can't go through that again, Freya. I can't."

"I know. I know. We'll find her. We'll get her back. It's going to be okay. We have to believe that. It's going to be okay."

He took a shuddering breath, and then nodded. "I'm going to go for a walk. See if I can think of something useful I can do while I'm waiting for Niklaus and Caroline to have news for me." And then he turned and walked out the door. He didn't need his sister, right now. He needed the one person that wasn't there. He needed Hayley.