This is it. The first Haylijah reunion. Elijah has been gone for four years, and Hayley couldn't take it any more. She had to see him. A lot of this is the conversations they had in 5x11. I added some things, changed a few others, and took out the reference to a girlfriend - who doesn't exist in this version. I do plan on filling in some of the past four years, in the form of flashbacks, later. But, I really wanted to get to this part.

As always, thank you for the likes, follows, and comments. They are all very much appreciated.

~You Can't Fight Destiny~

Four Years Later

It was all Josh could do not to stare at the pretty little brunette when she walked in, and immediately made her way to the bar and ordered a glass of Bordeaux. He wanted to ask her what the hell she thought she was doing, here. And why she hadn't thought to warn him that she was coming. But, he was afraid of Elijah overhearing. And he couldn't even pass off any extra attention he paid to her as flirting. Which meant that he had to pretend that the woman who could quite possibly accidentally shatter his best friend's sanity wasn't anyone special.

Especially since said best friend kept looking over at her. It would have been cute if Josh wasn't so afraid of it all blowing up in their faces. And so Josh served his customers, and wiped down his bar, and flirted with a few cute guys, and pretended that it was just another day. For about an hour. Until his piano player finally took a break and walked over to talk to the woman he had been all but staring at from the moment she had walked in the room.

"Can I make a guess here? You're either broke, or you're a terrible drunk."

"Excuse me?"

"You've been nursing that drink for over an hour."

Josh rather aggressively started polishing the far corner of the bar. He needed to get Hayley out of there before he died from trying to hold in laughter. He wondered if she had caught the implications of that statement.

"Well, maybe there are some things that neither money nor alcohol can solve. Did you ever have an ex you just… can't seem to get out of your system?"

"Can I recommend something a little stronger than Bordeaux?"

"I'm… I'm fine. But, thank you."

"I'm.. I'm Elijah."

"Andrea."

Well, that was certainly interesting. And technically not a lie. That was the name on her original birth certificate, after all. Though he was curious about why she didn't use her real name. If seeing her face didn't trigger something in Elijah, hearing her name certainly wouldn't.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Andrea."

Josh risked a peek over at them. And they were looking at each other almost the way they used to. To be expected from Hayley, but Elijah's reaction was certainly surprising.

"So, what have you seen of Manosque, so far?"

"Pretty much just the inside of this wineglass."

"Yeah, it's not Paris. But I love this place, you know?"

Yes, she certainly did know. That was why she had sent them here.

"I'm not sure it's the ideal location for the 'how to forget your ex tour', but…"

"To be honest, I closed my eyes, threw darts at a map, and booked some flights. This is just the first stop on the tour."

"Oh? And can I ask where else you'll be heading?"

"A bunch of little towns I had never heard of, before. I seem to be taking a grand tour of Europe. It should be interesting. Though, to be honest, I only landed a few hours ago. You're the first person I've spoken to. Oh. Besides the concierge at Hotel Saint Louis."

"Otto. Notorious flirt."

Hayley laughed. "He is not shy."

"Mm-mm. Not shy. Though, in your case, I'm not entirely sure I blame him."

Elijah really was going to be the death of Josh, if Hayley didn't get her ass out of there, soon.

"Now who's flirting?"

"Maybe just a little. But, unfortunately, I have to go. There's an art show I'm supposed to be going to see." He stood up. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Andrea. I do hope that I'll see you again before your tour leaves for its next destination." And then he walked out of the bar. But, he kept glancing back at her.

As soon as Elijah was gone, Josh walked back over to Hayley. "Have you lost your mind? What are you doing here?"

"I had to see him, Josh. I had to see for myself that he was okay. Not that I don't trust you. I know that you're taking care of him. But I love him. And I haven't seen him in four years. And I missed him. I know that this was stupid. But, I had to. Just this once."

"This could have blown up in our faces. You know that, right? Seeing you, again… What if he had remembered you? Hell! I almost think that part of him did. I've been here with him for four years. He's dated other women. But, I have never seen him like that, Hayley. I have never seen him flirt so blatantly. Not to mention…" No, if Hayley hadn't caught the implications, he wasn't going to point them out to her.

"Not to mention, what?"

"Nothing. Forget it." And then he noticed her right hand, and the ring that looked an awful lot like a more feminine version of the ring Davina had made for him twelve years ago. "What's with the Daylight Ring? You don't need one. Perks of being a hybrid, right?"

"It was Hope's idea. Didn't really need it for this trip. But, if Elijah and I ever see each other again, the fact that I haven't aged will probably come up. This way, he won't question my being out during the day."

"If you ever see each other again? I mean, you just said 'just this once'. The next time you see him, it will be because Freya figured something out, and defeated the Hollow, and Marcel gave him his memories back. Right?"

"Hope is… convinced that Elijah and I are soulmates, and that we're going to find our way back to each other, Hollow or no Hollow. And she thinks I should be prepared. And, since I can hardly tell him that I'm a hybrid, because of the questions that would raise, I needed a Daylight Ring."

Josh laughed. "Your daughter is a hopeless romantic."

"She's a twelve year old girl. I think that 'hopeless romantic' is part of the definition. But, she knew Elijah and I were together before. She knew how much I loved him. She knows I still do. And I know that Klaus and Rebekah at least have been telling her stories about us. They both seem more interested in getting him back for my sake than their own." She passed her wineglass back to him and stood up. "Coming here was stupid. All seeing him did was make me miss him even more. And I don't know how long it's going to be before I get him back. Or if I'm even going to ever get him back."

"Don't talk like that. You have two firstborn Mikaelson witches working on this. Freya and Hope will figure something out." Because Hope was certainly getting old enough to include in that. Considering the things Davina had been capable of at not much older than Hope was, now. Yes, Davina had been a Harvest Girl, but Hope was a Mikaelson. And there were entire covens of witches that quaked in fear at the very sound of her name.

"Logically, I know that. I know that neither one of them is going to rest until we can safely get him back. But, I'm scared, Josh. And I thought that seeing him would help. But, it didn't. It just reminded me of everything I lost. No, everything I threw away. I threw away our last few months together being angry with him over something that wasn't even him. And never mind that I was being a total hypocrite in the process. About all I have to comfort myself with is that at least the last words I said to him were that I love him. I…" She folded her arms on the bar, put her head down and cried. "I was so stupid. And I just want him back."

She eventually pulled herself together and stood up. "I should go. I definitely shouldn't be here when he gets back."

She looked so defeated. Seeing her like this made Josh want to cry, himself. He couldn't do much for however long it took them to fix things. But, he could give her tonight. He wasn't sure if it would help or make things worse. But, it was the best he could do. And, for all his jokes with her about Hope, he was just as much of a hopeless romantic as he accused her of being. At least when it came to these two. "Look, maybe you shouldn't leave just yet. I'm supposed to be going to that art show. I have no interest in it. What if I give you my ticket? You go, give yourself one night."

"You really sure that's a good idea?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure of anything, anymore. Except that I'm more sure than ever that the two of you are meant to be together. So, go. Hang out with him for one night. Let yourself have fun. Give that hopeless romantic of a daughter of yours more incentive to find a way to get her Uncle Elijah back. Maybe it will help you. Maybe it will just make things worse. I don't know. Maybe by offering this, I'm just setting you up for even more heartbreak."

She smiled at him. "Maybe. But, if I get hurt more by it, it serves me right. Would you really do that for me?"

Josh smiled and handed her his ticket. "There you go. It's just up the street at Cafe Etoile. And Hayley? Be careful. You know better than anyone just how fragile his mind is, right now. And I know that you are the last person to ever want to see him hurt. So… watch yourself, okay?"

She nodded, then leaned over the bar to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll be careful. The last thing I want is to hurt him. And Josh… thank you." And then she walked out.

Josh picked up his cell phone, unlocked it, and sent a group text to the entire Mikaelson clan: "Of all the gin joints in all the world, guess who just walked into mine."

~You Can't Fight Destiny~

"Do you know the artist?"

Elijah couldn't help but smile as he turned to greet Andrea. "No. I'm, uh, friends with the cafe owner."

"Well, I hope he's a better cook than a curator."

"I see. You don't like culture." In truth, she was actually right. The best thing that could be said about the paintings was that they were interesting. But, for some reason, he was enjoying baiting her.

"You live in France, and you call this culture?"

"Obviously this is beneath you." Why couldn't he stop smiling? "Shame on me."

Andrea rolled her eyes. "Come on. This… this is derivative."

"Yeah. It's a little derivative. You know what I've found, though?" He grabbed two glasses of wine from a passing waiter and handed one to her, before taking a sip from the other. "The more you drink, the more exceptional the art becomes."

"And the prettier your company becomes as well, I would assume."

"Possibly. Not that you need the help." Had he really said that? He ducked his head. "I mean…"

"You're quite the charmer, you know that?"

"I assure you that I am being very sincere. I do apologize if I'm coming on a bit strong. The last thing I want is to be lumped in with Otto."

"And when did I compare you to Otto? For some reason, what's creepy and annoying from him is rather cute and charming coming from you."

Cute? She thought he was cute? He grinned wider. Which, if he wasn't careful, he was going to end up crossing the line into "creepy and annoying", himself. "Now who's flirting?"

She blushed, but didn't look away. "Maybe a little." She laughed and took a sip of her wine. "Anyway… The thing is, I used to be intimidated by things like this."

"You don't strike me as the shrinking violet type."

"Oh, I could kick your ass."

"I don't doubt it." Actually, he highly doubted it. But only because he wasn't human. Without the superhuman strength his vampire blood gave him, who really knew? Not that it mattered much, because he wasn't the type to hit a woman, even without the unfair advantages he would have in any physical fight with any human being.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"You love it here, don't you? I mean… you're happy?" Something about the way she was looking at him when she asked that was a bit unsettling. Like she, for some reason, needed to know that he was happy. Not as a recommendation of the city, but out of concern for him.

Which was, of course, a completely insane vibe to be getting off of a complete stranger, and he was probably very much misreading things. Or, maybe it was the fact that he found himself already wishing that she wasn't going to be hopping onto another plane soon, and he was projecting his own feelings onto her. "It's love at first sight. When something feels right, you don't question it."

The smile she gave him at that made him glad he had a Daylight Ring. He chuckled. "You know what? You're right. What do you say we stop pretending to be interested in the art? I would honestly rather just sit down somewhere and talk to you. I know you have another plane to catch, and I can't help wanting to take advantage of what time we have, together."

"I'd like that." So, why did she look so sad?

Elijah smiled and took her hand, leading her to an empty table near the musicians. The dancing had already started. Not the spinning and twirling that would eventually happen when the music's tempo increased. They were still playing the kind of music you would expect at an art show. But, some couples were out there, swaying together.

"Do you think they know how rare that is?"

He looked over at Andrea who was nodding towards Sylvie and Christophe. "What do you mean?"

"To love someone for so long."

Elijah chuckled. It was an easy mistake to make. The couple in question certainly looked more like they had recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary than their third. "Actually, until recently, Sylvie was a widow and Christophe was a bachelor. They got married right here, three years ago, as a matter of fact."

"Well, I guess that will teach me to be sentimental."

"Yeah, I guess some of these things can't be measured in time." He looked over at her. "You ever feel like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you were just… destined for someone?"

"Yes. Once before." But she looked sad, again.

And then he remembered why she was in France. "I'm sorry. The ex. For a minute, I forgot that you were here trying to get over someone." Which meant that even if she wasn't leaving soon, the most he would be to her was a rebound. The thought was depressing as Hell.

He shook his head and stood up, then held his hand out. "May I have this dance?"

Her response was another light-up-the-room smile and to take his hand and let him lead her out onto the dance floor.

There was an awkwardness to their dance. Then again, they hardly knew each other. And yet, a part of him felt like he had known her all his life. Which, was almost ironic coming from him. He hadn't even known himself his whole life.

As the song came to an end, their eyes met. And he could see it. If he leaned in and kissed her, she wouldn't pull away, she'd kiss him back. And, for one eternal moment, looking into her eyes, he almost did. But, he knew that he wouldn't be able to leave it at just one kiss. He would ask her to stay. To see if there was something to the way he felt so drawn to her. And she wouldn't be able to. She had places to go, and a home to return to. And even if she stayed, he didn't want to be a rebound.

If only they had met in another time, another place. Before some other man had broken her heart. In some other life. He smiled ruefully. "I know you have to go. I guess I'll see you in the next life." He wasn't even sure what he meant by that. Except that there was this little voice in his head telling him that she was the one he had been talking about, before. That he was destined for her. And somehow, they would find each other again, someday.

"If we're destined to meet each other in another life, just know… I'll be waiting for another dance." She kissed his cheek and then walked away.

He could only stare after her, this oh-so-familiar stranger. He didn't even know her last name. He couldn't find her again, no matter how much he might want to. If they were ever to see each other again, it would be up to her.

He shook his head. He was behaving like a lovesick fool. Over a woman he'd known only a few hours. But, even knowing that, there was still a part of him hoping that she would feel that same unexplainable connection and return to him, one day.