Hello, my lovely readers. Elijah's life's drama just never ends. On with the show…

Chapter 24: Does Anyone Have Solomon on Speed Dial?

Another day in which Elijah Mikaelson attempted to understand why his Ex did the things she did. He could think of a hundred, no, a thousand things he'd rather be doing than sitting across a table from Katherine. It felt necessary to meet in a public place. That way her clothing would remain on her body, or so he hoped, and they could have an adult, rational conversation. And then he could talk to Hayley, and, again, attempt to understand why she was doing the things she was doing.

"Elijah?" Katherine seemed amused as she sipped a glass of Merlot. "Earth to Elijah?" She waved a hand in his face before he caught hold of it in mid-wave. "Ah. You are in there, somewhere. Busily day-dreaming about that prosecutor you're not sleeping with?" Cocking her head to the side; Katherine smirked at him.

Letting go of Katherine's wrist, Elijah leaned back in his seat, trying to compose himself before he continued. "I would appreciate it if you would not discuss my personal relationship with Ms. Marshall."

"Ms. Marshall? How formal." Laughing, Katherine's foot moved under the table to slide up Elijah's calf. "Maybe we should try the whole 'professional' thing. You can call me Ms. Pierce and I can take a close examination of your briefs." Her grin grew as she lowered her eyelids. "What do you say, counsel?"

Elijah let out a loud cough when Kat's foot made its way higher and began to move over a part of him that she'd said good-bye to some time ago. Pushing his seat back, Elijah shot Katherine a dark look. "No."

"No?" Katherine pouted. "Come on, Elijah. You know how much fun I am. Don't you miss me?"

Shaking his head, Elijah sighed. "Katherine. I did love you. I saw my entire life. You by my side but you chose to leave me. And I chose to heal."

Katherine leaned across the table and took one of Elijah's hands. "You're not in love with her, are you?" When Elijah did not reply, Katherine let out a shocked laugh. "You are?" Now, Katherine fell back in her seat. Her expression closed off and she stared at the table top. "When."

"When what?" Elijah felt confused.

"When did you fall in love with her?" Katherine asked him, adjusting her position in the chair. She crossed her legs and suddenly her demeanor took a very strict turn. "How long were we broken up?"

"Excuse me?" Elijah shook his head. "If you're asking if I was involved with her before the ink dried on our divorce papers: No. I had not even thought of Hayley as anyone other than a friend of my brother's ex. It wasn't until Klaus' case that we spent any real time together."

"You fell in love with her while she was working to keep your brother's child from him?" Katherine demanded.

This seemed to amuse her and Elijah stiffened. "I suppose that's when it began. I didn't wake up one day and fall in love."

"Unlike when you met me," Katherine snapped, her eyes narrowing. "Or maybe you lied. You just wanted to get me into bed."

"No. Katherine. What I felt for you was real. I have never felt something like I did the day I met you…" Elijah stopped talking as a little smirk began to play on Katherine's lips. "And that is exactly what you wanted me to say, isn't it? Why you never went to law school is quite beyond me."

"Because I don't like reading all those boring books," Katherine replied. "I like love stories. And adventure. That's why you fell in love with me. Because we're so different." She sat back and ran her fingers over the side of the table. "There was a time you would have been talking dirty in French to me about bending me over this table."

"Yes. And there was a time that you didn't drop our family like it was last season's attire." Elijah stopped talking. "I am sorry, Katherine. I am sorry if you are lonely. I am sorry if you think that you can pick me up and set me down as you please. I have moved on. I suggest you do the same. Good-bye, Kat."

Getting up from the table, Elijah removed a hundred to cover the bottle of wine and then moved to leave when Kat caught hold of his arm and held him there. "You want to be with a woman who worked to split your family apart. Fiona is Klaus.' She belongs to her father. Caroline had no right to keep the child from him. Blood is thicker than water, you know."

Elijah felt his jaw clench. "And sometimes DNA is not all there is to being a parent. It takes love. Therefore it is a good thing that Niklaus is anything if he is not brimming with love—even if he does not always know how to express it in the most healthy of manners."

"I knew I married the wrong brother," Katherine said, picking up her glass of wine. "But I like a challenge."

Freezing, Elijah stared at Katherine as she sipped her wine. "Good-bye," he said through gritted teeth.

Turning away from the once great love of his life, Elijah straightened his tie and made his way out of the restaurant. Katherine still knew exactly where to dig the knife in. Thankfully Elijah knew she would grow bored with verbally stabbing him and she would find a new love interest. As she said, she loved love stories and hers could fill several volumes.

~0~

By the end of the day, Elijah looked forward to kicking back and relaxing at home. He opened his front door—the one with the new lock installed—to which his ex-wife no longer had a key. Striding over to the couch, Elijah blew out a breath and slumped down onto it.

The rest of his day had not gone any better than his lunch with Katherine. He'd broken no leads on who stole his briefcase or what happened with Hayley. No witnesses to her break-in. No one who could offer concrete proof of who stole his briefcase. If it wasn't Hayley, then Elijah had no idea who would want it.

A sound came from the bathroom and Elijah leapt to his feet. Grabbing his cell phone, he swiped the screen, determined to call 911 and have whoever was after him and Hayley taken into custody.

Pressing his back to the wall closest to the hallway, Elijah waited for the intruder to come down the hall. He could hear footsteps. Whoever it was must have heard Elijah enter. Were they waiting for him to relax before attacking him?

The steps stopped at the end of the hallway and Elijah swung around and kicked the man in the solar plexus before pausing. "Niklaus?"

"Elijah," Klaus cried, coughing and wheezing. He was on his knees, his arm wrapped around his chest. "Taken up karate, have we?" Lifting his head, Klaus chuckled. "Let me get my wind and we can really go."

"Niklaus," Elijah groaned. Holding out a hand, Elijah helped his little brother to his feet. "Why are you wandering about my home?"

"Bored," Klaus replied. "I stopped by—earlier—when the locksmith was here, working on the lock and paid him for an extra key."

"Bloody hell," Elijah cried. Of course he'd chosen to hire the corrupt locksmith when there was someone out to steal evidence involving his most pressing case. "How much?"

Klaus shrugged. "A hundred seemed sufficient. However, five hundred seemed enough to keep him from offering the key to other people, who are not blood-related, of course." He offered Elijah a wide grin, placing his hand over his heart.

Rolling his eyes, Elijah thought of a number of retorts which he swallowed down. "How good of you." Taking a second, Elijah added. "Let me get you some ice." He went into the kitchen and opened the freezer, retrieving an ice tray. Moving along the counter, he took hold of a tea towel and reached for the ice tray. With one quick motion, Elijah emptied the tray into the towel before closing his fingers around the homemade icepack.

Klaus had taken a seat on the couch, one foot on the upholstery. Elijah had to stop himself from berating his brother for his bad manners and made his way to Klaus' side. "Here." Holding out the ice pack, Elijah returned to the kitchen. He was in search of a bottle of scotch. "Niklaus, do you mind telling me why you were lurking about?"

"Lurking?" Klaus retorted. "I was not lurking. I told you: I was bored."

"Bored. So, you decided to wander about my home?" Elijah came back to the couch with two tumblers and the bottle of scotch he'd been looking for.

Klaus sat up and looked at the scotch with a sense of eagerness. "I'm stopping myself from going to Caroline's. Before she files for a restraining order."

"I doubt she would do that," Elijah said, pouring Klaus a drink and handing it to him.

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "You're taking her side." Klaus shot Elijah a look that would be followed by one of his infamous grudges.

Sighing, Elijah shook his head and ran a hand over his face. "Do you recall my working to help you gain custody of your child?" Turning his head, Elijah watched Klaus roll his eyes.

"But you think she's right to keep me away from my child!" Klaus argued.

Laughing, Elijah picked up the bottle of scotch and took it back to the kitchen. "You obviously do not need more of this."

"Tell me that you do not believe that Caroline is in the right!" Klaus cried.

Turning around, Elijah found Klaus standing up and making his way toward the kitchen. "Klaus, you are being paranoid. And it is unbecoming."

"Oh, I am unbecoming!" Klaus demanded. "I am the villain in this tale? Am I?" Coming to lean against the counter, Klaus scowled at Elijah. "If you were a father, you'd understand how I feel."

Elijah paused in the act of putting the bottle of scotch away. "You're right, Niklaus. I am not a father. Not biologically speaking anyway. I could not possibly have a clue as to how you feel, being separated from your young daughter. I have never laid awake at night worrying for my child. Missing reading her stories at bedtime. Never made a breakfast for a child. Never loved a child as my own."

Jaw setting, Elijah made his way back to his couch. He picked up his tumbler. His hands were shaking as he lifted the glass to his lips. "Elijah… Brother…" Niklaus made his way over to the couch and took a seat. "I am sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"About Nadia. My daughter," Elijah replied. He tried to keep the bitter tone out of his voice but he could hear trace amounts there. "The child who I get to see whenever it is that Katherine deigns to allow me a visit or a week with my child."

Klaus became quiet. "I take it lunch did not go well?" Elijah felt surprised and it must have shown on his face. "Katherine and I are Facebook friends."

"Why?" Elijah could not help asking, sipping his drink.

Klaus chuckled. "Katherine friended Tyler Lockwood. That way I can be in the loop because Katherine feeds me intel."

"Is that how she knew so much about your case with Fiona?" Klaus now had Elijah's full attention.

"I might have talked to her about it some. She's not friends with Hayley. Nor Caroline. This made it easier to talk to her about how things were going. Besides, she'd a familiar face." Klaus shrugged. "I needed someone on my side for once."

"Again, I was on your side," Elijah retorted with an eye roll.

Klaus nodded. "To annoy father."

"It has its perks," Elijah replied with a smile.

For a moment they both began to laugh. "Do you think she truly wants me in her life?" Klaus asked.

"Katherine?" Elijah quipped.

Klaus rolled his eyes and smirked. "Caroline."

"Yes." Elijah said. "But it is better not to rush these things. That's what ruined the two of you so quickly last time."

"What?" Klaus' brows shot up. "You said we made a lovely couple."

"A lovely couple who raced from one thing to another. It was lust. Then love. Then hate. All within a very short period of time. I would wish for neither of you to be hurt, again, and most especially for my little niece not to be caught in the crosshairs."

"You think I haven't thought of that?" Klaus demanded.

Elijah turned to Klaus. "I am not the enemy here. I am your brother. I am also your best friend."

"Don't tell anyone that. I will deny it. Vehemently," Klaus warned, pointing a finger at Elijah.

Rolling his eyes, Elijah smiled. "Just tread lightly. In time, things will become much easier. Or so I hope." Throwing an arm around Klaus' shoulders, Elijah tugged Klaus into a one-armed hug. "You know that I choose family above all. And you make it quite hard on all of us. This makes us have to love you all the more."

"So you throw in extra doses of love just because I am a royal pain in the arse?" Klaus inquired with an impish grin.

"And more than a little tolerance," Elijah added, releasing Klaus and sitting back.

A beep sounded and Klaus pulled out his phone. "Sorry. I must be going."

"So soon?" Elijah got to his feet and followed Klaus to the door. "Key, brother."

"What makes you think I did not already make a copy?" Klaus' eyes were glowing with humor.

Elijah narrowed his eyes. "Niklaus."

Klaus sighed and dug in his pocket. "You know Kol knows how to pick locks, correct?"

"He does?" Elijah slipped the key into his pocket.

"Freya taught him. When we were younger." Klaus moved to stand in the hallway. "Sleep well."

"I will not," Elijah snapped, trying to sound annoyed. It just made Klaus smirk back. "Good night."

"Night." Klaus headed down the hallway.

Shaking his head, Elijah re-entered his home. He went to the coffee table to collect their empty glasses. It would be good to busy himself with the simple task of cleaning the glasses and setting them back in their proper places. His thoughts went back to his conversation with Klaus. Facebook friends. Perhaps Elijah should jump onto social media and see if anyone could provide him with clues as to who was working against his case.

Task completed, Elijah closed the cabinet door. He really wanted to take a long shower and then go to sleep early. The last two days had been challenging to say the least.

Elijah flicked the light in his bedroom on and went to his closet. Opening the doors, he felt his jaw tighten, again. There was nothing out-of-place. Just some kind of an instinct told him something was off. His safe was closed. Touching the keypad, Elijah opened it to find that everything was still where it was meant to be.

But something was off. Crouching down, Elijah found a flake of dried red paint on the floor. Klaus liked to dabble in painting from time to time. Raising his eyes to his safe, Elijah tried to shake the feeling off but he went into his bathroom. Coming back out, he took a tissue and ran it over the keypad. Barely visible traces of dried red paint came off on the tissue.

"Oh, Niklaus. What were you looking for, brother?" Elijah wondered aloud.

Shaking his head, Elijah went to the bathroom and dropped the tissue in the garbage can. He would deal with Klaus another day. Right now, he needed that shower and a long night's sleep. If sleep would come.

~0~

The next morning, Elijah laid on his back. His eyes were on his ceiling. He'd been trying to puzzle out why Klaus wanted to get into his safe. It couldn't be a money issue. Klaus might be proud, but Elijah doubted he would resort to stealing. And if he had five hundred dollars to bribe a locksmith, money would not seem to be an issue.

Perhaps Klaus was not alone. Perhaps Rebekah was the culprit. She'd dipped her fingers in Klaus' paint, to make it look like it was Klaus. That scenario seemed a bit far-fetched.

No matter how Elijah attempted to make the pieces come together; they would not fit.

Giving up on sleep, Elijah got to his feet and he made his way out of his bedroom. With a yawn, he went to the kitchen and opened his fridge, intent on making an omelet for breakfast when his phone began to go off.

Brows rising, Elijah made his way over to his phone. Nadia's name was on the screen. Swiping, Elijah raised the phone to his ear. "Nadia, honey, is something wrong?" Her sniffling made him think something very, very wrong must have happened.

"Mom's in the other room. I don't have any time to talk, Daddy. But she's… She's… She's…" Nadia let out a quiet sob.

"Nadia, take a deep breath for me. Okay?" Elijah inhaled and exhaled and listened to his child do the same.

"She's talking to a lawyer. She said she wants sole custody of me. I looked that up on-line, Daddy! Don't let her do it! I don't want you to stop being my daddy!" Nadia let out another sob which broke Elijah's heart.

"Oh, Nadia." Elijah shook his head. "I will try my best to make sure that does not happen."

"You promise!" Nadia cried.

"I promise," Elijah said, wishing he could hold her.

"I have to go, Daddy." And then the sound of the dial tone sounded in Elijah's ear.

Setting down his phone, Elijah forgot all about breakfast. He knew where he was going this morning.

~0~

Elijah found his eyes darting to his watch as he adjusted his position on a chair. He watched Aurora pick up the telephone. "Hello, Mikaelson and Gerard. Yes, sir. I will let her know. Thank you for calling." She sent Elijah a quick smile. "Let me go and see if she's ready for you?" Sliding off her chair, Aurora hurried to Hayley's door and tapped on it before she twisted the handle and disappeared inside.

Seconds later, Aurora reappeared. "She's ready."

"Thank you." Elijah stood up and walked past Aurora and into Hayley's office. He shut the door behind him before moving toward Hayley's desk.

"Is this visit for business or pleasure, sir?" Hayley inquired, a twinkle in her eye.

"I need your help, Hayley," Elijah said, gesturing to a chair across from the desk.

"Business. Right. Okay." Hayley sat back in her seat. "What can I do for you?"

"Katherine has decided to begin custody proceedings. And I do not wish to lose my daughter. Will you help me?" Elijah watched Hayley's eyebrows shoot upward.

"Mikael is not going to like this," Hayley said. Then she smiled. "I'll take the case. Just beware, as the non-biological father of the child, and without having legally adopted Nadia, we're in for one hell of a ride here."

"I am well aware," Elijah nodded. He was ready for what Katherine and her lawyer wanted to attempt. He'd be damned if he would lose his child because Kat was not getting what she wanted. And when Elijah Mikaelson declared war; he usually won.

Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.

Peace,

-J