Previously in "I'll Still Be Here", Jeremy meets Allison Whitmore and Damon opens up to Elena about a painful part of his past.

Chapter Five

New Orleans – The Following Evening…

Hayley emerged from the limousine that she was sure Elijah had sent for her, letting the heels on her feet come to meet with the concrete sidewalk beneath the wheels of the limo. She wobbled for a second in them then caught herself before letting her hands smooth down the length of the dress she wore, smoothing out the wrinkles. Hayley then looked at the place the limo had brought her to, placing her hand on her belly. "I'll say this for Uncle Elijah…he sure knows how to pick a place." That being said, she went toward the entrance, not sure what she'd be in for, but anticipating it at the same time. When she got inside, she looked around for Elijah and grew worried when she didn't see him at first. And then she felt someone gently drape a blindfold over the upper half of her face. No sooner did the blindfold get put over her eyes than Hayley felt a pair of lips caress the bare skin of her neck, very familiar lips. "E…Elijah?"

His hand gently cupped the back of her neck and Hayley let it arch into his touch. "Yes, my love, it is me," he said in a hoarse voice. Hayley let her eyes drift closed at the sound of his voice, shivering at the same time. Turning in his arms, she reached up with one hand to remove the blindfold then pressed her lips to his, crushing them to his in an urgent, passionate kiss. Elijah returned her kiss without hesitation, gently pulling her close and being mindful of her belly. He then brought one of his hands up to caress her cheek as the kiss deepened. He pulled back after a few minutes and looked at her, a smile on his face. "You look beautiful tonight, Hayley."

"I have your sister, Caroline and Sage to thank for everything," Hayley replied with a shy look down at her feet.

Elijah saw her look at her feet and gently lifted her chin to make her meet his gaze. "Well, I'll make it a point to thank them later." He kissed her softly. "Come, let us get this evening started, shall we?"

"Let's," she said in agreement. "But, first…" Leaning until her hands could come into contact with her ankles and unwrapping the strap that was twined around her ankle, Hayley removed first one of her heels and then the other one, letting the straps be tied together as she placed them over one shoulder. "That's one of the things I hate about being pregnant," she said. "The damn swelling of my ankles…" She let out a sigh. "Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that Caroline, Sage and Rebekah gave me those shoes, but I just can't stand my ankles swelling up the way they do."

"I can understand why. They will get a massage later," Elijah told her.

Hayley smiled at him. "Thank you, Elijah. I'd like that."

"It's no problem, Hayley," he said, giving her a smile in return. Hayley giggled and kissed him again before taking his arm and letting him lead her toward the table he had reserved for them. It wasn't often, for Hayley at least, when a guy like Elijah came along in her life…but she was happy for the first time in months since coming to New Orleans. Elijah led her to the table, pulling out her chair for her and pushing her in before taking his seat across from her, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, Hayley. I couldn't wait to see you tonight."

"I figured as much, after I found this dress lying across the duvet of my bed at the mansion. By the way, you made an excellent selection. How did you know that this was my favorite color?" she asked.

Elijah smiled at her. "A gentleman always makes it a point to know what the lady he fancies likes."

"Oh, so is that the term for it? When you like someone, I mean? You and your siblings use the word 'fancy'?" Hayley asked.

"Yes, it is," Elijah said. "Unless, you prefer that I use a different term?"

"No, no, you don't have to change it on my account," Hayley said. "I was just curious, that's all. And I think it's sweet."

"Thank you," Elijah replied. A waiter then asked if they wanted anything to drink and Elijah said, "A glass of wine for me and a sparkling cranberry juice for the lady."

The waiter nodded and placed some menus down for the two before going to put in their drink order. Hayley smiled at him before picking up her menu, letting a giggle escape, which caused him to look at her. She met his gaze and another giggle came out. "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to be treated like this. Nobody has ever done this for me before."

"I'd be happy to spoil you every chance I get, Hayley. Because you deserve it," he said, smiling at her then leaned closer and let his lips brush gently over hers, barely a whispered touch.

Hayley smiled and returned his kiss. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Elijah said, smiling against her lips.

As they pulled away, Hayley felt a kick and placed her hand on her belly. "She's certainly a happy little girl tonight." Grabbing his hand, she placed hers on top of his. "Here, feel it."

Elijah did as she asked, grinning when he felt the flutter of feet moving beneath his hand. "That is very amazing, and you're right…she's very happy," he told the werewolf.

Hayley smiled. "She's happy because her mo…" She was going to say "her mommy", but then remembered Klaus saying earlier that he and Caroline were going to raise the baby together. "Well, she's happy because I'm happy."

"You were going to say 'her mommy', weren't you, Hayley? Because, you know, I talked to Niklaus…and he's willing to co-parent, where it will be you, me, him and Miss Forbes raising the child as a group," Elijah told her.

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "Really…he agreed to that?"

"That is what we were discussing the other day, when we were also discussing the return of my brother Finn," Elijah told her.

Hayley then remembered what he was talking about. "Oh, was that why you asked me to give the two of you privacy?"

"Yes," he replied, "I didn't mean to exclude you, but it was a family matter."

"Its okay, I understand. You're allowed to have your private discussions with your family," Hayley said. "I was just curious." Just then, the waiter came over to ask what they wanted and Hayley was quick to say, "I'll have a T-bone steak, rare, and instead of the baked potato that comes with it, I'll have fries." She saw the look Elijah was giving her. "What? That's what the baby wants."

He only chuckled, maintaining his hold on her hand. "The cravings would've come sooner or later, I'm just glad that they came now," he said.

Hayley smiled. "I guess so."

"I know so," he said, smiling back.

Hayley nodded and after Elijah put his order in, she sipped her drink and it was quiet before she said, "That promise you made about helping me find my family, were you serious about that?"

"I was very serious, Hayley. I will help you find your family," Elijah replied.

"Thank you, Elijah," Hayley said. "You have no idea how much this means to me. I've been searching for my family for years and haven't been successful. Which is why I was willing to continue the search when Klaus said they were here in New Orleans when he saw the crescent on my back."

Elijah nodded. "And now you have someone that can help you in your search, which I will do," he told her.

Hayley nodded. "Thank you, Elijah. I really don't know what I did to deserve you, but I can see it was worth it."

"For me too," he said, leaning over and kissing her one more time. It wasn't long before their food was brought out and Hayley started eating her steak, licking her lips as she enjoyed the taste of the juices.

Elijah watched her with a knowing smirk but also with a curious look. Hayley looked at him and noticed that he was watching her. "What? You look as though you've never seen a wolf eat her food before."

Elijah chuckled. "You must be enjoying it then if it's good," he said.

"Oh, yeah, this is delicious," Hayley said. "It's especially good for the baby."

"Good. Maybe after dinner, I'll treat you two to some ice cream," he said.

Hayley giggled. "That sounds good."

He smiled. "Alright, ice cream it is then," he said with another smile.

Hayley giggled again. "I can't wait."

"Me either," Elijah replied. Hayley smiled and went back to eating her steak and fries, which she dipped in the juices from her meat.

Later…

Elijah held one of Hayley's hands while both of their free hands held an ice cream cone as they both licked away the vanilla ice cream. Hayley giggled as she licked the ice cream, dipping her finger in and smearing some onto Elijah's nose. "That wasn't very nice, Miss Marshall. Perhaps I should return the favor…" he said, using his hand to wipe the ice cream off and then licked his hand clean before doing what he said he would.

Hayley squealed at the coldness of the ice cream. Back in Mystic Falls, Meghan arrived at the Lockwood mansion, Meredith and T.J. at her side. She was nervous as a bride on her wedding night, but she knew this had to be done. Her slender hand came up and she knocked gently on the glass partition of the front door. After a few minutes, Tyler came to the door and opened it, seeing the two women. "Meghan? Is that you?"

"Hey you…" Meghan said with a shy smile at him.

Tyler smiled at her. "How have you been? I heard you just got back into town."

"Yeah, about that…there's a reason I came back to town," she said before turning and that's when Tyler noticed the little boy with HIS dark hair standing at knee height to the three adults.

Upon seeing the little boy, Tyler looked at Meghan curiously then asked, "Meghan, who's this?"

Meghan smiled. "This is our son. I named him after you. His full name is Tyler James Lockwood, Jr., but we call him T.J. for short."

"We…we have a son?" Tyler asked. Tears sprang to his eyes, but Meghan then noticed something brewing beneath the surface in his eyes, still trained on her.

Turning to her sister, she eased T.J. into his aunt's arms and nodded toward the car. Meredith nodded back and took the toddler back to the car, where she put him back in his car seat then got in herself, locking them both inside. Meghan, back on the porch, stepped toward Tyler but was pushed back. She gave him an angry glare then pushed him harder, this time forcefully, back into the house, closing the door behind her to give them privacy. "Now, Tyler, I know you're angry at me, but you don't get to get angry at our son, or in front of him, got it?"

"You think I'm angry? More like disappointed," Tyler said. "I think I would've liked to have known that I have a son. I barely have a family anymore. My uncle is dead and so are my parents. Meghan, why the hell didn't you tell me you were pregnant? I would've been there for you!"

"I left before I could get up the courage to tell you. I hate myself every day for being a coward and running away," she said, tears springing to her eyes as she turned away to wipe them away with her hands.

Seeing her cry made him feel guilty for yelling and Tyler forced himself to calm down. "I'm sorry, Meghan, I didn't mean to yell at you."

"No. I'm sorry for not telling you about him sooner. Neither of you deserved to be kept in the dark," she said quietly, still standing with her back to him.

Tyler crossed over to where she stood, turning her around and wrapping his arms around her waist as he knelt to let his head rest on her now-flat stomach. "I'm the one who should still be sorry. I forced you into running off after our fight two years ago," he said softly, his words muffled by the material of her shirt.

Two Years Earlier…

"I'm tired of waiting, Tyler! Tired…why can't we even stop pretending to have all these meetings and not be able to act on our feelings? I mean, why do we have to even sneak around?" Meghan asked as she paced back and forth in the interior of her lover's home.

Tyler growled at her. "I told you, Meghan, it's complicated. I know you want more than this, and believe me, I want to give you more, but I just…there's something in the way right now."

"But, why do we always have to let complications stand in the way of our relationship?" Meghan choked out quietly.

"I don't have an answer for that, Meghan," Tyler said. "I wish I did, but I don't." He sighed. "I'm sorry, but I just…can't explain it."

"What are you trying to say, Tyler?" Meghan asked. "Don't you love me? I love you! You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, can't you see that?" He didn't answer so Meghan sniffled before turning and heading to the door, only to have it pushed shut when she tried to open it.

"Don't. Don't leave like this, okay? You will be in some kind of accident, and I don't want to lose you…" Tyler said softly, turning her back around and feeling horribly when he saw the tears pooling at the corners of her dark mocha brown eyes. Tyler mentally kicked himself when he saw her tears, knowing that he caused them. "Oh, Meghan, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Then, why did you? I've done nothing but love you, and this is what I get in return?"

"I'm sorry. I just…please don't leave," he pleaded, getting down on his knees in front of her. "See? I'm even on my knees for you."

"Tyler…" she said softly, but he cut her off when he stood back up then crushed his mouth to hers to effortlessly silent her with a deep and ravenous kiss, plunging his tongue deep into the honeysuckle sweet caverns between her lips before tangling it with hers.

Meghan returned his kiss, moaning against his mouth as she reached her hands up to his face, framing it as the kiss deepened. Tyler then turned them around, walking Meghan backwards toward the couch, which was where he fell gently on top of her onto the cushions and let one hand sneak up underneath the material of her shirt before sitting her up to tug it gently up and over her head, revealing the not-so-demure bra she wore. Tyler pulled away from her lips, looking at her. "So beautiful…"

Her hands moved up his chest then tugged none too gently at the collar of it, ripping it open without unbuttoning it. Then she was parting the material, pushing it back over his shoulders until he removed it the rest of the way. "Not as sexy as you," she countered in a husky tone.

Tyler growled playfully at her and kissed her passionately, reaching behind her to unhook her bra. Meghan lowered the straps down her arms and tossed it over to the other side of the room before flipping them both over until she was the one on top. Tyler smiled against her lips. "I love it when you're on top, Meghan."

"Don't ruin it, okay?" she said as she began to strip away the remainder of their clothes.

Tyler nodded and replied, "Yes, ma'am."

She smirked then glided herself over him until her walls were clenching around his member, gripping it in a vice-like manner. "Now do you love it when I'm on top?" she asked.

"Oh, definitely," Tyler said. "You can be on top as much as you want, baby."

"Well, when you put it that way…" she said with another smirk before pushing him deeper into her, her knees pressing into the cushions on either side of his lean, muscled hips.

Tyler growled against her lips and thrust against her, grabbing her hips and feeling her movements under his hands.

Present Day…

"Do you see why we had to stay away from each other now?" Meghan asked quietly, her slender hands moving gently through his hair.

Tyler sighed. "Yes, but now, I'm not letting you go ever again. I want to know our son, Meghan. I know I've missed out on a bit, but I think it's time he knows his father."

"That's why I came home. I wanted him to get to know you and vice versa," Meghan said.

Tyler nodded. "Good. I don't want to miss out on any more. You can tell Meredith to bring him in."

Nodding, Meghan left the mansion then went out to the car, where she said to her sister, "He's ready."

Her sister smiled then unlocked the doors of the car so Meghan could get T.J. out of the back seat before taking him up to the house, where Tyler waited in the doorway. As he saw his son come toward him, Tyler smiled, his eyes glistening with tears. T.J. was the most adorable child he had ever seen and he reminded him of himself at that age. In fact, he wished Richard, Carol and Mason were alive so that they could meet him too. "Hi there, T.J.," he said with a smile. "I'm your father."

Meghan looked at T.J. "Its okay, you can say hi."

T.J. looked at Tyler, a smile on his little face as he said, "Hi…Daddy."

"Hi there, little man," Tyler said with a smile.

T.J. then reached over for Tyler, who took him and began hugging him. The toddler returned his father's hug, while Tyler reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. Meghan continued to watch them then turned away, tears in her eyes. Tyler noticed this and set T.J. down before walking over to Meghan and turned her back around, wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry for what I did…" she said quietly, but he silenced her with a soft, passionate kiss.

"You don't have to keep apologizing. He's here, and I'm getting to know him; that's all I care about," he told her after breaking off the kiss.

Meghan smiled through her tears. "You're right, you are getting to know our son, and I shouldn't keep apologizing. I should focus on getting reconnected with the person that means the world to me, which is you."

Author's Note: Wow, what a chapter…filled with intensity and a little bit of drama. I hope you enjoyed it anyway, and you'll come back soon!