Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.

Seven

The dissonance of chatter in the bar that filled the strange silence between Klaus and AJ made her very thankful. Awkward silences weren't things she usually dealt with, not that anything about the silence was truly awkward. It was simply strange in the sense that she wasn't used to their being any silence hovering between them. It was like some kind of wall that'd manifested and barricaded him from her, shrouding any part of him that she'd come to understand and even relate to. The strange wall couldn't defy true physics, though. She could feel him beside her, since they weren't sitting very far apart. He didn't shift often, but when he did, her sympathy for him increased. Something was wrong, obviously. It just wasn't very obvious what it was. She tried shoving that thought away, tucking it back into the corners of her mind. Her hand found the sun pendant resting at the base of her throat, and she thought about what he'd said back at Stefan's old apartment. That it wasn't the magic that made her feel so at ease, but him. Could it be true? Wouldn't she have realized it herself? She looked down at the necklace, her eyebrows pulled together. It was all so enigmatic.

She had started drinking again out of sheer boredom, since she had nothing else to do. Of course, there was always time to think, and her thoughts either landed on who her biological parents were and where they might be, or the freaky-occultists who were after her body. When she truly admitted to herself that it really would be nice to talk to Klaus about these things, to just confide in someone about how miserable and confused she felt, she always talked herself out of it. She wasn't weak, and therefore wouldn't act like it. It oddly terrified her to wonder what Klaus would even think if she started crying, like she wanted to ever since finding out about Elijah. Would all his gentleness and understanding fade once he saw how truly awful she felt? She just prayed for a distraction. Anything, she thought, that would take her mind off of all this. Absolutely anything.

It seemed that God had been listening to her prayer because the next moment, Damon sat down. She wondered if it really was damning to wish for something, only to get exactly that. Seeing Damon's heart getting ripped from his chest was not something that'd help her. At all. Especially since the one person she was trying to get through to would be the one doing it.

Klaus took another swig of his drink, aware of Damon sitting beside him. He stared straight ahead. "I see they've opened the doors to the riff-raff now."

Damon smirked. "Oh, honey, I've been called worse," he said in the way that was simply Damon. Glancing over at AJ, his eyes flashed with concern when he saw something about the way she was holding herself was off. No longer was there the once familiar fixed rebelliousness in the angles of her face, and the daring gleam that'd been the luster in her gold flecked eyes was almost diluted, its space now pervaded by some atypical emotion. It was especially strange that she even remain in her seat, when he'd clearly directed her outside.

Klaus had picked up a little umbrella, the kind meant to go in drinks, from where Gloria kept them in a jar in front of him. He twirled it between two fingers and sighed deeply. "I'm going to warn you right now, Damon, that my patience has grown very thin. But you don't give up, do you?"

"Give me my brother and AJ back," Damon suggested in a light tone, "and you'll never have to see me again."

"Well I am torn," Klaus said, sounding anything but. He hadn't yet met Damon's eyes, and that put uneasy butterflies in AJ's stomach. She knew what it meant, or at least what it would lead to. "I promised Stefan I wouldn't let you die, but how many freebies did I really sign up for? And clearly, you want to die, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

AJ bit her lip, looking between the two. This was the last thing that needed to happen. Of all days, why did Damon pick this one to show up? It wasn't that she wasn't thrilled to see him, but seeing his insides becoming his outsides wasn't exactly a splendid prospect.

Damon looked a little uneasy himself, but turned it right back into charm, as usual. "What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker."

"Right," Klaus nodded, and she could see the dark demeanor in his shoulders, flare up in his eyes. "I'm going to let you in on a secret, my friend. The lady, here, has had enough stress for the night, and I don't want to be the one to add to it. But if you provoke me, I might have to. Now, what do you say about that? Take the one chance I'm offering for you to leave, which is something I very rarely give, and I'm certain she'll be fine. You do care about her, don't you?"

Damon pressed his lips together, looking over at AJ. His utter loyalty was clear. "I do, and that's why I'm here. Let her and my brother come back with me, and she won't have to be dealing with all this stress anymore."

He obviously couldn't have a clue about what kind of 'stress' Klaus had meant. Of course, how could he know that rabid occultists-turned-vampires were after her, and that those people he saw before weren't actually her parents without being at least half psychic? "Damon," AJ spoke up, her voice cracking. "You should go. Go now. I don't think I'll be able to handle seeing you get hurt. Not you."

Damon blinked. "AJ, what's happened to you?"

"Tick-tock," Klaus said, growing impatient. "Leave now before I see the absurdness of my offer."

"No," Damon said, seriously now, "I'm not leaving—"

A second later, Klaus had plunged the wooden end of the umbrella into Damon's neck, making him grunt in pain. He grabbed Damon by the throat, lifting him up off the floor with complete ease. Damon struggled to say something, but it was garbled by his choking. AJ had stood up immediately, dread settling over her. She was almost certain that she wasn't the only one 'stressed' about all that'd happened that day. At least she found healthier ways to deal with it.

"Oh dear," Klaus mocked at Damon's attempt to speak. "What was that?" He yanked the umbrella out of Damon's throat, but held it to it once more. "I'm a little boozy, so you'll forgive me if I miss your heart the first few tries."

Damon chuckled, of course, but it only made things worse. Klaus stuck the umbrella in his ribs first, making a sickening noise as it struck flesh. Damon outwardly cringed, his face one of agony. "No," Klaus said. "That's not it." He stabbed Damon again, and Damon cried out. "Oh, almost." He sunk the umbrella deeper into Damon's flesh.

"Klaus!" AJ cried out, panicking. "Klaus, stop it! Stop it right now!"

"You want a partner in crime?" Damon managed to say over her protests, his voice raspy. "Then forget about Stefan. I'm so much more fun."

Klaus smirked up at Damon before throwing him into a high top table. As the table fell and smashed to the floor, shattering glass, Damon landed hard, puffing for air. Klaus went over to a chair, breaking a leg off it. Tears surfaced behind AJ's eyes. Why wasn't he listening? What the hell was he doing? "Klaus!" she screamed again, panic making her on the verge of throwing herself between the two.

"You won't be any fun after you're dead," Klaus said, standing over Damon, the makeshift stake held lethally in his hand. He kneeled down, bracing a hand on Damon's chest as he raised the stake up. Sucking in his breath when he was about to plunge the stake down, it suddenly caught fire. He scowled at it, throwing it behind him angrily. Gloria stood back by the bar, shoulders squared, and her expression unhappy. "Really?" Klaus said, annoyed.

"Not in my bar," she said crossed her arms firmly. "You take it outside."

"Or not at all," AJ said through clenched teeth. Did she suddenly turn invisible or something? It was like no one was paying attention to her. She huffed.

Damon moved to sit up, but Klaus shoved him back down again, getting into his face. "You don't have to negotiate your brother's freedom. When I'm done with him, he won't want to go back." Then he stood, brushing shards of glass off his jeans. Not a second later, he tensed, his eyes finding AJ. He quickly crossed the room to her and opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't," she spat, incensed. "Don't even bother. I'm sick of this. I'm so sick of this." She stormed past him, and shoved through the bar's door. Cool night air met her face, and she had the sudden urge to burst out in tears. But she turned the corner instead. Stumbling over her feet, she walked briskly down the sidewalk; she wished to be anywhere but there. It seemed that she did have too much to drink, which turned her into an even more emotional wreck, not to even mention Klaus's returned darkness and Damon's near death. She looked up at the black, starless sky as she walked, tears involuntarily streaming down her face. Why was this happening? Why couldn't anything be easy?

A second later she walked into someone, and flinched. Before she could look to see who it was she'd accidently hit, hard arms wrapped around her, encircling her in a comforting embrace that was something that seemed so impossibly familiar, she felt like her heart was going to explode.

"Elijah!" she exclaimed, smiling through her tears. "Oh my, God, Elijah—I've missed you so much, you have no idea, absolutely no idea how much I've missed you." Elijah pushed her back gently, and now she could see his real liquid brown eyes, that truly loving gaze, everything about him. He was actually here, and not just something she had to conjure up in her mind. Elated couldn't even describe the way she felt. Everything seemed so much better in that instant. That is, until realization set in. Then she stepped back from him, frowning.

"AJ," he said, smiling down at her. "AJ, I—"he stopped upon seeing her expression, and his face fell. "What's wrong? AJ, what is—"

Her hand came out so fast; she didn't even realize what she did until she slapped him in the face hard enough to make her hand sting. Immediately, her eyes widened at her actions, but she didn't apologize. She didn't even think to apologize.

Holding a hand to his face, Elijah looked down at her, baffled. "Why, might I ask, did you do that?"

AJ shook her head slowly. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a sob came out, and her walls finally crumbled down, fell into an oblivion until there was nothing left of her defenses. Her knees shook and gave out, and before she could fall, Elijah was there to catch her, stroking her hair, holding her close to his chest. "AJ, love," he said in such a tender way that it broke her heart. "What's wrong? Please tell me. Are you hurt? Did he touch you? My God, I've been so worried that he's done something—"

"No," she sobbed into his chest, her words muffled. "No, it wasn't him."

His eyebrows pulled together in confusion as he continued to stroke her hair, anything that would help her. "Then who was it, love?"

"It was you," she cried miserably, shaking with more sobs. "It was you, Elijah. Why? Why didn't you tell me? What have you done?"

Elijah froze completely. "What do you mean?" His voice was imbued with caution. "What has he told you?"

She shut her eyes, wishing that all of these terrible things could just go away, and she could just lie against Elijah's chest and feel at ease. But she couldn't. It was time to get answers. Perhaps solace could only be reached through them, or maybe it would disintegrate entirely. "The truth," she said quietly. She tried collecting herself, picking up the pieces of her pride and courage that'd shattered so easily, but it was an arduous task. "He told me the truth."

Elijah looked down at her, searching her eyes. His own were sad and remorseful, yet so loving at the same time. Only he could always hold that as a constant, never compromising it for a second. "AJ," he said in a low voice, filled with guilt. "AJ, I swear I was going to tell you. I was going to tell you everything. I wanted to—"

"Then why didn't you? Why didn't you say something the first time I saw you? Why didn't you ever tell me that my name isn't AJ—it's Alexandra Jaeger? Why didn't you tell me about my real family?" She pulled away from him a little, her eyes wide and her voice trembling. "How could you look at me, and not see the things you did?"

Elijah wanted to drop his gaze, to look away; anything but see the pain in her eyes. He forced himself to meet her questioning look. It was a minimal punishment, but the only one he could make himself suffer through at the time. "AJ," he said quietly, in a near whisper. "AJ, let me explain."

Her eyes were morose and detached. A depressed, listless feeling clouded over her, but she nodded. "I'm listening."

"I'd been heartless back then—the way I was before I came to know you," he began sadly. "From what you know after that, Trevor and Rose took you and brought you to me. They'd thought it was the only way I'd grant them forgiveness. Honestly, I hadn't been happy that they'd found you. You were supposed to be hidden—how you came to be in Mystic Falls in the first place puzzled me. Then Stefan and Damon came for you, and I realized what'd happened. You're natural instinct had guided you there, to protect Elena. You were destined to find her. But having both the doppelganger and the Warrior in one single location was the worst thing that could've happened, with Klaus seeking the two of you out. So I knew I had to go to you, I had to stay. Nothing else could protect you." He looked down at his hands, the expression on her face searing his mind. He did this to her. He made her feel this way. His throat tightened, but he continued. "Those had been my exact thoughts over a decade earlier, when you were a child. I came across you by chance, really, or something of the sort. I'd compelled certain vampires to keep watch in different places, mostly so that I'd know if Klaus surfaced. One had been in Chicago, but had wandered out farther south, crossing into Springfield. You see, the energies you possess give off a sort of… force. It can be potent in the way that, once there is the sense of the force, one follows it. That vampire did exactly that. I hadn't only compelled them to keep watch for Klaus, but for both you and Elena. I'd been in Europe when he called me, telling me that he'd found you. Within several minutes, I'd boarded a plane."

Elijah stopped, his eyes seemingly caught in the past. AJ breathed in and out as she tried to retain her composure. Her anger won out. "Did you have a plan, when you headed to Illinois? Or did you simply go?"

He made a pained noise, splaying white-hot sparks on her heart. She'd told herself long ago that she would hear him out. But she could never have imagined what actually hearing about it felt like. Frowning, she looked at her hands, clamping her mouth shut.

His eyes locked on her again, and he could see subtle and obvious differences in her. She looked afraid; she looked truly afraid. It wasn't something very noticeable at all what with her general impassiveness, but he could see through all the walls she'd put up. Again, he wondered if Klaus had done anything to her. Nothing made the AJ he'd known months ago afraid. And now she looked so small and fragile, her chin trembling as she held in tears.

"I'd tried thinking of several plans," he whispered. With every word he said, it felt like he was vindicating her, abusing her, when she only deserved to be comforted and reassured. He knew he had no right to do those things, anymore. The only gift of comfort he could offer her was honesty. "None of them seemed very practical at the time, since I'd been informed you were so young. When I finally arrived in Springfield, I immediately went to the address I'd been given. I'd ordered the vampire to leave you the moment my plane landed because I'd been wary of what your pull might do to him. He was gone when I got there. For days, I simply watched you and your parents, the way they interacted with you and you with them. It was obvious that they knew something was… different about you, but they didn't seem to care. Even I could see the differences between you and a completely human child. You were much smarter, a little craftier, even then. And you were fearless, of course." The side of his mouth quirked up as he smiled at a distant memory. "I do remember being completely perplexed by your lacking sense of danger. How a child could possess seemingly no fear was beyond me, and even I knew what you were. What you are." His face fell once more, a grim expression setting in. "AJ, I know that what I did was probably wrong, but—"

She straightened up, immediately irate. "Probably wrong?" She looked at him incredulously. "Really, Elijah? Probably? And here I thought that you now had a sense of morality. Maybe I was wrong."

"No," he said, and his voice cracked. "No, I do have a sense of morality, love—AJ. I do now, and I have for the most part. But you must hear this part. I knew that if you stayed with your parents, it would only endanger them. They'd have been killed during the process of obtaining you when my brother would've found you, because Klaus doesn't like leaving behind loose strings. I can't say that I did either, at the time, but… well, something made me spare them." His eyebrows pulled together, and he was again looking back at the past. "Something made me despise the idea of harming them. So I didn't."

"But you took me," she whispered, and tears surfaced in her eyes once more. Hastily, she rubbed them away with the back of her hand. When they continued to fall, her hands dropped to her lap in resignation.

In the streetlight, her tears sparkled and glistened. He wanted so badly to reach out and wipe them away, to pull her close and hold her. "Yes," he continued sadly. "I did take you."

"How?"

She sounded so forlorn and empty that he assumed she wanted to know how he could've done it, what right he had to steal a child away from their only home. But her eyes, dulled and miserable, held true question in them. He looked down at his shoes. "I told you I'd watched you for days. Well, I stayed during the nights too, outside, just watching. I'd been going through the best options I had, and I didn't think it wise to leave you for even a second. But there was also something strange I noticed. You never slept. There was a window seat in your room, similar to the one back at the boarding house. Every night—at least for the nights I'd been there—you would go to it and sit, just staring out the window. Sometimes I thought you knew I was there, and that baffled me. When I decided that I'd take you from there, you did the most peculiar thing. It'd been nearly one in the morning, and I remember you'd been sitting, as you always did, at the window seat. But when I looked up, my decision made… you weren't there. I immediately went to the window, first, to see if you'd finally gone to bed. I didn't see you there, so I went into the house, searching for you. My fear of Klaus truly finding you intensified until the moment I saw you standing in a doorway, looking into the room it lead into. That was when I was certain you'd known I was there. You were saying goodbye to your parents without waking them, and there was a small bag packed. It'd been a distressing sight."

AJ's eyes had widened slightly, and she swallowed hard. "I… packed my things? To leave them?"

"Yes," he said. "You watched them sleep for quite some time before you went to your room to grab your things. And then… then you came to me. To this day, I don't understand it. But I took you and we left the state. You'd been miserable, but even as a child, you said nothing about it. You never said a word to me, except to ask what I was."

She shook her head back and forth, disbelieving. "Elijah—I was just a child. There's no possible that that's true. I don't even remember this! I have memories of Robert and Laura, of Ben, those sorts of things when I was little. Not… whatever you just described."

He sighed, his heart filling with remorse. "That, too, would be my doing. Do you remember the first time I spoke to you this year, in the boarding house?" She nodded slowly. His mouth hardened into a firm, grim line. "Do you remember what I told you? You can't be compelled by a vampire. Especially not by Klaus. But if the intentions are good, you can be. Because intentions affect compellation."

Suddenly, she squeezed her eyes shut, the pieces falling together in an instant. "You compelled me," she stated, leaving all traces of emotion locked up tight in her chest. "You compelled me, a child, to forget about the Jaegers and think that the Echos were my family. What else did you compel me to think, or to forget?"

Looking off to the side, a muscle flexed in his jaw. His stare was fixed on a bricked building beyond them, but he was remembering the things he'd told her. Slowly, he said, "I compelled you to forget me. I was afraid that if you didn't, someday you would go looking for answers. I also compelled whatever power or magic or ability you seemed to posses to merely know things, or just do things, to be suppressed. If you knew I planned to take you, then you could also know what Klaus would plan to do to you. As a child, you would have been traumatized, I'm sure. But it wasn't right of me," he said, with a little vigor. "I know it wasn't right of me, AJ. I'm terribly sorry for all that I did, for not telling you in the first place. I completely understand if… if you don't want me here. If you no longer want me."

AJ stared at him long and hard, her lips pressed together with the tears drying in the cool breeze on her face. He'd lied to her, or really, hidden things from her. He'd taken her away from her true family and left her in the care of strangers. He compelled her. These terrible things were done by psychopaths, unfeeling creatures, simply horrible people. But they were also done by an Original vampire who'd still had morals even during his darkest times.

"Elijah," she said in a low voice, looking up at his averted liquid brown eyes. They picked up to meet her gaze, reluctant. "I can't help but think that I should hate you right now. I shouldn't ever want to see you again—I shouldn't stand seeing you at all. No one's ever kept something like this from me before. I should feel absolutely betrayed." His gaze dropped once more, and his shoulders drooped despondently. "But I don't," she said simply, but with a tenderness. He blinked up in surprise. "I don't hate you—I could never hate you Elijah. It's impossible. I love you, and I'll always love you. Nothing could change that."

Elijah was speechless a moment, his eyebrows pulled together, his mouth attempting to form words. Finally he walked to her and grabbed her face in his hands. He didn't waste a second to lean down and kiss her, not softly, but passionately. It was like they'd never been apart—his lips pressed onto hers, and he pulled her as close as he could, reveling in the feeling of her, just her. But just as quick as the passionate kiss had started, AJ ended it. A terrible shock tore through her, and she pulled back immediately.

Breathing raggedly, Elijah gave her a concerned look. "What's wrong? I'm sorry if I hurt you—it's just been so long—"

"No," she said breathlessly. "No, you didn't hurt me. It's just…"she trailed off, looking towards the way she came. Why had she been thinking about Klaus?

Elijah glanced towards the way she was looking, but his head whipped back to face her once more. His eyes narrowed at the carved sun pendant resting at the base of her throat. "What is that?"

AJ turned and blinked up at Elijah. "What are you talking—"she stopped when she realized what he was staring at, and her hand flew up to the pendant. Her eyes grew wide. How could she have forgotten she was wearing it? "Elijah, I can totally explain," she said quickly.

He caught himself, and regained his calm composure. "You have nothing to explain. I mean it. After everything I've done, you found it in you to forgive me. So really, love, you have nothing to explain."

Although his words were genuine, she could see the pain he was trying to hide in his eyes. She shook her head. "No, let me explain. It's not what you think—it's far from what you think. He saved me. He—this—saved my life."

His eyebrows pulled together, and he was once more concerned. "You were in danger? What happened?"

AJ froze, thinking back to Klaus and Gloria's explanation of the Lemurė. "Elijah," she said hesitantly. "If I tell you, you have to promise me that you'll still go back to Mystic Falls. Without me."

His eyes darkened, and he became tense. "AJ, what's happened? I came here to get you—to take you home. I'm not leaving without you."

"Promise me," she urged, her voice cracking. He was always so concerned about her safety—probably even more so now than ever. He wouldn't leave her if he knew the truth, but she couldn't lie to him either. "Elijah, I can't go with you. I can't. It's too dangerous and I'm not going to risk it. You're not going to force me to go with you, either. You can't even think that's a possibility—not at all." She frowned, looking at her hands. "I know how you feel about Klaus, but I'm telling you he hasn't hurt me. He's saved me. That's all." Lifting her gaze back up, her eyes shimmered with sadness. "I need you to promise me, Elijah. If you don't, I can't tell you."

His lips hardened into a thin line, and he was silent for several moments, debating. Then, "How can you ask me to do this?" he said gruffly. "With you gone—AJ, nothing feels right. I can't stand it anymore. I just can't. So why ask me to leave?"

"Because it's for your own protection," she whispered, thinking of the dark gleam in Klaus's eyes. Klaus put up with a lot of things she did, but he wouldn't put up with Elijah being anywhere near her. An image of a dark wooded coffin rose in her mind, and she cringed. That wouldn't be Elijah's fate. She'd make sure of it. "Elijah, I'm doing this for you."

"And I came here for you," he refuted. "You aren't yourself, AJ. I can see that so clearly. You need to come back with me. I'm begging you to."

She breathed out shakily, pressing her lips together hard to keep back any tears. "Elijah," she said firmly. "Promise me. Promise me you'll leave without me. If you don't, then I'll have to leave right now. I'll have to go back to Klaus. You know better than to follow me."

"Do I?" His tone was almost challenging. "I don't fear him, love. And I'll do anything to keep you safe, especially from him. I would follow you anywhere, no matter what it might cost me."

Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she could feel the unshed tears sting. "No. No you won't. I know you're trying to keep me safe, but I am safe. Elijah—it's a long story, and something I want to tell you. I want to go back with you—I want to be with you so badly. But right now, I can't. I'm trying to keep you safe." She opened her eyes, daring to look back at him. His silent stare was heartrending; she could feel the miserable emotions within it and relate.

"Fine," he said reluctantly, his eyes never leaving hers. "I won't follow you. I won't force you to come with me. I'll go back. I promise you those things. But in return, you must promise me something."

She nodded. "Anything. Anything at all."

Striding up to her, he took both of her hands in his. He held them tightly, feeling her warmth emanate off into him. It'd be the last time he could touch her in God knows how long. "AJ," he whispered. "Promise me you'll come back. Even if the danger is still there, promise me you'll come back soon. I'll accept whatever consequences there will be for me, but I need you. It drives me mad to think I hear your laugh, or see you, when really I know you aren't there. It drives me absolutely mad. So promise me you'll come back soon. Do what you must here, but come back to me."

A tear had escaped and fallen down her cheek. Elijah gently reached out to brush it away, caressing the side of her face. Her hazel eyes looked green with the moisture in them, and they were brighter than ever. She breathed out carefully, and nodded. "Okay. I promise I'll come back soon—I just have no way of knowing when. But I will come back to you Elijah. It's all I ever want."

He smiled sadly at her. "As it is for me." His eyebrows suddenly furrowed together. "This thing that's happened to you—what is it?"

Biting her lip, she looked down. "I'm sure that if Klaus has heard of a Lemurė, then you have, too."

Elijah's eyes narrowed, and he ground his teeth together. "A spirit attacked you? When? How?"

"It was a couple days ago. I don't really know how—it was there, but I couldn't see it. Something was strangling me and… I don't know. When Klaus heard me, he came immediately. Then when he put this necklace on me," she looked down at the pendant, "it stopped. Apparently it's some kind of protection amulet."

Elijah ground his teeth together more, but nodded. "It is. He… did the right thing. But has he made sure they can't harm you again? Has he taken any steps to get rid of them?"

AJ shrugged. "I'm not sure. He will protect me Elijah. I trust that he will. I think Gloria can come up with something to help me, too, but for now, I have this amulet."

He didn't look at the necklace, but into her eyes. "Just be careful. If something happens—you must contact me. Please."

"I'll try," she said with uncertainty. "But only if it's very significant. I won't risk him finding out, otherwise."

Elijah sighed. "I understand."

AJ was quiet another moment, pensive. Then her bright eyes found Elijah's once more, and there was a new spark in them. "Elijah," she said with a mix of reluctance and certainty. "Can I ask you a favor?"

He took one of her hands gently and brought it to his mouth, kissing it like the true gentleman he was. "Of course. I'll do anything."

"Can you compel me to remember everything?" she asked, holding her breath.

Elijah paused, and with this action AJ felt her hopes sink. But a moment later, he nodded briskly. "Yes, of course. But… are you certain you'll like having these memories?"

"No," she said matter-of-factly. "But I'd hate not having them."

He smiled, genuinely this time. "You haven't changed—not really," he noted, almost to himself. Then he searched her eyes, sobered up. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she said with a twinge of fear. "I'm ready."

Elijah had already caught her gaze, but he made it deeper than that, connecting their minds so that he could reach into hers. "Everything I've made you forget, you now remember," he said quietly. Her pupils grew and shrank, and then he broke the connection.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she blinked up at him, but she didn't see him exactly. A rush of memories fell into her mind, yet somehow manifested in the right place at the same time. A woman with wide grey eyes, dark hair, a beautiful smile, and a tender look. Her mother—her real mother. A man with fair hair, bright hazel eyes, and a goofy grin—her father. She could suddenly remember being pushed on a swing, the odd new sense of vertigo filling her stomach, and she found she rather liked the feeling of flying. Her hair was whipping to and fro, and every time gravity pulled her back down towards the earth, gentle hands pushed on her back, sending her back up. Then it ceased, and she turned to see her mother giggling, twirling around in a swing beside her as her father stood before them. Dozens of other memories rose in her head, but she held onto this dearly, smiling as tears surfaced in her eyes.

She focused once more on Elijah, the here and now, and looked at him gratefully. "Thank you," she said, elated. "Thank you so much—you have no idea what this means to me."

Elijah smiled back at her, running his fingers down the side of her face. "It's the very least I can do, love."

Slowly, her smile faded, and she looked back towards Gloria's again with a frown. "He'll come looking for me soon enough," she sniffled, rubbing away her tears. "I'd better go."

Elijah frowned, not moving from his place. "I know. And… I'll go back. I'll think of something, but I'll also wait for your return."

Her frown deepened, and she could feel the pain of leaving him enter her body before she even did. Leaning up, she kissed him swiftly. It was a passionate kiss, a loving one, full of longing and need. But she pulled away again, breathless. "I love you," she whispered. Then she turned on her heel and headed back to Gloria's. She didn't dare look back at him.

Sniffling, she edged her way slowly back to the bar. When she came upon it, she stopped. Elijah had been here—he'd been willing to risk himself to take her home. Why was she returning here? Why was she going back to Klaus? Her heart ached, but she decided to push those thoughts away. If she went with Elijah, something terrible could happen.

Without hesitating further, she pushed through the door. The loud chatter greeted her immediately, and the bar was fuller than ever. Gloria was still tending to those sitting up at the barstools. As AJ squinted down there, she realized Klaus was no longer sitting in his seat. Did he go back to the warehouse? AJ turned and went back out the door. The streetlamps had been on for quite some time, but as she headed the way towards the warehouse, they became sparser. An uneasy feeling settled over her, blanketing her. She glanced into every alleyway as she passed, paranoid. Finally, she came upon the door leading inside the warehouse, unscathed.

Her footsteps echoed as she walked inside, and she could see Klaus headed towards the coffins again. He stopped immediately, and turned to face her. His features were impassive, but his voice was unconcealed.

"I thought you'd be leaving," he said despondently, his shoulders pulled down. "I would have come out looking for you, but I didn't think you'd appreciate that after what I did."

AJ sighed, stepping further into the room. "You nearly killed Damon, Klaus. You know I care about him."

"Who don't you care about?" he asked snidely, but then caught himself. He straightened up and breathed out. "I lost my temper with him," he said quietly. "You must admit that he had it coming."

Rolling her eyes, AJ said, "You would say that. And again, that's a sucky apology. Twice in one night. Gee, Klaus, you sure know how to make a girl feel special."

He narrowed his eyes, but made no comment on it. "You chose to leave. Where did you go for so long? Even with that necklace, it isn't safe for you to be alone."

"Really?" she smirked. "You're setting a curfew, too?" When his penetrating stare didn't let up, she averted her eyes to the ground and frowned. "I just took a walk. That's all."

Klaus tensed even more. "I've come to realized that when people add, 'That's all,' it usually doesn't mean that was all. At least, not from you. Now, where did you go? Or was it Damon? Did he follow you out?"

AJ didn't move. "It was nothing Klaus," she said, trying to sound completely earnest. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Oh, how convincing you sound," he said sardonically. "If you won't tell me, then fine. I've come to see if Rebekah's woken. Are you staying or leaving?"

The ever present question, AJ thought sadly. There was rarely a time when she didn't think of leaving, or at least what it would be like to leave. "I'm staying," she said as she headed towards him. Rebekah's coffin was just beyond him.

Klaus nodded and turned to head back towards Rebekah. They came upon the casket and he stopped immediately when he saw what was missing. AJ stuck closely behind him, her skin prickling with goosebumps. Briefly she reflected on all the times she'd watch horror movies. The people would leave the monster somewhere, and when they'd come back, it'd be gone. It always snuck up behind them. AJ held her breath, warily flicking glances here and there. It wasn't a good time to be thinking of horror movies.

Her gaze turned to Klaus, who was staring oddly at something beyond the casket. She looked over and flinched, edging closer to Klaus. Lying on the floor, his arms stretched out at his sides, was the guard. There was gory dark blood crusted over all around his neck, staining his uniform. A feeling of guilt flowered in her stomach. She could have prevented that if she'd tried harder.

"Rebekah?" Klaus called out, his voice breaking through the thick, eerie silence in the warehouse. He sounded almost playful and dark. AJ could feel her heart pound against her ribs. "It's your big brother. Come out, come out, wherever you are."

AJ screamed when a flash of white came at them. Klaus moved quickly so that he was in front of her. Small hands zipped out to grab his shoulder, and another plunged a dagger into his heart. Klaus sucked in a gasp of pain, his eyes widening.

"Go to hell, Nik!" Rebekah said through clenched teeth, digging the dagger into his heart deeper.

When she released her hands, Klaus slowly pulled the dagger out. AJ flushed a deep red when she realized she'd literally cowered behind him. Stepping aside, she watched as Klaus glared at his sister. He held the dagger out, with the blood shining like a jewel under the lights, and dropped it to the floor. Rebekah looked pissed, but calmer.

"Don't pout," Klaus said. "You knew it wouldn't kill me."

Rebekah's eyes narrowed. "No, but I was hoping it would hurt more." Her eyes flicked over to AJ, sparked with a dark interest. "Who is she? Tell me you've brought more to eat," she whined. "One boy is hardly enough."

Klaus gave her a hard look, absentmindedly stepping in front of AJ protectively. "You'll not touch her Rebekah."

Rebekah rolled her eyes and glared at him. "You always did save the sweetest ones for yourself," she spat. Turning on her heel, she walked away with her shoulders pulled back.

Klaus followed her, and AJ followed behind him, unsure of what else to do. "I understand that you're upset with me, Rebekah." He reached out a laid a hand on Rebekah's shoulder, gently tugging her to a stop. Her expression was sullen and empty. Regarding Klaus, it didn't change. "But we're going to let that go," he said quietly, a small smile on his lips. "Just this once. I brought you a little peace offering."

AJ's eyebrows furrowed together, and she dearly hoped that he wasn't talking about her. Just a moment later, he turned towards the far door. "You can come in," he called. AJ watched as Stefan slowly appeared. Stopping several feet away from them, he looked a little anxious. Her gaze flicked to Rebekah, who looked pleasantly surprised.

"Stefan," Rebekah breathed, her eyes locked on his. A small, real smile softened her features.

Stefan stared back at her, confused and on-edge. Klaus broke away from Rebekah, leaving AJ standing behind her, and went to Stefan. He caught Stefan's gaze, and his pupils began growing and shrinking. "Now," he said, "You remember."

AJ thought back to just fifteen minutes ago, when Elijah had done the same for her. What the hell? The purpose in returning her stolen memories had been for the mere comfort of having knowledge and remembrance of who her parents were and what'd happened to her. What did Klaus intend to happen for Stefan remembering meeting the two Originals, back in the twenties?

Stefan's eyes widened and then shut as he absorbed all the things he'd long been made to forget. When he opened them again, there was some new depth to them, something profound and different. He looked at Rebekah with familiarity, a smile growing on his face. "Rebekah," he said, and the way he said it sent shivers down AJ's spine. That was the way he spoke Elena's name.

Rebekah looked almost angelic in the way she smiled back at him, pleased and relieved that he remembered.

Stefan turned back to Klaus. "I remember you," he whispered, awed. "We were friends."

"We are friends," Klaus said genuinely, stepping up to Stefan to place a hand on his shoulder. His eyes found Rebekah's, and he grew grim. "And now the reason you're here," he said almost peevishly as he walked towards her. His eyes flicked to AJ, who seemed utterly confused, and back to Rebekah. "Gloria tells me that you know how to contact the Original witch."

"The Original witch?" Rebekah said, her tone mocking.

Klaus's eyes narrowed. "What do you have that Gloria needs?"

Rebekah rested her hand on her neck, fully expecting to feel something there. Her face slowly fell, and she looked down at where it should be, her eyes wide. "Where's my necklace?" she asked quickly, looking to Klaus angrily. "What did you do with it? I never take it off."

"I don't know," he said with annoyance. "I didn't touch it."

"We need to find it, Nik." Rebekah looked nervous, too nervous for an Original to make AJ feel even the slightest bit at ease. "I want it back. I want it back now."

"Tell me that's not what she needs," Klaus was saying over Rebekah. He was quickly losing control of his temper. "Tell me that's not what she needs!" He grabbed Rebekah by her arms, his grip hard and his eyes blazing.

Rebekah shoved him away and went back to her empty casket, pulling the pillows out, digging through every inch of it. When she found nothing, she screamed angrily as she slammed the top shut and shoved it to the floor. It splintered into pieces, making AJ flinch even more.

She turned to look at Klaus, who was fuming with rage, and then Stefan. Stefan stood back from it all, but she could see he wasn't there, with them. His mind was focused on the past, on some distant memory. How she knew that, she wasn't certain. Maybe because the same thing had happened to her. But she also knew that something was gravely wrong. As his eyes focused once more on the present, his gaze locked on hers, and he couldn't hide his panicked expression. AJ swallowed hard. Nothing was ever easy.

Tell me what you think! (-: