The Battle of New Orleans

Hayley finished wrapping the bandage around his arm and smiled.

"There."

"Thank you," Jackson said as he stood and pulled the other sleeve of his shirt on.

"Don't thank me, it was Elijah who vamped your ass to safety," Hayley said pointedly,

"Yeah, well, he really seems to care about you," he said roughly. Hayley blushed and looked away remembering last night's kiss.

"It's...complicated," she said as a small smile crept on to her face.

"I think that's the understatement of the year," he replied. "Look, I gotta go get back to the bayou before the moon rises." He began to walk away, but Hayley turned after him.

"Jackson, this will be the last time. After tonight, you'll never have to turn again. No more pain, no more hiding in the bayou. I promise." He looked at her deeply with his dark eyes and she watched his mouth form into a thin line.

"You know, Klaus isn't doing this out of the kindness of his heart. He's doing it for you, Hayley. You're the one who's going to change everything for us."

Jackson turned once again and began to walk away, only to come face to face with Elijah who just so happened to be entering the room at the same time. Jackson took one look at him and sighed.

"Seems I owe you yet again," he said with a slight tinge of annoyance. Hayley rolled her eyes at his pettiness, but Elijah merely nodded. As Jackson walked away, Elijah caught Hayley's gaze and she fought the smile that wanted to appear on her face.

"I understand he risked his life to save his friend," he said. "He's a good man." Elijah began walking towards her and she realized that if whatever they had going on was to continue, she had to be honest with him. She had to tell him.

"Yes, he is," she said. She turned and walked towards the window, taking a breath. "Elijah...there's something that I need to tell you." He looked at her quizzically and stepped again in her direction.

"My family wanted me..." she began, but sighed in defeat. "I was supposed to be betrothed to Jackson."

Elijah looked like she had just grown a third eye.

"I wanted to tell you sooner, I-I just didn't know how, it's this insane custody—" she began, but Elijah cut her off.

"No, no, you don't have to explain it. I understand the need to make sacrifices for one's family," he said quickly. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders as he looked into the night sky. Hayley however cocked her head back and narrowed her eyes. He looked back at her and she waited for him to say something more, but he was silent.

"Come on, Elijah. For once in your immortal life, can you just not be so noble?" she said a bit annoyed that he was just giving up on her so easily. Finally, finally they had admitted their feelings for each other and now he was just going to stand on the sidelines?

"What would you have me do?" he countered.

"I just told you that I'm betrothed, according to some backwater arrangement by people that I never knew," she said obviously. He looked away again, so she continued.

"Tell me that you think betrothals are stupid! Tell me that I have a choice—"

She was stopped midsentence by his lips on hers. He held her neck and cupped her cheek as his lips grazed hers. She kissed him back languidly, relishing the feeling of his lips on hers and how close they were to each other. He caught her bottom lip between his own and slowly pulled away. His hand brushed her hair back and she looked up to meet his piercing gaze.

"You will always have a choice," he whispered. Her eyes searched his and found that she had seen that same look on his face many times before this moment. She had seen it when they first met. She had seen it when he held her in the pool. She had seen it when she kissed him last night. His eyes told her what his lips could not, and that was okay because her eyes said the same.

Hayley leaned into him and kissed him again, realizing how much he cared for her. Sure, she had been pissed that he was just going to accept her "betrothal" and step aside, but she overlooked why. He would've done it because he would do anything for her, despite his feelings. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes so that their faces were level. He kissed her back passionately and she smiled into the kiss. He broke away and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked. Hayley shook her head and bit her lip, suppressing another growing smile.

"Nothing," she said before resuming their former actions.

She smiled firstly because damn, he made her happy. She smiled secondly because she found it extremely amusing that she was currently making out with the noble Elijah Mikaelson. And damn, that made her happy too.