Thank you for the reviews. One guest said that she wanted more fluff. Well...I'm kind of against it. But I kind of tried to add what I believe you were truly looking for. Enjoy

Stefan practically carried Damon to the front door. Hayley watched from the shadows of the staircase as Elijah walked them out. He whispered something to Stefan that made him pause and share a look with his brother. She tried to listen to what it was but he must have known she would be listening, since he whispered it so quietly that her vampire hearing couldn't even pick it up.

Once the door was closed and the Salvatores were gone, Elijah slowly walked back to her. But he stopped too soon, leaving a large space between them. Hayley stopped leaning against the staircase. He was staring at her intently.

A shy and unsure smile formed on her lips. "What?" She asked.

Elijah just shook his head and continued toward her. Without answering her, he grabbed her chin with his thumb and kissed her sweetly. He pulled away and could already tell a smile was beaming on her mouth.

"What was that for?" She whispered, but refused to move away.

"Am I not allowed to kiss you when I wish?" He laughed lightly.

"You can kiss me whenever you want."

"It is necessary that I resist the urge. Otherwise, neither of us would ever get anything done." Elijah said with a smile but meant it quite seriously.

Hayley finally moved away from him slightly in order to stop tempting either of them. Her smile falters a little bit. "You make it really hard to stay mad at you."

With her statement, all fun disappears. "It is never my intention. I don't deserve your forgiveness. I don't deserve you."

A flash of sadness crosses her eyes. "Elijah," She started softly. "I don't know if I'm supposed to share everything your mother said. But… I kind of have to tell someone. I can't stop thinking about it." She didn't sound hysteric. But Elijah could tell Hayley was really troubled and even a little frightened.

"Hayley, you know you may tell me anything you desire." He insisted.

Her eyes were distant as she ran her fingers through her hair over and over again. It was like she hadn't heard him say anything; she was so lost in her thoughts. Elijah quickly grabbed her hands, stopping her worrying movements. It finally made her look him in the eye. She paused before nodding her head at what he'd said. With her hand in his, he led her to the stairs. They were halfway up when something in the corner of Hayley's eye caught her attention. Klaus and Rebekah were in a room that Hayley could see into from her spot on the stairs. They were burning the nine stakes Stefan had brought, destroying the new weapons that could truly kill the originals. Hayley watched for a moment as the stakes caught on fire almost instantly before continuing up the stairs.

Elijah shut their bedroom door behind him. He knew it wouldn't stop his siblings from listening in on their conversation. But he wanted to believe it made Hayley feel more comfortable. When he turned to face her, she was lost in her thoughts once again. But the sound of the door closing made her quickly look at him.

"You have to be more careful." She pleaded in almost desperation. "There are still two stakes out there that can kill you."

Elijah quickly put his hands on either side of her face to calm her. "Hayley, this is not the first time someone has attempted to end my family. You must not worry yourself. I am fully capable of handling it." She nodded, but he knew she wasn't convinced. "Tell me what has you so unsettled." He led her to the edge of the bed.

She sat down as he stood and looked down at her. Hayley took in a deep breath before telling Elijah the details of the prophecy. She confessed that his mother was relying on her as the last chance to save him and his siblings. But the hardest part was telling Elijah about his mother choosing her, somehow knowing when she was just a child that she was meant for him. And that's how he was drawn to her.

Time became irrelevant as she told him everything. He never interrupted her or asked any questions. He simply let her speak and tell him what she wanted. When Hayley was done, she looked up at Elijah to see he was calmly watching her with his hands in his suit pockets. How did he make it so easy to talk to him? No on else was ever like that, not even Nik. Yes, they had almost the exact same interests and personalities but somehow that made it harder to talk to him than anyone else.

Hayley gave Elijah a sad smile. "I guess I wanted to tell you because I know how much you blame yourself for anything that happens to me. But now you know that neither of us really had a choice. Esther wanted it to happen…so it did."

Elijah glanced out the window for a moment before staring back into Hayley's blue-green eyes. "I'm am giving you the choice now." He said distinctly. She narrowed her eyes, not understanding what he meant. "If you want to leave. If you want to start a new life, a life that could be as if you never met me… you can."

"Elijah, that's not what-" She immediately stumbled.

"No, listen to me, Hayley." He stated so seriously that it stopped her from interrupting him. He moved forward and kneeled in front of her as she still sat on the edge of the bed. "You were never given a choice. From when you were a child, my mother made sure that your life went the way she wanted it to. I'm letting you make the choice that you were never given."

"Elijah…" She gasped. Her breathing was deep and stressed. She wasn't expecting him to react this way. "You were never given a choice either." His only sign of agreeing was his jaw tightening. "So…would you take it all back? Would you choose to go on living your immortality as if you'd never met me?"

Elijah opened his mouth but didn't speak. He glanced down at the ground as she shook his head. His eyes then tore into hers so deeply that she wanted to break away. "Hayley, I have existed for over a thousand years. I thought I was living, that I had a purpose during all those lifetimes. But I never began living until I met you. Without my mother or her prophecy, I believe I would have searched for you through the rest of eternity. My heart would not understand what it was searching for, but somehow it would still know that you existed."

A single tear slid down Hayley's cheek as she listened to him. She let out a gasp of laughter as she wiped it away with the back of my hand. "Then how can you believe that I would choose differently?" She asked between sniffs, trying to clear her runny noise. Before she could try and persuade him any further, his lips were crashing onto hers. She laughed almost pitiably again from her embarrassment of crying.

To Elijah, Hayley couldn't have given him a better answer. She didn't know how to use words. They scared her, got stuck in her throat or stayed frighten in her heart. Even if she could tell him, nothing she said would convince him that she wanted this love with all of her heart. So she used his words of infatuation for her and turned them against him in the best possible way.

Elijah kissed her so heatedly that she stood up with him from the edge of the bed.

His forearms clutched around her back and pressed her against his chest as her feet lifted off the ground. She gasped slightly at the movement, which was his reason for doing it. Her hands cupped around his face as their lips continued to crash against one another.

Elijah pulled away, locking eyes with her. But he still held her off the ground, against his chest. "I love you. No matter how you came to me. I would have found you one way or another."

Hayley gave him the quietest smile and kissed him slowly. Then her lips moved to his ear. "I love you, Elijah." She whispered.

Hayley's hands were crossed underneath her cheek as she lay on her stomach. Elijah leaned on a forearm as he rested on his side. He was tracing circles on her bare skin. She hummed and exhaled deeply at the pleasantness of it. Her eyes couldn't help but flicker open when she felt his lips kiss her shoulder.

"What is on that mind of yours?" He asks.

Hayley closed her eyes again. "That's a strange question to ask. I'm sure it's obvious what I'm reminiscing over." She spoke softly. It was only in the most intimate settings such as these that her voice became so soft. It was erratic.

"I am immune to your lies. Surely, you know this by now."

Her eyes opened and narrowed at his. "Doesn't mean I'll stop trying." She scurried under the thin sheets and rearranged them over her exposed body. Then she moved to stare up at the ceiling of the canopy bed.

"I wish you would." Elijah said gently as he watched her.

"What?"

"I wish you would stop trying to lie to me." He persisted.

She sighed. "It's difficult."

"Not as much as you believe. You can start with telling me what you were pondering about just a few moments ago."

Hayley shakes her head. "I don't want to ruin this." She glances over at him and he doesn't even need to say anything to make her confess. His look tells her that he will figure it out one way or another.

"I can't save our family. I can't change the way they are." Hayley whispered. The terror and fear from the thought of failing became an aura surrounding her entire body. Elijah thought he fell more in love listening to her call his family her own.

"You have begun a dreadful habit of underestimating yourself." He told her simply. This made Hayley sit up straight, leaning on her side with the thin sheets clutched to her chest and being held up by her underarms.

"What did you say to Stefan the second before he left?" She asked quickly.

"Nothing of importance." He slyly answered right on beat.

"You threatened him, didn't you?"

"I said nothing that he did not deserve" Elijah sighed.

"Then you have to understand my point!" She pled. "The only thing that separates you from your siblings is one thing." He only asked her to continue with the raising of an eyebrow. "Me." Hayley said simply. "No matter who it is…if I ask, if I beg you not to kill them, you won't."

Elijah laughed darkly. "Ah, I see you have finally discovered your hold on me. I beg of you not to use it to your advantage."

She moved closer to him on the bed and kissed his shoulders. "I would never." And she fell into a fit of laughter. Then she was quickly moved on her back with her wrists pinned to the bed, while he was balanced above her.

"I usually don't stand for such threats." Elijah tried to sound threatening but all Hayley heard was his playfulness. The smile that had just been beaming slowly dulled like a dying star. Just like that, her thoughts went back to her worries and troubles. "Hayley…you do not have to save anyone." He tried to reassure her as soon as he saw that she wasn't mentally in the room.

"Yes. I do." She said deliberate and firm. "Your mother trusted me. She's depended on me. But I can't just go to Kol, Rebekah…Nik, and tell them to stop being the people they've turned into after a thousand years."

"Rebekah is not as tough as you believe. Kol…is like a child. Perhaps give him another millennium or so to mature." He barely got a smirk out of Hayley from the joke.

She moved closer to him, resting her head on his bare chest. "And Niklaus?" She whispered. "Is it even possible to help him?" She added, even quieter.

Elijah was quiet. Quiet for such a long time that her eyes flickered above to read his silence better. "I do not believe you shall ever fully understand the influence you have on my brother, Hayley." He stared forward, into nothing as he spoke. His seriousness caused her to sit up and move to eye level.

"It's hard for me to believe that. Especially, after I failed to stop him from slaughtering Damon." She retorted dismally.

"But he stopped, did he not." Elijah challenged.

"Only when he proved his point to Stefan! Not because I yelled at him to." She lay on his chest again, not finding the strength to truly argue with him on the matter. Then she felt his lips moved to her ear.

"Your relationship with my brother is stronger than either of you realize. That is why it is so hard for me to watch. Niklaus loves you more than anyone else in his life. But he still does not know how to sacrifice his darkness for you." Elijah stated faintly. Hayley closed her eyes, wishing and praying that it wasn't true. But she knew he was right.

"Have they brought back the last two yet?" Hayley asked as she walked into Nik's studio. Surprisingly, he put down his paintbrush and turned with crossed arms to acknowledge her.

"No. But I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they come crawling back here, begging that I spare the lives of their loved ones." He told her smugly.

"The Salvatores are not the crawling or begging type."

"Yes… Well, we shall see." Nik said with his dimple smirk.

Hayley took in a deep breath, preparing her for the discourse she needed to make. "Niklaus, please, stop this. Let's just leave this stupid town."

"Stop calling me that." He snapped without meaning to.

"Well, it's the only thing that seems to give me your attention these days." She responded with just as much attitude. "What is the point of staying here? There's nothing here for our family. There never was."

"That is where you're wrong, sweetheart. A very important doppelgänger resides in this little town and that is why I came here. That never had anything to do with our family. Furthermore, I can go whenever I wish."

"Then let's go." Hayley challenged in a whisper.

"No." He stated firmly.

"Nik, I know you aren't an idiot. Things have changed. You have your family back. They've forgiven you. Stop this before you destroy it all again! Your stupid hybrids will never fill that hole. Rebekah, Kol, Elijah…me, we can."

"They hate me. And that will never change." Nik said, staring at the ground.

"And what…your hybrids love you?" Her voice rose from the frustration of his foolishness and denial. "They're sired to you! It's not even real! Slaves are not friends. Do I need to remind you what friends are?"

She was crossing a line that he did not approve. Klaus shot forward, getting right in her face. "No I don't need reminding, love! After all, you and I were once friends."

Pain filled Hayley's expression. "We still are." She said softly. Her eyes closed for a moment before meeting his strikingly cerulean irises. "Is that what you're going to say to me next when you hurt me?" She whispered.

"What are you talking about?" He asked honestly.

"You destroyed Stefan's life to give him someone to take out his uncontrollable rage on." She murmured quickly. "I can feel it approaching, the time when you're going to hurt me…will you say you did it for my own good?"

"Perhaps." He said so roughly that it made her flinch.

"Just like when you killed Luke."

"He would have only got in the way of your life sooner or later. Consider it a favor, sweetheart." Klaus said it with an almost evil smirk. It made Hayley want to slap him, no, hit him.

"You're disgusting. It's not your choice to say what's best for those around you. Who gave you that power? No one! Just because you're the original hybrid doesn't mean it justifies you destroying everything around you!" She was fully yelling now. Her ability to control her rage under such circumstances was never strong. She could hide what she believed were weak emotions well, but neither anger nor hatred were one of them.

"Why did you come in here, Hayley?" Klaus shouted back. "What did you truly expect to receive from this conversation?"

"I made a promise to help you! And you are making it impossible! Stop trying to be the alpha male! Stop trying to control every single thing around you!" Hayley stopped and breathed heavily, trying to calm herself down. "I want my friend back. Nick…the human who seemed like my long, lost brother. Not this," She gestured at him. "This monster that ruins innocent lives and pushes his family aside."

"What more can I do, Hayley? I'd kill an entire city just to prove my loyalty to you!" His shouting shook the entire room. It caused Hayley to take a step back and was immediately ashamed of it. She needed to stand her ground, to show him that she wasn't scared of him. But she was. She was terrified of the stranger standing across from her. And Hayley realized that he needed to know.

"That is why I'm scared of you Klaus." Hayley whispered. But when she looked up to meet his gaze, it was empty. There was absolutely no emotion. Was he really the heartless monster everyone in the supernatural believed he was? If the Nik she had talked to at a coffee shop for the first time was still in there, she couldn't see him.

Hayley slowly turned and then quickly walked out of the room. She closed the door behind her and waited a moment. Her back rested against it. She counted to 10 and then heard him growl in rage. Things were being thrown around the room. She cringed with every sound of glass shattering, canvas ripping, and wood breaking. Her chest heaved up and down from her panicked breathing. She knew she couldn't go back in that room. But she wanted to with all of her heart. Hayley craved to help him and she thought she knew how. But she'd never felt so wrong in her life.

She hurriedly walked into one of the dens. Elijah shot out of his chair the moment she entered the room. He had been sitting with Kol, who gave her a serious look for once. He seemed uncomfortable to be in the room. Yes, he had overheard and witnessed countless of his brother, Klaus' explosions. But this one was so obviously different. It was fueled by something else.

"Are you alright?" Elijah asked immediately.

Hayley nodded her head blankly. He had been on strict orders not to intervene, no matter what he heard. They may have expected such a reaction from their brother. But she was still stunned. She had told Elijah to stay away as a simple precaution.

"So that's it? You're leaving now?" Kol asked. It was strange seeing him look so into the moment instead of trying to find his next victim. He looked between Elijah and Hayley with earnestness in his eyes. She couldn't help but think he seemed like a lost child. He was still unaccustomed to this new world. And he would get along fine on his own. But he saw his troublemaking to be a little more successful if he stayed with his siblings. Besides, if he went off on his own there would be no one to rebel against.

"We all are." Elijah corrected. Kol's brow creased. "You and Rebekah are more than welcome to come with us."

Kol almost completely hid his surprise and delight at the offer. He stood up and nodded toward Hayley. "And your dearly beloved? She doesn't mind if your troublesome little brother and spoiled sister tag along?" He questioned.

Elijah looked at her along with his brother but he was amused while Kol was defying. "It was her idea."

"And what of Niklaus?" Kol asked then.

"He's staying." Hayley finally spoke.

Okay...so i worked really hard on this chapter. There was a lot of emotional intensity I think. So I really want to hear your thoughts. PLEASE.

okay im so tired. goodnight.