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Hayley blinked a few times, staring straight ahead blankly. Then she heard a thump that came from neither Klaus nor Genevieve. She held her breath as she looked down at Elijah's corpse. But it was no longer a corpse. It was mending itself, right before their eyes. While his suit remained scorched from the flames, his skin started a reversed decomposing process. It healed and regenerated as Hayley remained speechless and had still not let out a breath. She allowed herself a quick glance up at Klaus, who was standing a few feet away. He didn't meet her gaze. Instead, he stared at his brother's body with a stunned expression that he tried to hide.

Hayley quickly looked back at Elijah. She was scared that it would stop at any moment. But it continued. And while it felt like an hour, his body repaired itself in seconds. Then the wind that had started churning around the three of them ceased. The forest's clearing went dead silent. There were no sounds of grasshoppers chirping or leaves fluttering in a breeze. It was like the forest was caught in the suspense, waiting with the rest of them.

Hayley hadn't realized that she leaned forward. Her hand still rested over Elijah's heart just like Genevieve had instructed moments ago. Then a beat of absolute silence hit just before Elijah shot up in his place. It wasn't like waking up from being daggered. In its place, it felt like waking up from a bad nightmare. A sweat lingered across his skin and he breathed heavily as if he was trying to figure out where he was or what had happened.

Then his eyes found Hayley's, who was on the ground but had been pushed back to lean on the sole of her palms when he had snapped awake. She stared at him with an incomprehensible face. Elijah couldn't tell if it was shock or fear. But then she practically tackled him back to the ground. Her knees somehow found either side of his waist as she embraced him with all of her might. He clasped her back firmly with his hands. Suddenly he was reminded of their unborn child he had hugged while in-between. Had he made it all up? He noted that it was impossible.

While Hayley embraced Elijah she glanced up to see Genevieve walking away from them and into the shadows of the trees. As if the witch could sense eyes on her, she slowly turned and met the young vampire's stare. "Thank you." Hayley mouthed to her. The witch almost gave no reaction once so ever. A part of her was ashamed for helping bring back a vampire, an original that started the race, which harmed so many. But when she looked into Hayley's eyes, all regret vanished. The girl had lost the man her entire life had been wrapped around. And she would have been destroyed for the rest of her immortality had Genevieve done nothing.

With a short hesitation, the witch gave a sad smile and a small nod before turning back to her getaway course. She would never see them again. That was something she knew for sure. Just before she reached the line of trees, a breeze swept up around her. It made her coiled and bright red hair fluster around. Genevieve closed her eyes, immediately understanding what it meant. "You're welcome." She whispered to the wind, knowing Esther would hear her response. A weight was lifted off her shoulders. Her debt had been repaid and she would never suffer the fate of never finding peace like other witches had before her.

Elijah felt small tremors coursing through Hayley as he held on tightly to her small frame. He pulled away so he could look at her, stare into her beautiful blue-green eyes that he never thought he'd ever see again. They were filled with tears even though she looked as if she'd witnessed a miracle befalling. But to her, it had been a miracle. She was trembling in shock and stress that even a vampire body couldn't handle.

"I'm alright. Everything is alright." Elijah instantly reassured her. Before he watched her cry over his dead body from the other side. He couldn't do anything to comfort her. But now he had to make sure she knew they were safe. "I will never leave again. I promise you." He commended.

Hayley let out a short laugh. It was her body's only consideration for how to deal with the entire trauma. Without waiting for him to try to reassure her further that he was okay, she kissed him. Her lips were wet from the tears that couldn't stop falling.

"I can't-I don't understand." She was barely able to sputter in between her kisses. Then she finally pulled away and stared into his chocolate brown eyes. It felt like he was going to be snatched away if she glanced away even for a second.

Klaus watched his brother be reunited with the love of his existence. The girl Klaus was once able to call his only true friend. But now he felt like a stranger invading on a moment that was never meant for him. It was one of those rare times when he had to ask himself if he was jealous of his brother for simply having love or for Hayley loving Elijah like she never had loved him.

Klaus clenched his jaw and allowed himself a few more seconds of observing their happiness. Neither of them acknowledged him. Elijah didn't even notice he was there. And Hayley had forgotten. They were too immersed in their relief of being in each other's arms once again. Without making a sound, Klaus disappeared. He didn't want to go to the mansion. They would probably be there sooner or later and that wasn't a long enough time for him to be alone.

"I will never trouble myself with trying to understand any of it." Elijah basically whispered. His hands held tightly onto her hips as she kneeled on top of him. "All that matters to me is that I am here with you…in my grasp."

Hayley shook her head still in disbelief at him being right there. "All that matters to me is that you're alive." She mimicked. How could it matter where she was or if she was in his grasp when he had been resurrected right before her eyes?

Elijah finally took his eyes away from hers, as hard as it was. He looked around the forest clearing. The only thing left, besides the two of them, was the witch and warlock's bodies. Hayley finally moved off of him so he could stand. She had finally convinced herself that he wouldn't disappear. Elijah stood and looked around for another sign that someone else had been hurt. He didn't know how long he had been on the other side, being tortured by his mother's sorcery.

"Rebekah?" He asked Hayley with concern.

She shrugged her shoulders but her calm expression proved to him that it wasn't worth worrying about. "She ran right before Damon…" Her voice trailed off, struggling to say 'killed you'.

Then Elijah's face loss its concern and became irritated. He tilted his head to the ground in an attempt to keep Hayley from reading his expression. "And Elena?"

A flicker of jealousy sparked in her eyes. But he wasn't looking at her to catch it. Elena may be a doppelgänger, but she was still a girl within her own. Nevertheless Hayley's distaste for her would never go away. Yet, why did she still feel guilty for her death, even if it was Rebekah who had gone through with it?

"Dead." Hayley confirmed. "Or transitioning I guess would be the correct word for it." She added in a quiet mutter.

Then Elijah finally looked at her. "You were going to kill her to save me." It was a statement but she couldn't help but feel like she was meant to defend herself.

"Yes, I did it to save you! And I would do it again if it was the only chance I had left to keep you alive." She didn't shout but her words were hard and emotionless. "I don't regret it. I can hardly feel anything when I think about it." Then she contemplated whether she wanted to share the next part. "I shut off my emotions…I don't think it really worked. I couldn't stop them once Alaric attacked me."

Elijah's jaw clenched at what limits his death had pushed her. But he wasn't mad at her. Even when he thought he was, it was really anger directed toward himself. He stepped closer and put his hands on either side of her face. "Hayley, I want you to promise me that you will never try to do that again." Hayley blinked at his intense gaze. They way he was looking at her, holding her, and speaking with such intensity: it made her feel like he was her parent. Not in a condescending way, but in a way that showed his countless years of wisdom and personal experience.

"I understand it may seem as though it is the easy way out, that it will save you from so much pain. But it is so much harder to repossess it than you realize." He said each word with such diction, making sure she heard every sound. Then he sighed, realizing how disdainful he was being. "Hayley, no matter what, no matter if something should happen to me…never turn it off. Do you understand?"

She grabbed at his hands to remove them from her cheeks. But he didn't budge. Finally, she nodded. Even though she didn't believe she had the strength to follow his wishes, she let him believe she would do as he said. But he wouldn't be here to give me his disappointed look that I rarely see, she thought.

"I understand." She stammered out when she apprehended he was waiting to actually hear her say the words.

He stared at her, measuring her honesty. A few moments later, he seemed somewhat satisfied and nodded his head as he removed his hands from her face. Then stepped back, giving her space and seeing her immediately relax when his intensity stopped. He gently grabbed her hand. "Enough is enough." He stated firmly. "We are leaving Mystic Falls and we shall never return." Hayley simply nodded.

A car arrived at the mansion two hours later. All their stuff had already been packed. Hayley and Elijah had enough time to shower to get rid of all the blood, tarnish, and desiccation. To stay in a burnt and destroyed suit would never have occurred for the original. Even after the recent tragedies, he had to be presentable.

Not many words were exchanged between them as they scurried around the mansion. But every time they crossed paths, Hayley would stop and kiss him. It was like she needed it as proof that she wasn't dreaming he was alive. The behavior was somewhat unusual for her. She was never good at openly displaying emotions and exposing affection was almost as difficult for her. But she didn't care about any of that then. All that mattered was that Elijah was alive.

None of Elijah's family had been waiting for them at the mansion. Hayley suspected that Rebekah had returned, told Kol of their brother's demise, and together they fled as far away as they could get. Elijah stated that he would get in touch with them somehow. But he didn't mention anything about Niklaus. He could see in Hayley's eyes that she didn't even want to talk about him.

Disappointment wasn't nearly a strong enough word to describe how she felt towards Klaus at the time. Hayley couldn't help but wonder how much all of this could have been avoided if he had made different decisions. But there was no room for such questioning, so she pushed it to the back of her mind.

They weren't even out of the long driveway of the mansion when Hayley looked over at Elijah. He was deep in thought and did well to hide it. But she still knew what he was thinking about. "She'll probably be awake by now." Hayley muttered as she looked out the window even when she felt his eyes on her. But he didn't respond. "Excuse me," Hayley told the driver. "We have to make a stop first."

A few minutes later, Elijah was walking up the porch steps of the Gilbert house. Hayley followed a few yards behind. She stopped even a few feet away from the stairs up the porch. She had no intention of going inside. It wasn't her place. Elijah knocked on the door and Hayley listened to multiple voices muttering things inside about who could be there. It was Stefan who opened the door. But Damon was lingering right over his brother's shoulder.

Both of them looked shocked and startled when they registered that Elijah stood right before them. "I killed you." Damon said without any guilt. He had come to terms that he couldn't control any of his actions.

"I should start keeping a record for every time you have said such a thing to me." Elijah responded calmly, a small smirk hidden on his lips. "It is a rather long story." He added when Damon showed no amusement from the joke.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan sighed.

"I wish to speak to Elena." Elijah ignored Damon now and only regarded the younger Salvatore brother.

"Haven't you done enough?" Damon accused harshly.

"As I recall, your brother is the only reason Hayley was killed. I, of all people, understand the pain you now possess. My intention was never to harm or turn her. After all, I went through great troubles to keep Elena alive."

"Yeah, except when you kidnapped her and held her hostage in underground tunnels." Damon snapped. Elijah's only response was to narrow his eyes. It was like he was too superior to even acknowledge the younger vampire's charges.

"Jeremy!" Stefan called without taking his eyes off of Elijah. In a few seconds, the only Gilbert left human was at the front door. "Invite him in."

Jeremy's eyes widened slightly at the idea. But then he took in Elijah and saw that he had no objective of hurting his sister. It would benefit him in no way. "Come in." Jeremy sighed in frustration. Elijah nodded in thanks and walked past all three of them. He knew where Elena rested in the house. He didn't need to be directed.

Hayley stood outside on the lawn with her arms crossed. The three boys now stared at her, which made her gape at the ground with discomfort. But she refused to make them believe she was guilty for her actions.

"Are you gonna stand outside all night?" Damon questioned with a tone that showed he didn't really care what she did. But if that were really true, he wouldn't have asked her about it.

Hayley just glared at him as her response. When she stared into his blue irises, she still saw Elijah's murderer. Everyone knew Damon couldn't stop what he did, even when the person he loved the most was threatened. Hayley blinked away when she realized that Damon had caught her staring. His shoulders shrugged at her response to his somewhat rhetoric question. He disappeared further into the house, out of her line of vision within the opening of the front door.

"You can come in." Stefan surprised her and Jeremy by saying so gently. It must have been his heightened empathy that saw how drained Hayley was emotionally and physically. She shot her gaze up, measuring what his true intentions were. Then Jeremy finally relaxed and nodded. Hayley took a step at a time up the porch stairs. She stopped and shifted her weight uncomfortably when she reached the door. Her gaze refused to meet either Stefan or Jeremy.

"Come on in." Jeremy sighed. He wasn't upset with her. He was upset that everything that happened to his sister. Elena may have been the older sibling, but he always wanted to protect her. And now he felt completely helpless. Hayley slowly took a step past Stefan as she moved aside.

Hayley's eyes drifted around the home. Before entering, she thought that Elena and her had been forced into a similar life. She believed their vampirism was the only thing that made them able to relate. But as she looked around the house, she instantly knew their situations were so different. Pictures of Elena and her family were plastered on every blank space of wall. It was something Hayley didn't realize was a display that existed outside of cheesy movies. Elena had a family once. And Hayley already knew it was a family that loved her so much. It was something Hayley stopped wishing for herself a long, long time ago.

But it was what made the two, newly turned vampires different. While vampires had destroyed Elena's life, Hayley's life began from them. This was the path she was always meant to take. But Elena's life had always been so much more promising. And that was why the air felt like it had been sucked out of the room. Hayley never had the possibility of a better life without Elijah. But Elena's life had been destroyed when the two men she loved entered.

Hayley eventually made her way to the living room. There were two long couches facing each other. One was empty, but the other had Caroline Forbes sitting up straight with her palms resting on her thighs. She looked lost in thought, probably thinking of ways she could have prevented her best friend from being forced into the same life of vampirism.

There was nowhere else Hayley felt she could go. She didn't want to stare at the hidden hatred in Jeremy's eyes from his sister becoming part of the race he despised. She didn't want to see in Stefan's sympathetic look when she saw him as her own Rebekah in the story of her transition. And she couldn't even glance at Damon: Elijah's killer and the person who acted unaffected to everything that was going on around him.

Caroline and Hayley didn't dislike one another. It was the people that they cared about that didn't like the other. Hayley slowly stepped toward the couch and sat down quietly right in the center of it. Caroline glanced up at her and quickly looked away in discomfort. The two girls really didn't know one another. Caroline opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it, not really knowing if she should even bother trying to have a forced conversation. She knew her and Hayley were the same age. But she couldn't help but sense the maturity that lingered around Hayley. Her eyes seemed wiser and the way she watched people made her appear so much older.

Hayley had heard Caroline's intake of breath when she changed her mind about talking. "You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to." Hayley indicated politely. "I was just going to wait outside anyway. I know when I am out of place."

Caroline nodded her head with a blank expression. People used to think she was a bitch or a mean girl for being honest. But Hayley did the same thing, but somehow made it admirable in a way Caroline never could.

Another moment of awkward silence passed. "I'm glad he didn't die." Caroline finally let the words escape. "Even though I have no idea how it's even possible…I'm glad Elijah is still alive." She added quickly. A small smirk played on Hayley's lips. "I just-I can't even think about what I would have done had it been Tyler." Caroline seemed to be lost in her thoughts, thinking about it.

"She's not going to be okay." Hayley said with her arms crossed. Caroline's stare flickered back to her. "She can't handle it. We both know that." Hayley didn't have to explain that it was Elena she was talking about.

"You don't know that." Caroline defended immediately. "She has gone through a lot worse. She'll get through this." But her last sentence gave her away. It sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than Hayley. "What is he saying to her?"

Hayley sighed, "Apologizing. He feels guilty about it. I guess it's just a little too close to home for him. And he did kidnap her…with his morals, he can't really help it."

"Is…um…Is Klaus still in town?" She asked next, not knowing how Hayley would react with her asking about the hybrid.

She looked out the window, completely appearing bored with the subject change. "Missing as far as I know." Caroline didn't realize how much Hayley was acting. Then Hayley glanced back at Caroline and was surprised at the expression she read on her face. Caroline looked confused and lost in thought. But it wasn't like when Hayley had first walked into the room. And in that instant, Hayley knew Caroline had wondered about Klaus more than just being her mortal enemy. She tried to hide any signals that would show she'd made her discovery.

"Why-Why does he like me?" Caroline said quietly. Her eyes looked toward the other side of the house where everyone else remained, unsure of what to do.

Hayley took in a deep breath. "Caroline," She began with another deep inhale. "I can tell you why Nik likes you, but I can't tell you why Klaus does." She saw that Caroline seemed quite confused. "They're two different people. And I don't really know if Nik is ever coming back." Hayley hoped her explanation would get her out of telling her anything about Klaus' affections. Apparently, it did since Caroline just nodded but still had a rather blank expression.

Someone politely cleared their throat at room's opening. Both girls looked to see Elijah leaning against the molding of the wall. He was looking at Hayley, silently asking her if she was ready to leave. Then he quickly nodded at Caroline. "Miss Forbes." He greeted politely. She gave a small smile.

Hayley stood up from the couch and walked to Elijah's side. But just as she reached him, she stopped and her hands went into fists. He watched her think just before she looked up at him. Elijah looked over his shoulder at Caroline, who was watching them intently. "I shall be in the car." He stated quietly.

Hayley quickly turned around and took a few steps back into the room. "You have this energy that makes people around you think that anything's possible." She started rapidly, completely catching Caroline off guard. "But that doesn't mean that you don't fight for what you want and deserve." Hayley ran her fingers through her blonde-red, now wondering what made her think confessing all of this was a good idea. "Nik hates being disappointed or betrayed. And it's obvious that you are nothing but loyal and protective of the people you love. He respects that more than anything." Then Hayley crossed her arms and exhaled. "I mean, you're beautiful and have the light he never did."

She thought she'd said enough and turned to the front door but stopped. Her eyes closed tightly in frustration. This was her last chance to do what her heart wanted. Hayley faced Caroline once again. "Look, I know what kind of person he can be. And now I know the monster he can be too. But the Klaus you see is not the person that's my best friend. You may have your boyfriend right now, but we're vampires and we have forever." Without knowing when or how, Hayley's eyes started to water. But she blinked them down before Caroline could catch them. "I couldn't help him like I wanted. But I think you can. And he could love you with everything he has."

Caroline looked at Hayley with her mouth slightly open and completely speechless. When she had originally asked the question, she had never expected such an answer. But Hayley was honest and it was something that had been growing inside ever since she saw Nik's growing affections toward the blonde vampire. It was unrealistic to think her path wouldn't cross Caroline's. But they had forever; she didn't know when she'd have another chance to tell Caroline what she needed to know about Klaus. No matter how much she hated him right now, she couldn't think of having such harsh feelings toward him evermore.

Hayley didn't wait for Caroline to say something. As she rushed toward the front door and threw it open, she felt another pair of eyes watching her. Stefan leaned in the long hallway that went to the kitchen. His back pressed against the wall, arms crossed, and head hung low. He'd heard the whole conversation. Hayley didn't give him a smile or nod. She escaped the grieving home and fled down the porch steps.

Hayley jumped into the car and the pressure was immediately lifted. Elijah stared at her in understanding. He didn't grasp what she felt she owed Niklaus by talking to Caroline just like she didn't grasp what he owed to Elena. But neither of them judged each other for it. Elijah instructed their driver to take them to the airport. Hayley moved over so she was leaning against Elijah, resting her head on his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her.

"I am utterly stunned that you have not even asked where I am taking you, Mrs. Mikaelson." Elijah muttered into her ear so softly that it made it impossible for their driver to hear him. He teased her with her new and fabricated identity. According to her new and forged driver's license and passport, she was indeed married to Elijah.

Hayley laughed lightly. "It doesn't even matter at this point. I'm just glad to have this." Then she stopped leaning on his shoulder and twisted to give him a soft kiss to indicate what she was referring to.

Still not the end. One more chapter. I always love hearing all of your reactions