She was safe. She was happy. That was all Elijah needed to know. As he walked through the woods, away from the bayou, his thoughts drifted back to the sound of her laughter and the way the firelight illuminated her beautiful face. Even the horrors—the blood, the screams—during the witches' feast day celebration could not dim her brightness, her joy. He always knew she was strong, but now she was a leader of the werewolves. And as much as Elijah wanted her by his side, to protect her against anyone who would harm her, he knew she would never stay with him. And he would never ask. Not again. How could he deny her a chance to live amongst her people—her family? She had what he always wanted. A family that was loyal and good and worth fighting for.

Once, Elijah put his family before his own desires. Now, with Rebekah gone and Klaus's ceaseless manipulations and schemes, he had never felt so alone…and so free. He made Klaus a promise: that if he wanted something he would take it. A simple promise, but could he fulfill it? Centuries of self-sacrifice, of putting others' needs before his own. Would he have the courage to be true to himself? To take what he wanted without thinking of the consequences?

A familiar, intoxicating scent pulled him out of his thoughts. She was close to him. Elijah stopped moving until he could feel her breath on his face. He planned to visit the bayou in secret, without drawing her attention. He should have known better. He was a prize idiot for underestimating her.

She grabbed his arm and he turned around to see the dark-haired wolf girl standing before him.

Hayley.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" her light brown eyes shined in the moonlight, challenging him.

"My apologies. I did not intend to interrupt your evening. I only wanted to make sure you were safe."

"I appreciate the effort, but as you can see, I'm fine," she said tightly. "Is that really the reason you came here?"

Elijah nodded. He gently grasped her hand and lifted it away from his arm. The last thing he needed was for Hayley to touch him. Simply being in her presence was overwhelming and he was afraid to lose control. He couldn't afford to act on his feelings for her—and neither could she.

But instead of releasing her hand from his grip, Hayley held his hand in front of her. She traced her fingertips lightly over his skin, examining it.

"You have blood on your hands," she whispered.

"I had to make a point to those who would threaten the peace." Elijah let his hand fall from hers and added quietly, "Those who would threaten you."

No other words were spoken. The original vampire and werewolf stood still, gazing into each other's eyes. Only the sound of the wind and chirping of insects broke the silence. It felt like they were the only people left in the world. In a daze, Elijah reached down to tuck an errant strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. Hayley froze at Elijah's light caress knowing that the slightest movement might scare him off. Her bright eyes peered up at him. She looked hopeful and her lips parted as if to ask him a question.

Then a shadow crossed Elijah's face. What the hell was he doing!? He was acting like a lover. His gesture was too intimate and inappropriate. He snapped his hand back and spun away from her, determined to leave before he touched her again. But he didn't escape fast enough.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around him, stopping him in his tracks. His body stiffened at first, then melted into her touch. Only Hayley had this effect on him. He wanted to stay. He wanted to turn around and kiss her senseless. But he didn't dare. He could ruin her whole world, everything she fought for, by indulging his own selfish fantasy. Elijah would not be a fool and he would not make a fool out of her. He needed to get away.

Elijah attempted to remove Hayley's arms from around his waist, but she tightened her grip.

"Don't." Her voice was soft, but pleading.

Elijah turned to face her, but Hayley never let him go from her embrace. She hugged him closer to her.

"Hayley, we can't—"

Full, bow-shaped lips formed a familiar pout and shining brown eyes challenged him once again. "Stop, Elijah. Stop making excuses. It's just us here. Alone. For this one night, can't we do what we want?"

Elijah paused and observed the beautiful wolf girl encircling him in her arms. She stood tall. Her gaze never left his. He knew she would not back down from this. Strong. Confident. Passionate. How could he deny himself such a woman?

Elijah's muscular arms wrapped around Hayley, returning her embrace, and for a while they swayed together. Then Elijah craned his neck down until his lips brushed against Hayley's ear. She closed her eyes, soaking up the sensation of Elijah's warm breath against her skin. His murmur was barely audible, but Hayley could hear him whisper, "Just tonight…just tonight."

His lips pressed against the tip of her ear, her cheek, and then he traced feather-light kisses across her jaw all the way down to her neck. Hayley sighed and relaxed in his arms, full of anticipation. Her fingers traced the muscles along his broad back. Elijah cupped her face in his hands, and she could see that his dark eyes, usually sharp and intense, were clouded with desire.

"I'm getting some déjà vu. I think I know how this goes…"

Hayley grinned and Elijah detected a mischievous glint in her eyes. She reached up to run a hand through his soft, brown hair and stepped on her tiptoes to plant a brief but firm kiss on his forehead.

"Our first kiss. Remember?" she teased.

Elijah chuckled. "How could I forget?" He bent down and kissed her quickly on the forehead, returning the affectionate peck with gusto.

Then, he turned serious, and his voice lowered. "I promise you that this kiss will be quite different."

Hayley placed her hands on her hips and arched an eyebrow, "And how will this be diff—"

Before Hayley could finish her sarcastic quip, Elijah's lips came crashing down on hers. Elijah pulled her towards him, his hands roaming all over her body, as Hayley returned his desperate kisses. She stroked his hair and pulled his face closer to hers, granting her more access. She sucked on his bottom lip and Elijah growled with hunger. He deepened the kiss, taunting her with his tongue, tasting her, nibbling at her lip until Hayley whimpered. Then their kisses became less fervent. They exchanged soft, languid kisses, unwilling to come up for air; unwilling to break the passion ignited between them.

After some time passed, Hayley pushed her hands against Elijah's firm chest, forcing them apart. Their breaths were ragged. Elijah brushed his lips against hers once more and then kissed the top of Hayley's forehead, causing both of them to burst out laughing.

Hayley reached out to Elijah, hugged him close, and nuzzled his neck. "Thank you for coming to me."

Elijah closed his eyes, enfolded her in his arms, and sighed contentedly. He kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her lips. "Thank you for tonight."