Josh could only stare at Marcel and Hayley in disbelief. "Let me see if I've got this straight. You're going to compel Elijah to forget his family, and Hayley. But, you're afraid that that will make him forget that he's even a vampire. So, you want me to look out for him? Is that about it?" It was a horrible summary of about an hour of discussion, but that was about the only part he had really heard before his brain had shut down.

Hayley was chewing on her lip. "I know that we're asking for a lot. This isn't really a favor. Favor is a pretty weak word for asking you for something that may mean years, decades, centuries of your life. But we… I need to know that he's okay. And you're the only one we can trust with this."

No pressure, there. "Why me?"

"Because eight years ago, you didn't pick up my coin."

"Which is how I ended up being turned and dragged into this freak show of a family. But, doesn't really answer my question."

Hayley smirked. "Doesn't it?"

"You just answered your own question, Josh."

Well, this was certainly a fun game. Not. "Are you two planning on making sense sometime tonight?"

"Nobody dragged you into this family, Josh. You could have left at any time. There are plenty of vampires out there who have nothing to do with their Sires. Even more that have nothing to do with the Mikaelsons. But, you stayed. You more than stayed. You just said it. You're family. That's why you. Because you're one of us."

"Here's the thing. You didn't pick up the coin. Never even made a move towards it. And pretty much from that night on, you have been my right-hand man. Like Hayley said, you could have left at any time. Nobody was holding you here. But, that's not you. You don't walk away. No matter how bad things get, you stay. Loyalty, Josh. It's what I was looking for the night you were turned. And it's what we need, now."

Well, how could he even think of turning them down after that speech? Not that turning them down was ever really a question. They were right. Like it or not, he was family. If anything, he was touched that they felt that way. He had found acceptance with them. Not just acceptance, but a sense of actually belonging somewhere. And now here was Hayley, trusting him with the second most important thing in her life. "Eight years. If some centuries old enemy of the Mikaelsons comes looking for Elijah, I'm going to be pretty fucking useless."

"We're not exiling you, Josh. You are still a part of this family. We're all going to keep in touch. You run into trouble, you send out a mass text. Between me, Hayley, Freya, Davina, and Caroline, we promise that there will be at least one person there to help you as soon as Freya or Davina can get us there."

"And how am I going to get him to trust me?"

"I'll take care of that. You need to head to Atlanta. He'll go there and contact you. He'll know that you are the one person he can always trust, no matter what. If he ever hears the name Elijah Mikaelson, he'll go to you, tell you everything about the person he heard the name from, and then promptly forget it. Same if anyone ever calls him by name without being properly introduced. And then you'll text us."

"Atlanta isn't very far away." Because if this was going to work, he was going to have to get Elijah far away from all of them.

"Atlanta is a starting point. A place for him to find you. He once told me that he wanted to take me to Manosque, France. It was a place he always loved, a place he imagined us settling down in. I think he'd be happy there." Her eyes were suspiciously bright.

He put his arm around her. "This isn't forever, Hayley. You have to trust that Freya will figure out something more permanent to do with the damned Hollow, and then Marcel can give Elijah his memories back, and…"

"And then he can remember that I was a bitch to him, and all of the horrible things I've said to him lately. There's a reason he specifically added me to what he wants to forget, Josh. And it isn't because I'm too closely connected to the rest of his family. It's because I shattered his heart into a million pieces. At least when he doesn't remember me, he also won't be hating me."

"He loves you. Man, the way he looks at you. You can't fight destiny, Hayley. And the two of you have forever. You'll find your way back to each other. One way or another."

"All right, I hate to break up this little love fest. But, we need to get a few more details worked out. Because if Josh is taking Elijah to France, passports might help. Granted, they can always compel their way onto a plane, but still."

"Still, the less attention we draw to ourselves, the better. Elijah is going to need a name. I have an idea for how to get him to France that would actually make perfect sense for me to have his passport. So, get everything taken care of, and give both passports to me. I'll take care of the rest."