I Never Wanted To Be A Queen.
In the beginning she completely ignores his presence for a week. Mostly, it's to spite him, because she's angry at him, because he did this to her and although it was partly her fault she's still in the same position. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me Hayley thinks as she sneers at all the art work lying around.
Mostly, she wants him to know that she hates him for what he did to her.
Mostly, it's because the thought of never leaving from this place makes her want to kill herself.
###
Sometimes Hayley wanders.
She's three months pregnant and her feet are starting to swell but she doesn't care. She can't stand being around him for too long. Whenever she looks at him all she can see is the one who stole her from life and freedom beyond the confinement of the damned house she's locked in.
And then Hayley has to leave because she starts crying and the last thing she wants to happen is for him to see her cry. She doesn't want to look weak in front of him for some reason.
When she passes a mirror she stops and looks at it. Her reflection, ghostly and miserable stares back at her. That pregnancy glow is a myth; all she can see is depression.
###
He doesn't even talk to her that much and that's probably one of the things that frustrates her the most.
She's found out the sex of the baby (a girl) and he hasn't uttered a single word. Isn't the reason he keeps her in the house is because he (supposedly) cares about her and the baby's wellbeing? Because on some level he wants to be with her? It doesn't make any sense when he doesn't talk to her let alone look at her.
What kind of relationship is this? She wants to ask.
How do you expect this to work? We're having a baby together.
She holds her tongue though because she isn't making much of an effort in their relationship either.
###
When they get Elijah back they are sitting next to each other waiting for him to wake up when Klaus looks over to her and says very quietly:
"I'm sorry."
Hayley's breathe catches in her throat and she looks down at her feet instead of him and doesn't say anything. It had almost sounded like he meant it.
He wants to be king of the quarter. And every king needs a queen he had told her, but her throne is cold like his hand on hers and she wonders if this is what everlasting winter feels like.
###
When Tyler comes he comes with whispers of what Klaus' plan might be. It plants seeds of doubt in her mind.
Her baby, a hybrid producer?
She tells Elijah of her worries and that is her first mistake. She knows she shouldn't be so close to him but she can't help it. He was the first person who was nice to her. He made her feel things she hasn't really felt before.
When Tyler is gone Klaus confronts them.
"This has nothing to do with Hayley." Elijah says from the start.
"It has everything to do with her! She's adored you since she arrived and now my child, my blood will grow up to call you father."
The guilt starts to eat away at her then.
###
When their baby is born she can't take her eyes off of her.
The war rages outside but she doesn't care. All that matters is the tiny little life she and Klaus produced sleeping in her arms.
Klaus hasn't left her and the baby's side since they got her back. They both have a burning fire in their veins to kill the witches that tried to kill their baby. As she rocks on the rocking chair in the room Klaus made, she places a kiss upon their baby's head and whispers: I'll always protect you.
"If you left…" Klaus begins as he kneels beside her. "I'd look for you. I'd search every corner of the Earth and the darkest parts of the underworld for you."
Hayley stares at him wide eyed in disbelief.
"Why?" comes out as a breathy exhale.
Klaus just laughs a little and looks down to their baby before looking back up at her.
"Because I love you." He says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. As if it were that simple.
She doesn't know what to say so she doesn't say anything back.
###
One day Hayley can't hold back what she thinks anymore.
They're sitting around waiting while Rebekah looks after their baby, while the Guerrera's try to hide and she just snaps.
Hayley's heart pounds in heartbreak and she can't breathe because she's too busy crying because she just wants her baby back and she hates it here and she still hates him.
"I never asked for this." She cries out to him when he looks at her. His eyebrows crease in concern and he puts the paint brush down. "I never wanted to be a queen."
He sighs and says: "I know."
It's much too gentle and makes her angry because he shouldn't know.
"No. You don't know, you don't understand anything."She growls and hates that he makes her feel this way, everything is his fault.
He looks at her with sad, dark eyes and his mouth is turned down into a frown and he says: "I never meant to make you unhappy."
And that just wants to make her cry even more.
So she cries and she can feel his arms wrap around her to comfort her and she doesn't care if she looks weak in front of him.
"I miss her so much." She whispers in between heavy sobs and Klaus doesn't know what to do so he says back:
"I miss her too."
###
"We could always leave. Leave everyone behind and find some place of our own." Elijah says to her one night when they're standing in the room where they had their first kiss. "No one would have to know."
Hayley thinks about his suggestion for a moment. She really wants to say yes and leave behind all the heartache and war and the throne she never wanted. Then she thinks about how they would get caught because they would get caught.
(If you left, I'd look for you)
Someone would know. There are eyes watching everywhere in the quarter.
(I'd search every corner of the Earth)
Plus she couldn't leave, she didn't know when she would see her baby again but she knew she wouldn't want to see her for the first time again without him.
She would be ruining their relationship further as brothers. It was already damaged but she had made it worse by twisting her way into their hearts.
(and the darkest part of the underworld for you)
Hayley brings Elijah in for a last embrace. And she knows he can tell it will be the last so he kisses her desperately pouring everything he has into it.
"I'm sorry." Hayley whispers against his lips when she pulls away. "But I can't do that to you." What she's really thinking, is I can't do that to him.
Because she thinks of the lonely hybrid with sad eyes on his cold throne in the silent darkness of the quarter.
(because I love you)