Lure of the Moon.
None of the characters belong to me. An old fic I have reworked – a throwback to season one. Pregnant Hayley struggles with the gilded cage that is the mansion. All feedback welcome.
Weeks passed and her restlessness would not abate. Hayley moved around the mansion, slipping from one silent room to the next, caught in the gloom of the vampire collection of antiques. Days dragged as Hayley wandered beneath the sombre portraits, her skin prickling as she felt the eyes of the long dead staring at her from the paintings. The house grew more oppressive; the nights were the hardest to endure. There seemed little point in trying to sleep. Instead, Hayley curled in a chair beside the open window, her eyes inevitably lured to the moon. She watched it move through cloudless skies, as she sat night after night in the thick New Orleans heat. Everything felt clammy in this damn city.
She hid it, as best she could from the Originals. They, as silent as the house, watched her in different ways. Rebecca was cool in her observance, distant, remote and yet, there were occasional flashes of warmth or something akin to understanding in her expression. Klaus was greedy in his gaze, demanding everything of her in a single glance, his eyes distrustful. Then there was Elijah. Hayley could sense his watchfulness, felt him follow her every movement. He took care around her, every approach and word gentle and measured. He seemed the very opposite of what she thought an Original vampire should be and yet he remained a mystery. Hayley often caught him studying her. There was a depth in his gaze that was impossible to fathom, his expression impossible to decipher. Yet, he alone had earned her trust. It frightened Hayley, how much she had missed him, after such a brief acquaintance and her relief upon his return was both startling and a warning. Elijah, despite his promises was vulnerable. Hayley knew he would do everything in his considerable might to protect her but he was not immune to the dangers of New Orleans. Such were the thoughts which whispered through her mind when the restlessness grew worse. Hayley remained a wolf and that very essence of her, coupled with this new desperation to protect her child resulted in an endless yearning to flee. To be free from vampire eyes and French quarter politics, the risk of war and ghostly silent rooms, this yearning was the only constant in her life now.
You're safe here. We will protect you, no one shall harm you
Elijah's promises gave her comfort in the witches' tomb, now they drove her wild. The Originals could not be expected to understand, for Hayley hardly understood herself. Hayley's life had been rootless since her foster family asked her to leave. She roamed from one state to the next, independent and alone, friends, lovers, jobs, all temporary. The tethering to this silent house was slowly strangling her and it had taken her weeks to understand the reason. Hayley wasn't used to staying put in any one spot and now, with a daughter to fight for, with Elijah vulnerable to Klaus's machinations, it seemed unwise to do so. That at least, was what she told herself on the morning she decided to leave.
She hadn't slept. A wild energy drummed within and she surrendered to it, quickly putting a plan in motion. The morning heat was unbearable, the house sweaty, even in the dusty, unlit corners. She prowled around, picking at breakfast, browsing through books, hoping they would leave and eventually, they did. First Klaus, then Elijah with a quiet apology and a promise to return with some new gadgets to occupy her and Hayley found herself left in the care of Rebecca.
"It's hot. I'm going for a swim," Hayley said simply, from the doorway of the study.
Rebecca nodded in distracted reply, busy researching something on the internet. Klaus's bidding, no doubt. It was surprisingly easy. With obedience and compliance, Hayley had lulled the Originals into a false sense of security. They believed she truly wanted to be here. She could hardly blame them, for a while she had believed that herself.
Rounding the house, a small purse tucked in her wallet, a sense of freedom thumped in her chest. Complacency was her only threat. Rebecca might stir from the study, the others might return. She raced through the plantation, avoiding the main road, crossing through the woodland, enjoying the sweating panting of her breath, the feeling of ground moving beneath her feet, the singular joy of escape. It had been too long, far too long in one spot. She trekked out to a side road and jerked her thumb at the passing cars. Clambering into a truck, she smiled at the driver and asked for a lift to the city. Her smile lingered as they drove away, it felt glorious to be free and free she was, for now.
Hayley considered her options carefully. New Orleans had over three hundred thousand residents. It was a sizable city with large empty bayous. Sophie Devereux's binding ensured Hayley could not leave the city land boundaries and she also knew that the Originals would search everywhere until they found her. Still though, she was confident. Hayley had lots of experience in vanishing. She just needed an obscure corner, where she could melt into the background and become invisible. Once the trucker dropped her off, she made her way to the outskirts of the quarter. Hayley threw her hair into a bun and taking cash secreted from Elijah's study, bought some clothes and basic essentials. Throwing her hair under a cap, she spent the morning in bars, each as seedy as the next, away from the colour and flair of the quarter. They were mostly empty and those who were there weren't the type for conversation. They had their own reasons not to be noticed.
"You're looking for a barkeep, Frank?" she asked at one bar, nodding at the handwritten advertisement stuck over the till.
Frank was an older, burly man. He looked her over. "A pretty girl like you would make better money in the quarter."
Hayley shrugged her shoulders. "I like this side of town. Besides, bars in the quarter don't offer a free room with the job."
"That's just for a month," Frank said, tossing her a dishcloth. "Second month on, you pay toward your keep. You can start wiping the counters down and get behind the bar for the lunchtime rush. Tell me at the end of the day if you want the job." He glanced at her again, "I guess you're not going to want to take that cap off, right?"
"Health and safety, Frank," Hayley said briskly, tucking the cap down further, "You don't want me to get my hair in the beer." The lunchtime rush turned out to be eight customers, all of them local, none of them interested in talking. Hayley wanted the job.
She served a few hours in the dusty bar every day. The nights were hers to do as she liked. She escaped into the woods at every opportunity. The solitude, the peacefulness, refreshed her. She felt completely alone in the world, save for the life growing within her and together, among the darkness and the trees, danger seemed very far away. She talked endlessly to the baby. She covered miles each night. Frank noticed her morning weariness and quietly admired her stamina. She liked him. Of solid Irish descent, he manned his bar and didn't ask questions. He knew exactly three things about Hayley. Her first name, that she didn't drink and that she wouldn't work nights, except in a real crunch.
She stayed out of the quarter, remaining blissfully free of the witches and the vampires. No talk of destiny or war or death. The child was hers for now, not part of the redemption of her father and his family. Turned out, all Hayley needed was a poky bar and solitude to be happy.
Try as she might, Hayley couldn't quite banish Elijah from her thoughts. He lurked at the back of her mind, admonishing her, supporting her, warning her. She wondered about him, what he would say if he stumbled upon her hiding place. Sometimes she fantasised that he understood, that he offered her his support and friendship from a distance, that he protected her from Klaus's wrath. It only took the memory of her time in the tomb to dispel those thoughts. There, she had watched as Elijah warned Sophie Devereux that he was the only one to fear, should any harm befall Hayley or her child. The gentleman who had insisted Hayley wear his jacket vanished in that single moment and Hayley saw him as most others saw him, all Original now, in all his menacing glory, towering over the silent witch.
What if he thinks I am putting the child at risk? What then?
All fantasies disappearing, Hayley was left with the uncomfortable vision of a furious Elijah.
Angry. Frantic with worry.
Hayley paused at that last thought. Surely, Elijah was already worried. She hadn't done anything to allay the worst of his fears. In the few days of her absence, it hadn't occurred to her that the Originals might suspect another of taking her. She cursed her stupidity. The family would tear the city apart, looking for any who might harm her. War, wasn't that what Klaus promised?
"I should have left a note," Hayley murmured, panic rising, "Why didn't I leave a damn note?"
"What's that?" Frank lifted a bored expression from his newspaper.
"Frank, I've got to run out. I won't be long."
Mild surprise settled on Frank's face. "You won't work nights, now days are too much trouble?" He waved away her quick protest with a half grin, "It's okay kid, I think I can keep Sammy here topped up with bourbon, take a break." He squinted at her, "Besides you look pale, the sunshine will do you good."
Hayley was gone, her mind racing. Double backing to avoid the quarter, she caught a cab and rode across town. The shiny new mall might have been an adventure on another day for she hadn't been among so many people in months. Instead, distracted and anxious, she found the nearest cell phone store and bought the cheapest model. She dialled the number from memory and waited for his voice.
"Hello."
Hayley felt suddenly sick. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. What could she possibly say?
Start with his name.
"Elijah."
A half breath. "Hayley?"
She struggled to find words.
"Hayley, stay on the line," Elijah said pleadingly, "We've searched for you, tell me, are you safe?"
"It's me," Hayley hesitated, uncertain. "I guess I'm just calling to say I'm okay."
"Where are you?" She almost smiled at his curt tone; Elijah wasn't one to waste words. "I'll come for you right now."
Clutching the phone, she shook her head. "Elijah, I had to get away. I'm fine. I just wanted you guys to know, I don't want you to worry." Hayley felt tears sting her eyes. "I'll be back before the baby arrives. I'm okay, please Elijah, so please just stop looking for me."
There was a brief pause and when Elijah spoke, it was with certainty. "That," he said, "is not an acceptable option. We're going to find you and bring you home Hayley."
She hung up and threw the cell-phone into the nearest trashcan.
Hayley managed to avoid detection for three weeks. She changed beneath the moon. Afterward, she lay naked in the dewy morning grass, exhilarated. In wolf form she was acutely aware of her baby. The child's heartbeat drummed with her own and when Hayley returned to human form, it was with a new fierceness, a love for her daughter. They were as one.
Hayley rose and dressed, weariness slowly settling around her like a thick shawl. She tired easily now, the change was especially draining, its effects lasting many days. She trekked back to the city, slept for a few hours and upon waking, longed for more rest. Instead, she reached for her cap, her morning dose of vervaine and got ready for work. The day dragged, fatigue slowing her.
"Hayley," Frank nudged her away from the till. "You look awful, go get some sleep."
Hayley glanced at him gratefully. Frank wondered about her, she knew, but there was a kindness about him, a decency which stopped him intruding upon her privacy. "Thanks Frank," she nudged him playfully, "I guess I'm feeling under the weather."
"I know a doctor," Frank said, as she rounded the bar. "He's the discrete kind. You let me know if you need his number."
Hayley smiled softly, appreciating the unsaid. She had somehow managed to find a good friend in the murkiest side of the city. "Thanks ," Hayley said, "I just need some sleep."
Trudging back upstairs, she fell straight into a heavy, empty sleep.
Hayley woke to find Elijah sitting, dressed impeccably, his eyes fixed on her. She started instinctively, groaned and closed her eyes, wishing him away. When she opened them, he was there, his expression unchanged. Moving upright against the pillows, Hayley gathered her thoughts and then, herself.
She allowed herself the luxury of a long avoidant look around the room; then finally glanced at him. "Hey."
Elijah remained as he was, still and fixed. Hayley sighed and flung the blankets back, rising wordlessly. She grabbed some clothes and escaped into the refuge of the small bathroom. Hayley showered and changed; the usual swirl of her stomach each morning, accelerated now with anxiety and frustration. She had known they would find her eventually. Had she not been caged within the boundaries of the city, Hayley might have been free for many years. Instead, here she was shut into a tiny bathroom. One she now had to leave, despite her misgivings about what awaited outside the room. She turned the handle and stepped out. Elijah stood by the window. On the bed, her single bag was already packed, presumably with her sparse belongings.
Hayley stared at it, "I should have moved on."
"I would have found you," Elijah said calmly, rounding on her, "Where-ever you go, I will always find you."
Hayley felt the wolf stir within her, bitterness settling in her voice, the injustice of this new limiting life clawing at her. "I can't outrun an Original, right?"
"Precisely," Elijah said, taking a half step toward her, his eyes growing quizzical, "and yet you tried." He stared at her, searching her face, she knew, for an explanation. She stared back mutely. Elijah nodded, as though confirming something to himself, then gestured to the door. "It's time to leave Hayley."
"Elijah..."
"Now, please,"
Elijah smiled tightly, everything about him deceptively pleasant and yet, Hayley saw the tautness in him, the clipped tone in his voice, the terseness of his smile. He would humour her to get her home, but just a little. She contemplated running, wondered if he was truly prepared to drag her kicking and screaming back to the mansion.
"Don't," he asked of her quietly, reading her thoughts, "test me on this."
There was her answer, she thought dully. This was her life now.
"I want to say goodbye to Frank," Hayley managed, "He's been good to me."
Elijah surveyed her for a moment and nodded coolly.
The bar was empty, save for Frank. He gave Hayley a welcoming grin, pausing when he saw her companion.
"Hayley," Frank rose from his seat, eying Elijah carefully, "Everything alright?"
"Yes," Hayley said, fighting an unexpected urge to cry. "Everything's fine, Frank. I'm sorry about this, I have to, well, I have to…"
"Hayley," Frank asked, "Who is the guy in the suit?"
"Elijah," The Original offered his hand in greeting, "I'm Hayley's family, I'm afraid there's been a family emergency and Hayley needs to come home for a while. I know you've been a good support to her and I appreciate that."
"Well Hayley's never mentioned family," Frank said, suspicion sitting in his voice, "Seems a little strange you tracking her down here this early in the morning."
Elijah stepped forward, "Frank, you're not going to worry about this."
"Don't," Hayley interrupted sharply, she sidestepped between the two men, glancing at Elijah, "Don't. Not him."
There was a glimmer of surprise in Elijah's eyes. Hayley shook her head and swung around to Frank. She was quite certain she didn't want him compelled, Frank deserved better than to have a vampire poke around in his memory. Hayley was dimly aware that she didn't want Frank to forget her. "Frank, it's okay, I just need to go home for a while. I'll make sure I get back here to say hi." Ignoring the disapproving throat clearing behind her, Hayley rushed on, "I promise." She threw her arms around the surprised man and muttered into his neck, "Thank you for everything." Disentangling herself, Hayley rounded and walked out of the bar, her eyes damp, Elijah a half step behind.
End of Chapter One.
