She swept her long brunette hair back with her fingers, exposing her long, slender neck, the diamond necklace sparkling under the lights.
She extended a hand as her chest rose with the rhythm of her nervous heartbeat.
"It's nice to meet you again" she said as her fingers touched his "Hayley Marshall" she confirmed as he carried her hand to his lips
"Oh, I remember you Ms. Marshall, and I must admit I am rather pleased to see you here tonight"
They both laughed softly as she pulled her hand back and looked up into his eyes, as her hands fixed her uncomfortably fancy dress discretely.
"We need to stop crossing paths on random occasions" he sneered "I don't even see the people I actually intend to see this often"
"I can walk away now, stop bothering you" she suggested and pulled her body away as she took a step back, but he held onto her arm softly and pulled her back with a grin
"I'm starting to think these coincidences have a subliminal meaning we should decipher" he whispered into her ear "I know I want to see more of you"
"That's a funny thing to say to a married woman" she responded with a shaky voice even though those were exactly the words she wanted to hear
"We both know that is not how a marital unison looks like" he said coldly
"Regardless…" she said and pulled away once again "I enjoy being your friend though" she added, hoping that would soften the sudden rejection
"My apologies Hayley, I don't have friends" he said with a confident grin
"Well, I don't have affairs" she said and they both laughed
Their eye contact escalated the tension between them. His eyes moved to her lips as she pulled her eyes away from his. Suddenly, the loud interruption in the hall broke them both away from their thoughts.
"Hayley" came the roar she recognized easily
"Don't go with him" he said directly as she took a step towards the noise "Hayley you don't have to go with him"
"I have to" she whispered
"Hayley, you don't have to keep doing this if you're unhappy" he snapped
"Hayley!" they heard him yell again as a last call before things would turn ugly
"I'm sorry Klaus" she said and hurried away, leaving him behind looking after the blur of her red dress disappearing from view
One Month Ago
Hayley Marshall was the twenty-five-year-old Queen of New Orleans werewolves, born to the Royal Family, married since she was twenty for political reasons to man she believed she loved for personal reasons. They were betrothed while they were toddlers, brought up knowing nothing else apart from their destiny to marry one-another. To Hayley at the young age of twenty this seemed like a dream come true: marrying her childhood love, becoming a Queen, earning her parents' and family's respect. However, things took a sour turn when she lost her parents a few months after the wedding, and without the guidance of her parents and with the pressure of politics on her shoulders, Hayley's fairytale romance eventually began to crumble. The cracks revealed the buried down darkness she did not foresee, every challenge brought out a different man than the one she thought she had married. At the young age of twenty-five Hayley Marshall was an unhappy woman, bound to a marriage she could not escape.
"I told you I don't like the smell of cigarettes inside the house" she snapped as she grabbed his from him and dropped it in his drink "You can at least try to respect some of my requests"
"You know when you hear older people talk about their wives and describe how they nag and nag and nag?" he asked as he sat up "I really thought I would never have to live that, but you're just like the, you're worse actually"
"Whatever" she sighed and stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her make up as she prepared to leave the house
"You do look stunning" he said as he stood up and approached her, placing a hand on her leg as he pushed against her from behind
"Jackson, please" she said as she shook him off "We haven't slept together in almost a year, and now is when you choose to make a move?"
"You haven't been dressing like this in a year" he said as he pulled on her leather skirt as she put on her blazer
"My style shouldn't be a reason for our sexual compatibility, or lack of it" she said as she threw her bag over her shoulder "I never complained about yours"
He laughed and put his hair up in a bun "You are literally impossible to deal with"
"I'm glad you're in a good mood, but I have to run around town and deal with all the issues our community faces…especially now with the Mikaelsons arriving the werewolves seem very agitated"
"You don't seem agitated"
"I don't know them, so I don't care"
"You should care. They are problematic. Didn't your parents tell you about them? I'm sure they did"
"The Hybrid…" she whispered as she dazed off while looking into the mirror
"Now you remember" he said as he snickered and leaned on the wall beside her "You always did think he was cool"
"I was a child" she said as she began walking towards the door "I thought he had cool powers"
"That's not the moral of the story, you need to be angry about the way he uses his powers, how he disrespects the werewolf identity"
"He is a werewolf too, if anything we need to accept him into our community"
"Is this because his brother keeps running after you? Is that why you're all dressed up lately?" Jackson snapped, his cheeky mood suddenly changing
"You're doing it again" she warned as she attempted to leave, only to be blocked by her husband "Jack, please" she pleaded
"I want you now, prove to me you are mine, not that Mikaelson's"
"Jackson, you are drunk" she said angrily as she tried to walk out "You know very well I wouldn't be anyone else's. The marriage agreement was clear, for the clans to use their power at maximum efficiency we need to respect the vows"
"Is that the only thing holding you back? The stupid werewolves? Your dumb duties? You're supposed to be excited to jump on me, make love to me"
"You are the one who made me like this" she yelled as she pushed him "You are the one who keeps getting all worked up and not performing in when we actually end up in bed. Do you need better reminders Jackson? You are just as not willing to fuck as I am"
"That was once"
"It happened dozens of times, but because you keep getting drunk off your ass you don't even remember" she yelled and pushed herself out the door
The marriage was toxic, the love was dead, the relationship was unhealthy. She wanted to leave him, but she needed a reason, something strong enough to make her give up, make her put herself before her people.
She sat down at her usual meeting spot, pushing back the tears that wanted to fall. Every day was a struggle, waking up every morning was a pain she couldn't handle anymore.
"Ms. Marshall" the elegant voice of Elijah Mikaelson announced as he approached her "Its such a pleasure to meet you again"
She sighed, remembering her conversation on Elijah Mikaelson with her husband earlier that day, and stood up to greet him.
It wasn't the dark eyes she was accustomed to, however, that met hers at the moment. A pair of eyes, a shade of blue she had never seen before, looked back at her, piercing into her soul. She felt her breath stop for a second, the hair on her body stand, as he extended his hand to her, a smile forming on his face, his lips spreading across his cheeks, his ginger hair seemingly bouncing to his jolly rhythm.
"Klaus Mikaelson" he introduced himself as he pushed his hand forward, trying to end the awkward moment Hayley had created by her silence and get the handshake he desired
"Hayley-Hayley Marshall" she finally said after clearing her throat "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you here, I assumed you hadn't arrived at New Orleans yet"
"So, you've heard of me"
"Who hasn't?"
"I wish a beautiful woman like you hadn't" he said with a smirk "I would love to make first impressions on you"
"Brother, I did mention that Ms. Marshall here is married, correct?" Elijah interrupted, seemingly territorial
"My apologies brother, I didn't realize I invited her into my bedchambers without checking her ring finger first" Klaus snapped "I am simply making conversation"
"Very well then" Hayley said, trying to change the subject and fight away the sudden heat wave that had hit her "Can we please proceed to the matter at hand then? Take a seat"
"We are here to stay Ms. Marshall, I have already made my living arrangements and have no intention of leaving" Klaus declared before any proper conversation could be made "Your wolves need not worry, I mean no harm to them, unless they cross my path, that is"
Suddenly all the previous charm he had on her lost its effect. The realization that she had been flirted with to gain an easy pass struck her. She corrected her posture, flipped her hair back and twisted her lips, sucking onto them as she breathed in.
"Mr. Mikaelson I know you are not going to harm my wolves, for that would simply be, how should I put it, idiotic of you" she said coldly, making his eyebrows jump in confusion "I do not own the town and I couldn't care less where you live, to me you are just another werewolf – and no, I don't care how you identify yourself so no need to interrupt" she added as he gestured to talk "Lastly, Mr. Mikaelson, I may not have vampire speed or medicinal blood, but I am the Queen of all New Orleans wolves, and I do not advise you to mess with me or my politics in any way, I do not forgive easily. Now, do you have any questions?"
"Did you do the binding ritual?" he asked out of the blue
"I beg your pardon?"
"Did you bind yourself to him, did you do the agreement?"
"I did yes, how does that have anything to do with –"
"He is one smart man to snatch a wife like you with such ease" he said as he took out a flask from his jacket's inner pocket "Being in a political marriage must be such a bummer"
"He didn't snatch me, and my marriage wasn't only political, I loved him" she said defensively
"I admire how you chose the past tense" he pointed out, which she hadn't noticed "Do you not love him still, perhaps?"
"My relationship with my husband is not of your concern Mr. Mikaelson"
"Please, call me Klaus"
Before she could respond aggressively to his arrogance the older Mikaelson stepped in, interrupting her
"Please do forgive my brother, he's tired after a long trip…and he's used to flirting his way out of complicated situations"
She rolled her eyes and stood up, unamused by the two overly confident brothers
"I'll have to take my leave, I have more important matters to attend to. Thank you for your time gentlemen"
"Thank you, Hayley, for your patience" Klaus said as she walked away
She couldn't help but smile to herself as she strutted away from them. He made her excited in a way she could not explain, even when he pissed her the hell off.
One Week Later
"So, you're telling me if I need a book I must come to this shop and this shop only" Klaus asked cheerfully as he followed Hayley around among the bookshelves
"You bumped into me and asked me where you can find a good book to read, I simply showed you my favorite place in town. What you do with this information is up to you"
He smiled and picked a book she recognized from one of the shelves.
"I assumed someone like you would have read 1984 by now" Hayley stated as she watched him caress the cover of the book like the skin of a woman.
"Oh, of course I have, but among all the things that 1984 is, there certainly is one thing which it isn't"
"…and that is?" Hayley questioned, hoping for an elaboration
"A one-time read, my dear Hayley" he said as he flipped through the pages "Surely you have read this more than once, I assumed someone like you would have read 1984 numerous times by now" he said, mirroring her words as a tease
"I have, yes. I like to read it as often as I can, whenever I feel like I'm going through a change in my life"
"Particularly so, because with every read, depending on where you see yourself in life, you emphasize a different aspect, a different perspective" he explained the theory further "For instance, if I read it now I'd slow down on the tenderness of their love-making, on how their innocence is so guilty, on how they defy the most complicated odds when they are together…"
"But its not true love" she said, breaking him away from his thoughts
"What do you see it as?"
"I used to think it was love"
"What do you think now about what they had?"
"They were together because they didn't have other options. They didn't really have a buffet of potential lovers to pick from. The situation they were in, the horror of it, brought them together. They were lonely even when they were together"
"As I said, it's a reflection of your current state of mind"
There it was, another one of those moments they had when they just stopped everything and looked into each other's eyes, standing still as none of them dared to interrupt the moment in any way.
"Hayley, I didn't notice you walk in" the shopkeeper said, to their disappointment, and made her look away
"Algernon, how are you? I didn't realize you were here, I thought one of the part time kids were working now"
"They had exams, had to let them go for the week" he explained "So, who is your friend?"
"Algernon, this is Klaus Mikaelson, he just moved to town and asked me to show him a good bookshop. Klaus, this is Algernon, my brother is law"
The description of Algernon made Klaus hesitate to speak for a moment, as the reality of the situation they were in struck him once again.
"I know who Klaus Mikaelson is" Algernon said coldly as he eyed Klaus from head to toe "I was hoping you'd be gone by now"
"Not am I not gone, but I'll actually be your loyal customer henceforth" Klaus said cheekily "I'm sure we'll do great business together"
"I don't need-"
"Algernon…" Hayley said coldly, and suddenly the shopkeeper stopped cold and looked at the ground instead, nodding and walking away to his cashier's desk
"Let me know if you need anything" he said and began acting busy
"They really do respect you" Klaus said, bewildered by the obedience demonstrated before him
"It takes time, and a lot of delicacy" she sighed and walked out of the shop "I'll see you around Klaus, we keep meeting one way or another anyway"
"Coffee, I insist" he called out as he hurried out after her
"Klaus…"
"I insist Ms. Marshall…my intentions are good"
She laughed to herself and nodded, following the snobby hybrid.
Three Weeks Later
"If you don't want to come to the event then don't, but don't show up half way through drunk and cause a scene either" Hayley snapped at her husband as she put her necklace on
"You know I hate these gatherings" Jackson responded as he made himself comfortable on the bed "You enjoy them, you choose to go"
"One of the royals have to be in attendance, at least" she replied coldly "You know that"
"All I know is that we are too young to have Royal duties"
"You said that the day we got married" she said and smiled to herself, the sudden memory of a happy time in her life melting her coldness, even for just a moment "I wish I could say you haven't changed, but at the time you were saying it ironically, now, not so much"
"At the time I loved you, I would make any promise and get into any crazy adventure just to be with you"
"You used the past tense" she pointed out, just like Klaus Mikaelson had pointed out to her not so long ago
He did not respond.
She grabbed the end of her long red dress and carried herself to him, sitting on the bed and leaning towards her husband, bringing herself to the closest she had been to him in months.
"What happened to us?" she asked, "We talk in past tense, we can't touch each other…do you hate me now Jackson? Is that it?"
"If anyone hates anybody, it's you" he snapped as he sat up and she pulled away "Look at you, you are barely with me, barely touch me"
"We have been through this, you don't want to touch me either, we don't satisfy each other Jackson"
"Bullshit"
"Perhaps I don't enjoy spending time with you because you are always pissed off drunk, aggressive and moronic" she explained as she stood up "You destroy the house out of anger, you throw bottles around, you yell at me, you pushed me away"
"Because all you care about are the stupid royal duties"
"What did you want me to do, huh? Stay at home and cook and clean for you every day?"
"Wouldn't be so bad"
"I am a Queen"
"And I am a King, you don't see me yelling out that every two minutes"
"Because you only became a King after marrying me!" she screamed, amazed by her husband's attitude "You cannot put us in the same basket. I cannot choose to stay at home and drink all day. One of us has to deliver"
"Stop bullshitting me Hayley, I know you're not running after royal chores in your miniskirts and heels all day long" he said, his tone getting more aggressive "Algernon told me you spend time with Klaus Mikaelson now"
"Here we go again" she said as she grabbed her bag "This marriage is sick"
"Is he there? Is he at the party?"
"I don't know, and I don't care Jackson!"
"If I found out he is there I swear to god…" he said, his hand forming a fist
"If you dare lay a hand on me I won't care about anything Jackson, do you hear me? If you even threaten me once again in that way I won't hesitate, I will leave you"
He stopped and pulled his hand down. She hurried out of the house and went directly into the car that was waiting for her out front.
She walked into the event with a brave face, the unhappiness she went through only some minutes ago not visible in her expression. She spotted him quite easily among the crowd, his ginger-brown hair standing out from the crowd.
She swept her long brunette hair back with her fingers, exposing her long, slender neck, the diamond necklace sparkling under the lights.
She extended a hand as her chest rose with the rhythm of her nervous heartbeat.
"It's nice to meet you again" she said as her fingers touched his "Hayley Marshall" she confirmed as he carried her hand to his lips
"Oh, I remember you Ms. Marshall, and I must admit I am rather pleased to see you here tonight"
They both laughed softly as she pulled her hand back and looked up into his eyes, as her hands fixed her uncomfortably fancy dress discretely.
"We need to stop crossing paths on random occasions" he sneered "I don't even see the people I actually intend to see this often"
"I can walk away now, stop bothering you" she suggested and pulled her body away as she took a step back, but he held onto her arm softly and pulled her back with a grin
"I'm starting to think these coincidences have a subliminal meaning we should decipher" he whispered into her ear "I know I want to see more of you"
"That's a funny thing to say to a married woman" she responded with a shaky voice even though those were exactly the words she wanted to hear
"We both know that is not how a marital unison looks like" he said coldly
"Regardless…" she said and pulled away once again "I enjoy being your friend though" she added, hoping that would soften the sudden rejection
"My apologies Hayley, I don't have friends" he said with a confident grin
"Well, I don't have affairs" she said and they both laughed
Their eye contact escalated the tension between them. His eyes moved to her lips as she pulled her eyes away from his. Suddenly, the loud interruption in the hall broke them both away from their thoughts.
"Hayley" came the roar she recognized easily
"Don't go with him" he said directly as she took a step towards the noise "Hayley you don't have to go with him"
"I have to" she whispered
"Hayley, you don't have to keep doing this if you're unhappy" he snapped
"Hayley!" they heard him yell again as a last call before things would turn ugly
"I'm sorry Klaus" she said and hurried away, leaving him behind looking after the blur of her red dress disappearing from view
"After that conversation, after you made me feel so guilty, you had the audacity to come here even though you knew damn well that son of a bitch would be here too?"
"I told you, I had to be here" she said, ignoring his aggression
"I called the guys, asked them to pick me up, asked if you had arrived, only to find out you're here giggling with Klaus Mikaelson"
"I was simply having a generic conversation"
"I forbid you to see him ever again"
"You cannot give me any ultimatums" she said, getting angrier as well "Even if this was a real marriage I would not allow you to dictate me in any way, let alone the fact that you and I are only married on paper Jackson, only for the sake of the people we rule over."
"I told you, you are not to spend any time with that man ever again" he grabbed her arm and pulled it down, forcing her to get closer to his face "and now you are coming home with me"
"Hayley" Klaus called out as he approached them, obvious anger over his face
"Get your hand off me before I make this more embarrassing for us" she said, hardly keeping calm
"I touch you however I want to touch you" he continued to insist, his breath wreaking of alcohol against her skin
"I told you to never touch me" she said as she regained her posture, easily overcoming his strength "I told you that would be it for me, I told you there would be no return"
She overpowered him and bend his arm, making him fold as she pleased
"Hayley Marshall so help me…"
"You are nothing in comparison to me Jackson. I am ten times the werewolf you will ever be" she said as her eyes flashed yellow "and our marriage is over"
She let go of him, dropping him on his knees and walking away, followed by Klaus.
"Hayley, if you hadn't handled it on your own I would interfere, I just didn't want to make you think I assume that you cannot take care of yourself" Klaus explained as she walked out the venue
"You can help me, in a way" she said as she looked at him "Take me away, away from him, away from them, away from my responsibilities"
He smiled and held her hand, pulling her after him to his car.
"Hayley, you come back here this instant" she heard Jackson call out as she shut the car door
"Go, go, go!" she kept repeating as she shut her eyes, fully aware of the crowd gathering outside to watch her escape
"It'll be alright Hayley" Klaus said calmly as they drove off "You have me here, I'll be the friend you can always count on"
She smiled and relaxed herself on the seat, the relief of finally knowing this marriage was over for good allowing her to breathe in fresh air when her lungs felt rotten with the toxic she had been exposed to.
The Next Morning
When she woke up nude by his side the next morning she wasn't sure how to feel. Lord knew she was falling for this dangerous man, and everyone knew he never had good intentions. For once though, she thought, she could change him. She could make it work. She could show him how great things could be if he just fully gave in.
On top of her romantic drama was the heaviness of knowing that she had done the unfixable, she had ended her marriage in a way that she could never return from. The ancestors would withdraw her power from her, punishing her for disrupting the sanctity of marriage, but she didn't care, or she thought she didn't. At least right there, in that bed, she thought she did the right thing.
He fidgeted around and eventually turned towards her, his blue eyes shining as the sunlight hit them.
"Good morning love" he said as he began to sit up "Had a nice night?"
She smiled and sat up too "Eventually it turned out to be great"
"You must have kept that wolf locked up for long, you simply went full on beast mode on me last night" he said cheekily while pulling on a shirt
"If you're trying to ask me if I had sex with my husband recently, I can assure you I haven't"
"Oh no, that is your personal business. I don't usually bother about before and after with a one night stand"
She stopped moving and watched him continuing to dress, not at all fazed by his subtle comment on the status of their relationship
"One night stand?" she asked, expecting clarification
"Well, of course. I mean, you are an amazing woman and I do care about you, but I don't do relationships"
She rubbed her forehead, her previous confidence in doing the right things getting shattered
"I cheated on my husband and my people for a one night stand?"
"Did I ever promise you anything different?"
"Last night in the car…"
"I promised to be the friend you can always count on, which I am. Which says a lot, given that I don't usually make friends. You, my dear, are an exception"
"Then why did you sleep with me, if I'm only a friend?"
"Because you needed it…because we needed it to end the sexual tension between us"
He stood up, now fully dressed, and grabbed some clothes from the closet
"I don't understand what happened, how could I be this…"
"Don't tell me you fell in love with me sweetheart" he said with a teasing grin "These clothes should fit you well enough for the day, they are my sister's. She cannot fit everything in one room unfortunately, so she takes my closet space"
Hayley shook her head and grabbed the clothes from him, pulling on the t-shirt as thoughts buzzed in her head
"Of course, I am not in love with you Klaus" she said as she stood up and began searching for her bag "but things aren't that black and white. I thought we had a connection, something I could rely on during this difficult time"
"You do. You have my friendship"
She rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone she finally found under the bed. Avoiding him, she began walking towards the door. He sped to her and shut the door before she could leave, making her turn to face him, to her discontent.
"What?" she snapped
"If you must know, I could never fall in love with you, or make you promises of relationships and commitment, as my heart is forever committed to another. So, you know, it's not personal"
"You are in love with someone else?"
"Sadly, yes, I am. Madly, truly in love"
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"
"I am convinced"
"Then why are you telling me this? I don't need to know this"
"Because she's coming to see me soon, and this time I may actually, finally get her"
"Are you trying to ridicule me further?"
"I am trying to avoid precisely that my dear. I don't want you to found out on your own and get more hurt"
"Klaus, I am not hurt about you not being my lover or being committed to me in any way. I am hurting because I may have finally reached the point of no return in my marriage over a one night stand"
"A one night stand that is worth much more than anything your dipshit of a husband could ever give you"
She looked at him one last time with a sigh and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you for everything Klaus Mikaelson" she said and smiled, genuinely smiled, realizing there was nothing to overreact over. She would be just fine. Her marriage would end as the wolves realized the binding spell was disrespected, and she would have much more pressing issues to handle than a dramatic love triangle.
One Month Later
She sat on the couch, looking out the window at her husband as he mowed their garden. No, she still had not lost her powers and no one had realized she had cheated. Taking this as a second chance given to her by the ancestors, or assuming they may have not noticed this error, she decided to continue the charade and remain married, for the sake of her rule and her people. The sad part was that the lack of political crisis in her life made not thinking about Klaus Mikaelson more difficult, especially knowing that he was now in a happy relationship with his true love, Caroline Forbes.
She folded her knees and pulled her legs to her chest, as flashes of that night went through her mind. She had avoided him as much as she could ever since, having barely five-minute conversations on extremely rare occasions.
Deep in thought, she didn't notice the crowd gathering outside her house, marching towards it as her husband was filled in on the reason behind the protest. The slamming of the door broke her away from her thoughts to find an entire crowd of her people standing tall before her, angry and demanding.
"What is this? What kind of an attitude is this? How dare you-?"
"We know you slept with Klaus Mikaelson" one roared out
She froze, as her eyes wandered around to meet her husband's
"What are you talking about?" she finally blurted out
"The witches told us, they are going crazy with their visions. We don't know how you evaded the ancestors, but we will channel them and make them punish you for your sins. We don't want a Queen like you. We don't want you or the bastard's bastard"
"The bastard's what? Listen, let me explain…"
"You and your monstrous, abomination of a child are not welcome in our community. We will punish you as the ancestors see fit. You will lose the privileges of being a werewolf"
"What child?" she whispered, frozen on those words
"The child you are carrying, the child of Klaus Mikaelson, of the Hybrid"
"That's impossible" she said shakily, holding onto the wall as the information thrown at her made her feel weak
"All the witches confirmed it, they all know. You are carrying his child, you disgrace"
She shook her head and finally met Jackson's eyes. The disappointment broke her heart, even though she knew he didn't deserve her anymore, this is not the way she thought he's find out.
"Take her!" he announced, destroying the last piece of empathy she had for him "I order you ask your king to lock her up until further notice, I don't want her filthiness in my house"
"I am your Queen! You are nothing without me!" She exclaimed as she pushed away the wolves coming to grab her "This is my house as much as it is yours"
"This is a house of honor, it is not for disgraceful whores like yourself" he snapped "Grab her!"
She screeched and pushed them away as she began running out of the house, from the people she suffered through years of a terrible marriage for, from the people she'd die to defend. She just ran, realizing things had now taken a turn she wouldn't be able to return from easily. She ran, because things were about to become really complicated.
