Hello Haylijah fans!

Due to that dramatic last episode before the break I just couldn't stop myself from writing something new about those two. As there aren't that much stories or one-shots about those newest events I decided also to do something by my own.

Just some background information: In my story Esther isn't completely defeated yet but she's right now gone and the Mikaelsons have their peace for a while - but still she's a danger. Furthermore nothing happened to Rebekah so it is a bit different to the last episode. Maybe I am going to change something about that later but let's see.

I hope you like it. If you do I am going to continue this. So, let me know what you think!

Oh and sorry for the appearing mistakes! English isn't my first language.

Cheers!

Dumai

Prolog: The Wedding

There he stood. In the middle of the bayou during pouring rain – which perfectly represented his mood. His normally such styled hair stuck at his forehead while the dropping raindrops went from his hair over his face only to fall down at the ground. Elijahs suit was completely soaked but he didn't care. Now everything seemed senseless to him. From one moment to the other his immortal life went entirely meaningless.
His little sister Rebekah nearly begged him not to come to her weeding because she of course knew how much this tortured him. Still he ignored her. Afterwards he regretted his decision in that affair because it agonized him even more but somehow he hadn't been able to lose the feeling that he had to come – for Hayley.
Hayley. His beloved Hayley. Elijah had a certain distance to all the guests of the weeding but still he had a good view over all the turbulences. It wasn't a usual ceremonial as everyone knew it. The ceremonial was completely traditional – as it was used to be celebrated among the wolves for generations. After all Elijah didn't pay much attention to it. The original blended everything out and just starred at Hayley. Her dress – which also wasn't a normal wedding dress as it was matched with the usages – looked devastatingly. She just looked devastatingly. Even though she really tried to control herself he of course noticed how she was furtive searching for his eyes sometimes. The way she examined him nearly seemed beseeching to him. Hayley wanted him to get her out of that horrible situation – but he couldn't help her. He saw the pain in her eyes which were normally full of life. Elijah would never forget that facial expression. During the marriage she looked at him nearly the whole time which had made it even harder for Elijah. Hayley never asked him to come because she knew that she shouldn't ask him about that as they both felt the same pain but still he was here – even though it was a hard fight for the vampire to resist the impulse just to start running and never turn around again.
Of course Klaus and Rebekah were also under the guests and as Elijah just couldn't take it anymore to be so close to the events he took his distance. With good encouragement by his sister who really pitied him. He was very thankful that she helped him in that cruel time.
Every single muscle inside of his body tensed as he noticed that Jackson had put his arm around her waist. As a matter of course – but why did it surprise him? After all she was now officially his wife. It was his right to touch her like that but while he was smiling and seemed to be full of joy as he accepted thanks of his pack members and the other guests Hayley didn't care about all these things. With increased regularity she touched his look. Was that a little tear in her corner of the eye? That was something which Elijah couldn't clearly say from that distance but he was pretty sure.
Even though it was still raining everyone was so enthused and blithesome that it seemed like nobody cared about it. Even the band kept playing. Actually a wedding should also be a nice reason to be celebrated but not this one.
It really broke Elijahs heart to see her in Jacksons arms. This agonizing jealousy – which would now follow him for the rest of his life – nearly made him mad but still he knew that he had to swallow all this feelings in future. He just hadn't the right to treat her like he used to anymore.
Elijah sighed discontented as he thought back to the only night which fate granted them together. It had been only one night but still those few hours had changed everything. They never really talked about that later - words wouldn't have changed anything after all. They just enjoyed their time together. But one thing was clear: He wouldn't be able to be happy again. In his whole life he only had once the luck to be really happy and that was as he had been together with Hayley. Something like that would never happen to him again.
Jesus, how much he would miss her. Always and forever but still he had to accept that even though he had no idea how he could handle that.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?", an absolutely known voice asked him suddenly.
"What are you doing here?", Elijah replied and sounded clearly disaffected.
"Rebekah told me that she wasn't able to persuade you not to come to her wedding so I thought it would be better if I check on you", Gia told him insightfully.
Since Elijah escaped his mother they hadn't seen each other that often but still they were now something like friends. Also his sister and Gia seemed to be friends now which was easily to notice due to the fact that the young vampire knew everything about him and Hayley. As he wasn't able to hold off another desperate sigh Elijah noticed how she put a hand at his shoulder to calm him down a bit.

At the beginning Gia haven't had a good relationship towards the original but now she really liked him and she believed that this was something they shared. If you after all understood why he was doing certain things like he did it, it was much easier. Elijah was a man of honor and even in this crazy situation he sacrificed everything to help his family. Hayley still belonged to his family and due to the fact that this arranged wedding only had happened so that Hope could return to New Orleans and so that Hayleys pack could use the advantages of their strange connection Elijah again sacrificed everything. As did Hayley. For a seemingly higher purpose. To see him like that made her feel very sad. If she was honest to herself she of course noticed that Elijah wasn't the same anymore since he came back and as soon as it had been clear that he would lose Hayley – which had been the only time in his life he really had felt something like luck together with her – it got even worse. Due to some nonsensical foreordinations which he really didn't deserve. Gia didn't know him that long but still she could say that something was wrong with Elijah. The thing which strained him wasn't only the nearly not bearable pain he felt due to the fat that he had lost his true love which impended to overflow him – there was also something else. She couldn't really put it into words but he as of late broadcasted something which worried her. His emotional suffering seemed to overwhelm him. That what Esther did to him had changed him more than she imagined and now that he lost every grip which may could have helped him out of that black hole turned to get very dramatically. His free fall seemed no longer stoppable.

"Please, Gia. Leave me alone. I need to be alone right now. Please don't get that wrong. I know that you only want to help me and I am very thankful for that but…", Elijah explained her but he never stopped looking at Hayley – not even for a second. He just ignored Gias hand at his shoulder even though he didn't like that kind of touch.
"Yes, I know. If you would like to talk or if you need some distraction… I am always there for you. I hope you know that", she replied before she removed her hand from his shoulder and looked worried at him. Hopefully he would accept her offer because than she could finally return the favor as he helped her before after her turning. And of course because she didn't want to see him that hurt and they became friends. He really looked bad. After all she turned around and made her way.

Elijah stayed. Nearly drowning in his self-pity and the grief which slowly seemed to overwhelm him. The way Hayley looked at him she exactly felt the same – of course. It didn't seem like Jackson had noticed that she was completely absent and she only had eyes for her now forbidden lover. Elijah and Hayley were really lucky that she and Jackson were standing perfectly so that they weren't forced to break their eye contact. In that moment Jackson was definitely the luckiest man at this planet as he had the honor to marry such a wonderful woman. But on the other hand Elijah wasn't even sure if he really felt something for her and viewed in a levelheaded way it wasn't even that great – after all this wedding only happened due to practical reasons. After all this didn't matter cause he had lost her anyway.
Of course she would in future live with Jackson in the bayou but still he asked himself continuously how he should bear it to still see her sometimes. How should he behave towards her? Like nothing ever happened between them? Or even ignore her completely? He didn't know. This would be an enormous challenge – and not only for him.

In the end Jackson took her hand and guided her away so that they and all the guests could finally go somewhere dry. Even though Hayleys hair was now a mess due to the rain she still looked so lovely. It still amazed him how much he had fallen for her.
One last time she sent him a fast painful look until they had to break their eye contact. Abruptly due to that loss he felt the pain to take over but this time it was much more intense as before. He couldn't take it any longer so he made his way to his car.