Hayley is fading fast.
After stabbing Genevieve, she'd stormed out of the cemetery with a determined look in her eyes, her stride steady and confident as Elijah fell in step beside her and they headed in the direction of the compound. It wasn't a long journey through the quarter, but as they get closer, she begins to slow down.
He watches her out of the corner of his eye, hears her breath as it becomes harsher. Her skin is already much too pale and the determination is still there in her eyes, but even that has dimmed. As they turn a corner, she stumbles, her legs nearly giving out beneath her. A surprised gasp falls from her lips, but he's already got his arm around her waist, anchoring her body to his.
She lets out another shaky breath, but says nothing, allowing him to hold her up as they close the remaining distance until they are within the walls of the compound. Someone, Marcel, he presumes, has cleaned up the vampire carnage and he is grateful for that. But even though the bodies are gone, the blood staining the cement remains, the stench of death lingering in the air.
Hayley stills beside him and he follows her gaze to the spilled blood. He recognizes the hunger in her eyes, knows it far too well. She leans more heavily against him, the last of her adrenaline fading away. Her heartbeat has been erratic since she returned to them, but suddenly there is too much space between the beats. He knows time is their enemy and when she turns her head and finally looks at him, it's clear she sees it as well.
"I never wanted this."
The simple, whispered words close around his heart like a fist. He's not used to her speaking with such defeat in her voice and he cannot help but blame himself. He promised to protect her and he'd failed time and time again. It was a shame that he was going to have to carry with him for an eternity along with the undeniable truth that there was a part of him that was relieved that this had happened to her because it meant that she was still with him.
Hayley's needs are more important than his own so he buries the disgust he feels for himself. As much as he wants to offer her comfort, Elijah understands that false promises are the last thing she wants to hear. There's nothing he can say to take away the weight of what she will be from this night forward. So he simply brings his wrist to his mouth and pierces it with his fangs.
Her eyes widen in surprise and she immediately shakes her head, the gesture taking more energy than she has and he pulls her closer, her back resting against his chest as he brings his wrist to her mouth. The beat of her heart grows dimmer with each passing second and a small whimper leaves her throat. He can't see her face, but he can feel her inner struggle. She still has a choice, it's not too late to let her go if that's what she wants, but he just cannot accept the idea of a world without her in it.
"Please don't leave us."
It's a selfish plea, one that will be added to his ever growing list of ways he's wronged her, but Elijah needs her to know that he cannot lose her. She turns her head against his chest, meeting his gaze for the briefest of seconds before she turns again and her lips close over his wrist. He feels her hesitate and then she begins to drink from him.
Elijah swallows hard, his eyes falling closed as his palm splays across her stomach, pressing her body more firmly against his. In over a thousand years, he'd never once been tempted to allow another vampire to feed from him. He understood the intimacy of the act, but he hadn't been prepared for the sensations that it stirred inside of him. His self-control begins to slip away and a quiet moan escapes from the back of his throat as she continues to sip the blood from his veins.
The beat of her heart grows steadier and without taking her mouth off of his wrist, Hayley's gaze finds his once more. They watch each other, his fingers caressing her stomach as the life returns to her eyes. She whimpers against his skin and slowly pulls back until only her lips are pressed to his wrist. Her kiss lingers there as the wound heals itself. Hayley continues to watch him as he brings his hand to her face and brushes away the blood from the corners of her mouth.
"Elijah…"
He shakes his head and the spell is suddenly broken between them. As much as he wants to stay in this moment with her, he cannot be more selfish than he's already been. Elijah makes sure that she's steady and then he takes a step back, giving her a chance to stand on her own two feet. Hayley takes a moment to find her bearings and then her gaze lifts to the second story of the compound and Elijah knows she can hear the sound of her baby's heart beating as Klaus whispers his love to her.
"Thank you," she says simply. "I'm going to clean up." Her eyes linger on his and she takes a step forward and starts to reach for him before she stops herself. "Thank you," she says again and then she is gone in a blur of new vampire speed.
Elijah stays there a few moments longer, the guilt and regret he feels waging war with the consuming love that warms his heart. It's not the first battle and it won't be the last, but it's not the time to dwell on either. His family needs him.