Elijah pushed open the door with his boot, while one hand held a brass candelabra and the other Hayley's elbow. She stepped tentatively over the threshold, her eyes popping in amazement at the grandeur before her. The room was quite large and the cold stonewalls had been paneled with a rich, dark wood. A mammoth four-poster bed with a flight of steps leading up to it and velvet curtains to keep out the biting cold dominated the room. Someone had clearly thought of her comfort as a log fire was burning cheerily in the fireplace, candles were winking at her from the top of the mahogany dressing table and the two wardrobes, and as she grazed her hand across the rich crimson quilt, the heat from a warming pan between the sheets met her fingers.

She could see Elijah shifting uncomfortably. While she had already made her rounds throughout the room, he had remained by the door.

He cleared his throat. "Hopefully it is to my lady's expectations?"

She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's beyond my expectations. I could never thank you enough."

Clearly relieved, he marched towards the two wardrobes and opened the door of the left one. Hayley looked at him questioningly and he motioned for her to come closer. Peering inside, she did not see racks that were meant to hang her finer gowns or shelves for her riding boots, but rather, a large hole in the floor of the wardrobe. Even with her heightened vision, she could only see several feet down the tunnel before it turned to nothing but darkness. She glanced at Elijah suspiciously.

"It leads straight into the carriage house," he explained. "From there, head north into the forest. No one dares enter the night of a full moon due to superstitions that the Salvatores have introduced to keep everyone away."

"The next full moon will be in—"

"Six days," Elijah said. "I suggest you start exploring." He strode to her door and rested one hand on the knob. "It has been quite a taxing day for you. Sleep well, Lady Hayley."

"Just Hayley," she corrected, smiling. "And I will, Lord Mikaelson. Knowing that I am under your care, I'll sleep soundly tonight."

"It is our pleasure," he said politely. Picking up the candelabra, he was about to shut the door before suddenly turning back towards her.

"And it's just Elijah." Grinning, he closed the door quietly behind him.


Steam rose from the scalding perfumed water in the wooden tub, scenting the entire room with honeysuckle and jasmine. Hayley leaned back against the side of the tub, her eyes closed in bliss. It was only her third night in the Mikaelson household and she was already quite accustomed to their lavish lifestyle. Yesterday she had found a dozen winter gowns (perfectly tailored to her size), lying on her bed in shimmering blues, purples, and silvers. After demanding Elijah take them back, she was rebuffed as he informed her (with a twinkle in his eye) that her new stature in the Mikaelson household decreed that her lady in waiting gowns were no longer acceptable.

Even Rebekah herself had been unexpectedly kind towards Hayley, actually calling her by her name, instead of 'wolf girl' and lending her a prized silver mare to ride on in order to accompany them on public hunting trips with the Gilberts and Salvatores. She had also invited Hayley to the sewing circle with the other women of nobility, to which Hayley had tried to respectfully decline ("What? Rebekah, you know I can't sew a stitch…"), but in the end, had grudgingly accepted ("I swear Hayley, if you do not attend and if I have to hear another word of their mindless drabble, I'm going to rip out their tongues."). And while the ladies chirped cheerfully amongst one another about the lovely snow that had fallen the previous night or the new fangled corset that arrived from France, Rebekah and Hayley whispered war tactics into each other's ears and giggled over how truly atrocious her crocheting was.

The only Mikaelson that had not warmed up to her was none other than the infamous Klaus. He never spoke a word to her, never acknowledged her presence, never even glanced in her direction when she entered a room. She had tried to make polite conversation with him when they were seated next to each other during meals, but soon gave up after his brusque and snappish replies destroyed any further exchange that could have happened between them.

She finally had had enough after a particularly exhausting and uncomfortable supper with him and the members of House Bennett. (Elijah and Rebekah had both been gone by the time she had woken up, presumably to feed.)

She followed Klaus after he had excused himself, tailing him closely as he left the castle, striding into the frozen, manicured gardens, and then entering the overgrown maze. Although she was wearing one of the sapphire wool gowns that Elijah had gifted her, the freezing gusts slashed through the fabric like daggers. She followed at a distance, ducking behind a particularly thorny hedge when he happened to turn around. He finally stopped at a marble bench a ways in and seated himself gracefully.

"Care to join me, little wolf?" He called out mockingly. She could almost feel the smirk on his lips. She wanted to slap herself—he was an Original, he could hear her heartbeat from a mile away.

Stepping into view, she wrapped her hands tightly around her arms, shivering against the snapping wind. Her hair swirled around her shoulders as the gust picked up speed, howling in her ears.

"And why would you want me to?"

"Well, you followed me, love. Must be a reason for that." He smiled again and dusted off the other side of the bench ceremoniously for her. She sat down (a good distance away), feeling the intense chill of the marble shoot straight up her backside, before turning towards him.

"I just wanted to ask you something," said Hayley, her teeth chattering and her hands desperately chafing her arms.

"Ask away."

"Why is it that you hate me?" The words tumbled out before she had a chance to close her lips around them.

Yet given the chance, she would not have taken them back. She wondered where she had gotten the nerve to sit in this frozen hell and demand answers from him. It seemed that 'reckless' would soon become her defining characteristic. She wasn't sure if she was flirting with death or permanent disfiguration. He could tug her head off with a twist of his fingers and have it adorning a fountain by the time Elijah and Rebekah returned.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Hate you?"

The girl had surprised him. Such an event had not manifested itself in several centuries and it piqued his curiosity. She had courage; there was absolutely no doubting that. Sitting with her back ramrod straight and eyes sparkling with defiance, Klaus found himself almost amused.

"You can't stand to be around me," she muttered crossly. "You leave when I enter; you refuse to acknowledge my existence. And I just don't understand it. What is it about me that has made you so incredibly resistant to my integration in this household?" She stopped for breath, warm puffs of air escaping past her lips and swirling around paling cheeks.

Klaus was quiet.

"Hayley…" She shivered at that, whether it was from the cold or her name falling from his lips, she wasn't sure. "I do not hate you. However, I am wary of your motives." She opened her mouth in protest, but he held up a hand. "Let me finish. My family is my all. I would do anything for them. And to hear that you betrayed yours in a heartbeat to spy for a man you barely knew. Then what is stopping you from deluding my family and running back to the Lockwoods with your pretty little head full of our secrets?"

"And what of Elijah and Rebekah?" Hayley retorted. "Do you think they are fools for welcoming me into their home?" She was becoming increasingly more aggravated, both with herself and him. He knew nothing about her, knew nothing about the hell that she had fought through and the torment she had endured to find this sanctuary within the Mikaelson's walls.

"Rebekah has always wanted a sister. After centuries of only brothers to keep her company and the knowledge that her mother despised her, her want for female companionship only grew with each passing year. As for Elijah, that is simply his way. His honor, devotion, and kindness are his most important qualities."

"And what could yours possibly be?" she asked sarcastically.

"You will have to make that discovery on your own," he said, rising and offering her his arm. "I am protective of my family and although they seem to fancy you, I have yet to make my own decision."

Feeling affronted, she ignored him and stood on her own, shoving her freezing hands into her armpits and began walking back, sincerely regretting this conversation. He walked several paces ahead of her and she was glad of that. She did not need to feel his judgment burning onto her back, though any form of heat would have been welcome. After several minutes of slow trudging through the maze, Hayley could feel her throat constricting, every breath was becoming more labored and it was considerably harder to force air into her burning lungs. Her toes had turned to ice in her lambskin boots and her jaw was chattering so intensely, she was sure that a tooth must have rattled itself loose. Clenching her fingers, she realized that she could not feel them anymore. Her nails bit severely into her palms, but the sensation was lost. A trail of red dripped from the crescent moons her fingers had carved.

In front of her, Klaus stilled, and then rounded on her, glowing amber eyes fixated on her bleeding hands. Hayley stopped stumbling forward and swayed back and forth, one hand grabbing a branch for support. Her feet were like frozen boulders and she could not find the strength to move them forward. Suddenly he was in front of her, a surprisingly gentle hand cupped under her chin and lifting her head up to meet his piercing gaze. He slid in and out of Hayley's blurring vision and she heard a quiet, muttered, "Dammit."

She was lifted off of her feet and the air in her lungs 'whooshed' out as she was hoisted none too gently onto his shoulder. And then it felt like she was flying. The castle doors and the marble staircase zoomed by her and she heard a barked order and another frantic voice say, "Right away my lord!" The soaring abruptly stopped and her back was suddenly touching the crimson coverlet of her own bed. The roaring fire in the hearth was allowing a sharp, prickling to return to her fingers and she flexed them gingerly. A heavy quilt had been tossed over her and she was glad of its fluffy bulk encasing her violently shivering body. Sensation was creeping back into her skin and she could feel him there, sitting at the foot of the bed, watching her closely. Several minutes ticked by and her shuddering convulsions became less and less brutal.

"Why did you help me?" she finally croaked, her eyes fluttering open.

He was eyeing her hands quite strangely. But that look immediately disappeared as his eyes flicked back up to her face. "Because the last few women that Elijah took under his wing met their untimely ends at my hands. And I don't believe my sanctimonious older brother would appreciate it very much if I let another one of his charges perish under my care by letting you freeze to death."

He spoke matter-of-factly, but Hayley could detect something darker lingering deeper behind his casual attitude. He seemed oddly in control of his temper, but she could see a muscle twitching at the corner of his jaw.

"What's the real reason?" she asked.

He pursed his lips. "You're an intuitive one. The others were all idiotic little puppy dogs. Constantly yipping in my ears and waggling their tongues." He adjusted his waistcoat and stood, towering over her. "But that is a conversation for later. Perhaps after your ladies of the bedchamber have warmed you up properly." He gestured towards her chambermaids, who seemed to have magically appeared, each holding a fluffy towel and silken robe.

"Until your next near death experience, my lady." He bowed mockingly, smirked, and then strode quickly out of the room, shutting the door smartly behind him.

Glowering, Hayley resisted the incredibly fulfilling urge to take the ceramic pitcher sitting on her side table and throw it at his retreating back.


AN: Well, hello there readers, thank you so much for joining me :) I'd like to thank everyone for their lovely reviews, it was great to hear some feedback and also such lovely comments! I didn't expect much, so thank you guys so much! I also got a couple of questions, so I'll answer them here:

1. Is this going to be a Haylijah or a Klayley fic?

-Practically everyone who reviewed asked this question and I can honestly say that I am not completely sure. Both couples have their merits, so I'll leave it up to the reviewers to tell me who they want to see end up together. (majority rules!)

2. Is Hayley going to be pregnant?

-Yes, but I won't say by who ;) (mostly because I haven't made up my mind yet ...) This is also something that I'm struggling with as well, so please please throw in a suggestion and let me know who you want the baby daddy to be!

3. Any Marcel?

-Definitely! Looking forward to adding him soon. Maybe in the next chapter or so? *crosses fingers*

4. Any Haybekah?

-Unfortunately, no. I personally don't see them in a romantic relationship, but definitely a brotp if that's what you're referring to!

If you have anymore questions to ask me, don't be shy! I'd be happy to disclose whatever I can. Anyways, please read, subscribe, favorite and review! Feed the muse! I hope you all have a lovely week! xx