A/N: Warnings for more smut and cuteness! Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Into the Night

One week passed and normalcy returned to Hayley's life. The benefit of living with ancient vampires was that no amount of sexual depravity seemed to faze them. She realized that they had probably seen much stranger things before. For all she knew, they had already partaken in their fair share of orgies over their long lifetimes. Still, Hayley spent most of her time with Hope to avoid too much continued humiliation.

Hayley and Hope had been preparing smoothie ingredients in the early morning. Hope seemed quiet while she sat crisscross on the counter and chopped strawberries with a butcher knife. It was somehow the only knife they had in the house, but the little girl handled dangerous objects rather well since Klaus had been teaching her to fight.

"You okay, sweetie?" asked Hayley, but the little girl pouted and viscously decapitated another strawberry.

"I like daddy," said Hope with downcast eyes.

Hayley smiled and took the knife from her daughter.

"Isn't that a good thing?" she asked, but Hope shook her head and seemed to hold back tears. "What's wrong, Hope?"

Hayley squatted in front of her daughter to catch her gaze.

"What if he doesn't like me?" she mumbled.

"Why would you say that?" asked Hayley. "Of course daddy loves you. He's your knight in shining armor."

"Well, he was never here," said Hope, "what if he leaves again because he doesn't like me?"

Hayley frowned and pulled Hope into her arms. The little girl had never let her insecurities slip before. Hayley knew that their lifestyle had caused Hope to mature much too fast for her age, but it was almost a relief to see that Hope still had a childlike worry.

"Klaus couldn't be here, no matter how much he wanted to be here," whispered Hayley into Hope's ear. "He thought about you every single day. He missed you, and he loved you. Every. Single. Day."

Hope started to cry silently, and Hayley picked her up. They left the smoothie ingredients on the counter and Hayley went in search of Klaus.

"Klaus?" Hayley called threw the bedroom door at the end of the hall.

"Come in," came a muffled, half-asleep voice.

This was going to be Klaus' first dad emergency. Hayley was protective over her daughter, but something in her heart felt at ease. Klaus had been so good with Hope over the past few days.

Hayley opened the door. Klaus was sprawled shirtless in his bed, and Hayley forgot for a moment that Hope was in her arms. The Original hybrid had been starved for five years. Any excess fat had been melted away, leaving only muscle that may as well have been carved from stone. Klaus sat up and his abs contracted as he rubbed his eyes. Hayley almost blushed before she remembered exactly why she was here.

"What's the matter, princess?" murmured Klaus as he put on a shirt. This made it much easier for Hayley to think. "Do I need to kill any monsters under your bed?"

Hope was quiet.

"I think we need to talk about why you were gone for a while," said Hayley.

Klaus nodded solemnly and beckoned them into the bed. Hayley sat on the far corner and let Hope sink into the plush comforter between them. Klaus laid down next to his daughter and smiled warmly at the little girl. Hayley felt her heart flutter again.

"Sometimes, bad things happen that keep families apart," said Klaus softly. "Can you think of anything that might keep two people apart?"

Hope thought for a moment. "I read a book where the king had to fight a dragon and he had to leave for a little bit."

Klaus nodded and tapped her nose. "Very good littlest wolf. Suspend your disbelief, and imagine that I had to go fight a very mean dragon to save our family too."

"Is the dragon gone?" she asked, looking into Klaus' eyes with a wide and innocent gaze.

Klaus and Hayley looked at each other as Klaus struggled to figure out how much Hope deserved to know at this age. Hayley began rubbing Hope's back and relaxed slightly into the bed with her non-traditional family.

"Sometimes," said Klaus, "you don't need to defeat your dragons. Sometimes, you just need to befriend them. And so now I'm here, with no more dragons, and I'll do my best to never leave again."

Hayley felt the warmth of love in her heart so strongly that it shocked her. Klaus had become a wise and gentle person, and she no longer doubted his ability to instill good instincts in their child.

"I love you," said Hope as she sprung forward and kissed Klaus on the cheek. Then, the little girl got up and ran out of the room in a flurry of excitement and shyness.

Her exodus left Klaus and Hayley alone in the bed together.

"How was that?" asked Klaus, betraying his own insecurity.

He looked at her across the covers with the same wide and innocent eyes as Hope had used on him.

Overcome with emotion, Hayley quickly wiped a tear from her eye. "You did great," she said as her voice cracked. Then, like mother like daughter, Hayley leaned forward and kissed Klaus on the cheek. "You are a wonderful father, Klaus. Don't ever doubt that," she whispered against his skin.

In a blur, Hayley disappeared, and it was Klaus' turn to blush. His heart rate had sped up and he put a hand to his chest in disbelief. What was that feeling?


Later that night, Klaus and his sisters took Hope out to a sushi bar. Hayley was worried about parasites, but Klaus assured her that no Mikaelson had ever been born with a weak stomach. Reluctantly, she let them go.

Therefore, Hayley was left alone with Kol and Elijah, although Elijah was busy cooking for them on the other side of the house. Kol and Hayley sat silently in the family room, each going about their business. Hayley was researching her werewolf genealogy. Kol was drowning himself in alcohol, as had been his nightly ritual ever since they arrived.

Hayley bit her lip as she concentrated on making a straight line for the family tree, but the ink splattered across the page as Kol let out a loud groan. "Fuck," she cursed and she accidentally erased an entire lineage under the black smear. Then she turned to Kol who seemed to have started crying on the couch. Her anger faded instantaneously.

"Kol," she chided gently. Hayley got up and took his drink. He protested, but she downed the vodka-blood concoction herself. "Kol, you've been like this for an entire week. Do you need to talk about something?"

"No," he moaned and crossed his arms. Hayley wondered how he had gotten so wasted so quickly. Perhaps his tolerance was abnormally low for a vampire.

"Kol," she said sternly as she sat on the couch and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Tell me what's wrong." Her parenting instincts were coming in handy today.

Suddenly, Kol pulled her into a tight and inescapable hug. Hayley yelped into his shirt, but he didn't let go.

"God, I missed you Davina Claire," whispered Kol. Hayley sighed, realizing that Kol had was so drunk that he had become delusional, and had mistaken her for his long lost love. "I'm sorry I hurt you," he whispered.

"It's okay," said Hayley into his shirt. She wasn't sure how to get out without playing along. "I forgive you, Kol. Davina forgives you."

"Really?" asked Kol with a childlike hopefulness. He released Hayley only to hold her head in his hands, just inches from his face. Hayley stared into Kol's dark, far-off eyes and caught her breath. They contrasted with his alabaster skin, and seemed to hold a softness that she had never seen before. Hayley cursed herself for becoming distracted at a time like this.

"Of course, Kol. Accidents happen," Hayley whispered and tried to pull away.

Then, Kol pulled her forward and caught her lips with his own. They were warm, soft, and experienced. Hayley couldn't help but stop struggling as she closed her eyes and sank into the feeling of angst and comfort.

"I love you," he muttered against her lips before passing out and letting her go. Hayley was frozen as she stared at the angelic face that had finally found peace in sleep. Her heart broke for this man. She knew what it was like to lose someone, and her thoughts drifted to Jackson. Hayley had been lucky to have Elijah, but Kol didn't have anyone.

She reached out hesitantly and brushed her hand against his cheek.

"It'll be okay, Kol," she whispered. "I'll be here for you from now on. You don't have to be alone anymore."

Hayley covered Kol with a blanket and moved back to her ancestry project until Elijah was ready with dinner.


Elijah and Hayley ate in silence while Kol slept, both preoccupied with things they'd rather not share.

Hayley thought about the relationships she had begun to develop now that the family wasn't facing constant, daily danger. Was this what her life would be like from now on? She flushed happily as she cut into her steak and mushrooms. She could get used to a big happy family.

"You seem to be in a good mood," said Elijah from across the coffee table.

Startled from her thoughts, Hayley nodded quickly and smiled at him, "I'm just happy to be here with everyone."

Elijah nodded.

"I can't remember the last time we've gone one week without incident," he said. "It's nice."

Hayley took another bite of food and stared intently as the table. Ever since that crazy night of sex and magic, she hadn't been able to look Elijah in the eyes. Elijah had told her that everything was okay, but she felt guilty. Even though she couldn't help herself that night, Hayley vaguely felt as if she had cheated on him. They weren't even together officially, but Hayley still felt uneasy.

"What thoughts are running through your mind, Hayley?" asked Elijah softly. "I miss the way we used to talk."

Hayley took a sip of blood as she struggled to find the right words. "I miss you too, Elijah," she said, but didn't know what else to say. She didn't know how to move past this feeling. Embarrassment and shame still weighed on her.

"Hayley, look at me," he said softly. The command in his voice made her want to obey instantaneously. She looked up and saw that he was staring at her intently, as if to look right through her. "Do you know how captivating you are?"

Hayley blushed but couldn't look away. A rare smiled brushed Elijah's lips.

"Even without magic, I find myself intoxicated by the way you move and the way you speak," he said. "I always have. I still do."

Then, Elijah extended his hand to Hayley. She found herself reaching out to him without a second thought.

"As I said," continued Elijah, "I've missed you more than you could ever imagine."

"I missed you too," repeated Hayley softly. The words held an impossible weight.

Leaving dinner unfinished, Elijah stood and gently led Hayley towards the bedrooms.

Halfway down the hall, Elijah pulled her forward and held her lower back. He moved as if to kiss her, but held her in a hug instead.

"We never had a proper chance," he whispered, "to become reacquainted with one another. Alone."

Hayley inhaled quickly and melted as Elijah began to massage her back while they hugged. The tension of the day with Hope, Klaus, and Kol disappeared instantly.

"Do you want to know me again?" he breathed into her ear.

Hayley nodded, dazed by the pleasant massage. She could barely hold herself up, and so Elijah picked her up bridal style and carried her to his bedroom. He set her gently down on the bed and crawled over her. In the darkness, Hayley ran her hands over the silken fabric of his dress shirt. Her hands found their way to his soft hair, and she pulled him forward into a gentle kiss. Her lips tingled, matched by a tingling in her privates.

"I want you," said Elijah. "I want you to be mine."

Elijah suddenly pulled away from her and pulled her hips to the edge of the bed. Instead of undressing himself, he took off her pants and her underwear in one fluid motion. He caught her legs and set them on his shoulders as he sank between her thighs. Elijah kissed up each inner thigh as Hayley squirmed.

Briefly, Hayley remembered Kol sinking his fangs into her thigh, but the memory dissipated quickly as Elijah kissed her clitoris. Hayley moaned as he began to work his lips and tongue in a way that only he knew how to do. It was heaven.

"I missed you," she purred as she gripped his hair, pulling his lips against her as she arched her back. "I missed you so much, Elijah."

He flicked his tongue quickly against her wetness, and she felt tightness building rapidly in her stomach until she released in a tidal wave of pleasure.

Hayley swore she could feel Elijah smile against her privates, and this was her last conscious thought as he brought her to orgasm over and over again until morning came and the sun rose.


A/N: Thank you for reading lovelies! Let me know how you think things will turn out, or how you want them to turn out. Alas, I have such a soft spot in my heart for every brother. To be continued!