notes: ha! I told you all that I wasn't going to take as long to update :) this chapter sort of explores more background on Hayley and her mermaid abilities! Also, I'm going to shed a little light on the Mikael and Klaus situation. And this chapter features everyone's favorite token human, Camille! Hope you enjoy!

maybe you were the ocean
when I was just a stone

x: hello, can you hear me?

It's the first time she's ever experienced a storm.

Hayley doesn't like the noise, how the wind howls and the branches scratch against the window frame. How the rain is hard and loud against the walls. It's the scariest thing in the world. Hayley curls herself in to a ball, trembling at the noise.

The Mikaelson mansion is far too big and empty at night. It feels lonely, like something dark and sinister is afoot.

"Hayley?" She hears a voice call her name.

It must've been instinct, she thinks. There was no other way that he could have known that she felt frightened. She hadn't made a sound, she hadn't even bothered to knock on his door. Her room was right across the hall from his, and he never bothered to disturb her night before this.

He just showed up when she needed him most. As if it was instinct.

"What's wrong?" Klaus asks, reaching over and lifting the covers. She's buried beneath a pile of blankets, using two pillows to cover her ears and shield herself away from the roaring storm.

He notices her trembling, how she's shaking without cease. "Are you afraid of thunder?" He asks.

Hayley nods her head.

He takes a seat beside her. Klaus' hand is gentle as it ruffles her hair. It's the first time she's noticed how kind he is. "You know, when I was a child, I used to be scared of storms too," He mentions. "'Lijah offered me his stuffed bear in order to help me through my trauma," he then spots the discarded teddy bear lying on her desk.

Klaus hands it to Hayley. She takes the bear in to her arms and squeezes gently. "Feeling better?" He questioned. Hayley nodded again, offering him a small smile in return.

He's pretty, she thinks, as she takes note of the flimsy blue of his eyes, how his lips are bright pink and girly. How his skin is fair, his fingers are long, lithe, and tender as they wipe her tears away from her face.

Then, she spots the milky white scar, staining his cheek. Hayley extends her hand, allows her thumb to glide over the wound.

"Oh, this?" he flinches, feeling his cheek tingle slightly from the sudden contact. There was a strange glow coming from Hayley's fingers. "It's nothing really, just a scratch," Klaus fibs, just so she doesn't end up worrying about him.

He doesn't realize that, by the time her hand has left his cheek, his wound has already healed.

Living in denial is something that Rebekah Mikaelson does best. Mostly, it's about the weather. She swears that November is still warm enough for her to strut around the beach in her flimsy blue bikini. With her sunglasses resting over her head, and a pair of flip-flops adorning her feet, Rebekah rested her head against the softness of her beach towel and bathed in the sunlight.

"So," she then spots a rather large shadow, blocking the sun. Rebekah flips her glasses off before she realizes that her old friend, Camille O'Connell, is hovering over her. "I see that you're still trying to get that out-of-season tan?" Cami sings.

Rebekah widens her eyes. "Camille," she slowly says, as she watches the other girl take a seat beside her. "When did you get back in town?" she quips.

"This morning," Cami shrugs, while she offers Rebekah a grin.

"Why didn't you call me?" the Mikaelson sister asked, sounding just a tad angry.

Camille would leave town quite often, and most of the time, she didn't bother to contact anyone. Rebekah doesn't know why. She's convinced herself that she doesn't care either. Even though that was quite a bold lie.

"I wanted to surprise you," Cami teases. "Aren't you glad to see me?"

"Hardly," the other girl giggles.

She's not sure if her friend is joking, at this point. Camille is inclined to laugh a long with her. That is, until she notices that Rebekah's mood is suddenly ruined. It could have been for a number reasons, partially because Mikaelsons were notorious for having rather fickle emotions.

"I missed you while you were gone," Rebekah suddenly blurts out, as her fingers brushed against Camille's palm.

"I know you did," she flinches, pulling her hand back and rolling to her side. "I'm sorry that I have to leave so often," Cami honestly says.

"You could at least call me while you're away," She cracks, failing to keep herself from feeling sad and hurt.

Camille ends up shifting her gaze. She doesn't dare to meet Rebekah's eyes, in fear that she would see right through her lies. "I told you," she whispers. "The places I go have no cell service," Cami says.

Rebekah doesn't know much about Camille's career, just that her job requires her to travel a lot. "I honestly have no idea how you survive in those areas," the Mikaelson sister shrugs. "Heaven knows that I can't live without my iphone," she covers up her loneliness with fake laughter.

Cami knows that in such a large house, surrounded by only her brothers, Rebekah must feel incredibly alone. So, she tries to comfort her friend by wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Rebekah sighs at her feeble attempts to cheer her up.

It's right then that Camille's spots the frail brunette, trailing after one of the Mikaelson brothers. It was quite odd, after all, Klaus didn't make a habit of befriending women. Let alone someone who seemed so not his 'type'.

"Hey, so who's the girl?" Cami wonders.

Rebekah raises a brow.

"That girl who's hanging around Klaus like a lost puppy," she points to the brunette. "Is she his new girlfriend or something?" Cami goes on to say.

Rebekah releases another laugh. "Actually, she's Kol's girlfriend," she explains, and she's met with Camille confused gaze. "It's a bit of a long story," Rebekah finally offers, turning her attention towards her brother.

She ends up smiling to herself. She's never seen Klaus look so happy.

xi: i'm in california, dreaming
about who we used to be

That afternoon, Kol finds himself alone in the house with his mother. Lately, he's noticed how Esther has been keen on keeping tabs on his whereabouts. She's also been keeping a close eye on Hayley, which is something Kol is not truly fond of. After all, their relationship was a lie. And if Esther knew that anything suspicious was afoot, she'd be rather disappointed.

At this point, Kol really doesn't know what his mother is up to.

"Mother," he mumbles, once Esther had marched in to his room. "Did you need something?"

"Yes," she affirms, feeling a little nervous. "Your father and I have decided that we would like to have dinner with you and your girlfriend," she announces.

Kol seemed shocked. He really doesn't understand his mother's motive in all of this. "Hayley?" he jerks, sounding astonished. "Whatever for?" Kol goes on to question.

"Well," Esther stalls. "We just thought that it might be nice to get to know her better, she seems so distant," it's the first time that Kol's heard his mother stutter.

"That's just how she is," he argues.

"Kol," she sighs, placing a hand on her son's shoulder. "Don't be so stubborn, I really want to befriend her," Esther insists.

"That really isn't necessary mother―"

"Enough," she cuts him off, as she also ends up offering him an unfaltering glare. "I've already made reservations and I've bought her a dress," his mother smiles widely.

He does nothing but widen his eyes. "You did what?" Kol shouts.

In the end, he's no match for Esther's strong-will.

"Everything's been arranged," she snarls. "Now all you two have to do is show up," she then turns on her heel and exits the room.

Kol sighed.

How in the world was he going to explain this to Hayley?

Normally, Klaus takes forever to finish his paintings. He loses interest in things that no longer inspire him. His muse is a fickle thing, jumping from one topic to the next. And yet, the painting of the mermaid is something he can't shake. He's been locked in his room for about two days, with nothing but a paintbrush in his hand and the large canvas adorning half his wall.

Rebekah would visit his chamber from time to time, offering him food and water. She'd remind him to take a shower and comb his hair. And Klaus would insist that artists didn't need such trivial things.

So, when he heard that distinct knock on his door, he just assumed it was his sister.

If he had known that Mikael would be visiting him, Klaus would have run for the hills.

"Your talent is rather nauseating," his father comments, as he observes the painting.

Klaus drops his paintbrush. "What are you doing in here?" his voice quivers.

He feels a cold sweat creep across his brow. Mikael hardly ever visits him, certainly not when he was alone and vulnerable. Klaus doesn't know what this is about. What's worse is that he can see his father's hand reach out towards him.

Klaus flinches. He can't help it, the last time Mikael was this close to him, he had wounded his cheek.

"The cut," the older man says, as his thumb glides across the side of Klaus' face. "It's healed," Mikael realizes.

The blond haired boy stammers away nervously. "Is there something you need, father?" Klaus asks instead.

The father takes his time, pacing around his son's bedroom in a rather relaxed fashion. The quietness between them is the worst part. Klaus thinks that he'd rather Mikael shout at him. It can't be scarier than whatever's going on in Klaus' mind, at the moment.

"I regret it, you know?" Mikael interrupts his thoughts. "I don't like taking my anger out on you, boy," he taunts.

"Is that supposed to be an apology?" Klaus scoffs.

"Not exactly," He shakes his head. "It's just, you resemble your father far too much."

And, that's the thing about Mikael. He's brutally honest with his words. Klaus found out about his biological father about five years ago. The man had reached out to him in an attempt to restore their long lost connection. It was a secret though, even Esther was unaware of the fact that Klaus had been speaking to his real father. Somehow, someway, the news went back to Mikael. And he's resented Klaus ever since.

"I don't enjoy hurting you, Niklaus," Mikael finally takes a step away from him. "But your existence is rather meaningless," he insults.

Klaus can feel the weight of the world crashing down on his shoulders. He wants to speak out, to hurt the other man just as much as he had hurt him. However, he can't find his voice. In the end, Klaus is frozen, crippling fear surrounding his every notion. He wants to scream for help, but oh god, he's never felt so frightened.

"No one's going to love a boy like you, you have to realize that." In the end, Mikael always has the last word.

The door closes behind him, leaving nothing but eerie feeling of being watched.

xii: when we were younger and free

That night, Hayley watches the rain trickle down her window pane.

She kind of forgot how frightened she was of the thunder. The remnants of the storm left everything with a dewy and wet glow. She found it quite beautiful. After all, she had never experienced rain before. And she couldn't help but breathe in the scent. It was so earthy and refreshing.

It felt like rebirth.

"Hey," she recognizes the voice calling out to her. "You're Hayley right?"

The mermaid stares at the blonde haired girl.

"I'm Rebekah's friend, Cami," the girl extends her hand. Hayley stares at the strange gesture. "Rebekah told me about you, you're Kol's girlfriend, aren't you?"

Hayley rolls her eyes at her new found title. She had almost forgotten that she was supposed to be in a relationship with the most childish Mikaelson brother.

"It's weird," Cami releases. "I feel like I know you from somewhere."

Hayley feels genuinely uncomfortable at the thought of someone recognizing her. So far, the chances of that weren't so high. Still, Cami's sudden appearance was questionable.

"That's not possible," Henrik then pops out, from the sidelines. He had surprised Camille. Although Hayley had grown accustomed to the young boy. He would not leave her alone. Not that she minded the company. "Hayley's not from here, she's a mermaid," he smiles widely.

Hayley widens her eyes of his confession.

Lucky for her, Cami does nothing but laugh. "Henrik," she giggles. "Is that so?"

"Yup," Henrik nods. "She even has magical powers," he persists, but only because he had watched some children's cartoon about magical mermaids. Nonetheless, Hayley still wishes that the little boy was clueless about her supernatural abilities.

"You sure have a big imagination," Cami laughs again, reaching down in order to ruffle Henrik's hair.

He furrows his brows in disappointment. "You don't believe me?" he hums.

Cami stares at Hayley. She tries her best to remember the girl before her.

"It's not that," the blonde tells them. "I just know a thing or two about magical mermaids," she shrugs. "They don't usually leave the sea," her accuracy begins to make Hayley feel rather nervous.

If Camille O'Connell knew something about mermaids, then Hayley definitely needed to start keeping an eye on her.

notes: I swear I'm not pulling any klamille bs on you all. I may be fond of koley but that's as far as I'll go with this love triangle.

Anyway, Cami's going to be more of a friend to Hayley, and she's probably going to be in more chapters! Next chapter is the koley date, and more jealous Klaus! Hope you're excited!