7.) Random Access Memories

Despite the darkness, Elijah finds his way effortlessly to a bedroom he goes to all the time, a room that isn't his. He isn't actually tired (one of the perks of being an Original vampire) but he still feels like he is. Just going through today's events in his head exhausts him and right now, he wouldn't deal with that. He just craves the comfort and company of a certain person.

Elijah reaches the door and soundlessly enters the room. The room itself is dark but he can still see a bit with help of the moonlight coming from the large window. His eyes land on the silhouette lying on the bed. Thankful for the carpeted floor, he silently walks over to it, grabbing the chair by the desk on his way, He sets the chair on the side of the bed, facing her, and sits on it. He stares at Hayley's sleeping face. It's too much of a peaceful sight. It's exactly what he needs.

Hayley's lying on her back, one arm draped over her stomach, just above the blanket and the other is bent under her pillow. Her dark hair is sprawled on the pillow, in perfect contrast with the white covers. Elijah leans back on the chair and lets out a sigh. He watches her, finding comfort in the ease of her breathing.

His day had been just like the others lately. Witches. Werewolves. Vampires. Chaos. Distraught. War. Same things again and again. Oftentimes, in the thousand years that he had existed on this earth, he wonders if he'll ever live his life in peace. In a house in the country, sipping a well-aged scotch and reading the first edition classics that he love so much. Of course, this fantasy is not complete without his loved one to share the luxuries with. But wondering if this is even possible is not the only thing that sets Elijah back. He wasn't even sure who he would share his life with. Celeste Dubois once was the one before her early demise. Katerina Petrova was the longest-running object of this wishful-thinking until she no longer is.

Hayley Marshall has become the object of his dreams now. And better still, she's real and she wants the same things as he does. She is a staple in his family now. She is engaged to him. He is so close to the life he has been yearning for in centuries but not right yet. His home in New Orleans is at a standstill in disarray. Now, he is just working and waiting for peace to finally come. The case is still too complicated that he isn't sure how will he have to continue waiting.

For now, he has Hayley. Even with all the things that he goes through everyday, he is beyond relieved and glad that he can still come home to her, at the end of the day. Even if he hadn't had the privilege of a home for the longest time, when he looks at her, he feels as though it could be enough. In the meantime that everywhere he looks in this city is wreaked havoc, he can just look at her and he could do without a land to call home. She is his home.

Elijah stares at the ring on her finger. He had never given anyone such a ring, such a commitment, before. He will not lose her now. Memories of her receiving a brush from death numerous times in the past year flood his mind every now and then. He is not in favor of this recalling but he understands that it helps in the motivation in protecting her in more ways, in ways that he had failed to do before. He will not lose her again.

Hayley lets out a soft sigh. For a moment, Elijah's brows furrows. This sight is suddenly too familiar. His thoughts drift back to a certain night a few months back.

•••

It's around three in the morning or so. The plantation house is basking in peacefulness. The only room in the house that has its lights on is the library, where the only awake person is in.

Elijah is sitting on one of the leather lounge chairs. On his right arm rest is the glass of scotch that his fingers are supporting and on the left is his bent arm, his fingers tapping absentmindedly on his chin. Both Klaus and Rebekah are out. Whether they are together or not, he is not sure. The only person he is with in this house right now is Hayley and she had been asleep for hours now.

Truth be told, there is a great number of thoughts that should be running in his mind right now but he only focuses on one thing. The only thing that he finds calm and comfort in these days. Through the silence of the house, he could easily hear the shuffling of the sheets, the soft sighs and the steady heartbeat of Hayley. So long as he could hear them, he could rest his mind.

He moves to sip his drink but halfway through, his hand that's holding the glass stops midair. He is suddenly stoic because of the sound of her voice.

Hayley says – though with great ease and softness, to his surprise, "Leave me alone."

That's when Elijah sets his drink on the side table and stands up. He makes his way up to her room in a flash but stops at the closed door. He hesitates for a moment, but recovers quickly and opens the door. He was greeted by the billow of wind and his eyes immediately land on the open windows, the curtains of which are moving wildly. He walks into the room, but sees no intruder, sensing no signs of any other presence at all. His gaze drifts over to Hayley's sleeping figure. The pregnant girl is lying on her back, her hand resting on the large swell of her belly while the other is on the side. Elijah stands there for a moment, transfixed by the way she looks so serene right now. He almost never sees that. She shifts to her side and lets out a soft sigh. Elijah couldn't understand why, but he suddenly gets goosebumps and a shiver down his spine, just at the sound of that up close.

Eventually, Elijah decides that it's time to leave before his presence is discovered. He starts moving towards the door but stops abruptly.

"Go away." She mumbles.

Elijah freezes and suddenly thinks that she is addressing him but when he turns, all ready to explain himself, he sees her still sound asleep. He realizes that she must be dreaming and the things she mutters are associated with that.

"Please, just leave me alone." She whispers again and she sounds so helpless that Elijah's heart drops. She rarely – if at all – sounds like that.

Elijah stands in the middle of the room, unable to figure out what he should do.

Suddenly, she gasps. Only now, her eyes are open. The first thing she sees is, of course, Elijah. She suddenly looks confused. He's about to say something but he's cut off.

Hayley asks surprisedly, her voice rough and thick with sleep, "Elijah? What are – what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" She leans up on her elbow and reaches over to the nightstand to turn on the lamp. Orange light suddenly floods the room.

Elijah looks at her sheepishly, his hand deep in his pockets. "Forgive me. I though someone was here. I was, needless to say, mistaken."

Her eyebrows are still furrowed at him. "What made you think someone was here?"

"You were mumbling things. When I came up here, it appeared that you were dreaming and mumbling in your sleep." Elijah explains.

Now, it's Hayley's turn to look embarrassed. "Oh." She sits up and sighs, blowing hair from her face. She asks, "What did I say?"

Elijah walks further into the room and when she moves to give him space on the mattress, he sits on it, facing her. "It seemed to me that you were being bothered and you were asking them to leave you be."

"Huh." Hayley rushes her hand through her hair. "That sounds about right."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

She smiles slightly, though it's a bit strained. "It's nothing. Just something that is a little relatable to some of my memories."

Elijah nods. "I understand. Can I get you anything? Water, perhaps?"

She shakes her head. "I'm fine." Her gaze travels his frame before it meets his again. "So this is your after-midnight get up."

His eyebrows raise, a soft laugh escaping past his lips. "Sorry?"

"Is this what you really wear to bed?" She nods at his clothes. He had taken off his jacket and tie and had folded up his leaves. He had been wearing this shirt during the day and since so far, he has no plans in going to bed, he hasn't changed.

"I wasn't sleeping, actually." Elijah counters.

"Oh? What, you can't face your bad dreams?" She quips.

"That is considerable, I suppose. But in a less cowardly way."

Hayley shrugs. "Well, whatever it is, it can't worse than reality."

"Actually, I beg to differ." Elijah says. "Our minds know no boundaries, in contrast with reality, and is therefore, more frightening."

"I guess." She pauses.

He continues, "With reality, circumstances don't happen again and again, unless intended to be. But in our minds, memories are uncontrollable, most especially when elicited."

"Like a movie in constant motion."

"Precisely."

Hayley doesn't respond, clearly deep in thought. After a moment, she looks back up at him and says, "The dream…I was dreaming about me when I just got kicked out by my foster parents. I was a teenager and was walking around town, clearly terrified. I was new to all the werewolf stuff, but I knew I was strong. There was this group of boys who were…harassing me. I didn't want to look suspicious so I held back my supernatural wolf strength. But, of course, I lost my patience and eventually, well, gave them a lesson or two." She sighs. "That's what the dream is about. Loosely, anyway. Like different place, time, people. But same circumstance."

"It was an awful time for you." Elijah says.

Hayley nods. "It was."

"But you survived. Thrived a little." He smiles softly. "That's a good outcome from a terrible circumstance, don't you agree?"

"If your definition of good is to knocked up by an occasionally psychotic hybrid, then I guess." She laughs a little. Her hand cups his that his resting on the mattress. She gives it a squeeze. "Thank you, Elijah. You're ridiculously attentive and caring. NO one has ever been for me. No one but you."

"Like I mentioned before, we are family." He says sincerely.

"And I'm gonna hold on to that."

He stares at her eyes intently, getting lost in them. In that moment, all his thought are wiped from his mind and all he knows is her – her scent, her beautifully disheveled appearance, the way she's looking back at him. But of course, like every moment spent with her, he must end it soon. He says, trying to hide the mournfulness in it, "I should let you go back to your resting."

"Okay." She says softly. "But only if you yourself go to sleep to."

"It's a deal." Elijah pulls his hands from hers and lightly kisses her forehead. When he pulls his lips away, he rests his forehead against hers for a fleeting moment before he finally stands up.

Hayley gives him a small smile and lies back down. Elijah pulls the comforter over her and shuts the lamp off. Through the moonlight, he looks at her face, eyes closed. He lets the sight comfort him again before finally leaves the room.

•••

Just like in the memory, Elijah decides to let Hayley rest and moves to leave the room. While standing over her, he leans down to drop a light kiss on her forehead. But she stirs and inevitably wakes up. Her squinting eyes meet Elijah's, who is leaning over her still, balancing himself with the hand on the headboard.

Hayley looks at him confusedly. "Hey, you." She greets him and he sits on the mattress and kisses her on the lips instead. When he pulls away, she asks, "Why are you – are you okay?" Her hand reaches up to touch his face.

Elijah replies, "I'm fine. Nothing to concern yourself with." His hand leaves the headboard and moves some of her hair from her face his other arm goes over her and rests his weight on the hand that is on the mattress.

She nods. "Alright. Did you just get in? It must be, like, three in the morning."

"Yes, it is," Elijah kisses her again, longer, this time. Hayley's hand goes through his hair and is lowly leaning up but he pulls away. He lets out a rough chuckle. "Go back to sleep now, Hayley. Don't let me bother you."

She presses her lips against his again and in between kisses, she mumbles, "You…already…did."

He gives her a look. "Hayley."

Hayley rolls her eyes at him. When he retracts his arm from over hers, she moves her body to the side of the bed, giving him space to lie down. Elijah smiles and stands up to remove his jacket, tie and shoes. She watches him do so, with a grin on her face. He already knows what she's thinking.

He says amusedly as he folds his sleeves, "If my memory serves me right, you one called this my 'after-midnight get up.'" He slips into the covers with her.

Hayley automatically moves closer to him when his arm sleeps around her, his hand resting on the curve of her waist. She giggles hoarsely as she rests her cheek on the portion of his collar bone that is exposed by his white button-down. Elijah knows also that she knows what he is talking about when she says, "Your memory always serves you right."

Elijah kissed her on the top of her head and closes his eyes. He lets is other senses go all out. He feels her breath hitting his skin constantly of her leg tangling with his. He finds the abundance of her scent comforting. He could still taste a trace of her in his tongue. He listens to the steadiness of her heartbeat. This exact moment, right when he's hovering over sleep and awakeness, he knows will be imprinted on his mind, too precious to forget, to be recalled again and again.

•••

A/N: Listen to "Instant Crush" by Daft Punk feat. Julian Casablancas, such an inspiration for this chapter.