Something about Klaus's argument with Elijah triggered a fear in him a fear that made him want to avoid Hayley.
The thought of his brother's mind swirling with ideas about what is going on with him and Hayley made him uncomfortable. It made him question just how close to her he's getting and everything about their relationship. All he was doing was grieving with the mother of his child and finding comfort in someone that actually understands him. She was the only person he could relate to, it wasn't a crime to bond with her. It was completely innocent even If it was borderline co-dependent, but it didn't feel innocent after talking with Elijah. It felt wrong; it felt like it was a mistake. Everything in him told him he needed to pull away from her now before it's too late
I shouldn't be getting this close to her it's dangerous
You shouldn't need her and she shouldn't need you
Elijah, she loves Elijah
Everything you touch ends up ruined
It's still all your fault
She deserves better
The thoughts replayed over and over in his mind as he stared at his canvas, unable to concentrate on the piece any longer.
With a frustrated sigh he gave up working on it and retreated to his bottle of scotch on his desk.
Two sips in she was standing in his doorway and the part of him that felt comfort seeing her was quickly overtaken by the part of him that had been telling him to pull away all day.
"It's weird but I'm actually surprised to see you drinking right now" She said as she approached his desk.
"It should never be a surprise to see me drinking love" He replied as he took another gulp. In his head he tried to think of ways to get rid of her without upsetting her but seeing her was making that task difficult.
"What brings you here Hayley, wait don't tell me…you miss me already? Is that it? " he joked with a sly smile and another sip of his drink .
Hayley prayed that her cheeks didn't get as red as they felt at his words.
She paused and met his eyes before she responded and she could see his playful expression quickly turn into something else, something more guarded and almost angry and she didn't quite understand it. She brushed it off and tried to get back to her original purpose for being there.
"I'm actually here because after last night I think I'm ready to start working on getting our daughter back. I think it's time and the longer we put off even making a plan the longer it will be before I get to hold her again and I'm tired of waiting."
He sat in silence as he lowered his glass on to the desk. His gaze on her made Hayley unexpectedly feel like she wanted to come out of her skin. Before the feeling that she couldn't quite explain could threaten to over take her she spoke up again.
"You seem surprised"
"Well to be honest Hayley I am. I didn't think that you were ready to discuss this yet" he replied calmly
"Yeah well I didn't think so either but when I woke up today I felt….I don't know I felt like….after last night I felt some hope for the first time since we gave her to Rebekah. If we're ever gonna get her back then we have to start doing what we said we would do the night we made our decision so why not start now?"
"We can start whenever you want to" he replied
"I know you've probably been thinking about this since that night"
"Most of my plans end in torture and painting with the blood of our enemies. I don't think that truly constitutes a plan love"
"Actually that sounds like a great plan to me, when do we start" Hayley said with a mischievous smile, one that Klaus returned with one of his own.
Before either one of them could speak again there was a voice heard from the door
"I think it's best we hold off on the torture and murder right now" Elijah interrupted
"Ahhh Elijah what an unwelcome surprise, impeccable timing" Klaus responded, while Hayley rolled her eyes.
"Niklaus I am quite aware that you are a child who can not control himself when it comes to revenge, but I caution you to not do anything right now that would only make matter worse"
"Our child is probably on the other side of the world right now while that bitch Francesca walks around the quarter like she's some dictator, how could anything we do make matters worse Elijah" Hayley chimed in.
There was awkwardness in the room that was undeniable to all three of them. Klaus and Hayley knowing that Elijah knew about their late night outings made them both feel very self-conscious, especially Klaus. Hayley tried her best to hide her annoyance at the entire situation; it was much easier before, way easier before.
Elijah just looked at her with an expression that said he really wished she would listen to him but all Hayley could give him was a quick glance before she avoided his eyes completely. Klaus on the other hand looked at the two and tried to forget that they have feelings for each other but as usual he failed, so instead he blocked it out with thoughts about getting his daughter back.
"She does has a point Elijah, the inertia is killing me, you suggest we sit back and continue to do nothing while the people who tried to kill Hope and actually killed… " He couldn't get the rest of the words out. "You expect us to just play nice when our enemies laugh at our defeat"
"No that's not what I want, and we are not defeated. As long as this family remains together we can never be defeated. All I advocate for is proper planning and strategy, not blind rage and killing" Elijah responded
"Proper planning, right, and how long will that take exactly? Am I supposed to miss the first 2 years of her life? Or how about the first 5? Or will it be 10? " Hayley barked out as she stepped a little closer to Elijah.
Klaus could look at her and tell the tension was building within her. He wanted to ignore it, he wanted to just let her feel however hopeless and angry she wanted to feel but as he looked at her his heart wouldn't let him. He hated that he felt the urge to protect her and soothe her, even when he didn't want to, even when it was awkward. If the last few weeks had taught him anything it's that he is almost incapable of releasing himself from her pull, which is what he feared from the very beginning. "Hayley look at me…"
She turned and her eyes immediately caught his.
"You will hold our daughter in your arms again, and soon. I promise you" His voice has so much conviction behind it that it took Hayley by surprise. He had never really made a promise to her, Elijah was always good with promises not Klaus, but the look in his eyes when he said it to her let her know that she could believe it, if there was ever a promise she could believe it was that one and she could always believe it.
She returned his steady gaze with one of her own. "Nothing will stand in the way of me getting her back" she replied.
"Elijah nor I would ever let that happen love you can be sure of that, right Elijah"
"Klaus is right Hayley, Hope belongs with her family, with her parents, nothing will stand in the way of that"
Hayley nodded in agreement and relaxed again, feeling content.
"You both might be pleased to know that while you have been grieving I've been keeping a close eye on the Guerras. Marcel and what's left of his vampire community have been of great help keeping track of them, especially those who hold the rings that drain you of your power on the full moon Niklaus"
"Wait what?" Hayley asked surprised.
"I assumed Niklaus would have informed you by now Hayley, especially since you two seem to spend so much time together now"
"Klaus what does he mean, why do the rings drain you of your power?"
Klaus let out a heavy sigh before he explained what happened with Genevieve.
"The night of the attack Genevieve needed to draw power from a werewolf who currently could not turn into a wolf. She suggested you, since due to your condition you couldn't turn, I refused and offered myself instead." Her hesitantly looked at her before continuing.
"As it turns out it was part of the plan to hurt you for the witches. All of the rings were linked to me, draining all of my power and strength, I didn't know until it was too late to stop her that night. Every month on the full moon I am weak and vulnerable"
Hayley stood there speechless. It made her even angrier with the Guerras than she already was. Klaus turned away from her, not wanting to see the pity or indifference that was bound to be in her eyes. Hayley wanted to say something, she wanted to say thank you or at least show some sorta gratefulness for what he had done saving her from that same fate but the words wouldn't come to her, they refused to come to her at that moment. She turned away from him and looked at Elijah, who stood silently.
"So what do we have to do to get those rings back? " She asked.
"Marcel and I have tracked pretty much all of the rings except for the last 3, one of which I'm sure is on Francesca's finger. If you both can contain yourselves for a little while longer so that Marcel's Intel can come back then we can coordinate a strike that will take them all out and restore Klaus's power."
"Next full moon, we need to strike during the next full moon, they will never see it coming because I'll be weak" Klaus replied.
"Hayley will you be able to control your need for blood until then?"
"I'm not a child Elijah, I'm sure I'll find some other way to curve my appetite that you will probably disapprove of no need to worry about me" She barked back
"Hayley-"
"Alright since that is settled I think it's time we end this little chat" Klaus interjected. "I have better things to do than watch a lovers quarrel between the two of you so If you'll excuse me" He said as he left the room quickly
Hayley and Elijah watched him leave quietly before Hayley followed him out without saying anything else to Elijah.
Before he could get out of the house Hayley had tracked him down.
It's not that he didn't want to be around her, it's that he couldn't be around her, but she seemed to cling to him as much as he wanted to cling to her.
"Klaus where are you going?"
"Out"
She look at his cold attitude in confusion but continued on with her goal.
"I was thinking…. I know we've been doing some training but I think I could use a little more especially since we're starting to make plans to get Hope back so maybe we could go out and do-"
"I can't today Hayley" He replied quickly before she could even get her entire request out.
Internally Hayley got angry, but his rejection made her realize how much she was clinging to him and it made her suddenly uncomfortable so she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that she's disappointed about not spending time with him.
"Okay" she said emotionless before turning around and leaving.
He wanted to stop her and tell her they can do whatever she wanted but he couldn't, his mind wouldn't let him give into her any longer.
Late into the night Elijah found her in the nursery. She was picking up some of the things that she had knocked over during one of her many fits of rage. It was the first time he has seen her in the nursery in a peaceful state and he felt a sting at the part his brother was clearly playing in that.
"Pardon my interruption" he let out, surprising her.
"Oh, sorry I didn't even hear you come in Elijah" Hayley replied
"You seemed to be engrossed in your cleaning, I am happy to see you are starting to come to terms with everything Hayley."
"I don't think I will ever come to terms with it all, but I think its progress, that's all I can ask for right now I guess"
"Listen Hayley, about what I said earlier…"
"No, please, I don't want to rehash that. The truth is Elijah I have been spending a lot of time with Klaus. He's been helping me in ways that I can't really explain to you"
"Hayley if that's true then it's not my place to stop-"
"No let me finish" she interrupted. "You're right, maybe my attempts to bond with Klaus are misguided. I don't know really, I just know that I'm just trying to feel okay, I'm just trying to keep it together and in the process I might not be making the best decisions and I might be pushing you away."
She didn't really believe that, or did she? She couldn't really tell at the moment
"Hayley" He said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her slightly closer to him, to his relief she didn't pull away from him. "You have to know that all I have ever wanted was everything that you have wanted"
"I know" She whispered. He pulled her into him and gently kissed her on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered briefly before opening. "I'll leave you to what you were doing" He said before leaving. For a moment it felt just like how it used to be for them and a sense of comfort came to Hayley because it used to mean so much to her even though it was complicated and frustrating.
She looked around at the nursery as confusion started to set in but she didn't have the energy to think about the roller coaster of emotions she had today. She just wanted to go with the flow and try to maintain whatever stability she could find and if that was with Elijah and not Klaus like she had previously thought then so be it. She stared at the nursery door as tears threatened to escape her eyes, then she quickly pushed the confusing thoughts and emotions out and went back to straightening out her daughter's room. She more she cleaned the more she started to appreciate the room again, the room Klaus had poured his heart and soul into.
The memory of the first time he showed it to her came to mind, bringing a rare smile to her face at how shy he was and at how happy she was even though she hid most of her reactions to it from him. It felt like a relief to finally recall a memory that didn't send her into an instant state of grief so she held on to that image as she made her way to the other side of the room to fix the broken shelf.
On the other side of the nursery door Klaus stood with regret and loneliness in his heart.
He had heard the entire conversation she had with Elijah. He had came back to offer her some explanation for his behavior earlier only to find her with Elijah. It shouldn't have come as a shock to him but it did. Maybe a part of him hoped that things had started to change for her like they were for him or maybe this was just what happened when you give of yourself to someone who will always have affection for someone else. Either way he knew that he wouldn't let himself feel this way again, he wouldn't' get this vulnerable with her again.
Without making a noise he left his home before anyone even knew he had returned.
A little while later her found himself at her door. He knew this is where he needed to be and he regretted not coming sooner maybe if he had he wouldn't have to feel how he currently felt. He knew she would be there and she would offer him to comfort he needed.
She opened the door and was shocked to see him standing there. "Klaus? What are you doing here?" She asked once she was sure she wasn't dreaming.
"Hello Camille"
AN: So hello everyone! first once again I want to say sorry for taking so long to update this. I'm sure if you're reading this you thought I had given up on this story but I haven't. This chapter isn't super long and there isn't a whole lot of action but it's an important chapter so set up some interesting things to come. If you're still reading this story I really appreciate it and there is lots of good stuff to come. Leave a review if you're up to it to let me know how you felt about the new update! I hope I can keep your interest moving forward.
