When she was ten she remembered finding her first family, after being moved from place to place where people with only money in their hearts would tolerate a little girl's presence, she thought she'd found home.
They'd fooled her. Instead of the usual diverting eyes when she walked into the house the first they were all smiles and warm greetings. The mother with her luxurious blonde highlighted locks, beaming white teeth and her arm securely fastened around her husbands waist, tucked in there like she would always belong, she looked perfect something Hayley had never seen before.
With a wary step she moved closer towards them at the mother's insistence, cautiously her eyes never left the husband stepping sideways out of his range and he did something that none of them had ever done before. He dropped to his hunkers peering up at her with his soft brown eyes and he put one big, smooth non worked hand out in front of him saying, "Hi. I'm James and this is Nancy." Swivelling around her pointing at Nancy who was already ready with an easy smile, "it's a pleasure to meet you Hayley."
Her first instinct was to freeze her blood running cold and useless but lost in an infinite welcome she was surprised her wobbling legs brought her a step closer to him and her small, torn hands enclosed in his. She thought she was safe.

"Hello." She shouted huskily from sticky sleep, groaning she threw the blanket off of her landing it in a misshapen bundle on the ground.
Stretching she yawned another groan before pulling herself upright, "Hello." She called more half-heartedly the silence echoed across the house. "Great they just left me, couldn't of dropped me a hey Hayley were heading out." Grumbling uselessly to herself she took this as her opportunity to snoop around a bit, stomping her feet purposely down the hall she went in search of Klaus's bedroom.
There must be something in there to give a bit of clue to who the heck he was, something was off with him, there must be something she can tease him with later.
One of the bedrooms was left wide open, must be Rebekah's I don't know if an open to all sign hung off Klaus's room, didn't seem like his thing.
Yes. Rebekah's room. She scoffed in her hand at the pink crinkled curtains that draped perfectly around her window, she was a princess who knew.
Apart from a few pink decorations the lack of evidence they existed was just ridiculous the room was bare apart from the bed and a few make up things sprawled along one of the counters.
They just moved but jesus they had nothing. They barely existed. A locker caught her eye stuffed into the corner underneath the bed, craftily laced behind the loose end of her bed cover.
She shouldn't, she should leave it alone. The itching in her fingers wouldn't subside, dropping to her hunkers she snatched it roughly towards her. "Screw it."
The heart shaped handle on the locker made her stomach heave but she pushed past it with what she thought was pure grace.
At all the effort that was made to hide this thing, she was pretty bummed to just find some letters, who wrote anymore? And a picture, that's a lot of effort for some old keepsakes.
Groaning she stuffed the letters back in, peeking quickly at the picture she ended up with her nose buried in it. Smiling at first at Rebekah's untainted joy, she must've been only a teenager, her nose scrunched up in pretend disgust as she was being smothered by her two other brothers she assumed. One of them was dressed very formally with a shirt and tie, he was standing behind her squeezing her into a bear like hug lifting off the ground with his hair in some sort of quiff, he must've thought a lot of himself, "pretentious ass."
The other was pressing a disgusting wet kiss on her cheek one arm stretched in front, holding the camera most likely, they looked like a proper family. Why would she leave them?
That's when she finally saw him. He carried so much presence, whenever she saw him as much as she tried to yank it away from herself, he captured your attention the minute he entered the room but here he looked small, pathetic, it was just sad.
Supporting a nasty looking lip and a freshly bruised eye he wasn't looking at his family fondly but with disdain, pulling away just as the picture was taken, the only thing that kept him there was Rebekah's feeble hand on his wrist.
"Love I can't say I'm surprised."

His voice made her heart lurch from her chest, flinging the picture away she looked sheepishly into that shit eating grin he usually supported, it was like two different people.
The picture. She threw herself across the ground and she knew it was a mistake it would only make him more curious. With unhuman speed he held it above her, flapping it around, taunting her, she didn't care it was him she was trying to protect but screw it if he wanted to, who was she to stop him.
She watched as his face twisted into something awful his brow tightening, his death grip on the picture before he neatly slid it into his back pocket. Small unsure eyes darted around the room avoiding her, this was either make it or break it. She had to acknowledge it.
"Your dad?"
"What." He responded sharply nearly quivering.
"Your dad did that to your face." She said much surely than she felt, if she doubted herself even slightly he'd jump on the defensive.
Opening his mouth to snap at her again but he decided different, falling back against the door frame he sighed innocent tears springing to his eyes.
They had a playful banter between them, this kind of hard stuff was something she wasn't used to being with him but thankfully her heart knew what to do when she didn't.
Crossing the room to him she watched as his eyes widen in surprise before she pulled into a strong hug, supporting him as he crumbled against her.
Apart from Rebekah she doubted anyone ever hugged him in his life. At first his hands awkwardly touched off her shoulder, his muscles tensing more every second they stood there, two broken people. She was maybe not as bad as him but that was nearly impossible to be.
One of her hands trickled into the hair at the nape of his neck curling it unconsciously around her finger, lost in the feeling of having him this close.
She didn't know how long she stood there stroking his hair but she jerked into her senses feeling now like an idiot, her eyes sprang open, stumbling backwards.
His eyes were a soft, calming sea as he stepped surely towards her, she didn't try to get away she wasn't an idiot she knew she didn't want to.
His hands framing her face against her long brown hair, his eyes quivering he brushed the loose locks off her face, she shivered under his touch. Unable to take a steady breath she felt it caught in her lungs, panicking under his scrutinising stare, she didn't know what to do, this wasn't a Klaus she could deal with. "Breathe love." He whispered his mouth hovering above her lips that small playful smirk lifting the side of his mouth and she let herself breathe again.
Smiling sheepishly she looked into his eyes mouth parted and ready, she shouldn't, this was Klaus. He was an asshole but she didn't want to. She expected him to roughly devour her lips against his, trying to rush past all the build up and get to the main show but his lips were delicate and caring. This was Klaus, she stupidly reminded herself. Falling into him she smiled as he had to stop and take a disbelieving breath, before pulling her to him, harder this time.
A battle of wills, their tongues gently sweeping against one another she grabbed onto the curls in his hair tugging it, he groaned stepping backwards with her, she smiled smugly as her back thudded against the wall. "Who knew you liked it rough." She taunted having to pry his urgent lips away from her, he didn't lift his head he sought out the nape of her neck, tracing it with desperate kisses, she clenched around him.
Was this really what she'd been missing this whole time?
"Ahem." Rebekah's unimpressed cough had them leap apart, they were in for a scolding.
Both flushed red from heat, shyly they caught each other's gaze Klaus holding it longer with his longing gaze than she was able for.
Sweeping one hand into her hair she sought some sort of excuse but came up empty handed, "Okay I have nothing." She laughed, Rebekah gentled into a smile.
"I warned you not to, Nik." She pushed him exasperated, warned him.
This better of not been some big rouse but no he was genuinely upset.
"Klaus was just…"
"What checking to see if you got something in your teeth?"
"Won't happen again, was a mistake." She tried to squeeze past her but as she did she caught the way Klaus's amused eyes darkened, shooting her a dark look he squared his shoulders against her, she could feel the cold tension start to swallow her whole.
"I'm gonna go."
No one noticed as Rebekah slipped out, Klaus wasn't taking his eyes off her, it was just unsettling.
"What!" she snapped harsher than she meant to.
"It didn't feel like you thought it was a mistake."
"Klaus come on. You wanna start going steady now? I'm sure I'm just another women on the list of people that you wanna lay. Don't worry I'm not self-interested enough to think any different."
She thought that this is what he wanted but he went limp at her words, at a loss for some of his own, when did he not have anything to say.
"Your right." He nodded but the words didn't lay as much impact as they should he looked sad, did she actually do that to him.
Smiling weakly he went to leave but something stopped him. With one last look at her he pulled her against him, taking one last hungry kiss from her he left.
Dumbfounded she just stood there until the angry slamming of the door had her falling onto the bed, words hanging off the edge of her tongue.
Rebekah dropped unceremoniously beside her pulling her into her side, "So no more I hate Klaus he's awful." She imitated poorly but it made a shaky laugh leave her lips.
"Shut up. He's not entirely awful."
"Mhmm."

The door wasn't loud enough, the pain wasn't big enough, he had anger just humming through his blood he needed to hit something. He should've said something, anything else but yes, he couldn't make the words I just want you tumble from his mouth, they were firmly planted like cement in the back of his throat. It was probably for the best, he couldn't actually like her, he couldn't have anyone like him it just destroyed them. Rebekah was stuck with him, ripped away from the rest of her family and he hated it but he needed her, selfishly he did.
"Dammit." He growled the stone crunching loudly under his angry feet.
He heard the air whoosh harshly above his head, he should've snapped away but he let it collide with him, the next thing he felt was pain searing his body and then…..darkness.