Sire
(The Vampire Rules)

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

Chapter 10: The Red Door Opens

"My husband?" Hayley inquired out loud. This guy is nuts, she silently thought.

Jackson laughed. "Yeah it sounds crazy, I know. But when we were born apparently our families betrothed us to each other. We are each members of the two royal families within the Crescent Wolf Pack. My parents, and yours, the Labonairs, agreed that we would eventually marry to make our pack stronger. But your family also wanted peace with the vampires, which my grandfather couldn't abide. He…he killed your parents; I'm sorry about that."

Hayley digested that revelation and then asked, "And that's why I was adopted?"

"Yes. What happened when your adoptive parents realized you were a werewolf?"

Hayley got sad and angry thinking about it. "They kicked me out on my own."

"I'm so sorry Hayley. I wish things had been different."

Hayley shrugged. "Yeah me too. So, where is the rest of the pack?"

"There are only ten of us left. The others are out enjoying their last night of freedom for the month; tomorrow is the full moon."

"I know, that's why I came tonight," Hayley told him. Then she heard a strange sound. "Did you hear that?"

Jackson listened, heard the same sound again, and got very concerned. "Yeah, and it sounded like a scream."

Making his way through the woods on foot, heading to the coordinates sent to him by Klaus, Elijah found his brother and Marcel already engaged in killing night walkers. Klaus flipped one of the still-kicking vampires to the king who bit its neck, drank his fill, and then promptly tore its heart out spraying blood everywhere. Surveying the few dead bodies on the ground Elijah then asked, "Where is she?"

"There's a cabin that way," Marcel said pointing through the trees.

"The rest of the night walkers have fled, and the day walkers are nowhere to be found," Klaus informed Elijah.

"You go and find them," Elijah ordered Marcel, "and I mean all of them. Don't show your face again until you've rounded them all up."

Marcel nodded his head and then hurried off, knowing there was nothing he could say at this point, to either his sire or his Sire, to help his or his friends' causes.

Elijah and Klaus sped through the Bayou in the direction of the cabin. "I hear movement ahead of us," Klaus commented.

Before Hayley or Jackson could venture into the woods to investigate the screams, four werewolves came running from the trees. They yelled as they came, "Vampires!" They reached Jackson and breathlessly informed him they were being pursued. "Get inside," he told them; "You too," he advised Hayley.

"No," Hayley replied. She knew the smart thing would be to go inside and protect her baby, but she also thought the vampires would probably recognize her and stop their assault.

There wasn't time for Jackson to argue with her, the predators were upon them. He moved in front of Hayley, shielding her with his body. One night walker grabbed him and another reached for her. A third, fourth, and fifth went into the cabin.

Certain death was replaced with liberation as someone grabbed both vampires and pulled them off. Hayley tried to make out what was occurring, but it was happening too quickly and her vision was hampered by the large amount of blood flying through the air. "Are you alright?" a very anxious Klaus asked her. Finally, recognizing their saviors as the Mikelson brothers, Hayley gasped, "Yes, but there are more inside!"

Elijah entered the cabin in a flash and easily subdued the remaining night walkers by breaking each of their necks. He looked at the state of the werewolves on the cabin floor; they were bleeding but seemed as if they'd recover. He was soon joined by the others from outside. Jackson hurried to aide his pack. "If they need blood to heal, mine is the most powerful," Elijah declared to him.

Jackson looked up. "Thank you, but why are you helping us against your own kind?"

Elijah was seeing red before his eyes and fighting to keep his composure. "They're not my kind," he growled. He then looked at Hayley, "Are you sure you're all right; the baby?"

Hayley assured him, "We're both fine, they had barely touched me when you arrived. Thanks for that."

One of the nightwalkers on the floor started to stir. "What shall we do with this lot?" Klaus asked, already knowing the answer.

"Let's take them outside," Elijah said. He wanted to inflict pain on their prisoners, a lot of pain. Klaus started dragging two towards the door and Elijah took a hold of the third. Before he left he told Hayley, "Wait here for us."

She replied that she would. She wanted to explain things to Jackson who was looking at her with quite a bit of confusion in his eyes. "You know them?" he asked once all the vampires had left the cabin.

Hayley put one hand over her swollen womb. "There's a lot I need to tell you," she began.

Once they had awoken, Klaus had compelled two of the vampires to stand still while Elijah did so with the third. The night walker could do nothing but endure the coming assault. Elijah grabbed one of his arms, tore it off, and tossed it aside. The vampire's screams shattered the evening air. Elijah then did the same to the other arm, and the screams got louder. Next, he punched through the gut, grabbed whatever he could find, and pulled it out. Before the vampire passed out and hit the ground, Elijah broke through his chest and ripped out his heart.

The king was covered in blood and enraged past the point of return. Klaus knew the thing they had guarded against for over 1,000 years had just happened: the red door was open.

Elijah looked at the remaining two vampires, both of whom were shaking so badly they almost collapsed despite the compulsion, and simply asked, "Who wants to go next?"