In celebration of my school week basically being over and the release of a new VD episode! Finally through the longest and worse day of my life! WOOOO! Not that you guys care...you just care about this fucking story lol. Anyways can we talk about how insane tonight's episode was. Whatever yeah. And good news, perfectly fits in with the direction of my story. ;) If they kill Elijah...I don't even want to think about it.

Music

Hear Me - Jimmy Eat World (Hayley & Parents)

The Lake - Aqualung (Elijah)

I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab For Cutie

A week had gone by since Hayley talked to Elijah. On her drive home that morning, her hands shook with frustration. Since then, he hadn't called her or showed up surprisingly as usual. But she knew he wouldn't. The moment she left, she saw he wouldn't contact her. Elijah wouldn't push.

Of course, the week her parents were on one of their rare streaks of being home. Mixing that and her fight with Elijah did wonders for her. Every thing her parents said to Hayley, annoyed her. They didn't notice her attitude because they didn't even know how she normally acted. Her parents refused to acknowledge they were a constant absence in their daughter's life. So when they were home, her mother and father enjoyed putting on the act of the happy family.

That Sunday, they decided a family dinner was in order. These were Hayley's most dreaded activities. The forced conversation and questions put her on edge. The entire meal felt like nails on a chalkboard and an awkward silence at the same time. She only attended to humor her mom and dad. Adding her fight and detachment with Elijah only made matters worse.

"So Hayley, pretty soon you'll be applying to colleges soon." Stated her father. School was always a safe topic for them. It was impersonal and they believed education was the main priority of their parentally duties.

"Yep." She replied as she cut her steak in front of her. It was always easier for her to be doing something with her hands during these skirmishes. Anything that distracted her was continuously helpful.

"I'm assuming that Northwestern and University of Illinois will be on top of your list of colleges you will be applying to?" Her mom chipped in.

"Well, neither of those have very good art programs. I was thinking more Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia, or some schools in the New York City area."

"Art? What exactly will you do with that degree?" Her father scuffled at her response. The one thing worse than not having your parents around is not having them take you seriously. Lucky for her, she got both.

"I'll figure it out. Art is what I love to do. Why wouldn't that be my major?" Hayley challenged. Her grip on the silverware tightened and her jaw ached from consistently staying clenched.

"Let's be realistic, sweetheart. Especially in this economy, you won't be able to do a whole lot with that after college. What about business or law? Just think of the family business!" Her mom finished excitedly. As if it would be their dream come true if she followed in their footsteps. But the 'sweetheart' nickname bothered Hayley the most out of anything her mother just said.

Just as Hayley was about to say something, her father added his take. "Art is a great hobby. But that's all it should be, nothing more, especially not a job. You can do that whenever you want, for the rest of your life. You should study a major that will give you a more stable career."

The combined efforts of her parents were pushing Hayley to her limits. She could only stay pleasant for so long. No matter what she said, they never listened. They even looked at her when she spoke. But it was so obvious that they never actually comprehended anything that came out of their daughter's mouth.

She looked down at her plate, only half way finished with her meal. "You know what, I'm not really hungry." Hayley said quickly. Pushing her chair in and chucking her napkin on the table, she rushed upstairs. There was hardly a beat from her parents. Neither even registered that their words had offended her. They almost welcomed her sudden lack of presence, deciding to talk about their firm instead.

Slamming her door shut and making sure to lock it, she threw herself on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She realized how sad it was that she had grown to prefer an empty house than one with her parents. Thinking of absolutely anything to get rid of her anger, Hayley picked up her sketchbook and started working on an unfinished drawing. But her parents sporadic laughter made it's way upstairs and ruined all sense of calmness she'd achieved.

Her mind started wandering to her fight with Elijah. She never meant to leave that morning; it was just her unfortunate nature whenever something went wrong. He told her his life threatening plans so calmly that Hayley now grasped she'd gone into mild shock then quickly into resentment.

A week without speaking with him felt terrible, with the note they left on. Sleep was rare, being replaced with the never subsiding thoughts of their past discussion. As the days had gone by, she couldn't help but envision he'd gone on another excursion and could possibly be dead right now. But that was her horribly active imagination and growing guilt speaking.

As she listened to her parents quickly cleaning up, Hayley told herself she would go insane if she stayed another minute in the house. The basement door opened and closed. Her parents were probably planning on watching a movie. That was one of the many things they did instead of paying any attention to their youngest and most disappointing child.

Hayley looked out the window. It was raining again. But it was the forceful, almost threatening to flood kind of rain. She sighed and threw the drawing back on her desk. Shoving her cell phone and wallet into her purse, she grabbed her car keys. Quietly, she walked down stairs. Not that her parents would question nor care where she was going. Hayley just liked the idea of them not even noticing she'd left.

Her car was unfortunately parked in the driveway instead of the garage. Hayley flung open the front door and sprinted to her car. But the running didn't help. By the time she got into her car, she was soaked. Her hands placed on the steering wheel, she looked out the drenched windshield.

She had no idea where she was going. Shaking her head, Hayley started the car, knowing anywhere was better than her house. The car moved without a destination. But Hayley's heart knew where it was going as her car made its way onto the highway, heading to the city. She didn't want to go to her friends' houses or call Lisa…she wanted Elijah. The separation couldn't continue.

Pulling into the complex's underground parking garage. She went to the private penthouse elevator. Elijah had given her a card and key for her to use if he wasn't home. Breathing in deeply on the short ride in the elevator, Hayley couldn't choose if she was eager or anxious about seeing him.

Even though she had a key, she decided to knock. There was no answer. Either he was too upset to speak with her or he wasn't home. However, Hayley had suddenly become determined and started unlocking the door with her key. She swung it open to find an empty and dark apartment. She flicked the light switches on, sighing.

"Elijah?" She questioned the solitude. There was no reply.

Hayley was still wet from the dash to her car. After standing still awkwardly in the kitchen, her feet started to carry her to Elijah's bedroom. It was empty, the white covers perfectly made. Seeing the bed, she became aware of how tired she was. Her constant worrying, mixed with her nightly inability to sleep, left her exhausted. Taking off her shoes, she laid on top of the covers. Telling herself she was only going to rest and not drift to sleep.

The smell of Elijah still remained on the bed and Hayley couldn't help but become relaxed by the scent. Her body was telling her to sleep but her mind fought the urge. Before she knew it, she'd drifted to sleep.

Elijah parked his car in the garage, walking towards the elevator. His walking stopped as he immediately noticed Hayley's car sitting just a few yards away. He quickened his pace to the elevator as his mind instantly thought something was wrong. Expecting to find her waiting in the kitchen or living room, he relaxed when his ears could hear her deep breathing and heartbeat. Slowly, he made his way to his bedroom, knowing that's where she would be.

Hayley laid atop his bed on her side with her head resting on one of the many pillows. Elijah moved slowly to the other side and sat carefully, making sure not to wake her. There were slight shadows underneath her eyes. When was the last time she'd slept? He questioned. Her hair and clothes were slightly wet; he assumed it was due to the rain.

A week apart from her being upset with him made it seem twice as long. Although he wanted nothing more than to see her, he knew she deserved to come to him when she was ready. Her reaction didn't really shock him. He knew he deserved it, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

Elijah's attention was diverted as he saw goose bumps appearing on her arms. He grabbed a blanket and carefully placed it over her body. Hayley sighed in her sleep. Elijah moved back to his spot on the bed, watching over her.

As if she could sense his company, Hayley gradually woke up. Her eyes blinked a few times before falling on Elijah. A tired smile went across her face.

"Hey." She said softly.

Elijah smiled back. "Hello." He took her in before continuing. It'd been too long since he'd seen her smile. "I wish you had called me to inform me you were here."

She shrugged. "I just figured you'd being doing something important if you weren't home." Hayley paused. "I'm sorry…. for leaving. I shouldn't have done that."

"I fully understand why you did. I believe I deserved it and I should be the one apologizing." He said honestly.

"All I was thinking about was you dying. And it scared me. It's still scaring me. I feel like I'm just waiting around for you to leave me to go on this sacrifice."

Elijah abruptly interrupted. "I'm not leaving you."

Hayley sat up. "But what if you don't mean to?" She shook her head as if it was stopping her from continuing. "I don't want to argue about it anymore." Hayley moved over and wrapped her warms around him. Her body welcomed his familiarity. Elijah took in her smell mixed with rain. He couldn't imagine lasting any longer with out it. "Just…don't ever die." Hayley's voice was flat as she whispered it. The idea was too serious for her to even add emotion to it. He rubbed her back, trying to calm her and rid the thoughts of him leaving.

"I'm sorry for causing all this worry. I should have told you sooner. But I didn't want my problems to overtake your mind. There mine to deal with, not yours. Useless effort on my part, it's happening anyhow." Elijah murmured, his mouth to her ear.

Hayley turned to face him. "No one should deal with things so serious on their own. I don't mind. I'm just scared for you." Her grip on him tensed with the last part.

Elijah smiled. "Hayley, I think you underestimate my abilities."

"You're not scared of anything! That's why I have to put some sense into you."

His smile quickly vanished. "That's not true. I'm scared of losing you. I was scared that night Katarina took you. I wouldn't live with myself if your innocent life was ended due to your involvement with me." Hayley took everything in; she didn't expect any of it. Obviously she knew he loved and cared for her. But she wasn't aware that her death was the only thing he feared.

"So you understand how I feel. I can't lose you like you can't lose me. If the situation was reverse you wouldn't let me try and kill my murderous brother."

"Yes, but I wouldn't let you. I'd stop you." Elijah defied.

"Well, the human girl can't really stop the super fast, inhumanly strong, and compelling vampire can she?" She said sarcastically. Just as she finished her stomach grumbled. Traitor, she thought.

"Did you eat?" Elijah asked.

"About that… I decided to skip dinner rather than be forced to eat with my parents." Hayley hoped that he wouldn't push the subject further. She didn't want to talk to him about it. But Elijah never let her take the easy way out, otherwise she'd never tell him anything. She always believed her problems were too mundane for him.

"There's something worse than my parents never being around." Her eyes drifted from his as her thoughts were clearly reminiscing on the latest encounter with her mom and dad. "They don't listen to me. It's so obvious. When I'm speaking all they do is wait for me to stop so they can keep going. We started talking about college and all they care about is what they think I should do, not what's best for me." She sighed, getting worked up just thinking about it.

Elijah could almost see her thoughts racing from one concern to another. Although her maturity was far greater than most girls her age, that didn't mean she cared less about teenage difficulties.

He intertwined his fingers with hers. Tilting her chin, from his chest, to look at him. "Hayley, you're too young to worry that things will never be ok." She laughed a little. "Right. Perspective. I'm such a cynic sometimes."

Elijah smiled at her. "Come on. Let's get you some food." He started getting up and Hayley's face turned into a frown at the separation. He chuckled at her.

"I know you're hungry. I'll take you somewhere."

Her eyebrows rose. "Like a date?" She asked, amused. Elijah rolled his eyes at her, but then nodded his head seriously. Hayley jumped up and quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Let me put my shoes on."

Just as she was walking past him to grab her converse she'd kicked off earlier, Elijah grabbed her wrist softly. Pulling her close he asked, "Are you planning on going home tonight?" His hand had slowly moved down from her wrist to her hand.

"I'd rather not." Hayley whispered. Not because of her parents, but because she didn't want to separate from him again. Not yet.

"Good. Since, I wasn't going to let you leave."

"Why would you ask then?" Hayley inquired through a smile.

"So you're convinced you have free will." Elijah had a crooked grin as he bent his head down towards her lips. Hayley grabbed his tie, pulling him closer. She'd missed him, missed this. Her problems always seemed to be put into perspective around him. He calmed her.

Pulling away from their kiss, she pecked him on the cheek. "Let's go on a date." Hayley smirked as she dragged him out of the bedroom.

Review. I promise I'm going to post a bunch of stuff this weekend and following week. And reviews make me happy. DON'T YOU WANT TO MAKE ME HAPPY?