Chapter Thirty Seven

The Woman

"I barely even see you anymore, Hailey."

I sighed and ran a hand over my face. Elena frowned at me from across her kitchen table, a mug of coffee sitting in her hands.

"I know, I'm sorry," I said, resting my elbows on the table. "I've just been so preoccupied by the originals- both sets. There's something coming for all of them, and I've somehow wedged myself in the middle of it."

"Why don't you just… leave them?" Elena suggested. "Tell them to deal with it on their own? I mean, it's not like they really need you."

I shook my head. "I can't, Elena. I'm already in too deep, anyway."

"Why not?" She asked, frowning.

"They're my family," I said simply with a shrug.

It'd been weeks since I'd had a conversation with Elena outside of texting. I missed her, I did, but it was strange, going back to my old life before all that Original drama. Elena seemed to think that the faster I got out of that mess, the better. But I couldn't just walk out. I didn't really want to. Elena always hated the supernatural world, hated how different it was compared to the ordinary, mundane life we led usually. She liked normal, embraced boring things like buying groceries and doing math homework.

Secretly, ever since I became involved in the world of vampires and fairies and the supernatural in general, I couldn't imagine my life going to back to before all of it. Back before I met Damon, when I still thought I was just psychic. I didn't want it to. I had no idea who I was, and I was alone. I had no family, except for my mom, but she never really counted. Now I was done with my identity crisis. I was Hailey Ellis, a badass fairy-vampire hybrid. And I had more family than I knew what to do with. I didn't want to go back to old Hailey.

Elena sighed, looking tired. "I just- I wish things were normal, you know? I want to go one day without vampires or witches or fairies or anything- I want normal."

I snorted. "Normal is way overrated, Elena."

She frowned up at me. "You mean, you don't want things the way they used to be?" she asked me disbelievingly.

"Yeah, basically," I said. "They won't be, so why wallow in the past? Nothing will ever be the same, Elena. You're a doppelganger and I'm a fairy, vampire, and a doppelganger. We're in love with vampire brothers and I'm related to the original families. I know you want normal, Elena, but I don't. I've never been normal. Normal is boring. Abnormal is where it's at."

I smirked at her, but Elena was still frowning at me. "You like it," she said. "You like the supernatural, the drama, the magic, and the near-death experiences. You revel in it."

I shrugged, unabashed. "Maybe," I said vaguely. "Or maybe I just know that my life sucked, and I don't want my afterlife to."

I realized how bad that sounded by the way Elena flinched, and I sighed. "I mean- okay, not all of it sucked. There were good parts. You, Damon, Ava, my friends. And I wish I had more time for that, for you. But, right now, I have to focus on my new life. And when everything's settled I'll return to you and Damon and high school and we can go back to as close to normal as we can get."

Elena nodded, but didn't look completely satisfied. "How about this," I added, in an attempt to get my best friend to forgive me. "One weekend. I'll give you one weekend, where I'll completely ignore the originals and focus on you. We'll do whatever you want. Okay?"

Elena perked up. "Yeah, okay." She stood up. "I'll call Caroline; see if there's anything going on tonight." She stood up to go call Caroline in the other room.

It was a bad time to be taking a break, but it'd be good for me. I was neglecting my friends, and Damon. And after I was done making it up to Elena, I could spend all night making it up to Damon.

The thought was enough to cheer me up.

~EL~

"No, Garrett, the point of the game is that you want to get the quarter into the cup."

Jace had been entrusted by Bella- who, frankly, scared him more than Elijah, who was never too far away from her- to take care of Joseph and Garrett. Get them introduced into the twenty first century, keep them out of trouble. He didn't mind, not in the slightest. Joseph and Garrett were cool guys, they were fun. The only downside to Bella's instructions was that Jace was no good at keeping out of trouble himself.

"But if you get the quarter into the cup, you don't get to drink," Garrett said slowly, confused. All three of them were sitting around a table, playing Quarters. Jace believed learning drinking games was essential in adapting to the culture of the current century. Plus, he was never one to pass up a chance to do shots.

"That's the point, Little Brother," Joseph said with a roll of his eyes.

"Then why am I playing this game, if It doesn't get me drunk," Garrett continued, frowning.

Jace laughed out loud. He liked his ancestors.

He had been in Mystic Falls for a few weeks, opting to sleep in one of the spare rooms of Fairy Mansion than in the Boarding House. He missed his friends, of course, but he had been pulled into this mess with the originals, and he couldn't be done with it until it was solved.

Over Garrett's shoulder, a waitress smiled at him. Jace had spent the previous night handcuffed to her headboard. He normally took control, but the waitress was a red head and crazy, and he was a sucker for those kinds of women. Plus, it was some of the best sex he had had in months. He smirked back at the waitress- what was her name? Kristie? Kristine? Kristina? - And the action didn't go unnoticed by Joseph, who was sitting next to him.

"Wasn't she the woman who you went home with last night?" He asked curiously, bouncing the quarter into the glass without even looking.

Jace smirked. "Yeah, it is. I think she dislocated my shoulder too." There was a burst of laughter from Garrett, causing the waitress to look back at Joseph. She smirked at him, her eyes practically undressing him. Joseph frowned and fidgeted.

"Why is she looking at me like that?" he muttered.

"I think she has- what do they call it? - a 'thing' for you, Brother," Garrett said, amusement in his voice.

Joseph's frown deepened. "But she just spent the night with Jace."

Jace shrugged, bounced the quarter, missed, swore, and took his shot swiftly. "That's how women are these days. Go for it, Joey. I won't hold anything against you. Just be careful, her handcuffs chaffed my wrists."

Joseph blinked slowly, trying not to imagine what Jace had described. "Don't call me Joey," he told him, making a face at the name. "And, I think I'll pass."

Jace frowned, but a look of comprehension made its way across Garrett's face. "Ah," he said, taking a sip of his drink. "Emily."

Jace looked from brother to brother. "Who's Emily?"

"My wife," Joseph said, a look passing over his face. "Or, she was my wife. She died a long time ago."

Married. Joseph was married. He had been twenty six when he died, and he had been married. Just five years older than Jace. He couldn't imagine getting married, tying himself down. It seemed very unpleasant.

Joseph smiled slightly, eyes lighting up when he remembered her. "I met her a few months after… everything happened. She was from a different village, had no idea what I was or what had happened. It was refreshing. She was refreshing. She was obnoxious, yes, very opinionated. Told me off the first time we met. She said whatever was on her mind, and I wanted to throttle her sometimes, but she was the best thing that ever happened to me. Emily."

Joseph was drunk. It was clear by the slow way he said his words, and why he was talking about his dead wife at all. His face darkened, and he reached for Garrett's drink. "She died giving birth to our first child. She never even got to hold her. At least Faith survived though. But then I died four years later and she was parentless."

Jace had the urge to tell Garrett to stop, but he didn't have it in him to. "You know, how they say you meet you loved ones when you die?" Joseph said, his voice barely a whisper. "It's all lies. I never saw Emily. A thousand years and I never once saw her."

"Hailey says only supernatural creatures and humans killed by them become ghosts," Jace said, almost dully. "Emily was none of those. She moved on."

"Then why didn't I?" Joseph's tone was demanding, but sad.

Jace met his gaze. "Because you didn't know that. You were waiting for her."

Their table went silent, and it wasn't until Garrett cleared his throat did Joseph look away from Jace. "This is why I don't drink with you, Joseph," he said lightly, teasingly. "Your drunk is depressing."

Joseph cracked half a smile, looking down at the table. His moment was over, no more terrible memories spilling out of his mouth. But there was still a dark look in his eyes, haunted almost. He chose not to say anything more, instead staring down at his drink thoughtfully.

Jace's phone started to ring in his pocket, and he fumbled first before managing to pull it out. "Yeah?"

"Ooh, somebody sounds drunk. What a bad influence you are, Big Brother."

Jace frowned. "Hailey? Weren't you in The Philippines or something?"

"What? No, I was in Philadelphia, and I got back like two days ago," Hailey said.

Jace shrugged. "Close enough."

"No, not really."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Hails. What's up? What do you need?" He hadn't seen his sister lately, with him focusing more on the adaptation of the Eriksons into the 21st century and her spending a lot of time with Bella trying to get their powers back.

"How drunk are you Jace?" She asked, ignoring his questions. She didn't sound concerned or upset, more amused than anything.

"I'm not drunk!" he denied. "If you think I'm bad, you should see Garrett right now."

"Hey!" Garrett said, frowning at him.

"You're drinking with Garrett right now?"

"And Joseph," he added.

"Bella's going to kill you for getting her brothers wasted," Hailey said bluntly.

Jace shrugged. "It happens."

Hailey sighed but moved on. "Whatever, it's your head she'll be ripping off."

"It wouldn't be the first time I had a woman attempt to kill me, Hailey Anne," Jace said smugly. "And it certainly won't be the last."

"You're disgusting."

He smirked. "I know. I hate myself."

He could practically hear Hailey's eyes roll. "Since we were on the topic of Bella," She said. "I need you to tell her that I'm going to be AWOL for a couple days."

He frowned. "Why can't you do it yourself?"

"Well, for one, I'm avoiding her," Hailey said. "And, for another, I'm hiding something from her, and the second Bella sees me she's going to know something's up. So I need you to play messenger for me."

Jace sighed. "Yeah, fine, I guess I can."

"And don't tell Bella that I'm hiding something from her."

He rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

"Thanks Big Brother," Hailey said cheerfully. "Catch you on the flip side."

She hung up and Jace frowned, the alcohol fogging up his brain. He struggled to remember what he had agreed to. Then Garrett pushed a shot in front of him, and he shrugged before tossing it back with ease.

~EL~

The best thing about vampire sex was that you could be as rough as you want and not do any real damage. This was a good thing, because Damon and I hadn't been that gentle even when I was human.

He practically slammed me into the bookshelf, old and priceless books falling to the ground. His lips were on my neck, my jaw, and my shoulders. His hands were up my shirt, and my legs were around his waist. We had forty seven minutes until Elena would drive by to pick me up and take me to a party, and Damon had every intention to use up every minute. It was a shame, how fast my sex life had plummeted since the originals had returned to Mystic Falls. I had every intention to use every minute we had to change that.

I quickly flipped us around and slammed Damon into the shelf. There was a crash as trinkets fell and smashed on the ground. "This is why we can't have nice things, Hailey," Damon joked, slightly breathless.

Then his hands were back on my skin, his lips were on mine. I ripped his shirt off as quickly as I could, tugging at my own before Damon took control again. He lifted me up, my arms and legs wrapped around him as I kissed every inch of skin I could get at. I was set down on a rather flimsy table, my jeans being practically ripped off of my legs.

"There's a bed just up the stairs, you know," I told him, leaning on my arms. "And a couch just in the next room."

"No time," Damon said, his fingers sliding under my shirt, tugging it upwards. "Only forty minutes left."

I smiled, a laugh getting caught in my throat. It died away quickly when Damon pinned me beneath him and the rest of our clothes came off.

The table ended up collapsing under us, so we settled for the rug. Half an hour later, I was standing up and slipping on Damon's shirt. He frowned at me, sitting up as he watched me walk away.

"And where do you think you're going?' he called.

I smirked over my shoulder. "I have to get ready. You know, high school party in the grave yard to attend and all that."

"We still have ten minutes left!" he reminded me.

"And I smell like sex, so I have to take a shower."

"I'll join you." In a blur, Damon was standing in front of me, pressed against me in a way that sent shivers down my skin.

I smirked up at him. "I think I like the idea of that."

I stretched up on my tiptoes to kiss him, when the doorbell rang. Damon groaned, and I let out a sigh as I pulled away from him.

"Damn Elena and her earliness," I muttered, heading towards the front door, leaving Damon in a bitter mood behind me.

"If she wasn't your best friend I swear to God I'd kill her."

There was another ring as I made my way to the door. "I'm coming I'm coming," I muttered. "Jesus Elena, can't you just let yourself in?"

I yanked the door open, and instead of seeing my favorite doppelganger, I saw the littlest fairy.

I groaned. "I swear to God, I'm moving."

Halia batted her big brown eyes up at me. "Am I interrupting something?"

~EL~

"Adora? Where are you?"

Adora smirked, tossing back her blonde hair as she walked up the street. "New York City," she said. "What an ironic name- this city isn't new at all."

She could hear Bella's shock in her tone. "You left Mystic Falls?"

"It really wasn't hard," Adora said, rolling her eyes. "All of you were so caught up in making sure Halia doesn't scrape her knee I managed to slip out without drawing unwanted attention to myself."

"But- why are you in New York?" Bella seemed dumbfounded that Adora even knew what New York City was let alone how to get to it.

"Doing something you're incapable of, Sister," Adora said smoothly. "Getting things done."

To be fair, it was a lot easier to get things done when you had the spirits on your side, something Bella would never have. They despised her, all of them. The witches hated fairies and everything they stood for, and they saw Bella as the leader of all fairies, the symbol of them.

Not to her surprise, Bella wasn't thrilled about Adora wandering around on her own. She didn't trust her. "When will you be back?" Bella asked hesitantly, as if she was debating whether or not to go out there and drag her back by her thumbs.

Adora shrugged. "A day or two," she said vaguely. "Now, if you'll excuse me Bella, I have business to attend to."

"Adora-"

She hung up, her eyes going to the person at the end of the street, the person the spirits had tracked down for her. All because they told her that person would be essential in fixing The Problem.

"You, my friend, were not an easy person to find."

She turned around slowly, meeting Adora's gaze slowly. She raised an eyebrow at her, and Adora smirked. "I'm not supposed to be," she said, eyeing the fairy. "In fact, nobody has ever been able to find me."

In a blur, she had Adora pinned to the brick building behind them by her neck. Adora laughed out loud, the sound being strangled by the hand wrapped around her throat. "You really don't want to do that, Sweetheart," she gasped out.

The woman frowned, her nose wrinkling as she smelled something. She sighed suddenly, eyes lighting up in understanding. "You're a fairy," she said, before letting Adora go.

She watched Adora warily. "I worked with a fairy once, though she was crazy. Ended up killing herself. She tasted really good, though." She eyed Adora's neck. "Remind me why I shouldn't sink my teeth into your throat right now, Fairy."

Adora smirked up at her. "Pleasure to meet you, though I prefer to go by Adora," she said dryly.

The woman raised an eyebrow, as if she had heard her name before. "Adora…" she trailed off. "It rings a bell."

"As it should," she said proudly, lifting her chin. "I'm no ordinary, run-of-the-mill fairy. I'm an original."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Please, all of the originals died a thousand years ago."

"All except one," Adora corrected her, and her eyes flashed. "But we'll get to her later. I'm the real deal, Sweetheart. Adora Erikson, born so long ago even I don't remember."

"Prove it."

"I don't need to," she said haughtily. "You know I'm not lying. You're a world class liar, and liars can always spot a lie when they see one."

The woman stared at her, before her lip curled sarcastically. "It seems I'm in the presence of royalty then," she remarked dryly. "An original fairy. What an honor."

Adora smirked at her. "I heard about your sass. It was one of the reasons I knew we would be fast friends."

The woman rolled her eyes. "And what are the other reasons? What do you want from me exactly? Original or not, I'll still tear into your throat. I bet your blood tastes better than any other fairy I've tasted."

Adora ignored her. "I want your assistance in destroying my family- namely my sister."

"And why would I help you?" she drawled.

Adora smirked. "Because, Miss Petrova, you hate Bella almost as much as I do."

Katherine smirked back. "Can't argue with that."

~EL~

A/N: I am so sorry for the wait guys! This chapter was more of a filler, to set up for the next few chapters.

Next time on Eternal Love: Bella has strong words with both Ellis', Klaus tries to win the girl back, Halia goes to her first kegger, and Adora and Katherine raise a little hell.

Review!

~Abby :)