Hello, my lovely readers. It's that time of the year, again, which means it's Haylijah Halloween time. In this one-shot Hayley has not met Elijah and works for the Salvatore School. They are about to have to work together to fight the newest monster. On with the show…
Ch. 12: It's Your Pet... Isn't It?
October 2011:
Driving down a darkened street in New Orleans, all Hayley Marshall could think about was how close she was to answers concerning her, and her family. Everyone came from somewhere, and, according to Klaus Mikaelson, the Crescent pack came from this place. It felt like a good stone to turn over and see what turned up. A tiny part of her felt regret for the friends she'd lost on her journey, but if she had it all to do again, she would in a heartbeat. Finding her family meant too much. It would leave her whole; she felt sure of it.
Her thoughts became a twisted mass as a sudden, excruciating pain entered her head. Her vision became clouded. Hands going to her throbbing head the steering wheel took a severe turn to the left and the car sailed into a tree.
Gasping, Hayley found her head had connected with the steering wheel. Hand grasping for the door handle, she gripped it and pushed outward. Half-falling out of the driver's side, Hayley stumbled to her feet. She blinked at the sight of people coming toward her. Witches. They were chanting and Hayley let out a warning snarl as her body attempted to collapse beneath her. She had to run. But she couldn't. She had to fight. But she wanted to sleep. So bad...
The chanting ended abruptly, and the sounds of rending flesh and screams of fear and panic filled the air. There were other noises, too, someone shouting, commanding the others to "Keep going! We can't lose her!"
Hayley saw a flash of fur and fang. Another wolf had come to her rescue. "Thank you," she whispered, hoping her mystery savior heard her.
Taking off for the street, Hayley hoped to draw some of the witches her way. She might be injured, but she could fight a couple off. She didn't want them to attack the wolf who came to save her. They might be part of The Crescent pack.
A beam of headlights came down the lonely road and Hayley darted in front of front them. The sound of screeching tires filled the air as the driver halted. The driver's side door popped open and a blond woman appeared in the light. "Hey! Do you need help?"
"Yes!" Hayley shouted as more screams reached them. Four witches came out of the woods. They saw Hayley and began to chant. Then the wolf appeared, grabbing one of the witches by an ankle and dragged them away. "We need to go!" Hayley called to the shocked blonde.
The other woman acted quickly. She leapt back, behind the wheel, jerking her door closed and leaning over to pop the lock for Hayley. Hayley jumped in and the blond slammed her foot on the accelerator. "Buckle up!" The blond shouted before twisting the wheel. She aimed for the remaining witches on the roadside, before spinning the wheel at the last second as the witches dove into the ditch behind them. She let out a surprised laugh. "That worked out."
"It did. Thanks, Camille."
Camille looked at her name tag and rolled her eyes. "You can call me Cami..."
"Hayley." Hayley felt relieved but not enough to give her full name to a stranger.
"Well, Hayley, if you don't mind unsolicited advice, you might want to consider heading out of town until whoever those people are decide to stop looking for you." Cami's green eyes moved to Hayley.
Hayley shook her head. "I have to stay in town. I'm here to find my family."
"Oh?" Cami looked thoughtful. Then she smiled. "Well, you're in luck, because I happened to know the guy who has all the information. My uncle is the local priest. Kieran O'Connell. He runs St. Anne's. They've kept the locals' records for all the births and deaths, for at least a century, probably more."
"Yeah?" Hayley nodded. That could be useful.
"Let me take you out-of-town. I'll leave you my number and talk to my uncle. And you can decide what to do from there." Cami looked to Hayley.
Hayley thought about it. She did not relish another run-in with the welcome wagon of witches. "Okay."
That is how Hayley found herself in Baton Rouge. Within a week, Cami followed through on her promise to help Hayley with any information the good Father could deliver. Hayley also found out she was pregnant, with Klaus Mikaelson's child. And the last puzzle piece slid into place. Those witches did not want Hayley. They wanted this baby. She would be damned if they would get it...
Mystic Falls, October 2028:
"Bah! I'm a vampire!" Milton Greasely cried, popping out of a closet to the right side of the hallway and flapping a long, black cape while flashing plastic fangs at an amused Hayley. MG was one of The Salvatore Boarding School's resident vampires and Hayley did not miss the irony behind the costume, mainly because MG was as far from Dracula as she was from a pug on a full moon.
But Hayley decided to play along. "Very scary, MG."
"You like it, Ms. Marshall." Hayley did not get to spend a lot of time on campus, to talk with the students, and to spend with her daughter. She worked as a recruiter, most of the year, taking assignments from Caroline Forbes and Alaric Saltzman, to help pay for Hope's tuition. She knew that Klaus had sent Caroline a generous check, not long after Hope began attending the school, but Hayley liked to pretend that it had nothing to do with Hope. They had come this far without the Mikaelsons playing an active role in Hope's life: Why start now?
MG broke into Hayley's thoughts. "It's for Lizzie's annual Halloween par-"
"Ahem." A loud cough came from behind MG and Hayley's brows rose at the sight of Alaric.
Whirling around, MG waved his cape. "Bah! I'm a-Oh! Hey, Dr. S."
Alaric folded his arms over his chest. This would not end in happiness. "I distinctly remember saying: There will be no parties, after what happened last year!"
"But Dr. S!" MG protested. "No one got hurt-"
"No one got killed. But flying brooms that went through our windows. A drunken vampire who nearly drained one of the witches whose mother is the head of the most powerful coven in the tri-state region. And a werewolf, let loose in the dorms? That's not Halloween fun! That's chaos!"
"But, Daddy!" The closet door swung open and Lizzie Saltzman exited. She wore a pout, a nearly see-through white nightgown, and had blood trailing down the side of her neck, her eye make-up perfectly smudged and red lipstick matching the blood. "We've already put in real effort for this year's set-up. See, the students will go through the dorms which are all Haunted House style." She pointed to the closet with a smile. "Then they will go down to the assembly hall which will include a dance and all of the wolves promised to not turn, this year." Her eyes crinkled as she smiled at her dad.
"The party is NOT happening!" Alaric was un-swayed.
"But-" Lizzie placed her hands on her hips. "This party is All everyone has talked about. For weeks! You can't just cancel it-"
"I. Just. Did." Alaric turned to Hayley. "May I have a word?"
"Sure." Hayley nodded.
Lizzie stood, gawking at her father before letting out a shrill cry and turning away, hands balled into fists. "Come on, Jo! We have a party to un-do!" The tall, blonde ground out.
The closet opened, again, and Josie Saltzman came out. She wore a blue, Salvatore School PJ shorts and top ensemble with corn syrup blood on her neck and a pout on her lips as she looked at her dad's back and hurried after Lizzie. MG trailed behind them, cape fluttering.
With the students gone, Alaric focused on Hayley. "Caroline and I have to leave the school for the next day. Possibly a little longer. And we need you to take care of the place while we're gone-"
"What? No! I'm field agent material, not run the whole place!" Hayley cried, feeling like Lizzie.
"Hayley-"
"What about Emma? Or Dorian?"
"They're taking the holiday off, after last year, they earned it. We trust you, Hales. Your recruited most of the new kids. And a lot of the other students know you, and trust you, too. Again, we'll be back. Soon. Don't make me say: Please." Alaric grinned and Hayley rolled her eyes.
"Fine. One night. You had better hope nothing crazy happens. Oh, and I want a bonus."
"Done." Alaric was already moving away from her and Hayley thought she should have asked for more. Halloween should be quiet with no parties. She hoped.
Several Hours Later:
"The punch bowl should be over there!" Lizzie Saltzman called. She pointed to the other end of the twenty-foot-long dining table. Jed-the werewolf with anger issues that Hayley's tense self could relate to, groaned and lugged the immense punch bowl full of shimmering, clear fluid that Hayley truly hoped was not vodka-to the other end of the table.
"Man, looks like Lizzie is really riding her broom tonight." Kaleb Hawkins, another vamp (slightly more Count Drac-like in nature, or at least that's what he wanted others to think...) shook his head at the siphoner.
Rafael, one of the newer members of the school, in general, and the wolf pack, in particular, nodded in agreement. Vamps and wolves did not usually hang out but they had a mutual friend, Landon Kirby, the kid who had yet to join a faction. Kind of like Hope... Hayley sighed, wondering where her daughter was, but she had to deal with Lizzie, first.
"Lizzie!" Hayley called, making her way down the steps of the assembly hall.
Hayley heard Kaleb let out a snicker, whispering to Raf, "Things are about to get interesting."
Lizzie turned to Hayley with a broad smile before making her way over to the bottom of the staircase. "Ms. Marshall," she began in her best, smooth things over with the parental unit, tone. "Hello, again."
"Your dad made it quite clear that this party was NOT happening, Elizabeth." Hayley began.
Again, she could hear Kaleb."Ooo. She used the E-word!"
Lizzie let out a light laugh and waved a dismissive hand. "But Daddy, and Mom, left. And you're in charge. So, you can let us have the party. I know Hope is really looking forward to debuting her costume. Something to do with Dorothy...and I believe Landon will be her Toto. You know something small, and furry."
Frowning, Hayley stared at Lizzie who gave Hayley an expectant look. "Lizzie." Hayley leaned down and stared into the girl's wide blue eyes. "The party is canceled." The doorbell rang as Lizzie's smile faltered.
"But...but Hope..." Lizzie tried.
"Don't use my kid against me, young lady. Now, this place better be clean by the time I get back." Hayley turned her back as the doorbell chimed, again.
"Looks like someone's raining on your parade," Penelope Park called from above with a smirk.
Groaning, Hayley shot the mischievous girl with a dark look and Penelope shrugged. Bonus pay. That is why Hayley was doing this. A nice present for Hope. Possibly a vacay, far from the school. Just as she thought that, 80s music blasted at her from below. "And turn that off!" she added, annoyed.
As Hayley made her way through the hallowed halls, she noted the lights flickering. No one mentioned the possibility of a storm. And Hayley had not noted wind. Still, the lights dimmed on her way to the front door. And just as Hayley wrapped her fingers around the knob, the lights flicked off.
Outside the door, a man stood in shadow. All Hayley could see at first was his Rolex watch, and a small, brown box he held in the palm of one hand.
"Hello?" Hayley greeted the man. She peered at him through the shadows and he took a step closer, helping her to get a good look at his tailored suit and half-smile.
"You must be Hayley." There was something about the way he said her name. No sign of questioning. No. This man knew who she was.
"Who the hell are you?" Hayley demanded, looking him over. "You're not UPS."
The man chuckled and took another step forward, his left foot almost inside the foyer. "I'm sorry. How rude of me. I'm Elijah Mikaelson."
The blood ran to Hayley's feet and she tried to push the door closed in Elijah's face. She knew this day would come. The one where an Original, or worse yet, Klaus himself, would come for what was "his." Of course, he sent Elijah. Katherine Pierce once warned Hayley of the suit-wearing Original. Handsome. Kind. And deadly. Also, Klaus' right hand who would do anything for his family. Apparently, that included seeking out their children and starting a supernatural custody battle.
Elijah's hand shot out, catching the door, and preventing Hayley from closing it in his face. His expression did not change. "I do not mean to alarm you, Miss Marshall. I simply wish to meet my niece. If that is alright with you." His dark eyes stared into Hayley's. For a second, she feared he meant to compel her. But she did not feel compulsion taking effect.
With a sigh, Hayley took a large step back. "Come in." Not that he needed the invite. Vampires could come onto these grounds; whenever they wished. "Come with me." She said the words but refused to turn her back on the thousand-year-old. No way would she let him catch her off-guard.
Elijah came in and closed the door with his free hand. His hand flicked the lock into place before he turned an expectant gaze on Hayley. "This way," Hayley waved for Elijah to walk beside her and down a hall, far from the staircase that led to the dorms where her child should be. As they began to walk down the hall, the lights came back on. Hayley hoped that was a good sign.
Not being able to help herself, Hayley kept sneaking glances at Elijah and the box. He just seemed so...not Klaus-like. Not a hair out of place. Suit probably ironed while he was still wearing it. And his temperament was far less erratic. Damn. Hayley would like him, if he weren't such a threat to her current life.
To change the topic in her head, Hayley led Elijah into the kitchen. Lots of nice, shiny knives to use. "Would you like a cup of tea?" she asked.
"That would be lovely. Thank you, Miss Marshall."
"You can call me Hayley. As you pointed out, I am the mother of your niece." Hayley could hear the edge in her own voice as she filled the kettle and then moved to the Oven. Once the water was hot enough, it would become another weapon in her arsenal.
Turning back to Elijah, Hayley eyed the box. "Is that a present, for her...from him?" She refused to invoke Klaus' name. Hell, he hadn't even bothered to send Hope so much as a teddy bear over the years. So, why now?
"This?" Elijah looked down at the box, with a frown. "I found it on the doorstop. It was addressed to the school. I thought I would bring it in..."
"Oh?" Hayley felt a remark about an Original having better sense than to bring a suspicious package into a place, but was interrupted by the sounds of giggles. Very familiar giggles. Daughter giggles. Hope. NO!
Before Hayley could think of a way to stop it from happening Hope and Landon entered the kitchen. They were dressed in PJs. "Lizzie is so pissed at your mom-" Landon was saying, laughing, a wide smile on his face when he ran into Hope. "Oh! Hi, Hope's mom...and mysterious man in our kitchen..."
Hope grinned. "Are we interrupting?" Her eyes twinkled as she looked from Elijah to Hayley.
"NO!" Hayley shook her head and Hope's smile faded.
"Hope?" Elijah moved closer to Hope and Hayley backed up. Her hand went behind her, reaching for the tea kettle that had begun to steam.
"Yes?" Hope glanced from her mother to Elijah.
Hayley was about to grab the tea kettle when an ear-piercing scream filled the air. Then the lights went out, again. Without thinking twice, Hayley ran across the kitchen. Her arms wound around Hope's shoulders.
Seconds later, the lights came back up and Hayley found herself staring into Elijah's narrowed eyes. He looked up at the ceiling his lips pursed in thought before he looked back at Hayley. "This is not usual?" His brows rose as he spoke.
"No." Hayley replied, noting that Landon stood to Hope's side. His curly head was buried in her daughter's back. His arms wrapped around her waist. Then the werewolf looked down.
Pedro had come in without any of them noting the little witch. He glanced up at Hayley with wide, dark eyes. "There's another monster, Ms. Marshall."
"Monster?" Elijah frowned as Pedro nodded at him with such seriousness, you would think Pedro a man of forty, rather than a boy of not quite seven.
"Yes. Monsters come and attack our school."
"It's kind of our thing." Hope shrugged. "I guess it's time to figure out what the latest one is." Unfazed, she picked Pedro up and made her way down the hall.
Elijah looked to Hayley but said nothing as they made their way down the hall and around the corner. They were now going up the stairs that would lead to the dorms Hayley did not want Elijah anywhere near. However, Alaric and Caroline had left Hayley in charge. This meant all of these kids were Hayley's responsibility. She would just have to get rid of Elijah later.
A third scream rent the air and Hope whirled on her heel, setting Pedro down and then shoving the door to a darkened room open. Hayley followed her daughter inside.
Lying in bed was Wade. He had his covers pulled up to his chin. His cheeks were streaked with tears. "Wade, what's wrong?" Hope demanded, her eyes darting around the room, searching the corners for a monster.
Wade shook his head. "Gob-" He shook his head, choking on a sob, "Gob-'"
Suddenly, Elijah appeared and knelt down beside Wade who peered at him through his glasses. "Gob what, Wade? Please, explain, so we might find what attacked you?" He placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Goblins. They were goblins Wade looked at Hope.
Hope's brows rose. "Goblins?"
"Yes." Wade's chin quivered. "Incredibly tall goblins. They were ten feet tall. Had pointed teeth, like vampires, only longer, and sharper." Elijah shot Hayley a look that said he didn't believe the boy but he did not interrupt Wade. "They said... They said they wanted to eat me; 'cause I smelled like candy!" He began to cry again.
Now, Elijah patted the boy's shoulder. "Do not fear, Wade. We will find the creatures." Just as he said this, the lights went out again, and Wade yelped.
"What is with the lights?" Hope called out.
"That's what I'm going to find out. Hope. Stay with Wade. Landon?"
"Yes!" Landon called out in the darkness.
"Do you have your phone?" In response, a light came on in the hallway and Landon's face appeared. "Good. Take Pedro back to his room and then go back to your own. Or have Rafael come to you." She turned to the Original in the room. "Elijah, you're with me."
Elijah said nothing but his mouth did that thing that resembles a smile. Hayley would find it a turn-on, if she wasn't determined he was the enemy. Without another word, the wolf mama made her way into the hallway.
Hayley and Elijah went down the darkened hall and down the stairs. One of the first places they checked was the gym. Open space. Hard to hide. In the dark, they could hear panting and heavy breathing. "Take it back to your room!" Hayley called, waving the couple out. After that, they found two more couples. One in a broom closet. And another in a teacher's office. "Dorian will be pissed about his chair." Hayley shook her head.
"It is Halloween. Some couples find that to be an aphrodisiac," Elijah said in the darkness and Hayley rolled her eyes as they approached the kitchen they had just left, not so long ago. They could hear the quiet whispering of voices. Multiple voices. Elijah and Hayley looked at each other before Elijah shot into the kitchen. "Students!" he called out as Hayley came in to find part of the wolf pack. They had their arms full of food.
"Lights are out. Got to save the food!" One of the weres announced.
"Alright. Go to bed!" Hayley waved them out.
They went into the great room which kids like to study in by the fireplace. They also liked to do other things. Hayley though goblins might like to hide in the fireplace and pop out at people. Or maybe that was another mythic creature...
Coming into the room, Hayley found a group of witches. They were smoking something that was not pot, but something that was not legal at the school. "Party's over, folks. Back to your beds!" Hayley clapped her hands together. "Come on! Up!" The witches groaned but obeyed her faster than Lizzie had.
Penelope got to her feet and folded her arms over her chest. "I get why you broke up Lizzie's party but shouldn't you be worried about those fedora-wearing, wrench-wielding, winged, things flying around the halls?"
Hayley stared at Penelope. "Excuse me."
Elijah jumped in. ""I think you've had too many herbs."
Scoffing, Penelope rolled her eyes. "What-ever! Just don't cry to me when Jo-Jo comes home and freaks out over this year's damage." She raised her hands and strode away.
In the end, they had come up with nothing. Hayley headed back to where Hope and Wade should be. Elijah was right behind her. "May I ask why you have not told your child about us, my siblings, and I?" His question felt like it came out of nowhere and Hayley felt her cheeks flush in the dark.
"I wanted Hope to be free of the shadow of Klaus Mikaelson. And she has been. She's happy. And she doesn't have a thousand-years-worth of enemies seeking to kill her-"
"But she has a right to know us-"
"I don't see how that is your business-"
"She is one of us-"
"NO!" She is not-"
"She is a Mikaelson, by blood. And I would say by temperament as well." Elijah's words made Hayley's heart squeeze.
"You don't know my daughter."
"I know that you came to New Orleans. You sought answers about your family, your lineage. What makes you think Hope will not do the same..." The lights flickered on and Hayley glared at Elijah. But he was looking at someone behind Hayley. Turning, Hayley found Hope and Wade behind her.
"Hope," Hayley began.
Hope's expression was closed off. Her eyes went from Elijah to Hayley. The longer it took for her child to speak, the harder it felt for Hayley to think of something to say.
Just as the tension reached its apex, a voice came from behind Elijah. "We have a problem!" Landon called.
Hayley turned to find Landon, Rafael, the Saltzman twins, MG, Jed and Kaleb. "The goblins are real!"
"And that's why you enlisted this group?" Hayley demanded, noticing all of the teens were far too awake.
"Where's the party, people?" Penelope came down the hall with a smile.
Before Hayley could ask why they weren't all in their rooms, the grandfather clock began to toll midnight. "Oh, that's not ominous, at all!" Penelope moved to snuggle up to Josie as the grandfather clock chimed, louder and louder and a hysterical laugh sounded from somewhere downstairs.
"Ugh! The toilet just exploded!" someone else called.
A loud crash sounded from downstairs, along with more, hysterical laughter. Hope took off and Hayley ran after her. Almost downstairs, they found Damon Salvatore's old car had crashed through the front door. "My car!" Lizzie shrieked.
"Our car!" Josie corrected, staring at the wreckage.
"What did this?" Elijah made his way past them and peered inside the car. "There is no one inside," he told them.
"I've been trying to tell you: It's not goblins!" Landon cried from the stairs.
"It's Gremlins!" Kaleb said and he and MG high-fived. "Knew it!" Kaleb said, nodding with a smile until he caught Hayley staring at him. "What?"
"And which one of you have the Mogwai now?" Hayley demanded.
MG looked guilty. "I didn't know it was dangerous-"
"Says every nerd, in every movie, who ever let loose a creature that can kill us all!" Lizzie groaned, rolling her eyes.
MG frowned. "I found him in the kitchen-"
"In a brown box?" Hope asked.
"The one you brought in!" Hayley accused Elijah who stood at the end of the stairs.
"Good job, strange man, in a very nice suit." Lizzie admired Elijah's clothes while Hayley rolled her eyes.
"Thank you, Ms. Saltzman," Elijah said before turning back to MG. "What do you believe happened with this Mogwai?"
"Someone must have fed it. Then it hatched all its little babies," Kaleb said, folding his arms over his chest, eyeing everyone.
MG'S shoulders fell. "I took it out of the box. He was so cute. And, so, I took him back to my room. I don't know if he ate anything there..."
"Well then, we need to find this Mogwai creature and find out if it did eat anything." Elijah looked at the others.
"Elijah's right." Hope looked at Hayley. "Mom, you, Elijah, Landon, and I, should go search the dorms. Jo and
"Penelope!" Penelope called. "Should form a team and search the closets."
"No!" Josie snapped.
"Take her with you," Hope added. "Kaleb, Jed and Rafael. Check the library."
"Why should I go?" Jed demanded. "I don't know anything about these things. You never invite me to your stupid movie nights," he grumbled the last part under his breath.
"Because you act like a dick!" Kaleb replied.
Jed glared and Hayley called out, "No fighting. Let's just track this thing down, before someone gets hurt."
"Someone might have already gotten hurt," Josie reasoned. "It's after midnight. The Mogwai ate, and now Gremlins are all over the school."
"Lizzie scoffed. "And it was supposed to be my party that was a problem!" Then she paused. "And I'm not on a team."
"Wade, you're with Lizzie." Neither teen looked happy about that. "You can check the assembly hall."
Hope took off before any more arguing could occur. Upstairs, they went into MG's room. No food wrappers could be found there. Going on a room, to room search, they found food wrappers in Jed's room which led to Kaleb's closet.
"Careful!" Landon warned Hope as she eased the door open. Sitting on a sweater was a small creature with round eyes, pointy ears. It held an Almond Joy. He cooed at the group.
"Sorry, man, but you can't have this anymore!" Landon tried to take the candy away and the Mogwai let out a low whine, placing the candy behind its back and scooting away from them.
Elijah stepped forward and picked up the Mogwai which let out a screeching sound, arms and legs flailing while Elijah examined it. "It does not seem to be emitting anything that I can say. Where do the children come from?"
"Depends on whether the movies got it right," Landon said.
"Give him to me! You're scarring him!" Hayley took the Mogwai which chittered at her and placed its head on her neck. She gave Elijah a dark look as everyone but Elijah's cell phones went off.
"Well, things just went from bad to worse. Or friends figured out selfies." Hope held up her phone, showing a group of Gremlins who had taken selfies with a trussed up Lizzie and Wade.
Groaning, Hayley made her way out of the room and into the hallway. She strode forward until a laugh rang out. Her ears pricked at the sound, feet slowing as a closet door fell open. "Bah! I'm a vampire!" A Gremlin screamed at Hayley, laughing it's head off and showing some teeth in serious need of dental work. The Gremlin as not ten feet tall. More like three, not including MG's cape which the Gremlin waved above its head.
Several things happened in quick succession. The lights went off and a string of orange bulbs came on to light the way. Elijah sped in front of Hayley as overheard lights went off. And Hope strode forward punching the Gremlin in the face while the Mogwai clung to Hayley's neck.
"That would be Klaus-like," Elijah muttered to Hayley. She rolled her eyes but agreed as Hope took hold of the still laughing Gremlin and shook it. "What do you want?" the tri-brid demanded.
"It's Miller Time!" The Gremlin cried, belching.
"They want The Super Bowl?" Landon questioned.
"Or a frat party!" Hope replied, nose wrinkling.
"Party! Party!" And out of the closet sprang two Gremlins dressed in Lizzie's and Josie's costumes. They grabbed Landon and jerked him into the closet. "Kisses!" they shrieked, giggling.
"Landon!" Hope shouted going pale.
"We want Land-on! Landon!" The Gremlin in her grip sang, grinning. "Give him! Give him! And candy! Candy! Candy!"
"Or not." Elijah jerked the closet door open. His hand went in and Gremlin No came out. Elijah's hand shot through her chest and Hayley stared at a tiny Gremlin heart that went plop, on the floor. Gremlin Lizzie screamed as Elijah took her out, too. Landon came out, covering in red lipstick and looked traumatized.
"Land-on!" The MG Gremlin called with a laugh.
Hope threw it at Elijah who made it stop taunting them. Hope threw herself into Landon's arms. They held each other for a moment before Elijah said, "We really must go."
Hope nodded. "Text the others," she told her boyfriend as she, her mother, Uncle, boyfriend and Mogwai headed past closets that emitted witch Gremlins and wolf Gremlins. Elijah dispatched them all.
They entered the assembly hall to find 80s rock pouring put of various musical devices. "Girls just want to have fun!" Gremlins sang in one corner. Others were splashing each other from Lizzie's punch bowl. A couple of more must have found Penelope's group's herbs as they wandered around touching walls and discussing the cosmos. A few more were dancing. And one danced on the table wearing the Miss Mystic crown. Caroline would have a meltdown.
Red fairy lights gave the room a ghastly glow. "So, not Lizzie's lights," Hope muttered. As she spoke, the rest of the group came piling in. Lizzie let out a cry through her gag, eyes on her sister.
"They...die!" The Miss Mystic Gremlin cried, turning its thumbs down.
"I'm thinking: No!" Hayley handed the Mogwai tog and the little guy let out a happy cry, the Mogwai that is...
Marching down the steps, Hayley held out her hands. "You want Landon, right?" she watched the amassed Gremlins turn their eyes upward. There were so many of them. Too many for Hayley and Elijah could not dispatch all of them, without a few Gremlins slipping past, and trying to get to Landon. But it looked like they didn't have a choice. They would just have to hope that the rest of the plan worked out.
"Well, come and get him then!" Rushing forward, she went for the king or queen of these little jackasses and the Gremlin reached out a clawed hand to swipe at her. She heard Rafael let out a growl from above and Elijah went by her, taking out three Gremlins with a single gesture.
Hope, Jo, and Penelope could be heard chanting from above. "You've got a problem with UV, right?" Hayley asked the head Gremlin who screamed as sunlight poured from above. Hayley felt satisfied as the Gremlins began to combust. Yes, this would mean a clean-up, but at least the monsters were goo. All but one. Her eyes went up to the little Mogwai. What were they going to do with him?
Landon came downstairs and freed the prisoners and Jo came down to reunite with her sister.
"Now what shall we do-with a bad guy defeated?" Elijah looked somewhat amused.
"We have a party of our own." Hayley saw Lizzie listening in. "Yes! You can have your party!"
"Really!" Lizzie clapped her hands together. "Okay, everyone, we have cleaning of Grem-goo, and a lighting change, need a new punch bowl, and..." Hayley and Elijah moved away.
"Is she always this bossy..." Elijah inquired.
Hayley grinned. "You've met Caroline."
"Yes. She visits..." Elijah shook his head.
Hayley rolled her eyes. "Sure, she does. Status reports on Hope, too?"
Elijah nodded and Hayley blew out a breath. She should have known. "Okay."
"Okay." Elijah repeated.
~0~
When all systems were Go for the party, Hayley had allowed herself to be dressed up as some kind of fairy princess, or godmother. This was Wade's idea. The witch seemed to be fascinated by fairies.
"We made him a crown!" Lizzie cried as Elijah came in to join them.
"Cause he's vampire royalty!" Kaleb cried into his cupped hands. "Make way for Elijah Mikaelson!" The vamps cheered and clapped.
Elijah held out an arm to Hayley who took it. "May I have this dance?" Elijah asked Hayley and she nodded.
Finding herself smiling, Hayley looked at Elijah. "I was thinking, maybe, Hope and I could come down to New Orleans. For Christmas..."
"That would be nice." Elijah spun her outward and Hayley saw Hope grinning at her.
Then Kaleb let out another cry: "You didn't say you were that kind of Mikaelson!" He was talking to Hope, hands on his. Thought you were, like, a Mikaelson from some human turned vampire from some golf family or something! How could you hide that from us!"
"Klaus Mikaelson is your dad!" Lizzie added.
"Elijah's your uncle?" Josie looked at Elijah.
"And you were a pair of Gremlins who violated me in a closet!" Landon took Hope by the hand, dragging her to the dance floor.
"What?" The twins called.
Hayley rolled her eyes. "Or we could do Thanksgiving. Possibly this weekend!" Hayley cried over the sounds of students arguing over Hope's status in the factions.
"Take me with you!" Landon cried, spinning past them.
Hope began to laugh and Hayley watched smiling. It felt pretty good to not feel like she was on her own. "Happy Halloween," she said.
"Happy Halloween," Elijah replied, dipping her. Why did he have to do make wearing a tin foil crown sexy...
The End
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Happy Halloween Month!
Be safe,
-J