Word Count: 2,765

I was sitting in the back booth of Rousseau's with Klaus and Elijah as Irish music poured through the air and the patrons of the bar danced and partied as a way to celebrate Father Kieran's life. He had died from the hex that the witches had put on him for aiding Klaus. I propped my feet up on the table as I sipped my glass of bourbon. Klaus looked uneasy and on edge, tired and irritable. Elijah looked exhausted as well, but typical Elijah kept it well hidden.

"Seems rather uncivilized—to laugh and dance around the body of a loved one." Klaus muttered, sipping his drink.

"Yes, far better to practice your process of grief, isn't it, Niklaus?" Elijah taunted him. "Denial."

"Rage." I added.

"Hoarding coffins in basements." Klaus glared at both of us.

"If any of y'all party like this whenever I die, I'm gonna come back and haunt your asses." Hayley swooped in out of nowhere and slipped into the seat next to me.

"I will warn you, Hayley, Niklaus is in a spectacularly foul mood today." Elijah warned her.

"Isn't he always?" I mumbled, tasting my bourbon and sighing at the welcoming burning sensation at the back of my throat.

"Sod off." Klaus snarled at us.

"Case and point."

"What's the deal with these moonlight rings?" Hayley demanded from Klaus. "Oliver's trying to start a revolution every five seconds. People are scared, angry and, frankly, I'm tired of stalling."

"I could always just eat Oliver." Hayley frowned at me and I shrugged my shoulders as I took another sip from my bourbon.

"It's a day of pace, Hayley." Klaus reminded her. "Try and enjoy it. In the meantime with all manner of unknown enemies conspiring against our family, you'll move back in with us." Hayley rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Awesome." She said as I raised my eyebrows and pointed my finger at Klaus.

"Uh-uh." I clicked my tongue at Klaus. "Don't start this again, Klaus. We all agreed that she was safe out in the bayou with her pack."

"Oh, don't worry, Hayden. We can do that thing where you lock me in a tower, I escape, there's drama, and then you three realize that I'm very capable of looking after myself."

"The rings are in progress." Klaus informed Hayley. "I will live up to my word. We will find and punish whoever launched the attack on the bayou and you will return to the compound for your own safety but right now, I'm gonna finish this bottle… and the next in hopes of drowning the demon that has chosen today to haunt me."

"Mm." I hummed, scratching my chin in thought. "Wise choice."

"Cheers, Mikael. Impeccable Freudian timing." Klaus took a long hard swig from the bottle as Elijah looked at his younger brother with worry and horror. Elijah moved to sit on the edge of his seat, licking his lips and sucking on his teeth.

"Elaborate." Elijah demanded roughly. "Have you dreamt of our father?"

"Go ahead. Have a good laugh."

"I can assure you there isn't a piece of this that I find remotely amusing, Niklaus, especially considering I've been dreaming of him, too." The blood drained from Klaus's face as he stared at his older brother.

"What?"

"If you are also seeing him…" Elijah looked across the bar where Genevieve was standing. "Perhaps our elusive unknown enemy is orchestrating a further attack." Klaus turned to look at the witch as well.

"Well, then what better way to punctuate a day of peace… than by killing someone?" I threw my head back and groaned. I hated when he talked like that because talking like that always led to bloodshed.

TO

We were walking through the streets of New Orleans for the funeral march as men carried Father Kieran's casket at the front of the crowd as he made his last journey through the streets to his final resting place. Bells rang around as I pulled my sweated closed tightly around me, shivering and letting out a yawn. Elijah walked on my left with Hayley on my right and Klaus just on the other side of her. Hayley let out another coughing fit and I eyed her worriedly.

"Uh, uh, don't you be starting that coughing crap." I muttered, stretching my arms, and yawning before wrapping my arms back around me to keep my sweater closed.

"Says the hybrid who had yawned for the tenth time in the past five minutes." Hayley snapped as I yawned again. "Eleven." Hayley coughed again, her shoulders shaking with effort.

"Seriously, are you alright? You look—"

"A hundred months' pregnant and pissed off at the world?"

"I was going to say you look like a beach ball." Hayley punched me in the shoulder, the muscle now aching from the impact. "Ow! Hayley, behave yourself. This is a funeral march." Glaring at me for a second more, Hayley turned to look at Klaus as we continued walking.

"Do you think I was the target of those bombings?"

"Of course, you were the target." Klaus scoffed. "Were I to wage a war on the wolves, you'd be my first kill. I would string you up for all your worshippers to see."

"Oh, that sounds lovely." I said under my breath sarcastically.

"I believe that was my brother's way of telling you he'd like you to return home with us." Elijah translated. "Perhaps try a different approach, Niklaus, with fewer references to murder."

"As much as I would hate to throw you over my shoulder and drag you kicking and screaming to the compound, we both know I will for the sake of my child." Klaus rephrased and I furrowed my brows and frowned.

"I guess that was a little better." I muttered.

"One bad dream and suddenly he wants to a responsible daddy." Hayley retorted under her breath to me.

"How odd." Klaus threw his arm over Hayley's shoulders and pulled her to his side as we continued walking.

"Let me put this in perspective." Klaus told her. "My father lived to torment me. It is not my intention to become him. This cycle of misery ends with my child." Hayley chuckled softly before throwing his arm off her.

"You forgot one thing in your attempt to plead your case." Hayley chided him. "She's not your child. She's ours." Hayley picked up her pace and I watched her as she met up with Cami at the front of the crowd, a few dozen yards ahead of us.

"Very heartfelt, Niklaus." Elijah told him.

"I blood hate funerals." Klaus growled, rolling his eyes.

"For once, I can actually agree with you on something." I muttered, scanning the crowd. We walked in silence for a couple more minutes, taking comfort in Elijah's presence being so near me. My moment of serenity was short lived as I noticed Hayley was on the side of the street, leaning against a pillar and hunched over. I perked my ears to hear her coughing again but the blood dripping from her mouth was what caught my attention. "Hayley!" I ran over to her just as she collapsed on the ground and I skidded to a halt by her side. Her eyes were closed, and blood was still trickling out of the corner of her mouth. Her heartbeat was faint. "Elijah! Klaus!" They over to us in seconds and Elijah bent down to pick Hayley up before heading down an alley and vamp speeding back to the compound. Klaus entered the compound first while I swarmed around Elijah, my eyes never leaving Hayley's body. Klaus cleared off the table in the courtyard and Elijah gently laid her down across the surface. I began to hyperventilate as panic began to take over. Each breath I took felt like shards of glass in my lungs. Genevieve followed us into the courtyard and walked over to Hayley's side.

"I can help." The witch said and I placed my arms over Hayley as a barrier and snarled furiously as my eyes burned with tears from fear and panic.

"Don't you touch her." I snarled, my voice quivering.

"Let her be, Hayden." Klaus ordered breathlessly as he tried to control his own worry and fear. "She was a nurse."

"There's a spell I can do." Genevieve explained. "Klaus, get chamomile from the pantry." Firm but gently hands enclosed around my arms as Elijah slowly and cautiously pulled me back away from Hayley so Genevieve could try to help her. Hayley was violently shaking on the table now.

"She's trembling." I breathed. "What is happening to her?"

"I don't know. You jacket, Elijah." Elijah quickly stripped of his jacket and laid it over top of Hayley's body. As I watched him, I noticed Hayley's chest was moving. My chest caved and my stomach churned.

"Oh, my God. She's not breathing."

"I can hear the baby's heartbeat, but not hers." Elijah said. Klaus came back with the chamomile and handed it off to Genevieve who took it and pressed it to Hayley's forehead as she began to mutter and incantation.

"Coeur blesse, battre avec mwen…" Genevieve chanted as I walked up to Hayley's side and raised a shaking wrist to my mouth. I bit into my wrist just enough to draw blood and pressed it to her lips, but she didn't drink.

"Come on, Hayley, drink." I pleaded, a tear running down my cheek. "Just a little bit. Come on, Hayley, please. Please don't do this to me." When she didn't drink, I whirled around, looking wildly at Elijah and Klaus. "She's not healing. Why isn't she healing? The baby should be healing her. The baby healed her last time." I looked back down at Hayley's chest. "She's still not breathing."

"It's not working!" Elijah shouted in frustration before flinging a side table into a wall, shattering it to pieces. Genevieve continued her chanting and when nothing happened, Elijah stepped up to the table. "I'm taking her to a real doctor." I nodded in agreement not trusting my own voice to verbally consent.

"Elijah, please." Genevieve said, stopping her chanting. "If you move her from here, my spell will break. There won't be enough time to get her to a hospital."

"Will the baby survive if delivered now?" Klaus asked her. "I'll rip it out of her myself." I stood in Klaus' way, blocking his path to get to Hayley as I glared up at him.

"You'll do no such thing!" I barked at him, tears now streaming down my face. "Hayley will bleed out and then she'll definitely die! You're not touching her!" Klaus snarled at me and I returned the threat.

"I won't lose that baby."

"And I won't lose Hayley."

"I won't lose either of them." Elijah interjected and Genevieve resumed her chanting but quickly stopped as she looked up in horror. Before I could ask what was wrong, she launched out an order.

"I know what to do. Get my bag—the gris-gris pouch. Now!" The witch demanded and Klaus rushed to hand her what she asked me, and she dumped the contents of the pouch on the table next to Hayley's body. Genevieve began to draw symbols in the salt like substance, muttering under her breath. Several minutes went by and I held my breath for what felt like eternity before Hayley's eyes snapped opened and she gasped for air.

"Oh, thank God." I breathed, sobbing with relief. "Hayley." I wrapped my arms around her shaking shoulders and gently helped her sit up. Her hazel eyes were still distant as if she still belonged to another world.

"You're all right, love." Klaus murmured soothingly. "You're all right." Hayley panted for oxygen, her lips shiny and stained with blood as she looked wide-eyed at each of us.

"I saw him, and he tried to kill me." Hayley whispered dreadfully. "I saw Mikael."

TO

I stayed with Hayley as long as she wanted me to, making sure that her and the baby were back to health. As she laid in her bed at the compound, I sat on the edge and we talked. Once more, I stated my argument about the benefits of her being back at the compound and not in the bayou. I wanted her to be safe and I couldn't provide the protection out in the bayou, werewolf pack or not. I don't know if it was her almost dying or if she was finally seeing things from my perspective, but she agreed to return to the compound with little argument. I stayed with her until she fell asleep and then stayed a little longer, listening to the steady beat of heart before focusing on the heartbeat of the baby and making sure that it was doing fine as well. Once I was certain that both were fit, I quietly made my way out of the room and down the corridor to my own room. Exhaustion hit me like a brick wall. My muscles felt weak and sore. My eyelids were heavy and drooping as I walked into my room and over to the veranda.

I leaned against the doorway and peered down at the street below that were full of people, dancing and hooting in celebration of the life Father Kieran lived. I sighed heavily in disgust. My back began to tingle as I felt a familiar presence into my room. I waited until he slowly got closer to me before I spoke.

"Hayley and the baby are fine." I sighed once more, crossing my arms over my chest, and leaning my head against the wooden frame. "She's resting now." I scoffed at the people below that were twirling their streamers and sparklers, twisting, and twirling their bodies like snakes. "If I die and you guys throw a party, I'm going to be so pissed." I felt Elijah come closer to me, felt his eyes burning into the back of my neck. "Hayley's the only family that I have. She's a sister to me. She's my best friend. She's my family and she almost died." I cleared my throat to stop my eyes from burning with tears as I relieved the fear of the thought that I almost lost her today. "Without her, I would be alone." I paused, waiting for him to say anything but he didn't. "I've convinced her to move back into the compound because her safety is my number one priority."

"And what of your safety, Hayden?" Elijah whispered, his voice raspy and I turned to look at him questioningly. His brown eyes were deep and dark, full of hurt and worry as he scanned my face. "You rush into any situation with only one thing on your mind—the safety of others. But what of your safety?" He licked his lips and swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing with effort. "I care about Hayley and that child but if something happened to you—" He swallowed hard again. "In a thousand years, I can't recall a time that I craved something as much as I crave you. You don't know what you would do if something happened to Hayley? I don't know what I would do if something happened to you." The music and celebration down below was part of a different world now, so far away. My lips parted as I tried to come up with something to say but my voice was stuck in my throat. My heart clenched at his words and anxiety sieged my chest. When he thought that I had nothing to say, he turned to leave the room, but I didn't want him to go so I called him back.

"Elijah…" He slowly turned back around and before my mind could register what was going on, my heart was moving my body towards Elijah, closing the space between us. I stood on my tiptoes and gripped his face, pulling it down towards me and kissing him eagerly. His hand snaked around to the back of my neck and holding me against him as he deepened the kiss. My inner wolf yielded to him and craved him, my stomach warming and fluttering with lust. After a long minute, he slightly pulled back and gently brushed his nose against mine as I panted softly. His hand moved from my neck, his fingers skimming my cheek lightly. As I closed my eyes to revel in the moment, I felt a whoosh of air and when my eyes fluttered back open, Elijah had disappeared, leaving me alone once more.