Hello, my lovely readers. There's drama, humor and more Haylijah in this chapter. On with the show…
Chapter 4: Trying Times
Niklaus seemed irritated, pulling at the tie of his suit, his eyes drifting around the conference room as if someone or something would attack him at any second. Elijah stifled the desire to tell him to stop fidgeting like a small child on a sugar rush. His brother pushed his chair back and began to study a painting on the wall to their right. Then he began to pace.
Sighing, Elijah folded his hands over his knee. "Niklaus, would you please take a seat?"
Klaus whirled around to glare down at Elijah. "When it is you fighting for the well-being of your child—a child you had no awareness of—then you may criticize my behavior, brother." A dark smirk appeared on Klaus' lips before he turned back to continue his pacing.
Falling back in his seat, Elijah adjusted his own tie. If nervous could be contagious, Klaus would cause a plague of people jumping at their own shadows. "Niklaus," Elijah began when Klaus turned on him.
"Elijah, brother, please," Klaus murmured. "Please, explain to me what that is?" he waved a hand at the painting.
Elijah looked at the painting. "Something that Father procured from a dealer in New York." Looking at the painting, Elijah tried to understand what his brother was hinting at.
"Does it look familiar to you at all?" Klaus snapped.
Elijah looked at the painting. Again, he did not understand what Klaus was going on about. "Perhaps. In a certain light."
"It's mine!" Klaus thundered, banging his hands on the table. "Except for that lovely red slash through it. That I did not do! Father, ruined one my first pieces of work before I discovered photography and had it placed, here, in this very room, to unnerve me on this very important day! Are there no lengths that he will not go to in order to undermine me?" Gripping the back of a chair, Klaus glowered at the table top.
"Did you construct this table, as well, Klaus?" Elijah asked lightly, hoping to lighten the mood. "Perhaps I shall have it removed for the meeting."
Eyebrows rising, a smile crossed Klaus' lips but it held no sense of amusement and Elijah truly hoped that his brother would not flip the table in his rage. "What is your hourly rate, Elijah?" Klaus snapped. "I think I shall demand a discount for every time a witty remark escapes your lips. I am not paying you to play the part of my therapist!"
"Brother, it is important that you stay calm," Elijah reminded Klaus who glared down at him.
"I am bloody calm!" Klaus shouted, slamming his hand on the table top. Elijah looked at his brother who let out a long sigh. "Yes, perhaps I need to sit down and mind my manners." A smirk twisted Klaus' lips and he took a seat next to Elijah.
A knock sounded on the door and Hayley walked in. She wore a black suit causing her newly lightened locks to stand out. He sat up a little straighter in his seat as she walked around him to take a seat to his left. Caroline stiffened as she walked past Klaus who glared up at her. "Caroline," Klaus muttered.
"Don't," Caroline snapped, sitting next to Hayley and staring at the table top.
Elijah refrained from telling Klaus to stop staring at Caroline. It would only set his brother off. "Are you ready?" Elijah asked Hayley who smirked at him.
Crossing one leg over the other, Hayley leaned over and opened her briefcase to remove a yellow legal pad. Elijah inhaled at the sight of a lacy bra which could be seen peeking out from the top of her button-down blouse. Hayley sat up. Her eyes lit up when she noticed him looking down her shirt and he quickly looked away from her, tapping the top of his own legal pad. Licking the end of her index finger, Hayley flipped her legal pad open and then leaned back down.
Elijah felt parts of himself stirring at the sight of her cleavage. He felt horribly unprofessional. He had not been with a woman since his marriage to Katherine had ended. He'd attempted to go on dates that Kol suggested but none of the women his brother introduced him to intrigued him. Hayley Marshall did. Unfortunately.
"Did you want to begin?" Hayley's voice startled Elijah out of his thoughts.
"Oh. Yes," Elijah replied.
Klaus gave Elijah a look which he chose to ignore. "Caroline," Elijah focused on Caroline whose eyes were wide. The poor women looked exhausted and Elijah forced himself to maintain distance. She was not family. Niklaus was.
"Caroline, tell me about Fiona," Elijah said, sitting back in his seat and rocking slightly.
Caroline looked at Hayley and then back at Elijah. Her lips pursed and she looked confused. "What is it that you want to know?"
"Evading questions, already, love? How will you ever handle being in front of a judge?" Klaus demanded, stabbing a finger against the table top, repeatedly.
"Niklaus," Elijah said, peering at his brother who narrowed his eyes. "This is only a deposition. If you would feel more comfortable in the hallway…" Elijah watched Klaus' anger grow.
"You do not treat me as if I am a child, Elijah!" Klaus snarled.
"Brother," Elijah began when Caroline interrupted him.
"She likes pink today. And she has a teddy bear that my mom sent her for Christmas. She sleeps with it every night. She only wants to hear Good Night Moon as a bedtime story and she'll make you read it to her, like, twenty times before bed. She likes it when I sing the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' when there's a thunder storm because she's afraid of thunder. Klaus, please!" Tears began to run down Caroline's cheeks. "Please, don't do this! Please!" Getting up, she startled Elijah by moving around the table and sinking down on her knees beside Klaus. "Please! Please! Please! Don't do this to her!"
"I am not doing anything to her, Caroline!" Klaus retorted. "You refused to tell me about my child!"
Caroline placed a hand on Klaus' knee. "Klaus, please, look at me. Please!"
"Caroline, honey, stand up," Hayley said, standing up and coming around the table.
"Klaus?" Caroline said, reaching out and turning Klaus' chair around so they were face-to-face. "You don't have to do this."
"Yes. Yes, I do, Caroline. You made it this way," Klaus told her coldly.
Sniffling, Caroline walked back around the table top when another knock on the door caused Elijah to look up. Aurora popped her head inside. "Sorry. I forgot my little computer thing."
"Aurora?" Hayley looked at her assistant. "What are you doing down here?"
"Mr. Mikaelson came down and said he wanted everything recorded," Aurora explained with a giggle. "Oh, hello!" she waved at them and then grinned at Klaus. "Hi!"
Klaus smirked at Aurora, eyeing her while Caroline let out a loud sniffle. "Be a dear and get her a box of tissues," Klaus said, waving at Caroline.
"Right," Aurora started to sit her computer on Elijah's side of the table when Hayley let out a loud cough.
"Sorry!" Aurora said with a laugh. "I'll be back with one package of tissues. We have lots of them since the clients are always crying." She walked out of the room, hips swaying.
"You're an ass," Caroline muttered under her breath.
Elijah let out a chuckle. He looked at Klaus, who shrugged. His brother's eyes had been glued to Aurora's backside and Elijah had to agree with Caroline. His brother was making an ass of himself. "Better an ass than a few choice words I might use for you, love."
"Go to –" Caroline growled, her hands flat on the table top, her body moving to stand up when Hayley placed a hand on Caroline's and shook her head.
Calming, Caroline sat back down. "Where were we?" A smile appeared on the woman's face and no one would suspect she'd had been on the on her knees, begging for Klaus' leniency.
Elijah looked down at his notepad and glared back, yellow space between him. Hayley offered him another smirk, uncrossing and re-crossing her long legs. His fingers went to his tie, adjusting it before clearing his throat. "You said that Fiona likes pink," he began when Klaus let out a scoff.
"Truly, must we continue with this line of questioning?" Klaus demanded.
Turning in his chair, Elijah stared at Klaus with open disapproval. Klaus glowered before sitting back and shrugging. Shaking his head, Elijah returned to Caroline. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, the child liked pink, this week?" Caroline nodded. "Right. And last week?"
"She liked cerulean blue," Caroline gave Klaus a pointed look.
A corner of his brother's lips worked upward. "Yes?" Klaus leaning against the table. "And?"
"Yeah," Caroline replied, licking her lips. "She likes to paint."
"She does?" Klaus' eyebrows rose, a smile beginning to spread across his face. "I wonder who she picked that trait up from?" Steepling his fingers, Klaus grinned at Caroline.
Caroline shook her head. "You should see what she did to her room last night. There is this giant pink blob on the wall." She started to laugh. "Oh, wait. Hold on. I've got a photo." Pulling out her phone, Caroline began to flick her fingers over the screen.
Elijah looked at Hayley who watched Caroline. Her eyes moved to Elijah. "Caroline," she said quietly.
"No. Wait. Here it is!" Caroline beamed, she pushed the phone over to Klaus who looked at the damage that their child had created.
"You painted the room with white paint?" Klaus's eyebrows knitted together as he looked at Caroline, who leaned on the table, holding her head up with one hand, a proud smile on her face.
"Yeah. I thought that she might want to decorate the walls herself. And I have a few of your works in there." Caroline stopped herself and looked at the table top. "I hope you don't mind."
"They belong with her," Klaus said. "Which ones are they?"
"Here," Caroline waved a hand and Klaus set the phone down and pushed it back to her. Caroline flicked through the phone's contents and then came up with something. "These are the ones in her room," she told Klaus, pushing the pone back to him.
"Oh, no! Not that one!" Klaus let out a laugh. "What was I thinking when I created that monstrosity?"
Caroline giggled. "I like it."
"You like it?" Klaus rolled his eyes. "Thankfully you chose not to become an art critic."
"Mean," Caroline cried with a laugh.
The door to the conference room opened. "I'm back," Aurora announced with a wide smile. "Here are your tissues!" She walked over to Caroline and set a box down.
"Did you go to Alaska to find them?" Hayley inquired, a touch of bitterness in her voice.
Aurora shook her head. "No. Just downstairs. Marcel had a client who killed her fiancée. Seems she needed five boxes."
Hayley's eyes widened as she looked at Elijah. "Aurora, you remember Elijah, he works at the D. A.'s office?" Her voice held an edge and Aurora glanced at Elijah.
"Oh, hello, again!" Aurora smiled at Elijah before turning to her computer.
Elijah saw Hayley's jaw tighten. This did not seem to going well for either of them. "Can we get back to the deposition?" Hayley said through clenched teeth.
"And this one?" Klaus cried. "Oh, I remember when I made it. You were wearing this tiny black bikini and I was attempting to get some work done."
"On a beach?" Caroline cried, her eyes lighting up. "Seriously, Klaus, you don't work on your vacation."
"The beach had perfect light," Klaus retorted, a smile on his face.
"Excuse me!" Aurora held up a hand. Everyone looked at her.
"Yes, Aurora?" Hayley groaned.
"I'm confused. Why are we here?" Aurora asked, looking around the table. "Is this a divorce?"
"We were never married," Caroline said, swallowing.
"Oh, what a pity. You two seem so happy together," Aurora pouted at Caroline and Klaus. "Tell us more about this beach story. I love romantic tales."
Hayley glared at Aurora who seemed oblivious. "I think we should get back to the deposition."
"I agree with Ms. Marshall," Elijah said and Hayley nodded at him.
Caroline ignored them. "We were supposed to be on vacation."
"You were on vacation, love, I had bills to pay," Klaus interjected.
Rolling her eyes, Caroline shook her head at him. "Anyway, so 'I'm' on vacation and Klaus is 'working,' and I just wanted to tan and go swimming. Klaus comes to the beach with an easel. Seriously! Who does that?"
"Serious artists take their easels everywhere," Klaus replied.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "And I am trying to enjoy the sun and Klaus keeps telling me I'm in his light. Seriously, the world needs one more painting of a sunset."
"It was a commissioned work," Klaus argued.
"Which now hangs in our daughter's bedroom," Caroline shot back. "So much for the commission."
"I was late because you made me miss my deadline!" Klaus retorted.
Scoffing, Caroline leaned closer to him. "Because you climbed on top of me –"
"Because of that enticing bikini you were strutting about in –" Klaus cried.
"Because you can't control yourself –"
"Because you drove me mad –"
"You never could control yourself –"
"Enough!" Hayley cried. "Do you want the room or do you want to figure out what is best for your kid?" she yelled at Caroline and Klaus.
Elijah noticed the flush that crept over Hayley's cheeks. He wondered what she would look like when in the throes of passion.
"Call it a day, shall we? Who would like a cup of coffee?" Aurora cried, moving to stand up when something began to ring. "Drat. Did I forget to put it on vibrate, again?" Looking at her phone, Aurora smiled at them. "Not mine."
"It's Tyler," Klaus said, and then he placed the phone to his ear. "Lockwood, how lovely to hear your voice again." Klaus offered Caroline a smirk as she looked at Hayley and then Elijah. "Oh, yes, she's a tad busy right now. Oh, yes, you'll be meeting with my lawyer, too. You don't say? Well, I will be happy to let him know. Oh, Tyler, do calm down. No need to make a fuss. Oh, yes, I did tell him of that night. Best of luck."
"What night?" Caroline yelled at Klaus.
"You really should ask your boyfriend about that," Klaus replied, hanging up and shoving the phone to Caroline.
"Does this mean we're not getting coffee?" Aurora asked them, a pout forming.
Hayley looked up at Aurora. "Why don't you go get some coffee?"
"But Mr. Mikaelson. I'm sorry," Aurora looked at Elijah. "The other Mr. Mikaelson. Our boss. He told me to stay here and to write everything that 'The Bastard' says. Who is the bastard?" She looked around the room.
"Me," Klaus said darkly.
"Oh. That is not very nice." Aurora shook her head.
"Just write anything down," Hayley ordered Aurora.
Aurora nodded. "Okay. Can I call him something else in the report?"
"Call me Nik," Klaus told her.
"But your name's Klaus, isn't it?" Aurora looked at Hayley.
"It's Niklaus," Klaus told her.
"Oh! Yes. Now, it makes sense." Giggling, Aurora looked down at Caroline. "Are you two still dating?"
"He's all yours," Caroline snapped, glaring at the table top. "I'm going to go call Tyler."
"Yes, he requested that you bring him home a muzzle," Klaus called after Caroline who sneered.
"I'll buy two. What's your address, I'll have it Fed-Exed?" Caroline called back on her way out the door.
"I bet you two have the cutest kid," Aurora said, examining Klaus. "And since she's taking a call, would you like to get a cup of coffee? My treat." Klaus got to his feet and Elijah watched his brother, feeling dismayed as he left with the secretary.
"This is going really well," Hayley groaned. She unbuttoned her jacket and slipped out of it.
Elijah tried not stare at her as she stood up and stretched. "How is your head?" he asked her.
Hayley's eyebrows rose. "Better. Thank you for asking, Mr. Mikaelson."
"You don't have to be so formal when it is just the two of us," Elijah replied with a smile.
Eyeing him, Hayley sat down on the edge of the table. She looked down at him. "You seem like a formal kind of guy. The type who irons his underwear."
Chuckling, Elijah stood up. "Perhaps."
Hayley chuckled, her long hair falling over her face as she dipped her head toward the floor before she looked at him. He felt a desire to reach out and grab her but dismissed the thought. She was opposing consul. He needed to maintain control.
"Where is Klaus?" Caroline asked them, walking back into the room, her hand going to her hip.
"He's gone to get coffee…" Hayley trailed off.
Caroline's expression darkened. "With the little…" Her eyes darted to Elijah and a forced smile crossed her face. "Assistant of yours." Walking back to her seat, Caroline dropped her phone back into her bag. "Is this going to take a lot longer because my babysitter has to go to night classes in two hours?"
"It should not take too much longer, Caroline." Elijah looked at his watch, registering that it had been at least twenty minutes since Klaus left the room.
Hayley slid her jacket back on—to Elijah's relief—and took her seat. They waited in silence for another ten minutes before Elijah pulled out his own phone. "I will be back in just a moment," he told them.
"Niklaus, where in the bloody hell are you?" Elijah snapped into the phone the moment that Klaus answered. A giggle sounded on the other end of the line.
"I'm a tad bit busy," Klaus replied and Elijah inhaled sharply.
"You have two minutes before I quit this case and you can find a new lawyer, Niklaus!" Elijah snarled before he adjusted his tie, smothered his frustration and then returned to the conference room.
Five minutes later, Klaus came back into the room. "Sorry. The line went on for a bit longer than expected." He smirked at Caroline who glared at him.
"You've got a bit of something on your shirt." Caroline pointed at lipstick on Klaus' neck.
Klaus looked at it. "Yes. I suppose I do." He did not bother to wipe it off. Caroline looked away from him. A smirk appeared on his lips as he looked at Elijah and Hayley. "Shall we continue?"
"I feel sick," Caroline muttered.
"Perhaps you developed something from being with a dog –" Klaus retorted.
Shaking her head, Caroline got to her feet and ran from the conference room. Hayley got to her feet. "Mind if we reschedule?"
"Drag your feet all you want, Hayley, I will have my daughter," Klaus called after Hayley who stopped in the doorway.
"Off the record, I think that you're a monster, Klaus. And on the record, I think you need to grow up before you can ever be a real father to anyone's child," Hayley snapped, giving Klaus a withering look before she walked out the door.
Elijah picked up his briefcase. "I think that went well," Klaus told him with a happy grin.
Shaking his head, Elijah stared back at Klaus. "And I think you are suffering from delusions."
After they left the room, Klaus wrapped an arm around Elijah's shoulders. "You and I must go out. You need to find someone new, do not allow Katherine to ruin your life, Elijah, you deserve much better."
"Niklaus, I am not you and I do not move on with the first woman who moves me," Elijah snapped.
"When is the last time you had sex?" Klaus retorted.
"Enough," Elijah moved to the elevator.
"You need a palate cleanser. I suggest you try Hayley," Klaus grinned when Elijah gave him a disgusted look. "Women talk in bed. Learn Caroline's secrets and bring my child home to me."
"I am not seducing Hayley for you, Klaus," Elijah snapped.
"Then let her do the dirty work. She was certainly offering herself up to you today or did you think I did not notice her flirtation?" Klaus' eyebrows rose.
"You're mad," Elijah scoffed.
"Am I?" Klaus stepped off the elevator.
Elijah wondered if Klaus might be right but he would not give him the satisfaction. "I do not intend on sleeping with Ms. Marshall anytime in the near future."
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Peace,
Jessica