Hello, my lovely readers. TO is back and we are in desperate need of some Haylijah interaction, so here's something to tide you over. On with the show...

Chapter 8: Restless

A usually tidy desk seemed to be covered with files for new cases and Elijah could only stare at the mess. How had he allowed this chaos to take over? Presumably it had been when he allowed Klaus' case to take precedence over all other work—all real work—the work for the D. A.'s office which should take the majority of his concentration. Perhaps it was this overwhelming feeling that Katherine was up to something. Or maybe it had to do with…

And as if she heard her name on the tip of his tongue, the object of his attention came into view.

"Hayley, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Elijah pronounced. He stood up, watching Hayley enter his office—without knocking. Her head was lowered, her cascade of dark, wavy locks fell over her face so he could not read her expression and he felt a lump rise in his throat.

When Hayley looked up, she offered him a slow smile and Elijah felt his knees buckle. His hands grasped the top of his desk to keep on his feet and he felt curiosity filling him. "Hi, there, Elijah. I need to ask your advice about something," Hayley said, peering at him through her long eyelashes.

"Right. Well. Please, take a seat," Elijah said. He forced his legs to fall back into his own chair, feeling relieved that he could sit down.

"Okay," Hayley replied. The soft sound of a click made Elijah look up from the pile of files he'd decided to straighten to avoid staring at her. He registered her back to him and then the fact that she had just locked his door.

"Is this a private discussion?" Elijah inquired, sitting back in his chair, watching Hayley turn to him.

"Very," Hayley replied and she began to slide her jacket off and onto the floor.

Elijah's jaw tightened when he saw that Hayley's thigh length jacket had concealed not a suit or dress but a bra and a pair of frilly knickers. "Um, Hayley…" Elijah began, adjusting his tie. "It's not that I'm not flattered—I truly am—it's just that—with the case and—" Elijah watched Hayley round his desk and could not seem to move as she lifted her left leg in an agonizingly slow gesture to place it over his body, straddling him and then shifting forward on his lap. "Oh, my," Elijah groaned, closing his eyes.

"Elijah, I think you're far too stiff," Hayley murmured into his ear. "Why don't you let me help you relax?" she inquired, her lips warming his ear as her teeth moved over it and she caught his earlobe and tugged while her hips moved against his.

"Hayley," Elijah groaned. "My life is very complicated right now. And I think that this might very well complicate it more so…" He pulled back to look her in the eyes and Hayley grinned down at him, pressing her lips to his in answer.

"I like complicated," Hayley murmured as she continued to move on top of him and her fingers laced into his tie and began the work of loosening it and then tossing it onto the floor. "I like you, Elijah," she whispered.

"I…" Elijah felt his heart beating rapidly before all his common sense left him and he picked her up, laying her across his desk and undid his belt. "God, I want you," he groaned, and then he reached down for her underwear.

"Elijah!" Niklaus' voice broke through, along with a pair of swiftly snapping fingers, right in front his face and Elijah jerked in his seat.

"Elijah, are you in there?" Klaus demanded, staring into Elijah's eyes with a mixture of irritation and bemusement.

"What?" Elijah groaned, placing his fingers to the bridge of his nose and rubbing roughly at it.

"You fell asleep, brother," Klaus informed him with a roll of his eyes. "If I wanted to converse with a narcoleptic; I would have chosen to have lunch with Kol."

Confusion washed over Elijah and he shook his head. "Kol suffers from narcolepsy?"

Chuckling, Klaus leaned against the small table on his elbows. "No. But then again, I thought you didn't either. My mistake." His grin turned to a scowl when his phone pinged and he glanced at the screen.

"What is it?" Elijah inquired, picking up his cup of coffee and taking a long sip. The café that he'd just taken a nap inside buzzed with the noise of a late lunch rush and Elijah wondered how on earth he could ever have drifted off with all of this noise going on. His eyes swept over the crowd and he spotted a woman with a long sweep of brown hair—attempting to close an umbrella—her head curved downward. Elijah felt his heart beat speed up. His feet, with a will of their own, told him his move to aid her and to look deep into her eyes said nothing and everything at the same time.

But when the woman straightened Elijah's heart stopped. It was not Hayley. His eyes flicked back to Niklaus whose fingers drummed a reply into his phone before he deposited it back into his jeans pocket. Elijah's eyebrows rose when Klaus did not answer his earlier question.

Klaus picked up his cup of coffee and took a quick sip. "Some women can not take a hint," he uttered under his breath, his gaze dark.

"By women, I'm assuming you mean Aurora?" Elijah said, not being able to stop himself from grinning.

"I made it clear that I did not intend for our dalliance to become more than what it was—a need being satisfied. However the girl seems to believe that we have a lifelong connection and I…" Klaus scowled again.

"And you…" Elijah waited for Klaus to finish his thought.

In answer, Klaus moved to his feet, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair and shoved the chair into the table with a little too much vigor for the poor little table shook with the effort. "My heart belongs to another," Klaus said, his eyes falling on Elijah.

"I know, brother," Elijah said, getting to his feet and gathering his own raincoat and umbrella.

The two brothers made their way through the throng and to the front door. Klaus made his way out first, becoming drenched in seconds, his curls falling into his eyes, making him look the boy that Elijah knew him to be, and, again, Elijah felt himself smiling.

"Where are you off to now?" Elijah inquired, making his way to his car, his umbrella held over their heads as Klaus marched purposefully forward, a look of determination on his face.

"Off to see a girl," Klaus said as they arrived beside Elijah's car.

"Niklaus, please, do not harass, Ms. Forbes," Elijah cried, shaking his head, knowing that Niklaus would do what Niklaus thought was best.

"Who said anything about harassing her?" Niklaus inquired, pivoting on one heel and standing outside of the protection of the umbrella. His smile said it all.

"Niklaus, you are going to ruin all of my efforts," Elijah scolded Klaus who shrugged.

"I will pay you, either way. Wish me luck, brother," Klaus said. He took a large step backward, moving further away from Elijah who would like nothing more than to drag him into the car—perhaps to toss him into the boot and listen to his threats and recriminations as Elijah drove him around the city 'til he changed his plans.

"Niklaus!" Elijah shouted at the same time that Klaus shot into the crowd of people walking down Chicago's busy Wacker Drive. Shoulders falling, Elijah knew he could do nothing to stop his brother's foolishness.

Moving to round his car, Elijah looked at the grey clouds and then slipping inside the safety of his vehicle. Withdrawing his phone, he made a quick call. "Elijah Mikaelson speaking, you night have a visitor and if you prefer not to be bothered, you might consider finding a friend's to stay at for the day, and the night." Hanging up on Caroline Forbes' answering machine, Elijah hoped that Caroline got the call before Niklaus arrived at her residence. He also hoped that Niklaus did not hold this against him—for too long.

Sighing, Elijah closed his eyes. The things he did for his family. Opening his eyes, he drove toward his office. He had a pile of cases to work through and would not be leaving until around midnight; if he was lucky.

~0~

The day slipped by faster than Elijah expected it to. The rain continued to patter—heavily at times—against the window of his office. It broke the monotony of the quiet with its almost musical rhythm.

When Elijah did not receive a call-back from Caroline or receive any indication from Klaus that he had become aware of Elijah's interference; Elijah felt relieved. Slipping his last case file into his file cabinet, and turning his computer off, Elijah decided to call it an early day at 9:45 p.m.

"Have a good night," Elijah called to Thierry as the young man shut his own computer off and grabbed his jacket.

"Night, boss," Thierry replied, pulling out a briefcase and a saxophone case.

"Are you playing tonight?" Elijah inquired.

"Just for a couple of old friends," Thierry said, grabbing his cap and placing it on his head.

"Right," Elijah nodded with a smile, inclining his head.

On their way out the door, Thierry caught Elijah's attention. "You could come along; if you'd like."

Pausing, Elijah pursed his lips. He rarely took a night to himself. "It wouldn't be an imposition, given that you're performing for your friends?"

"Nah." Thierry grinned. "It's just my girl and a couple of friends from back when I was in college. I'm performing at this little club—kind of a corner of the street place. It's only a couple of blocks away."

Elijah nodded and fell into step with his employee. The walk included a companionable silence and the rain had become a slight drizzle. They slipped in through the front door, and—as Thierry had said—there were only a few people in the crowd tonight.

Thierry made his way over to the young woman and leaned over, kissing her on the cheek, and she smiled up at him in a way that only young people in the throes of a love affair seemed to manage. The young man clapped a few others on the back before he stepped onto the stage and withdrew his instrument. Elijah did hope he would not fall asleep again.

The soulful sound of the saxophone swept over the room and all conversation halted, attention moving to the young legal assistant. Elijah smiled, sitting in rapt silence and becoming lost in the mood of the smoky darkened room.

Elijah almost didn't notice the front door open and a couple slip inside. They were laughing at something and Elijah felt his heart begin to pound. Hayley. This time he was not mistaken. Her hair fell down her back and she smiled adoringly up at her seemingly constant companion, Marcellus Gerard. They stopped laughing seconds later; sensing the mood perhaps.

Hayley's large eyes took in the people seated there before her eyes made contact with Elijah's and he nodded at her. He thought he saw the hint of a smile on her face. Marcel leaned over, whispering something into her ear, his hand on her back before he moved to the bar.

Eyes drifting back to the stage, Elijah swore that he would focus on the entertainment for the night and not his own, silly jealousy. The air to his left moved and Elijah inhaled the smell of a light perfume, Hayley's. He cocked his head to the side. "Funny meeting you here," he said, smiling at her.

Hayley's brows rose. "I was about to say the same thing about you," she told him.

Elijah leaned back in his seat. "I do like to surprise people, from time to time."

He heard her quiet laughter and then silence. "Hey," she whispered when Marcel joined them with a pair of drinks. "Hey, Elijah. Funny seeing you here."

"Isn't it?" Elijah quipped.

"He's good," Hayley said and Elijah thought she was talking to him and opened his mouth to respond when he noted her gaze on Marcel.

"Now, aren't you happy I dragged your sorry behind over here?" Marcel retorted with a grin. Again, Elijah had to swallow back biting jealousy that felt completely unwarranted. He had no claim on Hayley and she had the right to date whomever she liked.

"Are you enjoying the music, too, Elijah?" Marcel inquired, looking at Elijah.

Elijah nodded. "Very much."

"How did you end here, anyway?" Hayley asked, knocking back her drink and inhaling, her eyes watering.

"Thierry, the musician is my employee," Elijah told her.

"Oh, yeah. He delivered something for me and Aurora misplaced it. It wasn't important was it?" Hayley said, leaning against the table with her elbows.

"Aurora?" Elijah felt his eyebrows knit together. "You might want to have a chat with as to the whereabouts of that package," he told her, his lips forming a line.

Hayley stared at him. "It's that important."

"It could be," Elijah stated.

Sighing, Hayley looked at her glass and then shook it at Marcel. "Refill?" She offered him a wide smile.

Marcel rolled his eyes. "You're lucky we're friends," he teased her.

"Best," Hayley added with a wider smile.

"Can I get you anything, Elijah?" Marcel asked him.

"A scotch, if it's not an imposition." Elijah glanced at Hayley who returned to watching Theirry.

"Imposition," Marcel scoffed. "Man, spending time with you during my SATs would have helped." He shook his head as he moved back, toward the bar.

"If you would prefer to sit somewhere else don't feel as if you need to keep me company," Elijah said.

Hair flying, Hayley's head whipped in his direction. "Excuse me?" She looked offended, her lips pursing and her forehead creating an adorable crease between her brows.

"I simply meant that if you and Marcel wanted to be alone; you do not have to sit here—to be polite." Elijah straightened his tie and looked away.

"Wait… Do you think this is a date?" Hayley let out a loud laugh. "Oh, God! Oh, Elijah!" She was still laughing, tears of mirth pouring down her cheeks when Marcel joined them. "Marcel, Elijah thinks… He thinks… Oh, God!"

"What?" Marcel looked confused and amused as he offered Hayley her drink and Elijah his. "What did I miss?" He looked from Hayley to Elijah.

"I'm sorry if misinterpreted the situation," Elijah murmured, adjusting his tie again and feeling foolish.

It took Hayley another thirty seconds to calm down long enough to explain. "Date," she blurted. "He thought we were on a date. Ha!" Hayley began to slap her knee.

"Hales, I think that drink went right to your head," Marcel told her.

Hayley shook her head, grinning. "Marcel's in love with your sister," she explained to Elijah. "And you thought! Ha, ha, ha!" She almost fell out of her chair, tipping backward and slapping her hand over her mouth.

"It's not that funny," Marcel said, holding Hayley in her seat. "You'd be a very lucky woman to have me."

"You mean while you're up at all hours or the morning allowing Rebekah to—" Hayley began when Elijah interrupted her.

"Ahem. This is my sister," Elijah reminded her.

"Sorry," Hayley mumbled and then giggled before knocking back her second drink.

"You're cut off!" Marcel warned her.

"No!" Hayley crowed and Thierry's group gave them a sour look. "Sorry!" Hayley called, slinking back into her seat.

~0~

Hours later, Thierry and his group of friends had pulled a couple of tables over to join Elijah, Hayley and Marcel. Hayley was making up for her faux pas by paying for everyone else's drinks. "Man, I can't even afford my student loans," Hayley muttered, looking at a bill that arrived on the table.

Withdrawing a credit card, Elijah silently offered it to the waiter. "Elijah, no!" Hayley cried out, but the waiter had left them. "How am I supposed to pay you back?" she asked him, pouting.

"I can think of a few ways," Marcel said, a glint in his eye and Elijah wondered how much he'd had to drink.

"It's late and we want to thank you for coming," Thierry's girlfriend told them. "And it's time to get this guy to bed. He has to get to work in the morning for this guy," she said, patting Elijah on the shoulder.

Elijah offered the girl a smile. "He can come in an hour later tomorrow. It's the least I can do considering the wonderful show he's given us tonight."

"Thanks, boss," Thierry said, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders and they made their way out with their group of friends.

Marcel got up. "Speaking of work—I've got to get up early," he said with a yawn. "You want to split cab fare home?" he asked Hayley.

"Nah. I'm going to have one more before going," Hayley said.

Marcel frowned and then glanced at Elijah. "You make sure she doesn't walk."

"Of course," Elijah replied.

Hayley waved down the waiter and ordered one more drink before grabbing her jacket and Elijah got up, gathering his own things. They made their way outside and Hayley hailed a cab. They slipped inside.

"Which way you two going?" the driver called to them.

"Oh, we're not going…" Hayley began and then she looked at Elijah.

Elijah stared back at her. "Yes?"

"I mean, you don't want me to…" Hayley shook her head. "You should give your address and I'll give him mine after you get out."

Elijah offered the driver his address and then he watched as thunder flashed through the sky. "It's getting worse," he told her.

"Yeah," Hayley leaned over him, glancing out the window and he was reminded that she'd had too much to drink.

When they arrived in front of Elijah's place, he paused before withdrawing his wallet and removing the bills for the driver. "You should stay the night—sleep off the drink," he informed Hayley. "And it really is a bad night."

"I…" Hayley looked at the driver.

"Lady, I don't have all night," the driver told her.

"I'm going. With him," Hayley took Elijah's hand and they slipped out, into the driving rain. Elijah did not bother with the umbrella. Instead they ran through the sheets of monsoon like driving winds and water. Inside, Hayley shivered as Elijah punched the button for the elevator. He pulled her inside with him the moment the doors opened, drawing her body to his, and she shivered, again, her body vibrating against him.

Hayley emerged from the elevator first and Elijah led her by the hand to his apartment. Once he got the key into the lock, he moved aside to allow her entrance. Her eyes widened as she took in the view of the lakefront. "Can I move in?" she called over her shoulder.

"If you like," Elijah called back and Hayley turned to him, a big grin on her face.

"Don't tempt me, Mikaelson," she said, her tone had a husky edge to it and Elijah inhaled.

"I'll get you some towels and a shirt to change into." Elijah forced himself to leave her. He moved through his familiar space, thinking of the woman in the living room and trying to control his body's reaction to having her here.

When he came back into the living room, Elijah dropped the towels and button down shirt on the floor. Hayley stood, glowing in the lights from above her and the misted windows before her, her light skin glowing. "Hey," she called, turning to him. "Where do I put these?" she asked him, her wet clothes clasped in her hand.

Hayley's naked form gave him pause before he could articulate an answer. "There's a basket. In my bedroom."

"Which is where?" Hayley asked him.

"Back there," Elijah waved in the general direction of his bedroom; he no longer knew its exact location.

"Okay," Hayley said. She walked away from the windows and right past him. He could only watch in awe as she headed toward his bedroom. "Are you coming?"

"I… I believe it would be better if I stayed out here, tonight," Elijah replied, gathering the towels and shirt for her. He held them out to her.

Hayley moved toward him and Elijah wandered he were dreaming again when she knocked the towels and the shirt back onto the floor. Her lips were even softer than he imagined as she leaned on tip-toe to kiss him. "Hayley," he breathed. "You're drunk."

"I'm feeling much more sober," Hayley said, clasping her hands around the back of his neck and jumping up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"I think we should wait until morning," Elijah mumbled against her lips, his fingers already pressed into her thighs. He wouldn't be able to control himself much longer as she moved up and down him; increasing his need for her.

"I'm done with waiting. I want you. Now!" Hayley pulled back, looking Elijah in the eyes. "And tomorrow morning. In the shower."

"Right," Elijah grunted and he moved them toward his bedroom, suddenly remembering exactly where it was and his bed; if they made it that far.

Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.

Answers to guest reviews:

Guest: Back in Ch. 7—Haylijah did not have sex. That was a dream, like the first bit in this chapter. We will have to wait 'til chapter 9 to see if the last bit was another dream, or if this time it was reality.

Isa: Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this bit, too.

Guest: Rebekah's a tiny bit more in-control in this fic—as a lawyer she can not lose her temper, as much as she might like to—even it's not a professional situation. I was thinking the same thing with a little Fi/Mikaelson bonding, so we will see that soon.

Guest: I think you'll probably have enjoyed this, but you'll have to wait to find out if it's all real. ;)

trishabontemp: Thank you for reviewing.

Peace,

Jessica