Hello, my lovely readers. Haylijah, a dark secret uncovered, and The Ex are featured in this chap… On with the show…
Chapter 20: Face-to-Face
Smushing her face into the pillow underneath her head, Hayley Marshall decided she would sleep until noon. Enough with worry and fear. Time to just lay back and relax. Then her eyes opened and she sniffed the pillow. Her head twisted to the side and she could smack herself. No. She actually had sex with Elijah, again.
"Hayley?" Elijah called as Hayley smushed her face back into his pillow. His lips went to her shoulder blade. "As much as I would love to let you stay here all day; we both have work to do." His fingers trailed over her arms as he spoke.
"I don't want to," Hayley moaned. She rolled onto her back and arched it, smirking as Elijah inhaled at the sight of her bare chest. "See something you'd like to cross-examine, prosecutor?" she inquired.
"Oh, yes." Elijah replied. He placed his mouth over her skin, sucking and making her body tense. "Would the defense like to explain why she is so lovely at this hour?"
"The defense rests," Hayley said. She slid her fingers into his hair and eased his head down lower. Yes. This would be a good morning indeed.
~0~
Playfully swatting Elijah's behind with one his ties, Hayley danced out of his reach and wrapped the tie around her head. "How do I look? Modern fashion for the successful lawyer?" She asked, jutting out her hip and looking at him through lowered lashes.
"Very cute," Elijah said. He crossed the floor and swept her into his arms, kissing her neck lightly before he pulled back to look down at her. "I hope tonight meant something more to you than a hook-up."
"Oh?" Hayley's smile dropped and she pushed Elijah's arms down. "Look. It happened. We can both be adults about this. We're not a couple. Or we can't be. Not until this trial is over and Marcel goes free." She refused to look as Elijah as she went about the task of gathering her garments.
Straightening up, Hayley moved back to stand in front of Elijah. His head was down and he was studying the carpet with far too much intensity. Placing her palm on his cheek, she leaned her forehead against his. "You mean a lot to me, Mikaelson. Hopefully we can do this again. Soon?"
Taking hold of Hayley's wrist, Elijah kissed her throbbing pulse and made her shudder. "Soon," he relented, looking her in the eye.
Hayley smiled when he threw both arms around her waist and kissed her passionately. "Very, very soon."
"Okay. Down, boy," Hayley said, feeling the need to cool down. "I'm going to take a shower."
"Or you could clean your clothes in the laundry, stay for breakfast and then we could shower. Save the environment by sharing the water." Elijah's brows went up and a wicked smile graced his lips.
"Oh, yeah?" Hayley peeled his tie off. "I doubt we would make the shower that short."
"Probably not," Elijah retorted, his eyes burning into hers.
"Right. Okay, mister. You have a plan." Hayley went over to his drawers and pulled out a pair of his boxers and a long-sleeved shirt.
"I planned on wearing that today," Elijah protested as she slid it on.
Turning to face Elijah, Hayley smirked back at him. "Good. Now, you'll be thinking about me all day long. I told you I'd defeat you."
"A distraction tactic, again?" Elijah folded his arms over his chest, looking amused.
"Be back in a minute," Hayley said. She left the bedroom and went to the front door. Popping her head out and into the hall, Hayley felt happy no one was out there. No witnesses meant no one to say they saw the defense sneaking out of the prosecutor's apartment.
Hayley made her way down to the laundry. She opened a washing machine that wasn't currently being used. Then she remembered her lack of laundry soap and change for the washing machine. "Shit," Hayley groaned, slapping her forehead. She turned around and found a young woman who looked like someone who was little more than a teenager coming into the room.
"Hi," the girl said, shyly tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Hello," Hayley replied with a smile. She hoped the girl did not live too close to Elijah. This could get super awkward.
The girl went over to the washing machine beside Hayley's and placed her basket on the floor. Her eyes went to Hayley's machine. "Is the change slot stuck, again? I can call maintenance."
"Oh. No. I just forgot my change….and soap." Hayley wanted the girl to finish up so she could sneak back in Elijah's without the girl seeing where she went.
"Huh," the girl dug in her pocket. "I just went to the store and picked up some extra change. Turns out my boyfriend doesn't need his stuff cleaned after all." She chuckled. "Silly me."
"Yeah…" Hayley watched the girl count out change before holding it out to Hayley. "That's sweet. But you don't have to do that."
"It's okay." The girl held out the change. "I've got plenty. And you can use my soap, too."
Hayley wondered at this girl's generosity. "Thanks. You're a lifesaver."
"No problem." The girl smiled widely as she put her clothes in the machine and pulled out more quarters. "I'm Davina Claire."
"Hayley." Hayley offered a hand to Davina.
Davina took Hayley's hand and shook it. That's when Hayley noticed the bruise formation on Davina's wrist. It looked like someone had grabbed, and none too gently. "Hey, Davina, are you okay?"
Eyes widening, Davina nodded. "Yes. I am. Um. It was nice to meet you, Hayley. Bye." She turned and made her way out of the laundry room like Hayley had begun to interrogate her.
Frowning, Hayley hurried to the doorway. She heard a door close as she tip-toed down the hallway. "Babe, where's my shoes?" a voice called out.
"By the door," Davina's voice called back.
Inhaling sharply, Hayley marched down to Elijah's apartment and she twisted the knob, entering. "Elijah, do you know your neighbor hits his girlfriend?" she demanded, hands on her hips.
"What?" Elijah's brows went up. "You mean Davina?" He stood at the oven, making omelets Hayley guessed by the smell.
"Yes. I mean Davina. She just gave me change for the laundry and she's got bruises on her wrist." Hayley pulled up the sleeve of Elijah's shirt to show him her unadorned one.
Elijah frowned. "Tim and Davina are one of the quietest couples on the floor."
"Doesn't mean he doesn't hit her," Hayley snapped, bristling at Elijah's response.
"Hayley," Elijah sat down the spatula in his hand. "What is the matter?"
"What's the matter? I tell you that your neighbor's getting hit and you act like it's not really happening." Hayley glared at Elijah.
Elijah held up his hands. "You want me to go over there and talk to her?"
"No." Hayley shook her head. "That could make it worse."
"Then what?" Elijah asked.
"Just keep an eye out," Hayley retorted.
"I can do that." Elijah returned to the eggs, folding them over. "If you truly believe that Tim is hitting Davina, I will find proof."
"Okay." Hayley made her way over to him and placed her head on his shoulder. "Why do you think he isn't?"
"Tim plays the violin. Not that being a concert violinist makes you a saint. Far from it in some cases." Elijah glanced at Hayley. "I've just never witnessed anything in their behavior to give off a warning signal. And I never hear them argue."
"Maybe he waits until everyone else is asleep. Or he's just very, very careful. Not all abusers are loud and aggressive. Some are sweet and tender. And then you say the wrong thing, or do the wrong thing. Then you've got a black eye or a cracked rib. You never know when it'll come. It's like a freak storm." Stopping herself, Hayley leaned her face into Elijah's shoulder.
"Did you have a boyfriend who hit?" Elijah asked.
"No. My best friend's dad used to use her as a punching bag. He thought no one knew. But I did. And when I got old enough; I stood up to him. He hit me and broke my arm. It was worth it. He's still doing time." Looking up, Hayley saw a mixture of pride and worry on Elijah's face.
"Promise me you will not interfere in this situation." His words annoyed Hayley. How dare he try to tell her how to handle this.
"Hayley." Elijah seemed to read her mood. He caught her by the waist. "I promise you. This will not continue."
"Okay." Hayley leaned her head against Elijah's chest. "I owe her for the laundry. Can you make sure she gets the money back?" Elijah nodded, kissing her forehead. "Your eggs are going to burn." Hayley murmured as Elijah's lips moved to hers.
Thoughts of food began to drift away as Elijah's lips covered hers and Hayley began to cry out as Elijah turned her around, pressing her to the counter. Better than breakfast.
Then Hayley heard something funny at the front door. It sounded like a key. Instinctively, Hayley elbowed Elijah away and wrapped her arms around herself.
Elijah looked just as shocked as his door swung open and Nadia came in followed by a curly-headed brunette in tight pants and a designer top. Her arms were loaded with shopping and she pushed her sunglasses on top of her forehead. "It looks like we made it in time for breakfast," the woman said with a grin.
"Daddy!" Nadia cried, running to throw her arms around Elijah who scooped her up.
"Katherine." Elijah greeted his ex-wife with a not-so-nice look. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought we'd have a family breakfast." Katherine's eyes trailed to Hayley. Her eyes went up and down before she smirked. "Looks like you have company already." She marched over to Hayley. "Hello. I'm Katherine, Elijah's wife. And you are?"
"Ex-wife," Elijah cut in.
Katherine waved Elijah off, her eyes on Hayley. "Hayley," Hayley replied.
"Daddy, your eggs are burning," Nadia said. Elijah set her down. She smiled at Hayley. "Hi!" she called, waving.
"You know my daughter?" Katherine looked from Nadia who had gone to pull out more eggs while Elijah sighed, moving the burnt food to the backburner.
"We met." Hayley felt more uncomfortable now than on her first interview with Mikaelson and Gerard where Old Gerard had undressed her with his eyes and Mikael made her feel like an undergraduate.
"Hayley?" Katherine cocked her head to the side. "Do you have a last name?" she inquired.
"Marshall," Nadia cried, holding out cheese to her dad.
Hayley wanted to sink through the floor as Katherine let out a chuckle. "You're the defense on the Gerard case, aren't you?"
"Daddy's working that case, too," Nadia said. "Daddy's going to win because he's super smart. Sorry, Hayley. I like you, too!"
"Thanks," Hayley said, forcing cheer into her voice. "I think I should go check on my clothes." And run away, she added silently. She turned and went to the door.
"Hayley, do you want tomatoes in your omelet?" Elijah called as she took hold of the doorknob.
Closing her eyes, Hayley forced her voice to be even as she replied. "I actually need to get to work. Don't want to be late."
"No, you don't," Katherine agreed.
Hayley squeezed the doorknob as she twisted it, imagining Katherine's head in her hand and puling the door open. Back in the hallway, she closed the door and leaned against it. Sighing, Hayley rolled her eyes. She felt like an idiot. Katherine obviously wanted to edge her way back into Elijah's life. Well, it was up to Elijah. If he wanted Katherine, then they could ride off into the sunset.
A sound came from down the hallway and Hayley felt her heart skip a beat. The sound came from Davina's apartment. Heart pounding, Hayley waited for the girl to come out when a young man came out with a violin case.
"Bye, hon. Have a great day." Tim. He must be Tim. He smiled at Davina, or Hayley assumed he was looking at Davina. Turning around, he came down the hallway. "Hello." He nodded at Hayley with a happy smile.
Hayley headed down the hallway. She could hear noises coming from Davina's apartment. Not crying, but quiet humming. Happy humming. No wonder everyone thought they were happy.
Shaking her head, Hayley went down to the laundry room. She went to the washing machine she'd been using and found it was still going. Great. She so did not want to go back in to deal with Elijah, his ex and his kid. Or his ex, to be specific.
Adulthood meant putting up with things you didn't feel like doing. Turning back, Hayley left the laundry room. She heard the lock clicking in Davina's apartment. She came out in the hallway in a heavy jacket with a scarf wrapped around her neck. The girl jumped when she saw Hayley before laughing. "Sorry. I'm jumpy today. There was a robbery in the area."
That was funny. Davina did not seem so jumpy earlier. "That's alright. I can have that effect on people," Hayley joked.
Davina grinned. "I am off to get some breakfast. I would ask you if you wanted to join, but, um, well, lack of pants…"
"Yeah. Might get me in trouble." Hayley decided to throw caution to the wind. Katherine already knew about her little situation with Elijah. Why not make this even more awkward. "Would you like to have breakfast with my friend and me?"
"Oh, really?" Davina tugged at her scarf. "I don't know. I don't want to impose." She looked down the hallway, like she wanted to get away from Hayley all of the sudden.
"It's not a problem. His ex-wife is here. Kid, too. It's kind of awkward. And it would be nice to have a friendly face with me. You'd be doing me another favor and I'd owe you a lot." Hayley watched Davina struggle.
Moving further down the hallway, Hayley waved for Davina to join her. "Please?" She pressed her palms together, offering Davina a pleading look and Davina caved.
"Okay. A quick breakfast," Davina said. "I have to get to work."
"Me, too." Hayley stopped in front of Elijah's door.
Davina froze. "You're friends with the D. A." Her eyes were wide and she looked like she wanted to run even more than Hayley did.
"Yeah. Don't worry. He doesn't bite." Hayley watched Davina nod wordlessly as Hayley opened the door. Holding out a hand, Hayley gestured for Davina to go in ahead of her.
When Hayley went inside, she found that Nadia and Kat were already sitting at the table. Nadia looked up. "She's back!" Then she looked at Davina. "And she brought a friend, Daddy!"
"Elijah, you remember Davina. Your neighbor. The one who loaned me change and soap for the laundry. I thought we could re-pay her with food in her belly." Hayley said, moving to stand next to Elijah but made sure that Katherine could hear her.
"You know what helps is not needing those things?" Katherine called back, cocking her head so she and Hayley could look at each other, "Not leaving home."
Hayley nodded. "Yes. Not leaving means you never have to worry about someone else taking what you think is yours." She felt like she shouldn't snipe at Katherine with Nadia there. But Katherine was being extra bitchy to her.
"Davina, please, take a seat," Elijah called, waving his spatula. "Do you like omelets?"
"Yes, sir," Davina said. She hadn't taken her jacket or scarf off. Her eyes were on the table top.
"Aren't you hot?" Nadia asked Davina. "In all that stuff," she pointed her fork at the scarf and jacket.
"Eat, Nadia," Katherine said. But she was now nodding at Davina, too.
Davina slowly unwound her scarf and Hayley saw a pink mark on the girl's neck she did not see in the laundry room. The sleeve of her sweater went up then, revealing the bruising Hayley had seen before. If only she had her phone. She would snap pics for later, if Davina was able to speak out.
Turning to Elijah, Hayley started to say something when Davina covered her wrist and then brushed her hair over her neck. It was at that time that Elijah slid a perfect looking omelet onto a plate and went to serve his neighbor.
"I think I'll grab a piece of fruit for later," Katherine said, "Nadia, you want a yogurt cup?"
Nadia nodded. "Yes, mommy."
Katherine followed Elijah into the kitchen. She took out an orange from the crisper and then collected a yogurt cup before she moved to stand between Elijah and Hayley. "That girl is in trouble," she hissed out to Elijah before she went back to the table. "Here, honey," she said, passing the cup to Nadia.
Elijah glanced at Hayley. Katherine might be a world-class bitch, but she at least saw things and spoke up. But there was nothing they could do unless Davina were willing to talk about it.
Elijah worked on another omelet and Hayley leaned against the counter, trying to figure out the best way to deal with the Davina problem when the door lock jiggled, again. "Now who is it?" Elijah groaned.
The door opened and a tall dark-haired man came in. "Elijah, I forgot my socks!" he called. "Oh, dear, look what Kat dragged in! My favorite niece!"
"Uncle Kol!" Nadia shouted, shoving her chair over. The chair wobbled and Katherine caught it as Nadia shot across the floor and into her uncle's arms. "You forgot your socks! How silly of you!"
"I know. I am rather silly. Aren't I?" Kol stopped at the table. "Hello, ex-sister-in-law." He reached down and grabbed a piece of toast. "Elijah, are you making me an omelet."
"Make your own, brother," Elijah retorted.
"Please?" Kol cried back.
"Yes, Daddy! Please?" Nadia cried, turning her head and resting it on Kol's hip. She pressed her face into her uncle's shoulder. "Let him stay for breakfast. He makes funny jokes about the cartoons."
"He does?" Elijah called back as he handed Hayley an omelet. She walked over to the table and sat down next to a quiet Davina.
"And who might you be?" Kol asked Davina.
She looked up at him. "Davina." Her head dropped and she stared at her omelet.
"Davina." Kol shook his head. "What brings you to my brother's abode?"
"I did." Hayley cut in.
"And you are?" Kol seemed less interested in Hayley. His eyes still on Davina.
"She's the defense in the Gerard case," Katherine replied.
"Oh! Wait! Don't tell me!" Kol said. "I know who you are. You're Caroline's friend, Hayley. Yes. It all makes sense now. You settled the case because you and Elijah are –"
"Omelet, brother!" Elijah shouted.
Kol grinned, setting Nadia on her feet. "Thank you," he called, taking the food and bowing to his brother. "Always in your service, Elijah. Now, someone tell me where Davina lives and that she is single no longer for her prince has come."
"I have a boyfriend," Davina said firmly.
Katherine traded a look with Hayley. Yup. Neither of them thought that was a good idea.
"But for how much longer?" Kol teased Davina.
Getting to her feet, Davina kept her eyes on the table. "Thank you for the omelet. I have to go." She grabbed her things and hurried to the door.
Elijah left the kitchen and stood over the table. "Sometimes I hate my job," he said.
"What am I missing?" Kol asked.
Nadia grabbed a bottle of syrup. "This?"
Hayley sighed. This day was not going at all how she thought it would. Now, she just wondered what other kinds of shocks the day would bring.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Answer to guest review:
Anna: Thank you for reviewing! Yeah, Kat's going to cause some chaos. But that's why we love/hate her.
Peace,
-J