Hey guys! Guess who's back! It nearly killed me, but here I am with the new chapter!
Ok, so important note, I'm not Italian but the last segment of this chapter and some part of the next is set in Florence, Italy. Imma be honest here, it's pretty much because I saw Medici Masters of Florence a couple months ago and became obsessed. That said, I did do a bunch of my own research, obviously, but given that I am not Italian, if I've made any mistakes, please do correct me - but please do so nicely because they were entirely unintentional on my part.
That said, read, review and enjoy!
"Hayley? What the hell is this?" Freya held up an envelope, the witch's name printed neatly on top in Hayley's simple handwriting.
"That," Hayley told her, walking up to the doorway she was standing in and plucking the envelope out of her fingers, "is your ticket out of this city to the absolutely gorgeous lady who has been waiting on your ass for far too long." The vampire grinned at the stunned expression that faced her, twirling the envelope in open invitation for Freya to take it.
"What - I can't just leave-" she sputtered out, Hayley promptly smacking her on the arm with the envelope.
"Like hell you can't!" She took a deep breath, calming herself before continuing. "Freya, you're amazing and I love you, you know that, right?" The witch in question nodded once, skeptical look in her eyes and a hand placed on her hip in annoyed expectation of where this was going. "But you're a moron who needs to go after her girl!" Hayley's impassioned statement had Freya starting in surprise. "Keelin is a goddamn saint for waiting for so long and besides - you deserve to have your own life instead of always cleaning up after our messes!" Hayley's voice was earnest, passionate - a stark contrast to Freya's quiet question.
"What if cleaning up this family's messes is all I know how to do?" Her fingers played with a pendant that hung from her neck; the movement doing nothing to hide the small tremors that were running through her hands.
"That's why it's so important you go," came the gentle reply, fingers squeezing tight around the witch's own, before pressing the envelope into Freya's hand.
"But I still need to-"
"You need to get yourself over to your girlfriend, is what you need to do," Hayley told her firmly, cutting through any last protests she might have attempted. "I'm flying out to meet Klaus in a couple days; he thinks he might have a way for us to fix our own problems. You're on vacation at least until I get back. OK?"
"But what about-"
"Vincent can handle things down here on his own for a bit and I'm planning on calling Marcel to keep an eye on Hope. He's got enough of a soft spot for his 'baby sister' to agree. Besides, she's at school and I think I can trust Caroline to keep her safe there. You need to focus on packing, though. Your flight is tomorrow." A wide grin spread across the vampire's face as Freya inhaled sharply and nodded, a little dazed at this turn of events but accepting them. "Give Keelin a hug from me!" Hayley winked as she started to walk away.
"Hayley..." Freya called out before she left, voice trembling with emotion. "Thank you."
"What else are sisters for?" Hayley asked with a smile.
"You're leaving?" A strong Irish accent had Hayley looking up from her phone, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had just wanted to get some coffee, not have this confrontation right here and now.
"Declan… hey…" All of a sudden it felt as if her throat was closing up and she could hardly get a word out. Declan, unfortunately, did not seem to share her suffering and was definitely capable of voicing what he wanted to say to her.
"I had to hear from Vincent - were you even going to tell me? After everything that's happened, what with you disappearing, Hope's father coming back and actin' like he owned the bloody place, us-"
"Honestly, was there ever even really an 'us' to begin with?" Hayley suddenly found her voice, wanting to interject before the situation escalated any further. Unfortunately for her, there wasn't really any part of his sentence that wasn't loaded to the point where she didn't want to touch it with a ten foot pole. "I like you, Declan, I really do - but there isn't a future for us. I can't say there ever really was."
"Seriously? That's what you're going with? Was there ever even an us?" His voice rose in disbelief as his anger built. Accent thickening with every word, he moved towards her as he spoke, words falling from his lips in an unending torrent of emotion. "You disappeared and then came back like it was nothing. For days you were just gone - and then you come back and just - nothing. Like you never even left. Hope's father was ready to tear down the place looking for you and then you came back and he - it's as if he never even bothered coming back! And we still haven't talked-"
"Because there's nothing to talk about," Hayley interrupted, her arm shooting out to stop him. "Declan, you're a nice guy, but," and here her voice hardened, filling with steel, "we aren't going to work out long term. I was coming to tell you that before everything and, I'm sorry, but my mind hasn't changed about that. I'm moving forward with my life and you should too."
"So that's it then," the brunet said bitterly."We're done, just like that? Because I happen to think I deserve better than this."
"You do," came the unhesitating response. "I just can't be what you want me to be."
"This is because of him, isn't it - Hope's father. He comes back and you what-? Decide he's somehow better? Like he didn't abandon you for seven years?" Hearing the accusation that spilled over his words, something inside Hayley went cold, her shoulders stiffening as Declan continued, not noticing the change in her posture. "The man left. He couldn't handle the responsibility of a family and I'm the one who was here with you-"
"I'm only going to say this once: don't talk about things you don't know anything about." Hayley's voice had lowered to a snarl, her hands curled into fists by her side, fingers itching to reach for Declan, show him exactly what she thought of his words. "I don't owe you an explanation and neither does Klaus. Stop looking for one."
A second's pause as he digested her words and then - "wow. You know, I think I can see it now," Declan said, scoffing a little. "I didn't before, but I do now. I was always a stand in, wasn't I?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Annoyance seeped into her voice, more and more obvious with every passing second as Hayley wondered if it was already too late to end this conversation in a manner that even somewhat resembled civility.
"You!" He spat out bitterly. "You had to raise Hope on your own without any help from him, but you still defend him! You get this - this look and no matter what he's done or hasn't done, no matter what I say, I know you're going to say he's justified. I know you have your secrets, but I happen to have thought our relationship had actually been going somewhere before all this!" He shook his head then, a bitter laugh, ugly and cold falling from his lips. "I thought you knew you deserved better than him. That Hope-" and that was the final straw.
Hayley found her arms rising, fingers curling into the collar of Declan's shirt, twisting the soft material as she pulled him close, snarling low in his ear. "Leave my daughter the fuck out of this and stop pretending you have a right to my life. I can make my own choices. Accept that you're not one of them." She let go of him then, the man almost sent crashing to the floor. "You were nice," she continued, a smile of pure ice stretching her lips. "But like I said, we were never all that serious to begin with. Now, if you don't mind, I have a latte to order."
It wasn't until Hayley walked out of the terminal at the airport in Rome that the little voice in the back of Klaus's mind finally shut up. He hadn't doubted her, not really - it was just a little hard to believe she would actually come. That she hadn't changed her mind or that something else of greater importance hadn't arisen. It was difficult to accept that perhaps for once he may truly not be alone. Stepping forward, he called her name as she scanned the airport, stifling a yawn behind her hand as she caught sight of him. Unfortunately the benefits of being a vampire did not quite extend to eight and a half hour flights and, while Klaus empathized, he certainly had no qualms about teasing her for it.
"Tempting as it may be to watch movies the entire flight, it's usually advised against," he informed her with a smirk. She glowered at him.
"Talk to me when you have to suffer a baby crying every hour. I mean, who the hell brings a baby to business class anyway? Especially if the kid is gonna howl the place down?"
"If it makes you feel any better, there's likely a special place in hell, reserved for parents who travel with infants." A slow grin spread over Hayley's face as she admitted that it certainly didn't worsen her mood. As much as the vampire would have liked to collapse into the nearest bed, however, it wasn't to be and, a half hour later, they were boarding a train to Florence.
Finding comfortable seats that faced each other didn't end up being half as difficult as Hayley had anticipated based on the sheer volume of people on the platform. It was likely also helped by the fact that Klaus glared at any who looked as if they intended to join them, at one point speaking in rapid Italian to a man that made to sit down next to Hayley. He smirked triumphantly as the man walked away, a dark blush staining his cheeks.
"What the hell did you say to him?" Hayley choked out in between laughter.
"Just that while he may see nothing wrong in it, neither of us would particularly enjoy associating with a cheating bastard." He casually examined his nails as he spoke, only looking up at her from underneath those long eyelashes at the end of his statement, eyes sparkling with mirth as the brunette choked on a laugh.
"You didn't!" Klaus raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she expected any different from him and giggles bubbled up in her throat because yes, she could expect him to be so crass.
Pocket of privacy afforded, once the train started moving, the topic moved with it. After all, it wasn't Rome's gods Klaus was interested in, it was Florence's. And, as he told Hayley, Florence's gods weren't ancient deities, they were men.
"Have you heard of Occam's razor?"
"What's your point, Klaus?" Annoyance seeped into her voice at the randomness of his question.
"The simplest solution is often the best one," the hybrid told her. "Your binding wasn't half as complicated as mine, therefore we needn't treat it as such. What we do need, however, is raw energy to break through the moonstone." His fingers reached across the table to tangle with her own, eyes meeting hers, shining with something that, if she didn't know better, she'd say resembled hope. "Which is where Florence comes in."
"How do you know it's going to work?" The vampire couldn't help the question that burned through her, couldn't stop the slight tremor in her voice.
"Mutual benefit. The city absorbs the excess energy we leave behind." A sad laugh lodged itself in his throat as he continued, "if I knew Contessina de Medici, it's far more likely that the city will try and take more than what I can give. It was specifically designed to accept all kinds of magic, no matter how dark and twist it until it suited the city's purpose." Hayley's unasked question sent dozens of memories flitting through his mind, although aloud his only reply was that she was "the wife of an old friend and far more involved in the city's affairs than she is afforded credit for."
Klaus had enlisted the help of a witch in Florence, a young woman whose name Hayley had forgotten almost as soon as they were introduced. Given her nonchalant attitude and lack of glares, the vampire figured she needn't worry about her help being coerced or coming back to bite them in the ass.
Stepping into the Duomo, Hayley understood why the tour guide she had picked up earlier that day had referred to it as the spiritual centre of Florence. The very walls thrummed with life and energy; she could almost feel its heartbeat. Beside her, Klaus inhaled deeply, eyes sliding shut as he murmured a greeting, to whom, Hayley didn't know. Even the witch had reverence in her gaze, her uncaring attitude melting away. But they had a job to do and the night wouldn't last forever.
The witch quickly set up all that she needed, entirely professional in her actions. "Don't take anything that might happen personally," she warned them before beginning her spell, gesturing for them to start moving to the center of the cathedral.
Simple enough, it seemed, but one apparent wrong step is all it took and before either of them realised what was happening, Hayley was flung against a pillar, her body hitting the stone with a sickening crack. The vampire was held there by magical restraints, the look of surprise on her face quickly morphing into one of agony as the air around her hardened, tearing into her and ripping through the soft material of her shirt to the unprotected skin beneath, a scream wrenching itself from her throat. She struggled uselessly against the binds that held her, legs kicking at air, her movements growing more and more frantic. Behind them, the witch's voice rose with slight panic as she continued her chanting.
On the ground, about five feet away, Klaus desperately retraced his actions, mind working furiously to figure out Contessina's puzzle. He wanted to run to Hayley, a shout that resembled the brunette's name ripping itself from his lips, willing his legs to move but held in place by an unseen force. Within him, his wolf was howling with rage, his hands curling into fists and nails digging into skin hard enough to draw blood. It trickled down his palm, through the spaces between his fingers, drip-drip-dripping to floor, sizzling as it reached the cool stone - and suddenly Klaus understood. She wanted proof before letting him any further. Of course she did. Of course this is how she'd demand it.
Pressing a fingernail to his forearm, he dragged it across the soft skin, the layers parting with an ease that shouldn't feel so normal had he been anyone else. Blood splattered onto the cool tiles and he could only imagine what even this little taste was doing to strengthen the city's soul. But there was no time even to wonder because, behind him, his little wolf was still writhing in pain, still crying out, defiance coloring her voice even through the pain. "Let her go," he called out, own voice rough, addressing the woman only he knew was there, held to this city by choice and duty. He could see her calculating gaze in his mind's eye as if it had been yesterday that she had looked upon him with it last. "The last thing I'd want to do would be to wreck what your husband built," he gritted out. "But for her," and the hybrid allowed his eyes to burn, black veins rippling underneath his skin, "for her, I would raze this city without a second thought." His words were a threat, a promise, a prayer rolled into one and he could feel his wolf pounding against the confines of his mind, begging to be let out, to protect what was his.
A light breeze fluttered around him, playing with his hair and he could feel her considering, tasting the power he carried within his blood, contemplating as if there was any time to waste. A moment passed, two, Hayley's screams growing hoarser and hoarser. He could feel it when Contessina accepted, breeze strengthening and whipping around him, carrying that calculating smile of hers on it as it blew through the cathedral. A whistle of air and Hayley was falling to the floor, crumpling into an unconscious heap.
So I really hope you enjoyed that! Just a couple more things, I put in Declan cos like, that was pretty poorly handled in canon in my opinion and I wanted closure for that story line. Declan is a nice enough guy, he does have a little asshole potential and he's been canonically proven to dislike Klaus, but besides that, he appeared to assume far more in that relationship than what Hayley was willing to give him, especially as evidenced by the fact that he was planning to propose like- what? Anyway, moving on.
I have never been to Italy, but as far as I understand of the Duomo, it is a very important religious place, therefore, to those whom it is important, they are likely to look upon it with reverence no matter how many times they have seen it before. I've seen this with my own religious places, therefore I assumed the experience to be similar. Added to that, for the purposes of this fic, I have made it sort of the heart and soul of the city, almost literally. If I overstepped or am awfully incorrect in any way, do let me know.
Also Hayley isn't really a bitch lol, she's just stressed which is why she isn't too fussed about remembering the witch's name. Also, I didn't wanna go to the hassle of naming her - sorry!
My canon is that Klaus was probably very good friends with Cosimo de Medici, both being art lovers and that the Renaissance as a time period would be one especially meaningful to Klaus. Contessina is definitely a witch, whether her husband was is up to you as a reader. I chose her because she's not inherently evil, but she was likely far more invested in politics than historians assume she was (and no I'm not just saying this cos the show portrayed her as a badass but cos women usually played very important roles behind the scenes) and her main aim is safeguarding all that her husband had built/invested in - essentially ensuring the survival of the city and that it thrive. Hope this helped explain my thought process somewhat!