Vigilance

Hayley sat in the birch wood rocking chair she hadn't yet found the heart to batter, break and throw away. It was the chair within she had wished to hold Hope in her arms and rock her to sleep on difficult nights, singing the few lullabies she knew but more so telling her stories full of awe and wonder. Alas however, things just never seem to go to plan. Hayley's heart sunk as she recalled her little girl, her fingers then suddenly flooding with an agonising ache to cradle her. Her stomach clenched and she felt a rise of sharp emotional pain peak inside of her. Then it stopped. Then there was nothing.

This was an endless cycle these days and although she was no longer spending her nights blood caked and curled up at an abandoned bus stop crying as hard as the rain which pattered violently around her; she couldn't escape that feeling of loss which had crept into her heart and had made it it's home.

Hayley sighed deeply and then leaned slightly forward in her chair with the agility of a hybrid so that it now balanced perfectly for a second, neither fully backwards nor forwards. She held the position with a comfortable concentration and then found she could hear the silent creek of the wood beneath her. Hayley allowed her sense to ripple away from her like and force field and she closed her eyes softly. She heard her own breath pouring out of her mouth like wafty steam and the booming sound of the clock's tick as if it was tapping to escape it's glass case.

She then focussed even more deeply and was now hearing the sound of someone dropping a quarter, their shoes rasping the tarmac before picking it up. The soft voice of angered arguing with a taxi driver in a nearby street was the next to be prey to her ears. However just as Hayley manager to master the filtering technique...snap. The elastic stretch of her ability panged back into it's place.

The rocking chair abruptly falling back from the maintained spot but Hayley had already lurched forwards and was now on her feet.

"Elijah." She breathed a relieved sigh her eyes locking on to the striking man which lay upon her bed. A sharp breath had escaped his dry lips and his muscles looked tenser that they were previously. Hayley rushed over to his side her warm fingers gliding over his automatically, her eyes never leaving his face. She sat next to him gently, feeling his side press against her waist.

"Hey..." She spoke softly reaching to clasp his forehead, her eyes widening as she did so. He was burning up. Her heart thudded a little fiercely in panic before she scolded herself to get a grip.

Klaus. She suddenly thought and then carefully but quickly rose from the bed squeezing Elijah's limp hand a little before flying over to Klaus's room. She barged in forgetting to knock and he tilted his head opening his mouth to reprimand her or roll his eyes but she spoke first anyway.

"He's burning up." Hayley almost blurted and Klaus's eyes widened. He moved forwards from previously leaning against the bed frame and threw down the rustic text he was flicking through agilely floating off the bed, past Hayley and into her room. His eyes raked over Elijah observantly and on feeling his forehead a jittering anxiety bubbled through him.

"We have to find a cure now." He spoke, his worries seeping through once again as he swung around from facing Elijah and began to pace the room.

Hayley thought hard while taking her seat beside Elijah once again.

"I tried, this morning to enter his thoughts but his mind is locked to me." Klaus explained, his voice laced with hints of despair.

Hayley flashed him a confused look. This was news. He must have came in while she was dealing with wolf issues.

Elijah's chest suddenly rose and Hayley's fingers naturally found themselves winding with his own. His breathing wavered and fell like he was a broken ventilator. And then a dulled pain fought to be heard somewhere inside of her. It was then that she noticed, her determined eyes narrowing and her face leaning closer with what she called curiosity. She had realised today and yesterday that his proximity still had a large effect on her. Hayley's fingers traced the neckline of Elijah's shirt and then tugged it away tenderly. She found there was a rash or scar in the shape of a flower petal sprawled along the side of his neck and then Klaus neared to see it for himself more clearly. He then deeply sighed as if recalling something and fell back into the room his eyes closing and then opening once more after a pause.

"What? What is it?" Hayley asked turning to look at him waiting impatiently for him to explain.

"I've seen that mark before." Klaus spoke sombrely.

"But not since I was a child."

Hayley listened carefully balancing on the edge of the bed and wanting to know what it was which had made Klaus frown in such a way.

"Mikael would return home from battle more blindly temperamental than usual, and our mother would use the petals of a rare medlock orchid to put him to sleep. She would mend his mind with a spell, and then wake him with the roots of the same plant." Klaus explained.

"So we need this medlock root thing." Hayley answer rising to her feet ready to search high and dry but Klaus stood in her way.

"Rare medlock orchid. Hayley." He repeated and Hayley hovered for a second realising what Klaus was saying.

"What happens if we can't – " she began but noticing her concern he spoke first.

"My mother still may have access to it, there may be a possibility that it grows in the Bayou." He reassured and then as Hayley attempted to speak again continued.

"You stay here with your wolves and mind the fort." He instructed and for a second Hayley flared but her eyes then caught Elijah and softened.

Klaus watched this while she was unaware.

"Fine." Hayley then finally nodded and Klaus turned to leave pausing a little briefly however before disappearing completely.

"Maybe the bloom isn't off the rose after all." He spoke with an amused tone and Hayley felt her cheeks flush faintly.

She found her heart had pattered a little and a small smile twitched internally as she slowly took her seat by Elijah once again. Her hand slid affectionately over his shirt.

"Is he right?" she breathed to him softly as if it were forbidden to ask.