You Hung the Moon

Hayley hurriedly threw her clothes in her duffel bag. She wanted to get out of the compound as fast as she possibly could. She couldn't even stand to be in the same building as Klaus. She hated him. She hated what he did to her and her family. She hated that he had taken her from Hope. She hated that he had taken her from… well, she didn't want to finish that thought. Instead, she continued throwing clothes into her bag until her hand grabbed the shirt from last night. It was still covered in blood.

Hayley looked up and everything came flooding back. It was a bloodbath. There had been red in her eyes, on her hands, and everywhere she looked. Something had taken over her that instant… something primal. Maybe it was her anger with Klaus or maybe it was something else, but regardless, it scared the hell out of her.

"Are you ok?" a voice said. Hayley snapped out of her trance and turned around to see Elijah standing outside of the door, concern written all over his usually impassive face.

"I'm fine. Come in," she said before turning to pack the last of her things away. "Jackson's gathering the pack to tell them to go back to their families… what's left of them."

She zipped up her bag and turned back towards Elijah. He was holding a single gold key on a keyring.

"You should be quite comfortable," he said in a slightly resigned tone that no one but her could've ever picked up on. It hurt her. It hurt her to see how much he was hurting, and more so because it was because of her. Hayley had accepted the fact that this is what she had to do, and she knew Elijah understood, but it didn't make it any less painful. She took the key and clutched it in her hand.

"Thank you for this," she said. He nodded faintly, but did not leave. She looked at him and sighed.

"You know, there was a moment at the bonfire last year when I thought we would be ok, that Hope could be raised by a real family. For the first time, I was happy," Hayley said. As the word 'bonfire' left her lips, Elijah's jaw clenched. That day meant too much to the both of them. It was the first day Hayley had ever felt complete. In a single day she had gotten her daughter back and finally gotten to be with the man she knew would always have a place in her life and heart. But no longer.

"I hate Klaus for taking that away from me."

Elijah looked at her, but said nothing. His walls were back up and she couldn't read him anymore. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black box before handing it to her.

"These belong to you. I recovered them after you turned," he said before giving her a final nod and walking away. She watched him walk towards the door not bothering to open whatever he had just given her. Before Elijah passed through the threshold though, he put his hand on the frame and abruptly stopped.

"I thought only of you. Every day, I fought for your return, and... searching for a way," Elijah said. Hayley swore that her heart had stopped beating. Hearing this, still, after all she had put him through, tore her insides apart.

"You were not forgotten."

Hayley was left standing alone with a box holding the wedding rings of her and the man she shouldn't be with.