-7-

-TEN YEARS AGO- [part one]

They were watching a lively television documentary on the history of Vikings when Elijah's phone buzzed inside his pants pocket. Hope was stretched out on the antique couch he and Niklaus draped at opposite ends of. Her feet are propped at Niklaus's shoulder and neck, small bare toes pushing absently into his skin, knees bent and swaying above her freckled face. Tangled honey and mahogany hair spilled haphazardly onto Elijah's lap, though only the top of her head pushed against precisely where his phone buzzed from.

Hope jerked in surprise when he fished around for it, and shot him a disapproving scowl that looked identical to her father's tried and true expression of disdain. His niece took family time very seriously and tonight she wished to indulge in an educational film. No work allowed, so that included so much as looking towards their phones. His little brother appeased her at every turn since earning her adoration, not that Elijah ever expected anything more or less. Luckily, her mother knew better than to feed into the way Hope twirled her family around her paint smudged fingers.

The youngest Mikaelson treated her paintings and endearing smiles as currency around their home. She generally got what she was asking for after gifting a well thought out sunset or rainy day on the bayou in hazy swirls of Crayola hues. Some were stunning, others showed her age. Elijah looked forward to directing her towards greatness; he firmly believed that if she dove into what the world had to offer then she would be clever enough to survive the curses and burdens of carrying their last name. She would be flayed alive out there amongst their enemies with the way Niklaus doted on her and kept her in the dark about who they sometimes had to be in this world.

Niklaus had told her when she clicked on the bloody axe icon of the Vikings film,

"Darling, you can pick something less heavy if you'd prefer it. Your uncle and I do so enjoy tossing around answers about who actually lives in that pineapple under the sea. Who is he really? Who is that man beneath the square pants and sunny disposition? This question really resonates within me."

Hope had looked at him as if he were the greatest creation on earth, only to roll her large blue eyes and sigh at her father. She still opted for the film on their murderous ancestral history; not that either of them were surprised. She had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, especially that of their history.

"It's Hayley," Elijah told Klaus, who paused the video. The room grew quiet as Elijah strained to listen to what was coming from the other end. She had requested the day before that she leave Hope with them and she "take a little break". Elijah had thought it odd for her to have admitted needing a break at all, as Hayley preferred pretending. Being back this year had brought him so much peace and the love for Hayley had only grown fonder, watching that scrappy wolf girl with a biting tongue become the calm and fierce mother she now was. He had decided not to prod; something his pounding heart now regretted deeply.

"Well?" Niklaus asked with raised eyebrows.

Elijah felt the warmth slowly leave him when he heard Hayley gasping against her words. I'm so cold.

A clap of thunder shook the old Louisiana home; he heard it echo on the line with Hayley. She was outside wherever her location. He tugged at his tie; his chest was painfully tight.

"Where are you?" Elijah asked, barely noticing Hope throw her bracelet that usually blocked her magic to the ground and dash out of the room. Niklaus stood to run after her, yelling for Elijah to find more information. Elijah's mind and body usually worked quicker than this, but there was something about her voice. It burrowed inside the nerves of his bones resulting in crippling confusion.

On Elijah's rapid descent of the stairs, Hayley had hung up after whispering, hurry. Hope was almost out of the gate before Niklaus's hands were at her wrists and commanding her to stay put.

"I feel her, I can find her. Let me help," Hope replied stubbornly. She used her magic to shock her father's touch, causing him to hiss in pain and recoil from her skin. He eyed her for barely a second before nodding and leading the way to the car. Hope followed with purpose, quick on her feet and a boldness to the way she moved. The likeness to her father was uncanny. Klaus shook out his hands in the muggy New Orleans air, wincing as he healed slowly from his daughter's sting.

Elijah sat in the backseat of their luxury town car that usually housed a number of women his brother enjoyed feeding on, amongst other things, since he could no longer bring the fun under the same roof as his daughter. The backseat still reeked of it all and Elijah took out his handkerchief to wipe at a few droplets of blood stuck to the leather; his nose honing in on the sharp and metallic call of hunger. It was something he'd come to notice about the moments he was in survival mode, his vampire side reaching for sustenance to give him the strength to execute all that was needed. Sometimes he gave in when opportunity arose and time permitted, but neither of those options were present on this night.

The rain started then, gushing like a squeezed washcloth. Hope buckled in when her father remembered to tell her so, and Elijah heightened every one of his senses, in hopes he would pick up on something useful in their search for Hayley.

He flexed his hearing, opening as far and wide as he could. He processed the sounds quickly, like data flooding a system. He could hear Niklaus's rapid heartbeat, so familiar in its rushing thrum; Elijah always pictured a wolf running full speed every time he heard the hurtling pulse. Hope's breathing was louder now, as were her whispered words. Perhaps she was talking to the ancestors who aided in her source of magic or simply speaking out loud, but she was begging for the location of her mother. Her heart was calmer than her father's, but it still trotted alongside his own even if with less vigor. Elijah could scent things in the way his brother could, but lacking the hybrid's enhancements to the sense of smell, Niklaus was far superior in finding someone by their scent alone. Elijah, however, was excellent at picking up on blood from afar.

The car zoomed on the wet asphalt through the city, heading outside of the limits and towards the bayou.

"You're sure?" Niklaus asked Hope, gripping the steering wheel tighter when lightning lit up the sky like a camera flash stuttered against the clouds. Hope nodded and kept her eyes closed, wincing the harder she seemed to concentrate.

Elijah leaned forward to take Hope's hand in his. She jerked in surprise but allowed him inside her mind as soon as he pressed. It was something they had discovered happened naturally between them. Often times they preferred conversing using only the images and moving scenes of their minds. She was over the moon that he was able to share this ability with her. Niklaus could enter minds with ease, but not in the way Elijah could; fully awake and functioning. Somehow, Hope could feel her mother and see some of her surroundings by looking through her mother's eyes. Elijah was stunned at how this child could link his mind to her own and bring him along to look into Hayley's. It was unheard of in the range of abilities as far as he knew. It was a capability best kept a secret, for her safety. Too many would seek this upper hand for themselves.

Once they reached a gravel road, the car sliding all over the slippery mud that gathered around the crunching stones, Hope let go of Elijah and all but screamed for the car to stop. If it weren't for Elijah's vampiric reflexes, Hope would have bloodied her nose on the dash with the way Niklaus slammed on the brakes.

"Where, I don't see her!" Niklaus exclaimed with a strain in his voice. It was the sound of suppressed raw energy that Elijah was sure would erupt if they didn't find Hayley soon; hoarse under a tempered growl. Hope could sense it too because she bristled at his exclamation.

Elijah couldn't hear anything past the low idle of the engine, slaps of rain against the car, the swooshing rhythm of wiper blades on wet glass. He told Niklaus to cut the engine and just leave the headlights on. Niklaus obeyed and for a moment the three of them peered through the yellow beams, rain making streaks of bent light and shadows across the tree line ahead.

Then she was there, her ivory skin glowing against the dark canvas of night blanketing the bayou. It was pure instinct in all of them to protect first, think later. It wasn't first on his mind to keep Hope from seeing it all; it felt more urgent to make sure her mother made it home whole. The brothers flashed towards the unsteady nude figure of Hayley, the rain melting away the blood that had covered her skin like a wetsuit. She was shivering when Elijah wrapped his jacket around her slight frame.

Niklaus touched his fingertips to her chin ever so briefly to look her in the eyes. As if speaking their own wolf language, she motioned with a shaking jolt of her gaze towards the forest behind her. He understood in whatever capacity it was they were speaking in with a gentle nod and blink of the eyes. With that, Niklaus led them back to the car and told them to stay put.

Elijah had gotten Hayley to stop shaking by making a lot of big promises. We'll fix whatever this is. You are safe now. It was only then that Elijah remembered Hope, clinging to herself in the front seat. His heart broke a little more for his niece who had been cursed with so much ancient history. Always so brave but they all saw it in her art and heard it in her music, she was like her father in an important way. Like Niklaus, Hope had a way of taking on and blaming herself for everyone's pain. If she cannot fix it or sacrifice for, then she draws within; energy festering behind innocent eyes. Elijah feared in silence every day that they were damaging her in ways that would only reveal itself when all was much too late. Elijah had to blink away when the little girl started to cry without a sound, as if she had practiced so much she mastered the art form.

He made sure Hayley's view of the child was obstructed.

Entering the scene of this dreary massacre of epic proportions likely meant Hayley was very angry and outnumbered. Her attacks were brutal and messy rather than precise and clean. Limbs lay near bodies they didn't belong to. The ground beneath his boot squished sickeningly when he couldn't avoid the entrails and chunks of flesh littering the pine needles. The air was ripe with the kills and Klaus had to tamper down the inner wolf as his ears picked up on another heartbeat the further he strode. His eyes trailed along a singular crimson path, indicative of wounded prey.

Flashing to the source of all the noise and frantic odor was a lone survivor, bleeding steadily from a bite to his gut. Looks like the darling mother of his child went for the groin and missed horribly. Poor fellow. Although, he supposed a slow and painful death may be preferable to being a spineless and dickless man for the rest of one's days.

Grimacing at his options, Klaus thrust the man up by the neck, a scream erupting from him like a person who knew he was to die. Blood splattered, along with who knows what was cutting loose from the impressive wolf bite. Klaus ignored the spill at his feet and spoke before the man died. If the blood loss didn't get him then Klaus would take his heart after answers were given.

"Who are you?" Klaus demanded calmly, an iciness to his tone to indicate his intention of ending a life very soon.

The man shook and struggled to breathe, so Klaus let him drop, pinning him with boot over bite wound. Klaus said it harsher this time, pressing slightly into the raw innards. This earned him another scream that caused everything within hearing distance to scatter. Nature always knew when to be afraid.

He would not fail Hayley or their daughter. Whatever it took, he would find the answers and fix the problem. Klaus turned off that part of him that wanted to be good for the moment. He had learned how to control this method long ago. It wasn't a humanity switch but it was definitely something that tickled it. For the next several minutes Klaus tortured the information out with the most gruesome tactics before ripping the man's wildly racing heart from his chest.

Klaus was thankful for the rain that washed away his bloodied hands as he searched for Hayley's jewelry she would have lost transforming into her wolf body; she'd be needing her necklace Hope made and gifted her this past Christmas. He shed his shirt on the race back, remembering Hope's large blue eyes taking it all in.

The youngest had been shielded for so long he wondered when it would just phase out. He wondered when she would officially start to see the world as it was; roads stamped with their family crest and spilling with blood. What a cruel punishment from the universe that he should be given a child to watch with innocent eyes the horrific supernatural world; her father the King and mother the Queen.

What a cruel inheritance.

As soon as Klaus arrived at the passenger side to check on Hope, Hayley stumbled out of the car on the other side and started to run as fast as her depleted body would allow. Klaus flashed over and just missed her arm. She stumbled but picked up her pace, not making it very far. Falling to her knees at the tree line, she covered her mouth with her hands and let the sobs wrack her body. Klaus could hear and see her with razor sharp senses and it hurt something deep within. Elijah flashed over to her, but when he looked back at Klaus with genuine concern, Klaus commanded towards Hope, "Stay."

Rushing towards the crouched figures, he slowed to circle his brother who was cradling Hayley, before squatting in front of them. "Did they hurt her?" Klaus asked, acid brewing beneath his words.

"I don't know…" Elijah admitted, smoothing damp hair from her drenched cheek.

Klaus put his hand on her shoulder and closed his eyes, prying into her mind. She fought back for a moment until Elijah murmured, "let him in so we can help you."

Along with a rush of images, memories, and feelings that Klaus would likely process later, he found what he was looking for. The memory played back like a movie. Jackson's kin telling her she was a filthy excuse for a queen. She let him get wrapped up in vampire business and it didn't take long to slut it up with the other vamp brother. He wanted her to hurt too, like they all had. A witch for hire hurled a curse at her that caused a sadness and dreariness that reminded Klaus of some of his worst moments with that damned bone dagger in his chest.

Klaus dropped his hand and retreated from her mind, only to grab her wrist and flip it over to reveal a marking.

"Jackson has an angry mutt that needs to be put down. A witch placed a curse to make her suffer as his kin has after his death," Klaus muttered, glancing towards the car.

Hope was walking towards them, her chin held defiantly to let him know she was going to help whether he told her to stay in the car or not. There was something heart wrenching in watching his daughter comfort her mother. She took Hayley's hands in her small grasp and closed her eyes. Klaus had watched her heal broken insects and bring back nearly decayed animals. His child never uttered a word, as if she drew on a power that didn't need any outside help.

Hayley's tears subsided and her body only jerked against residual sobs every few breaths. Her eyes closed, head of tousled waves falling lifelessly over the crook of Elijah's arm. Hope released her grasp and whispered, "I helped weaken it."

Klaus drew Hope in towards his body. She always grew cold after using a lot of her power and it was already a crisp and wet night. He coaxed her into riding up front with him so that Elijah could tend to Hayley; Hope had done enough and he wouldn't subject her to this sort of worry. In reality, he knew his brave Mikaelson heir would tirelessly shoulder the task of healing her mother even if it cost her health to suffer…or worse.

His brain whirred with a plan and a dozen other back up plans. He knew, above all, he needed to eradicate the angry Kenner wolf. Loose ends made him impatient. People died when he was impatient.

When they arrived at the compound, he had already texted Marcel to keep Hope safe in his home until they ripped the heart from the mutt's chest. Hope of course protested. As soon as Elijah had closed himself off with Hayley in their room, Hope shook her head vehemently. "You always send me away when you need my help the most."

He placed his hands on her little shoulders and stared down into those bright eyes, replying, "You can't do anything more for her and you know I can't worry about you while helping her. She doesn't want you seeing her like this."

Klaus helped her gather up some things to take over, all the while tuning his vampiric hearing in on Elijah and Hayley.

Hayley felt like dying. Truly dying. It was impossible to explain and she was grateful that Elijah took over and helped her put distance between herself and Hope. She was also grateful that Klaus had gone with their daughter and given her some sort of comfort as a good parent should. Hayley felt like the worst parent on the planet.

The look on Hope's face when their eyes met…

Hayley stifled another wave of sadness with deep and uneven breaths that eventually just turned into vocal sobs. She wasn't sure why she bothered fighting it anymore. By the pained look in Elijah's dark eyes, Hayley knew there was no hiding the agony she was in. Hope had helped her and Hayley could barely begin to remember what it had felt like before she had.

Elijah was running her bathwater when Klaus knocked lightly at the door. She tried to answer but couldn't find it in herself to move from her sitting position on the edge of the bed. Hayley wondered if she looked as ridiculous as she felt with her bare legs dangling from underneath Elijah's jacket. It hardly covered her but it was no longer in her to care who saw what and who felt what about it. Logic spoke but body and soul didn't acknowledge.

Klaus entered the room anyway, pausing when he saw her peering through tears. She couldn't make out his features through the welling, but his voice was steady and reassuring when he greeted her and promised Hope was having fun at Marcel's. She wasn't sure if she uttered a thank you or not and she was even less sure who led her into the bathtub. She definitely felt more than one set of hands lower her into the water, but still couldn't find it in herself to reach the parts that cared that she seemed so weak in front of either of them. How gentle they were.

One set of hands stayed and she felt Klaus's presence fade after a small squeeze to her shoulder. It always left her cold when he did that. She didn't know why and hadn't thought too much on it until now. She thought maybe she needed more from him and knew he'd give it if she only asked.

"Open your eyes," Elijah soothed, his fingers making ripples in the water near her knees.

For a moment she felt the fog lift, perhaps it was the warmth of the water. She rolled her head against the porcelain to peer into Elijah's concerned gaze, "I'm so sorry I went alone. I was tricked and Klaus will be furious once this is over."

The water made a trickling sound when Elijah lifted his hand from it to stroke her cheek. His voice had a warm hum that she'd been entranced by since she met him; her vampire hearing appreciating the tone even more. "You should know by now we have all areas covered and taken care of. Your job is to make it through this."

Another wave hit her and she had to turn her attention away from his eyes that reminded her of the color tree bark turned when burnt. She whispered to herself unfiltered thoughts that fed the curse clouding her every cell, sometimes forgetting Elijah was there at all. The whispers echoed all around the tiled room as she hugged her knees, sometimes biting down on them as a surge of sorrow threatened to drag her under the water. I'm a horrible mother. How could I put the whole family in this position? The Lebonair line shouldn't have continued, look at what I've done with the wolves. It's being a hybrid that destroyed me. It destroyed everyone I touched. I hate the vampire side. I hate it. I feel dirty and sick. Disconnected. Incapable of truth.

His lips on her mouth surprised her enough that she stopped whispering insults in a whirlwind of tears and sniffles. It was so pathetic and he was being so patient. Too kind, as always. Sometimes she wondered if half his devotion to her was that she was Klaus's daughter's mother. Like that part of him that needed to care for Klaus filtered through to her. Was he hers to take on because he wanted to or was it for his brother? She shook her head at that, lips slipping off of his. It was too painful to even think about. These thoughts felt foreign, yet somehow like old friends.

He kissed her again anyway, even though she trembled with the storm that brewed throughout her. The sounds of footsteps alerted them both. She looked to the doorway first, staring blankly up at Freya and Rebekah. While Freya pulled Elijah to the side, Rebekah took his place, leaning her arms on the tub to peer at her. For the first time since knowing her, Hayley noticed Rebekah didn't utter a word. The striking blonde just swallowed hard and blinked away something akin to sadness, plastering one of her winning smiles that sometimes reminded Hayley of Klaus.

"Hey," Hayley said hoarsely, closing her eyes when Rebekah reached out to tuck strands of damp hair behind Hayley's flaming red ears. Everything felt so hot and swollen, she refused to look into the mirror, it wouldn't be helpful.

She wasn't sure how much time passed, but the feeling of Rebekah's fingers smoothing the lines of her face was so soothing she almost drifted to sleep. She was utterly exhausted and wished for a moment of stillness; a moment where the sobs subsided long enough for the residual hiccups to taper off. Eventually, Elijah returned to her, dropping down to kneel next to Rebekah. He took Hayley's hand in his own and brought her pruned fingers to his lips. After several firm kisses, he told her, "Hope needs me. Niklaus has enlisted Marcellus in a witch hunt. Freya has a potion for you but it has some nasty side effects. I think it is best suited that I tend to Hope as she is frightened and asking for me specifically."

She felt like he was talking so unfamiliar with her that it hurt but it was only later when she was vomiting nothing but bile and swallowed tears that she realized he was just unhappy with their options. He had to leave her in the worst pain she'd ever been in and for that she was grateful. The potion had tasted spiced and then sweet, like what rotting flesh smelled like. Rebekah had pulled Hayley out of the tub and helped her dress while Freya looked on, apprehension all over her face. When Hayley sat to face the eldest Mikaelson, she listened to Freya's husky no nonsense explanation of what she could expect from ingesting the brown liquid festering in a mug.

"You'll feel warm, maybe dizzy. There's a potential to be violently ill so we will take the party back to the bathroom. It's made to counteract behavioral and mood spells but after it helps it gives you quite the kick in the ass. I'm so sorry Hayley, this is the only thing that will work until we find the witch that did this to you. But when this works, you will feel really relaxed and able to sleep. It will likely carry over another day and we can discuss another dose if you are up for it," Freya explained in her breathy long tone.

Rebekah grabbed the mug to take a whiff, blanching before handing it to Hayley. "Sorry doll, but this smells retched. The high better bloody well be worth it."

Hayley wrinkled her nose and muttered, "Let's party."

When she cramped up and felt like every organ was shriveling and dying off inside, Hayley understood Elijah's mood change when he left her. He knew she needed to be in this kind of pain without him. She wondered if her screams of agony carried further than her sobs of sorrow. New Orleans had quite the Queen indeed.

"All done, then?" Rebekah asked hesitantly from behind her when there was finally a lull in Hayley's heaving.

When Hayley let out a frustrated groan that turned into an agonizing whimper, Rebekah clucked her tongue twice, muttering, "I always speak too soon, don't I?"

A/N: part two will reveal even more and will mark our first glimpse into Klaus/Hayley's complicated story and the end of Hayley and Elijah's romantic relationship. Debating on whether to backstory dump on you next chapter with part two or let you keep guessing as we dive into Hope's birthday trip. I'll think on it.

Reviews always help my process move faster, thanks everyone!

Fun fact. I wrote these scenes a year ago when I first came up with the idea. It sat for a long time because originally this was to be my heavy Hope/Elijah story until I realized it wouldn't feel right in this context (I know, some of you are like, Um WVW...in what context does Hope/Elijah ever feel right? *shrugs and examines nails*) and I enjoyed the Klaus/Hayley aspect of this so much that I kept that and made an entirely new story that would appeal to the Klayley crowd. Though, I think I'm capable of shipping anyone with anyone, but don't let that scare you. So anyway, that's why it's so much longer and written in likely a different tone but I figure if I put in all the effort and time before, I may as well share it as is now.

Another fun fact. I chose the name WVW not only because of Hope's tribrid Witch, Vampire, Wolf status...but because it looks like sharp monster teeth. I'll never grow up.