.

She woke up to the most horrible sound.

It was like the dying cries of a wounded animal and it took her half a second to realize that the noise came from her own mouth. She let out a last strangled cry in surprise, before trying to blink away the pearls of sweat in her eyes. Her body was heavy, she could barely move her arms. And her stomach was throbbing, like someone had put a burning coal in there. She was panting like she'd been running miles and miles through the dark forest. For a minute she believed she could smell dirt and leaves, but it must've been the sweat trickling down her back that fooled her into thinking that. Her hand found her stomach, trying to soothe the baby and stop it from deciding that her mother was a total freak show 13 years too early.

Hayley closed her eyes again and when she opened them a second later she inhaled a sharp breath in surprise. Rebekah was leaning over her, cold and light and beautiful in a see-through, white night gown. The room was dark and the weather outside gloomy, but her wolf eyes saw every blonde hair moving around her face. Hayley slept in an old band t-shirt. She felt a little flushed, even though she should really be embarrassed about the fact that she'd probably woken up the entire New Orleans with her nightmares.

She could feel Rebekah's cool hands on her forehead and she blinked again, slowly.

"Are you okay?" the vampire murmured, slightly out of breath. Hayley just met those piercing eyes and nodded. Those were Elijah's eyes. Just as imploring, but much more raw. It was like looking at an open meadow through a crystal glass. Wide open but with a wall making it almost impossible to break through.

"Did… I wake everyone?" Bekah's sharp, worried features grew soft at that and she smiled slightly.

"No. The boys are out with Marcel, doing something about those witches."

Suddenly one of the servants came in panting. It wasn't exactly a small place Klaus had taken over so there were lot of stairs and corridors to run up and through.

"Are you alright, miss?" she said in a slightly French accent. Klaus liked his maids to be classy too. Marcel loved it. Hayley found it a bit… strange to have someone at all taking care of her every need. She was used to being independent.

"I am… fine, Marie." She managed to get out. Rebekah turned around with a sigh.

"Leave us please. You do not have to worry about us more tonight." The maid nodded, gave Hayley another slightly frightened look, and turned around. You could hear her slippers padding down the hall in a fast motion. She would keep away from the mystery baby as much as she possibly could without making Klaus unsatisfied.

"I can't believe Klaus has them. They're so annoying. And so… French." Rebekah put an extra unhappy note on the last word, sounding almost French herself.

If Hayley had not been so completely knocked out, she would have laughed. Instead she rubbed her stomach, trying to catch her breath. Rebekah's hands where back on her.

"You're burning up." Hayley knew she was right. Another bead of sweat ran down her temple and across her cheek. "We've gotta…" She put her hand on Hayley's, stopping its constant patting of her bloated stomach. "Is…?" It was like she didn't dare ask it. Hayley nodded again.

"It was just… some stupid nightmare." Rebekah let her hand go to her forehead, pushing a few strands of wet hair away from her face.

"You've been having them a lot lately. Ever since the fire…" Hayley didn't want to look at her. And when she didn't catch Rebekah's eye, the vampire gave up another sigh and put her hands on her arms.

"We have to get you to cool down. Shower. Now." Hayley wanted to protest, but she didn't have the energy to fight the original. She merely whined a little as Bekah looked her over and then, un-dramatically, pushed her hands underneath her shivering body. She pulled her up, into her arms. Hayley could feel coolness of Bekah's skin, and she leaned her tired head onto her marble-like shoulder. Even though the vampire acted all high and mighty, she softly stepped into the private bathroom with Hayley cradled in her arms. Then she placed her on the lid of the toilet and put on the water in the shower.

Hayley tried to start undressing herself and was slightly embarrassed at the fact that Bekah was standing there watching her with those intense eyes.

"Do you… mind?" Hayley tried, sounding more like a tired old nana than an embarrassed bitch. Bekah half-smiled.

"Need some help?" Now Hayley's face really flushed. She did not like the idea of being seen naked by the sister of the father of her monster-baby who also happened to be the sister of her current love interest.

"Ummm… no." She was starting to wake up a little, but her body was still so tired. She stood up with effort and turned her back as she tried pulling of her shirt. Instead it was so sweaty she got stuck with one arm through and she almost lost balance.

"Wait…" Bekah was once again there with her cool, firm hands. She pulled the t-shirt off of her without making as much as a noise. She sat her back down, pulled of her socks, and then there Hayley was, stripped down to her underpants.

"That's good." Hayley murmured, slightly out of breathe. She had her arms folded over her chest as to not show off her small breasts to the perfect Rebekah.

When she didn't get an answer she looked up to see Rebekah looking at her like she didn't have anything to say. She was pushing her hand behind her ear, looking just as embarrassed by the situation as she was. She met Hayley's eyes and Hayley could swear that if vampires could blush, that's what Bekah was doing. A slight pinkish color was covering her cheeks.

"Let's get you in," she mumbled in her British accent and took a hold of Hayley's arms, before helping her up and leading her to the shower. Hayley almost tripped on the step but reached out with a hand to stop the fall. She grabbed the slippery glass wall, showing off the whole of her front to Bekah, who froze, eyebrows raised in surprise. Then she looked away, smiling slightly.

"Is this okay?" she asked and before getting an answer, her hands left Hayley's back. Hayley's skin was still tingling from where her coolness had burnt her skin soothingly. "I'll be right outside…" The vampire mumbled and then with a gush of wind, she was gone. Hayley tried catching her breath looked down at her breasts and then buried her face in her hands. She didn't think it was possible to get hotter in the face, but as she blushed she realized she'd been wrong.

She took a step back and let the spray of the water hit her back. It was a soothing coolness, just lukewarm, and exactly what she needed. Not too hot, not too cold. It worked well, it made a perfect balance. Like hot fries and strawberry ice cream. Like cold hands on hot skin.

She leaned her head back into the water and parted her lips slightly, trying to rinse out her entire being, all the while rubbing the baby-bump. She thought back on the nightmare, but could only remember murmured voices, paws running through the forest and a distinct smell of blood.

When she'd stepped out of the shower, dried herself off and pulled on a white, loose tank top and some new underwear, she came out feeling a little bit better. The strength in her legs had returned. When she came out she saw Rebekah stand facing the window, probably watching the dark, brown-grey night sky out there. Hayley shuffled out and the vampire turned around.

Hayley spoke, trying to make the situation less awkward.

"Okay, ladies, nothing to see here…!"

This made Bekah laugh. "I'm sorry Hayley. Are you feeling better?"

Hayley smiled back and nodded. "Yeah, I think so… besides, you're what? A couple of hundred thousands years old; it's not like I'm the first girl you see naked."

Rebekah laughed and agreed. "I've seen a lot of naked girls in my years, yes, and under many different circumstances." Hayley swallowed hard and wondered if those circumstances could by any chance be a little more sexual than this awkward-almost-sisters-parade-of-nudeness.

She had lived for a couple of thousand years after all. And with those eyes and that voice she could probably have lured anyone she ever wanted into bed with her… Hayley felt her cheeks flush and she half shook her head at her rude thoughts. She wasn't sure if she was just jealous, or if she considered if those eyes would've gotten her into bed as well. She considered herself to not be too picky about whom she slept with – werewolf, sleeping with a hybrid for example, but up until now she'd mainly been attracted to men. She shook her head again, banishing her strange thoughts and patting her stomach a little too hard, blaming the baby hormones for everything.

"Uhm, sure. But you know, whatever." Great. She was babbling. She laughed awkwardly and walked past Rebekah to her bed. While she'd showered Bekah had changed her sheets. That was a nice touch. There was no lingering scent of that French maid, so she could safely assume that the vampire had actually played that role for her. It was oddly touching and the baby seemed to stir in her at that.

She pulled off the duvet and crept under. When she looked up from getting settled, Bekah was at her bedside.

"Hayley… do you remember anything?" She looked right at her, worry gleaming in the corner of her eyes.

"Not really." Hayley didn't know what to answer. "Blood, dirt… I don't know. Paws and running. Guess it was a wolf-dream. In reality I'm just a dog, I guess." She tried to laugh it off, but Bekah looked way too serious. Hayley's heart started to run away from her, beating hard against her ribs.

"You had dirt on your sheets. Like, from the woods. And…" Hayley's eyes grew bigger at this. She knew what she was going to say somehow. "There was some blood-like smell in there too. Like… animal." Hayley drew a sharp breath.

"Oh. Right. So…" She hardly dared to ask. "You think someone might've… been in here?" Bekah shook her head.

"No. Maybe you walked in your sleep or…"

"Witches had something to do with it." Hayley finished for her. Rebekah met her eyes with an annoyed glance.

"I can't say for sure, but heck. Why not? It's not like this family is ever left at peace."

"Great. I'll never be safe here with this baby." Hayley lay down on the pillow, both hands on her stomach. The little devil kicked her softly but she refused to pet it back. Mommy's mad at you right now.

"Yeah, you will." Bekah's soft voice rang through to her. "I'm staying here tonight."

Hayley's heart skipped a beat and she felt herself almost starting to sweat again.

"No, wait… what?!"

"It's the only way I can be ready if it happens again. I don't want to risk losing you because you don't like sharing your bed."

"Well, it's just… I move around a lot in my sleep, so you won't get any-"

"Hayley, I don't really need it."

"Well, still I don't think Klaus would like it too much…"

"Well, at least we're keeping it in the family. He would hardly ask Marcel to share beds with you…"

"I wouldn't mind that too much, though…" Hayley chirped in. Bekah looked at her with a cold stare.

"It's what Elijah would've wanted." And just like that, Hayley had nothing else to say. Because she knew that Elijah would've wanted just that.

"Well, but he would've slept on the couch." She pointed out, sourly and a tad bit nervously.

"Hey, wolf girl, I'm not my brother. I'm a lady. If anyone's sleeping on the couch, it'd have to be you."

"Last time I checked, this was my bed."

"Yeah. And this has been my house since it was built… pretty much."

Hayley growled in frustration at the vampire's attitude, but couldn't help but smile as she pulled the covers closer.

"Well. I'm not sharing the duvet." She could hear Rebekah smiling back, when she answered;

"I guess I'll accept that." She was back a minute later with her own fluffy duvet and soon they were both tucked in.

She could hear Bekah's breathing, and after a few minutes she turned around to face her. Rebekah's face was white in the darkness, and when the clouds broke apart and let the moon-shine in she could just make out the freckles on her nose. Hayley smiled, her breathing slowing down. She felt a tight shivering in her knees that could only be described as wanting, but she did not know what she wanted. She tried swallowing but when Bekah opened her eyes it was impossible. She quickly closed hers and hoped she could pretend to be sleeping. She concentrated on her breathing and tried to ignore her shivering knees and thighs. Suddenly she felt a tiny stroke of fingertips against her cheek, so tiny that they might not have been there at all. Then she felt the same sensation on her hand on the pillow. A whisper of a touch that made her heart beat fast and her lips tingle. Then it was over. She concentrated so hard on breathing that she eventually fell into a deep sleep because of her own exhaustion.

Just before she was completely lost to her dreams she could hear a soothing voice whispering:

"Sleep well..."

.

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A/N: I'm just writing to entertain myself! I can only hope it does the same for you. These are moments between them, that I want to eventually develop into at least a kiss, hehe. But I don't know how to make it in character yet. Just give me some time, and I promise, it'll come. In the meantime, if you enjoy Mulan/Aurora or Brittany/Santana I have a few good stories of them worth reading. Who knows, maybe you'll become a fan once you read them? Check out Backwards walk, Let's tessellate and Forsaking all the rest.