Chapter 49: Always and Forever

In the next second, Hayley knew not what happened but when she opened her eyes she was standing in another part of the forest. The sunlight twinkled, trickling down through limited-leaved trees and as Hayley lowered her head she found Elijah staring back at her. He had her elbow gripped in one hand and the cure in the other which he settled upon a nearby tree stump. Elijah let go of his grip so that Hayley's arm fell out of his grasp. She watched him carefully, her heart beating faster than usual as nerves bubbled inside of her. Hayley then instinctively placed a hand over her bump and breathed softly before recalling the scene they had left behind.

"Elijah! Celeste!" She then exclaimed suddenly. She was worried about Eve and a prospective escape. Hayley jolted forwards in response but was blocked by Elijah and so in turn her hands fell flat against his chest. She looked up in response and Elijah tried not to note the splendour in her eyes.

"Will be fine" he then replied dryly, adding onto her last words.

"After all you do have an army, do you not?" he then added coolly. Hayley winced at Elijah's tone. She was so used to hearing another by now, full of love, of want...

She sighed.

"So now that we have that matter under control" Elijah then continued moving away from her to slowly circle the tree stump.

"Please do explain, Hayley." He spoke quietly and waited as he straightened his suit jacket. Although he was quieter, Hayley still remained fearful. This quiet wasn't understanding, this quiet was bred by deception, it felt like a calm before a storm.

Hayley felt a stab of guilt. She could hear the pain in his tone even though he was hiding it pretty well. What hurt her more was that this wasn't the first time she had hid something from him. She remembered the look on Elijah's face on him discovering she had read his diaries in order to retrieve Celeste's bones. Celeste. Hayley thought with anger. It always seems to come down to her.

"Who is it Hayley?" Elijah then asked, since she still hadn't spoken and Hayley blinked softly. She couldn't hide anything from him now.

"Jackson." She replied quietly and her eyes lowered for a second because flashing up again.

"But Elijah- Hayley tried to explain.

"Your "friend" in the fire?" Elijah questioned, his mind bubbling with memories. He recalled the wolf clearly now. He had saved him; he had risked his own flesh and blood to save him. Disgust filled Elijah, almost wrinkling his nose.

"Yes, that was the night I found out." Hayley spoke, remembering the awful night herself.

Elijah turned to look at her directly.

"You have known this, since that day and never thought to tell me?" Elijah's eyes flared slightly.

"Elijah. I was a baby. This was an arrangement by people I never knew." She tried to make him understand but he stepped closer, clearly agitated.

"No Hayley, don't you understand. This changes everything. This is what she wanted. This is what she planned. But I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that your cure is perfectly safe."

Hayley looked at Elijah with confusion.

"How does that work? What are you on about Elijah? What do you mean this changes everything? And how is the cure suddenly so safe?" Hayley spat, now beginning to get more and more worked up.

"Don't you understand?" Elijah hissed suddenly moving sharply. Hayley found herself pressed up against a tree. Elijah cradled her head and Hayley found that the angry look upon his face had been washed away. He now looked at her with despair. He looked lost.

Hayley's expression softened and her immediate desire was to comfort him. She damped her lip and breathes softly, giving him time to speak.

"She knows, she knows what you mean to me." He spoke tenderly, holding her as if she were some precious treasure. Hayley could not have been more surprised. It hit her unexpectedly.

He's more worried about losing me than angry about my secret. She realised and her heart clenched softly.

"You're not mad at me..." she whispered gently.

Elijah sighed stroking hair away from her forehead with his thumb.

"Hayley, you are not the only one who has kept secrets in the past. You forget that I am over a thousand years old."

"Then?" Hayley spoke quietly.

Elijah moved closer to her and she blinked, slightly humming when his palm brushed her cheek.

"She wants to take you from me." Elijah spoke as his thumb brushed her lip.

Hayley fought the urge to kiss it as she would have done if the situation deemed it appropriate.

"I don't love Jackson." She mumbled looking at him deeply. Surely he knew by now that she was in love with him.

"But you will marry him." Elijah looked back at her with fear and pain but surety.

Hayley began to swim in his eyes and her heart melted on hearing these words. She shook her head in defiance and studied his face of perfection.

"I won't." She blurted softly and suddenly her fingers were around the lapels of his jacket and she was kissing him, hard, tugging him too her, pulling him closer. Elijah's fingers twirled into her hair as he groaned against her lips and tipped up her chin for more. He hissed her back almost hungrily, until he noted she was struggling to breathe. He heard her whine and finally let go of her lips, despite knowing she wanted more.

Elijah stroked her jawline and then placed his forehead upon hers.

He sighed.

Hayley slowly caught her breath; he always managed to make her feel lightheaded and weak at the knees.

There were a few seconds of silence before Elijah spoke.

"Oh but you will..." he sighed sadly.

I know you've already been forced to consider it, you might feel you won't now but the time may come where you will feel you have no choice but to implement it Hayley.

Hayley whined.

"I will always have a choice Elijah." She tugged him in frustration frightened at hearing him say such things.

"Tell me you wouldn't leave me." She then blurted, slightly ashamed of her pleading tone. Hayley never pleaded for anything.

"Stop making decisions for me." She then abruptly replied angrily and the usual Hayley was back. The tears that hard started to prick her eyes had vanished in thin air and were again replaced by the usual fiery glaze.

Elijah sighed, "You know what I mean." He whispered softly playing with a strand of her hair that only looked more beautiful in the sunlight.

Hayley was forced to calm.

"But yes, in that sense you will always have a choice Hayley." Elijah added as he pressed a loving kiss upon her forehead.

Hayley whined gently but still remained agitated by his earlier words, she clutched his elbow and Elijah observed her restlessness.

His hand automatically slid down to hers and he skilfully spread her fingers and slipped it into his.

"You are my always." He replied softly and Hayley's heart pattered. Any such confessions from Elijah made her dizzy.

"Without the forever?" she asked meekly as she looked up at him with doting eyes.

Elijah frowned and then impulsively brushed away her hair to expose her neck. He then kissed along the depressions until he reached her earlobe where he stopped and whispered in French.

"Un deuxième avec vous vaut pour toujours" (A second is with you, forever)

Hayley knew not what he had just said but whatever it was, she felt the love in his incredibly alluring voice and it was warm and it was enthralling and it was enough.

"I choose you." She mumbled feeling his breath tickle her and she had the sudden urge to be nestled against him forever.

"You're my forever." She whispered uniting their words to form the ultimate Mikaelson code and Elijah sighed with relief and reassurance in response.

He slid his arms around her and pulled her close to him and Hayley let herself melt against his chest. How could she ever choose another? It just didn't seem possible to her.

I'll never marry Jackson. Hayley thought as she hugged Elijah as tightly as she could without crushing her baby bump. No matter what Elijah thinks will happen in the future, I won't marry Jackson. She told herself firmly.

But then a shiver ran down Hayley's spine causing her to break Elijah's grasp.

You know what they say honey, never say never.

The voice floated into Hayley's mind.

Elijah stepped closer; he studied her worriedly, clutching her hands and looking at her questioningly.

"She's been listening to everything". Hayley whispered.

"Who?" Elijah asked, confused and concerned by Hayley's odd behaviour.

She replied with one word that seemed to be popping up all over the place.

"Celeste."