HOLY FUCK! I have never got such a response like I did from the last chapter. You guys are literally the best. 5 stars. High five. Gold Star. A+. I fucking love you.
Hayley slowly walked into the hotel suite, making sure to shut the door quietly. But when she turned around, Elijah was already standing in the room. She jumped and her hand flew over her heart. "Holy shit! How do you do that?" She asked him in a gasp. Hayley expected a smile to form on his lips, but his features remained composed. "Where were did you go? I woke up and you were gone." She said after a few seconds of him remaining silent.
"You were talking in your sleep." Elijah stated quietly while his hands were placed inside of his pockets. "You mentioned a certain Stefan Salvatore quite a few times." As soon as he said the young vampire's name, he saw Hayley's body freeze.
"Elijah, what did you do?" She practically whispered.
"Why did you not tell me?" He asked another question instead of answering hers. But Elijah knew that answer already. "Why did you try keeping the person safe who is the reason for you becoming a vampire?"
Hayley's jaw clenched. She didn't feel guilty for keeping it from him. If she learned anything from regaining the memory of her childhood it was that Elijah would do anything to protect her. That included killing anyone that harmed her or even threatened to. It almost scared her how composed Elijah was until the very moment she was the thing being put in danger.
"What did you do?" Hayley repeated her question.
Elijah shook his head at her refusal to answer him. "I did not kill him if that is your concern." He finally confessed. Hayley instantly relaxed. "I was indebted to Damon for what he did for you. To repay him, I simply spared his younger brother."
Hayley knew he wouldn't try and kill Stefan again. Elijah was a man of his word and an honorable one. But then she narrowed her eyes as she thought of something. "If you didn't owe Damon anything…would you have spared Stefan if I asked you to?" It was a test and both of them knew it.
Elijah ignored it. There was no need to tell her that what he did was unforgiveable and she would never be able to justify his actions. Even if she hid it well, Hayley was too kind for this cruel, supernatural world.
"May I ask where you are coming from or would you wish to keep that from me as well?" Elijah asked her as he glanced out the window. He ignored the hidden hurt in her eyes that was quickly replaced with resentment.
"I went to see Klaus." She said in a low voice.
Elijah's eyes shot to hers at the sound of his brother's name. "What?"
"I knew you would never let me see him." She instantly defended. Her arms crossed and she took in a deep breath before she continued. "I remembered that time they almost took me when I was a kid…your compulsion's gone. Then I woke up and you weren't there. And I just…I just instantly thought of him." She admitted sadly. "Because all that time you were gone, he was there."
Elijah never hated himself more as she confessed all of it to him. Because she was practically repeating what Klaus said to Elijah earlier that very morning. Are you really mad at our friendship…or are you mad at yourself for never being there? Klaus' words repeated in his head. This, in front of him right now, was the consequence for his actions. And Elijah hated that he let his brother get to him. But it was impossible when the girl he loved was standing right there, practically telling him the exact same thing.
Elijah was struggling to find what words to say. It was an uncommon thing. But before he could speak, his siblings burst into the room. All but Klaus were present. "Are we interrupting something?" Kol said with a smile, not actually caring if they were. But Finn looked between Hayley and Elijah, realizing that they actually had. Rebekah was the last one to enter. Her arms were crossed and she looked as if her brothers had forced her to come along. Hayley was too preoccupied with their talk to notice or care that Rebekah was glaring at her.
"We've decided to stay at Nik's mansion." Kol declared casually as he plopped himself on one of the many luxurious couches in the hotel suite. His statement finally caught his oldest brother's attention.
"What are you talking about?" Elijah snapped.
"He built it for all of us, Elijah." Rebekah chimed in.
"I was under the impression that all of us agreed we were leaving him." Elijah accused all of his siblings as he glared at them. His eyes paused longer on Finn than the rest. He didn't seem as on board with the plan as Rebekah and Kol. But he apparently wasn't against it enough to say anything.
"Although his actions aren't acceptable, his reason for doing so was always to protect us from father. He's gone now, Elijah. Why can't we just be a family again?" Rebekah said it in one of her begging voices, trying to hit her brother's soft spot. Hayley rolled her eyes at it. His family's interruption could not have come at a worst time. Not only was she confessing her forgiveness of Klaus to him, but now all of them were as well.
"He wishes to throw a ball to celebrate our reunion." Rebekah added quietly, perfectly able to see how annoyed Elijah was with their new feelings toward Klaus. She grabbed an envelope out of her purse and held it out for Elijah. He looked at it but didn't take it from his sister.
Hayley glanced at it to see that both his and her name was on it. She held out her hand, asking Rebekah for it. The original finally acknowledged her presence in the room. She glared at Hayley and hesitated before ultimately giving her the envelope. But as she handed it to Hayley, their hands just barely touched. Hayley was used to the feeling by now, but she caught the surprise and confusion on Rebekah's face. No one else caught their exchange. Hayley was sick of the mystery surrounding her and the originals. She had to ask Klaus what it was. Somehow she knew Elijah wasn't told the whole story.
"She will not be going." Elijah suddenly declared, gently taking the invitation from Hayley's hands. She opened her mouth to argue that she would do whatever she pleased. But before anyone could say otherwise, Elijah left the suite. Hayley took in a deep breath and shook her head before regarding his family.
"I don't understand either of my brother's fascination with you. But Klaus made it very clear he wants you to attend the ball." Rebekah sighed, already bored with the very conversation. "He asked me to take you shopping for a dress."
"Thanks, but I'd rather not be your forced charity case." Hayley said with a smirk and a tilt of her head before her face turned into a condescending glare. She shoved past her, walking right out the door to go find Elijah.
As the door slammed shut, Kol grinned at his sister. "You should be nicer to her Bekah. She is the reason you were un-daggered." But Rebekah's only response was the rolled of her eyes and an annoyed groan.
It was the night of the ball and the whole town had practically been invited. Klaus let Rebekah plan most of the event. He knew she would be more than happy to plan such an event. And it was his indirect way of apologizing to her. He hadn't seen either Hayley or Elijah since he invited them. That was why he was so surprised to see Elijah show up on his own. His new haircut was neatly sleeked back with a part and his usual suit was replaced with a tuxedo and a black bowtie perfectly straight.
Klaus walked over to him as soon as he walked into the ballroom from a different entrance than all of the guests. "I must admit…I'm truly astonished that you even showed up, brother." He said with a smirk.
"I have spent so much of my immortality seeking revenge for my family that I found it difficult to reunite with them once again." Elijah stated smoothly. Then his eyes locked with Klaus', giving him a very hard and cold look. "I am offering you one last chance, Niklaus. But let it be understood that I have not forgiven you."
It took a great effort for Klaus not to lose his evil smirk at hearing such hurtful, yet honest words from his eldest brother. "So be it." He responded. Then he looked around. "May I ask where the exquisite Hayley is?" Elijah raised an eyebrow at his younger brother, not giving an answer. Klaus smiled even bigger. "I guess I shall assume you are unaware of her whereabouts." He offered.
"I did not want her attending." He replied emotionlessly. "She has not spoken to me all day and then disappeared with our dear sister."
"Well, it was my intention for her to be here. After all, she is part of the family now." Klaus said as his eyes scanned across the crowd gathering below. The mentioning of Hayley being part of the family caused Elijah's eyes to flicker to his brothers. But Klaus ignored the intense gaze. "Well, well, well." Klaus then said. His tone clearly showed that he had caught something interesting. He turned to Elijah. "Haven't you learned that she never does what other people tell her to?"
Elijah looked at his younger brother to see he was staring in awe at something in the balcony above the one they stood at. He followed Klaus' gaze and found what he was looking at. Rebekah entered from the shadows of the upstairs hallways. But what followed behind her was the thing that caught both of the original's attention. Hayley walked up to the railing in a strapless crimson ball gown. The bodice wrapped around her thin body in a simple way. As soon as it reached her waist, chiffon scattered down the dress with blood red lace detailing across the fabric. All of her hair was down but it had been curled, falling wondrously around her neck and shoulders.
Elijah was speechless as he took in her beauty. And as if she could sense their eyes on her, Hayley looked down at both of them. A shy smile fell on her lips. Rebekah watched her brother's reactions to Hayley with a satisfied smile. She took her shopping, but Hayley was the one that picked out the dress. Even though Rebekah refused to show it or even believe it, she warmed up to Hayley rather quickly. Her honesty and strong headedness actually made the two girls get along rather than dislike one another. Rebekah slowly started to understand why Elijah was in love with her and why Klaus saw her as a true friend.
Without breaking his gaze or saying a word to his brother, Elijah walked briskly up the stairs to Hayley. As Klaus heard his brother leave, he came out of his daze. While Elijah walked up the stairs, Rebekah gracefully went down to meet Klaus. The original vampire wore a dark green and sleek dress that only hung off one of her shoulders. It was obvious that Hayley outshined her.
"Lovely work, sister." Klaus commented as his eyes were still on Hayley.
Rebekah grabbed a glass of champagne as a waiter walked by with a tray. "It wasn't all my doing. By some miracle, she has good taste." She said trying to sound bored with the very idea of talking about her.
Klaus smirked darkly. "Just admit it, you've grown to like her."
"Perhaps. But I'm sure I will never like her as much as you do." She replied. Then her eyes watched him closely as he still stared down at his guests. "Nik…do you love her…as more than a friend?" She asked carefully, not really expecting him to answer.
The timing could not have been any more perfect. Just as she finished the question, Caroline Forbes walked into the mansion. She seemed unsure of herself and looked around, trying to find familiar faces. It appeared as if she would retreat at any moment. "No, dear sister, I fancy another." Klaus said softly, his eyes never leaving Caroline. He downed a glass of champagne before descending the stairs and making his way to Caroline on the main floor.
Elijah slowed his walk once he was on the same balcony as Hayley. She turned to him, unsure of his reaction to her. "Is this the part where you tell me to go home?" She asked him quietly once he was only a foot away. Finn, Rebekah, and Kol had all moved into Klaus' mansion, while Elijah and Hayley remained in the hotel. As of right now, home was their hotel.
"I believe it would be a horrible crime to hide you from the world." He replied confidently. It caused a small laugh to escape from Hayley. She would never stop being surprised by his timeless gentleman qualities. The sound made Elijah smile in return. Without even thinking, one of his fingers twisted in a strand of her hair.
"It was Rebekah." She informed him as she gestured down at her dress.
"No. It's you." He corrected. The smile on her lips disappeared from his serious tone. Before either of them could say anymore. Elijah glanced below to see his siblings gathering on the spiral staircase. Klaus looked up at them, showing that they were waiting for him. Elijah looked back at Hayley and offered her his arm. She took it with a shy smile and let him lead her to the rest of his family.
As soon as they were all together, a waiter gave the originals and Hayley each a glass of champagne. Elijah cleared his throat. At the sight of his family viewing the entire party, the guests slowly started to quiet. "Welcome. Thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my family has a gathering like this, it's tradition to commence the evening with a dance." As Elijah made his welcoming speech, Hayley glanced down at all the guests. She instantly recognized the Salvatores. "Tonight's dance is a century old waltz. So if all of you could find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom.
Everyone on the floor immediately started moving about, grabbing his or her partner. Hayley suddenly felt Elijah grab her hand. She instantly became frazzled. "Elijah, I don't know how to-"
"I will show you." He promptly interjected. Before she could argue anymore, he led her down the stairs to the dance floor. Once they were in their spot amongst the guests, Elijah positioned them correctly. Hayley laughed and shook her head at how ridiculous she felt. "You will be fine." He assured her, completely seeing how uncomfortable she was. Then, a second before the music started, he lower his lips to her ear. "Besides, no one will notice even the greatest misstep. They are all too mesmerized by how beautiful you look." He whispered just before he kissed her so quickly on the cheek that no one could even catch it.
The orchestra started playing and Hayley relaxed. Elijah guided her elegantly across the floor, leading perfectly. His eyes tore into hers as they danced across the floor. She couldn't help but feel like she was in some sort of a fairytale. It felt as if they were the only two in the room. She looked around to remind herself there were others around her. And that was when she saw Nik. Her eyes narrowed when she looked at the girl he was dancing with. Blonde and beautiful, Hayley was immediately curious as to who she was. Then she caught how Nik was looking at her.
"Elijah?" She asked quietly. He waited. "Who is your brother dancing with?"
It took a great effort for him to tear his eyes away from her to follow her gaze. "That would be Miss Caroline Forbes." Then he instantly looked back at Hayley. "She is one Elena's friends." He added. Hayley nodded. Over the last few days, he told her all that happened to him while he had been away. He wished to spare her the details, not seeing the point in telling her all the horrible things. But Hayley insisted. She was sick of always being the one in the dark. Now she knew of all the people in Mystic Falls. And tonight was when she could finally put faces to their names.
"He likes her." She stated in a whisper. Then she finally looked away and back at Elijah. He smirked at her observation and how confident she sounded.
"Don't panic." He said softly just before he spun her. But instead of spinning back into his grasp, she was in Klaus' hold.
"Hi." She greeted weakly. It was the first time they talked since she went to his mansion. He smiled down at her, guiding them just as well as his older brother.
"I must say you look rather stunning tonight." He pointed out suavely.
"Thanks." She mumbled, looking down, uncomfortable at the comment. "You like that girl…Caroline, is it?" Hayley asked him, averting the subject from her.
Klaus glanced at Caroline, who was dancing with Matt Donavan now. "Let's keep that between you and mean, shall we love?" He responded smoothly.
She laughed. "I'm not sure that's possible with the way you look at her." Then she saw Stefan Salvatore dancing with a petite girl with brown hair, curled and draped over one shoulder. Klaus caught where she was looking.
"The infamous doppelgänger." He informed her.
"Elena?" She whispered. The duplicate of the two other women Elijah once loved. Hayley couldn't help but rival herself to the girl.
"She's nothing in comparison." Klaus murmured in her ear. She quickly looked at him, surprised at how well he could read her mind. Before she could argue or even roll her eyes, he spun her in a circle. Hayley gasped slightly when she stopped in Stefan's arms. Her entire body tensed at just the sight of his face so close to hers.
It was all a part of the dance, but she couldn't deny how badly she wanted to leave the floor. For the first few seconds, there was absolute silence between them. But Stefan looked as if he was having some sort of inner turmoil.
"Hayley…I'm-I'm sorry for everything I did to you." He said awkwardly. It was hard expressing his emotions after he had completely turned them off for so long. He felt like he was teaching himself how to feel again. And guilt was the hardest to control.
Instead of responding, her jaw clenched and she glared up at him. Hayley couldn't take it any longer. She stopped dancing and took a step away from Stefan. "I want to get one thing straight. You might think that I'm like your precious Elena. But you're completely wrong. I'm not some fragile weakling. You had me at my weakest." She said all of this in a low hiss. Then Hayley took a step closer to Stefan. "Thanks to you and your brother, I'm a vampire now. So…if you try to use me against those I care about again, it won't be Elijah ripping out your heart. It will be me."
Before she could get any angrier, Hayley rushed away into the nearest doorway. She hid inside the room, her back pressed against the wall. Her chest rose and fell deeply from the rage she couldn't control. Why had any of them even been invited? She asked herself. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her. Klaus always had a reason for doing absolutely anything. And Hayley couldn't think of any reason for inviting Stefan that was positive. He knows. She thought. He knows it was Stefan.
"Hayley." A voice suddenly brought her out of her thoughts. It was Elijah. He had heard everything that occurred between her and Stefan.
"I'm fine. I'm okay. I just…snapped a little." She immediately told him, already knowing he was about to ask if she was all right. "Actually, I'm gonna go outside and get some fresh air."
"Would you like me to accompany you?" He asked cautiously.
"No. No, that's okay. You have guests to entertain. I should go alone." She brushed away his presence. But what she really wanted to do was find and accuse Nik of inviting Stefan here to kill him.
Hayley rushed upstairs once she didn't spot Klaus or Stefan anywhere. That's when she used her sensitive hearing. She heard someone struggling in a room nearby. It was nearly impossible to recognize the voice, but she followed it anyway. She burst into the room to see Damon on the floor with Kol over him, stake in hand and about to be buried into the young vampire's heart. Damon was struggling to hold Kol's forearm from making contact. His grip was shaking and it was clear he was struggling against the original vampire's strength.
Hayley didn't think twice about intervening. She shoved Kol off of him. "What the hell are you doing?" She asked him before turning to Damon. He was surprised when Hayley offered him her hand. Hesitantly, he grabbed it and stood up from the ground.
"I was itching to kill something." Kol said with his mischievous smile as he shrugged his shoulders. Then he took a step toward Damon. But she moved in between the two of them. "Get out of the way, Hayley."
"Nik told you to kill him, didn't he?" She said.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kol replied. His eyes stayed on Damon.
"Leave him alone, Kol. I'm not going to let you kill him." Hayley raised her voice a little as she challenged the original. She knew he could kill her right there if he wanted. But for some reason, she also knew he wouldn't. Damon narrowed his eyes, wondering if Kol would listen to her or not. After what seemed like minutes, Kol finally left the room at vampire speed.
Hayley immediately let out a sigh of relief. Then she slowly turned to face Damon. He looked confused as to why she would risk her life to save his. "How did you know he was going to kill me?" He asked suspiciously.
"I didn't." She confessed. "I thought Nik was going to try and kill Stefan."
"Oh, no. That would be too simple. To get back at my brother, Klaus tries to kill anyone that he cares about. Elena is his walking blood bag, so she's out of the question. The only one left is me." Damon informed casually. "For being his so called friend, you don't know him very well, do you?"
Hayley glared at his judgment. "You and I know two different people, Damon." She wasn't waiting for him to thank her for saving his life. But they were both aware that she repaid him. They were even now. She gave him one last glance before walking out of the room.
Hayley's mind was spinning with so many thoughts as she walked down the hall. She wasn't even paying attention to the present. As she turned the corner, she completely ran into someone.
"Sorry." She muttered.
"Don't worry about it." A deep and husky voice responded lightly. Hayley looked up to see a handsome boy with blonde hair and bright blue eyes looking at her. She recognized him from dancing with Rebekah earlier. She believed his name was Matt.
Suddenly her senses took over. Hayley could hear his pulse beating and she could practically smell his blood. All it took was a look into his eyes. His composure completely relaxed, as if he was hypnotized. No, no, no. She thought in her head. Stop it. But he was already too deep under her siren hex. Hayley could feel the veins swarming under her eyes and the fangs extending from her gums. She couldn't control it any longer. Her hands grasped his shoulders as she ripped into his throat.
Time passed unknowingly. It was as if she blacked out. The next thing she knew, someone was ripping her off of Matt. But she fought them, trying to get back to her victim. The blood craving was stopping her from being sensible. Her eyes shot up to see that it was Damon who had ripped her off of the human boy. Elena now crouched at his side. "Matt! Matt!" She yelled at him. Her yelling caught the attention of others. Stefan, Caroline, and Bonnie now stood behind Damon, watching in horror.
But Hayley was completely oblivious to their appearance. Her hearing was too overwhelmed with a livelier pulse now. It was Elena. Her blood lust drove her toward the doppelgänger. But Damon was quick to stop her. He slammed Hayley to the floor. His hands were on both of her shoulders, pinning her still. She slowly started to come back. Before Damon could even look around for a stake to kill her with, he was thrown off of her. He looked up to see all the originals were now standing behind Hayley. It was Elijah who had ripped Damon away from her.
Hayley slowly stood up and looked down to see Matt was lifeless on the floor. Her hand flew to her mouth in shock. Had she killed him? "Oh my god." She whispered to herself. Caroline, quick to take action, kneeled at Matt's side. She had already bit into her wrist and forced her blood down his throat. Utterly disgusted with herself, Hayley fled the scene, brushing past all of the originals without looking up from the ground.
"Maybe you should keep a tighter leash on your pet." Damon said to Klaus.
"Why are you even still alive?" He countered quickly.
Elijah ignored their conversation, as he looked down at the young, human boy. Matt was healing already, the vampire blood performing its job. Elijah could hear his heartbeat slowly getting stronger and stronger. Thankfully, he would live. But if it hadn't been for Damon, Hayley would have surely killed him.
Without regarding any of them, Elijah left the hallway in search for her. He stopped at Klaus' bedroom door. It was left slightly open, but the lights were still off. He slowly pushed it open further. It was pitch black inside, except for the slit of light across the wood floor that came from the small opening of the bathroom. Elijah could hear the shower running and then slowly walked toward the sound. When he opened the door, he saw Hayley's gown strewn across the marble floor.
Elijah closed the door behind him before walking further into the bathroom. His eyes immediately found Hayley. She was inside the shower that was the size of a small room and enclosed only by glass. She sat in the middle, directly underneath the showerhead in only her black bra and underwear. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, hugging them to her chest. Her black make-up slightly smudged underneath her eyes from the water. Elijah could tell by the steam that the water was as hot as it could possibly go. Hayley didn't even notice him enter as she stared blankly. Even when Elijah slowly opened the glass door, she didn't see him.
"Hayley." He said softly to her, trying to get her attention. She looked up at him quickly in surprise, stunned that he snuck up on her. But she made no indication that she could move. Elijah looked at her sorrowfully. Then he slowly sat down beside her, his suit and shirt already becoming soaked from the scorching hot water.
"I could smell his blood on me." She whispered. "I had to take it off."
"Hayley, he is going to be fine." Elijah told her.
"I couldn't stop, Elijah. I couldn't stop the mesmerism…I couldn't stop drinking his blood." She practically shook at the thought. Elijah immediately wrapped his arms around her and she welcomed the comfort, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I will teach you how to control it." He finally said. She nodded her head.
A few minutes passed before Hayley said one more thing. "You said you'd never let anyone harm me." She started. " But I don't need you to protect me from anyone, Elijah. I need you to protect me from myself."
So I tried to update ASAP after your responses. And I'm officially done with finals. So hopefully I can update again soon.
REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! pwetty pwease.
For the Hayley's dress...every time i try to post a link, it doesn't work. SOOOOOO if you put this (crimson strapless dress vera wang spring 2013) into google. The dress is there lol.
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