Not so many reviews :(
Hmph. Oh well. A few of you requested some Klaroline. Which is basically the ONLY reason I'm still watching TVD. SO OF COURSE I WILL. lol.
Klaus couldn't help but be annoyed with his countless failed attempts to impress or seduce Caroline. Before Hayley had attacked Matt, Klaus had confessed that he fancied Caroline. He knew instantly from her face that such a statement took her aback. Had no one ever told her such a thing before? What fools, he thought. She was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever laid eyes on. He'd been around for centuries, seen the most alluring women from every country, and been around the world. Yet, he stared at Caroline, barely a year old vampire, and he was captivated. Perhaps he'd seen women that were more beautiful. But she had something he had never beheld before. It was light. It was warmth. It was something Klaus lost long, long ago. Perhaps, he never possessed it to begin with.
Caroline didn't hold back as she continued to be brutally honest and shoot down all of his methods while Klaus showed her his art. He was exposing a very intimate part of himself. But the only person that would understand that would be Hayley. But he was beginning to realize that he could never capture her affections by showering her with gifts like he could with other women.
"You know, this has been a fun evening, with your friends trying to kill mine and me attempting to kill Damon. But I think it's time for you to leave." Klaus had finally given up on trying to impress her. Clearly, such meek ways would not affect her.
Caroline, completely unperturbed by his rudeness, narrowed her eyes. "I get it. Your father never loved you, so you assume no one else will either. And that's why you compel people or you sire them or you try to buy them off! But that's not how it works. You don't connect with people because you don't even try to understand them." She spluttered at him as she flung his expensive diamond bracelet off her wrist.
The only other person that had ever been so honest with him was Hayley. As Caroline tried to retreat from the room, Klaus instantly cut off her path. "On the contrary, love, I have proof that I can connect with people." The words raced across his lips and his eyebrow rose, challenging her to argue otherwise.
"Who…Hayley?" She asked, trying to sound doubtful. "What, did Elijah forget to give her vervain so she couldn't be compelled into friendship with you? Anyways, from what I heard, she would never have become friends with you if you had told her who you really were." Caroline raised one of her eyebrows, mocking him.
Klaus' eyes skimmed across her expression. But he showed no anger as he observed her. "You see what you want to see, Caroline." He surprised her with speaking quite gently. "But one day, you will run out of excuses for hating and denying me." His confidence in telling her what she would do, caused her to make an annoyed sound before she brushed past him and left the room.
The moment Caroline was gone, Klaus let out a sigh. For one of the first times in his life, he was embarrassed. She stripped him of his pride as if it were nothing, read him like no one else had, and showed honesty unlike everyone else who feared it would be their death. It should have made him hate her, but it only made him wish to become closer to her even more than before. Klaus decided he would have to thank her for her honesty one day. Or perhaps sooner than later, he thought.
Most of the guests had left. But suddenly Klaus' vampire hearing caught something. Stefan's voice was heard, yelling his older brother's name. "What are you, crazy?" He asked him. Klaus immediately left the room to find the scene. A few seconds later, he met the rest of his family, Elena, and the Salvatores right outside the front door. Kol lay lifeless on the ground below Damon. Surely, his neck had been snapped.
"Maybe a little." Damon breathed heavily as he looked at all of them. "I had to get even for him trying to kill me earlier." He noted with an evil smirk as his eyes locked with Klaus'. The hybrid just narrowed his eyes, seeing the young vampire as only being foolish for starting such a game. But before anyone could so something, Damon slowly walked down the drive, leaving the party. Klaus watched in entertainment as Elena and Stefan left only a few minutes later. They practically fled, scared of what he would do to them. It was power that Klaus felt only he possessed.
Elijah sighed. "Finn, get Kol out of here before any of the guests can see." He instructed calmly. Finn didn't acknowledge the order, yet still grabbed his youngest brother at vampire speed and took him to his room.
Rebekah, who had watched Stefan and Elena leave until no longer possible, turned to glare at her eldest brother. "I cannot believe you stopped me from killing that wench. You and your bloody morals, Elijah." She was still bitter about him saving the doppelgänger's life the other night.
"If you had been successful…" Klaus intervened. "You would have a dagger in your heart and truly be lost to the sea." It was the last warning he would give to her about Elena. She was his key to the growing population of hybrids. And he would kill his own sister before she could ruin that. After their family had revived Rebekah behind his back, it left only one dagger left. Klaus made sure to retrieve it before any of his siblings could remember that it still existed.
"Will both of you stop acting like such children?" Elijah cut in, almost embarrassed at their immaturity. Then he glanced at his sister. With a single look, he instructed her to leave. He already defied her once; she didn't need it to happen again. With one last glare to both of her brothers, Rebekah walked back inside the mansion. Elijah turned his attention to Klaus now. "Clearly, you've left an impression on the residents of Mystic Falls." He commented darkly.
"Why thank you, brother." Klaus replied with a grin.
"It wasn't a compliment." Elijah countered curtly. "Is it not utterly obvious to you? Stefan Salvatore desires his revenge. And his brother hardly needs an excuse to try and kill you." But he could see his thoughts held no concern to Klaus. "You may not care about yourself, since you are under the impression that you are invincible." Elijah lowered his voice. "But the Salvatores will fight fire with fire." Finally Klaus' smirk disappeared and he looked at his older brother. "You should not be concerned about your safety, but those around you."
Klaus instantly knew what his brother was speaking of. Elijah was not talking about himself, or probably there family even. "Where is she?" He asked finally.
"She has yet to leave your room." Elijah's jaw then tightened. "I must clean up the rest of your mess. And say the last farewells to our guests." But he was actually allowing Klaus to have a chance to speak with Hayley if he wished.
Without another word, Klaus went up the stairs to his bedroom. He wondered why it was his room of them all that she had retreated to, not knowing that it belonged to him. He wished to speak to her about Caroline. Anyone he spoke to about it would instantly see him as a different person. His expression of emotions other than anger and supremacy would instantly brand him weak to his enemies. It was the last thing Klaus wanted. Hayley was the only one he was even capable of truly talking with. And he needed her help in trying to win Caroline over, despite that he hated admitting it.
But when Klaus quietly opened the door, he found Hayley asleep on his couch at the end of the bedroom. Her hair was still quite wet. But what caught his attention was one of his long sleeved shirts on her tall and angular body. The sleeves bunched at her wrists, proving to be far to long for a girl. Her long legs were hardly even covered by the shirt. She was beautiful; he always recognized that. It was the reason Klaus used to want her for himself. But soon he realized that was not the path for them. Thoughtlessly, Klaus grabbed a fur blanket and draped it over her body. Hayley was a vampire now, meaning she could never become cold. But seeing her like this, Klaus couldn't help but feel like she was still the human he had first met. Instantly, Hayley nestled into the blanket.
"How was she?" Elijah asked from the doorway, causing Klaus to whip around to look at him. "When I wasn't there and she believed I was dead, how was she?" Klaus turned away and stared back at Hayley's sleeping form. He didn't want to tell him. Not to spare his brother from the hurt, but because he didn't think he deserved to know. But Klaus understood he was on thin ice with Elijah. If he wanted to keep his friend and family, he had to fix what was broken with him and Elijah.
"Desolate." Klaus said softly as he looked down at her. "Before she believed you were dead, she just seemed to forever be waiting for someone…or I should say you. But she was always good at hiding it. I probably wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't already known about your relationship with her." Then Klaus finally looked his brother in the eyes. "When she thought you were dead, it was like she'd given up. Her smile had practically disappeared. She looked like she hadn't slept in weeks."
Elijah looked intensely at his brother with his arms crossed. Although Klaus didn't say it, they both knew that he had stopped her from completely falling over the edge. "If you are expecting me to thank you for being there, you are a fool." Elijah stated darkly. "If it hadn't been for you, none of it would have happened."
Klaus smiled and shook his head at him. "You can stay in here for the night. I have plenty of other rooms I can use." But somehow he still made it sound smug instead of considerate. And he walked out of his bedroom before uttering another word at Elijah or glancing at Hayley.
Hayley was slammed to the ground. The impact didn't hurt, but it was enough to get the point across. Elijah had won, pinning her to the forest floor once again. She was beginning to become frustrated with her failed attempts. But she was getting even more frustrated with why he was so set on teaching her to fight.
"Again." Elijah indicated firmly. They were deep within the forest, a small layer of fog floating around them. Hayley sighed and got up from the ground. She stood a yard or two away from him, standing ready. Without giving any cue, Elijah shot forward. She just barely dodged him before he was in front of her again. In a rush, she shot her fist at him but he caught it effortlessly. As she attempted to rip her limb out of his grasp, Elijah already spun her around so her back was pressed against his chest while he still held onto her arm. Hayley knew her time was coming to a close. In a final and desperate attempt to win, she tried to flip him over her shoulder, using his hold on her arm to an advantage. But Elijah spun her around so she was crushed against his chest, staring into his eyes. "You're dead." He confirmed again, taking a step away.
Hayley had finally had enough. They had been at this for over an hour. And she felt as if she had only lost confidence in her abilities rather than improved them. "Can you tell me what the hell is going on already?" She snapped.
"I am teaching you how to defend yourself." Without even look at her, he replied roughly, as if it was completely obvious. Then he went back to their starting stance, showing that it was all he had to say on the matter.
"Elijah…" Hayley said it so quietly and her tone was filled with such concern that he couldn't help but look up at her. "Will you please just tell me what's going on?"
When she asked like that, he was completely helpless. He took all of her in for a moment before finally inhaling a deep breath. "Everyone in this town is seeking revenge on Niklaus." Elijah started dismally. "And quite frankly, they no longer have the highest regard for me either." Then he slowly closed the space between them. "The people around my family always end up paying for our mistakes instead of ourselves. When they can't hurt us, they hurt the ones we care about that they can."
Hayley suddenly felt bad for snapping at him. She understood what this was all about now. Taking a step closer, a small smile slowly firmed. It was her attempt to get him to relax just a little. Her hands draped around his neck. "Well, I don't think having a 2 week old vampire fighting against an original is exactly a fair fight." She pointed out. "You're practically setting me up for failure." Hayley started to see a grin forming on his lips. She tilted her head up and her eyes flickered down at his lips before she leaned further in. But just before their lips touched, she flew away. The next second, she was back but with a stick, mocking a stake, in her hand. She pressed it ever so lightly over Elijah's chest. "I just killed you." Hayley whispered in his ear. It was immediately followed by a light laugh.
Elijah stepped back, his face filled with entertainment now. "I found my enemy's weakness…and I used it to my advantage. Just like you told me." Hayley explained with a mischievous smile. He smirked at her success and wrapped his hands tightly around her waist. But she wasn't satisfied quite yet. She bound her foot behind his leg and used his closeness to her benefit, pushing him back and causing them both to fall to the ground. But Hayley officially had the upper hand now, with her on top of him and her knees on either side of his waist.
Her lips pressed against the side of his neck. "Got you again." She said and then pulled away with an eyebrow raised at him. Her hands were spread on his chest, practically able to feel the muscles stretched across. She started to make an effort to get up, but Elijah held her to him. He was now prepared for any more of her tricks. But mostly he just wanted to keep her close to him.
"See…I'm not a complete lost cause." Hayley defended.
Elijah shook his head. As she leaned over him, all of her blonde-red hair fell over just one shoulder. He slowly placed some of it behind her ear to uncover part of her face. "You are quite the opposite." He assured her. It wasn't until then that he realized how much he wasn't helping by being so stern with her earlier. Even though he was more than aware of how strong she was, he couldn't help but still be overprotective and worry about her life.
"I overheard what you said to Stefan Salvatore at the ball." He saw her eyes flicker at the subject. "I believe a certain threat was made about you ripping out his heart instead of myself." He raised an eyebrow, daring her to try and lie.
"I just wanted to make it clear that I'm not someone to take advantage of. I see the way they look at me… like I'm completely helpless." Hayley's eyes stared off into the distance as she became more irritated by the thought. Then she stared back at Elijah. "I don't want to become some damsel in distress. I can take care of myself." Then she smiled mischievously. "And I love proving people wrong." Then she kissed Elijah quickly before he could voice any more of his concerns for her safety.
"And I enjoy seeing you prove them wrong." A voice said a few yards away. Hayley quickly stood up to see Klaus was the one to interrupt them. As soon as she turned her body toward him, she noticed he had a hunting crossbow in his grasp. He shot it at her almost at the exact moment she stood up. Hayley barely turned her body as she caught the arrow right in the middle of the shaft with her hand. She was about to accuse him of being insane, but then saw that the neon arrow was made out of plastic, not wood. An idea came to her as quickly as she was able to catch the weapon. Hayley flung the arrow back at him, fully mindful that Klaus would be able to catch it even easier than herself. But as he was preoccupied with seizing the threat, she had picked up that makeshift stake again and sped toward him. Klaus caught the arrow effortlessly and looked rather satisfied with himself until Hayley was barely centimeters away from his face, with a branch hovering over her heart. She had distracted him with one weapon only to complete the kill with another.
"Well, look at you." Klaus said with a tilt to his head. Hayley smiled with pride from her success. While Elijah constantly worried about her safety, Klaus pushed her to become the next level of herself.
"I would have been more satisfied if she actually went through with it." Elijah said a few feet from them, breaking them out of their friendly trice.
Klaus glared over Hayley's shoulder at him. "Yes… Well, we all know it wouldn't kill me nonetheless. So your fun would have been spoiled before it even started, brother." Their relationship was still in a dark place. Hayley was starting to wonder if Elijah would ever forgive Klaus. But then she had to stop and ask herself if she truly had herself.
"What are you doing here?" Elijah asked. All amusement and fun seem to disappear from the hybrid's eyes. But he didn't look at his brother as he remembered why he had interrupted them in the first place. Instead, he looked at Hayley in almost sympathy. It was so strange for Elijah to see such emotion displayed on his younger brother's face. But then he hid it just as soon as it appeared.
"Kol informed me of your whereabouts. He was pouting that did not get an invitation on vampire fighting 101." Klaus said lightly. But then his thoughts changed, along with his tone and posture. "You've been reported missing." He said to her. Then his hand reached into the back pocket of his jeans. He handed Hayley his cell phone that was already opened to the local, Chicago, news article explaining her disappearance. Her eyes raced across the text. Then she turned around to face Elijah, completely unable to find the words.
"Two weeks." She started in absolute disgust. "It took my parents two weeks to even notice I was missing." Hayley shook her head in shock at the very idea. Without looking at Klaus, she handed him back his phone and walked deeper into the woods not saying a word to either of the originals.
Elijah decided to give her a moment. Hayley ran from her problems. She was always running. Whether it was literal or figurative, she could never face her troubles immediately. She had to exhaust herself emotionally and physically before she could admit that she couldn't ignore or deny it any longer.
"She must fake her own death, you do know that." Klaus said to him.
"Show some compassion, Niklaus. With everything that has happened to her, the last thing she wants to do is completely detach herself from her entire human life." Elijah said coarsely before he started walking toward the direction Hayley went.
"It's not as if her parents would even care! They completely abandoned and disregarded her!" Klaus snapped, stopping Elijah and grabbing his full attention. Klaus took a step forward, his voice filled with anger and irritation. "They are not even worthy of her. I would be doing Hayley a favor, keeping them out of her new life."
Elijah's eyes narrowed and his head tilted a little as he looked at Klaus. "You would be doing her a favor?" He challenged. "It's not your choice to make, Niklaus." His words were filled with warning.
"I understand the situation better than you ever could." Klaus countered with his face menacing in a way that any other person would cower from. But Elijah wasn't scared of his brother; he never was and never would be.
"Stop trying to appear as if you understand her more than I ever could." Elijah practically whispered in anger. "You may have been there for her when I was not. But I was with her far before you even knew of her existence. While you two may relate to one another on the matter, I was there, watching over her, from the beginning. So stop attempting to convince me that you know what is best for her."
Klaus stood in silence and anger as he watched his brother go after Hayley. Perhaps he wanted to punish Hayley's parents because he could never truly get back at his own. Yes, he killed Mikael. But it wasn't enough. His father deserved much worse after all the damaged he'd caused Klaus. That's what him realize that Elijah was right. His brother had morals, control, and understanding, even when he tried to conceal it. And at the end of the day, Elijah would know what was best for Hayley. Because what he thought was best for Hayley was what she decided. Klaus could never give so much power to anyone but himself.
Hayley was sitting at the top of a small hill, overlooking Mystic Falls' cemetery. She never meant to end up here. It just kind of showed up as she was walking away from Elijah and Klaus. The location was ominously ironic. She started to realize it was unfair to always leave when things got tough. But she also hated showing her emotion in front of others, even if it was two of the people she cared about the most. But Hayley wasn't surprised either when she heard Elijah moving toward her. He always found her, always knew that she ran from anything and everything.
"I can't go back there, Elijah." Hayley confirmed quietly as he sat next to her.
"There are other options." He reassured her.
Then she finally looked at him. "Yeah…but I'll have to leave them eventually. I'm not talking about my parents. But my friends…my sister…sooner or later I'll have to tell them what I am or compel them to forget me. At least this way, I won't put them in danger or watch them slowly die while I stay exactly the same." Hayley ran her hands through her hair. "It's just my poor sister…I know she'll blame herself."
Klaus suddenly came out of the woods. He watched them from a safe distance, leaning against a tall tree. "I can't go back to Chicago." He heard Hayley say. "After a while, the police will have no choice but to accept that I'm dead and then everyone will forget about me. It will be easier for everyone."
"Easier for everyone but you." Elijah reasoned.
Hayley turned to him again. She slowly grabbed his hand tightly into her own and gave him a sad smile. "I have a new family now." But it was true. She was practically part of the original family now. Even the habitants of Mystic Falls saw her as one of them. It was the reason her life had been taken in the first place. And Hayley felt like she belonged. Her real family wasn't ever really her family. Her sister loved her, but her parents never did. Perhaps that was why she could accept the originals for everything they were. Because, despite all the horrible things they had done, Klaus and Elijah truly loved her. And after being without that for so long, Hayley was able to look past their sins and see the good inside all of them.
Yes, it was time to leave her human life behind. She didn't belong there anymore. This was a new beginning, a second chance.
Tell me your thoughts! Please, please, please review. Its 4 am...why am I up?