"Come on, Nik. If I spend another day in this mansion, I will surely die." Kol said overdramatically.

Hayley's eyes snapped open. She was still unused to her sensitive vampire hearing. It still had the ability to bring her out of the deepest slumbers. Her head rested on Elijah's bare chest and her palm was spread on his formed abs. He was still sleeping soundly as she listened to the conversation between his brothers.

"Kol, you haven't spent any time in the mansion. You've been out every day either coaxing some woman or draining them." Klaus responded. Hayley smirked slightly at how easily she could tell that he was irritated with Kol. "In fact, a day in would be good for you. I'm already tired of sending my hybrids to clean up after you." He added darkly.

There was a beat of silence. "Don't you want some quality bonding time with your favorite brother?" Kol said, trying to play the endearing card. "After all, we have missed some time together after you left a dagger in my heart for almost a century." Hayley's smile disappeared then. She could practically see what Klaus' face looked like after receiving such a comment from his little brother.

"Fine." Klaus gave in after a moment of awkward stillness.

The front door opened and closed. And that was the end of the conversation.

Hayley knew they must have gone to the Grill. It was the only place to go in this small town. She glanced up at Elijah who was miraculously still asleep. He was usually always the one to wake up first. A sweet smile was on her pink lips as she watched him sleep for a few seconds. Then she kissed him on the shoulder and scurried out of bed to get dressed. She practically skipped around the room as she grabbed what little clothes she had and threw them on.

Kol and Klaus grabbed a table. The younger original scanned the entire area, looking for his next prey. His eyes fell on Caroline Forbes. He discretely pointed her out to Klaus. "I remember her from the ball. She looks like a taste." He cooed.

Klaus sat up straight as he looked at the blonde too. "Say another word and I'll rip out your liver." He threatened calmly but was completely serious.

"Ah, touchy, are we?" Kol laughed. "And what about Hayley?"

"What about her?" Klaus said without taking his eyes off Caroline.

"Oh please, Nik. You don't honestly expect me to believe you see her as a friend." His statement earned him a deathly glare from Klaus. "I mean… one is not simply friends with a beautiful woman that possesses legs like hers and eyes that literally mesmerize mortal men." Kol's eyes zoned out just to add affect for his brother. "Just think of the damage she could do if it worked on the supernatural as well."

Klaus looked back at Caroline, trying to seem like his younger brother's test was having no effect on him. "I would reiterate my earlier threat. But I believe I would enjoy watching Elijah rip you to shreds, when he gains word of how you're talking about his lady, much more than anything I would do."

Kol shrugged his shoulders, no longer having fun with this game. His attention span was short, especially when he wasn't receiving the reactions he had aimed for. Now he eyed a pretty girl at the bar that wasn't Caroline. His hunger was now a higher priority than annoying his older brother. Without saying a word, he got up and left the table, leaving Klaus all alone.

The seat was abruptly filled with Hayley. She didn't waste any time, half expecting him to leave at her sudden appearance. "I don't want to fight with you." Hayley stated shamelessly. "I don't want you to get mad at me for being honest. Because we both know that's what I do. I'm straightforward, blunt, and I don't filter myself. Not because I don't know how, but because I don't want to."

Inside, Klaus was entertained by the truth she spoke. He knew all of this already. But his jaw remained tense and his eyes serious. "That's not entirely true." He pointed out. She was about to continue her rant, but his words caused a hesitation to interrupt her. "You are not always honest. You never tell anyone what you are feeling or express any emotion. You hide behind your wit and sarcasm." He said without looking her in the eye.

Hayley couldn't deny that it hurt having him point out her biggest fault, or as she liked to see it, her go-to way of escaping. She knew he felt as if he needed to get even for her roughness yesterday. It wasn't fair, but he did it anyway. "Right. Well…" Hayley actually stuttered. She always had a witty come back, a smart-aleck remark to put anyone in their place. But that would only prove Klaus' statement further. Her eyes looked away at the corner, desperately trying to stop any emotion from showing.

Klaus finally looked at her when she wasn't paying attention and immediately saw the damage he caused. He didn't know what had gotten into him. Why did he feel the need to hurt the one person that loved him other than his family? "Hayley…" He started quietly. The disgust he had for himself was easily heard.

She ignored his address to her. And while averting her eyes, she caught a few familiar faces in the grill. Caroline was sitting on the other side of the restaurant. She was sitting with Elena. They seemed to be completely ignoring the original's presence. "I came here to offer you advice." Hayley started, now she was the one refusing to look him in the eye. "A peace offering, I guess. But it's pretty clear that you're not ready to."

Klaus knew she was about to get up and leave. "Advice on what?" He asked, knowing it would keep her at the table just for a few more seconds.

A frown formed on her lips. "Caroline of course."

Klaus matched it before Hayley's cell phone started vibrating. It had to be Elijah. He'd given her a new phone once they discovered she'd been pronounced missing. Only him and his family had the number. She quickly answered it, realizing it she'd never told him where she was running off.

"I'm sorry." Hayley answered genuinely before he could speak. "I just realized I didn't leave a note or anything." "Yeah, I'm fine." "I'm at the grill." "Yes…I'm with him." She said huskily as her eyes just barely flickered to Klaus'. "I'll see you tonight." The conversation was rushed, as if Hayley thought Elijah's interruption would set Klaus off.

Klaus sighed. "What makes you think you can give advice on Caroline?"

Hayley glared mockingly at him. "Well, chief, you're not exactly in a place to not take advice. I would say you should take anything you can get."

Klaus tilted his head slightly. "Did you just call me 'chief'?"

His statement earned a loud laugh from her. And just like that, all was settled between them. "Now you know how it feels when you constantly call me 'love' and 'sweetheart'!" She exclaimed and then crossed her arms, leaning back in the chair. "I mean really, do you think that's charming? 'Oh, look at me! I'm British and use pet names so I don't have to use your actual name… which I've forgotten, by the way.'" Hayley mocked him with her best British accent. She laughed when Klaus playfully glared at her.

"You are getting very close to that line, Hayley." He said, over articulating her name just to mock her argument.

Then Hayley's amusement subsided a little as she glanced at Caroline again. "You have an advantage that I don't think you've realized." She stated, still looking at the young vampire who was oblivious to them talking about her.

"And what's that?" He asked, trying to sound only mildly interested.

"Her best friend, that infamous doppelgänger…she is the one that gets all the attention. Elena is constantly being saved. Elena is everyone's first choice. Everyone loves Elena." Then Hayley looked back at Klaus. "But with you…Caroline was your first choice. You don't give a fuck about any other girl in this town…or anywhere!"

"That's not entirely true." Klaus said with a mischievous smirk. "There's Rebekah…and then there's you." He corrected.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "That's really precious. Thank you for that."

Then Matt came over, even though he really didn't want to. His boss had yelled at him for not waiting on their table when it was in his section. He ignored them for as long as he could. "Can I get you anything?" Matt said quietly. But when he asked, he only looked at Hayley, completely acting as if Klaus didn't even exist.

"Yes, two of those horrible cups of what you call cappuccinos." Klaus said, glaring daggers at the somewhat irritating human boy.

Hayley quickly looked at away from Matt and threw a knife at Klaus, fully aware that he could catch it. But also not caring if he didn't. "Rude." She scolded him like a mother would a child. Then her demeanor changed completely as she regarded Matt again, her kindness that she refused to show was beaming from her smile and eyes. "I apologize on account of his rudeness. Two cappuccinos would be great. Thanks, Matt." He looked uncomfortable with the little skirmish he caused between them. But he forced a polite smile and nodded before walking away quickly.

"You are too indulgent with unworthy humans." Klaus glowered.

Hayley shook her head, somehow still stunned by his lack of sympathy. "I hope you remember that only a couple weeks ago I was one of those unworthy humans." She knew it would catch his attention. "I agree that not everyone in this small town deserves consideration. But Matt is one that does. So leave him alone."

"Oh, please. This is all because you feel guilty for almost killing the boy." Klaus said so casually that it was almost unsettling. "You deserve to have a little fun, seduce some boys with your siren charm, drain of few innocent victims."

She glared at him. "I know you're already well aware that my idea of fun has never included killing people. And I'm learning to control my siren issues, if you couldn't already tell with Matt being perfectly normal standing right next to me. And as for the seduction part…" Hayley stopped, recognizing she was about to say something personal about Elijah.

"You don't need to elaborate on that one, dear. I heard it perfectly clear last night." Klaus said with a smirk, tossing the knife she'd thrown at him back onto the table.

Hayley let an appearance of embarrassment slip for just a second before containing it again. "I hate you." She said evenly, but Klaus easily heard how dismissive she was.

Rebekah was in her bedroom, lounging on her king bed, and reading a girly magazine. She hated feeling like she wasn't modernized. But being daggered didn't stop time from passing or culture from changing. As soon as she heard a knock on her door, she shoved it under the pillow, knowing Kol or Klaus would tease her for it.

But Rebekah was surprised when she saw Elijah standing in the doorway. "Hayley's not in here if that's what you're looking for." She said with boredom, grabbing the magazine back from it's hiding place.

"That's not why I came to speak with you." He said simply, walking further into the room. He sat in the fancy chair next to her bed with perfect posture.

"Is that so?" Rebekah responded while her eyes remained on the glossy pages of her magazine. But when Elijah didn't continue, or even sigh at her dramatics, she glanced up at him. He was looking at her in the way he rarely did. He seemed somewhat concerned for her. It was a scarcity. "What did you want then?" She finally sighs.

"Well, you haven't exactly spoken more than two words at a time to me since our family's been reunited. You rarely even talk to Niklaus." Elijah said calmly.

"Yeah…well he has his little siren pet now, doesn't he? And you're too busy being jealous of them together."

"Bekah…" Elijah sighed, truly not knowing what she wanted to hear.

"What? Did you expect us to become best mates? Do you really think I'm that desperate for friends?" Then Rebekah looked over to see he was looking down at the ground. If anyone in their family was kind, it was Elijah, even if it was buried underneath other things. She seemed to always be pushing him to end all of it. No one else ever could see it, especially his victims. But his family always did. And she guessed Hayley did as well.

"We're quite different aren't we…me and her?" Rebekah finally put down her magazine and crossed her arms. "I fall in love and trust every one that shows the slightest interest… like a fool. Nik reminds me of it constantly. Meanwhile, she hardly trusts anyone. Even with Niklaus and you, she stills keeps secrets to herself as if it's her last line of defense should anyone ever try and break her heart." Elijah just sat there, listening and hating that his sister knew it all just as well as he did.

Rebekah crossed her arms and leaned toward him a little. "She's trying to rescue this family as if we need saving." She practically spat. But she meant what she said. Rebekah watched Hayley trying to make Niklaus a better person. And she knew more than anyone that he would never change. After spending a millennium with your own blood, no one else can appear to understand them better than you ever could.

Elijah got up from the chair at that point, not feeling like listening to his sister's dramatics any longer. He had come in here to simply speak with her, as hard as that was to believe. They rarely saw eye to eye. But they were still brother and sister. And after all, they hadn't seen each other in quite some time. Elijah parted ways with Klaus long ago and she stood by his side.

Elijah buttoned his suit the second he was fully standing up. "What if we do need saving?" He said quietly to her. For the first time in her existence, Rebekah saw guilt and searching in her brother's eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Her tone softened just like his.

"I hate a strange dream last night. It is the first I can recall in quite some time. Mother was there." Rebekah instantly sat up straighter when he mentioned her. "She kept repeating the same thing. 'You weren't supposed to be this way.'" Elijah's eyes had been distant as he recalled the dream. Now he glanced up to see the horror etched on his sister's face. She seemed to realize that he caught it and immediately went expressionless.

"It was a silly dream, Elijah. Probably just your pointless morals getting under your skin." Rebekah said aloofly as she brushed a wave of hair off her shoulders. But really his words had hit a place deep within her. She was a girl who lost her mother much too young. And the worst thing Rebekah could hear was that somewhere, in the after life, her long lost mother was disappointed with how she had turned out.

"She wishes you no harm." Elijah changed the subject back to Hayley. He wasn't cut as deep as Rebekah was by the dreamt words from their mother. "Perhaps if you actually gave her a chance, you would like her." The last part he said condescendingly. Elijah understood that his sister was just being stubborn. But he also understood that another girl taking up the time of her brothers, especially Niklaus threatened Rebekah.

"Well…it doesn't seem like she'll be leaving any time soon, unfortunately." Rebekah exhaled. "I should take her shopping. The girl needs new clothes. I've seen her wear the same jacket twice in one week." Elijah nodded, trying not to give her any reaction. But he knew that what Rebekah meant was that she'd give Hayley more of a chance. It may have been hidden amongst an insult, but he still understood.

"Where has Finn disappeared to once again?" He asked, honestly curious as to where their second oldest sibling kept vanishing.

"Didn't you hear? His long lost stalker, Sage, came here this morning. Apparently she had been waiting for him all this time. Pathetic if you ask me."

"I didn't." Elijah said darkly before leaving the room.

"Stop acting like Klaus." Hayley said simply.

He leaned further onto the table. "So you're saying, don't be myself. Who should I act like? Your precious Elijah?"

"No. I'm saying…stop trying to show her that you're the original hybrid, the most powerful supernatural creature on the planet." Hayley corrected.

"Well, thank you, sweetheart. I don't really need reminding. But I enjoy hearing you talk me up, none the less." Klaus said smugly with a smirk.

"Nik! I'm serious." She urged, not allowing him to make the subject any less serious. Then she leaned back in her chair, almost giving up on trying to put her point across. "The original hybrid…that's the person Caroline hates, the one who hurt the people she loves, and the one she refuses to see as anything other than a monster." Then Hayley sighed, feeling like he wasn't listening to anything she was trying to tell him.

"What?" Klaus said so seriously. His tone gave her every initiative she needed to tell him what she wanted. Although he was pretending like he wasn't taking her seriously, he noted every piece of advice she was giving him. Hayley had been the only human Klaus was ever friends with. Caroline contained more humanity than any vampire he had ever met. So Hayley was the person who understood her the most. And Klaus knew he would be a fool to disregard her help, especially when her effort was so clear.

Hayley eyed him for a moment and uncrossed her arms. She glanced at Caroline and Elena again and was surprised to see that they were staring at her and Klaus. "Be Nik…be the person I'm friends with. The one who I saw before the entire supernatural world took over. Because that's the person who will make Caroline question if she really knows you." She glanced at her phone. The sun was starting to set. She hadn't realized how long she'd been at the grill, talking to Klaus. She looked over at Caroline again to see that she and Elena were still watching her suspiciously.

"I didn't know you were gracing us with your presence, Legs." Kol came out of nowhere and joined them at the table. He'd already drunk from three different girls. Yet he had miraculously left them alive and compelled to forget the alarming experience.

Hayley was already grabbing her purse and looking at Kol, confused. "Legs?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Kol is infatuated with your legs."

She looked between the two of them. It took her a moment to comprehend such ridiculousness. "Right…well, you were too busy making a mess to say hi, Dunce." Klaus laughed at the improvised nickname, while Kol glared at Hayley. She waved a goodbye to Klaus and cocked her head at Kol before turning to leave.

Just as Hayley was almost at the exit, she stopped. She could practically feel the girl's eyes on her back from the other side of the restaurant. Before she could change her mind, Hayley turned around and walked confidently down the couple of stairs to the high-top table Caroline and Elena were sitting at. Matt was behind the bar, drying glasses and watching carefully as he saw her approach his friends. The two girls sat up straighter when they saw Hayley only a few feet away from them.

"Hello." She said to them casually as if it her greeting was completely normal.

"Um…hi." Elena tried to sound just as confident but it came out like a question.

"I've been in town for awhile and never got to properly introduce myself." Hayley held out her hand to Caroline first. "I'm Hayley." Both girls shook it, but not before hesitating with a very confused expression. "You're the one that daggered Elijah and Rebekah." She said so nonchalantly to Elena that her jaw dropped a little. Then Hayley looked at Caroline. "And I've heard quite a lot about you." There was a slight gleam in her eye as she said it. Caroline immediately knew what she was talking about and glanced over at Klaus who was watching the exchange as well.

Hayley allowed them a few seconds to say something. But she was only answered with silence, which had been basically expected. "It was nice to finally meet you." She said to them. And she meant it. She then turned on her heels and walked to the exit. Hayley didn't really know what made her do it. Their staring may have set her off a bit. She wasn't an idiot. She knew how them and their friends looked at her. They didn't understand why she would associate with the originals or what her purpose was. Should they be scared of her? Should they hate her just as much as they hated the originals? And Hayley could sense it. Besides, if there was one thing she hated, it was people believing they knew her when they didn't. But she had to admit, she enjoyed their speechlessness when she walked over to them and confidently introduced herself without blinking an eye. Hayley thought they received her ulterior message: she wasn't meant to be disregarded.

Hayley stepped outside and saw people walking around down town. There was a slight chill to the air. It would never be as cold in Mystic Falls as it was in Chicago. But the weather was irrelevant to her now, wasn't it? She was a vampire. It didn't matter anymore. But despite her inability to feel the climate, Hayley felt a strange chill of some sort. Then she heard her name being whispered, yet it echoed in her hearing. This was not the first time she experience such strange noises. When she un-daggered Elijah and his siblings, it had been the ghost's whispering that lured her toward the old house in the first place. They practically guided her to them and then warned her when her life was in danger from Stefan. She assumed this wasn't something lots of people faced as often as she did.

Hayley's eyes scanned across the faces passing her on the sidewalks. Somehow, she knew that whoever was whispering her name wasn't a ghost. They were somewhere nearby and she was going to find them. Hayley was walking so fast, she could have been jogging. She desperately looked around; trying to figure out if the whispering was getting louder or quieter depending on where she moved. Then she stopped in her tracks. Everyone that had been walking around just a few moments ago seemed to have disappeared all at once. Hayley slowly turned around and immediately met eyes with someone. In the distance, there was a woman standing in the shadow of a large tree in the town's square. Her hair was a striking dark red. It was almost down to her wait and curled to perfection. She had a knowing smile on her lips as she looked back at her. Hayley's brow creased in confusion at how she felt like she knew this woman even though this was her first time seeing the outsider. Hayley almost seemed in a trance as she took a step toward her. She sensed like nothing else mattered but speaking to this mystery woman instantly.

But Hayley only made it a few steps before she was stopped. Someone had come up behind her. She felt a prick in her neck and realized they had just injected something into her bloodstream. Hayley tried whipping around but the liquid was already flowing through her and a strong pair of hands pushed her onto the ground. It had to be vervain. Elijah had warned her of its effects just a few days ago. Her knees hit the hard cement sidewalk and her neck hung low. She barely glanced up to see the mystery woman had taken a step out from the shadows as if she had decided to help Hayley but then stopped herself. Her lips were no longer in a knowing smirk, but instead a surprisingly troubled expression. That was the last thing Hayley saw before she felt her body completely shut down.