Chapter Twenty Five: Are You on My Side?
The following morning was quiet, as though the world was choosing to stay still and calm after so much chaos. It was warm and the sun was peering out from the clouds.
Hayley hated it. She wanted the sun to stay behind the clouds, she wanted to feel cold wind on her face, to wash away the lingering scent of blood that made her nose twitch.
She glared at the warm, soft blue sky. She had already taken a scorching shower to wash the blood, dirt, and sweat from her body, and had managed to sleep for a handful of hours before she woke up before the sun.
Someone cleared their throat behind her.
Hayley turned and was surprised to see Elijah standing at the doorway, holding two mugs in his hands. She faced him. "Hey."
"I wondered if you wanted some tea," Elijah said, lifting a cup slightly.
Hayley gave him a small smile. She walked over and took a mug from his hand, giving it a curious sniff. It smelled light, like lemon and honey. "Thank you."
Elijah looked around the room. "My brother isn't with you?"
"No. I wanted to be alone."
"Do you still?"
"How's Rebekah?" Hayley asked, changing the subject. She moved to sit in the comfy chairs by the fireplace.
Elijah sat down as well when she gestured towards the other chair. "She's fine, physically. Marcel is keeping her from ripping the town apart to find the Hunters."
Hayley smirked at that. She drained the rest of her tea, sighing as the warmth seeped into her bones. "When did you get back?"
Elijah looked away, towards the empty fireplace. His eyes were dark, unreadable.
He had left a few nights ago with Kol, since the younger Mikaelson had insisted on taking a quick trip up the coast. They ended up in the southern forests of Virginia, where Kol had connections to a small, rogue werewolf pack that, as he put it, were "always looking for a good time". Naturally, that had involved a high amount of various drugs and substances.
Elijah wondered if the youngest Mikaelson would ever expand his world away from drugs, alcohol, and sex. But, watching him now, Elijah felt that Kol was perfectly content in that small world he created.
"I went away for a few days with Kol," he stated simply.
"Oh? He's back too?"
And sleeping off the latest high, Elijah thought on a sigh. "Yes."
Hayley's green eyes slid towards him, watching him with a certain amount of curiosity. "You're definitely the quiet one, hm?"
Elijah blinked. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude-," he paused when Hayley rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Am I amusing to you?"
That tone, that was one she recognized to be a classic Mikaelson tone. It was layered with annoyance, but also exasperation and amusement.
"Yes," she said, lips twitching.
Elijah narrowed his eyes at her briefly, but then offered her a brief smile. He stood slowly. "I'll fetch my brother. I'm sure he's worried about you."
Hayley looked up at him, with a smile curving her mouth. "Thank you for the tea."
Elijah nodded, before quietly leaving the room.
The door opened seconds later, whisking in familiar scents. There was a blur, and Hayley squealed in shock when she suddenly found herself perched in Klaus' lap. She relaxed when he nuzzled her hair, the mark on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
Hayley leaned her forehead against Klaus' throat. "No."
"Do you need anything?" he asked, rubbing her arm. "Tea?" His lips pressed into her hair. "Foot rub?"
Hayley laughed.
Ooo0ooO
Marcel watched Rebekah pace in the kitchen, a glass of blood in her hand, blue eyes snapping with impatience.
"Babe, why don't you sit down?"
"I don't want to bloody sit down!"
Marcel sighed, leaning back in his seat.
Kol walked in, looking rumbled, and eyed his sister from across the room. He turned his gaze towards Marcel. "Did you spike her blood?"
Marcel gave the Original a withering look. "No, that's what you do to your blood."
Kol grinned. "That's very true, my friend," he said, clapping a hand against Marcel's shoulder. "Bekah, love, what's got your hair in a tangle?"
Rebekah lifted a hand to her bright hair briefly before shooting her brother a narrowed eyed glare. "I'm just wondering why I'm under house arrest when I was attacked last night!"
"It wasn't just you that was attacked-," Marcel stopped cold when Rebekah turned towards him, with something dangerous creeping across her expression. Last time he saw that look, a vase had shattered against his cheek a half second later.
Kol rolled his eyes, slumping into a nearby chair. "Why don't you just-,"
"If you say 'just relax', Kol Mikaelson, so help me, I will dagger you myself!"
"Why are you shouting?"
Rebekah quieted the moment Elijah walked into the kitchen. She pouted, leaning against the counter, her eyes now wide and innocent, all traces of fire gone. "Elijah, do you fancy some lunch? Let's go out, my treat."
"You seem to be having lunch, Rebekah," Elijah said, his gaze straying towards the half empty glass of blood.
"Elijah," she sighed loudly. "Let's go out anyway."
The oldest Original placed the two mugs he had been carrying in the sink, then began to clean them. "Don't pout. You'll get lines," Elijah said mildly.
Rebekah huffed, glaring at the three men in the room. "Fine. Maybe I'll just go out by myself since no one wants to keep me company…"
Marcel stood the moment Rebekah moved towards the door. He gave her a wide smile. "Why don't we go get some ice cream? We can go to the shop my guy runs, they still serve that blood orange sorbet you like, extra blood."
"Fine," Rebekah sniffed, although she smirked victoriously.
Kol rolled his eyes when the couple walked out. "Ever get the impression Marcel's a little…" he trailed off, making a whipping noise with an exaggerated flick of his wrist.
Elijah turned, drying his hands. "Not once," he said dryly.
Ooo0ooO
The pack ended up having only a small ceremony for Jackson. The only two outsiders that joined the wolves were Klaus and Sophie. The former held Hayley's hand through the entire thing, while the latter performed a cleansing ritual for the funeral pyre.
It was common for wolves to be cremated, so their ashes could return to the earth, to the wild. Hayley watched as the sparks from the fire rose up towards the moon, and her hand only tightened briefly around Klaus' as she felt a heaviness lift from her chest.
"And so it is the way of wolves, to be born from the wood and the moon, to return to them once we pass on," Eve said, reciting the words passed down from the older bloodlines and beliefs. "May Jackson be born again as one of us, a wolf in heart and soul, when the moon shines brightly and the trees grow from his ashes."
Klaus lowered his head, imitating Eve's body language almost unconsciously, watching the older werewolf speak over the gentle chanting of the witch.
Hayley went to Mason and Tyler once it was over, reaching out to grasp her Beta's hand, as though to anchor herself back into her pack. Mason just nodded, understanding her expression, since he himself was feeling that deep, almost primal urge to run with the pack, to regroup with them under the light of the waning moon.
Klaus stood quietly at the edge of the gathering, watching the Alpha make her way through the small crowd. He saw how she reached out, touching everyone, either on the hand or shoulder. She offered them a hushed whisper, a reassuring nod, before she made her way back to him.
"Ready?" he asked.
Hayley grasped his arm, prying off her shoes with her other hand. She sighed, wiggling her toes in the grass and dirt. "Let's walk for a bit, yeah?"
Klaus nodded, offering her his arm. He glanced over his shoulder, and met Eve's gaze. The blonde werewolf gazed at him and Hayley, then smiled softly, giving him the slightest of nods. He found himself returning the nod before he leaned down towards Hayley. "The offer for the foot rub still stands."
Hayley chuckled, shooting him a glance from under her lashes. "You are full of surprises."
Klaus leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Little wolf, you have no idea."
On a sigh, Hayley leaned against him as they walked slowly through the forest. After some time, she spoke up. "This isn't the end."
"No," Klaus agreed, lips thinning.
"I don't know what to do," she admitted in a soft voice.
"Let me help you and your pack."
Hayley's gaze flew up towards his. She stopped, staring at him. "What?"
Klaus blinked, brow furrowing. "Let me-,"
"No, I heard you, I just… I'm surprised to hear you say it, is all," she clarified.
Klaus thought about it, then remembered something she said before, when the Hunters had attacked before.
"If you want to surprise me, save the others before you save yourself."
"Well, it's not as though you need saving, little wolf," he murmured, lifting a hand to trace her lips with the pad of his thumb. "But perhaps I can prove myself to be useful."
Hayley curved her body into his, exhaling, her eyes a deep, slumberous green. She gave him a slow smirk. "If you're willing to follow orders."
"I'm sure I can make an exception, for you," Klaus replied, before closing the gap between them, taking her lips with his.
Ooo0ooO
It was later that night when Hayley roamed down the hallways, heading towards the kitchens to grab some water. She hummed softly and paused when she saw a figure sitting alone in the parlor.
Elijah was facing the dying fire, running a finger across his lips. His eyes were lost in a memory, and he didn't hear Hayley until she cleared her throat. "Oh. Hello."
"Doing some light reading?" Hayley asked, raising a brow. She gestured towards the thick volume sitting in Elijah's lap, forgotten, the page dogeared.
"No. Well, I was. I got lost in thought, I suppose."
"They must have left quite an impression on you."
Elijah gave her a shocked look. "Pardon me?"
"The person you're thinking about," Hayley emphasized. "I know that look. I think I've been guilty of that look."
Elijah rubbed a hand over his face, as though to erase the look she was referring to. "Yes, she did… leave quite an impression."
"You loved her," Hayley surmised.
"There's nothing past tense about the way I feel about her," Elijah stated, a frown now marring his handsome features.
"So what's keeping you from her?"
Elijah merely glanced at his ring, at the family crest it bore, which Hayley didn't miss.
"Wouldn't they understand?" she wondered, frowning slightly herself.
"Perhaps Niklaus would, now, because of you," the eldest Mikaelson said. "Kol would say to do what I please."
"And Rebekah?"
Elijah sighed, shaking his head. "The centuries have not been kind to my sister, nor has love."
Hayley pictured the curvy blonde whispering in Marcel's ear, dancing with him in that silky emerald dress at the masquerade. Suddenly, she felt a pang of sympathy for the younger vampire.
Elijah seemed to pick up on her thoughts. "She loves Marcel, in her own way. It's different this time."
This time, Hayley thought, shaking her head. "Well, whoever she is, I'm sure there's nothing past tense about what she feels for you either."
"That's a kind thought," Elijah murmured, smiling briefly.
Hayley smiled in return, then left him be.
Elijah's gaze dropped to the book he had been flipping through. It was an old book of poetry, a century old at least, and the words were faded and the pages yellowed, but he still enjoyed it regardless.
His eyes skimmed the last line he had read, a line that made his thoughts drift back to days already passed. He then thought of his brother, a man now so changed, because of one person.
"There's a light in you, and it makes me never fear the darkness in me."
Ooo0ooO
Disclaimer: I do not own the Originals.
Author's Note: The quote Elijah reads is by Tyler Knott Gregson, who is one of my favorite poets. He's incredibly talented.
"The Summer King" playlist is now public on Spotify. The link is also available on my bio.
This chapter was inspired by You Can Be the One by Late Night Alumni.
Please review!