Chapter Thirty Six: The Stories of Old

As the sun broke over the distant mountains, Klaus sat on the front porch of the cabin, breathing in the clean Colorado air.

Klaus and Hayley had been traveling back and forth between their territories over the past few weeks, since her pack had wanted to return home and Hayley knew they would be safe in Mason's capable hands when she was away. The group seemed to be relieved when they had first returned, and the first thing they had done was shift and run through the familiar trails along the foothills.

Klaus had joined them all, keeping abreast with Hayley and Eve, before he had shifted back to enjoy the sights. It was all rugged foothills, deep streams carving through the land, towering trees, and meadows here, which called to his werewolf side. He understood why the pack chose to stay here.

He thought about how this land reminded him of how the world had once looked so many years ago, before it had been filled with cities and smog and noise. It brought back a lot of memories he had thought he had forgotten about the time when he thought he was human, before he was changed into a vampire, before when it had been nothing but his large family and their clan.

His eyes squeezed shut briefly against the memories.

Henrik, now a young man, hunting for the first time with his brothers.

Finn, tall and proud, and Freya, lithe and beautiful, telling their younger siblings stories about ghosts around the fire to scare and amuse them.

And Esther, with her warm eyes, kissing Klaus on the cheek, calling him her little warrior.

And then...

Henrik and Klaus, running from the wolves, the smell of fear filling the air. And Henrik's scream...

The ensuing fight between Mikael and the werewolf from the pack, who had revealed himself as Klaus' true father in the heat of battle. Angered, Mikael had attacked, but had not expected that Klaus would also attack. Klaus had viciously finished off his father, then turned on his mother, rage making him blind to everything, and he too killed her for betraying him.

His father, his real father, turning to him and saying, "The blood is strong within you, my son." Those were the only words father and son has exchanged before the pack had disappeared before the clan could rush in to start a war.

"Klaus?"

Klaus blinked and saw Hayley kneeling in front of him with questioning green eyes.

"Where did you go?" she asked, touching his cheek.

He sighed deeply, closing his eyes briefly, enjoying the warmth of her hand against his cheek. "Far away."

When he opened his eyes again, she was still staring at him. He tried to give her a smile. "Nothing to worry about, love."

"Klaus..."

Standing, he cut her off from whatever she was going to say next. "Why don't you show me more of your territory? Just the two of us."

Hayley took his offered hand so she could stand as well. Concern was still etched into her features, but she also saw those shudders come down in his gaze, which meant he wasn't going to answer any of her questions. Not today, at least.

So she took his hand, smiling. "Let's go down to the lake. Maybe we can take a swim."

Ooo0ooO

Back in New Orleans, Marcel stood on a balcony that overlooked the Quarter, hands in his pockets. He wore a moody expression, which reflected his moody thoughts. With Klaus gone, he was in charge, yet he found that duty to be lacking.

There were time, he admitted, he missed the games. Now with the threat of the Hunters and the witches passed, the games had not continued per Klaus' orders. He claimed it was time to end such trivial things, to start fresh with the truce and the new alliance with the wolf packs.

Marcel had gone along with it all, since Klaus was his sire and there was no arguing with the Hybrid, even if he was softer now thanks to his wolf girl. Now the days and nights were quieter affairs, apart from the usual hustle and bustle that came with living in New Orleans. The vampires and other creatures that had once been under Klaus' thumb had either left or stuck around, but nowhere close to the Quarter, like Thierry. Many of the wolves that had been captured returned to the packs they belonged to.

Marcel smirked briefly as he remembered how Hayley had yelled at Klaus for that one, telling him he was part werewolf and holding others against their wills were against their laws.

That smirk faded when he also remembered how Hayley had approached him a few nights ago, right before her and Klaus left for Colorado. She had wanted to talk to him about the night she had been under the witch's curse, when she had attacked Marcel and then Rebekah.

"I don't want to use the witch's as an excuse not to apologize," she had said, her tone serious. She met his gaze steadily.

"Look, wolf girl-," he paused when he saw her eyes flicker at the nickname, "Hayley," he corrected. "I know what happened. You weren't you. Plus, I have a feeling that if you wanted to kick my ass, you wouldn't hide behind your wolf form to do it."

Hayley had smiled a little at that, chuckling. "Perhaps. But hopefully I won't ever get that urge."

"For the sake of my face," Marcel smirked.

Laughing, Hayley shook her head.

He knew she had apologized to Rebekah as well, and that the blonde Original had given the wolf the cold shoulder for a week or so before she went on acting as though that night had never happened.

"My life is too long to hold grudges," Rebekah had told him with a sniff. "Plus, it's a waste of my bloody time."

Marcel sighed.

"I think Nik rubbed some of his brooding off on you," a voice said from behind him.

"I didn't know that was contagious," Marcel remarked, looking down at Rebekah as she moved to stand beside him.

Her blue eyes were thoughtful. "It seems to run in the family."

"I have never seen you brooding."

Rebekah flashed him a smile. "Just wait a few centuries. Perhaps you'll catch me in the moment."

Marcel smiled, wrapping an arm over her shoulder. "So you'll still want me around in a few centuries?"

Rebekah leaned her head against his chest. She remembered when he was still human, and when she did this, she could feel his heart pounding against her cheek, his warmth seeping into her. "Of course," she stated, as though there wasn't another option. "You are mine, after all."

"Is that right?"

She smirked when he turned her, brushing his thumbs down her cheeks. "Oh yes."

"Does that make you mine?"

Sighing dramatically, Rebekah tilted her head a little. "I suppose it does." And with that, she gripped his shoulders, pulling him down to her height so her lips could meet his.

Ooo0ooO

The mid-afternoon sun found Hayley and Klaus lounging lazily by a crystal clear lake with bare feet and eyes closed against its warm rays.

Klaus opened his eyes first, looking over at Hayley. The sun brought out the touch of gold in her hair and the brown of her skin.

Sensing his gaze, Hayley cracked an eye open and looked at him too. "What is it?"

"I was thinking about my past," he said suddenly, surprised by how quickly the words came out.

Hayley turned onto her side on the grass. Her brows furrowed. "Before you were turned?"

Klaus nodded. He found himself telling her the memories he had been swept up in before she had arrived. Her expression did not change much as he talked, there were only flickers of emotions within those dark green eyes.

When he was finished, Hayley rolled onto her stomach, now focusing on the distant line of trees.

"Before I was Alpha, Eve was in charge of the pack," she stated calmly. "But the previous Alpha had been killed in a territorial dispute with the Southern wolf pack. Apparently it had been a fierce fight and the Southern Alpha later died from his wounds. Oliver was the pack Beta's son, so when the Beta took over, he groomed Oliver to become Alpha next. When he came of age, the duty was then transferred to Oliver, since his father wasn't well enough to lead anymore.

I had to fight my way to Alpha. No one thought I was meant to be an Alpha, not before we discovered which bloodline I came from." She scratched at the crescent moon shaped birth mark on her shoulder. "And not before I proved myself. When I was going to fight a challenger, I had to choose a second. At first, no one volunteered. Then Mason stood up and moved to my side without saying a word." She smiled. "Later, he told me that he chose to follow me not because of my fighting skills, but because of the mercy and kindness I showed my opponents. These fights are usually to the death, you see. I never wanted to kill anyone, so I never did. I would defeat them, then take them to be healed. Some of the older pack members still think I'm violating our laws, but I think some laws are meant to be changed."

Hayley shook her head a little. Her gaze turned back to Klaus. "I never saw that being a leader meant having the most power or physical strength. I had to prove myself, and I wanted to do that without shedding any more blood than necessary."

"We have a lot of laws."

Hayley smiled. "Not as many as the humans," she pointed out. "Ours are much simpler. But I always liked our legends better."

"Like the one about mates?" Klaus asked, reaching out to trail a finger down the silver-pink scar on her neck, which was freshly made only two days ago.

Laughing, Hayley swatted his hand away. "Yes, that one is a favorite of mine."

Klaus' expression changed to one of curiosity. "Is that why...?" he trailed off, looking uncertain.

"What?" Hayley prompted.

"Well, when we first met, I couldn't help but notice that I felt like I already-,"

"Knew you," Hayley finished, looking as surprised as Klaus. "I felt the same way," she admitted.

"What does it mean? Are there stories?"

Hayley frowned. "Not that I know of. The idea of werewolves only having one mate is a myth the humans made up. We can have a mate, who we mark and perhaps one day marry, but it isn't a working of destiny or fate, it's just two wolves falling in love."

"What about soulmates?"

"That's another human thing," Hayley said, looking uneasy.

"You don't believe in them?" Klaus asked softly.

"I don't believe there's only one person out there for everyone," she replied, plucking at the grass. "Not with us, not when we live so long." Then she glanced up at the sky, looking thoughtful now. "But perhaps it has something to do with rebirth."

Klaus gave her a confused look.

"When Jackson died, do you remember what Eve said? We return to the earth and the moon, since the legends say we get out power from the moon and we are born from the earth. I guess it isn't a crazy idea to say souls that had once passed on return to the earth eventually."

Klaus reached out, stroking a hand down her hair, her throat. "So if your soul was reborn from another life, you're saying it could be possible that I knew the soul that once was?"

Hayley smiled. "Maybe. Or it could've just been love at first sight."

Klaus laughed. "By the way you were glaring at me, I don't believe love was in your thoughts."

Hayley moved closer to him. "Well, things change."

"Indeed," Klaus agreed, pulling her in for a deep kiss.

When they pulled back, Hayley sighed. "We should go back."

"In a moment," Klaus insisted, pulling her close again, feeling smug when she wrapped her arms around him eagerly, pulling him down onto the soft grass with her.

Many moments later, the couple stood, brushing the grass off their bare skin before pulling their clothes back on. They took another moment to look out towards the lake, which rippled from the soft breeze that was blowing down from the mountains. The clearing was quiet except for the two of them, carved into a perfect circle amongst the trees.

Ooo0ooO

Hundreds of miles away, the witch Davina woke up, her eyes pure white, watching as a vision of hers came to life in the foothills of Colorado.

"Hey, sleepy head," Sophie said as she walked by.

Davina looked around. She had fallen asleep in a chair in the shop, soothed by the smell of the rose scented candles nearby. Rubbing her eyes, she stood.

And nearly collapsed.

Sophie cried out in alarm as her sister stumbled, her eyes going white once more.

A hand reached out, touching Hayley's forehead.

The werewolf gasped, her eyes turning as white as Davina's, before shuddering as the vision came and went.

The vision was brief and came in only fleeting images; a stake, carved from white oak, the feeling of being chased into darkness, and someone humming a gentle song and the sound of a chair creaking.

Davina saw Hayley in that chair, humming, holding something. When she looked at Davina, her eyes were both gold and black.

Davina gasped as the vision left her, leaving her boneless in the chair she had just been sleeping in.

Ooo0ooO

Disclaimer: I do not own the Originals.

Author's Note: Please review!