AN: So just a heads up about this chapter. There isn't really any klayley interactions in this one but I hope you see the reasons behind it and aren't too chapter will feature Elijah heavily throughout it's entirety and much of that will be interacting with Hayley so be warned that this is a heavy Haylijah chapter. Once again I'll repeat that this is a klayley story and there will be no real love triangle between the three of them but elijah and hayley's relationship is a integral part of this story in the beginning, you'll see once you read, and hopefully you like it. Drop me a review if you do and even drop me a review of you don't. Feedback is always a plus for me no matter what the content. Anyways..Enjoy :)

Klaus carefully removed Hayley's head from his chest and slipped from underneath her arm, rolling over to the other side of her bed. He moved slowly so as to not wake her up. She was sleeping so peacefully, almost like she was just a normal person who lived a normal life and only had normal problems. She looked almost angelic to him as the rays of the sun framed her face highlighting her stunning features. At that moment a certain guilt hit him. She had cried pretty much the whole night, only stopping when fatigue hit her and she shut her eyes. If only he hadn't seduced the little wolf all those nights ago she wouldn't have had to cry herself to sleep at night. Of course if he was being completely honest though the little wolf seduced him, but still she could have been spared this heartache if it wasn't for that night. The only thing stopping that guilt from eating away at him like the rest of his problems was that without that night he would have never even had Hope, and without Hope neither one of them would have known the joy of making something so good and pure, even if that joy was short lived.

He carefully pulled himself up off the bed and slowly got out, careful not to move to too much and wake her. It was awkward to say the least. He never meant to fall asleep with her and he definitely didn't expect to wake up with her cradled against his chest, her leg draped across his thigh, and her forearm flushed against his face. He hadn't been that close to Hayley since the night they slept together, so leaving her bed felt foreign. Thankfully Hayley wasn't awake to witness his discomfort. As he slowly cracked open her door to leave he turned back around to look at her one more time. He was sure he would see her a complete wreck again later so he wanted to burn one of her few moments of peace into his memory.

He only cracked the door open just enough so he could squeeze out and after his right leg made it through the small opening he thought he was home free, only his older brother was standing in front of him with a furrowed brow and his arms crossed. "Niklaus…"

"Elijah…" Klaus tried to act normal but his eyes gave him away, looking at Elijah's quizzical eyes as if he had just done something he had no business doing. He wasn't sure why he looked guilty nor why he felt guilty, it's not like anything happened between he and Hayley last night and she was the mother of his child so he had just as much of a right to spend time alone with her as Elijah, yet he still felt out of place. Like he was somehow impeding on whatever it was they had going on with each other.

"I'm surprised to find you here brother especially at this hour, is there any particular reason behind your early morning visit?"

Klaus laughed internally. Early morning visit… if that's what he thought this was then that's what he would let him believe, though it partially offended him that the thought of him spending the night with Hayley didn't cross Elijah's mind. "The time I chose to spend with the mother of my child is of none of your business." He replied, his tone was sort of defensive which threw Elijah through a loop and made him wonder even more why he was sneaking out of Hayley's room this early in the morning after basically avoiding her for months. "No need to get defensive brother, I was just curious about what got you to finally decide to no longer be a recluse, I assumed it must have been fairly important if you're visiting the woman you haven't shown an ounce of concern towards for months now." That struck a nerve. Of course Elijah would throw him avoiding Hayley for months in his face as if it wasn't mutual and as if he didn't have his own grief to work through and was unable to be of any help to Hayley in his mental state.

"Don't worry brother I'm sure Hayley's affections are still with you and only you. I assure you it was nothing. I wouldn't dare show her any concern that's what you're here for. I'm only here to cause problems not fix them remember, so go a head I'm sure she's waiting for you" Klaus replied with a sarcastic smile before abruptly leaving the hallway and retreating to his quarters down the hall.

Elijah paused then entered Hayley's room to find her sound asleep confusing him even more about Klaus's sneaky departure from Hayley's room and defensive attitude towards even the simplest question about it. He was about to leave the room, not wanting to wake her up as she slept so peacefully but she began to stir, indicating that she was close to waking up.

"Good morning Hayley"

Hayley blocked the sun from her face and squinted her eyes in discomfort. She did not want to be awake at that moment, If she had it her way she would sleep the whole day since that was probably the most peaceful sleep she's had in months.

"It appears you slept well" Elijah responded to Hayley's silence. Hayley rolled over to her side with her back facing Elijah. It's what she did every time he entered her room early in the morning to check on her. It was her signal that she wanted to be left alone and he usually got the signal but this morning he was more determined to get her to open up to him about how she was feeling. "Hayley don't you think it's almost time for you to stop doing this. I come here often trying to get you to open up to me yet you won't. You're content with staying like this instead of moving on from your grief, you can't do this forever, I won't let you. "

Hayley closed her eyes and took deep breaths trying to control her emotions. She didn't want to blow up on Elijah but she also didn't like that fact that he didn't understand her and didn't seem to want to understand her. All he ever preached about was moving on and not letting the changes affect her this way and his whole he won't let her do this to herself thing infuriated her as well because he had no control over her actions or her emotions, neither did she for that matter. She remained silent once again. It was easier to control saying nothing than it was to control saying the wrong thing.

"Hayley please just say something. I know you talked to Klaus this morning so I'm not particularly buying your silent treatment.

"I didn't talk to Klaus this morning." She said, finally breaking her silence

"Well I thought since I saw him leaving your room this morning you two spoke.."

Hayley popped up from the bed and finally made eye contact with Elijah. "Well you figured wrong, that's one of your problems you're always going on about things you don't know anything about" She said which agitated.

Elijah sat on the bed besides her and reached out for her hand. "Hayley forgive me I'm just trying to help, can't you see that."

She let his hand linger on hers for a second then quickly pulled her hand away. Tears started to well up on her eyes. "I want to be left alone please, I just need time can't you give me that?"

"Hayley it's been over 5 months now, you keep doing this and you'll never move on."

Hayley didn't answer him back this time; she only stared off into the distance avoiding his eyes and his touch. He couldn't understand that maybe she didn't move on because she didn't want to, that it was practically impossible for her to do so given how connected to her child she is and how much she loved her.

"It's all going to be okay Hayley, you just have to believe it." He pleaded with her, he reached out to stroke her cheek and though she didn't return his affection he was relieved when she didn't flinch away from. "How about a change of scenery? What if we left this house finally, it has to be suffocating to stay here everyday, we could go out and just…"

"No" she blurted out cutting him off. "I don't want to go anywhere, If I go out I'm not sure I can control….just no, I prefer to stay here,"

"Control what? Hayley you don't have to give into those urges, I can help you with it, that doesn't have to be you" If only he knew that it was indeed her she thought to herself. That many of the urges she felt she knew she would feel even if she wasn't a hybrid

"Nothing, I just want to stay here, I feel closest to her here, I need to feel closer to her right now."

"Well at least let me have a real meal prepared for you tonight, you haven't had one in weeks. It might do you well."

Hayley turned and looked at Elijah's pleading eyes. He really had been trying everything to help her. Unfortunately for him he just didn't know how. Still that didn't keep her from appreciating his efforts at times and even feeling a little guilty that she spent most of her time around him being cold or silent or rebuffing his affections and his help. She hadn't forgotten how she felt about Elijah before everything happened but sometimes it felt like a distant memory and other times those feelings felt almost non-existent. Still she felt like she owed him something, something for basically taking over his life. She was feeling a little better than usual after her night with Klaus so she figured if there was anytime to try to be normal it was now. "Fine" she replied. "I'll come down for dinner tonight."

Elijah was shocked but relieved that Hayley finally took a step to do something besides sit and wallow in her room. "Good, maybe I'll even ask Klaus to join us, we just might get back to normal around here." He stood up and gently kissed Hayley on her cheek. "See you tonight." He said before kissing her on her forehead and leaving the room. Hayley finally let the tear she had been holding in for the last few minutes escape her eyes and fall down her cheek. She curled back up in bed and tried to return to the peaceful sleep she had enjoyed earlier. She tossed and turned trying to get back to that place but she was unsuccessful since something was missing, something she had no desire to admit or go searching for.

Elijah knocked on Klaus's door and walked in knowing his brother wouldn't actually invite him in. He found him opposite his bed with a paintbrush in his hand working on a surprisingly colorful piece of artwork. "What do you want" Klaus asked coldly without even turning around to face him.

"I've finally convinced Hayley to stop holding herself up in her room for a night, she's agreed to dinner, I thought you might like to join us. This could be our first step towards finding some sense of normalcy around this place again."

"I'll pass on that offer, wouldn't want my presence to impede upon your little dinner date." There was a hint of bitterness in his voice that he unsuccessfully tried to hide. He had absolutely no desire to sit at a table and watch Elijah cater to Hayley non-stop.

"This is the first time in weeks I've been able to convince her to do something other than wallow in misery for a few hours and you can't even be bothered to get over yourself for a short time to be there for her. Does her sanity mean nothing to you Niklaus? You seem perfectly content with letting her stay the way she is."

Klaus could feel anger building up as Elijah's words cut into him. Of course he was accusing him of not caring about Hayley's well being without even considering he was in no mental position to be of help to her. If last night taught him anything it was that he and Hayley were one in the same, neither one was any step closer to moving past their grief so as much as he wanted to pull Hayley out of hers he couldn't because he was still very much consumed by his own. He finally turned to face Elijah and stared at him angrily. He motioned his arms as he began to talk, flinging paint on the carpet below him.

"Perhaps Hayley doesn't want to be rescued from her darkness brother and perhaps I'm in no position to do so even if she did. Besides that's what you're there for isn't it? Ever since you met her you've jumped at the chance to cater to her, to shower her with affection, to fix her. I don't see how I'm needed." He said as he walked closer to Elijah and slowly invaded his personal space

"I have tried tirelessly to be here for both of you and all you do is meet me with your petulant attitude. You sit here in this" Motioning out to the stuffy room that Klaus called his bedroom. "This cocoon, this space of solitude without even so much as a small desire to come out of it." Elijah was not angry and he moved closer to Klaus, he was in his face and he could feel his annoyance increase. This conversation was escalating to a place that neither one of them expected it to get to as the tension in the room cloaked them. " I am done trying to convince you otherwise." Elijah shouted. " You can choose to stay here, but I will not let Hayley join you here. She needs this, she needs to know that she can get better, she needs to know that she can be normal again."

Klaus let out a sarcastic chuckle, which caused Elijah to grow even more annoyed with him. He was clearly at his wits end with Klaus and probably with Hayley too and he didn't have much more patience for Klaus's continued indifference towards Hayley's condition. To Klaus it was all amusing since Hayley had already joined him in this dark place of pure solitude. It was already too late for what Elijah wanted and he didn't even realize it. Elijah thinks he's content with dragging Hayley down with him but truth be told, neither one really wants to be where they are, they just can't help themselves and neither dragged the other there with them. For the most part their slips into the abyss had been entirely separate but parallel. They were both on a downward trajectory moving with the same velocity so when they did finally come together they just continued on that path, willingly and as one. That's not something Elijah could really understand though which is why Klaus only smirked and took a step back from Elijah instead of acting out towards him in anger. Elijah just really had no Idea and he probably never would.

"Good luck with your little dinner tonight brother. I'm sure you and Hayley will have a pleasant time, grieving mothers need a good meal to pull themselves together" Klaus said sarcastically. "I'm sure after tonight Hayley will be as good as new."

"Oh don't try to placate me with your sarcasm Niklaus I know- "

"No really, I hope this is just what Hayley needs. After all our daughter will need one functional parent once she returns and since I'm a lost cause as you so pleasantly put it I guess that burden falls squarely on the little wolf's shoulders. Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to be left alone in this little dark cocoon I've carefully crafted for myself." He turned back around and continued to work on his painting, ignoring Elijah who was still standing behind him observing him. After a few moments Elijah sighed and left the room, disappointed that once again he couldn't get through to his younger brother.

An awkward silence filled the room as Hayley and Elijah sat at the dinner table together. Elijah had prepared a seat for her directly besides him, feeling like the opposite side the table was a little to far for an intimate dinner. Hayley obliged although she really didn't want to sit that close for some reason. Something about it made her uneasy which even surprised her considering all she used to want was to be closer to him and have moments like this together. Their first course had been served by the time Elijah managed to break the silence that filled the room.

"You know Hayley I'm pleased that you decided to join me tonight."

Hayley kept her attention on the salad that was in front of her, picking at the leaves of lettuce with her fork nervously. She never even lifted her head to make eye contact with him nor did she respond. Elijah decided to continue his attempt to make conversation despite her silence.

"How are you feeling this evening? You look beautiful by the way"

Hayley finally decided to break her silence, concluding that Elijah wouldn't stop his questions until she said something, anything. "I feel fine" she said expressionless. She merely stared into space when she spoke and didn't even attempt to engage him.

"Are you sure? You don't seem fine"

Those words made something snap inside of her. She had told herself prior to coming downstairs that she would try to be pleasant and would refrain from her usual attitude but It was practically impossible as she sat at the table opposite of Elijah. She was trying and failing to enjoy her dinner while thinking about whether or not her daughter was hungry for a bottle at this very moment, or if she ate already and Rebekah was currently putting her down for the night. She could feel something in her yearning for food but it wasn't her body that craved it, it was Hope's and that feeling made her mind race and her heartbreak because if her daughter was indeed hungry she herself couldn't make that hunger go away. Elijah wanted to make small talk and pretend like they were just two normal people having a normal dinner but they weren't and the longer she sat there the angrier she got a him even though he was doing nothing wrong. "How do you think I feel Elijah" she said forcefully tossing her fork onto her plate.

"I don't know Hayley since you refuse to even talk to me about anything. Not about being a Hybrid not about Ho-"

"Don't say her name!" She yelled as she propped her elbows up on the table and buried her face into her hands. She anxiously rubbed her forehead and ran her hands through her hair trying to pull herself together.

"Hayley I'm sorry, it is not my intention to upset you further."

"I just don't want to hear her name right now. I don't want to hear anything about her, I can't listen to anything about her."

Elijah could see tears welling up in Hayley's eyes and he reached out to her. Scooting his chair closer to hers and pulling her arms to him.

"Hayley listen to me, I'm just trying to help. If you would just let me in, let me help you, you would see that everything is going to be okay. I promised I would get you through this and I never break a promise." He brushed her face and his eyes practically begged her to look into his but she wouldn't budge, she refused to look him in the eyes choosing instead to shy away from him as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Hayley" He whispered one last time to her. She had finally had enough of pretending to be composed in front of him and she collapsed into his chest crying. He held her close whispering words of comfort to her. "It's okay Hayley, everything is going to be okay." Hayley knew it wouldn't be but she didn't have the nerve or the strength to fight him at that moment. That sense of yearning she felt was overwhelming every one of her senses and it was beginning to drive her almost insane. "You can make it through this Hayley, I know it's hard for you and for Klaus, but especially for you. You're her mother and you want more than anything to be with her but you don't have to let that pain consume you."

"But I want it to" she whispered softly. If he didn't have enhanced hearing he almost wouldn't have even heard her.

"No" He replied softly. " You can't do that. You can't give up on yourself and your future there's still" He suddenly paused knowing that what he was about to say was more likely to trigger her than to comfort her. It was too late however as Hayley already knew what he was alluding to. She yanked her head up from his chest and finally looked him in the eyes.

"There's still what Elijah, huh? What were you going to say Hope?" there was agitation behind her voice as she pushed herself off of him. He tried to pull her back to him but she only fought against it. "That is what I was about to say but I didn't mean to upset you. "

"YOU NEVER MEAN TO UPSET ME BUT YOU DO!" she shouted as she stood up from the table. She threw her plate across the room, causing it to shatter as it hit a wall. Elijah was taken back by her sudden outburst. "Don't you understand? THERE IS NO HOPE! Hope is gone. Hope is a fantasy, it's not real, it doesn't exist for people like me its all a delusion. I can't touch it, I can't hold on to it, I can't experience because it's mythical, just like I can't touch nor hold nor see my Hope. They're both gone. She was the only Hope I had and she took it with her when I had to give her up." She was now crying and Elijah was now standing up as well.

"That's not true Hayley, there is still Hope. You are alive, she's alive. You also have me and what we could build together. All is not lost for you, for any of us. We can still have what we've all always wanted one day."

"No we can't! Everything I thought I knew, everything I wanted has been shattered and it's left me in a million different pieces. I can't be put back together Elijah, I can't be fixed with a little bit of glue like I'm some stature that was once beautiful but was knocked over and needs to be restored."

"I know that Hayley but this, this person I see in front of me, who isolates herself and acts out viciously and hurts the people around her, that isn't very becoming of you. That isn't who you have to be. It's okay to grieve your daughter Hayley, grief is a very human emotion, but you don't have to let that grief consume you and change you, you don't have to let being a hybrid change who you are and that's what's happening to you. I can't bear to see you unraveling like this much longer."

"You don't even know who I am Elijah. I just might be unraveling but I'm not changing you just can't bear to see me as I am. THIS IS ME!" she yelled. "I'm not okay, I've never been okay and I don't know if I'll ever be okay."

"Hayley that's not true-"

"No!" she screamed as she brushed him off of her. " I can't listen to this anymore. I just want to be alone, just stop trying to help me I can't take it anymore. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed before storming off to her room.

Elijah stood in shock. He didn't expect the dinner to take this turn. He may have underestimated just how unraveled Hayley had become and he was starting to question if he was really capable of helping her. Hayley was drifting father and father into a place he couldn't possibly begin to understand and the deeper she got the farther away from him she slipped. It frightened him because he was loosing her and it seemed like there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Hayley finally reached her room and paced back and forth in her bedroom. The door to the nursery was opened and she could see all it's details, which drove more insane than she already was. She began to hyperventilate as pain built up in her chest, the memories and fantasies overwhelmed her mind, and the anger exploded within her. She ran her hand over her face and through her hair trying to stop herself from snapping but it wasn't working. She needed a release or she was going to completely loose it. She needed to let it all out or it would devour her. The sounds of her sobs began to fill the room. The room was suddenly closing in on her and she felt backed into a corner that she didn't have the strength to fight her way out of.

That's when she thought of him. His words replayed in her mind. "I'm beginning to think we're a lot a like you and I, we're both castoffs who've learned to fight when we've been backed into a corner." If there was anyone who knew how to fight their way out better than her it was him. Her mind jumped to how he comforted her the night before and how when she was around him she actually felt sane and how he confessed to having the same urges as her. It was then that it dawned on her that she didn't need to be left alone and she didn't actually want to be alone. In a way she knew she would need him again earlier when she couldn't return to her sleep without him but she didn't want to admit it then. But now, now she knew she needed someone, someone who could stand in this corner and fight for her because she couldn't fight for herself, and that someone was him. That realization by itself brought her some comfort because immediately after she realized it she felt her breathing steady and her sanity begin to return. She didn't bother wiping away her tears or fixing her disheveled appearance but she as able to mentally compose herself just enough to make her way down the long hallway that lead to his quarters. She found herself in front his door in a flash, ready to finally seek him out. It's then that she realizes that once she goes in things were going to change, for her, for him, for both of them but maybe it was the change that see really needed.

AN: okay so I hope you liked the chapter. Like I said before there really was no klayley in this one but hopefully you enjoyed it anyway. If it makes any of you feel better yes Hayley is at Klaus's door at the end, I'm sure I made that obvious but just wanted to outright say it lol I won't spoil it for you but I think it's safe to assume that things are going to get really interesting for klaus and hayley next chapter...you'll just have to wait to see how *evil laugh* REVIEW!