A/N: guest thank you for the wonderful reviews. td your review is not long. I gather that a lot of people are not happy with Caroline being in the same house as Hayley is. Klaus has his own reasons for inviting Caroline to his home and they will be addressed in this chapter. There is still a lot of drama coming in their way. And quite a bit of story left. We still have to explore their place in the supernatural world. lol. I hope I will be able to keep it interesting and entertaining till the end. hope I will put that in the part where Hayley will tell Klaus about those five years.
I hope you enjoy this chapter too. It is long with nothing much really happening in it but this was a must chapter to reveal some of the hidden secrets and the reason why they were hidden from the characters of this story.
Synopsis: Some people from Klaus's family find out the secrets he had been keeping from them. Hayley tells Klaus about her disease and is surprised by his reaction.
Hayley looked at his face which was full of concern and said "I have breast cancer and I am due for my third chemo. I have to find a new doctor as this is a new city for me."
Klaus felt his heart race but he asked her to keep up the appearance "when were you planning on telling me?"
Hayley said carelessly "it is not your concern".
Klaus looked at her as if she had lost her mind and said "what!"
Hayley realized that she had managed to annoy him but the anxiety of her upcoming appointment just made her lose her temper and she said loudly "you wanted to be in Hope's life Mr Mikaelson and you are in it now but my personal life is not your concern".
Klaus was quiet for a second looking at her in shock and then he said angrily but in a quieter tone "it is Klaus first of all and secondly yes it is my concern Hayley. You are my wife and your life is my business".
Hayley felt her heart skip a beat and an unknown fear came in her heart. She could feel his fingers tightening on her shoulders and she suddenly felt really scared. Before she could stop herself the words were out of her mouth "please Klaus" looking at his arm.
He suddenly noticed the terror that had come on her face and that just made his stomach drop several inches. He let her shoulders go and stepped back looking at her in shock; his complexions suddenly gone pale. Deep in his heart he knew at once that the shock he was feeling was not the shock about her cancer but because of the reason that terror came on her face.
Hayley looked at the shocked expressions and felt guilty but before she could say something he asked in a whisper "do you think I can still hurt you?"
She immediately said "no" but she knew in her heart that damage was already done. The look of disappointment on his face just broke her heart.
Klaus ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and asked "when is your appointment?"
She asked "why?"
Klaus said trying to keep his voice calm "because I want to go with you".
Haley at once said "no".
Klaus said angrily "Hayley!".
She turned, walked to the bathroom without saying anything and closed the door on him while he sighed in frustration.
Hayley stood in front of mirror for a few minutes thinking about her reaction and wondered 'what caused that? Wasn't she getting comfortable with him? Starting to trust him?' She brushed her teeth, splashed water on her face, changed her clothes and got out after realizing that she couldn't stay in the bathroom the whole night.
Klaus was lying on the bed thinking about her reaction with this pit in his stomach when the bathroom door opened and she came out in her night dress. He said to her firmly "Hayley tell me where and when your appointment is. I have means of finding out if you dont tell me but I would prefer if you tell me yourself".
She looked at his adamant face and realized that he will be true to his worlds so she said reluctantly "11 am at Madisons".
She then added "I specially took the appointment on Saturday so you can keep Hope Klaus. Please don't make matters difficult for me. I don't want you or Hope there".
Klaus said in a final tone "well I am coming so is Hope".
He paused for a second and then said "I am glad that you are having your treatment. I dont know how to express how sorry I am that you had to go through all of this alone. Why didnt you tell Elijah about it? Third chemo means that you have had this for a while".
Hayley said "yes, I found out it in January when you came to take over after Mikael's death".
He hesitated and then asked "do you want to talk about it?"
Hayley looked at him and saw that the shadows of her earlier act were still on his face but he was making an effort to connect to her so she said casually "it was in my right breast. 1 inch long. They did the lumpectomy at the end of January. My first chemo was at the start of March and then there was the second one in April and now I am due to have my third. Jim Ackles, my oncologist in Mystic Falls…" she paused for a second and then continued "you have met him in Dolches a long time ago". When Klaus nodded she continued "he said that I will need only four and then there is radiation".
When he was quiet she continued "he helped me a lot. I was his mother's care taker when she was in the final stages of cancer and we got to know each other really well. So when I got cancer he helped me. I needed money for my treatment and he loaned it to me which I paid him back later from my salary."
Klaus felt his heart sink further as he recalled himself seeing a 10,000 figure on the paper on his first meeting with Ackles and his assumption that she was applying for the job.
Hayley looked at the rise and the fall of colors on his face and hastily said "no, you are wrong. Not know in that way."
He looked at her in confusion and then almost smiled as he realized what she was saying. He said "no, I was thinking of something else".
He paused for a second and then said seriously "Hayley I am so sorry for what you had to go through and all alone. I promise that I will be with you all the way."
Hayley smiled and said "thanks. I am just happy that you are there for Hope this time".
She looked at his face and said after slight hesitation "I am sorry about earlier. I just want you to know that I am not scare of you but sometimes I cannot help what I feel. I dont want to feel this way because I dont think you will hurt me".
Klaus looked at her face and even though he could see sincerity on her face but it didnt help the depression he was feeling right now. Seeing the look of desperation on her face he realized that she really wants him to feel better so he nodded his head and slid under the duvet, turned toward Hope and closed this eyes.
Soon he went to sleep leaving her awake thinking about her impending appointment and the slight step back in their developing relationship.
Next morning when she woke up Klaus was gone. She felt really guilty about last night but dragged herself from out of the bed. After taking a quick shower and changing she went to make coffee for herself. After half an hour Hope woke up and then her day got busy with her. Giving her bath, breakfast and playing with her. Around noon she got Hope busy her toys while she cleared Hope's room, changed the bed sheet for Elijah and then prepared dinner for the night before taking Hope to the park.
Klaus had a busy morning at the station interrogating a perp caught in a robbery and then he and Alexis had to run to the court to give a testimony. After leaving the court room, as they were walking towards his car he spotted a man looking at him from a distance. He stared at him and tried to recall where he had seen him before but he couldn't remember. At the station he started to write the notes about the case he and Alexis had wrapped up. The busy schedule kept his mind off of Hayley and her illness but as soon as he would sit on his chair not doing anything his mind would go to Hayley and at last he opened the web page to find details about the chemo. Even though he knew some of the details but reading the article in depth just made a drop in his stomach. He was lost in reading the article when someone touched his shoulder. He looked in the direction and saw Alexis asking him "hey partner, what are you thinking? Have been calling you for the past two minutes".
She paused just for a second and then continued "I was thinking about the case we testified in the court today. Do you think they will win?"
Klaus sighed and said "that was the best we could do. It is up to the prosecutor now".
She looked at him and asked "you look tired. Everything okay at home?"
Klaus said "yes" and closed the web page.
By the time he came home, it was around 7:00. As he entered the living room he knew at once that she and Hope were not in the apartment.
Thinking that they must be at the park he took a shower that they were at the park, changed his clothes and switched on the TV after lying down on the sofa. The TV was on but he was thinking about her and his relationship wondering if she will ever feel safe with him or not.
He smiled as the door opened half an hour later and he heard Hope's excited voice "daddy said he will buy me new toys".
Hayley smiled at Hope and said "but you already have a doll Hope. You don't need a new toy". Klaus switched the TV off and looked toward them as they entered the living room.
He said "who says she cannot have more then one doll?!"
Hope squealed excitedly, ran to him and jumped on him ignoring Hayley's "Hope."
Klaus felt so overwhelmed by Hope's lack of formality towards him that his and Hayley's set back felt more prominent to him. He put Hope on her stomach and said "mommy and daddy have to go hospital tomorrow but after that I will take you to a toy store and you can get whatever you want".
As Hayley walked to him causing he looked at him. She noticed signs of last night setback in his eyes and felt guilt again. She asked "when did you come?"
Klaus said "an hour ago. When did …" his sentence got cut short by his cell ringing. He groaned and said to himself 'not a case hopefully'.
He put the cell on his ear and said "Klaus Mikaelson" and then lifted Hope from his torso and put her on the carpet and sat up as he heard his mother's sharp voice "Niklaus Mikealson tell me Caroline is not telling the truth. Tell me you didnt marry that girl!"
Klaus looked at Hayley and then got up and went to his room.
Hayley wondered 'what was that about?' and then answered herself "must be work".
She said to Hope "lets go take a shower and then we can have dinner with daddy".
Klaus said "mother yes I have married Hayley. She…" but Esther cut him off again "Niklaus Mikaelson, what have you done? You know how much I hate that girl. First you broke up your engagement with Caroline and now you have married that girl. It must have been her that forced you to do that".
Klaus said "mother, Hayley didnt force me on anything. Caroline and I were having issue…"
Esther cut him off again and said "what issues? Niklaus. Every couple has issues. That does not mean that you break up an established relationship and move on to a new relationship with any riffraff. I hear she has a daughter. Are you sure she is not Mikael's daughter? I want to have a blood test done to see if she is Mikael's daughter or not".
Klaus sighed, controlled his anger and said "no mother she is not father's…" he paused as the door opened and Hayley stepped in.
Hayley looked at him and saw frustration on his face. She said "oh I thought you would be done. I was going to ask you to come for dinner" and retreated.
Klaus looked at the door closing at the same time heard Esther saying "was that her?"
Klaus said as the door closed "yes and as for Hope, she is not father's. She is mine. I have adopted her so she is mine. I don't care who her biological father is but I am sure it is not father. I don't believe Hayley ever had an affair with father".
Esther said "she will never be accepted in this family Niklaus and neither will her daughter be."
Klaus said "if I have taken responsibility of Hope and Hayley then I can make sure that she gets accepted in my family. Hope is your granddaughter and Hayley is your daughter in law now. I want you to give them a chance for my sake.".
Esther said with contempt "that tramp will never be my daughter in law and her daughter will never be my granddaughter Niklaus" and then cut him.
Klaus sighed and put the cell in his picket. He then left the room and went to the kitchen where Hope was sitting on the dinner table with the food set on the table.
Hayley noticed he was mostly quiet through the dinner. Even though he was chatting with Hope, she could see tension on his face. She wondered 'is it work? who was on the phone? is it about last night?'
Klaus caught her looking at him a couple of time with curiosity and apprehension on her face so he said "it is work. We testified in the court today and the prosecutor wanted to talk about it".
She nodded and continued eating.
After dinner she cleaned up with Klaus help. She could feel a distance between them but even then his presence in that small kitchen while Hope sitting on the table playing with her doll just made her really relaxed. After they had cleaned up, they went to their room. Hayley changed Hope whereas Klaus read her a book as she settled down. He kept glancing at Hayley as she moved around in the room picking up things lost in thoughts and finally going to change. As she got under the cover Klaus asked her "are you nervous?" and it hit Hayley that he might be thinking about the caner too and questioning why he had gotten himself in this situation.
She then told herself "it is all for Hope so whatever he thinks does not matter to me."
Hayley looked at him, smiled and said "a bit. It happens every time I have a checkup. I am always scared that they might find something else."
Klaus said "I want to be with you during your checkup".
Hayley said desperately "please no. I dont want to. I want you to be with Hope. I am not ready for it Klaus. You said you will give me space and time. Believe me I appreciate that but I am not ready for this right now".
Klaus looked at her face and then his eyes went involuntary to her right breast. He then looked at Hayley and said "okay but I am holding onto the hope that you will take that plunge sooner then you think Hayley because with this chemo coming in, you will need help and I want to be there for you but I want to be there with your consent. Keep in mind Hayley that even if you dont give me consent I will be there but I would prefer it if you let me in willingly."
Hayley looked at his face and saw nothing but sincerity and felt like crying remembering all the times when she felt alone even though Amy was with her all the time. She knew in her gut that things will be different this time. She smiled and said "thanks and yes I understand what you are saying but not for tomorrow's appointment. I want someone to be with Hope while I am in for the checkup.".
They both went to sleep lost in their own thoughts; Klaus about his mother and Hayley about what he had just told her.
Next morning after breakfast she changed Hope, gave her to Klaus and went to take a shower. During the shower she started to feel nervous about her checkup. She put on a light pink shirt and jeans and came out. She was drying her hair when Klaus came in the room with Hope. Hope sat on the bed whereas Klaus said " I will be ready in ten minutes".
Hayley was brushing her hair when he came out of the bathroom dressed in his casual jeans and shirt. She looked at Klaus as he picked up his keys from the bedside table and said "you can still change your mind you know".
Klaus said with a smile "no and you should know that when I decide on something I stick with it. Whenever you are ready tell me."
Hayley looked at his determined face and knew that he was not just talking about going to her appointment but about their situation too. The certainty that he will be there for her whenever she needs him just intensified and she felt really warm.
She said "I am ready, lets go."
Even thought the drive to the hospital was a quiet one she felt relaxed that he was there for her.
They were led to the office of a Dr Stacy Dole office who was a young doctor in her mid thirties. After getting some introduction she said to Hayley "I want to examine you. I have received the files from Dr Jill Ackles but I still want to see for myself. You can change into the gown behind that curtain."
Hayley stood up and went behind the curtain after her and Klaus's eyes met for a second.
A few minutes later Dr Dole walked towards the curtain and said "are you ready?" She turned towards Klaus and said "do you want to come?"
Klaus looked at Hope playing with her doll and said "I cannot. She will be all alone".
Dr Dole smiled and went behind the curtain. After a few minutes he heard the doctor say "it seems smooth. I don't feel anything Hayley except fro this scar tissue. Not that I was expecting anything but it is always good to check".
She then checked her other breast while Hayley held her breath and prayed that she does not find anything. After a few second she said "okay good you can dress up".
She sat up and pulled the gown over her chest.
She changed into her shirt and walked out.
As she settled Dr Dole said "so your chemo, you can have it anytime now".
Klaus said "the sooner we can do".
Hayley said "can we do it weekend following 20th?"
Klaus said "that is two weeks from today".
When she didn't say anything he looked towards the doctor and said "when is the earliest she can have it done? any time after 5 pm"
Dr Dole looked down at her calendar and said "Friday 7pm".
Klaus said "okay" whereas Hayley said "that is too soon. That is six days from today".
Klaus said "that is fine. Lets go Hayley".
As they walked out Hayley said "Klaus I cannot on Friday. I dont have money. I will not get the money…" but stopped talking as he stopped walking and looked at her angrily.
He stepped towards her and said angrily "you think you are going to be paying with your money".
Hayley said trying to keep her voice calm "yes, but I have no insurance so I needed more".
Klaus said angrily "Hayley !" and continued walking towards the main door.
Hayley followed him and asked in confusion "what is it? why are you angry?"
Klaus turned towards her and asked angrily "why did you marry me Hayley if you dont want me in your life?"
Hayley looked at Hope holding Klaus's hand and said calmly "for Hope".
Klaus didn't say anything for a few seconds and then said deliberately slowly "yes I know but as long as we are married you and I are in this together. And as my wife you are entitled to my money…."
Hayley cut him off by saying "I will not take your family money Klaus. What Mikael did, has not helped me Klaus. In fact because of that I will never be able to face your mother".
Klaus said "I am talking about the money I earn Hayley. I can support my family in that income and if need be I will take money from my share of the property not anyone's else. Also you need to remember that you have one million dollar in your name too not that I want you to use that money on your treatment."
Hayley said "I don't want that money".
Klaus sighed and looked around and said "can we talk about it somewhere else? I promised Hope that I will take her to the store".
Hayley could see Klaus distracted during the toy shopping. She caught him looking at her many times but she didnt know what to say so she didnt.
During the shopping he got a call from Marcel so he stepped aside as Hayley and Hope continued to look at the dolls.
Klaus said to Marcel "I don't know who it was. I just saw him in the court yesterday and there was something about him that made me think he was one of you. Is it possible for me to sense them?"
He looked at Hope who had picked up a doll from the aisle but then he looked at Hayley who took the doll from her hand and after looking at it she put it back and pulled Hope towards another doll but Hope kept on glancing at the first doll.
Hayley looked towards him as he said "no Cami does not know yet. I dont think she has any idea about what is going on Marcel. I wanted to talk to you about your man whom I tackled in Rousseau's the other night. Will he keep his mouth shut?" while picking up the doll she had taken from Hope and giving it to her.
Hayley looked at the doll and shook her head and said softly "no this is too expensive. She does not need expensive toys".
Klaus stared at her in surprise and then suddenly a smile appeared on his lips and he said looking at Hayley "Marcel, I am out somewhere but I want you to know that if he puts my life in jeopardy then it will not be good for him" causing Hayley's heart to jump into her throat.
He put the cell in his pocket and said to Hayley "she likes it so why not?"
Hayley looked at Klaus and said "Klaus please dont spoil her".
He smiled and said "a toy will not spoil her". He gave Hope the doll and felt his heart melt as she squealed with happiness.
By the time they left the shop Hope was grinning from ear to ear and she had a couple of toys in the shopping bag.
They went home after the shopping with a very happy Hope. Klaus couldnt help but notice that Hayley was really looking happy too.
The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. He felt like talking to her about her cancer many times but her demeanor was not encouraging him so he let it go.
He gave her company in the kitchen as she prepared dinner for the evening while Hope played with her new toys. Klaus suddenly realized that he was feeling very happy and relaxed even though his and Hayley's life was not perfect. "But he didnt want perfect" he told himself. "He wanted peaceful and that is what he was having at that precise moment, contentment and peace."
Hayley felt a strong wave of nausea hit her and wondered 'where did this come from? She had been doing so great for the past two weeks and of all the days today'. She cursed the nausea while at the same time she could feel his eyes at the back of her neck and that was just making her very very nervous. She realized that ever since Caroline had gone back this was the first time she was feeling nervous in his presence. 'Perhaps because of him finding out about her cancer' she wondered. She also wondered 'why has he not talked to her about her cancer yet? Is he feeling pity for her or regretting his decision of marrying her? Or giving her the space?'
For some reason she knew it was either pity or giving her space and that just made her confused and relax at the same time.
She startled as he said "I am leaving. I have some business to attend before I got get Elijah. He said that he will be done around 7:30 pm from his meeting. We will be home by 8. Then we can go out for dinner if you want or stay in".
Hayley turned to him and said "no, lets stay in. Hope is tired from today's activities and I want Elijah and her to spend some time together in a familiar environment" as she controlled the nausea.
Klaus nodded and said "okay I am off."
He left after giving Hope a kiss as she jumped at him and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.
As soon as the door closed, she darted to the bathroom and threw up a little bit. Later she set the table, gave a final inspection to Hope's room, made sure there was nothing in that room to make Elijah suspicious of her ever staying in that room. She then gave something to Hope to eat so that she does not create fuss during dinner. After that she changed her into a nice blue dress and changed her clothes too. She sat at the bed holding her head wondering 'what ticked his nausea off?'
She looked at Hope playing with her new toys and the smile on her face just made Hayley feel warm towards Klaus. She suddenly remembered what he had told her last night and she felt like giving him what he wanted.
She looked towards the door as she head it open and Hope getting up excitedly and running towards it.
Klaus briefed Elijah about Hope during the drive to his apartment. When he was done telling him about Hope Elijah asked "now tell me why did you get married to her Niklaus?"
Klaus looked at him for a second and then said "is it hard to believe that I really like her?"
Elijah stared at him for a few seconds and then said "alright. But you have to admit it looks suspicious."
Klaus said firmly "I don't care if it looks suspicious or not. She is my wife now. My family has to accept her and Hope is my daughter if they want me in their lives. I expect you at least to open your arms to them".
Elijah looked at his set face and said "of course I will. But I have to tell you that I have not been able to tell mother about your marriage yet".
Klaus said "don't worry she knows".
Elijah asked "how?"
By the time Klaus was done telling him about Caroline's visit and Esther's call, Elijah was sure that Klaus has lost his mind.
He asked incredulously "you thought bringing Caroline to your home after you just got married and in those circumstances was a good idea?!"
Klaus said "yes because she and I have a past that we cannot just forget. Sooner Hayley and Caroline start to understand each other's position in my life, better it will be for both of them. And from what I saw it went great. Caroline is hurting right now but she understands that if we are not happy right now then how can we be happy later in our lives. During this visit of hers Caroline saw that I am moving on with my life so she will too. I think she and Hayley can get along really well".
Elijah said "Niklaus I know you and Caroline loved each other. In fact I think she still loves you and same can be said about you. I dont know why you got married to Hayley but I know you didn't marry her because you love her. I will tell you one thing for sure that no woman in Caroline's shoes will be okay with all of this. I am surprised that Caroline didnt create a drama".
Klaus suddenly had a vivid memory of that kiss disclosure dialogue with Caroline and wondered 'was it a drama?"
But then shook his head and said unlocking his apartment "so I have been thinking about the house offer you said. I might consider it. You are okay with it right?"
Elijah said "sure" and entered in his apartment. The first thing he noticed was a child chattering and he smiled as Hope came running towards the door but stopped in her track as she saw Elijah. She looked at Klaus and then grabbed her mother's legs who had walked to them too.
Even though she was feeling really nervous and nauseous, as the opened the door to reveal Elijah with Klaus, she smiled at him. Klaus bend down and picked up Hope and said Hope "Elijah you remember Hope right?"
As Elijah watched her with a smile on his lips Hope snuggled closer to Klaus.
He said "hello Hope, remember me".
Hope shook his head so Klaus said "Hope this is my brother and your uncle Elijah. Do you want to call him uncle?"
She looked at Klaus and then at Elijah and then Hayley who smiled at him. Hope put her hand in her mouth and shyly nodded her head. Klaus looked at Hayley as she stepped forwards and said "Elijah you know Hayley but now you are meeting the my wife Hayley Mikaelson."
Hayley didn't know what to say but she relaxed when Elijah said with a smile "hello Hayley. welcome to Mikaelson family".
Hayley smiled at him and said spontaneously "Mr Mikaelson" causing a rich laughter escape his throat making her flustered and Klaus smile but at the same time he noticed that she was looking very pale and he wondered if she is feeling sick.
Elijah said with a smile "you dont get to call me that any more Hayley. I am not your boss anymore. I think I have earned the right to be called a brother and by my name".
Klaus smiled at her and said "Elijah you can set you stuff in the Hope's room. Freshen up and then we can have dinner together".
As Elijah went to the room, Klaus looked at Hayley and asked "hey are you feeling okay?"
Hayley shook her head and then almost ran to their room. He immediately followed her still carrying Hope just in time to see her close the bathroom door behind her. He sat Hope on the bed and looked towards the bathroom door anxiously. When the door opened a couple of minutes later he asked "how long have you been feeling this way?"
Hayley stepped aside and walked out of the bathroom and said "something triggered my nausea in the afternoon but I am better now".
Klaus looked at her with concern and said "why don't you rest?"
Hayley said pushing the hair out of her eyes "no, I am fine. I have been through worse. It is just mild. Elijah is visiting for the first time. I want us to have a dinner together".
Klaus said "don't worry about Elijah. I will make an excuse".
She said shaking her head "no, let go. He must be waiting for us".
She held Hope's hand and walked towards the door.
She went to the kitchen and was taking out drinks from the fridge when Klaus took them from her hand and said "go and sit, I will do that".
Hayley said in a tired voice "thanks but I don't want to sit".
Klaus said with smile "then just stand there".
Before Hayley could say anything they both heard Elijah cough.
Elijah walked into the kitchen and saw them standing close to each other. He cleared his throat. and smiled as Hayley hastily stepped back.
Klaus put the drinks on the table as Hayley put the food in the dishes and laid the table. She settled down Hope next to her and everyone settled down for dinner. Dinner was a very pleasant affair with small chit chat. Klaus could see from her pale complexion that she was not feeling well but he felt helpless at her stubbornness to be at the dining table right now. At last he said as he saw Hope's eyes drooping he said to Hayley "Hayley Hope is sleeping. It is really late for her."
ELijah looked at Hope who had her head on the dinning chair back and her eyes were almost closing.
Hayley looked at him with gratitude and said to Elijah "Elijah if you dont mind. I will put her to bed and then come back."
Elijah said "oh dont worry. We have full day tomorrow. Why dont you turn yourself in too? We will be getting up too in no time."
Hayley took a sigh of relief and got up. She was about to carry Hope when Klaus brushed her aside gently and scooped Hope up and carried her to their bedroom.
As soon as she closed the door she dashed to the bathroom and threw everything she had just eaten. She washed her face and looked at Klaus standing at the door. She smiled and said "i am okay".
Klaus smirked and said "sure I can see that. You rest. I will be in in a few minute".
Hayley didn't know when she went to sleep and didnt know that he stood near her side of the bed and stared at him for a very long time before turning himself in too.
Next day when he got up he saw Hope sitting next to Hayley, touching her face. He gently nudged her and whispered "hey, mommy is tired. Lets go out".
Hope looked at Hayley and then went to his arms. He picked her up, took her to the bathroom, looked around and then put tooth paste on her small tooth brush and gave it to her. Hope started brushing his teeth while he did his. After that he washed his face and then gingerly washed hers and then led her out of the bathroom. He suddenly realized that he was feeling very sentimental after doing those activities with Hope and he thought in regret 'how much he has missed.' As he entered the living room, he saw Elijah sitting on the sofa watching TV.
He smiled and said "good morning. Come in the kitchen".
Elijah looked at Hope and wondered 'what is the pull he always feel towards this child?'
He followed Klaus to the kitchen and asked "where is Hayley?"
Klaus took out the frying pan from the cabinet and said "she is sleeping in. She couldn't sleep last night and had just gotten to bed an hour ago".
Elijah took a seat on the kitchen table and asked "oh okay."
He asked after a few moments "so tell me?"
Klaus turned towards him, smiled and said "well short story. I fell in love with her life and her child. She came in my life at a perfect time. Caroline and I were having a lot of problems. I was thinking of getting out of it and then I met Hayley and …." He paused for a moment and then continued "and her". Elijah followed his gaze to Hope playing in the living room and said "that cannot be it Niklaus".
Klaus was looking towards Hope when Elijah said "Niklaus, tell me you didn't marry her just to provide that child a home and to make up for what mother did to her".
Klaus put the toasts in the toaster and then turned towards Elijah and asked leaning against the kitchen counter "what do you mean? about her firing her?!"
Elijah said carelessly "yes, when I found out I was so disappointed at mother but please tell me you didnt marry a woman with a child to make up for mother getting her fired and not giving her the share in our property".
Klaus looked at him in confusion and said incredulously "getting her fired?! She fired her Elijah."
Elijah said impatiently "not from our firm but from … " he stopped talking as he realized that Klaus had no idea from the confusion on his face
Klaus looked at him and asked "what?"
Elijah said "nothing".
Klaus asked sternly "Elijah tell me".
Elijah said with a sigh "I found out that she got a job in a software company where mother went and got her fired on the third day of her job telling her boss that she embezzled from our company."
He paused for a second and then said "I had no idea that you didn't know".
Klaus stared at him wondering what else she has not told him as he recalled what Caroline had told him about being rude to Hayley.
He felt his heart sink at the thought of her going through all of this while on top of being sick. With heavy heart he poured milk in a cup and place the toasted bread on the plate and said "Hope come here. You need to drink your milk."
Elijah smiled as he saw Hope walking to the kitchen with her doll as Klaus set her on the dinning chair and placed the glass of milk in front of her. She turned towards Klaus and asked him "daddy, when is mommy getting up?"
Klaus bend near her and said "Hope mommy is tired so she will sleep a little longer today".
Whatever Elijah was about to say got lost as he saw both of them eye to eye level talking to each other.
He looked at Klaus's face curiously when Hope asked him in a timid voice "is she sick again?"
Klaus couldn't help but feel sorry for Hope. He moved the wild strange of hair to the back of her ear and said "yes but she will get better. Why don't you finish you milk and go play with your doll. May be afterwards we can go to the park".
Hope jumped up on her seat excitedly making Elijah smile but he noticed Klaus was looking a bit down as he put jam on the toasts and gave it to her. Hope gulped her milk down, ate her sandwich while Elijah and Klaus drank their coffee quietly. After that she ran out of the kitchen.
Elijah stood there looking at Klaus for a moment and then asked "what was that about?"
Klaus looked up and said "nothing the weather is good so I thought…" but by now Elijah was sure he was hiding something from him so he said in a stern voice "Niklaus!"
Klaus sighed and said reluctantly "Hayley is sick".
Elijah said "yes that I gathered. What is wrong with her?"
Klaus said "she has breast cancer".
Elijah stared at him for a few moments without saying something and then said in an alarming voice "what?"
Klaus said "yes she had it for the past four months. Now can we talk about something else. She does not want to tell anyone about it. You make sure you don't tell mother or anyone about it or for that matter Caroline".
He turned towards the coffee pot and poured himself and Elijah coffee. He put the coffee cup in front of Elijah and said "so what is happening back home?"
Elijah looked at Klaus wondering 'if she had cancer then why did he marry her?'
He said "no, you tell me first how long have you known".
Klaus looked toward the door and said "I knew it before the marriage."
Elijah said "what? and you still married her?"
Klaus suddenly said a bit sternly "her having cancer does not mean that she should be punished for it. I like her and I am starting to love that child so it does not make a difference to me. The only things that we should be concern about is Hope and Hayley herself. She is going through chemo and the treatment. Hope is the one who needs security in her life and I will provide both of them that security and the stability that they need."
Elijah looked at Klaus's distressed but determined face and didnt say anything.
Klaus said to him "now like I said Hayley does not want anyone to know about the cancer yet. So lets keep a lid on it until she is ready or I tell her that you know."
Elijah said "okay. but …"
He stopped talking when Klaus cut him off by saying "how about we go out and take Hope to a park or something."
Elijah said "sure and Hayley?"
Klaus said "let her sleep. When she gets up we can all go out together after that."
After slight hesitation, he changed Hope into a pair of jeans and shirt and then put on her shoes and headed to the park with Elijah. He observed Elijah bonding with Hope and felt somewhat at peace. An hour later when they got home, Hayley was up and was drinking coffee. As she saw them she said "I am sorry Elijah. I dont know what happened last night. I just couldn't keep anything down".
Elijah smiled and said hoping his voice does not give away anything while at the same time looked at Klaus lost in thoughts "that is fine. It happens. We have the whole day ahead of us to bond over. Hope and we already went to the park and we had a great time. Right Hope?"
He looked at Hope at the end of the sentence. He then continued "I have to say Hope is really well mannered child. I had an idea that she would be but it is still a pleasant surprise. Wait till mother and others meet her. They will fall in love with her".
He noticed the smile slip from her lips just for a second.
He looked at Klaus who was looking at her. Hayley's eyes met Klaus and at once knew something was wrong, she then looked at Elijah and became sure. She sighed and said "he told you?"
Elijah looked at her and said authoritatively "yes and I am glad he did. You are family and family members need to know if another family member has some problem".
Hayley sighed and said "I don't want Mrs Lockwood to find out".
She could feel Klaus's eyes boring into her face but she didn't look at him and went towards the cooking range. Elijah said "I wish you had told us this before Hayley. All the time you have been working for us and you never told us".
Hayley smiled and said "people have illnesses Elijah and that does not stop their lives".
She looked at Hope and asked "have you had your milk?"
Hope said "yes daddy gave me".
Elijah said "how about we all go out today. Brunch from me. Niklaus have you taken Hayley to the French Quarter?"
Klaus said "no, not yet" with sinking heart.
Elijah got up and said "then it is settled, lets go there and I can get to meet Cami too".
Klaus laughed and said "Cami and you. Don't tell me! Since when?"
He looked at Hayley and said "why dont you get Hope ready?"
Hayley held Hope's hand and took her to her room. She took out her clothes and took them to Klaus and Hayley's room.
Hayley was changing Hope's clothes thinking of why Klaus had told Elijah when she heard the door close behind her. She turned around to confront him but stopped as she saw his expressions. She asked him "what?"
Klaus said "why didn't you tell me that my mother got you fired from your other job? and while we are on that point why didn't you tell me what happened with Caroline".
Hayley turned away from her and said to Hope "Hope why don't you go out and play with uncle Elijah. Mommy wants to talk to daddy about something".
She kissed her and put her on the floor. Hope stared at both of them and then went out of the room as Klaus opened the door for her.
She turned towards her and said "I didn't tell you because there was no point in telling you about that. You couldn't have done anything about it. Your mother hates me. Any one in her shoes will do that. She thinks that I had an affair with Mikael. Now that you know that you should know that I said yes to you two days after she got me fired me from my other job."
She saw surprise on his face but he recovered and said sarcastically "so I have her to thank for making you agree to my offer?"
Hayley said while going to the walking closet, taking of her clothes from the hanger "well I was getting desperate. I was unable to find a new job and my chemo was coming up and I knew that day that Mrs Lockwood wouldn't let me have any job in that town. I needed job to continue my treatment. I couldnt survive without treatment. And after me what would have happened to Hope. I said yes so that if things don't turned out the way I want them to then she at least has you as a back up and I can see that my decision was right."
Klaus felt the pit in the stomach growing bigger but before he could say anything she turned to him and said "the only thing I had not considered was that I will be able to tell you about my cancer so early in our relationship and of course all you are doing right now. Original plan was to get job, pray that my loan gets approved."
She noticed the rise and fall of the different shades of gray on his face and with pursed lips turned to go to bathroom when he said sharply "and Caroline".
She said "I don't know what happened. She saw me in Macy's and apparently you had just broken up with her and she was venting out when she got suspicious and started asking me if I had anything to do with it. So I told her about the proposal and that I have not agreed." She stopped talking so Klaus asked "and?"
Hayley picked up Hope's clothes saying without looking at him "she slapped me".
As she turned towards the bathroom again Klaus held her arm and said "what?"
Hayley looked at the hold on her arm and said "she slapped me".
Klaus was so shocked to hear that he didn't know when he let go of her arm.
He said "I cannot believe it. That is why she apologized to you?!"
At her confused look he asked in a whisper "she didn't apologize to you?"
Hayley shook her head and said "no, sorry to disappoint you. Any way that is water under the bridge. Now I will go change if we are going out"
She went to the bathroom before he could say anything. When she came out in fifteen minutes, he was still in the room sitting on the bed. He looked at her and walked to her and said "I am so sorry Hayley. Your life has been in a fix because of me".
Hayley looked at him in confusion and said "no, Klaus you didn't do anything in all of this".
Klaus stared at her thinking 'if only she knew why Mikael left her so much money which cause all of that reaction from his mother.' but he didn't say anything.
He sighed and said "I promise I will make up for all of this by providing Hope everything she deserves including a healthy mother."
Hayley smiled and said "yes, that is all I want from you for Hope and a promise you will not tell anyone else about my cancer. When I told you that you cannot tell anyone then why did you tell Elijah?"
Klaus said "because he is my brother and he got suspicious. I thought someone besides me should know about that too. I want to tell you that I told him that I knew about the cancer before we got married. It just didnt sit well with me to tell him that I found out a day ago. I am curious" as he picked up his wallet from the side table and then continued "why dont you want anyone to know about your cancer? I know it is personal but still I am curious."
Hayley said "because I dont want to see the look you have been giving me ever since you have found out about my cancer."
She was walking towards the bedroom door but stopped when Klaus said "what look?"
Hayley said bitterly "pitty."
Klaus said "I don't pity you Hayley. I admire you. I admire your bravery. If I ever pitied you it was what I found out you were the one I put through hell five years ago and then about Hope and when I thought what you must have gone through during that time. I have never pitied you for your cancer."
She turned towards him and stared into his blue eyes which were nothing but sincere. She said "don't pity me for that too. I am happy with my life. That chapter of my life is closed now. We are on the way to writing a new chapter in our lives."
Klaus nodded and smiled.
The ride to French quarter was rather a quiet one with Hope talking to Hayley and occasionally answering Elijah's questions whereas Klaus was wondering what was he going to do if some vampire sees him and says something but then he thought 'aren't the vampire supposed to come out at night' so he felt some relief.
They were hardly in French Quarter streets for thirty minutes when a man approached Klaus. Klaus got tense as he recognized the man as Marcel's gang. He got ready for the attack and moved a bit so that he was in front of Hope. Hayley looked at him and suddenly the image from the bank came into her mind and she felt her heart skip a beat. She tightened her hand hold on Hope's arm making her screech "mommy you are hurting me".
Klaus glanced at Hayley and shook his head slight which didnt go unnoticed by Elijah.
He looked at all of this with confusion and then looked at the man approaching them. The man approaching them said to Klaus "were…." but Klaus cut him off by saying "Diego right?"
When Diego nodded his head, Klaus turned to Elijah and said "Elijah, Diego, a friend of a friend. He just wanted to make sure we are having fun right Diego?"
Diego looked at him and then at Elijah and then his gaze went to Hope peeking from behind Klaus. He nodded and said "I will tell Marcel that you visited French Quarter."
Klaus smirked and said "do tell".
The rest of the day went smoothly. Klaus tired to get out of French Quarter a couple of times but Elijah insisted that he wanted to show Hayley around and being in New Orleans for so many years, he knew all the details about it. Klaus kept glancing at her and couldn't help but notice that Hayley was very comfortable with Elijah. The way she was laughing and talking at his comments. He even carried Hope for a while. Klaus looked at Hope and Elijah and felt a stab of jealousy in his stomach as it hit him that Hope had warmed up to Elijah as quickly as she had warmed up to him. He chided himself "why wouldn't she be? Elijah is funny and friendly".
Hayley suddenly realized that he had been quiet for a while. She looked at him but he was looking towards a bar. She wondered 'what was he thinking and who was that man from whom he was sheltering Hope?'.
He suddenly felt something that made him turn around and he caught her looking at him. He smiled and looked over her shoulder. Hayley whose knees suddenly had gone weak at that smile turned around and saw a young blonde coming towards them.
Klaus smiled and hugged Cami surprising Hayley. He let Cami go almost at once and turned to Hayley and impulsively held her hand taking her by surprise again and said "Cami, meet Hayley my wife and this is Hope our daughter".
Hayley saw the smile slip from her face just for a second and heard her say "what? really? When? Oh my god."
Hayley felt him squeeze her hand and smiled. Cami recovered and said "this is great. You and I need to spend time together. Klaus, I am impressed. what happened to …." but she stopped talking as she realized what she was going to say.
Elijah said hoping to help the awkward silence "So Cami how is the business going?"
Cami said "Elijah, you just forgot this city".
Elijah laughed and said "I need to take you out of this city to show you Mystic Falls".
Klaus looked around and realized that it was getting late and sun was setting in, he realized that vampers will be out soon so he said "Elijah I think we should go. It is getting late and Hope needs to go to bed".
Elijah looked at him curiously and then nodded.
As he passed by a cemetery Hayley said "oh god this is beautiful."
Elijah looked towards her and asked "you have not seen this Hayley?"
When she shook her head, he looked towards Klaus and asked "what have you been doing for the past one week? Have you not shown her anything?"
Hayley hastily said as her eyes met Klaus's in the rare view mirror "no he has but we didnt come to this side of the town".
Hayley was walking through the cemetery and stopped as she saw a young woman kneeling near a tomb. She walked to her and said "hey what is your name?"
The woman said "my name is Jane-Ann deveraux. What are you doing here? Dont you know it is not safe to walk in cemeteries at this time of the day."
Hayley said "I just liked this tomb and why is it not… " but she was cut off when she saw a person jumping on Jane-Ann Deveraux from the tomb. She screamed "hey look out" to warn her and instinctively pushed her aside.
Klaus was holding Hope in his arms with her head resting on his shoulder when he heard her voice. He gave Hope to Elijah and ran in the direction where the voice was coming from. When he reached there he saw a man holding a young woman from her neck and lifting her in the air. As he was looking at them he saw Hayley pick up a branch of tree and hit the man on the head. The man turned to her still holding the young woman in his grasp and hissed showing his fangs. Klaus saw Hayley stumble back so he ran to her and said firmly "Go, take Hope tot he car, Go". His voice raised at the end of the sentence.
Hayley didn't need to be told twice so she ran from there. She took Hope from Elijah and said now panicking "there is someone hurting a woman Elijah".
Elijah headed towards that direction whereas Hayley went to her car.
When he reached there he saw the man fly through the air and land on the ground. Klaus's attacker stood up with lightening speed taking Elijah by surprise. Klaus spun around and kicked the man lunging on him with such a speed that took Elijah by surprise again and then before Elijah or Klaus could do anything else the man disappeared out of there. Klaus groaned, turned to the young woman still lying on the ground. He helped Jane-Ann get up and looked at his neck and said "you seem to be okay".
Jane-Ann looked at him and said "thanks. My name is Jane-Ann".
Klaus said "Klaus Mikaelson".
Jane-Ann said "you are the wolf that attacked that vampire the other night in Rouseasu".
Klaus could smell Elijah standing at the listening distance and decided to let the cat out bag he said "yes but I will appreciate if you dont tell anyone".
He turned and left catching Elijah eyes.
Klaus asked "what?"