A/N Based on "save the last dance for me". On the run. Tried something different. It is a bit slow and not too juicy but that is how I imagined how their first few days with Hope and on the run would be like. After all they are new parents, who don't know abc of babies and they are on the run with nothing with them. will love to read what you thought about it. no pressure :)
After driving for a couple of minutes Hayley suddenly said "what is this bag here?"
She picked up the bag from the floor behind the passenger seat and opened it and then heart filled with emotions for Rebekah as she saw Hope's stuff in it. Couple of clothes for her, the diapers, the formula.
"What is it?" he asked her
Hayley looked at him through the rearview mirror "her stuff. Rebekah must have kept it here in case they have to run again unexpectedly"
She saw his knuckles getting white on the steering wheel and realized the loss he had to endure; walking away from his family.
After it seemed like hours of driving he stopped the car outside a motel, looked towards the back seat and saw that she was sleeping with her hand on Hope's car seat. He said to her softly "Hayley"
Hayley opened her eyes and looked around and asked her "where are we?"
Klaus said "Sacramento, I am going in to get a room. Do you want to come in or wait"
"I will wait" she said.
Klaus went in there and luckily got a room. He came back and got out her car seat. It took him one minute to figure that out but then Hayley and he went upstairs to their room.
Hope was still sleeping so she put the car seat on the bed.
She looked at Klaus who was standing by the window looking out.
She walked to him and said "what are we going to do?"
He turned towards her and said "everything will be okay". He then added bitterly "This is not the first time I had to run for my life".
He looked at her and said in a gentle voice "but this one is different. I am not scared this time. I am not alone like the rest of those times" and then on impulse, by the look on her face, he pulled her in a hug and whispered "she is with us now. She will be safe"
Hayley felt his arm around her. Her head was on his chest. She put her hand there. She could feel his heart beating and she felt warm. They stood there for a minute and then they heard her cry.
She separated her from him and went to pick her up. Klaus went to the bathroom to take a shower.
Hayley picked Hope up in her arms, changed her diaper. Somehow she knew what she was supposed to do. And then she made the bottle like she did once when she woke up in the car and gave her the bottle but she didn't take it and started wailing louder. Hayley was getting frustrated by the second. She asked her with frustration but trying to keep her voice soothing "Hope, sweetie, why aren't you taking it? You took it last time I gave you in the car" and then she felt something. She looked down at her chest and was shocked to realize that she was leaking. On impulse she pulled her bra down a little bit and put her against her breast and to her shock she latched on and started sucking it making her gasp.
As he stood under the steaming hot water, he heard her say "Hope, sweetie, why aren't you taking it. You took it last time I gave you in the car" but she was crying harder and harder. Klaus couldn't listen to her cries but he knew that Hayley was trying her best under the circumstances and then she stopped crying.
Klaus came out of bathroom and stopped at the sight in front of him. He walked to them and sat next to them. She looked up and said "I don't know what happened. I was drying up and now I am ..." she suddenly smiled at him.
Klaus was awed by the sight. He moved her hand over Hope's head whose eyes were drooping now and gently rubbed her head and then his fingers brushed against her bare breast. Hayley looked up at him and their eyes met for a second and then he removed his hand and walked to the other side of the bed and fell on it. He couldn't sleep. He laid on the bed thinking about what to do next. Last time when he was on the run, it was Rebekah with him but this time he had this innocent child who needs constant supervision. He turned his head towards the wall opposite to her. He knew she was nursing him which was such a shock to him. He tried to think of an occasion like that but in his 1000 years of life he had not seen something like that. He had felt the shiver in his body too when his hand had accidently grazed the swell of her breast while touching Hope's head.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear her. He turned around absentmindedly and saw her sitting on the bed with Hope in her lap. She had gone to sleep in her lap and Hayley was just sitting there staring at her. Klaus scooted up in a sitting position and gently touched her shoulder which startled her and said "what is wrong?"
Hayley gave him a tired and weary smile and said "I just cannot get enough of her. She has grown so much in just one month. I hate to think how much we would have missed if we had not run away now"
Klaus looked at Hope snuggled against her body and said "yes. We would have missed a lot" and then he said "why don't you put her down her and go to sleep too. You must be tired by now"
She looked at him and said questioningly "here?"
Klaus said with an amused smile "yes, where were you thinking? Do you see another bed?"
She said with hesitation "Klaus we are not …"
Klaus cut her off by saying "yes, I know we are not. Now go to sleep so that we can plan what to do with fresh minds in the morning".
A couple of minutes later he looked at her and saw her putting Hope at the center of the bed and lying down next to her. Klaus settled back down thinking 'whether he would be able to sleep or not. She is so small. What if I hit her or sleep on her'. He laid awake thinking about her for a long time and didn't know when his eyes shut down. He startled out of his sleep when he heard her crying. He looked sideways and saw her crying and Hayley stirring too. He looked at his wrist watch and realized that he had only sleep for three hours. He asked Hayley "why is she up?"
Hayley picked her up and said "I read in book I was reading during pregnancy that kids her age need to be fed after every two to three hours. If we are lucky than three hours".
Klaus scooted himself up and said "so you are going to feed her now?"
Hayley nodded and then she looked at himself consciously thinking 'last time was on impulse, what she will do now?' Hope had started to cry harder now. Klaus sensed her hesitation so he turned his face in the opposite direction and laid down. Hayley smiled and exposed her breasts to Hope to nurse on.
He smiled when she stopped crying. He knew that she was feeding now. He said while keeping his eyes away from her "you know sooner or later we will have to overcome these inhabitations if we are on the run together"
She was quiet for a moment enjoying nursing their daughter and said "yes I know"
After that she changed her diaper and put her in between them again. She startled when she heard him say "now can I look at her"
Hayley said "I thought you had gone back to sleep!"
Klaus turned towards her and saw her smiling down at Hope, a smile that he had rarely seen in the last month. He looked at Hope who was sleeping calmly. He said to Hayley "I think we should leave this place tomorrow morning"
Hope woke them up one more time that night. Klaus laid there on the bed looking at the ceiling listening to Hayley moving around and handling Hope in the room. Suddenly a slow smiled started to appear on his lips as he realized how just in one day he his ears had gotten used to her cries and her demands when she is hungry and how excellently Hayley was managing it.
He startled when she asked him "you cannot sleep with this noise? May be we should…"
Klaus turned towards her and said loudly then he had intended to "No, we stay together."
His loud voice startled Hope and she looked around in shock and started to pout and started crying making Hayley angry and say "hush, you scared her"
He looked at her angrily and then at Hope and said desperately "make her quiet"
She snapped at him "how can I make her quiet?" and then after seeing his desperate face she handed the baby in his arms before he could do anything and said "you make her quiet. You made her cry so now make her quiet. I have done my job".
She turned her face away from him and lied down facing in the opposite direction.
Klaus looked at her helplessly and shifted Hope in his arms and moved her a bit. Hope suddenly got quiet. He was looking at her face and missed seeing her look at him. He smiled as her eyes started to droop and she went to sleep as he was watching her. He smiled and turned to put her down when he noticed Hayley looking at him.
She said "not bad Klaus Mikaelsons. You seem to be a natural. Who would have thought?"
She then turned towards them and closed her eyes.
Next morning when she woke up, Hope was still sleeping but he was gone. She looked around when she heard the bathroom door open.
He was drying his hair with a towel. He said to Hayley as he saw her up "I am thinking of moving to a new place. Up for it?"
She scooted up to a sitting position and said "yep" and then got out and said "I will be out in 5 minutes"
For a second, Hayley thought she saw panic on his face which she found kind of amusing and she couldn't help but say "don't tell me the big bad hybrid is scared of her?"
When he glared at her angrily she smiled and went to bathroom. Klaus stood there awkwardly praying that she comes out before Hope wakes up and for some luck she did come out before she got up. Hayley smiled when she saw him standing at the same spot where she had left him.
She went to the bed and picked up Hope and started changing her diaper while she slept and asked him "when are we leaving?"
"When you are ready" Klaus said looking at her movements wondering 'how did she become so expert in just one evening?'
Hayley picked up Hope and sat on the sofa to nurse her whereas Klaus started gathering their things. She told him after thirty minutes that she was ready and they headed out.
Hope had gone back to sleep again so she put her in the car seat and settled down in the passenger seat.
She asked him after a couple minutes "where are we heading?"
Klaus said keeping his eyes on the road "I don't know. Just far away from California right now and New Orleans"
Hayley said after some quiet "Klaus I am thinking, how will we contact Elijah?"
He looked at her with a bit of annoyance in his stomach and said "Elijah said that he will contact me some time later"
Hayley said "I hope Rebekah and Stefan are okay"
Hayley looked around and as she saw him looking around she said "what is wrong? Don't tell me you have not been to shopping. Living with Rebekah and all?"
Klaus said with a smirk "of course I have been to shopping. Where do you think I get my clothes and stuff?"
Hayley picked up a pink one piece suit for Hope and said "I thought you got them delivered at your place"
Klaus walked to her and took it away from her and handed her a purple one and said "No, to contrary belief I do shop sometimes as you have pointed out living with Rebekah for 1000 years have taught me that. But I don't go to departmental stores"
She looked at the dress he had handed her over and said "this is cute. so where do you go?" she put it in her cart when he said "how many do you need for her?"
Hayley said with a laugh "I have no idea"
Klaus shifted Hope in his arms and after staring at her for a moment "pick 7 to 8 and let's go, I don't want to stay at one place for longer"
Hayley nodded and then picked up some clothes. As they were standing at the cash register Klaus felt a weird sensation, he looked around and then held the arm of the person standing next to him and said without much thought "lad, me and my wife were standing before you so please move at the end of the line"
Hayley looked at him in surprise as she realized that he had compelled that guy and saw tension on his face. He paid for the clothes and held her arm and almost dragged her out of the shop. He quickly buckled her in the car seat and got in the driver seat. She looked at his style and said "what happened?"
Klaus started the car and giving her a fleeting look said "I think they found us"
She looked around in panic and then at the back seat as he pulled the car on the road. He said "don't worry, I will not let anything happen to her"
On cue Hope starts to cry, Hayley looked at him and said "don't stop, I will feed her in the car" and then she opened her seat belt and climbed to the back seat brushing his shoulders making a chill run through his body even in that tension. As his vampire hearing listened to her taking Hope out of car seat, unclasping her bra and put her against her breast, he tried to concentrate on the road and tune out his ear from those sounds. After a couple of minutes he couldn't help it and looked in the rare view mirror and caught her looking at him. He said "what?"
Hayley said "nothing"
Klaus asked her with some annoyance which he didn't know where it come from "what is it? Spit it out"
She said with a smile "it is just that you are so different when you are alone"
Klaus asked her keeping his eyes on the road "what do you mean?"
Hayley said with a smile "nothing" and then she added "where are we heading?"
Klaus said "we will be entering Portland in a couple of hours. Can spend the night there and see how things go from there."
Hayley nodded while putting Hope back in the car seat. She sat there for a second looking out not realizing that Hope is holding her finger and then she turned and saw her sleeping and saw his expressions and after a thought climbed back to the passenger seat. Klaus looked at her in surprised and said "you didn't have to come in the front?!"
Hayley said "I was wondering if you want to sleep you can and I can take over"
Klaus smiled and said "hmm thanks I am fine"
Most of the journey was quiet after that.
She picked up her bag of Mc Donald take out and was walking out with him when an old lady said to Klaus "Oh your daughter is so cute. You and your wife should cherish her. These days fly right before your eyes" bringing a smile on Hayley face along with some frustration that she felt at the words.
"I don't get it that why people assume that we are husband and wife" she said with frustration as they settled down in their car and added "we can just be friends"
Klaus smiled at her frustration and said "you will not believe what people can assume. When I and Rebekah were on run, people would think that we are together". He remembered Stefan's reaction when he had first seen Klaus and Rebekah together.
She looked at him and said "what?! As in…"
He smiled and said "yes, as in"
"Didn't it ever bother you?" she asked him
Klaus said carelessly "no because we knew it was not true and we were on run for our lives so these things were not really our priority"
She asked him "does it sound weird to you when people assume that we are together"
He looked at her and said "That is a trick question right?"
That made Hayley laugh and said "no. it was not but I get why you would think that!"
He asked her after a while "what do you feel when you hear that?"
Hayley said "hmm interesting. Right now strangely nothing."
He smiled and said "at least you are honest"
She asked him "what do you mean?"
He said "considering our history I was sure you would say 'annoyed'"
She asked him "what is wrong with our history?"
He looked at her strangely but didn't answer and pulled the car in the parking lot of the hotel.
That night Klaus slept a little more comfortably then their first night together. Hayley couldn't sleep so when Hope was up for feed she picked her up immediately so that he is not disturbed. She wondered 'why is she so concern about his rest all of a sudden?" and then he turned his body towards her and his hand fell on her pillow next near her thigh making her shiver. As his hand was at the spot where Hope was sleeping so she put Hope next to her on the other side.
Next morning when she woke up, Hope was not next to her. She sat up in panic and looked around and then took a sigh of relief when she saw him holding her. She looked at him and said "do you think Rebekah and Stefan have handled Lenore and Finn?"
He looked at her and said "I don't know" and then said "she is hungry"
Hayley asked him getting out of bed "how do you know?"
Klaus said looking at Hope "she is sucking my finger"
Hayley stood there in silence looking at him with her in his lap and her sucking his finger. As she was looking he looked up and caught her off guard and handed Hope to him and said "I am going to take shower" and went to bathroom.
He stood under the shower trying to wash away the desires that had awaken in him after spending so much time with her. He was feeling the frustration in him at the realization that he didn't even know how to react in her presence – it was not like they had ever spent so much time in each others company before. In the compound they managed to stay away from each other's path and then there was Elijah to keep her busy but now what is he going to do. He took a deep breath as he stepped out of shower and after changing came out.
She was brushing her hair lost in her thought when she startled as she heard him behind her and turned with a jerk making him wince in pain as her elbow landed in his eye. She said "oh my god, I am so sorry"
Klaus looked at her with pained expressions and said "it is okay"
And then put the bottle on the counter. She said feeling self-conscious "are you sure you are okay?"
He looked at her while rubbing his eyes which was watering and said "yes, it is still there so no worries"
She impulsively removed his hand and looked into it and said "let me have a look"
Klaus was so stunned by her reaction that he let her do what she was doing. Hayley at once realized that what she was doing as she was looking into his eye and stepped back feeling flustered making him smile.
She asked him "are we leaving for somewhere today?" to lessen the awkwardness that had come between them suddenly.
He thought for a moment and then said "no" and then went to lie on the bed again. He closed his eyes. Hayley stood there for a moment and then after looking around she picked up the remote and sat on the bed and switched on the TV gingerly. She looked at him with apprehension but he had his eyes closed so she relaxed back and started flipping through the channels.
Klaus opened his eyes for a fraction of second and saw her watching TV, smiled and closed his eyes and didn't know when he went to sleep.
She looked at him after a while and realized that he had gone to sleep so she sighed and pulled the throw over him and sighed again when Hope started to cry. She immediately got up to feed her so that he is not disturbed.
When he woke up a couple of hours later she was sleeping next to him and in her sleep she had grabbed his hand while Hope was sleeping in between them.
Hayley felt him stir and opened her eyes and saw that she was holding his hand. She hastily took it away from him. Klaus got up and said "Let's go out for lunch" and went to freshen himself up.
Hayley got up and looked around and then started putting Hope's things together. When he came out of bathroom, she said "give me five minutes"
He picked up the car seat and walked out.
After the lunch they walked out and stopped as they saw a crowd gathered in the street. Turned out that there was some march going on. He suddenly grabbed her by her arm and pulled her around the corner. Hayley who was holding Hope against her shoulder looked at him with bewilderment but he kept his finger on her lips and said "shh"
And then out of blue he pulled her towards him in an embrace so close that his lips were hovering hers without touching them. Hayley tried to pull back but he held her tight and kept on staring in her eyes and just like it happened out of blue, it ended quickly too. She looked at him in bewilderment and saw that he was looking over her shoulder. She turned to look and then gasped as she saw Elena standing in the crowded street looking around. She turned her face back towards him and stared into his chest. He looked around and she realized that they couldn't even escape in this crowd with eyes all around so he put his arm around her and started making path and walking towards their car. Even in this tension she could feel his body contact with hers and then Klaus stopped and she saw why. She had spotted Elena again. Klaus turned towards her and this time his lips took her lips. The kiss was longer and deeper and passionate. She knew that it was to deceive Elena but that felt real and when he broke the kiss he stayed there for a second looking into her eyes and then stepped back saying "I am sorry, that was all i could think of"
Hayley couldn't steer her eyes away from him. She remembered exactly when he had kissed her like that last time. She was lost in that memory when he held by her arm and pulled her to one side and next moment she noticed that she was in the car and they were on the road.
She asked him "how did she find us?"
Klaus looked at her and said nothing still thinking about the kiss that they had shared. That kiss had made him more confused and awaken the feelings that he had been keeping tight lid for so long.
By the time they reached their hotel room, Hope was up and now was demanding to be fed. Klaus went to take a shower while she tended to her. When he came out, she was nursing him. He involuntarily looked at them, their eyes met and he looked away. He felt frustrated about this awkwardness and wished that they were like normal couple … and then he stopped himself from thinking further and said "we need to move tomorrow morning".
Two weeks later
Klaus was feeling really agitated while driving. They had managed to stay at one place for more than a week and then Klaus had decided to move again. He looked sideways and saw Hayley was sleeping. He had noticed that she has been really tired for the past couple of days. Hope was not sleeping well at nights. Waking up after three hours was starting to take a toll on her so she was starting to take short naps whenever she would get a chance which was normally when Hope was sleeping. He looked up at the sky, it was still early afternoon. He took exit so to get to the hotel.
He gently shook her and said "I am going to get a room, just wanted to let you know"
After twenty minutes he came out and said "okay let's go"
He picked up her car seat and his bag. Hayley dragged her bag and walked behind him still feeling very exhausted.
Once inside the room, she just wanted to lie down when Hope decided to wake up and start crying. She sighed and took her out of the car seat whereas Klaus started putting things at the appropriate place. He looked around just in time to see her covering herself with a nursing cover that she had bought a couple of days ago, to feed her. It had become a really normal sight for him now. How could they ignore it, living in the same room? He didn't know that he was staring at them when Hayley said "Klaus, what is it?"
He startled and said "what?"
Hayley said in a tired voice "you look worried. What it is?"
Klaus ran his fingers through his hair and said "nothing, just tired".
She shifted Hope a bit and suddenly she realized and exclaimed "oh no, I forgot it is full moon today"
He looked at her and smile and said "don't worry love, you will not change"
Hayley said with concern "No, you! The rings"
He looked at her in surprise wondering 'she remembers?' and said "It is just one ring so nothing to worry about"
She was quiet for a while and then she said "you never know, may be Elijah finished it off"
He smiled but didn't say anything.
And then he felt it. Every bone in his body being broken. He couldn't help but wince in pain. His knees buckled and he fell on the ground. He felt as if thousands of people were pounding on his body and then it was gone.
Hayley couldn't help but hurriedly got up separating Hope from her. Hope showed her annoyance by protesting with an annoyed cry but then she quietened down as Hayley put her against her shoulder. She rushed to Klaus and knelt down next to him. She held his arm making him look at her.
He looked up as he felt her holding his arm and felt a weird sensation in his stomach seeing her holding Hope against her shoulder kneeling next to him with concern in his eyes. He felt touched that she interrupted the nursing of their daughter and came to comfort him. He nodded his head and started to get up but couldn't because of the weakness he was feeling at the moment. She put Hope on the bed and helped him up. Klaus walked to the bed with her help and as she was helping her lay down. She gently laid him down with one hand and with other hand she pulled her shirt together under the nursing cover and asked him "how are you feeling now?"
He said "I am fine"
Hayley brought her wrist to her lips when he grabbed it and shook his head and said "go finish feeding Hope. I will be okay by morning"
Hayley said "she has gone to sleep Klaus and you need blood"
Klaus said now closing his eyes "I will not die Hayley. If she is sleeping, so should you. You must be tired too"
And then for the first time ever of knowing him, listening to "I will not die", she felt a sinking in her heart. She retreated quietly and then picked up Hope and put her next to him. She turned and went to change her clothes.
Klaus who had gotten used to her sleeping next to him turned to his side and put his hand near her tiny body and sighed and closed his eyes.