princess cut from marble

“It is never too late to have that.” he told her. "Family doesn’t always have to be people who you share blood with. Sometimes you have the freedom to choose your family, you simply have to be open to the possibility of it.” Elijah smiled softly at her. He hoped Hayley could find that, if nothing else. At times she did feel like family, like she was a long lost piece of his life that he used to know. But he couldn’t say that, of course. He rarely said his true feelings out loud. It took a lot to make Elijah Mikaelson to open up, to be vulnerable. But perhaps…one day he could allow himself to be vulnerable with her. 

“It’s alright, it was a long time ago. She was human – I still would’ve lost her eventually.” he said, his voice sounding like his mind was far away from here. That was the curse of being immortal; watching your loved ones die while you stayed the same. That’s why enduring immortality as a family made things a little easier for the Mikaelson children, but they had all lost many loved ones at the hands of time. Eventually, they all learned to simply not get attached; it was too painful. Hayley’s answer about being in love surprised him, and he wasn’t sure whether to think her lucky that her heart had yet to be broken, or to feel bad that she had never experienced true love. “If I’ve learned anything about love in my lifetime, it’s that you cannot force it. It comes into your life out of nowhere, unplanned and unpredictable, and if you’re one of the lucky ones, you actually get to hold on to it.” Elijah smiled at her, relaxing under her gaze, feeling the pleasant warmth on his skin from the fireplace. “You never know when your time may come.”

“So I’ve been told. I guess I never stuck around in one place long enough to form that kind of bond with anyone. I’m still young, though, right? There’s still time for me,” she said, returning his gentle smile. For the first time ever, she stuck in one place long enough to get to know someone and it was evident it was one of the best decisions of her life. Elijah was the only person she trusted right now, the only person she felt like she could rely on. With a little time and some getting used to, she could see him be her family.

When Hayley joined him by his side, he returned to his journals, afraid he’d lose his train of thought if he looked at her for too long. Her words made him shake his head instantly. “I refuse to give up so soon.” he said, meeting her gaze. His eyes were hard and determined, but they still held a certain gentleness to them. “What we saw in the woods does not have to mean that your search has ended. In fact, I really believe it is just starting.” Elijah told her. “And why would you look for an apartment?” he asked nonchalantly, his focus returning to the journals. “This place is big enough to house at lease a dozen people. You’re safe here.”

Hayley’s question was to be expected, but Elijah found himself at a bit of a loss of words. He wasn’t sure what to tell her. In the past thousand-and-something years, he had seen, felt and experienced so much that it was almost impossible to choose certain moments. But one of his fondest memories were indeed the ones he shared with his siblings before they were all turned. “We’re a very big family, and back then we were all in one place, and we lived in quite a small home.” Elijah smiled. “I didn’t actually keep a journal back then, but I do remember that life quite vividly.” he had to, the alternative meant losing touch with his humanity. “We were very happy, each of us had a specific place in the family hierarchy, as it was natural back then. Our Father was bent on raising us to be warriors, mainly for his own ego because image was everything even at that time.” Elijah chuckled, sighing a little as he leaned against the wall behind him.

“Rebekah, Niklaus and I were closest. Finn and Kol mostly kept to themselves, but at the end of the day we were a very close family, and we always stuck up for each other, especially against our parents. Niklaus…he is a bastard,” Elijah always hated using that word. “And when our Father found out he always found ways to hurt my brother any way he could. Rebekah and I were the ones who defended him, sometimes even earning the same consequences as our brother. Domestic violence was considered a normal way to raise your children a thousand years ago.” Elijah said, an edge to his voice. “But for the most part, we were happy. Things were so much simpler then, I miss it every day.” 

“As for my first love,” Elijah smiled, his eyes filling with sadness. “Her name was Tatia. She was…she was something otherworldly. I fell in love with her from the moment I saw her, and eventually she confessed her feelings for me, too. We had dreams of being married, having children…” he trailed off, his smile disappearing from his face. “After my family and I became what we are, I was going to tell her because I knew she’d accept me, but I never got the chance to do it. She was killed, I was the one who found her.” Elijah was looking into the fire, his eyes glazed, but then the moment passed and he cleared his throat, meeting Hayley’s gaze. “I should’ve chosen a happier story, I know.”  he exhaled a chuckle, feeling as if perhaps he had told Hayley a little too much. But then why did he feel so…relieved? “What about you? Surely you didn’t think you’d be the only one who wants to have their curiosity satiated.” he raised a brow, his lips forming a subtle smirk. “Who was your first love?”

Her hazel eyes found his, a sort of fondness very evident in the way she was looking at him. No one had ever done anything like this for her before. There were no words that quite captured the way his devotion to her cause made her feel. “Why are you doing this for me? We’re practically strangers, but you’re just really determined to help me. I would think that one of the oldest vampires on earth would have better things to do than help and protect a stray werewolf,” she said quietly, her gaze still locked on his. “You’ve helped me find my family, continue to do so and you’ve given me a place to stay. Normally I would think it’s pity, but I don’t really think you pity me... No, you know better than pitying me. So, what is it?”

Hayley listened to his story attentively, trying to register everything he was saying to her. He basically had the life she always wanted. Filled with siblings and parents and love. There were downsides, sure, but it still seemed like he had people to get him through the day - Klaus and Rebekah. It was what she desired, what she was hoping to get once she found her family. “I wish I had that,” she commented once he was done with his story. Averting her gaze, she flipped through the journal that was on her lap without really paying attention to the words on the pages. She wasn’t used to getting up close and personal with anyone, she didn’t talk about what made her sad or the life she wish she had growing up. “I wish I had siblings or parents that would’ve protected me the way you protect you and your siblings protect each other. I know it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but it was still a family. You’re lucky.”

Her heart sank in her chest for him when he told her about his first love’s fate. “No, I asked for the story, don’t worry about it,” she told him with a gentle smile. She couldn’t even imagine going through something like that, she had never loved like he did, but she knew it most likely wasn’t easy. “I’m sorry about Tatia. No one deserves that kind of fate.” Hayley chuckled when he asked her about her first love, the concept alone was amusing to her. “I would if I had a first love. I guess I was too busy trying to find my family to fall in love with anyone. I’m sorry, I wish I had a juicy story for you.”

And so, here he was, with his hundreds of journals splayed before him as he sat in front of the fireplace, reading through every line he had written over the past millennium and hoping to find any mention of the Labonair wolves, which was supposedly Hayley’s family. So far, he had no luck, and Elijah was about to close the journal he was holding and get some much needed rest when he heard a knock on the door. Lifting his head, he met Hayley’s gaze accompanied by a warm smile, and Elijah’s own lips curved into the subtlest of smiles. “These are all of my journals, although I suppose in a way they are books indeed. Each of them holds an entire world of its own.” he said, lifting the leather-bound journal that had been sitting in his lap. “This one is from six hundred years ago, I was trying to find any mention of your linege.” Elijah looked at Hayley for a moment and tilted his head to the side. “You can join me if you’d like. Two sets of eyes work better than one.”

Picking up one of the journals, she flipped through some of the pages slowly. “You don’t have to look anymore you know,” she said quietly, her eyes fixated on his neat handwriting. “They’re dead. All of them. There’s nothing to find. It’d be more useful to look through the ads in the newspaper to find me an apartment.” She chuckled, although her situation wasn’t really all that funny. Her future had never been more unclear, despite Elijah’s presence. She wasn’t sure where she was going to live in a week, let alone what she was going to do with the rest of her life. “Tell me about your past. About your life before you were turned into a vampire, about your first love, about your family... Anything.”

“The most important thing for us is to blend in, not stand out. If I were to go to college looking the way I do, I’d attract a lot of attention.” Elijah said, a frown taking form on his face. He wanted to tell her all about running from Mikael and constantly looking back over his shoulder, but Elijah didn’t want to just drop that story on Hayley’s shoulders. It was too heavy, and far too complicated. “But never say never, wasn’t that the saying?” he brightened up a little, offering her a soft smile. “None of us know what the future truly holds.”

Elijah was glad to hear that Hayley wanted to come with him inside the bungalow. She wasn’t one to shy away from the unknown and go back to safety. Elijah was looking around the room, his face blank of emotions as he tried to make sense of what had happened at the bayou. When Hayley called after him, Elijah devoted his attention back to her, closing the distance between them so he could take a closer look at the journal she was holding. Elijah stared at the date she had pointed to, the name clearly written next to it. “Andrea Labonair,” Elijah repeated the name quietly, glancing at Hayley. “It suits you.” he told her, before refocusing on the journal. “We should take this with us, we might find more people with the same last name.” he suggested, pacing around the room slowly, deep in thought. “If that is really you in that journal, then someone must’ve known we were coming. It’s far too suspicious to be a coincidence.” Elijah said. “Someone went out of their way to make sure that you do not find your family here, but why? And more importantly, who?” Elijah felt somewhat guilty since he was the one who had been asking around for Hayley’s family, and his curiosity must’ve reached the wrong ears.

“In the meantime, we need to keep you somewhere safe. I don’t think the Lockwood mansion is the best place for you to be staying at right now. Would you be open  to stay with me and my brother? He is a bit of a nuisance, but it’s the best I can offer.” 

“You could be a professor. You’d definitely have my complete, undivided attention,” she told him with a grin, teasing him on purpose at this point. He had the professor look down to a T, that was for certain. “Right, never say never. You really are pretty wise, huh? I think you’d make a great teacher. Hopefully the future holds brighter things than helping a technically homeless werewolf out in your spare time.”

Hayley wasn’t sure what to make of this new information. It wasn’t a family, it was a new identity and it wasn’t exactly what she had signed up for. A last name was a start, but it didn’t really give her any answers. “Does it? Sounds kind of fancy,” she said with a dry chuckle, trying to humor Elijah. He was trying to make her feel better and she appreciated that more than she could show at the moment. She listened to his advice, however, and kept the book in her arms as they explored the room some more. “Do you think you can find out more? About them I mean? The Labonair’s...” It seemed like a bit of a long shot, but if anyone could find more information about them it was Elijah. Hayley had been far too busy trying to process everything to even begin to think about what it meant, but she knew everything he said was right. Whoever had done this would probably come back and most likely wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to her if they found out she was in town. Her first instinct was to run, but for the first time there was something holding her back. “This is so not what I had in mind when I dreamed of this moment...”

Her head snapped towards him when he made his offer, a little taken aback. He had been kind to her so this shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but for some reason it did. “Are you sure your brother is going to be okay with me staying there? He doesn’t know me and from what I’ve heard he isn’t exactly the nicest guy around.”

“I’m glad you are indulging me,” he said, nodding in understanding when Hayley said she had her enemies under control. He believed her, after all, she hadn’t spent twenty-something years of her depending on other people. She had done it all on her own. Elijah wasn’t sure if he could’ve spent so many centuries without relying on his siblings, although truth be told, he was usually the one they would lean on. They still did. “Getting rid of nauseating people isn’t really murder. In fact I consider it a good deed.” Elijah shrugged, sounding more like Niklaus than he realized. 

“I truly hope you consider it. There is nothing more valuable than education.” he said. Elijah wasn’t naive – he was well aware that people like them didn’t have the luxury of normal lives, but the best they could do was try. At least Hayley actually had the chance to live a more normal life than an Original ever could.  “What can I say? I find the human mind fascinating.” Elijah smiled when she joked about the two of them going back to college together. “If I could actually pass for a college student, believe me, I would take you up on that offer.”

So much for being somewhat normal, Elijah thought to himself as they both stared at the dead woman. There had to be other bodies scattered around the bayou as well, the smell was too strong to come just from one victim. He wanted to comfort Hayley, but Elijah wasn’t done exploring the area just yet. Perhaps not everything was lost. There could be survivors, and if not, there had to be clues as to what had happened here. “If this is too much for you, you can wait in the car.” Elijah told her, his voice filled with sympathy. He understood that she was overwhelmed and hadn’t expected to find her potential family slaughtered by someone or something. “I would like to look around a little longer.” he said, already heading towards one of the houses. He hoped Hayley would follow, but he wasn’t going to blame her if she didn’t. 

Walking inside the empty house, Elijah saw no signs of struggle. It was still filled with personal items of whoever lived there, and he carefully scanned the room, looking for anything that might give them answers.

“Well, I owe you. You didn’t exactly have to do this,” she pointed out. He probably didn’t see it that way, he seemed to be way too much of a good guy to ask for anything from her. Which was good considering she didn’t really have anything to offer him to begin with. He was an Original vampire, there was nothing a young werewolf like herself could give him that he didn’t already have. “Well, I’ll let you know if I can’t handle the people who come after me. And if I actually can’t and I turn up dead, just avenge my death.” She was kidding, that much was obvious, but from what she knew from him he might actually do it. 

“Words of wisdom from Elijah Mikaelson,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood a little. The college dream was nice, but it wasn’t realistic and it most likely wasn’t going to happen. A normal life sounded nice in theory, but not even finding her family would give her that. They were just as supernatural as she was and they probably came with their own set of supernatural drama as well. “People go back to college all the time, you don’t have to look like an eighteen years old. I’m just saying, I’ll do it if you will.”

Looking around in shock, Hayley wasn’t sure what to feel. Could she mourn people she didn’t even know? She wasn’t even sure they were all dead and she definitely had know idea what happened, but then again she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. There was definitely no sign of life left in the Bayou, so that wasn’t a good sign and whatever had happened there probably meant nothing good for her. “No, I’ll come with you,” she said quietly, trailing along behind him and following him inside. Following his lead, she started looking at the objects scattered around the room. Picking up a few personal items, she released a sigh before setting her sights on a journal. Flipping through a book full of dates, she thought nothing of it until she found something that rang a bell. “Elijah,” she called, holding up the book and putting her finger on one particular date. “That’s my birthdate. Andrea Labonair. I think this might be me.”

“I don’t believe in overthinking.” he said simply. “I’m just analyzing the situation at hand, but I won’t force you to share my belief.” Elijah frowned when she mentioned she had made a lot of enemies, his protective instinct kicking in instantly. “Just give me their names and I’ll get rid of them.” he told her, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. For him, it was. He only smiled at her when she told him not to get his hopes up. He was already hoping for her happiness, for the opportunity to get to know her a little better.

Elijah nodded, showing he was listening, as Hayley talked about getting a degree in Women’s studies. “There must be plenty of opportunities, especially now that we are slowly transitioning into a more accepting society that doesn’t discriminate women. A hundred years ago women could only dream of being a man’s equal, unfortunately.” Elijah nodded when she asked him about college. “Yes, I went to university once, but I did not finish it.” he said. “It was in the 1920s, and I was majoring in psychology, but only for three semesters. We had to leave town because of some complications.” Those complications being Mikael, their father, of course. “I never tried to go back to university again because we never stayed anywhere for too long.” Elijah explained. 

As they made their way deeper into the bayou, Elijah instantly realized something was wrong. It was quiet, the kind of silence that suggested things were out of the ordinary. He barely heard Hayley comment how the area looked abandoned, instead focusing his heightened senses on the sounds–or lack of them–around them. He wanted to move forward and take a protective stance in front of Hayley, but then Elijah remembered that she could very well take care of herself, so they walked side by side instead. She may have been a lot younger and a werewolf, but Elijah considered her an equal. She had earned that. It wasn’t long before the smell of blood reached Elijah, almost feeling the metallic taste in his mouth. Elijah walked towards the bungalows that looked eerie, his shoulders locked together in tension, ready to attack. A few feet before him, he saw a body in the grass, naked and covered in red. Elijah cursed, not having to kneel down to check the dead woman’s pulse – all he could hear was Hayley’s heart beating fast behind him. “She’s dead.” he announced, glancing at Hayley in sympathy. He had disappointed her. Elijah was about to head inside one of the homes, but a faint mark on the dead woman’s shoulder caught his attention. “Does this mean anything to you?”

“Why am I not surprised? Well, as you can help, I’ll play along and pretend to believe in faith all you want,” she said with a shrug. “It’s fine, I can handle them. I’m really good at running away. Also quite clever when I’m backed in a corner, so things usually work out in my favor. Thank you, though, can’t say anyone’s ever suggested murder for my sake.” Elijah wasn’t like most people, that was easy to tell, and for now that seemed like a good thing. Not a lot of people wanted to protect and help mere strangers, which made him okay in her book. 

She listened to him attentively when he said there was probably many opportunities in that field, almost making her want to actually go out and join a college. That was ridiculous, though, and she knew that. People like them couldn’t lead normal lives. She never even finished high school since her parents kicked her out so young. “Well, maybe once all of this is over. Who knows, right?” She told him, mostly to humor him. She was sure he would tell her she could do anything she set her mind to and she didn’t really feel like arguing with someone who seemed to have weird blind faith in her. “Psychology? Again, not surprised. Maybe you can come back with me then. We can do a study group and group projects,” she joked, nudging him playfully. 

There was something terribly wrong, she didn’t need to have super senses like Elijah to tell. There was no one there, she figured it was just another dead end. In all honesty, a dead end would’ve been a lot better than what was actually happening. When they saw the bloody body on the ground, Hayley’s heart dropped in her chest. Maybe the dead woman wasn’t related to her, maybe it was a mistake. But she knew it wasn’t the second Elijah asked her about the mark on her shoulder. Tearing her eyes away from the woman, she turned around her exposed her birthmark. “There’s nothing here for me,” she said quietly, her eyes filling up with water too quickly for her to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. “Not anymore, anyways.” She wiped her tears, keeping her back turned to the woman and pulling and sweat up her shoulder again. She didn’t want to stare at who was probably the last of her family member and be reminded that the people she’d been looking for her entire life were most likely all dead. “We should probably go.”

Elijah shook his head at her and touched her arm gently, pulling her to a stop. “You are anything but random.” he told her. “I don’t believe in coincidences. We met for a reason, and perhaps that reason was for me to help you find what you’ve been looking for.” Elijah said, his voice soft. “Or perhaps, it will be a learning lesson for me to never help a stranger again.” he smirked at this, letting go of her. “I guess we shall see.”

As Elijah drove, he listened to Hayley speak, glancing towards her on the passenger seat every now and then. He was looking straight ahead when she mentioned dating, the implication more than clear. He kept his face blank, save for the smallest of smirks forming on his features. Elijah didn’t dare picture a future with anyone, not after Katerina, but Hayley’s words didn’t leave him indifferent. They stirred something within him, something that Elijah knew it’d be better off buried deep inside his heart. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove in silence, before finally asking her a question. “What would you like to study? If you could go to university, I mean.” he glanced at her, genuinely curious where her passion lied. 

Hayley stopped in her tracks when he touched her arm, not really used to that kind of gentleness. “I think you’re overthinking it,” she replied quietly. She didn’t believe in faith or destiny or whatever he was referring to. She had been abandoned twice and left to fend for herself at the age of thirteen, if there was such a thing as destiny then it was seriously screwing with her. “I’ll try not to make you regret it, but I can’t guarantee anything. I’ve been known to make bad decisions, you don’t want to know how many enemies I’ve made over the years. Just don’t get your hopes up about me.”

She smiled at him and awaited some type of acknowledgement from him that he had caught the dating comment. That acknowledgement never came, but she knew better than to think he just didn’t understand what she was implying. He was too intelligent for anything to just slip past him. The brunette shrugged nonchalantly when he questioned her about college. She had never looked into it or anything, but she’d be lying if she said she’d never given it some thought. “I’m interested in Women’s studies. I don’t know, I’m not sure what I would do with a degree in Women’s studies, but I feel like I could enjoy it. Have you ever been to college?”

He had already started to walk when he said to her, “I hope you will not be disappointed by what we find. And even if we don’t find them, we’ll keep looking, I can promise you that.”

“Have you thought about what will happen after you find them? You won’t have to move around so much anymore. You’ll find a home.”

She nodded along with his words, hoping the same thing he was. After years and years of imagining this moment, it was hard to imagine she wouldn’t be at least a little bit disappointed. “Same here. And I appreciate that, even though I have no freaking clue why you’re going through all this for some random werewolf.

The two of them walked to his car and got in, quickly pulling out of the Lockwood’s driveway. “I guess I’ll be staying here if that’s the case,” she said with a shrug. “Maybe I’ll be able to focus on other things. I can get a job, go to school, date...” Hayley drifted off and looked over at him as she said the last option, although she couldn’t really imagine a scenario where a werewolf dating an Original vampire would work out in anyone’s favor.

The day before, Elijah had walked Hayley back to her temporary home in Mystic Falls – Tyler Lockwood’s house. Elijah quickly texted Hayley that he was outside, keeping his distance on purpose so there wouldn’t be any conflicts between him and the youngest Lockwood. Tucking his cell phone into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, Elijah waited on Hayley to meet him. 

“I know I am early, but the sooner we get there – the better.” Elijah said as a way of greeting, taking a few steps towards her. “Are you ready to meet your people?”

Grabbing her old leather jacket, she slipped it out and headed out the door as soon as she got the text from Elijah. He was a bit early, but she'd been sitting on the couch and drinking Tyler’s expensive whiskey all day – meaning she really wasn’t that bothered by his punctuality. 

"Hey, it’s not a problem. I was excited to see you wearing casual clothes, but I guess formal attire is like default mode for you,” she told him with a smirk. stepping up to him. “I’ve been ready for about ten years now, Elijah.”