#*mineau

So an hour earlier, after a long night of downing glass upon glass of Stefan's ridiculously old whiskey and laughing so hard her sides hurt as both of them recalled memories from years gone by, times when they didn’t know each other or the Mikaelsons, Hayley had excused herself upstairs. She had intended on going to sleep, but as she walked past Stefan’s bedroom she suddenly remembered that when she’d been in there the other day finding a missing book she’d seen a very nice bathroom, and a very big bath.

Twenty minutes later and there she was under a warm blanket of bubbles as she relaxed in the deep tub. Closing her eyes and leaning her head back, she focused on the sound of her daughter’s gentle breathing a few rooms over, definitely still sleeping soundly. Drunk she may be, but not remiss in looking out for her daughter.

“Oh well go right ahead, Hayley, make yourself at home. Would you like anything: candles, a towel, more bubbles maybe?”  Stefan’s voice broke through Hayley’s concentration, making her jump a little as she opened her eyes and looked at him as he leaned against the wall. Clearly she’d been concentrating too hard on Hope and had tuned out the sound of Stefan entering the room to come to bed.

Hayley just let out a deep sigh, rolling her eyes. She knew the bubbles and deep water protected her modesty, and she was too drunk to care about Stefan seeing anything anyway. “Well, it’s not like you’re helping me find any witches. May as well indulge whilst I have somewhere to call home for a while.” She sighed dramatically, turning to look at him as she lifted her head from the tub. She’d like to think her rudeness was the Scotch talking, but Hayley was well aware that she’d never had many manners to begin with. That was something she’d promised to instill in Hope.

Stefan narrowed his eyes at her and moved to sit by the bath. “Remind me again why I should try help the family that ruined my life?” he asked drily. “The family responsible for the death, kidnap, and torture - amongst other things - of people that I care about? Have you ever stopped to think that maybe the world is better off without that family?”

Hayley swallowed thickly to remove the lump rising in her throat and turned her head. “My daughter isn’t better off without them, and she’s the only one I care about. You’ve asked Damon’s victims for help when he needed it… because he’s your family, and you love him, and you need him. They’re mine and Hope’s family, and we need them.” Her voice was small, wavering though she tried to keep it even. She’d never said what the family as a whole had meant to her, never had to sit down and admit it.

Stefan watched her thoughtfully as if replaying all the situations where he had indeed asked those who’d fallen victim to Damon to help him out of the various messes he’d got himself into over the years. He sighed softly as he noticed the tear streaking down her cheek that she was too proud to lift her hand and wipe away.

“There are towels on the shelves for when you’re finished,” was all he said as he got up and left the room.