Eternal || Elijah Mikaelson

CLVII - Hate Yourself

Chapter One Hundred & Fifty-Seven

"I'm quite sure this glass hadn't been washed in the past decade, making it the cleanest thing in this establishment."

"Then stop drinking it and shut up," I growled, growing increasingly annoyed with him.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Yes, please do. And just so you know, you've hit your complaint quota for the day. Congrats. You are officially the worst."

"Does he get a plaque?" I asked with a fake smile. "I'll gladly buy it."

"Now, now. I seem to remember you two knowing on my door to join this little road trip," Klaus replied. "No one had a gun to your head. What was it..." he turned to me. "Couldn't bear to spend another day avoiding Elijah?"

"That is none of your business and you know it," I growled with narrowed eyes.

"Right. It's only my brother and my best friend in my house in - oh, yes - my city."

"Yours? Huh," I hummed, knowing that would get a rise out of him. "I didn't know that."

"Weird. It's almost like you're making this all about you again, Klaus," Hayley pitched in.

"Oh, lovely. I'm getting tag-teamed by two demonic hybrids," Klaus said.

"Hayles!" Hollis shouted, walking over to the bar with an overwhelmed and worried look. He had just gotten off the phone. "If you're trying to be discreet... Start by turning down the volume on the lover's spat."

Hayley noticed how concerned he looked, and immediately became concerned as well. "Is everything okay?"

"Someone tried to rob the "Gas 'n' Save" down by the highway. Kayla was there. I heard it went bad for the bad guy."

"Kayla McInnis?" she asked, her eyes wide.

He nodded. "Her first."

"Wait, isn't she like, nine years old?"

"Fifteen," he replied.

Both of us were confused, and so Hayley looked to us and elaborated.

"Kayla is a girl I used to babysit for. The last time I saw her, she was playing with dolls. Now, she's killed someone and triggered the wolf curse," she said, then looked to Hollis. "Where is she?"

"The cops let her go home. Little trailer down by the creak," he replied.

Hollis walked away with a saddened expression on his face, and Hayley got up to leave, only to have Klaus make a face at her. He grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Klaus, I remember when I triggered my curse. Now, Kayla is going through the same thing."

"And that's your problem how?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"I used to take care of Kayla when her mom was drinking!" Hayley hissed. "If she ever needed someone to talk to, it's now."

"In case you've forgotten, we're supposed to be keeping a low profile. It's hardly the time to go play youth counsellor to a bunch of misguided wolves."

"It's just down the road! I hardly-"

Klaus ignored her and cut her off. "In fact, I think this little experiment is over. I hope you enjoyed your trip down Memory Lane. But my life - our daughter's life - takes precedence. A fact you've clearly failed to grasp. From now on, we do things my way."

I had had enough.

He left the bar, and the moment he was outside, I had him up against the wall. His eyes widened at my audacity, and he tried to shove me back, but I grabbed at his throat and pushed him against the wall harder.

"She is a child," I hissed, and he stopped. "And Hayley is going to help her whether you like it or not."

"You're right, I don't like it," he growled out, and attempted to shove me away, but that attempt was in vain. I just held him tighter.

"Hayley, go!" I told her, and heard her run off.

"Whose side are you on, exactly?" he shouted, and this time he did succeed in pushing me back. "You don't seem to have my safety in mind, Rose."

"Your safety? You can take care of yourself, Klaus!" I screamed at him. "You have had thousands of enemies over the years that have come after you, and you have annihilated every single one of them! This is a child who is in pain, and I will not stand for it when I know that it could be remedied."

"At the cost of our lives?" he asked, and for only a split second, I saw the fear in his eyes. But I was to blind with anger towards him to care.

"Have you forgotten what it feels like?" I asked him. "To completely despise yourself? Despise the person and monster you have become? This is a fifteen year old girl that has just murdered someone. You really think that she is proud of herself? You think she doesn't hate herself now? You and I both know what that feeling is like, Klaus. She needs help and Hayley will give it to her."

He was going to interrupt me, but I was quick to continue.

"You have a daughter, Klaus. It is very, very likely that she will be going through the same thing at some point in her life. What if you aren't around? What if, by some horrific reason, you die and Hayley are dead? If I had a daughter then I would hope to god that someone like Hayley is around to make it their business to save her from herself. Don't you?"

Finally, Klaus seemed to understand. He seemed to know where I was coming from this time, and he remained silent.

"I would have thought that after a thousand years, you would have understood this, but I think I need to tell you one last time."

He took in a soft breath, looking down at me with a nervous expression.

"Kindness is not a synonym for weakness, Klaus. It just shows that you have a good heart. And I know you do, as does Hayley, so who the hell are you trying to fool?"

He didn't say anything else while I put Hope into the car. When I looked back at where he had been standing, he was gone.