I'll be There for You

Chapter 4: The Engagement Party

"You have got to be kidding me," Hayley whispered to herself as she walked into a bar. A bar with a lot of people in their fanciest clothes. Thankfully they weren't dressed for the opera or something. For the most part they looked like they were dressed for a nice cocktail party. Hell, maybe that is what this was. Shaking her head with a smirk, Hayley walked around the fringes of the room, trying to keep a low profile. She was wearing her funeral dress but it did not seem to matter. No one was paying her much attention.

"God, this boring," a young woman said. Turning on her heel, the woman turned to come face to face with Hayley. "Who the bloody hell are you?" the woman asked and Hayley thought that she recognized her but could not place her immediately. After a moment it dawned on her that this was the woman who had come to see Elijah. Or maybe she lived with Elijah.

The blonde was still staring at her pointedly when Hayley realized that she had not replied. "I'm... ummm... a friend of..."

"Caroline's?" the blonde asked, "because you do not look like the type that the Queen of Mystic Falls would befriend."

"Excuse me?" Hayley replied. She was not sure whether she or the bride to be should be more offended.

"Let me guess. You just came to town and someone driving along said 'Hey there, little lady, there's free food and drink in that bar over there. Go on and say hello to our Queen Caroline," the blonde said sarcastically. "Because that is how I received my directions to this pitiful little hole in the wall of a town. Dear God, what is that girl wearing?" The blonde wrinkled her nose in disapproval. "I mean, really? That is more 2009 than 2014. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, that is how I received my directions. Can you imagine? The sister of the groom-to-be has to be given instructions by some random man in a truck. It was preposterous."

"Yeah, that's about how it happened for me, too. I'm Hayley," Hayley told the blonde with a relieved smile. If she was the sister of the groom then that meant she was Elijah's sister as well and a possible way to meet Klaus without any more pretense.

"Rebekah Mikaelson. Charmed, I'm sure," Rebekah replied with a tight smile. She barely looked at Hayley as she searched the crowd for someone. "My date is around here somewhere, probably kissing up to Nik. That's my brother in case you didn't know the name of the groom."

Continuing to glare at the other guests, Rebekah spotted three people across the room. Hayley felt her heartbeat pick up speed as she spotted the blonde from the photo. She was hugging and kissing a young woman with long, brown curls who was standing beside a man with raven hair. "That would be the Queen herself with part of her court, Elena and Damon Salvatore. They apparently got married right out of high school. Or rather, Elena was right out of high school. Damon was a junior in college. Heard it was a real scandal. Oh, and the man over there who is brooding would be part of the outer part of the court, Damon's brother, Stefan. He used to date Elena. Over there is Bonnie Bennett. She's being chatted up by my brother, Kol. It's so funny because she's with that tall fellow over there, Jeremy, brother of Elena. He's talking to Tyler Lockwood who used to date Caroline and so did the other man with them, Matt Donavon. Oh, and there is my errant date, Marcel Gerard, who is, of course, with Nik and Lijah. Probably plotting world domination."

Hearing Elijah's name, Hayley nearly jumped when she looked over in the direction that Rebekah was focused on. Of course Elijah would be there. He was, after all, the brother of the groom. But if he saw Hayley he would have something to say and Hayley did not trust him to not say it in front of everyone in the room. "I would go speak with Marcel but he seems to be more interested in spending quality time with Nik before Caroline runs off with him and we never see him again."

"Oh," this was the most intelligent thing that Hayley could think to say because she had no idea what to say exactly.

"Let's ditch this place. It's rather dull. Wouldn't you say?" Rebekah was already headed toward the door before Hayley could reply. "Coming?" she called. Hayley did not want Rebekah to raise her voice and call attention to them more than she already had.