I'll be There for You

Chapter 11: About Last Night

Hayley would have loved to talk to Elijah about what happened, or didn't happen, between them, the night before. But when she tried to, Elijah received a phone call which took him out into the hallway. When he came back into the apartment, he had looked unhappy. Kissing Hayley on the cheek, he had said a quick good-bye to Hope and Cami and then left.

Two weeks later, Hayley stood in her kitchen, whirling a bowl of icing with a wooden spoon. She had become worried about Elijah when he didn't come back. He didn't call. And he wasn't at his shop. Nor did he stop by the bakery which might be a good thing since Jack and Oliver seemed kind of pissed off. Neither of the Kenner brothers had had much to say to her since the unfortunate incident with Elijah.

Caroline stopped by to talk about sample cakes and taste things the week before. She had said something about one of her brothers-in-law leaving the country, on family business and she hoped that he would make it back before the wedding.

"He just takes off sometimes," Caroline had said, tasting a double chocolate espresso cake. "Can we get one of those?"

"Sure," Hayley had said absently, adding the cake to the list of possible flavors.

Gnawing at her lower lip, Hayley continued to stir the icing when someone knocked on her front door. She took her apron off and went over to the door. Her eyes widened when she took in the sight on the other side. Hurriedly unlocking and yanking the door open, Hayley felt happy that Josh had offered to take Hope to the local park. "Elijah!" she cried as his body collided with hers.

"Hayley," Elijah gasped out and Hayley could only stare at him in shock. He had been badly beaten. "Help me to the couch," he uttered, pointing toward the piece of furniture.

"Yeah. Okay. And then I'm calling the paramedics," Hayley replied, moving him over to the couch and then turning to grab her cell from the kitchen counter.

"No!" Elijah snapped, gripping her lower arm in an almost painful manner.

Hayley frowned, staring down at Elijah. "You can't really expect me not to call the cops. Whoever did this has to be reported," she told him, yanking her arm loose from his hold.

"Hayley," Elijah called from the couch as she shook her head. Stalking over to the counter, Hayley picked up the phone when she let out a yelp as it went flying, smashing into the sink. Whirling around, she found herself trapped between a pained looking Elijah and the counter. Under other circumstances, she might find this sexy, but not at the moment. "It has been handled."

"What do you mean 'It has been handled?'" Hayley asked him. He turned away from her, striding toward the couch and groaned every few seconds, clutching his side. "You need help. You might have something broken," she told him, placing her hands on her hips when he offered no kind of explanation.

"I will be fine. I've been in worse straights, trust me," Elijah replied through gritted teeth. "Come. Sit with me," he beckoned her closer with a wave of his hand.

"I'm getting you some ice," Hayley snapped, turning on her heel and marching over to the counter. Retrieving a tray, she emptied it into a dish towel and brought it to him. "You owe me a phone," she added, glowering as he tried to unbutton his shirt. Sighing, Hayley knelt down and began to unbutton his shirt, and pulled it off.

Elijah forced a smile, trying to comfort her as he placed the homemade ice pack to his bruised ribs. "Thank you," he whispered, taking her hand with his free one and kissing the back of it.

"Don't try to charm me, Elijah Mikaelson," Hayley said, watching him closely as she took a seat on the floor.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Hayley," Elijah replied with a grin.