I'll be There for You

Chapter 16: Mr. and Mrs. Mikaelson, I Presume

"We're going where?" Hayley asked Elijah as he drove into town.

"We're going back to the compound. Mother and Father think it will be safe there. For now. With Niklaus drawing the danger away from our home." Elijah glanced at Hayley as she blew out a long breath. He took her hand. Their fingers intertwined and Hayley's lolled on the passenger seat as she looked into Elijah's eyes.

"I'm trusting you, Elijah," Hayley reminded him, her eyes moving to Hope who slept behind them. She did not know if trusting Elijah was the craziest or the smartest thing she'd ever done. Right now, she wanted to. She really, really wanted to.

Elijah lifted her knuckles to his lips, kissing her skin and she closed her eyes, opening them to look him in the eye. She wanted him but this was not the time or the place. She wanted to take comfort in him, from him.

The car moved down the silent, dark road. Usually New Orleans was not this quiet, ever. It gave Hayley a sense of foreboding which she forced down. "We're going to be okay," she whispered to herself, staring out the passenger side window at the emptiness.

Soon they parked and Hayley freed her child of her car seat. Hope mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep, burying her head into Hayley's chest. Elijah placed a hand on her lower back, guiding her to the front gate of the compound. Hayley stopped as they entered. Elijah looked down at her, his eyebrows rising. "Is everything alright?" he asked her.

Hayley shook her head, her lips pursing in a scowl as she looked ahead of her. All she could think about was the sound of gunfire, blood and chaos the last time she'd set foot here. "I can't, Elijah," she told him, turning around and moving to leave.

"Hayley," Elijah cupped her face. "I will protect you. And Hope," he promised her.

Hayley forced herself to nod. When Elijah leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, she kissed him back, wrapping her left hand around his neck while he kept Hope secured between them, his arm enclosing both the mother and her child. "I love you," Hayley whispered.

"I love you, Hayley," Elijah murmured, smiling down at her. He pressed a light kiss to Hope's head and Hayley turned back to the compound, to face her fears.

Elijah led the way, his arm still wrapped around Hayley and Hope as they entered the courtyard. "Mother," he called.

Esther stepped out from the shadows and Hayley stopped herself from stating just how creepy that was. "Hi," she said, instead.

"Elijah. Hayley. My precious granddaughter," Esther greeted them.

Hayley took the time to examine the matriarch of the Mikaelson clan. She stood several inches shorter than Hayley. Her blonde but greying hair was pulled up and back into a coif. For a second, Hayley imagined Caroline taking Esther's place with that same hairstyle but a cheerful smile on her face. Esther was no Caroline. Her expression was far too guarded.

When the woman moved toward them, she reached out to touch Hope's hair. What was meant to be an affectionate caress sent Hayley moving backwards several steps so there would be a total of five feet between her daughter and Esther Mikaelson. Just because she chose to trust Elijah, did not meant that she chose to trust his family.

Esther's lips pursed but she turned to Elijah. "I take it your trip here was uneventful," she mused.

"Quite, Mother," Elijah retorted with a warm smile.

Hayley wondered how Elijah could forgive his mother for faking her death and leaving him to raise his siblings. She didn't get to dwell on this thought because Mikael entered the courtyard, drying his hands on a towel that looked red.