[Hayley stops with her, taking her daughter by the shoulders.]
He did not do it because of you. He may have taken on the Hollow to protect you, but nothing after that has anything to do with you. There were a lot of reasons why Elijah did what he did. He was going through a lot at the time. I don't say that to excuse it, but I do think he took the easy way out of having to be alone with his thoughts and his ... failings, honestly.
[This is said by someone who used to love Elijah, who thought that maybe he would be her final love, for forever, before she realized how complicated a man he truly was.]
Your dad wears a lot of his complications on his sleeve, but Elijah was good at hiding his. It made him look steadier by default, but he wasn't. Not really. But the point is, don't blame yourself for Elijah's stupid choices. They are not your burden to bear.
[There's a deep breath, and she resumes walking again. Almost as though she needs to keep moving to outrun the moment that almost was her end.]
You bound me, and then you were knocked unconscious. Nora was trying to convince Roman to kill you. I was trying to talk him out of it. It wasn't really going my way, but I could tell that he was unsure, so I kept pushing. Elijah was fighting with your dad outside.
[Her eyes are distant for a moment, almost as though trying to put some distance between the memory and herself. It was a bad day.]
That fight transferred to inside the house, and Nora seized the distraction, shoving me against the wall. One hand in my chest, one on my throat as I tried to push her back. I wasn't winning though. She was way older and more powerful than me, and I was basically a baby vampire. And then suddenly there was Elijah. And he looked at me like he had never seen me before.
[That was the moment she knew that she probably wasn't going to make it out of this one. This was different than Klaus and Elijah's usual fights, because Klaus was fighting with one hand tied behind his back for the brother he loved, but Elijah had nothing holding him back.]
Elijah staked your father. Not enough to kill him, but enough to disable him. I felt Nora get her hand on my heart, and I was trying to figure out what I was going to do to make sure you got out of there alive. That was the only thing that mattered. But before I could do anything, Nora's neck snapped and ... there was Bela. And she was not happy with Elijah.
Turns out Klaus had hired her to help find me. She didn't succeed in the way that they had hoped, but she was there when it counted. Roman ran, Bela took Elijah outside to have a very loud conversation and after I unstaked your father he threw Nora out into the sun where Elijah could see it.
[Which probably did not go over any better with his brother, let's be real.]
Elijah left, Klaus sent Bela to get Freya so that she could either unbind me or get me a daylight ring and I stayed there with you. You know what happened from there.
( She woke up in her own bed. Her mother was being unbound in the belltower as her father sat at her bedside. Teary apologies followed. Things weren't better, but they were safer. )
I try to avoid it. That would be so much of you life I'd be missing.
[And even if she knew in that moment that Hope living was the most important thing, that doesn't mean that she wouldn't be grieving in the beyond for the parts of her life she would miss. Especially considering Hope is now a Tribrid.]
I also try not to, but sometimes, it's hard not to -- think about it. I know I shouldn't. I know I'm lucky that I still have all of you, that aunt Rebekah got to take the cure - get married.
( She turns to face her. )
I'm happy you're here. That you can see all of this. Even when I do things that disappoint you.
[She reaches forward gently, pulling her daughter in for a warm hug. When Hope was little, it used to feel like a good hug could fix all her problems. Even if it wasn't true, it made Hayley feel like she was at least doing a good job as a mother. It's less so now, as Hope's problems are much more complicated, but Hayley's still here.
She's still going to try.]
You never disappointed me. At least not as much as you think you did. Honestly, given who your parents are, it's a miracle you turned out as well adjusted as you did.
Ms. Tig and the other kids at school wouldn't call me well-adjusted, but, I never needed them to. And, eventually I had Lizzie and Josie and everyone else.
( The gang. )
Thanks. For answering my question. I know it was a pretty loaded one for Thanksgiving. I love you. And we should go back and pick up Derek before he kills that Stiles guy. I do like him, but his glares remind me of dad's sometimes.
Apparently it runs in the family. His sister's got one too.
[But they will head back to the Abattoir, where Hayley will pick up Derek to head back to her place. It'll be a much quieter evening than she originally had planned, but it's still a good one.
Maybe one holiday they'll be done unpacking everything they've been through. Fortunately, they have a very long time to do it.]
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everyonelives2025-03-12 08:39 pm
no subject
[Hayley stops with her, taking her daughter by the shoulders.]
He did not do it because of you. He may have taken on the Hollow to protect you, but nothing after that has anything to do with you. There were a lot of reasons why Elijah did what he did. He was going through a lot at the time. I don't say that to excuse it, but I do think he took the easy way out of having to be alone with his thoughts and his ... failings, honestly.
[This is said by someone who used to love Elijah, who thought that maybe he would be her final love, for forever, before she realized how complicated a man he truly was.]
Your dad wears a lot of his complications on his sleeve, but Elijah was good at hiding his. It made him look steadier by default, but he wasn't. Not really. But the point is, don't blame yourself for Elijah's stupid choices. They are not your burden to bear.
no subject
So, then what happened that day. How did it happen?
no subject
You bound me, and then you were knocked unconscious. Nora was trying to convince Roman to kill you. I was trying to talk him out of it. It wasn't really going my way, but I could tell that he was unsure, so I kept pushing. Elijah was fighting with your dad outside.
[Her eyes are distant for a moment, almost as though trying to put some distance between the memory and herself. It was a bad day.]
That fight transferred to inside the house, and Nora seized the distraction, shoving me against the wall. One hand in my chest, one on my throat as I tried to push her back. I wasn't winning though. She was way older and more powerful than me, and I was basically a baby vampire. And then suddenly there was Elijah. And he looked at me like he had never seen me before.
[That was the moment she knew that she probably wasn't going to make it out of this one. This was different than Klaus and Elijah's usual fights, because Klaus was fighting with one hand tied behind his back for the brother he loved, but Elijah had nothing holding him back.]
Elijah staked your father. Not enough to kill him, but enough to disable him. I felt Nora get her hand on my heart, and I was trying to figure out what I was going to do to make sure you got out of there alive. That was the only thing that mattered. But before I could do anything, Nora's neck snapped and ... there was Bela. And she was not happy with Elijah.
no subject
Well, she gets one thing out of that story, that probably changes a lot of the trajectory of what she knew. )
So, Bela saved your life.
no subject
Turns out Klaus had hired her to help find me. She didn't succeed in the way that they had hoped, but she was there when it counted. Roman ran, Bela took Elijah outside to have a very loud conversation and after I unstaked your father he threw Nora out into the sun where Elijah could see it.
[Which probably did not go over any better with his brother, let's be real.]
Elijah left, Klaus sent Bela to get Freya so that she could either unbind me or get me a daylight ring and I stayed there with you. You know what happened from there.
no subject
( She woke up in her own bed. Her mother was being unbound in the belltower as her father sat at her bedside. Teary apologies followed. Things weren't better, but they were safer. )
I never knew Bela's part in it.
no subject
[Bela Talbot has her own complications, and one thing Hayley noticed in that whole mess:]
I tried to thank her and she looked at me like she had no idea why. I think she's more used to handling people's contempt than their gratitude.
no subject
( She stops again, looking into one of the empty bars, a single bartender wiping down a glass. Doesn't look back at her mother. )
Do you ever think about what life might be like if, if you hadn't survived.
no subject
[And even if she knew in that moment that Hope living was the most important thing, that doesn't mean that she wouldn't be grieving in the beyond for the parts of her life she would miss. Especially considering Hope is now a Tribrid.]
Do you?
no subject
( She turns to face her. )
I'm happy you're here. That you can see all of this. Even when I do things that disappoint you.
no subject
[She reaches forward gently, pulling her daughter in for a warm hug. When Hope was little, it used to feel like a good hug could fix all her problems. Even if it wasn't true, it made Hayley feel like she was at least doing a good job as a mother. It's less so now, as Hope's problems are much more complicated, but Hayley's still here.
She's still going to try.]
You never disappointed me. At least not as much as you think you did. Honestly, given who your parents are, it's a miracle you turned out as well adjusted as you did.
no subject
( The gang. )
Thanks. For answering my question. I know it was a pretty loaded one for Thanksgiving. I love you. And we should go back and pick up Derek before he kills that Stiles guy. I do like him, but his glares remind me of dad's sometimes.
no subject
Apparently it runs in the family. His sister's got one too.
[But they will head back to the Abattoir, where Hayley will pick up Derek to head back to her place. It'll be a much quieter evening than she originally had planned, but it's still a good one.
Maybe one holiday they'll be done unpacking everything they've been through. Fortunately, they have a very long time to do it.]