Hey all! I haven't written any fanfic for ages, but I've needed to get something down for Hayley and Elijah for a good long while. I may continue it, or expand the sexy sexy times at the end, but for now I just wanted to get what I had started up for you to enjoy! (Hopefully!) I doubt the show would go this direction, but it would be cool to see them leverage this dynamic of the seven wolf packs to their advantage!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters!

"Elijah. I'm leaving you this message mostly because…I was worried you would try to talk me out of what I'm about to do. It's a Hail Mary play…but I can't let him threaten our family any longer. After…I have to try, I just can't loose anyone else.. The elders tell me that when the rite is done…I will not wholly be myself, at least for a little while. I needed you to know…you were right, you and I will do anything to protect the people we love. I will be on my way back to you soon, please tell Klaus not to do anything too..well…too Klaus. I will see you soon."

Elijah would never forget the moment she had charged into battle. Fury, rage, and power. All seven pack sigils carved into her flesh, imbuing her with the might she needed to carry out justice for the crimes committed against the wolves and her family. Elijah had never seen anything so terrifying and beautiful at the same time. She was a force of nature.

But she was right. She was not herself.

Her facial features had elongated, pulling into the beginnings of a snout. Her lips curled into a vicious growl, displaying fangs to rival any vampire's. Slanted eyes were overlarge, glowing a brilliant yellow as her fingers had stretched into vicious claws, that slashed deeply into Lucien's gloriously surprised face. For the rest of Elijah's life he will never forget the wolf-grin on her beautiful alien features when Lucien realized she was immune to his bite.

When the battle was over, she did't say a word, perhaps she couldn't, with the wolf singing so loudly in her veins. She had completed her task, protected her pack and her territory. Calm, her form shuttered, like a faulty image, and she was fully wolf once more. Her coloring the same as always, but she was almost twice her normal size as she disappeared back into the night, just as she had arrived.

Which is how he ended up here. The deepest into the bayou he had ever ventured.

When he finally found her, she had made her way to one of the many small cabins the pack maintained. Small safe-havens in the wilderness for the wolves, so they always had someplace warm and safe when they emerged from their wolf forms. Built years ago by family members who had never triggered the curse wolf or Crescent, and were forced to grow up, and grow old with their wolf-formed kin. It was a tangible sign of the love and dedication to family that the wolves showed each other.

Elijah removed his long-ruined jacket and draped it over a nearby branch as he watched her slowly stalk back and forth in front of a lit fire pit that one of the pack had left for her, he could sense that in this state it was better for him to take her lead.

Finally, he could see her pacing begin to slow. He could hear her racing heart begin to return to normal until she finally stood still. He could see her stature shrink slightly, limbs contracting to their original proportions as Hayley slowly emerged again from a wolf state. Taking deep slow breaths she turned her head up to gaze at the moon, long tangled mass of her dark hair spilling down her naked back.

After what seemed an eternity, her head turned slightly in the direction of where he was hidden. She held her hand out behind her.

"Elijah…" Her voice, was ragged and whisper soft, but it was her.

Closing the distance between them in an instant, he slipped his hand into hers without hesitation. Her fingers interlaced with his, acknowledging his presence, but her eyes never changed their focus from the bright moon hanging high in the sky above them. So many questions raced through his mind but he kept them to himself, following her lead. Several long moments passed before she broke her gaze and turned to him, her face calm and clean of any signs of their recent bloody victory.

His hand reached up slowly to cup her face as he began a slow examination of her features, relived to find that the sharp feral edges of the power she had taken on to defeat their enemies had begun to fade. Her eyes no longer bright gold, were their familiar liquid hazel both ancient and so terrifyingly young. His hand moving from her face to her neck, he gently pulled her hair back to find one of the pack sigil's fading from her skin. His thumb traced over it slowly, pleased to find that the flesh had begun to heal. His paused when he felt her shiver beneath his touch, and from the heat radiating off her skin, he knew immediately it had nothing to do with the night air.

Uncertain of his control after the events of the evening he returned his hand to his side.

"The last of the packs' power will fade with the setting of the moon…." She offered, turning again to look at the moon still high in the sky. Her eyes seemed distant again for moment, but her hand squeezed his own more tightly. "This connection to the pack Elijah…I was able to see him again. Jackson."

Her words fell heavily between them as she swallowed hard, turning to face him fully, stepping closer to him, her lip curling in a familiar smirk that eased the lump already forming in his throat at the mention of her deceased husband's name.

"He gave me a rash of shit." She laughed at Elijah's confused expression, moving to toy idly with the collar of his blood-stained shirt. "He reminded me of something that I had once said…that I had felt before…something that I have lost sight of with everything that has happened to me, to all of us." She stepped even closer, either no longer aware of her nakedness or simply completely at ease, turning her face up to him, eyes searching his.

"I cannot choose the dead over the living."

Elijah's expression softened as his hand reached back up to her face, eyes narrowing as he tried to read her thoughts. She leaned against his touch, looking up at him, uncharacteristic uncertainty beginning to etch across her beautiful features.

"Watching Klaus lose Cami…how many times have we almost lost each other Elijah?" She asked softly. He closed the distance between them, wrapping his other arm around her waist as memories flooded his mind unbidden, too many times had she almost been taken away from him. He closed his eyes and shook his head sharply once to dispel the visions that always haunted his nightmares.

"Too many." He offered simply, fingers pressing into her usually warm skin. Her eyes searched his, unsure of his thoughts. His beautiful Hayley. This fierce force that had exploded into his family's life, his life, unexpected. Her passion to protect those she loved…her passion to live and remain true to herself, in spite of all of the pain and cruelty being near to his family had brought her. The doubt he saw now in her eyes, her fear that after everything they had endured, that his desire to be with her, to be hers, was somehow diminished, fueled a spark of fury inside himself. He made a vow to never again let her doubt his feelings for her.

He took in a long breath, loosing the final lock he had kept secure in his heart.

"I love you Hayley."

All doubt in her eyes lifted as the words she had long hoped to hear spilled from his lips.

Lifting slightly off her heels she pressed her mouth to his, a sound somewhere between relief and joy escaping as he pulled the breath from her lungs with the passion in which he returned the kiss. Hands capable both such care, or brutal cruelty, moved to cradle the back of her skull, fingers burying themselves in the chaotic mass of her dark hair.

Her body melted against his, the power remaining in her veins rising quickly to the surface with her now speeding heartbeat. His hands moved southward to her hips, fingertips found the flesh he craved beneath it hot to the touch. She leaned back slightly, and he broke the kiss to take in the sight before him. Half of her body bathed in the cool light from the bright moon above them, and the other half from the warm light of the fire.

A slow, appreciative smile crossed his features, unable to deny the beauty of the light on her skin, echoing the duality of the woman before him. Her wolf, and her vampire nature, the nurturing mother and vicious killer, her strength and venerability, the wisdom in her council and the impulsive stubbornness of her youth. He loved every facet of her, and vowed to himself that for as long as she would have him, he would never let her have cause to doubt his feelings for her.

With an intense exertion of his willpower he let the intensity of his emotions cool slightly. He realized that he wanted this moment to be different then their last encounter. There was no reason to rush, no sadness that they were at an end, desperate for one last chance at intimacy. This time he intended to show her with every touch, the depth of his feelings that he had never had the courage to voice.

She seems to sense his intention, her heart rate slowing as she held her hand out him. He smiled and took it, letting her pull him back to her. As her fingers moved to make quick work of the buttons on his shirt pulling a sigh from him at the feeling of her long fingers grazing across the skin of his chest, taking his shirt with it as she went. He bent to her, mouth moving from her lips, pressing a line of kisses along her jaw, making slow deliberate progress against every inch of her skin. As he began to move southward down to her neck she made a small sound, the palm of her hand pressing just lightly against his chest.

"Elijah." Her voice has heavy with her arousal but also with an echo of the power that still lingered in her rising to the surface again. He paused his course to look at her, curious as to what would cause her to stay him. Slipping her hand into his, she moved it to rest just above her left breast. He could feel the powerful beat of her heart moving her blood beneath her skin, heavy still with the might of the seven wolf packs. His hand moving to her chin, he tilted her face back up to his.

"What do you need?" He asked, reaching to capture a kiss, teeth dragging at her lip, tugging gently with a smile. She returned the smile, but her face had again taken on a slightly more feral look to it. She tilted her head to the side, revealing the long expanse of her neck to him.

"I want you to feed." She held his gaze, seeing his hesitancy and confusion. Blood sharing in the hight of intense passion they both understood, or to heal. But they had only just begun… Her hand went to to cradle his face stilling his thoughts with the intensity of the love he saw there. She ran her thumb over his lower lip, a simple action she had longed to do for so long. Her noble Elijah, ever the the worrier.

"Tonight…is so rare Elijah. There has not been a threat the has managed to unify the packs like this in centuries. The pure essence of what the wolves…of what I am, runs in my veins, and I…" She hesitated, searching his face for a moment. "I know that part of you does not care for wolves.." He opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him with a finger over his lips, eyes glowing yellow once again as something other began to take hold in her. "Please do not deny it. Even after all these years, a part of you still holds onto that ancient hate for the creatures who killed your little brother. Who the fear of, drove your parents to make that terrible choice so long ago. I can't be anything other than who I am Elijah, not even for you. And I've always been frightened that if we ever gave this a real chance, that this might be something that always…" She paused, swallowing her hesitation. "If such a huge part of me…a part of Hope's life that I will foster, is something that you can't only just…tolerate."

She removed her finger from his now silent lips as he gave her words honest consideration, knowing in his heart that he couldn't pretend there wasn't some truth in her assessment. He thought of all the times he or his siblings, or any other number of vampires had called the wolves beasts and savages in her very presence. A woman who's status as their alpha and queen demanded she defend them. It is no wonder she had held these fears in her heart.

"If there was ever a chance…for you to know…truly understand who I am, even if just for one night, it would be now. I want to share that with you Elijah."

The love in her voice in that moment, the honesty of what she offered him made his heart swell painfully in his chest. Unwilling to trust his words, all he could manage was a simple nod, as he gathered her to him. Lifting her slightly off the ground he moved them a few feet closer to the warmth of the fire. With infinite care he pushed her hair away back from her neck, resuming his trail of kisses. One hand moving to stabilize the back of her head, the other moving to the curve of her lower back. His tongue worked its way till he felt the thrum of her blood pulsing beneath the skin and muscle. With the barest of squeezes to warn her, his fangs sunk deep into her flesh drinking deep the rich velvet in her veins.

Elijah had experienced many things in his long life, but he was wholly unprepared for what happened next.

Life. Pure unadulterated life flooded into his veins. His senses, already keen, exploded in a cacophony of scents and sounds that drove him to his knees with their strength overwhelming him. He gasped for air, bringing with it an assault of sensations that his brain, unaccustomed to the pure volume of things to catalog struggled to overcome, pure instinct drowning his conscious mind.

Through the chaos, a single golden thread pierced through, and he grasped at it desperately. As soon as he acknowledged it, the chaos began to calm and he was able to take control of himself again, as Hayley's beautiful face came into view. A mix of concern and mild amusement composed her features as her eyes flashed yellow, commanding his attention, allowing him to focus.

"Let the bond to the Pack guide you Elijah. Let that center you, and the rest will fall into place." She offered quietly, fingers slowly massaging the back of his head. He took several slow measured breaths, the scents and sounds becoming more manageable with each draw. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he came to realize that she was sitting bare ass in the damp earth to keep his overwhelmed body from hitting the ground, cradling him like a child. Mortified, he rolled into a crouch and stood quickly, reaching down to offer his hand.

"Forgive me." She only smiled and took his hand, letting him pull her up to standing.

"Its ok, I should have warned you in the first place. Its been so long, I forgot how overwhelming it can be." She reached around and plucked a maple leaf off her butt. He smiled, considering how he had always quietly loved how comfortable she was with her own nakedness. Although, now, with a hearty portion of her blood running in his own veins, more than he had intended, he could see the goosebumps of actual chill running up her dampened skin. He pulled her closer to him, trying to rub some warmth back into her limbs.

"Shall we go inside?" He asked quietly, looking up at the moon that he felt tugging at him. She watched him for long moment, then reached up to turn his chin back to her, seeing the faintest glint of yellow in his eyes. She felt languid and calm, his feeding taking the off heady edge of the power she had taken on to fight Lucien. She kissed him again, slowly, trying to distract him a little from the full moon above them.

"Lets."

The small cottage was surprisingly well maintained inside, tidy and warm in a well-worn way. They had done well, her pack, to make sure she had someplace warm and safe to recover. A small hearth burning in one corner next to a wooden table that had assortment of non-perishable food items and some bottled water. Elijah smiled at the bottle of whiskey as well. There was a first aid kit and a folded pile of assorted clothes as well. In the other corner was a large hope chest that Hayley nodded towards.

"There should be sleeping bags and some fresh blankets in there, do you mind?" She moved to the hearth, warming her hands before reaching for the whiskey and taking a long drawl from the bottle, letting the amber liquid seep into her belly with a sound of satisfaction. Setting it down she grabbed a older shirt from the pile and one of the bottles of water, soaking the fabric.

Sensing her intention, and finished with his task of assembling the bedding he moved silently behind her, slowly taking the soaking rag from her hand. Gently pushing her hair over her shoulder, exposing her back to him. He ran his fingers slowly down her back, tracing the pack sigils almost invisible as her vampire blood began to exert itself again, healing her. A small exhale at his touch made him smile at the sounds he intended to draw from her.

Placing the rag at her lower back he squeezed it, releasing the cool water onto her skin. With long strokes over the curve her ass to the back of her thighs he cleaned off the remaining dirt from where she had held him.

Task compete he tossed the rag onto the table and reached around her shoulders, pressing her back against his chest, skin to skin. Hayley was surprised at how unusually warm he was. With his other hand he reached out for the bottle of whiskey, taking a long draw of it himself before offering it to her.

She laughed at the sight of her regal Elijah downing the liquor out of anything other than the expensive crystal that seemed to be everywhere in the Mikaelson compound. Taking another swig herself she leaned her head back against his shoulder turning to see what she could of his expression. The weight of weeks of worry beginning to lift, leaving her with an almost giddy mood. The wolf was that way. In the absence of a threat to the pack, a deep abiding will to just live, suffused her being. She knew that with her blood in his system, at last he could know exactly how she felt.

With a mischievous grin she arched her back against him, seeking, at least in part to dry off her butt against his trousers. But also, more than anything else to grind her backside against him, craving that friction. She liked what she discovered there, very, very much.

With a blur of movement and a growl she found herself deposited on the long table, grateful for the sturdy work of whatever carpenter had assembled it. With a less then gentle movement nudged her knees apart and moved to stand between them, their faces only a whisper apart.

"What is this power you have over me?" He asked, his voice uncharacteristically rough. "I have felt drawn to you from the moment we met, but right now…"

She wrapping a long leg around his waist pulling him closer, she leaned back against the wall to regard him, her eyes darkening with rising passion as she took in the familiar lines of his handsome face. "Its because, for tonight at least, I am your Alpha. That is what it is to be a wolf. Fight with your Alpha for the safety of your pack, run, hunt, and fight with your packmates, protect the next generation with your mate." She sat up, pulling his face closer to hers, kissing him with all the power of the wild that always runs through her. "Just live Elijah, just for one night, no Machiavellian schemes, no ancient grudges, no heartbreak. Just….live with me."

He nodded, wondering if she knew the simple desires of the man he used to be. To keep his family safe, to be happy, had been all he had wanted once too. Burying his hands in her hair he kissed her then. Long and desperate to sear this moment in his mind for the rest of his days.

To be continued.