I'll be There for You

Chapter 15: You've Got a Lot of Explaining to Do

"I'm sorry, Hayley, that isn't really an option right now," Elijah sighed as the tea kettle began to hiss.

Hayley moved the tie that Elijah had used to bind her wrists in front of her mouth and began to tug on the cloth. He hadn't tied it that tightly. Yanking the fabric loose, Hayley placed her wrists back in her lap, waiting for an opportunity. Elijah poured water into two mugs and opened a door while she leaned down and loosened the fabric keeping her ankles together.

"I chose the mint," Elijah said, not turning around. "I hope you don't mind? Are you hungry?"

Hayley sat up, placing her wrists over her lap where they had rested when Elijah had turned his back on her. "Yeah. But I'll wait until I'm not being held captive to get something." Coming over to the table, Elijah set a cup of tea in front of her. "I have to pee," Hayley said, moving to try to stand up. "Are you going to help me?"

"I think you're perfectly capable," Elijah retorted, sitting down and taking a sip of his tea. "And I'm also sure you're lying."

Glaring at Elijah, Hayley stood, waiting for him to say something else. "Why would I lie about needing to go to the bathroom?"

"Hayley, what kind of work do you think I do?" Elijah questioned her, placing a hand on the table top, the other on his knee.

"You run a stationary store," Hayley replied.

Elijah smiled at her but she got the feeling that he wasn't amused. "Hayley, we've never played games with each other, have we? Please, answer my question so I might answer yours."

"I don't have any questions for you. I just want you to let us go," Hayley lied, jutting her chin out and waiting for Elijah's response.

Elijah shook his head, blew on his tea and took a sip. "I will let you go after we talk. I do hate repeating myself," he said, glancing at her over the rim of his cup.

Hayley groaned and pulled the tie off, tossing it on the table and then pulling the tie off her ankles, tossing that one on the table, too. "Did you drug this?" she demanded, pointing at the tea cup.

"Only one way to find out," Elijah replied, smirking at her.

"I'm not sure I like this side of you, Elijah," Hayley muttered, taking a sip of her tea. After a moment, she leaned back into her seat and focused on Elijah. "You run a stationary store but that's not your real job," she said slowly. Elijah nodded. "You work doing something that got you beaten up. You're not a cop or a federal agent or a spy?"

"No." Elijah shook his head.

Hayley took another sip of her tea. It tasted good but she wasn't about to admit that to Elijah when she was so angry at him. "You're...I don't know, Elijah, some kind of criminal. Like part of a mafia or something?"

"Or something," Elijah replied. "We're not mafia. However, we are contracted by groups to handle the problems of other groups," he explained before taking another sip of his tea.

"So, you're, what, an enforcer of some kind?" Hayley felt slightly sick to her stomach. She could not believe her luck. She just wanted a normal life for herself and her little girl. Now, she finds out that her little girl's family are criminals. This had to be a nightmare.

"I'm sorry, Hayley. I wish that I could have told you the truth. I wanted to, desperately. All I have wanted since I met you was to keep you and Hope safe." Elijah got up and knelt by Hayley's side. "Please, forgive me."

"What about the other lies, Elijah? You told Klaus about Hope. I thought you were going to let me tell him." Hayley felt tears welling in her eyes and wanted to stop them from falling but they had a mind of their own.