Of Monsters and Men ₰ The Originals

Chapter Eighteen | I Stall You, You Stall Me

     "Are you really going to let her do this?" Rebekah asks, one hand on her hip. "She's the only friendly witch here. Plus, she is linked to Hayley, which means nothing bad can happen to her as long as they're connected. I want her to be stocked up on at least a little bit of power. I'm not taking any chances." I pause, and then notice that Hayley is standing close to Sophie and I. This obviously meant that she intended to come with us.

     I sigh and mentally brace myself for the fight. "Except you, Hayley. You're going back to the Mansion right now." Hayley crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. "I'm going with you." She states firmly.

     I copy her stance and tilt my head to the side. "It may escape your notice, but you're pregnant. With Klaus' child. Do you have any idea how many targets are on your back right now?"

     "I can look after myself, Melissa." She grits her teeth, starting to get annoyed. I step closer to her, maintaining eye connection, equally as irritated with her carefree behaviour regarding her pregnancy. Did she not realise how rash she was being? "Yeah. You definitely showed that when you got kidnapped and linked to the likes of her." I briefly flicker my eyes to Sophie who doesn't seem know whether to be offended or neutral that I added her in the conversation.

      "Well, I'm still here, aren't I?"

      Still in the fight mode, I smirk. "You're only alive because Elijah and Klaus agreed to the witches' deal. Without them - hell, without me - you would've been buried in the ground right now." Hayley juts out her jaw, steeling herself for another rebuttal. I sigh, realising that this could go on all day. And we needed light to search for the remains.

     I soften up. "Hayley, look, even if we aren't on speaking terms right now, I still care for you because we've been friends for a long time. I'm not doing this because I want to be a mega-bitch to you. I'm doing this for your welfare." I pause. "I'm also doing this because of the baby. Hayley, your one of the biggest targets in New Orleans if Marcel discovers who you are. We need to keep you safe." I pause once again, deciding to test a theory, "I promised Elijah to keep you safe."

        Her face softens and I have to maintain an incredulous snort. Oh, so now she listens?

       "So please, go back to the Mansion. We'll meet you there." I say, and then walk about before she can say anything else. I don't think I can take another one of her glares. Did she not have any respect for the friendship that we used to have? Yes, I am lying to her frequently, and yes, our friendship is on hiatus. But did that mean that we had to be utter bitches to each other? 

      Rebekah comes up beside me, curiosity pouring out of her eyes. I sigh silently, not wanting to get into this. "What?" I demand sharply. "I know we talked about this yesterday, but what is going on with the two of you?" Rebekah asks.

      I stay silent. "Okay, then." She snaps. "Be like that." I bite my lip and grab her hand, drawing us to a stop. She looks back at me, her face stony. "Wait." I mutter. "I'm not being snappy because of you. It's just been a few very stressful days." I pause. "I'm sorry."

      Rebekah frowns. "What?" I ask. "It's very rare to see such an old vampire apologising." I let a small smile slip out. "Thank you? I think?"

     "How do you do it, though?" She asks, falling back into step with me, as we follow a stressed Sophie to the bayou. "Do what?" Rebekah shrugs, letting out a small huff. "Contain your humanity in an equal balance to your bloodthirstiness?"

     I shrug. "I just don't look at it that way. I know it sounds cheesy, but I just try to be myself. I don't really look at humanity as a chore. I just . . .  remind myself that I was human once, and even though that once is a very long time ago, it is still part of me."