I don't own the vampire diaries.
I'm not sure where this fic will go, but here let's try it.
Please, review
Prologue
Elijah adjusts the knot of Klaus' tie, and a proud smirk rests on Klaus' face. Pride swells in him, and Klaus has a difficult time containing it. His smile finds a way to shine. Today, Klaus is marrying the women of his dream.
Elijah straightens his tie to perfection, and Klaus remembers the last time when Elijah cared so much for his clothes. He was merely a child, and Esther was shouting downstairs because they were late for church. Klaus will forever remember his baptism and the fateful day when he met her.
"Klaus?" Elijah says with slight exasperation as he dusts away the imaginary flaws from Klaus' groom attire. "Niklaus, are you listening to me?" He attempts to snap his brother out of his reverie.
" Brother, you might have to repeat yourself," Kol says from the corner of the bed, which he occupies, and he adjusts his bow-tie before Elijah takes it on himself to make everyone look proper, "Our brother must be dreaming about his honeymoon." He adds with a teasing laugh.
"Kol is right," Rebekah lengthens her words, and she continues to lay on the soft hotel bed.
Elijah frowns at Rebekah's careless posture, and she smiles in answer to his annoyance. She elegantly turns the page of her gossip paper, and she chooses to ignore her brothers. Elijah massages his temples, and he decides to disregard the wrinkle on Rebekah's suit. He concentrates on Klaus, who finds new ways to ruin his tie.
The entire ordeal doesn't thrill Rebekah, and her groomswoman's duty doesn't render her cooperative. She never bought into Niklaus' infatuation for his fiancé. The three years of relationship didn't convince Rebekah that Niklaus wasn't making a mistake. He might have rushed in marriage to avoid his problems.
Finn enters the room, and he glances at his younger siblings. Their nonchalance frustrates him. Today is an important day, and Niklaus, a rebel at heart, is tying the knot. Seeing his younger brother in his fitted midnight blue suit adds some weight to the moment. Finn replaces Elijah, and he straightens a tie, which is already extremely straight. He dusts the imaginary flaws, which Elijah fixed.
"You look dapper, Niklaus" Finns compliments his sibling, and he takes a step back to appreciate Klaus' appearance.
"Don't I always look dapper, brother?" Klaus teases when he finally manages to escape his mind.
"Oh dear, you live your life in Henley and jeans stained by all type of paints. I doubt that fits the description of dapper," Rebekah laments, and she rises from the bed.
Rebekah walks to Klaus, and she halts when her toes hit Klaus' toes. He offers a knowing smile, and she returns it with a grimace. She doesn't find it herself to feign ignorance as her brothers choose to do. Rebekah puts her hand on his shoulder, and they simultaneously exhale. She frames Klaus' face, with her warm palms, and she finds nothing to fix.
Rebekah bears witness to Klaus' relationship. She is Klaus' confident. For that reason, she knows a lot about the perfect idyll. Rebekah holds his tie to arrange it, but it is too straight. They share a quiet laugh, and Rebekah's one is slightly melancholic.
"It isn't a mistake," Klaus assuredly responds to the words, which have lost their values.
"So you say, but I only want you to be happy," Rebekah quietly says, and she doesn't dare to tell him that pretence doesn't grant happiness.
"She isn't stealing your brother, Bekah," Kol jumps to Klaus' rescue.
Every Mikaelson has heard Rebekah's grievance. What they brush off as petty jealousy, she claims to be instinct. She could tell how mismatch they are from their first meeting. Although through the years, the irreconcilable differences between Klaus and his fiancé are apparent.
"She will never be able of such fit, and I do not worry about trivial details. I have long mourned my place as the favourite woman in Klaus' life," She counters Kol's accusation with slight exasperation, and she focuses on the groom, "I worry for your heart. Your fragile heart and your naivety while you approach the entire ordeal." Rebekah says with concern, and she pats Klaus' shoulder.
"There is no need to worry for Niklaus' heart. For as long as Klaus has known how to love, he has fancied her," Finn says with unwavering confidence, " We all remember the days, which followed their first meeting," he continues with an amused chuckle.
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Klaus blushes at the memory, and he remembers being eleven. He remembers walking to Elijah and professing his love for the little angel behind him in the baptism queue. His white gown drenched in holy water, and he could care less for anything else that day.
"I don't think we can ever forget," Elijah agrees, and he had an ear full of Klaus talking about his new lover. "Oh, brother isn't she pretty? Oh, brother, I think I should ask, mother, to invite her to play with Rebekah. Do you think she would like to come? Do you think she noticed me?" He mimics Klaus' whiny tone, and Klaus smirks turn into a bright smile.
"It only took him twenty years to succeed, but here, we are about to celebrate his wedding. To Niklaus and his perseverance," Kol states, and he leaves his spot, "We require alcohol to toast, or it brings bad luck," He reaches the minibar, and he searches through the poor selection of alcohol for something worth the celebrations.
"Here, let's wish Niklaus well in marital life," Kol opens the ten years scotch, which he manages to find, and he gulps the liquor straight from the bottle.
Kol places the bottle in Elijah's hand, and the older Mikaelson frowns at his brother's unbecoming manners. Elijah looks around for tumblers, and he fills five for his siblings. He passes them around, and he returns the scotch bottle to Kol.
"Here to Niklaus finally achieving his childhood dream. Many women have filled his bed, but never one has inhabited his heart as long as his angel did." Elijah raises his tumbler in honour of Niklaus, and Klaus raises his glass in agreeing gesture.
Elijah drains his tumbler, and the burned fruity taste of old scotch is soothing. He taps on Klaus' shoulder, and he moves aside to allow Finn to speak.
"Here to Niklaus discovering the joy and tears of the marital life. It can be as blissful as it can be frightening. Although, I don't think you have wished for any other woman to take this journey with you." Finn gulps the entirety of his tumbler, and he taps Klaus' cheek.
For a second, Finn loses himself in the thoughts of the awkward nights when Klaus would ask relationship advice. He particularly remembers the first date, which led to Klaus acquaintance with the friend zone. It was a catastrophe and a month of misery.
Overwhelms by the length of the journey and all the emotions attached to it, Finn drags Klaus into a hug, which Klaus returns.
"Bekah?" Klaus calls out his silent sister.
They have had thousands of conversation. Klaus is stubborn, and sometimes, the words fall in deaf ears. Although, she could list all the dysfunctions in Klaus' relationship.
"I only want you to be happy," Rebekah sighs, and she hugs her brother.
Rebekah's toast isn't as light as what her brothers said. Rebekah differently remembers those twenty years, which are the foundation of Klaus' relationship. She remembers Klaus' pride turning a childhood crush into a quest, and later, her brother carried on the taste of competition. He doesn't want a wife, but Klaus is running after a trophy. He always had an adversary to best for her affection. It was never about the perfect woman, but it was about winning.
Klaus doesn't notice the difference. Her brothers never noticed the difference because it was very in parts with the Mikaelson's mindset. Although, Rebekah saw the difference because she is a hopeless romantic.
"Here is to you, and never question your right to be happy. If you ever come to your senses, do what you need to find your happiness. As much as I know that your stubborn nature has you believe that she is the woman for you, I also know that there is the right person out there for you. Although, I only wish you to be happy even with the wrong woman. Ill-fitted shoes are better than no shoes. I hope you love her," Rebekah whispers in the hollow of Klaus' ear.
She tightens her hug, and he returns her hug. Her words have an unexpected impact. The arguments and the rainy days are suddenly holding the forefront position in his mind. His relationship isn't as he dreamed it, but it isn't something that Klaus loves to remember. Klaus likes to cling on the warmth, which engulfed his body when he saw his angel her light white gown. The flowers in her tress were beautiful, and a wide smile caressed her lips.
He loves to remember the validating feelings when she finally chose him. Klaus deeply inhales, and he breaks the hug. He wipes the polite tears, which sits on the rims of Rebekah's eyes. Nothing could change his mind.
"I do love her," He says with shaking confidence, but the words always carried his truth, "I wouldn't go through with this marriage if I ever found a woman, who could make my heart gallop better than she does," Klaus confesses.
Although, Rebekah wisely hears the underlying sentiments. In the absence of better options, familiarity is reassuring. She offers him a comforting smile, and bravery is not Klaus' forte. He is one to surround himself with comfort and stick to his safety zone. As long as he remains King in his small court, he is happy.
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"Here to the happiness that you deserve for running after her until you won the race." Rebekah drains her tumbler, and she places a tender kiss on Klaus' cheek.
"Here to the celibate life, which I abandon behind today. Here to the ridiculous love advice, which Finn attempted to give him, but it must have worked. Here to Elijah always fixing my tie and listening to me rant about love and the disillusionment of it. To Kol and his need to know the height of my sexual life. To Rebekah, the guardian of my happiness and the girl, who refused to feign any friendship to allow me to have a date, but you're forever my favourite girl. I do have the best groomsmen and woman." Klaus raises his glass, and his words carry a new weight.
Klaus drains his tumbler, and he fixes his tie. The silence settles between the Mikaelson siblings. The church bells echo in the room, and the time has come. Rebekah again hugs Klaus, and her silence is louder than the thousand conversations, which they already had.
"Here," Finn removes his cufflinks, and he switches them with Klaus' ones.
Finn's silver cufflinks sit in Klaus' palm. He stares at the precious family heirloom, and his eyes glisten with unshed tears. Klaus breathes to will the tears away.
"I can't take them," Klaus attempts to return the cufflinks, but Finn closes his hand around them.
"If mother could be present, she would have picked a pair for you as she did when I got married. She intended to do it for each of her sons, but well," Finn hasn't recovered from the abrupt loss of Esther, "I will continue the tradition. You will pass it to the next one of these two, who finds a woman willing to marry him," he finishes, and he helps Klaus to place his cufflinks.
"See you at the altar, and please restraint for any dramatic gesture." Kol teases, and he offers his arm to Rebekah.
"I assure you that nothing memorable should happen, and it will be a marriage as a thousand that you have seen," Klaus laughs, and he believes his words.
Klaus anticipates nothing memorable from his wedding ceremony. Somewhere through a quiet life, he has decided to do the obvious after years of relationship.
"Your tie is crooked, Niklaus," Elijah says, and he straightens it, "She deserves the best version of you," he carefully places Klaus' tie in the centre of his shirt.
"She does... doesn't she?" He replies with a half-smirk.
They walk out of the room. Klaus stares at the altar, and he is unsure when the best version of him has departed. He draws a deep breath, and he chooses to focus on what has kept him grounded through the years. Through the turmoil of a relationship, no one has made his heart gallop as fast as she does. She is his most glorious conquest. Klaus walks to the altar, and he faces the guests. The priest stands by his side. His wedding ceremony finally starts.
The sun almost blinds Klaus, and he squints to see what happens around him. Sweat accumulates around the collar of his shirt, and Klaus regrets agreeing to have a wedding ceremony during the hot Virginian summer.
His dark suit retains the heat, and nausea rises as consequences. Elijah places a comforting hand on his shoulder. By his side Finn, Kol, and Elijah stand. Across, Klaus acknowledges his fiancé's friends. The Gilbert twins stand tall and beautiful in their lilac lace dress, and they whisper to each other. The groomsmen continue to accompany the bridesmaids. He knows the third bridesmaid, which came at Kol's arm, but he no longer remembers her name. She smiles encouragingly to him, and Klaus offers a polite smile.
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At the entrance, Rebekah stands, and she waits for the bridesmaid, which she is supposed to escort. Rebekah's mood is dark, and she waits for the end of the day.
"I'm sorry," She says while she runs to catch up with Rebekah.
"Caroline needed extra help with her dress," she hooks her arm around Rebekah's one, "Bonnie by the way," Bonnie says as Rebekah offers her a tight smile.
Rebekah's coldness takes Bonnie's back, and she quickly stops smiling to the other girl.
"Rebekah, you must be the best friend from Cape Town." Rebekah politely asks, and Bonnie nods, "Glad you could make it, and I heard you had some trouble with your flight," she continues to make conversation and to distract herself from the farce, which this wedding represents to her.
"It took me a week, but I wouldn't have missed Care's big day. I have to meet everyone during the wedding ceremony." Bonnie replies and she laughs with quiet glee.
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Her laughs fill his ears, and there are nearly too melodious to Klaus. He is unsure if the sun might cause him to hallucinate. The guests seem unbothered by the bright sound. However, it draws Klaus' attention, and he searches for its source.
His eyes leave the bridesmaids' row to stare at the entrance. The shadow obstructs his sight, and the sun engulfs her frame. She holds on Rebekah's arm, and she delicately lifts her trails. Her posture is elegant, and a need to draw overtakes Klaus. Klaus pulls on the collar of his shirt, and the heat must overly affect him. His heart rhythm picks up, and he struggles to see ahead of him.
She steps in the light, and the sun kisses her skin. He wishes for his fingers to offer such bold caress to her satin skin. Klaus wants Bonnie to return to the shadow. His eyes fall on her bright smile, and her laughs die in the echoes of the church's antechamber. The sun dances on her skin, which glistens with light golden reflection. He draws a deep breath, and he again pulls on his shirt's collar.
Klaus wishes for a heart attack because nothing else can explain his heart picking up the pace. Klaus looks at Bonnie, and he sacrifices his breath for a chance to gaze at her. Every step, which she takes, feels like the expert's hand of a sculptor carving the edge of his heart into a temple to her glory. He stares at Bonnie while gloom and doom claim his sanity. She has that smile on her lips, and she walks closer to the altar. Klaus swallows hard, and he wills the power to reason through an emotional haze.
Klaus' heart has ceased to beat, or he can't feel the beat because it is a flutter. The speed is beyond a gallop. He wipes his hand on his pants, and the moisture doesn't disappear. She remains under the sun halo, and he tortures his cornea to get a glimpse of Bonnie.
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The bright green of Bonnie's eyes bewitches Klaus, and the golden layers simmering under her irises catches his attention. Klaus draws a futile deep breath, and he helplessly stares at Bonnie. Rebekah helps Bonnie up the altar, and she walks to the raw of bridesmaids. Klaus' eyes follow her, and she steals his mind.
He engraves to his memory every inch of her person, and the sun is no longer an obstacle to his visual feast. Before he laid eye on her, He has used the word beautiful in vain. When Bonnie softly smiles at him, Klaus concludes that fate has chosen to make a mockery of his life, and she subtly waves at him.
"Are you okay?" Rebekah whispers in Klaus' ear.
Is he okay? Klaus cares little for the answer to that question. He will never be okay by any standard after Bonnie walked out of the shadow into his life.
"I can be okay," he hesitantly replies, and Klaus questions himself.
He closes his eyes, and he remembers wet blonde strands. Klaus draws a deep breath, and he tries to focus on bright blue eyes. He has the memories of twenty years to hold on. Caroline without a crooked smile, and her bubbly laugh, who suddenly lacks melodic intonation. His angel, who he has loved her so long. His angel who doesn't wear the sun on her skin has a halo.
Perhaps, it is fear. Only fears can make his heart race so fast. Klaus draws a deep breath, and he reassures himself. Once he opens his eyes, he will be over this spell. Klaus counts until ten, and the nuptial march fills his ears.
Klaus needs to open his eyes and look at his beautiful bride. Fearfully, he opens his eyes, and he looks at the entrance of the church, where Caroline stands. She looks as angelic as he remembers. Her blonde strands glisten like ardent flames under the kiss of the sun. Her immaculate white dress is sumptuous, and she is a depiction of beauty.
As much as he wants to cling into that image, Klaus' eyes drift to Bonnie. All eyes are on Caroline, but those of the groom are on her bridesmaid. Klaus stares at Bonnie, while tears invade her eyes as she watches Caroline walk down the alley. Butterflies waltz and fly in intricate formation inside his stomach. His heart has galloped so fast that it has ceased to beat. When she breathes, Klaus takes a deep breath to share her air. The tears stream down her cheek, and he is envious of their right to touch her.
His tears threaten to fall, and Klaus holds on happy memories of his relationship with Caroline. He clings on the pride, which he felt when she finally chose him. Although, now the shoe is ill-fitted. Now, his mind digs the memory of last night arguments. The nights spent in his art studio to avoid going home because the idyll isn't as divine as he dreamed it, everything virulently resurfaces.
Another smile spreads on Bonnie's lips, and Klaus' heart finds a way to leap out of his bony prison. He closes his eyes to remember why he desperately wanted to save his relationship with Caroline. Although, memories of his affection for Caroline are under assault. Bonnie's smile consumes his thoughts, and an ill-fitted shoe becomes a vivid analogy. Twenty years of wanting a person and Three years spent trying to make the years of wait worth it. Once Klaus won Caroline, his heart stopped to gallop. Did it race to palliate? He doesn't remember.
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So why would it be different with the bridesmaid? Why would it be different from the woman, who he didn't want for twenty years? Klaus opens his eyes, and the lilac of dress contrasts with her deep skin. She tightly holds on her flower arrangement. Her eyes questioned him, and for a second, she steals a glance at him. Klaus yearns for Bonnie's eyes to remain on him. Bonnie doesn't make his heart beat faster, but she makes it stop. She renders his heart obsolete.
She makes everything in contrast to her look dull. The sun passing through the mosaic windows caresses her skin. Bright colours use her skin as a plain canvas, and he solely wishes to deify her glory. Her beauty is ethereal, and she belongs on the altar where she stands. His heart refuses to beat, and the lack of blood to his brain might explain his sudden insanity.
Caroline fills Klaus' sight as she stands in front of him. Although, he manages to look through her, and nothing seems to be a solid obstacle able to keep him from seeking Bonnie. Caroline smiles to Klaus, but her smile lacks the magic, which Bonnie's smile possesses. What is an angel to someone who has found a goddess to worship?
"I'm sorry," Klaus hears the words fall from his lips, and he hesitantly whispers them.
They taste wrong on his tongue, and he is being impulsive. Although, he can't care beyond how the blue light, which hits Bonnie's eyes, darkens the shade of her irises. He has a growing fear to lose his chance to love, but it isn't in relation to Caroline. He lost his chance at love three years ago. He is simply a creature of habits. This moment terrifies him.
"What?" Caroline asks with slight confusion.
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry," Klaus audibly says, and he glances at Bonnie.
Rebekah's words become a consuming thought. He draws a deep breath, and he takes a slight step back.
"Klaus?" Caroline attempts to understand Klaus, and she reaches for his hand.
"I' m sorry for finding out so late," Klaus takes another step away from Caroline, and he glances at Rebekah.
The wave of confusion spreads around the room and the guest of attendance. Bonnie senses the brewing chaos, and she comes to stand by Caroline. She raises her eyes to meet Klaus' ones. For a second, the spell pulls them in an oscillating bubble, and they silently stare at each other. She breaks eye contact, but he refuses to look at anyone else.
"Are you okay?" Bonnie asks
Klaus loves the sound of her voice, he loves the sound of her laughs, and he might be delusional. He is certain that he is falling in love with the bridesmaid on his wedding day.
"We haven't been okay in a year, and I don't think a wedding can fix us," Klaus quietly says, and he absentmindedly starts to undo his tie, "I'm sorry," He reiterates.
Ultimately, he steps down the altar. Caroline stares at her fiance in shock.
"Klaus?" She manages to say, and the entire room watches the groom head for the exit, "Klaus…" She anxiously shouts.
Bonnie stares at the alley, and she runs after Klaus. Her trails make it hard, and the granite floor of the old church complicates everything. Although, she manages to catch up with Klaus.
"Hey," She tries to stop him by grabbing his arm.
"Hey," He quietly returns, and he doesn't remember how to hold a verbal conversation.
Once again, they lose hold of their voices and thoughts. The cacophony in the church manages to jolt Bonnie's brain. She clears her throat, and she waves off the fog clouding her mind.
"You can't walk away," She softly says, and she glances back at Caroline, which a crowd surrounds.
The door of the church frames the scene as in an angle reminiscing a renaissance painting.
"Is it more dramatic if I run away?" He replies, and his question takes back Bonnie, "I don't know the protocols for a runaway groom," he says while his actions take a meaning.
"I'm sorry," Klaus repeats, and he leaves a stunned Bonnie behind his steps.
Bonnie stares at Klaus for as long as she can. Until he disappears from her sight, she stares at him. Bonnie rushes to Caroline's side, and she holds the crying bride. The church echoes the whispers, and Bonnie hugs Caroline.
"I will fix this," Bonnie finds herself saying, and she has no idea why she feels a need to fix it.