I try to avoid long notes at the beginning, and I won't be offended if you skip this, but there are a couple of things I wanted to address. One: thanks again to everyone who nominated and voted for me in the Klaroline Awards this year. I didn't win, but just being nominated for the first time was super cool. Congrats to Sophia Chase for Best Fluffy Fiction; I love "Keeping Up Appearances." Two: I apologize to anyone whose first thought when I mentioned including some angst was Ed Sheeran's "Small Bump." I get why you went there, as Caroline and Klaus had just announced a pregnancy, but that song even makes me sad, so that was never my angsty intention. But I'm going to scrap what I was planning because this story just isn't the place for it. Three: I don't watch The Originals anymore, but from what I've gathered, Freya is actually a long-lost sibling or something, but that didn't work in this story, so she's a cousin. I literally know nothing about what she's like, so I used a little creative freedom. And four: I know Macklemore's song with Ed Sheeran is really called "Growing Up (Sloane's Song)," but for the sake of this story, I took out the part in parentheses. As always, thank you and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.
"Tell me you still love me, even though I'm the size of a small orca," Caroline whined as she made her way into her and Klaus' kitchen.
"More today than yesterday," he confirmed with a smile. "And I especially love you the size you are now," he went on, leaving out the 'whale' comment for his own safety, "because you're carrying our child. I can't wait to meet him."
"I can't wait for him to make his exit," she grumbled, settling down into a chair in the breakfast nook. "At least I'm this pregnant in December and not the middle of July. I'd probably have committed murder by now if I were."
Klaus just chuckled at his wife's flair for the dramatic. "What time is the shower today?"
"Two," she answered. "Bekah is picking me up at quarter til, but you'll have to come after cause we'll need to haul everything back here."
"Okay," he agreed. "What time would you like me there?"
"Five or so," she shrugged. "Why Katherine insisted on having this shower a week before Christmas is beyond me. Why couldn't she wait until January?"
"She and Elijah are going on their tour of Italy then," Klaus reminded her. "They leave the second and won't return until the nineteenth."
"What if I go into labor early?" Caroline worried. "I need my best friend to be there."
"I'm not good enough?" he scoffed.
"Of course you are," she assured him, "but she's important, too. We do want her to be his godmother, do we not?"
"You do," Klaus smirked. "I said yes because you agreed to Elijah being his godfather without complaint."
"I just like the idea of the godparents being married," she reasoned. "Should something happen to us—God forbid—he'll still stay in one place and have his family."
Klaus made a face. "Don't talk like that."
"I'm just being cautious," she said. "We're going to be fine."
"In that case, we should probably talk names again," he sighed, knowing it would inevitably lead to an argument.
She frowned. "Do we have to? Can't we just wait until he's here and name him then?"
"You and I both know you'll go crazy that way," he pointed out. "Are you still keen on Liam?"
"I also like Jude and that was one of your original choices back in May!" she cried. "You're a flip-flipper."
Klaus just rolled his eyes. "If we name him Jude, I'll be accused of naming him for the Beatles song. I quite like Asher now."
"No," she shook her head. "Not going to happen. I hate that."
"Well, do we at least still agree that his middle name will be Forbes, right?" he wanted to know. "His three names should roll off the tongue smoothly."
"We agree," she nodded. "So Something Forbes Mikaelson."
"What about Rory?" he tossed out. "I like that."
"Rory," Caroline repeated. "Rory Forbes Mikaelson. Hmm. I don't hate it, but I don't know that I love it either. It kind of reminds me of Rory Gilmore."
Klaus furrowed his brow. "Do I know him?"
"She," Caroline emphasized, "was a character on a television show that was popular when I was in high school. Isn't there a golfer named Rory, too?"
"You'd have to ask Kol," he replied. "I don't know anything about golf."
Caroline groaned and gently beat her head against the table. "Let's just let him name himself when he's old enough. We'll call him 'Baby' until then."
He grinned. "I fear what he'd choose someday. I've seen Big Daddy; no son of mine will be called Frankenstein."
"Julian!" she exclaimed suddenly, looking up at him once again. "Julian Forbes Mikaelson."
"Julian," he mused. "I like Julian."
Caroline beamed. "So we're agreeing on Julian?"
"We are agreeing on Julian," he confirmed, reaching for her hand from across the table. "Kol will probably call him Jules, you know."
"There are worse nicknames," she grumbled. "I'll just be happy if he doesn't call him Julie or Julia."
"I'm sure he'll do that, too," he laughed.
Caroline pressed a hand to her stomach. "Ooh, he's energetic this morning."
Klaus moved around the table to place a hand next to hers to feel his son kicking. "Oh, wow. That will never cease to amaze me."
"Yeah, well, get your amazement in now because this is going to be our one and only child," she told him. "I am so not one of those women who likes being pregnant."
"No?" he murmured, nuzzling into her neck. "But we're so good at making him."
"Oh, I like that part," she assured him. "It's the nine months after that fucking suck for me."
Klaus pressed a kiss to her jaw and stood up to get her something to eat. "Oatmeal or yogurt?"
"Can't I have something greasy?" she complained. "I'm tired of eating healthy. It's boring. And God, I'd saw off my right arm for a glass of wine."
"Four more weeks," he grinned as he pulled the yogurt and fruit from the fridge. "And then I'll just hook you up to an IV filled with rosé."
"Don't tease me," she pouted.
"Sweetheart, I haven't had any alcohol in just as long," Klaus reminded her.
"Liar!" she cried. "You totally drank at Enzo's engagement party. I watched you!"
"Oh, that was one shot," he scoffed. "It hardly counts."
"It's more than I've had," she mumbled.
"Isn't he worth it?" he wondered, mixing the fruit and yogurt together.
"We'll see," she joked.
By the time Rebekah picked Caroline up, the American was in a foul mood. Julian, as he was now called, had been sitting on her bladder all day, so she was uncomfortable and cranky.
"If you're going to be in a bad mood, I'll take you back home and Nik can deal with you," Rebekah snapped after listening to Caroline complain about the cold. "It's December in London, Caroline. Of course it's cold!"
Caroline glared at her sister-in-law. "Well, excuse me for being eight months pregnant with another human inside my body."
"Like, half a million babies are born every day," Rebekah reported. "This isn't anything new, and you guys wanted this. Stop making the rest of us miserable about it. We've put together a really lovely baby shower for you, so if you're going to ruin it by being heinous, tell me now."
"I'm not," Caroline muttered. "It's just been a long day already and it isn't even two. At the party, I'll make sure to only complain to Kat if it bothers you so much."
"I understand that being pregnant is no picnic," Rebekah said, "but stop complaining. A month from now, you're going to be a mother, and that's something I'd kill for."
Caroline glanced at her. "You guys want to have a baby?"
"I do," Rebekah corrected her sadly. "Stefan says he isn't ready yet."
"Why?" Caroline wondered. "He's great with kids."
"He says since we've only been married just over a year, we should wait," Rebekah explained. "He says that once we're parents, our alone time with decrease significantly, and he likes having me all to himself right now."
"Well, that's sort of sweet," Caroline offered, feeling her maternal instinct kick in. "And it isn't as though he never wants children, right?"
"He does," Rebekah sighed, "but I want us all to have kids close in age, you know? I don't want your baby to be so much older than mine."
"You do realize I'm only having this one, right?" Caroline asked her. "Katherine will likely never have a child, and Bonnie and Kol are too unstable to even think about moving in together, let alone planning for a family. You're the only one of us I see having more than one baby."
"I want four," Rebekah declared as she pulled up the driveway to Katherine and Elijah's house. "Stefan says he thinks three will be plenty, but I'll convince him otherwise. I'm just hopeful I'll do it sooner rather than later."
"I'm sure you will," Caroline said as she carefully climbed out of Rebekah's Mercedes SUV. "You'll be pregnant before you know it."
"Don't come in yet!" Katherine yelled as she hurried outside. "There's one last surprise that we're setting up."
"Damn it, Katherine," Caroline swore. "I told you I didn't want anything over-the-top."
"Oh, please," the brunette rolled her eyes. "I've known you my entire life. When have you ever not wanted a party to be over-the-top? You had camel rides at your Senior Blast-off in high school."
"She was in a mood earlier," Rebekah warned. "I wouldn't push her."
Katherine, perhaps the only person on the planet who wasn't intimidated by Caroline, just waved Rebekah off. "It'll be fine. You'll love it, Care."
"Fine," Caroline sighed. "How much longer though? It is freezing and I'm maintaining body heat for two here."
Bonnie stuck her head out the front door then. "It's all ready, Kat."
"Okay," Katherine nodded. "Come on."
She took Caroline's hand and led her into the house, where Caroline was immediately greeted by the sound of a crying baby.
"Who brought their kid?" Caroline whispered.
"Freya," Katherine muttered, referring to the Mikaelsons' cousin. "She's going to give you more advice than you'd ever want because she thinks she's Super Mom."
"Didn't her oldest kid end up in the hospital last year because Freya actually let her eat dirt?" Caroline laughed softly, waving at her guests.
"I said she thinks she's Super Mom," Katherine smirked. "I think she's incredibly annoying."
"Caroline!" Freya called her over to where she was sitting on one of the couches in the formal sitting room. "Come, sit with me for a moment."
"Ugh," Caroline groaned quietly as she walked over to the older woman. "Hi, Freya."
Freya bounced her crying youngest daughter, Hilaria, on her chest. "How are you feeling? Have you read those articles on co-sleeping that I sent you? There really are so many benefits to it."
"Mm-hmm," Caroline lied, having never even opened the attachments. "Nik and I have talked about it, and I think we're going to skip the co-sleeping though. My mother bought us a beautiful bassinet to put next to our bed, so he'll be right beside us."
Freya frowned. "You should really reconsider. It's best for the baby."
"I'll bring it up to Nik again," Caroline said. "I should really go and say hello to some of the other guests." She stood up and hurried away to the kitchen, where she found Katherine standing with Bonnie and Elena, who'd flown over for the shower and Christmas; the rest of the Gilbert family would arrive within the week. "Oh, my God, she's the worst."
"Told you," Katherine taunted. "She's one mommy blog away from being completely insufferable and uninvited to all family functions."
"Can't our faction of the family just decide that anyway?" Caroline suggested. "She accosted me within seconds and I'm only pregnant. What's she going to be like when the baby is here? Oh! Speaking of, we decided on a name."
Elena lit up. "What is it?"
"Julian Forbes Mikaelson," Caroline recited, loving how it sounded. "We've been fighting pretty much since we found out he's a boy, and then this morning, he made a joke about Big Daddy, and I remembered the kid's name being Julian, and I just liked it."
"I like Julian," Katherine nodded. "Kol will call him Julie, but it's nice."
"He won't," Bonnie denied. "Not if he wants me to continue sleeping with him."
Before Caroline could say anything else, Rebekah stormed in and huffed in frustration. "Can you bitches please come out here? If I have to listen to Freya and my grandmother argue any longer about the pros and cons of making your own baby food, I'm going to set this house on fire."
Caroline laughed. "Yes, let's go in. I'm hungry."
"What's new?" Rebekah joked to Katherine as they followed her back to the sitting room.
"I told you when you first got here that we had a surprise for you," Katherine began as Caroline finished opening her gifts. She nodded to Rebekah, who disappeared into Elijah's office momentarily. "This is something Rebekah, Bonnie, and I have been working on for the last month or so, so you better like it, princess."
Rebekah reemerged, carrying a tall gift-wrapped present in her arms. She set it down in front of the pregnant woman and stepped back.
Tentatively, Caroline unwrapped the gift and laughed upon seeing what was inside. Her friends had worked together to have a miniature replica of the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens built. "You guys!"
"It's for his room," Bonnie explained. "We told Klaus about it, and he said there would be a place for it."
"It's lovely," Caroline breathed, standing up to hug them all. "Thank you."
By the time the shower—which was lovely, and very tastefully done—was over, Caroline and Klaus had acquired more baby stuff than they would ever know what to do with.
"What is this thing?" he asked once he'd arrived to load up his Range Rover.
Caroline looked at the box he was holding. "It's a bottle warmer."
"You're going to breast feed," he recalled. "Why do we need a bottle warmer?"
"Well, I won't breast feed forever," she answered. "And when you're with him and I'm out, he won't have my boobs there, so you'll need bottles to put my pumped milk into."
"Hey, have you guys decided what you're going to do about a nanny?" Bonnie wondered as she helped them carry things out to the SUV.
"We aren't going to have one," Klaus said. "We always had nannies, and our parents used them as an excuse to avoid and neglect us. Caroline and I wouldn't do that, but we refuse to even risk it."
Rebekah made a face. "What are you going to do, take him on tour?"
"Some," Caroline shrugged. "I will cut back on touring, and he's gonna cut back on how long tours last. The tour for Hybrid starts in March, and it'll only last until mid-July. That's significantly shorter than usual, and Julian and I will join occasionally."
"Oh, but Freya would disapprove," Katherine teased. "A tour bus is no place for a baby, Caroline."
Klaus chuckled. "I assume you got plenty of parenting advice today, love?"
"In one ear and out the other," Caroline smiled. "She means well, but Freya is a bit more bohemian than we are, so I just think our parenting strategies will be vastly different."
After loading up the car, Klaus drove them back home but stopped her before she could go inside.
"Okay, I've got a surprise for you," he explained. He pulled a silk blindfold from his pocket. "I need you to trust me and put this on."
"This makes me nervous," she muttered as he covered her eyes before taking her hands to lead her inside. "Am I going to have to go upstairs?"
"Just one level," he confirmed. "I promise not to let you fall."
Caroline carefully ascended to their second floor, clutching his hands tightly. He guided her down the hallway and stopped just outside the nursery.
"So, while you were with the girls all afternoon at your shower, I was here with my brothers, Stefan, and Marcel," he began, opening the door. "I know you've been stressing out about getting the nursery finished, especially since we got all those gifts today, so I wanted to take one more thing off your plate." He reached up to remove the blindfold. "Surprise."
She gasped as she looked around the completed nursery. They'd decided upon a Peter Pan theme as a nod to where Klaus had proposed to her in Kensington Gardens, and it had turned out much better than Caroline had ever imagined.
"Henrik and Elijah painted the walls, and then I did the Big Ben and characters," he said as she looked around. "Stefan, Kol, and Marcel put the furniture together and decorated a bit."
"Oh, I love that," she breathed, pointing to the framed quote on the wall. Tears filled her eyes. "Nik, this is perfect. I don't even know what to say."
"I'm glad you like it," he beamed. "I was a bit nervous you'd be upset we finished it all without you."
"No," she shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love it. And I love you."
"Good," he grinned, kissing her softly. "I have one more surprise for you."
"You do too much," she told him.
He led her over to the rocking chair next to the crib and then turned on the small television. "So, you know how I've been doing the secret project in the studio with Enzo?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"Well, it wasn't just me," Klaus reported. "I'm not sure if you know this or not, but Macklemore had a baby this year with his wife, Tricia, so we teamed up and wrote a song together." He turned the TV on and a black and white video of Klaus and the rapper in the studio started playing. "This is what we came up with. It's called 'Growing Up,' and I hope you like it."
[Macklemore:]
They say boys don't cry
But your dad has shed a lot of tears
They say I should be a strong man
But baby, I'm still filled with fear
Sometimes I don't know who I am
Sometimes I question why I'm here
I just wanna be a good dad
Will I be? I have no idea
They say girls shouldn't be tough
And moms should raise their kids at home
But baby, I know that that isn't true
Cause your momma's the toughest person I know
I wanna raise you to be like her
And watch you show the world how to do it on your own
I'm still tryna figure out who I am
I don't wanna mess this up or do this wrong
I'm gonna be there for your first breath
I don't know if I'll be there for your first step
I can promise you that I'll try to work less
But the tour's routed, and I got this album
Put in so many hours, and I just want the outcome
To be something that I can look back and I can be proud of
Don't wanna be a dad that's living in FaceTime
But I've got a world to sing to and you at the same time
I won't spoil you, you can trust that
For your sweet sixteen, you get a bus pass
Had your heart broken? Been there, done that
I love you and I can't give you enough of that
Get back to community that raised you up
Read Langston Hughes, I suggest "A Raisin in the Sun"
Listen to Sam Cooke, a change gon' come
You put the work in, don't worry about the praise, my love
Don't try to change the world, find something that you love
And do it every day
Do that for the rest of your life
And eventually, the world will change
[Klaus:]
I'll be patient, one more month
You'll wrap your fingers 'round my thumb
Times are changing, I know, but who am I if
I'm the person you become
If I'm still growing up, up, up, up
If I'm still growing up, up, up, up
I'm still growing up
[Macklemore:]
I recommend that you read "The Alchemist"
Listen to your teachers, but cheat in calculus
Tell the truth, regardless of the consequence
And every day, give your momma a compliment
Take your girl to the prom
But don't get too drunk hanging out the limo
Slow dance with your woman in your arms
Sneak her in after but boy, you better tiptoe
Don't wake your mom up,do yoga, learn 'bout karma
Find God, but leave the dogma
The quickest way to happiness? Learning to be selfless
Ask more questions, talk about yourself less
Study David Bowie, James Baldwin and 2Pac
Watch the sun set with best friends from a rooftop
Wear a helmet, don't be stupid,jaywalk, but look before you do it
If it snows, go outside, build a jump, get some help
Get a sled, thrash the hill with your friends, 'til it melts
Go to festivals, camp, fall in love and dance
You're only young once, my loved one, this is your chance
Take risks, cause life moves so fast
You're only young once, my loved one, this is your chance
[Klaus:]
I'll be patient, one more month
You'll wrap your fingers round my thumb
Times are changing, I know, but who am I if
I'm the person you become
If I'm still growing up, up, up, up
I'm still growing up, up, up, up
[Klaus:]
I'll be patient, one more month
You'll wrap your fingers round my thumb
Times are changing, I know, but who am I if
I'm the person you become
If I'm still growing up, still growing up, still growing up
If I'm still growing up, still growing up, still growing up
[Klaus:]
I'm still growing up
I'm still growing up, ooh
I'm still growing up
I'm still growing up
Caroline was openly crying by the time the video ended. In their six-and-a-half years together, Klaus had written dozens of songs for her, but this was easily her favorite of them all.
"God, if sex wasn't so uncomfortable for me in my current state, I'd blow your mind right now," she joked, wiping her eyes. "I love it. It's my favorite song you've ever written."
"More so than even 'Give Me Love?'" he asked.
"Maybe it's a tie," she shrugged, still loving their wedding song. "Can you believe that in like, one month, we'll be parents?"
"I can't wait," he confirmed, kissing the top of her head. "It'll be our greatest adventure yet."
January 23...
"Caroline, you have to keep pushing," her British doctor, Dr. Charles, explained as he readied himself to deliver the baby. "Can you do that for me?"
"Yes," she breathed, clutching her husband's hand.
"You're the strongest person I know," Klaus whispered to her, pushing her hair off of her head. "You can do this, love. One more big push and he'll be here."
She nodded and pushed as hard as she could, praying to whomever she had to that she wouldn't poop on the table; Freya had told her that happened.
Suddenly, a cry filled the room and Caroline looked at Klaus in excitement.
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Mikaelson," Dr. Charles grinned, holding the baby up for them to see. "It's a boy. Klaus, would you like to cut the cord?"
With shaky hands, Klaus took the small scissors from one of the nurses and cut the umbilical cord, watching in amazement as their son was hurried to the small bed to be cleaned off before he would be presented to his parents.
"We did it," Caroline cried happily.
Klaus kissed all over her face. "You did it, Caroline. This was all you."
"I think someone is ready to meet you guys," Caroline's head nurse, Max, announced as he carried the baby over, tucked tightly in a soft gray blanket.
"Hi, baby," Caroline beamed as she nestled him against her chest. "I'm your mommy, and this is your daddy."
Klaus sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a finger across the baby's cheek. "He's so perfect."
"Of course he is," Caroline confirmed. "He's ours."
"Name?" Max asked, ready to fill out the birth certificate.
"Julian," Klaus spoke up. "Julian Forbes Mikaelson."
Max filled it in and smiled at the new family again. "Welcome to the world, Julian Forbes Mikaelson."
