Previously in "A Soldier's Coming Home", April sings in church and Henrik meets Francesca while shopping with Finn.
Authors' Notes: Well, the weddings have arrived for two of our couples. Want to take a wild guess and tell me who will be next?!
Chapter Nine
Mikaelson Manor – Next Evening…
Klaus stole a quick smile at Caroline as he led her up the front steps of the mansion. He had been successful at keeping her surprise party a secret from her all evening. While everyone else was setting it up, he had taken her out for a fancy dinner to celebrate her birthday. Caroline noticed that he had been quiet most of the evening and eyed him curiously. "All right, Klaus, what's going on? You've been quiet most of the night. Is there something you're not telling me?"
Klaus smiled at her again. "Whatever do you mean, love?"
"You know what I mean," Caroline said. "Come on, Klaus; tell me what's going on."
Klaus took the spare key out of the box on the table by the door, sticking it in the key hole and opening the door. "I think that it'll be better to show you."
Caroline was about to ask him what he meant, but didn't get the chance to reply because no sooner did they enter the mansion than the lights came on and there was a shout of "SURPRISE!"
Caroline placed her hand over her heart and looked at Klaus. "Oh my God, I can't believe this. You threw me a surprise party? That's why you didn't say anything to me?"
"I didn't want to spoil anything, Caroline," Klaus said. "Now that you know, are you surprised?"
Caroline nodded. "Oh yes, I'm definitely surprised."
"I am glad that you are," he said as he kissed her on the lips quickly before her mother came over with a smile on her face.
"I hope that you are surprised, Caroline," Elizabeth said as she gave Caroline a hug, who returned it fiercely. "I love you, my sweet Caroline."
"I love you too, Mom!" Caroline said in a choked voice.
Klaus smiled as he watched this. He was glad Caroline was surprised. He put a record on and went over to her. "May I have this dance, love?"
"Yes, you may," she replied as she placed her hand in his once she'd pulled away from her mom.
His older and younger siblings all watched this as they each heaved a heavy sigh. Sage, Katherine, Stefan, Lexi and Francesca all noticed this and pulled Finn, Elijah, Rebekah, Kol and Henrik out onto the dance floor.
Klaus saw what everyone was doing and smiled before looking at Caroline, kissing her gently while dancing with her. He liked it when they danced together, because they made a beautiful pair on the floor. Once the song ended, he took her hand. "Come with me; I want to give you your present."
"What is it?"
"You'll see," he replied. "Just come with me."
That being said, he tugged at her hand as he led her out to the garden. Caroline didn't know what he was planning, but she knew it had to be something special if he had gone to all this trouble. She was about to ask him why they had come out here when she saw him get down on one knee, still holding her hand. Was he going to do what she thought he was going to do? Seeing as how they had been together for a few months, it certainly looked that way.
"Caroline, you have filled my world with light from the moment I saw you. I find myself falling more and more in love with you every day. I thank you for putting up with me and my family, which was no easy task." He sighed and reached into his pocket with his free hand, pulling out a box. "I come before you today as a man; nothing more, nothing less, to ask you a very important question." He opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "Caroline Lillian Forbes, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and spending the rest of your days with me?"
Caroline couldn't breathe as she looked at the ring. How could she possibly refuse him, especially when he had proposed to her so beautifully? With tears stinging her eyes, she said, "Oh my God, it's beautiful. I love you so much and…yes."
Klaus smiled. "Yes?"
Caroline nodded, the tears flowing down her face now. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, I will marry you, Niklaus Alexander Mikaelson!"
Klaus then placed the ring on her finger, kissing it before getting to his feet and kissing her, wiping her tears away with his finger. "Happy Birthday, Caroline; I love you."
"I love you too, Niklaus," she said as she hugged him to her in a fierce embrace. They went back inside, where they were embraced instantly by Mikael and Eleanor, in what could only be described as a 'welcome to the family' kind of embrace.
"We wish you both many years of happiness to come," Eleanor said as she finished her hug with Caroline before turning to her middle stepson. "And that you are blessed in every sense of the word. We love you both and wish you all the best."
"That was well said, my love," Mikael said once he pulled his wife back into his embrace and kissed the top of her head.
Klaus smiled at his stepmother. "Thank you, Eleanor."
Caroline was about to thank her as well when Liz was seen coming toward them, curious as to what the commotion was about. "What's going on?"
Liz said nothing at first and then, with a big smile on her face, hugged them both before hugging just Klaus. "Welcome to the family, Klaus. I know that you and Caroline are going to be very happy together." She stepped back and wiped a tear away. "I guess tonight we're celebrating two things: a birthday and an engagement."
"Thank you, Mrs. Forbes; I'll make your daughter a very happy woman," Klaus said as he reached over to put his hand gently on her shoulder to comfort her.
Liz smiled at Klaus. "What's with the Mrs. Forbes thing? You can call me either Liz or Elizabeth now. And I know that you're going to make Caroline happy. My only regret is that Bill isn't alive anymore. He would've loved to give Caroline away."
Mikael stepped forward then. "I could do it if you want. I might be Caroline's future father-in-law, but I'd gladly give her away. Hell, it will be good practice for when Rebekah gets married." He looked at Caroline. "Would you object to that, dear?"
"Oh no, not at all," Caroline said. "I'd love to have you give me away, Mr. Mikaelson." Remembering that her mother had asked Klaus to not be formal, she added, "I mean, Mikael."
"I think that's a delightful idea as well," Eleanor said from where she stood behind her husband, nestling her infant daughter that Sage had previously been holding, followed by Finn after the short dance.
The first engaged couple was now holding Olivier, with Finn making faces at his baby brother and Sage bouncing him on her knees.
Caroline smiled as she rested her head on Klaus' shoulder. She was looking forward to marrying him.
Over beside the fireplace, Lexi stood with Kol's arms around her. "Isn't it wonderful, Kol?" she asked as she smiled up at him.
"It is," he replied with a smile back to her.
Lexi smiled. "Who'd have guessed that we'd be celebrating an engagement and a birthday in the same night?"
Kol pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "Call it fate, I guess."
Meanwhile…
Esther stood outside watching the celebration go on without her. She reached up and wiped a few tears away then finally turned on her heel and was prepared to leave when a soft voice stopped her. "Mom, what are you doing out here?" Henrik asked as he closed the door behind him.
"Oh, I was just celebrating your brothers' engagements in private," she said with a forced smile.
Henrik saw how upset his mother was and said, "You could join us if you want."
"Your father wouldn't like it if I did," she replied. "I appreciate the effort, Henrik, but…"
"I don't care what Father thinks, you're still my mother," Henrik said. "Come on, at least stay for a little while?"
She sighs then nods, allowing him to hold out his arm for her and lead her inside, where the entire party stopped at the sight of Esther. Then all of the siblings were moving forward to force themselves to hug their mother, each of their significant others hanging reluctantly back and waiting for introductions.
Henrik saw his siblings' significant others, and Francesca, looking hesitant. "Oh, come on, everyone, she's not going to bite."
Sage was the first to step forward after she handed Sabrina to Finn. "Hello, I'm Sage O'Reilly. It's nice to finally meet you, Ms. Smith," she said as she gently hugged the older blonde woman, who hugged her back.
Katherine, Stefan, Lexi and Francesca all hugged her after that, offering soft introductions.
Caroline noticed what Katherine, Stefan, Lexi and Francesca were doing and, getting a nod from Klaus, approached Esther with a smile. "Hi. I'm Caroline Forbes. It's nice to finally meet you."
Esther smiled at the younger blonde, stepping away from the others to hug her. "The feeling is mutual, Caroline. You and Niklaus make a beautiful couple and I wish you all the joy in the world."
She turns to Sage. "And I wish you and Finnegan all the joy in the world as well," she tells the redhead, who nods and smiles at Finn over her shoulder.
Later, at Sage's Apartment…
Finn can see tears glistening in the eyes of his bride to be but he sees her hide them from him, turning her face away. "Hey, you know you can talk to me," he said as he moved up behind her in the bathroom, looking at her through their reflections in the mirror.
"I'm pregnant, Finn," she tells him softly.
Finn smiled as he heard what Sage told him. "You are?"
Sage nodded in confirmation. "Yes, I am."
Finn turned her around in his arms and kissed her passionately. "Oh, Sage, that's wonderful. I love you so much." He knelt down and kissed her still-flat belly. "I love you too, little one."
She smiles through her tears as his hands are gentle against her stomach as well as his lips. "You're going to spoil him or her rotten," she said in a tone that spoke of matter of fact when they headed out of the bathroom and got into bed.
"And you will be the one who kisses all their tears away, and provide it with joy," he said as she snuggled up into his chest, tracing circles amongst the hair.
Sage sighed against her fiancé's chest, kissing it gently. Not only was she going to marry Finn, but she was also going to have his child, which really made her happy.
The Next Day…
Finn and Sage approached Andrew as he practiced his sermon at the church. "Um, Pastor Young, we were wondering if you had a minute," Finn said after getting his attention.
"Yes, let's go to my office," Andrew said as he gestured for them to go ahead of him to the back part of the church, where his office was located.
Finn cleared his throat. "Pastor Young, Sage and I were wondering if you could perform our wedding and if we could have the wedding soon, because I just found out she's pregnant."
Andrew nodded before he looked at the couple. "Why not do it today? That way, there wouldn't be any fuss and you could start your honeymoon by this evening," he told them both. Finn looked at Sage, who nodded that she was okay with that.
"Alright, let's do it today," Finn said with a smile.
"Let's have your brothers and the girls be our witnesses," Sage said as they left the church so they could go down to the courthouse to get a wedding certificate.
Finn nodded. "That sounds good to me. I want the whole family to witness this."
"Me too," she replied with a smile.
He nodded then pulled her into him, kissing her softly on the lips.
Sage returned his kiss and sighed happily before pulling back. "Come on, let's get things started. I want to make this legal and be yours forever."
Finn nodded. "As my Irish Rose commands."
They went back to his family's mansion, where they found most of them sleeping on furniture scattered around the living room. "Let's divide and conquer, okay?" she suggested in a whisper and waited until he gave her a nod before they headed toward his siblings and father and stepmother.
The first of the siblings to wake up was Henrik, who saw Finn's shadow in the room. "Finn, what's going on?"
Finn smiled. "Well, little brother, there's going to be a wedding today."
"What do you mean today?" Henrik said. "But, you Sage just got engaged; why the rush?"
"There's no time to explain," Finn said. "Just help me wake everyone else, okay?"
Henrik nodded, even though he was still confused by the whole thing. "Okay."
Meanwhile, Sage moved over to gently shake Lexi out of her slumber. "Mm, what; what are you waking me up for, Sage Victoria?" she grumbled to the redhead.
"Come on, Sexy Lexi, I need you to wake up; I'm getting married!" Sage said with a beaming smile.
Lexi woke up completely and looked at Sage. "You're getting married; when?"
Sage smiled. "Today, actually," she replied.
"So, that's where you and Finn have been?" Lexi asked as she smoothed out her hair then her clothes from the night before.
Sage nodded. "Yes. We went to see Pastor Young."
Lexi nodded as she began redoing her hair since it was nothing but a sweaty, matted mess. "So, are you going to wake the others?" she asked as she turned her back to Sage, who helped the blonde French-braid her hair.
"That is the plan," Sage replied softly. Once she had the braid tied off, Sage checked her cousin over, smiling to give approval. After doing that, Sage moved over to where Rebekah lay nestled against Stefan beside the sofa, shaking them both gently awake. "Hey you two, time to wake up; there's going to be a wedding!"
"Whose wedding is it?" Rebekah asked as she rubbed her eyes to rid them of the sleep.
"Your brother's and mine," Sage said with a grin.
Caroline stirred in Klaus' arms and looked to see Sage waking everyone up. "Sage, what's going on?"
The redhead smiled at her. "Hey, Care. Finn and I are getting married today." She nodded pointedly at Klaus. "Why don't you wake up your fiancé? I'd have Finn do it, but he'll probably respond to you better."
Caroline nodded and gently nudged Klaus. "Nik, wake up."
Klaus smiled at her as he opened his eyes. "Morning, love," he said.
"Hi," Caroline said. "Listen, um, I know you're comfortable, but Finn and Sage are getting married and we need to get up."
Klaus nodded when he finally noticed Sage kneeling in front of them. Meanwhile, Finn smiled down at his baby sister nestled between Mikael and Eleanor, gently picking her up and placing her in the bassinet before he shook Eleanor first then his father. "Finn; what is going on?" Eleanor asked as she finally woke up, a look of panic moving onto her face when she noticed Sabrina missing, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw her in the bassinet.
"I need you and Father to wake up. Sage and I are getting married," he said with a smile before turning his attention to Elijah, who had a book in his hands, his arms wrapped around Katherine.
Katherine groaned slightly as she felt someone nudging her. She looked up and saw Caroline. "Care, what's going on?"
"Finn and Sage are getting married today," the blonde replied. "Come on, we have to get up so that we can get ready."
Katherine nodded and looked at Elijah, smiling at him as she kissed him, which instantly woke him. "Wake, wake, my love, we have a wedding to go to today."
"Yeah," Caroline said. "Finn and Sage want us all to get up and get ready for their wedding."
Elijah nodded. Even though he thought it was a bit of a short notice, he wasn't about to disappoint his brother and future sister-in-law. "Well then, let's not waste any time."
Katherine got up off of him after he tossed the book he'd been reading softly to her until they both fell asleep to the side and they both began to smooth out their clothes that they'd worn to Caroline's birthday party.
Fell's Church – Later…
Sage tried not to look too nervous as Caroline and Katherine helped her with her dress. Of course, she had nothing to be nervous about since she was marrying the man she loved.
"Have you decided on who your maid of honor will be?" Caroline asked as she and Katherine finished fixing the dress. Sage nodded as she looked at Lexi through the mirror.
"You want…me to do it?" Lexi asked and Sage nodded again, turning around to open her arms to the dark blonde-haired girl. Lexi stepped forward until they were hugging each other tightly. Lexi pulled back after a few minutes. "I'm honored that you asked me first, and I would love nothing more than to be your maid of honor."
Caroline saw the cousins hugging and smiled.
In the Groom's Dressing Room…
"Are you nervous at all?" Mikael asked as he stood in front of Finn, fixing his tie then smiling at his oldest son.
"No. I'm excited. I've wanted this for the past few months," Finn replied as he returned his father's smile.
Mikael smiled at Finn. "I know you have, son. Eleanor and I couldn't be happier for you. Sage is a wonderful woman and you two deserve to be happy."
"I know she is," Finn said. "That's why I'm looking forward to making her my wife."
Elijah comes over with the others following behind and Finn sees the look on each of their faces. "Oh, please tell me you weren't debating again! I already told you all who I wanted, and it's going to be Kol."
Elijah rolled his eyes. "Tell that to Henrik. He's the one debating."
Finn turned to his youngest brother besides Olivier and put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "Henrik, I love you, but I already told Kol he could do it," he told the young blonde boy.
Henrik nodded and smiled, although there was a hint of sadness in it.
Klaus saw the look on Henrik's face and got an idea. "Henrik, I know you're disappointed, but I think I've got the perfect solution. You can be the best man at my wedding."
Henrik smiled at his big brother. "You mean it, Niklaus?"
Klaus nodded. "Definitely," he replied.
"Okay, I like that idea better, but I hope that Caroline won't mind making Francesca the maid of honor," Henrik said with a grin.
"You're in love," all the other brothers said in sing-song tones, teasing him as he grew red in the face then pushed Kol away from him when he began to making kissing noises.
Finn rolled his eyes. "All right, all right, that's enough. Let's not embarrass the boy any more than he already is."
"It's cute. He's in love, just as much as the rest of us," Kol said before Mikael sent him a glare that told him to shut up immediately and he did just that.
Finn smiled at Mikael. "Thank you, Father. I was beginning to get annoyed with Kol's mouth."
"Your brother knows that he shouldn't make fun of anyone, especially his little brother," Mikael said with a frown at Kol when he puckered his lips again.
Finn eyed Kol firmly. "I agree. The last thing I need is Kol being a childish idiot, ESPECIALLY on my wedding day."
Kol throws his hands up in surrender before he asked, "When are we going to get this show on the road?"
Finn was about to answer when Eleanor was seen coming in. "Boys, Sage is almost ready. You can head out in the sanctuary and get into your positions."
Mikael nodded at that. "Thank you, Eleanor." He looked at the boys as soon as she left. "Well, you heard her, let's get going."
They all filed out and Kol made sure to keep quiet about his second youngest brother, taking his place beside Finn when they arrived in the sanctuary of the church to begin the ceremony.
As soon as they got into their places, the girls came out. Kol, Klaus, Elijah, Henrik, and Stefan all smiled as they saw how beautiful Lexi, Caroline, Katherine, Francesca, and Rebekah looked in their dresses. Then, once they were all positioned, the bride part of the wedding march began and Sage was seen walking in, her white gown flowing behind her. Finn smiled at her, excited about finally getting to make her his forever.
When Sage was close enough, Finn met her half way up the aisle and gave her his arm, and escorting her down the rest of the way to the altar, whispering in her ear, "You look beautiful."
Sage smiled and whispered, "Thank you. You look great yourself."
They smiled at each other one more time before turning to face Pastor Young. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today before God and these witnesses to see firsthand the love between a man and a woman, with that man being Finnegan Cooper Mikaelson and that woman being Sage Victoria O'Reilly."
Finn smiled at Sage and, after hearing Pastor Young say they had written their own vows, he said, "Sage, you have made my life complete from the moment I met you. I knew we were meant for each other and I'm looking forward to spending my days with you. I love you and will always love you forever."
Her green eyes glistened with tears of joy as she listened to his personal vows. "I first fell in love with a handsome man with a British accent, when I met his brown eyes that weren't five feet from mine, as his lips voiced a question that was important, and I plan to keep on loving that man for the rest of my days," she said with a tearful smile.
Pastor Young smiled at the couple and had Kol bring the ring for Finn to give to Sage. "Finn, place this ring on Sage's finger and repeat after me: 'With this ring, I thee wed'."
Finn nodded and took the ring from Kol, placing it on Sage's finger, saying, "With this ring, I thee wed."
Lexi then came forward with the ring for Sage to give to Finn. "Sage, place this ring on Finn's finger and repeat after me: 'With this ring, I thee wed'."
Sage nodded and took the ring from Lexi, placing it on Finn's finger, saying, "With this ring, I thee wed."
Pastor Young nodded. "Finn and Sage, a love as strong as yours is something that doesn't come around very often, and I know that you two will keep that love as strong as it was since the day you began your journey together. Which is why I'm proud to say this to you: by the power vested in me by the state of Virginia, as well as the good Lord above, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He smiled at Finn. "Finn, you may kiss your bride."
Finn wasn't about to be told twice and he pulled Sage to him, kissing her passionately. Sage returned the kiss willingly, feeling her heart swell and burst with joy, not only because she was now married to the man she loved, but also because the baby she was carrying was now officially a Mikaelson.
At the Reception…
Sage pulls her husband a little closer and smiles as he tightens his arms around her. "I was thinking of Ruby for a girl and Cooper for a boy," she whispered in his ear.
Finn smiled at what Sage whispered in his ear. He loved those possible names for their child. His smile still there, he whispered back, "Those are wonderful names."
They both turned their heads when someone cleared their throat next to them, and Sage nearly burst into tears at the sight of her father. "Daddy," she said in a choked voice.
"I can see now why you love this man, Sage Victoria," he said as he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. She extracted herself from Finn and moved into her father's arms. "May I have this dance, sweetheart?"
"Yes, you may, Daddy," she replied with a tearful smile that was filled with lots of joy.
Finn watched Sage dance with Seamus and Eleanor went over to him, having left the twins with Mikael. "May I have this dance, Finn?"
Finn smiled at his stepmother, pulling her gently into his arms. "You may."
Eleanor returned her stepson's smile as they danced together.
Out in the group of people gathered, Lexi took Sabrina from Mikael's arms while Katherine took Olivier and he went over to hold his hand out to Rebekah, who smiled with tears brimming in her eyes as she stood up then moved into his arms to dance with him.
Mikael smiled at Rebekah as they danced together, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, Rebekah."
Rebekah sniffed. "I love you too, Father."
Andrew turned when he saw April approaching him, dressed beautifully in a dress that Adrianna had been more than happy to pass off to the brunette. "May I have this dance, April Shower?" he asked her as he held open his arms.
"Yes, Daddy, you may," she said as she returned his smile.
Andrew then took April in his arms and held her close as they danced to the music. "You look beautiful, April."
April smiled. "Thank you, Daddy. Adrianna thought so too when I tried the dress on."
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed seeing the three pairs of fathers & daughters dancing at Sage and Finn's wedding and hope that you'll come back for the next chapter!
