AN: Another au week drabble, for Free for All day.
Prompted by the ever awesome peachyforbes on tumblr.
kc + "we've been celebrating our wedding anniversary on the wrong day for the past nine years" au
This is my basic headcanon so no 4x16, no baby, Kol is all alive and well, inseparable with his bat as he should be.
Set some time in the future.
If there was one thing people could say about Caroline Forbes, it was that she surely knew how to throw a party.
So there was absolutely no reason in the world for Caroline to feel nervous about holding a simple family dinner to celebrate nine-year anniversary of her marriage to the certain hybrid.
No reason whatsoever.
And yes, indeed, they got married.
It wasn't something either of them needed, with Klaus often repeating how he was an Original and thus, above such silly human conventions. Even Caroline had to admit she had got over her simple-human-life fantasy solid thirty years ago or so.
However, when her mother had inevitably grown old, something she was dreading since the day she had fully understood just what her immortality meant, Caroline decided to fulfill one of her mother's wishes – to see her daughter in a white dress, getting married.
Of course, nowhere in those dreams her mother imagined walking Caroline to the altar so she could marry Klaus Mikaelson, of all people.
For a long time, that wasn't something Caroline imagined, either.
When the Original family had moved to NOLA, Caroline honestly thought that was it. There would be no more bracelets nor sipping champagne, she would no longer need to cover the connection she unwillingly felt towards Klaus. Deep in her subconscious though, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Not only due to the fact that he became just another man who promised her so much, yet delivered so little. And it wasn't the constant adoration she'd grown accustomed to either. It was that nagging feeling in her mind that because of her stubbornness, she missed something. Something inexplicable. Something greater and stronger than she could possible dream of. Just something more.
So when Klaus came back for her graduation, with gifts of freedom and promises of last love, Caroline felt relieved. It wasn't something she would admit even to herself at that moment, first and foremost being elated over the possibility of Tyler's return. But…with his promise, Klaus planted a seed, a certain curiosity of all the would-have/could-have-beens, fueled only more by their encounter in the woods a few months later.
They kept in touch during her time in college, Klaus busy with gaining power in New Orleans and Caroline doing her usual overachiever stint of organizing every possible event at school joined with starring in a few quite successful plays.
It seemed as a natural order of things, that when she graduated and Klaus appeared again, this time with a plane ticket to Rome instead of the mini fridge, she not only accepted the present but also ask him to join her.
And he did.
They'd been travelling through Europe for almost five years, with Klaus showing Caroline the art, the monuments, the wonders of the world. How could you not want to live forever if you had the possibility to see it all? To spend months just basking under the warmth of Greek sun, being brushed by foamy waves of the Mediterranean Sea, making love under the sky so clear, you could see stars shine so bright? To be honest though, Klaus could make her see the stars just fine on his own.
Just…fine.
Klaus was a tad upset (meaning only three people almost drained dry before Caroline managed to stop him) when their trip got cut short with Kol calling from Vegas, claiming he'd fallen into some serious trouble with the local witches. While she had no idea what the younger Original could have pulled off to piss off the witches in the capital of gambling, Klaus was pretty adamant about the fact that his brother would be able to annoy the hat off the pope.
Arriving in Las Vegas turned out to be quite the surprise, though. Kol, being bored out of his mind and having killed his most recent companions in the latest fit of rage, decided to throw himself a birthday bash. It wouldn't be a party without his dear siblings, was the way he put it. After finally convincing Klaus that daggering Kol for the next fifty years would be an overreaction, they settled on trying to have a good time.
It was the party Caroline would later reminisce about as one of the most epic, yet also one she couldn't quite remember. No wonder there, however, after the amount of tequila bottles she'd downed in, futile at the time, attempt to bond with Rebekah. Klaus was no better, actually, claiming later it was imperative for his mental health to drink so much.
Despite the prodding of the Scooby gang, with Elena Gilbert as the president victim, Caroline chose to move to New Orleans with Klaus. Even if Elijah kept his supernatural throne warm, Klaus needed to get back there eventually and the bubble they had created for themselves during those five years would burst anyway.
And here she was, on her nine-year wedding anniversary to the Original hybrid, Queen of New Orleans (Klaus was pretty adamant about calling her that and well…she did not mind), shouting away the last instructions and commands to make sure everything was in place for the arrival of Klaus' siblings. Over the years, she had been able to form a tentative friendship with Rebekah, yet she was certain the other blond would not hesitate to point out even the smallest glitch. The same went for Katherine, who, after many many years it took to convince Klaus not to kill her or make her life miserable, was able to enjoy her eternity with Elijah. Still, she just had to be the fanciest bitch wherever she went.
Old habits die hard, Caroline thought. And with vampires, they never died.
She checked the table seating for the hundredth time, making sure that Rebekah and Katherine would sit as far apart as possible. Plus, Kol shouldn't be too close to neither his sister nor Klaus. And Katherine definitely couldn't be seated next to Klaus.
"Damn it!" she sighed exasperatedly, trying to make peace with the fact that there was no perfect seating for Original family dinner.
Unless she could clone Elijah somehow and place him between each of his siblings.
Caroline let out a yelp of surprise as she felt familiar arms embracing her from behind, spicy masculine scent of Klaus invading her senses.
"What's the matter, love?" he whispered, placing a gentle kiss to her temple.
She fell into his embrace, trying to calm her nerves about the impending doom they were surely facing.
"You know how I get before your family dinners."
"Come on, Caroline, it's been over two decades. No one will know," he said in a slightly amused tone, adding next "And aren't they your family too, we are married after all, sweetheart."
"Yeah. They are your family any time they're trying to kill one another. Which is basically all the time," Caroline mocked as she whirled around locking her arms on the nape of his neck, pulling his short curls teasingly. Arching her body into his, she nipped at his lower lip in invitation he took, as always, capturing her mouth in a long passionate kiss, her worries and his annoyance over celebratory dinner momentarily forgotten.
"Well, would you look at them, still in the honeymoon phase after all these years," Kol's mocking voice reverberated through the dining room as Caroline lazily ended the kiss and turned to great their guests with confident smile on her face. One thing she'd learned about Kol over the years was that the best strategy to deal with him included not letting his bite get to you.
Figuratively and literally.
"Please, darling, don't stop on my account. Nik is so much prettier when you're on him."
"Kol!" both Klaus and Elijah yelled, hybrid's patience wearing thin already.
The rest of the family arrived and they were all loudly sitting down around the table, in complete disregard of Caroline's seating order. Resigned, she sat at the head of the table with Klaus opposite to her, Kalijah on her sides (she had a habit of calling them that in her head and when she was talking to Klaus), Rebekah and Kol next to them.
After Kol's lewd comments, dinner was actually passing in a peaceful atmosphere, that is when held up to Original standards, with Klaus threatening to rip Katherine's heart out only twice and dagger coming into play once – luckily it was intercepted by Elijah almost immediately.
And then, right at the moment Caroline dared to relax a little, listening to Rebekah's story about her horrible date with some douchy Hollywood actor, Kol decided to attack again.
"Sister, you know I can listen to your strumpet ways all day but the dinner is almost over and I do have an important announcement to make," he said, ignoring the plate Rebekah threw his way, crashing behind his head, "I've visited Vegas recently and it's come to my attention that our two favourite lovebirds were hiding little crucial detail from us for all this time."
"Kol!" It was Caroline's turn to yell as she looked at Klaus with expression of utter panic on her face.
"Stop talking now, Kol," Klaus bit menacingly, slowly raising from his chair.
"Now, now, Nik, I don't understand what all the fuss is about. You all see, I've come across a witch friend of mine, she's running a wedding chapel as a side business…", he flashed to the other end of dining room, escaping Klaus.
"And she's asking me, I swear it's true, how is my brother doing in marriage after two decades? Killed the happy bride yet?"
It was as if the time in the room stopped. Everybody stilled in tension, curious what would come out of Kol's mouth next. More of these ridiculous words or his teeth, when Klaus finally got out of his stupor and punched him senseless.
"You see, I was a bit confused who she was referring to. But then I reasoned Elijah would never stoop his Original ass so low. And you two," he pointed his head towards Caroline and Klaus, "got so pissed that night and then disappeared for good part of the party…"
The silence surrounding them was deafening, everyone busy processing what Kol had just said.
"Come on, Kol, this is bloody ridiculous! Nik would never get married in some cheap Vegas chapel. We'd always thought he would never get married period, remember?" Rebekah let out in disbelief.
"I sincerely doubt that, Kol. That witch of yours was just trying to fool you, for whatever reason," Elijah added, although he seemed slightly uncertain.
"Yes, brother. I have yet to see you produce any proof to that ridiculous statement," Klaus chirped, feigning innocence. Caroline shot him a dirty look.
You did not taunt Kol that way.
"Oh, funny you should say that, brother. Because, indeed, how could I accuse you both of hiding such an important life event from us if I had no proof?" he reached to the inside pocket of his jacket, taking out a crumpled piece of paper.
"Look what I found in our lovebirds' bedroom," Kol laughed when Caroline launched at him, in vain attempt to tear the damning document out of his hand, "Sorry, darling, you're going down."
Flashing between Caroline and Klaus, he handed the paper to Elijah who read, wrinkling his forehead.
"It's a marriage certificate…dating back 24 years," he said, slight surprise in his usually unfazed demeanor.
"You've been secretly married for 24 years?!" came Rebekah's high-pitched shriek. Katherine winced at that but did not hesitate to add, "Caroline, that was so sneaky of you! I am proud. Glad to see my villain 101 lessons paid off."
"How positively scandalous! And to think you made us celebrate your anniversary on the wrong day for these past nine years. Not to mention I've found this in your lingerie drawer. Really, Caroline? Dirty nurse costume? I applaud you." Kol chirped happily, unaware of Klaus slowly approaching him from behind until he was smashed into the nearest wall by the hybrid.
"Enough!" Caroline yelled, successfully silencing the buzz going on between Klaus' siblings and Katherine, "Yes, we got married in Vegas. No, we don't remember it. No, I don't know how's that possible. I blame the cocktails Kol's witch friend was mixing. We did not tell you because it was none of your business. And I make you celebrate our real anniversary every year because it's the only way to gather all you pigheads together! Except you, Elijah, you're always the most accommodating and patient with this bunch," she added in apologizing tone, the eldest Original nodding courtly in response.
With Kol's grunts of pain in the background, as he was attempting to scrape himself off the wall, Caroline took her seat at the head of the table, downing a glass of blood-laced wine, Klaus following in her footsteps.
"Now…can we please enjoy this dinner as a family?" Caroline urged as quiet mumblings of approval from around the table were heard and Klaus couldn't help but feel proud of his wife – a baby vampire putting vampires hundreds tears older in place.
"So Rebekah, tell us more about that actor? Are those muscles real or just well photo-shopped?" she asked trying to return to the normal flow of conversation.
Rebekah was more than willing to share the tiniest details about her date, to discontent of her brothers and it was all going very well again.
Until…
"Hey, did I mention I'd found a whip in Caroline's drawer too? What on earth do you do to Nik, darling, though I admit…"
"Kol!"
So what did you think of his one? If you liked it, please share your thoughts and maybe review (I have no shame, pretty please) :D
Until next time, lovelies ;)
