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Chapter 12

The drive from London was a drag.

Caroline was going to visit her father for the weekend. He lived up North, which meant that Caroline only saw him on casual occasions, as they both had lives and jobs that got in the way of meeting up with any sense of regularity. With everything going on in the month since New Years, Caroline hadn't the time. It wasn't gearing up quite as fast as it would come summer, but the pedal was now firmly being hit on, the journey speeding along.

The blonde had definitely been closer to her father when growing up, with her being his little 'Care Bear,' but that had all changed when she was fifteen. She remembered the day well.

Flashback

Caroline hated Geography homework- who cared about oxbow lakes? Entering the house, she resigned herself to the fact she had to do it. Dropping her bag, she entered her kitchen to get an apple to snack on before tea.

What she didn't expect was for her parents to be around the kitchen table, both with serious expressions on their faces. Liz was already stood, but Bill rose when he saw his daughter. Caroline opened her mouth, and then closed it.

"Sit down, Caroline; we need to tell you something."

She did as asked, confused.

The two parents had a non-verbal argument about who was to start. Liz eventually won it, and turned to her daughter.

"Caroline, this will come as a shock to you, and you must know that we love you, but," Liz took a deep breath, preparing for the next part, "Your father, your father is leaving us."

Those words were like a blow to Caroline. Her head spun, thoughts whirling around her like a tornado, not quite turning into articulate words. Her brain became a rag doll being thrown across the room, bouncing from one side of her to the other; unable to comprehend what had just been said. Her father was leaving them? No, that couldn't be possible; it must be just some bad dream. She would wake up and go downstairs, her parents would be happy at the breakfast table.

She knew, deep down, that this wasn't the case.

"WHAT?"

"Well, Caroline," Bill looked sheepish, rubbing his elbows as he attempted to justify himself, "You know when I went on all those business trips? I met someone else, we went out for a drink at a bar- just casually, as friends, and then it became more. We've met a few times ever since, and now it's a thing, I guess you could put it that way."

This continued to defy her beliefs. Her dad was cheating on her mum? How could this happen.

"Who...who is she?"

Bill took a deep breath.

"It's a he, Caroline. I'm gay."

That again knocked her, each revelation more surprising than the previous. How was her dad gay? He seemed so happy with her mum; he made jokey comments about women on the telly, all that kind of thing. There had never been a hint of homosexuality or even unhappiness at his marriage with Liz. For all intents and purposes, it seemed as though Bill Forbes was happily married to Liz Forbes, loved his daughter Caroline and was part of that perfect little family that everyone envied.

"What's his name?"

"Stephen Dunning. He has a daughter a little younger than you, Hannah. She's a really nice girl."

That's when it finally sunk in. Her parents would be divorcing. They would go to court, divide up assets, including her. One would get custody, or perhaps it would be joint depending upon where they decided to live. It would be visiting one at Christmas, or at Easter, or on birthdays. Perhaps they'd only even be on Christmas card terms. Bill would move onto his little family, him, Stephen and Hannah. Perhaps Hannah would be prettier than her, smarter; maybe she could play an instrument or play a sport particularly well. Bill might well prefer her. What about Liz? Maybe she would marry another man; maybe he would have a child, or perhaps children. How easy would it be to visit one or the other if an emergency happened? Would they attend parents' evenings together, her plays and her dance recitals? Everyone would talk about it. Teachers would pull her back after lessons; ask her if she was ok. Elena and Bonnie would do the same, talk with those sympathetic tones. Bonnie's parents had divorced when she was only young, so though she was aware of what it was like, she had grown up used to a single parent household, though she admittedly spent a lot of time in the care of her grandma, Sheila. Elena, on the other hand, came from a happy household with her parents Grayson and Miranda, as well as brother Jeremy. Well, Caroline thought she had her perfect little household, but how wrong she was.

Oh God, she needed some air.

"I...I...I need to go," she upped from her seat and then rushed out of the room, ignoring her parents' pleas for her to come back. Dashing up, she jumped onto her bed as soon as she got to it, and burst into untamed sobs.

End of flashback

The traffic in London had been murder, but she'd managed to leave at a sensible time. The motorway had caused her no problems, so she arrived at her destination at a good time. Bill had told her to dress formally, as they would be having a nice lunch at Benjamin's, a very nice restaurant. She had dressed as asked, with a blue dress, white cardigan and matching heels, hair curled and make up done extra nicely. Stephen and Hannah would be there, along with Caroline's grandparents Dom and Joan, Stephen's parents Phil and Alice and sister Beverly. The occasion was to celebrate Stephen's promotion to be head of the company he worked at. It was a 'family occasion' and as the daughter of his boyfriend, Caroline was deemed to be a member of such an exclusive club. They recognised that she was busy, but luckily, she managed to nab the day off. She would be staying at their house for the night before driving back the next day. There were still things to be done for Katherine and Elijah, and they of course could not wait.

She finally arrived at her destination, slipping into a space in the car park that provided spaces for the street in which the restaurant was placed on. Reapplying her lip gloss in the car mirror, she noticed the family gathered out of the corner of her eye. It was always awkward seeing her father. She'd grown up as daddy's little girl, but after the falling out over the divorce, she saw herself more in her mother than him. There was never that warmth in the hugs anymore, that familiar paternal love. It was more like he was a kind uncle as opposed to a father figure.

Caroline had never been all that close to her grandparents from her dad's side. Dominic and Joan had always lived that little further away, whereas her mother's side had lived in Mystic Falls for generations. They were nice and pleasant, but more like the neighbours that lived a little down the road that you sometimes chatted with on a warm day and sometimes attended community events, but often kept to themselves. Joan especially was quite prim and proper, with graces unbeknownst to most. With pearls around her neck, she often carried herself in a certain way. She didn't feel like they were grandparent-like figures as she had with David and Mimi.

"Caroline!" Bill held out his arms as soon as his beloved daughter approached.

"Hello, dad," she hugged him back.

"You look well, are you well?"

"I cannot complain."

"The royals are treating you well, are they? I may just be a citizen, but I will kick the ass of all of them if they are cruel to you."

Caroline laughed; her father had always been protective of her. She was daddy's little girl when puberty happened and she started getting male attention, which always got Bill on edge. Unsurprisingly, though, Liz had held the most power. As a high ranking police officer in a small town, she was known, respected and sometimes feared by all. Tyler, Matt and the others had all feared they'd be hauled in to the cells by Officer Forbes. There had been many a time when she had answered the door in full police gear, hand on hip and taser- she had special training for it- in the other. No one wanted that painful electric shock.

"It is fine, daddy, don't you worry."

He nodded, satisfied.

"Hello, sweetheart."

"Hello, Stephen."

Stephen Dunning was a short, stout man with greying hair and peppered stubble. He stood only just above Caroline in height.

They hugged briefly.

"It is nice to see you, Caroline; it is a shame that we do not so see each other more often."

Though Stephen played a hand in the breakdown of her parents' marriage, she could not hate him. A slight resentment had been present for the past two years, but hatred was not. Stephen was probably one of the kindest men she had ever met, pleasant and well-mannered. Jolly as anything, he was quick to let a smile appear on his face. A joke never went past him, he enjoyed making people laugh. One could imagine him working as a Santa during Christmas time, entertaining the children, or perhaps as a clown.

Hannah stood next. Short like her father, her rounded face was surrounded by strawberry blonde waves falling just past her shoulders. The sweetness of her face reminded one of a cherub, shown by her experience as playing many an angel during the Nativity play during primary school. Always smiling and pleasant, she could not be faulted either. Though both had been initially worried when they'd first met, the two got along very well and liked one another dearly. Two years younger than Caroline, she'd taken an apprenticeship as a nursery nurse, loving young children and wanting them to grow to be the best they could be. She also played the violin, a hobby she still studied valiantly.

The two hugged.

"You look so beautiful, Caroline!"

"Oh, hush you, you always do. Never a bad look with you, Hannah."

Dom and Joan went next, the latter giving her granddaughter a prim kiss on the cheek. The usual greetings were exchanged, hugs, asking after the others. There was a little awkwardness with Stephen's family, as she did know them as well, but there were no harsh feelings, just those ones of discomfort that she often felt around them.

Phil and Alice Dunning were proof that kindness was in the family line. Alice, like Hannah, had sweetness written all over her face. In fact, Hannah was basically a younger version of her grandmother, the only differing trait being the hair. Before Alice went white, she had blonde whereas Hannah's strawberry blonde was that little different. Her great-grandmother on her mother Jane's side had been a redhead too, so it was probably from her that she had got those locks. Jane was a brunette too. Caroline had only met Jane a few times, usually on Hannah's birthdays. Whereas Stephen was kind, she was very cold, with a haughty act and an ice cold demeanour. She had been nothing but polite and civil to Caroline, but she (Caroline) understood that she would have some resentment towards her ex-husband. Liz had accepted her former spouse's actions, but Jane hadn't quite done the same.

Beverly Dunning (formerly Beverly Cross) was Stephen's debonair older sister. A thin blonde, she was like her brother in that she was divorced. Beverly was one of the funniest people Caroline had ever come across, care-free and ready for laughter whatever the time. Whereas Stephen's jokes were safe, Beverly's quips and barbs often had those around her putting a hand over their mouth in shock. Her laugh filled a room, its loud cackle filling the ears of all of those in the vicinity. Caroline did like Beverly quite a lot.

"Shall we get to Benjamin's, then?" asked Dom.

Stephen and Bill looked at each other before turning back to the others.

"We are going to Benjamin's," Stephen replied, cautiously, "But later."

"Later?"

"It will be our celebration dinner."

"We know that," was Dom's impatient reply, "For Stephen's promotion."

"Well, there's something we didn't tell you," Bill turned to Stephen for confirmation, before the two chimed in together, "We are getting married."

Everyone froze in shock, not one person daring to glance at the other. They were still, not wanting to move and running the risk of being pranked.

"We are serious," Stephen laughed, breaking the facade, "We are truly doing it."

"Today, as well. This is why we asked you to dress nicely for when you arrived- we have the registry office booked for fifteen minutes for a proper ceremony. We will have tea there afterwards as a celebration, we've even ordered a nice big cake."

"We've both been married before, we've had the big celebration with the wedding and the clothes and the bridesmaids, and we agreed that neither of us wanted it," Stephen continued, To us, this wedding should just be a celebration of love and companionship with our closest- our family. We haven't a maid of honour or a best man, but Hannah, Caroline-we want you to be our bridesmaids. We have two fake bouquets in the boot of the car; you can carry those down the aisle. We agreed it should be close family- parents, siblings and daughters. The announcement will be made tomorrow, probably online as a surprise to everyone on Facebook."

"But...why?" Phil sounded surprised.

"We have been together for around ten years now," Stephen shrugged, "Could've had a civil partnership, hell, could have had a marriage considering it's been legal for like two or three years now, but I guess we just felt that now was the right time for us to be legally husbands. We mulled it over; just casually chatted about it before we decided it's something we both want to do. I want him to be my husband; he wants me to be his husband. We're now ready."

After that, there was an outbreak of celebration. Caroline and Hannah launched themselves at their respective fathers, before launching themselves at each other, happy to be finally, officially, step-sisters. Beverly shrieked so loudly that several people passing looked at her with concern. Alice burst into tears as she hugged her son so tightly that he could have burst. Dom and Joan were a little more restrained in their congratulations, but everyone could tell that there was joy in their eyes. A little tear came from Joan's eye, which struck Caroline as being unusual, as she had never really seen her grandmother cry before. She caught Caroline's eye, and quietly and quickly hugged her before going back to her usual cool and rigid posture. Bill and Stephen looked thrilled, so happy that the news had been so well received.

The two went to retrieve the bouquets from the car. After they did, they exited the car park and starting walking up the street, past the shops and then into the registry office.

Caroline observed many things as she did.

The first thing that struck her was a middle-aged woman with raven hair, holding the hand of a girl no more than three or four years of age. This woman was crying heavily, clutching onto a sheet of paper that Caroline immediately recognised as a death certificate- she remembered it from when David had died. Caroline didn't seen her stomach until she'd passed the desk and immediately felt a pang until she saw that the woman was pregnant. The lady looked down at her finger, her eyes becoming more downcast at the sight of the wedding ring. She was clearly a widow with a young child and an unborn baby.

Just strolling out of the opposite doors was a teenage couple, the girl bouncing a baby in her arms. They chatted for a while before an older woman- assumedly the girl's mother- walked out holding a sheet of paper like the previous woman's, except that was a birth certificate. The woman handed the certificate to the boy before taking the baby and raising it high, before bringing it to her chest, the three of them walking out.

At the end of the corridor, 'Rose Room' was engraved in a plaque above a set of double doors. A cheering crowd exited, in the middle an elderly couple arm in arm. The two were definitely at least in their eighties, but the youth on their face made them look like they were only in their twenties. The gentleman wore a suit, the lady with a dress that went under her knees and matching jacket.

"Thank God for the internet," the gentleman called out, "Otherwise I might never have found her again. War does a bit of splitting up, doesn't it?"

Aw, that was cute, Caroline smiled, two lovers separated by war but reunited again years later.

Stephen and Bill went up to the desk.

"Hi there," the woman smiled, "I can help you?"

"Wedding of Stephen Dunning and William Forbes."

She pressed on the screen before scrolling down it.

"Ah, ok, great- the Lily Room. Just pass down that corridor and it is the last one on the left. The registrar is already waiting, so if you want to get your guests seated and any members of the bridal party to be in position and then you're good to do."

They thanked her, and followed the way she said.

"Once we get there, our parents and Beverly can go and sit and get settled. After that, I will go in first before standing and waiting for Stephen, who will have Hannah and Caroline. Here are your bouquets girls."

They handed the little white roses to both of them.

"Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Ok, shall we get started?"

Beverly, Joan, Dom, Phil and Alice all went ahead, sliding into the doors. The room was only small, but it was not like there were many of them. Bill peeked through the door, waiting until they'd settled into their seats before turning back.

"It is nearly time," he squeezed his fiancé's hand, "When we leave, we'll be husband and husband."

Stephen nodded excitedly, squeezing it back. Bill leaned back and kissed Caroline's cheek before slipping into the room.

His fiancé waited for him before taking a deep breath and looking at the girls.

"Ready?"

"Ready," they confirmed.

The doors were opened, Stephen stepping in first. Waiting until they were at least three or four steps behind, Caroline and Hannah linked arms- wanted to be united as step-sisters much as their fathers would be spouses. Walking down, they followed him down the aisle.

Bill beamed as he saw Stephen. Caroline and Hannah took their places at their side, with the rest of the family seated neatly in the front row.

The officiate was a woman with a grey Eton crop, holding a book in her hands. She looked between them.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentleman, and welcome to the North Gate Register Office, for the marriage of Stephen Andrew Dunning and William Dominic Forbes. This place in which we are now met has been duly sanctioned according to the law for the celebration of marriage. This ceremony will unite Stephen and William in marriage. We are here to celebrate their union and to honour their commitment to each other. Today, both couples will proclaim their love for one another. We celebrate with them and for them. If any person present knows of any lawful impediment they should declare it now."

There was an obvious silence.

"Marriage joins two people in the circle of its love..."

The officiate continued the ceremony. The royal wedding would be religious in service, continuing with the tradition of the Royal Family being prominent members of the Anglican faith. Elijah was fairly religious, whilst Katherine was an agnostic. However, neither Stephen or Bill was remotely interested in a religious ceremony. Both had married in churches when they'd married Jane and Liz respectively, and neither felt as though they wanted to do it again.

Nothing seemed to go wrong. Both smoothly went through the words, no lines missed out or messed up. The vows were simple but heartfelt, the love in their faces evidenced by their large smiles.

Soon enough, the officiate announced that the ceremony was over and that all they needed to do now was sign the papers.

"And you may of course kiss," she added in an afterthought.

At that, everyone stood up and applauded, yelling out cheers and whoops of delight. Once that was over, the now married pair walked over to the table and sat down.

It was at this point that the photographer walked up.

Every single combination of photograph was taken- Caroline even found herself sandwiched inbetween Alice and Beverly at some point.

"You know, you can tell your mum when you get home," Bill stated as they started to pose for a picture, the photographer doing something with the lens.

Caroline's breath hitched.

Whilst Mimi was outright hostile to her former son-in-law, Liz was a little less combative. She didn't call or contact Bill unless she explicitly had to, but when he came to Mystic Falls for various reasons and needed to call upon the old home (before Caroline moved to London it was for meetings, afterwards it tended to be for special occasions like birthdays), she would invite him in for tea and cake and made small talk. Liz probably didn't hold too much resentment for her ex, but she still didn't jump around him like a cheerleader.

Even so, Caroline didn't really know how she'd respond to the news. Mimi would just make a comment.

She was surprised that Dom and Joan had been so joyful, considering what they'd been like when he'd first admitted it. It wasn't the fact that he was gay that was so much of a problem, but the scandal of it all- Bill leaving his wife and daughter for a man he'd only known for a little while and engaged in an affair with. They'd been too shocked to speak for a while after they sat down and told him, and the family didn't even talk for a while because of all the tension. Luckily, they seemed to slowly get over it. The Forbes were a family of appearances, well, at least the Forbes on her dad's side. Her mother's family seemed a lot more relaxed.

They snapped the photos and Caroline went to the side, next to Hannah.

"So we're officially step-sisters now!" Hannah trilled.

"We are indeed," Caroline put an arm around her, "It's great! So, your dad is fine in the boy department, but what about you?"

"Actually," Hannah blushed, "There's a guy that sometimes comes to do the repairs- you know what that place is like, loads of kids, stuff breaks easily. He's called Dan; I'm often the one that makes him a cup of tea. We often make awkward small talk but it's never gone any further than that. He's really cute though."

"Ooh," Caroline pushed her arm playfully, "How romantic."

"Yes, how romantic, bonding over broken tables," Hannah replied, dryly.

The blonde laughed.

"You should talk to him."

"It's not like he comes in every day though."

"Still, next time, get a casual conversation going. Say you like a particular coffee place or want to see a particular film, see where it goes from there."

"Such a little flirt. How about you though, anyone?"

"No," Caroline signed, "A bit dry on that front."

Liar

Not liar

Liar- you're not dating him, but you know you like him.

Shut up, he's an idiot. He doesn't like people; you don't want to get involved with that. Plus, everyone knows it, he just likes his quick fun with girls and then he's on his way.

She was snapped out of an argument with her inner monologue when it was announced it was time for tea.

The walk was filled with happy chatter. Caroline and Hannah remained arm-in-arm like schoolgirls, laughing as they walked into the restaurant.

Benjamin's, whilst not an expensive affair as one would find in Mayfair or Chelsea, was a generally nice place to eat. Whilst it was a little more expensive than the average place, it was most definitely worth it. The staff were prompt, the decor was nice and the atmosphere was generally friendly. One could easily say that it was the nicest in town, and the Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews backed it up.

They entered and were soon shown to their table.

Caroline found herself next to her father, with Hannah on her other side so that she may converse with someone her own age. Beverly sat beside Hannah.

At that moment, she was able to have a moment of quiet.

She was happy for her father, most definitely so. He and Stephen loved each other dearly. Whilst her parents divorcing had upset her idea of a perfect, happy family, she was safe in the knowledge that he now had a spouse that he deeply loved. Well, perhaps he'd loved her mother, but in just a love way as opposed to an 'in love' way.

Caroline had always been attracted to that traditional idea of love. Yes, she'd had her fun but now she wanted that classic romance. There was the guy, the perfect guy who loved her and was loved by her in return, who she would do anything for and would do anything for her, who would spoil her and who she could spoil back. The storybook wedding was a must, as a wedding planner, it was in her blood. She loved planning other people's big day, and getting to cater her own would just be the cherry on top of it all. Caroline Forbes loved weddings- of course she did, it paid the rent. However long later, she wanted children- two or three maybe, she wanted to have a few. She'd consider adoption if need be, but wanted biological children at the moment. She could imagine it now- school plays, dinner dates with the husband, drawings on the fridge.

The waiters arrived, and champagne was ordered for all.

"Darling, we'll be paying for your reception," Joan told her son, "It is simply unthinkable that you pay for your own. I remember your grandfather paying for mine, God rest his soul. This champagne alone will not be cheap."

"Mother, Stephen and I are fine; we are both comfortable in our wages. We have been saving for months; a dinner at Benjamin's will not kill us like a dinner at the Ritz would."

Joan pursed her lips.

"We're contributing too," Phil added, "Beverly, don't you dare think about it, we know you need a new car."

"I wasn't," Beverly responded, quick as a flash, admiring her new red manicure.

Caroline and Hannah both snorted and she sent a wink their way.

The champagne glasses arrived.

"I'd like to say a few words, as the groom," Bill stood, champagne flute in the air, "I am honoured to now be the husband of Stephen Andrew Dunning. When I met all those years ago at the conference, I never imagined that he would be my future spouse. I am, as you all know, a man of few words and I am not very spectacular at conveying my feelings but I will try. I love you, Stephen, and cannot wait to spend the rest of our hopefully many years together. I am a better person with you, stronger, happier, an overall improved citizen. I said a few words and that it will be, so a toast to my husband and I. To Stephen and I."

"To Stephen and Bill," they chimed in, before drinking the glasses.

Stephen stood next.

"I'd feel quite bad not saying a word in favour of my new husband, so just to be brief- I love him, and I'd quite like to get back to the champagne."

Everyone laughed as he promptly got himself seated again.

"You know, I had an interesting time on a date recently," Beverly addressed the girls.

"How so, Auntie Bev?" asked Hannah.

"Well, I went to one of those single mixers where you rock up and they assign you with a random stranger, a blind date I'd guess you could say. Anyway, I was paired up with a man named Nicholas. A businessman, very posh- spoke posh as well, kind of an old fashioned Humphrey Bogart or Carey Grant kind of voice. When we ordered drinks, I had quite a bit of my wine quite quickly. He shook his head, said it was quite unbecoming of a lady to drink so quickly. So what did I do?"

"What did you do?" Caroline and Hannah chorused, indulging her.

"We'd ordered a great big bottle of red. So I took it and chugged it."

She burst into gaggles of laughter, clapping her hands together and getting the attention of the people on the tables surrounding her. The girls both laughed, but Joan, overhearing it, rolled her eyes at her new relation's frank actions.

"What's she done now?" Bill asked his daughter as they looked over the started menus.

"Been herself."

"Never have a dull moment with Beverly Dunning around; it'll be quite nice to have a sibling-in-law. I suppose it was quite odd, that your mother and I don't have siblings. I wish you would have had cousins, I rather enjoyed going to my grandfather's house during the Christmas holidays and playing with Frank. I suppose you have Elena and Bonnie close to your own age growing up, and now you have Hannah with you from when you were teenagers. You were a very great help to her, growing up, you saw what happened with Hannah and her 'friends' in Year 11."

Caroline shuddered at the memory.

"You're right to call them friends in air quotes, they were horrible to her. I'm glad that when she got to sixth form she made new friends, real ones this time, proper ones."

Bill nodded.

"You've always been a good daughter, Caroline. Not just in the traditional sense- top 10 university, great results at school, Miss Mystic Falls and all that. I'm proud of the woman you've become. I've seen a lot of friends with messed up kids and I'm damn glad that it wasn't you. You never relied on others to get where you were, you relied on yourself and hard work, you don't give up and you always do what has to be done. You are kind, you are caring, and you put others above yourself. I'm glad you have such good friends who are to be relied upon, and who can rely on you. If or when you have a family, you'll make sure yours are raised to be like you are. I know you spent a few more years living with your mother than me, but I admit she has raised you well. I did fall in love with her for her strength and character, two things you have inherited."

Caroline raised her arms and put them around her father, laying a head on his shoulder.

"Because I had a great father too."

Bill smiled quietly.

"I know that when your mother and I divorced, our relationship got strained a little. I can understand you being concerned that I went off and took on another man's daughter in terms of family, that you could be worried. But you've always been my little Care Bear."

"I love you."

"I love you too," he kissed the top of her head before going back to his menu.

Caroline smiled softly.

As she decided upon her soup, she felt the glowing joy again.

Chapter 12 done. I imagine this will be the only time Bill will make an appearance, but if you guys liked him, then please tell me.

Next time: It's a very Klaroline-centric chapter, with both banter and a bit of heart to heart.

Thanks again and hope you to see you all again text time xxx