Previously in "A Soldier's Coming Home", Lexi meets Kol's daughter, Hannah.

Chapter Thirteen

Fell's Church – Several Weeks Later…

Caroline twirled around in her gown as she looked in the mirror. She was going to become Mrs. Niklaus Mikaelson today, and she couldn't be happier. She even liked the fact that Mikael had offered to give her away, since her own father was dead. However, that didn't mean that he wasn't looking down from heaven and witnessing this in spirit.

She turned when there was a knock on the door, and smiled as each of her best friends as well as Sage, Lexi and Eleanor came into the room she was getting ready in. "Are you ready to be a bride?" Sage asked as she brought over the crown of flowers to place ever so gently in Caroline's blonde hair.

Caroline smiled as Sage placed the crown on her head and looked back at the mirror. "I've been waiting to be a bride all my life, Sage, and now, thanks to Klaus, I'm going to get my wish."

Eleanor smiled as well. "I think Mikael was very sweet to give you away."

"I think so too," Caroline said. "Although my father isn't here, I know he's watching from heaven."

"That's a good feeling to have," Lexi said quietly from her spot beside Sage. Sage turned to her cousin, a little shocked by what the blonde had said. "I found out yesterday, Sage. They're…dead."

Immediately, Sage pulled Lexi to her and rocked her gently as the blonde began to cry quiet sobs. "Hush, it's going to be okay," the tall redhead said as her fingers stroked her cousin's blonde hair.

Caroline saw Lexi crying and went over. "I agree with Sage. I felt the same way when my father died. Even though it may seem horrible now, it'll get better with time. Until then, you can count on your friends and family to be there to support you."

Lexi sniffed. "Thank you, Caroline."

The blonde in the wedding gown nodded again and rubbed Lexi's back. "I'm sure that my dad and your parents are with each other right now, looking over both of us," she said softly.

Lexi nodded tearfully. "I know." She wiped her eyes and sniffed. "Hey, come on, this is supposed to Caroline's day, and I don't want to monopolize it."

"Alexia, you can cry all you want, okay? You have a husband-to-be that is ready to be at your beck and call, and that includes drying your tears," Sage said as she hugged her cousin one more time.

Meanwhile…

"Will you stop it already? You're more than likely to break the mirror the more you stare at it."

Klaus rolled his eyes as he listened to what Kol was saying. "And I'm sure that you'd just enjoy seeing me endure seven years of bad luck, wouldn't you?"

"Don't listen to him, Niklaus," Henrik said. "He's just being his annoying self."

"Boys, please," Finn's voice said from next to their father, who turned to Finn, shaking his head and chuckling quietly.

"I must say, Finn, that was a pretty good imitation of me," Mikael said with the smile still on his face.

Finn nodded. "Thank you, Father."

Mikael then gave Kol a stern look. "Kol, I would appreciate it if you didn't antagonize your brother. This is supposed to be the happiest day of his life, and I won't have you getting him agitated."

Kol sighed. "Yes, Father."

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Finn went over to answer it, finding his beautifully pregnant wife on the other side. "Yes, darling, what is it?"

"Caroline is almost ready to go, so can you round up the others?" Sage asked and Finn nodded, giving her a smile and a quick peck on the lips before she disappeared down the hall.

A Few Minutes Later…

Mikael smiled at Caroline as they stood in front of the doors leading into the sanctuary. "You look beautiful, Caroline."

Caroline returned his smile. "Thank you. I feel beautiful."

"As well you should," Mikael said with another smile before the doors were opened by Tyler and Matt to reveal them to Klaus.

From beside him, Henrik leaned in and said softly, "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"She is," Klaus said, feeling tears brim up in the corners of his eyes but he blinked them back as his father walked Caroline further up the aisle.

Mikael led Caroline to the altar and watched as Klaus took her hand. Once the couple was in position, Mikael returned to Eleanor. Pastor Young nodded and then began the ceremony. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God and among these witnesses to celebrate the union of Niklaus Alexander Mikaelson and Caroline Lillian Forbes. The couple has written vows for each other and will now share them."

Klaus smiled at Caroline and took both of her hands in his, inhaling deeply and said, "Caroline, there are no words to describe how deeply I love you. You have brought light into my world the moment I saw your smiling face. I am proud to be standing here before you and making you my wife. I promise to love, honor, protect, and cherish you all the days of my life." He placed a simple diamond-and-gold band on her finger.

Caroline felt tears in her eyes as she heard his vows and would've lost her composure right then and there, but told herself to calm down and then looked into his eyes to say her vows. "Niklaus, knowing you has been a journey, a journey that has been exciting and interesting. I couldn't help but be attracted to you and your bad boy glory. To repeat what you just said, I'm proud to be standing here before you to become your wife. I also promise to love and honor you, and I know that you'll protect and cherish me for the rest of our lives together. I love you so much, and I will always love you." She placed a similar gold band onto his finger, smiling as she did it.

Pastor Young smiled at both of them when they finished then clasped both of his hands over their joined ones. "By the power vested in me by the state of Virginia, I now pronounce that you are husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Klaus," he told them with another smile.

Klaus replied Pastor Young's smile and pulled Caroline closer to him, kissing her passionately. Caroline smiled against his lips and returned his kiss as the congregation applauded them.

Later, At the Reception…

Klaus held Caroline's hand as they looked around at all of his siblings and his father & stepmother, seeing how happy they were. Mikael and Eleanor were sneaking looks of longing while dancing and Finn had Sage on his lap while he fed her a piece of cake.

Klaus then looked at Caroline. "Would you like to dance, love? I don't want my father and stepmother to be out there alone."

Caroline smiled at him. "Of course I would."

He then led her out onto the dance floor and held her close as they danced.

Sage looked at Finn as they watched his brother and Caroline dancing. "I'm so happy for them," she said softly against his cheek after kissing it.

"As am I, my Irish Rose," he said softly back.

Caroline looked at Sage and Finn, smiling at them. "Sage is going to be a great mother. I can see it in her eyes."

Klaus looked over as well. "I agree, love. She is wonderful for my brother, and I know he feels the same way about her," he said in reply.

Caroline giggled as she said, "Speaking of mothers, I found out some news that you'll love." She placed his hand on her belly. "I'm pregnant, Nik."

"That is wonderful news to hear, love," he said with a grin, leaning down to kiss her softly on the lips.

Caroline smiled against his lips and returned his kiss, keeping his hand on her still-flat belly. If there was ever a moment where she truly loved him, this was definitely it. Although she had been a little nervous about telling him when she first found out, her fears were unfounded when she saw how he reacted to the news that he was going to be a father.

"I love you, Nik."

Klaus smiled. "I love you too, Caroline." He then knelt down and kissed her belly. "I love you too, little Mikaelson."

With another giggle, she said, "We love you too, Daddy."

They continued dancing after that, keeping their eyes on those of the other person.

Kol watched Klaus and Caroline dancing and smiled over at Lexi. Before he could comment, he saw that her eyes were a bit misty, so, taking her hand, he led her outside to talk. "Lexi, what's wrong? What happened?"

"It's my parents, Kol," she replied. "They…died."

Kol gave her a sympathetic look and pulled her into his arms, letting her sob against his chest as she ran his fingers through her hair. "It's all right, darling, I'm here. Just cry it out. You'll feel better."

She sobbed loudly even though the noise was muffled by the material of his shirt.

Kol continued to hold her as she cried. It hurt him to hear her sobs, but knew that it was part of the grieving process. She had just lost her parents and this was the best way to relieve the sadness that she was feeling. He wished he could take the pain away, because he loved her so much.

"I ruined your shirt," she murmured a few minutes later, gesturing to the stain on the shirt that went with his tux.

Kol looked at the stain on his shirt. "Oh, that? I'm not worried about it. Comforting you was more important."

"Are you sure?"

Kol placed his hands gently on her face. "Darling, you can cry on me any time."

"You're so good to me, Kol," Lexi whispered up at him as she looked into his eyes.

Kol smiled. "What kind of man would I be if I didn't comfort my bride-to-be?"

She grinned and pulled him close again. "Let's go back inside, okay?" she suggested and Kol nodded, putting his arms around her and leading her back inside the church's main building.

Rebekah saw everyone else dancing and said to Stefan, "Come on, handsome, let's dance."

He grinned and nodded, following behind her onto the dance floor, where he pulled her into his arms and they began to slow dance.

Stefan smiled at Rebekah as they danced. "I love you, Rebekah."

"I love you too, Stefan," she said, still a little shocked by his quiet confession to her.

Stefan saw the shocked look on Rebekah's face. "Why are you so shocked?"

"I didn't expect you to confess that you loved me," she replied. "Don't get me wrong, it was very sweet, it just caught me off guard a bit."

"It's the truth, though," Stefan replied. "I really do love you, Rebekah. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"I love you too, Stefan. I truly do," she said before pulling him into a kiss to shut him up.

Stefan smiled against her lips and returned her kiss, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened.

Over at the Table…

Elijah sat down and Katherine plopped down gently onto his lap. "If you're tired, we can go home," she said softly to him.

Elijah smiled at her. "I think that would be a good idea. It's been a long day for all of us, especially Niklaus and Caroline."

"Yeah, but I think they'd be even more exhausted, since they were the stars of the day." She kissed him. "You know, I could give you a nice massage."

"That sounds lovely, Katerina," he said with a smile as he kissed her again.

Katherine smiled and returned his kiss. "Well, how about we get out of here before we end up doing something we'll regret in a house of God, huh?"

They left the church hand in hand and took the car he drove back to his family's mansion.

When they arrived at the mansion, Katherine went to the bedroom to get everything ready for Elijah's massage. She got herself ready by getting out of her dress and throwing on a robe and tying it loosely so that he could easily open it should he feel playful. She was still getting ready when Elijah came in, also in a bathrobe.

Katherine saw him and smiled. "I've got everything all set for you, my love."

He grinned and moved closer to her, hands lowering to the ties of her robe. "Suddenly, I think a massage can wait until later…much, much later," he said before tugging on the ties and lowering his mouth to hers, claiming it in a soft desperation.

Katherine smiled against his lips and returned his kiss, bringing her hands up to run her fingers through her hair. "I guess I did the right thing by wearing my robe loose. I had a feeling that you'd get frisky during your massage."

"Indeed you did, Katerina," he replied. "I'm definitely feeling frisky." He got her robe untied and pulled it open, kissing her again. "You're so beautiful."

She smiled and shook the silk robe until it was discarded on the floor. Then she moved backward toward the bed, Elijah following seconds later.

Katherine kissed him passionately and ran her hands down his chest to the tie of his robe, playing with it until it came undone and pulled it open. She then left his lips to kiss his chest, earning her a moan from him. She trembled when she heard him say, "Katerina." It had come out in a seductive moan and it set her soul ablaze.

He then turned the tables on her, pinning her arms down then began to paint a trail of kisses down her neck.

Katherine felt his kisses on her neck and let out a moan, his name falling from her lips as well, "Oh, Elijah."

"Mine," he said in a low, possessive tone into the skin of her neck as he moved down further until he closed his mouth around her breast.

Katherine arched her back as she felt his lips on her breast. "I'll always be yours, Elijah. There will be no one else but you for me."

Elijah liked hearing that and he sat up a little, running one hand down her body, fingertips stroking ever so softly that she almost didn't feel them but she did.

Katherine trembled against the soft touch of his fingertips. She loved how gentle he was with her and, taking his other hand, kissed each of the fingers, panting as she went about her task.

He then rolled them both over until she was on top, fingers digging into the skin of her hips when she rubbed herself against him.

Katherine threw her head back and let out a scream of pleasure as she felt his fingers digging into her skin, picking up speed as she did so.

Elijah kissed along the skin of her neck when he sat up, thrusting deep into her and felt the vibrations of her scream, teeth nipping hard enough to leave a mark.

Katherine panted as she felt his teeth nipping at the skin of her neck and gyrated against his thrusts, keeping in sync with him. Oh, how she loved this man. He definitely knew how to get her on a pleasure high; that was for sure.

"I love you, Katerina," he ground out as he thrust fervently inside of her.

"I love you too, Elijah," she whispered in response.

Several Hours Later…

Katherine felt the sweat pour down her face as she snuggled up next to Elijah under the sheets. They had just spent several hours in a state of pure ecstasy and it was the best several hours of their lives. She felt sore between her legs, but disregarded it, since it was due to the fact that she just had the best sex of her life.

"You were amazing, Katerina," he told her as his hand stroked down one side of her, the side that he could reach.

"Not as amazing as you," she replied.

Authors' Notes: Erin and I are not quite done with this one, we don't think. I think, if Erin is in agreement, it will be longer than "Angels in a Centerfold", maybe about 25 chapters.