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Chapter 21
Katherine lay on the sofa, finishing off her speech.
She couldn't believe that it was less than a week until her wedding. On Friday, she would become Mrs. Katherine Mikaelson- no longer a maiden miss. After a conversation with Mikael, it was decided that they would become the Duke and Duchess of Leicester. Katherine's family had ancestral ties with the place, so it would look nice if she received that title. They would be conferred of the title on the day before, so the pair would become the official Duke and Duchess upon their marriage.
Katherine, Duchess of Leicester. Wow, that had a nice ring to it.
The hen party had been more than interesting. All of the girls were completely smashed, not one of them had left the party sober. Caroline, amongst a few others, had initially decided to only get fairly tipsy, but after several glasses of wine, two Cosmos and a row of unfortunate vodka shots, that had gone out of the window. The blonde could barely remember what had happened after the stripper came. That was a nice surprise for Katherine, who had very much enjoyed Brad, the police officer who had come to 'keep the noise down.' Security must have been briefed- she'd pay to see how that conversation went-as he'd been let in with no fuss. That was not without its drawbacks, however, as her guards could barely look her in the eye on the car ride to the bakery.
Funnily enough, Elijah had been the same. Klaus and Kol had hired a stripper for the stag party, but the straight-laced Elijah had not enjoyed it quite as much, having apparently been horrified as 'Crystal' went onto his lap, much to the hilarity of the men around him. Elijah felt that it would be rude to be horrified to the face of the woman, as whilst he was uncomfortable with her being there, the woman was only doing the job that she'd been paid to do. Kol had enjoyed it much more than he did, completely admiring the woman. Finn was almost as horrified as Elijah, whilst Klaus merely sat in the corner, smirking at the whole event. Of course, Klaus' eyes didn't leave her, but he was oddly restrained- probably because of his recent relationship with Caroline.
Both had still been hungover well into the afternoon. Elijah wasn't the type to drink to excess, and hadn't been that drunk in years, so the shock of it was very apparent. He'd managed to fake sobriety long enough to admire the cake, but once they were back in the car to go home, he'd groaned about a headache. Katherine was still suffering its effects, but not nearly to the level her fiancé was. Once they'd arrived back, Elijah had shut himself in the bedroom, curtains drawn, lights off, sunglasses on- politely requesting that Katherine do whatever she planned to do with some quietness. Bored, and also feeling crap, she'd laid next to him and they'd both napped for several hours. It probably wasn't a good idea to do that, as neither was able to sleep properly that night. Luckily, the next day had been tiresome, so they were able to catch up on their sleep then.
Katherine felt relieved by the fact it was very nearly over. Having let off the steam by shutting down her family had done her a world of good. No longer did her mother call her up every five minutes. Well, there were still a lot of phone calls, but Frances was assured that Katherine gave less of a shit. Frances had been nasty to her for all of her life, constantly judging her and undermining her, but now Katherine felt like she was having a new life. In the olden days, when you wed, you would become part of your husband's family, and now it seemed like she was. She was so glad she was grown up, living apart from her sister and parents. No longer could they come knocking on her door and force her to come out and join them for smiling society excursions. Now, Katherine was free to tell them to buzz off, an advantage of royal prerogative- she could get her bodyguards to enforce her wishes, considering that it was technically their job. Though the Mikaelsons were the real life dysfunctional family, she was considerably more pleased to be related to them. Mikael was relatively civil to her, and Esther treated her a hell of a lot better than Frances did. She was close with Klaus and Kol to some extent, and very friendly with Finn and Rebekah.
The best part of it all would be the honeymoon, at a private island off the coast of the Med. There was no way the paps could access it without a helicopter, and even then, they'd be sorted out. Their private plane would be too discreet; it would give them a general direction but the pair would still be choppered to the island. Away from it all, it would be absolutely amazing. The guards would be staying in houses down from them, leaving them pretty much totally alone for two amazing weeks of sex, swimming and sex. Not having to put up with royal pressures was a privilege in itself.
She knew, however, that she would be put on bump watch as soon as she stepped foot back in the UK. It was something that they'd inevitably started to discuss as the wedding drew closer. If one accessed all the old newspapers online, they would see that Mikael and Esther held headlines regarding their future children. Unfortunately for them, it took them many years and lots of tries before they were blessed with Elijah- and they had married quite young. She could picture it now, every time she rejected a drink or wore something slightly baggy, it would be splashed in front of all the gossip magazines, and probably some of the tabloids as well, those who resorted to that kind of celebrity gossip to entertain readers anyway.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her.
Throwing the papers off her lap, not caring that they were thrown everyone, she hurtled to the bathroom, knowing that she was breaking some kind of record. Jumping over some empty boxes, she skidded and nearly fell. Luckily, she managed to get into the bathroom in the nick of time, kneeling over the toilet and letting it out.
After a few minutes, she felt the nausea subside. Sighing, she hopped upright and started washing her face. Shaking her head, she went to pop a breath mint. As she went to leave the room, hoping she wouldn't throw up again.
Then she froze.
Surely not...
Katherine walked up to the bedroom and looked at the calendar, mentally wondering when she'd last had her lady time. Sure enough, she'd skipped a cycle. The past two months she'd been earlier than usual, which means she was rather late. Of course, one missed period wasn't a huge concern- she'd missed them before, but there were definitely other signs. This wasn't the first time she'd been sick, and she'd been feeling a little bloated lately. She was pretty sure it wasn't weight gain, just bloating. That drinking also wasn't the only thing that had made her nauseous; she'd been feeling a little sick recently from time to time.
Oh my god. There was a chance she was pregnant.
Ok, so her wedding was in a week and she didn't think she was that far along, so she'd have the baby a decent amount of time after they got married. So that helped a lot, they could just say it was a honeymoon baby, though she knew most of modern society wouldn't really care, it just would look better for appearances' sake.
Still.
Katherine brushed a hand through her hair- great; she had to contend with a likely unexpected pregnancy. Firstly, she'd have to confirm it, and then she'd have to tell Elijah. No alcohol at the wedding, she couldn't have the stuff whilst she was pregnant. Oh God, that hen party probably wasn't good at all, with the sheer amount of alcohol she'd consumed. Crap, crap, crap, that was not good for her baby.
Slow down Katherine, you're not even sure that you're pregnant.
Sitting down on the edge of her bathtub and contemplated it. Though she knew that they weren't always accurate, she didn't have any pregnancy tests in the house. She had the implant, and Elijah always, always wore a condom- they'd never gone in without one. Katherine had never remotely considered the possibility of her falling pregnant; the chances must be so low of it- less than 1% with the implant in, as well as having the condoms. In theory, she could go out and buy a pregnancy test, but she'd be recognised. Maybe she could get one of her bodyguards to get them, but she felt bad treating them like servants to be told what to do at her beck and call.
Then it hit her- Rebekah. Rebekah always had one or two lying around in her bathroom cabinet. Well, so did Kol, but she was NOT going to him about this.
The girls weren't exactly close, but she would be her sister-in-law in a matter of days, and was already a bridesmaid, so she figured that she needed her. Whilst Rebekah could be bitchy sometimes, this was a matter of family, and whilst one could fault the Mikaelsons for a lot of things, family was everything to them. A cynic would say it was to look good for the cameras- and she supposed it would be for Mikael, but she knew that they all did truly love each other. To upset one Mikaelson was to upset them all.
Resigning herself to her fate, she got up from the bathroom and exited into the living room, then out of the apartment. Crossing several corridors, she finally arrived at Rebekah's door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on her door.
After a few moments, the door opened and a blonde head popped out.
"Hey, what's up?" Rebekah opened it a little more fully, straightening up at the sight of her nearly sister in law.
"Hey, erm," Katherine suddenly felt a pang of nerves, "You don't happen to have one of those pregnancy tests I can borrow?"
Rebekah gasped in shock. Eyebrows rose, realising the severity of the situation, she ushered Katherine in and shut the door behind them, not wanting anyone else to overhear.
"What the hell- you're knocked up? Christ, I didn't think it could get any crazier here."
"Well, I'm not one hundred percent sure, which is why I'm here. I know they're not super duper accurate but I need some sort of confirmation before I got any more forward."
Rebekah nodded, "Of course, ok wait here- do you wanna do it here or in your place?"
"Here's probably best, that way no one will walk in. I don't want to drop that bombshell on Elijah, not like this anyway."
"Of course," Rebekah nodded, before stopping, "You want a drink of water too as to calm your nerves?"
"Yeah, that'd be great thanks."
After several minutes, Rebekah called Katherine into the bathroom. The brunette walked in to find a cup of water on the windowsill and the blonde holding a pregnancy test.
"I'll leave you to it-we can maybe do two or three to compare. The test says to wait five minutes before the results, but maybe wait longer- they're supposed to be the best on the market, but like you said, not always accurate. Let me know when you've done the first one. I'll be making a cup of tea whilst you're doing it. Ok?"
Katherine nodded the assent.
"Ok, see you in five."
"See you."
Rebekah promptly exited the room, slamming the door behind her. Taking a moment, Katherine sat on the toilet, staring at it. After a few minutes, she managed to knock some sense into herself, and began the test.
She'd timed it for five minutes, but it felt like it stretched on for much, much longer. After the time was up, she squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again.
There it was, that little plus sign, staring up mockingly at her.
That's when Katherine began shaking. It hadn't seemed too real until now.
Eventually, she knew that she'd been in there too long when a hammering came upon the door. Rebekah entered when she heard no response. As soon as she entered the room, she stopped as she saw Katherine perched on the toilet lid, holding the stick and staring it with greatest intent.
"It's one test, Katherine," Rebekah stated softly, "They cost less than a tenner at Boots. It's hardly a doctor's visit. Come on, drink the water and give yourself a bit of time before you try the next one. Do you want me to call anyone?"
"Caroline," Katherine eventually croaked out, "Don't say what it is, just say it's wedding stuff."
Rebekah nodded, before exiting the room, leaving Katherine to it. She was clearly upset; she'd never seen Katherine this rattled before. Katherine lived for spontaneity, but only when she had some control over it- like at a night out, or trying on a new dress. Four days before her wedding, however, and she's been thrown a curveball. Getting used to married life would be hard enough, but she now had the added pressure of an unexpected child to contend with. Rebekah knew that it was only one pregnancy test, and those symptoms could be anything, but she also knew that there was a very real chance of it all. It was just like a shower of bad luck- first child almost immediately after marriage. Katherine and Elijah wanted children, but they were in no way that they were ready it for this early. Telling Elijah that he was to have a child four days before his wedding would not be easy. They'd have to explain to everyone else too, as Katherine would not be drinking the highly expensive champagne that had been ordered for the big day- and that meant the media would catch on to, since the price had caused a minor upset in the papers- though the Pierces were footing the cost of that particular part of it all, not the taxpayer.
Grabbing her phone from the side, she unlocked it and found Caroline's number...
-ROYAL BLISS-
Across town
"And are you absolutely sure?"
Caroline was having a bit of a nightmare herself. The florists had just called about some problems with the lilies that had been ordered to line the halls between the entrance of Buckingham Palace and the hall where the reception was being held. That had led to Caroline having to call the Palace switchboard, getting through to the staff. She'd spent a good part of the morning on the phone, and was now back with the florists.
"Absolutely, Miss. Forbes," Lindsay, the florist, replied, "Everything is a-ok, the order is ready for Friday- they'll be fresh as a daisy."
"Nice pun," Caroline laughed, "Thank you."
"No problem, bye."
"Bye."
Caroline sighed and fell back down onto the bed, closing her eyes. Dammit, she needed a break, even if only for an hour. She'd have her lunch early; maybe watch some trash daytime TV before getting back to work. As she lingered on her comfy sheets, her heart sank as her phone went off again.
"I swear to God," she mumbled before seeing it was Rebekah, and feeling a little better, "Hi Rebekah, what's up?"
"Hey, sorry to tear you away, but we need you down here, wedding stuff, you know- my place."
"Ok," Caroline didn't even question it, "I'll be down as soon as possible."
"Cool, bye."
"See ya."
After fixing her face a little, she grabbed her bag and hoped upon hope that Rebekah would offer her lunch. She was sure that she would, probably fix her up a little sandwich or something. Caroline was curious as to what she would want, maybe bridesmaid stuff. That was understandable, as Caroline was both Maid of Honour and wedding planner.
Shrugging to herself, she exited the empty house. Bonnie and Elena were both at work, busy with whatever cases or articles or whatever. Both had the day off for the wedding- as did most of the country- and would be watching with excitement.
As she left, her phone rang against it. Caroline had been forced to keep it on charge when she wasn't using it, as she'd been constantly on it for the past few days. That charging was barely used as well, simply because it was harder for Caroline to be on it when it was on charge.
Looking at the Caller ID, she saw that it was Klaus.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Risky Business is on tonight."
Caroline sighed, "I can't Klaus, and you know that I have too much to do."
"So your love for 80's movies cannot override your work?" her lover laughed into the phone, "Yeah, it's on a bit late, actually. Though Bill and Ted is on at seven, which means that you have absolutely no excuse about it being late..."
"Klaus..."
"Come on love," Klaus was shaking his head at the other end of the phone, "It's not that late- we can Skype if you really must, it's not me trying to get you to come have sex. I mean, if you want to have sex with me, then you are absolutely more than welcome to join me for some coitus."
Caroline burst out laughing at the use of the word 'coitus.'
"I cannot actually believe you just said coitus," she shook her head as she cackled, "I've not heard that word used in real life, only on TV or in books. Next you'll be talking about courtship."
The blonde was really tempted to say something along the lines of 'is this not a courtship' but Klaus still hadn't said anything about their relationship, so she was keeping her mouth shut for the time being.
"I'm sorry for having such an excellent vernacular, Miss. Forbes; I would not expect you to understand."
Caroline laughed again.
"Come on, love," he continued, "It's two measly hours. If you want to come over, I'll get you a driver over, that way you don't have to be too tired to drive."
"I really am too busy."
"No you're not."
"Yes, I am."
"No you're not."
"Yes I am, Klaus," she sighed, "I'm not going to play this childish game with you, you know, I cannot do tonight. I have things to do, and I don't know how long I'll have. There's no point in me making any commitments, because even I have nothing to do tonight, I will probably be too tired. I've been on the phone to the palace switchboard all day, as well as the florist and it's not even noon yet."
There was silence at the end of the phone.
"Ok. I still think you should come, because it might make you a little less stressed, but you must understand that I really want to see you."
Caroline half wanted to tell Klaus that she was heading to the apartment, mainly because he would probably find out later anyway and she didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she knew she had to focus herself and screw her work head on.
"I really want to see you to. Just think, four days until the wedding and then we're both a lot freer. Maybe we can hang out when the week is up?"
"Ugh, but that's too long," he moaned, throwing his head back on the other side.
"I know, but this wedding is more important- sorry, it is."
"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I'll let you get off. Offer's still there. We can order Indian or something to eat."
"Right- speak to you later."
"See you, love."
With that, Caroline clicked the phone off, feeling bad. Shaking off these feelings, she headed back downstairs.
Dammit.
She'd forgot to look out of the window before she left to see if there were any paparazzi around, as she had taken to doing it now. They were sometimes camped outside of her house, so she was now extra wary. Unfortunately, so long as they didn't step foot in the property, and stayed outside, there was nothing she, or anyone else, could do. Oh well, she shook her head, all she had to do was dart out of the building and into her car, where she was relatively safe from the cameras.
Rushing down, she exited and looked quickly around for any cameramen. To her relief, there were none around, allowing her to stroll gently over to her car. Without the shuttering of the cameras, it was a lot easier to gather her thoughts. Still feeling awful about having to blow off Klaus, she reversed out of the car space and out into the road. All she could tell herself was that in less than a week, she would be able to spend a lot more time. After those long months, no wedding could be as stressful as this one, allowing her a lot more freedom. She'd done long weddings, she'd done wealthy weddings, but none of that would ever compare to a wedding like this.
The traffic had decided to be a lot worse today, due to some road works on the main route between her place and Kensington Palace. Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, she listened as the radio announcer babbled on excitedly about the wedding. More than once, Caroline's name cropped up. This made her feel all the more nervous, but she had to plough on ahead to the palace.
Eventually, she arrived at Kensington Palace. Even the guards seemed more stressed, snapping their commands at her as they checked her, which she did quietly and with total compliance. The main guard seemed relieved for her to be allowed to go through, and she didn't complain as she drove into the car park. Exiting, she skipped up the steps to Rebekah's flat and knocked on the door.
"Thank God," Rebekah stated as she nearly ripped the door open, "I was beginning to think she wouldn't come."
"Sorry, traffic's bad down the main route. What's up?"
"It's not me, it's Katherine."
"Is she worried about the wedding?"
Rebekah paused, "Erm, I'd rather you hear it from her."
Caroline, confused, followed Rebekah until they arrived into her bathroom. She stopped in shock as she saw Katherine sat against the bathtub, several packets of pregnancy tests piled on top of one another on the windowsill. The brunette herself was staring at the wall.
"Katherine?"
The brunette looked up from her warm cup of tea, "Yep. Four days before my wedding and it looks like I'm knocked up. Gonna take a few tests, just to make sure it's legit, you know how it can be. Thought I'd wait for you to get here, need all the help I can get coming to terms with this little 'miracle.' Pregnancy test number one says I have a bun in the oven, so that's part confirmation."
That almost floored Caroline. Out of all the things she'd expected, it definitely wasn't this.
"Does Elijah know?"
"Nope, only you and Rebekah, and it's going to stay that way until I have absolute, concrete proof. I don't want to surprise him with this only for it to be a false alarm."
She shrugged, reaching up and grabbing a second pregnancy test.
"I guess I better get on the second one."
"You had lunch yet, Caroline?" Rebekah turned to her.
"No, no, was gonna make it before I got here."
"Good, I'll make us something whilst Katherine does the second one. I have some salad in the fridge, should be easy to make. Is that good with everyone?"
Both girls nodded.
"Ok," Rebekah and Caroline left the room shutting the door behind them. As they exited, they heard the click of the lock, indicating that Katherine wanted to be alone. Caroline waited until the girls were safely in the kitchen, far away from Katherine's ears, until she finally spoke freely.
"Is she ok?"
"Well, you know what Katherine's like," Rebekah sighed as she got some plates out, "She only likes what she can control, but I suppose that's human nature, isn't it? A baby, well- most likely anyway- just before the wedding, it's not really that great. Babies are quite the commitment, aren't they? Anyway, yeah, she's rattled. I've never, ever seen her like this before and I've known her since I was born. I've seen her sit through a spout of verbal bitching from her mother, read the most horrendous abuse from the press, and watch my father battle Nik, yet she's quiet and nervous here. I'm just praying that it's a false alarm, but I honestly doubt it. She has all the symptoms of pregnancy- nausea, bloating, and the whole shebang. I'm happy for her and Elijah, I think they will both be wonderful parents, and I look forward to being an aunt, but I know it's not an ideal situation, especially at this time. Katherine would be much better if this were in a year or two, when she's gotten used to being a royal wife, and when the pair had planned it. Unfortunately, it's come to her now. Gosh, listen to me; I'm talking like she's ill."
"Still doesn't make it ok for her," Caroline shrugged, "Pregnancy affects women in different ways- some revel in it, some do not like it. I fear she may be the latter, though she will hopefully grow into it as she gets further and further along."
Rebekah nodded as she started dishing up the salad. They were both surprised, however, when Katherine entered the room.
"Was that five minutes?" Caroline looked at her watch, "Wow, that went quickly."
"Good news, guys, pregnancy test number 2 says I'm not pregnant," Katherine held up the stick so that the girls could see the negative sign.
"Well, at least that's a positive," her blonde friend tried to enthuse.
"Technically not," Katherine laughed hollowly, "But I get your point. Let me dispose of this and do a good scrub of the hands, then I'll join you both for lunch. After that- it's lucky number three."
Turning on her heel, she exited the room.
"At least that's calmed her down a bit- that's good."
"It is," Rebekah nodded, "But it'll be all the more worrying if the next one is positive. Anyway, let's not think about that for now. You mind putting these in the living room? I'll get us drinks- I've got some new apple juice that's really nice, good for you?"
"Great, thanks," Caroline as she took two of the plates, before returning to take the third. Rebekah soon followed, clutching the drinks. Katherine, after a few minutes, joined them, hands washed, looking all the more relieved that there had been one good sign at least.
Finally, the ladies sat down to lunch.
"How are you feeling?" Caroline asked.
"Honestly, I don't even know anymore," Katherine shook her head as she bit into her lettuce, "I already feel like I'm going to...oh God."
The brunette threw down the lettuce, putting a hand over her mouth before taking another mad dash to the bathroom. Her retching was heard in the living room, putting those eating off their lunch. Scrunching up her face, Rebekah matched Caroline in putting down her salad.
"Dining room?"
"Dining room."
Caroline nodded, and they lifted their plates, along with Katherine's, and headed into the dining room, slightly away from the sounds of the bathroom. Eventually, the vomiting subsided and Katherine arrived in the room, looking a little better.
"Sorry about that, my stomach is not being the most agreeable body part," Katherine bit her lip as she sat down, "I feel better, I shouldn't throw up again. Probably the best idea to move it here."
They ate in silence, not really knowing what to say. The salad wasn't large, and all were hungry- Caroline was exhausted from the wedding work, Rebekah had only had a small breakfast and Katherine was obviously stressed from her situation. Rebekah insisted on clearing the plates when it was done- Caroline protested, but Katherine just told her to let the princess get on with it. Once she had returned, Katherine got up.
"I best get on with lucky number three," she threw her arms in the air in mock excitement, "See you on the other side, ladies."
Without so much as a spring in her step, she left the room.
"Shall we sit on the sofa?" Caroline suggested.
Rebekah nodded, and the two headed into the living room. Once they sat down, the princess stared straight at her guest.
"If I ask you a question, will you be completely honestly me?"
Caroline felt nerves slowly creep up on her, "Well, I guess we've gotten to that stage in our friendship so sure- what's up?"
"What's going on between you and my brother?"
The blonde was taken aback. She hadn't known that Rebekah had known.
"Well, erm..."
"Look, I know you two slept together. I'm not stupid, I put two and two together, well, that and when he told me when I confronted him after the altercation at the palace between Katherine and the Pierces. Out of respect, I didn't gossip about it with Katherine and Elijah, nor Stefan or Marcel. The thing is, he's my brother and I care about him. So I want to know what the deal is."
"To be quite honest with you, I'm not too sure myself. I mean, we obviously slept together, but that's only happened once because of limited time. We Skype-watched a movie, and then he called me earlier to invite me over to watch one. Other than that, he hasn't done anything to define it. Like we're kind of together but we haven't put a label on things, but he doesn't seem to be in a hurry to."
Rebekah nodded, "I trust you, you know, because I think you're a good person, but I still think you need to know that you need to be careful around him. I told you at the engagement party, but I'm telling you again as it's actually serious. Hayley hurt him a lot more than he let on. He really, really does like you. I've never seen him like that with anyone, and I feel this has potential to turn into something more, which never happens with Nik. Do you want it to be serious?"
This was the first time that Caroline had been directly asked this question. Mostly, she was asked if she wanted more, meaning more sex. This was the commitment question.
"Whenever I'm around him, I want to be with him more and more. So to answer your question, yes, yes I do."
"Good, good. I'm still surprised that he cooked you dinner. I nearly fainted when I heard."
Caroline laughed.
"Did he tell you about the food burning?"
"Eventually."
They chatted for a little longer, before Rebekah looked at the clocked, and frowned, her brows creasing. She was clearly concerned about Katherine.
Think of the devil and the devil shall appear. The brunette arrived on the scene, clutching not one, but two pregnancy test sticks.
"I took two, just to make sure," she sighed, looking at them, "One says yes, one says no. So two for and two against," Katherine stared at them, "What the hell do I do?"
The three looked at each other again. They had no idea.
Sorry for the delay and filler, I had absolutely no idea what to write. So- bets on whether she's pregnant or not? Tell me in a review.
Next time: It's the wedding part one- all the way up until the reception.
Thanks again and hope to see you on the other side for the big day xxx