"Charles is on his way to you, dear." Rebekah said almost immediately as I answered the phone, to greet her, which gained a chuckle out of me.
"Hello to you, too." I mused as I tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder so that I could continue the task at hand: transferring leftover product from bowls to storage bins.
Rebekah clicked her tongue, clearly not amused with my antics. "How soon will you be out?" She asked with a huff.
"Give or take, ten minutes." I answered as I handed off dishes and food to various staff members surrounding me.
"Well, do hurry. I have a masterpiece to create, and a very limited time frame. Of course, then there's you to do." She teased. I rolled my eyes.
"Har har." I gave. "All jokes aside, I really do appreciate your help, Becks."
"Of course! Who wouldn't want to help a girl turn into a princess? On holiday, no less!" She laughed, and I sighed.
"I'm nervous, honestly." I felt a feeling rising in the pit of my stomach until Rebekah spoke.
"Trust in me, Darling. Everything will be perfect."
"I do trust you, but..." I trailed off, biting my lip with the uncertainty that lay ahead of me, stirring the pot of emotions once again. Rebekah played it off, however.
"Now, finish up and get over here! Be safe, Dear." She made a kissing noise before the dial tone rung in my ears, and I took the initiative to finish up the cleaning of the kitchen.
Before I knew it, Charles was entering the kitchen, nodding his hat at me, and I grinned.
"Let me just grab my coat, I'll be right out." He nodded again before returning to the car, and I made quick to grab my things from the back.
As I approached, I made a mental checklist of everything I was going to be wearing for the night, making sure I had remembered to leave it all with Rebekah and I hadn't forgotten anything at the house.
"Good to see you, Miss." Charles grinned as he opened the car door for me.
"You too, Charles. Merry Christmas!"
"Merry, indeed." He mused as I lowered myself into the seat. Before I could ask him about his comment, he closed the door and returned to the front, immediately began driving. I narrowed my eyes. A part of me wondered if Rebekah had filled him in on why he would need to rush.
I supposed it did help.
We arrived very shortly at the Mikealson Manor, and while I escaped the vehicle quicker than Charles could get to the car door, I thanked him for being swift, and proceeded to make my way up the stairs and into the house as quick as I could manage.
Looking up, I realized it had begun snowing heavy flakes, and was now lightly dusting the top of the lawn, as well as the tops of surrounding guests umbrellas and hats.
I nodded to several guests who were arriving in the door as I was until David, the doorman whom I'd recently learned the name of, quickly took my coat. I then made my way up to Rebekah's room.
"About time!" She grinned as I opened the door. She approached me and snagged my wrist while closing the door behind us. "I've got everything ready, and I've just learned that Klaus' flight lands in 30 minutes."
I felt my face flush as she sat me down at her vanity for the millionth time, probably. I couldn't believe it was really happening, it was almost a dream. Rebekah tugging violently at my hair, however, pulled me from my senses.
This was not a dream.
Halfway through the process, my makeup done and working on finishing up my hair, my phone began to ring, and we both turned to look at it. Upon entering, I had thrown it to the bed, and it was now vibrating across the covers.
"That's probably Klaus." I nodded.
"You should probably answer then." She shrugged, leaning to grab the phone and handing it to me.
"...What should I say?" I peered up at her.
"Tell him the truth. You're getting ready." She shrugged again before returning to straightening my hair. I took a breath and released it quickly before answering the phone.
"I'm surprised to not find you at the restaurant." Klaus chuckled. I heard a car door close in the background as he audibly sighed. "Perhaps you are hiding from me and getting cold feet?" He teased.
"Well, lucky for me, your Brother informed me of the correct date for the Gala."
"Ah... Yes, I had misinformed you by accident. However, I meant to surprise you with something to make up for it. Where are you, then?"
"I'm getting ready." I grinned.
"I can only assume Rebekah is involved." He laughed. "Then I suppose I'll make my way there. I'll see you shortly."
"Okay." I then hung up and had a mild panic attack as I handed my phone back to Rebekah.
"He's on his way?" She inquired, to which I nodded. "I'm almost done here, then we'll get you into the gown."
She proceeded to skillfully finish up my hair, braiding the front of my bangs loosely down until it folded into the rest of my hair that was also braided to the side, but a little more tightly than the rest. She then stuck a few crystal pins randomly in the braid, a frost blue to match the hem of the dress she helped me pick out.
Shortly after, I slipped off my casual clothes and she helped me step into the aforementioned garment, tying up the laces in the back as I held it up to make sure it was sitting in the correct positioning. After several tugs and jolts of my body from Rebekah pulling the the strings, she tied it off and slid the matching shoes towards me. I slipped those on and smoothed out the front of the bodice before looking toward the full length mirror she had set up for me prior.
I look like I walked straight out of a Disney film and into the real world.
I delicately smoothed out the front of the lace bodice as I stared at the the corset in bewilderment, noting the way even the off shoulder sleeves fit me perfectly. The dark blue fabric hugged me tightly around the bust and waist before cascading outwards and to the ground, the color gradually lightening until it was a more sky blue at the bottom, with intricate ice-like lacing all over the hem. The rest of the dress was lined with a willow branch-like pattern that flowed to meet the the bottom of the dress. I admired myself for a moment before I heard Rebekah gasp behind me.
"You look astounding, Love." She almost breathed. I turned to her, a wide grin spreading on my features.
"This dress is what's astounding, Becks." I laughed. "I feel like I'm about to go to a ball."
"You are, silly." She laughed. I realized then she had also changed into her dress while I was busy looking over myself in the mirror. She sported a shimmering gold dress with no sleeves, and a lace pattern much similar to my dress. The front of the dress came just above the knees while the back of the dress trained on the floor, the hem wavy around her matching shoes.
"You look beautiful." I beamed. She waved it off.
"Posh." She mused, coming over and turning me so I was facing the mirror once more. "I'm jealous of your fairy tale Christmas." She sighed as she hugged me from behind, slumping her head onto my shoulder. I made a mental note of how tall she was compared to me.
"Marcel isn't here?" I tilted my head.
"I'm sure he went home last week." She shrugged. I bit my lip with a smile slightly.
"Ah, well... Wouldn't that have been a nice Christmas present?" I mused before turning to retrieve my phone, pulling out of Rebekah's embrace. She sat down at her vanity with another sigh as I quickly sent a text.
"I suppose." She tried to play it off as no big deal as she ruffled her curls, which caused me to smirk.
After a minute or two, there was a knock at the door. She was first to stand and walk in that direction, muttering something about Klaus being early. When she opened the door, she stood frozen, and I almost laughed at her face of surprise.
"Hey, Bekah." Marcel said as he stepped in, fully attired in a suit and grin a mile wide. Rebekah stared at him before shooting me a glance.
"Did you..?" She breathed, to which I chuckled.
"Merry Christmas?" I shrugged. After a few moments she gave a laugh and a smile, approaching Marcel.
"Tassryn gave me a call. Asked for a favor to return a favor, and well... Anything involving you, I couldn't refuse." He smirked as he took her arm, and she smirked back, almost mad, but not enough to stay that way.
"You're both retched." She mused before looking to me again. "...We'll go first then, and I'll send Klaus this way as soon as he gets here." I nodded, the grin never leaving my face so that it could hide the sudden nervous feeling rising in my stomach.
"Good luck." Marcel slung over his shoulder before they left the room, the door gently clicking behind them.
I turned to face the mirror once again, running my fingers over the lace, fiddling with my hair a bit, and overall just trying to distract myself hoping that it wasn't too excessive.
Knock, knock.
The taps against the door were gentle, but I heard them. My heart leapt in my throat. -This is it...- I thought dimly as I took a few moments to breathe.
"Come in." I said as I turned to the door.
I turned, lifting the front of my dress just enough not to trip, and began walking towards the door as it opened, watching as Klaus stepped through. He was carrying his coat in his hand, which means he completely bypassed David, and I almost laughed at the notion.
"There you-" He grinned before stopping in his tracks, his mouth hanging open from his unfinished sentence as he noticed me. I watched his eyes trail over me, slowly, before meeting my gaze. I smiled nervously.
"How do I look?" I asked as I took a step forward. He blinked a few times before taking a breath and stepping to meet me halfway, reaching about an arms length from each other. He stared down at me for a little while before I laughed and tucked a loose strand behind my ear.
"What?" He blinked, finally finding his voice.
"You're not saying anything... It's too much, right?"
"No." He smiled warmly. "You look..." He gazed down at my dress once more before staring into my eyes." Incredible." He said quietly. A few more seconds of quietly staring at each other and he chuckled. "I was going to wait to give you this, but..." He pulled out a rectangle box from the confines of his jacket and handed it to me.
"What's this?" I said with confusion as I took it.
"I believe they call it a 'present', it being Christmas and all." He teased, and I rolled my eyes.
"Klaus, you didn't have to get me anything." I shook my head.
"Hush." He smirked. "Go on, open it." I sighed, but did as he said, opening the box to reveal a delicate necklace with an intricate snowflake as the pendant, a bright blue gem sparkling in the middle. I clicked my tongue as I pulled it out.
"This is beautiful." I grinned up at him. "Thank you."
"Let me help you." He gently took it and I nodded, turning around and holding my hair out of the way. Quietly, he pulled his arms over my head and pulled the chain gently until it was sitting properly, encompassing my neck. I could feel his fingers against my skin as he fiddled with the clasp for a few seconds, then gently gliding down the excess chain before pulling away. I turned back with a smile.
"Does it match?"
"Perfectly." He nodded. He then threw his coat to Rebekah's bed, which is when I noticed he, too, dawned a suit as Marcel was earlier. He seemed more cleaned up than normal, with his stubble mostly in check and hair partially slicked back. He then took my arm in his and began pulling me towards the door.
"I'm nervous." I laughed.
"About?"
"I, uh... I'm not so good in heels." It was not a complete lie, but it wasn't the thing I was most nervous about. He chuckled.
"Well, if you feel like you're going to fall over, just cling to me." He mused. I scoffed at him.
"Oh, I see." I teased. "You just want me to hold onto you."
"Perhaps." He smirked back. "Or I just know that you can be quite accident prone."
"Rude!" I exclaimed, gently patting him against the arm in a playful manner. He snorted. We reached the edge of the stairs, and it felt like everyone in the lobby who was turning in their coats suddenly turned to us to stare in awe. I swallowed hard, but was able to maintain my smile.
"I've got you." Klaus whispered, then lead me to begin the decent down the stairs, and into the ballroom.
We were greeted by a sea of people with many colors, the smell of pine cones and fur, and an all around red-themed party with decorations strung up everywhere. Towards the middle of the ballroom was a giant, possibly 50 foot tree, decked out all in reds, golds and candles, and many, many bows. The lights had been dimmed so that the candles all over the room could be the prominent light, whether they were on the standing tables or in the candelabras that lined the walls. Each table had gold and red covers to match the theme, and the chairs that existed around the outside of the room were also matching. I could smell food through the heavily perfumed guests and wintry scents, and I could hear gentle classical Christmas music playing off in the room somewhere.
I grinned, just as stunned as I was on Thanksgiving by the amount, as well as effort, put into bringing the room to life with color and theme.
"Impressed?" Klaus seemed amused next to me as I was looking on in awe.
"Always." I shrugged. "This is only the second time I've seen it full. It's nice to get to enjoy the view."
"I agree." He said. I glanced up to him to smile, noticing he was just staring at me.
"...What is it?" I tilted my head slightly.
"Nothing." He then turned to scan the crowd. "I believe I see your friend... And my sister." I smirked at this.
"Keelin is here?" He nodded as we began to make our way in that direction. "Did you have something to do with that?"
"Would you believe I didn't?" I raised an eyebrow. "Freya invited her, over dinner."
"What? And she didn't tell me!" I gasped. "I'm hurt, but entirely delighted." He chuckled.
"Just wait."
Upon spotting them, I looked both of the gorgeous women over to see what they had chosen to wear.
Keelin had dawned a short, burgundy chiffon dress with a longer tail and no sleeves, which complimented her figure wonderfully. Her hair was pulled up into a messy, but attractive bun, revealing gold dangle earrings.
Freya had gone for a long purple gown that elegantly flowed to the floor and matched her skin tone quite well. The long sleeves were a beautiful lace design that matched the color of the dress, and her hair was curled around her face.
After a few moments of that we approached them, Klaus greeting them from behind. They both turned to us, surprised, and then shocked as they stared at me. I tried not to recoil in shyness as they gushed over me and complimented me on my choice of attire.
"And how are you two fairing?" Klaus nodded once they were done fawning over me.
"Quite well." Freya smiled warmly. "I was just introducing Keelin to some fellow doctors I know." She motioned behind them.
"She's been very nice." Keelin laughed nervously, and I raised my eyebrow at her. She locked eyes with mine, almost knowing that I was going to give her some form of grief, which made it even harder to keep from smirking at her.
"Has she?" Klaus mused. I glanced up at Freya, who was tucking her hair behind her ear.
"No more than usual. I just thought it would be good to have help getting her foot in the door when she graduates the system."
"Indeed. You're very kind, Sister." A side glance at Klaus revealed him smirking at her as well, meaning that we were on the same page about those two.
"Well we shall leave you to it." I nodded, reaching out to squeeze Keelin's hand reassuringly. She returned the gesture. Klaus pulled me to meander in a random direction.
"What should we do, then?" Klaus inquired as he looked to me. "Any suggestions?"
"Uh." I pondered, looking around before spotting the dance floor. I clicked my tongue. "Do you dance, Mr. Mikealson?" I mused as I looked back to him. He snorted.
"We're reduced to formalities?" He smirked. "I do, in fact... but only if you'll dance with me." He tugged at my arm as he walked towards the open area. Once there, he gently pulled me close to him, taking my hand in his as he wrapped the other around my waist.
After a beat, I felt him shift, and we were suddenly spinning around the room. I decided to take a glance around us, noticing that everyone in the vicinity had turned, onlooking our dance. Several other couples decided to join as well, following our lead.
"Everyone's... Staring." I gripped his arm slightly.
"Don't pay them any mind." He said, pushing me out, just to spin me back into his arms and continue the rhythm. "Just look at me." I looked up at him and he grinned. "See? No one else but us." After a few minutes, I chuckled.
"Well, color me impressed."
"Likewise." He grinned. "Who knew you were good at taking direction?" I scoffed at him as he chortled.
"You're ornery tonight." I said. "As you might recall, I was being groomed to be the perfect child."
"Mm." He hummed his agreement. "I remember. And, similarly, dancing was one of the first arts I learned."
"And you're pretty good?"
He shrugged. "You scampered away from me at the bar before you could find out exactly how good." His grin settled into a playful smirk, and I found my heart fluttering more than it had been. "You're face is flushed, Love."
"Is it?" I gulped slightly as we slowed to a stop, and I raised a hand to my face. "I... I do feel a little warm." That was true at least. Klaus then began leading me towards the buffet area, the wafting of food getting stronger as we approached.
"I could retrieve you something to drink?"
"Maybe. It is a bit stuffy." I nodded.
"Wait here then." He grinned, unhooking his arm from mine and making his way to the table. As soon as he left, I was tapped on the shoulder and met with a familiar grin.
"Good evening, Tassryn." Elijah offered his hand out, to which I took.
"Merry Christmas, Elijah." I smiled back. It seemed all the men of the Mikaelson family wore similar attire to these kinds of events, as his was almost a copy of the suit Klaus was wearing.
"Any luck?" He asked as his eyes gestured towards the direction his brother had wandered. I shook my head.
"I... haven't told him yet." I sighed as he dropped my hand from his.
"I see." He smirked. "Shall I give it a push?" I felt the heat rise to my cheeks and he chuckled at me.
"Don't make me more nervous." I huffed.
"About what?" Klaus startled me from behind, causing me to jump slightly. I could see Elijah holding back laughter, and I shot him a glare before quickly turning to the man.
"Nothing! Just crowd jitters!" I covered, reaching for one of the drinks in his hands. He handed it off to me while looking to Elijah.
"We were discussing Mother's need to make us sing Christmas Carols. I assume she'll be roping Tassryn in as well." I nearly choked on the beverage I was drinking at Elijah's words. Sing!? I stared at him in terror as the word rank in my ears. "That should be happening relatively soon, in fact..."
"She wouldn't..."
"Oh, she would." Klaus seemed overly pleased with this. I felt my heart sink into my stomach, causing them both to laugh simultaneously.
"Fear not, Tassryn. She only gather's us for one song. Together." Elijah mused.
"Something like a family tradition." I heard a voice pipe up next to me. I turned to see Kol approaching us with a cheery disposition and, again, similar suit to his relatives. "And she's grown quite fond of you." He peered at me.
"Me? Why?" I turned to each of them, puzzled.
"My guess is, she is fond of our..." Elijah paused in his sentence as his eyes shifted to me. "...Relationships with you." I tried not to let my features slip into a glare at his choice of words.
"He means, you're nice to us." Kol translated. "Actually nice. Not 'rich person' formalities."
"Thank you?" I laughed. "And you're all welcome, I guess."
"We all appreciate it, I'm sure." Klaus mused as he considered over each of his brothers.
"Ah, here we are. All congregated in one place, how convenient." A voice said from behind Elijah. He moved to the side to reveal Esther, who was dressed to the nines in a beautiful silver mermaid style dress, with lace long sleeves, and matching earrings under her wavy hair.
"Hello, Mother." The boys greeted.
"Merry Christmas, Esther." I bowed my head slightly. She gasped, gawking and approached me.
"My darling, you look enchanting." She leaned in, gently grabbing my forearms, and made a kissing noise as her cheek touched mine. She then examined me once more from close up with a grin plastered to her face. "This color suits you so well."
"Thank you. And you look lovely, as always." I gave with a huge grin. She laughed slightly.
"Oh, hush. You'll make me blush." She waved off before turning her head to the rest of the party. "My children, I believe it's time to collect you for our tradition." She smiled at each of them before turning to me. "Won't you join us, Tass?"
"Oh, I don't-"
"Of course she will." Klaus interjected. I tried not to let the nervousness show on my features as Esther clasped her hand in mine.
"Wonderful! Then let's make our way to the piano, shall we?" She began pulling me along, and I shot Klaus a look that screamed "why!?", and he merely responded with a shrug as they followed behind us. "Do you sing, Tass?"
"Uh... Not much." I confessed with a nervous chuckle. "At least, not in public."
"Well, not to worry. I'm sure you have a pleasing singing voice." She said as she patted my hand. I internalized my screams as we made it to the piano, the rest of the Mikaelson's already there, along with Marcel and Keelin. Elijah took his place at the keys next to Esther, who let my hand go to slide into the seat. Klaus reached out to grab onto said hand and squeezed it gently, the piano blocking anyone's view from the gesture.
"Nervous?" He tilted his head as he asked quietly. I nodded. "...Me too." He laughed. I was confused as to why, but didn't get a chance to ask when a few chords played in front of us.
"The usual?" Elijah asked to Esther as his hands glided over the keys. She nodded with a huge grin on her face. Elijah nodded with a slight sigh before the beginnings of 'White Christmas' began to play at his fingertips.
I took note at how skilled he was at the instrument, wanting to ask him about it later. After the intro to the song, the family began singing the song together.
The first voices I heard were Elijah and Esther, since their voices were projecting towards me. The second was Klaus. I looked up at him briefly, but he was making sure to stare ahead at Freya, who was grinning at Keelin, who was singing as well, to my surprise. Even Finn had joined in the singing.
Feeling a little less nervous to have a whole brigade around me, I started singing quietly as well. Klaus' hand tightened around mine, and it sent a jolt through me. I looked to Keelin, who was smiling at me as we were singing. Evaluating my surroundings, I realized nearly everyone in the group was staring at me, and broadening my view, I saw that most of the guests were smiling towards us, either singing as well or bouncing along.
It was... kind of fun!
I decided to take a small leap of gestures by pulling my hand away from Klaus' just enough to hold his hand back. I felt his eyes on me then, but I was too nervous to look up at him.
Once we had all finished the song, the crowd around us began applauding, and I laughed nervously as Esther stood and leaned closer to me.
"I was confident you would sound wonderful, dear." She mused. I couldn't think of a proper response, so I just bowed my head at her. She then turned to the rest of her children and additional guests. "Thank you all for humoring me. I know it's silly, but it does mean the world to me."
As if on cue, all of the Mikaelsons began to explain over each other how it 'wasn't a big deal' or they were 'happy to do it', among other things. I looked to Klaus, who was looking down at our hands. I looked too as he squeezed ever so gently and I felt heat rise to my face.
"Can we...?" Klaus said quietly. I looked up to see him motion towards the ballroom entrance. I nodded in agreement. Quickly, he looked to his Mother as he pulled me along saying, "Excuse me."
She looked to us quizzically, but said nothing otherwise, or if she did, we were out of earshot.
We occasionally got stopped by a guest or two that recognized Klaus, and wanted to say 'hello' or talk to him about business, which he would quickly dismiss, for the purpose of not discussing business over the holidays.
Or so he says.
After a few more delayed minutes, we finally made it out of the ballroom, and he quietly led me into the room across the way, closing the doors behind us while I stepped further in. I was fiddling with my fingers nervously, the silence forcing me to listen to the quick beat of my heart in my ears.
"Tassryn." Klaus said from behind me, but I couldn't bring myself to turn around. "I have something to confess."
"Me first." I said, and instead of turning to him, I pressed forward, towards the other end of the room, where the fireplace was, which was the only illumination. It was dimly lit, but taken care of, as if someone was expecting to use this room at some point, or possibly already had.
"Alright." He said, close behind. I gulped slightly, trying to swallow away my nerves, but to no real avail. I took a deep breath and turned to him.
"I owe you a secret, Mr. Mikealson." I grinned. He laughed gently, taking a step closer to me.
"Of course." He confirmed. I took another inhale and let it out quietly.
"That day, I... When you asked me what I was hiding, I didn't know how to tell you, because I wasn't sure myself what it was, entirely."
"Vague." He smirked.
"Let me get there!" I laughed, and he shook his head.
"Say it." He said, reaching out and taking my hands in his. I looked to our hands for a brief moment before grinning. "I want to hear you say it... Please." He searched my eyes for a moment and I took in a deep breath.
"...Well." I smiled. "Klaus, I... I think I've fallen for you." I closed my eyes, trying to will away the nervousness. "I don't know when it happened exactly, but I...I was... scared." I sighed gently. "That's why I couldn't tell you then. That's why it took me so long. I didn't want things to change for the worse." I squeezed my hands around his little more tightly. "I wanted you to know that you were important to me. More important than my feelings for you."
"Listen to me." He said, his hands gliding up to cup either side of my face as he looked into my eyes. "You, all of you, are important to me. Even if I hadn't reciprocated your feelings, I would never want you to feel like you couldn't tell them to me." He then kissed my forehead and pulled me into a hug, wrapping his arms around me tightly. "Promise me you'll tell me everything from now on. No more secrets."
"I promise." I hugged him back.
"...Look." He said. He pulled from the hug and we both looked up to see the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling, just above the fireplace. I couldn't help but laugh at it.
"Ironic." His hands fully cupped my face, forcing me to look at him, and he pulled me into a deep kiss. My breath caught in my throat as one of his arms slipped around my waist and hugged me closer to him. My hands snaked up until they were laying comfortably on his chest. He smiled, kissing me several more times slowly and sweetly.
"Something tells me... You already knew." I sighed with a smile.
"I think I've known." He confessed. "Since your birthday. The way you spoke about what had bothered you... Well, there was no other reason."
"Go figure. Drunk Tass reveals all." I snorted.
"Tassryn," he said quietly, barely pulling away from me, his hand still tucked into my hair, "I'm falling for you, Love." I felt like my chest was going to burst from happiness as I stared up at him. "I don't know when it happened, but I... I wanted to kiss you that night, in the kitchen. I should have stayed."
"You're here now." I said before tugging at his suit coat and pulling him into another kiss. He laughed gently, returning the gesture.
"You've no idea how happy I am." He nearly whispered.
"Me, too." I laughed. "Where do we go from here?"
"Well..." He smirked, rubbing his thumbs along my cheeks. "We could slip away from prying eyes, slip into more comfortable clothing, huddle up on the couch until morning. If you'd like."
"That sounds wonderful." I confessed.
"...Merry Christmas, Tassryn." He smiled.
"Merry Christmas, Klaus." He leaned in to kiss me for what would the first few of many, many kisses to come.