I do not own TVD or TO
This chapter has been sitting half completed in my WIP folder for months... literally months. I kept opening it, writing a few sentences, editing existing scenes and then closing it, but I sat down today and finished it.
YAY
Without further ado the latest chapter of STRONG AGELESS FEARLESS complete with some cute Miranda, a touch of Kennett, some ELEJAH, KLAROLINE and some old friends from Mystic Falls.
Step one was easy enough to complete by sending Kol to smooth over witch relations. It invariably led to step two when he located Miranda's shoes in the care of Davina.
She doubted step three would be as simple. Diego confirmed her fear when he purposely bumped into Jackson, but thankfully the alpha was the peacekeeping sort; a strong hand on the straining bicep kept his beta from chasing down Diego to start a fight.
"That doesn't look good," Elijah sighed, placing his hand on the small of her back. He could see the pure rage on Oliver's face from their spot next to Jeremy.
She agreed with a nod, shifting to take Miranda from him.
"Daddy?" She babbled around the fingers in her mouth. Her eyes followed him across the room and blinked when he was stopped by a woman in a black dress.
Elijah's eyes darted from Francesca to Diego and Oliver, eyeing each other with barely concealed hostility.
"Since you seem to be preoccupied, I'll intuit your flattering compliment," her smile was charming, her eyes sparkling flirtatiously. "Thank you, I think I look stunning too."
"My apologies Miss Guerrera," he smiled, "I've only had eyes for one woman tonight." He heard Elena's tinkling laugh from across the room, it was followed by Miranda's giggles.
"That's to be expected I suppose," Francesca chuckled, her gaze settled on the white silk and the woman it encased.
"I trust you've spent the afternoon fortifying alliances." Elijah recaptured her attention.
"My time was cut woefully short," she hummed, tilting her head, "since I had to find a dress at the last moment. However, I have settled the dispute over the docks. I pacified the witches with an increased share in cemetery tours, and I've given the Crescents a Welcome-back-to-Humanity gift in the form of $100 chips to my casino. And all in a matter of hours; I believe I deserve some champagne."
Elijah grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waitress, but he pulled it back when she reached for it. After the actions she had taken over the course of the afternoon he had no other option, especially since nobody else had stepped forward.
"In light of Kieran's deteriorating condition I'm certain the others will acquiesce to your proposal. You will represent the human faction until Kieran is ready to resume."
Francesca took the glass from him with a tight smile. "Then I suggest we make the most of our limited time together."
"Shame you're not still human," Jeremy tickled Miranda's toes, "then you could have taken that seat." He leaned forward and blew on her cheek making her giggle.
"That would be immoral, and stacking the council," Elena rolled her eyes, "plus I was never actually human."
"Perhaps the doppelganger would have her own category," Alaric cocked an eyebrow.
"I think she's got too many categories to be properly categorized," Caroline smiled, coming to join the group. Her arms instantly wrapped around her mother before she moved over to Bonnie. "You made it."
"Of course I made it," Bonnie quipped. "I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see my favorite niece." She reached out and pulled Miranda from Elena's arms. She held her up above her head and swayed slightly. "Did you miss Auntie Bonnie?"
"Your best friend getting married had nothing to do with it," Elena smirked, crossing her arms.
"Or the other best friend who you missed terribly?" Caroline mirrored Elena's stance. They shared a sideways glance.
"I hate to break it to you girls," Alaric snickered, "but Miranda is quite the draw."
"Far cuter than the two of you put together," Bonnie agreed. She cradled Miranda to her chest and pressed a kiss to her hair. "I'm sure seeing her first Christmas is what drew Ric down here. Grandparents hate missing Christmas."
Alaric sputtered on his bourbon. "I'm not her grandfather."
"Well…" Jeremy tilted his head.
"Technically…" Caroline shrugged her shoulders.
"Legally…" Elena pursed her lips.
"… You're a grandpa," Bonnie finished, singing the words. She moved around Elena and twisted Miranda around, holding her out to the former history teacher. Her voice raised half an octave. "Say hi to grandpa, Miranda. Can you say it? Can you say grandpa? Grandpa…"
Miranda pulled her fingers from her mouth and curled them around his dark tie, leaving wet stains behind. She blinked and squirmed until he gave in and pulled her into his arms.
"Grand-da," she giggled.
"Aww," Elena smiled, "now give grand-da a big kiss."
"You've been planning this," Alaric's eyes narrowed. He tried to stop his laugh when Miranda left a smacking kiss on his cheek. He held her out, tilted his head and smiled. "You remember my name, don't you? Say Ric."
Miranda's tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth as she smiled. "Grand-da."
"He is definitely preferred to your other grandfather," Klaus snickered from the other side of the room.
Caroline rolled her eyes and shook her head without looking in his direction. "Don't you have faction leaders to schmooze?"
Kol slipped the leather shoes into his jacket pocket, glancing up in time to see one of the crescent wolves smiling in his direction. He followed the green eyes to their target and cocked an eyebrow.
"Isn't he a little old for you, darling?"
"Is he?" Davina tipped her head up to look at him and crossed her arms. "Remind me again what the age difference is at this wedding."
"Touché," he chuckled.
She rubbed the goosebumps from her arms, eyes darting to the other side of the room. She could see Genevieve motioning for her to join the Harvest girls, but she was reluctant to leave her corner.
"I think your friends want you," Kol followed her gaze.
"They're not my friends," she shook her head. The second the words left her lips she regretted them. It wasn't that she was lying, but not all of them were complete bitches to her; Cassie had been kind at times… most of the time. "They hate me."
From the corner of his eye he saw Elijah approaching Diego and a young witch walking towards him and Davina; Cassie was a few steps behind her.
A charming smile lifted the corners of his mouth, making his eyes sparkle. "Bonnie Bennett," he caught her hand, kissing her knuckles, "to what do I owe this visit. Have you finally decided to join me for an evening?"
"I've already told you Kol," Bonnie reclaimed her hand, "I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last person on earth."
"How you wound me," he gasped, holding his hand to his heart.
"So you're just a hopeless flirt then?" Davina's eyes narrowed.
"Anything that moves," she snickered, holding out her hand. "I'm Bonnie, by the way."
"Davina."
"Nice to meet you," Bonnie smiled.
"You too," Davina tilted her head, "but I don't think you came over here to introduce yourself. You looked like a woman on a mission."
"I didn't," she laughed. "I've been sent for shoe retrieval."
"Elena couldn't tear herself away?" Davina glanced over at the table. She could see the woman laughing with a man who was old enough to be her dad; he was holding Miranda and telling her something with a stern look that threatened to melt away every other second.
"I bet she would have for you," Bonnie smiled, "but she said she was likely going to kill Kol if he made one more inappropriate comment in her presence, so here I am." She held out her hands to Kol expectantly and nodded when the tiny leather shoes were placed in her open palm.
Cassie rocked back on her heels and gave a delicate clear of her throat, drawing the gaze of the trio. Her eyes went straight for Davina.
"Were you planning on joining us?"
Davina looked beyond Cassie to the Harvest witches. The air between the two groups bristled with tension, intensified by Monique's tight smile. A shudder raced down her spine.
"Do I have to?" Davina gripped her elbows.
Cassie glanced over her shoulder and pursed her lips. Her eyes narrowed for a split second before turning back around.
"Do you want to?" She countered.
"No," her shoulders stiffened after the admission.
"Then don't go," Kol shrugged, sliding his hands in his pockets. "Isn't the whole point of this gathering to strengthen faction relations? You can't do that confined to one group."
"I thought the point was wedding reception?" Bonnie crossed her arms; Miranda's shoes dangled from her fingers.
"That was before Nik hijacked it," Kol smirked. His eyes danced with amusement as he turned back to Davina. "My point is: go and mingle. And if you so choose: avoid your fellow harvest witches."
Elijah excused himself from Francesca after a moment and stepped in the path of an angry vampire. He took one look at the younger man's tense stance and inhaled slowly.
"Diego," he exhaled, shifting enough to meet the vampire's eyes. "You will be polite and welcoming."
He glared over Elijah's shoulder to the blond werewolf who kept throwing flirtatious glances at Davina Claire. His blood boiled every time he looked at the wolf.
"His people killed my whole family," he seethed. "My sister bled out on the floor right in front of me. The only reason I'm standing here is because Marcel came along and turned me before I bled out too. So, I'm telling you right now," he took a step closer until he stood toe to toe with Elijah, "I cannot be polite and welcoming to that."
Elijah tilted his head. Out of everything he had thought the evening would hold he had never slotted himself into the role of vampire-werewolf buffer; he was meant to have the evening off from his usual task of supernatural babysitting.
He took a step away from Diego and approached the wolves.
Elena pressed a quick kiss to Miranda's cheek, instructed her to behave for 'grand-da' and turned to move out through the crowd in the courtyard, pausing long enough for Caroline to adjust her train; she hooked the white material to Elena's waist with a button concealed at the base of her spine. She smiled gratefully and then moved out. Her heels clicked on the cobblestones all the way to the polished table near the stairs.
"You know," she crossed her arms and smiled, "drinking is frowned upon in your condition."
"Thank goodness it's a virgin," Hayley gave a humourless laugh. She spun around and held out the glass of sparkling apple cider.
"Ironic," Elena smirked. She plucked a full glass of champagne from the bar.
"Did I congratulate you yet?" Hayley sipped her glass.
"Not yet," Elena smiled, "though if you listen to Rebekah you're meant to congratulate the groom and give best wishes to the bride."
"Well, since I'm not on speaking terms with him at the moment, I'll give you my best wishes," she raised her glass in salute.
"Why aren't you two speaking?" A line appeared between Elena's brows. Her eyes shifted to her husband, locked in conversation with Jackson on the other side of the courtyard. She missed the glance Hayley sent to Alaric and Miranda.
"Don't worry about it," she pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Elena's hijacked wedding reception was not the time or place to reveal her accusation that her child wasn't safe in the city.
"Okay," Elena twisted to face her again, "on to more pleasant topics. How's the Bayou treating you?"
"It's… different," she shrugged. "I swear the family reunion is never gonna end."
"That's what you wanted though right?" Elena ran her finger around the rim of her glass. "Your family's curse has been broken; they are human again… except for on the full moon."
"I'm happy for them," Hayley nodded, glancing around at the wolves in attendance, "it's just… it's a lot of family togetherness and I'm not used to it."
"You'll get used to it." Elena smiled. "And if it ever gets too much you can always come back; you have a room here whenever you want it."
"New Orleans isn't the safest place to be," Hayley whispered. Genevieve gave her a sickeningly sweet smile in passing and she shivered; the feeling raced down her spine.
"Is anywhere?" Elena countered. "I've learned the only truly safe place to be is with family."
"Do you really think you're safe here?" Hayley frowned. Her eyes darted to Miranda. "Do you think she's safe here?"
"I do," Elena breathed. "Four Originals, two hybrids and an ancient witch," her eyes flickered around the room, "I think this is the safest she could possibly be."
"Even though nearly every dangerous situation that's come at you is because of this family?" Hayley licked her lips.
"Despite that fact," Elena shook her head, laughing softly. "So, how's my niece? I can officially say that now."
"You were always going to be an aunt," Hayley laughed, "and she's good." Her free hand smoothed over her swollen stomach.
"Any more morning sickness?" She set her empty glass on the table. "Is she kicking yet?"
"I've stopped vomiting," Hayley pressed her lips together. There was a soft flutter under her hand: fast and insistent. "I feel like I've got this spasm in my stomach, and it keeps me up at night sometimes."
"Can I?" She held out her hand. Her palm flattened over Hayley's stomach; she allowed the werewolf to move her wrist until she was in the correct position and waited a beat until she felt it. "That's the baby," she smiled, "she's not kicking hard enough that it registers as kicking yet, but that's her; moving around."
Elena smiled down at Hayley's stomach for a few seconds before her ears picked up the conversation of some of the wolves from the Bayou.
"Hayley?" She frowned meeting her friend's eyes. "You came with Jeremy right?"
"Yeah, why?" She sipped her cider.
"It's just that…" Elena chewed her bottom lip, "… if you came with my brother, and Klaus hijacked the reception at the last second, how did the wolves find out about it."
"Now, I know you're not saying my people aren't welcome," Hayley cocked an eyebrow.
"Of course not," Elena smirked, "you are family and as such your friends and family are welcome at any time; I'm just curious about who invited them tonight."
"I called out to the Bayou," Hayley shrugged, "when it became clear what was going on, but…" a line appeared between her brows, "… but they already knew actually; Jackson didn't want to come, but I pushed it. My guess is Elijah issued an invitation," she shook her head, "maybe as a peace offering for leaving the wolves out of the faction meeting earlier."
"As far as I know that meeting was just for the supernatural factions living in the city," Elena met her eyes. "I'm sure he didn't mean to leave your people out, but I also know he didn't call."
"How could you possibly know that?" Hayley blinked. Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh…" she tried to fight off her smirk.
"He was with me when we found out," Elena blushed.
"You couldn't wait a few hours?" Hayley snickered.
"We're gonna have to now," she groaned. "That leaves us with the lingering question."
Hayley nodded. Her eyes sought out the wolves in the room, counting and coming up short by one.
"Who told Jackson about it," she breathed.
"Welcome to me home," Elijah offered a warm smile to Jackson.
"I wouldn't be here if Hayley hadn't forced the issue," his eyes flickered to a pair of brunettes across the room.
"Yes," Elijah inhaled slowly, glancing around at the crowd, "it's rather unlikely that you'll experience an outpouring of kind sentiment here; the vampires in particular view you as…" his eyes darted toward Diego, "… well, barbaric."
Jackson followed his gaze. "Hayley tells me this peace treaty is important to you," his eyes followed the slight movement and settled on a man holding a baby girl in a pretty dress.
"Yes," Elijah hummed, "it certainly is, so much so, in fact, that if anyone threatened to dismantle what I'm building here, I'd destroy everything they hold dear." He tore his gaze from Miranda, offering Jackson a tight smile; a warning flashed in his eyes. "Have a wonderful evening."
Klaus leaned over the balcony, surveying the party while simultaneously avoiding it.
"Looking for someone?"
He glanced through the corner of his eye to where she leaned against the railing with crossed arms.
"Would you believe that I am enjoying the quiet?" He cocked an eyebrow.
"Not for a second," Caroline rolled her eyes. "Even if it was quiet up here I wouldn't believe you."
"You know, it hurts that you don't trust me," he smirked.
"I think you'll get over it."
She tilted her head when he looked at her; something shifted in his eyes when he gazed beyond her shoulder. She squinted to the left and caught a glimpse of a young man who had arrived with the wolves, but his name escaped her memory.
"Who's that?" She turned back around.
"My six o'clock," he smirked, taking her shoulders in hand. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "Excuse me, sweetheart."
She stood for a moment, pursed her lips and then followed several steps behind, entering the study before the door could slip shut as Klaus greeted him.
"Is this where the great Klaus Mikaelson says something poignant and snaps my neck?" Dark eyes flickered to Caroline, but quickly returned to Klaus so he could maintain a careful distance.
"I highly doubt he's planning on killing you since that would alienate the mother of his child, and tick me off as well," she crossed her arms, "since there's no reason for it. Probably piss Elena off too; she really hates it when he kills people in the house."
"I had no intention of killing Jackson, love," he straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat.
Caroline fell into a nearby chair, folding one leg beneath her and leaning on the arm. She merely waved her hand for him to continue when he watched her with amusement in his eyes.
"Mind telling me why you invited me then," Jackson tilted his chin up, fixing the pair of them with a cool stare.
Klaus turned back and smiled. "I brought you here to offer you a gift."
"Out of the kindness of your vampire heart?" He drawled, accent thickening near the end.
"Our hearts are more similar than you might realize," Klaus clasped his hands behind his back. "You see, long before I evolved…" he ignored Caroline's snicker, "… mine beat as a werewolf. I know your power and I know your burden. I'm here to take the latter away."
"You want to make me a hybrid?" Disbelief flashed in his eyes. He shook his head; defiance locked his jaw. "I put my pack first, and I'm not gonna let anything compromise my family line, especially becoming some bloodthirsty vampire parasite."
"Dude," Caroline sighed, closing her eyes, "I was with you up until vampire parasite."
"You seem nice," he turned his attention to her, "but I'm not takin' that back, darlin'."
"That pride," Klaus smirked, "and sense of loyalty?" He waited for Jackson's returned gaze. "That is precisely the reason I haven't snapped your neck yet."
"That," she muttered, "and you can't actually turn him."
"You can't?" A furrow appeared between Jackson's brows.
"I cannot," he rocked back on his heels. "My mother bestowed a curse on me which ensures making hybrids like myself remains an impossibiliIt's partially mother's fault, partially Elijah's fault, and partially Elena's… entirely my nieces."
"I like the kid already," Jackson smirked, "but what's that little baby got to do with anything."
"Everything," Caroline tucked a blonde curl behind her ear. "To make a hybrid the transition has to be completed with doppelganger blood. Elena is the doppelganger…" she waved her hand between each fact. "Elena had Elijah's baby. Miranda came to fast. Elena died from a complication. Ergo, Klaus cannot make hybrids."
"Okay…" Jackson nodded slowly, but the explanation did nothing to ease his confusion. "If you're not gonna kill me, then what the hell do you want?"
Caroline lifted a single brow; she was as curious as Jackson.
"I want to give you back the city that was taken from you," he met Jackson's eyes. A slow smile spread over his lips. "How is that for poignant?"
"Why would I trust someone who's conspiring behind his own brother's back?"
"I'm not trying to undermine Elijah's venture," Klaus scoffed. "I'm supporting it. Vampires destroy life to survive, witches are only as powerful as their dead, but the werewolves have thrived because their strength comes from family unity. The safety of that unity is what I want for my unborn child. The painful truth is," he lowered himself into the chair beside Caroline, "vampires are the antithesis of unity."
"So, what," Jackson frowned, dropping onto the leather sofa across from the couple, "after a thousand years, you're finally ready to embrace the other half of your family tree? Maybe the other half doesn't want you."
"Oh, they will once they return to the Quarter."
"You got a plan to back that up?"
A low table sat between them and on the table rested a wooden box. Klaus lifted the carved lid and Caroline leaned closer gaining the first glimpse of the ring: coiled silver in thick lines and an empty setting. He twisted it between his fingers, watching the area where a stone had once sat.
"My mother was a very powerful witch. I watched her craft all manner of magical items, but her most prized possession was this ring," the ring grew fuzzy in his vision as he looked beyond it to Jackson. "I hadn't seen it for a thousand years, and then it turned up hanging from the neck of a werewolf – a direct descendant of my biological father. I believe she gave him this ring as a way of freeing him," he placed it on the table before Jackson.
"How so?"
"Daylight rings shield vampires from the sun," he nodded to Caroline's hand where lapis lazuli sparkled in the dim light, "so why not a moonlight ring to protect werewolves from the curse? Think about it! No more breaking bones, no more losing control to the beast within."
Jackson watched the ring, the distant echo of longing flashed in his eyes, for himself and for his pack, but he had been blessed with a healthy dose of scepticism.
"What do I have to do?"
Davina leaned against the wall and watched the crowd of people as they chatted and forged potential alliances. Boredom etched itself in the smooth curves of her face. She thought she might soon fall asleep standing up and was prepared to shut her eyes for a moment if only to block out Monique's dark looks but before she could a shadow fell across her body and she looked up into green eyes and a confident expression.
"Hey," the man smiled. His eyes flickered over her quickly. "You look, um…" he trailed off, tripping momentarily over his tongue.
"Nervous?" She blinked quickly and shifted on her feet, gripping her skirt. "Out of place? Short in this dress?" She smiled. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and she giggled, lowering her eyes.
He laughed, running a hand through his chin length blond hair. "I was gonna say pretty." He smiled when her eyes lit up. "I'm Oliver. So, what's the name of the girl I'm about to ask to dance?"
"Monique…"
Davina's smile fell when her former best friend appeared out of nowhere and slipped her hand into Oliver's.
"Her name is Monique," she gave him no choice but to follow her onto the dancefloor, casting a cruel smirk over her shoulder towards Davina who blinked moisture from her eyes before storming off.
She skirted the edge of the courtyard as fast as she could without drawing unwanted attention, but the second she was free from potential watchers she raced down the hall and through an open door, slamming the wood behind her and leaning against it. Her angry tears blinded her and she dared not move without seeing the path so she slid down the length of the door and buried her face in her raised knees. Barely a moment passed before her hair was grasped and pulled down to the left.
She yelped and massaged her scalp.
"That's a little too hard, munchkin…" Davina swiped at her eyes as something soft was thrust in her face. "Now I know Mama has told you not to pull hair."
It was pink – that was all Davina knew until she wiped her eyes. Fresh tears replaced the old, but not before she focused enough to see the faint outline of the stuffed animal and the toddler at her knee. She recognized Ella by feel and Jeremy by voice.
"That hurt, Miranda," he nodded to Davina. "What do you say when you hurt someone by mistake?"
She looked back at him for a moment, tilting her head. Her mouth puckered as she thought and pointed to Davina. "Ow?"
"Yes, ow," he nodded.
She pointed to herself and then Davina. "Me, ow?"
"Yes, you ow," he bit his cheek in an attempt to hide his smile. "Now what do you do to make it better?"
She liked watching Mama and Daddy think; Mama tilted her head and Daddy squinted. Sometimes Mama tapped her chin.
She did all three, missing her chin by an inch and hitting her nose instead before nodding. She approached Davina with three quick little steps and patted her shoulder, motioning with her hand for her to bend lower.
Davina bent her head and nearly smiled when a soft kiss was pressed to her hair nowhere near where it had been pulled, but her hurt was still to fresh for laughter.
"That was my fault," Jeremy sighed. "You're supposed to say something to, munchkin. You're supposed to say sorry."
"S'ry?" She blinked.
"Sorry," he nodded.
"Sowry?" Miranda repeated.
Jeremy nodded; it was close enough. "Good, now look at Davina and say 'I'm sorry'."
"I sowry, 'Vina," Miranda blinked up at Davina. She pressed her cheek to her arm and hugged as much of Davina as she could.
Davina straightened out her legs, wrapping her arms around the tiny body that curled up in her lap.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He knelt, folding a damp washcloth in his hands.
"Talk about what?" She sniffed.
"Whatever – or whoever – made you cry," he shifted to sit more comfortably at her side. "I know you're not in tears because a one year old pulled your hair; you're made of tougher stuff than that. Come on now, I've got a sister; I recognize angry tears when I see them."
"Elena angry cries a lot?" Davina frowned.
"Angry tears, heartbroken tears, guilty tears…" he trailed off dropping his eyes to Miranda. Carefully he reached over and wiped the remnants of her dinner from her mouth and fingers, mindful all the while of Davina and being careful not to touch her.
She watched his hands and then she watched Miranda as her large dark eyes blinked sleepily. It took some time until she matched her breathing to the girl's increasingly long blinks.
"It's Monique," she finally whispered.
"Your friend, Monique?" He tilted his head.
"She's not my friend anymore," her heart stuttered. "She doesn't act like it. She hates me. She excludes me. She deliberately takes things from me."
"What did she take from you?" He leaned against the door, frowning when she blushed. He had to lean closer to catch her barely their whisper.
"A dance," she bit her lip.
"A dance?" A line appeared between his brows. "She stole a dance from you?"
"Never mind," she shook her head, looking away, "it's stupid… I'm stupid."
"You're not stupid Davina," he nudged her with his shoulder, "and if it matters to you than it's not stupid either. You can tell me about it, or not," he amended, "it's up to you."
She threaded her fingers through Miranda's hair that had slipped free from the adorable braids and combed the curls, watching as the smooth hair straightened out and sprung back with a bounce; she did that over and over until the brown curls shone in the kitchen light before finally opening her mouth to speak.
"There was this guy – one of the werewolves…" she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "He… he flirted with me, and he asked what my name was because he was gonna ask me to dance and then… then Monique inserted herself and he went with her."
"Then he's an idiot."
She turned her head sharply to the left, startled by the word in the presence of Miranda.
"Don't tell Elena I said that," he nodded to her lap where his niece was nodding off, "but he is an idiot and he doesn't deserve you. Anyone that would choose Monique over you doesn't deserve you; you should be the first choice."
"How did you get so wise?" She squinted at him; he was little more than a year or two older than her.
"I had to grow up pretty fast," he shrugged, "and I watched my sister torn between two guys that wanted someone else."
"Please tell me one wasn't Elijah," she glanced down to Miranda. It was impossible to think of the little girl's dad looking at anyone else the way he looked at Elena; though she was certain others had held his eye over the centuries.
"Not Elijah," Jeremy shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "He loves her and has only ever seen her when he looks at her; that's part of the reason I like him. If she had to choose a vampire then she could have done a lot worse than a man who loves her for her, but we are getting off topic. I was telling you how much of an idiot that guy is."
"If you keep saying that than she's gonna repeat it and you'll be in big trouble with your sister."
"I'll just blame Kol," he smirked. "She'll believe it. Everyone will believe it," he laughed when Davina snickered. "I think Kol would even believe it. He does tend to forget himself around Miranda."
She wiped at her cheek, scowling at the moisture that clung to her fingers. "I never wanted to be this kind of girl."
"What kind of girl?"
"The kind of girl that cries over a guy… a guy she doesn't even know…" she tossed her head back, closing her eyes.
"From what I understand you're not crying over a guy," he didn't think about what he was doing before reaching for her hand and squeezing gently. "You're crying over a girl who used to be your best friend and who is now treating you like trash. Can I offer some advice?"
She stared through her lashes at their hands and gave a short nod.
"Get some new friends," he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. "Get some better friends like Josh and Elena; they're both awesome friends to have. I saw you talking to Bonnie earlier, and she is amazing too – though not local. And there's Hayley and Caroline, Kol and Rebekah…"
She turned her head slightly to meet his eyes.
"… I'm always available too if you wanna talk, or dance," he teased.
"Is that an offer?" She made a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh.
"Would you accept it?" He cocked an eyebrow.
"I… I don't want to be pitied," she bit her lip.
"Who said anything about pity?" He tilted his head. "You're too pretty to be a wallflower, and too badass to let an ex-best friend reduce you to tears…" his eyes widened and dropped to Miranda who had thankfully nodded off. "… never tell Elena I said that."
"Blame Kol?" She smirked.
"Now you're getting it," he laughed. "So, Davina Claire," he straightened up and held out his free hand, "would you like to dance with me?"
"Aren't you babysitting?" She looked down to where Miranda slept in her arms.
"She's had an exciting day, skipped her nap and is now more than ready for bed," he followed her eyes. "What do you say? I'll put her to bed, get the monitor and then you can enjoy yourself a bit – maybe even show Monique that she can't get to you."
"But she did," Davina frowned.
"Elena and Caroline used to say 'fake it till you make it'. If you believe something is true, and you tell yourself that it is true enough times you'll start to believe it. Ignore her and have some fun; eventually you'll forget all about her."
She bit her lip.
"If it helps I'm an excellent dancer with training in some of the classical dances," he read her quizzical expression and smiled. "I grew up in Mystic Falls as part of a founding family; I had to learn to dance early, but it would be nice to dance for fun."
"Okay," she nodded. "Do you mind if I carry her up? She looks so comfortable." She knew she would have to hand the baby over at the nursery door, but she wasn't ready to let the bright child go; she was still touched by the offer of Ella.
"Sure."
I'm gonna be honest here.
I have no clue what I'm doing with Jeremy at the moment in terms of pairings. I see potential for JeremyxHayley, JeremyxRebekah, and now JeremyxDavina.
I also see RebekahxMarcel, RebekahxStefan (if I can find a way to bring him down to New Orleans).
And I love the idea of Hayley and Jackson.
Anyway... Caroline is angry that Klaus hijacked the wedding, but also kind of touched for the reason he did it... however shall she react?
What was your favorite part? I think mine were the bits with Alaric and Miranda