Hey guys! I update less than a week later once again, what is going on? Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this chapter for the most part.. I apologize ahead of time if my writing becomes sloppy and disconnected towards the end. Then again, no one ever really likes what they wrote themselves, so hopefully you guys like the chapter :)
Disclaimer: I still don't own these characters.. Unless they're under the age of ten..
"Are you sure you're okay?" Bonnie fussed as she helped her boyfriend out of the car.
Kol chuckled. "Yes, darling, I'm fine!"
"Rebekah said you can rest at home-"
"I am completely fine. There's no way I'm missing my baby sister's wedding rehearsal," he insisted. It was two days before Rebekah and Matt's long awaited wedding. Today wasn't necessarily a rehearsal, just those who were in the wedding party practicing walking down the aisle. Okay, maybe that is what a rehearsal is. Tomorrow is going to be a small dinner with all of their friends, a way to bring the past to meet the present without dozens of coworkers and neighbors that Rebekah and Matt invited to the reception just to be polite. And then after the dinner, the girls are taking Rebekah to her bachelorette party, while the guys take Matt to his bachelor party.
Bonnie sighed. "As long as you're fine."
"Bon.. My accident was six weeks ago. I can walk on my own." The accident happened on November 10th, exactly six weeks from today, December 22nd. Kol and Bonnie actually just returned from the doctor's office, where he cleared Kol of being on crutches. His shoulders and legs made astounding recovery, but his foot still needs a little more time to heal. He has a giant cast on his left foot, but he claims it's comfortable to walk in. He doesn't want crutches. He doesn't need them. The pain in foot is nonexistent, the cast keeping his foot mobilized as he walks. He can't feel a thing, and that's why he can walk.
"I know, I just.." Bonnie trailed off. Kol grinned down at her.
"You are adorable when you're worried about me, did you know that?"
She rolled her eyes but nonetheless smiled the smile that Kol falls in love with everyday. "I just love you so much."
Kol kissed her forehead and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to him. "I love you, too, darling."
She wrapped her arms around his torso, and they walked together. Within a minute, they reached the ballroom-type area when they would be practicing walking down the aisle.
Not like most of them need to know how. Half of the people in the wedding party have already gotten married themselves, and the rest have been a bridesmaid or a groomsmen at least once before. But Rebekah still wants everyone to get comfortable with their partner. And she wants to announce the brother she chose to walk her down the aisle.
"Hey guys!" Caroline exclaimed when she saw her best friend and her boyfriend enter the ballroom.
Bonnie smiled over at her best friend. "Hey, Care."
"Great, tweedle dumb and tweedle judgy are here," Katherine joked. "Now, we need the horror bride and the pitiful groom."
"Bekah and Matt still aren't here yet?" Kol asked. He looked around the room, and sure enough everyone was here except the bride and groom.
"We're here!" Matt announced when him and his fiancé entered the room. "Sorry we're late, but Rebekah wanted to make a grand enterance."
"Oh shush," the blonde nudged him. She grinned at everyone. When she noticed someone missing, her smile faltered. "We're missing Hayley. We can't start without the maid of honor."
"No offense, but I still don't think she exists. It's hard to believe you have a friend," Sage teased.
Rebekah turned to glare at her sister-in-law. When she saw her eldest brother laughing, she shot a glare at him too.
"When did her plane land?" April asked.
"Last night. I haven't had a chance to see her, yet. I hope she found the place okay."
Elijah shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was a bit nervous about seeing Hayley again. Sure, they didn't date very long, but he did have strong feelings for her. He's just as uncomfortable seeing Tatia and Gia, but at least there'll be a bigger crowd when he sees them.
Klaus, on the other hand, was enjoying his brother's misery in seeing his ex-girlfriend. Yeah, him and Hayley might have hooked up once, but Klaus never felt anything for the brunette. She annoyed him most of the time, and he sometimes wondered exactly how many drinks it took to sleep with her.
The awkward thing about that little "love triangle" was that Elijah caught Hayley sneaking out of Klaus's room one night, and then began dating her almost a week later.
The hilarious thing about the entire situation was how pissed off Rebekah got when she found out two of her brothers fancied her best friend. Okay, well fancy definitely is not the word Klaus would use to describe his relationship with Hayley. If you could even call it that.
"This is a small town, she can't get lost," Damon shrugged.
A knock on the door interrupted everyone's conversations. The door slightly opened and in came a tall brunette with deep green eyes. Her hair was slightly curly, falling around her face in a halo.
Hayley Marshall.
"Hayley!" Rebekah squealed. She ran to her friend and tackled her in a hug. Hayley squealed too and almost crushed the blonde in her embrace.
"Rebekah! I missed you so much," she whispered into her friend's hair. "I'm so sorry I lost touch-"
"It's okay," Rebekah pulled out of the hug. "You're here now." The two friends shared a quick smile.
Hayley glanced at the Mikaelson brothers, all of which were now standing, looking at her. She moved her hand in a quick gesture, as if waving a greeting. She wasn't sure she felt comfortable hugging all of them with such a big audience. She locked eyes with Klaus, and her heart was hit with a pang of regret and guilt. He smirked at her, but she had to look away immediately. Her eyes then fell upon Elijah. A smile crept onto her face. He returned her smile. His anxiety melted away.
"So, you're the famous Hayley," a sassy brunette said from beside Elijah. Hayley turned her attention to the woman. She was standing next to Elijah in a protective way. The way she held herself, the way she looked at Elijah for that quick second, Hayley could tell that this woman was in a romantic relationship with him. Hayley had to admit, the woman was beautiful. She could only hope Elijah was happy, and she had no doubt that he was.
"I guess so," she shrugged sheepishly. "It's nice to meet all of you."
"It's nice to meet you, too," Matt smiled.
"Shall we get this rehearsal going?" Another brunette, who looked identical to the first one, spoke.
"Oh yeah," Hayley said. "How long do you think this will be? I have someone waiting in the hall, and I don't want to be too long.."
"I don't know, not too long. Maybe about ten or fifteen minutes," Matt responded.
Hayley breathed. "Okay. That's good."
"Who do you have waiting?" A blonde who stood next to Klaus asked, curiousity written across her features.
"Oh, no one," Hayley lied. "I have my boyfriend Jackson with me.." And my daughter, she added in her head.
"Jackson can come in and wait, if he wants," Rebekah suggested.
"No thank you," Klaus said. "I never liked that kid. I can't believe you ended up with him."
Hayley rolled her eyes. "Well, he's not a kid, anymore. You wouldn't know since you haven't seen him since, well, you yourself was a kid."
Klaus scoffed. "People only get more annoying and high-mighty with age."
"Speak for yourself."
Everyone looked between Klaus and Hayley with amused faces. Their banters were always something worth watching. They disagreed on just about everything, it was a wonder they even got along. Most of the time they didn't, actually.
"Wasn't Jackson the guy who made it his life goal to marry you?" Kol broke the awkward silence.
"Yes," Hayley nodded. "But we're not getting married."
"Well, that's lovely information," Rebekah said sarcastically. "Now, can we get going with this rehearsal because Matt and I have to check up on everything- we have a lot to do in two days-" Matt gently rubbed her back to prevent her from having a mental breakdown. She leaned back against him.
Everyone nodded.
"I thought you'd never ask," Kol grinned.
Rebekah took a deep breath and stood up straight, removing herself from Matt's warmth and safety.
"First off.. We have Hayley as the maid of honor and Jeremy as the best man," she announced.
"You two will actually be walking last, right before Rebekah," Matt added.
"The first pair to walk down is Elena and Tyler, because they're Matt's other two best friends," Rebekah continued.
"But before them, we actually need Emma to be the flower girl," Matt said, gesturing to his friends' daughter. Emma hopped over to Matt and Rebekah with a grin on her face. Her purple dress danced with every step, and her braids jumped around. Everyone laughed.
"I'm the flower girl!" She squealed. "What does the flower girl do again?" This was her first time being a flower girl, and as you can tell, she's very excited.
Matt handed her a basket with rose petals in it. "You walk down the aisle and drop the flowers on the ground."
"That's it?" She asked, scrunching up her nose.
"Basically, yeah," Matt answered.
"Oh. Cool!"
Rebekah grinned and gave the little girl a small push. "Now, go line up. And don't drop the flowers yet!" There wasn't a lot of flowers in the basket as this was just a rehearsal, but she still needed some to practice. They were going to line up and then they'd walk down and practice.
Emma skipped over to where her father was standing on the other side of the room. That was where they were lining up.
"And then Christian and Tate," Matt geturing to the two little boys who were playing with firetrucks in the corner. Hearing their names, blurs of red and black looked up. "Chris will be bringing me my ring, while Tate brings Rebekah hers."
"But they will actually stand at the beginning of the line, in front of Elena and Tyler respectively, and then once we're done giving the vows- well, you know how all that will go," Rebekah added.
"Do we go stand up there now?" Chris asked his "Uncle" Matt. The blonde adult chuckled and nodded.
"Come on, Tate," Chris said to the boy with flaming red hair.
"Are we giving the rings now?" Tate asked as he stood up. The two little boys ran to Emma.
"Not yet, sweetie," Sage said to her son.
"Here," Jeremy took out two coins. "You can give those to Aunt Rebekah and Uncle Matt during the rehearsal."
The two boys took the coins, and Tate stepped back. He wanted to give the coin to his Aunt Rebekah now. Chris, who was older, knew that it wasn't the time. He grabbed his friend's elbow and pulled him back in line.
"Not yet, Tate!" Chris said. "We're in line first."
Emma turned around. "Yeah, boys. Don't mess up my moment."
Chris was confused. "But I just said-"
The adults couldn't help but laugh at the scene between the children.
"They're so cute," Hayley admired.
"Aren't they?" Rebekah smiled. "Okay, now Elena and Tyler," she ordered. Elena and Tyler laughed and stood behind the children. "Now.. We have my brothers. You guys will be lined up by age, and obviously walking down with your wife/fiancé/girlfriend. But-"
"But one of us is walking you down the aisle," Finn guessed.
Rebekah nodded. "And whoever that is, their partner will walk down with either Stefan or Damon.. Depending on who it is because half of them prefer Stefan and the other half prefer Damon."
"Damon," Bonnie and Sage raised their hand while Caroline and Katherine said, "Stefan."
Damon and Stefan gave each other a weird look from their place in the corner.
"And then the remaining Salvatore brother walks down with my lovely sister," Rebekah smiled at Freya, who sat on a table dangling her feet back and forth. Hearing her cue, she snapped her head up and shot a shy smile at her sister.
"Uhm, what..?" Hayley whispered.
Rebekah's eyes widen and hissed, "Oh god, I'll tell you later!" Her friend nodded, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Okay, so now is the moment of truth."
"What moment of truth, I am so confused," Damon muttered.
"She's announcing who's walking her down the aisle, stupid," Caroline snapped.
"Blondie, don't use that tone of voice with me."
"God, you replaced my mom as the sheriff, not my mother!"
"Shut up, both of you," Rebekah barked.
"Rebekah, it's honestly not that big of a deal," Elijah assured his sister.
"Yeah, like we told you months ago, we don't care who you choose," Klaus added. Kol and Finn nodded in agreement.
"I know you said you guys don't care, but I know that deep down you do. I-"
"Oh, just get on with it already!" Katherine groaned.
"Should I do a drumrole?" Tyler suggested.
"No," Rebekah stated. "Okay.. But, I mean you're all still giving me away," seeing the impatient looks on everyone's faces, she stopped stalling. "Okay, the brother I chose to walk me down the aisle is... Elijah."
"I knew it," Kol murmured.
A huge smile plastered across Elijah's face. He honestly wasn't expecting this honor of walking his sister down the aisle. He remembered the day she was born and how he vowed to always protect her. He loved her so much, and a selfish part of him was glad he could experience this with her. Just him.
"Thank you, Rebekah. I know this must have been a difficult decision-"
"Yeah, yeah, get your ass up here," she motioned for him to come stand beside her. "Now Finn and Sage, Klaus and Caroline, and Kol and Bonnie line up."
Those six people did what they were told before the devil blonde bit their heads off.
"I want to walk down with Stefan!" Katherine raised her hand.
"Oh, god please no," Stefan begged. "Rebekah, if you love me, you won't stick me with her."
Rebekah grinned evily. "I'm terribly sorry, Stefan."
The younger Salvatore hung his head. Katherine laughed.
"Fine. I don't know what I did to deserve this," he said somewhat teasingly as he walked to the end of the line.
Katherine stood beside him and punched his shoulder. "Hey!"
"Thank you god for not sticking me with the she-devil," Damon spoke up.
"I left my son in your hands, don't make me change my mind," she lowered her gaze.
At the mention of Hayden, Damon immediately shut up. The little boy was only six weeks old, but Damon loved his godson to bits.
The newly appointed Sheriff of Mystic Falls turned to the youngest Mikaelson sibling. Her blonde hair fell across her face as she tried to blow it away. He held out his elbow for her to take. "I guess you're stuck with me," he smiled at her.
She pushed his arm away. "I don't need an escort." She jumped down from the table and walked to the end of the line.
"Well then," he muttered as he stood beside her in line.
Hayley couldn't help but laugh at all of the banters between everyone. And the new Mikaelson sister was just like her siblings, Hayley couldn't help but smile.
"So now we have Hayley and Jeremy-" Rebekah started but was interrupted by a small voice.
"Mama?"
Everyonce turned their heads, and there was a young girl, about eight years old, poking her head around the door inside the ballroom. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in pigtails, her blue-green eyes searching for her mother. When her eyes landed on Hayley, she grinned. "I found you!" She ran into the room, hugging her mother's legs. She looked around at all of the other people and smiled sheepishly. "Hi!" she waved, before hiding behind her mother again.
Hayley mentally groaned. She hadn't meant for her daughter to make an appearance now. Everyone in the room was staring at her and her daughter. Elijah and Klaus especially.
"You have a daughter?" Elijah asked.
Hayley ignored him. She leaned down to face her daughter. "Where's Jackson? Why isn't he watching you?"
"I ran away from him," the little girl giggled.
"Don't do that. Okay, mommy was busy.. She doesn't.." Hayley trailed off.
Klaus was staring at the little girl. He knew it was impossible, but she looked just like him. Her hair was dirty blonde, she was shy just like he had been as a child, and she had the same smirk he does. Her eyes glimmered with the hint of the devil, which she no doubtedly got from her father. Her eyes were a mix of blue and green. Blue from her father, green from her mother. Her skin was lightly tanned, thanks to her mother being tanner than most people born in New Orleans.
Klaus felt drawn to her. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to, but he couldn't help but wonder.. No, it's impossible. Well, actually, no it's not. He did sleep with Hayley. He moved away a few months later. She could have kept it a secret, and by the time she was showing, he was long gone.
Oh god. It wasn't Davina, was it? It was Hayley.
"Hayley?" Klaus's voice cracked. Caroline glanced at him. She wondered why he was staring at Hayley and her daughter with such facination. Then it clicked.
Caroline felt her heart drop to the floor.
"Klaus, not now," Hayley snapped.
"How old is she?"
"I said, not now," the brunette growled. She tried to lead her daughter out the door.
"Hey kid!" He exclaimed. The little girl turned her head around. "How old are you?"
"Hope, don't answer him. Go find Jackson," Hayley warned.
"How old are you?" Klaus asked again.
"I'm eight!" Hope shouted. Klaus gasped.
Rebekah's eyes darted to the floor. She saw pictures of Hayley and Hope online. She had her suspisions, but she wasn't sure. Now, it all made sense.
Kol stared at Hayley and Hope and then looked back at his brother. A laugh escaped his lips. "Oh my god. It wasn't Davina, was it? It was you?"
"Davina was never pregnant, Kol," Hayley shook her head. "She was scared and she didn't want to lose you.. Your mother scared her. She knew about me.. She told me what Esther threatened.. I couldn't.. And that's why I never said anything.." Hayley's voice was barely audible. She couldn't put together her thoughts. Her words were all strings, all disconnected. This was not how she planned to tell this story. She was put under pressure, and her words just wouldn't form together.
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on!" Caroline exclaimed.
"Is that my daughter?" Klaus found his voice.
Everyone in the room was too shocked to even think. Caroline glanced between her fiancé and this new girl. They were together? They might have a kid?
Hope stared at Klaus. "I don't have a dad.." She looked back up at her mother. "You told me my dad was dead!"
Klaus stepped closer to Hayley and Hope. "Is this my daughter?" He asked one more time.
Hayley looked from Klaus to the blonde, who seemed like Klaus's girlfriend, to Rebekah to Elijah back to her daughter. She closed her eyes and loosened her grip on her daughter.
Her green eyes opened and she looked at her one night stand from almost nine years ago. The worst mistake she ever made, yet he gave her the greatest gift she could ever ask for.
She slowly nodded. Klaus took a step back. Hope jumped away from her mom.
Hayley didn't want the news to be let out like this. Not in front of all of these people. But she had no choice.
"Yes, Klaus. Hope is your daughter."
...
Klaus sat beside the little girl on the rocks. After hearing that her father was alive afterall, that her mother lied to her her whole life, Hope ran out the door. Hayley freaked out, but Klaus said he could take care of it. She warned him that their daughter wasn't the kindest when she was upset. He shook his head. He wanted to speak with her. He had to.
That was his daughter. He had a child, one that he never knew about. That was his biggest fear.
He hated Hayley for keeping this from him. He hated her for making him a father.
He hated himself for not using the bloody condom.
But he couldn't erase the facts. He had a child. He was scared out of his mind, but he was not going to let this little girl grow up without a father. He already missed eight years. He wasn't going to miss anymore.
He surprised himself at how much he wanted to be in her life. He guesses its because his father was so horrible, and if his birth dad could have done anything about it, Klaus wished more than ever that he would have. But he couldn't. He wanted to save Hope from growing up without a father. He couldn't save himself from growing up with an abusive father. He vowed he'd never be like Mikael. He was going to be the father he wish he had.
He wanted to get to know Hope. It was like a magnetic pull. He had to know her.
The only thing holding him back was what Caroline would think. But that was a matter for a different time.
"I knew you'd be here."
Hope sniffled and rubbed her nose with her sleeve. She turned her head to avoid looking at the man who claims to be her father. Well, he doesn't necessarily claim to be her father. Her mother admitted to lying to her all of these years. Every time Hope asked what happened to her father, why she was the only little girl at daycare and then at school without a father, her mother would grow quiet, say that they weren't supposed to mention him. And then finally Hayley snapped and said he died. Now Hope realizes it was probably just to get her to shut up.
It's not like Hope was completely lacking a father figure. Her mother started dating Jackson last year, and she's known her mother's friends her whole life. After the Mikaelsons moved away, their friends became a tiny family to help Hayley raise Hope.
But she knew Jackson wasn't her father. He tried to be, Hayley wanted him to be, he wanted to be, and he tried. But Hope didn't believe it. She couldn't.
Looking at Klaus.. She was young, but she still understood things. She understood that she looked a lot like this man. She felt a magnetic pull to him. She knew in her heart that this was her father.
"Hope.." Klaus started. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" She turned her head towards him. Her voice was small. She was scared of saying the wrong thing. She didn't want him to find her stupid or silly and not want to know her. She wanted him to care. "You didn't know about me."
"I'm just sorry. For anything I need to be sorry for."
"It's okay."
Klaus thought for a moment on his next words. "I know this must be.. Very surprising. I mean, I never would have expected this."
Hope stared at him.
"I'm scared," he admitted.
"Me too."
"Why are you scared?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know you," she answered.
He nodded. "But how about you get to know me? As scared as I am about all of this.. You're my daughter and I am not going to abandon you. I've been abandoned. It doesn't feel too good. I would like to get to know you. Your birthday, your favorite color, your favorite food, whether you like art.. I just can't let you leave this town without spending a day with you."
A smile stretched across the eight year old's face. "You want to know me?"
He nodded, placing his hand above hers. "I very much would like to."
She giggled and clapped. That was all she needed to hear. She was going to have a father after all. "Okay! Well my birthday is December 2nd, so I just turned eight, my favorite color is red, my favorite food is apples and pasta, and I love art! I love drawing and painting, it's my favorite thing to do. I love to draw horses, I'm really good at them! Want to see?"
Klaus chuckled and nodded. "I would love to."
Hope grinned and jumped up. She grabbed Klaus's hands, attempting to pull him up. Then she hopped across the rocks, leading Klaus back inside the building.
The duo appeared back in the ballroom. Hayley smiled when she saw them.
"Are you okay?" She asked her daughter.
Hope scowled. "I'm still mad at you, mama. But can I have the keys? I want to show daddy my drawings!"
Klaus's heart leaped at the word daddy. She was so quick to define him in her life, and Klaus admired that. He could never be so quick to define anyone.
Hayley glanced from Hope to Klaus, and her heart fell when she noticed them holding hands.
Seeing Hayley speechless made Klaus smirk. Deciding to add to her misery, he said, "By the way, I would love to get to know my daughter. We should plan on trips back and forth from the U.K and here, or better yet, you guys can just move. Or she can stay with me for a while."
"Klaus-"
"No, Hayley. You kept my daughter from me for eight years."
"I know and I'm sorry, but it wasn't safe-"
"I don't really care. I've met her now, and you can't take her from me."
"And I'm not going to!" She practically screamed. Everyone turned their heads towards them. She lowered her voice. "Okay fine. I knew this was coming. I don't really have a job, or anything back for me back home. It wouldn't be difficult to pack up and move, if it wasn't for Hope's school. We can discuss this more later on, I am here for a month. You can get to know her, I promise."
Klaus nodded. He saw Caroline step towards them and he shot her a smile. She smiled back.
Hayley took out her keys. "You can show him your drawings, but come right back, we have a rehearsal to do." She handed Klaus the keys. "She can show you where the car is."
Hope nodded, grinning.
Caroline reached Klaus. "She draws, too?" Her voice was warm and soft like summer rain. She was smiling at the little girl. She really does look just like Klaus. And she drew? Klaus was the best artist Caroline had ever seen. She knew that the eight year old's drawing were probably magnificent.
"You're really pretty!" Hope exclaimed.
Klaus chuckled and Caroline smiled.
"Why, thank you," Caroline said. Her hand rested above her heart, touched by the little girl's sincerity.
"Hope.. I would like you to meet Caroline, the love of my life."
Hope grinned. She looked at Caroline and saw she wasn't just beautiful, but she looked just like a princess. She knew enough about fairytales to know that love of my life is just like true love. Seeing the way Klaus and Caroline looked at each other, even if was just for a quick moment, Hope was able to pick up on the electric fire that burned through their veins. The small blonde was a hopeless romantic, and in love with the idea of love. She wanted to grow up only to find a prince. She already loved Caroline, because she made her father happy.
"Are you guys married?" The young girl asked.
"Not yet," Caroline said. She showed the little girl her left hand, where her engagement ring rested on her ring finger.
Hope gasped. "Pretty!"
Klaus and Caroline both laughed.
"Caroline, would you like to come see my drawings with daddy and me?" Hope asked.
"Yeah, Caroline," Klaus imitated a child's voice. "Come with us."
Caroline pretended to be annoyed. "Okay, fine."
"Yay!" Hope reached for Caroline's hand with her free hand. With both Caroline and Klaus holding her hands, she pulled them out to the car.
...
To say the least, Hope's drawings were truly beautiful. Neither Klaus nor Caroline could believe an eight year old could hold that much talent.
When they returned to the ballroom, Rebekah and Matt announced that Hope can join Emma as the flower girl if she would like. Emma smiled at the older girl, excited for a new friend. Hope nodded, agreeing that it sounded like fun.
They practiced walking down the aisle, and everyone was pretty comfortable after the first try. The children got along with Hope right away, and they even had a rose petal fight. Caroline almost had a mental breakdown with the mess.
"So.. You and Klaus?" Tyler slid up next to Hayley where she sat on the table, eating the refreshments.
"Hi Lockwood!" She grinned, pulling her friend into a hug. Remember how Tyler was in Florida for five years? Hayley was down there for a year in college and became really good friends with him. Never in a million years did either of them think they'd be in the same place again, let alone Mystic Falls. Let alone in this situation. It was hilarious, at least to Tyler.
"And get this.. You see Caroline, Klaus's fiancé?" Hayley nodded. "That's the Caroline I was engaged to."
"Oh no," she broke out laughing. "That's hilarious! Oh my god."
"Yeah, yeah," he rolled his eyes. Who would have thought that his ex-fiancé and her baby daddy would have gotten together as some type of fairytale. If you would have told Tyler and Hayley this three years ago, they would have laughed and thought the world ain't that small. But the world is that small. At least to someone from Mystic Falls.
"So, how are you?" She asked.
"I'm good. I returned back here after my dad died, to help my mom with bills and stuff."
"I'm sorry about you dad, I didn't know."
"It's okay. And, uh, well, I'm dating this girl named Liv. She's great." A giddy smile appeared on Tyler's lips as he thought about his tough, brave, witty, sarcastic, beautiful girlfriend. He can't wait for her to be his date to the wedding.
"Aww, that's awesome Ty! I'm happy for you. You were always moping around in Florida."
He gently pushed her shoulder. "Oh, shut up. What about you? You complained about Jackson never giving you breathing space, now you're dating him?"
"He wore me down. And I didn't complain about him. He was just so.. I don't know. He cared about me and the baby way too much. I needed some space. So I took that year in Florida. I came back and realized how much I missed him. It surprised me, honestly. He's always been one of my closest friends, and over time I guess I just fell in love with him."
"Well, I'm happy for you."
"Thanks." They smiled at each other.
Meanwhile, across the room stood Klaus and Caroline. They just sent Hope off to play with Emma, who was excited for there to be another girl to play with, as Sophia was still only a baby. Klaus was grateful for how kind Caroline was to Hope, and how his daughter fell instantly in love with the goddess just like he did. Caroline was exceptional with kids, and it made him love her even more. But despite how excepting she acted, he still worried she was upset or angry for this sudden drastic change in their lives.
Caroline turned to her fiancé with a grin on her face. "She's so cute," she said dreamily. "She's just like you. Only nice," she teased.
Klaus rolled his eyes. "I was actually a very sweet and shy child. Until, you know, my father crushed my dreams."
He said it as a joke, but Caroline's smile still fell.
"I stayed shy, but I became very.. Rude, I guess. I wasn't the sweet boy of the family anymore."
Caroline rested her hand on his shoulder and gently massaged it. "I'm sorry. Is this why you want to be part of her life? Because your birth father never claimed you?"
Klaus shrugged. "Pretty much." He thought for a moment. "I'm not good with kids. Fatherhood is very intimidating to me," he admitted. "What if I'm just like Mikael?"
Caroline eagerly shook her head. "You are not like Mikael. And you are great with kids, look how easily Hope warmed up to you! You are not like your stepfather: you do not have it in you to hurt a child."
Klaus nodded numbly. "I just worry.. I guess any person who had a scarring childhood like me would."
"It's completely understandable," she agreed.
"I just feel drawn to her. I can't leave her. Not again."
The bubbly blonde nodded. "Well, you technically didn't leave her, you didn't know about her. But I totally see what you're saying. And I will support you."
He raised an eyebrow. "You will?" He wasn't shocked by her answer. He couldn't describe how he felt. But he was thankful nonetheless.
"Every step of the way."
A smile stretched the corners of the stubborn blonde's lips.
"And plus.." Caroline grinned, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, securing her hands at the nape of his neck. "It'll give us experience for when we have a kid of our own."
Klaus looked down at her. This time he was shocked.
"You want kids? With me?" He asked. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
"Of course I do, silly," she kissed his nose. "I've always wanted to have kids. I love them. My two best friends are great mothers and they seem incredibly happy, and it always reminds me how badly I want that. And I want it with you. Maybe not now; I'm still in medical school, and we still have a wedding to plan. But I'm graduating this spring, and I'd obviously liked to work a bit before I become a mother, but I'm working with kids anyway, and also I don't want to have kids too late in life because that can cause-"
"I get it, love." Klaus smiled at the little pout on her face when he interrupted her. He kissed the side of her mouth, which turned her frown into a giggle. "Whenever you're ready, or not ready, I'll be too."
"Let's see where your kid takes us, and we'll go from there."
"You want to be a part of her life?"
"Duh. Oh my god, do you think I look like a wicked stepmother?"
Klaus chuckled. "No, of course not," he assured her. "You look like a fairy godmother."
"Okay, let's not get into fairytales because something tells me we've been compared to them enough already."
"I agree." He hugged her closer, snuggling his nose into her neck. He breathed in her scent. She smelled delicious. He could breathe her in all day. But there was one thing he wished to do more. He pulled away from her neck, bringing his lips up to her ear. "May I be a dork and ask you a question?" he whispered, his breath on her ear sending shivers down her spine. She nodded. "Can I kiss you?"
A laugh escaped her lips, and he placed his face in front of hers to read her expression. He never has to ask to kiss her. The answer will always be yes. But there was something sexy in the way he asked. She loved when he asked her basic questions of consent. Of anything, really. She glanced from his blue eyes to his lips, then back to his eyes again. His eyes were a perfect shade of blue, and she was always able to tell what they were saying without words. To other people, Klaus might seem put off and rude, but she was always able to see through him. His eyes were like an open book, one that she was only able to read, and one that she will keep forever and reread time and time again. She has analyzed that book, she knows every quirk, every mistake, every laugh and smile. It was her favorite book.
But if there was one thing she loved more than rereading her favorite book, it was kissing. Kissing him.
She didn't even need to answer his question before she closed the space between their lips.
...
"There she is!" A male voice exclaimed.
Rebekah turned around from where she stood with Matt in the lobby, and when she saw who was walking towards her, she smiled. The man was tall with dark skin and a charming smile. "Marcel!" She squealed, running to meet him. She wrapped her arms around him, and he gently lifted her in the air for a second before setting her back down.
"Hey Beks," he whispered in her ear. They pulled away from the hug and smiled. "I've missed you," he poked her side.
"I've missed you, too. I'm so glad you came!"
Today was the day before Rebekah and Matt's wedding. Around this time tomorrow, they'll both be able to say they were married. It was only four in the evening, and they planned a small rehearsal dinner with their old friends and their new friends. All of the Mikaelsons' friends from London were in town by now. It can give the Mikaelsons a chance to reconnect with those they grew up with, and for their new friends to feel comfortable around them. By the time the wedding reception rolls around tomorrow, everyone should be great friends. Rebekah was just excited to see her old friends again, and to bring everyone together.
"Well, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Although, I'll admit, I am a bit heartbroken and jealous, but anything to make my girl happy," he teased.
"Oh, shut up!" She hit his shoulder.
A blonde woman appeared over Marcel's shoulder and the bride-to-be instantly recognized her.
"Cami!" The two girls shared a hug. "I'm so glad you could make it."
"Well, we wouldn't miss it," the woman, Camille, smiled.
"We?" Rebekah raised her eyebrow.
Marcel and Camille linked hands and a light went off in Rebekah's head. Her mouth formed an 'o'.
"Plot twist," she muttered. She shook her head and changed the subject. "Have you guys seen Nik, yet?"
"No, we haven't," Cami said sadly. "I haven't seen him in forever. Elijah, too."
"By the way, how's Klaus holding up with the Hayley and Hope thing?" Marcel asked.
Rebekah shrugged. "Surprisingly well."
"That's good!" Cami grinned. "I'm sure he'll make a great father."
"Oh, you always saw the good in my dear brother. I'm not sure who got it from who," a new voice rang through the entrance.
"Elijah!" Cami exclaimed, running to her best friend and hugging him.
"Oh, hello there," a female voice snapped from the hallway. "A little help here, Elijah."
Elijah broke away from his hug with Camille, and ran to his wife's aid. She was holding both baby carriers, plus a diaper bag on her shoulder. He picked up his daughter's carrier, turning to Camille and Marcel with a grin on his face.
"Marcel, Cami, I would like to introduce you to my wife, Katherine, and our newborn twins, Sophia and Hayden."
Katherine waved sarcastically because she knew the attention would fall on the twins.
Camille gasped. "Oh, they're precious!" She peeked into Sophia's carrier, and the baby smiled and lifted her hand when she saw a new person. "She's beautiful."
Marcel waved to Katherine. "Nice to meet you."
Katherine smiled. "You too." She turned to her husband. "I know you might want to catch up, but can you help me get seated first- I'm freaking tired of standing."
Elijah nodded. "Of course." He told his friends, "I'll be right back."
As soon as Elijah had left, Matt took his place. Rebekah smiled as she introduced her two friends to the man she'd be marrying tomorrow. Marcel and Matt had an awkward introduction, as Marcel used to date Rebekah, but the weirdness quickly went away and they hit it off.
Over the next twenty minutes, more people arrived, more reunions were celebrated, and more introductions were made. The crew from London fell in quickly with the gang from Mystic Falls. People who became fast friends included: Jackson and Stefan (who bonded over their amazing hair), Josh and Caroline, Marcel and Damon, Gia and Elena, Hayley and Katherine, Sage and Vincent, and April and Camille.
And then there was that one reunion that was long overdue.
"Oh god," Kol turned his head when he saw her enter the dining room. He tried to slide down in his chair, but Bonnie shot him a look like what the hell are you doing? He laughed and lied, "I dropped my fork."
"It's right there.." She said confused as she picked up the fork next to his plate.
He slapped his head. "Oh, right. Silly me."
"You're so weird sometimes," she laughed.
"Kol bloody Mikaelson!" A voice he hadn't heard in years broke him out of his thoughts. He looked up and his best buddy Kaleb was walking over to his table, a grin on his face.
Kol stood up to greet his friend. "Kaleb bloody Westphall! How are you?"
"I'm good," he smiled. "I just can't believe I haven't seen you in almost ten years. It feels like forever, yet at the same time it also feels like just yesterday that you left."
Kol nodded sadly. "I couldn't agree more. But I'm glad I got to see you-"
"Woah, what happened to your foot?" Kaleb interrupted once he saw the giant cast on Kol's left foot.
"Oh.." Kol's smile faltered. "I was in an accident last month."
"Oh no, how serious?" Kaleb was genuinely concerned for his old friend. They used to joke around a lot, but they also managed to get many injuries. He knew how badly they could get hurt, and he doubted his friend got any more graceful with age.
"I was sort of in a coma.."
"Dude, you need to be more careful! What happened?"
"A drunk driver hit me, it's not like it was my fault," Kol defended himself.
"Well, still," Kaleb shrugged. "But I'm glad you're okay. I wasn't going to travel all of this way to see you and have you be dead."
"Hey, it's going to take a thousand trains to kill me," Kol's jokester presence returned.
"Eh, don't get too cocky," Kaleb smiled.
He stepped to the side and a small brunette girl was walking up behind him. She reached the two men, her heart racing a million miles a minute. She was nervous about seeing Kol again. She wasn't sure she could handle this. But Kaleb had assured her on their way there that everything would be fine. That he'd speak to Kol first, warm him up, and then she can come and surprise him.
But oh boy, did they have a bigger surprise for the poor guy.
"Hi Kol.." Davina said shyly. Her blue eyes sparkled in the light, and Kol was almost blinded. He paused in his tracks. He wasn't sure what it would have been like to see her again. He suspected anger, or confusion. He was not expecting forgiveness. He understood everything now. He didn't blame her. His mother had that kind of affect on people; making them scared. She scared all of their friends away.
And he knows that it was Hayley who was pregnant, not Davina. Yes, he's upset she lied to him, but not as much as he is relieved. Relieved that he wasn't a father, that she didn't kill a baby.
He's actually somewhat happy to see her again.
"Davina," he breathed. She looked beautiful, just like he remembered. But there were no feelings anymore. Time had passed, and his heart healed from the heartbreak. He admired her beauty as he would his sisters or even Caroline or Katherine. The only girl tonight he found truly beautiful was Bonnie.
"Are you mad at me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He shook his head. "Not anymore. Hayley told me everything. It's okay, I don't-" He was cut off by her embracing him. He wrapped his arms around her tiny figure and lightly kissed the top of her hair.
"I've missed you. I'm so sorry," she sobbed.
"You don't have anything to be sorry for." He awkwardly patted her back. That wasn't entirely true. She did lie to him, she was at fault somewhere. But he didn't need to tell her that. He forgave her.
A cough interrupted their hug. They immediately pulled away. Kaleb stood there whistling. Davina laughed.
"Too long?" She asked.
"A bit," he shrugged.
She laughed, putting a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear.
Kol stared between his two old friends with a confused look on his face. "Why do you need his permission to hug me..?"
"Well, here's the thing.." Davina started, but Kaleb wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We're kind of.."
"Together," Kaleb finished.
Kol raised an eyebrow. "Together? The two of you..?"
They nodded.
"Come on man, you know I had a huge crush on her before you even realized you had feelings for her."
"How long?" Kol asked.
"A few years," Davina shrugged. "Not long. It took me a while to realize I liked him back-"
"And I don't need to hear the details," Kol fake gagged. He then put on a serious face. "I'm happy for you guys. Honestly."
Smiles broke out on both of their faces. They had both been nervous for his reaction. They were his girlfriend and best friend. Sure, nine years had passed, but you never knew with some people. He could have felt betrayed or some other negative emotion. But he was happy for them. He really was. They could see it in his face. He was confused at first, but then he was supportive. He really had changed since the last time they saw him.
"Kol," a voice called from behind him. He mentally slapped himself. He turned around, grabbed Bonnie's hands, and pulled her to his side.
She chuckled at the quick movements and smiled at the two strangers. Kol rested his hand on her hip. "Davina, Kaleb, this is my girlfriend, Bonnie. Bonnie, these are my friends Kaleb and Davina."
Bonnie smiled and shook both their hands. "It's nice to meet you both. Kol told me all about you."
"Oh no," Davina said.
"All good, I promise," Bonnie assured her. She glanced at Kaleb. "Can't say the same about you," she teased.
Kaleb feigned a shot to the heart. "I'm wounded, Kol. How dare you speak ill of me?"
"Because you never have anything good to talk about," Kol responded.
"You're the one to talk," Kaleb retorted.
"Now boys, there's no need to fight," Davina said, feeling just like old times. She touched her boyfriend's arm. "We should go find a seat-"
"Oh, you can sit with us!" Bonnie suggested. "We have two empty seats. But if you want to go with your other friends, that's fine, but you're welcome."
Davina smiled and shared a look with Kaleb, who shrugged. "Yeah, we'd love to."
Chiming rang out through the dining room. Conversations stopped as they turned towards the main stage, where Rebekah and Matt stood, a champagne glass and a fork in Rebekah's hands.
"I always wanted to do that," Rebekah gushed, and everyone laughed.
Matt took the glass and utensil from his fiancé and handed them to one of the waitresses. He turned to all of his guests and politely asked for everyone to be seated while they said a few words. Everyone followed the groom's orders and took their seats. At the table on the far left, near the entrance to the lobby of the restaurant, sat Damon, Chris, Elena, Jenna, Alaric, Enzo, and Rose. Next to them was Lexi, Stefan, Caroline, Klaus, Hope, Hayley, Jackson, and Oliver. Next to them was Katherine, Sophia, Elijah, Hayden, Camille, Marcel, Gia, Josh, and Aiden. Then it was April, Jeremy, Anna, Emma, Bonnie, Kol, Davina, Kaleb, Liv, and Tyler. Finally, it was Sage, Tate, Finn, Vincent, Eva, Tatia, and Freya. Matt and Rebekah had a small table at the head of the room, in front of the stage, facing everyone, but they would most likely hop around to each table.
"Thank you," Matt smiled. "We want to say thank you to all of you for coming to this dinner. And for those of you who traveled from London, it's been such an honor to meet all of you. Rebekah would never admit this but she's been incredibly excited to see you guys again. And thanks for going through the trouble to come to this small town."
Rebekah hit his shoulder. "You weren't supposed to tell them!" She turned to the audience. "I totally didn't miss you guys."
"We missed you, too!" Josh yelled, making everyone laugh once again.
Rebekah tried to speak but no words would leave her mouth. "I'm sorry, I'm so bad at speeches..."
"Well, that's the reason these people are here," Matt joked. "They all know us so well that we don't have to worry about saying something stupid."
"True, but tomorrow when I have to speak in front of my coworkers, I'm probably going to say something stupid. Which, does anyone here know how to public speak?" A hand raised but Rebekah snapped, "Besides Caroline! It was a rhetorical question anyway."
"God, we suck at this."
"It's better than being one of those super cheesy and annoying couples who gush about how much they love everyone."
"What's wrong with that?" Matt asked.
Rebekah shrugged. "For some people, it's not sincere."
"But I do love everyone," he responded.
"Because you're you, and you're sweet," she patted his cheek affectionately. She turned back to everyone, and she could see her brother Kol making faces at her and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Seriously, I'm so glad all of you could make it. I wasn't expecting every single one of you to make the trip, and I never thought I would be so happy about it, but I am. And even though what I'm about to say is extremely cheesy, it's been great to see everyone making new friends. You guys from back home were such an important part of mine and my brothers' childhood; when things at home were too messy or too scary, we had some great friends to make us smile. And our friends that we've made since we moved here have become such an important part of our lives now, that I could never picture having a gathering like this without all of you. I have never been the best at making friends, but somehow all of you managed to get on my good side, and that's one of the biggest reasons you're all here tonight. Before we get married, Matt and I wanted to have a nice night with all of our friends. The dinner has only just begun, so.."
"Please continue talking and laughing. Dinner will be served shortly, and we hope you all enjoy the evening," Matt finished.
Claps and hollers (mostly from Damon and Enzo) filled the room. Matt clasped Rebekah's hand in his and led her down the steps to their table. He had snuck in a kiss on her cheek, but everyone's eyes were still on the couple, so many awww's filled the room.
"They're so cute," Davina smiled into her hand. "Matt seems like a great guy," she observed.
"Oh, he is," Bonnie spoke. Jeremy, Anna, April, Tyler, and Liv were having their own conversation, while Emma ran from table to table with the other kids, so it was just Kol, Kaleb, Davina, and Bonnie to make conversation. "I've known Matt since I was five years old. He's one of my best friends."
"That's great," Davina said. "I'm guessing a lot of people here have known each other since they were kids?"
"No, not really.." Bonnie trailed off. "It's been Elena, Jeremy, Matt, and Matt's late sister Vicky since they were practically born, and then they met me, Caroline, and Tyler in kindergarten and we've all been best friends since. Oh, Jenna is Elena and Jeremy's Aunt, so we've known her forever too. We've also known April forever because she was the kid on the block that we loved to babysit. In high school, we met Stefan, who had an older brother named Damon who had his friends; Alaric, Enzo, Rose, and Sage; that we just hung around with. Katherine turned out to be Elena's long lost sister, so she fell in with us. Then the Mikaelsons moved here, and Rebekah met Matt, Klaus met Stefan, Finn met Sage, Elijah met Katherine, Kol met Jeremy, and through Stefan and Jeremy Klaus and Kol met Caroline and I, and yeah the rest there is history." Bonnie let out a little laugh. "Lexi met Stefan in college, Liv and Anna just recently started dating Tyler and Jeremy, so they've gotten along with all of us.. Yeah, not everyone has known each other forever, but after a while, it certainly seems like it."
"I feel like you missed somebody," Kol pointed out.
"Who did I miss?" Bonnie glanced around the room.
"No one, I just feel like there's so many people that my girl couldn't possibly be perfect enough to remember everyone," he teased. Bonnie bumped his shoulder with hers but nevertheless had a small smile on her face.
"How long have you guys been together?" Kaleb asked.
"A little over a year," Bonnie answered.
"That's nice," Davina smiled. "I'm glad you're happy, Kol."
Kol shot her a sincere smile. "I'm happy you are, too."
Matt and Rebekah stood off to the side, watching everyone talk and laugh. She had her head on his shoulder, her arms around his waist, while he kissed the top of her head. She smiled.
"I'm so glad we're getting married tomorrow," she sighed.
Matt smiled. "I am, too. It feels like just yesterday I proposed."
"It hasn't even been a year! Wow, we planned this wedding fast."
He nodded, leaning away from her embrace to look in her eyes. "But the more effort we put into this, the quicker we get to be married, and I can't wait to be married to you."
She grinned and leaned in close to his face. "We're actually doing this. It's finally here."
He chuckled. "I love you, Rebekah Donovan."
"Hmm, I love the sound of that." She closed the space between their lips.
Oh god, this ending was incredibly cheesy! And next chapter will probably be even cheesier. I'm sorry if this chapter started out good but then just got all sloppy and bad towards the end. I didn't really know what to write with all of The Originals characters! Which, I'm sorry we didn't get to meet all of them, we will definitely hear from the rest of them next chapter at the reception! I did at least mention all of TO characters who are in this story, so you have an idea of who we will be seeing from. You guys can also suggest scenes with them :)
Now.. How many of you suspected I was bringing in Hope to the story?! I'm sorry if some of you didn't want this storyline, but I just love daddy!Klaus and I don't think I can wait (spoiler alert) for the future Klaroline baby. But again, like I said, THERE WILL BE NO KLAYLEY. NEVER. EVER. I'm sorry if any of you ship them, but they are my NOTP and I cannot even like them as friends most of the time, that's how much I hate them. Yeah, and no Klamille, or Kolvina, or Haylijah because all of these people are in new relationships and as I've said before, I don't appreciate exes coming out of nowhere and ruining beautiful ships. Yeah, everyone is who there are supposed to be with, and there's only one couple that might change, but no one really ships them so it's not going to be a complete loss. AND STEFAN WILL BE GETTING SOME LOVIN SOON, I PROMISE.
Anyway, I hope you guys are excited for some Klaus and Hope bonding, and of course Caroline and Hope :)
I am skipping the bachelor and bachelorette parties because I'm too lazy to write them. You guys can imagine what you want, I don't care. Next chapter is definitely the wedding, so I'm going to put all of my effort into that and the reception. Speaking of, I really kinda want Caroline and Bonnie (and Marcel and maybe April) to sing a song, so if you guys have any suggestions, let me know!
Please review what you thought, and until next time :)