Just over a month after Jo and Alaric's wedding, Caroline was nervous, absently twisting her wedding ring around her finger.

One week earlier, she had been back in Mystic Falls, getting married in the same church her ancestors had married in. She had worn a princess-style dress that had come straight out of her dreams, her mother had walked her down the aisle with tears in her eyes, and the whole town it seemed turned out to witness her wedding.

Today, however, she was back in New Orleans for the hand-fasting ceremony - and she had no idea what was going to happen, since she had had no input whatsoever, except for a brief overview with Madeleine, who would be conducting the ceremony as one of the elders of the coven, and a quiet conversation with Kol the night before.

"Okay," Rebekah announced, letting herself in to Caroline's room. "The girls are all ready, Nik's been banished to downstairs, so we can start getting you dressed." She finally presented Caroline with a garment bag and Caroline opened it eagerly, to find a beautifully embroidered gown, with long flowing sleeves and a long train.

"Oh Bekah … Oh, it's beautiful," Caroline murmured.

"It's not dissimilar to what you would have worn a thousand years ago," Rebekah said, helping her into the dress. "I mean, it wouldn't have been white. I don't think anyone wore white in those days. That colour only really came in with the washing machine."

"Didn't Queen Victoria wear white?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, but she didn't do her own laundry," Rebekah said. "Okay, turn around?"

Caroline spun around, unable to help glancing in the mirror. "This feels different. Like … my wedding dress was one thing; it was everything I'd ever dreamed of. This is … This is everything I never knew I wanted. Thank you so much."

"Your wedding was beautiful," Rebekah said, "but it was kind of the end of a chapter in your life. This is the beginning of the next one. This," she added, retrieving a small box from her bag, "is from Nik."

Caroline opened the box and almost laughed. "Don't you think this is taking the Queen thing a bit too far? I don't even … How do you even wear a tiara without looking like a child playing dress up?"

"Well, first of all, you don't wear your hair like that," Rebekah said. "Sit down and let me fix it."

Caroline sat down at her dressing table, watching the reflection of Rebekah fix her hair into a number of braids.

There was a tap on the door and Elena stuck her head in. "How are we doing? Oh, Caroline …"

"Don't make her cry," Rebekah warned.

At Elena's exclamation, Bonnie, Katherine and Davina all came in as well. "Rebekah, that's gorgeous," Katherine said.

Rebekah smiled. "Well, I might be the only woman to commission wedding dresses in eight different centuries. I've got rather good at it. You will wear the tiara, won't you?"

Caroline smiled, letting her affix the tiara properly. "If he insists. I still get a bouquet, right?"

"I already caught the one in Mystic Falls," Bonnie said. "Are you trying to drop hints? Because you know Jeremy and I …"

"I know," Caroline said hastily. "I'm just glad that you're still talking this time."

"Well, we had our time," Bonnie said, "and I'm grateful for it, but our time has passed. But today's not about us; it's about you."

"Speaking of you," Davina said, "here's your bouquet - but we'd rather you not throw this one."

Caroline opened the box and sucked in a breath. "Okay, I promise not to throw this one. It's a work of art."

"Thank you," Davina said with a smile. "That was my job."

"Well, it's beautiful," Caroline said. "Thank you, Davina."

"Right, it's time," Rebekah said. "Are you ready?"

"Ready," Caroline said, getting to her feet. "Where's Mom?"

"She's downstairs," Rebekah said softly. "She said that she'd give you away if you wanted to, but you're already married, so you should be able to give yourself away."

Caroline nodded. "Right. Fair point."

"Also, we're doing this the British way," Rebekah said. "You're going first. A queen does not follow. She leads."

Caroline nodded, leading the way out of her room and to the staircase.

The courtyard was packed with people, either side of a make-shift aisle, at the end of which her husband waited with Elijah and their daughter.

Davina caught Josh's eyes and nodded and he started the music up. With a deep breath, Caroline made her way downstairs, smiling as Klaus focussed on her.

"Mama!" Hope called, waving at her.

Caroline's smile grew and, as she reached them, she crouched down to kiss her daughter. "Can you hold Mommy's flowers for me?"

Hope nodded seriously, taking the bouquet from her. It was almost as big as her and Caroline giggled, rising to take Klaus's hand.

Madeleine began the ceremony, wrapping a soft rope around their joined hands as she talked.

To her knowledge, this was not usually a magical ceremony, but she and Klaus had spoken to Maddi when they went through the ritual the night before.

With every pass of the rope, they made another vow, to love and to cherish and to stick together through thick and thin.

Madeleine paused, covering their joined hands with her. "Through the magic bestowed upon me by the Leader of the Nine Covens, I am hereby authorised to join your souls as one. Do I have your consent to complete this bonding?"
Caroline smiled. "You do." Since his first non-proposal had been to do with the soul-binding ritual, they had decided to go with it, even though the map was no longer needed.

"You do," Klaus echoed.

Maddi smiled and her hands glowed. If Klaus felt any physical reaction he didn't show it, but Caroline certainly felt it; the magic flowing through her was so strong she was surprised that she wasn't actually glowing.

Their hands were, she realised.

"Don't worry," Madeleine said, more to the congregation than to the couple in front of her. "That is perfectly normal. Someone else has already done this legally, but I'll do it anyway. I now pronounce you husband and wife in the eyes of magic as well in the eyes of the State. You may …" She broke off as Klaus kissed his bride. "Well, you never listen to me anyway."

There was a smattering of laughter and applause, and Sophie and Davina joined hands to clear the chairs back towards the walls to allow the room to now be used for the afterparty.

Caroline retrieve her flowers from Hope and scooped her daughter up, pausing for Jeremy to take a photograph - art school had given him a bug for photography as well as painting.

Jo and Alaric's wedding pictures were absolutely amazing, so she couldn't wait to see hers.

After a flurry of congratulations, and with Hope playing with Lizzie and Josie, Caroline and Klaus finally got a moment of privacy.

"Did you feel that?" Caroline asked softly.

"Did I feel what, love?" Klaus asked. "The spell? I felt a tingling sensation."

"I felt more than that," Caroline said. "It … Thank you," she added, when one of the wait staff approached with two blood-laced champagnes.

They clinked glasses and Caroline took a sip before continuing, "It felt like my whole body should have been glowing, not just my hands. What?"

He was smiling in a rather odd way, a cross between amusement and amazement. "Do that again?"

Caroline frowned. "Do … This?" She took another sip of champagne.

"Now try it again and let yourself react to the blood," Klaus said, his smile widening.

Caroline sighed, but humoured him, allowing the blood to creep into her veins.

"I thought so," Klaus murmured.

Caroline rolled her eyes, her face returning to normal. "You want to explain any time soon?"

"Your eyes, love," Klaus said. "They turned yellow, not red."

Caroline sucked in a breath, staring at him. "How? You can't magically get werewolf DNA. Can you?"

"Well, let's cross that bridge later," Klaus said, kissing her. "It looks like they're about to serve dinner."

Understandably, Caroline was a little distracted through dinner, although Rebekah had once again outdone herself.

As dessert was cleared away, Klaus leaned across to kiss her cheek. "Don't fret over what you don't understand, love. We'll figure it out later."

Caroline smiled. "Easy for you to say. But you're right." She rose to her feet, tapping her spoon against her glass. "Thank you so much for being here, everyone. And, Rebekah, thank you so much for organising all of this, and Davina, and Sophie. The three of you have done amazingly - it is everything I could have asked for. Now, this is the time I would usually throw the bouquet, but I did say I wouldn't throw this one. However tradition is tradition so can all of my unmarried guests come front and centre please?"

"How are you going to do that without throwing it?" Sophie asked, obediently moving to the middle of the floor.

"Like this," Caroline said. She reviewed the crowd in front of her, then walked forwards and handed her flowers to Davina.

Davina gave her a puzzled look. "What … What are you up to?"

"I'm not up to anything," Caroline said. "But you might want to turn to your right."

Davina did as she was told, freezing in place when she realised that Kol was on one knee beside her. "Oh God …"

"First of all," Kol said, "my new sister-in-law is one of the loveliest people I have ever met for letting me do this. And, no, me saying that was not a condition of letting me steal her thunder on her second wedding day."

Davina choked out a laugh, letting him take her left hand. "Darling, you know that I love you. When I first met you, you were scared, and you were shaken. And I knew you were special straight away. And then a few days later, I watched you make dead flowers bloom again, and you smiled, and that smile I swear went straight to my soul. You are my angel, the love of my life, and I want nothing more than to be your husband. Will you marry me?"

"I cannot believe you let Kol propose at our wedding," Klaus said.

Caroline chuckled. "He asked. I'm just glad she said yes. Otherwise that would have been very awkward." She was gazing at her reflection, halfway through removing her make-up. "And it was our second wedding, so I think we could spare him ten minutes. Are you sure about my eyes?"

Klaus appeared behind her in the mirror, pressing a kiss to her neck. "Positive. You can see that for yourself."

Caroline swallowed hard and allowed her true face to come forward once more, He was right - her eyes now had an amber glow to them, reminiscent of a hybrid rather than a vampire. "What does it mean?"

"I have no idea, love," Klaus murmured. "My best guess is that when our souls joined, you took on my hybrid abilities."

"How do we know for sure?" Caroline asked nervously.

"Well, you could try transforming," Klaus suggested.

Caroline laughed a little hysterically. "I don't think so. I've seen those transformations; they're excruciating to start with. And if I did, it wouldn't be in a house full of people when I don't know what would happen." Her eyes brightened. "What about the venom?"

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"

Caroline reached back to tug his face into the crook of her neck. "Bite me. Just don't give me the cure straight away; we'll wait and see what happens. Hybrids are immune to the venom, right?"

"Caroline …" Klaus began.

"Please?" Caroline said. "I need to know, Nik."

"Very well," Klaus murmured, pressing a kiss to her skin. "Tell me if the pain kicks in." His teeth sunk into her throat and she let out an involuntary moan, pressing back against him.

He chuckled against her. "Patience, love. If we're testing this, we need to do it properly. No distractions."

"What do you suggest while we wait then?" Caroline asked. "Play checkers? It can take up for a few hours for the symptoms to start."

"Well, if I thought you could keep your fangs to yourself," Klaus said with a smirk, "it wouldn't be a problem. Not much of a test if you take the cure yourself."

"What if I promise?" Caroline asked innocently, turning away from the mirror. "Believe me, Nik, if the symptoms kick in, my father will be appearing in the room to me, so I am not about to ignore it. You'll know if that happens."

Down the hall, Davina was admiring the new ring that now adorned her left hand. The initial plan had been for her and Kol to have Hope for the night to give her parents a night off, but given the turn of events, Rebekah had taken her instead.

Lips pressed against her cheek and she smiled. "I love you."

"I love you," Kol echoed, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Are you mad I did it in public?"

Davina laughed. "A little. But it was perfect." She turned in his arms, tilting her head back to kiss him. "I will be so happy the day I can call myself your wife. But …"

Kol froze. "But?"

Davina smiled sadly. "I don't know how long I can promise you."

"Oh, that," Kol said, pulling a face.

"Yes, 'that'," Davina said. "My forever and your forever are two different things. And unlike Matt, I have something stopping me from …"

"I know," Kol said firmly. "Davina, I know what it's like for a witch to lose their magic. It feels like a piece of your soul has been ripped out. I don't think any witch could survive that unchanged. And the light you have, Davina - it should never be snuffed out. So I would never, ever ask that of you. If you chose to do that, I would support you completely, of course I would. But I would never ask it of you. I will love you for every second of every day of every year that you allow me to spend with you."

"Is she asleep?"

"Like a light," Rebekah whispered, smiling fondly at the little girl in her arms. "I guess I should put her down for the night."

Matt smiled, leaning against the doorframe. "Do you want to?"

Rebekah sighed. "Not really. But I've heard enough lectures about keeping to a routine." She carried Hope down the hall to the nursery, grateful the the adjoining door to her brother's room was closed, and that she could smell sage.

Hope stirred a little as she was set in the crib, but the day's events had exhausted her, so she didn't wake.

Rebekah pressed a kiss to her head, tucking the blankets around her. "Goodnight sweetheart."

Matt had hardly moved when she returned to their room. "You want a child."

Rebekah raised an eyebrow. "That surprises you?" Her tiredness made it come out more caustic than she intended. "Sorry - that …"

"No, it's okay," Matt said. "I did know you wanted children. I just … I guess I figured that it was something you'd come to terms with over the years."

"I had," Rebekah said, slipping her shoes off. "And then Hope was born. Does it matter though? We can't have children and you don't want them anyway."

Matt sighed. "I said it wasn't a deal-breaker. I never really wanted kids; I think because I looked at my father, what little I remember of him, and figured I was predestined to not be a good dad."

"I think Nik proves that's not the case," Rebekah said.

"Vikki and I always swore we wouldn't repeat our parents' mistakes," Matt said quietly. "And then Vikki made every single misstep my mom made. The drinking. The disappearing. The drugs. And Mom always said that she wouldn't repeat her mom's mistakes. And she did. It was like a vicious circle. And if Vikki inherited that from our mom, then why shouldn't I inherit my dad's flaws?"

"Your dad," Rebekah repeated. "The guy who walked out on your family for no reason you know of, other than 'it was too hard'. You - the guy who moved to a war-zone to stay by my side and died in an effort to protect your niece - think you have anything in common with that? That's not a dad, Matt - that's a sperm donor. For whatever it's worth, I think you would be an amazing dad."

Matt smiled, dipping his head to kiss his wife. "You have more faith in me than I ever have, Bekah. I know we can't have a child, but … have you ever thought about adoption?"

Rebekah hesitated. "I hadn't actually. We always had Father to worry about, but … Matt, would we really want to bring an orphan into this world?"

"A human?" Matt asked. "No, probably not. But I'm thinking of people like Hayley. She was kicked out when she triggered the curse and, okay she found a pack, but she was more or less on her own. Think how much easier her life would have been with family who understood who and what she was."

"I hadn't considered that," Rebekah murmured. "You think we could do that?"

"I think you're a wonderful mom, Rebekah," Matt said. "I think it's something we should consider."

"How long has it been?" Caroline murmured into the darkness.

Klaus stroked her hair, gazing at the ceiling. "Three hours, love. How do you feel?"

Caroline stretched against him lazily. "Not even a flicker. No hallucinations, no pain. Nothing. It would have kicked in by now, right?"

"With hybrid venom, certainly," Klaus said. "When we go out to the plantation house, we can see if the transformation works, if you like."

"Not happening," Caroline murmured. "I'll leave the bone-breaking work to you."