Davina was never much of a party girl. Never threw them, never really attended them. Watching Esther's big day come together made her regret that a little.
She did doubt that most parties had ice sculptures and crystal chandeliers though.
"Are you going to sit around all day until the party?" Rebekah asked, and Davina tore herself away from watching the workers transform the Mikaelson mansion into something even more grand. Maybe a bit more intimidating too.
"What else should I be doing?" Kol had a last minute lunch meeting with some people the London branch of the publishing company, and Davina had planned on shutting herself in their room until he came back. When she heard that Esther had left to pick some things for the party she let herself out of self imprisonment.
The Mikaelson matriarch was one of the most welcoming people she had ever met. She doubted every bit of it was sincere, but the woman was one hell of an actress. If Davina hadn't been worrying about keeping up her own act she would felt totally comfortable around her.
If Kol really did have a fiancé someday he wouldn't have to worry. Davina was pretty sure it wasn't her charming personality that got Esther smiling, it was the simple fact that Kol had proposed to her. But when she told that to Kol the night before he promised her that wasn't the case.
Even with her warm welcome Davina thought it was better to stay away from the Mikaelsons as a whole until Kol came back. She didn't want to be given any questions that couldn't be answered.
"Getting ready for the party tonight," Rebekah said, as if it were obvious. Davina's lack of big party experience also meant she didn't realize everything that went into it. "Caroline and I had some appointments booked today, and I took some initiative by turning them into appointments for three." Davina found herself genuinely smiling, something she hadn't even done with Esther. Rebekah had a very special breed of kindness.
It was a compelling offer. Sitting in a chair, no matter how comfy, and watching as someone devoted their time to making sure a piece of sculpted ice wouldn't melt wasn't incredibly appearing. There was also the added bonus of being left alone in her thoughts, which had been plentiful.
"I wouldn't want to intrude," was Davina's poorly made excuse. Kindness was great, but it didn't stop her from feeling like she was skating on thin ice. She wasn't on a visit to her future in laws, and she was doing something illegal. The nerves that came with making a good impression didn't quite compare with the fear of putting on a convincing show.
"Your hair isn't going to style itself."
"I could do it." Her tone betrayed her words. And they should have because Davina had only had the forethought to bring the dress and some heels. At most she could brush through her hair a few times more than usual.
"Luckily for you," Rebekah motioned for her to get out of the chair she'd inhabited for the past few hours, "you don't have to."
Unfortunately for Davina she had little will power. She didn't consider it recklessness, just a strong believe that she should be able to do what she wanted. Davina wasn't a party girl because she had no desire to be one. If she was naturally inclined there'd be no telling what she would have become.
"So… when are we leaving?"
"It's nice to know the number of Mikaelson woman is growing," Rebekah said as a woman manicured her nails. "You two need to have girls," she said, almost exasperated.
Caroline looked thoughtful. Davina took a long sip of champagne when she saw Rebekah sneaking a peek at her. Alcohol was no friend to her, but she didn't want anyone getting any ideas. She liked the fake relationship that they had cooked up, she didn't want to throw unprotected sex into the long line of lies.
In retrospect marriage prompted by an unexpected pregnancy was better than a marriage prompted by impending deportation.
Davina made sure her glass was set down with a loud clink before she spoke. "So how long have you and Stefan been together?" She knew the answer, but inquiry spurs conversations. Inquiry about others spurs conversations that require little work on your own part.
"Well we've known each other for what seems like forever," she started, and soon enough she had sent Rebekah into a long rehash of how the two came to be together. They'd always known each other because their family had always been friendly and then got a bit closer when the two reconnected at University. Only a matter of time until he popped the question and she was shopping for wedding dresses. "Speaking of wedding dresses," she said after a pause followed her story, "when will you be looking for one of your own, Davina?"
"Well we haven't really set a date yet," the brunette reminded.
"Kol said it would be soon though. Right?" Caroline confirmed. Davina hesitantly nodded. "Those types of dresses take time, you should start looking. Besides, they're fun to try on."
"I wouldn't know where to start." Davina had figured she'd end up going to a David's Bridal-esque place. Considering the level of class the Rebekah's nail salon of choice possessed, she went out on a limb and guessed that she would have to do a little better.
"There are plenty of wedding boutiques in London, we could just look around for fun," Rebekah suggested, inspecting her freshly red nails.
"I'm leaving tomorrow," Davina found herself saying, almost disappointed. She was enjoying time with the girls, even if she barely knew them. Her best friend in high school, Monique, turned out to be unreliable (and slightly bitchy) after a series of events where she needed her the most. She had a friend named Camille back in New York but they barely got time to see each other. Cami was a psychology student who worked as a bartender in her free time to pay for bills, leaving little down time.
She realized she was sufficiently deprived of female companionship.
"That's why we'd go today. I'm sure any of the places would be clamoring to be one who helped out a soon to be Mikaelson."
Rebekah using the word we caught Davina off guard. She had expected their family to be completely unwelcoming and cold to her. Maybe it was all a lie, and it would end in just over a year when a quiet divorce would take place, but she get used to being in a family unit for that short time. "If we hurry out of here we have two and a half hours to kill until our hair appointments," she announced after consulting her watch.
"Remind me why we aren't spending today with your mother?" Davina asked, her train of thought flashing red warning lights all over her mind.
"She'd rather have her family together all together at once, than having them visiting her sporadically throughout the day. So she takes her time prepping the house and herself, and leaves the celebrating until the party," Caroline quickly explained. Davina wondered if Rebekah would've rationalized it another way. Esther Mikaelson seemed to pick and choose the aspects of being maternal that fit her. There was nothing wrong with that, any woman needs to change the description around to fit herself in the modern day, but Esther had an almost unnatural approach. And that was one thing that didn't waver with a maternal personality. It needed to be natural to be true nature.
"Which leaves us time to watch you try on gowns in varying shades of white," Rebekah said, with a smile. She gave Davina a long studying look and then voiced her conclusion. "And ivory or an old lace white would look really great with your coloring." The girl who had read up intently on all members of the family had forgotten that Rebekah was a designer. And apparently while she didn't dabble in wedding dresses she had expertise.
It was unclear if the reason the Mikaelson name had so much weight was because of Rebekah's ties to the fashion community. It could've easily been the general association to the family, but it was worth questioning.
With an order to the nail salon to speed up, a quick phone call, and a cab the three women were at a high end wedding boutique.
"Don't even bother with that designer," Rebekah said when Davina made a reach for an empire dress. When Rebekah had move onto the next rack, Caroline reached down to grab the gown. This process was repeated several times throughout the few hours.
"I'm just happy you're not grabbing any ballgowns," Caroline remarked before rounding a corner filled with huge gowns. "You would just get swallowed whole." She said with a smile, though she did watch Davina's reaction. Her advice was hidden in helpful commentary, and though Davina appreciated the direct approach it helped to keep her annoyingly delicate feelings from being hurt.
Caroline had the honey approach. Rebekah preferred vinegar.
It seemed both were able to catch Davina. She listened to everything they said.
"We will just wait here," Rebekah announced, shooing Davina into a dressing room with the attendant helping them.
It had been years since Davina had worn a wedding dress. Then it had just been the usual playing dress up (but being too old yet not young enough to call it that) in antique stores, New Orleans had plenty of old lace pieces hidden in the racks. She had been twelve and a if a ball gown swallowed her up in her mid twenties, you can be sure that it absolutely consumed her back in her tweens.
So she was opting for a trumpet as the first time back in the saddle. Her days of princess daydreams were long over.
The attendant was nice, but she had a strong pull. The lace up in the back of the dress was practically choking her. When she looked up and caught herself in the mirror she let the pain in her ribs fade.
Bridal gowns are supposed to invoke strong emotions. At least according to TLC they were. Davina wasn't expecting of these when she looked up see herself in a gown that cost more than what she could use on five year's worth of rent. Perhaps she was expecting a bit of protectiveness against sharp objects that could cause tears or stain inducing red white, but nothing more.
She certainly wasn't expecting negative emotions.
It wasn't that she looked bad. She looked pretty damn great. When she caught herself looking at the shape she noticed it showed off some assets that didn't always present themselves. And it didn't swallow her up, he definitely was wearing the dress rather than the other way around.
The problem Davina was faced was that she realized that she was still playing dress up.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, everyone cries at some point." Davina's quick movements to dab at her tear ducts didn't too much help. Watery eyes were better than red eyes though. "Open your eyes wide for a few seconds, it usually can help," the attendant added, giving her a bright smile.
Davina did it, it helped a bit in terms of appearance, but it didn't make her feel any better on the inside.
"Almost ready?" Rebekah called out. A large smile suddenly made it's way on her lips, and she nodded, more to herself than anything else.
Fake it until you make it was taking it to a new level.
"You are signing a prenup, right?" Kol's eldest brother, Finn, asked. Nothing wrong with a prenup, anyonewith a little bit of money and lawyers did it. The thing that Kol didn't appreciate was the tone. It wasn't asked in a very friendly way, to say the least.
Kol couldn't argue, so he just nodded to quiet him. Elijah was actually the one to voice anything about his tone.
"You haven't even met the woman yet, Finn," he protested. "Try to give her the benefit of doubt." Kol tried to lessen the surprise evident on his face when he gave a thankful nod.
After a moment of thought he realized there shouldn't have been any big shock value. Elijah had been nothing but pleasant to Davina. Pleasant, really that was the perfect word to describe the eldest behind Finn. Pleasant wasn't the right word, because Elijah was pleasant to his enemies until a certain extent. He simply liked Davina. He thought Kol had done a good job.
Though with more thought it also became clear to Kol that his brother would be rather hypocritical if hadn't been so kind. Each of his past girlfriends (two who had made it to fiancé) had their own quirk that made them unlikable to the rest of the family. They tended to be unlikable because they were written off as fame seekers, social climbers, or gold diggers.
Maybe some of those three qualities applied to some of the girls, but that didn't mean they love Elijah. Inherent nature isn't going to change.
Finn, who had heard all about how Kol and Davina had presumably met, and simply gave Elijah an unconvincing shrug. "Where is she anyway?"
"With Rebekah and Caroline," Klaus informed his brothers, looking up from his phone. Kol had come back from his meeting (accompanied by Elijah, who had insisted on helping) to find Finn and Klaus sitting rather uncomfortably in the living room. Or rather, Klaus was busy doing something on his phone while Finn waited for his brother to say something.
Obviously his waiting never paid off because it wasn't until just that moment that Klaus spoke.
"Where's Sage?" He asked, putting his phone down.
"She won't be able to make it until later, the sitter couldn't come until later." Finn was the only one of the Mikaelson children to produce grandchildren. Luckily the kids seemed to have inherited more from their mother than their father. No one wants stuffy children.
The others took it that Sage would be arriving when the party was in full swing. Esther had yet to be return home, and Mikael had only popped in for a moment before leaving again, but there was only a handful of hours until the party would start.
Which signaled perfect timing when the two of the three missing women appeared. They still had enough time for makeup and changing. With some time to spare.
"Caroline's back at your flat getting ready," Rebekah told Klaus, which got him to stand up.
"That's my cue to leave. And where is Stefan? I came here to look for him and all I found was Finn."
"Upstairs." Rebekah let out a laugh as he practically pivoted on his heel, changing his course from the door to the staircase. Graceful was not a word often attributed to Klaus, but that didn't mean it never could be.
He went up the stairs, and the attention shifted to Davina and Rebekah. No wedding dress orders were placed, but their hair had been done up. The brunette's hair was curled in rollers that she was instructed to take out after she got dresses. Rebekah's was smoothed into a high ponytail.
"Have a good day?" Kol asked as the two neared the area where they were down one brother. He hoped the more endearing tone he used make it clear he was directing the question at Davina. The warm tone came natural enough, he didn't want to tack on a silly pet name. Davina didn't seem like the 'honey' type.
"Yep," she smiled down at him. Him sitting and her standing gave her that rare opportunity. She saw Finn watching her out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't say anything.
"Don't do anything to mess this up, Kol," Rebekah stage whispered, shooting Davina a timely wink. Giving Kol a reason to think of better excuses for their divorce down the line, Rebekah moved onto Finn. "I take it you've heard about your future sister in law, Finn?"
A wave escaped Davina's hand, and she paused halfway through realizing that wasn't the most formal thing to do.
Kol thought it was endearing.
"It's great to finally meet you," he started, his earlier tone returning "it's almost been a full three hours since I heard about you." The bitterness obviously came from a place directed towards his family, but the sudden change in pace put her off balance.
"Well I've certainly heard a lot about you, so it's lovely to meet you." Davina was not only a better actress than Finn, she was a nicer person. So her smile managed to look genuine when he didn't even bother with one.
Her smile was in fact something that Kol started to think about. The toothy grin was one she had given him countless times. He always liked her smile, even if he didn't take much notice of the girl wearing it before the whirlwind of events happened. The smile he knew was being directly given to Finn. It worried him that his actions in the past could've granted him the same grin that Finn got.
After a minute or so of highly forgettable small talk, Davina looked up to the clock hanging at the side of the room. She hoped she was able to make it look like a light had gone off in her head. "Do you mind if we talk more later, Finn? I should really go upstairs and get ready." Rebekah had already slipped away, and footsteps signaled Klaus was leaving as well.
She didn't wait for him to give her a dismissive look, but he gave one to her anyway. To that she had no response.
"I'm going up as well," Kol announced, falling into step behind Davina as she made her way upstairs.
Finn became Elijah's problem until their parents returned and the latter went to change.
"So how did today go in terms of sticking to the book?" Kol asked, immediately plopping down on the bed. He didn't have much to do in terms of getting ready. Putting on a suit and the simple act of combing hair were the only things necessary.
Davina list wasn't much longer, but the tasks were more time consuming. So she got right to work. "Pretty great, I think both of them like me." Her hope was that her words came across as accomplishments for their deception, not just like something she was happy about. "Oh, I did learn that Rebekah wants nieces though," she added with a lighthearted laugh. "-Is there by chance a robe in here?" She asked before he could answer.
"The maids should've put one in there," he answered. After a short pause he went on to commenting on her earlier statement. "Nieces plural?" he confirmed. A nod come from underneath the fluff of the robe that was piled up high in her hands.
"I drank champagne at the nail salon-" Davina disappeared from Kol's line of vision "-so either Rebekah thinks I will be a horrible mother or she's past thinking I'm pregnant." When she reemerged to grab her red dress from the closet, she was wearing a robe. Apparently there was little confidence to be had in the robe. She was clutching tightly on the spot where the fabric crossed over her front.
Kol did the gentlemanly thing and looked away. Well, he did after five seconds let his mind remind him that he should.
When she put the dress on she remembered just why she loved it so much. Red was a statement color, but it didn't look overwhelming on her. She was having some trouble with the zipper though.
"Hey, Davina, I'm going to go ahead and put on my tux," Kol warned, "So don't come out just yet."
She busied herself with putting her hair down. Formal makeup wasn't a strong suit of hers, but she did her best. Best took some time though. Her hand had to support her dress throughout the process, due to its difficult zipper.
Enough time had passed that she was sure it was safe for her to come out. Still she gave a little warning before she stepped into the room. "I need your help with the zipper," she announced, looking up to find Kol all put together. He cleaned up nice, Davina could admit that, but she had seen him like that before. There were plenty of opportunities for him to look his best.
Davina had less. Not to say she didn't always look great, but to say the least she lived her life in office friendly clothes. This was why Kol had to make an effort not to look like a teenage boy in a romantic comedy. He maintained his steely exterior, but she did have to repeat her request.
"Zipper?"
"This dress is worth however much money of mine you used by the way," he said. It was a compliment wrapped in a reminder of the situation. It wasn't intentionally either, but it was nevertheless. He was busy doing the simple task of fastening the back her dress so he couldn't see her expression. She found herself stuck on the compliment.
"Is that an invitation to spend more of it?" She joked, spinning around when he was done. The anticipation was that he would've moved back, but he didn't. Too close for comfort could've been used to describe the moment, but it wasn't all that uncomfortable.
The party had started about thirty minutes before, and the noise was starting to signal that it was time for them make their appearance. Kol broke the silence when it was clear neither of them were going to say anything. "Ready to put on a show, Davina Claire?"
If Esther was the main attraction, Davina was the notable person in the crowd that people clamored to get a picture with. And that was the way it should've been for Esther, but Davina could've done without any attention on her part.
The party itself was incredible. Grand and refined. Though she had seen the near final product only hours earlier, people and music changed an atmosphere. Davina took a mental note about the people. People are what make a party great (though the gourmet food helped too).
"Have you met Mikael yet?" Caroline asked her, making her way next to her while Kol and her were bombarded with questions. People wanted to know about their relationship, her life, and details about the wedding. Whenever a person would leave Davina would ask Kol if he knew them. He should shrug, saying maybe, but if so they never left an impression.
Caroline looked lovely. Wearing a long purple dress with her hair up in a twist she looked radiant. Frown lines were etched onto her face as she asked the question. And despite this, she still looked wonderful.
The Mikaelson family was like a rare collection of gorgeous people. Even the in laws were chosen well. Davina had caught a glimpse of Sage earlier and her theory was supported it.
Davina shook her head. "I saw he was with Esther about twenty minutes ago, though." That was enough to scare her. The guy just sent off bad vibes. Vibes that were so palpable that you could see them from across the room.
"You want to get it over with?" Kol asked, taking a long sip of his drink after the offer was made. One hand was wrapped around Davina's waist, but once he lowered the glass holding hand he was able to motion to his father. Mikael had entered the main area of the party again. He was looking around, so it appeared there wasn't a question of when they'd be meeting him.
Caroline slipped away so fast that Davina didn't know until she was gone. The Mikaelson patriarch had spotted the couple and was making his way through the crowd. It didn't take much weaving on his part, everyone parted to make way for him.
His first words to them weren't promising. "You must be the secretary," he said as he walked up to them. Flicking his eyes down to the prominent ring he made an almost amused noise, he added "and apparently the fiancé as well."
"My name's Davina Claire." She had a spine, she just couldn't use it. Instinctively her hand almost went to shake his, but better judgement got her to keep it down. Kol tightened his grip on her waist.
"Mikael Mikaelson," he introduced, no emotion evident voice. If you closed your eyes it was as if he was introducing himself to a random stranger on the street."I'm sure you already knew that though."
"I see mother's already told you about Davina," Kol observed. Props to him that managed to sound civil. If Davina was his real fiancé, and Mikael was treating her that way, she'd be beyond offended. She was offended in her current situation too, but she knew she could escape it in a year. The real deal would be stuck.
"All good things," Mikael confirmed, expression conflicting with his words. He would have had to speak with her to have known the secretary bit. That is unless he did some background checking on his own. In a way that seemed to Kol like such a Mikael thing to do, but it was hard to believe he cared enough to put in the time.
"It's really great to finally meet you!" Davina exclaimed, mimicking something Finn had said earlier, only in a nicer way. She couldn't bring herself to say she's heard all about him. Because she had, just not all good things.
"I'm sure." Neither Kol nor Davina were quite sure what he meant. It just sounded condescending. Which was probably his only intent. It was clear that Mikael held the reins in the conversation, so the faux couple waited for him to continue the conversation. "I would stay and get to know your bride to be, but I have more pressing matters at hand." A tight lipped smile found its way to his mouth, and he gave Davina a long look before moved closer to Kol. "Oh, and don't let her out of her sight. There are lots of wealthy men around here," he advised, "her running off in public would just be an embarrassment."
He didn't even bother to whisper it. It might've been fear of familial shame, but he could've had the decency not to shout it. The only people who heard it had been Kol and Davina. But he made sure that Davina heard him. With that clear comment he left the two. Davina found her mouth had parted slightly from the sheer disrespect.
"I am so sorry," Kol muttered under his breath. She took an unsteady breath before responding.
"That was really weird."
"Really, I'm sorry about him. He's just-"
Cutting him off, she clarified, "I meant you were acting really odd." He looked her way, the confusion clear in his eyes. "Well, you know, one could describe you as wild. Even as a businessman you have that… energy to you," she started, "just being in his presence tamed you,"
"Am I zoo animal now?" He sounded almost defensive, but knew it was true. Being employed by the Mikaelson corporation gave his father a newfound power over him. As a teenager, or in his early twenties he couldn't have cared less what Mikael thought. If he wanted attention, he wanted it from his siblings or his mother. He was afraid of Mikael, but when he was just a few younger he felt invincible.
"It was just weird," she repeated with a shrug. "Your dad was definitely weird too, but I guess I expected it."
"You shouldn't have to expect that," Kol told her. The whole thing was a sham, but he felt horrible for Davina. Truthfully he was always a bit of a snob himself, but in a selfish way he wanted everyone to try not to be assholes to her. No one who could potentially be, or had been, in her boat inspired such protective thoughts.
"Kol Mikaelson settling down," a voice said, abruptly severing the hushed conversation they were having, "I never thought I'd see the day."
"Damon," was Kol's simple acknowledgement of the man. From the way he said it was as if the name itself could've give him a disease. "Davina, meet Damon Salvatore. Damon, meet Davina Claire."
Salvatore. Stefan Salvatore. The connection quickly made it's way through her head.
"And where would Elena be tonight?" Kol inquired, hoping a quick conversation would get him to go away. There were few people that Kol actively despised, well more than a few actually, but Damon was high on the list. Everything about him just rubbed Kol the wrong way.
"No comment." Elena was Damon's sometimes girlfriend. Kol wasn't a fan of her either. Because of Stefan, Damon always crawled his way into family events. Elena was a blessing and a curse. Sometimes he would be so preoccupied with her that he would keep to himself. Othertimes it meant Kol was just treated to double the annoyance. "Very new for you, isn't it? This whole no PDA thing," he teased. Davina went ahead and assumed this comment was directed towards Kol. Rebekah had earlier mentioned something about Kol having a penchant for causing trouble with dates.
Davina let out an uneasy laugh. The Mikaelsons hadn't seen them do anything more than holding hands. Maybe they had seen the cheek kiss, but they had been very chaste. It hadn't crossed either of their minds that it could've been overly out of character until Damon pointed it out.
Damon kept talking, and finally Kol shooed him away. "I think Stefan was looking for her." This was untrue, but it got him to go away. Kol would have to apologize to his brother in law later. "Sorry about him as well," he apologized. Davina shrugged, he had been harmless enough.
"What exactly did you do these parties?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her. From what Rebekah had said earlier she got the impression it was more than just your average public displays of affection.
"Well, more than hand holding. I kinda liked the attention," he admitted. From what Davina knew that wasn't too he saw more people making their way over to them, he started to steer Davina away from the center of the party. Business partners thought kissing up to Kol would help them deal with Mikael. It was far from the reality.
"Well I think today has been pretty successful," she said, "besides the Mikael encounter. And Finn. " The topic of how they met was avoided for the most, fortunately.
"Quite a show." He winked, and raised his champagne glass. She mirrored him, clinking her glass with his.
a/n - Hope you guys liked it! This chapter took me forever for some reason, but it's finally up :) Be sure to leave reviews if you liked it, I always love seeing you guys give me feedback. Check out my one shot collection because I think I'll be posting a few new things there this weekend.
xo,
Luce