Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing. Only the story is mine.

Note: Previously, in "When You Least Expect It," the Mikaelson family takes Esther to court.

Hey, everyone! I've had an idea for the next chapter for a few days now and hopefully, it'll be as good written out as it did in my head. No spoilers, just sit back, relax, and enjoy!

HERE WE GO!

Fell's Church – 2 Months Later…

Caroline adjusted her veil as she looked in the mirror in the dressing room. She was now six months pregnant and at the ultrasound appointment she and Klaus went to, it was discovered that her maternal instincts five months earlier were correct. They were indeed having a boy and they decided to name him Liam Niklaus, because it sounded elegant and cute at the same time.

The dress she was wearing lovingly hugged her belly and gave her enough room to walk, although she knew dancing at the reception was going to be out because Klaus would want her to be off her feet now that she was carrying his son. Three more months and we'll be parents. Well, at least Liam will be an official Mikaelson by time I actually give birth to him.

A knock at the door jostled her out of her thoughts. Scowling, she walked (correction, waddled) over to see who it was. Opening it, she gasped when she came face to face with…

"Daddy?"

Bill Forbes greeted his daughter with a smile. "Hello, baby girl." He took her hands and stepped back to admire her dress. "You look absolutely beautiful. And you have that motherly glow to you."

Although she was glad to see her father, Caroline was still confused. "What are you doing here? I mean, not that I'm not happy to see you, which I am, but I would like to know why you're here."

"Your fiance called me and told me you were getting married," her father replied. "I know that we haven't exactly been close, but what father would pass up the opportunity to see his daughter on her wedding day?"

Caroline couldn't believe what she was hearing. Klaus invited her father to the wedding? The only time she had mentioned him was months ago, at Liz and Victor's wedding. Shit, he must have the best memory in the world, because I had completely forgotten that conversation. My brain must totally be fried as a result of this pregnancy. Not that I regret having Nik's child, which I don't, but the pregnancy is messing with my head.

"It really is good to see you, Daddy," she said finally. "Things haven't been easy for me since you and Mom divorced."

"That was partially my fault," said Bill. "I had no idea just how much my decision would affect you two. I know that it's not the best time to be apologizing for it, but I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you. You're still my daughter, you have to know that."

Caroline nodded and was about to say something when Victor appeared. "Caroline, if you're ready, we have to get to the san..." He cut himself off when he saw Bill. "Hello, Bill."

Bill gave the other man a curt nod. "Hello, Victor."

Victor was about to ask why his wife's ex-husband was here but decided not to for the sake of time. Instead, he said, "I was going to give Caroline away. I know that she's my stepdaughter and not my daughter, but I thought I'd..."

"I have an idea," said Caroline, interrupting him. "Why don't both of you give me away? It sounds a little strange, but it's better than you arguing over who gets the honor. After all, this is my day and I get the final word in how this wedding is conducted, even though Bonnie planned it."

Victor and Bill exchanged looks before Victor turned to his stepdaughter. "Very well, Caroline, if that's what you want, then that's how we'll do it." He looked at Bill again. "You wouldn't mind, would you, Bill? It'll be a shame to have come all the way here and not participated in the ceremony in some capacity."

"I'd be honored to give her away," said Bill. "So honored, in fact, I don't mind doing it alongside my ex-wife's new husband."

Groom's Dressing Room – That Same Moment…

Klaus smiled as he looked in the mirror. Today was the day he was going to be marrying the woman he loved and he was definitely looking forward to it. He was also proud of himself for calling Caroline's father and inviting him to the wedding. Granted, it was a bit sneaky on his part, but he remembered her saying that she held no grudges against her father for ending his marriage to her mother.

"You do realize you're going to have some explaining to do before this day is over, don't you, Niklaus? Caroline isn't going to appreciate you going behind her back like this."

Elijah's scolding tone brought Klaus out of his reverie and he replied, the smile still on his face, "I know it was a bit underhanded of me to call her father without her knowledge, but she told me she didn't harbor a grudge against him."

"Even so, she's going to be furious, and not because of pregnancy hormones," said Elijah. "Don't get me started on the trouble I got into when I lied to Amelia about working late when I was actually playing poker with a friend of mine from law school. She never let me hear the end of it."

Klaus went to reply when he was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Oh, who the bloody hell is that? I can't be late to my own wedding ceremony."

Elijah went to the door and when he opened it, he saw… "Ansel? What are you doing here?"

"I know this isn't the best time because you're about to have a wedding and everything, but I need to speak to your brother," the older man replied. "I may be the last person he wants to see at the moment, but this is important."

Elijah looked over his shoulder and saw that Klaus still had his back to him and then turned to Ansel. "All right, but be brief. The ceremony is going to start soon and we have to get Niklaus to the altar so as not to upset the bride."

"I understand," said Ansel. "I'll be as quick as possible."

That being said, he stepped into the room and Klaus turned toward him after seeing his reflection in the mirror. For a moment, there was silence as he looked the older man up and down. This was definitely unexpected, especially on the most important day of his life.

Finally, he said, "Well, looks like Mother was lying about you being dead."

"Believe me, I had nothing to do with that. That was all her idea," said Ansel. "Now, I know that you probably don't want to see me, let alone talk to me after everything that's happened, but I want you to at least hear me out."

Klaus sighed. "Very well, the floor is yours."

"First of all, I want to apologize for any trouble your mother caused," said Ansel. "I told her it wasn't a good idea to try to get you to accept me when you clearly didn't. Of course, knowing her, she wouldn't listen."

"Tell me something I don't already know," said Klaus. "Esther Mikaelson is a vile creature who should never have had the right to bear children, cruel as that sounds." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, continue."

"Even though I missed out on everything because you were raised by Mikael all your life, I want to least be there for my grandson. I know Mikael is already going to be his grandfather, but there's no rule against him having two grandfathers, right?"

Klaus went to argue, but he knew he had a point. Plus, Esther wasn't a threat anymore, so there was no harm in at least letting him be around. Clearing his throat, he said, "As long as you're here, would you like to stay for the wedding?"

"You...want me to be here?"

"My mother is no longer a threat, so I see no reason why I should treat you as one," said Klaus. "Weddings are an occasion to celebrate love and togetherness, after all."

"Thank you," said Ansel. "And I look forward to meeting your lovely bride."

Elijah watched this and smiled. He then looked at his watch. "Gentlemen, I'd hate to break this up, but we have a wedding to get to."

Klaus nodded and headed toward the sanctuary, followed by Elijah and Ansel.

Sanctuary of Fell's Church – Just Before the Ceremony…

Klaus made it to the altar in record time, seeing that they hadn't played "Here Comes the Bride" yet. He took his place and watched as Elijah arrived and stood next to him as his best man. Ansel took a seat in an open pew, ignoring the stares he was getting from the congregants, Mikael included. Little Evelyn walked down the aisle, throwing the petals from her basket exactly as she had rehearsed (even though some petals landed in the pews. No one judged her, of course, because she was only three and this was to be expected).

After Evelyn had done her part, the music for "Here Comes the Bride" began to play and Caroline appeared, escorted by Victor and Bill. Klaus smiled, knowing that he had done well, even if he was going to have to explain himself later, as Elijah had said. When she was half way to the altar, Klaus went to meet her, smiling at both men as he took her arm and led her the rest of the way.

They reached the altar and Pastor Young motioned for the congregants to be seated before saying, "Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today to witness the union of Niklaus Alexander Mikaelson and Caroline Lillian Forbes. The bride and groom have each written vows and they will now share them."

Klaus nodded to the priest and began with his vows. "Caroline, until the day I met you, I thought I would never find my true love. My siblings each had their own significant others, and I felt like half a man. Then, I saw you at Kol's wedding and my life was forever changed. You cast a light upon me has continued to shine on me throughout the time we have known each other. You are my love, my life, my light, and the best friend I could ever hope to have. I am truly honored to be standing here before you this day, before our family and friends, to become your husband. I promise to be faithful to you always, and to be a good father to our child, as well as the subsequent other children we will have in the future. My heart and soul belong to you and only you, Caroline, for all the days of my life until death parts us."

Caroline listened to him speak and struggled to fight her tears back, both from hormones and from the love she had for him. Shit, how was she going to follow vows like that? However, she reminded herself that this wasn't a competition, so when it was her turn, she cleared her throat.

"Nik, until you came into my life, I was scarred and broken after being hurt my ex. I was ready to give up on men altogether, because they would hurt me the way he did. Then, when I met you at Kol's wedding, and although I was reluctant to take down my barrier, you refused to give up on me. You were my knight in shining armor and showed me that there are good men out there. You have helped and I have helped you in return during your own crisis. Today, I am proud to stand here before you to become your wife. I know that our baby loves you as much as I do. I will dedicate my life and love to you all the days of my life until death do us part."

Klaus could feel tears in his eyes as he listened to her speak and found himself loving her more and more. He was tempted to kiss her right then and there, but stopped because the moment where the groom kissed the bride hadn't come yet.

Pastor Young then said, "Klaus, place the ring on Caroline's finger and repeat after me. 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

Klaus nodded and placed the ring on her finger, saying, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Pastor Young looked at Caroline. "Caroline, place the ring on Klaus' finger and repeat after me. 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

Caroline placed the ring on Klaus' finger, saying, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Very good," said Pastor Young. "By the power invested in me by the state of Virginia, it is my pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife. Klaus, you may now kiss your bride."

Klaus didn't need to be told twice and, taking Caroline's hands, pulled her as close as her belly would allow, kissing her softly and tenderly. Caroline returned the kiss and moaned against his lips as the kiss deepened. She barely heard the applause from the crowd because she was so engrossed. She reluctantly pulled back and just before they were about to begin their trek back up the aisle, she felt a sharp pain in her belly and looked down to see a puddle of water on the floor. Shit, this was a fine time to go into labor.

"Nik," she groaned. "I...I think my water just broke."

"Now?" he replied. "But, we still have three months."

"I know, but we need to get to the hospital."

Klaus then looked over at Elijah. "Call 911. Caroline is in labor. I know it's early, but we need to get her to the hospital or she'll give birth right here at the altar."

Elijah nodded, remembering when Amelia gave birth to Colin sooner than expected, and got out his cell phone, dialing 911. Klaus felt Caroline becoming faint and knelt down beside her as she fell to the floor, holding her to him.

"Hang on, love," he said. "We're going to get you to the hospital. Liam is going to be all right, I promise." He kissed her forehead. "I'm here, I'm not leaving you."

Note: I know, cliffhangers are a bitch, but I promise that I will continue in the next chapter. Don't worry, Liam is going to make it, despite the fact that he's going to be born three months early. Don't ask where the idea came from, just take it as written. Stay tuned!

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