"We sending her home in style, Lord," The bandleader shouts, dressed down in black with a purple sash draped over his left shoulder that is decorated in white skull caricatures dancing and rejoicing. He tips his white captain's hat and raises his bedazzled cane into the air and the second line brass band commences to bang and wail into a slow drag that pierces the silence of the early overcast morning in Congo Square.
Bonnie observes from the back of the vast crowd, gloved hand entwined into the fingers of her fiancé, her yellow-hued diamond sitting squarely over the black satin.
"We will follow the procession after the family all the way to St. Louis Cathedral," Elijah whispers into her ear.
Slowly the congregation of family and friends spills out onto North Rampart street and Elijah grips her fingers to come along but she dawdles, scanning the faces for Klaus through the black veiled Fascinator she has adorning her head.
He is nowhere to be found.
She actually has not seen him since she and Elijah left Maison Rose yesterday afternoon. After she said yes to the engagement. He had appeared briefly with a stretched smile and a bottle of champagne. "To Victory" He stated without any of his usual joy over getting what he wanted. He poured the glasses and he stood between them explaining how the fake relationship would give them several events, traditionally considered neutral in times of war for them to take New Orleans.
"If we don't accomplish what we want by the engagement party then we have the shower and bachelor party, but this should all be behind us before you two have to stand before a priest." He laughed dryly before being interrupted by his brother who points out that Bonnie smells very much like Klaus.
"It will make for great gossip that the fiancé of one brother has the intimate scent of the blood of the other on her but it will not aid in assisting us in staging this epic romance."
Klaus's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. "Then give her your blood."
"Bonnie, would you do me the honor of partaking in my blood?"
She searched for a response from Klaus who excused himself, a frozen smirk on his face, explaining that they should do this alone and Elijah reached for a hair pin on the vanity and pricked his finger and pressed droplets of his blood into Bonnie's champagne flute. The act was proper and had all of the class that one would assume from Elijah. The champagne turned a shade of pink. "Here you are, my dear."
She had dutifully swallowed the blush concoction and thought Klaus's blood had tasted much sweeter.
As the long procession begins to turn on Toulouse street, the drums beat faster and the horns blare. Tourists stop and stare or pour out from the iron wrought balconies to snap photos from their iPhones and Quarter people strolling through their neighborhood wave whatever they have in their hands at the procession and touch the top of their heads before continuing on about their business.
The bandleader raises his cane up and shouts out to the crowd over the music, "God is Good?"
And the crowd yells back to him. "All The Time!"
BKBKBKBK
Bonnie anxiously goes over her backstory in her head as she and Elijah walk hand in hand approaching the iconic spires of St. Louis Cathedral. She readies herself and her nerves for anyone who might ask her a question about where she was from or how she met Elijah.
Along with putting her together that morning Elijah delivered a fabrication of her life and their love story.
"Let us go with the Gucci," He said more to himself than to Bonnie, who knew nothing of labels and fashion. She fussed around with her hair in the bathroom while waiting for him to complete laying out her debut ensemble.
They spoke back and forth through the open door.
"Your mother died in childbirth, which is an unfortunate common fatality for witches." He informed like it was fact, "You were raised by your father who was in the Army, which makes you a military brat. You have moved so many times that you don't have roots any one place so you consider yourself a world citizen. And you were backpacking in Europe when we met over a year ago in a little cafe in Florence. We fell in love and from all our constant lovemaking you became pregnant.
She stomped out of the bathroom and threw up her hands, "Whoa, whoa. Pregnant?"
Elijah grabbed the sheath dress from the bed and held it up to her frame, "Bear with me," He smile delighted with whatever vision he captured by holding up the form fitted dress against her in the terry robe. "We were delighted by the news, over the moon really, by our love creating life, and because I felt so expansive I share the news with Klaus who has and always will be protective of a Mikaelson family member, well, the ones that don't cross him, but since it's a baby he's open. But you suffer from the same fate as your mother and you pass before bringing the child to term. I am grief stricken and Klaus decides to have Mama T resurrect you so that I can climb out of a pit of darkness and despair.
"Vampires can impregnate women?"
"Only witches, but just like with a human man, it is rare for the child to live. Which means you Bonnie dear, are a rare gift."
She had beamed when he said that.
BKBKBKBKBK
Bonnie follows Elijah's lead and steps aside to stand on the steps while everyone enters the cathedral. Some of the elders know of Elijah, stories passed on from who ever raised them. The stories must have painted this Mikaelson as to be one of the good ones, for they stopped to speak even though the younger family members walked by without a word.
"How is you, Elijah?"
She is introduced as the love of his life and the two of them gush and smile over one another and shake wrinkled hands and tell each one how pleased they are to meet with the community as they will be making New Orleans home. They repeat this story so much that Bonnie glances over at Elijah and realizes that there is no more prickly feeling, but that doesn't stop her from leaning into him and asking privately where was his brother.
Another elder appears and Elijah gives them his full attention before answering her.
Always a gentleman, he makes sure to recall details about this elderly woman's ancestors, stories that were long forgotten. And Bonnie feels good at how the old woman face lifts with a smile when he remembers drinking with her rowdy horn playing uncle.
Bonnie lets them greet while she wonders where the hell is Klaus. She really wanted to know what he was up to. After spending every waking moment together it just seemed like the world wasn't right that he wasn't by her side.
She begins to fidget and Elijah notices. His hand settles on the small of her back to calm her down as she recites her lines for the old woman.
"I don't know what my life would be like without him," She repeats and forces a smile and then Elijah informs them both that funeral should be starting soon and offers one of his arms to assist the woman into the church and the other to Bonnie who tells him to just help her in. "You go ahead with her, sweetheart. I need a moment to myself." She smiles even though she is pretty sure Elijah could tell by her voice that something was amiss about her.
She looks back out over the square, the garden and the people strolling to enjoy its beauty, the street vendors and tarot card readers, the teenagers skateboarding and the peddlers strumming guitars for money, and there is a sudden panic to the possibility that he is not coming.
How could he not come? Wasn't all of this for him?
With anger bubbling to the surface she reaches for the cathedral door when a hand catches it before her.
"You are a sight, love," Klaus grins in his dark jeans and tan t-shirt, his blue eyes darkening as they drink her in, "You play the part very well if I do say so myself."
There were angry tears that were about to spill right before he appeared and now the elation of seeing him when she wanted to see him so badly leaves her bewildered.
He reaches for her veil and lifts it ever so slightly and kisses her at the corner of her mouth, "Did you think I wouldn't show up?" He says softly, his mouth still close to hers. She slowly shakes her head and he kisses her quickly again.
"Shall we?" He says, opening the door.
And she walks into the Therese Guidry's funeral arm in arm with Niklaus Mikaelson.