#New Orleans Wedding | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kasagia · 2 years

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Our little game pt. 4

~Part 1~ ~Part 2~ ~Part 3~ ~Part 5~

Pairing: Klaus Mikaelson x witch! reader Summary: Katherine and Elijah's wedding. Of course everything will go well, and nobody will harm the ceremony, right? And Klaus won't mention your night together or the feelings between you, right? Warning(s): intense caresses, I think I might a little over fluff it. So there is a little angst at the end. For balance ;-) *cough*death mention*cough*, drinking from a vampire, a vampire drinking from a human Word count: 4,9k+

I was sitting in the Klaus' bathroom for 15 minutes now. I got ready a long time ago, but my own fear of standing before hybrid made me hide in his bathroom. It was a very shit position, if you ask me.

"Y/N! We have to go! Hurry up, love! I'll be waiting in the car!"

Speaking of the devil. I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror one last time. I can handle this. Two days and one night, and I can run far away.

What can go wrong?

I came out of the bathroom in my light blue dress, and after putting on my jacket, I left the mansion. I got into the car next to Klaus, searching internally for the most embarrassing ride of my life.

"You look beautiful. Katherine will be jealous of the attention you steal at the altar."

"Thank you. You look good as well."

"About last night…" he began, glancing hesitantly at me through the car mirror.

"It was only to get things out of our system. To relax after stressful preparation." I cut him off before he could say anything. It's best for all of us if we treat this as a one-night stand. I had my own life to go back to. And he his.

"And is it? Out of your system?"

No. Never.

"You've been helpful." I replied, pretending to be immensely interested in the passing buildings.

"Well, if that's what you want." he growled. His rabided figure reflected in the side window of the car haunted me.

"Don't look at me like that. We were drunk as hell, what did you expect?" his hands tightened on the steering wheel so that his knuckles were white.

"I don't know. I was the one who told you several times to stop. Thinking about it, I was an innocent victim and you used me!"

"Oh please, don't put innocent and you together in one sentence! We both know you're far from being a saint. Besides, I don't remember you complaining when I was on you." I growled at him, annoyed by his behavior. Like he'd never done a one-night stand before. It's not like I was going to throw myself into his waiting arms (after he fucked my brain out) and confess my undying love to him.

"And I don't remember you, wanting to get out of my arms so much, to jump into bed with that dumb ex of yours."

"I've been waiting for the big ending, but I guess your fame far outstrips your skills."

"Don't pretend you didn't like it, love. I don't remember you complaining when I was inside you. In fact, you very often and willingly agreed with what I was doing to you, occasionally screaming my name."

"I just didn't want to embarrass you."

"Of course, love. As if you'd ever show me a little kindness instead of treating me like a monster."

"If I treat you so badly, then why the hell do you even bother coming back to me at every damn time?!"

"Because I'm in love with you, for the bloody hell!" his statement immediately froze me in place.

All I could do was stare at the equally astonished original. He wasn't going to say it. But he did. And I couldn't just ignore it. It was different to hear those words drunk, drowned in the heat of passion and the new, unfamiliar, and exciting feeling of the touch of our bare skins, than to hear them in the middle of an argument. Without knowing why, they felt more real to me now.

"What? You love me?" I choked out, realizing after a moment that we were already at the wedding venue, and the hybrid was afraid to look at me again.

"Forget about it." he growled as he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. I sat there, too dazed to make any further move. I was pulled out of my confusion by my phone ringing.

Tommy

"Please, not now." I groaned as I switched off my phone and finally got out of the car. I had a wedding I was supposed to help with.

~•♤♤♤•~

"Veil? Seriously?" Bekah's incredulous question made me laugh softly, which I did my best to hide from the bride.

"Yes. Do you mind?" she raised an inquiring eyebrow, challenging her silently.

"Let's change the subject." I offered, trying to avoid another war between vampires before they bicker over a stupid wedding veil. "Something blue?"

"Sapphire earrings."

"Something borrowed?"

"A necklace from you."

"Something old?"

"The bride." Rebekah coughed, interrupting. I could barely keep from laughing. I started to push the blonde out of the room for fear that Katherine would throw herself at her future sister-in-law.

"Okay. Why don't you see if Nadia's here and check if the pianist needs anything? By the way, have you seen Kol anywhere?"

"He was holed up somewhere with Klaus as soon as you guys arrived. I'd look in the wine cellar if I were you."

"Can you ask Freya to check them out? I still need to take care of a few things here." I sighed, leafing through the list and glancing at the surprisingly thoughtful and quiet brunette in the white dress.

"Fine, but don't think for even a second that I'll just forget that you and my brother came here both late and in the same car." she warned me, pointing an accusing finger at me. I snorted, taking it off my face.

"Sure. Go now. I'll meet you in half an hour." I closed the door behind the original and sighed.

"Okay, what's going on between you and the big bad wolf?" Kath asked, eyeing me suspiciously. Of course, only she would be able to ask that question straight out of the blue. I opened my eyes, taking in her stressed figure again.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You're the one who's been acting weird today, ever since I walked into this room." I said, stepping closer to the vampire and standing behind her to examine both of us in the mirror. We looked killer, even though our faces were clearly worried.

"Of course I am. It's my wedding day."

"You seemed excited about today. What has suddenly changed?" the brunette sighed, turning towards me but avoiding my inquisitive gaze at all costs.

"Through the window, I saw Hayley enter the building while I was changing."

"She what? You think she went to Elijah?"

"Maybe."

"Do you want me to check this out?"

"No. I don't." her hushed, hesitant voice worried me greatly.

"Hey, sweetheart. Don't be upset. Elijah loves you. Yes, he has history with Hayley, but he chose you. He proposed to you, not her." I reminded her, trying to comfort her somehow.

"I know! But what if I was just his second choice, after Hayley married Jackson? What if we are doing all of this just because he can't have her? I shouldn't be here or even saying "yes" at first." if she'd been showing signs of stress before, she was sure now, judging by the way she paced the room in panic, trying to come up with a contingency plan.

I was right there beside her, comfortingly hugging her and stroking her hair (so as not to mess up Kath's hairstyles by Rebekah. A blonde would kill me without a moment's hesitation.)

"Okay, come here. Shh. We can run away from here whenever you want. Just say a word. But first, think: What if he really, truly loves you? After all, you've two spent 500 years circulating around you. All these secret meetings under Klaus' nose all over the centuries make for a beautiful love story. And you have to admit that even when you were with someone else, you were still thinking about him. You've changed yourself and your life as much for him as he has for you. I'm looking at you two, and it fits. Even if you're so different from each other and get into little fights sometimes or disagree on something. I wish I had a relationship like yours, where you'd rather have a heated argument with your second half than make out with someone else."

"Fuck you. You ruined my makeup." she murmured, sobbing. I gave her a handkerchief, laughing.

"This can be easily fixed. So? Is the wedding still on?"

"Yes. I think so." she said, nodding her head with a small smile.

Stone from the heart. Crisis averted. Elijah will have to give me one of their famous, centuries-old wine barrels as a reward.

"Do you want me to stay with you a little longer, or can I go and start scolding everyone I come across?"

"You can go and torture them."

"As you wish, your majesty. I'll send Nadia here if I see her. You looked like you needed a hug from your daughter."

"Y/N!" she called after me, so I turned to her. "Thank you. But we still need to talk about Klaus." she pointed out, this time raising a wave of anxiety in me.

After this quarrel in the car, my problem increased even more. (As if the one-night stand hadn't done its job already.) And an inner, festering guilt for being the next Elena Gilbert haunted me whenever I saw either of the two men in love with me.

Fuck. I forgot to call Thomas back.

"Shit!"

I screamed as I rushed out of my room into the courtyard and tried to turn on my phone. I walked over to the orchestra, sorting out the final details, when the sound of the text finally came.

I'm sorry; I fucked up. We've been hanging out with the girls, and I've been running some last-minute errands since morning.

Tommy: I know. I spoke to Klaus while you were still sleeping this morning.

What the hell?! This bastard didn't even stutter a word about this.

Tommy: Don't worry. We didn't promise ourselves anything. However, I can't deny that I'd rather hear the truth from you than your lies (although I must admit that the taste of my own medicine is indeed bitterer than I thought).

Tommy: So, are congratulations okay?

NO! Absolutely. We'll never be… something.

Tommy: I could infer something completely different from his morning speech. Never mind. I hope you know that no matter what happens, I will always be your friend. So go back to that hellish wedding and have fun, honey! We can talk about all this at tomorrow's dinner if you want.

It would be nice. I'll call you, I promise!

I sighed, shoving my phone into my dress pocket, and went looking for Kol. I had to make sure he didn't get completely drunk before the wedding started. On the way to the basement, I began to wonder about Thomas. I really doubted he'd take it so well. We weren't promising anything, as he said, but I had a feeling he'd be… hurt if he found out about that drunken night. In that respect, he had more class than Klaus, who took the first possible opportunity to throw it in his face. This 1,000-year-old fossil sometimes behaved worse than his daughter.

I went down to the liquor cellar only to find two half-drunk originals swimming in one of the wine barrels as if it was perfectly normal. How were these two idiots related to Elijah and Freya?

"What the hell is going on here, huh?" the two men froze in silence, watching my every step towards them.

"Nik… that's it. That's her. The destroyer of fun and innocent hearts in love." they burst out laughing. Kol dug deeper into the barrel, probably taking another sip of wine.

"Kol, darling, should I call Davina? Or are you capable of bringing yourself back into a sober state before I cut your legs off and put them back into you where the sunlight doesn't usually arrive?" I asked as he emerged from the barrel.

"Did you say in a poetic way that you would rip off my legs and stick them up my ass?"

"Yes."

"Couldn't you say it simpler? Despite my clever camouflage, I am not Elijah, and I do not catch such lofty words. Do not look at me like this! I'm going, right? You're lucky, brother, that this praying mantis didn't eat you yesterday after you did your part." he grumbled as he was trying to come out.

His suit dripped red liquid, whose drops fell to a stone floor. I carefully watched his receding silhouette, throwing a wooden stake in his direction at the moment he was about to pass through the door frame. The man ducked, accelerating. I smiled, knowing his sisters would give him a lecture after seeing the wine stains on the floor.

"Are you going to politely follow in your brother's footsteps, or should I come over there and fish you out?" I asked the second original, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Maybe I could use a little encouragement."

"Encouragement?" I moved closer to the barrel and stood on my tiptoes to align our faces. The hybrid's arrogant smirk faded as soon as he felt the warmth of my closeness. His already pink, wine-colored cheeks flushed even redder. Klaus watched me speechless, completely unprepared for such a move from me. He must have been absolutely convinced that I would avoid him, just as he avoided me. The difference was that a drunk Klaus was... less of a threat to me.

I licked my lips, watching a drop of wine run down the column of his throat. I decided not to hold back and traced the next drop with my tongue.

"What kind of encouragement?" I whispered against his neck.

"Uhm… Y/N…" he gasped dazedly, entwining his hand in my hair and pulling my eager mouth closer to his neck. As soon as I felt his accelerated pulse with my tongue, I pulled away from his skin, watching as the hickey I created disappeared from the original.

I continue to tease him by brushing his nose with mine and pulling away every time he was about to catch my lips in another kiss.

Suddenly, he growled, annoyed with my successful escapes. He tried to move closer to me, but he lost his balance, crashing out of the barrel onto the floor with a loud moan.

I chuckled as I walked over to the drunken hybrid and with a flick of my wrist, I dried and cleaned his suit.

"Be a good boy for me and get ready to be a best man, or Marcel will take your place. You can check on Elijah and see if he needs anything. Also, since you have time to party with your little brother, you'll definitely be able to handle calling the caterer and confirming the final details and payment. Don't forget the rings!!" I shouted, tossing him my to-do list and heading for the exit.

"You have no mercy, woman." he muttered indignantly at my retreating figure.

~•♤♤♤•~

"Ready, love?" Klaus' question snapped me out of putting the final touches on the bouquets. I took my flowers and accepted his outstretched arm.

"Is everything..."

"Yes. I've taken care of the rest, everything will be as you planned." he assured me, anticipating my question, as he helped me down the stairs in those sky-high heels.

"I'm surprised how you and Kol were able to get usable so quickly. If I hadn't seen you before, I wouldn't have guessed that you were drunk as hell."

"Years of practice. However, my partner in crime was caught by our sisters. I guess it didn't end well for him." I giggled, pulling his arm closer to me to steady my steps over the uneven cobblestones.

"Oh yes. I heard Rebekah screaming all the way from the parking lot."

"Parking lot? What were you doing there?" he asked in surprise when we went outside.

The wedding ceremony was supposed to be in the garden. It took us a good couple of hours to decorate their plantation before it met the expectations of the three of us (read: Bekah, I, and Katherine. Elijah's job was just to stand there, say a touching oath, and look pretty.)

"I could have invited someone to the wedding." I answered evasively, not wanting to spoil the pleasant atmosphere between us.

"Your friend, Timon?" his dry tone of voice and clenched jaw indicated my utter failure.

"His name is Thomas and you good know that. And don't even think you'll miss out on the conversation about how you shouldn't be answering my phone, even if I'm sleeping naked in your bed."

"What can I do, love? You were a very pretty sight, and I didn't want to deprive myself of it just because someone wanted to hear your voice in the morning."

"My God, do you really see no problem?!" the man shrugged indifferently as we continued our walk towards the garden. "You can't answer calls from my potential future boyfriend and..."

"Future boyfriend?" he interrupted me, snorting in disbelief.

"Maybe. After what you said to him, he wants to be my friend for now. Actually, I think it's better for us."

"Friend? Are you naive? A man like him doesn't just want to be friends with women. Sooner or later, he will try to get you into his bed."

"So how exactly is he different from you, huh?" I asked, pulling my arm out of his grip and crossing it over my chest. "You denigrate him in every possible way, and the truth is that you are behaving just like him, if not worse."

"No, love. I never left you voluntarily. I never stopped caring about your fate and I never left you without a word. I've always considered your feelings and never crossed the line without your express permission. You could always count on me, whether we were at war or living in peace. So don't stand here and compare me to that pathetic excuse of a man who never took the trouble to think of anyone other than himself, because unlike him, I've always prioritized you. But now I realize that I made a mistake. I should have treated you as inferior from the start. Maybe then you'd fight for me and be blindly in love with me, like with that poor vampire who doesn't deserve even the slightest hint of your affection."

"You have no right to talk to me like that!" I hissed furiously.

"And why is that?"

"Because what you feel for me is not love, Klaus."

"No? So what then happens to us every time we are so close to each other?" in confirmation of his words, he took a step towards me, so that our lips were mere centimeters apart. "Why our skin burn where we touch?" I gasped as he grabbed my waist with one hand and pulled me close to him, minimizing any distance I was desperately trying to create between us. "Why do we shudder every time we whisper to each other things so lecherous that not one street girl would blush at hearing them?" I gave in and let him take complete control of me when I heard that enticing whisper against my ear. It wasn't fair how this man was able to seduce me so quickly just by using his alluring, tempting, dark tone of voice alone. "Why are we consumed by anticipation when our lips are so impossibly close that all we can think about is how wonderful it will be to feel them against us? Why do we have such power over each other?"

"You are delusional." I whispered tremblingly, feeling his lips gently brush mine with every word I said.

"So I want to be sick wit it for the rest of my life." and with that, he pressed his lips greedily to mine, not giving me a moment to think.

My brain took a break as soon as our lips connected in a frantic, passionate battle for command. In that moment, it was just me trapped between the hedge and the vampire's strong, muscular body, and him pressing against me and attacking my every possible nerve.

Nothing else mattered.

But with every moan one of us made and every second our lips marveled at the closeness of the other, I felt that the longer I allowed myself to lose myself in him, the worse the blow of disappointment would get when it turned out that we weren't meant for each other. I tore my lips from his, but the hybrid wouldn't let me go that easily. He pulled me to him, sucking his treacherous mouth into my exposed neck.

He placed wet, strategic kisses all the way down my neck and, using what he had learned yesterday, left hickeys on every sensitive spot I had.

"No. Nik... it... Ah! We can't... Oh c'mon! Help me a little..." I growled, annoyed that I couldn't form any logical sentences.

"Then stop it, love. I won't hold you." he extended his fangs, teasingly running them over my weakest point.

"You know I can't." I moaned, tugging at his hair, and presented my neck to him invitingly.

"So can't I." he moaned, digging into my neck and sucking my blood greedily.

I gasped as a familiar, euphoric feeling spread through my body. I never thought I'd willingly let any vampire drink from me. But look at me now. Pressed against the most dangerous of them all, moaning against his ear in the sheer pleasure of being used by him.

He pulled away from me much faster than I wanted.

So I pulled him back.

We kissed hungrily and passionately, as if we hadn't spent half of last night doing the same thing. I thought after that one night all the desire I had for him would just disappear. But I guess he got under my skin more than I thought I'd let him.

This time I ended the kiss, afraid I was about to pass out if I didn't catch my breath. Our chests rose and fell at the same fast pace. Our dilated pupils and red, swollen lips were the only sights we wanted to see.

At some point, Nik's lustful gaze turned into a loving, tender one. He gently cupped my cheek with his hand, bringing me into a greater mood of intimacy than when our lips greedily took what was theirs.

"I love you, Y/N." he whispered, afraid to spoil the moment between us. I hesitantly placed my hand on his, the same hand that was cupping my cheek, and, trying to control my fear, I wanted to tell him the three words I had been hiding from myself since the moment I saw him.

"Nik, I..."

"Y/N! Klaus?! Where the hell you two gone?!" he cursed hearing his sister's scream and rested his forehead against mine.

"We have to go, Klaus." I tried to get out of his arms, but the vampire didn't budge at my attempt to escape. I sighed, finally noticing the determined expression on his face. Whatever he was planning, he was going to do it no matter what.

"You're right. You deserve someone much better than me or him. Someone who will spend his entire existence to make sure you're satisfied and that you have a word upon your feet. Someone who'll make you feel safe and will always care about you. Maybe I'm not this right man for you, but I promise you, love, that if you choose me, if you stay with me… I'll try my best to prove you I can meet that expectation. It will be hard, and we'll probably fight and argue with each other every day, knowing our tempers, but… I've lived long enough to know that nothing is perfect. And being with you… is the closest feeling to my perfect I've ever felt or dreamed of."

"Nik..." I sighed, shocked and touched by what he said. This damn bastard always knew what words to use when it comes to me.

"KLAUS! Y/N!" the shouts of his young sister were coming our way.

"You don't have to answer now. Just... think about it before you decide something, love." the man grabbed my hand and looked deeply into my eyes with such affection that I no longer had a shadow of a doubt about the sincerity of his words.

I vaguely remember walking obediently beside him toward the altar, too distracted to notice anything else around me. And certainly not the beginning of the ceremony.

I was just supposed to organize a wedding, not experience the drama of my love life!

I don't know how long I stood there like that. I only know that if it wasn't for Elijah's words, I would definitely still be panicking internally and not knowing what decision to make. And I think for the rest of my life I will be grateful to the noble original for arranging such apt vows.

"To be honest, it wasn't easy for me to stand here today. I have many doubts, and all week I have been thinking about what if. What if I didn't ask you to marry me? What if you didn't say yes? Would we still be here? Do we really fit together?"

"Elijah, I don't know what you're doing, but to the shore, unless you want to screw up your own wedding vows."

"Kol." Rebekah hissed, shooting him an aggressive look.

"But when I saw you, walking here in this beautiful white dress, I realized how simple it all is. I cannot imagine a single millennium, century, decade, year, month, day, hour, minute or second without you by my side. I don't want to imagine it. We are so different from each other, but I know that you complete me like no one else. And we may not always agree, we may not always resolve our conflicts peacefully, and I may even end up on the couch today for what I just said, but… I want to, no, I'm sure. I am sure there is no one else in this world or beyond that I would rather fight and love at the same time. And we may never be perfect, but I'd rather be imperfect with you than perfectly matched with someone else. I love you, Katerina. I always loved you. And I will be loving you. For always and forever." and I promised myself not to cry at their wedding.

The fucking Mikaelsons and their fucking great choice of words.

Fucking Klaus Mikaelson and his fucking blue eyes that have been staring at me meaningfully since the fucking beginning of his brother's fucking vow.

And my fucking stupid heart, which had given itself thoughtlessly into the hands of the fucking original hybrid in front of me...

~•♤♤♤•~

After the ceremony, we moved to the hall. Elijah and Katherine had their first dance as a married couple, and I couldn't find Klaus anywhere.

"Elijah really can charm women."

"Thomas! You scared me." I screamed, putting my hand on my heart.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to say that you look amazing and that you did a great job with this wedding, but I think it's time for me to go."

"Now? It just started. Stay a little longer."

"I know when to leave the stage, Y/N. I hope you and Klaus will be very happy together. But if the two of you don't get along or he does something stupid... you know my number, don't you, honey?"

"Yes, yes I know. Come here." I hugged him tenderly, saying goodbye to my first school love. "I wish you all the best, old friend."

"Just like I do to you, Y/N."

Our farewell, however, was not the perfect ending to a romantic comedy where the protagonist says goodbye to her former love to jump into the arms of the new one.

As soon as we pulled apart, all hell broke loose around us.

One of the beams supporting the roof magically fell an inch from where we were standing, and the room became terribly hot. Someone set the fire. I shouted as something fell again next to us.

"KLAUS!" I screamed , coughing as dust entered my lungs. Thomas took off his jacket and helped me cover my face to prevent getting more of it into my lungs.

Such a huge layer of smoke began to billow around us that I could barely see Thomas's hand I was holding.

Thomas took me from there and put me by the emergency door. He struggled with them, unable to open them. I tried to summon my magic but... I couldn't feel it.

"MY MAGIC IS BLOCKED BY SOMETHING! I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!" I screamed, trying to get through the noise around us.

"LET'S TRY FIND ANOTHER WAY!"

Thomas picked me up bridal style and vamp-speed us to the next emergency exit. As the vampire tried to break down the second door, I somehow heard an all-too-familiar scream coming from nearby.

"Y/N! Y/N WHERE ARE YOU?!!"

"IS IT KLAUS?!" I asked Tommy, looking around frantically for the hybrid.

"I THINK SO!"

"NIK!!" I screamed as I set off on a solitary search for the original.

Before I could take the next step, I felt the cold metal pierce my body. It smoothly passed through my lungs and pierced my heart, preventing me from making any sound.

A dull, buzzing sound filled my ears, and Thomas' horrified face and the warm, dripping blood from my heart were all I could feel before complete darkness enveloped me.

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cinnikiroll · 2 months

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you'll always be mine (dwayne pride x female reader)

Summary: You thought you'd escaped your relationship with Douglas Hamilton. But then he shows up when you least expect it.

If you like this fic, please do check out my other fanfics on AO3 under the username cinnikiroll. Here is a link to my profile, where I have fics from other shows for your viewing pleasure!

This fic is a request. If you want to request a fic, you may do so in my asks, my inbox, or in the comments on an AO3 fic! I don't guarantee I will write your request but I will try to!

The sweet scent of flowers wafted through the air as you cursorily scanned the wedding venue for what felt like the hundredth time.

You couldn't believe you were getting married to the Dwayne Pride, beloved by all of New Orleans. Any woman worth her salt would die to even be looked at by Dwayne, and here you were, the most unworthy human being in the city, marrying him.

After your past relationship, which was more than a little painful and traumatic, you didn't think you deserved anything good. It had taken a long while and a great deal of patience on both your end and Dwayne's to heal your wounds, and even then, there were still scars left behind. But he was a kind and loving man, and he accepted you for who you were, scars and all.

Hearing a wedding march being hummed behind you, you turned around to see Loretta Wade, her arms full of boxes doubtlessly containing decorations. When the two of you made eye contact, she placed the boxes down and rushed to hug her. Loretta gave the best hugs- warm, motherly, and full of reassuring strength. You could use all the strength you could get at this point.

"Anxious about tomorrow?"

She asked, her expert doctor's eye noticing the way you were shifting on your feet and playing with the hem of your shirt.

At first, you didn't want to admit how you felt. Why would you be feeling anxious on the day before the biggest event of your life? You were supposed to be happy, not sick to your stomach and going through scenarios in your head where everything went wrong.

But then you saw the genuine concern in Loretta's gentle dark eyes, and you sighed deeply, knowing that lying would be pointless.

"I don't know why!"

You exclaimed, the anger you were directing at yourself evident in your tone.

Loretta frowned at your sudden change in tone and placed her hands on your shoulders, directing you to look her straight in her eyes and never look away. She was about to lecture you, you knew it.

With yet another sigh, you made eye contact with her, and prepared to take your medicine.

"My dear. Being anxious before a wedding is normal. I know I sure was before my own!"

She laughed, but it was a bitter laugh, full of pain.

You knew that her ex husband had not been a good partner, what with his constantly controlling and possessive behavior. It killed you to know that such a sweet woman had to experience such pain. She didn't deserve it.

Nobody deserves to be in a relationship like that, you thought to yourself, then begrudgingly added, not even you.

Your ex boyfriend, Douglas Hamilton- yes, that Douglas Hamilton, the mayor of New Orleans- hadn't been physically abusive in any way, nor did he ever verbally berate you (at least, not typically). But he was a busy man, and all the work he had to do left his nerves constantly frayed. It was a constant struggle, coming home and not knowing whether he'd be in a good mood and snuggle with you or be in a foul mood and throw things around like an Olympic discus thrower.

Whenever you approached him and tried to address his volatile emotions, he would get upset and constantly tell you that "it's normal" and that you were "just overreacting". He constantly assured you that he'd never physically hurt you, that he loved you, but living in the same house with someone like him ended up doing irreversible damage to your psyche.

So you left him.

It was a messy breakup, to say the least. Douglas had screamed, thrown a glass at you and cut your forehead, and then proceeded to cry and beg you to come back to him, insisting that you didn't know and could never know how much he loved you.

You had wound up kicked out of the home you'd lived in for years- you had lived in Douglas' home, but when you broke up, he had kicked you out without even letting you gather your belongings first- and alone on a late night in New Orleans.

Terrified and injured, you ran to the first public place you found, which happened to be the Trutone. Dwayne had been closing up, but when he saw you, he gladly ushered you in, treated your wounds, and, after hearing your story, offered you a home in the spare room of his apartment.

At first, you didn't trust him at all, not wanting to get into yet another toxic relationship. But as time went on, you learned that Dwayne was nothing more than a teddy bear with a professional facade. He would gladly listen to your pain anytime, and always promised to be there for you when you needed him, and he was.

Years passed, and you never saw Douglas again. His behavior and the way he manipulated you would forever scar you, but with Dwayne as your caretaker and lover, you had nothing to fear. Even if your crazy ex boyfriend did come by to pester you- which you doubted very highly judging by the fact that years had passed with no sign of him- you were safe and secure in the knowledge that you would never be hurt by him as long as your boyfriend was there to protect you.

After five painstakingly long, excruciatingly beautiful years of dating, Dwayne proposed to you. The proposal was a simple affair, as befitting his personality, but you couldn't have asked for more. You accepted, obviously, and that had led you to this situation...

"Dear? What is it?"

Loretta's sweet voice was a dam in the flowing river of your memories, stopping them short and bringing you back to the current time.

"Just... remembering the past, Loretta."

Your tone was melancholy, and she noticed that immediately. Knowing you were most likely remembering your previous relationship with Douglas, she pulled you into her arms again and held you tightly, stroking your back with her strong hands. The repetitive smooth motions of her callused palms, felt through the thin material of your shirt, brought you comfort, and you smiled up at the medical examiner, who winked cheekily in response.

Eventually, after what felt like a painfully short duration of time, Loretta let go of you and picked up her boxes again, busying herself with putting the final touches on the wedding venue's decorations.

As you turned to go, she called out to you one last time.

"My dear?"

You perked up, and turned to look at her.

"Yes, Loretta?"

"Nothing is going to go wrong. Try to relax and be excited."

--------------------------------------------------------------

You almost believed Loretta's previous statement. After all, you were almost through your vows, and besides Percy and LaSalle getting into a fight in the back row over something that was most likely pointless, no major crises had occurred.

Dwayne was an Adonis in his simple black tuxedo. His gray-blue eyes sparkled enticingly in the bright natural light of the room, like a cloudy sky. You wanted to kiss him so badly, but you had to refrain from carrying out on your urge until the minister allowed the two of you to kiss.

"If anyone here can think of any reason why these two people before me should not be joined together in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

At first, there was silence, as expected. The minister opened his mouth to continue, and a voice called out from the back of the aisle.

"I'd like to give my reason!"

Hearing that voice sent chills up your spine, and you unwittingly leaned closer to Dwayne, needing his touch, his strength, to anchor you.

The whole hall fell silent, all eyes on the protestor, who happened to be your ex boyfriend, Douglas Hamilton.

"Speak, sir."

The minister instructed, looking as shocked as everyone else at the sudden incursion.

Douglas took a deep breath and tousled his hair before speaking. Every last word he said made you tremble, and you yearned, more than anything, for Dwayne's comforting arms to be around you in that moment. But he was distracted, eyeing Douglas with hatred so thick and palpable you could reach out and touch it.

"I'll put it to you plain and simple, Minister. This woman does not, and never will, belong to Dwayne Pride."

You noticed Dwayne's hands clench into fists at that, the anger in his body visible through the whites of his knuckles showing.

Looking up at him with tears in your eyes, you silently begged him to say something, anything, to end this nightmare. But he didn't. He just stood and silently listened to Douglas' barrage of lies.

"She was mine for several years. We had a pleasant relationship, an amicable one, full of mutual respect and other... good Christian values."

You scoffed at that and muttered, "Bullshit," in a low voice, not wanting the minister to hear your sacreligious language. Dwayne met your eyes and nodded, evidently agreeing with that expletive.

"But then, one night, she just left me. I didn't know where she was, I searched for years, worried sick!"

Silently, tearfully, you pleaded with Dwayne not to believe his lies, to keep on loving you. He still hadn't acknowledged you at all, minus that slight head nod earlier, and it was making you sick with anxiety. If only he could just hold your hand, pat it, anything to show that he still cared!

"You and I both know that's a lie, Hamilton!"

Your pleas were answered, as Dwayne began to walk towards Douglas with his fists raised in a combative gesture. Loretta, LaSalle, Percy, and Gregorio all leapt up from their seats, ready for anything. You noticed the silhouette of a pistol in LaSalle's pocket, and silently prayed it didn't come to that.

The minister, who was now very confused and wanted desperately to avoid all out conflict, called out in a deep, resonant voice, hands raised to the sky as if he was praying during mass.

"Is there anyone here who can corroborate Mr. Hamilton's claims?"

"Mayor Hamilton," Douglas hissed angrily, always a stickler for making everyone know his rank and power.

"All men are equal in God's eyes, sir."

The minister retorted, evidently not a fan of Douglas' combative personality.

Nobody responded to the minister's previous question, leaving Douglas the lone supporter of his protest. One voice alone, raised in protest, led to nothing, and the NCIS team ended up escorting him out despite his protests and threats of violence against them.

While Douglas was being led away, you looked up at Dwayne, who still was visibly shaken and angry.

"Love?"

You whispered in a shaky voice, not expecting a response but deeply desiring one.

"Darlin'... you're safe. He's gone. We're safe."

His voice was gruff with emotion, and as he pulled you into his strong arms, you felt as if the world was melting around you, leaving the two of you alone together while everyone else disappeared.

"Everything he said-"

You said in a voice choked by tears.

"Shhh... I know. They're all lies. I know..."

"I'm sorry, I-"

"You may now kiss the bride."

The minister's consent shocked both you and Dwayne into silence, and the whole audience stared at the two of you as you stood in the middle of the aisle, looking up at one another with burning passion in your eyes.

"Dwayne-"

"I love you."

Dwayne locked his lips with yours, immediately seeking entrance with his tongue. You opened your mouth slightly, and his tongue entered, moving about and spreading the taste of bourbon and beignets all through your mouth.

You groaned softly, feeling your body grow pliant against his strong muscular chest. As you melted into a puddle in his arms, he finally decided to remove his lips from yours, and the audience cheered and clapped.

"You'll always be mine."

He murmured in a low, sultry voice, his lips lingering near yours again.

A soft moan was all you could manage as his lips connected to yours again, and the euphoria you felt repeated once again.

#ncis new orleans #ncis nola #ncis nola fanfic #please comment #reblogging is appreciated #dwayne pride x reader #marriage #douglas hamilton #wedding crashers

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