Breathing ∞ Kol Mikaelson [1]

[21]

Emma stood, her back leaning against one of the wooden beams within the Grill as she watched the scene unfold. She had to cover her mouth with her hand in an attempt to hold back the laughter threatening to bubble from her mouth. She didn't doubt that Rebekah was being honest when she said that whatever she had to do at the Grill before helping Emma find a dress would be fun, but this was just priceless.

"Oh my god. She's inviting him to the ball. Why is she inviting him?" Caroline's panicked voice reached Emma's ears as she watched the blonde and Elena take in the fact that Rebekah was inviting Matt as her date to the ball. Making up for the failed Homecoming date, the Mikaelson had said.

"Probably to get this reaction from us." Elena gave out a heavy sigh, unable to look away from the smiling and flirting disaster happening right in front of her.

"And my, is it a good one." Emma leaned over the brunette's shoulder as she spoke in a teasing tone. Neither of the two had noticed Emma's presence, so her voice suddenly butting into their conversation made Elena jump in surprise. Only once she realized who it was did she roll her eyes in annoyance.

"What time is this stupid dance?" Caroline's own irritation shone through as she scoffed, making Emma let out another small laugh as she walked away from their table once she noticed Matt walking away from Rebekah to get back to work.

"By the look on your face, I'd say he accepted the invitation?" Emma asked as she rejoined her friend's side, handing Rebekah a cup of coffee she'd gotten for her while she waited for her and Matt to talk.

"He did. Now all we need to do is find you a dress and a date." Rebekah announced happily, linking her arm with Emma's as they started to head towards the exit. Her actions made Emma smile, while her words caused an involuntary eyeroll.

"I told you, I don't need a date." Emma pointed out once again.

"There'll be dancing, Emma, how do you expect to dance without a date?" Rebekah questioned, confident that she had a point Emma couldn't shoot down there.

"You said you're the only one in your family with a date. I'll just steal one of your brothers away." Emma shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, but the thought made a horrified look pass over Rebekah's face.

"Of course, you can dance with a dreadful bore, a homicidal maniac, the ever-noble gentleman, or Klaus, who I'm sure you haven't had enough of by now." Rebekah pointed out, the descriptions making Emma laugh in amusement.

"You do realize the ever-noble gentleman doesn't sound so atrocious. You have to have better content to insult your brother." Emma pointed out with a raised eyebrow as the two women walked down the street.

"Elijah's alright, but trust me, I can already see every single woman pouncing on him in an attempt to get to that dance floor." Rebekah pointed out. It was the usual pattern they saw all throughout history.

"Well look at it this way. Whoever I dance with, if I don't like them, I can just ditch them afterwards. If you compel me a date, then they're glued to my side and the night might end up with me being the homicidal maniac." Emma gave an explanation which seemed perfectly reasonable in her own mind.

"Sometimes it's scary how well you'd fit in with my family when you say things like that." Rebekah pointed out, making Emma laugh in amusement.

"Then that must be why I get along so well with you."

"Rebekah, if I have to do this one more time, I'll go out of my damn mind." Emma called out; her voice highly annoyed as she finally managed to struggle into yet another one of the dresses.

Emma wasn't sure whether to be surprised or not when she found out that Rebekah had managed to ship some of the most lavish and luxurious dresses into Mystic Falls in such a short amount of time for the ball. But with the amount the Mikaelson had managed to gather, Emma was forced to spend way too much time trying them on in an attempt to find the perfect one. Or better said, the one Rebekah deemed perfect. Considering that Emma fell in love with the first one she tried, and every dress after it too.

"Well then this one better be the one." Rebekah said in a teasing tone, making it clear she wouldn't let up. "Now come out and let me see. And you have to see mine, I think I found it."

Emma observed the dress in the mirror one last time, her hand holding its zipper in the back as she looked at it from all sides. She was starting to think that, independent of what Rebekah said, this was the one. The color and material itself was absolutely beautiful, but the addition of the golden flowers embroidered around the top of the dress just made it seem like it was sewn for an actual princess.

"Green isn't usually my favourite colour, but I do think this one is perfect for tonight." Rebekah spoke up, admiring her reflection in the mirror as she noticed Emma coming out in the latest option. She accepted a bottle of champagne from one of the compelled shop workers before finally turning to evaluate the Park girl in all of her glory. "Oh my."

"Oh, please don't tell me I have to go for another one. Rebekah, I wasn't kidding. This is all fun, and if it weren't so exhausting getting in and out of them I could do it all day. But we can't all be supernatural." Emma whined a little as she suspected Rebekah might disapprove again. As if her body decided to help her prove a point, Emma let out a short string of coughs as she moved over to sit down on one of the sofas and take a short break.

"Then you'll be happy to know this one is perfect. You look absolutely stunning." Rebekah smiled at her friend happily, and Emma couldn't resist but smile back. "Now me, what do you think of this one?" It wasn't long before Rebekah inquired about her own dress though, making Emma laugh in amusement as she looked at Rebekah twirl in front of her.

She pretended to take a long pause, evaluating the dress analytically (even though she'd already made up her mind on it). Taking a glass of champagne that was offered to her, Emma dragged out her silence, bringing Rebekah to the point where she started to glare at the dark-haired girl until she finally spoke up. "I think Matt's jaw will be on the ground when he sees you. You look beautiful."

"Thank you." Rebekah said happily, obviously pleased with the approval. It wasn't hard to see that while she carried herself proudly and came across strong, sometimes Rebekah's confidence faltered. Emma was happy making her feel as she should; absolutely wonderful. "Now on to our next task."

"Let me guess, shoes?"

"I was expecting you to protest."

"True, the dress does cover my feet, so you wouldn't see if I even went barefoot. But not even I could commit such a crime." Emma joked. "And I get to sit while we do that part." The comment drew laughter once again from both the girls, something that was bound to repeat many times for the rest of the afternoon they spent together.

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Bit of a filler, but I wanted to make you guys wait for just one more chapter before we get to the big stuff hehehe. And you know what I mean by the big stuff right? She gets to meet the rest of the Mikaelson family. And that one specific Mikaelson we've all been waiting for... I can't wait!

Also, for anyone curious about the dress, you'll be happy to know I always make the effort to actually find a dress for situations like these in books and fanfics. So without further ado, I present to you... The dress:

Teuta Matoshi is a pure genius if you ask me.