everyonelives | because the lives of the wicked should be made brief

["No, no. Go. The first ceremony will be starting in two hours."

The first being the girls, given that they're the ones with the actual relationship.]

Okay. I love being shuffled around. I guess I'll go... be a best man.

( They're keeping him and David separated, because of course they are, but, he has access to the guy he never needed to see again.

Across the hall, Sierra comes out from behind a dressing partition. The dress is not of her taste. The woman she's marrying is, but under the circumstances? No. She locks eyes with David in the mirror.

"Hard to believe they've finally come around to us." )

[David scrubs a hand over his face, before shaking his head.]

I think they knew that if they tried to marry you to Max, Jaqueline would murder them.

[All of them. Quickly and brutally. And they're trying to appease the children before they effectively kill them, not make things worse.]

Besides, Max was always his parents' favorite. They'd rather get rid of Jaq then get rid of him.

And we are in endgame. Why not give us the illusion we're getting everything we've ever dreamed of.

( It's anything but.

She turns away from the mirror and takes a seat next to David. She sips from her untouched champagne. It's a "celebration" after all. )

They're getting rid of us all, aren't they? And, Elton?

[Fucking Elton.

Not that David has any beef with the man. He and Ezra were long done by the time David came into the picture. But he's allowed to be angry with him for stabbing his husband in the back.]

Well ... yes and no.

[David's done the math at this point.]

Us as people, yes. But your parents are keeping your body. And my parents are keeping mine. I figure that if they don't want their relationship to become suddenly incestuous, the Melrouxs could only keep one of their children and Max won the draw.

I suppose that would raise eyebrows, even among our circles.

( She's joking. It would. )

I can't believe he volunteered. Have you seen Ezra since you were sent to retrieve him? How is he?

[David shakes his head.]

They don't want us plotting.

[David makes a face as he takes a sip of his own champagne.]

I don't know if he even knows Elena is here yet.

She shouldn't be a part of this. Did we make a mistake involving all of these outsiders?

( She had been on her own for so long. Her plans had all failed. And if she were honest, she didn't have a plan in place. She only knows what she didn't want. )

Do you remember in the eighth grade, you had this crush on that quiet boy who sat at the front. He was athletic, but never said anything. I think he played lacrosse.

I don't think Elena is here because of that. I think Elena was always going to be here.

[They had Ezra watching her for years. They were planning whatever this is for a while. But Sierra throws him a curve ball, and he raises an eyebrow.]

Barely. Why?

It could be him. Or, Esmerelda, from gym class. I always liked her curls. And there was a shaman - the first year I was out on my own, Tiki. And I remember the very short-lived infatuation you had on our chemistry sub. I liked his wife. If it wasn't Ezra or Jaq or Max, it would be someone else. It's how this family operates. ( She raises her glass to indicate the opulence. ) We were born into this. The Winchesters and Elena and - ( Ezra. ) They weren't. Without trying to, you sent Katherine Pierce off the board indefinitely. You upended Elena's life... a few times. You, rightfully, didn't marry Jaqueline. I'm just thinking about our choices. I didn't choose her. When I should've. I ran. And Ezra is going down with your ship so hard. Maybe they choose us. And it's okay if they choose us.

( Max has nothing to do with this heart-to-heart. )

Don't die for him.

[For Ezra? That's not a promise David can make. Not for the man who saved his life when he thought he was going to be trapped as a demon meat suit until Dagon got stabbed badly. Not for the man who looked at him, fucked up beyond reason, and give him a space in his home, a space to feel safe, even when he barely knew him at all.

If David can save Ezra's life by sacrificing his own, he will, to finally repay the thing he's never been able to repay. He doesn't want to die, naturally.

But if him dying means his husband makes it out alive? He'll take the shot.]

I'll do my best.

[Is what he actually ends up saying, but even he knows that's not going to be enough.]

( Sierra may never get to that final step of any relationship. She's still too selfish and her life isn't worth sacrifice. She never achieved an ultimate goal, dosed Danny when she could've helped him, seeked out enlightment she'll never find, and still, she wants to be the sole survivor. If she has to.

But, she doesn't want to be. She wants all of them to survive. )

Promise me you will fight. That we're all fighting. It just looks like we're rolling over.

Sure it does. That's how we want it to look.

[He then shifts to lean closer to her, dropping his voice.]

We needed them to make a mistake. Elena is on the board now. And our mutual friend is currently with my secret weapon.

[He hadn't been planning for Winchesters - they were an unexpected gift horse that he wasn't planning to look in the mouth. But he had been planning for vampires. Cultivating a relationship with Bela Talbot, ensuring that she was invited in to the compound, that Bonnie Bennett was aware of her existence, that Bela knew who was on the deed. His end goal for this had been a Salvatore disruption. Right now, it's working out much better than he hoped.

He then pulls back, and takes another swig of the champagne.]

Take your time. Enjoy the wedding. Just be ready for when the board shifts.

I'm sorry I didn't stand up for you.

( She's not, she needed to be gone. She's always needed to be gone. But, she can still be sorry she watched it from up above and wasn't caught until after the proceedings. )

[David glances over with a small smile.]

It's okay. You were there in spirit.

[And literally, but he hadn't known that at the time.]

I looked for you.

( And it wasn't enough. )

Eventually, I stopped.

( She needed to start creating her own leverage. )

Dagon was determined not to be found.

[He gives a small shrug.]

It's not your fault.

I didn't say it was. Say what you want about your bad parents, but, they always were. I can be sorry about that, even if I didn't make them.

( She had zero influence on them. )

If we hadn't found out their true agenda, if we were all called in for the ascension alone, you know I would know something was up. My parents are nothing like they used to be.

You always did have the better end of the stick when we did.

[It always felt like they actually wanted to parent. At least more so than his or the twins parents ever did.]

Are you ready to do what we have to do?

More than ever.

( And that's enough talk, isn't it. She's getting married. And she's surviving. They all are. She takes her friend's hand in hers beside them, on the couch, and sips again from her champagne.

It's not long now. )

[It's not at all.

Susannah will come to gather her daughter to take her to the wedding ceremony, while Jaqueline is fussing with her dress on the side before she and Max are to head up to the stage. She knew all along that she wasn't going to make any decisions for her wedding, not even the partner she was going to marry, not even the dress. The dress fits her figure, certainly, but doesn't really feel like her style.

She glances over at him.]

I feel like a painted doll.

We're all dolls.

( Max adjusts his bowtie in the mirror, frowning. )

Painted or not, we always have been. Just keep your eye on the finish line. ( He glances back. ) And, hey, you're marrying someone you love.

( Not that love is everything to Max, or like it ever has been. )

I am.

[They would have done things differently if they were actually having a say, but she could take comfort in that much.]

At least Elton's easy on the eyes. You could do worse.

Yeah, yeah.

( He is. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't thinking about Russell DeBrande, the hate in his heart and whatever deep dark secret he's keeping. Being rejected does that to you. Max and his sister were in their guilded cage, but a cage nonetheless. But, they had a different kind of freedom. One never afforded to Rusty. )

He sold out David's main squeeze fast enough. Think we'll make it to our first year anniversary?

Stay on your toes. Make sure if you need to, you stab him first.

[Because that's the rule that should go into every marriage, clearly. But Jaqueline knows he's been fixated on someone else.]

Maybe Rusty will show up and object.

[Can't help but make a little jab.]

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