Disclaimer: I do not own the Originals! I only own my OC, Juliet Jordan Gilbert, and any other characters I make up along the way!

Author's Note: Ayy it's the wedding chapter!

In case you guys are interested, I will include a link of Juliet's dress in my profile!

Enjoy!

Once news reached me about what Elijah did to protect Charlotte from Finn, I was frantically packing up clothes. I had to go get my daughter. Honestly, never trust anyone with a job you know you could do better yourself.

"What do you think you're doing?" I heard, and I barely stopped to acknowledge Klaus.

"Elijah said they're on the road," I answered. "So, I'm going to them and getting my daughter."

"Juliet-" Klaus started, but I angrily cut him off.

"Don't you dare tell me it's not safe!" I suddenly blew. "You know what isn't safe? Blowing up a God damn house just to stop your insane brother from finding her!"

Klaus sighed. "We will deal with Finn."

"How many times have you said that?!" I bellowed. "Besides that, what's gonna happen after you deal with Finn? You and I both know that he's just gonna body jump into another body after you kill him."

"We tried running. We tried hiding. Neither will work," Klaus said.

I growled, crossing my arms over my chest. "And what's your brilliant idea this time, Klaus?"

"As it happens, I am working on a plan as we speak!" He announced. "One which will be bolstered greatly if you just calm down and keep your eye on the prize!"

"'Eye on the prize'?" I repeated. "Are you freaking-"

Klaus cut me off. "Juliet, your cousin is getting married today. An act which will seal the loyalty of all the wolves that answer to Finn! She will be queen to an army. And we both know that Hayley never does anything without your approval." He took the bag out of my hands and set it down on the bed. "Your cousin needs you, today of all days. Don't run away from her."

I met his intense stare for a few seconds, but then I had to look away because I couldn't take it. "Fine."

"Are you telling me you've been planning this wedding for a couple of weeks and you don't have a dress?" I demanded, pacing Hayley's bedroom worriedly.

Hayley continued searching through a wardrobe of old dresses, hats, and jewelry. "With everything going on, I didn't exactly have time to go to the mall. Besides, I figured this house is hundreds of years old-they had to have something laying around. Maybe we can find the wedding dresses that the Casket girls wore."

I was about to respond when I heard footsteps, and I looked over to see Rebekah walking over. It still freaked me out, seeing her in her new body, but I was slowly starting to get used to it.

"Alright, bad news first- I will have to miss your nuptials," Rebekah said to Hayley. "Kol has a bit of a life-and-death matter he needs help dealing with."

"Anything we can do to help?" I asked, nodding over at Hayley.

"It's witch business. Which now seems to be my thing," Rebekah responded, and I couldn't help a grin and an eye roll. "Besides, you have enough to deal with! On that note..."

She moved out of the way and pulled out a white lace wedding dress, and I widened my eyes in surprise before looking over at Hayley, who had the same look on her face. "Despite the fact that it looks like the only person that cares about you in the Mikaelson family is Juliet, but I care about you too, Hayley. And, well, you can't get married in skinny jeans and combat boots."

She handed Hayley the dress, and Hayley grinned at her in gratitude. "Oh, Rebekah... Thank you."

Hayley went over to stand in front of her full length mirror and held the dress against her body.

"It's beautiful," I said, giving Hayley and Rebekah my approval.

"It's more than that..." Hayley hummed, looking over at the Original...witch? "It's perfect."

"Well, I happen to be the only woman alive who's commissioned wedding dresses in five different centuries," Rebekah mused. "Never made it down the aisle, of course."

"Well, it's not too late!" Hayley offered. "From what I understand, Marcel is still single..."

"That's true," I agreed as Rebekah smiled shyly. I gave her a gentle smile. "Did you tell him about the whole...you know...body swap?"

"I thought I'd hold off on that for the moment," Rebekah revealed. "Only complicates matters. And, I'm not exactly sure how long this-" She gestured at her body. "-is going to last."

"Right," I nodded. "God, can't anything in this family be normal?"

Hayley and Rebekah both laughed as Rebekah gave us both a wink before turning on her heel and leaving the room. I looked back over at Hayley, who was admiring her look in the mirror.

"Okay," I declared, clapping my hands together. "I'm no Caroline Forbes, but let's get this show on the road!"

I directed traffic as the ballroom of the compound was flooded with decorators and caterers. When you had Caroline Forbes as a best friend, she had a tendancy to drag you into her volunteering habits. A lot. I was annoyed with it before, but I was grateful for the training now. Caroline really should have gone into party planning.

"No, peonies by the entrance to the courtyard, roses by the altar," I nearly shouted at two decorators. "Jesus, what are you, savages?" I turned around and gasped. "What the hell are you doing?" I demanded. "Music's set up by the left side, not right beside the altar!"

"I'm kinda glad it's not you I'm marrying," Jackson's voice said, and I looked over my shoulder to see him and Hayley wandering over. "I don't think I could be able to stand your anger fits."

I rolled my eyes. "Says the full fledged werewolf," I retorted. "Besides, this is your one special day, and I'm trying to make it the best I can for you."

"While I love what you're doing, Jules, this is all a little overwhelming," Hayley said, looking around at the whole arrangement.

"I'm sorry," I said genuinely. "This may be the only wedding I'll ever plan."

"What about your own?" Jackson asked.

I looked down at my clipboard, purposefully ignoring his question. "Cake's on its way. Caterer said it'd be here by noon," I looked up, and to my relief, it was being rolled in. "Right on time. Looks like I won't have to tear out his carotid artery, then."

I finally calmed myself down and slowed down enough to look between the two of them. "Hey...you're both not backing out, right?"

"What?" Hayley asked, though I could tell she was a little nervous. "What makes you say that?"

Trying to save face for her, I shrugged a little. "Nothing, really. It's just...Klaus and I...we're really counting on this to work."

"Well, we're not backing out," Jackson confirmed, looking over at Hayley. "Right?"

She nodded. "Right. This is what's right. For Charlotte, for our pack."

I sighed in relief as I heard footsteps, and I looked over Hayley's shoulder to see Klaus entering the room. He lifted his chin slightly at me. "Juliet. If I might intrude, there's someone who wishes to say hello."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I lowered my clipboard in my hands and stepped forward so that I was following Klaus out into the courtyard. Just as I made it outside, Cami and Elijah walked in from the opposite direction, and my heart fell out of my chest and into the pits of the Earth as I saw Charlotte in Cami's arms.

I whipped my head to look at Klaus. "You brought them-you brought her-here?! Are you insane?! Finn could be anywhere!"

"I've taken precautions," Klaus assured me, stepping forward and putting his hands comfortingly on my arms. I felt an involuntary jolt go through me, and my gaze flickered down to where his hands were for a second before I forced myself to look back up at him. "There'll be no uninvited guests at her aunt's wedding, and after, your wolves will be the first line of defense to this home. Charlotte cannot miss such a big family event as this one. No more running, love."

I searched Klaus's face for any sign of anything fishy (I had gotten pretty good at noticing when he was up to something), but when I found nothing, I looked over at my little girl and smiled when she began squealing at the sight of me. She turned away from Cami and began reaching out for me. I looked back at Klaus and repeated, with a smile on my face, "No more running."

With that, Klaus took the clipboard from my hands, and I went over to my daughter, who was getting more and more excited the closer I got to her. I giggled as I took her from Cami, who was smiling at the two of us. I balanced Charlotte on my hip as I cuddled her close to me and pressed kisses to her head.

Charlotte continued her little baby babbling as I walked over to Jackson and Hayley. I looked from Charlotte to Hayley. "Charlotte, you remember Auntie Hayley," I said, and Hayley grinned as she leaned forward to press a sweet kiss to her niece's forehead. When she pulled away, I turned Charlotte more towards Jackson. "And this is your soon-to-be Uncle Jackson." I nodded at him. "Jackson, this is Charlotte Hayley Mikaelson. My daughter."

Jackson smiled at the sight of her, and Charlotte stared up at him in wonder. When he held out his hand, Charlotte reached forward and clutched his fingers tightly, as tightly as her baby fingers could, and she cooed up at him.

I couldn't help but smile at the awed look on Jackson's face, and I said, "When you have some of your own, that feeling?" I nodded at the look on his face. "It's gonna magnify. It's gonna be the most pure love you could ever feel."

Jackson looked from Charlotte to Hayley and grinned at his bride. "I can't wait."

In his study, Klaus poured himself a shot of bourbon and downed it quickly. His hybrid hearing picked up footsteps, and he didn't have to look up to know that it was Elijah. Slowly, he poured himself another shot but also didn't turn to face his brother right away.

"I thought your daughter's return would please you," Elijah stated.

"I'm overjoyed," Klaus answered, then he downed the second shot. "And I'll be even more so provided you do nothing to dissuade Juliet from going through with this merge."

Elijah nearly choked on his own disbelief. "Excuse me? Last time I checked, you were the one that opposed to the merge, Niklaus."

Klaus slammed his glass on the table. "Yes, I was, and I still am, because I love her and I think she's making an idiotic mistake." He fixed his brother with a stare. "Though, why do I have to explain how I feel? It's obvious you feel the same way."

Elijah stiffened. "Is there something you wish to discuss, Niklaus?"

"There is no way that you are okay with Juliet merging her body with another living soul for the rest of Hayley's life, because whatever happens to Hayley will happen to Juliet," Klaus started. "Hayley is the queen of her pack, she will always be in danger, and as a result, so will Juliet." He took a step towards Elijah. "You just agreed with Juliet's plan about the merge because you're hoping that she'll pick you."

Elijah turned away from his brother, though in his mind, he couldn't deny that that was what he was actually hoping for. "That is ridiculous. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Is it? Do you?" Klaus wondered. "You two thought you were so clever, hiding your kiss from me."

Elijah's head snapped up, and Klaus nodded. "I could instantly tell from the way Juliet was acting reserved around me, the day that we were trapped in the compound. But have you noticed her behaviour since becoming a hybrid? She's changed, and you don't like it." Klaus stepped forward, standing next to Elijah. "Just remember one thing, brother. I've loved Juliet a lot longer than you have. I know what she wants."

With that, he clapped Elijah on the shoulder and left the room, leaving a seething Elijah in his wake.

"Maid of honour, ready," I checked off of the clipboard as I looked down at my blue dress. "Bride in hair and makeup," I checked off, because right before I had seen Hayley getting ready. "Food is all set up," I checked again. I heard cooing, and I grinned as I walked over to where Charlotte was sitting on the floor in my bedroom, playing with her toys. I crouched down in front of her. "Honorary flower girl, looking absolutely adorable." I leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "God, I still can't believe that you're here!"

I grabbed her two little hands and kissed them. "Now, Mommy has to go support Auntie Hayley. Auntie Hayley is getting married today, do you know that? And then you'll have an Uncle Jackson, and your Auntie Hayley is going to be so happy." Charlotte giggled and banged one of her toys on the ground, and I smiled gently. "Auntie Hayley deserves to be happy." I shook my head. "Okay, Mommy has to go for a little while, but don't worry! Cami is gonna watch you, and after that, Mommy is never letting you out of her sight ever again!"

Charlotte made a squeaky, excited noise, and she chewed on a little teddy bear as she leaned into my face. I laughed, as her little nose touched my own. I heard footsteps, and I picked up Charlotte from the floor as I looked over at who walked in, and what I saw took my breath away.

Hayley stood in the doorway, and she looked so beautiful. The dress fit her as if it was designed only for her, her hair was softly curled, and she was wearing a crown of flowers in her hair. She nervously played with her fingers as she looked down at her dress.

"Oh, Hayley," I breathed, my free hand going to cover my mouth, tears threatening.

"Don't," she started. "If you cry, then I'm going to cry, and then we'll never get through this."

I wiped away a tear as I nodded. I looked down at Charlotte, and then back over to Hayley. "Look at your Auntie Hayley, Charlotte. Doesn't she look beautiful?"

"Charlotte looks beautiful, too," Hayley cooed as she took Charlotte from my arms and cuddled her to her chest.

Charlotte giggled as she put a free hand on Hayley's face, and I smiled at the sight. I went gentle as I said, "Hayley, before you get married, I wanted to say something."

Hayley looked a little worried, but she nodded for me to continue. I smiled as I took one of her hands. "You may be marrying Jackson Kenner, but you're still one of us. A Mikaelson. And you always will be."

She looked at me in confusion. "But I'm not a Mikaelson. I'm not related to you guys."

"You're related to me and you stick around, even during Mikaelson drama," I said, patting her on the shoulder. "Trust me, it's enough."

Hayley smiled as she tried keeping Charlotte from messing up her hair. "Gosh, that would be such a nice compliment if it didn't link me to so many homicidal lunatics." Hayley hesitated for a second, then she said, "Jules, earlier, why did you avoid Jackson's question?"

I tried to fake confusion, because I knew exactly what she was talking about. "What question?"

She gave me a look of disbelief. "Don't even try that with me. I know you too well."

I made a face, but Hayley gave me a look telling me that I wasn't getting out of this one. I sighed, then sat down on my bed. "I don't think I'm ever going to get married."

"Why not?" She asked as she put Charlotte on the ground, where she resumed playing with her toys. She sat down next to me. "You're young, you're hot, you're fun. It won't be that hard to find a guy."

I chuckled. "I have a baby, Hayley. Not just a baby, a part vampire, part witch, part werewolf baby. I'm a part vampire, part witch, part werewolf. Most guys run at the 'baby' part."

Hayley shrugged. "So what? Klaus and Elijah both love you-take your pick."

I gave her a look. "I don't want Klaus and Elijah to feel like that. I don't want them to feel like they're waiting for me to make a decision about them."

She nudged me a little. "Well, they kind of are."

I sighed. "That is not at all what I wanted. I was in love with Klaus, sure, and then after I lost my memories and found out I was pregnant, Elijah was nice to me." I studied my manicured nails. "Sometimes I wonder if that's all I fell for. Elijah's kindness. I was pregnant, I had no home, I had nothing...and Elijah was offering his help. Elijah is so kind, and smart, and handsome...and I guess I loved that.

"But Klaus...Klaus and I have a history. Granted, I didn't actually remember that history until a little while ago, but even before I got my memories back there was just something about Klaus that I couldn't put my finger on. He was controlling, and infuriating, and insane. But he was also kind, caring, loving. I fell for Klaus because he was the only person that really gave me any comfort back in Mystic Falls. And when I got my memories back and Elijah and I started growing apart...Klaus and I grew back together. I feel something... that I haven't felt before, with Klaus. It's something mysterious and dark and crazy...but at the same time familiar, and light, and...perfect."

Hayley was listening attentively, and when I was done, she blew out a huge breath of air. "Boy, am I glad to be marrying Jackson. It's a lot simpler than what you've got going on."

That made the two of us laugh, and when Hayley was done, she turned serious once more. "So...who are you going to pick?"

I closed my eyes and started thinking. Who was I going to pick? Did I have to pick? Could I just give the same lame excuse I'd been giving Elijah about me picking Charlotte? No, that wasn't fair. It was time for me to finally pick the puerson I wanted to be with.

I turned to tell Hayley, but my eye caught the clock on the wall behind Hayley's head. "Shit, it's time for the ceremony! We're going to be late."

"What?!" Hayley demanded. "No, tell me! You can't just leave me hanging!"

I laughed, leaning down to pick up Charlotte. "Are you ready to do this thing?"

She gave me a look, which I matched, but she sighed in defeat. Then, she took a deep breath. "Yes, I am."

I left Charlotte with Cami and made my way to the ceremony. The guests, both vampires and werewolves, were all seated in a the ballroom, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

I walked Hayley to the doorway of the ballroom, gave her a quick hug, and then ran up the stairs to the balcony to wait for Hayley to do the merge spell. I gave Davina a quick wave when she waved to me, and then focused my attention on Hayley.

All the guests stand to greet her, and she nodded at various people when she saw them and waited for Jackson, who appeared behind her a moment later. Hayley and Jackson clasped hands and smiled at each other as they walked down the aisle. When they reached the two staircases, they split apart so they could each walk up the two staircases and meet on the balcony, where Mary and I were waiting for them

"Please, be seated," Mary said to the guests, and they all did. "We gather together as a community seeking peace, inspired by this couple standing before you."

Across the balcony on the other side of the courtyard, Klaus stood and watched the ceremony. I caught his eye and instead of the awkwardness I had been feeling for the past little while whenever I looked at Klaus, I felt a warmth spreading through me. Without thinking, I beamed up at him, which to my delight, he returned.

"There was a time when werewolves saw themselves not as cursed, but blessed with connection to our most pure selves," Mary stated. "And tonight, we honor that blessing with the long-awaited unification of the two Crescent bloodlines." She held up a hand. "But before we do that, we must merge Hayley's and Juliet's bodies, so that Hayley may inherit Juliet's vampiric abilities." She moved to the side, and I stepped forward.

Mary handed me a knife, and Hayley and I each made small cuts on our palms. Before the blood could drip down our wrists, Hayley and I clasped palms. I felt our blood mix, and I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes. I focused all of my magic and energy and every ounce of strength into this spell as I muttered, "Egrem su, ekam su eno. Egrem su, ekam su eno. Egrem su, ekam su eno."

With each muttering of the spell, I felt my hands become warm, and after the last time I said it, I felt a huge jolt run through my entire body, from the tips of my toes to the hairs on my head. I could tell by the look on Hayley's face that she felt the same thing. Did that mean it worked?

I pulled my hand away from Hayley's. Thanks to my supernatural healing, my hand was healed. Hayley's was too, but that could just be from her werewolf healing. She held her hand up, closed her eyes, and focused. When she opened them again, to our relief and happiness, her human hand had started to form into wolf claws, and her eyes were flashing amber.

It worked. It really, really worked.

I didn't feel that much different. I kinda felt like I could feel Hayley's happiness within me, too, but we'd worry about those side effects later. I curled my hand into a fist as I stepped back from the altar, letting the marriage ceremony continue.

Jackson also had a look of relief on his face as Hayley turned back to him. Mary then performed a hand-fasting by binding Hayley and Jackson's wrists with baby's breath flowers. "In doing so, we choose to embrace Hayley's new nature. With this union, Hayley will share her unique gifts with her pack." She placed a long lit match into Hayley and Jackson's linked hands to light their ceremonial candle. "And now, your vows."

Jackson took a deep breath. "I pledge to honor you and defend you and yours above all others."

"To share in blessings and burdens. To be your advocate, your champion," Hayley continued.

"To be your comfort, your sanctuary, and for as long as we both shall live."

Hayley grinned. "To be your family."

Jackson grinned right back. "To be your family."

They smiled at each other and lit their candle together. I smiled so hard my face hurt, and Mary said, "You two have endured all the traditional werewolf rituals and trials. There is only one remaining- Jackson, you may kiss your bride."

Jackson stared at her for a long moment before he cupped her face in his hand and kissed her. I had to stop myself from bursting into applause as I looked back at Klaus, who gave me an encouraging smile. I felt a jolt run through me as I noticed Elijah standing next to him, then I felt a wave of shame as I realized that Elijah had been standing there the entire time. I just hadn't noticed him because I was so busy taking in Klaus.

I quickly turned and focused my attention back on the bride and groom. When Hayley and Jackson finally pulled away, both of their eyes glowed gold, indicating that the Unification Ceremony worked. I breathed a sigh of relief as I looked down at the crowd, and it took everything in me not to whoop out loud when I saw that the werewolves in the audience all had glowing gold eyes as well.

It worked. It all really worked.

I laughed and whooped as I danced in the streets with the rest of the wedding attendees. We had a parade going in the streets to celebrate the wedding. It was led by several police officers on motorcycles, followed by Hayley, who had a white lace parasol in her hand and was dancing with Jackson at her side. I had Davina at my side as we danced and laughed.

Behind us was a marching band playing a bright jazz tune, along with the rest of the wedding guests, who were also all dancing and having a great time. I stopped dancing long enough to look up to the balcony to see Klaus and Elijah standing there. It looked like they were fighting about something, but I chose not to focus on it as I waved happily at the two of them. Today wasn't about me: it was about my cousin, my sister, and her happiness, and nothing was going to ruin that.

We came to a stop in the courtyard as we continued dancing, but that all came to a stop when I spotted Klaus coming down the stairs, Charlotte in his arms. I felt my insides twist and drop, my immediate reaction whenever Charlotte was brought in front of people, but I forced that feeling to go away. We did all this so that she could come home. She would be safe with the wolves. With her other family.

Klaus gestured for the band to stop playing, which they did. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please? Juliet, if you would join me, I would like to propose a toast."

I pulled away from my dance with Josh as I walked to the front of the room. I was slightly confused, but I took Charlotte into my arms as I turned to face the crowd. Klaus slung his arm around my waist, and I felt tiny sparks dance across my waist where his hand had touched, and the spot where his hand was resting was quickly starting to grow warm.

"I want to welcome you all," Klaus started. "As you know, last spring, Juliet and I had a daughter. Due to tragic circumstance, she was lost. Now, she has returned home. Her name is Charlotte."

The guests gasped and began to to murmur amongst themselves, but Klaus went on. "She will live here among you, her pack. Her family. We implore you- protect our daughter. Teach her. Love her, as one of your own." He grabbed a glass of champagne from a nearby tray. "Jackson, I invite you and your bride to live here, uniting your proud and noble people in peace. Welcome to the family, mate."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise as I looked at Klaus, who simply gave me a smile. With that I smile, I knew he was up to something, but I would let it go for now. He was welcoming my wolf family into his own family, and I would take it. "To Jackson and Hayley!" Klaus raised his glass, as did the rest of the crowd.

"Cheers!"

I smiled to myself as I let my hands touch the decorations. The wedding had been long over, but I couldn't bring myself to let the clean up crew take anything down yet. I felt like something was missing, something hadn't happened yet.

Charlotte was sleeping peacefully in her crib, and I felt comfortable enough to let her sleep. After all, she now had a werewolf army to look after her.

I walked to the middle of the dance floor, and I couldn't help but hold my arms out and twirl in place. I had done a lot of dancing tonight, but I still had a song or two left in me. When I came to a stop, I heard footsteps. I looked to where they were coming from, and I instantly grinned. "See? The wedding wasn't that awful," I couldn't help but gloat.

Klaus smirked as he stopped on the bottom step. "I have to admit, I thought that it was going to end in flames."

I pointed at him as I walked towards him. "You-" I started as I sat down on the bottom step, and Klaus sat down next to me. "need to trust me more."

"Well, I'll work on it," He told me.

I felt myself blush under Klaus's intense stare, and I opted to look over to where Hayley and Jackson had given their vows. "It really was a beautiful ceremony."

"I cannot tell you how glad I am that that wasn't you," Klaus said, and I looked over at him in surprise. "I still don't like the idea of you and Hayley's bodies being merged, but I trust and respect your decisions. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that I did."

I sucked in a breath. "Thank you for trusting me. I trust you too, Klaus. You know that, right?"

He nodded. "I do." He pondered something for a second, then said, "When we first met, did you think that we'd end up here?"

I put my elbow on my knee and put my chin in my hand. "What? Me being a hybrid and the mother of your child? No, not at all. Let's not forgot that you terrorized me and my friends, Mr. Mikaelson."

He grinned. "No, I certainly haven't forgotten that. But...I'm glad we are where we are. If we were to do this all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Would you?"

I stared into his blue eyes as he stared back into my own. I swallowed the bulge in my throat, but I still managed to shake my head. "No. I wouldn't change a single thing."

With that, I looked over at the music system. It was still set up, and an idea ran through my brain. I had turned to Klaus and asked, without thinking, "Do you want to dance?"

He raised his eyebrows. "You still have energy after all the dancing you did?"

I stood up and held out a hand. "I have one song left in me. Care to take it?"

Klaus looked from me, to my hand, then back to me. Slowly, he lifted his hand and put it into my own. He stood himself up, and I led him to the dance floor. I left him there, then went over to play the song "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran. As soon as the song started, I went back over to Klaus, and even though my heart was beating so hard against my chest, I put my hands on his shoulders. He put his on my waist, and we were dancing.

I felt like I was going to throw up my heart, but I managed to keep myself from shaking as we swayed from side to side as the music played. My feelings for Klaus had been slowly changing. They'd been changing for a while.

We'd been through so much. It felt like forever ago that I was trying to keep Stefan from going with Klaus, and Klaus deciding to keep me alive instead of killing me. He told me it was because I made his life slightly more interesting, but then he revealed that the real reason was that he couldn't get over how beautiful I was, and that if he killed me, it would be the biggest mistake of his life.

I could feel Klaus slowly pull me closer to him, and I didn't stop him. And I wasn't surprised that I wasn't. It was...it was what I wanted.

Klaus's nose touched the tip of mine, and I found myself tilting my head to the side slightly. I could taste his sweet breath, and I could feel his heart beating widely against my chest. He was just as nervous as I was, though I didn't know why we were both so nervous. We had a kid together, for God's sake. But...this was the first time we'd been so...so close, since we had gotten to New Orleans.

His eyes flickered down to my lips then back up to my eyes, as if asking me if this was what I truly wanted and that he would stop if I told him to. To answer his question, I closed my eyes and leaned forward, finally closing the gap between us.

And my heart soared.

My heart took off, flying all the way up to the sky. I tightened my arms around Klaus's neck and kissed him more firmly. He pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. My lips parted, and he deepened the kiss. We kissed like we hadn't kissed each other ever before. I explored his mouth with a renewed interest, and his hands roamed my back as if he had never touched it before. He caressed my neck and held it gently in his hand as if it was a precious jewel. My hands tangled in his short blond hair, digging my nails softly into his head.

This was nothing like it was with Elijah. With Elijah, it was a spark, but it wasn't enough to start the fire. With Klaus, it was like the flames were jumping higher and higher with each breath, threatening to smother and suffocate us, but I was okay with that. I was okay as long as I could keep kissing him.

All the tension that was building with the two of us burst like a dam, and I was flooded with all these feelings. Old feelings and new feelings merged seamlessly as we kissed over and over and over again.

When we finally pulled away, I was out of breath and my lips felt bruised, but I had never felt so happy, so right, so...complete. Klaus had a ridiculously goofy grin on his face, and I gently touched his bottom lip with my thumb as I smiled back.

We leaned forward to kiss again, but a cry interrupted us. I looked up in the direction of Charlotte's nursery. I silently cursed my baby for interrupting this moment, but Klaus and I just held hands as we went up to our daughter's nursery. When we got there, I picked her up and she immediately stopped crying. Klaus put his arms around the two of us and hugged us to his chest, and I grinned up at him as he leaned forward to press a quick kiss to my forehead. Then, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to our baby's head.

Maybe... I thought to myself as I baby talked with my daughter. Maybe things could finally be right.

Of course, just as I thought that, I heard footsteps running up the stairs. I pulled away from Klaus as I turned towards the door, and Elijah burst into the room. I was hit with a small wave of shame, but I got over it at the worried look on his face. My worry grew when I saw Rebekah with him.

"Must you intrude on every moment?" Klaus nearly growled in annoyance.

"I'm not here to quarrel, brother," Elijah said.

"Wait, what's wrong?" I asked.

"It's Kol," Rebekah said. "I couldn't help him. He's not gonna last the night."

Feeling terrible that I was asking my cousin to babysit on her first night as a married woman, I left Charlotte with her Aunt and new Uncle and raced over to the Lafayette cemetery with Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah. My family needed me.

"I think I want to be alone for this bit," I heard Kol say as we got there.

"I'm afraid that's not an option," Elijah said, and Kol turned around at the sound of his brother's voice.

"'Always and forever' is not something that you just weasel out of, brother," Klaus reminded him.

Kol stared at his siblings in surprise and managed a weak smile, which we all returned.

We moved Kol into a tomb, which was surrounded by candles. Davina, who was dating Kol, was sitting a few feet away, whispering a spell over a necklace that she was gripping tightly in her hands. There were lit candles scattered all over the room where Kol was laying on the floor, surrounded by his brothers and sister. I felt like I was invading on something private, so I sat down next to Davina, ready to offer the girl comfort.

Kol's nose and mouth were both bleeding, and he groaned in pain as he gripped the lapels of Klaus' jacket. "All my life, all I ever wanted was for you lot to care about me."

Klaus struggled to hold back his tears, and before Kol could laugh, he was overcome by another coughing fit that startled Rebekah. She sat down on the ground, and she and Elijah rubbed Kol's back as he coughed before leaning him backward so she could cradle Kol's head in her lap. Kol grabbed onto Rebekah's hand and squeezed it as he groaned.

Tears streamed down Rebekah's face as she said, "Kol, listen to me. You don't have long. You're going to die."

Kol, no longer able to hold back his tears, gripped her arm tighter. "But you will die a witch, and we will consecrate your body. You will join the ancestors of the French Quarter, and those spirits can be brought back. And, I promise you, brother, I will not leave this body until I find a way to bring you home."

Kol smiled at her despite his pain, but he quickly began to cough even harder. Davina finally finished her spell and crawled toward Kol to give him the necklace, both frantic and in tears. "I tried a different spell," She offered weakly.

Kol took her hand and squeezed it as tightly as he could manage. "It's okay. I'm not scared," He assured her.

Davina tried her best to smile at him through her tears, and Kol managed one last laugh before he finally stopped moving.

Kol Mikaelson had died.

Rebekah clutched at him, because he was in Rebekah's arms. Davina broke down in sobs, and she turned to bury her face into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her tightly as she cried, and a few tears of my own slipped down my cheeks.

I looked over at Elijah and Klaus, who were both crying freely now over their baby brother's body. Keeping one arm around Davina, I reached forward and grabbed one of Klaus's hands. He intertwined his fingers with my own, and he squeezed them tightly. I gave him the best comforting look I could, and I squeezed his hand tightly back.

How could today have ended so wrong?

TBC...

DUN DUN DUN!

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Next chapter...

They All Asked For You...

UNLIKELY ALLIANCES — When a dangerous run-in with a coven of vengeful witches forces Rebekah to align with Marcel, they quickly discover that the body Rebekah is currently inhabiting has a checkered past. Upon learning that Rebekah is in danger, Elijah seeks out a respected elder witch, Josephine, in the hopes she might offer her assistance. Meanwhile, tensions build when Klaus clashes with Juliet on how best to protect Charlotte from Finn, especially now that they are slowly rebuilding their relationship. Also, Juliet finds out something devastating about a dear member of her family. Elsewhere, Freya convinces Finn to bring her to Mikael, the father she hasn't seen in over a thousand years. Lastly, a confrontation with Freya leaves Elijah and Klaus questioning whether they can trust their long-lost sister.