In the compound, Ophelia slowly walked to the doorway of the ballroom. She stood still for a moment as all the guests stand to greet her. She nodded at various people when she sees them and sent a small smile to Davina, who sent one back.

She patiently waited for Jackson, who soon appeared behind her only a moment later. The two clasp 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 was waiting for them to preside over the ceremony. An orchestra played as they made their ascent, and they smiled at each other from across the room until they made it to the altar.

"Please, be seated," Mary announced loudly and all of the guests sat back in their chairs, "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. Ophelia locked eyes with him and sent him a small, fragile smile, yet Klaus' face remained blank. She sighed in defeat, immediately looking away from Klaus.

"There was a time when werewolves saw themselves not as cursed, but blessed with connection to our most pure selves. And tonight, we honor that blessing with the long-awaited unification of the two Crescent bloodlines," She paused as she performed a hand-fasting by binding Ophelia and Jackson's wrists with baby's breath flowers, "In doing so, we choose to embrace Ophelia's vampire and witch nature. With this union, Ophelia will share her unique gifts with her pack." She placed a long lit match into Ophelia 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." Ophelia continued on.

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

"To be your family," Ophelia stated, beginning to smile.

"To be your family," Jackson repeated after her.

The two smiled at each other and lit their candle together. Klaus and even Elijah seemed to be torn while watching the scene occur.

"You two have endured all the traditional werewolf rituals and trials. There is only one remaining," She paused as she turned to her grandson, "Jackson, you may kiss your bride."

Jackson looked almost scared, but Ophelia smiled at him encouragingly. He stared at her for a long moment before he gently cupped her face in his hand and kissed her.

Klaus looked away while Elijah looked at him sympathetically and sighed. When Ophelia and Jackson finally pulled away, both of their eyes glowed gold, meaning that the Unification Ceremony had worked.

They smiled at each other happily and turned to look at the crowd. The guests all looked at each other curiously, watching as all of the wolves' eyes glowed. Everyone began to smile and chatter, all thrilled that the ceremony had empowered their pack.

Klaus immediately walked out onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard, where the reception was being held as Elijah followed behind him and joined his brother, wagging his finger at him knowingly, "I know that look," Elijah told Klaus, "I see it all too often. What are you planning?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Klaus replied, trying to hide the smirk on his face.

"Jackson marries the love of your immortal life, in our home, solidifying his rule over the wolves you yourself once sought to control. Talk to me." Elijah insisted in a stern tone.

"Let Jackson have Ophelia. Although, he isn't exactly fit to lead an army tasked with protecting my daughter. His reign will be short-lived. So will the marriage between him and Ophelia." Klaus explained, "In due time, Ophelia will come back to me. There's no denying that."

"Niklaus, you cannot honestly believe that I would allow you to harm Jackson on the day of Ophelia's wedding--" Elijah began to argue with his brother, but Klaus cut him off.

"He's not one of us, Elijah! He's mortal. Mortals perish." Klaus argued as he went to walk away, but Elijah grabbed him roughly by the arm to stop him.

"What are you doing?" Elijah questioned his brother in a demanding tone.

"Confide in me, brother--how do you feel when you see Ophelia look at him?" Klaus asked him with a smirk on his face, clearly trying to taunt him, "Come on, Elijah. I've seen the way you look at her. I've seen it for the past three centuries. I've always been able to ignore it because you never acted on it, but tell me now, brother, how does it feel to see Ophelia with Jackson?"

Klaus grinned at Elijah, clearly pleased with the reaction he has gotten before walking away.

_____

Downstairs, the reception was still going on in the courtyard. Some people were eating and drinking, while others danced, but everyone was mingling together while caterers come around with hors-d'oeuvres and trays of drinks.

Ophelia and Jackson were dancing together in the middle of the room. Jackon spun Ophelia and when she was back in his arms, she smiled. She looked up to see many flowers around them. She held her hand up, beginning to perform a spell, "Tomar lento. Na paz, amor." She said quietly and watched as the flowers burst, the white flower petals raining down on them.

Jackson smiled widely as he spun her around once more, causing Ophelia to smile brightly.

After a moment, Klaus came down to the courtyard with Hope in his arms and gestured for the band to stop playing so he could make a speech, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?" He announced loudly, "Ophelia, Hayley, if you would join me, I would like to propose a toast."

Both girls looked surprised and shared a glance with each other before they both reluctantly joined Klaus at the front of the room as Hayley took Hope into her arms, "I want to welcome you all. As you know, last spring, Hayley and I had a daughter. Due to tragic circumstance, she was lost. Now, she has returned home. Her name is Hope."

The group of guests gasped and began to murmur amongst themselves about the revelation. Klaus turned to Ophelia, gesturing her to continue for him, "Hope will live here among us, her pack. Her family. The three of us implore you--protect her. Teach her. Love her, as one of your own. After all, she shares the same blood as I, which makes her one of us."

In the crowd, Jackson nodded at Klaus in agreement. Klaus took 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." He told him and Jackson nodded at him again as Klaus held up his glass, "To Jackson and Ophelia!"

"Cheers!" All of the guests cheered.

___

At the wedding, Ophelia was mingling with a few quests with Jackson when Elijah, Rebekah, and Klaus suddenly approached her, "What is it?" Ophelia asked them in an annoyed tone.

"It's Kol. He doesn't have much time left," Rebekah informed her quietly, "He's going to die within the hours."

Ophelia's eyes widened in shock as her eyes filled with tears. She turned to look at Jackson, who nodded, "Go," He encouraged her and Ophelia gave him a thankful look before following Elijah and Klaus out alongside Rebekah.

When they arrived at the Lafayette Cemetery, the group of four came in enough time to hear Kol say, "I think I want to be alone for this bit."

He continued to cough as he walked away from Davina and toward one of the tombs. However, he stopped when he heared a voice behind him. He turned to find Ophelia, Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah standing in the aisle, "I'm afraid that's not an option." Elijah told him.

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

Kol stared at his siblings and Ophelia in surprise and managed a weak smile, which Klaus returned. He turned to Ophelia, who was still wearing her wedding dress, "Shouldn't you be at your wedding?"

"Nothing's going to stop me from being here for you, Kol," Ophelia told her quietly, giving him a small, fragile smile.

Moments later, Ophelia, Davina, Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah had moved Kol into one of the many tombs, which was surrounded by candles. Davina 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. 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." He paused, turning to Ophelia, "I only ever got that from one of you."

Both Ophelia and Klaus struggled to hold back their tears, and before Kol could laugh, he was overcome by another coughing fit that startled Rebekah.

She sat down on the ground as she and Elijah rubbed Kol's back while he coughed before leaning him backward so she could cradle Kol's head in her lap. Kol grabbed onto Rebekah's hand and squeezes it as he groaned, "Kol, listen to me. You don't have long. You're going to die." She informed him quietly.

Kol could no longer hold back his tears, and he gripped her arm tighter, "But you will die a witch, and we will consecrate your body," Ophelia added in to what Rebekah had said, "You will join the ancestors of the French Quarter, and those spirits can be brought back."

"I promise you, brother, I will not leave this body until Ophelia and I find a way to bring you home." Rebekah continued on and Ophelia nodded her head in agreement.

Kol smiled at the two girls, despite his pain, but 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 informed her.

Kol took her hand and squeezed it as tightly as he could manage, "It's okay. I'm not scared." He told her and Ophelia couldn't help the tears that began to flow down her cheeks.

Davina tried her best to smile at him through her tears, and Kol managed one last laugh before he died in Rebekah's arms. Davina broke down in sobs, and Elijah and Klaus began crying freely as well over Kol's body. Ophelia rushed over to Davina, hugging her tightly as the young girl sobbed in her arms.

________

After Kol's death, Ophelia didn't want to leave Davina by herself. She carried the sleeping, fragile girl in her arms back to the compound. She placed Davina on her bed and placed the covers over her just before she heard footsteps approaching.

She turned her head to see Jackson standing in the doorway, "I'm sorry," She apologized to him quietly, "I had to go see Kol before he..." She trailed off, beginning to cry.

Jackson immediately rushed over to her, hugging her, "Hey, it's okay. I get it," he assured her, wrapping his arms around her.

After a moment, Ophelia pulled away from Jackson, looking him directly in the eye, "Listen, Jackson. There's something I've been wanting to tell you," She informed him quietly, "I know you think I just married you for the sake of the wolves, but I did it for you. And I like you, Jackson. A lot. And I know within no time, the liking I have toward you is going to become more than that because you're the perfect guy for me."

Jackson smiled down at Ophelia as he cupped her face with her hands. She smiled back at him before leaning forward, her lips pressing against his.