It was afternoon time and Hayley and Ophelia walked out onto the porch of their old shack in the Bayou. Hayley held a cup of coffee in hand, she and Ophelia watching as the werewolves practice sparring in the nearby clearing.

Jackson was fighting against Aiden, both of whom were learning to fight with their new abilities. Jackson managed to block Aiden before he elbowed him in the face, causing him to proudly, "Oh-ho-ho, you're getting faster!" Jackson complimented his friend.

"Maybe you're just getting slower, huh?" Aiden retorted, punching Jackson in the face, but Jackson quickly kneed him in the stomach.

In retaliation, Aiden elbowed him in the side, causing Jackson to groan. Before Aiden could punch him in the face again, Jackson grabbed him by the arm and threw him onto the ground into a nearby puddle.

When Aiden stood back on his feet, his clothes and hands were all covered in mud, "Keep your head up!" Jackson reminded Aiden, "Low center, guard your face."

Aiden angrily lunged for Jackson and roughly shoved him backwards, starting to punch him in the face. To protect himself, Jackson grabbed him in a headlock, but when Aiden couldn't immediately get out of it, his eyes started to glow gold as his fangs come out and he bit Jackson in the arm.

Jackson let go and yelped in pain. Ophelia and Hayley turned to each other, both of them concerned as they watched the scene unfold from the porch.

"Ah! What the hell?" Jackson yelled out in pain, clearly taken aback from Aiden's actions.

"You left yourself wide open!" Aiden told him, sounding frustrated.

"It was your idea to come out here and spar. I'm doing this for you." Jackson reminded Aiden, angered.

Aiden rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Oh, for me?" He questioned Jackson, laughing humourlessly, "You're the one leading a pack of super-wolves. How long before they decide they don't want to take orders for you anymore? Huh?"

Aiden walked over to Jackson and got in his face, "Because the only way you can stay Alpha is by always being the strongest."

Aiden angrily shoved his way past Jackson, clearly unhappy by this conversation. From the porch, Hayley seemed confused and uncomfortable, "You guys done?" She shouted at the duo, "This macho-stuff is cute and all, but don't make Ophelia and I come out there and kick both your asses!"

Hayley walked back into the shack and Ophelia sent Jackson a small smile, which he returned before she back to the shack. While Hayley was doing her own thing, Ophelia stood at th window listening into Jackson and Aiden's conversation.

Jackson's face became serious as he turned back to Aiden, "Look, if you got a problem with the way I lead, now's the time to speak up." He told his friend in a stern tone.

"Klaus is acting like we're on his leash. You think the guys don't see that? Things are changing, Jackson! "Our people aren't cursed anymore! We're strong," Aiden explained to Jackson with an attitude and the male alpha began to walk away, only to turn to Aiden once more as he continued on, "If any of them see you as vulnerable, they're going to challenge you for Alpha, because that is what wolves do."

"Are you putting yourself in that category?" Jackson asked Aiden, both of them face to face.

"I'm looking out for you. That's all." Aiden replied before he pushed past Jackson and left.

Once he was gone, Jackson looked as though he was worried about the pack's future, causing Ophelia to sigh in defeat before she turned to Hayley, "Something's wrong," She told Hayley, who gave her a knowing look.

"You think?" Hayley replied sassily, "Jackson and Aiden are fighting. They're practically best friends and have known each other their whole lives--"

"I'm not talking about that," Ophelia cut her off, "Well, technically, I am. But more specifically, I'm talking about Aiden's recent behavior. It has Klaus written all over it."

"What do you mean?" Hayley asked Ophelia concerned, causing the female tribrid to sigh in defeat.

"I don't know," She admitted quietly, staring out the shack's window, "But I know Klaus like the back of my hand. And trust me when I say that this quarrel between Jackson and Aiden has him written all over. I just need to figure out what's the reason behind it."

____

Ophelia and Jackson were practicing sparring together, and though Jackson was easily dodging and blocking the woman's hits and kicks, she was still the better fighter due to her hybrid abilities and the fact that she had three hundred years worth of experience involving fighting.

After a moment, Ophelia stopped fighting and stared at Jackson with concern as she frowned, "You're still thinking about what Aiden said, aren't you?" She asked Jackson concerned.

Jackson sighed in defeat as he became quiet for a long moment, giving Ophelia the impression that she was right, "He was just trying to help. Being Alpha is an honor. It's one you have to earn every day, and..." He trailed off, sighing once more as they started to walk toward Jackson's trailer together, "The pack is changing. You know? We're going to face some challenges. I just want them to know that I'm here to lead for them. That I put them first."

Ophelia and Jackson sat down on a table outside of the trailer, and Ophelia picked up two glasses of water off of it, handing one of them to him. The female tribrid sighed, "The pack loves you, Jack. Remember that," She reminded him, "But you also have to remind them of that. Every chance you get. Buy them a round of beers, get in your party mood and turn on that Crescent-Alpha charm of yours," She paused, a small smile playing on her lips, "I mean, it worked on me, did it not?"

"What about our other problem?" Jackson asked Ophelia uneasily.

"Oh, you mean the problem involving 'He who shall not be named'?" Ophelia questioned Jackson, refusing to say Klaus' name.

Jackson smiled, finding Ophelia's comment amusing. After a short moment, he sighed, nodding his head in agreement, "Klaus acts like we're his personal army." He complained to Ophelia.

"Shh," Ophelia told Jackson, placing her index finger against his mouth for a short moment as a way of telling him to be quiet in a joking way, "Don't say his name. Talking about him gives him power." She reminded him and Jackson couldn't help but continue on since it regarded important matters.

"I don't trust him." He responded, causing Ophelia to let out a large sigh,

"Don't worry, I can handle him." She assured Jackson in a confident tone, "Trust me. We're a team, right? You and I united the pack together." The couple stood up and faced each other, "Are things changing? Yes, they most definitely are. But one of those changes is that we no longer have to go through this alone. You gotta remember that. If we protect each other, nothing will happen to our pack. If someone tries something, I'll kill them myself. And if it's Klaus tries something, I'll handle him on my own and make sure he never does it again."

The newlyweds entwined their fingers and held their hands up. They smiled at each other, and Jackson brushed a lock of hair behind Ophelia's ear before leaning in to kiss her. Ophelia smiled, leaning into the kiss as well.

_______

Klaus was standing at the bar in the courtyard, where he was pouring himself a drink. Ophelia spotted him from the balcony above and walked down the stairs so she could talk to him, not immediately noticing his foul mood, "We need to talk. It's urgent," Ophelia told Klaus, who rolled his eyes and took a large gulp of bourbon before he sighed.

"Do we, indeed," Klaus responded, turning to face her, "You've come to express your gratitude and the courtesy that I've shown your husband? Or, perhaps you're here to thank me for my efforts to protect you and your pack?"

"All this quarreling and tension between you, Jack, and the wolves...we need to put it behind us, Klaus. Give Jack the space he needs to run the pack as he sees fit. No more orders, no more favors. He's Alpha. End of discussion." Ophelia ordered as she walked over to Klaus, who smiled at her in amusement.

Klaus laughed at Ophelia mockingly, "I'm sorry, did you really think that I would ever agree to let Jackson control the wolves?" He questioned Ophelia, who immediately began to lose her temper. That was clear when her irises turned amber yellow and the veins briefly appeared under her eyes before going away.

"You will show Jackson respect, Klaus!" Ophelia shouted at Klaus in a stern tone, but Klaus continued to look amused, "He is on our side, and he's fighting for your daughter."

If it had been any other time during the centuries Klaus had known Ophelia, he would have immediately obeyed her. But there was something hostile between the duo ever since her marriage to Jackson. Some of it was rooted from jealousy while the rest was rooted from something else.

"You know, I've spent all day with people who claim to be fighting for my daughter. Some, I trust. Some, I do not. But, one thing is for sure. That there is only one person I trust when it comes to my child's safety, and that would be me."

"I thought you trusted me with your daughter as well," Ophelia reminded him, her voice just above a whisper as she looked almost hurt, "What happened to that claim?"

"That changed the moment you married him," Klaus told Ophelia, such hatred in his tone as he mentioned Jackson.

"Go to hell," Ophelia growled at Klaus, angrily glaring at him as he stormed away, "You're the one who told me to marry him, you ass."

Just then, Klaus turned back to Ophelia, continuing to argue, "You know, you all seem to think that this is a democracy. I assure you, it is not! If Dahlia is coming, then she is a threat to my child, which means I decide how to protect her. No one else!" he shouted at Ophelia, who turned to face him, looking furious, "And if Jackson or anyone strays from the course that I set, then they will answer to me. And your husband would do well to remember that. In fact, I think I'll leave it to you to remind him. That way, when he does inevitably incur my wrath again, you'll only have yourself to blame. Maybe then you'll learn that your marriage to him was doomed from the start," He paused, a somewhat sadistic smile on her face, "I mean, the only lovers of yours to ever survive had to be immortal. That's what luck you have with men."

Ophelia growled at Klaus, walking toward him. Klaus stood still, waiting for Ophelia to do what he expected her to do. She glared at him for a moment, just before she smacked him across the face at full force.

Klaus stumbled back, quickly wiping the blood from his mouth as he stared at her intently.

"It's times like these I question myself on how the hell I ever loved someone like you for so damn long," Ophelia growled at Klaus, roughly pushing him back before she began to walk away from him.

Clearly, seeing that he made a mistake that would ruin his entire life forever, Klaus quickly rushed forward, "Don't turn your back on me!" He shouted at her angrily.

Ophelia turned to Klaus once more, pure rage in her eyes, "I should've turned my back on you centuries ago!" She screamed at him, roughly hitting her fists against his chest.

Ophelia began to cry, clearly overwhelmed with emotions as she continued to hit Klaus.

Finally, Klaus grabbed Ophelia by the wrists, getting to her to stop. Ophelia looked up at Klaus, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I hate you," She told him, continuing to cry, "I hate you so much."

"No," Klaus argued, shaking his head, "No, you don't."

"Yes, but I should," Ophelia replied as Klaus lifted up hands, wiping the woman's years, "After everything you've done, I should hate you."

Ophelia stood in her room at the Mikaelson's first home in Louisiana. It had been five years since Ophelia had betrayed her families, both the witch and werewolf factions, for the Mikaelsons. The two species were still out for vengeance on the Mikaelson family, clearly thinking they were the cause of it, not Ophelia.

Ophelia was lighting the numerous candles in her room. After lightning the last one, she stared intently at the group of them on her dresser. She heard her bedroom door open and close, causing her to slowly turn to Klaus, who had just come back with talking with Elijah about how to protect Ophelia, "We're going to fix this, alright?" he tried to convince Ophelia, who looked anything but concerned, "I give you my word."

"Or maybe we won't, Klaus," Ophelia responded in a calm tone, "But that's okay. I'm okay with that," She paused, walking closer to Klaus, "I'm done agonizing over the concerns in life that I can't control. I just need to live my eternal life to the fullest, rule this city like I was born to, and do anything I want," She paused, placing her hands on the sides of Klaus' face, "And right now what I want is you."

Klaus stared at Ophelia intently, almost taken aback. It had been nearly half a decade since they had first met and they had kissed but twice. There was a connection, there was no denying that, anyone could see that, but the two outcasts did everything within their power to try and deny their feelings for each other.

"I love you. And I'll never stop loving you, no matter what happens between us because you are the only one I will ever truly love," Ophelia confessed to Klaus, "And I know that you're scared of ruining me, but there's no need to worry. You won't. I like the way I am with you and no matter what you do, I will always believe in you."

Klaus wrapped his fingers around Ophelia's wrists, looking down at her, "I love you, Ophelia," He suddenly confessed, causing Ophelia's eyes to widen, clearly not expecting him to actually say it. It was unlike him, "I will love you to the day I die, if that day ever comes. And if there's a life after this one, I will love you then as well." He paused, cupping Ophelia's face with his hands, "There is a light in you that shines so bright, it makes me feel like the man I wish I was."

Klaus couldn't control himself any longer and leaned forward, kissing Ophelia passionately. Ophelia's hands got tangled in his hair as the kiss deepened.

Klaus moved even closer to Ophelia, their faces almost touching, "You could never hate me, even if you tried," He whispered softly, leaning closer to Ophelia, their lips almost touching, "As you said centuries before, you will always love me. And no matter what happens, you'll never love anyone as much as you love me."

"Well, I never thought you would ever become this villainous before," Ophelia replied back, her voice a mere whisper.

The duo closed their eyes as their lips were about to touch. Just as Klaus thought they were about to kiss, he opened his eyes to find Ophelia nowhere in sight.

Outside the compound, Ophelia quickly walked down the street, a guilty expression on her face.

She took her phone out and dialed Davina's number, only to have it go to voicemail, "Hey, D. We haven't talked in a while. I'm just wondering how you're doing. I've wanted to be there for you after Kol's death, but so much has come up. I know that's not an excuse, but I want to be there for you now. Call me when you get this, please. I need to know you're okay."