Original Vampires, Welcome to New Orleans (The Originals Seasons 1 and 2 Fanfic)

Chapter 24: The Aftermath

Cami drove down the darkened road, still reeling inside from the explosion. It seemed that baby Hope was too, and she was crying in her baby seat.

'It's okay, sweetie,' she said, attempting to soothe the little one. 'I just need to find a payphone.' She pulled into the farmer's shed that she'd been at hours earlier, parking the car and bringing the baby out of the backseat, walking over to the payphone. Hope continued to cry in distress. Suddenly, all her quarters spilled on the ground and Cami sighed in exasperation. 'Damn it! I'm sorry. I'm sorry,' she said, gently bouncing the baby in her arms. 'You're being so brave. The least I could do is watch my -' Suddenly something rattled behind a shed, making Cami freeze. She looked around, holding the baby. 'Whoever's out there, if you try anything, I will gouge out your eyes!'

'Actually, Camille, that's probably not necessary,' a voice said. She spun to see Elijah, dirt and soot all over his clothes. I was standing next to him. He reached out for the baby.

'What happened back there?' she asked.

'That's a discussion for the car. Let's move.'

At the Mikaelson compound...

Jackson let out a sigh at the wedding preparations being made.

'I so do not belong in your world.'

'My world? Give me some credit. I'm not exactly the kind of girl who sat around fantasizing about her wedding day, and if I had, it probably would have looked a little less... this.' She gestured to the very tall wedding cake as it was rolled by.

'Yeah.' He turned to her. 'You getting cold feet?'

'No. This is what's right, for Hope, for our pack.' Just then Klaus entered.

'Hayley,' he said, and the two turned to the hybrid. 'If I might intrude, there's someone who wishes to say hello.' The two walked out into the courtyard with Klaus and caught sight of Cami, Elijah and myself, walking towards them, with me holding baby Hope in my arms.

'You brought them here?' Hayley asked worriedly. 'Finn could be anywhere.'

'I've taken precautions,' Klaus said. 'There will be no uninvited guests at your wedding, and after, your pack will be the first line of defense to this home. No more running, Queen.' Klaus looked at Elijah and gave him a nod of respect and Elijah returned it. I gave Hope to Hayley and the baby started giggling. Klaus walked away from the group, and Hayley brought Hope to Jackson.

'Hope, this is Jackson,' she said softly. 'Jackson... this is Hope.' Jackson moved his hand towards the baby, and she grabbed it, squealing softly, Hayley letting out a soft chuckle.

Later...

'You're restless, Elijah, I can see it,' I said as I put my earrings in, standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom, prepping for the wedding. He came to stand behind me.

'You look like an angel, darling,' he said softly, kissing my neck, then took my ring hand in his. 'One of these days, I'm gonna put a ring on your finger.'

'You want to get married?' I asked him softly.

'Yes. One day soon. And as for me being restless, you should look at yourself.'

'You and I haven't really slept in days, or done much other than running and hiding. And fighting. This - this is good. We've earned this. Fought for it. Bled for it, even.' He hummed softly and pressed a kiss to my neck again.

'I'm concerned that Hayley might have been pressured into this.'

'The wedding?'

'Yes.'

'She wants this.' I turned to him and grasped his hands in mine. 'Look, Elijah, you care for her a great deal; I see that. You care for Hope. You and I both do. You and I have both been there to protect the two of them since day one, and I'm sure she's grateful. But she chose this. None of us really ever do get what we want, and while she may not be truly happy, she realises that this is the best thing for everyone. And Jackson treats her well.' He nodded slowly.

'I see your point.' I stood up slightly on tiptoe and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. We remained like that for a good two minutes in a soft, deep kiss, then we broke apart.

'Now, we've got a wedding to get to, my love,' I said softly.

Later...

The music played as Hayley, in her stunning white dress from Rebekah, walked to the entrance of the aisle, and then Jackson joined her. Linking hands, the two of them walked down the aisle and then separated to walk up the adjoining stairs to where Jackson's grandmother, Mary, was up the top of the stairs to conduct the ceremony. On the balcony across from where the wedding nuptials were taking place, Klaus looked over the proceedings with a smile. The two joined at the top of the steps again, and Mary spoke.

'Please be seated.' The small crowd sat. 'We gather together as a community seeking peace, inspired by the union of this couple before you. There was a time when werewolves saw themselves not as cursed, but as blessed, with a connection to our most pure selves.' Hayley looked over at Klaus, and then Elijah and I joined him. 'And tonight, we honour that blessing with the long-awaited unification of the two Crescent bloodlines. In doing so, we choose to embrace Hayley's vampire nature.' She began to bind Hayley and Jackson's wrists together with a plant as she continued speaking. 'With this union, Hayley will share her unique gifts with the pack.' She placed a long candle between the two, and they held it together. 'And now, your vows.'

'I pledge to honour and defend you and yours above all others...' Jackson said.

'To share in blessings and burdens, to be your advocate, your champion...' Hayley said.

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

'To be your family...'

'To be your family.' Then tthe two lit the candle near them together, and then blew the long stick out.

'You two have endured all the traditional werewolf rituals and trials,' Mary said. ''There's only one remaining. Jackson, you may iss your bride.' He leaned forward, the two tenderly kissing each other. Her eyes suddenly glowed yellow with her hybrid nature, and when they broke apart, Jackson's did the same. The two turned to the group of the werewolves present, seeing that their eyes did the same.