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: Finale time, finally!

Enjoy!

The sounds of Charlotte's cries broke my slumber, but before I could drag myself out of bed, Klaus gently pushed me back down. "I'll get her," he whispered. He pressed his lips to my forehead. "Go back to sleep."

I nodded sleepily, my eyes barely open. I tossed and turned for a little while longer, and when my hands reached out and realized that Klaus' side of the bed was still cold, I finally got up. I showered and changed, then headed over to our daughter's nursery.

I walked in on Klaus cradling Charlotte to his chest, brushing his lips against her forehead. "What better life might have awaited you, were another man your father?" He whispered to her, all while she looked up at her father with an untainted adoration that only a child could give. "All those who have loved me, have lived to regret it. But I do know this, my littlest wolf." He nuzzled his nose against hers. "I will do right by you."

"And by me, hopefully," I added, causing Klaus to turn at the sound of my voice.

He smiled softly as he looked back down at Charlotte. "I swear she gets bigger every time I walk into this room."

I sighed as I approached them, running a hand along her soft head. "It's a privilege not everyone gets to appreciate."

Klaus was silent, and I knew he was thinking about Marcel. I cupped his face, stroking his stubbled cheek, but I didn't say anything. When it came to his grief, especially for Marcel, I knew better than to push him on it when he wasn't ready.

All of a sudden Klaus tensed, his lips thinning. "What do you want, Elijah?"

I looked over at the doorway to see Elijah hovering awkwardly, shifting his weight. "I'm not foolish enough to ask your forgiveness," he began. "So I'll say it again." With a sigh, Eliajh shook his head. "I had no choice. We protect this family at any cost."

Klaus' gaze flickered down to Charlotte before looking back at his brother. "You think I' m not aware how heavy that burden is?"

"No, I think that this time..." Elijah hesitated. "That burden is simply too much to bear."

Resolve firm, Klaus turned his back on Elijah, returning his devoted attention to Charlotte. I sighed and walked over to Elijah, dropping my voice even though I knew it was useless with everyone's supernatural hearing. "Maybe we all just need some space from each other," I suggested.

Elijah nodded, his jaw set. "I'll leave for a little while."

"No," I immediately said. "I still have my apartment. Maybe it'll be better if Klaus and I stay there for a bit, just until this all..." Blows over wasn't the right term, because there was no way Klaus would let Marcel's death just blow over. "Calms down a bit," I ended lamely.

Elijah nodded again, this time giving his brother one last long, forlorn look, before turning his back and walking out of the nursery.

After putting Charlotte down for a nap, I was walking down the stairs when I noticed Klaus, Kol, and Elijah were all stood in the middle of the room. Before I could ask what was wrong, already mentally preparing myself to act as a mediator, the undeniable sound of a scuffle filled the air. The three brothers immediately ran for the gate, and with no choice I followed after them.

To my surprise, hoards of people-likely vampires-flooded the compound, all with the same stern, unmistakable glare in their eyes of people ready to stir trouble.

"Never thought it would come to this," a voice from behind us started, and a chill ran down my spine. No. It was impossible.

But when I turned, any traces of denial left my body at the sight of Marcel Gerard, evidently not dead, behind us. Distaste puckered his lips. "But as always, The Mikaelsons made my choice for me."

Klaus' breath hitched. "Marcel..." he stuttered. "How?"

"How are we in your home?" Marcel filled in. "I've friends who can nullify a deed, forclose on a property like-" he snapped his fingers. "-that." He lowered his hand. "Or did you mean...how am I not a rotting corpse?"

Klaus quickly regained his composure. "I thought my friend was dead, and yet here you are." He crossed his arms behind his back. "So send these fools away, and let's talk. You and me."

"Is that relief I hear? Really?" Marcel wondered, quirking a brow. "If I hadn't been one step ahead of you, I would be at the bottom of the river."

Elijah stepped forward. "Marcel, your anger is with me. I'm the one that's responsible for this crime against you."

"One thing I learned sticking around this family, Elijah, you take on one of you, you are taking on all of you," Marcel pointed out. "These guys, Klaus's sirelings, they're here to bear witness today."

"What is this, Marcel?" I cut in. "Are you going to put on a show?"

Marcel's lips stretched into a wicked grin. "Damned sure I am. The Fall of The Mikaelsons. And guess what?" He lifted his chin. "The show has already started."

To my surprise, Kol took a step towards Marcel. "I know you're hurt," he began. He rested a hand on his chest. "I loved Davina, too. And it would break her heart to see you like this."

"Don't mention her name," Marcel threatened, jabbing a finger into Kol's chest, though Kol didn't stagger backwards. "If it weren't for you, she'd still be alive."

Kol knocked his hand away. "But she's not. This is an insult to her memory."

Without warning, Marcel launched Kol across the room. He landed on the ground with an audible thud, but was back on his feet in no time as he launched himself at Marcel. Marcel grabbed a hold of him before sinking his fangs into Kol's throat, ravaging the skin as Ko let out an ear piercing howl.

"Kol!" I couldn't help but shout as Marcel snapped his neck and tossed his lifeless body away. I looked back at Marcel, licking his lips with relish at the thought of poisoning a Mikaelson.

I wasn't used to fighting my friends, and as annoying as Kol could be, I had to protect my family. And if Marcel didn't consider us friends anymore, then so be it.

I vamp sped at Marcel, throwing a punch, but he easily sidestepped it. Instead he grabbed my arm and twisted it all the way back until the bones snapped. I screamed but kicked at Marcel's throat, pushing him away from me and towards Klaus.

As I reset the bones in my arm, I watched as Marcel went head to head with Elijah and Klaus. Once I was sure my arm was fine, I jumped right back into the fight, only to be kicked away by an expectant Marcel. I flew backwards into a wall, smacking my head viciously against the hard rock and landing with a painful crash.

I had just managed to push myself into a sitting position when Marcel bit Elijah, and dread consumed me as Elijah's desperate cries fueled the cheering from the crowd around us. Klaus and I watched helplessly as Marcel tossed Elijah across the room.

Klaus's eyes, searing with fury, turned on Marcel as black veins crawled under his eyes, which turned amber as he let his hybrid face show. Just as Marcel made a gesture for him to bring it, a cry of "STOP!" stopped the two, and we all turned as Rebekah sauntered into the room.

She immediately turned to us. "Hayley has Charlotte and Freya. You two, take Kol and Elijah and go now. Marcel will not hurt me." She turned her icy glare to our former friend. "Not, if he knows what's good for him."

Klaus turned his attention to me, and with a nod, he grabbed Elijah, nearest to him, and I grabbed Kol, and we vamp sped out of there without looking back.

On our way to Lucien's penthouse, Kol had woken up and Elijah had recovered a bit, so he and Klaus both supported him as I took the lead. I threw the doors to the penthouse open. "Freya!" I called out as we ran in, and Hayley and Freya both turned to us. Freya had a cut on her neck, dried blood crusted around it, and Hayley's face had a splatter of blood.

I went over to Hayley, my stomach dropping. "Charlotte?" I asked, unable to even form a sentence that might suggest that my baby was anything but safe.

"She's fine," she assured me, nodding her head to the left. "She's in the other room."

I heaved a sigh of relief and then rubbed at the blood on her face. "Are you okay?" I asked as Elijah and Klaus set Kol on the couch.

"I'm fine too," she swore, and she turned to the Mikaelsons. "What happened to them?"

"Marcel," I filled in as Kol's open wound festered and Elijah completely ignored his.

"I am going to die," Kol cried, his eyes wide with panic as the angry bite turned even redder.

A wail caught my attention, and I turned my head to the sound, the direction that Hayley said Charlotte was in. I immediately ran over to where my baby was. Even though I knew she was okay, relief still flooded me as I picked her up from the bed she was sitting on and hugging her to my chest. Her cries quieted as soon as her head rested on my chest. Her nose brushed the length of my collarbone, and I dropped kisses to her head as I made my way back to where the others were.

"You're not going to die," I heard Klaus tell Kol as I came back into the room.

Kol chuckled humourlessly, the sound hollow and sad. "Now that sounds familiar. Isn't that what you said to Finn and Cami?"

Remorse crossed Klaus's features, but he shook it off. "Look, Lucien engineered his venom from the seven werewolf packs, so maybe, that's the key to a cure."

Freya rolled her eyes. "Oh great, that's the first piece in a puzzle none of us will be alive to solve." She gestured to herself. "I'm poisoned, Rebekah is hexed, and our brothers are bitten. We need three different cures to three different ailments, each of which could take years to find, and none of us will make it through the day."

Freya redirected her attention to Kol, who seemed to be reacting even worse to Marcel's venom coursing through his veins. Elijah stumbled into the other room and sat down in a chair, and when I noticed Klaus heading over to him, I handed off Charlotte to Hayley and followed them.

I filled a bowl with cold water and grabbed a towel before heading over to where the brothers conversed. I caught the last bit of their conversation as Eljah said, "And Rebekah."

They both turned silent after I stopped next to Elijah, and trying not to pry, I simply dipped the towel into the bowl and turned to Elijah. Raising my hand with the towel, I patted his forehead. I could feel the heat from his fever through the thick towel, already burning through any traces of coldness. Elijah stared up at me, his mouth hanging open without the strength to speak, but I could see the appreciation in his eyes as I moved the towel from his forehead to his cheek. We both knew it was futile but if it even brought him the slightest bit of comfort I'd do it for as long as he needed. As I dipped the towel back into the bowl, I said, "We're going to make Marcel pay for this."

"No Juliet," Elijah sighed, his breathing ragged. "No, no. This was not..." He inhaled sharply, the sound practically a cry for help. "This was not Marcel. This was me. This was my fault. I did all...all of this." He pushed my hand away from his face and turned to Klaus, clasping his arm.

Fear and longing clouded Klaus's eyes. "I can't do this without you, Elijah," he whispered, desperation seeping through his words.

I took a step back to let the brothers have their private moment, even deliberately lowering my hearing senses so I couldn't listen to them.

Klaus's phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket and immediately answered. I readjusted my hearing and frowned when I recognized the voice to be Rebekah's. "Nik, it's me. There's an army of your sirelings eager for blood. Marcel has them set to tear apart the city to find you, but after a brief chat, he's considered an alternative. Though I think it might be worse. He wants you to come back here and stand trial for your sins."

"Before a jury of those who hate me the most?" Klaus scoffed. "Like hell I will."

"If you don't, this mob will hunt you down," Rebekah said. "And given their current frenzy, I can't imagine they'll show any mercy to you or anyone standing in their way."

With a growl, Klaus hung up just as Hayley walked back into the room, a squirming Charlotte in her arms. "I think she wants you," she said to me, and I went over and took her from my cousin. I soothingly rubbed a hand on her back as she rested her head in the crook of my arm, gnawing on her favourite stuffed giraffe.

"It's not a trial," Elijah said, returning us back to the subject of Marcel's proposition. "This is suicide. Take Juliet, take Charlotte, get the hell out of the city."

"Uh, we're not going anywhere," I said sternly. "Not while our family's in danger."

"No!" Kol suddenly cried. Sweat dripped off of him and pooled in the hollow of his throat, staining his shirt. "Davina please! No, don't leave me!"

Elijah, Klaus, and Freya tried holding Kol down, even as he continued to thrash from whatever hallucination he was suffering from that involved his dead girlfriend. "Shh-shh," Elijah soothed.

"There has to be something," I pleaded, though with who I didn't know, because it certainly wasn't a deity. "Anything."

"There may be a way to save them," Freya suggested, though the tone she said it in implied that it wasn't going to be the best-or the easiest-solution.

"Then I will move the world to make it so," Klaus immediately vowed, no hesitation in his voice.

Nodding, Freya said, "I need time."

The implication of her words hung in the air, and Klaus spluttered. "You think I should stand trial before that death-dealing mob?"

"Well, that's the easy part," she confessed. "In order to save your family, you need to come out of that trial alive."

I hated Freya's idea. Loathed it. Begged, pleaded for any other solution.

But I was forced to accept it when I realized there was no other solution, not if I wanted everyone to live. I took Charlotte into the other room, cupping my hand over my mouth to conceal my quiet cries.

After a few moments, I heard someone step into the room, and it could only be Klaus. I set Charlotte down in the playpen that had been set up for her and turned just in time to see Klaus stuff a letter into the side of her diaper bag. I wiped my face before he could see my tears, but the redness was a dead giveaway anyways. When he stood, I went over to him. "I'm coming with you," I insisted. "It's too dangerous to go alone."

"No, I think not," Klaus immediately said. "Besides, it's me they want."

Despite my previous attempt to look strong, another tear slipped down my cheek. "Don't go," I whispered. "We'll figure something out."

Klaus sighed, then looped his fingers through mine, tugging me towards him. "You know we have no other choice," he said.

I hiccuped, a sob wrecking my chest. "What do I tell her?" I wondered, my gaze flickering over to our child. "I don't know how long we'll be parted. What am I supposed to tell her?"

Klaus wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. I buried my face in his shoulder, sobs racking my body as he turned his face to my ear. His warm breath sent shivers down my spine as he said, "You'll tell her the truth. That her father loved his family so much he was willing to do anything for them." He kissed my temple. "You'll tell her that her dad loves her more than anything, and that he'll be counting down the seconds until he's with her again." He pressed his forehead to my temple, pausing for a moment. "And you'll tell her that her daddy loves her mummy so, so much."

I bit my lip and took a deep breath, finally pulling my face out of his shoulder. "You know, there was a long time where I never wanted to see you again," I said. "But now I'd give everything to keep you here with me." I sighed. "I wish..."

Klaus cupped my face, swiping at a stray tear. "Me too."

A thought struck me, and I said, "That ring..." I looked up at Klaus from under my eyelashes, apprehension tightening my muscles. "Do you still have it?"

Surprise overtook the sadness in Klaus's eyes, but he reached into his pocket and produced the engagement ring he had gotten me so long ago. I squinted to read the inscription, the words searing themselves onto my heart. J.G. all my love, always and forever. I actually chuckled. "I didn't think you'd actually have it," I said. I tilted my head to the side. "What, do you just carry it around?"

A blush pooled in his cheeks. "Well, you never know when I'll decide to be impulsive."

I laughed again, staring into Klaus's baby blues. "What would you have said to me?" I asked. "When you proposed."

Klaus's breath hitched, but a smile tugged on the corner of his lips. "I would have gotten down on one knee," he began, dropping down to one knee. He held the ring up in his fingers. "And I would have said that that day in Mystic Falls, when you stepped into the parking garage to save your best friend Stefan Salvatore, I had no idea who you would end up being to me. I had no idea that for centuries, I had just been the shell of a man, hollow on the inside without true purpose, and that I'd find that purpose in you. That the family I'd longed to have would be found in you. All I knew was that nobody, especially not a mere human, had ever dared to defy me, and that the fierceness in your gaze captivated me like nothing had ever had before. Even while I knew you cared for Stefan, that whole summer, I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to have you stare at me with that much affection in your eyes, what it would be like to have someone love me that wholly and unabashedly.

"And then when you did, that I was the luckiest man to have ever walked this earth," he continued, his voice starting to shake with emotion. "Because I had the honour of having your heart. Every time I look at you, I can't help but wonder what I did to deserve your love. And I knew, that day when you came to warn me what your friends had planned against me, that I would do anything to keep your heart forever.

"I've been a fool to lose you," he went on. "And every time I did, I vowed I'd never do it again, because I didn't know how many times I'd get luck with your willingness to forgive me. But it's your beautiful heart that's convinced me that I'm capable of having love, that I don't have to run from it." His lips quirked into a smile. "When I learned you were pregnant, I knew this wasn't exactly what we had planned, but I knew that as long as we had each other we could figure it out, and that's what we've been doing and what I hope we do for the rest of eternity."

His thumbs brushed over my knuckles, tears brimming in his eyes. "Every day I wake up, I thank whoever created this universe that they let you be born, and that they let our paths cross so that we could meet. And every day, I choose you. I choose you in this life, and if there is a life after this, I'll choose you then too." He squeezed my hand. "I'm choosing you Juliet, and now I'm asking you to choose me."

I tasted the salt of my tears on my lips, and I sniffled deeply. "Then what would you have said?" I asked.

A full smile graced Klaus's lips. "I would have said, Juliet Gilbert, will you let me have the honour of being your husband and marry me?"

I bit my lip. "And then?"

"Well, hopefully you would have said yes," he chuckled. His fingers found my left ring finger, and he lifted it in his hands as he gently set the ring at the tip. He gazed into my eyes as he slid it on, all the way down. "And then I'd put it on, and then I'd do this."

He got to his feet and captured my lips with his. His mouth was insistent, parting my lips and kissing me harder. I welcomed him, cupping his face and kissing him back. His kiss tasted like the salt of our tears, the loss of time, and the hopes for our future. I clutched onto him, holding him tight, already dreading when I'd have to let go.

After what felt like eternity, Klaus pulled away from me, though his hands rested on my face as he stroked my cheekbones. I traced the lines in his forehead, the curve of his nose, his lips, plump and bruised from our kiss. "Come back to me," I whispered. "You have to come back to me."

He rested his forehead against mine, the action sorrowful. He tugged me closer to him, if that was even possible. "That's a promise," he vowed.

I savoured the moment, gripping his wrists. "I love you."

A light kiss on my nose. "And I love you, more than my own life." He pulled his head away from mine slightly, and I instantly clutched at his jacket. "You need to close your eyes," he said.

"What?" I stammered. "N-no. I'm going to watch you go."

"If you do that, then I'll feel your eyes on me, and I won't go," he insisted. He squeezed the back of my neck. "Please, Juliet. Please."

Lower lip wobbling, I gazed at him, committing every last detail of his face to memory. My eyes fluttered shut, and a tear slipped out as I did so.

His lips lightly grazed mine, the softest touch, the ghost of a kiss. And then his warmth was gone, and when I opened my eyes, Klaus was nowhere to be seen.

I choked out a sob, dropping to a crouch, wrapping my arms around myself as my stomach churned. I cried for a few moments, covering my face with my hands, and when I finally pulled away, my eyes landed on the glittering engagement ring on my finger. I didn't consider myself engaged, though. In my heart, I was already married to Klaus. I had been for a long, long time.

I balled my hands into a fist and looked over at my daughter, staring up at me with blank eyes. I had to be strong for her, for Klaus, for the rest of our family.

Because I'd stop at nothing until we were complete again.

Sometime later, my phone rang in my pocket. I hurriedly pulled it out and answered. "Rebekah, is it done?" I asked.

"Nik found a way to stay alive," she assured me, and my chest deflated. "Our plan worked. Now it's up to you, Juliet. Make his sacrifice count."

"I will," I promised. "I'll come get you in a bit." I hung up and turned back to where Freya, Elijah, and Kol were set up around a piece of parchment on the table that had all of their names on it. Hayley stood beside me, her arms wrapped around her huge middle. I nodded at Freya. "We're ready."

Freya drew a deep breath and then began the incantation. She recited it over and over, blood eventually streaming down her cheeks. The wind picked up around us, but she kept going until all of a sudden, the three Mikaelsons tossed their heads back, resting against the back of their chairs, unmoving. After a few moments, I heaved a sigh, covering my hand with my mouth as the implications of what we were doing really hit me.

The Mikaelsons were all going to sleep, tethered to Klaus, until I could find them all a cure for their ailments, and really, no one knew how long that was going to take.

An arm wrapped around my shoulders, and I looked over to see Hayley hugging me to her side. After a few moments, I regained my composure and turned to her. "I'm giving you an out."

She furrowed her brows. "What?"

"We have no one coming after us right now, Hayley," I said. "At this point you know how rare that is." I rested my hands on her bulging stomach, feeling a kick against my hands. "Take Baby Marshall-Kenner and go out to the bayou. Stay with Mary. And then live your life and raise your child."

Hayley rolled her eyes, putting her hands on my shoulders. "You're my sister, Jules," she said, insistence heavy in her tone. "And the Mikaelsons have been my family for a long time. I'm not leaving you or Charlotte." She lifted a shoulder. "Besides, we both know that we're better off together than apart."

I opened my mouth to argue, but the only sound that came out was another sob. Hayley pulled me in for a hug as I cried, utterly hopeless. But with each sob that racked my body, it ignited a flare of determination.

I was going to save them. I'd have their backs, always and forever.

It turned out, the coffins that Klaus kept around when he used to carry his siblings around still had use. I put all the of the Mikaelsons in there and then stuffed them into the back of the moving truck that I had rented. I didn't know how long this system would last, but it was a good solution for right now.

I went through each with precision, knowing that they wouldn't feel it but I still wanted them to be comfortable. Once I was sure they were all situated, I closed the back and headed over to the front.

Hayley was already in the back seat, securing Charlotte's car seat. Charlotte sleepily looked up at me, eyes blinking slowly. I found it in me to smile; I couldn't not smile looking at her. I leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, then turned to Hayley. "Ready to go?"

"Ready," she confirmed.

I headed over to the front of the truck, getting behind the wheel. I had just put on my belt when I remembered something, and I peeked over my shoulder at Hayley. "Mind if we stop at the gas station?"

"Sure," she said with a smile. "It's probably better that we stock up on some snacks anyways."

I smiled back and started the truck. I found the nearest gas station and took my belt off. "Stay with her a minute?" I asked, glancing at Charlotte.

When she nodded, and after I took her requests for travel snacks, I hopped out from the truck and went inside. I perused the racks, gathering what we needed, and then paid for them. Before I left, though, I made a stop at the bathroom.

I did my business, washed my hands, and then put my hands on either sides of the sink, bracing myself. I took in deep, steady breaths as I tapped my foot, refusing to glance at the timer that I had set on my phone and keeping my gaze firmly on my reflection in the mirror.

After what felt like ages, the five minute timer went off, and I took one long, final breath to steady myself. Then, I reached into the sink, picking up the three sticks I had used.

My heart stuttered as two lines on all three confirmed what I already knew.

I bit my lip, trying not to let the tears spill over. I gripped the pregnancy sticks tightly in my hands for a few moments, then tossed them into the garbage. I washed my hands again, then picked up the bags and walked out of the gas station.

I opened the door to the driver's side and pulled myself back in. I set the snack bag on the passenger's seat beside me. "Hey, what took so long?" Hayley as I shut the door.

I stared at the window, knowing that somewhere out there, Klaus was waiting for me to bring us all back together. I sucked in another breath before throwing on a smile. "Oh, nothing," I said, grabbing my belt and clicking it back in place. My gaze lingered on my still-flat stomach, showing no evidence of what was to come. I shook it off, putting the car into drive. With one last look back at my sister and my daughter, I turned back to the open, empty road. "Let's go."

Then I pushed on the gas pedal.

TBC...

DUN, DUN, DUN!

Till next time!

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Next chapter...

Gather Up the Killers...

On the fifth anniversary of Klaus' defeat, Marcel is king of the city and welcomes the un-sired vampires to New Orleans, only to find they pose an unexpected threat to his rule, leading him to seek counsel from an unlikely source. Meanwhile, as Juliet Mikaelson closes in on the cure that will allow her to revive the slumbering Mikaelsons, she faces a final task that will force her to make a ruthless decision.