•|•

"We define ourselves by our family."

Klaus laid in a coffin at the compound, where the golden dagger Kol and Davina made was still stabbed into his chest, desiccating his body. Rebekah and Elijah stood beside him, looking conflicted and guilty about what they'd done to him to help Isabel and Hope.

"From birth, we share their names..."

Isabel, Hayley, Jackson, and the rest of the Crescent pack were busy unloading their vehicles while Isabel held Hope and Rose protectively, Hope strapped to her chest and Rose on her hip.

"...Entrust them to protect that which we hold most dear."

Josh returned to his and Aidens apartment for the first time since his boyfriends death. When he walked through the door, he saw a note that Aiden left for him on the counter which read, "Call me when you get home. - A," which he picked up with a hand that was still stained with Aiden's blood. After reading it, Josh sighed deeply and closed his eyes in grief.

"We value them above all others, and yet we are inevitably forced apart."

Davina stood in Kol's playhouse all alone while working on a spell at one of the tables, which involved a magic circle created with black sand, lit black candles, several dead birds, and Kol's paragon diamond. She held her hands out over the ritual set-up and murmured silent words under her breath. After a moment, Davina grew discouraged and stopped, a single tear sliding down her face as she slumped down and pulled her knees to her chest.

"Promises are made and left unkept."

Freya stood in St. Louis Cathedral, working on her own spell in the bell tower which used dozens of lit candles to fuel her magic. She took a break and stared out the window worriedly.

"Children, in particular, turn their backs on those who raised them, seeking lives of their own."

Dahlia stood in the Lafayette cemetery swirling blood in her cauldron with her fingers as she worked on her spell. She looked up at the ceiling as she rubbed her bloody fingers together, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she sensed Klaus laying desiccated in his coffin at the compound.

"The bond of family is not a bond forged on choice. In fact, some would see family as a terrible burden."

Suddenly, Klaus awakened with a gasp, only he was no longer laying daggered in the compound- instead he was laying on the ground in a village near a forest where he was half-leaning against a stone wall that wraps around a small cottage. He breathed deeply as he took in his surroundings, and eventually noticed that Dahlia was standing in front of him with a small smirk on her face.

≪≫•≪≫•≪≫

Jackson dug a grave out near his grandfather's and hammered a wooden gravestone which had been carved and burnt with the initials "A. L." and a crescent moon when Isabel walked outside to update him on what was happening while Hayley stayed with Rose and Hope.

"Elijah called. Freya is doing a locator spell to find us. We need to leave. Now." She finally noticed that Jackson was digging a grave for Aiden with his homemade coffin and body inside. "Wait- you're burying Aiden here?"

Jackson sighed as he stood. "We can't keep carrying him around forever. Just give me a minute to get him in the ground and we'll get out of here."

Isabel wore a incredulous look on her face remembering what he said about the place. "You said that this is how wolves bury murderers and traitors. I know that Aiden was answering to Klaus, but he was loyal to the pack in the end. That's what got him killed, Jack. He doesn't deserve this."

"You don't think I know that? You think this is how I wanna..." He gestured at the grave. "Put Aiden to rest?" Isabel looked at him sympathetically. "I don't have a choice, Isabel. You said it yourself, we gotta go."

Isabel shook her head. "It's not right. If we expect the wolves to put their lives on the line for Hope, they deserve to know that those lives matter to us." Jackson nodded in agreement, and Isabel sighed deeply as she thought for a moment. "We'll take Aiden down-river, give him a true Crescent funeral." Jackson looked impressed and thankful for the suggestion. "Too much has been taken from our pack- I won't let them lose this, too. But we'll have to do this quickly. I don't want to be here any longer then we have to."

Jackson walked over and pulled the grave marker he made for Aiden out of the ground ready to give his friend a true funeral.

≪≫•≪≫•≪≫

Isabel had Hope strapped to her chest and Rose on her hip again while she walked with Jackson and the rest of the Crescents through the forest on their way down the river. Several of the men carried Aiden's coffin, and all of them wielded melee weapons. Jackson and some of the others including Hayley have a bow and a quiver full of arms, while others have axes, shortswords, or machetes.

"You used to run these woods when you were cursed to your wolf form?" Isabel asked Jackson quietly as she looked around the wooded area.

"And before it. I was an angry kid- I was pissed we were exiled, I was pissed at my parents, pissed your brother and my bestfriend was dead, pissed you were gone..."

"Every kid with the wolf gene is angry. I made life extremely hard on Matt, bailing on school sometimes, arguing about anything I could think of, all until I met my ex which I got a little better but I finally let it all go when I got pregnant. And my ex got into way to many fights with other kids." She told him as she caressed Hope who started to stir and whimper. "Triggering the curse helped the anger calm down a lot more."

"Not me. I got worse. Of course, it was different- you know, when I triggered my curse, the Crescent curse kicked in, so I was stuck as a wolf all month long. One full moon, our Alpha didn't show up. He was killed. So, I stepped up. Protected these people, kept them safe, and that calmed me down... at least, for a little while."

Suddenly, Hope started crying loudly, clearly tired and unhappy, and Isabel looked stressed out.

"I hungwy an tiwed momma." Rose mumbled.

"I know baby girl. We'll go to bed soon. I promise." She kissed Rose on the forehead. "Hey, I need to stop and feed them."

Jackson and the other wolves stop walking and turn toward her. "There's a hideout about a half a mile south from here. Grab some guys to watch your back. I'll round up the rest and we'll make a perimeter. This Bayou is our territory, and we'll defend it."

The wolves all split up to start to set up their security arrangements, leaving Isabel with her daughters to walk ahead on her own.

≪≫•≪≫•≪≫

Isabel was in the hideout with Hope, who was playing in her playpen and Rose, who was taking a cat nap in the play pen as well. It wasn't ideal but the place was a mess and she didn't feel safe putting Rose anywhere else and she seemed fine next to her sister.

The female hybrid was talking with Marcel, who was still at the Mikaelson compound, on the phone while she kept her youngest daughter occupied.

"So, after all that, Klaus wasn't even the one that killed Aiden or Andrew?" Isabel asked feeling guilty.

"Thought you'd wanna know." He told her sympathetically.

"Why would he take the blame? What the hell did he hope to achieve?"

"You doing okay?" He asked instead of giving an answer because he did not know what Klaus was thinking when taking the blame. That and he knew she was upset, it was clear in her voice.

Isabel sighed, placing her phone down and rubbing her forehead as she said, "It's... pack morale isn't exactly awesome right now. Jackson's heartbroken..." She looked over at a nearby wall, where "J.K., A.L., O.R., 2005" was carved into the wood and she stood up. "Aiden was our friend."

"You're a leader who cares for her people. I get it. Right now, you're a leader at war- now, you can either be their friend, or their Queen, but you can't be both." Isabel sighed and pursed her lips knowing he was right. "Alright? These wolves, Jackson? They'd die for you. Question is, are you going to let them?" Isabel wore a thoughtful looked as she thought about his question, but remained silent. "If the answer's 'yes,' then you gotta live with that."

"...yeah. Yeah, I know." She bit her lips as she thought of her wolves. "Thank you Marcel."

"Hey, Isabel." Isabel looked behind her to see her sister as she hung up. "Am I intruding? I was just getting cold and thought-"

"Go ahead and rest for a bit." Isabel assured her. "You'll need it."

"So do you," she said as she sat down so that her back was against a wall. "Come sit with me."

Isabel sighed and nodded before walking over to sit down.

≪≫•≪≫•≪≫

Elijah walked through the woods for a few moments searching for Isabel and her pack before he caught an arrow that was shot at him by one of the wolves. He dropped the arrow and looked around for a moment before catching an axe that was thrown at him by another wolf. He held it defensively as two werewolves, aiming two more arrows at Elijah, began to approach him.

"Children, please," he said unaffected as he threw the axe aside, just as Jackson lunged at him from a nearby tree and punched Elijah so hard in the jaw that he fell to one knee before he returned to his feet. Jackson and Elijah both glare at each other for a long moment as several other werewolves surround Elijah and aim their bows at him. "I'm here only to see Hope."

Jackson clenched his jaw in anger. "Not gonna happen. One bite from us? There's venom in your veins. Hard to find anything in these woods when your head's not right."

Jackson's face partially transformed with golden eyes and fangs as he lunged for Elijah yet again, but Elijah easily flipped him onto his back, temporarily incapacitating Jackson until he rolled back onto his feet. Elijah sighed tired of the fighting. "Must we proceed with this nonsense? From what I understand, you didn't exactly fare well against my brother."

Jackson smiled. "There's a difference between you and Klaus- you can't kill me." Elijah side-eyed him in a questioning manner. "If you kill me? You lose her for good. She'll never forgive you."

Elijah glared at him until he sensed Isabel approaching him from behind with Hope. Hayley and Rose having passed out in the safe house. "And speak of the devil."

Isabel sighed. "Elijah. You shouldn't be here."

"We have another plan," Elijah said emotionlessly, still staring down Jackson. "Rebekah and Davina found a way. If we can replicate Hope's magic, we can lure Dahlia into trap." Isabel nodded in understanding. "After which, I'll kill her myself." Elijah gave Jackson one last glare before finally turning so he could face Isabel. "All we need is a vial of Hope's blood."

Isabel looked back at Jackson, who didn't seem to like his plan, but after a moment, Isabel turned back to Elijah and nodded. "I'll give you her blood. I'm trusting you, Elijah."

"And when we know Hope is safe, you can return to where she belongs-" he turned part way so that both Jackson and Isabel saw a side of his face. "With family."

Jackson became even more unhappy upon hearing this statement, and continued to glare at Elijah.

≪≫•≪≫•≪≫

It was darker outside and Jackson was watching over a sleeping Hope and Rose at the hide out. He was soon joined by Isabel, who looked somber.

"The pack's gathering for the funeral. They're just waiting on one more." She ran her fingers over the carved initials on the wall that she saw earlier. "You, Aiden, and Ollie used to hang out a lot here, huh?"

Jackson smiled. "In a way, we were like brothers. Always looking out for each other." She smiled at him, and Jackson took a deep breath. "I wasn't really close to Andrew but I know you and Davina liked him very much. He was a nice kid. And I'm sorry you lost him too."

She smiled sadly. "No one really was..." she trailed off, referring to how no one was really close to Andrew. She let out a breath so that she didn't cry remembering her friend. "But in the end he died knowing Davina, Josh, and I cared very much for him."

"Isabel, before you came to New Orleans, our pack chose me, not just to lead them, but to stand for them." Jackson started. "We've lost too many to the Mikaelsons this year, and Elijah wants you to go back to their family when this is all over. But, I can't live under Klaus' roof and be the Alpha this pack deserves."

Isabels head snapped to him and her eyebrows furrowed in worry. "What are you saying, Jack?"

"I love you, and Rose and Hope, and I'll honor our vows always. But, I need to know who your family is. If you want to go back to the Mikaelsons, I can't go with you. If they really are your family, then I gotta protect my own."

Isabel looked upset that he was making her choose, and Jackson gave her a weak smile before kissing her on the forehead.

"I'll give you some time to think," he said as he left to go to Aidens funeral.

Isabel frowned and rubbed her head with her hand in exasperation.

"I know you see the Mikaelsons as your family Isabel." Isabel dropped her hand and looked to see Hayley wide awake on a chair that she was slumped over just a bit ago. "I've been up for a while I just didn't want to disturb you two." She gave a sheepish smile. "But the question you have to ask yourself is: which way is best for me and my girls? And no matter what you choose I will go with you because you and those girls are my family."

Isabel nodded. "Thank you." She let out a short breathe before standing taller. "Well let's get going. Everything's ready for the funeral."

Isabel and Hayley joined Jackson who stood behind Aiden's body that had been wrapped in a white sheet and laid on a handmade boat. The female hybrid intertwined her fingers with her husbands before giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"I grew up wanting to know my true family and I found you, and the pack. We need to do right by them, starting with Aiden." In all honesty Isabel didn't want to run from the Mikaelsons but she also didn't want her husband to leave her and she didn't want to keep fighting all of her children's life simply because Klaus was Klaus. It wasn't fair to her or her kids.

Isabel turned when she heard someone approaching them only to see Josh, who looked devastated and uncomfortable as the werewolves surround him and look at him suspiciously. Several of the wolves stood in his way so he that he couldn't come any further. "He's okay." She told Jackson who seemed to be tense. "I told Josh where he could find us." The blonde turned to the wolves. "Let him threw. I called him here." She announced to her pack and they let off of him as Jackson headed toward Josh.

Once he was close enough Jackson held his hand out toward Josh, who shook it with his own.

≪≫•≪≫•≪≫

Josh was kneeled beside Aiden's body to say his goodbye before they finally sent him off. He brushed a lock of Aiden's hair off of his face and kissed him on the forehead before standing and addressing the wolves.

"I never thought much about the whole immortality part of being a vampire. Suddenly, forever feels like a really long time."

Isabel and Jackson, who are clutching each others hands, look at each other sadly.

Josh, looking devastated, walked over to the them. Isabel and Hayley gave Josh a big hug while Jackson kneeled next to Aiden's body and covered up his face with his shroud while the rest of the Crescent pack watched mournfully. Jackson and Josh push the boat with his body into the river before Jackson throws a lit lighter onto the boat, setting the boat up in flames and giving Aiden a Viking funeral. Isabel, Hayley, and Nick -Aiden's brother- walk up to Jackson. Isabel next to Jackson, Nick on Jackson's other side, then Josh, then Hayley. All of them watching Aiden being sent off.

≪≫•≪≫•≪≫

Isabel, Hayley, and Jackson prepared to leave their hide-out in the Bayou while Elijah and Rebekah listen to their parabatai's voicemail at the compound. Unbeknownst to anyone, Klaus was standing in the next room, listening as Elijah played the voicemail on speaker.

"Elijah... I'm calling to say goodbye. Rose, Hope, and I... we can't be part of your family anymore."

Isabel looked down in the play pen where Hope and Rose were messing around with their toys and giggling.

"All Hope's life, her family has tried to destroy her. That can't be my little girl's story. And I can't drag Rose into this."

Elijah and Rebekah are standing in the study, both looking devastated as they heard her. Behind them, Klaus snuck up and listened in from the hallway, becoming more and more angry the more of the message he heard.

"Family is supposed to love you. Even if she is free of Dahlia's first-born curse, Hope would still be Nik's daughter. She'd inherit a thousand years of enemies, all his anger and rage... I don't want Hope to live her life with the pain that comes with the Mikaelson name... She doesn't deserve that."

In the hallway, Klaus was near tears, and took a deep breath to steady himself. Part of him hated her. She was taking away his daughter. But another part felt guilty. He knew she was right.

"This was never supposed to happen. I swear to you it wasn't." She sighed. "I never wanted it to go this way. And it hurts to say but... this is goodbye. From both me and Hayley."

Elijah looked as though someone had just punched him in the stomach while Rebekah looked sad for everyone involved yet understanding. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"She's right, Elijah," she said softly. "None of her kids are safe here."

Elijah sadly turned off his cell phone, while Klaus, now furious, left the compound.