Who: Kayla and Kol What: Thanksgiving dinner/talks of adoption When: foredated to Thanksgiving Where: their house Rating: Medium - TW: addiction/AA meetings. MW: lots of father/daughter fluff
Kayla glanced at the set table, worryingly chewing on her bottom lip. Okay, she’d have to reapply her lip butter for like the twentieth time today. Since she decided to go completely sobre, and couldn’t use alcohol or molly as coping mechanisms, her lips were raw from constant chewing. Losing Allison hurt Kayla a lot, but she’d already lost one mother and it felt less like getting hit by a semi and more like continuous punches to the gut.
She didn’t even know if Kol would come down or not. Her dad wasn’t handling Allison’s disappearance well and Kayla didn’t know how to help. If asked, she’d admit her dad’s reaction didn’t differ much from Tim’s upon her mother’s death. Only Kayla had a lot more support from Logan and her aunts and uncles.
The table was set nicely for dinner and the teen poured herself a glass of sparkling water, setting a bottle of bourbon by Kol’s place. She’d dressed nicely and surveyed the meal, including the turkey Aunt Alyssa dropped off at the house. Kayla texted her dad that dinner was ready, but he didn’t have to join her. Kayla hoped he would, because she missed her dad and she didn’t really want to be in charge of slicing the turkey.
There was a huge part of Kol that didn’t want to celebrate Thanksgiving. He’d just lost the woman he loved (probably forever) and it hurt more than a stake to the heart ever could. Yet he knew Allison would want him to go down and have dinner with Kayla. She would want him to celebrate the holiday, to be part of life even if Kol wanted nothing to do with life right now.
So, the vampire made himself get out of bed and shower. He shaved and tugged on clean clothes. Kol took a final glance in the mirror and, despite his best effort, that cheeky smirk he flashed didn’t quite touch his eyes. There was a lack of suave and far too much sadness in the depths of his chocolate brown eyes. He let out a sigh and turned away, opening the door to the bedroom he used to share with Allison, and headed to the kitchen.
The smell of roasted turkey and stuffing filled his nose; the entire house was saturated in the smell of good food. It was too bad that Kol wasn’t sure he could enjoy any of it. The vampire made his way into the dining area and found Kayla at the table. Unsurprisingly, everything from the silverware to the turkey itself was perfectly laid out. He looked at her with a small smile and walked over, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her close.
“It looks amazing, darling. I know the turkey was Alyssa’s, but everything you made smells delicious. Thank you for cooking and setting everything up.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead tenderly.
The movements of Kol sounded lighter than usual and Kayla just stared at the oven’s clock. In her head she recited The Serenity Prayer and Me over and over again. Losing Allison hurt a lot, but Kayla couldn’t help her worry that she’d lost Kol too. She wanted to pick up the pieces for both her and her father, but the teen knew she couldn’t, not if she wanted to remain sobre. And maybe just once she didn’t want to be responsible to help the grownup who was supposed to help raise her through grief when she sure as fuck hadn’t worked through the trauma of her mother’s car wrapped around the tree, her fa-Tim’s disappointment and dislike of her and Allison’s leaving. Not that she thought Kol should be responsible for her feelings when he clearly could hardly handle his. This just hurt Kayla in a way she couldn’t express nor drink away…same as her dad.
She’d started piling bacon wrapped asparagus and crack (brushed in lemon juice, salt, and sugar) broccoli, leaving room for sweet potato souffle and some stuffing. Kayla didn’t pick up her fork, though, hearing her father’s steps. When he pulled her close, Kayla wrapped her arms around her dad tightly.
“Thank you.” Kayla meant the compliment, but also that she wouldn’t be forced to go through this holiday by herself. “Aunt Alyssa dropped off some whiskey for you. Said something about a buzz and under no circumstances should I try any. Joke’s on her, though, because I started going to meetings.”
A small smile on her face “And I nominate you to slice the turkey, because I think Aunt Alyssa forgot you’re a vampire and not a werewolf,” Kayla offered as a small joke. The turkey could probably feed the entire population of Vatican City.
Kayla wasn’t responsible for helping Kol manage his grief nor did he expect her to pick up the pieces of their lives now that Allison was no longer a part of them. He would never put that responsibility on her, especially given her past and the fact that she was still struggling with the loss of her mother. Kol did not handle emotions well, but it wasn’t Kayla’s job to handle them for him either. He wasn’t that immature. If she thought this then perhaps she truly didn’t know the man she claimed as her father as well as he believed.
Besides, Kol could have ripped the town apart and burned it to the ground or died trying in the wake of losing Allison. Instead, he’d managed to contain his rage and expel those negative emotions in a constructive environment like Fight Club. He’d been keeping to himself, but that was mostly because he was used to working through his feelings alone. Having such a support system, that included Kayla, was still new to him and while he appreciated it, he wasn’t always the best at showing it.
Which was why he was grateful Kayla had others here that she could speak to while Kol tried to figure out how to navigate everything. But he was trying to make an effort. Perhaps it wasn’t up to what others would consider a solid effort, but it was the best he could do right now. It hadn’t even been a month since he’d lost Allison.
“Of course, love.” Kol would hope that if he hadn’t come down that Kayla would have at least gone to Alyssa’s for dinner instead of sitting here by herself. Though, Kol would never do that to her. He was depressed, but he loved Kayla and he didn’t want to disappoint her more than she already had been in this lifetime.
“Really?” Kol replied, looking mildly surprised, but it quickly faded into a genuine smile. “Kayla, I’m proud of you.” He squeezed her shoulder gently. He knew she wasn’t drinking, but he hadn’t considered she may seek out a meeting. It was proof of how much everything was affecting her and Kol knew he had to try harder.
The vampire managed a chuckle. “She probably did it on purpose. Give me something constructive to do.” Kol turned his attention to the turkey and picked up the carving knife and carefully started slicing up the turkey to the best of his ability. With his vampire strength, it was like slicing through butter.
“Here you go darling.” He placed a few slices of turkey on Kayla’s plate, careful to avoid touching anything else already there.
Kayla would probably have asked Hayley if she could invade their place for Thanksgiving. While she could handle herself around Damien, and obviously did when necessary, Kayla didn’t think she’d remain sobre around both Duvals, Aunt Rebekah, and Uncle Marcel, under one roof, even if she was closer to her aunts in town. But she’d put effort into her food and wanted to enjoy it, even if she threw on headphones and listened to music by herself.
“I…haven’t been drinking or taking drugs, obviously.” Unlike back home, the likelihood of Kayla getting away with shit in this house seemed as likely as her dad waking up tomorrow in his witch’s body instead of as a vampire. Permanently. Without Dome influence. “But, since I don’t possess great coping mechanisms, I needed to talk to others with similar issues. Logan can’t relate and…” Kayla trailed off and shrugged, although she returned his smile, obviously pleased by his praise. Kol kept trying to be a good dad and she didn’t want to make him feel worse. “I don’t want to burden anyone else and no offence to Aunt Alyssa or the rest of you, you all have supernatural tolerances and she still does E on occasion.” So not exactly the best role model in this situation. Plus…well...she’d need to be blind to not see the amount of bourbon consumed in this house even prior to Allison getting sent home.
She couldn’t help her snort of laughter. “Knowing your sister, you’re right. Oh! She left you a card too.” Kayla handed the card to Kol, which had a blue shell in the envelope corner. If Kayla had to guess, it included both something sarcastic and caring.
“Thanks!” Kayla sat and started to eat, careful to not put elbows on the table and to use the proper silverware. She had Tim Powell to thank for these things. Oh, her souffle turned out delicious, melting in her mouth which paired beautifully with the toasted pecans.
After a few minutes, Kayla finally brought up what she actually wanted to talk to Kol about. “I don’t know how you feel about it, and obviously I only want this if you do too, but I’d like to be formally adopted. If you get sent home, I want written proof you were my dad.” She tried to keep the hope out of her voice, trying to sound nonchalant about the idea, even while she knew how badly she wanted to belong to this family.
Kol would have supported either choice if he’d been unable to force himself to come down to dinner. He would have wanted Kayla to be happy and no, he wouldn’t have wanted her to feel uncomfortable or stressed (more than she already did) at Thanksgiving. He definitely wanted her to remain sober as well. She’d been doing so well and he didn’t want anyone, specifically himself, to be the reason she ended up reaching for that alcoholic drink.
The vampire frowned. “Kayla, you’re never a burden to anyone, but I understand wanting to speak with others who can relate to you. And wanting to try and remove yourself from any tempting situations.” Kol knew he wasn’t the best role model when it came to not indulging in certain human vices. He did drink a lot, but that was mostly because he was a vampire and he didn’t have to worry about facing the health consequences. With Allison gone, he drank more, but tonight he decided to ignore the bottle of bourbon and stick to water instead. He didn’t want to make Kayla feel tempted or uncomfortable.
He shook his head. “I’m not surprised. I’m sure it contains little bits of Alyssa wisdom along with plenty of snarky remarks.” Though he did love Alyssa for all of it and knew she meant well.
After filling his own plate, Kol settled beside Kayla and started to eat. Not surprising, it all tasted delicious and Kol was filling his plate with seconds when Kayla spoke up again. The statement nearly caused him to drop the turkey. Somehow, he managed to keep it all steady until it was settled back in front of him. She wanted him to adopt her? She wanted to be a Mikaelson. No one wanted to be a fucking Mikaelson. The family was cursed. A nightmare. Some would say a plague. Yet, Kayla wanted to be a part of it. She legally wanted to be his daughter.
Kol was silent for a moment, unsure how to respond, and there was a part of him that really wanted that bourbon, but he refrained and took a long drink from his water glass instead. He was torn. He wanted to keep her from the hell that being a Mikaelson could be, but he also knew how much she did want a family. Deserved one.
Finally, he looked over at her with soft, brown eyes. “Are you sure that is what you want, love? Being a Mikaelson can be hell. We are dysfunctional on a good day and you’ve already dealt with that. Obviously, I would love for you to legally be my daughter, but being a Mikaelson is like damning yourself.”
Kayla couldn’t help but feel proud considering how much food her dad ate and how he seemed to enjoy everything. She hadn’t been sure if he’d eat, and this gave her hope.
“I know that I’m not a burden, but I also know how hard a time you’ve had with the Dome being a complete fucking asshat.” Obviously, Kol knew what his daughter meant. “So I don’t want you to have to worry about me too.” No, Kol’s drinking didn’t help, but Kayla didn’t expect anyone else to never drink in front of her again. “You don’t have to not drink but, I picked up some craft sodas. Do you want to split one after dinner?”
She waited, knowing Kol needed to work through her words. His own complicated relationship with his family meant that he would probably think Kayla had lost her actual mind. The longer she waited, the more worried she became and she needed to fold her hands into her lap instead of yanking the bottle of bourbon towards her.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Dad, but I’m dysfunctional on a good day,” Kayla half-joked. Except she really did think of herself in that manner. “Yes. You all might be dysfunctional, I might be damning myself, but you love me. You are exactly what I want in a father. I want to be a Mikaelson because that’s who you are for better or worse.” She offered him a smile and this time she walked over and hugged him. “Besides, your siblings treat me like family too.” Even Uncle Marcel after their awkward beginnings.
As a vampire, Kol didn’t need to eat, but he made a conscious decision to try and eat a little of the meal tonight. Kayla had slaved away on all the side dishes and he didn’t want to make her feel bad by not touching anything, but the alcohol. Surprisingly, after he’d started eating, he found he had an appetite after all and next thing he knew, he was adding a bit more stuffing and souffle on to his plate.
Kol chuckled. “Kayla, regardless of the Dome being an asshat, I will worry about you. It’s part of being a parent,” he replied. Obviously, it was new to Kol. Oh, he’d worried about people before, but he’d never been a parent until Kayla came into his life. It was a role he’d never expected to experience since vampires could not have children and he had little interest in adopting any. The Dome had thrust Kayla upon him, but he didn’t regret the chance to her father regardless of the worrying that came along with it. If anything, it had enlightened him in a way to what his own parents had experienced with himself and his siblings.
His relationship with his family was complicated on a good day and an absolute nightmare on a bad one. He couldn’t deny that and being the black sheep of the family didn’t exactly help things either. He’d always been on the outside looking in at the triad of Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah, wishing he too could have been a part of “always and forever” until the thought left him bitter. It helped that Klaus wasn’t here now and Elijah and Rebekah wanted to know him, but centuries of being shut out and stabbed in the back took their toll. Kol knew there was still so much for all of them to work through. He wasn’t sure he wanted Kayla to be “officially” a part of that. Branded a Mikaelson forever. Her words softened Kol’s heart and he returned her hug gently. “I don’t see you as dysfunctional, love and I love you too. I never saw myself having a child, but I’m glad I had this opportunity to be your father. It’s been an honor.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “And I know they treat you like family now too. It’s just, I guess, I wanted you to have as normal an existence as possible here. Something more stable than back home because you deserve that. Being a Mikaelson never warranted stability.”
The teen actually laughed and then offered her dad one of her (not quite so rare these days) genuine smiles. “I appreciate a dad who worries about me. Yeah, I’ve heard it’s part of being a parent.” Kayla even winked. Kol might have been a shock to the brunette when she arrived, but she couldn’t ask for anyone better to help raise her.
Kayla understood well enough that her dad didn’t possess a good relationship with his siblings, even if they seemed to get on better here. As someone who also didn’t fit in with her family, Kayla accepted her father for every part of himself, just as he did her.
She held up a hand. “I don’t want to become a vampire, to be clear.” Maybe later in like a decade. The idea of looking mid-late twenties forever sounded way less terrible than Aunt Alyssa who barely looked legal nine decades later. But that felt eons away, and she’d only consider it if her father turned her, she’d already decided. Who knew if she’d want such a thing in six weeks, let alone six years or more.
“I know you’ll still ensure I remain in a stable home.” She leaned up and kissed her father’s cheek. “It’s an honour getting to call you Dad.”
Kol playfully ruffled her hair. “You best appreciate it, love. It’s not changing anytime soon.” When Kayla first arrived, he thought he was the worst person to be chosen to be her guardian. He was a monster, someone who was barely capable of navigating the road to redemption, and now he had to navigate the path of a parent. Kol was genuinely scared; he didn’t want to fuck up Kayla anymore than she already was. However, he truly believed that the experience had helped them grow together. He couldn’t imagine not having her in his life now.
His relationship with Elijah and Rebekah had improved tremendously since their arrivals here. However, it would still take time to repair centuries of damage and they all knew it. He appreciated the fact that Kayla could understand what it was like to be a “black sheep” of sorts and that she liked him for himself. No strings attached.
Kol grasped her hand and gently squeezed it. “Good. That’s a bloody relief. You’ve barely begun to live your life as an adult. I want you to experience what it is like to be human before you consider immortality.” Truthfully, Kol hoped she never decided to be a vampire. Kol didn’t even want to be a vampire. The negatives far outweighed the positives. Immortality could only substitute for a conscious for so long. A lot of his ‘acting out’ and killing was due to being unable to deal with enhanced emotions. He didn’t want that for Kayla.
At the kiss, he smiled an actual, genuine smile that even reached his chocolate brown eyes. “I’m going to do my best, love.” He pulled her in for another one-armed hug. “And I’m honoured to call you my daughter. If you want to be a Mikaelson, let’s make it so, alright? We’ll file the paperwork come Monday.”
Kayla stuck out her tongue in a joking manner. “Good.” She thought they had navigated the parent/child relationship together pretty well, regardless of how things started. Living in this place without Kol sounded downright terrible.
“I don’t want to look forever like a teenager. Aunt Alyssa ensured that considering she’s in her 90s and someone still has to compel bartenders so she can drink. Plus, I do want these experiences. If I decide to become a vampire it will be with you and only after I’ve gotten through college. Maybe make you a grandpa,” she joked. Later. After college and marriage.
“Okay. I don’t have classes until 1 on Monday. My 9am class got cancelled.” She returned the hug, happy in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time.