So. Ya know. Just casually dropping another verse because there is so few Little Kol fics and I am here to fill the void.

This is an AU, meaning I've also changed some of the show's canon. If things aren't the same, that's why. I feel most understand this but occasionally I get the rare "but in canon..." comments. Littles aren't known in canon either.

Anyway, in this fic, Finn is still alive. Hayley and Elijah are happily married, as are Klaus and Caroline because I am here to right the wrongs of Julie Plec. Throwing in Matt and Rebekah in the background for good measure. This fic will delve into bits and pieces of the whole family, but will mostly focus on Hayljiah and Kol. I keep saying I don't like Finn, yet feel compelled to write him these days because maybe we can fix this mess that is the Mikaelson family. One fic at a time.

I am keeping up with my other verses. Currently, my focus is on this, Don't You Cry No More, Starting Over and My Two Dads. I love "I'm right here", but I am almost at the point of wondering if I've said all I can there. Maybe I'll get back to it at some point because I do love those boys. Still, for now, this is where we are. I hope everyone is alright with that! I know some worry I take too much on, but I promise, all is well. If anything, writing these fics is attributing to my mental health being as well as it is.

Anyway, as always, let me know what you think and feel free to leave prompts!


Elijah feels the presence of someone watching him do the dishes. He doesn't turn around, merely smirks and slowly scrubs the sponge against the already clean plate.

"If you took a picture, it'd last longer."

"Alas, no camera," Hayley purrs from the doorway.

Elijah chuckles. Little by little, her cinnamon perfume (that is apparently called "Spicy Orchard", but all Elijah can think of is the spice itself) draws closer. A pair of long, strong arms wrap around his waist. Hayley nibbles on his ear. Elijah has to brace himself to not drop the sponge.

"I think you're about to defeat the purpose of these clean dishes," he whispers.

Hayley's gone down from his ear to his neck. "That's what the dishwasher is for," she mutters in between nibbles.

Elijah twirls her around so their faces are inches apart. He grins as he rubs his thumb against her cheek. That playful look is written in her hazel eyes. They could be upstairs in 2 seconds, clothes off in another…

The doorbell rings.

Elijah consults the clock on the microwave with a small frown. Just after 10 PM. No good can come from someone ringing the bell this late.

And yet, it rings again.

Elijah pulls away from his wife. "Stay right here."

Hayley's brows furrow with worry. "Elijah…"

"I'm serious, Hayley. I can handle it."

Elijah exits the kitchen, heading straight for the foyer. A familiar scent comes through the walls but he shakes his head. No, there's no way…

And yet, when he opens the door, his little brother stands there.

Kol's in his favorite gray sweatshirt and matching lounge pants. His hair is messy, eyes wide. He launches himself forward, throwing his arms around his older brother's torso before Elijah has much more time to process it all.

"'Lijah!"

Elijah looks down at him, instinctively playing with his curls. "Little Prince." He peers out into the night, looking for the familiar Bentley or any sign of Kol's guardian. "Where's Finn?"

Kol is quiet. Elijah gently pulls away, tipping his chin up. Kol's wide eyes are sad. It's only then Elijah notices the tears stained on his face.

"I…I don't know," Kol stutters.

Elijah tilts his head. "What do you mean you don't know? You can't very well take off like that, he'll be worried."

"He's not home."

Elijah's jaw locks. "What?"

"I…I woke up and…he was gone."

"Did he leave a note?" Elijah knows in this state his brother likely can't read, but surely Finn thought at least some of it through.

"No. I pressed his picture on my phone, but he didn't answer."

Elijah pulls Kol back in for a hug, not wanting the little one to see his face right now. The poor thing is already traumatized. He kisses the top of his head.

"I got scared," Kol mumbles. "The house is too big and scary. I didn't want to be by myself."

"You shouldn't be," Elijah assures him, rubbing his back. "But you should have called me first, Little Prince. It's very dangerous for you to walk around by yourself. You know that."

"Just 2 streets away."

"Yes, but we don't cross the street alone. You have to…"

Kol sighs, not releasing his grip. "Hold someone's hand. I know." He peeks up from Elijah's chest. "Are you mad at me, 'Lijah?"

Elijah sighs, shaking his head. "No, baby boy, 'Lijah isn't mad. Just worried."

Hayley's voice comes from behind them. "Elijah? What's going on?"

Elijah turns, still keeping a grip on his brother. Hayley's face is a mix of confusion and concerned upon seeing Kol. The little one notices her and shyly smiles.

"Hiya, Hayley."

Hayley's face softens a little. "Hey, bug." She slowly walks over to them. "Were we expecting you?"

"This was a surprise," Elijah says. "Finn went out for a bit and Kol can't be by himself. So, he came here."

From the flare in Hayley's nostrils, he knows she can read the subtext. Yet, she keeps her eyes kind. "Well, we're always happy to have you here, Kol!" She manages a smile. "You know what? I just bought those cookies that you like. Why don't you come have some with me?"

She holds out her hand and Kol instantly takes it, pulling away from his brother. Elijah finds the corners of his lips poking up as well.

Hayley has always been patient and kind to Kol, even in his worst moments. She understands Littles and has never found an issue with the classification system. In fact, her and Elijah have been on the waiting list for one of their own for a while now. The issue is, it's long and tedious. Unless you know someone in need of care, as Klaus and Caroline did with their boys, it could take years. On the one hand, it's good that there are more caregivers than Littles. On the other…it means there are so many people who deserve to be parents and aren't.

Hayley deserves to be a mom. It kills Elijah that he can't give that to her, in any sense.

Kol follows his sister-in-law into the kitchen. Elijah ducks into his study and finds his cell phone. He dials Finn's number from memory, not even bothering to scroll through his contacts.

Instantly, it goes to voicemail.

Elijah cannot keep the disappointment and anger out of his voice. "I have our brother. He'll spend the night here. You can come collect him in the morning."

He slams the phone back down, running his fingers through his hair. Maybe he should be concerned, but he knows deep down this isn't Finn disappearing against his will. This goes back to the issues they've had over the past several months.

Kol didn't have a caregiver for the longest time. He managed to prove he did fine without one. When he felt young, he'd go to Elijah or Klaus, spend the time there. As it was, his younger spaces were few and far between. Maybe a couple times a year. After a while, Kol fell off the grid. They had no clue of his whereabouts or what he was up to for a good 2 years. No amount of searching turned him up.

Then, Finn got the call from social services. A friend of Kol's had reported to them that he was dropping consistently and couldn't care properly for himself. It was of a professional's assessment that he could no longer live on his own. Finn, being Kol's emergency contact and next of kin, was approached with taking on custody. He agreed, not prepared for what was to come.

Elijah began getting the call when Kol's dropped. Finn can't handle his tantrums or the attention he needs. Eventually, his brother didn't bother to call. He'd drop Kol off and return eventually. Elijah signed him up for parenting classes. He sent links to websites. Finn promises to do better, be better.

And yet, here they are.

Elijah puts on a brave face and heads into the kitchen. Kol sits on a stool at the island, munching on a cookie. Hayley leans against the granite, a sad smile on her lips. She's poured him a sippy cup of blood to go with it. Elijah realizes just how much stuff they have for when Kol comes over. The first time, he had to run to the store and pick up a few things. Now, their cupboards are stocked with sippy cups and bottles. They add "Kol friendly" foods to the shopping list. There's a bin of toys hidden in the closet.

"How are you feeling, Little Prince?" Elijah asks, rubbing his shoulders.

Kol shrugs. "Little sleepy." He looks up. "Take me home?"

"Finn still isn't answering his phone." Kol looks down. Elijah gently tips his chin back up. "So, you're going to spend the night here."

The little one's tired eyes light up. "Really?"

"Really. You can sleep in the guest room. I'll tuck you in once you finish your cookie."

"'Kay."

Elijah glances at Hayley, who is still observing the two. She clears her throat. "Kol?" He looks over at her. "Has this happened before? You waking up and Finn not being there?"

Kol frowns, setting the cookie on the napkin. "Uh huh."

Elijah holds back a growl. Hayley gives him a knowing look before directing her attention to the little boy. "How often?" Kol shrugs. "What happens usually?

"I try to go back to sleep," he mumbles. "Couldn't this time."

Kol looks between the two. Neither are holding back their hurt, anger and disappointment now. He sinks down a bit.

"Am I in trouble? Was I naughty?"

Elijah shakes his head, cupping Kol's cheek. "No, no, no. Not at all. We aren't upset with you, sweetheart. You did nothing wrong."

"Should've called."

"Perhaps, but you were frightened. This never should've happened in the first place."

"Is Finny in trouble?"

Elijah pauses. Realistically, he'd like nothing more than to make Klaus' method of handling siblings he's angry with look like a tea party…but he can't tell his baby brother that.

"That's not something for you to worry about. Finish up your cookie, drink your blood. Then it's off to bed."

Kol hesitates but returns to the last bit of his cookie. He takes a few sips of the blood, but ultimately pushes it away.

"All set?" Elijah asks. Kol nods. "Say goodnight to Hayley."

Kol hops off the stool and vamps over to her, hugging her tight. Hayley wraps her arms around him, pressing tiny kisses to the top of his head.

"Thanks for the cookies, Hayley," he whispers.

"Anytime," she promises, giving him one last kiss to the nose. "You have sweet dreams, alright? In the morning, I'll make you French Toast."

Kol's eyelids are drooping, but he smiles at that. Elijah walks over and scoops his baby brother into his arms. He carries him upstairs to the guest bedroom and pulls back the covers, laying him down. Kol reaches over to the other side of the bed and grabs one of the pillows. Elijah recognizes it as the one he often steals from the master bedroom. At this point, they've kept it in here for when Kol has a sleepover.

Elijah pulls the covers to his brother's chin. "You all set, Little Prince?"

Kol nods. "'Lijah?"

"Yes?"

"Lay with me, 'til I fall asleep?"

"Always."

Elijah climbs in on the other side and gently caresses Kol's hair. He softly hums, watching to make sure his eyes close.

"Love you, 'Lijah," Kol mumbles.

"I love you more, sweetheart."

There's a beat of silence. Kol's eyes are flickering again. "'Lijah?"

"Kol, it's very late, you need to get some sleep."

"Wish…wish I lived here."

With those final words, Kol drifts off to dreamland. Elijah lays beside him, very much awake, swallowing the confession.

He doesn't move for at least 30 minutes. All he can do is stare at his baby brother, guilt etching inside of him.

When all of this happened, Klaus offered to take Kol. They all knew Finn never planned to take on a Little. But as Caroline pointed out, they already had three boys, one of them being Marcel. Despite the boys being on better terms, it would not be ideal for either to have to split Klaus' time and attention. Finn insisted he could do it. That it was his job as the eldest brother to care for the family. He likened it to if Esther and Mikael had died when they were young. Obviously, he'd be the one to take on the responsibility.

Elijah didn't offer to step in. Finn insisted he had it handled. In spite of being over a 1,000 years old, a grown man, he wanted to take his brother at his word.

Something he now deeply regrets.

Eventually, Elijah gets up, careful to not wake his sleeping baby brother. He creeps down the hall, where he can smell Hayley. She sits on the edge of their bed, bouncing her knee. Elijah settles beside her, placing a hand on it to keep her still. Hayley tilts her head.

"He asleep?"

"Aye." Elijah pauses. "We never discussed it."

"Discussed…"

"Taking Kol." Hayley frowns. "Here we are, on the waitlist for a Little to be placed with us. Yet, when we had one looking us in the face, we didn't do anything."

"Klaus offered first and Finn got offended," Hayley points out. "He said he could handle it."

"And yet…"

"We had no clue this would happen. He said he was doing better. It's been a few weeks since he dropped him here."

"Are they doing better or has Finn just gotten better at hiding things?"

Hayley pauses. Elijah nods, as if to say he's right.

"He said…he said he wishes he lived here," he whispers.

Hayley raises a brow. "He did?"

"Yes. Though, he was falling asleep. And he's dropped. So…who knows what he wants."

"Even Littles have desires, Elijah. Maybe they're not as thought out as our own, but I can believe he wishes that."

"Would you…I mean…is it insane to think about?"

Hayley doesn't have to hesitate this time. "No. I can't pretend I haven't."

Elijah tilts his head. "Really?"

"Not when this first started. Still, as time progressed and Finn kept asking us to babysit, I wondered how good all of this could be. We watch the boys or April occasionally, but never this much. All this bouncing back and forth, it's not stable."

Hayley bites her lip as Elijah laces his fingers with hers.

"You're right," she adds. "We've been waiting so long to become parents. Had it come close so many times. All those nights, heartbroken and crying…yet, there's a child who needs us. Who's been in front of us for so long."

Elijah smells the tears in her eyes. He pulls her closer. She rests her head on his shoulder.

"Kol…he just fits right in. He's silly and mischievous, sometimes not the best behaved, but I wouldn't change that."

Elijah cracks a smile. "I wouldn't either."

Hayley sniffles. "We keep talking about what we want, what we need. But the truth is, Kol doesn't need a brother. He needs parents. A stable home, with two people who actually want to do this. I'm not doubting Finn's love. He clearly cares enough to take him in. But love isn't enough."

"I couldn't agree more." Elijah tucks a stand of hair behind her ear. "So?"

"So, we talk about it. First with each other…then Finn. Whenever he shows up."

"I think we'll have plenty of time then."


As expected, Finn doesn't come knocking at the door until well after breakfast has started. Kol woke up in a younger space. He sits at the table wearing his bib and eating cut up French-Toast, drinking blood out of his sippy cup. Elijah has him and Hayley stay with the food, while he heads outside.

He isn't sure if he can place the look on his older brother's face. Not exactly angry nor thrilled…yet a hint of worry and maybe a little more embarrassment. Elijah forces himself to swallow down his anger.

He steps out onto the porch, shutting the door behind him. Elijah doesn't speak, waiting for Finn to. That takes a couple of minutes.

"What time did he show up here?"

"Just after 10." Elijah purses his lips. "Which is, what? An hour after his weekday bedtime?"

Finn sighs. "I thought it would be okay to step out. He was in an older space before he went upstairs."

"And he woke up younger. Funny how that works."

Finn grits his teeth, "You think I planned for any of this?"

"Do I think you planned to leave our baby brother by himself? No, why in the world would I imagine such a scenario?"

"You don't get to stand here and judge me!" Finn snaps. "Kol shouldn't have left the house."

Elijah scoffs. "He was scared, Finn! Woke up, looking for his big brother and came up short. Then, you didn't answer your phone. As far as he looked, there was no note either."

"He can't read when he drops," Finn points out.

"Oh, so you were aware that he could wake up feeling little?"

Finn ducks his head. "I wasn't going to stay out all night. Sage called, asked me to come by for a drink. I was back by 7 AM. Kol doesn't get up until 7:30, usually."

"Why not just call one of us to come by?"

"Because I know the three of you already gossip about how much time I spend away from him."

Elijah shuts his mouth. There have been several occasions where he, Klaus and Rebekah have gathered to discuss such things. Never within earshot of Finn or Kol.

"Your little "Always and Forever" group aren't as quiet as you think," Finn continues.

"Don't, Finn, don't you dare." Elijah jabs his chest with his finger. Finn glowers at him. "While Rebekah, Nik and I haven't always been the warmest or most inviting, that has changed. You know that. We are all working on a common goal, to become a family. To have that phrase define all of us. Kol is trying. I believe you are too. So, no, you don't get to throw that back at me."

"Fine. It does not change anything, however."

"Well, what else would you like for us to do, hm?" Elijah throws his hands in the air. "You want us to care and be concerned, yet we can't express it."

"If you have a problem, you should come to me."

"Fine." Elijah nods. "We have a problem."

"I am doing my best here." Finn sighs. "I never wanted children. I suppose I knew it would happen regardless, back when we were human. Perhaps one of the few sides of being a vampire is the curse of infertility."

Elijah swallows. As much as he respects his brother's choice, he resents the attitude. What he wouldn't give to get Hayley pregnant.

"Then this happened. I assumed we'd all classify as caretakers, but Kol…is Kol." Finn sighs. "He needed one of us. As the head of the family, I stepped forward."

"While that's admirable, you clearly weren't ready." Finn opens his mouth to speak. Elijah raises a hand to cut him off. "Perhaps you never will be."

"I made a mistake."

"A mistake is a one time occurrence. Something Kol told us this wasn't."

Finn frowns. "He's woken up before?"

Elijah nods. "Aye."

Arrogance melts from Finn's face and along with it, some of Elijah's anger leaves as well. There's reassurance that his brother isn't doing this out of malice. Rather, ignorance.

"He never told me that," Finn mutters.

"I don't think he knows how."

"He told you and Hayley."

"Yes, because he feels…" Elijah trails off. Suddenly, he's in no mood to aggravate him.

Still, Finn shakes his head. "You may say it. He feels safer with you." He sighs. "Of course he does. You two are…parents."

"We're not parents," Elijah argues. "We don't have children."

"You want to. You were trying. You came close a couple of times." Finn frowns off Elijah ducking his head for a moment. "Perhaps makes you more of a parent than I."

Elijah wants to reassure him. If this were Klaus and one of his boys or Rebekah with her daughter, he'd have a list a million reasons long why they shouldn't give up.

But that goes back to intent. Klaus and Rebekah wished to be parents. Even if the circumstances of Klaus' sons fell into his lap, doesn't change that he had wanted to grow a family. Rebekah wanted kids more than any of them. It's why any time they doubt their parenting, Elijah is there to let them know they're doing well.

He can't do the same here.

"You don't have to do this," Elijah says instead.

"He needs a guardian," Finn says, his voice weary. "You heard social services."

"A guardian. They only called you given your status in the family. I seem to remember them saying that it could be anyone."

Finn raises a brow. "What are you trying to say?"

"Hayley and I were up all night discussing it. This isn't even about our desire to have children. It's about what's best for Kol. He needs to be with people who can handle him. Who want him."

"I want our brother…"

"You want him as a brother," Elijah corrects. "You want to build a bond with him, to go out and have a good time with. The same things you are doing with the rest of us. You can still do all of those things. But that's not what a parent is. Maybe we didn't have the best examples. Father was…Father. Mother had too many little ones, so she leaned on us to take on the burden. 'Twas not our job."

"It's what had to be done," Finn says, his voice firm. "It's what was expected."

"Yes, but you aren't expected to do this now." Finn bites his lip. "Brother, if this is what you wish, I will help you. Attend those parenting classes with you, study the literature. Give you the numbers for the best nannies so you can still go out and enjoy your adult life. But I will only do that, if you can tell me that is what you truly want. Not because of some antiquated beliefs shoved onto us by our parents, but because you truly want to care for Kol in the way he needs."

Finn is quiet for a few moments. Elijah stands there, no longer angry. For once, he's regained some compassion or his eldest brother.

"I'd like to talk to him," Finn says.

Elijah nods. "Sure."

"Is he…"

"When I was in there, he was in a younger space."

The two head back into the house. Kol's bib is now on the table, rather than his neck. Hayley is attempting to wipe the syrup on his face, but he nudges her away.

"I got it," he mumbles, taking the napkin from her.

Hayley chuckles, ruffling his hair. "Whatever you say, bug."

"I hate when you call me that."

"Oh, well." She kisses his cheek. "I should clear the…"

Hayley trails off when she sees Elijah and Finn standing there. She rises to her feet, putting her hands on her hips and pursing her lips. Elijah shakes his head, indicating she can put her mama wolf instincts away. Kol spots the two and frowns.

"Hayley," Elijah says. "Finn would like to speak to Kol." Hayley opens her mouth to rebut. "And we're going to let him."

He gently takes hold of her elbow and escorts her out of the room.


Kol fidgets with the napkin in hand. He eyes the bib, his cheeks flushing. Kol tries to not drop when Finn is around. He knows deep down that his brother only took him because he had to. If it weren't for that stupid social worker, Kol wouldn't have to burden anyone. He'd be out on his own, just as it used to be.

Now, here they are. Two brothers, stuck with each other.

Finn's eyes are on the bib too. He never got a ton of items for his space. Kol told him it wasn't necessary. Finn listened. Elijah and Hayley didn't.

When he's small, Finn will play with him…until he has a tantrum or too clingy. Finn isn't one for hugs. His smile isn't the same. He doesn't understand why grilled cheese has to go on the blue plate, while nuggets go on the green.

Hayley and Elijah are patient when he's having a tantrum. They tell him to use his words and are sometimes disappointed, but they don't yell like Finn.

Even when he's in an older space, they have the tendency to baby him. Just a little. Elijah insists on holding his hand when they walk somewhere. Hayley is constantly trying to clean his face, give him little kisses or pinch his cheeks. They know his favorite foods and the things that trigger his sensory disorder.

They don't make it seem like effort.

He doesn't want to feel like effort.

Kol finally speaks. "I'm sorry I left the house alone."

"You shouldn't have," Finn says. For a moment, his voice authoritarian and Kol fears he'll get a spanking. Instead, while his tone remains the same, there's a bit of pity in his eyes. "I understand why you did. But that wasn't safe."

"I won't do it again," Kol lies.

He can't promise he won't seek out his brother and sister-in-law again. Still, he knows that's not what Finn wants to hear.

"Just as you shouldn't have left, I shouldn't have either," Finn admits.

"You went out with Sage, I assume?" Finn nods. "Makes sense then."

"I've been operating as if nothing in my life has changed. That couldn't be further from the truth. You need a caregiver."

"And you are one."

"Not in the way I should be." Finn purses his lips. "I thought because I helped raise you, this would be no different. Yet, it is. There is a difference between a brother playing a part in raising their siblings compared to doing it on their own."

A pit forms in the depths of Kol's stomach. "And you don't want to."

"No. I don't."

Kol swallows. Tears burn his eyes. He stands up from the table, barely pushing in his chair. Finn frowns.

"Wait." Kol ignores him and starts to walk out of the room. Finn grabs him by the shoulders. "I said wait."

"You just admitted that you don't want me," Kol bites back. He shakes his head. "It's not exactly the shock of the year. I'll go back to the house, get my stuff and figure something out."

"Kol, I know what I said has to hurt. But I also don't want to lie to you!" Kol merely glowers at him, trying to pull away. Finn sighs. "I wish I could be the guardian you deserve. Who wants to work all this out. But if I forced it, we'll both just be miserable. You deserve to be with people who know what they're doing."

"And who's that?"

Finn's eyes flicker behind him. Kol turns and follows his line of sight. There's a family collage on the wall, in the shape of the tree. Each "leaf" holds a spot for a photo. Most are empty, but the few in it are of Hayley, Elijah…and him.

Kol shakes his head. "They don't want me."

"They do." Kol sighs. For the first time since he entered the room, Finn smiles a little. "They have been waiting to adopt, Kol. Waiting for the perfect child. And they know that's you."

Perfect. That's not the descriptor he'd use. Heck, he's not sure any of the family would genuinely refer to him as such.

"I don't want to just be passed around from relative to relative," Kol says. "It's no different than foster care."

"This would be your last stop."

"You can't just make that choice for them."

Elijah's voice comes from the doorway. "He hasn't."

Kol turns once more, this time coming face to face with Elijah and Hayley. They both have soft smiles on their faces. Kol bites his lip.

"What I said last night…it was dumb," he mutters.

"It wasn't dumb," Elijah says. "You wished this was your home. And we can make that happen."

"But…"

"We love you, Kol. Everyone in this family does, but this is different," Hayley says. "We want to be your guardians…your parents. We don't want you to ever have to worry about where you're going to sleep or who will take care of you."

Kol shakes his head. "I don't need people to pity me."

"We don't pity you, sweet boy," Elijah says. "We love you. We want to take care of you, to be your family. Well, we're already family, but you know what I'm saying. You're our boy."

Kol folds his arms over his chest. His body is tingly. It's too hot in the room, there are too many people. His head still hurts from switching states and is mouth is still a little sticky from the syrup on the French Toast.

"This is a lot," Hayley whispers. "It's not something that we can complete in one conversation. But, what if, for now, you stayed with us?"

Kol sniffles, itching his arm. "Just for now?"

"We want you to stay forever, but I think that's an overwhelming concept. So, we'll start off slow. You move in with Elijah and I for a month. If you still feel like this is something you want, then we'll make it permanent."

Kol's chest lightens a bit. No one's ever given him a choice before. The social worker told him he was incapable of caring for himself, so that was the reality. Finn said he was moving in with him, so that's what happened. Even before all this classification stuff, Kol went from place to place, wandering. Stuck with a family who didn't truly understand him.

Someone is giving him a choice now. Two people, who do get him.

Who want him.

Kol glances at Finn, who steps forward.

"I think this is what's best. I'll still see you, but I can be your brother, not your guardian."

Kol nods. "I think I like you better as a brother," he whispers.

A sad smile comes across Finn's lips. "I think I like it better that way too."

Kol looks back at Elijah and Hayley. He swears it looks like his brother is about to cry. Hayley's already got a few tears falling down her face.

"O…okay," he says.

Elijah catches his breath. "Okay?"

"If I don't like it, we'll figure something else out?"

"Aye. We'd appreciate it if you gave this a fair shake."

A small smile comes across Kol's face. "Alright," he whispers. "I guess I can try."