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This installment goes into something my others haven't: the fun of social workers, home studies and all the anxiety that comes along with it. As Kol ended up with Haylijah differently than my other stories, I figured this was in order.

Also, I did change Cami's profession from psychologist to social worker. I felt it suited her better.

"I don't understand," Hayley says, staring at the paperwork in front of her. "Did Finn have to do any of this?"

"It was an emergency placement," Elijah explains. "Kol needed to go somewhere. So, the social worker fast-tracked everything. It's not as much of a rush now."

"This is bullshit," she mumbles, shaking her head. "We want him, you're his brother. Isn't this what they want?"

Elijah massages her shoulders. He shares her frustration, but vocalizing it won't do much good.

They assumed Kol coming under their care would be a breeze. Finn never legally adopted Kol. A simple transference of guardianship. Even with Kol saying that this was a trial run, they wanted to cross the t's and dot the i's. If Hayley and Elijah adopt him down the line, which is the ultimate goal when Kol is ready, they want to have the proper paper trail.

Except, social services has requested a home study and interviews with the four of them. They claim this is a lot of upheaval in a short period of time for Kol. Now, the state wants to investigate if this is a stable situation.

"There's no one we can compel?" Hayley asks.

Elijah sighs. "You know as well as I do, they're all on vervain."

"Bullshit," she repeats, running her fingers through her hair.

"Look, it shouldn't be that difficult. Our house is set up for Kol already. They don't look too far back into pasts anymore. If Klaus and Caroline got approved, there's no reason we won't."

"What if something goes wrong? What's going to happen to him?"

Kol's voice drifts from the entrance to the kitchen. "What's going to happen to who?"

Hayley immediately pushes the papers back into the folder. Kol raises a brow and walks over. Elijah rubs his back.

"I didn't know you were up."

"Yeah, well I opened my eyes and here we are." Kol rolls his eyes before glancing at the folder. "What's that?"

"It's something the social worker dropped off."

"Then why do the two of you look like it's a bomb?"

Hayley bites her lip. "It…didn't go well."

Kol frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Apparently they want to do a home study."

"What does that mean?"

"They want to look at the house and make sure it's suitable for you to live in. Which isn't what we're worried about," Hayley clarifies. "However, they also want to interview the three of us alongside Finn."

"Why? No one did this when I went to live with him. He picked me up from the office and that was that."

"It was an emergency situation," Elijah explains. "You needed to be placed right away. Now, things are different. You have a home."

"Yeah, one I'm no longer wanted in, nor do I have any desire to be there," Kol points out. "I don't understand. You two have the money, your house is fine. Why the hell can't you just become my guardians?"

"We will be." Elijah squeezes his shoulder. "We're going to get through this just fine."

"And if we don't?"

"We will…"

"Elijah. Come on. What happens if we don't?"

A beat of silence takes over the kitchen. Hayley fiddles with the folder in front of her. Elijah continues to rub Kol's shoulders, but the little one pulls away. He bites his lip.

"Could I end up in the system?"

"We would never let that happen," Hayley says, jumping up from her seat.

"But it could. They could argue that Finn doesn't want me. If they don't like you guys, they're not going to approve of Nik or Bex either. So…I'll go to a group home."

"That isn't going to happen," Hayley repeats. She puts her hand on his cheek. "It's not even close to what the social worker said."

Kol yanks away from her. A look of hurt crosses over her eyes. "But it does happen! I've read cases. They try to keep Littles with families but if they're determined unstable, they get put in group homes. I'll end up with some dumb family that I don't even want! No!"

Elijah tries to pull him closer, but he gets pushed away. "Little Prince, I know you're upset, but we can talk about this."

"I don't want to talk! I never should've come here in the first place. Finn never would've said anything and we could've gone on the way it was!"

"That wasn't a healthy environment, at all. Besides, if social services got wind of what he was doing, they'd potentially take you out of there."

"We could've figured it out. God! This is so stupid."

Kol vamps out of the room. Hayley and Elijah follow quickly behind. Kol ends up back in his room. He yanks his duffle bag out of the closet and opens some drawers. Elijah goes to stop him, but Hayley holds him back.

"What are you doing, Kol?"

"What does it look like?" Kol bites back, tossing some briefs into the bag. He doesn't bother to fold them.

"Where do you plan on going? Back to Finn's?"

"No. I'm not going to give them a chance to put me in the system."

"I see." Elijah doesn't understand how his wife is so calm right now. "So, you're running away."

"I'll figure it out. I've been on my own before."

"Where will you go?"

Kol pauses, a green t-shirt in hand. It takes him a good minute to answer. "Amsterdam."

"Ah, I see. How do you plan on getting there?"

"A plane."

"In order to get on a plane, you need to show your classification card," Hayley points out. "And given your level, you can't travel alone."

"I'll get a fake one then."

"And what happens if you get caught?"

"I won't." Hayley tilts her head. "I'll compel the person."

"And if they're on vervain?"

"I'll figure it out!" Kol snaps, stamping his foot. He drops the shirt into the duffel bag. "I'll…I'll get on a plane and I'll go far, far away."

"And we'll never see you again?" Elijah finally chimes in. Somehow, Hayley's calming presence has rubbed off on him.

Kol frowns. "We can see each other. You can visit."

"It won't be the same. We'd miss you a lot. I know everyone would."

"We've been apart before," Kol points out, sounding unsure of himself. "We were all fine."

"We're stronger as a family." Elijah takes a step closer to his baby brother. "What happens when you drop?"

Kol shrugs. "I won't."

"Oh, you won't, huh?"

"No. I'll…I'll figure out a way to make myself stop."

"That's not how this works, bud. You drop very young. Even when you don't, you need someone looking after you." Kol stares at the floor. "You wanted that to be me and Hayley, right?"

Kol nods. "But…they won't let me stay."

Elijah gently tips his chin up. Kol's eyes are filled with worry. It takes all Elijah has not to scoop him up and keep him close.

"Right now, they just want to talk," he says. "That's all."

"Hayley said something could go wrong."

Hayley frowns, stepping closer to them. "I was worried." She sighs off his dubious look. "I am worried. I won't lie to you, Kol, there is a lot that could happen. But we aren't going to lay down without a fight. Elijah and I want you here, with us. We want to take care of you. If this is what you want, we will fight until you are ours."

Kol slightly pouts. "I want to be here," he whispers. "I wanna be with you and Elijah. In my room, with all my stuff."

Hayley gently pulls him away from Eliah and wraps her arms around his shoulders, kissing his cheek. "Then that's where you're going to stay."

"But what if…"

"This is for me and your brother to worry about. We're the adults. You're our little boy. Okay?" Kol remains quiet. She gently taps his forehead. "Okay?"

Kol slowly nods. "Okay," he whispers.

Elijah puts on the best smile he can. "Come on, let's get some breakfast in you. I'm thinking oatmeal."

Kol leans into Hayley as they walk out of the room. "Can I still sleep here? Until they come."

"Yes," she tells him, fussing with his hair. "We have an appointment set up and they can't come any sooner. So, you're where you belong."

Kol nods. Elijah doesn't miss him rubbing his nose with his index finger. The tip of his thumb enters his mouth. Still, he doesn't say anything, allowing him that moment of comfort.

Elijah isn't sure what he'd prefer when the social worker comes out. If Kol is little, he'll be happier and perhaps a bit more open. Yet, they could also deem him too young to know what he truly wants. An older Kol will get his thoughts across in a clearer manner, but he may come across as grumpy, angsty and sarcastic.

It's not as if he has much of a choice in the matter. So, when Kol comes downstairs the morning of the interview nowhere near little space, he accepts it.

Kol's dressed up as much as he comfortably can. He's in a soft polo that Hayley picked out paired with pants that look like khakis, but are really jeans. Elijah puts product in his hair, making sure his adorable curls stand out.

It'll just be them today. Klaus and Rebekah submitted testimonies, stating that they feel it's in Kol's best interest to remain within the family. They also got one from a mom at the local playgroup, just in case the state found the other Mikaelson siblings as biased.

Meanwhile, Finn was interviewed separately. He told Elijah a lion's share of the questions were asking why he didn't want to keep Kol. They apparently kept trying to insinuate that he was a problem case. Even Finn was offended by the questioning. When it became clear that it was simply a "Finn problem", they explained that by forfeiting custody, he would disqualify himself from ever being considered for another Little in the future. There was no love lost there. Finn says he hyped up Elijah and Hayley, but the former wonders what good that will do. As it is, the state is annoyed that Finn took Kol on when his heart wasn't in it.

Camille "Call me Cami" O'Connell arrives 10 minutes late, with a mountain of binders in her arms. Elijah, Hayley and Kol are already anxious from the wait. Still, she greets them all with a warm smile, accepting Elijah's offer to take her coat and belongings.

"It's good to see you all again," Cami says. She looks over at Kol, her face looking as one would a small child. "How are we doing, Kol?"

Kol shrugs, gnawing on his lip. "Fine." Elijah nudges him and he straightens up a bit. "Ma'am."

"You don't need to call me that, sweetheart." Cami grabs her clipboard off the pile. "I want to start off with just a tour of the house. I'll need to see all the baby proofing and what measures you take when Kol drops." She consults the list. "It says here that he tends to fall into toddler."

Elijah nods. "Sometimes a little older. Still, we've taken every precaution. Outlet covers, baby gates on standby. Anything sharp kept out of reach." Kol flushes a bit. Hayley rubs his back.

Cami nods, jotting all that down. "Let's take a look around. Kol, this may be boring. If you want to go play video games or something?"

Kol shakes his head, discretely grabbing Elijah's hand. "No."

She softly smiles, scribbling on her board. "Alright then. Off we go."

Cami was right. The tour is fairly boring. She checks all the outlets along with the storage of anything Kol could hurt himself with when in a younger space. Much to Elijah's surprise, she even checks to make sure there's enough blood stored in the fridge, alongside the expiration dates.

They've only partially finished Kol's room. It has all the basics required: bed, desk and a wardrobe. Still, Elijah wishes they had time to truly decorate it to fit his tastes. The comforter is still the same one Hayley picked out when they moved in, long before Kol went to live with Finn. Cami writes down a few things, but Elijah doesn't bother to try to read. That will only add to his anxiety.

Next stop is the master suite. Cami notes the matching rocking chairs by the bay window, tilting her head. Hayley speaks up.

"Sometimes if Kol is a little fussy, we'll rock him there," she explains. Kol buries his head in Elijah's shoulder. The older brother chuckles, ruffling his hair. "For a while, it was the only way we could get him to take his bottle."

Cami smiles. "How often is Kol here?"

"At least 3 times a week." Hayley rubs Kol's neck. "If not more. We have toys for him in the living room, as you saw. And we're working on getting him more clothes for when he drops. Kol's just a bit sensitive about that right now, huh, Bugga?" Kol nods into Elijah's shoulder.

"That's not something we look for anyway," Cami assures them. "Some Littles aren't a fan of dressing differently when they drop. All we care about is that they have sufficient, clean clothes. Which I can tell Kol does."

Kol remains glued to Elijah's side for the rest of the tour. The older brother attempts to pick him up, but Kol insists he's not a baby. Elijah accepts simply keeping a tight arm wrapped around him.

Eventually, they make their way back down to the first floor. Cami looks at the three of them, a sad smile on her face.

"I'm afraid this is where I need to split you guys up," she says. "Kol, I've got to talk to your brother and sister-in-law for a few moments. Will you be okay?"

Kol frowns as he pulls off. "Not a baby. Don't need to be watched all the time."

Elijah casts him a warning glance. "Kol."

Kol huffs. "Sorry," he mutters. The little one looks between his hopeful guardians. "Can I watch TV?"

"Yes, you may. We'll be right in the kitchen."

Elijah presses a kiss to his forehead. Kol reluctantly heads into the living room. Elijah waits until he hears the sounds of a somewhat appropriate sitcom before following Cami and Hayley into the kitchen. He fixes the three of them some tea. Not that he's at all in a place to hold a steaming hot beverage.

The three gather around the table. Cami opens one of the binders and begins looking over the paperwork they submitted.

"So, it's just the two of you?" Hayley nods. "However, you see Elijah's family often?"

"Yes," she says. "Honestly, we probably see them every other day, if not every day. They live within a few blocks of us."

"And your family?"

Elijah frowns over the sensitive question. Hayley keeps a brave face. "I was orphaned young, adoptive parents don't want anything to do with me."

"I see here that you're a hybrid. Are you in a pack?"

"I was, however I abdicated my position to marry Elijah. I have no plans of returning."

"And you phase?"

"Every full moon. I would never do it in front of Kol," she adds. "I go into the woods, far enough away. I only return once it's over. Outside that, I can control myself."

Cami jots all that down. "How would you handle Kol if he was misbehaving or exhibiting challenging behaviors."

"Right now, we get on his level," Elijah explains. "We encourage him to use his words, use gentle hands, what have you. If that doesn't work, he goes in time out. We may take away electronic privileges or have him go to bed early. Very rarely, we spank him."

"And how do you do that?"

"With my hand, ping pong paddle or the brush. All within the bylaws."

Cami nods. "You're absolutely correct."

"As I said, it's a last resort. We usually find he just needs a bit of time alone to process things and calm down. We showed you his fidget collection, yes?"

"You did." Cami consults her binders. "I see that you two are currently on the waiting list to adopt."

"Yes, ma'am," Elijah says. "We would remove ourselves once we got custody of Kol. He needs individualized attention."

"I'm curious as to why you didn't initially petition for custody in the first place."

Guilt strikes across both their faces. Elijah clears his throat, sitting up straighter.

"My younger brother, Niklaus, offered to do so. Finn got very defensive and assured us that he had it handled. If he were honest from the start, we would have taken him."

"This is really what gives everyone pause," Cami says, setting her pen down. "Kol has only been in Finn's care for a few months. He took him on, knowing that his heart wasn't totally in the right place. While I sympathize behind his reasoning, it still caused disruption and further trauma in Kol's life."

"We understand that," Hayley says. "It's why we want him to be with us. We can help him through that."

"To be honest, Mrs. Mikaelson, the state is hesitant when it comes to your family. We need to make sure that in another few months, you won't try to pass Kol along to the next family member. He needs stability."

"We already give that to him," Elijah rebuts, attempting to stay calm. "Or at least we try to, given Finn is his legal guardian at the moment. We are always here for him. He has a room, toys. When he has a nightmare, he crawls into bed with us. He's comfortable. We want all this in writing so we can assure that Kol will never have to leave us."

"Kol comes with challenges," Hayley adds. "We aren't going into this blind. Still, Elijah and I would never pass him along. We want this to be his final stop, his forever home. A place where he won't have to worry about being dropped off somewhere for hours on a consistent basis. With two guardians who want a child."

"I'm sure you know the studies that littles do best when they remain with family," Elijah says. "He would still see Finn and I feel they'll have a better relationship as just brothers, rather than guardian and ward. Kol has a great relationship with our other siblings as well, along with their spouses and children. Niklaus is one of his favorite people on this planet. Perhaps closely followed by my sister's husband, Matt."

Elijah has to starve off tears when he thinks about the village that surrounds them. There was a point when they were all cruel to Kol. He was shut out from the family, admonished for his bad behavior, as if they were much better. Now, they do better. They try. Kol is a very loved little boy.

"I have no doubt that Kol is surrounded by a supportive family," Cami says. "I also can tell that you two really want to be his guardians."

"More than anything," Elijah clears his throat. "He already feels like he's ours."

"I see the way he interacts with you. It's clear that he adores you both, especially Elijah."

Elijah blushes a bit. Hayley smiles and squeezes his hand. "They've come a long way."

"What is your long-term goal?" Cami asks. "Would you keep permanent guardianship or would you seek adoption?"

"Adoption." Elijah doesn't even have to think about it.

"That was a quick answer."

"As I said, we know that Kol belongs with us. We want to be his parents. He deserves love, safety, security. When we look at him, we feel that pull."

Hayley nods. "I read about it in so many parenting books. When you look at a child and you just…know." She blinks a few times. Elijah can smell her tears. "He's my son. I know he doesn't consider me his mother yet, maybe he never will. It doesn't change that I love him." She squeezes Elijah's hand. "We love him."

Cami simply smiles. She documents everything, not saying a word in response. When she does speak, she moves onto yet another question from her binder.

Kol knows what Cami is doing when she has him show her all his toys. He hasn't dropped, but she clearly wants to get a look at both sides of him.

"You have a bit of everything I see," she says.

Kol shrugs. "Elijah and Hayley always come back from the store with something. They want me to find what I like to play with."

"Do you have a favorite?"

Kol pauses, thinking it over. "I like to build things." He shows her his spike blocks that click into place. "The bumps help if I need to stim for a bit."

"Those look like a lot of fun. Perhaps we could build while we talk."

"I'm not little," he points out.

Still, Cami gets to work on her own. Kol slowly joins in. He rubs his fingers against the little spikes, hoping she doesn't notice.

"How long have you been living here?"

"Um, officially for a week now," he says, clicking the sides into place.

"How do you like it?"

"No different than when I'd just visit. Hayley and Elijah are good to me. Maybe even too good."

Cami arches a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I know I'm… a lot." He sighs. "Yes, they wanted a Little of their own, but that's a lot different. My cousins, they're not like me."

"I don't understand."

"I think you do."

"Kol, autism doesn't make you any less deserving of love or support," Cami says, her voice warm. "You deserve to be in a home where you are cherished and cared for. Just as your cousins who may not share the same difficulties."

Kol twists the block in his hand. "They could've had any kid, but they want me. I think they're crazy for it."

"And what do you want?"

"No one ever really asked me that."

"Well, I am. Right now." Cami clicks her block together. "If you could snap your fingers right now and decide what you want, who you want to live with, what would you make your reality?"

Kol is quiet for a moment. He begins to stack the blocks on top of each other. His eyes drift to a picture of him, Hayley and Elijah on the mantle. They're at some family party or another. Kol spent most of it with them, in a very clingy mood. Hayley cuddled with him and read him stories. Elijah fed him his lunch.

At the end of the day, he hadn't wanted to go home. A tantrum ensued. Finn got frustrated. Kol went to bed early that night. He debated sneaking out and going to Hayley and Elijah's, but didn't want to risk the spanking. Instead, he fell asleep. He had a pretty good dream where he lived with his brother and sister-in-law.

"I want French Toast for breakfast," Kol says. Cami tilts her head. "I want Elijah to read me bedtime stories and rock me in the special chair. When I have a bad dream or just want to, I'd like to be able to crawl into Hayley and Elijah's bed. I want my pillow and my toys." Tears prick his eyes. "I want to know where I'm sleeping every night. Not have to worry that I'll be dropped off somewhere else because the person taking care of me doesn't want to."

"And you think that will happen here?"

Kol nods. "Finn loves me…at least, I think he does." He doesn't want to think too hard about it. "But, Hayley and Elijah…they keep choosing me. It doesn't matter if I'm bad or make mistakes. They want me back. Which I think makes them crazy, but I feel safe here. Safer than I would in some group home."

"You wouldn't be for long. So many caregivers would want to adopt a little cutie like you."

"I don't want them," Kol whimpers. "I want Elijah and Hayley. I want to be able to see Niky and Bex, plus Matty and Caroline. Marcel isn't so bad anymore." He sniffles. "I get to play with Jer, April and Tyler. We have family dinners and stuff. I don't want to lose all that."

"So, you'd like to stay here forever?" Kol hesitates. Forever is a very long time. Still, he can't imagine himself anywhere else. He nods. "And would you like for them to adopt you."

"I don't know," he mumbles. "Do I…do I have to know?"

"No, that's at the very bottom of my list of concerns. What I want, Kol, is for you to be happy, healthy and doing well."

"Do you think I can be with Hayley and Elijah?"

"Why don't we talk to your brother and sister-in-law about this?"

Kol quickly cleans up the blocks, following her back into the kitchen. He throws himself onto Elijah's lap. His older brother chuckles and cuddles him close. Hayley runs her fingers through her curls. Kol's heart beats heavily in his chest. He plays with the buttons on Elijah's shirt, needing to keep his hands busy.

"Well, I have to fill out some paperwork and submit my findings to the judge," she explains. "However, he often goes with my assessment."

Elijah nods. "And that is?"

"I believe the best course of action is for Kol to remain here, with the two of you."

Kol lets go of the breath he's held since he found out about the home study. Elijah snuggles him closer. Hayley bends down and smothers his face with kisses. Kol chuckles, kicking his feet a little. Cami smiles at the family. Elijah looks up at her, his eyes wet.

"Thank you."

"This isn't going to be easy," she says. "But, I have faith that the three of you will figure it out together."

"Of course we will," Elijah coos, his eyes returning to his baby brother. "I shall never let him go again."

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