Anonymous on Tumblr sent me a prompt from a prompt meme: "'What happened to your eye?!' For kol in "Starting over"?"

Combining with xohades' prompt: "Kol is kidnapped by some witches and vampires and then entire family comes to his rescue"

TW: Brief torture and kidnapping. Though, it's followed by lots of comfort, babying and love.

Every inch of Kol's body burns. The vervain soaks deep into his skin paired with whatever potions they've used with him. He doesn't even bother tugging at the chains anymore. There's no chance could even move enough to try. Hunger aches in his belly. How did they manage to starve him of all the blood so quickly?

He isn't even sure how it happened. One moment, he was taking a walk to the store. One he's taken a million times before. In the next, he was burned, thrown into the back of a van and carted off like a delivery. All those PSAs he's seen about not trusting big white vans seem to be true.

All Kol wants is to go home. He wants his parents. His brother and sister. Even Matt and Marcel. He longs for his special pillow and blanket. Kol can't even suck on his thumb, let alone use his favorite pacifier.

He tries so hard to stay in an older headspace. There is no way he's going to turn into a sniveling toddler around these dreaded witches. They can starve him of his blood, harvest his magic, he doesn't care. Kol Andreas Mikaelson is not a baby, at least not as far as they're concerned.

Even though all he wants is for his daddy to lift him into his arms and make it all better.

Kol grunts as the door to his torture chamber opens. There's a stream of light that burns his skin. They took his daylight ring at some point but at least they've been kind enough to provide blackout curtains.

"We're about done with the spell," the tall witch with long dark hair proclaims. "Shouldn't be long now." Kol screams as the light causes the flames to tear up his body. She quickly shuts the door and they heal the pain from that, but not much else. "Can't have you dead just yet."

"W…why," he manages. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"How is it fair that you, a vampire, get to keep your magic?" She tsks, shaking her head. "You monsters have stolen enough from us. We may not be able to control that Esther's children inherited her magic. We can, however, make sure that none of you practice."

Tears well up in Kol's eyes. He keeps his eyes on the dark ceiling above.

"I…I want…Dada."

The word slips out before he can help it. The witch merely hums.

"No one is coming to save you."

A familiar voice echoes through the room.

"Wanna bet?"

Kol manages to crane his neck. In the distance, he hears screaming paired with the ripping of limbs. His vampiric senses are tainted with the vervain and the pain is almost too much to manage so he cannot make out his savior clearly, but their voice is almost clear.

Kol tries to make out the battle but his searing pain renders that impossible. There's grunting and screaming. Bursts of magic fill the room but ultimately, there's a body that falls to the floor. Heavy footsteps head towards the withering boy and he isn't sure if it's the savior or the villain. He whimpers through the burns. His breathing picks up even more.

"Shhh." It's the familiar voice. "You're going to be okay, Little Prince."

Only a little of the pain flickers out.

His voice comes out broken, so tired. "Dada?"

"Dada's here."

That's all the confirmation Kol needs to give into the pain and pass out. He goes in and out of consciousness. Elijah releases him from the shackles by ripping them apart with his bare hands. In the next moment, Kol is gathered up into his father's arms. He tries to wrap his own around his neck but his body is too weak. There's something slid onto his finger. But really, all Kol listens for is his father's heartbeat.

He remembers hearing Klaus and Marcel confirm all the witches are gone. Caroline adds they've begun a fire pit to make sure none of them will be able to resurrect. Kol can't see any of them, though. His eyes are heavy as he lay limp in Elijah's arms.

"My baby!"

That's when Kol fights to open his eyes a bit more. His senses are still off but he can make out that familiar scent. A mixture of a dark, smoky perfume with his special milk and the fragrance that only comes from a wolf.

"Mama," he whimpers.

Someone cups his burning cheeks then quickly hisses and pulls away. Kol whines, shaking restlessly.

"It's the vervain," Elijah says. "Thus why I put on the gloves. We need to get it off of him. They doused his entire body with it. Miracle he even…"

He doesn't finish the sentence. Instead, Kol is cradled closer. He waits until he hears Rebekah and Matt enter the room to fully give into his sleep.

When he awakes, the burning sensation is gone but the pain remains. He's propped up a bit in someone's arms. His head rests against something resembling a pillow but not as soft.

"Mama."

That same soft hand cradles his face, but doesn't pull away this time. "Hey, Squish," Hayley whispers.

Kol blinks several times to make out his surroundings. His mom is the first thing in his line of sight. "Mama," he repeats, his voice hoarse.

A soft sob escapes Hayley's lips and she nods. "Yes, Lovebug, Mama's here." She keeps his cheek cupped as she presses a big kiss to his forehead. "Oh, it's so good to see those beautiful brown eyes."

He clings to her shirt and stares up at her. "Dada."

"Dada's getting you some blood." Hayley gives him a small smile in spite of the tears in her eyes. "You're home, Squish. You're home with Mama, Dada, Niky, Bekah, everyone."

"Hurts, Mama."

"What hurts, baby?"

Kol can't even think of where to start. Instead, he answers with a whine. Hayley nods, cupping his cheek.

"I understand," she says, as if he actually communicated anything of value. "We're going to make you all better."

Only then does Kol realize he's in the soft blue two-piece pajamas Rebekah got him. They have little bears sprawled across them. He's definitely wearing a diaper too, but is dry right now. A fresh smell of baby powder indicates it was a recent change. There's also a leash containing his favorite "mute button" pacifier, though the nipple is out of his mouth.

The door creaks open. A loud whoosh takes over the room and Elijah sits beside Hayley. His eyes are red and breathing picked up. He drops the bottle onto the duvet and leans down, resting his forehead against Kol's. The teenager moves his grip to his dad's…hoodie? He has never seen him in one before.

"There's Daddy's sweet little prince," Elijah whispers. His tear falls onto Kol's nose. "Oh, I am so glad you are okay."

"Dada," is all Kol can say.

"Yes, Dada." Elijah smiles a little. "Can I take you from your mama?"

Kol nods. Hayley reluctantly helps the transfer. Kol instantly curls up against his dad's chest, while keeping a hand on his mom.

"Wha…what happened?" Kol asks.

"You were kidnapped," Elijah's voice remains soft, soothing. "They were trying to take your magic. But we made sure all those mean witches went away."

"They…come back."

"They won't. Rebekah and Caroline made sure of that." Elijah gently rocks him. "No one will take my precious boy from me again. Ever."

"We are so sorry," Hayley says, running her fingers through Kol's hair.

Kol frowns. "Not your fault, Mama."

"We never should've let you go."

Kol wants to remind them that it's a trip he's taken a million times by himself. That he's not a baby. He can do things on his own.

He can barely form the words "baba", so he isn't sure how he'd get the rest.

Elijah holds the nipple to his lips. Kol drinks greedily, wanting all the hunger pains to go away. "Slow down," his father warns. Kol doesn't listen and the bottle is removed. He sputters, weakly kicking his legs. "I know, Little Prince. You are so hungry. But you are going to make yourself sick if you don't take it slow, alright?"

"You can nurse when you're done," Hayley says. "Both of those things should help."

Kol reluctantly agrees to slow down with a nod. He tries to be better but the blood tastes so good. Who knows when he's going to get another batch? Besides, with every sip, a bit of the pain leaves his bones. Not completely, but enough to remove the burden.

It's gone far too soon. He sucks out every little bit and bursts into tears when the empty bottle is pulled from his mouth. Kol is quickly transferred to his mother's lap and within minutes, is feeding again.

"He's going to need more blood," Elijah muses, rubbing his back.

"He said he was in pain," Hayley adds, as if Kol isn't right in her arms. "But couldn't tell me what specifically."

"It's going to be a few days before he can truly communicate. His mind is probably stuck between two places. We should probably try to get him to drop completely. We'll be able to take care of him better that way."

Kol tries to argue that he doesn't need to drop. This is all silly. He's been through worse torture and didn't have parents to fuss over him. There's no need to keep him young. It'd just be for them. They insist on treating him like a baby.

So, he'll let them. If it'll make them feel better. They've been scared enough.

This time, Kol doesn't fuss when he's done eating. He allows Hayley to pat him firmly between the shoulder blades, expelling a soft burp.

"Oh, what a good boy," Hayley praises, rubbing his back as his chin still rests on her shoulder. Kol means to blush but smiles a little instead. "I think we got that tummy cleared out."

Something vibrates nearby. Elijah speaks up. "Klaus and Rebekah are about to knock down the door if we don't let them in."

Hayley snuggles Kol tighter but for once, he begins fighting back. He wants to see his siblings. Kol attempts to crawl off her lap, but she keeps him secure. He whines.

"Niky!"

"Shhh. Niky is coming," Elijah soothes.

He sniffles, rubbing his eyes. "Bex?"

"Bex too. Daddy just told them to come in."

True to his father's word, the door opens not a minute later. Klaus is at the foot of the bed in a moment. Kol tries to crawl off his mom's lap but she holds him tight. Tears well up in his eyes. Why won't she let him see his Niky?

"Down!"

"You need to take it easy," Hayley explains. "You can't move too much."

"Want Niky! Now!"

"Hey, hey, hey, Little One," Klaus coos. "No need to yell at your mama. I'm going to take you."

Klaus scoops him up and nuzzles his cheek against his. Kol manages a small smile.

"You are not allowed to leave this house again," Klaus lightly reprimands. "Going to lock you up like Rapunzel."

"Trust me, I've already priced towers," Elijah says, moving closer to Hayley. Both look apprehensive over losing their baby already, but Klaus doesn't put him down.

Kol simply plays with Klaus' necklace. "Marcel and Care-line?"

"They're safe, Little One. Caroline is tucking Marcel into bed. He had a very big day helping us save you."

The door opens and Kol stiffens until he hears a familiar voice. "Is he ready for visitors?"

Kol sleepily smiles. "Matty."

Matt settles on one side of Klaus while his fiancé sits on the other. Rebekah strokes her brother's arm, smiling down at him.

"Look who's awake," she coos. "And in jammies from his big sister."

"Bears," Kol says, as if it's not obvious.

"You are the cutest little bear cub," Matt assures him, caressing his hair. "You gave us quite the scare, little dude."

Kol frowns. "Sorry."

"Hey, hey, not your fault. Don't worry, we kicked those witches to the curb."

Kol nods, not fully understanding. He rests his head on Klaus's shoulder, taking Matt and Rebekah's hands into his own, playing with their fingers. The door opens once again and soon, Caroline is in front of them. She lets out a soft aw.

"We put one down and the other gets up," she says, laughing softly.

"He really should get more sleep," Elijah says.

Kol shakes his head. "Not s'eepy," he fights behind a yawn.

"Sure, you're not," Klaus says, tapping his nose. "But I think your daddy might be. You see, he's very, very old and needs lots of naps…ahh! Not the ear, Brother!"

Rebekah snickers, squeezing Kol's hand. "They are so silly." The little one nods in agreement, though he doesn't have the energy for a smile.

"As I was saying," Klaus continues. "I think the old man is tired and he may be able to sleep better if he had his little boy."

"Nice save," Elijah mutters. "Watch it with the old man nonsense."

"You are the oldest person in the room, babe," Hayley says.

Elijah grumbles. Kol makes grabby hands and is taken by his dad. He allows his eyes to close once he hears the sounds of his beating heart. Hayley slips the pacifier into his mouth. With the familiar rumbles of his large family around him, he is lulled to sleep.

The next few days are a blur. Kol spends most of it in a younger state. He's either fed a bottle or nursed by Hayley. At one point, table foods are introduced but he's still spoon fed the soup. Elijah bathes him, usually having to get in as well since Kol doesn't want to be alone. The family surrounds his room. Even Marcel visits and keeps an eye on him so Hayley and Elijah can get showers in. They cuddle up on the bed and watch Little Bear together.

Kol naps, usually in Elijah or Hayley's arms. Sometimes Klaus or Matt is able to steal him away. Caroline brings in fun new movies for everyone to keep busy with. Rebekah buys Kol more comfy clothes, as if he doesn't already have an overwhelming wardrobe full.

He doesn't come out of his haze for at least a week. Kol's rebuilt his strength, finally able to walk on his own. By then, his family still doesn't seem ready to let go. Not that Kol can really blame them. While the vervain has left his system, one of the potions has not. His healing is delayed, which means he's as susceptible as a human.

So, he's remanded to the bed. Except now, he's not in an overly cuddly mood. He's grown bored.

There's a brief moment of peace when Elijah has to attend to his classes (the school has agreed to let him conduct them via Skype for now) and Hayley dashes to grab some lunch. The rest of the family is slowly resuming their normal lives under Kol's command. They can't just fuss over him for the rest of eternity.

God, how things have changed. In the past, he would've longed for all this attention. Now, it just seems like overkill.

Kol wants his PS5. That's it. He climbs out of bed and carefully creeps across the cold hardwood. At first, it seems simple. His room is right down the hall. He'll grab it and be back in bed in no time.

Except when he tries to vamp, he trips over his own two feet and falls with a clunk to the floor. He slowly sits up, rubbing at his throbbing face. There's a whoosh up the stairs. Hayley drops to her knees in front of him. In spite of all his fussing, she takes his face into her hands and examines it.

"What happened to your eye?!"

"My stupid vamping won't work," he mumbles. "I don't get it. I should be better now."

"If your healing is delayed, it makes sense that is too." Hayley frowns. "That's going to bruise."

Kol rolls his eyes, trying to pull away from her. "Joy."

Hayley scoops him up and ignores his whining. "I told you to stay in bed, young man."

"I just wanted my PS5!"

"You could've texted one of us to get it for you."

"I can get out of bed. I made the mistake of vamping."

Hayley carries him back into her room anyway and deposits him on her bed. Kol throws his arms over his chest and glares up at her. She shakes her head, patting his cheek.

"I'll get you some ice for your eye," she promises. "You stay put."

"I'm tired of laying around," Kol whines, kicking his blankie off of him and tossing his pillow to the side. "I'm not an invalid."

"You were kidnapped…"

"Geez, it only happened to me," he mutters.

"Okay, that's enough." Kol tenses up a bit at her firm tone. Her soft eyes have grown stern. "I understand this isn't easy for you, Kol. I really do. But it's not exactly easy on the rest of us either. We were so scared that night. And a part of us still are. We can't have anything happen. You mean far too much to all of us, do you understand?" Kol bites is lip and nods. "Staying in bed may be annoying. It's far better than you overexerting yourself before you're ready. Am I making myself clear?"

Kol slowly nods. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. I'll go get that ice."

She heads back for the door. Kol looks down at his sweatpants.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles.

Hayley turns around, sighing. "It's alright, Kol. As I said I know this isn't easy…"

"No." Kol looks up. "I'm sorry that you have to do all this fussing. I was the one dumb enough to get kidnapped."

Hayley is by his side in a moment. She cups his cheeks and gazes into his eyes.

"Hey, no. Don't you even start that. You weren't dumb. You were ambushed."

"I should've been on higher alert. I got too comfortable…"

"We've lived here long enough. You have every reason to be."

"Yeah, but it still happened to me. And now, Dad is working from home and you're worried all the time…"

"Lovebug," Hayley gently interrupts. She shakes her head with a small smile on her lips. "I am your mama. A mother always worries. Especially when they have a little baby vampire who seems prone to trouble." She gently squeezes his cheek.

Kol draws his eyebrows together and pouts. "Sorry you got stuck with me."

"I didn't get stuck with anyone. I met a wonderful man who told me about his little boy. And I met said little boy. One who sassed me from the first moment we met." Kol bites his lip to hide a smile. "And I chose both. Because I knew they were meant to be mine." She kisses his forehead and rubs noses with him. "You are my choice, Kol Andreas Mikaelson. Don't you ever forget that. I will walk through fire for you. Maybe you'll be annoyed because I'll baby you for all of eternity. But I am here. I think you're the one stuck with me."

Kol shakes his head. He leans forward and falls against her chest. She wraps her tight arms around him and kisses the top of his head.

"I chose you too," he mumbles. "Want you to be my mama."

"And I am." Hayley rubs his back. "We're gonna get through this, Squish. I promise." He buries his head in her shoulder, unsure if he totally believes that. Will she or Elijah really ever want him far from them again? Will he ever feel safe enough to? That seems like so far away. "How about I take you with me downstairs? You have to stay in my arms the whole time."

"Oh sure," Kol snarks, trying to hide his worry. "Carried by my mommy like a 5 year old. That's not embarrassing at all."

Hayley simply lifts him up and showers his face with kisses. Kol finally lets his smile go and locks his arms around her neck as he's carried out of the room.

I intend to do more with this plot, but wanted to keep this one relatively focused on the fluffy hurt/comfort of it all, especially having the whole family fussing over Kol. It's what he always wanted. Just sucks what it took to get it!

Let me know what you think! As always, feel free to leave prompts or ask me questions! I am on Tumblr and love communicating on there, as well as in the comments.