Just a short one shot for now.

Blood… Kol closed his eyes and savored the sweet taste in his mouth before bending down and washing his face in the river. Once again he had went to a village nearby and satisfied his thirst, now he could lie down next to his beautiful Eola and enjoy her warmth without having to constantly think about the sound of her heart beating or the sweet scent of her blood. He could place his palm on her belly and feel their child moving.

It had been almost 8 months since they had fled from his father, leaving everything they knew behind. All his siblings had gone to their separate ways; Kol had no idea where they were now. That was probably for the best, he didn't want any of them near Eola. He had no idea how he would have survived the last months without her and he was willing to do whatever he had to do to look after her and their child. Unfortunately he have had to lie to her a lot, he didn't want to let her see what he had become.

She was the kindest person he had ever met and a very talented witch. Ayanna had taken her in many years ago after her parents had died and raised her as her own. Many boys in their village had wanted her, but Kol had been the one who had managed to claim her heart. There had been a strong connection between them from the beginning, partly because they both were witches. She had always enjoyed competing with Kol and he had usually let her win. When they had finally consummated their love deep in the forest, the Earth had literally shaken under them. That had been the most amazing moment in Kol's life.

He had felt guilty for not wedding her first and he had planned to do that as soon as possible, but then Henrik had died and everything had gone terribly wrong. His own father had killed him and he had woken up like this, craving for blood. The worst part had been losing his magic, the shock had been paralyzing. Then Eola had told him that she was with child. Fate could indeed be cruel. She knew that he had changed, but fortunately she didn't know the whole truth, the side effects of Esther's spell.

He washed his face again, wanting to make sure that all the bloodstains were gone. The night was beautiful, the sky was bright and the moon was full. He used his inhuman speed to get back to the cottage where he and Eola had stayed for a month now; she was in no condition to travel anymore. He had told her that the cottage had been abandoned, but the truth was that he had drained the man and the woman who had lived here. A part of him knew that things couldn't go on like this, but his mind refused to accept that. Everything would be just fine; he would take care of his family and…

"Kol!"

Eola's desperate cry made him to move faster, something was wrong. No more than a second later he was in the cottage; he could immediately smell the blood. Eola was lying on the furs holding her belly; she was in a lot of pain.

"Eola!"

He zoomed next to her and kneeled.

"Is it time? Is the child coming?"

Her tearful eyes looked at him before she nodded.

"Yes. You…you must…"

Her shaky hand reached for something under the furs. A knife. He stared at it when she handed it to him.

"What…"

"The child is in a wrong position, she is dying," Eola said weakly. "You must cut my belly open…"

"No! How can you even…no!"

She grabbed his hand and squished it.

"You must!"

His mouth floundered open and closed.

"But…No, you would die."

She looked into his eyes and smiled weakly.

"I will die either way, we both know that. I always knew that this child would not be for me. She is for you."

Kol swallowed.

"She?"

"Yes, our daughter. I want you to name her Gisla, it means light. That is what she will be to you, my love."

Kol shook his head, he refused to accept this.

"No, no, I need you…"

"You must be strong now, my love. Our daughter will need you."

He bowed his head.

"No, you do not understand, I…I am not a good person…"

She squished his hand tighter and yelped in pain.

"Have you not learned by now that you cannot keep secrets from me," she said, struggling to keep her voice steady. "I know, Kol. I know everything."

He looked up and saw the sadness in her teary eyes.

"Eola…"

"You must do it now. Save our daughter before she dies with me."

"I cannot…"

"Do it! If you ever loved me, you will do this!"

His eyes were filling with tears when she placed the knife in his hand. He could tell that she was right; he could barely hear the child's heartbeat. Eola's heartbeat was weakening fast; she had lost too much blood.

"Protect our daughter," she gasped weakly. "Give me your word."

"I give you my word," he heard himself saying.

She smiled and touched his cheek with her shaky hand.

"I love you…"

He pressed his lips against hers while lifting her dress. She muffled a scream when he cut her belly open. How he could do that, he had no idea, all he knew was that he couldn't lose them both. The child was covered with blood when he lifted her up. So small… He had never felt so clumsy in his life; he didn't know how to hold her without breaking her. She wasn't moving or making a sound. No, no, no… The moment lasted forever, but finally she let out her first cry. He was so relieved that he laughed.

"Hello, Gisla… Eola, look…"

She was gone; he saw that immediately when he looked at her. The love of his life was gone. All he had left of her was the crying newborn in his arms. A helpless creature who was completely dependent on him. His daughter… He was all she had in this world and he would keep his word, he would protect her. No matter what.

Italy, 1112

"Where is she?" Kol snarled, glaring at his brothers.

Nik was grinning annoyingly.

"Who?"

"Niklaus," Elijah scolded and looked at Kol. "Brother, perhaps you should try to calm down…"

Kol had no patience left; he grabbed Elijah by the collar of his shirt.

"Where is my daughter?"

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed disapprovingly, but he didn't try to free himself.

"You killed the boy she cared about; she is very upset right now…"

"And I bet you are taking advantage of that to turn her against me," Kol snarled.

"I think you are perfectly capable of doing that yourself," Nik replied. "She is a smart girl and I think what she needs right now is spending some time with her favorite uncle…"

"You will stay away from her," Kol growled.

"We are not keeping her here against her will," Nik pointed out grinning "The poor girl came to us crying…"

"Where is she!"

Elijah sighed and cocked his head towards the house.

"She is inside, but try not to…"

Kol wasn't listening; he zoomed towards the house his siblings were living in at the moment. Out of all the places, why had Gisla had to come here? What happened between them wasn't anyone else's business. Kol had never liked her spending time with his siblings, mostly because deep down he was terrified of losing her. He had never said that out loud of course. The truth was that she was all he had, the only person who had always stayed by his side. He could easily pick up her scent and yanked the door open.

"Gisla!" he snapped.

She was sitting on a bed in a small bedchamber, she wasn't looking at him. Her arms were crossed and her long sandy blonde hair was down. She truly was a spitting image of her mother.

"We are leaving," he stated.

She didn't say anything; he marched over to the bed and grabbed her shoulder.

"I said we are lea…"

"Do not touch me," she growled and revealed her fangs.

His eyes narrowed.

"Are you challenging me?"

She continued growling when he grabbed her chin and revealed his own fangs.

"Retract your fangs, young lady. Now."

She glared at him angrily, but she obeyed.

"I hate you," she hissed.

"Too bad for you," he replied coldly. "Now get up."

He took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. He couldn't help but startle when her anger was suddenly gone and she burst into tears.

"What are you doing?" he muttered. "Stop that."

"Why, papa?" she sobbed. "Why did you kill him? I loved him!"

"You thought that you love him, but you are a child, how could you possibly…"

"I am not a child!" she shouted. "I have not been for a very long time!"

"You are my child," he replied firmly. "You always will be."

She sighed and shook her head.

"Papa… I do not hate you, I am sorry for saying that, but I need you to stop treating me like a helpless child. I am capable of making my own decisions."

"You want to leave me, is that it?" he snapped. "Fine, go then."

He turned his back on her; he didn't know why this had surprised him. Why had he thought that he could be the most important person in the world to someone and there could be at least one person who would never abandon him? He had tried his best to honor his word and he had loved his daughter. Like Eola had said, she had been his light, even when he hadn't deserved that. He had given in to the monster within him more often than he could remember, he had enjoyed the bloodshed, but he had never intentionally harmed Gisla.

Obviously he had made mistakes; he didn't try to deny that. Perhaps turning her had been a selfish thing to do, especially when she had been so young, only 16, but she would have died if he wouldn't have turned her. How could he have just watched her die? He had watched Eola die; he hadn't known back then that his blood could have saved her. The thought had hunted him for the last century, but deep down he knew that Eola wouldn't have wanted to become like him. What would she say about him turning Gisla? He had tried not to think about that. A gentle hand touched his shoulder, making him to turn around.

"I was never going to leave you, papa," Gisla said quietly. "I just wanted…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but he understood what she tried to say.

"Look," he muttered. "I am sorry for losing my temper like that, but when I saw that boy… I thought that he was hurting you."

She raised her eyebrows.

"I am a vampire, you know."

"Yes, I know, but you are also my child. That will never change."

She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"I accept your apology."

"Just like that?"

"You are my father," she stated. "My family. That is all that matters in the end. You know that I love you."

"I love you too," he muttered and kissed her forehead. "I always will."