Barbie and the Beast

"Bonnie! Bonnie, you have to help me!" cried Caroline, practically on her knees at Bonnie's feet. Her eyes were wide and frantic, her breathing erratic.

"Caroline! Calm down," Bonnie said, dragging her friend to her feet and sitting her on the edge of her queen-size bed. "What's going on, Caroline? I can't help you if you don't tell me what's up."

"Tyler's gone!" huffed Caroline. Bonnie opened her mouth, but shut it quickly upon seeing Caroline's face. "Don't you tell me that he left again for my own good. Tyler promised – he promised, Bonnie – that he wouldn't leave without telling me first. No, something's wrong. I think Tyler's in trouble."

"Okay, Caroline, it's gonna be okay," Bonnie smiled, patting Caroline's back. She seemed to have calmed down slightly, and for that Bonnie was thankful. Caroline when she was frantic or worried was interesting to say the very least.

As Bonnie searched through her grimoire for a spell that would help locate Tyler, Caroline paced around Bonnie's room, wracking her brain, trying to figure out where Tyler might be. Suddenly, a piece of paper fluttered out of thin air and down onto Bonnie's bed. Caroline hurried toward it. She unfolded the paper and read the note it contained.

"Uh, Bonnie. . .," gulped Caroline, thrusting the note into Bonnie's hands.

Stop looking. Tyler doesn't want to be found. He's safe and being taken care of.

Yours truly,

Klaus

"I don't believe that for one second, Bonnie. Klaus has Tyler, and that can only mean one thing – he's forcing him to do something because of the sire bond! I have to go find him!"

"Caroline, wait!" shouted Bonnie, waving her arms in front of Caroline's face. "Before you rush off somewhere, don't you think you should see if Stefan or Damon can help? What about Elijah?"

"Oh, you know the three of them are busy fussing over Elena! I'm perfectly capable of handling this, Bonnie," Caroline snarled. "I am a vampire now."

"Caroline," Bonnie started, "I don't know about this. I mean, Klaus is . . . well, he's Klaus! You don't know what he might be capable of!"

"Bonnie, if there's a problem, I'll call you. I have my cell phone," Caroline said, pulling her phone from her pocket and shaking it at Bonnie. "I can take care of myself."

"Fine!" cried Bonnie, throwing her hands up and putting away her grimoire. "If you want to go on a suicide mission to visit Klaus, be my guest, but don't say I didn't warn you, Caroline."

Caroline rolled her eyes at Bonnie's warning. When were people going to start treating her like a person capable of simple, everyday activities, especially now that she was a vampire with superhuman strength, speed, and the power to compel anyone to do her will? Caroline sighed angrily as she got into her car and drove away from Bonnie's house. As she smacked her steering wheel to the beat of the music she was listening to, Caroline found it difficult to get Bonnie's warning out of her head. Yes, it was true. Klaus was dangerous, but Tyler was more important. Caroline shook her head as if to clear it and turned onto the street that lead to the Mikaelsons' mansion.

She stepped out of her car, leaving the keys lying carelessly on the driver's seat. She shut the door as quietly as possible – the reason for this, she wasn't sure. Vampires had spectacular hearing, of course, so attempting to be stealthy probably wouldn't do much good. If somebody wanted to know if someone was there, all they had to do was listen. Shutting her eyes and taking a calming breath, Caroline walked to the ornate front door of the Mikaelson mansion and pressed the button for the door bell. She heard it clanging and echoing inside the cavernous household, but there was no answer. She waited a moment longer and rang it again. Finally, one of Klaus's hybrids came to the door.

"Who is it?" Caroline heard Klaus mutter uninterestedly.

"It's Caroline, you pompous ass!" she snarled. "Where's Tyler?"

Caroline heard Klaus chuckle lightly as he walked into the foyer. "It's quite all right," Klaus said to the hybrid who had positioned herself in front of Klaus, protecting him. "Caroline's a friend."

"Ha!" laughed Caroline, rolling her eyes at the word.

The hybrid looked at Caroline suspiciously with narrowed eyes, but nevertheless stalked away, retreating deep into the house.

"What can I do for you, love?" smirked Klaus.

"I want to know where Tyler is!" growled Caroline, growing more and more impatient by the minute. "I swear to god, if you hurt him –"

Caroline stopped her threat halfway through when she saw Klaus beckon an unforeseen figure into the foyer. What Caroline assumed to be another two hybrids hauled an unconscious Tyler into the room, holding him by his arms and allowing his legs to drag across the floor.

"Tyler!" she cried out, attempting to push the door open, but Klaus held it half shut, keeping her outside on the front stoop. "Tyler," she called again, desperate. "What did you do to him?"

"Tyler's been very naughty, Caroline. He tried to disobey his sire bond, so I'm keeping him as my prisoner," explained Klaus nonchalantly as if the thought of keeping another human being prisoner for their misdeeds wasn't at all medieval.

"Your prisoner?" asked Caroline incredulously, trying to get things straight. She couldn't believe how ridiculous the notion sounded. "You're positively medieval! You let him go, Klaus. Let him go or you'll be sorry." Caroline's eyes narrowed menacingly, her fists balled at her sides.

Klaus couldn't help himself. He chuckled at Caroline's rage, only fueling her fire more. "I'll let him go on one condition, my love. You must take his place."

Caroline blanched at Klaus's suggestion – no, his order. Somehow Caroline felt that Klaus wasn't joking; he was determined to have Caroline as his and his alone. A chill ran up her spine as she swallowed.

"Fine. I come in and you let him go," warned Caroline, taking a step closer to the door. She didn't have a choice. Klaus would have her one way or another, and she preferred it to be willingly. At least this way Tyler would be safe, would come to no harm.

Klaus bowed his head in graceful agreement and held out his hand to help Caroline over the threshold. She recoiled at his offer and stepped through the doorway. She stood in the middle of the foyer, her hand on her hip, looking expectantly from Klaus to Tyler and back. Klaus signaled the hybrids to put Tyler outside, and they did so. As they nearly dropped Tyler onto the front stoop, his eyes fluttered open. He sat for a moment before orienting himself. He quickly stood up, his head spinning around, looking for a familiar face.

"Caroline!" he spluttered upon seeing her in Klaus's vicinity. He rushed toward the door, but Caroline shook her head sadly, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"No, Tyler," she managed. "You have to go home."

"Care, what are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

As Caroline was about to interpret the goings-on, Klaus stepped forward.

"Caroline here has offered to take your place as my prisoner. I accepted her offer –" Offer? Caroline thought incredulously – "so you are free to go, mate." When Tyler didn't move, Klaus moved closer to the door, blocking his view of Caroline. "Leave," he hissed.

"I'll find a way to get you out, Caroline!" Tyler called out as Klaus shut the door in his face.

Caroline let out a small sob, turning her head away from Klaus's view.

"Oh, terribly sweet of him," snickered Klaus evilly. He pivoted on his heel to face Caroline. "What shall we do first?"

"Go to hell!"

A/N: So, this first chapter is fairly similar to when I first posted this fic. The next chapters, though, are very different. Let me know what you think!