Present

"I really think marriage, as it stands today, should be a choice made by two people who are in love. A woman and a man, a woman and a woman, a man and a man, a trans woman and a cis man. Whatever."

Week one of her third year women's studies class and Caroline felt a twinge of pride at expressing her opinion. It was something she felt strongly about, and was excited when her tutor had asked their opinions on marriage as a warm-up question.

"While, historically, it was an institution, I think that feminism has developed to the point where it can be something women can enter into willingly, rather than something forced upon them."

Then a voice spoke up.

"Oh, come now, love. Marriage is an institution, it's been used since the dawn of time to strengthen political ties, ensure a family's financial stability and to increase one's clout. Romance was rarely a factor."

And Caroline froze, she whipped her head around to the top of the lecture theatre, where her eyes locked with his. A tirade of conflicting emotions washed over her, and it took all her willpower not to jump up and flee the theatre. Hell, it took all she had not to flee the damn country.

"Seriously! I can't believe you!"

They had started out friends.

"You can't believe me? I thought given your own marital situation, you would agree with my point, as cynical as it is."

Admittedly that had been a long time ago, but they had been friends. Best friends, in fact.

"And what about art? Music? Poetry? Literature? All these things have been portraying love and romance within relationships long before Hallmark was a thing, Niklaus."

The class around them watched in awe and trepidation as Caroline and the newcomer tossed their arguments at each other as easily as if they were an old married couple.

"Perhaps, but the majority of those texts were about the forbidden or unrequited nature of love. Never in terms of marriage."

Caroline felt tears burn behind her eyes, but she jumped to her feet.

"Maybe you're right, but marrying for love came from somewhere. Hallmark didn't just decide it was a like 85 years ago. It came from unifying two people who want to be together. If you're going to be tethered to someone for the rest of your life, you may as well want to be with them. And that's what I believe, whether you're too jaded and cynical to believe it or not."

Klaus opened his mouth to offer his rebuttal when the lecturer spoke up.

"Perhaps, Ms Mikaelson, you and the newcomer, should take this argument elsewhere. Your points are valid, but you are now disrupting my class."

She didn't say it rudely, or with a hint of irritation, but she did say it with a finality that Caroline couldn't ignore, so she scooped up her things, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry for being disruptive," she said. "But please. It's Caroline. Please don't ever call me Ms Mikaelson again."

And with that, Caroline stalked out of the class, her fiery, determined eyes on Klaus as she went. He looked almost smug at getting her kicked out of class. The two of them walked in extremely tense silence for a few minutes, until they had cleared the building and were out of earshot of anyone still in class.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she roared.

She was upset. Almost more upset than she had been in early November, almost three years previous. She let the tears fall from her eyes, as the emotions that always raged through her when he was around took hold of her body.

"Exchange," he shrugged. "Oxford was boring, so I'm my final year here instead."

Caroline's mouth fell open, as she saw all of her beautiful carefree plans fall away.

"Please tell me there's more to it than that, Klaus. Please tell me there was a parent involved, or something. Please tell me you didn't take away my last shred of freedom because you were 'bored'."

"Caroline, sweetheart," he said, softly, brushing a strand of her hair from her face. "I can't tell you that."

Klaus did have a tender side. She knew that. She'd always known that. She'd known it since she met him.

"Why do you have to do this to me?" she asked, thickly.

Caroline honestly thought she'd have two more years of freedom. Two years to be normal. Two years of being her own person, before family obligation took hold.

"What do you expect from me?"

She didn't know. Once upon a time she would have expected him to always be on her team. To always have her back. But these days…

"More. Something! I don't know!"

As she looked into his eyes, for the first time in years, Caroline saw her everything she felt for him and about them, reflected in his eyes. It only served to confuse her more.

"Well, you shouldn't have."

Caroline's face contorted in disgust, and she spat the only poison that ever seemed to work on him.

"I don't know why I expected you to be less despicable than your parents."

Klaus flinched, infinitesimally, but covered it by adopting a smug, detached look. No one who didn't know every facet of Klaus would have caught the change. But Caroline did, and she was sickened with herself for saying it. Then she was sickened with herself for feeling sickened.

"Whatever you need, love, to get that beauty sleep of yours, love."

Caroline shook her head, and turned on her heel, and stalked away from him, unable to speak to him anymore, but unable to think about anything else.

Klaus watched her go, the defiant, self-satisfied look fleeing his face, he hated what happened between them, and he wished, more than anything, that he could tell her the real reason he was back.

But he couldn't do that to her.

xxx

Caroline barged through her apartment door, the tears that had dried up as she spoke to Klaus springing back into her eyes. She tried not to sob with reckless abandon, but didn't quite manage it.

It hurt.

Seeing him again.

It hurt, knowing everything they had, and everything that was snatched away from them. She hated knowing that she had just as much part in tearing up her relationship with Klaus as he and their parents.

"Whoa, Care, are you okay?"

Caroline's roommate, Katherine, was sitting on the couch in the lounge room, an uncharacteristically concerned expression on her face as Caroline cried.

"Kitty-kat," Caroline gasped, through her tears. "He's back."

"Who's back?"

"Him! I was supposed to have two years until I had to actually be near him again! And now he's here."

"Slow down, Care. Who is 'he'."

"Niklaus Mikaelson," Caroline screeched, hysterically.

"Your brother?"

Caroline laughed derisively, until the manic look was replaced by a look of helplessness, as she flopped herself on the couch on top of Katherine and burying her face into the cushions.

It was a position Katherine had seen more times that she could count, every time when the blonde was having boy trouble. But never had Katherine seen her so upset over someone.

"He's not my brother, Kat," Caroline said, dejectedly, the tears slowing, and a strange sense of calm falling around her, as she prepared herself to finally be honest with someone. "I've lied to you. To everyone, about my family, my childhood, my life, my everything."

Kat looked anxiously over at her friend, not quite sure what was forthcoming.

"My brothers and sisters you met. Stefan and Damon are my step-siblings… But, Rebekah, Kol, Elijah, they're not my real siblings."

"Okay…" Kat said, slowly, thinking about how she could have nailed that oldest one, had she known this sooner.

"Forbes is my… maiden name. Niklaus Mikaelson is my… husband."

Katherine's eyes went the size of actual dinner plates.

"Your what?!"

"Husband, Kat, husband."

Katherine gaped at Caroline for a moment, before the brunette wordlessly jumped to her feet. Caroline sat up, a little confused, as Katherine ran around the house frantically. When next she appeared, she was dressed enough to run some errands, and she threw a pair of Caroline's pyjamas at her face.

"Okay, I'm going to go buy a ton of take-out, and some really good tequila. You're going to take a shower, put your pjs on, and when I get back, you better be ready to tell me everything."

HELLO! Whoops, another new story... twice in a week... AnYWAy, let me know if you're captured by this idea. The prompt was KC+Arranged Marriage, and this is what it became. If you like, tell me that, if you think I should stop be like 'dood, tf r u doin' or something similar. :) HAPPY AU WEEK MY PRETTIES! I am sad it's over!