The rattle of chains was loud enough to waken Caroline from her slumber. Chains…? She didn't recall Daddy ever having chains. Slowly opening her eyes, she was greeted with a sudden surge of light that focused solely on her: a spotlight. She had to squint against the blazing light, and even then it was a struggle to see beyond the dots in her vision.
"'Bout time you're awake, Blondie. I was starting to think I might've hit you too hard."
The mysterious voice was filled with mirth.
"Where am I…?" Caroline croaked, mentally wincing at the roughness of her voice.
"It's really not worth mentioning. I think the better question would be: why are you here?"
The voice drew closer and a body stepped in front of the light, allowing her to see and match a face to the voice.
"Damon," She murmured fearfully, attempting to edge away from the notorious mafia leader – only to realize that those chains she had heard earlier were locked around her wrists and ankles, binding her to a chair.
"That's right, Princess," Damon smirked.
He stepped closer and she leaned as far away from him as she could manage in her position.
"You're going to be the star in my new production," he said before stepping away.
She was instantly blinded by the light once again.
"I'm calling it," he continued speaking from an unknown location in the room. "The Basic D.I.D."
Unbeknownst to Caroline, Damon had pressed the record button on a camcorder sat atop a tripod pointed directly at her.
"What are you gonna' do?' Caroline asked fearfully, her heart rate skyrocketing.
Damon circled around her like a predator would its prey, that smirk painted on his lips. Now behind her, he leaned close to her ear.
"I'm going to show Daddy Forbes what it means to fuck with me."
Bill Forbes was racked with panic internally, but on the outside, he betrayed no emotion. He had received a package at his doorstep containing a simple disc. Now, he was slipping the CD into a laptop. What he saw made his heart stop. There was his precious daughter, Caroline, chained to a chair looking like death itself. A figure walked towards her and circled behind her: Damon Salvatore. Anger coursed through his veins. He should have known who the culprit would be in the case of his missing daughter. Damon was the leader of the Salvatore mafia, sworn enemy to Bill's own gang, Mystique. Damon always went out of his way to challenge the Mystique mafia in any and every way possible.
But this … this is an act of war!
"What are you gonna' do?" He heard Caroline ask.
Bill watched as Damon whispered something in her ear that made her eyes widen. In an instant, Damon's eyes morphed demonic red and black veins surfaced beneath his eyes. His canines lengthened into twin daggers and a pure animalistic growl sounded from his throat. In a movement too quick for human eyes to follow, Damon pierced Caroline's throat. She screamed a sound no parent should never hear from their child.
Bill couldn't watch anymore. He yelled in outrage as he smashed the laptop screen and shoved it off his desk. His assistant, Sheila Bennett, rushed to his side.
"What is it?" She asked in her natural hoarse voice.
Silence.
"…get me the Originals…" Bill muttered.
"Why?"
"NOW!" He shouted, slamming his fist into his desk.
Sheila regarded him silently before picking up the phone on his desk and dialed a number she never thought she would ever have to dial. It was picked up on the first ring.
"Mikaelson residence?"
Caroline was on the border of unconsciousness, right where he wanted her. She was at that line where she could feel everything happening to her, but lacked neither the energy nor the will to resist.
"It's nothing personal, Blondie," Damon said as he licked his lips. "You're just collateral damage."
It was at that moment that the doors burst open and a body was heaved through the opening. Damon snarled menacingly as he fell to a crouch with teeth bared. How had he not heard a sound of the break-in!? The mere sight of the man who casually strolled in was answer enough.
"Klaus…" Damon acknowledged, not at all comforted by the familiar face.
If anything, he was put more on edge.
" 'Ello mate," Klaus flashed a dazzling smile. "Hear you've been up to no good."
"If you're here for the girl, by all means," Damon stood from his crouch and retracted his fangs.
He motioned towards Caroline.
"Take her. I'm pretty sure I got my point across seeing as you're here."
Klaus's eyes locked onto the most pitiful sight he's seen in a long while.
The girl was sat as still as a statue. Her skin took upon a sickly pallor and her blonde locks clung to her skin in a tangled mess. Her clothes were torn and matted with dirt. If her appearance wasn't chilling enough, the bite marks completed the picture for a Halloween promo. The left side of her neck was gouged open and blood made a sickly trail down her body, staining everything in its path bright red. There were minor bite marks on both wrists as well.
Klaus glanced to the side to notice that Damon had disappeared. No matter. His only concern was retrieving the daughter anyhow. The Original approached Caroline, who appeared to be mumbling.
"No more…" she was saying. "Please…"
Klaus was surprised. According to her faint heartbeat, it was a wonder she was still alive! A fighter you must be, Klaus thought. He took a moment upon himself to ponder his options. Making up his mind, Klaus's baby blues morphed to gold as his own pair of fangs extended. He bit down on a thick vein in his own wrist to summon a steady stream of blood. He approached Caroline and gently tilted her head back, handling her with as much delicacy as a newborn child.
"No… please," she continued to mutter.
"Shh, easy, love," Klaus soothed as he held his wrist to her lips.
As the liquid trickled into her mouth, he could feel Caroline respond by swallowing.
" 'Atta girl," Klaus encouraged.
He fed her a good amount of his blood before pulling away. He snapped her bonds in half as easily as if they were plastic rather than metal. Oh so carefully, he lifted Caroline from the chair into his arms. Her head lolled to the side to bury itself within his chest.
"Thank you…" she sighed before giving away to unconsciousness.
Klaus was baffled.
He didn't know how to respond to a situation such as this; a situation which made him feel almost… warm inside. He shook his head. That's absurd. With a smirk on his lips, Klaus exited the warehouse with Caroline cradled close to his body.