A/N: This is my first fanfic. It is rated M, so please take that seriously. The first chapter is on the border of dark themes (assault/attempted rape) in my opinion, so please beware. :) Thanks for checking it out and let me know what you think about it! Constructive criticism is much appreciated. This chapter has been re-uploaded with a few minor changes, thanks to my beta, Anna.
Arrow in the Heart
Chapter One
Klaus shot an arrow and it went through the final man that was running towards him from across the room. He lowered his bow and looked around, double-checking that he had finished what he came to do. The group of criminals had been involved in the drug trade and had killed two innocent people the night before. The news had covered it, but they had no leads. Klaus, on the other hand, knew where they were based and was quick to hunt them down.
He felt a sting in his arm where he had been cut with a knife by one of the men. He headed out of the building and climbed onto the motorcycle he had concealed and headed back to the club.
Klaus stumbled into the building holding his arm. He threw back his hood and dropped his bow and arrows on the floor. The blood continued seeping down his arm and he gritted his teeth. The pain was completely bearable after everything he had been through in his life. He looked around the basement and saw his brother asleep on the couch with the TV on.
"Kol," he breathed. His brother stayed still, not moving. Klaus made his way over to him and slumped down on the couch beside him while smacking Kol's leg.
Kol jerked awake and looked around and saw his brother. "Nik! Bloody hell!" Kol jumped up and ran across the concrete floor towards the supply cabinet, grabbing what he needed.
Niklaus Mikaelson laid back and closed his eyes, feeling his brother tending to his arm. "What happened, mate?" Kol asked, while starting to stitch his arm up.
"You have to ask?" Klaus said with a laugh. "It's only a scratch anyways."
Kol rolled his eyes continuing to sew his brother's skin together. "I told you that you would be outnumbered, but you never listen to me."
Klaus opened his eyes looking at his brother. "They had to be held responsible."
Klaus was a vigilante. That's what the papers liked to call him. Growing up, his biological father had trained him in various forms of combat. He had taken it upon himself a year ago to start taking down the criminals in the city. No one knew of his nighttime activities apart from Kol. Kol had found out about six months ago after Klaus had been grazed by a bullet and had needed his help. Kol had attended a couple of years of medical school before dropping out to open his club.
Kol finished stitching his arm and threw the thread on the table. Kol tossed Klaus the supplies he needed to clean up the blood on his arm.
Klaus finished cleaning and stood up, not wanting to be lectured by his younger brother. "I'm leaving. Thanks," he said simply while taking off his black suit. Yet again, he had a rip in the arm that would need to be repaired and he was tired of having his suit damaged. He wasn't a seamstress and he sure as hell wasn't going to keep sewing.
"Going home?" Kol asked, turning back to the TV in front of him and flipping through the channels. Not finding anything interesting to watch, he shut the TV off and stood up, looking at his watch – 2:30AM. The club would be closing in an hour.
"I guess," Klaus shrugged while changing into his jeans and plain black shirt.
"Come have a drink with me till the club closes. We both know you aren't going to sleep anyways." Kol offered.
Klaus nodded and grabbed his black blazer. He followed his brother down the hall towards Kol's office. Kol locked the door to the "vigilante basement," as they called it, behind them and they went up the stairs together and settled in at the bar.
Caroline Forbes rolled over in bed, letting out a groan. She couldn't figure out which direction to go with her case and it was keeping her awake at night. She was 26 years old, she should be out having fun on a Friday night, but instead all she could think of was work. Being a lawyer was her dream, her life's mission. She saved and protected lives in the little way that she could, even though it never seemed like she was making a difference lately.
Tired of not being able to sleep, she sat up. Putting on her slippers and robe she left the room and went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and looked for something to eat. Caroline jumped when she heard the door to her apartment open, but relaxed when she heard giggling.
Bonnie and Elena came into view and squealed upon seeing Caroline awake. Caroline groaned and grabbed three bottles of water, not wanting to deal with her drunken friends. She set the bottles down on the counter and led the talking girls to the kitchen table, sitting them down.
"You should have seen her, Care. I don't think I've ever seen Elena drooling over a guy like this before."
"I was not drooling! I was merely appreciating a fine specimen of the human race."
"It was drooling. I thought I would have had to get her a bib."
Elena giggled and nodded at Bonnie. "Okay, it might have been a little bit of drooling," Elena conceded.
Caroline sat the bottles of water down in front of the girls and sat down herself. "Fun night, I suppose?"
"Why yes it was, Miss Attorney. You're coming with us tomorrow night." Bonnie said nodding towards Caroline.
"No, no. I can't," Caroline said shaking her head. She had a million things to do on Monday and needed the weekend to prepare.
Elena groaned, "Care, you never have any fun. You need to live a little! Remember how much fun we used to have?" Bonnie and Elena missed their friend. Caroline had changed and while they loved that she was out making a name for herself, she was losing her spark at the same time. She spent most of her weekends and weeknights working on cases and trying to impress her bosses. To make matters worse, the guy she was supposedly dating was the exact same way. Caroline had only been seeing Tyler Lockwood for a couple of months, but Bonnie and Elena noticed they only ever went out on dates after work. Tyler was a lawyer in the same firm as Caroline, but he had been there for a few years whereas Caroline was much newer to the job.
Caroline had graduated law school a year ago after 7 long years of school and her friends worried about her. Caroline had lost her father when she was young and her mother a few years back. Liz Forbes had been chief of police in the small town Caroline was from, back in Virginia. The two did not have a great relationship, but the loss still affected Caroline.
The three inseparable friends had met in undergraduate college when they were put in a triple room, due to the overbooked dorms. None of them were happy at first, but when they had the option to separate, they all decided against it. They had lived together since then. After completing her undergrad, Caroline went on to law school at Columbia, choosing it over other schools so she could stay with her friends who were moving to the city. Bonnie Bennett had gotten a job offer with a prestigious newspaper and wrote a column reviewing restaurants, bars, and clubs in the city. Elena Gilbert on the other hand had trouble finding a job after graduating and worked in a restaurant near their apartment for almost a year. Finally, she had found a job as a stylist at Barneys. While retail originally was not something she had been interested in, she really loved her job and fashion and all three girls loved the discount.
"You two need to get some sleep," Caroline said, getting up and leading her friends to their separate rooms. It was a small apartment, but it was home and the girls loved it. After wishing each other a good night, Caroline headed back to her bed and finally fell asleep.
Klaus woke up with the sun directly in his eyes. He sighed, feeling the pain in his stitched up arm. He sat up and made his way downstairs to find some coffee for his hangover.
Kol was shutting the front door while Klaus was coming down the stairs. Klaus shook his head, knowing Kol was getting rid of the girl he had brought home the previous evening… or morning for that matter.
"Is she gone?" a girl's voice called from the kitchen.
"Why yes, dear sister," Kol said, following Klaus into the kitchen. They both looked at their younger sister, who was sitting at the table on her laptop.
Rebekah Mikaelson stared down at her brothers, who had been out late yet again the previous night. She had been woken up when Kol, Klaus, and the random girl had come home and she hated that. "You need to be quiet. I get sick of being woken up on the weekends."
Klaus poured some coffee for himself and Kol and headed over to his sister. "Maybe you should come out with us," he said with a nod of his head.
Kol laughed while taking a sip of the warm drink. "Maybe she should get her own place and stop complaining. Or better yet, Rebekah, move in with big brother, Elijah!"
Rebekah glared at him. "I already spend enough time with him at the office. Plus, he is too stuck up. You both know that Mister CEO act and all. Besides, this is my house too." Rebekah stood up quickly. "I have to go. I've got an appointment at Barneys."
"An appointment?" Klaus asked, exchanging looks with Kol.
"Yes, I've got one with a stylist. I am sick of the media making fun of my clothes." Rebekah said, trying to sound indifferent. It was tough being from a family like the Mikaelsons, because her outfits were always documented, especially since she was the only female in the family.
Kol, feeling bad for telling her to move out, tried to make amends, "Look, I'm sorry, Rebekah. I didn't mean what I said."
"It's fine," Rebekah responded, moving around the table. She stopped between her brothers and playfully punched their arms. "I still love you both."
Rebekah noticed Klaus wince and looked down at his arm. "I didn't hit you that hard," she said, pulling on his sleeve. She saw the bottom of the cut and gasped. "What the hell happened?" she demanded.
Klaus groaned. Yet again, he had to make up a story. He was horrible at it and he looked to his brother for help.
"Bar fight," Kol said simply. "Our brother here hit on someone's girlfriend again and they hit him with a beer bottle." Kol was always the good liar. Neither brother wanted to tell Rebekah of Klaus' vigilante act, because they knew that she would never approve.
Klaus nodded in agreement. "You're an idiot, Nik," Rebekah stated. Her brother got into way too many fights at Kol's club, Vervain, but Rebekah blamed it on his residual anger from his upbringing with such a hateful father.
"It won't happen again, Bekah." Klaus promised.
"Oh, you're such a liar. This has been happening so often lately. Whatever! I have to go, but see you all tonight?" Rebekah asked hopefully.
Kol turned towards her, "You know we have to be at the club. It's Saturday night."
"Join us," Klaus offered.
Rebekah shook her head. "You know Elijah doesn't think it looks good for the company when I come out with you guys."
"Sneak in through the back door. No one will notice." Kol said with a smile.
"No one would notice? No one would notice if Rebekah Mikaelson was at a club?" Rebekah said with a sarcastic tone.
"Fine, suit yourself," Kol shrugged turning back to his coffee.
"I better go," Rebekah turned, leaving the room.
Klaus watched her go and looked at his brother. "You're supposed to be good at that. Lying. Another bloody bar fight?"
"Sure! Why not?" Kol laughed. "You'll take what I give you, Nik."
Elena rolled over and smacked her buzzing alarm clock. While she loved her job, she hated that she always had to work on Saturdays. However, the hours were nothing to complain about – 10AM at the earliest and getting off at 6 were hours people dreamed of having in the city.
She padded over to her bathroom and turned on the shower. After a quick shower, she got dressed, grabbed her coffee and a muffin, and ran out the door.
When she got to the store, Elena smiled and waved at April who took care of making appointments for stylists and tended to waiting clients.
The brunette hung her bag on the coat rack in her office and changed into her stilettos. Getting to work in those would make a girl hate shoes, but she didn't mind wearing them around the store. She flipped open the planner to check her appointments for the day. Elena had worked as a stylist at Barneys for 3 years now and was a popular pick among the rich and the famous. Her first appointment with one Rebekah Mikaelson was not for another hour. She turned to her computer and looked up the file she had created and scrolled through the photos saved.
Rebekah didn't have horrible sense of style; she just didn't seem to be able to put stuff together on her own. She was able to find beautiful individual pieces. Elena looked for a few more minutes and thought. While some of her clients were not in the public eye, it made it easier when they were. Having background information made her job easier.
She left her office and shut the door behind her and smiled again at April. Elena looked through the racks of clothes throughout the store and pulled pieces and outfits she thought looked like the improved version Rebekah's style she was creating. She spread them out in a large fitting room and went back to her office to wait for her first client. Promptly at 11:00, April called her to the desk and she noticed Rebekah.
Rebekah Mikaelson was beautiful in person. She was tall, thin, and had gorgeous blonde hair that rivaled that of her friend, Caroline. "Miss Mikaelson, so pleased to meet you," Elena said reaching out her hand. "I'm Elena Gilbert."
"Call me Rebekah, please," Rebekah said with a smile.
Caroline flipped to the next page in her folder, reading it closely and taking notes. She didn't even notice when Bonnie sat down in front of her, until Bonnie cleared her throat.
"Sorry," Caroline said looking up. "How hungover are you?"
Bonnie smiled, "Actually, not much at all. We didn't drink that much last night. Tonight is the good night and you are coming with us."
"Seriously, I told you I can't," Caroline said shaking her head. "Plus, Tyler might want to do something."
"Screw Tyler, you are coming out with your best friends and that's final. We are going to an amazing club that I get to review tonight and basically no one gets in." Bonnie reasoned with her. "Oh, and we are meeting Elena during her lunch break today. We need outfits."
Caroline hesitated and looked down at her folder. Shopping was one thing she had trouble passing up.
Bonnie sprung at her hesitation, "It's settled then. We need to be at Barneys at 12:30." Caroline smiled and nodded her head, getting up to get ready.
Bonnie smiled back at her friend and went to do the same.
Rebekah was really quite fond of Elena by the end of the appointment. She seemed to connect with her and Elena had found plenty of outfits for her. In addition, Elena had pointed out pieces that Rebekah owned in pictures and suggested items that Rebekah could pair them with.
"How about some more night time outfits?" Elena offered as they walked through the clothes together.
"I think two evening dresses are enough for now," Rebekah said, wanting and excuse to come back and bond with Elena.
"No, I mean like club wear," Elena smiled.
Rebekah shook her head, "I don't really go out much."
"You are just like my best friend." Elena said, crossing her arms and thinking of Caroline. "Are you a workaholic?"
Rebekah laughed and smiled, "Not really. I am finishing up business school and I work part time with my brother."
"Ah! Mikaelson Corporation," Elena nodded. "Not following the path of Kol and Klaus, I see?" The Mikaelson family was notorious. Elijah, the oldest ran Mikaelson Corporation, a billion dollar company. He had been handling everything by himself since his mother had passed away. Kol owned an exclusive club in the city and he and Klaus were known for being playboys who wanted nothing to do with the family business. Rebekah was the youngest and apparently was following the path of her eldest brother.
It was big news about eight years ago when Mikael had murdered Esther Mikaelson, his wife. Mikael had only been put away for 10 years and was due out on parole soon, due to circumstantial evidence. The family company had been left to the four children along with their home and money. The children each had huge trust funds apart from the family money.
Rebekah smiled again, "They aren't as bad as you think." Elena raised her eyebrows. "Okay, Kol might be, but Nik has been better, of late. Anyway, Elijah urges me to stay away from that 'scene,'" she emphasized with quotations on her fingers. "He says it would give the company a bad name."
Elena held her lips together. "Sounds like you're just trying to please him."
"I am," Rebekah admitted. She wouldn't mind going out and doing some stuff with people her age, but she was also trying to finish school. She had taken a few years off after her mother died and was in her final year now.
"Just remember yourself," Elena urged to Rebekah.
Rebekah nodded and noticed a couple of girls making their way towards them - a beautiful blonde with bouncing curls and a dark skinned girl with dark eyes and hair. Elena noticed them as well. She smiled and waved them over.
"Rebekah, these are my best friends, Caroline and Bonnie," she pointed out.
"Nice to meet you," Caroline smiled.
"No way, Rebekah Mikaelson!" Bonnie laughed and shook her head. "Believe it or not, I'm reviewing your brother's club tonight. Not that I should be telling you that, since it is meant to be a secret and all."
"Nice to meet you both," Rebekah smiled at them.
"Will we be seeing you tonight?" Caroline asked Rebekah.
"No," she shook her head. "I don't really go to Vervain much."
Caroline turned to Bonnie and Elena and sighed, "Why do I have to go again?" she complained.
Rebekah laughed while Bonnie and Elena rolled their eyes. Elena touched Rebekah's arm and said, "See what I mean? This one is the workaholic!"
Caroline bit her lip and narrowed her eyes at Elena. "Fine, fine," she said, putting her hands up. "I will gladly go with a smile tonight."
"That a girl," Bonnie grinned. "Well, if you do decide to come out, we would love to see you, Rebekah."
"Thanks," Rebekah responded, starting to care less what Elijah said and reconsidering. She really seemed to like Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline, especially since they didn't seem to care who she was. Many times, girls heard Mikaelson and proceeded to use her for her name, asking if she could get them into Vervain or for other connections. "I better head out, but it was nice to meet you girls. And thank you so much, Elena."
"Of course, Rebekah. Anytime," Elena walked Rebekah towards the front of the store. "Someone will drop off those clothes at your place on Monday."
The girls said their goodbyes and Elena headed back to Bonnie and Caroline.
"She's cool," Bonnie stated and turned to the clothes. "So, what are we wearing tonight?"
Klaus sat in the basement of the club at the table working on new arrows and thinking about his next targets.
"You really should take a break tonight, brother," Kol said, walking up behind him. "And why don't you collect your arrows after you are done with a job? Less work later on."
"Ah, here comes the random voice of reason from nowhere," Klaus said, without answering Kol's other questions.
"Hello?" Kol slapped Klaus' back. "Are you listening to me?"
"I am. I won't go anywhere tonight." Klaus said turning his head towards his younger brother.
"Good. You can hang out with me and the millions of ladies who are waiting for us upstairs. It's Saturday night, not that that means there are any more women than usual. Just better pickings." Kol stated.
"You are so shallow, Kol."
"You used to be too, Nik. Let's have some fun together tonight, what do you say?"
Klaus nodded and tossed his equipment down. "Let's do it. Drinks on you?"
"Always," Kol said with a smile.
"Bonnie Bennett," Caroline heard her friend stating her name to the man at the entrance of Vervain. Caroline looked at the line of people snaking around the block and hoped the club was all that it seemed to be.
Elena straightened her black strapless dress and tucked one side of her long brown hair behind her ear. Caroline looked at Bonnie who had on a short red and white patterned dress and carried a large clutch that held a notebook she would use to take notes.
The bouncer stepped aside and the girls headed inside. Caroline took in the surroundings of the exclusive club. While it was a large place, it still had an intimate feel. The colors were black and red mostly, but the décor was tasteful. The dance floor was packed and Caroline followed Bonnie and Elena towards a corner table and watched Bonnie pull out a notepad.
"This place is awesome," Elena said looking around the club. Bonnie, on the other hand, was scribbling in her pad, writing down all the important points that she could use in her article.
Rebekah walked towards the bar where one of her brothers was hitting on some poor girl and the other was drinking and seemed to be staring at the wall. She pushed Kol aside and looked at the girl's desperate face. "Go away," she said rolling her eyes.
Kol scoffed and then realized what was happening. He grabbed Klaus' arm and in a voice of sarcastic wonder said, "Nik, I don't believe my eyes! Rebekah Mikaelson is in a club! What will the people of the business world say?"
Rebekah rolled her eyes again and looked between both brothers. "Well, am I just going to stand here or are you going to step aside and offer me a free drink?"
"Come on in, sister," Klaus said, moving down a stool to make room for Rebekah.
Kol hopped over the counter and bowed to his sister. Klaus chucked while Kol said, "And what may I offer you?"
"Surprise me," Rebekah said with a smile, settling in beside Klaus. "Actually, a martini." She stopped moving as she saw the man beside Kol.
"You must be Rebekah," he said, offering his hand to her. "I've heard a lot about you from Kol. I'm Matt Donovan."
Rebekah took his hand and smiled shyly, "Nice to meet you."
"Oh stop making googly eyes, Bekah!" Kol said with disgust. "Matt has worked here forever, how have you not met him? Oh right, you never come out."
"If you keep reminding her that she never comes out, she might actually stop coming out." Klaus reminded Kol. Matt moved away down to another customer and Rebekah's eyes followed him.
"So, what are we doing tonight?" Kol asked his siblings.
Rebekah spotted a couple of girls in the corner of the club and recognized them. "For starters, you might want to take some complimentary drinks over to those girls," she said pointing towards them.
"Are you picking out women for us, Bekah?" Klaus asked noticing the blonde in the royal blue dress. Her smile and laugh seemed to light up the entire club. "If so, I must say I approve.
Kol nodded in agreement, approving of the women himself.
"No, you idiots! The one in the red is reviewing Vervain at this moment." Rebekah said, shaking her head.
"How do you know?" Kol asked, tearing his eyes away from the women. Klaus still had his eyes glued to the blonde.
"The one in the black there, Elena, she is the stylist I met at Barneys today. Her friends came while I was there and they told me," Rebekah said, shrugging.
Kol hopped back over the counter and snapped towards a waiter who was passing by. "In that case, they get special treatment," he said with a smile. "Introduce us to your new friends, Rebekah."
Klaus and Kol followed Rebekah towards the girls. As they got closer to them, Klaus couldn't help but admire the blonde's beauty. He had never seen such a natural beauty and he felt a little stunned.
"Hey," Rebekah said, not as confident as she had been with her brothers at the bar, Klaus noticed.
All three sets of eyes turned towards her. "Rebekah!" Elena exclaimed and gave her a hug. "So much for not coming out, huh? Have a seat with us!"
"Thanks," Rebekah smiled and motioned to her brothers behind her. "Mind if my brothers join us? This is Klaus and Kol," she motioned towards each of them.
"Of course not, please," Elena said, politely, stretching out her hand. "I'm Elena and these are my friends, Bonnie and Caroline." She shook both Klaus' and Kol's hands and they proceeded to do the same with Bonnie and Caroline.
Klaus felt a trail of fire left behind after his hand connected with Caroline's. Her blue eyes pierced into his and he stared into them. Caroline dropped her hand quickly and placed it back on her drink while Klaus continued to stare.
The waiter came up behind them and deposited the drinks on the table. "We offer the best hospitality to the most beautiful women in this club," Kol said, confidently starting his charming act. Klaus' gaze moved from Caroline to his brother.
"So this is like a normal thing you do then?" Bonnie asked, crossing her arms. "You throw away profits just because you are horny?"
Rebekah, Caroline, and Klaus laughed while Elena covered her mouth.
Kol smiled and nodded. "Of course. The customer is our first priority. Money is secondary. Unless of course you have other ways you want to compensate…" Klaus shook his head at his brother's audacity.
Bonnie smiled, impressed that he was able to come back so quickly. "Thanks for the drink," she said raising her glass to him and tapping it with Caroline's.
"We're here now," two men came up behind Kol and Klaus.
"Damon," Elena said with a small grin on her face. Klaus turned around and saw his best friend, Stefan, standing there with his brother, Damon. They exchanged greetings and settled in at the table.
"The Salvatores," Kol smiled, shaking their hands.
"How do you know these two?" Rebekah asked Elena. Stefan Salvatore was best friends with Klaus and the two brothers always seemed to be around her own brothers.
"We met last night," Damon stared at Elena as he responded for her.
"You went to another club," Kol asked, putting his hand over his heart, pretending to be wounded.
"It's surprising that we do considering we get free drinks here," Stefan nodded towards Kol as he stole his drink.
"Well, it's time I show Bonnie the inner workings of Vervain." Kol said, making his way around the table and offering Bonnie his arm.
Bonnie shrugged and took it, "Only if you insist." Kol led her off into the crowd while continuing to speak in her ear.
"Kol has little tact," Rebekah stated with a small shake of her head.
Caroline and Elena smiled, knowing Bonnie could handle her own. "Honestly, Bonnie has little tact too," Caroline said and lightly grabbed Elena's arm. She tilted her head towards Damon and quietly asked, "Is this last night's drool?"
Elena grinned and nodded slightly and turned towards Rebekah, Damon, and Stefan, who were having a conversation.
Caroline turned back to the table and caught Klaus looking at her again. "Do I have something on my face or something?" She asked.
Klaus grinned and shook his head no, "You're just beautiful."
"Let's get one thing straight, I am not Bonnie Bennett. A charming front won't get you anywhere."
"No you most certainly are not. So tell me about yourself, Caroline," Klaus asked, his smile growing bigger.
Caroline took a sip of her drink and looked at Klaus. He was incredibly handsome, with an accent to die for and adorable dimples. Not to mention dark blue eyes so deep, she could swear she saw the ocean. But she knew too much about Klaus. He was a notorious Mikaelson playboy who took different women home every night. What was she thinking about that for anyways? She was with Tyler.
"What's there to tell? I'm a lawyer, but there's really nothing exciting to share." She shrugged.
"Of course there are exciting things you can share. Your hopes and dreams?"
Caroline laughed and cleared her throat, "Being a lawyer was my only dream and maybe that's not all I thought it was going to be." She felt surprised that she was compelled to share with him. She loved her job, but had doubts.
"Why? Because lawyers do nothing but help the rich get away with crime?" Klaus asked.
"That's not the truth. Look, I shouldn't have said anything." She scoffed.
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, why is it so bad?"
"It's not bad. I just don't feel like I am helping who I thought I was going to help."
"Don't take the cases of the bad people then, sweetheart." Klaus said simply.
"That's not how it works at a law firm. You wouldn't understand. And don't call me sweetheart."
"It sounds simple enough to me. You don't feel like you are doing good, so stop helping the bad."
"Oh, because you are such a great example, Mister playboy who gets anything he wants? Some of us have to work for a living. Some of us have college loans to pay off. And bills!" Caroline crossed her arms, not liking being judged by him.
"You don't know anything about my life." Klaus responded darkly.
"Well, maybe I don't want to know anything about it." Caroline stood up and left the table in search for the bathroom. This was not the fun night out she had hoped it would be.
"What did you say to her?" Caroline heard Elena asking Klaus as she left the table to follow Caroline. "Care, wait up!"
Caroline slowed down, turning towards her friend and stopping in the middle of her spin, noticing something.
Klaus was angry. That wasn't how he expected the conversation to go and he didn't like being judged by anyone, especially someone as beautiful as Caroline. She seemed feisty and he was wanted to know more about her.
He stood up from the table and nodded goodnight to his sister and the Salvatores. He headed down the stairs towards Kol's office and unlocked the door to the basement. All he could think about was Caroline and her judgments. He was going to go out and make his own judgments tonight. He started putting his suit on, preparing to leave.
Caroline stood still, staring at someone on the dance floor. It was Tyler, dancing with some girl. She felt Elena touch her arm and gasp, obviously seeing Tyler as well.
Caroline felt tears bubble up in her eyes at the sight of betrayal. While they had not been together for that long, Tyler had seemed like a great guy and the two shared similar aspirations. But now, seeing that skank rubbing up and down his body, he seemed like an asshole.
"Care," Elena said, starting to wrap her arm around her friend. "Let's go."
"No," Caroline said, with her eyes still glued to Tyler and the skank, she stepped out of Elena's arm. "I just want to be alone for a few minutes." She hesitated, "well, actually I am going to leave. But you stay."
Elena shook her head, "No, I am coming with you. Listen, wait by the bathrooms and we will meet there. I am going to find Bonnie and tell her we're going." Elena squeezed her arm and turned to find her friend.
Caroline shook her head, trying to come out of her trance and headed towards the bathrooms. There was a line of girls waiting, but she noticed a door at the end of the hall with an exit sign over it. The alley, she wanted to get some air and would just hang out there for a few minutes. She pushed through the door and into the fresh air of the night.
Caroline leaned against the cold, stone wall, breathing and thinking about the disaster of an evening it was. First some asshole playboy had formed bad opinions about her and then she saw her boyfriend dancing with someone else. She ran her hands through her hair and continued breathing.
"What do we have here?" She heard a deep voice to her right and snapped her head up. She eyed the man who seemed to be twice her size with buff arms. He was approaching her at a slow pace and Caroline realized they were alone in the alley. She turned towards the door she had come out of and tried grabbing the handle to go back in, but the door wouldn't budge.
"Emergency exits don't open from the outside, beautiful. That's why there is a long line at the front." He spoke to her as if she were stupid. At that moment, she was feeling pretty stupid, too. She turned and started running down the alley, but her heel caught in a crack of the pavement and her ankle twisted to the side. She fell to the side. She felt the stone scratch her elbow and arm and her blood started spilling.
The man reached down and picked her up. He slammed her against the wall, pinning her arms to her side. She tried kicking, but he pressed his body against hers. Caroline started to panic, never having been in this situation before. She started to scream, but his foul mouth came down on hers and muffled the sound.
Caroline continued fighting against him, but he used his body to keep her still and one of his hands started roaming. She tried moving her head, but he punched her in the stomach and she groaned in pain. After a few minutes of struggling, she closed her eyes, the pain and fear finally setting in.
Suddenly, the man's body was gone and she quickly opened her eyes and saw someone else: A man in a hood with a bow and arrow, fighting the man. She had read about him, the vigilante. He killed as he pleased and did what he wanted. The Hood, as they called him, was dangerous and had been able to evade the police for a year.
Caroline slid down the wall and onto the ground, grabbing her arm and stomach. The vigilante slammed the man into the building on the other side of the alley and seemed to knock the man out. He turned back towards her and Caroline shrunk in fear of what was going to happen next, looking at her feet.
"I'm not going to hurt you." He said in a deep, concealed voice, reminding Caroline of batman movies. She looked up at him as he slowly walked towards her. "Why are you alone?" He asked her.
"I-I-I needed air." She stuttered, looking towards his face now, which was dark and mostly covered by his hood. He had a strong jaw and light stubble.
"You live in New York City and you come into an alley alone in the middle of the night?" He asked again, accusatorily.
Caroline realized how stupid it was, but she had to get out of Vervain. She had to get away from Tyler, and away from the noise. "The door locked itself." The Hood looked towards the door and walked over to it, ripping it open, breaking the lock in the process.
Caroline stayed frozen in her position on the ground, still trembling. The Hood held the door open and looked back towards her. Seeing that she wasn't getting up, he slowly walked back to her and held out his hand. She looked at the strong hand with fear and awe. She took it with her own while holding her hurt arm to her body. He led her towards the open door and let her walk inside.
A flurry of voices and movements started inside the hallway. Apparently, her friends had found her and had been in a panic. Caroline turned back to the vigilante and let go of his hand and looked towards his face. "Thank you," she said to her new hero for the evening. He simply nodded his head and ran down the alley towards the backstreet. Caroline peeked her head out of the doorway and saw him turn a corner.
"Oh my god, Care!"
"Caroline, are you okay?"
Caroline turned back to her friends and knew her long and horrible evening was not over yet.
What she didn't know was that Niklaus Mikaelson, proclaimed playboy, had just saved her life.
X
A/N: Thanks so much for reading my first chapter! It's my first ever fanfic, so I am kind of nervous. Tell me if you like it/would read it and I will continue writing it! Please, please leave a little review, anything would inspire me to continue! Thanks!
Thanks to my beta, Anna (colourful-dystopia)!
-Brooke