0o Golden Cage o0
0o Fallen o0
When Klaus assured she would be learning everything in the coming future, Caroline's instant thought was: He would take out his anger on her.
Little surprised, little glad, Caroline watched him bringing the best within his reach.
He was—a different person from what she had seen in that tavern. His behaviour was almost like the charming Lord she had given herself to, she had fallen for.
His fangs, the blood, dark veins—they settled in her head.
Caroline tried not to jump or tremble in his presence, not being sure what message it would send him.
Klaus was nothing but a sweet man—to her at least.
It felt like she was living with a stranger again, trying to learn his moves, understand him—his thirst for power, his obsessions.
"What are you thinking about?" Klaus asked surprisingly in a much calmer tone.
In the garden they strode in leisure. "This place is beautiful." She commented.
"I asked what you are thinking." He repeated, inspecting a flower.
Caroline gulped her fear and spoke. "You—I thought you will be angry on me."
Klaus threw her an incredulous look. "For?"
"For running away on that day." Slowly she found her courage. "I believed in the rumour, and disappointed that you—"
"Captured your parents to hurt you?"
She didn't expect his coolness. "I hated myself for loving a monster."
Klaus' body was rigid as he focused on the flower. He didn't respond, and she doubted he was struggling to keep calm and collected.
"I was afraid you would make my life a living hell." She blinked at the ground. "Perhaps a part of me is still afraid because of the stories I heard. But your treatment is nothing like I was scared of. I'm confused."
"A simple answer, Caroline. You keep me neutral. All my emotions—you put damper on them."
"Oh." She mumbled. "And my love for you?"
Klaus looked away. "Love is not the declaration I frequently hear for me, but to answer your point: you don't love me, Caroline."
Never in her life had she felt that much void in her chest. Offended, she felt water in her eyes.
"You may like me, but love, no. At least not in the moment." Klaus added then. "Do you know how I'm saying it? Because I believe love and fear wouldn't coexist. Didn't you tell you are afraid of me?"
Gears in her head paused for a moment as Caroline realized what he meant.
Then he eyed her, assured with a nod.
0o Holding On o0
Months passed in the same confusion. Caroline tried to understand him, she did try sincerely. But his actions in their premises were something left her shook to the core.
How was it possible for someone to be nice and sweet in one moment, but act without conscience in the second. The beast in him was the reason? Klaus never blamed upon it, he took full responsibility for his actions.
Caroline trembled at the sight of him in blood. She had never forgotten darkness in his eyes.
That was the time he left her with Elijah for some work.
She missed her home and companions. She wept and wept until she fell sick, and started vomiting her guts out. After returning from whatever work he was on, Klaus himself sat beside and supported her throughout the time she was recovering. And she began to feel better strangely. Once the healer assured Caroline would be fine, he made arrangements to move to another corner of the country. It was only two of them, and his henchmen.
Caroline was weak, felt nauseous during day times. The nights were different story; she would be wide awake, preventing any possible nightmares about her loved ones. She regarded self as the only wall between her family and Klaus.
As she walked through the corridors that late night, Caroline found his room empty. There were no servants to be found. She didn't know where they were, where she was exactly going to. Then she saw one of the rooms open. When peeped inside, she concluded it was the study nook. With no particular motive she entered. There was canvases, scattered paints on the floor, many artworks lied on the desk. One after the other she went through them. Truth to be told, she gaped at them in awe. They were marvellous.
"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping by now?" Klaus inquired from the threshold.
Caroline gasped loudly before she relaxed. She didn't look at him as she replied. "I couldn't sleep and I found this interesting room." She smiled at one of the piece of art, and then met his intrigued eyes. His expression was as if awaiting her response for the creative material in the room. It made her guess. "All this work—belongs to you?" A corner of his mouth bent up for an answer.
Another surprise struck her.
"They all are beautiful!" She remarked as she dove further into the art works. "I didn't know you are gifted."
He didn't thank her for the compliment. Instead, he decided to keep his distance as she explored the room. And she did. At one point of time she stopped at a piece of paper lying separately. She wasn't as surprised as she was earlier when she found her portrait. Actually there were bunch of them.
Running fingers across the sketch affectionately, Caroline smiled and looked back at his expectant face.
After deciding not to comment on that she took another step, but felt giddy. Perhaps he observed that as well, because in the next heartbeat he was beside her to support her frame.
"That is enough for the day. You shall rest now." He didn't leave room for discussion. Nor had she planned to argue.
Nodding, she pressed fingertips to her temple. Klaus lifted her into his arms, and moved to her room.
Once he laid her on bed, Klaus patted her hair. His concern wasn't lie, she could say that much. But…
He turned on his heel to leave. But she held his wrist firmly. "I'm having nightmares. Can you sleep here with me?" He was the reason behind her sleeplessness, and she felt sick about herself for asking him.
Had she lost her mind?
She was in need of comfort, though.
Her irrational mind was seeking comfort from a monster?
Caroline was beyond exhausted to let the inner debate continue. She warmed up to his frame beside her. In his embrace she stayed, and spread her palm on his chest.
"Does it mean I'm not scared of you anymore?" she dared to ask.
Klaus laughed with no humour. "Why don't you tell me."
Her eyelids felt heavy gradually. "I cannot stand the beast in you, Klaus. But I'm trying to understand your relation with it. How you are going extremes to unleash it," she found herself under his impassive stare, but she felt him go rigid. "How the freedom of your beast is costing lives for the people."
She heard he was hunting down for her cousin. And the news of her cousin's new state as vampire—Klaus didn't take it well because his plans were shattered brutally, she knew only that much. He chose not to speak about it.
"I cannot stop, Caroline." He said quietly after a moment of silence.
She blinked at him. "I'm not expecting you will. I'm only saying I'm trying to understand. That's all can I do."
0o Silver Lining o0
Caroline couldn't believe she was standing in her house.
When Klaus brought her back to pay short visit to her parents she had become speechless for a moment. That was an unexpected gesture from his side.
Her parents, who were under some compulsion, were delighted to see the couple and welcomed them heartily. Her mama was tearful as she pulled Caroline into bone-crushing embrace.
Emotions, more tears were all over the place for the next few hours.
Caroline's father was warm to Klaus, which surprised her. Power of compulsion, undoubtedly. Klaus threw her one dark smile across the room. Of course.
Excited, she continued talking to her mama post dinner about the condition of her home in detail. Almost had she fallen asleep with head in her mother's lap as the elder one combed Caroline's hair with fingers. But her papa reminded Caroline of her waiting husband.
The daughter's glee faded while thinking they were living a lie.
By the time, she retired to her room she found Klaus with a book in his hands. He didn't even look at her as he acknowledged her presence by saying, "And I didn't expect you will come to your room tonight."
"As a good wife, I shall take care of my husband as well."
Klaus chortled as the sarcasm in her tone didn't go unnoticed. "I did save us perplexed questionnaire from your parents." He saw her approaching to the bed he was sitting with his legs spread on one side. Indeed he was huge for her small bed. "Who can endure their daughter's sudden disappearance?"
Caroline blinked at him with no expression.
"Are you happy?" he asked.
With an answering life-size smile she crawled on bed next to him, and he resumed reading. She very much loved to come back to her home.
It felt different, pleasant, to have him in her room. That was the most humane thing. She thought so. "I like you here in a small room, in my home." His mouth bent into half smile, as he didn't tear gaze from his book.
Pleasant silence enveloped them during the time she observed him turning page or two, and slumbered.
0o Birth of an era o0
Caroline cackled when his brother-in-law twirled her playfully.
From the beginning Kol scared her with his predator instance. Nevertheless he was a charmer as well. Caroline had taken days to stay composed in his presence let alone dancing with him.
A simple wedding was what she asked. But, Klaus preferred to make splendid out of everything. Unexpected number of guests, lovely music, and banquet filled the great halls of the mansion.
"Save your melodious giggles for my brother, darling. Apparently he was smitten with you for that."
Heat rose in her cheeks at the mention of her newly wedded husband. Pretending casual glance around the room, she found Klaus absorbed into serious conversation with one of the lords.
Looking back at Kol, she smiled.
"Might I have to say," he continued looking into the space, "I'm truly astonished to see the beast of my brother is yearning a human companion."
Her response was another smile. Actually, it was her idea. She proposed to get married.
Klaus looked at her in absolute disbelief, speechless for longer period than she predicted. He needed assurance if she decided with right mind. She remembered how she had explained for more than week to convince him. His siblings treated her as an insane person when Klaus declared the news in a small family gathering. Even she recalled the short encounter with his sister—Rebekah. The lady Original wanted to make sure Caroline was free of compulsion from any side.
Rebekah had all reasons to show concern, and Caroline was truly happy for that.
Perhaps she had become crazy, and she wasn't to blame anyone.
She knew there was no possibility out of this. No way out. And if she had to stay with this man till the end of her short life, then she wanted them to be related somehow. Not as some companion, but more than that.
Funny, how her thought-process transformed during these past months—more than one year.
She wished her parents were there, her friends, cousin. Her friends and family were already thinking that she was married, and her cousin—Katerina—couldn't come for obvious reasons.
It wouldn't matter.
Caroline learned to live without them.
She had almost forgotten whom she was dancing with, until Kol reminded her without any words. That expression in his eyes—the look of animalistic hunger as if predator gauging its prey—was similar to that she found in her husband's eyes. On the other end of Kol's gaze was pretty young lady, hardly of Caroline's age.
Indeed his reminder gave chills to her.
Not even paying attention to Caroline, he purred. "Well, if you could excuse me."
That's it. She stood in her place while he strode leisurely to his catch.
Once again, Caroline fell into the same dilemma. She could fit in the family of vampires, the Original monsters? Even if it was for this human life?
Almost had she thought to detach from the crowd when her husband snaked an arm around her waist, and kissed on her temple. "Plotting any escape?"
"The crowd—it suffocates me." She replied quietly.
"I remember." He smiled knowingly.
Oh.
Their first encounter, how she met him for the first time on his birthday.
"Let's breathe some fresh air." He suggested taking her to the garden already.
The night breeze kissed his long hair as soon as they stepped into the empty area. With crinkled eyes and amused smile he observed as she lazily walked in her fancy gown.
Once she regained composure, then she glowered. "Entertained?"
"Thoroughly."
Rolling eyes at the tease, she huffed. "Keep in mind, it is not so easy for me."
"On the contrary, you are doing better than I imagined."
Caroline was dead in her tracks. "Am I?" His answering nod brought humourless smile to her face.
"Nobody desires to walk into a marriage with vampire, my love." He said after some silence.
"Oh, yes, it is because I'm beyond reason."
"I can be considerate to balance my wife."
She chuckled at the wife part.
"I'm queasy," she admitted moving to his side.
Before she knew his lips were passionately caressing her. The kiss was wet, and put her in haze state of mind. Slowly her trembling frame adjusted in his embrace before she kissed him back. The familiar feelings visited her again after all these days, ignited from his touch at her neck. A whimper escaped her when his mouth went to her cheek before it found way to her neck.
"Let me taste you, please."
Caroline didn't even process his plea. She didn't hear his words exactly, but the purr from his side only motivated her to give in for whatever he wished from her. Nodding vigorously at his request, she leaned into him fondling her bosom, the back of her neck.
This time Klaus, the selfish Klaus, didn't ask twice for assurance. He simply took advantage of his spell on her. But he so much wanted to taste her blood from the moment he laid eyes on her. Not even once had he gotten chance. Well, he didn't want to scare her away.
That day he decided to put an end to his wait.
So, once again his monstrous form surfaced.
Biting into her lower lip, she suppressed moan. At least she remembered she was in public place, not tangled with him in his bed. Oh, but how she bared her neck for him, for his tiny nips.
She didn't know when, but she registered his razor canines pierced her skin.
It was too late.
He was drinking from her!
A small sob elicited with mixture of mild pain and pleasure while she clung to him. She lost track of time in haze. And he finally retrieved his fangs.
He growled, devoured before he bent to the mark and licked it clean to avoid damage to her pretty dress. Her body was numb, yet she wasn't ready to let go of him.
"It would be a waste," he spoke once he came back to his original self, "to have you changed into vampire."
She didn't understand.
With all the power left in her body and responsiveness she tried to frown in confusion. He wiped the corners of his mouth as he shrugged. "Glad one of my pet warlocks found another way to keep you around for an eternity."
"What?" she whispered.
His chuckle was dry. "You didn't think I will sit back, let you be mortal and watch you die from old-age, did you, my love?"
Caroline became pale as if she saw some ghost after discovering his plans for her.
"What a good husband I will be if I didn't protect my woman." He smirked lightly, circling her wound. She flinched, either for mirth dancing in his cold grey eyes or for his touch. "Here is the little hint: I'm too old fashioned when it comes to household matters."
She saw him tugging his sleeve as he turned vampire again, punctured the skin of his wrist. Much to the horror, he offered her. When she was denying and backing off, he held her firmly in the place, forced her.
That was sour sensation; Caroline never experienced such kind of feeling in her life before. A tear slipped to her cheek, feeling overwhelmed, and her wound healed way too quickly.
"There, there," he crooned, wiping that water trace. "You gave me wonderful gift I could never possibly dream about, my love. It is my turn now. Think of it as my wedding gift to you: An eternity."
Pounding of heart steadily increased in her chest. Eternity was no joke, eternity was really, really, really long time. How it would unfold with him being her husband?
0o Golden Cage o0
Oh well. How is it? Good, bad or so-so? If it was confusing, I would like to brief you: Caroline didn't know Klaus had killed Katerina's family btw. I thought Klaus had a habit of hiding things from his close circle. Until the wedding he didn't disclose his plans for her, and she was naive to talk him into marriage.
lol, I messed it I guess.
I was writing some Kennett chapters. And as a change I wanted to write Klaroline one-shot. Tell me how I did this, please.
Thanks for visiting =) Take care, readers!
