Chapter 2

"Now, Caroline," said Klaus, his tone reproaching as he stepped toward her menacingly, "that's no way for a lady like you to be talking. Let's try that again. What would you like to do first?"

Caroline gritted her teeth, seething. "Let's get something straight, Klaus. I am your prisoner, yes, but I am not your toy. I am a human being –"

Klaus barked out a laugh, but attempted to cover it with a fake cough.

Caroline's eyes darkened at his wordless remark. She sighed irritatedly. "I am person with feelings and rights, and I refuse to be treated like one of your hybrids."

"It seems to me," chuckled Klaus, "that you're quite desperate, sweetheart. Prisoners don't make the rules, or perhaps you've forgotten that. You're in my house, under my rules, and I expect you to act as such. If you attempt to escape, you can kiss your wolf goodbye." Klaus began sauntering out of the foyer. As he left, he added, "Adios. Arrivederci. Sayonara."

Caroline knew what she had to do, and that was keep Tyler safe. "Fine!" she shouted. Klaus stopped walking, but did not turn. Instead, he just beckoned to her with his hand, waving her forward. It took everything in her power not to stomp to him like a two-year-old. Klaus looked at Caroline with that smirk of his that Caroline loathed so deeply. She made a noise of disgust, but upon seeing his facial expression, she managed to make it sound like she was clearing her throat.

"Allow me to give you a tour of my home," Klaus said genially, offering his hand to Caroline.

She took it reluctantly, not wanting to truly anger Klaus, but not wanting physical contact with him, either. She was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. She knew she did this for Tyler, and she didn't regret saving him, but she desperately wanted to be free of Klaus's presence.

As he led her through the house, Caroline had to admit it was beautifully extravagant. She found herself enthralled in stories about how he'd acquired this art piece or how he knew the person who'd built that ornate table. She even made a sarcastic remark about the horrendous wallpaper in the hallway. Caroline was careful, though. She did not – could not – act as if she was perfectly okay with this. Her captivity was because of Klaus, and he was gloating about it, which irritated her to no end. Still, she knew if she challenged him again, it would not end as well as before. Finally, they came to the end of a long hallway – it was more of a corridor, really – and Klaus cleared his throat.

"And this," he said, pushing the door open, "is your room."

Caroline ducked her head inside the room and immediately gasped in awe. Never in her life had she seen such a beautiful room. And the bed! It was a four-post, king size bed surrounded with blue hangings that exactly matched her eyes. The wood was rich and dark – mahogany. Caroline felt herself drawn in by the mere look of the hangings, but when she touched them, she discovered they were pure silk and lighter than air.

"How –" she began, but Klaus cut her off as he pressed his lips to hers, softly, tenderly at first, but building into something more. Stunned for a moment, Caroline stood stock still, unmoving and unresponsive. Then, she began pummeling his chest, trying to push him away as he held her body to his. "Get off me!" Caroline snarled, just able to pull away enough to speak. Klaus ignored her and held her tighter, crushing her body to his. She continued her punches to his chest and when it didn't work, she leaned forward and bit his tongue, hard.

"I don't care if I'm here for fifty more years," she spat, wiping her mouth off as Klaus glared at her, his eyes on fire, "I will never, never love you!"

Klaus made to walk out, but he stopped in the doorway and turned slowly. "That's where you're wrong, sweetheart."

Caroline awoke the next morning suddenly, her mind foggy. She lay still, head resting on her multitude of pillows. She was now aware of why she'd woken so suddenly – someone was in her room. Caroline's eyes flashed open, her body readying for attack. She heard light, stealthy footfalls cross the room, nearing her bed. Caroline kept silent as she sat up, not wanting to alert the attacker.

Really, Caroline? she thought irritably. You're a vampire and you're sitting cowering in your bed?

The footsteps were at her bed and Caroline could see an outline of the person through the blue hangings of her bed. As she closed her eyes and steeled herself for confrontation, a hand reached forward and slowly began to pull back the hangings. Caroline's reflexes kicked in and her legs kicked out, sending the person flying into the wall. It took a minute for Caroline to realize who she'd just attacked.

"What the hell?" shouted Klaus defensively. "I thought you were sleeping!"

Caroline's voice rose octaves higher than normal. "Seriously? You snuck up on me! What was I supposed to do?"

"I was bringing your breakfast," growled Klaus through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing dangerously as he swiped bits of scrambled eggs off his designer shirt.

Caroline said nothing, but found herself holding back a terribly inopportune case of the giggles. A small snicked escaped her lips and Klaus stared at her incredulously, rage filling his face.

"Oh, I'm glad you find this funny," he hissed. "I'll see you at dinner." He strode out of the room fuming, and Caroline ceased giggling and rolled her eyes. You'd think the Original Hybrid would be able to take a joke – if you considered a swift kick to the chest a joke. . . It really was funny, and she knew she would have been angry, but she almost felt like it was karma. She was a firm believer in the 'what goes around comes around' dogma and she couldn't help but think that Klaus's past deeds were catching up with him. But that was his problem. Caroline had other things on her mind, like Tyler. How was she supposed to get out of here? Caroline could foresee no wavering in Klaus's decision to hold her captive, especially after the little stunt she just pulled.

Caroline decided that, as much as she cared about and missed Tyler, she wouldn't spend her day being miserable. She wanted to use the day to explore her prison. After dressing, fixing her hair, and touching up her makeup as well as she could without any household items at her disposal, Caroline opened her door cautiously. There was no one in the hallway, so Caroline stepped out and walked into the sitting room, which was also void of activity. She listened closely, her hearing nearly supersonic. She could detect no signs of activity in the house. She was alone.

Caroline decided to take advantage of her solitude and explore the house. Sure, Klaus had given her a tour, but she hadn't gotten to really see the house. Her bare feet padded on the hardwood floors, echoing against the high ceilings. To fill the silence, she hummed her favorite songs as she made her way through the giant house. Vaguely, Caroline wondered where Klaus and his minions were, but she pushed him out of her mind. As she stepped into another hallway, she noticed a door at the very end. She didn't remember being in this part of the house before. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she moved forward toward the door. Caroline jumped slightly as her hand came in contact with the icy cold doorknob. Looking behind her, feeling as if she were being watched, Caroline pushed the door open and stepped inside the room.

The room was extravagant to say the very least. Drawings and paintings hung on the walls with their own, miniature spotlights shining on them. Drawing paper, chalk, oil paints, and brushes littered a magnificent oak table across the room. Caroline's mouth gaped open in amazement at the awe-inspiring talent of whoever had drawn and painted the extraordinary pictures on the walls, which were tastefully paneled with oak that matched the table. Once Caroline had crossed the expanse of the long room and reached the table, she admired the half-finished drawings that were strewn every which way. A delicate piece of parchment caught her eye and she picked it up to better see it. Lightly sketched in pencil with an expert's hand, it was a portrait of a young girl with eyes that sparkled even in pencil. Her long, flowing hair rested on her shoulders. It was Caroline.

"What are you doing?" a voice from behind her growled.

Caroline, caught off guard, stammered and hastily dropped the piece of paper. "I – er. . ."

"I purposely did not bring you to this side of the house!" shouted Klaus, everything about him screaming 'danger'. "I should think you'd understand what that means!"

"I'm sorry. . .," murmured Caroline, thoroughly taken aback by Klaus's reaction. When Klaus did nothing but stand stock still halfway across the room, furious, Caroline ventured a question. "Er. . . did you draw these?" she asked, her eyes scanning the room's gorgeous contents.

Klaus's mouth moved, but no sound came out.

"What?" Caroline asked, unsure of what he'd mouthed.

Suddenly, Klaus's eyes were flashing dangerously, much more terrifying than when they'd done the same that morning. "Get out!" he roared, rushing at Caroline with vampire speed. Caroline sidestepped and nearly flew out of the room. She could hear Klaus letting out a stream of expletives all the way across the house. She went straight to her bedroom, only to be reminded of the morning's events. She felt the veins emerge from under her eyes and her fangs descend as the blood rushed to her eyes. In addition to the scrambled eggs she'd made Klaus spill, there had also been a glass of blood. And now Caroline realized how hungry she was.

Breathe, Caroline, she told herself. She breathed in deeply through her mouth, feeling her fangs retract. She would have gladly drunk the blood, had it not been soaked into the area rug next to her bed. Where was she supposed to go? She couldn't stay in here unless she wanted to stick her fangs into carpeting. She sure as hell couldn't go back out and face Klaus and his rage. Caroline's only other option was the grandiose bathroom attached to her bedroom. Caroline hurried inside and locked the door. She slumped onto the floor against the wall farthest away from the door and began to cry silently. There were times when she relished in being a vampire, and there were times like these, where she absolutely loathed it, wishing she was a regular teenage girl again. Caroline knew crying would be no help in her current situation, but she couldn't stop the tears. And the worst thing was, there was no one to comfort her.

"Caroline," whispered a voice, waking Caroline from the sleep she'd drifted into after exhausting all her tears. She was still slumped uncomfortably against the bathroom wall when her eyes snapped open and saw a face she'd been longing to see so desperately.

"Tyler," she breathed. She smiled widely as he put his finger to his lips, telling Caroline to be quiet. He pointed to the door, which was now open. It wouldn't be hard for Klaus or his hybrids to hear anything they did.

Tyler stood, taking Caroline in his arms. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, missing his comforting touch, the warmth of his skin. There were so many questions Caroline wanted to ask. How had Tyler gotten in? How had he avoided Klaus? Was everyone at home all right? But she knew she had to keep quiet to keep from alerting Klaus of her escape. Tyler held her closer, Caroline clutching at his shirt for dear life. Words couldn't describe the gratitude she was feeling for her boyfriend as he risked his life to save her right from under Klaus's nose. They silently made their way to the front door, where Tyler struggled to keep his grip on Caroline and still turn the knob.

"Where do you think you're going?" came an acidic voice from the foyer behind them.

Tyler turned slowly to reveal Klaus standing in the doorway flanked by two hybrids. "Caroline," murmured Tyler, pulling open the door behind Caroline's back as he set her down, "run."

"Oh, I don't think so, Tyler," said Klaus with a faint chuckle. He stepped forward until their was less than six inches of space between himself and Caroline. He looked directly into her blue eyes. "You will not leave until I tell you. Do you understand?"
"I won't leave," repeated Caroline as if in a trance.

"You can't compel her!" cried Tyler, shoving Klaus away.

"I think you'll find I can do whatever I want," hissed Klaus. "Including this." He reached his hands up to snap Tyler's neck.

"No!" cried Caroline as she woke up, smacking her head against the bathroom wall.

"I was just asking if you might find your bed a bit more comfortable than a cold, bathroom floor," Klaus deadpanned.

Caroline scoffed as she stood, cringing away from Klaus. "I can't even believe you're speaking to me," she muttered.

"Neither can I. Tell me, Caroline, did you learn manners as a child?" Klaus asked harshly.

Her eyes narrowed at the cocky hybrid that stood before her. "I'm not going to answer that."

"Don't worry. That will suffice," Klaus chuckled, an evil smirk painting his whiskered face.

Caroline groaned. "So, are you planning on starving me, or would you like to get me something to drink?"

Klaus chuckled again, his eyes alight with excitement. "Why don't you get some for yourself?"

"And how do you propose I do that? Last time I checked, I was your prisoner."

He did not speak, only motioned for Caroline to follow him as he exited the bathroom. She rolled her eyes and followed him until they reached the dining area where an ornate table had been set up with crystal place settings.

"What is it with you Originals and fine china?" she muttered. "And there's nothing here to eat anyway."

"Well, Caroline," Klaus said, "it might surprise you, but I, myself, am quite the fan of buffets. So, here you go. All you can eat." As he spoke, six girls wearing skimpy dresses walked into the dining room. Caroline caught on immediately. Klaus's idea of a buffet was draining as many girls as he felt like.

Caroline shuddered involuntarily at the thought of being forced to drain someone. She preferred to stay alive by drinking from blood bags and blood bags alone. She had tried the Stefan Diet, but she had been so insanely hungry that she'd gone and ripped some poor, innocent person's throat out. But regardless of her true nature, she could not bring herself to drink from a living person of her own free will, especially if she might kill them.

"Come on, love," Klaus hissed, "drink up."

A/N: And there's chapter 2! I've become quite fascinated with dark!Klaus/Klaroline, and that may or may not be where this is headed. If you don't like it, you should probably stop reading now xD