AN: This chapter will contain insights into the goings on in Mystic Falls while the girls are trapped with Klaus, which will likely happen in future chapters too, so that events that are to come will make sense. Hints of Delena and other ships may ensue.
Taking a deep breath, Caroline exited her room. The cabin was dark, and it was well past midnight, but she knew Klaus would still be awake.
Likely plotting something diabolic, she thought to herself with a sneer. Creeping quietly down the stairs, she paused in the entryway to the living room. It was small and very quaint, with various paintings on the walls in gilded frames; landscapes, mainly. She assumed Klaus had done them himself. There was a small sofa, a loveseat, and a winged armchair facing the roaring fireplace, all which were made of deep royal blue cashmere. At the present moment, the hybrid was seated in the armchair, facing away from her.
"Can't sleep, love?"
She froze, her usual frown plastered on her lips. She hated it when he called her that. "No, I can't," she grumbled, and he turned to her with a smirk.
"Perhaps I can help with that," he purred seductively, and Caroline's frown deepened.
"Before you go all super horny hybrid king on me, I came down here to talk to you."
Klaus raised an eyebrow as he put down his sketch pad and pencil, turning to face her. "About what, may I ask?"
Gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath and continued. "You said you brought me out here to get to know you better," she stated, and he nodded, his grin widening.
"Yes, I did."
"Well… fine. Since you clearly don't plan on taking me and Elena home anytime soon… I'll… get to know you better."
Grinning widely, Klaus got to his feet, walking over to where she stood. "Excellent! Why the sudden change in heart?"
Sighing, Caroline shook her head. "Maybe I just think it's a better option than staying locked up in my room forever."
Klaus chuckled and nodded. "Well, I'm glad we finally agree on something. I promise you, Caroline; you're going to love it here."
"Oh, yeah. Vervain on every escapable surface; my total idea of heaven."
Smirking, Klaus shook his head. "Once you get past the… precautions, it isn't all that bad."
Sighing, Caroline nodded. "Fine; whatever. Just don't make me regret this decision."
Klaus grinned deviously down at her. "Believe me, love; you won't."
Giving him a skeptical look, Caroline shook her head and turned around. "I'm going to bed. I need to sleep on this likely horrible decision."
Grinning widely, Klaus plopped himself back down in his chair. "Sweet dreams, Caroline."
Shaking her head, she walked back up the stairs.
Smirking, Klaus picked up his sketchpad again, returning to his drawing of a certain golden-haired beauty.
… . … . … . … . …
When Caroline flopped back down into her bed in the dark room, she groaned into her pillow. Why had she agreed to this? Chances were, if she gave into Klaus, he would only want to keep her here more, and have her all to himself. The idea of staying in this damn cabin for the rest of her eternal life with him made her shudder. It was all too horrible. To make matters worse, when Tyler eventually returned to Mystic Falls thinking he would be welcomed with her open arms, she wouldn't be there. He'd be coming home to nothing, except maybe his mother.
Anger bubbled in Caroline's stomach at the thought of both Tyler and Klaus. It was because of Klaus that Tyler had felt the need to leave town and break his sire bond. Hell; it was because of Klaus that he had a sire bond. How could this sick, twisted monster honestly think she'd ever care for him? He'd wanted to kill her in his stupid ritual last spring!
Squeezing her eyes shut, silent tears trailed down her cheeks. She wanted to go home. She wanted Tyler. She wanted Klaus to just leave her the hell alone…
… . … . … . … . … . …
"Rise and shine ladies! It's a new day, and I am not a patient man!"
Groaning, Caroline pulled the silky pink pillow over her head in attempt to drown out the British menace outside their doors in the hallway.
There were a few quick raps on Caroline's door, and she groaned more loudly. "Go away! I don't want to get up yet!"
"Out of bed, Caroline; your breakfast will be cold if you dally too long!"
Frowning with confusion, Caroline removed the pillow and narrowed her eyes as she paid attention to the scent assaulting her nose for the first time. "Breakfast…?" she mumbled, sniffing at the air. Eggs, toast with honey, and… some kind of meat…?
"HEY! What the hell? Put me down, you ass…!"
"Hush now, Elena; set an example for your lovely friend and get downstairs."
There was a thump in the next room over, and Elena could be heard grumbling irritably under her breath as her door was closed again. "Bastard…"
Klaus knocked on Caroline's door again, a bit more urgently. "Come on now, love; hurry! Up and at 'em!"
Rolling her eyes, Caroline slid out of bed and walked over to the white wooden dresser across the room. Pulling the top drawer open, she found herself greeted by her very own collection of underwear, along with a few new lacy pieces.
The ass went through my underwear…?! Furiously, blushing all the while, she pulled out a simple white bra with matching panties, opening the drawer beneath it and tugging out her yellow sundress, going about dressing for… breakfast? Who would have thought Klaus would actually make them breakfast. Then again, he'd likely had a hybrid do it for him; she wouldn't put it past him for a second. Sneering as she slipped the dress on over her head and adjusted it, she picked up her hairbrush, which she noticed Klaus had also stolen from her house, and went about brushing her tangled blonde hair. She'd barely slept a wink last night, choosing instead to lie in bed and cry, wallowing in self-pity. She couldn't help but wonder what everyone in Mystic Falls was doing at the present moment, realizing that they were missing…
… . … . … . … . …
The sunlight was streaming brightly through the large windows in the bedroom of Damon Salvatore as he rolled over, slowly waking up to a slight headache. Damn alcohol…
The night had been eventful; too eventful. He'd gone to the Mikaelson's ball, only for Elena to arrive after he and Stefan both had specifically told her not to; that it would be too dangerous. He'd danced with her, and then she'd disappeared and made some horrible, stupid deal with Esther. The just splendid evening had ended with her telling him his love for her was the problem, tossed the pretty boy… Troll or something, off a balcony when he'd broken Matt's hand, and left the scene of the crime with Elena's judgy little eyes boring into his back.
Then, he'd proceeded to get drunk and sleep with Barbie Klaus. Wait… what…?
"Good morning, sleepy head."
Damon's eyes snapped open as he turned his head to the side. Sure enough, there she was; Rebekah. It hadn't been some twisted dream; he'd really had hate sex with Rebekah. "Well, hello there," he commented, raising an eyebrow. She grinned wickedly, sitting up and running a hand through her disheveled blonde hair.
"Last night was only so-so; you were a bit of a disappointment, really," Rebekah said flippantly, examining her nails.
Damon narrowed his eyes, sitting up as well. "Excuse me…?"
"Oh, don't look at me with those big blue eyes; I'm not a Petrova, they won't work on me."
Damon glared and rolled his eyes, sliding out of bed and tugging his boxers on. "Well, funny enough, you're certainly enough of a bitch to be one…"
"Oh, come now; not all Petrovas are bitches. Well, at least not to you. I'd rather enjoy shoving a dagger in the back of your pretty little girlfriend, if Nik wouldn't rip my head off for it."
Damon's eyes went dead at the mention of Elena, and he stood up and walked across the room, snatching up his cell phone. Rebekah noticed his reaction and grinned wider. "Oh, did you and Elena have a spat? What a shame; you never even slept with her, and now she'll be running back to your brother… Then again, I wouldn't blame her; he's much better in bed…"
"Oh, shut up," Damon groaned with irritation as he checked his missed calls, finding a message from Elena in his inbox. He listened to her go on and on about how she hadn't meant what she'd said the way he had taken it, and sneered with irritation when she proceeded to tell him how reckless he'd been for going after Kol like that. "He's an Original, Damon; he could have killed you…!"
Rolling his eyes, he flipped his phone off, not noticing the text he'd also received from Stefan last night.
"Don't be so petty," Rebekah said, frowning. "God; I heard about what Elena said to you. After that, I think you'd be glad Nik has finally taken the little menace off of your hands."
Freezing, Damon turned to face her, his eyes wide. "What?"
"What, you didn't find it odd that she only sent you one message? Wouldn't she normally… oh, what's the word… spam you with pointless apologies?"
"What do you mean he took her off of my hands?"
"Last night, after the ball, Nik took Caroline and Elena somewhere. Don't ask me where; he wouldn't tell me. A pity you didn't know; I bet even after what she said to you, you'd have risked your silly little life for the twat."
"You bitch," Damon snarled. "What was last night, some kind of distraction to keep me away?"
"No, Damon, it wasn't," Rebekah said with a glare. "It was merely done out of boredom. Not everything I do has to do with Nik's plans."
Grabbing his phone again, Damon checked his text messages; about a dozen from Stefan, all the same.
I can't find Elena; is she with you?
"DAMN IT!" he yelled, tossing the phone across the room.
… . … . … . … . … . …
"Caroline, honey? Are you up?"
Liz knocked on Caroline's bedroom door, frowning a bit with concern. It was nearly noon and she still hadn't gotten out of bed. Sure, she'd been out late at that party, but it wasn't like Caroline to sleep the day away. When she still didn't even offer up an answer, Liz opened the door.
Caroline's bed was made, and there was a note lying on the pillow. It was written in elegant scripture, and addressed to Ms. Forbes. Frowning, she picked it up and flipped it over, reading what was written on the other side.
Dear Elizabeth,
Don't worry about Caroline's absence; I assure you she'll be more than safe with me. I promise to bring her back home, although chances are your natural life may have run out before the time comes when I'm confident she won't run away when I do. So, please accept my apology for not allowing you to say goodbye; it likely would have been a bit difficult, not to mention pointless, to do with her being in the state she's currently in.
Best wishes and a happy lifetime,
Klaus
Liz gave a strangled cry of horror, dropping the note. That bastard, that sick, despicable bastard had taken Caroline. How had she not heard him, heard any sign of a struggle. Yanking open drawers, she came to find all of Caroline's things gone, along with most of her pictures and other person possessions.
Her little girl was gone. Her little girl was at the mercy of a psychopath.
… . … . … . … . … . …
When Caroline opened her door five minutes later, she was greeted by a very irritable, disheveled Elena, and raised an eyebrow. "What was that thump I heard…?"
Glaring, Elena stomped down the stairs, speaking louder than necessary. "The ass picked me up out of bed and dropped me onto the floor!"
Klaus could be heard chuckling from the kitchen, and smirked when both girls entered. "Oh, Elena; don't be such a drama queen."
Elena glared frostily as she sat down at the table with her arms crossed over her chest, and Caroline sat down beside her, giving her a small, sympathetic smile. Klaus grinned and placed a plate before each of them. Caroline's nose hadn't lied; there were gourmet style scrambled eggs with chives, toast with honey, and… some type of sausage.
"What's this?" Caroline asked, poking the meat with her fork.
Klaus smirked. "Italian blood sausage, of course."
Elena nearly choked on the bite of meat she had taken, paling. "Blood sausage…?"
"Relax," Klaus said, rolling his eyes. "Plenty of normal, human people eat them."
Caroline took a bite, her curiosity getting the better of her. Surprisingly, it was good. She quickly ate the entire thing, moving on to her eggs. The next thing she knew, Klaus was placing a crystal goblet of red liquid before her, and she knew it was blood when her eyes shifted at the sight of it.
"B+," he said with a smirk. "Rumor has it that it's your favorite."
Caroline nodded, picking up the goblet. "Yes, it is," she said quietly, and Elena bit her lip, taking a small bite of toast. She seemed uncomfortable, and Caroline could sense it as she sipped at the blood.
"So," she said, attempting to make conversation, as much as it sickened her. "What do you plan on forcing us to do today?"
"I was thinking an art lesson," Klaus said simply as he sat across from them, sipping at his own glass of blood.
"Art lesson?" Elena asked, frowning lightly.
"Oh, you're more than welcome to sit out," Klaus said, and Elena frowned. It seemed more like an order than a request, from the way the hybrid's eyes narrowed. Putting on a falsely sweet smile, Elena shook her head.
"Of course not! I love painting."
Basically, that could be translated to, "There's no way in hell I'm leaving you alone with her."
Klaus resisted the powerful urge to groan with frustration, falsely smiling back. "Oh… excellent. We'll start after breakfast, then."
Both girls nodded, and Caroline shot Elena a slightly frosty gaze when Klaus wasn't looking. The look positively screamed, "You'd better be grateful that I'm doing this."
Elena looked down sheepishly, not saying a word.
… . … . … . … . … . …
"No, no, no; smaller strokes, Elena! It's all about details," Klaus scolded as he watched Elena attempt to paint a sunset. She flushed and glared; all he'd done for the past hour and a half was criticise everything she painted; every move she made. Yet, Caroline's sunset was "lovely" and "exceptionally well done for an amateur."
"Well, if my strokes are so terribly done why don't you finish it for me, asshole?" Elena snapped, tossing the brush at him and storming from the living room. Klaus glared, glancing down at his shirt; the beige fabric was now smeared with orange paint.
Caroline grinned slightly as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, giggling faintly at his expression. Klaus turned to her when the sound reached his ears and raised an eyebrow.
"What, you think my displeasure is funny?" he asked, narrowing his eyes, and she grinned, continuing to paint.
"I do, actually. You're acting like a pouty child."
"This was my favorite shirt!"
Grinning deviously, Caroline turned around and gave a flick of her paintbrush, splattering yellow paint on his shirt, as well. "Oops," she said, smiling innocently and fluttering her lashes.
Klaus glared, glancing down at his shirt again before grabbing his own brush, which was currently coated with sky blue paint, and blurring over to her, painting a large blue dot on her forehead before she could blink.
"Hey!" she snapped angrily, her eyes turning icy. Klaus smirked and cocked his head to the side, his eyes devious.
"How adorable," he commented and she glared, turning back to her painting, ignoring him. Klaus raised an eyebrow as he watched her paint, putting his brush down and shaking his head.
"You're blending your colors wrong," he commented, and she rolled her eyes.
"Well, we can't all be world class artists, now can we?" she snapped, and he smirked; he loved it when she was feisty.
"Sadly, no; but then again, if we were, there wouldn't be such thing as talent, would there?"
Caroline just shook her head and didn't respond. Sighing softly, Klaus took a step closer and placed his hand over hers, guiding it across the canvas. "Do it more like this," he instructed her, feeling her stiffen at his touch. She was well aware that his chest didn't need to be pressed up against her back to help her with this, but resisted the strong urge to shove him off of her and through the wall to the next room. After all; if she did that, he'd never let them leave.
"Fine," she said, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "I can do it myself, thank you."
"Are you sure?" Klaus asked, and she could hear the smirk in his voice as he paused their hands.
"Yes," Caroline said icily, shrugging him off and he chuckled, releasing her hand.
"Very well, then," he said, pleased that she hadn't slapped him as he walked back over to his own easel, continuing to watch her from the corner of his eye as he painted. He would never understand why she didn't see how beautiful she truly was; golden hair that fell in waves down her back, blue eyes that sparkled when she laughed, curves that were a sculptors dream; he could just sit around and sketch her for hours. Which, if he was being honest, he often did. He hoped that, one day, he'd be able to sketch her in person and not just from memory.
"Much better, love," he commented softly, noticing that she had taken his advice to heart as she painted, and noticed the faint blush creep to her cheeks.
"Thank you," she said, her voice lacking some of its normal iciness. Grinning to himself, Klaus turned back to his painting once more. He needed a master plan to go along with his diabolical plan; a plan that would truly woo Caroline. He knew she wasn't the type of girl to fall into one's arms over expensive, extravagant gifts; no, she was what one would call a true romantic. He would need to do something tremendously special for her to win her heart.
But what could he do that he hadn't already done?