"All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair."

― Mitch Albom

Bruised Jaws and Sore Egos

"Allison hurry the hell up!"

Caroline ordered as her sister slowly pulled herself out of their families' car. She'd gotten distracted watching lacrosse practice and surprisingly enough having fun with Lydia and Allison that she completely forgotten about her training session with her father and she was currently 15 minutes late to said session. Her father was going to kill her.

"God Care relax, it was the first day of school, dad will understand"

Allison tried reassuring her sister as she fumbled with the key trying to open the front door. Caroline shot her a dry look, blue eyes glaring at her sisters' naivety, no their father wouldn't understand. Without actually retorting to her sisters' words she threw the door open only to come face to face with a rather angry looking Chris, his cold blue eyes glancing briefly at the watch on his wrist before looking at Caroline.

"You're late"

Was all he said and she could already see the massive ass whooping humiliation she was going to get in training. She sent her sister an 'I told you' look before dropping her bag by the door, an apology ready at the tip of her tongue but Allison cut in front of her.

"It was my fault dad, I made Caroline wait for me while I watched lacrosse practice after school"

Caroline winced at her sister attempt to save her ass, not that it was Allison's fault but mentioning lacrosse was definitely not a good idea and Allison seemed to understand that as she saw her sister visibly flinch, quickly shutting her mouth.

"Lacrosse?"

Chris raised both eyebrows, questioning Caroline silently and Allison felt left out all of a sudden as both her sister and father communicated in what seemed like a telepathic way. She hated when they did that because it only served to remind her she was nowhere as close to her father as Caroline was.

"Dad…"

"I don't want to hear it, let's go"

Chris cut Caroline short, his voice overpowering hers as he raised a hand and she shut up instantly. He waved a hand for her to follow him, probably to the training room but Caroline stood still, eyes glancing down at her clothes that were definitely not fit for a sparing battle.

"Can I at least change?"

She questioned boldly but her father only shot her one of his 'don't question me' looks and she sighed inwardly, shaking her head.

"Dad seriously it was my fault"

Allison tried again and this time Chris turned around fully, fixing Allison with an intimidating stare that only the Argent blue eyes could pull off, something Allison wasn't gifted with since she inherited brown, almost black eyes from some unknown person in the family.

"Allison this is between me and your sister, do not interfere"

The brunette shied away from his harsh tone, hands instinctively brushing her hair behind her ears as a habit. Victoria Argent had made her appearance from the kitchen, her hand resting on her eldest daughters shoulder for comfort and all Allison could do was mouth the words 'sorry' to her sister as she watched the blonde disappear after their father.

Chris was inspecting a wooden Bo staff, twirling it around himself with ease as if it were second nature. Caroline refrained from saying anything else as she made her way towards the rest of the staffs' lining the wall but Chris blocked her path, eyes directing her towards a staff in the middle of the foam covered floor. Caroline had been forced to help her father set up their training space when they moved to Beacon Hills, her fingers still hurt from having to set up the interlocking foam mat but it helped, especially in moments like these when she was certain she was getting her ass kicked. Chris positioned himself in front of the staff on the floor, his eyes never once looking at Caroline but she was certain he was watching. She hesitantly bent down to pick it up, catching on the swift movement from her peripheral vision and she barely moved fast enough to avoid being hit by her fathers' staff as he brought it down on her. She landed awkwardly to the side, bringing her eyes up to meet her fathers' only to have to move out of the way again as he took a hit at her again.

"Pick it up Caroline"

He warned as he leaned casually on his staff from his spot across the room, eyes locked on hers. She had two choices: be faster than him or get hit and she sure as hell didn't want to get hit. Before she could think too hard about her choice she made a sprint for it, painfully aware that he was closer to the staff than she was but in a miracle move she reached it, pulling it into her hands before swiftly blocking her fathers' hit. She eyed him triumphantly from her crouched position on the floor but it didn't last long as he kicked her legs out from under her and she had to roll with the staff in order to avoid getting hit. Sure training sessions with her father weren't a walk in the park but they were never this aggressive and she was acutely aware of how pissed off he actually was despite his calm demeanor. She continued to dodge his hits, swiftly moving about the room, using whatever space she had escape his wrath, this was too much even coming from Chris.

"Come on Caroline stop running like a scared little girl and fight back"

He ordered with a smug smile as she watched her pant, she was getting tired of moving back and forth, they'd been doing this for an hour she noticed with disdain as her eyes glanced at the clock on the wall, an hour and he still wasn't lighting up. Taking a deep breath she clenched her hands tight around the staff and dug her heels into the mat to propel her body forward. She was fast and strong but it wasn't enough. Chris easily maneuvered away from her blow and the momentum she gained actually turned against her as she lost her balance. Chris used her jerky, uncoordinated movements to send the flat end of the staff against her stomach, the breath immediately leaving her body as she unwillingly bent forward at the impact but he wasn't done yet. In one of his check mate moves he brought the staff upward, connecting with her chin as he set her flying into the air. Her back slammed into floor with a loud, unceremonious thud that shook every bone in her body. She couldn't breathe.

"Game over"

Chris announced standing over her with the staff pointed at her scrunched up face and at that moment Caroline felt like a kid all over again, only it was her grandfather holding the staff, she saw his cold, mocking eyes as she lay in pain.

"Chris!"

Victoria scolded from the door, her voice angry and firm as she reprimanded her husband and Chris seemed to snap out of it. A flash of regret raced across his eyes but Caroline ignored it, promptly ignoring his outstretched hand too. She painfully pushed herself off the floor and past her mother as she made her way to her room. She thanked the Gods under and above that the door to her sisters' room was closed and quickly made her way into her own room. She was sure the underside of her chin was probably already bruising but it wasn't even the physical pain that got to her the most, it was the look in her father's eyes. Chris Argent tried so hard not to become his father but sometimes whatever it was that Gerard Argent planted inside his son came out and it scared the crap out of Caroline. She tore the black shirt over her head and inspected her stomach on the full body mirror in the corner of her room. There was a distinct mark of a circle imprinted on the skin; the color there was red and already slightly purple.

"Great"

She mumbled to herself, eyes instinctively running over the scarred skin of her ribcage. Sometimes when she closed her eyes she still felt the pain, the sound of electric currents flooding her senses and taking her back two years ago to the day she acquired the scar but she was okay now. She understood from that day on that she was not like the rest of her family, not even her father who tried so hard not to stray from the code. She was something else entirely and it was for that reason she did what she did two years ago. Her motivations for doing what she did were her own. With a small, satisfied smile she pulled her eyes away from the mirror and made her way towards the bathroom she shared with her sister, the feeling of unknown power running through her whole body. She was not who they wanted her to be and for the first time in her life she was starting to be okay with that.

Later that night as she sat in her bed, mind focused on her school work a knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts. She had denied her mothers' call for dinner and that was all it took for the rest of the Argent family to understand that she wasn't in the mood for company. Even her sister, who was an anxious worrier had actually respected Caroline's' need to be alone. So she was surprised to see her fathers' large, strong frame entering her bedroom. She closed the English book lying on the bed in front of her and turned towards her father, no trace of anything on her face despite the pain, the anger and confusion that raged inside her. Chris's blue eyes traced the purple/blue bruising that was gaining more color by the second and rubbed a tired hand over his face before sitting on the bed, body not facing hers.

"You got angry and you were too eager to hit me which is why I was able to get a good blow at you"

He said after a few moments of silence, still not facing her as he stared at the wooden wardrobe in front of him.

"I know Sir"

She answered, her posture straight and stiff as she watched him. She wanted to scoff and demand he leave her room but she knew that wouldn't end well. To be honest her father was the last person she expected to see entering her bedroom, usually he just dismissed the injuries she got during training sessions just like she ignored his because they both knew they could take it but this didn't seem to be about her bruising jaw or sick stomach.

"Is that all?"

She asked politely, her tone clipped and slightly impatient as the silence dragged on between them. It was the sort of deathly, loaded silence that made the hairs on her arm stand on end. Her relationship with her father was by far normal but it was functioning and it was good and so she hated when this sort of silence settled around them. She wasn't sure why but moving to Beacon Hills, it turned him into a more demanding, a more ruthless and cold man and she found herself struggling to see the man she actually admired more and more every day.

"Don't do that Caroline"

He all but begged, voice almost a whisper as he clasped his hands together, finally finding the courage to look at her. His face contorted into a small wince as he glanced once more at the bruise on her jaw and the look of regret finally settled into place.

"I just need to make sure you can do it Caroline"

He said quietly, hands reaching out towards hers, clasping her hand tightly as he looked at it. She frowned before responding.

"I can protect Allison dad, that is one thing I will always do"

"Not just Allison. I need you to protect yourself because I won't always be here to watch out for you and I can't lose you"

It was possibly the raw emotion in his voice that caught her off guard and propelled her body forward to bring him into a hug but she knew a part of her needed that hug too. He buried his face into her shoulder, hands holding her tight like he didn't want to let her go and she knew this was more than just about protecting herself. She knew he was hiding something, that he knew something she didn't but it didn't matter in that moment, she was just happy to be there.

"You won't lose me dad, promise"

She assured and he smiled, that crooked side smile of his that Caroline loved so much growing up. He nodded silently before pulling himself up and heading for the door, standing there he pulled a plastic tube from his pocket and threw it towards Caroline who swiftly caught it and inspected it, brows furrowed in confusion.

"It's a numbing gel, it'll help with the pain slugger"

He explained, the smile still on his face as he used her old nickname and she rolled her eyes playfully, a hand gently rubbing over the very extremely sore spot on her jaw.

"Hey dad…"

She called out before he fully closed the door making him hold it halfway opened to look at her.

"I love you"

"I love you too"

He replied as he pulled the door closed leaving her alone to stare at the notes on her bed in wonder. There was no way she could explain the feelings that surfaced inside her but there was no need to either and so placing some of the cold gel on her fingers she gently rubbed the spot on her jaw before settling herself beneath the covers, her books thrown on the floor and forgotten as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to rest. Maybe Beacon Hills wouldn't be too bad after all.