Author's note: Thank you to everyone for the great response to the story so far. Here's the next chapter. How will Caroline fare after her impromptu escape? Warning: Violence.

Enjoy!

xxxx

Chapter Four

Almost as soon as Caroline made the decision to escape, she began to regret it.

Not only was the night deceptively cold, but her attire definitely wasn't made for running away from a kidnapper. And it didn't help that she was two shoes short of a pair.

Looking around at her surroundings, she tried to get her bearings but the whole area seemed hauntingly devoid of life. In the distance she could see what looked like a diner but it was shrouded in darkness so that was no use.

For a moment she thought she saw a flash of life through the windshield of a nearby SUV, one of the few cars parked in the deserted lot. But the flare of hope was extinguished almost immediately and she immediately chalked it up to her imagination, assuming it was just the moonlight glinting off of the black metal.

There was no one around.

There was no one to save her.

If only she could figure out where Klaus put her purse then she could use her cell to call someone…anyone. She suspected that he'd left it in his car but unfortunately, she didn't have the car keys and smashing a window would draw too much attention when he doubtlessly came after her once he found she was missing.

She was screwed and she was starting to think maybe she should just have taken her chances with Klaus and stayed in the damn room instead of giving him a reason to go off of the deep end.

Not that someone so unstable really needed a reason.

As if thoughts of him could make the devil appear, his voice boomed out into the dim parking lot making her shudder in dread.

"Caroline!" he roared. "Here, kitty kitty kitty! You can't hide for long!"

She gulped and darted behind one of the few cars in the lot. Crouching down she clenched her eyes shut and prayed he wouldn't find her. Somehow she didn't think he'd give up until he succeeded though.

He didn't exactly seem like the type to quit.

And there was nowhere to run.

Nowhere to hide.

In hindsight she probably should have planned this out better, but she'd acted on instinct. Being impulsive was unusual to Caroline. She was a woman who preferred to plan everything to the exact detail and now she was remembering why.

Impulsivity clearly didn't work for her.

"Come out, Caroline!" he shouted again. "Make it easier on yourself. Show yourself now and I promise I won't hurt you…much."

The raw sound of his footsteps echoed through the darkness like a macabre drumbeat. All of a sudden she felt like one of those girls in a cheesy teen horror movie. Of course Klaus wasn't Freddie Krueger or Jason Voorhees.

No, Klaus was real, and that made him much more terrifying.

The crunch of his shoes against the ground physically hurt her brain as she pressed tightly against the side of the car, listening to him call out her name over and over. The blood was pulsing so loudly and painfully in her temples that she was certain he could hear it.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been out there but it felt like an eternity. Hugging herself to ward off the unusually cold night air, she crouched on her knees and peered around the side of the car, trying to get an idea of where he was. But she couldn't see him.

Caroline frowned.

Could he really have just given up so fast?

When the sound of his steps stopped, she exhaled a deep sigh of relief and climbed to her feet, turning back around to lean against the side of the car.

And she came face to face with the man she'd been trying to escape.

Every nerve in her body went into overdrive, her brain whirling with terror as he came closer, only inches away from her exposed form.

"Hello, sweetheart," Klaus said, mock joviality dripping from his dark tone. "It looks like you've been a naughty girl."

Caroline felt like the world was spinning uncontrollably as she looked into those icy cobalt eyes. The blonde pressed herself firmly against the car door, willing her knees not to give out from under her. His fingers trailed up her bare arm and over her collarbone, raising goosebumps in their wake. His touch was gentle…too gentle. It certainly didn't mesh with the rage brewing in his eyes.

"Klaus, just let me explain…"

Before she could finish her plea his large hand closed around the slim column of her neck. Anger was coursing through his veins like fiery magma and he squeezed hard enough to still her voice and slow her breath.

"I don't want to hear your fucking excuses, Caroline!" he yelled. "I let you live, I didn't torture you, I didn't beat you. What more do you want from me?"

She tried to answer, but her words only came out as a choked gurgle. Her frantic fingers came up around her neck, clawing at his arm but it made no difference. He was stronger than her and they both knew it. It would only take a tiny whip of his hand and he could snap her neck without needing to take a breath.

Hot, salty tears leaked from her eyes, tracing a path over the curve of her cheeks and dripping from her chin. They were tears of pain, tears of anguish, tears of fear. They were tears that came from not knowing if she'd even live to see another sunrise. And even if she did, she was terrified that from now on her life may not even be worth living.

Oblivious to the tempest spinning in Caroline's brain, Klaus pressed tighter for a moment, relishing the fear that spread into her eyes. However, he seemed to think better of strangling her outside where anyone could see. The place was virtually deserted and there didn't seem to be anyone around but he wasn't taking chances this time. He didn't want to have to dispose of even more witnesses after the whole mess he'd already gotten himself into with Caroline.

Not to mention there was that annoying nagging voice in the back of his brain that warned him he'd regret it if he did actually go ahead and murder her.

Relinquishing his hold with a conceited flourish, he let her fall back against the support of the car. She lurched forward, desperately trying to suck air back into her lungs. She pounded her fists against his chest, her fear, anger, and contempt pouring out of her in each tiny punch.

But before she knew what was happening, he was grasping her around the middle and securing her hands behind her. With brute force he pushed her forward, mindless of her pain, back to their motel room.

"Don't struggle," he warned, ensuring his iron grip was unyielding. "You'll only make it worse for yourself."

She glared at him again and he felt another burst of anger surge through his veins.

He'd been as nice as he could be to her and she'd repaid him by leaving.

They always left, though, didn't they?

No matter what he did, they all ran away.

Still clutching Caroline's arms behind her back, Klaus dragged her over the threshold of their room, tossing her to the ground like a ragdoll and slamming the door behind him. The blonde hit the floor with a thud, pain shooting through her shoulder on impact. She winced, the crack of wood making her jump but the real fear flooded into her chest at the sight of Klaus towering over her with a terrifying expression of pure fury radiating from his eyes.

"Did I not bloody well make myself clear enough?" he asked coldly. "I told you to stay here. Where the fuck did you think you could run off to? Huh? Answer me!"

Refusing to be intimidated for another minute, Caroline climbed shakily to her feet and squared her jaw. Maybe in his demented little world he thought he had a right to be mad at her for running away like that but her anger was even more justified.

Her shaky fingers drifted to her bruised neck, only making her more furious.

"I thought I could run the hell away from you," she sneered icily, ignoring the ache in her throat as she forced out her words.

He flicked his eyes heavenward, biting the inside of his cheeks to keep from exploding completely. "Why would you do that? Why can't you just obey my orders?"

He appeared to be genuinely bewildered by the fact that she hadn't blindly followed his orders. Did he really think she was just going to stay put and wait for his next insane outburst of anger? Caroline quickly added unbridled arrogance to the list of his faults that she was keeping in her head.

"I'm not a dog, Klaus. I don't sit, stand, and run when you see fit to command me."

"If people just did as I said, things would be so much easier," Klaus muttered. He turned to wave his finger at her. "You know I should beat you within an inch of your life and then tear your body into so many pieces it'd take them months to find all of your parts."

"So do it!" she challenged him, the frayed threads of her temper sparking with the heat of his latest threat. "Go ahead, Klaus. If that's what will make you so happy, make good on your threats!"

"Maybe I will! And maybe I'll enjoy every minute of hearing you beg and scream for your pathetic life!"

"See, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say this is probably why you're still single," she mumbled under her breath.

Ignoring her extraneous comment, he bunched his hands into fists. "Why did you run, Caroline? Tell me! Haven't I treated you well?"

"Seriously? You're actually asking me that question? You think locking someone in a car and dragging them away from their life is treating them well? And let's not even talk about the near strangulation!"

She relished his surreptitious wince at the sound of her hoarse voice and the way his gaze avoided her tear stained face. However, the look was gone almost as soon as it appeared and his anger came rushing back at full throttle.

"I only tried to strangle you because you disobeyed me!" he exclaimed as if it was a perfectly logical and justifiable reason. "You've been more like a guest than a hostage as far as I'm concerned, sweetheart. Although if you'd prefer we change that it could easily be arranged. I have no doubt you'd enjoy the hostage treatment a lot less."

"God, are you on drugs or something? If you think I'm enjoying one single goddamn moment of this hell then you're out of your fucking mind! This is why I wanted to run away!"

"Well, you're hardly the best company either," he shot back. "A whiny two year old complains less than you."

"Whatever," she sulked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Takes one to know one. And at least I just ran away. I didn't wrap my hands around your neck, as much as I, and any sane human being, would love to do."

As fast as his anger had slammed into him, he felt it start to wane. The sight of her, barefoot and grubby, in a childlike funk was something that actually amused him.

Of course it wasn't lost on him how disturbing it was that he should have been killing her right then but instead he was appreciating how adorable she was.

What in the hell was wrong with him?

Scrubbing his palm across his chin, Klaus clicked his teeth and tried to get his senses under control. He'd wanted to hurt her so badly when he'd realized she left him but he was beyond frustrated at his inability to actually carry out the dirty deed.

Maybe, just this once, he could show her a little leniency.

At least that would give him some time to figure out what the hell was going on inside of his head.

"Okay, look," he said flatly. "Things have gotten out of control here but instead of killing you I'm prepared to allow your life to continue for a little longer."

Her head shot up and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion, her lips parting as if she was about to say something. But before she could speak, he held up a hand to halt her words.

"However, Caroline, if you ever somehow manage to run away again I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and when I inevitably track you down I'll lock you up someplace no one will ever find you. And I will dedicate every moment to torturing you until you beg me to end your pathetic existence. Are we clear?"

He'd said it as if it was casual everyday conversation. Caroline was actually stunned at how easily the hateful warnings rolled from his lips. Yet as menacing as the threats were, they almost came across as…mundane?

Like there was a part of him that had no intention of acting on them.

The soreness in her throat flared up as a callous reminder that he was perfectly capable of acting on them.

She wasn't taking any chances.

"Do I make myself clear?" he repeated when she didn't respond immediately, lost in her own thoughts.

"Crystal," she hissed, a pout on her lips, contempt in her eyes.

Klaus raised his eyebrows as she continued to pout, turning her head away.

He chuckled.

Snapping her eyes back to him, she flashed fire in his direction. A lesser man might have been burned by her flames but there was nothing lesser about him.

"You think this is funny?" she spat. "Threatening to torture and murder me is not amusing. You seriously suck."

"Very mature," he commented.

"I think my maturity was squeezed right out of me."

"And whose fault is that? The cunning plan you formulated to scarper off was hardly foolproof was it, Shoeless Joe?" he mocked. "It could have been dangerous for you, running around barefoot and wearing next to nothing like some savage raised in the woods by a pack of wolves. I mean, we wouldn't want you to catch your death of cold, would we?"

"Huh! You almost killed me, not the pleasantly cool weather conditions."

"Because you provoked me," he said slowly, like he was talking to a child. "So I took action."

"And you kidnapped me! Ugh, like you'd even care if I died."

"Of course I would, if it wasn't by my hand. Plus I'm not in the mood for having to bury your body tonight. It's rather chilly out. Please, show some concern for others."

"You really are an asshole."

"So I've been told," he smirked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "But I refuse to keep going round in circles with you. The topic is closed."

All out of snappy comebacks, Caroline flopped down onto the chair next to the bed. She choose to engage in a severe glaring match with the auburn haired Brit for several seconds until he finally looked away busying himself with his cell phone.

The tentative détente lasted barely moments.

"I really hate you," she said spitefully, trying to get his attention back.

She didn't quite feel like she'd poured enough scorn on him and if there was one thing Caroline Forbes hated, it was feeling unsatisfied.

"Well there are thousands of other people with whom you could form a club then," he deadpanned. "May I suggest starting a Facebook group?"

"God, do you have an answer for like everything?"

Finally he glanced up from his phone, sly puppy dog eyes studying her. "When people ask the right question, then yes I do."

"And what's the right question?"

"You'll know when you get the right answer."

She huffed, leaning back in the chair. "Figures," she muttered.

For the first time since she'd run from him, Klaus' stern expression softened. Curled up on the oversized chair, dirt smudged on her cheeks and her hair flying wild, she looked so young and innocent. She was like a lost angel who'd wandered off of her cloud and tumbled into the fiery pits of hell.

The hell of which he was lord and master.

Finally, he let the final sparks of his anger completely ebb away. "Why don't you get some sleep, Caroline," he suggested gently, gesticulating to the bed.

"I'm fine here, thanks," she told him primly. "And I'm not even tired."

"Suit yourself," he shrugged, his gaze lingering a little too long on the swell of her breasts as she leaned back in the large armchair.

In spite of herself, within minutes her head lolled back awkwardly against the chair. She closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep, unaware of the looming blue eyed figure perched on the edge of the bed watching over her for the rest of the night.

A figure who'd never been in the presence of goodness before.

And he wasn't sure how to deal with it.

Because, one way or another, he feared it might tear him apart.