It was cold, freezing.
Goosebumps raced up Caroline's arms, waking her from a brief but deep involuntary slumber.
Eyes fluttered.
Through the blur her eyes wandered, not recognizing anything wondering how she ended up...wherever she was.
- What the...
- This isn't a hangover right? No, no of course it's not you loon! You barely drank anything.
Scolding herself to try making sense of it all.
Her eyes slowly opened as she came to, with no idea where she was or how she got here. The last thing Caroline remembered was crying at Vixons and before she knew it, she woke up here.
She groaned in pain as she lifted her head, her entire body hurt like she was just hit by a bus. Bringing her hand up to the side of her head, she instantly felt the warm liquid.
No, no, no.
Caroline shakily brought her hand down from the wound and even with her vision impaired there was no mistaking the red on her hand.
Blood. Her blood.
Her hands were shaking. Surprisingly, Caroline didn't freak out or scream her priority was getting out as soon as possible. She sat up, now realizing she was on the ground when her hands met the cold metal of a cage. Her eyes looked down and she realized she was indeed inside of a cage.
She kept looking around and noticed she was also inside of a warehouse. There were no opened windows or visible doors.
There were wires connected to the metal bars leading to a generator plugged into a wall.
Now she was slowly freaking out.
- Where the fuck am I?
Racing to her feet, Caroline hit the bars of the cage aggressively.
"Hello!" She yelled, kicking the cage bars like a mad woman.
"Hello!" Caroline yelled again. "Is anyone down here?!" Her breathing sped up as she began to panic. Palms sweating as she gripped on the bars for dear life knowing her screams were going unnoticed.
She paused when she reached into her jacket pocket to seek out her phone that was usually located there. Her first instinct was to call Klaus, as usual. The last thing Caroline needed right now was a reminder that they were on bad terms and no longer together, the only benefit from her little nap was not thinking about their situation.
"Damn you Mikaelson." She muttered licking her dry lips.
No Klaus, no help. Great.
With all her might she slammed her hands against the bars, trying to make as much noise as possible to try to get anyone's attention. She screamed and yelled, kicked her feet...nothing.
"You really are a feisty, aren't you?" A manly voice hissed from the shadows.
Caroline scrunched her eyebrows at first, widening her eyes when the man appeared before her.
The lump in her throat felt impossible to swallow.
Mikael emerged from the dark, his hands folded behind his back with a smug grin proudly lifted on his face.
"Such a fighter. It's rather admirable, actually." He praised approaching the cage.
"Mikael? What happened? What is this?" Caroline asked, seeing her cold breath jump off the metal.
"A nice little place you can call home for awhile." He mocked with a devilish smirk.
"Why am I here?"
Mikael smiled wickedly. "He adores you, my son. My arrogant waste of a son." He paced back and forth. "He did so well closing his heart to any and everything, even rendered me impressed for a moment but I knew it wouldn't last. It never does. Vampires still have a sense of humanity whether we want to admit it or not."
"Very hard for me to believe vampires have humanity when you're one of them." Caroline spat.
"As if Niklaus is any more humane. But he does have more than me, he's always been weaker than your average vampire. He still has a heart, whether he wants to own up to it or not." Mikael said.
Caroline's eyes briefly welled up but she blinked the water from her eyes.
"Look, me and Klaus broke up and I want nothing to do with him and vice versa so hurting me to spite him will be for nothing." She sternly informed.
He raised his eyebrows curiously, as if he was genuinely surprised by this news.
"I'd say sorry to hear that but lying isn't my favorite hobby. Doesn't change what I already know."
"I promise you, this won't work. Klaus feels nothing for me and never did. I'm fine with that. If you let me go, I'll finally leave Gotham for good without stopping and pretend this never happened. Whadda say, huh?" She innocently smiled but secretly hurting inside.
Squinting his eyes facing her again, Mikael walked towards the cage till he was directly in front of her face
The only thing separating them was the thick glass.
Mikael eyes her up and down carefully. "That must've been so hard for you to accept."
Caroline furrowed her eyebrows as Mikael continued.
"Anyone could see how much you loved him, you're still in love with him."
She gulped.
"He was your entire world, love of your life. You sacrificed everything you ever worked for to start this new life with him only for him to throw it all away. The devastation you must've felt when the person who was literally everything to you breaks your heart. There's anger, bitterness and sadness, but surely no love is lost."
Fuck.
"With that said, anyone would be a complete fool to believe you are no longer devoted to him and he wouldn't destroy this entire city just to find you. And if I were to let you go he wouldn't be the first person you run off to." Mikael accurately concluded.
Gulp.
Well, you can never call him slow.
He chuckled at her face of realization. "Never try playing me for a fool, Caroline. You'll only end up playing yourself."
- Well, that didn't work.
It was annoying how well he could read anyone, similarly to Klaus.
Caroline slammed her hands against the bars in a frustrated panic, the vibrations ringing in her ear. "Ugh let me out you fucking asshole!"
He simply smirked stepping away from the cage and walking towards the generator.
"What do you want from me! Klaus doesn't care about me, he doesn't care what happens to me." She pleaded.
Mikael shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll find out won't we?"
He said before switching on the generator. The wires still connected to Caroline's skin as her whole body jumped back from the shocks.
The sound proof warehouse filled with her hysterical screams as the electric bolts rushed her like lightening. She felt like her veins were splitting in half and popping off one by one. Now with her back on the ground, her body straightened and stilled.
Pupils dilated.
One shock after another Caroline felt herself burning out. Her hairs stood straight up from the electricity and her brain was frying.
It was excruciating.
Caroline felt paralyzed but felt each bolt at the same time. She was completely defenseless. The 3 minutes those bolts stabbed through her body felt like 3 hours, and it only intensified by the minute.
Mikael stood calmly, watching her suffer with nothing but amusement on his face.
Klaus sat in the backseat of his black truck, biting the pad of his blood covered thumb as he glanced out the window.
New York lovers basking in the cold by basking in the heat of each other.
Made him nauseous as a blonde figure flashed through his mind.
Klaus had been searching wildly for Caroline all day, flipping Gotham city upside down to find the fragile human.
He and Stefan checked everywhere that Klaus has taken her, threatened and killed everyone who wouldn't give him the answers he wanted.
- This is mad. She is making you mad.
Never has he been so feverish and worried about someone else's whereabouts before, he never had a reason to be.
Why did he care so much? The stupid girl stabbed him for Christ sake just because he wouldn't give her the answer he wanted. She's obviously over dramatic. Well, says the guy who just pulled out a bodyguard at Tiffany's eyeballs simply for saying 'I haven't seen Miss Quinzel today, sir.'
Maybe they were both a little insane, but that's what made it so much fun. And after admitting to his fears about her, his courage was slipping by the second. He's not sure how he wants her in his life he just knows he wants her and wants to figure it out with together.
Klaus sat there with crossed legs, remembering their last conversation.
Remembering how she looked at him, so much distress and hurt hidden behind her angry words. She just sprang the 'future' talk onto him and expected him to go along with it without thinking it through first. Maybe his words were harsh and hurtful, but Caroline Forbes his hand. She reminded him of everyone who's ever looked at him as nothing but the bad guy. He showed her the man she accused him of being.
So why did he still care?
Stefan pulled into the parking lot of Vixens. Not only was Klaus in desperate need of a drink but this was also his. Vixens and Sirens were both of Katherine's businesses and he knew the two had gotten closer over the past month.
Much to his previous dismay, he was now grateful for their friendship.
If she wasn't here, then Klaus would have to assume the worse happened.
"Boss."
So caught up in his own thoughts Klaus didn't even realize the car stopped and Stefan was already outside holding the door open for him.
"We're going to find her boss." Stefan promised when Klaus hopped out the car.
He stared at the henchman hopelessly and without a word.
They walked through the back entrance, Klaus wasn't in the mood to push through a crowd of drunken people tonight.
He couldn't believe how distracted his mind was, that Caroline was the reason for it. All Klaus cared about right now was finding her and was slowly losing hope that he would. This wasn't normal for him, and it was starting to take its tole.
Stefan signaled to the bartender to grab them two glasses of scotch. The henchman watched as his boss sat at the bar stool, fidgeting with his fingers. All the decades working with him he's never seen him like this.
Heartache.
"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me." Katherine muttered walking towards the two men. "What did I possibly do to deserve your presence, at yet another one of my businesses?"
"Not today Katherine." Stefan said.
"Is he your mouthpiece now?" She smirked at Klaus.
Klaus stared up at her with daggers.
"You might want to take his warning, love." He mumbled accepting the two glasses.
The brunette scoffed. "Right. You don't scare me Klaus, never have, and neither does your little pet."
He laughed under his breath.
No one liked Stefan.
"But shockingly enough, I'm glad you showed up." She sighed.
Klaus was intrigued. "Surprising indeed."
"Calm down lover boy, I was going to ask you if you've seen Caroline?"
That name alone quickly got his attention.
His face hardened and he sat up straight.
"Caroline?"
His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Yeah you know, crazed little blonde who for some reason is head over heels for you even though you've continuously broken her heart. Ringing any bells?" She raised her shoulders.
He rolled his eyes. "Caroline was here? You saw her?!"
"I thought she excused all the helpful advice I gave her and caved in by going back to you."
"Where is she?!" Klaus impatiently asked.
His first lead of the day, of course it had to be from Katherine.
She scoffed. "Why does it matter? It's not like you actually care about her like you kept telling her you do. Just more lies from the infamous Klaus Mikaelson."
Klaus vamp sped over the bar, making Katherine gasp as they were now chest to chest. His eyes boring into her brown ones, pupils dilating.
"Tell me where she is." Klaus commanded.
"Nice try, you can't compel me. I'm on vervain." She grinned.
- Damn her.
Klaus growled, slightly pulling back.
Katherine pulled out of his grip. "Mad your mind games don't work on me, you can't play me like you play Caroline?"
"Watch it-"
"Why do you keep playing games with her heart? She came in here devastated, crying her eyes out over you and barely holding it together."
Klaus felt...empathy, worry? Maybe even regret.
Knowing that Caroline was an emotional mess because of what he said to her, the way he treated her. Caroline's always been the dramatic one of the two and it never affected him before, he never cared. Admitting his feelings for her made it all too real and now he felt everything.
"Damn you Quinzel." He muttered under his breath.
Now he was helplessly looking for her to correct his wrongs but her support system forbade it.
"You two are wrong for each other. You are toxic for her, constantly fucking with her head and she doesn't need to be damaged any more."
- Bullshit.
They carved open a body together then had a candle lit dinner outside where the body burned to a crisp.
Two people have never been more right for each other.
What he and Caroline had might've been unconventional and obscured to everyone else but no one else mattered. It wasn't anyone else's to speculate, as long as they understood each other. That's what people weren't understanding.
In a blink of an eye, Klaus had his hand around Katherine's neck pushing her against the wooden bar.
The entire room went quiet as they watched in awe, of course no one brave enough to speak against him.
"I've been rather cordial with you over the years, Katerina despite your disrespect but now you are just pissing me off." Klaus growled.
Her eyes widened when his turned the signature golden brown and fangs falling down.
Katherine was gasping for air holding onto and pushing his wrist down.
"I don't- don't kno- know where she is." She gasped, blue in the face.
"You just said she was here!" Klaus slammed his hand down, breaking the wood in its wake and tightening his grip on her throat with the other.
Katherine coughed nodding. "She was...she was. She was here..." gasp. "We were talking but...I-I don't know where she went."
His grip slowly loosened before he let go of her entirely.
"Explain." He demanded.
The brunette woman clinged onto to as much oxygen as she could when Klaus practically threw her neck out when he let go. She clutched onto the bar with her manicured nails as she coughed profusely, glaring at the other bar goers watching the whole scene occur.
Her and Klaus's eyes met angrily.
Oh, if looks could kill they'd both be dead.
Katherine finally spoke, rubbing her bruised neck. "First of all, you ever put your hands on me again I'll kill you."
He laughed.
"Second, after I talked her off yet another Klaus Mikaelson ledge, she went to the bathroom to clean her face. I haven't seen her since, I thought she would've ran back to you."
"And why would she do that?"
She scoffed. "Because as much as I tried encouraging her to move on and realize she deserves better, she's still terribly in love with you."
Klaus's jaw and heart clenched at that four lettered word.
"Disappointed your plan didn't work?"
She laughed. "I had no chance, never did. No way would she choose me over you. I'm not stupid."
A small grin twitched the corner of his lips.
She sighed running her fingers through her hair.
"I don't understand it. Maybe I'm not suppose to." The curly haired brunette shrugged. "But Caroline is my friend, I want the best for her so sorry if I don't think a guy who manipulates her is what's best. The best thing you could do for Caroline is let her go, let her move on."
His gaze lowered. "Your approval isn't needed and despite your beliefs...I do care about her..."
Stefan and Katherine's brows simultaneously shot up. Klaus publicly admitting his feelings for Caroline...in front of an entire bar?
You had to be there to believe it.
"More than you know." He continued with a gulp. "Why do you think I've been tearing apart this entire bloody city? It's not for my own enjoyment I assure you."
Katherine crossed her arms over her chest. A smidge of consideration crossed her mind seeing the hint of a tear in the corner of his eye.
"Listen, you can hate me all you want but I know you're just as worried about her whereabouts as I am. She is the only thing we have in common."
He had a point, and his admission made her feel like he was at least somewhat sincere about Caroline.
She sighed. "You're right. I am worried but, like I told you I have no idea where she is and she doesn't exactly have a phone on her."
"I have a pretty good idea where she could be..."
Everyone looked towards the front of the bar for the soft voice in the distance.
Klaus's expression relaxed when he saw the woman approaching him. Her brunette waves swung over one shoulder, hands buried in her coat pockets confidently walking by the onlookers.
You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. They exchanged wicked smiles when she was now standing a decent distance away from him.
"Long time no see, detective." Klaus addressed with a sacrifice smile. "Wouldn't have taken you for this kind of scene."
"Don't." She our her hand up. "I'm not doing this because I hate you any less or don't believe you deserve to be locked away in prison-"
"Yeah, yeah we can discuss our long history of hatred another time." Klaus brushed off. "You know where Caroline is."
"I'm telling you because I messed up."
Klaus raised his eyebrows. "Detective Gordon admitting her wrongs? This is a call for a celebration."
Elena rolled her eyes. "I messed up, okay? Yes I am admitting to it because I've been making myself sick thinking about it. I'm the one who brought Mikael back here to Gotham. I-"
"Mikael?" Klaus cut her off.
She pressed her lips together leaning against the bar. "Me and him were talking the other day, about you, and long story short Caroline was brought into discussion."
Klaus's face hardened. He quickly grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the back room, Stefan and Katherine following after.
Elena pulled out of his grip when they were in the red room in the back of the bar, staring up at the three individuals.
"Talk." Klaus demanded stepping closer to her.
She gulped. "Mikael mentioned how he wants you to die with no one by your side. He realized early on how you felt about Caroline, and everyone knows how she feels about you. In his eyes Caroline was the only thing you had going for you, she was your weakness."
Klaus swallowed audibly. "He's going to kill her, isn't he?"
It wasn't a conclusion Klaus wanted to be right about.
"Yes." Elena quickly answered.
He pressed his lips together and bit down on his bottom lip so hard he drew blood.
But no, he just had to allow her to come back to Gotham with him that night, let her stick around and slowly develop feelings that were never suppose to be there.
This was why he didn't let people get close to him, this was why he shut everyone out.
Why, why did he make her the exception!
Stefan and Katherine stood next to each other in silence, not sure what to say as they both processed the news.
"So he stalks her, kidnaps her and will kill her just because of him?" Katherine pointed at a distraught Klaus. "Can you be anymore sick?"
Klaus leaned back against a wall with his hands on the back of his head, taking a deep breath. Refusing to let a single tear drop.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Klaus wondered.
"Because I never intended on anything happening to Caroline. Mikael went completely rogue on this, I don't want her dead. That was never what I wanted." She explained.
Klaus swallowed.
"Where are they, detective?" He softly asked.
"On one condition." Elena challenged.
Klaus stepped away from the wall aggressively. "This isn't a negotiation."
"Do you want to know where she is or not?" She pressed.
Klaus laughed. "A girl's life is on the line and you're too busy getting your petty revenge on me. You sure you're the good guy in this scenario?"
"Your capture is all I care about, Klaus. Locking you away forever and throwing away the key. Where you can't cause any more harm to this city than you already have. Caroline was never my target, even when I found out who she was to you, she was never meant to get hurt. Mikael went completely rogue on this one."
He sighed. "Not saying I will comply but if I did, what would be your terms?"
"When we find Caroline and return her back in one piece, you turn yourself into prison." Elena bargained.
Klaus chuckled. "I've turned myself in out of boredom plenty of times, love. You'll have to do better than that."
"This will be different, because this time I will do everything in my power to make sure you never see the outside world again." She claimed bravely stepping towards him. "And I'm not talking about Arkham. Gotham will literally be a thing of your past, including everything and everyone in it."
Including Caroline.
He grinned but heart slowly sank. The detective's boldness always intrigued him.
"You're making this deal as if you already know my answer." Klaus smirked.
"I do." She quickly responded.
Klaus taken aback by her response and hating more that more people were realizing he had a heart underneath his shell.
He hated it and he hated Caroline for bringing this side of him to the light.
"So, do we have a deal?" Elena crossed her arms.
Stefan and Katherine looked over at Klaus rest in his contemplation.
A part of him wanted to ring her neck for trying to negotiate with him while Caroline's life was in the hands of Mikael. This would be the most selfless act he could ever do, but Klaus wasn't a selfless man.
Of course he cared about Caroline, he's owned up to it at this point but this would determine much more than simply caring for someone else.
His freedom in exchange for Caroline's...a decision he never thought he would have to make.
Half an hour flew by as she endured the immense torture of electricity bolts driving through her system consecutively. Never has she experienced pain like that before, never did she think she ever would. Caroline had been lying there weak and bruised.
The main thing on Caroline's mind was wondering how the fuck she was still alive.
She sat up wiping the drool spilling out her mouth. The pushing in her head never subsided and only felt it was getting worse.
Mikael was just standing leaning against the cage observing her every move.
- Creep.
The blonde groaned, rolling on the ground bored and cold and staring up the sadistic man.
"Take a picture...it'll last longer." She softly sassed.
For some reason, Mikael found that amusing.
Mikaelson men are apparently all asses.
"You're hanging in there longer than I expected. Only passed out a few times."
"Yay me?" She sarcastically cheered.
Mikael smirked. "Usually people start hallucinating by now, or simply die. You have a lot of fight in you, I see that."
Caroline just rolled her eyes an coughing profusely.
He sighed crossing his arms. "I think you are such a bright girl, Caroline." Mikael began. "When I looked up your file I was very impressed. So intelligent with an immense amount of potential. The only person I've never known to start her own therapy practice at 24."
Caroline furrowed her brows. Why was he complimenting her?
"You are brilliant, were strong minded. I'm no saint but in this gloomy world, you seemed to be that shed of hope to make a difference." He said pacing.
"Is this part of he torture, you trying to flatter me?" She coughed.
His expression straightened. "No. I'm trying to make you understand your faults and my reasonings."
"Are you trying to convince me I made a mistake? Just sayin, you're getting nowhere with that bud."
"You had a future, a promising one till you allowed Niklaus into your bed, your life and that's when matters went to the worse for you am I right?"
Caroline didn't answer.
"Surely by now love, you don't need me to tell you that that boy destroys everything he touches. He destroyed you."
"Klaus didn't destroy me, and when did you care about my well being?" She laughed crawling over to the set of metal bars.
He shrugged, pacing around. "Maybe I'm just intrigued."
"Now you sound like Klaus. Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree does it, pops?" Caroline said raising one eyebrow.
Mikael grinned. "You do intrigue me, Caroline because I'll never be able to comprehend anyone giving their life for Niklaus. I don't give a damn about you. The loyalty you have for him confuses me. My son is definition of damaged, and toxic. Just a bad apple since the day he was born. Tore apart my family...I mean, look at what he did to you."
- Yeah, 'cause you made him that way!
"You can't choose who you love. People should stop romanticizing that phrase it just gives justification for choosing the wrong people, or sleep with the wrong people in your case." He joked.
Caroline scoffed. "Wow, you're really trying to justify this aren't you? First of all, I know that you probably haven't gotten any since like the stone ages but don't take that out on me. Second of all I sleep where I want, when I want and with who I want."
He laughed. "There's that sharp tongue again."
Tilting his head staring down at her almost regrettably.
It was irritating how everyone saw her as Klaus's victim instead of a young woman helplessly in love. Why was it so hard for people to accept she loves this man?
- Correction, 'loved' not 'love'...right?
She was sick of justifying her feelings or relationship with Klaus and they weren't even together anymore. First Katherine, now Mikael, who's the last person who deserved anything from her.
"Believe it or not, this hurts me more than it hurts you." Mikael claimed.
"I think the girl who was just shocked with thousands of electric bolts for an hour would say otherwise." She spat.
He was now standing directly in front of the door.
"You sure have a lot to say coming from the one on the receiving end of this." Pointing around the room.
"Are you going to come in here and tell me that?" She challenged. "I bet you've never been analyzed before, by a professional."
"Can't say I have." He answered.
"I'll do it, for free! C'mon I'm bored. I'm bored, play with me." She pouted.
They stared each other down as Mikael contemplated his options.
Caroline needed an escape route out of here and just like Klaus, she knew Mikael would never turn down a challenge. Hopefully he wouldn't catch onto her game so quickly until she was at least outside of the gate and he was in. First, he needed to agree.
Taking the bait, Mikael jangled the keys and swiftly unlocked the door.
Both never taking their wyes off each other. Those intimidating blue grey eyes stared into Caroline's soul like the devil himself.
She gulped when he was finally inside the cage with her with his hands in his pockets. Very much aware Mikael could break her body in half if he wanted to, but Caroline had to be brave right now.
She stood up as straight as she could with wobbly legs.
"Well?" He put his hands out.
Caroline briefly grinned sitting up more on the floor.
"You want my formal analysis on you Mikael, doctor to parent of patient?" Caroline asked with an arched brow.
Mikael smirked. "Humor me."
She smirked back. "Okay...you're a strong man, physically. But overall you're weak."
His face hardened.
"You're weak because you're the type of man who gets off to hurting people you see as inferior so you can feel stronger about yourself to make up for how your father treated you?"
His eye briefly twitched but she caught onto it.
Caroline wasn't sure where this range of confidence or sass was coming from after the pain she had just experienced, but she decided to roll with it.
It needed to be said.
He was surprised by the abrupt laughter coming from the girl on the ground.
She sounded crazed and sinister, every chuckle sending a chill up Mikael's spine.
Caroline caught her breath, wiping the faint tear in the corner of her eye. "It always comes down to the daddy issues with you Mikaelson men, doesn't it? Your father took pleasure in abusing you when you were a kid, probably called you 'weak and a 'mistake' until the day he died. And you were determined to never be seen as weak again, so of course you couldn't have weak children either. So you took pleasure in physically and mentally abusing one of your own sons for majority of his human life, you're taking pleasure in hurting me."
"Hurting you was never my initial plan." Mikael claimed.
She rolled her weak eyes turning her head to the side. "And what about Klaus? Why did you make it your life mission to be the creator of his demise? What did he ever do besides want the unconditional love and support from his dad?"
Mikael gulped.
"He was just a boy!" Caroline exclaimed. "The man he is now was created by you, you did this to him. You're pathetic and a coward. What man beats his own son practically senseless on a daily and thinks he has the right to! You made him hateful and resentful, made him shut his feelings off to anyone who tried getting close because you never taught him he meaning of love-"
"Enough!" Mikael aggressively hit the boxed cage, putting a dent into the metal bars.
Caroline scrambled back in slight fear.
Mikael pressed his lips together as he dangerously approached her. "20 questions is over, darling. I don't need to explain myself to a needy and delusional human girl. And shouldn't you be more concerned of your own relationship with Niklaus oh I forgot, you don't have one anymore." Flipping the tables on her issues instead.
Caroline pressed her lip into a line.
Petty asshole.
"That's not-"
He shook his head. "That's not what, Caroline? What you two had certainly wasn't love, didn't he throw you out?"
"I left." She clarified.
"After he broke your heart, no?" Mikael paves around her till he was standing right behind her. A rush of cold air hit as he spoke, making Caroline shiver as she was still turned away from him.
His mouth directly at her ear. "I understand, it's hard to let go and accept the fact that the man you love will never love you back. That you were nothing more than a pretty little thing he saw as fun, who he could play with in the day and fuck at night-"
"Shut up." Caroline quickly turned to face him.
An amused Mikael was now the one to laugh noticing her tearful eyes.
He was purposely trying to get under her skin, throw her off from her initial goal and tap into her weaknesses. Worse part of it all, she was letting him.
God damnit.
"Too soon?" He innocently asked.
Caroline bit her lip, hard, to stop the quivering.
- Stop looking so defeated!
"I mean, he practically told you he doesn't want you and never really did. That turning you into a vampire would be pointless because he doesn't see a future with you at all. If that were me, I'd be positively distraught."
Her eyes widened.
- How did he know all of that?
"You and Miss Kyle gossip louder than you may think." He smirked.
Not surprising he was an eavesdropper.
Caroline gulped down her emotions. "You know nothing about me and Klaus. And weren't you the one who just said Klaus cares about me? I don't need to justify my feelings to you."
He put his hands up. "I never said you did and he does. I know he does. People always hurt those closest to them, oldest chapter in the book. Look at you, even now you're defending him and your relationship."
Damnit.
"You're still in love with him. After everything's he's put you through, the lies, manipulation and heartache...you still have hope for him. But I'm the pathetic one." He shook his head.
Biting her bottom lip, Caroline swallowed feeling her anger threatening to take over as he walked away.
She hated that he wasn't completely wrong about everything he's been saying.
Why was love this complicated?
"You had to learn the hard way like most people who follow their hearts instead of their minds, then wonder why they're left alone." Mikael concluded walking back towards the opened door.
Caroline could feel her blood boiling in anger.
How dare Mikael of all people throw this in her face?
With his back turned towards her, an impulsive rush flew inside Caroline that have her the strength to move forward.
She stood straight as she ran towards the man facing away from her, seeing her escape just inches away from her grasp.
Suddenly her back hit the floor as the electric shocks were once again administered through the wires inserted into her veins. It was even worse this time, the voltage higher.
Mikael kept his thumb on the button triggering the attack until he was outside of the cage. He listened to her pleas for help and observed the tears and blood falling as her body twitched and turned.
"You really thought I would ever leave myself so vulnerable around you? Give me a little credit." He said as he walked out of the basement.
Caroline sobbed like a child rolling back and forth in the caged area.
How much more of this could she take before she completely gave up? Everything was becoming slower and unrecognizable. Sometimes she caught herself losing touch with reality.
- Maybe I am going complete bonkers.
Suddenly she realized Mikael was no longer in sight. The shocks ceased as she lied there defeated. Caroline had no idea how much time passed by.
Her brain felt like jelly and vision was impaired again. She was physically and mentally exhausted . Never had she endured such pain before.
Looking of staggered breathing and dripping sweat, the blonde rolled onto her back staring up into the light.
She wanted it to end, she wanted it to end so badly. No one would ever find her, Klaus would never find her...She was going to die in the hands of Mikael with the last conversation she had with the man she loved being a fight.
Not that she already forgave Klaus, because she was still extremely hurt, but that wasn't the last thing he needs to remember her by.
Caroline wanted to cry but had no energy to. Suddenly, she spotted a dark figure emerging in her peripheral vision.
Her eyes wandered lazily till her head was on its side and she was met with the dark figure standing by the entrance inside the cage.
- Mikael?
No...it's not Mikael...
-That cologne...I know that cologne.
It can't be.
The face was still hidden by the darkness but she managed to make out a pair of black boots boots slowly approaching.
Black jeans with matching black Henley came into focus soon after...
Caroline's eyes widened when he came into the light and his entire face was exposed.
All the words catching in her throat. She was in such shock and disbelief she could barely move or speak. The wide eyed grin wasn't hard to miss either.
He bent down to her level with that annoying yet comforting smirk sketched onto his face. His golden curls still in tact and perfectly placed as always.
She nearly cried when his thumb delicately caressed her pale white cheek.
"Hello, sweetheart."
She shakily smiled. "Klaus?"
Ooof, sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger!
Klaus to the rescue...or is it?
Things are getting intense. Klaus is ripping apart everything and everyone to find his girl while Caroline suffers in the hands of yet another sadistic man. Sheesh, can they ever just take a break?!
Just a couple more chapters left of this story. Really hoping to finish it before 2019, and with the semester ending soon I will hopefully have more time to focus.
REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED