FTGF 3

TW: SA, Domestic/ Parental abuse

Caroline had no idea what to do. She had taken off down the driveway of her house with no destination in mind. She didn't have keys, or her phone, or even proper shoes. Her feet had already begun to ache from the ridiculous heels she had chosen to wear that night. The green silk dress didn't offer much protection against the cold night air of a march night in Virginia.

Despite her utter lack of preparation for the elements, there was no chance she was turning around and going back to her father's house. She was afraid of what she might do if she went back there now.

She had no destination in mind, she only knew that she had to keep moving.

Married. Her father was expecting her to get married. Not only that, he was expecting her to marry a complete stranger. No, he wasn't expecting her to. He was forcing her. Really, what could she do to stop it?

There were only two ways for her to access her trust. Graduate college or turn 30. She had been so close to reaching that first goal, but without her father's support, she wouldn't make it in time. There was no way she'd be able to secure a loan in time to graduate at the end of next month, especially not if her father had already formally withdrawn her.

She wanted to run, find a way to skip out on her life, scrape by for the next 7 years until her 30th birthday. It was impossible.

She had no place to run to, no money of her own. The only people she knew and trusted were powerless to help her.

So what choice did she have?

Her aimless wandering had led her to the water source for which her town was named. The sounds of the falls roared in her ears as she stepped out over the bridge, the water rushing under her.

This was a choice. She could climb over the ledge and just let go. Her life was over anyway. At least this ending would be on her own terms. She wrapped her fingers around the freezing rail of the metal barrier of the bridge. How long would it take her to hit the water? How long would it take for her body to wash up somewhere downstream?

"Well, If it isn't my blushing bride" came to a slurred voice from somewhere to Carolines left. She started, almost losing her balance on her unpractical shoes. Her head whipped around and took in the sight before her.

It was him. Niklaus Mikelson. He stood at the beginning of the bridge. A half-empty bottle of Bourbon swinging from his left hand and he appeared to be swaying slightly.

"Did you follow me here?" He accused, gesturing at her with the hand that was clutching the bottle of liquor.

Caroline scoffed.

"At the risk of sounding like I'm in the 6th grade, I was here first" She pointed out. Fury boiled in her blood at the sight of him, her...what? Fiance? It seemed like such an extreme word for someone she had never spoken directly to before that night.

"That may be" He conceded, taking a step towards her while simultaneously taking another long swig from the quickening emptying bottle.

"Have you come here to celebrate then? You and your father got just what you wanted"

Caroline's jaw dropped open, "What?"

"Oh don't play dumb love, you're far too smart for that" he chastised, leaning on the railing beside her.

Caroline turned on him, the fire in her eyes burning at an intense pace.

"Our fathers are getting what they want and you're getting-"

"I'm getting what exactly?" Caroline demanded, her nails digging into the railing in an attempt to control her anger.

"Because from what I can see you're no great prize" She grabbed the bottle out of his hands and took a long drink, letting the liquor burn her throat. The boy scoffed at her.

"Right" He reached to take the bottle back just Caroline jerked it away, taking another swig.

"I want to make one thing clear, I had no part in this. So, if you think you're the only one getting fucked in this deal, think again"

"Hmm," he replied, clearly unconvinced.

Caroline took a final drink and then chucked the bottle over the side of the bridge, letting the glass crash into the rocks at the bottom of the falls below.

"That was an 800 dollar bottle of booze, love" He commented.

"Good night, Niklaus" Caroline stated, haughtily, pushing past him.

"Do me a favor love, would you?" He called after her.

"Call me Nik, or Klaus, or really anything other than my full name. Only really my father calls me what, and as you can see, we aren't on the best of terms" he stated lazily, still leaning against the metal of the barrier fence.

Caroline shot him a look over her shoulder, before continuing away from him and into the woods once again.

...

Caroline stormed out of the woods and away from the falls. She couldn't believe the nerve of that man. Niklaus, or Klaus, or whatever his stupid name was. How could he assume that he was the only trapped party? Did he think she was so desperate that she'd sell herself off to some stranger?

Her feet ached as she stomped down the quiet highway. She knew she didn't have much time left. Her father would surely send someone out to look for her soon. He couldn't risk the scandal of his daughter being found wandering around town in the middle of the night looking like she'd been turned out on the street.

With that line of thinking in mind, Caroline wasn't surprised when bright headlights blinded her. The car pulled up in front of her, swinging open the passenger side door.

She stood still for a moment, considering for a split second making a break for the woods.

"Come on Care" A familiar voice called. Caroline was taken aback at the sound of Tyler Lockwood's voice.

"Tyler?" She asked uncertainly, slowly making her way towards his car.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, approaching the open car door but not getting inside.

"I was visiting my parents this weekend. I heard you needed a ride" He said breezily, a soft smile on his face. " Your dad called my parents" he clarified when she didn't react.

"What did he say?" Caroline asked carefully. If Tyler knew about what her father agreed to, nothing good could come on getting into the car with him. While they weren't in a relationship anymore, Tyler was a possessive man. He wouldn't take the blow easily.

"Just that you guys got in a fight and you stormed off," He said simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

She decided to believe him. She didn't believe that Tyler could hide his emotions that well if he really did know the severity of the situation. She still hesitated to get into the car. She didn't want to go face her father yet.

As though reading her mind Tyler offered " I don't have to take you home right away. My parents are out with the Gilberts. You could hide out a little while longer"

Caroline let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Ty" She accepted gratefully. She climbed into his jeep, the warm hair of the heating system washing over her frozen skin, sending pins and needles down her body.

The moment she sat down she felt utterly exhausted. She just wanted to curl up and sleep.

"There's a sweatshirt in the back seat if you're cold" Tyler offered as he pulled the car back onto the road.

It was small moments like this that reminded Caroline of the boy she used to know, the sweet if a little cocky 10th-grade boy she had first started dating. That guy had mostly disappeared, replaced by an overly aggressive, overly possessive stranger who didn't seem to care about her at all. Glimpses of the guy she used to know were the only thing that left her heart open to Tyler, even when he proved his ability to hurt her over and over again both physically and mentally.

The Lockwoods estate was set at the edge of town, its manicured lawns sprawling from the road across the mile to the house's front steps.

Bill Forbes had always valued the relationship with the Lockwoods. Mr. Lockwood had gone from Mayor of the town to congressmen, making him a very helpful contact for Bill and the organization. In return, The Lockwoods graciously accepted generous donations to campaigns and the 'charity functions' that generally lined Carol and Richards's own pockets.

Despite the fact that Tyler swore no one was home, every window in the house was ablaze with light.

The house was completely quiet when they stepped inside. Caroline gratefully kicked off her shoes, dreading the moment she would inevitably have to put them back on again.

"Come on" Tyler softly wrapped an arm around her lower back, leading her towards the stairs. Caroline had to stifle a yawn as they walked. What she wouldn't give to just lay down and close her eyes for a few minutes.

Tyler pushed over the door to his bedroom. It hadn't changed at all since high school. The plaid sheets and navy comforter were still the same.

"You look exhausted" Tyler commented as Caroline rubbed at her eyes.

"You have no idea" Caroline muttered, sitting down on the bed.

"I've had the worst day" she stated, falling back against the mattress. She felt such a sense of relief in closing her eyes on a soft surface. 20 minutes of sleep would make all the difference.

She felt the mattress sag next to her as Tyler sat down.

"Do you want me to make it better?" He asked, placing his hand on her knee and slowly moving it up, past the hem of her dress. Caroline rolled away.

"I just want to sleep" she muttered, pulling his sweatshirt tighter around her.

Tyler slid his hand over her hip, tugging at the sweater.

"I'm just going to go to the bathroom" Caroline decided, sliding away from him and headed in the direction of the ensuite.

She could hear him follow her. She instantly knew it was a mistake to have come here with him tonight. She was lulled into a false sense of security by seeing the tender side of him she missed so much.

His arms wrapped possessively around her waist.

"Ty, I'm so tired" she whispered.

"I can make you feel good" He promised, as he dipped his head down, running his hot tongue along her neck. Caroline tried to pull away, she couldn't remember the last time Tyler had made her feel anything that came close to pleasure.

"I just want to go to sleep" She continued, trying to move aside.

"It'll be quick"

Before Caroline could move Tyler slammed half her body against the cold stone surface of the marble counters that held the sink. Her head connected with the stone with a smack. Pain flared through her skull and spots danced in front of her head. For a moment she was sure she was about to pass out. The pain had been so distracting that she hadn't even noticed Tyler pushing her panties off her body and pulling her dress up over her hips. He pressed a knee between her legs, forcing them open.

"Ty, I -" she began but she gave an involuntary gasp when he roughly twisted her nipple through her dress, this fresh pain eliciting a response. The second her mouth opened Tyler pushed one of the hand towels by the sink between her teeth. This was one of Tyler's favorite tricks. Taking away her power to speak while he had her. Yet another way to control her. She tried to spit the cloth out, but he had pushed it deep into her mouth and towards her throat. He took both her wrists in one of his hands and pressed her arms backward so that her hands were pressed against the mirror in front of them. Her shoulders screamed in protest at the unnatural position they were being forced into.

She heard the telltale sound of his belt buckle. He used his other hand to keep her head in place and he pushed her legs wider with his knee and positioned himself behind her.

With no preparation, he pushed his entire length into her.

"You like that?" Tyler hissed, misinterpreting her cry of pain as pleasure. He pulled out of her and slammed himself back in in the next breath. Caroline was on the edge of losing consciousness, the pain the only thing keeping her anchored in place. Her hip bones were digging into the marble counter, her head pounding from the force of hitting the stone, her shoulders straining from having her hands pressed behind her head at the wrong angle. Her body had been completely unprepared to accept him.

Caroline had never truly wanted to be intimate with Tyler. She'd let him do what he wanted over the years because she had no energy to do anything else. Because in the dark world she'd grown up in, it was what a woman did, to be submissive to her man. She had always known that Tyler hadn't particularly cared about her experience each time they were together, sometimes she swore he liked it better when she was in pain. Her point was proven when Tyler began to thrust harder and breathe heavier when she let out a sob.

Tears stung her eyes. She squeezed them shut, focusing on counting the drips of water from the faucet beside her head, praying for Tyer to finish.

With a final groan, she felt him finish inside her. She felt a momentary second of relief, which was quickly squashed when he didn't pull out of her, but instead released her hands but tangled her hair in his fist, pulling her back against his chest. He stared at her reflection in the mirror in front of them.

Her eyes were bloodshot and her mascara was streaming down her face from her tears. He smiled, pressing his lips against her neck, before tugging the fabric out of her mouth and releasing her.

Caroline collapsed to the floor without him holding her up. The cool marble against her on-fire skin was the only thing holding her to reality.

Tyler had walked out of the bathroom. She wasn't sure where he had gone but she didn't care, as long as he wasn't touching her.

She wasn't sure how soon it was when she heard his footsteps approaching again.

"I have a message from my mother. Your father knows you're here." He stated as if nothing had transpired between them.

He leaned down, grabbing her underwear off the floor and tossing them in her direction.

"Get up. I'll drive you home"

...

Caroline's hand paused on the doorknob of the entrance to her father's house. If she hadn't heard Tylers Jeep idling behind her, she may have considered talking right back down the driveway once again.

They hadn't spoken on the way home. Tyler seemed completely oblivious to the war that was raging inside of Caroline.

She knew it was too much to ask for, but she had held out hope that her father would have turned in for the night by the time she arrived back at the house. Despite this, she hadn't been surprised to find him waiting in the foyer for her when she finally walked through the door.

Bill rubbed his eyes with one hand as Caroline closed the door behind her.

"I know this is a difficult time for you Caroline, so I'm willing to let this night go, but you need to understand, this can't happen anymore"

Bill's voice was so soft that it caught his daughter off guard.

"As soon as this engagement is announced, everyone's eyes are going to be on us. We can't afford mistakes" Bill continued.

Caroline thought it was funny that her father was suddenly referring to them as a plural, as though they were a team. In reality, Caroline felt like nothing more than a pawn in a dangerous game of chess.

"and that includes the Lockwood boy. You're not to see him again"

Caroline had to stop herself from scoffing.

"That won't be a problem" she promised, meaning every word she said. Bill seemed shocked that Caroline wasn't about to put up more of a fight.

Taking advantage of her father's confusion, Caroline brushed past him and made a break for the stairs.

Once she made it to the safety of her bedroom, Caroline closed and locked her door. Every emotion she had felt that night washed over her at once. She felt as though she had aged years over the course of the past 6 hours.

She walked into her bathroom, flicking on the light and letting the sudden brightness sting her eyes. She pulled her dress over her head and let it fall to the floor.

As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, she barely recognized herself.

Her blond hair was matted and her eyes were bloodshot. What disturbed her the most was the battleground of marks that her body had become. The bruises from the night's events were barely visible now but by morning she knew that her skin would be speckled in black and blue.

Her neck showed the outline of her father's hands. Her hip bones would blossom with dark patches from where Tyler had slammed her against the marble counter. Her face would bear the brunt of the impact of her head connecting with that same stone.

The men in her life seemed to believe they owned her body. Her father felt as though it was his to trade away for his own benefit. Tyler saw her as a vessel to be used. She shuddered to think what would be expected of her as ' a wife'. She'd have no autonomy over her own body. The weight of that thought could crush her.

As Caroline made eye contact with herself in the mirror, she came to a decision. Clenching her jaw she felt her nerves turn to steel.

The men in her world could own her body but they would never control her mind. No matter what happened, she'd find her way out. She'd take her life back as her own, no matter what it took. No matter how long she had to wait.