Caroline had to maintain complete focus in order to keep her hand from shaking as she signed her name on the marriage certificate. It felt like the final act in signing her life away. She was now legally bound to another person. Her life was no longer her own. It would now be forever entwined with another's.

The newlywed couple hadn't so much as glanced at one another since they had walked back up the aisle, their arms linked at the elbow. That single point of contact was enough to make Caroline feel as though her skin was on fire on the small patch of soft flesh that grazed against the soft material of the expensive fabric of her new husband's suit.

The small private room where the wedding certificate was being signed was limited to only Klaus, Caroline herself, and the two prospective parties' fathers acting as witnesses. The officiant had presented the certificate with such gusto and excitement that Caroline could tell that it was clearly the individual's favorite part of their profession. How crushed this person would be, Caroline thought to herself while she silently signed her name on the specified line, if they knew that this sacred act happening before them was all a farce.

Caroline tensed when her father placed a hand on her shoulder as she bent over the certificate. She wanted nothing more than to shove her father's touch away, but if she snubbed him in front of either of the Mikaelson men, Caroline knew she would have hell to pay, even if she was no longer living under his roof.

So she allowed Bill to keep his hand on her shoulder, his fingers pressing firmly on her skin in a way that she was sure he thought felt fatherly, but in reality, was threatening.

"Congratulations again" the officiant gushed when their names and their witness's names were signed neatly on their prospective lines.

Caroline felt all the air flow out of her lungs in a single gust. This was the final straw that was meant to break her back. There was really and truly nothing left to do. She had said the words she was supposed to say in front of her family and friends, words that were meant to bind, but it was this piece of paper that sealed her fate in the eyes of the government. In the eyes of the law, she was bound to another. Someone she hadn't chosen. Someone who hadn't chosen her. This sacred union meant nothing but that one set of criminals had decided that rather than try to destroy another, they should placate them by throwing not money at the problem but one of their own.

...

"Please tell me that we aren't dancing our way into this reception" Katherine grumbled as the wedding party gathered in front of the doors to the ballroom where the reception was to be held.

"Because that may be the only thing that could make this day any worse," she remarked, absentmindedly picking at the pedals on the flowers of her bouquet.

" You ask like I'm supposed to know?" Caroline bit back, her nerves starting to show through her calm exterior.

"You are the bloody bride" Klaus muttered under his breath. Caroline's head snapped to the side to stare in disbelief.

" I don't exactly hear you reciting the schedule by heart" she snapped, biting her tongue against saying something much worse, something that would be wildly inappropriate for the youngest Mikaelson son, Henrik, to hear.

"Not exactly the man's place" he shot back, adjusting his cufflinks instead of meeting her furious gaze.

"Oh great. I am glad to see that the patriarchy is alive and well in this union"

Kol snorted into the glass of scotch he had snuck out of the cocktail hour.

"Give me that!" Katherine snapped, taking the glass from Kol and downing it herself before pushing the glass into Elijah's surprised hands.

"Oh shut up the lot of you. It's starting" Freya commanded, pulling the Mikaelson clan to attention the way that only the eldest sister can.

Freya caught her brother's eye, looking forcefully between him and Caroline. Taking the cue from his sister, Klaus reluctantly reached for Caroline's hand for their so-called ' grand entrance' to their wedding reception.

Caroline had to fight against her own instinct to snatch her hand away from the man standing beside her.

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers as the bridal party entered, and the noise became deafening when the mc announced ' for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Klaus Mikaelson'.

Caroline had to stop herself from gagging. How had she been watered down to three letters in that entire sentence? Her name was thrown away leaving her as nothing more than a Mrs.

She knew she was overthinking it, but overthinking was something Caroline did best. She knew that that single sentiment would swirl around in her head the rest of the night, and her mind was already taxed to the limit.

As Caroline took her place at the head table, she was accosted once again by her new name on the place setting in front of her. She couldn't imagine a time when the sight of her name followed by the last name Mikaelson wouldn't make her skin crawl.

The dinner consisted of 8 plate courses, each one more extravagant than the one that came before it. The 5th course consisted of a crusted white halibut, and taking a bite of the crispy skin let out an audible crunch.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're the loudest chewer ever?" Klaus dug conversationally.

"As anyone ever told you that you are literally insufferable" Caroline snapped back, purposefully taking a bite of a particularly crispy section of her dinner and chomping down purposefully.

"I second that" a drunken Kol commented from down the table, reaching over Elijah to slap Klaus on the back. As Klaus glared at his brother, Katherine took the opportunity to fill Caroline's wine glass.

"Drink up" Katherine encouraged, taking her own glass and bringing it to her lips. "It'll all be over soon" she stated, trying to be supportive.

It occurred to Caroline that while there may only be a few hours left of her wedding, this nightmare was only just starting. When the guests and the cameras went away, she would still be married. She would still be someone's wife. At that moment boxes of Carolines, belongings were sitting on a truck, ready to be moved into the house that she would be sharing with Klaus. Klaus, her husband. No amount of alcohol could change that fact.

Caroline was startled as a flash went off somewhere to her left. Her jaw clenched. Did the damn photographer not have enough photos already? She had already been forced to endure the photo session that had immediately followed the signing of the marriage license. While the rest of the guests were busy at the cocktail hour, the wedding party was posed and positioned by a series of photographers. Caroline's face had ached from forcing a smile, pretending she wasn't completely uncomfortable with her new husband's arm around her waist.

Nothing had been as awkward as the couple of shots that the photographer suggested. Nothing felt as unnatural as trying to stare lovingly into the eyes of a man who hardly knew and openly disliked.

Caroline couldn't understand why they were going so far with this charade. Would future business partners of her fathers really require photographic proof of his connection to the Mikaelsons?

...

The two events that Caroline dreaded the most on her wedding day, besides the ceremony itself, were the traditional dances she was expected to partake in. She knew girls growing up who had kept lists on their phones of possible first dance songs, or emotional tracks that they'd dance to with their fathers. The idea of either made a lump form in Caroline's throat.

Caroline couldn't even register the song that was playing as she and Klaus stepped onto the dance floor. She placed her hand on Klaus's shoulder and tried not to tense when his arm wrapped around her waist.

She allowed Klaus to lead her through the dance, trying to keep her breathing even and her face neutral.

As they swept across the floor and Klaus's hand slipped lower on her back, Caroline acted instinctively, digging her nails into his shoulder as her muscles tensed.

"Would you get your nails out of my back?"

"Would you keep your hand away from my ass?" Caroline hissed. Klaus took her by surprise, flinging her out into a twirl that she hadn't been expecting. Caroline was slightly disoriented as Klaus spun her back towards him. She was slightly breathless by the time they were standing chest to chest once more.

"For what it's worth" Klaus began conversationally as they continued to sweep across the floor, the eyes of everyone in the room on the two of them.

"You look lovely tonight"

Caroline scoffed, quickly attempting to play it off as a small cough.

"Are you trying to get on my good side now?"

"I wasn't aware you had one"

Caroline had to fight the urge to roll her eyes, wanting nothing more than to dig the sharp heel of her shoe into the top of his foot.

"I must say, you're hiding your triumph quite well" Klaus continued.

"After all, this is what you wanted"

"You know I may have a lot of negative opinions about you, but I never took you for a fool"

Klaus's grip tightened slightly on her waist.

"I don't know whose feeding you the line that I was so desperate to hitch my wagon to yours, but I'd fact check your sources" Caroline stated, biting on the inside of her own cheek to stop herself from continuing. If a screaming match broke out between the two of them during their first dance, Bill would have his daughter's head on a platter.

Much to Caroline's relief, the song ended at that moment and she broke away from her new husband before she could say anything else.

Unfortunately, her next dance was with her father. With no mother to dance with, Klaus led his eldest sister onto the dance floor, while Bill leads his daughter to the center of the room.

The first few moments they swayed in silence, Caroline watching the room over her father's shoulder, scanning the crowd for a friendly face she could focus on to get her through the ordeal.

"I'm very proud of you Caroline," Bill said quietly to his daughter. Caroline could feel the heartbreak in her chest. How long had she waited to hear her father say those words? How hard had she tried her whole childhood to get her father's attention? It wasn't her good grades or her college acceptance that made her father proud. No. It was her giving her entire life away all for his benefit.

"Do you remember our deal?" She asked, her eyes fixed over Bill's shoulder. Bill didn't respond, clearly not understanding what his daughter was saying.

"This is it. This is the end" she continued, remembering the night that she had made this ultimatum. The night that Bill had changed the course of her entire life. The night he had wrapped his hands around her neck and pressed so hard that she had seen stars pop in front of her.

"We are family in name only. Do not come to me again" she pressed, trying to keep her tears from pricking at her eyes. Her father let out a huff.

"Carebear" he began, using her childhood nickname, clearly about to break into a placating speech.

"Don't" she hissed "call me that"

"You are not my father" she finished, her voice hardly above a whisper.

Bill's hand tightened on his daughters to the point that Caroline had to stop herself from crying out in pain.

Before Bill could speak again, the song had mercifully ended. Caroline's relief only lasted seconds, because she was suddenly being passed from her father's arm to that of her new father-in-law.

Having Mikael's hands anywhere on her body, made her blood run cold. Her mind immediately snapped back to the night he had confronted her in her father's study. His hot breath on her face when he hissed threats into her ear flooded her memories. They had only been dancing a few seconds when she felt his hand begin to slide lower down her back.

Did he really have the audacity to grope his daughter-in-law at her wedding? With a room full of people watching? Thankfully she wasn't forced to find out.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Kol Mikaelson had appeared at their sides, not waiting for his father's answer before taking Caroline's hand and dramatically spinning her away.

"Old Mik can get a little handsy once he's had a few" Kol commented, his hand high on her waist, clearly trying to act in stark contrast to his father.

"Yeah, I had gathered that. Thanks for the save" Caroline replied, unsure why he had decided to save her. She was sure that he would face Mikael's wrath later. He didn't seem like a man who would let go of being snubbed easily.

"I'm glad you say that because I have a great way for you to repay me" Kol quipped. Caroline's spine stiffened.

"I want to know" Kol continued, " who exactly that is"

Caroline glanced over to where Kol had nodded. Bonnie was standing on the edge of the dance floor, Elena by her side, laughing easily and holding a half-empty glass of champagne.

"No!" Caroline had spoken much louder than she had intended to, and several couples dancing near them looked in their direction in confusion.

"No" Caroline began again, her voice much quieter, becoming an urgent whisper. "Not in a million years" she pressed.

"Do you think that little of me?" Kol asked, half amused and half offended. Caroline didn't have a good answer to that. She had never met Kol while he was sober, and well he seemed good-natured and amusing, he was still a Mikaelson.

"She'd not..." Caroline struggled to find the right words.

"like us" she finished, unsatisfied with her response.

"Well, that seems a little racist" Kol teased. Caroline stepped on the edge of his toe in response.

"Shut up. She's not a part of this, ok? She has no idea that half of this room is armed right now"

"Probably more than half" Kol amended, jokingly patting his waistband where she knew a handgun was tucked.

"Exactly. She thinks this is a real wedding, and I don't want her anywhere near this world"

"Alright alright," Kol gave up good-naturedly. "But then you still owe me"

"Fine" Caroline allowed, immediately regretting her words. When had owing a favor to a crime family member ever gone well for anyone? Even if she was technically a member of the same family now.

The formal dancing dissolved into more of a party, as the music changed and the guests became steadily drunker.

Caroline had avoided dancing with her husband again, as he seemed to have disappeared from the floor. She was sure that would seem odd to many guests, but for the moment she really wasn't concerned.

She wanted the night to end. She wanted to get away from the booming music and the bustling party goers. She wanted to take off her uncomfortable shoes, throw on a sweatshirt, crawl into bed and sleep for days.

But this wasn't where her evening was intended to end. Even when the reception was over, it was still her 'wedding' night.

This wasn't a traditional marriage, and while she was aware that her husband didn't particularly like her, would that mean he wouldn't still want something from her? Would he still be expecting her to perform her so-called 'wifely duties? She shuttered at the thought.

The thought of having sex with her new husband, she was ashamed to say, terrified her. She couldn't imagine giving her body over to him. Would it even be hers to give?

Tyler had been taking what he wanted for years. Would it be the same with Klaus? Just a different man dominating her body for their own satisfaction?

She was lost in her own thoughts when the sound of an explosion filled the room.