Possession

by maevelin

She belonged to him, she was his possession, his wife, but how could she feel drawn to the man she should hate? He knows that if he lets her in she would become his greatest weakness but she has awakened his heart. An arranged marriage between two rival mafia families is just the beginning. AU/AH

7. Game On

A/N : And here is the second part of the chapter as promised. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer : I own nothing.

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Warnings : M rated story that may occasionally include dark themes.

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Many thanks to the amazing Anastasia Dreams for her beta work.

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Songs used as inspiration for this chapter :

Kingdom Fall by Claire Wyndham

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Chapter 6: Hell Thy name is Woman | Part II

Game on

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Say it like you mean it

Bones become dust, gold turns to rust
Underneath a spotlight and all the splintered wood
Nothing here is shining..Shining like it should

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The silk of her gown hissed against the stones of the balcony with her every step and Caroline felt the icy breeze of the night blanketing her body causing shivers to erupt. She felt the coldness and the stillness of the surroundings that were promising danger more than ever; a foreboding feeling either born from the wind threatening to erupt to a nightly howl or the alcohol in her heated blood. She didn't know. All she knew was that this place, this house, did not feel like home anymore.

Stefan's presence was annoying her now and she gripped the marble railing, the coldness of the stone bit into her hand. She glanced at the sparkle of the diamonds on her wrist and she huffed out an inaudible puff of bitterness wrapped in a shaky breath. She squared her shoulders and plastered back her lips, for what felt like the thousand time tonight, a fake anfractuous smile of confidence before she turned to face her beloved brother. Her once upon a time beloved brother.

"What dealings do you have with Montavaro?" Stefan immediately cut to the chase when he was sure no one was listening.

Caroline paid no attention to the concerned look her brother was casting her or to his question. Instead she twirled her wedding band against her finger with her thumb and her expression turned coy.

"Shouldn't you be in the meeting brother?" she asked Stefan with a sugary tone that attempted to feign innocence. And whilst in the past that very same tone brought a smile to her brother's lips now it only made him press his mouth tight much to her amusement. Her ever serious brother who was trying to do damage control once more when he and Damon made sure to damage her beyond repair by feeding her to the wolves. But she was not prey. She had her own skin of fur and her own claws to fight back and it was time for them to feel her bite for everything they had done to her. Even Stefan.

"He is not an underling! He's the head of the Outfit branch in the south!" Stefan's whisper was coming close to a shout of fear, "what are you doing Caroline?" Stefan demanded with a hiss, trying to keep his voice down. Caroline only shrugged and bit back a laugh when Stefan's brow rose so high from frustration it almost reached his hairline.

"What does it look like?" Caroline pondered while looking at her nails with boredom. Stefan took a step towards her looking as if he was about to shake her but the steel in Caroline's gaze as she pointed a challenging glare at him made him halt.

"Like you are making a shallow grave with your name on it," he huffed desperately and then something peculiar happened. Caroline felt it deep inside. In the pit of her stomach. Darkness and mist swam in her like rising smoke from the depths of her very soul and for the first time in her life Caroline felt as if she was a creature that was not human. A creature that could not be tamed and that craved to wreck havoc and destruction as much as her family did. Maybe this is how it felt when people lost hope and turned evil. She should know. She had seen it happen before. With her brothers. She had never thought it would happen to her though. She was drowning in that new emotion and she was letting go; and the darkness kept rising.

"No," she objected with a soft voice. Calm so calm her voice was. Enough to show to those that knew her that she was not the same girl they used to know. The woman born from their treacherous deal with their enemies was not safe to be dealt with and her lethal whispers carried danger."You made that grave for me and now thanks to you I have to dig myself out of it. On my own!"

"Caroline-"

"Mikael is leaving," Caroline announced. She looked at the luminance the soft lights in the balcony's ceiling were casting and yet it was as if someone had turned off the lights. She almost did not recognize her own voice that had turned cold and distant, "Or more likely he is being exiled."

"What?"

The shock in Stefan's face was priceless and Caroline could not help but roll her eyes.

"Don't play stupid with me Stefan," Caroline smoothly toyed with the words but then her gaze turned contemplative, "unless you are, which would make you even more of an idiot" she quipped and her gaze scanned at Stefan's unnatural paleness that made him look as if he had seen a ghost or as if he was turning to one.

However, her trust was depleted. She did not believe her brothers' reactions or their good will anymore. She had no faith in their honesty or their good intentions. Even the ever righteous Stefan Salvatore who ripped his victims apart for the sake of their family and cherished her ever since she was born stood back when Damon locked her in her room and then dragged her to the altar wrapped in white to be given to Klaus Mikaelson as a trophy.

"Did you know? Did you know all along? When you were making the deal with Mikael did you know Klaus would be the one in control and not him?" Caroline spat and Stefan's throat bobbed. He seemed…startled. And then his features turned his expression into pensiveness as he approached the railing next to her and gripped it so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"On your honor brother. Did you know?" Caroline asked, a shadow of pain in her voice.

Stefan turned his head so to face her. He held his breathe and looked at her with so much hurt it almost made her feel sorry for him. Almost.

"No."

"Did Damon know?" Caroline cursed out the question and gritted her teeth waiting for Stefan to swear to her that neither he or Damon knew. That at least they had given her all the facts before handing her to Klaus.

Stefan lowered his head, averting his eyes from her.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" she accused him and her hiss sounded murderous even to her ears.

"Father made the deal," Stefan reminded her and ran his hand through his hair, "I can't be sure but I don't think Damon was privy to all the details."

Caroline snorted, giving him a look of pity. Morons she thought. Insufferable morons playing with guns when they could not even play with paper swords.

Caroline felt a blazing fire igniting deep in her gut. She wanted to scream and hit Stefan and punch him until her knuckles would be painted with his blood. She never considered herself to be aggressive and violent and yet now she felt as much of a monster as her brothers were. She wanted retribution and blood.

"Truth is that you left me hanging brother. The all mighty Ripper! Practically The Underboss under the new Boss of the Salvatore Blood! You did not even know the details of the deal you made!" she laughed with so much contempt that Stefan flinched. He opened his mouth to say something but Caroline pointed a finger at him. He stilled.

"Klaus is taking over," she simply said and Stefan looked as if his blood turned to ice in his veins making him into a statue in the process."What?" she mocked him, "you thought that you would have time to establish yourselves as leaders while Klaus would wait to step up in the same way you did?" she wondered sardonically and leaned at the railing allowing the wind to cool her skin and ruffle her hair. She glanced back into the house that was now infested with the Mikaelsons.

"I know him for what? Barely a month and I can already tell you that he is a leader and he is right now dethroning Mikael. What am I saying! He already did. Long live the new King, brother," Caroline taunted Stefan with a dazzling smile and she could tell her coldness unnerved him.

"It can't be. Mikael is still alive," Stefan mumbled and looked around as if even saying Mikael's name was enough to have ears and eyes spying on them.

"Details," Caroline dismissed her brother with a wave of her hand, "he could as well be dead. And from where I am standing I am pretty sure that my husband has already dug him… how you called it? Oh yeah… a shallow grave," she sneered, "he has obviously been preparing for this for years. Contingency plans and all. And who knows. Rebekah might wear the white dress after shedding the black," Caroline joked but there was no humor in her words as the first genuine emotion she allowed to show tonight burst into her, "Just like I did," she mumbled under her breath.

She was so angry. She could not even mourn for her father's death. She hated him for what he did to her and the bargain he had made with the Mikaelsons and then she got married and she had to survive Klaus and his lecherous family. No time for mourning and all the time in the world to fight her grief. She had nowhere to turn to and her every breath was turning to poison. She could not grieve and she felt that if she didn't she would drown in her pain that instead of coming out was now getting buried deep inside her under layers of rage and numbness. It was eating her alive and it was like a ticking bomb. She missed her father. She loved him and she could not even mourn him. Not after what he had done to her. Not after getting married to Klaus.

"This is not possible," Stefan said mostly to himself as he tried to take in what Caroline told him. It was obvious that he did not expect to hear this. He was not pretending. Caroline then snorted and looked to the stars and found their glimmer to be lacking. Either their shine was dimming or she had lost faith in their magic.

"What is not possible is that you became so weak as to trade one of us...me... to the Mikaelsons without insurance," Caroline blamed him with distaste. She could not believe how inadequate her brothers had been. And how unable they obviously were when it came to her protection. She was truly alone, wasn't she?

Stefan looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"And you just made it worse!" he tried to reason with her and even frighten her as he attempted to make her back down and understand that she could not act this way but Caroline pressed her lips together stifling her laugh. She knew that hysteria was just one breath away and so she allowed her heart to be filled with blackness. Stefan had the audacity to accuse her for actually being active and fighting against the torrential danger she was in while he had left her without even a safety net before throwing her to the abyss.

Caroline took a threatening step closer to her brother and Stefan blinked surprised.

"I won't make anything easy for you...brother," she spat the last word taking pleasure at seeing Stefan wince, "I won't make anything easy for any of you!"

Stefan's hand gripped her elbow firmly and Caroline lifted her eyebrow at his gesture and threw him an imperious glare waiting for him to remove his hand.

"You are playing a dangerous game sister. Without even knowing the game," Stefan warned her.

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Three weeks ago

It was only when Caroline was sure that Mikael was out of her hearing reach and had put distance between them that she was able to breathe again. And yet the feeling did not last as Caroline realized what she had done. She felt as if her heart would rupture in her chest and burst out in bloody pieces. The air was still thick and vibrated with different shades of fear. Tremors still attacked Caroline's body and she berated herself inwardly for her stupidity. Even unintentionally and just presenting herself the way she did, she had stood up to Mikael and shielded Esther Mikaelson from his rage. Mikael would never forget this. The Head of the Mikaelson Mafia would not forget it. What had she been thinking?

It had been a foolish thing to do. She should have remained hidden and let these people deal with their own issues in their own depraved way but instead she acted on impulse and emotion. She could not stand there and pretend as if Mikael hitting his own wife was something acceptable. That valiant moment of intolerance from her part would definitely come back to bite her in the ass. Especially now that she had gotten confirmation by Mikael himself that surviving Klaus would be a roll of the dice for her.

Mikael's words still made her feel sick and the certainty with which he had talked about Klaus and his intentions when it come to her made her feel as if she was living on borrowed time. That alone had bred panic inside her heart and how much more when after she stepped in and interrupted his fight with his wife the menace that Mikael carried was now targeted on her too. The way he looked at her terrified her. Caroline knew better than to believe that Mikael had retreated because of her. The moment he left was not a sign of weakness. It was a threat. And Caroline knew she should better heed that warning and make amends with him if she valued her life.

Esther's voice pierced her internal struggle and disoriented her more.

"Please dear. Come forward," Esther Mikaelson invited her and gestured towards the cushioned chairs behind an old round table that was set for them deeper inside the family room of the conservatory.

Caroline blinked away the haziness she felt and looked at the direction in which Esther had just pointed.

Old furniture that had withstood time was placed between intricate designs of vines and flower webs on an elevated wooden platform. Ivory and orangery wall paneling with beautiful marble details surrounded the glass windows that brought more light inside the sun room. Light that somehow seemed to illuminate the furniture more. The floors in here were not made from stones. Instead alabaster marble and rustic wood extended beneath her feet. Pillars with vines and tall column planters with all sort of flowers and greenery were placed everywhere and reached up to the ceiling.

Above the table a beautiful chandelier was hung from a glass ceiling dome but Caroline ignored all the lavishness that surrounded her and focused on the landscape she could see outside the floor to ceiling windows.

Caroline realized the mesmerizing view that expanded behind the glass windows was ending at the Chapel in which she was married to Klaus. She refused to linger on the memory and keep watching the old stone structure that hosted and witnessed a marriage that in her mind felt more like a funeral. Instead she looked at the table and tried to somehow make herself feel at ease despite Esther's intimidatory presence.

A silver tray was already waiting for them on top of the table. It was filled with an antique porcelain tea pot and white similar cups and saucers with gold rims. Next to the creamer set and the sugar bowl were plates with biscuits, tartlets and -her favorite- caramel almond slices. The pastries and the tea were spreading a sweet welcoming fragrance in the air which battled the heavy scent of the flowers.

Caroline took a tentative step forward. Esther's voice was eerily calm and did not reveal any weakness. It was as if nothing had transpired between her and Mikael and as if she herself had just arrived. Either Esther was used to her husband's violence or had mastered her reactions regardless of the situation.

All Caroline knew was that now she was obviously standing in front of a noble woman. Elegant and dignified despite the gardening apron and work gloves she was wearing. She also realized that nothing could penetrate Esther's armor as she had not cowered in front of Mikael's wrath either. Now she was standing in front of a wooden bench that had some pots and gardening tools on it.

Before marrying Klaus she had not heard much of Esther Mikaelson. But after her wedding she had realized that this woman held more power in the shadows than any other and the fact that she had not heard of her before her wedding was also telling.

Every time Esther Mikaelson entered a room it was as if a lioness was entering a house of cats. And right now Caroline felt like a mouse caught in a trap.

It was not the fact that Klaus' mother was the matriarch of the Mikaelsons but somehow and weirdly enough it was the way she carried herself that demanded respect.

Even now, after Caroline had witnessed her confrontation with Mikael and never more so than now simply dressed and working on her garden.

"You asked to see me Mrs. Mikaelson," Caroline said in a cordial manner regaining her own self-control again. She made no comment of what she had just witnessed and interrupted and she could tell that Esther Mikaelson would not appreciate any questions or words of concern when it came to this. Thankfully, Esther made no comment either and showed no sign of knowing if she knew that she had eavesdropped on her conversation with Mikael.

"Mother," Esther corrected her and Caroline instinctively felt bile rising in her throat and Esther smiled knowingly, "I know it is not easy but there are some traditions that need to be upheld. Better to start now and make yourself comfortable before Klaus starts introducing you to his circle," she advised.

She was right of course. Elena called Giuseppe father too after her marriage with Stefan and even though she had barely met Elizabeth Salvatore who died long before Elena Gilbert married her brother, her friend referred to her as mother. Something that both irritated and annoyed Caroline. She was finding such conventions ridiculous when they were showing no real respect or even indicating any kind of true connection between the relatives most of the times.

Caroline did not know how to respond to Esther's correction, however, or to the absence of emotion in the woman's voice so she just nodded and Esther turned her attention back to her plant. Caroline noticed that she was poking holes through the soil inside a pot with a hand cultivator while also carefully and expertly cutting some leaves from the stem of the half withered flower she was attending to.

"What happened to it?" Caroline dared to ask, trying to find a harmless subject to break the ice between them while she went and patiently waited on the side of the table.

"Ah Carissa?" Esther absentmindedly cooed without turning to face Caroline, "Too much sun."

Caroline blinked. Her mother in law was giving names to her plants?

She looked around at the countless flowers, trees and all the greenery and shrugged. But then Esther took out her gloves, wiped her hands on her apron before also taking it off and stepped away from the bench.

The grace in her movements and the sharp intense scrutiny that was now focused on her made Caroline realize there were no harmless subjects when it came to Esther Mikaelson. The ice would not break not when even the aura around that woman seemed to emanate frost that turned everything around her into an unearthly rigid environment absent of light and emotion. Esther seemed to be the very definition of the cloak and dagger phrase. She was wrapped in mystery while she moved with finesse and calculated sophistication.

"Light can be just as dangerous as darkness. If not more," Esther noted as she took a seat and gestured for Caroline to also sit. Only then Caroline mimicked her and sat on the seat opposite to her and tried not to fidget. She felt as if she were taking an exam. Esther did not even ask before she poured steaming tea into cups for both of them and served them.

Caroline took her cup carefully but for some reason the alluring scent of the herbal tea caused her stomach to cramp with nausea and anxiety. She waited until Esther took a sip from her cup before she cautiously brought hers to her lips. Esther Mikaelson smiled but said nothing. If she found her behavior strange or insulting she did not say. Caroline on the other hand tried to remember all the savoir vivre lessons her mother had taught her and to remain impassive while doing so.

"My son is dark man Caroline," Esther said without preamble. "I am sorry that you will have to endure such a fate but it is not something you can't handle."

Caroline's hands shook for a moment and the hot liquid in her cup almost spilled from the porcelain rim. She put the cup down on the table feeling her throat closing and pushed her hands under the table to hide their shaking.

She did not know how to civilly respond to such a statement especially since it was coming from Klaus' mother. She felt awkward but mostly she felt threatened. Did Esther mean that Klaus was as dark as Mikael? Would she have to expect Klaus to lash out and hit her too? She somehow doubted that this would happen but on the other hand she did not know how to respond to Esther's statement especially as she remembered Mikael's words. What should she expect? What would Klaus do to her when he would be tired of her or when their union would have nothing more to offer him? How would she endure him then?

"I-"

Words seem to fail her just as the older woman lifted her hand authoritatively to the air effectively silencing her.

"Please be honest," Esther encouraged her, shedding all pretences of decorum between them as she put some sugar in her tea and stirred it with a silver spoon, "I was in your place once. A long time ago. I know how you feel and what you think. No point in lying."

Caroline let out a shaky breath and examined Esther, her eyes slightly turning to slits before she forced herself to relax and square her shoulders. She pushed her cup away trying to stall. The sound of the porcelain grazing the wood sounded louder to Caroline's ears somehow. The tea rippled inside the cup, its hot steam rising as Caroline's gaze rose and met Esther's with decisiveness.

"I am not sure if I want to handle your son…mother," she fired back ironically knowing all too well the risk she was taking by being so rude and forthcoming and yet she never knew how to keep her mouth shut. Another stupid action just in the span of a few moments. That whole family kept pushing her and Caroline realized that even though she was being honest with Esther she was also keeping her guard up. When with Klaus her instant reactions were different.

Caroline's breath hitched as she realized that somehow Klaus had not tried to intimidate her purposely thus far while his family did in every chance they got. Sure he was manipulative and devious but he had not been sadistic with her. And that contrast became painfully clear now that she was facing his parents. That realization hit her with so much force that she had to root her feet to the ground just so to remain seated and not jump up from her chair. Deep down, she was sure that Klaus would not treat her as Mikael was obviously treating Esther. Not physically anyway.

So now she could not help but wonder if that made Klaus more dangerous or less. He was unpredictable because she could not make sense of him. At least with the rest of the Mikaelsons she knew exactly where she stood. She knew what to expect.

So the serpentine smile that appeared on Esther's lips was not something that surprised Caroline.

"Now this attitude right here shows me that you far more capable than you think," Esther applauded her, amused as she drank more of her tea.

Caroline pressed her lips and her nails dug into her palms. That kind of patronizing attitude was so similar to the suave way Klaus teased her while trying to get a reaction out of her hat Caroline realized that he was indeed Esther's son.

"You do not need to fear me, child," Esther assured her, "I am a woman after all. And a woman in this world is something that either breaks," she said and pointed towards the withered plant on the bench she had been taking care of minutes before, "or something to be feared."

Caroline saw how Esther fixed her gaze on a rose bush just a few steps away from their table that had more thorns than blooms.

"I had so many hopes when I married Mikael," Esther remembered with a voice that was dripping with a weird blend of sarcasm and nostalgia. "Like you, I did not know my husband before our marriage. But, unlike you, I wanted to marry him. It was my only chance to get away from my father's thumb and for that I needed to side with a more powerful man. To create my own family. The rules remain the same and yet the world moves on. Back in my day things for women like us were –believe it or not- even more…suffocating," she bitterly waved her hand as she recalled the days of her youth and every step of her journey thus far. Caroline could not help but be intrigued. She leaned forward and listened, knowing that this would be a rare lesson Esther would not be willing to share with her again.

"But I had hope. Mikael's courtship and my first days into our marriage could only be described as blissful," she continued with a fond expression that transformed her face completely making her seem much younger and more beautiful. Gone was the bitterness. The open gentleness and excitement in her features right now reminded her of Rebekah somehow.

However, Caroline knew better. Happiness was not meant to last. Not with people like Mikael and Esther. Not in this house. Not in this world.

"The bliss did not last, I take it?" Caroline questioned even though she knew the answer but this time she kept her tone polite and her voice low.

"No, it did not."

Caroline frowned. There was no sharpness in her voice only acceptance. However, the gentleness in Esther's face was gone as if it was never there to begin with. The coldness and regal imposing disposition was back.

"And then I had to make due and to compensate for any loss with personal victories," Esther revealed with pride, "we cannot use brute force Caroline but we can use our minds and our will. We…you if you want…can become a force to be reckoned with even under the Famiglia's code. But, first, you need to establish yourself in the family," she warned and Caroline felt a lump forming in her throat. One that was blocking her airway. There was something in Esther's eyes now that was unsettling and Caroline felt as if she were counting the moments before she would be struck down by an opponent far more lethal and powerful than she could ever be.

And she was not wrong.

"It was only when I gave Mikael his first son that I secured my position and I didn't achieve that by allowing my husband to sleep on a different room than mine my dear," Esther sardonically confronted her.

Caroline opened her mouth to protest that blatant invasion of her privacy and even deny it, but Esther cut her off by raising her hand again.

"I know everything that happens in this house, Caroline. Never presume otherwise," the threat lingered in each word shrouding Caroline in a black smoke that seemed to suck away her every resistance, "Knowledge is power after all," Esther told her as if she was her young apprentice and Caroline understood why Klaus had tried to keep her away from his mother. The way Esther was manipulating her way into their personal life left Caroline breathless and angry. More so she knew the mercy Klaus was granting her by not forcing her into having sex with him and now Esther was obviously trying to harshly patronize her into doing what she wanted. Which was to get in bed with her son and start popping out heirs; but the way she was opening her cards and revealing her knowledge was something that was giving Caroline a mental whiplash.

Of course, Esther would try to ensure that she be turned into their family's broodmare. Her marriage with Klaus would not have the same value without a child sharing the same blood of the two strongest Mafia families of Chicago and of America in general. A child that would inherit everything.

A child or even better children Caroline thought with revulsion that would ensure the Salvatore blood inside the Mikaelson family and would eventually render her worth useless. She would be disposable to the Mikaelsons then.

Caroline was sure that Esther would not allow history to repeat itself in the same way Tatia's story had unfolded. When Tatia died she had not given the Mikaelsons what they wanted. Children to carry on the alliances and keep the inheritance of their dead mother. And that had been lost power to Mikael and Caroline realized that Esther would make sure that the new bride of the family would give them what they want. That alone made Caroline feel sick. She did not know the lengths to which both Klaus and Esther would go to get what they wanted from her. Klaus was buying his time with her but for how long? How long would it would be before he would demand from her all the things she was unwilling to give? Klaus wanted power above all and more tools to use against Mikael. If he wanted to succeed and most of all destroy Mikael he would have to ensure his power and his ties with the Salvatore blood. And the only way to achieve that was through her.

"Niklaus will succeed Mikael," Esther simply stated the fact affirming Caroline's dreaded thoughts. "He will wear the crown and he will cast a heavy shadow upon you. Either you will fight it or rise above it. It is your choice. You can be a servant or... his equal," she suggested as if she had not tried to objectify her just seconds before and even though Caroline was seething she could not help but be intrigued by the prospect.

"His equal?" Caroline mumbled more to herself than Esther. An alluring promise for sure.

Esther got up and went back to the bench. She gently caressed the leaves from another flower that seemed to be struggling between spring and decay.

"It is not impossible," Klaus' mother vaguely mused as she now tended to another plant.

Caroline shook her head fiercely, shedding away the dark spell Esther was casting on her. Becoming Klaus' equal meant sacrifice. Meant death. She would have to bury herself and act as a ghost encased in a tomb. Her soul would not survive this. She would lose herself and would become like Esther she realized and that alone scared her even more so than losing her life.

"I never wanted this," Caroline denied and looked at her hands on her lap that had stopped shaking. It was as if her body's struggle had come to a halt as it was beginning to realize what her mind seemed to be refusing to accept. There was no way out. Her hands were pale and the wedding ring now shone more on her finger.

"You were born into this. Do not delude yourself by believing there was ever another option for you. I am sure if your mother would have lived longer she would have taught you this," Esther scolded her sternly as she plucked the roots from the dirt and threw the flower aside.

Caroline closed her eyes. She was born and sworn in blood from the first breath she had taken but she would not drown in it. That was not an option despite Esther's intentions. Luring her to her destruction with promises of power was not something that would work. No matter how much of a seductive trap that was.

"I think I've heard enough," Caroline refused to play any more games with this woman and got up ignoring the danger of standing up against Esther. She would rather take her chances with Klaus or even Mikael.

She had not taken many steps towards the exit of Esther's garden before she stopped abruptly at the voice that rose like the crack of a whip.

"You need to decide Caroline. You are either a pawn or you are a Queen. Either you will stand by your King or you will become expendable," Esther called out to her with a tone that left no room for debate and Caroline remained unnaturally still. The threat of her demise laced Esther's words as well as the promise for greatness.

"There is no other option. Heed my advice, Caroline. You will be able to survive my son but only if you learn to play the game right."

---

A dangerous game Stefan said. One that according to him she did not know how to play. One that according to Esther she had to learn how to play.

Caroline shook away the memory as Stefan's words echoed along with Esther's. It was all about the game. The dangerous, terrifying, game where pawns were collateral damage and Kings and Queens ruled. Her survival depended on it now.

Caroline slowly removed her hand from Stefan's grip and her head snapped to the side as she heard the sound of heels clanking against the floors behind the glass doors quickly approaching the dimly lit balcony. She looked at Stefan with a challenge in her eyes while an air of superiority wrapped around her like mist.

"Maybe it is time to learn it then," she sang with a soft voice barely audible and Stefan cocked his head to the side with worry. He also heard that they were about to have some company and it was obvious that he wanted to spent more time with her in private. To try to scold her into behaving in the way he and Damon deemed appropriate. In the way, Esther also expected for her to act. Anything to dissuade her and to turn her into the obedient wife they sold to their former enemies. Damon had used force, manipulation and blackmail while Stefan was pretending to be the good concerned brother. In the end, Caroline knew that the result remained the same. They did not care for her. They simply threw her to the wolves and now they were trying to assess the collateral damage.

"Is that it or you are just collateral damage?"

Caroline gritted her teeth to the point of breaking as Klaus' words were whispered in her mind. His voice was like lethal poison inside her now, tainting her memories and taking away everything she once held dear. She shook her head. Stefan viewed her as a child playing games she did not understand, Damon as a disposable pawn and Klaus as collateral damage. And Esther believed that she was a naive puppet with strings she could pull. Damn them all to hell she was none of those things. Not anymore.

Stefan could not understand it, Caroline realized but the difference between the girl she had been and the person that she was now was that she was not playing anymore. At least not on their terms.

And it was not as if she was not raised in the Mafia too. Their world turned women into objects in need of protection but Caroline would not let them gamble with her safety and survival. She knew the rules herself too. For years, she had seen how her father operated and she had seen how her brothers worked through blood and murder. The difference was that the girl who did not wear a wedding band on her finger wanted to have nothing to do with that world but the married woman now was knew she had to get knee deep into everything she had been trying to avoid. She had to play the game, pull strings and hold on to old connections and weave them into chaos if she wanted to survive and despite what Stefan or anyone else thought she would win.

Stefan seemed to have been rendered speechless as his eyes scanned her cold calculating expression but before he could say something the sharp sound of heels on stone gained their attention.

Caroline gave him a mocking smile and took a step back and noticed how Stefan instinctively tried to relax his taut muscles and put back on his stoic mask. Caroline realized that Stefan always had the same reaction when Elena approached him. It was as if he did not want to taint his wife's compassionate and seemingly naive innocence by showing her any signs of his dark face. Both of them were happy to pretend as if their marriage was normal and as if Stefan was not known as the Ripper and was not part of the mafia. Elena was the perfect wife and Stefan was the doting husband and whatever happened outside this mansion was never discussed at any of the family gatherings. Caroline assumed that this was how Stefan and Elena operated in private too. Such a stifling fake life. So many secrets untold from both sides. Because Caroline knew that it was not only Elena who tolerated Stefan's secret demons. Stefan knew all too well of everything that was boiling under the surface of Elena's heart. He had to know. After all, him, Elena and Damon lived under the same roof.

Caroline wanted to scream to Stefan to first fix his life before trying to tell her how to play the game, to which he was obviously failing, and yet she felt a sting of pity in her heart at the flash of pain and longing that passed through Stefan's eyes as the knowing steps came closer still.

Love. No matter how messed up Stefan's and Elena's relationship was they had something she would never have. Love. And that hurt her. It hurt her more than she could begin to say. This was what was stolen from her. A future. A husband that would stop breathing in the same way Stefan's breath hitched everything time Elena was close. A loving husband. Something Klaus would never be for her.

And as she did expect Stefan held indeed his breath. First it was, Elena's perfume that seemed to lift some of the weight he always carried on his shoulders; then all it would take would be one sweet gaze from his wife's doe eyes for Stefan to actually smile but in that prediction Caroline failed. After their discussion, Stefan seemed to not have any more smiles to share tonight. Tonight her brother did not turn to greet his wife with a smile and a caress as he always did when she came to him. Stefan kept his gaze fixed on hers and Caroline's lips curled to a half mocking smile when Elena came to tell Stefan that Damon was asking for him.

And just like that the record of their lives played the same white noise again. The weight of the world crashed again into Stefan's shoulders and the muscles on his jaw clenched as they always did when the name of Damon Salvatore was on Elena Salvatore's lips.

Caroline could not help but roll her eyes at this. The empathy she usually had for her brother and even for Elena and Damon had disappeared. Their dysfunctional triangle only left a bitter taste in her mouth and nauseated her now. It was a joke. Maybe it was a blessing and not a condemnation that she would not get to taste such love after all.

Stefan grimly saw the irony that twisted in her features and only nodded his reply to Elena but before he left to go find Damon he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Be careful, sister," Stefan whispered desperately into her ear; both of them knew that they had to maintain a united front tonight and he could not stay with her any longer. Not when the Mikaelsons were in their home and he had to abide to Damon's beck and call. His last warning had Caroline momentarily stiffening before she turned her head to the side refusing to even acknowledge Stefan's worry. His care and his fear offered no comfort to her anymore. They came a little bit too late.

Elena and Caroline watched Stefan walk away and then Elena turned around and gave Caroline a sweet smile. They had not been alone since the day of her wedding when Elena helped her get into her wedding dress, staying by her side until Damon escorted her to the altar. That day the always compassionate Elena had tried to comfort her and to support her throughout the whole ordeal but Caroline had said nothing to her.

As she said nothing to her now too.

"How are you Caroline?" Elena softly asked, trying to break the heavy silence between them and Caroline beamed at her. A fake radiant smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Very well Elena. How nice of you to ask," she allowed her sarcasm to be directed straight to her target in a jovial flow of faux kindness.

Elena looked taken aback and went very still obviously not expecting her to treat her like this. Caroline kept her smile in place, making sure that the signs of awkwardness Elena was showing would not fade away. It would be so easy to pretend that nothing had happened between them after all and she was done playing nice.

How was that old saying after all?

Oh yes.

"I'm a kind person, I'm kind to everyone, but if you are unkind to me, then kindness is not what you'll remember me for."

Words to live by obviously Caroline realized bitterly. Well if they worked for Capone who was she to doubt them.

So Caroline did not try to ease the tension between them. Instead she allowed herself to actually scrutinize Elena. Elena Gilbert-Salvatore. Her best friend since kindergarten. The girl with the doe-eyed smile everyone chose over her.

Elena no longer had pigtails and she had thrown away her converse sneakers. She now stood tall in her beautiful high couture silver-white gown. Her hair was perfectly straightened and fell like a bright curtain around her shoulders. The beautiful pink gold jewelry she wore once belonged to her mother, Elizabeth Salvatore. Stefan had gifted Elena with many of their mother's jewels and she always wore them with grace. Effortless grace.

The familiar pang of envy resonated inside Caroline but this time its thorns tore her already broken heart into shards and pieces that cut her more. It was not fair. It never was and it never would be. Maybe it was a petulant uncouth feeling but Caroline knew better. Elena did not even try. She always looked perfect. She always was perfect. No one ever called her an airhead or shallow or a kiddie pool. Elena always knew how to say the right thing and do what was expected of her and people adored her. She could only just breathe and everyone would be in awe. Caroline grew up hating her for it and some part of her still did and while in the past she tried to bury it, now, that part roared. Her jealousy did not subside as they grew up and neither did her insecurities that were always pronounced when she or others compared herself with the perfection that Elena Gilbert was.

No matter how much she tried, Caroline was never the one. She always tried so hard and in the end it did not even matter. She was never the one. And worse than that she was stripped of all choice and left all alone while Elena had both of her brothers fawning over her and bending backwards to make sure she would be content, happy and safe while they had simply gift-wrapped her and gave her to a man like Klaus Mikaelson without thinking twice about it. Elena was cherished while she had to keep watching behind her back and protect herself from never ending danger. Caroline knew that she would always be the second choice no matter how much she tried but at least she had hoped that she would be given -from her brothers anyway- at least half of the consideration that Elena was allowed and in the end she got once more the short end of the stick. Her brothers only had eyes for Elena and no matter how much she would try she would never be perfect and without flaws. She was not Elena and no one cared for her.

"You are just collateral damage."

Klaus words had turned into poison and she was drinking it in. Willingly.

She did not avert her eyes from Elena and her prolonged stare filled with the poison that now festered inside her made Elena sway on her heels and clear her throat.

"The men are in the study but we should not leave the rest of our guests waiting," Elena finally said almost stiffly but Caroline did not make it easy for her. She said nothing and Elena sighed delicately. "Caroline you should come. Esther and Rebekah are in the parlor with the rest of the ladies. We can't leave them alone," she kindly said, trying to reach out to her with hospitality. A trait of hers that never failed Elena when they were organizing parties and entertaining guests. And most of the times if they had a fight Elena would use her obsessive need for control and for organizing such events in order to make amends with her.

The edge of Caroline's lips stretched more and her eyes traveled up and down Elena's figure. She huffed a laugh making Elena blink uncomfortably. If there was one thing she had learned from the Mikaelsons and especially her husband during the last weeks was that confidence and poisonous dimpled smiles could get you a long way. And she had her own dimples to use too.

"Right," Caroline chirped, "entertaining the guests. But you forget Elena I am a guest here too tonight," she mockingly batted her eyelashes as she smoothly dished out the truth to Elena. This was not her house anymore and most certainly not her home either.

"Don't be silly Caroline," Elena reprimanded her quickly, too quickly; her tone was patronizing as usual meant to imply that she found her response immature and unfairly hurtful. However, this time Caroline did not feel bad. Instead she laughed. A cold laugh that obviously unnerved Elena who looked at her with wide eyes. Maybe she believed that she had lost her mind but unfortunately for them her sanity was not only intact but also more in focus than ever before. The blinds were off. For the first time, she could see clearly and see her family for what they were. Elena included.

"Why? This is not my home anymore. If it has ever been, that is," Caroline shrugged her pain away and fixed her eyes at the scenery that lay ahead of the railing. She saw the old swing her grandfather had build for her brothers. Under the old oak. The same swing Stefan used to put her on when she was young.

"Caroline-"

The pity she heard in Elena's voice was like a physical blow. She turned her head to the side and her lips parted to a smile as sharp as the knives Klaus' was keeping in their dressing room.

"Mikaelson," Caroline singsang the chilling sound effectively, silencing Elena who frowned at the name Caroline let out in a purr out of nowhere.

Mikaelson. Saying that name was not easy and she had practiced in front of the vanity many times during the last weeks. She kept trying it on her lips and enunciating it over and over again until it did not feel so alien anymore. Until she delivered it naturally with the right amount of elegance and menace and until she did not cringe upon saying and hearing it. At least not as much as she used to and certainly not as much as Elena now did, "Caroline Mikaelson," Caroline played with the words together coloring them with mirth and danger, "try it Elena," she mocked, "it is a weird sound. A different taste than how Salvatore used to sound."

Elena exhaled a shaky breath.

"I understand that this... union was not exactly desirable by you but-"

Seeing the painful expression etched upon Elena's features made Caroline see red. She seethed at that sisterly display of affection when she knew now for a fact that it was not supported with action. It was as superficial as her image of perfection and dainty morality was.

"How do you understand this?" Caroline pressed on making sure the question would come out as if she was genuinely intrigued.

Elena stared at her confused and Caroline snorted.

"You are married to Stefan. He adores you. So how would you know about undesirable unions Elena?"

Caroline held her hand in front of her. The gold and the diamonds shone but Caroline only stared at her wedding band. She used her thumb to theatrically swirl it around her ring finger. Elena followed her movement with keen eyes.

"Unless it was not Stefan you wanted to marry," Caroline jested.

A well coordinated jab handed with spite despite the innocent gaze Caroline threw at her sister in law. Caroline knew that this squabbling nonsense were beneath her but she did not care anymore. She only relished the way Elena blanched.

Caroline leaned against the railing and placed her palm on the cold surface, tapping her nails on it.

They never talked about this. Not directly. It was the unspoken truth no one dared to utter or even mention. On Elena's wedding day, Caroline had only warned her to make her brother happy but then again she supposed that she did not specify which brother. And back then, she considered Elena to be her friend. Her sister. So she kept silent and stood by her side despite everything.

"What are you implying?" Elena hissed tersely and stepped closer to her after looking around to make sure no one heard them. With all the people in the house and the guards and the cameras, this was indeed dangerous. Even the walls had ears and Caroline knew it all too well.

Caroline simply arched her eyebrow giving Elena a knowing look.

"I love your brother, Caroline, you know this!" Elena objected and Caroline nodded playfully, feigning agreement.

"Oh I know. I just don't know which one," she simply said and Elena's head snapped back as if she had actually slapped her.

"You have no right!" Elena bit back trying to keep her voice low and under control. She actually had the audacity to look insulted Caroline thought with anger.

"Right? Yes, let us talk about right and wrong Elena," Caroline gripped the railing and gave Elena a sharp glare, "you knew what my family was planning for me months before my father's death and you said nothing!"

Before Elena could say anything, Caroline held her hand in the air in an imperious gesture similar to that which Esther Mikaelson had used, cutting off Elena who looked at her with wide eyes.

"I am your friend," Caroline continued and cursed herself in her mind for still using the present tense and for still feeling that Elena would always be a part of her one way or another, "I was your sister long before you became part of my family and you didn't even give me the head's up," she pointed a blaming finger at the brunette.

"Don't say that," Elena mumbled, trying to reach for Caroline.

Caroline jerked her hand away."Oh don't deny it," she dismissed her coldly, "At least have the decency to be honest and not lie in my face!"

Elena hugged herself and Caroline looked down at her with derision.

"I am not. But you need to understand. I only did what I was told to. If it was up to me-"

"It was up to you!" Caroline exclaimed incredulously, "To stand by my side. To at least let me know. I would do it for you. I kept your secrets after all," she retorted and could not help but feel disgusted.

Elena froze and gulped. Caroline could hear the steps of the guards under the balcony and took several breaths to calm down. Her lips twisted in her effort to not allow herself to show weakness. To not cry. To not shout at Elena.

"You stood by Damon and found excuses for what he was doing to me. You still do," she finally said with so much calmness that it perturbed her when Elena became flustered. Caroline stepped closer, her eyes blazing with icy fury, "And you forgot that I grew up in this family. I know how to keep the things I want to keep a secret. At first I thought it was on me. That I was not careful enough and the men father and Damon had sent after me found out. Those that actually knew were not going to report back to my brothers. I had made sure of that. And still...I kept rewinding everything in my mind the last weeks. Damon knew details it would be impossible to know. Things I shared only with my two closest friends and Bonnie did not even know about my family. Damon used someone I loved as leverage but the truth is that he could have learned about what Matt truly meant to me only by one person."

Elena stilled. Completely. At least she had the decency to look ashamed but even that made Caroline tremble with rage. Caroline pushed her nails into her palm to stop herself from actually lashing out. Physical violence was not the answer. It would not hurt Elena as much as tasting the same medicine and Caroline would see to that. Elena would come to see what being trapped inside a house with an unfortunate union felt like. How it choked the life out of you.

Caroline would kill two birds with one stone. Maybe even three. Nothing would hurt Elena more than having Rebekah in the Salvatore Manor as Damon's wife. To have her be the first lady and take charge and set her world on fire with her bitterness and with her Mikaelson charm and malice. Caroline would not only arrange Damon's wedding but she would dance and celebrate the day Rebekah would enter this house as a bride. And she would make sure that Elena would dwell in the misery of that wedding as much as Damon and Rebekah would.

"Care please, try to understand. Everything I did was for your good," Elena pled with hushed whispers. Guilt swam in her eyes, "And so did Damon. He only wants what is best for this family. For you too. He only did what he did for your protection. You were not safe. And with your father dying...all the responsibilities have fallen on him," she said with a trembling voice and Caroline rolled her eyes. Elena used to have had compassion. Once. Marrying Stefan and entering this life ruined her. Damon ruined her as much as she ruined herself and Caroline wondered if this was what was happening to her now too. Just a few weeks into her marriage and she was doing things she was not proud of. Would there be anything left of her after a few years or she would end up like Elena? A pawn? A shade of all the dreams that could have been but never became?

"Poor Damon," Caroline let her sarcasm completely loose despite the fact that she felt tired now."So what else does Damon say, Elena? Please do tell me the excuses he uses. The same ones you use to sleep better at night," she let out in a resigned tone.

"Damon cares for you Caroline. I care for you," Elena retaliated.

"Sure. So much that you betrayed me. And, yet, somehow in all this concern I only keep hearing over and over again the word Damon from the mouth of Stefan's wife. Such a happy caring family." Caroline pointed out with irony and Elena pressed her lips together indignantly. Caroline now saw genuine hurt and anger in Elena but it did not make her feel better. If anything it made her feel sick.

"Don't twist my words!"

"Unbelievable," Caroline muttered under her breath.

"If you just let me explain-"

"You know what? Forget it," Caroline tonelessly gave up.

Elena opened her mouth to protest but Caroline only prowled closer to her with a gaze of determination.

"Where is my phone?" Caroline demanded, knowing perfectly well that Elena knew where it was. She was in the mood for searching. She only hoped that Damon had not kept it in the office.

"Caroline-"

"I asked you a question, Elena and you will answer me," Caroline quietly ordered her and Elena gaped at her. Caroline's transformation was depriving her of the ability to talk.

Elena could not believe her own eyes and for the first time, ever since Caroline's wedding, she understood why Stefan was worrying so much. Elena had thought that in time Caroline would settle in her new life. But obviously this had been a wishful thought by her side.

Caroline might have been in shock and angry at her wedding but none of them ever had a say to this life and Elena knew that Caroline was forgiving and reasonable deep down. But that Caroline was nowhere to be seen. Just a few weeks with Klaus Mikaelson and she had turned into a dangerous stranger that wanted to hurt them all. Of course she would, Elena thought scathingly. The same thing had happened to her cousin too.

It was not the first time the North and the South had tried to unify their families with marriage. Tatia was given to the Mikaelsons more or less for the same reason Caroline's marriage happened.

And Elena knew all too well Tatia's ties with Klaus Mikaelson before and after her arranged marriage with Elijah Mikaelson. She still remembered Tatia's gradual change and how she slowly wasted away but she did not believe even for a moment the lies the Mikaelsons were spouting about her death. Tatia was not capable of committing suicide and Elena had seen her falling in love with Elijah after their wedding despite her affair with Klaus Mikaelson. Tatia had not been unhappy in her marriage as Esther Mikaelson made people believe.

It was Niklaus Mikaelson that was poison and Elena still cringed when she remembered that before Tatia's demise her father considered marrying her off to that demon. Even the idea of being tied to that cutthroat psychopath who had killed both his brother and her cousin turned her blood to ice and she could not even begin to imagine how Caroline was feeling now or what that man had already done to her. Klaus had no regard for family ties or emotions and Elena knew that all too well. If she had any real power she would have prevented Caroline's wedding with him. If she could, she would have made sure that Caroline would run away and never look back.

But she couldn't. It was not as if she could have helped Caroline escape in any way. That was impossible. Damon had locked Caroline in and no matter how much she had tried to convince him, he was set on marrying Caroline to Klaus despite the hatred he also had for him. Stefan had been neutral to this and did not oppose Damon either. And even if she could have gotten Caroline out somehow and had found a way to send her away both Damon and Klaus would have hunted her down to the ends of the earth. And then, Caroline would be as good as dead. And so would have been Matthew Donovan and anyone Caroline had met in college. And, Elena knew that Caroline knew all that. Deep down she had to have known. Maybe she wanted to lash out to her now and believe she had betrayed her trust but everything she did she did it for her and for their family.

No matter what Caroline thought she was her sister. She was the only one that knew the whole truth when it came to what she truly felt for Stefan and Damon and was always there for her. She knew how much she loved Stefan but by the time their parents had decided to marry them she had fallen out of love with him. She loved him and wanted him but she was seeing him more like a friend than a lover, however, her father had agreed with Giuseppe and Elena did not have a say in this.

She considered herself lucky. Marrying Stefan was a good thing because she knew all too well that there were other dreaded options when it came to union weddings in the Outfit. She could have been forced to marry someone that would abuse her or was a complete stranger or someone decades older than her. Hell, she could have been married to Klaus Mikaelson by now! She knew who Stefan was. She had seen his dark side. She knew he had gained the name of the Ripper because of the things he did for the Cosa Nostra but he was always kind with her and had a good heart.

Falling in love with Damon was not something she had wanted. It consumed her. It took her by surprise and she hated herself for it. She did not want to hurt Stefan and she hated that she betrayed him with her thoughts and feelings. She was dying slowly every day and she had no way out. Just like Tatia had not either.

It was not as if she could take a divorce and leave. A marriage in their world was forever. And she knew that sooner or later Damon would marry too and then her life would turn to a worse hell than it already was.

She could feel Caroline's pain and even her dread. She knew the misery of having your choices taken away from you. The only reason she did betray her trust with Matt was because she knew that Damon planned to force Caroline to marry Klaus one way or another. Caroline might have believed that she was able to keep a secret from her brothers but Damon was not just her brother now. He was the Boss. It was only a matter of time before he would find out on his own about Caroline's fling with Matt Donovan and everyone knew how impulsive Damon was. He would not just use Matt to blackmail his sister. He would have killed him on the spot and would have made an example out of him.

Maybe it seemed heartless to Caroline's eyes but she had only intervened for her. She did it because she knew that if on top of everything Matt's death was to fall on Caroline's conscience that would break her completely. She would not have been able to survive Klaus after that. And she did not want that for her friend. Maybe Caroline hated her now but she would have to understand.

If she could have stopped Caroline's wedding with Klaus she really would have. Elena knew who the Mikaelsons were. They had killed her cousin. Tatia had died in their hands and Elena knew what kind of a monster Klaus Mikaelson was all too well. She did not want that fate for Caroline but she was powerless and for her own sake Caroline had to submit to Klaus. She had not been able to convince Damon or Stefan to spare Caroline and stop the wedding and so she did the only thing she could. She took precautions before it would be too late. She betrayed Caroline's trust to save her from the worst and then she stood by her side and tried to support her the best way she could and now Caroline faced her as she would an enemy. She even used something personal that hurt her so much - her feelings for Damon, against her.

What was happening to her friend? When she saw Caroline tonight she had been flabbergasted. She did not look like the Care she used to know. She looked cold and intimidating with all the glamour and the wealth she was showered with and even more so as she stood by Klaus's side looking completely at ease and even taken by her husband.

Elena could see that this change was not just superficial or trivial. That lethal cold that had ensnared Caroline in its embrace ran deep. It changed her. And Caroline's behavior at the table? Elena did not know what she was doing but by looking at how everyone reacted it would not end well. And the way Caroline was carrying herself even now and the way she was attacking her? Elena could also tell that she had interrupted an argument between Caroline and Stefan before and Stefan looked at Caroline as if he was seeing a ghost. Elena supposed that this was how she was looking at Caroline herself now too.

Right now, Elena almost cowered down against Caroline's imposing stance but then her shoulders tensed and she gave Caroline a serious look that was accompanied by a pitying sigh of surrender. Arguing with Caroline while the Mikaelsons and the representatives of the Outfit and the Sicilian Mafia were in their home would be a mistake. She had to somehow talk to Caroline alone. In neutral ground and away from prying eyes and ears. Caroline for the last weeks was not even answering her calls and Elena had originally thought that his was all Klaus' doing but it was obvious Caroline did not want to do anything with her anymore. Maybe if she conceded now and gave her what she asked Caroline would calm down. Enough to eventually see reason anyway.

"Despite Dam-, your brother's objections," Elena quickly corrected herself, "I think Stefan put it in your room," she revealed as she stopped fighting. Caroline did not thank her but Elena grabbed Caroline by the shoulder just as her friend tried to leave and Caroline scowled at her with distaste.

Elena peered pleadingly at Caroline's face which was now half lit by darkness, unable to understand where her sweet friend had gone and why she was treating her like this! This was all Klaus' doing! It had to be! What did he even do to Caroline in such a short time? God she hated that monster! And if Caroline pushed his buttons and went up against him she could end up like Tatia or worse.

"Caroline maybe this is not a good idea. If Klaus finds out your 'secrets' you will be in trouble," Elena warned her but her hand fell down when Caroline gave her a scathing glower.

"I did not ask for your opinion and as sure as hell did not ask for your permission. Go entertain my family," Caroline coolly dismissed her concerns and walked away.

Elena remained rooted at her spot stunned by Caroline's behavior.

---

The doorknob turned and the door creaked open.

Caroline took an unsteady step inside her old room and turned on the lights. The feeling of safety and belonging she used to feel whenever she entered the room was now amiss. She leaned on the doorframe as she watched with a vacant gaze her childhood bedroom.

Shades of yellow and coral on the walls and the curtains. Beautiful ivory details on the cream colored furniture inside a spacious room with soft carpets on polished hardwood. Her mother had decorated her room. A room made for a Salvatore princess. Girly and delicate like she was supposed to be. And she was. When she was growing up despite all the darkness that came along with her family name she was that girl. For a little while. Girly sweet Caroline. With no worries and with only bright smiles. Pampered and most of all safe.

Caroline walked in her old room and took in her hands her old worn out teddy bear that was left discarded on the duvet. She looked at it as if she could bring it to life and sat down at the edge of her bed. She realized she was robbed of the old memories. Nothing in here correlated with her peaceful memories and with any sense of safety. The last memories she had of this room was being locked in and waiting for her wedding. The very last memory was when Stefan came in to take her to the chapel of the Mikaelson mansion for her marriage with Klaus. She had lived the longest week of her life in this room. She had mourned for her father and she hated him for what he did to her before his death and she also had mourned for her life. She was afraid of what would happen to Matt had she fought against Damon longer. All that was left was the sting of betrayal. Her room had turned into a prison and her family into her keepers.

Until the day she left this room and the Salvatore princess behind. She now had a different name to carry. A different weight. Same darkness, different blood.

Caroline shook her head with bitterness. This was her life. This was what she tried to run away from. And she had failed.

With a sigh she got up and went to her nightstand. As she expected, Stefan had left her phone in the first drawer. With hasty moves she looked around for the charger.

The moment she managed to turn on the phone countless messages danced on the bright screen. Caroline shuffled the list that kept repeating Matt's and Bonnie's name. Text and voice messages full of worry. Both of them asking where she was. When she would return. What happened to her. At first Matt's messages were casual and lighthearted but after a while they became anxious and demanding. He had left countless messages. He was angry at some. He was pleading her to call him back in others.

Caroline's heart constricted with so much rage as she noticed her outbox list. Damon sent messages to Matt in her name. Telling him to stop calling her and that she would never return. In Matt's eyes it looked as if she had just broken up with him through a text message. She gripped the device in her hand and felt the need to throw her phone and smash it against the wall. Instead she let her trembling fingers press the buttons and send a quick message to Bonnie telling her that she was okay and to tell Matt how sorry she was for everything. It was lame but she could not find the right words to write. Talking to Matt would be stupid and dangerous. She had to keep him at a distance. Matt could not go up against her brothers or even worse Klaus. That would cost him his life and she could not take that chance no matter how much she longed to hear his voice. His voice would ground her and she needed that more than ever but she could not risk it.

She opened the file with her pictures and her eyes burned as she focused on a photo of her and Matt. He was hugging her from behind smiling as she turned around to give him a kiss on the cheek. Her finger touched the screen and magnified the picture. That life seemed so distant and tainted and somehow the heartache she felt was not the same as before. She felt as if Matt was a stranger and as if that Caroline was not her anymore.

She got so distracted and lost in the memory the photo evoked that she did not hear anyone come into the room. Maybe it was the fact that she was so lost in thought or maybe it was the fact that he was always walking stealthily and soundlessly like a ghost.

The soft click of the door closing was not what alerted Caroline. It was that foreboding feeling and the electrifying vibrations that always surrounded him that betrayed his presence just before he closed the door.

She froze and the phone almost fell from her hands. She didn't need to turn around to see that Klaus' eyes were boring holes in her back. She thought she had more time. The men's meeting was meant to last longer especially with Giovanni Montavaro's demands and Mikael's consent to them despite Klaus' certain displeasure over the situation. Klaus already knew Montavaro's men were rallying their forces in his house and that they had already pillaged his storages. Caroline knew that Klaus would get backed to a corner but did he not even oppose them then?

Smart. Dangerous.

Damon in his place would have lost his cool. People believed Klaus was prone temper tantrums but obviously he was able to control himself under pressure. Did that mean she would have to face a larger explosion later then?

A shiver ran down her spine as she mechanically turned around to face him. She steadied herself when she was confronted with his deadly gaze.

She held her breath and gripped the phone tighter in her hand. She did not miss the way Klaus' eyes scanned her every move and she completely stilled. She did not dare even move an inch knowing all too well that Klaus should never see the photo. She realized how reckless and stupid she had been now. She should have locked the door but her need to finally be able to get in touch with her friends back in Mystic Falls blinded her. The life she had created in her college campus was snatched away so violently from her and the yearning she felt for the people she had left behind had deprived her of her common sense and most of all tonight out of all nights! She internally cursed herself and she could swear that Klaus could hear thoughts.

She knew that predatory look all too well. He had smelled her fear and he could use this moment of weakness against her. She was holding a bomb. The same bomb Damon had used against her to force her into this marriage without any fight on her part. After tonight, Klaus would take advantage of any ammunition her stupidity gave him. Her heart started beating faster and she jumped up when the phone in her hand started ringing.

Klaus raised a challenging eyebrow at her and she pressed her lips together in retaliation.

"Won't you answer that, love?" he drawled and Caroline felt a knot forming in her throat. She could hardly breathe. She took a peek at the phone and saw Bonnie's name appearing in the incoming call. Of course her friend would call her right back after getting the message she had just sent her.

Caroline's looked at the challenge in Klaus' eyes but she also saw the shimmering anger and her eyes shone with determination mixed with indignation. She turned off her phone and threw it on her bed. Obviously Damon had managed to crack her pin code but Klaus didn't know it and she doubted that Damon would give it to him. Or so she hoped. She just had to distract him now and make sure he would forget about her phone.

However the smirk on Klaus' face alarmed her.

"What are you doing in here?" she demanded careful to not convey in her voice the anxiety that seemed to be pouring out of her in waves. The best defense was offense in this case and truth was that she didn't need to fake the hostility that reflected in her tone. The anger she felt towards her husband was constant now. It was always shimmering in her heart and burning in her blood.

Klaus eyes roved over her taut posture and he clasped his hands behind his back as he prowled closer.

"I came for you of course…my love," the mockery that laced the last words almost made her flinch.

Caroline was now standing in front of the mafia leader that killed people even for fun. She now felt in her skin why people feared him. It was not only what he could do. It was also what he was making people feel without actually doing anything. His presence made people feel like prey. She had come to realize, just by breathing the same air with him, that Klaus had a predatory nature that made people run for their lives; and Caroline was not one to run but she was not oblivious to the threat Klaus invited into peoples' lives. Into her life.

She could see how much she had angered him. She had pushed his limits. The blue of his eyes had turned to swirls of raging black now. He seemed calm on the outside but underneath the superficial exterior she knew that the winds of war were blowing. And she was standing in the eye of the storm.

A storm she had consciously created. An uncertain risk. Siding with Mikael's favor instead of her husband's. Her traitorous husband who used her as leverage –even against her own blood- and then expected from her to trust him while he stashed her away for his family to devour in their power games.

Klaus was coming closer and truth was that aside from not wanting him near her, she specifically didn't want him in her old bedroom. Seeing Klaus in her room somehow made the room look smaller. He felt so out of place here. His imposing figure made her feel as if her room had suddenly turned into a suffocating chamber. She didn't want Klaus to taint the memories of one of the few refuges she had as a child.

When he finally stood inches away from her, her first instinct was to take a step back but she fought it and stood her ground. Him being so close made her feel exposed and she felt as if she could not hide. Now that he was so near his unique scent enveloped her and defense after defense fell, leaving her breathing him in deeply and feeling dizzy and lost before him. It was instinctual and she took in a deeper breath before raising her gaze to meet his. To stop breathing all together.

Vibrations of danger oscillating around him reverberated on her skin causing shivers to bloom from head to toe. It was a violent reaction and it seemed to be permanent. Klaus' presence always seemed to disrupt every coherent thought of hers. It was not just panic or fear. It was an uncanny blend she could not find a name for. She only knew it was dangerous. It was so alien to her and she didn't know if she wanted to run away from him or lean in closer.

However, she armed herself with the knowledge that she stood against a man who besides her husband, also an enemy. This was how she had been taught to separate people in her life. To those that posed a threat and to those that didn't.

And Klaus was a threat. She didn't trust him. He could hurt her and the people she cared for. The people her phone could connect him with.

For now she was useful to him. She knew that. But that shady shadow of a safety net was not impenetrable. Not with a man like him.

What would happen when she would no longer be of use to him? What would he do to the woman that carried the Salvatore blood in her veins but no longer had the Salvatore protection?

Her family was not her safe haven. Not anymore. She had been uprooted and now she was facing danger. She had to keep reminding herself that despite Klaus' sweet wooing, that she knew for a fact that was nothing but a façade, a violent end awaited the seemingly violent delight he was offering. He was Klaus Mikaelson after all. He would rather kill softly with a kiss and a bullet to the heart and that was only if she was one of his lucky victims.

"What do you want?" Caroline demanded with a weary agitated tone while standing her ground.

Klaus's eyes slit suspiciously for a moment and he stood completely motionless studying her carefully. Caroline refused to show him any weakness so she looked straight into his eyes and waited.

Klaus' gaze slid towards her lips and when it rose back to her eyes Caroline realized that she could not look away from the intensity of his gleaming scrutiny. He did look a wolf intent on his prey.

She was transfixed and for a moment wondered how intoxicating it would be if she was the predator instead. How would her heart go aflame if she lived in a different world where she would be the one to have the power to make hearts still only with a gaze. No words. No violence necessary. Only raw domination through trained seduction and calculated menace. Klaus was known for unleashing his violence and rage but so far she had not seen him bathed in blood. She had seen him use honey and sugar in promises that made people bend and break in front of him. She had seen it in their wedding. She had seen it in people around him. She felt it in the way her resolve wavered whenever he was near. It was an alluring danger. A darkness she had never encountered before. Not even in her family. It made her feel tingles of fear and it made her ache. It also made her jealous of him. She wanted to have more. To be more. She craved to have been able to use the same weapons as him and not tricks like those she used tonight or those Esther provoked her to use.

And she wondered if Klaus possessed the gift of reading her mind because he seemed to be able to dive through thoughts untold, transparent only to him. It scared her more than anything else. Those thoughts were the last frontier. Literally her last stand. The only defense that could shield her in the battlefield her marriage had turned into.

Klaus let out a breath that was a mixture of a smile and an unspoken whisper. He stirred just an inch closer as if he was afraid that she was about to bolt at any moment and Caroline cast her gaze downwards to see his fingers gently push a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. It was a motion illusively tender and borderline sinister; nothing less but intimate and the moment his fingers touched the back of her ear she felt the sting of impending doom wash over her. This game of cat and mouse was breaking her slowly and the way his thumb grazed her neck made her pulse erupt into an untamable beating that made the floor beneath her legs shake and spin.

However, Klaus only graciously slid back a step and let his hand fall, looking deceptively calm. Before Caroline could freely breathe again, she gritted her teeth as she saw him looking at her discarded phone with a raised mocking eyebrow. Then he theatrically turned his attention back at her once more. This time the threat that shone in his eyes ever since the family dinner intensified and left her completely breathless.

"We are leaving," he announced.

The steel in his eyes battled with the ice that dripped from his lips.

Caroline forced her breath in and out and tried to block out the pure menace that laced his tone.

"We? As in your family and me?" she sweetly threw back at him and the sugary timbre of her irony left a rancid taste in her mouth.

The casual disregard did nothing to sooth the nerves of her husband and only achieved to throw more gasoline on to the fire.

"As in me and you," Klaus clarified tensely and Caroline was sure the fury that shimmered underneath that otherwise alluring accent would turn the brave meek and send them running away in terror.

His voice was quiet but the command was there and the fake gentleness resonating in his demand did nothing but to anger Caroline more. It was irrational but she could not help it. She should be scared of Klaus and of the consequences that would come after her act of defiance but her stubborn streak was not something she could control. Especially since it was not just a frivolous emotion. Her anger was justified. She knew it was.

She felt as if everything was suffocating her. Klaus was suffocating her. His family name next to her own was smothering her. His wedding band on her finger was like a chain wrapped around her neck drowning her. She was not free. She belonged to Klaus and she wanted to scream.

"There is no such thing as me and you," she bit out and noticed how Klaus' lips compressed to a thin line.

"You don't want to do this here Caroline," he cautioned; his whisper nothing but a lethal caress.

Caroline tilted her head to the side. This time it was her eyes that focused on his. This time she examined the hard lines of his face. The stiffness of his body. The determination in his eyes.

That ominous warning rushed out of his body, throbbing and streaming like a torrential surge of unforgivable electricity. Ready to electrify and burn and scorch and leave nothing but ash.

Instead of fear however she felt the need to laugh hysterically. She had woken up the monster and she felt a strange achievement of accomplishment. Why should she be the only one to suffer in this marriage? Why should she be the one to bow down and fall for Klaus' empty words of trust? Why should he not trust her good will instead? Why should he not be the one to be chained by the ties of matrimony in a knot that would break him and everything he held dear? Why should she be the only one fighting for her survival?

She swayed on her hips and took a step forward. A humorless smile adorned her features. Klaus squinted his eyes at her reaction. As if this was the first time he was seeing her.

"What if I do want to do this here?"

The pseudo seduction drizzling from her tone was nothing but the prelude to war. She was diving head first into perilous waters. She would either swim or sink. And she was not bluffing this time.

Klaus married her expecting a damsel in distress. Well, this particular damsel had chosen her weapons. His father was just the first.

The way Klaus strode forward was not gracious or stealthy. This time it was sudden like a snake attacking. She could see he was trying to restrain himself and part of her feared his retaliation but she contained that fear and turned it to challenge.

"Anywhere but here love," he growled as his hands dug into her arms. It was not a painful hold but his grip was rough and it was locked around her flesh like a manacle,"I would hate to do something we would both regret," he warned her.

The metal in his loud whisper and the flaming fury reflecting in every word made Caroline feel smaller somehow and she hated him for that. The promise of violence did nothing but add to her aggression.

She yanked his hands away and jutted her chin out as he hovered above her. Their staring match was not losing any steam.

"I am sure you do," she sarcastically threw at him with a repulsed grimace feeling a disappointment she did not know where it was coming from. She was not new at this. She had seen how her brothers and her father deal with those that defied them and put their interests in jeopardy. She didn't know why she expected Klaus to be any different. After all she was not part of his family. Not where it counted anyway."As you did…let us say… when you used me behind my brothers' back?" she yelled the accusation she had held in ever since Mikael announced Klaus would step up. How she would be alone to fend for herself against him despite the original agreement of their families. She had half expected to have a shield of protection against Klaus in their marriage. At least until she found her balance and some leverage inside the Mikaelson family but Klaus always planned for this. He wanted everything. And she was nothing but a step for him to use to get what he wanted.

Caroline knew how their world worked but part of her wanted to believe that her family would protect her more. And tonight she realized that this ploy was a trap for her brothers too. The surprise in Stefan's face during their conversation was not one that could be misunderstood. Damon and Stefan did not expect Klaus to take Mikael's reign and now she was stuck in the middle and even though she hated her brothers with a burning passion she still felt inklings of loyalty towards them and the memories they shared. She could not allow to Klaus to walk over them. If they would fall then she would fall after them. She would be left only to Klaus' mercy and she could not allow that to happen. She had to buy time for herself and Damon to rise to power and for her to somehow manage to find leverage against Klaus. Something. Anything.

She only hoped that Damon was smart enough to catch on quickly at what he had to do from now and on. Surely Montavaro had gotten in touch with him before tonight's gathering.

Klaus huffed annoyed, his palms turning to fists. Caroline had never seen him so livid before. Granted she did not know him for that long but during the few weeks of their marriage he had always seemed composed and all suave and charming in front of her. She had even started to wonder if his legendary rage was nothing but a fairytale to keep his enemies at bay. But judging by the blackness gathering around them now she knew that the stories were true.

Klaus pushed his hand through his unruly locks and looked at her like he felt the need to scream and smash everything inside the room.

"Damn it Caroline," he shouted frustrated "you are playing a game you can't win!" he cursed out the same condemning words Stefan had threw at her moments before. Both men considering her powerless and too feeble to participate to their game.

Klaus' admonishing voice did not hide the pity that resonated between them. He for good reason considered her weak. After all, she was nothing but a girl. Girly little Caroline growing up protected inside this girly room. Hidden away from the horrors of the world. His horrors. And if she was not just a girl, she was still a woman and in their world that did not count for much.

"Funny thing how people's opinions coincide at times," Caroline spat wryly feeling the need to somehow pierce his arrogance. To do more than just scratch him and hope he would bleed.

He marched at her and she was ready to kick and scream at him but he was like a tornado that swept everything into him. Before she could even take a breath she was pinned against the wall.

His hand covered her neck and his fingers locked on her chin demanding her full attention. It was not pain he was dolling out. It was entrapment. Her heaving chest could feel the hard planes and lines of his chest underneath his shirt.

"You do not want to mess with my father!" he hissed and looked at her with pleading eyes that made her blink. It was not anger she was seeing. It was frustration and a desperation that made her feel disoriented. His rage was flaring out, giving room for something else to come between them. She almost moaned but instead she chewed the inside of her cheek feeling the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. It was not just his hands that kept her immobilized. Her body was like a cage of roaring longings and insane voices whispering in her mind to do shameless things she did not want to name or even dream of. She did not want to give voice to every suppressed dark desire she felt whenever Klaus was near.

Ever since the priest declared them husband and wife, she had tried to keep her distance but every touch, every stare, every whisper Klaus cast her way messed with her mind and sanity.

Caroline looked straight in his eyes and felt his hot breath caress her face. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

Klaus' hand skimmed the line of her jaw and Caroline felt lightheaded. His fingers threaded into her hair, bringing her face closer to his. His forehead brushed against hers and she reluctantly felt her body relax. His stubble prickled her nose and she wanted to let him in. She did not know why she wanted to trust him so much but she knew why she couldn't. Why she never would. Lies and beautiful words would not change anything between them. She did not have to be super smart in order to realize that like the Devil himself Klaus was the master of illusion and manipulation.

Caroline raised her hand and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. She felt his breath hitch at the contact she initiated.

Klaus eyes glistened with need and Caroline trembled for a moment before she slowly pushed his hand away from her hair. He did not try to stop her and he sighed when she turned her head to the side denying them any physical connection.

"Like I mess with you?" she bitterly let out the acid that was choking her. Her voice came out as a harsh hushing whisper full of venom and rancor inside an ice of mockery.

Klaus' lips compressed to a thin line and he grabbed her face again with both hands cupping her cheeks, demanding her undivided attention.

"Caroline-"

"What makes you better than him?" she cut him off, glowering at him while yanking her face away from his hands. An act of defiance and self-preservation. She did not avert her eyes from his and Klaus pushed his palms flat against the wall on each side of her head.

He took a step forward, coming impossibly closer. His chest brushed against the silk of her dress and she had to keep her breathe in so to stop their bodies from merging.

"The fact that I would kill to keep you safe!" he vowed his unholy pledge with so much passion it turned Caroline's heart. He sounded so honest as he seemed to breathe her in with every tick of the imaginary clock counting the time, the distance between them.

"Of course you would," she trailed off before she could collect herself, despite the shiver that passed through her. A shiver she was sure he also felt, "killing is what you do!" Caroline breathed with aversion. The accusation cracked like a whip between them and the blue in Klaus' eyes burned brighter revealing an emotion Caroline did not expect from him. Hurt.

Her eyes however shone with so much condemnation Klaus actually faltered and released his hold and stepped back. Caroline would have laughed at the sight of him in any other case but she knew better.

Klaus Mikaelson was a cold blooded born killer. He was trained to kill and maim and to take advantage of weaknesses. Caroline felt as if she allowed him to exploit her own weaknesses whenever he invaded her personal space and this had to stop. She had to protect if not her heart then surely her life and for that her walls had to remain high and not get bridged every time Klaus used his illusive seduction and intimidation techniques with her.

Klaus shook his head disappointed. His chest rose and fell and he gritted his teeth in umbrage.

"Mikael does not care for your safety! I do!" he shouted, exasperated.

Caroline's lips curved to a tired acerbic smile."Of course you care. How would you keep your precious alliance without my head still attached to my neck right?" she taunted sarcastically making Klaus' jaw clench.

"If anyone other than you pulled that stunt tonight, I would rip out their hearts!" Klaus roared and it was not the volume of his threat but the sharp edge in his retaliation that cut Caroline's breath.

She could not believe how a man's angelic features could transform into something ugly and malignant so fast just by carrying the promise of violence in their voice and eyes.

Caroline knew that this was not an empty promise. She knew that Klaus had killed people for far less. Everyone knew it and yet this unveiled threat hurt now that it was targeting her. She expected it. She provoked it. But it still hurt.

It sliced through her like a hot knife and despite the fear it brought it also drove her body to push forward.

It was a valiant challenge from her side or maybe simply stupidity but that did not stop her from facing her husband with all she had. As she approached him, tension rose like a wisp of smoke that swirled around them, trapping them into the eye of the storm.

Klaus' gaze scrutinized her every reaction with disbelief and awe as she walked to him and stood straight with her shoulders squared bracing herself for the worst. His body was tense and on alert and he could see that Caroline emanated aggression and determination. Her next words surprised him when they really shouldn't.

"Well do it! I never expected anything better from the likes of you!"

Klaus waited.

He waited for her to back down. He waited for any sign to show him that his wife was pretending to take him up on his threat. Any sign to show to him that her challenge and her words were empty; to see her mask of faux bravery shutter but once more her brutal honesty and her constant stubbornness were coming out to play.

He could not help but be impressed. He expected many things from Caroline Salvatore. The girl that was brought up and raised inside this harmless girly room full of violet dreams and sweet lullabies. But he never expected to meet such a fearless creature. Temperamental and unpredictable and so very beautiful. A beauty forged in courage and not just on the superficiality of a pretty face.

Klaus realized in astonishment that Caroline Salvatore, despite the innocence that bloomed in her beautiful features, presented a harmless sight for most of the men of his kind. Except she hid a dangerous opponent. Even worse. She hid a… Mikaelson. She now had his name and she had the ability to wage war and that made her…unsafe.

There were in collision course and he had to find a way to put a stop to it otherwise Caroline could potentially achieve what Mikael had not so far. She could manage to land a destructive blow to his plans and to him and he would never allow that.

His eyes slowly roamed up and down her form and it dawned on him. He had treated her wrong. From the very first moment, he treated her wrong. He believed her to be innocuous and eventually even tamable. He had considered her to be an easy challenge.

He could already she that she was fierce but she was also more than just a challenge. She was an adversary and a foe and she was now tied to his side. His apprehension turned to a guarded expression. Could she become a worthy rival?

Klaus sauntered closer. He could see that Caroline was afraid of his next move and even though he could take advantage of her fear, he knew that her spirit was not easily breakable. So he only inspected her posture with his eyes trying to find an opening to pierce her resolve. She was tense but she was not backing down and he let his finger graze the column of her exposed shoulder making her gasp as he started circling her with slow steps. His movements predatory and he noticed how Caroline remained still but she moved her head to follow his movements cautiously.

"The likes of me?" he smirked and Caroline narrowed her eyes at his sudden display of nonchalance, "like the likes of Montavaro and your father? Of your brothers? Of you sweetheart?" he whispered as he stood behind her, closing his eyes and taking in her scent.

Caroline whirled around immediately; her eyes blazing with fury as her hair waved around her shoulders.

"I am nothing like you!"

She looked so offended and the indignation vibrating in her voice was making Klaus' smirk turn wider. He let his eyes caress her body excruciatingly slow, relishing the scarlet color that blossomed in Caroline's cheeks.

"You could sure fool me!" his sarcasm made Caroline flinch and Klaus snorted going further into pushing her buttons, "Scheming and planning war strategies? A true mafia daughter!" he exclaimed theatrically before his features turned to a stony expression, "You and I could be the same but you have no concept of loyalty."

The accusation ringing in his mockery made Caroline's expression turn incredulous.

She pointed at him in disbelief.

"And you are loyal? To whom? Certainly not to your blood. Not to your own father!" she spat with corrosive ire and Klaus disposition rapidly changed in a hot second; he grabbed her by the shoulders and brought her closer to him making Caroline heave in alarm.

"He is not my father!" Klaus bellowed and Caroline pushed him away violently.

"Was Elijah your brother then? What did you do to him Klaus?" she fought back before she could come to her senses, taking their screaming match a step further into somewhere she knew she shouldn't.

Caroline saw the change happen immediately and for the first time she felt not just fear but actual panic. The hair on the back of her head rose and she knew she had to tread carefully.

Klaus tensed immediately and everything around them became eerie silent.

"One more word Caroline. I dare you," he warned her. His words a deadly whisper that barely covered what hid underneath the surface of his fragile tranquility.

Caroline could see that he was incandescent with rage and her trembling body almost gave out.

It was too much. Everything that kept happening was too much. This game of push and pull was taking a destructive toll on her. She was tired of being afraid and of being on constant defense 24/7. She wanted this nightmare to finally come to an end. She wanted the monsters to return to their tales and her life to go back to normal.

Her eyes filled with tears and her hands turned to fists.

"You can have three. Go .to .Hell!"

She turned around to leave but Klaus held her back. She tried to yank her wrist from his steely grip to no avail. He was not hurting her physically but everything seemed to be crashing down on her in painful waves. His mood swings were disorienting her and she could not just stand down and let Klaus control her. He could be tender and then like a tornado he could change into fearsome anger. He was seductive and lethal. He was like a constant change of anarchy creating chaos and she was at the precipice of that chaos's borders ready to fall in.

"Let go of me!" she demanded, trying to pull her hand from his hold but Klaus refused to let go. Instead he reached for her other hand too. She glowered at him and felt something twist in her stomach when she saw how the anger in his eyes evaporated slowly at the sight of her distraught full of panic eyes. His thumbs instinctively caressed her wrists gently and he breathed deeply trying to contain his anger and Caroline felt her knees turn to rubber as the tension started to escape her body.

"I asked you to trust me!" Klaus murmured lost in Caroline's eyes. It always happened out of nowhere but it was as if she was capable of taming the beast inside him with only a gaze.

Klaus' voice was low, rich and warm. His tone was persuasive and almost desperate and that deliberate reminder of his efforts from his side to make her trust him created a sensation inside Caroline's heart that crept and spread like a shadow.

It was not right.

He had no right to ask this from her while treating her like this. He had no right to twist his abusive ways into something she should crave, no matter how alluring he presented himself.

"Please let me go," she tersely asked him and Klaus immediately pulled back. She felt the veins around her wrists vibrating in concert with her erratic pulse and she hated that a part of her missed his touch.

Caroline stared at him, trying to examine his face for a moment before she inhaled sharply, trying to allow crisp air to invade her lungs and cool down her heated skin. She shook her head in disappointment.

"Trust is earned and you have done nothing to gain mine," she resolutely rejected him with a stern voice. Her chin tilted up and she refused to back down or allow him to make a fool out of her.

Klaus' eyes gleamed with displeasure.

"You're most certainly proving you are not to be trusted either," he fired back impatiently; blatantly pointing out the fact that they had no communication or trust between them. Only lies.

"What did you expect?" Caroline snapped, "that I would stand idle while you played your games behind my back?"

Klaus growled and Caroline could see in the hot shine of his glare that his patience was wearing thin and yet for some reason she did not care to try to sooth him at all. She did not care to lull the beast back to sleep because that would mean she would have to lie down and close her eyes and pretend that every wrong thing happening to her was not important. But it was. It was!

"From now on you will do what I say!" Klaus lashed out. His command was an unpleasant sound that made Caroline flinch.

"Like hell I will!" she denied exasperated and Klaus' nostrils flared in anger.

"You are my wife! Act like it!" he finally exploded and Caroline's heart stopped. She blinked as she realized she had lived this before. It felt like a punch in the stomach.

She remembered her parents fighting a long time ago and her father imposing his will to her mother in a similar way. She remembered her mother crying that night and Caroline remembered herself hugging the same teddy bear that sat on her bed tonight. She would hold it tight, hearing her mom's soft gasps of breath as she tried to hold back her tears in front of her. She remembered her father loving her mother but also her mother's spirit withering away until Elizabeth Salvatore ended up in an early grave.

It seemed that in their world names changed but their ways remained the same. Old transitions and unbreakable rules. Either you were a Salvatore or a Mikaelson. Esther's 'advice' from earlier echoed still in Caroline's mind as did all the lessons she was taught when growing up about how a good wife should behave. To bring in the alliances and to bear children, to continue the lines and wage more war and shed even more blood. Ever since her birth, it was expected from her to walk up to the aisle and marry a man like Klaus and follow a certain code of behavior. This is what she had so desperately tried to avoid by running away to college and this was what Damon stole from her when he forced her to marry Klaus. This reality was crashing down on her now more than ever. Klaus expected her to act according to the unwritten laws of their world. To be like every other mafia wife.

It was the same disposition Elena had. It was what was expected from her and what would be expected from Rebekah. To bow their heads down and relinquish their minds and their freedom. Her mother had done it and lost her happiness and life and Esther had done it and lost her humanity.

Klaus was no different when it came to this obviously. He bought a wife and expected from her to follow the same rules. This was about control. About him imposing his authority on her. Caroline realized this was not just the life her mother lived but the kind of life she was expected to lead too. She was meant to become a trophy wife. To have no voice. No mind of her own. To kill her dreams and her personality.

The hell with that!

Caroline pressed her lips and tried to stop herself from shaking as the memories from her childhood rushed back, assaulting her with unwanted images. She squared her shoulders and gulped down the bile that rose in her throat.

She looked Klaus from head to toe with a repulsed gaze.

"And you are my husband! Mine!" she declared out solemnly and most of all with a fierceness that made Klaus narrow his eyes, "A husband I can't trust. I should not be terrified of you! I should not be afraid even of my own shadow when you are near," she confessed feeling tears gathering in her eyes. She felt her eyes burn and her sight water but she swallowed the liquid pool of emotion back, refusing to show weakness to Klaus Mikaelson.

Her husband looked confused by her rant. It seemed as if her words were an alien symphony of vowels and consonants he did not understand.

"I never harmed you," he faltered looking at her as if he had never seen her before, "I tried to reach out to you."

Caroline snorted at that and the bitter laugh that escaped her lips made Klaus' eyes widen momentarily.

"Seriously? In case you have not noticed you took away my freedom by force!" she accused him with a venomous voice that made Klaus cringe inwardly, "My family traded me like cattle and you used me and still use me as a stepping stool for your power trip. You go dashing around with half charming words half threats. I am nothing but disposable for my family and collateral damage for you."

Klaus blinked at her brutal honesty that effectively silenced him and when their eyes met again there was a fathomless pit of dangerous and unspoken sentiment between them. Of all the things which were impossible to translate without a code of understanding.

Caroline approached him unfazed and Klaus for the first time in his life almost cowered back as her delicate fingers reached for the lapels of his jacket. She straightened the fabric almost with care as her breath whispered on his skin.

And yet the coldness in Caroline's eyes battled the heat her closeness brought. She parted her lips sensually, reaching closer until her cheek barely touched his, her sweet voice murmuring near his ear.

"I will not let you decide what my destiny will be," she swore in an unwavering tone as her body melted closer to his, making his rigid muscles thrum with need, "It is my life. My choice. And if you want to play with my future like that then I will repay the favor…husband," she promised and Klaus' eyes followed the flash of her blonde hair and her rosy cheeks as Caroline moved her head back just to lock her gaze with him. She gave him a decisive nod, turned around and walked to her bed to take her phone and strode to the door. She left him frozen, watching her silken clad body provocatively make its exit from the childish room.

Her threat that was more of a promise ringed in his ears as he clenched his fists and tried to calm down. Klaus looked at Caroline's old room and without understanding why his legs took him to her vanity. He took a photograph of hers in his hand as her perfume still soaked the air around him.

He did not understand what was happening. This should not be happening. Caroline Salvatore should not be defying him and she should not be challenging his sanity like this. Her pain should not matter.

So why did he feel…shame?

His finger slid over the glossy surface of the photo.

Caroline was trying to survive. Could he really hate her when he was doing the same?

His lips turned to a harsh line and he gripped the picture in his hand.

All he knew for sure was that he had to keep a close eye on her now. Caroline was trying to survive, yes, but despite her desperation and anger her move was not born out of the blue. She had planned this. She had planned everything. It was a calculated strike and it was precise. She had been able to manipulate logic and emotion and she knew how to wait and strike when needed.

Klaus had thought he was giving her time to adjust to their marriage and mourn her father while saying goodbye to her old life. He thought he could manage her and her pliable behavior lately made him think that but it was nothing but a façade.

He believed he held all the cards and that eventually Caroline would understand that her place would be under him and she would learn to respect that. In return, he would give her everything any other women could only dream of. He would shelter her and protect her and even cherish her. Everything she would ask would be hers. He would provide everything.

But Caroline thwarted him. She was not just adjusting. She was observing. She was planning. She was taking her time and she was gathering her information while reaching out to his enemies. Secretly and without leaving traces and clues behind. How had he missed that? Had Mikael approached her or it was the other way around?

She was already starting to ensure alliances of her own, choosing to be bold and collect what the blood oath of the patriarchal code of matrimony could grant her. Mikael had given his promise of protection publicly in their wedding celebration in front of all the families aligned with the Mikaelsons and the Salvatores, even those internationally. The minx knew that despite Mikael losing ground and power, she had wanted to put a halt to his decline. She had seen the signs of his imminent fall first hand but she knew others didn't know this. She had tried to stabilize Mikael's position long enough to use him as a shield against even her husband if need be, while giving time to her brothers to regroup and forge new alliances. Even the alliances provided by the unification of their families through their wedding.

Caroline knew Rebekah was not bringing along the same power for Damon through their marriage because Mikael was still alive and his alliances would not shift. Alliances Klaus managed under the table, swaying them to his advantage before Stefan and Damon acted. Giuseppe's death was a power vacuum that needed to be filled fast but it was also taking time and it was a matter of a certain kind of strategy. Klaus knew it and had prepared for that for months but Damon had miscalculated because he assumed that Mikael was in control and he had depended on the enmity Mikael felt for his bastard son. Caroline had realized that Mikael was turning quickly into a decoration, however, and she intervened. She did it in a seemingly naïve way in front of her family and the heads of the Outfit as to send a message. A message that surely Damon got. She had probably already informed Stefan when the youngest Salvatore surely went after her after he abruptly left the midnight council.

Klaus could tell that Caroline held a grudge against her family for giving her to him and his own family as a bride but she was smart enough to separate her personal feelings from what she knew she had to do. Her judgment was not clouded. Something admirable but dangerous. She was changing the timeframe. She was trying to push him to action. She knew that he could not formally take over and replace Mikael as long as his father was alive and she knew that as long Mikael stayed in Chicago his connections would never follow him or respect him. He was not 'Capo Famiglia' after all like Mikael and Damon were.

Caroline knew that by forcing Mikael to stay longer he would have to either kill Mikael or make room for adjustments. If he killed Mikael he would not be able to create a smooth transition and he would lose power in the imbalance. This is why he was taking his time and was postponing the old man's funeral despite the fact that he wanted to tear out Mikael's head for years. Carnage would not help now as he had already set in motion a more political action. Something he had planned for years and could not change in a few weeks or even months. Caroline had realized all that on the spot but if he allowed her to influence him and rush into unplanned adjustments to his plans, in the end it would all be in favor of Damon Salvatore. This would allow Damon to swiftly and more smoothly come to power and it would be a setback for him. Something that Mikael could also take advantage of and so would she.

Klaus looked at Caroline's photo more intensely. He looked at her smiling face and a sigh escaped his lips before his eyes turned hard and he set the picture down. He could not allow her to become his weakness. She looked generally harmless to the untrained eye but that was a lie he realized.

Caroline was a worthy opponent. For the first time in decades she achieved what no other had. She opened the Mikaelson gates to enemies. Montavaro was an old sly fox and Caroline was smart to rely on him instead of her brothers.

Klaus could barely believe what had actually happened tonight. Caroline Salvatore Mikaelson managed to gather a private army in his territory. With Mikael's blessing. Something his father would not have allowed in any other case. If he was still in charge he wouldn't have. But now? Oh, now he did with so much pleasure. All so to set a trap for him in retaliation for what he had done to him.

People still believed him to be King so Mikael acted like one and challenged him to object. To object when he himself the morning after his wedding stood at the head of the table in the first joined meeting of the families and gave clearance to the Salvatores to enter the Mikaelson market as a sign of good faith. He had believed then he could control the outcome. And he would have. Should Caroline had not turned the tables on him like this tonight. Should she have not distracted him like this. Montavaro would have never attempted such a move if he believed Mikael to still be in charge. Caroline had betrayed him and found a way to contact Giovanni and her brothers. She found an opening and exploited it. Montavaro was a seasoned Underboss. It was not difficult to command this kind of manpower so smoothly and swiftly.

He had let his guard down. He had underestimated Caroline and she managed to find a way to spy on him. To learn his weaknesses. To plot his demise. To have an advantage. And then feed her brothers and Montavaro with enough power to balance the scales.

Unbelievable! A little girl that only a year ago was playing cheerleader managed to pull such a move. To bring Captains of the Outfit under his roof so to have the castle fall from within. To provoke discord. A small but substantial army to command herself through her connections with the Salvatore branch and to show to everyone that had eyes and ears that he was weak. That he could not control his wife. That he was unable to keep the stability inside his own domain.

What kind of leader was he if he was unable to protect his own home from intruders that wanted to invade his power and cripple his forces from within? What kind of boss was he when he allowed the Salvatores to pillage his trove?

The heads of the families aligned to the Mikaelsons would rise. One marriage was not enough to burn out the hate they had for the Salvatores and the Sicilians. They only went along with the treaty so to gain power and gain access to the Salvatore grounds and not to lose theirs.

Something that would not have happened during Mikael's strongest reign and now that son of bitch with Caroline's aid was trying to show to everyone that his bastard son was an incompetent coward unable to efficiently succeed him. How much time would it take for those still loyal to Mikael to rebel and demand his father's return to power or even worse begin an internal war by supporting Kol instead of him? Waging war against his brother was not something he was willing to do again. Never again.

And yet he might have to prepare for it now. Or at least take precautions. All that while he could not afford losing Kol's loyalty now.

Giuseppe Salvatore chose wrong. He should not have chosen Damon Salvatore to train for the throne and he should not have kept Caroline out of the game. Caroline Salvatore was rough around the edges and her moves on the chess board were a bit unrefined and crude but she was capable of inflicting great damage and she could also operate under duress. These were the traits of a strategist.

How could he had missed this when all the signs were there from the first day of their marriage?

Caroline was not just a pampered Princess. Underneath the insecurities and the shallow façade she hid a leader. She was every inch the Queen Giuseppe should have trained to reign after him.

Klaus looked at his wedding ring and remembered the oath he had given at the alter. To cherish and protect his wife. His beautiful wife who was bonded to him with more enmity than any other connection formed between them. And yet… he still wanted her.

He realized that deep down he didn't want to treat Caroline like an enemy but she was not leaving him any other option. He had to return back to the drawing board and assess the new variables, the danger she presented. The game was now rapidly changing because Caroline was proving to be an unknown factor. She was an adversary and a quite formidable at that.

So the only question left now was where did this leave them?

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Painful reckoning.

I'd rather watch my kingdom fall
I want it all or not at all.

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A/N: And that is all that she wrote...for now.

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Constructive criticism is always welcome :)