[~Sweet Talkin' Alibi~]

6 years ago

Caroline closed her eyes and listened to the soft humming of the engines. She felt boneless in Klaus' arms, their bodies still entangled as they lay embraced on the bed.

"I think the official terms for what you did is kidnapping," Caroline said as she stretched and remembered the way Klaus had practically spirited her away out of nowhere.

She was supposed to meet him for lunch and she ended up having sex with him in the master bedroom of his family's private jet as it took off for only God knew where. Klaus hadn't even given her a hint of where they were going or asked her if she wanted to go or even if she could. Klaus simply snatched her away and she hadn't brought anything along with her.

"Absconding," Klaus corrected her and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Elijah will freak!" Caroline giggled and Klaus gave her a cocky smirk.

Caroline's fingers traced lazy patterns on his skin enjoying the afterglow of their lovemaking.

"You still haven't told me where you are taking me," Caroline pouted and plopped her body over Klaus'.

Klaus grunted as if she was terribly heavy and she smacked his chest making him laugh.

"Somewhere you won't need any clothes," he jested and Caroline laughed.

"Where are we going?" she insisted, this time using her sweetest tone knowing he wouldn't be able to resist her.

Klaus pushed her hair away from her face and gave her a look of adoration. His dimples became more pronounced by his smile but what Caroline loved the most was the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Bali."

Caroline squealed making him wince at the high pitched sound before she started kissing him all over. Klaus wrapped his arms around her pulling her closer. She was so happy and she would be happy for all the days they would spend together in heaven.

Her happiness would dim only when they'd return from their romantic getaway when Klaus' lawyer would get in touch with her to let her know that there was a slight chance where she would have to testify as Klaus' alibi for…murder which of course if it came down to it she would gladly do since Klaus and her had been together for the last weeks in Bali so it is not as if Klaus could be guilty of what they accused him of.

Could he?

The Mikaelson private jet was just as Caroline remembered it. Impressive and cold.

The airplane Klaus' family owned was enormous; wood-paneled, cream-colored with plush carpets and shining stonework. It had enough leather seats to accommodate numerous people along with couches and a full dining room next to the multimedia theatre. It was stylish, glamorous and had more than one bedroom with luxury bathrooms and so many technological features that could make your head spin.

Caroline used to love traveling in such luxury. There was a time when she and Klaus would decide on the spot that they wanted to have dinner in Paris, shop in Rome or go for a swim in Bora Bora or Santorini and they'd just hop in the jet and go on a whim much to Elijah's dismay.

Caroline tried not to think of all those times. Back when she was content with being Klaus' kept woman since girlfriend was not a term she could ever use when it came to Klaus Mikaelson. Back then she loved indulging in everything Klaus had to offer and she used to not care for how much she would spend or the fact that her only job was to keep Klaus happy.

She remembered the times when they'd have parties in the jet up in the air while going to destinations unknown and she would end up spending most of the flight drinking champagne and making love with Klaus in the master bedroom of the plane. She used to be carefree back then and so happy.

Now she simply felt that she didn't belong here and all this excessive wealth did nothing for her. If anything, now that she knew what it meant to have to work for a living she found this display of power obscene.

She knew that Klaus would not understand her way of thinking now. He wanted her back but he had no idea which woman he was getting back. Because the girl he remembered was long gone. Not just when it came to what she felt for him but to what she felt for herself and the world.

When she had first met Klaus she was seventeen years old. She had started working for Mikael as his personal assistant since he had been so fond of her, probably because she resembled his deceased daughter Rebekah Mikaelson so much. She had worked for a full year next to Mikael that treated her like his daughter and hoped that she and Elijah would fall for each other and eventually she would legally become his daughter in law.

Only, instead of falling for Elijah Mikaelson which she grew to love as a brother she ended up falling head over heels with the rebellious black ship of the Mikaelson family. Klaus Mikaelson.

When she turned eighteen she and Klaus became a thing and she dropped her job in the Mikaelson company to just be with him. She didn't bother going to college either no matter how much Elijah and Katherine would berate her. Her father of course was ecstatic since half of the allowance Klaus gave her ended up in his hands and fed his gambling addiction further.

She would have been happy to keep on having such a shallow existence by Klaus' side. To be his naïve arm candy and smile without any worry in the world for as long as she believed that deep down Klaus cared for her and truly wanted her. He had never told her he loved her. But she believed back then that despite his inability to open up to her emotionally his actions showed her what he truly felt for her. He had been the one to ask her to move in with him. He doted on her. He was her first and the way he made love to her could be both insanely passionate and gentle. He was caring, he never denied her anything and he kept his work life to the side. That should have been a clue only back then she preferred it that way since when they were together she preferred to have him all to herself without any interruptions. Klaus used to shower her with gifts and attention and she believed she was his first choice.

She had been wrong.

Klaus was taking her back to New York and she felt the need to push her nails into the leather seat and tear it apart. She felt like a commodity he was simply transporting and she knew that when they'd land she would be exactly that. She hated this so much that she felt the need to scream but instead she remained seated and rigid.

She knew that Klaus was waiting for her to slip up. To make a mistake so he would get to show her why it was pointless to resist. He had already warned her that should she cause him trouble she would not like the consequences and when he saw the note she was about to leave to Tyler she got a taste of what he meant.

The rage she had seen in his eyes and the killing intent was a tangible thing and she knew that if he unleashed all that madness the people she loved would not survive and she didn't know if she could survive such punishment. She had to follow his rules. To please him. To keep him content. For now. Maybe for the rest of her life.

She tried to empty her mind. To not think like that but it was impossible.

Not when she remembered the order Klaus gave Lucien Castle when they had gotten out of her apartment.

Her blood had turned to ice when Klaus ordered Lucien to clean up which meant Lucien went into her apartment and swept up every evidence of Klaus being there and God knew what else. She knew that Lucien would sweep through everything. Even the torn underwear Klaus had ripped away from her body when he pleasured her on the bed. He would also find the crumpled note, the broken eyeglasses and the photograph Klaus had smashed.

Lucien was great at what he did. He made evidence and people vanish. He handled Klaus' dirty work and Caroline hoped that in her case this only meant that Lucien would make it seem as if Felicity Martin simply ran away.

She only hoped that when Tyler would return the only thing that would be missing would be her and nothing else. She knew Klaus was capable of not only erasing Felicity Martin from ever existing but also he could have planted anything that could potentially cause Tyler trouble. One more leverage for him to use if she stood up against him or decided to disobey him.

Caroline was dying to ask Klaus what his plans were but she knew better than to ask or mention Tyler to him ever again. Acting as if Tyler never existed was the only way to keep him safe and she would not take any chances with his life.

Right now however Lucien was sitting a few seats back behind her working on his laptop. He barely glanced at her and when he did he remained impassive. Probably because Klaus was present because otherwise, she knew very well the sight she presented.

She knew that her appearance was disheveled and that Lucien could see what had happened between her and Klaus back in her apartment. She felt ashamed but she would not give either man the satisfaction to let them know how deep that shame cut her. So she now sat silently in one of the cushioned seats staring at the clouds outside the circular window.

Klaus had taken the seat across the one he made her sit and was enjoying the whiskey the hostess brought him. She had refused getting anything for herself and tried to ignore the way the hostess flirted with Klaus in front of her eyes. Klaus seemed to have eyes only for her but the way the woman tried to gain his attention made Caroline mad. Why did she even care though? Cindy, Mindy, or whatever the name on that bimbo's nametag of was, could have him. It was not as if she expected Klaus to be faithful to her. More so now after everything. It is not as if he used to be when they were together. It still hurt though. Caroline didn't know if the hurt would ever stop.

Klaus however, oblivious to her thoughts and the hostess' flirting ordered a glass of orange juice and a sandwich for her.

She didn't touch anything though. She didn't feel like drinking, or eating or even existing at this point. She had only excused herself to go to one of the luxurious bathrooms of the plane where she used the opportunity to scrub Klaus' lingering feel between her legs. To no avail though. She still felt him there.

She had brushed her teeth and brushed her hair and she knew there was no pointing in hiding in the bathroom. She returned to her seat where she silently sat and tried to make herself invisible only she knew it was pointless since Klaus' gaze was locked on her. It made her feel uncomfortable. He scrutinized every breath of hers.

"Why?"

Klaus' question startled her from her thoughts and she looked at him confused.

"Why what?"

Klaus started turning the glass slowly, the fiery liquid sloshing inside the expensive crystal.

"You knew I was planning to propose when you left me," Klaus simply said and Caroline back turned straight like a ruler, "I didn't know where you went. I didn't know if my enemies had gotten their hands on you. There was no sign of you. You just vanished," he recalled and Caroline could see the rage simmering under the surface, "Why?"

She stared at him for a long moment before her own rage ignited and started surfacing. The leather of the armrest she rested her hand on scrunched under the punishing grip of her nails.

"You know why," she finally said, the disgust in her tone obvious and Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Not this again love," he sighed, "nothing happened between me and Aurora."

Caroline pressed her lips and turned her head away. She wanted to hurl the orange juice and the tray with the food over his head.

His next question made her freeze.

"Who helped you?"

Caroline tensed and refused to look back at him.

"No one."

He wouldn't believe her of course. She wouldn't have believed her either. She had been too quick to answer and she could not spin this around to make her answer convincing no matter how much she would try. Even Lucien snorted from his seat and Caroline bit the inside of her cheek.

"It is not wise to lie to me Caroline," Klaus warned her and leaned forward in his seat, his eyes trained on her, "not now that I own your life."

The satisfaction she heard in his voice was sickening and she wanted to lash out to him. She assumed this was what Klaus wanted. This was why he was pressing her buttons.

Jackass! She thought ruefully.

She forced herself to relax and pivoted her body more on the seat trying for the first time during this flight to make herself comfortable. Klaus' eyes narrowed when she took off her shoes and then folded her feet under her legs over the seat cushions.

She reached for the chips next to the sandwich and stuffed them in her mouth noticing how Klaus followed her every move like a hawk.

"You should have added more conditions to the exchange," she shrugged when she finally swallowed down, "Since it wasn't part of your terms my life is all you will be getting and nothing else."

Klaus' eyes narrowed and Caroline felt Lucien's eyes boring holes at her back. She imagined this was one of the few times she saw anyone talk to his boss like that.

It made no difference though. This wasn't just foolish bravado. She meant every word. Klaus could force her to return to him but the only thing he would get from her was her body and maybe even her life if he wanted to kill her. She would obey him but where it truly mattered she wouldn't. Her mind and her heart would never be his. Never again. Neither would be her honesty or anything else he wanted from her. The only thing Klaus would get would be a shallow object to use. The real her would never be his. Never again.

After all the real him had never been hers either. She had fallen for a façade that didn't exist.

"You have changed sweetheart," Klaus eventually noted, sounding intrigued by this turn of events and Caroline understood that he saw her now as a challenge and she didn't like that at all.

Klaus brought his glass to his lips and this time it was Caroline that couldn't take her eyes off him, following his every movement.

"I can't wait to experience the difference first hand," Klaus purred with a smirk.

He proceeded to finish his drink and Caroline knew this wasn't over. Klaus wouldn't rest until he knew who had helped her ran but for now, she closed her eyes and tried to pretend that she was anywhere else but there.

This would be a long flight.