Klaus's POV
I had my paints set up and was staring at my half-completed painting of Caroline for the 50th time. The kiss we'd shared last night kept zooming around in my head making it difficult to focus. And it birthed a desire to somehow weave the love and desire I felt for her into the painting. Maybe with a soft, light background, or a small flirty smile. I heard my phone ringing over in the next room so I set down the palette and brush and leisurely strolled over hardly paying attention to the fact that it'd already stopped ringing.
The call had been from Caroline. I swore silently to myself for missing the call and dialed my voicemail to be greeted with her tinkling laugh resonating in my ear. It was so wonderful. I could've listened to it all day long, like music. Then, as usual, she filled me in on what was going on back home. The place I'd made home. The only place I would ever call home. And, of course, Elena was being stubborn as usual. I wasn't sure whether she'd said she'd think about it or whether Caroline was trying to get my hopes up, but either way I felt a little bit reassured. I smiled to myself and placed the phone in my pocket and went to find Rebekah.
"My dear sister, I think we'll be able to go home soon."
"Mmm...great. I can spend yet another day in this awful place because you went and got yourself kicked out of the one place I want to be. When's soon?"
"I'm not sure," I murmured, hoping I would have a definitive date soon.
"Right, well, don't talk to me again until you know. I'm not feeling rather sentimental today like I usually do so leave me alone. I'm not exactly pleased with you."
"When have you ever been sentimental?" I laughed.
She glared up at me from the book she was most likely pretending to read and pointed a finger back towards my studio. "Go play with your paints."
"Alright. But you have to tell me something."
"Do I?" she said patronizingly.
"Yes. Or I'll stand here for the next six hours singing songs from that one puppet play that Cole would put on every year just to spite Father. You know the one that had a family strangely familiar to ours that hated each other's guts and..."
"Ugh...yes. What then?"
"Why do you want to go back so bad? And don't deny you do, because I can tell that you do. But, why? You've only lived there a little while and there've been other cities that you liked much better."
She shrugged and wouldn't look up to meet my eyes.
"It's the human isn't it? Matt or whatever his name is. You took a fancy to him just because he was trying to be a decent human being. If it helps much, I'm sure it wasn't because of you."
"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" was all she said in reply. I got the feeling it was a rhetorical question but I couldn't let the opportunity to get the last word in pass.
"The satisfaction, sister. The satisfaction. Isn't it just divine?"
I felt a buzz in my pocket and went back to my studio to retain some measure of privacy. It was a text this time, but still from Caroline. I knew that in this moment, if I had a functional heart, it would be sporadically beating.
Before I even finished the text I could tell it wasn't written by Caroline. The words were abbreviated and were sarcastic and strangely angry or bitter. One of the two.
Ur precious C is in a hi-end prison cell as we speak. Not sure wen she'll get out but not for a wile. How's it feel, Kryptonite?
I didn't understand the nickname, but I automatically knew it was from Damon. No one else would even bother coming up with a nickname. All I knew was that I had to go break her out. To hell with not being allowed in town. There'd been some huge developments since I'd been gone. New things that would've factored into my agreement to leave. And I was going back. I loved her, and nothing was going to stand in my way. I love her I told myself over and over again. It was such a new feeling, but one that I wouldn't exchange for anything, even my hybrids.
I raced back into the living room where Rebekah was and threw her a cardigan I'd picked up off the kitchen table.
"We're going back now. Don't bother packing up. We'll do that later. Right now, we're leaving."
"What happened?" Rebekah asked, sincerely worried about what had gotten me all riled up.
"Damon put Caroline in a cell so she couldn't contact me." I hadn't been positive it was Damon until I'd said it out loud.
"Doesn't sound so bad. They're her friends after all. Sounds even a little selfish to me, brother."
"You don't know Caroline like I do. She'll be banging on the bars and pleading to be set free, and her friends will just shake their heads and continue living their oh so pleasant Klaus free lives. Caroline isn't meant to be caged up. She hates it. They have no idea what they've unleashed."
"What?" Rebekah laughed, "a German Shepard on a leash? You wouldn't do anything Caroline isn't alright with. She has you around her finger. You're powerless, Klaus."
I shuddered, knowing the truth in her words. It was always what I'd been afraid of. Why I estranged myself from my family and hardly ever once in my history had any friends. Love put you on a leash of linked metal. It was unbreakable, for if you broke it, it would remold itself around your neck. The guilt would never leave you. And now, I was in that very situation, and for once in my life I wasn't going to tighten the chain around my neck. I was going to reaffirm my position around Caroline's finger. The leash and noose was going to become a ring.
"I know," was all I whispered in reply. Rebekah's eyes flicked up to me in surprise and she looped her arm through mine. "I don't know you've become, Niklaus, but if Caroline is to thank for it, I might be able to get along with her just fine."
Caroline's POV
The musty smell of the cell greeted my senses as I woke and sat up from the floor and leaned back against the cold cement wall. There was no sign of Damon, Elena, or Stefan and I could still smell the vervain lingering on my throbbing red fingers. If I was in here much longer, I would go insane. Rattle the bars, try and wrench them apart, bang against the walls, anything to get anybody's attention. Elena couldn't be okay with this. She must not know.
I heard the slamming of a door and before I knew where it had come from, I leaped up off the floor and catapulted against the bars.
"Hey! Let me out of here! Goddammit Damon, Elena, whoever you are. This is ridiculous! I'm your friend, assholes!"
Then steps were echoing down the stairs and I saw the raven color of Damon's hair. Shit, I thought. Damon was the last person I wanted to see right now despite my frantic calling.
"Is that Caroline I hear?" he said delightfully in a sing-song voice. "Do you want out, Blondie?"
"What do you think?" I murmured, sinking back to the ground, all hope dissipating.
"Unfortunately for you, no can do. You see, me and Elena are going to some stupid dance tonight and I want to put my best foot forward. Which requires some prep. Clothes, hair, the works. Although, I might be able to get away with excluding the shirt. Anyways, I best be on my way."
"No one will be home?" I said, hope undeniably sinking into my voice.
"Stefan will be. You might get lucky. He tends to be more sympathetic towards damsels in distress. Although, you know how he loves to obey Elena's wishes."
"Elena wants me here?"
"I thought I already made this clear. We can screw Klaus if he comes for you. It's the perfect opportunity and Elena wants to take advantage."
"You're an ass."
"I know, princess. I know. Oh and just so you know, your hair looks like a hay bale. Might want to fix that up before your darling Klaus comes to save you. He might have second thoughts."
He went back upstairs and all I could think was it would be perfect if Klaus would just hurry up. He would free me, get us to his mansion in Mystic Falls, and show those stuck up losers why sticking your best friends in prison was not the solution. For the first time in my life I simply wanted Klaus by my side, in front of all my family and friends, so they could see us for who we were. I was done hiding and eloping in the middle of the night. Did I love him? I wasn't sure. But I knew, more than anything else in the world, we could be something. I wasn't going to give up on it and neither was he, and until I had proof he was the monster everyone claimed he was, that's the way it would be. Come for me, Klaus. Come for me.
Klaus's POV
Within the hour, I was standing at the Salvatore's door debating whether or not I actually wanted to do this. I'd come to believe I would do anything for Caroline, but know that I was here, the thought of being at the mercy of someone like Damon or Elena made me sick. I was pacing back and forth and occasionally glanced back over my shoulder at Rebekah, who was lounging in the car painting her fingernails a bright orange color.
I took a deep breath and drew upon the feelings that had overcome me only an hour ago. The frantic fear rushed back into my body and I began searching for the nearest window I could easily sneak in through. The one on the bottom floor would land me somewhere near the door to the cellar so I jimmied it open and crawled through. I landed lithely on my feet and peered out the doorway down the hallway trying to discern shadows or odd textures in the darkness indicating a person. There wasn't anyone as far as I could tell, so I pattered into the hallway and quickly down to the cellar. Within seconds of peering into various cells, I found Caroline hunkered down on the floor, twiddling a piece of her hair between her thumbs.
"Caroline," I whispered.
She spun around and grinned hugely when she saw me. "You came."
"Of course I did. Now, love, how do I spring you out of here?"
"I don't know," she mumbled miserably. "Stefan probably has the blasted key."
"Suffering, love?" I snickered, as always, amazed by her dramatics.
"You have no idea."
"No, I suppose not. I've never been deprived of the opportunity to curl my hair every morning. Oh, wait, I don't curl my hair."
"Klaus," she growled.
"I'm sorry, it just so lovely to see you."
"Delightful. Now get me the hell out of here!" she bellowed.
"Well if Stefan didn't hear us, he did now. On the bright side, the key's coming to us."
I heard the woosh of a vampire running down the stairs and turned to be met with a wooden stake flying towards my heart.
*So I know it's been a while, but if it helps, the other story I've been writing has been going splendidly. I hope this chapter satisfies you in some way and I'm always up for recommendations of where this story should go or a type of scene you would like to see. Lily Blackthorne, all my thanks goes to you, for without you, this update might not have happened for another six months. Enjoy!