Author's note: I know this is short for chapter 1, but I decided it would be better not to drag it out. The next chapter may be a while away but please 'follow' this story if you want to find out what happens next!

Caged

Caroline was furious. How dare that insufferable man impersonate her Tyler? She could not believe she had even begun to undress for him! Thank god she had kept her bra on. The vampire pouted as she paced around her bedroom. She caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye, and stormed over to it. The item in question was a small scroll of paper: Klaus' drawing of her. Angrily, she snatched it from her bedside table, and moved to tear it. She stopped herself, just before a tiny rip was made. She let out a deep breath, angry as she was, she could not bring herself to destroy a piece of art, particularly a gift.

Much as Caroline hated to admit it, she loved the illustration. She smiled a little, tracing her finger lightly over the rough paper. She knew very little about art: it had never really been her thing. She could see, however, just from observing the way the lines curved, and the subtle shading under her lips, cheeks and hair, that he had been in a playful mood when he had drawn her portrait. She was smiling in the image, looking fondly at the horse. She dared to wonder for a moment if he was cheekily suggesting that he wanted her to look at him that way. Her anger subsided a little, as she let out a chuckle.

As Caroline placed the drawing back on the table, she heard the doorbell ring. Raising an eyebrow, she walked cautiously to see who was standing outside. If it was Tyler, he was going to feel the full force of her frustration in the form of wild kissing. Anything else she wanted to do would have to wait until she let him inside. It was not Tyler, however. She could see Ester through the glass around the door. Caroline froze.

That witch was supposed to be dead; and what could Ester possibly want from Caroline? The vampire groaned. Running was pointless: the witch would just use her power to cause one of those painful headaches. She would have to take the risk and find out what Ester wanted from her. This thought was equally as unappealing, but at least this way she might get some information to pass on to her friends. She reluctantly lifted the latch, and unlocked the door,

"Ester," She greeted the witch, frowning.

"Caroline." The woman smiled, mocking innocence. "Well I'm sure you know I'm not here for a chit-chat, so lets just get straight to business." Caroline nodded, unwilling to prolong this conversation. "My darling children decided that it would be a good idea to put me to rest, however my work here is unfinished. My latest creation is proving to be a problem."

"That was my history teacher! Don't talk about him like you made him who he is!" Caroline snapped, "You turned him into a monster, and now he's dead for good!" She paused, "How are you alive anyway?"

"Oh, well my son made a mistake. Niklaus was angry, and he hurt Rebekah. Then she was angry, and she decided to help me out." She smiled, as if this was simple.

"Wait, Klaus was angry?" Caroline asked, before shaking her head, "Never mind. Just tell me what you want from me."

"I don't want anything from you. Unfortunately for you, my son has a bit of a crush on you, and in the end, that makes you useful." She smiled. Caroline did not like where this was going,

"If you think I'm going to help you-" She began,

"Sorry dear, you just don't have a choice in the matter." Ester's lips curved with smugness. Caroline looked around her, checking to see if someone was sneaking up behind her, but there was nobody there. Suddenly, she felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. A wave of dread coursed through her, as her knees buckles, and she fell to the ground. "Not to worry, I only intend to render you unconscious. Just to make you a little easier to move." Ester assured her in a very unreassuringly way. Caroline's vision blurred as her head hit the floor, before she blanked out.

As Caroline returned to consciousness, the first thing she thought was danger. She could hear a loud echoing thud, as something hit solid metal. It was a terrible noise, followed by a growl of frustration. She opened her eyes to see a figure with their fists resting against a wall. As her vision cleared, she could make out the masculine jawline, black jacket and dark, sandy-brown hair. The man's growl echoed around the room, vibrating against the metal, and filling Caroline's ears with the sound of complaint. She slowly sat up, and once upright, realised that she was alone in the room, with Klaus.

Cold sapphire eyes blazed through the darkness, as Klaus gave the metal wall one final rage-fuelled kick. He was breathing heavily and fast, with his muscles tense. Just as he looked as if he might try again, Caroline stood up, and grabbed his arm before he could swing his fist into the solid barrier,

"Stop! Just look at your knuckles." She insisted. He turned to face her, his expression softening for just a moment. He looked down at his hands, and they were indeed red and sore. He had been hitting the wall so much that they had not been healing as fast as he had been injuring them. He sighed, finally letting go of his frustration at being captured,

"My mother will pay for this." He growled. Caroline let go of his arm,

"Ester did this?" She asked, before remembering what had happened, and how she had been rendered unconscious in the first place. Klaus nodded. He was still breathing too quickly, and she could feel the hot air warming her skin. She took a step back, "You tricked me." She cut to the chase, wanting an explanation. She had worked out most of her anger earlier, but she still wanted answers. She wanted to know if he deserved her forgiveness.

"I did?" His eyebrows furrowed, "I seem to recall attempting to explain before you kissed me."

"You kissed me back!" Caroline huffed lightly. She had a feeling she was going to loose this argument already. She did remember his words, and he had been about to tell her something. She had been the one to interrupt. That did not change the fact that he had taken advantage of the situation though.

"Is that a crime?" He countered. "You enjoyed it."

"Well I thought I was kissing my boyfriend who had miraculously survived your death."

"He would have died, had I not chosen his body to transfer to temporarily. Fortunately for both of you, my body survived the fire." Klaus smiled knowingly. Damn. "Tell me Caroline, aside from missing that puppy, how did the news of my death make you feel?" he asked. Caroline could hear the increasing rate of her own heart beat,

"I uh..." She could not tell him that she had thrown a party when he had been immobilized, and that it had been her idea. "I was distracted. Lots of things happened at once." She answered. It was a narrow escape, but she was not lying. Klaus eyed her carefully. He was disappointed by her response, but he supposed it could have been worse. She would come round eventually. Caroline took in a deep breath. "So when Tyler told me he was dying, and started to go into transition... and when he saved me from that truck... That was you?" She asked, wanting to get all the facts straight. She would need a clear head to get out of this situation, so she may as well take advantage of it.

"I couldn't just leave you there, love." His expression was now playful, but there was a hint of sincerity in his tone. "They would have killed you."

"You left your sister." Caroline retorted. Klaus' eye flickered with hot anger for a moment, before he calmed himself,

"She can take care of herself." He replied flatly, willing her to change the topic. Caroline studied him closely for a moment, but decided to let that one slide for now. They had to figure out a way of escaping from this metal cage. There were no bars, and they had no way of telling where they were. She walked right up to the wall, and licked the cleanest spot she could find. It tasted like iron, great. That would be difficult to break through, and god knows how long Klaus had been trying for.

Klaus had suddenly been distracted by the sight of Caroline's tongue grazing along the surface of their cage. His pupils dilated, and he felt a surge of raw instinct telling him to grab her. He wanted to pin her against the wall and make her beg for him to take her. He knew she would not respond well to forceful behaviour though. She was not exactly the submissive type.

"The walls are made of thick iron. We'll never break through with brute force. We'll have to find a way to contact Bonnie." Caroline suggested. Klaus' eyebrow raised, impressed with her initiative. He would have to step up his game or she would out-dominate him at this rate.

"Does your friend have any spells for breaking through solid metal?" He asked. Caroline shrugged,

"I don't know but its worth finding out. We just need to figure out a way to contact her." She replied, pulling out her phone. She knew there would be no signal, but she looked at it anyway. The signal was completely dead. Great. "I don't suppose you have any bad-ass hybrid powers that can make phone signal?"

"No, however there might be another way out." Klaus strode over to her, "Did Ester say anything to you? Any clue as to why she brought you here?" He asked. Caroline gulped,

"She mentioned that you had a crush on me." She could feel a light blush colouring her cheeks against her will,

"Well I do, sweetheart." Klaus responded playfully, causing Caroline to roll her eyes, "Did she ask you to manipulate me? Or change me for the greater good?" He teased. Caroline laughed,

"No. She didn't give me any instructions. She just knocked me out with her witch powers." she pouted. Klaus took a step towards her, searching her blue eyes for the truth. Caroline took a step backwards to find herself against the wall. This really was a small cage. Klaus took another daring step towards her, gently taking her wrist, and holding her gaze,

"Are you sure, love?" He asked her. He wanted to believe that she was telling the truth, and that she would not betray him again. Caroline nodded,

"I don't take orders from her." She protested, realizing just how close he was. She could feel the warmth of his hand on her wrist, which worked its way up her arm, filling her with his presence. Her body was charged with his fiery gaze, and for that moment, she could not tell if she was afraid or aroused.