Hi everyone! This is a 5-part Klaus and Caroline story that is based on the premise of the movie Sweet Home Alabama... hope you enjoy!:)

OCTOBER 1997

10-Year-Old Caroline Forbes looked at the skies above her and sighed. The sky was grey and she could hear the thunder brewing. She wished she was inside right now, yet she somehow found herself yet again allowing Klaus Mikaelson to drag her outside for an adventure. The two kids had been friends since they were 7 years old and got up to all sorts of mischief together.

Caroline was from a relatively modest family background. It was just her and her mother Liz and her grandpa Robert. Klaus on the other hand was from one of the wealthiest families in America. They were practically American royalty, owning hotels, restaurants and various businesses across the country. He was the middle child of 7. His family were originally from London and had travelled all across the world, settling in Hartford for the time being. While Klaus' parents had high expectations for him, he was more than happy to divulge in his rebellious side. He figured he would eventually be forced into the family business, so he may as well make the most of his youth while he still can.

"Come on Caroline!" Klaus called after his friend as they ran along the beach.

"Slow down Klaus, my legs are shorter than yours!" Caroline called after him, but he merely laughed and kept up the pace.

"I'll slow down if you answer my question" Klaus shouted.

Caroline furrowed her eyebrows, "What question?"

"Will you marry me?" Klaus said turning around and smirking at her.

"Klaus I am ten years old, I have too much of my life ahead of me to be thinking about marrying you." Caroline said with a pout. "Why would you want to marry me anyway?"

"So I can kiss you any time I want" Klaus said with a smile.

Before Caroline could reply, a bolt of lightning struck the ground a short distance behind them. Caroline jumped straight into Klaus who wrapped an arm across her shoulders.

"You're safe Caroline, you won't get hurt." Klaus assured her as she let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding in.

"Why do you insist on coming out here anyway?" Caroline asked as the wind blew her blonde hair across her face.

"Because I'm trying to get a clear picture of it in my head for my next painting... I love it when there's thunder and lightning on the beach." Klaus stated as he looked at the skies above him.

Caroline looked above her and smiled; "I suppose it is kind of beautiful... in a dark and twisty sort of way."

"Well mark my words Caroline Forbes. I'm going to complete this painting and it will be my gift to you on our wedding day." Klaus said as Caroline turned around to look at him.

"You are so confident that I will marry you" she said with a chuckle and a shake of her head.

"I can show you what the world has to offer Caroline. I'll take you wherever you want to go, we'll go see whatever you want to see and I promise that I will love you till the end of time."

"That's a big promise."

Klaus smirked; "and I keep my promises. You won't have to live a small town life Caroline, we both know that it wouldn't be enough for you."

At that, Klaus lent down and lightly kisses Caroline, as if it was the seal to his promise.

SEPTEMBER 2017

Caroline woke up with a fright at the sound of her incredibly loud alarm. She cursed herself for the tone she chose as she stumbled out of bed and towards the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and turned her face up at her disheveled appearance before beginning to get ready for the day.

A few years ago, Caroline left Hartford in search of a smaller town to live a smaller life. She settled in the little town of Mystic Falls and began making a life for herself there. She wrote for the local newspaper, lived in a cute little house with a white picket fence, and made some really great friends. She also managed to get herself involved in hosting various events, such as Miss Mystic Falls.

Caroline made it downstairs after getting ready and gasped at the sight of her kitchen. It was covered in vases of red roses. She took a moment to smell them and smiled to herself. Her phone soon rang and she smiled when she saw the caller I.D.

"There's a rose for every moment I thought of you last night." the male voice said down the phone.

Caroline smiled; "God, you must be exhausted." She said, not entirely sure just how many roses he managed to cram into the room. "This is far too sweet Tyler..."

Tyler Lockwood, Mayor Carol Lockwood's son, had been introduced to Caroline at one of the first council events Caroline attended in Mystic Falls and the sparks began to fly. They had been dating for around a year and half and things were going well. Tyler doted upon her, ensuring that she lived the perfect small town life, a life that he wanted them to have together.

"You deserve them. You knock Miss Mystic Falls out of the water every year, and this year will be no different. So I'll see you at my mom's house tonight, it's going to be great. I love you Caroline." Tyler said as he hung up the phone.

A huge smile graced Caroline's face as she hugged the phone to her chest. She was living the perfect life out here and she didn't see how things could get any better.

That evening, Caroline was rushing around the Lockwood mansion, trying to get everything ready. She was fixing the girl's dresses and the boy's ties, making sure the waiters were working efficiently and effectively, and that the music didn't dare drag for a second.

Carol Lockwood was watching eagle eyed as Caroline moved gracefully around the house. She had exceptionally high standards for her son and despite Caroline having been in his life for a year and a half, she knew little about her and her past. Her life seemed to be a bit of a mystery. As mayor, she expected that the connections she had would produce something, but Caroline Forbes appeared to be but a ghost in the city she left behind to come to Mystic Falls. Carol knew the girl was hiding something, and before she allowed her son to make any serious moves, she was going to get to the bottom of what it was.

"Mother" she heard a voice behind her say as she turned to face her son. "You look lost in thought." Tyler commented.

"Oh I was just thinking about how well Caroline is running this event. We made the right choice putting her in charge a few years back."

"She is very efficient yes. I'm excited to see the rest of the pageant." Tyler said with a sincere and loving smile sent in Caroline's direction.

Caroline took a moment to smile back. The one thing that made her nervous about dating Tyler was his mother. She was a pleasant enough woman- when she wanted to be- but Caroline knew there was something in Carol that didn't approve of Caroline for her son and it made her heart ache. It wasn't just because she wanted Tyler's family to accept her, but the disapproval was something she was escaping from in Hartford.

They never approved of her for their son. The only person good enough for him would have been royalty and the lack of self worth drove Caroline crazy. She swore when she left she would find someone who could give her that normal, suburbian existance, with no impossible standards, but it seemed that her luck had run short in that department. She knew the standards she faced now were far less severe than when she was with him, and she loved Tyler enough to make it work this time.

"Please tell me he has a flaw somewhere" she heard a voice behind her say, as she turned around and came face to face with her friend Katherine.

Caroline sniggered; "He asked me to go to LA for Christmas... it's his idea of going somewhere adventurous."

"Well, there is a different climate and a time change..." Katherine joked. "But it's not exactly your idea of an adventure huh? I sometimes wonder with you Caroline..."

"Wonder what?"

"Small town life, small town boy... you just seem like you want so much more... but what do I know?" Katherine said with a shrug. "Let's get this show on the road." Katherine said as she walked away.

"Hey Care" Tyler said as he approached her; "Don't forget about the town square appearance this evening."

"Oh yes... with your mother." Caroline said solemnly.

"We can make an appearance then go." he said kissing her on the cheek as he began to walk away. "I'll send a car to pick you up!" he called as he disappeared into the crowd.

Caroline sighed; today was going to be a long day.

The rest of the event had gone smoothly and before Caroline knew it, she was back home, putting on her best dress and getting into the car Tyler had sent for her. As soon as she was sitting in the back seat of the car, she wanted more than anything to just rest her head against the window and drift off to sleep, but she didn't need anymore reason or Carol Lockwood to dislike her.

The car soon came to a stop outside the band stand in the middle of the town and Caroline furrowed her eyebrows.

"John, I thought the fundraiser was in the town hall?" she asked the driver as he got out of the car and opened the door.

"Mr Lockwood wants to meet you here for dinner first" John explained as Caroline got out of the car and walked towards the bandstand.

She walked up the four steps and gasped when she saw what was infront of her. The wooden frame was covered in fairy lights and rose petals covered the ground. She looked up and saw Tyler walking towards her with a huge smile on his face.

"What's all this?" Caroline asked in amazement.

"This... is the first place that I ever saw you. You were sitting on that part of the bench, writing in a little black book and you had a serious look on your face... but then you smiled a little, obviously thinking of something funny or happy and I just thought it was the cutest smile I had ever seen. From that moment on I knew I had to know you."

"Tyler..." Caroline began, not wanting to believe where she thought he was going with this.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black box and Caroline's thoughts were confirmed.

"Oh my god!"

Tyler shakely got down on one knee and smiled up at her; "Caroline Elizabeth Forbes... I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, here in our perfect little town, that is perfect for us... will you marry me?"

Caroline didn't know what to say. Tyler was knelling before her, in this perfectly modest town, with a perfectly modest ring, offering her a perfectly modest life. This is what she came to Mystic Falls for- right?

"I-I- I mean... are you sure?" Caroline asked.

Tyler raised an eyebrow; "I think the down on one knee thing in the middle of the town square would suggest that I'm sure. You know I usually never ask a question I don't already know the answer to, so, at the risk of being rejected twice... I'm going to ask you again. Caroline Elizabeth Forbes... will you marry me?"

Caroline felt like she was in a bubble and all of a sudden, she found herself saying; "Yes!"

Tyler quickly slipped the ring on her finger before standing up and pulling her into a hug. Caroline couldn't deny the safety she felt in his arms as he held her tightly. She pulled back and held his face in her hands. "You really want to do this?" she asked again.

"I've been planning this for months... yes I really want to do this. I love you, so much." Tyler said in an almost whisper as she rested her forehead against his.

"I love you too."

"This has just been the best day." Tyler said reaching into his pocket; "I can't wait to see the look on my mother's face... let's call your mom." he said as he pulled out his phone.

"No!" Caroline quickly shouted as she took the phone out of Tyler's hands. "I mean... not right this second... I uh... would you mind if we just kept this to ourselves or a few days?"

"Care, it's going to come out sooner or later."

"Oh I know, I know it's just... I haven't really seen my mom or my grandpa in three years, I just feel like I should probably tell them in person." Caroline said awkwardly, desperately trying to cover her tracks.

Tyler nodded; "Of course. I completely understand."

"And... it's probably something I should do by myself..." she added, tapping her foot nervously.

Tyler looked at her skeptically; "Care... I'm going to have to meet them eventually."

"You will and they will love you, I promise, it's just... they don't cope too well with change and they are... keen over reactors.. you think I'm bad, you haven't seen nothing!" Caroline said with a little laugh.

Tyler smiled and shook his head. He found anything she did adorably cute, especially her more awkward moments and even her tendency to over react.

"Ok... we won't tell anyone." he said as he lifted her hand and turned the ring round so it wasn't noticable. "We should probably get going to this fundraiser, my mother will kill me if I'm late."

"Let's go... fiance." she said with a wink as he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head before leading her to the car.

Carol Lockwood got out of the car and was immediately greeted by people of the town, including some hungry news reporters from Mystic Falls and a few other towns near by. She looked around her and furrowed her eyebrow when she did not see Tyler. She turned to her assistant, Aaron.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"He's running late ma'am." Aaron replied.

"No doubt with the mysterious Caroline Forbes..." Carol commented as she smiled and greeted people.

"Mayor Lockwood;" a reporter said, grabbing Carol's attention; "Your son's relationship with Caroline Forbes, sources say that they're engaged, do you have a comment?"

Carol laughed lightly; "Trust me, if my son were engaged, I would have a comment."

Before the reporter could ask any other questions, Tyler and Caroline arrived and walked straight to greet Carol.

"Where have you been?" she asked immediately.

"No need to worry yourself with that mother" Tyler said as he fixed his jacket.

Carol narrowed her eyes; "What's going on?"

"Mayor Lockwood" Caroline said before Tyler could answer.

"Caroline, you look simply beautiful." Carol said with her best smile as she held Caroline's hands. Her smile fell along with Caroline's when she felt the rock that was hidden behind her ring finger. Caroline quickly tried to pull her hand away but failed.

"Tyler?" Carol asked.

"Yes?"

"It seems that Caroline is wearing a ring on a very important finger." Carol said between her teeth.

"Uh, Mayor Lockwood, I'd really like to keep it-" Caroline began, but Carol had already turned the ring round, to reveal the modest diamond.

"Oh my god, you're engaged?!" Carol exclaimed as everyone turned their attention to Tyler and Caroline and began shouting questions and snapping pictures.

So much for the small town boy and the small town life.

"For god's sake Caroline, I'm your first Mystic Falls friend and I have to read about it in the paper?" Katherine exclaimed as she walked into Caroline's bedroom and lay down on the bed.

"I'm sorry Katherine, Mayor Lockwood just grabbed my hand and decided it was her duty to reveal it to the town, what was I supposed to do?" Caroline said as she continued to pack clothes into a suitcase.

"I know, I read all about it" Katherine said as she stuck out her tounge; "Let me see the ring"

Caroline held out her hand as Katherine studied the diamond. "Hm... modest, cute. I approve."

"Well thank goodness for that" Caroline joked with a little laugh.

"Did you cry?"

"No actually... I mean I was emotional, but I didn't cry... should I have cried?" Caroline asked, concerned that her reaction wasn't good enough.

"One man for the rest of your life? If it were me, I would have cried my eyes out." Katherine teased. "What are you packing for anyway? You get engaged and then you run off?"

"I have to go tell my mom and my grandpa."

"So you're going all the way to Hartford just to tell them that? Surely that was something you could have done over the phone or I don't know, video call?" Katherine suggested.

Caroline sighed and put her hands on her hips. She had kept her life in Hartford a secret from those around her in Mystic Falls. She didn't think they needed to know, it was something she was trying to put in her past, but in that moment she needed to be honest with someone, she needed to have someone in her corner.

"There's... something else I have to do while I'm there." Caroline confessed.

"And what would that be?" Katherine asked.

"Have you heard of... Klaus Mikaelson?" Caroline asked.

"Honey, everyone has heard of the Mikaelsons, they're one of the most famous families in America, like Kennedy or Rockafeller famous... and Klaus Mikaelson... my god, he is hot." Katherine said with a smirk.

"Yeah well... I have to go to Hartford... and I have to divorce Klaus Mikaelson."

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