AN: a random drabble that came to me after watching a documentary on netflix. No beta, AH/AU

Caroline was rushing through the streets of New Orleans, she was already late for her class at the university. She was running franticly but didn't realize it got so hot and humid in New Orleans that she was sweating more than usual. She ran to the building and found her classroom. She opened the door and everyone looked at her when she walked in. She looked around for an empty seat and quickly sat down.

"Name?" the professor asked

"Caroline Forbes" Caroline answered

"You're not listed in this class"

"I'm in this class, I have my schedule"

"Well you're not on my list, so you'll have to go to the admin building and get this sorted out. You're interrupting my class."

Marcel was sitting at his bar looking out the window. Klaus walked in and sat down across from him. Marcel pushed an empty glass at him and Klaus poured himself a drink.

"How's business?" Klaus asked

"How's the art gallery?" Marcel asked

"I'm going to need another one of these" Klaus said draining his glass

"That bad?"

"No inspiration"

"Well I know someone who wants to be your inspiration by the bar"

"Don't start that again. I don't like blondes"

"No you have a thing for brunettes, ones with long hair, that do that hair flip" Marcel mimicked

"that was horrible, don't ever do that again"

Caroline walked into the bar, her eyes were red and puffy and she walked over to the bar and sat down. Cami saw her and walked over to her.

"rough day?" Cami asked

"You have no idea. Double Vodka" Caroline said

"Coming up"

Klaus watched as Caroline walked in and instantly mesmerized by her. Marcel leaned closer to him.

"What happened to and I quote I don't like blondes" Marcel asked

"I can make an exception"

"Don't let Cami hear you"

Cami returned with Caroline's drink as well as the bottle.

"Thanks" Caroline said

"I'm studying for my masters in psychology. Plus I'm a bartender if you want to talk about it" Cami said

"Just leave the bottle. I don't want to talk right now" Caroline said

Cami walked off. Klaus got up and walked over to the bar. He leaned on the bar and Cami walked over.

"Do you need another bottle?" Cami asked

"No, Marcel wants to talk to you" Klaus said

Cami walked around the bar and went over to Marcel. Klaus looked over at Caroline and saw that she was crying.

"Are you alright love?" Klaus asked

"I'm fine, I'd like to be alone right now"

"Such a pity, you are such a lovely woman"

"Go away creep"

"I'm hurt love, all i'm trying to do is be a bit friendly to you"

"I'm not interested, don't be a stalker as well"

"I just noticed you're new here"

Caroline looked up at him, surprised and a bit afraid. She was getting the feeling that he knew exactly who she was. She hated dealing with stalkers.

"You're not dressed for the weather here. It changes at a drop at a hat it seems, most visitors don't know that"

Caroline relaxed a bit, when she realized he didn't know who she was and that he was trying to hit on her. That she could deal with, that she could shut down.

"Yeah well I moved here to go to school, well I did"

"Did?"

"Apparently I was registered there, but as of this morning I'm not. My money's apparently not good there"

"Money is good everywhere. Though the British pound is doing a lot better than the dollar"

"Do you get paid in pounds then?"

"It's the only secure way to make sure I don't get ripped off. Which is something you're clearly doing. Why are you drinking this atrocious liquid?"

"Not all of us get paid in pounds"

"You need a better drink if you're going to drown your sorrows here" Klaus said as he reached over the counter and pulled out a bottle of whiskey

"Do you own the place?" Caroline asked

"No, my friend does. I come in here once a day or so. I own the gallery down the street from here"

Klaus picked up two glasses and poured her a drink and then himself. Caroline picked up the drink and clinked her glass against his. Klaus smiled and he took a sip.

"Did the university give you back your money at least?" Klaus asked

"Yeah, they didn't want it tainting their image"

Klaus raised an eyebrow at her response.

"Nevermind"

"So now that you have your money back what will you do? Exchange it into pounds? Or go to another school?"

"why do you care?"

"Just wanted to know if I should return to this bar so I can find you here again"

"You should know that I'm too smart to be seduced by you"

"Well that's why I like you"

Caroline had butterflies in her stomach, she was actually nervous. She was nervous about her date with Klaus. After drinking and talking to Klaus at the bar that day, the two continued talking as she returned to the bar the rest of the week. She had to figure out what to do considering that the school returned her money and she was no longer a student there. She put on a yellow dress and some heels and grabbed her purse. She went to the Marcel's bar to meet Klaus. She walked in and received a few looks from the men in there. She looked around for Klaus.

"Oh my god, you're her!" A drunk guy said

"Dude, you're totally hot in person" another guy said

"You're drunk and I don't know you" Caroline replied

"Lemme get a selfie with you! No one's gonna believe me!" the first guy said

"No! Get away from me!" Caroline said as she turned to leave

Caroline headed towards the door and looked back and saw the two drunk guys stumbling after her. She slammed into someone and almost fell back. She looked up and saw it was Klaus. She was so relieved to see him that she hugged him.

"Lovely to see you too sweetheart. Had I known this was the welcome I'd get I would have asked you out earlier" Klaus said

Caroline grabbed his hand and quickly pulled him out of the bar.

"What's wrong?" Klaus asked

"Nothing, just hot in there that's all"

Klaus looked at her hand holding his and smiled. He led her down the street to the small restaurant for dinner. Caroline was glad that it was small and not packed with tourists. Dinner went smoothly, the two of them talking. Klaus learned that Caroline was from a small town that had literally nothing and she went out to California for a bit and then came to New Orleans to go back to school. Caroline learned that Klaus was an artist selling his work in a small gallery he managed to obtain a year ago.

"Will you show me your work?" Caroline asked

"Of course, let's go get dessert" Klaus said

"We're not getting it here?"

"Sophie makes an amazing gumbo but not so much dessert. Let's go experience New Orleans"

Klaus extended his hand out to hers and she placed her hand in his. He ended up taking her to Cafe Dumont for beignets. She leaned into him a bit as they walked down the street. They reached the cafe where they ordered beignets and chicory coffee. They sat down to eat it when a guy approached her cautiously.

"Hi, I um, can I get a picture with you?" the guy asked

Klaus looked over at Caroline confused. Caroline froze and looked up at the guy who must have looked to be in college.

"No, go away" Caroline said

The college guy looked sad and walked back to his group of friends. Klaus looked back at Caroline who was visibly uncomfortable. Before Klaus could open his mouth and ask her what that was about the group of college guys came up to the table.

"Look, my friend here is a really big fan, and he just wants a picture with you, that's all, you don't have to be so rude about it!" the other college guy said

"I don't know what you're talking about! I don't know who you think I am, but you're making me uncomfortable" Caroline said

"You're Candy Cola, you won best New Starlet of the year last year, as well as best threesome, Best boy/girl scene, and best anal scene!" the first guy said

Caroline turned red and was completely mortified.

"No she won best oral scene" the second guy said

"She was also voted hottest ass by the fans too. I voted for you a bunch of times"

"What the bloody hell is going on?!" Klaus yelled

Caroline got up and ran off, she couldn't look at Klaus now that her secret was out. She kept running not looking back until she reached her apartment. Klaus stood there confused.

"Dude you were on a date with Candy Cola, she was the hottest porn star last year, and then she just disappeared" the first guy said

"Here look" the second guy showed Klaus on his phone

And there playing was Caroline engaged in sexual acts with another man. Klaus tilted his head as he saw how limber she was and then shook his head.

"You're a bloody idiot" Klaus said running after Caroline.

Caroline was sitting in her apartment, unsure of what to do next. She couldn't go home to Mystic Falls, they were waiting to crucify her there. Her dad was gay and luckily didn't watch straight porn. Her mom didn't watch porn, but it got back to her small town what she was doing. Her mom had called her a year ago to ask if it were true. When Caroline told her, Liz hung up stating she had no daughter.

Caroline thought about where to go next. She thought about Utah, the dry desert where she knew no one, but there porn was illegal. She would have some form of protection there. Maybe she could try to go to school there. She started packing.

Klaus didn't know where to find her, he didn't know where she lived. He waited for her at the bar, in hopes she would come back, but she never did. Curiosity got the best of him and he googled her. He saw the extensive list of movies she had done last year. She apparently had a line of sex toys and a mold of her vagina out as well. He saw that she also wrote, directed and produced a few movies as well. He went back to his studio and started painting, inspiration had returned to him.

Caroline knew she was being a coward. But she couldn't face him, not after what happened on their first and only date. He was the first guy she'd met since moving to New Orleans who didn't know who she was. She almost felt normal around him. She wrote him a very short letter and remembered that he said he owned a gallery near the bar. She found it and was going to slip the letter into the mailbox. Caroline had hoped things would have gone better with Klaus. He seemed really nice, and cute, and smart, and oh so sexy. But it wasn't meant to be for her. She couldn't have a normal relationship with anyone because of her past. Somehow doing porn dehumanized her and no matter what she did or where she went, people treated her like a pariah. It was fine when she was doing porn and people were jacking off to her, getting pleasure from her but the second she stopped they treated her like she was some kind of monster.

The door opened and Klaus stood there, with paint on his clothes and skin.

"Caroline" Klaus said reaching out to grab onto her wrist

"I was just leaving this for you" Caroline showed him the letter

"Come inside, you said you wanted to see some of my art"

"i have to go"

"Please, it'll just take a moment, I've been working on some new pieces"

"I really should go"

"Just a minute please, don't I deserve a few minutes of your time?"

"Alright"

Caroline stepped into his gallery and saw the paintings hanging on the wall. Some were abstract and some were landscapes and other objects. Klaus led her into his studio in the back. She stepped into his studio and looked around. There was a frenzy in his paintings, as if he was rushing to capture the moment before it disappeared. She stepped closer to the easel that held his latest creation. It was of her running away, except she was somewhere outside, her blonde hair was flowing in the wind. She seemed almost angelic. She turned around to face him,

"why?" Caroline asked

"Why not? You're my muse"

"No I'm not. I'm just a girl"

"You're not just a girl"

"Ok fine, I'm a porn star ok? I had sex with men and women on camera"

"Former porn star. You don't do that anymore do you?"

"No"

"Then you're not a current one, you're a former one"

"What's your point?"

"My point love, is that it's something you did in your past, and I don't care about that. What I care about is the present, and why you've been avoiding me. Why you won't give me a chance"

"I did, and look what happened?"

"So some drunk college boys saw you"

"Yes! Because they're always going to see me, not as Caroline, but as the porn star, the girl who did all those things on camera. They're always going to judge me and treat me like I'm some kind of monster. Keep away your children, there's a porn star here, she'll corrupt your kids somehow!"

"Caroline"

"They kicked me out of school when they found out. They refunded my money, deregistered me from all my classes. It's like they're forcing me to go back to porn. Like I can't do or be anything else!"

"There's more schools, you can't give up"

"I already have. I can't do anything else now."

"So you're going back?"

"No, I'm going to Utah"

"What the bloody hell is there?"

"Nothing, but porn's illegal there. So I can have some kind of animity there"

"Don't go"

"I wish I could stay, you were the first guy that I met that didn't know who I was. That didn't expect me to be some slut or something. It was nice to be normal for a bit"

"Give me a chance love, a real chance. One date isn't enough for me to prove that I really do care about you. Don't let one incident chase you away"

"You deserve better"

"What I deserve is a chance, just a chance to be with you"

"You're a really nice guy-"

"No I'm not. Marcel will tell you that I'm not, I'm arrogant, cocky, and rude at times. But I fancy you, why can't you understand that?"

"You've got to stop saying things like that"

"I don't care what you did. I don't care about any of it"

"And how is your family going to react when you tell them you're dating a sex worker?"

"Oh, we're onto meeting my family already? My you are confident that we're going to last that long"

"I'm serious!"

"You're not currently in the adult movie business so it doesn't matter"

"But it will come up"

"No it won't, unless you keep bringing it up. Stop worrying over it, just live your life, just breathe for a second with me"

"I can't breathe when I'm with you"

"Why's that?"

"Because…"

"Because?"

Caroline leaned in and kissed Klaus gently and slowly. Klaus kissed her back softly, placing his hands on her hips.

"Stay" Klaus said

"Just for a bit" Caroline said

6 months later

Caroline walked into Klaus's studio and set her bag down. Klaus was painting again and turned around when she walked in.

"How was class today?" Klaus asked

"Great, you were right, Tulane is much nicer"

"Told you"

Caroline walked over to him and kissed him. She looked at his newest painting.

"Don't you ever get tired of painting me?" Caroline asked

"It could be Cami"

"Oh please, the head isn't big enough"

Klaus chuckled and went back to painting. Caroline sat down and took out one of her textbooks and started studying.

Caroline walked back to her apartment with Klaus. He held her hand as they walked down the hallway. Caroline stopped when she saw a man standing by her door.

"Caroline!" Stefan yelled out

"Stefan? What are you doing here?!" Caroline asked

"It took me forever to find you, I'm sorry but someone posted months ago that you were in New Orleans, and I couldn't reach you any other way"

"Are you stalking me?!"

"No, look, it's my brother-"

"I don't care! He can rot in hell for all I care!"

"I know, but look, he's in trouble"

"And I care because?"

"Because you still have control over his estate, and he's in a coma right now. I can't do anything because you still have power of attorney"

"I told him to change it! I'll change it to you!"

"You have to come back with me"

"Excuse me, but who the bloody hell are you?" Klaus asked