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PLEASE READ::: If you asked me anything in the reviews this is where I'm going to answer them!
Klaroline-teenwolf: I would rather not spoil the whole story for everyone in my author's note (just in case anyone wants to be surprised), so if you REALLY want to know, please PM me, and I'll gladly answer your questions, but ultimately, no, I do not plan on this story having the same ending as The Vow! Hope that helps a little! And you are more than welcome to PM me! Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)
Onceuponatimeships: I'm sorry, but right now, it looks like I'll only be able to update once a week! With college and life in general, I can't make any promises. But, if I end up writing some chapters quicker, I'll try to post more often. Thank you for reading and reviewing! :)
Ok, sorry for the long author's note this time! Let's get back to the story, but don't forget to follow and review, please! Happy reading…
Disclaimer: I do not own TVD, The Originals, or any of their characters.
Caroline woke up the next morning in the room she grew up in. She felt like that was where she was supposed to be, but she had a nagging voice in the back of her mind that wouldn't stop reminding her that she had her own house now. A house with Klaus, who was her husband. She shook her head, wondering how she could possibly forget such an important person in her life.
As she really looked around the room for the first time since arriving back home, she realized how empty it truly was. There were hardly any clothes left hanging in the closet, the drawers were practically bare, and her vanity that had once been overflowing with jewelry and make up was now vacant. Caroline walked over to the mirror where a couple of pictures remained. One picture was of just her and Elena, and the other was a group picture that included her, Elena, Matt, and Tyler. Caroline took the picture of her and Elena from its place and held it close to her face before looking into the mirror. She could see the subtle changes for the first time, the differences between the beginning of senior year, when the picture was taken, and now. Her hair was a bit longer now and somewhat darker, as if she stopped getting highlights. Her laugh lines were a little deeper, as well as the creases around her eyes. They were signs that it wasn't 2009 anymore. Caroline was older. For the first time she truly realized how much of her life she was missing. She tried to fight the overwhelming emotions, but they were too powerful.
The tears began to fall as Caroline stared at herself in the mirror. It was as if she was staring at a stranger, someone she had seen before but didn't actually know. As the realization of losing four years began to really sink in, she lost it. There was no controlling the gut wrenching sobs that were coming from the usually bubbly blonde. She slid to the ground because her legs were too weak to hold her up, wrapped her arms around her body, and cried. She laid on the ground until she couldn't cry anymore, but even after the tears stopped, she couldn't force herself to get up.
Remember! She willed herself, concentrating as hard as she could, but nothing changed. You have to remember, she pleaded again, as if begging her mind to remove the barrier that was hiding her memories away.
As she continued trying to force her memories to flood back in, the doorbell rang. She didn't feel like getting up so she decided to let her mom answer it, but after the third time the chime went off, she realized her mom must have already left for work. She pulled herself up and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose was red; there was no way to hide that she had been crying. Before she could even attempt to try to make herself presentable, the doorbell rang again.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," she called as she made her way down the stairs. When she made it to the front door, she swung it open without even checking to see who was outside. She was shocked to see Klaus standing there with a box in his hands.
"Caroline!" Klaus dropped the box on the ground and gently grabbed her arms. "Are you alright, love? What happened?"
The concern on his face shocked Caroline. She still wasn't used to the caring side of Klaus, and she didn't know if she ever would be. "Nothing happened. I'm fine," she replied, not comfortable sharing her problems with him.
"I know you, Caroline. Something is bothering you." His gaze stayed fixed on hers.
Caroline was beginning to lose herself in his blue-green eyes, and in that moment she wanted to be comforted. Then, she remembered the only Klaus she knew and she snapped out of the trance. She pulled away and motioned for him to come into the house. "Like I said, I'm fine."
Klaus tried to mask the disappointment he felt at her actions by turning to pick up the box and making his way inside. He didn't respond to her snappy reply, but instead headed straight for the living room like he had been there a million times.
"Would you like a drink or anything?" Caroline called from the entryway where he left her standing.
"Not right now, sweetheart. Please come in here. I have some things I want to show you."
Caroline's brow furrowed as she wondered what he could possibly want to show her. Whatever it was, she knew it had to be in that box. As she entered the living room, she saw that Klaus was sitting on the couch patiently with the box at his feet. He looked up at her and smiled, then patted the seat next to him. Caroline bit her bottom lip as if she were contemplating whether or not to join him.
"I promise I won't bite," his smile transformed into a smirk.
Caroline rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face as she closed the distance between them. "You better not," she joked back. She took the seat beside him. "What's all that?" She gestured towards the box.
"This," he pulled out the contents, "Is our life in pictures."
Caroline's eyes widened. "All four years?" She felt the excitement start to build inside her. "Wait," she turned so that her body was aimed towards his. "Have we been together for four years?"
Klaus almost looked shy as his genuine smile appeared. It was the first time she had taken an interest in their relationship, and he was going to enjoy every moment of it. "I finally talked you into going on a date with me right after you graduated high school."
Caroline's eyebrows shot up. "How'd you convince me to do that?"
"Did you really think that low of me?" If Caroline hadn't mentally lost those four years of her life, she would have recognized the hurt in Klaus' eyes.
The blonde's eyebrows were still raised. "Do you really want me to answer that?"
Klaus shook his head, deciding it was best to not get into that at the moment. "The most important thing for you to know right now is that you gave me a chance to prove myself to you once, and I hope that you will let me do it again."
"Klaus, I…" Caroline started, but was quickly cut off.
"Just look at these pictures. See if they help jog your memory at all. If it helps, I will tell you exactly what was going on in every picture with as many details as possible."
The look on Klaus' face nearly broke Caroline's heart. She could see the desperation; she could see how bad he wanted her to remember their lives together, so she nodded. "Which one do I start with?"
"Pick whichever one you'd like." He spread the books out in front of her on the coffee table.
Caroline chose the one that she thought was the prettiest. It was white with an elegant silver vine design running along the edges. When she examined it closer, she realized that their initials were on the spine. After she opened the cover, she knew exactly which picture album she had chosen: their wedding.
Flashback~ Day of the Wedding
Caroline took a deep breath as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was already wearing her perfectly fitted floor length mermaid style white dress; her veil flowed from her curly blonde hair that was pinned up in an elegant style. She only had minutes until she had to make her way to the aisle.
"Nervous?" Elena stood beside her best friend.
Caroline turned towards the brunette. "Is it weird to be nervous that Nik isn't going to be at the end of the aisle waiting for me when I get there?"
Elena almost laughed. "Are you crazy? That man is completely smitten with you! There's no way he would miss the chance to marry you."
Caroline smiled. "You're right. Nothing will ever keep us apart."
"It's time." Liz entered the room. "Are you girls ready?"
Caroline had decided to keep the wedding party small. She chose Elena to be her maid of honor and Rebekah to be her one bridesmaid. Klaus' best man was his brother, Elijah, and his one groomsman was his other brother Kol. Caroline had asked her mother to walk her down the aisle since she hadn't heard from her father in years, and her mother gladly accepted. However, the wedding party was the only thing that was small. Caroline had practically invited the whole town of Mystic Falls to the ceremony, and almost everyone had agreed to come. She had to go all out; she was Caroline Forbes, soon to be Mikaelson, after all.
Caroline allowed her mother to lead her to the ceremony, which Caroline and Klaus had decided to have at the Mikaelson mansion. Caroline had the entire backyard transformed into a garden of mixed white flowers. The back of the chairs were draped in blue satin, as were the tables that were placed in the reception area. At the end of the aisle stood a white gazebo, the pillars wrapped with the same blue satin, and inside that gazebo stood the man she loved.
When Caroline looked up through her veil, everything and everyone disappeared except for Klaus. One look at him standing there waiting for her, and her mom couldn't walk her fast enough down the aisle. The moment her hand met his, every bit of her nerves disappeared.
The two said their vows and exchanged rings, promising to love each other as long as they both should live. When the preacher told Klaus he could kiss the bride, Klaus didn't waste any time. He lifted her veil, raised her chin with his finger, and then pressed his lips to hers. Caroline could feel the excitement behind his kiss as their lips moved together in perfect synchronization, both completely lost in the moment. Caroline pulled away and laughed when she heard the eldest Mikaelson brother clear his throat. Klaus quickly kissed her cheek before the preacher announced the two as a married couple.
Present Day
Caroline saw the pictures of their first kiss as a married couple, their first dance, shoving cake in each other's face, but nothing sparked a memory. She asked Klaus questions, but it didn't matter how many details he gave, she couldn't recall any of it.
The further she got into the book, the more frustrated she became. She didn't make it to the end before she slammed the book shut and jumped up from the couch, tears falling for the second time that day.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Klaus stopped her pacing by standing in front of her and placing his hands on the tops of her arms. When it looked like she wasn't going to explain, he continued to push. "You can talk to me, Caroline."
She looked up at him, confused. Her head was telling her that this was the jerk that she remembered, but her heart was telling her that he was her husband, who she once loved, and she needed to trust him.
Klaus' hand moved to the side of her face, and his thumb began to wipe away the tears that were lingering on her cheek. "Please, talk to me," he pleaded.
Caroline leaned into his touch, her heart winning the battle. "I feel like I'm looking at someone else's life, but it's me in all the pictures. It's the weirdest thing I've ever felt."
"We'll get through this, Caroline. Together," he promised her.
She nodded as she began to realize just how she could have fallen in love with him. If this was the kind of man he had become, loving and kind, she could see why she married him. However, the moment was quickly ruined when her cell phone began to ring.
Elena's name flashed across the screen, so Caroline answered it.
"Hey, Care, how are you feeling?" Elena asked.
"I'm good." Caroline replied, but her attention was on Klaus instead of the call.
When Elena realized that Caroline wasn't going to say anymore, she continued. "I was wondering if you wanted to come out tonight. I thought it might be good for you to have some fun."
"Tonight?" Her eyes were on Klaus again. He was putting away the photo albums that he had brought, but he was listening to her conversation.
He looked at her. "You should go. You'll have fun with Elena."
This time, she saw his disappointment. "Are you sure? I can stay here with you and go through the rest of these albums."
He shook his head. "I think you've been through enough today. We can try again tomorrow. Go." He tried to force a smile.
She nodded once, then told Elena she would be ready to go out that night. However, she nor Klaus knew that it wasn't just going to be her and Elena.