Rolling in the Deep
by Erin Salvatore
Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing. Only the story belongs to me.
Note: Hey, guys! Yeah, this is a new AU/AH I had rattling around in my head for a while. The plot is this: Abandoned at the altar, pregnant bride Caroline Forbes decides to leave and start a new life. Seven years later, while living in New Orleans, she gets a job at a nightclub owned by Klaus Mikaelson. Things get interesting when love finds its way into the picture.
Chapter 1
Caroline Forbes coughed as she threw up into the toilet in the bathroom connected to the bride's dressing room. Morning sickness yet again, combined with wedding day jitters. Of all the things to be happening to her, those two things were by far the worst. Taking some deep breaths, Caroline slowly stood up and inspected her gown to see if any loose vomit fell on it. Thankfully, nothing had landed on the material.
She was brought out of her reverie by the sound of knocking at the door, followed by the concerned voice of her twin brother, Cody. Strange, wasn't he supposed to be in the groom's dressing room, seeing as he was a groomsman? Caroline flushed the toilet, used some mouthwash to get rid of the smell of vomit on her breath, washed her hands, and opened the door, meeting her brother's gaze.
"What's going on, Cody?" she asked.
"I heard you throwing up and wanted to see if you were okay," he said
"I'm fine, just morning sickness coupled with wedding jitters," said Caroline. "Though, that doesn't fully answer my question. Groomsmen aren't allowed in the bridal dressing area."
"It's kind of hard to be a groomsman if there's no groom," said Cody. "Ric is going ape shit trying to get a hold of him, but he's not answering his phone."
"What do you mean there's no groom?" said Caroline. "I thought Damon was going to be here. This is our wedding day, after all." She scowled. "Did he get drunk at the bachelor party and wants to save me from embarrassment?"
Cody sighed. "I didn't even go to the bachelor party, remember? April and I were helping Pastor Young with some last minute details. If you want to find out what happened at the bachelor party, you'll have to ask Ric."
Caroline nodded and went off toward the groom's dressing room, Cody following at her heels and grabbing the train so she didn't trip over it. She reached her destination and knocked on the door. Alaric Saltzman, the best man, answered a second later.
Not letting him speak, Caroline said, "Ric, what the hell happened? Why isn't Damon here?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out," he said. "I lost track of him at the bachelor party. And before you ask, no, I didn't get drunk because as the designated driver, I had to be sober. The only thing I had all night were non alcoholic drinks, like water and club soda."
"You lost track of Damon?" said Caroline. "Ric, you're the best man!" She closed her eyes and massaged the bridge of her nose. "Okay, tell me exactly what happened. Cody told me he wasn't there because he was helping with some last minute stuff with Pastor Young and April. So, since you were there, maybe you can shed some light on the subject."
Alaric nodded. "Well, last night, we went to the Grill, because that's where the party was being held. I ordered some dinner for myself, Damon, Enzo, and Will. As I said, I didn't have any hard drinks because I was the designated driver, but the others were getting hammered. Over the course of the evening, a brunette I don't know approaches Damon and starts flirting with him."
"Then what?"
"I went to the bathroom and when I came back, he was gone, along with the brunette," said Alaric. "Care, I'm sorry, I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but…"
Cody interjected then, having heard everything. "So, what you're saying is, there's not going to be a wedding?"
"I don't know what to tell you," said Alaric. "I know your family has been looking forward to this since your sister got engaged, but from the looks of it, the groom has vanished and there's no way to get a hold of him. I've been calling his phone all morning and keep getting his voice mail."
"I'll tell Pastor Young the wedding has been called off," said Cody. "The guests will be disappointed, but it'll be better than not saying anything at all."
Caroline nodded and watched as her brother left the room. She excused herself and went to change out of her gown and into the dress she was planning on changing into at the reception. Yeah, like that was going to happen, since there wasn't even going to be a wedding. She was finished by the time Cody entered the room. Caroline was about to ask how everyone took the news, but the look on his face told her that when they were disappointed, he'd been telling the truth.
"I have to get out of here," she said. "I can't stay in Mystic Falls, not after this." She placed her hand on her still flat belly. "I want a fresh start for my baby. If I stay here, I'll just be the source of gossip because everyone knows me. That and I'll run into Damon and the results will not be pretty. I don't care where I go, as long as it's far away from here."
Cody approached his sister and hugged her. "Tell you what, you can move in with me."
"I don't want to inconvenience you," said Caroline. "Don't get me wrong, I'd love go to New Orleans, but your apartment doesn't exactly sound luxurious."
Cody stepped back. "Look, I don't care about that. You're my sister and I want to help you. You said you didn't want to stay here, right? Well, New Orleans is the best place to start over. If you're worried about my roommate, I'll call her and tell her about our situation."
"Her?"
"Yeah, her name is Sophie Deveraux," said Cody. "And don't worry, she's very trustworthy. What do you say, Care, are you in?"
"Well, it would help to have someone there that I know instead of a complete stranger," said Caroline. "Okay, Cody, I'll come to New Orleans with you."
Cody hugged her again. "I know it feels like you're avoiding your problems by running away, but trust me, you're doing the right thing."
Elsewhere…
Stefan Salvatore, Damon's brother, took out his phone and scrolled through the contacts. He had heard about how Caroline had been jilted and while he wasn't surprised that something like this would happen, given his brother's history of disappearing and overindulging, he was also disappointed. He found the number belonging to his girlfriend, Rebekah Mikaelson, and waited as it rang. After the third ring, he was prepared to leave a message when he heard his beloved's sweet accented voice on the other end.
"Stefan, my love, I was wondering when I'd hear from you. How are things there?"
"The wedding was called off," he said. "My asshole brother took off to God knows where." He sighed. "In any case, I'll be coming back to New Orleans earlier than I planned."
"As much as I hate the fact Damon just went and abandoned his bride at the altar, I'm glad you're coming back," said Rebekah. "I miss you."
"The feeling is mutual," said Stefan. "I love you, Bekah, I'll see you soon."
Note: Thus begins my new Klaroline AU/AH. Stay tuned for more. And in case you're wondering, the title is inspired by the song by Adele.