Here, the twins are 12, Hope is 13, and Caroline and Klaus have been married for several years and are currently living in the Armory along with many extras, Hayley included. Enjoy!
33. "Oh my gosh is that blood?" + Klaroline
Caroline hefted the bag of groceries onto her hip, slamming the trunk shut and locking the car with the press of a button. She'd parked around the back of the Armory, right near the door leading to the kitchen. She scaled the metal stairs, boots clanging with each step, and managed to wedge the door open without dropping either the groceries or her purse.
The sight that greeted her was a grisly one.
All three girls–Hope, Lizzie, and Josie–were streaked with red and crowded around the enormous pot on the stove, as was Klaus.
"Oh my gosh," said Caroline, dumping the bag onto the nearest flat surface. "Is that blood?"
"Ketchup," said Josie, not looking in her mother's direction. "There was an explosion."
Caroline bit back a groan as she got a better look at them, the ketchup staining their clothes and faces. "You're supposed to be making spag bol. Why was there ketchup involved?" She licked her thumb and tried to work some of it out of Lizzie's hair, all the while leveling a glare at her husband.
"We were using it for flavour," said Hope. Her hair had darkened from the vibrant red it had been when she was younger, so the ketchup was obvious in splotches near her hairline.
"That doesn't seem right." Caroline leaned over to peek at the recipe they were working off of. "Here, let me see–"
"No!" all three girls chorused.
Josie dropped the ladle she'd been stirring with back in the pot of sauce, moving to wedge herself between Caroline and the recipe. "Mom," she said, speaking with the even tone of someone trying to calm a wild beast. "I think you should leave the kitchen."
Caroline sighed. "I'm not going to ruin it just by looking at the recipe," she whined. "I'm not that bad of a cook."
"You burned chicken noodle soup," said Klaus.
"Not helping," Caroline hissed.
Josie continued trying to crowd her mother out of the room. "Thank you for buying more ingredients, but we've got it from here."
"But–"
Klaus caught her eye, winking. "We've got family dinner night, love," he said. "You can do dessert."
"At least you can't burn ice cream sundaes," Lizzie muttered under her breath.
"I heard that, Elizabeth Ann!" Caroline pointed an accusatory finger in her daughter's direction. She whacked one of Josie's hands away, already almost at the door. "No more ketchup explosions. And clean yourselves up before dinner." She rested a hand on Josie's shoulder to stop her from advancing more. "I'm going, I'm going …"
As Caroline turned around, she almost ran into Hayley, who was entering the kitchen. Her hazel eyes widened at the sight of Klaus and the girls. "Is that–"
"It's ketchup," said Caroline.
Hayley frowned. "But why are they–"
"They're experimenting," Caroline finished yet again. "I think we should get out of their way."
Hayley stared at ketchup-streaked Hope for a moment more, unblinking. "Yeah, I think we should," she said absently, letting Caroline link arms with her and pull her back out of the kitchen again.
And behind them, Klaus was saying, "Now, go and fetch the mayonnaise."
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