Okay, lovelies, got a request from mycutehamlet for "Eternal Flame," and I thought I'd fulfill it. Thank you for the reviews! It's fans like you that make this journey worth traveling. Klaroline has just begun! Keep the faith!

TO 1x11 AU.

Baby
You're my angel
Come and save me tonight
You're my angel
Come and make it all right

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as Klaus walked into his room at the compound. It had been a very trying day for him, especially with Marcel acting like a child. He understood that Davina's death had hit him hard, and he had tried to be as supportive as possible, but as the day went on, it began to wear on his patience. There was a time to mourn, but there was also a time to protect the people of New Orleans from threats to their lives. Thankfully, though, Marcel regained his composure and was at his side again, as he should be.

Locking the door behind him, Klaus grabbed a bottle of his favorite wine, popped the cork, and poured the liquid into the glass, sniffing it before drinking it. He then went over to the dresser and took out Caroline's ripped shirt. He had brought it back with him as a souvenir and hid it in his room so that no one, especially Rebekah, would know that he had it.

A smile slowly crept across his face as he stared at the garment in his hand, bringing it to his nose and sniffing it, inhaling the sweet scent of sandalwood, honey, lavender, and roses, the combination of scents that were just perfect for his little blonde angel. As he continued to smell it, he thought back to their time together in the woods back in Mystic Falls, and how wonderful it felt to have her in his arms and tasting the sweetness of her lips. How he longed to be like that again, to have her in his arms and kiss her. For now, though, he had to settle for having her shirt as a reminder of that day in the woods.

Placing the shirt down, he took out his sketch book and started drawing the scene from memory. Another smile appeared as he looked at the finished picture and, getting an idea, he took out his cell phone and scrolled down his list of contacts, coming across Caroline's number, pressing "SEND" and listening as it rang. He didn't care if it went into voice mail, he just wanted to call her and tell her that he was thinking about her.

However, he didn't get her voice mail. He heard her pick up on the other end. "Hello?"

"Caroline, it's me."

"Klaus, what are you doing calling me?"

"I was thinking of you and I thought I'd call," said Klaus. "Of course, I expected to get your voice mail. But, I suppose hearing your voice was just as good, if not better."

Caroline sighed on her end. "Okay, you got me. So, what did you need to talk to me about?"

"I'm sure that by now, you haven't stopped thinking about our romp in the forest."

"Well, you did leave a bit of an impression on me, I won't lie about that," said Caroline. "In fact, I think I even had a dream about it. Damn it, Klaus, you really know how to make things stick, don't you?" She sighed. "I even lied to my friends about why I was gone so long."

Klaus chuckled. "I guess it's safe to assume that you became a bad girl because of me."

"It's not funny," said Caroline. "Though, I suppose you're right. I did feel sort of dirty, but in a good way."

"Do you miss me yet?"

"That's another thing I won't lie about. I do find myself missing you," said Caroline. "In fact, I wish I never you never made that damn promise to not come back. I feel...empty, like I'm missing something. Klaus, you've made my life interesting, and without you, I feel like I don't have anything. True, I said I had plans that didn't include you, but that was bullshit. I only said that they didn't include you because I didn't want to tell you that I wanted to include you in my plans."

Ah, the plot thickens. "Do I take that to mean that you've changed your mind?"

"I don't know, maybe," said Caroline. "Look, I want to come to New Orleans. I can have my credits transferred to a college near where you are. You were right about the small town life not being enough for me, and I think I'd be better off in New Orleans."

At first, Klaus didn't know what to say to that. He wanted to tell her to come to him, but given what he had gone through today, he wasn't sure if it was the best time. "As much as I'd love for you to join me here, love, I don't think now is the best time. I'm...dealing with some things and I don't want you getting hurt."

"What kind of things?"

"There is a threat to my kingdom," said Klaus. "A warlock with dark magic killed Marcel's best men and we're trying to figure out a way to put a stop to it. I nearly lost my own life against him if Marcel hadn't stopped him at the last minute."

"Shit, that's terrible," said Caroline. "What do you want me to do?"

"What I want, love, is for you to stay safe until the matter has been resolved," said Klaus. "When the danger has passed, I will send word for you to come here."

When he finished, he didn't hear anything on her end, making him think that she either didn't hear him or she had hung. However, he heard her breathing, which was a relief to him.

"All right, I'll stay here, as much as I want to help you with whatever you're dealing with," said Caroline. "But, I want you to promise me that you'll be careful, okay? If this warlock is as dangerous as you say he is, then I want you to do whatever you need to stay alive."

Hearing the concern in her voice was comforting to him and he wished that he didn't tell her to stay where she was. However, it was too dangerous for her at the moment. "I'll be careful, love. I won't let him get me a second time. I'll make him pay for what he nearly did to me."

"I have no doubt that you will," said Caroline. "Just do what you have to do to protect your city and hopefully, we'll see each other again."

Klaus nodded and, after saying good-bye to her, he hung up the phone, grabbing the shirt again and holding it to his chest. He vowed that he would put an end to the threat and bring Caroline to New Orleans so that they could be together forever.

Note: I hope mycutehamlet likes what I've done with her request. When I had him call Caroline, I originally was going to have him leave a voice message, but I changed my mind and decided to have him talk to her. Here's hoping that Caroline will be in New Orleans in the future, because that is where she belongs!