Hey, guys! I know that I haven't updated "Eternal Flame" for a while (the last time being February 26), but I had other projects that I was working on, and inspiration was lacking. Anyway, I have an idea for a one shot for this series. No spoilers, just sit back, relax, and enjoy!

I had a barbeque stain on my white tee shirt
She was killing me in that miniskirt
Skippin' rocks on the river by the railroad tracks
She had a suntan line and red lipstick
I worked so hard for that first kiss
And a heart don't forget something like that

Rain fell all around him as Klaus arrived at the bar in the middle of nowhere. He had gotten a call that Caroline was seen here, and he wondered why she had come to a place like this. The people that frequented it weren't the kind of people that he'd associate with, not if he could help it. Still, it puzzled him as to why the blonde vampire he had come to love was in there.

Oh, Caroline, what are you up to?

Deciding that he wasn't going to learn the answer by standing out here, Klaus walked into the bar and no sooner did he do so, he saw a slew of dead bodies. Shit, what the hell happened here? He didn't have to wonder too much, because he saw Caroline sitting on the stage, feasting on what looked like one of the waitresses.

"Caroline?"

Upon hearing her name being called, the blonde vampire looked up from her victim, her eyes a demonic black and her mouth covered by the blood of the young woman she had been feasting on before Klaus came on. What the hell had happened to her? She looked evil, like she didn't give a shit whether she killed these people at all.

After a few minutes, she said, "Well, look what the wind blew in. I would've saved you some, but you know, my hunger overtook me and I didn't care."

"What the bloody hell happened to you?"

Caroline stood up, throwing the body of the waitress aside. "I turned it off. I couldn't take all the pain anymore, and I figured that it would be better if I just turned off my humanity switch. You of all people should understand what it feels like to feel pain, what with your vast experience and all."

Upon hearing that, Klaus now understood why these people had died. She's emotionless, which made it easier for her to kill her victims. Still, I don't see why she'd decide to turn off her humanity like this.

"I can help you, Caroline," he said. "It doesn't have to be this way."

Caroline chuckled at that. "Help me? What can you possibly do to help me?"

"You've tapped into a part of yourself you've never used before," said Klaus. "At least let me show you how to use it properly. I know, I was out of control for many centuries before I was staked and put into the coffin."

"Use it properly?" said Caroline. "I was using it just fine before you came in."

Klaus tried his best not to let what she was saying get to him. After all, she wasn't herself. "Just let me help you, Caroline. There's so much that you don't know about being emotionless. True, you can kill without remorse, and I can see that you have quite a few bodies here, but you don't have to do it alone."

There was a silence as Caroline looked at Klaus. She didn't know why he was even bothering. She didn't need anyone to help her, and yet, this idiot was offering to help her. All she wanted was to be left alone, was that too much to ask for? Was this man crazy or just stupid?

"Why are you even bothering?" she said. "You're a powerful hybrid, and I'm just a young vampire. What could you possibly offer me?"

"Perhaps at another time and in another place, I probably would've just turned away," said Klaus. "But now, I think you're worthy of my time." He approached the stage and climbed up, holding his hand out to her. "Come, love, and I will show you how to truly embrace what you are."

Caroline stared at his hand. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because, Caroline, unless you do, you might not survive this night," he replied. "Sooner or later, they'll alert the authorities and you'll be hunted down and killed. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I allowed that to happen."

As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right. It wouldn't be long before word got out about the bloodbath in this bar, and although she didn't give a shit about being caught, something deep in her told her that she should go with Klaus.

Without a word, she took his hand, her eyes turning back to the blue they had been before she attacked the patrons. Klaus smiled at her. He had to admit, despite the fact that she had blood on her face, she couldn't be more beautiful in that moment. Deciding that he'd tell her later, he vamp sped them both out of the bar and into the night.

Note: Yeah, don't ask where the idea for this came from, I thought I'd do a ficlet about Klaus finding an emotionless Caroline. Hope you enjoyed, and remember to keep the faith!