Hey, everyone! I'm sorry for not updating "Eternal Flame" as often, I've been busy with other projects and haven't been inspired by much. But, I think I can give a Klaroline AU one shot in time for Thanksgiving!

You're the fear, I don't care
'Cause I've never been so high
Follow me through the dark
Let me take you past our satellites
You can see the world you brought to life, to life

So love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do
Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do
Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do
What are you waiting for?

Caroline stepped back and smiled after lighting the candles on the table. After she had done that, she went to the kitchen to check on the turkey she had been cooking since earlier that morning. She had told Klaus that she wanted to make Thanksgiving dinner for them and although he offered to help her, she insisted that she make the dinner herself, the stubborn woman that she was. Of course, having always respected her wishes, Klaus agreed to let the blonde vampire do her thing.

The aroma from the kitchen was no doubt delicious as she opened the oven and took a whiff of the juices surrounding the turkey. Although it would be a while before they got to eat it, the anticipation was the best part of the whole experience, something she could easily trace back to when she was a child. Thanksgiving and Christmas were her favorite holidays, during which she could at least try to feel some degree of happiness, even when her parents weren't exactly feeling it themselves because of the drama surrounding the end of their marriage.

This Thanksgiving is going to be even more special because I'm going to be celebrating it with a certain Original hybrid that has made my immortal life more exciting over the time that I have known him. Yes, sir, nothing can ruin this holiday for us.

After completing that thought, Caroline checked on the turkey again, licking her lips at how the aroma seemed to have gotten even more delicious than it had earlier. She looked at the timer to see if it was time to take it out and frowned when she saw that it wasn't even close to being done. However, Caroline didn't let that bother her because there other food items that required her attention, so she decided to work on them for the time being. Hopefully, the turkey would be ready to be taken out of the oven by the time the rest of the food was prepared.

Hours Later…

Finally, after much work, the feast was ready and Caroline smiled as she admired what she had done, taking pride in the fact that although it had taken most of the day to get everything ready, it was worth the time and energy. It was while she was admiring the spread that Klaus came in from his art room, where he had been working on some new paintings while the blonde vampire did the cooking.

"Everything looks delicious, love. I can't wait to dig in."

"Well, it was a big job, but I did it," she replied. "Though, I think that maybe we should save some for your family. I know that they're out of town, but that doesn't mean that we should forget about them. I doubt that the Thanksgiving they're having is as good as ours."

Klaus nodded in agreement. No doubt Rebekah and Elijah would want some of the leftovers from the feast Caroline had prepared. After all, she had put a lot of effort into it and it wouldn't be fair to not leave them anything.

That being said, the two of them sat down to the feast, savoring each and every morsel so that it would last longer. During the course of the meal, Klaus stole a glance at Caroline while drinking the wine in front of him. She honestly couldn't look more beautiful than she was right now. He was still looking at her when Caroline looked up from her glass and met his gaze.

"What?"

To which he replied with a smile, "Just admiring how beautiful you are, that's all."

However, Caroline wasn't convinced, thinking he was up to something and he was hiding it from her. "Uh huh. What are you up to, Nik?" Her blue eyes widened. "Holy shit, you didn't kill anyone, did you? If you killed anyone, I swear to God..."

Klaus laughed at her reaction. "Caroline, calm down, no one got hurt or killed. Why would I harm anyone on a holiday where the purpose was to give thanks for the blessings in our lives?" He laughed again. "My word, what an imagination you have."

Shaking her head, Caroline decided that it wasn't worth the effort trying to figure the hybrid out. While she was sure that he had something and wouldn't tell her exactly what that something was, she told herself that trying to force the truth out of him would only lead to frustration and that was something she didn't want, especially not when she had gone to the trouble to make this a good Thanksgiving for them.

There was a silence between them for the next several hours, with facial expressions taking the place of words. Finally, Klaus left the table, only to return with what looked like a canvas covered with cloth, earning him a quizzical look from Caroline.

"What's under the sheet?"

"I'm glad you asked," said Klaus. "While you were working so diligently on the feast you prepared for us, I was hard at work on something special for you. Consider it one of your early Christmas presents." He took the cloth off the canvas. "Viola!"

Caroline felt her jaw drop when she saw the painting that Klaus had revealed. It depicted her as sort of a Joan of Arc type, wearing a suit of armor and wielding a sword, leading an army to what looked like a very intense battle.

"Oh my God," she said after finding her voice again. "Is this what you were working on while I was cooking? Shit, this must have taken you practically forever."

"Well, I had plenty of time on my hands, so I took advantage of it," said Klaus. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? Klaus, I love it," said Caroline. "Though, what inspired you to depict me as a warrior?"

"Simple, your spirit inspired me," said Klaus. "As a matter of fact, it never ceases to inspire me." He smiled and kissed her. "Happy Thanksgiving, Caroline."

Caroline returned his kiss. "Happy Thanksgiving, Klaus."

Note: Happy Early Thanksgiving, everyone!