Hello, lovelies! I know it's been a while since I last updated "Eternal Flame," but I haven't been inspired by much, hence the hiatus. No spoilers, just keep reading and don't lose faith in the power of Klaroline.

I want your love and
I want your revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!)
I want your love and
All your lover's revenge
You and me could write a bad romance

A combination of a sigh and a growl escaped his mouth as Klaus returned home. He had had a horrible day, which was why he was in such a foul mood upon returning home. In fact, it amazed him that he put up with such crap on a daily basis. Of course, the only thing that could possibly make this day better was to have his beloved Caroline throw her arms around him and caress his face as she kissed him.

Yes, my beloved Caroline is the best medicine I need for whatever I'm dealing with right now.

The instant he finished that thought, Klaus detected a familiar presence, a smile replacing the earlier growl that had been on his face. Ah, that would be my sweetheart now. No doubt she's eager to greet me.

Sure enough, Caroline herself emerged from the kitchen, where she had been busy with the dinner. Judging from the emotions she had detected when her husband walked in, something told her that things didn't go well today. And, not wanting him to stay upset, she slowly approached him and when she was close enough, she gently began to massage his shoulders, earning her a groan in response, as well as a smile, which was a good sign. If he was smiling, that meant her massage was working.

"Just the remedy I was seeking, love. You are fantastic."

"Well, you were in need of my help, and I came through, as always," she replied. "My goodness, but you're tense. I take it things didn't go as planned?"

"That's putting it mildly," said Klaus. "Though, you'll be pleased to know that despite being pushed to the breaking point, I didn't kill anyone."

Caroline nodded. At least it was good to know that he left the offending party alive. Then again, when it came to her, he showed potential victims mercy and spared them, despite the urge to kill was great when Klaus' temper was pushed beyond its limits.

"Good, I won't have to tell Elijah that his brother went on a murderous rampage because some idiot decided to see how far he could push you."

Klaus said nothing else to that, just turned around in her arms and kissed her. He then got a whiff of the food that she had been cooking. "Something smells delicious, love. What is on the menu for tonight?"

"Something I think we'll both like," she replied. "I've always wanted to try my hand at gumbo, so I picked up some meat, vegetables, and spices from the market today." She smiled. "And, judging from the smell, I think it's done."

With another smile, she kissed him again before dashing off to the kitchen to get the pot while Klaus, his earlier smile increasing, went to the table and sat down at his place, the aroma of the gumbo pouring in from the kitchen. He couldn't wait to sample it, since Caroline seemed to be proud of what she had made. No sooner did he sit down than she emerged from the kitchen again, holding the pot with her gloved hands and carefully walking so that she didn't accidentally trip and spill it. She didn't want everything to be ruined, especially not when she had spent all that time cooking the delicious meal for them.

Once safely at the table, Caroline placed the pot down on the center and removed the lid, licking her lips in anticipation of savoring the meal. Klaus licked his own lips, eager to taste the fruits of his beloved's labors. Caroline then grabbed his bowl and filled it, placing it in front of him. Klaus then grabbed his spoon and dipped it into the liquid, bringing it to his lips and sipped it, Caroline watching nervously from her place next to him.

"Well? How is it? Too weak? Too strong? Too hot? Not hot enough?"

"Caroline, love, relax, it's neither of those," he replied. "In fact, it's just perfect."

Caroline didn't believe him at first, so she sampled some herself to make sure that he was telling the truth. Sure enough, it tasted delicious. Wow, I'm better than I thought. And here I was worried that I wasn't going to make a good gumbo, having never made one before.

She filled her bowl and took a seat. The meal was spent in silence, just the two of them enjoying what was in front of them. Caroline finished hers first and watched as Klaus finished his, thinking it was adorable to watch him like that. When Klaus finished his meal, he looked up to see CarolinOhe watching him with those beautiful blue eyes of hers.

"What?"

Caroline cleared her throat. "Oh, uh, nothing, just watching you eat, that's all. For some reason, you look cute when you eat."

Klaus raised an eyebrow at her remark. "I look cute when I eat?"

"Yeah," said Caroline. "I don't know why, but you do."

For another minute or two, there was another silence until Klaus started laughing and Caroline raised a curious eyebrow at him. "What's so funny?"

"No one has ever made a remark like that," he replied. "It's actually very refreshing." He placed a hand on hers. "Don't worry, love, you can tell me that I'm cute when I eat whenever you want, and I won't get offended by it."

"Oh, I'm not worried," said Caroline. "I just wasn't sure how you'd react if I told you that you're cute when you eat. I guess it's because I'm comfortable enough around you to say such things to you. Just like you're comfortable enough around me to say certain things to me."

Klaus smiled and leaned in, kissing her softly and passionately. Caroline giggled against his lips and returned his kiss.

Note: I'll end this installment of "Eternal Flame" here. Stay tuned for more!