Bound By Blood

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries.

Pairing: Caroline/Rebekah and Bonnie/Damon (slight Steroline/Stebekah).

Rating: M

Chapter One

The Roaring Twenties

Rebekah lifted the glass of wine to her lips and sipped on it slowly, savoring the rich taste of the aged alcohol. It was marvelous how delicious wine was when it had to be smuggled into the country, made it all the more satisfying.

And where better to indulge in forbidden intoxication than Gloria's? A popular Speakeasy in downtown Chicago.

Her lips curved up at the sides as she stared across the saloon. Watching the people dance through a heavy fog of cigar smoke, mesmerized by the beautiful dresses that swayed as the girls danced with their male suitors. The music was live jazz and it floated through the air easily. Everyone was wearing smiles as they danced into the night and indulged in the economic prosperity after the war.

The 1920's were hastily becoming one of her favorite time periods.

She had been alive for over nine hundred years, during which she had acquired many favorite decades. But, none could quite compare to the twenties.

Her and her brother Niklaus had spent those years running away from their father, attempting to escape his malice, attempting to stay alive. They never had the chance to fully settle down and enjoy what life had to offer. Rebekah spent so many years, so many lifetimes, and yet she had never really had the opportunity to live.

Not until Chicago.

She finally felt alive.

Her blue eyes landed on a young man who was standing across the saloon. He was chatting with his friends and laughing as he consumed alcohol. She did not know much about him. Only that he too was a vampire that went by the name of Stefan Salvatore, and that he filled out a suit well. She was intrigued by him. She was intrigued by the thought of falling in love with someone. Spending her life with someone and starting a family, settling down for good.

Rebekah had spoken with him on occasion, usually to tease him with her sexual appeal or to taunt him with words. But, she had never gotten up the courage to simply ask him to dance with her.

"I do not understand how you could fancy him, Rebekah." Niklaus spoke with a look of displeasure on his face. He was sitting beside her, watching his little sister fawn over the Salvatore. It baffled him. "He is not worthy of your affections, dear sister."

She ignored his words and continued to watch the young man intensely. She was not going to allow her brother to control her again. He had a way of making all of her most important life decisions for her. And when he could not control her and twist her thoughts with his words, then he would force her to run away from the problem. If that too did not work, then he would dagger her through the heart and stuff her back into a casket with the rest of their family.

Niklaus did not deal well with disappointment.

"Seriously." He laughed and shook his head at her. "Stop fawning over him like a pathetic fool. You could have anyone that you want."

"I want him." Rebekah muttered out bitterly. Standing to her feet, she set the glass of wine down on the table and strut toward the young Salvatore. As she made eye contact with him, her lips twisted into a devious smirk and she knew that she had him. She knew that he wanted her just as badly as she wanted him.

Placing a hand on his shoulder she whispered against his ear. Full lips brushing gently against the curve of it, and heated breath rushing against his neck as she spoke.

"Care to dance?"

Stefan smiled and flashed her a look of confused intrigue. "After all of this time, now you—"

Rebekah pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh… No questions, Stefan. Just enjoy the evening with me."

He did not dare decline. Stefan had been interested in the blonde vampire since the moment she started teasing him. When she insulted him and his friends it only made him want her more. Now she was offering herself to him, her full lips pouty, her accented voice deep and seductive, and her eyes dark with desire. He could not find it in himself to say anything.

Instead he led the way toward the center of the saloon and twisted her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. She fit perfectly against him.

O

His eyes shimmered with excitement as he scanned the crowd of beautiful young women. He could have his pick of the litter, but tonight was not about him. It was about Stefan and distracting him from his little sister. The thought of the unworthy man attempting to court Rebekah made him sick. And truthfully, he found himself enjoying being in Stefan's presence. He did not care to share either of them.

He wanted his best friend and he wanted his sister. He did not want them to be nauseatingly infatuated with each other.

This would be the solution to his problems. If Stefan would only realize that there were other beautiful young women for him to sink his teeth into, then they could continue on being friends. He and Rebekah would not need to flee and leave the life that they had built, and he would never hurt his sister, so Niklaus would never be forced to rip his heart from his chest.

All he had to do was find the perfect victim.

Suddenly, he spotted a lovely woman sitting alone at the bar. She was sipping on a drink and smiling widely, as she laughed at something that Gloria had said. Her blonde curls were done up, and her eyes were a stunning shade of blue. There was something about her that set her apart from the other women at the bar.

Something that made her special.

"She's perfect." Niklaus stated under his breath before he stood to his feet and moved swiftly through the crowd.

Caroline took another sip of her drink, listening intently as Gloria boasted about the new musical act that would be performing that evening. The more that she talked, the more excited Caroline got about watching the performance. It sounded like it was going to be a lot of fun.

"Enjoying yourself, love?" An unfamiliar accented voice questioned from behind her.

She jumped and let out a squeak of surprise. Then she turned to look at the man who was invading her personal space. He was practically resting his chin against her shoulder as he stared deep into her eyes. Caroline felt her heart speed up as she looked him over. She hated to admit it, because he seemed like a total creeper, but she did find him to be attractive.

It took a moment for her to find her voice. "Uh, yeah." She smiled. "I'm having a great night! How about you?"

Niklaus found her enthusiasm enchanting. He did not often surround himself with such positive people. Despite being capable of sensing her discomfort, he did not move away from her and he did not pry his eyes away from hers.

"I have a feeling that my evening is about to get a bit more exciting." His lips twisted up maniacally.

"Is that so?" Her voice came out hesitant and worried. She did not understand why he was staring at her like that. Like he was staring into her eyes and seeing all that she was, consuming her with his mind. It was terrifying. Caroline was debating whether or not she should get up and leave or stay and drown in his eyes.

"Yes, love. You see. I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" Her voice rose in confusion and she furrowed her brow at him. 'Yeah… I should definitely run right about now… what is he even talking about?' "I—uh, I think I should probably get going."

"You aren't going anywhere." Niklaus spoke harshly.

Caroline wanted to go. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible, and yet, she could not will her legs to move. She was frozen in place and found herself nodding.

'Is he somehow controlling me? Why can't I move!?'

"There's a good girl." He smirked and reached up swiping a blonde curl behind her ear. "Now that I have your attention, there is something that I need you to do for me."

She could not move.

Niklaus paused and glanced toward the center of the saloon, nodding toward his sister and Stefan. "Do you see those two over there?" He returned his attention to her and his grin widened when she nodded. "I need you to go over there and seduce him. You are to stop at nothing in your pursuit of him. Do you understand?"

Despite herself, she agreed.

O

Rebekah pulled away from the throat of the woman she was feeding on with Stefan. She tasted delicious. She wiped the blood away from her full bottom lip and turned to look at the other vampire. The veins were visible beneath his eyes and the blood was rolling down his chin. Leaning forward she swiped her thumb across his chin wiping away the blood, before running her tongue along his bottom lip to consume the rest.

"Mmm…" She hummed. "Delicious."

Stefan laughed and leant forward capturing her lips with his own desperately. He wanted to feel her lips on his; he wanted to taste the blood.

"Hello there."

Both Rebekah and Stefan turned quickly to stare up at the person interrupting their kiss. She was a young human wearing a colorful flapper dress. Her blonde curls were tied up for the most part, aside from a few stray curls that fell down and framed her face. She was quite lovely, and the scent of her blood was enticing.

"Looks like the bank is closed." The original vampire stated sarcastically. She had been enjoying kissing Stefan and she was displeased that the other woman was encroaching on her territory. She could tell that she was after him by the way that she was staring at him. Her lips twisted up flirtatiously.

Rebekah chewed on her cheeks and squint her eyes at the other blonde. Standing to her feet she stared directly into her eyes and scowled. "He is mine. So, how about you get lost."

Caroline cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest. "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to him." She spoke aggressively and with almost too much emotion. Then she walked over to the booth and took a seat beside Stefan, smiling brightly at him. "And you don't want me to leave, do you?"

"You can stay." Stefan shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. He was always up for dessert.

"See, he wants me to stay. So maybe you should just scram!" Caroline did not care for competition. When she wanted something, she did not want anyone to stand in her way. This was no different.

"Oh you pathetic fool." Rebekah growled out. "He does not care if you stay or go; to him you are simply our next meal."

Caroline's eyes widened in shock. She did not understand what the other woman was talking about. Glancing over at the man, she noticed that there were strange veins under his skin and that the girl that he was holding onto was no longer breathing. Her body was hunched over and her neck had been bitten quite a few times.

She wanted to run away from the two strangers, but she felt compelled to chase after him no matter what the consequences. Even if she were to die. She had to make him hers.

Caroline had never felt that way about anyone.

Ignoring the angry woman, she leant forward and ran her fingers down Stefan's neck. "What's your name?" She waggled her eyebrows playfully.

He turned and looked at her. "Stefan Salvatore."

"I like that name." She giggled. "I'm Caroline."

"Nice to meet you, Caroline." It was strange, but he sort of enjoyed her affections. He also found it hilarious that it was bothering Rebekah to such an extent. "That's Rebekah. Don't mind her, she's temperamental."

Rebekah stared at the other blonde as if she had gone mad. She had just informed her that they were going to kill her, and she was still flirting with her man? 'Does this woman have a death wish? Or is she just too intoxicated to fully comprehend what I meant? And what is with Stefan… Why is he playing into this rubbish?'

The blonde Brit pursed her lips and took a seat beside Stefan. "I suppose that is true. I can be quite temperamental when someone tries to take what belongs to me."

"He doesn't belong to you." Caroline snapped at Rebekah.

"I beg to differ." She growled back. "He does belong to me, sweets. And if you even attempt to compromise our budding relationship, I will tear you to pieces." Her eyes were cold and serious and her jaw was clenched tightly. She wanted to reach across Stefan and kill the human in that moment. But, she didn't. He didn't want her to.

O

Damon Salvatore knew exactly where to find his brother. He knew that his favorite joint in Chicago was Gloria's. He too enjoyed the atmosphere. Although, he had not been back for some time because he and Stefan were not exactly on what he would call "talking terms."

His brother had gone off the deep end.

Stefan had a drinking problem. And he was not your typical alcoholic. He was addicted to human blood and he had consumed a lot of it over the last hundred years. He had made lists of his victims; tearing their bodies apart and then putting them back together again like some macabre puzzle. It was disgusting and wrong.

Now, Damon was not above killing people and indulging in blood. In fact he often enjoyed doing so.

But, there was something about the way that his brother killed people that was just creepy.

He often blamed himself for his brother going off the deep end. He was not close enough to him, and he did not support him enough, he did not care to save him. Not until now. Damon still loved his brother no matter what. No matter how many times they rivaled over the same woman, no matter how many times they hurt each other.

He still loved his brother and he still made a point to check up on him.

His lips twisted up into a smile as he walked into the saloon and witnessed Stefan standing in front of two blonde women. They appeared to be arguing with each other, and he looked completely indifferent. Smoothing out his suit jacket, he made his way toward his younger brother.

"Hey there baby bro." Damon wrapped an arm around Stefan's shoulders. "Looks like your still up to your old tricks. What did you do? Compel these two blonde bombshells to fight over you for kicks and giggles?"

Stefan turned and looked at his brother, shaking his head in disbelief. "What are you doing here, Damon?" He hated that he constantly felt the need to be a part of his life, that he would not just leave him alone.

"Just was in town, thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing. Say hi to Gloria. You know the usual."

"I don't need you to check up on me. I'm fine."

Damon grinned deviously. "Yeah, better then fine by the looks of it." He stated teasingly, nodding toward the two blondes.

"Okay, you got what you want, now can you just leave me alone?"

"What fun would that be?"

Stefan scowled and turned to walk away from his brother. He had no time and no patience for Damon's playful attitude. He took everything and made it into a joke and Stefan hated that about him. Things between the two of them had been terrible in the past, and he still held a lot of hatred and resentment toward him.

"Alright Stefan, have fun brooding. When you want to talk I'll be at the bar." Damon informed, heading toward the bar and laughing at his brother. He was always so serious.

Rebekah stopped arguing with Caroline when Stefan started to walk away. She turned and followed him to the other side of the saloon.

"Who was that?" She wondered curiously.

"My brother."

She could hear the spite on his tongue when he spoke about his brother and she related to it. She too had a love-hate relationship with her brother. Niklaus had betrayed her, used her, controlled her, and destroyed every ounce of happiness that she ever had. But, he was still her brother and she cared for him despite his faults.

"Your tone implies that the two of you aren't the closest."

"We've had our differences." Stefan stated simply. He did not really care to talk about it.

"I see." Rebekah did not push. Instead, she returned her attention to Caroline. "May I ask why you are wasting your time with this pathetic human who seems stuck on you?"

"Play nice, Rebekah. She just has a little crush."

She clenched her fists and her jaw tightened when he made it sound as if she were a jealous girlfriend, as if the crush should not bother her. Rebekah could not help it. As a human, she was stubborn, temperamental, and jealous, as a vampire it was almost impossible not to allow it to control her.

"Well, you should probably inform her that if she does not get over this little crush on you, I will crush her skull with my bare hands."

Stefan shook his head and laughed at her jealousy. It was sort of cute how territorial she was over him. "It really isn't a big deal."

"She's infatuated with you. I threatened to eat her for supper and she did not stop. What the bloody hell is wrong with her?"

"She seems like a sweet girl."

Rebekah glared at him and slapped him across the chest as he continued to laugh at her and tease her. It was fun to play around with her. But, honestly Caroline did seem like a sweet girl and he was starting to grow oddly attached to her affections. He did not like the idea of Rebekah killing her.

O

"How's my favorite witch?" Damon asked as he sat down at the bar.

Gloria turned and looked at the young man and she immediately smiled. She had a love-hate relationship with all vampires; still, she would choose Damon Salvatore over Stefan Salvatore any day. He was impulsive and flirtatious which could be overwhelming, but he was not a killer.

"I was doing great before you and your brother got here." She laughed and started to pour him a glass of his favorite Bourbon. "You two here to wreak havoc like always?"

"I would never." He grinned deviously and waggled his brows at her. "I just came by to check up on Stefan and to see you, of course."

"Of course." She rolled her eyes at him. It was difficult to believe a vampire.

"Aww… Don't be like that, Gloria." Damon grinned flirtatiously and lifted the glass of Bourbon, taking it down with one gulp. His blue eyes were fixated on her and even she could not deny his attraction. If she did not know that he was a vampire, she might have entertained playing into the flirtation, but she did not dare do so.

"So." He paused and turned to look at the stage. "How's the talent tonight?"

"Actually got a new singer in tonight, she's my niece." Gloria smiled. "I think you'll like her."

"If she looks anything like you, I bet I will too." Damon teased earning a glare from her.

"Sometimes you have such a one track mind."

He gasped and shook his head at her. "Not true." The way that he said the words made it sound like he knew that it was true despite his denial. He did. He had spent a hundred years sleeping around with women and killing them, never getting attached to anyone. So, often when he met a new woman he did have a one track mind.

In his mind there was just no point to pour his heart and soul into loving a woman anymore. If he could not have the one woman that he had done everything for and loved more than anything, then why care at all?

Why love at all?

"Well, there she is now, why not judge for yourself?" She pointed toward the stage.

Damon's lip twisted up in a devious half smile and he turned on his stool to face the stage. What he saw caught him off guard. He had expected the young woman to be beautiful; he just hadn't expected her to be so exquisite. Her dark hair was done up, and the dress that she was wearing fit her petite form perfectly. What was really unique and gorgeous about her though, was her eyes and the way that the green in them popped against her skin and hair. The way that the makeup that outlined them caused them to stand out. The way that they stared at him with such intensity.

It had been years since someone looked at him like that without being compelled to do so. And it wasn't that she was flirting with him, or that she was interested in him, it was just the way that she was staring at him.

"Pick your jaw up off my bar, boy." Gloria reprimanded.

"Oh shush." He did not take his eyes off of the woman as she prepared to sing. When the music started and she held onto the microphone tightly, he could feel the anticipation rising inside of him. Damon wanted to hear her sing. He wanted to know if her voice was as stunning as she was.

Finally, she started to sing. Her voice was just as beautiful.

O

Authors Note:

This is just the first chapter to my fic. I wanted to set up everything and I hope that y'all enjoyed the first chapter. This fic will be primarily Bamon with a whole lot of Rebekoline romance thrown in a little later. Please do tell me what y'all think of this first chapter and I promise to have the next chapter up shortly!

Thank you all so much for reading!

-Tracy Cook