I do not own TVD or TO.

Inspiration struck me tonight, so I had to get this first chapter out. The title just kind of felt right, but it might change later.

I'm taking some of the elements I used in DWTH in terms of the bond, but it's formed in a different way in this story.

"Hey!"

Elena jumped a foot in the air when the small hand landed on her shoulder. She shoved the textbooks in her locker and turned around to glare at Bonnie. Her brows knit together when her friend showed no sign of chagrin for scaring her out of her skin.

"How set are you on attending Calculus?" Bonnie lifted her brows hopefully.

A slow grin lifted the corners of Elena's lips. They hadn't cut class together since freshman year when Caroline had lifted a bottle of liquor that her mom had confiscated from a group of underage kids over the weekend. The trio had snuck out of the school and walked into the cemetery where they had proceeded to drink half of the bottle. They hadn't known how potent the green alcohol was; Caroline wound up with a twisted ankle.

Somehow Elena didn't think they were running off to drink their cares away, but maybe some time with her friend would take her mind off her troubles.

Turning around she grabbed everything she would need that night for homework snatched up her keys and slammed the metal door shut.

They didn't say another word until Elena parked her car outside the path that led to the falls where Caroline was already waiting for them.

So much for taking my mind off my troubles, Elena held her knees and stared out at the rushing water fall. Her mind was whirling with the information Bonnie had just delivered.

"Explain it one more time," Elena unfolded her legs and turned to Bonnie in time with Caroline who seemed to be in as much disbelief as she was.

Bonnie took a deep breath a nodded. She reached into her bag this time and pulled out her grimoire.

"I found a spell that will help you," she opened to the relevant page.

Elena stared at the spirals and various other symbols that made absolutely no sense to her, but she nodded all the same for Bonnie to continue.

"The spell uses the full moon to bind you to another person," Bonnie pushed her hair behind her ears; "once you're bound to them you share their most powerful traits."

"And you want to bind me to someone?" Elena cocked an eyebrow.

"Mmhmm," Bonnie nodded. "I want to bind you to Caroline. That way you gain the invincibility that comes from her vampirism without actually having to turn yourself."

Elena pressed her lips together and thought it over. She had never wanted to be a vampire, but the lifestyle did come with a few benefits: rapid healing and enhanced speed and strength.

"I'd still be human?" She met Bonnie's glittering eyes.

"This wouldn't have any weird side effects for me would it?" Caroline pointed from the spell to herself. If this was a way to keep Elena safe and healthy she'd gladly help. "It won't weaken me at all?"

"It shouldn't," Bonnie shook her head. "It'll mean you're connected to each other for as long as Elena lives, but that's it." She left out the bits she hadn't translated yet; they were just the notes around the margins of the page. She was fairly certain they were doodles anyway.

Elena bit her bottom lip and considered. There didn't seem to be any down side to it. Worst case scenario nothing happened and she remained the supernatural pawn she already was. If Bonnie had suggested binding her to Damon or Stefan she would most certainly have objected; there was no way she wanted to spend the rest of her life tied to her ex-boyfriend or his brother. It would have only invited Damon into thinking he had a chance with her; which would open up the whole debate that had led to her breakup in the first place. She didn't want to get caught between them again, and that was exactly what they had done to her.

"I'm in."

He had one arm bent behind his head and the other supporting the book on his stomach. His eyes ran from left to right again and again as he took in the words of Jane Austen. A trumpet rendition of La Vie en Rose played in his ears via the headphones.

He rolled his eyes heavenward when the song was interrupted by his ringtone. It was the annoying one he had set to signifying Nik was calling him.

In that moment he wished he was human so he could have ignored the call and claimed to not have heard the tone, but unfortunately that excuse didn't work with his advanced senses. Besides if he didn't answer Nik would just call again.

With an exasperated sigh he marked his page and clicked the button that would answer the phone.

"Hello," he bent his knee and stared at the ceiling.

"I need you to do something for me."

"Oh I'm just swell," he rolled his eyes, "and how are you this lovely full moon."

"I don't have the time for pleasantries. I've just gotten word that the Bennet witch is up to something involving my doppelganger. I need you to go and put a stop to her spell by any means necessary."

"You know," he sighed wistfully, "when Elijah wants something done he always says please, and afterwards I get a cookie," he smirked at the ceiling.

"I'll make this very simple. You can do this for me, or I can put you back in the box."

"Fine," he sat up with a low growl. "Where are they?"

"According to my sources, they are somewhere near the falls. Whatever spell she's using requires the full moon. Stop the spell and make sure no harm comes to my doppelganger."

"I'm pretty sure she's got a name," Kol stood and strode to the closet. He hung up and pulled on his jacket before tucking the phone in his pocket. His playlist had restarted with the ended call.

"So I just have to stand here?" Elena raised her brows in disbelief. She had been certain blood would be involved somehow; wasn't it always involved?

"That's it," Bonnie drew the salt line around Elena's body before repeating the process around Caroline.

She drew out all of the required symbols between the circles as a bridge that the magic would flow across. She moved several paces away from them into her own protective circle. Her eyes drifted shut as she began chanting.

A line appeared between Caroline's brows. She could hear something else over Bonnie's voice. She tilted her head when she recognized the sound as bubbly jazz. The moment she recognized it was the moment she was forcibly thrown from the circle and into the water.

Elena shrieked when Caroline vanished from her line of sight and was replaced by a tall young man who looked vaguely familiar. The clouds shifted overhead sending a beam of moonlight over his features: Kol Mikaelson.

"Hello, darling," he flashed a charming smile and tucked his headphones safely in his pocket. Nik had said keep the girl safe, but the direction had never been required for him; he'd never had any desire to hurt Elena Gilbert. The thought had always made his stomach turn.

He didn't want to hurt her little witch friend either, but he did need to stop whatever spell she was cooking up. He was lifting his foot to go towards the witch when he found himself stuck in the circle.

Bonnie continued chanting. She was so consumed with the spell that she hadn't heard or seen anything after entering her own circle.

"Oh bloody hell," Kol's eyes widened when the drawn symbols glowed and lifted from the damp grass. "Oi, witchy," he attempted to get her attention.

The lights blurred before he could get a good look at the symbols. He grunted, more from shock than anything else, when the bridge of light hit him in the chest.

Elena's breath caught as the other end collided with her skin directly over her heart. She lifted her gaze from the magic and met Kol's dark eyes; the crackling light illuminated his piercing gaze. There was something there that she wanted to see better; it was as if he were looking directly into her soul. Her feet moved of their own accord.

His heart thumped. He found himself able to move again, but the thought to go the witch was the farthest thing from his mind. He had quite forgotten the witch's presence in the clearing. He had eyes only the young woman in front of him. Nothing was more important than going to her.

Something intense percolated in the air between them. It grew stronger when they stood directly in front of each other and the lights went out.

He lifted his hand to her smooth cheek and felt her pulse quicken in her neck.

She tilted her head back to blink up at him and brought her hand up to cover his pounding heart which she could hear. Her eyes were tracing his clear features in the moonlight. She needed him closer. She had to feel the sharp stubble along his jaw.

She was just trailing her hand up the smooth material of his shirt when Bonnie snapped out of it and Caroline stepped from the water dripping wet.

Caroline flashed forward and broke Kol's neck; she suspected his distraction was the only reason she got away with it.

Elena bit down her outraged shriek. Fury exploded in her brain and she saw nothing but red.

Caroline's eyes grew round when Elena turned on her. She grunted in pain as the brunette's fist made contact.

"Elena," Caroline held her cheek, "what the hell?"

Elena didn't answer; her eyes had clouded over. She lunged forwards and knocked Caroline to the ground where they rolled in the grass for a moment.

Caroline was hesitant to lay a blow for fear of hurting her friend who was clearly going through some sort of psychotic episode; she assumed it was a result of the spell. Maybe she got some of that Mikaelson madness.

"I could use some help here, Bon," Caroline twisted her hips and flipped them over.

Elena squirmed and kicked when she was pinned beneath the blonde and her hands were held over her head. Somewhere in the back of her mind she recognized Caroline's worried eyes, but all she could think about was that this was the woman who had hurt him. Gritting her teeth she brought her head up sharply and broke Caroline's nose.

Caroline fell back, momentarily stunned as the bones healed. She blinked at the fading bruise on Elena's brow.

Bonnie flipped through her grimoire quickly for anything that would help in this situation; she'd deal with what had caused it later. She released a triumphant whoop when she found what she was looked for and raised her hand in Elena's direction.

Elena rolled Caroline onto her back and drew her fist back with the intention of attacking her again. Before she could bring her hand down her vision blurred around the edges. She swayed on her knees before crashing to the ground sound asleep.

Caroline listened to Elena's resting heart before sitting up and turning to Bonnie with raised brows.

"Don't look at me," she shook her head. "Can you carry her to the car? We should probably get out of her before he wakes up."

When Kol came to he found himself in an empty clearing. His head snapped around quickly looking for her. Her soft scent had all but faded when he climbed to his feet.

He was overcome with a strong need to find her and make sure she was safe.

Elena woke in her bedroom an hour later. Sitting up she stared in horror at her reflection in the mirror as the memory resurfaced.

She hadn't stopped to think about it; everything had been instinctual. She had attacked one of her best friends, and why? Because she had broken the neck of an Original vampire that had been in her personal space?

While she was on that topic: why had she been so comfortable with Kol in her personal space? Why had she been alright with it? Why had she wanted him to act on the desire she had seen so clearly in his eyes and pull her flush against his body?

What had Bonnie done to her? What had she done to them?

She didn't know much about Kol. She knew he was the youngest brother and that over the centuries he had gained a reputation as the wildest Mikaelson, but she had never seen it. The few interactions she'd had with him had been polite. She'd found him charming, attractive, and genial, but she supposed anyone would appear that way next to Klaus. She had never gotten the impression that he wanted to hurt her as she did with Rebekah; heck even Elijah had given her that feeling from time to time, but never Kol.

Her musings were interrupted by a gentle tapping on her window. Her eyes narrowed. She stood from the bed and made her way to the seat and threw open the window.

"Hi," her smile was warm. Why was her smile warm?

"Alright, darling?" He braced his hands on either side of the window frame. His eyes raked slowly over her body searching for any sign of injury.

"Fine," Elena perched on the window seat. She took a moment to look him over and bit her lip. Okay… he's cute… hot… that might answer at least one of my questions. "I'm not the one who had my neck broken though. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, love," he chuckled at the concern in her eyes.

"Are you sure?" She reached out and touched the side of his neck. Warm energy flowed up her arm on contact.

"Perfectly fine," he caught her wrist and brought her palm to his lips. Once he laid the first kiss he couldn't seem to stop.

Elena's breath caught as his lips left a burning trail up her inner arm. Desire raced through her body and pulsed in her abdomen. Her eyes fluttered and closed. They only opened again when she was pressed to lie down on the window seat and his lips nipped at the smooth column of her throat.

Her hands had slipped under his jacket and beneath his shirt to splay across his back. Her eyes flickered from the open window to where he was hovering over her in the bedroom.

Had she invited him in? Had Jeremy invited him in? She couldn't recall either event occurring. The only Original with an invitation to the house was Elijah.

"How did you get in?" She hummed when he sucked on her pulse point and arousal gathered in her panties. Should she have been able to smell it so clearly? She didn't know, but she did know that his aftershave was intoxicating.

Kol managed to tear his mouth from her throat. The lust that had clouded his senses lifted when he saw the open window. His eyes narrowed as he sat back and blinked at the space he had occupied only a short time before.

Elena sat up straight. Her leg draped over his thighs when she did.

"Through the window," he murmured. It was hard to think with her delectable scent filling the room, but he was fairly certain he'd never been invited in. "What…"

He trailed off when he met her lidded mahogany eyes. His gaze darted to her lips once before he cupped her cheek and pulled her closer. Her cool breath fanned over his chin making him pause for a moment. He met her eyes and was about to close the distance when a pounding heart drew their attention to the door.

Elena gasped when he vanished through her open window and the cool air chilled her flushed skin.

"Who were you talking to?" Caroline stayed in the door and looked around suspiciously.

"Uh…" Elena blinked a couple of times to clear the last of the lust, "myself?"

"Right…" Caroline drew out the word. "If I come in are you going to attack me again?"

Elena tilted her head and considered carefully. She had no desire to strike the blonde.

"I think you're good," she crossed her legs when Caroline came in. If she could smell herself than Caroline would be able to as well. "I'm sorry about what happened, Care. I'm not sure what came over me."

"Yeah, well," Caroline took a seat on the window ledge, "Bonnie's looking into that right now. As far as she can tell you acted on instinct and that you would have done the same if it had been me on the other end of that spell." Her nose wrinkled slightly when she caught the lingering smell of cinnamon.

"Did the spell…"

"It worked… we think," Caroline lifted Elena's wrist. "One way to find out."

Elena nodded once and swallowed down the surge of guilt that rushed up her throat. Why would she feel guilty about letting Caroline bite her?

Outside Kol supressed his growl when he heard the crunch of her skin being punctured by sharp teeth. It took every ounce of self-control he had to not flash out from behind the tree and lunge at Caroline Forbes. Every muscle tensed when he smelt her rich blood; his eyes grew round when the flow stopped completely a moment later.

Elena watched her skin knit itself back together before raising her eyes to Caroline.

"It worked," Caroline licked the blood from her lips. "Bonnie's going to try and find a way to undo it though. The last thing you need is to be bound to an Original. The whole point of this was to get you out from under Klaus' thumb."

Elena shivered. The thought of undoing what had been done felt wrong; almost as wrong as letting Caroline bite her.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep?" Caroline closed and latched her window. "You look exhausted."

"Hey!"

"In a pretty way," Caroline smirked.

"Much better," Elena laughed. The longer Kol was out of her sight the clearer her thoughts became, and the more she wanted him at her side again.

She made a vow then and there not to open her window again. She prayed he would take that as a sign that she needed to be alone and wouldn't open it on his own. She didn't think she'd have the strength to turn him away; she didn't think she'd want to, but allowing an Original into her bed was a bad idea.

It was a bad idea, right?

Kol stood in the shadows beneath her window for a few minutes to ensure she was safe. He might have stood there all night if it hadn't been for the Bennet witch and Caroline leaving.

He flashed away before they could see him.

He made sure to lock the doors of his balcony and bedroom before finally lying down.

He placed his headphones in his ears and attempted to return to his novel. Reading however proved impossible, as all he could see was her dark eyes.

He clenched his hands into tight fists and answered the phone when Nik called him back.

"Well?"

"She's perfectly fine," every fiber of his being was screaming at him to run and make sure his words were true. "She's sleeping peacefully in her own bed as we speak."

"Good. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon."

She spun in slow circles causing her full skirt to twirl around her legs and glitter in the flickering candle light, but it was nothing compared to the sparkle in her laughing eyes when he pulled her into his arms.

One of his hands was on her hip and the other was steering her across the empty dancefloor.

"You look ravishing, darling," he smiled down into her eyes.

"You clean up pretty well yourself," she teased. Her hand slid from his shoulder to the back of his neck. She glanced upwards to the stars that twinkled high above between the hanging lights that were strung across the open air courtyard. Music lifted from the antique gramophone. "Where are we?"

"New Orleans," he drew her closer as the music continued to play.

"La Vie en Rose?" She nodded to the rising notes.

"Yes," he smirked. "Do you like jazz, darling?"

"I love it," she nodded. "I always get strange looks when I tell anyone that."

"Outrageous," he gasped. "Never let anyone tell you what kind of music to listen to."

"You like music?" She arched a brow when he dipped her.

"I love it," he hovered over her and placed a gentle kiss to her cheek. "That's one of the best things about the twenty-first century." He chuckled when she gave him a puzzled look. "Music, darling; anytime you like."

Elena's eyes snapped open when her alarm sounded. The annoying buzz had interrupted the final strains of Petite Fleur.

It had completely ruined the mood and torn her from one of the strangest and most enjoyable dreams she had ever had. She could still see the stone courtyard in her mind's eye and hear the gentle trickle of the fountain. The dream had felt so real; if she'd had any artistic talent she might have been able to draw the courtyard from memory.

The incessant buzz of an alarm had roused him from a pleasant dream, but when he opened his eyes he could no longer hear the infernal contraption.

Still he checked his phone for any missed calls. He had fallen asleep with the jazz playlist still on; the final strains of Petite Fleur were coming to a close when he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood to take a shower. He could still hear her tinkling laugh and see her dancing in his mind's eye.

I really liked writing this first chapter. I'm thinking it will be at least 8-10 chapters, and might migrate from Mystic Falls to NOLA, but I haven't decided on that fact just yet.

All I'm going to say is that physical proximity is slightly difficult because the spell was only started, and it would not have worked with Caroline.

Can you guess why? What exactly happened in that clearing?

I'm going to have so much fun with this.