Chapter 1~ Deception

I see the memories play in your eyes
the secrets they hold,
the emotions they harbor,
Exploding, vivid and wild, splashes of colors
But you're a stranger to me…
Stranger!

Original plot suggested by my darling sister Amazing Aisha.

Well she wanted an action packed romance, I hope I'd be able to deliver it. This is my first time exploring into the area of crime and American judicial system, so fair warning there will be a lot of mistakes, things might seem far from reality, please remember it's all my imagination and it's a fiction. I will try my level best to keep things as close to normalcy as possible. Well if I fail, just bear with me.

Little info about the characters: Damon and Stefan are not brothers in this story so I had to put another sir name for Stefan. Stefan is Elena's mentor and close friend and before you scream 'no more Stelena' they're not going to be romantically involved, Stefan cares about her like a sister. And about Damon, let's just keep him a mystery for now, we'll slowly unfold. What's say, my dear readers?

Now I don't find long and sweet poetry exactly fitting for this story but I'm still willing to write a few lines in the beginning of each chapter, even if it's bogus I just can't help myself. My rumbling ends here, time to delve into the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from The Vampire Diaries.

Chapter 1~ Deception

There's more to what the eye meets,
There's history, there's secret,
What you see is only the tip
What you see is only the tip
There's a mountain hidden under.

February 17th 2018
Philadelphia, Municipal Court
11:00 hours

"Mr. Woods, correct me if I'm wrong. You've admitted your involvement in the grand larceny that had taken place in Hotel Plaza on the 23rd of November." The attorney enunciated each and every syllable. His eyes fixed at the fidgeting figure seated in the witness box.
"Yes!" he replied somewhat hesitantly.
A smirk played on the attorney's lips, as if he was pleased with the answer, despite of knowing that particular affirmation can cause him to lose the case and send his client behind bars. He unfastened his suit button and walked towards the desk to pick up a sealed envelope. "Yet you've pled for the trial, you claim to have valuable information regarding the quandary. Something that can possibly pardon you from your sentence, at the very least can shorten the length of imprisonment."

"Objection, your honor, defense attorney is overstepping his boundaries." The prosecutor voiced out with an indifferent face.
"Mr. Smith, I advice you leave the decision making to the judge. Now without wasting valuable time I'd suggest you proceed with the questioning."

"Pardon me, your honor." He averted his gaze to the witness box again, "Why didn't you confess in front of the police department? Why did you ask for a separate trial to reveal this information?"
The man stuttered, with fumbling hands he reached into his jacket pocket to take out his handkerchief. With a quick swipe of hand he wiped the sweat beads that were trickling down his forehead. "I… I couldn't. I couldn't trust the department. They might tamper with the evidence, they'd always protect their own."
"What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting there's a mole in the department?"

"Objection your honor, Mr. Smith is leading the witness."
"Sustained!"
"What do you mean by 'They'd protect their own'?"

The man shifted his gaze to the back of the room then turned to the DA's desk and finally he stared into the prosecutor's infuriating face. "Someone from the police department was involved with this venture, in fact the person has single handedly carried out the entire plan. And… there's a recorded footage of the incident. I wanted to…" he choked with his own words, as if he was scared for his life. "They threatened to kill me… And when I didn't budge, they threatened my family. That's why I begged for the trial."

A whisper erupted in the court room, muffling all sound but was quickly put to silence by the judge.

"Go on Mr. Woods." The judge urged the man to continue.
"It was Detective Elena Gilbert!" he nearly shouted and with this confession the room fell silent, all the heads snapped towards the DA's desk. Not a word, not a murmur, all that remained was the deafening silence, and numerous pairs of eyes that gazed upon her, suffocating her to numbness.

"This is preposterous!" the prosecutor screeched, his fists banging against the hardwood desk. "Detective Gilbert is a reputed officer; she has proven herself useful countless times over the course of her service for the commonwealth. And this man…" He pointed a finger to the witness box, "This thief… Are we to trust a felon now?" he asked exasperated.

"Objection, Mr. prosecutor has forgotten a man is innocent till the charges are proven, so I'd suggest him to be careful with words." He took a deep breath before proceeding, "As per the charges, I understand these are serious allegation, but we have the means to prove the witness's statement. Sometimes there's more to the eye meets." He turned his head back towards Elena's mortified face, his lips twitched upwards for a brief second. He composed himself in no time and tore open the envelope and handed over a flash drive.

The small screen came to live with a clear view of the safe that held the jewel. The cam went hazy for a split second and then out of nowhere a female figure appeared right in front of the desk. Her petite hands working skillfully with the digital lock, she moved freely around the safe indicating that the laser beams have been disabled. She attached a small device over the lock and within minutes the lock came undone. She didn't waste time, hastily reaching for the velveteen box; she opened the case ajar and plucked out the necklace. A loud gasp reverberated throughout the space as the diamonds dazzled under the neon lights. Princes Dahla's necklace, indeed! It was unequivocal, she turned towards the camera, a sinister smile plastered on her face. A loud bang echoed through the speakers and the screen went blank.

"But she's not the suspect here!" The prosecutor said, his voice faltering.
"Believe me, now she is." Mr. Smith taunted, his voice barely above a whisper, "Now, with your permission I would like to call Sergeant Stefan Ronald in the witness box."

"You can't call on witness without prior notice, there's decorum for…"
"I would make an exception in this particular situation." The judge's declaration was enough to silence the prosecutor for good.
"Thank you, your honor."

With a nod of the judge's head, the young Sergeant got up from his position and proceeded upfront. His green eyes lingered over her face; he squeezed her hands reassuringly before detaching himself and took the seat.

"Sergeant Ronald, you were working on this case with Detective Gilbert, am I correct?"
"Yes."
"And all the crucial details, the location of the safe, the security including the pass code for laser protection was accessible to both of you."
"Yes."
He took a pause, almost contemplating his next question, his pointer finger lightly rubbing his chin, "So Sergeant, tell how did this key piece of evidence go missing from the watchful eyes of 'reputed detectives'." His eyes drifted between Stefan and the baffled attorney.
"There was no cctv footage; my team has searched every nook and cranny of that hotel, we didn't find anything. Except for this scumbag, lurking around the basement." Stefan replied defiantly.
"For the sake of argument, let us presume you're telling the truth and there wasn't any footage when you're efficient team went searching for it. But could it be possible that the evidence was in fact present and it was erased from the system."
"Well… I… Yes, I guess, that could…"
"So you don't deny! Very well. Now I'm at a predicament and I believe you'd be able to show me a way out." Stefan was annoyed to the core, but he knew better than to lash out at this moment, especially the effect it might bring on Elena. He swallowed a lump and balled his palms into fists, desperately trying to regain his composure.
"Where was Detective Gilbert between 8:30 to 9:30 pm?"
Stefan's eyes widened in shock, he stuttered with the answer, "I don't know. She was not at the casino."
"Was she wearing that particular attire during the evening that was shown in the footage?"
He couldn't answer that question, his mind tried to conjure up a different image but he wouldn't lie, he vowed to stay truthful, no matter what's at stake, no matter who's at stake. But Elena… His mouth went dry, he parted his lips but his voice died at the back of his throat.
"Answer us Sergeant. Was she wearing the same gown?"
Stefan hung his head low, "Yes"
"No further question, your honor."

"This is absurd. Based on dress you can't convict anyone, let alone a detective. Elijah Smith, I know you're playing us, you're…"
Elijah huffed in response, "Mr. Prosecutor, I'm not convicting anyone, unfortunately that is beyond my power." He murmured the last part. "Your honor, this is an unfortunate day for the federal government, as we were this close to convict an innocent man, while the criminal was sitting right under our noses. They brought up bogus charges against my client, harassed him, not to forget threatened him and his family."

The crowd erupted in ear numbing applauds at Elijah's speech, soon to be silenced by the judge though. He knew he had won, there was no denying it.

Once everyone settled down, the judge cleared his throat, prying over his thick round glasses he announced, "Based on the evidence presented today, Mr. Trevor Woods has been cleared of all prior charges. While a new suspect has been brought forth. I order detective Gilbert to be taken under custody and to begin a thorough investigation. She would be stripped off all her rights as a public servant. This is a warning to the police department, there should not be a repeat of such incident, I'd suggest being extra cautious with the evidence. And Sergeant Ronald will no longer be leading this case. However he might assist the assigned officer but he shall no longer have solo authority in the matter."

Elena sat frozen to her seat, she vaguely felt her arms being yanked, tugged behind her back and a faint click sound. Oh! The familiar clicking sound, but she didn't protest, she was being dragged now, how she has done a number of time with the faggots, somehow this time it felt different. She lifted her gaze only to meet Stefan's drained eyes, she flashed a weak smile and proceeded forward. On her way out before stepping inside the vehicle she met the man, someone she considered a friend, against all odds. She glanced up to see his face, searching for a sign of remorse, sorrow, pleasure, anything but she found none. He was indifferent.

"Why?" she asked, her voice stern.
"It had to be done. Some things can be sacrificed, some can not." With that he turned on his heels and disappeared in the sea of corporate wave. That moment broke her trance, reality hit her and it hit hard bruising her faith. She was alone, from where she stood she didn't see a way out.

17:00 hours

She woke up abruptly, there was no slow warming up, no gentle stir of her worn out muscles, no lazy sun beams to caress her face. She was awake, with eyes wide open, drinking in the feedback of her senses. Drenched in sweat like a flower covered in dew, she tried to pull herself on her feet realizing she wasn't in her bed. The light suddenly seemed harsh on her eyes, that stench, she was oddly familiar with it, a concoction of sweat, dirt and stale coffee; but it made her stomach roil like never before. The gnawing feeling was numbing every fiber of her body, she wanted to get out, she needed a way out, she couldn't possibly stand this, not for a second. Before she could scream she saw the door creak open.

"Oh Stefan! Thank God, it's you… I need to get out, this…" she pointed to her surrounding, "I…" she took a pause, "The dream, no, nightmare. Oh God Stefan, it was awful. We lost our only lead, and not only that scum Trevor got free, they, they blamed me…" her breathing became shallow, "they…"
Stefan rushed to her side, urging her to drink water that he was holding. When she visibly relaxed he began, "Elena…" his voice subtle but the hidden anxiety was too evident to go unnoticed.
"It's true isn't it? It was no dream. I…" she glanced down at her hands, her eyes glued to the metal cuff that was securely tied around her left wrist, the other end bound with metal table in front. She crooked her head attempting to get a hold on her surrounding, the interrogation room.

Stefan was prepared for another blow, a hysteric fit maybe, he was walking around eggshells, but what came next startled him, she laughed and laughed. In between her carefree giggle the only coherent words were "Karma is a Bitch!" Before he could ponder on her words the door opened for the second time.

"Captain…" Stefan began but was silenced by the wave of hand. The woman dressed in black approached Elena, her face somber but there was slight tug at her lips. Now this could have been a façade, or maybe he was just being delusional.

"Detective Gilbert…" she asked in a sultry voice, when she didn't get a response she tried again, "Elena, please we need to…"
"I didn't do it." She shot up, her voice determined, unwavering.
The other woman glanced at the glass window, gesturing to turn the recorder off. She reached for her free hand, giving it an assuring squeeze, "We know that, Elena, We trust you, but as you know this entire system is based on evidence not emotions."
Stefan decided to intervene, "But she couldn't do it, that footage was fake, we can prove it, our techno department can…"
"Stefan need I remind you, you're no longer the investigating officer for this case."
"Oh yeah! And who is?" he retorted.
"I am." She glared at his dumbfounded face before continuing, "You'll submit all the files, every minute detail to me by tomorrow 9 AM. After that you can leave the case or work under my supervision. Since you're one of my trusted officers I would appreciate your involvement in this, considering all circumstances."

Stefan nodded in affirmation, while Elena's eyes were down casted. During the official interrogation she didn't glance up, after answering a series of questions about her where about that particular night the session was finally over. Once the recorder was turned off Elena raised her head staring at the woman up front.

"Is there a way for me? Will you be able to prove my innocence?"
"Of course, there's always a door. Elena, I won't let you rot in a cell, you are one of our promising officers, which brings me to this." She took out a key and with a flick cracked open the handcuff. She smiled for the first time, her eyes glinting with an unknown vibe.

"Stefan, Elena you two will be conducting another mission, off the record obviously." She held out a manila folder, "This ruckus began with 'The Vipers', we got a whiff that they're in town for the auction of Princess Dahla's necklace. But so far we don't have anything on them, not even a name." Her brows knitted in frustration, "Somehow I feel they're behind everything, from the theft to Elena's arrest. So if we want to prove Elena's innocence we must bring forth the offenders."

"How're we gonna do that?" Stefan asked running his hand through his already messy brown hair, "Our only lead is roaming around free and we can't lay a finger on him and…"

The woman smirked, "Well, as I said, there's always another way, if you can't take legal action do it in the other way." She got up and patted his shoulder, "Sometimes it's necessary to break the rules." Stefan looked every bit puzzled and he was certain Elena's face mirrored his reaction.

She was about to leave when Elena called her, "So what do you suggest? Where should we start? The Vipers are like a myth, we know the name, we know the stories but other than that we're pretty much empty."
She turned her head back, "Maybe someone from their line of work, someone you know would be able to provide you insight about the gang."
Elena froze in her tracks, "Rose… You can't be serious…" her voice barely above a whisper.
"He is your only chance Elena. The next trial in on 20th March. That's how much time you have." With that she turned on her heels and left the two baffled officers in the cold room.

She fell back to the chair, her mouth still hung open but she didn't utter a word.
"I don't understand this woman. How are we suppose to catch the untraceable vipers?" Stefan huffed, "And what was she saying, 'someone from their line of work.' Who is she talking about?" His eyes widened in shock, "No! She can't be serious. He'll never…"

"He's my only chance, Stefan. I have to try. It's time, we pay Damon Salvatore a visit."

A/N: So... How about hitting the review button and typing in a sentence or two. I'll be waiting eagerly!