Chapter 2: Cheetos and Mountain Dew

PAST - 3 months previously

Damon awakes three minutes before his 6:30 alarm starts blaring, just as he does most mornings. Even on the rare days he has off work, his body is hardwired to wake at the first peep of the sunrise. Plus, he can't fathom staying in bed past 7am as it leaves him with a hollow sense of guilt and regret at having wasted the day.

He swings his legs out of bed, opens the curtains to reveal the clear blue skies and then heads to the bathroom to shower. Once he's freshly showered, shaved and dressed he floats downstairs to make breakfast. 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day' is a motto that Damon swears by and every morning the kitchen table is covered in a spread of cereals, croissants, jellies and on the mornings he has the time to cook, bacon and eggs, too.

Damon is so accustomed to being alone that he turns up the radio and begins humming along to the soft rock that plays as he fries himself some eggs. It's only moments before a grumpy head of wild sandy hair emerges causing Damon to jump slightly. Turning down the hob and volume on the radio, he chuckles to himself lightly.

"Oops, sorry, Stef. Forgot you were here."

Scratching his head and yawning Stefan replies, "I come all the way down to see you and on the first day you just forget I'm here? Yeah...nice to know you've been missing me."

Damon laughs lightly and feels warmth radiate through his chest. It's the first time in almost four months that he won't be eating breakfast alone - well if you don't count the times that he's scoffed down a bagel whilst sitting at his desk at work - and although he's well adjusted to being in his own company a majority of the time, he's happy to know that for today at least he gets to share the breakfast table with family.

"Take a seat, I'm making eggs."

Stefan thumps down onto a seat, wiping the sleep from his eyes and pours himself a glass of orange juice. He can't help but smile to himself at the parade of food that could feed every house in the street. Since he left for college four months ago he's become accustomed to eating cold pizza for breakfast and boy, has he missed this.

Damon certainly isn't blessed with culinary skills - if anything Stefan is the one most at home in the kitchen - but breakfast is Damon's specialty and Stefan is pleased to see that even with him gone Damon is still maintaining the routines he's always followed and that he still seems himself. When he first left, Stefan was worried that Damon wouldn't cope as well as he has.

Stefan is aware of how much his brother relies on him and always has - even if Damon is always determined to keep it hidden - and for that reason leaving for college wasn't a decision he came to lightly. Stanford had been his dream since he was thirteen years old, but it had always been him and Damon and he was terrified of being the one to change that. He only applied for Stanford on a whim, because his teacher had encouraged him, insisting that if he didn't he would regret it and he never expected anything to come of it. He had already applied to study at Columbia, which although wasn't his dream, had just as good a reputation as Stanford and was only 13 miles from Queens.

The day he received the acceptance letter from Stanford, Stefan's heart practically fell through his ass and although he couldn't comprehend letting the opportunity of a lifetime pass him by, he was willing to do it all for his brother. The only reason Stefan eventually accepted his place was because Damon practically forced him to. Damon knew how much Stefan had always dreamed of Stanford and no matter how much it hurt him to see his little brother leave home, he had to put Stefan's happiness above his own.

Although Stefan moving away hasn't completely destroyed their relationship, there's been a change. Whenever they speak now there's a sense of caution because Stefan doesn't want to hurt Damon by being honest about just how happy he with his new life at Stanford and Damon doesn't want to burden Stefan with knowing that he's more miserable than he has been in a very long time.

"Your eggs, sir," Damon announces placing a plate in front of Stefan.

"Thank you, chef."

Damon takes his seat across from Stefan and the two of them begin to eat. Even though they've spoke on the phone almost everyday since Stefan left, it doesn't compare to being together in person and they both feel a sense of comfort that only comes from being in the company of those you have known since you were a child.

"So how long you staying for? Just the weekend?" Damon inquires.

Stefan nods, his mouth full of eggs.

"Yeah. Got classes early Monday morning. Getting the 3:30 train tomorrow."

"Why're you getting the train? I can just drive you and if you'd have told me you were coming I could've picked you up too."

"But then it wouldn't have been a surprise would it?"

Damon rolls his eyes but can't help the smile that comes across his face.

"So how's it all going? Still maintaining your position as number 1 nerd?" Damon asks with a smirk.

Neither one of the brothers lack in intelligence - which is surprising considering the gene pool they're derived from - but their skills and natural abilities are in different areas. Stefan's home is academia, whilst Damon's is in the field. Damon is proud of his brother's achievements, but can't understand why anyone would choose to spend hours on end locked away in their room with their nose buried in a book and similarly, Stefan's social ineptitude and lack of pragmatism prevents him from being able to conduct himself in Damon's world.

"No, but seriously, is it all good? I don't wanna be slacking in my duties as big brother and I'm pretty sure knowing every dull detail of your college life is part of those duties. So what's been going on?"

"Damon, we speak everyday."

"Yeah, small talk for two minutes when I'm not at work and you're not busy partying. Oh, sorry, I mean 'studying'."

Damon gestures air quotes as he says the word studying and gives Stefan a playful wink, but Stefan can't muster a smile and feels himself growing uncomfortable with the direction the conversation is heading in. He wants to share every detail of the new life he's built for himself since he left for Stanford - the joys of immersing himself in a subject he's passionate about, the endless parties with his new friends, the sunny Californian weather and picturesque beaches, the beautiful girl that he can scarcely get off of his mind - he wants to tell him everything, but his unbearable need to protect Damon prevents him from doing so.

"Shit!" Damon exclaims. "Sorry, Stefan, I've gotta be heading out. Finish breakfast and we'll catch up tonight, yeah? I get off at 8. I'll order us a pizza in."

"Yeah, yeah, sounds good," Stefan replies, with a light sigh of relief.

Damon begins gathering his possessions that he's already laid out on the kitchen counter into his pockets one by one, before heading to the door. He pats himself down, mentally making his way down the checklist ingrained in his mind, to ensure he has everything he needs and instantly senses that there's something he's forgotten.

"You'll be needing" Stefan chirps.

Damon turns to Stefan who has his hand extended, Damon's 9mm clasped in his hand. Damon sighs and nods, taking it from Stefan.

"Cheers, buddy."

Damon secures the gun in it's holster and Stefan returns to the table, pouring himself a second glass of orange juice and stuffing croissant into his mouth.

"Stefan?"

"Mm-hm?"

"I'm happy you're here, brother."

Damon arrives at work at 8am on the dot, the station already bustling with life and the signature smell of stifling coffee lingering in the air. Damon is probably one of the only officers in the department that isn't a caffeine addict - since he learned early on in life the danger of addictions in any form - and goes straight to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.

"Morning, you," a cheerful voice calls.

Damon shuts the refrigerator door to see his partner, Caroline, beaming at him.

"Hey."

"Looks like we've got a fun day of paperwork ahead of us," she says with a smile, before taking her mug from underneath the coffee machine.

"Looks like it."

There's rarely a moment when Caroline doesn't have a smile on her face and her cascading, golden locks are a reflection of her supremely optimistic and cheerful spirit. Damon often wonders how she manages to always remain upbeat, particularly on days like today when they're going to be sat at a desk all day filling out extensive and tedious paperwork.

Although breakfast with Stefan lifted Damon's spirits and made him hopeful that today would be a good day, a sense of inexplicable melancholy has taken him over and he just can't seem to shake it.

He and Caroline walk out of the kitchen and to their desks and instead of asking Damon what's wrong or attempting to improve his mood with words of comfort, Caroline simply teases, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Caroline?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

With that Caroline holds her hands up and exhales. "Jeez, sorry I said anything."

Damon meets her eyes and she breaks out into laughter. He shakes his head but can't help the small smile that comes across his face.

The hours whizz by and Damon works without pause - not even stopping for a lunch break - in the hope he'll be able to leave early to get back home to Stefan. When it reaches 5pm he finally decides to take a well deserved break and heads to the local store to grab a sandwich.

"I'm heading to the store. Want anything?" Damon asks Caroline.

With a shake of her head she responds, "I'm fine, thanks."

Damon shrugs his jacket on, heads for the elevator and just as he's waiting for it to arrive Caroline yells, "Ooh, actually, I'll have some gum!"

Damon smiles to himself as he enters the elevator and the moment the doors have closed he takes his phone from out of his pocket to call Stefan.

"Hey. Just calling to check in. You alright?...I know, I know you're not a kid anymore, doesn't mean I trust you alone in my apartment. I know what you students are like. An empty apartment is basically code for a party." Damon chuckles lightly. "Well I've almost finished up the paperwork I needed to do so hopefully I'll be back for 7...Yeah, yeah, okay. See you later."

With the store being a 10 minute walk, Damon leaves his car in the parking lot and takes off on foot. The blue skies he awoke to this morning have faded to give way to a canvas of dark grey cloud and the howling wind signals the brewing of a storm.

The streets are bustling with life, just as they always are, but Damon likes it that way. Although he grew up in a small town in Virginia where everybody was on a first name basis and idle gossip meant it was impossible to maintain any semblance of a private life, Damon has settled into the city life of New York with ease since he moved here three years ago.

When he first arrived it felt as though he'd stepped into an alternate universe, but he quickly realised that he liked the city life and that it suited him.

In the city, nobody cares about anyone's business but their own, full anonymity is a guarantee and even amongst the chaos, life seems simpler to Damon because it's just lived. There's never anybody questioning why or what for, but back home that's all anyone seemed to do. They'd question why they got out of bed each morning to go to a job they hated for poor pay and no prospects, why they remained in loveless marriages or why they felt so deeply unfulfilled even though on paper they had everything they could want and were living the American dream.

There's none of that here, because there's no time to ask those questions. Life is always moving; there's always somewhere to be, something to do or someone to see and even if you're miserable you don't have the time to ponder over it or wallow in self pity. That's likely why Damon feels so at home here; because it allows him to run from the deep pit of loneliness and despair that weighs down heavily on his soul.

Luckily just as rain starts to fall Damon makes it to the store and jogs the last few feet to get inside. Just as he reaches the door a dark blur fills his vision and he's knocked backwards by the force of someone crashing into him.

"Hey! Hey, you! Stop her! Stop that girl!" a man from inside the store yells.

Damon sees that the person standing before him is a young girl dressed in a black hoodie, a blue baseball cap poking from underneath the hood and although he's still confused he remains in the door way, blocking the girl's path as she attempts to sprint past him.

The store manager practically trips over his feet as he sprints from behind the counter and shouts, "Don't let her leave! Don't let her go! She's a thief! Thief!"

The girl doesn't relent and dashes to left, then to the right and back again in a frantic attempt to escape, before resulting to simply running into Damon and pushing him with all her might. Unfortunately for her, Damon is not only a police officer but also a gym member and she has no chance of overpowering Damon, who although small in stature is athletic and sturdy.

Damon stares down at her and he can't help the small smile that tugs at the corners of his mouth. Regardless of any crime she may have committed he has to admire her commitment and determination to escape.

Coming up from behind her the store manager aggressively grabs the girl, twisting her arm behind her back and causing her to yell out in pain.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Damon calls out, running forward and immediately whipping his badge out from his pocket. "Detective Damon Salvatore, NYPD. Let the girl go, sir, before I have you arrested for assault."

All it takes is one glimpse of the police badge in Damon's hand and the middle aged man immediately loosens his grip on the young girl.

"Me arrested? She's the thief. Arrest her!"

"Sir, I will handle this," Damon says with a brief flick of the hand at the man. "Now what was it you stole?"

Damon looks to the girl, but her head is hanging low and her baseball cap is hiding her face from view.

"A bag of Cheetos and a can of Mountain Dew," the store manager states.

Damon has to fight with all his might not to let out a scoff of amusement. He's been in the force long enough to have encountered all manner of crime and although any infringement upon the law is constitutionally wrong, these kind of incidents are laughable to him. I mean, Cheetos and Mountain Dew? Really? When someone has been witness to the bloody and mangled bodies of the victims of brutal murder, as Damon has, the theft of a bag of Cheetos and can of soda pales in comparison.

"What happens next? I told you I want to press charges," the man demands. "People like her, they're good for nothing. They're better off in jail."

Suddenly the girl charges forward, running for the door, but Damon beats her in speed as well as strength and manages to grab hold of her.

"Stop. Just stop running," he tells her.

Her shoulders are rising up and down from the rapidness of her breathing.

"I want to press charges, now! I want to make a statement," the man says loudly.

"I told you, I'll handle this and you have customers to serve."

The man turns around to see the small line of customers that has began to form, all of them staring ahead at the events that have just unfolded, before letting out a large sigh. "I'm not letting this go. That girl is a thief and I won't stand for anyone taking from my store."

He marches off back behind the counter to serve the customers and Damon turns back to the girl, her arm still clutched in his hand.

"I think you best come with me," he tells her, before heading to the door, gently pulling her along with him.

When they get outside the beginnings of drizzle that Damon was caught in on his way into the store has descended into a downpour. Although Damon remains alert, knowing that the girl is likely to attempt another escape, amongst the crowds of people in the street running for shelter she manages to wriggle free from his grip and takes off down the street.

"Hey! Hey!" he shouts, sprinting after her.

Once she's taken off Damon realises that she's faster than he'd given her credit for and her slender body means she's incredibly agile as she weaves between pedestrians.

When Damon catches up to her she violently squirms against him, grunting and groaning as she does.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm just trying to help you! I'm not really going to arrest you, I just wanted to get you something to eat."

At Damon's words she relents and finally lifts her head up to meet his eyes, her eyes narrowed with suspicion and brow furrowed in confusion.

"You were trying to steal Cheetos and a soda...something tells me you could use it."

The mere offer of food causes all fight to leave the girl and Damon feels her body relax, so he loosens his grip on her.

"Come on. There's a cafe around the corner from here. They make a mean burger."

For a couple of seconds she stares up at him, apprehensive and afraid, but Damon flashes her a reassuring smile and says, "I'm a cop, I won't hurt you. All I'm doing is offering to buy you a burger and after that you can go."

It's not his words, but the sincerity and warmth of his smile that leads her to accept his offer with a nod of her head.

"Great, "Damon smiles. "Well now that we've sorted that, we should really hurry and get out of the rain."

The two of them fall into step, hastily making their way through the rain in the direction of the cafe.