Chapter One
It was unnerving to Stefan to be surrounded by criminals. Granted, he was considered to be a criminal at this point. They were all in cuffs, and any potential weapon had been taken away before they had been escorted to their ride. He was on his way to Fox River Penitentiary, and he was calm about it. He knew prison wasn't a pleasant place to be, but Stefan didn't think it would be hard for him to adapt. He knew the entire layout of the building, and if he forgot something, he had a quick and easy way to find his answer.
Plus, he didn't plan on staying long.
Stefan and the others were shuffled out of the vehicle and into the building. He went through the necessary checks, saying goodbye to the belongings that were in his possession at the courthouse. Everything was deliberately placed too. He only had items on him that would do him of use later on.
As he moved through the end of the line, he approached one of the correctional officers. He didn't look all that pleasant, but Stefan guessed none of them were if they had been in this line of work for awhile.
"Name," came the barking order from the unpleasant looking man.
"Salvatore, Stefan."
The man paused at the mention of the last name. Stefan knew where the pause came from, but if he wanted to say something about it, he held it back. Salvatore meant something in this prison, and it wasn't like it was as common of a last name as 'Smith.' At the same time, the C.O. couldn't automatically assume anything. "Tell me, Salvatore," he continued, pausing after he put emphasis on the name he had come to know so well. "Are you a religious man?"
"I can't say I am."
"Good thing. The Ten Commandments? Don't mean anything around here. We've only got two in here. The first? You've got nothing coming."
"And what's the second, then?"
"See commandment number one."
Stefan couldn't help but give the man a smile as he bit back a laugh. Trying to lay down the law from the get go. "Whatever you say, Boss."
The C.O. - who had yet to introduce himself, but Stefan noted that his name tag had 'Captain Fell' etched into the metal – gave him a hard stare before speaking again. "Are you being a smart ass?"
"Not at all, Boss. I'm just going to fly low and under the radar. I'll do my time and get out."
"Flying under the radar doesn't exist in my house."
Stefan tilted his head to the side, examining the man in front of him. He guessed he shouldn't underestimate anyone at this point. "Good to know," he stated simply before moving along the line.
After that, the line moved quickly, and Stefan found himself being escorted to his cell. This was the only part he was nervous about. Sure, everything was deliberately planned when it came to this, and Stefan was all about the details. Unfortunately, there were a couple parts in the plan that the younger Salvatore had no control over. They weren't something he could figure out until he got here. And one of them?
His cell mate.
"Open on 40!" he heard the correctional officer yell. There was a loud buzzing noise as the cell he stood in front of opened. There were two levels in general population, otherwise known as 'gen pop', and his was on the second level. The C.O. standing next to him motioned for him to exit before telling another guard to close the door. "Welcome home, convict." Well, wasn't he charming.
Some people had a cell to their own, but he guessed it didn't last long. The man in the cell continued to read as Stefan took in his surroundings. His cellmate didn't look too bad, but you couldn't take appearances as the whole truth in a place like this. He had naturally already claimed the top bunk, but Stefan really didn't care. The cell was small, so outside of the bunks, all that was left was a little area for storage and a toilet. His eyes stopped on the toilet for a moment, taking in something he had studied on the blueprints for so long.
"Have a fetish for the can?"
He must have been staring for too long, because his cell mate had spoken up finally. His eyes moved over to him, before shaking his head. He didn't say anything in response to the toilet, but instead skipped straight to the introduction. "I'm Stefan." He figured he'd drop the last name for now
"Kol Mikaelson." He had a book in his hand, and he casually flipped to the next page of his book. But while he was all casual, Stefan's mind was suddenly racing.
Mikaelson. That was a name he had studied well in his research, but that wasn't the Mikaelson he had been hoping to run into. He had every intention of tracking down a Klaus, though. He didn't ask him if there was any relation, but he wanted to. It was too soon to jump the gun, and for all he knew, the two of them weren't related. Something that tipped the scale into the related side was the accent. The Mikaelsons were British, and so seemed to be the man in front of him.
They sat in silence for a little while after their initial exchange, but it wasn't long until his thoughts were interrupted by the loud voice of the C.O. he had met earlier, Captain Fell.
"Alright, ladies! Let's get moving. Yard time!"
There was the loud buzzing of a cell opening again, but this time, all of the cells opened. The two of them filled out with some of the other men, and after walking a few feet, there was a commotion on the level beneath them. Stefan turned, spotting a man now lying on the floor. Blood was spilling out of his stomach faster than he could hold it in. A shank was stuck inside of him, and the correctional officers were now bringing the other convict to the ground. Stefan's eyes widened, realizing that he hadn't even been in his cell for an hour before he was going to watch a man bleed out in front of him.
Suddenly, Kol was leaning closer to him. "Welcome to Prisneyland, Fish."
"What's wrong with you?"
That was the million dollar question though, wasn't it? Everyone wanted to know what was wrong with him. But if you asked DJ Salvatore, it was more like what wasn't wrong with him anymore. He was your typical fourteen year old boy, though, and he wasn't going to tell his mother what she wanted to know.
"Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me." It was a stone cold lie, and DJ's thoughts had been consumed by the same thing for the last day or so. He already lost his father to Fox River when he decided to kill someone, and now his uncle was lost to the same place. It seemed like he was almost jinxed. Any important male figure was doomed to leave him for jail.
"Oh, really? Then why did you have to be escorted home by the police tonight for selling marijuana? And why did your teacher call me about your sudden failing grades? He said he sent home a test and wanted me to sign it to know I saw it – which, I didn't." His mother, Rose, let out a sigh. She always looked stressed lately, and he knew it was partly his fault. "This is about your father, isn't it? Maybe it's time we went and saw him."
"Father? I don't have one of those." The words were more venomous than he truly felt, but DJ always thought he needed to be angry. It made his life easier to pretend to be betrayed. It was the worst when everything first went down; everyone at school had looked at him with either pity or fear back then.
Rose scoffed at the words. "I promise you, DJ. It wasn't some immaculate conception."
The fourteen year old looked down at his hands, not wanting to say anything at first. It wasn't like it had always been like this. He could remember clearly a time when he saw his father whenever he could. DJ had thought the world of him, and he always thought that he loved him. Apparently it wasn't enough, otherwise his dad wouldn't have somehow wound up in jail. DJ never knew the specifics of his father's downward spiral; all he knew was that his father was on death row for killing the Vice President's brother.
It didn't help that the one man he thought he could count on to not end up that way was now in prison too.
"Are you done?" he finally questioned. He appreciated everything his mother did for him, but he was still your average teenager. He hit the wall when it came to these kinds of conversations, and his uncle's arrest was too fresh in his memory to handle this. Plus, he now had his own problems to deal with. People were going to start thinking that handcuffs ran in the family.
His mother gave him the look. It was the look that said she would give it up for now, but she wasn't giving up all together. He could tell she was still on the idea of visiting dear 'ol dad.
She didn't say anything though, so DJ took that as his quick exit to leave.
Yard time wasn't something he was particularly looking forward to. It did give Stefan the opportunity to get some of his business done, but it didn't mean that he was particularly thrilled at the idea of being so close to so many criminals – so many people that would be willing to gut him if he looked at them the wrong way.
He was, however, looking forward to possibly seeing his brother.
Stefan was surprised that Kol hadn't taken off, but he guessed that the man was just as interested in finding out about his new cellmate as Stefan was. Fish had become Stefan's new nickname, and from what he could tell, all the newest additions to their home of thugs, thieves, and murderers were called that.
"So—what did you do to get in here?" Stefan finally asked.
"Robbery. I needed some money, and I needed it quick, but I was cut off by the bastards I call my family." He sounded a little bitter about it, but Stefan didn't plan on pushing the matter. He did catch a look that Kol sent across the yard to another person, though. He turned to see Stefan watching him, so instead of giving him the opportunity to ask anything about the look, Kol continued on. "I needed to buy a ring for my girl."
Stefan cocked an eyebrow up. "Did it all for love? Did you at least get a chance to ask her?"
Kol shook his head. "Nah. Not yet, anyway. I'll fix it though. Soon. I'll ask her soon."
His cellmate's walk started to slow, so Stefan slowed his walk to match it. Someone was coming up to them.
"Hey man," the new inmate greeted, taking a second to look at Stefan. "Who's the new Fish?"
"My new celly. This is Stefan. Stefan, meet Tyler Lockwood. He's the local pharmacy around here."
Stefan turned to see to look over at the boy across from him. He wouldn't be the first person that Stefan would expect to be the one to get you the drugs you needed, but he figured he needed to stop assuming things when it came to the men in this prison. The two exchanged some quick pleasantries, but Stefan kept that in mind. He might need some pharmaceuticals later on.
Stefan turned to look across the yard as the two boys talked. The person that Kol had been looking at earlier caught his attention. He was sitting and playing cards with two other people, but they weren't the only people in the area. He had a couple others standing around him – acting almost as if they were body guards. He was the only Mikaelson that Stefan had expected to run into. Klaus Mikaelson's arrest had been very public. When a big time criminal was arrested, it was always the talk of the town. If his office had a water cooler, it probably would have been the topic of the conversation the day after.
Klaus wasn't someone to be trifled with, but Stefan had no choice. He would provide something that their escape plan desperately needed.
Transportation.
He didn't want to bring it up right then and there, but at least he had a face to look for.
Tomorrow. He'd make sure he would talk to him tomorrow.
Stefan then turned around, seeing Kol still talking to Tyler. Now was as good a time as any, he supposed.
"I'm looking for someone. A guy named Damon Salvatore. Do either of you know where I could find him?" He was greeted with silence at first, but he knew they both heard his question. He also guessed that every single person in this prison knew who Damon Salvatore was.
"Damon? Why are you looking for him?" Kol finally piped up. Stefan didn't answer right away. Kol hadn't answered his question about where he might be, so Stefan didn't really feel like answering Kol's question just yet. "I mean, the man killed the brother of the Vice President. He's locked up real tight, especially since he's getting that chair in a month. Nobody in this prison is more dangerous than him right about now. He's got nothing to lose."
Stefan mulled over Kol's words before speaking again. "Is there any way I could get to him?"
Tyler looked curious over the conversation, but Kol decided it was best if they kept walking. He didn't know how the other inmates would take his new cellmate asking questions about the man on death row, so Kol wanted to figure out what was going on in his head first.
"Walk with me."
Stefan turned on his heel, following Kol across the yard. They reached the fence, and he pointed across the way.
There he was. It wasn't far, but he was still secluded. They'd probably be able to talk if Damon was standing on the side of the fence that was closer to the yard. It seemed like Damon was given yard time too, but it wasn't out in the green, grassy area with the rest of the community.
"The only way he gets out of the nice little boxes they create for him is for PI and chapel."
"PI?" Stefan questioned. He knew what it was, but he was playing along.
"Prison Industry. It's one of the jobs around here. Nineteen cents an hour. It isn't much, but it's one of the better jobs around here. It's a lot of construction. Don't get too excited though, Fish. You're not gonna get in on PI." He stated it matter of factly, and if you listened in close enough, you'd hear the slight bitter tone that seeped into his voice at the end.
"Why's that?" he probed.
"Because Klaus runs it, and he doesn't let anyone in on it outside of his circle."
So that was the reason for the bitter. If Stefan's suspicious were right and the two were brothers, it seemed like Kol wasn't even in his 'circle.'
"Why do you want to see Salvatore so bad, anyway?"
Stefan paused, a small smile crossing his lips. "Because he's my brother."
On his way inside, Stefan was stopped by one of the correctional officers. "Salvatore! It's time for your appointment with the Doc."
Right on schedule.
He said his goodbye to Kol before he was lead towards the infirmary. He took in every bit of it that he could as he walked through the hallways and into the room he had poured over for months. He especially made sure to spot a certain floor vent that was would be one of their stops on their escape plan. This room would be a very important stop, and he had to do whatever he could to ensure his presence in this room as much as possible over the next few months.
That's when he decided it would be a nice time to become a diabetic.
Granted, you can't just decide to become diabetic. That wasn't going to stop him, though. He had plans, and he was glad he already met the local pharmacy to help him with those plans later on. For now, he just had to hand over an arm to stick a needle in.
He sat in the silent room for the time being with the silence only being interrupted by the opening of the door. He was greeted by the face of a much prettier blonde than he had expected. Then again, he supposed he really didn't know what he had been expecting when it came to his future doctor. He supposed it would make everything a lot easier. He had always planned on playing very nice; being charming, almost. It wouldn't be painful to act charming to a pretty girl, that was for sure.
She didn't say much, walking over to him with her supplies as he rolled up his sleeve. She slowly took in the look of his arm and the tattoos that covered it. "That looks fresh," she finally spoke. "But I guess that since you're a diabetic, you don't mind the needles."
He ignored the comment about his tattoos, skipping straight to introductions. "I'm Stefan, by the way."
"I'm aware. I read your report before you got here."
Stiff. He couldn't tell if she was like that naturally, or if she was doing it because he was a convict.
"And who are you?"
"Dr. Forbes will do just fine." As she said that, the needle was inserted into his skin, giving him the shot she thought he needed as a diabetic.
"Huh. Forbes. Any relation to our governor? I mean, I'd be surprised, because you wouldn't think you'd find any child of Frontier Justice Bill working at a prison."
The blonde tucked a curl behind her ear as she grabbed his file, making some medical note inside, before shutting it and looking up at him once more. "Well, my father and I don't always see eye to eye. I believe in being a part of the solution instead of the problem."
"So… how do we do this, exactly? Do you give me a few weeks supply at a time?" He already knew what the answer to that would be, but he was trying to play dumb.
"Hah." The doctor seemed amused at his suggestion, almost as if she didn't believe that was something he would even ask in the first place. "Now, Mr. Salvatore. We both know you went to Loyola and know you're smart enough to know the answer to that question."
Stefan raised an eyebrow curiously at her. "You've been checking up on me?"
"I read your file. I like to get to know my patients."
"What if I said I like to get to know my doctors? I don't even know your first name yet." While he was playing the charm, he truly was interested. He'd like to put a name to the pretty face outside of the formal Dr. Forbes.
She didn't respond to him right away, but he could tell by the look on her face that she was considering it. "Caroline. My name's Caroline."
"Like the song?"
Caroline cracked a small smile. "I wasn't named after it, but yeah—like the song." She paused, and she looked as if she were debating saying something else. She didn't make a habit to get to know her patients on too much of a personal level. She liked to know facts about them that would help her with their medical care. She never pushed too far on a personal level, but this was the first inmate that she could talk to about academics.
"I went to North Western. I graduated a year after you did," she finally decided to add. The two colleges weren't far from each other, and students who went to those schools often crossed paths.
"Really? Huh. Maybe we might have met before—drunk at some random bar."
"I would have remembered."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Nope." She cracked a smile again, and she started moving towards her desk to set his file down.
She made a motion towards the guard right outside of the door, informing him that the two of them were done. The C.O. came inside the room, ready to escort Stefan back to his cell. "So I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other then."
"I guess so. Stay out of trouble." She wasn't sure why the last sentence rolled off her tongue, but she knew a guy like him could be easily eaten alive in a place like this.
Before he could say anything else, the guard was tugging on his arm, signaling that his time in the infirmary was over.
It wasn't long before Stefan was called out of his cell again. This time, however, it was because he had a visitor.
Stefan wasn't surprised to be face to face with Elena. He knew she wouldn't take long to come and visit him. She immediately threw her arms around him for a hug, but it was short lived. The correctional officer wasted no time to remind them of the hands off rule.
"How are you doing?" she finally asked. "And tell me the truth."
"I'm fine," Stefan insists calmly, knowing she's going to freak out enough as it is without him saying or doing anything to add fuel to the fire.
"Have you seen him yet?"
He didn't need to clarify to know who she meant by him.
"From a distance." That's just what he was doing to Elena for now. Keeping her at an arm's length of a distance.
"Look, Stefan. I get it. I know what you're trying to do. It's not the luck of the draw that you wound up in here with Damon. Don't forget that I know you—both of you. The two of you have the most dysfunctional idea of love that I've ever seen," she scoffed. He kept his eyes looking down at his hands, because he knew it was hard to lie to her about that. She had known them since they were young, and she dated his brother. "I mean, he beat you up just to keep you off the streets, so then you do your best to get yourself in prison with him? To what…" she trailed, looking around at the guards, before leaning in close and lowering her voice. "To save him?"
Stefan refused to say anything.
"I want to know. I deserve to know, Stefan. I loved him as much as you did."
That was what made Stefan talk finally.
"Loved. Yeah, past tense for you maybe, but not for me. I still love him." Stefan paused before lowering his voice as well. "I'm telling you, Elena. Someone framed him. Someone wants him dead, and there's something more going on here."
Elena shook her head sternly. "You're just desperate and grabbing at straws. Don't be in denial, Stef. You can't save him. I mean, how can you even get to him?"
"You might think I'm grabbing at straws, but I can't watch him die. I won't do that. And if you decide you want to help, then find out who's trying to bury him."
"No one is trying to bury him, Stefan. The evidence was there."
"No," he insisted. "The evidence was cooked."
"Visitation time is over."
Stefan enjoyed Elena's company, but right about now, he was glad she had to leave. He couldn't have this conversation with her anymore.
"Just… just promise me that you'll look into it."
The nod of her head was all he needed before he was escorted out.
He dialed the number that he knew by heart. After being by her side for close to fifteen years, the number was ingrained in his memory. He placed the phone on speaker phone so not only he could hear what she had to say, but so could his partner.
Connor Jordan and Galen Vaughn had been working together for years. Outside of the woman he was about to talk to, there was only one person Agent Jordan trusted, and Vaughn was one of them.
The ringing stopped, and the woman's voice picked up. "Hello?"
"It's us," he stated simply, knowing she probably already figured out as such.
"Any news?"
"It seems as if the Bishop might be a bigger problem than we were initially expecting." Agent Jordan looked out o the corner of his eye at his silent partner. Jordan had always been the more vocal – the one to take action – when it came to the two of them.
She paused, as if she were considering whether or not this was anything of interest. "Continue."
"It's to our understanding that he has a great influence with the governor, and he's also opposed to the death penalty. It's also to our understanding that Salvatore has been appealing to him for an intervention."
"Put a plug in it. Now."
He knew what she meant without having to ask further questions. Nothing could stop their plan, and it was too close to the execution for things to go south now.
"Understood."
Kol said that Damon would likely only get out to see other inmates during PI and chapel. Since he had yet to talk to Klaus, or even get the man to consider including him in Prison Industry, Stefan's only chance was chapel.
He was too far back for Damon to see him, and Stefan didn't want him to see him. Not yet, anyway. Not until chapel was over.
When everyone stood up and began preparing to leave, that's when Stefan put himself in Damon's line of sight.
His older brother froze and looked as if he were seeing a ghost. It couldn't be possible.
They walked close enough where they could hear each other. No correctional officer had come to escort Damon back to his cell yet, so they had a moment to speak. A moment for Stefan to tell him his plan. A moment that was just long enough to give Damon a little hope that a man on death row always grasped for.
"Stefan. Why are you here? You shouldn't be here."
"I'm getting you out of here."
Damon stared at him, half tempted to let out a laugh. There wasn't any way to get out of here unless you reached the end of your time or were shanked half way through.
"That's impossible," he argued.
"Not if you designed the place, it isn't."
That was when Damon felt the rough pull on his arm. "Salvatore, let's get moving."
"I'll see you soon," Stefan insisted, moving alongside of the other inmates going back towards general population.
He'd see him, alright. He wasn't going to let anything get in the way of his plan.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited! A couple of the reviews actually made me laugh, and I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story! It's been a whole lot of fun to write and plan out these characters in this universe.
This chapter was longer than the Prologue, and I'm going to take a wild guess that my chapters will be on the longer side was we go along since there will be a lot of plot to get through. Please let me know if I'm ever moving past something too fast, or if you need something clarified in the plot! I do have a beta, but both of us have watched Prison Break, so we kind of already have a feel for what's going on anyway.
There are, however, some things that aren't being explained for a reason c:
Please read and review c: I really appreciate the feedback, so if you could take a couple minutes to review, I'd absolutely love it. Those are what keep me moving to go faster and to stay focused on writing.
If you want to contact me about anything, you can find me on Tumblr with the same name as my name - caremikaelson.
Thanks again!
