A dark haired boy is playing in the garden, trying to build himself a hiding place, somewhere that he can escape from his little sister. He likes her but little sisters aren't actually good for anything. She breaks his toys, interrupts his fun, shouts and cries and calls for their mom which always ends up with him being in trouble. Not that she can even talk yet.
He shudders imagining what else she'll be able to do to him when she is actually capable of speaking. Luckily his dad once showed him this cool place, one that is dense enough to shroud his presence. She must be getting better at tracking him down because suddenly, unexpectedly, she's standing at the edge of the meadow eagerly looking at his shelter.
"Mama," she screams and he desperately wants to silence her but it's too late, their mom comes running after her with her arms flailing.
"What's this?" she asks and he's not sure if she's angry or not.
"It's my... 'house'," he says carefully, still he feels a little proud for finishing it up when his dad was busy with other things.
"So this is where you've been hiding...?"
He waits, still unsure what his mom is thinking about or how she's going to react. She lifts his sister onto her hip, turns around and walks back to the house. He's more than a little disappointed that she didn't say anything about his place and after some time passes, he follows them inside, the pride and joy he took in his hard work is suddenly gone.
Her lips are pressed together and she doesn't even acknowledge his presence. His sister is sitting at the table in her high chair, smacking at her mashed potatoes with a spoon. He twitches, wanting to stop her little hand before she makes an even bigger mess but he won't. Their dad sits down beside her and does nothing either which probably means she's allowed to do it, that and everything else she wants. He quickly goes to the bathroom to wash his hands and then returns to take his place for supper.
His dad drops his newspaper slightly, just enough so he can look at him from over the top of it.
"What is it with that fort you built?"
"I finished building it alone," he says proudly, surely dad will understand and appreciate how much work he put into it. He'll show him how...
"Didn't I say that you were to stop this nonsense, we don't have time for it. Instead of engaging in such foolishness, you should be helping your mother and your sister. You're old enough now, you can help me too."
"But I...," he tries but his dad just pierces him with a stern look. He shrinks back into his seat, dropping his eyes so he doesn't have to look at him.
"Did you not hear me?" That thing, whatever you call it, must be torn down. If your sister were to wander in there and something happened, it would be all your fault. Grow up young man and be of some use in this household. We won't keep feeding you without getting something in return."
Those shocking words spread through his whole being and...
Damon awakens with a start. Although his dream could be hardly called nightmarish, for some reason he doesn't feel like going back to sleep. His heart's pounding wildly, he looks at his watch realizing it's almost time to get up anyway. After blowing out a thick breath of air, he throws his legs over the side of the bed and ambles into the bathroom to take a hot shower. As soon as he gets out, he makes himself something to eat and by the time he leaves the house, he's feeling much better than when he startled awake.
It's shortly after 8 by the time he enters the building. Luka's already waiting in his office, his favorite Starbucks coffee sitting on the desk.
"Hey," he gives the young man a small smile. "You didn't have to do that." Damon sits on the chair, stretches his legs and takes a sip of the heavenly drink. "However, I appreciate it very much, especially this morning."
Luka's warm smile widens. "No problem sir, I live nearby and pick up one for myself every morning."
"Alright then, if you don't mind, we'll take turns paying for it," he takes out a bill and hands it to the rookie, "here, for tomorrow's."
Luka hesitates but then takes it as a friendly gesture and sticks it in his pocket.. When Ric arrives a few minutes later and Luka hands him one as well he certainly doesn't protest.
"Now how do we proceed?" Damon turns to business. "I was thinking we should let Luka lead the questioning?"
"Can I have some of what you're smoking?" Ric looks at him sharply.
Damon rolls his eyes and takes another drink of his coffee.
Having not gotten the expected response, Ric asserts himself again, "Seriously, Damon, are you mad? Elena Gilbert would chew him up and spit him out without lifting a finger! Besides, isn't this your dream case? Finding out what happened to Jeremy Gilbert has been a top priority of yours since his disappearance. Why the 180 now?"
Damon shakes his head. "I was just thinking that Luka needs to start somewhere. How is he going to learn if we don't give him a chance?"
"Yeah, because this is case is so run of the mill," Ric grumbles, rolling his eyes. He takes a long swallow of his own coffee before turning to the rookie cop. "Don't listen to him, Luka, we'll watch and learn from the maestro today."
Luka looks a little frightened at the prospect.
Damon chuckles and collects his things. "Alright guys, it's show time."
Turning away from her computer screen, Elena gets up to pour herself a cup of stout coffee. As necessary as it is, she hates doing payroll. She could easily afford an accountant but since she studied it in college, she insists on doing it herself. The other advantage is she doesn't have to worry about being robbed blind. There's also the fact that it's hard to find quality help these days. Her circle of friends is small and number she trusts is smaller still.
Needing to stretch, she gets up and walks over to the window. Pulling back he curtain a bit, she looks down at the street below. With school out for the summer, there are children riding their bikes on the other side of the road. She smiles slightly remembering when she did the same as a child. When she hears a rap on her door, she turns around, sits back down at her desk and looks at her security screen. She says come in as soon as she confirms who it is.
"Good morning, Elena."
"Elijah, have a seat," she insists, gesturing at the chair in front of her desk.
"You summoned me, what's up?"
"I had some visitors last night from the Reno PD."
"What?" he asks incredulously, his posture stiffening as he looks at her with rapt attention.
"Detective Salvatore came to tell me that Jeremy has been found, or Jeremy's body I should say," she explains without a hint of emotion.
"You're kidding! When? Where?"
"We didn't get into it last night. They're going to be back at 10:00, I wanted you to be here."
"Of course, but what about your ne'er do well cousin?"
Glancing down at her diamond encrusted Rolex, she counts, three, two, on..." Her office door suddenly flies open. Elena rolls her eyes as she takes in his appearance.
"It's about time you got here. The police will be here shortly."
"Ho hum, Elena. What's got your panties in a twist?"
"You're here because I want you here, comprende'?"
"You on the rag or something that you're more annoying than usual this morning?" he huffs as he plops himself into a chair.
"If you weren't... I would fire you right now."
"But you can't can you?" he teases, annoying her further with a wink. "Now what's so important that you had to interrupt my beauty sleep?"
"It's Jeremy, they found him." Elena orates as if reading a passage from a novel.
Kai can only laugh.
Although normally at this time of the morning, the club isn't yet in full swing, still it's bristling with people, either entertaining themselves in the gaming areas or with parents bringing their children to dine in at the casino's restaurant. With its rain forest like ambience, the place is a real treat for the kids. The two giant fish tanks alone are enough to draw many inside. As it is in Las Vegas, Reno also never sleeps so there's always a crowd in her club.
Damon lifts his hand, ready to push the door when it opens on its own, Kol Mikaelson stepping aside to let them through.
"Detectives...," he keeps his look somewhere above their heads, the most subtle display of disrespect. Just as he did yesterday he follows them to Elena's office, not removing his eyes from them even once. Today however, after opening her office door, he doesn't follow them inside, instead he closes the door, the sound of footsteps signaling his retreat.
Damon hears the door snap shut behind them and looks around the room. He mentally groans when he sees Elijah Mikaelson, Elena's ever present annoying lawyer. He gives Damon a short nod. Enzo St. John and... he'd almost forget about yet another trusted member of Elena's inner circle.
Kai Parker.
Damon doesn't know much about him other than the fact that he's a distant relative and family friend of hers. Damon's not exactly sure what position he holds in her hierarchy but it's definitely unshakable. Kai has had his own run ins with the law. He was arrested for assault, having beaten the living hell out of some lowlife but he was never convicted. Somehow Elijah pulled enough strings to get him released almost immediately and then the victim inexplicably recanted his story, disappearing not long afterwards. Damon has a knack for being able to identify criminals but Kai is still a mystery to him. He knows he's dirty but somehow the guy always manages to skate right past the reckoning.
"Detective Salvatore," Kai lets himself be heard with a taunting look. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"I wouldn't call it a pleasurable visit, Kai, not when brother of the lady present here, has been found murdered," he tells him in a cold tone and turns to Elena herself. "Miss Gilbert."
Elena shares a look with Elijah before shifting her gaze to him, also eyeing Luka and Ric before she speaks. "Detectives?" she motions for them to sit. "Enzo, please ask Bonnie to make us some coffee and bring some water. Or do you prefer something else, gentlemen?"
Damon wants to protest but then he just waves his hand impatiently, he doesn't want to lose himself in pleasantries. He doesn't need anymore distractions. But honestly, for that to happen, he'd have to be interviewing someone else entirely, Miss Gilbert is very distracting. And she plays it for everything it's worth.
Elena's well aware of his irritation, tents her hands and focuses on him, giving him encouragement. "We're waiting."
"Miss Gilbert, as we informed you last night, the body of your brother has been found... Actually it was right here in your neighborhood. We identified him with help of dental records but the body was... well it was actually in a state that he was well preserved."
"Recognizable, preserved? How is that at all possible?" she seems to waver just a bit.
"His body was stuffed into a barrel, the airtight seal prevented his remains from decomposition. It was remarkable really... the squid tattoo..."
"How did he die?" Elena asks, her eyes never leaving Damon's.
"According to our coroner, Dr. Maxfield, asphyxiation but that's subject to change depending on the test results that are still pending, they may reveal something unexpected. And there's always the possibility that drugs could be involved... But for now, we're working with what we have."
"Did he...?" Elena starts to ask but when she catches Elijah's warning look she doesn't finish.
Damon looks at her expectantly, pretending he didn't notice her damn lawyer's interruption.
"It's alright, Detective Salvatore, please continue."
"I'm very much aware that it's been years since he vanished. Is there anything that you can recall about his disappearance? Something that may seem insignificant to you and it may turn out to be nothing... but there's always the chance that it could be very significant to us. If you can think of anything, no matter how small, please talk to us."
"Is this really necessary?" Elijah intervenes, having heard enough. "You just informed Miss Gilbert that her brother's remains have been found after years of uncertainty. She needs time to come to grips with her loss. Not only that but all these details... Where did you say he was found?"
"I didn't," Damon replies. He's not about to show all of his cards, not yet... He's only going to reveal what he believes is necessary. Still he's certain that some of it will be public knowledge soon enough because as much as it frosts him, there are always insiders who leak to the press.
"We came here last night for that specific purpose, to allow Miss Gilbert time to process."
Elena can sense the pissing contest erupting between Elijah and the cop so she interrupts, "No, Detective Salvatore, I don't recall anything else. Jeremy and I weren't particularly close, something you already knew," she mentions with a pointed stare. "To tell you the truth, I don't begin to remember what I told you when he went missing. It's been five years for Christ sake!"
Damon just shrugs his shoulders, "Well, then I guess we'll need to start from the beginning. Now that we have his body, his case has been reopened and I have no intention of leaving it unresolved, not this time. You have my word, Miss Gilbert, I will put his killer behind bars."
"Are you threatening my client?" Elijah challenges, his eyes staring unflinchingly at Damon.
"No, sir, it isn't a threat, it's a promise."
"The relationship with your brother seems a little stretched..."
"You know he's my half-brother, we aren't close, I have no idea where he would go," she stands her ground but the crack is there, Damon can almost feel it, it won't take long...
"Even if the two of you didn't spend much time together, surely you have at least some idea where he might go, what his hobbies were, what kinds of places he liked to frequent? Women?"
"I told you repeatedly now that we're not close. How many times do I have to repeat that till it sinks in? Jeremy has his life and I have mine."
"You aren't the one who reported him missing. Aren't you at least a little bit concerned?
"Why do you keep coming back to that, detective? You twist my words and then you ask the same questions over and over, wording them a little differently each time. Are you hoping I'll trip up and answer one wrong or change my story? I can assure you that I don't know where he is. I have also told you that I have no idea when exactly he disappeared. He does this all the time. It's not the first time he's gone missing and I'm sure you know that too... He often visits his business partners and spends time with them..."
"...Or he'll land in some girl's bed and doesn't crawl out of it for a week or two, it's happened before," Enzo interrupts, having never been one to back off when it comes to his employer.
"Mr. St. John, I'll talk with you later, could you please wait outside?"
"Gladly," Enzo gives him a little bow, "now that our lawyer has arrived..." He quickly leaves the room, letting Elijah slip by him in the process.
Damon sighs mentally. It's going to be several hours before he calls it quits and leaves the building.
Damon knows from experience that it's highly improbable that she'll speak openly with Elijah present. He's also well aware of this attorney's tactics. His strategy is to stop her from answering freely. Every time she gives a vague answer, he asks one himself, hoping to confound him.
Damon's M.O. is to remain tight-lipped. As such, they'll sit in her office, questioning her for hour after frustrating hour and in the end it'll be totally useless chat. Elijah will allow for nothing else.
Knowing they'll get nothing more today, Damon eyes the assembled group. "Well, there's not much more to talk about today. When we get more from Dr. Maxfield, we'll be back, that's a promise. I can assure you, Miss Gilbert, that I'll leave no stone unturned in the course of this investigation. And to repeat myself, if you remember anything, no matter how small, let us know," he gets up, Ric and Luka follow.
Kai watches them go with a mocking grin on his face, Damon does his best to ignore it. At the door he pauses, turning back one more time, he's had this question planned since they walked through The Jungle's doors this morning.
"One more thing, I'd like to talk to the woman who reported Mr. Gilbert missing, Miss Donovan I believe? Isn't she one of your hostesses? Do you know where we can find her?"
"Unfortunately, Detective Salvatore, that's not possible. Vicky Donovan died of a drug overdose a couple of years ago," Kai informs him with unreadable expression on his face, something that's rare for him.
What the...
Damon, well trained in subterfuge easily masks the shock he feels. His gaze drifts over to the proprietor and for a moment his eyes lock with Elena's. Silently he vows that he won't stop until the truth comes out. Without further delay he quickly leaves the room.
As he said to his father, this cold case is not like any others. This one was lying in limbo... waiting for the right time for the principal players to return to the stage to finally finish their performances.
This story is quite complex really.
Thanks to each and every one of you. We're in simply in awe of your kindness and support for our stories. You keep us motivated and excited to continue to write stories for this magical couple known as Damon and Elena.
Thank you Eva. You're the best. I love you dearly.
Chapter title: 'If You Want Blood' by AC/DC.
Have a fabulous day and or evening, depending where you are in the world. We'll see you next with 'November Rain'. Thank you all again, you're the best.