A/N: Okay, First thing first, thank you all for the story alerts and favorites, and special thanks to those who were kind to post a comment, it's encouraging. :)
Now, I've got a new job and that requires me to pack my bags and head to a new city. Hence I'd be needing a little time to settle down, get used the environment and things. So what I'm saying is from now on the updates might be a little delayed, but don't worry I will be finishing this story no matter what.

Little secret, my sis Amazing Aisha is there to kick my behind if I tend to get lazy. Until I fall into a regular schedule, stay with me.

Now, I know last chapter was lacking a particular someone that we love, so this entire chapter is dedicated to him... xD

Chapter 2~ A blast from the Past

Never thought I'll see you again,
Never thought you'd be here again,
Fate has brought you closer,
I have plans for you, honey,
Now you'll see…

February 19th 2018
Philadelphia Correctional Center
22:3O hours

The corridors are eerie, appearing desolate under the dingy light. The metal bars are cold as ice, the figures cover in checked blankets almost seem lifeless. As the heavy boots stomp against the concrete floor, muffling the sounds of snoring men, proceeding towards the very end until it reaches the terminal. The two inmates were engrossed in their game, soundlessly holding the cards in front of their faces. Briefly glancing into the other's eye, right hand extending to the deck of cards, drawing one swiftly placing in the other hand. Arranging, smirking, the scene was playing in a perfect sync completely oblivious to the outside of their tiny cell. The sound of a baton clashing against the metal bars caused one of the inmates to rattle against his bunk. The other however didn't faze to the slightest.

"Come on, Parker, it's your turn." He let out nonchalantly as if the clacking metals didn't reverberate the space mere minutes ago.
The impatient guard was turning furious by the show of arrogance, "You, Salvatore! You have a visitor." He said pointing at the dark haired man.

As if they were nonexistent, he drew another card from the deck, the inmate named Parker gulped eyeing the guards but mimicked the action nonetheless.
"Three of a Kind! Now Parker I hope you'll not cower from the…"
"I won't. I don't need to… I've got a Flush! Take that Salvatore." He said with a smug grin.
"Wh-what? How is that… Kai! You cheating scum…"
The guy clicked his tongue, "I knew you're a sore loser, but you calling me names is out of line, Salvatore." He placed his hand on his heart feigning hurt, "Besides, you can't say it until it's proven." He laughed like a maniac, he was about to receive a blow on the face but was halted by the guard.

"Stop this nonsense, you morons. I ain't got entire night, you're commanded to be present at the interrogation room at once." His chest was heaving, his nostrils flaring with rage, "I suggest you cooperate or…"
The dark haired man whirled his head, his striking blues met with the fuming guards face, "Look, I know it isn't a thrilling sight to watch two men play poker in a rotten cell, but unfortunately that's your job. You have my sympathy but I think that's the only thing you're good at" he smirked, "Officer, what was your name again?" he shot his eyes up, pretending to be in deep thought, "Ah! Bratty! No wait, was it Brandy? Or Buffy… Yeah 'Buffy the vampire slayer'."

Before he could comprehend he felt a jab directly at his nose, followed by one to his jaw sending him to topple to the floor. "It's Brady, you'll do well to remember that."
"Hey, hey, officer you can't just hit an inmate like that…" Kai's quivering voice was immediately silenced by Brady's savage expression.
"You want to be the next to meet my fist?" he pointed at his bloodied knuckle. Kai shook his head. "Thought so. Shut up and stay put." He focused his attention on the other man, who was wiping off the blood with his sleeves. He dragged him up on his feet and cuffed his hands.

The dark haired man was being hauled through the corridor, head hung low, hands cuffed, like an encaged animal he was pushed and probed. Upon reaching the said interrogation room he glanced up at the guard, a light bruise was forming on the underside of his jaw, his philtrum had a faint streak of blood, but the unnerving smile never left his face. "You ruined my game, Officer Brady." Without hearing any reply he pushed pass the door.

"My, my, my… Now that's a blast from the past." There's no trace of surprise in his features, he casually strolled towards the desk and plopped himself on the chair, his cuffed hands resting on the table. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked in a chipper tone.

"Look Salvatore, I'm not in a mood for your theatrics right now…"
He pursed his lips, "Sergeant Ronald, I'm hurt, no greetings? I thought we're closer than this." He said.
Stefan's gaze travelled over his features, "There was no need for it, I can see you're doing quite well." He said gesturing towards the fresh wounds, "I must admit, orange looks good on you." for a split second he saw the man's eyes grew cold but the mischievous glint was back in the next moment.
"What can I say, I'm an attractive man, Sergeant. You know what they say, 'Orange is the new Black'."

Stefan was a minute away from planting another bruise on his face but he knew he had to keep his calm. He took a few deep breaths, contemplating on how to approach the man. They were running out of time, his arrogance won't earn him point. He decided to cut to the chase.

Stefan began, "What I'm about to tell you is confidential and if you didn't guess already it's kind of urgent."
"Of course it's urgent." He huffed, "And what I can tell this entire mission of yours is off the record." He stared into Stefan's baffled face for a second. He rolled his eyes and continued, "How stupid do you think I am? You coming to Philadelphia prison, plucking me from the cell in the middle of the night, dragging me to this freaking chamber. And to top it all there's no fancy tools to record this conversation." He paused for a second, "Don't bother denying it. Get to the point, it will save us both a hell lot of time."

"What can you tell us about the vipers?" Stefan voiced out in a blunt tone. Watching for the first time his face turning pale, Stefan couldn't decipher was it from shock or…
"How do you know about them?" all tinges of amusement gone from his voice.
"We need to get our hands on those riff raffs, one of our trusted officer is being framed. Although we don't have any proof but we suspect that gang is behind all this mess. We're on a time bound here and we don't have any lead. They're practically untraceable, no one has any knowledge except for… you."
"What makes you think I know anything?" Stefan opened his mouth but was cut off, "And you forgot to mention what's in it for me? I mean if I help you catch them you're officer will get back his position, what will I get?"
"We're willing to strike a deal." He looked intrigued and Stefan took it as his cue to continue, "If you help us we're willing to shorten your sentence. It's not official, but we'll get the deed once we have your confirmation. You'll be serving for 2 more years instead of 7." Stefan exclaimed breathlessly.

He didn't utter a single word, his eyes were fixated at his bound hands. "You realize that you'll have to let me out of this place if you want my help. I mean I can't be much help sitting in a cell. As you mentioned The Vipers are crafty, they make sure to clear their tracks. I have to pull a lot of strings to get a sliver of information and even I'm not capable of doing that being locked within these four walls."

"You will be taken out of the cell, if it isn't obvious. You'll be under my supervision 24*7." Stefan said in an annoyed tone.

"Let me get this straight." He straightened his back, his demeanor composed, "You're willing to let me out of this prison until you catch whoever his hiding behind the name 'Viper', you're willing to shorten my stay as well, in return you ask for my assistance, since your intelligence network is plain incompetent."
"Yes…" Stefan replied through gritted teeth.
"Hmm… And all these promises will be made official through a deed?"
"Yes."
He gave a curt nod and then burst into laughter, trying his best to clutch his stomach by his bound hands. "Oh, Sergeant. I thought you didn't have a funny bone in there, but I have to admit I was wrong."
"Care to elaborate what made you break into hysterics?"
"You… Your deal." He said in between laughter. Seeing the other man still standing with an unreadable expression he composed himself before continuing, "You're gonna let me out. What makes you think I won't flee the second I step out of this hell hole?"

It was Stefan's turn to smirk, "Because you can't."
"Now Sergeant, I know you've got skills, I mean you caught me the first time. But make no mistakes this time that won't be the case."
"Oh I'm not worried about that. You can't flee, even if you want to…" Stefan glanced up at his face, "What no witty replies?" he took out an odd looking cuff from his suit pocket. "You see, this nifty little band will be attached to your wrist. This is not some simple tracking device. A part of it, a tiny chip will be surgically placed inside your skin. The band should be in contact with the chip at all times. If anyone tries to forcibly remove it, the chip will release a lethal poison into your blood stream and you'll be dead before you can say 'Adios'." His grin grew wider witnessing the horrid expression on the other's face. "The chip can be deactivated only from the headquarters, so once we have the culprits in jail I'd inform the headquarters to deactivate the thing."

Tick tock, tick tock, the hand moved in its own accord, counting every second, synced with rugged beating hearts. None of them spoke for a while, their gazes never left one another's, focused yet dispersed.

"You want me to agree to a death sentence, you want be to be at your mercy all the time?" his face was devoid of emotion, almost calm, "Basically you want me as a sniff dog, to be used until needed and then to be discarded, thrown into this pathetic cage." His voice was up several notches.
"Salvatore…"
He banged his fist against the table, metal dashing against metal, the bang reverberating through the walls, "Listen to me, Sergeant" he spat, "If you want my assistance, it's going to be on my terms. The minute I get you those nasty Vipers, I'll be pardoned from my sentence, and about that fancy band, there's not a chance in hell that thing is coming anywhere near me." He slumped back on the chair, "That's my deal, take it or leave it. And Sergeant, tell your 'trusty officer' to kiss his career goodbye, 'cause without my guidance you can't…"

"Let's not jump into conclusions," Stefan replied in a smug tone, his fingers lazily gliding over the tracking band. "Are you certain you want to stay locked up for 7years, leaving your family to fend for themselves." His eyes were downcast but he could sense a change in the man's demeanor. "Now from what I can recall, you had a sister right? What was her name?"
"Don't" he hissed, but Stefan continued dismissing his blazing eyes, "Um, Caroline, yeah, that's about it. Is she still one of your concerns, do have any idea what has become of her after your 'glorious capture'. Or maybe you just don't give a damn, after all she's not your blood…"
"Shut up! Stop spewing lies about my sister. She was never a part of any of this, you damn well know that. If one more word comes out of that filthy mouth of yours, I'm gonna rip your tongue out…" his eyes were red rimmed, venom dripping from each syllable.

"Threats won't get you anywhere. I'd suggest you use a little less of this," he made yapping gesture with his left hand, while his other hand went behind his ear, "and a little more these." He sighed before continuing, "Look, I know your sister was not involved in your business, that's probably the only thing that you've done right. But that didn't spare her from the cruel fate." The dark hair man kept on gazing, "After you were taken down, your entire empire fell apart. Your loyal dogs ran the instant the news was made public. All your accounts were ceased, and few people who decided to remain faithful were thrown out of your bungalow, leaving them to their own demise including your sister. The ship sank with the captain." He couldn't help the sarcastic glint in his voice.

He sat immobile in his chair, his frame rigid but he didn't utter a single word, "Salvatore, this is your only chance, we need you as much as you need this deal."
"I need time to think about it." He replied.
"Come on now, you…"
He held up his hand, halting Stefan mid sentence, "I said, I'll think about it. It's quite late Sergeant, I want to be taken back now, I'd say you do the same." He was almost on his feet when the door was pushed ajar.

"Damon…"

The voice, enchanting & elusive, like a siren humming lullaby, alarming and feverish, he was certain, it's an illusion, a dream. Because the reality was plain unnerving. He didn't want to turn, simply 'cause he couldn't.

"Damon, please. We don't have time for this, give us an answer, be it yes or no, and we'll leave. You can't keep us hanging like this."
Damon squinted his eyes shut, his face contoured in a mix of rage and hurt. He forcefully drew in air, attempting to calm his quivering posture. Ever so slowly he turned towards the door. There she was standing like a fierce panther, wounded but never backing down, just the way he remembered. He advanced towards her, pretending to tyrannize while all he wanted to grasp the bizarre reality.

"So this is your 'trusty officer'?" his question was directed towards Stefan but his gaze never left her form, "The infamous Detective Gilbert, is being framed." He stepped closer, his breath lingering over her ear, "How does it feel, to get a taste of your own medicine? To be backstabbed when you're vulnerable, Elena…" he watched her shudder for a split second but within the next moment her shield was up. He smirked and took a tentative step back, his face now aligned with Stefan's.

"Sergeant Ronald, you forgot to mention this pesky little detail. If only you told me about the identity of the damsel in distress, I guess the fault is mine. I should have figured it out, your desperation, futile attempts to keep your composer despite my provocation, it all pointed in one direction. I would have given my answer right away." He took a dramatic pause, his eyes dancing between the two officials, his smirk grew wide as he witness the anxiety multiplying in their eyes.

"Just give us a damn answer, Salvatore." Stefan barked.

The man laughed, "I believe Detective Gilbert is qualified enough to solve the mystery. The girl's got skills, my assistance would just be an unnecessary ailment in your mission." He turned back to the door, "My answer is No. I decline your generous offer, Detective Gilbert."

"But Damon…" she took a sharp breath, "Just listen to me, my entire career is at jeopardy and you can…"
"No Elena, I can't… I won't. There's no temptation in the world that can make me agreeable to work with you. Good luck, Detective Gilbert."

She stood in the middle of the cold interrogation room, frozen while every fiber of her body screamed in frenzy. Each footstep mocked her of the situation until they became faint, soon dissipating into oblivion.

A/N: How about a review? I really appreciate all those who take time to give the story/chapter a read, but please do let me know how you felt once you finished the said chapter.