A/N: I'm just going to let you start reading…Don't mind me…

Battle Born

Chapter 4:

Fighter

"I'm requesting a twenty-four hour police presence while you work on this case." Mr. Mikaelson's cold eyes squared down on her in her small office cubicle. Elena mentally sighed, knowing this would be a repeat of the infamous Rosmester case. Her body was suddenly wracked with shivers.

Don't go there, Elena. Don't.

Mr. Mikaelson, having seen the slight quiver of her shoulders eyed her warily. Elena straightened her back, "I am perfectly able to hold my own, Mr. Mikaelson. I don't want to keep Ma..Sergeant Donovan from his line of actual duty."

He narrowed his eyes, "This is his duty; to protect and serve," She slinked back into the comfort of her chair. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, leaning his shoulder against the wall of the cubicle, "I can't have another blemish on the face of this firm, Miss Gilbert. I am requesting a full police presence, and that is final."

She went to protest, but was silenced by the click of his office door, and the sight of the onyx blinds closing even further. This case was a mess. Her mind was warping around the soup of details, not able to string together the lines of evidence.

A nutcase kills his lover in a passionate rage? His eyes. There's something in them that are telling me a different story.

A sudden break in sanity led to a burst of utter rage? Seems the most plausible at this-

"Hey, Elena." Elena's russet eyes narrowed. She spun in her chair to the pinched face looming above, glasses perched on the bridge of her nose.

"Good morning, Matilda." Her lips twisted into a forced smile. She was pretty sure Matilda took note of this with the way her right eye twitched just a bit, just as it had done when Elena had faked a stomach ache when asked if she wanted to catch lunch at the café up the street, or the time she purposely avoided her on the train. Just like she did to-

"Good morning, Matilda. Hello, Elena."

Elena knew from the way Matilda went oddly quiet who it immediately was. She rolled her eyes.

"Ah, I see Miss Sunshine over here drank a cup of bitchy today." Klaus smirked, knowing this would elicit some response from her, whether it be words or a firm kick to the nads.

Her head snapped up, eyes dangerous. Matilda by this point had slithered away to her corner cubicle. "Leave me alone, Klaus."

He mock gasped, "Did you…No, it couldn't be," She genuinely became worried that she had a nose bleed or was foaming at the mouth, "Did you call me Klaus?"

She stormed to him and pushed him away from her office, "Leave."

"Actually, love, I'm here for a reason."

She crossed her arms, "And that is?"

"Yours truly will be escorting you to the big, bad prison." He shook his keys in emphasis.

She shook her head, stepping towards him, "Your father requested a police presence. Donovan is driving me there."

He guffawed, "I do not lie, Elena. Matt's meeting us there." She eyed him carefully for a few seconds before huffing and grabbing her belongings.

"Aw, come on, Elena. Where's your team spirit?" Klaus joked, having enough of her frowning in the passenger seat.

She shot him a glare, "Just shut it and keep your eyes on the road. Go team! Happy?"

He pouted, directing his eyes back to the road, "No, actually."

Minutes had ticked by, as well as the guard continuously reassuring her that "he will be ri' down."

Her stomach twisted. Something was not right. This sick feeling in the pit of her stomach was driving her insane. Her foot tapped an uneven rhythm into the stone.

Klaus leaned his chair back against the wall while keeping himself busy with chewing his fingernails. He slammed the chair back to the ground, shooting her a look, "Jesus, Gilbert," His hand locked on her knee, stilling its movement, "Calm yourself, will ya?"

She bit her lip and nodded. Her sudden movement caught his eye as his watched her lips, his hand unconsciously sliding up. She froze, lost in the moment.

The door opened, interrupting the moment. Like lightning attracted to metal, Klaus' eyes latched onto the heated gaze of the towering figure standing handcuffed in the doorway. His hair was a few inches shorter, resting just above his ears.

They cut his hair.

She shook herself from her thoughts, sickened with herself that that was the first thing she thought of. She followed his gaze to Klaus', realizing that the two of them were practically sizing each other up.

The guard behind Damon nudged him, "Let's go, dipshit, move it." The staring match was broken as he shuffled to the chair.

Elena cleared her throat as he sat. Addressing the guard, she instructed, "Same as last time, please. No handcuffs. We have an officer outside in case."

The guard nodded before leaning down to unlock the cuffs. Damon immediately rubbed his sore wrists. It was at this time that Elena noticed the blacked circle underneath his left eye. Racking her brain, she couldn't remember there ever being a notice on her desk stating that he was moved out of solitary confinement.

He was quiet, eyes directed downward. She followed his gaze, realizing that Klaus' hand was very much still on the center of her thigh. She pushed his hand off. Klaus gave a slight growl before crossing his arms.

"Damon, may I call you Damon?" She decided to try the nice girl tactic today, see how far that got her.

He nodded, "You got a cig'?"

She was about to shake her head when a pack of Kent cigarettes went flying across the metallic table, sliding to a stop in front of his hands. Klaus shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the confused looks Elena was shooting him. Wasn't he the guy that never smoked a day in his life, as he constantly professed at work?

Damon slid a cigarette in between his lips, "Thanks," He mumbled, the tobacco product bouncing as he spoke. He slid the cigarette pack back over as Klaus leaned forward and flicked open his lighter.

Elena watched as the paper slowly crumpled beneath the flame before catching, watching the way his lips sucked in the smoke before it swirled out of his nose.

He leaned back in his chair, propping his shoes up on the table, "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

Elena was taken aback, but quickly recovered, "Are you still in solitary confinement?"

He narrowed his eyes as he released a puff of smoke, "'Sure am."

Klaus roared with laughter, "And what, you gave yourself that shiner?" He gestured towards Damon's near-swollen eye.

Damon slid his feet off of the table and sat up, leaning forward. He was silent, sucking in and puffing out smoke, eying the both of them carefully as if checking they wouldn't go squealing to the warden. "Do you really think I'm that fucked up?"

Klaus snickered, "If those crime snaps do in fact show your handiwork, then I'm sure of it."

Damon stood, kicking the chair back. Before he could make another move, the door was slammed open and he was tackled to the ground. The cigarette had fallen from his lips before the fall, and having been thrown to the floor, the still burning end of the cigarette burnt clear into his skin.

He released a howl of pain as his hands were handcuffed behind his back. Matt, perspiring heavily sat back on his heels. He inhaled, "You alright, Elena?" She nodded, eyes wide. He turned towards Klaus, obviously shocked, but not shaken, "You okay?"

Klaus stood, "We are perfectly alright, Donovan. Thank you," He kneeled next to Damon, who had his cheek pressed against the cold floor, "We'll be seeing you soon."

Damon began screaming obscenities, but Klaus walked out of the room briskly. Matt watched in astonishment as the room grew quiet when Elena walked by, the two of them making eye contact. She stopped, her curiosity getting the better of her, "Matt, could you give us a minute?"

He nodded, perplexed as to why, before shutting the door behind him as he left. She leaned against the wall opposite of where Damon lay. "How did you do it?"

Damon's heated blue eyes snapped up to her. He leaned his head off of the ground to speak, "Do what?"

She sighed, "Never mind. I'll set up the appointment for next Wednesday to discuss the details of the case further."

She didn't sleep that night. Her mind was haunted with the image of his cold eyes staring into her soul.