Author note : It's been so long since I've posted anything. This is a test chapter, if you like it, comment it, react to it then I'll post the rest ;)
It's an AU crossover TVD/SOA just because.
Don't own anything obviously, it's just for fun.

INTRODUCTION
A trail of bad choices


-«Elena you don't have to do that, plus it won't look good on your career record»

-«Probably but I want to do it. You can't, remember? Conflict of interest and all. And really it's just a brawl I won't have red on my ledger for that. And my career is way too young to be tainted» The two young lawyers were walking in the courthouse corridors, Stefan almost running after Elena who was soon to be late for an audience.

-«You're doing it for me and you shouldn't, really. He can find another lawyer, his… our father will provide.»

-«It's too late for that, the trial is tomorrow. I have everything I need, I'll work all night on his case and be ready, it's no big deal.»

-« You'll need more than a night if you want to read his full record» Stefan said bitterly.

-«I know your brother's not a saint but this was just a brawl, I expect a fine to cover the hospital fee and the worst he can have is a month in jail.»

-«Fine, fine but…»

She stopped «I said I'd do it so I'll do it. Period. I need to work, I can't be an assistant all my life. And talking about that I really can't afford being late or Martin will kill me.»
Martin was their former teacher at uni, he had offered Elena a position as lawyer assistant which she had taken gladly, she had worked her ass off to get noticed, it had been a great chance. But it had been two years now and she really wanted to get her own cases. Sure, trying to get Stefan's brother out of jail was quite a challenge but it was a case. Yes, starting your career that way, defending the VP of a MC could sound like a bad idea but she wouldn't specialize I'm bailing out outlaws, it was a one time thing. Two birds one stone, she'd get a case, Stefan would make is father sort of happy - though it was more complicated than that - it was a win-win situation.

-«See you later Stefan ok?» And with that she hurried and walked to Professor Martin's office.

-

This was much more than she had thought it would be. Stefan's brother criminal record was huge and he had started young, stolen cars, brawls, drugs possession, brawls again, fraud, a full decade of his life was spread on her desk, it was a wonder he had only been in jail twice for short periods of time. A wonder or it had costed his father a shit load of money…

Going through Damon's file she felt like she was rummaging in Stefan's dirty laundry basket, things he had kept for himself all his life. Sure she knew a few things about his past, after all they had dated for two years at uni but the MC was something he avoided talking about. And she wouldn't blame him for it. When you had been raised in such a dysfunctional family it was normal to want to put distance - physically and emotionally - with it, especially when you wanted to be a lawyer.

What she knew was he had left his home town, Mystic Falls, and worked triple shifts to be able to pay for uni then had worked his ass off to become a lawyer, the guy was tough. It had taken him a year to feel safe enough to tell her about it, the outlaw MC, his father… He had escaped this life but his brother had embraced it. Fully it seemed.

Different ways of seeing life had made them drift apart as a couple but Stefan and her had remained friends, close friends, friends with benefits when they got that itch but she had kept his secret safe and always would. So why taking the case? Because it was her, and if he wanted things to be left under the rug where they belonged it was best not having anyone else involved. For some reasons the MC hadn't been able to reach their usual lawyer so she told Stefan she'd do it.

She went through the case at least ten times to make sure she wouldn't leave anything behind. She wanted to win, she wanted… well, to show off if she could and just keeping Damon out of jail would already be award worthy.

Little she knew this case was going to turn her life upside down.

-

The next morning Elena put on a black pant suit and a white shirt. She looked young, very young so she pulled her long brown hair in a tight bun and applied not too obnoxious make-up on. She had to look more professional than pretty, still she looked very pretty. There was nothing that could be done about that. She got a bit worried about it, really, young lawyer, first solo case and a man with a very heavy past to bail out of jail, she'd have to seduce the judge with her wit and solid proofs. Good thing she had an eye witness to vouch for the elder Salvatore, he hadn't started the thing, at least this time.

That done she poured coffee in her travel mug, grabbed her leather satche and got on her way to the tribunal. When she parked she noticed a long line of Harleys on the side of the road, maybe a dozen of them and men standing next to their ride talking to each other in quite an animated way. One looked at her and his gaze followed her as she got inside the building. Right the wolf had his pack at his tail and she would lie if she said it wasn't quite intimidating. Stefan had warned her but still… she remembered the conversation they had had the night before pretty well…

-«I really feel bad I won't be there to support you, but my father will be there, probably with half of the MC and…»

-«I know Stefan. I know you don't want to have anything to do with your family, I understand.»

-«You still can…»

-«No! First I want to do this and second what would the judge think of me if I just don't show up for my first real case? And I'm ready, I know everything I need to know and, don't laugh I've rehearsed in front of a mirror» He laughed.

-«I owe you big time Elena»

-«You owe me dinner and a very expensive bottle of wine, nothing more.»

-«I do and Elena» He paused there for a moment «don't let them scare you ok? Neither Damon, my father or the others… if something goes wrong you call me ok?» Stefan managed to make her freak out a bit at that moment «I'm serious Elena.»

-«The only one I'll allow to scare me a bit is the judge»

-

She was now waiting in a small windowless room, she was about to meet her client for the first time and she was trying to tame her nerves. She had had access to pictures in his file, copies of copies and she had gotten he had dark hair and light eyes, but she didn't really know what he really looked like in the flesh. So many thing could be read on someone's face, in the way they moved, reacted to things, in the inflections of their voices. For a lawyer, a picture wasn't enough but it'd been all she'd had so far.

But the door eventually opened and a man got inside. Dark brown hair, eyes as blue as blue eyes could be, sharp jaws, all dressed in black and wearing his MC leather jacket, he was, to her amazement, charismatic as hell and she blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. This was Damon Salvatore? He had clearly nothing in common with his brother, not one trait, nothing. She got on her feet and offered her hand to shake to the man.

-«I'm Elena Gilbert, your lawyer»

Damon eyed her from head to toe and a hint of surprise showed in his eyes, she too looked better now that on pictures, not that he was supposed to have seen any. He let her hang there a few seconds before shaking her hand.

-«Damon Salvatore» He said in a deep voice, a shadow of a smirk on his lips and Elena cleared her throat as she freed her hand from his hold before sitting back on her chair. He sat opposite her and leaned back on his chair.

-«Obviously. Well…» She looked down at her papers «I've worked on your case and considering we have an eye witness…»

-«How old are you Elena?» Damon cut her off and she looked up at his face.

-«Old enough to be your lawyer Mister Salvatore. So, as I was saying since we have an eye witness…»

-«Obviously» He said mimicking the tone she had used earlier «but you have my file and you probably know everything about me, sort of, and I know nothing about you, do humor me and just give me that little piece of information would you?»

-«25, now stop interrupting me we don't have much time» Damon smiled when she spoke, the girl was tensed but she had guts, he liked that. «So…eye witness so you won't have to testify and I rather not have you testify if you don't mind. Your criminal record's heavy to carry in a bag and we can't afford having questions asked about your previous infringements of the law and the accusation will go there for sure if they can. Still, to prove to the judge you feel bad about…» Damon laughed a bit and Elena looked at him and narrowed her eyes «to prove to the judge you are redeemable, if such thing is possible, I'll offer in your name to cover for the hospital bills for Kol Mikaelson» which was the name of the guy Damon had beaten to a pulp «is that acceptable for you?» Damon locked eyes with Elena and a moment passed before he answered, for all she knew and after only ten minutes with the man it seemed to be something he did often. Or did with her. But she wouldn't let herself be intimidated by that kind of behavior so she waited until he spoke.

-«We tried this already, offering to pay for the bills, but the guy sued anyway.»

-«Yes, and if you're lucky you'll pay the hospital bill and quite a huge penalty, which is what Mister Mikaelson, who is still in a hospital bed now, if I recall well, wants. Or you can go to jail.»

-«You're tougher than you look Elena, or you think you are, so listen, doll, I shut my mouth, you get me out of here and you'll get a bonus. Just keep me out of jail.»

-«I'll do what I can but first, be kind and take off that leather jacker of yours, your patches won't help your case and don't cal me doll.»

-«No can do that» He shook his head.

-«Which one?»

-«Both but mainly my jacket»

-«Damon» she had used his first name to make sure she'd have his full attention «you've come with friends I saw them outside, how many of them will sit in the courtroom? Two, four? I'm sure it's enough arms to hold a jacket. You get out free you'll get it back before you even get cold.»

-«And if I end up in jail after all?»

-«You won't.»

Maybe she shouldn't have said that for it sounded like a promise and Damon gave her a look that made her think she better not let him down. He took off his jacket and laid it on the table over her papers. His right arm was covered with an intricate tattoo that ran from his wrist to somewhere under the short sleeve of his tee-shirt. She, again, tried not to stare but she saw a raven, thorns and lilies along with a sentence in what seemed to be latin: «Nec Tenebrae Nec Lux» neither darkness nor light. Cryptic…

Fine, they had an agreement, she'd be free to defend him the way she wanted, she had all the cards in hand so when they got in the courtroom she just tried to keep her breathing even and her brain leveled, she'd do this, she'd kill it. She had to.

There was indeed six pairs of arms available to hold his jacket, six member of the MC sitting at the back of the room, but Damon did something strange he put it on the back of Elena's chair and nodded to a man with gray hair who wore a President patch on the front of his own jacket. Giuseppe Salvatore, Damon and Stefan father. The man was damned impressive, tall, massive and his green eyes were locked on her to the point she thought they were going to dig a hole in her head. Don't let them scare you, ok? Stefan's word echoed in her brain so she just nodded to the man and sat on her chair next to Damon who looked way more comfortable than he should be right now.

-«Better sit straight and look like you're really sorry Damon… or… just sit straight» She said and again Damon laughed a bit but, to Elena's amazement, he did as he was told. A door on the side opened and the judge got in the room and everyone stood until he sat on his chair, the signal they could all sit back down.

-

The hammer of justice fell after the judge announced how much Damon would have to pay to Kol Mikaelson - a shit load of money - and she was relieved she had gone though this without any incident. No jail for Damon Salvatore. case was closed, she had won.

Five guys shouted and whistled at the back of the room and one got just on his feet in silence when Damon just smirked. Daddy Salvatore seemed neither happy nor furious, just… impressive as he walked closer to his son. They had been dismissed, they could all leave now. And, hell, she was eager to leave, but she couldn't just flee, could she? But Damon had moved his arm, laying it at the back of her chair and Giuseppe was standing there towering them, damned he was tall.

-«Dad, Elena, Elena, Dad» Damon said as an introduction and the giant offered his big paw to shake, and she didn't lose time to shake it, the guy didn't look like the patient type. She almost expected her bones to be crushed by such a big hand but the shake was cautious and short even if the man's eyes were still as cold as ice.

-«Let's not linger here.» He said to his son and Damon nodded, those two didn't seem to like long conversations and there was something there that was thick, tension between the two of them. Giuseppe was obviously holding back his anger and she really didn't want to be there when he'd unleash his wrath.

Damon turned to her, took the hand his father had shaken a few seconds ago and kissed it, he then leaned closer to her and she tensed but he just took his jacket and got back on his feet. He put the cut on then turned his back to the young lawyer and him and his father joined the other members of the MC who patted Damon's back laughing and smiling. He gave her one last look and they got out… and Elena let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

She gathered her things, shoved them in her satchel and got out of the room using the back door before turning her phone back on. She had a few voice messages and texts all coming from Stefan. She shook her head and smiled then dialed his number to tell him everything had gone ok and that she had won. Job done. And he owed her dinner.

-

She had chosen a Vietnamese restaurant to celebrate and they were sat at a table next to the window as they sipped their wine.

-«Come on spill it, you've made me wait too long.» Stefan said, he was eager to know how things had gone.

-«Hmmm it went pretty well, really. I won't say your brother is nice or your father endearing but they crossed no line and your brother agreed to my terms. It gave me room to work.» She had recovered from the strange meeting with Damon and Giuseppe and she could speak about it sounding way more confident that she had really felt.

-«Agreed to your terms? What do you mean by that?» He tilted his head a bit, Damon agreeing to things was pretty much a challenge. Whatever people did or said he always had to express his opinion about them.

-«I've asked him to let me take the lead of things, to behave and not say a word and to take off his leather jacket not to look like a big bad wolf in front of the judge»
Stefan stopped in the motion of taking another sip of wine, his smile dropped and he stared at Elena as if she had said something crazy. He opened his mouth to say something when a waiter apologized and told them someone asked him to give Elena an envelope. She frowned but took it and thanked the man. Curious she opened it and pulled the paper that was inside. It was a $5000 check with a note The bonus I promised you. D.

She looked around but didn't see the elder Salvatore, but when she turned to look out of the window she could have sworn she had seen a Harley at the street corner and disappearing behind a building.

-
TBC please like and comment :)