Part 2

Nikki felt perfectly at peace as she went through a routine on a balance beam in the middle of the school's indoor gym. All traces of hangover were long gone thanks to limitless amount of coffee and if she was honest with herself the pure jealousy she had seen in Jason's eyes had made her feel better.

"I should know better than that"

she muttered to herself going blindly through a series of back flips, front flips and various other positions that would impress the most serious judges.

"I'm a 23 year old woman that has a wall full of awards and medals from various gymnast meets and Games and yet I'm putty for those eyes."

She said referring to her best friend and could/would be boyfriend Jason Taylor. Yes, that was his real name. The two had been best friends ever since she made him eat a bug when they were 7 years old and had been through a lot together. Boyfriends, girlfriends, braces, broken legs, her first blue ribbon, his first prize at karate. She had even agreed to follow him to this small town to be gym teachers together while he'd fulfill his childhood dream. To open a karate center where she would teach young aspiring gymnasts as well.

And everything changed in one night. The night she gathered enough courage to tell him she was in love with him. The night he turned her down flat. Last night.

She was exiting the school along with the rest of the students and the teachers when she saw the same black convertible with a smirking Damon behind the wheel. She raised an eyebrow. He motioned closer with a crooked finger.

She missed Elena's angry scowl as she entered the vehicle and Damon sped away nearly knocking Jason down from his motorcycle.

"What are you doing here Damon?"

"You still don't have your keys and I decided something. But first of all I'm starving. Can you cook?"

he said with one breath. Actually he had just eaten a delicious bartender at the Grill but he had no intentions of revealing his less than human side to Nikki and he needed her help.

"I make a mean putanesca"

Nikki said feebly and Damon bit the inside of his lip. Should he tell her that 'putanesca' meant 'prostitute'? Judging from her small, skintight bright leopard leotard, he decided not. He did want to eat and he couldn't cook to save his life.

Nikki unlocked the door of her not-too-small one bedroom apartment and headed straight to the kitchen. Damon grabbed a beer of her fridge began drinking without invitation.

The two struck a conversation about nothing in particular and it wasn't until the first bite that Damon blurted out

"I want you to be my pretend girlfriend"

Nikki spit out her pasta and looked at him as if he had just announced to her he was a vampire.

"What?"

she squeaked after she cleaned herself with a napkin. Damon thought about compelling her but decided against it. Compelling Andi to a relationship had led to her death and compelling Caroline bit him in the ass after she became a vampire and remembered it.

"Elena looked pissed this morning and your 'friend' looked angry enough to punch a hole through a wall when I picked you up"

he made connotations on the word 'friend'.

"How do you know who Jason is?"

Nikki asked taking a sip of water. Damon threw her a side glance asking her 'seriously?' and she shook her head

"Scratch that. Why me and how would we even do it are better questions"

Damon smiled internally at her unspoken 'yes'

"Jason owns the dojo across the street from the Grill right? And why you because you want to make him jealous too. Kill two Originals with one stake"

"Kill two what with one what?"

Damon did a double take and cursed his mouth for running like that.

"My brother is addicted to vampire movies. So what do you say?"

Nikki frowned for a bit. She hated vampire movies, she was NOT into necrophilia but she had to admit he had a good point. Jealousy could work.

"On one condition"

"Name it"

"No more vampires and nothing happens unless we agree on it"

Damon bit his lip once again. Why were women such control freaks?

"Why no more vampires?"

he asked instead

"not into necrophilia"

Nikki said nonchalantly while finishing her meal. Damon broke into crazy giggles. Nikki rolled her baby blue eyes, shook her head and went on eating his portion of the pasta.

"What had she put herself into?"

The same evening the two strolled into Grill hand in hand. Damon had bitched enough for her to wear a dress that she would bet he was a fashion designer in a past life and so she had put on a midnight blue mid thigh dress instead of the dark wash jeans she wanted to wear.

In the bar Elena was gossiping with bonnie and Caroline about the slut she had seen leaving demon's house this morning masking her jealousy with gossip but fooling no one and at one of the pool tables was Jason with another instructor from the dojo telling him about the slob that picked Nikki at the school attempting to sound condescentic but failing miserably.

Damon smiled to himself picking on both conversations and led nikki to a booth making sure both interested parties could see them.

"What can I get you?"

Matt asked them.

"White wine for Nikki and the usual for me"

Damon replied not taking his eyes off of Nikki. She looked good, he decided. Nikki had seen both Jason and Elena too and had also seen their blond busboy stop by Elena's table before coming straight to them ignoring another couple waving for him. she smiled and stood up opting to sit in the same side of the booth as Damon and put her head on his shoulder.

Damon decided not to ask her what she was doing knowing that Barbie would hear them so he just put his arm around her and held her close. Nikki smiled at him and pointed with her blue eyes at Elena's dark brown/almost black due to the extreme anger and jealousy ones.

Matt arrived with their drinks, didn't say a word and returned to sit with his friends. Damon rolled his eyes and hugged Nikki closer deciding on impulse to kiss her. She closed her eyes feeling strangely content once again missing Jason's failed attempt to hit the small white ball but tearing the green fabric of the pool table.

Damon counted scores in his head thinking he rather liked the taste of Nikki's lips.