"People aren't as complex as you think they are. They're simple, and they get sad or angry over simple things. That's how they are. They're quickly affected by the littlest things, and live without knowing where they're going to fall down. That's who people are!"

~ Chiyuki, Death Parade

X

He watched her from the doorway, watched as she pushed herself into every turn. Position, poise, curve of spine, every little detail calculated, perfect. Absolutely perfect. Until she almost fell when her eyes met his. Marcella clutched at her chest dropping from her toes, she wiped the sweat from her face. "Hey Damon, what are you doing here?"

She questions while walking over to the stereo to turn the music off. Marcella grabs a bottle of water before she turns her attention back to look at him. Tilting her head to the side as she unscrewed the cap. He raised a brow at her.

"You're like sixteen, shouldn't you be in school?" He questions instead pushing himself off the frame of the door taking a further step into the studio. She gave him an unimpressed look, took a sip from the bottle and shrugged.

"I graduated early. So have you thought about my invitation?" It had been a few days since their introductions. Marcella was glad to note that thus far the dark haired vampire had stayed away from her sister.

"Are you going to the event in the square tonight?" Damon says instead. Marcella looks at him for a moment trying to determine his motive here. Her brows furrowed together. The comet would pass over Mystic Falls tonight.

"The whole impending doom thing isn't really my thing." She tells him, while adjusting her feet standing in pointe and toeing over to him. He rolls his eyes as her hand lands on his shoulder and she uses his stature as a balancing board.

"Oh I forgot, you're all rainbows and sunshine. Humor me." He tells her, Marcella raises a brow. Dropping back to standing with feet in third position. Losing at least three inches of standing height. Making Damon realize that she was a tiny thing. She moves her hand down from his shoulder placing it directly over his chest. Fingers drum lightly against his sternum.

"For there to be rainbows, at once there had to have been a storm." She tells him letting her gaze drop from his face. Her hand falls, she turns on her feet carefully gliding easily back over to the center of the room. He watches her move, interested fully.

She was a puzzle, an intriguing puzzle that he couldn't wait to solve. Damon just wanted to know what made her tick. For a human she seemed to hold so much darkness, and yet no one around her could even see it. It was a good act, she was a flawless performer, but it was still an act. No one could just be that nice.

Nice people didn't exist.

Marcella looked over her shoulder at him, smiling softly. As if she too could see into the pits of his soul. See his thoughts clearly. She carefully tucked a fallen curl behind her ear. "Pick me up at seven." He smirks at her, grinning wickedly. Damon was going to try his best to break her, she could see it in the depths of blue. It should have terrified her.

Honestly though, she couldn't wait. Marcella couldn't wait to prove him wrong. Not all humans were shit. Not everyone was out to get him. She had meant what she'd said days before. They were going to be great friends.

"Wear something cute, and take a shower. You smell like sweat." Marcella chunked her water bottle at him. He caught it smirking at her predatorily. What a dick. He was going to make this harder than it needed to be. She huffed.

"I'll have you know Mr. Salvatore, I am always the picture of perfection. Now go away. I'll see you tonight." She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Marcella needed some time to herself, she needed to think.

…

"As an older sister, it is my job to tell you how incredibly wrong this is. But like, I'm so jealous. First Elena, and now you." Caroline blabs as she helps Marcella fix her hair. The younger girl just sat there quietly. Her sister had no idea just how wrong this was and it had nothing to do with the assume age gap between herself and Damon.

"Come on Care, you know I'm the responsible one. Besides it's not like that. I just want to be his friend." That causes the older blonde to roll her eyes good naturedly at her sister. Marcella Forbes friend to all. Kindest person in Mystic Falls, never one to meet a stranger.

"Just be careful, Marci. Not everyone's intentions are as good as yours." The younger Forbes girl nods her head absently. Caroline wraps her arms around the her sister resting her head on her shoulder. Marcella lets her cheek press against the side of Caroline's hair.

"I promise. Aren't you supposed to be meeting Bonnie and Elena early to set up?" She asks changing the subject away from herself. Caroline gasps, actually having forgotten about that, she cursed letting go of her sister quickly.

"Damn, I got to go. I'll see you tonight!" Marcella rolled her eyes. She was finally alone. Caroline had been home when she'd got back from her morning run and dance session. Apparently someone had seen her talking to Damon in the Grill, and then him going into the building everyone knew was where she did dance lessons and whatnot. It had been a fun interrogation from her sister following that.

Marcella loved Caroline, really she did. It was why she was putting so much effort into Damon now. She didn't want emotional and morally incompetent vampires around her neurotic caring older sister. Caroline was hers, no one hurt what belonged to her. Also, she knew what Damon really needed was a friend and who was she to deny him at least that small piece of his humanity.

No one. That's who.

She shook her head, standing from the bed and padding over to her closet in search of the perfect outfit. The first thing she pulled out was a ruffled sleeved pink loose fitting shirt. It landed on her bed as she decided on wearing it, next she moved on to look for next piece. Marcella found the midi dark wash overall dress near the back end of her closet a few minutes later. Satisfied with her choices she changes quickly, does a once over with her appearance and decides that her black ballet flats will be good match. Perfect. The teen grabbed a black sling purse and then headed to the kitchen to wait for her reluctant friend.

Determination washing over her in wafs. Marcella was going to be Damon's friend if it killed her. Which given the person in question it just might. This was going to be so much fun.

Seven rolled around quickly, and just as the old clock in the hall let her know a knock was heard on the door. She smiled, set the coffee she'd been drinking down and bounded giddy over to the door. Damon stood on the other side, predatory look in his eyes masked by feigned indifference. He was dressed in what she would consider his usual style, vintage T-shirt, leather, and nice jeans. Cocky grin on his face as he took in her appearance.

"Hey princess, you clean up cutely." He says with a quirk of his brow and she grins. That had been the point.

"I told you, I always sheen of sheer perfection." She told him stepping out onto the porch shutting the door behind herself. He didn't miss the implications of the action, his eyes narrowed at her for a second, frowning down at the tiny mortal. Marcella just offered him a smile, patted his cheek in what may be considered a condescending manner.

"Only my friends get to enter." She tells him as if her reasoning is the most obvious. He rolls his eyes again letting the anger fall off of him. There was that load of crap again. Normal people didn't want to be friends with him. Damon was convinced he would make her see why.

"Guess I'll just have to show you how good of a friend I can be Ms. Forbes." He purred, she offered him a completely unimpressed and disgusted look as they walked away from her house.

"Don't be gross." Damon snickered at her tone. He was going to ruin her.

So long as she didn't ruin him first. Marcella was determined, and once she set her mind to something much like her sister she got what she wanted. No one should ever try to stop a Forbes woman once they've set their mind to something. It never ended well for those who tried to interfere.

…

"Mattie!" Marcella practically squealed as she threw her arms around the quarterbacks neck. He chuckled at her but his eyes were trained dangerously on the man she'd walked over with. Not someone he recognized but he couldn't shake this feeling that something wasn't right.

"Hey Edie, thanks for stopping by the hospital the other day. Vik really liked the flowers." He tells her once she's let him go. Marcella smiles brightly at him looking absolutely pleased.

"I'm glad, although I can't take any of the credit for picking them." Matt grinned at her, his eyes finally dropping from the mysterious newcomer.

"I'll make sure to thank Jordan too. Are you planning on coming to the game friday night?" He asks and she nods. All though Damon notes that it's not met with the same gusto.

"You know Care's not going to let me miss watching her perform. Oh, my gosh!" She exclaims interrupting her own train of thought looking back at Damon as if she just remembered his presence. "Mattie this Damon, Damon this is Matt." Marcella motions between the two forcing both mean to give a different sort of fond or exasperated look.

Matt offers Damon his hand. Which the dark hair vampire takes easily. "Nice to meet you man." Damon echoes the sentiment but he hardly means it. The blond teen turns his attention back to Marcella, who is still all smiles.

"I got to get back to the grill, it was nice seeing you Edie and thanks again." She nods leans forward to kiss his cheek. Matt rolled his eyes, while Damon raised his brow at her. The quarterback walked away.

"Don't tell me you have the hots for all american boy toy." He states distastefully. Marcella's smile fades.

"Are you jealous? And no, I do not. Matt is still hung up on Elena Gilbert, and my sister likes him." She tells him seriously before linking her arms in his and pulling him in another direction. Damon let her.

"The same Elena Gilbert that has my baby brother so obsessed?" He mocks, and she huffs in annoyance. She currently wasn't the biggest fan of twilight wannabe vampire boy wonder. Stefan made Caroline cry and that wasn't cool with her.

"I take it you aren't a fan." Damon gages from her reaction. The teen grows silent before turning meaningful deep eyes onto him.

"People who deny their own nature, own desire, well they confuse me. I don't have the capability to understand it." She tells him truthfully. Eyes locked with his, there isn't a moment that he doubts the sincerity of her words.

"I know who I am and what exactly I want from this life." Marcella continues barely letting him process the first part of her sentence. There is an undeniable conviction in her voice. He takes a minute to let that sink in.

In that moment he finally comes to understand a piece of the puzzle. An enlightening realization grips at his senses. This has nothing to do with the rest of humanity, humans were great big bags of ugly, full of deceit and ill-intentions. He could attest to this fact from personal experience alone. Marcella wasn't like any human he'd ever met. She didn't fall into the same pitfalls the rest of them did. Humans weren't kind, they weren't nice, humanity was full of cruel and evil people. The bad always outweighs the good.

This was about her. She wasn't naive like he had originally pegged her for, wasn't oblivious to the harsh reality of life. Marcella just simply chose to see it in a different light, which made her appear to be those things. She was kind, because kindness didn't hurt her, because it was just who she was. It was her nature and she would not deny herself the pleasure.

Humans were inherently selfish beings. She was no different than the rest of them. If anything, she was worse, because she knew how unkind life could be and she chose to look past it. Chose to see the darkness for what it was and then to blatantly deny it a place in her being. As if it had no right to exist in her life.

Marcella was kind, she was nice, she didn't have an ulterior motive. She treated everyone the same because she wanted to, not because she had some grand scheme going on. In that moment he realized just how dangerous she could be. Because her kindness wasn't a weakness, it was her greatest strength. He had no doubt the lengths she would go for those she cared about, those she considered hers.

"And what is it that you want princess?" He asks daringly, staring deep into her expressive eyes. She smiles at him and for one moment it's as if he is the only person who exists. Marcella sees him.

"I already told you silly."

A sudden feel of apprehensions creeped into his bones as something else hits him. Something daunting in of itself. She wanted to be his friend. Damon realized then, that she was the type who got what she wanted.

She was no less selfish than himself.

XOXOX

So if you thought this was going to be some sort of fluff or crack fic than I am sorry to inform you that that is not quite the case. Marcella isn't a good person. Not really, she's kind sure, nice definitely, but kind and nice don't always equate to good. Anyways I hope that you like it! Please let me know what you think!

Thank you for reading and all your lovely words thus far!

Sincerely, La'Rae