Written 2012 by VeGirl

I had taken a shower and changed my clothes after the training session, which by the way was a bit embarrassing; getting naked and stepping into his shower, where anyone could walk in on me, since it had no doors to lock. What kind of an exhibitionist was he anyway?

Yeah well, he had good hearing and knew if someone was coming, which I didn't.

It was a hot day and I got really appreciative looks from Damon as I came back to the parlour in a short powder pink summer dress and high heels. It was a simple jersey spaghetti strap underneath and had a thin short sleeved organza layer over. This girly outfit was quite out of character from what I usually wore but this felt like a special occasion. When I wore dresses, which was seldom, it was more of an indie-style, and this was a Ralph Lauren knock-off. I even threw on my pearl necklace and grabbed my sunglasses.

"Wow, baby, baby!" Damon met me downstairs. "Did you do that just for me?"

"Of course!" I smiled and felt jittery as he gave me a good look-over once again.

"I like." He slid his arms around me and I did the same around his muscular body. "I like your legs in those high heels," he whispered, making a shill run up my spine and I bit my lower lip. This wasn't a trait of character I had expected from him.

Damon suggested that we'd go down to the Grill; if Klaus wanted to find us, he would no matter where we were. We took his pale blue Camaro, the sun was shining and we had the top down. I couldn't help but to glance at Damon when we drove away along the gravelled driveway. With his shades on, he really did look like the Damon I had seen on my TV; the one I had been drooling over but realistically knew I would never get to know.

Just two days ago I was content with walking around Glenridge Hall, because it was the location of my favourite TV-show. How did this happen, or what the hell was happening, really?!

From the stereo, Ida Maria was singing about that 'home sweet home ain't sweet anymore' and I could relate. My blond curls were blowing around my face and I looked silent out the side window.

"What's the matter?" Damon asked.

I turned to face him. He looked really concerned and that was a side of him that was well hidden on the TV-show I thought.

"Oh, I was just thinking about home." I was trying to dodge the subject any further.

"Do you miss home... or perhaps someone in particular?" He looked almost suspicious at me.

"No! I'm single," I said with a smile. "I would never be like this, you know, sleeping in your bed..." I added with an obvious look. "...if I had a special someone at home. I was merely thinking I didn't want to go home," I admitted more quietly and looked once again out the side window.

He didn't say anything, but I saw in the corner of my eye that he was watching me intensely. Maybe he didn't know what to say, just like me.

The stereo changed song to the Bravery, 'out of line' and we both smiled. At first I thought that it was funny how we seemed to have the same taste in music, but I realised how affected I had been by the show. It hit me suddenly that he had been around a long time ago, at least if this reality was accurate to story on the TV-show.

"What kind of music did you listen to when you were younger?" I asked.

He cracked a laugh. "What do you mean, when I was merely a hundred and ten?"

I looked away, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay sweetie, you snoop around as much as you want. You have no idea how liberating it is to meet someone that you don't have to convince that you're 172 years old, and then compel them to forget."

I smiled at him again.

We reached the Grill and got out of the car.

"Still not fast enough for you," he asked under his breath when I once again had got out of the car by the time he had walked around it to open my door.

"Sorry, I'm not used to be escorted by such a gentleman."

Once again he laughed. "Self-serving psychopath is what I usually get to be called," he replied. "Would you care to join me Miss Palm?" He offered me his arm.

"I would love to, Mr. Salvatore." I put my hand in the crook of his arm. He had such a proud posture and I was filled with suppressed laughter as I adapted his stance and strolled along in my heels by his side through the door to the Grill. I noted that I was almost as tall as him in my heels and between us was a current still humming and cracking, making me jittery inside.

We took a seat at a table and he pulled out the chair for me. He was still in his polite, proud old-fashion stance and I told myself to play the part of a lady from 1864; acting was the only thing for me to prevent me from laughing out loud. Damon asked what I wanted to drink and went up to the bar to order.

I was sitting by the table with my legs crossed, pondering about what people in the 1860:s would think about a girl dressed like I usually did; in skinny black jeans, white shirt and booties. Maybe I could just ask Damon?

I looked around the room with a smile on my face and found a blond girl by the pool table who didn't take her eyes off me. I recognized her as Caroline and felt a little annoyed that she was so obvious in her staring. I felt like nodding to her, since I knew her but realised I wasn't supposed to know her.

Damon came back to the table and put my glass in front of me. "A Southern Comfort and Ginger Ale for Miss Palm," he said courteously, and I remembered our roll-play.

"Well, thank you Mr. Salvatore," I replied polite and exaggerated my British accent as much as I could. "It's a lovely weather you have here."

"Oh yes Miss Palm, it truly is," he replied in his southern accent.

I flicked my eyes to the corner where I had seen Caroline, to signal for him to look discretely; she was now joined by Tyler at the pool table. Damon looked around and saw them.

"Were your journey over here pleasant, Miss Palm?" he asked and I understood immediately that he was teasing the onlookers that eavesdropped on us in this public place.

"Yes Mr. Salvatore, It's so easy to travel these days." I decided that if they wanted a show, why not give them just that. "It's nothing like the Titanic though," I said smiling and leaned toward him like it was a secret I revealed. "But much better than the first time I got to this country." Damon was about to laugh, but held it together with just a little twitch in the corner of his mouth.

"Oh no, travelling today is quite different, Miss. But I heard the service was quite good on the Titanic; up until the unfortunate encounter with that iceberg."

"Oh yes." I snickered a bit and sipped my drink, not sure what else to say.

"And the accommodations are satisfactory? Miss Michae... I mean Miss Palm," he corrected and I really wished that I could hear the conversation by the pool table. I could see their reflections in one of the windows and smiled when I saw Caroline flinch and miss the biljard ball with the cue.

"Well, it's not like the castle in Bulgaria, but it's better than when Rebekah and I stayed in Klaus' house in Transylvania," I made up and Damon almost choked on his whiskey. "Have you seen my nephew here?"

"Yes Miss Palm, he's on his way over here now. He had a little errand to run first." He looked down at the table.

"And the doppelganger?" I asked silent, leaning just a little closer to him.

"I have her as well, Miss Palm."

"Excellent, Mr. Salvatore, I will personally make sure it will be worth your while," I said and sipped my drink.

I looked around and both Caroline and Tyler were gone in an instant. It took a little while and then Damon started to laugh. "Girl, you are crazy! How long do you think it will take till Stefan calls us?"

I started to laugh as well. "That was so much fun! And hey, the pool table is free, you wanna play? Or should we call to warn Stefan and Elena first?"

"It's more fun to let them figure it out on their own. Come on, let's play some pool..." He rose and gestured with his head and arm, for me to come with him.

"Mr. Salvatore! What happened to the chivalry?" I reprimanded him, still in a teasing mind.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss Emma!" He was by my side immediately, pulling out my chair and offering his arm. I laughed as we took a walk over to the pool table where he started to line up the balls. That's when Damon's phone buzzed and three seconds later so did mine.

"What?" Damon sighed.

"Hi Elena," I said. "Caroline called you?"

"Yes, what's going on? Where are you, are you with Damon or do you know where he is?" She sounded worried for my safety.

"Yes Damon and I are at the Grill. Caroline was here and she was oogling me, I got a little pissed and then carried away in Damon's and mine teasing conversation. I'm sorry."

"What did you say?" she demanded and her tone was anything but perky.

"I insinuated that I was quite older than I am. Then I threw in Klaus name and the phrase 'the Doppelganger'," I admitted. "It was so obvious that they were eavesdropping on us, I just couldn't help it. You should have been here I almost made Damon crack laughing," I revealed mirthfully and Damon glared at me. "Elena you have nothing to worry about, I would never hurt you! You are the only friend I have in this crazy reality; you know that." I sighed and did my best to convince her that she had nothing to fear.

Damon had already ended his phone call - and his whiskey. He gestured that he was heading to the bar while I kept trying to convince Elena that everything was okay. That took some time but eventually she believed me and we hung up.

Damon returned to me with a new whiskey and started to lay up the balls on the pool table. He took a cue and started the game. "I think it's best if I stand behind you when you play in that short dress," he whispered when it was my turn to play.

"Come on, it's not really that short," I said defensively.

He tilted his head to the side and checked. "Yes it is." He smirked.

I smacked his arm. "No it's not! I wouldn't have bought it if it was."

"I think you should have gone for shorter..."

That resulted in another smack on the arm. "I bet you do! Can I play now?" I glared at him and he took a few steps back and tilted his head a little to get a good view of me bending forward. "Damon!" I said sharp, but he just shrugged and smiled. I glared at him; it wasn't that short, but his actions made me think about it way too much and I got really selfaware.

We played for a while and I worked hard to concentrate on the game instead of his looks and it worked. I had never been that good at pool but, as Stefan said; I could hold my own.

Damon put his arm around me and whispered in my ear; "I think we should go home so I can take you to bed instead." I inhaled sharply and a wave of heat ran through my body.

He laughed. "I see you're thinking about it too," he whispered and made me blush. He thrusted his cue and three balls flew in their pockets.

"In a hurry?" I mumbled.

He walked close to me, laid one hand on my hip and the other one on my cheek. "Yes." He kissed me and my heartbeat picked up, like it did every time he was close. "Mouth-watering," he whispered and kissed my cheek.

That's when someone harrumphed next to us and we knew it was time to explain.

"Hi Elena, and hi Caroline, I'm sorry I tricked you, it was just so tempting when you were so obviously eavesdropping. I'm Emma." I proffered my hand.

"Yeah, I'm Caroline," she said and it was obvious that she didn't trust me for one bit. "So, who are you?"

"Just a girl on a vacation, looking for some fun... I'm sorry that it was at your cost."

"Well I'm not apologizing; it's not polite to eavesdrop like that, Barbie," Damon said harsh and Caroline blushed a little.

"I'm sorry; I was actually just looking out for her, with you being such a jack ass," she was defensive.

"You need to practice being a little more subtle about it; you and the hybrid," Damon said.

"Tyler's a hy..." I hollered, but whispered instead to Damon. "Tyler is a hybrid?!" My eyes where huge from the surprise. "Klaus managed to turn hybrids?"

Caroline looked shocked that I knew anything at all about the subject of matter. "Who are you?" Her eyes flickered between Elena and Damon to see their reactions. They were of course already aware that I was well informed and were surprisingly cool with that.

"Yes, it was apparently my blood that did the trick," Elena explained, looked around and continued discreetly. "I was supposed to die at the sacrifice, but if I did he wouldn't have my blood to create them. It turned out that we really did him a favour to keep me alive, instead of messing things up for him..." Her tone was sour.

"For what it's worth, I'm really glad you survived." I stroked her arm. "You're the one that keeps everything together here." I really meant that.

She smiled at me. "Thank you, and I'm really glad you came." Her eyes flickered to Damon.

"I'm not here to double-cross her, Caroline; Elena is the only friend I've got here." At that statement Damon harrumphed and I turned to him. "Well of course you, sweetie pie!" I could see Caroline rolling her eyes.

"Another compelled fake girlfriend," she muttered.

"Actually she's not compelled, not fake at all." Damon put his arms around my waist.

"Oh em gee, does this mean we're official?" I put a hand over my mouth in a fake awe, teasing him and I heard Caroline gasp at first and then she laughed out loud.

.