"Okay, Babe. You ready?" He asked her, grinning from ear to ear.

Libia gulped as she peered out of the windsheild at the tattoo parlor. "I suppose...but what if-"

"No butts! You're going to go in there, and pierce that pretty skin of yours. And possibly decorate it with a tattoo," He added, pulling the door open.

Libia groaned, getting out of the car. She yelped as he grabbed her hand, as she didn't expect him to be there when she got out. He pulled her shaking form into the tattoo parlor.

"Damon I really think I should wait on the tattoo I've heard stories of people going into shock and passing out-" 

"It'll be fine. It'll be a little bit before the design is finished. Your body will be plenty ready to get the tattoo." Damon waved her off.

"I really don't think-"

"Libia, if it makes you feel better, I'll get a tattoo with you." Damon said.

This silenced her. Damon would do that for her?

"Really?" She asked after a few seconds.

He grinned back at her, but before he had time to answer, a woman came bounding out of a room in the back.

Her arms were covered in tattoos, and she had a cigarrette trapped between her fingers. Her hair was colorful, ranging from Blue, to red, to a sunset-orange, but she made it look good somehow. Her vibrant blue eyes brightened immensely when Damon entered.

"Damon, sweetie! I thought I heard your voice!" The woman exclaimed, jumping over the counter and wrapping him up in a bear hug.

He hugged the tall woman back, picking her up and swinging her like she weighed nothing. "Hey Cass. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Libia stood to the side, feeling as if she needed to give them their moment of reunion. It was clear that Damon had affection for the woman.

It surprised her that when he set her down, she smacked him on the head. 

"It's been a month! You don't leave your old Aunt hanging for a month!" She scolded.

Damon only grinned at the woman, and then he looked back at Libia, dragging her closer, and into his side. "Aunt Cassandra, this is my friend Libia." He cupped his hand over his mouth and leaned towards his Aunt, "I'm trying to get her to loosen up. She's as uptight as a newly fastened screw." He whispered loudly.

"Damon!" Libia exclaimed, pulling away from him in embarrassment.

Cassandra only let out a hearty laugh as she turned to Libia. "It's nice to meet you, Libia! You can call me Cass." She took her hand and shook it twice, her smile big and friendly.

Libia immediately took a liking to the woman. She reminded Libia of a more vibrant version of her mother. Always smiling, and always taking everyone in like family.

"Alright, so what'll it be, my boy?" She asked Damon, hopping back over the counter.

Damon pushed Libia up to the counter. "Tattoo design. I'm guessing you'll draw it out while Vinny pierces her?" Damon asked.

Cass nodded. "You got it, Dame. We talking bellybutton, ear, vampire bites, angel bites, rhinestones, tongue studs, nose, eyebrow, nipple-?"

"Whoa, whoa! Bellybutton, Aunt Cass, none of that...other stuff." Damon said, shivering in disgust.

"Alright. Bellybutton. Libia, why don't you tell me about your tattoo?" Cass asked, settling her gaze on a now timid Libia.

"I'd like it to be on the back of my right shoulder. It's a Koi fish. The back drop would be grey, and the fish would be sunset orange, but the tail would be yellow. I'd like it to have lotus flowers surrounding and overlapping one of the fins, if possible. Oh, and I'd like it to be splashing through the water." Libia finished.

Cass was taking down notes like a professional, nodding with every pause in Libia's words. "Alright. You got a picture I can go off of? Or do you want this freehand?" Cass asked her.

"Freehand is fine." Libia confirmed.

She did have a picture, and she knew it by heart. But she wanted to see how Cass could improve on it.

"Alright. Let me get Vinny. He's in the back playin' poker with his buddies. It's been a slow day," Cass chuckled.

When they were alone, Damon asked, "A Koi?"

Libia smiled, turning to him. "I was playing around on the internet once, out of lonely boredom. I came across the meaning of a Koi to the Japanese. A Koi means a lot of things, but one of the meanings stuck out to me. A Koi symbolizes courage. They said, "Humans swim through the ocean of suffering without fear. Like a fish swims through water." I've always dreamed of being brave. Of swimming through that ocean of suffering, if you will, without fear. Basically, what this tattoo would mean to me was that I no longer fear judgment, or am afraid to suffer the consequences. The lotuses are a symbol of rebirth. Basically it means that by gaining courage, I'm reborn into a new person," Libia looked shyly away as she explained, "I'm in no way a Buddha or anything, but the symbolism of it all just kind of...fit." Libia shrugged.

Damon was speechless. He stared at the tiny girl in front of him in awe. She was so beautiful, and deep. He began to wonder why such a beautiful, mature girl wasn't more confident. How could she be so shy?

Before he could say anything, though, Vinny and Cass came out of the back.

"Alright, Libia, Damon. If you'll just follow Vinny to the back, he'll pierce you. I'll draw out the design." Cass waved them off.

***

Libia was laughing like crazy as they ran from the ice cream shop, their plastic bowls piled high. the plastic on Libia's back crackled with each movement, and so did the plastic on Damon's bicep as he kept a hold of her hand, and they flat out ran to the car.

"Come on, he's gaining on us!" Damon laughed.

"Get back here!" The guy boomed, and Libia glanced back for a split second.

He had ice cream covering his head and shoulders, and Libia fell into a fit of laughter once again. They jumped into the Porsche, and the car purred to life. He threw it into drive just as the guy got to the car, and Damon sped off.

"You're crazy!" Libia exclaimed, still laughing.

"You're the one that poured his ice cream on him!" Damon accused.

"He called me a bitch! And anyway, you punched his friend first!"

"How was I to know that the short dude had a bodyguard waiting in the wings?" Damon asked.

Libia took scooped out a large bite of her ice cream. "At least we got rid of Johnson. I thought he'd never stop following us." Libia rolled her eyes.

"Did you see his face when I hit that guy?" Damon chortled.

"Yes! He looked like he'd just been given his death certificate!" Libia giggled, covering her mouth to keep from spitting her ice cream everywhere. 

They fell into silence as Damon parked in an empty lot so he could finish his ice cream. The moon was high, being the only thing you could see over the city lights accept the occasional star that shone bright enough. It was about eight at night, and Libia was still sore from the tattoo.

"This has to be one of the funnest nights I've had in...forever." She whispered, leaning her head back against the seat as she set her now empty bowl of ice cream down.

Damon chuckled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She confirmed.

Damon studied her face as she closed her eyes. A small smile tugged at her lips. "Even when we got the tattoos?" He asked her.

She opened her eyes and peered over at him, tilting her head against the seat. "Yeah. That was one of the funnest parts." She admitted.

He grinned at her.

"So are you ever going to show me what you got?" Libia asked him, giving him a teasing, but curious smile.

His grin turned lop sided. "When I take you home." He reminded her.

She checked her watch, eight O clock. "Ben is going to be furious with me. I haven't called him." She groaned.

"Do you always have to call him when you go out for long periods of time?" He asked her, starting the car.

Libia sighed. "Yes. He worries about me. He wants me to check in on him every once in a while. It doesn't help that I left my phone at home." Libia rolled her eyes.

Damon laughed. "Make sure you put your sweater back on. Your brother just might murder me." He reminded her.

"Oh. Right. Thanks." Libia smiled at him as she pulled her sweater back on over her tank top, careful not to pull the plastic off.

When they pulled up two houses down, Damon got out with her, and they met at the sidewalk. "Let me see it!" She exclaimed impatiently, tugging lightly on his hand.

Chuckling, with a slight nervous edge, he turned so his arm was facing her, and she looked through the plastic in the limited light of the post above. She gasped, her eyes widening as she gently ran her fingers along the intracate design, circling a beautifully done inscription. 

She looked up at him, her doe eyes wide. "Courage?"

For the first time, his smile was genuine.

"You inspired me."

***

After a long weekend full of a lot of homework and taking care of her tattoo, Libia walked into school with her new school uniform. New meaning 'Modified.' as Damon had put it. He'd shortened the skirt to just above the knee, he'd put a black belt around the torso to show off her curves, and he'd bought her black, leather, knee-high boots that laced all the way up.

As soon as she reached her locker, her friend Vivi let fourth a cat call. "Honey-Bun, you're smokin'," She grinned.

Libia blushed bright red. "Thanks I guess." 

"What's with the outfit, Hon?"

She hesitated, and then asked, "Do you know Johnson Breaker?"

Vivi's upper lip curled, "Johnson The Heart Breaker. He dated my friend Gabby a while back. literally led her on for two months, and then he came into the cafeteria one day, blatantly making out with Bailey Summers. It broke Gabby's heart. She dropped out of school after that, and her mom home schools her now." She explained.

Libia's stomach tightened with the news, and she let out a heavy breath. "I guess I should have asked you about him, then. He...he took me out, a couple of days ago," Libia twisted her lips into a scowl.

Vivi grabbed her arms, her eyes wide. "Oh my goodness, Honey what happened?"

Libia felt her face warm in humiliation, and her eyes began to sting with anger. "He was a real charmer. We ordered a pizza to share, and he told me that my eyes were beautiful, and then...he ditched me. Made up some shit about his wallet being in his car, walked out, and ditched me so he didn't have to pay for his meal. This Bailey Summers you're talking about was in the front seat."

Vivi shook her head. "Oh Honey. I wish you would have asked me 'bout him first. They don't call him Johnson The Heart Breaker for nothin'," She sighed.

Libia opened her mouth to reply, but was startled when an arm went around her shoulders. "Hey, Babe. Vivi." Damon greeted them.

Vivi glanced from Libia to Damon with her mouth open a little. "Damon?"

He grinned down at the petite girl. "Yeah. What, Libs didn't tell you about our little...agreement?" He asked her.

Libia blushed deep red as the attention turned to her.

"Agreement." Vivi said flatly.

Biting her lip, Libia nodded. "Um...so after that whole..disasterous and humiliating date, Damon and I...well...ran into each other. And...he offered to help me get back at Johnson," Libia shrugged.

Vivi looked between the two. "I see. And this explains the outfit?" She asked.

Libia nodded, expecting Vivi to just leave, thinking she was stupid. But, to her surprise, Vivi snorted and laughed. "Well, this will definitely get his attention. I'm startin' to like you already, Darlin'," She said to Damon, lifting her hand so he could give her a high five.

He grinned at her. "Thanks. I try."

Libia was pulled out of her enicial surprise when the bell rang. "See you in class, Libia!" Vivi said, blowing a kiss to her as she hooked her arms with her boyfriend, and walking off.

"Come on, Babe. We need to get to class." He murmured, steering her around.

"But...you're not in my first class." She pointed out.

He smiled at her. "Nope. But we're dating, right? Shouldn't the guy you're dating walk you to class?" Libia felt her cheeks flame once again, and cursed her naturally shy nature. 

"I...think you're right." She said.

Damon reached down and brushed her hair from her face as they walked, smiling an affectionate smile that Libia could have sworn looked genuine. But she brushed the butterflies in her stomach away. He was acting, obviously. "Of course I'm right. Trust me on this."

She let a smile overtake her face, surprising him, and putting him in a state of awe. "Thank you, Damon. You didn't have to do this, you know," She murmured.

He chuckled, realizing just how clueless she was about how he felt.

"I know, Babe."