CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

"Hey!" Dean calls, glancing in the rearview mirror, and Nyx looks up from her lap.

"Are you okay?" Sam asks. "You​ keep zoning out, and we have no idea where we're going."

"Sorry. My mind's trying to occupy my thoughts with anything other than where we are." She tells them.

"And where are we?" Dean asks, and she then looks​ outside the car window.

"The square. Park up here." The brunette points, and he steers the car where she tells him. "You guys hungry? The grill's this way." She motions across the street as they get out of the Impala.

"I can eat." Sam says, and they go inside.

"Nycole?" Matt walks over when he sees them and he hugs her. "Caroline told me that you were coming, but I half expected you not to show." He says, and she smiles as she pulls away from him.

"Yeah, well, between her and Carol Lockwood, I'm a little afraid of what would happen if I didn't." She tells him, and he laughs.

He looks at Sam and Dean. "We didn't officially meet before. I'm Matt." He says before shaking both of their hands.

"Dean."

"Sam."

"We're gonna go grab a table." Dean tells Nyx, and she nods.

"Caroline tells me that Dean's gonna be your escort." Matt says after the older boys walk away, and she shakes her head.

"I don't see him trading the leather jacket and jeans for a suit. Not even for a night." Nycole tells him.

"Leave him alone in a room with Caroline for five minutes. She'll have him begging to be your escort." He says, and she chuckles.

"You think it'd take five minutes​?"

"I was giving him some credit." He says, and she just nods, clearly amused. "So, who is gonna be your escort then?"

"I don't know. How pathetic would it be to ask Jeremy?" She asks,​ and he makes a face. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"What about Sam?"

"More likely to wear a suit, I think, but I don't know." She shrugs. "I'll figure something out, I guess."

"Practice starts tomorrow, Nyx." He says, and she nods. "Ask Dean. I think his answer may surprise you."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Not only the fact that he's watching you right now, but the way that he's looking at you." The blond boy says, and she looks​ over his shoulder. Dean is in fact looking at them.

"You can't even see him." She says​ as she looks back at Matt.

"Don't have to. I've been in love before." He says, and she raises​ her eyebrows.

"Lo— No, it's not like that." She tells him, shaking her head.

"Maybe not yet." He says and then tells her that he has to get back to work.

Nyx walks over to the boys' table and sits​ at one of the two open chairs. They order their food, and then Caroline makes her way over to their table a little while later.

The blonde teenager sits down and looks at Nyx. "Matt called and told me that you need an escort for the Founders Court." She says. "So, I found you one." Caroline smiles.

"You did?" Nyx asks, eyebrows raised, and she nods.

"Dean." She looks at him. "Have her at the high school tomorrow at three for practice. And make sure that you get a suit before the pageant." She says, and he raises his eyebrows as he looks at her.

"Wha—"

"Great. See you guys tomorrow." She then smiles at Sam before getting up from her seat to leave the restaurant.

"What the hell just happened?" Dean asks as he looks at Nyx.

"You, my poor friend, have been Carolined." She tells him, and his brother starts laughing. "I'll kill Matt for you later." She says, and he just nods.

—

"Mrs. Lockwood, I was hoping to talk to you for a minute." Nyx says as she walks​ over to her, and Carol turns to her. "I'm really sorry that I couldn't make it yesterday to talk to you and the other judges. I got in late."

"It's alright, sweetie." The older woman says.

"​But, if I'm being entirely honest, I don't understand how I'm even able to participate in this event. I haven't really been here in a long time. And I definitely haven't done anything for the town since last May."

"Well, I talked​ to the other judges, and we agreed that you could participate because we knew how much this meant to your mother. The only thing is, there's no way that you can win." She explains. "It's the compromise that we all came to."

"You did this for my mom?" She asks, and Carol nods.

"Your mother was a good friend of mine, and just because you and Tyler have broken up, doesn't mean I care for you any less." She says, and Nyx smiles.

"I wasn't even sure I wanted to do this, but that... Thank you, so much." The teenager then gives her a quick hug.

"Of course, sweetheart." Carol says and then pulls away from her. "So, who's your escort?" She asks, and Nyx points at Dean, who looks incredibly uncomfortable.

"Caroline didn't really give him much of a choice." She says, and Carol laughs.

"That sounds about right." She says, and Nycole nods. "Get him, we're about to start."

"Dean!" Nyx calls, and he walks over to her.

"Remind me why I'm doing this." He says as he glances around at all of the teenagers.

"Caroline."

"Right."

"Places, everyone." Carol says, and Dean looks at Nyx for help.

The brunette chuckles​ as she has him stand a couple feet to the left of Stefan, which of course, means that she's now standing next to Elena. The older of the two girls takes a step back and tries her best to ignore her sister.

"Just follow what the boys do." Nyx whispers, and Dean nods.

"Honor your partner." Carol instructs, and they each bow — or curtsey, for the girls — to their respective partners. "Let's focus. Right hand around."

Nyx raises​ her right hand, and he mirrors her action. They then walk in a circle.

"Flirt with your eyes." Carol continues, and Dean winks at Nycole. She smiles and tries not to laugh. "Left hand around." She says when they make it back to their original places. They repeat what they just did, but walk in the opposite direction.

"This is ridiculous." Elena whispers to her boyfriend.

"Both hands." Carol says; she didn't hear her.

"You're only saying that because you don't know how to do it." Stefan teases.

"She's not the only one, so shut up." Nyx glances their way as they do as Carol instructs.

"Sorry only one of us was around when the dance was invented." Elena mumbles, talking to her escort.

"Ouch." Stefan then grabs her hand and spins her around. She laughs as Dean and Nycole step away from them.

"Oh. No, no, no." Carol quickly intervenes, and they both look at her. "There's no touching during this part. It's about the simple intimacy of the near-touch." She tells them.

Nyx looks​ up at Dean, and he steps closer to her. "Are you okay?" He whispers.

"If Caroline knew that I was here, then so did Elena. And she hasn't even tried to talk to me." She tells him. "And after telling Jeremy about the adoption without even trying to talk to me about what I wanted first..." She shakes her head.

"We'll get through this and then we'll keep our distance, if that's what you want." He says, and she clenches her teeth as she glances at Stefan and Elena.

Stefan looks at Nyx because he heard their entire brief conversation.

Carol has them start over, and they make it through the whole thing this time. Nyx sighs at the end, and Dean places his hand on her arm to get her attention. She looks up at him, and he motions toward the door.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He says, and she nods.

"Nycole." Stefan walks over to them, and she looks up at him.

"Leave her alone, man. She doesn't want to ​talk to you." Dean says as he places himself between the two of them.

"Why don't you let her speak for herself?" He says as he looks at Dean.

"Leave me alone, Stefan. I don't want to talk to you." Nyx repeats Dean's words.

The pair start to walk past him then, but he grabs her arm before they make it more than a few steps. The brunette turns around and shoves him away from her.

"I don't need or want a half-assed excuse from my​ sister's boyfriend. She screwed up and she doesn't​ even care. Don't talk to me, and do not touch me." Nycole tells him.

"Nycole, is everything okay?" Carol asks as she walks over to the three of them.

Dean rests his hands on Nyx's shoulders and pulls her back a few steps. They got the attention of everyone in the room, including Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie.

"Yeah. Everything's fine." She says​ and turns around and walks away from them.

The angry teenager makes it out to the parking lot and the only one following her is Dean. She's​ trying so hard to keep herself together and she's barely managing to do it. Dean finally catches up to her, and he makes her stop walking.

"Hey, hey. Look at me." He says, and she reluctantly looks up at him. "It's gonna be okay. One way or another. I promise." He says, and she only nods in response. He wraps his arm around her and walks her back to the car.

—

Caroline and Nycole are getting ready for the pageant, and the brunette sighs as she finishes her makeup. Jenna walks over to them as Elena leaves, and Nyx looks at her aunt in the mirror.

"This has gone on long enough. You need to talk to your sister." The older woman says, and Nyx shakes​ her head.

"No, I don't. She didn't call or text me once; I never heard anything from her about this." She tells her. "And then Jeremy calls and tells me that she told him about the adoption."

"Adoption?" Caroline asks, and Nyx nods as she looks at her.

"Elena and I are adopted." She tells​ her and then stands up. "Elena went looking for Isobel without me. She didn't tell me that Isobel was Ric's wife or that she died. Then she tells Jeremy everything without asking me how I felt about it first. I don't have to do anything​ here, and I'm not going to."

"Nycole—"

"Caroline called and told me about this because Mrs. Lockwood made it possible for me to participate. I'm only here for Mom, nothing else. The boys and I are leaving in the morning." She says and then turns around and walks away from her.

Nyx walks into the dressing room where her dress for the pageant is hanging up, but immediately stops when she sees Elena and Damon. "I'll come back—"

"Actually, I could use your help with something." Damon tells her.

"I'll pass on whatever drama's going on now." She turns around and almost runs into Stefan.

"Are you—"

"I'm fine." She cuts him off and walks away from him.

"I know you're having a rough time right now, but we have a problem." Damon says as he quickly walks up behind Nyx. He holds her dress out to her, and she takes it from him. "One that affects the town."

"So deal with it. You don't need me." She says as she tries to walk past him.

"Stefan's been drinking human blood since you two escaped the tomb vampires basement." He whispers, and she stops walking. "I need a plan to help him, not kill him."

"Lock him up and throw away the key."

"Nycole—"

The brunette shoves past him and goes into a bathroom to change into her dress, not wanting to deal with any of this right now. She leaves her regular clothes in the dressing room and then walks over to the top of the stairs where the other girls are waiting to be called so that they can meet their escorts for the dance portion of the pageant.

"Miss Tina Fell, escorted by Bartholomew Whitmore." Mayor Lockwood calls the next name just as Nyx walks over.

"Has anyone seen Amber?" Carol asks as she walks over to Nyx, Elena, and Caroline. They all say no.

"Do you see Stefan down there?" Elena asks, and her​ sister takes a deep breath.

"Nope, just my boring fill-in escort. Ooh, and Nycole's hottie." Caroline says, and Nyx smirks​ as she looks​ at her friend.

"You're ridiculous." The brunette shakes her head.

"And you're both in denial." She retorts.

"Miss Nycole Gilbert, escorted by Dean Winchester." The mayor says, and Carol smiles at her as she walks over to the top of the staircase.

She starts​ down the stairs and smiles​ when she sees Dean standing​ at the bottom. He has to consciously​ keep his eyes from widening​ as he takes in her appearance. He's seen her in a lot of different ways: sweats and a tank top, with her hair in a messy ponytail; tight jeans and a form fitting shirt, with her hair straightened, and he's always thought that she looked great. But now with the fancy dress and her hair curled, she looks beautiful. But even that word doesn't seem like enough to describe what he sees now.

Nyx reaches the bottom of the curved staircase, and he holds his hand out to her. She places​ her hand in his, and they walk out to the dance floor. They stand facing each other like all of the other couples, and she smiles because it's the first time that she's ever seen him look genuinely nervous.

"Sam better not have his phone with his camera out." Dean whispers, and she stifles​ a laugh.

"I stole it before we came here." She tells him, and he smiles.

"That's my girl." He says, and she bites​ her lip to keep from laughing.

Caroline makes her way outside and stands next to her. Then Elena after, but she's not with Stefan like she's supposed to be. Damon escorted her out.

Each of the couples bow, and then the music plays. They start the dance and the tempo picks up as it gets to the part where they're passed the near-touch as Carol put it before.

They dance exactly like they practiced before, and Nyx can't help the smile that's on her face as she looks into Dean's green eyes the entire time. They end where they started and then step back again. She sighs​ in relief that it's all over with.

"Thank you." Nyx mouths to Dean for actually doing this for her, and he winks at her as his only response.

They all go inside then, and the girls go up onto the stage. This is the part of the pageant where the mayor announces the winner.

"Where's Stefan?" Caroline whispers to Elena.

"I don't know." She tells her.

"Before I crown the winner, I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community." Mayor Lockwood claps, and everyone in the audience does as well. "So, without further adieu, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls, Miss Caroline Forbes." He says, and everyone starts clapping again.

"Congratulations." Nyx smiles​ as she turns to her.

"I actually won." Caroline hugs her and then Elena.

The mayor walks over to them, and Nyx looks​ at Sam and Dean. They're both clapping for her along with the others.

Once that part's over, Nyx walks​ over to the boys. "I need one of you to go and get the vervain gun out of the car." She tells​ them, and they look at her.

"Why?" Dean asks, confused.

"Just trust me." She tells him, and he nods.

He gets back a few minutes later and has it hidden on him so that no one else will see it. He pulls her and Sam away from everyone​ else. "You wanna tell us what's​ going on now?" He questions.

"I don't know exactly. It's something with Stefan." The brunette says​. "I want to have something just in case we need it."

She turns and sees Damon and Elena talking, and it seems serious. Bonnie follows after them, and then Nyx starts following her. They go out into the woods, and Damon's keeping Elena and Bonnie away from Stefan. His mouth is covered in blood and he's not in control of his hunger.

Damon moves toward his brother, but Stefan grabs him and throws him into a tree. Dean puts the tranquilizer gun in Nyx's hand, and she aims​ the gun directly between her sister and Bonnie.

"Stefan, stop it!" Elena yells, and the vampire looks at her.

He starts to groan in pain, and Nyx pulls the trigger. The dart hits him in the chest, near his heart, and he looks at her for a second before falling to the ground. Everyone turns around and looks at Nycole and the other two hunters.

"You two get Stefan to the Impala." Nyx says as she looks at Dean. "I'll be right behind you."

He nods, and then the two of them walk over to Stefan to get him up off the ground and out of the area.

"What the hell is going on?" Damon questions, and she looks at him.

"Well, you asked me to help. I'm helping." The brunette tells him. "Take care of Amber, make sure that she's okay. The boys and I will get Stefan back to the Boarding House."

"And I'm supposed to trust them?"

"No, you trust me." Nycole says​ as she starts in the direction that Sam and Dean went.

—

"You should've killed me." Stefan says as Nyx locks the door to the cellar. He's pushing himself into a sitting position against the far wall. "I hurt that girl, I would've killed her."

"I'm well aware of what you are and what you're capable of." She tells​ him.

"So, why use vervain instead of a wooden bullet?" He questions, and she doesn't say anything.

"How is he?" Damon asks as he walks over to them.

"Brooding." She says​ as she looks up at him. "He wants me to kill him."

"Why didn't you? You had the perfect opportunity and a good enough reason."

"I'm a hunter, not a murderer." She says, and he looks confused. "I kill monsters."

"So, you're telling me that you don't consider my brother a monster?"

"I've seen monsters, Damon. Real monsters. They kill innocent people and they don't feel an ounce of remorse." She tells him. "Your brother..." Nyx looks at Stefan through the opening on the door. "He looks pretty remorseful to me... Besides, he's saved my life twice now."

"Thank you." Damon says, and she looks back at him. "For helping him tonight."

"Saving people is what I do."

"So, you did it for Amber then?" He asks as she starts to walk past him. She stops and turns back to him.

"I did what needed to be done for the people who needed it. I helped him for him, for you, for Elena." She tells him. "I did it to save Amber too, yes. If there's one thing that I've learned in all of this, it's that the world isn't as black and white as I once thought. Sometimes we act and we don't have a clear reason for our actions. We do what we believe is right in that moment. Helping Stefan was just as right as saving Amber."

Damon only nods in response, not knowing what to say, and she turns around and goes back upstairs to find the boys so that they can head back to the motel. They get to their room, and Sam goes into the bathroom to shower before either of the other two even have a chance.

"Bastard." Nyx mumbles, and Dean chuckles as he looks at her.

"I like your hair like this." He says as he reaches over and twists one of her long, brown curls around his index finger.

"Thanks." She smiles as she glances at him. She's going through her duffle bag to find something to wear to bed. "I like you in a suit. It's a lot different than what you usually wear."

"And this is probably the only time I'll wear one when we're not pretending to be FBI." He tells her.

"Guess it's a good thing I snuck a picture this morning then, huh?" She says, and he raises his eyebrows.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." She smirks as she then tries to walk past him. He grabs her arm, and she looks up at him as he pulls her toward him so that her arm is against his chest. She's closer to his height than usual because she's wearing heals.

"You took a picture?" He questions, and she fights back her smile.

"Would I do that?"

"Where is it?"

"Hm?"

"You're a pain in my ass." He says, and she chuckles.

"No, you like it." She argues, shaking her head. "You can admit it. I already know."

"You think so?"

"Mhm." She nods, and his gaze drops to her lips. She's still smiling as he starts to lean down.

His lips brush against hers just like that night in New Orleans, and she wants to close the distance between them. Both of their eyes are closed now, and he's about to kiss her when she suddenly pulls away from him.

Dean clears his throat as he looks down. "Wow, I completely misread that."

"No, you didn't." Nyx reaches out and grabs his hand before he can walk away, and he looks back at her. "I like you, Dean, a lot. I just... After everything that happened with Tyler, and how badly that ended... And all of the never ending drama in my family — I just can't do it right now. I don't want to complicate anything else with my emotions that are on a constant rollercoaster. But it's not you, and I know how lame that sounds, I just—"

"I get it." He cuts her off, and she sighs as she looks up at him. "I understand that you're in a tough place right now, and I can't even begin to understand what you went through with Tyler. But I'm here for you, in any way you need me." He tells her, and she smiles.

"Thank you for understanding." She says, and he smiles as he leans down and kisses her cheek.

"Always, darlin'." He whispers, and her smile widens.