THE NUTCRACKER

Summary : Stranger Stefan Salvatore adds a certain edge to Elena Gilbert's annual Christmas party, and it isn't long before he becomes a stranger no more. But all good things must end and on Christmas morning, Elena is left with a unique parting gift and a promise.

Disclaimer : Sweet child, you and I both know that if I owned Stefan Salvatore, I wouldn't be here, alone, writing on my laptop.

The Nutcracker

One : Baby, It's Cold Outside

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

Elena Gilbert sings under her breath, unable to help herself. She's been doing it all night now but really – who would blame her? Everyone's decked out in their festive best, holiday treats in hand, gifts under a huge tree she'd spent hours decorating and holiday carols floating across the large mansion her parents had left her after their untimely demise.

It's been years now but she's never truly gotten over it, and knows, logically, that she probably never will. But this was their favorite place and their favorite time of the year, and so she keeps the Gilbert tradition alive with a huge party every year, if only to fight off the impending loneliness that sets in anyway once everyone's gone.

But it helps, the presence of her best friends and those select few newcomers she deems worthy of an invitation, and so she drinks it all in, memorizes the smallest of details to obsess over when the mansion becomes too quite and her heart starts screaming – blood-curdling, rip-your-heart-out screams that leave every single part of her cold and shaken and lonely. But this year, it will be different.

This year, she will smile and actually be fine when everyone leaves.

This year, she will open her gifts on Christmas and immerse herself in a world of thoughtful presents.

This year, she will reach out and make everything better.

And all of those plans go straight out of the window the minute her best friend, Bonnie Bennett, drags in a stranger with an adorably shy smile and familiar eyes.

Familiar eyes that are only familiar because they echo the dull pain in hers.

"Bonnie!" Elena smiles, her little red dress hiking up slightly as she reaches out to embrace her closest friend, the only family member she has left in this world, besides Jeremy and Caroline.

"Elena!" Bonnie squeals, throwing her arms around the brunette. It is only when she is released from the tight hug that she notices the additional party guest. Her eyes lock onto his and she is lost for good in those deep orbs, ones that tell her she isn't alone in her misery; that he sees right through her charade.

Following an unusual silence, Bonnie immediately speaks up, trying to play – what, peacemaker? Matchmaker? "Elena, meet Stefan Salvatore, a friend. Stefan, here's our hostess, Elena Gilbert."

The petite woman waits for a flurry of handshakes and unnecessary repeats of her brief, impersonal introduction, but nothing happens… or rather, nothing new happens as Elena and Stefan remain trapped together, two wild cats brought together by a common observer, left to understand their purpose.

In keeping with the role of a common observer, Bonnie nods to herself – one decisive nod – and then quietly slips away into the throng of festive adults, each immersed in some variation of some holiday tradition, none promising and each intriguing.

It is only when someone new pushes through the door to get in that Elena and Stefan break eye contact; Elena suddenly finds the ground endlessly fascinating… until a pale, masculine hand enters her vision.

"Hi, I'm Stefan." The voice sounds out of place and confused, and a little concerned, as if he might be thrown out any minute now. "I'm really sorry about Bonnie just dragging me along – it just happened. I – I could leave, if you'd like."

But his hand remains outstretched, a peace offering and an opportunity, and so she reaches out with a hand of her own and partakes in an old custom – anything to keep him from leaving before she can figure out this man with eyes like hers. The short skin-on-skin contact leaves her with an unexpected feeling of warmth, deep inside her, and she's taken by surprise because she hasn't felt warm for a long, long time.

"No, please, stay… if you don't mind. I'm sorry about Bonnie – that's just how she is. But it's Christmas Eve, and no one should be alone and –" Who is she kidding? Observing him for the very first time, she can see with painful clarity that Stefan Salvatore probably isn't some lone reject, but rather the very good-looking man who probably fights off girls like her all the time. It hurts, a little, and she's confused because she barely knows him and the thought of her not appealing to him shouldn't bother her.

"That is," She smiles slightly, flushed and feeling foolish, "if you don't have any other plans. I mean, Bonnie probably dragged you away from family, or friends, or –" She's rambling and he smiles, because he's done his fair share of rambling before, and it's adorable – the way she blushes.

"Bonnie is probably my only friend," He admits with a small smile as he realizes that it's the truth. "So, no, I don't have any plans and yes, I would love to stay, Elena." Her name is surprisingly easy to utter, as if he's been saying it all his life, and he can tell that he says it differently than anyone else because she stares at him when he does, and eventually holds out a hand – an invitation.

He takes it and walks in her threshold, and as snow falls behind them and the moon shines down on the most peaceful night he has ever seen, he holds on to her and it feels like a new beginning.

She gets Stefan settled in, hands him off to Bonnie and goes back to playing the perfect hostess, just to distract herself and keep her distance because otherwise, she'd be all over him like a stalker girl, and Elena isn't a stalker girl, especially when it comes to a guy, even if said guy is incredibly hot and seems real and is charming, and might be the one person who could ever understand her, with his sad eyes and occasionally slumped shoulders, when he grows tired of acting and drops the façade for just a moment.

Nope – she isn't going to stalk him. And so Elena knows that she must avoid Stefan Salvatore no matter what, because it's been six long years of keeping her thoughts to herself and the threat of someone actually sharing those thoughts with her is just too much. Somethings are meant to be locked away and never heard of, especially not on Christmas Eve.

So she smiles and whispers carols to herself and embraces friends she hasn't seen in a year. Caroline Forbes, her other best friend, arrives with flair as she always does and serves as a good distraction for the next half hour because Caroline demands all of your attention, no matter what, and so Elena gives her just that.

But even adorable, innocently self-absorbed Caroline has eyes and it isn't long before she catches sight of the one her friend has been trying to avoid all evening.

"Ooh, I spy fresh meat." She says bluntly, and though Elena scowls, they both know it's nothing because that's just Caroline and it's what Elena has learned to expect from the blonde.

"Stefan Salvatore." She pronounces the name carefully, and Caroline gives her a look, one that says he's special. She shrugs it off because she isn't ready to admit that to herself; Caroline always knows, though. "Bonnie dragged him in and then left him to me. He told me she's his only friend."

"And isn't that sad," Caroline muses. "It's Christmas, Elena. Go help a poor soul out and make a friend!" But the way Caroline says friend has the brunette observing her, suspicion clear in her eyes.

"Caroline Forbes wants me to be just friends with a cute guy? Unbelievable."

Caroline's eyes widen comically and she smirks, because of course Caroline would play up the innocent baby blues. But then she feels a foreign yet familiar presence just three steps behind her and her heart sinks because there is only one person who can make her feel that way, and it's the one stranger in this house – the very one she's been avoiding.

Traitor Caroline gathers herself, smiles and mouths good luck before strutting away, the very life of the party, leaving her alone with Stefan and a very dark blush on her cheeks.

"You think I'm cute?" He asks her, an unseen presence and a voice near her ear, and it's an honest question, not some cocky sentence, which makes him all the more endearing.

She uses every bit of self-control to not take a visibly deep breath and turns around to face him, quickly re-arranging her features, hoping that she looks bright and teasing and not at all affected by his presence.

"You think I was talking about you?" She retorts with a grin, just so that he knows she isn't being nasty.

"I don't know. Seems to me that I'm the only one here you aren't friends with." He sounds casual but his eyes flash with – something. She can't tell but she's bothered by the fact that it hurts him and also because she cares. Bad Elena, stupid Elena, naïve Elena. Why care when you won't let anyone in anymore?

"Aww, who says we're not buddies, Stef?"

His eyes flash again and she instantly regrets her words because this time, she can read him; clearly sees the disgust in his eyes as he flinches. She takes a step closer, then stills, leaving him some personal space.

"I'm so sorry, Stefan. That was inappropriate and out of line and –" She really feels horrible now – like really, really bad.

"It's alright," He cuts her off, trying to reassure her. "I – It's just that… my brother used to call me that."

And he's not around anymore, she's guessing. It explain the haunted eyes – she can't even imagine losing Jeremy, even though he's in a bad place now, does stupid things and won't talk to her. She wants to change the topic, start over, because her curiosity is rude – shouldn't she know better than to go about wondering about someone's personal problems? She should, because she can remember how it felt back then, when no one bothered to even conceal their probing gazes and questioning eyes. It felt like crap.

She doesn't know what to talk about, though, and so she politely averts her eyes; forces herself to stare at some trivial piece of holiday decoration someone had put up, not even processing the item in sight, just keeping herself occupied.

Stefan follows her uncomfortable gaze, knowing that she has a thousand questions and thankful that she's keeping them to herself. His eyes land on the tiny sprig attached to a doorway and he can't help the amused chuckle he lets out once he identifies the mischievious holiday plant.

Elena is drawn to his laughter and figures it's safe to peek now, since he's apparently in a lighter mood. She feels a blush creeping on, though, and can't shake the suspicion that he's laughing at her.

"What?" She questions defensively, with a hint of laughter in her one word. He studies her, tries to predict her reaction and can only see her blushing furiously once he answers her. He likes her blush, though – it's refreshing.

"Mistletoe." He says simply, nodding in the direction of the offensive sprig.

It takes all of three seconds for her to start blushing, and he finds himself pleased that he'd foreseen this.

"Oh."

Elena can feel the blood rush to her cheeks; it's ridiculous, the amount she's blushing tonight. She doesn't blush – not Elena Gilbert. Not when she was a fearless child, not when she was Queen Bee in high school, and certainly not after the tragedy, when she was left cold and felt, on some days, as if there was no more blood left in her to warm her and put her through another day.

But Stefan makes her blush, and smile, and feel like the 22-year-old she's supposed to be. And she likes to think that maybe, she does the same to him.

"Guess we'd better avoid that," He speaks up, and she mutely nods her agreement even though she'd rather like to drag him over and stand under the mistletoe with him.

A girl can dream… right?

And so they talk.

They talk, and he makes her laugh more than she has, collectively, in years. They talk, and he makes her see that sometimes, you don't have to act; someday, it will all be easier. They talk, and he makes her see that she wants that someday with him.

And she is terrified because Elena Gilbert is a loner – well, not really, but she is when it comes to matters like this. She has friends, but only once a week does she actually speak to them. She has family, but only checks up on them every month because what little she does have left, she cannot bear to lose. She has a life, but sometimes it doesn't seem that way. So to think of an easier future, and want someone in it with her, just to make that future worth living – it scares her. It scares her and simultaneously brings her back to life – real life, one for love and laughter, not just for show to placate her loved ones.

But some part of her seems equiped to deal with this – some dormant part that has been waiting for him all these years; waiting to deal with these emotions that he stirs up in her – and so she smiles when she should without forcing her lips to curl up, laughs when it's right without feeling like she's parting with the last of her happy thoughts and talks when it's her turn to without searching for an opportunity to escape.

So they talk, and laugh, and smile, and it feels like breathing in fresh air after merely surviving in the remnants of a fire for a lifetime. And that thing they say about how time flies when you're having fun – when you're living – must be true because they've only just started on embarrassing high-school moments when Bonnie and Caroline appear, each with their own knowing smile. And though it should irk her, because God knows they've had their fun trying to set her up, all she can manage is a genuine smile because for once, she isn't miserable.

"Everyone's leaving soon, so I thought we should do the gift exchange before the party – which we have been running; you're most welcome – ends." Caroline tries to resist a grin but her eyes give her away, as they always have.

Elena finds herself blushing again because smiling and laughing in front of Stefan, who is actually a stranger, and smiling and laughing in front of her very best friends who haven't seen her like this in years are two very different things. Stefan might have his suspicions that she isn't exactly bright and shiny, and Bonnie's little smirk and Caroline's cool smugness are probably a clear confirmation of the fact that Elena's been the quiet and dark girl for a long, long time.

It's amazing how comfortable you can feel with someone one minute, and then want to dissapear the next – the very instant they figure out your past. And he has – she can see it because his eyes are sad and haunted again now that he knows he doesn't have anything to hide from her, because she's just as broken as him.

So she collects herself, smiles and turns to her friends, leaving Stefan and her safe bubble and the promise of a future behind.

"Let's go play Santa."

"Merry Christmas, Elena!"

"Have a good one, 'Lena!"

"Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and have a good Easter with unicorns!"

"Look, y'all, it's Santa!"

"No, that's your big ass!"

Elena stands and smiles, and wishes everyone a good festive season, thanking them for gifts and laughing when they crack jokes. It is only when Tyler and Matt, the goofballs of their high school gang, crack jokes about Santa and each other, that she realizes just how different it is, laughing at their jokes and laughing with Stefan. One hurts and the other heals. One feels like a thief, invading her mind for the last remaining scraps of happiness to coax out, and the other feels like a warm caress, molding itself to cradle her heart.

Stefan.

Where is he?

She takes advantage of the sudden distraction Tyler and Matt are causing to look around for Stefan – she doesn't want him to leave, not just yet. But maybe it would be for the best. Honestly, what good will come out of this? He's not even from here, and she's gathered that by tomorrow he'll be gone on some personal mission that she knows nothing about, only that it will help him and maybe allow him to start moving on, the way she has started to, thanks to him. And she would never deny him that, so he'll leave, and she won't see him, and though she will always carry this with her, in time, he will forget her and so it won't even matter whether or not she bids him a proper goodbye.

And he's already gone, anyway.

It becomes a slow, tedious task to see everyone out after that, because she no longer has the promise of more light laughter and genuine smiles.

The minute Bonnie and Caroline drive off, the last to leave, she shuts the door behind her and proceeds to start cleaning up, just to keep her hands, and hopefully, her mind, busy. And maybe it works too well because she almost jumps out of her skin when she spots him observing her.

"Stefan!" She gasps, resting a hand on her hummingbird heart. "Wha – what are you doing here?" She is pleasantly surprised, of course, but there's no need for him to know that just yet.

"I –" He moves closer, slightly hesitant. But something has been drawing him to Elena Gilbert since the very first moment and he isn't about to fight it now. "When your friends came to get you, I thought I'd just sit down and wait. I'm a last-minute guest, and there was no need to make things awkward with me standing in a corner, making everyone feel bad for the guy with no presents."

"That's really sweet," She smiles, though now she does feel bad about that. But he was a last-minute guest, as he'd put it, so she knows she shouldn't beat herself up over it. "Thank you."

"It's nothing," Stefan shrugs as his hands start occupying themselves, picking up used plates. "But I didn't know what to do and if you were coming back, so I just sat there. And then I realized, just a few minutes ago, that it'd become awfully quiet."

He's implying that he'd sat on his own for an hour without once moving, and though this should make her suspicious, she accepts it because she knows better than anyone how time can also fly when you are deep inside your own dark thoughts of loss and mortality.

"And now… I guess I should leave. I've really outstayed my welcome." Of course he hasn't, and so she tells him that, but he has to leave – it's for the best, even if he doesn't exactly phrase it that way. So she smiles and he talks and she leads him to the main door, and lingers against it before she opens it for him to walk out of her life.

"I had a great time tonight." She tells him honestly, and for once, doesn't worry about how he will interpret that because he gets her, in a way that no one else ever will. It's all in the eyes, her mother used to tell her, and Stefan's eyes tell her everything and then some.

"So did I," He smiles, slowly taking her hands into his own, giving her plenty of time to pull away – she doesn't. "Listen, Elena. I can't even remember the last time I could breathe without feeling like I was a bad person – like me being alive had caused someone's death. But tonight… tonight, I smiled and it felt real. And I know, maybe this sounds crazy. And I know it might seem crazy. But I see your eyes and I know everything's real. And –" That's when she blushes and turns her head away, and sees.

"And you're snowed in." She finishes flatly.

"Well, that's a new way of putting in, but yes, I do feel trapped, figuratively. In a good way, though." He'a confused and adorable and she can't feel the small giggle that comes out of her – something that takes her by surprise because she hasn't giggled since freshman year in high school, and for a grown man to make her squeal and laugh in delight and amusement… well, it just adds to the unbelievable miracle she knows as Stefan.

"That's really sweet," She manages once she's calmed down. "But… I meant literally, Stefan. We're literally snowed in."

"Oh."

And though it's a horrible idea, and stupid, because she barely knows him even though it feels like she has forever, the words are out of her mouth before she can even filter them.

"I've got a few spare rooms."

He appraises her, considers the offer very carefully. But then his eyes darken and his shoulder slump and she remembers that he probably has some big, important thing to do tomorrow.

"Thank you, Elena, but I really can't stay." He says slowly, reluctantly. She tries to lighten the mood because she doesn't like seeing her own pained eyes reflected in his.

"But baby, it's cold outside." She sings lightly, pulling him further into the house because despite what he's saying, there is no way he's leaving right now – not when she can't even open the front door.

"I really don't have a choice, do I?" He finally concedes, and it is so much easier to lead him to the living room after that.

"Nope." She sounds cheerful and can tell that her eyes are probably bright with anticipation, because she craves and needs the life that Stefan Salvatore gives her. And now here they are, stuck together with no means of escape.

It's a Christmas miracle.

"Welcome to the Gilbert mansion of Christmas, Christmas and holidays, Mr. Salvatore."

He smiles then and it is a beautiful promise of happy hours to come; one complete with the threat of the impending daybreak.

There we have it, the first chapter of my Christmas Special. The title will make much more sense later on, somewhere in Chapter 2, so worry not, my fellow festive readers! Chapter title comes, of course, from the infamous Baby, It's Cold Outside; my favorite version is the one by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan. Just in case you were wondering.

Don't forget to check out the five other Christmas Specials! So far, only two are up – this one and the Fringe one, but the Gossip Girl Christmas Special will be up tonight and the other three will follow in the next two days. And make sure you leave me some nice review-gifts! 'Tis the season to be nice and share… am I right? More info on all Christmas Specials can be found on my homepage.

E Salvatore,

December 2011.