a/n: this was written for livejournal exchange for loveepiclove. It's my first time writing such a drastic AU for Delena but I think it will be interesting all the same. Happy Reading!

"One more time!" Alaric Saltzman, the owner of MFBS (Mystic Falls Broadcasting Station) slammed his fist onto his desk, rattling the small, ornamental Christmas tree. "One more fight on or off the air between the two of you, and you're both done."

Damon Salvatore loosened his gaudy Christmas tie from around his neck, mentally growling at its tightness. He hadn't want to wear the damn thing, hated the smiling Santa the instant he set his eyes on it, but the holiday had asked for it, and so had his boss. It had been a long hard day and the last thing he wanted was to be scolded like a five year old. "Yes sir."

Alaric turned to the girl sitting next to Damon. "Do we have an understanding Elena?"

Elena Gilbert nodded her head, anxious for this meeting to be over. It was Christmas Eve and she had things to do. "Yes sir."

"Good, now get out...but remember if I hear from anyone that you've been fighting again you're done!" Ric threw a glare at his star anchors, wondering what their issue with each other was.

Damon nodded and pushed himself out of the comfy office chair, Elena at his heels. She was always at his heels, breathing down his neck, driving him crazy with her constant correcting, with the scent of her perfume. He stepped out into the hallway cursing himself for thinking those thoughts again. Dammit, she was his co-worker. Nothing more, there could never be nothing more. "Thanks for getting us in trouble." She quipped, brushing past him in her skin tight dress pants.

He felt the warmth of her body for a second and forced the primal reaction of interest down. He would not stare at her ass like he had on the way to their bosses office. "Me? How about you! I was in the middle of speaking and you just interrupt me! God forbid the camera not be on you for two seconds!"

She felt the own rise in her voice as she heard his tone. Why couldn't they stop fighting? "You were droning on! It's Christmas Eve...people don't care about anything other than their families today."

He stepped forward to continue the argument but she slipped inside her dressing room and slammed the door closed on his face before he was able to say anything. Elena slumped against the door for a minute, her heart pounding like crazy as she fought for control. She knew why she fought with him so much. She loved the look of fire in his eyes. She craved it, wished he could look at her like that in other ways, but since they were co-workers and he showed no real interest on having his hands on her, other than to strangle her neck; she found herself channelling all her pent up sexual frustration into anger.

Damon stood there seething, his eyes glaring through the wood. Fighting with her was the only release he got, all he was allowed. And she would not deny him that. As Elena stepped away from the door, unfastening her Christmas light bulb earrings he threw it open. She jumped, turning on him in surprise. There was a new kind of fire in his eyes this time and it went straight to her core, exciting and teasing her. She had a flash of fear before he grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and brought her body against his. "Dammit, I can't help it anymore." He growled before kissing her, everything about him was hard and rough.

Her hands that had instinctively gone into fists against him flattened to palms as she felt the strength in his chest. The white suit shirt he wore was becoming annoying and she quickly loosened his silk tie then began on the buttons, his lips travelling down her chin to suck at the pulse point in her neck. Damon could feel the rapid beat of her hearts, could smell her perfume more clearly now, her arousal. He slipped a hand between them, rubbing her through the fabric of her pinstripe pants. She let out a little moan, her lips finding his as he lifted her legs around his waist.

Elena felt herself settle against the vanity she used to get ready, her back smacking against the mirror. Thankfully it only rattled and did not shatter which was surprising from the force in which he and pushed her against it. She pushed his shirt and tie to the floor before he went to work on unbuttoning her blouse, making sure to undo each button painfully slow. She groaned in anticipation, pressing her chest further into his hands as his fingertips ghosted over her breasts. She felt his calloused palm against her skin once the shirt was off, relishing in the soft and roughness that seemed to exude from this man.

"This is crazy." He said, his voice breathless, taking a moment to pause.

His hands were on either side of her body on the vanity, his forehead pressed to hers. The position was shockingly intimate and she felt herself falling from lust to something else dangerous. Quickly squashing the fuzzy emotion she tightened her legs around his waist and rubbed herself against him. "It's going to get a lot crazier if you help me with this."

He nearly shivered as her nails scraped down his chest, resting at the black leather belt holding his pants low on his hips. She shocked him by leaning forward and trailing kisses down to where her hands rested, running her tongue along the length of his hips; one side to another before kissing back up to his neck. He wrapped his fingers around her wrists, urging her to continue as their tongues battled for dominance. They were the same way in life, fighting for power, for the spotlight, why should it be any different now? Damon growled into the kiss as he felt his pants pool at his ankles and broke the kiss.

She stared at his now naked body, but didn't get much time to appreciate the masculine beauty before she was having her dress pants tugged down her legs. Then she was up, against the door. One hand was underneath her ass, holding her up while the other slipped behind her back and undid her bra. This was all moving too fast, all too crazy. He was right, but it was too late to stop now, she knew that, could feel it in her bones. They both wanted each other too much, and if they didn't find this release they probably would end up killing each other on the air with the camera's rolling. And that would most certainly get them fired.

She felt his hardness against the apex of her thighs and twisted her hips, rolling them against his in a desperate search for friction. It seemed like the last two years of bickering and office jabs had been the only foreplay they needed. Damon helped her remove her panties, and then it really began. Elena felt her blood begin to boil as that fire look he always held in his eyes turned on her. He held her more securely against the door, their gazes locked as he slipped into her. She hissed, whether in pleasure or pain he wasn't sure. She was so warm, extremely wet and a hell of a lot tighter than he'd have guessed. Their eyes stayed locked together as they adjusted to each other and found a rhythm.

He felt the manicured nails she was always filing under the desk dig into his shoulders as she held on. She trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, only to have it rescued into a kiss a moment later. He soothed the bite marks with his tongue, then made his own as the rhythm picked up speed. She held tighter, felt her world slowly start to spin out of control. Her moans grew louder as her orgasm reached its peaked and he hurriedly covered her mouth with his hand, silencing her so no one could hear it. A minute later her hand had to cover his mouth to muffle his curses as they came together.

She felt his once graceful thrusts become relentless as they rode each other to the end. When it was over and neither of them could stand, they slid down the door to the floor, her legs still tangled around him, his arms still around her. Off in the distance Damon heard the faint click of the stage door but thought nothing of it. He could barely breath and judging by the state of wrecked she was, neither of them were getting up within the next few minutes. She let her head fall back against the door, a satisfied smile on her face. He laughed at the expression and she looked up to laugh herself. "What have we done?"

"I think we just discovered a way to release the tension and not get fired."

She nodded and searched around the floor for her panties. "As long as no one finds out what we're doing."

Damon and Elena dressed a few minutes later, walked out into darkened hall and exchanged a worried look. They hadn't been in there that long, had they? The security lights gave them enough to see where they were walking, and when they reached the stage door, Damon cursed. They were locked in, and there would be no body coming back until the morning. Elena felt the slight rise of panic in her, but Damon grabbed her hand and smiled. "I'll keep you entertained till morning."

"How?"

He smirked, tugging her into his arms. "There's still my dressing room we haven't assaulted yet."

She laughed, the warmth from his body melting hers. "And the desk." She looked to the sound stage where they worked.

Damon eyed the cameras with a crafty grin and wondered how long it would take him to convince Elena to make love with him while the cameras were rolling. After all, their relationship had started there, it might as well get a show too. "There's the kitchen too." He suggested, taking her hand and leading her back down the hall.

She laughed and leant her head against his shoulder. "This was not the way I thought I would be spending my Christmas Eve, but it certainly beats watching black and white movies alone."

He laughed, thinking about his big empty house and the stack of movies he had waiting for him, alongside the bottle of bourbon. "When we get out of here tomorrow we can always watch some together."

She looked up at him when they reached his dressing room, her hand on the knob. "Let's take it minute by minute. What do you say?"

He nodded and pushed her through the door.

Alaric watched as his star anchors delivered the morning news on Boxing Day with perfect professionalism. There were no jabs at each other, no glares and interruptions. He jingled the stage keys in his pocket and smiled. What a difference a festive night makes. As Elena cleared her throat and looked into the camera, Ric saw Damon's hand slip from the desk and onto her knee. She smiled and delivered the goodbye message clearly. As long as the two kept their new arrangement under wraps, he had no need to let them know that he was aware. Ratings were up and so were the spirits of his crew. The new year was going to bring incredible things, he just knew it.

a/n: so a little short, and certainly not my favourite story but I just had to try this one out. Hope you all enjoyed it. I think I'm ready to go back to vampire Damon now. haha