This is for the A2A Holiday Exchange on LiveJournal written for bibi_ca. I hope you enjoy it as I loved writing it.
Prompt:
Based on the movie "The Holiday" one of my favourite Christmas movies. Elena, a famous, rich film producer or script writer, just brakes up with her terrible, terrible boyfriend and decides she needs a break from her chaotic life in LA. She finds this website where people go to exchange residences (houses). There she meets, Stefan. A guy who wants to get away from his small town of Mystic Falls, and his boring, quite life. (you can invent a reason he wants to flee so badly). They decide to switch houses for two weeks. Once Elena gets there she stumbles upon Damon (you can give him any back story you want. In the movie he has two daughters and their mom is dead. He get's drunk and instead of going to his place he goes to his - sister in the movie - brother in this case on Christmas Eve). I would like a few mentions of Stefan dealing with a concerned best friend - Caroline - but you don't have to, you can just keep it on DE.
M rated preferable and with a happy ending.
Bonus points for bossy Elena and charming drunk-Damon
Elena
I raked my fingers through my hair as I listened to my name get paged over and over again. Elena this, Elena that. Sometimes it really sucked being the boss. I never had a spare moment to myself, including now when I was trying to find the time to get to my office to meet my boyfriend. He wouldn't be my boyfriend for long, I was breaking up with him, and so far I've kept him waiting for half an hour longer than I had planned. I stepped into one of the offices where some of my staff were making a trailer for a movie we had coming out in a few months' time.
"How does this look, boss?" Rose asked and I watched it, aware that Liam would be getting more and more annoyed the longer this went on. It wasn't me who cheated, so he had no choice but to stay put and wait. He didn't know what this was about and it was going to be as much of a surprise as finding a scarlet red bra in his briefcase was to me. It wouldn't have been an issue if the bra had been mine, but unfortunately it wasn't. So, everything that happened from this point forward was entirely his problem. I was through thinking I was the problem.
"It looks really good. Just try making the font a few sizes bigger and maybe making the writing blue. If blue doesn't work, try green." I told them before striding out of the office towards mine.
"Elena, I heard the trailer for "Unbound" was looking incredible. I can't wait to see it." Another staff member said and I smiled and kept walking. I was on a mission to break up with my cheating boyfriend. It had to happen because I didn't want to think about him anymore. It was time to put an end to something that was just slowing me down. It was time to focus on work. I brought this company up from nothing all alone, and now I would make it the premier trailer producing company in Los Angeles. No one would ever go to anyone else ever again. I opened the door to my office and Liam stood up and glared at me.
"You know I have things to do too, right? It's not all about you Elena." He hissed as he started walking to the door. I held my hand out and stopped him. I pointed back to his chair and he just stared at me.
"Sit, you're going to want to for what I have to say next." I said and he sighed and sat down.
"Yet again, it's all about Elena. It's never about Liam. When will it be my turn to matter?" He asked always the self-centred doctor he was when I met him. Back then I thought his attitude was sexy, but now I find it repulsive. Especially since he slept with some whore at the office.
"You can matter all you want, Liam. It's no longer all about me because I'm through with you. I want nothing to do with you. So now that I said my piece you can get the hell out of my office." I told him and he stood up completely in shock.
"What? Why? What are you doing Elena? Why are you doing this? This is out of nowhere, I know you have commitment issues, babe but this is going too far." He said and I laughed humourlessly.
"My commitment issues have nothing to do with this. All that was involved in this decision was the red bra I saw in your briefcase the other day. It took me a couple days to decide for sure what I wanted to do, but this is the only option that makes sense. We're over and I'm more than happy about that. Now I can focus on my business and myself, without worrying about your fragile emotions." I said harshly. I stood up and walked over to the door, holding the door open for him.
"You know maybe we could have made a real go of it if you weren't married to your career. You loved your career more than me, that's why all of this happened. I never would have cheated if you gave me a bit of attention." He shouted. I stood by stoically watching him throw his fit. I didn't care who heard, it wouldn't reflect on me at all. It would reflect on the poor baby doing the shouting.
"You can leave now. I left you enough time to hook up with the harlot in the backseat of your Mercedes." I told him coolly. He glared and stomped out, cursing all the way to the elevators.
At home time, I logged off my computer and left my office, making sure the door was locked behind me. I didn't like other people going into my office without me being there. Everything important to the company was stored behind that locked door, and I didn't need it going missing.
"Are we getting drinks tonight?" My best friend and personal assistant asked as we walked to the elevator.
"I'm just going to head home and lounge about tonight. I kind of just want to be alone." I told her.
"Is it about Liam?" She asked me and I shrugged.
"It's not about Liam per se, it's about the fact that he cheated. I don't miss Liam at all, I just wonder what was wrong with me to make him cheat." I told her and she shrugged.
"It's definitely more about him then you. He's the low life scum who would cheat on such a perfect person. Tell you what, I'll come home with you because I have an idea for you that will change your entire perspective." She said. I couldn't say no to Caroline, so I nodded and got off the elevator when we were in the car park.
When we got to my house she immediately grabbed a bottle of wine from my wine fridge and led me to my laptop.
"What are you doing?" I asked her.
"You need a holiday. That's what you need. You need to get out of town alone, the sooner the better." She told me and I raised my eyebrows.
"A solo holiday at Christmas time. How depressing is that?" I asked rhetorically.
"It won't be depressing, it'll be relaxing. A friend of mine did this house exchange thing with someone. She said it was awesome. You should try it." She suggested.
"And let a complete stranger come into my home and live here?" I asked.
"Why not? You'll be living in their home." She shrugged. I pondered her suggestion and realized that it didn't sound half bad.
"So where would I go?" I asked.
"Somewhere remote that you can just sit on the couch and read a book or two. You need peace and quiet, somewhere that no one can find you." She told me as she started searching towns.
"Find anything?" I asked warily, taking a long sip of my wine.
"How about Mystic Falls Virginia? It's all the way across the country which means work can't distract you. It's small, so it'll be easy to just hide and blend in. The cottage is cute. A lot less space that what you have. It's quaint." She listed as I looked at the pictures.
"How do I contact the owner?" I asked. Caroline clicked the message button and moved from the chair. After I greeted him he answered right away.
After a few minutes the arrangements were made. I was switching houses with a man named Stefan Salvatore for two weeks starting tomorrow. He seemed eager to get out of Mystic Falls and I wondered if he was in a similar situation as I was. But he never asked why we're switching houses so neither would I. That was our business. Caroline followed me up to my room so I could pack enough stuff for my holiday. I didn't technically need two weeks' worth the clothes, I'm sure Stefan had a washing machine.
"Do you want me to pick him up from the airport and bring him here? It is a bit complicated to find this place and to get the gate open." She noted and I smiled.
"That would be great, actually." I agreed.
"No problem then. You just go on your holiday and don't worry about a thing." She assured me. I grinned and hugged her before going to choose a few books from my to-be-read pile. My TBR pile was far bigger than my read pile. It was quite depressing.
"Can you drive me to the airport tomorrow morning?" I asked and she nodded.
"I'll be here at nine sharp." She declared before walking out of my room. When she was gone I changed into my pyjamas and got into bed. It took a long time to fall asleep that night, I spent all night thinking about my trip. I wasn't one of those people who just up and left on a spur of the moment trip. This was highly unusual for me.
Stefan
When I landed in LA, I quickly grabbed my bag and went to try to find a place to hail a cab. I wasn't sure what the cab situation would be like in LA, I've never been here before. When I got into the reception area I was surprised to find a sign saying my name on it.
"I'm Stefan." I said and the blonde grinned.
"Great, I'm Caroline. Elena's assistant." She said to me and I offered my hand for her to shake.
"It's nice to meet you. At least this saves me from having to hail a cab." I noted and she laughed.
"You would have been here until tomorrow. It's Christmas time and LA is a tourist destination. Besides you're going to need my help to get into the compound." She alerted me as she started teetering away in three inch heels. I had no idea why women tortured their feet in shoes like that. But even I had to admit, the effect was awesome.
"This your first time in LA?" She asked when she led me to a little red Beemer. She unlocked the doors and I got in on the passenger side after depositing my bag in the backseat.
"Yes, I needed to get away. Mystic Falls was too small and boring and I haven't ever been out of the state. So I figured if someone wanted a chance to go to my place I would take theirs for a while. The further the better." I explained to her and she nodded.
"But why at Christmas? Don't you have family to celebrate with?" She asked confused.
"I do, and I didn't care when it happened. It could have happened next month for all I care. Elena messaged me last night and it was the first hit I got on my place so I decided to run with it." I explained.
"Makes sense. Elena needed to get out of town desperately. The smaller and further the better. She needs to not be distracted by work." Caroline uttered.
"What does Elena do?" I asked out of curiosity.
"She owns a company that makes movie trailers. It's been a busy few months, along with some personal issues. She had to get away." Caroline clarified. We lapsed into a comfortable silence after that. Neither of us spoke again until she stopped in front of a gate. She punched a code into the pad and drove in.
"The code is 1864, in case you decide to leave and tour LA. Not that I'd understand why you need to leave, you have everything you need right here. If you want a tour guide, I'm free." She offered as we both got out of the car. I grabbed my bag and she led me inside, giving me a brief tour of the house. This house was at least four times the size of mine. Elena was really in for a surprise.
Elena
When I landed in Richmond, I got on a shuttle that took me to Mystic Falls. Once in Mystic Falls, I was taken directly to the small cottage in the picture on the website. It appeared to be even smaller in person than it was on the site. It would definitely be an interesting situation. I wondered how Stefan was liking my place. I found the hide-a-key under the mat and I knew had that been anywhere else this house would have been broken into so many times. But Mystic Falls might just be the kind of town that nothing like that happened in. Once inside I took a tour of the house. The kitchen was perfectly set up for such a small place. There was lots of counter tops for preparation. The living room wasn't large, but not small either. It was perfect for a small gathering. It was sparsely decorated, but I expected that considering he was male. Upstairs I found one bedroom and one bathroom, along with a computer room filled with books. Stefan was clearly the book type. It made me realize I chose the right person to switch houses with. Stefan and I were very similar in our past times. He just clearly had more time to do it in.
"This will do quite nicely." I said after shoving my suitcase under the bed for storage after I unpacked it.
Once I was settled in, I grabbed one of my books and curled my feet under me. It was time for me to get lost in my first book of my holiday. I started yawning when I hit page 301, so I decided it was time for bed. The bed upstairs was only a double but it was made nicely and looked comfortable. I started falling asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.
I woke up to a pounding on the front door. I sat up startled and grabbed my robe, along with a baseball bat in case it was someone dangerous. It was 1 am so a polite visitor would not be here at this hour. I took a self defense class back home, so I knew I could survive an attack.
"Who's there?" I called from the door.
"Just open the damn door Stefan, it's me Damon." A voice called from outside. I opened the big door just enough to see him.
"I'm not Stefan." I said and his eyes widened.
"Nope, you sure aren't. If you're Stefan I am definitely much drunker than I realize." He said and I laughed.
"My name is Elena, Stefan and I switched houses for two weeks." I told him, still keeping the door mostly closed.
"Can I come in? His house is walking distance from the bar, and on nights like this I usually crash at his place so I don't drive home." He explained.
"Do you promise not to kill me?" I asked seriously.
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Far too drunk." He promised. I sighed and stepped aside to let him stumble in. He knew where he was going so he sat down on the couch and took a deep breath.
"Can I get you anything?" I asked him.
"Coffee for right now." He decided. Stefan had a Keurig machine so I was relieved. I knew how to work one of those. I quickly made him a cup of coffee and returned it to him. If I had coffee I wouldn't sleep at all tonight. I was looking forward to having a good night's sleep.
"Anything else?" I asked him. When he shook his head I sat down on the couch beside him, albeit on the opposite end. He was hot but men were not on my list for my holiday.
"I'm sorry, I completely blanked on your name. I know it started with an E so if you don't tell me immediately I'm going to start calling you Elvis." He warned me and I laughed. He was a funny drunk and I wasn't hating his unannounced visit so much anymore.
"Elena." I reminded him and he nodded.
"Ah yes. Elena. Elena. Elena. I'm trying to file it away for future reference." He told me and I laughed again.
"Stefan never told me he had a brother that might be stopping by." I alerted him and he laughed.
"What would make a person switch houses with someone at Christmas?" Damon asked and I shrugged.
"I needed a holiday after I broke up with my boyfriend." I told him the short and sweet version of the story.
"Harsh, you broke up with him at Christmas." He teased.
"He cheated on me. Apparently I wasn't good enough in bed for him. If I had been he never would have slept with someone from work." I said nonchalant. In a place like this, with someone who looked like him, I didn't care about losing Liam.
"He's an idiot. Any guy who would cheat on you should be institutionalized." He alerted me and I laughed.
"So what about you? Why are you out getting drunk tonight?" I asked and he shrugged at me.
"Why do people usually go out and get drunk, Friday nights. The correct answer is to get laid. But that never happened tonight. No one struck my fancy until now." He told me and I knew I blushed. He couldn't be attracted to me. I was a mess. Pyjamas, messy bed head.
"Maybe we should get some sleep." I said without moving to stand up.
"I'm suddenly not tired at all." He said, his voice a husky whisper.
"Nevertheless, we should try to get some sleep. I'll find you a pillow and a blanket." I said yet again without moving.
"Yes, that is a brilliant idea. Sleep is good." He said before out of the blue leaning in and kissing me. I pulled back immediately, but I couldn't deny the sparks that flew between us when he kissed me. "Sorry, you were there and I just thought I'd go for it. Blame it on the whisky." He told me and I didn't know what to say for a moment. A huge part of me wanted him to try it again, but the other part wanted to run upstairs to the bedroom and lock the door.
"Do you maybe want to try that again?" I asked him and he smirked. I would like to see that smirk when he wasn't smashed. I'm sure it would be devastating. This time his kiss was even better. When he planted his lips on mine, I opened mine so his tongue could play with mine. His kiss was expert, I slid across the couch so neither of us had to reach so far.
"Your ex-boyfriend is a fucking idiot." Damon told me when we broke the kiss. I laughed and leaned my face against his chest.
"I think since I'm never going to see you again after this, that we should have sex." I decided and he stared at me.
"You better be serious, because I'm not going to say no." He warned me. It was clear that the coffee was working its magic on him. His eyes were clearer now, and he wasn't slurring his words any longer.
"I'm dead serious." I said standing up and offering him my hand.
"Good." He said taking it. I led him upstairs to the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind me. It only momentarily crossed my mind that I was about to have sex with the brother of the guy who was trading houses with me, in his bed. Stefan would never have to know. I would wash the sheets. It was Christmas Eve, this was such a magnificent early Christmas present.
"Take your clothes off." I ordered him and he smirked.
"Bossy. I like it." He declared and I grinned in response. Usually my bossy nature didn't get this kind of response. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt before shrugging it off. He was giving me a show and I loved it despite how desperate I was for him to be inside me. I hadn't been this turned on in a long time and we haven't even done anything yet. His fingers went to the button on his pants and unbuttoned them quickly. He then did a little hip shimmy that looked utterly sexy on him. Any other guy could have done it and it wouldn't have been nearly as sexy. It would probably look ridiculous. He pushed the black denim down his legs and I saw that he didn't wear underwear. Somehow that didn't surprise me, I just wasn't sure why. He just struck me as the naughty no underwear type.
"This is so not how I would have spent my Christmas Eve at home." I said and he laughed.
"Me neither if everything had gone how it was supposed to." He told me. "By the way I'm feeling a little exposed right now. It's your turn."
"My striptease isn't going to be anywhere near as hot as yours. I've never done it before." I warned him. He shrugged and sat down on the bed while he waiting for me to start taking my clothes off. I tried to open my mind to being overtly sexy as I started taking my clothes off. I was wearing pyjamas so there wasn't much to take off. I slowly untied my robe, swinging the rope with my other hand. He laughed but I could see how hard he was. I was affecting him thankfully. Once the robe was open, he saw that I was only wearing a short negligee and a pair of boy cut panties. I wasn't expecting to have company, if I was I would have worn matching panties. I fingered the lace at the end of my nightgown before throwing caution to the wind and just pulling it off. He was already naked so it wouldn't hurt to join him in that state.
"Wow. You're already better than you think." He praised and I smiled as I hooked my fingers in the sides of my panties and pushed them down. I was nervous now because I could feel his eyes raking all over my body. He reached out for my hand and pulled me onto his lap. I could feel him pressing against me so I reached down and wrapped my hand around him. I arranged myself so I was straddling him while he was on the edge of the bed. I wrapped my hand around his length, it felt like satin wrapped around steel. I rubbed until he fell backward onto the bed.
"Stop. Stop." He begged.
"Why would I do that?" I asked with what I hoped was a naughty smirk on my face. "What if I want you to come? I usually get what I want." I alerted him. He smirked and grabbed my waist flipping me over so he was on top.
"Not this time you don't." He said before kissing me soundly. I had never been kissed like that before. He completely devoured me and I couldn't say I was complaining. He was perfect. He was lying rigid, against my most private parts. He left my lips, moving down. He spent a bit of time with each of my nipples, sucking them until they were rigid peaks before moving down past my belly button. He smirked at me and stopped me from closing my legs on him. No guy had ever done this to me and I knew I wanted it. I just didn't want him to think he had to do it, even though he seemed completely into the idea. He pressed a solitary kiss to my fully engorged clit that nearly caused me to buck him right off the bed.
"Still." He said holding my hips down as he repeated the action over and over again. He was easing me into this but it still shocked me when his tongue speared inside me and started thrusting. He was an expert with that tongue of his. I hated to wonder where he got all that experience from. When he finished down there I was wound so tight that I could come undone any minute.
"I need to come." I told him as he came crawling back up.
"And I intend on giving you that. It's the season of giving after-all." He said and I laughed.
"Yes it is." I agreed.
"Hold onto the headboard." He commanded so I did. Damon lifted my legs so they were over his shoulders, leaving me nothing to move as he thrust inside me suddenly. Each thrust hit the end of me and I had to close my eyes. "I want to see you." I pried open my eyes and locked on his blue depths. His thrusts were deep and never the same. He would either rotate his hips, or thrust hard into me. He kept surprising my body.
"You're so good." I moaned. My grip was white-knuckled on the headboard but I couldn't let go. I needed something to hold onto, his thrusts were powerful. One more thrust sent me tumbling over the edge and he picked up the pace fighting for his release. I felt it when he came and I was instantly thankful for birth control. I knew I was clean and he seemed to be the type of guy who took really good care of himself. I trusted that he was clean.
"So I think we should totally keep this from Stefan." He said when he rolled off of me.
"I think you're right." I agreed with a chuckle.
Stefan
Christmas Day came and Caroline came by to take me out and show me around.
"So do you think Elena is having as much fun in Mystic Falls, as I am here?" I asked her when I got into her red Beemer. It would make me feel bad if she wasn't enjoying herself in my life when I was sure as hell loving hers.
"She's having fun. I talked to her a little while ago. She's going out for Christmas Day with a guy that showed up at your house last night." She told me and my gaze widened.
"Did she say the guy's name?" I asked. The only person that regularly came to my house was my brother. I forgot to warn her about him.
"Damon I think she said. He showed up at the house last night drunk at 1am. She wasn't pleased, but apparently they worked things out." She told me and I shook my head. Of course she would meet Damon, and if I knew my brother there was a distinct chance other things went down.
"So where are you taking me?" I asked and she smiled.
"Everyone has to see the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Where else would we go?" She asked.
Elena
After I talked to Caroline, I went downstairs and met Damon. He was brewing two cups of coffee when I went into the kitchen.
"Merry Christmas." He greeted. It was a more appropriate greeting than good morning, considering it was Christmas Day.
"Merry Christmas." I repeated, accepting a kiss from him.
"So what are your plans for this lovely Christmas morning?" He asked me and I was stumped. I wasn't sure what I was doing. I didn't have plans, I was on vacation.
"I have no clue. Why?" I asked.
"I don't usually do this but I wanted to know if you wanted to come home with me for Christmas." He asked and I smiled.
"Are you having a big family gathering?" I asked because I didn't want to intrude.
"No, my parents are in Richmond. We don't spend the holidays together. It's just me and my kids." He told me and I stopped short. He never mentioned kids last night.
"You have children?" I asked and he nodded.
"Two girls. Alice and Sadie." He said showing me a picture of two dark haired little girls. They had the same eyes as their dad.
"Where were they last night?" I asked. I didn't want to find out that he was the type of guy who would leave his kids with a babysitter on Christmas Eve.
"My parents. They always spend Christmas Eve with them. They drive them home and drop them off. They actually just got to my house, so if you're coming we need to get going." He said and I agreed.
"Are you married?" I asked stopping short.
"No but I was. My wife died two years ago." He told me and I felt my heart thaw completely.
"Okay, let's do this. I never would have agreed to this in the past. I just have this feeling about you." I explained and he grinned.
"I never tell women about my girls, so I must have a damn good feeling about you too. Shall we get out of here?" He asked and I smiled and put my jacket on before following him out to his car. When I came here to escape my life for a few days I never imagined this.
One year later
"Can we open presents?" Alice called from the kitchen table. Damon and his girls moved to LA to be with me a couple months prior. The long distance thing was too hard, and I couldn't leave. He made the choice for me. The kids were excelling in LA and I was proud to be able to give them the kind of life they deserve.
"Wait for Uncle Stefan to show up. He'll be here in a few minutes." Damon said pulling a t-shirt on before Stefan showed up. Caroline had walked in the door a few minutes earlier armed with gifts for Damon's girls. She had always wanted to be able to buy gifts for little girls and now she had two to buy for. She and Stefan officially started dating a couple months ago, around the time when he helped Damon move here.
"Come here." Damon said pulling me in for a brief kiss. The girls had taken to me almost immediately which made Damon's decision to be with me even easier. I still think I fell for him that first night. Sadie turned the stereo on and Christmas music started blaring through the whole house. Damon started moving his feet along with the music and soon enough I was dancing through the house with him. I laughed and watched as Alice tried to teach Sadie to dance like us too.
"You guys are so cute. Come on let's get a picture." Caroline ordered and we all went to stand in front of the fireplace. We grinned as Caroline snapped the picture. When Stefan finally walked in, the girls ran back to the tree and started demanding to open presents again.
"Alright, alright. Let's open presents." Damon said shaking his head. We went out to the tree and sat down, watching as the girls opened their presents.
"To think this whole thing started with a house exchange and a one night stand." I whispered so only Damon and Stefan could hear.
"I knew it! You guys kept denying that you hooked up that night. But I knew you did." Stefan said pointing at us accusingly.
"You know me, Stefan. It was inevitable." Damon tacked on and we all laughed as the girls paid no attention to us. Only focusing on the small mountain of gifts in front of them.