have yourself a merry little christmas, a vampire diaries fanfic

Before you read other pairings include: klaroline, stebekah and very very brief kennett! Enjoy!~ And Merry Christmas xxxx (if you celebrate it) :)

"I can hear you thinking from all the way over here darling."

Elena rolled her eyes but smiled to herself. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I would be but your silly brain is operating at quite the high frequency right now."

"I wasn't aware vampires had the talent of mind reading." Elena rolled over on her side to face her boyfriend, whose electric blue eyes were looking surprisingly awake for the time of day and what they'd been doing the night before.

"Well, tell me what's got you staring so adorably at the ceiling in concentration at five am."

"Christmas is in exactly two weeks." Elena smiled at Damon.

"I know."

"You do? Have you been hording a secret advent calendar and counting down the days without telling me Mr. Salvatore?"

Damon scoffed. "Please. I just have a very good perception of time. That and I know how much it means to you."

"A good perception of time still implies some sort of countdown, you know."

"Alright, time to go back to sleep."

Elena cackled, "Nope. I'm not letting this go." She rolled over so she was on top of Damon, bracketing her legs on either side of his waist and grinning down at his face. "You've being counting down Christmas. The most joyous holiday in the world for the most joyously undead being. I knew you were a secret softy babe."

"I will deny this until the day I get a stake through my unbeating heart."

Elena rolled off him just as quickly as she'd rolled on top. "Ah, well only boys who are excited for Christmas get morning blowjobs. Sucks for you."

With that gem of information, she ceremoniously threw back the covers and made her way into the bathroom, but not before she made a show of stripping off her clothes, winking at Damon and locking the door.

"Stefan would never wear that."

Elena gave Damon a look. "I dated him; I think I should know what he likes!"

Damon threw his arm over Elena's tiny shoulders and pulled her into the warmth of his body. "And I'm his brother. I know better."

Elena looked around the department store, and then leaned in to kiss Damon's cheek quickly. "Well, too bad, I'm buying it for him. I think he's gonna love it."

Damon followed after Elena as she waltzed up to the cash, greeting the sixteen year old boy, who looked like he'd rather be shaving off his leg hair than work there, with a bright smile.

"And I think you're delusional. No one really likes plaid. It's nearly impossible. All those lines and colors and just ick." He gave an involuntary shudder at the thought then glanced up at the boy serving them. Who was decked out in a button up, plaid shirt. Damon winced. "Sorry man. But hey, your life, your choices."

Elena elbowed him, sending the boniest part of her body straight into his ribcage. "Be nice you beast."

"God, have you been lifting weights or something. That hurt."

"Good."

The door to Caroline's room was blown open completely unannounced, leaving her and Klaus scrambling for their clothes and the blankets to cover themselves.

"Oh, Elena, how lovely to see you too." Klaus said as he yanked his pants on.

Elena either wasn't bothered or simply didn't notice the couple's state of undress as she threw herself into the chair in the corner of Caroline's room, before bouncing up again, clutching at her head.

"Elena," Caroline started, throwing her dress over her head and subtly trying to adjust the straps of her bra that Klaus had nearly had completely off before they were interrupted, "can I help you with something? I'm just a little busy here."

"Were, we were quite busy only a few blissful moments ago."

"Nik."

Elena quickly stopped what was about to turn into a bickering match by throwing herself down on Caroline's bed and screeching, "WHAT DO YOU BUY DAMON FREAKIN' SALVATORE FOR CHRISTMAS CARE?"

"Oh, I can see this is a conversation I'm going to enjoy."

"Nik."

"He's like a hundred and seventy years old! What do you buy a man who has lived through countless wars and decades and fashion trends and revolutions and US presidents with varying degrees of credibility? I just don't know. I might as well buy him a pony and let him ride off into the sunset without me because I'm that lame of a girlfriend." Elena rolled over so she was on her stomach, and childishly beat her fists into Caroline's pink pillows.

Klaus quickly kissed the top of Caroline's head and muttered, "I'll see you later." into her hair. This was serious girl topic territory that he did not want to infringe on. Ever.

Caroline carefully sat herself down next to Elena's now immobile body. "Elena, you're completely overreacting! Damon's head over heels in love with you. You could give him a box of used condoms and he would look at look like you hung the stars in the sky!"

"Caroline. Ew. Why would I ever give him a box of used condoms? Where would I even find a box of used condoms? I'm beginning to think Bonnie would be more helpful in this situation."

Caroline huffed, "Well excuse me for trying to be witty. And don't you dare. I'm an absolute expert at this kind of stuff and you know it. I'm the perfect girlfriend, after all." She flipped her hair somewhat ceremoniously over her shoulder, but one glance at Elena's unamused face told her she wasn't in the mood for joking.

" 'Lena, don't worry. I swear. We'll find him something. How about we drive into Atlanta this weekend? Look for something there?"

"I guess." Elena's voiced was muffled and her head had gone back to its place buried under Caroline's pillows. "Were you and Klaus about to have sex?"

"You don't say."

Elena winced. "Sorry. I have no tact when I'm panicking."

Caroline laughed and wrapped her arms around her friend. "No worries, I still love you. The sexual activities can wait."

"IF YOU BREAK THE TOP OFF I'M GOING TO EAT YOU BOTH ALIVE!" Caroline was shrieking, loudly. In public. Elena wanted to cover her ears, but ultimately decided against it.

"You think Elijah and Klaus would learn to just listen to everything she says, but apparently not."

Damon snickered, "Yeah well a thousand years and then suddenly having to follow vampire Barbie's orders can't be the easiest thing on our dearest original vamps."

Elena sighed, and snuggled closer to Damon in the cold. She couldn't really feel it all that much, but being closer to her boyfriend gave off the illusion of some kind of warmth.

They were at the Mystic Falls Annual Christmas Tree Sale and Caroline was desperately trying to buy ten of the largest trees on the lot. She insists that she and only she would be in charge of decorating the originals mansion this Christmas and Klaus was far too much of a love sick puppy to try and stop her.

Right now, they were attempting to maneuver the trees into a large van that Klaus had hired for the day. Caroline simply refused to let hybrids help and would only allow Klaus and Elijah and maybe Kol (she was still undecided) to help move her precious Christmas trees.

"Come on, we should look for ours before Caroline decides to go on the hunt for more."

"Are you serious? What could she possibly even need ten trees for-?"

Elena shot Damon a look through her eyelashes, "Babe, it's Caroline."

Damon chuckled and tightened his hold around Elena's waist, steering them away from the spectacle that was unfolding. "God, she has papa hybrid so painfully whipped."

Elena snorted, "And what would you call yourself?"

He smirked. "Just casually roped in, not too tight, not too lose. You know, that kind of deal."

Elena cackled, and grabbed his hand, untangling herself from his body and yanking them both forward into the pile of beautiful crisp green trees.

They ended up with a fat perfectly rounded one that Damon tied to the hood of his car (muttering curses about the paint job as he did so) and then set up in Elena's living room.

They drank hot chocolate, that Elena had sprinkled with cinnamon and Damon with bourbon, and then had sex next to the new electric fireplace, with the smell of fresh pine needles clouding the air.

"Elena I'm ninety percent certain these are all the ornaments we have."

Jeremy and Elena were situated in the middle of their living room, surrounded by at least twenty boxes of Christmas decorations, that were threatening to explode all over the room and drown them both in tinsel and all things red and green.

"And I'm one hundred percent certain we're missing something."

"Elena the entire basement is empty. You made me look three times. What are we missing anyway?" He played aimlessly with the pile of garlands pouring out of the box nearest.

Elena hesitated. Christmas was her favourite holiday, one she had had a hard time celebrating properly since her parents had passed. This year felt like the first time in a while she could celebrate as loudly and as happily as she wanted to. She didn't want to dampen the mood by bringing up things from the past.

"Remember that Christmas when you were five and Mom and Dad took us to the Arts fair in that teeny town just north of Mystic Falls? And you fell in love with the horse drawn carriages and spent all day trying to make them like you? And Mom took me to that crafts tables where we got to make hand blown ornaments? And mine was all gold and silver and sparkly and just beautiful? I can't find it. I don't know what I did with it. And it's my favourite and I refuse to start decorating the tree until I know for sure I can put that on it."

"Well, the weather outside is frightful, but the fiirrre is so delightful, let it snow, let it snow, let it snowwwww!" Damon was shirtless, drunk and crooning delightfully into Stefan's sleeping face.

"Mgrh."

"That's not in the English language brother and you should know no one speaks Latin anymore! Oh, let it snow let it snow let it snowwwwww! Man, I love me some Christmas music." He flopped down next to Stefan's still unconscious form and began to absentmindedly pet through his hair.

"What er you doin'" His face was buried under pillows, trying to escape both Damon's hands and his less than pitch perfect singing voice. "It's like four am."

Swinging the whiskey bottle absentmindedly, Damon continued to hum under his breath, further enraging his brother, who at this point was desperately clinging to his sleep, the muscles in his hands flexing so as to not smash Damon's face in.

"Damon. FOUR am. Let that register in your empty brain for a minute and then kindly fuck off."

"Oh come on brother! It's the holiday season; try not to be so bitter."

"Allow me to say it again, FOUR AM."

"I don't feel at all sorry for you because if my senses are correct, the reason you're tired is because Barbie Klaus has worn you out, so nope. I will not apologize that I've woken you up from a sex hangover. Now, be a doll and ask me what I'm oh-so-chipper about."

Stefan groaned, flung his blanket off, and strolled, naked, into the bathroom, and immediately locked the door.

Damon snorted. "You know, I've surprisingly been getting that reaction a lot lately!"

"Tell me what Christmas was like when you were a child." Elena mumbled into the crook of Damon's neck, and pressed a feather light kiss against his pulse point. It was officially one week until Christmas, and the couple lay naked in bed in Damon's room, the glowing heat of the fire painting the room in shadows and orange-red lights.

Damon hesitated. Christmas with his mother and his father and his baby brother were memories tucked and pushed so deeply into his brain sometimes they didn't seem real. Sometimes it seemed like the life he led before turning into a bloodsucker was an illusion, scenes that were filled with laugher and giddy childish thrills and the warm hands of his mother and the big infectious grin of his brother, the way his father would pick him up and spin him around when he arrived home from work or let him into his study and set him on his lap and read stories from the few fairytale books he kept by his desk.

"Damon, please." She mumbled it softly, tentatively, like she understood the old memories and how far they were buried. And maybe she did. Elena's old life was probably filled with many of the same happy times; times she probably felt weren't real in the face of what their lives were now too. But she was close and firm and real next to him, and she made him feel all the things he had once, the giddiness and the laughter and the pure love.

He wanted to tell her, he wanted this girl who was so special and kind and beautiful to him to know the joy he used to feel and how similar it was to the emotions he felt now with her.

"Well, my mom was a Christmas nut, much like you in fact." He started.

"Hey!" Elena grumbled against his skin, laughing slightly at the dull insult.

"But Christmas was a lot different in the 1800's, obviously. We lived in the south so it wasn't as much of an issue, but in the north, Christmas was hardly celebrated at all until well after the Civil War. But my mom was in love with the idea of spoiling her children and decorating our house and throwing parties for all her friends, and buying new dresses and little suits for me and my baby brother." Damon sighed, remembering a particular time when he and Stefan had completely ruined their outfits for Christmas dinner, playing in the snow for hours and nearly getting lost in the woods, coming back with their little jackets and pants stained with mud and water patches and ripped in various places.

"We didn't really have the idea of Santa Claus, it was more like jolly ol' Saint Nick and all that, except he certainly didn't bring presents or fly around the globe with deer strapped to a sleigh with bells and red nosed reindeers."

"Rudolph Damon, his name is Rudolph." Damon smiled into Elena's hair, breathing in the sweet apples and cinnamon scent.

"Believe me, babe, I know all the names. You've dragged me to enough of your volunteer work with the children at the hospital that I could probably recite the stories from end to beginning at this point."

"You love it."

"Kinda."

Elena was tracing patterns on the skin of Damon's chest with her cool fingers, drawing little suns and moons and stars and swirls into the pale naked skin. "Keep talking." Her voice was drifting slightly, like Damon's words were lulling her into sleep.

"Mostly I just remember making cookies, or throwing snow at the neighbors dog when they walked to far onto our property and Dad said to scare them off. Sometimes my mom would tell me and Stefan to help her with the pies or the sweet tarts and we usually just ended up getting flour and sugar on everything, including her dress. Christmas was the only time of year she really liked to bake or cook anything. Generally the maids did everything. Stefan and I used to go sledding on rickety wooden sleds that barely stayed together. Or wrap each other up with tinsel until the maids yelled at us. We used to get sick from eating too many off those hard peppermint candies nearly every year. God, if you think candy in this day and age is hard to bite into; you've got another thing coming. I think I chipped at least three baby teeth from some of those."

"What was your favourite part?" Her voice was deeply drowsy now, calm and slow and whispered against his skin.

"Watching my mother get ready for Christmas dinner. We had a huge dinner with all our friends and family that was followed by a party every year on Christmas Eve. Mom used to spend hours in the morning cooking, but in the afternoon, she would escape into her bedroom and let only Stefan and me and a few of her dressing maids in. And we would get completely silent, barely even moving when we watched her get ready. She had all these jewels that my father bought her, and massive dresses made of silks and satins and embroidered with tiny little patterns. And she did her make up so carefully. She was so beautiful Elena. I thought I'd never meet a woman as beautiful as her as long as I lived."

"That's so lovely Damon. Thank you for...telling me all that. I love you." Elena was nearly asleep now, her eyelids flickering along with the shadows from the fire, her voice quiet and subdued.

"Until I met you."

"Hmm?"

"I never thought I'd meet a woman as beautiful as her, until I met you. I love you too. Go to sleep now darling."

"Don't touch anything."

Caroline, however, continued to stare, dumbfounded. "What exactly are you trying to accomplish right now? With this pile of ...stuff?"

Elena sighed, entirely fed up with life thus far. "It's supposed to be dough! I'm making bread!" She nearly screeched. There was flour in her hair, and smudged on her face, and sprinkled somewhat distractingly over literally every surface in the kitchen.

"You are aware of the fact that you need a bread maker to make actual bread right?" Despite Elena's earlier warning, Caroline proceeded to poke and prod at the so called "dough" on the kitchen counter, "Not that this stuff is actually going to turn into bread no matter what you put it in anyway. Seriously, what the hell did you put in this, it looks like goo. And I don't think it's supposed to be this grey-ish color, that can't be healthy."

Elena threw up her hands and sunk down to the floor, (landing in yet another pile of flour). "Caroline, I'm the worst girlfriend ever, I can't even manage to make bread!"

Caroline rounded the counter until she was facing Elena, whose arms were wrapped around her knees and whose head was buried in her lap, little sprinkles of flour glinting in the kitchen lights. "Elena, bread is actually quite difficult to make. Don't get yourself down! Why don't I call Bonnie, and we can try and make chocolate chip cookies or something?"

Elena mumbled something unintelligible.

"You're going to have to take your head out of your crotch if you want me to understand you, 'Lena."

Elena glared, "I said that's not very Christmas-y!"

Caroline rolled her eyes, then reached her hand out to bring her best friend to her feet. "Well, I don't know we'll dye the chocolate chips red and green or something. I'm not Santa Elena I can't make Christmas miracles happen okay, I can only make some freakin' chocolate chip cookies."

Four hours and two bottles of red wine later, Elena, Bonnie and Caroline were covered with bits of various baking ingredients, and had several trays filled with numerous different kinds of cookies, tarts and pastries. It turned out Bonnie's grams wasn't just a great witch, but also had a pretty amazing book of secret family recipes up her sleeve. Some of which required a little magic, but it was the holidays, magic was an essential part anyway. Elena just wouldn't tell Damon that.

"Oh man, these are fantastic! What'd you put in 'em babe?" Damon said. He and Elena were curled up on the Gilbert's couch in their living room, basking in the heat from the fire, eating Elena's Christmas cookies and watching the lights of their Christmas tree flicker brightly.

Elena stuttered. She literally had no fucking idea what went into those cookies. Those were the ones that Bonnie had made by mumbling something at the bag of whole wheat flour, and bam! Pretty silver and red iced sugar cookies. Sugar! Sugar had to be a main ingredient.

"Uh, well, sugar of course and, you know, flour...eggs. Traditional...cookie...things."

"No, no but what's the extra little kick at the end?"

Fuck, fucking fuck Bonnie and her magic. Elena should've just stuck to her bread dough.

"You didn't make these at all did you?" Damon whispered into her ear. She didn't need to see his face to know he was grinning like a maniac.

"Of course I did!" She said back shrilly.

"There's no way you made twenty different kinds of cookies. I've seen what you did to my toaster with a loaf of bread, and it ain't pretty."

Elena flung herself out from under Damon's arms. "Fine! Fine I didn't make them okay! Bonnie and Caroline were here all afternoon and we made them with a lot of help from Bonnie's grams' recipe book and a lot of magic. Happy?"

"Baby, whoa calm down!" Damon stood up so he was facing his girlfriend, swallowing the last of his cookie and wrapping his arms around her slim waist. "I don't care what you did to make them. All I know is we have a house full of delicious cookies and you look beautiful and you tried to make something for me. That's all I care about. I love you, horrendous cooking skills and all."

Elena placed her head against Damon's strong chest, and his chin came to rest at the top of her head. "I'm sorry for freaking. I tried really hard to make you bread before, I promise. And I love you too."

He kissed her forehead and tightened his grip around her waist. "I believe you. And why don't you leave the baking to the professionals next time, sweetheart. Not everyone is as talented as your boyfriend."

Elena snorted, "Not everyone is as modest as my boyfriend either."

Christmas Eve arrived with Damon and Stefan drunk off their asses and swaying to Bing Crosby Christmas carols at the Salvatore mansion.

Rebekah and Elena sat, numbly on the Salvatores leather couches with matching tumblers of whiskey in their hands.

"Happy Christmas Eve, I think. It's got to be midnight by now right?"

"I don't know. I lost track of time around the time these two idiots lost their shirts."

"I'm honestly a little surprised they haven't kissed yet."

"Well, they've gotten dangerously close numerous times. I think that big head bang was supposed to be a kiss but they didn't execute it quite right."

"How much longer do you think we'll have to listen to this? Vampire hearing combined with their singing voices is making me want to rip off my ears."

"I reckon if we made out they'd stop."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm ninety-nine percent sure. There's got to be lots of tongue though. We can't half arse this alright?"

"Hey, are you insinuating that I half ass things?"

"No, now shut up and kiss me they're going to start going for the high notes."

And so Christmas Eve also arrived with Elena grabbing Rebekah by the back of the next and smashing their lips together, their boyfriends clutching at their bottles of booze and each other, smiling like little kids on Christmas morning, and not singing anymore Christmas carols.

Christmas Day arrived with Damon and Elena cuddled in his bed, wrapped in warm silk sheets and fleece blankets, limbs tangled together, foreheads pressed together, sharing light kisses and mumbled 'merry Christmas's' and 'I love you's.

"I can't believe we're doing Christmas dinner with the originals." Damon said. He was sorting through his enormous supply of black button ups and trying to decide on what to wear.

"Don't wear black Damon, that's so anti-holidays! And how are you seriously not used to them by now. Our friends are dating them. We even spent thanksgiving at their house this year!" Elena was in Damon's bathroom, painting her eyelashes with black mascara.

"Well, it's not like I have a huge selection of colors to choose from. And whatever I'm still in denial of the union of Barbie and Klaus."

"Damon, I bought you that green button up specifically for this night! What about the union of your brother and Rebekah?"

"Hey remember when you two made out? What a great holiday season this has been."

Elena snaked her arms around Damon's middle and began to help him button his shirt up. She kissed the back of his neck quickly. "Just keep that image with you this evening and everything should go smoothly. Come on, we're gonna be late."

Damon turned around to face her, smirking and ran his big calloused hands up and down her arms. "Mm, I don't think anyone will notice if we're a little bit late, babe." He leaned down to press his lips to hers, smiling into the kiss.

"Damon, no not right now." She struggled to get out of his arms, but at the same time, smiled into their kiss. "Okay fine. But be quick!"

"I don't know if anyone has ever demanded that of me before."

"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to grace us with their presence. Elena your dress straps are falling off. What, did you two have sex on the way here?" Caroline stood in the foyer of the massive home, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed.

"Care, stop torturing the happy couple and invite them in already!" Kol shouted.

"Shut up Kol or I'll torture you next!"

Elena blushed furiously, while Damon winked at Caroline, who snorted in return and rolled her eyes. "Come on, we're just having drinks in the living room."

'Drinks in the living room' somehow turned into 'everyone getting ridiculously smashed before we even put the turkey on the table.'

Everyone was at the originals for Christmas dinner, and even through her alcohol haze, Elena felt the happiest she'd been in years. Klaus and Caroline were curled up together in one chair in the corner, sharing a bottle of peppermint schnapps between them. Jeremy, Bonnie, Matt and Kol all sat around a small coffee table and were engaged in some sort of drinking game that involved a spinning top and dice, laughing and slurring their words more and more as the minutes wore on. Rebekah and Stefan sat on the couch opposite Damon and Elena, Rebekah's feet in Stefan's lap and her loud voice sharing a story about Elijah and Klaus on Christmas Eve in 1567, sprinting through their castle and lighting all the Christmas trees on fire, just for the fun of it. From her place in Damon's lap, Elena observed their conglomeration of people, humans and vampires, who she now called her family.

There were little things, little integral parts of their lives that blended together now. Caroline practically lived with Klaus, they cooked each other breakfast and ran around the kitchen naked most mornings, much to Rebekah's dismay. Rebekah herself spent more and more time in Stefan's bed, tangled in his fancy thousand count sheets, drinking his favourite whiskey and reading his favourite books to him late into the night.

Even Jeremy and Kol had developed quite the friendship (the incident in Denver long forgotten).

And Damon and Elena were the closest they'd ever been. Merry Christmas indeed.

Dinner was a mess of mouth watering food and expensive hundred year old china sets, wine and champagne, gravy and cranberry sauce, laughter and arguments that echoed off the walls of the Mikaelson's ornately decorated dining room.

Elijah and Damon stood arms around each other's broad shoulders, to give speeches about the joys of the holidays and family traditions. Caroline got teary eyed over the mention of family and cried for ten minutes into her glass of champagne, and Klaus tried to sooth her with an anecdote about a Christmas when Kol had accidently invited two of his lovers to the same party, only to end the night with twin slaps across the face. Elena, Caroline, Rebekah and Bonnie had wrapped little gift baskets to hand out to everyone, filled with chocolates, ornaments and blood bags. Rebekah and Caroline were impeccable hostesses all evening long, until they got a little too tipsy off the shots of fireball whiskey they were taking in the kitchen, and Klaus and Elijah had to take control of the dinner.

As the night wore on, they migrated back into the living room and set about opening gifts, silver wrapping paper and fancy bows littering the carpets of the living room.

Slowly, the room began to clear out. Kol and Bonnie had made their way up to Kol's room (Elena was not going to touch on that relationship, ever). Rebekah was passed out against Stefan's side wearing the diamond bracelet and matching earrings he'd picked up at Cartier for her. Matt had left with Jeremy hours ago, Jeremy more than a little bit too drunk and Matt for once relatively sober, the designated driver. Elijah was keeping the fire going, adding extra pieces of wood sleepily, and sipping demurely from his glass of bourbon. Damon even was dosing off on Elena's shoulders.

She wanted to leave, had his present all wrapped up and ready to go at home, but let herself bask in the warmth and calmness of this moment. Their lives were never still like this, never this quiet and relaxed and slow, deep breathing and rich delicious Christmas scents, cinnamon and gingerbread cookies. She felt so much joy and happiness she could barely hold it all inside her, had a silly little smile pulling up the corner of her lips even though there was nothing happening to provoke it, just the feeling of family and friendship and love that surrounded her.

"Damon, babe, we should get going. I still have my present for you." Elena mumbled into his ear, his head resting heavily on her chest.

"Mm, like five more minutes."

Elena giggled, "Come on, up and at 'em."

They tumbled through the front door of the Salvatore home, hands intertwined together, bodies pressed flush against each other and smiling ridiculously.

Elena was giddy, excited both for Damon's reaction to her present and to receive her own from Damon. And from the near gallon of wine she had probably consumed over the course of the evening. It was now nearing midnight, Christmas was almost over and Elena couldn't remember having this much fun in years.

Damon straightened up suddenly, and backed away from Elena, "Go sit on the couch, pour yourself a glass of something tasty and I will be back soon enough with your presents. Yes, that's right I said presents. With an s. Because I am such a great boyfriend, I got you more than one."

Elena chuckled, "You're actually ridiculous. Hurry up!"

Damon ran up the stairs, quickly skipping steps, but not daring to run at vampire speed because he was more than a little drunk off shots of peppermint schnapps Rebekah and Barbie had forcefully poured down his throat.

His head was pounding because this was the moment, the present he'd thought long and hard about and he was about to give it to the person he cared for more than anyone else in the world.

Elena nervously arranged herself on the couch, shifting the gift in her hands, from her left to her right and back again. If her heart was still beating she was sure it would feel like it was going to thump right out of her chest. She was stupidly giddy and overcome with nerves for this moment, because she'd worked so hard to find the perfect gift. And even though she knew Damon was going to love her no matter what she bought him, she wanted him to like his gift more than anything.

The met each other in the living room, smiling shyly and even sat on opposites couches, strangely enough. Damon held one neatly wrapped gold box in his hands, a small red bow attached to the top.

"I'll go first, okay?" He said.

Elena nodded, "Of course, whatever you want."

He wordlessly handed over his present, meticulously wrapped and slaved over. Elena tore off the paper slowly, folding it at her sides delicately so not to waste it (she was always so conscious of everything) and opened the box. Inside were two separate velvet boxes, one long and rectangular and the other small and square. Both had letters imprinted on top, spelling out Tiffany's & Co. If Elena still had a beating heart, she was certain it would have fluttered.

"Which one should I open first?"

Damon shrugged, watching her every move, "Whichever you want, I suppose."

Elena went for the long box, and pried the top open to reveal a stunning diamond necklace, dripping with a pear shaped ruby at the end, no bigger than her pinky fingernail. "Oh my gosh, Damon!" Elena muttered into the hushed quiet of the room.

"Whoa, not so fast, open the other box too." Damon chuckled. Elena smiled up at him, fingering the jewels in her necklace. The small square box held a pair of earrings to match the necklace, small hearts outlined in diamonds with little rubies in the center. "God, they're stunning. Thank you so much!"

Elena run up and over to the other couch immediately, throwing herself into her boyfriend's lap and wrapping her long thin arms around his neck, breathing in the scent of bourbon and his cologne.

"They were my mother's. I thought you might like to own them."

"Wait," Elena broke away, situating herself more comfortably in Damon's lap as her warm brown eyes bored into his icy blues, "You're giving me your mother's jewelry? Damon I—I don't even know what to say." Despite the fact that they were the only two in the rooms, their voices were small murmurs, practically right in each other's mouths.

"Well, you've already said thank you, which is more than enough for me. Just—keep them safe, okay babe?" His eyes were pleading, and she ached for him, knew how much anything even remotely related to her meant to him, and silently vowed to herself to wear them and take care of them with the upmost precision.

She nodded. Nothing more needed to be said.

"My dad, he bought them for her when Tiffany's first opened in New York. It was a huge deal back then, and she wore them on every special occasion. They were her favourites."

"Oh, Damon..."

For a few still moments, they just stared at each other, matching small slow sleepy smiles on their faces, until Elena remembered she still had a present of her own to hand over.

She climbed out of his lap, which Damon protested with a small noise, and grabbed her own present from the couch opposite. It was wrapped in red paper, with candy cane stripped letters that spelled out 'ho ho ho' in patterns all over and a small white bow pressed on top.

She placed it in his hands and sat back on the coffee table, chin in her hands and eyes intent on his face. "Go on then, I know you're dying to open it."

He ripped open the paper, not at all careful like Elena had been, to produce a book. "A Visit From St. Nicholas. Published in 1823 by Clement Clarke Moore. Elena, how did you—I mean what—"

"Stefan told me. He said that was the story that your parents used to read to the both of you on Christmas Eve every year together until your mom passed. I spent weeks looking for a first edition. Do you like it?"

To Elena's immense surprise, Damon seemed to be fighting against the tears swimming in his pretty eyes. "Damon?"

"Of course I like it, I don't even know why I'm reacting like this? I think this may be the most thoughtful gift I've ever been given though, so there's that." He looked up to meet her eyes again and let out a choked laugh.

She smiled, gentle and awed and so so so happy with the man in front of her. This was everything she'd wanted out of Christmas, and it was hard to believe it had all worked out in her favour for once.

Damon pulled Elena by the waist until she was once again seated in his lap, arms around his neck and face resting against the strong mould of his chest. His own arms slipped around her waist, holding her close and breathing in the sweet smell of pure Elena. There were matching smiles on their faces, small and close-lipped, but noticeable.

"Merry Christmas, Elena."

"Merry Christmas, Damon."

"I love you" they said in unison.

Cross posted at ao3