A/N: Hi everybody! Recovered from last night (RIP Carol) I have an early Christmas present for you all. I've been writing thins in bits and pieces in betweeen my classes. I kind of like this one, but please leave me reviews. I have another Christmas oneshot in the pipeline and chapter 2 for Here and Now. I have two finals next week, but studying for them is going to be insane, and two papers to write this weekend, so this is a one time deal until the 20th. I hope you all enjoy, and anyone taking finals, good luck and stay sane. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! :D
Damon groaned as his cell phones buzzed loudly on his bedside table. Rolling over, he caught a glimpse of the clock, 3 am was too early for anyone to be texting him. He slid his thumb over the screen, unlocking his phone to find a message from his wife.
I'm so sorry baby. It's snowing here,
and JFK was shut down. All flights
were cancelled. I don't know if I'll make
it home by tomorrow. I'll try calling later.
xo Elena.
'Shit.' Damon cursed under his breath. He knew that Elena should have said no to the book tour so close to Christmas. How the hell was he supposed to tell the kids that their mom might not make it home in time for Christmas?
Damon shot off a response,
It's okay. We'll figure something out.
I'll let the kids know. Stay safe. Talk
to you later. Love Damon
He dropped his phone back onto the night table and rolled over. He grabbed the pillow from Elena's side of the bed and bunched it under his head. His mind was racing with different scenarios of how to tell the kids, and he knew it would be a while, if ever, until he fell asleep again.
He must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing Damon knew, there were giggles coming from next to him. He cracked one eye open and found his son and daughter sitting, cross-legged, on the bed and staring at him.
'Hi Daddy! Time to wake up!' Four-year-old Lydia poked Damon on the cheek and leaned her face close to his. He laughed and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose, before sitting up.
'Morning Lyds. How long have you two been up?' He smiled as Lydia crawled into his lap and looped her arms around his neck, tightening them in a hug. He'd been a father for six years now, and a human for another three before that, and he would never get tired of the simple warmth that came from hugging his kids.
'Forever. You snore Dad.' Ric, at six-years-old, had perfected the art of telling the blunt truth; something Damon liked to think was passed on from his namesake. Damon laughed and reached over to ruffle his hair.
"I won't deny that. Is Ade still asleep?' Damon's question was answered as they all heard two –year-old Adrianna's cry for 'DADDDDDEEEEEE!'
'Well, I guess we'd better go get your sister." Damon stood up, throwing Lydia over his shoulder, fireman style, loving the squeal and giggle the action elicited.
Twenty minutes later, Damon and the three kids were settled and eating breakfast. Damon was slicing a banana fro Adrianna when Ric asked the question Damon was dreading.
'Dad, what time's Mom coming home?' The little boy looked up from his bowl of cereal. Damon paused, knife in the air. He finished cutting up the fruit and took a seat in between Ric and Lydia.
'Mom's stuck in New York right now. It's snowing really badly up there and her flight was cancelled.' Damon paused as he saw Lydia's lower lip tremble. 'Aw, Lyds, we're still having every one over for Christmas Eve. Uncle Jeremy, Aunt April and your cousins are still going to sleep over. Mom's going to try her hardest to get here for tomorrow.'
Ric frowned, 'How come Mom had to leave? It won't be Christmas without her.' Lydia nodded, agreeing with her brother.
'I want mommy.' Her little face fell into a pout and Damon felt his heart break.
'I know you do, but everyone will be here soon and you'll be so distracted you forget about Mommy and me. Now, why don't you guys go upstairs and change?' Damon sighed in relief when the two kids agreed and ran upstairs. He turned to Adrianna, smiling a little when he saw that his baby had smeared banana all over her face.
'It's going to be a long day Ade.'
Sometime around noon the doorbell began ringing nonstop. Ric and Lydia fought over who got to answer the door each time, until Damon stepped in and forced them to alternate turns. Soon enough, the entire Mystic Falls Scooby Gang was hanging out in the Salvatore boarding house. Ric, Lydia, Miranda and Elizabeth Gilbert (Jeremy and April's twin five-year –old daughters), Will and Joseph Salvatore (Caroline and Stefan's six and three-year-old sons), and Victoria Donovan (Matt and his wife, Samantha's four-year-old) all ran upstairs to segregate into boy and girl groups as was usually done at any kind of get together.
Damon kept Adrianna with him, while Bonnie kept her six-month-old son attached to her hip. The adults moved into the den, where Damon caught them up to speed on Elena's whereabouts.
"Did you tell the kids?' Jeremy asked as he bounced Adrianna on his lap. He was making faces at his niece, wincing when she finally reached out and pulled on his lip.
'Yeah, Ric asked my what time she was coming in during breakfast. I had to tell them.' Damon leaned against the wall, arms crossed. As much as things had changed in the past nine years, he still was not a fan of Caroline, and was not particularly happy that she had to be invited to family functions. But unfortunately, she had married his brother, after the whole bloody Original versus hybrid battle. Meanwhile, had Tyler not died, she probably would have shacked up with Stefan eventually, Damon wanted to vomit every time he thought about how thee two of them had ganged up on him and Elena during the time she was sired to him.
'How'd they take it?' Matt questioned, knowing what it was like not to have your mom around for a holiday.
Damon shrugged, 'As well as any one would I guess.'
Eventually the group got around to dinner and making gingerbread houses, a tradition Elena and Jeremy had remembered from their childhood. Damon stood in the background, watching as his kids helped each other decorated to cookie houses. He watched as Jeremy and April helped the girls, and as Matt helped his daughter. He watched Bonnie laugh when Adrianna smeared frosting on her face, before reaching over to wipe it off. He even watched Caroline take pictures of the kids, knowing he and Elena would have a thousand copies to put away later. The only one who wasn't helping to kids or interacting with them was Stefan.
Damon internally scowled every time he thought about the fact that his brother had named one of his sons after Giuseppe. Always, the favorite, trying to kiss ass even after the old man had been dead for centuries. Their fall out had been brutal, with neither one really ever getting over it. Now Damon just barely tolerated his brother, and without Elena acting as a peacemaker, Damon hadn't said one word to Stefan all night.
'Daddy! Look at my house!' Lydia had jumped up from her chair to come and grab Damon's hand. She dragged him over to the table and gestured wildly. Damon lifted her onto his hip.
'You did a great job Lyddie. Think I can have a bite?' Damon winked, and Lydia exploded.
'NO! It's not for eating Daddy! It's for looking!' She pinched his cheek to emphasize her words. Damon bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
'Got it. No eating, just looking.' He put Lydia back on her chair and leaned against the back, continuing to watch.
Slowly, everyone began to leave, until it was just Damon, Jeremy, April and their kids.
'Guys, let's go put on pyjamas.' April stood up from the couch. She turned to Damon, 'Do you want me to take Ade?'
Damon nodded, before passing the baby over. April too the five kids upstairs so they could change. Damon and Jeremy sat in silence for a while.
'Have you heard from Elena?' Jeremy knew it was killing Damon that Elena wasn't here.
'Yeah, spoke to her before dinner. She was still at the airport. Doesn't think she'll be home until tomorrow night at the earliest.' He frowned at the fireplace. Jeremy nodded. Soon enough April came back down with the kids, who all ran around saying good night. The three adults traipsed up the stairs after the kids, following them into Damon and Elena's room so they could all be tucked into the massive king sized bed. It was a tradition that Elena was so excited to start, and Damon had to admit, seeing all the kids bundled up in their Christmas pajamas was kind of cute.
By 1 am Jeremy and Damon had set out al of the presents. Jeremy went upstairs to go to bed, but Damon stayed down on the couch. He didn't feel like crawling into one of the kids' tiny bed without Elena. He pulled one of the throw blankets over himself and closed his eyes.
A sudden noise woke Damon up a few hours later. He reached for his phone to check the time. What could possibly be making noise at four in the morning? Damon stood up slowly and bean walking towards the back door, where the noise was coming from. There was a thud and a whispered 'Ow shit.'
Damon frowned, that was a woman's voice. He flipped on the light to find Elena, squinting against the sudden brightness.
'Oh Damon! Did I wake you?' She let go of her over sized duffel bag and it landed on the tile floor with a soft thump. Damon laughed.
'What are you doing here Elena? I thought you wouldn't get in until tomorrow.' He crossed the room in a few long strides and wrapped his arms around his wife tightly.
Elena's muffled voice spoke, 'I rented a car. I left Manhattan at 11. I couldn't be away from you guys on Christmas. It was torture sitting in that airport by myself.' Damon pulled away, and saw the sparkle in Elena's eyes. He loved that sparkle.
'I am so glad you're here. Come on, let's go inside.' Damon led Elena by the hand and they sat together on the couch that Damon had previously been sleeping on. Elena kicked off her boots and shrugged out of her jacket so she could tuck herself under Damon's arm. Damon was about to question how Elena had rented a car and driven all the way to Virginia by herself, but before he could speak he heard her snoring softly. Damon tucked the blanket around her and kissed the top of her head.
'Good night Elena.'
The next morning Damon wasn't sure what the cause of the excited screams was; all of the presents, or the fact that Elena was sitting on the couch. Ric and Lydia jumped into her lap, smothering her with hugs and kisses. Elena accepted hugs from her nieces and brother and sister-in-law as well.
As the kids tore into their presents, Jeremy slung an arm around his sister.
'I thought you wouldn't be home until later today?' He asked, accepting the mug of coffee April had brought him.
Elena smiled, 'I'll always be home for Christmas. That's a promise.' She looked up at Damon's face and leaned against his chest.
'Good, because this is where we want you.' Damon said, grateful that Elena had found a way home.