Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries world and characters do not belong to me. They belong to their creators: LJ Smith, Julie Plec, and the wonderful folks at CW. I am merely dabbling with them. I promise to return them mostly unharmed. No profit from this or any other fan fiction.
AN: This is a one-shot, Christmastime fluff, there may be a plot but it's probably very thin. Here's hoping that everyone has a wonderful Christmas, Chanukkah, Yule, Kwanza, or any other winter celebration you may indulge in (I'm not sure about the names of any others...). I wish all people of all faiths and ethnicites peace and joy!
In Mystic Falls, Virginia, the season is Christmas … this is the south, y'all. Non-specific time frame that may or may not be cannon (probably not, they never get a real peaceful break) – after Elena is a vampire and has told Damon she loves him.
The Art of Finding the Perfect Christmas Tree
Elena was running through the trees, laughing as she reveled in the first snowfall of the year. Ostensibly, she and Damon were looking for the perfect Christmas tree. In reality, playing tag and catching snowflakes on her tongue was so much more fun. God knows we haven't had much to laugh about these last few years. Just then, two strong arms snatched her from behind eliciting a shriek of laughter.
"Damon!" She twisted in his grip and turned to face him, still encircled in his embrace. His expression stopped her for a moment. He had this look of unabashed wonder and an open smile. "Let me go," she mock-pouted and struggled ineffectually.
Damon shook his head, the smile still firmly in place. "Never. I've got you now, don't think I will ever let you go."
Elena gasped and took an unnecessary breath. She pushed forward and kissed Damon hungrily. He pulled her in snugly, molding her to his body. Damon kept one arm securely wrapped around Elena's waist and brought his other hand to the side of her face. He broke the kiss and tilted her face back as he trailed kisses down her slender throat.
"Geeze! Do you two ever stop?!" The exclamation from Jeremy caused Elena to startle and pull slightly away from Damon. His iron grip did not lesson.
"Go away, little Gilbert," the annoyance in Damon's tone was only partially feigned.
Elena responded by slapping his arm and saying sharply, "Damon. Stop it. This is supposed to be a family outing." She wriggled out of his grasp and turned toward her brother. "Sorry, Jer. We got a little carried away."
"Not sorry," Damon sing-songed. Elena rolled her eyes and smiled. Of course, Damon has to have the last word.
Elena pointedly ignored Damon as she gave her brother her full attention. "Have you found one?"
Jeremy grinned, both at the carefree excitement in his sister's voice and Damon's discomfiture. Elena hadn't been this happy in years, and any time he could irritate Damon was a plus in his book. He hated to admit that Damon was a great boyfriend to his sister. Damon listened to Elena when she made sense, and tried to keep her from doing stupid things like sacrificing herself to save the neighbor's cat. Now that Elena was a vampire, Damon didn't have to spend so much time keeping her safe. But he still tried to keep things as normal as possible for her. When we aren't having to deal with psycho Original vampires, murderous werewolves, crazy witches, and who knows whatever else may come to Mystic Falls. Zombies? Ghosts? Hell, with our luck, Satan will be by next week. Oh, I forgot, Klaus already lives here... Jeremy pulled himself out of his brooding and focused on the happy moment at hand. Time to kill a tree.
"I think I found the perfect tree." He glanced at Damon and added, "Don't worry it's still on Salvatore land, so we don't need a permit."
Damon reached out and tousled Jeremy's hair. "Silly little Gilbert. What compulsion doesn't get, money usually does. It really doesn't matter where her tree is; if it's the one Elena wants, she'll get it."
Jeremy pulled away and sent a quizzical look Damon's way. "Dude, lay off the hair. What is with you? Why are you being so nice? I know it's not to get into my sister's pants, because..."
"Jeremy!" Elena interrupted her brother before he could go any further.
Damon struggled to keep from laughing out loud at her indignant squeak. "Easy Elena, there may be some dogs that didn't hear you." He looked at Jeremy and said easily, "I'm not being 'nice,' I'm being indulgent. Your beautiful, gorgeous, intoxicating sister insisted that we celebrate a family Christmas. And whether you like it or not, little Gilbert, you're family now." Damon looked at Jeremy and said seriously, "I mean it, Jeremy. You are family now." His serious mien gave way to a smile again, " Of course, you've seen how well Stef and I handle familial obligations, so you may want to run while you still can. Enough of this, where's the tree, Jer?"
Jeremy turned and made a grumbling, noncommittal noise. Elena giggled and grabbed Damon's hand in hers as they followed her brother. Damon reached down, picked up a canvas duffel bag from the ground, and swung the bag onto his shoulder as he held onto Elena's hand. The lightly falling snow dusted Elena's chestnut hair and transformed her into a winter princess. Damon found himself wondering once more how he had gotten THE girl. He smiled again, how could he not smile? He loved her and, miracle of miracles, she loved him. She loved him.
Jeremy stopped in front of a towering white pine tree. It was over 11 feet tall. Damon calculated that once it was cut, the tree would be between 9 ½-10 feet. Could probably get it down to nine feet if I need to. It was huge, but it would fit well in the cavernous main room of the Salvatore house. Jeremy looked triumphant and turned expectantly to Elena.
She didn't disappoint him. "Jeremy, it's perfect." She grinned and said without a trace of sarcasm, "What do you think, Damon? Is it big enough?"
"Big enough? Seriously, Elena, you could build a small town with that much wood. Too bad it's not from the white oak tree; we'd be able to take out all of the Originals and still have enough to make Stefan his very own cross to hang from." Damon kept going when he saw Elena was about to make some kind of impassioned response. "Of course, I know we can't kill any of the big, bad Original granddaddy vampires–not if we want to live. It was just a thought... Yes, Elena," he drawled, "it's big enough."
"This is going to be great. Christmas at the lake house was nice, but this will be so much better." Elena laughed and flung herself into his arms to give him a delighted hug.
"Oh, my God! Will you two stop with all of the touchy-touchy stuff? It's bad enough to know you're together. I don't need it in my face 24-7," Jeremy's plea fell on deaf ears as Damon turned the hug into a series of impassioned kisses.
Still holding onto Elena as if his life depended on her (it does), Damon raised an eyebrow in Jeremy's direction as Elena tried to unsuccessfully control her giggles. "Teenagers." Damon looked nonplussed in the face of Jeremy's annoyance. "Jeremy, be a pal and get lost." Jeremy's expression darkened with the beginnings of anger. Damon grinned, shark-like. "No, I have a better idea," Damon said as he reached into his pocket and fished out the keys to his Camaro. "Why don't you take the car back?" He dangled the keys and shook them temptingly. "C'mon, you know you wanna … and this is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to drive my car. I don't share well." He snorted, "Just ask Stefan." He held the keys slightly out of Jeremy's reach as he added, "Do. Not. Scratch. Her."
Jeremy grinned and snatched the keys from Damon's hand. "No problem, man." He turned to leave and then looked over his shoulder at Damon. "Thanks. Don't take forever to get back." He resolutely left without looking back at the enamored couple.
Damon twisted in a flash and had Elena pressed against the tree trunk. "Alone at last." He bent to kiss her.
Elena snickered as she quickly flipped out of his grasp and pressed Damon into the tree trunk instead. "Damon?" She looked at him with hooded eyes.
"Yes, Elena?"
"How are we getting this tree home without the car?"
Damon looked at her, dumbfounded. She wanted to know about the tree? Now? He watched at she pulled back and stood with her arms crossed across her chest.
"I want an answer, mister." She spoke with mock severity as a smile threatened to ruin the entire effect. She stomped one foot down and said, "I told we are having a full, traditional Christmas. Jeremy found the tree and then you made him leave!"
Damon liked this take-charge Elena, but he had other ideas about what she should take charge of. "Elena, I have it all under control. Or did you forget? Two Vampires: super strength, super fast. We can handle this without baby bro' getting in the way." He flashed behind her and whispered in the shell of her ear. "And we can have so much more fun without him."
She turned and reached up to tangle her hand in his dark curls. Elena kissed him with as much fervor as if it was the first time. Damon groaned and pulled her closer. She could feel his desire. Elena slipped her other hand under his shirt and quickly lost all thought of trees or transportation.
Damon slid his hands down Elena's back to support her as he lifted her closer. They were drowning in each other.
…
"It's getting dark and the snow's still falling. We should get back." Elena rolled up on her elbow and looked expectantly at her love. Damon stretched out and smiled a lazy, satisfied grin.
"I know we need to go back, for one thing these clothes are soaked through. I'm pretty sure you've ruined this set." He looked smugly at Elena.
One vampire perk, I really don't blush anymore. Thank God. He's cocky enough as it is. Elena grabbed her shirt from the snowy ground and swiftly redressed. "We still have to get the tree," she reminded Damon.
He tapped her on the nose and chuckled. "Don't worry, I told you I have it all under control."
Damon stood and walked over to the duffel bag that had been thrown to the side earlier in the day. He opened it to show Elena the chainsaw inside. "See, fueled and ready to go. Umm. You should stand over there. Don't want to accidentally impale you," he leered and raised his eyebrows suggestively, "with any splinters."
Elena rolled her eyes at his sophomoric humor, but moved out of range of the chainsaw and any deadly wooden projectiles. She watched Damon move around the tree in a blur of movement as he placed strategic cuts and then felled the beautiful tree. He waved her back when she started to come closer.
"Almost finished," he cautioned. She waited until he had trimmed the tree to his satisfaction. When he packed the chainsaw back into the duffel bag, she came forward. Damon directed her to go towards the tip of the tree. "Go ahead, Elena. Pick up your end."
Elena easily picked up her half of the tree, although it did have some weight to it. She looked behind her to see Damon hefting the trunk onto his shoulder. She nodded her agreement when he asked her if she was ready.
"Don't run back at full speed, set the pace moderately fast and I'll match you," Damon instructed. "We can always go a little faster, but this way we're less likely to drop the tree." And just like that they were on their way home.
They slowed as the boarding house came into view. Elena looked at Damon and herself and realized, "We're a mess!" Her shirt was missing two buttons, haphazardly tucked in her pants, and completely soaked through. His shirt was less damaged, but it was still wet and the back was stained with dirt and covered in pine needles. They both had thoroughly disheveled hair covered with bits of dirt, snow, and pine needles.
Damon dropped his end of the tree and came forward to wrap her in another embrace. "You are gorgeous. And adorable. And mine." He punctuated each statement with a short kiss. He ran one finger under her chin and lifted it, so he and Elena were eye to eye. "Today was perfect."
Elena hummed slightly under her breath and started to kiss him again, when the front door opened.
"Haven't you had enough! You've been gone for hours," Jeremy's irritated comment caused Elena to look down sheepishly and Damon to pull her in tighter. "Whatever, just let's get the tree inside, ok?"
As they hauled the tree into the main room, Elena realized that today had been the best Christmas present she had ever had.
FIN