Author's note: Surprise! Looks like I had another one-shot in me after all – well, a two-shot, if there is such a thing (and yes, there's still one more non-Christmas one-shot still to come…I'm having some trouble with that one).

For the TVDMixingAuthor2Author exchange - aquakitty1864 : Since Elena has been a vampire she hasn't had much enjoyment and doesn't really feel like celebrating Christmas. I want to see him pull out all the shots. Baking cookies. Christmas Tree Picking. Snowball fights. Christmas tree decorating. Maybe even a custom christmas ornament or something romantic. (think of the perfect christmas) Then ending up in front of the fire for a smutty ending You don't have to do all of it, just some general ideas.

Warnings: Mature – adult content, angst, not canon-compliant (no DEx to this point, no sire bond)

Damon slowed his car to a crawl as he passed by the Gilbert house. Even though interacting directly with Jeremy was asking for a ticket to end his undead life, he'd kept the promise he made to Ric – even if his friend didn't actually say the words. Judging by the overwhelming number of candles flickering in each of the all too familiar windows, Jeremy was doing just fine…and Bonnie was keeping him company. If Damon wasn't imagining it, he could even hear faint strains of Christmas carols mixed with laughter coming from the house. The footprints in the ankle-deep snow that had fallen so far on Christmas Eve signaled that there might even be a party going on at the Gilbert house. Jeremy had better clean up the mess his friends caused. Of course, Bonnie probably knew some kind of cleaning spell. Jeremy was going to make in through the Christmas season without too much trouble.

If only Damon could say the same about the other Gilbert in his life.

Well, she wasn't exactly in his life. Not really.

After Stefan's attempt to find the cure had gone badly wrong, leaving Jeremy with one fixed goal – killing Elena – they hadn't really had much of a choice other than to let her move into the boardinghouse. After all, her name was still on the deed. The house actually belonged to her. They couldn't really leave her homeless.

But ever since she'd become a vampire, things had become more and more strained between Stefan and Elena until they finally realized she wasn't the same person she'd been when he arrived in Mystic Falls. Becoming a vampire brought back the old Elena. The one who Caroline had described as much more fun. The one who Damon met on that darkened road ages ago. The same Elena he'd always known existed.

The one he never allowed himself to think might someday be his.

He and Stefan had been down this road before. Katherine's attempt to play the brothers against each other had almost destroyed them. Now, as Elena dealt with the overwhelming losses of her friends, her family, and herself – Damon wouldn't allow her to become even more conflicted, even if that mean he had to walk away.

So when she arrived with her bags, he'd packed his own. Alaric's loft was comfortable, unoccupied, and convenient to the Mystic Grill. And that was good, since the new bartender had been able to afford a brand new convertible just from Damon's tips.

Stefan's new address was a little more unexpected. After Caroline had been unable to convince Elena that Stefan was the Salvatore brother she should choose, Caroline furrowed her brow, dug in her heels, and invited Stefan to move into the spare bedroom once occupied by Tyler when he was attempting to hide from Klaus.

The new housing arrangements were a little complicated, but they were working out…or at least Damon thought they were. His car wound its way through the festive decorations that made the historic section of Mystic Falls legendary in the state. He quickly found his car sandwiched between an SUV traveling at a crawl and a church van filled with senior citizens out to enjoy the brightly lit streets. Everywhere he looked, colorful lights danced, animated Santa Clauses waved, and windows were filled with the warm golden glow that signaled the upcoming holiday.

Until he turned onto his own street.

It was worse than he'd thought.

He'd deliberately avoided coming here. She was Stefan's by her own choice. She would always be Stefan's. That's just the way his life worked. They'd fight. Elena would be stubborn like always. Then she'd make up with his brother, just like clockwork.

But they hadn't made up. And, judging by the darkened windows, no one had come to help her during these days. He remembered those days well…the ones right after he'd transitioned. Even after 10 years, the loss of his mother still burned bright in his chest, amplified by his heightened vampire emotions. His father was dead. His friends were gone. His brother wanted to kill him.

That all sounded very familiar.

Damn it.

Her car was in the driveway. Despite the darkness, he knew she was home. He pulled his car in the winding drive behind hers. Damon stepped out from behind the wheel and took a step toward the cobblestone sidewalk but stopped when something red caught his eye. Bending down, he pulled a soggy red envelope out of the snow. Had Elena dropped it?

But vampires didn't just drop their mail without realizing it. He took a closer look at the envelope. It was addressed to Jeremy, and return to sender was scrawled across the front in bold, block letters. Obviously the hunter version of Elena's little brother had been in charge of collecting Jeremy's mail.

The card hadn't been too deeply buried. She'd gotten this letter tonight. On Christmas Eve.

Screw Stefan's girl. He chuckled to himself at his unintended double entendre. He wasn't here for that. But he wasn't going to leave her here on her own. And he knew she was at the boardinghouse.

He closed the heavy front door behind himself with a click. He wanted to warn her that he was here. She probably heard his car pulling into the drive, but he couldn't hear her now. That was one of the annoying side effects of her transition to a vampire. She didn't have to allow herself to be heard if she didn't want to be. He walked through the foyer and into the living room, turning on the lights as he went. "Elena. You're a vampire – not a ghost."

He waited.

And waited.

Her school books were placed haphazardly on the side table next to the couch. The hearth was cold and dark. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen it without a blazing fire.

He could fix that.

Just as he piled the last log on the fire and tossed a match in to light a virtual inferno, he heard it. A sniffle. Faint and far away, his suspicions were right. She was here…and she was crying on Christmas Eve.

Damon thought back to the warmth and happiness he'd sensed on his drive through town. She deserved that. He climbed the stairs and turned in the direction of Stefan's room. Of course she'd be there. But she wasn't.

He paused on the landing and listened.

A sniffle followed by the sound of a tissue being pulled from a box. She wasn't in Stefan's room, but she was in the room at the end of the hall – the one she'd used ages ago when they were trying to break the vicious cycle of Stefan's bloodlust.

Damon stepped into the bedroom and paused. All the fire he saw when she'd first turned into a vampire was gone. The dark side of the amplified vampire emotions was obviously in effect tonight. Elena leaned against the headboard with her knees practically crushed against her chest. She didn't even move when he stepped closer to the bed.

"What are you doing here?" She might not have looked up, but she wasn't ignoring him.

He made up his mind. "I came to pick you up." He extended his hand to her and smiled.

"For what?" Her words held the muffled quality of someone who'd been crying for an extended period of time.

He arched an eyebrow and smirked. "It's a surprise."

Author's note. I know these are supposed to be one-shots, but this break NEEDED to happen. The remainder of the story will be posted tomorrow. Hope you've enjoyed it so far!