Written for the LJ Annual Author to Author Xmas Exchange. I hope you all like this one, I'm really nervous about it considering the amazing one shot that was already posted for this fic. :/ This is for Ebomignite, I hope you like it.
Prompt:Stefan doesn't want to go all out to celebrate this Christmas because he thinks that they have more important things to focus on (I.E, finding that damn cure). Everybody else has gone out of town to celebrate. Elena has settled for no Christmas times this year because she knows she has an eternity of them ahead of her, but Damon won't accept her spending her first Christmas as a vamp alone and unhappy. He takes her to somewhere which shows her genuine beauty and makes her smile for the best Christmas ever!Smut or NO smut - me happy! Just lots of happiness and Christmas cheer!
Rating M because yet again Damon couldn't keep it in his pants. )
"What do you mean you're not celebrating Christmas this year?" Elena asked aghast. Even she was celebrating and she had just had her humanity taken from her. Out of everyone she knew, she thought it would have been herself not wanting to celebrate.
"Look, I just think we have more important things to worry about right now. This year Christmas will have to wait." Stefan argued.
"What are you working on that is so top secret and so important?" Elena asked him.
"I can't tell you." He stated quickly.
"Stefan, all this secret keeping is getting tiring." Elena sighed.
"I know. But I can't tell you. Just trust me." He insisted.
"Trust you? No thanks. I tried that already." Elena hissed before walking out of the house into the snow that had fallen the night before. It was rare that they ever had snow, but here they were having a legitimate white Christmas.
She drove over to Caroline's and walked into the front door without knocking. It was helpful that Caroline had asked her mother to invite Elena in pretty much right after her transition.
"What are you doing here Elena?" Caroline asked curiously when she heard her walk in.
"What are your plans for Christmas?" Elena asked hopefully. She didn't particularly want to spend it alone. She didn't want a lame Christmas.
"Actually Tyler is taking me to a little chateau he found. It's so romantic. We figure that's a good place to work on the romance a little bit." Caroline said sheepishly.
"Oh. You're leaving town." Elena muttered deflated.
"I'm sorry Lena. At least you have Stefan right?" Caroline said trying to cheer her friend up.
"No, he's not celebrating at all this year. He's on some obscure mission that he won't tell me about. I'm getting pissed at all the secrets that he's keeping from me. At least I can trust that Damon would never lie." Elena stated annoyed.
"Stefan's a good guy Elena. Remember the choice you made." She reminded her.
"The choice doesn't matter anymore. Don't you remember I broke up with Stefan a couple weeks ago?" Elena asked.
"Then why are you worried that you're not spending Christmas with him?" Caroline asked confused.
"I wanted to spend Christmas with him because I know Damon is doing something else. It's not like we're together in any way so it doesn't matter if we see each other. Stefan and I may have broken up but we can still be friends. I just thought that he would have wanted to spend it with me." Elena sighed.
"I'm sure he would have. Ever think that whatever he's trying to do is important? It's Stefan." Caroline argued.
"It doesn't matter. It looks like I'm spending Christmas alone. You're leaving town, Stefan is doing whatever Stefan does, Jeremy is going away, I think he said something about Denver, Bonnie is spending it with her dad, Damon is drinking and missing Ric." Elena sighed.
"You can always go drink and miss Ric with Damon." Caroline suggested.
"No. I don't want to drink away my Christmas. I'll be fine. Also, I have a feeling Damon would want to be alone." Elena said before picking up her purse and walking to the door.
"I really am sorry Lena." Caroline called after her.
"I know. It's okay Care. I'll be fine. I have an eternity of Christmas's ahead of me. This is just one in the grand scheme of things." She said shrugging her shoulders.
"If you're sure." Caroline said uncertainly.
"I'm sure. I'll see you later." Elena said before walking out the front door.
She sighed audibly when she got into her car and drove home. When she got there she saw Jeremy packing putting a small duffel bag in the back of his car.
"You're leaving now." She clarified.
"Yeah. I wanted to get a head start." He said.
"Aren't you flying?" She asked confused.
"Yeah. But there is snow on the ground, I don't know how the roads are. I want to get to the airport early so I'm not late." He told her.
"Okay. I'll drive you if you want. Then I'll pick you up when you get back. That way you don't have to leave your car at the airport unattended for a few days." She offered.
"That would be great Lena. Thanks." Jeremy said smiling.
"No problem. Now hop in." She said smiling at her younger brother. He slid into the passenger seat of his sister's car and together they hit the road, heading to the airport in Richmond. They made the drive talking about past Christmas memories. Christmas's with their parents; the good times.
"So what are you doing this Christmas?" Jeremy asked his sister realizing that he had no idea.
"Nothing. I'm sitting at home and drinking eggnog alone I guess." She sighed though she didn't want to worry Jeremy.
"Elena, that's not how you usually spend Christmas." Jeremy worried.
"I know. But the way I see it, I have an eternity of them. Spending this one like this isn't going to be so bad. But next year I'm kidnapping you and you're not leaving. I'm not spending two Christmas's alone." She warned him with a smile on her face.
"Are you sure? I can cancel this trip if you really don't want to be alone." He offered.
"No. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. I promise." She told him.
"If you're sure." He said still worried about his sister.
When they got to the airport, Elena hugged her brother and he left. She got back into the car and made the trip back to Mystic Falls in silence. It was Christmas Eve and she was spending it alone. She tried hard not to think about how pathetic that was. When she got back home we walked inside and turned the TV on, pouring herself a large glass of eggnog sans alcohol. She didn't want to spend her Christmas Eve like Damon was planning to.
Elena watched Christmas movies on TV all day until she saw that it was getting dark out. "It's almost over." She sighed to herself and went back to watching "It's a Wonderful Life." She watched the movie for a while longer when she heard a easily recognizable car pull up in front of her car. Had she still been human she still would have been able to identify that car.
"Knock knock." Damon said walking in the front door without actually knocking.
"Hey." She greeted him when he walked in.
"So... what's up?" He asked glancing around him at the empty blood bags and cartons of eggnog.
"I'm watching Christmas movies." She told him.
"Alone?" He asked raising his eyebrows.
"Yep. Everyone is busy." She said shrugging her shoulders.
"You're spending your first Christmas as a member of the undead alone?" He asked disbelieving.
"Yeah. It's not a big deal. I'm fine. I've got countless more holidays ahead of me." She said trying to convince him. It was hard when she could barely convince herself.
"Elena, admit it you're miserable." Damon commanded.
"I'm not miserable. I'm fine. It's been a very relaxing day." She sighed.
"Elena just admit it. I know you better than that. You're just being a martyr again." He sighed.
"Fine, it's not the best situation. Spending the holiday alone sucks. Is that what you wanted to hear?" She asked.
"Why don't you come out with me." He offered holding out his hand.
"I'm not dressed for that." She said gesturing to her reindeer imprinted flannel pyjama pants.
"Well then go get dressed. You're a miserable vamp on Christmas Eve. That is not a healthy combination. We are going to cheer you up. Go." He urged her.
"Fine, since apparently you're not going to take no for an answer. I'll be right back." She said getting up and stalking up the stairs. She hated that he could see her unhappiness so clear on her face. How did he have that ability? Everyone else had been appeased by her, but evidently Damon wasn't. She changed into a pair of dark wash jeans and a deep red sweater not sure where he was taking her, as she slipped her feet into a pair of black heeled boots. She ran a brush through her hair and pulled it into a high ponytail and quickly applied some makeup. She figured that she should at least look human if she was going out in public. When she was ready she walked back downstairs to where Damon was waiting.
"Do you need to feed?" He asked quickly, not wanting her to be uncomfortable.
"No believe when I say I've never been so full. I fed out of boredom all day today. I probably have enough blood in me to keep me satisfied for a week. "She admitted.
"Okay. Let's go." He said holding out his hand for her to take. She willingly interlocked their hands and followed him out to his car.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked as they drove. He still hadn't told her where he was taking her.
"I won't let you spend your first Christmas as a vampire alone. You may have eons of them ahead of you but this one is important." He told her.
"But why?" She asked.
"No one should spend Christmas alone. Everyone else you know left you alone." He told her shrugging as they drove through the snow.
"Where are you taking me?" She asked knowing she wasn't going to get anymore explanations from him.
"Somewhere that I think you'll like." He shrugged again.
"Can you give me a hint?" She almost begged.
"No." He told her smiling. She already seemed happier than she did when she was at home. He was glad for that.
"Is there food involved? Are you taking me for a Christmas supper?" She asked her eyes glinting.
"You want a Christmas supper?" He asked.
"I kinda do. I'm hungry for turkey and stuffing." She admitted.
"Alright. I know just the place." He told her smiling as he continued down the same path he had been going on.
They ended up in a small town just outside Mystic Falls, and he drove until he got to the town square.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"This is where we're eating dinner." He said of the large tents filled with people and food.
"We're eating dinner outside?" She asked raising her eyebrows.
"The cold doesn't bother me too much. How about you?" He asked.
"I'm fine. This just doesn't seem to be your style Damon." She pointed out.
"It's not. But I am going to show you a good time tonight." He promised her as he pulled out a couple bills and handed them to the person sitting at a makeshift cash desk taking money.
"Thank you. Enjoy your meal." She said to them.
"Thank you." Elena said as she took his hand and pulled him into the tents. They got into line and Elena piled a bit of everything onto her plate.
"You're going to eat all of that?" He asked pointing at her heaping plate.
"Mmhmm. I don't need to worry about my figure anymore." She told him as they went and found a small table to sit at.
"That's true." He gave in.
"So why did you choose here?" She asked.
"I didn't want to take you to the Grill. I wanted to show you something different." He admitted.
"So what else is on this evenings agenda?" She asked curiously.
"I can't tell you that. Top secret." He told her seriously.
"Come on" She insisted. "Look at that." She said momentarily distracted.
"It's snowing." He noted.
"It's beautiful." She sighed happily. They ate in relative silence, neither having much to say. He watched with rapt fascination as she cleared her plate completely.
"Can you walk?" He asked considering the massive amount of food she ingested.
"I'm fine. Now come. I want to see whatever you're planning." She said taking his hand and pulling him away.
"You're awfully eager aren't you?" He noted as they walked back into the falling snow.
"You pulled me away from my movie, so I think I have the right." She argued as she fell into step beside him rather than pulling him.
"We're almost there." He said as they walked.
"It's in this little town too?" She asked.
"Yep." He agreed. They walked until they came to a small park. Elena saw all the lights emanating from the park and all the people walking in.
"It looks beautiful." She sighed.
"It's called the Festival of Lights. I found it when I was driving aimlessly the other night. I thought you would enjoy it." He told her.
"Let's go." She breathed as she started pulling him again.
The lights were set up in a path. You followed the path and looked at all the lights that were there. If you went about it in order they told a story. They began walking around the park at human speed, stopping and looking at all the displays. There were families, couples and even a few singles walking through. Elena slipped her gloved hand back into Damon's and leaned into his side a little more.
"Are you cold?" He asked concerned.
"No. I just find myself liking you a whole lot more than usual tonight." She admitted.
"Ah that's always good." He said as they continued walking.
"Damon?" She asked when they were nearing the end of the displays.
"Yeah?" He answered.
"Why are you doing this? If it was really because you just didn't want me to spend Christmas alone, you would have taken me to the Grill to drink with you. Why are you easily making this the best Christmas I can remember having?" She asked.
"You know why Elena." He sighed not wanting to ruin their evening by talking about his love for her.
"Just tell me. Please Damon?" She begged stopping their walking and turning to face him. She looked up at him as the snow fell around them. It was a beautiful sight to behold.
"You already know Elena." He whispered.
"Please. I won't push you away." She promised.
"I wouldn't have done this for anyone else. Only you. If it were anyone else I was trying to cheer up I would have taken them to the Grill and compelled drinks for them. But since it's you, well you deserve so much more. You already know how much I love you." He sighed. She wasn't sure what to say to that. It had been a long time since he had actually uttered those words to her; since she openly chose Stefan which she knew was a mistake now. Not able to help herself she reached up onto her tip toes and softly kissed him. He pulled back almost instantly, shocked.
"Elena, what was that?" He asked.
"I love you." She whispered.
"You can't just say those words to me. Not now. I would have accepted them freely before but then you chose Stefan. After everything he did to you, and everything we meant to each other while he was gone. You still chose him." He told her pulling away.
"Damon I made a mistake. I know that now." She confessed trying to keep him from shutting down.
"How do you know you make a mistake? I rescued you again today, but tomorrow it will go back to being "it will always be Stefan."" He argued.
"We broke up! You know that." She almost shouted.
"I know that. But it doesn't mean anything. You guys fight and get back together all the time. It never changes." He shouted, the frustration evident.
"It's not anymore Damon. You know that we broke up because my feelings for you were too intense. I love you Damon. I'm not lying. I'm not going to take it back. Not now, not ever. I'm not in love with Stefan anymore. You have to believe me." She almost begged, the fire leaving her as quickly as it came.
"It has never been me." He sighed, trying hard to believe what she had to say to him.
"It's been you for a long time now, I was just too stubborn to admit it. Stefan was oddly enough the safe choice. I knew him and I knew how our relationship was. You were the unknown to me. I was afraid." She tried to explain.
"And now?" He asked.
"I'm not afraid anymore." She breathed before she took a tentative step towards him and twined her arms around his neck. When he sighed this time it sounded like a sigh of surrender as he lowered his head to hers so he could kiss her. She sighed into the kiss giving him the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. She immediately gave herself over to the sensations of kissing Damon Salvatore.
"Excuse me. Could you please not do that here?" An elderly man asked.
"Oh I'm sorry." Elena said embarrassed.
"Let's get out of here." Damon said after gently kissing her once more. She nodded her head and took his hand once again as they finished looking at all the displays before leaving the park.
They drove back to Mystic Falls with Elena's head resting on Damon's shoulder and her hand laced tightly with his. He drove in a laid back manner, with one hand on the steering wheel the other holding Elena. When they parked in front of the Boarding House, he took her hand and led her inside.
"So um... should we go upstairs?" She asked knowing what she wanted but nervous to actually get it.
"Only if you want. We don't need to rush it if you don't want to." He assured her.
"I want to. I'm just scared. Being with you is going to be so much different than Stefan I think." She tried to convey.
"It's going to be perfect. You don't need to worry about that." He comforted.
"I'm just worried that I've only been with two different guys. I'm a lot less experienced than you are." She said wringing her fingers together. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
"Don't worry about that. It'll be perfect. If you don't want to, we can go sit down in the TV room and watch Christmas movies. It doesn't matter what we do." He told her, cupping her cheek in his hand. She nuzzled into his hand and took a deep breath.
"I want you to take me upstairs." She said her voice stronger than before.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes.. Now stop asking me that. Just take me upstairs. I know what I want." She ordered.
"Yes Ma'am." He grinned.
He took her hand again and they slowly walked upstairs. They were both happy that Stefan's mission had him out of the house for the evening. Once they were in his room he shut the door behind them and walked over to Elena who had moved to stand by the bed.
"I'm not going to ask you again." He assured her.
"Good, because I'm not going to change my mind." She told him firmly.
"Good." He whispered before closing the small distance between their lips. He cupped her face in his hands as he positioned her the way he wanted so he could devour her. Her hands rested on his side holding him close to her as she let him take complete control of the kiss. He grabbed the hem of her scarlet sweater and broke the kiss long enough to pull it over her head. Her black bra showcased her breasts perfectly. Her chest heaved; she was beautiful. She started on the buttons of his shirt too needing him to start losing his clothes as well. Once the shirt was unbuttoned she ran her hands up his stomach and over his shoulders, pushing the shirt to the floor. He kicked it out of the way and went back to kissing her.
She twined her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist pulling her flush against him. She groaned at the evidence of his arousal pressing into her.
"I need you." She sighed and started working her way into his jeans.
"You can have whatever you want." He told her.
"I need this." She breathed when she wrapped her hand around him intimately. He hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her over to the bed. He let them both drop onto the bed bracing his weight on his arms so he didn't crush her. Elena used her feet to push his jeans down until they were low enough for him to kick off.
"Your turn." He murmured as he rose off her to divest her of her jeans and panties. She lifted her hips to aid him in removing her remaining clothing. When they were gone he settled back over her and laced the fingers on one hand together while he braced his weight on the other.
"Please..." She begged as she ground into his bare length.
"Please what?" He asked, wanting her to say it out loud. He didn't want any confusion later on, even though he knew she had made it fairly clear what she wanted.
"I need you inside me. Please." She whined in desperation.
"Okay. Okay." He acquiesced as he positioned his length at her core. Feeling her wetness on his cock, he pushed forward, fully embedded inside her. She moaned, feeling complete for the first time. Damon completed her, they were like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly. She squeezed his hand signalling that she wanted him to start moving. He obliged her and started slowly thrusting in and out. His thrusts went deep and she raised her hips to meet each of his. The only sounds in the room were the wet sounds of their bodies coming together and the sounds of the moans and sighs of pleasure. He pressed kisses from her neck, up her jaw and to her lips where she immediately opened her mouth for him. He darted his tongue into her mouth and kissed her deeply. Sucking on her tongue, and licking everywhere he could reach. He kissed with such expertise. She dug her nails into his shoulders when he hit a particularly sensitive spot inside her.
"Damon..." She sighed feeling her orgasm creeping up.
"I'll take care of you." He promised her as he kept up his rhythm. He could feel the release gathering and gaining intensity. He was going to come and he was going to come hard. He reached between their bodies and rubbed her clit with his thumb in small circular motions, needing to get her off before he came.
"Damon..." She pleaded nearly delirious with pleasure.
"Don't worry." He assured her. He kept up his rhythm and the rubbing of her clit causing her to come with a keening cry of his name. She pressed her eyes shut tight as the spasms overtook her body. He allowed his release to take him over and under as he spilled inside her in several spurts. When he regained control of his body he pulled out and rolled off taking her with him. He pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms tight around her.
"Thank you for tonight." She whispered as she stroked her hand down his forearm.
"You're welcome." He whispered back.
"Not just for taking me out, but for also making me realize that I should have chosen you long ago." She breathed before turning in his arms so she was facing him.
"All the waiting was worth it in the end, all the wanting was worth it in the end." He assured her.
"You shouldn't have had to wait this long. You shouldn't have had to wait for a beautiful display of Christmas lights to make me realize who I can't live without." She argued softly.
"It happened though. I love you Elena, and finally you feel the same way." He sighed.
"I love you too. Thank you for making this the best Christmas I've ever had." She thanked him leaning in slightly to kiss him softly.