FULL PROMPT: It's up to Elena to choose the perfect tree for this year's Gilbert family Christmas, so she heads to the best place in Mystic Falls-the Salvatores' tree farm. She's prepared to hunt down the tree and cut it herself, but she soon discovers it's a bigger job than she'd planned on. Enter Damon, who she secretly has a thing for but has never been brave enough to act on it. As he helps her wrangle a tree, will she finally muster up the courage to reveal her feelings there in the middle of the woods?

Bonus points for snow, hot cocoa, a surprise kiss, and a healthy dose of DE fluff. :)

"Jeremy, your job is to get the outside decorations put up. I want lights on each of the pine trees surrounding the front door as well as lights all along the front of our gated entrance," Miranda Gilbert directs, looking down her nose from above her eyeglasses at her son. "Ric and Jenna, I would like you two to help him. Our property is huge and it's a big job. And yes, I want something along the lines of "Christmas Vacation," she adds in a rare moment of levity. Turning to Elena, she quirks her brows to find her daughter not paying attention, instead her hands are busy dancing, likely texting one of her friends.

"Elena," she says, tightening her grip on her pencil. When her daughter still doesn't look up, Jeremy chuckles and elbows his sister in the ribs, pointing to their mother when an indignant look plasters itself on her face.

"Sorry, mom. What is it that you want?"

"I want you to put the phone away. This is important family business. I want to win the award for the most beautifully decorated property in Mystic Falls this year."

"You win that every year. What's the big deal?"

"We didn't win it last year because you forgot to bring home the holiday topiary arrangements that I had ordered," Miranda adds, glowering at her daughter.

"You're never going to let me forget that are you?" Elena sputters, rolling her eyes. "Fine, what is it that you want me to do this year?"

"Your job, Elena dear, is to get the Christmas tree. I talked to Giuseppe the other day. He says that they have a few nice tall ones. I want one that's at least twenty feet high for the grand entryway."

"Twenty feet!?"

"Yes, Elena..., twenty feet."

"How do you expect me to get a twenty foot tree home in the back of my VW?"

"I guess you'll have to rent a truck or something. Moving on, Grayson, your job is to wind garland along the staircases and put up the nativity set."

"Fine dear," he agrees, barely looking up from his newspaper.

Clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention, Miranda continues, "Alright, everyone has their assignments. Let's get to it." After giving Elena a pointed look, she turns on her heels and leaves the dining room. Sighing heavily, Elena gets up and goes to her room. Pulling her phone out of her back pocket again, she calls her friend Caroline.

"I'm expected to go to the Salvatore tree farm. You have to come with me, Caroline, I mean.. he'll be there."

"I can't Elena. I have things of my own to do. You probably won't even see him."

"Yeah but what if I do? I mean, he's gorgeous and ripped and perfect."

"And you're kind and beautiful and everyone loves you."

"He doesn't even know I exist, Caroline."

"Don't be so insecure. You're amazing Elena and if he can't see that, it's his loss. Now put your big girl pants on and get out there. The sooner you go, the sooner it'll be done.

"Please come with me?"

"I literally am not in Mystic Falls. I'm with my dad. I'm not going to be home till the day after tomorrow."

"Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick," Elena mumbles, rushing to the bathroom to hug the toilet bowl. Although it was only dry heaves, Elena still takes the time to wash her face and brush her teeth. After touching up her makeup and hair, she carefully puts her slouchy stocking cap on. Grabbing her leather jacket, she hurries down the stairs, slipping her arms through the sleeves as she goes. Having no qualms about actually picking out the tree, it's running into him that has her on edge. As soon as she's in her car, she drives over to her childhood friend Matt's garage to see if she can borrow his truck. After pulling to a stop, she shifts the gears, gets out of her car and walks into the building.

"Elena, hi."

"Hi Matt. I have a big favor to ask."

"What's that?"

"My job this year is to find the perfect Christmas tree. My mom is demanding one at least twenty feet high. And as you can imagine, there's no way in hell that I'll get it home in my car. Can I borrow your truck?"

"Elena, I don't think my truck will get your tree home either? Where are you going to find this tree might I ask?"

"Apparently she's been talking to Giuseppe Salvatore so.."

"The Salvatore tree farm. They have some flatbeds to transport the trees. I believe they deliver for a nominal fee. Since your home is within a few miles of their property, I'm sure they'd deliver it."

"Well that's one problem solved. Now, what kind of a saw do you suggest that I cut it down with?"

Smiling, he shakes his head and walks over to the shelves that are lining the walls of his garage. Pulling out the small step ladder, he climbs up and reaches for something on the top shelf. "Here you are," he mumbles to himself. Once he has it in hand, he climbs back down the ladder and walks over to Elena. "This is a bow saw. Just be careful okay? I don't want to have to visit your broken body in the hospital if it falls on you."

"I promise. Thank you so much, Matt," she squeals, a huge smile on her face. After plopping a kiss on his cheek, she skedaddles. Jumping back into her car, she drives to the highway and makes the turn towards the Salvatore Farm. They're famous around these parts, having every kind of tree known to man practically. They have groves and groves of pine trees and groves of apple trees. Mrs. Salvatore makes wine with the apples and the fruits that they grow. The three Salvatore children all work on the property with their parents. Katherine is the oldest, she's married to Nick Mikaelson. Stefan is the youngest and was in Elena's graduating class. He's engaged to Nick's sister Rebekah who's also a good friend to Elena.

And lastly there's the middle child, Damon. He's cocky and smart. He's also the target of every single woman in a five state radius. The man is gorgeous with his jet black hair and his handsomely sculpted body. There's an air of mystery about him too because he isn't often seen in town nor in the company of the women that drool all over themselves when he does make an appearance at one of the many town events. Stefan even told her that he has a pet Raven, Annabelle he calls her after the Edgar Allan Poe poem, Annabelle Lee. According to Stefan, Damon even trained it to talk.

Curious, she did a little research herself about the birds. Corvids are a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs, and nutcrackers. When it comes to intelligence, Ravens rate up there with chimpanzees and dolphins.

When she sees the road sign advertising the tree farm, she moves into the right lane so she can exit off of the highway. Taking a deep breath, she puts on her blinker, presses lightly on the brake and turns off of the highway, onto the road that leads to the Salvatore farms. When she reaches the gates of their property, she turns in and when she reaches the tree lot, she parks her car. Because it takes some effort to chop down a tree, there are precut trees available to buy also. None of them are of the twenty foot level as far as Elena can tell. Walking into the lot, she heads over towards the office where the customers go to pay for their purchases. Stepping inside, Elena blows on her hands cause it's a chilly day. Looking up at the sky, she sees that it's a brownish color. Knowing that it's likely to snow at some point, she wants to get her tree, make arrangements to have it delivered and get home to her nice warm pajamas and a cup of hot cocoa.

Looking around the corner, she steps in the building when she sees Mr. Salvatore beckoning for her to come closer. "Hello, Elena. How are you?" he asks. Standing up, he goes to pour himself a cup of coffee. Happening to glance out of the window, he notices Damon carrying a tree for another female customer. With a subtle nod of his head, he smiles and then turns his attention back to Elena. "Would you like a cup? It's a bit nippy outside."

"Hi Mr. Salvatore. It's nice to see you again. And no thank you, I'm not a big coffee drinker."

"You get prettier every time I see you. Now how can I help you today?" he asks, sitting back down. Glancing outside again, he sees Damon mulling around not doing anything really.

"Thank you," she tells him, her face heating up with a red hue. "My mother put me on Christmas tree duty. I need one that's a minimum of twenty feet."

"Then you'll need to go out into the forest. Just follow the trail, I'll send Damon to help you."

"That won't be necessary," she protests, shaking her head back and forth.

"Elena, you're just a tiny little thing. What do you think your mother would do to me if something happened to you? I know it's fun to fell a tree, Elena but if you want one that big, it can be dangerous if you're a novice. That's a big reason why my grandfather started this business. When he was just a young boy, he would chop them down and sell them to earn money to buy Christmas gifts and that sort of thing. With my great grandfather's help, he made his dream come true. It was my father who built it into what it is today. Now why don't you head out and pick the one you want and I'll round up Damon and send him after you."

"I hate to disturb whatever he's busy with."

"You won't be disturbing anything but you should get busy. My arthritis is telling me that the weather is going to change."

"Yeah, the sky does look a little threatening," she agrees, turning towards the window for a moment. With a smile on her face, she turns back to her host. "Alright, I'll go. Thank you, Mr. Salvatore."

"You're very welcome," he adds, watching her retreat through the door. Smirking to himself, he picks up his jacket and walks outside. Giuseppe knows that Damon has been sweet on Elena since the first time he laid eyes on her. And he hasn't forgotten that Miranda herself told him that Elena has a soft spot for his middle child. Although his son is so like him, he keeps his feelings tight to the vest. Approaching the young man, Giuseppe says, "Damon, Elena Gilbert is headed towards the forest to get her mother a twenty foot tree. I told her that you'd help. You don't mind do you?"

"Dad, come on. I may or may not have plans with a someone. I was hoping you'd let me leave a little early today and besides Stefan is around, can't he help her?"

"Stefan is leaving in a little while to meet Rebekah. And If my arthritis wasn't bothering me today, I'd help her myself. So please, Damon, do as I ask?"

"Fine. I'll help her with her tree. I need to run into the house first to feed Annabelle. Is there anything else?"

"It'll take a little time to down one of those huge trees. I'll send Brady out there with the winch as soon he gets back to help you load it onto the truck."

"Fine," Damon says, blowing out a puff of air. With the chill settling in, he can see his breath. Hurrying into the house, he slips into his heavier boots and wraps a scarf around his neck. Then he stops at Annabelle's cage to give her some corn kernels, gently pets the bird's head and leaves his room. Once he gets outside, he goes into the garage to pick up one of their gas chain saws and starts walking into the woods, his mind imagining how gorgeous Elena will look with her cheeks colored red from the chill in the air.

Happy that she put her boots on, Elena trudges through the forest, the trees so dense, it's hard to see the sky sometimes. One could easily get lost in here, she thinks to herself as she continues her mission. When she finds what looks like the perfect tree, she starts to circle it, her eyes darting from top to bottom. Swallowing thickly, she wonders how on earth she's going to be able to cut the massive tree down with the little saw that Matt gave her. Dropping her chin to her chest for a moment in frustration, she sets the saw down then starts to walk around it again, trying to figure out where to place the saw and get started. Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out her gloves and slips them on. Still she knows she'll have blisters by the time she's done. Sucking in a deep breath, she squares her shoulder, "You can do this, Elena," she says out loud to no one. Just as she places the blade against the bark, she hears a rustling noise. Looking up, she gasps when she sees Damon approaching her.

"Damon?"

"My dad sent me to help you."

"I guess he did mention that. I told him that I could do this myself."

"Oh please," he laughs, shaking his head, strutting towards her like he's God's gift to all womankind.

"No, you can just march right back to where you came from," she snaps, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look Elena, even if you could down it yourself, how is a little bitty girl like you going to get it onto the truck?"

Tightening her lips together, her eyes drift from Damon to the tree and upwards to where it crowns above the surrounding ones. "Fine, have it your way." With a quirk of her brows, she steps back and out of the way, using her arm to gesture for him to get to it.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Damon gives her a wink then fires up the chainsaw. The roar of the blade is deafening. He cuts down at an angle and when he finishes the one side, he walks around to the other side of the tree, doing the same. When he finishes, he tells her to stand back then gives it a shove and the tree comes crashing down, falling perfectly in a gap between the other trees.

"Well I'm impressed," Elena offers, glancing between her bow saw and his chain saw.

"Thank you, Miss Gilbert. Those little saws are fine for the smaller trees but with the thick trunks of these big ones, you need some power," he adds, with a twinkle before looking down at the saw. "My dad is sending Brady and some of the guys to help get the tree onto the flatbed. Um, if you want, you can go home and I'll bring the tree over.

"Oh no, I'm not leaving without this tree. You don't know my mother at Christmas time. Last year I forgot to pick up a special order she made at the florist shop and I have yet to hear the end of it. Truly, my mild mannered and loving mother becomes a crazed Clark Griswold this time of year," Elena tells him, the seriousness in her voice causes him to break out in raucous laughter.

"Don't laugh, it's the truth, I swear."

"It's hard to imagine Miranda Gilbert as crazed but I'll take your word for it. Just think, Elena, in a few years, that will be you... I mean you are her daughter after all," he quips, playfully quirking his brows. Although she knows he's just teasing, it does nothing to calm her already frayed nerves. Maybe she should just go and let him deliver the tree later.

Although he tries to play it cool and deprecating with her, it's usually about this time when his nerves go into overdrive and his stuttering problem reveals itself. Surprisingly enough, he feels somewhat at ease with her and although his heart is beating a little faster, his speech is fine... for now anyway.

Anxious and on edge at being so close to him, she wants nothing more than to get the hell out of here. Even though all the girls swoon and drool and practically drop their panties when he passes on the sidewalk or attends an event with his family, she hasn't actually seen him in the company of many of them. Perhaps he just hasn't met anyone that he's really interested in, Elena thinks to herself.

With her nerves firing in all directions, she forces a smile when she sees his shit eating grin. Rolling her eyes, she glances at her watch aghast to realize that they've been waiting for the other guys for almost forty minutes already. Needing nothing more than to get out of here, she looks up at the sky. It's getting darker, the air more crisp and she almost thinks it looks like a little fog is beginning to settle in. Her cheeks are already red from the cold. Feeling the chill more acutely, she starts rubbing her hands together.

"You're cold. Here, take my scarf," he offers. Unwrapping it from his neck, he stands up and drapes it over her shoulders.

"Thank you. Um, what's taking your friends so long?"

"I honestly don't know, Elena. I would've thought he'd have been here by now too," Damon admits, feeling the first flakes of snow melt on his face.

"Come on, let's walk back. If nothing else, Brady and I can bring the tree to your place tomorrow."

Although it pains her to say it, she asks, "Can we wait just a little while longer? I mean, I'd hate to face my mother empty handed,"

"Does that mean that you're enjoying my company, Miss Gilbert?" he asks, the shit eating smirk back on his face.

With her gut churning, she can feel her cheeks bloom even more red. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her, she looks up at the sky, watching as the snowflakes flitter down softly. Although every urge inside of her is telling her to run, she somehow tampers it down. Even though her fingers are cold, she pulls a glove off and holds out her hand, mesmerized by the way the snowflakes melt as soon as they touch her warm skin. Having nothing better to do, she offers, "It pretty out here though isn't it? I love the smell of the pine trees and the fresh air. It must be nice living with the woods for your backyard?"

"It re re really is," he adds, stuttering slightly. With the help of a wonderful speech therapist, Damon was able to overcome his impediment, it's only when he gets nervous or jumpy that it rears it's ugly head. It's just easier for him to smile and flirt rather than chat when he's around the opposite sex. It's just his family who knows how hard it was for him to triumph over the demon as it were. Even though he's lived in Mystic Falls nearly his whole life, his mother homeschooled him after his kindergarten classmates teased him unmercifully. Because of that most people don't know and she especially doesn't' know about his speech problem.

Not thinking anything of it, Elena stands up to stretch her legs. "I'm going to look around a little bit, I mean, I'll certainly hear your friends when they come right? The road isn't that far from here and trucks are noisy."

"Sure, I'll go with you. Can't have you getting lost, then Miranda will never get her tree. You'd really be in the doghouse then" he chortles, his gorgeous blue eyes twinkling. Getting up himself, he rubs his hands together and then gestures for Elena to lead the way. Feeling the chaos erupting in her belly, she nods but doesn't say much as they wander further into the woods. When they come upon a tree house, Elena's eyes light up, a big beaming smile forming on her face, forgetting for a moment who she's with.

"Is this yours?"

"Yeah, dad built for us when we were little. It's kind of fallen into disrepair though. See," he starts to say, pointing upwards, "The shingles on the roof are loose and the stairs are kind of rickety too. When it gets warm again, I'm going to try to do some work on it. Katherine is expecting and it might be fun to spend time here with my niece or nephew when they're old enough."

"That's exciting."

"Yeah it is. It's due in the spring," Damon adds, looking at her for a moment before dropping his eyes and using his boot to kick the dirt around a little bit. The wind picks up, it's mournful sound gusting through the thick growth of trees. Feeling the shiver into her bones, Elena snuggles her arms around her body. "I maybe will head home. The temperature is definitely dropping and the snow is picking up too."

"I guess you weren't cut out to be a lumberjack after all," Damon adds, playfully quirking his brows in a manner that is reminiscent of John Belushi in "Animal House." Although she'd love to smack that look right off of his face, she cups her hands and brings them to her mouth. When Caroline's face pops into her head, all she can think about is flinging more than a few colorful metaphors in her direction. Why on earth did she let her best friend talk her into coming out here all by herself?

"You're suspiciously quiet?" Damon mentions, their eyes meeting from across the clearing.

"I'm.. .. just going to head back. I'm cold and my fingers are getting numb."

"Little Elena Gilbert, the human popsicle."

Having had enough of his teasing, she glares at him, stiffens her shoulders and starts to walk away. When she reaches the edge of the clearing and just as she's about to step into the dense forest she hears her name.

"E... E.. Elena?"

The passionate tone of his voice stops her in her tracks. Immediately her heart begins to stammer so intensely that it feels like a herd of wild horses is galloping against her chest wall. Shaking her head back and forth, a determined look crosses her face and before she can talk herself out of it, she launches herself at him, joining their lips in a kiss so intense it sears her insides. When the need for air trumps everything else, they break apart, their chests heaving in tandem with each other. In shock and with his nerves firing on all cylinders, Damon can't seem to get a word out. And when he does, he stutters, Wh wh what was th that?"

Misinterpreting his reaction, feelings of rejection begin to envelope her. And before he can see her tears, she turns on her heels and runs deeper into the trees. Not knowing what he did wrong and fearing for her safely, he breaks into a run himself, following right behind. Knowing these woods like the back of his hand, it doesn't take him long to catch up to her.

Taking her hands in his, he asks, "Wh wh why di did you ru ru run away?" Even though his secret now on full display, he doesn't care. Somehow he knows that she won't ridicule or make fun. It's not who she is.

"Why did I run away?... I like you, Damon. I have for a long time but when I saw the look on your face," she whispers, letting her own secret spill from her lips.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he feels his heart slamming inside of his throat. He takes a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure then opens them, his blue eyes meeting her brown ones.

"I.. I.. di di didn't mean it like that. I.. I stutter, Elena."

When a look of understanding rather than pity crosses her face, he relaxes immediately and when he does, his speech normalizes. "Some people are mean and make fun of me and others like me that have the same problem. I promise I wasn't rejecting you. I like you too, I just didn't know how to tell you or approach you."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," he starts to say and before another sound leaves his lips, she cradles his cheeks and pulls their mouths together with a kiss so intense it would melt the polar icecaps. As their lips mold and slide together, he wraps her in his arms, pulling her flush against him. Feeling her tongue tease the seam of his lips, he opens up, letting her thrust it inside. With his hand, he snakes it under both her coat and her flannel shirt, his fingertips pressing into her soft skin.

Feeling a wad of snow slam against the back of his head, Damon breaks the kiss. "What the he...?" Turning around, he sees his brother smiling wryly.

"Stefan?"

"Brady, Nick and a couple of the other guys used the winch to get the tree loaded on the flat bed. It's already on the way to your house, Elena. So I'll just let you two alone now," he adds, raising an eyebrow teasingly. "Oh and before I go, dad sent this along. He thought you might like something hot to drink but by the looks of it, you two are generating enough heat on your own." Feeling her face heat up as her cheeks bloom even redder, Elena drops her eyes to the forest floor when Stefan walks towards them. After handing Damon the thermos and he disappears without saying another word. With it in one hand, he offers Elena his other.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes," she adds, looking at him a little curiously.

With her hand in his, he leads her back into the woods, albeit in a different direction. And when they find another clearing, Elena's jaw drops and her eyes widen gleefully when she sees the little Gingerbread playhouse, images of Hansel and Gretel popping into her head. "What is this?"

"It's Katherine's playhouse," he tells her, turning the combination lock till it pops open. "Stefan and me got the tree house and she got this." Pulling open the door, he gestures with a sway of his arm for her to go in first.

"This is amazing, Damon," she gushes, running her hand along the little counter tops and the shuttered windows with cute little candy patterned curtains. The walls are painted a pale pink and the pictures adorning them are artist's drawings of fairytales. The Tortoise and the Hare, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Gingerbread Man and Rapunzel that are all staring back at her. There's a little table and chairs, a doll crib and a even rocking chair. Damon pulls out one of the chairs. Smiling, she sits down. Damon opens one of the little cupboards. When he pulls out a little tea set, she can't help but laugh.

Taking them in hand, he pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and wipes them out. Sitting beside her, he opens up the thermos and then surprises her when he pulls a flask out of his inner jacket pocket. "It's Bailey's," he says, pouring a little into the thermos cup before adding enough hot chocolate to fill it. Without saying anything, he suddenly walks back to tiny kitchen, fist pumping when he finds a couple of straws. Handing her one, they both drop them into the hot chocolate and begin to slurp.

By the time they finish off the last of both the Bailey's and the cocoa, they're both a little tipsy. When the wind starts to gust a little more forcefully, he insists they head back. There is no heat in Katherine's magical little playhouse. Once Elena is bundled up with his scarf covering her face, he pulls one of the edges down to expose her mouth to join their lips in one more torrid kiss, so intense that it pulls the breath from his lungs. When they break apart, Damon lifts the scarf back over her face. Pausing long enough to drop one more peck to her very pink nose, they walk outside into the now blustery snowfall. After he makes sure the padlock is snapped, he wraps his arms around her, holding her as close as he can while still maintaining the ability to walk. Sufficiently sober by the time they reach Elena's car, he hesitantly lets her go so she can unlock it.

With a sad smile, she pulls the door open. But before she can crawl in, he pulls her back, flush against his chest. "Be my date for the Founder's New Year's Eve ball?"

"Yes, yes," she replies, that beaming smile back on her face. "I better go. I have about eighty texts here from my mom. I told you she mind melds with National Lampoon this time of year."

A roar of laughter leaves his own lips and just as she's about to get behind the wheel, he latches onto her wrist. When their eyes meet again, he whispers, "Kiss me." And she does..

A huge thank you to my dear sister, Eva. I love you dearly.

Thank you Kelly for the wonderful prompt.

I already posted the one-shot based on Jaybunzy0's prompt. It's called 'Wind Beneath My Wings'. I also posted "El Paso" for Morvamp for her birthday on Tuesday. I will be updating my other stories. I've just been so involved in writing these one-shots that they got put on the back burner for a bit. Eva and I have an idea for one more that we're working on.

Thank you all so much for supporting my stories.

Please click that little review button. I'd love to hear your thoughts.