Elena was sitting at the edge of her bedroom's window. It was in the middle of the night and Maple Street held no sign of movement. Jeremy was away holidaying with his newest girlfriend in Maine and Aunt Jenna had gone to visit an ill cousin in West Virginia. Elena was left at home alone in the month of December. She was freezing and there was a biting cold wind from outside accompanied by snow in her bedroom. It was much colder than every day, and she knew she was supposed to close the window but she didn't bother. The cold made her numb and she liked it. Stefan had left Mystic Falls angrily after they had an argument. Being away from him made her like this. Aunt Jenna was away with her own troubles when Elena needed to talk to her. There was no point in talking to Bonnie or Caroline, who were too caught up in their own lives. Then her mind went to Matt- her Matt. But he was gone from her life as well but she knew who had to be blamed for it. Before her mind thought out the next name, a black figure appeared in front of her. His face was hidden by the shadow, but Elena could make out the faint shimmer in his eyes. As he moved closer, she felt herself losing breath, "Damon".
Now he stood out really close, "Elena", he replied. She held his gaze for a moment and then looked away.
"You are cold," he said. Elena shook her head. She was cold, yes, but she liked being numb. She couldn't feel anything, but only if the pain would stop…. She didn't even notice what happened the next moment. Her mind took time to register the fact that Damon had scooped her up in his arms and then gently laid her down on the bed. Then he took out the blanket and covered her with it. Now that she was warm and comfortable, she was feeling again. She held his hand and said in a small voice, "Don't leave me." She was mad at herself for sounding so weak. But Damon didn't seem to notice. He popped on her bed the next instant and patted her hair. Now she was absolutely fine. There was no hint of coldness from anywhere.
"Please stay with me", she pleaded and closed her eyes, still not leaving his hand. He drew in closer and hugged her. She forgot her sorrows as she lay still in his arms. A loud noise from the grandfather clock broke the peace between the two. Elena got startled and Damon started laughing. It was exactly 12:00 am on the clock.
"Merry Christmas", he wished her. Now Elena smiled as well. It was Christmas time. It was a time when you were supposed to be in spirits, and not think about your problems. She had been so foolish staying so low. Like magic, an overflow of emotions took over her and she got up. "I've got to show you our Christmas tree!" she said playfully and ran out of the room, beckoning Damon to follow her.
On reaching the living room, she found Damon smiling down at her and the gigantic tree. "I forgot how well I decorated it. I did by myself and didn't even bother to look how it turned out. This was done so robotically…I barely… remem-!" she broke off. She looked at Damon with a sad, little face. He seemed like a mirror. His face showed the exact emotions her face projected. She tried to push grief out of her mind again. She tried to put on a brave face and went over the stereo to play Christmas songs. She inserted the first disc she found and hit 'Play'. The song coming out of it was 'Celebrate Love'. She pretended to enjoy herself and poured some wine in two glasses. When she gave it to Damon to drink, he looked at her unsurely. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She nodded and drank the wine in one gulp.
"Elena?" Damon put the wine glass aside and walked towards her. Elena was already gulping down the second glass of wine in a row. Damon tried to take the glass from her, but she was resisting. The wine was making her sway. She finally gave in and Damon took the glass from her. But she was standing still now. "What?" he shot at her. She was looking at the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling with a dazed expression. She wasn't sure how it happened, but the next moment she was kissing him. They held each other tightly and were kissing hard, like they really meant it. After a long time, they pulled back. Elena was a little out of breath again. Before the next song played automatically, Damon took her hand and they started dancing around the room, eyes locked to each other. Elena knew how to do it. They had done it before, but somehow it made her feel… excited and giddy.
Elena knew at that moment, they could go on dancing till the end of time and still not be tired. She loved it. She loved him. She was where she was supposed to be. It was meant to be, and she accepted it. This was life.