A/N: This story was originally supposed to be a one-shot. But then I had my lovely friend Mollie (Everythingbasedonlove) look it over and she pleaded with me into making this a multi-chapter story. I caved ;) So this one goes out to her.
The Christmas Exchange
Elena eyed the almost mansion-like house in front of her in absolute awe. Surely this was a mistake, she thought as she double checked the address on the piece of paper she held in her hand. 1922 Wickery Road. Nope, this was definitely the right place. She had seen pictures of it, but it seemed so much grander in real life.
The gravel path that led up to the massive door crunched under her feet as she approached what would be her home for the next week. She must have been insane to sign up for this; clearly it had been a whim. But she needed time for herself, time to think, so she had logged onto the computer and had looked up the topic of house exchange. It seemed to be the latest hype; leaving your own place to someone else, while you make their house your own. Elena had deemed it a bit of a scary concept at first. She would be leaving her stuff with a complete stranger. But then again, the stranger would be in the same position as her. Considering the jaw-dropping manor in front of her, she was not the one getting the short end of the stick here.
The idea for this came to her after Elena had caught her boyfriend cheating on her with one of her best friends. She had been sick about it for days, before she decided that her life needed to change. Determined to make it happen, she had searched to swap houses with someone who didn't even remotely live in the vicinity of Los Angeles. She needed a small town with people who had no idea who she was; Elena Gilbert, the washed up child star that no one wanted to hire anymore. She was a closed book in Hollywood, and when her boyfriend had figured out that she wasn't worth what he had thought she was, he ditched her for one of her more famous and richer "friends."
The man she had spoken to online about this house swap would be getting a sore deal if he thought he was going to live big in L.A. But then again; she had been very honest with him about where exactly she lived in the City of Angels. Not Beverly Hills, not Bel Air, not Santa Monica... no, as of a month ago, she lived in a very small apartment in Venice Beach. She could have done worse, but it wasn't exactly a dream come true for her… or her boyfriend, which was why he had left.
Stefan Salvatore seemed to have troubles of his own when he had contacted her via the website where a picture of her apartment had been posted. They had used the website's chat room to discuss details and when exactly they were going to do this. Stefan had seemed almost as eager to leave this place, Mystic Falls, as she had been to leave Los Angeles. Of course, neither of them had talked about why they were in such a hurry to get out of their hometown. But Stefan had said he wanted to take a vacation where he could think about things in a warm environment, preferably with an ocean. Well, Los Angeles was perfect for that.
Of course, she had wanted the exact opposite; no warm environment, no ocean… just a small, meaningless town. And now here she was…
She opened the front door with the key that Stefan had left for her, and went in. The house was even more surreal on the inside, as she entered a hallway so stylish looking, she actually gasped. The living room was spectacular as she spotted a giant mantle piece in the middle of the room, with two massive windows on each side of it. Large, dark coloured couches were placed in front of the fireplace, and there was a huge Christmas tree in the corner of the room, giving the big room a homey feel.
Elena almost squealed. Surely, this Stefan Salvatore was insane for leaving such a wonderful house to a strange woman! She dropped her suitcases on the floor as she caught a glimpse of the latest surround sound system.
"No way!" she yelled out, before walking over towards it and turning some music on.
Pink's 'Get this party started' blared out of the speakers. Elena thought it couldn't have been a more meaningful song; yes, let's indeed get this party started! She jumped up on the couch, shouting out the lyrics with abandon. Oh, she would have so much fun in this house!
A short while later, she traipsed up the stairway to where the bedrooms were. She peaked into one room; it looked nice enough, with a small window that had a view of the gardens outside, a big enough bed in the centre of it, and a large bookcase. It was artfully done, but it didn't really appeal to her, so she glanced at the next room.
She stopped dead in her tracks with how absolutely exquisite this other room was; there was a huge bed, also in the centre of the room. But this bed was far more luxurious than the other one; it was made of oak and looked sturdy enough to handle dozens of children jumping up and down on it. On top of the bed were satin sheets. Elena almost blushed with the realisation that this was the bed of a man who liked to entertain women in it.
Really, was Stefan Salvatore that much of a ladies man? He didn't sound that way when she talked to him, but then again, she didn't really know him.
The bedroom had large, floor to ceiling windows, making it clear to Elena that this was a man who wasn't shy and liked to be in the limelight of things. Hmm, she wasn't sure how she felt about that. There were enough of those men in Hollywood, completely full of themselves. But she really didn't have to meet Stefan Salvatore, so that was okay. She just wanted to live in his house for a week.
The bathroom adjoining the bedroom was an absolute dream to her! There was a huge bath and a shower, so she would get to choose. The shower stall was completely see though, making her wonder yet again if Stefan had an obsession with his own body if he wanted people to spot him with those big windows out there and the barely there shower stall in here. It was a rain-shower, though, so Elena definitely wanted her turn in there!
After her thorough inspection of the house, she decided that she needed to eat. Since her cooking skills were severely lacking, she would go out. Elena and Stefan had agreed to leave the car keys, so they could use each other's cars.
As soon as she saw the blue camaro in the garage, she was in love. And that one wasn't even the only car here. The man must have had a huge infatuation with everything car related. Still, the camaro was her favourite. She tried every car key, until she found the right one. A shiver of delight went through her when she slid into the car, her ass cheeks immediately caressed by leather.
"I am so going to get used to this," Elena sighed.
She started up the car and figured out how to open the garage door, before going into town. And it was a very small town indeed! There was a town square with about 4 streets surrounding it, that was it. But it seemed to hold a good diner, as Elena parked her car in front of a place called the 'Mystic Grill.'
Inside, it was everything she had imagined a small town bar & diner to be; there was a pool table in the corner, some tables and booths where people could eat, and a bar at the very end of the fairly big place. She sat down in one of the booths and ordered a burger with some fries. No need to watch her diet now that she wasn't dating or being hired for commercials or movies that required her to be a size 2. She dug in to her hearts content.
"Excuse me?" a young, blonde man approached her. "I don't think that I've noticed you around here before. Are you new in town?"
Elena gave him a friendly smile. He meant well, but she wasn't here to get picked up by a man. Far from it, actually. "I'm not staying long; just a very short vacation," she explained.
"Ah, you must be staying at the Mystic Falls Inn, then. I do hope you know that that hotel isn't a representation for this town. We are actually quite progressive on occasion," the blonde man tried to joke.
"I like Mystic Falls just fine, sir."
The man was cute, no doubt about it. He was also kind and trying hard for her, which was charming, but that's not what this vacation was for. She needed to be Elena Gilbert, without a man, manager or anything else by her side.
"My name is Matt. If you ever need someone to show you around town, I work right here at the Mystic Grill."
Elena offered another small smile, before letting him down gently. "I'll keep that in mind, Matt. It's very kind of you."
She actually felt guilty as she looked at those puppy-dog eyes, looking down in disappointment at her keeping him at bay and not offering him at least her name. He gave her a pained smile, before making a quick getaway.
Well, at least the men were a whole lot nicer in this town than they were back in Los Angeles. That was always a plus!
She paid her bill and drove back to the house, still not quite believing why Stefan Salvatore had left a nice town like this for a snake pit like L.A. She felt as if she was in heaven as she almost danced her way back into the house. This vacation was going to do her a world of good!
As she noticed a wine cellar located at the basement of the house, with a collection of wine and bourbon so fine, that some of her famous friends would be jealous, her vacation was set. She broke into the Dom, while turning on the massive TV in the living room and enjoying a nice evening getting tipsy with an episode of 'Friends.' Afterwards, she went up to the bedroom with the massive, oak bed and settled in for the night.
DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE
From the moment Elena felt herself rousing slowly, she felt as if something was wrong. She couldn't really pinpoint the feeling, until she finally rolled over in the big bed and opened her eyes. Sitting up in alarm, she stared into the eyes of the most attractive man she had ever seen. Unfortunately, he was glaring angrily at her.
"You've got 10 seconds to explain to me what the hell you are doing in my house!" Mr. Sexy warned her.
Elena rubbed her eyes in confusion, still trying to clear the cobwebs in her sleepy brain. Yes, she was in a strange house, but she had an arrangement with Stefan Salvatore. This wasn't him, was it? Otherwise, someone was playing a weird trick on her.
"I…," she stammered. Being stared at by a hot man wasn't helping matters here! She was a mess!
"The clock is ticking, lady," the hot man reminded her.
"Give me a second to wake up!" she snapped back at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I should be way more considerate to a girl who has obviously broken into my house and made herself at home in my bed!"
His bed?
Oh hell! She was beginning to think that she had indeed been played here. She knew that it had been too good to be true! The giant house, the use of several cars, a bedroom to play basketball in…
Shit! And this Stefan Salvatore now had access to her house, while she was going to get kicked out of this place! Oh crap, she was going to have to call the police…
"That's it. If you don't start talking, I'm calling the police. I don't even care that it's Christmas Eve tonight," the blue eyed god pulled her out of her revere. Elena jumped out of bed at that.
"Wait! Stefan Salvatore invited me here. It was him who left the key for me. I swear that I didn't break in! We both signed up to this house swap website. He is currently residing in my apartment while I stay in his, that is how it works!"
She had momentarily forgotten about the skimpy pyjamas she had worn, showing off her long, olive legs and the top of her breasts to this mysterious stranger. He had noticed. His cerulean eyes were now slowly taking her in, making her flush underneath his stare.
"You might want to cover yourself up. I see that you're a bit cold," he told her with a smirk that she was already started to detest. He was right, though. Her nipples practically pierced her top, and she immediately dove for her robe.
"Listen, I don't know who you are. But call Stefan Salvatore, he will tell you everything. I'm not lying here," she tried again, after she had tied the strings of her robe together to protect her body from his heated gaze.
"I will do that."
He reached for his cell phone and dialled a number. Elena waited in anticipation, sincerely hoping that Stefan would calm this man down, before he would have her thrown in jail.
"Stef! Yeah, funny story here. I found this girl in my bed… Yeah, I know that happens a lot, but I don't know who she is. Okay, I know that that happens a lot as well, but I'm completely sober this time!"
Elena wanted to laugh at the jabs that Stefan was obviously throwing this man over the phone, but she refrained from showing it. This dark haired man would probably kill her!
"Stefan, I would highly suggest that you stop making fun of my lifestyle and start explaining. She's yammering on about some house swap that the two of you did. Were you really that stupid, letting some strange girl come into our house and use all of our stuff? You did? Well, consider yourself off my Christmas list this year! You never thought to talk about this with me first?"
Wait. These two men lived together? Elena wanted to groan at how the plot was thickening quickly here.
"I know I'm not home much, Stef. But I am now, and here I find a girl sleeping in my bed. On top of that, I think she broke into our supply of alcohol, and you know how precious my alcohol is to me!"
"I'm sorry," Elena mumbled.
The angry man held up his finger in order to silence her, before continuing his rant. "If she drove my camaro, Stefan, I'm going to hang you up by your nuts! You do know that, right?"
Elena paled. Oh God, the camaro was his?!
"Enjoy your vacation, little bro. You're in for a whole lot of shit when you get home!"
The man ended the phone call abruptly, before stalking over towards her things in the bathroom. He picked them up, before dumping them down on the bed. Elena's eyes widened at his actions. Was he throwing her out?
"Pack up your things and leave. I've had a lousy couple of days and I'm in a foul mood. All I want right now is my house to myself. So you can take your cute little ass and go home to celebrate Christmas. I need my peace."
Elena latched onto the man's arm to stop him from dumping even more of her things on his bed. "Now wait a second, here! This isn't my fault! Stefan and I had a deal. Please don't kick me out on Christmas Eve. I've got nowhere to go, remember. Your… brother, is he? He's staying at my apartment and he obviously doesn't want to leave yet. Now where does that leave me?" she pleaded.
For a moment their eyes connected, leaving Elena a little weak in the knees. This man was way too attractive for his own good.
"I don't know and I do not care," were his only words. "My brother dropped this little bombshell on me. All I wanted was a nice and quiet Christmas. I never signed up for having a woman in my house. Why don't you go over to Stefan and kick him out of your apartment? Everything can go back to normal."
Elena let out a shill laugh. "Normal? God, the entire reason I came here was because my life wasn't normal! I needed some time to think, as did your brother. If I go back now, all of this will be for nothing!"
She felt the tears before she could stop them; long, hot tracks were sliding down her cheeks, obviously leaving the man a bit unsure of what to do.
"Please don't cry. I don't do crying woman here. I tell you what; I'll call the Mystic Falls Inn and see if they have a vacancy. That's about as nice as I can get today. Take it or leave it," he offered.
Elena gave him a small smile through her tears. Yeah, that would be okay. She wanted to stay in this small town, having time to herself without worrying about anything else.
"Very well," the man nodded in satisfaction. "Do you have a name that I can give out to them?"
"Elena Gilbert. My name is Elena Gilbert."
She watched as the man left with his cell phone, before calmly packing up her belongings. I was uncanny how she had chosen this man's room to sleep in out of all the rooms that this house had. There was just an atmosphere to it that she genuinely liked.
When she had finished up with the final items, the man came back with a scowl on his face, making Elena's stomach drop. "Apparently, Mystic Falls is pretty popular this year. No vacancy at the Inn. It is the season after all," he obviously mimicked the voice of the person he had talked to on the phone.
Elena sat down on his bed, defeated. "Now what?" she mumbled to herself.
"Listen, Elena…," Mr. attractive, whose name she still didn't know, started. "I…"
"It's all right," Elena interrupted him. "I've already packed up. I'll be out of your hair in no time and I'll go back to Los Angeles. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
She picked up her suitcases and went to walk out of his room, when he stopped her. "Look, maybe if you can stick to yourself a bit, you can stay in a guest room here until after Christmas. But I'm still kicking you out after that. Like I said before; I need my space right now and I can't have that if you're around. Deal?"
Elena's jaw almost dropped. That was certainly very generous and more than he was entitled to give her, considering that this was his home.
"Yes, thank you so much!"
The man gave her a curtly nod. "Okay, then. If we're going to do this, we might as well make some introductions here. Damon Salvatore."
Elena grasped his extended hand. The touch of his skin to hers was something she had never experienced; she felt warm, giddy and wanted to revel in it. She actually felt herself blushing, as her heart rate picked up.
"Elena Gilbert. But I said that already," she stammered.
"Nice to meet you, Elena. Now, some ground rules here. I don't do presents tomorrow morning, so no sappy things. I actually hate Christmas, so that goddamn tree you saw downstairs is al Steffie's doing. I swear, he can be such a woman to live with!"
Elena laughed at that. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, no more walking around in those skimpy pyjamas. I am a man here, Elena, and I'm certainly no gentleman. It would be best if you keep that in mind." Damon eyed her seriously.
"Yes, of course," Elena swallowed.
"Also, don't drive the camaro. It's mine, it's my baby and no one is allowed in it except me. Understood?"
Elena looked down with shame.
"You drove the camaro, didn't you?" Damon snapped. "I will go and check her out right now. If my baby is harmed, not spotless or anything else, you'll be spending Christmas Day cleaning her. Are we clear?"
"Yes."
"Good, then I think we will get along perfectly."
Thank you for reading :) Please let me know your thoughts about this in a review. I'm also curious if there are any readers interested in seeing Stefan pairing up with anyone in Los Angeles during the house swap. If yes, I've already got someone in mind and I'll add a piece about them into the story. Thank you!
Twitter: plainoldSandra