Author's note: Looks like we finally made it. This IS the last chapter in this story. Enjoy!

Quick reminder - this story carries a MATURE rating.

Damon was surprised at the number of cars still parked along Elena's street. So much for being asleep with sugar plums dancing in everyone's heads. The party at the house sitting diagonally across from the Gilbert house was still so packed that Damon was forced to park his car almost a block away.

Probably just as well. He still hadn't totally worked out what he planned to say. A familiar feminine laugh caught his attention as he crossed in front of the Forbes' lawn. He turned, half-expecting to see Caroline standing on her porch. But that's not what he saw. Instead, he stopped short – staring at the shadows cast on the blinds of Caroline's room. More laughter. A second voice joined hers. Deeper. Even more familiar to Damon. He'd recognize that hair anywhere. Caroline shushed her guest just as Stefan reached out and turned off the light.

Stefan….and Caroline?

Damon rubbed his eyes and kept on moving. Surely his eyes were playing tricks on him – or too much alcohol was doing a number on them. He crossed the street at the corner. The Gilbert house was silent and almost completely dark, save a still-lit Christmas tree in the front window.

He clomped up the stairs, his boots leaving globs of snow on the stairs he'd climbed so many times before. Without giving himself a chance to decide if this was really a good idea or not, he walked to the front door and gave three crisp knocks.

Nothing.

Either Jeremy was asleep or too drunk to hear him at the door. Hell, he'd seen Matt's car here earlier. Maybe Jeremy decided he just didn't want to be alone on Christmas Eve, and he'd gone home with his friend.

Damon knocked again.

"Who?" A bleary voice called out from inside. The porch light flicked on as Jeremy cracked open the door. A sleepy Bonnie stood just behind Jeremy. Catching a glimpse of Damon, she tugged the sides of her robe together, but not before Damon realized Bonnie was wearing nothing beneath it – tonight was definitely the night for the unexpected.

"Hands where I can see them, Gilbert." Damon might be here on a mission of mercy, but he wasn't a vampire with a death wish…at least not right now. Later, when Stefan and Elena had reconciled – again. Then, he might pay the youngest Gilbert a different kind of visit.

Jeremy stepped onto the porch, his hands out in front of him. He looked skeptical. "What are you doing here Damon?"

"You sent Elena's Christmas card back."

Jeremy's eyes narrowed in confusion. "I what?"

Just like he thought. Jeremy the Slayer was in control when he'd scrawled those words across the envelope. "Elena sent you a Christmas card. Someone, I'm assuming your other you marked it 'return to sender.'"

"But I didn't…."

"Someone did." Damon shook his head. This wasn't the time to play that game. "Elena deserves the chance to spend Christmas with her brother."

Jeremy shook his head. "I can't Damon. It's instinct. Every time I see her…"

"You want to kill her. I get it. I understand." Damon crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave into the desire to appear a bit threatening. "Do you remember the time Connor shot you?"

"How could I forget?"

"Refresh my memory." Damon stared at Jeremy without blinking.

Jeremy shrugged. "I was standing in the middle of the room. Elena was rushing toward me, but Connor shot me before she could get there. And then Stefan and Connor disappeared."

"So it was just you and Elena?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yes."

"And you were bleeding."

"I'd been shot."

"You were bleeding, and you were alone with your sister – a brand new vampire. A vampire who can only drink blood straight from the source, if I might add. Were you ever scared?"

Jeremy shook his head, his eyebrows knit together. "I knew Elena wouldn't hurt me."

"Even though you were covered with blood." Damon let that sentence hang in the air for a heartbeat. "Every fiber of a vampire's being calls out when human blood is near. If there's enough blood, even the most controlled vampire has difficulty resisting. We just can't. It's instinct." Damon paused and stared at Jeremy. "Think about it." He backed away from the door and turned to descend the stairs. "I'm serving brunch at ten."

Elena rolled onto her side and was surprised by the sensation of daylight on her face. Damon got her drunk last night. She tried to decide if she was annoyed or relieved that she'd finally gotten a decent night's sleep, and then she realized where she was. She sat up with a start. She was in Damon's bed, but she was fully clothed, and she didn't see any traces of sharing the bed with anyone else last night.

A part of her wished….. No, she couldn't go there. She'd pushed him away one too many times. She'd understood that when he packed his bag the night she'd arrived. She couldn't really blame him, even if it had taken becoming a vampire for her to realize who she really wanted. Too little. Too late.

She could hear voices downstairs.

"I'll bet you four slices of bacon that she doesn't get up till noon." Was that?

"You've already eaten six slices. Are you really trying for the whole package?" Damon was talking to someone that sounded like….

A deep laugh answered Damon's question. "I'm just saying that Mom and Dad…"

Jeremy.

Elena didn't hear what Mom and Dad used to do. She sprung out of the bed and flew down the stairs, not even giving a second thought to how she must look. She hit the kitchen at full-vampire speed, and three sets of eyes smiled up at her.

Jeremy placed a strip of bacon next to a mountain of Belgian waffles on his plate. Without saying a word, he walked to his sister and wrapped his arms around her.

Elena glanced up at Damon, who was manning the waffle iron. "Merry Christmas, Elena."

Bonnie tapped her watch and Jeremy stood and stretched. He'd just successfully won his third game of Monopoly, but Elena had bested him twice in Yahtzee. Bonnie was proven to be the charades champion.

Damon had been in the room for the entire afternoon, but he never participated. He hovered. Refilling drinks. Laughing at jokes. Keeping a careful eye on The Hunter's hands.

"You're sure you can't stay for dinner?" Elena looked up at Jeremy. The mouthwatering aroma from the fresh-baked lasagna sitting on the kitchen counter wafted into the living room.

Bonnie shook her head and frowned. "We promised my dad that we'd come by for Christmas dinner."

Elena nodded in understanding. In a town where parental figures were in short supply, it was important to spend time with the ones who remained.

"Elena?" Jeremy beckoned for her to follow him, drawing Damon's attention. "I just wanted to talk to her." He turned out his pockets and held out his hands for inspection. After Damon appeared satisfied, Jeremy turned and walked in the direction of the study.

Elena followed, curious to find out what her brother wanted to say away from the others.

Jeremy leaned against Damon's oversized desk and nodded in the direction of the far corner of the room.

Of course.

It wasn't Jeremy who wanted to talk. Alaric was here.

"Alaric?" Elena spoke the name softly, hesitantly. She was well aware there was still an Alaric-shaped hole in Damon's heart.

Jeremy smiled. "He has a message for you." Jeremy flinched and rolled his eyes. "He wanted me to tell you that it's okay for you to be happy too. You both want the same thing."

"What?"

Jeremy ducked his head and laughed. "You'll figure it out." He cringed. "And he wanted me to tell you that he won't be hanging around later tonight. Some things he just doesn't need to see."

"Everything okay in there?" Bonnie tapped at the door.

"We're fine." Jeremy nodded to himself. He waved to Elena as he opened the door to the study. "I'll see you later."

Elena waved back, happy, because she knew her brother was telling the truth.

Elena sat on the floor in front of the fire, warming her hands. Damon finished the dishes and came in to sit beside her. She looked sad. "What's wrong?"

Elena shook her head but didn't meet his eyes. "I didn't get you anything for Christmas."

Damon laughed. "That's what was bothering you through dinner?"

"You did everything. We bought a tree. You decorated it. You somehow convinced my brother that he could come over without killing me. And I didn't give you anything."

"Did you have a good Christmas?"

"Yes, but…" Elena's smile was as wide as he'd ever seen.

"That's my present." He pointed at her face. "Right there. I haven't seen you smile like that in a long, long time. I just want you to be happy."

A log crackled and rolled down the massive pile in the fire. Elena shifted to face him, laughing softly to herself. She took a breath, as if she was preparing for something difficult.

"What is it?"

"You sound like Ric." Elena looked down at the ground.

"That's why Jeremy wanted to talk with you in private? Ric wanted to tell you something?"

"Mmm hmm." Elena still seemed to find the floor very interesting.

Taking a risk, he reached out and placed a finger under he chin, tilting her face up to look back at his. "Something's wrong."

"No. But I need to say something. I know I've pushed you away so many times. It's probably too late, but it's something Alaric said." Her heart sped faster in her chest. The air in the room became charged and heavy. "That night, when I picked Stefan, it was because it was the right thing to do." She held up a hand before he could argue. "The right thing for everyone else. It's what everyone else wanted me to do. I've always done what everyone else wanted. I entered Miss Mystic Falls for my mom. I was a cheerleader because of Jenna. I dated Stefan because of Bonnie and Caroline." She paused, reaching out and cupping his cheek with her hand. "Even when I said it, I knew I didn't mean it, but I wasn't strong enough to say what I really wanted." Her eyes locked on his. "You."

She didn't wait for him to respond. Her lips crashed against his with an intensity that even surprised Damon. Hell, he was surprised that she was kissing him in the first place.

And was she ever kissing him.

This wasn't the tentative kiss he'd experienced on her front porch. Or the heated moment at the motel in Denver.

This was a kiss full of hunger, desire, and pent-up sexual frustration.

Damon knew the feeling.

He kissed her back with equal fervor. His fingers tangled in her long hair and she moaned softly at his touch. For a moment, he wondered if this was real or if he was caught in a seriously realistic dream, but as her fingers snaked up the hem of his shirt, he knew that no dream was this vivid.

Before he knew exactly what was happening, she sat straddling him, the firelight reflecting off the bare skin of her shoulders. His hands traveled up her stomach, and he palmed her breasts. Her pupils dilated until her eyes appeared almost completely black.

He flicked his thumb over one nipple, and her entire body shuddered. She squeezed her eyes shut at the intensity of the feeling.

And he realized something. She and Stefan hadn't exactly been seeing eye to eye before she transitioned and after, well, there was a reason they'd broken up so quickly. "Elena?" Her breathing was coming in quick pants as she looked down at him.

He flipped them over, taking control for the moment. "Have you? Since you turned?" He couldn't even fully phrase the question. Of course she had. He was fooling himself if he even considered the possibility that he might be the first to have her as a vampire.

The flush on her cheeks told him the answer. For an instant, the quieter Elena broke through the fiery lover he'd just been acquainted with. "No."

No wonder she was so responsive to his every touch. She had no idea what she was about to experience.

And she seemed rather impatient to experience it. She tugged his shoulders down, her lips ready to meet his. The light from the fire danced off her eyes, adding even more intensity to the moment.

He wanted to wait. He wanted to make it last. But as her hips arched up to meet his and her fingers threaded through his hair, he knew that simply wasn't a possibility. She shifted under him again, clearly wanting to take the lead. And he let her.

She rolled him onto his back, and she straddled him. In just the few moments he'd been in control, the evidence of her desire became even more apparent. He could see how much she was struggling to draw out the experience – but why wait? He shifted his hips, and his eager cock pressed against her wet core. She was beyond ready. And she needed no more encouragement.

She stood up onto her knees, meeting him as his member stood ready to meet her. He'd been with other women. He'd been with Katherine. But nothing prepared him for this. As her velvety soft skin enveloped him, he couldn't hold back a groan of satisfaction.

This was far better than he'd even imagined it, and he'd spent plenty of time alone in his room imagining it.

His cock twitched and she arched her back in pleasure. "You like that?"

"Mmmmm." Elena's eyes rolled up in her head. He wasn't sure if she was capable of words any longer.

He pulled her down closer to him, taking her nipple in his mouth, allowing his teeth to graze the sensitive skin. She didn't hold back any longer as she began to move against him at a frustratingly slow pace.

He flipped her over – once more, taking the lead. He rested his elbows on either side of her chest and entwined her fingers with his. From the sounds she was making below him, he could tell she wasn't going to last much longer. He stilled his movements and stared into her eyes. He wanted to burn this moment into both their memories.

When it became clear she couldn't wait any longer, and she began to wriggle beneath him, he resumed his agonizingly slow thrusts.

Once.

Twice.

Three times, and it was like the world exploded around Damon. If anyone lived within walking distance of the boardinghouse, they certainly would have heard Elena's scream.

But, as intense as the moment was, that wouldn't be what Damon would remember about this night. Spent, he rolled onto his side, and Elena delicately traced the outline of Damon's muscles with the tip of her index finger.

"Merry Christmas, Elena." Damon leaned over and kissed her collarbone. "I loved my present."

"That's not what this was about." She reached up and placed her palm against his cheek. "I love you, Damon."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, and he stared into her eyes. Her eyes pooled with tearful emotion.

"You." She stroked her thumb along his jaw. "I'm in love with you."

And he could tell that she meant it. He whisked a giggling Elena up into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her up the stairs to his bed where they could have a proper celebration….and a not-so silent night.

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