Seven Days Until Christmas

Elena was sat on her bedroom floor, looking at the range of outfits she had picked out as safe to wear for the evening. She didn't want to be to over the top but she didn't want to look like a complete tramp. She let out a groan and just left like screaming. Why did she agree to meet loads of her co-works on tonight of all nights? Oh yeah, to avoid being the desperate, loser in town.

It was the seventh floors get together tonight, and all she had said she wouldn't go, Bonnie had eventual made her agree to go. Elena promised herself that she wouldn't stay more than an hour, one because she had work the next day and two, she didn't want to end up spending any money. In fact, she was being so money savvy that she'd already purchased a can of cola to take with her. It was cheaper in the store than the Grill and, plus, she wasn't a big alcohol drinker. Not anymore at least.

In the end, Elena settled for a dark pair of jeans with the Christmas jumper, leather jacket and combat boots. She studied her reflection leaning forward to apply a think line of eye liner and a small amount of mascara. She had so much time on her hands, in fact, that she decided to curl her hair seeing as she had made no attempt this morning with her hair. Elena took one last look at herself in the mirror and smiled knowing that tonight she might actually conquer her fears and make some friends… or maybe not.

It had been a busy day again at the office and all she wanted to do was curl up in bed. One thing that did get her, however, was that there had been no sign of Damon today. Elena knew it was probably her own fault for snapping at him the ay that she did, but things were getting worse for her.

She was working double shifts at work now, delivering the mail in the morning and sorting out the offices during the day. She was working as a sort of maid now and had to stay later every day until after Christmas, but she didn't care. As long as she was getting paid and she could pay her loan off, she was happy.

She glanced over at her clock. 8:30 p.m. Well, she had half an hour before they were meant to meet up and she didn't like the idea of turning up 'fashionably late'. So, Elena went out the door for her journey to the Grill, which was either going to be the best or worst evening of her life.

It was bitterly cold outside, but Elena shrugged it off, quickly making her way in to the town.

She'd been to the Grill before, and not much had changed. Well, maybe a touch up of paint here and there but it just brought back so many memories of spending time here with family. Elena scanned the crowd, hoping to see anyone she knew, but no one else was there. She let out a deep breath. Had they really ditched her?

"Elena!" She was snapped out of her thoughts turning to the voice. Bonnie

"Hey, I was wondering when you guys were going to show up." She gave her best smile, despite the fact that she felt like a sinking ship, drowning in the uneasy that she felt.

"Sorry, I hope you weren't waiting long. Come on over and meet everyone." She held out her hand and led Elena over to the booth at the far end of the bar.

Elena knew most of the people at the table but was never real friendly with any of them. They all went on get together every couple of weeks and Elena wasn't always up for the idea of going out and spending money see didn't have.

"So, what do you want to drink?" Bonnie asked.

"Oh, I'm good thanks."

Bonnie nodded and turned towards the bar with someone else to go order drinks as Shane moved up, allowing Elena to slide in on the end of the booth. Everyone at the table were already involved in conversation, making her feel like the outsider, but she didn't mind one bit.

Everyone laughed, and Elena joined in without really knowing why. Maybe to look like she wasn't a complete loner and to prove to herself that she wasn't so bad at this friendship stuff.

After an hour of bland conversation and everyone around her constant throwing back their alcohol as if it were water, Elena decided it was time to have a time out. Stumbling out of the bar, she went around the back, hanging her head between her legs. She hadn't drunken anything, but just the smell in that stuffy room made her feel sick to the stomach.

The back door to the bar opened and Elena looked up, groaning with none other than Mister Creepy came out.

"Elena?" Shane asked, coming to stand next her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," She smiled weakly at him. "I just needed some air."

"You're not in to this kinda thing, are you?"

"What, drinking myself in to oblivion? No thanks. Been there, done that, never want to do it again."

He was reeking of booze now having consumed so much. Elena remembered when she used to that, before the world and reality caught up on her and knocked some scene into her. Now the thought of drinking more than a glass of alcohol made her feel ill. She'd overcome her addiction and she refused to be thrown back down the spiral of nothing, just when she was getting her life back on track.

"Oh, come on, 'Lena!" He groaned, nudging her shoulder. "Stop being such a prude and drink something."

She glared at him and pulled away. "Piss off, Shane, you're drunk."

"Elena, please," He whimpered, wrapping his arm around her waist, snuggling his face against her neck. "Please, don't go."

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"You know I like you and I think you like me, too." Shane started to coo, his hand pushing against her lower back. "God, you're so warm."

"No! Shane, stop it!" Elena yelled, moving her hands to push at his chest.

"Please, let me have this…let me have you." He whispered, trying to hold her hands in place as his lips went to find her own.

Whilst Shane was preoccupied with her wrists, it gave an opening for Elena to raise her knee up between his legs, catching him right where it hurt. She hit him hard, and he howled out in pain and immediately released her. Elena watched with satisfaction as he stumbled away from her, reaching down to cup his balls as the pain inside his body intensified.

Shane then collapsed to his knees and curled up in a ball as Elena looked on with satisfaction. She may have been a woman, but she knew damn well how to take care of herself in situations like this. Hell, she'd had enough experience in the field.

"Don't ever, ever, come near me again, you fucking creepo!" She spat through clenched teeth, watching as he whimpered at her feet.

"I-I'm s-sorry…I d-didn't m-.."

He never finished his sentence as he start to cough, throwing up a mixture of alcohol and chocolate cake. Elena cringed at the sight, but made no move to help him as he repeatedly wrenched, vomit dribbling down the sides of his chin as he did.

"Elena?"

Elena's head snapped to the side at the sound of her name being boomed across the alleyway, seeing the shadowy figure. She looked to Shane, wondering what to do or how to explain what had happened, and to the figure who was now running towards her. She couldn't make out his face properly, but she knew instantly who it was. It was the man who, conveniently, kept popping up everywhere these last few days.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked, fury lacing his voice as he glared down at Shane.

"Nothing," Elena snapped. "I'm fine, he's…he's just drunk, that's all."

"Did he put his fucking hands on you?"

Elena opened her mouth and closed it again, pushing away from the wall and stalking back up the alley. She could hear him calling her name and the sound of Shane's bile hitting the street floor, but she kept going. This was not how her evening was supposed to end up at all, and yet here she was, storming off as she tried to run away from her problems again. And then Damon fucking Salvatore decided to turn up at the exact moment Shane tried it on. Brilliant timing!

"Elena, wait!"

She tried to ignore him and made it as far as the crowded Christmas market, but she felt a hand clasp around her wrist pulling her back to a wall full of muscle. She glared up at him, trying to wriggle free of his hold, but he refused to let up. His face was not angry or even annoyed. In fact, he seemed emotionless as he looked at her, as if waiting for something.

"Let go of me." She hissed lowly, trying not to make a scene in front of a crowd of people.

"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on and what's wrong with you."

"What are you talking about?"

Damon scoffed, rolling his eyes. "This is what I'm talking about! I thought we were getting on and then you start lashing out like this. What happened?"

"It's none of your damn business, now remove your hand from me before I break your break your arm."

"Ha! Okay, first, it is my business, seeing as I'm involved with you…"

"We're not involved with each other!" She argued, but Damon carried on as if he hadn't of heard her.

"…and, second, it would be physically impossible for you to break my arm, considering how small you are compared to me."

"I'm not small!"

"Really?" He questioned mockingly, giving her arm a light squeeze. "I don't see any muscle here at all."

"Oh, piss off, would you."

"Not a chance." Damon said smoothly, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Come. You and I have some catching up to do."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Elena said, trying to move away again, but Damon latched his hand with hers, twinging their fingers together.

"Elena, please can you snap out of this ridiculous mood you're in." He sighed, walking hand in hand with her through the crowd.

"It's not ridiculous," She defended, but she knew very well she was acting stupid.

It wasn't Damon's fault that she was having a shitty evening; he was just trying to help. Shane had acted completely inappropriately, but Elena knew she'd dealt with the issue herself without the need of a knight in shining armour. With Damon here now, it made her feel like the damsel in distress, always in need of saving. Ha! That was something Elena was not.

She knew she couldn't fight him and that Damon was a very persistent character, so she decided to just let him do his thing. Better that than have him follow her home. She stopped her fight against him and let her hand fall limply in his, not wanting to show him that she was completely happy about this agreement.

He smiled down at her and pulled her along, weaving through the massive crowd of people. She was about to ask where in the hell he was taking her, until they finally pulled up towards the ice rink.

"No." She stated simply, glaring at him. "I am not skating."

"Oh, come on," Damon pouted, fluttering his big, puppy dog eyes at her. "It's like a Christmas tradition to go skating."

"Really? Who's tradition is that?"

"Mine," He shrugged, walking up to the boot stand with her. "Please, I haven't been ice staking in too long and I thought it would be a nice little activity for us to do."

Elena groaned and closed her eyes, resigned. "Fine, but in no way whatsoever is this a date."

"Absolutely!" Damon said in a cheery voice, but his face was mockingly serious.

They made their way to the booth, his hand still holding hers tightly. She stared at their twined finger and then up to his face. There was something about him when he was away from the office that just took years off of his face. He looked less stressed and overwhelmed by work, looking like just a normal guy rather than a millionaire owner of his own business.

"What show size are you?" He asked her suddenly.

"Eight."

He nodded and ordered two sets of skates, a white pair for her and a black pair for himself. Elena attempted to give him some money for her own pair, but he just shook his head as if she were doing something completely stupid.

He motioned her to sit on one of the benches and she reached down to undo the laces on her boots. However, Damon knelt down in front of her and gently swatted her hands away and began undoing the string himself. His hands were holding her as if she was made of glass, carefully slipping the stakes on and doing them up tightly, before putting on his own.

He held out his hand to her and she slid her slightly sweaty palm in to his. It had been years since she'd been staking and he seemed to notice as she stumbled on her first few steps to the ice rink. There were so many people on the ice that she started to have second thoughts about agreeing to this.

Elena hesitantly stepped on to the ice, Damon still by her side and she made sure her footing was balanced before she gently pushed off. She wobbled a little unsteady, but his hand hovered by her back, ready to catch her if she did fall.

"So, what were you doing here, then, that we happened to bump into one another?" She asked him, curious.

"I was having a meal with my brother in the restaurant opposite the Grill." He said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "I heard shouting and then I found you."

"Oh…"

"Have you done this before?" He asked, gliding effortless beside her.

"I used to love staking," She said absently, concentrating on her foot work rather than his warm hand on her lower back. "I just…I don't real have anytime anymore to be myself, I guess. With work and everything else, I just don't have time."

"You could always ask for the weekends off, then you'd have more time."

She laughed, bitterly. "Unfortunately, I don't get that luxury like you do. I need the money and, if I could, I'd work even more just to have the little bit of extra cash around."

"Hmm…so I was right the first time I met you then?" Damon mused.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my wage obviously isn't good enough if you're struggling to pay your bills."

"Hey! I never said I was strug-.." Her reply was lost on her lips as he heart suddenly became lodge in her throat.

The blade on her right skate ran over a small dent in the solid ice, making her lose balance on her already unsteady legs. Her foot rolled out from under her and her body weight was thrown backwards towards the ice. Elena's eyes snapped shut and she prayed she wouldn't hit her head too hard on the thick ground.

But she never hit it.

Instead, two sturdy arms swung underneath her shoulder blades and caught her mid-air. Her weight was pushed forward in a swooping motion and hands held on to her waist until she became steady once again.

Elena felt his breathing by her ear and his scent filled her nostrils. His scent was everywhere and she couldn't get enough of it. It was musky with a hint of ripe fruit and oak, then coated in the irresistible smell of his cologne. It was beautiful, just like him…

"Careful." He purred, chuckling a little.

Elena rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Thank you."

Slowly, her breathing and heart rate returned to normal, as did her ease with skating as she got back into her stride once again. However, Damon hadn't moved his hands from her waist. In fact, he was holding her tighter as if she might disappear or fall again. She could feel the hard muscles of his chest pressing against her back, brushing her a little more with every breath he took.

His face was pressed against the side of her head and his lips brushed her forehead ever so slightly. The notion was enough to send a shiver through her spine, swallowing thickly when he turned his face towards her a little more.

"Are you cold?" He asked.

"A-a little." She stuttered.

He nodded. "Come, I'll take you home."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to." He said in such a way that left no room for discussion.

Elena sighed and followed him off the rink, quickly changing out of their boots before he lead her out of the busy town. Somehow, his hand had found its way into hers and he held it tightly between his fingertips. It was a strange feeling and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

His car, a Camaro convertible of some sorts, was a parked just behind the Grill and was a beautiful shade of blue, almost the same colour as his perfect eyes. He opened the door for her, smirking and she felt her heart flutter against her ribcage again. Elena mentally slapped herself and tried to look at anything that would distract her. She wasn't meant to be attracted to this guy! Obviously, yes, he was absolutely perfection in every way possible, but he was still a completely out of her league so there was no point in even thinking about it.

Elena quickly snapped out of it as the man himself settled in the car, his trade mark smirk playing on his lips. She gasped as his arm suddenly extended in front of her, slightly brushing against her breasts. Elena sat frozen as he grabbed the seat belt tightly in his hand and slowly pulled it around her, fastening it securely. She exhaled sharply once he'd moved back, settling the car in gear and taking off through the busy town.

"Elena, where do you live?"

"Just drop me off by the edge of town, please." She insisted. "I can walk from there."

"Just tell me."

"You know what, never mind." She snapped, trying the door handle only to find it had been locked from the inside. "Let me out!"

"For God sakes, just tell me so I know you get home safety."

"I said, I'm fine walking from here! Now open the damn door!"

He almost growled at her. "Why are you being so difficult? Just let me take you home."

"No!"

"Alright, that is it!"

Elena jumped at his suddenly snappiness, as he pulled the car sharply to the left and in to park at the side of the road. He started digging through his jacket pocket for his phone. He pulled it up and started typing away at the keys, annoyance evident on his strong features.

"What are you doing?"

"Searching the employee database," He said firmly, his eyes locked with the phone screen. "If you won't tell me where you live, then I will just have to find out on my own."

"You can't be serious!"

His gaze snapped up to her own and her breath hitched at the dark look in his eyes. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Her mouth went dry and she swallowed thickly, suddenly incredibly tense and unsure around him. It was the first time he had ever spoken to her like that, but she knew it was coming. After the way she'd been acting, she was surprised he hadn't exploded days ago. It was true; she was snappy, rude and a horrible person to be around. She was damaged goods.

She looked down at her fingers, ashamed. "Drive to fifth street." She murmured pitiful. "Last apartment on the left."

His face fell a little as she said this and his features softened a little as he pulled the car back into gear, following her directions. She could tell by the look on his face that he knew the area. It was the roughest place in all of town and notorious for all sorts of drink, drug and gang issues.

The trip to house was silent, with only the hum of the engine making the awkwardness just about bearable. Elena kept her eyes to the side, aimlessly staring out of the window and thinking about what was in store for her when she got back. She hated the thought of Damon seeing where she lived, in some rundown, shitty apartment.

She was jerked from her train of thought at the touch of someone brushing her hair from her shoulder. She turned to see Damon, staring at her with intense eyes.

He cleared his throat.

"Is this it?"

"Y-yes," Elena almost whispered, reaching for the handle of the door. "Thank you,"

"Elena, wait." Damon pleaded, gripping hold of her hand in his own.

She didn't turn towards him, just looked down as she tried to stop any tears from flowing down her cheeks. She didn't need his pity. She didn't need his sympathy. She wanted nothing from him. It was bad enough he'd seen where she'd lived and now he wanted to pretend that he cared.

"Are you okay?" His voice was but a whisper.

"Yeah," She said quietly, a little bitterly. "I'm peachy."

"Hey, list-.."

"Unlock the door…please." She begged him, closing her eyes.

She heard him groan beside her as he slowly released her arm, the sound of the cars internal locking system being pressed open. Not wasting another second, Elena swung the door open, slamming it shut behind herself as she ran across the street and too her apartment. She didn't turn or look back as he shaking hands fumbled with the keys. Once inside, she rushed up the stairs, locking herself in her shitty little apartment and ran for the window, looking out in the street. He was still there and, from what she could tell, he was rubbing his hands over his face repeatedly.

Maybe this time he really was giving up.

Hi! So here is another chapter for today and it was my favourite one to write! Again, we have a bit more about Elena and her relationship with people in that she isn't confident around them. She may be bold and fiery, but she has a secret that holds her back, hence why she is reluctant to go any further with Damon. Plus, I have so much fun writing Shane! He's such a fun character!

As always, Amy and I want to thank you for the support, so please do keep those reviews coming! Thanks so much and we'll see ya tomorrow!

Next chapter: Elena vistes her psychologist and friend to evaluate her life so far. Then, Damon plays the hero again, leading to things heating up in the office...Stay tuned ;)