A/N: Yes, I know, it's been entirely too, too long between updates. I apologize. Had some family stuff going on that left me with no time to write. Enjoy the chapter! It's about to get dark. The next chapters will come pretty quickly; I've had them written for some time. Please forgive me for the delay, read and review! Thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Vampire Diaries."
Chapter 10: Christmas is for Children
"Ms. Lindsey, who's comin' for Christmas?" Shani asked as she carefully placed raisins on the gingerbread men for eyes and buttons. They were starting their fourth day with the Salvatores.
"Damon's brother Stefan, his girlfriend Caroline, and their friend, Bonnie," Lindsey answered. She had the girls in the kitchen and they were making Christmas cookies.
"Where we gonna sleep?" Shani said.
"In your room, where you've been sleeping. Why?" Lindsey dried her hands and went to sit at the table with the little girls.
"We gonna be all right in there?" Brae asked.
"Absolutely. That's your room for as long as you're here. And any time you come back. That's your room," Lindsey assured the girls. "Stefan and Caroline will be in the other room upstairs, and Bonnie likes to stay in my room in the attic when she comes to visit."
The girls looked at each other, and Lindsey could swear they were talking. Something about those little ones…
"That ain't what I meant," Brae said. "I meant, ain't nobody gonna bother us in there, will they?"
Understanding dawned and Lindsey clenched her fists under the table and took a breath. She was starting to agree with Damon's plan for taking care of the girls' biological progenitors. "Girls, I promise you that no one will bother you while you're here. Stefan isn't that kind of man. He's a good, kind man. He would never hurt a little girl. We would never let people like that in our house, anyway. Damon and I will keep you both safe, and you don't have to worry about anyone bothering you. I know you've heard a lot of broken promises, but I'm telling you now that we won't let anyone hurt either one of you. O.K.?" She looked from one elfin face to the other. The girls nodded in unison. "All right then. Let's get these gingerbread men in the oven. You've been such good help to me today!" She put the gingerbread into the oven and said, "It's sunny out. Want to play outside for a little while?" The girls nodded eagerly, and Lindsey helped them into their jackets and they ran outside for the swingset.
She watched them play for several minutes. "I'm going in to check the gingerbread. Back in a minute." Lindsey went inside and just as she was taking the second pan out to cool, she heard a scream. She looked out the window and Brae was lying on the ground. She set the pan down and went outside at a full run, although not vampire speed. "What on earth happened? Brae! Are you all right? Can you hear me?"
Brae nodded and looked up at Lindsey. "She jumped out of the swing after you done went and told us not to," Shani informed her.
"Is that so?" Lindsey said, stunned. She wasn't always certain about her own compulsion skills, but Damon? He excelled in it, and he'd been the one to forbid her from doing this. "Brae, can you talk?" The little girl shook her head. "I think you had the wind knocked out of you. You'll be all right in a few minutes. Time to go inside." Lindsey picked up the little girl, just in time to see Damon pop his head out of his workshop. "Everything's all right," Lindsey called. He looked concerned, but Lindsey shook her head. "I'll tell you later." He nodded and disappeared inside.
In the girls' bedroom, Lindsey doctored Brae's scraped knee and the child said, "What you gonna do to me?"
"Tell me what you did."
"I jumped out of the swing after you told me not to."
Lindsey nodded. "And why is that not a good thing to do?"
"I could get hurt."
"Are you sorry you did it? Really sorry?"
Brae nodded, then said, "It was fun, though." Lindsey hid a grin at that bit of honesty.
"Until you knocked yourself silly?"
"Yes'm."
"Well, we told you not to do it and you did it anyway, so I'm afraid you don't get to play on the swingset tomorrow. At all. Even if it's sunny all day. You can play on the front porch and we'll go for a walk if the weather's nice, but otherwise, you're confined to the house all day. Playing on the swingset is a privilege, and if you can't follow the rules, which are very simple, and meant to keep you safe, you lose the privilege for a day. Is that fair?"
"Yes'm," Brae answered.
"O.K." Lindsey folded the little girl into a hug. "I'm glad you're all right. Lie down and nap for me."
Once the girls were both asleep, Lindsey went down to the shop. Damon was turning some chair legs on a lathe, but stopped when she spoke.
"What happened out there?" he asked, nodding toward the swing set.
"Brae jumped out of the swing and knocked herself silly," Lindsey answered. "You compelled her, right?"
"Thought I did." Damon's eyes were wide with surprise. "But she did it anyway, huh?"
"Yep."
"Hmmm. That's unusual."
"It is. But come to think of it, something Dana told me about the night they were removed may be the answer."
Damon wiped the sawdust off his hands. "What's that?"
"She said the sheriff's deputy found the girls hiding in a closet. A neighbor called when she said she heard screams and yelling. But Dana said there was a fire in the trailer, and even after the fire department got there, they had a hard time putting it out. One of the firefighters said it was like something kept re-lighting the fire. He thought it might have been a sneak gas line. Didn't you tell me that Bonnie's favorite means of destruction is fire?"
The puzzle pieces fell into place and Damon nodded slowly. "Mmm-hmm. And witches can't be compelled."
Lindsey nodded. "And the mom's boyfriend had second-degree and a few third-degree burns on his body. And they didn't know the girls were in the trailer until the sheriff's department got there. Fire department got there first. Of course, deputies had been out there before and knew the girls lived there, so they just brought the caseworker with them. That's why they took a little longer getting there. Same neighbor called about the fire, too."
"Well that makes sense. Glad Bonnie's coming in with Stefan and Caroline. Maybe she can help. I do remember Bonnie mentioning to Elena once that sometimes when she was a little girl, 'things' would happen, like something catching fire, or lights blowing out, or something like that. And it was usually when she was really scared or upset," Damon said.
"Think we've got a couple of little witches with us?"
"One anyway, I'd say. I'll call Bonnie tonight and let her know. She might have some thoughts on the situation," Damon answered. "And what did you do about their gifts? I thought you were going to Atlanta."
"Don't have to. I ordered them online. I think we'll have some tickled little girls when they see those dolls. They should be here tomorrow, so we'll have to keep an eye out for the Fed Ex guy. I've got Brae on house arrest tomorrow for the swing set episode, and the company arrives tomorrow, too." Lindsey told her husband about Brae's and Shani's concerns about being "bothered," and he growled audibly.
"I'd better never run into any of that woman's former boyfriends," he said.
"Ha. You'll have to stand in line behind me," was Lindsey's tart reply. "But we'll make sure they're never bothered like that again."
"Damn right," Damon said.
Brae coped with the enforced confinement better than Lindsey thought she would. And she knew that when their guests arrived, the girls would probably be too excited to care about going outside. Bonnie agreed that Brae at least, was probably a baby witch, and therefore, needed extra protection.
Late that afternoon, Lindsey had the girls in the kitchen, coloring, when she heard a car. Damon came downstairs and she heard him go to the door and welcome his brother, Caroline and Bonnie. Caroline bounced into the kitchen and gave Lindsey a big hug.
"Hey there! It's so good to see you! Are these the munchkins? Aren't they precious!"
"We not munchkins!" Shani said indignantly.
Lindsey shot her a look. "Mind your manners. This is Caroline. And here's Bonnie. Ladies, this is Brae and Shani. Why don't you two show Bonnie up to the attic room?" She wanted Bonnie to get to know the girls away from the vamps in the house.
"That would be nice. I might get lost!" Bonnie exclaimed, smiling at the children. She held out a hand to each of them, and they went up the stairs, chattering all the way.
"They're so cute!" Caroline exclaimed.
"They are. It continues to boggle my imagination how a mother could treat her children like that. Damon's been itching to track down the latest boyfriend and… well… you know Damon."
The look on the blonde's face was eloquent. "Oh yeah. I know."
The men came into the kitchen and Stefan went to Lindsey for a hug. "Hey sis. What smells so incredible?"
"Just pork chops."
"It smells incredible. Good thing I can't gain weight. I'd put on 40 pounds every time I came down here."
Lindsey snickered. "You and Damon both. Klaus dropped by last night to invite us all to NOLA for Christmas at Maison Mikaelson, and also to pick my brain about the Augustine case. Fortunately, I had two excellent reasons for saying no. Klaus Mikaelson is the LAST person I want to spend Christmas with! Call me hard-hearted." She waved her hand in a gesture of dismissal and Stefan laughed. He knew Lindsey had no use for the Original. Not that Stefan was that fond of him, either.
"So if you'd been around when Damon got the werewolf bite, and you knew Klaus' blood would cure him, what would you have done?" Stefan asked, his eyes twinkling.
"Me? I'd have borrowed that excellent crossbow from Ric, shot Klaus full of stakes, and before he healed up, I'd have blood-jacked him, then tied him up in a vervain-soaked sack and dumped him in the quarry. It would've taken even an Original a while to get out of that one."
"Now why didn't any of us think of that?" Caroline said.
"It's Mystic Falls. Something in the water up there prevents people from taking the most direct, common-sense route for anything," Lindsey replied.
Stefan laughed. "You know, there may be something to that theory," he said. His face softened. "And you'd have done it for Damon, even if you died trying."
"Yep. For some reason, I love that mildly psychopathic, ornery cuss."
Damon was in the living room, but heard every word, and smiled to himself. Some days, he still couldn't believe a woman loved him like Lindsey loved him.
"You really want to stay all the way up here, Miss Bonnie?" Brae asked. "It's awful high up!"
"I like it. It's quiet," Bonnie answered. She knew both these little girls were baby witches as soon as she took their hands. She needed to contact her coven about a possible supernatural family for them here. The coven would never allow them to go back to their birth family.
Bonnie rummaged in her duffle for her grimoire. She handed it to Brae. "Ever seen one of these before?" she asked.
"N-no," the little girl answered. "What is it?"
Bonnie smiled at her. "My grimoire. Hold it in your hands. Think about whether you feel something from it." She took the book and gave it to Shani. "You too. Hold it and think really hard about it. What do you feel?"
Suddenly, the book opened in Shani's lap and the pages started fluttering. The child gasped and shoved the grimoire out of her lap. "That book's got the devil in it!" she exclaimed.
Bonnie laughed softly and picked up the grimoire. "No, it doesn't have the devil in it. That wasn't because of what's in the book; it's the power inside you, Shani! And you too, Brae!" With them being sisters and being so close in age, Bonnie had a feeling the girls somehow linked and shared their power. It was an unusual situation.
"I don't have no power in me!" Shani exclaimed.
"You don't?" Bonnie replied. "You've never had funny things happen when you got really upset, or something, like a light bulb burning out, or maybe something falling from a shelf? Never anything like that?"
"How do you know about that?" Brae asked, her voice fearful.
"It's all right, sweetheart. Nothing to be afraid of. For you two, it's absolutely normal, O.K.?" Still seeing doubt in their faces, she said, "Well, let me ask you this. When Lindsey holds your hand or hugs you, do you feel anything - or see anything?" Sometimes children were much more in tune to that side of their powers than adults ever would be.
Shani nodded. "Ms. Lindsey cares about us a whole lot. But she gets sad when she thinks about us leaving, like after Christmas. She wants us to stay."
Bonnie smiled. She was right on the money; Bonnie got the same feeling.
Brae piped up, "Ms. Lindsey wishes she had little girls. She always seeing about us and doing for us."
"I'm sure she is. What about Damon?"
The girls looked at each other, and Bonnie was positive they were communicating in some way.
"Mr. Damon loves Ms. Lindsey," Brae said. "But he got shadows chasing him, trying to make him act bad."
"Oh really?" Bonnie replied. Well, that made some kind of sense.
Shani nodded. "But them shadows can't get to him when Ms. Lindsey's around. She runs them off."
"How does she do that?"
Shani grinned and squirmed. "She hugs him or pats his head. And the shadows go zip! Like when you blow out a birthday candle!"
"O.K.," Bonnie said. Again, that confirmed what Damon told Bonnie: Lindsey helped him stay in control. "What else do you notice?" she asked.
"Ms. Lindsey didn't like that man that came by yesterday. She was nice to him, but made us stay in the kitchen while he was here," Brae said. "I told her I didn't like him, and she didn't say anything, but I could tell she didn't like him either. He was a bad man. They called him Klaus, but he didn't act like Santa Claus to me!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, he wasn't Santa, don't worry," Bonnie said, amused. These girls definitely needed to be in a supernatural-friendly family, where they could learn to use their gifts the right way. Otherwise, they'd probably end up alcoholics and drug addicts as they tried to control their powers and seem normal. She suspected that was what happened to their mother.
The next day was Christmas Eve, and the girls could hardly contain themselves. Lindsey had Stefan and Damon outside with them most of the day, just to run off the adrenaline. She went to church that evening and when she got back, the girls were playing Monopoly with Caroline and Bonnie.
"Lindsey! These girls are grifting slumlords!" Caroline exclaimed when she came in.
"Don't complain to me. I told you they're sharp," Lindsey said. "But who wants cocoa and Christmas cookies?"
"Me! Me!" came the chorus, and the girls followed Lindsey into the kitchen. She had cocoa for everyone and entrusted Brae with the tray of Christmas cookies. After they ate, Lindsey went to the bookcase and extracted a book that looked like it had seen better days. "What's that?" Shani asked.
"Let's sit on the sofa and you'll find out," Lindsey answered. She got the girls on either side of her, as the adults looked on. "Now then," she said, "It was a tradition in my family to read this on Christmas Eve. Since they're all gone now," and here there was a catch in her throat, "You all are my family, so I'm reading it." She opened the book. "'A Visit from St. Nicholas', by Clement C. Clarke," she began. "'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring - not even a mouse.'" As she read, the stillness in the house was hardly broken, as Stefan, Damon, Bonnie and Caroline listened with rapt attention, each with memories of Christmas Past.
"A Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!'" Lindsey concluded and closed the book. Shani and Brae sighed in satisfaction and she looked to see Caroline and Bonnie, both with tears on their cheeks, Stefan, whose green eyes had gone soft and misty, and Damon, his blue eyes bright with memories. "I see by the clock it's past bedtime, so if you want Santa Claus to hurry up and get here, you ladies need to be in the bed! I'll remember to leave the cookies and milk out. Let's go to bed."
The girls protested, but Lindsey was firm, and when the girls were finally in bed, Lindsey went downstairs and made mulled hard cider for the adults. They drank cider, talked about Christmases long ago, and finally made their way up to bed, too.
"Damon's so different now," Caroline said as she and Stefan lay in bed. "He's crazy about those little girls. I honestly never thought I'd see him like this. I never thought he was capable of it."
"I knew he was capable of it. I just never thought he'd let himself feel this much again," Stefan answered.
Lindsey saw Damon's expression as she got into bed. "What's the matter, baby?"
"Tonight," he answered.
"What about it?"
"Brought back a lot of memories I thought were buried. Mother read to us on Christmas Eve. And almost always, 'The Night Before Christmas' was something she read. I know Stefan was thinking about that, too. If only she'd made it out West. I'd have gone with her, and never met Katherine, probably. Sometimes, it just hits a little close, that's all."
Lindsey cuddled close to Damon and kissed him softly. "I understand. Love you," she murmured to him.
"Love you too."
Christmas morning dawned sunny and cold. Shani and Brae were up as soon as the light was gray outside. They ran full tilt into the living room to see an array of gifts under the tree and spread around the room. They were trying to be quiet, and failing completely, when Damon and Lindsey came downstairs.
"If you two can sit down by the tree, I'll sort it all out and you can start tearing into your loot," Lindsey said. She handed each of them a large box. Squeals greeted the unwrapping, which revealed American Girl dolls, each customized to look like the girls. More wrapping covered doll outfits and a beautiful little china tea set. Each child also received a little trunk with storage for their doll and all their clothing.
Damon sat in the recliner, just watching the proceedings, when Shani looked up at him. She went to him, climbed in his lap and said, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Damon."
"Merry Christmas to you, too," he replied, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth.
The child looked seriously at him. "Don't be sad. It's Christmas. Ms. Lindsey wants you to be happy! So do I!" and here she kissed his cheek.
Lindsey wished she had a picture of the look of pleased shock on her husband's face. That was a moment she would remember the rest of her life. Damon, for his part, put his arm around the girl and looked as though he'd never need another Christmas present.
He looked at his wife, who was busy stuffing wrapping paper scraps into a trash bag. She glanced at him and grinned. Lindsey turned to the girls. "All right. It's just 5:30 in the morning, and we're still tired. And I'm betting that now you have your presents opened, you can probably go back upstairs and sleep for a little longer. I'll call you in time for breakfast. Off you go, now."
The girls rushed Lindsey, hugging her and thanking her and Damon. They went upstairs.
Lindsey looked after them. "I want them to remember this Christmas as the one where they got everything they wanted, and were happy, without anything to mess it up."
Damon went to stand behind Lindsey and put his arms around her. "They'll remember it, for sure." He nuzzled her ear. "Your Christmas present is in the bedroom."
"Isn't it always?" she shot back and Damon looked a little hurt.
"Seriously. I kept it in there," he said.
Lindsey turned to face Damon and kissed him. "Then let's go see it."
They went upstairs and Lindsey peeked into the girls' room. They were already asleep again, hugging their dolls and teddy bears close. She smiled and silently closed the door.
They went into their bedroom and Damon locked the door. He went to his armoire and felt around in the back. He drew out a couple of boxes and handed them to her. She opened the smaller box and found what looked like a jewelry case. She shot him a look and opened the case. Inside, nestled inside a creamy velvet lining, were a rope of pink-gold pearls, matching earrings, and a pearl bracelet.
"They're beautiful, Damon," Lindsey said, knowing there was no way to tell him to stop buying jewelry for her. He enjoyed doing it. "Thank you." And they were beautiful. She loved the colors. She smiled at him and opened the other box. Her eyes widened when she saw what it was: a set of intricately carved nesting dolls, beautifully painted. She looked up at Damon, awed. "These are absolutely incredible. Where in the world did you get them?" She took the largest doll apart, and found there were a total of 12, each with a different face and carving.
Damon's face was like sunshine as he said, "I made them. A Russian lady from Birmingham painted them for me."
Lindsey's smile lit up the room. "Oh, Damon. These are so wonderful! And because you made them, they're even more precious." She stood and kissed him softly. "Thank you, love."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you like them."
"I do. So much. Interested in seeing your gift?"
"Of course," he said with a grin.
Lindsey went to her closet and located a box. She handed it to Damon, and he ripped the paper off, then raised the lid. There, in a bed of straw, was a bottle of one of the most expensive U.S. bourbons on the market. Lindsey had looked high and low for it, and when she found the one bottle a retailer in Bardstown, Kentucky had in stock, she offered him double the asking price. She had never gained an appreciation for liquor, but she knew Damon would recognize its value.
He looked at it. "Old Rip Van Winkle's 23-Year-Old Kentucky Whiskey." He looked a little shocked. "Where did you find this? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get ahold of this bourbon? Nobody carries it!"
"Tell me about it," she answered wryly. "But I managed to get you the last bottle for this year, probably in the whole Southeast."
"This is not a cooking bourbon, so no sneaking it for fruitcake cookies!" he teased.
"For what I paid for it? No way," she replied. "But you can toast the New Year in with it, or something."
"I will. This is a sipping bourbon. I can't wait to try it. Later tonight, after the munchkins are asleep, and we have the den to ourselves." He broke the seal, opened the bottle and sniffed. "Incredible." He waved the bottle under Lindsey's nose and she sniffed, then grinned at him.
"Smells like rubbing alcohol to me. You know I have no appreciation for this stuff. Maybe in a hundred years or so."
Damon shook his head, carefully closed and secured the bottle and set it on his dresser. "The door's locked, and best I can figure, we've got at least three or four more hours before the rugrats get back up. And our bed is very warm and cozy."
"Electric blankets are a great invention," Lindsey said.
"You'd better believe it," he answered. He lay down and patted the space beside him. Lindsey joined him and snuggled to him as she turned her face up for his kiss.
Packing up the girls' things was one of the hardest things Lindsey ever did. Bonnie contacted her coven, and they found a supernatural family in the area, pushed through the long-term foster care paperwork, and the girls had a loving home waiting on them. But these little girls had a firm hold on Lindsey's heart, and she cried as she got their clothes together. Damon was stoic, as usual, but Lindsey knew this was hitting him hard, too.
They said goodbye the day after New Year's, after watching the Tournament of Roses Parade the day before, for the first time. Lindsey cried quietly into her pillow that night, as Damon tried to comfort her. He felt terrible. He was going to miss the girls too, and he couldn't give Lindsey any daughters of her own. He knew she'd accepted she would never have children long before she turned, but he still felt some responsibility for her never having a family of her own. So he held her close, not saying anything, but stroking her hair and making gentle humming noises as she sobbed. Lindsey loved so fiercely, Damon knew, and she loved with her whole heart. And she had fallen in love with these girls. The only thing making it bearable was knowing they were going to a family who wanted them and would love them and take care of them.
When Dana and the girls' new family came to get them the next day, Lindsey was determined not to cry in front of them. Stefan, Caroline and Bonnie left the day before, and Lindsey was dry-eyed as they said goodbye. She hugged and kissed the girls and shook hands with their new foster parents, who of course, knew immediately what she was, and were obviously puzzled. Lindsey figured she'd just let the girls explain in their own time.
"You two be good," she said to them. Shani ran to her and jumped into her arms.
"I'm gonna miss you," she said.
"I'll miss you too, Shani. But you're always welcome here. Any time you want to come back, come on. This door is always open for you and Brae." Lindsey's smile was a little watery, but she managed to hold it together until the cars disappeared down the drive. The girls were waving through the windows until they were out of sight.
When the yard was silent again, Lindsey said, "There's nothing worse than seeing taillights disappearing into the distance, carrying someone you love." She turned and went into the house.
Damon stood outside a few more minutes, thinking about the times he drove away from the woman he loved, and how bereft she must have felt. His own heart was aching, missing those kids. The house was going to be an awfully quiet, somber place for a few days. He walked out to his shop, not even able to look at the empty swingset.
Lindsey sat in the rocker that belonged to her grandmother. She rocked slowly, silent tears falling. She could never blame Damon for what she was now. It was her decision. He hadn't forced her to do anything, but looking down the years seemed awfully lonely, and she understood suddenly why some vampires went crazy. They were filling up the space. Longevity definitely had its downside. But she knew that when she turned. She knew what Damon had been through. He'd never sugarcoated any aspect of his life. He'd never been anything but honest with her. As she dabbed at her eyes, Damon's almost silent footsteps came into the room. He sat in his recliner and looking at his wife, held out his hands. She went into his arms and cried again.
"I love you Lindsey, and I always will," he said. As he laid his dark head against hers, he thought the bitter had come this Christmas, as it usually did for him, but at least the sweet outweighed it this year. He held Lindsey close and was thankful for her, and for her constant love.