Hello, my lovely readers! We're having Christmas a bit late—thank you, FanFic site. Grrr! On with the show…
Ch. 15: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!
There was a buzz of merriment in the halls of Mystic Falls High. Students were ready for their annual Christmas vacation to begin. This meant running up and down the halls, singing carols, off-key, at the top of their lungs. Approaching my locker, I found someone had decorated in a red wrapping paper, adding a large green bow for effect.
"Jingle bell! Jingle Bell! Jingle Bell Rock!" Caroline's voice made my head turn, to find her dancing down the hall with the cheer squad behind her. It looked as if Damon's and Elena's Thanksgiving romp had given Caroline an idea.
Speaking of Damon, a hoot from the other side of the hallway made me aware of my best friend coming to join me. "Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas, Santa Nik! What did you get me for my birthday this year?" He came to lean against the locker next to mine with his usual smirk in place.
My mind froze for a long moment. Damon's birthday came mere days before Christmas and I had forgotten to get him a present. How could I have been so remise?
Damon looked from me to my locker. "Nice wrapping. You know where I would NOT hide a present? Somewhere so obvious. But, hiding in plain sight would be typical Niklaus Mikaelson subterfuge. Let's see what's behind Door Number One?" With a grin, he placed a hand on my combination lock and twirled it around.
My heart pounded in my chest. With any luck, Caroline had left some sort of present that I could pass off as his until I had time to get my friend a real present.
The door swung open and Damon glanced inside. His smile fell when he found a nutcracker inside. "Huh?" He reached in and took it out. "This is for you." He handed the toy to me.
An attached card read: "Merry Christmas! You've always been a tough nut to crack, but maybe our little friend here can do the job." Tyler's gift made me roll my eyes.
Damon's mouth twist into a crocked smile. "I think Tyler let his mom help him shop this year."
"Yes. Perhaps this will go in the re-gift pile. Kol always looks for something to place Bekah's dolls heads inside."
Damon worked the jaw of the nutcracker. "I can think if a few heads to put in a larger version of this guy." His eyes met mine and they brightened for a moment. "So, I've got to take Stef home. He keeps complaining that I leave him behind. Psst. I only did that, like, five times, last week. And he's got legs. Walking is a nice, healthy activity." With a chuckle, Damon strode off.
In my friend's wake, I was left wondering what in the hell I was going to do about his present, or lack thereof. Soon I found myself distracted by an elf.
"Ho, there, cutie. Whatcha up to?" Caroline took a red scarf off and threw it around my neck. She pulled me into a deep kiss before she leaned back to nuzzle my nose. "I was thinking that you could walk me home. I have the place to myself, until my mom comes home around eight." Her nose moved to my neck.
With a sharp inhale, I eased backwards. My hands went to her shoulders. "Caroline as much as I would love to be distracted by you-in this adorable costume-it seems that I have forgotten all about Damon's present."
"You did?" Caroline moved back to stare at me, wide-eyed. "But you love birthdays!"
"I do." I nodded, allowing my hands to slip down to her arms. "Which is why I must go shopping this evening."
"Okay." Caroline nodded. "Do you want to come with you?"
Thinking on that, I nodded. "Yes. That would be lovely of you. Thank you, love." Curling my arm around her, I held up the nutcracker. "Do you like my new friend?"
Caroline eyed the nutcracker skeptically. "He reminds me of a lawn gnome."
Shrugging, I said, "I'm giving him to Kol."
"Good. Because I don't think I could spend a night with him in your room. I would be afraid he would come to life. Then there's the dancing mice. And it's a whole ballet; gone so very wrong."
Grinning, I pressed my lips to the tip of her nose. Caroline would help me find the perfect present, with plenty of time to spare before Damon's birthday.
~0~
"This is a disaster!" On the way to town's square, Katherine had called, and Caroline felt we had to make a stop at the Gilberts.' Now, we stood in the living room. In front of a sad, little Christmas tree. "I requested a pine tree. Not a sapling!" Katherine snarled. "See!" She marched over to her laptop and pointed at her order slip.
Caroline looked at the slip. "Um, Kat. This is where you read the fine print..."
Katherine leaned over. Her eyes darted over the screen before she let out a cry if fury and stomped away. Her hands dug into her curls and she began to stomp around. "Mom would never have made this kind of mistake! Christmas is ruined!"
Reading the fine print, I found that an Ever-Green Pine Tree would arrive for the customer to plant outside, and enjoy the following year: In their yard. What a heart-warming thought. "How much did you pay for this?"
"Thirty-five dollars and sixty-two cents. Plus, ten-dollar delivery charge." Kat fell on the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. "I ruined Christmas for my whole family!"
"You can come to my house. We have a tree. It's fully decorated." Caroline watched Katherine whose eyes rose and her lips puckered. I could tell that it was more than a tree that had gotten under her skin.
"I'm not cut out to be a mother." Getting to her feet, Katherine walked towards the stairs. "Tell Lena that I am going to a friend's place for the holidays."
"What?" Caroline shot me a panicked look. "Katherine, you can not leave!" She ran after Katherine and up the stairs. With a sigh, I pulled my phone out. It looked like I would not be able to get to the mall tonight. I would have to try to go in the morning.
~0~
"Nik! Niklaus!" The sound of Rebekah pounding on my door until I got up and staggered to it. The pounding ceased once I threw the piece of wood open. "Look at what you caused!" Her eyes were red and puffy from crying as she held the bits of an old doll she used to carry about in her hands. "You bloody horror of a man!"
"What did I do, exactly?" Yawning, I ran a hand through my hair and leaned against the doorframe.
"You gave Kol that monstrosity. Look at what it did to poor Agatha!" She waved the doll's head at me. "He Marie Antoinette-d her!"
My eyes widened. "So, sorry, Sister, but are you not a bit old for such things?"
Rebekah tossed the head at me. "Stefan bought it for me, for my first Christmas here!" More tears ran down her cheeks as she turned and ran from me.
Picking up the head, I felt a prick of guilt. I should have known that the doll held some sort if sentimental value for her. I stepped into the hall, to pick up the doll's body that my sister had left in her wake. It looked as if I would be delving further into my saving, to take this toy to someone for repair.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I would set aside all else and find time to purchase Damon a present...
~0~
The next day came and this time it was Tyler who prevented me from being able to go in search of Damon's present.
"You gave the nutcracker to Kol!" Tyler demanded. He had his hands on his hips as he stood at the bottom of the basement steps of my house. "I let you stay at my house. And this is the thanks I get! You couldn't even wait a couple of months before passing it off, like it was a puppy who didn't know how to roll over?"
"Who would do that to a puppy?"
"Matt's family was never around-Wait! No! You do not get to change the subject!"
"Tyler, it is a nutcracker. All it does is crack nuts. And it would give Caroline nightmares!"
Rolling his eyes, Tyler slid his hand into his jacket pocket and removed a sheet of paper. "I got you a place at the new Modern Sketch class at the Richmond Museum. It took me forever to figure out what we both really like to do. So, I thought it would be a cool thing to do this summer. That's why the nutcracker, 'cause I finally cracked you open, and figured out how to make us better friends. But you really don't care. So, forget it."
"Tyler..." I felt terrible. Tyler had done something considerate for me and I had thought it was a joke. It seemed that Damon was not the only one of my friends who were looking forward to a very in un-merry Christmas.
~0~
"What are we doing here?" Damon grumbled as we stood outside of the Mystic Falls version of Target. He glanced at me with a glum look.
My lips quirked into a sardonic smile. "I have fifty dollars in my pocket, and I thought you could buy whatever your heart desires." Placing a hand on his back, I swept the free one before us. "Use some imagination, my friend. What do you see before you?"
"I see my friend being an idiot!" Damon snapped. He strode ahead and into the store.
With a sigh, I trudged in behind Damon. He would have to make this difficult, for the both us, now, wouldn't he?
Inside the store, last-minute shoppers scanned lists and hurried past us. They had a harried and concentrated look on their faces while I did not feel any particular need to rush. There would be plenty of time to find what I need as the hours passed.
"Nik!" Caroline came around a corner, with a box of candy canes. "They're having a five-for-one special!"
"Good. Get as many as you wish." I continued on to find Matt and Tyler in the snack aisle. Tyler did not look at me. He seemed entirely engrossed in a choice between Doritos or Pringles.
"Klaus, you want Seven-Up, or Sprite?" Matt inquired, glancing my way.
"Get both, if you like." I kept going.
Elena and Bonnie were in the clothing aisle, eyeing up PJs. "They might be a little big around the bottom," Elena was saying.
Enzo appeared in an ugly Christmas sweater. "Who cares. You won't be wearing them long, according to Damon."
"Uhhh!" Elena tossed the PJS back on the rack. "He's so lucky his birthday is in less than three hours!"
Bonnie and I made eye contact and I nodded at her before continuing on my way. The witch was a large part of my plans to turn this Christmas disaster around. And so long as her glamour worked; no one would be the wiser.
Lost in thought, I found Katherine and Elijah were contemplating a series of fake trees that had not sold. "See, I could have gotten one of these. Just pour Klaus' cologne on it, and it would smell like the real thing," Kat pointed out, arms crossed over her chest as Aiden ran into my legs.
"You're it, Uncle Nik!" Aiden cried, giggling. "Run, Uncle Nik is it!" Nadia, Davina and Josh looked to me and then took off.
"Children!" Elijah called. "Damn it! Katherine! We need to find them!"
"Let Klaus do it! This was his big idea!" Katherine said. She looked to me and then turned away. "I'm going to see if they have my mascara on sale." She took off while Elijah groaned and followed her.
"Attention, Customers, we will be closing in thirty minutes. Please take your purchases to the check-out lanes!" The announcement ended and I continued on my way through the store.
"Attention, customers, the store is now closing!" The announcement ended and my group stood in the cleaning supplies aisle. "I think we forgot something," Bonnie told everyone.
"What?" Caroline asked. Her cart was close to over-flowing. "You heard them, they're closing. Right now! We have to go!"
"Yes. It would seem we must." I held Davina under one arm and Josh under the other while Aiden and Nadia rode on my feet. "Shall we?" We headed towards the front of the store; when the lights suddenly cut out.
"Wait! No! I've seen this episode, and I will NOT be locked inside a store that does not sell Dior!" Katherine screeched, running through the store. By the time I caught up, she had her face pressed to the window, and was banging on it with a closed fist. "Let us out! I'm allergic to polyester blend!"
"We're locked in here!" Damon looked around us. "For the night?"
"It appears that way." I looked to my friend. Slowly, a smirk formed on his face.
"Alright... Whose headed to the toy section?" Damon held up a hand. Stefan took off, with Kol and Tyler ahead of him.
With a smile, I moved as quickly as I could with my added appendages. When I got to the toy aisle, I found Jeremy and Kol had freed a pair of bikes and began to speed around us. Damon had a pair of sunglasses on and a skateboard under his feet. "Come on, people, it's time to celebrate the holiday!" Damon called out. "Let's decorate those trees. He took off ahead of us. I handed Caroline Josh and Elijah claimed his son. Nadia held out her arms and Katherine took the girl, with a sigh.
We returned to the unwanted Christmas trees. "I have plenty of candy canes," Caroline said. She pointed at her cart which Matt had taken over wheeling around the store.
"They need lights." Kat looked to Elena and Jeremy. "And tinsel. Decorations."
"How about bows?" Rebekah offered.
Kat shrugged. "Whatever."
They disbanded. I went with Damon, on a search for other items. "We've got food. We just need to cook it." Damon glanced at me.
With a smirk, I led him towards the food court. "Microwave. Soda machines. All you could desire." We went about freeing Matt and Tyler's carts of popcorn and pizzas.
"Ice cream?"
"Cake?"
Damon and I grinned at each other as we went about making food for an entire party.
~0~
"Movies?" Bonnie and Enzo brought the group into the entertainment section. "We have a lot of classics, and some things none of us have heard of: For a reason." Bonnie set down a stack of movies. Damon claimed a leather recliner. I claimed the one next to it. Elena climbed in Damon's lap while Kat rolled her eyes at us, until Elijah returned with a blow-up chair. She took a seat and he offered her a strawberry smoothie. Looked like he'd been in the appliances department as well.
"Thank you, Elijah." Kat smiled and she did not even complain when her daughters crawled onto the chair with her and cuddled up.
"So, Home Alone, or The Holiday?" Bonnie called out.
"Home Alone!" Tyler called out.
"The Holiday!" Caroline said, giving Tyler a look.
Tyler rolled his eyes. "All in favor of not-another-stupid-rom-com?" He held up his hand, so did Kol and Jeremy. Matt lifted his hands, looking guilty. "Come on, guys!" Tyler called to the rest of the males in the group.
"All in favor of The Holiday?" Caroline lifted her hand, so did Elena. Kat looked bored already and sucked on her straw. Caroline gave me a look, and I lifted my hand. Bonnie lifted hers. Enzo followed his girlfriend.
"Majority rules." Caroline looked to Bonnie.
"Wait!" Damon jumped in. "Who wants to see a Charlie Brown Christmas?"
"Me!" Nadia stood up on the chair and began to bounce.
Davina looked to her sister. "I wanna!" She began to bounce, too.
Katherine groaned, "Elijah, can you take them?"
"Yes. Come here, girls!" Elijah held out his arms. First Nadia, and then Davina launched themselves at him. "OH!" My brother groaned, holding his charges and looking winded.
"It's settled." Damon went over, to go through the pile, and pulled out the movie.
Tyler looked unhappy. "Since when does he get to veto all of our votes?"
"His birthday is tomorrow!" Elena hissed.
Looking down, Tyler moved to the pile. "So, Damon. You got any other faves?"
"Are you kidding me?" Damon grinned and began to list all of his favorite Christmas flicks while Caroline took a seat on the arm of my chair. "Your ice cream is melting," she told me, dipping a finger into it.
"I'm aware." I tugged her into my lap. "Do you think he's happy?"
"Damon?" Caroline looked to Damon. "Yes. I think he is."
Damon handed Tyler his film picks while Bonnie turned the TV on with a wave of her hand. I relaxed into the chair as the familiar strains of music began to fill the area that we sat in.
~0~
Hours later, the smallest children had gone to sleep while the rest of us were full of caffeine. "What do you want to do now?" I asked Damon.
Damon looked around us. "I would like to play a game."
"What kind of game?" Elena looked at her boyfriend.
"Who's Afraid to be a Fashion Victim?" Damon smirked. "I can make anything look good. But not all of us were blessed with this face and body. So, whose game?"
"You sound like Katherine," Matt said.
"Afraid, Donovan?" Damon challenged.
Matt shook his head. "No. I'll do it."
"Good. So, here's the thing. We need people to volunteer to be dressers. You find our ugly looks, and we have to wear them. Who wants to be a dresser?"
Bonnie, Tyler, and Kat held up their hands.
"Sorry, Katherine. You're part of the game. How about...Kol?"
Kol jumped to his feet. "I'll make you hideous!" he told Kat with glee. Kat cringed.
"Who will look after the children?" Elijah inquired. His gaze went to the sleeping tots.
Damon's gaze swept over us. "Matt can look after them. Can't you?"
"But..." Matt sighed. "Fine."
"Don't worry. We'll videotape the contest for you, " Caroline offered. "Elena, let's go find a camera."
"You're in the second group!" Damon called. He turned to me. "Come on, Nik. Tyler has some ingenious ideas."
Tyler suddenly perked up and I groaned. Yes. This would end well.
~0~
"And these will look great with your complexion." Tyler tossed me a pair of mint green suspenders, to go with a pair of purple scuba pants. With a sigh, I got dressed.
When I stepped outside of the dressing room and made my way out to the floor, I found Tyler, Bonnie, Kol, Bekah, Stefan, Caroline, and Elena clapping for me. I flashed a smile and whipped off the tortoiseshell sunglasses with neon blue frames. Opening the billowy orange sweater, I struck a pose, so they could admire my purple scuba pants and suspenders.
"You look so hot!" Caroline cheered
"Next up is Katherine Gilbert!" Enzo called out.
Kat stalked out in a pair of white, fake snake-skin boots. She twirled before wrapping a large aquamarine boa around her neck. She slid out of a black trench coat to reveal a pair of granny panties pulled over a pair of pair of jeans with flares so large; it was a wonder she did not fall over trying to walk in them. On top she wore a tank top with a feral cat who looked like an alien who mated with a blowfish.
"Go Kat!" Elena cried, clapping.
"And, finally, we have Damon Salvatore!"
Damon came out with curlers in his hair. He wore a pair sparkly high heels and a dress in a green that could only be made from a toxic waste explosion. It was cut maybe a little too low in the back because Damon was flashing us a bit more of himself than anyone-other than Elena-wanted to see.
"Oh, honey!" Elena held out her arms and they embraced.
"Next!" Enzo called. "Elena. Caroline. And my favorite: Miss Bonnie Bennett!"
The girls went in. Caroline came out first. She wore a lovely set of PJ shorts and T-shirt. A creepy clown leered at us from her shirt. The shorts had been cut wrong, so they bunched up around her stomach and hung above her knees. To add to their charm, they had dancing tigers who seemed to be eating Christmas trees. She had donned a tutu, to add to the whimsy.
"Who would pay for this stuff?" Kat asked, but she was smiling.
Elena came out in a men's suit, in a print that would make Elijah never look at a suit the same way. It displayed happy elephants bathed in ponds. She had pulled her hair into a series of sparkly barrettes and tied a paisley scarf around her neck.
Bonnie came out last, in a pair of flippers, with snorkeling gear and in a bridesmaids' dress. The skirt was made of tulle in so many layers that she looked like she'd grown five sizes and the top was so sheer she had to wear a tank underneath. She waved her arms at her side like she was swimming to Enzo.
"You look great, Bon!" Damon called. "Okay. So, time to declare a winner!"
"Who's judging?" Elena asked.
"Enzo." Damon folded his arms and looked to Enzo who stared at each of us.
"I have decided that Bonnie wins!" Enzo said.
Kol shook his head. "But I put so much work into Katherine's look."
"Maybe next year," I consoled my brother.
~0~
The next morning, I called Father, and he came to pay for he many things we used, or ate, or destroyed...by accident.
"Did you enjoy your birthday so far?" I asked Damon.
Damon grinned at me. "You bet. This will be the best year of our lives!"
Time would tell...
Thank you for reading, faving, following, and reviewing.
Be safe,
-J
