A/N : I know, I'm a little (a LOT) behind schedule. Real life has been kicking my ass lately. Thank you to those of you who are still interested in reading this fic. Penny, I hope that you're liking the story so far.

CHAPTER THREE – It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Elena took a moment to get her eyes accustomed to the darkness. It was pitch black everywhere. She had no idea where she was, but the place did seem familiar to her. She made her way into the shadows, wrinkling her nose at the dank and musty smell of the place.

"Hello?" she called out. "Anybody here? Damon? Bonnie? Jeremy? Stefan? Ric? Caroline? Anybody?"

"They're not here," Elena almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice from behind her.

That voice. It was distorted, but there was something familiar with that voice. "Where is everyone?" Elena asked.

"They're gone," the voice answered. The voice was thin and hollow, like a voice from the grave. "They're all gone."

Elena adjusted her eyes to focus on the figure. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"The dark always rises as the night falls," the voice answered cryptically.

Elena made out the shape of the one she was speaking to. It was gravely and phantom-like, shrouded in a black cloak, its face concealed with a hood. "Who are you?"

"I am the one who knows you best, Elena Gilbert," the phantom replied.

"Yeah...I doubt that," Elena scoffed. "What is this place?"

"Don't you recognize it," the dark figure answered her question with another question. "I suppose it's all different now...cold, dark, the smell of smoke and mildew permeating the air. It hardly resembles the place it used to be."

Elena gasped loudly and almost tripped over herself once it dawned on her where she was. "This is my house!"

"It used to be," the phantom said. "But then, you burned it down. Because that's what you do. You destroy."

"No...NO! I had to do it!" Elena tried to explain. "I couldn't live in this place after so much tragedy."

"This house was not just YOURS!" the voice hissed. "It belonged to Jeremy too...and your parents-"

"Shut up!" Elena snapped, her hands covering her ears.

"The memories you had of this place...those belonged to Jeremy as well. Mementos of his own childhood, Elena. You took that from him," the voice blamed her.

"I thought he was dead!" Elena screamed.

"And you just gave up," the phantom said. "That's what you do. You give up too easily. And now, your poor brother has no place to call his own. He lives on other people's homes, Elena. Because you took this all away from him."

"I didn't mean to!" Elena replied, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You never mean to, Elena," the voice hissed. "But still, it happened. And this wasn't the only thing you took from Jeremy, was it? You also robbed him of his parents."

"That wasn't my fault!" Elena shook her head in denial.

"Sure it was! They would never have been on that bridge if it weren't for you. You killed Jeremy's parents!" the phantom accused her.

"They were my parents too!" Elena snapped.

"No! Your parents were John and Isobel...both of whom also died because of you," the figure reminded her.

"NO! No...nooo!" Elena covered her ears and refused to listen.

"You're like oleander...a beautiful flower, but poison to everything it touches," the voice continued. "This is why you're all alone now, Elena."

"No..." Elena shook her head. "I still have friends and family-"

"Look around you, Elena!" the voice pointed out. "They're not here. You're all alone."

"Jeremy-" Elena said.

"Can't stand to be near you," the voice told her.

"Bonnie-" Elena sobbed.

"Is dead," the voice continued. "She was never rescued."

"Caroline-" Elena whispered.

"You really believe that she would stay in a world where 'everything Elena Gilbert' is what's most important?" the voice asked rhetorically.

"Stefan?" Elena's voice quivered.

"He was the first to leave," the phantom told her. "Can you blame him? His relationship with his brother was destroyed because of you."

"Alaric-" Elena said in a soft voice.

"Has his own life now," the figure answered. "His friendship with Damon never recovered," the voice informed her. "Face it, Elena. They're all gone. Anyone who didn't die for you had the good sense to leave you. You're all alone."

"That's not true," Elena answered confidently. "There is one more. And he promised that he would never leave me again," she said. She ran around the burnt-down house, in frantic search of someone she knew would never leave her. "Damon! Damon!" she called his name. "Where are you?"

"Don't you remember, Elena?" the voice asked, as the phantom magically appeared in front of her. "He's dead. You killed him."

"No! That's not true!" Elena yelled, as she continued to search for Damon.

"He's gone, Elena. He went inside the town limits of Mystic Falls, knowing that it would kill him," the phantom reminded her. "Because of you. Because you never loved him."

"I LOVED HIM! Don't you dare tell me that I never did!" Elena screamed on top of her lungs.

"Is that why you wanted to forget about him?" the voice scoffed.

"I had to," Elena sobbed. "My grief was destroying me."

"Excuses," the voice retorted. "You seem to have a lot of them."

"I love Damon," Elena repeated. "And he will return to me."

"Wrong," the voice told her. "He DID return to you," it reminded her. "Only you were stupid enough not to take him back. And now, he's gone again. Gone forever. All because of you."

"No...I refuse to believe that," Elena said adamantly. "He will come back!"

"Damon Salvatore has cheated death hundreds of times in his 173 years on this earth," the phantom reminded her. "He cheated death one last time to return to you, but you wasted it. He chose his own end. This is his fate. You can't change it."

"You can't tell me what I can or can't do! Who the hell are you?" Elena snapped.

"Like I've said...I am the one who knows you best, Elena Gilbert," the voice said.

Elena knew she recognized that voice...and now, she knew why. She ripped the hood off the phantom's head to reveal its identity. "Katherine!" she hissed.

Right in front of her, she was mirrored with the same face. Same chocolate brown eyes. Only the hair was not perfectly curled as Katherine's. It was dark, long and pin-straight.

"Wrong doppelganger," the woman told her. "I am you, Elena Gilbert. And this...this is OUR life."

"No...this can't be-" Elena shook her head in disbelief.

"Life was never the same after you lost Damon forever," her double informed her.

"No...I was supposed to get him back!" Elena insisted.

"You tried...and you failed," the spirit told her. "You tried your best to make him happy...you failed on that one as well."

"I don't believe you," Elena refused.

"You were told that Damon's death was his fate, and you just accepted it," her double said to her. "You ran out of time, Elena."

"No," Elena said flatly. "There's still time," she insisted. "This is all a dream. I will wake up soon, and I will prove you wrong."

"And what can you do, Elena Gilbert?" the spirit retorted. "You can't do anything for yourself. Everyone knows that."

"To save Damon...I'd do anything," Elena said with great confidence.

"Anything?" her double scoffed at her. "I highly doubt that."

"He'd do it for me," Elena reminded herself. "He'd do anything for me. "You said it yourself, he defied death just to come back to me. What makes you believe that I can't do the same for him?"

"Easier said than done," the spirit doubted her.

"I will disobey fate. I will violate the laws of the universe. Hell, I will rewrite time if I have to," Elena said sternly. "Mark my words...I won't allow Damon to die again. I love him. He is THAT important to me. And I refuse to lose him again."

For the the first time that night, a smile spread on her double's face. A smile of encouragement. "It's time to prove to your love that you're worth a damn, Elena Gilbert."

As the spirit's smile grew, she shoved her down. Only there was no ground underneath her. She fell...and she continued to fall. Falling into the darkness, in search of the one who lights up her life...

8:15 am, December 23rd...

When Elena woke up, she was no longer on laying on the floor. She was wrapped up in a duvet, laid down in the middle of a heart-shaped bed, in a very luxurious room. But most noticably, there was no Damon to hold her tightly in his arms. She sat up from bed, and allowed her eyes to roam around the room in search of him. Other than her, the room was empty. She was all alone.

He left. He left me. Elena thoughts ran frantically, as her eyes began to well up with tears. "Damon?" she called out his name. "Damon!"

The door suddenly opened, as Damon entered on high alert, his eyes quickly scanning the room for any threats, ready to protect her from any evil. In a flash, he was sitting on the bed, at Elena's side.

"What's wrong, Baby?" he asked worriedly. "I could hear your heart trying to jump out of your chest all the way from downstairs."

Elena quickly locked her arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly. "You were gone," she said. "I woke up...and you were gone. I thought...I thought you left me," she whispered.

"Silly girl," Damon chuckled, as he wrapped his arms protectively around her. "As if I'd ever leave you in this town all alone and unprotected. Who knows what kind of trouble you'd get yourself into?"

Elena pulled back slightly, and smacked him lightly on the chest. "Where were you?"

Damon held up his finger. "One moment," he said. "Don't panic...I'll be right back."

Elena rolled her eyes, while he blurred out of the bedroom to retrieve something from the living room. As quick as he left, he returned to her side in a flash.

"I got you some breakfast," Damon told her, holding out a white paper bag. "Brioche French toast with brandied peaches, from the pastry shop right across the street. Highly recommended by Mad Martha," he said.

"Mad Martha?" Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Some lady I met in a bar last night..." Damon saw Elena eye him suspiciously. "Long story," he told her. "Anyway...that comes with," he said, as he held out a tall paper cup. "...High octane coffee, fortified with a healthy dose of AB negative."

Elena took the bag and the cup from his hand, and stared at him lovingly. "Thank you. You always know how to take care of me," she said, with a twinge of guilt in her voice.

Damon gave her a light kiss on the tip of her nose. "Now, eat...before it gets cold."

He gazed upon her with loving eyes, as she proceeded to eat the breakfast he got for her. Elena would look up to meet his eyes occasionally, but Damon never took his eyes off of her.

"Last bite," Elena offered playfully. "You sure you don't want it?"

Damon smirked, and took the piece of Brioche from her fingers. He gave her a light peck on the lips, before popping the piece of bread into her mouth. He moaned when Elena caught the tip of his finger. She bit it gently and sucked on it teasingly, before letting it go to chew the food. He continued to observed her intently, as she finished the coffee and blood mixture, a smile slowly spreading on his face.

"You're smiling," Elena noticed.

"I'm happy," Damon told her, as he gently tucked stray strands of her hair behind her ear. "I like our life when it's like this," he said, reminding them both of those very rare times when their lives were quiet and peaceful.

"Damon, I am so sorry-" Elena guiltily tried to apologize.

"Shhh..." Damon hushed her, pressing a finger on her lips. "No more apologies."

Elena shook her head and kissed his finger. "I need you to know that I'm sorry, and I regret what I did. Damon-"

Damon interrupted her again. "And you're forgiven," he told her. "Always and completely forgiven."

"I love you, Damon Salvatore," Elena whispered breathlessly.

"I know," Damon replied, wiggling his eyebrows.

Elena laughed softly, as she leans in closer for a kiss. She was glad when he returned the kiss, hungrily and very demanding. Her tongue plunged into his mouth, her fingers tangled up in his hair, as the kiss grew deeper. He gently pushed her to lay down on the bed, his body gently pressing down on hers. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt that she was wearing. She moaned into his mouth when his palms glided down to her breasts.

He began to kiss her neck, as she whispered his name breathlessly. His left hand teases its way in between her legs, making her gasp, grabbing his face to kiss him harder on his lips. He swallowed her moans, as he slid one finger inside of her, quickly followed by another one. Her moans grew louder when he curled his fingers inside of her, rocking her hips into his hand, while her nails clawed deeply into his back.

He plunges his tongue deeper into her mouth, totally lost in her. Her hands glided down from his hair, to his arms, caressing his ab muscles, making their way inside his pants. Pretty soon, he felt her delicate little fingers wrapped around his erection. His entire body jerks when she began stroking his length with alternating amount of strength and gentleness that was almost enough to drive him to the edge.

They both growled with frustration, when all of a sudden, her cellphone rang. They both tried to ignore it, but it continued with its incessant ringing.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Damon asked, without stopping his ministrations. He continued to kiss her with great fervor, while thrusting his erection into her hand.

"Let...it...ring..." Elena said in between kisses.

But the phone didn't stop ringing. Frustratedly, Damon took his free hand and reached for Elena's phone from the bedside table. He pulled his face slightly away from hers. "Answer it," he grumbled. "It might be important." Damon gasped at the sudden loss of contact, when Elena pulled her hand away from his cock, as she took the phone from him.

"He-Hello?" Elena answered the phone, softly and disoriented, as Damon continued to kiss down, from her jawline, to the curve of her breasts.

"Elena?" it was Caroline's voice.

"Ca-Care," Elena gasped, as she felt Damon's tongue swirl around her left nipple. "Ca-can I call you back?"

"No!" Caroline answered. "Are you okay? You seem out of breath."

"I'm fi-fine," Elena answered breathlessly. "Oh God!" she screamed when she felt Damon's fingers curl deeper inside of her, hitting that pleasure spot that only he can seem to find.

"Oh my God! Are you having sex with Damon right now as we speak?" Caroline yelled from the other line. "Seriously?!"

"Like she said, Blondie...she'll call you back," Damon said with a smirk, before his tongue playfully lingered on Elena's bellybutton.

"Damon!" Caroline protested. "You get off her, right now!"

"I am trying to at least get HER off," Damon said, resting his chin down on Elena's stomach. "And you just had to be a mood-killer. You know, just because you're not getting laid, doesn't mean we have to stay celibate."

"Ugh! You're disgusting!" Caroline screamed at him from the phone. "Elena! You get your butt back here in Virginia!"she demanded.

"What? Why?" Elena asked, her frustration matching, if not exceeding, that of Damon's.

"Because it's almost Christmas!" Caroline answered loudly. "And I'm not about to spend it all by myself!" she grumbled, before hanging up the phone.

Elena flinched when Damon withdrew his hand from inside her, and pulled away to lay down next to her, instantly missing the body contact. "We don't have to go."

"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right," Damon chuckled. "And Blondie will surely try to castrate me if you miss Christmas because of me."

"See, this wouldn't have happened if Stefan had just listened to me and made up with her already!" Elena said grumpily.

Damon laughed softly. "The most die-hard Team Stelena cheerleader ended up falling for good ol' Saint Stef...who would've thought?"

"Actually, I had a feeling she was headed down that direction eventually. Stefan's her hero," Elena told him.

"Stefan is everyone's hero," Damon pointed out.

Elena shook her head. "You're MY hero."

"I'm nobody's hero," Damon argued.

"Liar," Elena said. "You've saved my life on numerous occasions."

"And you saved mine," Damon reminded her. "I guess that makes you my hero, Elena Gilbert," he told her, before pressing another kiss into her lips.

Elena attacked his mouth hungrily, her fingers massaging his scalp as their kiss grew deeper. She groaned in frustration when her cellphone pinged, signaling a text message, most probably from Caroline again. "I'm going to kill her!" she growled as she pulled her mouth away from Damon's.

"You can't," Damon said. "You're a little low on the 'best friend' department, remember?" he sadly reminded her. "Besides, if anyone's going to kill Blondie, it's me," he added, as he got out of bed, taking Elena with him. "Upsy Daisy!"

"No!" Elena protested.

"To the shower, off you go,"Damon insisted.

"Join me?" Elena asked him.

"I already had my shower while you were sleeping earlier," Damon informed her.

"So? Do it again. Take a shower with me," Elena insisted, giving him a little pout.

"As tempting as that sounds," Damon said with a smirk. "...If I get in there with you, it might take us a while before we get done. And I plan on getting back to Virginia before dark," he added, wiggling his eyebrows. "Go...now!" he told her again, as gave her a not-so-gentle pat on the butt. "I'll go get our stuff ready."

Elena took a long, cold shower, before getting out of the luxurious bathroom. Damon was soon back in their room, with the outfit she wore yesterday in his hands.

"Your clothes, my love," he said playfully, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Freshly cleaned and neatly pressed. Had one of the staff laundry them."

"Thank you," Elena said, pressing her lips into his. She looked at her ratty old sweatshirt, and wrinkled her nose. "Actually, I was wondering if you have another one of your shirts that I can borrow?"

Damon smiled, and went rifling through his duffel bag. "Here you go," he said, his hand holding out a clean pair of one of his dark grey shirt. He watched her as she put some clothes on. "You better take the coat too," he told her, the pea coat he lent to her yesterday on his hand.

Elena smiled, as he put the coat on her. "Where did you get this coat anyway?" she asked him, inhaling the scent of the garment that was uniquely Damon's. "I don't think I've seen you wear anything else other than your leather jacket."

"It was more weather-appropriate where I came from," Damon replied mysteriously.

"Where were you this past few days?" Elena asked curiously.

"Somewhere cold," Damon answered cryptically. "You ready?"

"You're not going to tell me..." Elena said.

"It's not important," Damon replied.

"It is to you," Elena pointed out. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have traveled all this way..."

"Just leave it be Elena," Damon told her. "I'll tell you later, but for now...just let it be."

Elena nodded her head, as she offered him a warm smile. Damon kissed her lightly on the cheeks, before he left their room to load their stuff to his car. Elena let her eyes roam around the room, memorizing every single detail of their suite. She sighed, when Damon tugged on her hand, telling her that it was time to go. Together, they checked out of the inn.

Outside, she took one final look at the place...the city that held a lot of memories for her and Damon, at such a short amount of time. A twinge of sadness clutched at her heart. How can she miss a place she had only stayed at in less than a couple of days? She knew that Charleston will always have a special place in her heart.

"Ready to go?" Damon's voice jarred her out of her thoughts.

"I don't wanna go," Elena shook her head. She looked around once more, then turned her gaze back to Damon. "Let's come back here. Promise me that we'll come back here."

"I promise," Damon told her. "Although, I might have a talk with the innkeeper about replacing that bed. There's no way that I'm sleeping in a heart-shaped bed."

Elena rolled her eyes at him. "You don't have to sleep in it. You just have to make love to me."

"Don't talk like that, Elena," Damon playfully warned her. "I am not above throwing you on the hood of my car and have my wicked way with your body."

"You had your chance earlier to have your wicked way with my body," Elena reminded him. "But no...you wanted to be back in Virginia before dark.

"Touché ," Damon said. "You're cruel."

"You love me anyway," Elena pointed out.

"That, I do," Damon agreed, before leaning in to kiss her lips. He opened the passenger door for her to get in, then went to the driver seat and started the ignition. Not long after that, they were back on the road, on their way to Virginia.

They weren't even several miles away from Charleston, when Elena became restless. She kept fidgeting in her seat, apprehensive of what's to come. Fear came over her when she remembered what awaits Damon once he returns to Virginia.

"Stop!" she yelled. "Turn the car around," she told the confused-looking Damon. "I changed my mind. I don't wanna go back to Virginia."

"Elena-" Damon tried to calm her.

"We don't have to stay in Charleston," she added "We can go to Georgia!" she suggested.

"We're not going to Georgia," Damon shook his head. "I may have burned a bridge with Bree..."

"Okay, so we'll go some place else. We don't have to go back to Virginia! Please, Damon!" she begged him.

"Hey...hey...shhh." Damon whispered comfortingly. "What's wrong?"

"I just think..." she paused while she thought of an excuse. "It's time for a fresh start. We can have it anywhere else...just the two of us."

"No, Elena..." Damon said.

"Why not?" she snapped. "Damon, we can have a new life...no villains to hurt us...no one to pass judgment on what we have-"

"Elena...you can't run away from your old life and into a new one," Damon told her calmly. "Not when you have other people who loves you and depends on you. You taught me that."

"I just need it to be you and me for a while, okay?" Elena insisted.

"We have forever," Damon reminded her, as he squeezed her hand gently. "You made me promise, remember? This...us...we're forever. We've already proven that we can overcome whatever life throws at us. There's no need to rush into anything. We have forever," he reassured her. "But for now, we're stuck with annoying little brothers, ill-mannered best friends...and a huge debt of gratitude to pay back."

"We have forever," Elena repeated. "You promise?"

"I promise," Damon assured her. You're stuck with me for all eternity, Elena Gilbert," he told her, as he brought her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

Elena stared at him lovingly. Damon was happy...they both were. And he knows how much she loves him. And he forgave her for what she did. This gave her hope. Maybe...just maybe, Damon won't be dying again anytime soon. Maybe she had altered his fate after all.

They continued the ride back to Virginia. Elena fiddled with the radio, while Damon concentrated on the road, occasionally throwing her an affectionate gaze every now and then. Suddenly, Elena rubbed her palms together, and started breathing on her hands.

"I'm freezing," Elena complained.

Damon chuckled at her. "You are like the only vampire I know who gets cold this easily," he teased. He turned the heat up and then pointed to the glove compartment. "I think you still have your old mittens in there."

Elena rummaged through the glove compartment to search for them. "Found it!" she said. She was about to close it, when a map fell. She picked it up, noticed a certain point with a red circle in it. "Appleton, Wisconsin?" she asked curiously. "Is that where you've been?

Damon sighed and nodded his head. "Yep."

"What were you doing in Appleton, Wisconsin?" she pressed. She noticed his hesitation. "Come on, Damon...you said that we'd talk later. THIS is later."

"Alright...fine," Damon huffed. "I was there on a lead on how to get Bonnie back," he revealed to her.

"That's what you meant when you said paying off debts of gratitude," Elena said pensively. "Damon, you should've told me that you were still trying to look for ways to get Bonnie back!"

"It was another dead end, Elena," Damon sighed. "I just didn't want to remind you of another one of my failures."

"How can you say that?" Elena snapped. "Out of all of us, YOU are the only one left who's still trying!"

"I didn't want to give you false hope," Damon said.

"False hope is better than no hope at all," Elena replied. "Look, Damon...I don't care if you refuse to let other people see the good in you...but don't keep things from me, okay? We do this together."

"Elena-" Damon tried to protest.

"Together, Damon," Elena insisted.

Damon nodded his head and smiled. "Together."

A few more hours later, they have finally entered Virginia, passing Richmond's city limits. Elena was curled up in her seat, tired, bored and sleepy from the trip. Suddenly, her eyes lit up when she saw a sign on the side of the road. She tried to hide her excitement, but Damon quickly caught it. He smiled, before pulling over at the nearest stop.

"Wait...why are we stopping?" Elena asked.

"You know why," Damon replied. "Let's go...stretch our legs for a bit." He got out of the Camaro, and opened Elena's door for her.

Elena got out of the car, and her face brightened up like a little kid when she saw where they were headed. "Claybrooke Farms Christmas tree lot," she read the sign.

Damon held her hand and guided her in. "Let's have a look around."

They walked around the lot for several minutes, when Elena's mood perked up again. "Ohhh!" she gasped.

"See anything you like?" Damon asked her.

Elena looked at him with a shy smile, and then nodded her head. She pointed at the tree she picked, like she did when she was a little girl. "That one."

"It's beautiful," Damon said. "Good choice."

"But we can't take it," Elena told him.

"Why not?" Damon asked confusedly. "You look like you love it."

"I do," Elena said. "But it's 12 feet...we can't have that on our dorm."

"Who says anything about the dorm?" Damon smirked. "No, we're putting this baby up at the lake house." He turned to the attendant. "This tree right here."

"Good choice, sir," the man told him. "This was supposed to go to the Executive mansion, only the Governor's wife decided at the last minute that she wanted Virginia pine instead of Fraser fir."

"It's her loss, then. My lady wants this tree now...and whatever the lady wants, she gets," Damon told the attendant. He winked at Elena, who snickered, as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "We'll take it."

"It's $34.99 per foot-" the man began to tell him.

"I don't care," Damon waved his hand and interrupted the man. "What else do you have?"

"Uhm...we have a tree stand, some handmade fresh noble fir and winterberry wreaths, juniper and pepperberry garlands, poinsettia mantel pieces and table centerpieces..." the man listed.

"We'll take 'em too." Damon said. "You got any mistletoe?"

"Yes, sir," the man answered.

"Great...we'll take all of them," Damon told him, earning a loud giggle from Elena.

"Yes, sir," the man replied, before calling his other employees.

Damon turned his full attention on Elena, when her hand found its way inside his shirt...her fingers playfully tickling his torso. "You sooo wanna make out with me right now, don't you?"

"Well...when don't I?" Elena said, pressing a kiss upon Damon's smirking lips. She pulled away all of a sudden, her smile disappearing into a frown.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked worriedly.

"I'm supposed to be the one making you happy," Elena answered softly.

Damon laughed softly and shook his head. "Silly girl..." he teased. "Don't you now by now? Whatever puts a smile on your face makes me happy," He leaned in for another kiss.

Moments later, they heard the attendant clearing his throat. "Sir, everything is ready," the man informed them.

"Good," Damon told him. "Load them all up in your truck and have your men follow us. We're going to this house by Dunham Lake," he said, jotting down the address.

"That would be an additional delivery and service fee," the man notified him.

"I don't care," Damon told the man.

"Of course, sir. The total is-" the man tried to tell him.

"I don't care," Damon repeated, as he pulled out his wallet and handed the man a few hundred dollar bills. "Keep the change. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Sir," the man replied, then turned to Elena. "Merry Christmas, Miss!" he said, before turning away hurriedly to give instructions to his employees.

They arrived at the lake house a little over an hour later. They wasted no time putting the tree up. Elena adorned the lake house with the decorations that Damon had bought earlier, making sure that mistletoe were strategically hanging in all the right places. She then gathered all the lights and ornaments they have stashed up in the attic, and started putting them on the tree. She just finished stringing up popcorn when Damon joined her in the living room, with carrying a tray filled with cookies and some eggnog.

"Everything looks great," Damon praised her as he surveyed their tree, setting down the tray on the table.

"Whatcha got?" Elena asked curiously.

"Bourbon and pecan cookies," Damon replied. "It was one of my mother's Christmas tradition," he said, barely a whisper. He cleared the lump on his throat. "Anyway, it's really goes well with eggnog."

"So...you've been having bourbon since you were a little kid...why am I not surprised?" Elena smiled, as she tried to lighten his mood.

"Are you making fun of my mother's cookies," Damon scoffed with feigned irritation. "You'll pay for that!" he said, before he began to chase her around the room and started tickling her.

Hours later, they laid cuddled on the sofa, underneath one of the mistletoe Elena hung earlier. Damon made a fire earlier, which was now providing them warmth. Elena sighed contently when he gave her another kiss. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, while her hands rest on his chest, feeling the beat of his heart. Their tree looked beautiful, and all the decorations brightened the place. It was peaceful. They were happily enjoying their moment alone.

"I love this," Elena whispered. "Let's do this every year. Our very own Christmas tradition."

"Whatever pleases you, Baby," Damon answered, planting another kiss on her forehead.

"Oh, this is so much better than our last Christmas here," Elena reminded her. "Just try and send me away now, I dare you!"

"That was different," Damon defended his actions. "We had the sire bond to worry about. Now, can freely love each other."

"Hmmm...I like the sound of that. I just hope that I never give you any more reason to doubt my love for you ever again," Elena said, before attacking his lips with her own.

Hot and heavy, their kiss grew deeper. Then, out of nowhere, they heard a sound of someone clearing her throat.

"Blondie," Damon said with a fake smile. "Your timing is impeccable."

Caroline ignored him. "You got a tree," she stated the obvious. "Elena...I thought we agreed that we were going to pick OUR tree this year?"

"Yes, we did," Elena replied. "For the DORM room. This is our very own Christmas tree...mine and Damon's. We're starting a new tradition."

"Ugh," Caroline protested. "My mom's handling all the decorations for the dorm, you know, for our party," she said.

"What party?" Elena asked, trying to hide her nervousness while she remembered what happened that fateful night. "We never agreed to a party, Care!"

"Well...my mother decided to bring some Christmas cheer to Whitmore, since you know, we can't exactly go back to Mystic Falls," Caroline scoffed.

"I think that's a great idea," Damon chimed in.

"Nobody asked you," Caroline snapped at him.

"Aaannnddd...that's my cue to leave," Damon announced. He gave Elena a quick kiss, before standing up from the sofa. "I'll call you later."

"Damon...no, don't go!" Elena tried to stop him, but he was already out the door. She turned to Caroline and gave her friend a death glare. "Nice, Care...really nice!" she scoffed, before following Damon.

Outside, Elena ran to keep up with Damon. "Hey, wait up!" she called after him. "Damon!"

Damon stopped walking when he reached the Camaro. He turned around to face Elena. "Go back inside. It's freezing out here."

"Let's go back. You can keep me warm," Elena replied.

"Tempting," Damon told her. He shook his head. "I can't, Elena."

"Damon-" Elena protested.

"I am really happy at moment, Baby," Damon admitted. "I can't have Caroline ruining my mood."

"I'm sorry-" Elena tried to apologize.

"Shhh..." Damon whispered. "It's not your fault. You have no idea how happy you've made me feel today. It's the best I've felt in a very long time," he confessed. "We're okay," he reassured her. "We're more than okay...we're great! I just don't have the energy to deal with Blondie right now. That's why I have to leave."

"Do you swear?" Elena asked.

"Every goddamned day," Damon replied with a smirk.

Elena lightly smacked him on the chest. "You know what I mean!"

"I meant it...every word," Damon assured her. "Now, get back inside, before you turn into a human popsicle."

Elena gently caressed his face. "I love you."

"I know," Damon smirked, wiggling his eyebrow.

"Ass," Elena huffed, before making her way back inside the lake house.

"Elena," Damon called her.

"What?" she turned to face him again.

"I love you too," Damon gave her a smile, before he got inside the Camaro.

Elena followed him with her eyes, as he drove away, the returned inside the house, where Caroline was still waiting for her.

"Well...he left. I hope you're happy, Care," Elena hissed, before making her way to her room, leaving Caroline dumbfounded and ashamed.

Inside her room, Elena tossed and turned in her bed, thinking of Damon. She couldn't sleep. Her skin was yearning for his touch, her mouth craving for his lips. She can't stand the fact that she was finally with Damon again, and yet, she still can't be with him.

Frustratedly, she jumped out of bed, and threw some clothes on. She rummaged through her purse, and found the chain with his ring on it. She put in on around her neck, and put her shoes on and quickly went outside her room. She knocked on Caroline's door.

"Elena-" Caroline said softly.

"There's no excuse for your behavior, Care," Elena interrupted her. "But I know how you can make it up to me," she said. "I need to borrow your car."

"What happened to yours?" Caroline asked her.

"It's back at Whitmore with a flat," Elena explained.

"And you need my car to..." Caroline inquired.

"I need to go to Damon," Elena told her.

"Elena...it's almost midnight," Caroline pointed out. "Can't it wait till tomorrow?"

"I'm asking you not to stop me," Elena warned her friend. "Look, Caroline...whether you like it or not, I love Damon. You can't make me feel bad or ashamed of the way I feel for him. I LOVE HIM! You need to accept that."

"If he makes you happy..." Caroline said.

"He does," Elena assured her.

"Alright then," Caroline replied. "Here you go," she said, tossing Elena her keys.

"Thanks, Care," Elena gave her friend a hug, before flashing towards the door, excited and elated to go to Damon.

~END OF CHAPTER THREE~

A/N :

Hope you all had the merriest of all Christmas. Let me know how you like the chapter by clicking on the REVIEW button. Have a Happy New Year!