Chapter Eleven – Merry Christmas

It's the holidays! All together now... 'Christmas time, don't let the bells end, Christmas time, just let them ring in peeeeeeaaaaaaaccccceeeeee'...
On a serious note. I have got eight pieces of homework left to do. So what do I do? I write another chapter for you lot. I suppose I need to – one year after uploading the first chapter, I upload the 12th. It took me five months to write all 33 chapters of DME. Oopsy.
Hope you enjoy it – my Christmas present to all of you. If you want more festive TVD fun, check out the one shot I posted last week – 'Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass', based on the ATL song of the same name.

Merry Christmas – reviews count as presents!
Saskia xx

~Rhia POV~
-December 24th-

"Jeremy!" I squealed as he picked me up around the waist, swinging me round. "Put me down!"

"No way, Rhia...not until you APOLOGISE!" He growled in my ear.

"For what? All I did was throw a load of the icing at you!" I screamed as he started tickling me, squirming in his arms. "JER!" I gasped, barely able to breathe through my laughter. "Okay, I give, I give! Mercy! MERCY!"

"Say you're sorry!" Jeremy poked me in the ribs and I flailed again. I was ridiculously ticklish.

"I'm sorry!" I wailed, and he dumped me on the sofa. I lay of my back, trying to get my breath back, pushing me hair back out of my face. I glared playfully at Jeremy. "You've still got an icing beard, by the way." I giggled as he immediately went to wipe his chin, only to find it clean.

"Sound like I missed all the fun..." A smooth voice floated into the room. I sat up and squinted in the doorway. It was now about a month since Damon and I decided to put our differences aside and be friends. We weren't as close as we used to be, but we were getting there.

"He tickled me!" I pointed accusingly at Jeremy.

"She put icing all over my face!" Jeremy retaliated. Damon looked between the two of us, bemused.

"And there was me thinking I was in the company of adults." He commented dryly. I stuck my tongue out at him and sauntered through to the kitchen. Jenna had been icing the Christmas cake, and gave me and Jer free reign on the last of the icing. I ran my finger round the inside of the bowl, licking the sweet, gloopy mixture off my finger. Another hand joined mine in the bowl, and I looked up as Damon put a greedy lump in his mouth.

"Oi! Don't eat all of it at once!" I exclaimed. He grinned and scooped up another...handful...moaning sarcastically as he licked it off. I pushed his hand up just as he went to lick it again, and he ended up with more on his nose than his fingers. His shocked expression sent me into hysterics. He narrowed his eyes at me, and I silenced my laughter. He mock punched me on the cheek and I growled in response.

"Down, puppy." He said, laughing.

"Hey, I'm no puppy! I'm a freaking tiger with anger management issues!" I argued. He nodded.

"Sure you are." As he turned his back on me, I quickly opened the freezer, feeling around for the ice bucket. He howled as I dropped a handful of ice down the inside of his shirt. I grabbed for the counter, feeling the need to support myself as I collapsed into giggles again. Jeremy put his head round the door.

"What's going on in here now then?" His eyebrows shot up as Damon pulled his shirt off to rid himself of the icy menace I'd inflicted on him. My eyes were drawn to his sculpted back and rippling muscles as he shook his shirt out. My laughter subsided as I took in his perfection. To think I once had that...I blinked sharply as memories of the touch of his skin under my hands made themselves known. I transferred my gaze to Jeremy with some difficultly. The look in his eyes told me that my slight drooling over Damon had not gone unnoticed.

"I put ice down Damon's back." I said cheerfully. Out of the corner of my eye, I noted with something like disappointment that Damon was once again fully clothed.

"Was that a joke or a deathwish?" Jeremy smirked at Damon, whose face was a picture. I bit back another giggle as he turned to look at me.

"Never...do that to me again. Are we clear?" His eyes were steely, and I almost took a step back at his unexpected anger.

"Yes, Damon." I said meekly, feeling my face going hot under the intensity of his gaze.

"Good." His eyes cleared and a mischievous look replaced the glare. I stumbled back as he stalked towards me. I backed up against the sink as he came closer until we were practically chest to chest. I saw Jeremy standing uneasily in the doorway, and he shouted in alarm as Damon grabbed my neck. Faster than lightning he turned me around so I was facing the sink, and pushed me down...

...and turned the cold tap on over my head. I screamed as the cold jet streamed over my eyes and into my mouth, spluttering as I jerked my head up. I collided with the tap and cried out in surprise and pain. I stepped back from the sink, my hand reaching back to touch the sore area. When I looked again, my fingers were red. Jeremy darted forward, grabbing my hand.

"Damon, keep away." He snarled, reaching for a towel.

"No, Jer, it's fine!" I protested.

"You're bleeding, Rhia, and he's a vampire. That's Christmas lunch right there for him."

"No, I'm not." I touched the back of my head again and rubbed the red liquid between my fingers. "It's just my hair dye, you silly bugger. The water's made it run, I only dyed it last night!" I laughed delightedly at my cousin's face. "Take a chill pill, cuz. Nothing to worry about!" I rubbed the back of my head again, wincing slightly. "I'll have a bruise though." I frowned. Then I saw Damon, looking completely unashamed. I continued rubbing my head as I marched towards him, and ran my hand down his (very fit and toned and lovely) chest, leaving a trail of red hair dye across his grey shirt.

"Hey, this is John Varvatos!" He exclaimed. I smiled sweetly, and ran for the stairs to shower and get changed out of my own stained red clothes.

...

I spun Sophie round, laughing as she stumbled in her six inches. Her mum had agreed to look after little Caiytlin (who wasn't so little anymore, one and a half years old!) for the night, so I was having my first girls' night out with Soph in nearly two years. We jumped around to the music pounding through the Grill's speakers, our energy fuelled by alcohol and Christmas spirit. It was about half eleven, and Mystic Grill had promised the mother of all firework displays on the stroke of midnight. I was wearing a short black dress that hugged my curves like a second skin, and peep toe ankle boots that added a few inches to my short stature. I hadn't gone out...like, properly, go out and get drunk...since I arrived back in Mystic Falls, and I was loving it! I'd forgotten the rush partying gave me.

Sophie sighed and pulled me over to our seats by the bar. I pouted at her as I sat down.

"Sorry, Ree, I need a breather. Having a baby does that to you – you're never up to full partying capacity afterwards!" She laughed as she took a large mouthful of her coke. One of the conditions her mum had imposed before she agreed to look after Cait was that Sophie didn't drink too much. The other was that she was home by midnight, which meant I'd be watching the firework display by myself. I smiled at my best friend over the top of my significantly more alcoholic drink.

"Don't worry about it...we've still had fun!" We grinned at each other. I felt a pang of guilt in my gut. "Sorry I wasn't here for you, sweetie." She reached over and patted my hand.

"Don't be silly. I've been fine – you supported me all the way through my pregnancy while you were battling your own demons, and you sent a card for Cait's birthday while you were away...and now you're back!" She beamed at me. "You're coming over next week, right? You haven't seen Cait since you got back!" I studied Sophie's tired face and relented.

"Sure I will. Text me, kay?" She nodded enthusiastically as she got her phone out.

"Well, poo! I've got to run!" I laughed.

"Nawww, you even curse like a mummy now! Have you forgotten how to swear, Mother?" I teased. She smacked me lightly round the head with her clutch bag.

"No I fucking well haven't!" She said, and I laughed harder. I wrapped my arms around her neck. "Take care of yourself, Ree." She murmured.

"Course I will. Safe journey...and Merry Christmas!" I called after her as she left. She turned back and waved. I sank back in my seat as she left the bar, sipping from my glass.

"If you'd like to make your way outside, ladies and gentlemen, the firework display will start in ten minutes." The DJs over-enthusiastic voice echoed around the room and there was a surge towards the door. I grabbed my coat from behind the bar (I'd sweet-talked one of the barmen) and headed out. I looked around to see if I could see anyone I recognised. Caroline...no, she was with Tyler, and they were...I cleared my throat and continued looking. Nope. Oh well, I could enjoy the fireworks on my own. I pushed my way to the front and leant against the railing outside the Grill, leaning my face back to enjoy the cold breeze on my hot skin. I felt someone close behind me, but ignored them until they spoke.

"On your own?" Damon's velvety voice was closer to my ear than I was expecting. I jumped slightly and smiled at him.

"Sophie had to get back to Cait." I explained. He still looked confused. "Her baby." He nodded and looked up at the sky, still standing close behind me. My coat had slipped off my shoulders and I felt Damon's hand trace my back.

"When did you get that?" He asked, running his finger over my shoulder blade. I frowned, and then remembered the tattoo I'd gotten in a drunken haze a few months ago.

"Oh, about half a year ago. I was a bit drunk...my friend Mary was worse. She woke up with 'I Love Cock' tattooed on her thigh..." I smiled at the memory.

"That doesn't sound too bad." Damon smirked, his eyebrows raising suggestively.

"Mary's a lesbian." I grinned. Damon's hand traced the line of my shoulder blade again.

"What does it say?" He asked quietly. I shrugged my coat further down my arms and pushed the strap of my dress off my shoulder. "My scars remind me that the past is real." He read.

"It's a lyric from a song by Papa Roach...I suppose I thought it appropriate." I automatically rubbed my wrists. He noticed the movements and took hold of one, holding it up to the light. Faint scars were illuminated and I felt rather than heard his intake of breath. I pulled my arms away from him, folding them defensively across my chest. "It was ages ago." I said, effectively ending the conversation. He didn't push it. A sudden bang made me look up sharply; the fireworks had started. I grinned at the over-the-top display – purple, blue, green, red, silver, gold all exploding together. I looked around and saw...couples. Everyone there seemed to be with someone else. I saw Tyler burying his face in Caroline's neck, and...it made me sad. Yes, I was here with Damon, but I wasn't with Damon. I sighed, wishing that we were something more. I heard a collective 'Oooh!' from the crowd and saw a firework Christmas tree fading from the sky. It was followed by a sleigh, Santa and a reindeer. I grinned, the childish images drawing me out of my depression. I picked out the final firework flying into the night sky, and it exploded...into the shape of mistletoe. My eyes flicked left and right, and everyone was kissing. I turned around, grinning sheepishly at Damon. He looked around too, and rolled his eyes. He leaned in quickly and pressed his lips to mine. I gasped as our mouths touched, and my hand reached up to touch his cheek. The fireworks fading in the sky had nothing on the fireworks that his touch lit, the fireworks which were filling every atom of my being. His lips were soft and warm, and his body felt like the only solid thing in the world. He pulled back after only a few short seconds.

"Merry Christmas." He said softly, running the back of his fingers down my face lightly. I looked up at him in shock, trying to read his eyes. What had just happened? And more importantly, what did it mean? His face mirrored mine, his surprise at his actions equalling mine.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The familiar voice of a complete stranger drifted across the hordes of people, and I found myself standing behind Damon in a blinding movement too quick for me to see. He stood in front of me protectively, snarling softly, and I looked around him to see who had put him so on edge. I could see a figure standing a few metres away, silhouetted against the lights of the road. They seemed very confident, one hand on their hip, the other hanging loosely. A cruel smile played about their lips. They were familiar...why did I...oh. My heart dropped like a stone.

"Katherine." Damon snarled.

Okay, wasn't planning that one. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed, Merry Christmas, and REVIEW!