Dear Diary,

Today is the day. Shopping day, I can't say I'm bursting with joy but in the same sentence I am kind of excited. Don't tell Caroline that though, she'd smother me with giggles. Today, Anna, Caroline, and I are going shopping for our boyfriends' Christmas presents. Hopefully Caroline and Anna can help me think of something to get Damon, because we all know how picky he is. Especially when it comes to his appearance.

While we're all out shopping, the boys, Matt, Damon, and Jeremy have decided to have their own boys day out. Apparently, they're also going shopping for our presents and then hitting the local field and playing some football. Yeah – I was thinking the same thing. Football in the snow? But oh well, that's them, I guess they'll find their own way. Anyway, gotta go. Anna just walked into the room.

-Elena

"I called Caroline, she said she'll meet us at the coffee shop," Elena announced as she looked at Anna before setting aside her diary.

"Okay. Jeremy said the boys are already walking around downtown right now, I'm texting him right now. He said you'll enjoy Damon's gifts," she smiled sweetly as she waited for Elena.

"Gifts?" Elena said with a raise of the eyebrow.

"You really didn't expect Damon Salvatore to stick to getting one gift, did you? He's one of the richest people in town – and you know how Damon is, loves to show off his money. Knowing him he's probably going to buy you the most expensive things he can find," laughed Anna.

"That does sound like something Damon would do," Elena agreed as she laughed along.

"Are you buying anything for Stefan? Like, are you and Damon paying him a visit on Christmas?" Anna asked curiously.

"As far as I know, we're not. Last time we went to see Stefan he wasn't in the greatest mood. I might buy him something anyway," Elena said, "I know how it feels to be alone. Not something I want to experience again."

"You forgot who you're talking to," Anna said quietly as she thought of her mother, "the queen of being alone."

Elena quickly recognized her mistakes and instantly felt horrible. She knew how Anna was feeling – she'd felt the same way when her parents passed away, especially since she was the reason they turned around.

"I'm sorry, for your lost," Elena said slowly, "I know no matter how many times someone says their sorry it doesn't get better, but knowing that people around you love and care about you does help."

"Yeah, having Jeremy around me everyday is helping so much," Anna replied, "It gives me something to do and helps keep my mind off of things."

"When my parents died, I quit everything I loved. I loved cheer leading – I quit. I loved going out with friends – I isolated myself. I always dreamed of being in the Miss Mystic Falls competition – I almost dropped out. If it wouldn't have been for Caroline, I would have. But you, you can't let yourself change your personality because of a tragic event. Life happens – good and bad – but we can't let it hold us back," Elena smiled.

"It just sucks, you know," Anna said as she turned towards Elena.

"Yeah, I know," Elena whispered.

"Damon, how many more gifts are you going to buy?" Matt groaned as he watched Damon closely observe three diamond rings. He appeared to be lost in thought.

"This one," Damon said as he pointed towards the ring in the middle, "seems to be missing a diamond. Dispose of it."

The employer rolled her eyes as she listened to Damon and placed it in the basket along with the other three hundred he had cut out of his options. He moved even closer than before and stared carefully at the remaining two. "This one," he pointed to the ring on the right, "isn't as shiny as the one of the left. I'll take the one on the left."

Matt and Jeremy smiled as Damon finally finished his careful selection of rings. After two hours, he was finally checking out.

"That'll be 3,594 dollars," smiled the clerk happily. Apparently, even though she had hated Damon's bossy attitude, the amount of money he was paying would make up for it. Matt stared at Damon with an open mouth. All of Elena's gifts made Caroline's 500 dollar necklace look like something you'd buy out of a vending machine.

"Must you show off in front of everyone, dude?" Matt asked as soon as the three left the shop.

"Mutt," Damon replied sarcastically, "Finer things in life belong to the finest people in life."

"I need something for Anna," Jeremy said quickly, cutting off the two before they had the chance to reply, "I was thinking of something with her mother. Any ideas?"

"So I brought up the idea of having a baby to Matt," Caroline said quickly as she strolled into a sports store along with Anna and Elena.

"You what?" Elena asked in a shout. What was the world coming to?

"Well," Caroline started, "You and Damon are so happy together. Eventually you two are going to get married, and Anna and Jeremy are so in love and cute together. Even Stefan had someone. And I know that I love Matt, so why not show him I love him?"

"Caroline," Anna said quietly. She had never really talked to Caroline before today, "You don't know how hard it is to raise a child."

"You act like you do," Caroline replied with a blank look.

"I don't," Anna said carefully as she searched for the words to say, "But when I was younger my mother worked a lot, and my father was never around. My older cousin Katherine had to raise me and care for herself. It was a hard time."

"Well, that was her and this is me," Caroline replied with a smile, "Besides, Matt would be an excellent dad, wouldn't he Elena?"

"Caroline, you'd both make excellent parents," Elena said slowly, "But I think it's too soon. Please wait, for me."

"Whatever," Caroline said with a roll of the eyes before turning around to flash both girls a large smile, "What about this for Matt?"

Elena and Anna looked at the object held up by Caroline's small hands – a Dallas Cowboy's jersey. Of course, thought Elena, Matt was a huge fan of the Dallas Cowboys.

"He'd love it," Elena smiled sincerely.

"I was thinking I can send it off to Tony and have him sign it for him, and I'll just tell Matt that I didn't have enough money and I owe him," Caroline explained, "that way when it comes in, he'll be even more surprised."

"That's a good idea but who's Tony?" Anna asked as Caroline's mouth dropped open.

"You don't know who Tony Romo is?" Caroline asked in disbelief.

Anna shrugged her shoulders, "Am I supposed to?"

"Of course you are!" Caroline shouted in a playful voice, "he's only the hottest football player in the history of football players. Right Elena?"

"Yeah," Elena said, "And also Matt's favorite football player."

"Exactly, which is why I'm going through with my idea," smiled Caroline before turning on her heel and bouncing to the resister.

"Anna is really going to enjoy that gift man," Matt stated as he looked in the direction of the tiny bag in Jeremy's hand, "If I were her I know I would."

"Thanks," Jeremy smiled, "She's always mentioning her mother so I think this way she'll feel like there's always a piece of her mother with her."

"Sensitive guy," Damon commented as he made his way up behind the boys while folding a receipt to the sixth gift he'd bought Elena, "Girls like that."

"I'm aware," Jeremy replied, "Why are you buying Elena so many things?"

"Why not?" Damon asked with a sly smirk.

"Because, it's unnecessary," Matt replied quietly.

"And you mean to tell me that Elena won't enjoy it?" smirked Damon.

"Oh, she will. Trust me on that one," Jeremy said both to Damon and Matt.

"Exactly," Damon said as he felt himself grinning widely. He knew he'd one the case.

Matt stopped as he felt his phone buzz. He reached into his pocket and removed an iPhone as he read his text message quickly.

Lunch 12 Boardwalk Express. U in? Xoxo – C

"You guys hungry?" Matt asked as he looked up from his phone, "Caroline just asked if we're in on lunch."

"What are we going to do with the bags?" Jeremy asked, unsure if it was a good idea to head over to the girls.

"The boarding house isn't much farther. We can drop them off with Stefan," Damon suggested, "as long as he doesn't destroy my gifts to Elena, I could careless."

"So is that a yes?" Matt asked as he waited for a reply.

"Yeah," Jeremy nodded.

Yeah. Going bring something to Stefan. See u soon. Love u

"And you're sure Stefan will be okay with this? Last time I talked to Elena she said he didn't seem so happy with you or her," Jeremy said.

"It's Stefan, gentle, brooding Stefan. He won't do anything," Damon replied as he rolled his eyes and let out a light chuckle.

Stefan sat on the long cool leather couch as he casually took him a sip of alcohol. Next to him sat Meredith as she discussed her plans for Christmas. If there was one thing he had noticed about her since they had started dating, it'd be that she could talk and talk for hours – something he wasn't used to.

"My parents want to meet you," she cooed as she ran her small hand down his muscular arm.

"Tell them to come down for Christmas," he suggested.

"They want to meet your's too Stefie," she added in a small voice as she stuck out her bottom lip and pouted to her boyfriend.

"You and I both know that impossible," he replied quietly.

"What should I tell them? Hey Mom, Hey Dad, Stefan's parents are unable to make it. They died in 1864," she said coldly. Her bitchy attitude had returned. Stefan rolled his eyes in frustration.

"What do you want me to do, Meredith? I can't make my family come back like magic," he said as he let out a heated sigh.

"Tell Damon and Eleanor to stop by," she said in an unamused voice.

"Elena," Stefan corrected, "Elena, and Damon wouldn't, I'm sure they have plans with the Gilberts."

"Make them break their plans, Stefie," she said forcefully.

Before Stefan had the chance to reply, he heard a knock on the door followed by someone kicking it open as if this house was his. Stefan's mind instantly flashed to the one person who would always do that – Damon.

"Hey baby bro," Damon said with a small smirk as he strolled into the room, "Bro's bitch..."

Meredith shot Damon a look of pure hatred. If her look would have been a wooden stake, he would have been killed on the spot. "Damon," Stefan replied as his eyes flowed behind Damon, "Jeremy, Matt."

The two boys behind Damon nodded in greetings as they allowed Damon to inform Stefan of his needed favor. "Why are you here, Damon?" Stefan asked after a moment of silence.

Damon acted as if he had been hurt by Stefan's question. "Why, Stefan, can't a guy visit his little brother ever once and a while? I mean, I know you hate me for taking your girl and stuff, but, can't say I didn't warn you."

Stefan sat silently as he tried his hardest to block out Damon's taunts. He knew what Damon was doing – it was what Damon always did, attacked the spots of his life that were still in the weaknesses box.

"Of course," Stefan said quietly as he stood up to meet Damon, "But we both know that's not why you're here."

"Impressive, you know me better than I thought you did," Damon smirked, "No, we need a place to stash the gifts. We're going meet the girls for lunch."

"And you just thought using me would be an amazing job?" Stefan asked with a bit of unease in his voice.

"We'll do it," said a cold female voice from behind Stefan, "if you do us a favor."

Damon looked at Meredith coldly as she replied with the same cold stare. "And what's that?"

"My parents are coming down for Christmas to meet Stefan. They want to meet his family as well. Since you're his only family," Meredith said as she paused for a moment, "I want you and Elena to come as well."

Damon thought for a moment. He could easily come and act like a total gentlemen, and make Meredith and Stefan happy. Or, he could easily come and act like the sarcastic fool he as and make the entire family hate him. He smirked. "Deal."

Elena sat next to Anna and Caroline as they waited together for their boyfriend's to show up. Caroline had been texting Matt the entire time, and according to Matt they weren't that far away. However, what Matt considered far away and what Elena considered far away could be two totally different things.

However, to her surprise, seconds later Damon, Matt, and Jeremy strolled through the door – empty handed. Matt rushed over to Caroline's side as he embraced her in a tight hug before sitting down besides her and smiling at the other two girls. Jeremy followed soon after as he hugged Anna as well before taking a seat. Suddenly, Damon appeared from behind her and wrapped his arms around Elena's stomach, placing kisses down her neck in the process.

"Damon," Elena whispered as she felt her cheeks turn pink, "This is a public place."

"And your point is?" he mumbled against her skin. She hit him away as he smirked at a grossed out group of friends before taking a seat.

"My point is-" Elena started.

"Oh, cut the crap," Damon said with a smirk, "PDA might not have been an option with perfect Stefan, but with me, it's a duty babe."

Elena rolled her eyes as she replied to all of the boys at the table. "Why are you three empty handed? What happened to shopping?"

Caroline looked down for the first time and noticed Matt didn't have any bags in his hands just as Elena had said. "Yeah, where's my gift, Matt?"

"Ladies, please," Damon said as he sighed, "We bought presents, however, we didn't want any peakers lurking around and ruining the surprise."

"And where are these 'gifts'?" Anna asked as she air quoted the word gifts playfully.

"At Stefan's," Jeremy replied as he grabbed a cracker and shoved it into his mouth.

"What?" Elena said suddenly as her mouth dropped open, "Damon, you know how much Stefan hates us together. He'll destroy the gifts!"

"No he won't," Damon said casually.

"What makes you so sure?" Caroline asked from across the table.

"Because," he said with a smirk, "I made a deal."

"A deal?" Anna asked before Caroline or Elena could reply.

"What kind of deal?" Elena sighed. Damon and his deals always ended up getting the two into some sort of trouble.

"In exchange for a place to hide the presents," he said slowly but quickly picked up his speed, "We have to go to the boarding house on Christmas to meet Meredith's parents."

"What?" all three girls shouted in unison, causing Damon to smirk even more.

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