HELLO my dearies! How are you all doing? Thank you so very much for the follows and reviews! You have no idea how happy you make me! So, delivering as promised, here's the new chapter which is more or less a filler to the Christmas chapter I'll be posting this Friday. I've kept it light mostly. Hope you like it! :) Cheers!

WARNINGS : Underage relationships, swearing, PTSD.

Elena wasn't looking forward to seeing Ric the following Sunday nor confronting him about why she had come in late and sneaked off to her room just as she had done all week. Yes, she was mad at him and as solid as that reason was to excuse her from sitting across from him in the dining table and sharing strawberries and waffles, she felt bad about having to lie to him.

When he finally showed up an hour later than usual looking sleep- deprived, she wished Damon had slept over. It didn't help her mood that, unlike normal couples, she had a psychotic stalker threatening to expose her relationship. Despite her better instincts, she couldn't wait to see Damon again and if it made her selfish, so be it.

Living under Ric's thumb was starting to get old. Lying was getting old. Jumping at the slightest sound, staying wide awake till dawn was getting old.

She slammed the microwave door on his cold dinner and opened her mouth to tell him he had no say in what she did or didn't do with her life anymore, no matter how much she owed him, but then she got a good look at him. His blood- shot eyes, his tousled hair.

"You okay?" Elena asked cautiously.

Alaric groaned. "Not really."

Elena stomped back to the stairs, not waiting for the microwave to finish. At least the food would keep him out of her hair long enough to figure out how she was going to lie to his face.

He caught her arm just inside the doorway. "What's wrong?"

Whirling around, she pulled away. "Wrong? What's wrong? Nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong?"

Alaric stared at her like she had lost it. In the distance the microwave pinged. Neither of them moved. She hated stare- downs. They always gave away too much, but backing down first only made it that much worse. He looked away ten seconds later.

"I'm sorry," He muttered. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that. I shouldn't have said anything about Gray and Miranda. It was the social worker. She messed with my head. I know you were just as equally shaken up about the accident and it was stupid and insensitive of me."

"Couldn't agree more."

She thought she saw the tiniest glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Can we please get past this because I don't think I can take it anymore. I can't stand to be on the outs with you, knowing- knowing-"

"Knowing- knowing what?" Elena sounded edgy. What did he know?

"Nothing. Not knowing where you are or- or who you're with."

"We've been over this. You're not that good a liar."

"I'll make it up to you, I promise. That night in Richmond when Damon told me he had lost you, nothing Rose said even registered. I could only think about the million different ways I might lose you and for good this time."

It wasn't good enough. After everything he had said that night... She tried to shake her head, but he held her in place.

"Promise," He repeated. When he reached out to smooth her curls like he always did she cringed away and he gave up. He sighed and regarded her with a disappointed look on his face. "We're low on provisions. So I called Damon over to drive you to the supermarket, but if you're not up to it-"

"I'll go!" Oh, she was up for it. Anything to get away from this house, even better if it meant spending time with Damon.

Alaric frowned. "What is it with you today? Why are you being so jumpy?"

"I'm not jumpy," Elena giggled nervously. "You're half asleep. So am I going or what?"

"Ah, Elena, you're making my head spin," He eyed her warily. "Alright. Go get dressed."

Elena hurried to her room before he could ask any more questions.

"You won't have to drive me around if he'd let me get my own god- damn license," Elena grumbled in the middle of Shop Mart. "The whole overprotective thing is starting to get old."

"Can you really blame him?" Damon plucked the can of raviolis out of her hand and put it back on the shelf. "You get into more trouble than a spider in roller skates and you're not exactly being honest with him either."

"You think lying to Ric is easy? Or keeping secrets is? I'm lying to everyone I care about including Caroline. How is it fair that I can't even talk about a guy I like with my best friend? Or that I can't hold his hand in the middle of a damn canned food aisle? Or that I can't wear the most beautiful necklace he gifted me after our first date?"

Damon's face softened. "If you trust Caroline, so do I. Look, I knew what I was risking when I fucking kissed you, but I did it anyway. So if you want to tell Ric about us-"

"No." No way was she telling Ric about Damon- not yet, anyway. She wouldn't risk it.

"Here. Get this instead of that canned Chef Boyardee crap." Damon handed her an enormous jar of spaghetti sauce. A full serving of vegetables in every cup, the label proclaimed. "You know, Ric knows me too well to approve. Not now, not in ten years."

"So he's seen you with a harem. Big deal." Elena suppressed an urge to ask questions about his ex girlfriends and rather blinked at the display of dried noodles he positioned her in front of. Flat- end tubes, pointy cylinders, spiraly curls and bowties- all in various shades of orange, green and yellow. "Ric knows I can't cook if my life depended on it. Why fuss?"

Damon snorted. "Boiling pasta and dumping a jar of sauce on top is hardly cooking." He grabbed a blue box of the flat- end tubes and tossed them into the cart. "And I thought he'd be more open to the idea of loosening the leash if you said you wanted to get a job. May be work for me?" He smirked, his eyes sparkling with intent.

"You have a thing for waitresses, don't you?" Elena shook her head.

"Who doesn't?" Damon made a funny face. "Besides I want to spend more time with you and less with Ric hovering like an overbearing mama bear. This means we get to see each other more and he wouldn't be too worried if he knows you're with me. You get pocket money and your license. It's a win- win- win... win?"

Elena's smile must have been as huge as it felt because Damon was grinning too.

"Is that a yes?" He snagged a few more cans and boxes she had picked up out of the cart, swapping them for what she assumed were healthier options.

"I'm just thinking about the pocket money and my license," Elena snatched the white bread back. "Ric hates wheat."

"Ric hates a lot of things," Damon said annoyed, leaning against the display case. "He doesn't own you. Why not just do what you want and ask him to fuck off?"

"Look, he's all I have," Elena said carefully. "And I can't afford to lose him. So as selfish as this might sound, I'm doing this for myself. Not you. He's the first person to ever give a damn about me and I'm not ready to lose that yet. I-" She hesitated. She knew the truth. As much as she whined about Ric being nosy and controlling, deep down- way, way deep down- she loved him for it. "I know things are different now that I have you."

"Yes, you do." Damon gave her a smile that could've melted the North Pole. She didn't even protest when he hooked her jeans and pulled her in for a kiss. In public. "I want you to be as sure of me as you are of Ric and when you're ready to tell him, I'll be there."

Though Elena was giddy over what he had said, she couldn't tell him it wasn't "when" she told Ric, but "if". He didn't need to know she was still terrified he'd dump her in a week or may be a month and she would've gotten Ric mad at her for nothing. While being with Damon was every bit as incredible as she'd dreamt it'd be, he was temporary.

"When can I start, Chef?" She smiled coyly.

After hours of sex- ting, Damon had finally said good night and Elena was having the strangest dream.

Like a ghost, Mason glided out of her bathroom and into her room. He picked up her copy of Flowers In The Attic, put it back down and ran his palm across the bristles of her brush. The four- by- six picture of her, Damon and Ric on her dresser that was slightly crooked caught his attention next. He straightened it, then sauntered toward her bed.

He was in a brown flannel shirt and olive pants. His features were so rugged in the dim glow of her night lamp, she almost missed the bruise on his forehead. Almost. Or maybe it was a trick of her eye.

If he saw her watching him, he took no notice of it. When he turned towards her, she closed her eyes and tried to redirect the dream. He was in here to steal her things. Money. Wallet. That's all this was. If she opened her eyes, she would see him rummaging through her closet. The moist warmth streaking down her cheek onto the pillow wasn't real.

She could remember his touch. Every hard blow and ugly grope. Which is why, when she felt the brush of his fingers on her arm, she forgot to breathe. His fingers were rough and smelt like old tobacco. She lay still, eyes squeezed shut. Within seconds, she could feel his sultry breaths on her face.

"Open your eyes," He whispered.

How could a dream feel so real? She tried to wake up, but like every other dream, no matter how hard she wished, consciousness was just out of reach.

She let out a strangled cry when she felt his fingers around her neck. And just like that, she was screaming.

"Elena, open your eyes."

She burrowed deeper into her pillow, trying to shut out her dream.

"Elena, it's me, Ric. Please open your eyes."

Her screams escalated into gurgling screeches that curdled the air in the room.

"Please," He said in a broken voice, gently wiping away her tears. "Wake up. You're scaring me"

Against her will, she leaned into his touch and opened her eyes. There was an odd sense of curiosity buried behind his concern. Pained, longing curiosity. As he softly caressed her cheek, he gasped and yanked his hand away, shooting her a terrified look.

"Christ, you're burning up, Elena."

"Ah, my head!"

Alaric stood beside her bed, staring at her.

"Don't start scratching your lip," Elena whined. "Do something!"

He was horrified on several counts. It looked like she was having a nightmare- induced panic attack. "I'll get you some pills. Just breathe."

She cast a petrified gaze at her half- open bathroom door.

When he came back up, she wasn't there.

"Elena?"

"I'm in here," she called from his bathroom.

"Be careful, would you? Hold on to something. Don't faint on me." He waited by the door and felt himself despairing. It was so awkward with Elena, it was like trying to nurse his mother. If his mother was here, or even Meredith, she wouldn't have to struggle to the bathroom with a blanket wrapped around, but it was as well she did because there were certain boundaries Alaric couldn't afford to cross.

When she came out, holding her blanket to her chest, she fell straight into his bed, refused the pills and eventually, fell asleep.

She woke after midnight. Alaric was still there, she could hear him breathing in the dark. She gave him a shove. He jumped and turned on the light.

She wasn't as spaced out as she looked. "Hope you're decent under that sheet."

He kicked it off to show her he was still dressed. "I was afraid I wouldn't hear you if I went into the other room."

"That's alright. I remember my dad used to let me sleep in his bed when I was sick. I think."

Alaric had to smile. She didn't even see the difference.

"Why are you awake at this ungodly hour?" Elena squinted at the clock.

"Kol and Meredith broke up," He said, his expression contemplative.

Elena pressed her palm to her forehead. That explained why Alaric had turned into an insomniac. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"How do you tell if someone is worth it?" Elena held a pillow around her throbbing head.

"Oh dear. It's some boy, isn't it? You like someone," He groaned.

"I suppose so."

"Easy. If it's Ben Mckittrick, he most definitely isn't worth it."

"It's not Ben!"

Alaric smiled at the head tucked under his pillow. "You have no idea how glad that makes me."

If only he knew...

"Could it be," Alaric asked carefully, "That you're confusing lust for love?"

She ducked out from under the pillow. "How do you tell the difference?"

"All you have to do is think about someone you really love and-"

"You?"

"Okay," He nodded. "Me and this guy you like are hanging off a cliff. You have time to save only one of us. Who's it going to be?"

Elena's eyes narrowed. "Do you promise to teach me to drive?"

"Get me off this bloody cliff and I'll teach you anything!"

She giggled. "Fine. Me and Meredith are hanging off a cliff. Who are you going to save?"

"No question. I'd save you, then jump after Meredith."

Elena scoffed. "Really? After everything she's done to you and your family?"

"Afraid so," He said sheepishly.

"Doesn't make sense."

"It's called love, Elena. It usually doesn't make sense."

"Do me a favour and get over this Meredith person. I haven't even met her and I hate her with a passion so deep-" The rest of her statement got lost in her yawn.

Alaric rolled his eyes. "Go to sleep."

The following morning, Elena was immobilized with a strained neck and a lingering head ache. Her only options were to lie face down or walk around, although she wasn't really fit to get up as her muscles were sore. With great difficulty, she finally got herself into pyjama bottoms.

Damon brought over freshly baked croissants and so they spent the day lying around nibbling on them and reading Ric's manuscript.

"It's a bit flat. Needs some jizzing up," Elena declared.

"Just like Mom," Alaric grumbled, sitting cross legged on the floor. "There's no pleasing you women." But he was delighted. Not only was Elena better, but they were better. Her sickness had done him a favour. The gap had been closed. Affection reinstated. Elena was warm and cheeky again.

"This Melissa Channing is just not doing it for me," Damon commented on the protagonist. "Make her blond."

"And Russian!" Elena clapped excitedly.

"This bit's rubbish," Damon said, crumpling up a page and throwing it at Ric.

"So is this." Another paper ball hit him and this time from Elena.

"Wow, thanks guys," He threw it back.

"And this is too long," Elena said, tearing a page in half. She made pellets out of it and flicked them at Damon, while he made nifty little paper planes which soared around the room. The remaining script was used for swatting mosquitoes.

"I'm starting to miss Nik now," Alaric got up to clear their plates.

Damon took Elena's hand in his and held it when Ric disappeared into the kitchen. "You're dreaming about Mason again, aren't you?"

Elena stiffened, but didn't pull away. She craved his touch.

"Slow down, what?" Ric's voice came from the kitchen. "But mother I-" He sighed. "That's just a week away- No, he never told me- Wait, you're saying that Nik's engaged? Nik? Are we talking about the same guy? Yes, sorry."

Elena and Damon wow'ed at the same time.

"Yes, I'll call him. No, of course. Yes, yes- Uh huh. Yes. Love you too," Alaric emerged from the kitchen, looking puzzled. "Uhm, we're going to Scotland."

"My god, what?" Elena's mouth fell open and her hand went to her chest.

"Apparently the girl is from Oban and Nik met her when he was up there on business."

"But Christmas?" Elena protested. "You promised we'd get a tree."

"Oh come on, would you rather spend Christmas in boring Mystic Falls than touring Europe?" Damon ridiculed.

"Looks like someone is missing the spirit of Christmas," Elena complained. "It's not about where you are, but who you're with and-"

"You'll be with family," Alaric cut in. "Everyone will behave. They know you're as much a part of the family as I am."

"Start packing y'all," Damon chuckled. "This is going to be fun."

It was going to be anything but fun if Elena didn't tell Ric and Damon about Kol before things blew out of proportion. But before that, she needed a dress and she knew just who could help. She grabbed her phone and texted Caroline.

I'M FUCKED. HELP ME!

Caroline replied, HOW FUCKED?

DID SOMETHING ILLEGAL... WITH RIC'S BRO.

NO WAY!

ONE OR MORE OF...

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS ;)

ROYALLY FUCKED?

Her phone rang. It was Caroline. "It's Damon, isn't it?"

Elena moaned. "Am I that obvious?"

"Who's the other brother?"

"Kol."

"Kol who?"

"Kol- Klaus?"

"Oh, Klaus!" Caroline sighed. "Oh, his accent! His dance moves! Rawr!"

"Caroline!"

"Perspective, right. I'm with a completely sweet, kind and amazing guy," Caroline referred to Matt.

"And Klaus is getting married," Elena paused. "In Scotland."

"Oh baby!" Caroline drawled. "I want to sympathize, I do, but the whole vacay- love triangle thing is just too delicious."

"Who said anything about love?"

"Leave it to you to find something more illegal. Tell you what, I'll help you pick a dress for the wedding tonight and you can tell me all about it."

"You're a life saver, Care," She hung up to the sound of her laughter.

Enchanted Garden was a boutique dress shop behind town square. On the outside it resembled a chateau, with an oak and iron door and a cobblestone walk. The building was wrapped in fairy lights for Christmas and the porch housed a beautifully decorated tree. In the display windows, mannequins modelled dresses in shades of red and green.

"How about this?" Elena held up an orange knee- length strapless lava dress. "It spoke to me."

"Really?" Caroline bounced.

"Yes, Care. The heavens opened and the angels sang 'Hallelujah.'"

"You realize you have a warm skin tone, right? I guess it does make your legs stand out." Caroline flipped through the rack, grabbing one in Elena's size. "Try it on. I'll keep looking."

Elena carted the dress to the fitting room. She shucked off her jeans and shimmied into the dress. Twirling in front of the mirror, she mouthed a silent squeal. She pictured herself with Damon at the wedding. Knowing him, he'd probably dress in a tailored black suit and a silver tie.

"I could make you smile like that and without sales tax." She whirled around to see Damon standing in the fitting room behind her.

His arms were folded loosely over his chest and his blue eyes smiled down at her. Heat flushed through her body. "You know, I could make all kinds of pervert jokes right now," She quipped.

"And I could tell you how much I like you in that dress."

"How did you get in?"

"I move in mysterious ways," He smirked, making her blush. "I would've knocked, but I didn't want to lurk outside and risk Caroline. She had her face stuck inside a rack of Jessica Rabbit gowns when I sneaked in."

"Thanks for the update," Elena giggled. "But I've decided to tell Caroline about us."

"I trust your judgement," Damon nodded. "But, we have other problems. I was just on phone with Essie and apparently an old acquaintance of mine is going to be at the wedding."

"Which is a nice way of saying 'a blast from the past.'" Elena said tartly. She wasn't proud of her sudden insecurity, but why was he telling her about this if it wasn't a big deal?

"She is."

"Sounds vague."

"You're cute when you're jealous," Damon smiled. "The only reason I'm telling you about this is because knowing Essie, she's going to be trying real hard to get me back with her."

"What does she look like?" And now she had stooped from plain old insecure to superficial.

"Stringy. Snaggle tooth. Doughy around the middle, unibrow." He grinned. "Satisfied?"

Elena wondered if that meant curvy and gorgeous with the brains of an astrophysicist. "Something tells me she wasn't just part of your harem."

"Relax, princess. Let me handle this. It's just for appearances."

She stood hands on hips. "Wrong answer, Damon."

"I'm not interested in Katherine anymore," He closed the space between them, running his fingers affectionately along the low neckline of her dress. "I've set my eyes elsewhere." His eyes wandered down.

Caroline pushed a daring red floor- length dress through the drapes. "Not to sway the vote, but I think red is the way to go. More glam."

Elena slapped her mouth shut and pushed Damon to the corner.

"So much for deciding to tell her," Damon teased. "Red, huh?"

Elena heaved a sigh. "It's probably a bit snug. Caroline tends to buy down when it comes to sizes."

"It has a slit up the thigh," Damon let out a low laugh, the sound of it tingling her skin as seductively as if he'd kissed it. "Try it on."

She stripped down and tugged on the dress. It moved like liquid over every curve. The slit fell open half way up her thigh, exposing her leg. She swept her hair off her back. "Zip me up?"

Damon's eyes made a slow assessment of her, sparkling with lust. "I'm going to have a hard time not having you in my arms during the wedding. Doesn't mean you have a free pass to cosy up with some guy in a kilt."

"And if I do?" She gave him a flirty smile.

"Let's just say that if the dress looks even slightly tampered with, there's going to be a very dead Scottish man."

"While you're away keeping up the ruse with your old acquaintance? Sounds about right." Elena started to turn away, but Damon took her wrist and brought her around to face him.

"What do I have to do to convince you that I'm just going to be using Katherine?" He pressed his forehead to hers. When she started to draw away, he laced his fingers through hers, effectively trapping her against him. "Trust me, Elena."

"I know the whole relationship thing is foreign territory to you, but can we at least agree on not seeing others?" Elena whispered, clinging to some of her indignation.

"I'm yours, princess," He tipped her chin up so he could meet her eyes. "And you're mine. Keep it that way." He kissed her, long and reassuring, the promise in his voice casting away any lingering qualms.

Yay for Alaric/ Elena bonding! I really enjoy writing those bits. Now that they're closer than ever, do you think he'll handle Delena well? I doubt it.. But I don't want any tension between Team Badass. That would be such a shame!

And Nik is getting married! A moment of silence to the poor bride =P But can you imagine what the wedding is going to be like? Kol is going to be there and so is Meredith. And Damon's parents. And Ric's parents. And let's not forget Katherine! (Imagine her as a leggy blond like in the books. Damon definitely lied about the unibrow.)

Damon and Elena don't seem to have a very hard time talking about their issues. So that's one problem down, but they still have a long way to go considering she's still keeping him in the dark regarding Mason.

Let me know what you guys think will go down in the next chapter. Since I will be posting on 26th, I wish you all a beautiful and a Merry Christmas with your Damons and Elenas! Enjoy your holidays. Love you loads. Xoxo