Secret Santa

[tamilnadu09]

Title: Secret Santa
Fandom: Vampire Diaries 
Pairing: Damon/Elena
Rating: R
Summary: A series of holiday one-shots, based on LJ prompts
Genre: Romance, Humor
Word count: 42K




Prompt #1 (by elizabeth85cec): "...it's one of Caroline's Christmas Bashes and an attempt for her to give Elena and Damon the 'finally get laid hint.' I was thinking they're all single for this GIFT EXCHANGE except its more of a 'the name on the paper is the person they're taking home' kind of a thing..."

THE ART OF GIFT GIVING

"Tell me again why we're here?" Elena groaned and turned to look at Bonnie beseechingly. They were both standing on the porch of the Lockwood mansion, listening to the raucous laughter coming from indoors. "Let's just go," she begged in a stage whisper, "No one has seen us yet, and-"

"Elena, Bonnie!" Tyler chose that moment to pull open the door, grinning at them broadly, "I thought I heard you guys out here…what are you doing? It's fucking freezing out there."

"Trust me, I know," Bonnie tossed Elena a sour look as they stepped into the hallway, "In fact, I was just telling Elena how cold it was and how we should hurry up and get inside, wasn't I?"

Elena ignored her as she shrugged off her coat, causing Tyler to raise his eyebrows. "Wow," he commented, draping Elena's coat over his arm as he looked her up and down. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," she attempted a gracious smile, "Caroline picked out our outfits. Obviously."

Tyler snorted into his drink, but quickly turned it into a cough when Caroline strode into the hallway. "Obviously," he agreed in an undertone to Elena, who rolled her eyes when she saw Caroline wearing the exact same dress she was wearing, except in gold.

"Yay!" Caroline squealed as she rushed over and hugged Elena, "You guys made it! And you're wearing the dress!" She glanced over at Bonnie, who still hadn't removed her coat. "And what about you?" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips. "You better be wearing the dress I got for you!"

"Relax," Bonnie sighed and allowed Tyler to slip the coat off her shoulders, "I'm wearing it."

Tyler whistled as he took in the three girls standing before him. "The guys at this party don't stand a chance," he winked at them, "But I guess that was the point?"

"Of course!" Caroline threw her arms out into the air, spinning around excitedly on one foot until she suddenly lost her balance and stumbled into Elena, who caught her easily. "Oops," she giggled, "I guess I'm already a little drunk."

"A little?" Bonnie asked skeptically as she followed Caroline into the main hall. "How much have you had to…" she trailed off when she saw the glittering crowd before them. "Um, who the hell are all these people?"

"No idea," Caroline crowed, "Tyler's friends I think…oh and his hot uncle is here, too…wait till you see him…" She fanned herself for dramatic effect, apparently not noticing the look that Elena and Bonnie exchanged.

"His uncle? Isn't he like…old?" Elena ventured naively, to which Caroline threw her an incredulous look.

"If by old, you mean that he's a hot, older guy….then yes, he is!" she clapped her hands and pointed through the crowd to someone standing by the fireplace, "There he is! His name is Mason…"

Elena, however, had stopped listening. She had followed Caroline's line of vision to someone who vaguely bore a resemblance to Tyler, before her gaze happened to fall on the man that Mason was talking to.

"Oh my god," Bonnie exclaimed at the same time, "You invited Damon?"

"Yeah, so?" Caroline shrugged, sounding too casual to be entirely believable. "It's my Christmas Bash…I couldn't invite half of Mystic Falls and not invite the Salvatores."

"Plural?" Bonnie groaned, "Stefan is here, too?"

"God, I don't know," Caroline said in exasperation, "Why don't you guys talk to some people and find out? Sheesh. It's a party people, not a fucking funeral!"

"And now you're starting to sound like Tyler," Elena remarked lightly, determinately looking anywhere but at Damon. "How did you convince Tyler to let you throw this party at his house anyway?"

Caroline held up three fingers and smirked, "Booze. Girls. Mistletoe."

"The way to any guy's heart," Bonnie deadpanned.

"Maybe not his heart," Caroline winked, "Into his pants, at least…"

"And on that note," Bonnie grabbed a glass of champagne from one of the waiters, "I think I'm going to see who else is here."

"Great idea," Caroline called after her cheerfully before turning to look at Elena pointedly, "And why don't you go see how Damon is doing?"

"No," Elena said firmly, "Absolutely not."

Caroline actually stomped her foot. "But you guys have liked each other forever!"

"Okay, I do not-" Elena stopped and took a deep breath when she caught sight of Caroline's disbelieving expression. "So, we used to hang out…what's the big deal? He's the one that left."

"To go to college, Elena," Caroline scowled at her, "You're acting like he left you or something."

"Or something," she muttered under her breath, chancing a glance upwards. To her consternation, Damon was nowhere to be seen. Mason was now surrounded by several other people, most of them girls.

"Well," Caroline huffed when she turned around to see what Elena was looking at. "Someone's certainly popular, aren't they?"

"He is good-looking," Elena conceded, hiding a smile at Caroline's annoyance. "But I'm willing to bet those girls don't stand a chance against you."

"You're totally right," Caroline snagged the glass that Elena was holding and downed its contents in one gulp. "It's my party, and I'm not going to let that slut Amber get in the way of the guy I'm taking home tonight." With that, she spun on her heel and marched off through the crowd, leaving Elena standing there by herself.

"You gotta love a girl who goes after what she wants," a familiar voice said from behind her, and Elena felt herself freeze in a combination of anticipation and nerves. "I see Caroline hasn't changed a bit."

Elena hesitantly turned around, swallowing when she came face to face with the cerulean blue eyes that she had once committed to memory. "Damon," she acknowledged, fighting to keep her tone calm, "It's been a long time."

His eyes widened for a brief instant as he looked her over, but he quickly recovered with a winning smile, "How have you been?"

"Fine," she answered, coating her voice with sugary sweetness. "I'm in my first year of college, so it's been pretty busy. I'm sure you know all about that, though." She tapped her temple as she pretended to be deep in thought, "What year are you, again?"

"Fourth," he answered slowly, "Don't tell me you forgot?"

"I guess so," Elena tossed him a withering smile, "I guess I've just had more…important things on my mind these past three years."

"Yeah?" Damon's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly and he made a show of looking around the room. "You come here with anyone?"

"Nope," Elena placed one hand on her hip as she gazed appraisingly at the crowd, "Thankfully Caroline invited plenty of eye-candy to go around." She raised an eyebrow at Damon, "I think that guy you were talking to earlier is pretty cute. Mason, was it?"

Something akin to dislike flickered in Damon's eyes. "Yeah, it's Mason…he graduated last year," Damon watched as Elena studied Mason over, "He's in law school now."

"Ooh, a lawyer," Elena strode casually past Damon, purposefully brushing her breasts against his chest. She was gratified when she heard Damon's sharp intake of breath. "I think I'll go talk to him."

"He's not…" Damon cleared his throat, "You won't like him. He's not your type."

"I hardly think you're an expert on what's my type," Elena threw scathingly over her shoulder, being sure to sway her hips as she crossed the room. Knowing that he would be watching her every move, she kicked up a notch on her flirting tactics. "Mason, right?" she stepped close to him and ran a finger down his chest, "I don't believe we've met."

"So I think I'm heading out of here," Stefan said when he finally found Damon ten minutes later, sulking in a corner of the room. "What are you doing? You look like the crazy axe murderer who crashed the party."

Damon's expression didn't change. "You're leaving already? I thought you were all excited to be invited to Caroline Forbes' party. Didn't you used to complain about how she didn't give you the time of day in high school?"

"Things are different now," Stefan shrugged, "I'm not in high school anymore." He frowned when his brother made a noncommittal noise. "Seriously, what's with you? You seemed to be having a great time earlier..." He paused and finally sought out what Damon was looking at. "Hey, isn't that Elena? That girl that you were crazy about a few years back?"

"Three years," Damon said flatly, "It was three years ago."

"Whatever happened between you guys?" Stefan wondered out loud as he watched Mason lean in to whisper something in Elena's ear that caused her to blush prettily. "Did you keep in touch after you left for college?"

Damon took a sip of his beer, his eyes growing dark. "No, we didn't. She told me that we were just hanging out. No big deal. That all that time we spent together...was pretty much insignificant to her."

Stefan shook his head, "Look, I never knew Elena well in high school; we ran in different circles...but I do know that she would never say something like that."

"Maybe not in so many words," Damon narrowed his eyes as Mason began dancing with Elena, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "But that was pretty much the gist of the conversation."

"No," Stefan insisted, "You must've misunderstood, Damon. Everyone knew that you guys were way into each other." He hesitated, "Did you even talk to her yet?"

"Yes."

"And?"

Damon scowled up at his brother, "And everything went great. We're actually having sex right now, in case you hadn't noticed."

"No need for the sarcasm."

"Weren't you leaving?"

Stefan heaved a sigh, looking in between his brother and Elena one last time. "Soon," he said vaguely, "There's just someone I have to say goodbye to first."

"Yeah, whatever," Damon muttered, anger building in his veins as he watched Mason's hands drift down Elena's lower back, "I think I'm gonna get some air."

"You're gorgeous, you know that?" Mason pulled back slightly to grin at Elena, "Damon was right."

She immediately stilled, tearing her eyes away from the Salvatore brothers. "What did you just say?"

"Oh come on," Mason laughed, "I went to school with the guy, Elena! You think I don't know why you're flirting with me? Trying to make Damon jealous..."

"I'm not," she stepped away from him and crossed her arms, "And I never told you my name."

"You didn't need to...I saw Damon's face when you walked into the room, Elena. And I knew. I knew that it was you."

"Why?" she asked sharply, "What did he say about me?"

"Enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mason began to answer her, but he was cut off by the sound of someone loudly clinking a fork against their champagne glass. Elena turned around in annoyance to see Caroline standing on a chair to get everyone's attention. "The holiday goody bags are coming around," she announced excitedly, gesturing to some waitresses who were now dressed as Santa's helpers. "When you get yours, open it to see if you've gotten a red velvet ribbon." She held one up so that everyone would know what they were looking for. "The seven lucky people who get one will to get to stay for a special afterparty..."

As everyone was eagerly opening their gift bags, Caroline caught Elena's eye and subtly sent her a wink.

Elena suddenly had serious misgivings about this situation.

One of the waitresses came over to her at that moment and handed both her and Mason gift bags. He grinned at her before peering into his own bag and shifting some of the items around. "Well, what do you know?" he pulled out a red ribbon, "I've got one."

"As do I," she responded unenthusiastically, glancing up at Caroline, "How convenient."

"Coincidence?" Bonnie appeared at her shoulder, holding a ribbon out in her palm, "What do you think this is all about?"

"I'd like to find that out myself," Tyler sauntered over, holding the ribbon from his gift bag between two fingers and twirling it absentmindedly. "Who else do you think got one?"

"Caroline said seven people, right? But we're only four...so there have to be three more people that got one..."

"Two more," an unfamiliar voice said, and Elena looked up to see Damon's brother standing before her. "Is this where we're all gathering?" he asked, glancing at the rest of their ribbons. "I just figured, since I saw you guys holding them-"

"Oh you're Damon's kid brother, right?" Mason held his hand out, "Stefan Salvatore?"

"The one and only," Stefan confirmed and then looked over at Elena and Bonnie. "Hey," he said awkwardly, "We, ah, went to high school together?"

"Who else?" Caroline called loudly, "I see five people holding red ribbons over by the fireplace...who are the other two?" When no one answered, she pursed her lips in impatience. "Alright, if you got one, then you should stick around. Everyone else will find a green ticket in their gift bags-those are good for a free drink at the Grill tonight!"

The crowd immediately erupted into applause, to which Caroline glowed. Elena tapped her foot, waiting as the rest of the guests dispersed in their newfound quest to move the party to the Grill for the night. "Well?" she demanded when Caroline finally joined them, "What's this all about? Who has the other two ribbons?"

"Well, I've got one of them," someone said timidly behind them, and Elena turned around to see a blonde girl that she had never seen before.

Caroline grinned, "Hey Bex! I totally forgot that you hadn't met any of my friends yet!" She quickly elaborated, "This is my cousin, Bex...she's visiting from the U.K. for the holidays. She's like my second cousin twice removed on my father's side or something like that."

Elena smiled at Bex before narrowing her eyes at Caroline, "So you've covered friends and family...who's got the seventh ribbon, then?"

"What the hell is this?" Damon suddenly strode back into room, pausing momentarily on the threshold when he saw that everyone was gone. He then held up (the last) red ribbon with a scowl, "Listen, Barbie, if this is your idea of a Christmas gift, I gotta tell you...it's kinda right down there on the list next to, oh I don't know, a pair of socks...or maybe a box of tissues or something...why is everyone looking at me like that?"

"So the afterparty is...secret santa?" Tyler asked in confusion as Caroline neatly wrote all of their names on eight pieces of paper. "That's...not what I was expecting..."

"Trust me," Caroline said with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, "You'll want to play this game." When she had finished writing their names and folding the slips of paper, she tossed them all into an oversized stocking that had been hanging on the mantle. "Okay," she said brightly as she began walking around the room, "Time to choose." After some consideration, she stopped at Bonnie first. "Don't read it yet. Just pick one."

Bonnie looked suspicious, but she did as Caroline requested. Elena chose next, then Tyler, and then Stefan. At this point, to everyone's bewilderment, Caroline suddenly walked over to the fireplace and tossed the remaining four slips of paper into the fire.

"Ouch," Damon placed a hand over his heart dramatically, "Was that your way of cutting four of us out of this...thing? Is this like Survivor-style or something?"

"No," Caroline said with a mysterious smile, "Everyone that picked, go ahead and say who you got!"

Bonnie frowned and held up her paper, "Mason."

Stefan opened his and looked up at Caroline, his brow furrowing, "I got you."

"Bex," Tyler held up his own paper.

Elena closed her eyes briefly, knowing who was left. Hating Caroline and her boneheaded schemes, Elena sighed and opened her paper to see his name staring back at her. Mocking her. "Damon."

Caroline looked quite pleased with herself and she jumped up and down on the balls of her feet, "Merry Christmas!"

"I'm sorry...what?"

"The person you got," Caroline strode over to Stefan and held a hand out to him. He looked supremely confused but let her tug him to his feet anyway. "Is the person that you have to spend the rest of the night with."

Mason began choking on his drink, Stefan froze in shock, Tyler stared at Caroline in disbelief...and Elena let her head fall into her hands. She was SO going to kill Caroline.

"Um," Tyler coughed, "Are you telling me that you want me to spend the night with your cousin? Isn't that kind of..."

"Wrong on so many levels?" Mason muttered under his breath, looking over at Bonnie. "No offense, but I don't even know you."

"I didn't specify what you have to do with person for the night," Caroline corrected, not letting anyone's attitude deter her good mood. "But there's like a million bedrooms in this place. Find one and do whatever you want. You can play chess for all I care. The only rule is that you have to spend the night with the person. Other than that..." she shrugged, "No rules."

"So, we're not going to talk, then?"

Elena, who had been staring out the window, turned around to glare at Damon. "We have nothing to say to each other."

He got up from the bed where he had been lounging and moved to stand behind Elena. "Full moon," he commented as he peered out the bedroom window, "I should've known tonight was a bad omen."

"Why?" Elena asked belligerently, "Because we ran into each other after three years?"

"No," Damon sent her a strange look, "Because Barbie is keeping us under lockdown?"

In spite of her annoyance, Elena felt her lips curve upwards in a smile. "Barbie...I forgot you used to call her that when we were in high school."

"Like I said," he turned away so she wouldn't see the nostalgia in his expression, "She hasn't changed."

"Actually, we've all changed," Elena's voice hardened, "Something you wouldn't know, of course."

Damon bristled at the onset of sudden hostility and retorted, "Yes, this night has certainly shown me how you've changed. I bet you're wishing you picked Mason's name out of that stocking so that you could finish what you started out on that dance floor."

"Excuse me?"

"I saw the little show you guys were putting on for everyone," Damon's mouth twisted with distaste, "Real classy."

Elena flushed with anger, "You didn't see anything, Damon. You walked out of the room-"

He immediately jumped on that bit of information, "Ah, so you were watching me? Don't tell me that whole thing with Mason was for my benefit?"

"I saw you leave," Elena snapped, "But I certainly wasn't doing anything for your benefit. Don't flatter yourself, Damon. If anything, you've just admitted that you were the one watching me."

Damon looked like he was going to deny it, but he changed tactics at the last second. "Can you blame me?" He gestured at her, "I mean, look at what you're wearing...any guy would have to be blind not to notice...that."

Elena frowned, "For some reason that doesn't quite sound like a compliment." She instinctively turned in the direction of the full length mirror on the closet door and examined the short, skin-tight red dress. The two straps were sequined, but the rest of the dress was made out of some silky material that clung to her curves and fit her like a glove.

"It was a compliment," Damon's voice broke through the silence unexpectedly, "Even if it didn't sound like it." He came up behind her, edging closer and closer until she could feel his breath on her neck.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, her heartbeat rising as she felt him place his hands gently on her shoulders. He caressed her bare skin lightly, his eyes meeting hers as he watched both their expressions in the mirror.

"Three years," he said throatily, "Did you miss me?"

"No," Elena said defiantly, her body already betraying her words as his hands slid downwards from her shoulders and cupped her breasts through her dress. "No," she said again, her eyes fluttering as he nibbled at her ear before brushing his lips against her neck. He began placing tiny kisses along her shoulder blades while his hands continued exploring her curves. Elena moaned and raised one arm behind her to wrap around his neck to bring him closer against her.

"Look at us," Damon murmured in her ear and she let out a shuddering breath as she caught sight of her flushed face in the mirror.

It was oddly erotic to see the reaction he was having on her, and her lips parted in pleasure as he slid a hand underneath her dress. Without warning, he suddenly slid a finger into her wet folds and she gasped out loud. "Wait," she tried to reach out to grab his wrist, but he abruptly slid a second digit in and she nearly came undone. "Oh god," she moaned as he dropped to his knees in front of her, "Damon..."

She stared at herself in the mirror, barely unable to recognize herself as Damon pushed her dress up several more inches and spread her legs apart. Her breathing became labored as he removed his fingers, only to replace them with his tongue. She grasped at his hair desperately, needing him closer. It had been so long since they'd been like this, so long since...

Then she remembered why she had been mad at him in the first place.

"No, we can't!" Elena stumbled backwards and pushed him away, ignoring the throbbing between her legs as she hiked her dress back into place. "We can't," she clenched her fists at her side, "Not after what you did!"

To say that Damon looked stunned would've been an understatement. He slowly got to his feet, incredulity etched into his expression. "Let me get this straight, Elena. I was this close to making you come...and you stopped me?"

Growing increasingly agitated, both by his attitude and by the release that she was desperately craving, she finally screamed, "You left, Damon! No contact for three years? You-you can't act like that didn't happen!"

Damon looked, if possible, even more incredulous after her outburst. "You're the one that said that all the time we had spent together didn't really mean anything!" he shouted back at her, "You're the one that said 'good luck Damon, I know you'll find a great girl in college.' Well, news flash, Elena, the only girl that I've thought about for these past three years was YOU."

"I only said those things so that you would tell me how you felt," Elena sputtered back, "And you never contradicted any of that! You agreed, Damon! You said that we were just having fun or whatever...and then I didn't hear from you since that day! How do you think that made me feel?"

"Not as shitty as how I felt," Damon glowered back at her, "Don't put this on me, Elena. You're the one that wanted to play games instead of just coming clean with how you felt! You knew that I was in love with you and you still-"

"What?"

Damon threw his arms out in exasperation, "What?"

"What did you just say?"

He suddenly realized what he had said, and he groaned. "Yeah," he said dully, "Love. I loved you."

Elena took a hesitant step towards him, "You did?" When he only nodded, she sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. "This is all such a mess." She reluctantly glanced up at him before admitting sullenly, "I loved you, too."

Damon's heart soared, but he carefully kept his face expressionless as he finished closing the gap between them. "Well," he considered as he cupped her face, "I guess I was wrong. Some things don't change after all." He then lowered his head and captured her lips with his own, both of them reveling in the familiarity of the kiss. "The way I feel about you," he muttered in between kisses, "It has never changed."

"Me neither," she murmured back, fumbling with his tie as he maneuvered them towards the bed. She managed to slide it over his head and began hastily undoing his buttons before giving up completely and pulling the shirt apart so that the buttons flew off. "Oops," she giggled, reaching up to kiss him once more as she finally ran her hands over his bare chest. She sighed in appreciation, "I missed this."

"There's another part of me that missed you very much," Damon wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she smirked back at him before shoving him lightly. To humor her, he fell backwards onto the bed, enjoying the view as she straddled him. "I think it's time we got rid of that dress," he said to her seriously, but she ignored him.

"A little fun, first," she purred as she undid the buckle on his belt and slid his jeans and boxers down together so that his erection sprung free. He helped her kick the pants off his ankles and frowned as he looked up at her.

"Why is it that I'm completely naked while you're still fully dressed?"

"Hmm," Elena stretched teasingly, arching her back, "You might be right..." She squealed as he suddenly flipped them over so that he was hovering above her and hurriedly pushing down the straps of dress. "Whoa, whoa, don't rip it!"

With great effort, he slowed his movements so that he could slowly peel the dress off her. "It's like unwrapping a present," he murmured in awe as he tossed the dress aside and looked at what was awaiting him. "The best present ever," he added as their lips met again while his hands began roaming every inch of newly uncovered skin, desperate to reacquaint themselves with her body.

Elena's head rolled backwards, her hips lifting of their own volition, "Damon..."

He didn't need to be told twice and he positioned himself at her entrance. She nodded at him once, reaching her arm behind her to grasp the headboard as he slid into her, burying himself to the hilt. "Oh god," she moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist so that he sank even deeper within her. "I've missed this so much."

"Me too," Damon experimentally thrust forward, groaning as her walls stretched around him. "Just like I remembered," he mumbled against her lips, "Perfect." She could no longer form words, her nails digging into his back as his thrusts became more urgent, more frantic.

She cried out, throwing her head back as her first orgasm hit her. He stilled, letting her ride out the waves of pleasure. "Damon," she whispered breathlessly, her lips moving to seek his. He kissed her deeply, only pulling back briefly for air. "I still love you," Elena reached out to touch his cheek, "I don't think I ever stopped."

Damon gazed back down at her, kissing her once more lightly, "I still love you, too. Always have."

"Always will," she finished, curling up next to him, "Merry Christmas, Damon."

Chapter 2: The Perfect Tree
Prompt #2 (by Silverfoxpunk): "...Damon and Elena pick a Christmas tree in the snow. A snowball fight ensues and our heroine gets a little bit too cold..."

THE PERFECT TREE

"I can't believe you're making me do this," Damon stated flatly, looking around in distaste. "Are you punishing me for something?"

Elena rolled her eyes, spinning around with her arms spread out. "Stop being such a Scrooge," she threw her arms around him, "Look at how beautiful everything is this time of year!"

"The only beautiful thing I want to be looking at," he nuzzled into her neck, "Is you."

"Mmm," Elena murmured in pleasure, arching her neck to give him better access. As he moved to kiss her lips, however, she drew back with a mischievous smile. "I don't think so," she said sweetly, patting his chest. "You're not going to distract me with sex."

"But why?" Damon whined, reluctantly following Elena as she grabbed his hand and tugged him along. "I'm so good at it."

She threw a pointed look over her shoulder, "Don't get cocky now."

"How many times did we have sex yesterday?" he pretended to think, "Was it five…or six-"

Elena whirled around and smacked him on the arm. "Be quiet!" she hissed, "Half of Mystic Falls is here!"

"Of course they are," Damon grumbled under his breath, "Because everyone buys their Christmas tree as soon as December rolls around."

Elena paused in their trek through the snow to turn around and cross her arms, "You, Mr. Salvatore, need to get in the holiday spirit."

"And you, Mrs. Salvatore, need to hurry up and pick a tree." He grinned lazily as Elena flushed over the use of her new name. She still hadn't gotten used to being called a Salvatore, even though they had been married for over three months now.

"I will," she insisted, "But this is our first Christmas together, and I want everything to be perfect."

He sighed as they ventured farther and farther away from where they had started from. On the bright side, most of the other Mystic Falls residents seemed to have found the 'perfect tree' out in the front, so they didn't run into anyone else that would have slowed down their progress (they had run into Caroline and Tyler earlier-that had taken about a half hour chunk out of his day).

"Everything is already perfect," Damon moved to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist so that she leaned into him blissfully. "Every inch of the boarding house has been decorated, we've strung up the Christmas lights, we've baked cookies...basically we've done everything that I haven't done in the past 150 years." He reached over to kiss her on the cheek, "And I loved every second of it...now can we please just choose a tree? Really, any tree will do..."

Elena returned his kiss and turned around thoughtfully in the clearing, before her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh!" she jumped up and down excitedly, "How about that one?"

He looked at where she was pointing, but didn't see anything there. "Which one? Is it behind that monstrosity that's blocking everything?"

"No," she huffed, "I'm talking about that big one!"

Damon looked at her in horror when he realized she wasn't joking. "Are you kidding? Elena, there's no way that'll ever fit in the house!"

"Of course not," Elena waved off his protests dismissively, "You'll just have to cut it down a bit. It shouldn't take too long."

"No," he shook his head firmly, "Absolutely not. There's no way in hell that I'm wasting any more time with this tree." Damon turned on his heel and began walking back the way they had come, "I saw some perfectly good, normal sized trees on our way over here. With any luck, at least one of them will still be there. And that's the one that we'll be buying."

Something cold smacked the top of his head.

He slowly turned around, reaching one hand to his hair, which was dripping with wet snow. "Did you just do what I think you did?"

Elena looked back at him defiantly, "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't."

Damon took one more look around, using his enhanced hearing to make sure there was no one in the vicinity. When he couldn't hear anyone, he let his lips curve into a dangerous smirk. "You, Mrs. Salvatore, are so going to regret that."

Elena shrieked as he hurtled towards her, convulsing into laughter as he knocked her down to the ground. She fought against him uselessly, before suddenly shoving against him with a burst of strength so that they switched positions and she was the one hovering over him. Her eyes flicked to the right where Damon's hand was inching towards a pile of snow, and (thinking quickly) she straddled him, leaning forward to capture his lips with her own.

Taken by surprise, Damon let her deepen the kiss, the snow all but forgotten. Elena hurriedly pushed his leather jacket off his shoulders, leaving him in his signature black button-down shirt. Damon quickly reciprocated, unzipping her own jacket between kisses and tossing it to the side. His hands crept underneath her red sweater, his fingers moving towards her bra clasp. Before he could unhook it, however, Elena took the opportunity to grab a handful of snow and triumphantly shoved it into his shirt. "Gotcha," she whispered before running off, leaving Damon lying in the snow behind her.

"Messing with a vampire?" she heard Damon shout from behind her, "Bad move, Elena!"

She giggled, running through the snow as fast as she could. She reached a large tree and stopped behind it to catch her breath. She stood utterly still, her ears pricked for the slightest noise. All was eerily silent, however, and she slowly stepped out into the open. "Aarrghh," she screamed as someone tackled her to the ground, "Damon!" She laughed uncontrollably as he ripped the sweater off her body, leaving her clad in just a red camisole. "What are you doing?"

"You ruined my favorite shirt," he shrugged, "I figured I'd rid you of your clothes, too."

"Oh please," Elena laughed as he gained the upper hand and sprinkled a few flakes of snow into her cleavage. "You have like thirty other shirts that look exactly like it!"

"Not the point!" Damon growled at her, suddenly standing up and sweeping her into his arms as he lifted her from the ground.

"Hey, where are we going?" Elena pouted as he began carrying her through the snow, "We haven't picked out our tree yet!"

"You're beginning to turn blue," he informed her, "Not a good color on you, I might add." He frowned when she smacked his arm in indignation. "Well, excuse me, for saving you from hypothermia."

"But the tree," she complained, "Where are you taking me?"

"Home," Damon winked at her, "Hold on tight."

Elena let out another joyful squeal as he blurred through the woods, getting them home in record time.

"I'm fine," Elena insisted as he deposited her in the bathroom and began undressing her, "What are you doing?" Damon pulled off her dripping wet camisole and tossed it to the ground, before unzipping her cold jeans and getting rid of those in a similar fashion. "Wait," she stopped him as a sudden thought occurred to her, "Where are the rest of our clothes?"

Damon paused, a slow grin spreading across his face, "I guess they're exactly where we left them. In the snow."

"Oh god," Elena covered her face as Damon slid her panties down her legs and then pulled off her bra. "That's so embarrassing...what if someone finds them?"

He shrugged in response, moving around her to turn on the shower. "I guess they'll think we had sex in the snow-which, by the way, would've been a lot more fun than a snowball fight."

"I beg to differ," she teased back, shrieking when he picked her up easily and placed her under the stream of hot water. "Hey," she called when he turned around to leave, "Aren't you going to join me?"

Damon smirked to himself before ridding himself of his jeans and blurring into the shower with her. Elena moaned as he turned up the heat of the water and began lathering her body with soap. "So hot," she murmured as the water hit her skin, his hands moving sensually over her hardened peaks and then down her toned stomach.

"Yes, we are," Damon whispered in her ear, pulling her closer so that she could feel his arousal pressing into her. She could feel a subsequent throb between her legs and she quickly turned around to face him, desperate to feel him inside her. Damon kissed her as he let the water wash the soap away from their slick bodies, lifting her upwards so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. He pushed her back against the shower wall for a better grip and slid into her without a second thought, both of them gasping out loud at the sensation. He buried his face in between her breasts and she clenched onto his hair for something to hold on to as he began thrusting into her frantically.

She hissed out his name when he abruptly shifted their position so that he nearly pulled all the way out of her. "What are you doing?" she panted, "I'm so close."

"Yeah," Damon patted her cheek, "Maybe next time you'll learn not to get a guy all riled up in the snow and then leave him high and dry."

"What?" Elena sputtered as Damon climbed out of the shower, "Where are you going?"

"Finish your shower," he called over his shoulder, "I'll go make us some hot chocolate." With that, he shut the bathroom door and left Elena fuming.

"I hope you know," Elena called out as she stomped down the stairs 20 minutes later, "We are so not having sex for such a long time." She reached the bottom of the stairs and went into the kitchen, where a steaming mug of hot chocolate was waiting for her. "Damon?"

"In here," he called from the living room, "Get over here."

Elena picked up the hot chocolate and curiously followed his voice. She stopped when she got to the living room, her mouth dropping open in shock. "Oh my god! Is that-"

"The tree you wanted," Damon smiled as she looked up at it in awe, "Now you know why I had to leave you alone in the shower."

She sauntered over to him, "Oh, so you weren't teaching me a lesson, then?"

"Well," he considered as she kissed him, biting his lower lip teasingly. "That may have been an added bonus."

"I'm sure it was," she grinned as she turned back around to look at the tree again, "I can't wait to decorate it!"

"That," Damon pulled her into his arms, "Can wait."

"Oh, can it?"

Damon nodded, reaching down to untie the loose knot on her silk bathrobe, "Looks like we have something else to finish first."

Elena stepped back from him, seductively letting the robe slide off her shoulders. "I guess we do," she agreed, holding a hand out to him and pulling him towards the fireplace. She quickly pulled his shirt over his head and pulled off his jeans, pushing him down onto the Persian rug. She could feel the heat from the flames against her cool skin as she moved to straddle him. "Thank you," she whispered to him as she impaled herself onto his length, "For getting the perfect tree."

His hands gripped her hips as she found her rhythm, throwing her head back in pleasure as his fingers lazily traced patterns across her skin. "I love you, Elena," he murmured, "If it's a perfect Christmas you want, then it's a perfect Christmas you'll get."

Chapter 3: The Holiday Escape
Prompt #3 (by txvdfan): "...Elena ends up in the hospital on Christmas Eve...Damon comes to the hospital to check on her...Elena's very thankful that Damon made sure she was home for Christmas..."

THE HOLIDAY ESCAPE

Elena sighed in annoyance, laying her head against the lumpy hospital pillow. She glanced to her right, where Caroline was pacing back and forth nervously. Her over-glittered candy cane outfit looked ridiculous against the plain backdrop of the hospital walls, and Elena could tell that Mayor Lockwood (currently standing outside the door, speaking to one of the doctors) didn't exactly approve of the less-than-appropriate costume.

"Care," Elena tried to prop herself up on her elbows, ignoring the slight pounding in her head. "You heard the doctor, I'll be alright…I know you have to get back to setting up for the Holiday Auction at the Lockwoods."

"Don't be silly," Caroline admonished her with a frown, "That was a pretty nasty fall you took back there. I'm not leaving until I'm 100% sure you're okay."

"It's Christmas Eve," Elena responded tiredly, "I know you have to get the auction set up by tonight if it's going to be ready by tomorrow morning. Mrs. Lockwood already took out an advertisement on the front page of the paper to tell everyone about the charity event. She'll never forgive you if you don't finish decorating in time."

"Bonnie and the others are there," Caroline assured her, "They'll take care of things while we wait to see what the doctor says." She paused as the door opened, "Oh look, here he comes now."

"Ms. Gilbert," Dr. Winston let himself into the room, closely followed by Mayor Lockwood. "How are you feeling? Any blurriness in your vision? Any trouble speaking?"

"No," Elena gave him a tight smile, "Just a little headache."

The doctor consulted his clipboard, writing a few notes down before looking back up at her. "Your friend here, Ms. Forbes, tells me that you were helping decorate Mrs. Lockwood's home for the auction tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we were all trying to hang this huge golden ornament from the ceiling in the main hall," Elena explained sheepishly, "It was pretty heavy so there were like five of us helping…I guess I lost my balance on the ladder…"

"Wasn't there anyone spotting you? Holding the ladders to make sure something like this didn't happen?"

Mrs. Lockwood threw a sharp glance in Caroline's direction, who flushed in guilt. "That was my job," she admitted, "But I heard glass breaking in the next room and I just stepped out for a second to find out what happened…then I heard Elena scream and I rushed back into the hall…"

"I see," Dr. Winston said sternly, "Well, we're lucky that there were no broken bones. We already checked for a concussion, but it doesn't appear like you have one-"

"So I can go?" Elena interrupted hopefully. She hated hospitals with a passion. They brought back too many unpleasant memories.

The doctor hesitated, looking like he was deciding how to best word bad news. "I'm sorry, Elena. But it's better that we keep you overnight for observation. We don't want to send you home if there's a chance of possible head trauma…"

"But you said I was fine!" Elena flew up into a sitting position, wincing with pain as her head gave a particularly painful throb, "I can't stay here! Tomorrow's Christmas and-"

"And you'll be home by then," Dr. Winston cut her off, "But as for tonight, I'm sorry, but my hands are tied."

"It'll be okay," Caroline soothed, "I'll stay right here with you, alright?"

Elena shot her friend an exasperated look, "While I appreciate the sentiment, there's no way that I'm going to ruin your Christmas Eve. Go, finish decorating…I'll be fine."

Mayor Lockwood squeezed her shoulder, "Glad you're feeling better, Elena. I'm sorry this had to happen to you while you were doing something to help us out." She looked down at her watch, seemingly uncomfortable. "I hate to leave you like this, but I really have to get back to oversee how the set-up for the auction is going...would you mind if I took off?"

"Not at all," Elena turned to look at Caroline, "You should go, too. I know you have a lot of things to get done."

Caroline sighed, "Alright, but you call me if you need anything, promise?"

"Promise," Elena agreed, watching as Caroline and Mrs. Lockwood gathered their things, "Hope the auction goes well."

"Hey," Matt called out as Caroline entered the Lockwood mansion, "How's Elena? Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Caroline raised her voice slightly so that the small crowd that had gathered could hear, "She's fine. But the doctor said she has to stay overnight at the hospital."

"Man, that blows," Tyler shook his head as he joined them, "Should we...I don't know, like...do something for her? Go bring Christmas to her hospital room or something?"

"Yeah, we should," Bonnie agreed, "You know she would do that for us."

"I know she would," Caroline said vaguely as she began looking around the house, "But I have a better idea..."

Tyler frowned as he followed her, "Er, who are you looking for?"

Caroline looked around impatiently, "Did the others not get back yet?"

"They're here now," Matt said, pointing out the window to where Alaric's truck had just pulled into the driveway. "Didn't you tell them yet?"

"No, couldn't get cell phone signal," Caroline called over her shoulder as she ran out into the driveway, "Hey, guys-"

"You know, Barbie, the next time you send us out to pick up ten Christmas trees..." Damon trailed off when he saw her expression, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Elena," she said, looking over at Alaric and Jeremy, "First, let me just tell you that the doctor said she'll be okay...but she sorta fell off her ladder when she was hanging up decorations and she hit her head pretty hard, and I swear I feel terrible about it because I wasn't watching her and-"

"Whoa, slow down," Alaric reached out to grasp her shoulder, "Elena is okay? Where is she now? The hospital?"

Caroline nodded, "The doctor said she doesn't have a concussion but he wants to keep her overnight for observation just in case." She glanced over at Damon, whose jaw was clenched. "I was hoping you could do something about that, though..."

Damon cocked his head at her, a slow smirk spreading on his lips. "I like where your head's at, Blondie. Consider it taken care of."

Elena had never been more bored in her life.

She flipped through the channels on the small TV aimlessly, not in the mood to watch any of the holiday specials. Not when she was stuck in a hospital on Christmas Eve, anyway.

"Knock, knock," Damon stuck his head through the door, and Elena immediately perked up. He grinned as he sauntered closer to her and lowered his voice, "Did someone order a getaway plan?"

"You're here to break me out?" Elena grabbed his arm excitedly, "Really?"

"Really, truly," he looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was in the hallway before crouching next to her and lifting her easily into his arms. "Am I the only one sensing an alarming pattern here?"

"Shut up," Elena rolled her eyes as he walked to the doorway, "You act like I'm choosing to be here."

"No," Damon said lightly, "You just have a knack of ending up here on a rather frequent basis." His voice lifted teasingly, "It's not normal, Elena."

"Since when were any of our lives normal?" she quipped back, to which he chuckled.

"Alright," he peered up and down the hallway, "Ready to be smuggled out of here?"

"How are you going to manage that?"

"By moving really, really fast," Damon looked at the worried expression on her face in amusement, "Do you trust me?"

At his words, Elena relaxed in his arms, "Always."

"Good," Damon shifted her in his arms so that he could hold her even closer, and she responded by looping both arms around his neck. He waited one more second to make sure she was comfortable before he blurred out of the hospital at top-speed, reaching the parking lot within seconds.

"Wow," Elena clutched on to him even more tightly, "That was certainly a...head rush."

Damon gently deposited her in his car, "Don't worry. We'll have you home in no time."

"So the word 'home' was a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" Elena asked dryly as Damon carried her bridal style through the doorway of the Salvatore boarding house and laid her out on the sofa, "Not that I don't practically live here anyway, but-"

"But if you were at your home, then you would try to cook Christmas dinner or sneak off to the mall to do last minute shopping, or a number of other things that don't constitute as resting," Damon finished pointedly, "Am I right?"

Elena pursed her lips but didn't dignify his statement with a reply.

"That's what I thought," he patted her head smugly, "You just stay right here and relax while I go get you some tea." As he walked into the kitchen, he called over his shoulder, "And try not to fall off the couch and hit your head while I'm gone. I would hate to have to take you back to the hospital..."

"Very funny," Elena said to his retreating back, "Your hilarity knows no bounds." She rolled her eyes at the sound of Damon laughing, and then turned her attention towards the decorations in the living room. To her surprise, there were several stockings hanging over the fireplace, as well as a large tree in the corner. "I didn't know you got a Christmas tree," she called towards the kitchen, "Did Caroline get you in the holiday spirit after all?"

"She can be annoyingly persistent," Damon appeared next to her, holding a steaming mug in his hands that he carefully set on the coffee table. "There might be a couple gifts for you under there," he added casually, "You won't get to open them till midnight, though."

"Wow," Elena raised her eyebrows, "Damon Salvatore went Christmas shopping? What are the odds?"

"Only because I got to see the scantily dressed women playing Santa's helpers at the mall," he winked, "You ever think of getting one of those gigs?"

Elena smirked as she raised the mug to her lips and took a sip, "Sounds like that's more up Katherine's alley than mine."

"Maybe," Damon conceded, nodding towards her, "How is it?"

"Good," she licked her lips unconsciously, apparently not noticing the effect that action had on Damon. "I thought you were making tea?"

"I figured hot chocolate would be more appropriate," he shrugged, reaching over and plucking one of the many marshmallows out of her mug and popping it into his mouth. "More festive and all that."

"Hey," Elena childishly hugged the mug to herself, "Get your own."

"I would love to," Damon said distractedly as he checked his phone for missed calls. "Unfortunately, it looks like they need more vampire muscle at that stupid auction." He stood up and grabbed his coat, not seeing Elena's disappointed face. "So," he walked back over to her and pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead, "I'm trusting you to stay here and get some rest. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay," she smiled brightly at him as an idea occurred to her, "I'll be right here." As soon as he left, however, she pulled out her own phone and quickly began texting Caroline.

"That's the last of it," Damon groaned as he finished settling in the final Christmas tree into one of the many rooms of the Lockwood mansion. "Seriously, whose idea was this auction thing anyway?"

"Pretty sure it was a combination of Caroline's and my mom's," Tyler grumbled, "Of course the only thing they agree on is putting me to work."

"Well," Damon clapped Tyler's shoulder harder than was strictly necessary, "Kudos on bringing all your friends down with you." He looked around, disgruntled, "Speaking of Caroline, where the hell is she? I haven't seen her since I got here two hours ago."

"She's running some errands," Bonnie stuck her head into the room, "I think she said she'd be back soon, though."

"Errands?" Damon frowned as he followed Bonnie outside, "What errands?"

"I'm here, I'm here!" Caroline's car screeched to a halt in front of the house, "How did everything go? Are you guys all done?"

"Yes, and no thanks to you," Damon shoved a clipboard at her, "I'm out of here."

"Okay," Caroline waved to him cheerfully as he got into his car, "Thanks for all your help! Have a good night! Merry Christmas!"

Damon shot her a weird look as he pulled out of the driveway, "You're too chipper for your own good, Blondie."

She didn't let that deter her and merely kept waving, "Tell Elena I said hi!"

"Will do," he muttered under his breath, glancing out the rearview mirror where he could still see Caroline smiling broadly. "Christ," he muttered under his breath, "Someone get the girl an Ambien."

Still muttering to himself, he parked the car in his driveway ten minutes later and silently entered the boarding house. He paused in the hallway, but didn't hear anything. Not wanting to disturb Elena if she was sleeping, he padded up the stairs and headed into his shower-he needed to wash the fucking glitter out of his hair asap.

Twenty minutes later, he walked into his room, toweling his hair dry. He slid on a pair of black sweatpants and was just about to go downstairs when he caught sight of a golden envelope sitting on his bed. Curiously, he picked it up and turned it over in his hands, noticing his name written in elaborate calligraphy on the front. He carefully sliced the envelope open, shaking out its contents. A single paper fell into his hands, an exact replica of Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket. Here, he recognized Elena's handwriting: Maybe you have a couple gifts waiting for you under the tree, too- E.

"Elena?" he called out, scowling as he hurried down the stairs, "What are you doing? I told you to rest and-" He broke off in stunned silence, both the envelope and the ticket falling from his hands and skidding across the floor.

"Hi," Elena smiled up at him from where she was sitting cross-legged under the Christmas tree. He could only continue to stare in shock as she slowly stood up and sashayed seductively towards him, "Care to unwrap your present?"

"My...what?" he managed to ask hoarsely, his gaze darting up and down her body incredulously. "Where did you get...that?" Elena was wearing some sort of Santa lingerie set, complete with a tiny red skirt lined with fur and a Santa hat. "But...you..." He shook his head to clear it, finally settling with, "What?"

Elena let a smile spread over her lips, her silver high heels clicking as she walked across the room to meet him. "Well," she considered as she took his hand and led him over to the sofa, "I realized that I hadn't bought you a Christmas gift yet, so I was sitting here and wondering 'what would Damon Salvatore want?' and then I remembered our conversation from earlier." She paused to push him down onto the sofa roughly before straddling him, and then leaned down to whisper in his ear, "And I realized exactly what you would want..."

Damon could only gape at her in open-mouthed disbelief.

"Come on," Elena teased, taking his hand and placing it on her hip, "Don't you want to play with your new toy?"

He finally found his voice. "I think," he told her seriously, "I just fell in love with you even more." She smiled sweetly, giggling as he hastily pulled off his own shirt. She reached backwards to pull off her bra, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her. "No," he said thickly, "Leave them on."

"As you wish," she purred, reaching between them to stroke his arousal through his pants. He hissed at the contact, and she immediately stood up so that he could get rid of them. "Now," she tossed her Santa hat to the floor so that her hair cascaded down her shoulders, "Where were we?"

She let out a shriek as Damon blurred towards her, lifting her up and slamming her against the wall. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, moaning as he slid into her heated core with ease. "Perfect," he whispered in awe at the fit, "You're perfect."

Elena blindly reached up for something to hold on to, her fingers clasping around the mantlepiece as her hips lifted to meet his frenzied pace. Her grip loosened as her orgasm began to build and she bit her lip to keep from screaming. Damon stumbled backwards at the same time, falling onto the ground as Elena continued to ride him, her breaths escaping her in short gasps as he tumbled into oblivion with her.

Completely spent, she collapsed on top of him. "So," she brushed her lips against his once lightly before he deepened the kiss, their tongues dueling for dominance. "Did you like your gift?"

She squealed as he flipped them over, his eyes darkening with lust. "I did," he murmured, abruptly reaching between them to rip the skirt off. "In fact, I think I'm going to enjoy opening it all over again..."