Title: Widowed at Christmas

Summary: When a letter addressed to Santa accidentally arrives in Elena's apartment mailbox, she can't resist the temptation to read it. When she realizes it's from the young boy next door with a recently widowed father, she has even more reason to respect their privacy and stop. However, she's never been great with boundaries so she continues on. And yeah, maybe her interest has something to do with the impeccably attractive father of said boy with the devastatingly sad eyes, but that's beside the point. When she gets to the line: 'All I want this year is for daddy to be happy again' she doesn't stop herself, the way she has in the past, from knocking on their door. Written for the A2A Holiday Exchange. Prompt by morvamp.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

"Fa la la la la," Elena sang out as she dashed through the house, tidying up a bit before she had to leave for work. The Christmas station was playing one of her favorites and the Christmas spirit was alive and well in her home. It was a decent size apartment. Big enough for herself and her adopted dog Yoshi. She had purposely got a two bedroom so that she could have an office but once she saw Yoshi was looking for a good home a few Christmases ago her pseudo office had become a puppy bedroom. The dog had taken up two-thirds of the small bedroom with all his toys and beds, leaving just a measly third for her desk and file cabinet. Not that she was complaining. She loved the sight of Yoshi's tail wagging like crazy as he welcomed her home. Now he jangled in the Christmas sweater she had put him in. It just made her smile more.

Christmas was her favorite holiday. As if that was hard to tell by her apartment which was decked floor to ceiling in decorations. Old fashioned and traditional mixed in with quirky and cartoonish in her small flat. It smelled of gingerbread and holly and the only thing missing was the sweet smell of evergreen that came along with a freshly cut tree. That was being handled after work today. Hence the super-Christmas-y mood she was in.

Giving a quick goodbye to Yoshi and making sure he had plenty of food and water for the day and plenty of access to his favorite toys, she lowered the music and left the apartment. Just as her door closed, the sound was mimicked behind her. She turned to see her new neighbor, closing his door at the same moment at her. All she saw was back and it was definitely a hot back.

Elena had seen him and his son a few time they moved in. The comings and goings were often where they bumped into each other and mumbled pleasantries. He didn't seem very open and came off very private and closed off. His son, Matthew, however was the opposite. The times she ran into him alone, he was full of conversation. Matt (as he liked to be called) told her all about their big move and the reason behind it. Matt had lost his mother and his father, Damon, was beyond depressed. She had lost her battle with cancer the Christmas before and Damon had moved them a few months later. Matt's Dad had a hard time living in the house where he had her hospital bed put in and where every memory of their lives together permeated the walls. So they downsized and moved to an apartment to begin their lives all over again. Elena had learned all of that from one conversation. The kid was chatty.

A definitely stark contrast to his handsome father. "Good morning, Damon!" she cheerfully greeted.

Damon gave her a curt nod. "Morning." And with that he bundled his coat and dashed down the hallway.

And that was the gist of her relationship with the devastatingly handsome widow next door.

Elena grunted as she tried to fit the tree through the way too small front door to the apartment complex. She was losing hope, not something she did very often, when she heard a tiny voice calling her name behind her. She turned to see Matt racing towards her, bundled up and carrying his backpack that was flapping back and forth as he ran. "Let me help you, Miss Elena!"

"I told you to call me Elena, Matty." She rolled her eyes and smiled as he reached her.

He gave a wide smile as he looked at the full tree she was holding. "Is that your Christmas tree?"

She nodded. "The bigger the better." Elena turned towards the doorway. "Well, maybe not in this case."

"I'll help you! This tree has to fit through."

"That's the spirit!"

With a new determination, Elena and Matt worked together maneuvering the tree this way and that to get it to fit through the door. It took several tries and the imagination of a nine year old to finally get it through. And when it did the two of them may have had a little dance party in the lobby. They high fived and Elena thanked him knowing she owed this kid big for helping her. It's no easy task moving a tree that's three times your size.

"So what are you asking Santa for Christmas? Because I might have to take something from that list and get it for you. I owe you, kid."

Matt's face fell and he shuffled his feet awkwardly. A completely different kid than he was moment before. "Uh, I haven't asked for anything."

"You better get your list written up soon! Christmas is two weeks away. You can ask him for anything. Just have to leave it in the mailbox for the postman to pick up. He gets it right to the North Pole for ya."

The young boy looked up at her with his face lit up in wonder. "Really? It's that easy?"

"Of course." Elena smiled, confused. Surely, Damon told him all this, right? She gestured over her shoulder to where all the mailboxes were. "You just leave it hanging out of your mailbox and Elijah the mailman gets it to the big guy."

"That's great!" She could practically see the gears in his head turning as he thought out what he could say.

Leaning the tree against the wall near the elevators, Elena reminded, "You still have to tell me what I can get you."

Matt was already shaking his head. "No, really. This is present enough! We're not getting a tree this year so it was like I was."

"You're not getting a tree?" Boundaries, Elena she could practically hear her mother scorning her.

"Well, yeah." There was that look again. The sad forlorn look that nearly matched his fathers. "See we don't—"

"Matthew?" Both their head snapped towards the door where Damon stood staring at them with bewilderment. His eyes flicked behind them to where the tree stood leaning and his eyes grew very sad and then very angry. "Let's get upstairs. You have homework to do."

"I'm sorry, Damon. Matt was just helping me bring my tree in. I was a bit stuck." She smiled and kinked her one shoulder trying to be cute. Yup she was flirting with her neighbor. Her very attractive, very sad, very distant neighbor.

His eyes flicked towards her. His very blue, very dreamy eyes. When describing Damon the word very came very in handy. "Well, unless you'll be needing more help, Matthew has to do his homework now."

Guess Mr. Very wasn't taking the bite. Granted that was the most she heard him talk to date. "Uh, no. I can handle it from her." She turned towards Matt and held out her fist. "Thank you for the help."

Matt fist bumped her. "No. Thank you, Elena! Really!" He wandered over to his father who had already brought the elevator down and was stepping inside. "See you around!" He disappeared inside and the door closed with a bell. She waited for a while and collected her mail before bringing the elevator down for herself. Elena had become a pro at doing things on her own but she would be lying to herself if she hadn't found herself wanting to have someone to share it with.

When she reached her floor and had the tree inside she found herself wanting to knock on Damon and Matt's door. She wanted ask them to help her trim the tree. Now that she knew they weren't getting a tree and having the image of Matt's happiness over just helping her bring it in, she knew he would at least enjoy it. As she opened the door and found herself standing in front of theirs she found she couldn't bring herself to knock. Damon's face as he looked at the tree kept stopping her. There was something in that look that told her to back off. So she did.

Instead, she did what she did every year. She turned on the Christmas station, made some hot cocoa, had her favorite Christmas movie playing in the background, and trimmed her tree by herself. Yoshi was there of course, chewing his Ho-Ho, a toy that had been given to him by her brother Jeremy that once had three green "squeakies" that read Ho-Ho-Ho and had now been reduced to two. Elena gave it till the end of the year until it was just a Ho.

As she curled up on her couch, her puppy beside her, and the beautiful light of the decorated tree casting the room in enchanting light, she thought about her neighbor and what his Christmas plans were. If there was any…

Dressed in her yoga leggings and windbreaker, Elena jogged to the hotel with Yoshi by her side, panting and completely knackered out. They had just finished up their weekly Sunday morning run. It was the only time during the week where she had the time to really let Yoshi run free and be a dog. They jogged down to the park where she would just let him go until he was ready to play some fetch and get some belly rubs. She kept her Sunday mornings free for just this reason. It was her time to unwind from her stressful work week and just be in the moment with the animal who had become a child to her.

As they entered the lobby, her eyes caught the sight of a red envelope sticking out of her mailbox. Curiosity got the better of her. That was usually the sign for outgoing mail but since she hadn't sent out any this morning, least of all on a Sunday, she wandered over. She grabbed hold of the letter and read the return to address spying Matthew Salvatore's name. It was her neighbors. Just as she was about to put it in Damon's mail slot, she caught sight of who the letter was to and couldn't help but be nosy.

Santa Claus

The North Pole

Slipping the letter into her jacket, she told herself that she would simply put the letter in the mailbox down the street tomorrow. It was of course a lie. She wanted an idea of what to get for the little boy who had been so excited over helping her bring a tree in. Stealthily, she made her way upstairs with Yoshi. She was almost home free. Just as she reached the door, a door behind her opened and their stood Damon dressed in jeans and a dark leather jacket. He seemed surprised to see her by the way he jumped back. Ah yes, so stealthy she surprised the man who showed so little emotion. He was looking at her. Wait, was that a smile?

"You scared me."

She frowned. "Sorry."

"My son told me I should apologize for how I acted yesterday."

Elena held her hand up. "No need. School comes first."

He ran a hand through his raven locks. Yes locks of hair. They looked that good to describe them in fairytale description. "Uh, yeah. I can be a little rude sometimes. That's how I was being yesterday."

"It's okay." Her head tilted and she gave a sad smile. She of course understood why he was being the way he was.

Damon's eyes widened. "You know don't you. Matthew told you."

"Uh, what?"

"You know about our sad little story. He opened up to you." Now he was looking at her curiously. It was making her uncomfortable.

She shifted her stance and Yoshi sat down at her feet. "Yeah. He kind of did."

Damon shook his head, sadly smiling, before meeting her eyes. "I'm, uh, glad he feels like he can talk to someone. If I'm being honest, I know I kind of don't let him feel like he can talk about her around me."

"Maybe you should change that." Boundaries, Elena. There was her mother in her head again.

"I'm not ready yet." He seemed surprised to be admitting this to of all people his neighbor. "I don't know why I told you that."

Elena reached out to touch his shoulder and a spark shocked her at the touch. Her hand snapped back at it. Odd. She shook off the feeling. "Guess you Salvatore's feel comfortable opening up to me."

"It would seem so." There was that sad look again. He took notice of Yoshi and reached out to pat his head. Yoshi's tail wagged and his tongue fell out the side of his mouth. That seemed to bring a smile out of Damon. A lopsided smile that brought fluttering to Elena's stomach.

"I think he likes you."

"Think so." He looked up at Elena, that smile of his beaming. Then he saw that Elena was smiling too. The smile faltered, he stood straight back up. "I, uh, got to get going. See you around."

With that he was gone and Elena was left with lingering questions over what had just transpired between them. That's when Yoshi barked and broke the spell. Elena shook her head, continued opening her door and let him run inside. The sound of his tongue lapping up water echoes in the otherwise quiet house. Elena collapsed on the couch and pulled out the letter, turning it over and over in her hands. She should respect their privacy. Both of them had been through so much and for all Elena knew this letter to Santa could be something personal that Matthew had written.

She stood and began walking towards the kitchen, determined to put it with her own outgoing mail and forget the whole thing when the sight of the teapot caught her eye. Well, she was never good with boundaries anyway. Placing the letter down, she reached for the teapot and filled it with water and set it on the stove. She waited for the steam and held the envelope over it until it began to open all on its own. Elena pulled out the letter and leaned against the counter to read Matthews letter.

Dear Santa,

How are things up North? I bet you are busy preparing for Christmas. I know it's almost Christmas and I am sending this a little late but the nice lady next door said there was still time. Since Daddy used to say you saw everything I know you must see that we have not been celebrating Christmas this year. I do not want you to be mad at Daddy for not putting up decorations or getting a tree. I do not mind. Not really. I see how hard it is for him this year. Mommy is in Heaven. This was always her favorite holiday. Daddy's too. The day after Thanksgiving we would decorate. He even did all the stuff Mommy would do last year since she couldn't so that Mommy could have Christmas one last time. I am sure you are waiting for me to start asking for a brand new bike or a basketball or something cool like that. But I do not want any of that. All I want this year is for Daddy to be happy again. He has been so sad since we lost Mommy to the cancer. He does not smile or laugh any more. He just works and does what he has to. I want to see my Daddy happy and like he used to be. Uncle Stefan says it's because he loved Mommy so much that his heart broke. Can you fix his heart? I miss Mommy too. A lot. My heart feels broken too. But Mommy told me she is watching over me and so I try to give her something fun to watch. I know she would want to see me happy and so I do things that I know will make me happy. I do not think she told Daddy that. I just want my Daddy happy. Make my Daddy happy. Please. You can make reindeer fly and kids all around the world happy. Even though Daddy is not a kid make him happy. It is all I want for Christmas.

Matty Salvatore

Elena stared at the letter, tears falling from her eyes. She read the letter over and over again feeling her heart break a little bit more each time for the father and son across the hall. This was their first Christmas without their wife and mother and Damon seemed too swept up in his own grief to realize how perceptive his son was. Matt noticed just how sad his father looked, just how much he was just going through the motions and not living. She wondered what their home life was like. Was Damon reacting to his son's stories? Or was he just a shell of a person who gave the bare minimum. She knew she needed to do something for them.

It was just a matter of what.

Then an idea began to form and organize. She only hoped it would go over well. Everything needed to be timed perfectly. If this didn't go over well she would only end up doing more harm than good. Picking up the phone, she made a few calls and got everything together. Elena would definitely be crossing a few boundaries but she hoped in the end it would all be worth it.

Elena rushed to the door, opening it and knocking at the one across from hers. Damon answered the door with Matt on his heels. "Elena?"

"Hi," she stated out of breath. "I was just wondering if you could do me a huge favor. I know its Christmas Eve but I don't know who else to ask."

"Uh, what is it?"

She nervously rushed it all out. "My family is stuck at the airport. I was supposed to pick them up but I timed everything wrong and I won't be able to get them. Can you? I would make it up to you."

He looked down at Matt who was already nodding in excitement. She knew she could count on the kid to sway Damon. "Yeah. Sure. What terminal?"

"You're a life saver!" She quickly told them the information and gave them her number as well as her brothers. Even went as far to message them a recent family photo. Her family coming in from Denver was just the distraction she needed. Granted it was Christmas Eve and the airport was going to be a mess but she knew Damon and Matt had no plans. They left in a hurry with promises to not worry about a thing and then they were gone.

Elena quickly dialed the super, Tyler, and had him rush up the stairs. She ran into her own apartment and got out all the boxes and brought them into the hall just as Tyler arrived. He opened up the Salvatore's apartment and she got to work. The apartment was bland as could be. There was not a decoration in sight. Thankfully, that was all about to change. This part was mostly for Matt but hopefully once Damon saw how happy his son was it would make the next part that much easier.

She only had a few hours at most and yet she had somehow managed to transform the apartment into a wonderland complete with tree and presents and a dinner for two. Now she only had to wait.

As she paced and paced in her own apartment she prayed that by some Christmas miracle this would all turn out okay. Then when she got Damon's text that they were almost home she was sure she would wear a path in her floor boards. A knock came at the door and she was swarmed with family members. Her parents and brother, her aunt and uncle, they all rushed towards her and covered her with hugs. They had all been in Denver for one of Jeremy's art shows and had finally returned home for Christmas. She was momentarily overcome with the happiness that came with being reunited with your family for the holidays. Then she saw Damon and Matt standing in the doorway. Matt's eyes were wide with wonder at the beauty of her apartment; he didn't seem to know where to look first. His eyes darted and took in every decoration and light fixture and holiday figurine. While Damon, on the other hand, seemed sad and guilty. If only they knew what was awaiting them behind their own door.

"Thank you so much," she stated, snapping them from their thoughts.

"Not a problem." Damon was already trying to make his exit. The huge family and Christmas spirit spurring on his flee response.

She smiled and bent down to Matt, she handed him a tin box of her favorite homemade cookies. "These are for you."

"Thank you, Elena!" Matt squealed, already tearing open the box.

"Matthew," Damon reprimanded. "Why don't you go take those inside instead of devouring it in the hallway?"

"Yes, Daddy." Matt closed the lid and turned for the door.

"You're welcome to stay for dinner?" Elena asked already knowing the answer.

Damon shook his head. "No. We better leave you to your family." He nodded his head in goodbye and turned just in time to see Matt open the door to their apartment. Matt was frozen in shock and Damon did a double take. Then Matt ran inside and began pointing out everything in only the way a kid can. It made Elena smile as she stood back and watched from over Damon's shoulder.

"H-How in the…? Wh-What's going on?" Damon questioned to no one in particular.

That's when Elena tapped him on the shoulder. He turned towards her slowly as she placed Matt's letter to Santa in his hand. "I'm sorry I snooped. He accidently put it in my mailbox and I was only trying to get an idea of what to get Matt for Christmas."

Matt was too busy pointing everything out to his father. He had discovered the presents and was already shaking them close to his ear to try to figure out what they could be. Elena's eyes focused on Damon who was reading his son's letter with tears in his eyes. When he finally looked up and met hers, the only words that tumbled out were, "You did all this for us?"

Elena's heart burst. He wasn't going to be mad at her. Weight fell off her shoulders and she finally managed a real smile now that her nerves were long gone. She nodded. "He deserved a real Christmas and you deserved to know why. I figured decorating would've been too hard on you so I pulled a little secret Santa on your apartment. I hope its okay."

She waited with baited breath as the nerves crept up again. Suddenly, Damon shot forward and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tight and Elena let her arms envelop him as he cried against her shoulder. She realized that she was holding him together as he fell apart in her arms. All the grief and sadness that he had kept inside following his wife's death all came out of him in that moment. And then he did the last thing she expected him to do, he began to laugh. She pulled back and found him smiling as he braced her shoulders and focused those hypnotizing eyes of her. "Thank you, Elena. Thank you so much."

He kissed her cheek and turned and ran towards his son. "Matty!" he screamed with arms open wide. Matt turned towards him, eyes expectant and overcome with happiness. He jumped up and ran into his father's arms and Elena was crying at the sight of Damon swinging his son around in circles in his arms. "Merry Christmas, Matty!"

"Merry Christmas, Daddy!" Matt said as he hugged his father close. "Santa gave me what I wanted. He really did!"

"I'm so sorry, Matty. I'm sorry I've been so lost this year. That I haven't been paying attention to you."

Matt just shook his head. "It's okay. You just needed Santa to fix your heart."

"It's getting there," Damon said as he turned to look at Elena.

She gave a smile and nodded, closing the door and leaving the two of them to their moment. This wasn't about getting recognition or praise for what she did. All she wanted was to help bring together a father and his son and bringing the Christmas spirit to a home that had lost it. She returned to her home and her own family knowing that the father and son across the hall were going to be okay on their own.

New Year's Eve…

"I had a feeling he wouldn't make it to midnight."

Damon shook his head as he covered his son with a blanket and kissed his head. "But he was so determined."

Elena smiled as Damon lowered the volume on the television. "It's the thought that counts." She began cleaning up the table and putting what she could in the dishwasher.

"Is that really how you want to bring in the New Year? Doing dishes?"

A blush crept up her cheeks. It wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Since Christmas Damon and Elena had steadily built up a relationship. She knew they needed to take it slow, start off as friends and wait for when he would be ready for something more. That didn't stop her mind from wandering about what being with him would be like. If just his innocent touches could send sparks up his spine what could his kisses do? What would it be like when those touches weren't so innocent? When they had a definite purpose meant to drive her wild and have her screaming his name? She had already been fantasizing about the guy next door before he had opened up to her and now that he had those fantasies were only getting more explicit. But patience was a virtue and she would wait for Damon to be ready.

"Here let me help you with that," he offered, already clearing off the table. He cleaned off the plates and set to placing them in the sink as Elena played a version of Tetris with the dishwasher. Her mind was wandering and as she reached for a dish she found Damon's hand instead. She jolted and they both froze then awkwardly returned about their business. It had only been a week. She couldn't expect miracles.

As they made their way back towards the living room, they both bumped into each other. They shared awkward apologies and just as the twenty second countdown began to welcome in the New Year, Damon looked up and laughed. Elena followed his gaze and found mistletoe hanging above them.

"We don't have to. It's a Christmas tradition anyway," Elena offered.

Damon smirked, something he did a lot lately. Something that promised she was in trouble when he was ready. Something that told her she was in trouble now. He leaned forward.

10, 9…

She smiled and he did too.

8, 7…

Elena leaned forward.

6, 5…

"Are you sure?" she questioned.

4, 3…

"Just kiss me."

2…

And she did.

1!