"Good morning. It's a sunny November Friday, and hey, it's only a week before Thanksgiving and five weeks till Christmas. Be our 35th caller for a chance to be entered in our holiday trip for two to Cancun, located on the northeast coast of the Yucatan peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo."

Hearing the radio announcement, Elena jumps out of bed, grabs her phone and dials quickly. Having tried numerous times before, she's shocked that she actually gets through. After giving her name and number to the station, she's put through to the DJ.

"What's your name and the title of your favorite Christmas song?"

"It's Elena and my favorite song is "Oh Holy Night", you know the one?" she sings a few notes into the receiver.

"Congratulations, you're now entered. The winner will be announced soon. Bye now."

"Bye," she clicks him off and immediately answers an incoming call.

"Does that fiancé of yours like green bean casserole?"

"Hello to you too, mom," Elena answers with a little sarcasm. "I'll have to let you know."

"Alright sweetheart, I'll see you next week. I can't wait to meet to meet him," Miranda ends the call.

Feeling in a good mood this morning, she clicks her fiancé's icon, "Good morning."

"Elena, hi," he answers distractedly.

"I just got off the phone with my mom, she wants to know if you like green beans."

"Is that next weekend already?"

"Yes, next week is Thanksgiving."

"I don't know, Elena. I have 3 cases I'm working on, I have so much that I need to get up to speed on."

"Oh no, you're not going to bug out on me again, you're going to meet my family."

"Okay, but it'll be a working trip..." his voice trails off.

"Sure, I'll see you tonight," she adds and clicks off the phone, tossing it on the bed in frustration. Glancing at the clock, she showers quickly then leaves for work, locking her apartment door behind her.

On assignment for work, Elena walks downtown to do an interview with the proprietor of "The Christmas Emporium". Every year after Halloween, he opens the store with new and unique gifts, and closes down after the holidays. The rest of the time, the building is locked up. While walking, she has her head down reading a text when she slams into a hard body, landing on her ass on the sidewalk. Looking up, she sees Santa Claus also struggling to get to his own feet.

"I'm so sorry," Elena offers her hand to help but nearly lets go when she looks into the unworldly shade of blue in his eyes. They're the color of a perfect spring sky and his accompanying smile is warmer than the gentle sun.

"Don't worry about me," he shrugs and brushes the dust off of his outfit.

"How'd you get to be Santa?" Elena asks, curious.

"I'm an actor, or rather trying to be, pickings are kind of slim right now and I have bills to pay. I'm only filling in though, the regular guy is out sick with the flu," he pulls his beard back up to cover his chin.

"I think it's pretty great that you're doing this, I'm sure you're making a lot of kids happy," Elena exclaims. "I'm here to interview Mr. Mikaelson for my newspaper. I'll be sure to mention his Santa when I write it."

"Thanks... I'll take you to him," Santa opens the door, stepping back so she can enter then follows her inside and leads her to the older man's office. Elena thanks him then watches as he takes his place in the Santa chair. The bell above the door rings and a small crowd enters, including a few children. Elena watches as they take turns sitting on his lap. Then she peruses her surroundings. There's several Christmas trees, each with a different theme. There's toys, and games and a whole wall full of dolls. There's also a soda fountain with a bar top and swivel top stools. There's lights, candles, tinsel and even a sprig of mistletoe above the entrance and the doorway that leads to another room that she's certain is also full of Christmas memorabilia.

"Miss Gilbert?" comes from behind her.

"Mr. Mikaelson, hi. Thank you for agreeing to talk to me. This is a lovely store you have, it's like I stepped into the past. I love it."

"I'm happy you like it. Have a seat, I have eggnog, caramel apple and cinnamon cider, soda pop and even coffee."

"I'll have some eggnog," she grins and slides onto one of the stools, spinning around like a child. As she does, she meets Damon's eyes and he gifts her with a wink.

"Here you go," the older man slides a tall mug in front of her with a red and white twisted straw in it

Elena takes a long swig, licking the creamy goodness from her lips then interviews the man. When she finishes, she thanks him profusely, shakes his hand and gets up to leave. Pausing at the door, she looks back at Damon as he helps a little girl slide off his lap. "Bye Santa," she mouths and with a short wave walks out the door, pulling it shut with the ringing of a bell.

Elena picks up wine glass and takes a sip, looking outside at the light dusting of snow on the sidewalk.

"When we move to Cincinnati, there'll be a lot more snow," Wes mentions, looking down at his phone.

"Cincinnati? I don't know if I want to live there," Elena throws back what's left in her goblet and sets it down.

"I got a promotion, as soon as we're married, we're leaving and there'll be no buts about it."

"Will you set that phone down? And no, I'm not moving anywhere," she tells him firmly. "You can get another promotion, my job, friends and family are here, so are yours."

Wes continues to text, his eyes snapping at Elena when she yanks it out of his hand. "Look, I don't think this is going to work, not with your attitude, I need a woman who will make me her priority."

She looks at him in shock. "Of course you're my priority but I have a life too, I'm not going to follow you around blindly like an indentured servant."

Rather than argue with her, he reaches for her hand, pulls the ring from her finger and slips it into his pocket. After throwing a few bills on the table to cover the cost of their meal, he starts to walk away.

Aghast, Elena quickly runs after him. "That's it, you're ending our engagement?" The red flush that colors her face is more from anger than embarrassment when she notices the other patrons staring at them.

Wes also notices that all eyes have landed disapprovingly on them. He mumbles under his breath, "I don't need this drama."

"Are you seriously doing this?"

"Goodbye," he walks out of the restaurant leaving Elena in shock as she stares at his retreating form till he hops into his car and his tail lights disappear in the darkness.

Elena's sitting in her kitchen, opposite Bonnie who's making her a cup of coffee. "Maybe my mom was right, I'm going to have to listen to her going on and on about how I'm always going to be alone..." she pauses when the radio announcer's voice comes back.

It's time to pick this week's winner for the Mexican holiday give away. And the lucky person is "Elena Gilbert."

"Oh my God, Elena, you won," Bonnie squeals, clapping her hands. "Oh my God you won," she repeats in a decidedly less enthusiastic tone at her best friend's lackluster response.

"Both my sisters found great guys and I can't even snag one. I can't go alone, I'll never hear the end of it..." Elena drops her face into her hands at the thought.

"Is that what will cheer you up, finding a guy to take home with you?"

"What am I going to do Bonnie?"

Bonnie sucks in a breath and pulls the laptop over and starts typing. "Now all we'll have to do is make and post a flirty video of your pretty face..."

Elena's eyes pop when she reads it. "Wanted: Man for the weekend to play the role of fake fiancé. Must be family friendly. Two tickets to Cancun for services rendered."

"I don't want to give away my tickets."

"What are you going to go alone?"

"Why can't you go with me?"

"Cause I don't want to watch you sulk for a whole week."

"Bonnie, do you really think this is a good idea?" Elena starts to say when the phone interrupts, "It's my mother," Elena drops her chin to her chest. She doesn't answer but before she can utter another sound, her mom's voice comes across on the answering machine.

"Elena, I've planned a get together for next week so everyone can meet Wes. Katherine and Mason will be here so will Caroline and Tyler, the rest of the family too. We're so anxious to meet your fiancé."

"Do it," she looks at her best friend and drops her forehead onto her crossed arms, wondering how she ever got herself into such a mess.

The next morning when Elena wakes up, she immediately goes to her computer, her mouth dropping when she sees how many men have responded to her facebook ad. After calling Bonnie over, she pours them each a cup of coffee then they sit down to look at them.

"Oh man, I hear Mexico has some awesome waves," the surfer looking dude says, his arms gesticulating as if he's riding a board.

"He's cute," Bonnie looks at Elena.

"Yeah, let's look at another and clicks on one. "These days, it's hard to find someone. I've tried lots of way, even putting myself on a dating service. I'm passionate," the guy's monotonic voice is unconvincing. Elena drops her chin to her chest in frustration.

"Oh come on, that's only two of them. Click on another."

"Okay," and she does. "Are you sure those tickets are to Mexico?" the guy is looking all over the place as if he's afraid of being caught. "Do you know have a hidden compartment in your car for me to hide in?" he starts before there's a commotion and the guy darts off the screen.

Elena eyes Bonnie again and they watch several more of the respondent's videos. Some are absolutely creepy. Most of them make her roll her eyes and she's about to give up when a live one pops onto the screen.

"Hi," Bonnie greets him. "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

"I'm Mike, I'm 42 and let's just say I'm a little anxious to get out of Dodge if you know what I mean," he arches an eyebrow.

"Oh, well um," Elena mumbles, and looks at Bonnie.

"We'll let you know," Bonnie quickly ends the stream, "This is a job for an actor, none of these guys are going to be able to pull it off."

"An actor? Of course," she perks up. "I met one the other day. Come on, we have to run down to Mikaelson's Emporium, hopefully he'll still be there," Elena grabs her bag and hurries out of her apartment with Bonnie on her heels.

By the time they arrive, Elena's heart is practically beating out of her chest. After Bonnie parks the car, they run inside and she can finally take a breath when she sees him in street clothes talking with Mr. Mikaelson. As soon as he shakes hands with the older man and starts for the door, she and Bonnie move to stop him.

"I don't know if you remember me...," she starts, her eyes darting between his and her best friend's.

"You're the reporter," he takes a breath when Elena looks tongue-tied. "If you'll excuse me?" he starts to move around her to exit the building.

"Yes, that's me, my name is Elena and if you're done playing Santa, I have a proposition for you, a job offer?"

"Okay..." he looks at her skeptically.

"I need someone to play my fiancé for a weekend, it won't be easy, my family is a little over the top but you'll get a turkey dinner and two tickets to Cancun as payment...?" she braces herself, expecting a refusal.

"You want me to be your fiancé?"

"Not literally of course, but I need you to be convincing enough for my mother - she has to believe it," Elena stresses the last part.

Seeing the almost desperation in her eyes and finding himself wanting to help. "If I can't play a fake fiancé for a few days, maybe I need to consider a new career," he chuckles but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"You'll do it?" Bonnie asks, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"Sure, when do we leave?"

"Okay, well... um, it's settled then," Elena starts... but is interrupted by her best friend.

"We need to check you out a bit, can we call or meet with you tomorrow?"

"Perfect, here's my number," Damon hands her one of his business cards and departs.

"He certainly looks promising," Bonnie mentions, "I'll have Enzo check him out "

"Thanks," Elena breathes and follows her friend out of the store, hoping that he'll check out.

"Hey," Bonnie greets Elena and takes a seat beside her on the counter. "I looked him up and messaged Damon on facebook. He didn't answer. I tried googling him too, the only thing that came up other than a professional photo were pictures of him and some blonde chick named Rebekah on a beach. Looks like he's not a creeper, just another out of work thespian."

"You sound like my manager," Damon appears next to her, arching an eyebrow at her faux paus.

"Sorry," Bonnie forces a smile. "Look, I'll leave you two alone to get acquainted," she looks at Elena, "Call me later," then walks out of the coffee shop.

"Did I pass the test?" Damon asks, nodding at the waitress to bring him a cup of coffee.

"It would seem so. We'll take my car. We leave the day after tomorrow. I'll send you a friend link on facebook and my Instagram account, you can familiarize yourself with my family, they're all clearly labeled. I'll pick you up at Mr. Mikaelson's store Wednesday morning," Elena lays a few dollars on the countertop for his coffee. "Bye," she vacates the premises.

"Bye Elena," he waves with his fingers and watches her retreating form till she slides into a vehicle and drives away.

The next several days go by in a flash and before she has a chance to rethink her whole scheme, Elena's pulling alongside the curb at her parents home. Before she has even a millisecond to turn off the ignition, her mother is running down the driveway with her arms flailing in the air.

"Oh Elena, I'm so happy to see you," she wraps her in a big hug before stepping back to consider her appearance, her brows quirking when she notices that her daughter's boots need polishing.

Elena fights the urge to throttle the woman, instead forces a smile and nods towards Damon.

"You must be Wes! You're practically part of the family now," Miranda hugs him too.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Gilbert."

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this," she urges them inside where Elena is shocked to find a houseful of people instead of just family. They all stop what they're doing to look at her but quickly return to their chattering.

"Mom," Elena pulls her back, "I thought you were only going to invite family."

"I didn't want the whole town to think you were going to be a spinster forever," she murmurs with tight lips before turning to their guests. "Everyone, this is Elena's fiancé, Wes." Just as quickly they all raise their eyes again, forcing fake smiles, quickly turning away.

"Nice to meet you Wes, I'm the oldest sister, Katherine and this is my husband Mason."

"It's nice to meet you..." he shakes their hands, his voice trailing off when Miranda grabs onto both his and Elena's pulling them into the center of the crowd again.

"It's time for the big moment, you all have to see Elena's engagement ring," she jerks her daughter's arm, showing everyone her empty ring finger. Elena wants to crawl into a corner and die as red begins to creep upward from her neck and extending to her hairline.

"Um, uh..." she tries to explain but no words come out.

"That's my fault," Damon interrupts, pulling Elena into the safety of his embrace. "You see, she almost lost it down the shower drain so I took it back to the jeweler to get it resized."

"Oh that was so thoughtful," Miranda gushes and Elena forces a smile.

"I need a drink," she excuses herself, grabs a glass of champagne and slips outside. Walking around the house to get some fresh air, she finds her other sister Caroline sitting on the picnic table smoking a cigarette.

"Hell, isn't it?" she laughs, tipping her head to the house.

"I thought you quit," Elena pulls the cigarette from her hand and takes a puff before handing it back to her.

"So is my fiancé keeping yours busy?"

"No but I think Damon's got his hands full." When Caroline looks at her strangely, she tries to laugh it off. "Did I say Damon? Of course I meant Wes, Damon is a friend of mine."

Quickly changing the subject she asks, "Why didn't you give me a head's up about the house full of people?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay, but next time."

"I will, I promise," Caroline swears, and stands up.

"I suppose we better go back," Elena laments and with a sigh follows her younger sister inside.

A little while later, Elena and Damon leave the house to take a walk. There's a little park not far from the home she grew up in. Taking a seat on the swing, she smiles when he sits in the one beside her.

"So, Damon, do you regret coming yet?"

"No, not at all, although your mother - and I don't mean to insult you - is one of a kind," he laughs, pushing himself backwards then lifting his legs to swing.

"Yeah," Elena agrees, pumping her legs to catch up to him as he swings even higher. "She loves us, I know that but she sometimes misses the important things you know?"

"You don't have to explain. I understand, she's your mother and we take them warts and all," he winks at her. He's surprised himself that he's enjoying the company.

"Yep," Elena puts her feet down to stop swinging. "There's a Dairy Queen up the street, I'll treat you to a cone."

"That actually sounds good," Damon gets up and takes his place beside her as they head down the sidewalk in companionable silence.

After their walk, they have supper and visit with Elena's family for awhile. Damon's shocked at the realization that he's having a nice chat with her dad. He's tinkering around on the piano when Damon sits down beside him and the two start to play.

"When Elena was a young girl, she used to love to sing," he raises his eyes, catching his daughter's.

"Daddy, I haven't sang for so long."

"Come on, sing along with us," Damon coaxes, and starts to play, "The First Noel."

Elena shakes her head but finds herself humming along to the notes. "You're really good at that," she remarks, smiling at him.

"I have moves you've never even seen before," he brags tongue in cheek and runs his fingers over the keys, making beautiful music.

"Wes, did you bring your bags inside so I can show you to the room?" Miranda interrupts, and he stops playing.

"I'll just go get them now," he takes the car keys from Elena and returns shortly with their things. They follow Miranda up the stairs where she opens Elena's old bedroom door.

"I'm not expecting you to sleep apart, only in separate beds," she opens the door revealing the queen sized bed along with a cot.

"Thanks mom, this is great."

"Well I'll leave you two alone then, goodnight," she kisses Elena on the cheek and then trots back downstairs.

As soon as the two of them are inside, Elena backs up against it, closing it. "I'll take the cot."

"You don't have to," Damon sets their bags down.

"We'll take turns," when he nods in approval, she opens her suitcase to get her pajamas out. "I'm just going to take a shower."

"Okay," he smiles and starts stripping out of his clothes before laying down on the cot. When Elena bursts through the door, finding him stark naked. And so fine. Damon quickly grabs the blanket to cover himself.

"Where are your pajamas?"

"I don't have any, I sleep like this..." he tells her matter-of-factly.

"Oh, um, I'll ask my dad if he has a pair you can borrow," she slips out of the room and goes downstairs to find her dad who's sleeping in the big recliner.

"Daddy," Elena nudges him awake. As soon as he opens his eyes, she asks about a pair of sleep pants or shorts for Wes.

"I don't have any, your mother and I, we sleep naked."

"Since when?"

"As soon as Caroline moved out. We even have no clothes days when we're in the mood," he waggles his eyebrows playfully.

"Oh daddy, TMI," Elena looks at him in shock.

"What? We're not that old yet."

"I'm aware, it's just kids don't want to hear about their parents' sex life!"

"I suppose not," he gets up and walks her to the foot of the stairs. "Goodnight little girl."

"Night daddy," she kisses his cheek, sighs as she watches him disappear behind their bedroom door then goes back to her own empty handed...

Stepping back inside her room, Damon isn't in bed, she sees the bathroom door ajar and goes to peak inside, finding him talking with someone on his phone, or it sounds more like it's one sided like he's talking to voice mail.

"Rebekah, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be getting my hands on some tickets to Cancun. Remember when we went there?"

Not being able to hear the other end of the conversation and knowing she's eavesdropping, Elena backs out, slips her robe off her shoulders and crawls into bed, pretending to be asleep when he comes out. With her eyes barely open a crack, she does manage to get a nice peak of her own at his tight ass. Shivering, she buries her head under the covers and lets sleep overcome her.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Miranda greets Elena when she walks into the kitchen the next morning.

"Morning," she kisses her mother on the cheek and smiles at Caroline who's peeling potatoes by the sink. "Have either one of you seen Wes?"

"He's outside with your father," her mother says without looking up from what's she's cooking on the stove.

"Where are Mason and Katherine?"

"They'll be here soon, they're still at the hotel," Caroline mentions.

Before Elena can reply, the door swings open and Katherine steps inside carrying her baby daughter Nadia. "Did I hear my name?" she throws one side of her long curly hair over her shoulder.

"You did," Elena reaches out for her niece. "Oh Kat, she's adorable," she cradles Nadia in her arms.

"Where's Mason?" Miranda looks up.

"He's outside with dad and Wes, is it?" Katherine pours herself a cup of coffee and sits down.

"I could use some help peeling potatoes," Caroline arches an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me, I have a cook who does that sort of work."

Elena struggles to bite back a retort when Damon comes inside.

"Oh Wes, would you like to taste my green bean casserole? Elena said you'd love it."

"Elena's wrong, I'm sorry, I don't," he tries to back away.

"He's kidding, mom," Elena tightens her lips, subtly nodding her head for him to take a bite.

"Sure, Miranda, I'd love a nibble," he steps forward allowing the older woman to shove a spoonful in his mouth. Damon forces a smile and swallows it down. "Thank you dear," he looks at Elena when she hands him a water bottle to get the taste out of his mouth. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back outside."

"Strange fellow," Miranda muses. "I hope he's more serious about setting a wedding date. You know I've been deprived of planning not one but two weddings."

"Mom!?"

"Katherine and Mason eloped to Grand Cayman," she looks pointedly at her oldest daughter.

"God, mom, you aren't going to start that," she stands up.

"It's the truth isn't it?"

"I'm not going to listen to this again, "I'm taking Nadia upstairs for a nap," she vacates the kitchen with a dramatic flair.

"Caroline isn't married yet," Elena steers the conversation back to weddings.

"Yeah, but she and Tyler have been engaged for two years already and haven't even discussed setting a date. I'll be dead and buried before she sets one. I'm sorry to be upset but you're the only one I can count on."

"December 20th, that's when we're getting married," Elena blurts out, not giving thought to the repercussions of her words.

"December 20th, there's so much to do, flowers, invitations, dress."

"Mom, we want a small wedding."

"You leave it to me," she smiles and Elena realizes what she said.

"If you'll excuse me," Elena leaves the kitchen and goes straight to her room to call her best friend. "Bonnie, I'm in terrible trouble here. "

"What's the matter?"

"I just told my mother that Damon and I are getting married in a month."

"You're marrying him? That was quick."

"No, I'm not marrying Damon but my mom was nagging me and it just... sort of happened."

"This is nuts, Elena."

"You think I don't know that, what am I going to do?"

"You'll have to think of something. Sorry, Elena. I have to go."

"Bye Bonnie," she hangs up, tosses the phone aside and buries her face in her hands in frustration.

"So, this is nice," Grayson offers as he looks around the small diner that they're all gathered in after he neglected, much to his wife's dismay, to turn the oven on... ergo raw turkey. Just as the waiter is passing their drinks, Katherine and Mason, carrying Nadia join them at the table.

"If you would have said something, Mas could have gotten us a table at the Meadow Ridge Resort and Country Club. His father owns it," Katherine remarks proudly.

"I'm not a golfer so this is fine by me," Damon points out, perusing the menu. Elena runs her hand through his hair, smiling tightly when he looks at her.

"I thought that you and Elena met at a charity match she was covering for her newspaper?" Miranda's eyes dart between the two of them.

"Yeah, I did play once on a dare actually, lucky for me that she happened to be there that day. It's not really something I'm interested in."

"Not interested? I thought you won the grand prize and that's why Elena interviewed you?"

"No, actually it was my brother who won, we met when I went to congratulate Stefan," Damon chuckles, picks up his drink and takes a gulp, hoping to satisfy her mother.

"Hi, I'm Jeremy, I'll be your waiter. Maybe I recommend the hot turkey sandwiches. Pretty tasty," his mouth drops when he sees Damon.

"Damon, how are you? It's been awhile."

"Damon?" Miranda looks at him like he has three heads.

"My name's Wes."

"What are you talking about?" the waiter asks.

"Wesley Damon, sometimes I use my middle name, you know if I want to be anonymous or something," he tries to signal the guy to play along and when Jeremy's mouth moves slightly in understanding, Damon breathes a sigh of relief.

As soon as they get home, Elena and Damon retire to their room and she rounds on him, "What are you doing? We went over this a hundred times."

"I hate golf and how was I supposed to know that Jeremy was working in this Podunk town? Your turn to sleep on the cot," he grabs a towel and goes into the bathroom. When he's done, Elena's curled up on her side so he crawls under the covers and flips the light off.

She shifts to look at him, surprised to find him looking at her too. "I'm really sorry, Damon. I shouldn't have gotten upset. You really had no time to study for this role."

"I'm sorry too. Goodnight, Elena."

"Night," she closes her eyes, curls onto her side and watches him quietly, smiling when she sees the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. Tired herself, she closes her eyes and soon drifts off to sleep.

A little while later, Damon wakes up. Suddenly thirsty, he slips on a robe, quietly sneaks out of the room and goes downstairs to get a bottle of water from the fridge. He's surprised to find Miranda in the living room with boxes of Christmas décor. "Wow."

"I started doing this one year and the girls were sure that Santa's elves decorated the living room."

"Can I help?"

'If you want, you can hang that wreath on the mantle." Damon nods and does what she asks, climbing up a small step ladder to center it just right.

"Thank you Wes, for everything, for loving my Elena. I can see it in her eyes that she feels the same."

"Um, do you need anymore help?" he asks, feeling a little funny about deceiving her.

"No, after all these years, there's a method to my madness," she quips, "Goodnight, Wes."

"Goodnight Mrs. Gilbert," he nods and retreats back to the room he's sharing with her daughter.

The next morning when Elena comes downstairs, her mom thrusts a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Thanks mom," she takes a sip then sits down. Damon follows shortly thereafter. Noticing her mother making a list, she asks her what she's doing.

"Your wedding is the 20th, we need to get your dress and order invitations."

"Mom, you don't need to bother with that," she glances at Damon who looks as uneasy as she feels. "We just want a small wedding and I can get a dress when I get back to the city."

"Elena, it's always been my dream to take you and your sisters shopping for wedding dresses. Katherine got married on the beach in a bikini. Lord knows when Caroline and Tyler will set a date... You're all I have left."

"But do you really think it's a good idea to go shopping today... Black Friday?" she refills her cup.

"We have to, and Damon, you need to come along, it's your wedding too."

"Sure, why not?" he smiles at his fiancé then sits down to eat the breakfast Miranda has prepared.

An hour later they find themselves in the bridal shop. "Oh Elena, look at this one," she holds up a long sleeved number with a high frilly neckline.

"No," she shakes her head and looks around to find Damon patiently sitting in a chair waiting for them. Finding her size, she flicks the hangers one by one till she finds the dress that takes her breath away.

It's a Watters Vespertine Gown with richly layered embellishments and detail to the strapless gown. Floral embroidery, accented by dimensional organza applique and intricate beading, cascades from the structured bodice across the ethereal tulle skirt. Elena takes the dress to try it on, then peaks her head out and crooks her finger to signal her mom to come.

Damon sees all this but Elena shakes her head, not wanting him to see her.

"It's beautiful, sweetheart," Miranda has Elena turn so she can see her bare back. "This is the one."

"Yes, yes," Elena gushes, admiring herself in the mirror. '

"You change and I'll tell the clerk to package it up. It fits like a dream, you won't even need any alterations."

"Thanks mom," Elena gives her a quick hug and then closes the dressing room door so she can put her clothes back on.

With the gown firmly in hand, Miranda insists they go to a jewelry store to look at the china and silver patterns, "Wes, what do you think?" Elena asks, running her finger wispily over the Noritake orchid-patterned saucer.

"Elena, can I talk to you for a minute?" he jerks his head, and she follows him out of the store.

"You do realize that we're not really getting married right?"

Her eyes nearly pop out of her head. "Oh my God, I was carrying on, I can't believe that I got so caught up in this. It's just that my mother has been on my case for years to get married and now she thinks I am. I suppose we should fess up..."

"We leave the day after tomorrow, I can keep up the charade if you can," he raises her chin to meet his eyes. "But the decision is yours."

"You're a good guy, Damon," she stiffens her shoulders and walks back into the store, and returns moments later with her mother and some brochures from the china manufacturers.

After stopping to get an ice cream cone at the mall's Dairy Queen, they go back to the car with Damon still carrying the dress box.

Restless, Elena throws her legs over the side of the bed and glances at Damon. He's sound asleep so she tiptoes out of the room, down the stairs, and quietly opens the sliding glass doors to sit out on the patio.

With thoughts of her mother plaguing her mind and how she's going to get out of the mess she herself created, Elena stretches out in one of the lawn chairs, she raises her eyes to the starry night that looms above. She looks for constellations, finding the big dipper, Polaris and Orion.

Even though her mind is heavy, she loses track of time, letting her eyes drift shut and falling into a light sleep, startling upright when she feels a raindrop fall against her skin, followed by several others, still she doesn't have the heart to go back inside. Instead she moves to stand under the awning to observe the constellations disappear under the cloud cover.

The western sky is still clear, the moon hangs full and hazy beneath an eclipse of blazing stars. The sound of the falling rain makes her eyelids heavy. With a sigh, she goes back inside, startled to see Damon scooping up a bowl of ice cream.

"Do you want some?" he swipes his finger and pokes it in his mouth, making her shiver with desire.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," she quickly brushes off or tries to her inappropriate feelings and pulls out a bottle of magic shell. "You want some?" she throws his words back at him. When he nods, she squirts some on both their bowls then takes a seat at the table, and Damon sits across from her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure?" he sticks a spoonful in his mouth, moaning at how good it tastes.

"Who's Rebekah?"

"An old girlfriend, we broke up awhile ago, I just thought maybe we could rekindle the romance in Mexico."

"I see," Elena feels disheartened by his confession.

"I'll probably end up taking one of my buddies with me instead. She called back, she wants to go... just not with me," he sticks another spoonful in his mouth.

"Ouch! I'm sorry, Damon," Elena licks the creamy goodness from the underside of the spoon with her tongue, and this time Damon has to shift when he feels himself hardening.

"No harm, no foul...," his voice trails off when Grayson appears in the doorway.

"Hi daddy, do you want some?"

"Nah, I'll let you two love birds alone," he winks at her, swallows a glassful of water then leaves the two of them behind. They finish their ice cream in companionable silence. As soon as Damon can stand up without giving Elena an eyeful since he's only wearing a robe, he puts the dishes in the sink and follows her upstairs, quickly diving under the covers before she sees anything.

He leans up on his forearm, "Goodnight, Elena."

"Goodnight Damon," she reaches over to turn out the lamp then ducks down under the covers and closes her eyes.

Coming downstairs Damon sees the house is rather quiet, everyone is busy doing their own thing. He smiles when he sees Elena's parents sharing a kiss, Katherine is playing with Nadia while Caroline and Tyler look bored.

On the spur of the moment, Damon sits down at the piano and starts to play. "Oh, Holy Night," he looks up to see Elena sit beside him and she begins to sing along.

"Oh, holy night, the stars are brightly shining - it is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining till he appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new and glorious morning - Fall on your knees - oh hear the angel voices..."

As soon as they finish, the room breaks out in applause.

"Oh sweetheart, I haven't heard you sing in ages, and the two of you together... just beautiful," she gushes, her eyes dancing between Elena and Damon.

Elena feels her face heat up. "I'm going to get a breath of fresh air," she excuses herself and when she opens the front door, she gets the shock of her life.

"Wes, what are you doing here?"

"I missed you, I made a mistake."

Elena's flabbergasted but knows the her grand plan has just crashed and burned. Having no other choice, she takes his arm and leads him into the house. "Mom, dad, everybody, this is Wes, the real one." She goes onto reveal her whole scheme. It's not so much her mother's disapproving glare that makes her insides twist, it's the look on Damon's face when he gives her a nod before exiting the room.

"Elena, in my wildest dreams, I never would have thought you were capable of such duplicity," Miranda scolds, disappointment written all over her face. "How could you bring a perfect stranger into my home?"

"Tyler and I are breaking up?" Caroline shouts to take the heat off of her sister allowing Elena to slip outside with Wes following behind.

"I hope you'll give me another chance, Elena. I fucked up... bad."

Confused, Elena surrenders when he takes her in his arms and kisses her.

"Damon, what are you still doing here?" Miranda walks up to where he's looking through the window at Wes kissing Elena.

"I want to have a few words with Elena?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, I'm actually surprised that you haven't left. I hope you're happy, you made fools out of all of us," she glowers at him and before he can defend himself, she lays into him again, "Wes is here now, there's really no reason for you to stay. Please, don't ruin Elena's chance with her real fiancé."

Damon hesitates for a moment, before shaking his head, he's not going to leave this place without saying his peace.

"NO - you know what, you may think Wes is perfect son-in-law material but he isn't. He walked out on her, pulled the ring right off of her finger. Elena is perfect, she's kind, beautiful and a gifted writer. Have you ever even read any of her work because I have? She concocted this whole thing just because she's terrified of disappointing you. She only wants to you to be happy," he pauses for a moment, his blue eyes boring into hers. "Miranda, I'm very sorry I deceived you and if you think Wes is the one to make her happy, so be it but have you ever asked her what she wants, what will make her happy?" Damon gives her a long look then walks away, leaving Elena's mother to consider his words.

From her bedroom window, Elena watches Damon slide into a taxi and drive off. She doesn't understand the emptiness that suddenly takes root inside of her. Looking over her shoulder, Wes has his laptop open and is pinching his cellphone between his neck and shoulder, talking business with some guy.

Climbing into bed beside him, she lays her head on his shoulder. "Kiss me," she tells him, "Kiss me like we just said I do."

"Elena, I have work to get done."

Frustrated and about to explode - she takes a deep breath, leaves the room and goes downstairs, taking a seat on the piano bench,

"Hi sweetheart," her dad approaches, sitting down beside her.

"Hi daddy," she mumbles lackadaisically.

"I have a question... Does Wes, the real one, not the fake one, have any other talents other than being a good lawyer? Can he cook a turkey or play a tune? Can he make you sing like earlier tonight?"

She looks at him and shakes her head back and forth.

"Despite what you might think, your mom and I really only want you and your sisters to be happy. You don't have to be afraid to tell us how you feel." He gives her a hug then urges her to her feet. Reluctantly but determined too, she finds herself walking into her mother's bedroom.

"Oh Elena, I've been reading your articles. I'm sorry I didn't before, you're good, really good and all those other wonderful things that Damon yelled at me about. "I'm sorry you didn't feel like you could be honest with me. I love you sweetheart."

"I love you too, mom," Elena reaches for a kleenex.

"Do you love Wes, the real one?"

She pauses for a millisecond, "I know which one you mean... No, actually I think I hate him," tears fall from her eyes.

"Do you love Damon?"

"I don't know... but I can't deny this strange empty feeling that's been sitting in my gut since he left. I think I could fall in love with him, probably very easily," she lets her mom pull her into a hug.

"Then go after him," Miranda kisses her forehead.

"You mean it?"

"Absolutely, he's a good man, Elena, and if you want my two cents, I think he could fall just as easily."

"Thanks mom, I love you," Elena hurries out of the room, grabs her purse and runs down the stairs. She notices Damon's suitcase and grabs it, stuffing it in the backseat, She smacks her head against the steering wheel when her car won't start so she runs back to her room, finding Wes still doing business.

"I need to borrow your car," she pulls his keys out of his pants pockets. "Thanks," she runs outside and jumps in his car.

It takes several seconds but he quickly throws his laptop aside, runs outside after her in his bare feet. "My car? Elena? Where are you going with it?" he screams as she careens out of the driveway.

Moments later, Grayson and Miranda, followed by Caroline bring his suitcase and set it at his feet. "Bye Wes, taxi's on the way," Miranda sing-songs before following her family back inside, slamming the door behind them.

"Hi, how did you...?" Damon is stunned to see Elena parked in front of his place when he returns from having a quick drink at the corner bar. "How did you find me?" he asks as he sticks the key in his front door but doesn't go inside.

"Bonnie's background check... you forgot your suitcase."

"You didn't have to bring it all this way."

"I wanted to," Elena tells him honestly.

"Thanks and congratulations, Wes seems like an incredible asshole and I know it's not place to say that but I needed to."

"Damon?"

"I'm sure it's going to be a great wedding...," he bends over to pick up his suitcase.

"I suppose - but it would be missing one very important thing," she replies cryptically.

"Yeah?" he looks at her searchingly. "And what would that be?"

"A groom, I don't have one."

"You and Wes?"

"Nope," she shakes her head no. "You're right, that man is a total jerk and a humungous mistake on my part."

"Okay... what does that make me then?"

"Not a mistake," Elena whispers, and Damon suddenly grabs her by the elbow, spins her around and pins her against the door, before crashing his lips onto hers. His hands dive into her hair, weaving in through the strands and angling her head so that he can devour her mouth in a searing kiss. After a few intense seconds, he pulls away and leans his forehead against hers, as they both struggle to catch their breath.

"Stay with me," he asks, looking deeply into her shining eyes.

"Yes," she bobs her head.

Damon places one hand on her waist and the other on the door, pushing her into the room and opening it wider so that he can step over the threshold. Slamming it shut behind him, he presses her up against it where he'd kissed her only moments ago.

"I'm finishing what I started," he explains huskily, and brings his lips back to hers.

Surprise quickly gives way to desire, her hands thread through his hair as she kisses him greedily. Wanting him closer, Elena hooks a leg around his hip, thrusting against his prominent arousal. He groans into her mouth, his hand smoothing up her bare thigh and over her lace covered rear, before he rips his mouth from hers.

Not wanting to waste another second, he scoops her in his arms and carries up the stairs and into his room... kicking the door closed behind them...

With her permission, Damon undresses her slowly, his mouth covering every inch of newly uncovered skin. He kisses her shoulders, her collarbone, the swell of her breast. He closes his mouth over her nipple through the fabric of her bra.

Elena drapes her arms around his shoulders, tangling her fingers in his hair as she sighs in pleasure at the attention he is lavishing on her. Next, her dress falls silently to the floor, followed quickly by her panties. He kneels in front of her, drinking in the sight of Elena taking off her bra to finally reveal her breasts. Damon licks his lips as his eyes hone in on her dusky nipples.

Blowing out a slow breath to steady himself, he moves to encircle her ankle, forcing her to lift her leg so he can take off her shoes. Damon makes quick work of them, but instead of letting her lower her leg – he drapes it over his shoulder. Damon kisses the back of her knee, his tongue darting out to tease a spot. Elena's breath stutters and she grips his shoulders to keep her balance. He smiles against her skin as he drags his mouth along her thigh, moving closer to her glistening folds. He groans at how ready she is for him.

Elena's hand weaving through his hair makes him look up. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No!" She blushes at the vehemence behind that single syllable.

He lowers her leg to the ground and stands up. Seeing her adorable pout, Damon gives her a reassuring wink, takes off his shirt and unbuttons his jeans, but leaves the zip up for the moment. Then, he helps Elena lay down on the mattress, follows after her and covers her body with his.

She's a little stiff beneath him, so he kisses her deeply before moving lower. He trails more down the length of her neck – gently biting down on her pulse point – and over her breast, circling her nipple before taking it in his mouth, eliciting a strangled moan from Elena.

He spends a generous amount of time taking care of her breasts, switching from one to the other while his hands massage her thighs, coaxing her into opening her legs so he can move lower. Damon dips his tongue in her navel and smiles against her flesh when she giggles.

In a fluid motion, Damon settles on his stomach and starts to kiss her inner knee, slowly advancing upward. Elena's hands lay flat on the mattress while her breasts heave with every sharp intake of breath she takes. He traces his tongue along the crease of Elena's thigh before finally reaching his destination where he starts to lay soft kisses against her wetness. Only when she starts to rock against him does he use his tongue to probe her entrance. Elena arches off the bed, a loud moan escaping from her lips.

Using his mouth, he pays special attention to her sensitive flesh without forgetting the little bundle of nerves that makes her coil her hands around his sheets. He slides his arms under and around her legs, pulling her closer to his mouth.

"Oh, God." Elena whimpers.

Damon moans at the taste of her – the vibration from his throat making Elena release a choked sob. He pushes a finger inside her, and quickly adds a second one. Crooking them, he strokes in a come-hither motion against her front wall. A well-timed, barely there scraping of his teeth against her clit sends her flying. Elena's hands dive into his hair, keeping his head still as she rocks her hips frantically against his mouth.

Damon purrs against her core as he helps her through her climax. When Elena goes still, he crawls up her body and presses a lazy kiss on her lips, letting her taste herself.

He's content to lay there and admire her beauty, but Elena wants more. He feels her hand slide inside his pants, watching as she gently pulls his length out. Stroking him firmly, she uses her thumb to caress the already wet slit on the head. Damon kicks off his jeans then reaches for a condom in the top drawer of his nightstand, brushes Elena's hand away and rolls it on.

"This isn't going to take long." He warns her in a heated rasp against her lips. Watching her fall apart so beautifully under his lips and fingers has already pushed him to the brink.

Elena wraps her legs around his waist and pulls him down. He sinks in with one deep stroke. Lacking his usual finesse, his hips move in quick thrusts. His mind is too far gone in the heat surrounding him, and he moves with single-minded purpose, rutting against her, chasing after the blinding pleasure that's just out of his reach. Elena's moans and his own guttural growls fill his ears. Their sweat-slicked skin slides together in a fluid motion.

Damon takes Elena in his arms and sits up without sliding out of her. With one hand against the small of her back and the other splayed over her ass, he drives in deeply without semblance of a rhythm. He is so close and yet he can't seem to fall over that glorious edge.

He feels Elena shift against him and tries to keep her still. She ignores his effort and plants her feet flat on the mattress giving herself leverage to rock her hips against his, riding him with quick movements that have him coming before he tells her how glorious she feels. His hips jerk against hers as he empties himself inside the condom. Elena whispers his name in his ear in a low litany that shakes him like nothing ever before.

They fall in a heap on the mattress and lay still for a long time, panting and light whimpers the only sounds coming from their lips. When he feels like his muscles will work again, Damon pulls out of Elena, rolls off the condom, knots it up then lobs it into a nearby waste basket.

He lays back, shifting awkwardly against her body as he tries to find a comfortable position in which to sleep. Elena takes his arm and slings it around her shoulders, curling herself against his side and resting her head on his chest.

Damon has never slept better.

With Mendelssohn's tune playing loudly over the speakers, Damon grips Elena's hand and leans his head over. "Are you ready to do this?"

Elena casts a beaming smile at him and nods vigorously. Together, they march down the aisle and out of the church where they're pelted with a mixture of rice and rose petals. As soon as they reach their limousine decorated in ribbons and Crayola window markers, Elena turns around to hug her mom and dad.

"I told you he was a good man," Miranda winks, earning an ear to ear grin in return.

"I love you, mom."

"And I love you," she embraces her middle child one more time.

Grayson shakes Damon's hand after he releases his own mother from a hug. When he lets go, Miranda pulls him into one too. "Thank you for loving my daughter and for opening my eyes."

Damon nods, hugging her to him closely. When they break apart, he steps over to waiting limo and opens the back door for himself and Elena, then gestures for her to crawl in.

"I have to do this first, it is tradition," she gives him a quick kiss on the lips then takes a few steps from him. As she turns around, her bridesmaids rush forward and Elena heaves her red and white calla lily, holly berry and ivy bouquet in the air. Turning back to see who the lucky girl is, she claps loudly when Caroline snatches it and shrieks deliriously.

Feeling Damon's palm against her back, she slides in and Damon follows. As the limousine pulls away, she rolls down the window and waves till they turn the corner towards the airport. Sighing, she leans into her husband's arms and when he kisses her, the rest of the world simply fades away.

Michael Crawford - who played "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway - sings the most beautiful version of 'Oh Holy Night' that I've ever heard. You can find it on you-tube. Hope you enjoyed this, another DE version of an old holiday movie. Much of the dialogue has been rewritten but credit the screenwriters - all rights belong to them.

Thank you Eva, you awe and inspire me every day.

Our very dear friend Jenn aka 'ElvishGrrl' has completed the sequel to 'The Shattered Mirror' now sold as 'Promises and Other Broken Things'. The sequel is called 'The Fine Art of Forgiveness' and is available on Amazon as an original fiction. Eva was actually Jenn's pre-reader for the story.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends and a safe Black Friday if you venture out into the madness. Hope everyone - everywhere has a wonderful weekend.

Thanks again for all you support. You're all the best. We'll be back soon with another installment for DEHolidays2019.