So I have a confession to make. It was like murder trying to pull this out. For some reason, it just wasn't behaving at all, and I couldn't quite land the angle I wanted. Addressing D/E (particularlly Damon) the next day was very, very difficult. I actually wrote this chapter twice because I didn't know what I wanted. This was the end result, and I figured it best to just cut my losses and let you guys read something. I'm hoping to wrap this story up in a few more chapters, but my RL is getting insanely busy at the moment, so it might take a little longer. On the plus side, I'm hoping to do something new once this is finished. If anyone has any ideas for what they'd like to read D/E wise, feel free to let me know. I don't write smut, but apart from that, I'm open. ;) Anyway, I really hope this works for you guys. Thank you for all your support.

Elena blearily opened her eyes to the morning sun and the sounds of movement close by. Moaning, she rolled over, clawing for sleep once more. But then she remembered one fateful fact that meant she absolutely had to get up. It was Christmas.

Rolling onto her back, Elena felt the events of last night rushing back to her mind. The Grill, Caroline, the Boarding House, Damon... mostly Damon. Elena felt around the sheets, before her hand met her old teddy. That childhood friend that had been with her through it all. Clutching it to her chest, she thought of the time Damon had sat on her bed with this same bear, and she smiled. She was so in love with him. The thought sounded strange, even in her own head. But she knew it was true. She was in love with Damon Salvatore. She knew that they were going to have to work at their relationship, and that it wasn't going to be easy. But Elena was prepared. She could do it. For him, she could do anything. And today, she got to spend the whole day with him.

After giving her teddy one last squeeze, Elena rolled out of bed, and padded out of her room. Snagging her fluffy lilac bath robe out of the bathroom, she shrugged it on and headed downstairs. She could hear the kettle boiling. Jenna was making coffee.

"Hey," Elena greeted her. Jenna looked up, smiling slightly.

"Hey. Merry Christmas," Jenna said warmly, before wrapping her niece in a hug.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Elena replied, smiling. As Jenna turned back to the kettle, Elena grabbed a mug from the cupboard. She noticed Jenna was still in his pyjamas too. It seemed no one in the Gilbert household was really awake yet. Sipping at the coffee, Jenna looked at Elena over her mug. Elena was immediately worried about the suspicion in her aunt's eyes.

"So. You and Damon, huh?" Jenna began. Elena had to restrain a sigh.

"What about us?" Elena asked.

"Look, Elena. I respect your decisions, and I know you'll be twenty in a few months. But this is Damon we're talking about." Jenna spoke like it explained everything. Elena put her mug down on the counter.

"Jenna, please don't do this."

"Do what? I am merely raising concern over my niece's relationship with a homicidal vampire. Sounds reasonable to me," Jenna countered.

"You didn't have an issue with Stefan." Elena retorted, pleased to find she could speak of him relatively painlessly. Damon really was a universal cure.

"I didn't know any of this when you were dating Stefan. Plus, unless Ric and Jeremy lied to me again, he lacks the homicidal part of the equation."

"Jenna." Elena said, holding her aunt's eyes. "Can you please back off? I know Damon was pretty awful, but he's different now. He's changed."

"Are you sure?"

"I was on the edge of outright depression two months ago, Jenna. And thanks to Damon, now I'm feeling good about myself again. He means a lot to me, and I'd appreciate it if you'd accept that, even if you don't like it."

Jenna was stunned into silence. She observed her niece quietly. Slightly disturbed by Jenna's sudden silence, Elena turned away, busying herself with making a cup of coffee. The kettle boiled again. Elena spooned some of the coffee granules into her mug, added some sugar and just a little dash of milk. All of that without Jenna saying so much as a word. Elena was beginning to worry. When Elena looked over, she found her aunt standing next to the kitchen island, staring at her.

"You're staring." Elena pointed out. They'd been silent for over two minutes. Elena swore Jeremy had even woken up in the interim time. It was just weird. Jenna was silent for a beat more, then she chose to finally say something.

"He really does matter to you, doesn't he?" Elena was tempted to answer, but Jenna just ploughed on. "I thought maybe you were being a little wild and rebellious. Using him as some sort of legal high or something. But I guess I shouldn't confuse my mistakes with yours." Jenna admitted. Elena smiled.

"Thank you, Jenna."

"Hey, don't think this is over. I caught your little 'depressed' statement. I would go all parental on you and ask why you didn't tell me, but its Christmas. I am having the day off." Elena laughed slightly. It was official. She loved having her old life back.

Eventually, they all woke up enough to consider getting dressed. The morning passed by in a flash. They exchanged presents, and Jenna began tackling the food with the assistance of Elena. Alaric was first to arrive, and he quickly began to help out too. Elena swore she'd never seen so much activity in the Gilbert kitchen. When the doorbell rang for the second time that morning, Elena barely even paid it any notice. Jeremy had been assigned door duty, considering he refused to set foot in the kitchen. Elena realised she probably should have been paying attention when a voice sounded in her ear, making her jump. It was almost like she'd forgotten she'd invited him.

"Merry Christmas, everyone."

He said it with such charm and charisma that Elena almost didn't recognise his voice. She whirled around, and stared at Damon. Jenna and Alaric were looking too. Damon, however, was staring at her. The way he was looking at her made her sure of one thing. Last night hadn't been a dream. It was something of a relief on Elena's part.

Alaric and Jenna both replied to Damon's greeting with their own well wishes, and Damon handed Jenna a bottle of wine and started playing the role of the perfect guest. Elena went back to her work, but she could see Damon mingling. It looked flawless, effortless. Elena had already informed Damon that Jenna knew everything (although Jenna didn't know that Damon knew), so it wasn't like his act was strictly necessary. But he was being nice. He was being human. It was refreshing, and Elena couldn't help but be a little proud. Everyone had told her being close to Damon was a bad idea, that inviting him to their Christmas gathering was a bad idea. But he was proving himself. He was proving that Elena was right to have faith in him. It only made her love him more, if it was even possible. Elena didn't want him to change completely for her. She just wanted him to be better. And he was trying. For her sake, he was trying.

Casual conversation started back up in the kitchen, and Damon quickly took over Elena's food-related task. Elena wasn't complaining - he was better in the kitchen than she was. Instead, Elena went about setting the table. Eventually all the food-y stuff was handled for a while. Jenna and Alaric left the kitchen to go and see Jeremy. Leaving Damon and Elena alone in the kitchen.

Damon slipped onto one of the stools at the kitchen island, watching Elena finish setting the table. "So, that didn't go so badly," Damon began. Elena looked up and him, an eyebrow raised, a half smile on her lips. "It could have gone a lot worse."

Elena shrugged. "It can always get worse." Damon looked at Elena, considering it for a moment.

"With you, I suppose it can."

Elena looked up from the cutlery she'd been setting out, meeting Damon's clear blue eyes. There was an elephant in the room that really, really needed dealt with.

"Look, Damon. About last night..."

"It was all a mistake, right?" Damon asked cynically. Elena could have literally dropped dead when Damon said that. Her heart stopped, and she was pretty sure it showed on her face too. At least, from Damon's raised eyebrow and confused stare, she was pretty sure it showed on her face.

"No. It was everything but a mistake," Elena implored. Damon just looked mildly surprised. Elena abandoned her task and went over to him until she was standing right beside him. His eyes followed her, expression never changing. "I wanted to thank you. For not kicking me out the front door when you had every right to."

"You're welcome?" Damon replied cautiously. Elena smiled reassuringly, before turning away to finish her duties. She paused when Damon spoke again, however. "I just want to know one thing."

Elena looked back over her shoulder. "What is it?"

"What made you change your mind?" Elena paused, trying to work out a reply. Before she could really process it, Damon was talking again. "It's not like I haven't tried to convince you before. And you never even listened for a second. I gave up on you Elena. I let you go. And then you're the one that comes running after me. So what made you change your mind?"

"You did." Elena replied, without even missing a beat. She didn't quite know how to explain it, but she had to try. "I knew that you'd given up on me. I could feel it. I knew I was going to lose you. And it scared me, Damon. It scared me so much. I'd lived without you once before and look what it did to me. I couldn't face it again. It was only when I started to lose you that I realised how much I needed you. Not because you can keep me safe from every single thing that seems to want me dead, but because of who you are. Because I love you." Elena smiled at him. "Besides, you came back when no one else did. Why did you come back anyway?"

"Oh, I just couldn't live without you." Damon teased. Elena smiled, but still looked on expectantly. "Elena, I left because I knew I didn't have a shot with you anymore. I knew you just weren't interested and I wasn't going to stick around and watch you find Stefan 2. I came back because the not knowing what you were up to was worse than knowing. Ta-da."

Elena smiled at his good humour and walked back to him, considering she was now completely finished her kitchen duties. The second she reached his side, she kissed him briefly. But she couldn't help but feel a little...nervous.

"This isn't going to be easy, you know," Elena murmured quietly. "Us. Together."

"I know. But you won't be able to live without me by next week," Damon mocked.

"It's going to take some work," Elena teased.

"Oh, I know that too. But it'll be worth it."

"Will it now?"

"Of course. And to begin," Damon prompted, pulling a small box from his pocket. "Merry Christmas." The box was black velvet, with a silver bow on top. He held it out for her and Elena took it, an eyebrow raised in wonderment. She could only imagine what Damon would buy her for Christmas. Curiosity in her heart, Elena cracked the box open, peeking at what it held within.

"Now don't complain. It's Christmas, I'm allowed to buy you things." Elena never would have complained. Not about this. It was too beautiful. Within the box, nestled in the folds of velvet fabric, was a shooting star. A little charm for the bracelet she wore more or less every day. The vervain bracelet. But it was a charm bracelet, and it had all of two charms on it. She was impressed that Damon had noticed - but then again, what didn't he notice? The star was made out of silver, the trails of the star leading away from the link, down to a perfect, curved star. The center of the star was blue, so it looked like it had a silver outline. The blue enamel was this perfect colour of sapphire. And it was, Elena noted, the precise same colour as the dress she had worn for the Miss Mystic Falls contest. It was stunning.

"Damon, I...thank you." Elena told him, a smile on her lips. Damon merely shrugged, like it was nothing.

"Shooting stars are meant to make your dreams come true, right? Well, I think you could use some of that." Elena laughed. Her bad luck was becoming something of a running joke. Between doppelganger hijinks, curses and bumping into vampires at all, her life was a mess. Damon was right. She could use some sort of magic in her life. The nice, wishful thinking kind of magic.

"So do you think it works?" Elena asked.

"What?"

"If I wish upon my new star, will it come true?" Elena smiled in mischief, and Damon smirked slightly.

"Perhaps." Elena pretended to consider the fact for a moment.

"Well then. For my first wish..." Elena said lightly. Damon laughed - a real, genuine laugh. It was the first time she could remember hearing it. It brought a smile to her face. She was going to kiss him. She was going to have him as much as possible - to within an inch of decency, right there in her kitchen. That was the plan anyway. Until Caroline burst in.

"Merry Christmas! Oops, sorry. Am I interrupting?" Caroline started off brightly, but hesitated when she saw Damon and Elena together. Elena looked over at the blonde and smiled. She closed the jewellery box, set it on the counter and smiled brightly at her best friend.

"Of course not. Merry Christmas, Caroline." Caroline smiled. Then the blonde was forced to turn her attention to Damon.

"Damon," Caroline greeted with some reluctance.

"Caroline," Damon returned, at least sounding welcoming. Caroline's gaze flicked between Elena and Damon, taking in their proximity, and their total ease with each other. She drew her own conclusions, and then acted on them.

"I'm going to assume you and Elena are trying out the whole cute-couple concept, but let me get one thing straight. If you so much as chip one of her nails I am going to hunt you down and torture you to death. Okay?" Caroline threatened. Her sweet, lilting tone made it sound all the more scary.

"Caroline..." Elena began. She wished someone would just understand that she had chosen to trust Damon. However, Damon spoke across her.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he assured her. Elena stared at Damon. Where was the smart ass remark, the fight back? Since when did he defer to Caroline in any way? Even Caroline looked surprised by her own effectiveness, although there was a smug smirk on her face, like she was glad her little talk had worked. Elena just stared at Damon. Eventually he noticed, and shot her a quizzical look.

"Who are you and what have you done with Damon Salvatore?" Elena asked. Damon smirked.

"Oh trust me, no one else would pull off these dashing good looks."

"Yup, it's still him." Caroline confirmed, walking over to sit in one of the dining room chairs. Elena laughed.

She couldn't help but feel like this was the beginning of a very, very happy time in her life.