Secret Santa
(The 12 Vamps of Christmas Day 11)

A crazy challenge I set myself to produce 12 different Bella/vampire one shots or story snippets for the 12 days leading up to Christmas.

(Even more crazy when you know that I only decided to do this 6 days before I posted the first story!)

The general aim is that for 12 days leading up to Christmas I will be posting 12 different one shots/snippets, each with Bella and a different vamp (though I've stretched that just a little).

Caroline watched with satisfaction as everyone decorated the boarding house… well everyone except Damon anyway, but then at least he had agreed to them all having Christmas there.

Now he was just standing there watching, sipping his bourbon as the rest of them hung decorations and put ornaments on the obnoxiously large, yet tasteful tree Caroline had picked out.

No, that wasn't accurate Caroline realised… to be more precise, Damon was only watchingBella as she hung decorations. In fact even as Bella wobbled on some steps trying to hang a bunch of mistletoe, he wasn't taking his eyes off her.

Oh Damon, Caroline hid her smirk. You aren't fooling me with your 'big bad' act.

Looking back at the tree where she was supervising the hanging of the ornaments – because placement is everything – she thought hard about what she could do to bring the oblivious pair together.

She already knew that Bella totally had a thing for Damon, she had since forever, and no matter how 'eurgh' Caroline personally found it, Bella was her friend and Damon was… well Damon, but it sure seemed like he had a thing for Bella in return.

If Damon was who would make Bella happy, well then Caroline was determined to make it happen… and if it made Damon happy and therefore less of an ass, then it had to be a good thing.

Then in a flash of inspiration it hit her… the perfect way to possibly push Damon into making a move…

~*~I~*~

Damon sipped at his bourbon, watching as his home started to look like Christmas threw up in it.

For a moment he wondered why he'd agreed to this at all, then he remembered. A petite brunette, with wide brown eyes and a 'puppy face' he couldn't say no to… the same petite brunette that was currently wobbling on some steps, hanging a bunch of mistletoe over a doorway.

He kept an eye on her, half ready to drop his drink and rush to her side if she wobbled too much, and half enjoying the view as she stretched up to hang the fake plant, her shirt riding up just a little.

Since when was that little sliver of skin showing between her shirt and pants such an erotic sight? He shook his head slightly, scowling as he caught sight of Caroline eyeing him speculatively, and then looked back down at his glass with a frown.

It was dangerous territory really, being that wrapped around someone's finger… he wasn't even sure if it would be worse if she knew or not.

Lost in his thoughts, he only half listened as Caroline announced she had a 'great idea', though his ear pricked when he heard something about a sexy secret Santa.

It wasn't hard to see what the young vampire was up to, even without her winking at him later on when he 'just happened' to get assigned Bella as the person he would be buying for.

He managed to disappear off to go shopping alone a few days later, not wanting anyone else with him while he shopped for Bella. It seemed like hours as he trawled from shop to shop, trying to find just the right something, and then finally he spotted it. The perfect naughty gift, all gift boxed and everything.

Smirking in amusement, he quickly paid for it and left the store.

~*~I~*~

Christmas day arrived and before long 'the hoards' – as Damon sardonically thought of them – descended on the boarding house. Everyone arriving in their festive pyjamas for a Christmas morning breakfast, as per Caroline's orders.

She tried giving Damon a dirty look when she saw he was in his usual jeans, but gave up when he informed her that he usually slept naked, making Bella blush when she overheard him saying it.

When the last pancake was eaten, and they all had mugs of tea or coffee, or in Damon's case a glass of bourbon, they all headed into the living room, finding seats around Caroline's large, yet tasteful tree.

A flurry of activity followed while the gifts were handed out, with lots of 'oohs and ahs' as their contents were examined by the recipients, plus several laughs as things like fluffy handcuffs and chocolate willies were discovered.

Damon and Jeremy both had a hard time controlling their laughter when Stefan opened his secret Santa gift from Bella only to find a pocket sized copy of the Kama Sutra. Stefan's slightly affronted expression and Elena's red face only made it funnier.

Then at last Damon spotted Bella holding the secret Santa gift he'd gotten her, and couldn't stop himself from watching her open it, even though he knew he was giving himself away.

Bella tore the paper from the box carefully, her eyebrows raising when she read the writing on the box 'For the woman that likes to be kissed under the mistletoe'. Opening the box, she felt her face heat up as she saw the black panties, complete with a picture of a sprig of mistletoe printed on the front of them.

Catching Damon's not so subtle observation off her, Bella's face flamed even more, especially when Jeremy leaned over to take look at what she had and started laughing.

~*~I~*~

Bella had managed to evade being cornered by Damon for most of the day since they'd opened their presents.

She wasn't really sure what to think about the joke gift he'd gotten her. The gift, combined with the way he'd looked at her after she opened it, it had seemed a lot more suggestive, and personal than any of the others' gifts had been.

Lost in her thoughts, leaning against a door frame, she didn't notice Damon approaching until he was right in front of her, his arms pinning her in on either side to stop her ducking away from him.

"You avoiding me, little swan?" He asked quietly, looking serious for once.

Bella shrugged awkwardly, not meeting his eyes.

"Oh, come on now… I thought you'd want me to kiss you under the mistletoe…" He smirked saucily at her.

"Shut up," Bella hissed, her eyes lighting up in anger, "I guess you found out that I have a crush on you… but this joke you're playing is just cruel Damon…"

"Whoa, whoa… who said I was playing a joke?" He was genuinely confused now.

"Will you just let me go please?" Bella sighed, humiliation burning dully inside her, "We both know you'd never want me…"

"Oh Swan… you don't see yourself at all do you?" He smirked gently, pointing up at the doorframe above their heads where the bunch of mistletoe was hanging.

"Never say never."

With those last words he bent his head, lips brushing lightly over hers at first, then firmer. Tongue teasing her bottom lip, Bella then moaned low in her throat as he explored her mouth, twisting his tongue with hers, his hand tangled in her hair.

Breaking away for them both to breathe, Damon tilted his head to press a soft kiss to Bella's neck before moving to her ear.

"Now that we have that settled Swan… I think after dinner you should make use of your Christmas present… and we can see about a real kiss under the mistletoe…"

~*~ fin ~*~

Just a short and sweet Damon one shot I'm afraid, he's not someone I'm entirely comfortable writing as a lead… though I may have another attempt at him in the future.

Big thanks to Mommy4Thomas for her help, and for the lovely banner she did for my WP site. Also thanks to Bertie Bott for giving me the initial secret Santa idea.