A/N: this is my final post for the 6th annual D/E holiday exchange on Livejournal (DEHX6). Hope everyone had a great holiday season!

PROMPT (by jenluvsvamps)

It's Christmas eve in Mystic Falls and Damon is all alone at the boarding house drinking his Christmas away while the others are attending a party at the Lockwood mansion. Katherine blows back into town and decides to have a little fun with Damon by presenting herself as his Christmas present-pretending to be Elena, of course. Elena feels bad that Damon is all alone, so she goes to the boarding house and catches Kat & Damon flirting or even kissing (nothing further than that please) and is outraged Katherine is playing her mind games again.

Damon studiously stared into the fireplace, ignoring the burning gaze boring a hole into the back of his head. When he'd had enough, he sighed loudly in exasperation. "Anything I can help you with, brother?"

Stefan shuffled his feet, staying silent. After a full minute, he finally said in an offhand voice, "You could come with me, you know. Caroline invited all of us."

"I highly doubt that invitation extended to me."

"But—"

"And even if it did," Damon continued, his voice turning harsh, "I wouldn't join you and your little high school friends in a million years."

Stefan's face closed off. "Fine," he snapped, "Go on sitting here and feeling sorry for yourself on Christmas Eve."

Damon waggled his fingers after his brother mockingly, "Oh trust me, I'll have a hell of a better time here than playing 'pretend to be human' with my kid brother."

The door slammed shut, and Damon poured himself another drink with a grimly satisfied smile.

Not even 5 minutes later, the doorbell rang.

And rang.

And kept ringing.

Damon groaned, unsteadily pushing himself to his feet and stumbling towards the door. "If there's some damn carolers out there," he growled, "You're gonna be extremely—" He stopped short, blinking in confusion at the person standing on his doorstep. He squinted a little, convinced now that he was drunker than he'd originally thought.

"Hey," Elena said demurely, casting her eyes downward. "Mind if I come in?"

He stepped back automatically, frowning a little as the last person he'd expected to see on Christmas Eve passed by him and sat on the sofa, her hands folded in her lap. "Elena?" he asked, putting down the glass he'd been drinking from and looking at her more closely, "What are you doing here?"

"I…" Elena bit her lower lip, and—he frowned even more—batted her eyelashes once. "I was sitting at home all by myself and I just hated the thought of you sitting here too, with no one to spend the holiday with."

Damon opened his mouth and then closed it, thinking hard. If he didn't know better, he'd think that innocent little Elena Gilbert was flirting with him.

He cracked a grin at the thought.

Elena looked slightly put out. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," he chortled, "I was just thinking…" He trailed off, abruptly irritated with himself for even entertaining such a thought. "What's wrong, Elena?" His words were slurred as he looked at her accusingly, "You only come to me when there's something wrong."

Elena's mouth dropped open, and he stepped back, pleased with the verbal slap the words were intended to be. He expected her to get defensive, but was taken aback when she stood up instead and made her way over to him.

She stopped when she was only inches away, her eyes still downcast. "You're right, Damon," Elena said softly, placing her hand gingerly on his chest. "I only come to you when I have a problem, and it's not fair to you."

Damon stared at the hand resting on his chest.

He was very confused.

"Elena—"

"I'm sorry," she went on, slowly raising her eyes. When he met her gaze, her lips pursed into the smallest of pouts. "I know I don't deserve you, but I…"

Damon tensed. There was something wrong here. Something off. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

He studied Elena's expression, but she only looked at him, her doe eyes beseeching. He made the split second decision to play along—for now. "But you what?" he asked roughly, "You realized you needed something so you came here anyway?"

"I do need something," Elena murmured, taking another step forward. "Actually," she tossed her head so that her hair flew back, and her shoulders straightened. "I want something," she corrected, and now her lips played at a coy smile.

Damon retreated a step, feeling the wall against his back. "Elena," he warned, cursing the alcohol that was clouding his mind. "I don't think..."

But she wasn't listening, and she closed the distance between them. Her hand was still on his chest and now she clutched at his shirt, her nails scraping against his skin. He drew his breath in sharply as her lips pressed against his—

The front door flew open, bringing with it a sharp gasp.

Damon pushed Elena away, staring at the figure standing in the living room. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks red from the cold. As he watched, her expression flickered between shock and…hurt. Damon blinked, but yes—it was still there. Why did she look hurt?

"Elena," he whispered. Belatedly, his attention moved back to the person who'd been masquerading as Elena. "Katherine."

Katherine looked extraordinarily annoyed. She pushed herself off the wall, rolling her eyes as she strutted away from him. "What are you doing here, Elena?" she asked crossly, "You're supposed to be at that Lockwood bash with the rest of the town."

"I came," Elena spoke through gritted teeth, "To see Damon."

"Well as you can see," Katherine flipped her long straight hair over her shoulder, and Damon nearly groaned, remembering why he'd thought Elena wasn't acting like herself. Katherine could change her appearance, but she couldn't change her innate mannerisms. "He already has company—company he's quite enjoying, I might add." She added a seductive smile to her biting words.

Elena's cheeks flushed again, but this time not with cold—she was clearly pissed. "It's too bad you have to pretend to be me to get someone in this town to spend any time with you," she said in a low voice, "Pathetic."

Katherine wasn't phased. "The only pathetic person here is you, Elena," she said in a singsong voice, "Abandoning your friends and family to their little party while you sneak away to spend time with Damon. Hiding from Stefan, are you? What about Caroline and Bonnie? Yeah…" Katherine cocked her head, pretending to think. "I can see why you came here in secret to see him…I'd be ashamed, too."

The glass Damon had picked up splintered in his hands, but it wasn't loud enough to drown out the resounding slap that echoed across the room.

His eyes widened in surprise.

Katherine slowly rubbed her cheek, where an angry red mark had appeared. "Well," she considered, a cold glint in her eye, "Looks like the cat has claws." She vamped out then, rage etched across her features. "You'll regret that, Elena, mark my words."

Fear flashed across Elena's face, but Damon blurred forward, appearing in front of her and grabbing Katherine by the shoulders. "Leave," he hissed as she struggled in his grip, "Now."

Katherine laughed, but she held up both hands in surrender. He let her go and she sniffed, "You're both pathetic. You deserve each other."

"Anything is better than deserving you."

Her gaze grew cold and she turned on her heel to leave. However, she stopped at the door.

In hindsight, Damon realized she never would have left without having the last word.

"Just so you know, Elena, a drunk Damon is an honest Damon." He moved forward to stop her, but she spoke before he could reach her. "And he told me you only come to him when you need help."

Elena froze.

"Too bad," Katherine went on, digging the knife in deeper. "And here I thought you were supposed to be the compassionate one." She smirked, "Maybe you're just like me, after all."

Then she was gone.

Silence filled the room.

Damon stared at Elena—the real one—and kicked himself for not seeing it sooner. Gone were the little flirty tricks Katherine usually played. Elena just stood there, her face carefully blank. But he saw the uncertainty in her gaze, the way her mouth turned down at the corners when she thought he wasn't looking.

"I'm sorry," the words came out of his mouth unbidden, though he wasn't exactly sure what he was apologizing for. "I'm sure dealing with Katherine Pierce wasn't how you wanted to spend Christmas Eve." He turned away to pour himself a new drink, because now he definitely needed one. "Speaking of which," he added conversationally, still not facing her, "What brings you by?"

"I told you already," Elena muttered, "I came to see you." Then she straightened, scowling. "But clearly that was a mistake." She whirled around to leave, her tone scathing, "I didn't mean to scare off your company."

"Hey," Damon blurred across the room to block her path, and she stopped short, glaring up at him defiantly. "To be fair, she was pretending to be you."

"To be fair," she mimicked back, and he saw the hurt flash across her eyes again, "You should know me better than that."

Damon broke her gaze first, because she was right. "I know," he stared at a spot on the floor, "I was drunk and I wasn't thinking, and I knew something wasn't right but…I should've known you wouldn't…" He trailed off, his shoulders deflating.

Elena, however, narrowed her eyes at him. "I wouldn't what?" she challenged. "What did Katherine say?"

"Nothing," Damon tried to move away, but Elena grabbed his arm, her eyes insistent. "She didn't really say much," he grunted, "It was more what she did."

"Oh," Elena let go of his arm, and he couldn't help but notice the disappointment edging that single word.

"How did you know I'd be here?"

It was her turn to look away. "I was at the Lockwood party," she admitted, "But I wasn't having any fun. Caroline was busy trying to flirt with Stefan, and Bonnie was with her new boyfriend, and I kept looking around and…then I realized I was waiting for someone." She twisted around slightly, "Someone who wasn't coming."

Damon stilled.

"Why didn't you come?" Elena asked, her voice growing quiet. "I wanted you to."

He closed his eyes against the emotions warring against him, pushing themselves to the surface. He hated it when she was like this; when she said things that gave him false hope, made him feel things that he had no business feeling. With tremendous effort, he pushed those feelings right back down to where they belonged. In a normal tone, he shrugged carelessly, "I've never liked this time of year, you know that."

"I know," she said quickly, "I just thought this year would be…different."

"Why?" he snapped, the words coming out more harshly than he meant them to, "Because of you?"

She flinched.

Damon immediately moved forward, regret already on the tip of his tongue.

"No," she shook her head, fumbling with her coat. "Katherine was right, I shouldn't have come." She paused, mumbling to herself, "Now there's a sentence I never thought I would say."

He reached for her, "Elena, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

She wrenched her arm out of his grip, her breath coming faster. "Did you mean it when you told Katherine that I only come to you when I need something?"

Damon stiffened, "I was drunk, I shouldn't have said that."

Elena didn't move, but she looked close to tears. "That's not what I asked," she said hoarsely, "I asked you if you meant it."

He didn't answer, but then again, he didn't need to.

She blinked rapidly, but she couldn't cover the disbelief that fell across her expression. "I'm sorry you feel that way," she said distantly, looking everywhere but at him. "I won't bother you anymore." She opened the door, and a gust of wind blew in, making her stumble slightly. She peered out into the developing blizzard, her eyes squinting against the wind. "Merry Christmas, Damon," she muttered over her shoulder, "I'll see you around."

"Don't be ridiculous," he growled, speeding ahead of her and slamming the door shut. "You're not going anywhere out in that weather!"

"I would hate to impose my company on you," Elena crossed her arms, "I wouldn't want you to think I'm using you." She paused and shuddered, "Or to think that I'm anything like Katherine."

"You're not," Damon said, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder. When she didn't shake off his touch, he pulled her back into the living room and helped her take off her coat. "Can I get you a drink?"

She shook her head once and sank into the couch, looking somehow small and vulnerable. He frowned and took a seat next to her, leaving enough room between them so that she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Instead, she turned and glanced at the gap between them with unseeing eyes. "I'm sorry," her voice was small. "I'm sorry I ever made you feel like you weren't important to me…th-that I only wanted you if you were helping me."

He shot her a flirty grin, attempting to bring levity back to the table. "I wasn't aware you wanted me at all."

Damon expected an eyeroll or a snarky comment.

He didn't expect her to blush.

For the second time that night, he put down his nearly full glass of alcohol. "Elena?" he questioned uncertainly, "What—"

"I was jealous," she burst out, leaping to her feet and backing away from him. She pointed at the fireplace, her arm shaking with realization. "I walked in and I saw her and the two of you…just, just together—and…"

She started trembling and Damon was in front of her instantly, alarmed. "Elena, what's going on?"

"Katherine was right," Elena whispered, folding her arms in front of herself, almost as though she needed to protect herself from something. "I guess I did come here because I need you for something."

"For what?" Damon grasped both of her arms, leaning forward so that he could meet her gaze. "Elena, whatever it is, you know I'm there for—"

He didn't even finish his sentence before her lips suddenly covered his. And it was nothing like Katherine, because she wasn't manipulative or demanding; instead she felt soft and warm and...inviting. He was kissing her back without thinking about it, his arms wrapping around her waist to bring her close. The flames from the fireplace warmed them both and she gasped out loud when his mouth trailed a path down her neck.

"I'm sorry," she said breathlessly, "I didn't mean to—"

"Shh," Damon mumbled against her skin, leading her back towards the sofa. As they both tumbled onto it, he breathed into her ear, "Jealousy is totally a turn on."

Elena's legs wrapped around him in response, bringing him flush against her. "Hmm," she mused, her eyes sparkling in amusement, "Would you say I've changed your mind about the holidays after all?"

Before he could reply, she reached into the coat that was lying beside them and pulled out a perfectly intact sprig of mistletoe. She teasingly held it above them. "Stole it from the party," she said in response to the questioning look on his face, "Think it still works?"

Damon grinned, pulling her towards him. "Yes to both questions," he murmured against her lips, "And I think that's enough talking for now."

And so they moved on to activities that required decidedly less talking.

Much later that night, Elena turned towards Damon, the silk sheets rustling between them. He opened one eye to find her staring at him. "You're still awake?" he asked sleepily, "I thought I would've tired you out by now."

Elena laughed as he pulled her on top of him. "I'm exhausted," she admitted, shifting on his lap. "But seems like someone's not nearly tired enough."

Damon smirked, but didn't deny it. "So?" He prompted, running his fingers lazily down her back, and enjoying the look of bliss that flitted across her face. "Everything okay?"

She nodded, opening her eyes and glancing at the clock. "It's midnight. I wanted to let you know."

He frowned, "That you have to get home?"

"No," she shook her head, holding his gaze as she positioned him at her entrance and slowly lowered herself onto him. Her eyes closed, her mouth parting in pleasure. "That…" she swallowed once, adjusting their rhythm as she placed both hands on his chest. "That I am home." She smiled a little at the shock on his face, "Merry Christmas, Damon."

thank you all for the lovely reviews on my other 3 xmas fics this year. Hope you enjoyed this installment as well! xo