a/n: so this is just a little oneshot. I actually started writing this on Christmas, but decided to scrap it until BadBoysAreBest requested that I do a Delena story with mistletoe. So I went ahead and finished it. :) Um, this takes place after the last episode, but I made it Christmas time even though I know it's not. Just make it easy and pretend along with me :) Hope you guys had an excellent Christmas and will have a safe and happy New Year :)

So this story is dedicated to BadBoysAreBest, my soul-author :) - love it! Go read her stuff, she's amazing!

Also, I'd like to take some time to recommend another great author: Babi. I've been her beta for a little while now and she's got some incredible stuff. Go check it out :)

A VERY MERRY CHIRSTMAS

Elena had gotten into her car and started driving. She had no idea where she would end up, but she kept her eyes on the road and her foot on the peddle. When the car stopped, she found herself parked outside of the boarding house. She let herself in and stopped just on the other side of the threshold. She looked around, her eyes jumping around the foyer. From the corner of her eye she noticed the Christmas tree lights were on. She headed into the parlor and sank to her knees in front of the tree. From there, she laid down, placing her head beneath the tree so that she was able to stare up at the multi-colored lights. It was soothing; something that she and her mother had done every Christmas to help ease the stress of the holidays.

The sound of a throat clearing drew her from her thoughts. "What the hell are you doing?" came Damon's voice.

Elena didn't move as she answered him. "I'm staring at the lights."

"I see that."

"Then why did you ask?"

He really didn't have an answer for her. Instead, he set his tumbler on the cart and walked towards the tree. Elena watched him as he got down on the ground and lay by her side, his shoulder nudged up against hers. He turned to her and grinned. "Is there anything special up there I should focus on?"

"No," she answered, trying to hide her smile.

After a few minutes of silence, Damon felt the need to talk. It was too awkward to be this close to her and be silent. He could still recall how she looked when he confessed his love to her. Even though she couldn't remember it, it was engrained on his memory like a photograph. "So...I know what you're doing, but why are you doing it?"

"It's something my mom and I used to do," she said, closing her eyes. "We would wrap presents and then lie under the tree. She used to get so stressed out from all the shopping and the cooking so we would stare at the lights to unwind. I don't know, there's something tranquil about them. We would just lie there and talk for hours."

Damon watched her as she started to smile. Her smile was bittersweet, making him ache for her loss. Without thinking, he reached out and linked his fingers together with hers. He heard her heart skip a beat and they both froze. For whatever reason, Elena didn't move her hand. Instead, she tightened her grip just a bit, but didn't comment. Once again, they fell into silence, only this time it was companionable.

It was Elena who broke the silence sometime later. "Stefan's out of the tomb."

"He is?" Damon asked in a tone that made Elena turn her head to look at him.

"I made a deal with Elijah to get him out."

Damon narrowed his eyes in confusion. "I think you better start from the beginning."

"While you put me under house arrest, Elijah got Jenna to invite him in. He cornered me and told me that if I stopped trying to get Klaus' attention, he would help protect my loved ones when Klaus came. I said that I would agree if he got Stefan out of the tomb."

Damon could only stare at her, trying not to tighten his grip on her hand. While he appeared calm and understanding on the outside, he was furious with her on the inside. "So if Saint Stefan is out of the tomb, why aren't you with him now?"

With a sigh, Elena let go of his hand and crawled out from under the tree. She got to her feet and started pacing in front of the couch, feeling just as restless as she had been before. "He came over and told me that he was leaving."

"Leaving?" Damon asked, going to the drink cart. He refilled his tumbler and then poured one for Elena.

"Something about witches in Salem. They could be related to Bonnie and they might be able to help lift the curse."

"I still don't understand why he would leave. He just got out of the tomb and he's taking off? Does he know what tomorrow is?"

Elena nodded and took the glass that he offered. "Actually, it's after midnight, so it's already Christmas, but yes, he was fully aware of the day."

Damon knew asking this particular question would probably get him in trouble, but he found himself asking it anyway. "Are the two of you..."

Elena tossed back the contents of her glass and looked at him. "Are we what? Back together?"

"Yes."

She shrugged and held out her glass, indicating that she wanted another drink. "I don't know. We kissed, but we didn't actually talk about it. I was just happy to have him out of the tomb and away from Katherine."

"Do you want to-"

He stopped when she glared at him. "You know what? I don't want to talk about Stefan right now. I just want to drink and look at the lights."

Damon nodded and refilled her glass again. She downed it and set the tumbler on the coffee table. "Would you like some company?"

She smiled and tucked some hair behind her ears. "I would like that," she answered and then sighed. "But first, I have to visit the bathroom."

He smirked at her and watched as she walked past him to the main floor powder room. Once she was out of sight, Damon took the opportunity to run down to the basement and drink his fill of blood. He was going to need it if he was going to be around her for the rest of the night. She was alone and had a needy look in her eyes. It was all he could do to let her walk by and not grab her.

On his way back upstairs, he bumped into Elena. They were standing in the entry way of the parlor to the hallway. His eyes went up to the mistletoe that was hanging from the arch. When he looked back down at her, he was more than surprised. Her eyes were wide, but she wasn't backing away. Instead of standing there awkwardly, Damon began leaning in, keeping his eyes glued to hers. Just as his lips were about to touch hers, her eyes shut and her body relaxed.

They both went utterly still as his lips gently pressed against hers. Damon wanted to go for it and kiss her the way he had always wanted to, but he wanted it to be her choice. Just as he was about to pull away, Elena's lips parted and she moved a little closer. Damon's hands rose up to her hips and pulled her as close as she could possibly get. Her hands went to his shoulders to steady herself from the sudden movement. As her tongue slid out to greet his, Damon felt himself giving into his desires. With their mouths moving as one and her body responding to his, it was getting harder and harder to control himself.

Elena's eyes fluttered as his fingers slipped through her belt loops to anchor her to him. The feel of his body against hers felt right. The first time he had kissed her, she had been completely in love with Stefan. She had refused to acknowledge any feelings she had for Damon, even if they were there. Then he had gone and snapped Jeremy's neck. Since then, he had been proving to her every chance he had that he was truly sorry. The fact that she had let him work his way back into her life had allowed him to get under her skin. Now, as he pressed her back against the wall, she knew there was no denying any feelings she had towards him now.

That thought scared her. Elena abruptly ended the kiss by turning her head to the side. They both groaned as his body sagged forward, their cheeks fusing together. His hands moved to her hips as she tried to catch her breath. "Damon-"

"No," he breathed. "Elena, don't-"

She shook her head the best she could and waited until he pulled back enough for them to look at each other. "Damon, this is..."

"Right. Amazing. Perfect," he supplied.

"Wrong."

"How is it wrong?" he asked. "You're not with Stefan anymore."

"I don't know that," she answered and tried to straighten up despite the fact that her head was reeling from his kiss.

"You're the one that initiated the kiss."

"I shouldn't have done that. Damon, it doesn't matter whether or not I'm with Stefan. It's the fact that I was with him at all. I'm not going to be like Katherine. I will not the be the girl that comes between you and your brother."

He shook his head and cupped her face, using his body to keep her in place. "You will never be like her. Elena, we have something. We fit together. You can't deny that anymore."

"Damon, I'm not having this conversation with you again," she said and pushed him away from her.

He let her move away and watched as she paced the parlor again. "Elena, if I had known you had feelings-"

"Damon, this is not a good time. I'm not with Stefan right now because I don't want to be in a relationship that I won't be able to see through."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that there is someone more powerful than anything on this earth coming after me and I don't know how things are going to end." She stopped and wiped the tears that had spilled down her cheeks. "I just can't," she added in such a soft voice he almost didn't hear her.

Damon stood there, watching her cry. "Elena, no one is going to let anything happen to you."

"You don't know that," she breathed, still wiping tears from her cheeks.

Damon moved forward before he could stop himself. "Yes I do. Klaus is going to have to kill every single one of us if he wants to lay a hand on you."

Elena shook her head. "That's exactly what I don't want, Damon. I don't want people fighting for me. No one is going to give up their lives for me."

"I don't want to lose you. I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening."

Elena sighed with frustration. "Why? What makes me so special? I'm just one girl. I know people would miss me if I was gone, but I don't want to be the reason my friends and family are six feet under."

"Elena, stop saying things like that."

"No, I really want to know. Why do people keep trying to protect me? Especially you. You don't care for other people, but when it comes to me, you're always trying to be the hero. Is it because of Katherine? Are you trying to prove to yourself that you're the better brother? That you can get the girl after all this time?"

Damon straightened as he looked at her, completely offended. He knew she was angry and confused, just lashing out at him, but it still hurt. "That's not it at all."

"Then why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because I love you." The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"What?" she breathed, her anger subsiding as she tried to wrap her head around his words.

He advanced on her until he was standing directly in front of her, invading her personal space. "I love you, Elena. I'm not sure when or how those feelings developed, but it doesn't change the fact that I do. I told you this once and then compelled you to forget. I thought it would be selfish of me to have you remember, but the truth is I was scared. Scared that you would reject me and I couldn't take that. With Katherine, it was all compulsion, but with you, it's real."

Elena could only stare up at him. Her eyes were wide and clouded with tears. Her breathing was ragged and uneven as her body began to tremble slightly. She closed her eyes briefly as the sensation of déjà vu consumed her. "You love me?" she whispered, opening her eyes slowly to look at him.

For the first time, he looked vulnerable. All of his emotions were exposed on the surface, his heart on his sleeve. Elena searched the depths of those piercing blue orbs and saw nothing but truth. Instead of saying anything else, Elena closed the gap and moved her hands to rest on his shoulders as she had before. She looked up at him and tilted her head to the side, waiting for him to make the next move. Damon caught on to what she was doing and kept his gaze focused on hers as he leaned in. He saw that she was willing, but he wasn't sure how far she would go.

Gently, he pressed his lips to hers. She wasted no time in parting hers to accept him. Her fingers clenched around the material of his shirt as his hands gripped her hips. The moment their tongues met, the slow, tender vibe went away only to be taken over by unbridled passion. As they lost themselves in a frenzy of kisses, Damon's fingers moved to the fly of her jeans and opened them. While he pushed them down her thighs along with her underwear, Elena's hand slid down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt as fast as she could. Once she reached the bottom, her fingers went to the waist band of his jeans and mimicked his earlier movements, pushing them down his hips so they could pool at his feet.

He moved forward, his hands tugging on the hem of her shirt as they began walking. Elena stepped out of her clothes as her hands pushed Damon's shirt off of his shoulders. It floated to the ground behind him as they moved farther into the room. By the time they stopped in front of the tree, they had a trail of clothes behind them. Slowly, Damon lowered them both to the floor, propping himself up on his elbows as he lay over her. Elena bent her knees, cradling is body close to hers.

He stared down at her, his fingers brushing the hair away from her face. Not wanting to spoil the mood, Damon chose to remain silent. The urgency they had been feeling moments ago had faded into a simple need. Tenderly, Damon lowered his lips to hers again, taking his time to explore her mouth. Elena let her hands roam up and down his back as she reveled in the feel of their bodies pressed flush against one another.

A moan escaped her lips as Damon moved his lips from hers to the side of her mouth. Her body arched into his as he trailed his way down her body, gently nipping her skin as he went. Elena bit her lower lip as she opened her eyes to see him staring down at the juncture between her thighs. He licked his lips and slowly brought his hand up to touch her. As his fingers parted her nether lips, he bent down to taste her. Elena's eyes fluttered and she sighed heavily at the feel of his tongue running the length of her slit.

Damon groaned, sending vibrations through her. She tasted better than he had ever imagined, making him crave her even more. As his mouth worked on her sensitive bundle of nerves, he slid two fingers into her wet heat. He heard her moan at the welcomed intrusion and smiled against her. Elena's body arched off of the floor, her nails digging into the rug. As he set a mild pace of thrusting his fingers in and out of her, her breathing became ragged and her inner walls clenched around her.

As her body began to thrash back and forth and her breathing became shallow, Damon slowed his movements. He grinned wickedly at her as she whined after watching him pull away. He kissed his way back up her body and reclaimed her lips. As she wrapped her legs around his waist, Damon reached down and positioned himself at her entrance. He kissed her deeply and drove himself inside of her.

Once he was all the way in, they both stilled, letting her adjust to him. When she was ready for him to continue, she rotated her hips, causing them both to groan. Damon set a slow pace, taking himself almost all the way out of her before going all the way back in. Each time he went deeper, filling her more than she thought was possible. "Faster," she breathed.

Damon kissed her briefly before moving his lips to her neck. As he began to increase the pace of his thrusts, Elena began to dig her nails into his back. Elena moaned loudly as she felt the beginnings of her release again. She had been very close earlier. When he picked up the pace again, Elena closed her eyes as he pushed her over the edge. Elena moaned his name over and over again as her inner walls clenched around him.

Damon groaned, his vampire features rising to the surface in spurts. "Oh God," she mumbled, her thighs tightening around his hips. When she came down from her high, Damon was staring down at her. He captured her lips again, quieting her gasp of surprise as he switched their positions. Elena pulled back, her hands firmly planted on his chest as she sat above him.

Damon gripped her hips tightly as he helped her get into a rhythm of lifting and setting herself down on top of him. They both groaned as she rotated her hips each time she moved back down. Elena began to ride him faster, feeling her head beginning to bind with the start of her second release. Damon sensed her release and knew that he was close as well. His hands moved from her hips to palm her breasts, pinching her aroused nipples between his thumb and forefingers.

"Damon..." she hissed, her fingers digging into his flesh so hard she drew blood.

The instant the scent hit his nose, Damon rose up, pressing her body tight against his. Her head tipped back as his lips found her throat again. She shivered at the feel of his sharpened teeth scraping her flesh. As he placed one hand in the small of her back to keep her anchored to him, he slid his other one down her stomach until his fingers found her nub. She gasped and arched her body into his. Her eyes squeezed shut as she dug her nails into his shoulders.

"D-Damon-" she started, her words turning into moans and groans as she came again.

Damon thrust himself as deep as he could into her before following her into oblivion. Before he realized what he was doing, his fangs descended and sank into her delicate flesh. Instead of screaming like he thought she would, Elena moaned louder and launched into a third release almost instantly.

When they both came down from their highs, they collapsed back to the floor, Elena landing on top of Damon. She tried desperately to catch her breath, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. She had always imagined being bitten would hurt like nothing she had experienced before, but it had stunned her to find she had liked it.

Damon cursed himself for biting her, but as he licked his lips, the taste of her blood on his tongue made it seem worth it. His fingers danced across her skin in a comforting manner as they laid there in silence. It was Elena that finally broke the silence. She folded her arms over his chest and rested her chin on her forearms. "Damon-"

"No, don't say anything," he breathed, reaching up to her tuck some of her wild hair behind her ears.

"But-"

"Please. We can talk about it in the morning. Right now, I just want to hold you."

Elena stared at him for a moment before she nodded, deciding that it would be best to talk in the morning. That would give her time to figure out what everything meant. Time to figure out where they stood with each other. "Okay," she answered and moved her way up so that she could kiss him. The action surprised him, especially as she pulled away only to smile down at him. "Merry Christmas," she added, rubbing her thumb across his lips.

Once she had rolled off of him to lie by his side, Damon surprised her by moving with super speed to retrieve a blanket. When he returned, Elena had her head under the tree again. He laid next to her as he had before and draped the blanket over their naked bodies. Once they were settled, he pulled her close, her body curling around his. It was only a matter of minutes before she was asleep in his arms. As he stared down at her, watching her sleep, he couldn't help but smile to himself. "I love you, Elena," he whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him.

He hooked one arm around her, holding her in place as he tucked the other arm behind his head. It was going to be a very merry Christmas indeed. And he was definitely going to be adding more mistletoe around the boarding house before she got up.