A/N: I'm so sorry; I'm super late with this one, I know! I knew it'd be a killer even though I already had half of it finished before I'd even started posting. I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I've kept you all waiting long enough. You might need to reread the second part of the previous chapter if you've forgotten where we left off, but it's not essential - there's another time jump here, and I've obviously strayed far from the canon storyline of episodes 4x05-4x09.

Special thanks to Lucy for her help with this chapter. I hope you all enjoy the third and final instalment of Confess!

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or its characters; all rights to their respective owners.

Winter had well and truly come to Mystic Falls. As a child, it had always been Elena's favorite season, meaning curling up by the fire together on family nights or snowball wars and sledding with her brother and her friends.

Christmas, too, was something that she still held dear in her heart. She'd pick a tree with her dad and the whole house would gain its piney scent; she and Jeremy would argue good-naturedly about who got to put the angel on top, and they'd conspire together at six o'clock on Christmas morning to sneak peeks at the brightly-wrapped presents Santa had left them during the night, holding and shaking them and guessing at what could be inside.

Elena pulled her coat tighter around herself as she walked down the footpath winding through Mystic Falls' cemetery. The crisp white snow crunched beneath her boots with every step and she could hear the comforting, lilting melody of carols floating out from the small chapel just outside the wrought-iron fence.

She'd already paid her visit to her parents' graves, to John and Jenna's too. She'd laid a wreath there, whispering words of love to the silent stone, allowing just a few tears to fall and disappear into the pale, frosty grass that almost whistled in the wind.

The path took her down into the woods again, through the old and creaking oaks that had once seen Damon and Stefan bury their mother, that had borne witness to the roundup of the vampires in 1864 and Katherine's clandestine getaway, that heard the furry, howling creatures of the night that made the dark forest their hunting ground, trees that undoubtedly knew of every secret in Mystic Falls.

"I'm in love with Damon," Elena told them softly. There, one more truth for them to conceal in their sighing branches. She'd told nobody of her discovery of her feelings; she hadn't even had the chance to tell him. He'd taken off with unlikely allies Bonnie and Katherine on a Klaus-hunting trip shortly after Halloween, but she knew Bonnie had returned to be with her dad for the holiday season, so Elena hoped that Damon had come back too.

Sure enough, as she slipped quietly into the clearing where Ric was buried, she spotted Damon on the old bench, a glass of bourbon at his side as pertained to his tradition. He remained completely silent as she stood watching him, his back to her as they breathed in perfect synchronization and listened to the sounds of the winter's night.

"I know you're there, Elena," Damon said softly. Elena took a few tentative steps toward him and he shifted over wordlessly, leaving her space to sit beside him and passing her the glass. She took a small sip, but the sharp taste didn't faze her. She'd spent many a night in the boarding house while he'd been gone, drinking the amber beverage in an attempt to recall what he had tasted like when she'd kissed him.

"What I don't know is why." It was a statement, such finality in his tone as if he didn't expect her to be able to answer.

"It's Christmas," she said simply, and he turned to her, his blue eyes gazing into her own, questioning the sure, unwavering tone of her voice. "How was California?"

"Dead-end, literally; the witch had already had her throat ripped out by the time we got there. We sniffed around for a bit and killed a couple of rogue hybrids but we didn't learn anything new."

"It's okay. You're getting closer. Just next time, please tell me where you're going, okay? Better yet, let me come with you."

He sat up sharply, his eyes flashing. "No way. No way in hell, Elena."

"Why not?"

"I'm not going to put you in danger of getting hurt."

"I'm a vampire," she protested. "I can protect myself."

"Just because he," Damon spat, pointing at Ric's headstone, "taught you a few basic defense moves doesn't mean you're ready to take on Klaus."

"Caroline's been training me," Elena snarled. "I can help you fight."

Damon seemed speechless for a moment. "Caroline's been giving you Vamp 101?"

"Yes, actually." Elena reached down and deftly picked up a fallen branch, turning it over in her hands thoughtfully. "Want me to show you a few moves?"

"At least you're learning from her and not my precious, squirrel-munching brother."

"So Caroline's good enough to teach me? She passes your test? She's not one of the – what was it that you called us? – 'stupid, delusional, exasperating little children'?"

Damon fell silent upon hearing his own words repeated back at him.

"You don't have to be so condescending all the time, Damon."

"Oh, is that so? Because, forgive me if I'm mistaken, but it seems like the second I'm not there to protect you, you almost get yourself killed?"

"It's different now-"

"No, it's not different. In fact, you're even more vulnerable than before. Before, I could give you my blood when you were in danger or injured. I had a chance to save you, a get-out-of-jail-free card. Now, you get staked, and you're dead, Elena. Gone for good. I can't take you into battle with me and constantly worry about your safety. Klaus knows my first priority is protecting you and he knows that you're my weakness; he'll exploit it. And then we'll both be dead, and where will that get us?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? You don't have to protect me-"

"I do, Elena! Because for every one of those awful minutes that I thought you were dead, I couldn't breathe or speak or think, and I didn't want to. I can't lose you, and don't you dare ask me why, because you know why. You knew before you died, you knew when you transitioned, and you sure as hell knew it at Halloween. Don't deny it – you were there; I heard you."

Elena gently took his hand, clasping it in her own. "I wasn't going to deny it," she said softly.

Damon rose to his feet in anger, pulling his hand away. "I wonder if Ric's hearing the same bullshit as I'm hearing right now. I can't walk away from you, as much as I want to; god, I've tried to, but I always end up coming right back just to suffer another affectionate pat on the head and an 'I care about you, Damon, but it's always going to be Stefan'. Good enough to save your life, to eavesdrop on as I pour my heart out to a dead guy who isn't going to drink the glass of bourbon no matter how many times I set it there, waiting for an invisible hand to take it; I'm pathetic, aren't I? I'm never going to be good enough for you, so you can take your guilt and pity and shower it on some other lost cause. It's Christmas, for fuck's sake. Go spend your sympathy on a homeless shelter."

Elena didn't realize she was crying until her vision blurred with tears, her voice hoarse with emotion.

"I broke up with Stefan."

"I'm sure you'll see the error of your ways in the next week or so," Damon said bitterly.

"Let me finish; I broke up with Stefan the day after Halloween, and if you hadn't been so busy figuring out the best excuse to flee town to avoid me, you'd have noticed."

He began pacing back and forth, anxiously raking his fingers through his hair.

"Because of what I said?"

"Because what you said forced me to realize something I'd probably known for a very long time."

Slowly, seriously, he turned to face her, and she stood, meeting his gaze squarely and standing her ground as he regarded her, still guarded, cautious.

"Why are you here, Elena?"

She swallowed and the wind picked up for a moment, the rustling of tree leaves singing her earlier confession back to her.

"Because I'm in love with you, Damon."

He took painfully slow, deliberate steps toward her, never taking his eyes off hers. He was so close to her now that she could see the steam of their breaths mingling together between them before dissipating into nothingness.

"I love you," she repeated steadily.

Their lips met gently, and a brilliant heat ripped through their bodies despite the cold and the fresh snowflakes beginning to fall. Elena opened her mouth to him, allowing him to deepen the kiss as her arms curled around his neck, his hand coming up to hold her tightly against him.

They broke apart, their foreheads resting against each other as Elena fought to catch the breath he'd taken from her. Damon laughed slightly, and Elena's eyes flickered open in confusion.

"What?"

"It's nothing."

"Why are you laughing, Damon?"

He stole another few kisses from her before answering.

"Because I thought about what Ric would say if he knew we were here practically defiling his grave."

Elena smiled as he pressed his lips to hers one more time before pulling her head in to rest in the crook of his neck.

They lost track of time as they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, simply breathing and listening to the carols and smelling the scents of winter carried on the wind. Damon poured the rest of the bourbon onto the ground in front of Alaric's headstone, a libation, a sign of respect, a solemn promise of never forgetting as Elena stood by and shed a tear and watched the snow turn golden-red and melt away. Then Elena stuck her tongue out, trying to catch each snowflake as it fell and giggling as Damon caught her around the waist and spun, lifting her high off the ground.

Eventually, Elena entwined her fingers with Damon's and began to lead him back through the cemetery. She leaned into him for warmth, though she did not feel the cold, and he looked down at her and smiled, perhaps the first true, loving smile of his that Elena had ever really seen.

And Elena got so lost in his eyes that she found herself on the doorstep of the boarding house without really knowing how she got there, and a devilish grin crossed her face as she pushed him backwards into the door and kissed him, hard.

They stumbled into the foyer as Elena murmured breathlessly against his lips, "Stefan's at a party with Caroline." She reached to unzip his jacket, but he grabbed her wrists, slowing her down, and she pouted adorably at him as he dragged her down to sit on the couch beside him.

"We'll have time for that later," Damon promised her, tapping her nose with his finger and smirking as she tried to suppress a smile and failed. "I think it's about time I gave you your Christmas present."

She gasped and stared at him. "But I don't have yours here."

"It's not necessary," he said, his blue eyes dark and sincere. "I have everything I want right in front of me."

Her stunned expression morphed easily into a smile, and she leaned in to kiss him again, but he stopped her, reaching behind him onto the side table and grasping a plain white envelope addressed to 'Gilbert, Elena'.

He handed it to her and she stared at it in confusion.

"Well, go on; open it."

She glanced at him again, a tiny crease appearing between her eyebrows, and she tore it open, unfolded the paper, and began to read aloud.

"'Dear Miss Gilbert; thank you for your application to Emory College.'" She bit her lip. "What application?"

"Keep reading," he prodded her.

"'Due to the high level of interest in our English faculty, and the quality of each application, many deserving students missed out on a place in our early acceptance program, and are encouraged to reapply in the spring. However, your application was outstanding, and we are delighted to offer you one of twelve places in our program, subsidized with a $5000 scholarship for each year of your studies. To accept this offer, please contact the admissions office by January 31st'."

Silence filled the room as Elena stared at Damon in disbelief.

"So?" Damon prompted, trying to contain his anxiety.

"You compelled the early acceptance committee at Emory?"

He scowled. "Of course not. I saw the pamphlet in your book bag in September, but I knew you wouldn't apply for it on your own. I filled out a form, used a teensy bit of compulsion on your English teacher to convince her to give me some of your classwork and sign off on the application as your reference, asked Caroline to help me access the application essay you thought nobody knew about on your laptop, and sent it off the day before the deadline, just in case you decided to apply on your own, which you didn't. They called last week to confirm your place, and the letter arrived two days later, so I decided to surprise you today."

She continued to watch him, her expression unreadable, and Damon swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry, okay? I thought you wanted to go there and I knew you were good enough for that scholarship, so I thought I'd give you a little push. You don't have to take it; it's just an option if you want it-"

"Are you kidding?" She exclaimed, launching herself at him and burying her face in his neck as tears stung her eyes. "This is perfect. Of course I want to go to Emory; I've wanted to go there ever since I was thirteen and my mom gave me my first journal. Oh my god, I'm going to college. Thank you so much. I love you."

"There's one more thing," Damon said, standing and holding out his hand to her. "It's in my bedroom. Coming?"

Elena blushed and giggled, taking his hand and allowing herself to be led up the stairs. She jumped onto the bed and devoured him hungrily with her eyes. He winked at her and went over to his dresser, pulling a plain wooden box from the top drawer and passing it to her.

"This… well, I knew it was yours; I've known it for a while. I just didn't know if or when I'd ever get to give it to you, but I guess now's as good a time as any. It used to be my mother's…"

"Oh, Damon," Elena whispered, her soft smile warm with compassion and love.

"She said she loved it because it represented something for her; she kept it in its original box because it reminded her that the most beautiful things could come from the roughest places. My father gave it to her before they married, and she gave it to me before she died; she told me that when the right girl came along, I'd know. You've endured a lot of pain these past few years, Elena, and you're still you. So, naturally, this is yours."

Elena slid open the lid of the box and gently picked up the tiny ornamental crystal bird, with two sapphires for eyes, its glorious wings spread wide and majestic. She admired it, speechless, and then set it carefully back on the deep blue satin and snapped the box shut.

"Thank you," she breathed, and she pushed him down onto the bed, unable to restrain herself any longer. In one smooth motion, she reached over to set the box on the nightstand and lowered herself down to kiss him, fire erupting through their bodies as their lips met. She straddled him, both still fully-dressed, and her fingernails tore at his clothing as she lost herself to her vampire side again.

She hissed and gasped between kisses as Damon pulled her sweater and tank top over her head, casting it aside and kissing her shoulder tenderly. She pressed her nose into his neck, inhaling deeply, hearing his blood call out to her from beneath his skin as she recalled its taste in her mouth and the way it made her feel completely alive. He shuddered beneath her as she slowly dragged her teeth across a vein, but with great effort, she pulled back, gazing into his dark, lust-filled eyes that so perfectly matched hers.

After a beat, he shrugged what remained of his jacket and shirt off as her fingers scrambled to the button of his jeans, tearing them in her frustration. She slipped her hand beneath his boxer shorts, allowing her fingernails to gently graze him until he flipped her over and pulled her jeans off, tossing them to join the rest of their clothing on the hardwood floor along with his boxers.

Damon's eyes glinted as he seized both her wrists in his left hand and held them above her head, and he slowly, torturously began to worship her body with kisses, from her lips, to her neck and collarbone, at the top of her breast, her stomach. He was forced to release her hands to move lower and she twined her fingers through his hair as he kissed the inside of her thigh, his fingers tracing delicate patterns on her stomach and causing her to moan his name.

Once he'd removed her lace underwear, she lay trembling with anticipation, feeling the light flutter of his breath on her. She inhaled sharply at the first touch of his fingers, and gasped again at the touch of his tongue as he slowly brought her to the brink of release, playing her like a finely tuned instrument, before letting her fall back down. Damon smirked at her resultant feral growl and obediently repeated his ministrations, sending her sky high as she came, her fingernails digging so hard into his scalp that they drew blood.

It took several seconds for Elena's body to relax, and though she opened her eyes, she still saw nothing but stars from the aftermath of her orgasm. He kissed her, deeply, taking her bottom lip between his teeth and releasing it, feeling her lazy smile against his mouth. Her hands slid up to his hips and she pulled him closer, moving to whisper in his ear.

"I want more."

They breathed together as he pushed into her, and she turned to kiss his neck as he gradually began to move. It was better than he'd ever imagined, being with her in every way. It felt like coming home, like finding a part of himself that he hadn't even realized he'd been missing. They gradually built up pace, and Elena whispered his name against his throat over and over again, as if in prayer. He felt the subtle change in her movements, the switch from rhythmic to wild, the prick of fangs as she gave into the call of his veins, her soft lips and soothing tongue contrasting with the brief pain of the bite.

In the moment they were connected through body and blood, Damon knew what she wanted, needed. He pushed her hair, slightly damp and sticking to her skin from exertion, out of the way, and gently bit into her soft neck, tasting her for the first time since she'd become a vampire. It was everything he remembered from when Elena was human, her purity, compassion, and strength, but more intense, with a hint of spice and fire and freedom in addition to his own blood running through her veins, the blood that would always tether them to each other. He could taste everything, her memories, her emotions, her pain and her joy, the love she had for him and the elation she felt because he loved her right back. Everything was laid bare between them, and he wanted nothing more than to explore their connection for the rest of time.

They reached their peaks together, and they soared.

It could have been minutes that they laid there, intertwined as one, or it could have been hours, but they both returned to reality gazing into each other's eyes.

"I love you," Elena murmured, caressing his cheek as his hand came up to cover hers.

"I love you, too."

She rolled over until her back pressed against his chest, and he pulled the comforter up to cover them, wrapping one arm around her waist to hold her close to him. He brushed his lips against her cheek lightly, smiling as the clock tower in the city square began to chime midnight.

He counted the twelve clangs as they echoed through the town, listening to Elena's contented sigh as she snuggled into him, tangling her legs with his. He remembered the way he'd felt the night of the memorial, when he'd confessed his loneliness and grief to the grave of the only person who he thought might have understood. As he gazed at the girl he loved, he realized that the heavy weight he'd been carrying since that night and likely long before had begun to lift, that the hole that bereavement had left in his heart had begun to heal, and it was all because of her.

"Merry Christmas, Elena," he whispered, kissing her hair.

"Merry Christmas, Damon," she mumbled back, her eyes still closed and a soft smile on her lips.

And on a night known for miracles, they rested, ready to take on the world the next day, as long as they were together.

I really hope I made it worth the wait, my lovely readers. Exactly three weeks from now I'll be on a very long flight to Canada, so unless inspiration strikes before then in the form of a one-shot, you probably won't hear from me for a while. I'll continue to work on my multi-chapter AUs when I can, slowly but surely. Everybody take care for the next few months; stay safe and try not to stress too much over season five like I undoubtedly will!

If you have any desire to hear about my trip or just discuss how emotional you get over Delena or ninadobsession's Wicked Innocence or tea and shortbread biscuits, find me on twitter: ohmyninadobreva. I love you all so much and I can't thank you enough for every review, favourite, and follow. You're the best.

~ Kim