"It's Christmas Eve, guys!" Stefan told us in the morning.

"Yay," I replied tiredly.

"Candy canes and gingerbread, I can't wait," Damon said equally excited.

"What do you guys say, we celebrate it like a cliché American family?"

"You mean with tree and all?" I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah?" He looked at me weirdly.

"How're we gonna get a tree on Christmas Eve? Everyone's had theirs for at least a month, I don't think they're selling any anymore," I said.

"Who said we're buying one?" He smirked. "How about the two of you go get a tree while I prepare us a nice meal?"

"It's ten in the morning, how long does it take to-"

"Let me do my job while you guys do yours, okay?" He cut me off.

I raised my hands in surrender. "Alright. Damon, you up for it?"

"Sure," he sighed.

"Pack some gloves," Stefan suggested. "Pines can get a bit spiky,"

"You have an axe?" Damon asked his brother.

"In the basement,"

"You two sound like serial killers,"

"It's cause we are," Stefan shrugged.

"Anyways," I said loudly, getting up.

"I'll get the stuff, you go get ready," Damon ordered.

"Alright,"

"You guys can take the pickup," Stefan offered.

"You have a pickup?" I asked.

"I've never used it, actually. Should be about ten years old now,"

"Vampires..." I muttered as I walked into my room to get dressed and brush my teeth.

/ / / / /

"So, where are we going to get this Christmas tree from?" I asked just as we began driving.

"It's a forest not so far away where nobody'll catch us,"

"Can't you just compel a family to give us theirs?"

"That's a bit cruel, don't you think? Imagine, their two little children come running down the stairs on Christmas morning only to see that this year somehow their mommy and daddy failed to get a tree,"

"Christmas sucks. I don't know why Stefan suggested that we celebrate it," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I stared out of the front window and watched the houses fly by.

"I think it's a good idea."

I looked at him dumbfoundedly.

"I'm serious," he claimed. "A little holiday spirit, haven't had that since....well, not for a while,"

"How did you celebrate Christmas? Back with your father?"

"Usually it was just Stefan, the staff and I. Our father was always in his study so we snuck into the staff quarters and the cook and the maids would throw us a little party, tree and all," he said. His eyes were fixed on the road but his gaze was directed to somewhere far away, sometime long gone.

"That's so sweet," I cooed, imagining little Stefan and Damon sitting under the Christmas tree and actually being somewhat happy.

"Yeah, well, when we were about fourteen, father found out. He fired each one of them and hired new people. He forbid them to ever do something like that again,"

"And I thought my family gatherings sucked,"

"My life's not really a good one to measure against," Damon chuckled deeply.

"Well, tell me something about your vampire days,"

"There was a time I donated my body to science, only it was against my will and I was still alive and they were cutting my organs out of me. Or another time, I almost got killed by-"

"The good stuff, Damon. Tell me something good,"

"The ladies loved me,"

"Did they, now? I can't imagine why," I grinned. His lips formed his smirk. "That doesn't really have anything to do with being a vampire, though,"

"True," he agreed. It was silent as he tried to recall some happy days. "Well, I was in...Paris, I think. Yes, Paris. The City Of Lights. It was somewhere in the twenties, the fourteenth of July, their national holiday. We danced for three days straight."

His usual smirk was now dreamy and his gaze translucent. I couldn't keep my eyes off him in that moment.

"Guess that's a perk of never having to sleep. Do you have to sleep?"

"Well, it works better with but I'm much more resistant to sleep deprivation than you are,"

"I doubt it. I'm a metaphorical vampire when it comes to sleep,"

"Only sleep?" He smirked.

"Nah, I also like to eat people, you know?"

He gave me a look and I burst out into laughter.

"I didn't mean for it to sound so wrong!" I wheezed.

"Never said it sounded wrong," he smirked.

"Please, don't start like that. We know that out of the two of us you're definitely the more dirty minded one,"

"These accusations." He shook his head.

"Psh, it's the truth," I argued.

"Liar,"

"Don't you call me a liar. You're the one who spent days living with two innocent girls without telling them that you're an a hundred-and-thirty years old pedo,"

"Pedo?"

"You're going for a decidedly younger woman. I don't think that's legal,"

"There's no rule for someone past a hundred and someone just above twenty, plus you're older than seventeen,"

"Am I?" I asked mysteriously.

"Yes you are," he chuckled. "I've seen enough to know that, at least."

Why was I blushing? Damn him and his eloquence.

"Oh gosh, you look cute when you blush," he said, his tone mocking a teenage boy's one.

"Don't mock me," I said, only blushing deeper.

"Do you know that if you call a grown woman cute she's bound to leave you at some point? Women want to be beautiful, dangerous, deadly creatures,"

"So that's why you called me cute?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Because you're hoping I'll run away? You're already tired of me? Even my last boyfriend lasted longer. I must say, I expected a little more endurance from you,"

"A real woman doesn't need the appreciation of a man,"

"It's always nice to hear, though," I threw in. He gave me a look and I shut up.

"So, whatever any man says should never affect you, because you're incredibly strong and independent and every woman should look up to you and every man should, and probably does, want to be with you,"

"Way to make the rest of the ride awkward," I tried to overplay what he'd just said. I don't think that anyone had ever said something so great to me.

"I'm being completely serious," he assured me and his left hand left the steering wheel to meet mine. He linked our fingers and gave mine a gentle squeeze.

I looked at him weirdly.

"Don't give me that look,"

"You should keep both hands on the steering wheel," I said. "Sixty-three percent of all car accidents are caused by someone who doesn't have both hands on their steering wheel,"

"Ouch," he said but he pulled back his hand.

"You know, Christmas was one of my least favourite holidays. Hell, what am I saying, it was the least favourite one," I started a monologue, as if to excuse my actions.

"Why? Everyone loves Christmas," he said, eyebrows knitting together.

"Not if you have a fucking abusive brother and unappreciative parents that like to pretend you're not their goddamn child," I laughed bitterly. "Christmas always sucked,"

"Why?"

"Why?" I looked at him in disbelief. "Because of the reasons I just named. Because all of my family are assholes which is kinda bad for a holiday that's all about family and love and all that crap,"

"Sucks to be you," he agreed.

"Here I am trying to open up to the one person I think matters and all I get is that?" I joked.

"Shh, you can't say that. There's a boy with an inferiority-complex in here,"

"Who called you that?" I asked, a smile on my face, knowing that he couldn't possibly have come up with that himself.

"My darling little brother," he scoffed.

"Ouch,"

"I've heard worse," he shrugged.

"Sucks to be you, then," I quoted him.

"Indeed it does,"

"Hey, at least you got an awesome lady at your side who even fixes your family-problems,"

"They can't be fixed, but I sure love to see you try," he smiled a semi-sad smile.

"Everything can be fixed,"

"Do you really think so?"

"No, but I like to throw around wise sayings when I don't know what to say,"

"Do you think your fear of your brother could be fixed?"

"Maybe," I said. "If he stopped being a douche. But there's always be this fear that he would do it again, you know?"

"Yeah," he said.

/ / / / /

It was a long and uneventful search of arguing and yelling to find the proper tree in the forest he'd driven us into. We had to walk a long way, though, and my hands were already numb.

Now I was sitting on a fallen tree, my legs dangling in the air as my eyes never left my half-boyfriend or whatever the hell he was, who had taken off his jacket and was now literally embodying every cliche of men.

He wore a sleeveless white shirt which revealed his nice but not over-the-top muscles as he swung the axe.

"I am really enjoying this," I said, my legs dangling in the air, my lips tugged into a smile.

"Are you, now?" He stopped the axe in mid air and smirked at me.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Nice muscles, a good jawline. What else can a girl wish for?"

"A good personality, kindness, interesting hobbies and ordinary eating habits?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Fuck that," I laughed. "I have you,"

"Was that a compliment or an insult?"

"Mixing those two is an art only few have mastered," I grinned.

He hummed in response and returned to cutting the fucking Christmas tree that was almost twice as tall as me. How we would fit that into Stefan's apartment that had pretty normally high ceilings was still beyond me.

"Can you hurry? It's really fucking cold," I said after a moment of silence.

"Too bad," he said.

"Bro, be nice to me or I'm taking your car and leaving you," I joked.

"I'm faster than you," he said, not even looking at me.

I jumped down from the tree and stepped from one foot onto the other to keep myself warm.

"Can I go to the car at least?"

"You can do what you want," he shrugged.

"Give me the keys, then." I held out my hand but he still wouldn't look at me because he continued to cut the tree. Seriously, how long did that take?

"Only if you promise not to drive away without me." He cocked an eyebrow at me expectantly.

"You think really low of me," I chuckled. "I won't, promise."

He went to his jacket and rummaged through his pocket. He threw the keys at me and I just barely caught them.

"Hurry up," I told him as I began to walk away. "You'll hear me when I get lost, right?"

"Probably," he said.

"Assuring," I said sarcastically and walked off.

I didn't know if I was on the right way or if I wasn't, but after some minutes I felt a weird tingle on my skin. I tried to subtly look around and I heard a swish.

I rolled my eyes as obviously as I could. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," I quipped.

I only blinked and it just took that vampire that moment to whoosh in front of me. It was a pretty woman with black long, wavy hair and almond eyes. Her olive skin shone nicely in the winter sun.

"Let me guess, spaghetti-eater vampire clan?"

"Where's your boyfriend?" She asked, her voice thick with her Italian accent.

"Which one?" I retorted cockily.

"Listen, we don't have anything against you," she said in her sing-song tone. "Damon Salvatore is the one we want. Give him over to us and we won't touch you or the other brother,"

"No can do," I said, emphasising every word. "I tried to explain his reasons and all already, so I'm not going through that again. What are you planning to do to me?"

"I want you to come with me,"

"Yeah, alright, sure. Sucks that it's Christmas, though," I said.

"Believe me, we had other plans, too,"

"I bet," I agreed. "Who was she to you? The one he killed?"

"She was my twin," the girl said.

"I'm sorry, you know? Damon might not be, but I am," I assured her.

"That won't bring her back," she said, anger clouding her features.

"But revenge will?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"I hope that revenge will fill that emptiness. You don't know what it's like to lose someone you love. You know what he did? He left her in the shower of the hotel room,"

"What happened?" I asked, now becoming curious.

"They were-"

She was cut off by a shadow pushing her into a tree. He pinned her against the pine, his arm over her throat. I couldn't see his expression but his tone was...weird. "Rebecca?"

"Rosanna," she hissed.

"But..."

"She was my twin sister, asshole," she snapped.

"How about you keep quiet now, Damon?" I suggested.

"Quiet, Perse. You don't know anything about this," Damon growled.

"I know not to piss off a woman in mourning," I shot back.

"She's been in mourning for fifty years!" He exclaimed.

"Let her go. She can be the messenger," I suggested.

"How do I know she won't kill you?" He asked, looking at me over his shoulder.

"She won't," I said, giving her an intense look.

She swallowed heavily as she tried to get some oxygen down to her lungs. "What-what do you want me to tell them?"

"Tell them that revenge won't bring her back, but if you insist on following your plan through, know that we'll put up a fight you can't even imagine," I said.

"So will we," she said.

"Shame. I think I might've liked you," I said.

"I will deliver your message," she said before whooshing off.

"Well, they're getting impatient," I said afterwards. In the blink of an eye, Damon stood in front of me. He cupped my face in his hands and looked me in the eye.

"You okay?" He asked, his eyes searching my face for something.

"Peachy," I assured him, holding his gaze, a crooked grin on my lips.

"Psht," he scoffed but let me go. I looked at the ground that still wore the signs of what had just happened.

"Do you need help getting the tree?"

"No. Go to the car, I'll get it."

I sat in the car until he whooshed to the back, put the tree on the truck bed and vamp-sped into the car.

"Let's not tell Stefan about this," I said as he started the car.

"I think there's enough we aren't telling him already," Damon replied.

"I mean, we are gonna tell him, just not today. He seemed to really want this little Christmas type of thing, I don't want him to worry about a bunch of assholes whose daughter or sister or whatever was killed by his obnoxious brother,"

"You think I'm obnoxious?"

"That's the only thing you got out of that sentence?" I questioned.

"Some say I only hear what I want to hear, I say it's an art," He smirked.

"Such a Damon-thing to say." I shook my head.

"Agreed," he said. "Anyway, we'll deal with this problem right after Christmas. We'll come up with a plan and we'll take those suckers out,"

"Sounds good to me,"

"I do think that we should tell my little brother, though,"

"Let's not. We'll do it tomorrow, I promise,"

"It's not a good idea to keep things from him,"

"Please?" I batted my eyelashes at him.

"No."

I gave him a look for a minute before deciding to change my tactic. I put my hand on his thigh and let my fingers brush up slowly.

"You should know that I can be very persuasive when I want to be," I smirked at him.

He kept his gaze fixed strictly on the road in front of him.

"Get your hand off my thigh," he said and I hoped that I heard right, because I could've sworn that his voice was a little strained.

"What do I get for it?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"I'll let you keep your head," he replied sharply.

"You wouldn't dare touch me," I said confidently.

"Try me," he said and now his eyes shone mischievously.

"Gladly," I said.

/ / / / /

"What took you guys so long?" Stefan asked. "Wait, never mind, I don't think I want to know,"

"God, Stefan!" I laughed as I pulled off my gloves and scarf.

Damon gave me a weird look and I wanted to ask what he was on about but I found out when his hands rested on my shoulders and pulled off my coat gently.

"Get a room!" Stefan called.

"We should," Damon smirked.

"Shush, you," I hushed him, my cheeks turning red.

"So, how's the food going?" Damon changed the topic.

"Well, I went grocery shopping and started the jus," he said.

"What are you making, again?" I asked.

"I planned on doing salmon,"

"Fried?" I questioned.

"Maybe," he shrugged.

"Well, what are we supposed to do with the tree now?" Damon asked.

"Decorate it?" Stefan suggested.

"Do you have decorations?" I asked, now slightly annoyed.

"Yeah, in the basement. I'll give you the keys," Stefan said. "I can also get the tree, so Damon can help you,"

"I think I'll be able to carry a few boxes of Christmas decorations," I replied.

"I'll help her," Damon agreed, ignoring my comment completely.

So the three of us went downstairs where we split up. Damon and I went down a really dark stairway and I cursed the damn light for being semi-broken.

"Why the hell does he even have Christmas decorations?" Damon asked, already reaching the ground even though I still had five steps below me.

I was busy trying to come up with an answer so I missed a step and tripped over my own feet once again. Only that this time Damon hadn't been prepared and I fell into him weirdly, causing him to stumble into a pile of empty paint buckets that immediately fell to the floor with a loud shatter.

"Fuck!" I cursed, attempting to push myself off Damon's chest. His hands wrapped around my arms, though, and pulled me into him. He kicked a bucket away and turned the two of us around, so that I was now sandwiched in between Damon and the wall. His lips brushed against mine as he spoke.

"It seems that history repeats itself," he smirked.

"Apparently-"

As usual, it were his lips that cut me off. They also cut off my oxygen supply, but that might've been Damon's presence.

"I'm getting a strong feeling of deja-vu here," I smiled into the kiss.

A/N HEY THERE! This chapter sucks, but hey, I gotta finish this story somehow ;-)