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Elena’s hand trailed up and down Stefan’s chest as they sat together on the floor, wrapped in blankets by the fireplace. The crackle of the flames created a softness against the winter night’s silence. Stefan’s arms were wrapped tightly around his wife, Elena’s face buried in his shoulder. He hummed contently as her leg wrapped around his, snuggling closer.
It was the middle of December, and Christmas was quickly approaching. It would be the first Christmas they spent as humans together in the house they shared, just them. Though Stefan had long since lost interest in the enchantment of the holiday, Elena certainly hadn’t.
“What were Christmases at the Gilbert household like?” He asked.
Elena’s lips slid into a tired smile. “Picture Hallmark movie cheesy. My dad loved it all--the decorations, the cookies. Jenna would come visit for Thanksgiving and stay through Christmas, so she was always there. Jeremy, all the way up until he was thirteen, would drag us all out of bed by 7:00am. Dad would walk down with his hand-held camera and record all of us as we were still barely conscious, stumbling downstairs. There’d be two piles of presents, one for Jeremy and one for me.” She paused, and Stefan ran his thumb along her face. She leaned into him before continuing.
“And the tree! My dad always insisted on a real one. He said the smell is what made it authentic. I used to hate going out to find one, but he was right. Without the smell of pine, it never really feels like Christmas.” She chuckles, looking up at Stefan. “Is that stupid?”
“No, not at all.” He assured her. “Salvatore Christmases were a little different.”
Elena tilted her head to the side and tapped her fingers against his chest. “Oh?”
“Yeah. They were pretty extravagant when I was a kid. I have memories of my mom decorating the whole house, everything had to be perfect. We had a tree every year too, a huge one. There were some presents, but I mostly remember the awful dinners. Stuffy, everyone on edge. We stopped celebrating all together, really, after she died.” He pressed his lips to Elena’s hair. “Damon would sometimes get me a gift and give it to me when dad wasn’t looking. I wasn’t always into the presents anyway.”
“Sorry,” Elena said sadly, “Is there anything you did like?”
“I remember the snow.” Stefan answered, his face lighting up. “It didn’t happen often, but when it did…” He trailed off, joyful glint in his eye. “I would play in it for hours. Building forts, making snow angels. Trying to catch flakes on my tongue.”
Elena shivered just thinking about it, but her smile widened at the look on Stefan’s face. Then, she yawned.
“It’s getting late.” Stefan noted.
“I’m not that tired.” Elena shrugged, not wanting to move from their place. But even as she said it, another yawn was coming on.
“You’re a bad liar.” Stefan pointed out, and he pressed another kiss to her head before standing, lifting Elena up in his arms as he did so. Elena shrieked as her feet left the ground.
“Stefan!” She giggled, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
“I got ya.” He promised, and began carrying her up the stairs and to their bedroom. As soon as they laid down on the bed, Elena was out. Stefan laughed softly to himself before closing his eyes and drifting off, memories of soft snow flakes and dripping icicles in his mind.
The next morning, Elena woke up to an empty bed. She frowned as she sat up and glanced at the clock. Stefan usually slept in on Sunday mornings. She threw her legs over the bed and stuffed her feet into slippers before peaking her head out of the room.
“Stefan?” She called, her voice still sounding sleepy.
“Kitchen!” He yelled back.
Shrugging, Elena walked down the stairs and to their kitchen, where Stefan was already dressed. Elena blinked at him. Something was definitely off, he was never this awake in the morning. Usually it was up to her to make them breakfast that day, eggs, the only thing she knew she could make without burning the house down.
Stefan handed her a steaming mug of coffee. “Here. When you’re done, get ready."
Elena took the mug, and her eyes followed Stefan as he headed out of the kitchen. “Ready? Where are we going?”
Stefan poked his head back in. “To find us a Christmas tree.”
“A real one?” Elena smiled widely.
“It’s not Christmas if it doesn’t smell like pine.”
Elena’s fingers moved to her neck, twisting her necklace. Her grin widened, her eyes shining. She finished her coffee quickly. After a rushed shower, she ran to their room to finish getting ready. She was finished within the hour, running down stairs in her boots and scarf with the excitement of a child.
“I’m ready!” She announced. Stefan was already putting his coat on. He placed a hat on his head, and Elena wrapped a scarf around his neck. As she did so, she pulled down, bringing his lips to hers.
“You’re the best.” She told him, and he smiled into their kiss.
They arrived at the Christmas tree farm twenty minutes later. Since they’d gotten there early, it wasn’t too crowded yet. Stefan and Elena were surrounded by towering trees, a field of green. Elena breathed in the smell of pine, and her fingers tightened around Stefan’s. “This is perfect.”
All of the trees looked identical to Elena. They varied a little in height, but aside from that quality they all looked equally beautiful and festive. Stefan, on the other hand, began expecting each of the trees carefully as they walked through rows. He pulled down on branches, inspecting the needles. He looked through trees, shaking his head in disapproval when one had too many holes. Elena watched, a look of amusement on her face. She hadn’t expected Stefan to be so invested in the hunt for a Christmas tree.
“You know, any one will do.” She told him after nearly an hour of walking around. She appreciated his dedication, but it was getting cold--the winds were bitter today. Stefan pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her body and moving rubbing her arm to keep her warm.
“I know.” Stefan replied, kicking the ground. “I just want to make sure we didn’t come all the way here to pick a bad tree. I want the perfect one.”
He looked up at the sky, and reached out to a tree closest to them. “This one looks pretty good.”
“It’s perfect.” Elena agreed. “We ran right into it. Must be meant to be.”
Stefan smiled fondly at that, his eyes darting down to Elena. “Must be.”
As they had their tree wrapped up and paid for it, Elena glanced up at the sky to see snow flakes falling from the clouds. They fell in soft crystals, dancing down the sky and landing in a velvety blanket at their feet. The flakes decorated Elena’s hair, sparkling against her brunette waves. She let out a light laugh, and Stefan looked up from his wallet. He beamed up at the sky, his eyes travelling down to Elena’s face. His eyes met hers, and it was one of those moments he wanted to savor forever. A memory he never wanted to let go, one he could live in for eternity. It was simple, but it was perfect. Simply perfect, just like them.
He tucked his wallet into his coat pocket and pulled Elena forward, wrapping a strong arm around her waist. She brought her arms up around his neck, and touched her nose to his. The snowfall began to come down harder as they stood there, lips inches apart.
“It’s freezing,” Elena noted, “Are we going to stand here all day, or are you going to kiss me?”
With an amused glint in his eye, Stefan leaned in and pressed a kiss to Elena’s lips. Like the snow, it started gently but progressed into an all-consuming, unruly storm. Elena melted against Stefan, her gloved hands latching into strands of his hair. He dipped her downwards, keeping her body against his. As he finally pulled away, Stefan’s grin stretched across his face, his eyes bright.
“I really do love the snow.”
They arrived home a while later, exhausted from the Christmas Tree hunt. They’d left it on their car’s roof, saying they’d put it up as soon as they got warm. Elena curled up on the couch as Stefan made his way to the kitchen. He returned with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, and handed one to Elena as he say down. Elena wrapped a large blanket around their shoulders and gladly took the mug.
“Extra marshmallows?” she questioned, and Stefan gave a nod.
“Just how you like it.”
And it was, just how she liked it. Everything in that moment-- from her hot chocolate, to the tree waiting for them outside, to the love of her life beside her.
“You know me so well.” She told Stefan, bringing the mug to her lips. Stefan ran a hand over her hair.
“Better than anyone.”