A/N: Hey everyone, I couldn't resist a holiday fic! Also, I haven't died, the next chapter of 'to make up my mind' is really just taking me a long freaking time to write. So, this story will only last 12 days (ending on Christmas) and then I'll reassume working on 'tmumm'
"A partridge in a pear tree"
"Hey Caroline!" Elena smiled at her friend, "How was the biology exam?" She asked nervously.
Caroline grimaced and rolled her eyes, "Let's just say that it's probably a good thing I have forever to go to college. Because these grades…." She made a face indicating that the exam had killed her.
Elena laughed, "Please! You always do fine, even when you say you don't."
"Whatever, it was hard. I'm just glad all my testing is finished. Christmas break, here we come!"
Elena slowed her walking, Caroline turned around to look at her, "What?" Caroline asked, already knowing the words that were about to come out.
Elena bit her lip, "Well, about our Christmas vacation to-"
"NO! No, no, no, no!" Caroline exclaimed, "You can't ruin our Cabo Christmas!"
Elena smiled guiltily, "I'm sorry, it's just Damon suggested maybe we get away. You know, just us…"
Caroline pursed her lips together.
"Remember Care, you said you were going to try to be nicer…"
"Yeah! For my New Year's resolution! Elena! I can't believe you, what am I supposed to do for two weeks!? Sit around and watch Hallmark Christmas movies?"
"Can't you take Tyler? Or something?"
Caroline sighed, "No…he's off doing hybrid freeing things…" She shook her head, "It's fine, I'm not judging you, just go, have fun, have a good Christmas." She said with a bit of a sting.
"Caroline, wait!" Elena moved quickly to reach out to her friend, grabbing her arm lightly, "I wanted to go to Cabo, but I'd really just spend a quiet holiday with my-" She paused, "Damon…"
Caroline's eyebrows rose, "Your Damon?" She snorted, "God Elena…" She rolled her eyes and then decided to just let it go. Caroline smiled, "It's fine, really, I'll find something else to do." She forced a smile and watched the relief spread over Elena's face.
"Thanks Caroline, it really means a lot that you said that. And I promise, New Year's, I'm yours."
The friends hugged and both pulled away with smiles.
"Well, I parked this way." Elena gestured in the opposite direction with a laughed.
"Okay, bye Elena, Merry Christmas!" Caroline said gleefully, waving as her friend turned and trotted down the hall.
Caroline pulled her keys out of her bag and continued walking to her car, the smile slipping from her face with every step, "What the hell am I going to do?"
As Caroline got into her car, Klaus watched her with a smile.
Suddenly, his Christmas just got a little more interesting. Caroline remaining in Mystic Falls worked extremely well in his favor, now rather than following her to Cabo and staging an awkward run in, he could simply woo her right her.
He had twelve days.
Klaus could accomplish a lot in twelve days.
Anything could happen in twelve days.
Caroline stood in her shower with the hot water splashing all over her body.
The warmth was calming.
After school, when she got into her car, all she wanted to do was drive straight to the Salvatore mansion and punch Damon in the face.
But she didn't.
"Because I'm understanding now"
Caroline scoffed at herself and rolled her eyes.
Her mom would probably be thrilled she'd be staying for Christmas.
But that was probably about it.
A knock on the front door tore Caroline from her reverie.
She quickly turned the water off and pulled on some sweat pants and a hoodie.
With vampire speed she got to the door in seconds, opening it, her wet hair slapped her face.
"Oh." She breathed with disappointment. Standing before her was a delivery boy, probably about her age.
"Can I help you?" She asked, the iciness of her tone made the boy nervous.
"I just have a delivery…for…" He fumbled with his clipboard, "C-Caroline?"
Caroline's eyebrows rose in surprise, "What? Seriously?" She asked, snatching the clipboard from him, "Who's it from?"
"Um…."
Caroline groaned, "Dammit."
There at the bottom of the clipboard, was "Klaus" so delicately written in cursive.
"I don't want it, take it back." Caroline grouched, shoving the clipboard back into the boy's hands.
"If you want to return something…you have to um…send it back, the return labels are inside the gift-"
"Oh my god. Fine." Caroline exclaimed, scribbling her name onto his clipboard.
The boy rushed back to the deliver truck, he lifted the door up and pulled the ramp down. He disappeared inside and then re-emerged with a large potted plant on a dolly.
"What the hell is that?" Caroline muttered as he pushed the dolly up her driveway. The delivery boy propped it onto the patio and slid the dolly away.
Caroline stared at, what appeared to be, a tree.
"Do you know what this is?" Caroline asked just as the delivery boy began to retreat.
"I believe it's a pear tree." He said carefully, "And…this was on the back." He approached the tree and pulled out a small stuffed animal bird.
"A partridge." He smiled, outstretching the toy to Caroline.
"A partridge. In a pear tree. Seriously?" Caroline frowned.
The delivery boy shrugged, "Merry Christmas." He said to Caroline before hustling back to the truck.
"Merry Christmas." Caroline replied quietly, quizzically looking at the tree.
Klaus heard the vibration of his phone on the table. He brightened the screen and laughed.
Why do I now own a pear tree?
It's all because of Christmas love.
…Don't even pull all this Christmas magic b.s. on me….
Oh now, don't be a scrooge ;) Just sit back, relax, and enjoy these twelve days of Christmas
Bah. Humbug.
A/N: I LOVE this idea! Weeeee Christmas! These chapters will probably be relatively short. And The story probably won't actually 'end' on Christmas because I'm going to do a New Year's Eve follow up…. And I'm very excited. Yay Christmas time!
Happy Holidays everyone!