Devil in Disguise ➳ S. Salvatore [COMPLETED]

➳ 52: christmas through your eyes

DECEMBER twenty-second rolled around quickly so Stefan and Efah were decorating their apartment for Christmas last minute.

Stefan was untangling a series of string lights while Efah was making hot chocolate in the kitchen. "Hey, have you gotten any of the RSVPs yet?" He called out to her with furrowed eyebrows.

She groaned in displeasure and walked out to the living room, standing in the doorway with an annoyed look. "No. Lucifer had them forwarded to his place in LA. He has complete control over this entire thing."

"So how are we supposed to know who's coming?" Stefan questioned in confusion, shaking out the lights and lining them up so they wouldn't tangle again.

"He said he'll give us a final count after New Year's." She informed him then entered the kitchen again to pour them each a mug of hot chocolate. She walked further into the living room with one in each hand and set them down on the coffee table before helping Stefan undo the remaining lights.

When they got them unraveled, the couple began to drape them around the tree until it was completely covered. She brushed her hands together and walked over to the ornament box as Stefan plugged the lights in, checking for any dead bulbs.

Efah started to pick out ornaments, handing a few over to Stefan, and hung them up on the branches. Stefan smiled at their project coming together then glanced at her affectionately. "I love you." He expressed in Lilim.

Her heart skipped a beat as her stomach felt like butterflies were fluttering about inside. She beamed up at him in pride and what could be described as nothing less than love. Pouting her bottom lip out, she melted into a pile of mush under his gaze. "Aww. I love you." She returned in the same dialect.

Craning his neck down, he brushed his lips against hers in a soft, tender kiss. They broke apart when the front door suddenly opened. Turning toward the intruder, they saw Damon carelessly strolling in with a package under his arm and a paper in his hands. He was reading whatever was written along the loose leaf, not looking up at them. "Since I'm ordaining, would it be entirely inappropriate of me to make a few sexual jokes during the ceremony?"

"I'd prefer that you didn't." Efah replied with a tight smile, snatching the paper from his hands. "While this surely is important, one would think you'd be more concerned with freeing Bonnie."

Damon rolled his icy eyes at her and ripped the paper away. "I'm working on it." He defended himself then held out the package toward them. "Oh this is for you. Found it on the doorstep."

Stefan took it from his hand, placing it on the couch, while Efah scoffed harshly and crossed her arms over her chest. "We have a little over a week before Mercury and Venus conjunct. If we miss that window then we have to wait for February. So we cannot waste anymore fucking time. How's the reconstruction of the Ascendant coming?"

"It's..." Damon trailed off, clenching his jaw and narrowing his eyes. He was unable to find words to perfectly describe the situation so instead of explaining it, he pulled the magical relic out from his pocket and handed it over to her. "Here."

It was poorly welded back together with some of the pieces in the wrong place. Efah pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a loud, frustrated sigh. Aggressively ripping it out of his grip, she studied the Ascendant with a glare. Rolling her green eye, she crushed it into pieces within her grip then sprawled them out on the dining table.