(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Six

At the Salvatore Boarding House, Stefan hurries into his bedroom. A crow flies through the open balcony windows and lands on the beam above him, Stefan watches it a moment before turning back to the balcony where a man is now standing. Recognition crosses Stefan's features, as does panic.

"Damon" Stefan greets.

"Hello, brother." Damon counters with a smirk. The crow then flies down and lands on the balcony railing behind Damon as he walks into Stefan's bedroom to join him.

"Crow's a bit much, don't you think?" Stefan asks him, his entire body on edge, cautious and coiled.

"Wait till you see what I can do with the fog.

"When'd you get here?" Stefan asks as Damon starts moving around the room.

"Well, I couldn't miss your first day at school." Damon looks over Stefan's bookshelves. "Your hair's different. I like it."

"It's been 15 years, Damon." Stefan points out.

"Thank God. I couldn't take another day of the nineties." Damon moves again, heading back towards Stefan. "That horrible grunge look?" Damon huffs out a laugh. "Did not suit you. Remember, Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads." Damon admits.

"Why are you here?"

"I miss my little brother."

"You hate small towns. It's boring. There's nothing for you to do."

"I've managed to keep myself busy."

"You know, you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you." Stefan scolds him.

"Ah. That can be a problem...for you."

"Why are you here now?" Stefan asks Damon.

"I could ask you the same question. However, I'm fairly certain your answer can be summed up all into two little words..." Damon holds up a finger. "Elena." He adds a second finger. "Cassandra" Damon steps closer to Stefan. "She took my breath away." Stefan frowns at him. "Cassandra. She's a dead ringer for Ally. And Elena..." He lets out a breath and shrugs. Stefan clenches his jaw. "Is it working, Stefan? Being around them, being in their world? Does it make you feel alive?

"Elena's not Katherine. And Cassandra is not Ally." Stefan defends.

"Well, let's hope not. We both know how that ended." Damon reminds him, Stefan gives him a look. "Tell me something, when's the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?"

"I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not gonna work." Stefan starts to walk away from his brother, Damon grabs his arm and turns him back to him.

"Yeah? Come on. Don't you crave a little?" Damon asks as he hits Stefan's arm, taunting him.

"Stop it" Stefan warns.

"Let's do it. Together. I saw a couple of girls out there." Damon hits Stefan again, harder this time. "Or just, let's just cut to the chase, let's just go straight for Cassandra." Damon offers. "Or Elena..." That crosses a line for Stefan, he angrily pushes Damon away from him.

"Stop it!" Stefan snaps.

"Imagine what their blood tastes like!" Damon shouts at him. Stefan looks away from Damon as his face begins to transform. "I can" Damon adds.

"I said stop!" Stefan snarls at him, then runs into Damon, throwing him out of the window. When he lands on the pavement, Damon isn't there. Stefan lays in the broken glass a moment before pushing himself up to his feet. Damon stands close by.

"I was impressed. I give it a six. Missing style, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face.." Damon pulls a face and motions with his hands like claws. "Thing. It was good."

"You know, it's all fun and games, Damon, huh? But wherever you go, people die." Stefan points out, Damon shrugs a little.

"That's a given."

"Not here. I won't allow it."

"I take that as an invitation."

"Damon, please. After all these years, can't we just give it a rest?"

"I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word."

"Just stay away from the Gilbert girls" Stefan begs of him. Damon then looks down at Stefan's hand where his daylight ring is now missing.

"Where's your ring?" Damon asks, Stefan looks down at his hand, touches his finger where the ring formerly sat. "Oh, yeah, sun's coming up in a couple of hours, and, poof, ashes to ashes" Stefan swallows nervously. Damon snorts and smirks. "Relax." Damon moves towards Stefan and holds out his hand to reveal the ring in his palm. "It's right here." Stefan takes the ring from him slowly and then pulls it onto his finger. Damon's face then transforms and he grabs Stefan's neck. Damon then throws Stefan against the garage. By the time Stefan lands, Damon is stood over him. "You should know better than to think you're stronger than me. You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people. I wouldn't try it again" Lights in the boarding house come on, alerting them, Damon cocks his head. "I think we woke Zach up. Sorry, Zach" Damon shrugs a little and then walks away from Stefan.

..........

Cassandra climbs out of her jeep and blows a few strands of hair from her face. She didn't stick around after the ambulance arrived for Vicki, she actually felt bad and guilty because she felt bad that the ambulance arrived in time to save her. That struck a nerve. That she sunk that low and thought that about a fellow human being. She's not a bad person. She doesn't want to hurt people. She doesn't want people to get hurt either, even Vicki. Her cell phone rings in her pocket and she juggles her keys into her other hand so she can grab her phone.

"Are you still at the party? I can't find you" Elena states as soon as Cassandra picks up.

"No, I left" She states down the phone as she heads up the porch steps. Behind her, Damon stands watching her. He cocks his head. "All anyone was going to talk about was Vicki and I did not want to stick around for that" She adds as she places her hand on the door handle. She pauses and then peers over her shoulder. Sensing something. But finds nothing.

"You were our ride, Cas" Elena reminds her, Cassandra closes her eyes and nods. She was. She was supposed to make sure Elena and Jeremy got home.

"I'll talk to Jenna" Cassandra offers as she pushes open the front door, pulling her keys from the lock, and turns forward again. She lets out a breath and then hangs up the phone. She closes the door behind her as she enters the house, not seeing Damon's figure lingering near her jeep. He glances up at the house before he turns and moves to the front of the vehicle. Damon pulls up the hood of Cassandra's jeep and peers inside of it before randomly throwing his hand in and pulling at parts he knows he should not be pulling at. He smirks a little.