(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Sixty-Two

Cassandra likes Bonnie's grandmother's house. It's warm and soft and has a smell to it, like a comforting smell. Herby with a side of crack lightning. Now she assumes that's the magic, but it was always something she liked growing up. She looks to her hand and lets a small ball of energy bounce over her fingers, her eyes tracking it as it bounces away.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to upset you" Stefan states behind her, Cassandra glances over her shoulder at him and pulls back her powers. "I was trying not to worry you" She folds her arms over her chest and raises an eyebrow.

"It should worry you that your 'evil' brother is more honest with me than you are" She points out and folds her arms over her chest. "Think that says something about you" She glances over Stefan and shakes her head. "What the hell does she see in you?"

"What do you see in Damon?" He counters. She scoffs.

"He's insanely hot..." She answers. "And...he's honest with me" She reminds him. "And fun. Like a lot of fun. You're a little boring" She smiles sweetly at him and then walks away. "And annoying" She adds. Stefan sighs and closes his eyes.

"She still doesn't like you, does she?" Elena asks him as she joins him, Stefan looks at her.

"I try but it's like...."

"She's stubborn" Elena points out. "And you're dating her twin sister, whom she loves...She's just worried about me...about all of this" Stefan nods a little and wraps his arms around her, she sets her head to his chest. "I'm worried about her" Elena admits. "And Damon..."

"So am I" Stefan admits. He knows Damon, and anyone that gets close to him gets hurt. It's not Elena they need to be worried about. It's Cassandra. He fears Damon is setting her up for a fall. For hurt. And Elena will suffer if her sister suffers.

............

In another room, Cassandra walks in to join Sheila and Bonnie who are sat together. Sheila glances at Cassandra out of the corner of her eyes. Tracking her every move. Behind Cassandra, Stefan and Elena enter the room.

"So what do we do now?" Elena asks as she looks around them.

"Well, for now, you need to stay here" Stefan points

"A prisoner, in my own home? I don't think so" Sheila argues, Cassandra nods in agreement.

"I can't protect you if you leave the house." Stefan counters.

"We'll protect ourselves." Sheila scolds.

"We need to let him have Katherine back. He's not going to stop until he gets her. If we help him, maybe that ends it." Elena offers.

"No! He doesn't deserve to get what he wants," Bonnie argues. Cassandra glances at her, she knows they started rocky but if it wasn't for Damon she never would have found them.

"What other choice do we have?" Elena asks and looks at Stefan for backup here.

"Witches and psychics" Sheila nods at Cassandra. "Being pulled down by vampire problems. As much as we tried to do to stay out of it. I'll open the tomb. You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will be all over"

"We still have to get Damon to agree" Stefan reminds them.

"He already agreed once" Elena points out.

"Yeah, and then we double-crossed him. So now he's angry"

"He's hurt" Cassandra argues. Stefan looks at her. "There's a difference" She then sighs. "I think I know what I have to do" She whispers, more to herself. Elena and Stefan exchange concerned looks.

..........

Damon is putting on his jacket, preparing to leave when Cassandra walks into the library where he is. His eyes track her, lips threatening to smile. He knew she'd be fine going after her sister. He's seen what she can do.

"I'm gonna have to change the locks." He teases a little. "You stage your jailbreak?" He asks, she nods.

"Yeah" She answers as he picks up the grimoire. "Got them....thank you....for helping" He hums a little. "And I urm...even convinced Bonnie to help you." She tells him, he looks at her surprised. "That's...what you wanted, right?"

"Yeah, how did you do it?" He asks her.

"Asked nicely..." She answers and shrugs. "I saved her, she owed me" Cassandra walks around the edge of the study towards the stairs, leading to the sunken part of the room where Damon is. "Elena told me what happened last night" She admits. "I'm sorry they did that but...She was protecting the people she loves, Damon. But so were you, in your own, twisted way, and I get that...and so do they. We're all on the same side after the same thing" Damon places the grimoire on a table and walks towards Cassandra. When he reaches her, he searches her eyes and touches her hair. He sighs a little.

"I'm not after getting Katherine out because I love her" Damon admits, Cassandra tilts her head at him, he sighs. "She took something from me" He admits as he brushes her hair back from her face, fingers grazing over her cheek. "Something important...."

"So you want it back?" She asks him, he shakes his head.

"No, I got it back a long time ago..." He answers. "I want to release Katherine from that tomb so that I can kill her for what she did, for what she took from...." he cups her cheek softly, rubbing his thumb over her cheek.

"What did she take?" She whispers, he shakes his head and pulls a face.

"It's not important" He answers and she gives him a look before she seems to get it.

"Ally" She realises. He looks away from her. "She took Ally"

"She took my feelings for Ally" He counters. "Ally was my friend...my best friend and Katherine didn't like that I was giving the majority of my attention to her sister, so she compelled me to hate her, compelled away my good memories of her" Cassandra looks at him sadly. "By the time I realised, by the time it was undone, Ally was gone and...."

"She left thinking you hated her" She finishes, he nods.

"I've been looking for her, for a long time but she's gone, I can't make it up to her, I can't apologise......but I can kill Katherine"

"Why are you telling me this?" She asks. He's not really one to talk about himself, and not with her, but he's just....let it all out.

"Because we're friends, right?" He counters, she nods.

"Yeah" She whispers softly. "We're friends" She assures him. "So..." She touches his chest and nods again. "I'm promising you this now, I will help you get Katherine" She promises him. "That bitch dies" He laughs a little and nods in agreement.

"Yeah, she will" He touches her face again and smiles.

"What?" She asks him.

"You're like Ally, you know, all the best parts of her personality...." He answers. "Just...Hyped up to a thousand and more" He teases and pokes her nose. "She'd really like you I think" He then sobers slightly. "You know Anna won't stop, by the way, no matter what I do" He adds.

"Then we'll deal with it" She promises. He searches her eyes and then lets out a breath. She's been on his side so far. Backed him. Trusted him.

"Okay" He whispers and nods. "I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret it."

"Have I yet?" She asks him, he shakes his head a little. No. She has not.