(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Eighty-Five

Later, Damon walks back towards the bar to find that Cassandra hasn't moved an inch. He sighs a little because that's not a good sign. This is supposed to be a party and here she is propping up the bar like....well like he would. But he doesn't have time to dwell on it. There are worse things afoot. Things that might just set her off again. He veers off a little and moves to Elena as she enters the room, she frowns at him.

"Have you noticed what your brother has been up to?" Elena asks him, he shakes his head. Stefan is the least of his worries.

"No, I have been too preoccupied with yours" He argues, Elena frowns a little at him. "Jeremy has been asking questions about Vicki Donovan's death" Damon admits, Elena glances across at Cassandra at the bar before turning to Damon, understanding what he is saying. Jeremy digging will lead to questions being asked, meaning, Cassandra either getting caught or spiralling deeper.

"He knows that her death was ruled an overdose." Elena points out.

"Really?" Damon argues. "'Oh but sheriff, someone buried her. Who would do that?'" Damon mocks Jeremy. "I know I know! Me! I mean I could compel him but he's wearing vervain"

"No, I don't want you to compel him"

"If he keeps asking questions...you know what this means for your sister" Elena shrugs and shakes her head.

"Damon, no I'm serious. I'm not going to do that to him again" Elena argues. "I'll talk to Cas"

"That's a worse idea" He points out and then pulls a face, knowing that to get it through Elena's thick skull just how bad this is for Cassandra, he's going to have to tell her about her sister's drinking. Which is kind of breaking her trust, but it might be what is needed. "Did you know she's drinking?"

"Cas?" Elena asks. "No" She admits, he gives her a look. "Because of Vicki?" She whispers, he nods. She sighs before shaking her head. "We don't keep things from one another" She points out. "I have to talk to her about this....I'll handle it" Elena then walks towards the bar where Cassandra is. Damon sighs a little and leans against the wall to watch that conversation unfold, because he knows it's not going to go down well. And it doesn't. He can see the second it hits Cassandra what this means. She is then standing and walking away from Elena, no doubt in search of Jeremy. Damon glances at the floral display next to him and picks out a rose from it. He sniffs it and then leans up, walking away.

........

Jeremy is sitting on a couch in a quiet, dimly lit room when Cassandra finds him. She lingers in the doorway a moment and worries her hands together. This isn't going to be a fun conversation and she is going to have to try really hard to control her own emotions. She lets out a breath and walks into the room.

"Jer? I heard about your conversation with Sheriff Forbes." She tells him as she sits next to him.

"No one is trying to figure out what happened to her" Jeremy complains. "They all want to believe that she OD'd"

"The coroner's office confirmed it. If that's what they said happened then..." She tries to assure him.

"Is that what you believe?" Jeremy asks her. Cassandra swallows nervously and touches her bracelet, drawing her finger over the plastic beads.

"What do you think happened?" She counters.

"I think somebody killed her and buried her body and I don't think we should write it off just 'cause it's easy"

"They're just doing what they can to move on" Cassandra offers.

"The truth is the only thing that's gonna help people to move on"

"Jer, just let it go, okay? Whatever it was she's gone now"

"Whatever it was? So you don't think it was an overdose?" Jeremy asks her, Cassandra cringes and looks away from him.

"Yes...I do."

"Is there something you're not telling me?" He asks her, Cassandra is really uncomfortable by that question because she doesn't want to lie to him. "Why aren't you looking at me?"

"Stop it, that doesn't mean anything."

"If there was something else you would tell me, right?" He asks her. She looks down at her lap, debating with herself. He would hate her if he knew what she'd done. He would hate her.

"Of course I would" She assures him, Jeremy looks at her, suspicious before he stands and walks away, leaving the room, leaving her alone. Cassandra pulls a face and looks down at her lap, picking at the tassels on her shawl. Her lip quivers as she fights tears. She hates keeping things from him. Tyler walks into the room and frowns a little seeing her sat in here alone.

"Hey" He whispers as he sits at her side. "Why aren't you out there...having fun?" He asks as he sets the bottle of vodka down on the floor so he can turn to her. "What's wrong?" She shakes her head and looks away from him. "Cas" Tyler touches her arm and she sniffles and brushes her hand over her cheek. "Come on, you can talk to me" He adds and then turns serious. "Did that guy hurt you?"

"No" She argues. "No, it's not Damon" She rolls her eyes a little and sighs. "It's nothing you can help me with" She pulls her shawl tighter around herself.

...........

Damon walks past the room that Tyler and Cassandra are sat in. He pauses just beyond it and cocks his head taking a few steps backwards to check he saw that right. He did. He shifts closer to the door to watch them. Tyler brushes tears from her cheek. Damon figures she found Jeremy or at least sat away from everyone she could have a little breakdown at the fact that everyone always appears to be so very close to figuring out what she did. Cassandra's eyes flicker to Tyler's hand as he touches her knee. Tilts her head before she turns to him. Tyler kisses her. Damon clenches his jaw and looks away. Jealousy raising its big fat ugly head inside of him. He looks down at the single rose in his hand, brushing his thumb over the petals before he destroys it. Dropping the broken pieces to the ground. He turns and walks away. He doesn't want to this watch anymore.

.........

Cassandra pushes at Tyler's chest and then slaps him, hard. How dare he do that to her. After everything. She actually thought they were getting somewhere are friends. She had even started putting what he did behind her. They were never going to be together again. Never. But friends, she could have done. But here he is using her distress to his advantage to try and get back into her skirt.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She asks him. "Just when I thought..." She gives him a look. "You're an ass" She stands and walks away from him.