(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter One Hundred and Four

It's night now, at the Founder's event and Damon is wandering around the event looking to Cassandra but in no hurry. She's around somewhere, he knows that. He turns where he stands and finds Anna standing behind him, he rolls his eyes a little and shakes his head. He doesn't want to deal with this tonight. It was going to be a fun day. Just a nice normal day.

"You're still around?" He asks her.

"There's something you need to know. The vampires from the tomb are planning an attack tonight" Anna admits, Damon frowns as he looks down at her.

"How do you know this?" He asks her.

"I went to them. They think I'm with them but I'm not. They want the Founding Families dead"

"When is this supposed to happen?"

"When the firework start." Anna answers. Damon is thoughtful for a moment, realising that they've probably just screwed themselves by having Bonnie unspell that device. That would be really helpful right about now.

"John Gilbert wants to use that invention on them." He tells Anna.

"Then we can't be here!" Anna warns.

"It doesn't work, it's been deactivated" He assures her.

"Well, then a lot of people are gonna die," Shea argues back. And yeah, he can see that point, without the device, there is nothing that is going to stop them slaughtering everyone here.

"Where are they right now?" He demands of her.

"They're already here, Damon" Anna admits. Damon glances around trying to spot them but he has no idea what they look like. And all he can think about is that Cassandra is here somewhere. In danger. He needs to find her. That's all that is going through his head.

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

Whilst hurrying around the square, Damon finds Alaric first, and if this place is crawling with vampires then getting the vampire hunter on board is probably the best idea. They're going to need all the help they can get with the numbers that could be. He has no idea how many of the tomb vampires are here, how many of them are even left at this point.

"Ric!" Alaric turns to him confused as to why Damon is actively seeking him out.

"Yeah?"

"You keep those nifty little vampire darts in the car?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Because this square is crawling with tomb vampires. I think we might need a stake or two" Damon admits, Alaric stares at him a moment and then nods.

"Yeah, got it" Alaric then walks away, quickly. Damon turns, his eyes seeking out Cassandra but he can't see her anywhere. He does see Stefan and Elena though, and he can start with them. He walks towards them.

"Fifteen words or less...Tomb vamps are here" Damon tells them. "Founding families are their target" He adds and then looks at Stefan. "Get her out of here" Damon then starts to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" Stefan asks.

"To find Cas" Damon answers already walking away, he pulls out his cell phone to call her. "Come on, Buttercup, pick up the phone" The phone picks up and he lets out a breath. "Where are you?" He asks.

"At the Grill" Cassandra answers. "I got hungry"

"Cas, listen to me" He starts. "I need you to get in the bug, and go home, right now"

"What?" She asks him. "Why?"

"The tomb vampires are here and planning on killing the Founding Families" He admits. "Which, you know, you are part of"

"But my burger" She argues with a slight whine.

"Please, Cas" He begs a little, she is quiet a moment.

"Okay," She assures him. "I'll go home" He lets out a breath. "Be careful" She adds.

"Yeah, I will" He adds and then hang up. Cassandra is safe, or will be very soon, he doesn't have to worry about her now.

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

Cassandra pauses at her car and closes her eyes. She doesn't feel right leaving. Something about it unsettling her. She's not supposed to leave. She knows that much.

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

At Grayson Gilbert's Office, John is preparing the device for use when Damon lets himself in.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Damon scolds him, moving forward to attack him. To put a stop to this.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do." John counters and then activates the device. Damon falls, he grabs the sides of his head and screams.

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

Cassandra's eyes glow red and she snaps her head around. Can feel Damon in her head. In pain. Something is wrong. How can she leave now? She clenches her jaw and closes her eyes. How can she leave when she knows he is in pain? She can't. It's that simple. She can't leave him.

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

It's easy to follow that telepathic link. To find out where the source of pain is coming from. It leads Cassandra to Grayson's office. She lets out a breath and looks around before moving closer to the door. She cocks her head and pushes open the door, stepping inside. Damon is on the floor, holding his head and screaming.

"Damon" She whispers and moves to him. He looks up at her and then shakes his head. She shouldn't be here.

"No" He warns, but it's too late. Behind her, John hits her in the head with a metal pole. Cassandra lays on her side, completely unconscious. "Don't touch her" Damon growls in warning, trying to push himself up but he's too weak, his brain on fire. He can't protect her. John turns and moves to the counter where he prepares a vervain syringe. Damon crawls his way to Cassandra. Just as he manages to touch her face, John injects him with vervain which knocks him out. Laying at Cassandra's side.

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

Later, the device has stopped and Cassandra lays alone but still unconscious on the floor. John moves around the room, collecting up anything that belongs to him before he goes down into the basement. Down here, Damon is laying on the floor, unconscious still. Deputies are bringing more vampires.

"The device is done; the only thing keeping them down is vervain. We don't have much time, let's finish this" John warns the deputies. Damon begins to wake up, groaning he turns slightly.

"Cas?" He breathes out looking for her but she's not here. Instead, he finds one of the Deputies is pouring gasoline everywhere. John begins to leave but Anna catches his leg. She's on the floor. He looks at her.

"Anna." Damon turns his head and looks at them. "You can head up; I'll take it from here," John tells the deputy who leaves. Anna tries to get up, Damon is still looking at them. John takes a stake from his back.

"Please...no!" Anna begs, John ignores her, and stakes her instead. Damon continues to watch him as John pours more gasoline. He goes up the stairs and pours a trail of gasoline up them. He goes out of the basement, lights a match and throws it on the gasoline. A fire starts. Some of the vampires begin to burn. Damon looks at them.