(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Eleven

Damon lets out a breath as he closes his bedroom door. Today was a long day. Long, long, long, long, long. But boy what a twist in events. Cassandra leaves his bathroom, pulling her hair up. She raises an eyebrow at him as he lingers near the door.

"You okay?" She asks him as she climbs into his bed. He nods and pats down his jacket before he pulls a tiny stuffed squirrel out of his pocket and shrugs.

"Got this for Ally..." He admits. "For if she comes back" He sets it on the dresser and moves to where Cassandra is now lounging in his bed.

"Still nothing?" She asks, he hums and shakes his head. "You think....you-know-who has done something to her?" He gasps and clutches his chest.

"Voldemort?" He counters and she shoots him a look. He shrugs back at her. "No, I don't think it's Katherine" He counters. "The way she was with you, there is no way she'll go for Ally. Angry, vengeful, fully fed, and powered up, Ally would have an edge over her." He shakes his head. "No, that would be stupid, Katherine is many, many....many things, but stupid is not one of them" Cassandra nods. Agrees with that. "I think you were right, I think Ally's taken off because Katherine is around" He shrugs out of his jacket as she holds a small mirror up to check her face is free of blood from her nosebleed. "You sure you're okay?" Damon asks, Cassandra nods as he kicks off his shoes before climbing into bed with her.

"Yeah" She whispers. "Just tired" He kisses her head and then shifts slightly so she can get comfy against his side.

"That thing you did," He tells her. "The healing thing..."

"It was...." She starts.

"Badass" He finishes for her with a smirk, she smiles a little. "Did you even know you could do that?"

"Nope," She answers and shrugs. "I just...thought I'd try and do something..."

"You winged it" He teases. "And saved the day" She smirks at him and nods.

"Yeah, I did..." She agrees, he pokes her nose and brushes his thumb over her cheek as he cups it. He groans when his phone pings before he fishes it out of his trouser pocket.

"Hmm, Stefan," He tells her as he scrolls through the text. "Carnie boy has been compelled and on his way. Caroline is at home. All is quiet on the home front" He strokes his fingers through her hair.

"I just can't believe what this day turned into" She admits as she runs her fingers through her hair. "What a shit storm" She was hoping for a nice easy fun day. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing supernatural happening. Boy was she wrong. "It's not going to get any easier, is it?" She asks him, Damon closes his eyes and sighs.

"No, it's not" He agrees. She hums a little in acknowledgement, but it's not wanted to hear, it's what she expected, yet she still hoped that things wouldn't be getting out of hand. They are. He kisses her head and then pulls back. "I'm going to get us a couple of drinks. I think we've earned them today" She nods in agreement. He climbs from the bed and leaves her alone to get them some drinks. They are both going to need it to work through what happened. Cassandra lets out a breath and pulls her knee up to her chest to lean on. Caroline doesn't deserve what happened to her. She wasn't part of this. She was safe. She was meant to be safe from the bad. Cassandra lets out a breath and rests her chin on her knee.

.........

Damon watches Cassandra sleep at his side. It's still early but he has been on the ball for a couple of hours. Whatever this whole Lockwood family secret is, it is best that they figure it out sooner rather than later. Get a win under their belt. But that means they have to get up. He strokes his fingers down her spine, drawing his arm around her waist as he kisses her shoulder.

"You awake?" He asks, she hums a little, half-awake but drifting into consciousness. "Cas" He whispers in her ear. She groans and wrinkles her nose.

"What's wrong?" She counters as she turns to face him. 

"Nothing" He answers and leans closer to nuzzles into her neck.

"Did you wake me up for sex?" She asks him, he hums and smirks.

"Yes," He answers. "That and breakfast. I'm hungry and we have plans" He counters.

"We do?" She frowns at him.

"History teacher is coming over....to talk about the Lockwood family" He offers, his fingers brushing her hair from her face. "See if we can't raid his wife's research...." He then pulls back to look at her. Realising that said wife is also her mother.

"It's okay," She tells him. "I'm not going to just get really weird because you bring up Isobel" She offers as she sits up, shaking out her hair. "She's...important to all of this" She leans her cheek on her knees. "Whether I like it or not. So I have to suck it up..." He touches her shoulder as he sits up. "Even though she is a hateful hag" He smirks and kisses her shoulder.

"You want some pancakes?" He asks, she hums and then looks at her.

"You're going to cook breakfast?" She asks, surprised. He hasn't offered to make her breakfast before, they don't normally have the time with her usually running straight off to school.

"I can cook" He answers and pokes her nose before he climbs out of bed.

"But you don't have to eat" She remembers from their trip to Atlanta.

"I still like food" He argues as he finds a shirt to pull on. "Love food" He teases and cocks his head watching her as she stretches out in his bed. "Comfy?" He asks, she hums and nods, peeking through her eyes at him. He smiles at her softly as she pulls his pillow closer to her chest to curl around it. 

"Make me food, I'm hungry," She orders him as she starts to go back to sleep. He snorts and shakes his head.