(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Nineteen

Cassandra sits with Damon at the Grill, tucked away in a booth at the back of the building. Watching and waiting. They know the plan. They know what they have to do. What they are watching for. Caroline. She's here somewhere. Cassandra knows that. Can feel her here.

"She's in the bathroom" Cassandra states. She head down to hide her eyes as she search through minds. "Oh"

"What?" Damon asks, hand hovering closer to her shoulder.

"She's here too, I can...feel her"

"Katherine?" He asks, she hums and nods. "Can you get in her head?"

"No" She answers with a frown. "It's like when I try with Mason" She admits and tilts her head. That means it is not because Mason is a werewolf, or it is and Katherine has just found a way around that. "It's like...there is a wall of concrete, the more I try and punch through it, the more it hurts"

"Then stop" Damon tells her, she frowns and looks up at him. He touches her cheek and searches her eyes for pain. She then smirks.

"Worried about me?" She teases, he rolls his eyes and brushes his thumb over her cheek. "You don't think she's going to try and turn me against you, do you?" Cassandra asks Damon who shrugs and sets his arm over the back of the booth behind her.

"Nah, wouldn't work anyway" He answers, turning to watch Caroline as she leaves the toilets at the back and heads towards her table.

"Oh?" Cassandra asks.

"We're solid" He teases and looks at her with a smirk. "And you're way too smart to fall for it, right?"

"Are you saying that Elena is stupid?" She counters, he gives her a look and then looks down with a snort.

"Not in so many words" He whispers, she nudges him and smirks. "I just meant that...I feel like we have a stronger bond. A stronger foundation. Maybe because we were friends first" She hums in agreement. It makes sense. That they built up a relationship, even if a friendship, before they went into the whole romantic side of it. They built up that level of trust and support before diving into bed. He touches her shoulder, briefly, before pulling his hand back. "Did you hear what she said?" He whispers to her, she nods.

"She's determined" She whispers back. The two of them sharing a look. It just proves that this plan is needed to protect them all. Katherine does not get to screw this up for any of them. The door to the Grill opens and Stefan and Elena enter. Damon leans forward a little, his hand shifting to Cassandra's knee under the table. Cassandra rests her arm on the table, her fingers under her chin as they both watch it all unfold. She can't hear what is being said but she can tell by their faces that they are batting an absolute blinder of a faux break up. If she didn't know any better, she would honestly believe it. Elena stands from where she sits across Stefan and storms out of the Grill. Damon squeezes Cassandra's knee under the table and they share a look.

"You coming over tonight?" Damon asks her.

"It would be more fitting if I spent the night comforting my sister" She tells him, he hums and nods, pats her knee. She stands and slides out of the booth, grabbing her bag from the seat before walking away. She glances across at Damon as she goes. He winks across at her as she leaves.

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

Cassandra walks into Elena's bedroom to find her sister locking lips with Stefan. It's not a surprise when the break up was fake, but come on, give it enough time to settle before diving right back into it. Elena pulls back from Stefan and then notices Cassandra.

"Knock" Elena scolds her. Cassandra pulls a face back at her and then smirks,.

"Why? What were you about to do?" She teases. Elena shoots her a look. Damon is then walking through the bedroom door behind her. Cassandra looks over her shoulder at him.

"What did I miss?" He asks noting their expressions.

"Nothing" Elena argues. "Did you guys see Caroline?" She changes the subject. Getting them on track.

"Yeah" Stefan answers.

"You were right" Elena tells Cassandra as Damon closes the bedroom door behind him. "Katherine got to her. She was hanging on to every single word"

"It won't be long before Katherine gets a play by play" Stefan points out.

"I wish I was wrong" Cassandra offers, she hates the idea that Caroline is working against them, considering that they are all supposed to be friends.

"It's pure Katherine. She's always finding somebody to do her dirty work" Damon comments as he sits on the edge of Elena's bed and leans back onto his hands.

"All this...just to get you back." Elena tells Stefan.

"It's not why she's here" Damon comments, they all look at him. "No matter what she says, I know her. Katherine doesn't care about anybody but herself, she never has. She's incapable of love. She's here for another reason"

"Can't you read her mind? Find out what she wants?" Elena asks Cassandra who shakes her head.

"She's blocking me" Cassandra offers. "Well, it's probably more about blocking Ally, but....whatever, same effect" She shrugs. "Means I can't get in her head...." Damon pushes himself up and moves closer to her.

"Whatever Katherine is here for" He starts. "She doesn't get it. We can all agree on that, right? Even if you guys still don't trust me" He adds, Stefan and Elena share a look, Elena shrugs a little and then nods.

"Right" Stefan looks at Damon. "Katherine doesn't get to win" Stefan agrees.