(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Twenty-One

Damon groans a little when Cassandra bounces onto her bed, he peers up at her when she leans over him. She's plotting something. They share that look in their eyes, he's seen it enough in his own reflection.

"Can I put pants on first?" He asks her, she slaps at his chest and sits at his side.

"Don't worry, you don't need them yet" She answers. "I need your help with something"

"I'm listening" He pushes up onto his elbows.

"You know how to fight, right?" He frowns at her. "Well...I want to learn...and I think Jeremy should too, and possibly Elena but whatever..."

"You have your powers" He reminds her, she nods and then shrugs.

"What if I don't?" She asks him. "That necklace..."

"I'm not going to let anyone do that to you again" He stops her. "You've got me, you don't need to know how to fight" She pouts at him and pulls out some major eyes.

"What if you're not here?" She asks him. "What if you can't help me?" He closes his eyes but knows he is going to cave. She's right. What if he's not around to save her? He knows she has her powers, great, but what if someone else finds a way to take them from her?

"Okay" He whispers and nods. "I'll teach you some moves" He opens his eyes to look up at her.

"And Jeremy" She adds, he sighs and nods.

"And Jeremy" He agrees. She leans closer and kisses him before jumping back up from bed. "Where are you going?" He asks, she looks at him. "No school, no nothing, today is a bed day" He teases, she smirks at him.

"The Historical Society volunteer picnic" She points out as she grabs a pair of black jeans from the floor. "Got roped into helping with prep" She looks around for a clean, or at least semi-clean, shirt to wear. "Plus someone has to keep an eye on Romeo and Juliet" She grabs a shirt from the floor and gives him a look. "And little miss blonde ambition" He hums in agreement. She lets out a breath and cocks her head. Somehow keeping an eye on the three of them feels like it is going to be a monumental task. Elena has always been a terrible actress.

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

Cassandra closes the front door as she leaves with Elena. It was felt that Cassandra would play the dutiful sister role if Elena was to break up with Stefan, just as she did when Elena broke up with Matt. So they play their parts. To fool Caroline into believing the lie.

"Remember you're supposed to be broken up, look sad" Cassandra points out. Elena gives her a look as they move towards the yellow bug.

"I know you don't get it" Elena stops and looks at her sister. "But this...this is really hard, to pretend to be upset and mad at a person that I love"

"Why don't I get it?" Cassandra asks, folding her arms over her chest. Unsure by what Elena means by that. 

"Well, just you and Damon don't really seem to be..." Elena starts, Cassandra tilts her head in question.

"To be what?" She pushes for Elena to continue. Elena worries her lip and then sighs, looking at her sister. 

"Very serious about one another" Elena finishes and shrugs, trying to pay it off as nonchalant but it is far from that. It actually cuts rather deep. It bothers Cassandra. Cassandra scoffs a little. 

"Just because we don't feel the need to fondle each other in public, doesn't mean that we're not serious" Cassandra argues. She is very serious about Damon. She feels more serious about him than she ever did about Tyler. She actually feels like there is a mutual thing that she was missing with Tyler.

"It just feels like another Matt and Tyler situation" Elena admits, Cassandra gives her a look to explain. "Well, that....you know. Because me and Stefan..."

"What?" Cassandra pushes, more annoyed now by the direction this conversation is going. She can sense in the tone what Elena is getting at, but she wants her to say it out loud. 

"Okay, this sounds bad" Elena tries to defend. "I just meant that...."

"You think I'm with Damon because you are with Stefan?" Cassandra asks her, Elena looks away and pulls a face. She can't believe this. She never went into things with the distinct plan that she and Damon were going to get together, in fact, she went into it with the opposite in mind. She wanted to be friends and nothing more. But that changed. And she does care about him. She is attracted to him. She trusts him. And yeah, maybe she does love him, it definitely feels like it is heading that way, and quite possibly is already there subconsciously. "Are you serious?"

"Look, Cas" Elena starts, Cassandra shakes her head.

"Wow" She breaths and then scoffs. "You know what....why don't you make your own way, hmm?" Cassandra then walks away towards her car, leaving Elena to stand watching after her.

.........

In her bug, parked off the side of the park, Cassandra sets her knee against her steering wheel as she opens up the candy bar. She's putting off going to the volunteer picnic set up now. She doesn't want to be around Elena. How dare she. She has no idea what it's like for Cassandra and Damon. They're private people. They keep their relationship between them, where it belongs. They have no need to flaunt it. It is theirs. And that is all that matters. No one else gets to butt in, no one else gets a say. She lets out a breath and crinkles her nose. Elena had no right to accuse her of that. This is not another Tyler situation. She is not with Damon because Elena and Stefan are together. That is not what they are about. Damon knocks on the window and she looks at him, he raises an eyebrow in question. She lowers the window.

"What are you doing hiding in there?" Damon asks as he leans on the window, she pulls a face before opening the door. Damon backing up to give her space.

"Just Elena being Elena" She argues as she climbs from her car, closing the door behind her. "She thinks that me and you...." She stops and pulls a face.

"What?" He asks her, frowning. Whatever Elena has said to her, it's upset her. And he's not having that.

"She thinks we're..." She stops again. "She thinks it's because she and Stefan are together. That it's the only reason...." He steps closer to her.

"Do you think that?"

"No" She is quick to argue. She doesn't think that. She knows that's not what this is about. She knows that's not the reason why they are...well together. Even if unofficially.

"Then who cares what she thinks" He touches her arm and gives her a look. She looks up at him. "Who cares" He repeats and gives her a smile. She hums a little and shrugs. She would have liked her sister's support in her relationship, but he's right, it doesn't matter, either way, it's what they feel and think that matters here. He leans closer and kisses her head before pulling back a little.

"What are you doing here anyway?" She asks. He shrugs back.

"I wasn't going to spend all day in bed by myself" He answers and smirks at her. "So...here I am" he pokes her nose.