(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Thirty-One

Cassandra likes mornings like this. When she wakes up to the sun on her back and shoulders. Damon's arm around her waist, her head on his chest as he draws soft patterns into her arm over his stomach. When it is peaceful. Quiet. There is no drama. No panic. No fear. Cassandra usually likes mornings like this. But not this morning. She's been stewing in issues. That call with Katherine. She knows she should have kept her mouth shut. But it just came pouring out of her. She hums a little and Damon brushes his finger down her nose to poke the end.

"Morning" He greets softly. She leans up to run her fingers through her hair. He cups her cheek and she looks down at him. He uses his vamp-speed to turn her onto her back so he can slot himself against her, nuzzling into her neck, brushing his lips over her skin. She closes her eyes and hums a little.

"How much trouble do you think it caused?" She asks, Damon lifts his head and frowns at her.

"What?"

"You riling up Katherine" She answers, he tilts his head and lets out a breath.

"I don't know" He offers and shrugs. "Why?" He draws out.

"Well, I mean, it would be worse if say...I did it?" She asks, he gives her a look.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Cas?" He counters as he brushes his fingers through her hair, she hums and nods.

"Yeah...." She whispers and plays with the zipper on his jacket. "See when she called the house, I kind of...called her stupid" He groans a little. "Actually the exact phrase was: 'dumb bitch'"

"Cas" He scolds.

"That's not all" She admits, he raises an eyebrow. "Called her pathetic....undignified, predictable" He gives her a look. "What?" She asks him. "I was scared, and it just came out" She lets out a breath. "How much trouble do you think I caused?" She whispers, he shakes his head and cups her cheek.

"None" He answers. "I started it, whatever comes is on me" She turns her head slightly to look away from him. He said it to make her feel better about winding Katherine up, but she knows it's her fault if something bad happens because of it. He kisses her cheek and then kisses along her jaw. "Hey" He whispers, her eyes flicker to meet his. "None of this will be on you" he touches her cheek. She hums a little. "So we haven't really discussed the whole date thing you wanted," He tells her. "Have you given it much thought, where it is you want to go"

"I can't think about that now" She complains.

"Yes, you can" He argues and nudges her nose with his. "This is important, come on...." she gives him a look. "No more Katherine talk, okay? Let's talk about us and our first official date...." He smirks at her. "French? Italian? Oooo Spanish?" She fights a smirk. "Mexican...." She makes a little noise, barely audible but he hears it. "See, I got something then" He teases and she chuckles a little. "Mexican..." He repeats and hums a little as he cups her face in his hands. "There's got to be a Mexican place somewhere around here we can go to..." He muses, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks. "Or we can head to the big city" He teases. "Or Mexico"

"You would go all the way to Mexico for dinner?" She asks him, he nods and kisses her.

"Yeah" He whispers against her lips when he pulls back. "For you" He teases and pokes her nose. Her phone rings on her bedside table and he groans, shifting slightly so she can sit up and reach for the phone. She sweeps her hair aside and answers the phone, only to frown in confusion.

"Calm down" She scolds a little with an eye roll. "Caroline, only dolphins can hear you now" Damon smirks a little and kisses her shoulder. "I'm sorry, repeat that....because it sounded like.....oh boy, okay, okay, urm, go to the boarding house, me and Damon will meet you there" She then hangs up and presses her phone into her forehead. Damon raises an eyebrow. "So I know you said no Katherine" She looks over her shoulder at him.

"What's she done now?" He asks her. She sighs and then pulls a face because she's not entirely sure. All she got from Caroline was Katherine's name through tears. "Alright, let's go" He kisses her head and then climbs from her bed. She turns and bites her lip, smiles softly before she hops up and moves to his side, kissing his cheek. He looks at her.

"Thanks" She whispers, he touches her cheek.

"Yeah, well, Katherine's my problem too" He reminds her. "Now, unfortunately," He teases. "Going outside does require us both to be wearing pants" She smirks a little and nods.

..........

At the Boarding House, Caroline is sitting on the couch, looking rather traumatised. Damon gives her a glass of blood and then sits next to Cassandra. The two of them share a look.

"I'm still shaking" Caroline comments as she watches her hand shake against the glass before taking a drink. Now they are just waiting on Stefan to arrive. After Caroline told them what is going on, getting Stefan here and involved was deemed to be the net step in the plan. Damon places his hand on Cassandra's knee and squeezes a little. She's too wound up to realise that this is PDA with people, Caroline, around. Stefan walks into the room and glances between the three of them.

"What happened?" He asks.

"Go ahead, tell him," Damon tells Caroline. "You're gonna love this" He offers Stefan who frowns at him.

"I saw Katherine today" Caroline admits. Stefan looks shocked and surprised.

"Where?"

"At the Grill. I just stopped by to gawk and...quasi-stalk Matt"

"Skip the teen drama and get to it." Damon scolds Caroline.

"Then I had to pretend to use the bathroom even though I didn't really have to go because I'm a doofus" Caroline steers slightly. "And in there I saw...Katherine" Cassandra rests her chin on her knee as she listens. "And...well, she asked me to deliver a message"

"What was the message?" Stefan asks.

"She wants the moonstone or she will rip this town apart until it rains blood" Caroline narrates back.

"Tell him the rest of it" Damon pushes.

"Tonight, at the masquerade ball" Caroline finishes. Stefan lets out a breath and shares a look with Damon.

"She wants to do it in public. Killing Mason threw her off guard" Stefan points out. Cassandra pulls a face, shouldering some of the blame here, she wound Katherine up as much as Damon did, maybe she is only doing this because Cassandra called her out. Damon squeezes her knee again, seemingly able to tell exactly where her head is at. 

"She's running scared. What she tried to do to Jenna was desperate. She's out of tricks" Damon points out.

"We can't underestimate her. We have to play this smarter than her" Stefan counters.

"Can we just give her the moonstone so she'll leave?" Caroline asks them.

"No, Katherine's not getting dick" Damon snaps a little, Cassandra touches his hand on her knee. "I've had it. I'm gonna go to the masquerade ball and I'm gonna kill her, tonight"

"You're not gonna kill her" Stefan argues.

"Don't give me that goody-goody crap" Damon scolds him.

"You're not gonna kill her" Stefan repeats, Damon gives him a look.

"Really?" He asks.

"Because I am" Stefan admits, Cassandra snorts a little.

"No offence" She starts. "But urm...Isn't there someone who deserves this kill a lot more than you two?"

"Except other than that photo, Ally's not been in touch, we have no idea where she is" Damon reminds her. "You are right, this should be her kill, but we are going to do it for her, and for everyone else that Katherine has screwed over, including all of us" She nods a little and shares a look with him. He's right. They both are.