(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Later; Stefan and Damon are on the road. Damon decided on taking Cassandra's little beat up bug because she loves it and it might be a welcome sight given what's happened. Plus he's fond of the little car. The way it chugs along. And it reminds him of her. Keeps him close to her.

"Alaric sure likes his weapons" Damon comments as Stefan turns a small bottle around in his hand. "What the hell is that?"

"I don't know, it's a vervain bomb or a grenade launcher or something like that"

"Weird." Damon comments.

"Hey, how much further is it?" Stefan asks him.

"About 80 miles." Damon answers.

"Who do you think took her?" Stefan asks.

"Someone from Katherine's past. She said she was running from someone. They got the wrong girl"

"And Cassandra?" Stefan asks, Damon shrugs.

"Wrong place wrong time" He offers. "Plus who knows how many people Ally pissed off, maybe it's her enemy"

"Thank you for helping me," Stefan tells his brother, Damon scoffs and shoots Stefan a look.

"Didn't do this for you or Elena" He points out.

"Still," Stefan tells him. "I get it, you and Cassandra...." Damon raises an eyebrow and glances at his brother. "Damon, you're my big brother and I like to think I know you pretty well" Damon hums a little and looks back at the road. "I've only ever seen you this way with one other person. Katherine." Damon snorts in disagreement. This is nothing like what he shared with Katherine. What he has with Cassandra is real. Deep inside real. "But it different with Cassandra, isn't it?" Stefan asks. "Stronger. Real" Damon lets out a breath through his nose.

"Can we not do the whole road trip bonding thing?" Damon counters. "The cliche of it all makes me itch"

"Oh, come on, Damon" Stefan comments. "Is it so hard to admit that you have feelings for this girl?" Damon clenches his jaw. Internally, he is aware of how he feels about Cassandra, but out loud, no way in hell. It would give him a weakness. Something for people to use against him. Him admitting how he feels about her means putting a target on her back. He has enemies too. But he does feel strong feelings for her. Really, really strong feelings. He loves her. He is in love with her. He can think that. In his head. But voicing it. "Just get it out. Hmm? I mean come on, express yourself. I happen to like road trip bonding" Stefan offers, Damon clenches his jaw and then nods.

"Okay" Stefan looks at his brother surprised. Damon looks at Stefan. "I'm in love with her" Damon admits. Letting it out. And yeah, it feels kind of good to admit it to someone. Oh boy, getting out really releases something. His lips twitch into a smile. Yeah, he knows what that means. He finds Cassandra. He's going to tell her. He probably should have told her first, but Stefan pushed. He's going to tell her. 

...........

Rose is in a room, alone when Cassandra joins her, her hands still firmly restrained behind her back. And they are really starting to ache. To hurt. She shifts her shoulders a little.

"Why are we here?" Cassandra asks her.

"You two keep asking me these questions like I'm gonna answer them"

"Why won't you?" Cassandra counters, and would cross her arms over her chest if she could. 

"That's another one"

"The least you can do is tell me what you want with us" Cassandra argues. Rose simply gives her a look. "Fine, you won't tell me" Cassandra's eyes begin to glow red. "Then I will just take the information I want"

"You can't read my mind without your hands" Rose argues, Cassandra gives her a weird look.

"I can't kick your ass without my hands, my mind reading is hands-free" Rose stares at her a moment, trying to decide if she's serious or not, decides that she is. Cassandra is very serious about just reading her mind and well, this will be less invasive. 

"Fine" Rose caves. She'd rather not have a mind reader in her head when she can just tell her. "I personally want nothing; I'm just a delivery service"

"Delivery to who? Elijah?"

"Two points to the eavesdropper" Rose teases a little as Cassandra shrugs a little in response.

"Who is he? Is he a vampire?"

"He's one of the vampires, the Originals" Rose answers, Cassandra cocks her head in question. That's new information for them. No one has ever spoken about the Originals before. Not Damon. Not Stefan. Not Ally.

"What do you mean the Originals?" She counters.

"Again with the questions" Rose scolds. Cassandra gives her a look and her eyes glow red again. Rose rolls her eyes. "Haven't the Salvatores been teaching you your vampire history?" She asks.

"So you know Damon and Stefan?" Cassandra counters.

"I know of them. A hundred years back, a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan. She said he was one of the good ones. I'm more of a sucker for the bad boys though but I digress.

"Who are the originals?" Cassandra asks her, Rose lets out a breath and then nods, more to herself. Getting herself steeled for this.

"Trevor and I have been running for 500 years" Rose admits. "We're tired, we want it over. We're using you and your sister to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess"

"But why us specifically?"

"Because you are Petrova Doppelgängers. You're the key to breaking the curse"

"The curse? The sun and the moon curse?" Cassandra asks, Rose appears surprised that she knows that much.

"Oh, you do know your history"

"What do you mean we're the key? The moonstone is what breaks the curse" Cassandra asks her. Trying to get as much information out of this as she can whilst she can. 

"No, the moonstone is what binds the curse. The sacrifice is what breaks it.

"The sacrifice?" Cassandra inquires. 

"The blood of the human doppelgänger" Rose nods towards Elena listening in from the doorway. "And the heart of psychic doppelgänger" Rose nods to Cassandra. "Which means, in order to break the curse you both have to die" Elena gasps a little. "You don't believe me?" Rose asks Cassandra who cocks her head in question.

"I don't know" She admits. "I mean, yes, for the most part. But...there's something not right about" She then cringes, in pain.

"Cas?" Elena moves closer to her sister.

"My head is killing me" Cassandra complains as she twists her face up into pain.

"Is that a mind-reading thing?" Rose asks her. Cassandra shoots her an annoyed look.

"No, it's because I've been knocked out twice today, and my human brain is not built for the trauma" Cassandra complains shooting Rose a look. "Has it been so long that you've forgotten that humans are physically weaker?"