(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Forty-Seven

Cassandra doesn't buy it. Katherine is a known liar and manipulator. And something about all of this smells funky to her. Just something about the whole story feels out of place. She shifts a little on her feet and hums.

"So how much of your little story is true?" Cassandra asks her.

"I have no reason to lie. I have no reason to do anything but sit here and read and rot" Katherine points out. Cassandra nods a little and then tilts her head.

"Okay, assuming it's even partially true, that's the reason why you came back isn't it?" Cassandra asks her. "Because you wanted to be the one to hand us over to Klaus"

"500 years on the run, I figured maybe he'd be willing to strike a deal" Katherine agrees.

"So you got Mason Lockwood to find you the moonstone" Cassandra adds and taps her chin, thinking.

"Right again"

"What else do you need to break the curse?" Cassandra muses.

"Hmm, look who is getting smarter" Katherine teases.

"It's not just us or the stone, is it?" Cassandra adds. "Otherwise there would be no reason to trigger Tyler Lockwood's werewolf curse"

"Witches and their spells: so many ingredients, so many people to sacrifice" Katherine offers.

"So you need a werewolf?" Elena asks with a frown. Coming to the most logical conclusion.

"Believe it or not, they're hard to come by."

"What else?" Cassandra ponders. "What else?"

"A witch to do the spell. Mine bailed but Bonnie will do just fine" Katherine tells her. Cassandra nods a little. That makes sense. It's all starting to add up.

"What else?" Cassandra pushes, stepping closer to the boundary spell.

"A vampire" Katherine offers.

"Caroline" Cassandra points out, Katherine shrugs back.

"It could have been anyone I suppose but I like the poetry of Caroline"

"So you were gonna just hand us all over to be killed?" Elena asks her.

"Better you die than I.," Katherine tells them both and then disappears deeper into the cave. Cassandra touches Elena's arm.

"Let's get out of here" She whispers and rubs Elena's arm. Elena nods a little but is upset by all of this.

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

Damon rests his arm along the back of Ally's chair as he leans forward slightly to talk to Slater. He's not as sure about this guy as Ally seems to be, she was stuck underground for decades, it's bound to mess with her judge of character. But there is something else bothering him too. He taps a little on Ally's shoulder as he thinks.

"Here's what I don't get: Elijah moved around during the day, which means the originals knew the secret of the daylight ring" Damon comments. "Now why would Klaus want to lift the curse of the sun and the moon?" He asks. Ally clenches her jaw and shifts in her seat, her eyes shifting over Damon's shoulder to look out the window. Her eyes meet Elijah's. The two of them staring at one another before she turns back to Slater.

"To keep the werewolves from lifting it. If a vampire breaks the sun curse then the werewolves are stuck with the curse of the moon forever and vice versa" Slater explains.

"Can we stop the curse from being broken at all?" Damon asks.

"What do you mean?" Slater counters with a small frown.

"Well, if we make the moonstone useless, would it stop the curse from being broken?" Damon elaborates.

"Well, yeah, probably, but why would you want to do that?" Slater asks, his eyes flickering between the both of them.

"Tell me how" Damon pushes.

"You think I'm gonna help you figure out how to do something that will piss off an original? And keeping them from walking in the sun?"

"You want to walk in the sun? I can make that happen if you help us" Ally tells Slater. Elijah is still listening to them from outside. He throws the coins at the window. All the windows break. Slater's skin starts burning with the exposure. Damon grabs Ally and helps her up from the floor. She groans a little, a few pieces of glass having hit her in the face. Damon and Ally flee out the back of the coffee shop and into the parking lot. He keeps hold of her arm as she glances back over her shoulder.

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

Elena collects up the bottle of blood and tucks it back into the bag before she stands and picks it up. She and Cassandra turn to leave only to stop. Stefan makes his way down the steps to the tomb and Cassandra pulls a face.

"Ah crap" Cassandra complains, she turns to Elena. "Looks like you are about to be in the dog house"

"As will you be once I tell Damon" Stefan points out joining them.

"Oh, Damon was fully aware" Cassandra argues. "We share"

"Stefan, what are you doing here?" Elena asks him.

"I could ask you the same question" He argues.

"Caroline told you" Elena realises.

"No, she kept your secret but it didn't take long for me to figure out what was so important that you'd have to keep it from me"

"I knew that you'd stop us" Elena scolds.

"Listen to me, whatever she said to you is a lie. Do not listen to her. She's a liar"

"What if she isn't? You didn't hear what she said" Elena defends.

"You don't have to worry, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you" Stefan counters and then looks at Cassandra. "To either of you"

"That's the problem, you won't but you'll die trying" Elena counters. Cassandra pulls a face, not wanting to be involved in this couple drama. "How's that any better?" Elena asks him as Katherine makes her way back to the front of the tomb.

"There's nothing you can do, Stefan. I haven't even told you the best part of the story" Katherine warns them.

"What?" Cassandra counters. "That Klaus slaughtered your entire family?" Katherine looks surprised. "Yeah, we already know...Ally was very forthcoming about that"

"He did that just to get back at me for running. Whatever you do to escape Klaus, he will get his vengeance on your friends, your family and anyone that you've ever loved" Katherine counters. Stefan looks at Elena.

"No, look at me. No, do not listen to her, okay?"

"Always the protector but even you must realize that she's doomed" Katherine points out. "They both are. There's nothing you can do to stop it unless of course you have this" She shows him the moonstone.

"Oh no, there it is. It's the ultimate lie, isn't it?" Stefan scolds her. "You spun this whole thing so that we would have to get the stone from you, didn't you?"

"I didn't spin anything, Stefan. It's the truth"

"No, let me guess. You want to trade that stone for your freedom, you manipulative, psychotic bitch."

"My freedom? That's where you're wrong, Stefan. I don't want my freedom because when Klaus shows up to kill us all and he will, I'll be in the tomb, where no vampire will enter because they can't get out. I'll be the safest psychotic bitch in town" Katherine tells them, she glances at the twins before she retreats back into the tomb. Cassandra closes her eyes and throws her head back. It's all about to change. Whatever comfort they had. Whatever safety they felt. It's all about to fall apart.