(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Forty-Nine

Elena and Cassandra both sit crossed legged on Cassandra's bed facing one another, a bowl of jelly beans between them. The television plays an episode of Malcolm in the Middle but they are no longer watching it. Their conversation had shifted into serious territory and the jovial sitcom is no longer situation appropriate.

"You can't tell me you haven't thought about it" Elena points out, Cassandra cocks her head. "I know you, Cas, I know that if you thought it would save everyone we loved, you and me would make the same choice here" Cassandra looks down and lets out a breath. Elena's right. If it meant that everyone she loves is safe, she would die. It is something she and Elena have in common.

"So what?" Cassandra asks. "We somehow find Klaus and just....give up"

"It's not giving up if it keeps everyone else safe" Elena argues. "You know what he did to Ally and her family....she lost everyone because Katherine betrayed Klaus" Cassandra sighs and rubs her head a little.

"Okay, so...hypothetically...." She starts, Elena nods. "What about Stefan and Damon, because we both know that there is no way in hell they are going to let us hand ourselves over like lambs to the slaughter?"

"Well...." Elena starts, Cassandra snorts and shakes her head, already understanding what she means.

"You don't want to tell them" Cassandra draws out. "Damon and I pride ourselves on a truthful relationship, Elena, I can't keep something like this from him"

"Then can't you just...." Elena wiggles her fingers at Cassandra.

"I'm not going to mind control him into letting his girlfriend die" She scolds. "I have to believe there is another way, another angle in which we all can survive...I trust Damon, if he says he'll keep me safe and alive, then I believe him" She climbs from the bed and grabs her boots. "We'll talk about this further down the road if nothing changes" Elena nods a little and then lets out a breath.

...........

At the tomb, Damon and Stefan walk down into the tomb and look at each other, they are going to talk to Katherine about the sacrifice, about the moonstone. Damon will literally do anything to keep Cassandra safe, and if that means talking to Katherine then so be.

"Let's do it," Damon tells Stefan. They grab the stone door; Damon taking the right side, Stefan taking the left. "1,2,3" They pull the stone door off the entrance of the tomb and set it aside before they then approach the entrance. The two of them lean against the frame of the entrance, waiting for Katherine, who comes around the corner, looking hungry and despondent.

"Please...come on in. There's plenty of room for all of us" She still manages to crack a tease though.

"I'd rather poke my eyes out" Damon mumbles.

"Mmm, they're such pretty eyes," Katherine tells him with a weak purr. Damon rolls his eyes.

"We're here for the moonstone" Stefan points out.

"Feel like tossing it over?" Damon asks and holds out his hand.

"Tell you what, you get your little witch to hocus pocus me out of here, you can have whatever you want" Katherine counters.

"I thought you liked it in here. Nice and safe where Klaus can't get to you" Stefan reminds her.

"I've had time to reconsider"

"Meaning you're hungry" Damon argues.

"I'm starving, Damon. And dirty. But above all, I'm bored" Katherine has progressively gotten closer to the entrance, stumbling and grasping at the wall as she does so. "At least running from Klaus wasn't boring - so here's the deal: you get me out of here, you get the moonstone and I'll disappear from Mystic Falls forever" Stefan and Damon look at each other. Katherine starts to walk away. "Let me know what you decide" As she says this, she holds up the moonstone and stumbles back into recesses of the cave.

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

Elena opens the front door to find Stefan and Damon are standing on the front porch looking rather intense. If that's the right word here. Stoic and firm might be others. She can tell that something's happened. Damon's eyes instantly go over her head to Cassandra who appears in the kitchen doorway with a mug of coffee in her hand, she smiles at him and his lip twitches up into a subconscious smile.

"Hey. Uh, can we talk?" Stefan asks Elena who frowns noting the intensity in their eyes.

"Why?"

"We went to see Katherine" Damon answers. Elena raises an eyebrow at them.

"Come on in" Elena steps aside and Stefan and Damon enter the house.

..........

Cassandra, Elena, Damon, and Stefan all stand around the island in the kitchen, talking about Damon and Stefan's earlier conversation with Katherine. Cassandra scrunches up her nose a little and then cocks her head at them.

"You don't believe her, do you?" Cassandra asks the brothers, Damon scoffs and gives her a look.

"No, of course not" He assures her. "We just want the moonstone"

"According to Ally's friend Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break" Stefan informs them.

"No spell, no doppelgängers sacrifice. Ergo, you two live" Damon adds.

"How do you destroy it?" Elena asks them.

"By releasing it from the moonstone" Stefan answers her softly.

"How do you guys even know this is gonna work?" Elena continues. Even Cassandra has to say that it is a big fat maybe. They have no idea if any of this is going to work.

"Cause we have a crafty witch on our side" Damon answers this time, Elena frowns at him before realising.

"You discussed it with Bonnie" She voices.

"She agreed to do anything she could to help us," Stefan tells them both.

"It's Katherine who has the moonstone. She's not gonna give it to you" Cassandra reminds them with a look.

"We're gonna get it from her" Stefan corrects, she gives him a look.

"Well, what he means to say is, we will pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to" Damon comments, curling his fingers into his palm to emphasise his point.

"Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it" Stefan adds.

"Wow. I mean, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out." Elena states as she folds her arms over her chest. Cassandra sighs sensing a tone in her voice that the brothers miss.

"Yep. We're awesome" Damon teases slightly.

"Except for one thing. I don't want you to do it" Elena argues. Stefan and Damon exchange looks.

"What are you talking about? Elena, we don't have a choice" Stefan scolds her.

"What about Klaus?"

"We'll find him right after we get the moonstone" Stefan answers.

"Is that before or after he kills everyone that we care about, including the two of you" Elena counters, Damon glances at Cassandra who pulls a face back at him, implying she's not on board with Elena's plan here.

"Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life" Stefan reminds her.

"I know. Everybody keeps saying that" Elena gets up and leaves the room. Stefan and Damon exchange a look again before they both look at Cassandra. She taps her fingers on the kitchen island counter before sighing.

"I like plan B" She offers, Damon frowns at her.

"Which is plan B?" He asks her.

"Yours" She assures them. "Plan A was Elena wanting us to hand ourselves over to Klaus" She informs them, Damon raises an eyebrow in surprise but actually when he thinks about it, it's not that surprising given the twins' nature.