(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Fifty-Five

Damon enters the Gilbert house and joins Elena in the living room where she sits alone and stewing in the fact Bonnie had spelled her into the house. Locking her away from everyone. She can guess that Cassandra is not getting this treatment after they ran off the other day.

"You should really lock your door" Damon comments. "Oh, come on, pouty. At least give me two points for ingenuity"

"Do you think this is funny?" She asks him.

"Yes, Elena. I find hilarity in the lengths that I have to go to repeatedly save your life. Cas gets it. Why don't you?" Elena scoffs a little and looks away from him.

"Because I'm not her" Elena snaps a little and folds her arms over her chest. Actually pouting.

"No, you are not" Damon agrees, Elena shoots him a dirty look.

"What does Stefan say about this?"

"We had a good laugh." Damon points out. Jeremy enters the room and sits down with them. "Where is Bonnie?" Damon asks him.

"I thought she was meeting you"

"No, she's on moonstone duty and I'm on Elena patrol"

"What about Cas?" Jeremy asks.

"Ally's watching her" Damon answers. "They're Powerpuffing it in the woods today" He holds up his hands in mock use of their powers.

"And who's on Tyler Lockwood and the full moon?" Jeremy counters.

"Vampire Barbie asked me if she could handle it, and I said, why not? Figured if she screwed up, he'll bite her and then I'll be rid of two of my problems."

"Hold on a second. Tonight's the full moon?" Elena asks him. Damon's phone ring.

"Yep, but you were too absorbed with all your suicidal tendencies to notice" Damon points out with a mocking smirk. He then stands to answer his phone away from Elena. "What?"

"Sheriff Forbes has officially declared Mason Lockwood a missing person" Alaric's voice offers back.

"What? Why?"

"Some girl from Florida showed up on the Lockwood's doorstep looking for Mason"

"What girl?" Damon pushes.

"I don't know but she sure got everyone in a tizzy"

"That's not good. Where are you?"

"I'm at the Grill" Alaric answers.

"I'm on my way." He hangs up and joins Elena and Jeremy. "Change of plans. You babysit" He tells Jeremy. Jeremy lays down on the couch, resting his head on Elena's lap. "Hey, you know, you should get out, enjoy the sun," He tells Elena and then cocks his head with a smirk. "Oh wait, you can't." He mocks. Elena throws a cushion at him. Jeremy laughs. She pushes him off of her and he rolls onto the floor.

........

The prospect of a date, a real proper date with Damon, is exciting to Cassandra. She smiles as she rummages through her wardrobe for the perfect outfit. It has to be perfect. It all has to be perfect. She takes out a little black dress and holds it against herself. This one. She smiles wider and turns around, jumping a little when she finds Elena stood in the doorway.

"Are you over it yet?" Elena asks, Cassandra frowns and turns to give her a look.

"No" She answers firmly. "And I don't think I will be for a long time"

"Are you serious?" Elena counters. "It was..."

"You tried to kill me" Cassandra stops Elena. "That's not okay, ever....and I think we need space and time away from one another...." She reaches up and curls her fingers, her powers close her bedroom door in Elena's face.

...........

Damon arrives at the boarding house. He locks the door behind him and shrugs out of his jacket, checking his watch before he moves to go upstairs to get changed. He pauses though, seeing Ally in the main room staring into the lit fireplace. He back peddles a few steps and heads towards her instead.

"Al?" He asks, she hums in acknowledgement but doesn't look at him. "Everything go okay today?"

"Yes," She answers and then turns to look at him. "Doppel-Me is a very fast study" She offers and wraps the blanket she wears tighter around her shoulders.

"You okay?"

"Cold" She admits and looks back at the fire. "Always cold"

"Kol?" He asks her, she hums and nods. "Look, Al, I get it" He starts. "Why you made that deal with Elijah...."

"But you don't like it" She finishes for him. "Placing her life in our hands is a big ask" He nods. "I know. I wouldn't trust Kol's life in anyone's hands but my own, so I do understand. What you two share....it's very beautiful" She sways a little and lets out a soft smile.

"And what's that?" He counters with a smile watching her.

"We have been through this before" She teases slightly as she turns to him.

"I probably stopped listening" He admits with a smirk. The two of them share a look.

"You're soul mates, Damon" She reminds him. "Bound together by the forces of the universe" He hums a little. He doesn't believe in all of that. But he can indulge her. They hear something like breaking glass from another part of the house and share a look. Ally and Damon both vamp-speed into the living room to investigate. The window shatters as a wolf lunges into the living room. Damon grabs a sword hanging on the wall and swings it out. Ally pushes Damon out of the way; the wolf jumps on her, pushing her on her back on the floor, and chomps on her shoulder, Ally cries out in pain. Damon stabs the wolf with the sword, and the wolf flees the way it came. Damon is quick to move to Ally's side, his hands moving her hair out of the way to look at the bite.

"How bad is it?" He asks, more himself than her as he looks at the wound.

"It hurts" She comments, shifting in pain. He lets out a breath as he watches the bite heal.

"It's healing." He assures her and relaxes slightly. He touches her arm and she lets out a sob of relief.

"I thought a werewolf bite was fatal!" She states, he nods in agreement. "I thought..." She begins to cry. Damon embraces her, stroking her hair as he cradles her against his chest.

"You're gonna be okay" He whispers to her and glances at the clock on the wall. He closes his eyes knowing that he can't leave Ally now but he is going to have to cancel his date night.