(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Damon leaves the Founder's building and heads towards where Cassandra is digging through her bag for her phone at the bottom of the steps. They both just want this day to be over. Andie has given her the all-clear to go home for the day, all she has left to do is type up her story and that doesn't need both of them. She knows she was expecting more excitement, but come on, Elijah choking out of her boyfriend is a bit much. Damon touches the small of her back and she looks at him.

"Want a lift home?" He asks her, she shakes her head.

"No, I have to pick my car up anyway from the station. And then I'm going to head to the lake house" She tells him as she pulls her bag along her arm to her elbow, her phone in her hand. "I've had enough excitement for today and me and Elena, we need to talk through some stuff. I can't be fighting with her and everything else going on...." Damon touches her arm. "Even if I hate her right now, we need to work together." She lets out a sad sigh. "I'm sick of fighting all the time" He kisses her softly and then pulls back.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's going to be weird enough with Stefan there but....right now, it's time for some frank sister talk" He nods a little and pokes her nose.

"Text me when you get there," He tells her, she hums and nods.

"I will" She assures him. He then watches as she walks away. A soft sigh leaving him as he watches her.

..........

Elena waves at Cassandra as she climbs out of her car at the lakehouse. It's been weird between the two of them and well, Cassandra wanted to take this time to both scold and make up with her. She's not sure how easy this is going to be. Elena is proving to be notoriously stubborn. Cassandra lets out a breath, she knows she has to do this. She and Elena have to talk about what's been going on with them. They have to talk about it. With the threat of Klaus on the horizon, they need to deal with their animosity. Cassandra takes a step towards the lakehouse only to stumble a little into her car, her hand coming up to her neck when she feels a sharp stinging pain hit her there. Stefan is instantly at her side. His hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asks her, she shakes her head.

"No" She answers and draws her finger over her neck and then cringes, curling in on herself.

"It's Damon" Stefan realises. "Isn't it?" She nods.

"It's vervain" She chokes out.

"Help me get her inside," Stefan tells Elena who pulls Cassandra's arm around her neck and they both head inside with her.

........

Stefan grabs his jacket from the side and pulls it on as Elena helps Cassandra onto the couch, she can at least make her sister comfortable.

"Stay here" He warns the two of them. "And stay inside....I'll be back as soon as I've dealt with this"

"Stefan" Elena starts, he looks at her. "What do I do?" She asks quietly, she has no idea how to help Cassandra here.

"I have no idea" He admits, because he doesn't have any idea how to help her either. This is new to all of them. This bond that she and Damon have. It's unique. It's powerful. Elena looks at Cassandra who looks pale and about ready to throw up those tiny sandwiches she stuffed down. Elena watches Cassandra as she rests her head back, eyes closed. Comfy she can do. That means blankets and pillows.

.....

Later: Cassandra seems to have calmed down a bit. She doesn't appear to be in as much pain as she sits on the couch with a mug of tea warming her hands. Elena sets down another mug on the coffee table and then takes the seat at her sister's side. They haven't really spoken about anything since Cassandra's funny turn.

"I'm sorry" Elena offers, breaking that silence, one of them has to make the first move, and yet again, Elena feels it is to be her. Cassandra pushes herself back on the couch to get comfy. "For everything"

"No, you're not" Cassandra argues, Elena snaps a look at her. "If you were, you would have stopped a long time ago....but you didn't" Elena opens her mouth to argue. "Come on" Cassandra pushes. "At the end of the day, that's who you are, and no amount of apology is going to stop you" Cassandra shrugs. "Maybe we're just too different now, so we're clashing a lot more.....and that's fine, people change and grow, but you'll always be my sister....and I'll always love you" Elena nods a little. "It just might mean that we'll disagree a lot more....and right now, we have to stick together regardless of how we actually feel. Because fighting one another whilst fighting off everyone else, we'll lose"

"I know" Elena assures her. "I get it..." Cassandra is right, they're changing, growing, adapting in their own ways. Maybe that does make them more different now, maybe it does put a bigger wedge between them, but at the end of the day, they will always be sisters, and nothing can change that, they share blood. Always will. But Cassandra is right. They are not always going to agree on stuff. On relationships. On plans. On the best way to see out the threats on their lives.

"Do you?" Cassandra asks her.

"Yeah" Elena nods.

"So no more snide comments about Damon, no getting Stefan to poke his nose in. Accept that we are together, and if it goes wrong, accept that it was my choice. And when it comes to doing some big dangerous plan, ask me what I think, don't just throw me under the bus because you think it's a good idea"

"You came with me with Ally" Elena points out.

"Because I thought you were after information, I was all for that....but sacrificing myself without thinking it through....hell no"

"I did think it through" Elena argues.

"Did you?" Cassandra counters. "Did you consider that maybe we should all sit down together, all of us, and maybe plan it all out with an array of opinions and experience...Damon and Stefan have been vampires for a long time, and Ally even longer, maybe they do know what they are talking about and might actually have a good plan...Do you even know what Ally's plan is?"

"No" Elena whispers.

"Maybe it's a good one" Cassandra adds. Elena sighs and nods. "Maybe my plan is a good one"

"You have one?" Elena counters, Cassandra gives her a look and nods.

"Yeah, I do, which you would have known, had you listened to a single thing I have said, because I have told you this before"