(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Cassandra hands Elena a bowl of pasta as Damon leans back in the armchair behind her. Cassandra wanted them all at the lake house, because it is about time they start really planning this out. And she thinks she has the solution. A way for them all to get what they want, except for Klaus. Stefan rubs Elena's shoulder.

"I shouldn't have left the two of you alone" He admits.

"We were fine" Cassandra argues as she perches herself on the arm of Damon's chair, his hand on the small of her back. "I had it under control"

"Tyler said she was amazing" Elena points out with a proud smile.

"Yeah, I was" Cassandra agrees. "Till I knocked myself out..."

"That's where my headache came from" Damon realises and pokes her back. She hums in agreement.

"So what do we do now?" Elena asks. Stefan and Damon give her a look.

"Now you are willing to listen?" Damon teases, brushing his hand over Cassandra's back.

"Cas, says I should be more open to listening to your plans and ideas" Elena offers. "So, from here on out....we're together, all of us. Plus...I trust her and she says she has a plan" Elena offers with a nod.

"Cassandra?" Stefan asks. "What plan?"

"I've been working on something for a while, piecing together something that might work, maybe" She offers, Stefan and Damon give her a look to continue, to tell them. She sighs. "I know that Ally has a plan and a deal with Elijah" She offers "And whilst I believe she believes it will work, I also know that if Klaus tells her that she can have Kol if she turns on us.....she will" She admits with a small shrug. Damon hums in agreement.

"If it got her Kol, she'd sell us all out without blinking" He agrees. Cassandra nods.

"And I don't think we know everything" She offers. "I think there are still things we don't understand about this. It just feels wrong, like there are pieces missing....so we let Elijah think that we are doing everything he wants us to" She answers, Damon hums a little, thoughtful. "And we research the crap out of it. Anything and everything we can on Klaus and the Originals, and that dagger...and anything else that fits.....But we are going to need to buy time" She turns to Damon. "So you are going to stick that dagger in Elijah" Damon looks surprised by this. "With him out, it buys us time to come up with a deal that pleases all parties, Elijah is on our side, we are all on the same side..."

"We all want Klaus dead" Elena adds. Cassandra nods.

"But his deal sucks. We need a better one" Cassandra adds, her eyes on Damon. "And you are going to go and talk to Katherine" Damon scoffs a little. "Ally knew about that dagger, Damon, don't you think that means Katherine does...I think she knows so much more, like what is really up with this sacrifice" She sighs a little. "She knows more...I can feel it....and despite everything, I believe that Katherine wants Klaus dead. Ally said that that was the only thing they had in common anymore..."

"He slaughtered their entire family" Stefan adds. "Even Katherine would be angry. She loved them, even once upon a time"

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

Damon brushes his fingers through Cassandra's hair as she lays against his chest. They're held up at the lake house for the night, just to keep the twins out of werewolf hands for now. Damon knows that Cassandra isn't going to be happy doing so for long. She'll want to go back to her own home. To not let people scare her away. As long as he sticks close to him, he's fine with whatever she wants to do. He kisses her head.

"Are you sure about your plan?" He asks her when he pulls back. She nods against his shoulder.

"I don't want to die" She answers. "So researching the crap out of everything we know so far, trying to find out a way to survive, a way to kill Klaus, if that is what works....well, then great. It'll be better if the plan comes from one of us anyway, solid information that we can trust" He nods in agreement and nuzzles into her neck. For now. It is a good plan for the information that they have. It will likely have to be changed as they learn more, but for now, it is pretty solid. Get more information and take out Elijah whilst they do so. It buys them a bit more time. Takes a little bit of the heat off of them. He closes his eyes as he draws his hand up to her throat. Fingers dancing over her skin, tapping at the area she'd felt pain in earlier.

"I wanted to kill them" He admits. "Tied to that chair, knowing that you could feel it. I couldn't do anything"

"I'm fine" She assures him. He hums a little. Dissatisfied by the events. He then grumbles. "I know what will make you feel better" She starts and pulls her hair over one shoulder, giving him unobstructed access to her neck. He runs his nose over it before he lifts his head and sinks fangs into her. After the first time, it's become a thing, not a regular thing, but after bad days, it makes them feel better. Like a more physical connection than their telepathic link, and something a little more intimate than sex. It does make him feel better. To feel her heart beating against his tongue. He tilts her head with his hand and sinks into the feeling and her taste. There is something else to her blood. Like a whispy tang. If that is such a thing. But he can't explain it. There will be no words, in any language, that can properly explain what she tastes like.