(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Seventy-Four

Jenna is pouring coffee into a cup for John when Elijah and Cassandra enter the dining room. Cassandra can literally feel her heart beating in her chest. So close. That was so close. She could have lost Damon. Katherine had to know about that. She had to have known what would happen. But at the same time....so would have Ally. That's not a comforting thought.

"Sorry, guys, dessert is taking longer than I thought. I usually just unwrap food" Jenna tells them. Cassandra sits back at the table and then reaches for Damon's drink. She needs this. John takes it off her and she turns a glare on him.

"You're not of age yet" He argues. "Speaking of..."

"Yes, Damon and I are having sex. No, it's none of your business" She is quick to stop him. "And no, there is nothing you can do to stop me" She waves her hand and with a puff of red smoke, the glass disappears from his hand and appears in hers. She smirks at him and takes a drink. "I'm not a little girl anymore." She points out. Damon and Alaric walk back into the room. Damon sits down next to Cassandra and glares across the table at John, his hand finding Cassandra's knee under the table.

"Elijah, did John tell you he's the twin's uncle-slash-father?" Damon asks.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that"

"Of course, they hate him, so there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list" Cassandra smirks a little as Damon looks back at Elijah.

"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how do you intend on killing Klaus?" John asks. Elijah glances at him and then at Damon.

"Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now. I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Cassandra and Elena" Cassandra glances over at Elijah as he talks. "I allow the girls to remain in their house living their lives with their friends as they do as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take them away from you and you'll never see them again" Damon glances at Cassandra, she worries her jaw a little. Alaric comes up behind Elijah and stabs the dagger through his heart through the back of his chair. Elijah screams and dies. Everyone at the table gets up in shock. Alaric pulls the dagger out and places it on the table. He looks at Damon.

"Now, get rid of him before Jenna comes back with dessert" Alaric scolds a little. Damon nods.

...........

Alaric and Damon have moved Elijah's body down to the cellar. Damon's actually a little proud of Alaric, even if he's not about to show it. Alaric is pissed.

"You said there wasn't going to be any violence" Alaric scolds him.

"Says the guy that did all the killing" Damon counters then starts to walk out, but Alaric grabs him.

"Hey, I took the shot because I saw an opening, not because I planned to do this with Jenna in the house. Now, you can't lie to me like that" Damon tries to leave again, but Alaric grabs him. "Hey, I am your friend, damn it. And you don't have any friends. So, no more lying" Damon nods and leaves. Alaric looks down at Elijah's body, walks out, and closes the cell door behind him.

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

At the Gilbert Lake House, Elena is sitting on the couch, still reading one of Johnathan's journals. Stefan walks down the stairs and into the room.

"Elijah's dead. Alaric did it" Stefan sits on the couch with Elena.

"Originals believed in truth and honour." Elena reads from the journal. "It was forbidden for a vampire to kill another vampire. So, the dagger would take both lives. And as long as the dagger stays in place, the Original, for all intents and purposes, is dead" Elena and Stefan share a look. Stefan rushes to his phone and calls Damon.

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

Damon rushes to the cellar and f indsthat Elijah has gone. He lets out a breath and clenches his jaw in annoyance. 

...........

Elijah walks up to the Lakehouse. He kneels down and grabs some rocks. Elena starts to walk towards the front door, but Stefan grabs her by the arm. Elijah has gotten up outside and tosses the rocks from hand to hand. Stefan hears him.

"He's here," Stefan tells her. Elijah throws the rocks at the door, breaking it off its hinges. Elena looks at Stefan.

"You have to go. I need to talk to him alone" She tells him.

"Elena..."

"Stefan, I'm okay. He can't come in the house" She reminds him as Elijah walks closer towards the house.

"You know, I might not be able to enter this house...But I'm a very patient man. I'll wait you out" Elijah warns them. Elena slowly walks out from behind the wall. Stefan stays hidden there. She walks towards the front door but stays inside the house. She faces Elijah whose eyes start to glow red.

"They shouldn't have done what they did" Elena offers.

"The deal is off"

"I'm renegotiating"

"You have nothing left to negotiate with" Elijah warns her. There is a moment's silence. Then, Elena pulls out a knife. Elijah looks amused.

"I'd like to see you lure Klaus into Mystic Falls after one of the doppelgängers bleeds to death" Elena points out.

"Stefan won't let you die"

"No, he won't. He'll feed me his blood to heal me, and then I'll kill myself and become a vampire, just like Katherine did. So unless you want that to happen again, promise me the same as before...promise me...You won't harm anyone that I love. Even if they've harmed you"

"I'm sorry, Elena. I'm going to have to call your bluff" Elijah tells her. Elena breathes out and points the knife to her stomach. Elijah watches her, unsure of what she will do. Elena looks up at him and stabs herself in the stomach. She screams in pain and falls to the floor. There is blood gushing everywhere. Elijah rushes towards the door, but stops at the threshold because he has not been invited in. Elena drops the knife on the floor and clutches her stomach. "No! Yes. Yes, you can have your deal. Let me heal you"

"Give me your word!" Elena shouts.

"I give you my word," Elijah tells her. Elena limps outside and into Elijah's arms where she disappears with a puff of red smoke. Elijah frowns before he looks up, realising. Behind him, Cassandra appears and stabs Elijah with the silver dagger. Elijah falls to the ground, dead. She stares down at him as the red in her eyes disappears. Elena and Stefan appear in the doorway of the house, Elena is unharmed, proving the whole thing to have been an illusion. Damon appears at vamp speed at Cassandra's side.

"Little tip. Don't pull the dagger out" Damon offers and Cassandra lets out a breath before she then laughs.

"It's working" She admits to them. "We might actually be able to pull this off" She whispers. "We can do this" Damon nods in agreement. Elena and Cassandra share a look.

"Yeah, we can" Elena agrees with her.