(2) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Eighty-One

Cassandra rolls her eyes as she opens her bedroom door to find Stefan on the other side. Whilst not openly hostile to him anymore, that doesn't mean that she likes him. She doesn't. She doesn't like the way he and Elena's relationship started, all the secrets and the danger. Or the way he treats Damon.

"What do you want?" Cassandra asks as she moves back to her bed to pull on her boots.

"Damon asked me to check on you" Stefan answers. She snorts.

"He doesn't need people to check on me" She scolds. "We're connected, he knows how I'm feeling all the time" Stefan raises an eyebrow. "It's annoying" She teases. It's not at all annoying. It's reassuring actually. "So...why are you really here?"

"You and Damon have talked about that connection, a lot" He starts. She raises an eyebrow. "I was curious..."

"About what?"

"What's it like?" Stefan asks her as she uses her powers to tie up the laces on her boots. "What does it feel like?" She shrugs a little.

"It's like feeling someone is always there, over your shoulder, but not in a bad way. It's knowing someone understands because they are literally inside of my head. If I have trouble voicing how I feel, what I want....he just knows...." Stefan smiles a little.

"You're good for him" Stefan offers. "I see that, I think everyone does." Cassandra snorts a little.

"It's great that you're being supportive, now, I know you were unsure in the beginning but..." She knows he's still worried about her being in a relationship with Damon, but he understands that it is her choice, and he supports that, which is more than can be said about Elena. "Elena is a different story though"

"I don't know what that's about" Stefan offers.

"I do" She argues. "I'm a mind reader and an empath. I know exactly how she feels about him" She offers as she stands from her bed. "I would be worried but I also know how Damon feels about me" Stefan frowns at her, she gives him a look back. "I know she loves you" She adds. "But she's kinda got a thing for Damon too, it's why she's so bothered I'm dating him, cause she's jealous.....cause she likes him," He gives her a look and she just gives him one back, because she could have seen that without being a mind reader. Elena appears in the doorway behind Stefan.

"What are you talking about?" Elena asks.

"Just this thing with Matt" Cassandra answers as she grabs her jacket. "I was just telling Stefan that I'll keep my radar on, see if I can't find him" She and Stefan share a look.

"Thanks," He tells her. She hums a little. John then walks in, Cassandra gives him a glare for just walking into her bedroom. It's small enough as it is without his huge head filling the space.

"Can you come downstairs, please? I need to talk to you" He tells them.

"We have nothing to say to you" Elena argues.

"Please. It's important. You, too, Stefan" He then leaves. Elena, Stefan and Cassandra share a confused look.

.........

Cassandra bounces down the stairs, Stefan and Elena following behind her. If this is all the joy Cassandra is going to get today, then bouncing down the stairs is it. She in no way wants to talk with John in any capacity. She wants to punch him again. John is waiting in the living room for them as they join him. Just as they do Isobel comes out of the kitchen.

"I asked John for a do-over" Isobel comments.

"You invited her in?" Cassandra snaps at John.

"She has information about Klaus. Please, just listen to her, okay?" John pleads with her. Elena looks at Stefan who shrugs back at her.

"Alright" He states, looking at Isobel. "What do you know?" John and Isobel share a look.

"Since I was last here, I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus." Isobel offers. "We knew our best chance was to find him before he could find you"

"Best chance at what?" Stefan asks.

"Keeping the twins alive."

"You don't get to talk, okay, not after everything you've done" Cassandra scolds John when he dares to open his mouth.

"Were you able to find Klaus?" Stefan continues.

"No. Nobody knows where he is but there are these rumours that are flying around. That the doppelgängers exist"

"Which means any vampire that wants to get in favour with Klaus will be lining up to capture you two" John adds.

"I'm not buying any of this" Elena admits. Cassandra hums in agreement and then looks at Isobel.

"The last time that you were here, you made it clear that you didn't give a damn about us. Now all of a sudden we're supposed to believe that you want to help?" Cassandra asks her.

"Isobel's been helping all along" John offers. "Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take was any one of those 1864 tomb vampires to spread the word around that Katherine was still alive and it would bring him straight here to Mystic Falls, where you were bound to be discovered, so we killed them"

"And almost killed Stefan and Damon in the process" Cassandra adds. Isobel gets up and moves towards Elena and Cassandra.

"I have a safe house that I can take you to. The deed is in your names. No vampires can get in without your permission, not even me. Let me help you"

"We don't need your help" Cassandra argues. "As for Klaus, we already know he knows where we are. We already have someone helping us" Cassandra then goes to leave.

"You mean Ally?" Isobel asks, Cassandra turns to her. "I wouldn't expect that to work out"

"I'd rather put my faith in her, than you" Cassandra counters. "And we know she'll betray us. I think that says everything that I need to about how I feel about you" She motions between Isobel and John. "You need to take your shit and leave town. We don't need you...and we sure as hell don't want you here" Elena nods in agreement.