(3) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Fourteen

After their little blowout, Elena is at least smart enough to give Cassandra her space to cook in peace, without having to deal with the negative energy she brings to the room, brings to Cassandra. Right now, she just needs space from her. To work through how she feels about her right now. That Elena left her alone, maybe that means that she is starting to get through to Elena. Maybe it is starting to get into her thick skull that Cassandra isn't ready to play chums with her after everything. She's not even ready to talk to her. Especially if that's the way Elena is going to be talking to her. Damon leans against the kitchen counter watching Cassandra as she finishes preparing the chilli.

"You know" He starts. "I am just as angry as you are about what happened" Damon comments. "But what was that?" Cassandra frowns at him.

"What was what?" She counters, unsure what he is talking about.

"That....rage I felt from you when talking to your sister. You've never been that angry before....not whilst we've had this..." He motions to his head.

"I'm allowed to be angry, Damon" She argues. "I died...I died and now..." She shakes her head and stops. She doesn't really want to talk about it. She's not ready to talk about any of what she is feeling. What she went through. She doesn't want to talk about it.

"Now what?" He asks her, touches her arm. "Now what?" He repeats when she doesn't say anything. She swallows a little and lets out a breath.

"Now it's all I feel" She answers quietly. "All the damn time" She admits. "Like it's choking me" She motions to her neck. "It's fine when we're alone....but the second we get out of bed....it floods me. How angry I am. I feel betrayed and hurt and...."

"And you are allowed to feel those things" Damon stops her. "But you gotta start working through them, honey, I don't want to see you become....." He stops and realises who she would become if she lets that anger and hatred get the better of her. There is an irony in this actually.

"Become what?" She asks him.

"Me" He admits. "Become me" He whispers. "That angry, hateful person" He brushes a tear from her cheek. "Not you. I'm not going to let it be you" he pokes her nose softly. "So we need to find a way for you to outlet that anger...."

"Kicking Klaus' ass helped" She points out with a smirk, he smiles back at her.

"I bet it did" He cups her cheek. "Looked great too" He leans closer to her. "Sexy"

"Hmmm yeah?" She coos and pulls him closer to her. He kisses her, pushing her back against the counter.

"Yeah" He whispers in agreement. His cell phone rings in his pocket and he groans, leaning back from her. He pulls his phone out of his pocket, finding Liz Forbes' name flashing on the screen. He lets out a breath.

"Go," She tells him. "I'll be fine" He hums a little, doubtful about that. "If she's calling, then she needs you..." She points out. He kisses her head and then moves off to answer the phone. She knows that he'll go. Liz is his friend, sort of, it's complex, reluctant allies might be the better description.

........

Later; Someone rings the bell and Elena answers the door to find Caroline on the other side, all smiles and sunshine, holding a bowl of food in her hands. Caroline smiles wider at her in greeting.

"I come bearing gifts!" Caroline announces with cheer. Elena isn't really in the mood for this Caroline, this bubbly Caroline.

"Please say that's not chilli..." Elena points out, Caroline shrugs a little and then she steps aside. Bonnie appears and comes in. "Bonnie!"

"I'm back!" They embrace each other before Bonnie pulls back. "I leave town for the summer and everything goes to hell for the both of you" Caroline and Elena look at each other. Jeremy comes down the stairs and then pauses as he spots Bonnie.

"Bonnie!" He shouts, elated to see her here and back in town after the summer away.

"Jeremy" She rushes over to him and they kiss and embrace each other. He looks over Bonnie's shoulder and sees Anna looking at him in the mirror on the wall. Bonnie then pulls back. "Where's Cas?" She asks them.

"Kitchen" Elena offers, motioning over her shoulder. "She's still....mad at me"

"Yeah, well, I get it" Caroline offers with a shrug. "You know, after everything, and...you did get her killed" Elena shoots Caroline a look.

"And...keep blaming her for what happened with Stefan" Jeremy adds.

"And you have a thing for Damon" Bonnie adds, Caroline raises an eyebrow.

"Seriously?" Caroline asks, Bonnie nods, Caroline looks at Elena. "You have a thing for your sister's boyfriend? That's...."

"That's not what it is" Elena argues.

"Isn't it? Because even I've noticed...." Jeremy asks, Elena gives him a look back. "Just saying" He mumbles and shares a look with Bonnie. He hates that his sisters are odd, but he gets why Cassandra is so upset. He is too. Because Elena going off the plan, is why he ended up getting shot and dying. Bonnie lost her connection to the spirits. He knows that a lot of things that happened, happened because of Elena, they all know this, except for Elena, apparently.

..........

Cassandra waves her fingers at Bonnie and Caroline when they enter the kitchen. She's glad that Bonnie is back. She's really missed her being around. The only other person that understands. The only one that has her back in her mind. She's missed having her friends around her. Especially with everything going on with Elena. Damon is great, but sometimes, all Cassandra needs are her girlfriends around her.