(3) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

At a bar, Damon and Stefan are sat together, empty glasses covering the bar top. Damon glances at the bartender and then holds up two fingers to order more drinks. He's hoping he and Cassandra can pull this off. Dual attack. Rebekah and Stefan.

"Two more"

"Alright" Stefan turns to Damon. "Tell me what's up. What's the point of the jailbreak, hm?"

"I thought you could use a hug, Stefan" Damon teases.

"Come on, Damon. You know Elena is gonna hate that you let me out" Stefan points out. "So...this little coup....it's Cas' idea"

"She is the brains" Damon offers, Stefan hums a little. "Maybe I wanted to remind you what freedom was like, before Klaus took it from you."

"As long as Klaus is alive, I do what he says"

"That's my point, Stefan. You've given up! Now you could sit around and be his little bitch, or you get mad enough and you can do something about it"

"Damon, he can't be killed" Stefan reminds him.

"Maybe I can help with that" Mikael walks up behind them. Damon and Stefan turn to face him. "The Salvatore boys, I presume?"

"Mikael" Stefan greets.

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

Back at the Grill, Cassandra carries two ice cream floats back to the table she is sharing with Rebekah. The blonde is still here and still talking to her, which is a good sign that this is working.

"Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?" Cassandra asks as she sets an ice cream float in front of Rebekah and takes her seat again.

"When Nik made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf gene. With that, he became my father's greatest shame"

"Yeah. Elijah told Elena this part of the story. Your mother had had an affair with one of the werewolf villagers. Klaus wasn't his son"

"She tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side, and then she turned her back on him. But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire, that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home and killed her"

"Mikael killed your mother?" Cassandra asks, amazed that he can get worse. "Wow, that's...." Rebekah nods in agreement.

"He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched. Afterwards, my father took off in a rage, and the rest of my family scattered. Nik stayed, so he could help me bury her. He knew I had to say goodbye to my mother. We stick together as one. Always and forever"

"Always and forever? Even though he locked you in a coffin for ninety years?" Cassandra counters.

"We're vampires" Rebekah defends. "Our emotions are heightened. I'm stubborn, Elijah moral, and Nik...Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him. Over a thousand years as a family we've all made that mistake at least once. I've made it several times"

"But you still love him" Cassandra adds, understanding, considering her relationship with her own siblings, everything comes back and they work it out.

"He's my brother. And I'm immortal. Should I spend an eternity alone instead?" Rebekah asks her, the two of them share a look.

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

Back at the bar with Damon and Stefan, both of them are very unsure about Mikael and what he is doing here. This wasn't part of the plan. He went off. Disappeared. This is adding more problems not less.

"Is Klaus out of the country?" Mikael asks Stefan.

"I can't tell you" Stefan answers.

"Has he spoken to you since he left?"

"I can't tell you" Stefan answers. 

"Alright. Can you tell me the last time you spoke to Niklaus?" Mikael tries a different direction. 

"I'm compelled to do what he says, and he says to keep my damn mouth shut" 

"I really hope this game of twenty questions isn't your secret weapon" Damon complains because this is getting them nowhere.

"You see, Damon..." Mikael puts his hand on Damon's shoulder. "I've been a vampire hunter longer than you've been alive. It's why I found you here. It's why I'm gonna find Niklaus"

"Well, Klaus has been running about for thousand years, so if you think you can get a work around here..." Damon starts but Mikael slams his hand into Damon's chest. Shutting him up. Stefan moves to help but one look from Mikael stops him.

"Careful, Stefan. One move - and his heart's gone" Mikael plunges his hand deeper. "Now, where is Klaus? What's the trick question, Stefan? One twist and he's dead. Unless you don't care of course"

"His emotions have been shut off. He can't care" Damon points out through gasps.

"Really?" Mikael asks. "His link to Klaus is so strong that he will let his own brother die? No ideas, hmm? Think, Stefan! I guess you're right. He's a dead end. And so are you, Damon" Mikael jerks his hand in Damon's chest.

"Wait! I can bring him back. I can lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls." Mikael takes his hand out of Damon's chest and wipes it off with a rag he takes from the counter.

"And there is our loophole. Just had to rile him up a bit. Get Klaus back to Mystic Falls, and I will gladly drive a stake through his heart. Fail, I'll drive it through yours" Mikael warns them. Damon clutches to his chest a little and gasps.

..........

Rebekah leans back in her seat, regarding Cassandra who finishes off her food. She doesn't understand why Cassandra is doing this. Why she is being nice to her. Why she is asking her all these questions when she already knows about Mikael.

"You told Nik about Mikael" Rebekah starts, Cassandra nods.

"We found him in some old cemetery in Charlotte" She admits. "As far as I know...he's awake, but as for where he is now...no idea"

"That was surprisingly honest" Rebekah comments.

"You were honest with me" Cassandra reminds her. "Why wouldn't I give the same back?" Cassandra's phone rings again on the table.

"Loverboy just can't seem to go a day without you" Rebekah teases, Cassandra gives her a smirk before she checks the caller ID.

"It's Elena" She offers, Rebekah raises an eyebrow. "I should take it..." She stands from her seat and moves away from Rebekah. "What?" She answers. Cassandra's eyes widen as Elena rushes through what she, Alaric, and Bonnie have figured out about Klaus and their history. "Send me pictures" Cassandra states down the phone before she hangs up. She heads back towards Rebekah. She can't bring this up here. Too many people.