(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Nineteen

Cassandra is steady on her feet by the time she reaches the bottom of the stairs, joining Elena who smiles at her sister, Cassandra smiling back. Jenna is pulling on her jacket in the kitchen behind them, all of them ready to go now. All of them pretty darn fancy in their dresses.

"You look nice," Cassandra tells Elena who smiles and swishes the bottom of her dress.

"So do you" Elena counters, whilst the black is a new addition to Cassandra's wardrobe, she does kind of suit the darker colours, she always has. Red is best. But she still looks good in others. "I'm sorry you have to go alone, Cas" Elena offers.

"Oh, I'm not going alone" Cassandra corrects. "I urm...I'm going with Damon" Elena frowns at her. "Hey, you ditched me" Cassandra reminds her. "Bonnie is going with Caroline, I didn't want to go alone....he offered"

"So you two are dating now?" Elena asks, confused.

"No" Cassandra stops her. "We're just...sort of friends...." Elena gives her a look. "Look, we get coffee and play hanged man" She answers. "And talk about stuff...."

"What sort of stuff?" Elena asks, Cassandra bites her lip and shrugs, debating telling her about some of the things that Damon has told her about Stefan. She's worried about her sister, especially if that's the sort of man she is going out with. "What?" Elena asks again, seeing more in her sister's expression. "What stuff, Cas?"

"What if I tell you in the morning? I don't want to ruin the night." Cassandra offers trying to flee from Elena.

"Cassie, out with it," Elena warns, Cassandra groans and turns to her.

"Apparently Stefan has a very interesting back story" She admits.

"Uh-huh." Elena offers, raising an eyebrow. Cassandra adjusts her shawl and sighs.

"Do you know what happened with his ex-girlfriend Katherine?"

"I know that they both dated her and that's why they have issues." Elena answers.

"Yeah, they both dated her, only she chose Damon. And that drove Stefan mad, so he did horrible things to try and break them up. He manipulated Katherine. He filled her head with all these lies until finally, it worked, and she turned against Damon" Cassandra explains.

"That sounds like one person's side of the story, meaning Damon's" Elena argues.

"I'm just saying..." Cassandra starts.

"Anyway, his past relationships are none of my business...or yours" Elena scolds her.

"Unless he's a calculating, manipulative liar. That is your business" Cassandra corrects.

"Stefan is none of those things" Elena defends, Cassandra raises an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah?" She asks. "How the hell do you know?" The two of them share a look, doubt flickering in Elena's eyes. She turns away from her sister and looks down, frowning. Cassandra's right. She knows she is. She barely knows Stefan.

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

It always hits her. How big the Lockwood house is, considering. There are literally only three people living in it. Three. It's built for a lot more. Much of her teenage years have been spent in this house. She purses her lips a little, she didn't realise how annoyed being here would make her. Damon is now at her side. Having met her when she had climbed out of Jenna's car. They just decided to take one vehicle rather than three. It's a little awkward considering their last encounter. She's still a little flustered. She didn't expect it to hit her that way. She's only ever kissed one person. Tyler. He was her first. For everything. She's never experienced anything else. Maybe she should. Maybe she should take Damon up on his offer. Maybe it would work for them. Being in an actual relationship clearly didn't work out. Maybe something less constraining would go better. Damon's fingers brush over her spine under her shawl and she is trying so very hard to not give him the satisfaction of knowing he's getting to her. Damon knows. Of course, he does. He can hear her heartbeat. He glances back through the line and meets Stefan's eyes. His brother glaring at him, Damon just smirks back and curls his arm tight around Cassandra with a wink sent to Stefan. The line then moves. Damon turning his attention forward as they approach Carol Lockwood at the door.

"Cassandra" Carol greets happily, but everyone can hear the sliver of a tone to her voice. Carol was a huge fan of Tyler and Cassandra together. Two founding families kids together. They were all very supportive and excited. "You look beautiful, my dear" Carol offers warmly, despite the breakup, Carol still likes Cassandra, she always made a good impression. Always well behaved. Polite.

"Thank you, Mrs Lockwood." Cassandra offers, just that, politely. "This is my....friend Damon" She introduces.

"Oh, well, come on in," Carol tells them both.

"Lovely to meet you. I've been looking forward to this party for quite a while" Damon tells her.

"Well, enjoy" Damon and Cassandra go to step into the house but Cassandra stops and turns back to Carol.

"Oh, urm...you should know that I spotted Tyler trying to sneak his date in around the back," Cassandra tells Carol. Carol frowns at her. "Vicki Donovan....she's, well, she's got a bit of reputation, just like her mother that one...." Damon glances at Cassandra, a little surprised, that was a very manipulative, spiteful and vengeful move. "Maybe a little worse...I mean...she did sleep with Jeremy...who's, you know, fourteen..." Carol's jaw clenches with annoyance. Cassandra and Damon then walk away from her. Cassandra knows the seed has been sown there. Vicki does not get to get away with what she did. And telling the Mayor's wife is a sure-fire way for it not to get swept away. Damon places his hand on her small of her back and smirks.

"Let's get a drink" He offers.