(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Cassandra sits at the bar with her drink, at the end, away from everyone. She's no longer in a party mood. That whole thing with her realising that she's becoming a bitch because she is hanging out with Damon too much, is a knock. She wanted to try new things. But not this. Not a new thing that can turn her current friends against her. She's not a bitch. At least, she didn't think she was. A shadow falls over her and she sighs. Assuming that it is going to be Damon or Elena. It's neither of them. It's Tyler. She rolls her eyes and attempts to ignore him. She's not in the mood to deal with him.

"What do you want?" Cassandra asks him as he sits on the stool at her side.

"Look" He starts. "I know things....didn't really work out" She snorts a little because no shit it didn't work out. "And I am sorry for what I did" She raises an eyebrow at him. "I just...do you think you might ever forgive me?" She stares at him a little, blinks and then laughs. "Cassie..." He starts to scold her.

"No" She stops him. "No way in hell" She corrects and turns back to her drink.

"I miss you" He admits, she lets out a breath and turns back to him.

"Did you miss me when you stuck it in Trampy Donovan?" She asks him, raising an eyebrow in question. He looks down. "Didn't think so...." She adds.

"What do you want from me?" He asks her. "What will it take?

"I want you to leave me alone," She tells him. "I want you to go away...far away, for a very long time.....take a running leap, preferably"

"How many times does she have to tell you?" Elena asks behind them, but Tyler keeps his eyes on Cassandra. He gives her a look and she shakes her head.

"Go away, Tyler," She tells him. Tyler glances between the two of them and then walks away.

"Don't let him get to you, Cassie" Elena offers her sister who nods in agreement.

"Yeah, I'm trying" Cassandra admits and scratches at her arm. Tyler is her past. It would be easy to just fall back into that. Despite everything. Vicki is dead now, she can't get in the way. But she still hates him. Hates what he did to her. But she also wishes it was that easy again. No vampires. No powers. No dead parents. Just blessed ignorance. "Thought you weren't going to come" Cassandra points out, Elena nods and takes the seat where Tyler had been.

"Maybe my twin sense was tingling" She teases softly, Cassandra looks at her. "I thought you were excited for this...."

"I was" Cassandra agrees.

"So why are you sulking in the corner? Was it Tyler?" Elena asks her. "Did he say something before I got here?"

"No" Cassandra whispers. "I just...thought wrong about this party. I thought I could go back to being who I was before...Before..." She holds up her hand and wiggles her fingers. Elena nods a little, understanding what she is saying. "But this isn't me anymore and I don't know, trying just makes me feel like I'm being a raging bitch to everyone"

"Well," Elena draws out and Cassandra shoots her a look. "To Bonnie, at least..."

"I don't even know what that's about" Cassandra admits with a shrug. "It's just some stupid crystal...that I honestly don't care about" She sighs and looks around the Grill. "You know what?"

"What?" Elena asks.

"I think I'm just going to go home" Cassandra offers and stands from the stool. "After I've seen Stefan, given that it is his birthday and all....be rude not to" She heads away, Elena jumping up and following after her as she heads towards where Stefan stands with a woman, clearly friends, but Cassandra doesn't care to know who or what or why or whatever. "Stefan" Cassandra greets, he nods and gives her a small smile.

"Cassandra" Things are still tense between them, and she doesn't think that is going to change any time soon. Stefan looks at the woman at his side and then motions to Cassandra. "Lexi, this is Cassandra, Elena's sister" Cassandra waves her fingers at Lexi who smiles back. But there is a tenseness to it as well.

"So happy birthday and all that" Cassandra tells Stefan who smiles at her. "What's this one? A million?"

"No....162" Stefan corrects.

"Oh so much better" Cassandra comments and folds her arms over her chest.

"You know that Damon is older than me, right?" Stefan asks her.

"Yeah, but, you know, his mental age is about a million years behind you" Cassandra comments, Stefan smirks a little and nods. "And this is about as much nice talk I can do with you" She offers. "So see you later" She turns to Elena. "See you at home" She then walks away. Elena looks at Stefan and shrugs.

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

Cassandra pulls off her headphones and looks at Elena who groans into the bed beneath her. She's face down and complaining but Cassandra can't hear her. Cassandra prods Elena with her foot. Something clearly happened after she left the Grill, and nothing good if this is the mood Elena is in.

"I can't hear you" She points out. Elena lifts her head and then turns onto her back.

"Damon killed Lexi," Elena tells her. "Stefan's really upset. Told me to stay away from him"

"Smart" Cassandra comments as she sets her headphones down and moves to her DVD collection. "I mean....given how many people have died since they arrived in town....." She shrugs and picks up a boxset. "How long till it's you...or me....or Jeremy...?" She looks at Elena who watches her fingers in her lap. "Look, I know how much you like him, but...maybe it's for the best" She sets a DVD in the player and closes the little drawer before she turns on the television. "We've read the books. Seen the movies. We know how this ends...." Elena glances at her sister. "We already buried our parents this year, let's try not to add anyone else to that...Think of this as an opportunity to explore your options. The non-life-threatening options"