(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Fifty-One

Damon drops Cassandra off at the Salvatore Boarding House but doesn't stick around. He doesn't think there is much need to when she is only here to talk with Elena about everything. And that's sister business, not Damon business. Inside the house, Cassandra finds Elena and Stefan in the living area, Elena sat on the couch, turning to look at her sister as she walks in.

"Hey" Cassandra greets, but sort of in question as this whole thing feels weird.

"Sit," Elena tells her and pats the couch space next to her. Cassandra is cautious but does as she is told. Elena takes Cassandra's hands and gives her a small smile. Cassandra frowns at this whole creepy thing. And it looks worse because Elena appears to have been crying. A lot. Her eyes all red and puffy and weird. This is all weird.

"What's going on?" She asks and then looks at Stefan who stands close by watching the two of them.

"Do you remember the first time you met Stefan?" Elena asks Cassandra who frowns harder and nods.

"Urm second day of school..." She points out. Stefan gives her a look. "Right?" She asks him, now completely unsure of her answer.

"No" He answers and sits on the coffee table in front of her.

"Then when was it?" She asks him.

"May 23, 2009" He answers, she tilts her head and frowns.

"But that was..."

"That was the day your parents' car went off the bridge."

"You were there?" Cassandra asks him with a deeper frown. None of this is making any sense.

"Every couple of years I come back here, to see Zach and see my home. Last spring, I was out in the woods, by old Wickery Bridge. And I heard the accident. All of it. I was fast getting there, but not fast enough. The car was already submerged. Your dad was still...he was still conscious. I was able to get to him, but he wouldn't let me help him, until I helped you" Cassandra starts to cry, Elena shifting closer to comfort her.

"When I woke up in the hospital, nobody could figure out how I got out of the car," Cassandra admits. "They said it was a miracle"

"I went back for them. But it was too late. I couldn't-- I couldn't save them. When I pulled you out, I looked at your face. You looked just like Ally. I couldn't believe the resemblance. And then when I saw Elena at your parent's funeral" Cassandra looks at Elena.

"Right, because...of Katherine" She whispers, Elena nods in agreement.

"After that, I spent months making sure that you weren't them. I watched you. I learned everything that I could about you. And I saw that you two were nothing like them. And I wanted to leave town, but I couldn't. I couldn't leave without knowing" Stefan looks at Elena who gives him a soft smile. "Elena...." He adds and then looks back at Cassandra. "I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you earlier, that I didn't tell either of you" He offers. "I wanted to. But you were so sad"

"Why do I look like her?" Cassandra asks. "Why do we...look like them?"

"Cassie" Elena whispers in warning. "You've been through so much already" Cassandra shoots her a look to shut up, Elena looks down. Cassandra turns back to Stefan.

"Why?" She asks him. He glances at Elena who nods a little.

"It made no sense" Stefan admits. "I couldn't understand. You came from completely different families. But the resemblance was too similar. And then I learned the truth" Stefan stops and looks down at his hand. "You were adopted" He offers. He's already been through this with Elena. She already knows. She cried and worked through it. But she couldn't predict how Cassandra would react to this.

"How do you know all this?" Cassandra asks as she brushes her sleeve over her face to brush away her tears. 

"Your birth certificates from the city records. It says Elena Gilbert" He motions to Elena. "and Cassandra Gilbert, Mystic Falls General. But there's no record of your mother ever being admitted. There's no record of her ever being pregnant"

"What else do you know?" Cassandra snaps a little. A little angry that he kept this from them. This is their truth. Not his. He had no right to keep it from them.

"For me to go any further, I would've had to look into the Pierce family, and I couldn't do that. It's too much of a risk. If someone found out I was asking about Katherine and Ally..." Cassandra shakes her head. She doesn't want to listen to this. "Listen to me, it doesn't matter" Stefan tries to reassure Cassandra but of course it doesn't help.

"Of course it matters" Cassandra argues. "Our whole life is a lie. This wasn't your truth to keep from us" She scolds Stefan who nods. He knows. "You should have told us" 

..........

Jenna is agitatedly flipping the pages of a magazine on the sofa when Elena walks into the house, Cassandra close behind her, closing the door behind them. Jenna turns around to face them. Annoyed and angry at Cassandra most. Cassandra is the one that lied, Cassandra is the one that crashed her jeep. Cassandra is the one that has been gone for two days.

"I don't set a lot of rules, Cassie. Not with you. I trust you to tell me the truth. Where were you? Why would you lie to me about it? I thought that we were closer than that" Jenna scolds. Cassandra tilts her head and scrunches up her nose.

"Now is not the time you want to talk to me about lies" Cassandra argues.

"Don't do that. Don't turn this back on me. I didn't do anything" Jenna gets up and follows her to the staircase, Elena tries to give Cassandra a look to not do this. Cassandra ignores that look and instead spins on Jenna.

"Okay...Question: are we adopted?" Cassandra asks, Elena grabs her arm, wanting her not to do this whilst she is so upset. "I trust you to tell me the truth too, Jenna. How could you not tell us?" She counters. "I thought we were closer than that" Cassandra repeats Jenna's words back to her with a bite to her tone.

"I didn't...they asked me not to" Jenna admits sadly.

"I don't want to hear it!" Cassandra snaps and then hurries up the stairs. Jenna looks at Elena for help but right now, she's on Cassandra's side. She heads up the stairs, following her sister.

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

Elena sits on Cassandra's bed as Cassandra paces the tiny room. Watching her hands as they flicker with energy. Elena watches her, cautious. Can see her sister is on the verge of something here.

"Cas" Elena whispers. Cassandra throws out her hand and her energy bursts, hitting the wardrobe and sending it to splinters on the ground, her clothing strewn beneath it. Elena jumps and looks at Cassandra alarmed. "You okay?"

"Don't ask stupid questions" Cassandra snaps a little.

"This isn't my fault" Elena defends. "Don't get mad with me" Cassandra closes her eyes and sighs. Elena is right. She's in this as much as Cassandra is.

"Sorry" Cassandra whispers and sits on the edge of her bed before she breaks down into tears. Elena moves closer and wraps her arms around Cassandra, setting her head on her sister's shoulder as she cries herself.