(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Cassandra has a box of her family memorabilia on the kitchen counter, it's some of the stuff she found in the bottom of her parents' wardrobe. She has some vague memory of dusty old books lying around but can she for the life of her remember just what those dusty books are. She sighs and blows her hair from her eyes so she can rummage through the box. Elena walks into the kitchen with Stefan.

"What are you doing?" Elena asks as she notes her sister and the box.

"Looking for something" Cassandra answers as she takes a few things out of the box and sets them on the side. Elena raises an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm not going to tell you" Cassandra adds. "That seems to be a new thing we're doing"

"What are you talking about?" Elena asks as she shares a confused look with Stefan.

"Damon asks me to find that dumb Gilbert journal thing....he also told me that you guys agreed to help him....thanks for letting me know" Elena looks down a little. "He seems to trust me a hell of a lot more than you two do, that I do know" Cassandra comments and goes back to the box.

"Cas" Elena starts, Cassandra gives her a look.

"It's been two days since the decade dance, two days since you, Stefan, agreed to help him, I am assuming you told Elena right away....and yet no one told me..." She looks up and shrugs. "So...now I am helping Damon" She adds and then empties the rest of the box onto the countertop. "Now can I help either of you with anything not related to the tomb?" She asks them. Stefan and Elena share a look. "Please don't forget that I am a mind reader and if you continue to share looks when you think I can't see them, I will invade your brains and find out just what you both are hiding" Elena looks down.

"You are in a bad mood today" Elena points out, Cassandra nods in agreement, because she is. She's wound up. On edge.

"I didn't sleep very well...and I woke up to find an annoyingly attractive vampire in my bed" She looks at them. "And to find that my sister is keeping things from me"

"You kept your powers a secret" Elena reminds her.

"That was a personal....private crisis" Cassandra argues. "This isn't..." She lets out a breath. "This is about what Damon wants" She offers. "If he gets what he wants, then maybe he won't kill anyone else" Stefan softens a little. She's not without morality or intelligence, she knows that helping Damon is the smart thing to stay alive, and to keep those around her alive. She may consider Damon her friend, but she's not stupid enough to underestimate what that means.

"There are other ways to get what you want" Stefan argues. "You don't have to kill people. Damon has no regard for human life. He enjoys inflicting pain on others"
"So what do you think will happen if the tomb gets opened and Damon gets Katherine back?" Cassandra asks as she goes through the items.

"I think that no matter what Damon promises, a lot of people will die" Stefan admits, Elena exhales loudly as Cassandra picks up a photo from the box. Stefan moves closer to her, examining the photo in her hand. "That's Johnathan Gilbert." Elena looks down at something on the countertop, puzzled.

"What's this?" Elena opens up a wooden box. What appears to be a muzzle is contained within it. Stefan looks as if he recognizes the device, but doesn't explain as Jeremy enters the room shortly after.

"What are you guys doing?" Jeremy asks them.

"Hey. Just going through some stuff, feeling sentimental. Dad had this old family journal from years ago. I thought I'd dig it up" Cassandra answers, offhandedly, without even thinking about it, Elena stares at her sister, she had no idea Cassandra could lie that well. Jeremy sits down on the kitchen counter.

"Johnathan Gilbert's journal?" Jeremy counters, Cassandra cocks her head as Elena looks at him.

"Yeah, what do you know about it?" Elena asks.

"I just did a history report on it" Jeremy answers as he goes through some of the things.

"Oh. So where is it now?" Cassandra counters.

"I gave it to Mr Saltzman. He wanted to see it" Jeremy admits as he flicks through an empty journal before setting it back. Cassandra glances out the window thoughtful as Elena and Stefan exchange looks behind her.

.........

Later; Damon is slicing a tomato in the Gilbert kitchen, his eyes glancing at Cassandra as she picks away at carrot sticks from a bowl, swinging her legs under her stool. He talks with Jenna, who is sitting on a counter next to Cassandra with a glass of wine in hand.

"My father never approved of anyone I dated, which only made me want them more," Damon tells Jenna and then smirks at Cassandra. "Of course" They share a look and she shakes her head. "What about you?" He asks Jenna.

"There were a few guys. Logan isn't the only loser I've dated" Jenna answers.

"They ever find him? Or is he still missing?"

Jenna: He's not missing. He's in the Bahamas working on his tan. Very entitled, that one. Marches to his own drum. [Jenna drains the remainder of her wine.] He's a Fell. They're all snooty" Jenna adds. Damon chuckles and walks over to Jenna, pouring more wine into her glass. She raises her glass to him and Damon turns back around to continue cooking.

"Hello, Elena" Damon frees without turning around. Jenna turns around right when Elena enters the kitchen. She is shocked to see Damon there. Elena looks at Cassandra who raises an eyebrow at her. Elena shakes her head knowing that Cassandra called Damon here.

"Hey. Where have you been?" Jenna asks. "We're cooking dinner"

"Is Stefan with you?" Damon asks.

"Um - he'll be here soon." Elena leans against the counter which Jenna and Cassandra are sitting on and watches Damon with distaste.

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

Damon places something at the dinner table and heads back to the kitchen where Elena is setting dinnerware onto the counter, her eyes track Damon as Cassandra walks towards him, carrying plates towards the table and Damon deliberately bumps into her, almost sending her tumbling with the plates.

"Whoa. Mmm," He teases, Cassandra bites her lip to stop her from smirking, she shakes her head as she continues on past Damon to place the plates at the table.

"Don't do that." She tells him.

"Do what?" He asks her with an air of utter innocence.

"You know damn well what. That move was deliberate" She scolds him, but there is nothing serious in her accusation.

"Well, yeah, I was deliberately trying to get to the sink" He counters with a smirk, Cassandra looks back at Damon and scoffs. Damon, now at the stove, stirs a boiling pot of water. "Speaking of Stefan, where is he? He's missing family night, which I am enjoying immensely" Damon comments as Cassandra walks back into the kitchen to gather more dinnerware. Damon pauses briefly before changing the topic, he looks at Elena who opens a drawer. "Is it real?" Damon asks.

"Is what real?" Elena counters as she collects some napkins from a drawer.

"This renewed sense of brotherhood" Damon takes the spoon out of the pot and tastes the sauce. "Can I trust him?" Damon asks.

"Yes, you can trust him" Elena answers and then walks to the table to place the napkins. Damon vamp-speeds over to her. Elena turns around and looks up at him.

"Can I trust him?" Damon asks her again.

"I'm wearing vervain, Damon. It's not going to work" She argues.

"I'm not compelling you. I just want you to answer me. Honestly" Damon counters.

"Of course you can" Elena assures and then moves around Damon and back into the kitchen. Damon glances at Cassandra who frowns at Elena. And that kind of gives him everything he needs to know.