(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Seventy

Cassandra stirs at her soft drink, listening as Carol Lockwood introduces each of the bachelors on stage, she's not sure she enjoys these events any more. It was her mother's thing. She enjoyed it because she was with her. Now she's not here, she just doesn't see the appeal of them.

"And what do you do, Bachelor Number 3?" Carol asks from the little stage set up for the event.

"Yeah, I'm a plumber." He answers.

"Well, isn't that wonderful? We could always use more plumbers" Carol offers and then moves along the line of bachelors. "Moving on. Number 4, 'Alaric Saltzman'. Wow. That's quite a mouthful. What do you do, Alaric?"

"I'm a teacher at Mystic Falls High" Alaric answers.

"Oh, beauty and brains, ladies. This one's a keeper. What do you teach?"

"History."

"History. Oh, well, give us a fun fact about Mystic Falls, something crazy" Carol asks of him. Alaric looks over at Damon. Damon places his hand up to his ear, sarcastically anticipating a response.

"Uh, well..." Carol pulls the microphone away.

"He's probably saving the best stories for his date" Carol moves down the line. "And last, but not least, Damon Salvatore. We don't have much on you" Stefan stops in the middle of the room and looks at Elena. Elena smiles at him and waves from a table she is sharing with Cassandra and Jenna. Stefan smiles back and waves, then looks back at the stage.

"Well, I'm tough to fit on a card." Damon points out with a smirk, he glances at Cassandra as she picks up her drink. He catches her eyes and winks, she raises an eyebrow and sticks her tongue out at him before taking a drink.

"Do you have any hobbies, like to travel?" Carol asks him.

"Oh, yeah. L.A., New York. Couple of years ago, I was in North Carolina. Near the Duke campus, actually. I think—I think Alaric went to school there. Didn't you, Ric?" Damon turns to look at Alaric, who does the same. "Yeah, 'cause I-- I know your wife did." Stefan becomes alert and looks over at Elena and Cassandra. Cassandra cocks her head. Elena's face starts to falter. Stefan makes his way over to them. "I had a drink with her once. She was—she was a great girl. I ever tell you that? Cause she was -- Delicious. Mmm! Mmm mmm mmm." Cassandra's mouth hangs open. Her eyes filled with tears as she stares at Damon. Jenna looks over at her.

"Are you okay?" Jenna asks her, Cassandra nods.

"I just need some air" Cassandra stands, knocking her chair back. Elena reaches for her but Cassandra just weaves through the Grill. Elena moves to Stefan, her own tears threatening to fall. Stefan touches her back.

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

Outside, Cassandra paces around. Stefan exits the Grill with Elena, he hangs back letting Elena approach her. Cassandra wraps an arm around herself and doubles over. It's like a gut punch. She knows his ledger isn't clean. But it feels different this time. She crouches and curls into her self letting out a pitiful frustrated pained noise. Elena crouches at her side and wraps her arms around Cassandra. Elena looks at Stefan. This is what he was afraid of. He knew. He knew Damon would do something to upset her.

"He killed her? Damon was the vampire that killed her?" Elena asks Stefan.

"I don't know what happened. Alaric said that they never found the body" Stefan answers. Elena sets her head against the side of Cassandra's.

"Oh, my god. Stefan." Elena whispers.

"I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you both. But I just—I wanted to know more" Stefan admits. Cassandra lifts her head.

"I'm so stupid" She comments, Elena shakes her head. "I was feeling sorry for him" Cassandra mumbles. "I actually...." She closes her eyes and shakes her head.

"He doesn't know about the connection to you. I thought about confronting him, but he's already so on edge" Stefan adds.

"Why are you protecting him?" Elena argues, holding Cassandra closer to her.

"Because..." Cassandra starts. "He's his brother" Elena looks at her, Cassandra sighs. "It's what family does" Elena softens a little but shakes her head slightly as she and Stefan look at each other. Elena looks over Stefan's shoulder and back up at him, but does a double-take when she recognizes the man from earlier down the street. "That man" Cassandra mumbles, Elena glances at her sister and then follows her line of sight to find what she is looking at.

"Stefan" Elena starts, Stefan turns around and looks at the man, who watches them. "We saw that man outside of Trudie's." Stefan moves closer to them and helps them both back up to their feet.

"Get back inside. Come on." Stefan gently pushes the twins back towards the Grill and follows them soon thereafter.

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

Cassandra and Elena both walk back through the Grill, heading back to their table. Both girls are still upset and shocked. As they continue walking and not paying attention to where she's going, Elena runs right into Damon.

"Whoa. Easy there. Buy a ticket like everyone else" Damon teases the two of them.

"Did you enjoy that? Rubbing it into Alaric Saltzman?" Elena asks.

"Elena" Cassandra scolds a little, because this is not the place to do this. She doesn't want to do this surrounded by the entire town.

"What?" Damon asks.

"Just as I was starting to think that there was something redeemable about you" Elena comments. Stefan walks up to the three of them.

"Elena" Stefan warns, shaking his head at Elena. Damon looks from Stefan to Elena.

"Am I missing something here?" Damon asks and looks at Cassandra for help. She clears her throat but keeps her eyes away from him.

"Did I forget to mention earlier when we were talking about my birth mother? The one that gave me up?" He hums a little. "Her name was Isobel" She whispers. Damon's face falters.

"Go ahead. Reminisce about how you killed her" Elena snaps at him and then rams into Damon's shoulder as she walks past him. Stefan and Damon exchange looks and Stefan leaves to follow Elena.

"Cas" Damon whispers and reaches for her arm. She pulls herself away from him and shakes her head, her lip quivering. She gives him a look as she backs away, then turns and walks away from him. Damon closes his eyes and sighs.