(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Fifty-Six

Cassandra is stood on the dance floor, looking around for Elena, but she can't see her anywhere. She should have stopped the second Elena let go of her hand but she thought she was right behind her. She thought nothing of it. Damon touches her waist and she spins on him, alarmed.

"What's wrong?" He asks with a frown, his arm curling around her waist.

"I lost Elena" She mumbles and turns back to look around the crowd. "He's here...He's here and she's gone and I can't find her...."

"It's okay, we'll find her" He whispers softly and she shifts closer to him for comfort. His eyes soften as he looks down at her. Stefan reaches them and looks around.

"Where is she?" Stefan asks Cassandra.

"She slipped off" Cassandra argues and then snorts. "Give me a second" She adds, Stefan goes to ask her what she means but stops when she closes her eyes and holds her hands over one another, a red ball of energy appearing as she searches through the minds at the school. Damon and Stefan shift closer, blocking her from the sight of everyone else, who could easily just look over and see her using her powers. She tilts her head but there are so many voices. So many people here. Her eyes move behind her eyelids as she scans. One mind. Then another. Seeking out either Elena or Noah.

"Stop" Stefan scolds her as he grabs her arm, she opens her eyes to look at him with a frown. "Your nose" He points out. Cassandra reaches up and touches her upper lip to find it sticky with blood. "You have to stop" Stefan adds. "You're going to hurt yourself"

"So?" She snaps at him, he leans back a little. "This is for Elena....Don't interrupt me again" She scolds him and closes her eyes again, Damon smirks and nods, a little proud of her for standing up for herself against Stefan. Stefan gives Damon a look, hoping she'll listen to him instead.

"You heard her" Damon counters. This is Cassandra's choice. And her sister. Damon knows nothing is going to talk her out of helping the only way she knows how, the only way she can, with her powers.

...........

Elena attempts to bolt but Noah grabs her by her hair and Elena screams and struggles to get away. Noah pulls her in towards him then throws her across a table. Elena lands hard on the floor. Noah tosses the table aside and strides towards Elena. Elena frantically grabs at a pencil on the floor and sits up. Noah grabs Elena from off the floor and pushes her against the wall. He extends his fangs and prepares to bite her, but Elena stabs him in the stomach with the pencil. Noah, unprepared for this, takes the pencil out of his stomach and starts towards Elena again. Elena prepares to attack again and Noah raises his hand to defend himself, but Elena's pencil weapon goes straight through the palm of his hand. Noah looks down at his hand and while he's distracted, Elena stabs him with another pencil and pushes Noah to the floor. As Noah struggles to get up, Elena walks backwards and bumps into a mop bucket. She turns around and grabs the mop from the bucket and uses her knee to break the handle in two to create a stake. Noah rips the pencil out of his hand and gets up. As he advances towards Elena, she thrusts the stake towards him, but he is too quick and grabs her wrist. Noah takes the stake out of her hand and tosses it aside. He then goes in to bite her neck. Elena screams, but before Noah can bite her, Cassandra's red energy wraps around him and she rips him away from Elena and tosses him to the ground. Stefan rushes to Elena's side, pushing her behind him slightly. Noah gets up from the floor.

"Hey, dickhead" Damon shouts to get his attention. Noah looks back at Damon, who has a stake in his hand, stood next to Cassandra who has her hands held out ready to hit him again. "Nobody wants to kill you" Damon adds, Cassandra snorts in disagreement. "We just wanna talk" Noah smiles and rushes back towards Elena. Damon throws the stake to Stefan, who grabs it and stakes Noah in the stomach. Noah grunts and falls to his knees. Damon and Cassandra walk over towards Elena and Stefan so they can interrogate Noah.

"Now you feel like talkin'?" Stefan asks.

"Screw you" Stefan digs the stake in deeper. Noah groans in pain.

"Wrong answer. Why are you doing this?" Stefan demands.

"Because it's fun" Noah answers. Stefan digs the stake in a little bit more.

"What do you want with Elena and Cassandra?" Stefan asks.

"They look like Katherine and Ally" Noah admits. Cassandra, Stefan, Elena, and Damon all look shocked.

"You knew Katherine and Ally?" Damon asks, surprised.

"Oh. You thought you were the only ones" Noah laughs and gasps. "You don't even remember me." Damon leans over towards Noah.

"Tell me how to get in the tomb. Hmm?" Damon asks of him.

"No" Stefan leans back down and drives the stake in deeper. "The grimoire," Noah admits.

"Where is it?" Damon asks, but when Noah says nothing Stefan drives the stake in deeper. Noah gasps.

"Check the journal. The journal. Johnathan's journal. Johnathan Gilbert's" Noah gasps out, quickly, trying to breathe through the stake that has probably nicked his lungs.

"Someone else" Cassandra points out, her head tilted, eyes glowing red. "He's working with someone else...." She narrows her eyes. "Here..." She draws off as she turns and looks out the cafeteria window but sees nothing.

"Who else is working with you?" Stefan asks Noah but he says nothing in answer.

"Who else is there?" Damon snaps instead.

"No. You're gonna have to kill me" Noah tells them. Damon looks at Stefan, rolls his eyes, and nods. Stefan removes the stake from Noah's stomach. Stefan waits for a moment then stakes Noah in the heart. Elena gasps in shock. Noah falls to the floor and begins to desiccate.

"What do we...how are you gonna find the others now?" Elena asks, scolding them.

"He had to die" Damon counters.

"But...."

"Elena, he's been invited in" Stefan points out, Elena sinks a little knowing that he is right. They hear a door open and see Alaric coming through one of the door's windows. Stefan looks at Damon. "Go. I got this" Stefan assures Damon. Damon walks out of the cafeteria. Stefan wraps his arm around Elena, comforting her. He looks across at Cassandra who folds her arms over her chest, keeping her eyes away from the two of them, she just has to comfort herself.

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

Stefan and Damon are leaning against a doorway, facing each other, in a corridor, as they talk about the night's events.

"There's no way that idiot was workin' alone, you heard Cas" Stefan hums and nods.

"So the grimoire...That was Emily's, right? That's what you need to reverse the spell. When the founding families burned her, they took her things, and you were hoping that dad's journal would tell you where it is"

"Look at you puttin' the pieces together. Good for you. I was half-right. Well, it's out there now. Let the games begin" Damon mocks and teases in the same breath.

"My offer still stands" Stefan assures him.

"Yeah, with some hidden caveats, no doubt"

"No. Nothing hidden about it. No lies. No deception. I'm there when you open up that tomb, you and Katherine go, and the other 26 vampires die"

"If I agree?"

"I'll help you" Stefan answers, Damon raises an eyebrow at him.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm your brother"

"No, that's not gonna cut it" Damon argues.

"Because I want you gone" Damon pauses for a moment, thinking if this is an acceptable reason to trust Stefan. Then he nods.

"Okay," Stefan nods, sealing the terms to their agreement.