(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Cassandra follows Elena into the Salvatore Boarding house. Elena had wanted to talk with Stefan straight away and well Cassandra hasn't got anyone to talk about this, other than Elena and she's driving. Cassandra doesn't particularly want to talk about it. It's a lot to work through, in her own head, without having to voice it to anyone. Elena glances at Cassandra who waves her off.

"It's okay, I'll be here" Cassandra assures her, Elena nods and heads upstairs in search of Stefan. Cassandra folds her arms over her chest as she waits for her sister to talk with Stefan. There is a noise behind her, she cocks her head. "Stefan?" She asks and turns her head towards the sound.

"Better. Me" Damon walks into the living room, without a shirt on.

"You look, um..." She struggles to find the right word here, probably doesn't know one good enough to describe how he looks right about now.

"Dashing? Gorgeous? Irresistible?" Damon walks across the room, closing the space between him and Cassandra. She pushes him back when he gets uncomfortably close and wrinkles her nose.

"Wrecked. You look wrecked." She settles on, she can smell the whiskey coming out of his pores.

"No reason why" He mumbles. "Do you know that I am one of Mystic Falls' most eligible bachelors?" He asks her, she hums a little and raises an eyebrow. "Yep"

"How are you doing?" She asks him, he nods.

"Never better. Yep," He picks up a shirt from the arm of the couch and pulls it on. He struggles a little with the buttons. "What can I do for you? I'm a barrel of favours today. It's my newfound purpose—how can I help people?"

"I'm just waiting for Elena," She tells him. "She's.." She motions with her fingers that she's upstairs with Stefan. "We're going to the fundraiser" Damon pretends that he is too drunk to button up his shirt, so he tries to get Cassandra to do it for him so she'll be close to him. He turns around, looking at Cassandra hoping she'll come over to him.

"Help a guy out, will you? Can't get this" He tells her, she sighs and walks over to Damon, he smirks a little. She grabs the front of his shirt and begins buttoning it up, his fingers touching her arm as she does.

"So I found out who my birth mother is." She admits.

"Eccch. Who cares?" He counters, she looks at him, hurt. "She left you" He reminds her, his hand finding her cheek. "She sucks" He adds and shrugs. Cassandra and Damon exchange glances for a moment. She looks down and finishes buttoning up his shirt and then pats his chest, he stops her hand, holding it against his chest. "Her loss" He whispers, she lifts her eyes to meet his. "You're great" He motions to himself and raises an eyebrow at her. She chuckles and shakes her head.

"Yeah, you're great too" She assures him, he smirks and leans closer to her as she chuckles. He brushes her hair back from her face. He's missed her. Even if it's only been a few weeks. Just being around her, he feels better. Like it wasn't all a loss. That he didn't waste years on Katherine because he got this friend out of it.

"Cas" Damon pulls back from Cassandra, the two of them looking at Elena and Stefan. Stefan gives Damon a look, and clenches his jaw. "Ready to go?" Elena asks softly, Cassandra nods and moves to her sister, the two of them leaving together. Damon grabs a jacket and pulls it on, ready to leave himself.

"Before you go" Stefan stops him. "I, uh, wanted to talk to you" Stefan pulls out a picture of Isobel and hands it to Damon, who looks at it with his usual smugness. "This is the woman, Isobel, from North Carolina. Remember her now?" He asks Damon.

"Who wants to know?"

"I do"

"Who else wants to know?" Damon counters.