(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Ninety-Four

Ally is brushing her fingers through Cassandra's hair, the two of them on Damon's bed. Something about Cassandra is bothering her. Something that wasn't in the dreamscape. Something about something on her is bothering her but she can't bring her mind around to figure it out. She then tilts her head, scrunching up her nose as she stares at the little stone hanging around Cassandra's neck.

"Oh" She breaths out. "You're what all the fuss is about" Damon walks into the room and closes the door behind him. Ally doesn't even look up at him. "What is this?" She asks as she touches Cassandra's neck, keeping her fingers from the necklace. She is not going to touch that thing with a 10ft pole. Damon shrugs.

"A necklace. Those existed before you went down under" She shoots him a look.

"It's hurting her" Ally points out. Damon frowns and moves closer.

"What?"

"I can feel the magic coming off of it. It's been spelled to..." She cocks her head, thinking. "Drain her powers. Makes her weak. Hurts her"

"So take it off her" He argues.

"I can't" She stops him. "The second I touch it...it'll feed off of...." She stops and then glances at Damon. She's not sure how much he knows, or even how much Cassandra knows about what they are. She's not sure she can say anything without talking to Cassandra about it first. "My own powers" She answers. "I can't touch it" She whispers and sighs. "You're going to have to do it" She slides away from Cassandra, letting her rest in Damon's bed. "I'll give you guys some space..." She winks at Damon and then leaves. He frowns a little and shakes his head before he moves towards the bed. Damon takes Ally's space and cocks his head, staring at the necklace. It makes sense. This all started with that necklace. She'd never worn it before. He draws his fingers along the chain to the stone at the bottom and rolls it between his fingers. He has no idea where it came from though. He tugs on the necklace, snapping the clasp around her neck and pulls it from her. If this is hurting her. She's not having it. He sets it into his palm and stares at it. Holding it now, he can feel that something is off about it. It makes him feel sick. He sets it on his bedside table and shakes his head.

.........

Damon stands at Elena's side as they both stare into the cell in the basement where they have managed to wrangle Stefan thanks to some nifty trickery from Elena and a vervain dart.

"There's no guarantee it's going to work," Damon tells Elena.

"It has to," Elena argues.

"Coming?" He asks, nodding towards the stairs.

"I'm gonna stay here" She argues and then sits down opposite the cell door. He nods a little, didn't really expect anything else.

"Elena" Damon starts, she hums in acknowledgement. "You should know that it was Cas' necklace" Elena turns to him. "Drained her powers....it's why she's been having trouble"

"Is she okay now?" Elena asks him. 

"She's still out cold" He points out. "We'll see" She nods again and turns back to the cell door.

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

Damon enters his bedroom, shrugging out of his jacket, careful of the drink in his hand. It's awkward but he makes it work. He lifts his eyes and finds Cassandra up and about. Shifting slightly on her feet by the window she looks out. He lets out a breath. At least she's awake.

"How do you feel?" Damon asks as he closes the door behind him. Cassandra turns to look at him.

"Like I got hit by a...planet." She answers as he sets a glass of whiskey on his dresser and moves closer to her. "I don't know what's happening to me" She admits as she runs her fingers through her hair. "I couldn't even pick up my bag the other day without this headache..." She looks down at her hands as she pulls them out of her hair. "I was useless today...What good are these powers if I can't even help?"

"It should be okay now" He argues and touches the space on her chest where the stone sat. "It was your necklace" She frowns at him. "Ally said it was draining your powers. Where did you get it?" She looks away from him and pulls a face, getting upset at the prospect that a member of her own family tried to take away her powers.

"Uncle John" She answers. "He said it was my grandmother's" She whispers. "I can't believe he'd do that to me" She wraps an arm around her waist and frowns. She really can't believe that. She lets out a breath and shakes her head. "What did I miss?" She asks. "After I....passed out"

"Not much" He assures her.

"Stefan?"

"Downstairs" He answers. "In the cellar..." She raises an eyebrow, he shrugs back. "Ah, it's for the best. With the council on its vampire witch-hunt and Stefan out of control, it wouldn't take much for him to alert them...."

"Okay," She whispers. He gives her a look.

"Just like that. You're going to accept that I have my brother locked in the dungeon?" He teases.

"Would it matter if I had an opinion on it?" She counters. "I actually happen to agree with you anyway" She shrugs and looks back out the window. He takes a few steps back and then turns intending on leaving. She glances at him and then turns. "Hey, Damon" He stops and looks back at her. "Thanks" She whispers. "For...stepping in.....for the dance" She adds, he hums and nods. "Sorry I'm such a bad dancer"

"You weren't that bad" He assures her. She shrugs and smirks a little. His eyes search hers. Seeking something. Permission. Desire. Whatever it is, he finds it. He brushes his lips over hers. Her eyes drifting closed, her fingers lifting to clutch at his shirt before she pushes herself up a little, onto her tiptoes so she can kiss him back. There is something that settles in them. That feeling of finally. Like it is this point that they've been waiting for. That their relationship has been waiting for. All of it has come down to now. They pull back from one another. There was something else in that one. Something deeper. Both of them are panting. Staring at one another. An intensity between them. This is a moment that could change everything. Whatever happens next, it will change them. Change their dynamic. They both move. Slowly. Closing the distance between them. His hands finding her face. He wanted this to be on their terms. And it is. This is their terms. Their moment. He kisses her again. He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer to him as her arms wrap around his neck. He walks backwards with her, towards his bed.