"Cassie! We had a deal," Caroline reminded her none too gently from the other side of the phone.

"And what's in it for me, Care?" She asked back though she fully knew she intended to go shopping with the high schooler.

"Um, I agreed to show you around the place, didn't I?" the girl replied, sounding less demanding now.

"That may not cut it. How about a sleepover to top it off? Damon is fun, but I miss girl time."

"The deal is renewed, my place on Saturday?"

"Done. Now how about shopping today?" She heard a squeal before before she was ordered to get ready to be picked up in twenty.

"Welcome, Miss Black," Sheila greeted the witch at her door unenthusiastically. She knew she had to consider the deal being offered to her, it could keep her Bonnie safe, but that didn't mean she had to like dealing with vampire-friendly witches. She didn't think she'd trust someone that dealt with vampires.

"Miss Bennet, I didn't think I'd hear back from you this soon."

"But you did think you'd hear from me?" She asked the girl that didn't look a lot older than her own granddaughter.

"I know you'd make a wise choice." Cassie told her without a hint of superiority that the older witch thought she'd see.

"So, what are you offering?"

"I will introduce her to different types of magicks, hone her abilities and help her control and channel her powers as she grows into them. You can teach her your own practices, because while I know a lot of forms that I picked over the years, family magicks come naturally and we wouldn't want her to lose out on that."

"What do you want in return?"

"You might find it hard to believe that I'm doing it for any personal gain, I would too, were I in your place. But there isn't a lot a seventeen year old newbie witch can do that I can't myself."

"What about after?"

"Will I be extracting a favor at a later point? No, I don't plan to."

"So why are you doing this?"

"As I told you the last time we spoke, I don't want someone of Bonnie's potential to waste away or lose their way. I can sense her power, Miss Bennet. I mean no offense when I say this, but you cannot handle that alone. You cannot protect her from herself should she lose control even accidentally."

"What about the vampire you associate with? I hear he is your fiancé."

"He is, but his business is his own. Not that you have anything to fear from him, he is sworn to protect the Bennet line. But you already know that."

"He is back to collect now,"

Cassie just nodded, "Your decision is your own, but should you choose to do it, I will be there too. No harm will come upon either of you."

"Do you know what it is that we require to do?"

"I do. That is Damon's business, he will reach out. As I mentioned, my offer does not come with strings attached and I shall keep them both separate. I can promise you'll be safe though."

Sheila trusted her instincts and her instincts were telling her the Black witch means well. She did not want to take any chances though. She gave in to her curiosity and asked what was on her mind."

"What kind of deal do you have with the vampire?"

"That, Miss Bennet, is my business." Cassie told her back firmly but not harshly. She softened a little and added ,"I will protect her from anything, that includes Damon."

Cassie was glad the older witch agreed to let her help, but she couldn't help but wonder how she got to a point where she had to reassure witches that she'd stand with them against vampires.

She had nothing against vampires, she actively fought against the discrimination against werewolves too. She could only imagine how the wizarding world, the breeding ground of prejudice and bias would take it. It should be fun, she smirked, she definitely had Damon to thanks for that.

It was a dark night. Two men had attacked her and her friend right outside a club. she knew she could take them down should she use her abilities, she kept that as the last resort. She punched one in the gut before breaking another's nose and hitting him in the groin. She when the two down were barely hurt.

She reached down to her boots to retrieve her favorite pair of knives that she carried on her at all times but they were on her before she could make a move. The two pinned her down to the ground while one ran her nose down her throat. "We will have fun breaking you, girl," he told her before his face shifted and fangs appeared.

Gloves off, she told herself before she sent a jolt of electricity to the one holding her hands and snapped the one at her neck. The other dragged her up and was on her and sucking into her flesh before she could do anything else. Blood loss hit her. She struggled to reach her boot and got her knife out to stab when he was pulled away from her and had his neck snap.

"I thought you had it handled witch" a dark haired stranger told her.

"I did," she told him, pointing her blade at her rescuer. It didn't matter if he helped, he knew she was a witch and that didn't bode well.

He just smirked at her, "Put it away, will you? I'm older than them and won't go down that easy."

"What do you want?"

"Well, it's more what I can do for you. That flash, I think everyone in the block must have seen it, not to mention your little friend who's confused and lost. I can clean it up for you."

She cut the heads of the two vampires shocking him, but he covered it quickly. "What makes you think I cannot clean this?"

"I don't think you'd have beheaded them if you intended to clean it up, darling. And I respect witchy powers, but I think we're just better at the whole mind control thing."

It was her turn to smirk, he didn't really know what she was.

"What do you want in return?"

"I need you to cast a little spell for me, but I'll need you for two, three weeks tops."

"That's not a small favor. Dump the bodies and meet me at this address after. We'll make a deal."

He knocked at her door, expecting a panicked girl and a worried witch and was surprised to see them calm and placid. She had put the girl under, he realized.

"What do you need a witch for?" She asked him, getting down to business.

"Free some vampires stuck in a tomb since a century and a half."

"Make her forget my existence, my appearance, she had a roommate and they split their ways after the girl got a job. Fill in the other details as you wish. Take your time, we don't want it to be sloppy. We'll discuss details after that." She told him.

"How did I do?" He asked her mockingly after compelling the girl.

"Good enough to attempt some more."

More people poured into her place that night, Damon erased away her presence from the rest of their minds too.

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