Caroline and Stefan have still switched off their humanity. They are terrorizing and killing the people at Whitmore's. Matt and Tyler are being tortured by them, Matt ends up in the hospital. Meanwhile, Elena and Damon are having a pleasant morning. They're enjoying breakfast made by Lily. Damon has come up with a plan to bring Stefan and Caroline back which involves Lily (the Salvatore's mother) convincing Stefan to turn his humanity back on and then Stefan can convince Caroline to switch it back on too. Enzo has taken Sarah from the hospital and tries to bring her to the Salvatore house, but when he sees Lily, he runs away in shock. Turns out that when Enzo was living in South Hampton, he was suffering from consumption until he met Lily, who fed him with vampire blood so then after he died (of consumption) he became a vampire. In the present day, Lily tells Damon that she will help him to bring back Stefan but in return he has to give her the ascendant so she can bring her "other family" back. When Lily and Damon go to the school bar, she says just the right words to get Stefan to flip his switch (even though Damon told her exactly what to say). Now Stefan has to track down Caroline and get her to flip the switch, too. Back at the hospital, Matt refuses Elena's blood. Once he's stitched up by conventional medicine, he talks to Elena about how much he hates vampires and doesn't want to rely on them. Finally, Damon and Elena talk about life and how Elena misses being human and she's sad because of the fact that she is a vampire and she will never be able to create a family. Finally, Jo explains how bad it is that Damon gave Lily the ascendant because Lily's "family members" and she are all witches that absorb magic from others, just like Kai, but were turned into vampires making a type of hybrid. It is explained that they were locked inside the prison world because they were perceived as too dangerous and worthless.
[PREVIOUSLY_ON] Caroline: If Stefan wants to save Sarah's life, all he has to do is shut his humanity off. Damon: Stefan without his humanity is one artery away from Stefan the ripper. Elena: Your mother is alive? Damon: In a prison world of 1903. Lily: (confused) And you believe that I can reconnect Stefan with his humanity? Damon: (smacks the table and stands up) Pack your bags. Lily: (stands up as well) Wonderful! (She laughs in excitement) I'll alert the others, hmm? Damon: She has a vampire dollhouse. Damon: They're not coming. Lily: They are my family. Damon: I will leave you here to rot. We'll come back for them. Bonnie: (whispering) We're never going back there, right? Damon: No! We're not! Enzo: You've been a pawn in a game that I've now lost interest in playing. You're no ordinary girl, Sarah Salvatore. Sarah: Why would you call me that? Bonnie: I have something for you. Damon: The cure to vampirism. Bonnie: I knew you wanted it for Elena. Damon: (stunned) What if I don't want it for her now? [SCENE_BREAK] [ SCULL BAR ] (It's late, and the bar has just closed for the night. A bartender has almost finished cleaning up before he can go home for the night, and just as he shuts off the lights, he hears a whooshing sound behind him. When he turns around, the chair he has just stacked on top of the table is back on the floor, which confuses him) Bartender: (weirded out) OK... (He puts the chair back up on the table, but when he turns around, a liquor bottle has been knocked over on the bar by an invisible invisible force, and the alcohol is pouring itself all over the floor) Bartender: (annoyed) Oh, come on. (He walks toward the bar) OK, who's messing with me? Chris, are you up there? (He pauses, but gets no answer) Dick. (He starts to clean up the spilled alcohol when suddenly, the body of his coworker Chris is dropped onto a nearby table from above. His throat is bloody, and he's clearly dead) Bartender: (horrified) Oh, God. Chris? Chris? (Out of nowhere, a male voice calls out to the bartender. It's Stefan) Stefan: Boo. (He shakes his head in disappointment just as Caroline appears on the steps to the upper level, looking offended) Caroline: (scoffs) Are you booing me? Stefan: Boo! Caroline: (indignant) I scared him. (She turns to the bartender) I scared you, right, with the whole chair flippy and the bottle thing? (Stefan shrugs, not at all impressed by her efforts) Bartender: (scared) Who are you people? Caroline: Oh! I'm Caroline... (She gestures to Stefan, who waves to him) .. this is Stefan. (She points to Chris' body) And that... Mmm... was delicious. (She turns to Stefan) Taste. (Stefan goes over to Chris' body and tastes his blood) Stefan: (happily) Mmm. Bartender: ...What's going on? Stefan: Well, Caroline and I had a little bet that she would scare you to death. Caroline: (interrupts him) Like, literally scare you to death. Stefan: But you have to understand this is her first time messing with somebody, so she didn't realize the whole dead body shock-drop thing is a complete cliche. Bartender: (angrily) Cliche? This guy was my friend. Caroline: Well, then why aren't you freaking out, a panic attack, heart attack? Come on, give me something. (The bartender does start to freak out, to the point that he tries to run away, but Caroline vamp-speeds over to him and blocks his path, staring him deeply in the eyes as she does so) Caroline: (compels him) I don't think you heard me. You're having a heart attack. Bartender: (scoffs) What are you... (He starts to groan and cough painfully) My... my chest. What's happening? (The sound of his rapidly beating heart becomes louder and louder) Stefan: (drolly) She's cheating. That's what's happening. Bartender: (gasps) Ugh. Please help me. Stefan: (sighs) All right. Just relax. It's mental. You only think you're having a heart attack. Caroline: (mockingly) Now your throat's tightening. (She grabs her own throat and fake coughs as the bartender grabs his throat and gags) You can't breathe. (Caroline giggles gleefully as the bartender falls to his knees and gasps desperately for breath) Caroline: Oh, my God! Are those spiders all over your body? (The man moans in agony as he starts rolling all over the floor, and Stefan sighs exasperatedly. After a long moment, the bartender's heart stops beating, and he finally dies) Caroline: (happily) Hmm. Look at that. I won. Poor guy was so scared that he died of a heart attack. Stefan: (indignant) No, that's not fair. Technically, he died of a loophole. Caroline: A win is a win. So, you know what we do now? Stefan: (sighs and grumbles) Yes, unfortunately I do. Karaoke. (Rock music starts to play, and Caroline smiles and raises her eyebrows suggestively) [SCENE_BREAK] [ SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE ] (Enzo has just driven Sarah to the boarding house, where they have just departed Enzo's car in the driveway. When they get to the front step, Enzo knocks on the door) Sarah: So you drag me out of a hospital bed, waste a tank of gas driving around all night just to bring me to a house in the middle of nowhere? Enzo: (sighs) As soon as this door opens, you are not my problem anymore. Sarah: When have I ever been your problem? Enzo: Since your great-great-great uncle Stefan nearly got you killed. Sarah: (confused) What? Enzo: It's time for you to meet your real family. (Suddenly, the door opens to reveal Lily, dressed in modern clothes, standing in the foyer. She seems confused to see Enzo and Sarah standing there. When Enzo sees her, he is shocked speechless) Lily: Hello? Are you looking for my son? Enzo: (gulps nervously) My mistake. (Lily looks at him closely, as though she may recognize him) Lily: I'm sorry, have... have we... Enzo: (quickly cuts her off) I've got the wrong house. Heh. Terribly sorry to disturb you. (Lily looks confused as she shuts the door, and Enzo roughly grabs Sarah by the arm and pulls her back toward the car. They're silent until they get back on the road, when Sarah finally speaks) Sarah: What the hell was that? Enzo: I've met that woman before, in 1903. Sarah: (incredulously) What?! Enzo: She's the one who turned me into a vampire. (Inside the house, Damon and Elena have just finished taking a shower, and are each only wearing towels as the nuzzle against each other and slow dance with no music. After a moment, Elena wrinkles her nose curiously) Elena: Do you smell something? Damon: (inhales) Hmm. Mom's cooking. Elena: Is that bacon? Damon: Yeah, or some baby she abducted from a nearby village. Elena: (giggles) Hey. Shh, she can hear us. You have to give her a chance, just like I gave you one. She's your mother. Damon: No, she is a tool to get Stefan's humanity back, because there is no doubt that he and Caroline are fangs-deep in bodies right now. So, the sooner we get our supernatural-born killers out of circulation, the better. (Elena smiles and starts looking around for her clothes) Elena: Have you seen my t-shirt? Damon: (smirks) I prefer you without one. Elena: I'm not so sure your mom would feel the same way. (Elena opens up the top drawer of Damon's dresser, but before she can look inside, an alarmed Damon vamp-speeds over and stops her by handing her his own tshirt) Damon: (shrugs) Take mine. (Elena looks confused, but simply shrugs and takes the shirt from him. Once she's out of earshot, Damon looks inside the drawer, where he has stashed the cure Elena gave him) (Downstairs, Damon and Elena have sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast with Lily. Elena looks impressed at the spread) Elena: Wow! Lily (to Elena): (smiles) This was always Damon's favorite... "Eggie in baskie." Damon (to Lily): (takes a bite) Doesn't taste like I remember. Lily (to Damon): Well, you were human the last time you tasted it. Our tastes change over time. But, Elena, you're fairly new at this, aren't you? Elena: (nods) I turned a few years ago. Lily: You ever miss it, being human? (Damon shoots Lily a look) Elena: (shrugs) Sometimes. Lily: So if I understood correctly, um, in order to free my companions from that place where I was trapped, we'll need the magical device. Damon: The Ascendant. Lily: Yes. The Ascendant. Where is that? Damon: (awkwardly) Safe. Very safe. Lily: And we'll also need a celestial event. Damon: We'll have to do some digging, yeah. Be patient, they take time. They're very rare. Lily: There's a full moon coming up. Will that work? If not, the Lyrids meteor shower is in two weeks. Damon: (sarcastically) Well, look at you. If you're not a one-woman "Farmer's Almanac". Lily: Actually, I took your advice, and I've been dabbling on Stefan's computer. What a wondrous invention... All that knowledge. Damon: And videos of cats riding robot vacuum cleaners. (Suddenly, Elena's phone beeps, and when she checks it, she finds a text message that makes her gasp in shock) Damon: (concerned) Everything OK? Elena: It's Jo. Someone's been attacking people at Whitmore. Damon: (sighs) Let me guess... One of them's blond, and the other one liked turning people into human pez dispensers. Elena: That's exactly what I'm gonna find out. (She stands and turns to Lily with an apologetic smile) Thank you so much for breakfast. (Elena leaves, and Damon and Lily look at each other awkwardly) [SCENE_BREAK] [ ON THE ROAD ] (Enzo and Sarah are still driving in Enzo's car, where Sarah is continuing to question him about what just happened at the boarding house) Sarah: Who is that woman, and how do you even know who my family is? How do I not know this? Enzo: Because your uncle Stefan compelled you to forget to keep you a secret from your other uncle, Damon, after he killed your parents, and you would have shared their fate had it not been for your other uncle. Sarah: (horrified) That's who you were taking me to? Enzo: Well, actually, no. The good brother recently went bad, and I was hoping to leave you in the care of the bad brother, who actually is less bad now than the good brother. Sarah: (stunned) I don't understand any of this. Enzo: Yeah. Look. I can try repeating it, luv, but it won't be any clearer the second time. (Sarah sighs, clearly overwhelmed, and looks out the passenger window) Look. You wanted to know who that woman is? She's the most dreadful person I've ever met. [SCENE_BREAK] [ FLASHBACK: SOUTH HAMPTON, ENGLAND, 1903 ] (A sick, human Enzo, dressed in a newsboy cap and a brown jacket with a tan vest and slacks, is outside of the South Hampton Trading Line, trying to get onto the ship at the port. He's shoved backward into a pallet by a dockworker) Dockworker: Unh! No sick passengers! (Enzo wheezes as he desperately pulls his ticket out of his wallet) Enzo: I have a ticket. I've paid. Dockworker: (takes the ticket and rips it up) Oh, yeah? Well, we're not running a sick ward. (Enzo is overcome by a coughing fit and falls to his knees) Enzo: (coughing and gasping) There's a doctor on that ship. He can help me. Dockworker: (sneers) Get lost, mate, before you infect us all with your consumption. (Enzo continues coughing, and after a moment, the dockworker violently kicks him in the face. He starts coughing up blood onto the ground when suddenly, he hears the sounds of broken bones, followed by the dockworker's body falling limply to the ground with a snapped neck. Enzo is horrified and scrambles onto his hands and knees, but when he looks up, he finds Lily standing over him, wearing the same white dress and burgundy jacket she was wearing when she was imprisoned. She holds her white-gloved hand out for him to take and helps him up to his feet) Enzo: (frightened) Who are you? Lily: Someone who sees you need a doctor. Enzo: (laughs defeatedly) Well, I... I appreciate that, but even if I could get past quarantine, I seem to have lost my ticket. Lily: I can be of some help with that. Come. We don't have much time. (In voiceover, Enzo narrates the story for Sarah) Enzo (V.O.): I thought I was on my way to a new life, aided by the classiest woman I'd ever met. By the time the ship docked in New York harbor, every soul on board was dead, including me. (In the present, Enzo and Sarah are still on the road in his car, and Enzo stares Sarah straight in the eyes) Enzo: (compels her) You're going to forget everything you know about your real family. You're going to wake up safe in your dorm, having forgotten you ever heard the name Salvatore. (Sarah stares at him for a long moment) Sarah: Or you're finally gonna tell me the whole story. Enzo: (sighs in annoyance) You're on vervain. Sarah: Yeah. Your friend Matt stopped by the hospital and gave me some. (She suddenly pulls out a syringe full of vervain and stabs Enzo in the neck with it) Enzo: Unh. (He quickly begins to lose consciousness, and Sarah takes control of the steering wheel) [SCENE_BREAK] [ SCULL BAR ] (Caroline and Stefan are still at the bar so that Caroline can have the karaoke day that she wanted. She's on the stage singing Pat Benetar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," and the bar's patrons, who are mostly Whitmore students studying for their classes, look unhappy with the loud noise. Finally, a female student loses her temper) Caroline: ♪ Well, you're a real tough cookie ♪ ♪ With a long history ♪ ♪ Of breaking little hearts like the one in me ♪ ♪ That's ok, let's see how you do it ♪ ♪ Put up your dukes, and let's get down to it ♪ ♪ Hit me with your best shot ♪ ♪ Why don't you hit me with your best shot? ♪ ♪ Hit me with your best shot ♪ Female student: Hey, Taylor Swift. We're trying to study here. (Caroline smiles and wags her finger at the girl, who scoffs) Where's the manager in this place? (Stefan, having heard the commotion, goes to talk to the girl) Stefan: Someone ask for the manager? (Outside the bar, Matt and Tyler have just finished training for the police academy and are talking as they approach the restaurant) Tyler: (indignant) I didn't break his ribs. He got the wind knocked out of him. Matt: Guy was out for 20 seconds. Tyler: (shrugs) Maybe he's not cut out for a tactical training program. We're not there to bust up keggers. Matt: (laughs) You want some food? Tyler: (corrects him) You want some food, "Officer Lockwood"? Matt: (shakes his head) Dork. (Tyler and Matt walk into the bar to find Caroline still singing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot. They both look confused and unnerved, especially when they see Stefan holding a bloody knife and sitting next to the compelled female student from earlier, who is currently dripping the blood from her cut palm into a coffee cup for him. All of the patrons are now staring at Caroline intensely, suggesting that they have been compelled to watch her sing silently) Caroline: ♪ Hit me with your best shot ♪ ♪ Why don't you hit me with your best shot? ♪ ♪ Come on, hit me with your best shot ♪ ♪ Fire away-ay ♪ Tyler: (warily) What did we just walk into? Stefan: Oh, look. It's the police officers in training. Are you guys here to arrest us? (He points the knife at the girl and compels her) You can go away now. (The girl looks freaked out as she cradles her injured hand in her other arm and rushes away. Stefan simply shrugs and drinks her blood from the mug) Tyler: (horrified) What the hell are you doing? Stefan: I'm just enjoying the music. You guys want next song? Matt: We should get out of here. (Stefan vamp-speeds around them to block them from exiting) Stefan: No. Stay. Caroline's taking requests. (Matt and Tyler gulp nervously and glare at Stefan) [SCENE_BREAK] [ ON THE ROAD ] (An unhappy-looking Damon is driving his Camaro with Lily in the passenger seat as they make their way to Whitmore to look for Stefan and Caroline. Damon's driving is a little erratic, which seems to be mildly frightening for his mother. After a moment, Damon hands Lily his phone) Damon: Here. Text Elena. Tell her we're headed to campus to check it out. (Lily looks at him in confusion) See those letters? Think of it as a tiny typewriter. (Lily looks puzzled as she hesitantly touches the phone's keyboard, and when it works, she smiles) Lily: Oh. You're right. Damon: Mm-hmm. (Lily starts to narrate her text as she types) Lily: "My Dearest Elena, I hope this finds you well..." (Damon rolls his eyes at Lily's old-fashionedness) Damon: No, no. Short and sweet. Just "Headed to campus." (Lily gives him a puzzled look) Yeah. Then, when we find them, I'll take care of Caroline, you look Stefan right in the eyes... Lily: (narrates as she types) And I will return him to the man he used to be. Damon: Exactly. Lily: And once we've done that, then we will go rescue my friends? Damon: Sure. I know how terribly concerned you are about that. Lily: (continues typing) How shall I end it? With an, "I love you?" Damon: Knock yourself out. Lily: You do love her, don't you? Damon: Not that that's any of your business, but, yes, I do. And she loves me. We're in the love. Lily: (quietly) And you're afraid you'll ruin all that if you give her the cure. (Damon gives her a shocked look) Last night, when your friend Bonnie was over... Damon: You spied on me? Lily: Well, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I'm just not used to hearing other voices. I... Damon: (exasperated) Really? Lily: Couldn't help but listen, and it's not every day that one hears something so rare as the cure for vampirism. Damon: (grimaces) Well, let's not bring this up to anyone else, OK? Lily: You mean, don't bring it up with Elena. Damon: I don't even know if she wants the cure. Lily: Yet you fear she might and that if you give it to her you'll lose her. (Damon shoots her another look) We're more alike than you care to admit, Damon. Neither of us can bear the thought of being alone. [SCENE_BREAK] [ WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ] (Elena is in her volunteer uniform and has just finished helping out with a patient when she heads toward Jo to update her on the patient's condition) Elena: He's unconscious, but I gave him some of my blood, and his vitals have stabilized. Jo: (worried) The more these victims pile up, the harder it is to hide the reason they're here. Elena: Yeah, I know. That's why I'm hoping that Damon and his mom find them soon. Jo: (confused) I'm sorry. Did you just say Damon's mom? Isn't she dead? (Elena looks shocked that Jo hasn't been updated on recent events, and pulls her aside so they can speak privately) Elena: (slowly) No. She was trapped in a 1903 prison world, where Kai is currently trapped. Jo: (stunned) Kai is in a 1903 prison world? Elena: (guiltily) I'm sorry. Has nobody told you this? (Jo gives her a very exhausted and overwhelmed look) Jo: I'm on hour 13 of a 12-hour shift. Maybe someone could have shot me a text? Elena: (even more guilty) I'm... sorry. Jo: So, Kai's gone? Elena: (smiles) As in for good. (Jo sighs in relief and unconsciously cups her abdomen, which is not yet showing signs of pregnancy, with her hand. Elena definitely takes notice of this gesture, and her eyes widen in surprise when she realizes what it means) Jo: Oh, that's amazing news. Like, really amazing news. Elena: (shocked) You're pregnant. (Jo looks at her with wide eyes and giggles nervously before nodding in confirmation. Elena looks both happy for her and also mildly jealous, but she tries to cover it up) Elena: (smiles) I was wondering why you switched to decaf, especially while working a 13-hour shift. Jo: The last thing this baby needs is an uncle Psychopath. Elena: You and Alaric are having a baby. I... (Jo laughs excitedly again, and Elena pulls her into a hug) Jo, this is... this is amazing. I... I'm so happy for you! [SCENE_BREAK] [ SARAH'S APARTMENT - NORTH CAROLINA ] (Enzo wakes up on Sarah's couch after being vervained by Sarah in the car. His wrists have been bound behind his back, and when he looks up at Sarah, she simply glares at him) Enzo: (impressed) Little old you did all this? (He sighs) You've made a mistake. Sarah: I know, starting with trusting my vampire stalker, who arranged for me to befriend some blue-eyed bartender, all so I could witness him getting run over, and you playing the part of the hero. (Enzo looks surprised) While you were sleeping, I went through your phone, saw your texts to Matt. Enzo: Well, that saves me an awkward conversation. Sarah: (unamused) I am such an idiot for ever trusting you. Enzo: Don't beat yourself up. I remember what it was like to be so naive. [SCENE_BREAK] [ FLASHBACK: ATLANTIC OCEAN, 1903 ] (Enzo and Lily have made it on board the ship, where they have finally been able to meet with the doctor Enzo was hoping could help him. Enzo is reclined in a patient exam chair while the doctor listens to his lung sounds with a stethoscope and discusses his condition) Doctor: The bacilli have spread to most of your lungs, carving out cavities in the tissue. The bleeding will continue. Enzo: (weakly) You can stop it? Doctor: I believe so, but the dosage required at this late stage is expensive. Lily: Payment isn't an issue, provided your curative is effective. Doctor: I can assure you it is. Lily: (compels him) How many people have you saved with this? Be truthful. Doctor: (dazed) None. I promise them health and sell them lavender mixed with castor oil. (Lily looks angry, and Enzo looks betrayed) Enzo: What? Why are you saying that? I thought you could help me. Lily: (unhappily) He lied. (She compels the doctor again) What is this man's true prognosis? Doctor: He'll die within the week. Chances are, he'll never see land again. Lily: (furious) Leave us. (The doctor leaves, and Lily turns to Enzo with a sympathetic expression) Enzo: You should go as well. I do not wish to repay your acts of kindness by affecting you. (Lily brushes a lock of hair off of Enzo's forehead) Lily: You can't. I've already had consumption. Enzo: (confused) How did you survive? Lily: I didn't. Enzo: What are you, an angel? [SCENE_BREAK] [ SCULL BAR ] (Caroline has just finished another karaoke song, and is laughing gleefully. Matt and Tyler are still at the bar, and neither look very happy to be there) Caroline: Ha ha ha! Tyler: (annoyed) Look. We listened to you sing, we clapped our hands. Can we go now? Caroline: Let's play Caroline Trivia. Tyler: I don't even know what that is. Caroline: Oh, sure you do! You both dated me, which means you should know everything about me, so I'm gonna ask you some questions about myself, and whoever answers them right lives. Matt: You're sick. Caroline: (ignores him) When is my birthday? Tyler! Tyler: (sighs) October 10. Caroline: Very good. Alright, Matt. Your turn. What is my favorite color? Matt: That's a trick question. You don't have a favorite color. Caroline: (laughs) Correct! Ha ha ha! OK, now a tiebreaker. Whoever answers first wins. What was my mom's final memory before she died? Tyler: (frustrated) How would we even begin to know that? Caroline: Oh, I'm sure I mentioned it at some point. Matt: No, you didn't. Caroline: (shrugs) Come on. Ticktock, ticktock. Judges are waiting for a final answer. What was my mom's final memory before she kicked the bucket? (Stefan returns from the back of the restaurant) Stefan: Well, looks like, uh, Whitmore's gonna need a new philosophy T.A. (He looks over at Caroline) Hmm. Your mom was teaching you how to ride a bike. Caroline: (excitedly) Bingo! And Stefan wins, which means you two lose, which isn't that bad actually because now it just means we get to kill the both of you. [SCENE_BREAK] [ WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ] (Jo and Elena are discussing the victims they've been treating at the hospital) Jo: Judging from the victims, they started at the library, they took out a couple security guards near the football field, and then they wandered over to the movie theater. Elena: (exasperated) You know what the most shocking part of all this is? I'm not shocked. Jo: Doctor 101... Becoming desensitized goes with the territory. Elena: Actually, the reason why I'm not shocked is because I've been in their shoes, and I was just as bad, and this is all just one big horrible reminder that there's always gonna be a part of me that's capable of doing what they're doing. Jo: (sympathetically) But you're not gonna let that happen. You're gonna be too busy running your small-town family practice and curing little Stevie from the chicken pox. Elena: For a while maybe until little Stevie becomes teenage Steven and I haven't aged a day. Jo: Have you told Damon about this? Elena: (confused) What do you mean? Jo: I saw how you reacted when you found out I was pregnant. Elena: (embarrassed) Well, I... Jo: (cuts her off) And the next eternity of your life flashed before your eyes, and it scared the hell out of you. Elena: I... I'm just happy for you and Alaric. Jo: Alaric, who used to be a vampire, now is a human having a kid. Have you discussed this with your boyfriend? Elena: He knows how I feel, but he also knows that there's nothing we can do to change that, so there's no point in dwelling. (Jo doesn't seem to believe her, but she just shrugs) Jo: OK. (Elena nods in emphasis) [SCENE_BREAK] [ SARAH'S APARTMENT - NORTH CAROLINA ] (Enzo still has his hands bound behind his back as he lays on Sarah's couch, and Sarah continues to question him on what he's been doing with her) Sarah: So how do I know you're not the one who's been mind-controlling me, making me believe this messed up family history? Enzo: You were ripped from the womb of a dead woman. Stefan compelled away the truth, but the emotional scars still linger. How else do you explain your morbid fascinations, hmm? (He looks around her room at all the different artwork hanging on her walls) The... the hanging of Mary Surratt... heh... is hardly a motivational poster, now is it? Sarah: Yeah. Well, there's mething about death that I find... I don't know... Enzo: (finishes her sentence) Alluring? Well, let me tell you, you can't truly appreciate death until you've stood at its precipice. [SCENE_BREAK] [ FLASHBACK: ATLANTIC OCEAN, 1903 ] (Enzo is still laying on the exam table, pale and weakened from tuberculosis, while Lily is blotting sweat from his face and blood from his mouth at his bedside. As she works, she hums Brahms' "Lullaby" to him) Enzo: I haven't heard that song since I was a boy. Lily: (smiles) I know. Enzo: Why are you doing this? Lily: Is it so hard to believe someone could do you a kindness? Enzo: I was abandoned at a workhouse at the age of 4. It was not a place known for its kindness. (Enzo coughs and gasps, and Lily looks at him with sympathy) Lily: I, too, know what it is to be tossed aside like rubbish. I was sent to a sanatorium to rot, left to die, abandoned by my own husband, who prayed the end would come quickly not so that I would be spared pain and misery but so that he would be unburdened by me, but I was given a reprieve, and it was only once I was unshackled from a life that didn't want me that I found my true family. Enzo: Is that where you're heading, to meet them? Lily: (smiles) No. I could never bear to be apart from them. They're here, traveling with me. Like you and I, they're outcasts. You could join us. You'd never be alone again. (Enzo smiles weakly at the thought of her offer, but is quickly overcome by an even stronger coughing fit, which causes him to spit up a large amount of blood. Lily helps him lay back down when it passes, but Enzo has only become paler and weaker) Enzo: It would appear the end is coming. Lily: (smiles comfortingly) Or the beginning. (She spots a scalpel on a nearby table and uses it to slice open her palm. She drinks the blood into an empty glass before handing it to Enzo) Lily: Drink this, Lorenzo. [SCENE_BREAK] [ WHITMORE COLLEGE ] (Damon and Lily have just arrived to one of the buildings full of classrooms and laboratories, and are walking down the hall while they discuss what they know) Lily: If your brother's on the hunt, he won't be staying in one place. Damon: Yeah? Well, we have to start somewhere. Elena said she treated some kid who was attacked coming out of modern European history. (He pauses for a moment when he receives a text message from Elena to update him on what she knows) Well, well. Mother knows best. Elena said they're at Scull Bar. Come on. Lily: (anxiously) We have yet to discuss what we'll do if Stefan fails to remember me. Damon: (confused) What, are you kidding? You're his mother. Of course he's gonna remember you. (He stops and looks her in the eye) Tell me you can do this. Lily: What if I say the wrong thing? A century and a half is a long time to be away. Damon: You'll be fine. (He starts to walk away toward the bar, and Lily follows behind him) Just channel whatever you were feeling when you came back to get us. Lily: (puzzled) When I came back to get you? Damon: Yeah. 1903. You found out we were vampires, you landed in New York harbor after a 40-year romp in Europe, and you... (Damon stops and realizes by the look on Lily's face that his assumptions were completely wrong) Damon: Oh. You weren't coming to get us. Lily: (embarrassed) No. I wasn't. I'm sorry. (Damon looks momentarily devastated, but he pushes it down in favor of the task at hand) Damon: You can do this. All we have to do is just try. Lily: I have been trying, Damon. Since I laid my eyes on you yesterday, I have been trying with all of my heart to reconnect with the woman who was your mother, to remember what it felt like to mourn you and your brother after I was banished by your father. After I was turned, the only thing more powerful than the longing I felt for you was the fear of what I would I do if I ever saw you again. So I stayed away. I had to find others who could help me find my way back myself, and... By the time my new family helped me to do that, everything I felt for my old family, for you and your brother was gone. I hate that I can't make myself feel more. I'm so sorry. (Damon is clearly upset and hurt by these words, and gulps anxiously as Lily, whose eyes are filled with tears, walks away from him) [SCENE_BREAK] [ SCULL BAR ] (Tyler and Matt are still sitting at the bar, which is now otherwise empty of people, and are glaring at Stefan and Caroline while they continue their mayhem spree. Caroline has just flipped a coin and has covered it up with her hand, and Stefan is seated at a nearby table and watches them with interest) Caroline: (to Stefan) Heads, I kill Tyler, and tails, I kill Matt. Deal? Stefan: Sounds good to me. (Caroline looks at both boys for a moment before walking over to Tyler and holding her hands out to show him the coin. Before she can uncover it, however, Tyler angrily shoves her hands out of the way) Stefan: Ooh! Looks like somebody's angry. Caroline: (rolls her eyes) He's a wolf. It's his resting face. Tyler: You wonder why everyone hates vampires? Look at you, messing with people for no reason. That's really brave. (Tyler suddenly loses his temper, stands to his feet, and grabs his chair before smashing it into pieces against the table. He takes a broken piece in his hand to use as a makeshift stake and throws a bigger piece in Stefan's direction, which flies over his head and misses him. Stefan and Caroline giggle in amusement as they walk over to them, but Matt just looks concerned) Matt: What are you doing? Stefan: (laughs) Are you serious? Tyler: (aggressively) What's wrong, Stefan? Not used to people fighting back? Stefan: No, actually, I'm just not used to people being this stupid. (Caroline giggles. Matt, worried about what all three of them are capable of doing, tries to mediate) Matt: Alright, Ty, stop. He will kill you. (He turns to Stefan) Stefan, he's sorry. Caroline: (laughs mockingly and walks over to Tyler) Ha ha! See that little vein in his forehead? I used to think it was so sexy, but now I'm pretty sure it's just all the blood leaving his brain. Tyler: (sneers) Screw you, Caroline. (Tyler picks up the stake and points it threateningly at Caroline and Stefan) Tyler: Come on. Either of you, come at me. Matt: Ty, stop! Stefan: Hey, Caroline. I will gladly kill him for you, but I know what a jerk he was during your relationship, so if you want... Caroline: (stares at Tyler and smiles) I want. Come on, Tyler. I dare you. Matt: (anxiously) Ty, stop. She will kill you. Tyler: Get out of here, Matt. (Tyler lunges for Caroline and is about to drive the stake into her abdomen, but Caroline vamp-speeds over to Matt, grabs him, and uses him as a human shield, causing Tyler to inadvertently stab Matt in the stomach with the stake instead. Tyler looks horrified when he sees Matt groaning and sputtering in pain and pulls out the stake. Behind Caroline, Stefan is chuckling in amusement) Caroline: Nice going, Tyler. [SCENE_BREAK] [ WHITMORE COLLEGE ] (Damon is sitting in one of the chairs of Alaric's lecture hall while he talks to Elena on the phone) Elena: (in disbelief) She flat-out told you that she didn't love you? Damon: Well, she was her overly proper self, but, yeah, that was the gist of it, but, hey, you know, I'm not planning on honoring my end of the plan by jail-breaking her friends, so... tch... figure we're even. Elena: (rolls her eyes) Damon. Damon: Nah, it's fine. 150 years is a long time to care. Elena: Says the guy who pined for Katherine Pierce for over a century and a half. Damon: (chuckles) Heh. Elena: It's OK to feel hurt, Damon. She was the second woman to abandon you. Damon: (smiles) Says the woman who never has. Look, you can sit here and flirt with me, or you can help me come up with a "plan B", because Lily's a no-go. Elena: (thinks for a moment) Stefan doesn't know how she feels... Damon: Stefan's also not a moron. Elena: (hopefully) Any chance your mom's a good liar? (Damon, now off the phone with Elena, has finally caught up with Lily in one of the hallways) Damon: Where the hell are you going? Lily: (upset) Anywhere. I don't know. Let me be. (Damon grabs her by the arm and stops her) Damon: (annoyed) No. Now you listen. Hey! I have one solution to this, and it's you, so you're gonna walk over to that bar, and you're gonna give the performance of your lifetime, or you can kiss your desiccated vampire family good-bye. Understood? Lily: What if I fail to bring him back? Damon: You won't fail. Lily: I need to be assured that regardless of the outcome with your brother today I can trust you to help me get my people back. Damon: (frustrated) I told you a hundred times we'll get them back. Lily: (suspiciously) And is that the truth? Damon: Why would I lie? Lily: Damon. You have the power to give your greatest love the human life she desires, and you have yet to be truthful with her. (Damon is rendered speechless by this response, and when Lily gives him a look that says, "My point exactly," Damon sighs and pulls the Ascendant out of his jacket pocket before handing it over to her as a sign of good faith) Damon: (stares at Lily) Showtime. [SCENE_BREAK] [ SARAH'S APARTMENT - NORTH CAROLINA ] (Enzo is still tied up on Sarah's couch, and she has pulled out her camera and tripod to take photos of him while they talk) So some good samaritan vampire saves you from dying, gives you superstrength, mind control, and you never grow old. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Yeah. That's because you don't know about the hunger. I was awakened by the deafening sound of waves lapping against the ship, blinded by the faint glow of the northern lights. Every one of my senses intensified to the point of pain but none more than the insatiable craving for blood. What happened here? The woman who helped you, she killed them all. Everyone's dead. Where is she? I don't know. She told me to come find you. She wants you to feed on me to complete your transition. After feeding on the charlatan, I searched all over that ship for that woman, but she was gone. Her promises of a new life and a new family were lies. She made me a monster and then abandoned me. For what reason? Who knows? Probably some sick game. Like the one you were playing with me. Exactly. The goal was the same. I wanted to do to you what had been done to me. To make you a monster. I'm sorry, Matt. Come on. You can't die on me, man. Caroline: So for those of us keeping score, if Matt dies, are you gonna start peeing on fire hydrants again? Ooh. That's a very good question. I mean, if all that rage made you think that you could take us both, maybe this is nature's way of reconnecting you with your true self. Shut up! Caroline: Who's that? Stefan: It's my mother. Come on. Get him out of here. Here. Take my car. Tyler: Come here, man. [Matt groans] So... You have a mother? I had a mom. She died, so whoever this is is Damon's lame attempt to get my humanity back on. Let me guess. Then you get my humanity back on. I don't think so. Unh! Sorry, Stefan, but thanks for the head start. [Groaning] Elena! We need help! Oh, my God! Matt! It's ok. You'll be fine. No. Matt, take the damn blood. I said I don't want it. I want a doctor. But... Where's Jo? Hey! Matt! Help! What just happened? Here. Let me help you. Ugh! I'm sure you have many questions. Well, the fact that you haven't aged a day answers the big one. I'm a ripper. All of the guilt you've carried for your lack of control, it's my fault, not yours. You get it from me. That's why I had to leave. I was so new to the bloodlust, I was afraid I would hurt you and your brother. The last time I saw you was the day of my funeral. You weren't imagining it. I was your angel. Damon, voice-over: Then tell him that you wish you could have seen him grow up. If only I'd been there to see you grow into a young man, to protect you from your father's temper, but I was so ashamed of the things that I'd done, of what I'd become, and by the time I got my appetite under control and was coming back for you and your brother, I was hunted down and banished to a prison world by the Gemini. The one thing that helped you get through being trapped in that awful place... Was the hope of seeing my sons again. I know there are no words that make up for me abandoning you, but we have all of eternity for me to try. "Your angel has returned to you." Lily: Your angel has returned to you, and I will never leave you again. Mother. My sweet, sweet boy. How'd you find her? On the list of things to be worrying about, she's not one of them. Damon: You get a night, Stefan, a night to beat yourself up, do your shame spiral, and then you have to go after Caroline. Stefan: I don't need a night. I'll find her. You refusing the pain meds, too? No. Then why are you refusing my blood? Matt: Do you know how many times I've died or nearly died? Most of those times were at the hands of people I thought were my friends. I'm sorry, not people... Vampires. Matt... Don't give me the "we're not all like that" speech, Elena, because you are. Just one flip of a switch away. That's not what I was gonna say. I actually think you have every right to be mad... But why won't you let me make it better? I can't say that I hate vampires and then use them when it's to my advantage. I can't have it both ways, Elena. That's just how it is to me. Good. Now that the vervain's out of your system, how does Southampton sound? Well, I may as well compel you a nice place to disappear to. Or you could give me the choice you never had. Look. You said it yourself. You do this, you're only making it worse. Ah, but you'll be safe. What if I swore never to seek out the Salvatores? From what you've told me, I don't want any part of my real family. Have a nice life, Sarah Nelson. Damon: Well, Matt lives to hate vampires another day, Stefan's on Caroline duty, and I just introduced mom to uber. Taking bets on which one goes south first. I want to throw Jo a baby shower. Whoa. Forgot to hit your turn signal for that segueway. Jo's pregnancy's the best news that we've had in a little while, and I feel like I didn't react in the way that I should have. Why not? Because I think I was... I don't know. Jealous? Yeah. A little. I mean, I've always wanted a family before, you know. So it's kind of a bummer of a reminder that that's never gonna happen for me. [Music playing] But I get to have a life with you, which is also what I've always wanted, so it'll be good, ok? I just had to let myself be sad for a minute. What if things could be different? What if you could change everything. They're not, and I can't. Nothing's changed. I love you. I love you, too. [Cell phone chimes] This better be important. [Sighs] So I called my dad to let him know that Kai's gone, but all he wants to know is where the ascendant is. We have to destroy it. Why? Before you answer that, I should probably skip to the part where I already gave it to Lily. What?! You promised Bonnie that... Jo: It doesn't matter. You need to get it back now. Tell me. Jo: Before the 1900s, your mother fell in with a group of witches that were cast out of the Gemini coven. They were known as heretics, siphoners like Kai, but not just that. Lily turned them, resulting in creatures that are both witch and vampire. But that's not possible. Vampires can't be witches. These are witches that have magic only when they siphon power from another source. As vampires... They have a constant source. They can siphon off of themselves. They were on their way to destroy the Gemini, but the coven got to them first, put them into exile. Heretics are ruthless... Vampires with witch power, an aberration of nature. They can never be allowed to escape. Imagine Kai with the bloodlust of a vampire. [Wood splintering] Now imagine 6 of them.
I Never Could Love Like That