Day One

Same Night - Same Scene

Salvatore Boarding House - Outside

Elena was crying, talking on the phone. "I need you to come get me."

Emma's voice was on the other line. "Yeah, I heard you the first time." She was in her car, on the road. "But why are you so upset? Why do you wanna come home?"

"Stefan left out one little detail about Katherine the night that he told us everything." Elena told her. "We look exactly like her." Emma was processing, in shock. "And since we are twins..."

"I look like Katherine, too." Emma finished. "Oh, my God."

"Yeah." Elena told her. "So, please tell me that you are on your way."

"I am on my way." Emma answered. "I just-I'm freaking out, and..."

There was a man standing in the middle of the road in front of Emma's car.

Emma noticed him a second to late, gasping, trying to stop the car. The car hit the man in the road, flipping over, rolling down the road.

"Emma?" Elena demanded worriedly. "Emma!" Emma was suspended upside down in the car, coughing up glass. Her forehead was bleeding. "Emma, what happened? Are you okay?"

Emma held her head, reaching for her phone on the roof of the car. She couldn't reach far enough.

Bones started to break.

Emma looked outside of the car.

The man that Emma had hit snapped his bones back into place, healing, revealing himself to be a vampire, standing.

Emma was in shock, trying to break free. "Oh, my God."

The man in the hoodie stalked closer.

Emma screamed in terror.

The vampire rushed away.

Damon appeared in front of the car, kneeling next to the open window.

Emma gasped.

"How you doing in there?" Damon asked.

"Damon?" Emma asked.

"You look stuck." Damon told her.

"It's my seat belt." Emma told him. "I can't get it."

"Shh, shh, shh." Damon told her. "Let me get you out of there. I want you to put your hands on the roof." Emma put her hands on the roof. "Just like that. You ready?" Emma nodded. "One, two, three." Damon ejected her seat belt. "I got you." He helped Emma out of the car, helping her standing. "Are you okay? Can you stand? Is anything broken?"

"Uh-uh." Emma answered weakly.

Damon put Emma on her feet.

Emma could barely stand, falling.

Damon caught her in his arms. "Whoa. You're fading fast, Emma. Emma, look at me." He placed a hand on her cheek. "Focus. Look at me. Okay?"

"I know about Katherine." Emma told him.

"What?" Damon asked. Emma fell unconscious. Damon kept her standing, slowly lowering her to the ground, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Upsy-daisy."

Damon picked Emma up in a cradle, carrying her away from the damage of the accident.

...

Day Two

Morning - Alaric's Loft

Alaric was typing on his computer.

Alaric: (voice over) "I found one. After years of research and study, there it was right in front of me. I was terrified. As I stared it in the eyes, I drove a stake through its heart."

Alaric stood, walking across the room, grabbing his coat, getting ready to leave.

Alaric: (voice over) "I was right about Mystic Falls. There is evil here. I can sense it. Feel it. It's everywhere."

Alaric looked at a picture of a young, brunette woman.

...

Flashback

Day - Alaric's Home

(Song:) Cosmic Love - Florence and the Machine

Alaric was with the woman from the picture, lying with her in bed, kissing her forehead.

"Oh." The woman complained tiredly. "It's not even 7:00 yet."

"Which means you shouldn't be awake for at least six hours." Alaric told her.

The woman smiled. "I hate morning people."

"I'm going to be home late." Alaric told her.

"I love you." The woman told him.

"I love you, too." Alaric told her.

The woman covered her face with the blanket.

...

Now

Morning - Alaric's Loft

Alaric continued to look at the picture of his wife numbly, walking forward.

(Song Ends)

...

Salvatore Boarding House - Outside

Elena tried to call someone. "Emma, this is the millionth time I've called you. I'm worried about you, Emma. Just please call me back."

Stefan approached her from behind. "Elena..."

Elena turned to face him. "Stay away from me right now, Stefan. I don't want to talk to you."

Stefan looked at Katherine's picture in his hand. "Elena, I know that this picture must have confused you, but I can explain. I need to explain."

"You can try to talk your way out of this when my sister's not in danger." Elena told him.

"What?" Stefan asked. "Why? What happened to Emma?"

"I don't know." Elena told him. "I called her last night to come and get me, and I heard the car accident, and..."

"Car accident?" Stefan repeated.

Elena nodded. "And now she's not answering her phone. I'm worried about her, Stefan."

...

On The Road - Damon's Car

Damon was driving.

Emma was just now waking in the passenger seat. She looked around in confusion, looking at Damon.

"Morning." Damon told her.

"Where are we?" Emma asked.

"Georgia." Damon answered in a sing-song voice.

"Georgia?" Emma repeated skeptically. "No. No, no, we're not. Seriously, Damon, where are we?"

"Seriously, we're-we're in Georgia." Damon told her. Emma looked at him in confusion. "How you feeling?"

"I-I..." Emma trailed off, trying to remember.

"There's no broken bones." Damon told her. "I checked."

"But my car..." Emma trailed off. "There was a man. I hit a man. But then he got up, and... Who was that?"

"That's what I would like to know." Damon told her.

Emma looked around. "Where's my phone? And my necklace?"

"You must've lost them in the accident." Damon told her.

"Okay." Emma told him. "We really need to go back. Nobody knows where I am. I was talking to Elena over the phone when I got into the wreck. She must be freaking out." Damon didn't respond. "Pull over." Emma held her stomach, putting a hand to the dash board, leaning her head forward, looking as if she was about to get sick. "Stop the car."

Damon noticed how bad she looked, pulling over to the side of the road.

...

Outside

Emma got out of the car, closing the door behind her, leaning over weakly, looking as if she was trying not to get sick.

Damon rushed toward her. "Hey."

Emma stood straight, looking at Damon, confused as to why he would help her. "I'm fine. I just felt like I was gonna get sick." She took a deep breath. "We have to go back."

"Oh, come on." Damon told her. "Look. We've already come this far."

"Why are you doing this?" Emma asked. "Why are you helping me?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly leave you on the side of the road to fend for yourself against a vampire." Damon told her. "I have a feeling that Stefan would rip my head off."

"Then why did you bring me to Georgia?" Emma asked.

"You said that you wanted out, that you wanted to have a break from Mystic Falls." Damon reminded her. "I'm getting you out."

"That doesn't explain why you're doing this." Emma told him.

"But you're not complaining about it, are you?" Damon pointed out.

A phone rang.

Emma looked at him in suspicion. "That's my phone."

Damon smirked, answering Emma's phone. "Hello, Stefan."

At the Salvatore Boarding House, Stefan and Elena were standing in the living room, Stefan's phone on speaker on the table.

"Why do you have her phone?" Elena asked in suspicion.

"Who's phone?" Damon asked. "Emma?"

"I need your help." Stefan told him. "Emma is missing, and Elena is worried about her. I have Evelyn going to the school to ask Bonnie for help, and Isabella is tracking her right now."

"What is with all of the dramatics?" Damon asked. "She's not missing. She's here with me."

Elena turned to face the phone in confused surprise. "She's what? Why is she with you? Where is she? Is she okay?"

"I saved her." Damon answered. "You're welcome. She's right here. And, yes, she's fine."

"Where are you?" Elena asked. "Where did you take her? You kidnapped her."

"That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?" Damon asked.

"You're not funny." Elena told him. "Let me speak to her."

Damon held his phone toward Emma. "It's for you."

Alex took the phone. "Hello?"

"Emma, thank God." Elena told her in relief. "Where are you?"

Emma looked toward the state sign a few yards away. "Georgia."

"What?" Elena asked. "No. You can't be in Georgia."

"Yeah, well, I am in Georgia." Emma told her. "Don't ask. It's a long story, and I'm still feeling a little sick and fuzzy."

"Emma, you have to come back home now." Elena told her. "Jenna has already called me, freaking out. You have to come back."

"I can't come back if I don't have a car." Emma told her. "Unless I can con Damon out of his."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Damon told her.

"Em, I'm worried about you." Elena told her. "We all are. Just turn around and-"

"You have a good day." Emma told her. "Mm-hmm. Bye now."

Emma hung up.

Damon smirked. "You don't like it when people tell you what to do, do you?"

"No, I don't." Emma answered.

"Well, that's ironic, since that's what you do." Damon told her.

"I only tell other people what to do when I know that it will help them." Emma told him. Damon smirked. "But right now, I just want to go home. No one knows where I am, and I am tired, and I want to pass out in my own bed in my own room in my own house. Can we please just go back?"

"We're almost there." Damon told her.

"Where is there?" Emma asked.

"A little place right outside of Atlanta." Damon answered. "Oh, come on, Emma. You don't wanna go back right now. Do you? What's the rush? Time out. Trust me. Your problems are still going to be there when you get home. Look. Step away from your life for five minutes. Five minutes."

"Am I gonna be safe with you?" Emma asked.

"Yes." Damon answered.

"You promise not to do that mind control thing with me?" Emma asked.

"Yes." Damon answered.

"Can I trust you?" Emma asked.

"Get in the car." Damon told her. "Come on."

Damon walked to the driver's side, getting into the car.

Emma smirked slightly, noticing that he hadn't answered her last question.

...

Mystic Falls High School - Outside

Bonnie was walking along the courtyard.

Evelyn approached her from behind. "Bonnie."

Bonnie looked at her. "Evelyn."

"Hey." Evelyn told her.

"Didn't know that you were back yet." Bonnie told her.

Evelyn nodded. "Yeah. Yeah. Just had to get out of Mystic Falls for a day, clear my head."

"I understand." Bonnie told her.

"Stefan told me what happened." Evelyn told her. "How are you doing with everything?"

"I'm fine." Bonnie answered. "It's all fine."

"Good." Evelyn told her. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Depends on the favor." Bonnie told her.

"I was hoping you could help me with something." Evelyn told her. "A spell."

"Evelyn, look, I know Emma and Elena are okay with all of this, and I appreciate that you, Stefan and Isabella are different than Damon, and that you're just trying to help, but I'm not really ready to dive into it with you and your family just yet." Bonnie told her.

"I understand that." Evelyn told her. "But I need your help. It's Emma. She's with Damon."

Bonnie looked at her in confusion.

...

Now, Evelyn and Bonnie were sitting together at a bench.

"So, Elena gave me this shirt of Emma's, and we were just hoping you could us this to make some sort of a connection." Evelyn explained. "We just need to know that she's okay."

"How do you know I can do this?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, I don't." Evelyn answered. "But, Stefan and Isabella seem to think that you can, and we know a few witches over the years, and we've seen what they can do, so, I trust them on this. And I trust you."

"I'm still new at it." Bonnie told her.

"It's okay." Evelyn told her. "Give it a shot."

"Okay." Bonnie told her. "All right." She took hold of Emma's blouse, closing her eyes in concentration. "There's nothing." She opened her eyes. "Nothing's happening. Usually, there's an image, or... Tell me if anyone's looking."

"Okay." Evelyn told her. Bonnie picked up a leaf, lying it on the table. She hovered her hand over the leaf, trying to make it levitate. It didn't work. "What is it?"

"Something's wrong." Bonnie answered.

"With Emma?" Evelyn asked.

"With me." Bonnie told her. "There's something wrong with me." She grabbed her things. "I have to go. I'm sorry, Evelyn. I can't help you."

Bonnie quickly walked away.

Evelyn watched her go in confusion.

...

Salvatore Boarding House - Stefan's Room

Elena was looking at Katherine's picture.

Stefan approached her from behind. "Elena..."

Elena turned to face him. "You could have told me."

"I wanted to tell you." Stefan told her.

"You said no more lies." Elena told him. "Only the truth. I can handle the truth, Stefan. As crazy as it is, I can handle the fact that you are a vampire. And that you have a vampire brother, and a vampire sister, and a vampire friend, and you. And that my best friend is a witch. I can accept the fact that the world is a much more mysterious place than I ever thought possible. But this-this lie, I cannot take. What am I to you? Who am I to you?"

"You are not Katherine." Stefan told her. "You are the opposite of everything that she was."

"And when did you figure that out?" Elena asked. "Before you kissed me? Before we slept together?"

"Before I met you." Stefan answered.

Elena looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"The first day of school, when we met, and when I met Emma..." Stefan trailed off. "It wasn't for the first time, Elena."

"Then when was it?" Elena asked.

Stefan hesitated. "May 23, 2009."

"But that was..." Elena trailed off.

"That was the day your parents' car went off the bridge." Stefan finished.

Elena looked at him in shock. "You were there?"

Stefan hesitated for a moment, nodding.

...

On The Road

(Song:) An End Has A Start - Editors

Isabella and Evelyn stood nearby the road, looking toward the skid marks where Emma had had her car accident.

"So this is where it happened?" Evelyn asked.

Isabella nodded. "Yeah. I recognize Emma's scent. And Damon's. But there's another one." She stood over a blood stain in the middle of the road. "This is where he was."

"Who?" Evelyn asked.

Isabella looked up. "The guy Emma hit with her car."

Evelyn took this in for a moment. "And he just got up and walked away." Isabella nodded. "So he was a vampire."

"From what I can tell, yeah." Isabella answered.

"You don't know him?" Evelyn asked. "You don't recognize the scent?"

"If I've never met him, I wouldn't know him, or recognize the scent." Isabella told her. "I mean, it's not like we all hang out together at the Vamp Bar & Grill."

"So, what are we gonna do with Emma's car?" Evelyn asked.

"Pull it off to the side of the road." Isabella answered. "I don't think anyone will bother it."

"What about Damon and Emma?" Nicola asked. "They could be anywhere right now, and Bonnie can't find them. She's scared, Izzy. She needs help."

Isabella nodded. "Then I'll help her, while you, Eve, hide Emma's car until we find out something better to do with it."

Isabella tossed the keys to Evelyn.

Evelyn caught the keys.

Isabella had disappeared.

Evelyn sighed, shaking her head, smiling a small smile.

(Song Ends)

...

Atlanta, Georgia

Bree's Bar - Outside

Damon pulled up in front of a bar named "Bree's Bar."

Damon and Emma got out of the car.

"You brought me to a bar?" Emma asked. "Finally, something I can feel happy about."

Damon smirked at the gesture, leading the way toward the bar.

...

Inside

(Song:) On A Mission - The Dandelions

Damon and Emma walked in.

A woman behind the bar noticed them. "No. No, it can't be." Damon smiled. "Damon." The woman sat on the bar, sliding across the surface to the other side, standing, walking toward Damon. "My honey pie."

The woman placed a hand on either of Damon's cheeks, kissing him.

Emma looked at them in surprise.

(Song Ends)

...

Bree's Bar

(Song:) Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Black+Mustang

The woman raised a bottle in the air. "Listen up, everybody!" Damon and Alex were sitting across from her at the bar. The woman looked at Damon. "Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness." She poured shots for everyone. "Drink up." Damon and the woman took their shots. "Whoo!" The woman looked at Emma. "So, how'd he rope you in?"

The woman poured Emma shot.

"I'm not roped in." Emma told her. "Actually, my sister is dating his-"

"Honey, if you're not roped, you're whipped." The woman told her. "Either way, just enjoy the ride."

The woman smiled, pouring more alcohol.

Emma nodded awkwardly. "Okay." She took her shot, looking from the woman to Damon. "So, how did you two meet?"

"College." The woman answered.

Emma couldn't help a laugh, looking at Damon skeptically. "You went to college?"

Damon smiled. "I've been on a college campus, yes."

"About 20 years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman, I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love." The woman explained. "And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him more. Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody."

Damon whispered to Emma. "She's a witch."

Emma looked at the woman in shock.

The woman looked at Damon. "Changed my world, you know."

Damon smirked. "I rocked your world."

"Somebody's full of himself." Emma told him, taking a shot.

Damon smirked.

Emma smiled.

"He is good in the sack, isn't he?" The woman asked. "But, mostly he's just a walk away Joe." She looked at Damon. "So, what is it that you want?"

(Song Ends)

...

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Public Library

Jeremy walked upstairs, into the stacks of bookshelves, looking for a book.

Some books fell down in front of him.

A girl appeared from the other side of the bookshelf. "Oh, my God. I am so sorry. There was this one book wedged between the other, and so I pulled, and then kaplunk, kaboom." She gestured with her hands. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jeremy answered.

They knelt down to pick up the books at the same time, accidentally hitting their heads.

The girl held her head, groaning slightly in pain. "I'm Anna."

Jeremy rubbed his head, laughing. "I'm Jeremy."

Liam walked down the aisle, seeing them. "Uh, hi."

Anna and Jeremy looked at Liam.

Anna smiled a small smile.

Jeremy pointed at Anna. "Liam, this is Anna." Liam nodded. Jeremy looked at Anna, pointing at Liam. "This is Liam."

Anna looked thoughtful.

...

Grams' House - Living Room

Bonnie was looking through the old spell books.

Grams walked in.

"Thank God you're back." Bonnie told her.

"And hello to you, too." Grams told her. "What's the matter?"

"My powers are gone, Grams." Bonnie told her. "I can't do anything, even when I concentrate. And there's nothing in any of these books that can tell me how to get them back."

"Hang on, now." Grams told her. "Just calm down. "Tell me what happened."

"I can't." Bonnie told her.

"We're keeping secrets now?" Grams asked.

"I have to." Bonnie told her. "I'm sorry. I promised. Please, help me."

"Well, first of all, there's nothing in any of these that's gonna help you." Grams told her. "If you're blocked, it's in her." She pointed at Bonnie's head. "You gotta clear it out, then you're back in business."

"Clear what out?" Bonnie asked.

Grams looked at her sympathetically. "Whatever's got you so scared."

Bonnie looked at her for a moment.

...

Gilbert House - Kitchen

Jenna sighed, picking the phone up.

The phone rang.

Jenna looked at the Caller ID. "It's Elena."

Jenna answered the phone. "Elena?"

Elena was sitting in Stefan's room. "Hi, Jenna. I'm so sorry."

"Where are you?" Jenna asked. "Where's Emma? Why didn't you call?"

"We were so tired last night." Elena told her. "We fell asleep at Bonnie's. And this morning, we just wanted to get to school. Emma says hi."

"Are you guys okay?" Jenna asked.

"You know." Elena told her. "Stefan and stuff."

"Okay." Jenna told her. "Be here soon."

Jenna hung up, putting the phone down on the island.

...

Atlanta, Georgia

Bree's Bar

(Song:) Can't Stop These Tears (From Falling) - The Black Hollies

Damon and the woman were sitting together at the bar.

"Come on, there's gotta be another way." Damon told her.

"After all these years, it's still only Katherine and Elizabeth." The woman told him. "How do you even know their still alive?"

"Well, you help me get into that tomb, and we'll find out." Damon told her.

"I already did 20 years ago." The woman told him. "Remember? Three easy steps. Comet. Crystal. Spell."

"There's a little problem with number two." Damon told her. "I don't have the crystal."

"That's it, Damon." The woman told him. "There is no other way. It's Emily's spell."

"What about a new spell with a new crystal that overrides Emily's spell?" Damon asked.

"It doesn't work that way, baby." The woman told him. "Emily's spell is absolute. You can't get into that tomb."

Damon seemed disappointed.

(Song Ends)

...

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Salvatore Boarding House - Stefan's Room

Stefan and Elena were sitting together.

"Every couple of years, I come back here, to see Zach and see my home." Stefan explained. "Last spring, I was out in the woods, by old Wickery Bridge. And I heard the accident. All of it. I was fast getting there, but not fast enough. The car was already submerged. Your dad was still... he was still conscious. I was able to get to him, but he wouldn't let me help him, until I helped you, and until I helped Emma."

Elena started to cry. "Oh, my God. When we woke up in the hospital, nobody could figure out how we got out of the car. They said it was a miracle."

"I went back for them." Stefan told her. "But it was too late. I couldn't-I couldn't save them. When I pulled you out, I looked at your face. You and Emma looked exactly like Katherine. I couldn't believe the resemblances. After that, I spent months making sure that you both weren't her, and wondering about both of you. I watched you. I learned everything that I could about you. And I saw that you both were nothing like Katherine. And I wanted to leave town, but, Elena, I couldn't. I couldn't leave without knowing you both. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you. I wanted to. But you were so sad."

"Why do I look like her?" Elena asked. "Why does Emma look like her?"

"Elena, you've both been through so much." Stefan told her.

"Why do we look like her, Stefan?" Elena repeated forcefully. "What are you not telling me?"

"It didn't make any sense to me." Stefan told her. "You both were Gilberts. She was a Pierce. But the resemblance was too similar. And then I learned the truth." There was a long moment of silence. "You and Emma were adopted, Elena."

Elena looked at him in disbelief and denial.

...

Fell's Church

Bonnie was at the old Fell Church, looking around. She picked up a leaf, lying it on her hand, hovering her other one over it, trying to levitate it. It didn't work. Bonnie shook her hand out, disappointed. "Come on." She tried again, only to fail once more. She heard a noise, looking around only to find that she was alone. She tilted her hand, letting the leaf fall to the ground. "Hello?" Her voice echoed. "Anybody here?"

The ground below her feet gave away, making Bonnie fall into a hole in the ground and her scream once in shock.

...

Atlanta, Georgia

Bree's Bar - Outside

(Song:) Trouble - Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions

Emma was outside, leaning against Damon's car, on the phone.

...

Inside

Damon was watching Emma through the window, hearing Elena's voice over the phone. "Emma, is that you?"

...

Outside

Emma spoke to Elena over the phone. "I'm here."

"Where are you?" Elena asked.

"At a dive bar in the middle of nowhere." Emma answered.

Elena was in the Salvatore Boarding House living room. "I covered for you with Jenna. You can thank me later when you tell me exactly where you are so I can come and get you."

"I don't know where I am." Emma told her. "All I know is that it's a crappy bar in a crappy part of Atlanta. That's it. You know as well as I do that I suck at giving directions, so if you try to find your way to me just by my advice, you'll be lost within the hour."

Elena sighed, tears in her eyes, hesitating. "Em, there's something that I have to tell you."

"What?" Emma asked. Elena didn't answer, looking down in guilt. "Well, don't stand on ceremony, Elena. Just spit it out."

"I shouldn't tell you over the phone." Elena told her.

"What's the difference if you tell me to my face?" Emma asked.

(Song Ends)

"Em..." Elena trailed off.

"Speak." Emma told her.

Elena sighed, hesitating, nodding even though she knew Emma couldn't see her. "Stefan explained everything."

"Okay." Emma told her cautiously.

"He explained why we look like Katherine." Elena told her.

"Why?" Emma asked.

Elena hesitated, forcing herself to say the words. "We're adopted, Emma."

Emma was processing, in shock. "What?"

"I'm so sorry." Elena told her. "But it's true. Stefan told me everything."

Emma was in denial. "Stefan, the guy who lied to you."

"Em..." Elena trailed off. "He explained himself, I told you that."

"So, you believe him?" Emma asked.

"Yes, I do." Elena answered.

"Elena, he lied to us about us being connected to Katherine." Emma told her.

"And he also saved our lives." Elena told her. "He says that he can explain how and why he knows what he knows."

"And we're supposed to believe him?" Emma asked.

"At least hear him out, Emma, please." Elena told her.

"You might believe him, Elena, but I don't." Emma told her. "Not until he proves it."

"Emma-" Elena started.

Emma hung up, slightly overwhelmed. She turned around.

Damon appeared in front of her. "You okay?"

"Don't pretend to care." Emma told him. "I know you're gloating inside."

...

Inside

(Song:) Push - The Steps

The woman had been watching Damon and Emma from the window, walking toward the bar, making a call, turning on a blender so she was not overheard by Damon. "Hey, it's Bree. You'll never gonna guess who walked into my bar."

(Song Ends)

...

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Fell's Church - Underground Chamber

Bonnie was lying on a pile of rumble and rocks, slowly waking up in pain. She pushed the rocks away, sitting up, holding her head. "Ow." She touched her bleeding eyebrow, looking at her scraped, bleeding knee, standing, looking for a way out. "Hello? Anybody?"

Bonnie turned toward a stone doorway with a pentagram surrounded by a circle carved into it, gasping.

...

Grams' House - Outside

Isabella approached the house, knocking on the door.

Grams opened the door.

"Hi." Isabella told her.

"Can I help you?" Grams asked.

"I'm Isabella." Isabella told her, shaking her hand. "I'm a friend of Bonnie's. Her dad told me that she might be here."

"She was." Grams told her. "Not anymore."

"Do you know where she went?" Isabella asked.

"No." Grams answered. "But you do."

Isabella looked at her in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"I told her to face down her fear." Grams told her. "And I'm sensing now that you know exactly why she was scared." Isabella didn't answer. "You know what I am. And yet you offered me your hand, which means you wanted me to see that I can trust you."

"Can you?" Isabella asked.

"I trust you'll keep her safe." Grams answered. "You'd better be on your way, then. I'm not going to invite you in. I'm sure you understand why."

Isabella smiled a small smile of respect, nodding, turning around, walking away.

...

Library

Anna was showing Jeremy and Liam which ways to go. "This aisle is local and state history. And the Civil War is one over." She turned to face them. "What do you need?"

"Local." Jeremy answered. "1860s."

"Do you work here?" Liam asked.

"Nope." Anna answered. She turned to Jeremy. "Uh, you want reference." She continued to walk. "This way." She looked at Liam. "Um, home schooled. I study here for a mock-school environment." She stopped at an aisle. "Ah, here we go." She looked at all of the books in the closed section. "Original settlers, town archives, Founders' stuff. It's all here."

"What's the topic?" Anna asked.

"Uh, the town's fear and hysteria surrounding the war and how it influenced certain writers at that time." Jeremy answered.

Liam looked at him weirdly. "I'm working with you on this, and I didn't even follow that."

Anna smiled in agreement. "She's right. You might wanna focus that."

"The origins of local folklore and myths." Jeremy explained.

Anna smiled. "You mean the vampires."

...

Atlanta, Georgia

Bree's Bar

(Song:) Pepper Spray - The Upsidedown

Emma and Damon were sitting at the bar, eating.

"Let's just say that I really am adopted and descended from Katherine." Emma told him. "Does that make me part vampire?"

"Vampires can't procreate." Damon told her, eating a fry. "But we love to try." He smirked. "No, if you were related, it would mean Katherine had a child before she was turned."

"Did Stefan think that he could use Elena to replace her?" Emma asked.

"Kinda creepy if you ask me." Damon told her.

"So what's your excuse?" Emma asked.

"What do you mean?" Damon asked.

"Oh, you know what I mean." Emma told him. "The way that you were trying to get under my skin, were you just doing that so you could try to use me to replace Katherine?"

"Well, I was never intentionally gonna use you to do anything except to piss Stefan off." Damon told her. Emma gave him a look. "But, as for the other part, well, that depends. Did I get under your skin?"

"No." Emma told him.

Damon chuckled. "Liar."

Damon ate another fry.

"How can you even eat?" Emma asked. "If technically, you're supposed to be dead?"

"Whoa." Damon told her. "Someone call the blunt police." Emma smirked. Damon chuckled. "As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally."

Emma hesitated. "This nice act. Is any of it real?"

Damon looked at Emma.

Bree approached them. "Here you go."

Bree handed them each a beer.

"Thank you." Emma told her, opening her beer.

"Don't you think that you've had enough?" Damon asked. "I mean, I'm surprised you're not drunk."

"I have a pretty high tolerance." Emma told him. "And anyway, I'm having a time out, remember? For five minutes? Yeah, well, that five minutes is going to need more than one beer."

"Cheers to that." Damon told her, clinking his beer to Emma's.

Emma and Damon smiled, taking a drink.

(Song Ends)

...

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Library

Anna, Jeremy and Liam were sitting together at a table.

"You're kidding me, right?" Liam asked. "There's no such thing as vampires."

"Well, there's not a lot of documentation, but stories have been told since the Civil War." Anna told them. "My granddad used to tell me these creepy stories when I was little, and he said that his granddad told them to him."

"That would be folklore." Jeremy told them. "Vampires are a metaphor for the demons of the day."

"Which are?" Anna asked.

"The Union soldiers." Liam told them. "I've read the stories myself. They talk about the enemy. The demons that attack at night."

"That sounds like vampires to me." Anna told them.

"Allegorical vampires, which is what it is." Jeremy told them. "Creative expression during volatile times. I mean, a country at war doesn't want realism. They want fantasy. Thus, vampire fiction."

"Man." Anna told them, looking from Jeremy to Liam. "You two are smart. I gotta give it to you, when I first saw you, I missed it."

"Yeah, we've, uh..." Jeremy trailed off. "We've had a rough go of it lately, but we're just now getting back to our old selves."

Anna smiled. "Well, good luck on your guys' paper. I gotta get home." She stood, turning to them. "You know, my great grandfather actually showed me a journal once of an ancestor."

Jeremy and Liam exchanged a look.

"Wait." Liam told her. "A journal?"

"Yeah." Anna answered. "Why?"

Liam leaned forward against the table. "Are you sure you have to go?"

...

Night - Fell's Church - Underground Chamber

Bonnie held her phone toward the hole in the ground above her head, trying to receive a signal. "Come on, phone! Great. Great."

Bonnie heard whispers coming from the door to the tomb, slowly walking toward it, pressing her ear against the stone to hear them better.

There was a rumble.

Bonnie backed away from the door.

Someone jumped down to the ground behind her from the hole above.

Bonnie screamed in shock and horror.

...

Bonnie continued to scream.

Isabella was the one standing behind her, grabbing her arm. "Bonnie!"

Bonnie didn't realize who it was. "Get away from me!"

"It's me." Isabella told her. "It's Isabella."

Bonnie turned toward her cautiously. "Isabella?" She relaxed slightly. "The ground gave way, and I fell."

"It's okay." Isabella told her. "It's okay. Calm down. Come on, let's get you out of here."

"How?" Bonnie asked.

"Just close your eyes." Isabella told her. "Trust me."

Bonnie nodded, closing her eyes.

Isabella wrapped her arms around Bonnie, jumping.

...

Above Ground

Isabella and Bonnie landed safely on the ground.

Isabella pulled away. "You can open your eyes now."

Bonnie opened her eyes, looking around. "Whoa."

"I didn't want to scare you." Isabella told her.

"How did you now where I was?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, your grandmother told me what you were doing." Isabella answered. "I guessed the where."

"I heard them, down there, behind the door." Bonnie told her. "Are they in pain?"

"In the beginning, yes." Isabella answered. "But not anymore. They've starved to the point of desiccation."

"But if they have blood-" Bonnie started.

"That's not going to happen, Bonnie." Isabella told her. "They can't get out. Emily saw to that when she had you destroy the crystal. You're safe."

Bonnie nodded, reassured.

Isabella looked at the tomb door through the hole in the ground for a long moment, nostalgic.

"That look..." Bonnie trailed off. "I've never seen you look that serious."

"Not many people have." Isabella told her.

"It's almost like you miss somebody." Bonnie told her. Isabella looked at Bonnie, nodding slightly. "You have someone else down there, don't you? Someone besides Katherine."

Isabella hesitated. "Her name's Elizabeth. Back in 1864, before I found out that she had been a vampire, she had helped me with the loss of my husband and child. She never compelled me, and she never did anything to hurt me, or the people that I cared about. I guess you could say that she's my best friend. She had been put into the church with Katherine and the other vampires when they set it on fire. I thought she had died. I had thought that they had all died. But that was before I found out about the tomb. She's a good girl. She had never hurt anyone back then. She didn't deserve 145 years of desiccating, starving in a tomb with no way out by her own sibling."

"Do you miss her?" Bonnie asked.

Isabella nodded. "Of course I do. I just can't do anything to get her out of there. And, I wish that I could, but I know that if we got her out, it would release every other vampire down there. It's too dangerous to risk it all for just one person. And I know Elizabeth would agree with me."

Bonnie nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm sorry."

Isabella looked up, not giving a response.

...

Salvatore Boarding House - Living Room

Stefan and Elena were sitting together on the couch.

Elena was still shaken up. "How do you know all this?"

"Your and Emma's birth certificates from the city records." Stefan answered. "They say Emma and Elena Gilbert. Mystic Falls General. But there's no record of your mother ever being admitted. There's no record of her ever being pregnant, with you and Emma."

"What else do you know?" Elena asked.

"For me to go any further, I would've had to look into the Pierce family, and I couldn't do that." Stefan told her. "It's too much of a risk. If someone found out I was asking about Katherine..." Elena started to cry. "Listen to me. It doesn't matter. You are the woman that I love. I love you." Elena nodded, reassured, kissing Stefan for a long moment. Stefan cradled Elena in his arms as she cried. "Do you think Emma will believe me if I told her any of this?"

Elena took a deep, unsteady breath. "She'll believe me."

...

Atlanta, Georgia

Bree's Bar

(Song:) The Night Before - The Stereotypes

Damon, Emma and Bree and several others were taking shots.

"Ready..." Bree trailed off. "Go!"

Everyone took their shot.

Emma finished hers first, putting her shot glass down, clapping her hands, doing a little dance. "That's three!" She looked at Damon, pretending to pout. "Aw, do you need a bib?"

"Sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol." Damon told her.

Emma smiled, looking away. "Whatever." She looked over the crowd. "All right, who's next?" She looked at Bree, drumming her hands against the bar. "Another round, Bree?"

A blonde woman looked at Emma. "Honey, you should be on the floor."

"I am not even drunk." Emma told them even though it was obvious that she was. "My tolerance is, like, way up..." She jumped slightly, reaching toward the ceiling. "Here!"

A man walked past them, sitting at the other end of the bar.

Bree noticed him. "All right. Here you go."

Bree poured another round of shots, looking at the man, nodding toward Emma and Damon.

The man looked toward Emma and Damon.

(Song Ends)

...

Mystic Falls, Virginia

The Grill

(Song:) Look Inside - That Dig

Anna and Jeremy were playing Foosball.

"So you have no idea where the journal is?" Jeremy asked.

"Nope." Anna answered. "Gramps died and all the kids split his stuff. I can ask."

"I just find it weird all of our ancestors kept the same kind of journals." Jeremy told her. "It's crazy."

"Maybe it's based on some partial reality." Anna told him.

"No." Jeremy told her. "It's gotta be metaphorical. My ancestor wrote short stories."

Anna scoffed. "So that's why you're hung up on the fiction of it all."

"No." Jeremy argued. "I'm hung up on the fiction of it all because I've seen 'The Lost Boys' and 'Near Dark', like, 50 times."

"Are those movies?" Anna asked, making another move to beat Jeremy. "Hey, I've never seen them." She smiled. "Maybe we can have a Fright Night and rent a whole bunch of vampire movies."

Jeremy looked down. "Yeah. Yeah, sure."

"Why does that sound like a 'no way in hell'?" Anna asked. "Sorry, I'm blunt."

"No, no, it's, uh..." Jeremy trailed off. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I just recently got out of something. It's a little too soon, you know."

Anna shook her head. "No, please, sure. Yeah, no worries. I meant as friends. So, yeah." She looked toward the door. "Look, I really gotta go, so..." She picked up her bag. "Nice meeting you, Jeremy."

Anna walked away, leaving.

Jeremy watched her go.

(Song Ends)

...

Atlanta, Georgia

Bree's Bar

Emma was playing pool. When she made the shot, she jumped into the air, raising her hands toward the ceiling, spinning around. "Yeah!" Her phone started to ring. She walked toward her jacket, picking it up, pulling out her phone, answering. "Hello?"

Jenna was in the Gilbert House in standing at the bottom of the stair case.

Jenna sighed. "Emma."

"Jenna!" Emma cheered.

"Are you drunk?" Jenna asked.

"What?" Emma asked unconvincingly, scoffing. "No. Why would you think that?"

Jenna rolled her eyes. "I'm freaking out, and your showing me there's nothing to freak out about and doing a pretty good job at it."

"Oh, hold on." Emma told her. "It's loud in here."

Emma pulled on her leather jacket, walking toward the door.

"Emma, where are you?" Jenna asked. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Emma asked. "Yeah. No, I'm good. Everything's fine."

"Hold on." Emma told them. "I can't hear you."

"It's not fine." Jenna told her. At the bar, Emma walked outside. "I got a call from-"

(Song Ends)

Emma tripped, holding onto a railing nearby to catch herself, dropping her phone, sighing. "Damn it." She picked up her phone, standing. "Hello?"

The man from the bar appeared behind Emma , holding a hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream, making her drop her phone, taking her away.

...

Bree's Bar

Bree was pouring shots.

Damon sat at the bar.

Bree approached him. "Hey, where's your girl?"

Damon looked toward the pool tables. "Hmm. She was right back there."

Damon stood, turning around, walking toward the door.

(Song Ends)

...

Outside

Damon walked outside, looking away, seeing Emma's phone on the ground, picking it up. He walked around the bar, over to an electrical building.

Emma was hanging onto a tank. "Damon, no!"

The man attacked Damon with a wooden plank, hitting him repeatedly.

"What the hell?" Damon demanded weakly.

Emma jumped down from the tank.

The man poured gasoline over Damon.

Emma ran toward them. "No!"

The man turned toward Emma, transformed, hissing to frighten her enough to make her stay back.

Emma stopped where she was.

The man looked at Damon.

"Who are you?" Damon asked.

"That's perfect." The man told him sarcastically. "You have no idea."

"What are you talking about?" Emma asked. "What did he do?"

"He killed my girlfriend." The man answered. He looked at Damon. "What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you?"

"Nothing." Damon answered.

"I don't understand." Emma told him.

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan, Evelyn and Isabella, and Damon killed her." The man explained. "Got it?"

The man hit Damon with the bat, making him groan in pain.

Emma looked at him in realization. "Lexi? Lexi was your girlfriend? She told me about you. She said that you were human."

"I was." The man told her, pulling a book of matches out of his pocket.

"Lexi turned you?" Emma asked.

"If you want to be with someone forever, you have to live forever." The man told her.

Damon tried to sit up.

The man kicked him in the fall, making him fall back down.

"She loved you." Emma told him. "She said that, 'when it's real, you can't walk away'."

"Well, that's a choice you're not going to have to make." The man told her.

Emma shook her head. "Don't. Don't, please. Don't hurt him."

The man lit a match. "I'm doing you a favor."

"Lexi loved you." Emma told him. "And she was good. And that means you're good, too. Be better than him. Don't do this. I'm begging you. Please." The man picked Damon up, throwing him against the building, no longer trying to kill him. "Thank you."

The man looked at Emma with tears in his eyes. "It wasn't for you."

The man rushed away, leaving.

Emma ran toward Damon, kneeling next to him.

...

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Grams' House - Outside

Isabella and Bonnie were standing on the porch.

Grams opened the door, looking at Bonnie. "Well, now, look who's returned from battle." They wrapped their arms around each other, pulling away. "Can I talk to your friend for a minute?"

Bonnie nodded. She looked at Isabella. "Thank you."

Isabella nodded.

Bonnie walked inside.

Grams stood in the doorway. "I appreciate your help, Isabella."

"You're welcome, Sheila." Isabella told her.

Grams smiled. "I wasn't sure you remembered."

"October 1969." Isabella told her.

"I was barely a teenager." Grams told her. "You were hiding from your brothers, as usual. You came within speaking distance of them, and yet, you stayed hidden in the shadows, watching over them like a guardian angel, but you never showed yourself. Because you knew that if you did, everything would change, and you didn't know if it would have been for the better or for the worse."

"And you were leading what was probably the only anti-war sit-in within miles of Mystic Falls." Isabella told her, smiling. "You know, I always had a respect for girls who fought for what they believed in, even if that included not fighting to begin with."

"Because that's what you see in yourself?" Grams asked.

Isabella smiled. "Hmm. You know, when you spoke, people were mesmerized. I know I was. Until the cops showed up."

There was a moment of silence.

"You took a big risk coming to see me earlier." Grams told her. "Letting me read you, realize who you were. It could have gone in a completely different way."

"Your family has a very long history of keeping my secret." Kaylin told her, shrugging. "I knew that I could trust you if you believed I was worthy of your trust."

"Bonnie knows, doesn't she?" Grams asked.

"Yes." Isabella answered.

"Then please understand, our loyalty can only extend so far." Grams told her. "This town won't be easy on any of us if they figure it out. And I'll protect my own before anybody else."

"I know that." Isabella told her. "And I will do the same. Respectively, of course."

"As long as we're clear." Grams told her. "Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight, Sheila." Isabella told her.

Grams closed the door.

Isabella turned around, walking away.

...

Atlanta, Georgia

Bree's Bar

(Song:) Only One - Alex Band

The bar was closed, dark and deserted.

Bree was standing alone at the bar, taking a shot nervously.

Damon approached from behind her. "We were just leaving. I wanted to say goodbye."

Bree didn't turn to face him, replying flatly. "Good to see you again, Damon."

"No kiss?" Damon asked.

Bree turned to face him. "I'm full of vervain. I put it in everything I drink."

"And you're telling me this why?" Damon asked.

"Lexi was my friend." Bree told him. "How could you?" Damon stalked closer to her. Bree became frightened. "The tomb can be opened."

Damon stepped closer to her. "You're lying."

"Emily's grimoire, her spell book." Bree told him. "If you know how she closed the tomb, the reversal process will be in her book. You can open that tomb."

"Where is this book?" Damon asked.

"I-I-" Bree started.

"You have no idea." Damon told her.

"No," Bree answered. "I'm telling you the truth."

"And I believe you." Damon told her. "My dear, sweet, Bree. That's why I'm almost sorry."

Damon pushed his hand through Bree's chest, grabbing her heart, making her groan in pain, ripping her heart out, letting her body fall to the floor. He wiped his hand off, grabbing his jacket, turning around, walking out of the bar.

(Song ends)

...

Day Three

Morning - On The Road - Damon's Car

(Song:) Out Of The Blue - Julian Casablancas

Damon and Emma were on their way back home.

"So, why did you bring me with you?" Emma asked.

"Well, you're not the worst company in the world, Emma." Damon told her. "You should give yourself more credit."

Emma looked at him knowingly. "Seriously?"

"You were there in the road, all damsel-in-distress-like." Damon told her. "And I knew it would piss off Stefan. And... you're not the worst company in the world, Emma."

"I used to be more fun." Emma told him.

"You used to be what?" Damon asked. "How in hell could you have been any more fun that you were last night?"

Emma smiled. "I guess you'll just have to see for yourself, won't you?"

"Well, I look forward to that." Damon told her.

Emma looked at him. "I saved your life."

"I know." Damon told her.

Emma smiled. "And don't you forget it." There was a long moment of silence. Emma looked at him. "Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell Elena and me that we looked like Katherine?"

Damon shrugged. "I don't know. Never really thought about it."

Emma sighed.

Damon smirked. He pulled Emma's vervain necklace from his jacket pocket by its chain so he wouldn't be burned. "Here."

"My necklace?" Emma asked, looking from her bracelet to Damon. "You had it the entire time?"

Damn shrugged. "I wanted to show you that I could go the whole time without compelling you." Emma slowly started to smile. Damon looked at the only charm that was on the bracelet, the charm that was identical to the one that was on Elena's necklace. "If I were you, I'd turn this into a charm bracelet. A vampire will easily tell that you have vervain if it's only one pendant."

Emma held out her hand to Damon.

Damon lowered the bracelet into her palm.

Emma smiled, looking up at Damon.

(Song Ends)

...

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Gilbert House - Porch

Emma walked onto the porch to see Elena waiting for her. "Hey."

"Hey." Elena told her.

Emma slowly walked closer. "You said that we needed to talk."

Elena nodded, chuckling without humor. "Yeah. That would be the understatement of the year. But you can't shut me out. You need to listen to this. Please."

Emma hesitated, sitting on the porch swing next to Elena. "Then tell me."

Elena looked at Emma sympathetically, at a loss for where to begin.

...

Library

Jeremy and Liam were here, sitting on the floor in a circle, leaning against the shelves behind them, work spread around them.

Anna walked up to them.

"Hey." Jeremy told her.

"There you guys are." Anna told them, sitting down next to them. "Okay, look. I know I don't know any of you, so don't ask me why I did this."

Liam closed a book, placing it on the floor next to him. "You've got my attention."

Anna smiled. "I just-Sometimes, well, mostly all the time, I have this need to be right." Jeremy smiled. Liam nodded for her to go on. "So, I Googled, and..."

Anna handed a file folder to Liam.

Liam took it. "What is it?"

"Proof." Anna answered. "Sort of."

Liam opened the folder, revealing a stack of papers inside.

Animal Attack

Campers Found Mauled

Local Girl Survive Deadly Animal Attack

Liam looked away, turning to Anna. "What does this mean?"

"Well, I only went as far back as 1942." Anna told them. "And I found that there's been a string of animal attacks periodically in and around this town for the past 75 years. It's consistent. Look." She showed more articles to Liam. "Here we go. In '62, five bodies found. In '53, four people killed. In '74, three people dead. And there's been five this year. All attacked, all suffered major blood loss. As in, drained of blood." Anna looked at Liam. "That's not counting near deaths like Vicki Donovan. She were bitten on the neck, suffered major blood loss..."

...

Gilbert House - Foyer

Jenna was sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine.

Emma and Elena walked in.

Jenna turned toward them. "I don't set a lot of rules, guys. Not with the two of you." She stood, walking closer to them. "I trust you to tell me the truth. Where were you, Emma? Why would you have Elena lie to me about it? I thought that we were closer than that."

"Now is not the time you want to talk to us about lies." Elena told her.

"Don't do that." Jenna told them. "Don't turn this back on me. I didn't do anything."

Emma turned to her in defiance, angry. "Okay. Question. Are we adopted?" Jenna looked at them in shock. "We trust you to tell us the truth, too, Jenna. How could you not tell us? I thought we were closer than that."

Emma walked upstairs.

Elena looked at Jenna for a moment, shaking her head, starting to walk upstairs.

"Elena, I didn't-" Jenna started. "They asked me not to."

"I don't want to hear it." Elena told her.

Emma and Elena walked upstairs, to their room.

Jenna was left alone with her guilt.

...

Night - The Grill

Alaric was grading papers at the bar, having a few drinks.

Damon approached, looking at the bartender. "Bourbon."

Damon sat down, looking toward Alaric, nodding.

Alaric looked at Damon in recognition.

...

Flashback

Day - Alaric's Home

Alaric's wife was lying in bed. "I love you."

Alaric was standing next to her. "I'm going to be late tonight."

...

Night

Alaric returned home to find Damon holding his wife's body in his arms, feeding from her.

...

Now

Night - The Grill

Alaric recognized Damon as the vampire who killed his wife, setting his drink on the bar. His hand was visibly shaking in anger and hatred.