Chapter Seventy-Eight: A View to a Kill

Allison grunts as her back slams into the ground, Lydia following close after. Malia growls and slashes her claws at Trinity, who deftly dodges again and again with her hands calmly clasped behind her back.

"You're getting angry," Trinity says. "It might make you a little stronger, but it's also making you a lot sloppier." She blocks a punch with her forearm and slams her palm forward. Malia joins the other two girls on the floor. "There's no point in strength if you don't know how to apply it and when. Not only do you overexert yourself; but you also leave yourself open for attacks. Make every move you make necessary. Unlike me, you guys aren't immortal. If you aren't careful you will die." She replaces her hands and settles into a 'ready' stance. "Again."


Stefan wakes up with Rebekah's arm around him. He looks at the sleeping blonder before slowly removing her arm and getting out of the bed. He flashes around the room, putting his clothes on quickly and quietly. He puts on his jacket and opens the door to leave only to be greeted by Klaus.

"Leaving so soon?" The Hybrid smirks.

Rebekah angrily wraps a robe around herself. "This is my place, Nik, and I don't appreciate you invading my privacy like some kind of creeping Tom."

"Well, I apologize for breaking up this sordid little tryst, but I do have some urgent business. Or have you forgotten…our paranoid brother Kol is running around with the white oak stake and homicide on the brain?"

"He tried to kill me last night. I didn't forget."

"Yes, well, unfortunately, he seems to have absconded with my set of daggers."

"Oh, poor Nik. However, will you get your way without your precious daggers? They were so handy when you wanted to end a conversation with one of us!"

"Kol's irrational fear of Silas has pushed him over the edge. We need to put him down before he does any more damage. Now, I know you have the last dagger, and I know you have some white ash, so hand it over."

"Mhm, and leave myself unprotected? You can file that request under 'no chance in hell.' Be gone by the time I have showered. Lurkers aren't welcome here." She walks into the bathroom.

Klaus looks to Stefan. "I need that dagger, Stefan. Talk some sense into her."

"Why don't you talk some sense into her? I'm headed home to play prison guard to Damon. He's on lockdown ever since Kol compelled him to kill Jeremy last night." He says.

"You see? That's my point exactly. If you let Kol roam free, then Jeremy won't live to see his junior prom, and we can kiss our map to the cure goodbye. But if you help me dagger Kol, Damon will be uncompelled, Jeremy will live, and we'll all be on our merry way to a human Elena."


At the school, Bonnie assists in preparing for the school dance by blowing up balloons, talking on the phone as she does so.

"Where are you?" Elena asks.

"I told Caroline that I'd take her place at decade dance prep, but none of the rest of you showed."


Back at the cabin, Elena picks up a bag of chips off of Matt and places them on the table as he and Jeremy continue to play a videogame.

"I know, I'm sorry. I had to, though. I have Jeremy under house arrest because Kol wants to kill him, and Klaus wants to take him on some vampire-slaying road trip. And since neither of them are invited in, it's the only place I can keep them safe."

"Why does it sound like you're under fire?" Bonnie asks, hearing the noise over the phone line.

"Apparently I'm living in a fraternity house now."

"I'm training." Jeremy defends, not moving his eyes from the screen.

"Me too." Matt says.

"Train yourself to do some dishes, and put these weapons away before someone tries to use one on me," Elena tells them, earning a quick thumbs up from Matt.

"Well, it's hard for me to look forward to this dance while you're trapped in your house."

"Listen, I have a plan to end all of this. I want Jeremy to kill Kol."

"You want Jeremy to kill an original?"

"Think about it. Kol's sire line must stretch to the moon by now. If Jeremy kills Kol, every vampire that he's ever turned, not to mention everyone that they've turned, will die, which means the hunter's mark will be complete and we'll have our key to finding the cure.

"I'm on my way, we'll figure it out. Do you think Caroline will notice if there's only 89 red balloons?"

"Actually, probably yes." Elena chuckles at the potential fit the blonde is likely to throw. She turns on the faucet and puts her hands under the running water, only to drop her phone as she pulls away with a harsh gasp when her hands are burned. Matt and Jeremy stand up at the commotion.

"Elena!" Bonnie calls.

The young vampire picks up her phone. "Sorry."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. There's something in the water."


Bonnie walks through the hallways of the school with her phone to her ear. "Are you serious? You dumped vervain into the water supply? Where did you even get it?"

"I have my sources. I'm also reinstating the curfew and canceling all town events." Her father says.

"Dad, there's a dance tonight."

"Not anymore."

"Are you serious?"

"Honey, I'm trying to protect you, not punish you. The well-being of this town is my job now."

"No! Dad, it's mine and I've been doing fine without you getting involved!"

"You've been doing fine?" He asks. "Would you like me to read you all the names of the people who have gone missing or died in tragic accidents, in your senior year alone? Head straight home please, we're having a family meeting."

Bonnie hangs up but before she takes another step, she suddenly finds herself against the wall with a hand wrapped around her throat.

"No one can find the cure if you're too dead to find it," Kol says, veins appearing around his eyes. He goes for a bite when Bonnie uses her powers to break the bones in his hand and body, but begins to lose control; balloons in the hallway pop and lockers slam open, sending papers flying out of them. Bonnie looks around in shock and runs off.


Damon stares at the ceiling above him. His eyes prick at the sound of footsteps and he turns his gaze to Stefan. "You coming to snap my neck again?" He calls weakly. "Because I woke up feeling completely un-murderous, and I'm pretty sure that it's safe to set me free." Stefan throws a vial of blood towards him. "Oh man, really? You practically bled me dry. At least spring for a bag or something. I'm thirsty." He then sets a bottle of water between the bars of the door. "Not exactly what I had in mind." Damon groans as he gets into a standing position before walking over and grabbing the bottle of water. His gaze narrows at the sight of Klaus on the other side.

"Hello, mate." The Hybrid greets.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Babysitting." He smirks.

"Oh."

Stefan looks at the Hyrbrid. "Give him a vial of blood every couple of hours, so he doesn't desiccate. If he gets too much strength back, or if he just annoys you, bleed him out again."

"Silent treatment, huh? Is that your best shot?" Damon turns to Klaus. "He's still pissed at me for sleeping with Elena."

Klaus raises an eyebrow. "You sure about that? 'Cause I saw him trying to sneak out of Rebekah's bed this morning, which would suggest to me that he's moved on." He reveals, causing Stefan to sigh in exasperation.

Damon's eyes widen. "Well, well. Looks like my brother ripped out a page of my revenge-sex handbook. But I wonder what Trinity's going to think about that." He furrows his eyebrows. "We do seem to have the habit to sleep with each other's exes." He wiggles his eyebrows. "Do you think she'll fall for Elena next?" He teases.

Stefan clenches his jaw at Damon's comment, thinking back to what Elena had revealed in the library and before he could stop himself the words were out of his mouth. "I don't think Elena would have a problem with that since she told me that she had feelings for Trinity."

Damon's face falters but he quickly covers it with a look of nonchalant disbelief. "I know you're pissed but that was pretty desperate. Nice deflection on being a dick of a friend though."

"Well, it took a little compulsion from Rebekah, but she did admit to burying her feelings because she was a little too overwhelmed dealing with her boyfriend and his dick of a brother." Stefan shoots back before turning to Klaus. "Well, why don't you two enjoy your little, uh, villain bonding time? I'll let you know when I get the dagger from Rebekah." He leaves the cellar, not sparing another look towards the two men.

He continues down a hallway in the house when his phone begins to ring and he stops to check it. He hesitates at the sight of 'Elena' showing on the screen before finally deciding to answer it. "Damon's fine. I locked him up with all the creature comforts he deserves."

"That's not why I called. Kol just tried to kill Bonnie." She says.

Stefan quickly walks out the front door. "What? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's just shaken up. She managed to hold him off, but Kol seems pretty intent on murdering everyone who's looking for that cure."

"Yeah, Klaus has me trying to convince Rebekah to give up her dagger so he can take care of Kol."

"I don't want to just dagger Kol. I want Jeremy to kill him."

Stefan looks back at the door and revs the engine of the motorcycle, creating a loud enough noise so that Klaus won't hear. "What did you just say?"

"Bonnie has all this crazy new power. She thinks she can hold him long enough for Jeremy to get a clean shot."

"And then what, huh? Klaus and Rebekah will kill every one of us out of spite. They may be dysfunctional bickering lunatics, but they stick together no matter what."

"That's why you need to find the dagger and use it on Rebekah. She can't come looking for revenge if she's laying in a box."

"Yeah, I can't do that."

"I know you can't because vampires can't use the dagger, but Matt can. It's not like she doesn't deserve it. And Bonnie thinks that she can get Klaus out of the picture, too, at least temporarily. Once we get this cure, none of this will matter because we can use it against them."

"All right, fine, but how do you plan to lure Kol in?"


Trinity dodges a kick from Allison before ducking under a punch from Malia, quickly jumping over a swipe from Lydia. "I can definitely say that you guys have teamwork down." She says as she dances away from their attacks. "But you're still not using your senses as well as you need to." She quickly closes the distance between the three and launches a quick and precise assault that leaves the three shifters on the ground. "You're getting better though."

"This is better?" Lydia groans as she gets up, the other girls standing as well.

"Yeah." Trinity nods. "Now you're able to stay on your feet for a few minutes instead of a few seconds. You should be proud of yourselves."

"How long are we going to be doing this?" Malia asks.

"We'll stop for now," Trinity tells her. "Get something to eat, some rest. After a couple of hours, Allison and Lydia; I want you to head to the library and start studying your family histories. I know your journals covered a lot but the resources available here will allow you access to more knowledge that you need to know now that you're the head of your houses."

"Great, rigorous training and mind-numbing studying." Allison drawls.

"What am I supposed to do?" Malia asks. "I'm not from any of the houses."

"That's why you'll be helping me."

"With what?"

"The Palace is old, and has long been asleep." Trinity looks around. "I can still feel it waking up, the magic coming back. Once it's back to full power, it will be able to aid us even more in our studies and training; even make adjustments to become more modern. It's been a long time since this place has been active. I want to see if I can speed up the process, and I want you to help me."

"How?"

Trinity shrugs. "I don't know, but you're going help." She walks out of the training room. "If you have trouble finding the library, ask anyone and they'll help you. Malia, I'll send for you when soon."


Trinity looks up from the book in front of her when Malia walks into the office. Malia looks around the room and shrugs. "So, where do we start?"

Trinity closes the book in front of her and stands from her desk. "We'll start with my personal library as a starting point. I figured if anything could help us, we might find it there. If that doesn't work out, we'll search the palace." She walks over to the wall, pricking her forefinger with her thumb nail so quickly that it goes unnoticed by Malia. She presses her hand to the wall and watches as it slides backward and to the side, revealing the library.

Malia tilts her head. "Does every room have a secret room inside of it?"

"No idea." Trinity shrugs. "Which is why we'll be exploring them if this room's a bust." She and Malia walk in.


Allison grunts as she sets down a pile of books across the table from Lydia.

"They're not that heavy." The girl says, not looking up from her own work.

"Oh, that grunt wasn't for dramatics; but finding out that there are even more thick books about my family that I have to read." She sits down. "And are we sure this place is as full of wisdom as it seems? Because I'm pretty sure I saw a book about Santa Claus while I was looking for these."

"Trinity said things are still ordering themselves. Maybe the library is a part of that too." Lydia sighs, head in hand as she flips a page.

Allison furrows her brow. "What's with you? Isn't this kind of thing right up your alley?"

Lydia nods. "It is. This is what I'm used to; this is what I exceed at, but…"

Allison waits for her to finish. "But what?"

"I'm not used to being bad at things. I was valedictorian, captain of the cheer squad, and head of mathletes; but this is the first time I've ever felt like I was behind everyone."

Allison nods in understanding. "This is about training."

Lydia shifts uncomfortably. "I'm used to catching on quickly, but with this, it's like there's this…block." She shakes her head with a sigh. "It- It's whatever. I'll get over it."

Allison rubs her lips together in thought. "You haven't had any fun lately, have you? Since we found you, I mean."

"You mean since learning that all of the fairytales about my family that my mom hammered into my head are true, learning how to shapeshift, and basically being born into the role as a lead intelligence operator to an ancient supernatural organization; that?" Lydia shakes her head. "No, I haven't had much time for fun. I've been too busy trying to ready myself for that."

"Exactly," Allison says. "Everything has been about work, but you've haven't gotten the chance to have fun with what you can do. You live in a palace and how many rooms have you been in? Three, maybe four? You need to let loose."

"What I need; is to finish this text," Lydia goes to flip the page but is stopped by Allison's' hand. Keeping her face clear of emotion, Lydia ignores the pleasant sensation of Allison's touch. "Which I won't be able to do if you keep distracting me."

Allison holds her hands up. "Just humor me, what could it hurt to take a mental health day. You're certainly due one, hell; we all are."

"Trinity-"

"Will understand." Allison interrupts her. "Look, I know she seems like a bit of a hard ass but she's not. She's not going to freak out just because we took a break."

Lydia purses her lips. "I don't know."

"Please?" Allison sings teasingly.

Lydia huffs and rolls her eyes. "Fine."

"Yes!" Allison pumps her fist in celebration.

Lydia holds up a stern finger. "But we will not neglect our studies tomorrow. We have to get this stuff down."

Allison nods. "And we will." She stands up and holds her hand out. "Until then…"

Lydia stares at the hand before taking it, letting the brunette pull her from her seat. Allison smiles as she intertwines her fingers with Lydias' before leading her away from the library.


Kol walks down the dark street as he listens to music on his phone when it suddenly rings. "Jeremy Gilbert. Nice to see I'm still on your speed dial, mate. Hey, you want to meet up at the batting cages in Denver?"


At the Gilbert house, Elena speaks on the phone. "Actually, it's Elena Gilbert." She says.

"What a treat. Yeah, I was just thinking of all the clever ways I could have your brother killed, but I'd settle for ripping off his illustrated arm instead."

"I need to talk to you; in person," Elena tells him while Matt and Jeremy prepare weapons behind her. "I wanna call a truce, in the name of Silas."


Kol stops walking. "You want to talk about Silas?"

"I'll meet you wherever you want. I'll come to you."

"I'll tell you what. How about I come to you?"


Everyone turns in surprise at the sound of the doorbell ringing. Jeremy cocks his gun and points it at the door.

"If you want a truce, open the door and invite me in," Kol says from outside the house. "I'm waiting. Let me in and let's talk truce."

Elena recovers from the shock and takes a blackboard down from the wall.

"Hello?"

"Wouldn't that be kind of stupid to invite you in?" She says as she starts writing on the board. "

"On the contrary, I can't kill your brother with my own two hands, or I'll suffer the hunter's curse and spend the next 20 years trying to off myself in gruesome ways."

Elena shows Matt the board. 'Help Stefan find dagger'. He nods and leaves out the back door. She erases the board and starts writing a new message, this one for Jeremy.

"And I've heard that vervain's back in town, so I can't compel you to kill him either. So I think it's fair to say you're semi-safe, for now."

'Get out. Get Bonnie.'

"I'm the only one that can invite him inside." He whispers.

"He's right, obviously," Kol says before Elena opens the door. "You'd think being alive for over a thousand years would teach me some manners, but I couldn't resist stopping by."

"If I let you in, my brother goes. You're not getting near him."

"Fair enough."

Elena looks back at Jeremy and nods.

Jeremy returns the nods and looks at Kol. "You can come in." He says before leaving through the back door.

"No gold medals for bravery, I see. You know the thing I love about the modern age is…music, anytime you like." Kol puts his phone and earphones in his pocket. Elena catches sight of the white oak stake stashed into the inside pocket of his jacket. "So…this is the part where you offer me a drink so we can have a proper chat."

Elena nods and makes way for Kol, closing the door behind him.


Rebekah looks through a rack of clothing while Stefan leans against the doorframe. "The colors, the fabrics…the eighties were just…tragic. You know, I think shoulder pads rival 17th-century puritan smocks for crimes against fashion."

"Looking for something to wear to the dance?" He asks.

"Aye. Are you asking me on a date?"

"Actually, it was canceled." He walks further into the room.

Rebekah's face falls at the news. "So why are you here? Back for more dagger talk?"

Stefan laughs. "Somebody has some trust issues."

"It's called a healthy skepticism. I know you were trying to sneak out this morning. I'm not stupid."

"Sorry, I'm…I'm still trying to get used to this."

"Well, we had our hearts broken and sought comfort in each other; we both have a lot to get used to." She looks at him. "Do you regret it?"

"No."

"Do you want it to happen again?"

"Maybe."

"Even if I don't give you the dagger?"

Stefan tilts his head. "You think that I would sleep with you just to get the dagger?"

"Don't give me that innocent look. You've done plenty to me in the name of getting what you want." She sighs. "Well, I guess I should pack up these racks; just another failed attempt at getting to a high school dance."

"Why do you care so much about a high school dance?"

"I don't. I was just bored."

"Right. Well, we can still go, if you want."

"Not if it's canceled, we can't."

"Since when do you care about the rules?"


At the Boarding House, Klaus walks around while Damon lies on the bed, tossing an object up and down. "You know, none of this would be an issue if you'd have just done your job properly. I was perfectly willing to let you train Jeremy."

Damon scoffs. "No, you weren't. Are you kidding? You got there day two. Do you know how hard it is to get these Xbox brains to focus?"

"And then when I turned a room full of barflies into vampires for him to slaughter, you let Kol kill them."

"Your brother problem, not mine, buddy."

"And whose bright idea was it to saddle Jeremy with a conscience, hmm?" Klaus hums.

"Well, we couldn't have him trying to stake Elena in her sleep, now, could we?" Damon says.

Klaus nods. "Ah, yes, for the love of Elena. How is it that she manages to overlook every horrific thing you've ever done? Is it willful ignorance, or perhaps something more pathological?"

"Some people are just more capable of forgiveness than others. Bet you score about a negative 500 in that realm."

Klaus smiles. "Come on. There must be a secret. It can't just be the sire bond. What is it? Compulsion? Manipulation?" Klaus asks, unknowingly showing his genuine interest. "What is it you say to her?"

Damon catches the object and sits up. "I think this has something to do with a certain blonde vampire. I think you murdered Carol Lockwood, and I think you're worried that Caroline's never going to forgive you."

"You've done worse."

Damon slightly tilts his head. "Debatable; see, I don't mind being the bad guy because somebody has to fill that role and get things done. You do bad things for no reason. You do them to be a dick."

"Debatable."

"If you're gonna be bad, be bad with a purpose," Damon says with a shrug. "Otherwise, you're just not worth forgiving." He lies back down and sighs, once more throwing the object into the air.


Trinity and Malia continue to browse through her personal library. Trinity searches through a large tome, scouring for anything in relation to the magic of the palace.

"So, if you're the Queen why haven't I ever seen your crown?" Malia asks.

"Because, while that it is true; everyone in the palace already knows who I am. Also, it kinda seemed like overkill to me." Trinity says. "But…" her eyes light up at the sight of the passage she is reading. "there seems to be a point to wearing it."

Malia looks over at her. "Found something?"

Trinity nods, closing the tome in front of her. "Apparently, the crown is an extension of the palace. It grows more connected to me longer I wear it." She walks out of the library with Malia following behind her as the wall slide back into place. She nears the podium her crown rest on and grabs it, placing it onto her head. "What I know, the palace knows. It should start adjusting to reflect my wants and needs; along with adapting to a more modern look hopefully."

"So, now what?" Malia asks. "We just wait?"

Trinity shrugs. "Pretty much." She walks over to a sofa and sits down. "But since we have the time, why don't we discuss how to integrate you back into the human world."

Malia frowns as she takes a seat at the other end of the sofa. "Why would we need to do that?"

"Because once we have things up and running again; we all still have lives to go back to."

"You and Lydia maybe," Malia says. "You can go back to whatever you were doing before this and Lydia can go back to school. This is pretty much all I have going for me, and I didn't have much before that."

"But that doesn't mean you don't have to have anything." Trinity sighs. "I know finding out about all this threw a bomb into your life; but it doesn't begin and end with this place. You have the opportunity to build a life that you want." She tilts her head. "You'll go through having to keep your fair share of secrets." She says, making Malia scoff.

"Yeah, I don't think 'hey, I can turn into animals' will ever roll off the tongue well."

"But that's only temporary," Trinity says. "If you ever find someone – or someone's – you trust; we can deal with it then. It probably won't be the first or last time something like that happened. You can do whatever you want with your life. You can stay here and find your place in the palace or you can leave and explore the world. You can follow your dreams, and make mistakes, and try again." She looks into Malia's eyes. "What I'm trying to say is that you will always have a place here. A support system and a home." Trinity smirks. "A safe haven, if you will. So, don't be afraid of feeling lost or unsure of what you can accomplish. You have a long time to figure that stuff out. It may not seem like it, but we are just teenagers."

Malia releases a breath, an unseen weight seeming to lift off her shoulders. "Thank you." She breathes. "This Queen thing seems to come naturally."

Trinity shrugs, a smile on your face. "Eh, it's a work in progress."


Elena walks up behind Kol, who sits on the couch playing a video game. "Sorry, I had to dig up the old people alcohol."

Kol pauses the game and turns around, beginning to walk over to the kitchen. "Yeah, that's the problem with people today. They have no drinking imagination. Turn-of-the-century New Orleans," He says. "now, they knew how to make a drink."

"You lived in New Orleans?"

"We all did, till Niklaus shoved a dagger in my heart."

"Why? What did you do?"

Kol makes a face. "What makes you think I did anything? Has your alliance with my brother softened you to his horrors?"

"I don't have an alliance with Klaus. We had a mutual interest in finding the cure. That's all."

"Had?" Kol asks.

"Yes. And I'm willing to give up looking for it if you promise to leave my brother alone." Kol stares at her and she picks up the mixer with a small smile. "Now, can you teach me how to make this?" She hands it to him. "I'll get some ice." As Kol busies himself with the drink, she opens the refrigerator and slyly checks her phone.

'Trying to find her. KEEP KOL THERE. – Jeremy'

She quickly types a message. 'He's got the stake. Where is B?' She grabs the bowl of ice and closes the fridge only to be startled by Kol now standing on the other side.


Jeremy hastily makes his way down the sidewalk as he leaves a message for Bonnie. "Bonnie, where are you? I called like seventeen times. Kol is in our house. We need you. Okay, I'm heading to your house now."


Elena offers the bowl to Kol. "Here you go."

"Would you like one?" He asks.

Elena hesitates. "Sure, why not?" She relents, watching Kol put ice into the drinks. "You're really good at that game. Definitely considering you've been locked up in a coffin for a hundred years."

Kol smiles. "I'm a quick learner. Speedy reflexes. It's not much like the real thing, though, is it?" He asks, making Elena look up. "You've killed, haven't you? Or are you one of those Mary Sue vampires?"

"I've killed." She reveals. "Once. I'm guessing your number's a lot higher than mine."

"You lose track over the years. So, are we going to talk about Silas, or just jibber-jabber?"

Elena gestures to the family room, and Kol walks over. She pulls out her phone and finds a message from Matt.

'No dagger yet. Need time.'


Matt rummages through Rebekah's bedroom, looking for the dagger. He checks all the drawers and searches her bathroom as well, not seeing it anywhere.


Kol sips his drinks and leans against the sofa.

"Nobody else seems to think Silas exists, so why do you?" Elena asks.

"I used to run with some witches. Africa in the fourteenth century, Haiti in the seventeenth century, New Orleans in the nineteen hundreds. They all knew about Silas; that he needed to stay buried. I actually hold witches in high esteem." He tells her.

"Yeah, but why Silas? Why are you so afraid of him?"

"They said if Silas rises, he'll unleash hell on Earth. I happen to like Earth just the way it is."

"That's pretty biblical."

"Well, that's the other problem with people today; they've lost faith. And in that loss, they no longer know who they should fear."


Bonnie searches her house for her phone but can't find it when her dad walks in. "I have to get to Elena's, have you seen my phone?" She asks.

Rudy holds it up. "I've got your phone, and I've got your car keys. And I told you, we are having a family meeting."

Bonnie sends him an unamused look. "Is that something you read in a book? Because we have never had a family meeting."

"I've let this go on far enough. Shane said you and your magic are like a ticking time bomb."

"And I told you he's crazy."

"I lost your mother to witchcraft. I don't intend to lose you."

"It's not your life, it's mine."

They are interrupted by pounding on the door and Rudy opens it to reveal Jeremy. "Yeah?"

"Is Bonnie here?" Jeremy asks, urgently.

"She's busy." He tries shutting the door, but Jeremy forces his way inside.

"It's important."

Bonnie walks into the foyer. "What's going on?"

"I've called you like a hundred times. Kol is in our house."

Bonnie's eyes widen in horror and she turns to her father. "I have to go."

"I said no."

Bonnie clenches her jaw and her magic lashes out, making a nearby lightbulb explode. "Stop telling me what to do." She goes to walk out the door but Abby blocks her way, her eyes vamped out.

"No one's going anywhere." The older woman says.

Bonnie looks at the woman in shock. "Mom?"

"Abby," Rudy greets. "please come in." He watches as she crosses the threshold.

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie asks.

"Your father called. Who's professor Shane? What has he been teaching you?"

"Bonnie, we don't have time for this," Jeremy says.

Rudy glares at him. "This is a family matter."

Jeremy turns to face him. "My sister's in trouble. We need Bonnie's help."

"My daughter is done helping Elena Gilbert," Abby says. "Now, get out!"

"Mom!" Bonnie protests.

"Answer my question. What lies has this professor been telling you?" Abby asks. Jeremy pulls out a stake and tries attacking her, but she catches his arm.

"Don't! Jeremy! Hey, stop! Stop." Bonnie pulls Jeremy away from her mom and grabs him by the neck. "Don't hurt her. She's my mom." She orders, and the murderous rage begins to leave his eyes. "All right?" She says, softer now. "Look at me." Jeremy takes a step back and heads for the door. "Just go, okay? I'm right behind you." She closes the door and turns to face her parents. "You wanna talk? Let's talk."


Allison and Lydia walk into the training room, looking around as it forms into a lush clearing with a starry night sky. "Okay, we must be lost."

"Lost?" Lydia says sarcastically. "How could you tell?"

"Don't even; you liked the observatory, though I like this view more. I swear that turn was going to take us somewhere else." Allison says, before turning to Lydia with a smile. "But since we're here, there's no time like the present to have some fun. So," she claps her hands together. "Show me what you got."

Lydia folds her arms in front of her. "What is this supposed to do?"

"It's not supposed to do anything but be fun." Allison smiles. "Why don't I go first? Give you a little inspiration." Allison shifts into a fox, running around Lydia's legs.

Lydia spins around and Allison continues to nudge her. "Alright, alright." She says before closing her eyes and concentrating, after a moment her form shrinks into a fox as well and the two begin to run together.


Kol walks around and picks up a picture frame of Elena and Jeremy with bright smiles on their face.

Elena approaches with a bottle of wine in hand. "So we're out of gin, but I think this is a good year."

"What if I said I don't believe you?"

"Okay, you caught me. I don't know anything about wine."

Kol sets the picture down. "It just seems odd that you'd be so willing to give up something you want so much."

"I would do anything for my brother," Elena says. "And if what you're saying about Silas is true, what does it matter what I want if it puts everyone else in danger?"

"Well, this has been enlightening. Thanks for the drinks." He starts to leave, missing the panic on Elena's face as he opens the door. "I'll take your request for a truce under advisement."

"Is there any chance that you could be wrong about Silas?"

"Trust me, Elena. Some things are better left buried." He leaves.

Elena sighs in disappointment.


Stefan and Rebekah walk into the dark gym, still decorated despite the dance being canceled.

"I think I saw a horror movie that started just like this," Rebekah says. "Did you know they play movies on TV all night long now? Hundreds of them. So much better than those silly black-and-white picture shows we used to go to."

Stefan turns on the lights and music, making the blonde smile. "I dunno. I kinda miss the old ones. You got any requests for the DJ?" He asks, looking at his phone.

'Still looking.' – Matt

"I'll let you pick. Nothing cheesy." Rebekah tells him.

"Oh, that leaves out about half the decade." He plugs his phone into the speakers. "Hope you like The Cure."

"Funny. So is everything about the eighties so…excessive?"

"It had its charm. 'Say Anything' -Lloyd Dobler standing outside of a bedroom window with a boombox over his head, desperately trying to get back the girl of his dreams. 'Princess Bride' -Wesley slays giant rats for love. 'The Breakfast Club' -one detention turns a bunch of outcasts into allies."

"So it was a decade of sentimental drivel, as well?"

"Well, I was going to say love, friendship, the possibility of anything happening. You would've loved it."

Rebekah smiles. "And why is that?"

"Because as much as we both hate to admit it, we care about those things," Stefan says, pulling out a small box.

Rebekah looks at it. "That better not be a corsage. I loathe corsages."

He opens the box, revealing a koala corsage. "These were all the rage in the eighties." He says, making her laugh before clipping it to her dress. "Let's dance." He holds his hand out for her to take and they begin to dance.


Jeremy walks into his house cautiously, holding up a gun loaded with wooden bullets. He closes the door hears a noise. He turns; ready to shoot, but stops at the sight of Elena.

"I'm sorry. He left. I mean, I-I tried to stall as long as I could." She explains when they hear the doorbell ring.

"That's Bonnie." Jeremy says. "She was right behind me."

Elena opens the door, only to find Kol on the other side.

"I've considered your request for a truce." The Original says. "Request denied."

Elena slams the door in his face.

"I'm sorry. I've already been invited in!" Kol shouts through the door before kicking it open. He walks in and sees that Elena and Jeremy are gone. "Hide and seek? Fine by me."


"Dad needs to mind his own business," Bonnie says. "He had no right to call you here."

"It's not just your father, Bonnie. Witches talk; word gets around." Abby explains.

"I found a new way to practice. It's unconventional, but I can handle myself, I promise."

"That's not what Shane said," Rudy says.

Bonnie looks at him. "Shane is sitting in a jail cell right now. You're going to take his word over mine?"

"I have warned you about dark magic before," Abby says.

"It's not dark magic," Bonnie explains. "It's Expression and I need it! We found a cure, Mom. There's a cure for vampirism. And I can do the spell to access it. I can save you, but I have to go. Now."

"I'm not the one that needs to be saved. You are." Abby rushes over to Bonnie and places her hand over Bonnie's mouth, drugging her with an herb and making her lose consciousness.


Back in the cellar, Klaus looks at his phone. "Your brother's lack of communication is infuriating."

"It's one of his trademarks, like his brooding and his hair," Damon says.

"I don't understand what's taking so long. I mean, how hard is it to steal a dagger?"

"From a vampire who's been stabbed as many times as your sister, I'd say difficult." Damon quips. Klaus sigh and tosses him a vial of blood. "Sweet."

"You disappoint me, Damon. You're not trying very hard to get out of here. I expected more the daring escape artist, less the cell potato."

"Well, I am compelled to kill Jeremy, so I figured it's probably smarter to sit here and chit-chat with you than bust out of here like the Hulk."

"How do you think Elena felt about that, by the way? Your inability to overcome Kol's compulsion for a single moment even though it meant saving the person she loves most in the world?"

"She's met me. She knows impulse control's not my strong suit."

"Still, must be hard trying to live up to Stefan." Klaus taunts him. "I remember when I compelled him to feed off Elena. He fought it so hard, he actually managed to resist. Now, that's love."

"What do you know about love?" Damon asks him.

"I know that you're in love with Elena. But I think you're afraid of what might happen when we find the cure at the end of the rainbow. Personally, I don't see a fairytale ending for you. All I see is Stefan and Elena. I think you see the same thing. And if something unfortunate were to happen with that relationship; according to your brother, she would find her comfort in Trinity. " He says. "I think it's become glaringly obvious that you're not her first choice, but what takes the cake is that you're not even second. You're the last resort."

Damon glares at him, refusing to respond. They're interrupted by Klaus's phone ringing. "Well, if it isn't the happy homicidal maniac."

"Did you know that your darling former blood bag and her brother are trying to kill me?" Kol asks.

"What?"


Kol stands in the Gilbert house. "Don't pretend like you're not in on it. Your obsession to find the cure clearly trumps any sibling loyalty you once felt."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm going to rip off Jeremy's arm and kill Elena just for sport. Then I'm coming for you." He hangs up and begins walking around when a crossbow bolt tears through his leg. He groans in pain and spots Elena at the top of the stairs holding a crossbow. She flashes further away as he rips the bolt out and pursues her.


Klaus slams Damon against the wall, tightly gripping his neck. "What the hell's going on?"

"I don't know." He chokes out.

"What are Stefan and Elena planning?"

"I don't know. I've been stuck in the penalty box with you since yesterday. Stefan won't talk to me, and Elena won't come to see me, so maybe you're right. Maybe she's written me off."

"Tell me what you know." Klaus compels him.

"I don't know anything about a plan."

"Stay here till I return." He releases him and leaves, slamming the door behind him.

Damon coughs. "I will stay here until you return…" He looks down at the bottle of vervain-tainted water. "or not." He leaves the room.


Rebekah kicks a balloon and twirls around. Stefan walks in with a bottle of alcohol. "It's amazing what you can find stashed away in the teachers' lounge."

"This song is not as terrible as the other ones," Rebekah says.

"This song is the godfather of rock anthems, okay?"

Rebekah looks at him. "What's going on with you? You're…fun tonight."

Stefan looks down slightly. "I can't listen to this music without thinking of my best friend, Lexi. We spent most of the eighties together. I remember this one time she snuck us backstage and compelled half the band to do tequila shots with us before the show. She was fearless, kinda like you."

"So, you slept with her, too?"

He shakes his head. "No, it wasn't like that. I was just a better person when I was with her. I didn't think I'd ever feel that way again."

"Until Elena?"

"Until Elena. And now, that's over."

"That look right there? That is why I don't let myself care."

"Well, you can say that, but we both know it's not true." He says. "You cared about Trinity."

"And now, that's over," Rebekah repeats his words. A balloon pops, making Stefan flinch. "Don't worry. I'll protect you if Kol tracks his way to this abandoned dance." She pulls down her leg warmer, showing the dagger pressed against her leg. She notices the music has stopped. "I think I'll choose the next song."

Stefan stops her and takes her drink. "No, you know what? I have a better idea." He sets their cups down and points to the hallway. "That way." As Rebekah leaves the gym, Stefan unplugs his phone and texts Matt.

'R has dagger. Get here now.'

"Well, are you coming?" Rebekah asks.

Stefan nods and follows after her.


Elena hides in her bedroom and pushes the dresser in front of the door, struggling as Kol pushes against it. He successfully shoves the door open, making her fall to the ground. She flashes into the bathroom and shuts the doors, locking them behind her. Kol kicks the door open, but Elena is nowhere to be found. He punches the other door and finds her in Jeremy's room. Jeremy shoots a stake at him.

Kol catches it. "Missed!" He taunts, catching the next shot. He stumbles as Elena fires a pistol at him.

"Go!" She yells, as she continues to shoot.

Jeremy runs and Kol throws one of the stakes, hitting Elena in the thigh. She cries out in pain and looks up to see that Kol is gone.


Jeremy runs through the hallway, but Kol appears and punches him.


Elena pulls the stake out of her leg.


Kol tosses Jeremy down the stairs and the boy groans in pain. Elena appears behind Kol and jumps onto his back, but he tosses her against the wall; ripping a post from the railing and rams it through her stomach, pinning her to the wall. She gasps in pain, completely immobilized.

Kol looks to Jeremy. "Now…" He walks over to the groaning boy. "about that arm." He drags Jeremy down the stairs by his feet.

Elena feebly attempts to remove the stake, but can't even budge an inch.


Lydia and Allison continue their trek through the woods, playfully nipping each other's tails. They break through a tree line and into a starry meadow. The two foxes wrestle each other, attempting to pin the other down.


Stefan runs down the hallway and does 'The Breakfast Club Slide'. "Like that."

"This is ridiculous." Rebekah laughs.

"Well, that's the whole point of The Breakfast Club slide. It's supposed to be ridiculous." He says. Rebekah slides using her vampire speed. "No, that's-that's cheating."

"What is fun about hurtling down a hallway like a teenage imbecile?"

"You're just gonna have to do it to find out." He says, making her smile. Rebekah sighs and turns to have another go at it, but she shoes squeak against the floor, unable to slide. "All right, it's the shoes. Take off the shoes; you'll be fine, okay?"

Matt peers around the corner, waiting for Stefan's signal. Rebekah sighs and bends down to take the dagger. Stefan quickly glances at Matt before looking back to Rebekah, who walks towards him.

"This is what you want, right?" She asks, handing him the dagger. "Go ahead, take it. You're right. I do care. I want stupid koala corsages and a prom. I want to have kids with someone who loves me enough to stand outside my window with a stupid boombox. I want to be human. So let Klaus put down my brother. Let's go find the cure."

Stefan looks at Matt before looking down in thought, before pocketing the dagger a moment later. "Come on. Let's go home." He says, leading her out of the school.

Matt stays hidden, looking after them in confusion.


Rudy pats Bonnie's head as she's sleeping on the sofa. He looks at Abby, who crushes an herb with a mortar and pestle. "You're drugging her?"

"Just enough to keep her down until I can get some witches here to clean her mind from that poison that professor's been teaching her." She says.

"That's not happening," Bonnie says.

Abby turns to see her daughter awake, and very angry. "Bonnie, please-" She is cut off as Bonnie holds her hand out, making her gasp as pain raves through her body. The mortar breaks, as do Abby's bones. She screams and falls to the floor. Ruby rushes to her side, wrapping his arms around her.

"I don't belong to the spirits anymore," Bonnie tells them. "I belong to myself. Sorry." She turns and leaves, her parents watching her in shock.


Lydia and Allison continue to wrestle, having shifted back into their human forms. Lydia laughs when Allison finally pins her.

"Having fun?" Allison chuckles.

"Yes!" Lydia smiles as she looks into Allison's eyes, her laughter dying away.

Allison looks at the girl underneath her, eyes dotting down to her lips. She slowly lowers her face closer, looking into Lydia's eyes once more. Lydia tilts her head higher, capturing Allison's lips in a tentative kiss. Allison pulls away, her forehead resting against the Lydia's, who frees her hands to pull her into another kiss. The passion between the two builds with each meeting of lips, their hands beginning to grip and explore one another.


Elena once again fails to move the makeshift stake from her stomach. Improvising, she braces her hands against the wall and pulls her body off of the stake.


Downstairs, Kol straps a struggling Jeremy to the kitchen counter by his arms. He pulls a cleaver from the knife block. "Now, like I said, I don't fancy the hunter's curse, so I'm just going to chop off your arm. But don't worry; I'll heal you right up with a bit of blood after." He holds Jeremy's head to the counter. "Sorry about the sting. Now, which arm is it? Is it left or right? I'll just chop off both to be safe." He raises the cleaver and Jeremy closes his eyes.

Suddenly Elena grabs Kol and the cleaver misses Jeremy's arm, slicing through one the restraint instead. Elena slams the cleaver into Kol's chest and shoves him against the counter. Jeremy frees his other arm and rushes to the sink, pulling the hose up and spray the Original with vervain-tainted water. Kol cries out in pain as the water sears his skin.

Elena moves out of the way as Jeremy continues to soak him, snatching the white oak stake while she has the chance and tosses it to her brother. "Jeremy, now!"

Jeremy catches the stake and stabs Kol through the heart. Kol screams and bursts into flames. Elena and Jeremy back away as he staggers through the kitchen and falls to the floor; dead. Elena notices Jeremy looking behind and follows his gaze to see an enraged Klaus in the doorway.

"What did you do?" Klaus asks, staring at the corpse of his brother.

"We didn't have a choice." Elena tries to defend. "He was trying to cut off Jeremy's arm!"

"Lies!" Klaus yells. "He never would've gotten inside if you hadn't have set a trap for him."

"You said you were going to put him down too."

"I was going to make him suffer on my terms!" He roars. "I'm going to burn this house to the ground. And then, when you try to flee for your lives, I'll kill you both without blinking."

"You kill us; you'll never get to the cure. You'll never be able to make any more hybrids." Jeremy reminds him, hoping Klaus's longing for more hybrids overrules the death of his younger brother.

"You really think I care for an instant about my bloody hybrids? I want the cure so I can destroy it. I would've killed you all the second we dug it up, but now I'm just gonna watch you burn instead." He suddenly cries out, falling to his knees.

"Invite him in." Bonnie walks past him and into the house, only gaining confused looks from the siblings. "Do it!"

Jeremy looks at Klaus, who struggles back to his feet. "Come in."

Klaus falls forward as Bonnie magically pulls him inside and immobilizes him. "Living room. Go!" She orders.

Elena and Jeremy run through the living and into the kitchen. Klaus follows but is stopped before he can enter the kitchen. He punches the air, revealing the magical barrier in place. Jeremy pulls the white oak stake out of Kol, and he and Elena run to the door

Klaus continues to beat the barrier to no avail. "Witch, you can't do this to me."

Bonnie looks at him without fear. "You have no idea what I can do now."

"I will hunt all of you to your end! Do you hear me? Do you!?" He yells after them as they leave the house, futilely pounding against the barrier.


Rebekah shakes her head, tears running down her face. "I don't believe you." She sobs. "Kol's not dead. He can't be."

"Listen, Rebekah, they didn't have a choice," Stefan explains. "Kol started this when he went after Jeremy. He went after you too, do you remember? I mean, he was never going to let us find the cure."

She looks at him. "So you knew? This whole night, you knew?"

"I'm not gonna let the people that I care about get hurt. Not Jeremy, not Elena, not even Damon. And you can hate me for it, but now he can't hurt you, either. And I want us to find this cure together, you and me. Not just for Elena, but for you. So that you can have what you want, be what you want. Be human again. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?"

"Why would I trust you?"

"I don't know. I guess I could give you my word, but at the end of the day, you just need to take a leap."


Jeremy paces back and forth at the Boarding House. "It didn't work."

"It took time for Finn's line to die off, remember? It'll work." Bonnie says from her spot next to Elena on the sofa.

"What if it doesn't?"

"Where's that Gilbert optimism?" Damon asks, walking over to Elena. "Hi." He welcomes the smiling girl into his arms. "Sorry I missed all the excitement."

"I'm just happy to see you." She says.

Stefan walks through the front door carrying Silas' tombstone, closing it behind him. "Looks like I didn't miss much. Got the Silas headstone."

"We're just waiting for Jeremy's mark to grow," Elena says as he sets it down on a table, Damon watching him warily. "Klaus is trapped in our living room."

"Temporarily," Bonnie explains. "I drew on the new moon to bind the spell. We've got three days to find that cure; four, max."

"If we don't, we might as well lookup Katherine Pierce and see if she wants some company in hiding, 'cause he will come after us."

"We'll find it," Elena says. "Has anyone been able to reach Trinity?"

Stefan shakes his head. "I've been trying her but she hasn't answered; she's been busy since coming back to life. I've sent updates though."

Elena sighs. "Now that we've got Rebekah taken care of, all we need is Professor Shane, and then we'll have everything we need."

"Yeah, I didn't, uh…" Stefan sighs. "I didn't dagger her."

"What?" Elena asks. "Why not?"

"I didn't need to. She's on our side."

"On our side? Did you really just say that?"

Stefan nods. "Yeah, she handed over the headstone. I mean, she wants to find this cure more than any of us."

"Why would you possibly think that we could trust her?"

"Let me guess, she pledged her allegiance to you while you were naked in the sack?" Damon asks, dropping the bomb of Stefan and Rebekah's recent activities.

Everyone looks to Stefan, who ignores their gaze. "I bet you were just dying to get that out, weren't you, Damon?"

"Oh, was that supposed to be a secret? Maybe you should have made that a little clear while you were bleeding me dry in our cellar."

"Yeah, to keep you from killing Jeremy."

"Stop it, both of you." Elena grits out.

"Now, why don't you tell her to calm down, Damon? You've managed to use that sire bond pretty well so far, haven't you?"

Damon punches Stefan in the face, knocking him down. Stefan gets back up and is about to hit Damon back when Jeremy starts screaming.

Jeremy rips off his shirt, revealing the growing mark. "It's happening."

"Oh, my god…" Elena trails off, looking at him.

Jeremy notices her focused gaze. "You can see it?"

Elena nods as they watch the mark grow up his arm and across his chest.

"Here we go," Damon announces.


Trinity walks out of the bathroom, toweling her hair dry when she begins to feel a familiar pull. The pull she felt that led her to Lydia; the pull of a Council member. She walks over to her table where her phone sits to alert the others but her brows furrow at the amount of missed calls and messages. She opens a text from Stefan and looks at the contents. "What the hell?"