The Dinner Party

Elena sits in the living room of the Gilbert lake house as she reads her ancestors Jonathan Gilbert's journal, engrossed, flipping through the pages. "With the dying embers of the fire at Fell's church, the scourge of the Vampires had passed. And though war raged all around us, our town was safe from the demons of the night… Or so we thought. For the monsters we drove to their fiery deaths had begat new monsters."

In 1864, Jonathan Gilbert sat in the dining room of the Gilbert mansion with Honoria and Thomas Fell, enjoying their dinner, when they heard a noise from outside. "Did you hear that?" Honoria questioned, and Thomas walked to the window, not seeing anything but walked back to the table, taking a knife for protection.
"Stay here," Thomas told the others.
"No, Thomas," His wife called after him.
"It's all right, dear, the Vampires are all dead," He assured her.
"Yes, Honoria… they burned in the church. We're safe now," Jonathan assured the woman, and Thomas left the room to search outside for the noise source.
"Please, Jonathan. I'm worried," Honoria begged him.
"Very well. I shall go too," Gilbert told her and got up from his chair, walking outside to join Thomas. "I can prove there are no Vampires," He took out his magical compass, not getting a reaction. "See?" Suddenly the compass spun around erratically, showing the presence of a Vampire; he looked around in fear, turning around to find Thomas had disappeared. "Thomas? Thomas?!" A body fell onto the ground with a thud, startling the man; Honoria walked out of the house, having seen the dead body of her husband.
"Thomas!" Honoria screamed.
"No, stay inside! Get back in the house!" Jonathan shouted at her in warning, but the Vampire got to her before she could escape, drinking from her, dropping another dead body and turning toward the remaining survivor.

"I knew I was about to die. You can not run from a Vampire. I saw the Vampire who killed me. I recognised him. Stefan Salvatore." Elena finishes reading, looks surprised, and then turns to the widow to see Stefan outside by the lake, skipping rocks. His phone rings, and he stops with his little game, answering it, knowing who it is.
"What's going on?" Stefan asks his brother.
"Well, I showered. I shaved. Had breakfast. Very relaxed," Damon replies sarcastically.
"That makes one of us," He replies.
"I did hear one piece of good news though. Tyler Lockwood ran away from home last night," The older brother informs him as he steers Andie away from the mirror, needing her to leave.
"How do you know?" The younger brother asks.
"Well, I heard it from Sheriff Forbes, who heard it from a very distraught Carol Lockwood, thus, ending our Werewolf chapter, bringing us to…." Damon trails off for dramatic effect.
"...killing Elijah," Stefan finishes.
"Exactly," He smirks, looking at the dagger he picks up.
"Well, it's not going to be easy. He's crafty," The younger Salvatore warns him.
"Well, I've got a crafty little dagger," Damon reminds him.
"He's an Original. We don't know what all that encompasses," He warns his brother.
"Oh, trust me, Stefan. I'm gonna dot all my t's. I don't want any surprises," Damon assures him.
"Wow, Damon, tell me you're actually gonna be careful for once," Stefan tells him.
"Yes, Stefan, I've become you. How tragic for both of; I'veot to run, I've a murder to plan. Busy day," He hangs up, and Stefan turns to the lake house from the edge of the dock, looking at Elena as she sits by the window reading the Gilbert journals.

In the woods of Mystic Falls, Elijah and Lorilei trail behind Jenna as they survey the land, having ulterior motives. "The old Fell property actually starts just beyond that fence," Jenna explains, pointing over.
"Ah, the Fells… one of the Founding Families," Elijah taunts.
"Why do you say it like that?" She asks.
"Our research showed us that this area was actually settled almost two full centuries earlier. It was a migration of townsfolk from the northeast, um, it was Salem, to be precise," He replies, looking at Lorilei, who is not enjoying herself in the dirt.
"Massachusetts? As in the Witch trials?" The strawberry blond questions.
"Which means that ever lauded Founding Families… Well, they didn't actually found anything," Lorilei replies with a grin.
"Well, I bet it was the men who made a big deal about being Founders back in 1860. Men are very territorial," Jenna adds, looking at the brunette woman.
"Yes, they are," Elijah answers, looking behind her at the new arrival.
"Elijah, Lorilei, this is my friend, Alaric Saltzman," She introduces them.
"Yeah, I got your message about walking Elijah and Lorilei here through the old property lines. I though I would tag along. You know, being a history buff and all. Where to next?" Alaric asks, not making the situation comfortable for anyone, especially his girlfriend.
"I'm pretty curious about the freed slave property owners. Some say, you know, the descendents of the slaves are the true keepers of American history," Elijah comments, looking at the history teacher.
"Well. I only brought the surveys. I got the list in the car. Just give me a sec," Jenna tells them, walking over to the three cars parked not too far away from where they are standing.
"Alaric Saltzman," Elijah says, looking at the man. "So, you're one of those people on Elena's list of loved ones to protect."
"So is Jenna," He reminds the Original.
"You don't have to be jealous. I don't really pursue younger women," He replies, seeing the look on Alaric's face.
"He's joking, Ric. Lighten up a little," Lorilei smiles, gaining a look from both men. "Trust me. I'm so not his type. He goes for other brunettes."
"Right," Alaric mutters as they walk past him, Elijah nudging the Witch.
"Why would you tell him that?" Elijah asks her.
"It's not like I'm trying to set you two up. Though my old college professor does still talk about you. She can't be any worse than a manipulative bitch," Lorelei retorts with a smug grin, and they join Jenna at the cars.

Jeremy arrives at the Mystic Grill, spotting Bonnie smiling, thinking of last night and joins her at her table. "Hey, whatcha doin'?" Jeremy asks her as he sits down opposite her.
"Thinking about last night," Bonnie tells him, and he takes it the wrong way, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah. Me, too," The youngest Gilbert tells her, not helping the smile on his face.
"It was a tough spell. I could feel it draining me. I need practice," The Bennett Witch tells him, and his smile drops.
"Yeah, well, uh, maybe, I don't know… Maybe you should come over tonight. We can practice. Get stronger," The younger Gilbert offers.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks," The Bennett Witch accepts, and he sees Luka storming into the restaurant, looking for them and walking over to them.
"Ah, incoming," Jeremy warns her as the Warlock stops at their table.
"You want to tell me what the hell happened yesterday?" Luka demands.
"Sorry?" Bonnie plays stupid.
"Don't play dumb. You both were here and…." He tells them, and it goes blank.
"And?" Jeremy asks him.
"And that's all I remember. One minute I'm playing pool and the next I'm waking up in a bathroom stall," Luka tells them.
"Sorry, Luka, but everything seemed normal yesterday. I brought you a coffee and we played pool," Bonnie lies through her teeth.
"See, I think you're lying," He tells her, getting close to her face, which Jeremy doesn't like; feeling protective of her and gets up from his seat, pushing him away from her.
"And I think you need to back off," Jeremy warns the Warlock.
"I'm warning you for your own good," Luka warns them and walks out of the building.

Stefan slides the door open and walks inside, startling Elena as she reads the Gilbert journal, and she looks up at him. "Are you still mad?" Elena asks him.
"Yeah, I'm still mad," Stefan answers her.
"We had a difference of opinion, Stefan, we're not always gonna agree on everything," She tells him.
"Elena, you've agreed to sacrifice yourself to Klaus. To say that we have a difference of opinion is the understatement of the century," He snaps at her.
"You would know," The doppelganger retorts and hands him the book, which he looks through, seeing the pages.
"What does Jonathan Gilbert have to say?" The Vampire asks her.
"A lot. It's insane the things he wrote in his journal that he kept from the Founding Families. Stuff that nobody knows. Stuff that… You never told me," Elena replies, looking at the journal.
"We were, uh… We were angry at the Founding Families for what they did to Katherine. We wanted revenge. I didn't know about Jonathan Gilbert's ring yet. I didn't know that he would…that he would survive," Stefan confesses.
"He describes you as a monster," She mutters.
"That's what I was. I want you to know the truth… But I want you to hear it from me. In the weeks after I became a Vampire, I relished in it. I took it to the darkest place I could," He explains.

In 1864, Stefan sat drinking from a woman's neck as two other women danced around the living room of the Salvatore Manor. "Who wants to die next?" Stefan asked the two women, leaving the other now dead woman lying on the sofa.
"Me, I'm next!" The first woman exclaimed in glee, having been compelled.
"Me, you promised me!" The second woman exclaimed as he got up, looking at both women and turned to the third woman playing the piano.
"What about you? You know if you don't pick up the tempo, you're going to lose your head. Snap. Snap," Stefan warned her, rushing over to the first woman and drinking her blood when Damon strolled into the room.
"Company, brother?" Damon questioned, alerting his brother, who turned away from draining the woman of her blood with a growl.
"I brought enough to share," He told him, looking at his brother and giving him the second woman.
"Are you mad? Bringing them here when the entire town is hunting us?" The older brother panicked, grabbing the blond woman.
"Damon, if you're worried about the Founding Families, please don't be. They're all dead or about to be," Stefan brushed him off, walking over to his brother and went back to drinking from the woman's neck. Damon watches his brother and looks at the woman in front of them.
"Leave this place. Never think of it again," Damon compelled her and pushed her out of the room. "Same for you," He peels Stefan off the woman. "Leave this place. Never think of it again," He compels her and pushes her out of the room.
"Damon, don't be like this. I'm just having some fun," The younger Salvatore whined.
"Staying alive is more, Stefan. We have to be more careful than this. More clever. Like Katherine was," Damon warned him.
"Look what that got her," Stefan laughed.
"I'm done here. With you, I'm leaving town," The older Salvatore announced, walking away, and his brother rushed in front of him, stopping him from leaving.
"You hate me. I know. I know. An eternity of misery and on and on. I know, but you don't have to leave town. Damon, I'll do better. I promise," Stefan begged him.
"No, you will get us killed. I'd rather leave you to do that to yourself," Damon told him, walking away, leaving his distraught brother behind.

"I wasn't myself then. I was full of guilt. What I did to my father, to my brother. I had to turn it off. It was the only way I could survive," Stefan finishes explaining.
"It sounds like you were Damon," Elena comments.
"I was worse," He confesses with a slight scoff.

Damon and Andie sit with Alaric in the Mystic Grill, having lunch. "Other than the lecture on the history of Mystic Falls, did you get anything out of Elijah or Lorilei?" Damon asks him.
"No, it was boring. Of course, Jenna thinks he's charming," Alaric replies, seeming down.
"You sounded jealous. Sound a bit jealous?" He teases his best friend, looking at his fake girlfriend.
"Kinda do," Andie agrees.
"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this here," Alaric tells him, looking at Andie.
"Andie?" Damon looks at him. "She's been compelled not to divulge my secrets. Haven't you?" He looks at his girlfriend, swinging his arm around her, and she turns to him.
"Uh-huh. Mmm," Andie agrees, pecking his lips. "My lips are sealed," Alaric looks between them, feeling uncomfortable.
"This is too weird," Alaric comments.
"I just need the right opportunity," Damon murmurs and spots Jenna, Elijah and Lorilei walking into the restaurant. "Ah, there's Jenna with her new boyfriend," He jokes, looking at Alaric. "Hi," He greets the three newcomers.
"Hey, guys," Jenna greets them back.
"So I hear you three had quite a meeting of historical minds today," He remarks, looking at his best friend.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," She replies, looking at Elijah and Lorilei smiles at him.
"Well, as much as I'd love to continue this, I've got papers to grade," Alaric comes up with an excuse, getting up from his seat.
"No, you know what? We should continue this. Let's have a dinner party," Andie offers.
"Ooh, my girl. Full of good ideas. I'll be happy to host. Say tonight. Maybe?" Damon questions the others.
"It's good for me. Jenna?" She asks her friend.
"I don't know if tonight works…." Alaric argues.
"I'm free," Jenna finishes.
"It'd be a pleasure," Elijah answers.
"I don't see why not," Lorilei answers.
"Great," Damon smirks, coming up with an idea.

Damon comes to the tomb, sees Katherine's desiccated body and waves a bottle of blood under her nose, waking her up a little and helping her drink the bottle, getting her to regain her strength to hold the bottle. "Great. Drink up. Good girl," Damon encourages her, and she takes the bottle. "I've come bearing gifts. I didn't have time to properly shop, but I did get a couple of things. Hmm?" He shows her the clothes he got her as Katherine returns to normal, thanks to the blood. "Wow, that blood did the trick. You're almost pretty again."
"What is it you want, Damon?" Katherine asks him, dropping the bottle to the ground.
"Guess who's back in town? Your old friend, John Gilbert," He informs her.
"Really. Why?" She asks him.
"Says he loves his daughter. Wants to protect her from Elijah and big, bad Klaus," The older Salvatore adds.
"Touching," The Vampire doppelganger comments, and she gets to her feet, look at the clothes, taking the jacket off the hanger.
"Yeah, right. He told me this old wives tale about how to kill an Original," Damon tells her.
"And you want to know if it's true. If it was, I wouldn't tell you," Katherine replies with an attitude as she looks through the clothes.
"Now, why not? I mean, you want Elijah and Klaus dead as much as I do," He retorts.
"Klaus, yes. Elijah, no. He's compelled me to stay in here," She gestures to the tomb. "If he dies, I'm stuck forever."
"Sucks for you," The Salvatore Vampire smirks at her.
"Forget it, Damon. Killing Elijah would be a suicide mission. You can't do it," Katerina warns him.
"Can so," Damon retorts.
"Can't," She argues back.
"Even with a dagger and a little white oak ash?" He asks her and sees the look of surprise and terror on her face.
"No. Damon, if you kill Elijah, then I'm stuck in here forever," The skeeving doppelganger lies through her teeth.
"You're really scared," Damon muses as he looks at her.
"Just get me out of here first and then I'll help you. I'll… I'll help you kill Elijah or…or protect Elena. Whatever you want," She begs him.
"I get you out of here and your ass is sipping Klaus-free margaritas on some unknown island somewhere. No way," He replies, not buying it.
"That's not true. I'll stay. Damon, please just don't do it," The Pierce doppelganger pleads with him.
"Well, thank you, you've told me everything I need to know," Damon tells her.
"I've told you nothing," Katherine snaps as he walks away.
"You have. You have indeed confirmed that it is possible to kill an Original, which I will do tonight. Guess who's coming to dinner?" He smirks, stopping to turn to look at her, feeling pretty sure of himself.

"For weeks I kept spiraling. I was completely driven by the desire for blood," Stefan confesses as he walks over to Elena with a warm cup of coffee. "Hunt, prey, kill. That was all I knew."
"How come no one caught on to what you were doing?" Elena asks him.
"Mmm. There was a war going on. The thing about wartime. Endless, anonymous blood supply," The young Salvatore replies.

In one of the nearby war camps, Stefan sneaked in, drinking the blood of a dying soldier and peeling away; he saw a woman in a black cloak, following her into the woods surrounding the camp. He doesn't know who she is and tries to scare her by disappearing, but the woman doesn't fall for it. Stefan jumps out to attack her, but she turns around, stopping him and pins him to the ground, pulling the hood off, revealing Lexi. "Ah! What kind of an idiot are you?" The blond woman sneered at the foolish young Vampire.

"Alexis Branson, as she was known back then," Stefan informs his girlfriend.
"Lexi?" Elena questions in surprise. "Your best friend Lexi? That's how you met her? What was she even doing in Mystic Falls?"
"She had heard it was a good place for Vampires. You know, had no idea that they'd all been massacred. Needed a place to crash, so I brought her home with me," He explains.

Stefan opened the door to the Salvatore Manor, letting Lexi inside. "I'd say it isn't necessary to take me in, but you did try to eat me and well, with dawn coming, beggars can't be choosers," Alexis explained as she walked into the house and looked at the gruesome scene of the living room. "Or should they be?"
"I, um… I meant to dispose of those," Stefan said.
"My God, you're a Ripper," She gasped.
"A what?" He asked her.
"There are good parts of being a Vampire, and there are bad parts. You're the bad parts. Well…we're going to have to change that," The blond Vampire told him.

"Are you okay?" Elena asks her boyfriend, seeing the downcast look on his face.
"Talking about her brings up things I'd rather forget," Stefan replies.
"Like Damon killing her?" She asks him, digging into the open wound.

Jenna and Andie set up the table in the Salvatore Boarding House dining room for the dinner party. "So what's going on with you and Alaric? I feel like there's some tension," Andie comments, trying to help her friend.
"I don't know. I really like him. It's more than like and I want it to work, but I can't help but feel that he's hiding something from me. And then I've got John whispering things in my ear about him," Jenna explains her problem.
"Like what?" She asks.
"Things I don't want to believe. Things I don't believe, not if they're coming from John's mouth," The strawberry blond replies.
"Oh. Well, there you go, then. Trust is the key to any relationship. I mean, I am so grateful that Damon tells me everything," The reporter replies, and Jenna looks at her friend, a little annoyed.
"This is a bad idea," Alaric announces as he watches Damon pour himself a drink.
"There's no such thing as a bad idea. Just poorly executed awesome ones. Here," Damon tells him and hands him another glass of scotch.
"No. I don't like the idea of Elijah and Lorilei being in the same house with Jenna," He argues.
"Jenna's perfectly safe. Besides, it's just a fact-finding mission. It's totally harmless," The Vampire assures the human.
"Just a fact-finding mission," The history teacher warns him.
"Yeah," Damon agrees, lying through his teeth.
"Listen, no sneak attacks. No surprise plans. Nothing that's gonna put Jenna in harm's way. Okay?" Alaric tells him.
"Scout's honour," He promises, and Andie walks into the library.
"Hey, Jenna needs help with the wine," Andie tells the men; Alaric leaves to help his girlfriend; Damon waits for him to be gone entirely and rushes to a side table, opening a wooden box, getting the Original dagger and vial of white oak ash. "What's that?"
"Dessert," Damon answers, dipping the dagger into the ash. "Elijah's stronger than me. Faster than me. It's all about the element of surprise."
"Ah, it's too bad. I like him. He's very old-school. Classy," The fake girlfriend comments, referring to Elijah.
"Which is why you should encourage the gentlemen to take their after dinner drinks in here while you do coffee in the kitchen with the girls." He instructs her, hiding the dagger within the decanters and glasses.
"Hmm. That is a little too sexist for me," Andie remarks, turning her nose up at the idea Damon came up with.
"Stop talking," Damon tells her, and the doorbell rings, and both of them head out of the room. Jenna walks to the room and opens the door, expecting to see Elijah and Lorilei, but it's John.
"Who invited him?" Jenna asks, looking at Damon as he walks over.
"John! Surprise… Leave," The older Salvatore says, looking at the Gilbert.
"When Jenna told me she was comin to a dinner party for Elijah and Lorilei was here, I decided I couldn't miss out on all the fun and games." John replies.
"There are not going to be any games tonight, John. It's just a friendly dinner party," Alaric argues, and John looks at Damon.
"What he said," Damon shrugs in agreement.

Jeremy opens the front door to Bonnie, glad to see her. "Hey," He greets her,
"Hey," She says back, and he takes her bag. "Thanks. That thing weighs a ton. I'm starving," She walks into the room. "You guys have any…food?" She looks in the living room to see a lot of candles. "Oh, God. Heh! This is a date."
"No, no it's not like a date, date. More of a hey, I kissed you, and I thought you liked it, um…hang thing," Jeremy tells her, trying to play it cool.
"Jeremy, I need to make sure Elena is cool with this before anything else happens," She replies.
"I didn't realise my sister had approval over who I'm with," He frowns.
"She's my best friend, I tell her everything and this whole hang thing might freak her out," The Bennett Witch reminds him.
"All right, all right, so we'll, um… We'll hang out, eat some food, work on some spells. It's not a big deal. But you did… You did like it, right?" The youngest Gilbert asks her with an unsure smile, and she smiles back.
"Yeah. I liked it," Bonnie confesses.

The doorbell rings again, and Damon opens the door, revealing Elijah and Lorilei. "Good evening," Elijah greets him.
"Good seeing you again," Lorilei greets him.
"Thank you for coming. Please, come in," Damon greets them back.
"Just one moment. Can I just say that if you have anything less than honourable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider," The Original warns him.
"No, nothing, nothing dishonourable. Just getting to know you," The younger Vampire assures him.
"Hmm. Well, that's good and everything. Because, you know, although Elena and Lijah have this stupid deal, if you so much as make a move to cross us, we'll kill you and kill everyone in this house. Are we clear?" Lorilei warns him.
"Crystal," Damon promises, but she can see through his lie.
"Jenna. Wonderful to see you again," Elijah greets her, smiling and walks into the house, leaving Lorilei with the older Salvatore brother. "How are you? Nice to see you. You look incredible."
"Thank you," Jenna smiles.
"By the way," Lorilei looks at Damon, who looks back at her. "You hurt him, I hurt you. Are we clear?" She walks into the room, joining the others.
"I hate to break it to you, Damon, but according to Elijah, your family is so not a Founder of this town," Jenna teases him as they sit around the dining table and enjoy the dinner, and she fills his glass with wine.
"Hmm, do tell," Damon replies.
"Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier, a faction of settlers migrated from Salem after the Witch trials in the 1690s. Over the next hundred years they developed this community where they could feel safe from persecution," Elijah explains.
"Hmm. Because they were Witches," The strawberry blond muses.
"Yeah, but there's no tangible proof there were Witches in Salem," Andie jumps in.
"Andie's a journalist. Big on facts," Damon backs up his fake girlfriend.
"Well as one of the top Professors on Occult lore, it says that there was this wave of anti-Witch hysteria. It broke out in the neighbouring settlement, so these Witches were rounded up. They were tied to stakes in a field together and burned. Some say you could hear the screams from miles around us. They were consumed by the fire. At least that's what my ancestor said before she was burned alive." Lorilei tells them.
"Could you pass the…" Elijah says, pointing to the salt.
"I wouldn't repeat this to the Historical Society," Jenna jokes, the others trying to make light of the tale.
"It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me," John comments, looking at the McKnight Witch.
"So why do you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?" Damon inquires.
"You know…a healthy historian's curiosity, of course," Elijah shrugs it off.
"Of course," He replies.

Stefan walks back into the lake house from sorting out something outside and sees her still reading Jonathan Gilbert's journal. "Jonathan Gilbert got crazier and crazier. I guess that's what happens when you spend your life obsessed with Vampires," Elena remarks as she flips through pages. "He researched the Originals."
"You're kidding," Stefan asks his girlfriend, walking over and sitting next to her on the sofa.
"Later in, like, look," She shows him the journal. "Pages and pages of questions and scribbles," She flicks through the pages and comes across a drawing of the dagger. "What's that?" She shows him the illustration. "The wood from one tree and one tree alone, an ancient white oak, would bring death to an Original Vampire. When the tree burned, all hope was thought lost". He was trying to figure out how to kill an Original." She looks at him urgently. "But the ash from the tree was saved, and Witches forged a dagger to which the ash could be bonded. This alchemic bond provides the necessary poison."
"Elena…" He tries to stop her.
"I wonder if this is true. I mean, do you think this dagger actually exists?" The human wonders.
"I know it does… Because John gave it to Damon," The Vampire informs her.
"John gave Damon the weapon that's supposed to kill Elijah? This one?" She asks him, pointing at the drawing. "It must be brandished by humans alone, for it will bring death to all demons who wield it."
"John's trying to get Damon killed!" Stefan panics, getting his phone out of his pocket and punching the buttons.

"Does anyone care for some cognac?" Damon asks as they finish up the food. "I have a bottle I've been saving for ages."
"None for me, thanks. Nine bottles of wine is my limit," Alaric declines with a laugh.

Stefan gets Damon's voicemail again and grows frustrated. "Why is your phone off? Call me!" He leaves him a message.
"What's going on, Stefan?" Elena demands.
"Damon is planning on killing Elijah. Tonight," He confesses.

Damon gives Andie a look, which she takes as a hint about what they talked about it earlier in the library. "The gentlemen should take their drinks in the study," Andie suggests.
"I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company," Elijah compliments.
"I like you," She smiles, pointing at the Original as Jenna gives some of the plates to John.
"Here you are, gentleman, make yourself useful. Hmm?" Jenna teases them.
"Here, here. Put me to work," Alaric offers, walking up to his girlfriend.
"Um, I got it," She tells him, picking up the plates.
"Hey, Jenna, are you… are you okay?" He asks her.
"Yeah, fine, Ric," The strawberry blond replies and walks away.
"I suspect this is my fault," John confesses, seeming smug as he walks over to the Vampire Hunter.
"What did you do now?" Alaric demands.
"I merely mentioned you haven't been completely honest with her about your dead wife," He answers, and the history teacher grabs him by the shirt.
"You son of a bitch," Alaric sneers.
"I think I've been very clear with you, Ric. I want my ring back," John reminds him, and he lets the Gilbert go, who walks away. Alaric's phone goes off; he digs into his back pocket and answers.
"Hello. Slow down. Slow down. Stefan?" He questions and listens to the younger Salvatore brother.
"So, let me guess. In addition to the Moonstone, the doppelganger, the lion, the Witch and the wardrobe, you need to find this Witch burial ground," Damon questions as he pours himself a drink in the library.
"Because I feel as though we've grown so close, Damon, I'll tell you yes. Do you know where it is?" Elijah asks him.
"Maybe. Tell me why it's so important," The older Salvatore retorts and gives the Original a glass of scotch, who accepts.
"We're not that close," The older Vampire replies and turns, looking at the books, giving Damon a chance. "It's quite a collection you have here."
"Hmm," Damon hums in agreement.
"It's a funny thing about books. Before they existed, people actually had memories," Elijah muses; Damon takes the dagger from its prominent hiding place when Alaric and Andie interrupt them, and he puts the blade back in its hiding place.
"Gentlemen, we forgot about dessert," Alaric comes up with an excuse.
"Elijah," Andie calls to him.
"Miss Star…" He replies, taking her outstretched hand and leading her out of the room. Damon looks at Alaric, slapping his arm, the history teacher tries to convey about the dagger, pointing to it, but the Vampire doesn't understand. He grows frustrated, walking over to the pile of papers, grabbing a pen, and writing it down, showing Damon that the dagger will kill him if he daggers Elijah. Andie and Elijah walk back into the dining room, rejoining Jenna, John and Lorilei.
"Sorry, guys, dessert is taking longer than I thought. I usually just unwrap food," Jenna apologises.
"You leave me alone again, I'll make your life a misery," Lorilei threatens Elijah, leaning over to him as he sits next to her.
"So… I know this is a social thing, but I… I would really love to ask you some more questions about the work that you're doing here," Andie asks him.
"I'd love to answer," Elijah replies with a smile.
"Great, that's so great," She smiles at his charming self and Damon and Alaric walk in, joining them at the table. "Ric, would you do me a favour and grab the notebook out of my bag?" He agrees, walking to her bag and fishing for the object.
"Elijah, did John tell you he's Elena's uncle/father?" Damon questions, looking at John.
"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Elijah replies.
"Of course, she hates him, so there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list," He retorts; Alaric doesn't look properly for her notebook.
"Ric, it's in the front pocket. On the…you know what? Excuse me, guys. Sorry," Andie sighs, getting up and walking over to Alaric.
"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how do you intend on killing Klaus?" John inquires.
"Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now. I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena. I allow Elena to remain in her house, living her life with her friends as she does as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away from you, and you'll never see her again," Elijah warns them, and Andie comes back, sitting down with her notebook.
"Okay. My first question is when you got here to Mystic…." Andie starts her interview, but Alaric jumps behind his seat, driving the dagger through the chair into Elijah's heart; he shouts out in surprise, making everyone jump in shock as he turns grey and limp in the chair. Lorilei looks at him in fear; getting up from her chair, Damon races out of his seat, punching her; she falls to the floor, and he catches her before she hits the floor. Damon looks up at Alaric as he takes the dagger from Elijah's back, placing it on the table.
"Now, get rid of them before Jenna comes back with dessert," Alaric warns him.
"All right," He looks down at the unconscious Lorilei, carrying her out of the room.

Elena paces outside the lake house, and Stefan comes outside to confront her. "Elena, we need to talk about this," He tells her
"What good is talking if you and Damon are just gonna lie to me? If you don't like my decisions, that's fine. There's nothing I can do about that but if you ever go behind my back again, I'll…." She snaps at him.
"You're gonna what? Hmm? What are you gonna do, Elena?" Stefan asks her.
"It's my life," Elena reminds him.
"Yeah, exactly. It's your life and I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure that you life it," The older Salvatore tells her.
"Then what? This… This… This trip through the past. You being honest. Was there any truth to that or were you just distracting me?" The doppelganger argues.
"I was telling you about a time when I thought everything was lost. When I had given up because that's exactly what you're going right now," Stefan argues back.
"That is now what…." She tries arguing.
"Yes, it is! Even if you don't want to admit it. You are giving up…and Lexi? She wouldn't let me give up. I'm not gonna let you," He tells her.

Stefan and Lexi walked around the med camp with the injured and dying soldiers. "All of these men are dead or dying. What does that make you feel?" Lexi asked him.
"Nothing. I feel nothing," Stefan replied.
"Because you shut out the part of you that was human. The part that lets you feel," The blond Vampire reminded him.
"Is that not the point?" The young Vampire questioned.
"Well, there is a better way. You simply have to want it," The blond Vampire told him.
"Is it better?" Stefan questioned.
"Not at first. You can't choose what you feel. You have to let it all back in. The pain and the look in their eyes when you took their life. The cries of their loved ones," Lexi clarified.
"Why would I want to do that? Hmm?" He asked.
"Because once you can hurt, you can love. Love, Stefan. That's the point. Everything is intensified when you're a Vampire. When we hurt, we really hurt. But when we love…." She answered.

"Lexi showed me that there was another way. And from that day forward, I started fighting for it. For my own survival. That's all I want you to do. I just want you to fight for it," Stefan tells her and walks back into the lake house.

Alaric and Damon drop Elijah's desiccated body onto the basement floor next to the unconscious Lorilei tied to a chair. "Now, you said there wasn't going to be any violence," Alaric snaps at him.
"Says the guy that did all the killing," Damon retorts.
"Hey, I took the shot because I saw an opening, not because I planned to do this with Jenna in the house. Now, you can't lie to me like that. Hey, I am your friend, damn it. And you don't have any friends. So, no more lying," He warns him and the Vampire nods in agreement, looking at the unconscious Witch, checking she's securely tied before they walk out, Alaric closing the door behind him.

Stefan walks downstairs with his phone, finishing talking to his brother. "Elijah's dead. Alaric did it," He announces as he sits next to his girlfriend.
"Originals believed in truth and honour," Elena tells him as she flips through the pages. "It was forbidden for a Vampire to kill another Vampire. So, the dagger would take both lives. And as long as the dagger stays in place, the Original, for all intents and purposes, is dead." He looks at her in alarm, jumping from his seat and grabbing his phone to call his brother.

Damon rushes down into the cellar to find the door open, the room empty, and Elijah and Lorilei are gone.

Elijah stumbles into Lorilei's apartment, the Witch barely holding onto consciousness as she walks into the back room to her little Witch room. "I warned you! I told you!" Lorelei shouts as she storms through her apartment.
"What happened?" Jonas asks as he walks in after Elijah.
"I need you to find Elena. Now," Elijah tells him.

Bonnie continues to practise her magic, using the candles and fireplace, channelling the fire, extinguishing the flames, lighting a flare in her hand, and then lighting the candles and fireplace again. "Ah…now, that is cool. How does it work?" Jeremy asks her.
"It's called channelling. Syphoning power from something…another Witch…the moon, an element," She explains.
"So, technically, you could channel me," He questions.
"What?" Bonnie asks him.
"Well, I'm an element, sort of. I mean, isn't…isn't that the human body mostly water?" The youngest Gilbert questions.
"You're right. Let's…see what happens," The Bennett Witch agrees, both of them getting closer; she puts her hand on his chest when Jonas suddenly slams the door with his magic.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jeremy demands, getting to his feet, and the Warlock throws him to the wall, pinning him with his powers.
"Jeremy!" Bonnie yells in worry.
"What did my son tell you? What did he tell you?" Jonas demands.
"He told me about your daughter. I know Klaus has her, and I want to help you get her back. But I want us to work together. Please," She answers, and he grabs her face.
"This is for your own good. And Lorilei sends a warning," He tells her, casting the spell.
"No! No, no!" Bonnie begs him, and he releases her as she cries.
"If any harm comes to my son…because of what you did, you will answer to me," Jonas warns her and walks out of the house, the door closing behind him magically. The spell releases from Jeremy, who falls to the floor, and rushes over to the distraught Bonnie.
"You okay? It's okay. What happened?" Jeremy asks her, cradling her.
"He took my powers," She sobs as he holds her.

Elijah strolls up to the Gilbert lake house, looks at it, and crouches down, grabbing some of the rocks; Elena and Stefan come downstairs, the younger Vampire hearing the Original outside. "He's here," Stefan warns him, and Elijah throws the pebbles into the door; it explodes, making them jump.
"You have to go. I need to talk to him alone," Elena whispers.
"Elena…" He whispers back.
"Stegfan, I'm okay. He can't come in the house," She reminds him as Elijah walks closer to the house.
"You know, I might not be able to enter this house… But I'm a very patient man. I'll wait it out," Elijah threatens them, and Elena goes to the door, ensuring to stay inside.
"They shouldn't have done what they did," Elena tells him, trying to buy some time.
"The deal is off," He informs the doppelganger.
"I'm renegotiating," She offers.
"You have nothing left to negotiate with," The Original declines, and she shows him the knife from inside her sweater.
"I'd like to see you lure Klaus into Mystic Falls…after the doppelganger bleeds to death," She threatens him.
"Stefan won't let you die," Elijah argues.
"No, he won't. He'll feed me his blood to heal me, and then I'll kill myself and become a Vampire, just like Katherine did. So unless you want that to happen again, promise me the same as before…promise me… You won't harm anyone that I love. Even if they've harmed you," Elena offers.
"I'm sorry, Elena. I'm going to have to call your bluff," He tells her after a long pause, and she sighs, holding the knife, plucking up the courage, and stabs herself in the stomach with the dagger; she falls to her knees, bleeding, clutching at her wound. Elijah rushes to the doorway but can't get in. "No! Yes. Yes, you can have your deal. Let me heal you!" Elijah yells as he tries to get to her.
"Give me your word!" Elena grunts.
"I give you my word!" He promises, and she steps outside, going into his arms; he takes her, but she stabs him through the heart, and he turns grey again, desiccating. Elena falls to the floor, still bleeding, Stefan rushes over to her, giving her his blood, and Damon walks out from inside the lake house.
"Little tip. Don;t pull the dagger out," Damon advises them.

Alaric walks into the Gilbert house kitchen, needing to talk to her. "Where did John disappear to?" Alaric asks her.
"Maybe the same place the rest of the dinner party ran off to," Jenna retorts as she pours a drink.
"Look, Jenna, I'm, uh… I'm so sorry tonight was…." He stumbles around for an answer.
"What happened to Isobel?" She asks out of the blue.
"You know, John should have never brought that up," The history teacher replies.
"That's not an answer," The strawberry blond tells him curtly.
"He's just trying to stir up trouble," Alaric warns her.
"That's not an answer, either," Jenna repeats.
"I can't talk about this, Jenna," He tells her.
"I keep thinking that maybe it's me. Maybe I'm reading into things. I should trust you. That's what a relationship is about, right?" She asks him, walking closer to him. "But then I think that maybe John is right, and maybe you're not being honest with me. So…are you being honest?" He doesn't answer her, not wanting to lie again, and she tries not to cry. "Right. Okay…that was an answer." She walks away from him, picks up her glass of wine, and storms out of the kitchen, and John walks in behind him.
"Well, that was awkward. You know, I can clear all this stuff about Isobel tomorrow if you want. Or not," John offers but sees the look on his face, and Alaric takes off his magical ring.
"You want it? Take it. It's yours," Alaric tells him, placing the ring on the table and smiling stiffly. "And after what you did to Damon… You're gonna need it more than me," He walks away, making John stand in dread.

The Salvatore brothers drop Elijah's body in the basement again; Elena follows behind them, watching as Damon searches for the Original, finding the Moonstone. "Uhh! What do we have here? A little Moonstone bar of soap. I'll hold on to this," He takes the rock, putting it in his pocket.
"So, that's it. I mean, as long as we keep the dagger in there, then he stays dead," Elena questions.
"Pretty much," Damon answers.
"Okay, then… Good night. You know, you guys want me to fight, fine, I'll fight." She tells them as they walk out of the basement. "But if we're gonna do this, you can't keep anything from me anymore. From this moment on, we're doing it my way."
"That seems fair," The older Salvatore agrees, and she looks at her boyfriend.
"Okay," Stefan agrees.
"Okay," She nods and walks up the stairs.
"Seems like she's had a change of attitude. How did you get through to her?" Damon asks his brother.
"I told her a little story about when I was making the wrong decisions and somebody showed me there was a berry way," Stefan replies.
"Lexi?" He asks.
"Yeah. You remember her?" The younger Salvatore asks him, both staring at each other.

Damon head for the door when Lexi intercepted him. "Going somewhere?" Lexi asked him.
"You must be the Vampire I hear my brother complaining about," Damon retorted.
"That would be me. And you must be the brother who hates him," She replied, walking towards him.
"We are at irreparable odds," He told her.
"You know the hate you're feeling towards Stefan? Towards everyone? You think you have it under control, but you don't. It will get the best of you," The blond Vampire warned him.
"Help him. He needs it," The older Salvatore replied.
"I'll help him," Lexi agreed, both nodding at each other, and he opened the door, walking out.

Damon walks upstairs into the living room and finds Lorilei standing by the fireplace. "You know. Elijah found me on the streets and took me in. I'd do anything for him," Lorilei says and turns around to face him. "I want him back. Or I will kill the little doppelganger." She raises her hands, a fire spinning around between her hands.
"I really don't like being threatened," Damon warns, flashing his fangs at her.
"That won't scare me," She throws the fireball at him, and he ducks, races towards her, and bites into her neck.
"Damon! Stop!" Stefan shouts as he runs into the room, and Damon drops her onto the floor, not draining her of her blood; the younger Salvatore cradles the brunette in worry.
"That's Elijah's little sidekick," Damon informs his younger brother, who looks at him. "We need to keep her locked up for our own good."
"We can't do that," Stefan tells her, glad his girlfriend has gone upstairs to his room.
"It's the only way we can be sure that Elijah won't come back," He tells him.
"What about the Martins?" The younger brother questions.
"She's the brains," Damon informs him and picks up the unconscious brunette Witch, heading back down into the basement.

A young Lorilei walked away from the Mystic Falls sign in her prom dress, drenched in dried blood. "I hate everyone. I hate this town. I wish they'd all die!" She grumbled under her breath and looked back at the town that didn't want her and saw a type of shield surrounding the city as she stepped out. "That's just low." She turned back, continuing to walk away, getting strange looks from passing cars.
"Are you all right, dear child?" She heard a strange man ask her; she looked to see a handsome man in a car, leaning out his window.
"I'm fine, thanks." She replied and continued to walk down the street when he sped in front of her.
"I don't think so. What happened?" He asked her, and she looked at him strangely.
"You don't care. And you're not very subtle. Vampire." Lorilei snapped.
"Agreed. But you're not subtle ever, covered in blood from head to toe." The Original told her.
"It's not my fault. My stupid classmates took Carrie too seriously, and I paid them back. Then my parents decided it was my fault and tried to beat me to death, so I killed them." She confessed.
"How did you do that?" The Vampire asked her.
"I'm a type of Witch," The girl answered, and he looked at her.
"Impressive. I'm Elijah," He introduced himself, and she looked at him, knowing the name.
"I'm Lorilei McKnight. Nice to meet you, Mr Nobel Original."

Lorilei wakes tied to the same chair as before in the Salvatore basement; she groans in annoyance, spotting the desiccated Original. "You fell for that lie! Seriously!" Lorilei snaps, trying to loosen the ropes around her wrists and ankles. "When I get us out of here, I will seriously kick your ass!"

After a long day of trying to kill the noble Original, Damon finally makes it to his bedroom and hears the shower running. "Andie? I thought you left?" He calls out and walks into his bathroom, seeing a very naked woman in his shower; he can't help the grin when the brunette turns off the shower, turning around, the smile falling off his face.
"Hello, Damon. Hey, do you have a robe?" She asks him, seeing the stunned look on his face as he sees Katherine.
"How did you get out?" Damon asks her.
"I knew that if I begged you not to kill Elijah, that's exactly what you'd do. Little known fact… Originals can compel Vampires. But as soon as they die, the compulsion wears off," Katherine informs him.
"And you knew," He grumbles.
"And I'm still here. I didn't run. I meant what I said to him, Damon. I'm going to help you," She promises him, though it's empty. "So… How about that robe?" She looks at him suggestively.