"Previously on The Vampire Diaries..." "My name is Alexandria St. John." "I'm your family, Lorenzo." "Here's what I know about the pills." "They're really only useful if you want to fight a witch." "What about the antidote?" "We tried to create the antidote, and we failed." "What?" "Who could you have been giving them to?" "Give Bonnie Bennett my regards." "Everyone you know has made the choice that serves them best." "Why not make a choice that serves you?" " I love you." " I love you." "When you destroyed the Phoenix Stone, all the souls inside escaped." "The spirits fled into the first dead piece of flesh they could find." "Cut the crap, buddy." "I know you're not Stefan." "Apparently, he was a serial killer before he became a vampire." "He would stalk sororities and fraternities and murder for sport." "Where did Stefan go?" "He could be anywhere." "He could be anyone." "I got ripped out of hell and thrown into a dead man's body." "This is not how you are going to die," "Stefan Salvatore." "Buckle up." "We have less than 48 hours to track down your real body." "Stefan." "Hey, Stefan." "Oh, what happened?" "Well, I pulled your ass out of the snow, you ate a bunch of doughnuts, and then you puked blood all over my nice clean car." "You said "everything hurt," so..." "I got you everything." "Head stuff, throat stuff, stomach stuff." "Yeah." "Where are we?" "On our way to Memphis." "Valerie got a line on your real body, the one with the nice hair." "How did my real body end up in Memphis?" "You know what?" "Long story." "How about you just focus on staying alive, okay?" "Sit back, relax, find your happy place." "Chug one of those five-hour energy things, maybe with a cough syrup chaser or something." "Okay." "Plan "B."" "What are you doing?" "911." "What's your emergency?" "Damon, I can't go to a hospital." "Marty Hammond got loaded and crashed a bus full of kids." "There's an interstate manhunt going on." "Don't worry, brother." "I'm not taking you to a hospital." "I'm bringing the hospital to us." "I had to improvise." "The over-the-counter stuff wasn't working." "That's Frank and that's Sully." " Hi, guys." " Hey." "How you doin'?" "I've asked them very politely to make sure that Marty stays alive, and if he doesn't, then I will cut their thumbs off and feed them to the squirrels." "Right, guys?" "Meanwhile, you and I will go hunt down the sociopath that has taken residence in my brother, and then Valerie will jam his real soul back... in..." "Where's my witch?" "She's at a motel off Route 70, prepping for the spell." "Prepping for the spell?" "What does that even mean?" "What could she possibly have to prep?" "I guess it's a little more complicated than that." "At any rate, she managed to do a locator spell on the serial killer in Stefan's body." "His name's Ambrose." "Turns out, he's holed up in a frat house near Memphis College." "Maybe he'll be so busy snacking on drunk sorority girls that this'll be an easy smash and grab." "Listen, thanks for coming all this way to help out, buddy." "Means a lot." "Yeah, well, I didn't exactly volunteer, Damon." "Valerie sort of ambushed me." "Well, you know, she probably thought that you'd feel good about stepping up for an old friend." "Especially since you're planning on marrying his ex." "You sure this is how you want to play it, Damon?" "You know, maybe you bought Marty an hour or so, but when the same thing happened to Jo..." "I don't know, maybe you want to consider spending your remaining time just... being with your brother." "Did you seriously just suggest that I spend the afternoon saying a sappy good-bye to Stefan instead of saving his life?" "Getting soft, Ric." "More than soft." "Your brain has liquefied." "Get in." "Thing is, I cared about him more than anyone else in the world." "But it wasn't enough." "I mean, he walked away like it was the easiest thing in the world to do." "Then I find out he's back and hasn't bothered to contact me." "I think, how could I have fallen into such a dark place over someone who cares so little about me?" "I've decided I'm ready to move on." "I'm not gonna let that betrayal define the rest of my life." "Thank you, Bonnie." "Nice progress." "Virginia?" "Did you have something you wanted to share?" "No." "So what'd I miss when I was gone?" "What's been happening?" "Wouldn't know." "Oh, come on." "Maybe you buried your head in a Dallas sandbox, but your wife-to-be, she's always had her nose in everyone's business, which is why I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't drop some details about her best friend" "over string cheese and chicken nuggets." "Look, Damon, if you're fishing for information about Bonnie," "I suggest you go straight to the source." "I totally would, but she didn't leave a forwarding address with my storage unit." "Ah, it doesn't matter." "It'll give Carebear and I something to talk about at the reception." "Yeah, well, we're not actually having a big wedding thing." "Just a few friends." "Since when do you have friends besides me?" "We made new ones." "Look, I know this has been just a catnap for you, Damon, but it's been three years in the real world." "People change." "Life goes on." "It wasn't a catnap, Ric." "I made an excruciatingly painful descent into a near-death state so I wouldn't destroy everyone that I loved." "You know what?" "Now that we know where Ambrose is all camped out," "I think I'm gonna get back to my life now." "So if you don't mind taking me to the airport or a train station or... even this bus stop pulling up here, yeah, if you want to pull over..." "And there it goes." "Look, I get you're mad." "Okay?" "I shouldn't have said good-bye in a letter." "I should've flown to Dallas and taken you out for drinks and line dancing and told you face-to-face." "I'm very sorry, Ric." "Just let me make it up to you, huh?" "Oh, you know, Damon, I'm really not interested in being part of your 12-step redemption tour." "One more mission, for old time" sake, huh?" "I can assure you that saving my little brother will be much more fun than putting together old broken-up baby dolls." "Yeah, well, I'm not really a big fan of your brother right now, either." "He broke Caroline's heart when he abandoned her." "Worked out pretty well for you, didn't it?" "Huh?" "Oh, come on." " Help me out." " Be a hero." "I mean, unless you don't think Caroline cares whether Stefan lives or dies." "Where's your girl tonight?" "My girl?" "Valerie?" "Tall, pretty, likes the drinks with the little pink umbrellas." "Or do you have more than one?" "Oh." "No, no, no." "Just... just one." "Need any help?" "What are you trying to write?" "An apology." ""I wish that things were different, but it's safer this way." "Never meant to hurt you, and I wish you all the happiness in the world."" "Well, sounds good to me." "She returns all of them unopened." "Maybe this is the one she'll read." "Right." "Everything okay, buddy?" "Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?" "I need to write a letter, in case I don't make it out of this." "Chug!" "Chug!" "Chug!" "Chug!" "Damon!" "I was wondering if you'd show up." "Come in, friend." "Have a drink." "Oh, dear." "Looks like you're a pledge who didn't make the cut." "I guess now you'll just have to slog through a bit of old-fashioned hazing." "Okay, so..." "I couldn't get past the threshold." "You're on deck." "Got you a disguise." "Here, put that on." "You can go as the, uh, creepy professor pretending to be chaperone." "I booked a 5:15 into Dallas/Fort Worth." "Even used my miles." "You're not fooling anyone, Ric." "You know that?" "You leveled a rifle on me when I showed up at your house." "I know you're still in the game." "I'm not in the game because I possess the means to protect my family from some uninvited lurker." "It's my brother's life we're talking about here, Ric." "If you're not gonna do it for me, at least do it for the guy who stepped aside and made this perfect, happy life that you're just dying to get back to possible." "Yeah?" "Are you Damon Salvatore?" "Well, that depends on who's asking." "He said if you don't answer this," "I'm supposed to run into traffic." "I'm answering." "So I hear your vampire M.O." "is payback for you being a Greek system reject." "Kind of cliché, don't you think?" "Why don't you come on back here, Damon?" "I'm sure I can remember which attractive, overprivileged parasite owns this place." "Huh." "Well, the only parasite I'm interested in is you." "You know, I actually don't care much for the taste of blood." "What I do love are the less obvious perks." "Eavesdropping skills, mind games." "Of course, it's fun to wantonly murder these class-obsessed imbeciles, but making them kill each other?" "Oh, that really takes the egg." "This is all fascinating, really." "Here's the thing:" "I can't hear you that well." "I don't think the reception's that good in there." "Why don't you just come out and deliver your villainous monologue face-to-face?" "What do you think?" "Look, Damon, I know you won't leave me alone until you get your brother's body back." "So why don't you do me one small favor and we both get what we want?" "How small?" "Rayna Cruz." "She chased me across this country for a decade, made my life hell." "Literally." "Yours, too, I hear." "What about her?" "Well, let's just say" "I made things personal with her." "Framed her for a couple of massacres." "Turned her boyfriend." "She won't be satisfied until I'm dead." "In fact, she's probably on her way over here right now." "So why don't you go ahead and kill her for me, and I promise I will turn your brother's body back over to you." "And why would you do that?" "Oh." "Clearly, you are not familiar with the loophole." "Well, I can easily jump into the body of a transitioning vampire." "All you need to do is find me a witch who can soul-swap me into the body of a fellow you don't care about, and Stefan can have his body back." "I, in turn, can mount Rayna Cruz's head on my wall." "Everybody wins." "What do you say, Damon?" "Consider it done." "Wonderful." "How's Stefan?" "Well, old Marty's heart's still beating, thanks to the miracle of modern medicine." "I'm now sending him to the beautiful" "Wildwood Motel in a big red truck." "Little sirens on the top, white stripe on the side." "You can't miss it." "And what about Ambrose?" "What is taking so long?" "Hey, I'm out here busting my ass trying to catch this candy shell of a man that you love." "You're the one holed up in the motel, eating vending machine crackers, so just give me a break, okay?" "Gemini spells usually take two witches, Damon." "I'm trying to gather the strength to ensure that I can actually get him back into his own body." "So you're saying you can't do it?" "No, I didn't say that." "I'm not the kind of guy that likes to live in the middle, Val." "You can either do it or you can't." "Everyone I've ever loved in this entire world is gone." "Stefan is the only thing I have left." "I'll do whatever I have to do to get it done." "Okay." "Good." "Good." "Now, question, any chance you could spare some of that strength to do a locator spell on Rayna Cruz?" "I majored in poli-sci, but, like, obviously, what do you do with a poli-sci degree?" "So..." "That is why I am doing this." "Uh, only for now." "Hey, you, uh... you okay back there?" "You know, if you puke in my car," "I got to ding you with zero stars." "I'm fine." "How much farther?" "Oh, not far." "You're gonna love these guys." "They throw parties that rage for, like, three days." "What the heck?" "No." "Don't stop." "Sorry." "Got to stop." "Says so in the bylaws." "Sit here." "Don't call anyone, don't move." "Thanks." "Can you check to see if I've got any messages from my doctor?" "Hey." "What are you doing?" "You've been stealing my meds." "What?" "Every day, when you get your meds, you ask the nurse," ""Hey, do I have any messages from my doctor?"" "Then she looks, and you swap my meds with sugar pills." "Why are you stealing my meds?" "Because none of us are gonna get well if we can't think straight." "You just seemed to be in a weird fog." "I wanted to help." "Thank you." "I finally feel like myself again." "And I haven't felt like myself in a really long time." "You want to get something to eat?" "I know where the nurses hide their candy bars." "Yeah." "Sure." "Well, that doesn't look good." "What the hell happened here?" "I had a fare." "I was taking her to a frat party, and some guy with an accent shot up the car and dragged her away." "Damon." "To what do I owe the pleasure?" "Bring her back." "No idea what you're talking about." "Isn't it a little embarrassing, still playing fetch for the Armory?" "I'm no longer affiliated with that organization." "Try to keep up." "Fine." "Enlighten me." "What are your exact needs for Rayna Cruz at this moment?" "Because I promise you, I need her a lot more than you do." "Oh, is that so?" "Well, then let me ask you a question." "How's Bonnie?" "You know, the best friend that you just abandoned." "What's her life been like since you decided to just push the pause button on your pathetic existence?" "We're not talking about Bonnie right now." "We're talking about Stefan, who is currently dying, and the fact that Rayna is the only key to his survival." "Well, then I suggest you find another way to save him." "Because you're not getting her." "Together." "What?" "Bonnie and Enzo." "They are together." "Together, as in, someone kidnapped Bonnie Bennett and brainwashed her into a relationship with Enzo, or...?" "As in, Bonnie got into trouble with the Armory when you decided to take your hibernation vacation." "Enzo stepped up and helped her out." "I guess, you know, things happened from there." "Thought you didn't know anything." "Your Barbie Dream Phone is ringing." "I was just about to call you." "You know what I've realized?" "Between this game of beer pong and the extremely short shorts, modern Greek life is even less dignified than it once was." "Listen, we hit a little bump in the road." "I hope that means you ran over Rayna Cruz and strapped her to the hood of your vehicle." "Ambrose, brother, nothing would make me happier than exterminating our little huntress friend." "Okay?" "But I'm gonna need you to take a rain check on the hit." "Now, listen, I promise I'm gonna get to it." "It's just, she's currently out of range right now, and I am running out of time." "What do you say?" "We have a deal?" "This sense of disappointment must be what it feels like to actually have you for a brother." "So how'd you end up in here?" "Same as you, I guess." "I was betrayed by someone I loved." "Except it was my family, not my boyfriend." "Oh, no." "Damon was not my boyfriend." "He was..." "I don't know what he was." "That's even worse." "So what happened with your family?" "Let's just say" "I tried to save them from something... dark." "Turns out, they didn't want to be saved." "So my sister had me drugged up and locked away in this psych ward." "Got everyone to say I'm crazy, which I'm not." "Yeah." "Must be hard being a member of the St. John family." "You know who my family is?" "Is that why you're here?" "To spy on me?" "No." "No." " Do you work for them?" " No!" "Your sister Alex is looking for me." "The whole Armory is looking for me." "Why?" "I have no idea." "I faked a story and checked myself into this place a few weeks ago, hoping you could help me figure it out." "They've been hunting me for almost three years." "If you're expecting me to give you some... pearl of wisdom, you're out of luck." "That's what my family does." "They hunt things." "Weapons, relics, people." "And they don't stop until they get exactly what they want." "I need my life back." "If there's anything you can tell me..." "I'm a Bennett witch." "Does that mean anything to you?" "Prove it." "Do magic." "I can't." "I don't have access to my magic right now." "If you really were a Bennett witch, they would have tracked you down a long time ago." "I found a way to hide from them." "That I can prove." "If you promise to keep my secret." "I'll keep your secret... if you promise that you'll break me out when you go." "Deal." "Hey, what happened?" "Hey!" "Uh-oh." "You think he went after Rayna himself?" "No." "He wouldn't know where to look." "That's why he made me the hit man." "Maybe he's looking for his next murder party." "Or maybe he's just gonna keep running until..." "Marty drops dead with my brother still on board?" ""On board."" "Hey, do you think he overheard you tell the drivers where to take Marty?" "You were just outside the house when you said it." "Oh, no." "Maybe he figures he can get me off his back if he snuffs out Marty, and then I won't need Stefan's body anymore." "This is Frank." "Tell me you're not still driving, Frank." "We hit a little accident-related traffic a few miles back." "What is the point of having an emergency vehicle if you can't run other cars out of the way?" "!" " Sorry about that." " Do not stop again!" "Do not pass go, do not collect $200." "Turn on the lights on the top of the van, Frank, and deliver him to a very powerful witch woman before some lunatic tries to off my brother." "Copy that." "Hey, Sully?" "We got to turn on the lights." "Bull's-eye." "Hey, buddy," " you okay?" " Me?" "Oh, I'm well." "Thank you." "How about you, friend?" "Are you hurt?" "What about you, Stefan?" "Are you ready to meet your maker?" "I guess being human still has a few privileges." "Oh, no." "Not you again." "Afraid so." "Lucky for me, you seem to be a bit off your game today." "I would rather die than go back to the Armory." "I'll strangle myself with this seatbelt if I have to." "Don't bother." "They know where you are." "Seems that Alex St. John got everything she needed from you." "So what am I missing?" "Why am I here?" "Let's just say that I have my reasons." "Wow, that's specific." "Are we playing 20 Questions now?" "Great." "I'm game." "Are you aware that the Armory has engineered a type of pill that suppresses magic?" "If I take one of these every day, they can't do a locator spell on me." "The downside is I don't have access to any magic." "How'd the Armory make something like that?" "You ever hear of a vampire hunter named Rayna Cruz?" "They used her blood to make the pills I've been taking." "If you help me, you'll be free to move away." "What kind of help are you looking for?" "I need to know if the effects of those pills can be reversed." "Or I could slit your throat and throw you in a Dumpster." "It depends on your attitude." "Sorry, I guess it's the Dumpster for me, then." "The effects of my blood can't be reversed, only enhanced." "How do you know?" "If I put enough of these through your eyeballs, you'll probably never wake up." "The Armory already tried." "They failed." "Magic doesn't behave like science." "Don't shoot the messenger." "This isn't a matter of idle curiosity, is it?" "You stole those pills and gave them to someone you care about." "You know what would be a terrible shame?" "Is if that person were a witch." "Say..." "Bonnie Bennett." "Because that would mean you just gave the girl you love a death sentence." "You look like you're in pretty bad shape, Stefan, hmm?" "Wouldn't you rather just get this over with?" "Think of it this way." "At least you won't have to go back to the hell stone." "You just have the sweet release of death to look forward to." "Oh." "Portable stoves." "What will they think of next?" "I think I'm really going to enjoy my life in this new world." "I've read your journals, Stefan." "And I know you're a deeply sensitive, literary sort of fellow." "Is there any final words you'd like me to deliver?" "Fun's over." "On the contrary." "Fun's just begun." "I hate how good that felt." "Now tell me why the Armory is looking for me." "You also promised to get me out of this place, remember?" "Do you have a key or a code or something?" "I have a doctor who can check us both out, but not before you tell me what I need to know." "There's a vault in the basement of the Armory." "It was sealed by a Bennett witch a long time ago, and only a Bennett witch can unlock it." "So they want me to open a vault?" "As far as my family knew, Lucy Bennett was the only living witch in your line." "And she disappeared about four years ago." "I'm not sure why we didn't know about you." "I was officially dead for a while." "Then I wasn't." "It was a long story." "What's in this vault?" "Something that can't be let out." "Gonna need you to be a little more specific." "First you have to swear that you'll never open it." "If this vault is the key to my freedom," "I can't promise you anything until I know what's in it." "Oh." "I was hoping you'd be... on my side." "What are you doing?" "Sorry." "I can't let you open the vault." "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "She's a witch!" "She's trying to break out!" "You have to stop her, please!" "You have to stop her!" "She can't open that vault!" "She can't open... the vault..." "You all right, Ms. McCullough?" "Yeah." "I'll get you back to where you belong." "Don't worry." "Thank you for doing all this." "Snagged this from the front desk." "In case we have to restart Marty's ticker." "Damon's the one you should be thanking." "She didn't think I'd come through, even though Stefan's well-being is the one and only thing we have in common." "Don't thank me." "Just promise me you can do this." "I promise." "Phesmatos spirita, revertom corpus o adseros, mentim menta." "Phesmatos spirita, revertom corpus o adseros, mentim menta." "Phesmatos spirita, revertom corpus o adseros, mentim menta." "Phesmatos spirita, revertom corpus..." "Care for a drink?" "What am I doing here?" "Well, you know what they say." "There's no place like home." "You're in my head, aren't you?" "No matter where we traveled, you were always going on and on about how much you missed this musty old house." "I figured you'd be more comfortable here." "And I wanted to see the real you." "Do I even want to know what's happening out there?" "You're going to be fine." "Promise." "You wouldn't happen to be lying to me, would you?" "Because if I'm about to die a painful death in a strange human's body, then I want to make the most of my time." "The only thing you need to worry about is our next destination." "Any ideas?" "Or would you rather spin the old globe in the upstairs study and let fate decide?" "Well, I've actually had a lot of time to think lately." "I suppose there's something about standing on the precipice of death that lends itself to deep thoughts." "And I wouldn't have to run anymore." "I wouldn't have the scar." "My life wouldn't be tied to Rayna's." "Well, we wouldn't have to call it running." "We could call it sightseeing." "Or we could stay closer to home." ""Home"?" "You do remember we can't go back to Mystic Falls, right?" "Matt Donovan made sure of that." "Unless you're talking about somewhere else." "Dallas, maybe?" "No." "Of course not." "But things are different now." "And you have a chance to go back to your real life." "You are my real life." "Valerie?" "What's wrong?" "Mentim menta." "Phesmatos spirita..." "Valerie?" "Valerie?" "Are you okay?" "Yeah..." "No, no, no, no!" "Hey, get up." "Hey, you promised me." "Get up." "You promised you could do this." "Get up!" "Valerie, get up!" "Valerie, what's happening?" "Be honest." "Have I only been a pleasant distraction these past few years, or am I something more?" "What?" "No, you've never been a distraction." "Valerie!" "It's the spell." "It's hurting you." " Valerie?" " Valerie?" "Valerie, get up!" "Damon, stop." "She's not strong enough." "Yes, she is!" "She's not gonna let him die." "Hey, get up!" "You promised me you could do this." "Phesmatos spirita, revertom corpus o adseros, mentim menta." "Phesmatos spirita, revertom corpus o adseros, mentim menta." "Phesmatos spirita..." "Valerie, stop the spell right now." "It's too strong for you." "It's killing you." " No." " Valerie, stop it!" "No, I-I..." "I promised you'd be fine." "Do not sacrifice yourself for me." "Do you understand?" "I have no intention of breaking that promise." "Valerie, please?" "Please, stop." "You're all I have." "Valerie?" "Valerie, stop the spell." "Stop!" "Valerie..." "Valerie?" "Valerie!" "Stefan?" "It's me." "It's me." "Hey, wait up." "Ric!" "Ric, come on, man, where are you going?" "Where I wanted to go all day." "Home." "Oh, Ric." "I'm trying here, man." "I am." "I shouldn't have abandoned you." "That was a terrible thing to do." "I'm sorry." "But just tell me whatever amends I need to make, or whatever bridges I need to build, and let's... let's get back to the way things were." "Right?" "You want to know why the last three years have been the happiest of my life?" "Because I got to start over." "Because I have two little girls that I absolutely love, a job that I actually earned, and a fiancée that makes me feel so lucky to be alive." "And I did all that without you barging into my life and screwing things up." "Damon, no offense, but I don't want things to go back to the way they were." "Well..." "Thanks for being honest." "Bonnie's undercover in a psych ward in Asheville." "You might have better luck winning her back." "Better?" " Better." " Hmm." "Catching up on your, uh, correspondence?" "I was trying to write you a letter." "Like the ones you used to write Caroline when you thought I wasn't looking." "Uh..." "I'm standing right here." "You don't have to write me a letter." "I heard the fear in your voice." "You weren't afraid of dying." "You were afraid that I was going to die for you." "Yeah, of course I was." "You were afraid that it wouldn't have been worth it." "Me sacrificing myself for you." "Because you don't love me the way I love you." "And the guilt of that sacrifice would eat you alive." "Valerie..." "The truth is..." "I've never loved anyone the way I love you." "But that's not true for you." "And now, by some miracle, you get the chance to go back and make things right with Caroline." "I know you never meant to hurt me." "I even know that you loved me in your own way." "And maybe if things had been different, if the world had been kinder to us," "I could've been the love of your life, too." "Your small, quiet, human life." "I'm so sorry." "Don't be." "I think it will be good for me." "To find a new life that's completely my own." "I've never had that." "I know you don't always believe this, but... you deserve to be happy, Stefan." "Please be happy." "You, too." "The hospital left a message with your doctor." "Said you had an incident with another patient." "It's just a scratch, Doctor." "But it was all worth it, because guess who knows why I'm on the Armory's most wanted list." "Virginia St. John." "Turns out, there's some kind of vault in the basement of that pretentious building." "Sealed by a Bennett witch." "Alex St. John wants me to open it." "Now we just have to figure out what's inside and the best way to leverage my freedom." "After you check me out of this place and take me out for dinner." "Because if I have to eat another piece of runny beige casserole, I might actually lose my mind." "What's wrong?" "You can't take these anymore, love." "I got a lead, not all the answers." "I still need to stay off the Armory's radar." "The pills are making you sick." "What are you talking about?" "I feel fine." "I didn't, I didn't know, but the Armory was, was-was experimenting on Mary Louise." "They forced these pills down her throat every day for the past three years, and as a result, she became very... very ill." "I thought she blew herself up." "It's because she knew she was dying." "I'm-I'm, I'm so... sorry." "Uh, I-I thought" "I was protecting you." "I'm gonna die?" "Is that what you're trying to tell me?" "Because I've done it once or twice before," " and it's not all that fun." " No." "I will not let that happen." "I will not let you die, Bonnie Bennett." "You have my word." "Bonnie?" "I'm sorry." "I don't..." "I, um..." "I..."