This Woman's Work/Transcript

== FLASHBACK-- SAINT MALO, LOUISIANA 1842 ==
[Vicente is tracing something on his arm with charcoal by a campfire as a young Rayna wakes up.]
: RAYNA: What is that?
: VICENTE: My tattoo you keep asking about. 
[He sets down the charcoal and gives Rayna a closer look]
: VICENTE: La Marca del Cazador.
: RAYNA: "The Hunter's Mark."
: VICENTE: I traced it down to the line.
: RAYNA: How come I can't see the real one?
: VICENTE: Because the mark is only visible to the Brotherhood of the Five.
: RAYNA: When do I get mine?
[Vicente kisses Rayna on the forehead]
: VICENTE: Hopefully never. If I do my job right, you will live in a world without bloodsuckers. Now, get up. I made stew.
: RAYNA: No. I will not eat. Not until you teach me how to fight.
[Vicente pulls out the Phoenix Sword with a smile and hands it to Rayna]
: VICENTE: This should be about the right size for you. 
[Rayna stares at the sword, and Vicente laughs]
: VICENTE: Don't just look at it. Prepare yourself. 
FIFTEEN YEARS LATER 
[Vicente is sparring with Rayna. Rayna is using the Phoenix Sword, while Vicente is using a full-sized sword]
: VICENTE: Battles are won in the mind. If you do not believe you can beat me, you never will. [Vicente defeats Rayna] This is no game, Rayna. You want to survive? Show me you want to survive. And never hesitate. 
[They go again and Rayna emerges victorious. Rayna has a proud look on her face when a horn blares in the distance.] 
: VICENTE: Vampires. 
[He quickly prepares to go to battle.]
: RAYNA: [worried ]It's coming from Saint Malo. 
[She turns and walks up to her father]
: RAYNA: Let me go with you.
: VICENTE: Not today, Nene. This is my burden. 
[He stands to his feet with a bag of wooden weapons.]
: VICENTE: One day it may be yours but it's not today. 
[He walks over, picks up his sword and goes to Saint Malo as his daughter watches.]
== PRESENT DAY, THE ARMORY ==
[Rayna is still in her glass containment cell as Enzo and another individual walk up to her. Rayna feels the glass and pushes her hand against it.]
: RAYNA: Strong. 
[She starts punching the glass.]
: ENZO: Easy, Love. You're just gonna hurt yourself. 
[Rayna looks Enzo in the eye and continues to punch the glass until her hand bleeds. She turns and walks away from Enzo. Enzo speaks to his companion] 
: ENZO: Right. We're going to have to sedate her.
[Rayna turns back around and tackles the glass, breaking it. Enzo looks up as Rayna smiles down at him.]
TITLE CARD & OPENING CREDITS
== LOCKWOOD MANSION ==
[Krystal, clad in underwear, is dancing around the house with music playing. She grabs two glasses and joins a shirtless Damon in the other room, who is finishing off a bottle of bourbon.]
: DAMON: That's all the bourbon.
: KRYSTAL: Vodka, you're up. 
[She pours two glasses as Damon throws down the empty bottle. He sits down looking guilty as Krystal dances over to the fireplace with the glasses of vodka.]
: KRYSTAL: You want a Bloody Mary? [Reads off a blood bag.] Or a Bloody... Pamela? [Laughs and pours into one of the glasses.] AB negative. Very rare...
[A car alarm chirps outside and Damon immediately reacts with worry. He speeds over to the speaker and turns off the music.]
: DAMON: You got to go.
: KRYSTAL: No, we're dancing.
[Damon quickly collects Krystal's clothes off the floor and a chair.]
: DAMON: No, we are not. [Hands the clothes to a confused Krystal and leads her outside the room.] You. Leave. Now.
: KRYSTAL: What are you... ?
: DAMON: I'll call you.
[Krystal is led toward the back just as Bonnie enters the house from the house. Damon waves hello.]
: BONNIE: I need a drink. And a buddy. 
[She walks into the room Damon and Krystal were in earlier.]
: BONNIE: And currently you are my only buddy available to drink. You'll notice I'm overlooking the fact that you nearly killed me the last time we hung out, so thanks for that. 
[Bonnie picks up an empty bottle of bourbon and looks at it in shock]
: BONNIE: Are you out of bourbon? How's that possible? 
[She sets down the bottle]
: BONNIE: Someone celebrating Julian's very timely demise? 
[Damon looks at Bonnie with surprise]
: BONNIE: Stefan didn't tell you? Put a chair back through his heart.
[Damon puts on his shirt and smiles weakly, still clearly worried about everything that has happened recently but not wanting to alert Bonnie to what is wrong]
: DAMON: That's an oldie but a goodie. Hope he has enough chairs to take out the rest of Julian's backup dancers.
: BONNIE: Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're too debauched to even notice he's missing. 
[She picks up the bottle of vodka and pours herself a glass]
: BONNIE: Anyway, on the subject of people who have gone missing, when was the last time you spoke to Enzo?
: DAMON: Um...
: BONNIE: Because yesterday, I got dragged into a very bad L Word rerun, starring Nora and Mary Louise, so we could track down Rayna Cruz, the big scary huntress... who, by the way, turned out to be eighty and senile... when all of a sudden, Enzo shows up out of nowhere and steals her corpse. 
[She sits down on a chair and finds Krystal's jean skirt underneath her. She pulls it out and holds it up for Damon to see as she gives him a pointed look]
: BONNIE: What is this?
: DAMON: Um... 
: BONNIE: And don't tell me it belonged to Carol Lockwood. 
[She throws the jean skirt into Damon's face.]
== WHITMORE COLLEGE MEDICAL CENTER ==
[Stefan enters the room.]
: STEFAN: Hey. Sorry it took so long to get back, but Damon... 
[Stefan sees Caroline's unconscious, mostly desiccated body laying in her bed and begins to panic as he rushes toward her]
: STEFAN: Caroline. Caroline... Caroline. 
[The desiccation is slowly spreading to her face.]
[The scene cuts to a team of surgeons preparing Caroline's body for a C-section. Stefan looks worried and knocks a chair across the hall as Valerie walks in with two coffees.]
: VALERIE: Perhaps this isn't the best time to mention they ran out of cream? 
[She gives Stefan a coffee]
: STEFAN: Sorry.
: VALERIE: Don't be. You have every right to be upset. What did you tell them?
: STEFAN: Oh, I compelled the doctors to ignore all things medicine couldn't explain.
: VALERIE: Good. I compelled a doctor to shut down this entire wing, so it's just us. Didn't want a vampire C-section to draw too much attention. Has she regained consciousness?
: STEFAN: No, not yet.
: VALERIE: I gave her my magic. I stopped the desiccation.
: STEFAN: [Sighs] I knew she was sick, but I left anyway. It almost killed her.
: VALERIE: And what were you going to do? Allow Damon to get his head ripped off in a bloody fight ring? Your brother needed you.
: STEFAN: [angrily] My brother doesn't care about anyone or anything. He made that exceptionally clear yesterday.
: VALERIE: Have you talked to anyone else about what he did to Elena?
: STEFAN: Entire drive home, I was trying... to figure out a way to tell Caroline. And I just couldn't find the words.
: VALERIE: Look, right now, all you need to worry about is inside that room. Caroline's going to have the babies. Everything will be fine. And all this will be over.
== LOCKWOOD MANSION ==
[Bonnie is still sitting in the armchair in Mayor Lockwood's study, where she's teasing Damon about his recent hook-up]
: BONNIE: I'm sorry, I didn't... I didn't quite hear that. Was that Cr... Crys... ?
: DAMON: Krystal.
: BONNIE: Crystal.
: DAMON: Krystal.
: BONNIE: Got it.
[Damon throws the jean skirt on the floor]
: DAMON: 'With a "K."
: BONNIE: Krystal with a "K," hmm. Sounds like pure class. With a "K."
: DAMON: Go ahead, let it all out, Bonnie. I'm a vile cheater. I couldn't even wait a year.
: BONNIE: Are you kidding me? 
[She gets up and walks around Damon]
: BONNIE: The last thing anyone wants to deal with for the next six decades is a cranky, bitter, sexless Damon Salvatore, okay? Elena would never do that to us, which is why she gave you very clear instructions to live your life. And apart from your glaring lack of standards, this isn't a bad thing.
[Damon's phone rings. It's Enzo. The scene starts cutting back and forth between the Lockwood Mansion and Whitmore College]
: DAMON: Hey, heard you got a thing for the grannies.
: ENZO: Huh, hilarious. I'm looking for Bonnie. She's not taking my calls.
: DAMON: Hold, please. [He offers the phone to Bonnie] It's for you.
: BONNIE: Tell him I don't deal with shady old-lady corpse stealers.
: DAMON: [To Enzo] I'm sorry, she's busy. I'm gonna have to take a message.
: ENZO: I'm looking for Rayna Cruz's sword. Let's just say that it's beyond urgent.
: DAMON: [to Bonnie] He wants the sword.
: BONNIE: Of course he does. 'Cause shady people like shady tchotchkes. It's not happening.
: DAMON: [to Enzo] Did you get all that?
: ENZO: Does Bonnie know what you did to Elena? 
[Damon has a worried look on his face while Bonnie takes a seat on the couch.]
: ENZO: How you incinerated your true love while she slept so soundly inside her casket? [Damon is silent.] Yeah, I'll take that as a no. Reckon that's wise. Oh, imagine if your precious Bonnie found out that you gave Elena a Viking funeral. It'd most certainly shatter that fragile and somewhat creepy "frenemy" thing you two have going on. Get the sword, bring it to me at Whitmore, or your best friend knows the truth.
[Damon, both horrified and worried, hangs up the phone and looks at Bonnie with a desperate expression]
: DAMON: So here's the thing, Bon-Bon...
: BONNIE: What?
: DAMON: I'm gonna need a... huge favor.
== WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER / DALLAS TAXI ==
[Alaric is on the phone with Stefan and Valerie in a taxi in Dallas. This scene shift between the taxi and Whitmore Medical for the phone call.]
: ALARIC: I'm on my way to the airport now. I should be there in a few hours.
: STEFAN: You don't have a few hours. Caroline's stable, but the doctor needs to perform the C-section now.
[Alaric looks terrified as he tries to process this information]
: ALARIC: Okay, yeah, I-I-I-I-I get it. Just do what you have to do. But promise me you've got the best doctors in Virginia.
: VALERIE: Just hurry back.
[Alaric sighs and hangs up. Meanwhile, the doctors are preparing for Caroline's c-section in the operating room]
: SURGEON: Scalpel?
: NURSE: Here you are, Doctor.
[The surgeon tries to cut open Caroline's body but the heart rate monitor shows all three of their heart rates increasing to dangerous levels. The scalpel is being stopped telekinetically]
: SURGEON: What's happening?
: NURSE: Doctor, are you all right?
[The scalpel flies out of the surgeon's hand and she gasps.]
: STEFAN: What the hell was that?
[The surgeon reaches for more surgical tools but they all fly off the table. Stefan and Valerie rush into the operating room. The surgeon reaches for a surgical tool.] 
: VALERIE: No, don't touch that. 
[The heart rates return to normal]
: VALERIE: I think the babies want to stay where they can keep feeding off Caroline as a source of magic. I don't think they want to be born.
[Stefan has a worried look on his face.]
== FLASHBACK-- SAINT MALO, LOUISIANA 1857 ==
[Rayna has made her way to the village, where she finds Julian taunting her bloodied father. Her eyes widen in horror as she takes in the dozens of slaughtered bodies around her]
: JULIAN: I commend you for your valiant, but ultimately futile effort. That was tragic you were unable to save even one of these people. Might've given your death some meaning.
[Julian lifts Vicente to his feet by his shirt-front and vamps out]
: JULIAN: But alas...
[Before Julian can feed on him, Rayna shouts at him]
: RAYNA: Stop!
: VICENTE: [panicked] Rayna, no! Get out of here.
: RAYNA: Let my father go.
: JULIAN: Do you know what happens to obstinate daughters who disobey their fathers?
: RAYNA: Do you know what happens to vampires who strike down one of the Brotherhood of the Five?
[Julian looks at Vicente in shock, though Vicente does not seem pleased that Rayna shared this information]
: JULIAN: You are one of The Five?
: RAYNA: If you kill him, you'll be afflicted with the Hunter's Curse. Plagued by madness and driven to take your own life.
: JULIAN: Well, that does create quite a conundrum. If I spare your life, then you'll never cease trying to end mine. 
[Julian turns back to Rayna]
: JULIAN: Oh, I have another solution. I will not kill your father. You will.
[Julian uses Vampire speed over to her and stares her in the eyes in preparation to compel her]
: RAYNA: [horrified] No, please!
: JULIAN: [compels her] Shh! Shh, Rayna. Be strong. Be brave. Just as your father has undoubtedly taught you. He's already dying. Now it's up to you to put a swift and merciful end to his misery.
[The compulsion takes hold, and Rayna starts to slowly walk toward her father with her sword raised, looking horrified at what she's being forced to do]
: RAYNA: Father...
: VICENTE: It's not your fault, Nene.
: RAYNA: I can't stop.
: VICENTE: I know. It's his doing, not yours. Never forget that. Remember everything I taught you. Use it. Carry on my legacy. And know that I'll be with you every step of the way.
[Rayna tries her best to resist, but is unable to stop herself from plunging her sword into his chest, killing Vicente instantly]
== LOCKWOOD MANSION ==
[Bonnie has just pulled out the Phoenix Sword from its hiding place in the baseboards of the study while Damon watches with an unimpressed expression]
: DAMON: Great, now we have the world's ugliest letter opener to give to Enzo.
[Bonnie looks at him skeptically]
: BONNIE: Well, now that we've got this thing, I want to know what Enzo has over you.
: DAMON: [lies] I'm just doing a solid for a bud, Bon.
: BONNIE: Actually, I'm the one doing the solid. You're the one making me do the solid and now you're gonna tell me why.
: DAMON: [agitated] Just leave it alone, Bonnie.
: BONNIE: What did you do? Couldn't be worse than whatever was wearing that jean skirt.
[Damon gives her a look that says he's not going to tell her anything, and Bonnie rolls her eyes in annoyance]
: BONNIE: Fine. Just don't be surprised if I leave behind a really detailed journal entry for Elena that's all about Krystal with a "K."
[Damon sighs and turns around to walk away]
: DAMON: Be my guest.
[Bonnie becomes seriously worried at how evasive and worrisome Damon is acting and scoffs]
: BONNIE: Damon, it's me. I'm your best friend! And when Alaric heads to Dallas, I might be your only friend.
: DAMON: You're right, Bonnie. You are my best friend, which is why I can't tell you. So I'm asking you leave it alone! Thank you.
[Damon, looking guilty, turns and walks away, and Bonnie reluctantly follows after him with a concerned expression]
== WHITMORE COLLEGE MEDICAL CENTER ==
[Caroline is now awake, and Stefan is explaining what has happened in the last few hours. As expected, Caroline is extremely concerned and freaking out]
: CAROLINE: What do you mean they don't want to come out?
: STEFAN: [hesitantly] Valerie said the babies want to stay where the magic is. And right now, that magic is in your blood, which they're getting a steady stream of.
[Caroline takes a deep breath as she processes this information]
: CAROLINE: So what do we do?
: STEFAN: Well, Valerie's plan is to channel enough magic outside of your body so that the babies are drawn to it. That way they don't resist when the doctor tries to pull them out.
: CAROLINE: [irritably] Funny, I didn't hear one medical word in all of that. Could someone just call Bonnie? I feel like she should be here.
[Stefan gives her a comforting and reassuring look]
: STEFAN: I will call her. And I promise this will all be fine.
: CAROLINE: [petulantly] So, where's Dr. Valerie now?
[Stefan once again hesitates before answering her question]
: STEFAN: ...She's getting help.
: CAROLINE: [suspiciously] What do you mean "help?"
: STEFAN: [awkwardly] Uh, Nora, Mary Louise and Beau...
: CAROLINE: Oh, that is just perfectly reasonable-- Putting my life and the lives of these babies into the hands of the people who tried to kill me!
[Stefan does his best to calm her down]
: STEFAN: Caroline? I am not gonna let anything happen to you.
[Caroline doesn't seem to be convinced, but she takes a deep breath to prepare herself for what's to come]
== WHITMORE COLLEGE ==
[Bonnie and Damon have just walked into Alaric's classroom, where they spot Enzo seated in the back row]
: BONNIE: 'Cause this isn't creepy or anything...
: DAMON: Got your damn sword. 
[Enzo remains silent and motionless, and Damon looks impatient]
: DAMON: This is the part where you say thank you...?
[Suddenly, the lights flick on, revealing that Enzo has been tied to the seat with ropes, and that Rayna is standing behind Bonnie and Damon at the front of the room]
: RAYNA: Thank you.
[Damon turns back to Enzo and scowls at him angrily]
: DAMON: Enzo? Remember Thanksgiving of '53? We were locked in neighboring cells, and I told you I was thankful for you through that little hole in the wall? I take that back.
[Enzo rolls his eyes in annoyance]
: ENZO: Like I had a choice.
[Bonnie turns to face Rayna and gives her a scathing look]
: BONNIE: I'm sorry. You are... ?
: RAYNA: [frowns] You don't recognize me?
: BONNIE: [rolls her eyes] Surprising, since I've seen every Hunger Games...
[From the back of the room, Enzo sighs before calling out to them]
: ENZO: Damon, Bonnie, meet Rayna Cruz.
[Damon and Bonnie both frown in confusion and turn to look at Rayna, who seems bored and unimpressed by this entire conversation]
: DAMON: Not bad for an eighty-year-old corpse.
[Bonnie's eyes widen in horror when she realizes what is going on]
: BONNIE: No, I saw you. You were old and sick and dead.
[Rayna sighs impatiently]
: RAYNA: May I have my sword, please?
: DAMON: Ooh, looks and manners! I am... 
[Just then, Rayna scowls and shoots Bonnie in the abdomen with a wooden arrow, and Damon yelps in annoyance and glares at Rayna]
: DAMON: Hey!
: RAYNA: Stop or the next one's in her temple. I don't care about you, or him, or her. 
[Damon, horrified, looks back and forth between Rayna and Bonnie, who is bleeding out on the floor]
: RAYNA: Give me my sword, and I'll be on my way.
: DAMON: You want your sword? Go fetch!
[Damon throws the sword out the window before rushing over to tend to Bonnie. Rayna is clearly torn between attacking Damon and Enzo and getting what she came for, and ultimately decides to go after her sword]
== FLASHBACK-- ST. MALO, LOUISIANA, 1857 ==
[Rayna is kneeling in the middle of a circle of shamans, all of whom are sitting cross-legged on the ground. The lead shaman is sitting directly across from Rayna in the middle of the circle as they perform a powerful ritual]
: SHAMAN: Hear me, great spirit, hear me. We call upon you in this moment of need. We bring you an offering. A woman who desires justice for herself, for our tribe. 
[He looks at Rayna, who is visibly nervous]
: SHAMAN: Drink. 
[Rayna hesitates before she quickly drinks the contents of the small cup in front of her. Once she's finished, the lead shaman continues the ritual]
: SHAMAN: She drinks the tea of protection so that she may be strong, and so that no magic may touch her. 
[The rest of the shamans pick up ceremonial daggers with feathers attached to the hilts and hold them up as they one by one begin to plunge them into their own hearts, much to Rayna's horror. The lead shaman continues the ritual]
: SHAMAN: She accepts our singular lives, so that she may have many.
: RAYNA: [horrified] I didn't ask for anyone to die.
[The shaman smiles at her reassuringly]
: SHAMAN: No, they are not dead! They live on within you. Now... for the final step. 
[The lead shaman hands Rayna the Phoenix Sword, which he lays across her hands]
: SHAMAN: She wields a weapon of judgment, one that thirsts for the blood of those that prey upon us. Link her spirit with this sword. This blade draws blood from a vampire. It will connect you. It will guide you. It will aide you in their destruction.
[The phoenix stone affixed to the end of the hilt begins to glow as it is connected with Rayna's spirit, and the lead shaman pulls out his own ceremonial dagger, preparing to stab himself in the heart]
: RAYNA: Wait!
: SHAMAN: Avenge your father. Avenge us all.
[The shaman stabs himself in the heart and dies, and Rayna gets a devastated yet determined look on her face as she contemplates her new destiny]
== FLASHBACK-- LONDON, ENGLAND, 1903 ==
[Beau, Julian, Mary Louise, and Nora have just stumbled out of a London bar, where Beau is singing beautifully as they walk toward their carriage. Mary Louise and Nora are arm in arm and giggling happily]
: BEAU: [sings]: She's only a bird in a gilded cage, A beautiful sight to see... 
: JULIAN: What is keeping the others?
: MARY LOUISE: [giggles] No doubt still cleaning up what's left of that barmaid. Someone needs to be more discrete.
: BEAU [sings]: She's not, though she seems to be...
[He turns to face his friends when suddenly, he's stabbed through the back of the neck by a familiar-looking sword]
: NORA: Beau!
: JULIAN: Beau!
[Beau starts to sputter up blood and falls to his knees, revealing Rayna, wearing a black veil over her face and sneering at the vampires. When Julian recognizes her, he begins to panic for a brief moment before vamp-speeding toward her and shoving her backward so hard she falls against a stack of wooden pallets and smashes them, landing unconscious in a heap on the ground. Meanwhile, Nora and Beau rush over to join Julian in examining Beau's wounds]
: NORA: Oh, my God.
: MARY LOUISE: You're going to be all right.
[When Nora sees that he's still bleeding profusely, she becomes even more concerned]
: NORA: He's not healing.
: JULIAN: We must get away from here. Tell Lily to book passage to New York Harbor immediately. Ship sails tonight.
[They pull Beau to his feet, and Mary Louise notices that Julian, too, has a bleeding cut on his neck]
: MARY LOUISE: Julian, you're bleeding.
: JULIAN: It's just a scratch. Move now.
[Nora grabs Beau in her arms and goes to rush them away]
: NORA: Let's go, come on.
== PRESENT DAY-- WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ==
[Alaric, who is still on his way back to Whitmore, is talking to Stefan on the phone while the Heretics cast a spell to help Caroline deliver her babies safely by drawing them toward their magic]
: HERETICS: [chants] Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia...
[Alaric sounds incredulous when he learns what Stefan and Valerie have arranged to help Caroline give birth]
: ALARIC: Wait, what do you mean, she's surrounded by Heretics? You said you were taking care of her!
[Stefan sighs in frustration]
: STEFAN: Yeah, and trust me, every possible way you're second-guessing me right now, I've already done it. This is our best chance.
: ALARIC: Listen. I know that this is totally crazy and not what anyone expected or asked for, okay? But what Caroline is doing for me... I am getting to have the family that I thought I lost forever. Please. Now, you make sure that nothing happens to them. Please.
: STEFAN: [seriously] I will.
[Stefan and Alaric hang up as the Heretics continue their spell]
: HERETICS: [chants] Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous...
: SURGEON: Scalpel.
: HERETICS: [chants] Venis ad essendier...
: SURGEON: About to make the incision.
: HERETICS: [chants] Phesmatos sequitos in lucema...
: SURGEON: Vitals are steady.
: HERETICS: [chants] Infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia...
: STEFAN: I think it's working.
[Suddenly, Beau's neck starts to bleed, and he looks horrified when he touches his neck and finds that his X-shaped scar is bleeding. When Nora and Valerie notice this, they all look panicked and scared]
: NORA: Oh, my God, Beau.
[Valerie looks over at Stefan in horror]
: VALERIE: It's his scar.
== WHITMORE COLLEGE / WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ==
[At WHITMORE COLLEGE, Damon is feeding Bonnie his blood to heal the wound inflicted by Rayna earlier. When she pulls away from his wrist, she looks at him gratefully]
: BONNIE: Hey, You didn't hesitate for one second... let alone three. Thank you.
: DAMON: [smiles] Of course.
[From the back of the room, Enzo calls out to them in an impatient tone]
: ENZO: We all good? If so, I could use a little help with these ropes.
[Damon turns to Bonnie and gives her an amused, yet exasperated look as he responds sarcastically]
: DAMON: Do you hear someone talking?
: BONNIE: I think I hear something. Sounds like a low drone. Sounds like a traitor.
[Enzo rolls his eyes and chuckles mockingly]
: ENZO: Oh, right, yes, yes, a traitor. That explains why I'm vervained to a theater seat.
[Before they can discuss the matter further, Bonnie gets a phone call from Nora and answers it]
: BONNIE: Nora?
: NORA: [aggressively] Did you let Rayna get the Phoenix Sword?
: BONNIE: [frowns] I didn't let her. How do you know?
: NORA: Beau's scar opened up, which means she's coming for him. And she'll never stop coming for him. Once she kills him, she'll go after every other vampire in her path.
[Bonnie looks extremely concerned]
: BONNIE: I need you to calm down. Where are you?
: NORA: [annoyed] In the hospital. With your friend, helping deliver her babies.
[Bonnie looks shocked at this news]
: BONNIE: Wait, what?
: NORA: We're all in danger, Bonnie. Beau's scar is the mark from her Sword, and it will lead Rayna Cruz straight to him. Once you've been marked, she'll chase you to the ends of the earth until your soul is back in that stone. Once she gets Beau, she'll go after any other vampire in her path, and right now this hospital's full of them.
[Nora hangs up the phone and returns to the group as the surgeon gives instructions to the surgical technician]
: SURGEON: Five milligrams.
[Nora begins to comfort Beau, who looks terrified]
: NORA: Beau, don't despair. We'll get you away from here. Far away.
[Stefan frowns when he realizes what this means for Caroline]
: STEFAN: Beau's the one who's marked, why doesn't he just go?
: MARY LOUISE: [scoffs] And leave him to be hunted alone? We have to protect each other. We stay together.
[Nora, Beau, and Mary Louise are about to leave together when Stefan stops and blocks their path with a guilty expression]
: STEFAN: I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave.
[Mary Louise sighs impatiently]
: MARY LOUISE: Look, you love Caroline and you don't want her to die. I understand, because that is the way I feel about Nora and she will-- we all will-- if you do not get out of our way!
[Stefan, desperate to save Caroline, continues to block them]
: STEFAN: Stay, and I'll do everything I can to protect you from this woman.
: MARY LOUISE: [scoffs] You don't stand a chance against her! None of us do!
[Valerie appears behind them with a sad expression]
: VALERIE: She's right. You have to let them go. They can take Beau and draw Rayna away from us. The doctors are nearly finished. I'll do what I can on my own.
[Nora walks over to Valerie and gives her a concerned look]
: NORA: You can't stay here. Come with us.
: VALERIE: [sighs] These babies deserve a chance. I can give that to them.
: NORA: They could drain you, Val. You could die.
: VALERIE: I have to try. 
[She walks over to Beau to say goodbye]
: VALERIE: Remember, Never stop running. Not for a moment.
[After the rest of the Heretics leave, Valerie returns to the operating room to continue the spell]
: VALERIE: [chants] Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia. Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia.
[Suddenly, Stefan's phone rings. It's Damon. When he sees who it is, he reluctantly answers it, but it's clear he's not at all happy with his brother, who is in his car with Bonnie and talking to Stefan on speaker phone]
: STEFAN: Kind of a bad time.
: DAMON: It's about to get a lot worse. Hottie Huntress has the Sword and she's coming right for you.
: STEFAN: Yeah. Heard you were the one who gave it to her. Impeccable timing, considering Caroline literally couldn't be any more helpless right now.
[Damon sighs and looks guilty, and Bonnie seems concerned]
: DAMON: I'm working on that. 
: STEFAN: [angrily] You know what? Don't bother, Damon. Just sit there and do nothing before you find a way to make this an even bigger problem.
[Damon sighs again and hangs up, looking devastated by Stefan's reaction, and Bonnie becomes even more terrified by Stefan's hostility]
: BONNIE: What is he talking about? What's going on? What don't I know? 
[Damon doesn't have the heart to make his confession, but Bonnie won't let up]
: BONNIE: Damon, why is he so mad at you?
: DAMON: I screwed up bad, Bonnie. I gotta make it right.
== PRESENT DAY-- WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER / FLASHBACK-- LONDON, ENGLAND, 1903 ==
[In the PRESENT DAY, Nora and Mary Louise are helping the still-bleeding Beau outside of WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER, where they start to plan their escape]
: MARY LOUISE: We'll get to Richmond. From there, we could fly as far from here as possible.
: NORA: We'll keep moving. Just like we did before.
[The scene cuts to a FLASHBACK to 1903 LONDON HARBOR, where Julian, Nora, and Beau are preparing to flee to New York from Rayna]
: JULIAN: Hurry. Lily will have secured us passage by now.
[Beau and Julian are hitching their carriage to their horses while Nora stands in the driver's seat of the carriage, which contains several large, coffin-shaped wooden boxes and looks at Julian in disapproval]
: NORA: I'm not journeying all the way across the ocean in a pine box!
: JULIAN: [frustrated] Then you can stay here and be buried in one. 
[Nora looks saddened by the harshness of his reaction, and Julian's tone becomes softer]
: JULIAN: Whilst these accommodations might not be the grandest, they have the benefit of being the least conspicuous.
[Suddenly, they hear the sound of metal being dragged across pavement, creating a trail of sparks as Rayna menacingly stalks toward them. Nora, Julian, and Beau all look horrified when they realize she's found them]
: NORA: She's here.
[Rayna appears before them and glares at Julian with a cold fury]
: RAYNA: I do not know what hell awaits you inside this Stone, but it cannot be worse than the one you have put me through.
[She flips the sword in her hand, and Julian vamp-speeds toward her once again in an attempt to tackle her, but she simply grabs him in a choke-hold and throws him against another pile of wooden pallets nearby as though she has vampire strength. Julian lands so hard that he smashes the wood into pieces, but when Rayna rushes toward him to stab him with the sword, he pulls a large stake-like piece of wood that accidentally impaled his thigh and stabs Rayna in the stomach with it. She groans in pain and falls onto the ground next to Julian, and he rushes back over to Beau and Nora to get ready to leave. He sits next to Nora in the carriage, and she grabs the reins to the horses]
: JULIAN: Aah! Get us away from here.
[Rayna glares at them murderously as she pulls the stake out of her abdomen and struggles to get to her feet. At a loss for options, Nora throws her sword with all the strength she has, and watches in satisfaction as it embeds itself directly in Julian's heart. The phoenix stone on the hilt begins to glow as his spirit is sucked into it, and Nora looks horrified]
: NORA: No! 
[Rayna smirks at them, and Nora desperately takes the reins again and starts to drive away with Rayna's sword still buried in Julian's chest]
: NORA: Hyah!
[In the PRESENT DAY, Beau is leading the way, stumbling past an ambulance in the parking lot when suddenly, Rayna appears from behind the front of the vehicle and plunges her sword into his chest, siphoning his soul into the phoenix stone like Julian, Stefan, and Damon before him. Nora cries out in horror]
: NORA: No!
[Rayna pulls the sword out of Beau's chest and stares at Mary Louise and Nora, who give her a brief horrified look before vamp-speeding away. Annoyed that they fled, Rayna stabs the gas tank of the ambulance with her sword, causing gasoline to pour around Beau's body before she strikes the tip of her sword against the pavement like a match and sets it ablaze, burning Beau's body so his spirit cannot be returned to it]
== PRESENT DAY-- WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER/ CAROLINE'S MINDSPACE ==
[Caroline is still under anesthesia as the doctors continue to try to deliver the babies. Valerie's eyes are closed as she diligently casts the spell to draw the babies to her magic while Stefan watches with concern]
: VALERIE: [chants] Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia. Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier factuo partis viventia phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier...
[After a moment, Stefan gets an idea and takes Caroline's hand, closing his own eyes as he uses his vampire telepathy to enter her mind]
[The scene cuts to CAROLINE'S MINDSPACE, where Stefan and Caroline, the latter of whom is wrapped in a blanket, sitting outside what appears to be the Forbes' cabin. Caroline looks at Stefan, both surprised and slightly suspicious, as he sits down next to her at the picnic table]
: CAROLINE: [smiles] Such a gentleman. Where are we?
: STEFAN: Well, we're under the stars, enjoying each other's company.
[Caroline narrows her eyes in confusion]
: CAROLINE: Are you... are you in my head right now?
: STEFAN: Technically, yes, but symbolically, we are on a date. Will you pass me those fries, please? 
[He picks up a paper bag and pulls out a wrapped hamburger before handing it to her]
: STEFAN: Oh, this one... is yours. Extra pickles.
: CAROLINE: You're trying to distract me, aren't you? Everything okay? Is something going wrong with...
[Stefan immediately cuts her off to reassure her]
: STEFAN: No, no. Everything's fine. I just... I figured you've had two lives inside of you for months-- lives that you didn't ask for, lives that will change Ric's entire future. So the least I can do is keep you company for a little while. That's all.
: CAROLINE: [smiles] Thank you.
[Stefan wraps his arm around Caroline's shoulders, and she nuzzles her head against his chest]
[In the REAL WORLD, Bonnie has just arrived to the operating room with a concerned expression when she looks at Stefan and Valerie. Stefan opens his eyes to speak to her]
: BONNIE: She's here.
: VALERIE: [chants] Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous...
: BONNIE: How is she?
: STEFAN: They're about to get the babies out. What's wrong?
[Bonnie hesitates for a moment and gives Valerie an apologetic look before she speaks]
: BONNIE: ...Beau didn't get away.
[Valerie's eyes widen in horror and shock, and she shakes her head in denial]
: VALERIE: No. No, that's not possible.
: STEFAN: I'm so sorry, Valerie.
[Valerie pauses for a moment to process this news before she replies]
: VALERIE: And what about the others?
: BONNIE: I don't know. But I think Rayna's somewhere inside this hospital.
: STEFAN: Where's Damon?
[The scene cuts to out in the hallway, where Damon has just come upon Rayna. She glares at him coldly as Damon takes a good look at her]
: DAMON: Well... You know, you look a lot like my girlfriend and her three doppelgängers.
[Damon lunges toward Rayna at vampire speed, but she throws him into the nearby power box, which causes the electricity to flicker]
[Back in the operating room, Bonnie is trying to motivate Stefan and Valerie to act quickly as they notice the electrical problems]
: BONNIE: Not to make things worse, but my magic doesn't work on her, and I don't think Damon can take her alone. 
[Bonnie gives Stefan a pointed look]
: BONNIE: Stefan, you have to go.
: STEFAN: [scoffs] What are you talking about? I'm not gonna leave her.
: BONNIE: I'll stay and help Valerie. Damon needs you.
: STEFAN: [angrily] I don't care what Damon needs!
[Bonnie looks horrified by the reaction from Stefan, and she stares him down intensely]
: BONNIE: I don't know what he did to make you hate him, but he is so determined to make things right, he's gonna get himself killed. 
[Stefan looks torn, and Bonnie gives him another sharp look]
: BONNIE: Do you honestly think I would do anything to put Caroline at risk?
[Out in the adjacent hallway, Rayna has just lunged at Damon as he jumps to his feet, and he grabs a nearby oxygen tank, which he uses to hit her in the head so hard she spins backward and lands in a heap on the floor, causing her blood-stained Phoenix Sword to slide down toward the other end of the hallway. She quickly crawls over to grab her sword, just as Damon approaches her and prepares to hit her with the oxygen tank again. However, before he can swing it, she kicks him in the thigh so hard that his leg breaks, and he falls backward and slides toward the near end of the hall]
[Meanwhile, Alaric has just arrived to the operating room, looking winded and exhausted, and looks around at Stefan, Valerie, Bonnie, the unconscious Caroline, and all of the surgeons in confusion and shock]
: ALARIC: What the hell is going on here?
[Bonnie gives Stefan a determined look]
: BONNIE: Stefan, go. We can take it from here.
[Stefan looks torn, and looks over at Caroline with worry. Valerie nods at him in encouragement before he finally turns and leaves]
[Out in the adjacent hall, Rayna has just risen to her feet and is walking over to Damon, who is still laying flat on his back on the floor where she pushed him. When she goes to stab him with her sword, he kicks the blade out of her hand before kicking her in the stomach so hard she staggers backward away from him, losing her balance and falling face-first onto the floor and giving him the chance to stand to his feet]
[In the operating room, Bonnie and Valerie are now casting the spell while Alaric stands at Caroline's bedside and watches the heart monitor with concern]
: BONNIE & VALERIE: [chants] Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia... 
[Alaric anxiously looks at the surgeon while she works]
: ALARIC: How we doing?
: SURGEON: [nods] Almost there.
[Back in the hall, Rayna and Damon are now fist-fighting since Rayna has since lost track of her sword. She quickly gains the upper hand, breaking his bones badly in order to incapacitate him long enough to grab her sword again. Once she does, she heads back to where Damon is kneeling on the floor, and he looks at her with a devastated, defeated expression]
: DAMON: You want to send me back to hell? Let me tell you something, lady. I'm already there. 
[Rayna is not at all deterred by this statement and rears up to stab him in the heart, and Damon closes his eyes, almost relieved to be sent back to the Stone. However, when she thrusts her arm forward, Stefan vamp-speeds in front of him, causing Rayna to stab him in the shoulder with her blade, missing his heart. Damon looks horrified when he realizes what has just happened as Stefan groans in pain]
: DAMON: Stefan...
[Stefan shoves Rayna in the chest with his hand before kicking her backward so she slides to the other end of the hall. When Stefan realizes the implications of what has just happened, he's transported to a flashback montage of various important events to Stefan's life and his current situation. First is the scene of the two of them falling onto the forest floor when they dug up the original Ms. Cuddles in The Day I Tried To Live. It then cuts to when Caroline confesses her true feelings for Stefan in Day One of Twenty-Two Thousand, Give or Take]
:: CAROLINE: When I'm with you, I'm happy.
[The flashback cuts to a quick montage of Caroline and Stefan's kisses, including their makeout session while without their humanity in A Bird in a Gilded Cage, and when they had sex in I Carry Your Heart With Me. Next is their conversation in Cold as Ice, just before Lily's death, when Stefan and Caroline were talking about her pregnancy on the phone]
:: CAROLINE: I totally get it if you want to run for the hills.
:: STEFAN: I'm not going anywhere... Because I love you.
[The flashback then briefly cuts to Stefan and Caroline looking sad after Stefan's confession about his time in the phoenix stone in Things We Lost in the Fire before it cuts to a flashback from earlier in the episode, when Nora was talking to them before she, Mary Louise, and Beau fled from Rayna]
:: NORA: Once a vampire's been marked, she'll chase you to the ends of the earth.
[In the present, Stefan looks at a horrified Damon, tear in his eyes, and gives him a terrified look after he sees the X-shaped cut on his left breast from where he was stabbed by Rayna. Damon looks absolutely devastated by what has just happened, and Rayna appears to have vanished]
: STEFAN: [whispers] I'll see you, brother.
[Damon stares at Stefan in horror as he vamp-speeds away]
[Meanwhile, in the operating room, Bonnie and Valerie continue to cast their spell, and Alaric watches anxiously as the surgeons prepare to deliver the babies]
: BONNIE & VALERIE: [chants] Infantesi mortuous venis ad vitur venis ad essendier...
: SURGEON: Okay, now's our chance. The first baby is ready. 
[The surgeon struggles for a moment before lifting out the first baby, holding it up so Alaric can see it. Alaric gapes in shock at the sight of his newborn daughter as one of the nurses takes the baby to clean her and weigh her, allowing the surgeon to birth the second baby]
: SURGEON: And now for baby number two.
[At the sound of the first baby's whimpering and crying, Bonnie cracks her eyes open and gives Alaric a hopeful expression while the surgeon pulls out the second baby and hands her to another nurse to check out. Alaric smiles the most genuine, happy smile he's had in a very long time, and Bonnie can't help but smile as well as the surgeon brings the first baby, which has been cleaned up a bit and wrapped in a blanket, over for Alaric to hold. She seems to be sleeping and sucking on her lower lip, and Valerie and Bonnie both look amazed]
: BONNIE: Is she okay?
: ALARIC: [smiles] Yeah, She's okay. They're both okay.
[Valerie and Bonnie both smile as Alaric giggles happily]
== WHITMORE COLLEGE ==
[Damon, still devastated by what has just occurred, has returned to Alaric's classroom to find that Enzo is still bound to a chair in the back row with vervain-soaked ropes. Enzo sounds impatient and annoyed as Damon glares at him silently from a chair in the corner]
: ENZO: Are you going to untie me?
: DAMON: It's tempting. The ropes make it easier to kill you.
: ENZO: You're gonna kill me? Look, mate, I assure you that giving Rayna Cruz the Phoenix Sword was not on my list of things to do today.
[Damon stands to his feet and scoffs in exasperation and anger]
: DAMON: Really? You know what was on my list of things to do today? Buy more bourbon. That was it. That was the most stressful part of my day. And then you blackmailed me and screwed me into this scavenger hunt, and now my brother's paying the price!
: ENZO: [sighs impatiently] Rayna gave me no choice.
: DAMON: No choice?! That's an interesting notion. 
[Damon pulls a coin out of his pocket]
: DAMON: I'll tell you what. Why don't we let fate decide what happens? Heads, you live. Tails, you don't.
[Before Damon can flip the coin, Enzo interjects with a huge bombshell]
: ENZO: Elena's alive.
[Damon gives Enzo a cold, unimpressed look]
: DAMON: No, sir, she's not. I watched her burn with my own eyes.
: ENZO: No, you weren't of sound mind. You were hallucinating. You saw what you wanted to see.
[Damon doesn't seem to want to believe what Enzo is telling him if it means getting his heart broken again, but part of him is still hopeful that Enzo is being truthful]
: DAMON: Really?
[Enzo gives Damon an exasperated look]
: ENZO: Tyler thought it best to have an empty decoy coffin.
: DAMON: [skeptically] So now you and Tyler are a dynamic duo?
: ENZO: Let's just say that we have... mutual friends who have the real coffin and the real Elena.
[Damon pauses for a moment to process this revelation before he replies with a serious demand]
: DAMON: Take me to her.
: ENZO: [smiles] She's in New York, where my friends are keeping her very safe and very much alive.
[Enzo seems genuinely happy to be giving Damon this good news, and after a moment, Damon smiles in relief]
: DAMON: Good.
== WHITMORE COLLEGE MEDICAL CENTER ==
[Bonnie is blotting Caroline's damp forehead with a washcloth when she finally stirs awake. As soon as she realizes where she is and what has happened, she begins to frantically ask questions]
: CAROLINE: What happened? Are they out? Are they okay?
[Bonnie smiles at her weakly before telling her what she knows]
: BONNIE: Everything's fine. Babies are healthy, they're with Alaric. He took them to the nursery to get them checked out.
: CAROLINE: They're okay?
: BONNIE: [smiles wider] They're better than that. They're beautiful.
[Caroline looks around, and when she doesn't see Stefan, she gets concerned]
: CAROLINE: Where's Stefan? What happened?
[Bonnie takes a deep breath and makes a face that indicates she's not going to like the answer]
== ON THE ROAD / WHITMORE COLLEGE MEDICAL CENTER ==
[Stefan is driving away from Mystic Falls when he gets a phone call from Damon and answers it]
: DAMON: Where are you?
: STEFAN: [annoyed] Not where I'm supposed to be, which is with my girlfriend who just gave birth. Instead, I'm running from a hunter who won't stop chasing me until she's put down. 
[Stefan sighs in anger and frustration before he continues]
: STEFAN: Why did you hand over that sword, Damon?
[Damon, too excited about what he's just learned, ignores this question in favor of sharing his news]
: DAMON: Elena's alive.
: STEFAN: [stunned] What are you talking about?
: DAMON: [sighs] Long story with a hell of a punch line. I didn't kill her, Stefan. She's alive. I got a second chance, brother. And I will fix this. I will. I will kill that Huntress with my bare hands if I have to, and I will bring you back here, I promise. I promise you.
[Stefan, slightly relieved by what he's just learned, nods in agreement]
: STEFAN: I'm gonna hold you to that.
[Shortly afterward, Caroline is still in bed when she gets a phone call with Stefan to check on her, having presumably been filled in on what happened by Bonnie]
: STEFAN: Hey. How are you?
: CAROLINE: [sighs] Exhausted. Hungry. Lonely.
: STEFAN: I'm sorry. I wish I could be there. This is the only way I could stop her.
: CAROLINE: I know. 
[Caroline's voice is thick, as though she's about to cry]
: CAROLINE: I just wish it didn't always have to be you.
: STEFAN: I promise I will come back for you. I have to keep moving if I want to stay ahead of her. I love you.
: CAROLINE: I love you, too.
[Caroline sadly hangs up the phone and wipes away her tears, trying to pull herself together after all of the stressful events of the last few days. After a moment, Alaric walks into the room with the twins laying side-by-side in a wheeled cradle from the nursery. Caroline gasps and gapes in shock at the sight of them]
: CAROLINE: Oh, my God...
[Alaric smiles at her warmly]
: ALARIC: You want to hold 'em?
: CAROLINE: [hesitantly] Are you sure that's okay?
: ALARIC: Yeah, Valerie said it shouldn't be a problem. Something about the umbilical cord... I don't know. I was a little distracted. 
[Alaric hands her the first little girl, and Caroline looks at her in awe as she cradles her gently in her arms, gasping in shock at how perfect she is. The baby sucks on her lip and almost smiles as she dozes]
: ALARIC: This is Josie, in honor of their mother. 
[Alaric picks up the second newborn and holds her in his own arms so Caroline can see her]
: ALARIC: And this one... [Alaric smiles and laughs under his breath] This is Elizabeth... In honor of your mother.
[Caroline clearly can't believe this news, and she starts to cry and laugh happily as she looks down at the little girl in her arms, overwhelmed by the sight of the babies she gestated for so many months]
== FLASH-FORWARD-- ON THE ROAD, DALLAS, TEXAS, 2016 ==
[Caroline is in a car and driving on the highway, the three-year-old Josie and Lizzie sitting in their car seats in the back. She's on the phone with Alaric as Josie calls out for her] 
: JOSIE: Mommy?
: CAROLINE: [to Alaric] Yeah, I just got on the I-20.
: ALARIC: Okay. Call me when you get there.
: CAROLINE: [hesitantly] What about Stefan?
: ALARIC: [sternly] Just go.
[Caroline looks uneasy, but she does as she's told]
: CAROLINE: Okay. Um, goodbye.
[She hangs up the phone, and Josie calls out for her again]
: JOSIE: Mommy?
: CAROLINE: [whispers] Shh. Don't wake up your sister.
: JOSIE: [quietly] Where are we going?
[Caroline sighs deeply before she replies in an uncertain voice]
: CAROLINE: To New Orleans... to visit Mommy's friend.
END CREDITS
==See More==
Category:Episode Transcripts
Category:The Vampire Diaries Season Seven