I Carry Your Heart With Me/Transcript

==FLASH-FORWARD-- ALARIC'S HOUSE, 2016==
[Three years from now, in an unknown town, Alaric is sitting at the dining room table of a house, where he is using a soldering iron to attach wires to some kind of machinery. His face is covered in sweat, and initially, it looks as though Alaric is wiring a bomb or some other explosive. However, once he's finished, the camera pans backward, revealing that Alaric is actually trying to fix a baby doll. He pushes the button to test it, but when it doesn't work, he groans in annoyance]
: ALARIC: Oh, damn it!
[Just then, two very young girls appear next to the table. They look to be fraternal twins, one of whom has brown hair and one has dark blonde hair, and are probably only three or four years old. They are presumably Alaric's children]
: BOTH GIRLS: Is it fixed yet?
: ALARIC: [smiles] Not yet. Sweetheart, it's past your bedtime!
: BOTH GIRLS: [disappointedly] No!
: ALARIC: Yes, it is! Do you want to brush your teeth?
[The girls giggle loudly and run away]
: BOTH GIRLS: No!!
[Alaric chuckles and calls after them as they continue to run into the other room as they giggle hysterically]
: ALARIC: Yeah? Well, too bad!
[Alaric then mutters under his breath as he turns off the lamp on the table]
: ALARIC: Surgery will have to resume tomorrow.
[Alaric raises his voice to call out to the girls]
: ALARIC: All right. Josie, help your sister find her PJs, okay?
[The girls continue to giggle and run around. However, after a long moment, they become silent, and when Alaric notices the lack of noise, he begins to get concerned]
: ALARIC: [confused] Girls?
[When he gets no response, he begins to seriously worry and stands to his feet. He then walks over to a nearby cupboard, where he opens one of the doors and pulls out one of his stake-shooting guns, which has four additional stakes attached to the side. He then slowly walks out into the foyer and cocks his gun before seeing something ahead of him and gaping in shock. The camera turns and reveals that Damon is standing in the threshold of the open front door while Alaric's daughters stand between then and stare at him in confusion]
: ALARIC: Damon.
: DAMON: [smirks] Well, aren't you adorable?
[Damon glances down at the twins]
: DAMON: Heh. You girls, too.
[Alaric frowns and quickly rushes to put himself in between the twins and Damon]
: ALARIC: Stand behind daddy.
: DAMON: Why so gloomy? Looks like you got everything you wanted.
: ALARIC: [nervously] The fact that you're here means somebody died.
: DAMON: No, not yet. But, if you don't do exactly as I say, that could change real fast.
[Alaric gulps anxiously and stares at Damon as he leans against the door frame]
: DAMON: So, you gonna invite me in?
TITLE CARD & OPENING CREDITS
== PRESENT DAY-- WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER, 2013 ==
[In the present, Alaric is in the morgue, where he is crouched down in front of the drawer that holds Jo's body while he turns the Phoenix Stone between his fingers. Just then, the ME's assistant walks into the room and groans in annoyance when he sees him]
: ASSISTANT: Jeez, you're here... At five AM.
: ALARIC: [quietly] I'm gonna need the place to myself tonight.
: ASSISTANT: [scoffs] Oh, come on, man! Don't make me an accomplice to whatever weird stuff you're doing with your wife's dead body.
: ALARIC: You have no idea how weird it's gonna get.
[Alaric reaches into his pocket and pulls out two $100 bills before holding them up]
: ALARIC: Is this enough to buy some privacy?
[The assistant sighs and takes the money]
: ASSISTANT: I'm gonna throw in a free reality check-- preserved bodies still have an expiration date, and this is her last day.
[The assistant sighs and turns toward the door, calling out one last statement before he leaves]
: ASSISTANT: She doesn't have to stay home, but she can't stay here.
[Meanwhile, Damon is walking through the wing of the hospital that is currently under construction as he talks to Lily on the phone. Lily is on the road to Whitmore with Elena's coffin in the backseat of her car]
: DAMON: Mother, tell me you have Elena.
: LILY: Let me speak to Oscar.
: DAMON: No can do. I'm about to wake him up from his little vervain nap.
: LILY: [annoyed] You do realize that when you get her back, you're not actually getting her back, right? She's still in a box.
: DAMON: [scoffs] Do you think I need to be reminded of that?
: LILY: And yet, you're leveraging a member of my family just to get her body closer to you. How selfish can you be?
: DAMON: Spare the lecture, Mommy.
: LILY: [seriously] Damon, if you have harmed Oscar in any way...
: DAMON: [rolls his eyes] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Say goodbye to Elena. It's not my first hostage swap!
[Damon hangs up the phone and walks into the room where he was keeping Oscar hooked up to various IV drips of vervain]
: DAMON: Oscar...
[Once Damon gets into the room, he stops dead in his tracks when he realizes that Oscar is no longer where he left him. Instead, all that remains is a puddle of blood in the middle of the table]
: DAMON: [alarmed] Uh-oh. Oscar?
[Damon slowly walks around the room and looks around]
: DAMON: I can smell the blood on you, buddy.
[The door of the nearby closet pops open a crack, which confuses Damon]
: DAMON: Huh?
[When he opens the door further, Oscar's body tumbles out of it, and Damon just barely catches him before he falls. When he looks at his face and sees that his skin is gray and desiccated, his eyes widen in alarm and horror]
: DAMON: You've gotta be kidding me!
== WHITMORE COLLEGE ==
[Bonnie is packing up a couple grimoires and books on magic into her large purse while Caroline appears to be sleeping soundly in her bed. However, when Bonnie attempts to quietly leave without disturbing her, Caroline dramatically clears her throat]
: CAROLINE: Ahem.
: BONNIE: I didn't want to wake you.
: CAROLINE: Well, I would lose more sleep if you just snuck out without saying hi!
[Caroline scoots over in bed and gestures toward the bed so Bonnie can sit with her]
: BONNIE: Hi!
[Bonnie hugs her and covers them both up with the comforter]
: CAROLINE: Mmm... I missed this.
: BONNIE: [jokingly] Am I gonna catch fire?
: CAROLINE: No! I just can't touch vampires. Valerie basically turned my skin into vervain.
: BONNIE: I'll work on unraveling the spell when I--
: CAROLINE: Stop! We have so much to catch up on. Let's just go shopping for Halloween costumes and we can worry about magic later.
: BONNIE: Kind of worrying about magic already. Alaric think we can reunite Jo's spirit with her body by using some sketchy Native American resurrection stone. My job is to crush his dreams in the most gentle way possible.
: CAROLINE: Wow! Okay... You don't even think it'll work?
: BONNIE: I don't think it should. The Other Side is gone, there's no more Gemini prison world, which means Jo's spirit... is probably at peace.
: CAROLINE: [sighs] Our lives are weird.
: BONNIE: Tell me about it.
[Bonnie and Caroline snuggle up to each other and smile]
== ALARIC'S APARTMENT ==
[Damon has just brought Oscar's body back to Alaric's apartment, where an unhappy Stefan is berating him]
: STEFAN: How the hell did you let this happen?
: DAMON: [offended] Don't even think about blaming this on me! I'm not the one that unscrewed his heart.
: STEFAN: No, you're just the one who chased him down, kidnapped him... and are still technically holding him hostage.
: DAMON: To get Elena back!
: STEFAN: [gives him a look] And how's that working out for you? Because from where I'm standing, she's in more danger than ever because you won't let her rest!
: DAMON: [scoffs] You spend one day with Mommy Dearest, and now you're on her side?
: STEFAN: I don't have to be on her side to see what's happening here. You can't be with Elena, so you're making all your bad decisions about Elena.
[Damon sighs and points at Oscar]
: DAMON: We need to get rid of this body.
: STEFAN: [shakes his head] No, no, no. You need to get rid of this body!
[Damon looks at Stefan exasperatedly]
: DAMON: Ugh!
== SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE ==
[Enzo comes down to the kitchen to find Valerie cooking]
: ENZO: Breakkie! What are we having?
: VALERIE: Mushroom omelettes.
[Enzo reaches into a nearby dish and grabs a mushroom, only for Valerie to swat at his hand, though she looks just uncomfortable enough to make it clear she's hiding something]
: VALERIE: Hey! They're for Oscar, not you. He's coming home today.
[Enzo looks at her suspiciously]
: ENZO: I'm impressed. Especially considering how late you got home last night.
[Valerie looks at him, concerned that he knows the truth, but before she can reply to him, Lily walks into the kitchen, looking very unhappy. Valerie frowns nervously when she sees Lily has come home alone]
: VALERIE: Where's Oscar?
: LILY: I don't know. Damon never showed up. I suppose I've taken the notion of trust for granted lately.
[Lily sighs before glancing over at Enzo]
: LILY: Lorenzo, would you mind terribly if I had a moment alone with Valerie?
[Enzo shoots a curious look at Valerie]
: ENZO: Is something wrong?
: LILY: [smiles weakly] Just some family business.
[Enzo leaves without another word, and once he's gone, Lily confronts Valerie, though not about what she's expecting]
: LILY: I spent yesterday with Stefan. Learned all about your little tryst in 1863.
[Valerie looks shocked, but does her best to cover it up]
: VALERIE: [nervously] We were children. It was... It was puppy love! It meant nothing.
: LILY: [in disbelief] Hmm. Right. That explains why you held onto his journal all these years.
: VALERIE: [hesitates] You were fragile at the time. I didn't want to upset you.
: LILY: You told him you were coming back for him, and he believed you. Why put him through that?
: VALERIE: [even more nervously] I was a foolish human back then. I'm sorry.
[Lily gives Valerie a cold look]
: LILY: I will only say this once. If you have anything to tell me-- anything at all-- now is the time.
: VALERIE: [pauses] I have nothing to hide.
[Lily examines her closely for a moment, and Valerie, uncomfortable, changes the subject]
: VALERIE: I should go look for Oscar.
: LILY: That won't be necessary.
== WHITMORE COLLEGE / ALARIC'S APARTMENT ==
[Nora and Mary Louise are walking through WHITMORE'S CAMPUS on their way to find Oscar. Nora looks relieved to be out and about as she sips on her smoothie and talks to her girlfriend]
: NORA: God, it feels good to come out of that deserted town and be around living, breathing humans we can eat! Mystic Falls is the prison world all over again.
[Mary Louise rolls her eyes, but still smiles at her]
: MARY LOUISE: We're on a mission, Nora. Not a vacation.
[Inside ALARIC'S APARTMENT, Damon and Stefan are carrying Oscar toward the door in order to dispose of his body]
: DAMON: All right...
[Just as they're about to leave, they hear a knock on the door and immediately freeze where they're standing. It's Nora and Mary Louise]
: MARY LOUISE: Damon? I know you're in here. Open up!
[When the boys don't respond, Mary Louise scowls and knocks on the door again, more furious this time]
: MARY LOUISE: Damon, open the--
[Before she can finish, Damon opens the door with a fake smile on his face]
: DAMON: Hello.
[Mary Louise just glares at him before walking in without a word, and Nora gives him a cool smile as she walks in after her]
: DAMON: Oh. Hello.
[Mary looks around the living room in distaste as Damon and Stefan join her]
: MARY LOUISE: University housing. How lovely.
: NORA: [snidely] How sad.
: MARY LOUISE: [laughs] Not as sad as being exiled here by your own mother. Lily must have had the wrong address for the hostage exchange. Where's Oscar?
: DAMON: [nervously] You just missed him.
: MARY LOUISE: [skeptically] You reek of blood.
: DAMON: [sheepishly] Well, I've been... I've been binge-ing.
: STEFAN: And I've been judging.
: DAMON: Yeah.
[Nora gives them both a look as she picks up a very old looking ceramic vase from the nearby shelf]
: STEFAN: Not gonna find him in there.
[Nora drops the vase onto the floor, causing it to shatter, and Damon winces when he realizes how mad Alaric is going to be]
: DAMON: [groans] Ughhh. Look, I get it. Okay? You got me--
[Nora walks across the room and purposely knocks over a jade glass statue, which shatters on the coffee table. The sight of it makes Damon get desperate to stop them, and Stefan hastily grabs a framed photo of Alaric and Jo out of Nora's hands before she can break it as well]
: DAMON: Oscar turned the tables, and he knocked me out, and he took off. I lost my one and only bargaining chip.
: MARY LOUISE: [in disbelief] Then why isn't Oscar answering his phone?
[Stefan watches as Nora sees the door to the bathroom is ajar and walks over to look inside]
: DAMON: [anxiously] I mean, the guy doesn't want to be found!
[When Nora pushes the bathroom door open, she's surprised to see that no one is inside]
: NORA: [annoyed] Why don't I believe you?
: MARY LOUISE: [sighs dramatically] Well, this is pointless. Come, Nora.
[Mary Louise gives Nora a significant look, and she reluctantly follows her girlfriend to leave. As she walks out the door, she drops her nearly-finished smoothie onto the ground and gives Damon a smug look as the remaining contents splatters all over the floor]
: DAMON: [winces] I'll throw that away for you.
[Once Nora and Mary Louise walk out the door, Damon sighs and gives Stefan an annoyed look. The girls walk out of the apartment complex and head back onto campus, not noticing that Oscar's body has been hung out the window by a sheet that has been wrapped around his chest. Once Damon and Stefan are sure Mary Louise and Nora won't see them, they start to work on retrieving him. However, a student dressed as a zombie glances up at them and looks confused, though he seems to believe Oscar is simply a Halloween decoration. Damon and Stefan both smile fakely and wave at him]
: STEFAN: Hey!
[Once the kid leaves, the brothers work on bringing Oscar back inside. The scene cuts back into Alaric's apartment, where Stefan and Damon are carrying Oscar's body towards the door]
: DAMON: Screw it. Let's just get this guy to the furnace.
[They toss Oscar's body onto the couch. Just then, a pretty college girl walks into the apartment and stares at them blankly. Stefan and Damon visibly begin to panic at the sight of her]
: DAMON: [awkwardly] Uh, wrong... door... darling.
[The girl rolls her eyes and holds out a cream-colored envelope, which Stefan hesitantly takes from her]
: STEFAN: Hmmm. 'Kay.
[Stefan opens the envelope and reads it aloud, looking confused as he does so]
: STEFAN: "A message from Miss Nora Hildegard, dictated but not read. For every hour that Oscar isn't returned, a Whitmore student will die... Starting now."
[Before they can react, the girl stabs herself in the neck with a letter opener and gags as she collapses onto the floor. Stefan looks alarmed, but Damon just looks horrified]
: DAMON: No!
[Stefan turns to look at Damon with wide eyes as the girl bleeds out on the floor in front of them]
== DOWNTOWN MYSTIC FALLS ==
[A man is running a tour in downtown Mystic Falls as he speaks to a dozen of his customers, who are gathered around him outside the bus he is using to take Halloween tours of the town]
: TOUR GUIDE: With dozens of disappearances and a history of animal attacks, Mystic Falls was the subject of supernatural speculation even before the quote-unquote "mining fire evacuation."
[Just then, a siren is heard as a police cruiser pulls up to where the bus has parked. Matt, dressed in his deputy's uniform, gets out to confront the tour guide]
: TOUR GUIDE: We're not doing anything illegal, Officer.
: MATT: Besides violating a town-wide quarantine and putting these people's lives at risk to make a quick buck? Pack it up and get out of here.
: TOUR GUIDE: [scoffs] We both know there's no real danger here! It's just an empty ghost town!
[Enzo suddenly appears and addresses the crowd]
: ENZO: Really? You hear about the noises in the old boarding house? The mysterious figure haunting the clock tower? Tell your ghostbusters to charge up their proton packs-- they've hit the proverbial jackpot!
[Matt, clearly annoyed, shoots Enzo a glare before turning back to the tour guide]
: MATT: Get out of here, unless you want your license suspended. Now.
[The tour guide sighs in disappointment and turns to address his customers]
: TOUR GUIDE: Come on. Let's go.
[As the crowd gets back into the bus to leave, Matt turns back to Enzo with an angry expression]
: MATT: If you touch any of these people, I will shoot you right here.
: ENZO: [amused] Don't waste the ammunition, mate. Waste of taxpayer money! And I am one of your last taxpayers.
: MATT: [rolls his eyes] What do you want, Enzo?
: ENZO: [sighs] Oh, God. Just a good night's rest... Which is proving difficult lately, with all the late-night sneaking in and out of the Salvatore house. Vamp-hearing's bad enough, but once the Heretics start creeping, that's when I really lose sleep.
: MATT: [smiles] There's an abandoned music shop down the way. I'll let you steal a tiny fiddle!
: ENZO: [chuckles] Or, you could grant me access to the town surveillance system. I have a Heretic to track.
== WHITMORE COLLEGE ==
[Stefan is standing in the hallway of Caroline and Bonnie's dorm when Caroline returns and approaches him]
: CAROLINE: Hi.
: STEFAN: Hi! Brought you coffee.
[He holds the cup of coffee out to her, and she smiles happily]
: CAROLINE: Oh, and he keeps getting better!
[She reaches out to take the coffee, but when her fingers brush his, she accidentally burns him]
: CAROLINE: [guiltily] Sorry!
: STEFAN: [smiles] Ah, it's okay. No contact. It's not your fault.
: CAROLINE: I take it your charm didn't work on getting Valerie to undo the spell?
: STEFAN: [sheepishly] Uh, I haven't spoken to her yet...
: CAROLINE: [disappointedly] Oh. So you're avoiding?
: STEFAN: No. There's nothing to avoid.
: CAROLINE: [sighs] Well, Stefan, she was your first love, and then she just left you hanging. You're not the least bit curious why?
: STEFAN: [shrugs] She hasn't contacted me in the four months she's been back, so I'm assuming she's as over it as I am.
: CAROLINE: Yeah, but that is quite an assumption, considering that she's the reason why I literally can't touch you.
: STEFAN: [sighs] Unfortunately, she's the Heretic that I am the least concerned about right now.
: CAROLINE: [rolls her eyes] Oh, God! Who now?
: STEFAN: Let's just say that it involves two bored mean-girls on a campus full of easy targets. But, I have come up with a genius plan to keep them occupied while Damon sorts out his Oscar problem.
[Stefan pulls out a folded up flyer and holds it in front of Caroline. The flyer reads "HEAVEN AND HELL BALL" and presumably has the pertinent details for the party on it]
: CAROLINE: The dance?
: STEFAN: Mmhmm.
: CAROLINE: [skeptically] Full of potential victims...?
: STEFAN: And distractions! All in one place. Easy to babysit. I think the hardest part will be feigning enthusiasm.
[Caroline takes the flyer from him and examines it for a moment before sighing]
: CAROLINE: Yeah, they'll never fall for it... Unless they think it's their idea?
[Caroline smiles at Stefan devilishly, and he seems intrigued by her plan]
[Later, Nora and Mary Louise enter the dorm and continue to talk while they explore the college. Farther down the hall, Caroline is standing with the flyer in her hands and pretending to read it, knowing that Mary Louise and Nora will eventually see her]
: NORA: I'm getting hungry. Is it death-o'clock yet?
[Mary Louise checks her watch]
: MARY LOUISE: We still have thirteen minutes.
[They finally pass Caroline, and Nora stops and yanks the flyer out of Caroline's hands, just as she intended]
: NORA: What's this?
[Caroline channels her inner mean-girl as she attempts to manipulate them]
: CAROLINE: Oh, nothing. It's just some silly "Heaven and Hell" ball. Stefan invited me, but I don't know. These days, Halloween just seems like an excuse to get drunk and show skin...
[Caroline gives Nora a significant look, and when the girls look interested in the party, Caroline takes the flyer back and smiles fakely]
: CAROLINE: Sorry. No Heretics allowed. Halloween's only for people who dress up as psychopaths!
: MARY LOUISE: [scoffs] As if we'd want to drink cheap beer out of plastic and then brag about it all over the internet.
[Nora rolls her eyes at Mary Louise's remark]
: NORA: As if you'd even know how to do that. We're going!
: CAROLINE: [in disbelief] To a college party?
[Caroline laughs condescendingly at them]
: CAROLINE: Oh, okay! Okay, good luck with that.
: NORA: [offended] What's that supposed to mean?
: CAROLINE: Nothing! No, you two will fit in just fine. Seriously, you guys have nothing to feel self-conscious about.
[Caroline turns to walk away, and Mary Louise, not wanting to let Nora down, calls out after her]
: MARY LOUISE: Did I say you could leave?
[Caroline stops in her tracks and smiles triumphantly when she realizes her plan has worked. She then makes herself look as though she's annoyed and turns back to them]
: CAROLINE: What do you want?
[The scene cuts to Bonnie and Caroline's room. Mary Louise has changed into a bright red dress and is examining herself in the mirror when Caroline walks in with a small red handbag in her hands]
: CAROLINE: I see you found a dress... from my closet.
[Mary Louise, looking slightly nervous, turns toward Caroline, who hands her the purse]
: MARY LOUISE: I haven't been to a party since New Year's 1902. Be honest-- will I make a proper modern devil?
: CAROLINE: [fake smiles] Shouldn't be too much of a stretch...
[Caroline chuckles as she walks past Mary Louise]
: CAROLINE: ...Unlike the hips of that dress.
[Mary Louise glares at Caroline]
: MARY LOUISE: Would you prefer I chose a different one and dyed it with your blood?
[Caroline sighs and turns to face her]
: CAROLINE: Look, I gave you an outfit. Now, it's your turn. Siphon off this annoying anti-vampire spell.
: MARY LOUISE: [feigns sympathy] Aw, are you prohibited from showing physical affection for your significant other? Try being gay in 1900.
: CAROLINE: What do you care about some silly spell? You don't even like Valerie.
[In an unexpected twist, Mary Louise actually looks nervous as she responds to Caroline]
: MARY LOUISE: You're right. I don't. I've had to endure two lifetimes with that conniving shrew, and I've learned that when it comes to Val? You don't get on her bad side.
[Downstairs in the common room, Nora is in the middle of making her own angel costume with white feathers and lace while she talks to Stefan. On the table is an iPad, which has the Pinterest app pulled up]
: NORA: Not happening, Stefan. Look, if I siphon Caroline's spell, Valerie will find out, and she'll retaliate with something much worse. The girl is a rancid bitch.
: STEFAN: That's not the Valerie that I knew.
: NORA: [shrugs] Well, I used to be a sickly, abused little urchin cast out by my coven, and then I met Mary Louise. Love changes people. I mean, maybe Valerie's obsession with you is the reason why she's a walking funeral dirge.
[Just then, Mary Louise calls out to Nora as she walks into the room with Caroline following behind her]
: MARY LOUISE: [sing-songs] Oh, Nora!
[She models her new outfit, which is a different red dress that has a lace overlay paired with a red headband with devil horns and red satin gloves that go up to her elbows. She looks at Nora expectantly]
: MARY LOUISE: Well?
[Nora stands and walks toward Mary Louise as she checks out her costume]
: NORA: Hmmm. Not bad!
: MARY LOUISE: [frowns] Not bad is not good.
: NORA: No, you look nice! It's just... kind of plain. But, I can sex it up for you.
: MARY LOUISE: [self-consciously] I'm comfortable like this, Nora. Don't!
[Nora ignores her and rips the neckline of Mary Louise's dress so that it has a slit that bares her cleavage. However, this just makes Mary Louise even more insecure, and she becomes upset]
: MARY LOUISE: Stop it!
: NORA: [gently] Oh, come on. You're supposed to be a devil!
: MARY LOUISE: [angrily] You want a devil?
[She thrusts her arm in front of her and uses her telekinesis to shoot the pair of scissors Nora was using toward a male student, which impales him right in the stomach. Stefan and Caroline begin to panic as Mary Louise glares at them]
: MARY LOUISE: It's fifteen minutes past the hour. Distraction period over.
[Mary Louise stomps off, and Nora, confused and a little exasperated, calls out to her girlfriend as she chases after her]
: NORA: [sighs] Mary Lou! Wait!
[As Nora leaves, Stefan bites into his wrist to feed his blood to the injured student while Caroline watches anxiously]
== WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ==
[Jo's body has been laid out on the autopsy table while a very anxious-looking Bonnie stares at her. After a moment, Alaric joins her with the Phoenix Stone in his hands]
: ALARIC: [awkwardly] Well, what better way to spend Halloween, huh?
[Bonnie smiles fakely at him]
: BONNIE: [sarcastically] Well, why would I want to go to some stupid Halloween party like a normal student? Maybe meet a nice guy, or not-so-nice guy, have a fun, drunk Halloween hook-up when I can be here, struggling to raise the dead?
[Bonnie looks down at Jo and the open grimoire that is laying next to her]
: ALARIC: Well, if it makes any difference, this is worth some serious extra credit.
: BONNIE: [gives him a look] You think? Whether or not I'm capable, you're lucky I'm willing.
[Bonnie picks up the grimoire from the table and holds it in her arms]
: BONNIE: And the visions from that stone scare the hell out of me, so... Don't. Rush. Me.
[She looks as though she's about to begin when suddenly, Damon appears in the doorway with Oscar's dead body]
: DAMON: [sheepishly] Well, that's too bad, because we gotta bring this guy back to life... Now.
[Alaric and Bonnie both gape at him in shock, and Damon just looks annoyed]
== HEAVEN AND HELL BALL ==
[The party is full of men and women dressed as angels and devils dancing around and drinking heavily when Caroline arrives, dressed as an angel as well with a white dress with feathered trim, sheer white angel wings on her back, and a fluffy white halo resting on top of her blonde curls. She finally catches up with Stefan, who isn't dressed up, and smiles at him bashfully]
: STEFAN: [smiles] Nice costume for two hours notice!
: CAROLINE: [shyly] Oh, thank you.
: STEFAN: You weren't... Oh, I don't know... Already coming to this and just, uh, forgot to invite me?
[Caroline blushes nervously]
: CAROLINE: I didn't forget to invite you. I just felt like a Halloween party wasn't great first-date material.
: STEFAN: [amused] So then this isn't our first date?
: CAROLINE: [seductively] Well, it depends... What do you think it is?
: STEFAN: [smiles] Torture.
[Caroline smiles happily at him until something behind him catches her eye. Stefan turns around and sees the devil Mary Louise and the angel Nora enter the party together and head toward the bar]
: STEFAN: Oh, they're here. Guess it's time to babysit.
[Mary Louise and Nora have just made it to the bar and approach a bartender dressed in a devil costume]
: BARTENDER: [smiles] Hi, girls. What can I get you?
: MARY LOUISE: A Bijou for me, and a Crème Yvette for my little flower here.
[The bartender looks confused for a moment before smiling in embarrassment]'
: BARTENDER: I'm sorry, I have no idea what that is.
[When Mary Louise looks panicked, Nora steps in to help]
: NORA: A gin martini and a "Sex on the Beach."
: BARTENDER: Gotcha!
[As the bartender makes the drinks, she tries to make small talk with the girls]
: BARTENDER: So, let me guess-- old-fashioned devil and slutty angel? I love it.
[Nora smiles happily, but Mary Louise just looks offended by this assessment]
: MARY LOUISE: Beg your pardon?
[Once again, Nora jumps into the conversation to help Mary Louise]
: NORA: Thanks! It's culled together with stuff I found on Pinterest.
: BARTENDER: Oh, my God, Pinterest! I love Pinterest. I get half my recipes from it. 
[Nora seems thrilled to be able to talk about her new modern interests and smiles excitedly]
: NORA: I'm obsessed.
: BARTENDER: Obsessed!
[The bartender and Nora laugh, and Mary Louise continues to look insecure and uncomfortable around them]
== WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ==
[Bonnie is currently casting a spell on Oscar, who has the Phoenix Stone resting on his chest, while Alaric and Damon watch anxiously. She has the grimoire in her arms as she reads the incantation from it]
: BONNIE: [chants] Phasmatos exaud mi, conjug spiritis et corpe. Phasmatos exaud mi, conjug spiritis et corpe.
[As she chants, the bubbles inside of the crystal seem to move around, and Alaric watches it with interest. Suddenly, Oscar's body seizes up before his eyes flick open, and Alaric, Bonnie, and Damon all freeze in shock, unsure of what to think. However, a moment later, Oscar's eyes close again, and Bonnie sighs]
: BONNIE: Oh. Scratch that one off the list...
[Damon, upset by this development, groans before turning and slamming his hand against the nearby autopsy table in frustration]
: ALARIC: Hey! You're not the only one banking on this.
: DAMON: It's not for me, Ric! Why does everything have to be about me today?
: BONNIE: [annoyed] Will both of you just shut up? The stone works. I think it's creating a bridge between the body and the spirit. I just have to find a spell that makes that bridge permanent.
[Damon gives Bonnie an embarrassed shrug before his phone buzzes in his pocket. When he sees that it's Stefan, he answers it]
: DAMON: So, how goes the diversion?
: STEFAN: Three. That's the number of people Caroline and I have saved. Barely.
: DAMON: [confused] So, did you call just to brag?
: STEFAN: [sighs] How much longer?
[Suddenly, Bonnie's panicked voice is heard behind him, and Damon spins to see what is going on]
: BONNIE: Oh, crap, Ric! Put it out!
[When Damon turns, he sees that Oscar's body has burst into flames, and Alaric frantically grabs a nearby fire extinguisher to put it out. Damon looks alarmed for a moment before lying to Stefan]
: DAMON: ...I think we're close.
== SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE ==
[Valerie is sitting sadly in front of the lit fireplace in the parlor when Enzo returns to the house with an (unconscious or dead) young woman dressed in a sexy-nurse costume flung over his shoulders. The girl is bleeding from a bite wound on her neck from where he fed on her, and he quickly deposits her onto the couch and brushes her hair off of her face as Valerie stands to scowl at him]
: ENZO: [amused] Ahhh. There's the mopey face I've come to know and love. I guess all it takes is a scolding from Lily to ruin breakfast.
: VALERIE: [rolls her eyes] We have an ice box full of blood downstairs, you know.
: ENZO: Yeah, but sometimes, it's nice to get out of the house...
[Enzo gives Valerie a significant look]
: ENZO: Take a drive, get out of town, come back. Wouldn't you agree?
[Valerie looks at him, both amused and nervous as to what he knows about her]
: VALERIE: Clearly I'm not as quick as the other orphans in the workhouse. Are you accusing me of something?
: ENZO: Town surveillance has you on the road to and from Whitmore last night in a stolen car. Curious, how Oscar was also at Whitmore last night and has since mysteriously disappeared. So... heh... Yes, I am accusing you of something. I'm just not sure whether it's lying to Lily, or murder, or both.
: VALERIE: [coldly] Forget everything you think you know, because you are wrong in ways you cannot even imagine.
: ENZO: [curiously] Enlighten me. What exactly don't I know?
[Valerie stands still and remains silent, and after a moment, Enzo turns to leave the room]
: ENZO: Heh. Well, maybe it's easier if I just ask Lily. And I'm sure she'll be eager to uncover the truth and punish you for it.
[Before Enzo can leave, Valerie frantically calls out to him to stop him]
: VALERIE: I killed Oscar.
[Enzo, pleased his plan worked, turns back to her with a smug smirk]
: VALERIE: He knew too much. I had to prevent him from bringing a monster back into Lily's life.
: ENZO: What monster is that?
: VALERIE: Julian.
[Enzo frowns, not recognizing the name, and this time, it is Valerie who smirks smugly]
: VALERIE: You don't know. I guess Lily doesn't tell you everything.
: ENZO: [sighs] Who's Julian, Valerie?
: VALERIE: Someone you'll want to keep as far away as possible... Assuming that one day, you want Lily to love you in the same way that you love her.
[Valerie gives Enzo one last look before leaving the room, leaving an unhappy Enzo alone to think about this information]
== HEAVEN AND HELL BALL ==
[Stefan and Caroline are sitting at a table and watching as Nora dances happily on the dance floor while Mary Louise stands close to her and looks awkward and uncomfortable]
: STEFAN: Do you think they forgot they came here to murder people?
: CAROLINE: Oh, no. They're just wrapped up in their own drama. See, Nora wants some breathing room, but Mary Louise is scared if she gives it to her, then Nora's gonna leave her.
[Stefan gives Caroline a confused look]
: STEFAN: You got all that from... that?
: CAROLINE: Well, it's obvious!
[Just then, the music changes from an upbeat tune to a ballad, and Nora and Mary Louise smile at each other before they start to slow-dance together. Upon seeing this, Caroline sighs in disappointment at being wrong]
: CAROLINE: ...Or not.
[Stefan smiles at her before speaking]
: STEFAN: You know, I'd ask you to dance, but...
: CAROLINE: [sadly] But I'd kill you. How convenient. If only there was a person you could talk to about it...
: STEFAN: I will ask Valerie to undo it once Damon brings Oscar back to life.
: CAROLINE: [sarcastically] Wow. So, you're not technically avoiding, you're just waiting for Damon to raise the dead. Okay.
: STEFAN: [sighs] Caroline, Valerie's been dead to me for 150 years.
: CAROLINE: [pouts] Well, she's back now, and you're scared that you're gonna look her in the eye, and all of your feelings are gonna come back. You know, the infatuation, and the abandonment, and the whole freaking fairy-tale.
[Stefan gives her a look]
: STEFAN: That's what I'm scared of? Or that's what you're scared of?
: CAROLINE: [embarrassedly] It can be both...
[Caroline sighs for a moment before backtracking]
: CAROLINE: God! You know what? I'm just too sober to be talking about this.
[Caroline walks away to get a drink, and Stefan looks sad about their situation. However, when he looks back at the dance floor, he realizes that Mary Louise and Nora are nowhere to be seen and immediately becomes alarmed]
[Elsewhere in the party, Mary Louise is looking around various back rooms for Nora, eventually walking through a door to a storage room]
: MARY LOUISE: Nora... Where did you go? I'm just tipsy enough to enjoy this music...
[Mary Louise trails off when she sees Nora feeding on the bartender from earlier in the corner. She stops in her tracks and stares at them for a long moment, looking hurt, until Nora finally pulls away and sees that she's there]
: NORA: Have a taste! She's been sneaking tequila, so she's a little spicy. Heh.
[Nora, not realizing how upset Mary Louise is, chuckles, but this only makes her even more furious. Mary Louise then vamp-speeds toward them and plunges her hand into the bartender's chest, ripping out her heart and marching away. Nora gasps at this outburst before calling out to her]
: NORA: What the hell?
: MARY LOUISE: [angrily] Oh, don't act so shocked!
: NORA: [frustrated] Oh, don't pretend that was anything other than petty jealousy!
: MARY LOUISE: This trashy girl wouldn't mean a damn thing to you if you weren't so desperate for attention!
: NORA: [offended] Attention? How could I possibly want attention when you've been perched on my shoulder for the last 120 years!
: MARY LOUISE: [hurt] Oh, am I ruining your fun?
: NORA: [mockingly] "Stay close, Nora!" "Slow down, Nora!" As if it's still the bloody 19th century and I need your protection! I'm not the one struggling to adapt, Mary Lou-- you are!
[Mary Louise looks devastated by this argument, and Nora immediately realizes that she's gone too far, but it's too late to take it back]
: MARY LOUISE: Very well. Do whatever you want. I'm going to finish what we came here to do.
[Mary Louise storms out of the room and leaves Nora to process what has just happened]
== WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ==
[Bonnie is trying a different spell on Oscar while Alaric and Damon continue to anxiously watch her]
: BONNIE: [chants] Ababbas dagoineh mateesah elunatan. Oshawas melunaweh washaset zagoedan.
[Bonnie stops chanting, and she, Alaric, and Damon stare at Oscar expectantly. When nothing happens, Damon sighs, and Alaric looks disappointed]
: DAMON: Pfff.
: ALARIC: [to Bonnie] Which one was that?
: BONNIE: It's something I found in one of your shamanistic oral traditions...
[Just then, the color begins to return to Oscar's skin as he bolts into a sitting position and screams at the top of his lungs]
: OSCAR: AHHHHHH!
[Bonnie gasps and jumps from fright, and Alaric quickly steps backward to get away from Oscar as he moans, seemingly disoriented by his return to life]
: BONNIE: Oh, my God!
[Damon looks at Bonnie in awe and amazement, but she still looks shocked that the spell worked]
: DAMON: Bonnie? You are officially the most terrifying person I know.
== DOWNTOWN WHITMORE COLLEGE AREA ==
[Bonnie, Alaric, and Damon are walking down the street to their car, the latter of whom has his arm around Oscar's shoulders to help keep the weakened Heretic on his feet]
: DAMON: Easy there, buddy.
: OSCAR: [weakly] Where am I?
: DAMON: [cheerfully] You're on your way to Mystic Falls!
: OSCAR: [confused] Virginia? How did I get here?
: DAMON: Well... We'll talk about it on the way. Smile for Mommy!
[They reach the car, and Damon pulls out his phone to snap a quick selfie of himself and Oscar. In the photo, Damon is smiling widely, but Oscar looks strung-out and out of sorts. He then sends the photo to Stefan and Lily before starting to help Oscar get into the car]
: DAMON: Yeahhh. Okay.
: OSCAR: [anxiously] Blood. I need blood.
: BONNIE: Figured you might.
[Bonnie holds up several blood bags, which Alaric takes from her and hands to Damon as he gets Oscar settled. While he's busy, Alaric takes Bonnie aside to speak with her privately]
: ALARIC: Either our friend still has the munchies, or this ravenous hunger is a side-effect of resurrection.
: BONNIE: [defensively] Don't look at me! I barely understand how the guy's alive. If hunger is the worst consequence of the stone spell, then we got off easy.
[Once Oscar has been settled into the passenger seat, Damon walks over to Bonnie and Alaric]
: DAMON: Are you sure you want to do this to Jo?
: ALARIC: [sighs] Listen, it's now or never, Damon.
[Damon shoots Alaric a look]
: DAMON: No offense, Ric, but I was asking Bonnie.
[Bonnie rolls her eyes and chuckles weakly]
: BONNIE: Look at you sad-sacks! What, am I gonna say no? Damon, go get your girl.
[Bonnie gestures to Alaric]
: BONNIE: I'll get his.
[Damon nods and goes to get into the driver's seat of the car to leave, while Alaric and Bonnie start to walk back to the Whitmore Medical Center morgue]
== SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE ==
[Lily is sitting in front of the fireplace with a glass of bourbon when Enzo joins her and sits in the nearby armchair]
: ENZO: Trick or treat?
: LILY: [unamused] I've been tricked enough today. I still haven't heard a peep from the girls since they left.
[Enzo hesitates for a moment before he changes the subject]
: ENZO: Who's Julian?
: LILY: [stunned] Where did you hear that name?
: ENZO: I've heard a lot of names in this house since I moved in. But Julian? That's a new one. Which means your family isn't talking about him for a reason.
: LILY: [scoffs] Well, that's nonsense. No one who ever met Julian would dare say a bad thing about him. He was a saint.
[Lily pauses for a long moment before she speaks again, this time in a softer voice]
: LILY: ...He was the love of my life.
[Enzo gives her a look]
: ENZO: "Was?" Or "is?"
[Lily looks uncomfortable, but before she can answer him, her phone beeps. When she checks it, she sees that she's been sent the selfie of Damon and Oscar and immediately cheers up]
: LILY: Ahh! Damon found Oscar!
[Lily quickly stands up and hands her drink to Enzo without a word before she leaves to meet Damon and Oscar. Enzo, looking offended, just sighs and looks into the fire]
== HEAVEN AND HELL BALL ==
[Mary Louise, still angry from her fight with Nora, walks through an area of the party which is full only of those wearing angel costumes, causing her own red devil costume to stand out. She sees a blonde girl in a short white dress who is covered in body shimmer and smirks to herself when she chooses her to be her next victim. However, when she lets out her vampire face and lunges for the girl, Stefan vamp-speeds in front of her and blocks her way]
: MARY LOUISE: [furiously] Get out of my way!
: STEFAN: Why? You're done here.
[Stefan holds his phone in front of her face and shows her the selfie of Damon and Oscar. The sight of it makes Mary Louise's anger fade, but it's clear she's still hurt and upset, though she tries unsuccessfully to mask it in front of Stefan]
: MARY LOUISE: Oh. That's excellent news.
: STEFAN: Where's Nora?
: MARY LOUISE: [sadly] I don't know. We had a fight.
[She turns and walks over to a table, and Stefan joins her there]
: STEFAN: I'm sorry.
[Mary Louise momentarily becomes angry again]
: MARY LOUISE: Do not pity me!
: STEFAN: [calmly] Trust me-- I don't.
[Mary Louise looks at all the drunken partiers around them for a moment before speaking]
: MARY LOUISE: [bitterly] Is this how relationships work in the modern era? Everyone peddling their flesh like a street bazaar? Because bloody Nora seems quite interested in the browsing.
: STEFAN: [sighs] You know, these days, they have this wonderful thing called a "therapist."
[Mary Louise glares at Stefan mutinously, clearly offended by the insinuation]
: MARY LOUISE: How old do you think I am?? I could think of nothing more futile than prattling on about one's emotions. As if I can prevent Nora from drifting away if I only find the right words...
: STEFAN: Or as if confronting my first love will somehow make her disappear.
[Mary Louise looks at Stefan in confusion, so he elaborates]
: STEFAN: Caroline thinks that Valerie's mere existence is somehow sabotaging our relationship. But, if she could just get into my head, she would see that the only thing standing between me and my girlfriend is that damn spell... Which you can remove.
[Before Mary Louise can react, Stefan quickly pulls out a syringe of vervain and stabs it into her leg, causing her to groan loudly in pain]
: MARY LOUISE: UNGH!
[Mary Louise quickly passes out, and Stefan catches her before she can fall out of her chair]
: STEFAN: I got you. Come on. Come on.
[Stefan leads her out of the party]
== ROAD TO MYSTIC FALLS ==
[Damon and Oscar are in the car, where they're driving to meet Lily in Mystic Falls. Oscar looks even more ill than before, and he's leaning against the car door as he pinches the bridge of his nose, looking as though he may throw up]
: OSCAR: [groans] Can you... Can you slow down, please?
: DAMON: Trust me-- you do not want to make Lily wait. I learned that the hard way.
[Damon grabs another blood bag and tosses it to him]
: DAMON: Here. This will take the edge off.
: OSCAR: I'm gonna need more.
[Oscar starts to quickly gulp down the blood while Damon talks to him]
: DAMON: Not 'til we get our story straight. We were in Myrtle Beach. We were wasted. You passed out.
: OSCAR: [confused] I've never been to Myrtle Beach...
: DAMON: [incredulously] How deep does this amnesia go?
[Oscar finishes his blood bag and looks anxiously at Damon]
: OSCAR: I just need a little more, okay? Just... Just a taste. A drop.
: DAMON: [annoyed] Well, that was the last one.
[Oscar suddenly becomes angry and yells at Damon irritably]
: OSCAR: Well, then you're gonna have to stop this thing!!
[Damon, even more annoyed, just ignores him and talks louder to compensate for Oscar's volume]
: DAMON: Not until you get one right! Multiple choice: You were in Myrtle Beach, A) Partying too much; B)--
[Before Damon can continue, Oscar growls in frustration before kicking the passenger door of the car clean off the hinges and jumps out]
: DAMON: HEY!
[Damon immediately slams on the brakes so he can look for him, but as soon as he spots Oscar, the Heretic vamp-speeds away into the woods. Realizing he's lost Oscar again, Damon groans and puts the car in park before quickly stepping out of the car. However, when he looks over into the woods, Oscar is nowhere to be seen]
: DAMON: [frustrated] Ugh! Damn it!
== MYSTIC FALLS SUBURBS ==
[Matt, driving his police cruiser, has just pulled up to a dark-colored car, which has apparently run over the curb and hit a tree in front of a row of houses. When he gets out of the car, he pulls a flashlight from his belt and turns it on so he can see the accident better. However, once he gets closer, he sees a man laying dead on the hood of the car, covered in blood and shattered glass from being pulled through the windshield. Matt looks horrified, even more so when he sees the bite wounds on the neck and realizes that it was caused by a vampire. Matt suddenly senses someone behind him and instantly turns on his heel, only to realize it's just Damon]
: DAMON: Damn! Don't shoot the one person who can solve this case for you, Detective Dumbass.
: MATT: [annoyed] What happened?
: DAMON: Oscar's acid-trip went from bad to worse. I've been tracking him through the woods.
: MATT: [anxiously] Damon, it's Halloween. There'll be ghost tours going through Mystic Falls every thirty minutes.
: DAMON: Perfect. At least I know where he's going.
[Damon turns to leave, but Matt grabs his arm and stops him]
: MATT: I'm going with you.
: DAMON: [sighs] Donovan, that badge does not take away the fact that you are human. Please don't commit suicide by Heretic tonight.
: MATT: [scoffs] Since when do you care?
[Damon almost looks offended by this insinuation, but when he replies, his tone of voice is much kinder]
: DAMON: Give me a break! I don't want to add your death to a long list of things that are already my fault.
[Damon shoots him a look as though he's embarrassed to admit this before turning to leave]
== WHITMORE COLLEGE ==
[Nora is walking through the hallway of one of the school's buildings, looking frantic as she looks for her girlfriend]
: NORA: Mar?
[Nora continues to walk down the hall and peeks into a classroom]
: NORA: Mary Lou? You can't avoid me for--
[Nora turns the corner to find Stefan standing in the middle of the adjacent hall. He has a still-unconscious Mary Louise held by by one of his arms while he uses the other to point a stake at her neck. Nora looks furious at the sight of him]
: STEFAN: Siphon the repulsion spell off of Caroline, or your girlfriend dies. Do you see how easy I made that for you?
: NORA: [angrily] Yes, thanks. Now, let me make it harder for you!
[Nora holds up her hand and uses her telekinesis to summon the stake from Stefan's hand into her own. She holds it up for emphasis, causing Stefan to look alarmed before she yells back at him]
: NORA: Get away from her!
[Before Nora can do anything, however, Caroline appears behind her and puts Nora in a headlock with one arm, using one hand to cover Nora's mouth to keep her from using any verbal spells while gripping her other wrist to keep her from moving. Nora's face and neck begin to sizzle loudly from the contact with Caroline's vervain-laced skin, and she desperately wriggles in an attempt to get loose, though the vervain is weakening her too much to fight back with her full strength. Stefan looks stunned, as though he wasn't expecting this outcome]
: CAROLINE: Grab my arm and siphon, or keep burning.
[Nora, still moaning, frantically grabs Caroline's arm with her hand, and it starts to glow red to indicate she's siphoning the magic. Once the sizzling stops, Stefan steps toward Caroline]
: STEFAN: Did it work?
[Caroline quickly snaps Nora's neck and allows her to drop to the floor, and Stefan, still staring at Caroline, drops Mary Louise onto the floor as well]
: CAROLINE: Well, that was a lot more satisfying than I thought it would be.
[Caroline and Stefan smile as they run toward each other and begin making out passionately in the hallway]
== MYSTIC FALLS CEMETERY ==
[The tour guide has just finished showing a crowd of people the town's cemetery, including the Salvatore crypt, which is still cordoned off after the two college kids were killed by Nora and Mary Louise in Never Let Me Go. The tour guide then corrals his customers back into his bus to head for the next stop. Once they're all seated, he gets into the driver's seat and turns around to address them]
: TOUR GUIDE: Any questions before we head to the final stop on our tour?
[One of the men on the bus speaks up to answer]
: MALE CUSTOMER: Yeah. So, when does this get scary?
: TOUR GUIDE: [offended] Hey! This isn't some haunted hayride, okay? If you want teenagers dressed up in silly costumes giving you jump scares, go to Grove Hill.
[Just then, the customers are all distracted by the sight of someone stalking toward the bus, though the tour guide doesn't immediately notice. One of the women on the bus points toward the front of the bus in horror as Oscar jumps onto the hood of the bus and punches through the windshield]
: TOUR GUIDE: [terrified] AHHHHHH!
[Oscar grabs the tour guide by the front of the shirt and throws him out into the woods. All of the customers sitting on the bus yelp and shriek in horror for a moment before pausing to see what's going on. After a moment, one of the men begins to clap, thinking that this was just part of the tour. However, just as everyone else begins to clap as well, they are quickly proven to be mistaken when Oscar, covered in blood (presumably from feeding on the tour guide) breaks the emergency door in the back and loudly growls at them, fully vamped-out and baring his fangs, scaring everyone to the point of screaming in fear]
: CUSTOMERS: AHHHHH! AHHHH!
[The camera cuts to outside of the bus, where Oscar is viciously attacking and feeding on the people inside. Blood splatters all over the window as the victims one by one are thrown against the glass as they die from blood loss. Suddenly, Lily appears, looking both appalled and horrified by his behavior as she watches him violently feeding on the neck of one of the men on the tour]
: LILY: Oscar, enough!
[At the sound of Lily's voice, Oscar stops feeding on the man and stares at her]
: LILY: What on earth has gotten into you?
[Oscar growls at her menacingly as he drops the man's body onto the ground and jumps down onto the ground from the bus. Lily, worried he may attack her, holds her hand up in a non-threatening manner and tries to talk him down]
: LILY: Oscar, you're not yourself when you feed. You know that.
[Oscar starts walking toward Lily, and Lily, scared, backs away slowly]
: LILY: You remember how we live. You remember-- everything in moderation!
[Lily, so distracted by Oscar's threatening glare, accidentally trips and falls backward onto the ground, and Oscar is about to lunge at her when Damon appears out of nowhere and snaps his neck before he can hurt her. Lily looks shocked, both by the fact that Damon just saved her and Oscar's behavior in general, and she pants in an attempt to catch her breath as she looks up at her biological son]
: DAMON: [smirks] Now I get it. Your favorite sons are the ones with the Ripper problems. I highly recommend a detox and' an intervention. Now it's your turn-- where the hell is Elena?
[Lily frowns unhappily at Damon]
== HEAVEN AND HELL BALL ==
[The party is over, and people are starting to clean up the mess left behind by the attendants. Over on a nearby couch, Nora awakens to find herself laying with her head on Mary Louise's lap and rubs her sore neck. When she remembers what happened, she quickly sits up]
: NORA: [panicked] Where are they?
: MARY LOUISE: [calmly] It doesn't matter.
[Nora stands to her feet, looking anxious]
: NORA: Of course it matters! They were going to hurt you! I'm going to find them, and rip their heads off, and smash them together like two disgusting melons, and...
[Mary Louise, amused by this reaction, starts to smile affectionately at her, which Nora notices]
: NORA: Why are you smiling?
: MARY LOUISE: I can't help it. You're adorable.
[Mary Louise stands up as well to look Nora in the eyes, and Nora smiles at her before leaning forward and kissing her. After a moment, Nora pulls away and takes Mary Louise's hands into her own, looking guilty for their earlier fight]
: NORA: I'm sorry. You were right to worry.
: MARY LOUISE: No. I'm sorry. We've been on our own-- scorned, abused, imprisoned-- for so long, I've forgotten that this world is meant to be enjoyed, not feared.
[Mary Louise smiles at Nora lovingly]
: MARY LOUISE: Help me remember.
[Mary Louise, still holding Nora's hand, turns and leads her onto the empty dance floor, where they start to slow dance to the ballad that is playing. They hold each other so close that they're resting their heads on the other's shoulders]
: NORA: We should get back to Mystic Falls.
: MARY LOUISE: We've spent an entire lifetime there. The night is ours.
[They continue to dance together on the dance floor while custodians clean across the room]
== WHITMORE COLLEGE ==
[Stefan and Caroline, still making out, have managed to find their way back to Caroline and Bonnie's dorm room. After a moment, Caroline breaks away, looking anxious]
: CAROLINE: No! Wait, wait, wait. This can't happen yet!
: STEFAN: Yes, it can. That's the whole point.
[He leans in to start kissing her again, but she pulls away and keeps talking]
: CAROLINE: No! I need you to know that I am not some insecure, jealous girlfriend, okay?
: STEFAN: Mmhmm.
[Stefan once again tries to keep kissing her, but Caroline isn't finished talking yet]
: CAROLINE: It's just when I get something that I've wanted for a really long time, sometimes I do this thing--
: STEFAN: [interrupts her] --You overthink things. Yeah, I know.
: CAROLINE: Yeah, but sometimes, I say things that I don't really need to say, but I'm just scared that I'm the only one thinking them.
[Stefan finally pulls away from Caroline a tiny bit so he can respond]
: STEFAN: The reason that I'm not talking about Valerie is because I'm not thinking about Valerie. I'm thinking about you, and how you and I have had more history in the last five years than most people have in a lifetime.
[These words seem to finally convince Caroline, because she stops talking and starts kissing him again. The two continue to make out as they take off each others clothes until they finally fall into Caroline's bed and begin to make love for the first time with their humanity turned on]
== MYSTIC GRILL ==
[Matt, who is on patrol, walks into the darkened Mystic Grill to find someone sitting at the bar. He aims his rifle at the person, and when the camera angle changes, it reveals that Valerie is sitting at the bar with a glass of bourbon]
: MATT: Hey. This is off-limits to...
[Valerie turns to see who it is, which startles Matt so much that he cocks his rifle in anticipation. He doesn't realize who she is until a moment later]
: MATT: You're one of the Heretics.
: VALERIE: [boredly] Yep. Don't do anything stupid.
: MATT: Right now, there's a tour bus full of corpses in the cemetery because I didn't do anything stupid.
: VALERIE: Well, I'm in danger of being exiled from my family because I did something extra stupid.
[Matt huffs a humorous laugh]
: VALERIE: Join me for a drink?
: MATT: [unamused] If you're not gone by the time I count to three, I'll shoot you right now.
[Valerie rolls her eyes and turns her back to him, clearly not afraid of his threats]
: MATT: One... two...
[Before he can finish counting, Enzo vamp-speeds toward him and grabs the gun from him, accidentally discharging it into the ceiling in the process]
: ENZO: [to Matt] Stick to tourists.
[Matt glares at Enzo, but after a long moment, he reluctantly turns to leave. Once he's gone, Enzo walks over to join Valerie at the bar]
: ENZO: You're welcome.
: VALERIE: [rolls her eyes] I'm swooning on the inside.
: ENZO: [chuckles] Heh.
: VALERIE: In case it's not entirely obvious by now, I came here to be alone.
: ENZO: Or, you're planning your escape. Only a matter of time before Oscar sobers up and fingers you as his would-be murderer, which clearly you're bloody awful at.
: VALERIE: [sighs] What do you want, Enzo?
: ENZO: I want, dear, not-so-innocent Valerie, for you to tell me how we're going to prevent Julian from walking back into Lily's life.
[Valerie seems surprised by this response, though she is visibly relieved to know Enzo is on her side]
== MYSTIC FALLS CEMETERY ==
[Damon has just set the victims of Oscar's Halloween tour bus massacre on fire to hide the evidence before returning to talk to Lily
: LILY: I've asked Beau to remove the cloaking spell from Elena's coffin. You will find her in the ruins of the old Salvatore mansion.
: DAMON: [rolls his eyes] Clever... ish.
: LILY: [smugly] I do think so.
[Damon pauses before he speaks up]
: DAMON: I'm moving back to Mystic Falls.
[Lily looks momentarily surprised by this request, but she does her best to appear casual about it]
: LILY: [surprised] I will certainly ask the family to take it under consideration.
: DAMON: [annoyed] It wasn't a request. These people didn't deserve to be killed by one of your free-range children; Stefan's up to his hero-hair in Heretic drama; and I worry that Matt Donovan's funeral is gonna cut into my social schedule.
: LILY: [skeptically] And what? You're gonna help keep order? Damon, you could hardly keep a covered box safe. You do realize that this innate desire to keep Elena physically present in your life, this boyish refusal to let her go, will only put her in more danger? After everything you've been through, what a shame it would be to lose her because you're too terrified to find out who you actually are without her.
[Damon scowls at his mother, not at all thrilled about what she's just said. After a moment, Lily turns to leave, but gives Damon one last parting statement before she goes]
: LILY: If you dare to return to Mystic Falls, it's no skin off my nose.
[Before she can leave, Damon calls out to her]
: DAMON: I want one more thing.
== CLOSING MONTAGE ==
[At the SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE, Damon is seen walking down into the wine cellar in the basement, where he takes an old bottle of wine out of a drawer. Back at the OLD SALVATORE ESTATE, Damon is seen sitting on one of the broken-down walls in the ruins, where he is writing in a journal, narrating the entry in voiceover as he does so]
:: DAMON: [voice-over] Dear Elena... Yes, you heard that correctly-- Hell has frozen over. I'm writing it all down. Granted, I'm a half-bottle in, thanks to my 1950 Chateau Cheval Blanc, a bottle I waited 65 years to open. I used to spend nights sitting in my wine cellar, convincing myself I could actually hear it age-- tannins growing, fermenting. But, appreciating its beauty didn't make the time go by any faster. The bottle just laid there on its shelf, torturing me while I waited for Katherine and time stood still.
[Damon picks up his wine glass and spins the contents in his hand for a moment before sniffing it and taking a large sip. Beside him is Elena's coffin, which has been pulled out of its hiding place]
:: DAMON: [voiceover] Eventually, I convinced myself that no sip of that wine could ever taste as good as I dreamt it would, so I hid the bottle and walked away. And that is the story of why I drink bourbon.
[Damon leans forward and smiles weakly as he rubs the top of Elena's coffin with his hand]
:: DAMON: [voiceover] I don't know who I am without you. But I do know that as long as I'm without you, time will stand still.
[Just then, an SUV pulls up in front of Damon, and Tyler gets out to greet him]
:: DAMON: [voiceover] So, who is Damon Salvatore without Elena Gilbert? A selfish friend?
[At WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER, Bonnie and Alaric are standing by the autopsy table where Jo's body has been laid out. The book of Alaric's is on the table, and Bonnie is holding one of Jo's hands in her own while she casts the spell, staring at the Phoenix Stone resting on Jo's chest]
:: DAMON: [voiceover] A jealous brother?
[At WHITMORE COLLEGE, Caroline and Stefan are laying naked in bed, covered only in a sheet. They're spooning, and Caroline is fast asleep, though Stefan is still awake and smiling happily]
:: DAMON: [voiceover] A horrible son?
[At the SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE, Oscar is still unconscious in bed while Lily, looking concerned, walks in to set a glass of ice water on the bedside table. Lily then leans over and brushes a lock of hair off of his forehead with her fingers]
[At the SALVATORE ESTATE, Damon helps Tyler load Elena's coffin into his SUV before Tyler gets into his car to drive away, leaving a saddened Damon behind]
:: DAMON: [voiceover] Or maybe, with a little luck, I'll do right by you. Because you may be one thousand miles away, or one hundred years away, but you're still with me, and my heart is right there in that coffin with you... 
[At WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER, Bonnie is finishing up the spell, and the bubbles within the Phoenix Stone moves as the magic takes hold]
:: DAMON: [voiceover] ...Until you come back to me.
[Suddenly, Jo's eyes flick open, causing Alaric and Bonnie to gasp in shock and relief. Jo, confused, slowly looks around at them, her face still pale and colorless]
END CREDITS
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Category:Episode Transcripts
Category:The Vampire Diaries Season Seven