FLASHBACK-- WHITMORE COLLEGE, THREE YEARS AGO (2013)[]
[Bonnie has just arrived at her dorm, looking depressed about everything that has happened, and walks up the stairs to the room she shared with Caroline, where she begins to pack up her things. She pulls photos of herself, Caroline, Elena, and the others from the corkboard on the wall before putting Ms. Cuddles and her other belongings into a cardboard box. She's in the middle of carrying one of the boxes toward the door when she sees the letter Damon left for her prior to his desiccation sitting on the dresser against the nearby wall. She sees "BONNIE" written on the front in Damon's handwriting and flips it over to find the Salvatore wax stamp sealing it shut and pauses for a moment before unceremoniously shoving it into the box without opening it]
[She then heads toward the door, where she sees E.G., B.B., and C.F. carved into the door frame for Elena Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett, and Caroline Forbes and smiles sadly at the reminder of her best friends and how far away they are. She walks out the door and down the hallway to take the box to her car, but freezes in her tracks when she sees the shadows of several people entering the dorm. They're clad in the typical black clothing of the Armory agents, and one has just pulled a tranquilizer pistol out of thigh holster. Terrified, Bonnie ducks around the staircase, shoving the box on a nearby table as the agents start to walk up the stairs. Bonnie's breathing becomes rapid until suddenly, Enzo appears behind her and places his hand over her mouth, muffling her scream of fear]
[Bonnie and Enzo watch as the agents continue to flood up the stairs for a moment before Enzo vamp-speeds them away and pins Bonnie to the floor behind the couch]
- ENZO: Shh. Shh
[The agents slowly make their way down the stairs and start to search the dorm. When they hear the characteristic *whooshing* noise that indicates a vampire super-speeding away, the agents become alarmed and head toward the couch, but when they look behind it, Bonnie and Enzo have vanished]
[The scene cuts to a nearby alcove, where Enzo finally lets go of Bonnie, and she looks at him with wide eyes]
- BONNIE: What is going on?
- ENZO: Alex told the Armory to bring you in. I'm not gonna let them.
[Bonnie seems surprised and genuinely appreciative of Enzo's efforts to save her]
- BONNIE: Thank you.
[Enzo quickly pulls out a syringe and jams it into Bonnie's arm, injecting her with the anti-magic sedative made from Rayna's blood, and Bonnie gasps in surprise]
- BONNIE: Oh...
[Bonnie passes out and goes limp in Enzo's arms as he gently whispers to her]
- ENZO: Thank me when this is over, love.
END FLASHBACK
TITLE CARD & OPENING CREDITS
PRESENT DAY-- MENTAL HEALTH CENTER, ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA (2016)[]
[The scene picks up where the the previous episode ended, with Bonnie finishing packing up her belongings in her room at the psychiatric facility while Enzo watches her with concern and while Damon presumably paces around in the hallway]
- ENZO: Do you feel well enough to travel? 'Cause the minute those anti-magic pills wear off, Alex will be able to track you again.
- BONNIE: [shrugs] I feel fine. I don't feel sick at all. I don't understand any of this.
[Enzo grimaces at the reminder that Bonnie is dying and sighs before getting up and walking toward her]
- ENZO: Ah, love. Come here.
[Enzo embraces her tightly from behind, and Bonnie's eyes become wet with tears as she continues to process the news she received in the last episode]
- BONNIE: And I can't believe this is happening.
- ENZO: [determinedly] It's not. This is just a... a series of unfortunate events leading up to your ultimate salvation. I swear it.
[Bonnie sighs and makes a pouty face]
- BONNIE: Do I have to open the door?
[Enzo chuckles, though he knows how serious their situation is]
- ENZO: He wants to help. And if I'm being completely honest, we could use it.
[Bonnie groans as Enzo steps away from her]
- BONNIE: Great.
[Bonnie reluctantly turns and opens the door to her room, where Damon is still standing with the flowers he bought her and is looking desperate to make things right. He smiles at her and holds up the flowers as he goes to walk through the door]
- DAMON: I have an idea--
[Bonnie, who has just walked back to stand next to Enzo, cuts him off with an unimpressed expression]
- BONNIE: No. You don't speak to me. You speak to Enzo. If you have any ideas how to keep me from dying, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear them, but I don't want to hear one word from your mouth directed at me. You lost the right to my attention when you decided to leave without saying goodbye.
[Damon is surprised by the intensity of Bonnie's rage toward him and struggles to find the words to say to this request, though he's ultimately stricken speechless. Bonnie picks up her bag, which Enzo chivalrously takes from her to carry himself as Bonnie addresses her boyfriend]
- BONNIE: You're driving.
[Bonnie shoots a glare at Damon before turning back to Enzo]
- BONNIE: He can follow.
[Bonnie walks past the still-speechless Damon, whose mouth keeps opening and closing like a fish, still stunned by his reception at this reunion. Enzo follows Bonnie out the door, clapping Damon on the shoulder before heading out to his car, leaving a frowning and confused Damon in the doorway of Bonnie's room]
ALARIC & CAROLINE'S HOUSE-- DALLAS, TEXAS[]
[An unseen person knocks on the front door of Alaric and Caroline's house, and when Alaric opens it, he's surprised to see Stefan standing on his doorstep. Stefan looks awkward and uncomfortable about this reunion with his old friend, and Alaric doesn't seem especially thrilled to see him]
- STEFAN: Hi.
- ALARIC: [sighs] Look, whatever's gone wrong, I really can't do another escapade today.
- STEFAN: No. No escapades, no scar, no running from Rayna. And thank you for your help with that, by the way.
- ALARIC: Not like I had a choice, but... you're welcome.
- STEFAN: So, anyway, I was actually hoping to, uh, speak to Caroline.
- ALARIC: She's not here right now.
[Stefan is visibly disappointed by this answer, but tries his best not to show it]
- STEFAN: Ah.
[He hesitates for a moment before pointing behind Alaric into the house]
- STEFAN: Do you think I could...?
[Alaric sighs and looks around for a moment before reluctantly nodding and stepping aside]
- ALARIC: Yeah. Yeah, sure. Come on in.
[Having now been invited, Stefan smiles politely as he steps over the threshold and into the house]
- STEFAN: Thanks.
[Alaric frowns as he closes the door behind them]
ON THE ROAD/ ENZO'S SAFE HOUSE[]
[Enzo and Bonnie are driving in Enzo's car while they talk about Damon and their current situation]
- ENZO: You know, the odds of us getting through this without a single word being spoken...
- BONNIE: Lots of words can be spoken. I just don't want him to speak any to me.
- ENZO: [chuckles] I thought we'd gotten past the anger stage.
- BONNIE: [irritably] We had. We were blissfully not angry because we had blissfully moved on from Damon and his selfish, narcissistic existence. But, when someone who you have erased from your mind has the audacity to show up at your door with flowers, and not even your favorite flowers-- not even your favorite flowers, by the way--
[Bonnie playfully smacks Enzo on the leg]
- BONNIE: Anger returns. Anger floods. I'm flooded.
[Enzo laughs at Bonnie's remarks as they pull down an old dirt road, which leads to a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods. Damon pulls in behind them in his Camaro and gets out of the car to join them]
- DAMON: Well, this is... quaint.
[Enzo grabs Bonnie's bag out of the back of his car before heading toward the cabin]
- ENZO: We'll be safe here for a few hours. I've kept this place off the grid for years.
- DAMON: Lonely, cramped, like a prison cell. I can see why you like it.
[Bonnie, who was just about to walk in the front door, stops on the doorstep and turns to Damon to give him a dirty look, though she purposely speaks to Enzo instead of him]
- BONNIE: You know what? He's welcome to go back to his musty old mansion far away from here.
- DAMON: And miss the chance to see this den of iniquity? No.
[The three of them walk inside, and Damon takes a look around as Bonnie and Enzo set their belongings down]
- DAMON: Oh. Cozy. It's a big step, moving in with someone.
[Bonnie rolls her eyes and gets started on lighting the fireplace as Damon turns to face Enzo, rubbing his hands together in anticipation]
- DAMON: All right, let's do this. Where are you hiding that pesky little huntress?
- ENZO: [sighs] Storm cellar. Follow me.
[Enzo turns and walks back out the front door to head to the side cellar door while Damon follows close behind him. When they leave, Bonnie picks up a fireplace poker and looks at it, causing her to be transported into a flashback to the first time she ever came to the cabin]
FLASHBACK-- ENZO'S SAFEHOUSE, THREE YEARS AGO (2013)[]
[Bonnie has just awakened on the couch, still groggy from the effects of the sedative Enzo gave her back at Whitmore. When she remembers what happened, she scrambles to her feet and walks over to the fireplace. Just then, Enzo walks in the front door, and she immediately tries to attack him with a fireplace iron, though he easily dodges her strikes. He eventually grabs the fireplace iron out of her hands, so Bonnie rushes toward the door to flee the cabin, only for Enzo to vamp-speed in front of her to block her path. Bonnie, at a loss for options, thrusts out her hands to attack him with magic]
- BONNIE: [chants] Motus.
[Unfortunately for her, her magic isn't working as a result of Rayna's blood being in the sedative, and when Bonnie tries to run away, Enzo stands in her way and blocks her, grabbing her by the shoulders to hold her back and causing Bonnie to violently struggle against him]
- BONNIE: Get off!
- ENZO: Hey, hey. You're not a prisoner, Bonnie. I'm trying to keep you safe.
- BONNIE: Yeah? You got a funny way of showing it! Secluded cabin? Anti-magic sedatives?
- ENZO: Yeah, it's to keep you hidden from the Armory. Alright?
[Bonnie is still skeptical of his intentions, but when she realizes she's not in immediate danger, she calms down slightly, which seems to relieve Enzo]
- ENZO: Look, I don't know why they want you, but they want you, and in my experience, when they're being dodgy about what they want, it's because they want it for dodgy purposes.
- BONNIE: [confused] I thought you worked for them.
- ENZO: No, my allegiance is to myself. Simpler that way.
[Enzo, still holding the poker in his hands, walks over to the nearby table, which is covered in books and journals, and gestures toward them]
- ENZO: What you should want to know is why you're important to Alex. Now, in exchange for protection, plus complimentary room and board, you're gonna do some research for me, college girl. Sift through these and figure out why the Armory is so desperate to get their hands on you.
[Bonnie gives him a look before replying in a mocking, patronizing tone of voice]
- BONNIE: Oh, can Enzo not read?
[Enzo rolls his eyes, but it's obvious he's enjoying their banter as he sits on the edge of the table and pulls a bottle of pills out of his hoodie pocket]
- ENZO: While I'm away, keeping up appearances with them... If you take one of these every day, you'll be safe. Hidden from locator spells.
- BONNIE: If I don't?
- ENZO: I'm sure Alex has a cozy little cell waiting for you.
- BONNIE: [suspiciously] Why are you doing this?
- ENZO: Maybe I'd rather see you alive than dead. Maybe I'm just curious about what the Armory's plans are. Or maybe I'm just showing you common decency. I can tell you're not used to that.
[Bonnie sighs and closes her eyes for a moment, considering her options and her current situation, before groaning defeatedly]
- BONNIE: Okay. Say I take you up on this protection, for now. If I stay here... I set the ground rules.
[Enzo seems quite pleased that she's agreeing to his plan]
- ENZO: I expect nothing less.
END FLASHBACK
PRESENT DAY-- ENZO'S SAFEHOUSE (2016)[]
[Back in reality, Bonnie sets down the fireplace poker before pulling Damon's letter out of her bag, and she sighs as she looks at it]
[Meanwhile, Enzo has just brought Damon downstairs into the storm cellar, where Rayna is frantically scribbling with a black marker on pages of various books that have been torn out of their bindings. Some of what she's writing are words, and others are sketches of various shapes, but she's writing too quickly to be able to discern what exactly it says or illustrates. She pauses for a moment and winces, her face screwed up in pain as a result of all the visions overwhelming her. Damon looks confused and slightly unnerved by her behavior as he and Enzo watch from the doorway]
- DAMON: What the hell's wrong with her?
- ENZO: Her brain is full of visions. She's still got a mystical connection to all those vampires who escaped the phoenix stone. It's made her a little... loony.
- RAYNA: [annoyed] I'm right in front of you. You don't have to talk about me in the third person.
- DAMON: All right, all right, Kooky-Pants.
[Damon walks over to Rayna and crouches down behind her so they're at eye-level]
- DAMON: We're here to broker a deal.
- RAYNA: I already told Enzo I don't know how to help your friend.
- DAMON: Yes, and Enzo's the kind of guy who'd take "No" for an answer. Me, on the other hand? I'm stubborn, I'm willful, I'm bossy. I usually get what I want. So, let me ask you this-- what if you had a little help brooming out those runaway prisoners?
[Rayna stops writing, clearly intrigued by this proposal, which Damon takes as a good sign]
- DAMON: A hit squad, if you will. Hmm?
- RAYNA: [sighs] I'm listening.
- DAMON: Well, me and my pal Enzo here would be happy to wipe out anyone off your list in exchange for a teensy-weensy favor.
- RAYNA: And what might that be?
- DAMON: Oh, basically...
[Damon stands to his feet, groaning slightly as he does so]
- DAMON: ...We want you to die.
[Rayna makes a face before rolling her eyes and returning to her writing]
- RAYNA: Not my definition of "favor"...
- DAMON: Enzo, tell the lady why this is such an amazing trade.
- ENZO: You're on your last mortal life.
- RAYNA: I'm aware.
- ENZO: Now, what we'd like to do is to take that shamanic life and transfer it to Bonnie. We think it will heal her.
- RAYNA: What if you're wrong?
- ENZO: Bonnie thinks it will work. She's very well-read on this stuff.
- RAYNA: If I give up my link to the Everlasting, I'll die.
- DAMON: Yep. But if you don't, I'll kill the Everlasting, and you'll die anyway.
[Enzo rolls his eyes and gives Damon a look that says, "Really? Not helping," before Damon sighs and tries again]
- DAMON: Look, at least this way you get to be a Good Samaritan.
- RAYNA: [exasperatedly] Is this really your best sales pitch?
- ENZO: [sighs] Alright, ignore him. He's the bad cop, I'm the good cop. Here's what I've got to offer.
[Damon rolls his eyes and mutters mockingly under his breath as he turns and starts to pace around]
- DAMON: Okay...
[Enzo crouches down so he can look Rayna in the eyes]
- ENZO: You've been chasing vampires every day of your eight lives. Every day. Then a couple of renegade Heretics went and blew up the phoenix stone, and now a bunch of its prisoners are out in the wind again.
[Rayna frowns when he realizes where he's going with this, and starts to consider the implications of what he's talking about]
- ENZO: So, for the rest of your remaining days, you will have to chase those vampires to the ends of the Earth until you're too old and too weak. And, you know what? You'll probably die before you can finish the task you've been compelled by destiny to complete.
- DAMON: Or, you can let us do your dirty work over the next few days, and you can die with quiet in your mind, peace, and a smile on your face. Hmm?
[Rayna seems annoyed that this is her best option, and grimaces before she finally responds]
- RAYNA: Prove it.
- DAMON: [confused] Prove what?
- RAYNA: Prove that you can kill the ones on my list-in-progress. Clear them from my head.
[Enzo sighs dramatically as he stands to his feet and walks over to join Damon, who makes a face as if to say, "Hey, it's a start"]
- RAYNA: When I can think better, I'll consider your deal.
- DAMON: Great! Give me the list.
[Rayna scoops up the dozens of torn-out pages of books that contain her scribbles, and Damon looks alarmed as she shoves them into his hands before turning and sitting back down on the floor so she can continue working on the list]
- DAMON: Whoa. You couldn't, uh, maybe use one of those psychic connections to conjure up a Google map or anything, huh?
- RAYNA: [sighs] The way I see it, those pills you've been using on Bonnie will wear off in the next 48 hours, and the Armory will come calling for her. That's if the withdrawal doesn't escalate her illness. And those vampires could be anywhere. You'd better get started.
[Damon makes a face as he starts rifling through the pages in his hands]
FLASHBACK-- BONNIE & ENZO'S SAFE HOUSE, TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO (AUTUMN 2013)[]
[Bonnie has just returned to the safe house to find Enzo waiting for her in the cabin]
- ENZO: Hey.
- BONNIE: Hey. Look.
[Bonnie smiles and walks over to him as she holds out her phone, which has a picture of months-old Josie and Lizzie Saltzman in their Halloween costumes on the screen]
- BONNIE: The girls are growing up so fast.
[Enzo makes a face as he looks at the photo]
- ENZO: They look like footballs in pumpkin costumes.
[Bonnie laughs as she sets down her camera and a book with blue pages that she begins to flip through at the breakfast table]
- ENZO: What have you got there?
- BONNIE: Blueprints of the Armory's underground levels. You ever been down there?
[Enzo sits down at the table with Bonnie, a mug of coffee in his hands, as Bonnie starts to strip off her scarf and winter coat]
- ENZO: No, actually. Uh, Alex said they were all sealed off.
- BONNIE: I wonder what's down there. The Armory collects things, right? Every museum has an archive where they keep the really good stuff.
- ENZO: What sort of good stuff?
- BONNIE: I don't know. Unique things. One-of-a-kind things. The outliers of a collection.
- ENZO: Outliers?
- BONNIE: Uh-huh. I mean, maybe that's why they wanted Elena.
- ENZO: A doppelgänger.
- BONNIE: And Rayna Cruz.
- ENZO: A shamanic huntress with multiple lives.
- BONNIE: And me.
- ENZO: A terrible guitar player.
[Bonnie gives him a look, which turns to a frown when Enzo sees the letter from Damon on the table, still unopened]
- ENZO: You still haven't burned this bloody letter?
- BONNIE: Every day I mean to, and every day I decide not to.
- ENZO: You know, he left me, too. Damon. We were best mates, side by side in Augustine cells for five years, each other's only friend. We gave each other hope. And then, one day, instead of implementing an escape plan we formulated together, he left me in a burning cage to die.
[Bonnie listens to him speak with interest as he chuckles bitterly]
- ENZO: So... believe me when I tell you that I know how you feel. And, look, let me just spare you the fifty years of mental anguish. It's not you, it's him, It's just who Damon is. So, stop wasting your time trying to figure out if it's something you did. Someone like you, with all that fire and passion and... loyalty, you deserve much, much better than that.
[Bonnie seems genuinely touched by his words and the fact that Enzo has just opened up to her, and she smiles at him]
END FLASHBACK
PRESENT DAY-- ALARIC & CAROLINE'S HOUSE-- DALLAS, TEXAS[]
[Alaric has just led Stefan into the kitchen of his and Caroline's house as the latter looks around at the place, which looks very lived-in]
- ALARIC: Care and the girls left in a hurry. Trying to stay under the radar 'til this Rayna thing blows over.
- STEFAN: No, no, it's, uh... it's nice.
- ALARIC: Yeah, thanks. You'd be amazed what you can accomplish when your fiancée can compel an interior designer and an entire homeowners' association.
- STEFAN: [confused] Mm. Thought you were, uh, out of the game?
- ALARIC: What do you mean?
- STEFAN: Well, the... supernatural world...?
- ALARIC: Oh, yeah, we are. But have you ever dealt with a homeowners' association?
[Stefan seems to be becoming more uncomfortable by the moment and chuckles politely]
- STEFAN: No, no. Can't say that I have.
- ALARIC: Uh, look, uh, I'd offer you something, but I haven't been to the store in a while... So, unless you want a juice box or some string cheese, I suggest we go somewhere else.
[Stefan hesitates for a moment before nodding in agreement]
- STEFAN: I could probably use something stronger.
[Stefan gets up and heads toward the front door, and Alaric nervously bites his lip]
ON THE ROAD TO RICHMOND, VIRGINIA[]
[Enzo is driving his car, with Bonnie riding shotgun and Damon stretched out in the backseat, where he's calling Rayna for information on where they're headed on speaker phone. Rayna is still in the storm cellar of the safe house, where she's sitting in a corner surrounded by all of the pages of her still-in-progress hit-list]
- DAMON: Ground control to Rayna Cruz. What's our mission?
- RAYNA: I'm sending you back towards Texas, where the Hell Stone got destroyed.
[Rayna screws up her face in concentration as she tries to work through all the visions currently flooding her mind]
- RAYNA: Think of that as the... center of the blast. Vampire souls scattered out in all directions, landing every which way. I can see the places they go and the people they kill-- things they see with their eyes.
[Rayna closes her eyes and concentrates even harder before she continues]
- RAYNA: Your next target is in Richmond. Inside a bright, clean room.
[Damon scoffs sarcastically]
- DAMON: Oh, yeah. I know exactly where that is.
- BONNIE: [sighs impatiently] Please tell us you're gonna give us more clues than that.
- RAYNA: You will, as they come to me.
[Rayna sighs in frustration, but when she speaks again, her voice is softer and kinder]
- RAYNA: I... I know it's not a lot to go on, but I'm hoping we can put together enough so that you guys can prove your effectiveness.
[Damon gasps dramatically as he looks at Enzo and Bonnie in the front seats]
- DAMON: Wow. You guys hearing this? Sorry, I'm just having a lot of difficulty wrapping my head around this new... cooperative-team-leader version of you. You've always hated us.
- RAYNA: Yeah, but I'm tired, you know? Multiple lifetimes-tired. You realize that in over a hundred years on this planet, I've never had even one day off. I just want a day without vampires. One free day where I can... feel the sun on my face, eat a cheeseburger, watch the ocean. Enjoy a few simple pleasures, for once. And then go to sleep.
- DAMON: Tell you what, why don't we circle back to the situation at hand. Where are you sending us next?
[Rayna concentrates and makes a disgusted face]
- RAYNA: ...I'm seeing a lot of teeth.
DENTIST OFFICE-- RICHMOND, VIRGINIA[]
[In the reception area of a dentist office in Richmond, a vampire is viciously feeding on an older woman who was waiting for her appointment, pinning her against the wall next to an advertisement for the office. Just then, Damon appears behind him]
- DAMON: I hope word of this doesn't get out.
[The vampire immediately stops what he's doing and turns around, throwing the now-dead woman onto the ground. As he walks toward Damon, the camera pans outward, revealing that the rogue vampire has already fed on the rest of the waiting patrons as well]
- DAMON: People already hate going to the dentist.
[Damon vamp-speeds toward the vampire, who grabs him by the hair and throws him into the glass window in front of the reception desk. Just as Damon is scrambling to his feet, Enzo vamp-speeds behind the man and grabs him in a headlock, though the man headbutts him so hard that Enzo is nearly knocked unconscious, allowing the vampire to swing Enzo around by the arm and fling him into Damon, knocking them both back down to the ground. Suddenly, Bonnie appears in the doorway of the entrance and shoots at him with a stake-shooting shotgun, though unfortunately for her, the mini-stake hits him in the calf rather than the chest, causing Damon to groan impatiently as he pulls himself back to his feet]
- DAMON: His heart's not in his ankle, Bonnie.
[Bonnie glares at him as she forcefully reloads the gun]
- BONNIE: Shut up. This thing has a kick!
[The vampire growls and turns toward Bonnie, who looks scared as she aims the gun at him. Damon, realizing she'll need help, vamp-speeds toward the vampire at the same time Enzo does, each man grabbing one of the rogue's arms so that Bonnie can get a clean shot to his chest. However, Bonnie misses again, hitting him in the thigh and making him so angry that he furiously flings Damon and Enzo at the nearby walls. When Enzo falls onto the floor, the rogue pulls the mini-stake out of his thigh and pins Enzo down to stake him, and is only stopped by Damon, who uses the nearby "Wet Floor" sign to chop the vampire's head off. Enzo and Damon are clearly exhausted and panting for breath as Enzo walks over to stand protectively next to Bonnie, who is still clutching her stake gun]
- DAMON: Well, uh, that wasn't so hard.
[Damon chuckles weakly, but Bonnie just glares at him, clearly not amused by his snarky comments]
FLASHBACK-- BONNIE & ENZO'S SAFE HOUSE, ONE AND A HALF YEARS AGO (2014)[]
[Snow is on the ground outside, and Bonnie is listening to a jazzy oldies song inside the safe house as she dozes while reading a book. After a moment, Enzo appears and refills her wine glass with red wine, which wakes her up. Enzo stands next to her and stares at her with the glass of wine in his hands until she finally gets him an exasperated look]
- BONNIE: What?
- ENZO: It's New Year's Eve. Get up. We're having dinner.
[Enzo takes a sip of his wine and hums in pleasure as Bonnie rolls her eyes and goes back to her book]
- ENZO: Mm.
[Enzo takes in Bonnie's appearance and rolls his eyes]
- ENZO: Oh, and for the love of God, please put on something besides these abhorrent sweatpants.
- BONNIE: [scoffs] What do you care about my sweatpants?
- ENZO: I'm instituting a dress code. For the holiday.
[Enzo smirks before sipping his wine and walking away, and Bonnie sighs. The scene cuts to Bonnie's bedroom, where she opens the door to reveal she's changed into a fancy black cocktail dress]
- BONNIE: This is the best I could do...
[Bonnie trails off with a gasp when she sees that Enzo has decorated the living room with dozens of strings of Christmas lights, and has set a fancy dinner table for two in front of the fireplace. Even more surprisingly, Enzo has changed into a formal suit, and he smiles at her as he pulls out a chair for her]
- ENZO: I thought you deserved a proper celebration.
[Bonnie seems shocked at this uncharacteristically kind gesture, and she smiles appreciatively. The scene cuts to the table, where Enzo and Bonnie have just finished their dinner. Bonnie still looks slightly disbelieving at what her life has become the past year and a half]
- BONNIE: If you would've told me a year ago we would be spending New Year's Eve together, I would have called you crazy.
[Enzo stands so he can put a different record in the record player and laughs]
- ENZO: Well, you've called me far worse than that in the past.
[He blows dust off of a record and sets it on the turnstile as Bonnie changes the subject]
- BONNIE: So, I was thinking about your cousin-- whatever you want to call her. Alex? How you said she never wanted to discuss her siblings. But her sister Virginia's journal talks about how close they were.
[A jazzy tune starts to play on the record player as Enzo joins Bonnie at the table once again, looking at her curiously]
- ENZO: What else does Virginia say?
- BONNIE: Kind of off-balance. Seems to hate everything your family stands for.
- ENZO: Well, at least she knows what that is. I'm still trying to figure it out.
[Enzo lifts his glass in cheers and drains the rest of the white wine inside of it, and Bonnie gives him a saddened look]
- BONNIE: Why do you care? Hmm? They abandoned you. Left you at a workhouse.
- ENZO: You have two parents, right?
[A brief flash of pain crosses Bonnie's face at the reminder, and Enzo instantly feels guilty for his choice of words]
- ENZO: Oh, sorry. Um, had-- I know your dad died. I had none. Curiosity about what they stand for is what keeps me from hating them for leaving me.
[Bonnie looks at Enzo curiously before a smile grows on her face, and Enzo's eyes wrinkle in confusion]
- ENZO: What?
- BONNIE: Nothing.
- ENZO: What?
[Bonnie plays coy and sips her wine]
- BONNIE: Nothing.
- ENZO: [giggles] What?
- BONNIE: [smiles] Just, after all this time, I think I'm finally starting to understand you.
[Enzo seems pleased to hear this from Bonnie, and after a moment, he stands to his feet with a smile and walks over to Bonnie's side of the table as he extends his hand]
- ENZO: May I have this dance?
[Bonnie chuckles and makes an exasperated face, though it's clear she's enjoying herself]
- BONNIE: 'Really?
[Enzo smiles wider and shrugs, and Bonnie sighs in mock defeat as she takes Enzo's proffered hand]
- BONNIE: Why the hell not?
[Enzo gently pulls her to her feet, keeping his left hand wrapped around Bonnie's right, and putting his right hand on the small of her back as they start to sway to the music]
- BONNIE: So, when I was reading the journal...
- ENZO: Enough research for one day.
- BONNIE: It's all I have to occupy me.
- ENZO: [playfully] Yeah?
- BONNIE: [smirks] Mmhmm.
- ENZO: All?
- BONNIE: Not all. Not counting guitar practice.
- ENZO: Eh, getting better.
- BONNIE: And the fire-building.
- ENZO: You are nearly an expert.
- BONNIE: And now this! Old-people dancing.
- ENZO: Quite
[Enzo spins Bonnie around before dipping her backward so deeply that Bonnie giggles happily. When he lifts her up, their faces are just centimeters apart, and it almost looks like they're about to kiss, but Enzo just smiles and stays where he is. After a moment, Bonnie smirks flirtatiously at him as though it's part of a game, and they just stare at each other for a long moment until Enzo turns his head to the side, gently nudging Bonnie's face with his nose. He is about to lace his fingers in Bonnie's with his left hand, but at the last moment, he simply trails his index finger across the palm of her hand before he sighs regretfully]
- ENZO: As lovely as this evening has been, I really must get going.
[Bonnie disappointed, but covers it up with an impish smile as she whispers in response
- BONNIE: It's not even midnight yet.
- ENZO: But I've already stayed too long. If I don't show up, Alex will wonder where I am.
- BONNIE: Forgot. Being a double agent must be a full-time job.
[Enzo smiles sadly, cupping the back of Bonnie's head with his hand. He leans forward and kisses her on the cheek before whispering in her ear]
- ENZO: Happy New Year.
[Bonnie looks sad as he lets go of her and walks toward the door, grabbing his coat from the hook and flinging it over his shoulder before turning to get one last look at Bonnie. After he leaves, Bonnie quietly replies]
- BONNIE: Happy New Year.
END FLASHBACK
PRESENT DAY-- DALLAS DINER, DALLAS, TEXAS / RICHMOND, VIRGINIA[]
[Stefan and Alaric are at the bar and grill diner near Alaric's house, where they're seated at a table and drinking beers together]
- WAITRESS: Order up!
[Just then, Stefan's phone rings, but when he sees it's Damon, he ignores it, which doesn't escape Alaric's attention]
- ALARIC: You're not gonna answer that?
- STEFAN: Damon and I are on a bit of a time-out.
- ALARIC: Really? And after all that trouble he went through to get that psychopath out of your body?
- STEFAN: [scoffs] Well, he's half the reason that psychopath was in my body in the first place. These last few days have been a painful reminder of the complicated nature of our relationship.
[Stefan's phone rings again, and he dramatically lifts up his phone and silences it before setting it back on the table. Alaric sighs in exasperation before he changes the subject]
- ALARIC: Okay, Stefan. What happened? Three years ago, you told Caroline you'd be with her when things were safe. Rayna got locked up... and you never showed.
- STEFAN: Well, that's not exactly how it went down.
- ALARIC: Well, that's how it went down for Caroline.
- STEFAN: There's more to the story.
- ALARIC: [tensely] Nothing you felt like sharing?
- STEFAN: Not at the time, no.
[It's clear that Alaric is not at all pleased by this conversation, and the aggravation and jealousy is clear in his voice when he returns]
- ALARIC: But now... now you're ready. Right. That's why you're here. I mean, forget you couldn't manage even a postcard these last three years, but now that she's built a new life, there's a wedding on the books, and you're just popping in to share your side of the story.
- STEFAN: Look, I made a choice back then, and I think that she deserves to know what and why.
[Stefan's phone starts to ring again, but Stefan doesn't pay any attention to it]
- ALARIC: [sarcastically] Wow, that's... really nice of you, Stefan, you know? Because I think she deserved to know the what and why, you know, before you stopped calling. It broke her heart.
[Alaric finally loses his temper and snaps at Stefan as his phone starts to ring again]
- ALARIC: Will you just answer the damn phone, please?
[Stefan is now just as frustrated, and he snaps at Damon as he answers the phone]
- STEFAN: What?
[Damon is still at the dentist office in Richmond, where night has fallen, and the bodies of the rogue vampire's victims lay sprawled around the room]
- DAMON: Where are you?
- STEFAN: [bitterly] I'm trying to pick up the pieces of my broken life, and something tells me you're about to disrupt that.
- DAMON: Gold-star guess, brother. Listen, I need some well-armed backup, any chance you can get your hands on a vamp arsenal?
[Stefan sighs and throws his free hand out in exasperation, as if to say, "Really? Now?"]
- STEFAN: Probably. Why?
- DAMON: Long story. It involves Rayna and some pretty nasty phoenix stone vamps and, uh...
[Damon takes a deep breath and tries to get Stefan to realize how serious the situation is]
- DAMON: I'm trying to save someone who hates me.
- STEFAN: [snarkily] Which one? There are so many.
[Damon sighs in frustration before he replies]
- DAMON: Bonnie's in trouble, Stefan.
[Stefan looks horrified by this revelation as he looks over at Alaric, who looks worried as well as Damon quietly continues]
- DAMON: Now, I know you don't owe me anything, but I really need the help.
[Stefan licks his lips anxiously and sighs before he reluctantly agrees to help]
- STEFAN: I'm with Ric. Just tell us what we can do.
ROGUE VAMPIRE HUNTING MONTAGE[]
[After the break, the scene cuts to a GOLF COURSE in OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, where a golf cart has been knocked onto its side, spilling several bags of golf clubs onto the grass next to where a rogue male vampire is viciously feeding on a golfer that he has pinned on his back on the ground. Just then, Alaric pulls up in another golf cart and parks right behind the vampire before getting out and yelling at him]
- ALARIC: Hey!
[The vampire stops feeding and looks up at Alaric, hissing at him maliciously before he stands to his feet and stalks toward Alaric. Alaric looks momentarily alarmed until Stefan, with a golf club in one hand, vamp-speeds behind the rogue vampire and rips his heart out through his back. Alaric smirks, clearly impressed, as Stefan holds both the heart and the golf club (which appears to be a driver of some sort) into the air]
- STEFAN: Fore!
[Stefan swings the club like a baseball back and uses the heart as a ball, which is knocked far away]
[Meanwhile, back at BONNIE & ENZO'S SAFE HOUSE, Rayna is still in the storm cellar, where she's scribbling more notes on ripped out pages from a book that appears to be written in Danish, though Rayna's notes are unintelligible]
[In CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, Enzo has just ripped out the heart of another rogue vampire from the phoenix stone in what looks like a boxing gym of some kind. Bonnie holds out a large black garbage can, and Enzo throws the heart inside of it, just as another rogue vampire's body is thrown down the adjacent hall and into the door to the weight room, smashing the glass panel in the door. Damon appears a moment later with the vampire's disembodied head, and Bonnie rolls her eyes as she holds out the trash can, allowing Damon to throw the head inside as though it's a basketball and the can is a basketball hoop]
[Rayna continues to scribble notes at BONNIE & ENZO'S SAFE HOUSE. Meanwhile, in WICHITA, KANSAS, Stefan has just tackled a vampire inside of what appears to be a greenhouse, pinning him down flat on his back on a table so Alaric, wielding an ax, can decapitate him]
[In ATLANTA, GEORGIA, Damon and Bonnie have cornered two female rogue vampires in the back room of a furniture store, where the two amateur hunters shoot at them simultaneously with their stake-shooting shotguns. Both of them hit the vampires straight in the chest, and the force of the shots causes the rogues to fly backward into a shelf of wooden chairs, which completely collapses. The now-dead vampires are hit with an avalanche of broken chair pieces, and Damon looks at Bonnie with pride]
- DAMON: Huh! This Bonnie and Clyde and Clyde routine is starting to improve your aim.
[Bonnie smiles fakely but refuses to make eye contact with him, clearly still angry about what has happened between them]
- BONNIE: I just picture your face as the target.
[Bonnie walks away without another word, and Damon frowns, still hurt about Bonnie's behavior toward him despite knowing that he did her wrong]
[Elsewhere in the furniture store, Enzo is on high alert as he slowly makes his way through the storehouse, keeping his guard up for any rogue vampires. However, when he hears footsteps approaching him, he frowns and walks around the corner to find, to his surprise, that Alex is standing in the aisle with a smug smile]
- ALEX: Been looking for you, cousin.
[Enzo smiles and plays along]
- ENZO: I'm flattered!
[As Alex walks closer to him, Damon and Bonnie silently duck behind a shelf of bar stools so they can listen to their conversation while staying out of sight]
- ALEX: Not too hard to find you, seeing as you've left a trail of vampire corpses across the southeast.
[Enzo narrows his eyes as he takes in this information, and Alex calmly takes another step toward him]
- ALEX: Before you think about hurting me, my team knows where I am. One text from me, and they'll storm the entire building. Somehow I don't think you want that.
[Enzo seems to be alarmed, though he covers it up with a nonchalant shrug as he raises his voice loud enough so Bonnie and Damon can hear him, hoping that they'll understand he means for them to stay hidden]
- ENZO: Well, it makes no difference to me. I'm in here alone.
[Damon tugs on Bonnie's arm as if to pull her out so they can get out of there before they're spotted, knowing that Enzo is trying to tell them to leave without him, but Bonnie glares at him as she yanks out of his grasp and mouths "No!" at him]
- ALEX: Doing what?
- ENZO: Shopping for chairs, of course.
- ALEX: You can't keep hiding her from me.
[Damon continues to try to get Bonnie to at least move farther away, but she won't budge and instead focuses on Enzo and Alex's conversation]
- ENZO: I don't control Bonnie's movements.
[Enzo walks past Alex, who decides to drop the first metaphorical bomb]
- ALEX: So, it was her idea to go undercover at the psychiatric ward?
[Enzo stops in his tracks, and Damon, who has had enough of silently arguing with Bonnie, grabs her by the arm and vamp-speeds her away before their presence is detected by Alex and the Armory. Meanwhile, Enzo and Alex continue to talk]
- ALEX: There was an incident at my sister's hospital yesterday. I was notified with all the details. Virginia often has violent episodes. That's why I had her committed-- after she killed Lucy Bennett.
[Enzo looks stunned by this realization, which doesn't escape Alex's notice despite Enzo's attempts to keep his surprise concealed from her]
- ALEX: You didn't know?
- ENZO: [scoffs] Why on earth would I know that?
[Alex sighs deeply before she explains what she knows]
- ALEX: Four years ago, Virginia forced Lucy to seal a vault in the Armory with magic. Only problem was our other sister Yvette was still inside when they closed it. I need to get her out. Bonnie can help me do that.
[Enzo frowns in confusion for a moment before chuckling nervously, holding up his hands in a non-threatening gesture]
- ENZO: I... Sorry, I don't mean to be callous, but unless that vault has a well-stocked kitchen, I'm afraid your sister has died of starvation.
[Tears start to fill Alex's eyes at this remark, and she gets a determined look on her face]
- ALEX: You're wrong. Something has kept her alive in there. I can hear her voice calling to me for help. It's my fault that she's suffering. I know you understand that kind of guilt.
[As Alex expected, Enzo does look guilty at the reminder that Bonnie is dying, and it's clear by the strained tone of his voice that his patience is wearing thin]
- ENZO: I am sure that you did not come here so we could discuss our feelings.
- ALEX: Your situation is untenable. You care for a girl that probably doesn't have long to live. I need that girl to perform a simple spell so I can put our family back together. I feel like you and I could solve each other's problems, Lorenzo. Bring me Bonnie Bennett, and I will do everything I can to save her life.
[Enzo frowns and considers her offer, unsure of whether or not he can trust her]
ON THE ROAD[]
[Bonnie is scowling as she sits in the passenger seat of Enzo's car while Damon drives them away from the furniture store and attempts to explain his actions]
- DAMON: Enzo's a big boy. He can take care of himself.
- BONNIE: [coldly] I don't want to talk to you.
[Damon sighs in exasperation and frustration before he replies]
- DAMON: Look, Bonnie, had Alex seen you, she would have called in her SWAT team and all this would have been for nothing. We had to jet.
[Bonnie sighs deeply before responding to his pleas in an exhausted, weak voice]
- BONNIE: I'm tired, Damon. And I don't feel good and I'm worried about Enzo, so stop trying so hard, okay?
[Damon seems to think this is progress and remains silent. Just then, Bonnie's phone rings, and when she sees it's Enzo, she wastes no time in answering it]
- BONNIE: Please tell me you're alright.
[Enzo is walking around the storeroom of the furniture shop as he talks to Bonnie]
- ENZO: Don't worry about me, love. Our cousin Alex only wanted to have a chat, and then she let me go.
- BONNIE: [frowns] That's not sketchy at all...
- ENZO: Agreed.
- BONNIE: Is she still looking for me?
- ENZO: Of course. Yeah, she's still banging on about this vault and how we should both work together. You know, I actually think she's being sincere.
[Damon, who has been eavesdropping on their conversation, interjects sarcastically]
- DAMON: And here I thought your new boyfriend was actually smarter than your last one.
- BONNIE: [rolls her eyes] We don't trust her, Damon.
- ENZO: No, not for a second. She's closing in.
[Damon is immediately horrified when Bonnie puts the phone back to her ear, revealing a large, scabby lesion on the back of her hand]
- ENZO: So, look, after I wrestle myself a car, I'll meet back up with you and we'll get back to Rayna's list, alright?
[Bonnie notices Damon's look of horror and is momentarily distracted from her call with Enzo. She follows his line of sight to her hand, and lowers it to see the lesion for herself, which makes her just as worried]
- ENZO: Hello? You still there?
[Damon, who is nearly speechless with concern, finally replies so Enzo can hear him]
- DAMON: Yeah. Just one problem.
[Bonnie pulls herself together with a sigh and puts the phone back to her ear]
- BONNIE: From what you know about the sickness, how much time do I have left after the, uh... first scab appears?
[Enzo literally gasps in shock at this news, and, like Damon, is rendered speechless for a moment before he weakly replies]
- ENZO: Um... a week. Maybe less.
[Bonnie and Damon both look overwhelmed with fear]
FLASHBACK-- BONNIE & ENZO'S SAFE HOUSE, ONE YEAR AGO (2015)[]
[Enzo has just returned to the safe house with coffee for both of them, where he finds the front door is ajar. He's alarmed at first, until he hears Bonnie attempting to learn how to play his guitar and smiles as he heads inside. When he enters the cabin and closes the door behind him, Bonnie smiles at him mischievously as she finishes off her simple song with a twang and spreads her arms as if to say, "Ta-da!", which amuses Enzo very much as he walks over to join her on the couch]
- ENZO: I only heard two dogs howling at the noise!
- BONNIE: Hilarious, as always. You stayed away long enough.
- ENZO: Yeah. Been busy at work-- they have me traveling more than I hoped. I trust your other pastimes have borne more results than your guitar?
- BONNIE: Well, the fireplace is burning perfectly.
[Enzo claps his hands in mock triumph at this news as he looks at her handiwork]
- BONNIE: And I found something in Virginia's diary.
- ENZO: Oh, yeah?
- BONNIE: Yeah. She knew my cousin, Lucy Bennett.
[Bonnie hands Enzo a folded sheet of paper, which he opens and skims curiously]
- BONNIE: It's a bill from a psychiatric hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Virginia's been a patient there for the past three years. She might have an idea about why the Bennett bloodline is so important to Alex.
[Enzo folds the bill up again and sets it on the coffee table before giving her a proud smile]
- ENZO: Color me impressed.
- BONNIE: New year, new me. A new mastery over an instrument.
[Bonnie quickly strums the guitar for emphasis, and Enzo wrinkles his nose playfully]
- BONNIE: No?
- ENZO: Let me show you.
[Enzo leans forward to help correct her fingers' positions on the frets as Bonnie replies in mock offense]
- BONNIE: I was doing it!
- ENZO: Not really.
[Enzo moves her fingers so that she can make a simple chord]
- ENZO: Here. This is it. Okay. You want to loosen up your hands. In there. And strum.
[Bonnie strums as instructed, but it sounds a little off, and Bonnie makes a face, but Enzo seems impressed]
- ENZO: Yeah, now back to the one chord. Right. There you go.
[Enzo helps her make a second chord and looks pleased when she strums and it actually sounds right]
- ENZO: That's it.
[However, Enzo simply strokes her hand with his fingers instead of helping her play, and the two stare at each other adoringly for a long moment as they smile happily. Finally, after a long moment, they lean forward over the guitar and kiss each other, gently at first, and then with more passion. They pull away several moments later, each keeping their eyes closed and gently nudging each other with their noses until Bonnie finally opens her eyes to stare at him. Enzo backs away uncertainly, allowing Bonnie to put down the guitar that is separating them as they stare at each other intensely. Finally, Bonnie lunges for him, straddling his lap as she pulls off her cardigan before making quick work of Enzo's pullover]
END FLASHBACK
PRESENT DAY-- HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA (2016)[]
[Outside of the building where the next target they're planning to kill for Rayna is located, Enzo and Bonnie are alternating between making out and being mushy with each other as they lean against the hood of Enzo's car, and Damon looks nauseous and uncomfortable as he watches them]
- ENZO: You wanted to get out of the house.
- BONNIE: Don't be ridiculous.
- ENZO: Come now, surely this qualifies as a date, of a sort.
- BONNIE: Nice try. Doesn't count.
- ENZO: Doesn't it?
[After a moment, Damon pulls out his phone and calls Stefan, who is walking around the woods of his own location where Rayna has sent him and Alaric to hunt some rogue vampires]
- STEFAN: Yeah?
- DAMON: Talk to me. About anything, please. I need new pictures in my head.
- STEFAN: Trees... Sky...
[Stefan shrugs, at a loss for options]
- STEFAN: ...Vervain grenades?
- DAMON: [rolls his eyes] Much better. Thank you.
- STEFAN: How's Bonnie doing?
- DAMON: Not as well as she's pretending to be. How's Ric holding up?
- STEFAN: He's circling around the next campsite to lay cover fire on any egress routes. I don't know. His words, not mine.
- DAMON: So he's having fun?
- STEFAN: He's only tolerating me because we're doing this for Bonnie. And if this is how Ric feels, imagine how much worse it's gonna be with Caroline.
- DAMON: Lighten up. Anything's possible. I mean, look, take me and Bon-Bon, for instance. Getting better every day.
[Just then, Damon's phone buzzes, and when he checks it, he finds a text message from Rayna before he returns to his call with Stefan]
- DAMON: Whoa, I got to jump, Rayna's got a bead on our nasty little runaways.
[Damon hangs up and approaches Bonnie and Enzo, who are still kissing and being cute together]
- DAMON: It's go time. Let's get'er done.
[Damon, Bonnie, and Enzo enter what appears to be a very fancy dining hall of sorts and walk into the main room of the restaurant, where three vampires are viciously feeding on the now-dead patrons. Blood is splattered all over the walls and stains the white tablecloths, indicating that the vampires have been bingeing on the blood of the customers for quite some time now]
- DAMON: Let's get'er done!
[When the rogue vampires realize they have visitors, they stand to their feet and hiss at them, baring their fangs menacingly, but Damon wastes no time flinging two stakes at them simultaneously, which embed themselves in two of the vampires' chests and kills them. The third vampire, a young man with tanned skin and light brown hair, looks panicked as Enzo vamp-speeds toward him and pins him to the nearby table in preparation to kill him as well, stabbing him in the stomach with a stake before the man starts to plead with him]
- LEWIS/BEAU: Lorenzo, don't. I'm a friend.
- ENZO: Sorry. I don't know you.
- LEWIS/BEAU: Of course you don't recognize me in this body. It's me... Beau.
[Enzo frowns in shock and reflexively pulls the stake out of Beau's new body as Damon, looking shocked, walks over to them]
- DAMON: Beau the Heretic? Wow. Small world. Well, welcome back!
[Damon grabs the stake from Enzo's hand]
- DAMON: And goodbye.
[Damon rears his arm back in preparation to stake Beau, but at the last moment, Bonnie stops him by grabbing him by the wrist]
- BONNIE: Don't kill him.
[Damon looks at Bonnie in confusion]
- DAMON: He's on the list, Bonnie. It's not up for debate.
- BONNIE: He helped save Caroline's life, and her kids. I'm not gonna let you murder him.
- DAMON: Oh, come on. Really?
[Bonnie turns to walk away, and Enzo gives Damon an exasperated look as he calls out after her]
- DAMON: Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa. Take a walk. Get a half-caf soy--
- BONNIE: [irritably] And you still don't even know my drink.
[Damon continues talking as though she hadn't spoken]
- DAMON: --And by the time you get back, Old Yeller will already be taken out to the barn.
[Bonnie takes the stake from him and hits the end of it against Damon's chest to emphasize her point]
- BONNIE: This is so like you.
- DAMON: Which part? Classic analogies?
[Damon stops speaking just long enough to vamp-speed toward Beau and Enzo, rip Beau's heart out, and return back to where he was standing in front of Bonnie]
- DAMON: Or that I don't ask permission to do what needs to be done?
[Bonnie looks horrified by Damon's behavior and watches angrily as he drops the heart on a plate next to one of the rogue vampires' victims. She glances over at Enzo, who gives her an apologetic look]
[The scene cuts to outside the restaurant, where Enzo has just finished depositing the victims' bodies in the dumpster outside, and where Damon is trying to justify his actions]
- DAMON: What if Bleeding-Heart Bonnie doesn't want to take out the next one?
- ENZO: Well, this sounds like the beginning of an accusation.
- DAMON: In case you forgot, sparing Beau would've been a huge dealbreaker.
- ENZO: Well, it's a good thing you took care of him, then.
- DAMON: That's what I do. I take care of things. And people. I don't give them pills that kill them and let their own stupid judgment put their lives in danger even more.
[Enzo, clearly offended by Damon's accusation (and secretly believing he's right), walks up to Damon so they're eye-to-eye]
- ENZO: No. No, you're just gonna lie down in a coffin, hope that when you wake up, the mess you made will be cleaned up.
- DAMON: I made a mistake.
- ENZO: You made a choice.
[Enzo shoulder-checks Damon as he walks past him to the car, and Damon angrily vamp-speeds behind him, slamming Enzo face-first into the hood of the car before spinning him around and grabbing him in a choke-hold as he glares at him]
- DAMON: I desiccated because I didn't want to hurt my friends. But, I am holding you personally responsible if anything happens to Bonnie. I will hunt you down and rip your heart out of your chest.
[Suddenly, Bonnie appears behind them in the alley and glares at Damon furiously when she sees what he's doing and saying]
- BONNIE: Damon!
[Damon quickly lets go of Enzo, who immediately pushes Damon out of his way before getting in Damon's face so closely their noses almost touch. Bonnie walks closer to them, and Enzo, out of respect for Bonnie, simply shoulder-checks Damon one last time before storming away so Damon and Bonnie can talk]
- DAMON: It's his fault, Bonnie-- all of it.
[Bonnie smiles fakely and coldly at him as she responds]
- BONNIE: Do you really believe that? There's no other factor you can think of?
- DAMON: You want to hear me say I made a mistake, huh? Okay, fine. I made a mistake three years ago, Bonnie, I shouldn't have given up, I shouldn't have run away!
- BONNIE: But you did. And I got over it.
- DAMON: Yet you still carry my letter with you.
- BONNIE: Yeah. Yeah, I keep it.
[Bonnie pulls the letter out of her back pocket]
- BONNIE: I keep it as a reminder to not trust the wrong people.
- DAMON: Well, you're not doing too well, sister. Enzo here--
[Bonnie cuts Damon off as she starts to lose her temper]
- BONNIE: Enzo has been there for me! Every single day. Hiding me. Protecting me.
- DAMON: [exasperatedly] Poisoning you!
- BONNIE: He'll figure it out!
- DAMON: And what if he doesn't?
- BONNIE: Then I'll die! But at least I'll do it with him by my side. I love him, Damon, And I know that no matter what happens, he won't leave me.
[Bonnie shoves the letter he wrote her, still unopened, into Damon's chest before she storms off to go find Enzo, leaving an overwhelmed and scared Damon behind to consider what has just happened]
CAMPSITE-- MERAMEC STATE PARK, MISSOURI[]
[Stefan and Alaric are at a campsite in the park, where they have just finished killing the phoenix stone vampires that Rayna instructed them to take out, and they are now digging graves for the bodies of their victims in front of a blood-splattered tent]
- ALARIC: This part I really don't miss.
- STEFAN: Yeah, but the part where you helped Bonnie, that wasn't too terrible, was it?
- ALARIC: [sighs] Don't.
- STEFAN: Don't what?
- ALARIC: Don't try to get the band back together. Yes, all hands are on deck right now, but that doesn't make us friends or earn you a place back in Caroline's life, okay?
- STEFAN: Well... I think that's something that she's gonna have to decide for herself.
[Stefan stops digging and takes a break, walking over to a nearby thermos and pouring some of the water inside on his hands to clean them off. Alaric sighs and stops what he's doing as well]
- ALARIC: You know, you're wasting your time, Stefan. Let me tell you a little story.
[Stefan wipes his hands off on his jeans and sighs as he puts his hands on his hips and listens to Alaric's story]
- ALARIC: When we moved to Dallas, Caroline joined a book club. You know, it seemed like a good idea. At first, it was once a week, And then it was twice a week, then she started coming home later and later. So, one night, I followed her.
- STEFAN: [sarcastically] Sounds healthy.
- ALARIC: The point is this-- there was no book club. Turns out, she'd park her car down by the river so she could cry, alone. And then something happened. She stopped making excuses to be somewhere else, and the girls and I stopped being a placeholder. And we became her life.
- STEFAN: I get all that.
- ALARIC: [frustratedly] No. No, you don't, Stefan. She doesn't want to see you. Trust me.
[Stefan seems unconvinced and starts to passive-aggressively fight back]
- STEFAN: You know her pretty well, huh?
- ALARIC: Better than anyone, now.
- STEFAN: So, who sleeps in the second bedroom?
[Alaric is taken aback by this comment and looks offended]
- ALARIC: Excuse me?
- STEFAN: Well, I was at your house. I saw the nursery for the twins, and I also saw two separate bedrooms. And then I saw an appointment for a Justice of the Peace, which doesn't seem very Caroline Forbes. So tell me-- after you get home from City Hall on Friday, is that when she's gonna start sleeping in your bed?
- ALARIC: [scoffs] That's none of your business.
[Stefan walks toward Alaric until they're eye-to-eye]
- STEFAN: You can make look your relationship look good on paper, but deep down, it's a lie.
[Alaric becomes so furious about this statement that he takes advantage of how close Stefan has come to Alaric and viciously headbutts him in the face, causing Stefan to stagger backwards as Alaric sneers at him with loathing]
- ALARIC: I know she doesn't love me, but our life is not a lie. All I can do is be worthy of her, Stefan, which is more than you've ever been.
[Alaric scowls at him one last time before turning and walking away, leaving a fuming Stefan behind to think about what Alaric has just said]
BONNIE & ENZO'S SAFE HOUSE[]
[Bonnie is sitting on the couch inside the safe house, gently rubbing the back of her left hand, which has developed several more lesions since she was last seen. After a moment, Enzo grabs his guitar and holds it out to her with a smile, and Bonnie smiles sadly in return while Damon watches them from next to the front door]
- BONNIE: Not to be a crybaby, but...
[Bonnie holds up her scabby hand for emphasis]
- BONNIE: These feel a lot worse than they look. Don't think I'll get much playing in.
[Enzo sits down next to her on the couch before laying down, spreading out so that his head is resting in her lap and his heels are crossed on the opposite arm of the couch. The guitar is still in his arms, and he gets ready to play as Bonnie gently plays with his hair and giggles. Meanwhile, Damon is standing in the corner next to the door, watching with a bitter expression]
- ENZO: Aw, that's a shame, love. You're in dire need of practice.
[Bonnie giggles more as she covers up his eyes with her hands, causing Enzo to chuckle in amusement as well]
- BONNIE: Go ahead. Go ahead!
[Enzo starts to play, and Bonnie removes her hands when she sees he's closed his eyes. As Enzo plays, Bonnie hums along to his song as Damon, looking unhappy, walks closer to them. When Bonnie sees Enzo crack his eyes open, she covers them with her hands again]
- BONNIE: No, you're trying to look. Gonna make you... Go ahead.
[Enzo giggles and continues to play while Damon chugs his glass of bourbon]
- BONNIE: Impressive. No, you're peeking! You're totally peeking. No, I can see you're side-eyeing the guitar.
[Finally, Damon has had enough of the lovebirds' mushy time together and quietly speaks up]
- DAMON: Don't mind me, I'm just gonna go get the next name out of the job jar.
[Bonnie and Enzo barely pay Damon any attention as he walks outside of the safe house]
ALARIC & CAROLINE'S HOUSE-- DALLAS, TEXAS[]
[Alaric has just returned home and is walking in the door when Stefan appears behind him and calls out to him]
- STEFAN: Ric.
- ALARIC: [irritably] Oh, you got to be kidding me...
- STEFAN: Look, this didn't go how I wanted it to, all right?
- ALARIC: Really? You think you can just show up here and everything's just gonna magically...?
[Just then, Caroline walk out from the other room and joins Alaric in the foyer, which shocks Alaric and absolutely stuns Stefan, who can barely contain his anxiety as he steps across the threshold]
- STEFAN: Caroline...
[Caroline stares at Stefan blankly for a long moment before turning to speak to Alaric as though Stefan isn't even there]
- CAROLINE: Uh, hey. We just got back.
[Just then, one of the twins' voice is heard calling out to her from the other room]
- LIZZIE: Mommy, read us a story.
- CAROLINE: Yeah, in a minute, honey.
- ALARIC: I can put them to bed if you want to...
- CAROLINE: No. No, I got it.
[Caroline walks over to Alaric and kisses him affectionately on the cheek]
- CAROLINE: Happy you're home.
[Caroline walks away to go tend to her daughters without so much as a glance back at Stefan, who is still standing dumbfounded on the doorstep. Alaric walks over and grabs the door, giving Stefan a look that seems to say "I told you so" before he sighs and closes it in his face. Just as Alaric is about to go see Caroline and the girls, his phone buzzes in his pocket, and he pulls it out to find a text message that seems to frustrate him enough to sigh deeply]
[Meanwhile, Stefan has just walked away from the house when his phone buzzes as well. He pulls it out of his pocket and sees that it's Damon (who is now in the storm cellar where Rayna has spent the day working), he reluctantly answers it]
- STEFAN: What's wrong?
- DAMON: Remember how Rayna was gonna give Bonnie her last life after we finished her hit-list? Well, the good news is she finally said yes to that deal.
[The camera pans out, revealing that Rayna is curled up on the floor of the storm cellar, looking exhausted but unable to sleep, where she is surrounded by hundreds of pages of scribbled notes and simple illustrations]
- DAMON: The not-as-good news is she added a few more names to the list.
[The camera zooms out even further so the entire room can be seen-- Damon is standing right behind where Rayna is twitching tiredly on the floor, revealing that not only is the floor covered in her notes, but every other flat surface has been covered in pages as well, pinned nonsensically to the walls, an overturned table, and even hanging from the rungs of a fallen chair and bar stool, indicating that there are countless more rogue vampires for the Mystic Falls Gang to kill]
END CREDITS
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