We'll Always Have Bourbon Street/Transcript

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We’ll Always Have Bourbon Street
Information
season	4
number	8
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previous	My Brother’s Keeper
next	O Come, All Ye Faithful

Salvatore Boarding House

[It's morning. Damon is lying in bed asleep until he wakes up. He sees that Elena isn't beside him and raises his head, looking around.]

Damon: Elena?

[Elena is coming out from the bathroom. She has Damon's shirt over her black lingerie. She walks back over to the bed.]

Elena: Hey.

Damon: Hey.

[Elena jumps into bed beside him.]

Damon: Thought you might've left.

Elena: No I don't have to be at school for....[Elena holds her wrist up and looks at it as if there's a watch, which, of course, there isn't.] At least twenty minutes ago. [She and Damon kiss each other and pull away, Damon playing with her hair.] What's that face?

Damon: What face? [He smiles.]

Elena: That face.

Damon: I'm happy.

[He smiles again and Elena does too before they kiss once more. Elena rolls on top of him and lifts his chin up with her finger as they continue to kiss.]

Forbes Residence

Caroline: This is a disaster!

Stefan: Look, we don't know anything for sure.

Caroline: Yes we do! Elena is sired to Damon! Which means her one singular burning desire is to make him happy, just like Klaus and his hybrids!

Stefan: No it's not. A vampire sired to another vampire is one in a million. Maybe it won't affect her the same way.

Salvatore Boarding House

[Elena kisses down Damon's chest and Damon seems to enjoy it. Elena looks up at Damon.]

Forbes Residence

Caroline: We already know it's affecting her. She's become Damon's lapdog. [Stefan looks at her.] It's true! Everything he says, she agrees with. Everything he asks her to do...she does.

Salvatore Boarding House

[Damon and Elena continue to kiss. Damon kisses Elena's stomach and proceeds to kiss her up her chest.]

Forbes Residence

Caroline: We need to do something.

[Caroline pulls her phone out and is ready to call Elena.]

Stefan: Wait, no, hold on Caroline. [He stops her from calling her.] This isn't gossip. You can't just drop this on her before we know what's happening for sure.

Caroline: I need to talk to Tyler, okay? Maybe he'll know what to do.

Stefan: All right talk to Tyler but please don't tell anyone else. If this is true, then it may have influence on Elena's every action and emotion since she became a vampire.

Salvatore Boarding House

[Elena and Damon are still making out. Damon kisses her neck and she digs her nails into his back. She digs into his back so hard he begins to bleed. He pauses for a moment, but begins to kiss her neck again.]

Abandoned Barn

[Adrian, a hybrid, is chained up. Hayley, Tyler and Kimberley are all nearby watching as he transforms into a wolf. Adrian screams in pain.]

Adrian: Please, no more, I can't.

Tyler: Yes, you can. Block out the pain.

[Adrian continues to scream in pain until Kimberley speaks up and makes her way over to Adrian.]

Kimberley: That's enough. This is torture.

Hayley: Kim, stop. He needs to finish.

Kimberley: Not today, he doesn't. [She unchains Adrian.]

Hayley: Yes, today. Nate, Dean, and Chris are all dead, which makes Adrian Klaus' right hand. We can't let Adrian anywhere near Klaus until his sire bond is completely broken.

Tyler: Hayley is right. The bond isn't broken until he doesn't feel the pain of transformation anymore. If we want to get back at Klaus for everything he's done to us, Adrian has to keep turning.

Kimberley: He doesn't have to do anything. Isn't that the point of breaking the sire bond -- free will? [Hayley and Tyler exchange a look.] Let's go Adrian. [Kimberley and Adrian leave the barn.]

Salvatore Boarding House

[Damon and Elena walk down the stairs together and through the hallway.]

Damon: Bag?

Elena: I got it. Ahem.

[Elena grabs her bag from off a table.]

Damon: Scarf.

[Damon takes the scarf and wraps it around her neck.]

Elena: What - oh! [Damon pulls her into a kiss.] Mm. Hmm. [Damon pulls away and kisses her again.] Listen, Damon, we....

Damon: No. No, no no. Don't ruin it.

[He places a finger to her lips. She pushes his hand out of the way and smiles.]

Elena: You didn't even know what I was gonna say.

Damon: Well, I'm assuming it starts with, "What are we?" And then ends with, "Going to tell Stefan?"

Elena: He should know.

Damon: I know he should know. I just don't know when he should know it.

Elena: Well, he knows that something is going on between us. I mean, it's the reason that he and I broke up.

Damon: Yeah, but can't we just let ourselves enjoy one secret, selfish day before we destroy his?

Elena: Maybe we shouldn't --

Damon: No, Elena. This is our time. It's never been right before but it is right now. Just one day? One day?

[He holds up one finger and looks at her with pleading, puppy dog eyes.]

Elena: [She smiles] OK, one day.

Damon: Yes.

[She and Damon open the front door to find Stefan walking up. They stop, the tension clear in the air.]

Elena: Hey.

Stefan: Hey.

[There is a very awkward moment of silence between the two of them.]

Elena: See you in history?

Stefan: Yeah.

[Elena nods and walks past Stefan, avoding his gaze. Stefan walks in the house.]

Damon: Hey.

Stefan: Hey.

[Damon closes the door. He stands there, waiting to hear what Stefan has to say.]

Stefan: Listen, we need to talk.

[Sometime later, Stefan has told Damon everything about what him and Caroline have discovered about the sire bond. They sit down on the couch facing each other.]

Damon: Sired? Really Stefan? That is the most pathetic nonsense I've ever heard come out of your mouth, and you've said some crap in your day.

Stefan: It was your blood that turned her, right? I mean, she's been different from day one because of you. You can't deny that.

Damon: Sure I can. I finally got Elena to a good place about being a vampire. You two idiots can't stand that she's happy because of me.

Stefan: All right. You know what? Prove me wrong. Tell her it's OK to drink from a blood bag.

Damon: She can't. Her weird doppelgänger body rejected the blood from the bag.

Stefan: Right, because you told her to. You said she had to drink warm human blood straight from the vein. She almost died to make you happy. [From the look on Damon's face, he clearly doesn't believe in what his brother is saying.] Look, just ask her to drink from a blood bag. Make sure you'll tell her how happy you'll be if it works, and if I'm wrong, I'll be the first to apologize.

Damon: When her body rejects this blood, which it will, your apology better be epic.

[Damon gets up and walks away.]

Mystic Falls High School

[Elena is walking down the hallway. Bonnie and Caroline are at their lockers and see Elena approaching.]

Bonnie: Elena, hey. Is everything okay?

Elena: Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?

Bonnie: Well, Caroline told me you had to move out to stay away from Jeremy.

Elena: Matt is at the house staying with him right now to make sure he keeps all of his hunter stuff in control. He's OK.

Caroline: But are you? I mean, clearly, they don't have a flat iron at hotel Salvatore. [She giggles.]

Elena: Oh -- I was in a rush. I mean -- look, do you girls have any plans tonight? I'm in desperate need of some girl talk. [She takes her hair out of the bun it was in.]

Bonnie: I'm in. Shane taught me some small spells I've been wanting to try.

Caroline: Oh, creepy professor guy is just Shane now.

Bonnie: He's not creepy.

Elena: We're not judging.

Caroline: I am.

Elena: Don't listen to her. So, girls' night? We can raid the Salvatore wine cellar.

Caroline: [Caroline looks uncomfortable.] Um, are you sure that Stefan and Damon are cool with us crashing at their place?

Elena: [She catches sight of Damon walking in the school, him motioning for her to talk to him.] I can't go home because my brother is trying to kill me. So their place is mine now, too. I'll see you in a bit.

[Elena walks away to meet Damon with Caroline and Bonnie looking on. A moment later, Damon and Elena are alone in an empty classroom.]

Elena: You being here makes your selfish, secret day a little difficult, don't you think?

[Elena and Damon have their arms around one another and Damon pulls away and takes out a blood bag.]

Damon: Forgot your lunch.

Elena: I can't. You know I can't.

Damon: Well, last time you tried it, the circumstances were less optimal and I think maybe you should just give it another try, see if it works. I really think it will. [Elena looks at Damon.] Please...for me?

[Damon hands Elena the blood bag and she rips the top open, putting it in her mouth. She takes a cautionary drink. Damon looks at her while she drinks it with concern. Elena takes it from her mouth, pauses, then drinks some more.]

Damon: Are you okay?

Elena: [She takes it out her mouth.] Mm, I'm fine. It tastes like blood. Last time, it was like hot garbage. [She puts it back into her mouth and continues to drink.]

Damon: You sure you're okay?

Elena: [She nods and pulls the blood bag out of her mouth.] I'm better than OK. I mean, maybe last time, it was a bad batch or something. I can't believe this, Damon. I don't have to hurt people anymore. [She smiles, while Damon's face is hard. She throws her arms around Damon and hugs him. She pulls away.] I have to get to class. Thank you. [She kisses Damon before leaving for class.]

Professor Shane's Office

[Hayley is rummaging around his office, looking for something. Shane walks in on her.]

Prof. Shane: Trespassing, breaking, and entering all before noon?

Hayley: Having trouble breaking Adrian.

Prof. Shane: Don't worry about it. You already got the twelve hybrids I need.

Hayley: We have eleven. I told you, Tyler Lockwood isn't part of the deal.

Prof. Shane: Well, now there's eleven hybrids. You deliver me twelve without loyalties to Klaus or your friend Tyler becomes fair game.

Hayley: You haven't held up you end of the bargain.

Prof. Shane: Right. [He reaches into his coat and pulls out a flashdrive.] This is everything you always wanted to know about your biological parents. And it's encoded in case you're thinking of a smash-and-grab. Just bring me twelve unsired hybrids and it's yours.

Salvatore Boarding House

[Stefan is talking over the phone to Caroline, who's at school.]

Caroline: I talked to Tyler.

Stefan: And?

Caroline: The sire bond exists because the hybrids are grateful to Klaus for relieving them from the pain of having to wolf out every full moon, and that's why they have to turn until they're not ruled by the pain anymore. [She leans against the wall.]

Stefan: Right, but Elena's not a werewolf so what's the vampire equivalent?

Caroline: Well, that's the problem. There isn't one.

[Stefan doesn't respond, he seems upset that there is no way to fix the woman he loves. He hangs up without saying goodbye. Meanwhile, Damon is in the library, rummaging through old papers. Stefan enters the room.]

Stefan: What are you doing?

Damon: Elena is sired. You were right, I was wrong. Happy?

Stefan: No, I'm not happy. But what are we gonna do about it?

Damon: Well, I'm working on it. Here.

[He holds a picture up for Stefan to see.]

Damon: Remember that?

[Stefan takes the picture from Damon and looks at it.]

Stefan: New Orleans.

Damon: 1942, to be exact.

Stefan: [He takes a seat.] What was in New Orleans in 1942?

Damon: Other than bourbon and beads...[He turns to his brother.] Us, Stefan.

Stefan: Oh yeah. [Stefan looks at a hat.] What was the name of that girl you used to hang out with?

Damon: That was no ordinary girl. That was Charlotte.

New Orleans 1942

[In a bar, music is playing and a man is singing and playing a guitar. A girl, presumably Charlotte, is entering. We see the man who is singing.]

Damon: [Voiceover] She was crazy about me from the minute we met. So, of course, when she asked me to turn her, I did.

[Charlotte takes a seat next to Damon and smiles.]

Damon: Hi.

Charlotte: Hi.

Damon: So, did you decide who you would like to have for dinner tonight?

Charlotte: [She turns and points to the man singing and playing.] Him. He looks tasty.

Damon: That's a very fine choice, Miss Charlotte. I will go set that up. Now, if anyone tries to touch my drink, you show them no mercy, OK? [Charlotte nods and Damon walks away, talking to the man.]

[A sailor walks up to the bar and accidentally knocks Damon's drink over, spilling it everywhere. Charlotte stands up.]

Charlotte: You spilled my man's drink.

Sailor: Sorry. [He flashes Charlotte a smile.] It's crowded in here.

Charlotte: That's no excuse.

Sailor: Hey, take it easy, lady.

Charlotte: I'm not gonna take it easy.

Sailor: What?

[Charlotte reaches forward and snaps the sailor's neck. Damon, who saw the entire thing, grabs the man and sits him upright, making it look like he's still alive.]

Damon: [He looks around.] What did you do?

Charlotte: He touched your drink. You said show no mercy. I thought you'd be happy.

Salvatore Boarding House

Damon: That was my first clue.

Stefan: She was sired to you, and I can only assume you took full advantage of that until you got bored of her, right?

Damon: More like when she went all "Fatal Attraction" on me, then I had to make a clean break.

Stefan: How'd you do that?

Damon: [He suddenly finds the square card he's been looking for.] Ah, phew, here. [He hands it to Stefan and he takes it, flips it over, and seed written on it "Valerie LaMarche, 920 Dauphine St."]

Stefan: Who's Valerie LaMarche?

Damon: The witch that I found to help me break little Charlotte's sire bond. [Damon takes a swig of his drink. Stefan looks at him curiously and Damon stands up.] Pack your bags, baby bro. We're going back to Bourbon Street. [Damon walks away.]

[It's nighttime. Elena has brought a wooden crate into the parlor filled with wine bottles.]

Elena: One for you.

[She takes one of the bottles out and hands it to Bonnie who accepts it.]

Elena: One for you.

[She hands another bottle to Caroline who takes it as well.]

Caroline: Ooh.

Bonnie: I'm assuming this is for Caroline.

[Bonnie holds up a blood bag. Caroline reaches out for it, but Elena grabs it before she can.]

Elena: Actually, it's for me.

[Bonnie and Caroline exchange a glance, their faces surprised.]

Caroline: I thought --

Bonnie: Oh. Are you saying that --

[Elena drinks the blood bag and takes it out her mouth, showing her two friends that she can now keep blood from a blood bag down.]

Elena: Thanks to Damon, I am now a functional dysfunctional vampire.

Bonnie: That's amazing.

Caroline: Uh, what do you mean "thanks to Damon?"

Elena: Well, he suggested that I try it again. So I did and it worked. No more snatch, eat, erase.

Caroline: So where is my least-favorite Salvatore?

[Elena sits on the couch opposite of Caroline and Bonnie. She holds up her phone and reads the text message Damon sent her.]

Elena: "Out with Stefan for the night, don't wait up. Brother bonding."

Caroline: Hm, so you guys check-in text now? What else do you do?

Elena: I know that you're not the biggest fan, but he kind of just changed my life. Would you mind laying off on all the hate?

[Bonnie speaks up to break the tension between Elena and Caroline.]

Bonnie: OK, new girls' night rule -- no boy talk, yeah? Plus, why talk when we have this?

[She holds up a bag full of a black herb.]

Caroline: Is that stoner tea?!

Bonnie: It's spirit tea. It opens up your chi, or whatever. [Caroline doesn't look convinced.] Come on, it's not drugs! Shane is helping me do natural magic without having to access the spirits.

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Bonnie: Don't judge.

Caroline: [Caroline looks at Bonnie, who stares back at her straight-faced.] OK, fine! I hereby vow not to be judgmental for the rest of the evening! Even if you two are potentially ruining your lives as I stand idly by, it's your choice.

Elena: [She stands up.] I'll drink to that. [Bonnie and Caroline hold up their wine bottles while Elena touch their glasses with her blood bag.] Cheers.

New Orleans

[Music is playing and people are partying in the streets. Damon and Stefan walk through the crowd, looking at their surroundings.]

Stefan: Well, the city is the same. Just brighter.

Damon: Have you been back here since '42?

Stefan: Nope, not since I shipped off to join the war effort and you didn't.

Damon: Somebody had to entertain the ladies who had been left by their menfolk. [Damon's cellphone chimes and he takes it out looking at it.] Hey, good news. Elena is at the house with the girls where she can't get in trouble. Bad news -- I think they got into the Dom. Told her to make herself at home.

Stefan: [He is now facing Damon.] Yeah, you told her so she does, right?

Damon: [Scoffs and walks past Stefan.] Sire bond is not that literal, Stefan.

Stefan: [He turns to Damon.] Really? Name one thing that you've asked her to do that you haven't gotten, huh? [Damon looks at him.]

Damon: You know what I haven't gotten? Blame, guilt. I get it Stefan. I get that your pissed that Elena dumped you because she has feelings for me. Bet you blame the sire bond for that, too.

Stefan: Yeah, you know what? I absolutely do.

Damon: Why, because it's impossible to think she could have feelings for me?

Stefan: No, because it's impossible for her to be so blind that she doesn't see how wrong you are for her. [The two are face to face now. Damon turns around and walks away.] Hey, wait, Damon, I'm sorry.

[Damon turns to face Stefan.]

Damon: What'd you say?

New Orleans 1942

[Lexi and Stefan are walking through the bar, looking for Damon. Damon is dressed in his military uniform. The bar is filled with uniformed military men.]

Stefan: "I'm sorry, I blamed you for my bloodlust and for me becoming a ripper. It wasn't your fault." [He looks over his shoulder.] Do I really have to say it wasn't his fault, Lexi?

Lexi: Yes, keep going. [Lexi is standing in front of the younger Salvatore now.]

Stefan: "You're the only brother I have and I hope that we can be friends again."

Lexi: Perfect. Now, just remember we're here to talk to Damon, not to yell, not to drudge up the past and most definitely not to pick a fight.

Stefan: That's the real trick, isn't it?

Lexi: You've spent the last twenty years turning your life around. It's time to make nice with your brother.

[Stefan and Lexi turn their heads and find Damon sitting at the bar dressed in a suit. Stefan goes to talk to him. Damon is bobbing his head to the music and Stefan gives him a light slap on the back. Damon turns, surprised to see that it's Stefan.]

Damon: You look like a guy I used to know.

Stefan: Hello, Damon.

Damon: Come to put a stake in my heart?

Stefan: More like bury the hatchet.

[He holds his hand out for Damon to shake and Damon looks at his hand for a moment. Damon looks at his brother and they give a small smile to each other. Damon shakes his brother's hand and the two hug.]

[Lexi, Stefan and Damon are all sitting at the bar. Stefan is telling Damon some stories.]

Damon: Egypt, ha! Finally gonna get to see the pyramids.

Stefan: Oh, I doubt I'll be doing much sightseeing. Driving an ambulence through the front lines, but yeah, yeah, Egypt.

Damon: Think they have room for another driver? [Stefan seems a bit surprised by what Damon is saying.] I could handle some war, if it meant spending quality time with my little brother. [Lexi takes a shot of her drink, not happy at Damon's words.]

Stefan: Tell you what, I'll talk to my CO. [Stefan takes a swig of his drink and gets up.] I'm gonna get us another round. [He walks off and waves the bartender over. Lexi stands up and leans in close to Damon.]

Lexi: You're not going.

Damon: I don't like you.

Lexi: In 1912, you pressured Stefan to drink human blood. He's been trying to put his ripper days behind him, but he needs to see death and blood and deal with them as part of life. He needs balance, restraint.

Damon: What makes you think I'm not balanced and restrained?

Lexi: The fact that you never have been. You think of what you want, first, second and third. Stefan is better off alone than in your company.

Damon: Well, I beg to differ.

[Stefan walks up and Lexi puts on a smile.]

Stefan: To the Salvatores in Eygpt!

[He and Damon clink glasses and say "Cheers", he and Lexi then do the same. Lexi drinks and stares at Damon while doing so and he glances at her. Charlotte then walks up, with a victim in her arms.]

Charlotte: Damon. [Damon looks alarmed and Stefan looks at Charlotte.] Did you forget you were supposed to meet us for dinner?

Damon: Sorry, I lost track of time.

Charlotte: I brought you leftovers.

[She lets Damon see the victim's neck, which is smeared with blood that is pouring down her neck.]

Damon: Charlotte!

[He looks around to see if anyone has taken notice. Charlotte then hands off the lady to Stefan and the blood gets on his hand. Damon takes the lady from Stefan's arms.]

Lexi: Get away from him!

Damon: Stefan!

[Stefan stares at his bloodly fingers.]

Damon: Stefan.

[He puts a hand on Stefan's back.]

Stefan: I -- I --

Damon: Stefan?

[Dark veins appear on Stefan's face and Lexi grabs Stefan, ready to leave the bar.]

Damon: Stefan.

[Lexi turns to Damon before leaving. She looks at Charlotte and back at Damon.]

Lexi: She's better off without you, too.

[Lexi walks out of the bar.]

New Orleans

[Stefan and Damon are walking through the crowd-filled streets.]

Stefan: I apologize, all right? As much as I hate this sire bond thing, I shouldn't take it out on you. It's not really your fault.

Damon: Well, dont get all warm and fuzzy on me yet. [They stop in front of an apartment] It's where the witch lived.

Stefan: What, you weren't expecting to find the same exact witch in the same place?

Damon: No, but since I couldn't remember where the store was, figured it'd give us a start.

Stefan: Maybe there's another place to start. You think Charlotte might be in New Orleans?

Damon: Yeah, maybe.

Stefan: Where was the last place you saw her?

Damon: Corner of Bourbon and Dumaine. Kind of told her to count every brick in every building in New Orleans, and I'd meet her at the corner. [He pauses.] I was gone by morning.

[Stefan looks at him and turns around and walks away.]

Damon: Where you going?

[Stefan turns around and looks at him, still walking backwards.]

Stefan: Corner of Bourbon and Dumaine. See how literal the sire bond is.

[Damon sighs and follows after him.]

Mystic Grill

[Kimberley and Adrian are playing pool at the table while Tyler and Hayley are sitting at a table watching them.]

Hayley: They are gonna get us both killed and we are just sitting here.

Tyler: Kim is right. The point of breaking the sire bond is being free. They dont have to listen to me.

Hayley: Yes they do, Ty. You can make them. Hybrids are werewolves first. Wolves run in packs and every pack needs an Alpha or they end up challenging each other for dominance. Kim is challenging your position as Alpha. You need to put her in her place. Now.

[Tyler nods and goes to the pool table. Adrian shoots the cue ball at the black eight ball, but Tyler puts his hand out and grabs the ball before it can roll into the pocket. Adrian raises his head to look at him.]

Tyler: Long day tomorrow Adrian. You want it to go better than today, you need to get some rest.

[Hayley has gotten up from the table as well and watches Tyler.]

Kimberley: Who do you think you are?

Tyler: The guy telling you to call it a night.

[Kimberley walks over to Tyler and they stare each other down. Kimberley suddenly grabs a pool stick and tries to attack Tyler with it. Tyler grabs the stick.]

Tyler: This could get a lot uglier right now but I'm not gonna let it. Challenge me again, this conversation will end differently. You understand?

Kimberley: Fine. Whatever you say.

Tyler: Finish your drink and get Adrian back to the stables. We'll meet you there.

[Tyler pushes Kimberley back and walks away. Hayley stands there for a moment, glaring at Kimberley, then follows Tyler out of the Grill. After they have gone, Kimberley starts to walk away. Adrian follows her.]

Adrian: Where are we going?

Kimberley: To pick a fight.

[Adrian reluctantly follows Kimberley out of the Grill.]

New Orleans

[Stefan and Damon are walking down a street. They stop at the corner of two streets.]

Damon: There's no way she's gonna be in the same spot after seventy years.

Stefan: So, what are we gonna tell Elena?

Damon: I was hoping we wouldn't have to tell her anything.

Stefan: [scoffs] Well, we can't just lie to her.

Damon: It's not a lie. It's an omission for the greater good.

Stefan: Oh, I see. I see.That's Damon speak for "Let's not do the right thing, let's just do what's right for me."

Damon: Oh, what about you, O selfless one? Are you doing what's best for Elena or what's best for you? Because it looks to me like the only reason you want to break Elena's sire bond is to restore her original factory "Team Stefan" settings.

[He pauses and both of them stare at each other.]

Damon: I'm gonna go get a drink. Hunt me down when you stop being a dick.

[Damon proceeds to walk away. Stefan stands at the corner, looking ashamed. Damon makes his way around the corner and walks down a deserted street. He hears a noise behind him and stops. He turns to look behind him and spots no one. When he turns back around, an unknown vampire rushes at him and throws him to the ground. Stefan hears the commotion and rushes to where Damon is. He throws the vampire off of his brother and Damon gets up.]

Stefan: What the hell just happened?

Damon: She kissed me.

[The vampire gets up and is shown to be Charlotte. She smiles at the sight of Damon.]

Charlotte: Damon, I always knew you'd come back for me. I must have counted literally every brick on every building in all of New Orleans.

[Damon looks taken aback and turns to look at Stefan. Stefan looks horrified.]

Stefan: Literally every brick?

[Damon looks away, clearly ashamed. Charlotte wraps her arms around Damon's neck, but Damon tries to back away from her.]

Damon: Uh, Charlotte, uh. Ha.

[Damon pats her arm and pulls away from her.]

Damon: Please tell me you had a full life and that you've done something other than counting bricks.

Charlotte: Of course I have, I'm not crazy.

[Damon shakes his head, as if agreeing with her comment about not being crazy.]

Stefan: Then why are you still here?

[She turns and looks at Stefan.]

Charlotte: You know when someone breaks up with you and there's a song that reminds you of them? First, you hate it.

[She places her hand on Damon's shoulder and caresses it.]

Charlotte: But then it brings back all the good memories of them. Counting the bricks is my song and I've been playing it for decades.

Stefan: [very dryly] That's a really long time stuck listening to the same song.

[Charlotte has placed her arms back around Damon's neck.]

Damon: Yeah, heh..

[Damon grabs her hands from around his neck and pulls them away. He gently pats them between his own hands.]

Damon: Well you know, in the plus column, you know New Orleans better than anyone in the world. Which is really nice, because we need your help finding someone.

Salvatore Boarding House

[Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie are partying. They are dancing and drinking while Bonnie is capturing it all on her phone. Elena pours another glass of champagne for herself, but realizes the bottle is empty. Elena uses her super speed and goes into the dining room, stands on the table, and grabs another bottle of champagne. Caroline and Bonnie cheer for her as she super speeds back into the room and pops the cork off the new champagne bottle. She pours herself another glass and the girls all hug each other and fall on the couch.]

[Upstiars, the girls have made their way into Damon's bathroom. Elena is lying in the empty tub and Bonnie and Caroline are sitting next to her. The three of them are giggling and having a great time.]

Bonnie: Check this out: Vamp-speed video.

[She hands Elena her phone and Elena plays the video.]

Elena: [laughing] I look like Superman. Watch this. [She pauses the video at the point where she is superspeeding back into the room. The capture shows a giant blur behind her due to the speed at which she is running. She shows it to Bonnie and Caroline.] This year's Christmas card. [They all laugh.] Being a vampire is so weird. Oh my God, I love this bathtub. Why don't we come and hang out here more often?

Caroline: I'll tell you why. Cooties. Think of all the germ-ridden skanks that Damon has lured into his den of enequity.

[Caroline giggles. Elena sits up in the bath tub and does not look amused. Bonnie also looks unamused by Caroline's attempt at a joke.]

Caroline: Okay, I'm sorry. I've been good all night. I am stopping now.

Elena: [sarcastically] No, don't stop on my account. Rip away. I mean, it's only Damon, right?

Caroline: Well, say what you want about Ripper Stefan, but at least he wasn't a man slut.

Bonnie: Come on.

Elena: So, what exactly was it about him that made you jump right into bed with him as soon as you met him?

Caroline: I didn't know what a sociopathic narcissist he was.

Elena: He's always been there for me when I needed him.

Caroline: Yeah, because he's hoping you'll sleep with him.

Elena: Well, maybe I did.

[Caroline and Bonnie look at her in shock.]

Caroline: You did what?!

Bonnie: You didn't.

Elena: Yeah, I did. Look, I know you two have issues with him, but I'm happy, and I wanted to spend tonight with my best friends so that I could tell them about it.

[Elena gets up from the bathtub and walks away, leaving Caroline and Bonnie in the bathroom, still in shock.]

New Orleans

[Stefan and Damon enter a shop. A middle-aged woman comes out from the back of the shop.]

Nandi: Can I help you, gentleman?

Damon: Hi. We're looking for a witch. Sorry, no time for pleasantries.

[Stefan looks at Damon.]

Nandi: I'm sorry. I don't understand.

Damon: Look..[He looks at a board behind her, where "Nandi's Special" is written on a blackboard.] Nandi, is it? Let's skip the part where you pretend like you don't know what we're talking about. [He looks at Stefan. Stefan raises his eyebrows.] We need a spell that could break a vampire sire bond. Now, there was a witch here named Val. Ring any bells?

Nandi: She was my great-grandmother.

Damon: She had a grimoire and it had a spell.

[Flashback of the shop where Damon is talking to Val about this magic in 1942.]

Val: The magic you are talking about is dark, powerful. Magic like this doesn't come cheap.

[Damon looks over at a little girl sitting at a table. She looks at him and smiles as she continues to write in a booklet. Damon looks back at Val.]

Damon: How much?

Val: Money won't cut it here, pretty one. Dark magic draws power from dark places. Casting the spell you need requires the sacrifice of 12 human souls.

[Same shop, at present.]

Stefan: A sacrifice? You brought me here knowing that the spell required a human sacrifice.

Damon: Well, I was hoping the recipe had changed.

Nandi: Look, there's no magic like that here. I sell herbs and homeopathic remedies and dress it up with a little witchy-woo-woo for the tourists, but I don't practice.

Damon: Okay, fine, listen, just tell us where we can find someone like your great-grandma who can break the sire bond and won't flake out on us like old Val did.

Nandi: There's no one. All of her stuff is gone - the grimoires, her journals. We lost it all during Katrina. If a spell like that ever existed, it's gone for good.

Salvatore Boarding House

[Elena is cleaning up the mess from the party in the parlor. Bonnie and Caroline come downstairs to talk to her.]

Bonnie: Elena, come on.

Elena: Party is over. You guys need to leave.

Caroline: Don't be mad, okay? We're just looking out for you.

[Elena finallys turns around and looks at them.]

Elena: Do you think it makes me happy that you guys hate him? I get it. His track record has been kind of spotty but I don't hate him. I can't. He's - I think I'm falling in love with him.

Caroline: Ugh, you're not falling in love with him, Elena. You're sired to him.

[Bonnie and Elena look at her in shock. Caroline knows she shouldn't have revealed this and looks slightly ashamed.]

Bonnie: What?

Elena: What are you talking about?

[Caroline walks down the steps towards Elena.]

Caroline: I...Look, I'm sorry that it came out like that, but it's true. Damon's blood turned you. You couldn't feed from animals or blood bags because he told you so. Then he suggested that you try again with blood bags and suddenly...

Elena: No. There's no way, I...

Bonnie: [to Caroline] Are you sure?

Caroline: Yeah. Ask Stefan about it. He can explain it better than I can.

Elena: [angrily] I'm sorry, you talked to Stefan about this?

Caroline: It's not your fault, Elena. Okay, Damon took advantage of you.

Elena: [angrily] Okay, you need to leave.

[Caroline is shocked and speechless.]

Elena: Now!

[Elena strides past Caroline and Bonnie and walks to the front door.]

Bonnie: Elena!

Caroline: Come on!

Elena: I said leave.

[Elena opens the front door and looks at Caroline and Bonnie. Out on the porch are Adrian and Kimberley.]

Kimberley: Hello girls.

[Elena turns and looks at her. Kimberley rushes into the house and knocks Elena into the wall. She then rushes at Caroline and grabs her by the throat. Adrian rushes in and grabs Elena who fights back and pushes him against another wall. Adrian gets the upperhand eventually and slams Elena into the wall. Both of them have their hands wrapped around the others' throat. Bonnie starts to perform a spell which is so powerful it makes the lights flicker and break.]

Kimberley: Stop!

[Bonnie looks at Kimberley and stops the spell. Kimberley's eyes have turned yellow.]

Kimberley: One bite from a hybrid and she's dead, remember?

[Adrian throws Elena to the floor. Bonnie helps Elena to get up. When they turn around, they see that Kimberley and Adrian have gone, but that Caroline has been kidnapped as well.]

Elena: Caroline?

[Bonnie and Elena look out the front door and start to worry about Caroline's whereabouts.]

New Orleans

[Stefan and Damon are walking down the street.]

Damon: Witch is lying. Doesn't practice magic, my ass.

Stefan: Human sacrifice? Did you really think I would go for this?

[Charlotte is seen sitting on the footsteps of a building while the brothers are walking towards her)]

Damon: Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures.

Stefan: Did you kill those 12 people in 1942?

Damon: Absolutely, I did, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant a clean slate with Elena.

Stefan: Hmm.

Damon: Are you gonna help me good cop/bad cop this witch or not?

Woods

[Tyler is talking on the phone with Hayley, while Elena is walking beside him, looking at her phone.]

Tyler: I get it, Hayley. I'll find them and I'll get them in line.

[Tyler hangs up on her.]

Elena: Bonnie says no luck with the locater spell.

Tyler: They've gotta be here. They're not dumb enough to risk getting caught by Klaus in town.

Elena: Well, what do they want with Caroline?

[Elena stops walking and Tyler turns to face her.]

Tyler: Kim is trying to prove that she's the Alpha. If I can make her submit, the pack will fall in line and we can finally get them free of Klaus. You'd think they'd play along with how much they hate him.

Elena: But Adrian doesn't, does he? I mean he's still sired to Klaus.

Tyler: Being sired doesn't mean you feel differently about someone. I hated Klaus but I still did everything he said. The bond affects how you act, not how you feel.

[Suddenly, they hear Caroline scream.]

Tyler: Caroline.

[They run towards from where the screams came.]

New Orleans

[Nandi is doing some work inside her shop. Damon enters the shop, behind her. She turns around and looks at Damon.]

Nandi: What are you doing here?

Damon: Calling you out. You're not Val's great-granddaughter. You're her daughter.

[Damon remembers the time he visited the shop in 1942 and how the little girl sitting at the table behind Val was writing the name "Nandi" all over her notebook.]

Damon: You're 80 years old. You don't look a day over 50. You're a practicing witch.

Nandi: Get out of my store.

Damon: Give me what I want.

[He starts to walk towards her. Nandi turns around and uses her powers to give Damon an anuerysm. Damon falls to the ground holding his head with both hands.]

Nandi: I gave you a chance to leave with your life.

[Suddenly, Stefan enters the store from the back.]

Stefan: Wait, wait, wait, wait. We don't want any trouble okay? We just - we just need your help. That's all.

Nandi: I told you there's no one here who can help you. The kind of magic my mother practiced, it's unnatural. Witches don't even call it magic. We call it expression.

[Nandi stops her spell on Damon.]

Stefan: Is that like black magic?

Nandi: Worse. Channeling the power of human sacrifices calls on darkness that can't exist on this plane without swallowing it whole. She sold you a bill of goods about breaking the sire bond because she wanted access to that power and you gave it to her when you killed those twelve people.

[Stefan walks over to Damon. Damon gets up from the floor.]

Damon: Are you saying there's no spell?

Nandi: The bond can't be broken with magic. A vampire only bonds to her sire when she has feelings for him before she turns, human feelings. Vampirism only heightens those emotions. You want her free? You have to set her free. Tell her to live her life without you and never think of you again, to stop caring about you, and then leave her. That's the only way around the sire bond.

Stable

[Caroline's hands are tied up in shackles. Kimberley presses down on the chains and Caroline shouts in pain.]

Caroline: Arghh. Why are you doing this?

Kimberley: To show Tyler who's in charge.

[Kimberley cracks Caroline's wrists and Caroline again screams in pain. Tyler and Elena rush into the barn and towards them.]

Tyler: Stop! Stop it, Kim. Caroline's with us. All right? We're all on the same team.

Kimberley: She's on your team, not mine.

[Behind Tyler and Elena, the other hybrids enter the barn. The hybrids restrain Elena and Tyler while Kimberley continues to torture a screaming Caroline. Tyler attempts to free himself from the grasp of the two hybrids holding him back.]

Tyler: Stop it! Stop!

Adrian: Ease up, Kim. Klaus won't like this.

Kimberley: That's a very good point. Do you think he'll like this?

[Kimberley picks up a stake and shows it to Tyler and the rest of the hybrids.]

Tyler: Kim! Don't do it. I swear to God!

[Kimberley lowers the stakes towards Caroline's heart.]

Elena: No, wait, wait, wait, wait. If you really want to hit Klaus where it hurts, then torture me instead. He's fixated on keeping me alive. You want real revenge or not?

[Kimberley hesitates for a moment but lowers the stake. She gets up and moves toward Elena. She grabs Elena by the throat and is ready to kill her when Tyler manages to get himself loose from the hybrids holding him back. He grabs Kimberley and sticks his hand in her chest and grabs her heart. Kimberley gasps in pain. The other hybrids move towards her.]

Tyler: Stay back! I'll rip her heart out right now!

[The hybrids don't make any more moves towards the pair of them. Tyler looks Kimberley dead in the eye.]

Tyler: Kim put you all at risk today but I'm not gonna hurt her. I'm not Klaus. I don't kill and torture my own friends to get what I want. Now, we broke the sire bond, but if you want to be free we have to work together. No one can step out of line. Now, you're either with me or you're against me. Submit. Submit or you die.

[Kimberley falls down on her knees and Tyler kneels down with her, keeping his hand in her chest and his grasp around her heart.]

Kimberley: I'm....I'm sorry.

[Tyler removes his hand from her chest. Kimberley gasps and catches her breath. Tyler stands up and looks down at Kimberley. He looks around at the other hybrids. One by one, all of the other hybrids get down on their knees, submitting to Tyler and showing him that he is the Alpha.]

New Orleans

[Damon and Charlotte are inside a pub called Gillespie's Pub. They are sitting, opposite each other.]

Charlotte: So, you're just leaving me again?

Damon: No, I need to get on with my life and so do you.

Charlotte: I don't want to live without you.

Damon: If you want to make me happy you will. You just forget about me. You'll never think of me again, and you'll find someone new, and you'll be happier than ever.

[Charlotte begins to cry.]

Damon: Please, stop crying.

[She wipes the tears from her eyes and stops.]

Charlotte: I'm never gonna be able to forget about you.

Damon: Yes, you are. And I'm never gonna be happy until you realize that you're never gonna have the life that you deserve if I'm in it. [ He stands up] Goodbye, Charlotte.

[He exits the pub. Stefan is outside waiting for him on a bench. Damon walks up to him and Stefan gets up.]

Stefan: How'd it go?

Damon: I set her free.

Stefan: Must've been hard. Doing the right thing, especially when it's not something you want to do.

Damon: Get to the point, Stefan. You don't think I'm gonna be able to do what I need to when I have to tell Elena to stay away from me.

Stefan: Well, I mean, selflessness isn't exactly one of your most obvious character traits, Damon.

Damon: Yeah? Well, one of these days you're gonna realize you don't know me half as well as you think.

[Damon whistles for a cab.]

New Orleans 1942

[At the Union Station train station, Damon steps out of the a taxi cab in full uniform, ready to go to war with his brother. He enters the train station and places his luggage on a cart.]

Lexi: Damon.

[Damon looks up and sees Lexi.]

Lexi: I know what you did and you're not going overseas with Stefan. Do you understand me?

Damon: Well, Uncle Sam begs to differ.

Lexi: You just killed twelve innocent people.

[Damon walks towards her.]

Damon: How do you know they didn't have it coming?

Lexi: Your brother has spent the last twenty years racked with guilt, fighting the temptation to drink human blood. He's serving in war as penance for the pain that he has caused. If he finds out what you did, he'll want to know how it is you function without guilt for the things that you do. He'll turn to you for guidance like he did before and he'll become the Ripper of Monterrey all over again.

Damon: I've pretty much been on my own since our little falling out in 1912. Did you ever think that I just need my little brother?

Lexi: And that's why you can't go. It might be good for you, Damon. But it will destroy Stefan.

[Lexi looks out of the station at Stefan.]

Lexi: For once, you need to put someone else in front of yourself.

[Damon looks at Stefan who seems to be searching the crowd for Damon.]

Lexi: You need to let him go.

[Damon walks away from Lexi who is still watching him. He looks at Stefan again with a sad look upon his face.]

Damon: Good luck, Brother.

[Damon picks up his luggage and leaves.]

New Orleans

[Damon walks past Stefan towards the taxi he whistled down. Stefan stares blankly at the ground for a moment then turns to Damon and follows him to the cab.]

Stefan: I didn't know about that.

Damon: Yeah, well, next time I'll hang a billboard.

Stefan: Look, I know it may seem like I'm being unfair about this, like I'm upset about losing Elena to you, and I am. But after all this is over, if she never feels the same way about me as she used to, at least it'll be her choice.

Damon: The dreaded C - word.

[He opens the door to the taxi.]

Damon: I know what I have to do Stefan.

[He gets inside the taxi and Stefan follows him.]

Salvatore Boarding House

[Elena walks down the stairs towards the door as Caroline enters the house. They look at each other for a moment and then Caroline hugs Elena tightly.]

Caroline: I'm sorry!

[There is a moment of silence between them as Caroline holds on to Elena.]

Caroline: Okay, if you don't start hugging me back this is gonna get really awkward really fast.

Elena: You've got my hands pinned down.

Caroline: Oh.

[She takes her arms away from around Elena for a second, then wraps them around her again. Elena wraps her arms around Caroline as well and they embrace.]

Caroline: I'm a jerk. I promise to never again judge ever.

Elena: Just please don't tell Stefan about me and Damon.

[They stop hugging each other and look at each other.]

Elena: I promise that I'll tell him. I just - I need to figure out some stuff first.

Caroline: Of course.

[Caroline rubs Elena's arm. Bonnie walks in from behind Elena.]

Bonnie: You guys friends again? Thank God.

Caroline: Well, she saved my life. In spite of me being the nasty, bad witch.

Elena: Thankfully we had our good witch. You know, your hottie-creepy Professor really knows his stuff, Bonnie.

Bonnie: It's been baby steps but he's helping with a whole new kind of magic. He calls it expression.

Professor Shane's Office

[Shane enters his office and sees Hayley sitting on his desk.]

Prof. Shane: You ever hear of a text message? Maybe just give a guy a heads up?

Hayley: Adrian finished breaking the sire bond. You have your twelve hybrids. Now, where are my parents?

Prof. Shane: They're dead.

[Hayley looks upset.]

Hayley: You lied to me?

Prof. Shane: No, I didn't lie to you. I said I'd tell you where to find them.

[He pulls out a flashdrive and shows it to her.]

Prof. Shane: This is everything you ever wanted to know, including where they're buried.

[Hayley angrily walks over to him and snatches the flashdrive from his hand.]

Hayley: You just picked a fight with a werewolf. You know that, right?

[Shane walks closer towards her.]

Prof. Shane: Easy, killer, all right? I'm not declaring war here. Now, just cause they're dead, doesn't mean you can't see them again.

Hayley: What?

Prof. Shane: This is far from over, Hayley. We are the beginning.

Forbes Residence

[Caroline is sitting in a chair in the living room while Stefan is talking to her.]

Caroline: You feel sorry for him?

Stefan: Look, there's no other way to break a vampire sire bond. As much as you and I both hate it, Damon does love Elena. Now he has to completely let her go. Ever imagine having to do that?

Caroline: I'm sorry I told her. Okay, I kind of didn't have a choice. All I know is he better do what he's supposed to do.

[Stefan sits down.]

Stefan: He'll do it. He's not as bad as he wants you to think. He'll do what he needs to do, he told me he would.

Caroline: Is that all he told you?

Stefan: What do you mean?

Caroline: Nothing. It's just [She sighs.] It's just - how can you trust him?

Stefan: Because I think he loves her as much as I do. He can't be selfish with her. Not anymore.

[Caroline nods understandingly.]

Salvatore Boarding House

[Elena is cleaning up the wine bottles from the sleepover last night. Damon walks in the room and leans against the doorframe. Elena doesn't look over at him, but still notices that he's there.]

Elena: Hey.

Damon: Hey back.

Elena: How was your night?

[She turns around and looks at him.]

Damon: Awful. Yours?

Elena: Same.

Damon: Elena, um...we need to talk.

[He walks towards her.]

Elena: I know that I'm sired to you, Damon.

[Damon stops and looks up at her in surprise.]

Elena: Caroline told me. That's what you and Stefan were doing, isn't it? Is there a way to break it?

Damon: Not exactly. Which is why we need to talk.

Elena: Tyler told me the bond doesn't affect how I feel, just the way I act. My feelings for you haven't changed, Damon. Nothing has changed.

Damon: Everything has changed, Elena.

Elena: Okay, fine, yeah, I mean, I've changed. So have you, Damon. And I'm happy. Just like you were yesterday morning before we knew about any of this.

Damon: You know what would make me happy? To know that this entire time that I've been completely in love with you; that what you actually felt for me; was real.

Elena: It is real. I know that it is. Damon, I know what you're about to do. Please, don't do this to me.

[Elena walks closer to Damon until they are merely inches apart.]

Damon: I don't want to do this, Elena. I'm not the good guy, remember? I'm the selfish one. I take what I want. I do what I want. I lie to my brother, I fall in love with his girl, I don't do the right thing.

[Elena looks at him, sadly.]

Damon: But I have to do the right thing by you.

[Elena takes Damon's hand and places it against her heart.]

Elena: Does this feel wrong?

[Damon looks at her in silence. Elena places one of her hands against Damon's cheek.]

Elena: Does this feel wrong?

[Elena and Damon continue to look at each other with his hand on her heart and her hand on his cheek.]