[Salvatore's House]
(Damon wakes up and looks for Elena. She's in the bathroom)
Damon: Elena?
Elena: Hey
(She jumps into in bed)
Damon: Thought you might have left
Elena: No. I don't have to be at school for... At least 20 minutes ago. What's that face?
Damon: What face?
Elena: That face
Damon: I'm happy
[Caroline's House]
(Stefan is here)
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's House]
(Elena is kissing Damon's chest. She looks at him and smiles)
[Caroline's House]
Caroline: We already know it's affecting her. She's become Damon's lapdog. It's true. Everything he says, she agrees with. Everything he asks her to do, she does. We need to do something
Stefan: Wait. No. Hold on. Caroline, 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, ok? Maybe he'll know what to do. All right
Stefan: Talk to Tyler, but please don't tell anyone else. If this is true, then it may have influence Elena's every action and emotion since she became a vampire
[A barn]
(Adrian the hybrid is turning and screaming)
Adrian: Please, no more. I can't
Tyler: Yes, you can. Block out the pain
(He starts to turn again but Kim intervenes)
Kim: That's enough. This is torture
Haley: Kim, stop. He needs to finish
Kim: Not today, he doesn't
Haley: 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: Haley 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
Kim: He doesn't have to do anything. Isn't that the point of breaking the sire bond... Free will? Let's go, Adrian
[Salvatore's House]
Damon: I got it. Ahem. Scarf. What... oh
Elena: Listen, Damon. We need to...
Damon: No. No, no, no. Don't ruin it
Elena: You don'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. 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, and it's right now. Just one day. One day
Elena: Ok. One day
Damon: Yes!
(She opens the door. Stefan's here)
Elena: Hey
Stefan: Hey
Elena: See you in history?
Stefan: Yeah. Listen. We need to talk
(Stefan and Damon are in the living room)
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 since 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 doppelganger 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. Look. Just ask her to drink from a blood bag. Make sure you 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
[Mystic Falls High School]
(Elena rejoins Caroline and Bonnie at her locker)
Bonnie: Elena, hey, is everything ok?
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
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
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: Are you sure that Stefan and Damon are cool with us crashing at their place?
Elena: 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 and Damon are in a classroom)
Elena: You being here makes your selfish, secret day a little difficult, don't you think?
Damon: Ha ha! Forget your lunch
(He shows her a blood bag)
Elena: I can't. You know I can't
Damon: Well, last time you tried it, the circumstances were less than optimal, and I think maybe you should just give it another try, see if it works. I really think it will. Please... for me?
(She takes it and drinks)
Damon: You ok?
Elena: Um... I'm fine. It tastes like blood. Last time, it was like hot garbage
Damon: You sure you're ok?
Elena: 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. I have to get to class. Thank you
[Whitmore College]
(Haley is in Shane's office, looking for something. He enters)
Shane: Trespassing, breaking and entering, all before noon?
Haley: Having trouble breaking Adrian. Don't worry about it
Shane: You already got the 12 hybrids I need
Haley: We have 11. I told you, Tyler Lockwood isn't part of the deal
Shane: Well, now there's 11 hybrids. You deliver me 12 without loyalties to Klaus, or your friend Tyler becomes fair game
Haley: You haven't held up your end of the bargain
Shane: Right. This is everything you always wanted to know about your biological parents, and it's encoded in case you're thinking of the smash and grab. Just bring me 12 unsired hybrids, and it's yours
[Salvatore's House]
(Stefan is on the phone with Caroline)
Caroline: I talked to Tyler
Stefan: And?
Caroline: The sire bound 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
Stefan: Right, but Elena is not a werewolf. So what's the vampire equivalent?
Caroline: Well, that's the problem. There isn't one
(He hangs up)
(Damon is in the library, looking for something. Stefan rejoins him)
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. Remember that?
Stefan: New Orleans
Damon: 1942, to be exact
Stefan: What was in New Orleans in 1942?
Damon: Other that bourbon and beads, us, Stefan
Stefan: Oh, yeah. What was the name of that girl you used to hang out with?
Damon: That was no ordinary girl. That was Charlotte
Flashback New Orleans, 1942
[A bar]
Damon: She was crazy about me from the minute we met. So, of course, when she asked me to turn her into a vampire, I did
(Charlotte rejoins Damon at the bar)
Damon: Hi
Charlotte: Hey
Damon: So did you decide who you would like to have for dinner tonight?
Charlotte: Him
(She shows him the singer)
Charlotte: 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?
(He goes to the singer)
Damon: Drop by after your set. Come join us
(Charlotte looks at him and smiles. A navy sailor spills Damon's drink)
Charlotte: You spilled my man's drink
Navy Sailor: Sorry. It's crowded in here
Charlotte: That's no excuse
Navy Sailor: Hey, take it easy, lady
Charlotte: I'm not gonna take it easy
(She kills him. Damon rushes toward them and catches him before he falls)
Damon: What did you do?
Charlotte: He touched your drink. You said show no mercy. I thought you'd be happy
Nowadays
[Salvatore's 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?
(He gives him something)
Stefan: Who's Valérie la marche?
Damon: The witch that I found to help me break little Charlotte's sire bond. Pack your bags, baby bro. We're going to Bourbon Street
(Elena gives a champagne bottle to Bonnie and one to Caroline)
Elena: One for you, one for you
Bonnie: I'm assuming this is for Caroline
Elena: Actually, it's for me
Bonnie: Oh, I thought...
Caroline: Are you saying that...
Elena: Thanks to Damon, I am now a functional dysfunctional vampire
Bonnie: That's amazing
Caroline: 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, and erase
Caroline: So where is my least favorite Salvatore?
Elena: "Out with Stefan for the night. Don't wait up. Brother bonding."
Caroline: Hmm. 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. Do you mind laying off on all the hate?
Bonnie: Ok. New girls' night rule... No boy talks, yeah? Plus, why talk when we have this?
Caroline: Is that stoner tea?
Bonnie: It's spirit tea. It opens up your chi or whatever. 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: 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: I'll drink to that
[New Orleans]
(The streets are packed with people partying. Damon and Stefan are walking)
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
(His phone rings. He looks at it)
Damon: Elena is at the house with the girls where she can't get in trouble. Bad news... think they got into the dom. Told her to make herself at home
Stefan: Yeah. You told her, so she does, right?
Damon: Sire bond is not that literal, Stefan
Stefan: Really? Name one thing that you've asked her to do that you haven't gotten, huh?
Damon: You know what I haven't gotten? Blame, guilt. I get it, Stefan. I get that you're 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
(Damon leaves. Stefan catches up with him)
Stefan: Hey, wait, Damon. I'm sorry
Damon: What'd you say?
Flashback New Orleans, 1942
[A bar]
(Stefan and Lexi enter)
Stefan: "I'm sorry I blame you for my bloodlust and for me becoming a ripper. It wasn't your fault." Do I really have to say it wasn't his fault?
Lexi: Yes. Keep going
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 dredge 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 20 years turning your life around. It's time to make nice with your brother
(Stefan sees Damon at the bar. He rejoins him and taps him on the shoulder. Damon turns himself)
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
(Lexi, Stefan and Damon are drinking at the bar)
Damon: Egypt, ah. Finally gonna get to see the pyramids
Stefan: Oh, I doubt I'll be doing much sightseeing driving an ambulance through the front lines, but... yeah, yeah... Egypt
Damon: Think they have room for another driver? I could handle some war if it meant spending quality time with my little brother
Stefan: Tell you what. I'll talk to my C.O
(He leaves. Lexi gets closer 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 a 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 comes back with drinks)
Stefan: To the Salvatore's in Egypt
Damon: Cheers
Stefan: Cheers
Lexi: Cheers
(Charlotte comes back with an unconscious woman)
Charlotte: Damon... Did you forget you were supposed to meet us for dinner?
Damon: Sorry. I lost track of time
Charlotte: I brought you leftovers
Damon: Charlotte!
Lexi: Get away from him
Damon: Stefan... Stefan. I... I... Stefan...
Lexi: She's better off without you, too
Nowadays
[New Orleans]
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, don't get all warm and fuzzy on me yet. 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 I'd get us a start
Stefan: Maybe there's another place to start. You think Charlotte might be in New Orleans?
Damon: Yeah, maybe
Stefan: Where's 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. I was gone by the morning Where you going?
Stefan: Corner of Bourbon and Dumaine, see how literal the sire bond is
[Mystic Grill]
(Haley and Tyler are witching Kim and Adrian playing pool)
Haley: They're gonna get us both killed, and we're just sitting here
Tyler: Kim is right. The point of breaking the sire bond is being free. They don't have to listen to me
Haley: 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
(He gets up and rejoins Kim and Adrian)
Tyler: Long day tomorrow, Adrian. You want it to go better than today, you need to get some rest
Kim: Who do you think you are?
Tyler: The guy telling you to call it a night. 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?
Kim: Whatever you say
Tyler: Finish your drink and get Adrian back to the stables. We'll meet you there
(Kim leaves)
Adrian: Where we going?
Kim: To pick a fight
[SCENE_BREAK]
[New Orleans]
(Damon and Stefan are walking)
Damon: No way is she gonna be in the same spot after 70 years
Stefan: So what are we gonna tell Elena?
Damon: I was hoping we wouldn't have to tell her anything
Stefan: 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. I'm gonna go get a drink. Hunt me down when you stop being a dick
(Damon is walking alone in an empty street. Someone runs into him and he falls on the ground. Stefan hears the struggle and rejoins him. He throws the girl off him. Damon gets up and they both look at her)
Stefan: What the hell just happened?
Damon: She kissed me
(It's Charlotte)
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
Stefan: Literally every brick?
Damon: Uh, Charlotte... Heh heh... 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
Stefan: Then why are you still here?
Charlotte: You know when someone breaks up with you and there's a song that reminds you of them, first, you hate it, 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: That's a really long time stuck listening to the same song
Damon: Yeah. Heh. 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's House]
(The girls are dancing and drinking)
(The girls are in Damon's bathroom. Elena is lying in his tub)
Bonnie: Check this out... Vamp speed video
Elena: I look like superman. Watch this: This year's Christmas card. 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 iniquity. Ok. I'm sorry. I've been good all night. I am stopping now
Elena: No. Don't stop on my account. Rip away. It's only Damon, right?
Caroline: Well, say what you want about ripper Stefan, but at least he wasn't a man slut
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: 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
[New Orleans]
(Damon and Stefan enter a store. A woman welcomes them)
Woman: Can I help you, gentlemen?
Damon: Hi. Looking for a witch. Sorry. No time for pleasantries
Woman: I'm sorry. I don't understand
Damon: Look... Nandi, is it? Let's skip the part where you pretend like you don't know what we're talking about. 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 New Orleans, 1942
Val: The magic you're talking about is dark, powerful. Magic like this doesn't come cheap
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 Nowadays
[New Orleans]
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 for the tourists, but I don't practice
Damon Ok, fine. 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's House]
(Elena is cleaning up. Bonnie and Caroline rejoin her)
Bonnie: Elena, come here
Elena: Party is over. You guys need to leave
Caroline: Don't be mad, ok? We're just looking out for you
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: What?
Elena: What are you talking about?
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: There's no way. I...
Bonnie: Are you sure?
Caroline: Yeah. Ask Stefan about it. He can explain it better than I can
Elena: I'm sorry. You talked to Stefan about this?
Caroline: It's not your fault, Elena, ok? Damon took advantage of you
Elena: Ok. You need to leave... Now
Bonnie: Elena...
Caroline: come on
Elena: I said leave
Kim: Hello girls. Stop. One bite from a hybrid, and she's dead, remember?
Elena: Caroline
[New Orleans]
(Damon and Stefan are back outside)
Damon: Witch is lying. Doesn't practice magic, my ass
Stefan: Human sacrifice? Did you really think that I would go for this?
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. Are you gonna help me good cop/bad cop this witch, or not?
[The Woods]
(Tyler and Elena are in the woods. Tyler is on the phone with Haley)
Tyler: I get it, Hayley. I'll find them, and I'll get them in line
Elena: Bonnie says no luck with the locator spell
Tyler: They've got to be here. They're not dumb enough to risk getting caught by Klaus in town
Elena: Well, what do they want with Caroline?
Tyler: Kim is trying to prove 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
[New Orleans]
(Stefan and Damon go back into the store)
Nandi: What are you doing here?
Damon: Calling you out. You're not Val's great-granddaughter. You're her daughter. 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
(She uses her powers on him)
Nandi: I gave you a chance to leave with your life
(Stefan enters)
Stefan: Wait, wait, wait, wait. We don't want any trouble, ok? 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
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 12 people
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. 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
[A barn]
(Kim is torturing Caroline)
Caroline: Why are you doing this?
Kim: To show Tyler who's in charge
(Tyler and Elena enter)
Tyler: Stop it. Stop it, Kim. Caroline is with us, all right? We're all on the same team
Kim: She's on your team, not mine
Tyler: Stop it! Stop!
Adrian: Ease up, Kim. Klaus won't like this
Kim: Huh, that's a very good point. Do you think he'll like this?
(She takes a stake)
Tyler: Kim, don't do it. I swear to God...
Elena: No. Wait, 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?
(She goes toward her and strangles her. But Tyler frees himself and puts his fist in Kim's chest)
Tyler: I'll rip her heart out right now. Kim put you all at risk today, and 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
[New Orleans]
(Damon is with Charlotte)
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. Please just stop crying
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. Good-bye, Charlotte.
(He leaves)
(He meets Stefan outside)
Stefan: How'd it go?
Damon: 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
Flashback New Orleans, 1942
[A train station]
(Damon is in uniform. He enters the train station to put his bag with the others. Lexi comes out)
Lexi: Damon... 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 12 people
Damon: How do you know they didn't have it coming?
Lexi: Your brother has spent the last 20 years racked with guilt, fighting the temptation to drink human blood. He's serving in war as penance for the pain that he's 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. For once, you need to put someone else in front of yourself. You need to let him go
Damon: Good luck brother
Nowadays
[New Orleans]
Stefan: I didn't know about that
Damon: Yeah. Well, next time, I'll hang a billboard
Stefan: 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. I know what I have to do, Stefan
[Salvatore's House]
(Caroline enters. Elena looks at her and Caroline embraces her)
Caroline: I'm sorry. Hey, 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
(Caroline release her, they look at each other, smile and embrace each other)
Caroline: I'm a jerk. I promise to never again judge ever
Elena: Just please don't tell Stefan about me and Damon. I promise that I'll tell him. I just need to figure out some stuff first
Caroline: Off course
(Bonnie enters)
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
[Whitmore College]
(Shane enters his office. Haley is waiting for him)
Shane: You ever hear of a text message, maybe just give a guy a heads-up?
Haley: Adrian finished breaking the sire bond. You have your 12 hybrids. Now, where are my parents?
Shane: They're dead
Haley: You lied to me?
Shane: No. I didn't lie to you. I said I'd tell you where to find them. This is everything you ever wanted to know, including where they're buried
Haley: You just picked a fight with a werewolf. You know that, right?
Shane: Easy, killer, all right? I'm not declaring war here. Just because they're dead doesn't mean you can't see them again
Haley: What?
Shane: Oh, this is far from over, Haley. We are the beginning
[Caroline's House]
(Caroline and Stefan are in her living room)
Caroline: You feel sorry for him?
Stefan: Look. There's no other way to break a vampire's sire bond. As much as you and I both hate it, Damon does love Elena. Now he has to completely let her go. Can you imagine having to do that?
Caroline: I'm sorry I told her, ok? I kind of didn't have a choice. All I know is, he better do what he's supposed to do
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... 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
[Salvatore's House]
(Elena is cleaning up. Damon enters)
Elena: Hey
Damon: Hey back
Elena: How was your night?
Damon: Awful. Yours?
Elena: Same
Damon: Elena, we need to talk
Elena: I know that I'm sired to you, Damon. Caroline told me. That's what you and Stefan were doing, wasn't it? Is there a way to break it?
Damon: Not exactly... This 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: Ok. 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
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... But I have to do the right thing by you
(She puts his hand on her heart)
Elena: Does this feels wrong?
(She touches his face)
Elena: Does this feels wrong?
Plan: A: Stefan; Q: Who believes Elena is sired to him? A: the Salvatore house; Q: Where does Stefan arrive to? A: the suspicion; Q: What does Stefan have that Elena is sired to him? A: a blood bag; Q: What does Stefan suggest Damon ask Elena to drink from? A: a vein; Q: Where does Elena drink blood from? A: the sire bond; Q: What does Stefan want to investigate in New Orleans? A: Louisiana; Q: Where is New Orleans located? A: Caroline; Q: Who did Kimberly capture to try and prove that she is the leader of the hybrids? A: a girls night; Q: What do Elena, Caroline and Bonnie share while the Salvatore brothers are out of town? A: an argument; Q: What happens when Caroline starts criticizing Damon? A: Elena's stubbornness; Q: What does Caroline get angry at? A: Hayley's urging; Q: Who urged Tyler to confront Kimberly? A: Klaus; Q: Who is the father of Kimberly? A: the situation; Q: What escalates into violence when the hybrids start fighting over who takes the pack-leader role? A: a witch; Q: Who told Damon that the only way to break a sire bond is to tell the sired vampire to forget them ever existed and move on with their life? A: their maker; Q: Who does a vampire become sired to when they have human feelings for them? A: her feelings; Q: What does Elena try to convince Damon are real? A: Professor Shane; Q: Who is teaching Bonnie a type of magic called "expression"? Summary: After Elena and Damon wake up and continue where they left off the night before, Stefan arrives to the Salvatore house and approaches Damon with the suspicion that Elena is sired to him. Stefan advises Damon to ask Elena to try and drink from a blood bag again and see if she can keep it down, since he believes the only reason she can only drink straight from a vein is because Damon told her so. He tries and discovers that not only can she keep the blood down, she enjoys it. Damon decides to help Stefan investigate the sire bond in New Orleans, Louisiana hoping to find a former flame of Damon's who was also sired to him. While the Salvatore brothers are out of town, Elena, Caroline and Bonnie share a girls night, but an argument quickly ensues when Caroline starts criticizing Damon. When Caroline gets angry at Elena's stubbornness and her obvious devotion to Damon, Elena reveals that she and Damon slept together, which leads to Caroline telling Elena that she is sired to Damon. Meanwhile, at Hayley's urging, Tyler confronts one of Klaus's hybrids, Kimberly, and the situation quickly escalates into violence when the hybrids start fighting over who takes the pack-leader role. Kimberly then captures Caroline to try and prove that she is the leader. Tyler and Elena save Caroline, causing the other hybrids (including Kimberly) to accept Tyler as their leader. While in New Orleans, a witch tells Damon that the only way to break a sire bond is by telling the sired vampire to forget they ever existed and move on with their life. The witch also reveals that a vampire only becomes sired to their maker when they have human feelings for their maker before they are turned. Damon knows he has to do the right thing with Elena and decides to tell her to move on, but when he approaches Elena with this final instruction, Elena realizes that he wants to break things off and tries to convince him that her feelings are as real as she believes they are, and that the sire bond only affects the way she acts. Also in the episode, we find out that Professor Shane is teaching Bonnie a type of magic called "expression," which the witch in New Orleans called more evil than dark magic; that other witches don't even call it magic at all.