I walked with Damon, Ric and Meredith over the reconstruction of the Wickery Bridge. Workers, volunteers, all working to get the bridge repaired.

I saw Rebeakh talking to Carol Lockwood in the distance. "Rebekah's up to something. She's been snooping around in places she shouldn't be."

"Tell me again, why are we here?" Ric asked.

"Ric, the world can't stop just because Nikki's dying 'cause her surgery was pushed back, and you're an accidental psycho killer," Damon told him, recieving a glare from me.

"Do you have any tact whatsoever?" Meredith asked.

Carol walked up to us. "Alaric, I'm glad you're here. Did you bring the sign?" Ric gave her a confused look. "The restored Wickery Bridge sign. The history department promised you'd have it today."

"I--I don't have the sign, actually," Ric told her. "It slipped . . . It slipped my mind. I've been busy."

"Well, it's not an emergency," Carol said. "We'll just, um . . .unveil it when the bridge is complete."

Carol walked away.

"Get me out of here," Ric said.

"My pleasure," Meredith said.

"I'm gonna stick around for a bit," Damon said.

Damon was looking at a redhead in the distance. She looked back at him, smiling.

"Who is that?" I asked.

"Blast from the past you just learned about yesterday," Damon answered.

"Sage?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm," Damon hummed, walking toward Sage.

When Ric and Meredith left to go to Elena's house, I left to go home.

~

Damon had told me about his and Sage's plan to find out what Rebekah was hiding.

Out in the hall, Damon's hair was wet, but he was dressed.

"How'd the plan go?" I asked.

"Rebekah's looking for wood made from a new white oak tree," Damon answered. "She's only been hanging around us because she knew we owned the . . ."

"Logging mills," I finished, remembering that was one of the things Rebekah asked while we had been at the bar.

"Yep," Damon answered.

I smiled, walking down the hall and downstairs. Damon followed me in confusion.

In the library, I was lookinh for the records. Damon was watching from the couch.

Sage stood in the doorway. "Milling records?"

"Our family made one of its many fortunes selling lumber," I answered. "It's why Rebekah's been digging around about this stuff. That tree was on our land and milled by our yard. The ledgers will tell me where it was shipped. Business archives should be around here somewhere."

Damon looked at Sage. "Get upstairs, make sure you keep her distracted."

Sage went back upstairs.

I finally found the 1912 archives, flipping through it to find out where the tree was shipped to. The old Wickery Bridge. "You've gotta be kidding me."

~

Sage walked back in when I was burning the book. "Rebekah just left."

"Happy, I hope," Damon said.

Sage looked at me. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yep," I answered. "1912, the Salvatore milling company chopped down a forest. Its most valuable wood came from an old white oak tree that was used to make the Wickery Bridge. These aren't public records, so Rebekah's gonna chase her tail for a long time."

"So all the wood stripped from the underside of that bridge is basically a weapon that could kill an Original?" Sage asked.

"Yep," I repeated.

"You both see how this could be a problem for me, right?" Sage asked.

I stopped poking at the book in the fire.

Damon stood, looking at Sage, walking closer to her. "Why? Because of your true love Finn? Let me tell you something. I met the guy. You're not gonna miss him."

Sage rushed in front of him. "I will rip your head off in two seconds if you take one more step."

"All right, let's make a deal," Damon said. "You let me kill Rebekah, I consider Finn untouchable, you guys walk into the sunset together."

"Is that a promise?" Sage asked.

"Yes, it's a promise," Damon told her.

Liar, liar. If one died, they all did.

~

I looked away from the fire. "What's taking him so . . ."

Sage was gone.

Damon walked in. "Sage, Nikki, let's go, we have Originals to kill."

"Sage's gone," I told him.

She was going to screw everything up.

~

Damon drove us toward the burning Wickery Bridge, Rebekah standing in front of the burning white oak wood.

"Damn it," I said as we both got out, slamming the doors in frustration.

"Your grand plans always seem to get ruined, don't they?" Rebekah asked. "Sorry to disappoint you. Again."

Rebekah walked away. Damon and I turned back for the car to see Sage by it.

"You set us up," I said.

"No," Sage said. "I'm just looking out for myself."

Damon walked closer to her. "I told you I'd save your creepy boyfriend!"

Sage walked closer to him. "And you lied to me, Damon! The Originals are linked, if one dies, they all die. If I can get inside her head, don't you think I'd be able to get inside yours?"

Rushing toward her, grabbing her by the throat, Damon pinned Sage against his car. "I should end you."

"I'm 900 years old, Damon," Sage told him. "You're not capable of ending me." She pushed him onto his car. "Do you really think that I would risk Finn's life for one of your petty revenge fantasies?"

I walked closer to them, looking at Sage. "Let me tell you something. Your long lost love has a suicide wish. 'Cause when mama witch linked them together in a spell, he's the one that volunteered to die."

"He wouldn't do that," Sage said.

"He didn't want to live," I told her. "Not for you. Not for anyone. He doesn't love you, Sage."

"I will end you, Nicola," Sage told me dangerously.

"Go for it," I told her. "But killing me won't solve what your real problem is, will it? Now, when we find another way to kill those Originals, we'll start with Finn."

Both of me and Damon turned away, leaving Sage alone.

~

Well, Bonnie came back to help fix Ric when I walked into the library, a cloth over something as I saw Stefan and Damon drinking.

"Little early in the day for you, isn't it?" I asked.

"You're one to talk," Damon said.

I smirked, walking closer.

"Just having a little toast," Stefan said.

"To what?" I asked.

"Control," Stefan answered.

"And magical witch herbs to keep Alaric's darkside dormant," Damon added.

"If you're happy, I'm happy," I said.

They both exchanged confused, suspicious looks. "What did you do?"

"Why do you guys always assune I did something when I say stuff like that?" I asked. They both looked toward me with open mouths, about to speak. I held up a finger. "Don't answer that. But, you know, guys, I'm a philanthropist. I make the world a better place. Restoring bridges, landmarks, and . . ." I ripped off the cloth off the Wickery Bridge sign. "Historical signs made of the same white oak as the Wickery Bridge."

Both of them stood, looking at the sign.

"They think all the wood burned," Stefan said.

"I sold my rage," I said.

Damon scoffed. "You even had me fooled." He looked at Stefan, gesturing to me. "You should've seen her."

"We have a weapon," Stefan said.

"Game's back on, guys," I told them. "Let's go kill some Originals."

We all smirked, knowiny we could do this.