Outfits in the external link

From 1.01 "Pilot", night in the woods, over the fog-covered forest floor.

Nicola: (voice over) "Previously on Worlds Colliding (The Vampire Diaries)"

From 6.09 "I Alone", in the diner, Stefan, Kaylin, Matt, Enzo and Monique 'Sarah' were talking.

"I'm Zach and Gail's daughter," Monique told them. "Sarah Salvatore."

From 6.09 "I Alone", in Stefan's car, Stefan was in the driver seat. Kaylin was in the passenger seat. Monique was in the backseat.

"What the hell is going on, Stefan?" Kaylin asked.

"The real Sarah Salvatore is in her dorm room at Duke University, where she studies as an art major," Stefan told her.

Kaylin looked at Monique. "Then who the hell are you?"

From 6.09 "I Alone", outside, Monique got out of the car, starting to run away.

Kaylin rushed out of the car and in front of Monique to stop her.

"Monique," Monique told her.

From 6.09 "I Alone", in the road, Enzo grabbed Monique, pulling her back against him.

"Enzo, let her go," Kaylin told him.

"I just want the truth, love," Enzo told her, snapping Monique's neck, letting her body fall to the ground.

From 6.10 "Christmas Through Your Eyes", in the medical center, Eliza and Caroline were sitting on the bench.

"So our mom has a brain tumor," Eliza told her. "Then we'll just give her vampire blood."

"Eliza, do you think that if our blood cured cancer, we would have heard about that by now?" Caroline asked. 

They started to cry.

Caroline wrapped her arms around Eliza, holding her.

Eliza sat like that, crying in her older sister's arms, never moving.

From 6.08 "Fade Into You", in flashback to the woods, Young Jo and Kai were surrounded by their coven, holding hands, chanting.

Jo: (voice over from 6.08 Fade Into You) "In our coven's tradition, the twins merge their strength."

From 6.08 "Fade Into You", in the dorm building, everyone was sitting at the table.

"The stronger one wins," Jo told them.

"The weaker one dies," Lucas told them.

From 6.10 "Christmas Through Your Eyes", in Olivia's dorm room, Olivia and Lucas were talking.

"Why should we have to die because our sister's too weak to defeat our psychopath of a brother?" Olivia asked.

"Merging is our duty to the coven," Lucas told her. "It's why we were born."

From 6.10 "Christmas Through Your Eyes", in the cemetery, Kai continued to draw magic from the ground.

Damon, Kaylin, Cristian and Alaric only became more suspicious, unable to see what he was doing from there.

Kaylin: (voice over from 6.10 Christmas Through Your Eyes) "Sucked up all that magic from the Traveler spell."

 Kai levitated Alaric off of the ground, slamming him into a tree, making him fall to the ground. "A lot of magic."

From 6.09 "I Alone", in the road, Stefan and Kaylin were talking.

"The promise I made to you about keeping Sarah a secret?" Kaylin asked. "It doesn't abide to Nikki. I will tell her, and I will be the first one to tell her before anyone else tells her. She will give up on us. For good."

From 6.10 "Christmas Through Your Eyes", outside the boarding house, Nicola was invisible to Kaylin.

Kaylin left her a message, walking past Nicola toward the house without seeing her. "I wanted to tell you something, and the time to tell you is now." Nicola turned to face Kaylin in confusion. "So, I need you to come home so I can tell you."

Kaylin closed the door in Nicola's face without realizing she was there.

Kai appeared behind Nicola. "I may have put a cloaking spell on us." Nicola instantly turned to face him. "Oh, and if you want to know what Stefan and Damon are hiding from you, if you want to know what Kaylin's trying to tell you, I can be the one to tell you instead."

Nicola looked at Kai in confused suspicion. "What do you know about me?"

"I know a lot more than you think I do," Kai told her, twisting his wrist.

Nicola's head turned to the side, her neck snapping. Her body fell to the ground.

Kai looked down on Nicola's body, smirking a sadistic, winning smirk. 

------~------

Day One

Morning - Mystic Grill

Nicola was slowly waking, seemingly in a lot of pain.

She couldn't see yet. All she could see was darkness. 

But she could hear Kai's voice. She could barely hear it at first, distant and echoing. "See, we never went out to dinner when I was a kid, so I always had this fascination with chefs and fine dining. Dad actually let me cook." Nicola opened her eyes to see a bright white light on the ceiling above her. "Taught me to measure by eye. Seasonings to taste, all that stuff." She slowly raised her head to look around. She was tied to a chair with vervain ropes. "But it's different now in the restaurant world. Everything's on timers. It's like..." Kai was sitting across the table from Nicola, eating. Her vision was blurry. "Fries go in, you push a button." Nicola's vision and hearing cleared up. "It dings, you take them out. Literally, no guess work."

Nicola was trying to pull free, groaning in pain when she felt the vervain sear her skin. "Why am I here?" 

"Oh, well, I spent 20 years in abandoned restaurants and now I'm showing off the fruits of my labor," Kai told her.

Nicola looked at the Mystic Grill sign on the wall. "I don't mean the Mystic Grill."

"Oh, you mean, like, here, here, in Mystic Falls?" Kai asked, chuckling. "Sorry. I'm nervous. I'm--You're, like, really pretty."

"Why am I here, Kai?" Nicola asked forcefully.

"Well, I took the spell that was keeping supernaturals out of Mystic Falls, and I..." Kai trailed off. "I, like, absorbed it, like... Like, ate it, I guess." He took a bite of his food. "It's cool, huh? First, I eat magic, and then, eventually, I lose it. But, I mean, a huge spell like that? I mean, come on. Magic's oozing out of me. It's all over the place." Nicola closed her eyes in annoyance. "You know, I didn't quite realize I was so out of control until I met the manager of the Grill a few hours ago." Nicola opened her eyes, looking away, bored and annoyed. "And he was all like, 'Yeah, you can't come in here. We're closed, and you have an unconscious girl over your shoulder.' And I was like, 'Don't judge me'." Nicola looked at him weirdly. "So, then I gave him a heart attack. Tried to. But all I did was make him vomit uncontrollably, which was like, 'ugh, all right, let's stop that.' So, I tried again, and I think I broke his spine. I mean, I'm not really sure, because the third time I tried the spell, he kind of exploded in blood. Whoops." 

Kai took a drink. 

Nicola looked at Kai incredulously. "What the hell is wrong with you?" 

"I just told you," Kai told her. "I have too much magic. You know, it wasn't until after my test run with the manager that I realized if I start the merge with Jo, and my gushing fountains of magic turn her into that guy, then I'm not gonna have a twin for the merge. So, Nicola, that is why you are here." He took a bite of his food. "Because... I need to get my magic under control. By practicing with you, or rather, by practicing on you."

"Kai, you talk too much," Nicola told him.

"So I've been told," Kai told her. "Oh, hey, P.S. Silver lining? After the manager finally stopped thrashing around, I finally managed a cloaking spell. Thank you." He took a drink. "It's easy to do and undo. Phesmatos oculix." The dead, burned body of the manager appeared on the table in front of Nicola, looking at her with eyes still wide in horror. Nicola gasped, struggling, making the chair back away. She looked away in disgust. "Table for three." Kai laughed. "You had no idea."

Nicola looked at the dead body for a moment, recovering. She looked at Kai. "So you needed a guinea pig to get your magic under control."

"Mm-hmm," Kai answered. "I chose a vampire because they're harder to restrain, so it takes more focus, power and control, which mean I am getting better." 

"This town is crawling with vampires," Nicola told him. "You could have taken anybody, and you chose to take me?" 

"Why not?" Kai asked. "I mean, it's the perfect revenge against Damon for abandoning me over in the prison world, to tell you the same exact thing that he never wanted you to know, and it might even punish Kacie for doing the same, because what I'm about to tell you may or may not cause problems with your relationship with Tyler, her brother, and, plus, it'll make you hate her, too, so..." Nicola looked at him in confusion. "Besides, you threw me off of a balcony in the bar the other day."

"You were trying to kill me and Olivia," Nicola replied.

Kai shrugged. "And plus, it'll more than likely ruin your little makeshift family once and for all." He stood, slowly walking around the table toward Nicola. "It's a win-win... win-win. I don't know if you know this, but family is very important to me."

"You killed most of yours," Nicola told him incredulously.

"Right," Kai agreed awkwardly. "But they hurt my feelings, and they were still important to me. I mean, they were important for my message to the Gemini Coven."

"You're psychotic," Nicola told him.

Kai raised a hand toward Nicola, using magic to cause her pain, making her groan, scream in pain.

The excess magic made lights explode, electrical sparks and glass falling around them.

"See what I mean?" Kai asked. "Too much magic." He stopped the spell. Nicola gasped in relief. "And it's that kind of attitude that got them all killed. Do you want to be next?" 

Nicola looked at Kai, glaring, breathing heavily in pain. "What the hell do you want?" 

Kai leaned closer. "I want to tell you a little story about what Stefan, Kaylin and Damon did on May 10, 1992."

------

Worlds Colliding (The Vampire Diaries)

------

Salvatore Boarding House - Stefan's Room 

Stefan was asleep. He woke when he heard birds chirping, bottles clanking, thudding in the distance of the house. He heard another thud. 

(Song:) I'm Shaking - Jack White 

Stefan sat up.

------

Kitchen 

Stefan walked in to see Alex standing at the island. "Hey." 

Alex smiled a small smile. "Hi." 

"So, how'd you sleep in your... old bedroom?" Stefan asked.

"Pretty damn good, actually," Alex answered. "I, uh, to be honest, I was actually getting really tired of the college dorm, because the beds there suck, so being here was a nice change." Stefan smiled. "Hey, any chance you could help me out with some speakers at Caroline and Eliza's house?" 

"Uh, sure," Stefan answered. "When should we, uh..." 

"Soon," Alex answered. "But after I get my morning coffee." 

Stefan smiled.

Alex stepped around Stefan to get to the coffee pot, pouring herself some.

They heard a clattering further in the house, looking in the direction it had come from in confusion. They walked out of the kitchen to check it out.

------

Hallway 

Stefan and Alex walked into the hallway.

They heard Olivia's voice. "Ow!"

They heard Jo's voice. "Sorry!"

They heard Lindsey's voice. "Are you okay?"

Olivia walked out into the hallway, her clothes smoking. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just clothes and skin." She saw Stefan and Alex. "Hey, where can I get a T-shirt?" 

"Kaylin's room," Stefan answered. "Upstairs, end of the hall." 

Olivia walked away toward Kaylin's room. 

------

Living Room 

Stefan and Alex walked into the living room to find an enormous mess surrounding Jo, Alaric, Liv, Tory and Lindsey. 

"What are you doing in my house?" Stefan asked.

"Fire spell," Jo answered. "Sort of. It turns out, getting back in touch with your magic isn't anything like riding a bike." 

Jo laughed nervously. 

"Oh," Alex told them.

Alaric looked at Stefan. "I am sorry about that vase, though. Was that expensive?" 

"Well, I don't know," Stefan told them. "But the Smithsonian would. You should call them." 

Alex looked at Tory and Lindsey. "Let me guess. Tory Donovan and Lindsey Davis, the two strongest witches I know are trying to help her get back in touch with her magic again." 

Tory smiled awkwardly.

"Hey, if I can teach Tory how not to use Expression, I'm pretty sure that I can teach Jo how to use her magic again," Lindsey told them. 

"Hey," Tory complained.

Liv smiled.

Cristian, Luke and Ryan walked into the house. Ryan was holding a large paper bag.

Liv stood, walking toward them. "Oh, thank God. Breakfast. Please tell me that you brought mimosas." 

Ryan pulled out a bottle of wine from the bag. "Do you actually think I'd watch this sober?" 

"And, what exactly are we watching?" Alex asked.

"Today, we make s'mores," Tory told them. "In a month, Jo wins the merge and becomes leader of her coven, guaranteeing it's survival."

"Olivia asked them to help Jo, and they all have her on a 30-day regimen between now and the next celestial event," Cristian explained. 

"And this regimen has to happen in my living room, why?" Stefan asked.

"Damon feels guilty," Luke answered. 

"That's new," Cristian told them. "And where the hell is he?" 

(Song Ends)

------

Whitmore Medical Center - Liz's Hospital Room 

Damon was sitting in a chair, seemingly sleeping.

Liz laid in her hospital bed. "I paid extra for this room to be a single." 

Damon stretched. "Well, you clearly underestimate the number of women who'd die to spend a night with me." 

"Well, I'm not dead yet," Liz told him, chuckling. "Have you managed to patch things up with Ric?" 

"Well, baby steps," Damon told her. "Step one: Allow him to turn my house into Hogwarts. Step two: Call in a favor from the Sheriff. Ask her to put out a APB on a super-charged serial killer named Kai Parker." 

Liz checked her phone. "Yeah, I already had my guys on the lookout. No one matching Kai's description popped up overnight."

"What the hell is he doing?" Damon asked.

Caroline, Eliza, Elena and Kacie walked into the room. 

"Bad news is, the employee kitchen didn't have a juicer," Eliza told her. "Good news is, they do now."

Eliza held a green smoothie toward Liz.

Liz cautiously took it. "What is this?" 

"It's a kale smoothie," Eliza answered. "It's good for DNA cell repair." Liz looked at Elena and Kacie. Elena shook her head sympathetically. Kacie shrugged. "And for slowing cancer. Oh, are you warm enough?" 

"I'm fine," Liz told them unconvincingly. 

"Let me just get you another blanket," Eliza told her, getting another blanket out of a drawer.

"So you can literally smother her?" Kacie asked.

Eliza covered Sheriff up. "I'm just trying to help here, Kacie, since apparently, modern medicine takes forever."

"I don't understand why we can't skip all the guess work and go straight to something that works," Caroline told them. "Like vampire blood." 

"We are not having this conversation again, sweetheart," Liz told her.

"Okay, then what do you want to talk about?" Caroline asked. "How the doctors can't operate, how chemo won't work, how radiation won't shrink the tumor? Damon, Elena, Kacie, feel free to jump in with your support here at any time." 

"Well, I think that would require you having my support, Caroline," Damon told her.

"You don't think that our blood will work?" Elena asked. 

"For 170-odd years, I've never known an instance where our blood cured cancer," Damon told them. "When Nikki was sick, she didn't even take a drop of vampire blood. But then again, Nikki wasn't as sick as you are now, and she never liked taking vampire blood anyhow. You remember what her response was to us even when she needed vamp blood to stay alive?" 

"'Screw you'," Elena answered.

"Exactly," Damon told them. "Nikki was smart. She didn't want to turn, and she didn't take vampire blood. But, hey, Liz, if you want to be a guinea pig in an experimental study involving weird, unpredictable magic... far be it from me to stop you." 

"I'm sorry, Sheriff, but I have no idea how vampire blood would work, and honestly, I would rather not figure it out if the outcome is completely unpredictable that it could in fact cause more pain than you're already in now," Kacie told her.

"It's fine, Kacie," Liz told her.

"Huh," Damon told them, looking at Kacie. "Since when are we ever on the same page about anything?" 

"Four months locked in a prison world will do that to you," Kacie told him.

Damon smirked. 

Liz looked at Caroline and Eliza. "Look. For now, I would like to put my faith in science. Which means going home on doctor's orders, having a nice, quiet day, and waiting for more MRI results." 

Damon stood. "See? Ah, mommy knows best." 

Kacie looked at Liz. "Then I guess you won't want to know that Matt called me saying that he found a dead body in the Grill earlier." Liz sighed. Kacie smiled a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it." 

"Thank you, Kacie," Liz told her. 

"Right," Damon told them. "While Kacie Lockwolf covers up a mysterious death, I will go home and make sure those witches aren't destroying my house. Bye, bye." 

------

Hallway 

Damon and Kacie walked into the hallway.

Kacie started to walk away from him. 

Damon grabbed Kacie by the arm to stop her. "Wait a sec." 

Kacie turned to face Damon. "Yeah?" 

"Okay, you remember the story from the prison world, you know, the one that I never want to mention again?" Damon asked.

Kacie nodded with a duh look. "Yeah. Figuring out that my brother's girlfriend, and your great-great-great-great niece had a dead sibling before she was even born is kind of hard to forget." 

"Right," Damon told her. "I need you to keep that to yourself, all right?" 

"You're not even gonna tell Nicola?" Kacie asked.

"I'll tell her, before something happens and she finds out from somebody else, but I just need Nikki to learn it from Stefan, Kaylin or me," Damon told her. "Okay?" 

"Well, I wasn't planning on telling her anyway," Kacie told him. "I mean, I don't mean to sound like a bitch, but once she finds out about this, you're gonna be on the wrong side of Nicola Salvatore's sword." 

Damon chuckled once, looking away.

Elena walked out of the hospital room. "What's going on?" 

Kacie shook her head. "It's nothing." 

"She knows," Damon told her.

"She does?" Kacie asked.

"Yes, and she already promised to keep it a secret," Damon answered. 

"Great," Kacie told them. "Well, I'm gonna go meet up with Matt and find out what the hell happened to the dead guy. Peace." 

Kacie turned around, walking away.

Elena turned to face Damon. "Is she right? About how mad Nicola's gonna be?" 

"After everything that this family has already put her through?" Damon asked. "Oh, yeah. I just have to find the right way to tell her." 

"No, there is no right way to tell her, or right time," Elena told him. "Didn't we learn about this when Tory waited so long to tell Tyler and Kacie that she was their sister? You're just repeating the same mistakes." 

Damon sighed. "Yeah, I know. And I'll tell Nikki. As soon as I get the chance." Elena looked as if she was about to say something, but stopped. Damon looked at her curiously. "What's on your mind?" 

"Look," Elena told him. "I don't know what we were, or are, or what we're supposed to be, but all I know is that the last few days have been pretty horrible, and I just... I don't know how to explain it. I just need to get my mind off of it. I just need to get my mind off of everything." 

"Okay," Damon told her. "Come over. I'll cook you dinner, and we'll talk about our crappy last few days, weeks, or months. Just wait until I kick out the witches and salvage what's left in my house." 

Elena smiled a small smile.

------

Salvatore Boarding House - Outside 

Kaylin was sitting on the porch outside, sighing, calling Nicola. "Hey, you know, a reply more than a two-word text would be amazing at this point. I told you that I needed to tell you something, and I need to tell you soon, as in, like now. At least come home before the four witches of the land of Oz burn the mansion down. See you soon." 

Kaylin hung up, seemingly starting to worry.

------

Inside - Kaylin's Room 

Olivia was rummaging through Kaylin's drawers, on the phone. "Kaylin Salvatore may be a vile creature, but she has the best clothes." 

Lucas was on the other line, walking through the halls at Whitmore College. "Should I be wondering why you're in Kaylin Salvatore's bedroom?" 

"Jo scorched my shirt," Olivia explained.

"So you're shirtless in Kaylin's bedroom," Lucas told her. "I didn't know you were gonna turn into me, Olivia." 

Olivia laughed sarcastically. "You must be feeling such mixed emotions right now." 

"How's the training going?" Lucas asked. 

"Jo's terrible," Olivia answered. "If she went up against Kai today, she'd lose in, like, nine seconds. You totally called that one, Lucas." 

"Yeah, but you've got time to whip her into shape," Lucas told her. "But, if Dad finds out you're training Jo--" 

"He won't," Olivia told him. "Chill, okay?" 

Olivia hung up, closing the drawer, taking one of Kaylin's shirts. It was a dark-colored, layered blouse.

------

Forbes House - Living Room 

Eliza walked into the living room, seeing a pink flower on an end table still in bloom, smiling a small smile. "You kept my orchid alive. That's amazing." 

Liz and Caroline walked in.

"I wanted everything to be just the same when you both finally came home," Liz told them.

Stefan and Alex walked in.

"Hey," Alex told them. 

"What is this?" Liz asked.

"Um, I volunteered to move your entertainment center in here, so now you can watch TV from your favorite chair," Alex answered. "And I asked Stefan to help me because I have no idea how to work a speaker system." 

"Yeah," Stefan agreed. "I hooked up the surround sound to your DVD player, and I left a universal remote on the table, right here." 

"Well, thanks," Liz told them. "Guess it never occurred to anybody to just... move my chair... but..." Caroline walked upstairs. Stefan was looking at Liz worriedly. Liz smiled a small smile. "What's the matter? Never seen anyone with Stage 4 cancer before?" 

"Actually, no, I haven't," Stefan answered. "One of the few perks of starting over every few decades, real life never really catches up to you. Even when Nikki was sick..." 

"She wasn't as sick," Liz finished. "Yeah, we already know." 

Eliza looked down sadly. 

Caroline walked downstairs, holding a Friends boxset, handing it to Liz. "So, if you start the Friends boxset now, we'll be back in time for Monica and Chandler's wedding. Stefan, you know how to laugh, right?" 

"Opinions vary," Stefan told them. "Wait, why? Are you guys leaving?" 

"Every minute counts," Eliza told them. "So we're going to get a second opinion from one of the world's leading experts in Grade 4 Glioblastoma." Liz gave her a look. "I couldn't sleep. I Googled. Alex, I was hoping you would go with us, because we do not feel like driving three hours all by ourselves." 

"Sure," Alex answered. "Yeah, definitely. And where is the Internet sending us?" 

"Duke," Eliza answered. 

"Duke?" Stefan repeated. "You know what? Maybe I'll give you guys a ride. I was thinking of heading that way to check on a friend."

"A friend?" Alex repeated skeptically.

"Mm-hmm," Stefan answered.

"Stefan, I know all of your friends," Alex told him. "Elena. Eliza. Caroline. Me." She pretended to think. "And then that's it." 

"Ouch," Stefan told her. "And here I thought we were just starting to get along again." 

Alex smiled. 

"I think it would be better if you girls had some company on the road," Liz told them. She turned to Stefan. "Thank you, Stefan." 

Stefan nodded, walking toward the door.

Eliza wrapped her arms around Liz. "I will call you every hour on the hour." 

Liz smiled, pulling away. "I will set my watch by it." 

Caroline wrapped her arms around Liz. "I love you." 

"I love you, too," Liz told them. They pulled away. "Bye." 

Stefan, Alex, Caroline and Eliza walked out of the house. 

Liz sighed, sitting in her chair tiredly.

------

Mystic Falls High School - Hallway 

Nicola slowly woke up, realizing her wrists were chained to the ceiling above her head. She looked around the school hallway, seeing Kai standing a few feet in front of her. "We're in my high school?" 

Kai was looking at a trophy case. "Yeah. They have plenty of restrooms, no flammable surfaces. And everyone's on winter break. Still, it's no wonder America got dumb when I was locked up. They're never in school." He looked at Nicola, stepping closer. "So, what have we learned so far today in class?" 

Nicola struggled uselessly against the chains. "So this was your big plan? Tell me one big lie about what you want me to think happened so you can turn me against Stefan, Kaylin and Damon and exact revenge against Damon for abandoning you in the prison world, and possibly Kacie, because this might cause some trouble with me and Tyler?" 

Kai looked at Nicola in amusement. "Oh, you think I'm lying?" 

"Damon may have been murderous enough back then to kill a pregnant woman, but what difference does it make?" Nicola asked. "I didn't know her. All of this was before I was born. How does any of this apply to me?" 

"You're not used to being the center of attention, are you?" Kai asked. "I mean, all I heard across town here recently was your name, from several different people. But don't worry. Your boyfriend, Tyler, had nothing to say about you that no one else knew. He's completely in the clear, completely innocent. But every single one of your other friends? Not so much. 'Should we tell Nicola?' 'No, we should let Stefan, Kaylin and Damon tell Nicola'. So, let me explain exactly how all of this is about you. Miss little ray of sunshine. The pregnant lady Damon killed, Gail, she had a close-knit tie with your father, Zach Salvatore."

"What kind of 'close-knit' tie?" Nicola asked in boredom.

"I think you know," Kai told her, tilting his head significantly. 

Nicola realized what he meant, shaking her head. "No. My dad's first and last love was my mom, Monica, before she died."

"You sure about that?" Kai asked.

"Yes," Nicola answered in annoyance, slowly growing angry. "And even if what you're saying is true, my dad would've told me."

"Not if Kaylin compelled Zach to forget that the mother of his oldest, unborn child was murdered by Damon right in front of them and Stefan," Kai told her.

Nicola struggled uselessly, frustrated. "You're lying. Kaylin--"

"Wouldn't do that?" Kai finished. "Oh, but she did." 

"She would've told me," Nicola told him.

Kai looked sarcastically touched. "Oh. You think that, even after all your family has done to and for you, they wouldn't keep the most important thing from you. That they're better than the Mikaelsons when they're not. That is so sweet, Nikki."

"You don't get to call me that," Nicola told him.

"It's a family nickname, right?" Kai asked. "Too bad yours is filled with murderers, liars and manipulators, just like me."

Nicola leaned closer to Kai angrily, but the chains kept her from going too far. "I'm going to kill you."

Kai chuckled. "Wow. Still defending them. Still loving them. Remember last night when I took you right from under Kaylin's nose, how she was leaving a message for you, because she wanted to tell you something, 'Something I shouldn't tell you over the phone'? What did you think that she meant? But I'm beginning to see why they didn't want to tell you until now. You are scary when you're angry. And hot. But, like, a weird kind of hot." Nicola rolled her eyes, looking away. "So... Ready for more?" 

"More what?" Nicola asked. "More lies?" 

"And you still don't believe me," Kai stated.

"Sorry if I'm having a hard time believing a psychotic killer who murdered his own family," Nicola told him.

"Well, all right, then," Kai told her. "How about this? I heard that vampires can get into your heads to either plant a memory or to see a memory. Is that true?" Nicola didn't answer, but that was answer enough. "Good. Then let me show you a memory of Damon telling me exactly what happened on that day in 1992."

"I'm not letting you get inside my head," Nicola told him.

"Then that leaves one last option," Kai told her. "Cause you enough pain to where your guard drops and you have no choice but let me inside your pretty little head. I guess I can always turn your blood into acid again."

"Again?" Nicola repeated skeptically.

Kai took off his jacket. "Yeah. That's... It's kind of how you got here in the first place." He tossed his jacket aside. "I was trying the whole acid-blood thing, and I think I burst a few important capillaries in your brain, because you blacked out." He raised his hand toward Nicola. "Phesmatos navaro pulsus sanguinox." Nicola's blood started to boil into acid. The pain was unbearable. Nicola screamed in pain. "Phesmatos navaro..."

The pain was enough to make Nicola let her guard down so he could show her the memory he wanted to show her.

------

Flashback - 6.04 "Black Hole Sun"

Prison World 

Day - Salvatore Boarding House - Living Room

Damon, Bonnie, Kacie and Kai were talking.

"I don't want to talk about the worst thing I ever did, Kacie," Damon told her.

Bonnie turned to Damon. "Tell me you didn't kill a pregnant woman." 

"Wait, if Gail was with Zach, then..." Kacie trailed off, turning to face Damon. "If you killed Gail, then that also means you killed Nicola's unborn sibling." Damon looked guilty. "And Stefan and Kaylin know about this, but after everything you did to Nicola, she would hate you for this. I mean, you killed Zach, you're the reason she had gotten sick, and you're the one who turned her into a vampire. This would be the last straw."

"I know that, Kacie," Damon told her in annoyance.

"And that's why she has no idea," Kacie realized. "Because you don't want Nicola to hate you, or Stefan or Kaylin. Tell me that you didn't kill Nicola's unborn sibling and then kept it a secret from her this entire time."

"Oh, that's totally what happened," Kai told them. "Why else would today be his personal hell?" 

------

Now 

Real World 

Day Mystic Falls High School - Hallway 

Nicola was still chained up. "Stop. Stop, Kai. Stop!" 

Kai ignored her, continuing on with his spell. "Phesmatos navaro pulsus sanguinox."

Nicola tilted her head down, closing her eyes, screaming in pain.

------

Flashback - 6.04 "Black Hole Sun"

Prison World 

Day - Salvatore Boarding House - Foyer 

Bonnie led the way inside the house. "I'm not letting Kai out of here, okay? He just said, he's a serial killer." 

"I don't care," Damon told them. "I wanna get out of here."

"How can you not care?" Kacie asked. "Maybe because of the horrible things you have done? Maybe 'cause killing a bunch of kids is not a big deal to someone who has murdered a pregnant woman? Am I wrong?"

Damon didn't answer, but the guilt in his expression was answer enough.

------

Now 

Real World 

Day - Mystic Falls High School - Hallway 

Nicola was still chained up. She forced herself to come out of the memory, looking up at her right hand with her daylight ring. It was melting. "My ring. Kai, you're melting my ring." 

Nicola's daylight ring melted into nothing.

Kai continued his spell. "Phesmatos..." 

"Kai, stop it!" Nicola told him.

Kai continued his spell. "Navaro..."

Nicola looked up at the chains chaining her to the ceiling, gathering enough anger and strength to pull on the chains hard enough to break free, glass and electrical sparks falling around them. She rushed out of the hall.

Kai smirked, stalking after her.

------

Science Classroom 

Nicola rushed up to the lab table, turning the water on, washing the melted silver on her hand away. 

Now she couldn't get out until sundown.

Nicola turned to the wooden chair next to her angrily, kicking it hard enough to make it fly into the wall on the other side of the room with a loud bang, making the chair fall to the floor, shattering into pieces. 

Kai walked in. "I take it that ring meant something to you?" Nicola looked at the sunlight streaming in onto the lab table in front of her. Next to it, there was a gas main. "I never understood sentimental attachments to things, because then it's so upsetting when you lose them."

Nicola put her hand in the sunlight, making her skin burn, screaming in pain.

Kai watched in absolute confusion.

Nicola held her hand in the sunlight until it burst on fire, putting it in front of the gas main, turning it on, aiming it at Kai.

A huge ball of fire blew past Nicola, engulfing Kai, blowing him back toward the floor. Kai was screaming until he landed on the floor.

Nicola rushed out of the room. 

------

Salvatore Boarding House - Living Room 

Jo was now practicing levitating a book. 

Tory and Lindsey were levitating other things to help keep her motivated.

Liv, Cristian, Luke, Ryan, Alaric and Olivia were watching them.

Kaylin opened the door, walking inside with Damon, closing the door behind them. 

Jo's concentration broke, making her drop the book. 

The objects that Tory and Lindsey were levitating were still in the air.

"That doesn't count," Jo told them. "I was distracted." 

Kaylin looked at Olivia. "Are you wearing my shirt?" 

Olivia smiled smugly. 

Damon looked at Kaylin. "Where the hell are Stefan and Nikki? They would share my utter outrage at them wrecking our house before we even got used to the place again after so many months." 

"Stefan, Alex, Caroline and Eliza are going to Duke, looking for ways to help Sheriff," Kaylin explained. She sighed, looking at her phone. "Nikki says, 'Sorry I couldn't make it last night. Went back to my place to get my stuff. Tyler's been helping me. See you soon'." 

The door opened.

Everyone looked toward it.

Tyler walked in. 

"What are you doing here?" Tory asked.

"Nicola told me to meet her here last night, something about celebratory 'Welcome Home' drinks," Tyler answered. "Now I can't get a hold of her." 

Everyone else was confused.

"I thought you were helping her move her stuff here," Liv told him.

Tyler shook his head, confused. "Uh, no. I haven't talked to her since last night." 

Everyone seemed worried.

Kaylin's phone rang. She answered, trying to regain composure. "Magic camp. How may I help you?" 

Nicola was in the school, in the dark cafeteria, using a school emergency phone from the box. "Kaylin, Kai has me at the school. I need your help." 

"Whoa," Kaylin told her. "Nikki?" 

------

Mystic Falls High School - Cafeteria 

Nicola heard a loud clang from further in the building, hanging up, closing the emergency box, turning to the door behind her, opening it to reveal Kai staring back at her.

Kai used magic to push Nicola to the floor. He twisted his wrist. 

A table was magically thrown across the room.

"Really?" Kai asked. Nicola slid away from him. Kai stalked closer, twisting his wrist. A shelf fell over behind her, making her stop. "Damn it." Nicola stood, standing defensively. Kai twisted his wrist, finally able to snap her neck magically. Nicola's temporarily dead body fell to the floor. Kai did a victory fist, walking closer to stand over Nicola's body. "Bingo."

------~------

Duke University - Art Exhibit

(Song:) Waves That Rolled You Under - Young Summer 

Stefan, Alex, Caroline and Eliza walked into an art exhibit at Duke. 

Caroline was on her cell, on hold. "So your friend I've never heard of is a world-famous photographer?" 

"Well, it's a student exhibition," Stefan told them.

"Oh, goody," Alex told them sarcastically. "Freshman art. Since you're so good at noticing untapped potential. How do you know this person again?"

Someone talked to Caroline on the other end of the line.

"Oh!" Caroline told them. "Yes, I did call earlier about a consult with Dr. Moore? Great." She looked at Eliza. "Okay, they can see us right now." 

Eliza sighed. "Thank God." 

"You know what?" Stefan asked. "I'm gonna catch up." 

"Okay," Eliza told them. "Uh, Oncology Center, D4. Come find us." 

"Okay," Stefan told them.

Caroline and Eliza turned, walking out of the exhibit. 

Alex looked at Stefan in confusion. "What are you really doing here, Stefan? I know that look."

"What look?" Stefan asked. 

"The look that says you have an ulterior motive," Alex answered. "Come on, just tell me." 

Stefan exhaled. "Fine." Alex smiled a small smile. "I'll tell you, but only if you promise me not to tell anyone." 

"Done deal," Alex told him. 

Stefan smiled, leading the way toward a female instructor. "Excuse me. Can you point me to Sarah Nelson's exhibit?"

The instructor smiled. "Far corner. Good choice. She's one of our best new students." 

"Thank you," Stefan told her. 

Stefan looked at Alex, nodding for her to follow him. Alex nodded, following him to the far corner where the girl who was Sarah Nelson talking with a group of people, explaining one of her photographs. 

"According to the saying, when a child dies, an angel will take the child in her arms and fly her over all the places she loved best, so she can see them one last time before she goes to Heaven," Sarah told them. "That's what I had in mind with this aerial point of view. And then I wanted to catch the sunlight flaring off the windows because it obscures the reflection of the viewer who's looking down at them."

"Who is that?" Alex asked. 

"That is Zach Salvatore's daughter, which makes her my great-niece 4 generations removed, just like Nikki," Stefan answered. "She is Nikki's older-by-a-year sister." Alex looked at him in shock. "I took her mother's body to the ER after Damon killed her. They did a C-section to save Sarah's life, but I kept that little detail from Damon, Kaylin and Nicola so that she could live a good life in a nice home, where she felt safe and loved."

"Oh, my God," Alex told him. "What..." 

"Yeah, I know," Stefan told her. "It's a lot, um, it's a lot to take in."

"Yeah, you think?" Alex asked. "I didn't even know that Nicola had a sister." 

Enzo appeared on the other side of Alex. "Oh, that's old news, love." 

Stefan seemed worried.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alex asked. 

"Same thing as you two are," Enzo told them. "Looking for a little... art to decorate my wall."

Enzo took a sip of his wine. 

(Song Ends)

------

Oncology Center 

Caroline and Eliza were in the oncology center, walking down the hall beside Dr. Moore. 

"And that's when I read your article in the 'New England Journal of Medicine,'" Eliza told her. "You know, the one about tumor reduction using hypothermia treatments?" 

"That's not exactly light reading," Dr. Moore told her.

"Well, I didn't say I understood it," Eliza told her, laughing nervously, handing her the file folder in her hand. "These are our mom's charts. Look, your bio said that you are an amazing expert on glioblastoma, and we really, really need an expert because our mom's doctors are telling her that she's not a candidate for clinical trials." 

Dr. Moore looked over the charts.

Caroline laid a hand on her shoulder, making her look up so she could compel her. "And you're not gonna give us any grief on insurance or confidentiality or anything except your honest opinion."

Dr. Moore looked over the charts. "Her doctors are doing everything right. It's a Grade IV tumor. They could try full-brain radiation, but that would seriously impact any remaining quality of life. She'll face cognitive and verbal decline, motor loss, personality change, and meanwhile, she could still develop morphine-resistant pain." 

"So, you're saying that there's no feasible medical solution?" Eliza asked in denial.

"I really wish there were," Dr. Moore told them. "I have a patient in nearly identical condition. He hasn't responded to any treatment. Now, he's just running down the clock." 

Eliza looked at Caroline helplessly, desperate. 

Caroline seemed to be losing hope as well until she got an idea, looking from Eliza to Dr. Moore. "I want to see him." 

Eliza looked at her in confusion.

------

Salvatore Boarding House - Living Room 

Everyone was talking about what they had just learned. 

"Why would Kai go after Nicola?" Liv asked. "He has power the size of this town, and he chooses her? Why?" 

Damon seemed guilty. "I have a few suspicions." 

"What do you know?" Tyler asked.

"I know you need to step down, former wolf," Damon told him. "If Kai is doing what I think he's doing, then Nikki's gonna be pissed as it is. The last thing I need is for her to be even more pissed at me for hurting you." 

"Why?" Cristian asked suspiciously. "What is Kai doing?" Damon didn't answer. Cristian stepped closer. "You didn't want Nicola within a hundred yard distance from Kai before. Kai knows something he shouldn't. Doesn't he?"

"Yes, all right?" Damon asked. "He knows something that I should have never told him, Kacie or Bonnie over in the prison world, Cristian."

"What did you tell them?" Ryan asked.

Damon looked at Kaylin, knowing she would know what he meant. "What happened on May 10, 1992." 

Kaylin realized what the date meant, incredulously angry. "You told a sociopathic psycho that you murdered Nikki's dad's pregnant girlfriend, the mother of her unborn sister, in front of Zach, Stefan and me?" 

"And that you compelled Zach to forget about the girlfriend and the baby, and for him to move on with Monica so that she would be born, and that Stefan covered up all those other murders," Damon answered.

Tyler was in shocked confusion.

Alaric, Luke, Ryan and Cristian raised their eyebrows. 

Jo, Olivia, Liv, Tory and Lindsey didn't know how to react. 

Kaylin was appalled, angry and shocked, taking a moment to respond. "God, are you insane? Did you even think, even for a second that Kai would use this against you? Against all of us? Nikki's not just gonna hate you, Damon. She's gonna hate me and Stefan, too. And you know who else? Everyone who knew of her sister and didn't tell her. Matt, Jeremy, Eliza, Elena, Kacie... She has to find out from Kai? Are you kidding me?" 

"How many times are you guys gonna hurt her before she gives up on you altogether?" Tyler asked. "How much can she take before she finally snaps?" 

Damon looked at Tyler incredulously. "I'm sorry. Why are you even here?" 

"I'm trying to save my girlfriend's life, because of other peoples' mistakes put her life in danger, again," Tyler answered. "Sound familiar?" 

"We need to get her out of there, now," Liv told them.

"Good," Tyler told them. "I call shotgun." 

Damon stepped closer to Tyler, glaring at him.

Liv sighed. "Here we go."

Damon ignored her, grabbing Tyler by his collar. "I don't care how much Nikki likes you. I don't even care if she loves you. If you even think about following us in there, I'm going to gouge your eyes out of your head, because if something happens to you because of us, she won't just be angry. She won't just be betrayed, and she won't just hate us. She'll be desperate enough to turn off her humanity, so do not push me right now, and you stay put. Do you understand me?" 

Tyler looked at Damon expressionlessly, concealing his anger, nodding slowly, cautiously. "Yeah. Yeah, I understand you." 

"Damon," Ryan warned. 

Damon let go of Tyler forcefully. "Not a good time to tell me to step down, Ryan."

Cristian sighed. "We need a plan." 

Everyone looked at Tory and Lindsey.

Luke looked at Lindsey and Tory. "To think, a day almost went by where you two weren't roped into saving one of our friends." 

"Cry me a river, Luke," Kaylin told him. "Saving people is what you Lindsey and Tory do best." She looked at Lindsey and Tory. "It's in your blood. We're going up against a witch with super juice. We need the Super Duo."

"We just need you two to do a stupid cloaking spell so we can go grab Nikki, and you guys can get back to wrecking our mansion," Damon told them.

"Yeah, that's easier said than done," Tory told them. "I don't even know the cloaking spell. Do you know the cloaking spell, Lindsey?"

"No, I don't," Lindsey answered.

"I can teach you guys the spell," Olivia told them. "But I'm not going in there. If Kai even gets a glimpse of me, I'm dead. You guys are fast learners, and you guys are strong enough to do this easily. Okay?" 

Lindsey nodded. "Just teach us the damn spell so we can get going." 

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Phesmatos radium cara."

Lindsey and Tory chanted the spell with Olivia this time. "Phesmatos radium cara. Phesmatos--"

Olivia suddenly disappeared. 

"Olivia?" Ryan asked. "Olivia? Hey! Olivia!"

Everyone looked around in confusion.

Lucas appeared. "Sorry." 

"What the hell are you doing here?" Luke asked.

"She doesn't have time for this," Lucas told them. "Invisique."

Lucas disappeared. 

"No!" Jo told him. 

They looked around. 

------

Mystic Falls High School - Cafeteria 

When Nicola woke up, she was sitting on the floor, her hands tied to the table behind her back with vervain ropes.

Kai was now wearing a Mystic Falls High School Timberwolves T-shirt, drinking a can of soda. "Oh, hello."

"Nice shirt," Nicola told him sarcastically.

"Oh, thanks," Kai told her. "Yeah, somebody burned my other one. Which was awesome, by the way." Nicola raised her eyebrows, tilting her head, smiling sarcastically. "I'm starting to see why Tyler digs you. You are Crazy Pants. I'm guessing that's a Salvatore/Mikaelson family trait, right? You guys tend to go to the extremes. What I don't get is why you hate being a vampire, because from what you just showed me, you're pretty damn good at it. I mean, of course, there's the blood lust, the killing people thing, but once you're like me, it doesn't bother you at all." 

"I'm nothing like you," Nicola told him.

"You're right," Kai told her, kneeling in front of Nicola. "I'm a witch, you're a vampire. And that is why I will be able to show you the rest of the story."

"I don't want to see any more, Kai," Nicola told him, struggling against the vervain ropes.

Kai ignored Nicola, putting a hand on the side of her head, using magic to cause her enough pain for her to let her guard down again so he could show her the rest, making her scream.

------

Flashback - 6.04 "Black Hole Sun"

Prison World 

Day - Salvatore Boarding House - Foyer 

Damon, Kacie, Bonnie and Kai were talking.

"Ouch," Kai told them. "Poor nephew-uncle Zach and niece-cousin Nicola."

"Kaylin compelled Uncle Zach to forget about the girlfriend and the baby, and the fact that any of us even returned home in 1992," Damon told them. "She even made sure that Zach moved on so he wouldn't be left alone. Nikki's mom, Monica. But Kaylin and Stefan couldn't cover up all those murders. Founder's Council was restarted and they took off, left Mystic Falls for about 16 years. We all did. And when I saw Uncle Zach again, I couldn't look at him without remembering that I ruined everything. So it was a relief when I got to kill him."

------

Now 

Real World 

Day - Mystic Falls High School - Cafeteria 

The way that Damon talked about the feeling he got when he killed Zach was enough to push Nicola out of the memory painfully.

Nicola was breathing heavily. "No. Stop it." 

"Oh, but we're so close to reaching the end," Kai told her.

Nicola glared at Kai angrily, weakly. "I said I don't want to see anymore." 

Kai ignored Nicola, putting his hand back on the side of her head, using magic to cause her enough pain for her to let her guard down again so he could show her the rest, making her scream.

------

Flashback - 6.04 "Black Hole Sun"

Prison World 

Day - Salvatore Boarding House - Foyer

Damon, Kacie, Bonnie and Kai were talking.

"What do you mean, it was a relief to kill him?" Bonnie asked.

"After many times of saving each others' lives, I began to feel guilt for what I did to Nikki," Damon told them. "And for that guilt, usually, I would've killed her to make it go away. But Stefan and Kaylin protected her with their lives, and the fight that I saw in Nikki just made me want to let her live. So I did."

"But you got her sick and turned her into a vampire," Kai told him in confusion.

Damon looked down in guilt. "Yeah. Because turning her was worse for her than death."

"And you, Kaylin and Stefan just kept Gail and the baby, Nicola's unborn, dead brother or sister a secret from her her whole life," Kacie told him incredulously. 

"There wasn't any need to bring in more pain in her life than there already was," Damon told them. "At first, I didn't care. Then I didn't want her to know because we knew it would destroy her and she'd hate us."

"And your guilt toward Nicola is why you think this place was your personal hell?" Kacie asked.

Damon nodded. "Yeah. I gotta get back, for Stefan, Kaylin and Nikki."

------

Now 

Real World 

Day - Mystic Falls High School - Cafeteria 

Nicola pulled out of the memory painfully, gasping.

Kai pulled his hand away from her head, smirking. "Now do you believe me?" 

Nicola didn't answer, trying to catch her breath, tears in her eyes. She looked as if she believed him, but also as if she was in denial that Stefan, Kaylin and Damon could do this to her.

------~------

Salvatore Boarding House - Living Room 

Everyone was devising a plan to get Nicola away from Kai.

"So, now that her Wonder Twin came up and kidnapped her, we need another witch who can teach us the damn spell," Tory told them.

"I can teach you the spell," Jo told them.

"You can barely light a candle," Liv told her.

"Cloaking is one of the first things they teach you as a Gemini," Jo told them. "I learned it when I was a kid." 

"But?" Ryan asked. 

Jo looked at Tory and Lindsey. "You'll have to stay beside Kaylin and Damon while you do it, which means you'll have to go inside." 

Luke shook his head. "Okay, look. There's gotta be some other option."

They heard Jeremy's voice from behind Damon and Cristian. "Luke's right. There is. Right here." 

"Let me guess," Cristian told him. "You're holding a crossbow." 

Damon and Cristian turned to face Jeremy to see that he did have a crossbow in his hand. 

"No one is killing Kai," Jo told them.

"Well, we're not letting Kai kill Nicola," Tyler replied. 

"Nobody's letting anyone die," Alaric told them.

"Anyone have any other ideas?" Damon asked, looking at Tory and Lindsey.

Tory sighed, looking at Luke.

Luke shook his head. "Look, they didn't let you two get involved with Kai yesterday because they said it was too dangerous for you, because he can take your power with a single touch, and if he takes all of your power, then you die. Lindsey, he's already tried to kill you." 

"Why would he take our power when he already has the power the size of the entire town?" Lindsey asked.

"Wow," Luke told them sarcastically. "That is so not making me feel any better about this terrible plan." 

"It's the only plan, Luke," Tory told him. "Look, I know that you're worried about us, but who else do you know that can do the spell so we can get in and save Nicola?" 

"Won't Kai be able to sense your magic?" Liv asked.

"That's why we get in, get Nicola, and get the hell out," Cristian told them.

"We?" Kaylin repeated.

"Yeah, we," Cristian answered. "I'm not gonna let you guys go up against this psycho alone."

Kaylin managed a small smile in thanks, too worried about Nicola to do much else. "Thanks, Cristian."

"How do you guys even know you're ready to go up against Kai?" Luke asked.

"We don't," Lindsey answered. "But, hey, if push comes to shove, we can always do what we did to Olivia and Lucas when they tried to kill us and use his tricks against him. That's a big step in the right direction." 

Ryan sighed. "Lindsey... Tory..." 

Lindsey stepped toward Ryan, taking his hands in her own. "It's the only choice, Ryan." 

"Then we're going with you, me and Luke," Ryan told them.

"No, Ryan, you're not," Tory told him. "Kai's dangerous, and I'm not letting him hurt you or Luke."

Lindsey shook her head in agreement. "I'm not either. Ryan, Luke, we'll be fine. I promise."

Luke sighed. "Tory..."

No one liked this plan, but it was the only one that they had. 

------

Whitmore College - Lucas' Dorm Room 

Lucas and Olivia were talking.

Lucas was packing. "Dad's pissed, okay? He wants us back in Portland now." 

"I was helping them," Olivia told him.

"They can help themselves," Lucas told her. 'We're not their dancing witch-monkeys. They have Tory and Lindsey for that." He held up a few books. "Do you wanna bring these books back?" 

"Take the books, leave the books," Olivia told him. "Who cares? Did you tell Dad I was helping Jo get stronger? Is that why he's pissed?" Lucas sighed, not giving an answer. "Of course you did. You're just like him." 

"Actually, I can think for myself," Lucas told her. "I've always said that Kai was too dangerous to become leader of the coven. You've been wasting your time with Jo. We both know she's never gonna beat him." 

"You don't get it, do you?" Olivia asked. 

"Get what?" Lucas asked.

"You just cloaked me, and I couldn't fight it," Olivia told him. "You're stronger than me." 

"No, you don't know that," Lucas told her. 

"Yes, I do," Olivia told him. "We're supposed to be equal. We're not. I know you, Lucas. I know you love me. And  I know a huge part of you wishes that it's me that makes it through this. But it's not a coin toss anymore. If we merge, you win and I die. That scares the crap out of me. So. If you wanna pack the books, pack the damn books. I'm not gonna be the one reading them."

Olivia turned around, walking out of the room, leaving Lucas alone to think about what he should do now.

------

Mystic Grill 

Matt and Kacie stood in the closed, deserted Grill, looking at the dead manager's body lying on the table, burned and bleeding.

"I came in to do inventory and found him like this," Matt told her. "Sorry to bother you when you just found out last night that you could finally come home after just coming back from the dead and four months stuck in a prison world with a psycho case, Kace, but--" 

"No, I'm glad you called," Kacie told him, speaking sarcastically the next time she spoke. "I don't think he died of natural causes." 

Matt chuckled without humor, checking the time on his cell. "22 hours and 18 minutes. That's how long supernatural beings have been allowed back in Mystic Falls, and I already know someone who's dead because of it."

"It's not vampire, if that's what you're getting at," Kacie told him.

"How can you tell?" Matt asked.

"Because I recognize the scent," Kacie answered. "It was Kai. It has his out-of-control impulse to kill people with magic M.O. all over it."

"And I'm guessing we're gonna have to find a way to hide the truth about a homicidal, lunatic witch from the townspeople," Matt told her. Kacie smiled sympathetically, looking down. Matt sighed, shaking his head. "This is never gonna end, is it? The attacks, the cover-ups? This is our life again." 

"This is Mystic Falls," Kacie told him, shaking her head lightly, turning around, slowly stepping away from him. "It'll always be Mystic Falls. If you love it here, you should stick..." She recognized another scent, confused. "Around."

"What?" Matt asked. Kacie held up a hand toward him, making sure the scent was from who she thought it was from. "Kacie, what is it?" 

Kacie turned toward him. "Nicola was here." 

Matt looked at Kacie in confusion. 

------

Duke University Medical Center - Hospital Room 

Caroline and Eliza walked into the hospital room where the cancer patient was sleeping, attached to a breathing machine and a heart monitor.

Eliza closed the door behind them.

Caroline closed the blinds on the window, putting down her purse. 

Eliza opened the patient's file. "Collin Phelps. Inoperable tumor. They zapped your brain with radiation for months. They still couldn't save you." She sat on the edge of the bed. Collin moaned. "Yeah, I'd be groggy, too, if I were on this many painkillers. And the doctor said all they can do is make you comfortable while you wait for the end. I'm really sorry to hear that." Eliza read from the file. "Next of kin, none. I'm really sorry to hear that, too. But you see, on my mom's chart, this spot, next of kin, that's where my name goes, and my sister's." She looked at Caroline. "Caroline and Eliza Forbes." Caroline smiled a small, sad smile. Eliza looked at Collin, shaking her head. "We're all she's got." 

Caroline looked at Eliza for approval.

Eliza nodded for her to go ahead.

Caroline hesitantly bit her wrist, putting it to Collin's mouth, making him drink her blood.

The beeping on his heart monitor increased.

Collin opened his eyes. 

Caroline compelled him. "Hey, I know we just met, but you're not going to remember any of this." 

Collin's heart monitor's beeping slowed. He closed his eyes. 

Caroline pulled her wrist away, watching him. 

Eliza looked at her worriedly. "Do you think it'll work?" 

Caroline sighed, shaking her head. "I have no idea. I guess we'll just have to wait and see." 

Eliza didn't look too sure about this.

------

Mystic Falls High School - Cafeteria 

Nicola was sitting in front of Kai, tied with vervain ropes.

Kai was sitting down in front of Nicola, having hands clasped, staring at her, using magic to cut a K into Nicola's cheek, watching it heal, smiling.

"If the spell you're going for is to creep me out, it's working," Nicola told him. "If the spell you're going for is to turn me against Stefan, Kaylin and Damon, then you're gonna have to try a little harder than that." 

"I don't have to try to do anything," Kai told her. "All I have to do now is remind you of all the horrible things they did to you, or what happened to you because of them. You know, while I was in your head, showing you what I showed you, I was also going through all of your memories tied to Stefan, Kaylin and Damon. Like how Damon killed your father."

As Kai listed everything that they had done, Nicola could see it in her head, like he was purposely branding them in her head.

------

Flashback - 1.05 "You're Undead to Me"

Day - Salvatore Boarding House - Basement

Caroline unlocked the door to the cell.

Zach and Nicola ran closer.

"No!" Nicola told her. "No!" 

Nicola and Caroline ran away. 

Damon stepped outside, snapping Zach's neck, letting his body fall to the floor. 

------

Flashback - 1.17 "Let the Right Ones In"

Night - Tombs' Vampires' Home - Basement 

Nicola was sitting there, weak, bleeding from being fed on.

Kai: (voice over) "Like how the tomb vampires came after you to get to them, not once, but twice. You nearly died the first time." 

------ 

Flashback - 3.07 "Ghost World"

Night - Salvatore Boarding House - Living Room

The ghosts of the tomb vampires surrounded Nicola. 

Ghost Vampire 3 lunged for Nicola. Nicola spun around, slashing her sword through his neck, decapitating him. The body and the head fell to the ground. The head rolled away toward the wall. Nicola spun around to stab Ghost Vampire 4 in the heart, taking it out, letting him fall to the floor to his knees. She swung the sword through his neck, decapitating him, splashing a bit of blood onto her face.

Two tomb vampire ghosts restrained Nicola by either of her arms.

Nicola struggled to no avail.

Fredrick approached Nicola, lunging toward her.

------

Now 

Day - Mystic Falls High School - Cafeteria 

Nicola was tied up with vervain rope. She closed her eyes, trying to force the memories away.

Kai was sitting in front of her. He smirked, impressed. "But the second time, with the sword and the ghosts while you were sick and still human, that was cool. But why did you even get sick in the first place?" 

"A werewolf started to cut my throat," Nicola answered. "A tumor formed on my carotid artery. It was a casualty of war that I survived." 

"And who started the war with the werewolves?" Kai asked. 

Nicola glared at Kai. "Stefan, Kaylin and Damon." 

"Exactly," Kai told her. "Then, while you were having the surgery that saved your life, Alaric the Original vampire hunter tried to kill you to get to who?"

------

Flashback - 3.22 "The Departed"

Night - Mystic Falls Hospital - Surgery Room 

Nicola was unconscious, lying on the table, her hair in a net, a wound on her neck, close to her chin, right over her carotid artery.

Alaric stepped toward the table, looking over Nicola's unconscious form. He raised the white oak stake, about to plunge it into her heart to kill her. 

Kai: (voice over) "Stefan, Kaylin and Damon." 

Tyler and Cristian rushed into the room, grabbing either of Alaric's arms, pushing him into the wall.

 ------

Now 

Day - Mystic Falls High School - Cafeteria 

Nicola was tied with vervain rope.

Kai was sitting in front of her. "You found out you were a vampire Hunter Potential, but you were willing to do anything to prevent it from being activated why? Because the supernatural impulses would drive you to kill Stefan, Kaylin and Damon."

Nicola glared at Kai, looking away.

------

Flashback - 5.13 "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

Night - Salvatore Boarding House - Cell 

Nicola was chained to the wall, sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall weakly, her slit arms bleeding profusely until she drifted into death with Damon's blood in her system. 

Kai: (voice over) "Damon turned you into a vampire." 

------

Flashback - 1.05 "You're Undead To Me"

Day - Salvatore Boarding House - Basement

Nicola and Caroline were running up the stairs, away from Damon.

Kai: (voice over) "All of them have tried to kill you."

Damon grabbed Nicola by the ankle, pulling her down toward him, making her fall down the stairs. Nicola turned toward him, kicking him in the face hard enough to make him let hr go, making him fall to the floor.

------

Flashback - 2.22 "As I Lay Dying"

Night - Salvatore Boarding House - Basement 

Stefan grabbed Nicola by the throat, pushing her against the wall, blood coating his skin, transformed hungrily and angrily.

Damon rushed toward them, pushing Stefan away.

------

Flashback - 3.03 "The End of the Affair"

Chicago 

Night - Gloria's Bar - Outside 

Kaylin looked at Nicola threateningly, transforming. 

Kai: (voice over) "At least once." 

------

Now 

Day - Mystic Falls High School - Cafeteria 

Nicola struggled against the vervain ropes, trying to force the images out of her mind.

Kai smirked. "I guess what you say is dead on."

------

Flashback - 3.13 "Bringing Out the Dead"

Night - Woods Nearby Lockwood Cellar 

Stefan, Damon, Kaylin and Nicola were dressed in their dinner party attire.

Nicola looked at Stefan, Kaylin and Damon. "How many times do I have to say this? The three of you are all I have anymore. Yes, I could have left. Yes, I could have left you to die. But I didn't, and I never have, and I never will. Call me insane or stupid or just trying to to live a little piece of a normal life with the most bizarre family in the world, but..." She shook her head. "It's the absolute truth. If you can't be a fool for family, who can you be a fool for?" 

Stefan, Kaylin and Damon looked effected by her words.

------

Now 

Day - Mystic Falls High School - Cafeteria 

Nicola was tied up with vervain ropes.

Kai was sitting in front of her. "Because guess what? You'd have to be crazy to still love this family."

Nicola looked away, not giving an answer. She looked as if she was trying to keep herself from crying, from showing weakness in front of him. 

------~------

Hallway 

Tory, Lindsey, Kaylin, Damon and Cristian were walking through the hallway, looking for Kai and Nicola.

They heard thunder rumbling from outside.

"Is it supposed to rain tonight?" Cristian asked.

"We're witches, and vampires, Cristian, not meteorologists," Lindsey told him.

"I can hear Kai yammering," Cristian told them.

"And I am going to kill him nice and slow," Kaylin told them. 

"What's he saying?" Tory asked. 

"He said it's a shame that you have wolf hearing, which is not as good as vamp hearing," Damon told her. 

"Okay, I get why I don't like you," Tory told him. "You killed my cousin Vicki and tried to kill my brother Tyler, my sister Kacie and my cousin Matt--repeatedly. But I have no freaking idea why you don't like me." 

"Maybe because of how many times you used your super-strong magic on me," Damon told her.

"And how many times have I saved you?" Tory replied. 

"You guys fight the only way that family can fight," Lindsey told them. "You know, which is funny, since you guys are family."

"Yeah, very, very distantly, Lindsey," Kaylin told her. "Tory's Doppelganger Rosalita was the sister of Stefan's Doppelganger Silas, which makes us very, super distant cousins."

Lindsey nodded in agreement. "Just like I am very, super distant cousins with Bonnie because my Doppelganger Ovisona was the sister of Qetsiyah, Bonnie's ancestor, way back when."

"You know, I don't know how you're dealing with this so well, Tory," Kaylin told her. "I mean, our other niece i--was a Salvatore, and since you're related to us Salvatores through Silas and Rosalita, that also meant that you had another relative that you never knew about."

"I got used to finding out about having relatives that I never knew about a long time ago," Tory told them.

"Shh," Cristian told them.

Kai walked around the corner. He took a drink of soda. 

Tory, Lindsey, Kaylin, Damon and Cristian remained as quiet as possible, waiting to see if he would see them.

Kai didn't see them due to the cloaking spell by Tory and Lindsey. He walked past them, recycling his can of soda. "Okay." 

Kai turned, walking away, out of the hall.

They waited to speak until they knew that he couldn't hear them.

"What do you know?" Cristian asked. "It's your first time doing the damn spell, and it's working." 

They walked forward smugly. 

------

Duke University - Art Exhibit

(Song:) Lost Track of Time - MTNS

Sarah was still chatting with the group of people around her about her art.

Stefan was still standing with Alex and Enzo, looking at Enzo. "So, I'm guessing you came here to make a demand?" 

Enzo shrugged. "I only came to see what you were up to today. I hate unanswered questions, and you've left me with a few. Such as, what secret did you need to protect by letting me kill that pitiful con artist pretending to be your long-lost relative, Sarah Salvatore? So, I followed you, in your inconspicuous red Porsche, off the exit to Chapel Hill, and here we are. Sarah... Nelson's photography exhibition, where you bared all to your once-love Alex, but not your brother, your sister, or the girl that is the sister to that girl over there." 

"Why do you care?" Alex asked.

"Well, it seems that Damon, Kaylin and Nicola are unaware that the branches of their family tree might extend beyond just Stefan," Enzo told her. "Call me old-fashioned, but I disapprove of secrets between family. He tells you his long-held secret, but not his family, not even little niece Nikki, and she is the one who deserves to know most of all." He looked at Stefan. "Why are you so intent on keeping it?" 

"You wanna tell them that I've been lying to them the past 20 years?" Stefan asked. "Go ahead, be my guest. Maybe they'll hate me, or maybe they'll realize it was the best thing I could have done for everyone. But either way, once you tell them, you'll have nothing left to obsess about." 

Alex's phone rang. She looked at the Caller ID to see that Caroline was the one calling, answering. "Hi." 

Caroline was walking with Eliza in the oncology level, her phone on speaker. "I thought you and Stefan were meeting me and Eliza here." 

"Yeah, Stefan got into a..." Alex trailed off, looking at Stefan, shrugging expressively, searching for an excuse. "Bidding war over a piece of art." Stefan chuckled. "It was weirdly entertaining." 

"Okay, that's fascinating," Caroline told her.

"Why don't you just kiss him and make up?" Eliza asked. "Or will things lead to the way they did the last time you guys made up after Silas mind-controlled you?" 

Alex turned away from Enzo and Stefan, walking away, slightly embarrassed. "Eliza, can you not say stuff like that when I'm standing right with him and another, very annoying eavesdropper?" 

Enzo laughed tauntingly.

Alex held up her hand to flip him off without looking at him. 

Stefan smiled a small smile at the reaction. 

"Can you guys just get here?" Caroline replied. "Eliza and I are conducting an experiment." 

Alex lowered her hand to her side. "What kind of experiment?" 

"We'll show you when you get here," Eliza told her. "Just hurry." 

Caroline hung up.

Alex turned back to Enzo and Stefan, hanging up. 

"You know what?" Enzo asked. "You can keep that piece of art. Photography bores me. I withdraw my bid."

Enzo walked away, drinking his wine. 

Alex watched Enzo go warily. She looked at Stefan, putting her phone away. "Did that seem too easy to you?" 

"Yep," Stefan answered, sighing. 

Alex smiled a small, sympathetic smile.

Stefan took another look at Sarah. 

(Song Ends)

------

Oncology Level 

Caroline and Eliza walked down the hallway.

Caroline looked at Eliza. "You know, I'm surprised that Jeremy didn't come here with us." Eliza didn't answer, looking away. Caroline looked at her in realization. "You didn't tell him, did you?" 

"I just didn't want him to worry, in case we found a way around it," Eliza told her. "I mean, I just got back to the way that I used to be, Care, and he has been so worried about me all summer. The last thing that I wanted to do was give him more reasons to worry about. He's applying to art school, Caroline. I just want him to live the life that he wants to live without me getting in the way." 

Caroline sighed. "Eliza..." 

"It doesn't matter," Eliza told her. "If he wants to leave Mystic Falls, if he wants to move on from the dangerous lives that we have to live every day, and get everything that he's ever wanted, then who am I to stand in the way? It's not like we won't see him again." 

Caroline nodded thoughtfully, sympathetically.

------

Mystic Falls High School - Cafeteria 

Nicola sat alone in the room, struggling against the ropes when they untied themselves and fell to the floor. She pulled her hands free, looking at them in front of her in confusion. 

Kaylin was suddenly kneeling in front of her. "Hey."

Nicola looked at Kaylin in surprise.. She looked up to see Damon standing behind her, looking between the two expressionlessly. "How are you here right now?" 

"Tory and Lindsey's invisibility spell," Cristian answered, making her realize that he was standing behind Kaylin and Damon, and that Tory and Lindsey were standing behind him. "If you can see us, that means you joined the party."

"Come on," Lindsey told them. "We need to get out of here." 

"My ring," Nicola told them. "It's gone. Kai melted it into nothing." 

Kaylin took Nicola's hand to see for herself. "What?" 

Nicola pulled her hand away forcefully.

Kaylin looked at Nicola cautiously.

"I'll make you another damn daylight ring as soon as we get out of this place, all right?" Tory asked. "In the meantime, let's just find another way out of here." 

"Well, there's the tunnels under the school," Lindsey told them. She looked at Tory. "You know, the ones that we used to hide from Silas." 

"Good call," Damon told her. "Boiler room. Stat." 

Kaylin stood, holding a hand toward Nicola. "Come on."

Nicola looked at Kaylin's offered hand, but ignored it, standing on her own, walking past them to the door.

Kaylin sighed in guilt, looking at Damon.

Kaylin and Damon exchanged a look, knowing that Kai had told Nicola, following. 

Cristian, Tory and Lindsey watched them go in sympathy, following them. 

------

Whitmore College - Dorm Building 

Olivia was walking down the hall.

Lucas started to follow her. "Olivia, we need to talk."

"No, we really don't," Olivia told him. "You're stronger than me." 

Lucas grabbed Olivia by the arm to stop her, turning her to face him. "I called Dad. Told him we're out." 

Olivia looked at Lucas in slight shock. "I thought you were about following our destiny."

"Not if my destiny equals killing my sister," Lucas told her. Olivia smiled sadly. Lucas chuckled without humor. "I told you I can think for myself." 

------

Mystic Falls High School - Hallway 

Damon, Kaylin, Cristian, Nicola, Tory and Lindsey were walking quickly down the hall toward the boiler room.

Lindsey stopped walking. 

Tory turned to face Lindsey in confusion. "What?" 

"You don't feel that?" Lindsey asked. 

Tory focused. 

"What's wrong?" Cristian asked. "What's happening?" 

"Kai's taking our magic," Lindsey answered.

"What?" Damon asked. 

Kai appeared behind them, smirking. "Yeah, I never knew that my ability to take magic would be even more powerful now that I have all of this power now." They glared at him. Kai smirked, looking at Lindsey and Tory. "I don't even have to touch you now to take your magic. So, that means I can kill you." 

------~------

Tory looked at Damon, Kaylin, Cristian and Nicola. "Sorry, guys." 

"Don't sweat it," Damon told them. "I want him to see me while I kick his ass." 

Damon rolled his shoulders, grinning at Kai, clearly eager to fight him. 

Nicola disappeared.

Tory looked around, realizing that Kai had made her disappear, looking at Kai. "Where's Nicola?" 

Kai looked around tauntingly. "Oh, are we not cloaking people anymore? I thought that's what this was." 

Damon rushed toward Kai.

Kai twisted his wrist, magically breaking Damon's neck, letting his body fall to the floor. He chuckled, disappearing. 

Kaylin, Cristian, Tory and Lindsey looked around.  

Kai appeared behind them, whistling.

They turned to him.

Kai grinned, waving at them. 

Cristian rushed to grab a broom stick from the side of the hall, breaking the wood over her knee, throwing it toward Kai, spearing him in the stomach.

Kai appeared beside the illusion of himself. "That's gotta hurt. I am definitely getting the hang of this. Cloaking spells, illusions. You know, it's all the same wheelhouse." 

Kai gestured to his illusion to reveal that Cristian had actually staked Nicola in the stomach. 

Nicola gasped in pain, staggering.

"No," Kaylin told them worriedly, stepping toward Nicola. 

Kai raised a hand toward Kaylin, using the pain infliction spell on her, making her groan and scream in pain.

Kaylin was holding her head, screaming, lowering to the floor.

Nicola leaned against the lockers behind her, sliding to the floor weakly.

Cristian rushed toward Kai.

Kai disappeared.

Cristian looked around in confusion.

Kai appeared in front of Lindsey and Tory, raising his arms toward them, magically starting to take their magic away without touching them, making them groan, gasp in pain. Wind started to blow around them through the hall, the pain getting to the point where it made them scream. 

Tory grew angry enough to lash out with magic, almost as if like a bomb, forcing Kai back through the hallway.

Kai landed on the floor, sliding quickly toward the lockers, hitting them with a loud bang. 

Lindsey and Tory exchanged a look, smirking.

Cristian rushed toward Kai, picking him up, slamming him against the lockers before he had the chance to recover, making him fall unconscious. He let him fall, turning to face Tory and Lindsey. "That was very good, I must say."

Lindsey and Tory smiled.

------

Duke University - Medical Center - Hallway

(Song:) The Other Side - French For Rabbits 

Collin Phelps was up and at the vending machine excitedly. 

Caroline, Eliza, Stefan and Alex were watching him from down the hall.

"Come on, baby," Collin told himself. "Come on." He laughed, hitting the vending machine when his candy got stuck, making it fall out. A nurse walked over, patting him on the shoulder. "You have no idea how long it's been since I've had an appetite." 

Eliza smiled excitedly. "An hour ago, he was dying of brain cancer. Now, look at him." Stefan sighed. Alex didn't seem convinced. "Smile, guys. This is good news. Caroline's blood worked. He's totally fine." 

"It seems too easy," Alex told them. 

"As opposed to what?" Caroline asked. "Vampire blood heals a stab wound like it was never there. It's always easy, Alex. It is literally magic." 

"Okay, then why have I never heard of our blood curing cancer before?" Stefan asked.

"Because vampires don't spend their lives pulling charity work at the sick ward," Eliza answered. "And mainly because Nicola wouldn't allow you to give her vampire blood, because she had suspicions that it wouldn't work, and they were very good suspicions, but she was wrong this time." 

"Look, I want this to work, okay?" Alex asked. "I do." 

"Alex, I just... I need you to believe it will work," Eliza told her. "Or at the very least, just believe that we believe it will work." 

Alex sighed. "Well, I can see that both of you believe it." 

Caroline smiled. "Then take us home to our mom." 

Stefan turned to look at Collin, sighing. He turned to them, nodding. "Okay. Let's go home." 

Eliza smiled. "Okay." 

"Come on," Stefan told them, leading the way down the hall.

Alex and Caroline followed him.

Eliza looked down the hall toward Collin.

Collin was still standing by the vending machine, eating his snack happily.

Eliza smiled, turning around, following Stefan, Alex and Caroline. 

------

Mystic Falls High School - Hallway 

Nicola was sitting on the floor, still impaled, leaning against the lockers behind her weakly.

Kaylin knelt in front of Nicola, trying to pull the make-shift stake out of her stomach. "Okay."

Nicola groaned in pain, pushing her hands away. "I got it." 

Nicola pulled the wood out of her stomach, gasping in pain, trying to catch her breath. She set it on the floor next to her, but never letting it go.

Damon was kneeling next to them. 

There was a long, tension-filled moment of silence.

Damon was the one that broke it. "You know, Tyler made this whole, big deal about coming. I told him that I would kill him myself before I let that happen, because if Kai did what I think he did to you, I knew you wouldn't just be upset, angry or betrayed with me, Kaylin and Stefan if Tyler had gotten hurt or worse. I knew that if he had done something to Tyler, you would have turned it all off." Nicola didn't respond, never looking at either of them. Damon looked at her in guilt, almost desperate. "Nikki, say something. Say anything." 

Nicola finally looked at them, expressionless. "I just need to know one thing. Is it true? All of the pain, all of the lies, all of the reliving the past when he practically branded all of the the bad memories in my mind.... Was he doing all of that just to tell me the truth that neither of you or Stefan have told me? That you all kept from me my whole life?" 

Kaylin didn't answer, but the guilt in her expression was answer enough.

Damon looked away.

Nicola looked away, taking a deep breath, not knowing how to react.

"Nikki--" Damon started.

Nicola was still holding the makeshift stake, driving it into Damon's stomach, making him groan and gasp in pain. She sat forward, punching Kaylin in the face. 

Kaylin looked at Nicola in surprise.

Nicola glared at Kaylin. She stood, starting to walk away.

Cristian, Tory and Lindsey approached them.

"Nicola, are you okay?" Tory asked. 

Nicola looked at Damon and Kaylin. "Ask them."

Nicola walked away down the hall in anger, hurt and betrayal, never looking back.

Damon and Kaylin looked as if they were surprised by this reaction, but as if they knew they deserved every bit of it.

(Song Ends)

------~------

Duke University - Art Exhibit 

Enzo was standing in the exhibit, watching Sarah.

Sarah walked away with some other students. 

Enzo stood next to the instructor Stefan and Alex had spoken to earlier. "What is it about Sarah's work that I find so uniquely appealing? Perhaps that it's a little dark, has a morbid undertone. Must be a bloodlines thing. Her family's a bit extreme." He walked closer. "Her uncle, great-uncle, actually, fourth-removed, is a bloody sociopath." 

"Fourth removed?" the instructor repeated. 

"He's very old," Enzo explained. "Tried to kill me a few times. Succeeded once. Most recently, he set me up to die, which resulted in days of torture." He circled around her, turning to face her. The instructor looked at him as if he was crazy. "There I was, getting prodded with a fire-hot poker by a man named Tripp, all the while, keeping my mouth shut and enjoying the pain. If you knew anything about my past, you'd know that this brought back some very unpleasant memories. That's when I started plotting my revenge." 

"So, I see the free wine was a big hit," the instructor told him, beginning to walk away.

Enzo stepped in front of her to stop her. "The best revenge is patient. Cultivated." He turned to look at Sarah's photography. "Only no one sees it coming until it's too late. This family has too many secrets. Maybe there can be one less secret to one less, tragically wronged girl." He turned to the instructor, compelling her. "Be a doll and help me box up all these photographs, will you?" 

The instructor smiled, walking away to do as Enzo asked.

Enzo looked around at the art. He turned to look out of a nearby window, seeing that it was starting to rain outside heavily, beginning to pour.

------

Night - Salvatore Boarding House - Living Room 

Kai was tied up and gagged, unconscious on the couch.

Jo, Alaric, Elena, and Damon were in the room together.

Jo looked at Alaric. "Sure you're okay having a Pentobarbital-ed houseguest?" 

Alaric smiled. "I am. If it buys us enough time to get you back into fighting shape." 

Damon and Elena were sitting at a table. 

Elena looked at Damon shyly. "So, um, assuming that one of our friends, or your family, doesn't get kidnapped or learn the tragic truth from a tragic sociopath before tomorrow, maybe we can, um, try for that dinner again?" 

"Ooh, you know, I don't know," Damon told her. "I mean, every time we try and go on a date, we get kidnapped, I get sent to a prison world, or your feelings get compelled away. I just--I don't know if it's gonna--"

"Are you gonna keep sulking, or are you gonna let me take you to dinner?" Elena asked.

"Well, I guess we'll find out tomorrow," Damon told her. 

Jo approached Elena. "You know, I think we should go before something bad actually happens." 

"Yeah, you're right," Elena told her. She looked at Cristian, Alaric and Damon. "We'll see you guys later." 

Jo and Elena walked out of the room. 

Alaric and Cristian walked toward Damon.

"What'd I tell you?" Alaric asked. "She's a keeper." They sat at the table with Damon, putting three glasses of bourbon on the table. "You know, I think she's gonna get a handle of this."

"Jo's not strong enough, Ric," Cristian told him.

"Well, she wouldn't lie about it, Cristian," Alaric told him.

"No, no, no," Cristian told him. "I don't think she's lying about it. He absorbed a spell the size of Mystic Falls, Ric. He changed the game." 

"Look we got Kai on ice," Alaric told them. "We'll just wait for his stolen magic to drain away, and then she'll beat him." 

"What if she can't?" Cristian asked.

"Well, she has to," Alaric told him. "She will."

"Well, all right then," Damon told them. "Here's to women who make crazy, screwed up decisions, and loving them more for it."

They clinked their glasses together, drinking.

Cristian looked at Damon sympathetically. "I think you need to go talk to Nicola before she loses her mind." 

Damon nodded hesitantly, setting down his glass. "Yeah. You're right. Thanks, Cristian."

------

Whitmore College - Outside

(Song:) With Love - Christina Grimme 

It was pouring now. 

Stefan and Alex jogged through the rain toward the building, laughing, stopping nearby the door.

Alex turned back to the rain, raising her arms on either side of her, closing her eyes, looking up at the sky, enjoying the feeling of the rain pelting against her skin and clothes. "Wait. Just one more second." 

"What, are you crazy?" Stefan asked.

"Hey, I am a vampire," Alex pointed out. "It's not like I can get sick." Stefan smiled at the reaction, stepping closer to her. Alex turned to face him. "So, if Sarah is Zach's daughter, and Nicola's sister, then does that make you Uncle Stefan? Or Cousin Stefan? Or Brother Stefan? You know, because your guys' relationship with Nicola is so confusing. I mean, you're her great-great-great-great uncle, but the story for Mystic Falls had been that you guys were cousins, and you guys treated each other like siblings." 

Stefan was amused. "I tell you this secret I've been keeping for 20 years, and that's what you're worried about?" 

"No, I think it's incredibly noble that you've been keeping an eye on her all these years," Alex told him. "And she's lucky to have you in her life, even if she has no idea. I mean, the only thing that I think you should do is tell Nicola." 

"And I will tell Nikki," Stefan told her. "Well, I mean, at least Kaylin will. She found out about the whole thing the other day because of Enzo, and now Kaylin is tearing my head off or punching me in the face about it every five minutes." 

"Well, that's what you get," Alex told him teasingly. 

Stefan looked at her in amusement.

Alex smiled. 

"Hey, so, I know it goes without saying, but I would appreciate it if--" Stefan started.

"Your secret's safe with me, Stefan," Alex told him.

"Thank you," Stefan told her.

"No, thank you," Alex told him. "Thank you for coming with me today and for helping me reorganize the Caroline and Eliza's living room and rewiring Sheriff's speaker system, and for just not treating me like a crazy person, because that's how I've felt these past few months. Years, even." Stefan took her hand in his. They both looked at their hands intertwined. They looked up into each other's eyes. "And I think it's amazing that you trust me enough to tell me this big of a secret." 

"Alex, you're probably one of the people that I trust most in this world," Stefan told her.

Alex smiled a small smile, biting her lip. 

Stefan lowered his gaze, obviously wanting to kiss her.

Alex obviously wanted to kiss him, because it was just too tiring to convince herself that she was still angry at him for what he did, because of what he had been doing lately to make it up to her.

After a long moment, Alex got tired and impatient, kissing Stefan. Moments went by before they finally pulled away. They smiled, kissing more passionately than before, holding onto each other, the raining continuing to fall. 

Stefan's phone rang. 

Alex pulled away in disappointment. 

(Song Ends)

Stefan smiled a small smile at the reaction she made, stepping out of the rain to take out his phone, looking at the Caller ID. "Huh. Kaylin finally stopped ignoring me. I better take this." He turned away, answering. "Hey."

Kaylin was in the Salvatore Boarding House, pouring herself a drink in her room, where no one would hear her, guilt-ridden yet angry. "Nikki knows." 

Alex heard her, looking toward Stefan expectantly.

"You told Nikki?" Stefan asked.

"No," Kaylin answered. "Damon told Kacie, Kai and Bonnie in the prison world. Kai kidnapped, tortured, nearly killed and told Nikki the truth. Or at least, the half that Damon knows. The part that he killed the mother of her unborn sister."

Kaylin took a drink.

Alex looked worried. "Oh, my God." 

Stefan let the new sink in, knowing that the consequences would be horrible, guilty and resigned. "You've got to be kidding me." 

"Nope," Kaylin answered. "I tried to tell her that Sarah's still alive, but she won't even see me." 

"No, Kaylin, do not tell Nikki yet," Stefan told her.

Alex looked at him in confusion. 

"What?" Kaylin asked.

"Look, I get that Nikki needs to know, and before something like this happens again, but she just found out about what happened with Zach, Gail, Damon, you and me, and a dozen dead bodies," Stefan told her. "If you tell Nikki that her sister's still alive, and that I had known for 20 years and had never told anyone, that I had made sure that she hadn't found out three days ago, and that you've known for three days, it will overwhelm her, possibly to the point where she'll turn it off. Especially considering she trusts the three of us more than anyone else, and we're the ones who lied to her the most. And the fact that pretty much everyone knew before she did." 

Kaylin set her drink down in annoyance and anger. "So what? Lie to her some more? Do you not realize that that is what got us into this mess in the first place?" 

"No, no, we're not lying to her," Stefan told her. "We're just giving Nikki a chance to calm down before we tell her the truth." 

"You do realize that your morals are all over the place, right?" Kaylin asked. "They're sketchy, at best."

"Kaylin, please," Stefan told her.

Kaylin sighed. "I will wait for her to calm down and all of this sinks in for her. But then I will tell her the truth. I will tell her that her sister's still alive before any one else does. Because if she finds out from anyone else, she will hate us." 

"This is Nikki we're talking about, Kay," Stefan told her. "We have put her in danger, lied to her, tried to kill her, saved her life, betrayed her, hurt her, and Damon killed her and her father. She has forgiven us for each and every one. She'll forgive us now. It might take a while, but she'll forgive us." 

"I don't know about that, Stefan," Kaylin told him, looking guilt ridden and grave. "You didn't see her face. She was so hurt, so angry. So betrayed. She has taken so much from us. If she takes one more thing, I have a feeling that she'll never forgive us. I have a feeling we'll lose her forever. So get your ass over here now and apologize. We all need to before we lose her for good." 

Kaylin hung up.

Stefan hung up, thinking about what she had said. He turned to face Alex.

Alex nodded understandingly. "Go. Now." 

Stefan looked at Alex for a moment, nodding. He walked past Alex, into the rain, rushing away.

Alex turned to watch him go, only to find that he was already gone.

------

Lockwood Mansion - Foyer 

Tory walked into the Lockwood mansion, smiling, looking around. 

Matt walked toward her. "Tory, thank God." 

Tory smiled, wrapping her arms around Matt. "God, it's been too long since I've seen you." 

"I know," Matt told her. "I'm just glad you can come home now."

Tory pulled away, smiling. "But I'm guessing that you're not happy about all of the vampires being able to return home now, though." 

"We'll deal with it," Matt told her. "I have been dealing with it for three years now. I can deal with it now. I'm not saying that I'll be happy about people dying in our home town again, but I know that I don't really have a choice." 

Tory nodded thoughtfully. "And now that Mystic Falls is a free-for-all again... I just realized that I am stuck with this wolf gene forever." 

"You only dealt with it in case there were any more Travelers out there, Tory," Matt told her. "And I don't blame you, but I could never go through that much pain for that long." 

"Hey, at least my anger issues aren't nearly as bad as they used to be," Tory pointed out. "Can you believe that the only fights that I have gotten into this year is when it was dealing with the supernatural creatures and saving people's lives?" Matt smiled slightly in surprise. Tory nodded. "Yeah. No other fights over petty things like bitchy preps pissing me off." Matt's smile widened. "But, I can still tap into that anger when I need to use it. Like going up against Kai earlier today. That was awesome." 

"You're okay, though, right?" Matt asked.

Tory smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I'm okay." 

Matt wrapped his arms around her. Tory smiled a small smile, wrapping her arms around him. 

------

Tory's Old House - Lindsey/Ryan's Room 

Lindsey and Ryan were packing up their things in their house that was outside of Mystic Falls so that they could finally go back home in Mystic Falls. 

"So, I guess I should apologize," Ryan told her.

Lindsey looked at him in confusion. "What for?" 

"For underestimating you," Ryan answered. "Luke and I thought that you and Tory couldn't take on Kai alone. We were wrong. We underestimated you two, again, and you two proved us wrong, again." 

Lindsey smiled a small smile. "Well, we're good at surpassing expectations." Ryan chuckled in agreement. "But, I'll admit, there was this one moment when he was taking our power without touching us, where I thought that he was gonna kill us. Then power exploded out of us like the bombs we are. And Cristian helped us take him down." 

Ryan chuckled, shaking his head. "Still. Lindsey, you guys are the most powerful witches I've even heard of, and the more that people doubt you, the stronger you get, and the more it seems like nothing can defeat you."

Lindsey stepped closer, smiling teasingly. "I wouldn't exactly say 'nothing'." She leaned against the dresser behind her, standing next to Ryan. "You know, now all we have to do is wait for all of that power to drain out of Kai, and then the merge." 

"He can still hurt you, though," Ryan told her.

Lindsey shook her head. "He's not gonna hurt me, Ryan. Not again. Not after what he did to me when I was trying to save Bonnie. The angrier you make me, the more powerful I get, and I hate Kai. Which means that, no matter what he does to hurt me, I am not going to bow down, and I'm gonna fight back." 

Ryan smiled, pulling her closer. "And that's why I love you." 

Lindsey smiled, kissing Ryan slowly, sweetly yet passionately. The more the kiss went on, the more passionate it became. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer.

------

Salvatore Boarding House - Library

(Song:) So Cold - Ben Cocks

Nicola stood in the library alone, looking at her sword in her hand in front of her, admiring the blade in unblinking, expressionless numb.

Stefan, Kaylin and Damon reluctantly walked into the room behind her.

Nicola didn't have to look behind her to know they were there, looking up. "You know what the sad part about all of this is? Out of everything in this house, my sword is the thing I missed the most for the last few months. Maybe it's because I know how to use it. And what for." 

"Nikki..." Damon trailed off.

Kaylin shook her head worriedly. "I tried to tell you last night, when Kai took you, but--" 

Nicola turned to face them angrily, hurt and betrayed. "Don't, Kaylin. You had 19 years to tell me, and none of you did. So, just don't with the lies and the excuses. After all the hell I just went through today, you owe me that!" 

Nicola looked at the sword in her hand, realizing she had raised it threateningly to point at them when her voice had rose angrily.

Damon looked at the sword cautiously. "Okay... Nikki, I'm gonna need you to put the sword away, calm down and speak very slowly." 

"Oh, you think this is crazy?" Nicola asked. "Imagine what I thought when Kai showed me the part where you told him, Kacie and Bonnie that you killed the mother of my unborn sister or brother in front of your brother, your sister and my father, Damon." She pointed at Kaylin with the sword. "And that you compelled him to forget that he had another child." Kaylin looked down in shame. Nicola looked at Stefan. "And you covered up nearly a dozen murders, including Gail's." Stefan remained expressionless, but he seemed guilty for the part that she didn't know. "It's crazy that I risked my life to save all of yours, repeatedly, when all you've done is kill or hurt the people that I care about, put my life in danger because of your past mistakes, and take every ounce of happiness from me, make me miserable. But I still can't help but love you and save you, because of the rare moments that are completely worth it. What kind of crazy person does that, huh? Oh, that's right, that was my life motto, wasn't it? 'If you can't be a fool for family, who can you be a fool for?' Well, no more." 

Stefan stepped closer. "Nikki--"

"No, Stefan," Nicola told him, using the sword to point at him. Stefan stopped. "Just stop." She looked at Damon. "My life was put in danger because of your mistakes." She looked at Stefan. "And your secrets." She looked at Kaylin. "And your tendency to underestimate just how much pressure I can take. Again. But everybody has a breaking point. Kai obviously found mine. Do you have any idea what he did to me today?" 

"No," Stefan answered in a guilty whisper.

Nicola shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You three might think that I'm big enough, that I'm evolved enough to overcome this, and maybe I will overcome this, some day, but it's not today. So, until then... Just stay the hell away from me." 

Nicola pushed the sword into Kaylin's chest, pushing past them quickly, walking out of the library, down the hall.

Stefan, Kaylin and Damon were incredibly effected by what just happened, devastated, desperate, guilty and self-loathing.

------

Hallway 

Nicola walked toward the front door numbly. The full impact of what she had learned hit her. She looked as if she had no idea on what to do, or feel, or go, angry, upset, betrayed, all of them seeming to blur to where she felt numb and overwhelmed at the same time, feeling dizzy and weak all over again, breathing heavily, trying to stop herself from crying, catching herself against the wall. 

------

Outside 

It was still pouring rain in the dead of the night. 

Nicola walked across the property, already drenched but barely feeling the rain, just needing to get out of there as fast as she could. 

Down the road, a car pulled to a stop. 

Tyler got out, jogging toward Nicola worriedly, relieved that she was okay, already drenched. "Thank God." Nicola started to walk past him, breathing heavier than before, having no idea where to go. Tyler grabbed her arm to stop her. "Whoa, Nikki." Nicola seemed to feel dizzy and weak and overwhelmed enough to where she looked as if she would fall, the nickname making her want to cry, holding his arms to keep standing. "Nikki? Hey, are you okay?" Tyler looked toward the house she was trying to leave further down the road. "Where are you going?" 

"I don't know," Nicola told him. "But I can't be here." 

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked. "This place is your home." 

Nicola closed her eyes, shaking her head. "No. I can't--I can't be here right now." 

"Okay," Tyler told her. "But where are you gonna go?" 

"I have no idea," Nicola told him.

"Well, where do you want to go?" Tyler asked.

"I don't know," Nicola told him, sobbing, the noise barely audible in the rain. She looked at Tyler, shaking her head. "Just get me out of here." 

Tyler looked at Nicola worriedly yet sympathetically, nodding. "Okay. I will. I promise." 

Nicola started to cry, unable to fight against it, crumbling. 

Tyler pulled Nicola to his chest, holding her, letting her cry as the rain continued to fall around them, standing in the light of the car's headlights.

(Song Ends)

------

Forbes House - Living Room 

Kacie was sitting on the couch. Liz was sitting in her chair. They were watching TV together. 

Caroline and Eliza walked in together, putting their umbrellas away, dry. 

Kacie and Liz turned to them when they heard them walk in.

"Hey, there you are," Kacie told them. "We were just about to watch another movie." 

"How was Duke, sweeties?" Liz asked. 

"It was good," Eliza answered. "It was really good. Thanks for staying with her, Kacie." 

"Any time," Kacie told them. She looked at Liz. "See you soon, Sheriff." 

"Okay, Kacie," Liz told her. "Bye." 

Kacie walked toward the door, walking past Caroline as she did.

"Bye," Caroline told her.

Eliza took off her coat, putting it on the couch with her purse. "So we met with that expert at Duke today." She sat on the couch. "And she said that your doctors are doing everything right. And she also said that there is nothing that they can do to cure you."

Liz looked disappointed, obviously trying to be strong for her daughters. "That is one doctor's opinion." 

(Song:) Don't Go Now - Philip Selway 

Caroline sat on the coffee table in front of them. "Waiting for more medical opinions isn't going to change this. You're dying, Mom. And we're out of options. Which is why I gave my blood to a cancer patient today. And I healed him." 

------

Duke University - Medical Center - Collin's Hospital Room 

Collin Phelps was laying in his bed, asleep.

------

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Forbes House - Living Room 

Caroline, Eliza and Liz were talking.

"He was dying, and her blood healed him," Eliza told her.

Liz looked shocked.

Caroline looked between them. "Look, I'm immortal, and neither of you are. And I always knew that I would lose both of you one day, but Eliza's fine right now. She's not going anywhere." She looked at Liz. "But I am not ready to lose you now, and I know that Eliza isn't, either." 

Eliza shook her head in agreement. "You're supposed to be here for my college graduation. We're supposed to argue about flower arrangements for my wedding. We're supposed to have years and years worth of birthday dinners and Christmases and white-water rafting trips." She was on the verge of tears. "I want all of that. We want that. We want you to live for us. And I know that that's selfish, but that's the truth."

Liz was crying. "I want that, too, honey." 

------

Duke University - Medical Center - Collin's Hospital Room 

Collin opened his eyes.

------

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Forbes House - Living Room 

Caroline, Eliza and Liz were talking.

Caroline sighed. "Okay." 

------

Duke University - Medical Center - Collin's Hospital Room 

Collin started to cough.

------

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Forbes House - Living Room 

Caroline bit her hand, letting her blood drip into Liz's tea cup.

------

Duke University - Medical Center - Collin's Hospital Room 

Collin was coughing harder now. He stood, staggering over to the window, coughing up blood.

------

Mystic Falls, Virginia

 Forbes House - Living Room 

Liz took the cup from Caroline.

------

Duke University - Medical Center - Collin's Hospital Room 

Collin was now lying weakly on the floor, still coughing up blood, blood staining the tile floor.

------

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Forbes House - Living Room 

Liz drank the vampire-blood-laced tea.

------

Duke University - Medical Center - Collin's Hospital Room 

Collin was still lying on the floor. "Somebody, please! Help me!" 

------

Mystic Falls, Virginia 

Forbes House - Living Room 

Caroline, Eliza and Liz were talking.

Eliza smiled reassuringly. "Everything's gonna be okay." 

Caroline, Eliza and Liz sat together alone in silence. 

------~------

6.12 "Prayer for the Dying" Trailer

(Song:) Push - Intercept 

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in Alaric's apartment building, Damon and Elena were talking.

"If we're gonna do this, then we can't just pick up where we left off," Elena told him.

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in the Forbes House, Eliza was in the dark, slowly approaching the door.

Colin appeared in the door, covered in blood.

Eliza gasped.

Stefan: (voice over from 6.12 Prayer for the Dying) "The blood didn't heal him."

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in the medical center, Stefan, Damon, Elena, Alex and Jo were talking.

"It sped up his cancer and killed him," Stefan told them.

Eliza, Liz and Caroline walked in.

"The same thing is gonna happen to me," Liz told them.

IT'S EASY TO LOVE

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in the medical center, Caroline looked at Eliza. "I killed our mom."

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in a flower shop, Caroline and Eliza were talking.

"Caroline, we took a risk," Eliza told her. "We did it out of love."

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in Alaric's Loft, Kai was tied to a table.

Kaylin stood, leaning forward against the table, looking at Kai. "What exactly did you do to Nicola?"

SOMEONE TO DEATH

"I branded all of the bad memories into her mind with a spell, burned them into her conscience," Kai told her.

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in Tyler's dorm room, Nicola sat in the dorm room alone, sitting on a chair, sighing, holding her head, having her eyes closed, having a series of flashbacks playing through her head at a speed it was a blur.

Kai: (voice over from 6.12 Prayer for the Dying) "The longer that she has that branding hex on her..."

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in the dorm building, Nicola walked own the stairs.

Kaylin was standing at the bottom of the staircase.

Nicola saw brief flashbacks of all the times that Kaylin had hurt her or put her life in danger, intentionally or not.

Kai: (voice over from 6.12 Prayer for the Dying) "The worse the visions will get."

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", on campus, Stefan walked out of the medical center, standing next to Kacie and Alex.

Nicola looked at Stefan for a moment expressionlessly, seeming to see everything she had seen with Kaylin, turning around, walking away.

Kai: (voice over from 6.12 Prayer for the Dying) "It'll eat away at her sanity until it drives her mad, or she turns her emotions off, or both."

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in Alaric's Loft, Kai was tied to a table.

Kaylin was on the phone, noticing that Kai was reaching for the needle, yanking it away off of the machine, threatening to stab Kai with it.

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in a hospital room, Lindsey and Tory were doing a spell to keep Liz's heart beating.

Damon, Elena, Alex, Liv, Cristian, Kacie, Ryan and Luke watched them in concern.

Caroline and Eliza walked in, seeing what was happening.

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in the medical center, Damon and Elena were talking.

"Life's too short," Elena told him. "I don't want to waste another minute."

Elena looked at Damon for a moment, kissing him passionately.

WORLDS COLLIDING (THE VAMPIRE DIARIES)

Elena and Alex were sitting on a bench in black dresses. Kaylin and Nicola were sitting in two chairs on either side of them in black dresses. Stefan and Damon stood behind them, wearing black suits.