Outfits in the external link

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

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

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

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

From 6.11 "Woke Up With A Monster", in the cafeteria, Nicola was sitting on the floor, tied up with vervain ropes.

Kai was sitting in front of her, 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 her memories, making her scream.

Kai: (voice over from 6.12 Prayer for the Dying) "I branded all of the bad memories into her mind with a spell, burned them into her subconscious."

From 6.13 "The Day I Tried to Live", in Tyler's dorm room, Nicola tried to step past the barrier. She held her head in pain, seeing a flash of memories that had been branded by Kai, attacking her mind at a rate so fast it would make your head spin, only it caused her physical pain this time.

Kai: (voice over from 6.12 Prayer for the Dying) "The longer that she has that branding hex on her, the worse the visions will get. Soon, that's all she will be able to think about."

Nicola breathed heavily, reeling, slowly backing into the wall behind her, slowly sliding down to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees, closing her eyes, lying her head against her knees, looking as if she was at the breaking point.

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."

Tyler and Nicola stood at the door on either side of the boundary.

"So, it's not just when you're alone or when you're dreaming, is it?" Tyler asked. Nicola slowly turned to face him, shaking her head. "Can you see them right now?"

The first touch of the boundary made the memories and the branding spell worse, making Nicola pull back, turning away in anger and frustration.

Kai: (voice over from 6.12 Prayer for the Dying) "What's worse than a crazy, emotionless, set-to-kill vampire?"

From 6.14 "Stay", in the Grill, Tyler and Nicola were sitting at their table.

"You're hanging on by a thread," Tyler told her. "Let me help you."

Nicola nodded.

From 6.14 "Stay", in the Grill, Nicola sat at the bar.

Sarah stood nearby.

Nicola looked at Sarah in surprise. "You're Sarah Nelson?"

"What's your name?" Sarah asked.

"Nicola," Nicola answered.

Sarah sat down next to Nicola, showing the pictures to her. She laughed nervously.

Nicola laughed, sighing.

Enzo: (voice over from 6.14 Stay) "Let's just say that I'm opening a door that none of you thought of opening."

From 6.14 "Stay", in the Grill, Kaylin and Enzo were talking.

"Letting there be no more secrets, between your family and everyone else who deserves to be a part of it," Enzo told her. "But there might be a few unorthodox ways of doing so."

"What the hell does that mean?" Kaylin asked.

Enzo smirked. "It's a surprise, love."

From 6.15 "Let Her Go", in the Grill, Kaylin, Stefan and Damon were sitting at the bar.

"She's not gonna last that much longer," Damon told them. "Not unless Kai undoes the spell." 

From 6.15 "Let Her Go", in the prison worlds' underground tunnel, the Salvatores' mother walked toward Bonnie. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" Bonnie replied.

The light pulled Bonnie toward the eclipse.

From 6.15 "Let Her Go", in the cemetery, Bonnie, Lindsey and Tory embraced excitedly in relief.

From 6.15 "Let Her Go", in the kitchen of the boarding house, Tory and Lindsey smiled, stepping aside to reveal Bonnie standing behind them.

Kacie smiled widely, wrapping her arms around Bonnie in relief. "Oh, my God."

Bonnie wrapped her arms around Kacie tightly. "I missed you, too, Kacie."

They pulled away, looking at Damon.

Damon opened his arms.

Bonnie jumped in for a hug. 

From 6.15 "Let Her Go", in the boarding house, Lindsey, Tory, Kacie, Damon and Bonnie were sitting at the table.

Stefan and Kaylin were standing behind Damon.

Kaylin paused the video to get a clear view of the woman, looking at her in recognition and shock. "Oh, my God." 

"What?" Lindsey asked.

Stefan, Damon and Kaylin looked at each other, at a loss.

Stefan looked at Bonnie. "That's our mother." 

From 6.12 "Prayer for the Dying", in the park, Lucas and Kai were performing the merging ceremony.

Kai: (voice over from 6.13 The Day I Tried to Live) "This merge thing happened with my brother, Lucas."

Jo was holding Lucas' body.

Kai: (voice over from 6.13 The Day I Tried to Live) "And I won."

From 6.13 "The Day I Tried to Live", in the kitchen of the boarding house, the group and Kai were talking.

"So, when I absorbed Lucas' magic, I must have gotten some of his qualities," Kai told them. "Like empathy."

From 6.15 "Let Her Go", in the church, everyone was at the funeral.

Pastor: (voice over from 6.15 Let Her Go) "We are here today to pay our respects to Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes."

From 6.15 "Let Her Go", in the Forbes House, Caroline and Eliza were talking.

"You're talking about flipping the humanity switch," Eliza told her.

"I just need the pain to be gone," Caroline told her.

Eliza started to cry. "Mom is dead, Care. Jeremy is gone. I can't--I can't lose you, too, Care."

Caroline started to cry at her pain. "You would do the same thing I'm doing if you had the same choice, Eliza."

Caroline was trying to find a way to turn it all off.

Eliza walked toward her instantly, holding her arms. "Caroline, don't, please." Caroline closed her eyes in concentration. Eliza looked at her desperately, knowing that she couldn't stop her, crying. "Please don't leave me alone." 

Caroline opened her eyes, completely void of emotion, smirking slightly. "I already did."

Eliza let go of her arms slowly, no longer crying, backing away, looking at her painfully.

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

Same Night 

Day One - Whitmore College - Skull Bar

(Song:) Contagious - Night Riots 

Loud music was playing in the busy bar. 

Caroline was sitting at the bar, still in her funeral attire, but her hair was down. She held her glass toward the bartender. "Hello? I'm empty. Fill, please." 

"I think you've had enough," the bartender told her. 

Caroline placed her glass down, pointing at her head. "Look at my face. This is me straining to care less about what you think." She pretended to strain to care less, shaking her head. "Nope. I can't." 

Caroline smiled.

"Okay, I'm gonna call you a cab," the bartender told her. 

Caroline grabbed his wrist. "Here's the thing. My mom just died. As in my sister Eliza and I just put her dead, cancer-riddled body into the ground four hours and 32 minutes ago." 

"I'm so sorry for your loss," the bartender told her. 

"Oh, no, no, no," Caroline told him. "I don't care about that. I'm just saying that my feet have been crammed in the world's most uncomfortable heels for an entire day, and your tequila is the only thing that seems to be helping." 

"Okay," the bartender told her. "I'll grab you another drink." 

"Thank you," Caroline told him.

Liam approached her. "Caroline Forbes, the girl from the swimming hole." 

"Liam," Caroline told him, propping her elbow onto the bar, leaning her head against her hand, chuckling. "The boy I totally forgot existed."

"Ouch," Liam told her. "And I was just about to tell you how sexy you looked." 

Caroline chuckled. "You are drunk." 

"Slightly buzzed," Liam answered. "Getting my ass whupped in shuffleboard upstairs." 

"Oh, lucky you," Caroline told him. "I stood all day at my mom's funeral. God, you're cute. Are you a doctor yet?" 

Liam looked at Caroline in confusion. "Hang on. Your mom just died? Is Eliza okay?" 

"Who, Eliza?" Caroline asked. "Yeah, she's fine. Or, alive at least. Do you want to get out of here?" 

"I..." Liam trailed off.

"What?" Caroline asked. "Girlfriend? We all know you're not dating Elena Gilbert." 

"Why would I be dating Elena?" Liam asked. 

"You wouldn't," Caroline told him. "But, even if you were, it wouldn't matter, because nothing matters." She used her fingers to climb his chest. "Not... a... thing." 

Caroline smiled.

------

Outside - Alley 

Caroline pushed Liam against a glass door, turning him to face her, kissing him hungrily, breathing heavily, pulling away.

Liam kissed her neck.

Caroline was listening to the sound of his heart beating, transforming. 

Liam pulled away, looking at her in horror. "Caroline. What—" 

Caroline bit Liam's neck, feeding hungrily. 

(Song Ends)

------

Worlds Colliding (The Vampire Diaries)

------

Day Two

Morning - Whitmore College - The Girls' Dorm Room 

Alex, Elena and Eliza were here to find everything that Caroline owned, gone. 

Elena looked at Eliza. "Shouldn't you be at home looking for Caroline?" 

"I can't go home," Eliza told them. "I just can't. Not after Mom, and not after what Caroline did last night." 

"I'm so sorry, Eliza," Elena told her. "How are you?" 

"My boyfriend left town, a vampire tried to kill me, my mom died—all in one day, by the way—and then the next day, we had Mom's funeral, and Caroline shut her humanity off," Eliza told them. "I'm having the week from hell. How do you think I'm doing?" She looked at Alex's phone, which was on speaker on the dresser. "It's like she never lived here. How's our house?" 

Liv, Lindsey and Tory were in the Forbes House, looking around the deserted, cleared out home.

"Totally empty," Tory told them. "Caroline took everything but the damn doors off the hinges."

"So what?" Alex asked. "She just flipped her humanity switch, came back to the dorm, and took all of her clothes and thank you notes and just left town? I mean, that makes no sense." 

"This coming from the girl who burned our house down," Liv told her. "I mean, you and Elena both burned down our house, but still, Alex."

"Do you think she's trying to cut off all ties to her past?" Eliza asked. 

"I certainly don't think she's having a yard sale, Eliza," Elena told her.

"Okay, why are you getting mad at Eliza?" Lindsey asked. "She's not the one who did this." 

Elena sighed. "I know, Lindsey. Eliza, I'm sorry." 

"Okay, look, Tory, Lindsey and I are just gonna look around Mystic Falls," Liv told them.

"Cristian's gonna help," Lindsey told them.

"Hey, Tory, Lindsey, what about Luke and Ryan?" Alex asked.

"Luke and Ryan are helping Stefan, Damon and Kaylin with something first, and if they need help from me and Lindsey, we'll get in contact with Kai to help them with Nicola and their other family drama," Tory answered. "Since technically, it's also my family drama, distantly."

"But then Tory, Lindsey, Luke and Ryan have to prepare for the coming up full moon," Liv explained."Chains, different locations so that Tory and Ryan don't tear each other apart when the moon hits its apex." 

"So now we're gonna have another full moon night where it feels like an earthquake in the whole town because of Tory's magic?" Elena asked.

Tory glared at the phone as if she could glare at Elena for her accusatory tone, but Liv and Lindsey calmed her down before she could make a remark.

"Elena, Tory did what she had to do to stop the Traveler's, and she's paying the price," Liv told her.

"Just let us know if you find anything, okay?" Lindsey asked.

"All right," Alex told them. "We will." 

Alex and Liv hung up. 

Bonnie and Kacie walked into the room. 

"Looks like you guys could use a few friends," Kacie told them. "Lucky for us, we just got one of them back." 

Alex, Eliza and Elena turned to face them, looking at Bonnie.

Alex smiled. "Oh, my God." 

"Bonnie?" Elena asked. Bonnie smiled. "H—How are you—" 

"Alive?" Bonnie finished, walking closer. "I think I'd be used to this part by now." 

"Oh, my God, Bonnie," Eliza told her. "I can't believe you're here. After everything that just happened, I needed you to be here." 

"Well, I am now," Bonnie told her. "Tory, Lindsey and Kacie told me everything that's going on with you, and I'm so sorry. It's okay, Eliza."

Eliza shook her head, tears in her eyes. "No, it's not." 

Eliza started to cry.

Alex, Eliza, Elena, Bonnie and Kacie wrapped their arms around each other. 

------

Mystic Falls Cemetery - Salvatore Mausoleum 

Stefan, Damon and Kaylin were breaking open a coffin with a crowbar.  Luke and Ryan were standing in the doorway behind them, leaning on either side of the doorway.

"I can't believe Bonnie made it out," Luke told them. "Actually, I can. She's plucky, just like Tory and Lindsey. Hey, do you guys need help? Oh, before you answer that, I'd rather not. I just felt bored. You should know boredom well and hate it with a passion, right, Kaylin?"

"Yeah," Kaylin answered. "I hate boredom, Luke, because it's hard. But you know what else is?" She showed him the end of the crowbar in her hands. "The end of this crowbar."

Luke shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Ryan pushed away from the doorway, walking closer. "Digging up mommy's grave? That's dark, even for you. And totally unnecessary. Bonnie saw her alive in a 1903 prison world. It--it's on camera. You want to watch it again?"

Ryan tried to hand the camera to them.

Kaylin took it, tossing it to the side. "No, thanks, Ryan."

"Our mother died of consumption in 1858," Stefan told them. "We did not go through the trouble of moving this thing to the family crypt only to find out that she's not even in here." 

"Oh, so you just—you just called me and Luke here because you needed friends?" Ryan asked. "No. You called Tory and Lindsey to ask them if it was possible for her to exist in another prison world. To which they responded, 'Yes'. To which all of you responded with denial."

"Whatever or whoever's on that tape, it's not her," Damon told them. 

"Then who is it?" Luke asked. 

"I don't know," Kaylin told them. "A ghost? Maybe she has an evil Gemini twin." 

Luke smiled, looking away. "Nice." 

"If our mother was imprisoned in 1903, she'd be in her 70s," Stefan told them. 

Luke pushed away from the doorway, walking closer. "Not if she were like you."

Kaylin looked at Ryan and Luke. "I know our mother. She's not a vampire. She is not in a prison world. She died of consumption in 1858." 

Kaylin tossed the crow bar aside. 

"Uh, if you're all so sure of that, why haven't you opened the coffin yet?" Ryan asked.

Stefan, Kaylin and Damon exchanged a look, nodding slightly,opening the coffin, letting the lid fall to the ground and clatter against the stone. Nothing, no one, was in the coffin.

Luke nodded. "Congratulations. Everything you know about your mom is wrong." 

Luke patted them on the shoulders, turning around, walking away. 

Ryan sighed, following his brother. "Luke..."

Stefan, Kaylin and Damon looked at the coffin, still slightly in denial, but slowly accepting the truth. 

------

Whitmore College - Skull Bar

(Song:) England Skies - Shake Shake Go

Enzo was sitting on the balcony at a table, having food and drinks, his eyes slightly transformed. 

Sarah was sitting down in the main part of the restaurant, hiding behind a lamp, taking pictures of him, cringing when she saw his red eyes and veins. She looked toward Enzo.

Enzo had disappeared.

Sarah looked confused. 

Enzo appeared behind her. "In the future, focus on my left side. It's far more attractive." 

"Oh, my God," Sarah told him. 

"We've met before," Enzo told her.

"Yes," Sarah agreed. "You saved my friend Matt. With your blood." 

Enzo pretended to think. "Oh, yes. Uh, Sarah, right?" Sarah nodded. "Care to join me for a cup of tea? My best angle's up close and personal." Sarah nodded. Enzo smirked. "Brave. I like that." 

Enzo sat down.

Sarah looked at him curiously.

(Song Ends)

------

The Girls' Dorm Room 

The girls were talking.

Bonnie was going through her things. "My not flannel blouse. My not flannel T-shirts." Kacie was getting a bottle of wine. "And, oh, I really missed my not flannel V-neck." 

"Suck it, 1992," Kacie told them, opening the bottle. The pop made Eliza jump. "So, I bought this bottle of champagne the same day that Tory, Luke, Ryan, Lindsey, Damon, Alex, Elena and I thought we were gonna rescue you, but, obviously, we didn't." Bonnie walked toward them. "So, we couldn't drink it." Kacie poured them each a glass. "So, this is to you." 

Elena picked up her wine glass, looking at Bonnie. "You were stuck there all by yourself while we were back here, living our lives." Kacie, Alex, Eliza and Bonnie gave her an amused look. "And this is the worst toast ever." 

"I'm back," Bonnie told them. "Home. That's all that matters. Cheers." 

They smiled, clinking their glasses, drinking.

Eliza and Bonnie downed their drinks.

Alex looked at them, slightly surprised and impressed. "Okay." 

Bonnie looked at Eliza. "Can we talk about the fact that you drove Jeremy away to art school?" 

"So, does that make you his muse?" Alex asked. "Because, ew." 

Eliza turned away from them. "Do me a favor. Don't tell him about Caroline yet." 

"Wait," Kacie told her. "You—you haven't called him yet?" 

"I just—I want to give him a chance at normalcy before we just drag him back into all of this, you know?" Eliza asked, sitting down on one of the beds. 

"Yeah," Alex told her. "No. I—I do, too." She sat down next to Eliza. "But, Eliza, you should at least tell him about your mom." 

"I did," Eliza told them. "I just haven't told him about Caroline. And I will. I'll tell him. Besides, I have a sister without her humanity and in a severe need of an intervention." 

Caroline walked in with shopping bags. 

"Caroline," Elena told her in surprise. "Um, you're here." 

Caroline closed the door behind her, walking past them without noticing Bonnie. "And you're perceptive." 

Alex and Eliza stood. 

Caroline set the bags on the bed, sighing.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Elena asked. 

"Starting over," Caroline answered. "New everything. New sheets. New clothes. Hey, I even got us a new blow dryer." She pulled out the box with the new blow dryer, turning to face them to show them, noticing Bonnie. "Oh, my God! Bonnie's back. Hi. I thought you were trapped in 1992." 

"I got out," Bonnie told her. 

"Huh," Caroline told her, turning away.

"Uh, we—we've been worried about you, Care," Eliza told her. 

"You mean, you were worried about those around me," Caroline told her. "Like if I killed them. Okay. Funny story. You remember Liam?" She looked at Bonnie. "Oh. Elena dated this premed hottie but then realized she still had feelings for Damon, so she pulled what Kaylin did when she compelled Matt to forget that they ever had a thing and compelled Liam to forget that they ever had a thing." 

"Caroline, what did you do to Liam?" Elena asked. 

"I ate him," Caroline answered. "And he was delicious." 

------

Flashback - Night Before

Night - Skull Bar - Outside 

Caroline bit Liam's neck, feeding hungrily.

------

Now 

Day - Whitmore College - The Girls' Dorm Room 

The girls were talking.

Caroline smirked.  "I mean, you know how cute guys just naturally taste better?" 

"You killed Elena's ex?" Bonnie asked. 

"Okay, can I tell my story, please?" Caroline asked, sitting down, looking at Kacie, Elena, Alex and Eliza. "Remind me why we're glad she's back again." 

Bonnie looked away indignantly. 

"Please tell me that Liam is not dead," Elena told her.

"Fine," Caroline told them. "So I was feeding." 

 ------

Flashback - Night Before

Night - Skull Bar - Outside 

Caroline continued to feed.

Caroline: (voice over) "And then that little voice inside my head that tells me to stop..." 

Caroline pulled away, blood drenching her lips and chin. 

Caroline: (voice over) "He never piped up." 

"More, please," Caroline told him. Liam collapsed into Caroline's arms weakly. Caroline struggled to keep him standing. "Whoa!" She looked around, scoffing. "Well, this is awkward." She forced him to stand. "Ugh. God." She looked at her necklace. "Oh. You got blood on my necklace. Now I'm gonna have to clean it." 

"What are you doing to me?" Liam asked.

"Well, I was going to drain you of your blood, but now I'm not really in the mood to drag your corpse through the woods," Caroline told him. "Definitely not in these heels. I could throw you in a dumpster, but then everyone's always being found in dumpsters, and since I was the last person to be seen with you, I'll be questioned by the police. And what if one of them reminds me of my dead mother?" 

"What are you talking about?" Liam asked. 

Caroline sighed. "You, Liam, just got complicated." 

------

Now 

Day - Whitmore College - The Girls' Dorm Room 

The girls were talking.

Eliza looked at Caroline skeptically. "So, you didn't kill him because it would be inconvenient?" 

"Eliza, I shut off my humanity," Caroline told her. "I didn't turn into an idiot. The last thing I want to do is give you a reason to ruin my life." 

Caroline took a sip of champagne from the bottle.

"Huh," Kacie told them sarcastically. "It's so weird. It's like she's Caroline, but she's not." 

Caroline smiled. "Oh, Kacie. Did you ever notice that your commentary is better than everyone else's most of the time?" She put the bottle down, standing. "Anyway, in return for my good behavior, I want a year where I don't have to feel pain or grief or remorse. You're not gonna lock me in a cell and dry me out, and you're definitely not gonna try to trigger some latent emotion, wishing it will snap my humanity back on." She looked at her sister. "Especially you, Eliza. I mean, I know I left you a crying mess at the house last night, but please don't do anything to make me regret just leaving you there and not doing anything else." 

"So all you want is for us to leave you alone, and then you promise not to kill anyone?" Eliza asked. 

"That's all I want," Caroline told them. "Now granted, if anyone tries anything to flip my switch back on—and I mean anything—I'll become your worst nightmare. Great! I'm gonna get a latte." She grabbed her purse from her bed. "See you." 

Caroline walked out of the room without another word, leaving Kacie, Elena, Bonnie, Alex and Eliza to process what she had just said.

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

Salvatore Boarding House - Living Room 

Kaylin was on the phone.  "So, Saint Caroline keeps her halo even with no humanity." 

Cristian was walking along the halls of Whitmore Medical Center. "Yeah, until she snaps and strangles somebody with it." 

"Well, even if she does..." Kaylin trailed off. She heard a crash from behind her, in the direction Kai was standing, looking toward him. Luke, Ryan, Tory, Lindsey, Stefan and Damon, also in the room, looked at Kai. Kai smiled, holding up an antique. "Could be good for her, Cristian, you know, to blow off some steam, thin the herd. Getting awfully crowded around here." 

"Kaylin..." Cristian trailed off.

"Kidding," Kaylin told him. "Sort of." 

"Just do me a favor," Cristian told her. "Check around Mystic Falls, see if anybody's missing." 

"Will do, Cris," Kaylin told him, hanging up. "A little later." 

Kaylin turned to face Kai, Tory, Lindsey, Luke, Ryan, Stefan and Damon.

Luke poured himself a drink, walking around the table, sitting down on one of the couches. Ryan, Tory and Lindsey were already drinking.

Kaylin walked down the steps toward them. 

Stefan looked at Kai. "There's a reason why we had Tory, Lindsey, Luke and Ryan get in touch with you. Why you're here. Lindsey and Tory sent Damon, Kacie, Alex and Elena back to 1992. You, Lindsey and Tory can send us back to 1903."

"Technically, yes, we are able to do that," Lindsey agreed. "But we'll need the Ascendant for the 1903 prison world."

Ryan looked at Kai. "And as the newly elected president of the Gemini freaks, I assume you know where to get it. So get it."

"It's my pleasure," Kai told them, looking away awkwardly.

"You want something," Luke told him. "Shocker."

"All right," Kai told them, sitting forward. "You guys want two favors from me. You want me to take the branding spell away from Nicola, and you want me to save the mother from a prison world. Well, ever since you told me Bonnie was back, I, uh, I can't stop thinking about her, all right? What I did, how she is. It's annoying, really. And not just about Bonnie, but Kacie, too, since I tried to kill her by decapitating her, it's been on my mind ever since, too. Look. I need to see them. I need to apologize. And you're gonna make that happen. You get me time to apologize to Bonnie and Kacie, and I'll save Nikki and Lily." 

Stefan, Damon and Kaylin exchanged a look, their work cut out for them. Kai walked out of the room to give them a moment to talk about his proposal.

Lindsey shook her head. "Absolutely not. I'm not letting him anywhere near Bonnie after everything he did to her. She'll be furious."

"Lindsey..." Damon trailed off.

"No, don't 'Lindsey' me," Lindsey told him. "Do not force anything on Bonnie or Kacie or they'll snap. Okay? They went through hell in the prison world and trying to get back, Bonnie especially."

"Lindsey's right," Ryan told them. "Don't force them into anything, or you're gonna regret it. Especially with Kacie's temper."

"And after that bastard cut off my sister's head, I don't want him anywhere near Kacie, either," Tory told them.

"Kacie can take care of herself most of the time, but still," Luke told them. "You guys pushing this is not gonna help anyone."

———

Whitmore College - Skull Bar

(Song:) Start Again - Israel Cannan 

Enzo and Sarah were still speaking.

"So that's it?" Sarah asked. "Enzo? That's all I get?" 

"A name is a very personal thing, Sarah," Enzo told her. "See? Doesn't that feel good?" 

"I have pictures of you," Sarah told him. "Your veins doing weird, non-human things." She took out a card from her camera, holding it up for Enzo to see. "They're all on this little card." 

"You went from cowering in a corner to overt blackmail in the span of an hour," Enzo told her. "Impressive. In fact, you remind me of these two girls that I know." 

"I want to know more about you," Sarah told him. 

"Fair enough," Enzo told her, placing his phone on the table in front of them. "One..." He rushed to grab the card from Sarah's hand. "I'm very fast. Two..." He broke the card in half. "I'm very strong." 

"That was, like, 70 bucks," Sarah told him. 

"Three, I'm very rich," Enzo told her, tossing the card away. 

Sarah placed her camera down. "Rich, strong, fast, you have weird veins, you can heal people with your blood." Enzo tilted his head. "What are you?" 

Enzo chuckled. "This is a joke, right?" 

"Does it look like I'm joking?" Sarah asked. 

"Oh," Enzo told her. "You want to hear me say it. Fine. I'm a vampire." 

Sarah processed, her eyes glazing over as pure and utter disinterest took over. "And?" 

"Perhaps you didn't hear me," Enzo told her. "I said, 'I'm a vampire'." Sarah shrugged. "You know, Anne Rice, Dracula." Enzo rolled his eyes. "That dreadful 'Twilight' series." 

"No, I know what they are," Sarah told him. "I just thought there'd be more to it." 

Caroline approached them. "It's okay. The whole vampire thing is over, anyway." 

"Caroline," Enzo told her. 

"Who is this nice girl we're divulging all of our deepest, darkest secrets to?" Caroline asked. 

"I'm Sarah," Sarah answered. 

"Sarah," Caroline repeated. She looked at her in realization. "Photographer Sarah. The Sarah that Monique was—" 

Enzo looked at Sarah. "Darling." Sarah looked at Enzo. Enzo compelled her. "You need a drink from the bar." 

Caroline looked at them suspiciously.

Sarah stood, walking away. 

Caroline stepped closer to Enzo. "It is so nice not to care what you're up to with that poor girl. Old me would have been in such a moral quandary right now." 

"Old you?" Enzo repeated. Caroline smiled. Enzo rolled his eyes. "Oh, you didn't." 

"I did," Caroline answered. "Right in front of Eliza right after our mom's funeral. Thanks for coming, by the way. Kidding." She smiled, shaking her head. "I don't really care about that, either." 

"You're a laugh riot, aren't you?" Enzo asked. 

"I'm actually a little bored," Caroline told him. "Which is why I'm recruiting cute boys to come to Whitmore's warehouse party tonight." She leaned closer, placing a hand on the table above his phone. "You like to dance, right?" 

"Yeah, I love it," Enzo answered. 

"You might see Kaylin there," Caroline told him. "She might even forgive you for telling her distant niece about vampires and that fact that you tried to kill Eliza and her boyfriend, if you play your cards right." 

Caroline smirked, taking her hand away from the table, walking away, leaving. 

Enzo looked at the table, confused for a moment. He realized that his phone was gone, exhaling in annoyance.

(Song Ends)

------

Tyler's Dorm Room 

Tyler and Nicola were sitting in his dorm room, talking.

"So, Caroline and Eliza's mom just died, Caroline just turned off her humanity, Bonnie is officially back from the prison world, and you want to go to a rave tonight?" Nicola asked in amusement.

Tyler shrugged. "Yeah. Why not? I mean, we don't really have anything going on here lately, and we need to do something before we lose our mind, right?" 

"Ha ha," Nicola told him sarcastically. She thought for a moment. "Okay." 

"What?" Tyler asked. "Seriously?" 

Nicola smirked. "Yes, seriously. And, can you dial down on the surprise a little? I mean, yeah, I know that I never liked going to parties, but you're right. I need to do something otherwise I'm going to explode." 

"All right," Tyler told her. "Well, I will be right back. You know, practice squad's not gonna let me stay on the team if I'm always running late." 

"Then go," Nicola told him. "I'll be fine. I'll just keep myself busy." 

"Oh, yeah?" Tyler asked. "Keep yourself busy how?" 

Nicola shrugged. "I don't know." She leaned closer to him. "Something like..." She slowly kissed Tyler. Tyler deepened the kiss, holding a hand to her cheek. Nicola pulled away, smiling a small smile. "That." 

Nicola kissed Tyler with less hesitation, pulling him closer.

Tyler pulled away. "I think I can skip one practice." 

Nicola smiled, kissing Tyler more deeply, more passionate than before. The longer it went on, the more passionate it became.

Nicola's phone rang. 

Nicola exhaled, pulling back. "Oh, you can go ahead." She looked at her phone to see that it was Kaylin calling. "They're supposed to be telling me when Kai will take this stupid hex away. And if it's not good news, then you're not gonna want to see what'll happen." Tyler slowly nodded, standing, walking out of the room. Nicola slowly let it be shown that she wasn't doing as good as she wanted Tyler to believe. She hesitantly answered. "You better have good news."

Stefan, Damon and Kaylin were in the living room of the boarding house, speaking to her over speaker phone.

"We don't," Stefan told her.

"What do you mean, you don't?" Nicola asked.

"I mean, we don't," Stefan answered. "Listen, we have Kai over here, and talking to him, Tory, Lindsey, Luke and Ryan, but we're asking the psycho for two favors here. But, of course, since we're asking for two things, he wants one in return."

"And what's that?" Nicola asked. 

"He wants us to make it possible for him to talk to Bonnie and Kacie so that he can apologize to them," Kaylin answered.

"But Lindsey, Tory, Luke and Ryan say it's out of the question," Damon told her.

Nicola stood. "Are you serious? Well, guess what? Lindsey, Tory, Luke and Ryan are right. Bonnie and Kacie are not gonna want to go within a hundred yards of him. He cut Kacie's head off and only sewed it back on to save her life because he knew that if she was dead, that Bonnie wouldn't help him get out of the prison world. He left Bonnie over there to rot, Damon, and God knows what the hell else he did to her over there. Even if he apologizes, they'll never forgive him."

Damon leaned against the wall in guilt. "We know that, Nikki."

Nicola slowly got more angry. "So, what, Damon, my life, and my sanity, and my humanity are in the hands of you, Stefan, Kaylin, Tory, Lindsey, Luke, Ryan, and a semi-psychopath? Does that sound fair to any of you?" 

"Nikki, I need you to calm down," Stefan told her. 

"No, I'm not gonna calm down, Stefan," Nicola told him. "You said it yourselves last night, that you're the reasons that this happened to me."

"Nikki—" Stefan started. 

Nicola had angry tears in her eyes, seemingly on the verge of breaking. "No. I'm losing, Stefan. I can't hold on that much longer. I might be able to pretend that I'm okay for Tyler's sake, but I'm not going to make it. So, if you can get Bonnie and Kacie to listen to reason and hear Kai out so he can save me after what he did... you better do it before I lose my mind." 

Nicola exhaled shakily, hanging up, looking down. She started to cry silently, angrily despaired. She looked at her phone in her hand for a moment, tossing it onto the bed so she wouldn't break it, turning away. She held her head in pain, not knowing what to do. 

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

Whitmore Medical Center - Hallway  

Cristian stood in the hallway, leaning against the door, waiting.

Liam was in uniform, walking out into the hall, noticing him. "Cristian. Hey, man." 

"Hey," Cristian told him, walking closer to him, compelling him. "I'm gonna ask you a couple questions, and I need you to be completely honest with me, and you tell the truth to me or anyone that you know I'm friends with anytime that we need information. Okay?" 

"I can be completely honest with you and your friends anytime you need me to be," Liam told him. 

"Good," Cristian told him, leading him into a room, closing the door behind them. "Do you remember being around Caroline last night?" 

"Uh..." Liam trailed off, chuckling. "Yeah. Kind of hard to forget." 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cristian asked. 

"We made out, pretty hardcore," Liam answered. 

"Did she bite you?" Cristian asked. 

"Not that I remember," Liam answered. 

"You don't remember anything else?" Cristian asked.

"No, not really," Liam answered.

"Good," Cristian told him. "Great." 

"Can I get out of here, please?" Liam asked. "Because, like, I'm late for this party." 

"What party?" Cristian asked. 

"Uh, warehouse party off campus," Liam answered. "Caroline's throwing it." 

Liam patted Cristian on the shoulder, walking out of the room. 

Cristian pulled out his phone, making a call. 

Liv's voice was on the other line. "Hey, Cristian." 

"Hey, Liv," Cristian told her. "Uh, listen. I never thought I would ask this, but, um... do you want to go to a rave?" 

------

Night - Whitmore Warehouse - Rave

(Song:) Mind of a Beast - The Glitch Mob 

Elena, Bonnie, Kacie, Alex and Eliza walked into the party, seeing the party literally raging on. 

"Okay," Eliza told them, looking at Bonnie. "Not exactly the welcome home party I was planning for you." 

"I think we should split up and look for Caroline," Elena told them.

Bonnie and Eliza, not being vampires, of course hadn't heard them over the loud, electronic music.

"Maybe we should split up and look for Caroline," Bonnie told them.

Alex smiled. "Good idea." 

'Good luck', Kacie mouthed to them.

They split up, walking through the crowd. 

Alex walked through the crowd alone, managing to find Liv and Cristian.

Liv was dressed in rave clothes, with body paint and luminescent clothes, dancing close to Cristian, having an arm over his shoulder and around his neck, bouncing to the beat, dancing lively, raising her hands over her head, tilting her head back, smiling, wrapping her arms around his neck. She noticed Alex standing in the crowd, nodding toward the bar.

Alex followed her gaze toward where Caroline was standing at the bar, taking shots from glowing, flashing shot glasses. She looked at Liv, nodding to her, knowing that she would hear her. "Good work, Liv. Very convincing." 

Liv knew Alex would hear her. "Who do I need to be convincing for? I'm having fun. You should, too." 

Cristian smirked.

Alex gave Liv an amused look. "Liv."

Liv winked. "See you, Alex."

Liv went back to dancing with Cristian, spinning around, pulling Cristian closer, kissing him deeply and passionately. 

A man turned to Alex, trying to dance. 

Alex pushed him away slightly in nonchalance, walking away. 

------

Elsewhere 

Tory and Luke were dancing and having fun, still in normal clothes.

"Who knew that us coming to a rave would be the most fun we've had in years?" Tory asked. "Even if it's to keep an eye out for our friends?"

"Well, who knew that you could have fun?" Luke replied. "You're so set on martyrdom and heroism and brooding lately, Tory."

Tory smiled, pushing Luke in the chest. "Don't be mean, Luke."

Tory and Luke smiled, kissing passionately while they continued to dance.

Further on, Lindsey and Ryan were drinking at the bar. Lindsey was watching out for Caroline.

"Lindsey, it might be smarter to be less obvious that you're looking out for the emotionless vamp, especially with the threats she made to Alex, Elena, Eliza, Kacie and Bonnie earlier," Ryan pointed out.

"I'm just doing what I can," Lindsey replied. "After this, you, Luke, Tory and I got to go set up for the upcoming full moon anyway. So why did we come here exactly?"

"Because we needed a few hours off of our lives of misery and job," Ryan answered. "It's taken up all of our lives and we needed to relax a bit."

Lindsey smiled, nodding. "Right, right. Okay. Then would you like to dance, Ryan?"

Ryan made a face, shaking his head. "Not the kind of relaxation I was talking about."

Lindsey smiled, taking his hand, leading him to the dance floor. "Well, too bad. You opened yourself up for this. We have to leave anyway right after this. I would like to have a few moments to dance with my boyfriend, Ryan."

"Lindsey..." Ryan trailed off.

Lindsey tilted her head at him. "Ryan."

Ryan couldn't deny her, smiling, giving in, chuckling a bit in amusement. "Fine."

Lindsey smiled, leaning in to kiss him in grateful happiness. "Yay. Thank you. Now come on."

Lindsey and Ryan went out to dance, smiling at each other happily, starting to kiss passionately.

------

Elsewhere

Tyler led Nicola into the rave, turning to face her. "What did I tell you? It's fun, am I right?" 

"Describe 'fun'," Nicola told him.

Tyler smirked, knowing she wasn't being serious, pulling Nicola closer, kissing her deeply and passionately. Nicola pulled away, smiling a small smile, starting to dance with him. 

(Song Ends)

------

Elsewhere

(Song:) Skullclub - The Glitch Mob

Bonnie walked through the crowd, looking for Caroline. 

A guy approached her.  "Want to dance?" 

"I'm actually looking for someone," Bonnie told him. 

"Come on," the guy told her. "This is a party. Have fun!" 

The guy pulled Bonnie further into the crowd, making her dance, putting his hands on her waist.

"Hey, down boy," Bonnie told him, taking his hands away from her. 

"Just dancing," the guy told her, trying to get closer to her.

"Look, I really have to go find my friend," Bonnie told him. 

"I can't help it," the guy told her. "You're hot." The guy danced closer again, pulling her closer, kissing her neck. Bonnie hovered her hand over his on her waist, using magic to burn his skin, making him pull away, groaning in pain. "What the hell did you do?"

Bonnie looked at him innocently, shrugging slightly. "I can't help it. I'm hot." 

The guy looked at her incredulously.

Bonnie didn't seem to care, walking away. 

Kacie stood few yards away, having seen what had just happened, confused by her friend's behavior.

(Song Ends)

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

Elsewhere

(Song:) Wild Child - Adrian Lux & Marcus Schossow (feat. JJ)

Alex, Elena, Eliza, Cristian and Liv stood at the side of the party. 

"Hey, Liv, did Tory, Luke, Lindsey and Ryan already leave?" Alex asked.

"Yep," Liv answered. "Luke and Lindsey are helping Tory and Ryan set up for the few moon coming up."

"All right, then," Cristian told them. "We can handle everything else while Luke, Lindsey, Tory and Ryan handle that."

"So, Cristian, did Liam have any bite marks on him?" Alex asked.

"No," Cristian answered. "Which means she must have given him her blood." 

"And he doesn't remember her feeding on him at all?" Elena asked. 

"He remembers them making out in graphic detail, but that's about it," Cristian told them. "I compelled him to tell the absolute truth to me or anyone who he knows that is my friend, which includes all of you, but he doesn't remember what happened last night." 

"So, that means she's covering her tracks," Eliza told them. "It's very thorough. It's actually really good." 

"No, it's not good," Cristian told them. "It means that she's gonna use him as a human blood bag every time she gets hungry." 

"Or she'll drink from the blood bags in our fridge that she just restocked," Eliza told them. 

"Wait a minute," Elena told her. "Why are you defending her?" 

"Because she's my sister," Eliza answered. "No matter what she did, no matter what she is right now, even without her humanity, she is still my sister. I'm just saying she hasn't actually hurt anyone, and there's no bodies that have shown up at the med center, no students are missing. What if she actually has this under control? You know, we give her her year, she's happy, and then—" 

"And then what?" Alex asked. "She magically flips on her humanity switch and starts feeling everything that she's been putting off? Caroline is going to snap, Eliza. You are her sister. You are her only family left. If anyone can get an emotional response out of her, it's you." 

Eliza didn't answer, sighing, looking away. "What do you want me to do?" 

------

Bar 

Caroline was still standing at the bar. 

Eliza approached Caroline, placing two glowing shot glasses of tequila on the bar, smiling at her sister, taking one, raising it as a toast.

Caroline looked at Eliza curiously yet knowingly, picking hers up, clinking it to hers. 

They both drank. 

------

Elsewhere

Kacie stood at the sidelines of the party, looking toward Caroline and Eliza.

Bonnie approached her. "Hey." 

"Hey," Kacie told her. "Tory and Luke came to tell me that they were leaving already. Did you see Lindsey and Ryan?"

"Yeah," Bonnie answered. "Lindsey said that they had been helping the Salvatores and tried to keep us out of what the psycho that tortured us both wants. Ryan said that none of them wanted us involved."

"Good," Kacie told her. "I saw you scorch that douchebag with your magic. Are you okay?" 

"If by 'okay', you mean, completely on edge, then, yeah, peachy," Bonnie told her.

"Aw, it's okay," Kacie told her. "You just got back. You have to adjust." 

"When you came back, did you just slide right back into your old life?" Bonnie asked.

"Oh, you mean the one where my brother Tyler was a human with a werewolf gene that's going to college now, and my half-sister Tory was a witch and a triggered werewolf that caused an earthquake every time she transformed into a wolf, and my boyfriend Matt had been a part of a vampire-hunting community protection thing without realizing it, and is still not that good at keeping secrets from me?" Kacie asked. "Yep."

Bonnie's phone rang. She took it out, looking at Kacie. "It's Damon." 

"Oh," Kacie told her. "Okay." 

Bonnie answered, putting it on speaker. "Can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm glad you called." 

"Uh-oh," Damon told them. He was in the Salvatore Boarding House, leaning forward against the fireplace mantel. "Caroline go off the rails? If so, I called it." 

"Gloating in one of our best friend's times of need?" Kacie asked. "It's weird that I miss you." 

Damon turned away from the fire place. "Kacie, I thought I was clear." Stefan and Kaylin were sitting on opposite couches, looking at Damon, waiting. "Our relationship only exists within the confines of 1992." 

"You think one phone call and a promise to you that I wouldn't tell Nicola about her dead sister makes us friends?" Kacie asked. 

"You don't have to pretend, Kace," Damon told her, using her nickname. "I'm like a fever you can't shake." 

Kacie chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah, a disease." 

"Why did you call me?" Bonnie asked.

"So... teensy favor," Damon told them. "Bonnie, I don't know if you know this, but when Kai merged with Lucas, he went through a metamorphosis." Bonnie looked confused, slowly getting angrier just by the name. "He went from a sociopathic caterpillar to a slightly less evil butterfly." 

"Yeah, and anyone who believes that is an idiot," Bonnie told them with a slight edge of anger. "Please don't ever repeat that name to me again, okay?" 

Kacie looked surprised by her reaction.

Damon looked surprised by her reaction, looking at Stefan and Kaylin for help.

Kaylin made a slicing motion over her throat, silently telling him not to push it. 

"Yeah," Damon told them. "Okay." He chuckled. "Already forgot about it." 

Kacie looked at Bonnie for a moment. "So what was the favor?" 

"Don't worry about it," Damon told them. "I'll figure it out on my own. Happy raving." 

Damon hung up.

Bonnie hung up. 

"You okay?" Kacie asked.

"Yeah," Bonnie told her unconvincingly. "I just need a drink." 

Bonnie walked away.

Kacie watched her go, actually starting to worry about her a little bit. 

(Song Ends)

------

Salvatore Boarding House - Living Room 

Damon turned to face Stefan and Kaylin.

"Well, that didn't go as planned," Stefan told them.

Kaylin sighed. "Looks like Tory, Lindsey, Luke and Ryan were right about leaving Kacie and Bonnie out of it."

Kai walked into the room. "Hey. Who was that?" 

"Bonnie and Kacie," Kaylin answered. "They don't want to do it." Stefan stood. "Kacie still hates you, and Bonnie doesn't believe there's a new you." 

"But there is a new me," Kai told them. Kaylin shrugged. Kai sighed. "You—you explained it to them so they would understand, right?" He walked closer. "Small words, easy to digest?" 

Kaylin stood. "Not gonna happen. End of story." 

"Huh," Kai told them. "Shame." He walked past them. "Because Nicola's time is running out, and Mama Salvatore's story is pretty fantastic." 

Stefan, Damon and Kaylin turned to face him.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked.

"I have a strong lead on the Ascendant," Kai told them. "I checked the Gemini archives." He turned to face them. "Lily was captured on a dock in New York City in 1903. What if she was on her way here for the three of you? I mean, it makes sense. She—she'd just landed from Europe, where..." 

"Where what?" Stefan asked. Kai didn't answer. "Spit it out." 

Kai acted as if he had a sore throat, holding it. "Sorry." 

"You're not gonna tell us, are you?" Stefan asked. 

Kai faked a cough, making his voice hoarse. "No. Sorry. My throat just got really sore. I'm gonna go find a Ricola, you know, the cough drop. It sounds a lot like Nicola. They have something in common, though. They don't last for very long. And let me tell you that when I say Nikki's time is almost out, it's almost out." He cleared his throat, walking closer. "Maybe Bonnie and Kacie will change their minds by the time I find one." 

Kaylin gave him a look.

Kai smirked, walking past them, leaving. 

------

Whitmore College - Warehouse - Rave - Bar

(Song:) Who Needs Pain - Super8 & Tab feat. Jan Burton 

Eliza and Caroline continued to drink shots.

"So what's all this for, Eliza?" Caroline asked. "Are you spiraling into the darkness again?" 

"It feels like it," Eliza told her. "I mean, my boyfriend is gone, my mother is dead, and my sister is a numb shell of void that I know I wouldn't be able to get through to even if I tried." 

"Ooh," Caroline told her. "Ouch." 

"Maybe I was thinking that you were right last night," Eliza told her. "Maybe you do have a handle on this. Maybe you won't kill people like every other vampire that we've known who flipped their switch. Maybe I can learn to like this new you and even have some fun, trying to get through the pain." 

"Now, that sounds amazing," Caroline told her. "And horribly unlikely. You're human, Eliza. You feel the pain of every little thing." 

"Maybe I'll go back to being what I was when Damon, Kacie and Bonnie died," Eliza told her.

"Oh, right," Caroline told her. "When you were lost to us. When you were pretending not to feel. I told you last night that it was exactly like a vampire without its emotions, but I was wrong. It's nothing like it. You were like this robot. Having no humanity... it feels... free. I can show you. If you want." 

"No, thank you," Eliza told her, taking a shot. 

"I know you're lying," Caroline told her. "You don't think that I can live a normal, humanity-less vampire existence without killing anyone. And you feel guilty for not being able to stop me from turning my humanity off in the first place."

(Song Ends)

"You're right," Eliza told her. "I do feel guilty." 

"Why?" Caroline asked. "You couldn't stop me. The switch is inside my head, and you couldn't get there. I don't care. So why do you?" 

"Because I do," Eliza told her. "I care that you're completely different. I care that after last night, I just lost what little family I had. I care that you're not you anymore." 

"I said I don't care," Caroline told her.

"Mom died, and you turned it off because you couldn't handle the pain," Eliza told her. "But what about my pain?" 

"Stop," Caroline told her.

"You were wrong last night, Caroline," Eliza told her. "The worst part of the pain wasn't gone when I came back. I was just holding it off. You're gonna turn it on one day, and everything you put off from feeling since Mom's funeral, it's gonna eat you alive, just like it was eating me alive." 

Caroline smiled, shaking her head, laughing sarcastically, growing angry. "Wow. Maybe you really do need my help after all. Maybe you need me to feed you my blood, to snap your neck, and turn you into a vampire so you can turn it off, and see what is like for yourself." 

"That's good," Eliza told her. "Anger. That means you want to feel." 

"No, Eliza," Caroline told her. "You know what? It just means that I'm pissed, so leave me alone." 

Caroline turned away.

Eliza grabbed Caroline by the arm to stop her. "Hey. Hey. Let it in. It will hurt, and you'll want to die, but I will be here. I will help you through this, but you have to give me a chance." Caroline was still there. Eliza could see it in her eyes. "Please. Come back." 

There was a long moment of silence.

"You shouldn't have listened to what Alex told you to do," Caroline told her, walking away, leaving.

Eliza watched her go, knowing that it had worked, but also knowing that Caroline had heard everything that they had said, and everything that they had been planning.

------

Elsewhere

(Song:) No Frontiers - Super8 & Tab feat. Julie Thompson

Liam was walking down a hall. 

Caroline approached Liam from behind, now wearing a leather jacket. "Hey!" Liam turned to face her. "Where have you been?" 

"The bathroom line was, like, a mile long," Liam told her. "I mean, look at all these crazy people here." 

"Wow," Caroline told him. "You are so boring. No wonder why Elena didn't pick you. Honest truth. How good are you at surgery?" 

"I'm a premed sophomore," Liam told her. "I'm terrible." 

"Perfect," Caroline told him. "Come with me." 

Caroline took Liam's hand, leading him down the hall. 

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

Outside

(Song:) Satisfy (Edm Euphoria Edit) - Nero 

Kaylin walked toward the warehouse with the party inside, hearing the muffled electronic music.

Enzo was waiting by the door, looking at Kaylin. "Oh, look who's here." 

"Look who's talking," Kaylin replied. "Aren't you a little too old for a college party?" 

"You're one to talk," Enzo told her.

"Well, I'm not here for you," Kaylin told him, starting to walk past Enzo.

Enzo turned to face Kaylin. "Have you heard about Caroline Forbes?" 

"Uh-huh," Kaylin answered, turning to face Enzo. 

"Well, did you know that she went from emotionless juvenile to petty thief within a couple of hours's time?" Enzo asked. "I saw her earlier, and she snagged my phone." 

"Why would she want your phone?" Kaylin asked.

"If only I could remember how an emotionless vampire thought," Enzo told her. "I could easily find out by turning into one."

Kaylin pointed at Enzo, smirking, because she knew he wasn't being serious, stepping closer to him. "You do, and I kill you." Enzo smirked. Kaylin lowered her hand to her side. "So, is that why my phone's had the day off of its incessant buzzing? Because you couldn't phone stalk me 'cause Caroline stole it?" 

"I thought you were too busy to answer phone calls," Enzo told her.

"I was too busy today," Kaylin told him honestly. "I was going through some family drama that you'd really rather not want to know. But today got me thinking more about my family, and about Stefan, Damon, Nikki... you and your warning the other day." Enzo smirked. "And I think I figured out what you're up to." 

"Is that so?" Enzo asked. 

"Uh-huh," Kaylin answered. "You said that you were opening a door that none of thought about opening, and you also said that there might be a few 'unorthodox ways' about doing so. You said that it was a form of revenge, but to somebody else other than my brother who's tried to kill you lately. You also said that this had everything to do with me and my family. And you also said that it could potentially save the relationship that we have with Nikki." 

"You're getting warmer," Enzo told her. "Come on. What is Enzo up to?" 

"You found out about Sarah Salvatore," Kaylin told him.

"Indeed," Enzo answered. "But just a few weeks ago, you told me that you never heard of her existence." 

"Well, just a few weeks ago, I had thought that she was dead," Kaylin told him. "Monique made Stefan fess up to what he's been doing with the real Sarah. And then he forced me into a promise that I couldn't tell you, and I couldn't tell Damon, and I couldn't tell Nikki until this branding hex was taken away from her."  

"Well, that's not very brotherly, now is it?" Enzo asked. 

"I'm over it already," Kaylin told him. "What I'm not over is what the hell you're thinking about doing to that poor girl." 

"I'm not going to do anything to her, love," Enzo told her. "I haven't hurt her in the slightest. In fact, I introduced her to Nicola and Tory at the Grill, though Nicola and Tory didn't know who Sarah was, and Sarah didn't know who they were."

"So you introduced her to her sister and her distant cousin Tory?" Kaylin asked. "If you wanted to introduce us, then why didn't you just introduce us?"

"Because how would she react to finding out that she had a family, and that most of them were vampires, and her distant cousin is a werewolf/witch/Doppelganger afterward?" Enzo asked. "She would take off in the opposite direction. Now, if she had already known about vampires, werewolves and witches beforehand, maybe she'd be interested to meet her family." 

"So that's where you've been off to this whole time?" Kaylin asked. "With my niece Sarah?" 

"Now, don't be jealous, sweetheart," Enzo told her. "I'm afraid she doesn't find me nearly as fascinating as I do." 

"But you have an accent," Kaylin told him. "Anything you say is automatically fascinating." 

"I'm afraid we found the exception," Enzo told her. "Told her I was a vampire, and her eyes glazed over. Literally. Pure and utter disinterest." Kaylin thought for a moment, looking at Enzo in realization, laughing. "What's funny?" 

"I know my brother, I know his tricks and everything about him, and Stefan's been looking out for Sarah ever since she was a baby," Kaylin told him. "Which means he will protect her at any cost." 

Enzo shook his head in confusion. "Okay?" 

"So, what do you do when you want someone to have nothing to do with vampires?" Kaylin asked. 

Enzo chuckled in realization. "Compel them not to care about anything to do with vampires. Kaylin Salvatore, you truly are a genius." 

"Thank you," Kaylin told him sweetly. "So, it seems that your plan to reunite the Salvatores has taken an unexpected turn. I mean, if she doesn't care about vampires, then why would she be intrigued by her family enough to make her want to meet us?" 

"So it seems," Enzo agreed. 

"Stefan, always one step ahead," Kaylin told him, chuckling, shaking her head, rolling her eyes. "I don't want her to get hurt, Enzo." 

"I won't hurt her," Enzo told her.

"Then let me take it over from here," Kaylin told him. 

Enzo raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really?" 

"Why not?" Kaylin asked. "Although, I doubt that she'd care about us. She doesn't even know us. Never even met us. I didn't even know she was alive until the day you killed Monique. And I need something, anything, to get Nikki through the next couple of hours until Kai takes the spell away." 

"Oh, you poor thing," Enzo told her.

Kaylin smirked. "Although, good job on finding her." 

"Well, like I told you, darling," Enzo told her. "I'm incredibly gifted at unraveling the truth. And your family is monstrously secretive." Kaylin raised her eyebrows in acknowledgment. Enzo stepped closer, placing hands on her waist. "Now why don't I show you some of my other talents? Or do you not want me to?" 

"Do I not want you to do what?" Kaylin asked.

"Don't try to confuse me," Enzo told her.

"Why not?" Kaylin asked. "It's very easy to do." Enzo smirked, feigning offense. Kaylin smiled a small smile. "And to answer your question, no. I don't want to kiss you." 

"You don't?" Enzo asked.

Kaylin shook her head. "Nope." Enzo raised his eyebrows, unconvinced. "Satisfied?" 

"Mm-mm," Enzo told her.

Kaylin smirked. "I don't, Enzo." 

Enzo smiled. "Keep telling yourself that." 

Kaylin couldn't help a smile, sighing, conflicted, slowly letting the smile fade. "Well, I better go. Sarah's not the only one in my family that I just found out was still alive recently, and like I told you, I need to find Nicola and turn her back into the ray of sunshine she used to be. I mean, she was never a ray of sunshine, but she was a ray of sunshine compared to the way she is now." 

Kaylin turned to walk away.

Enzo caught Kaylin by the wrist lightly, making her stop. "Kaylin..." 

Kaylin slowly turned her head to look at Enzo, seeing him standing so close. She bit her lip slightly, raising her gaze to his, seemingly conflicted about how she should have felt, and what she should have done.

Enzo smiled a small smile.

Kaylin seemed to come to a decision, deciding that she didn't care, giving in, kissing Enzo. For moments, it was like that, nothing but silence except for the muffled music from inside. Enzo turned Kaylin back toward the wall behind her, gently backing her into it, placing a hand on the small of her back to press her closer.

Kaylin pulled away, breathing evenly, smiling a small smile, her voice soft. "Now, remember that for next time." 

"Next time?" Enzo repeated in amusement, his voice just as soft.

"Next time," Kaylin answered, patting him on the chest twice, pushing him slightly back, turning toward the open door. 

Enzo watched her go. "You're a tease." 

Kaylin turned to face him, smiling, backing away. "You know you love it." 

Kaylin turned around, walking into the rave.

Enzo smiled. 

(Song Ends)

------

Inside 

(Song:) Our Demons - The Glitch Mob feat. Aja Volkman  

Bonnie was in a side hallway, breathing heavily, leaning against a wall. 

Kacie walked toward her. "Hey." 

"Hey," Bonnie told her meekly.

"Are you okay?" Kacie asked. 

"Yeah," Bonnie told her. Kacie tilted her head, unconvinced. "No. I mean, all of these people after months of being alone in the prison world, it's got me overwhelmed, you know?" 

"Yeah, I do," Kacie told her. "But you're okay, right? Or you're going to be okay?" 

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah, I think so." 

Stefan and Damon approached them.

"Hey," Stefan told them. 

Kacie and Bonnie turned to face them.

"Hey," Kacie told them. 

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie asked. 

"Don't freak out, but..." Damon trailed off, clearing his throat. 

Kai stepped into view. 

Kacie glared at him.

Bonnie went completely numb with anger. 

"Hi," Kai told them. 

"Just get this over with," Stefan told him.

"Um..." Kai trailed off. 

"Spit it out," Damon told him. 

"Um..." Kai trailed off, looking at Kacie. "I know that we never really had time for this before, because we were trying to save Bonnie, but..." He looked from Kacie to Bonnie. "I wanted..." 

Bonnie looked at Kai with numb anger, rage and hate.

------

Flashback - 6.05 "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here"

Prison World 

Day - Underground Tunnels 

Damon, Kacie and Bonnie were standing in the circle of light.

Kai shot Bonnie in the stomach with a crossbow, making her fall back onto the ground and drop the Ascendant. 

------

 Now 

Night - Whitmore College - Warehouse - Rave - Hallway 

Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Kacie and Kai were talking.

 "To apologize..." Kai went on.

Bonnie looked as if she didn't believe him.

 ------

Flashback - 6.07 "Do You Remember the First Time?"

Prison World 

Day - Mystic Falls Hospital - Hallway

 Kacie and Bonnie stood in the hallway.

Kai appeared behind Bonnie, grabbing her by her throat. 

------

 Now

Night - Whitmore College - Warehouse - Rave - Hallway 

Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Kacie and Kai were talking.

Kai shook his head. "For anything I did..." 

 ------

 Flashback - 6.08 "Fade Into You"

Prison World 

Portland, Oregon

Day - Parker House - Outside

 Kai stabbed Bonnie in the stomach with Jo's knife. 

------

Now 

Night - Whitmore College - Warehouse - Rave - Hallway  

Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Kacie and Kai were talking. 

"That hurt you," Kai finished. Kacie fidgeted with the scarf around her neck, which covered the fading scar from when he cut off her head in the prison world. "Kacie?" Bonnie didn't react, frozen. "Bonnie? Did you hear what I said?" 

Stefan, Damon and Kacie looked at Bonnie. 

Bonnie looked only at Kai. "If I see your face again, I will melt it off." 

Bonnie pushed past Kai, Stefan and Damon, using magic to push the door open, walking out of the door.

Kacie gave Stefan and Damon a look, pushing past Kai angrily, following Bonnie. "Bonnie!" 

Damon, Stefan and Kai turned to watch them go. 

Kai hesitated. "I imagined that going a little differently." 

------

Bar 

Nicola was standing at the bar, having a glowing, flashing shot glass, taking the shot. 

Several repeating memories rushed at her due to the branding spell, causing her physical pain. 

Nicola closed her eyes in pain, leaning forward against the bar.

The bartender looked at Nicola. "You okay?" 

"Yeah," Nicola told him. "Just need another round." 

"I think you've had enough," the bartender told her.

Nicola looked at the bartender for a moment, composing herself, compelling him. "I think that I need to obliterate the thoughts and the memories that are in my mind right now. I need more. And you think so, too." 

The bartender looked at Nicola for a moment, the compulsion setting in, getting her another round. 

Kaylin walked closer. 

Nicola noticed Kaylin, glaring at her, turning around, starting to walk away.

Kaylin grabbed Nicola by the arm to stop her. "I need to talk to you. I know that you hate me right now, and that you want nothing to do with me, but I can get you the help that you need right now." 

"You, Stefan and Damon told me that Kai wouldn't do it unless Bonnie and Kacie heard him out," Nicola told her. "You and I both know that that is never going to happen. I'd rather stay here, and help the others with Careless Caroline. So just leave me alone." 

Nicola turned around, starting to walk away. The branding spell started to attack her mind, making her sway.

Kaylin helped her stand. "Oh, God. Are you okay?" 

Nicola didn't answer. 

------

Elsewhere 

Elena walked through the crowd, on the phone. "Kacie, hey. It's me. Where'd you and Bonnie go? Call me." She stopped next to Alex and Tyler. "Hey." 

"Hey," Tyler told her. "Is everything okay?" 

"I don't know," Elena told them.

Eliza approached them. "Hey. It worked." 

"It worked?" Alex repeated. "You're Caroline's emotional trigger?" 

Eliza nodded. "I saw it in her eyes. She's still in there. We just have to go find her." 

"Wait," Tyler told her. "She's gone?" 

Eliza nodded. "Guys, she made it very clear that if we mess with her, she's gonna retaliate." 

"Then we find her, lock her up, and you push until you break through," Alex told her. "We can get her back, Eliza." 

Eliza nodded. "Okay. Okay. Let's go find her." 

Nicola walked toward them. "I'm going with you." 

"What?" Tyler asked. "What's wrong?" 

(Song Ends)

Nicola opened her mouth to answer. Her phone rang. She took it out, seeing that 'Enzo' was calling, answering. "What? You really think I wanna hear from you right now?" 

Kaylin walked toward them. 

Caroline's voice was on the other line. "Aw. Is someone having a bad night?" 

Alex and Elena looked at Nicola in confusion.

Kaylin stopped walking in confusion.

Nicola turned to face Kaylin. "What are you doing with Enzo's phone?" 

(Song:) Third Day of a Seven Day Binge - Marilyn Manson

Caroline was in the Whitmore Bar, sitting on the bar. "I stole it. But that's not the question you should be asking right now? You should be asking, 'Why does Enzo have Sarah Salvatore's number in his phone?' Or, maybe, 'Where is Sarah Salvatore?' And ultimately, 'What the hell are you going to do to my sister, Caroline?'" 

Kaylin closed her eyes in defeat and guilt.

Nicola looked at Kaylin in denial. "Sarah Salvatore?" 

Alex and Elena exchanged a look, turning away. 

"Oh, yes," Caroline answered. "Did Stefan ever tell you that you sister is not really dead? And did Kaylin tell you yet?" Nicola looked at Kaylin in denial, starting to shake her head. Kaylin looked at her in guilt, opening her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. "That's right. While Stefan had been using Damon's guilt to keep him in check, and while he had lied to Kaylin about the fact that Sarah was alive all this time, he had been keeping an eye on your older sister all her life. He knew exactly where she was, and she wasn't even three hours away from Mystic Falls. She was at Duke, all this time. She was in North Carolina, Nicola." 

"North—" Nicola started, exhaling shakily. "Sarah Nelson?" 

"Oh, that's right," Caroline told her. "Enzo told me that he sent you a box of photographs and sent Sarah into the Grill to meet her baby sister and her very distant cousin Tory without even knowing who they were. And you didn't know who she was, either. You want to know another kicker? Kaylin found out about all of this, except for what Enzo was planning to do, weeks ago." Nicola started to breathe heavily in pain and anger. Kaylin looked at her worriedly, cautiously. "How does it feel to learn another bomb-dropping, life-changing secret, little niece, Nikki? Your sister is alive and well, and Stefan's been keeping it from you and your dad since the day you were born, and he forced Kaylin into a promise about waiting to tell you until your little branding hex was taken away by Kai. And here she comes now." 

Sarah walked into the bar. "Hello? Enzo?" 

"Over here, love," Caroline told her in a British accent. 

"Oh," Sarah told her. "Actually, I'm looking for—" 

"Enzo," Caroline finished. "Yeah, I heard you. He's not here right now, but I am." 

"Caroline, what the hell are you doing with Sarah?" Kaylin asked.

"Oh, hi, Kaylin," Caroline told her. "And thank you for asking an appropriate question. As a matter of fact, I'm going to kill her."

Caroline hung up.

Sarah looked at Caroline in confusion.

Caroline tossed the phone away, looking over her shoulder.

Nicola hung up. She looked at Kaylin in angry denial, tears in her eyes.

(Song Ends)

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

(Song:) Superfuture - DallasK

Nicola walked away.

Kaylin followed her. "Nikki, wait." 

Nicola turned to face Kaylin angrily. "Please tell me that none of that was real." Kaylin didn't answer. "Please tell me that Caroline was lying, Kaylin! Tell me that she's not actually trying to kill the sister that I just found out I had weeks ago, the one that I thought was dead. Tell me that Tory and I didn't just meet her the other day without ever even knowing that I was actually meeting my sister." Kaylin didn't answer, looking at her in guilt. Nicola slowly raised a hand to her head, looking as if she was going to break. "Oh, my God." 

Nicola looked away, trying to calm down. The spell was effecting her, going nonstop, making it feel like she was going to explode, so much worse that it had ever been before, because of what she had just found out. She turned away from Kaylin, leaning against the wall just to keep standing. 

"Nikki, I'm so sorry, but I was just waiting for the right time to tell you," Kaylin told her. "I didn't even know about Sarah until right before you had the branding hex. That was what I wanted to tell you the night that Kai took you. I swear. I just didn't want to make anything worse."

"Well, it's a little too late for that," Nicola told her.

"Nikki, I'm sorry," Kaylin told her.

"You're sorry?" Nicola repeated. "It's way too late for apologizes, Kaylin. I've taken so much from all of you. You, Stefan, Damon. I can't take any more. This is it."

Kaylin looked at Nicola in guilt, nodding in understanding, saddened. "I know."

Nicola tried to collect herself. "We do not have the time for this. She is going to kill her, Kaylin." 

Tyler, Eliza, Alex and Elena walked closer.

"Hey," Tyler told them. "What's going on?" 

"Caroline's trying to kill my sister Sarah," Nicola answered. Tyler and Eliza looked at her in shocked confusion. Nicola looked at Kaylin. "I'm going to save Sarah. You've protected me, and failed to protect me for most of my life. If you ever really cared about me, and if you give a damn about the other niece Sarah that you never had a clue about until recently, then help me." 

Kaylin nodded. 

(Song Ends)

------

The Girls' Dorm Room 

Bonnie and Kacie walked into the dorm room.

Bonnie walked toward the fire place angrily, using magic to light the flames. 

"Hey," Kacie told her. "Calm down. It's okay." 

"No, it's not okay," Bonnie told her. "You were there for almost everything that he did to me, Kacie. Kace, he decapitated you." 

"I know," Kacie told her. "And I hate him for it. But I'm not going to let that get the best of me when killing him would kill the entire Gemini Coven, including Olivia and Jo, and it means that Nicola is stuck with that branding hex forever." 

They heard the door open.

Kacie and Bonnie turned to see Damon.

"It's just me," Damon told them. "He's not here. Bonnie. Kacie. This is about my mom. Kai knows a lot of stuff about my mom. And this could really help save Nikki." 

"I don't care," Bonnie told him. "Kacie and I told you we didn't want to see him again. Tory, Lindsey, Luke and Ryan told you to leave us out of it, and you did it anyway." 

"I know, but, Bonnie—" Damon started.

"Was I unclear?" Bonnie asked. 

"He just wanted to talk," Damon told them.

"Now I want to talk," Bonnie told him. "So listen." 

"I get that he hurt you," Damon told them. "Both of you." 

"I said listen," Bonnie told him, holding her hand toward him, lashing out with her magic. Damon groaned in pain as his shirt began to gather blood. "I want you to feel what I felt." 

"Ow," Damon groaned. 

"You were there the first time he hurt me, an arrow through the stomach," Bonnie told him. "But you weren't there for what happened next. When he cut Kacie's head off." A thin line appeared over Damon's neck, starting to bleed. "Or when he chased us through the hospital, when he strangled me." Damon started to gasp when he felt like someone was strangling him. "I got Kacie home, but at the price of staying there with Kai. He drugged me, he tied me up, and he stuck me in a trunk. And then suddenly, he wants to be nice, huh? Start over." 

"Bonnie," Kacie told her. 

"Sound familiar?" Bonnie asked. 

"He lied, and then he stabbed me again," Bonnie told them. Another wound appeared in Damon's stomach, making him groan in pain as more blood gathered in his shirt. "Then came the worst part, because when it was all over, he left me alone." Bonnie started to cry. "And I wish I could share what that feels like, but I can't." 

"Bonnie," Kacie told her. "Bonnie, stop." Bonnie released Damon from her spell, hanging her head. Damon coughed, healing. Kacie looked at Damon. "Maybe you should get out." 

"I'm sorry," Damon told them.

"Get out!" Bonnie told him. 

Damon seemed scared of this Bonnie, backing away toward the door.

Bonnie turned to face the fire place. 

Damon opened the door, walking out, leaving, closing the door behind him. 

Bonnie started to cry. 

"Bonnie..." Kacie trailed off. Bonnie started to sob, shaking. "Hey, come here." 

Kacie wrapped her arms around Bonnie, letting her cry. 

------

Whitmore College - Skull Bar 

Caroline was mixing drinks in a blender.

Nicola, Kaylin, Tyler, Alex, Elena and Eliza walked in. 

"Hey," Caroline told them. "I'm making margaritas. You want one?" 

Caroline started to pour them some drinks.

"Where's Sarah?" Nicola asked.

"So, I guess you believe me when I tell you the truth about Stefan's big secret," Caroline told her. She looked from Alex and Elena to Nicola and Kaylin. "And I see that you guys told Tyler and Eliza." 

"Where is she, Caroline?" Kaylin asked. 

"Well, not here," Caroline answered. "That would be stupid. She's with Liam." She spoke to the phone on the bar that was on speaker. "Say hi." 

Liam's voice was on the other line. "Hello?" 

"Sarah is helping Liam with his surgical skills," Caroline told them. 

In some unknown basement, Sarah was restrained to a lab table, terrified and desperate. "Please! Please don't hurt me."

Liam was standing over her. "I don't want to do this." 

"Duh," Caroline told him. "You're probably gonna be expelled, and then you're gonna be found guilty of murder. That's why I compelled you to do what I wanted." 

"Don't," Sarah told him. "Please!" 

"Caroline, I'm sorry," Eliza told her. "I shouldn't have pushed you." 

"Obviously," Caroline told her. "I was pretty clear about that." She looked at Nicola. "See, this is the best part. Not only was Eliza one of the first people that met that con artist Monique, knowing that Sarah was your sister, and she tried to tell you, but something just kept getting in the way, she is also the reason that your sister dies. How does that feel, Nicola?" 

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked desperately. "I don't have a sister."

"Actually, you do," Caroline told her. "You met her the other day at the Grill. But there's no reason we need to waste time explaining why and how to you. You'll be dead soon." 

"Look, I know that you can't feel it right now, Care, but if you kill Sarah, it's gonna haunt you forever," Elena told her. "Trust me. I did it. And it sucks." 

"I compelled a student to perform surgery on Kaylin's niece/Nicola's long-lost-sister that she just found about that she was alive not even an hour ago, and you found a way to make this about you?" Caroline asked, chuckling. "God, you truly have a gift, Elena." 

"Listen to me, Caroline," Eliza told her. "What do you want me to do? You want me to leave town? I'll leave town. I'll stay as far away from you as possible. Just please. Let her go." 

"That's the problem, Eliza," Caroline told her. "It doesn't really matter how far away you are. You're still you. Kind, loyal, who with one look can convince me that I'm not crazy. I know that Alex pushed you in trying to get a spark of humanity out of me." 

"No, she—" Eliza started.

"Yes, she did," Caroline told her. "I heard you." She looked at Alex. "And even if I kill or turn Eliza into a vampire and overwhelm her until she turns it off, I still have you to deal with, Alex. You don't really know Sarah that well to care that much about her. I'm guessing that you just don't want Stefan to go through the pain of losing the girl that he's been looking after since she was a baby, spent the last 20 years trying to protect her." 

"You're right," Alex told her. "I pushed Eliza to push you. It's not her fault. It's mine. Leave her out of this, but, killing Sarah isn't gonna change that." 

"I know," Caroline told her. "That's why I'd rather just change you. But, see, if you are gone, then what can I possibly do to everyone else around here? See, it's not just about you, Alex. It's about sending a message to anyone else who dares to try to bring me back." She looked at Nicola. "Which is why you're here." 

"Caroline, what are you talking about?" Tyler asked. 

"If Nicola wants to save her sister's life, and if Alex wants to save Stefan from the pain of losing Sarah..." Caroline trailed off, picking up two drinks, holding one glass toward Nicola and the other toward Alex. "All they have to do is shut their humanity off." 

They looked at her in shock.

Caroline smirked.

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

Everyone was still in shock.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Caroline asked. "Do I need to repeat myself?" 

"They're not turning their humanity off," Tyler told her. 

"Tyler, Nicola is a big girl with a branding hex that is destined to drive her insane, and Alex unleashed herself from you years ago," Caroline told him. "They can think for themselves." She looked at Nicola. "I mean, come on, Nikki. I know that Kai hasn't taken the hex away from you yet. And I know it's tearing you apart on the inside, especially after what you just found out. Wouldn't it be more of a gift than a curse? Come on. You know you want to." 

"I will still have the hex," Nicola told her. "It will still be in my head, and it will still make all of my choices for me." 

"Exactly," Caroline told her. "That is my main message to all of you. But, hey, at least you won't have to feel the pain when thinking, seeing or talking to your back-stabber of a family. You just wouldn't care that you were slowly losing your mind. We all know that you're going to do it one way or the other." 

"I can hold off until Kai takes the spell away," Nicola told her.

"No, you can't, and we all know it," Caroline told her.

"It's not gonna happen, Caroline," Alex told her.

Caroline smirked, picking up her phone. "Hey, Liam..." 

"No, please," Sarah told him, terrified and desperate. "No!" 

"Cut out her spleen," Caroline told him. 

"Caroline!" Eliza told her. 

"Relax," Caroline told her. "She can live without a spleen. You know, it's really the infection you should be worried about." 

In the abandoned basement, Liam had a scalpel in his hands, starting to cut into Sarah's skin. 

"Please don't hurt me," Sarah told him. 

"I'm so sorry," Liam told her, cutting deeper. 

Sarah screamed. 

"Hey, Liam, you remember that conversation you and Cristian had earlier about being honest to him and all of his friends?" Eliza asked. "This is Eliza. Cristian's my friend. Where are you?" 

"Don't answer her, Liam," Caroline told him. 

"Whitmore Medical," Liam told them. 

"Hey!" Caroline complained, giving Eliza a look. "Eliza!"

"Please don't hurt me," Sarah told him, screaming. 

Nicola looked at Kaylin and Elena. "Go! Get Sarah out of there." 

Kaylin and Elena rushed out of the building.

"Good luck getting there in time," Caroline told them. "Hey, Tyler, Eliza, why don't you go with them? You never know when useless humans will come in handy." Tyler and Eliza hesitated. "Do you want me to tell Liam to kill her right now?" 

Tyler looked at Nicola.

Nicola nodded. "Go." 

Tyler nodded, running out. 

Eliza looked at Caroline for a moment, following Tyler. 

"Please!" Sarah cried. "Liam!" 

"How's it going, Liam?" Caroline asked. 

"I think I'm going into pediatrics," Liam told them.

"You know what?" Caroline asked. "I changed my mind. Leave the spleen. Let's be a little bit more symbolic." 

"Please!" Sarah told them. "No!" 

"Take out her heart," Caroline told him. 

Sarah screamed.

Nicola rushed toward Caroline, pulling her out from over the bar, throwing her into a nearby table, making it shatter and her fall to the floor. She rushed toward the phone on the floor.

Caroline grabbed a broken chair leg, using it to push Nicola's legs out from under her, making her fall to the floor, driving it through her back into the floor. 

Nicola reached toward the phone, but it was just out of reach.

Alex stepped toward them.

Caroline picked up another broken table leg, holding it over Nicola's heart threateningly. "Ah, ah, ah." Alex stopped instantly. Caroline smiled, picking up the phone from the floor. "Liam, you still with me?"

------

Salvatore Boarding House - Living Room 

Stefan and Damon were sitting in the living room, sharing a drink.

"So, we can't save our mother or Nikki, and Kaylin took off," Damon told him.

"Oh, I wouldn't say never, brother," Stefan told him. "We'll find a way to make Kai help us." 

"Black mail, torture?" Damon asked. "What will it be this time, Stefan?" 

Kai walked into the house, closing the door behind him. 

"I'm not in the mood for the preamble," Stefan told him. "Just tell us why our mom's stuck in 1903." 

"You're not bringing your mom back," Kai told them.

Damon looked at Kai. "That's odd. Sounds like you just asked me to kill you." 

"You requested a truncated version, so I respectfully jumped to the end," Kai told them.

Stefan stood. "And why aren't we bringing her back?" 

"Because there are only two prison worlds in existence," Kai told them. "Mine, created in 1992, and the one created in 1903 for the sole purpose of locking up your mom and her closet full of crazy pants." 

Damon narrowed his eyes at Kai, rushing toward him, pushing him against the wall. "You said we'd get her back." 

"I'm telling you, as a semi-sane person, you really don't want that," Kai told them.

"And I'm telling you as a vampire who eats people, you really don't want to piss me off," Damon told him.

"I'm trying to save your lives," Kai told them.

"Tell us how to get her back," Stefan told him.

"Your mom's a Ripper, okay?" Kai asked. "She's a Ripper." Damon let him go. Kai walked past them. "She turned in 1858." Stefan and Damon turned to face him. "Faked her death, went to Europe, where she went a little nuts." 

"No," Stefan told him. 

"Bodies piled up, she moved, killed some more until she had to move again," Kai told them.. "They think 3,000 in total."

Stefan looked away in denial. "That's enough."

"And for some reason, my coven made it their duty to stop her," Kai went on. Damon tried to gesture for him to stop, but he could barely move. "So they cut her off at New York Harbor before she could tear through Manhattan. Granted, by the time they got to the ship, they found everybody dead. It was so gruesome that they had to burn it there at the harbor." 

"I said that's enough," Stefan told him. 

"I'm sorry about your mom," Kai told them. "But if you can somehow find a way to get Nicola to come within sniffing distance of you, you have to bring her to me. I can't take the spell away long distance. I told you for a while that I would take it away, and I will. So until then, I guess I should show myself out." 

Kai walked past them, toward the door, walking out, leaving. 

Damon stared off in denial, looking weak, falling back onto the steps behind him.

Stefan turned to face Damon, looking just as numb and in denial. 

------

Whitmore College - The Girls' Dorm Room 

Bonnie was calm again.

Bonnie and Kacie were sitting down together on Kacie's bed.

"What's going on with you, Bon?" Kacie asked. 

"I don't know," Bonnie told her. "I don't if I'm still the same Bonnie that you all know and care about. That place changed me, and I don't know if I'm scared of myself or actually kind of like the new me. I just need some time to figure me out," 

"Okay," Kacie told her. "Just promise me something." 

"Yeah?" Bonnie asked. 

"No doing what you did to Damon to our friends," Kacie told her. "Do that to the bad guys that actually deserve it. And you have got to teach that to Tory and Lindsey." 

They chuckled. 

"Okay," Bonnie told her. "I promise." 

"I'm just glad you're back," Kacie told her. "Doesn't matter which Bonnie you are." 

Kacie wrapped her arms around Bonnie, smiling a small smile. 

Bonnie returned the embrace. "Yeah. Me, too." 

------

Whitmore Medical Center - Hallway

Kaylin and Elena ran in, walking down the hall.

"Where are they at?" Elena asked. "Can you hear them?" 

"Hang on," Kaylin told her in annoyance, slowing to a stop.

Elena turned to face Kaylin in confusion.

Kaylin looked as if she was focusing, trying to hear something.

------

Basement 

Sarah was still restrained to the table, terrified, desperate, in pain. 

Liam was using a pair of scissors to cut her shirt away. 

Sarah screamed. "No. Please! Liam. Liam, no!" 

Sarah screamed.

"You're making it worse," Liam told her. 

"You'll kill me," Sarah told him.

"You'll only make it worse," Liam told her.

"Liam, I'll die," Sarah told him. "Liam!" 

Liam used the part of the shirt that he had cut out to gag Sarah. 

------

Upstairs - Hallway 

Kaylin had heard everything, looking toward the doorway labeled stairwell, rushing toward it, inside, down the stairs. 

Elena slowly, cautiously followed. 

------

Basement 

Sarah was groaning, her screams muffled. 

Liam turned the drill on. "I never used one of these before. I'm so sorry." 

Liam looked away, starting to drill into Sarah's chest. 

Sarah's screams of pain and terror were still muffled.

------

Skull Bar 

Nicola was still pinned to the floor by the stake.

Caroline and Alex were nearby.

Caroline looked at Nicola. "You realize that it really doesn't matter which route you take, you're still going to end up in the same place right? At least this way, you can save your sister's life. I think Klaus and Kai are right. The best way to get revenge against Stefan, Kaylin and Damon... is you. Come on, Nicola. You know you want to. All of those images in your head, all the pain that you have to experience by watching it, either emotionally or physically, has got to be driving you insane. You have one excellent way to stop the emotional pain, which some say is way worse than the physical. Just turn it off." Alex stood nearby, watching them worriedly. Caroline spoke into her phone. "Liam, she stopped screaming. Is she..." 

"I think she passed out," Liam told them. 

"Kill her," Caroline told him. "Call me when it's done." She hung up. Nicola's phone rang. Caroline pulled it out of her pocket. "Oh, I wonder who that could possibly be." 

While she had been distracted, Alex rushed toward Caroline, grabbing her arms, turning around, throwing her into the bar, making her fall to the floor. She turned to Nicola, kneeling next to her, pulling the stake out of her back. "Nicola..."

Nicola groaned in pain, gasping, breathing heavily.

Caroline didn't seem to mind, sitting up, leaning against the bar behind her, answering the phone. "Nikki's phone." 

At Whitmore Medical Center, Tyler and Eliza ran down the steps to the basement.

Tyler was the on on the phone, on speaker.

"Caroline, where are they?" Eliza asked.

"Hey, Eliza," Caroline told her. "How long do you think one can live without their heart? Maybe, like, three seconds tops?" 

Alex helped Nicola stand. "She's going to let her die, Eliza."

"We can't find them anywhere, and we have no idea where Kaylin and Elena are," Tyler told them. "We're running out of time."

Caroline looked at Nicola and Alex expectantly.

Alex looked at Nicola. 

Nicola slowly nodded, looking at the phone. "Bring me back, Tyler." 

"What?" Tyler asked. "Nikki, what do you mean? Bring you back from where?" 

"Just tell Liv and Elena to bring me back, Eliza," Alex told her.

Nicola took a deep breath, closing her eyes, trying to find a way to turn it all off.

Alex nodded to herself, closing her eyes, trying to find a way to turn it all off.

Tyler realized what they were doing. "No."

Eliza shook her head in denial. "No. No, no, no, no. Alex! Nicola!"

Caroline lowered the phone to her side on the floor, surprised. 

"Alex," Tyler told her. "No! Nikki, no!" 

Nicola and Alex opened their eyes, looking completely numb. 

Caroline smiled. 

------

Whitmore Medical Center - Basement Hallway 

Tyler and Eliza exchanged a look of worry and denial.

Tyler slowly hung up. 

------

Basement 

Kaylin ran into the doorway of the room that Sarah and Liam were in. 

Liam was standing over Sarah's unconscious body with bloodstained hands.

Sarah's chest had a large hole in it right above her heart.

"Oh, my God," Kaylin told him.

"I'm so sorry, Kaylin," Liam told her. "I don't know what I'm doing." 

"Just stop," Kaylin told him, running to the spot behind Sarah's head, biting her wrist, feeding Sarah her blood to heal her. 

"I have to take out her heart," Liam told her, trying to reach into Sarah's healing chest to try to take out her heart. 

Kaylin looked at Liam angrily, stepping in, raising her hands as if to snap his neck.

Elena appeared in the doorway. "Kaylin! Don't!" 

Kaylin rolled her eyes, taking Liam's hands instead, breaking them, pushing him onto the floor. She continued to feed Sarah her blood.

Sarah coughed, stirring.

"No, it's okay," Kaylin told her. "Everything's gonna be okay." 

Kaylin pulled out her phone, walking toward the doorway to make a call.

Nicola's voice was on the other line. "Hello?" 

"Nikki, hey," Kaylin told her. "Thank God. We found her. She's going to be okay." 

(Song:) Out of the Black - Royal Blood 

Still in the bar, Nicola stood behind the bar, pouring herself a margarita, her voice carefree yet upbeat. "Oh, really?" 

"Nikki, are you okay?" Kaylin asked.

"Well, I will be in one second," Nicola told her, taking a drink. "Mm. I really needed that. I really needed for the pain of the hex to be gone. And guess what? It is. I don't care. I can still see everything that Kai did to me, but it's more like a movie than it is my life." 

Kaylin sighed in realization, shaking her head in denial. "Nikki, please tell me that you and Alex didn't shut it off." Nicola didn't answer, placing the glass down. "Nicola, don't you dare tell me that you both shut it off."

Nicola shrugged nonchalantly, smirking. "Okay. I won't." 

Alex was lying on the bar in front of Nicola.

Nicola handed the phone to Alex.

Alex took it to talk to Kaylin. "We both shut it off." 

Alex hung up, putting the phone down.

The shot pulled back to reveal that Caroline was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the bar underneath Alex, smiling. 

Nicola took a drink. Alex continued to lie on the bar. Caroline continued to sit on the floor, leaning against the bar.

(Song Ends)

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

6.17 "A Bird in a Gilded Cage" Trailer 

(Song:) Something For You - David Rolfe 

From 6.17 "A Bird in a Gilded Cage", in the boarding house, Nicola rushed toward Kai, gripping his throat, pinning him against the wall, transforming. "Now take the spell away!"

From 6.17 "A Bird in a Gilded Cage", in the street, Nicola put a hand on Kaylin's shoulder. "I'm going to make you, Stefan and Damon sit through a little family meeting with the help of Alex and Caroline."

TURN

From 6.17 "A Bird In A Gilded Cage", in the dorm building, Alex had Stefan pinned to the wall, blood on her hands. "Control is so overrated." She smirked, looking over every inch of him. "I promise it will feel good."

TURN ON

From 6.17 "A Bird In A Gilded Cage", in Cristian's House, Liv kissed Cristian, rushing him back into the wall behind him, kissing him, pulling his leather jacket off.

From 6.17 "A Bird In A Gilded Cage", in the dorm building, Caroline had a vervain grenade in her hand, pulling the clip out, tossing it toward Cristian and Luke.

The miniature bomb exploded, throwing Cristian and Luke through the air, making them fall to the floor and slide away, their burned faces already trying to heal.

From 6.17 "A Bird In A Gilded Cage", in the 1903 prison world in the snow-covered woods, Bonnie stabbed Kai in the back, making him fall to the ground.

Bonnie and Kacie knelt next to Kai.

Kacie took the knife, holding it up for Kai to see. She raised the knife to slash into Kai's throat and decapitate him.

TURN ON EACH OTHER

From 6.17 "A Bird In a Gilded Cage", in the dorm building, Nicola took out a vervain grenade, pulling the clip out, tossing it toward Stefan and Kaylin.

The miniature bomb exploded, making Stefan and Kaylin fall to the floor and slide away, their burned faces already trying to heal.

Alex and Caroline held Stefan back as he healed, restraining him, making him watch.

Nicola raised a stake to stake Kaylin in the heart.

"Nikki, I'm sorry," Kaylin told her. Nicola stopped. "I'm sorry we ruined your life."

"And now I'm gonna end yours," Nicola told her.

Nicola went to stake Kaylin in the heart.

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.