Welcome to the circle of trust.
Seline murdered my friend.
I mean to figure out how to get payback.
You have something Sybil wants,
I'm gonna deliver it.
The Maxwell heirloom and the tuning fork,
those things fit together to make the hammer
that swings inside a bell.
When properly assembled, this bell becomes,
like, a mystical, super-bell.
They ring the charter bell every year.
No, your mom had it in storage.
All those boxes you brought over to the house,
- they're still in the garage. - Take me there.
Hang on.
"Hey, sissy.
"Looking for something?
Seline."
Your humanity keeps flickering through
because of this...
Prove to me that you don't care.
I don't.
You seem so rational
when it comes to your daughter's safety.
I just hope that the next time he goes Ripper,
your kids aren't in the house.
If my brother takes a turn for the worse,
...all bets are off.
- What'd he do? - Speeding.
He's yours if you want him.
I have a drink, thanks.
Suit yourself.
You're distracted.
Oh, yeah? And your standards are dropping.
You can't tell me Cade gets out of bed
for a midlife crisis on a motorcycle.
Cade's work takes time.
And this is how we pass it.
Don't answer that.
The evil lackey you are trying to reach
is no longer at your service.
There's that Damon sense of humor I miss.
Where are you?
Oh, you know, different city every night.
Salvatore brothers world tour.
I'm gonna need to ask you a favor,
do you still have that iron ball
that you scooped up off Peter Maxwell?
Yeah. So?
So, I'm gonna need you
to pause your murder spree of brotherly love,
drive to Mystic Falls, and deliver me that ball.
If you're nodding,
I can't see through the phone.
So what do you say, Damon?
Yes? Or yes?
I'm on my way.
I'll text you details.
What are you doing?
We work for Cade now. We're done with the sirens.
I know, but every time I try and tell her no,
my mouth says "Yes."
You know, maybe a trip to Mystic Falls...
is exactly what we need.
It is?
You know want to know why you're so distracted, Damon?
It's because that woman is still in your head.
And we are going to burn her to the ground.
Bonjour.
You're here!
How was Paris? How's Enzo?
Tell me you ate all the cheese.
And drank all the wine.
And bought all the gifts.
What?
But don't open it now.
Save it until Stefan comes back.
The gift is kind of wedding themed.
Thank you.
That is so beautiful.
Thank you.
Enzo gave it to me on our last night in Paris.
Yeah.
It's filled with blood.
Enzo's.
That's...
Morbid?
Charming?
"A mere symbol of an eternity with you, love."
That seems like one very specific symbol.
Are you sure that's what it is?
I mean, you don't want you to...
Don't worry, I'm not...
I'm not turning into a vampire any time soon.
Yeah, or ever, right?
I mean, according to the Bonnie Bennett that I've always known.
Why would psycho siren-nanny call you?
Apparently she and her sister are fighting.
And we care because...
What do you want?
My sister's on the warpath.
The artifact that she's trying to assemble
has the power to kill her.
That's why she's after all three pieces of the bell.
Lucky for you,
I already stole the biggest part.
Did you want a congrats in person?
I mean, we're due at an event.
You have something I need.
I have something you need.
I have the bell.
You have the tuning fork.
And together, we're like chocolate and peanut butter.
Or peanut butter and garbage.
I am trying to make amends.
I could've just as easily called Damon.
He has the third piece of the bell, the striker.
What's ths striker?
It's an iron ball.
My sister had him fetch it from the Maxwells.
He doesn't even know what it is.
Look, I am partially responsible
for the damage she inflicts on the world.
If I want to make good,
that starts with killing Sybil.
I'm just having a hard time taking you seriously
because of everything you've done.
You don't have to trust me.
But I sure as hell am trusting you.
With a weapon of terrible power.
Well,
I love a weapon of terrible power.
Where are you going?
Miss Mystic Falls.
Those of us who haven't burnt every single bridge we've ever crossed
have obligations.
Hey Care. I'm here with Dorian.
Tell me you still have the tuning fork.
It's called "The Staff of Arcadius."
That's "Yes" in Nerdish.
Bonnie and I are stuck at Miss Mystic Falls,
but Seline just tried to call a truce with us
to put together the bell.
- I don't like the sound of that. - Me neither.
But if she's still in town,
it means she must've hidden the bell close by.
Can you get a lead?
Yeah, we're on it.
All right, we're-we're on it, uh...
- no, like, plan, or... - I have a plan.
Can't wait to hear some details.
Here's the only thing you need to focus on:
payback.
Okay, those are the last names on the guest list.
Perfect. Once the dance is underway,
we can get out of here and find that striker.
Hopefully Damon decides to answer his phone.
Or we could ask him in person.
What are you even doing here?
I invited them.
Don't worry.
As long as I get what I want, I'll make sure they behave.
It should look effortless, ladies.
And don't forget to smile.
But not because society tells you have to,
but because you're happy to be at such an illustrious town event.
You guys look great.
Keep it up, and we'll call your names in a few minutes.
There's my handsome henchman.
Thank God I don't have to trust one of these townies
not to embarrass me on the dance floor.
I'm not here to dance.
No, you're here to give me that lovely old Maxwell striker.
No.
I think you meant to say,
"Yes, Sybil, whatever your heart
and beautiful face and body desire."
I think what I meant to say was... no.
Elena?
I don't know what's glitching here in your subconscious,
but you need to get a grip.
You're right.
That is exactly what I need to do.
How did you do that?
I have no idea what you're talking about.
But I hope it hurt.
So this is the new you, huh?
Just slumming it at a pageant for hormonal teenagers?
As if you volunteering at this thing
isn't a sad attempt to relive your glory days.
And how would you know what that looks like?
The year I won Miss Mystic Falls,
you spent the day in the woods
trying not to kill Amber Bradley.
You're right.
I have no idea why that was such a dilemma.
Easy, love.
Told you to wait for back-up.
Thanks for coming.
Sybil just sirened that girl.
- I know it. - All the more reason to proceed with caution.
Leave the fisticuffs to the immortals.
We've been together almost three years
and never once have you played the immortal card on me.
Is it maybe because you gave me a vial of literal immortality
to wear around my neck at all times?
Was that maybe more than...
just a symbol?
No, it's like I said,
that is merely a token of my eternal love for you.
Okay.
Your exact words were,
"I can't imagine life without you."
And I can't imagine losing you either, but...
But?
I cannot become a vampire, Enzo.
My life is still linked to Elena's.
When Kai put her to sleep,
he said no loopholes, no witchy-woo.
Fact is, we don't know what would happen if I turned.
Can't do it.
Even if I wanted to.
Don't move. Don't speak.
The least you could do is tell me why
you're ruining my day-drinking.
Georgie.
Georgie is why.
Who?
Oh, yeah, yeah, no, no.
Georgie, Georgie. I know, I know. I get it.
I killed your friend.
Okay.
Then you know why I'm here.
Payback's a bitch.
Finishing touches, ladies.
This year, the judges really value efficiency,
so keep it short and sweet and we can all...
get out of here.
Damon, why are you upstairs?
That's a good question.
Sybil called me back here.
She wants that ball of iron I've been lugging around.
For the first time, I was actually able to tell her no.
Because of this.
If you haven't given her that bell striker yet,
I need it.
It's part of a weapon that can kill sirens.
Absolutely not.
I don't want Sybil dead
until she fixes what's going on inside of my head!
I don't know what's happening to me,
but so far, this thing has been nothing but trouble.
Why did you give me this?
It was Elena's.
Yeah, I know that.
Why does it mean anything to me?
I hold it and I get this...
little flicker of warmth.
And then-- it's gone.
What did that woman do to you?
After I flipped my switch,
Sybil tinkered in my head.
I don't know what it was,
but she did something to guarantee
that all my feelings for Elena went away.
Damon, I gave you that necklace
because it is as powerful and as magical
as the love that you and Elena have for each other.
Being here and feeling what you're feeling proves
that a love that deep and real
can win over anything.
And of course you want to believe that.
Because if you didn't, you'd be forced to admit to yourself
that you and Stefan are through.
What are you talking about?
He is ripping again, Caroline.
And this time, it's guilt-free.
The fact that you're telling me this proves you care.
Somewhere deep down
in that part of you where Elena is still buried.
Find that place, Damon.
Fight for her.
Or spend the rest of eternity trying to figure out
what happened to the best part of you.
It's your choice.
Are you Stefan Salvatore?
So what if I am?
I have something for you.
Who do I have to thank?
Your friendly neighborhood siren.
I can find my own meals, thank you very much.
Clearly,
given the stench of blood on you.
Aren't you supposed to be turning angels into devils
in the name of Cade?
Yes, which is why it's such a pain in the ass
when you yank on my brother's supernatural leash.
Actually, it seems that dog has slipped its collar.
Your brother's been resisting my influence.
I don't know how,
but if Damon's faltering on the job,
don't blame me, blame...
Elena.
He's able to resist you because of this place.
Miss Mystic Falls.
You made a mistake by bringing him here.
This stupid pageant is the day that Damon realized
that he could take Elena from me.
In his mind, this place,
this event,
was the beginning of their vomit-inducing love story.
I thought I'd erased her influence over him
from start to finish.
Take it from me, Elena Gilbert never really goes away.
So how do we win him back?
Well,
we remind Damon
of what really happened at Miss Mystic Falls.
Police! Open up!
I wasn't breaking and entering.
I was checking on a friend's house.
This whole thing is a big misunderstanding.
A big enough misunderstanding
that Grove Hill PD felt the need to call me out here
when they realized who you were.
You understand that, don't you, Sheriff?
Let me get those cuffs off of you.
It's former sheriff,
but yeah, thank you.
What were you looking for, anyway?
This is gonna sound crazy, but, um,
a bell.
Yeah, apparently the town's been using a fake charter bell since 1992
and I'm just trying to find the real one.
What are you doing?
I'm sorry. She told me if anyone asked about a bell,
that I needed--
You're guarding it, aren't you?
Yeah, I'm supposed to stop you.
Allow me to introduce this year's Miss Mystic hopefuls.
Violet Fell,
escorted by Ryan Ashton.
I'm ready to get out of here.
You didn't hand over that stupid ball Sybil wants...
Miss Trudy Sulez...
Why do you care?
...escorted by Garrett Tanner.
Well, because fighting Sybil is keeping you
from being the brother that I want.
If this has something to do
with me not pulling my weight with Cade,
I think you're killing enough for the both of us.
No, that's not what I mean, Damon.
You know, when we set out on the road together,
I really thought it would make us brothers again.
But we can't seem to go anywhere
without the past coming back to haunt us.
What are you talking about?
This place.
The memories.
Dancing with Elena,
ratting me out for drinking out of blood bags.
It's not my fault you fell off the wagon.
But you could have helped me in my time of need.
Instead, you were standing right here,
falling for Elena as she walked down those stairs.
You think this is where your love story began,
but the truth is, Damon,
Elena never would have looked at you twice
if I had been there that day.
That's old news, Stefan. I don't care about Elena.
Really?
And Miss Flora Martinez...
Then why...
are you still holding onto this?
You know, when I gave this to Elena,
it was to protect her from you.
Shall we?
Tell me you're not listening to him.
He's not himself. Okay?
I haven't been myself lately, either.
You know, I already lost Stefan.
I'm not losing you to Sybil's sabotage.
What are you doing?
You did this dance.
With Elena.
Yeah, I'm aware of that.
It meant something to you.
And this event, this place,
it only means something to you
because of the feelings you attach to it.
Your lizard brain is trying to remind you of the truth.
Your brother seems a bit...
Damaged? You're welcome.
I've never seen a war between the conscious
and subconscious before.
Should be interesting.
How is a stupid pageant supposed to remind me of feelings
attached to something I haven't even forgotten?
Just...
dance.
And trust that Elena is right here dancing with you.
For the sake of argument,
if Elena Gilbert weren't tied to your mortality...
Would I become a vampire for you?
Well, you said even if you wanted to.
Oh, would you?
Want to?
Purely theoretical, of course.
You know, it's funny,
'cause a year ago, I would have been offended by the question.
Well, you were a witch. You were raised a certain way.
Oh, it's more than that.
I've watched Damon and Stefan,
Caroline and Elena,
struggle with it for so long.
And all I saw was how hard it was
for them to just... live.
What changed?
I fell in love with a vampire who makes me feel alive.
There's another way, you know.
We can fight Sybil.
Does this have something to do with that stupid metal ball?
The striker is the final piece to the weapon.
And if we use it, maybe we can break her influence over you.
May I?
No loss, no grief,
no end.
Together, always.
If becoming a vampire just meant that
you and I would be together forever?
Yes, I would turn for you.
But that's not all it means to me.
I can't wear this...
...if it's a promise of anything more than my love for you.
When this is over, Damon,
you are gonna thank me for sparing you so much pain.
Or murder you for squatting in my mind.
Oh, please, if this little Elena girl
is the voice of your humanity,
I'd be afraid to face her, too,
considering what you've done.
I'm not afraid to face my humanity.
Oh, Damon, you should be.
What do you think it's gonna feel like
if you keep fighting?
You and I will be over. Forever.
That'll be a nice little side-effect.
But what's really gonna happen is eventually
your humanity is gonna flood back
and crush you.
You'll be consumed with guilt
for killing Tyler Lockwood.
For kidnapping Ric and Caroline's children.
For turning Enzo against Bonnie.
For selling your brother's soul to Cade.
And if you're really honest,
for stealing his girl.
You gotta stop that right now.
I can't take any more of this.
You're finally getting it.
Fighting means feeling, and both are useless.
Your soul is damned anyway, so just give up,
give in, and give me what I want.
Stick with me, Damon.
The path of least resistance, I promise.
It will hurt way less than reality.
I hid the striker upstairs.
I'll take you.
How dumb do you think I am?
On a scale from Matt to Alaric,
you're right in the middle.
You're helping us assemble a weapon that can kill a siren.
You are a siren.
So either you're very trusting,
or you're very manipulative.
What are you hiding?
You're inching up to Alaric on the smarty-pants scale.
If we're going cards-up, you're first.
Who's looking for the bell right now?
Fine. I'm working with Matt.
Good. I was hoping Caroline would rope him in.
Why?
Because, once the bell is assembled,
there's only one family who can ring it.
His.
Damon just took Sybil inside.
If he's giving her that striker...
I think it's time we wrapped up this shindig.
You two get everyone out of here safely.
I'll take care of it and get the striker.
Hey, everyone. Um, so sorry,
but, uh, this year's pageant will have to be cut short
due to a gas leak in the kitchen.
So please exit quickly, and get home safely.
Thank you all for coming.
So who won?
It's a six-way tie.
Now, go home.
No. No, we have to stay.
Who told you you have to stay?
The honorary judge, Stefan Salvatore.
Good boy.
One last thing.
When you were mucking about in my subconscious,
did you ever take the time to understand Elena?
Her capacity for forgiveness?
Damon, you're slipping. Remember what you've done.
Oh, I do.
I remember all of it.
And even though I can't feel a damn thing for Elena,
the more you try and push her out,
the more I understand she's never going away.
And there's not enough room in my head
for both of you.
Hold it right there.
Sheriff.
Donovan.
Hey, you don't have to listen to that voice inside your head
that's telling you to protect that thing.
If you move, I have to shoot.
Stop.
Please. I will fire.
I know.
I'm sorry. I-I couldn't help it.
If you want to make it up to me,
radio your guys
and tell them to get as far away from here as possible
so I can steal that thing.
‭Okay.
There you are.
I just wanted to let you know that
I'm hitting the road.
Alone.
What?
I finally admitted to myself
that I'm never gonna have the brother that I want.
There's just too much history.
What are you talking about?
I just fought Sybil. I won.
Isn't that the whole reason we came here in the first place
was to get this woman out of my head?
Sybil isn't the woman that I was referring to.
Now you have a problem with Elena,
who's not even here?
Oh, yes, she is. She's in your head,
more powerful than Sybil, manipulating your every move.
Let me get this straight.
I've been dealing with you for weeks now,
covering your tracks, laying in a hospital bed
so you can get your kicks, and now you're ditching me?
Pretty much. Yeah.
You're choosing her over your own brother?
No, I'm choosing myself over everyone else.
I was made for Cade's work.
And, true to form, the minute I become my best self,
you have to go ahead and ruin it.
Well, I'm not gonna let you drag me down with you.
Not this time.
Stefan, what did you do?
I see we're down to our finalists.
You may never win a beauty pageant again,
but here's a little consolation prize.
Whatever that is.
You can go now.
I know you're not gonna want to see this.
You let them go.
Why?
You knew all along I'd have to kill people for Cade.
Evil people and murderers.
These girls are innocent, Stefan.
Exactly.
Such exemplary young women.
They have no idea that the world is out to crush them.
No!
- Don't worry, she'll be back. ‭- What do you mean?
Well, I gave each one of these promising young women
a little taste of my blood.
You're turning them?
You've inspired me, Caroline.
Who would have thought that a Miss Mystic Falls
would become engaged to a servant of Cade?
Look in the mirror.
Vampirism is a one-way path to hell.
That's the last of the bystanders.
Come on, let's go back.
No, Bonnie, don't.
- It's too dangerous. - ‭This again?
Enzo, Caroline needs me.
Caroline can better protect you
if she's not worried about you in the crossfire.
That's not your decision to make.
What's going on with you? This isn't you.
You trust me. You listen to me.
Why have you been watching me like a hawk
since we got back from Paris?
Because it's dangerous in there, and I can't protect you.
Because you gave me the damn necklace back,
which was only ever meant to save you when I can't.
You could die in there.
Look, if something happened to you--
if I had to survive you,
knowing that if I'd just spoken up...
I can't bear the thought.
And I do listen to you.
But I also listen to the world around you,
and I'm not afraid to speak up
if I fear for your life.
When did you become such a sap?
I fell in love with a human who makes me feel alive.
Unlike you, I can control my bloodlust.
Not all vampires are evil.
No.
But we're engaged, Caroline.
That means we're in this together.
You're not just an innocent bystander
if you let me kill for Cade.
So unless you want to call the whole thing off,
blood is on your hands, too.
See?
You're good at this killing thing.
Did... Did I win?
Well, the judge did pick you.
I...
I died.
I remember everything.
You're a vampire.
And now,
so are you.
Well, at least, you're becoming one.
You have 24 hours to drink human blood, or... well...
that's the end.
There's a way to live with this.
I know it sounds bad, but you're alive.
You're still you.
Drinking blood? Killing people?
That's... That's not me. I don't want this.
I'm... I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but...
Please, please, just...
kill me.
Quickly.
Send me to a better place.
Okay.
You want to know what I did after I became a vampire?
I graduated.
I went to college. I became a news anchor.
There are downsides.
Believe me.
But the one very big positive
is that life doesn't have to stop after you die.
So...
I...
have to drink blood,
like...
I can help you.
Come here.
Stop right there.
Easy, easy. Hey. It's okay.
I'm not sirened. I'm not sirened.
Oh, you're not sirened, you're just plain stupid?
I thought the point of stealing this thing
was to keep it a secret.
Please. I guessed what you two were doing
30 minutes into our little hostage scenario.
Get in the truck and leave her behind.
Before you take that bell anywhere,
you're gonna want to hear what she has to say.
Thought you'd have run for the hills by now.
I told you.
We're in this together.
If that means the blood's on my hands too,
so be it.
For the next year,
we do what we have to do
to get you out of your deal with Cade.
But we do it my way.
No more turning good people bad.
We stick to murderers
and drunk drivers.
You don't get it, do you?
I'm not in this for a year.
I'm in this until I decide that I'm done.
Three years, ten years.
Cade was right.
This is fun.
I don't want to quit.
You and I had a deal, too.
Remember?
We were supposed to... spend our lives together.
One day you're going to wake up and realize that...
you don't even remember what happiness is.
Not "Fun."
But happiness.
Until then, just... stay away from me.
It was wrong of me to give you back the necklace.
This time it really is just a symbol.
Symbol or not...
I never knew what it was like
to want to be with someone forever
till I fell in love with you.
It's just...
Not an option.
Elena-gistics.
I understand.
Really.
I'm still the luckiest man on Earth.
Our forever is just gonna have to be
60 to 70 years.
So we have to make it count.
No. You're right.
70 years with the right person can be forever.
It's just the "after" part I'm worried about.
I spent an eternity
waiting for you to walk into my life.
What will I ever do without you?
What if it wasn't just my forever?
What if it could be ours?
How do you mean?
What if you could take the cure?
Back from the dead.
How's Cade?
Any words of wisdom for his disgraced ex-servant?
Nope. Just chitchat.
Sports, weather, movies.
What I'm gonna do to you when I get out of these.
Well, that's not gonna be for a long time.
And if you think you can siren yourself out of here
thanks to whatever you did to my brain so many months ago?
That's gone, too.
I got that. Upside the head.
So, this is Damon's big revenge.
If you think there's any kind of torture that I haven't suffered,
I would be very interested to hear it.
Oh, maybe I'll just get in your head,
make your life a living hell.
You wouldn't even know where to start.
That's not true at all.
I know you spent your life forgotten and abandoned.
Feared and hated.
Hell, anyone who loved you had to be sirened to do so.
I mean, except your sister.
But now even your sibling doesn't want anything to do with you.
Take it from me. I know how that one stings.
But I know why, after 2,000 years, you have nothing.
Because you are nothing.
Nothing but a spiteful,
insecure, unlovable little girl.
Don't forget.
I've seen you.
The real you.
Pool-of-blood you.
I made a siren cry.
What's my prize?
I guess I'll take a few centuries of torture.
You want a prize?
How about your precious humanity back?
All of it?
I'm not the thing inside your head you have to fear, Damon.
You are.
You'll be consumed with guilt.
Your humanity is gonna flood back...
Damon, he's your friend! Stop!
...and crush you.
You kill me. No one forgives you for this.
Wait!
I'm not the thing inside your head you have to fear, Damon.
You are.