Previously on "The Vampire Diaries"...

Elena: What about Bonnie?

Damon: She sacrificed herself so I could come back.

Elena: She's all alone I'm sorry I compelled away the memories.

Damon: We'll make new ones.

Caroline: I hate you for ruining our friendship, and I think that I deserve better than that.

Matt: Enzo, let her go, or I swear...

Matt: No!

Matt: How do you feel about being a hunter again?

Jeremy: Why?

Matt: Because I want you to help me k*ll Enzo.

Damon: Get the ascendant from Jo.

Alaric: I understand.

Jo: Damon is a vampire.

Alaric: Are you saying Damon compelled me? He wouldn't do that. He's my friend.

Alaric: Jo drove me across the border.

Damon: Look, Ric.

Luke: My coven put Kai in a prison world.

Elena: Kai?

Jo: As in our brother, my twin.

Jo: In our coven's tradition, the twins merge their strength. The stronger one wins, absorbing their twin's power. The weaker one dies.

Tyler: I'm not gonna let you die.

Tyler: Kai is here.

Kai: I guess this is that, uh, antimagic border, which means now there's a psycho loose in Mystic Falls and no vampires around to stop him.

Tyler: What the hell do you want?

Kai: Feel like making a deal with the devil?

[ WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ]

( Jo is at the hospital and it's pretty busy. She calls Ric )

Jo: How much are you gonna want to k*ll me if I need to rain check tonight?

Alaric: What happened?

Jo: I have a possible 480 h*t-and-run on campus, one DOA, 4 reds en route.

Alaric: Have your previous boyfriends understood this language you speak?

Jo: I'm gonna miss dinner. So you're my boyfriend now? ( b*at ) There's no hospital code for awkward silence.

( They laugh )

Jo: Give me two hours. Save me dinner.

( Jo hangs up and gets back to work )

Woman: Doctor, we have a young female with abdominal wounds.

Jo: Put her in T3. I need 10 milligrams of morphine. Mine's conscious.

Other Doctor: See a lot of blood, no broken bones. Making any sense to you?

Jo: No, it's not. What happened to you? Were you h*t by a car?

Female victim: I can't breathe.

( The other doctor by the next bed collapses )

Jo: It's ok. You can tell me what really happened. Sweetheart? Look at me.

( Kai gets up from another bed, covered in blood but apparently unharmed. The girl sees him and her pulse skyrockets as she hyperventilates )

Jo: What happened to you?

( Kai walks up behind Jo and restrains her )

Kai: I s*ab her.

( Kai injects Jo with a sedative. The female patient screams )

[ MYSTIC FALLS, 2007 ]

( The town is gathered for Christmas festivities. Elena is putting marshmallows in her hot chocolate when a snowball hits her )

Elena: Unh!

( She turns around and sees Bonnie )

Bonnie: Sorry. Had to.

Elena: You know you just declared w*r, right?

Bonnie: Come on. Caroline's over there.

( They walk together, laughing )

[ MYSTIC FALLS – PRISON WORLD ]

( Bonnie drags a tree toward the high school

Bonnie: Come on.

( The eclipse starts and Bonnie looks up at it )

Bonnie: Heh. Nope. I'm not noticing you. Today's not may 10, 1994. Today's the tree decorating ceremony, and you are not telling me otherwise.

[ WHITMORE COLLEGE ]

( Caroline talks to her mom on the phone while walking to her dorm room )

Caroline: I just figured that we were skipping Christmas this year, you know, considering the part where I die if I cross the border into my hometown.

Liz: What happened to Christmas being your favorite time of the year?

Caroline: Was my favorite time of year when I could actually live in my own house and help decorate the town tree and drink hot cocoa with my friends.

( Caroline arrives at her room and finds her mom inside, surrounded by boxes of Christmas decorations )

Caroline: What are you doing? You're supposed to be at the Mystic Falls tree decorating ceremony.

Liz: I'm playing hooky this year. I figure just because you can't come home for the holidays doesn't mean the holidays can't come to you.

Caroline: You even brought our favorite ornaments. Mom!

( Stefan arrives with two boxes of Christmas lights )

Stefan: Hey. I, uh, didn't know which ones to get, so I got both.

Caroline: What are you doing here?

Stefan: Your mom needed Christmas lights.

( Caroline turns her ire on her mom )

Liz: You have a huge dorm, and I thought we could use an extra set of hands.

( Caroline glares at her mom, who glares right back. Caroline turns back to Stefan, who holds up both boxes )

Caroline: The little ones, obviously.

[ WHITEMORE BAR ]

( Elena and Damon sit at a table, which is covered with old books. Damon rests his head on one of the open books. Elena looks at him, smiling, and Damon cracks an eye open )

Damon: Are you watching me sleep?

Elena: No. I'm watching you drool all over Ric's textbooks, and considering you're already on his bad side...

Damon: I don't drool.

( Damon lifts his head up, looks at the book, and wipes his chin )

Damon: Hmm. Ohh. What time is it?

Elena: Time for Ric to get a new reference library. We've been looking all night. I swear I haven't found anything that even remotely resembles an Ascendant.

Damon: Well, we haven't looked hard enough. Let's get to it.

( Elena stares at Damon )

Damon: Find anything yet?

Elena: Nope.

Damon: Still staring.

Elena: It's just... Everything you've been doing for Bonnie. Thank you.

Damon: She'd do it for us.

( Elena's phone vibrates and she answers the call )

Elena: Hello, Ric.

Alaric: Have you seen Jo?

Elena: No, not since yesterday.

( Alaric sighs )

Damon: Why?

[ ALARIC'S PLACE ]

Elena: So I asked around the hospital. No one's seen Jo since last night at the ER. A bunch of s*ab victims came in, and one of them's missing, as well.

Alaric: It was Kai. Jo knew he'd come after her, and he did.

Damon: Not to give you boyfriend lessons or anything, but if you knew Jo's whackjob brother was out on the loose and after her, don't you think that keeping an eye on her would have been a smart move?

Alaric: And what would you have had me do, Damon, ask you to compel Jo to stay put?

( Damon nods )

Elena: Guys, if Kai has Jo, we need a plan.

Damon: Plan's easy. Find Kai, fftt, k*ll Kai. Mmhmm.

[ LOCKWOOD MANSION ]

Tyler: Bottom line, we need to keep Kai alive.

Luke: You think I'm gonna protect the guy who chased us around the house with a baseball bat when we were 4?

Liv: Luke's right, Tyler. You're on some serious crack.

Tyler: Right now, you two are stuck doing the twinmerge for your coven, ok? That means one lives, one dies, but if we help Kai and he finds a way to merge with Jo, it's not your problem anymore.

Luke: Until Kai becomes the most powerful witch in our coven and goes on a k*lling spree. Something tells me that's gonna become our problem.

Liv: What does he want us to do exactly?

[ ALARIC'S PLACE ]

( Damon is on the phone with Matt )

Damon: Just think sociopathic Ryan Reynolds.

Matt: Haven't seen him.

Damon: Grunge vibe, annoying as hell.

Matt: Still no idea.

Damon: Well, if he has half a brain, he will be hiding where vampires can't find him. So in between levels of Mario Kart, can you and little baby Gilbert maybe keep an eye out?

Matt: Yeah, got it. If we see him, we'll let you know.

( They hang up. Jeremy joins Matt in the room where Tripp tortured Enzo )

Jeremy: Who was that?

Matt: It was Damon. Apparently, there's a psychopath roaming Mystic Falls.

Jeremy: You tell him we're busy hunting down a psychopath roaming outside Mystic Falls?

Matt: Must have forgot to mention it. Look. You better get out of here. Enzo's gonna be here soon.

Jeremy: Let's k*ll a vampire.

[ ALARIC'S PLACE ]

Damon: Well, Bevis and Butthead are on the lookout. Anyone else brimming with confidence?

Alaric: I mean, this just doesn't make sense.

Damon: What could possibly not make sense about magical twins absorbing into one another?

Alaric: Listen. Jo needs her magic for the merge to work, ok, and she got rid of that back in 1994.

[ LOCKWOOD MANSION ]

Tyler: Kai said Jo hid her magic in a Kn*fe somewhere.

Liv: It's probably back in Portland, where she got rid of it in 1994.

Tyler: He checked. The Kn*fe's not there. He thinks someone took it.

[ ALARIC'S PLACE ]

Damon: Jo doesn't have magic because it's stuffed in a Kn*fe that was stolen and hidden by yours truly. Kai won't find it.

Alaric: Yeah, unless Kai does a locator spell.

Damon: It's impossible.

Alaric: Why?

Elena: Kai was born without the ability to do magic.

[ LOCKWOOD MANSION ]

Liv: Let me guess. Kai wants us to do a locator spell on the Kn*fe.

Tyler: If we find it, Jo can get her magic back, Kai can merge with her, and you and Luke

live.

Luke: This is ridiculous. This is our job. Merging is our duty to the coven. It's why we were born.

Liv: No. We were born because our coven decided that Jo wasn't strong enough to b*at Kai. Why should we have to die because our sister's too weak to defeat our psychopath of a brother?

Luke: You know, a month ago, the thought of bowing out never even occurred to you.

Liv: That's because Kai wasn't here a month ago, but he's here now. Luke, we don't have to do this. We have a chance to live out normal, human lives. We could actually be happy.

[ ALARIC'S PLACE ]

Alaric: If the only way to restore Jo's magic is to reunite her with that Kn*fe, Kai's gonna come for it.

Elena: Ric's right. Even if Kai can't do the locator spell, he's gonna make it his mission to find it.

Damon: Kai finds it. Great. Love it.

Elena: Why aren't you more concerned?

Damon: Because if Kai goes for the Kn*fe, I will k*ll him because the Kn*fe is right here where I hid it. Tada!

( Damon takes down a picture frame from the wall and open the back. There's nothing there )

[ MYSTIC FALLS CEMETERY ]

( Inside a mausoleum, Kai holds the Kn*fe that contains Jo's magic )

Kai: I know I tried to k*ll you when you were toddlers, but I got to say, it sure is nice to be around family for the holidays.

( Liv and Luke glance uneasily at Jo, who is tied up and unconscious on the ground )

[ MYSTIC FALLS – PRISON WORLD ]

( Bonnie hangs popcorn garland on her tree )

[ MYSTIC FALLS, 2007 ]

( Caroline joins her mom )

Caroline: Dad's not here yet.

Liz: Oh, yeah. You know what? He's not gonna make it. You remember his friend Steven? He needed help moving a couch or something, so he's gonna miss out.

Caroline: But it's an undeclared law that the sheriff and her husband put the star on the tree!

Liz: Then we will just have to let the Lockwoods have the honors this year.

Caroline: Is something going on between you two?

Liz: It'll be fine, I promise.

Caroline: Mom, I'm a freshman in High School, ok? I can handle adult conversations.

Liz: No worrying during the holidays, ok? And that tree is not gonna decorate itself. Go.

( Caroline smiles and leaves. Elena and Bonnie are threading popcorn to make garlands )

Elena: Well, maybe you'll meet a cute surfer.

Bonnie: Doubtful. My dad's conference is two hours away from any beach.

Caroline: Ahh! Cute surfer? Where?

Elena: Nowhere. Bonnie's dad is dragging her on a work trip, so I'm gonna ask my parents if she can spend the holiday with us.

Bonnie: Are you serious?

Elena: Yeah. The 3 of us have never spent Christmas apart. I plan on keeping it that way, even though Jeremy will hate it. It's always fun to t*rture him.

Bonnie: Oh! I love you. Almost as much as I love torturing Jeremy.

Caroline: Ok, great! Now that Christmas is saved, let's get these garlands on the tree before they end up on your hips.

( Caroline leaves. Bonnie and Elena look at each other and eat some more popcorn, smiling )

[ CAROLINE AND ELENA'S DORM ROOM ]

( Caroline is hanging the lights up and Stefan joins her to help )

Stefan: Here. I got it.

Caroline: What are you doing here?

Stefan: Well, your mom asked for my help.

Caroline: No, Stefan. What are you doing here? Because if you think hanging a few stands of light is gonna make me forget what a crappy friend you've been, then you thought wrong.

Stefan: Caroline, I'm trying, ok?

Caroline: You're trying? No. This is the easy part, ok? We're hanging Christmas lights. Anyone can be friends when you're hanging Christmas lights.

( Liz returns carrying a tray with cups )

Liz: Who wants hot chocolate?

Stefan: I was just leaving.

( Stefan leaves. Liz frowns at Caroline, who goes back to the lights. Suddenly Liz looks faint and drops the tray. She braces herself against a chair )

Caroline: Mom?!

Liz: Oh, wow. I just got really...

( Stefan vamps back into the room and catches Liz as she collapses. Caroline rushes over )

Caroline: Mom! You ok?

( Her mom nods, but still looks a little out of it )

[ MYSTIC FALLS CEMETERY ]

( Kai drags a stick in the dirt )

Liv: What the hell is he doing?

Luke: Probably playing tictactoe with himself like a crazy person.

Kai: This is the antimagic border. Jo can get her magic back over there while over here...

( Suddenly Jo's voice is heard from a distance )

Jo: Hey. What did you do to me?

Kai: Sissy's up.

( Liv and Luke follow Kai back into the mausoleum where Jo is, rattling the chains around her wrists )

Jo: What the hell did you do to me?

Kai: I haven't seen you in 18 years. You can't muster a hello?

Jo: What did you guys do?

Liv: What you should have done 18 years ago.

Jo: It's not gonna work Kai. I don't have my...

Kai: Magic. Yeah. Yeah. I recall. You stored it in this.

( Kai s*ab Jo in the arm with the Kn*fe, and she cries out )

Luke: What the hell?

Kai: I'm trying to reunite Jo with her...

( He s*ab her again )

Kai: Magic. It's not working.

Luke: Enough, enough, man.

( Kai shoves Luke against a wall and poises the Kn*fe over his throat )

Kai: I was wanting to k*ll you when your brain was the size of an acorn. You don't think I'll do it now?

( Kai lets up )

Luke: Whatever. I'm not watching this.

( Luke leaves and Kai laughs )

Kai: Oh, so dramatic. All right. Sissy... Let's try this again.

Jo: Stop. I put my magic in there by choice. Taking it back is also my choice unless I bleed to death, which will happen in the next 30 minutes. Heh. Wouldn't it be ironic if you accidentally k*lled me before the merge ceremony?

( Kai appears to consider this then makes a decision )

Kai: I'm going to find a bandage while you figure out how to put the magic in this Kn*fe into our sister.

( Kai hands the Kn*fe to Liv )

Kai: Preferably by the time I get back so I don't have to dull it by slitting your throat.

[ WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ]

( Elena joins Caroline at the hospital outside of Liz' room )

Elena: Hey!

Caroline: Hey.

Elena: What happened?

Caroline: I don't know. She just collapsed. One second, we're decorating, and then the next, she's just on the ground. Maybe she forgot to eat. You know, sometimes, she skips breakfast.

Elena: And when was the last time you ate, Caroline, as in fed?

Caroline: Oh, God. Now you sound like Stefan. He just went to go find something to take the edge off.

Caroline: They have her sedated. She's going to be asleep for a while. Can you just come and distract me?

( Elena sits next to Caroline on a bench in the hallway )

Caroline: How's the search for the new Ascendant thingy?

Elena: Not good. Damon and I spent the night researching.

Caroline: God. Poor Bonnie. Do you think she knows it's Christmas? You know she never liked being away from us at Christmas.

Elena: I don't know. It's probably better that she doesn't know, though.

Caroline: So are you and Damon...

Elena: I know what you're thinking, and no.

Caroline: Actually, I was going to say that I think it's great how he's always been there for you when it mattered, you know, through thick and thin, good times and bad times. Maybe I haven't given him enough credit.

Elena: You're clearly malnourished.

( They laugh )

[ LOCKWOOD MANSION / WHITMORE DORMITORY ]

( Tyler talks to Damon on the phone )

Damon: Bet you think you're pretty clever, don't you?

Tyler: Is this Damon? Why don't I have your number saved?

Damon: Well, you weren't in your dorm room, and your pouty little goth friend wasn't in hers.

Tyler: It's creepy you know where Liv's dorm room is.

Damon: Let me guess. You 3 idiots figured that Kai merging with Jo benefits you and Liv. Now I'm not sure exactly how Luke fits into that yet, but I'll use my imagination.

Tyler: I'm trying to keep my girlfriend alive. Sound familiar?

( Tyler hangs up. At the dorm, Luke is walking down the hall and he spots Damon, who grins. Luke starts to walk the other way but Damon vamps over to block him )

Damon: We both knew that wasn't gonna work. Where's Jo?

Luke: I'm not telling you, and before you thr*at to rip my head off, remember, all that does is guarantee Kai having to merge with Jo.

Damon: Is that what you people think of me, that I just instantly resort to v*olence? I just have a question. I mean, look. I get why you don't want to merge with Liv, ok, because no one wants to see that face with her hair. I get it, but what makes you think Kai merging with Jo is any smarter? I mean, I heard he k*lled 4 of your siblings, and that was without magic. Eh, it'll be fine. I'm sure when Kai gets all that power he's just gonna mellow right on out. Heh.

( Damon turns and starts walking )

Luke: Stop.

[ SMALL WAREHOUSE ]

( Enzo enters, joining Matt )

Enzo: And here I thought we were meeting for tea and crumpets.

Matt: I'm giving you information about a girl who's supposed to be Stefan's long lost niece. I'm not exactly interested in him finding out.

Enzo: And why are you helping me? I thought you unfriended me when I k*lled that little con artist.

Matt: Monique. Her name was Monique.

Enzo: Eh, two names actually... First Sarah, then Monique, probably others. I asked you why you're helping me.

Matt: She knew something that Stefan didn't want her to know, and for some screwed up reason, you're obsessed with knowing Stefan's secrets. Probably because he has everything you'll never have.

Enzo: Answer the bloody question. Why are you helping me?

Matt: Because I want this obsession to take you the hell away from here. This is all the information Monique told me about her past. Take it and get out.

( Matt hands Enzo a thick dossier. Enzo opens it and it's full of blank pages. Enzo laughs grimly, then turns around with vamp speed in time to catch an arrow Jeremy just fired at him )

Enzo: Think I didn't plan for that?

( While Enzo faces Jeremy, Matt s*ab him in the neck. Enzo rounds back on Matt, pushing him against the wall. Jeremy sh**t Enzo in the back with a wooden stake. Matt punches Enzo out, and Enzo falls to the ground )

[ WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ]

( Elena joins Stefan, who is observing the doctors through the window )

Elena: Caroline could really use whatever's in that cup.

( There are a lot of doctors in Liz room )

Elena: Is it just me, or does that look really bad for somebody who just fainted?

Stefan: That doctor just came over from radiology. I overheard her say "glioblastoma."

Elena: Glioblastoma? No, but that... no. No, no.

Stefan: We brought her in a couple of weeks ago after Tripp's guys grabbed here. Doctors ran some tests, and apparently they found something suspicious.

Elena: No, but that doesn't make sense, Stefan. Caroline would have said something.

Stefan: Or maybe her mom hasn't told her yet.

( Elena vamps over to a doctor that just came out of the sheriff's room )

Elena: ( compelling ) What's going on with Liz Forbes?

Doctor: Her recent MRI showed a lesion on her brainstem. We think it's metastasized to her spine.

Elena: C-can you operate?

Doctor: If the tumor's already spread, it would be impossible.

Elena: But that would mean... Does she know?

Doctor: For a few weeks now, but news like this takes time to digest.

( The doctor leaves. Elena looks over at Stefan, speechless )

[ SMALL WAREHOUSE ]

( Matt and Jeremy drag Enzo across the room )

Jeremy: Ugh. Wouldn't it be a billion times easier just to stake him in the heart?

Matt: Yeah, but he wouldn't suffer. Get the door.

Jeremy: Wait. This isn't about making him suffer. It's about making sure he doesn't k*ll anyone else.

Matt: He just k*lled an innocent girl, Jer. He deserves to suffer.

Jeremy: Dude, you sound like Tripp.

Matt: You mean the guy whose neck Enzo slit open for trying to protect innocent people?

Jeremy: I'm just saying you're being a little intense.

Matt: Maybe that's the problem, Jer. We've all been looking the other way because we're friends with vampires, but how many people need to die for us to face the fact that vampires also k*ll people?

Jeremy: So what, you'd do the same thing to Stefan? What about Elena or Caroline?

Matt: Just help me get him to the van.

Jeremy: Look. I know how you feel. I was supernaturally programmed to take out my sister, remember, but this whole us versus them thing is gonna drive you crazy, and it's gonna get you k*lled.

[ MYSTIC FALLS CEMETERY ]

( Liv puts a hand over Jo's wound )

Jo: Hey. It will be ok. Just needed to get rid of Kai so you could free me.

Liv: Look, Jo. You can't run away from this anymore. You've had 18 years of freedom. Now take your magic back and do this. You owe it to the coven.

Jo: Is that what you think, that I've been shirking my responsibility to our family?

Liv: Luke's all I've got. If we merge and he dies... I may as well be d*ad, too.

Jo: If Kai merges with me, he'll be more powerful than any of us.

Liv: Did it ever occur to you that maybe you're strong enough to b*at him? You were 22 the last time you went up against him. Since then, you've been a combat medic, you've saved hundreds of lives, and your hospital worships you.

Jo: Someone's done her research.

Liv: You're my sister, and I'm yours. Look how far you've come without magic. You didn't get here listening to people tell you you weren't strong enough.

( Liv starts to hand the Kn*fe back to Jo, but Kai grabs her from behind and takes some magic )

Jo: Liv!

Kai: Can't say I didn't warn her.

( Liv falls to the ground )

Kai: Phesmatos superous em animi...

( Liv grabs her head in pain, her nose bleeding )

Jo: Kai, stop!

Kai: Isn't it gonna be funny when I k*ll her using her own magic? Wait. Is that funny or sad? I get my emotions mixed up. Hey. What's the one for f*re again? It's "incendia," right? Phesmatos...

Jo: Kai, enough!

( Jo picks up the Kn*fe and starts taking her magic back )

Jo: Lectos espiritox.

( Outside, Alaric and Damon arrive )

Damon: That's it? We're gonna k*ll bad guys together, and you're not gonna talk to me?

Alaric: Look. You blew up your car, you needed a ride. Doesn't mean we have to talk.

Damon: All right. Look. I agree that maybe compelling you to betray your lady friend was an irrational decision stemming from untreated control issues.

( Alaric stops and looks at Damon, scoffs, then continues walking )

Damon: What?

( Alaric ignores Damon, so Damon vamps over in front of Alaric )

Damon: I'm sorry, Ric.

Alaric: Is that it?

Damon: Yeah.

Alaric: Great. Let's finish this.

( Back at the mausoleum, Jo finishes taking her magic back. Kai crouches down in front of her and puts his hands on her face, feeling the magic )

Kai: There it is. Oh, so predictable. I thr*at Liv, you do anything it takes to save Liv.

Jo: Fractos.

( Jo breaks off the chains on her wrists. Outside, someone whistles. Kai goes outside and after a few seconds, Damon vamps at him and shoves him )

Damon: Cemetery, really?

Kai: Motus.

( Damon stumbles backward over the anti-magic border and starts to burn in the sunlight until he steps back over it )

Kai: Oh, whoops. Looks like you found the anti-magic border. Drew a line in the dirt for everyone's convenience. See? Yeah. You're welcome.

( Kai is standing on the other side of the border when Alaric comes up behind him, grabs him and puts a g*n to Kai's head )

Damon: Thank you. k*ll him.

Jo: Alaric, don't!

Alaric: What are you talking about?

Damon: She's lightheaded and confused. I'll give her some of my blood, ok? k*ll him.

Jo: No, you can't. If Kai dies, Liv and Luke have to do the merge. It's not fair to them.

Damon: Who cares? k*ll him.

Jo: Ric, don't. I can win. I can b*at Kai. I just need a little time to get stronger.

Damon: We're moved truly. ( to Ric ) k*ll him now.

Jo: I'll figure out a way to win. Please you have to trust me. Keep him alive.

Damon: Ric.

( Alaric knocks Kai out with the butt of his g*n )

[ LOCKWOOD MANSION ]

( Luke packs a bag when Tyler approaches him )

Tyler: Why the hell did you tell Damon where they were?

Luke: Because I realized listening to you two was a huge mistake. Kai's a monster.

Tyler: So you'll just risk your sister's life? How the hell does that make sense? Hey! I'm talking to you.

( Tyler starts to grab Luke's arm when Liv comes in the front door )

Liv: Everyone, chill! Jo thinks she can b*at Kai.

Luke: You and I both know that's crap. Kai's a million times stronger. She'll die, and the first thing Kai's gonna do is k*ll everyone in our coven as punishment for putting him away, and then he'll turn on innocent people because he's crazy and bored and homicidal.

Liv: Fine. Then I'm selfish, Luke, but I'd rather be alive and selfish than this d*ad martyr who served her purpose to her coven.

Luke: People are gonna die, and it's gonna be our fault. Remember that.

[ WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ]

( Stefan is sitting on a bench in the hallway at the hospital. Elena joins him )

Elena: Are you ok?

Stefan: There's a 22-year-old sociopathic witch running around Mystic Falls right now. That we have a plan for. We've dealt with every kind of evil there is, and we always have a plan, but this... If Caroline loses her mom, it'll destroy her.

Elena: I know.

Stefan: She doesn't deserve this, Elena. She's a good person. She's happy, she's kind.

Elena: I know. I should tell her. It's only a matter of time before she compels a doctor, and I don't want her finding out from a stranger, you know?

Stefan: Let me do it.

( Stefan gets up )

Elena: No, Stefan. You don't have to.

Stefan: Let Damon know. I should tell Caroline. I haven't been there for her. Caroline needed me, and I ran away. So... yeah, I have to do it.

( Stefan leaves )

[ MYSTIC FALLS CEMETERY ]

( Jo walks with Alaric to his car )

Alaric: I guess we'll just lock up your brother until you two, you know...

Jo: Merge our twin powers during the next celestial event?

Alaric: Yeah. There really is no sugarcoating that, is there?

Jo: For the record, I've dated doctors and lawyers and a couple of artist types, but none of my previous boyfriends would have ever understood that.

( They smile at each other )

Alaric: Here. Let me, uh...

( Alaric gets a blanket out of the car and wraps it around Jo. They kiss )

Jo: Be careful.

( Back by the mausoleum, Damon throws rocks at the large headstone Kai is chained to on the other side )

Kai: So this whole antimagic thing, is it like a... Like a dome or a bubble? Like, say, you were in 747 flying over Mystic Falls, would you die? You know, that could be dangerous, like if you're headed to New York and your pilot reroutes for weather.

Damon: How's this? I k*ll you, and when you're in hell, you can ask a bar full of d*ad travelers, who cast the damn spell.

Damon: That's a lot of travelers. Must be a pretty big spell. ( quietly ) Like a really big spell. So big... It covers every inch of an entire town.

( Kai touches the ground, thoughtful. Alaric drives his car up to the border and gets out )

Alaric: What the hell are you doing?

Damon: I'm working on my knuckleball.

Alaric: We are keeping him alive, Damon.

Damon: Can I ask why we continuously compromise logic for some girl you just met?

Alaric: You know, I don't know how I went so long without saying this, but you're a real dick.

Damon: Bonnie's stuck over there because of him. She's over there, and I'm over here, and I hate myself for it.

Alaric: Yeah, and k*lling him will make you feel better, so let's just stop pretending for a second that this is about anyone else but you.

( Damon throws a rock at one of the tires on Alaric's car, hard enough to puncture it )

Damon: You should probably go change that tire.

( Meanwhile, Kai is drawing the Travelers' magic from the earth )

[ MYSTIC FALLS – PRISON WORLD ]

( Bonnie drags an extension cord toward her tree )

Bonnie: Ok, tree. Let's do this.

( She plugs it in and the tree lights up )

[ MYSTIC FALLS, 2009 ]

( The town is gathered around the Christmas tree while Liz addresses them. Elena and Bonnie stand together, giggling )

Liz: Now that's what I call a Christmas tree. Isn't that gorgeous? The holidays are all about being with loves ones, and I think that's what makes this tradition so special in our town. It's a reminder that no matter where you turn you have a friend.

( The crowd applauses. Elena and Bonnie say "aw" and put their heads together. Caroline joins them )

Caroline: Biggest mistake of junior year... Including the boys in secret santa. Stefan is officially the worst gift giver.

Elena: He got you a snow globe?

Caroline: Yeah, of Mystic Falls, as if I don't see enough of this town every day as it is.

Bonnie: Well, I love my bracelet.

Caroline: Of course you do because I am good at secret santa, and I didn't purchase it from a quick stop.

Elena: Looks like someone is missing the true meaning of Christmas. Come on. We're happy and healthy, and we're together.

( They wrap their arms around each other )

[ WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ]

( Caroline sits on a bench in the hall, holding the snow globe Stefan gave her a few years ago. Stefan walks up to her )

Stefan: Hey.

Caroline: Hey. Uh, there's no news. Apparently, they're still running tests.

Stefan: Caroline... We need to talk.

[ MYSTIC FALLS CEMETERY ]

( Wind is bl*wing hard and Damon tries to hear Elena on the phone )

Damon: Hey. Where are you? I can't hear you.

Elena: I'm at the medical center. Where are you? Reception's horrible. Damon, can you hear me?

Damon: Hey. Elena!

( Damon loses the connection. Kai continues to draw power from the earth while the wind rises. Meanwhile, at the high school, Jeremy walks through a crowd standing around the Christmas tree. When someone plugs in the lights, a few of them burst. Elsewhere, Matt's radio in the van goes a little haywire. He hits it and turns it up. In the back, Enzo wakes up, hearing the music )

Enzo: Fancy something else? I always figured I'd bow out to the Everly brothers or...

( Matt shuts the slider behind him. Back at the cemetery, Damon gets up and walks toward Kai )

Damon: He stopped talking. He never stops talking.

( The chains on Kai's wrists melt off of him )

Kai: Magia tollox de terras. Utera aso utox.

Damon: What happened to his chains?

Alaric: Is he chanting?

Kai: Utera aso utox...

( Matt crosses the border into Mystic Falls. The roof of the van is open and Enzo starts to burn in the sun )

Kai: Magia tollox de terras. Utera aso utox.

( Matt gets out of the van and goes round to open the back. Enzo is lying still, and Matt reaches out to turn him over. Enzo moves with vampire speed and grabs Matt's throat, unaffected by the anti-magic spell )

Enzo: It's a Christmas miracle.

( Back at the cemetery, Kai gets up )

Damon: You little magic sucker. Sucked up all that magic from the traveler spell.

( Kai levitates Alaric and slams him into a tree )

Kai: A lot of magic.

( Damon rushes at Kai, shoving him against a tree. Kai shoves Damon off, and when Damon goes to punch him, Kai disappears )

Damon: Gah! I really, really hate that move.

( Damon hears Alaric groan and rushes over to him )

Damon: Ric! Hey. Come on. Take my damn hand, Ric. Come on.

( Alaric finally accepts Damon's help and gets up )

Alaric: How are you not d*ad?

( They look over at the line Kai had drawn in the dirt. They're both on the anti-magic side )

[ A ROAD AT MYSTIC FALLS BORDER ]

( Enzo sits on the edge of the van, Matt sits further inside )

Enzo: If we've learned anything from today, it's that we should k*ll our enemies with haste.

Matt: Then what are you waiting for? Go ahead and k*ll me.

Enzo: I said enemies. Don't flatter yourself.

Matt: What do you want, Enzo?

Enzo: You were right. I am jealous of Stefan. He has what I want... Respect, family, girls he doesn't deserve. He throws it all away, and yet still somehow manages to come out winning. You are going to help me deplete every ounce of happiness from his life, and when there's nothing left, I'll decide if you get to live. Oh, and, uh, happy holidays.

( Enzo closes the doors to the back of the van )

[ SALVATORE MANSION ]

( Damon talks to Elena on the phone while he walks in the front door )

Elena: You mean home home?

Damon: Ahh. Just walked through the front door, which I should probably start locking now that Kai's supercharged and on the prowl.

Elena: Let's just celebrate the fact that we can go home. I could really use some happy news right now. Today sucked.

Damon: I'm listening.

Elena: So look. I don't know what we were or are or what we're supposed to be, but all I know is that today was pretty horrible, and I just... I want to see you. I have something I need to tell you.

Damon: Come over. I'll cook you dinner, and we'll talk about our crappy days.

( Elsewhere at the hospital, Caroline and Stefan talk )

Caroline: That just doesn't make sense. My mom would have said something to me.

Stefan: We were worried, so... Elena compelled one of the doctors for information.

Caroline: Ok. So my mom has a brain tumor. Then we'll just give her vampire blood.

Stefan: Caroline, do you think that if our blood cured cancer we would have heard about that by now?

Caroline: Fine. Then when are they gonna operate?

Stefan: That's the problem. They can't.

Caroline: Ok. Well, if they can't operate, then they'll give her chemo, right?

Stefan: The tumor is growing so fast the doctors don't think that will work.

Caroline: Well, then they're wrong because they don't know her. They don't know how strong she is. I mean, she's gonna get through this, Stefan. Right?

( Caroline breaks down, and Stefan holds her. Elena hangs up the phone as she walks into the hall, and sees Caroline crying in Stefan's arms )

[ MYSTIC FALLS – PRISON WORLD / REAL WORLD ]

( As Bonnie looks at her tree in the prison world, Jeremy stands by the tree in the real world )

Jeremy: We miss you, Bonnie.

Bonnie: I miss you guys.

( Jeremy walks away from the large, colorful tree in the real world. Bonnie sets f*re to her small, simple tree with a lighted candle, and walks away from it as it burns )

[ WHITMORE MEDICAL CENTER ]

( Caroline stands by her mom's bed, holding the snow globe )

[ SALVATORE MANSION ]

( Damon hears the rumble of an engine outside )

Damon: That's not possible.

( He goes out the front door to see Stefan drive up in Damon's car )

Damon: What? This was gone. I blew this up.

Stefan: Yeah? Well, you weren't around to annoy me for the last 4 months, so I had a bit of extra time on my hands.

Damon: Ha!

Stefan: Think of it as a early merry Christmas/late welcome back to life present.

( Damon takes the keys and the brothers hug )

Damon: Ha ha ha! Thank you.

Stefan: Hey. Just, uh, do me a favor. Don't die again. Those fenders were a real bitch to find.

Damon: Deal. Deal. Ha! Yeah.

( They walk back inside )

Damon: Well, we're home.

Stefan: Yep.

Damon: You sticking around?

Stefan: Well, that depends. Might have to k*ll Jeremy if I find out that he slept in my bed.

( Stefan leaves to go upstairs. Outside, Elena walks up to the door and sees the mistletoe. She knocks and Damon walks over and opens the door )

Elena: Mistletoe. Clever.

Damon: Hello. Anybody there?

Elena: Damon, what are you doing?

( Damon can't see Elena )

Elena: Are you gonna let me in or...

( Puzzled, Damon closes the door again )

Elena: Um... heh.

( Kai is standing behind Elena )

Kai: I may have put a cloaking spell on us.

( Elena whirls around )

Kai: How genius is that?

( Kai hits Elena with a w*apon and knocks her down )

[ END ]
{"type": "series", "show": "The Vampire Diaries", "episode": "06x10 - Christmas Through Your Eyes"}