1953

[Salvatore’s House]

(Damon enters the mansion)

Damon: Hey. I'm looking for Joseph Salvatore

(A man enters)

Joseph: You found him

Damon: Love what you've done with the place. You know, if this whole boarding house thing doesn't pan out, you can always turn it into a high-class brothel

Joseph: I'm glad you got my telegram. I haven't heard from Stefan yet, but I'm hoping he'll be here soon. When's the last time you two spoke?

Damon: Well, he doesn't call, he doesn't write. Of course, neither do I. In all fairness, I am the one that abandoned him on a train platform in the middle of World War II

Joseph: Well, there's always time to be a better man

Damon: Eh, not sure I got one of those in me

(Joseph attacks him)

Joseph: Sorry about the vervain, Damon. The money was too good to pass up

(A man enters)

Man: Now I won't have to pay him

Damon: Who the hell are you?

Man: I'll be your doctor from now on

Damon: What are you doing to me?

Man: Just a little vervain

Nowadays

[A Cell]

(Damon is in a cell. Dr. Maxfield is there)

Damon: What the hell are you doing to me?

Dr. Maxfield: Vervain to keep you calm

Damon: Wes? Why am I here?

Dr. Maxfield: I lost a test subject last night, and you're gonna replace him

[Salvatore’s House]

(Katherine is writing in a diary)

Katherine: Dear diary, so here I am alive. Stefan saved me from killing myself. Now he's got me on suicide watch. He says it will be therapeutic for me to write down my feelings about the fact that I'm dying and there's nothing I can do about it. Deep thoughts, mortal coil, blah, blah, blah

(Stefan is here)

Katherine: Ugh. My hand's tired. What kind of sentimental idiot writes down everything they feel? Is what the prophecy meant when it said that all the doppelgangers were drawn together like magnets? Because if it is, I want my money back

Stefan: I'm just trying to make sure you don't slit your wrists

Katherine: Well, this whole neurotic granny vibe doesn't exactly make me want to live. Do you really have nothing better to do than stand there all day and watch me write in cursive?

Stefan: I'm trying to make sure you don't kill yourself

Katherine: And how are you going to do that, you know, since you're still having your little panic attacks?

Stefan: I'm fine

Katherine: Yeah. Of course. You are the picture of mental health, Stefan, after being locked for 3 months in a safe at the bottom of a quarry

Stefan: I am dealing with it

Katherine: I know. I mean, I heard you dealing with it earlier today in the library. It sounded like you freaked out and broke a chair, maybe even two. How are you supposed to help me stay alive if you can't even help yourself?

Stefan: So does this mean you want to live?

Katherine: No. It means that I can't work with people who can't give me 100%. And so I may have called for backup

(Stefan opens the front door. Caroline is there)

Stefan: What are you doing here?

Caroline: I'm your sober sponsor, and I heard that you needed help

Stefan: Really?

Caroline: And I got my mom to drop off something for us to use. Don't worry. I sanitized it

[Whitmore College]

(Elena knocks on Aaron dorms’ room. He opens the door)

Elena: Aaron, hey

Aaron: Hey. So you heard?

Elena: Heard what?

Aaron: That Jesse's dead. He killed himself last night. Campus security came by to tell me

Elena: Oh, my God. I'm so sorry

Aaron: What's up with this college? It's supposed to be different. I came here to start fresh, get away from all the crap in my past...

Elena: I get it. After everything you've been through, everything that you've lost, I would want to start over, too

Aaron: How do you hit the reset button?

Elena: Me? I haven't reset anything. All my problems, they've followed me here. Come to think of it, I'm probably not the right person to be getting advice from

Aaron: So if you're not here about Jesse, uh, why are you here?

Elena: I don't want to bother you, especially right now

Aaron: My day's not gonna get any worse, so, uh, go ahead

Elena: Ok. Well, um, last night, you told me that Wes was your legal guardian

Aaron: Yeah. Since this past summer after my Aunt Sara died. You see what I'm talking about? Everyone around me ends up dead, and my sunny disposition makes me so many friends

Elena: I'm sorry

Aaron: Go ahead

Elena: Um, the thing is my boyfriend Damon went to talk to Wes last night, and no one's really seen or heard from either of them since, and that kind of worries me, you know?So I know how bad the timing is, but I just… I was hoping that maybe you could help me find Wes

Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. I think I know a place that we can look

[A Cell]

(Damon is still prisoner. Maxfield is on the other side of the cell)

Damon: Just so you know, didn't end well for the last Augustine’s. You're inviting bad karma in by holding me here

Dr. Maxfield: Is that what you told Dr. Whitmore?

Damon: Dr. Whitmore wasn't much for conversation

Flashback

[A Lab]

(Damon is lying on a table. Dr. Whitmore is here)

Damon: As much as I would like a free checkup, you're gonna let me go

Dr. Whitmore: That's a good try. I'm wearing vervain

Damon: You know, most people would buy me dinner first

Dr. Whitmore: This isn't a personal matter. It's for the advancement of science

Damon: What the hell are you talking about?

Dr. Whitmore: You're a vampire. Your blood heals others, your body heals itself. You'll regenerate parts of internal organs after I remove them

Damon: Listen. How I got this amazing body has nothing to do with science, so running--aah!

(The doctor hurts him)

Dr. Whitmore: You talk too much

Nowadays

[A Cell]

Damon: So you Augustine freaks are still at it, eye exams and that sort of thing?

Dr. Maxfield: Jesse was proof that my research goes far beyond that. I trained him to crave vampire blood instead of human blood. Now I'm ready to take my research to the next level

[Whitmore College]

(Aaron and Elena are walking)

Aaron: Just doesn't make sense why Jesse would kill himself

Elena: So you believe what campus security told you?

Aaron: Why, do you know something else?

Elena: Don't you think it's weird that both of your friends committed suicide before the first semester was even over?

Aaron: Yeah, of course I think it's weird. Jesse loved it here; he had a huge crush on your friend. Megan had all these plans for her life.

Elena: Which is why none of this makes sense. Aaron, look. I found Megan's body the night that she died. She was murdered, and Wes forged her death certificate

Aaron: You saw her death certificate?

Elena: I did some digging. Wes is part of something much bigger than anyone even realizes

Aaron: Let's find him first. I want to hear his side of the story

(They arrive at Whitmore House)

Elena: Oh, um... You know, when you said that Wes was probably doing research, I didn't realize it would be here at Whitmore house

Aaron: Oh, yeah. This place is like a second home. What are you waiting for? Come in

(She enters)

Elena: So who owns this place?

Aaron: Not to sound like a douche, but technically, I do. Yeah. It's part of the Whitmore trust that I inherited when my parents died. Yeah. Don't hold that against me. Usually when people find out that my name's Aaron Whitmore…

Elena: Hold on. Your last name's Whitmore? So you, like, own this school?

Aaron: That's what they think

(She sees a picture)

Elena: That's my dad

(Maxfield rejoins them)

Dr. Maxfield: Grayson Gilbert was one of the best doctors the Augustine’s ever had

(He injects her with vervain)

Aaron: What the hell?

Dr. Maxfield: I'm glad he didn't live to see this

[Salvatore’s House]

(Caroline and Stefan look at the safe)

Stefan: I spent 3 months drowning in this thing. What the hell were you thinking?

Caroline: I was thinking it's time for you to deal with the source of your PTSD

Stefan: And you're sure you're not just sublimating your feelings about what happened to Jesse last night?

Caroline: Feelings? What feelings would I have about my best friend killing the guy I was crushing on?

Stefan: He was out of control, and Elena did what she had to do

Caroline: No. Elena did what she thought she had to do just like she also thought that Damon was good boyfriend material. Now you see where I'm going with this?

Stefan: Anyway, aren't you a drama major? What do you know about PTSD?

Caroline: Well, I know that you tried to deal with it your own way and you failed, so now... We're gonna try it my way

[Whitmore College]

(Aaron is with Maxfield)

Aaron: You know that this is kidnapping, right?

Dr. Maxfield: That was more like a tranquilizer

Aaron: What? Ok. Uh, what is going on here, Wes?

Dr. Maxfield: I had to make sure Megan's death didn't draw attention to my work

Aaron: Oh, to your work, your work? You study infectious disease transmittal

Dr. Maxfield: I study vampires

Aaron: What?

Dr. Maxfield: They exist, Aaron, and Elena Gilbert is one of them. The syringe I used on her had vervain in it. Think of it as an anti-vampire drug. It's one of my safety measures

Aaron: Where did all this stuff come from?

Dr. Maxfield: This work has been going on for generations in secret. Your family pioneered it. Your dad trained me in it, and after your father died, the Whitmore trust continued to fund my research

Aaron: Why didn't you ever tell me about this?

Dr. Maxfield: You never needed to know before now. I meant to tell you this on your birthday. This is what your family fought for and believed in, Aaron. Consider it your legacy

[A Cell]

(Elena is in the cell next to Damon’s)

Damon: Come on, Elena. Wake up

Elena: Damon? Are you…?

Damon: I'm fine. Wes injected you with vervain. Maybe when it wears off, we'll be able to… un… break through these

Elena: What the hell is going on? Why are you here? Why am I here?

Damon: Wes is carrying out the grand Augustine tradition, getting his kicks off vampire torture

Elena: Did he tell you that?

Damon: He didn't have to. I've been here before. Someone in my family sold me out do the Augustine’s in 1953. Every day, this nut job Dr. Whitmore tortured us, cut into us, took pieces of our eyes out, pushed us to every limit he could imagine, and he had quite the imagination. Kept me in this very cell, and don't think I haven't appreciated the irony

Elena: How long were you here?

Damon: 5 years give or take

Elena: Damon, how did you not go crazy?

Damon: Believe it or not, I made a friend

Flashback

[A Cell]

Enzo: Welcome .Dr. Whitmore never gets tired of watching us vampires heal, but he gives us one glass of blood per day, just enough to keep us alive. Pick yourself up, soldier. My name's Enzo

Nowadays

[A Cell]

Damon: He was a soldier in Europe during World War II

Elena: How did he end up here?

Damon: Dr. Whitmore was working in a battlefield hospital when he discovered Enzo was a vampire, so he drugged him, locked him in a coffin to ship him overseas. He'd been here for 10 years by the time I joined the party

Flashback

[A Cell]

Enzo: You're doing it wrong. You're living for the moment. You need to live for the future

Damon: What future?

Enzo: The one where you get your revenge. For instance, in my future, my revenge will start with killing Whitmore's dog and mailing it to his house postage due. Go on. Picture your revenge. Use your imagination

Damon: I can see it

Nowadays

[A Cell]

Elena: Damon... Wes knew my dad. They worked together. He said that my dad was an Augustine, too. I know that my dad was a vampire hunter, but he was also the town doctor. He was kind and gentle and loving. He wouldn't be part of a place that would cut your eyes out

Damon: People are full of surprises. Oh, hey. I am so, so sorry I got you caught up in this. Hey. Hey. Look at me. But I promise you I will get you out of here, ok? Ok? I'll get you out of here

[Salvatore’s House]

(Stefan is in the safe)

Stefan: Caroline! Do you even know what you're doing?

Caroline: Yes. Well, it's in my textbook. Let me find it

(Katherine enters)

Katherine: Have you two ever, um--ahem--you know?

Caroline: No, I don't know

Katherine: Oh, come on. You know. Have you?

Caroline: Oh, my God! Katherine, seriously?

Katherine: That wasn't exactly a yes or a no

Caroline: We are friends

Katherine: Your loss. He's great in bed

Caroline: Oh, God. I'm so not listening to this. Here. Ok, Stefan. Prolonged exposure therapy. "In vivo exposure gradually introduces elements of prior trauma, e.g. physical objects comma circumstances of duress comma"

Katherine: Ok. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Got it, got it, got it. Stop talking. The words that are coming out of your mouth are giving me a headache

Stefan: Caroline! Caroline!

Caroline: I'm just trying to understand what I'm doing

Katherine: Acting like a schoolteacher isn't going to make him feel any better

Stefan: I can't breathe

Katherine: Well, you are right about one thing. He needs to get over the root of his problem because right now the score is safe one, Stefan zero. So how do you help the guy who always comes to the rescue? Stefan's the hero. That's who he is at his core. He can't always come through for himself, but he can always come through for everyone else. I've got an idea

[A Cell]

Elena: Damon, how did you survive all those years?

Damon: Enzo's friendship kept me alive. He gave me a reason to hang on to my humanity...

Flashback

[A Cell]

Enzo: You much of sports fan, Damon?

Damon: Even when I thought I'd be a prisoner forever

Enzo: No. Neither am I. Any other interests… fine wines, travel, cars? I'm partial to Jaguars myself, convertibles, the kind you take on a Sunday drive to impress a pretty girl. Ever done that?

Damon: Once or twice

Enzo: Oh, come now. Got to be more than that

Damon: The girl I was trying to impress was more of a horse and carriage type girl

Enzo: What, just one girl?

Damon: Never met another one like her

Enzo: Well, fair enough

Damon: Unh. What about you? Any pretty girls?

Enzo: Eh, too many to count. Actually, there was one. Her name was Maggie

Damon: Where'd you meet her?

Enzo: Here of all places. She was working for Dr. Whitmore

Damon: Charming?

Enzo: Oh, she was very. She was kind to me. She used to sit here in the hallway taking notes while she observed me

Damon: That's how you fell for her?

Enzo: Oh, she was also stunningly beautiful. You have to understand she… she wasn't part of the torture and the experiments. For the longest while, she didn't realize that Dr. Whitmore was doing more than just observing my behavior. I didn't have the heart to tell her. I was just so glad of her company, you know?

Damon: Yeah

Enzo: When she finally realized what was going on here, she couldn't bear it. So she said she was sorry, and she left

Damon: Well...yo u know, never really would have worked anyway. You're a vampire, she's a human. The relationship would have been doomed from the beginning

Enzo: You need a more positive outlook, mate

(Dr. Whitmore arrives)

Dr. Whitmore: Who's next? 21051, you seem to have more energy

Enzo: I take that as an insult. I'm far more energetic than my neighbor here. I can't believe you didn't notice

Dr. Whitmore: Your turn then

Damon: Why are you doing this to us?

Dr. Whitmore: Because, 21051, I'm seeking at the smallest indivisible unit of your biological makeup, and once I can understand you from a cellular level, I can put you to use

Nowadays

[A Cell]

Elena: Oh, my God, Damon.Ok. Stefan is gonna figure this out. When you don't come home and no one hears from me, he will… he will find us

Damon: Points for optimism, but unfortunately Stefan doesn't even know this place exists

Elena: But you were here for 5 years

Damon: Yeah, and the first year, I thought he'd rescue me. He didn't. Once I escaped, there was no point in giving him more to feel guilty about, so I never told him what happened here. I never told any one

Elena: Yeah, but you did escape. How did you do it?

Damon: They let us out of the basement once a year. Every New Year's Eve, the Augustine people had a little cocktail party with a vampire buffet on the side. We were weak from vervain injections, half-starved from living on a glass of blood a day, chained up like animals. This little annual shindig is where Dr. Whitmore got to show all of his Augustine friends what he'd found in his research

Flashback

(Enzo and Damon are in a cage. The Augustine’s are reunited)

Dr. Whitmore: Mrs. Fell has generously offered her hand for the purpose of this demonstration. Please observe

Damon: He let his guests drink from us to demonstrate the healing power of vampire blood

Dr. Whitmore: The dermal layer is completely healed, no nerve damage, no muscular damage. See for yourselves

Damon: But on the plus side, that's how Enzo came up with his plan

(Damon and Enzo are back in their cells)

Enzo: Well, the thing about our daily ration of blood is that it's barely enough for one vampire to survive on, but if one vampire were to drink two rations every day for the next year, he'd be able to build up his strength so that by the time new year's Eve comes round again that one vampire will be ready to fight

Damon: Are you sure that will work?

Enzo: I'm sure I can only try with your help. We've just got to choose between us. All right, Damon. We're gonna play scissor, paper, stone to decide

(They play)

Damon: Paper covers rock

Enzo: All right then. A win's a win. You'll lead the way. Here's my ration. Now we've got 364 days to get you ready for the party. Cheers

Damon: Cheers

Nowadays

[A Cell]

Elena: So did it work?

Damon: More or less

Elena: How did you get out?

Damon: It doesn't matter, Elena. I got strong, I got out. It wasn't pretty. All you need to know

[Whitmore House]

Dr. Maxfield: Here. Another birthday present. This belonged to your great grandfather. It's a safety precaution for use in vampire research

(Aaron finds a newspaper article)

Aaron: It's Anna Ruby campground. That's where my parents died

Dr. Maxfield: I know

Aaron: It wasn't an animal attack, was it?

Dr. Maxfield: I found them, Aaron. I found you next to their bodies. As soon as I saw them, I knew that vampires had attacked them. That's why I continued your father's work, so this could never happen again. I hope you'll join me

[Salvatore’s House]

(Katherine is in the safe with Stefan)

Katherine: So try not to be mad at me. I got in here while you were unconscious. Then Caroline locked us inside. It was the only way

Stefan: Let me out of here! Caroline!

Caroline: I know it's a little extreme, but the baby steps approach wasn't working

Katherine: See? That's why I need you not to get mad at me because when you’re mad, you get anxious and violent and you rip people's heads off, but I'm gonna help you fix that

Stefan: Caroline, get me out of here before I hurt her!

Katherine: That's the whole point, Stefan. You need to get over your PTSD triggers, ok, or else you will kill me

Stefan: You're risking your life

Katherine: I'm already dying, you idiot. You're the one who wants to keep me alive. It's my turn to help you now

Stefan: I can't be in here. Please

Katherine: You're Stefan Salvatore. Suck it up

[A Cell]

Elena: Wes is gonna come back down here, and we'll both be the newest Augustine experiment. You have to tell me how you got out of here, Damon

Damon: You don't want to know, Elena

Elena: Why? You think that I'm gonna judge you? Damon, I love you. I love you, and these people tortured you for 5 years. Whatever you had to do, I don't care

Damon: All right. All right. The Augustine’s next party was in 1958. I'd been drinking Enzo's ration for an entire year. I mean, he kept a few drops here and there so he wouldn't desiccate, and as he starved himself, I got stronger from all the extra blood just like he said I would

1958

(It’s the New Year’s Eve party)

Dr. Whitmore: Ladies and gentlemen, as it is almost midnight, I think it fitting that we toast the New Year with a glass of vampire blood, wouldn't you agree?

(He gets Damon out of the cage. Damon gets rid of his restraints)

Damon: Now you see it...

(He starts attacking the Augustine’s)

Enzo: Damon, we got to get out of here. Damon, now! Let's go!

(Damon tries to get his out)

Damon: Vervain!

Enzo: Come on, come on. You can do it

Damon: Enzo trusted me with his life. The fire was getting out of control. I would have burned up, or they would have captured me again. There's no way I would have ever gotten another chance of escaping. So I chose to save myself

Enzo: Damon

Damon: I'm sorry, Enzo

Enzo: Damon, please

Damon: And I knew if I was gonna save myself that I had to stop caring about Enzo. So I turned off my emotions

Enzo: Don't… don't leave me here. Don't go! Please! Damon!

Damon: I let my friend die

Enzo: Please don't leave me! Damon! Come on! Damon! Damon!

Damon: After that, everything was fine

[Salvatore’s House]

(Stefan and Katherine are still in the safe)

Caroline: How's it going in there?

Stefan: I… I can't breathe. I feel… I feel… I feel like I'm dying

Katherine: So I've been using this time to think. I think there is actually a little bit of truth to this doppelganger prophecy. I think you're still in love with Elena. I think you're miserable about the fact that she chose Damon over you and that you want to get out of this one-horse town and as far away from their happiness as possible, and yet somehow, you keep finding excuses to stay in Mystic Falls. I think I'm just that latest excuse

Stefan: I'm gonna kill you

Katherine: Good. Yeah. Get it all out, Stefan. I think this is healthy, although don't forget you loved me before you hated me

Stefan: Any reason you chose to have this conversation with me locked in a safe?

Katherine: Yes! So that I can show you that the safe isn't the problem

Stefan: How could you say that to me?

Katherine: The problem is you're not facing your real issues. The death that you felt in the safe, the pain of dying over and over again, it's easier for you to focus on the physical pain than the emotional heartbreak of Elena leaving you. Your problem is you're not in touch with the reality of the moment, so let's bring you back to the present, shall we? In this moment, are you going to feed on me, or are you gonna save my life? Fight it, Stefan, fight it! I'm here. I'm here I'm with you. We're together

(Caroline opens the safe)

Caroline: It was so quiet, I got worried. See? You made it out alive

[A Cell]

(Aaron enters to see Elena and Damon)

Aaron: What the hell is this place?

Elena: Aaron?

Damon: Great. Mini-Wes

Aaron: I had no idea what Wes was doing. I didn't even know there was a basement down here

Elena: Aaron, you have to help us

Aaron: I want to know the truth. When you met me at Megan's memorial, you asked me a bunch of questions

Damon: Slick hands, cowboy

Aaron: Yeah? Well, I've never used a gun before, and I've never killed anyone either unlike you

Elena: What are you talking about?

Aaron: Wes said a vampire killed Megan

Damon: And you thought it was Elena?

Elena: No. Megan was inside this house. I hadn't even been invited yet. You ju…

Aaron: Wes also said that a vampire killed my parents. Maybe that was you, too

Elena: No. Aaron, that's impossible

Aaron: Why else would you be so interested in me?

Damon: Calm down

Aaron: Why else would you pretend to be my friend? She's a vampire!

Damon: Not the one that killed your parents. It was all me

Aaron: What did you just say? Start talking

Elena: Damon, what are you doing?

Damon: In 1958, after the fire, Enzo was dead, so I had to take on my revenge plan solo

Flashback

[A Cell]

(Damon is talking with Enzo)

Damon: Yes. I can see it. After I've taken out the entire Augustine society, I'll kill every member of the Whitmore family

Enzo: Boo! I said use your imagination

Damon: Except one person. I'll let that person grow up and start a family, and then I'll start killing Whitmore’s again. Then I'll take out the generation after that, leaving only one person to carry on the name, and then I'll take out the generation after that and so on and so on and so on

Nowadays

[A Cell]

Damon: And that's exactly what I did

Aaron: How many Whitmore’s have you killed?

Damon: Since 1958? I lost count

Elena: When was the last one? Damon, when was the last one?

Damon: A few months ago. Her name was Sara. I had to go all the way to Charleston to find her. It was a weekend trip. You didn't know

Elena: But we were together a few months ago. Starting the summer of our lives. I had no idea

Damon: Told you it wasn't pretty

[Salvatore’s House]

(Caroline is alone in the living room)

Caroline: A little help here! I mean, I know I'm a vampire, but this thing is really heavy. Stefan? Hello!

(Katherine rejoins Stefan in the library)

Stefan: You know, for the record, I, uh, I only broke one of these

Katherine: It was an ugly chair. You're better off without it

Stefan: So I guess you were right all along. It was easier for me to focus on my physical pain than the breakup. I need to move on

Katherine: So you admit it. I do know what I'm doing

Stefan: To be honest with you, I never know exactly what you're doing, Katherine

Katherine: Well, Stefan, sometimes... I don't either. Like right now... For example

(Caroline is leaving a voicemail to Elena)

Caroline: Hey, Elena. I'm probably gonna stay at my mom's tonight. I think I am officially homesick, so I'll let you know when I'm... Oh, my God. Call me as soon as you get this!

[Whitmore College]

(Maxfield is on the phone with Aaron)

Dr. Maxfield: Look. I'm sorry you had to find out about your parents like this

Aaron: What the hell is going on, Wes? Their other friends gonna come after me? I mean, do I need to drop out?

Dr. Maxfield: You'll be fine. Just go to school, live your life.Talk to you soon

[A Cell]

(Damon wakes up)

Damon: Ohh. Guess I had that coming. Elena? Elena? Elena? Elena! Elena!

[A Lab]

(Elena is tied)

Elena: What's happening?

(Enzo is next to her)

Enzo: Welcome. I'm 12144. My name is Enzo