Cut to – Salvatore mansion living room. The gang has returned from their time travel adventure. Katherine is back in her body and sound asleep in her room. Bonnie, Caroline, Stefan, Damon, and Alaric, are having a night cap.

 ALARIC: Well, that was insane… but I’m glad it all worked out, thanks to you, Bonnie.

BONNIE: We all did our part, that’s how a team works. If anything, it was all worth it just to see Katherine stuck in a teenagers body (they crack up).

DAMON: Totally worth it!

CAROLINE: Speaking of…

ALARIC: I knew there was no way I would avoid what’s coming…

CAROLINE: And you would be right. You made a major hiring decision without asking me, not cool.

ALARIC: I didn’t want to bother you during your vacation. If it helps, surprisingly, her students adore her.

CAROLINE: (In bitter acceptance) I know…

DAMON: (Taking the opportunity to bring up the subject) Who would have thought Kitty Kat would be teaching at the school, and actually give something back to society. Guess that in a twisted way, it kinda worked that she was given the opportunity…

ALARIC: Guess it did. Everyone deserves a chance.

CAROLINE: As much as I hate to admit it, it’s true.

DAMON: Makes you wonder about Kai…

BONNIE: (Gives him a look, he was not very subtle with his approach) Damon…

ALARIC: What are you talking about?! Kai and Katherine are very different stories.

DAMON: How exactly?  

ALARIC: For starters, Katherine didn’t murder her entire family, or my wife for that matter.

DAMON: No, but if it’s about headcount, Katherine is above Kai; and if it’s personal, don’t forget she killed Caroline, and Jeremy.  

CAROLINE: I almost forgot about that … that bitch! But I do love being a vampire, so it worked out in the end. But back on point, Kai also tried to kill the girls, and would do it in an instant if he could.

ALARIC: Them, and everyone else.

BONNIE: He could have killed all of us in the prison world, but he didn’t…

ALARIC: Because he was not being himself, somehow his psychotic break worked in our favor.

DAMON: Maybe he wasn’t “being himself” because he really has changed…

ALARIC: Are you hearing yourselves?! What are you guys implying? That Kai deserves a chance because he didn’t kill us? Are you serious! Bon, I’m surprised that you, of all people, would side with that train of thought.

BONNIE: Don’t patronize me, Ric. You are entitled to your opinion, and I’m entitled to mine. All I’m saying is that forgiveness is a virtue; and, repeating your own words, everyone deserves a chance, or at least the benefit of the doubt. You know, for a person that prides themselves for being objective, you are being anything but…

ALARIC: Bon, you know I love and respect you, but your talking crazy talk. Or did you forget what Kai put you through?

BONNIE: No; and I never will. But still, I found the strength to forgive him.

ALARIC: Sorry, but that’s not strength, if anything, it’s fear.

BONNIE: Oh, you’re gonna psychoanalyze me now?! Professor Saltzman, didn’t know you had so many specialties! Please, enlighten me!

ALARIC: Don’t push my buttons, Bon.

BONNIE: Don’t push mine, Ric.

ALARIC: I can’t believe we went through all that trouble just to spare you from having to see Kai; and now you pull this out your hat.

BONNIE: Well, your so called “masterplan” didn’t even work, so…

ALARIC: That one hurt.

BONNIE: It was meant to…

ALARIC: So much for forgiveness being a virtue, ha?

BONNIE: So much for objectivity being the reason behind judgment.

DAMON: Wow, wow, wow… guys, chill out. We are just having a conversation, no need to get personal.

BONNIE: Too late for that.

ALARIC: (Recognizing that got out of hand) I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to say those things. Seeing Kai opened an old wound. I, I…

BONNIE: I’m sorry too; don’t know what got into me. I understand your feelings, and I have no right to judge.

ALARIC: Neither do I…

DAMON: Aw, my besties are friensies again.

CAROLINE: Why don’t we make a deal, no mention of Kai, ever again… that escalated way too fast.

STEFAN: I agree.

ALARIC: It’s okay, Caroline, that’s what friendship is about. We might not always agree and bump heads on our views, but we speak our mind. And, in the spirit of being honest and direct, I have to say that I do have a double standard when it comes to Kai.

CAROLINE: Ric, literally, I just said not to mention the “K” word!

BONNIE: Ric is right, Care, we are all friends here, no need for bans. Listen, the reason this came up is because Damon and I had a long chat with Kai, he really did seem remorseful… And, in full disclosure, I’ve also been having these dreams, more like visions of him… His past, his future…I don’t know, changed my perspective… and when I finally saw him, I sensed it, the change, the remorse, the pain…  

ALARIC: Full disclosure? I know, we had a chat of our own; didn’t remember it until we got back. I think he compelled me to forget, but the compulsion broke once I got here.

DAMON: So, what did he say?

ALARIC: That he was sorry, told me more about his past, but to be honest, I let his words come in and out. I didn’t want to hear it; I wasn’t ready… don’t know if I ever will. But I did feel like his words came from the heart. (To Bonnie) Forgiveness is a virtue, a clear sign of true strength. I admire you for that. And, if you want to give him the opportunity to redeem himself, and let him out of his prison, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It’s your call. The only thing I ask is for you to give me my time, space, and, of course, make sure he doesn’t present a danger to anyone. If you’re game, I’m on board.

CAROLINE: Uhm, so we are seriously considering this?

ALARIC: I guess we are. But we all have to agree; and set the ground rules.

CAROLINE: In favor of speaking the truth, I’m sorry but I have to say, when did we become a villain’s reform facility? This is Kai we are talking about, Kai! But, then… I did a lot of horrible things with my humanity switch off… God, I’m so confused! Never expected this conversation to turn into Ethics 101.

DAMON: None of us did, Blondie, but here we are…

BONNIE: We don’t have to decide now, let’s take some time to think this out.

ALARIC: I don’t need more time. I’m ready and willing to do this if you all are.

BONNIE: You already know my answer. I’m in, as long as he agrees to our terms.

DAMON: I’m with Bon.

STEFAN: I’m with Care; (looking at her) whatever you decide…  

CAROLINE: (Turns to Ric) What about the girls? I don’t think Kai will be able to resist the temptation of eliminating the competition.

ALARIC: He doesn’t pose a threat, at least in that sense. There is no Gemini coven to compete for.

CAROLINE: And the psychological damage? Knowing their uncle killed their biological mom, and their family…

ALARIC: Even if he were here, they will never know that. They’ve been spelled to erase that from their mind.

CAROLINE: When was this? How come I didn’t know?!

ALARIC: Guess it never came up. I had Valerie do the spell as soon as they were born.

CAROLINE: And when he came back from hell?

ALARIC: They never knew who he was… and like I said, they’ll never know.

BONNIE: You know I would never put the girls in any danger. If I thought there were the slightest possibility of them getting hurt, I wouldn’t be considering this.

ALARIC: We know, that’s the only reason I agreed.  

STEFAN: If we could take away his powers, it would make it easier to trust that he won’t use them for the wrong reasons…

BONNIE: We can’t take them away because of his vampirism, but I can bind them. And when, and if, he proves himself, I’ll give him access to them again.

ALARIC: Let’s talk supervision. He will need to be close to keep in check, but not too close.

DAMON: He could stay at the cottage, it’s not exactly the house, yet it’s close enough to supervise.

CAROLINE: Works for me, as long as he is banned from the house and the school; at least until I know he can be trusted.

BONNIE: (To Ric) … are you really okay with this?

ALARIC: Not nearly enough, but I understand why we should at least try. So let’s give that bastard the chance he never had; and if he doesn’t take it, we’ll send his ass right back where it came from. Everyone agree? (They nod).

DAMON: So, when are we doing this?

BONNIE: How about Thanksgiving, to go with the spirit?

CAROLINE: Only if you promise me that he won’t ruin my dinner!

BONNIE: He won’t, I promise.

ALARIC: There’s no way in hell he’s having dinner with us, right, Bon?

BONNIE: No; Damon and I will set him up at the cottage, then we’ll join you guys. Everything will work out.

CAROLINE: How can we be sure he won’t flee the minute he’s left alone.

BONNIE: Binding spell, he won’t be able to leave the cottage.

STEFAN: Can’t he just siphon the spell away?

BONNIE: Not with his powers bound.

DAMON: Well, it’s all figured out… Look at us, who would have thought we would ever be thinking of this, let along doing it.

BONNIE: Who would have thought I would be the one to put it on the table … Guess some things do change.

ALARIC: Guess they do… Okay, now that that’s settled, I’m gonna call it a night. See you guys tomorrow (he leaves).

Cut to – The Powell mansion, Edward arrives after being MIA for some days. Anthony is relieved to see he is alive and well.

 ANTHONY: Sir. (gives him a fatherly hug); you had me almost go mad of worry!

EDWARD: I’m sorry, Anthony, I’m fine. I just needed a couple of days off the radar to clear my head.

ANTHONY: Would it be too much to ask to inform us, next time you feel like performing a disappearing act?

EDWARD: I will. I promise.

ANTHONY: You should inform The Madame you are here…

THE MADAME: (Walks in the room, looking mad, and worried) That won’t be necessary. I swear I could smack you right now!

EDWARD: I am sorry, I should have told you both. But I’m back, and fine.  

THE MADAME: (Hugs him) Thank god! Where the hell did you go?

EDWARD: (Hesitant, he doesn’t seem to remember himself) Uhm, just some place I know… Listen, I’m really sorry for what I put you through, but I’m exhausted, and really need some decent sleep. Goodnight, we’ll talk more in the morning (goes up to his room).

THE MADAME: Something is off with him…

ANTHONY: Something indeed.

Cut to – Fell’s church, underground tombs, late at night. A large number of bodies, that look like they have been horribly attacked, are piled up.  

 VERITAS: That was a beautiful dinner, my love.

LUCINDA: I had them specially wined and dined, just for you (kisses him).

VERITAS: I know this is not what I promised, but once I get what I need from this god-awful place, I swear on my soul that I will give you anything you want.

LUCINDA: (Teasing) You don’t have a soul.

VERITAS: Would you still love me if I did?

LUCINDA: Of course not… (One of the bodies makes a sound, she approaches) Oops, looks like this one didn’t get enough. Want to finish him off?

VERITAS: Please, you do the honors. (She savagely tares into his neck, until she rips his head off).

LUCINDA: (As she wipes the blood from her mouth) And where exactly in this puny little town is that “thing” you are looking for?

VERITAS: It’s in the church’s altar, but given our “situation”, we can’t access that area; or so it is believed. I don’t want to risk turning into dust, only to find out if it is in fact true. We need to compel someone to fetch it for us.

LUCINDA: Why didn’t you compel one of the dinner plates to do it?

VERITAS: It’s not that simple. Only the worthy ones can have access. (Looking down at the bodies) Do any of these seem godly to you?

LUCINDA: Not judging from the place I got them… (They smirk).

VERITAS: (Kisses her) God, I love you, woman!

LUCINDA: And I love you.

VERITAS: Trust me, once you see what it is, you’ll know its worth it. I would tell you, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise.

LUCINDA: I understand. When are the others arriving?

VERITAS: Tomorrow. So let’s not waste any more time, and take advantage of our alone time… (grabs her passionately; they make love, unperturbed by the massacred bodies that surround them).

Cut to – Munich University, operating theatre. Elena, Sage, and Alex, are working on an assignment for a Biomedical Robotics project.

 ELENA: (Trying to surgically implant a chip in a corpse, and failing badly) This is so above my abilities! Hell, I can’t even open a regular corpse, let along insert this thing inside it! I’m premed for Christ sake; how do they expect me to know this.

ALEX: Relax, Elena, no one expects you to. That’s the beauty of this program, it’s about the challenge, not your educational level. You’ve read the books, seen the lectures, now practice. It’s all trial and error, and they know. That’s why they give us dead bodies to experiment.

SAGE: They do that in Med school too, Alex. The only difference is that here, we don’t have to follow the rules.

ELENA: I don’t even know what the rules are!

SAGE: Trust me, you don’t need to know them. Medicine is about knowledge and experience. Know your art, master your art, fuck the rules.

ELENA: No disrespect but that sounds very irresponsible.

SAGE: Do you think Marie Curie was following the rules when she discovered radium and polonium? Love what you do, work your ass off, and believe in yourself, that’s all you need. Nothing irresponsible about that.

ELENA: Guess not…

ALEX: Where’s Sam anyway? Wasn’t he assigned to this project too?

ELENA: We had a little fall out, I asked him to team up with the other group; needed some space.

SAGE: What happened?

ELENA: You know what happened.

SAGE: Wait? Is this about the test tube thing? I swear, I was just doing a solid for a friend.

ELENA: I know, I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at him for not telling me, especially for not destroying it like I asked him to.

SAGE: You were right to do that, by the way. That thing is creepy.

ELENA: Were you able to find out what it is?

SAGE: It was impossible, molecules behaved very strangely… almost like they purposely changed themselves when they knew they were being watched… Never seen anything like that before. Maybe if I had more time to study it, I could have figured it out, but Pietro caught me red-handed and confiscated it. Listen, in Sam’s defense, he is very protective of the people he loves, he was probably just trying to find out what it was, and why someone would send it to you…

ELENA: I know, but still, he should have told me.

SAGE: Well, no arguing there. Hey, can’t say I didn’t try.

ELENA: Thanks, but I’m gonna punish him for a bit longer.

SAGE: I have some whips, if you’re into that sort of thing (teasing wink).

ELENA: (Smirks) I’ll let you know. Anyway, about Pietro, you guys really need to be careful with him.

ALEX: (Mocking) Because he’s a vampire?

ELENA: No, because he’s insane.

ALEX: How so?

ELENA: I don’t know, he rubs me the wrong way.

SAGE: He’s just eccentric, in a blood sucking type of way.

ELENA: Just be careful with him…

SAGE: Why, did something happen?

ELENA: No, I haven’t even exchanged one word with him, but I have a gut feeling.

ALEX: I get where you are coming from.

SAGE: (With lust in her eyes) But he’s so yummy! Wouldn’t mind a little evil if it comes in that package.

ELENA: He’s like 200 years old…

SAGE: (Sarcastically) Uhm, really?

ELENA: Okay, forget I said that, putting my foot in my mouth.

ALEX: (Snarky) Oh, come on, Sage, can you not let your panties blur you’re judgement, for once. Didn’t’ you hear what Elena said, she has a gut feeling, maybe you should listen.

SAGE: What I do with my panties is my business, so mind your own.

ALEX: No problem; I was just trying to be a friend.

SAGE: No, you weren’t; but whatever, over it.

ELENA: (Sensing the clear tension between the two) Okay, why don’t we get back to our patient; he might be dead, but if he weren’t, he’d definitely be dead by now.

Cut to - Alaric’s bedroom, late into the night. He’s sound asleep, in full rem mode. In his dream, a familiar face appears.

 JO: Ric…

ALARIC: Jo?

JO: (Smiling) Last time I checked, that is who I was…

ALARIC: (Hugs her tight) Why haven’t you visited? It’s been so long since the last time you came to me…

JO: You needed to move on, and if I kept showing up in your dreams, you wouldn’t have.

ALARIC: I miss you.

JO: I miss you too. But you have to let me go, I’m fine, I’m at peace. And Radka, is absolutely wonderful… Don’t you dare ruin that.

ALARIC: (Smiles) I won’t, I promise. But you didn’t come here to tell me that, did you?

JO: No, I didn’t.

ALARIC: We are insane for thinking about it, I’m sorry I even gave it a thought. I’ll backtrack it all tomorrow, I swear.

JO: Don’t. That’s why I’m here, but not for the reason you think. I understand everything now, and giving him an opportunity is the right thing to do. He’s ready for this, and so am I. That’s why I’ve come to you… to let you know that I support you, all of you.

ALARIC: But how could you be fine with this, after everything he’s done?

JO: He’s my brother, Ric. I want to...  I need to believe in him… You weren’t there when we were growing up, they treated him horribly since he took his first breath. He never had a fighting chance; they broke him before he could even be a whole… I never understood what that implied, until I died.

ALARIC: Jo, I…

JO: I know, but don’t be. There is nothing to be scared of. Our girls will be perfectly fine. You, me, and Caroline, have made sure of that.

ALARIC: But…he killed you…

JO: I killed him first… by not trying, by not standing by his side when I was witnessing all the abuse. He deserves for someone to fight for him, to believe in him… and you are the one.

ALARIC: Jo, I don’t know how to do this…

JO: You’ll figure it out, you always do (smiles and kisses him). I have to go, just know that I love you, and the girls, always and forever. You have made me even prouder for finding it in your heart to at least try.

ALARIC: (Crying) Wait, please, don’t go… don’t leave me alone.

JO: You are not alone; you never will be.

ALARIC: I love you… 

(she vanishes as his dream transcends into consciousness).

Cut to – 2018 prison world. Kai is having another one of his uncanny tea parties with the Miss. Cuddles replicas.

 KAI: I told you she wouldn’t leave us here. We are going home! Any day now, any day… (smiles, sips his tea, the same Beethoven song lingering in the background).