Tyler is working to unsire Adrian another hybrid. Having to shift continually seems to be much to much pain and so after some encouragement from Kim, Adrian leaves. Elena is leaving the house and plans to tell Stefan about her and Damon but he talks her out of it, saying that they need one happy day together before hurting Stefan. As Elena is walking out the door, Stefan appears. Elena leaves for school, promising to meet Stefan in history and Stefan tells Damon that they need to talk.
Stefan tells Damon that Elena is sired but Damon does not buy it and suggests that Stefan and Caroline cannot stand it because Elena is happy because of him. Damon says that when Elena's body rejects the blood that Stefan had better be prepared to apologise.
Bonnie and Caroline meet up with Elena at school and the three agree to have a girls night and raid the Salvatore wine cellar. Elena says that she cannot go home because her brother is trying to kill her so the Salvatore place is hers now too. When Elena catches sight of Damon, she breaks away from the girls and meets him in an empty class room. Damon offers Elena the blood bag and she is able to consume the blood without a problem. Elena is excited that she doesn't have to hurt people anymore and she hugs him and kisses him before leaving.
Shane walks into his office to find Hayley searching it. Hayley reports that they only have eleven hybrids because Adrian walked out. Shane does not see a problem because with the addition of Tyler he has the twelve hybrids they need, but Hayley reminds him that Tyler needs to stay out of this. Shane says that unless she finds another hybrid, Tyler will become fair game. Hayley points out that Shane has not held up his end of the bargain and so Shane reaches into his pocket and pulls out a flashdrive, which apparently contains everything that Hayley has always wanted to know about her biological parents.
Caroline calls Stefan and tells him that Tyler said that the sire bond exists because the hybrids are greatful to Klaus for relieving them from the pain of having to change every full moon and that's why they have to keep turning to break the bond. Stefan asks what the vampire equivalent is and Caroline replies that there isn't one.
Stefan goes to see Damon, who admits that Elena is sired. Damon shows Stefan a picture of New Orleans in 1942 and Stefan asks about Charlotte, a girl who Damon used to hang out with. It seems that Charlotte was crazy over Damon from the moment they met and so Damon decided to turn her. We get a flashback to a bar in which Damon tells Charlotte to show no mercy on anyone who touches his drink, and of course, she immediately breaks the neck of a sailor who accidentally spills it. Damon admits that Charlotte was sired to him and so Stefan asks if Damon took full advantage of that until he got bored with her. Damon admits that Charlotte went all Fatal Attraction on him. Damon shows Stefan a coaster with the name Valarie LaMarsh, the witch Damon found to help him break Charlotte's sire bond. Damon instructs Stefan to pack his bags.
At girls night, Elena drinks from a blood bag, which surprises Caroline and Bonnie. Elena admits that Damon told her to give it another try. When Caroline asks where Damon is, Elena reads of a text message he sent saying that he and Stefan were out "brother bonding." Caroline asks what else she and Damon do Elena asks her to lay off. They decide not to "talk about boys," and Bonnie pulls out a bag of "stoner tea" Apparently, this is a tea that Shane gave to Bonnie to help her practice magic.
Stefan and Damon are in New Orleans walking the streets. Damon reads off a text message from Elena about her girls night and says that they have gotten into the liqueur. Stefan is not surprised and says that there isn't a single thing that Damon has asked Elena to do which she hasn't done. Damon points out that he hasn't gotten any guilt or blame from her. "I get it Stefan, I get that you're pissed that Elena dumped you because she has feelings for me. I bet you blame the sire bond for that too," Damon says. Stefan admits that he does because, "it's impossible for her to be so blind that she doesn't see how wrong you are for her." Damon walks away, as Stefan says that he is sorry.
We get a flashback to Stefan talking to Lexy about apologising to Damon and blaming him for the blood lust. Stefan approaches Damon and holds out his hand and says that he is there to bury the hatchet. Stefan starts telling Damon about his plans to ship out to drive an ambulance in the war and so Damon asks if they have room for one more, because he would like to spend some quality time with his little brother. Stefan promises to talk to his C.O. and leaves to get another round. Lexy tells Damon that he is not going because Stefan needs to see death and blood and deal with it as part of his life. Lexy adds that Stefan needs balance and restraint and that Stefan is better off alone than in his company. Charlotte approaches the group saying that Damon missed supper and so she tosses a barely conscious woman at him, who is bleeding from the neck. The blood effects Stefan and so Lexy quickly rushes him out of the bar and tells Damon that Charlotte is better off without him as well. If Stefan cannot handle that little bit of blood, how is he to be a medic in the war?
Back in the present, Stefan and Damon arrive at Valarie's last location and of course the place haa greatly changed since 1942. Stefan believes the next best thing is to get in touch with Charlotte, so he asks Damon if there is a chance that she is still in the city. Damon says that when he last saw Charlotte, he gave he the task of counting all of the bricks in the city and then promptly left town. The decide to head to the last location Damon gave Charlotte.
Hayley and Tyler are sitting in a bar, talking about the fact that Adrian has not broken his bond to Klaus. Tyler says that Kim is right and that point of breaking the sire bond is to be free and so the two of them don't have to listen to him. Hayley says that they need to listen to Tyler and that he can make them. Hayley reminds Tyler that hybrids are werewolves first and every pack has an alpha and that Kim is challenging his position as alpha of the pack. Tyler nods and then interrupts Kim and Adrian's pool game. Tyler instructs them to leave and get some rest, but Kim is not impressed and uses the cue to take a swing at Tyler. Tyler grabs the cue and tells her to finish her drink and get Adrian back to the stables. Kim agrees, but the moment Tyler walks away, she tells Adrian that they are going to pick a fight.
Stefan and Damon reach the corner where Damon left Charlotte and he asks if it is possible that she is still in the same spot after seventy years. Damon suggests that they shouldn't tell Elena and Stefan says that they can't lie to her. Damon suggests that they only reason Stefan wants to break Elena's sire bond is to return her to "factory team Stefan settings." Damon leaves to get a drink and tells Stefan to hunt him down when he stops being a dick. As Damon is walking away, Charlotte jumps out of the shadows and kisses Damon, only to be thrown aside by Stefan. It seems that she did indeed literally count every brick in New Orleans, waiting for Damon's return.
Damon asks Charlotte if she has had a full life and done something other than counting bricks. Charlotte says that she has but that she has been counting bricks because it reminds her of him. Damon says that she knows New Orleans better than anyone and this is great because they need her help finding someone.
The girls are partying it up at the Salvatores and are drinking and dancing. It does not take long for Caroline to make yet another nasty comment about Damon. Caroline adds, "say what you want about Ripper Stefan, at least he wasn't a man slut." Elena admits to sleeping with Damon and says that she is happy.
Stefan walks into Nandi's shop and asks about Valerie. Nandi admits that Valerie was her great grandmother and so Damon rudely informs her that they are looking for a spell to break a vampire's sire bond and believe that they Valerie had a grimoire. We get another flashback and this time, Valerie is telling Damon that to cast the spell he requires, they a sacrifice of twelve human souls. Stefan is shocked at the cost, but Damon says that he had hoped that the spell had changed. Nandi says that there's no magic like that here and that she doesn't practice. Damon asks if she knows someone who can break the sire bond. Nandi replies that all of Valerie's things are gone and that they lost it all during Katrina. She adds that if a spell like that ever existed, that it's gone for good.
Elena has her full pout on and tells Caroline and Bonnie that the party is over and that they need to leave. Caroline asks her not to be mad and says that they are just looking out for her. Elena replies that Damon's track record has been kind of spotty but that she can't hate him and believes that she is falling in love with Damon. Caroline tells Elena that she is not falling in love with Damon and that she is sired to him. When Caroline adds that she talked to Stefan about this, Elena gets upset and tells them both that they need to leave now. When Elena opens the door, Adrian and Kim charge into the house and start to attack. Bonnie starts to use her magic, but Kim who is holding onto Caroline, calls out, "stop, one bite from a hybrid and she's dead." Elena is thrown to the floor and Adrian and Kim take off with Caroline.
Damon and Stefan leave and Damon says that he believes that Nandi is lying. Stefan asks if Damon really killed 12 people, and Damon replies that he did and that it would be worth it for Elena. Damon asks Stefan to help him good cop/ bad cop Nandi.
Elena is talking to Tyler about Kim and Adrian because Bonnie's locator spell is not working. Tyler is confused because he believes that Kim and Adrian should be happy to break the sire bond, considering how much they both hate Klaus. Elena points out that they are sired to Klaus but Tyler says that the bond does not effect emotions. Tyler reminds Elena that he hated Klaus, but when he was sired to him that he still did everything he was told to do. They hear a scream and take off running.
Damon returns to Nandi's shop and tells her that she is not Valerie's great-granddaughter but her daughter. We get a flashback to Nandi as a little girl. Damon says, "you're eighty years old but don't look a day over fifty. You're a practicing witch." Nandi tells Damon to get out of her store. When Damon starts to walk towards her, Nandi uses her magic to push Damon back and says, "I gave you a chance to leave with your life." Stefan approaches and says that they don't want any trouble. Nandi repeats that there's no one there to help them and that the kind of magic her mother practiced isn't even magic. Apparently, Valerie sold Damon a bill of goods about breaking the sire bond because she wanted access to the power that comes with blood magic. Nandi says that the bond cannot be broken with magic and that a vampire only bonds to her sire when she has feelings for him, before she turns. Vampirism only heightens the human emotions. All Damon can do is tell Elena to live her life without him and to stop caring about him and then leave her.
Kim is hurting Caroline and Tyler approaches and saying that they are all on the same team. A group of weres enter surrounding Tyler. Adrian tells Kim to ease up because Klaus won't like this and so Kim picks up a wooden stake. Elena suggests that if they really want to hurt Klaus that they should torture her instead because Klaus is fixated on keeping her alive. When Kim moves to attack Elena, Tyler grabs the stake and puts his fist through her chest. Tyler orders everyone to stay back and says that Kim put everyone in danger with her actions but he has no plans to hurt her because he is not Klaus. Tyler tells them that if they want to be free that they have to work together and no one can step out of line. Tyler tells Kim to submit or die and she falls to her knees and apologises. All of the hybrids in the room go on their knees in submission to Tyler.
Damon talks to Charlotte and tells her to move on with her life and to forget about him and find someone new. Damon tells her that he is never going to be happy unless she realises that she is never going to have the life that she deserves as long as he in it. Damon leaves and sees Stefan, who says that it must have been hard to do the right thing.
Yet another flashback and Damon is in uniform and getting ready to ship off. Lexi stops him and says that he is not going over seas with Stefan and that she knows he just killed 12 innocent people. Lexi says that Stefan just spent the last 20 years racked with guilt and plans to serve in the war as penance for the things he has done. Lexi suggests that if Stefan finds out what Damon did that he will want to know how it is that he functions without guilt for the things that he does and that Stefan will become the Ripper all over again. Damon points out that he has been alone for so long and that he needs Stefan but Lexi says that this might be good for Damon but it will destroy Stefan. Lexi tells him that he needs to put someone else in front of himself and let Stefan go. Damon grabs his things and leaves.
Back in the present, Stefan says that he didn't know about that. He adds that it might seem like he is being unfair and upset about losing Elena to Damon but after all of this is over, "if she never feels the same way about me as she used to, at least it will be her choice." Damon gets into the taxi and says that he knows what he has to do.
Elena and Caroline hug and she apologises. Caroline says that she promises to never again judge. Elena asks her not to tell Stefan about her and Damon because she needs to figure out some thing. Elena tells Bonnie that it is good to see her practicing magic again and Bonnie replies that it is all thanks to Shane who is teaching her a new kind of magic called "expression." Yeah, the same kind of magic that Nandi warned about.
When Shane walks into his office, Hayley is waiting for him. Hayley tells Shane that Adrien finished breaking the sire bond, which means he now has his 12 hybrids. Hayley asks about the information on her parents. Shane tells her that they're dead, when Hayley asks if he lied to her, Shane says that he didn't lie because he promised her everything she ever wanted to know about her parents, including where they are burried. Hayley grabs the flashdrive and informs Shane that he just picked a fight with a werewolf. Shane says that he is not declaring war and that just because her parents are dead, doesn't mean that she can't see them again. Shane tells Hayley that this is far from over and they are just at the beginning.
Stefan and Caroline are talking and he admits that he feels sorry for Damon. Stefan says that as much as they both hate it, Damon does indeed love Elena. Caroline apologises for telling Elena about the bond and that she didn't have a choice. Stefan promises Caroline that Damon will go through with this and Caroline asks if that is all Damon told him. Caroline asks how he can trust Damon and Stefan says that Damon loves Elena, as much as he does and cannot be selfish with her.
Damon approaches Elena and she says that she knows that she is sired to him. She asks if there is a way to break it and Elena says that the bond does not effect how she feels about him, just the way she acts. Elena says that she is happy, just like he was yesterday morning. Damon replies that he would be happy if he knew that for the entire time that he has been in love with Elena that what she actually felt for him is real. Elena says that it is real and begs him not to do this to her. Damon says that he doesn't want to do this and that he is not the guy and doesn't do the right thing, but that that he has to do the right thing by her. Elena grabs his hand and puts it on her chest and asks if it feels wrong.
I don't know about you but I am sick of the whole, Damon is bad and Stefan is good. To be fair, Stefan is a moralizing prick who seems more than happy to put aside the fact that he is a serial killer because he's a "nice guy." In essence he really is not different than Damon and I am sick t death f the Vampire Diaries trying to assert that there is some giant rift between the two. It's always important to note that Damon is the one who is always expected to sacrifice for Stefan's good. What has Stefan ever done for Damon exactly?
Also, can we please stop making all of the witches Black? Though Nandi did stand up to Damon, in the end she gave him exactly what he wanted. Despite the ish that Shane says about witches being the strongest of the supernaturals, they spend the majority of their time being manipulated and serving others. Witches are literally magical Negroes on The Vampire Diaries.
Also as an aside, Damon and Stefan are both over 100 years old. It's not cute to refer to them as boys. I get that this is a YA show but the truth of the matter is that neither Damon or Stefan has any business being in a romantic relationship with Elena, let alone having sex with her. This sire bond thing takes away the little agency Elena has and makes and already unbalanced relationship, even more unbalanced. The sad thing is because Elena has the sense of a concussed penguin, having Damon in control actually makes more sense. Remember this is the same woman who decided it was a good idea to go onto an isolated mountain with werewolves during the full moon.
