Memory Lane

It hurts doesn't it.

It's 1864 and Katherine shares an elegant, yet playful, dance with her chosen Salvatore brother. Suddenly, a familiar laugh comes from the corner of the room. Stefan breaks his stare from his beloved Katherine to watch as Damon escorts Elena into present day Mystic Grill. He calls after Elena, but she doesn't wait for him. Instead, she's snuggled up to Damon sharing a pool stick and a few passionate kisses. Stefan, in a bewildered state, can only watch.

Katherine's back and she's in bed- with Stefan. Using his lifestyle choice against him, she manipulates his dreams. Awakening, he holds her close and mumbles something about a bad dream. Two beats later and his eyes shoot open as he realizes his nightmare is in his bed. "You have to admit I'm getting better at this." She's here to try to weasel her way back into his life by insisting that he admit his everlasting love for her. She even inquires why he never burned her 1864 portrait moons ago, and, of course, he has no reply. So, she just dangles it in his face.

Why Stefan is entertaining this woman is beyond me. Granted she'll stay where she sees fit, but he even offers her Damon's private stash. Of course he wants answers, but he's being too kind! Indeed, it's been said that it takes two to tango, and Stefan's getting ready to dance. Pulling himself right up to Katherine he embraces her in a near kiss (if this man kisses her I will never watch this show again!) "What is it about you that makes me still care?" She's puddy in his arms, then... vervain dart. Right into her back. (Thank goodness, I can still watch this show!) Stefan takes the drugged vamp to the basement cell where he shackles her to a chair.

"That's weird. 'Cus I'm a dick."

Barbeque at the Gilbert house has rallied up the adults for more than just a walk down H.S. memory lane. Finally, we get to see Jenna's disgust over "Elena" and Damon's kiss on the porch verbally played out. "[I'll] be nice when Damon learns to keep his paws off you." He may not be able to sweet talk his way out of this one so easily, but he'll try. Peach cobbler, Aunt Jenna?

I would've loved to see the dynamics with Jeremy in this scene. Would he have been Damon's sidekick during this shin dig? But, alas, he's off contemplating life somewhere. Nonetheless, Damon and Uncle Good Looking (aka Mason) are rallying innuendos. Damon's drawing a tutu-wearing dog during a game of Pictionary, and Mason refers to Damon's role in relationships as a lady killer. Meanwhile, Jenna and Alaric take a back seat to all of this. Partially because Jenna's intoxicated ("I want her to like me."), and Alaric is being an academic and surveying the situation.

Now the true test. Silver serving knife in the pie. Damon offers Mason to take the first slice, and he does so by scooping his piece with his hand "I apologize; I'm an animal." Take this moment to exhale because we know that silver is as serious to werewolves as vervain is to vampires. However, since he didn't utilize the silver utensil, who was actually offering the test? Perhaps Mason used this opportunity to test Damon. We'll soon find out...

"He hates that you're a constant temptation."

During all of this adult bonding time, Elena and Caroline hash out their own realities. As a result to Katherine occupying Stefan's bed, err time, Elena hasn't been able to touch base with him. She's concerned, but gets guilt tripped by Caroline who insists she's overreacting. Soon, after the Damon and Mason pie showdown, Elena concludes that she needs to go check on him. Being that Caroline has Elena's best interest at heart, she offers to drive her. Which of course is the sweetest thing to do since she's breaking the tire plug on her own car in order to further delay Elena from reaching Stefan. See, sweet.

Still, Elena knows something's up when Caroline continues to hound on the fact vampires and humans can not have lasting relationships. She goes so far as to remind Elena that she will never have his children (Is she not hip to the fact that Elena's adopted?). The confrontation is interrupted when AAA shows up. Elena decides to walk the remainder despite Caroline's protests. "Don't leave me alone." Perhaps this is code for: the tow guy is a dead man!

"Now you've made an enemy."Clearly handshakes aren't what they used to be. Damon wasn't planning to keep the peace with Mason, and he shows this by stabbing Mason with Grandma Sommers's silver knife. Due to it having a minor effect on the cursed Lockwood, we uncover a fact about the lycanthrope- they created the myth about the harm from silver. Upset that he's not able to catch last call, Mason heads home to confront Tyler who's been hounding him all day about the supernatural shift. Fact #2: to trigger the curse, a human life must be taken. Fact #3, as learned from Katherine and Stefan's torture confessional: The moonstone was given to the Lockwoods by Katherine. Go figure.

"I never compelled your love. It was real and so was mine."

Katherine has been reminiscing about 1864 all day; meanwhile, being tortured with vervain and shackled to a chair that's probably been around as long as the boardinghouse itself. She doesn't indulge Stefan in any profound details about her return to Mystic Falls, but she does question his motives for returning. Including his relationship with Elena.

Stefan learns that, once upon a time, he did in fact love Katherine without compulsion, and that she genuinely was taken aback at this discovery "I look at you and I see an angel." Someone so malicious being referred to as an angel, I can see why. She also reveals that she worked with George Lockwood to plan the attack on the vampires which she used to disguise her own death "I practically lit the match." By working with him, they insured that both their supernatural curses remained in secret.

Although these details cause him to become further disgusted with Katherine, Stefan doesn't buy into all of the reasoning to the story. He figures she was running from something in 1864 (we're going to be left in suspense on this one, huh Ms. Plec?), but has returned to Mystic Falls for another reason entirely. So, for the sixth time, he asks for the reason of her return. "I want what I want, Stefan." Now defensive, she's ready to discuss more important things like what she plans to do if she doesn't get what she wants. "I will snap her neck like a twig and you know it."

Dems fightin' words- Stefan is hot! Aggravated by Katherine's continuous commands forbidding him to see Elena, he comes after her with a stake to prove his loyalty doesn't reside with her. Katherine, in turn, decides she's had enough of this interrogation and clearly shows him where her loyalty lies. With great force she shoves an unsuspecting Stefan landing him flat on his back. Then, breaking free her wrists and ankles from the chains, she casually walks over to a shocked Stefan (Paul Wesley's expression, although completely believable, was hilarious!). "I just wanted to spend some time with you." Apparently vervain doesn't affect Katherine because she's been sippin' on it for the last 145 years- this earns her a whole new level of badass.

A voice is heard upstairs and Katherine hurries to officially meet Elena, but not before driving a wooden stake through Stefan's leg. This meeting is of epic proportions. Katherine ingests Elena with every sense. "How do we look exactly alike?" Slithering her way around Elena, Katherine only replies that that is the wrong question to be asking. Then, she vanishes as an injured Stefan appears. (Nina Dobrev has won me over this episode. She plays one bad vampire!)

"I've already killed you once."

Cornering Caroline in the ladies' room at the Grill, Katherine lets her know how disappointed she is in her failed attempt to occupy Elena for the day. Apparently having "fun" with Katherine is non existent when your eternal life is on the line. Soon thereafter, Stefan and Elena enter the grill. Elena receives profuse apologies from Caroline, then joins Stefan. "If Katherine had her way we'd be breaking up right now." Elena insists that Stefan is giving his ex far too much power over their relationship. However, according to Stefan, Katherine always gets her way and it's too late for Elena to extinguish the inevitable. Defeated, Elena leaves. Cue Caroline. Cue Damon.

Katherine may have had a bad day, but Damon has had a bad century. He stalks out of the Grill to find Katherine lurking in the shadows. She warns him not to be the hero as it will be his demise. "Been there, done that. At least this time it'll be worth it." The Salvatore brothers have resisted Katherine thus far, but what will Damon do with this new information about Stefan and Elena's split?

Especially when he finds out it was staged. Stefan meets Elena in her bedroom for an embrace to overcome the fight. They decide to hide the truth from everyone, although it will definitely be difficult. They have to do this in order to find out what it is Katherine wants.

What was Katherine running from in 1864? She's insured her survival, what will be her weakness? Will she manipulate the Salvatore's, like she did to Stefan, to get what she wants? Your turn- Share your OMG moments below! Find me, Danielle DuCre on Twitter @msdanielley, we can discuss Diaries in 140 characters or less..

Photos: vampirediariesweb