You are my Freedom

Thank You

The meeting was set and they were all gathered hiding nearby in case Elena needed help with her psycho birth mom, but all Clara could do was gaze at her beautiful new ring. It was so perfect, she never had a ring or any jewelry so beautiful before. Any metal was needed back then to melt for bullets so Damon and her never bothered with a wedding band and big engagement rings weren't really a thing in her time, not that they even had much of an engagement. 

"Its okay to look away, it's not going to disappear," Damon whispers in her ear. 

"I just love it so much, I am so excited to feel the sun tomorrow."

Clara replied glowing with love and excitement. Damon felt proud he was able to do this for his wife.

"Well after 145 years I'd say you earned some tanning time."

[In the town square, Elena is waiting for Isobel. She appears behind her.]

"Where is the device?" Isobel demands

"Where is my brother?" Elena counters

"This isn't a negotiation. Where is the invention?"

"Where is my brother?" Elena says holding firm.

"Do you really think that I came alone?" Isobel asks

[Frank and Cherie arrives behind Elena.]

"Did you really think that I came alone?"

Damon whispers "showtime," to Clara and they zoom out behind Isobel along with Stefan. She looks at them giving extra time to examine Clara. But Clara doesn't shrink under her scrutiny and eventually Isobel loses interest.

"For god sakes, call home." Isobel says just wanting the exchange over with so she can leave this pathetic town.

"What?"

"Call home and ask to speak to your brother Jeremy."

[Elena takes her phone and calls home.]

"Hello?" Jeremy answers after only two rings.

"Jeremy, are you okay?" 

Jeremy assures her he's okay and Elena hangs up the phone relieved. She thinks for a moment and then addresses Isobel.

"You were never gonna hurt him."

"No, I was going to kill him. Don't look for any redeeming qualities in me. I don't have any."

"But you took a risk with Damon. How did you know that he was gonna give it to me?" Elena asks

"Granted Clara was an unforeseen variable but never bet against a petrova getting what she wants."

Elena walks closer and gives the device to Isobel, "thank you."

"For what?" Isobel asks

"For being such a monumental disappointment. It keeps the memory of my real mother perfectly intact."

Even Clara could see that stung Isobel a bit, she begrudgingly felt a little proud of Elena... it was hard to root for someone with Katherine's face but she made Stefan happy and she didn't seem to be anything like the one who tried to steal Damon from her.

"Goodbye, Elena. As long as you have a Salvatore on your arm, you're doomed. Katherine was smart. She got out. But we all know that you're not Katherine."

"Thank god for that." Clara mumbled loud enough for Isobel to hear, annoying her that her parting line had been undercut.

Isobel looks at her and leaves. Stefan hurries to Elena and embraces her. Clara looks sweetly over at Stefan and Elena before turning and wrapping herself in Damon's arms. 

"Where should we go? I want the perfect spot to see the sun again."

"It's still not for a couple of hours still," Damon reminds her,

"The quarry," Stefan suggests, "you should take her to the quarry, it's where it all began after all."

Damon nods and he and Clara leave.

John is on the couch, his phone rings... It's Isobel.

"Hello?"

"On your doorstep you'll find what you've been looking for."

"And my ring?" John asks

"It's there, Don't screw this up. You know what you have to do, John."

[He opens the door and pick up the envelope.]

"I got it. I won't fail. How did you get it back (the ring) by the way?"

[He opens the envelope.]

"You better not fail and It took awhile, Cherie and Frank had to practically toss the whole boarding house to find it. But back to what's important, Katherine wants all of those tomb vampires dead, and I want to add three more to that list."

[He retrieves his ring and puts it on his finger.]

"Let me guess."

"Stefan and Damon... and that little nuisance, Clara." Isobel instructs

John smiles, "That was always part of the plan, especially after I lost this ring and my finger temporarily because of that little b***h . Consider them gone."

"She's our daughter, John. I don't want this life for her, we owe that to her."

"I know."

[He hangs up the phone.]

Boarding House

Damon is pouring himself a glass of scotch. Stefan arrives.

"What are you doing back home, I thought you and Clara were gonna watch the sun rise."

"Well apparently a couple weeks outside of a tomb and my Mrs.'s has gotten used to the finer things. She's putting together a picnic with blankets and candles, its going to be  nauseatingly romantic."

"Stop pretending you don't love it." Stefan tells her brother

Damon jumps his eyebrows up and tilts his head conceding... not caring that his brother called him out, he does love the effort both he and Clara make so the other one feels loved and special, manly or not, he'll admit it... its nice to be wined and dined. 

Stefan can see Damon's amused expression leave his face for a more pensive one.

"What is it? You look like you have something you need to say?"

Damon shrugs "Just happy it was you who fell for the doppleganger and not me... I do not envy you the conversation your going to have to have with her... if you're going to tell her the truth anyway."

"What truth?"

Clara comes out of the kitchen all packed and ready to go but she has overheard there conversation.

"Seriously, Stefan! I gave you too much credit now I owe Damon a... well I believe nowadays its called a job."

Damon flashes some cocky bedroom eyes making Stefan want to pluck his own eyes out.

"Clara and I bet if you would put it together or need it spelled out for you about John. I told her you'd be oblivious but she had to come to your defense."

"What are you guys talking about?" Stefan asks not following

"John, he's clearly Elena's father." Clara explains

Stefan still looks confused, and can't fathom how they both arrived at that conclusion.

"Really?" Damon asks, "Are Clara and I the only ones around here who have the ability to put two and two together? Isobel! Hello? She dated John when she was 15; she gets pregnant and ends up at the doctor's office of John's brother. Now, what do you think John's role is in all this? I mean, go ahead, and think about it, I'll wait. Did you get it? You there yet?"

"Damon, be nice."

"Not my thing, sweet cheeks."

"Just be grateful your cheeks are so sweet otherwise I wouldn't put up with half of what I do."

Damon raises his eyebrows playfully at her and moves closer to dramatically dip her and kiss her neck.

"So you guys think that John is Elena's father?" Stefan asks stunned they pieced that together.

The lovebirds are stopped from getting anymore randy in front of Stefan by Damon's overriding need to rub his little brother's nose in his ineptness. 

"Ding, ding, ding, ding!"

"What proof do you have?" Stefan asks

"I don't need any proof, that's for a DNA test for John, Elena and Maury Povich to do but I know how well you deal with these bombs so...Sleep tight." 

Clara hits Damon in the chest for his rudeness and the two make there way over to the quarry leaving Stefan stunned but their revelation. 

Bonnie and Caroline 

"So you're not going to tell me what happened?" Caroline asks

Bonnie avoids eye contact but eventually admits, "I did something bad, Caroline, and I lied about it."

"To who?"

"To Elena. I pretended to do something I didn't really do."

"What are you talking about?" Caroline asks again trying to be there for her friend.

"I couldn't do what she wanted me to do. It wasn't right. Grams would have never done it, so I couldn't either. But when Elena finds out, she's never gonna forgive me."