Plot

Stefan tells Elena about his darkest days. Trying to catch Elijah off guard, Damon arranges a dinner party.

After confirmation by a terrified Katherine that the single ash-bound knife can kill an original vampire, Damon invites Elijah to a dinner party to stab him. Alaric finds out a nasty limitation to that method. Meanwhile, Stefan tells Elena about the time when he was a vicious vampire, Damon tries to do right, and John Gilbert plays a surprisingly positive part. Jeremy can't prevent 'immature' witch Bonnie from being questioned and suitably punished by accomplished Luka.—KGF Vissers

Damon invites Elijah to a dinner party with Jenna, Alaric, Andie Star at his house with the intent of killing the original vampire. He visits Katherine and she begs him to not kill Elijah since she is compelled by him to stay in the tomb. Damon is convinced that he can kill Elijah with the ashed dagger while an uninvited John appears at the dinner party. Meanwhile, Elena reads John Gilbert's journal and discovers that only a human can kill an original vampire with the dagger. She issues a warning to Stefan that keeps Damon from stabbing Elijah; Alaric stabs him instead; however, Alaric removes the dagger from Elijah. Elijah revives, seeking out Elena to tell her that their deal is off. Elena asks him to keep the deal of protecting her friends, otherwise she will commit suicide, Elijah believes that she is bluffing. Meanwhile, Dr. Jonas Martin removes Bonnie's witch powers.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Stefan tells Elena about a dark time in his history and the surprising person whose influence changed everything. After getting the truth out of Luka, Jonas makes his feelings clear to Bonnie and Jeremy. Trying to catch Elijah off-guard, Damon arranges a dinner party for him with Jenna, Alaric and Andie, but last-minute information throws Damon's plan into chaos.—CW Publicity

Elena (Nina Dobrev) reads from the John Gilbert journals...

They sit around in ye olde times at a dinner party. They thought they'd killed the vampires in the church fire. Thomas goes outside to investigate. John follows.

John takes out a compass to prove there are no vampires. At first it's still, then it spins like crazy. Thomas disappears. Then he drops from above, dead. A woman follows and is soon feasted upon by a vampire whose face we don't yet see.

John Gilbert narrates. He saw the vampire who killed him: Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley).

Reading at the lake house, Elena looks at Stefan in a new light.

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) calls Stefan to report Tyler ran away last night. Andi Starr (Dawn Olivieri) gets dressed at Damon's.

Damon assures Stefan he's going to research and plan before going after the Originals.

Stefan watches Elena reading the journals and is very worried.

Jenna (Sara Canning) meets with Elijah (Daniel Gillies). He tells her people were in Mystic Falls about two centuries before the founding fathers even came to town.

Alaric (Matthew Davis) walks up to join them. He and Elijah size each other up. Elijah wants to learn about the freed slave property owners. Jenna goes to get the list.

Elijah recognizes Alaric's name from Elena's list of people to protect.

Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) meets Bonnie (Kat Graham) at the Grill. She's thinking about last night: her spell, not their kiss. Luka (Bryton James) comes in angry.

He remembers playing pool, then he woke up in a bathroom stall. Bonnie assures him everything was normal and Jeremy runs him off.

Stefan comes inside, still angry that Elena agreed to sacrifice herself. She turns over the journal, saying it has stuff he's never told her.

He says they were angry at the founding families for what they did to Katherine (Nina Dobrev). "He described you as a monster," she says. "I was," he says.

He wants her to know the truth. He tells her that the first few weeks after he was turned he loved it.

Flashback to Stefan dining on sexy young ladies, covered in blood. Damon stops him, saying he's going to get them killed and they have to be more careful. Stefan felt guilty over what he did to his dad and brother.

"It sounds like you were Damon," Elena says. "I was worse," he says.

At the Grill, Ric tells Damon about meeting Elijah. Jenna and Elijah come in. Andi suggests Damon host a dinner party tonight. They're in.

Damon visits Katherine, weak and shriveled. He brings her blood and mentions John Gilbert is back in town.

Katherine isn't about to confirm if Damon's on the right track on how to kill an Original, because Elijah is the one who compelled her to stay put. When Damon mentions the dagger and a white ash, she begs him to release her first or she'll be stuck for eternity when Elijah dies. Damon's not inclined to help.

Stefan tells Elena about preying on soldiers in wartime and no one noticing. Then one night he saw a woman leaning over a sick soldier and followed her.

It was Alexia Branson, his best friend Lexi. He brought her home and she saw all the corpses. She called him a "Ripper," a bad kind of vampire. Talking about her reminds Stefan about Damon killing her.

Setting up for the dinner party, Andi asks Jenna about things with Ric. She mentions John telling her things.

Elsewhere, Ric worries Damon's party is a bad idea.

"There's no such thing as a bad idea, just poorly executed awesome ones," Damon defends. Damon says it's just a fact finding mission.

Ric seeks assurances there are no sneak attacks planned.

When Ric leaves the room, Damon prepares for his sneak attack, dipping the dagger in ash. He tells Andi to get the women in the kitchen after dinner.

The doorbell rings. John (David Anders) arrives, uninvited.

Bonnie comes over to Jeremy's and is surprised to see candles everywhere. She tells him she has to check with Elena before things between them go any further.

Elijah arrives. He tells Damon if he tries anything he'll kill everyone in the house.

At dinner, Elijah says there used to be witch hunts in Mystic Falls, including witch massacres.

Elena puts away John Gilbert's diary, announcing he got crazier and crazier. Then she finds his research on the Originals. She finds a drawing of a dagger and notes saying that a dagger dipped in white ash will kill an Original.

Elena wonders if it's true and Stefan 'fesses up. He knows it is and John gave it to Damon.

She keeps reading and it says a human has to wield it or it will kill any demon who does. John's trying to get Damon killed.

Stefan calls Damon. Dinner is over and he's suggesting drinks and coffee.

Damon's phone is off. Stefan tells Elena about Damon's plan.

John sees Jenna blow Ric off and after she leaves, he says he suggested to her that Ric hasn't been honest about his "dead" wife. John reiterates he wants his ring. Stefan calls Ric.

Damon is alone with Elijah in the other room, pouring drinks. Elijah admits he needs to find the witch burial ground.

As Elijah's back in turned, Damon picks up his dagger. But Ric and Andi bust in.

Andi takes Elijah away and Ric writes a note to Damon: "The dagger will kill you if you use it."

The guests gather at the table for dessert. Andi wants to ask Elijah about his research. She sends Ric for her notebook, then follows when he can't find it. Jenna works on dessert in the kitchen.

Damon sits down and glares at John, knowing John set him up. He mentions to Elijah that Elena hates John and so there's no need to put him on the list.

With only John, Andi, Damon and Elijah at the table Elijah explains he can take Elena away at any moment and -- all of a sudden he gasps for breath and a knife comes out his chest.

Alaric has just stabbed him with the dagger through the back of the chair. Elijah gasps, turns grey and dies. It is awesome.

Andi looks on, horrified. John is surprised. Damon is impressed. "Now get rid of him, before Jenna comes back with dessert," Ric says calmly to Damon.

At the house in the woods, Elena and Stefan fight over him keeping things from her. He says back then he had given up hope, like she has now.

Flashback to Lexi teaching him how to be a better vampire, including allowing himself to feel pain and love.

Ric and Damon take Elijah's body down to the basement. Ric tells Damon he shouldn't have lied about his plans.

Stefan gets the call and reports to Elena that Elijah is dead.

Elena goes back to the Gilbert journal. Then she reads as long as the dagger stays in place, the Original stays dead. Stefan runs to his phone.

Cut to Damon opening the cellar door. Elijah is gone.

Elijah appears on Jonas's doorstep. He wants to find Elena, now.

Bonnie practices her magic, channeling power from candles to light flame. Jeremy suggests she channel from him.

Suddenly, Jonas (Randy J. Goodwin) busts in. He throws Jeremy against the wall and grabs Bonnie around the throat, demanding to know what Luka told her. Then he recites a spell, saying it's for her own good. He says if any harm comes to Luka, she'll answer for it.

He leaves and Jeremy runs to her, asking what Jonas did. He took her powers.

Elijah walks up outside the lake house. Stefan can sense he's there. He busts down the door, but can't come in. Elena goes to talk to him, staying inside the house.

She wants to renegotiate. He thinks she has nothing to bargain with.

She says she'll kill herself, Stefan will feed her his blood, she'll kill herself again and turn, just like Katherine did. Then she's no use to him.

She wants him to promise not to harm anyone she loves, even if they harm him.

Elijah thinks about it, then says he's going to call her bluff.

And so Elena stabs herself in the gut.

Elijah runs to her, telling her she can have her deal and to let him heal her. Stefan patiently waits inside.

Elena stumbles out the doorway and into Elijah's arms, and then SHE stabs Elijah through the heart. Elijah dies again.

And when Damon appears in the doorway, we know she had the real knife. And Elijah really is dead.

Stefan races to Elena and feeds her his blood to heal her.

Back home, Ric checks in on Jenna. She asks him what happened to Isabelle. She says she's trying to trust him but doesn't think he's being honest. She asks if he's being honest.

He says nothing. "Well, that was an answer," she says, and leaves in tears.

John steps out of the shadows and says he can tell Jenna about Isabelle tomorrow.

Ric gives the ring to John, saying after what he pulled with Damon, he'll need it.

Elena and the boys put Elijah in the cellar, making sure to keep the dagger in him. Elena agrees to fight, but announces they're doing things her way from now on. They agree.

Damon asks Stefan how he changed her mind. Stefan says he told her about Lexi and asks pointedly if Damon remembers her.

Flashback to Damon with a packed bag, leaving the house. Lexi tells him he might think he has his hate under control, but he doesn't. He says he and Stefan are at "irreparable odds" and asks her to help Stefan. He leaves.

Damon comes into his bedroom to hear his shower running. He assumes it's Andi. It's not.

Katherine is free. She tells him she knew if she begged him not to kill Elijah, he would. Apparently, she knew when an Original dies, their compulsions die with them. She's out. But she promises to stay and help them.