Drew Stephenson

More powerful than ever, Kai (recurring guest star Chris Wood) holds Elena captive while he learns to control his newly acquired magic. At the Salvatore mansion, Liv (recurring guest star Penelope Mitchell) and Alaric try to prepare Jo (recurring guest star Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) for the impending merge ceremony with Kai, but they quickly realize Jo is weaker than they thought. After bringing Sheriff Forbes (recurring guest star Marguerite MacIntyre) home from the hospital, Caroline travels with Stefan to North Carolina in search of a cure for her mother's cancer. Meanwhile, Stefan, who has his own intentions for traveling to North Carolina, is caught off-guard when Enzo shows up demanding to know what Stefan is hiding. Lastly, when Damon discovers Elena has been kidnapped by Kai, he is forced to rethink his strategy after an unexpected visitor throws a wrench into his plan.

When Liv (recurring guest star Penelope Mitchell) and Luke's (recurring guest star Chris Brochu) father arrives to town to celebrate their birthday, they try and convince him to let Jo (guest star Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) and Kai (recurring guest star Chris Wood) take their place in the merge ceremony. After Tyler finds out that the merge is happening sooner than he expected, he urges Liv to let him talk to her father. Meanwhile, after Caroline's plan to cure her mother takes an unexpected and devastating turn, Elena, Stefan and Damon gather at the hospital, while Jo attempts to save Sheriff Forbes' (recurring guest star Marguerite MacIntyre) life. Lastly, with the merge set to take place, Damon's risky plan quickly sends things spiraling out of control, forcing one of the twins to take matters into their own hands.