Mossy Manse: Stefan informs Zach that there's just been another attack, but that he (once again) was not the perpetrator. Retreating to his room, he eyes the open balcony doors. And I'm sorry, but if you lived in Virginia, wouldn't you have screen doors up, too? It's not like Virginia is bug-free -- or crow free for that matter -- because our favorite black bird swoops right in and settles on the rafters. Behind Stefan, a male figure appears at the balcony door. Stefan turns to find..."Damon!" Damon (Ian Somerhalder; Boone, Lost) smirks. "Hello, brother." Hello, cutie. Everything just got even prettier! COMMERCIAL!

Now, I've never read the books, but I've read this and that in preparation for watching the series. What follows won't spoil the plot, but does discuss the premise. I was given to understand that Stefan had the whole fog thing going on, and that he was a shape-shifter that often took the form of a crow. But it seems the crow is Damon's trick, and yet it doesn't seem he took the form of a crow, because the crow is still right there in Stefan's room, cawing away. I won't pretend to get that yet, at all, but now I'm thinking that it was Damon-Crow that caused Bonnie's almost-accident, and spooked Elena at the cemetery, too. What do you think?

Anyhow, it's been 15 years since the brothers have seen one another, so they do a verbal tango, with Stefan pointing out that Damon left Vicki alive tonight. Damon says, "That could be a problem...for you." He admits he's back in town because of just one thing -- Elena.

Party Aftermath: Matt watches as Vicki is loaded into an ambulance, then climbs in with her. Bonnie tells Elena that she and Caroline are going to "mainline coffee" 'til they're sober enough to go home. I do not ask them if they're driving to get their coffee, because I don't want to know. Kids, please don't drink and drive. Call your parents. Call a cab. Call a cool aunt. Just don't do it. Elena begs off; she has to tend to Jeremy. Before she leaves, Bonnie confesses that -- psychic gifts aside -- whatever she saw or thinks she saw, "It's only the beginning."