"Children of the Damned" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the thirteenth episode of the series overall. It originally aired on February 4, 2010. The episode was written by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec and directed by Marcos Siega.
Plot
In 1864, Katherine (Nina Dobrev) stops a horse-drawn carriage and asks for help because her husband has been attacked. A man is laying on the road and one of the two men from the carriage goes to help him. Katherine attacks the one who left at the carriage and then the other one. Her "husband" gets up and it is revealed to be Damon (Ian Somerhalder) who is still human and Katherine teaches him how a vampire acts.
In the present day, Damon enters Stefan's (Paul Wesley) room without caring he is with Elena. He wants to start looking for the Grimoire and Stefan promised to help him, which for him means Elena is also helping. He asks her to find Jonathan Gilbert's journal that is the key to where the Grimoire is.
Anna (Malese Jow) calls Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) trying to arrange a date with him while Ben (Sean Faris) is getting ready for his date with Bonnie (Kat Graham) later. Meanwhile, at the Gilbert house, Elena and Stefan talk about Damon as Elena is looking for Jonathan's journal. Jeremy shows up and tells them that he gave the journal to Alaric (Matt Davis).
In 1864, Damon is with Katherine when Emily (Bianca Lawson) gets into the room and announces to Katherine that Pearl (Kelly Hu) is here to see her. Katherine meets Pearl, who tells her that she worries with the fact that she is with both Salvatore brothers and them knowing their vampire secret. She gives Katherine an elixir made of vervain and informs her that people start to drink it because they suspect about the vampires. Pearl wants to move to another town but Katherine's not ready. While they are talking, Pearl's daughter passes by and it's revealed that is no other than Anna.
Stefan and Damon's dad, Giuseppe (James Remar), is a vampire hunter and promises his fellow hunters that both of his boys will help them. He later talks to his sons about their plan and he asks for their help. When their father walks away, Stefan says that if they talk to him about Katherine, they will convince him not to kill her. Damon does not believe that and he makes Stefan promise that he will not tell a thing.
Stefan, despite his promise, tries to talk to his father denying though that he knows any vampires, but his father figures out that he is lying and spikes his drink with vervain. Later, Stefan is with Katherine who tries to feed on him but because of the vervain, she faints. Giuseppe gets into the room and asks Stefan to call the sheriff. Stefan tries to change his dad's mind but he cannot. They take Katherine away to burn her with the other vampires.
Back in the present day, Alaric reads Jonathan's journal at school, while Anna is watching him. Alaric hears something and calls to see if anyone is there. When he does not get any response, he goes to his locker and gets a gun that shoots wooden stakes. He returns to the classroom and finds Stefan there. He shoots him, but Stefan catches the stake before it hits him. Alaric tries to reload but Stefan stops him and gets the gun.
Stefan asks Alaric to sit so they can talk and promises he will not hurt him and he gives Alaric his gun back. Alaric is confused but he trusts him and he tells him why he is in Mystic Falls. He admits that he witnessed a vampire, Damon, killing his wife but Damon had to hear him and he disappeared along with his wife's body. Stefan tells him that if he is here for revenge it will not end good for him and he offers to help him. He asks where the journal is and Alaric points the desk where he left it but the journal is not there anymore.
Anna got the journal and now she reads it to find where the Grimoire is while Ben leaves for his date with Bonnie. Later, Ben tries to fish info from Bonnie about Elena and unsuspected Bonnie tells him that the two of them are like sisters and that she would die for her. Bonnie, decides to give it a chance and she kisses Ben. The moment she does, though, she senses evil and pulls back. She acts as nothing happened and tells him that she needs to go to the bathroom. Ben realizes that Bonnie is suspecting him so he follows her to the bathroom and kidnaps her.