'The Vampire Diaries' Recap: 'Age of Innocence' Season 7 Episode 3, Revelations of Love

Caroline was introduced to very telling journal entries that is carried by Valerie in CWTV's The Vampire Diaries. This week in "Age of Innocence," episode three of season seven, Caroline dives deeper into Stefan's past and so does Lily.

Damon, Bonnie and Alaric decide to embark on a road trip where they hope to find the seventh Heretic, Oscar, in hopes that he can use it to bargain for Caroline and the body of Elena. Caroline is being held in captivity but thanks to Nora, more shocking information about Valerie's past is revealed through Stefan's journal.

Lily gives Stefan a lesson on his past and open his eyes to unknown details. When things get too much for Alaric to bare on his own, he opens up to her about a secret.

It all begin in the future as Tyler receives a call from Stefan who is hurt. Tyler agrees to help him reach Caroline and tells Stefan that he should be running. He lights his car on fire but saves his journal before he does so. He did tell Tyler that his scar opened up. Bonnie is writing to Elena when she gets a terrible flashback of death, blood and screams.

Alaric still has the stone and Damon is actually staying with him. He is only with him until they get Elena back.

Meanwhile, Bonnie comes in and asks Alaric if he destroyed the phoenix stone. He lies to her and she believes it. Damon persuades both Bonnie and Alaric to join him on a road trip.

Caroline is in captivity and Nora and Mary Louise are continuing to play tricks on her. Stefan calls his phone, which he dropped when he tried to save her. He tells her that he is working on getting her out when she asks about Valerie.

She cites the journal entry but before Stefan could answer Caroline is attacked by Valerie. Stefan is concerned and approaches Lily about the girls hurting Caroline.

He then asks about Valerie after telling her that he and Damon aren't speaking. Lily says she met Valerie way before he did and she was actually the one who sent her to him.

A flashback occurs of Stefan's first meeting with Valerie. Meanwhile, in present day Caroline is asking Valerie about her relationship with Stefan. Valerie says she was the first love of Stefan's life. Stefan helps his mother change her flat tire and she admits that she sent Valerie to see how he was doing because she wasn't over losing him.

She tells him about a gentleman friend named Julian. She says Julian was the man she was not supposed to fall for before a flashback of the man himself.

He seemed to be smitten with Valerie and approaches Stefan and Valerie. He scolds Valerie about getting to close to Stefan.

Valerie tells the same story to Caroline and says that Stefan was gorgeous. She actually fell for Stefan and she was only a witch at the time. In the flashback Stefan vents about his life to Valerie. She tells him there is no shame in missing his brother.

Stefan notices that Julian is quite persistent and Valerie says they shall evade him. She performs a cloaking spell and they disappear from Julian.

Caroline asks her what happened next and realizes that the spell she put on her last week was really to keep Stefan from being able to touch her.

Valerie and Stefan were actually a very big item because it appears as if she really was his first love.

Caroline is a bit hurt after hearing the story and Valerie has a smug grin on her face. Alaric and Damon are going over a plan to capture Oscar. Bonnie says they first need to see if Oscar can help with the mysterious visions. When Damon knocks the door, Oscar opens ip and appears to be drunk, recognizes Damon and says it's good to see he's well.

He even calls him "old friend." Oscar has sussed the three of them out and tells a story about meeting Damon at a bar. His story is similar to Valerie's.

Oscar was sent by Lily to check on Damon. Oscar sure is wild and has a room full of near dead women.

Stefan is taking a ride with his mother who continues to explain why she sent Valerie. In a flashback Stefan asks Valerie to follow him so that he can show her something. He brings her to his mother's grave and explains that he goes there everyday to place flowers. He feels like he failed his mother because he wasn't able to bring the flowers necessary for an herbal tonic that could have saved his mother.

Stefan felt guilt for not being fast enough and confides in Valerie. Valerie relieves him by telling him that the tonic would not have saved his mother from consumption.

She tells him that his father sent him on a fools errand and that her death was not his fault.

Julian breaks up the party and tells Valerie to come with him. Stefan asks when he will see her again and all she said was that she would find her way back to him.

Caroline equates the story to the Notebook and Valerie said that Julian had a way of convincing people to follow him. Oscar tells Bonnie, Alaric and Damon about his freedom away from the prison world. Bonnie asks him to siphon her problems away.

Oscar doesn't want Lily to know about him straying away from the mission and agrees to help Bonnie in return.

He takes the vision away and asks her where the phoenix stone is. Oscar begins to attack all three of them and suspects them of being up to something because they know about the phoenix stone.

Damon tells them that Oscar is gone. Bonnie finds out that Alaric still had the phoenix stone and that Damon knew. He narrowly escapes Bonnie's wrath but Alaric doesn't. She scolds Alaric for hanging on to the stone and he says that Jo was the love of his life and he needs to try to bring her back or he'll spend the rest of his time wishing he was still dead.

Lily tells Stefan that Valerie would never hurt him but Stefan tells Lily about a telegram he received from Valerie. It said that she would return and run away with him but he waited and she never showed up.

Stefan accepted that he had been abandoned and Valerie read all about it in the journal.

Caroline asks her how she could do that to Stefan and Valerie says there was a change of plans. She recounts being caught by Julian who told her that she would not be going anywhere. Julian asks her if Stefan Salvatore knows that she is pregnant with his child! Damon tells Oscar he lied and that he did remember him. Oscar saved his life back then and Damon says he doesn't care about the stone.

He wants to cash Oscar in for something way better. The two begin fighting and Bonnie and Alaric help to capture him.

They subdue Oscar but Bonnie is still upset with Alaric and Damon. She gives Alaric the stone and asks him to never lie to him again.

Lily returns and asks for Valerie. Caroline tells her that she spent all day learning about Stefan's first time. Lily asked about Caroline's mom but Caroline just showed Lily Stefan's entries about his mother who he loved and missed. Lily asks her Heretics to remove the barrier as a reward for Stefan's honesty. Caroline high tails out of captivity. Meanwhile, Valerie pays Stefan a visit and tells him that she often visited the bench to think.

She says it's strange being with him finally with the ability to tell the truth. In a flashback, Valerie begged Julian not tell Lily. He then beat Valerie near to death and she lost the baby.

Julian lied to Lily about what happened and she healed her. Valerie says that Lily would have not forgive her for sleeping with her son.

Valerie tried to kill herself but she died with Lily's blood in her. Her apology to Stefan was done under a cloaking spell so he never really heard a word she said.

Alaric and Bonnie are trying to figure out what the phoenix stone has to do with her visions. Bonnie asks him if he understands what they are trying to do because it's necromancy. Alaric shows Bonnie the power of the stone in the morgue but he can't bring Jo back alone. Bonnie says that she will try to help him. Damon calls his mother and tells her that he has Oscar and uses him to bargain for Elena. Damon says he get it, she loved him but then moved on to a new family.

Stefan is drinking his sorrow away when Caroline approaches. He is excited and tries to touch her but the spell still prevents it. Stefan says that he was young and human when Valerie met him.

Stefan tells Caroline that things have changed, there are different circumstances. He says he doesn't wonder about the past anymore and all he cares is that she is there and safe with him.

Valerie finds Oscar and tells him he is in a college town near Mystic Falls. Lily still doesn't know where he is because Valerie used a locator spell.

Oscar says that he found Julian months ago but wanted to live a little before he returned. He wanted to leverage Julian's location in exchange for freedom.

Valerie rips Oscar's heart out and says Julian is the devil. She doesn't want Lily to bring Julian back.

"Age of Innocence" continues tease a future conflict between Caroline and Stefan that we saw in the previous episodes so far. Clearly there is a much bigger reveal to come as the season moves forward but whatever that may be, it doesn't look to good for Steroline.

Meanwhile, racing to get the Heretics out of town is becoming a much harder task.

Fans who can't get enough will have to tune in next week to see what The CW hit has in store or head over to the shows main page.

Photos that sum up tonights episode.