‘Vampire Diaries’ Season 7 Spoilers: Recap Of Where Damon and Stefan Left Off Before The Jan. 29 Midseason Premiere

“The Vampire Diaries” Season 7 is finally coming back, but fans can’t forget where it left the Salvatore brothers. Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) will be dealing with the ramifications of the finale for months to come, so check out this refresher to remember where the CW drama left off before the midseason premiere.

The Christmas-themed episode was a somber affair. It kicked off with Lily’s (Annie Wersching) funeral, where Stefan decided he would avenge her death. He wanted to kill Julian (Todd Lasance), but that’s no easy feat. They tracked him down at a Santa-themed pub crawl, and Julian drunkenly explained the Phoenix Stone sword. When the gem is in the sword, the weapon can be used to trap vampires’ souls in their own version of hell.

Julian said that Lily was the only one who kept him sane, but now that she’s gone, the gloves are coming off. He brought a group of vampire friends with him to attack the brothers, but Damon set fire to the bar and they got away.

Stefan and Valerie (Elizabeth Blackmore) thought that kidnapping Mary Louise (Teressa Liane) would somehow help them get to Julian. It did lead to a confrontation, but it didn’t go their way. When Julian found Damon and Stefan, a fight ensued. The brothers put up a fight, but Julian manages to stab Damon with the Phoenix Stone sword. Then Damon woke up in the middle of the Civil War.

Watch producers talk about “The Vampire Diaries” Season 7, episode 9 below:

Julian left the scene while Stefan recovered, but that wasn’t the end of the unexpected visitors. A little while later, Nora (Scarlett Byrne) showed up to get revenge on Stefan for abducting her love, Mary Louise. Nora stabbed Stefan with Phoenix Stone sword, putting Stefan’s soul in his own personal version of hell.

Earlier in the midseason finale, it seemed like Nora might actually be one of the good guys. She teamed up with Bonnie (Kat Graham) to run a Toys for Tots drive. It wasn’t until Julian texted her about Mary Louise that she went to the dark side.

Elsewhere, Caroline (Candice King) went a little baby crazy in this episode. The pregnant vampire had some trouble controlling her emotions. Her fangs popped out when she overheard women talking about her sleeping with her professor. Alaric (Matt Davis) stopped Caroline from attacking her classmates, but she didn’t really appreciate his interference. She went to her mother’s grave to vent, but she has more pressing concerns after she watched Nora stab Stefan with the Phoenix Stone Sword.

When “The Vampire Diaries” Season 7 returns, both Damon and Stefan will be dead, but that doesn't mean they'll be off screen. Audiences will spend time with Damon during the Civil War. Stefan will be in a very different version of hell, and Julian will try to make sure the good vampire can never come back. The boys will be stuck in the stone for quite some time. The midseason premiere will pick up three months later.

“The Vampire Diaries” Season 7 returns Friday at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.