Dear Diary,
It has been a pretty eventful summer so far. Amy and Rob are still going strong. Melody's been more focused on her music than ever, in fact, she's pretty much written five new songs so far and burned them so she'd have a demo ready, in case we ever meet a local music producer. As for me and Alex, we've been dating. I just wish everyone else's love lives were going well. Bonnie had to visit her dad's side of the family, so Jeremy's pretty much spent all of his time working his new job at the Grill. Luckily, Rob and Matt are working with him, he could use some more friends like them. As for Elena, well, we're still trying to find Stefan.
His absence has definitely left a huge impact on her. So far every lead we had has been shot down, but I know that Damon is doing all he can to find his brother. Heck, we've even got the Sheriff and Caroline passing us new information. Ever since the night Damon was cured, the relationship between the Forbes women and our group has become stronger.
Margret stopped writing and set her journal in the bench under the window seat. Then she looked up to the door and saw Elena. "How long have you been standing there?"
"I just woke up Jer." Elena told her. "He's running kind of late."
"That's not like him." Margret said, concerned. Ever since she and Bonnie convinced the spirits to bring Jeremy back to life, something about him seemed a little off. Granted, she knew twins were weird, but this was weirder than usual.
"Well, I guess he was up pretty late last night to oversleep." Elena said.
"Hey." Margret said as she began to leave. "Cheer up, birthday girl. I know we'll find him." Elena turned back to her. "Don't tell me you forgot."
"Actually, I did."
"I have the feeling he'll be back soon. In fact, I have a very strong feeling about it." Margret told her.
"Is that because of your psychic vibe or did you're crystal bracelet tell you?" Elena asked, laughing
"No, it was just a feeling I had when I woke up." Margret said. "I do get good feelings sometimes, you know."
"Well, I'll meet you later." Elena said. She left the room.
After Margret got dressed, she sat down by the window, looking out at the view. Then, she called Amy. "Hi."
"Margie, I was wondering when you'd call." Amy said.
"So, what are you up to?"
"Care's making me shop for party supplies with her." Margret had a feeling she'd do that, mostly because somehow, no matter who was around, she was always roping people in to helping her plan for parties.
"How's your sister doing?"
"She still seems kind of depressed." Margret said.
"Just because her boyfriend left her?" Amy asked.
"It's not because of that." Margret said. "Besides, it wasn't his fault. He was blackmailed into leaving town. Apparently some jerk got some information on him and he had to leave or he'd hurt her and his brother both, the two people he cares most about."
She knew she was stretching the truth by a lot, but it was better than telling them that Stefan made a deal with an Original vampire to save Damon in return for leaving.
"I get it, Margret. Though sometimes I wonder if Melody's right about guys." Amy told her.
"What's going on with you and Rob?" Margret asked.
"Not much." Amy said. "We agreed to take things slow with us, but lately, it just seems like we're drifting apart. It's like neither of us are really interested in hanging out, you know."
"Well, he is busy with work a lot more now." Margret pointed out. "Not like my twin makes it any easier. Why don't you invite him to the party?"
"All of you were invited already, remember?" Amy told her.
"So, what do you think it'll be like?" Margret asked.
"How should I know? Caroline's planning it. I'm surprised Aunt Liz even let her take charge on this one."
"Well, maybe this party will help cheer Elena up." Margret said. "I haven't seen her like this since…" She hesitated. "The accident."
"I didn't know it was that bad." Amy said. "And how are you coping with everything?"
"I'm just glad you guys are still hanging around." Margret said. "By the way, how was your trip?" Amy had gone on a trip to Malibu with her parents, taking surf lessons and spending most of her time at the beach. She got back two weeks ago.
"I'll show you some of the pictures when we meet up later." Amy told her.
"Yeah, I guess I'll meet you later to join 'the decorating committee." Margret said as she entered the living room. "Later." She hung up and walked over to where Elena and Alaric were talking. He'd been staying with them ever since they lost Jenna.
"You certain Stefan's still with him?" Alaric asked her as Margret joined them.
"Easy to be certain when the alternative is that he's dead." Elena said.
"Well, that's an alternative I'm not considering." Margret said. "I know the situation's bad, but I believe he'd want us to help." The group was silent for a moment.
"Are you sure you're still okay on the couch?" Elena asked.
"Yeah, Yeah, I'm good." Alaric told her.
"Because you spent half the summer on it." Elena said. "If you need you own bedroom…"
"Eeeh, sleeping in your dead parent's room or my dead... girlfriend's room, Nah."
"I think there's a guest room across the hall from Elena's." Margret offered.
"Thanks, but I think I'll stay down here."
"Okay." Margret shrugged. Elena started to leave the room.
"Hey, Elena." Alaric called. She turned around and looked at him. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks." Elena said, smiling slightly. Then she left the room. Margret watched her leave, concerned.
"So, is everything okay with you?" Alaric asked her.
"Oh, everything's fine." Margret said. "It's just a little…challenging."
"I know what you mean. Your sister's really strong, but she's only human. Even she can only handle so much of this." Alaric said.
"I know, but I'm worried." Margret said. "You'll be there tonight, won't you? I have a feeling she might need her support group."
"How can I not be there? Damon convinced me to chaperone."
Margret smiled, then headed back upstairs.
A few hours later, the girls were helping decorate the Salvatore's house. They were working in the library, while Elena, Caroline, and Tyler were working in the living room. "Has anyone noticed anything different with Tyler and Caroline?" Melody asked as she finished tying a streamer around one of the supports.
"What are you talking about?" Margret asked.
"You didn't see it?" Melody said. "They were totally flirting."
"Give it a rest, Mel." Amy said. "I've stayed over at Care's place a few times this summer. They're just friends."
"I don't know." Margret said. "Ever since she broke up with Matt, it seems like she and Tyler have gotten closer."
"Okay, one, it was the other way around, and two, they really are just friends." Amy said. "Nothing's happened between them. Though it does seem like my cousin's got a slight crush on him."
"Have you been spying on her?" Melody asked.
"No!" Amy said. "We weren't spying, Rob and I were taking a walk through the park when we saw them talking. Care couldn't seem to stop laughing." Margret knew it had to be serious. Whenever Caroline got super nervous around guys, she'd break into a case of the giggles.
"Wow." Melody said.
"I'm going to get more decorations." Margret said. She walked into the living room and heard Elena talking about Damon.
"I feel like I have to fight Damon every single time we get a lead on Stefan." Elena was saying.
"Maybe he doesn't want to find him." Tyler said.
"Tyler!" Caroline said.
"What did I just walk into?" Margret wondered. She hadn't realized she'd spoken aloud until they all turned to look at her.
"What? He's into you, isn't he?" She seemed surprised that even Tyler, of all people, knew about Damon's feelings for Elena.
"The only reason Stefan left with Klaus was so he could save Damon's life." Elena pointed out. "I mean, trust me, Damon wants to find him."
Caroline was handing Margret a box of decorations when Tyler's next comment surprised them. "But you kissed him." He pointed out. "Probably screwed with his head."
Margret didn't seem too surprised. Elena had told her everything that'd happened that night. What did surprise her is that Tyler knew about it.
"Tyler!" Caroline yelled. She turned to Elena. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it, look yes I kissed him but was a... a goodbye kiss. I thought he was gonna die." Elena pointed out. Amy walked into the room then.
"Margret, what's taking so long?"
"Sorry, got held up." Margret said. "I'll just go back to the library now." She left, carrying the box of decorations with her.
"I just got a missed a call from Bonnie, I'll be right back." Elena told them. She walked into the hallway.
"Just because I tell you things it doesn't mean you're allowed to know them!" Caroline told Tyler.
"Uh, Care, that doesn't make any sense." Amy said.
"What I mean is, he shouldn't tell people everything that I tell him, especially when it's a secret." Caroline said.
"Sorry, how was I supposed to know?" Tyler pointed out. "I've gotta run if I'm gonna change and pick up Sophie in time."
"You're bringing a date?" Caroline asked. "Slutty Sophie is you're date?"
"Hey! It's been kinda slow in that department." Amy was too busy checking the sound system in the room to pay attention to the rest of the conversation…until a loud screeching sound echoed through the room. They looked at her.
"Sorry! I'll get Rob to fix that." Amy said. Tyler left. She noticed Caroline watching him. "So, how are things with you guys?"
"Don't you start, too." Caroline said.
"No, don't shut me out, Caroline Forbes. You can talk to me about guy stuff." Amy pointed out. "We're family, and I know how to keep a secret."
"Okay, I like him." Caroline told her. "A lot. He seems to be the only one who gets me, since Matt's been avoiding both of us this summer. And Tyler's just different. "
Amy seemed surprised, but she got why she felt this way. "You should go for it."
"Really? I thought you couldn't stand him."
"He may not be the nicest guy out there, but he's still friends with my boyfriend." Amy pointed out, blushing. "And he's different around you, I see the way he looks at you when he thinks you're not looking."
"You really think he feels the same way?"
"If it's anything I've learned from you, Care, it's that it's worth the risk." Amy said. "Just be careful. I don't want you to turn into the girl you were when you went out with Da…"
"If you ever bring that up again, you will not live to see tomorrow." Caroline said. Amy nodded.
"Hey, what happened to Amy?" Melody asked.
"I think she bailed." Margret told her.
"I'm surprised she didn't give you the good news yet." Melody said.
"What news?" Margret asked, wondering what she meant.
"Amy and I got here earlier and Elena said it was okay if I chose the music." Melody said. "I've been working on this CD in particular for the party. It's all her favorite songs. Though it might cheer her up."
"Melody, you're the best." Margret said, wrapping her arms around her best friend.
"So, what did you get her?"
"It's kind of a secret." Margret told her. "But hopefully, it'll help just as much as your music."
"I hope you're right." Melody said. "We better get this job done on our own."
"You're not on your own." They looked up and saw Caroline in the doorway. "I can help you finish here."
"Thanks, Care. It's good to have an extra hand." Margret said. "By the way, what happened to your cousin?"
"She was in charge of taking Elena out of the house while we finished decorating." Caroline explained. "They were headed to the mall last time I saw them."
"Wow." Margret said. "I don't know how, but you've finally gotten my sister to go to one." For some reason, her sister was never as into shopping as Caroline. Freshman year, she'd finally convinced her to get a makeover and it didn't go so well.
A few hours later, Margret had changed into jeans and a light blue one-sleeved shirt. She wasn't really comfortable wearing skirts or dresses when it came to Caroline's parties. She'd pulled her dark hair into a ponytail. She was looking around. "Anyone see Elena?"
"I think she's still getting ready." Caroline told her.
"Care, can you let the others know I'll be down in a few minutes?" Margret asked.
"Sure."
Margret headed upstairs and found Elena. "Hey."
"Hey. You know, you don't have to check in."
"That's not why I came up here." Margret told her. Without looking behind her, she said, "Hi, Damon."
"How do you do that?"
"You're not that subtle. I heard your footsteps behind me." Margret said.
"How are you, anyway? Haven't seen you most of the summer."
"Well, I've been pretty busy between working alongside Amy and helping everyone else." Margret pointed out. "Though if I have to look at one more rack of clothes, I'll probably kill her."
"Well, you two ready?" He asked them.
"I guess I am." Elena said.
"Damon, do you mind if I have a minute with my sister?" Margret asked.
"Take all the time you need." He told her. He left the room.
"So, what's up?"
"I wanted to give you this." Margret said, handing Elena a small box. She opened it and found a bracelet very similar to the one her sister wore all the time. She noticed most of the crystals were pink, though there were a few purple, blue, and red ones between them.
"It's beautiful." Elena said.
"Those pink stones are rose quartz." Margret explained. "They help with love issues, or even bring love to you."
"What about the other stones?" Elena asked, wondering about them.
"Most of the blue-green ones are variations of jade, and those red ones are rubies. That one with a slight crack in it is turquoise, for protection." Elena noticed a small locket on the side, similar to Margret's, but heart-shaped. She opened it to find a picture of her, Margret, and the rest of their family. She also noticed a very tiny sprig taped down to the other half of the inside of the locket.
"Vervain?"
"Yeah." Margret said. It was then that she noticed that Elena was wearing her necklace. "Damon?" She asked. Elena nodded. "Well, it's always good to keep a back-up on in case."
Elena put the bracelet on her wrist. "Thanks, Margret. You're a really amazing friend. I'm lucky to have you for a sister." They embraced.
"I'm going downstairs." Margret told her after they let go. She headed out of the room and nearly walked into Damon. "Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. Should've watched where I was going."
"You were listening, weren't you?" She asked.
"I didn't hear anything if you didn't want me to." Damon told her.
"I'll meet you guys down there." She told him. Margret walked toward the staircase and headed down.
Margret headed downstairs and found the house was packed. Amy walked over to her. "Thank goodness!"
"I can't believe this." Margret said. "My sister's going to kill your cousin! She promised it'd only be the immediate group."
"Apparently, you don't know Care. When it comes to parties, she plans big." Amy said.
"Do you even know half these people, Amy?" Margret asked.
"No, but I think the others are around here somewhere." Amy said. "The inside of this house is so big, how do you not get lost in it?"
"To be fair, most of the rooms are either locked or off limits." Margret said. "Come on, let's go."
In the living room, Melody had the music selections set up. The girls walked in. Margret smiled when she saw Rob come up behind Amy. He covered her eyes. "Guess who?" Amy removed his hands and turned around.
"Robert, when are you going to stop doing that?" Amy asked, laughing.
"When I stop getting you to laugh, which I hope is never." Rob told her. Margret saw Alex across the room. He ran over to her.
"Alex! You guys made it!" Margret ran into his arms.
"Like we'd ever miss your sister's birthday. It's practically been our tradition since we were eight." Alex pointed out. She laughed as he spun her out.
"I'm changing the CDs around, we need a more positive atmosphere." Melody said. "Also, if any of you have any requests, let me know." She started to walk back to where she'd set up the DJ table.
"She really is a pro at this." Amy said.
"Yeah, thanks for letting her do this." Margret said.
"I didn't. I assumed Caroline gave her permission." Amy said.
"I doubt it." Rob said. "She was too busy with the set-up to worry about entertainment."
"Speaking of which, maybe we should put in a request before she plays that Maroon 5 song again." Alex pointed out.
"I second that. I love Melody like a sister, but if I have to hear This Love one more time, I'm getting rid of that CD." Margret said.
"Hey, I gave you that when you turned fourteen." Rob pointed out.
"Yeah, and back then I didn't think anything bad would ever happen to my family!" Margret snapped. Her friends looked at her in shock. Even Melody, who was at the DJ stand, was stunned. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from." She walked out of the living room, not turning around when Alex called her name.
"Rob, sweetie, I'll be right back." Amy said. He nodded, kissing her on the cheek. She followed her out of the room.
In the hallway, she caught up to Margret. "Hey."
"I'm fine." Margret told her.
"You're not fine." Amy said. "You're acting like Care did when Matt dumped her at the beginning of summer break."
"How do you know so much about her? I thought you lived a block away."
"Across the street, actually." Amy corrected. "Come on, you know I'd keep this between us."
"Okay." They sat down on the steps. "I'm worried about Elena. She's not really into this, I can see it. It's not just the party, either." She explained. "Ever since we lost Jenna, it's like our family fell apart all over again."
"What do you mean?" Amy asked.
"I mean that she's going through the motions." Margret told her. "It's like nothing really matters as much as it used to."
"Well, you guys lost your aunt and she also lost her boyfriend, so she's probably just as lost as you twins." Amy pointed out.
"Yeah, I'm even more worried about him." Margret admitted. "He left so he could keep her safe, but I have a feeling he might be in trouble." She couldn't tell Amy that she knew he was in trouble, otherwise she'd think she was crazy.
"I get it, he basically made a deal with the devil to keep Elena out of harm's way." Amy said. Margret looked at her, surprised by how scary accurate her description was. "Look, things will definitely work out."
"How can you be so sure, Amy?" Margret asked.
"Because if they really love each other the way we all think they do, they'll eventually find their way back to each other." Amy told her. Margret smiled. "Come on, you look like you could use a dance break." She led her back to the living room.
Rob and the others were watching Caroline. "Since when is Ty into her?" Alex asked.
"He's not." Rob said. "He's trying to make Caroline jealous."
"Well, looks like it's working." Alex said, glancing at Caroline.
"He better be careful around her." Amy said as she and Margret came up to them. "When my cousin gets jealous, she plays dirty."
"Really?" Margret asked. She looked up and saw Caroline talking to the girl now. The girl started to leave, though her movement seemed robotic and slow. She shook her head. Clearly her vampire friend still hadn't learned. A fast song came on. She noticed Alex behind her.
"Care to dance?" He asked
"I have nothing better to do." Margret said, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.
After about an hour, Margret had finally relaxed. "Hey, I'm going to go check on the birthday girl. I'll be right back." She told the others.
"Okay." Alex said.
Margret headed upstairs. She heard something and ran the rest of the way up. "It's your birthday! You know, it's the dawn of a new day and, you can't get on with your life until you have made a wish and blown out the candles." She heard Caroline say as she headed upstairs.
"Is that what you all want me to do? Just get on with my life?" Elena asked. Margret could see them now. She remained at the top of the staircase. She saw how Caroline looked and slowly moved toward them.
"No... Maybe... I just don't think anyone wants to see you like this." Caroline said.
"I'm not giving up on finding Stefan, Caroline." Elena said.
"Of course not. And you shouldn't, but you have to admit that you kinda just letting your life pass you by." Caroline pointed out. "And wasn't Stefan the one who wanted to make sure that you lived it?"
"Caroline?" Elena turned around to find her sister behind them.
"Do you feel the same way?" She asked her.
"No." Margret said, looking away. She knew she'd basically just given herself away. When she looked back, she noticed her sister seemed really upset. "I'm sorry, Elena. But I'm worried about you. Ever since he left, it seems like you're just going through the motions. I know it's probably normal, considering what our family's been going through, but still…"
Elena turned back to Caroline. "You want me to make a wish? I just wanna know that he's alive. That's it! That's my wish." She started to walk away.
"Care?" Margret asked.
"I'm not trying to upset her, I was just trying to be honest."
"So you decided to this now? On her birthday?"
"Like I said, I was just trying to help her. Besides, she had my back during that shopping trip a few days ago, when my new dress ripped up my…"
"Okay, Caroline, sit down." Margret said, preventing her from standing. She got a very good look at her. "Oh, my god. Are you drunk?"
"A little." Caroline said.
"Okay, here is what we're going to do." Margret said. "First, you're going to apologize to my sister. Meanwhile, I'm going to get your cousin. She knows how to handle this better."
Margret passed by Damon's room on the way down, and saw Elena frozen outside the closet. "Elena? What is it?" She saw a map and a bunch of pins. "Oh."
Caroline showed up then. "I'm sorry, okay. I'm just drunk and dumb tonight. Annoying, but hey what are you doing? What's all that?"
"It's Klaus. Damon's been tracking him without me." Elena realized.
"Well, if he finds out you're alive, we're all in trouble." Margret pointed out. "I think he was trying to protect you, and besides, if Klaus is still with Stefan…"
"I get it, but still, he could've told me." Elena said.
"I'm going to get Amy." Margret said. "She knows how to deal with Caroline when she's like this." She headed downstairs.
"There you are. I just ran into your cousin upstairs." She said.
"Oh, great. She's drunk again, isn't she?" Amy guessed.
"How did you…"
"Anytime she's upset at her own parties, she goes straight for the alcohol." Amy said. Margret noticed that a crowd had gathered in the living room.
"Whoa. What's going on?"
"Melody's been studying dance the past few weeks." Amy told her. "Don't you remember?"
"Oh, right." Margret said. The two of them joined Rob and Alex near the front of the group. Melody was out on the dancefloor, unaware that there were others watching her. She was dancing with a guy. Margret assumed it was the partner she'd wrote about in her letter.
Melody turned to her partner and nodded. He seemed hesitant, but he moved closer so that they were close enough to touch. They seemed to be talking, but the music was so loud they couldn't hear them.
Everyone watched as her partner held her. Melody placed her hands around his waist, and he helped her so that she'd flipped into an upside-down position and doing the splits. Carefully, they managed to move so that she ended up back in an upright position, resting her knees on his shoulders.
The room exploded in applause. Rob walked over to help Melody get out of the position, then they walked back to the others.
"Wow, that was awesome." Amy said.
"She's right, you were amazing out there." Margret said. "How did you learn that move?"
"Practice." Melody said. "And I've gone over that routine from So You Think You Can Dance about thirty times."
"Wow. That's amazing." Amy said. "And Care said you can't learn anything about dance by watching that show."
"Well, clearly she's wrong about that." Rob said, putting his arm around her.
"Obviously, considering you're sister's the best dancer here." Alex said. "No offense, Margie."
"It's alright. I know I've got two left feet." Margret told him, smiling. "Though I've been getting better at the slow dances."
"You've made a lot of progress." Melody agreed. "At least you have an actual partner to dance with instead of some enthusiast from dance camp."
"Well, any guy who ends up with you would be lucky." Amy said. "Especially if you keep dancing like that."
"You think so?"
"Of course we do, Mel." Margret pointed out. "Who knows, you might even give him some pointers on dancing."
"I don't know, music's more my thing."
"You shouldn't sell yourself short. Besides, maybe you could coach the dance team this year." Rob said.
"Yeah, I think I'll stick with cheerleading." Melody said. The group watched as the two siblings started to argue.
"Well, guess this will take…whoa!" Margret grabbed her wrist as though she'd felt a shock pass through her.
"Are you okay?" Alex asked her. She glanced at her wrist and realized one of the new crystals she'd added was vibrating. Before she'd left for the summer, Bonnie had given her a few new ones. Like the others, they were already pre-spelled so they'd work.
Margret glanced upstairs and figured out what it meant. Then she looked at the others, who looked concerned. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'll just go find a bandage or something."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Alex, stop worrying about me."
"You're my girlfriend, it's impossible for me not to." Alex pointed out.
"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Margret told him. She kissed him on the cheek, then headed upstairs.
Once she got upstairs, the blue crystal started vibrating again. "Where do I go?" She asked. As though it understood her, the crystal started glowing almost as if moonlight itself was reflecting off it. She noticed a faint light emanating from it, leading toward one of the bedrooms.
She walked over to the closed door and knocked on it. "This room's off-limits!" A tired, sad voice called out.
"Elena?" She opened the door and found her on the bed. Elena looked up and brushed the tears from her eyes. "What happened?"
"We had a fight." She explained calmly. Margret sat down next to her. "It's like he's given up."
"Did he actually say that?"
"You didn't see how hopeless he looked." Margret didn't respond, not wanting to tell her that he looked like that every time he looked at her.
"Okay, you might want to start from the beginning." Margret said. Elena explained everything to her, about how he'd been not only tracking Klaus, but that Stefan was the one leaving the bodies.
"And he doesn't think we stand a chance of saving him now."
"Oh, come on." Margret said. "You've all faced the impossible before. This is no different than everything else we've been through."
"What if we can't…"
"No. No more negative talk on your birthday, Lena." Margret said. "If it were me, I'd keep going even if I knew it were hopeless. Even if I couldn't convince my friends of that."
"Thanks, Margret. You always know what to say."
"I learned from the best, Elena." Margret pointed out. Elena wrapped her arms around her. "Come on, how about we ditch this party and go home?"
"You read my mind." Elena said. "Let's go." They headed downstairs and out the door.
A few minutes later, Margret had finished getting ready for bed. She found Elena sitting on her bed, looking at her phone. "Everything okay?"
"I'm not sure." Elena told her. Margret sat down next to her. "I…I think Stefan just called me."
"And you're sure it's him?" Margret asked her.
"I've got a strong feeling about it." Elena said. "But to be sure, I'll ask Liz to trace it in the morning."
"If it really is him, maybe we can convince him to help again." Margret said.
"I hope you're right, Margie." Elena said. Margret headed to her bedroom, hoping that everything would work out somehow.