That weekend, Margret, Melody, Alex, and Amy were all helping set up for the Night of Illuminations event. They were in the crowd listening to Carol's speech.

"What are we doing here?" Jeremy asked.

"Tobias fell is the head of the history department. I didn't have a choice." Alaric told him.

"And most of the Junior class signed up for this." Margret pointed out. "Besides, there's no way Amy would let us bail."

"We may as well do something productive with our time." Amy said. "It's better than staying in watching music videos all day."

"That explains what you're doing here." Jeremy said.

"Well, I'm the one who can fail you if you don't help me out." Alaric told him.

"Seriously, Jer. You've got to stop dragging everyone down." Melody said.

"I can't believe she used to have a crush on him." Margret told Alex. He nodded. She could see her sister running over to them. She was unusually late this morning.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. What did I miss?"

"You didn't miss anything." Jeremy told her.

"Where were you, anyway?" Margret whispered as they listened to Tobias' speech.

"Out. I'll tell you about it later." Elena explained.

A couple hours later, Margret was sitting with the rest of her family outside the Grill. Alex had left to let the rest of her group know she'd be running late. Elena had a few journals set out on the table.

"Hey, Jer, I need you to help me with something." Elena said.

"What's up?"

"I've been going through Stefan's old journals. Every single time that he's gone off the rails in the past, his best friend Lexi's been the one to bring him back." She explained.

"So where is she now that we need her?" Alaric asked.

Jeremy sighed. "She's dead. And you want me to try to reach her, don't you?"

"I thought if I knew how she did it, maybe I could help him." Elena admitted.

"She has a point," Margret said. "Besides, if we can reach her, we could prevent a lot of people from getting hurt."

"I wish it were that easy," Jeremy told them. "I don't even know if she's on the Other Side."

"Is that what it's called?" Elena asked.

"That's what Anna calls it." He explained. "There's not like an official brochure or anything."

"So what is it, like some sort of supernatural purgatory?" Alaric asked him.

"Well, Anna said it's like being here with all of us, only we can't see or hear her." Jeremy told them. "And she can't interact with anyone. She's all alone."

"Vicki could interact. She blew up my car." Alaric pointed out.

"Vicki had help from a witch on the other side. Anna...She's doing this all by herself." Margret kind of felt bad for her, even though she barely even knew the girl when she was alive. But she knew Jeremy had really liked her.

"I'm just saying, maybe we learned our lesson about summoning dead people." Alaric said.

"Believe me, I stopped trying before I found out all this was real." Margret told them. Elena gave her sympathetic look. She knew how much her little sister had wanted to believe their parents were still out there somewhere.

"Margret…"

"It's fine, Elena. I've accepted the fact that they're gone. When you're living in a town with vampires, you just get used to it." Margret told her. Sometimes, she still wondered what they'd think of all this if they were alive.

Meanwhile, Melody and Amy were hanging lanterns in near the park. "Hey, you're the design expert. Should this one be higher or lower?" She asked Amy. The brunette girl took a good look at the position in comparison to the other lanterns hanging nearby.

"I think it's fine where it is." Amy finally told her. "Just make sure it's secure." Melody finished tying it to the branch, then climbed down the short latter.

"Thanks. You're better at this decorating stuff than I thought."

"It must run in the family." Amy shrugged. After all, she'd helped Caroline decorate so many parties and dances, it just came naturally to her. She and Melody glanced around at the lanterns other members of the school and community had hung up on the opposite side.

"Everyone did an awesome job this year." Melody said. Suddenly, a wind blew past them. It sent a shiver down both their spines. They looked at each other.

"Did you feel that, too?" Amy asked. Melody nodded.

"I wonder if it's going to rain. Usually when I feel something like that…"

"So do I, but it felt different." Amy told her. She felt kind of spooked out by it.

Back at the Grill, Margret was sitting back in her chair. "Do you think it's even possible to contact Lexi?" Elena asked Jeremy.

"I don't know. I didn't have an emotional connection with her. I never even met her."

"Well, I have an idea of what she looks like, if you think that'll help." Margret suggested.

"Yeah, but seeing someone from a distance isn't the same thing. I'm not sure knowing what she looks like would help." Jeremy pointed out.

Margret sighed, knowing he was right. From all the books she read on the subject, she knew the best way to connect with a ghost is if they had a connection with a human when they were alive. As far as she knew, vampires counted as alive unless they were staked in the heart.

"Can we just drop it, please?" Alaric asked.

"No, I can't drop it, Ric. I don't know what else to do." Elena said.

"Don't you think we have a few too many dead vampires in our past to be sitting here thinking of them watching us?" Alaric pointed out.

"That is the last thing any of us want to think about." Margret said. She set her glass down on the table. It shook slightly. She couldn't think of a time when she'd felt more scared. After taking a couple of calming breaths, she noticed Jeremy looking at an empty chair.

"Is Anna here right now?" Elena asked.

"No. I'm going to go, uh, check my work schedule." Jeremy said. He left and Margret instantly knew he was lying. She could always tell when he was, it was another one of those weird twin things.

"Hey, guys." She turned, surprised to see Stefan. She knew it wasn't their Stefan, though. Bonnie told her that he'd turned his emotions off. "Who forgot to invite me to the family summit?"

"Since you're not a member of our family, I'd say it's not our fault." Margret said. She got up and went inside, ducking into a booth near the back. After the past couple weeks, she was in no mood to deal with either Salvatore. And all the ghost talk was bringing back memories of her parents' funeral.

Someone came over to her. "Taking a break already?" She turned and saw Alex.

"Not really. I followed Jeremy in here and lost track of him." Margret said. Considering how crowded the place was, it would be easy to lose track of anyone.

"Yeah, this place is crowded. Even more than it usually is on the weekends."

"Probably because of the Night of Illuminations." Margret told him. He sat with her.

"Is everything okay?"

"I don't know. This whole event, it just keeps reminding me of my mom." Margret explained. "She used to volunteer every year, help the rest of the committee."

"It's really been a rough year for you." Alex said, taking her hand. "It's okay if you still miss her."

"When I was little, I wanted to be just like her." Margret said. "Ever since we lost her, my siblings and I turned to each other for support. Now, it just feels like everything's falling apart."

"Well, you can always talk to me about it. I know what it's like to miss someone." Alex pointed out.

"I don't know what I'd do without you." Margret said, lacing her fingers with his. He was her closest friend, and she'd fallen for him late last spring. They were a couple ever since.

"I'll always have your back, Margie." Alex pointed out. "I wanted to ask you something, but…"

"What is it, Alex?" Margret asked.

"Well, I wanted to ask if you'd want to watch the illumination ceremony with me, but if you're not up to it…"

"I'll come. I've always loved watching it." Margret said.

"Cool. I should get back to helping out. I'll see you later." Alex said. They shared a brief, soft kiss before he got up and left. Margret smiled. Talking with him about her life always made her feel better about everything.

Melody and Amy entered the Grill. "Wow, this place is packed."

"Well, it is a town celebration."

"Yeah, but this place is way more crowded than it normally is." Melody pointed out, looking around.

"Do you have the feeling something weird's going on today?" Amy asked.

"What?"

"Just this feeling I have." Amy said. "It could just be my imagination, though."

Margret headed into the bathroom to find Elena, Jeremy, and a girl. They all turned to her in shock. "Do I even want to know?" She asked.

"I just found them in here." Elena said. She turned to Jeremy. "I thought you said she wasn't here."

"Wait, you're Anna?" Margret asked. The girl looked nervous, and she started blushing. Then she realized what happened. "Oh, you've got to be kidding."

Back in the main room, Melody ran into Alex. "Hey, have you seen Margret?"

"I think she went to the bathroom…" He noticed someone sitting by the bar. Melody followed his gaze and seemed surprised.

"Is that Mason Lockwood?" Melody asked.

"Sure looks like him." Alex said. "I thought he'd left town for good after last year."

"Well, Ty has been acting kinda off lately." Melody said. "Maybe he came back to sort things out with him."

"Still, seems kinda strange, don't you think?" Alex pointed out. "For him to just show up out of the blue like this." Melody nodded. This was turning out to be a very strange day.

Back in the bathroom, Elena was on the phone with Caroline. Jeremy was holding Anna's hand. Margret was leaning against a wall. "I remember how my brother felt after you…you know."

"Died? It's okay to say it, you know." Anna said. "We're not all that sensitive."

"Jeremy told us how they took you away." Margret said. "You were one of the good ones."

"Thanks. You know, you're pretty cool for a twin."

"Well, it's nice to know we have ghosts like you watching over us." Margret pointed out. "And you're probably still here because there's still unfinished business with you two. Neither of you got a chance to say goodbye."

"I think that's why, too." Anna said. "But ever since he's been able to see me, I haven't been able to move on."

"Yeah, but he should've." Margret said.

"Hey…" Jeremy began.

"Save it. In case you've forgotten, you have a girlfriend that's alive." Margret told him. Elena had just gotten off the phone when Margret walked past her. She was a little angry that Jeremy basically cheated on Bonnie with the ghost of his past girlfriend, but at the same time, she felt sympathy for Anna. She knew she was a good person and would probably need help moving on.

She was lost in thought, so she didn't see the person in front of her until she bumped into her. "Sorry."

"It's okay." The girl said. She had long, blonde hair and was wearing a denim jacket. She looked a little familiar to her. "Thanks for trying to help them call me, Margret."

Margret looked surprised. "You know my name?"

"You're Elena's sister, right?" She asked. Margret nodded. "If you find her, tell her I'm here to help."

"How do you know about me, anyway?"

"I've been watching you guys try and deal with Stefan the Ripper." She said. "And if I were you, I wouldn't give up the magic and spirituality stuff just yet."

Just then, Elena showed up. "Hey, Margret, can you…Lexi?"

"Looks like today was a good day to be thinking about me, Elena." Margret was surprised. How could she not recognize her?

"Wow. You're a lot prettier than I remembered." She said.

"Thank you." Lexi told her. She turned to Elena. "Come with me."

"Margret!" Amy ran over to her. "There you are, we've been looking for you."

"Sorry." Margret joined the rest of the group at their table. "I got held up. What's new?"

"Apparently Mason's back in town." Alex said.

"What?" Just how many ghosts had shown up in today?

"Yeah, he's sitting right there, chatting with your legal guardian." Melody said. Margret turned and saw Mason sitting at the bar. That's when she knew they were going to have to send the ghosts away.

"I don't think it'll be too big of a deal." Margret said. "He's probably only here for today."

"Yeah, but wouldn't he be spending time with Tyler if that were the case?"

"How would I know, I'm not a relationship expert." Margret said. It came out snappier than she'd intended, but she was having a bad day.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked her.

"Not really, it's been a hard day." Margret told her.

"I can't imagine what this is like for you." Melody said. When they were younger, their families would attend the event together. "You know I'll be here if you need me."

"Thanks."

"So, who was that girl you and your sister were talking to before?" Amy asked.

"Lexi." Margret said. "She's one of Stefan's friends."

"Wait, is that the girl we saw him with at that party last year?" Melody asked.

"That's right."

"Thank goodness. Maybe she can straighten Stefan out." Amy said. "You've got to admit, he hasn't been himself lately."

"That's true. He's been blowing off team meetings and when I ran into him last week, he was like he barely recognized me." Alex said.

"You don't think he's on something, do you?" Melody asked.

"No! Besides, after what happened with Vicki, he's way too smart for that." Margret pointed out.

"She's right, but something about him still doesn't seem right." Alex said.

"Could be family issues. I know I'm not myself when I've got that going on." Amy suggested.

"Same here." Melody said. "Remember that time Rob and I wouldn't speak to each other for a week?"

"How can we forget? It nearly tore our group apart." Amy pointed out.

"Yeah, that's one argument I hope we never go through again." Alex added. Margret nodded. She knew the others could handle the ghost problem. Right now, she had to focus on what was happening here.

That night, the group had gathered in the square to watch. Margret and Alex were close to the front. The others were standing at the opposite corner from them. Alex took Margret's hand. She looked at him and smiled. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." Mrs. Lockwood addressed the crowd. "Mr. Fell seems to have been detained, so the history department's very own Mr. Saltzman has agreed to fill in."

"More like he got volunteered." Margret told Alex. He smiled slightly.

"On behalf of Mystic Falls high school historical society, let's light 'em up." The lanterns were lit. Margret smiled, until she heard a scream. They looked and noticed there was a body on the nearest tree.

Alex looked like he was going to be sick. "That is so messed up."

"Come on, we better find the others and get out of here!"

Meanwhile, Melody and Amy were already on their way out of the town square when they bumped into Elena. Literally bumped into her. "Whoa! Is everything okay?"

"Someone hung Mr. Fell's body on the oak tree." Amy explained.

"Okay, what happened?" Elena asked her.

"We were watching the lighting ceremony, and then he just hanging there, dead." Melody told her.

"Okay, come with me. I'll call Rob and make sure he gets you two home."

"What about you?"

"My brother and sister are still out there." Elena pointed out. "What kind of person would I be if I didn't help them? Come on." She walked them to the parking lot.

Back near the square, Margret and Alex were pretty far back from everything else. People were still screaming and evacuating the area. "I have never been so scared in my life." Margret said.

"Everything will be okay, Margret." Alex told her.

"How? There is a dead body in there, Alex!"

"Hey, look at me." Alex said. She looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. "We're going to get through this, but panicking about it isn't going to do any good. Trust me, okay?" Margret nodded.

Then she realized who might be behind it. "Okay, let's get out of here and I'll meet you back at my place." Margret told him.

"I don't think either of us should be alone right now, Margret." He pointed out. At that moment, she realized he was just as scared as she was. Only he did a better job at hiding it.

"Okay, then get the car and I'll try to find Elena." Margret told him. "We'll meet with you as soon as we can." He still seemed hesitant, but he left.

When he was gone, Margret thought about Anna. "You called?" Margret turned around surprised.

"How did you…right, one of those ghost things." Margret said. "I thought you might know who's responsible for this sudden fright fest."

"Unfortunately, I do. Some of those tomb vampires are here." Anna told her.

"They just killed someone in public." Margret said. "Please tell me you understand it's why we have to put the veil back up."

"I know." Anna said.

Outside, she and Anna came across Elena and Jeremy talking. Anna turned invisible, even though Margret could still feel her hand on hers. "Where is Anna now?" She asked Jeremy.

"I don't know, okay? I don't even know for sure if she took the necklace."

"She was the only person who heard us talking about it. Of course she took it." Elena pointed out. "We have to get it back. We have to destroy it and then close the door."

"I know, but..."

"But what?" Elena asked. "What, Jer?"

"Oh, dear God. He's still in love with her." Margret said. They both looked at Margret. "It's hard to believe you couldn't tell."

Elena turned back to Jeremy and realized she was right. "I know it's wrong, and I know that I shouldn't feel this way, but I do." He told her.

"But it's not real. She's dead. Gone." Elena pointed out. "Everything that you're hold on to is in the past, Jer. Are you going to love a ghost for the rest of your life?"

Margret looked at her. She knew her sister was right and deep down, she knew she had to let go of making contact with her parents. She walked up to her twin. "She's right. Remember how I had that crush on Johnny in seventh grade? Then his family moved to Texas. I was crushed, but I moved on."

"Yeah, I remember." Jeremy said. "Elena and I had to stage an intervention to get you to snap out of it."

"Well, now you have to move on. But I also know that Anna will always be part of you. After all, she is your first love. And I'm sure the same goes for her." She turned. Anna was standing there, blushing. Elena noticed her, too. Anna showed them the necklace. Margret seemed surprised that she'd taken it.

Elena turned to Jeremy. "Call Bonnie. Tell her that you have the necklace. Get her to send the ghosts away." She started to leave.

Anna gave the necklace to Jeremy. Margret turned to her. "Sorry if I caused any trouble."

"It's no big deal." Margret said.

"I'll be watching you guys after that door closes." Anna told them. "And Margret, I've seen them. They're always watching you guys."

Margret's eyes widened when she realized what she meant. "Thank you. And I hope you find your mother." She added, remembering that hers had been trapped in the tomb.

Anna smiled. "Thanks, Margret. I'm glad I was able to meet you."

Margret turned to Jeremy. "Get to Bonnie. I'll check on Elena."

As she walked away, she felt like a weight had lifted off her. It hadn't taken long to catch up with her sister. They entered what looked like an old jail cell. Margret saw Lexi stake Stefan. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not." Elena told her. She turned to Lexi. "We're running out of time."

"You've got to get me more."

"We can't! Some of the bad ones got loose in town!" Margret told her.

"Bonnie has the necklace, Lexi. They're going to close the door." Elena explained.

Lexi turned back to Stefan. "Okay. That necklace. At least tell me you remember how you felt about that." She told him. "You found it during your darkest time. And you said, when you made it through, that that necklace represented hope."

"Ironic, then, that it's about to be blown to pieces." Suddenly, someone knocked him out from behind.

"Maybe that'll shut him up for a while." Margret said. Elena and Lexi looked surprised and impressed.

"Your sister is hardcore sometimes."

"Well, she does take self-defense at school." Elena pointed out. Margret walked over to her.

"Thanks for trying to help us."

"Hey, I'd always help you guys." Lexi told her. She looked at Margret. "You're a strong person, Margret. Make sure to keep creating those bracelets and using those charms. They'll come in handy."

"No problem." Margret said. Lexi felt it then. She turned to Elena.

"He's still in there, Elena. You just have to break through."

"It's okay, Lexi, I know what to do now. You can be free." Elena told her. Lexi smiled, then looked at Stefan before disappearing.

"I'm going to go. Alex was supposed to pick me up…" Margret looked at her watch. "Ten minutes ago. Darn it!"

"Go on. I'll meet you at home." Elena told her. Margret ran outside. Sure enough, she saw Alex's car across the street.

"How did you know where I was?" Margret asked.

"I followed you." Alex told her. "I saw that you were with Elena, so I figured I'd wait until you ready to leave. You okay?"

"I'm fine. The girls?"

"They went back to Amy's place. Rob picked them up." Alex told her. Margret was relieved.

The ride home was quiet. When they pulled up in front of her house, Alex turned to her. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I am now." Margret said, remembering what Anna had said. "Today just brought up so many memories about…what things were like before. Sometimes I wonder what they'd think of these changes, what they'd think of me."

"Well, if your parents were still here, I think they'd be proud of the person you've become." Alex said.

"We all change a little every day. But I hope nothing between us does."

"It won't. After all, I've been into you since we were ten." Alex reminded her.

"Really? I was going through a pretty awkward phase then." Margret said.

"We all were, and while we've changed, our group hasn't."

"True." Margret said. She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. For everything tonight." She got out of the car. Alex smiled, watching her head inside.

"I'll always be here for you, Margret. No matter what happens next."