"I just don't know why you want to bring chili to a potluck. Everybody brings chili." Damon was telling Elena. She had told him about what she'd felt the other night when they'd left. She had been having a little trouble sleeping and he could tell she was worried, even if she wasn't showing it.

Which is how he found himself helping her cook for the Founder's party. Alaric entered the room.

"What's up?"

"What time do you want to go to the Lockwood party?" Elena asked.

"Those founders parties aren't really my thing." Alaric said.

"Show up, there's going to be nine other people that brought chili." Damon pointed out.

"It's an old family recipe, okay?" Elena said, playfully hitting him with her elbow.

"Yeah, I know. I knew your old family. They made sucky chili." She laughed. It felt good to hear her laughing.

"Why are you here, exactly?" Alaric asked.

"So help me, if you say anything sarcastic, I'll kick your ass myself." He heard a familiar accent say. He turned to the side and saw Rose standing by the pantry.

"It's been a rough few days." Elena said. "Ever since we've got back, I've been having these feelings, like there's some ghost near me, so he probably thinks he has to protect me or something."

"Someone has to." He touched her necklace. "This might not be enough to keep you safe from them."

"I wouldn't worry her."

"You know I can hear you, right?" Elena pointed out, turning to face her. "I don't know why, since I barely knew you at all."

"Honestly, I don't know why either. Maybe some small part of me wanted to be your friend, I'm not sure how half this ghost stuff works."

A few minutes later, she and Damon were outside. "What are you doing here? We haven't seen you for months."

"I heard you guys talking about Elena's ghost situation earlier." Rose told him. "And I don't think there's any reason to worry."

"What makes you so sure?"

"During our brief time together, when I was still a vampire, I used to get the same sensation once in a while." Rose explained. "When I first arrived in the ghost world, I found Trevor. He explained that he was with me the whole time, but he couldn't show himself."

"Are you saying that you think our mystery ghost is someone close to Elena?" Damon asked.

"I'm saying it's entirely possible." Rose said. "Some ghosts are able to learn to materialize right away, but for others, it takes time." She hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, when I first showed up, he offered to show me around, gave me a chance to go out with him."

"Why didn't you? Why would you give that up to help out an idiot like me?" Damon asked her. He didn't seem angry, just a little upset.

"Is it really so hard to believe?" Rose pointed out. "Besides, he could feel how strong a connection we'd built in such a short time. If given the same choice, I'd still choose to come back to you." He seemed a little surprised by her words.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be the same if we didn't have your help." He finally said.

"I would never regret helping you guys. Besides, had I chosen to go, I never would've met my partners." She said, smiling. He looked down and noticed she was holding his hand.

Meanwhile, Anna was upstairs talking with Jeremy. "Have you been feeling it, too?"

"Not recently, but then again, I've been sidetracked with the whole 'Dark Vicki' thing." Jeremy said. "How is it you can tell if a spirit is light or dark?"

"It's kind of like being psychic. You just know." Anna told him. "Whenever I feel a dark presence, it feels like a small chill."

"What about…" Jeremy started to ask. They were cut off by the doorbell ringing.

"I'll meet you down there. I wanted to talk with Elena." Anna said. "Ever since that road trip, she's been distant."

"Well, she thinks there's another ghost in the house with us." Jeremy said. "And I'm beginning to think she's right."

Downstairs, Elena was at the door when Anna appeared behind her. "Hey."

She turned around. "Hey. I guess you've heard about our recent ghost stuff."

"Yeah. I just wanted you to know you can trust me and the others, if you ever want to talk about it." Anna said. "We won't tell anyone, you know."

"Thanks." Elena opened the door and saw Caroline. "I come bearing gifts!"

"Please say that's not chili..." Elena said. Then her best friend walked in. "Bonnie!"

"I'm back!" They embraced each other.

"I leave town for the summer and everything goes to hell for the both of you." Bonnie said.

"You don't have to feel bad about it." She heard Anna say. "Family's important." Bonnie smiled.

"It's good to see you, too, Anna." She said. Elena looked at Caroline.

"Sorry, I guess it's still weird for you…"

"No, what's weird is Jules helping Tyler save me from my dad." Caroline told her.

"You can see her?"

"Yeah, it's weird. It's not like I was close with her or anything, but I'm glad she's on our side."

Jeremy came downstairs then. "Bonnie!"

"Jeremy!" She ran over to him. They kissed. Anna was smiling. She knew how she felt about him went against all the rules, but she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long.

A few hours later, the group was at the Lockwood house. Alaric walked over to Damon. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret... Founders parties are just an excuse for the council to gather in back rooms and plot against vampires." Damon said.

"Hey, uh, I think you need to take a beat with Elena." Alaric told him.

"Excuse me?"

"Whatever it is you two have going on, I think it's a bad idea." He said.

"I don't really think it's your problem, Ric."

"It is my problem. I'm supposed to look after her, and this is me doing that."

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"Easy, Damon. He's just looking out for Elena." He heard Rose saying behind him. He turned around to look at her.

"You agree with him, don't you?"

"I'm not saying don't hang out with her, but you could be less flirty." Rose told him. "She's still hung up on him and she's confused enough already." He nodded, understanding.

"Damon?" They all turned around to find Sheriff Forbes. "Sorry. Uh, the mayor just called the council meeting."

Inside, Jeremy walked into another room. "Anna?"

"I'm here." She appeared in front of him. "You haven't told her about the ghost problem yet, have you?"

"Well, she just got back." Jeremy pointed out. "I thought we should at least give her a little space before we hit her with another crisis."

"I guess you're right." Anna said, sighing. "I'm just really worried about Vicki. As long as she stands in darkness, I'm worried something might happen to you or that brother of hers."

"I've been doing those blocking exercises like you taught me, but it's strange." Jeremy said. "It's like every time I attempt to block her, I get a headache."

"That's her trying break the invisible wall you've put up." Anna said. "That, or something else. Here, why don't you try it with me? Try blocking me."

"What if I can't see you again?"

"I know it's a risk, but I'm your spirit guide. Just call me if you need help." She told him, putting her hand on his.

Jeremy closed his eyes and focused on tuning her out. Anna could feel a change around her. "Jer? Can you hear me?" He didn't answer her. "It's working." Slowly, carefully, she focused her own energy to try and push through the barrier.

She saw Jeremy bring a hand to his head as she did it. "Jeremy…"

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and broke his concentration. "You okay?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, Anna, I'm fine. Aside from that one push you gave."

"Sorry, but now I see what's going on. You're blocking effectively, but you're shield's too weak." Anna said. "You might not be able to block her out for long."

"What can I do?"

"Maybe you can do something to make it stronger." Anna said. "I'll ask around." She disappeared. Jeremy watched her go, surprised at how far she was willing to go to help him.

A few hours later, they were back in Jeremy's room. Bonnie explained that Elena's necklace had shocked her, and that it levitated while she was at the party. Anna was going through a spell book, trying to help them find anything that could help.

"Okay, tell me if you see anything in these grimoires that involves precious medals or a symbol that resembles a necklace." She told them.

"Can't you just ask those witches to help?"

"I can't contact them." Bonnie explained. "I've tried calling them, but I haven't been getting any answers."

"It's tricky reaching the witch spirits." Anna said. "It took a lot of power for me just to contact Emily."

"Does it drain you?" Jeremy asked. Bonnie looked concerned.

"No, but it was hard, even with Bonnie helping." Anna told her. "But I could always try to find some of the witches and ask them about the necklace."

"You'd do that?"

"Hey, I'm just as concerned as you guys are." Anna said, turning to another page in the book she was holding. "And spirits talk, so it shouldn't be too hard to find them."

"Thanks, Anna." Bonnie said. "We're lucky to have you." Jeremy noticed Anna blushing.

"So, how old is this necklace?" He asked.

"No idea, but it's probably pretty old, since Stefan had it." Bonnie told them. Anna was still looking through one of the books, when she felt a chill nearby.

"The darkness. It's here." She told them. The next thing she knew, the spell books were all on fire.

"Anna?" Jeremy asked, throwing the one he was reading off him.

"I'm not doing it!" She said. Bonnie looked at her and saw how scared and surprised the girl was. She knew she was telling the truth. She turned her attention to the books that were burning and put it out with her powers.

"Are you okay?" She asked them.

"Yeah, I think so." Anna said. She still seemed pretty shaken though.

"What just happened?" Jeremy asked.

"I have no idea." Bonnie said. She put a hand on his shoulder. She turned to Anna. "You said you felt a darkness here?"

"Yes, and I can explain the details later, but what I can tell you is that it's not good." Anna said. "What just happened is proof of that." The three of them looked at each other, knowing that they were in this one together.

Outside, Rose appeared near Elena. "What is it?" She asked.

"I don't know what Damon's planning, but it's not good."

"What do you mean?" Suddenly, he walked over to them. "Where have you been?"

"Managing Bill Forbes. Apparently he's impervious to compulsion." Damon told them.

"How?"

"I have no idea. But he threatened to out me."

"Yeah, no offense, but Caroline's father is a complete dick." Rose added.

"What did you do to him? How do you know the compulsion doesn't work?"

"When he compelled him earlier, he must've faked it somehow." Rose figured. Elena looked at her.

"What does he want?" Alaric asked.

"He wants to control the council. Says it's been compromised."

"It has been compromised!" Everyone else pointed out.

"He wants to put vervain in the town's water supply."

"Yeah, I can see where that'd be a problem." Rose said.

"Maybe it's not a bad idea." Elena said. "I mean, it'll help you keep yourself in control now that Stefan's not here to..."

"To what? To keep me in check? Make me behave? I should have killed him this morning."

"He's Caroline's dad, Damon."

"Yeah, and when I kill him, she'll have one more parent than we do."

"Damon, calm down." Rose said. "You can't seriously be considering this."

"Sorry, Rose, but I can't help who I am." She seemed shocked by his words.

"Oh, come on, Damon!" Alaric said.

"You're repeatedly killing my buzz today, Ric. Step aside."

"Yeah, it's not going to happen." Alaric told him. Suddenly, he killed him. Elena looked down, grateful he was still wearing his ring.

He left. "You might want to hide him somewhere so no one finds him." Rose told her. "I don't know if I can stop him alone, we usually don't turn against the people we're normally protecting."

"Should I call for help?" Elena asked.

"Yes, but hurry." She said. Elena looked back down at Alaric. When she looked back, Rose was gone.

In the hallway, Rose was waiting for someone to show up. She knew that no one would be able to see her, but she also knew that she could use her abilities to guide Elena's back-up, whenever they got there. Finally, she noticed a blonde girl in the hallway, one that she'd seen often during the group meetings.

She projected her power outward. The girl shivered, as though a chill passed through her. Then the girl seemed to realize that she was being led somewhere and followed her into the study. Rose backed into the corner of the room, not wanting to see what would happen.

"Are you okay?" She heard the girl ask.

"I'm fine." The man protested. She assumed it was Bill Forbes. Then a name came to her. Caroline.

"Let me teach this ass-wheel a life lesson." She knew that one was Damon.

"Just get out of here." Caroline said. From the crash behind her, she could tell they were fighting again. She turned around. Damon had her pinned to the desk.

"I'm stronger than you, little girl."

"Well, I'm angrier!" She told him. She watched, impressed as Caroline fought him off. Then she grabbed her father and ran out of the room. Elena walked in then, and Rose stepped out of the corner.

"Well, that girl certainly knows how to kick your ass." Rose said. The others looked at her, slightly surprised by her comment.

"You can't do this anymore, Damon. Not in this town." Elena said. "Not around me."

"Why not? It's nothing I haven't done before." He pointed out.

"Damon…" Rose began, but he cut her off.

"Why is it suddenly so important for everyone to keep me in check?"

"Because I don't want you to be what other people think that you are…" Elena started to say.

"What? A monster? Sorry to disappoint you, Elena, but last time I checked, I was still a vampire!" He pointed out.

"Would you keep your voice down, there are still Council members around here." Rose pointed out.

"I wish you wouldn't act like one sometimes." They turned to Elena. Rose seemed surprised. She turned back to Damon. He seemed to have calmed down, but was still angry.

"I am not Stefan. How about you stop trying to turn me into him?" He left the room.

Elena stood there, surprised. "It's been hard on him, too, Elena. He's been under a lot of stress lately." She told her.

"You know, you could yell at me if you want. You don't have to make me feel better." Elena said.

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try?" Rose pointed out. "I know you miss him, but projecting it onto everyone else won't help. I'm going to go now." Before she fully disappeared, she remembered something. "Lexi gave me a message. She said that they're handling things." Elena watched as she faded, then she was alone in the room.

Back in the bedroom, Anna was with the others. "We better clean this mess up." Bonnie said, noticing some of the ashes.

"I'll get the vacuum." Jeremy said.

"So, what's been happening while I was gone?" Bonnie asked Anna.

"Well, I wanted Jeremy to tell you, but I guess I'd better do it." She said. "I've been sensing this darkness ever since this ghost girl started showing up, I believe she might be the one causing it."

"Wait, what ghost girl?"

"Some friend of his, I think they used to date." Anna said. Jeremy came back into the room then.

"Are you talking about Vicki Donovan?" Bonnie asked. Anna turned and noticed Jeremy had entered the room. She nodded to him.

"I think she's been haunting me. Anna's been keeping her back, but there's something about her that seems messed up."

"And when I try to push the darkness back, sometimes weird things happen." Anna said. "Like today. I think I set the books on fire without meaning to."

"I'm glad you guys told me this." Bonnie said. "I'll try to see if there's anything that can help us with this. For now, we better get this place straightened out before Elena gets back."

At the Boarding House, Alaric woke up on the couch. "It took a bit longer than usual, huh? Might want to get that ring checked. Hope it's not going bad." Damon said.

"You killed me."

"You pissed me off."

"Like that's a good reason to kill someone?" Rose pointed out.

"Ric, no hard feelings, all right? I was on a bit of a tear. Everyone was trying to tell me how to behave."

"Well, maybe they finally realized you're just a dick." He got up and left.

"Well, that went well, didn't it?" Rose said.

"Don't even start."

"I don't know if he'll forgive you for that one. You two are supposed to be friends." Rose said. "Last I checked, friends don't kill or knock each other out."

"You clearly haven't met my friends." Damon told her.

"I'll be right back." Rose said. "Anna needs a hand with something."

In town, Anna watched as Elena and Caroline were talking. She felt a presence next to her. "You can't eavesdrop alone?"

"It's not the eavesdropping part. It's what they're talking about." Anna said. She turned her attention back to Elena and Caroline.

"Okay, you and Damon were both right. I was trying to change him." Elena was telling Caroline. "But if he wants to be in my life..."

"Wait. I... It's been a long week, so I'm just going to be blunt." Caroline told her. "It doesn't matter what he does, Damon's gotten under your skin."

"That's not true."

"God, just admit it, Elena, ok? You are attracted to him! In all of his bad brother glory."

"No."

"Wait, no, you're not attracted to him, or no, you just won't admit it?" Caroline asked.

"I can't, Caroline!" Elena all but shouted. "If I admit it, if I even thought it for just a second... What does that say about me?" Rose and Anna looked at each other.

"It says you're human, Elena." Caroline said gently. Then she noticed her father.

"Do you need me to..."

"No, I got it." Caroline left.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked her.

"I don't know." Elena said.

"Elena, it's okay if you are attracted to him." Rose told her.

"I'm not."

"Hey," Anna put her arm on her shoulder. "We're not judging you, Elena. We'd never do that."

"Seems it's been a rough day for all of us." Rose said.

"Tell me about it." The girls looked at each other.

"Did you say anything?" Elena asked.

"That wasn't me."

"It wasn't me, either." Elena took a deep breath. "Elena…"

"She's here."

"Who?"

"The other spirit, the one who's been speaking to me. I think I know who my mystery spirit is." She told them.

"You can tell us tomorrow. We could all use a break after today." Anna said.

"Speak for yourself, I've got a feeling my person's going to need a hand." Rose said. She disappeared, leaving the others to watch as she left.

Rose was back at the Boarding House, noticing she was in the hallway. "Welcome back."

"I have a weird feeling." Rose said. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Damon went to answer it. Rose was close behind him.

"I'll accept written apologies only." He told Elena. Rose could tell the difference, however, considering she'd just left Elena with Anna.

"Are you two lovebirds fighting already?"

"What do you want, Katerina?" Rose asked, appearing in the doorway.

"I'm just a girl looking for a partner in crime." Katherine told them. "Feel like hitting the road? Getting the hell out of dodge?"

"Impeccable timing. I was told I need to take a beat."

"Is that a yes?"

"Damon, when we said that, I'm pretty sure they didn't mean to leave down when those Originals could be back at any moment." Rose said. "Your friends are going to need you here."

"Look, Rose, I need some time to think about things." Damon said.

"If you go, I'm coming with you." Rose said. "At least I could pop back here faster if the others need me."

"Fine, but we're going now." Katherine told her. Reluctantly, she followed them. Little did she know, she was going to regret her decision later.