I never sang for love,
I never had a heart to mend.
Because before the start began,
I always saw the end.

STARRING ROLE/ MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS

SIX DAYS have passed since Gilbert's departure from Avonlea. Not that Margaret was counting. Alright, she definitely has. The picture of him entering the carriage, looking perfect didn't seem to exit her mind. He left his home wearing his favorite sweater - it was his father's, and an empty feeling in his chest. A part of him was worried about leaving, wishing to choose to stay instead, but another part of him desperately wanted to experience something new.

He promised that he'd write every week. The letters were yet to come. And, even though anxiety was eating her out from the inside, Margaret managed to keep herself calm, often occupying her mind with small chores around the house, and occasional drawing. Not that she was good at it, it simply made her feel a bit better, like she was actually doing something with her life, now that they were out of school.

She dreamed about him every night since. Though, Gilbert Blythe wasn't the only one that influenced her lack of sleep by roaming around dreams.

And, as if on cue..

"Another party?" Jerry's unimpressed grimace followed Anne around the kitchen as the redhead held a newly delivered invitation in her pale hands. Rolling her eyes along with a sigh, she turned towards the barn boy. Anne opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Lily butted in from where she was sitting, by the table.

"They're rich. It's the only thing they know how to do." the brunette exclaimed, openly expressing her dislike towards them. Anne sent her a glare. "The Williams aren't like that, Lils." the redhead defened. "Oliver seems like a really nice guy. And George - "

"Oh, come on." Lily interrupted, again. This time along with an eyeroll and an overly dramatic groan. "The only reason they're nice to us is because the blondie has a stupid crush on Margaret."

"Lily!" Anne scolded, a surprised look on her face. "What?" Lily snapped back. "It's true! I mean, that's why she and Gilbert had a fight, right?" Lily spoke like she was telling the facts, as Jerry shot er a confused look.

"Wait, I'm confused." he said, but before he could say anything else, Anne jumped at the opportunity to argue, raising her voice ever so slightly. "They got into a fight because Gilbert is a jealous prick who can't accept the fact that Margaret gets attention from other people, too." she explained, confidently taking a step towards the annoyed brunette, leaving Jerry to stare at the two dumbfoundedly.

"Yeah?" Lily raised an eyebrow, "Well, it seems like Margaret doesn't really mind the attention, does she? Especially if it's coming from that rich kid"

"Uh, guys?" Jerry tried to interfere, but he was ignored.

"That's not true!" Anne defended, "And if  it were true, which is not, what's it to you? It's their business, and we shouldn't interfere." she added, approaching the brunette who stood taller than her, poking her in the chest to emphasise her point.

"Guys, come on." Jerry tried again.

"Besides, Gilbert is gone. They put it all behind them and moved on with their relationship, so why can't you?" the redhead asked, as Lily took the oportunity to reveal what she had been holding inside. She opened her mouth to speak, but Jerry interrupted her. "Guys - " he almost had a pleading look on his face, using his hand to run under his neck in an mimicking attempt.

"Oh, shut up, Jerry!" the two yelled at him in unison, causing the boy to take a step back, raising his arms up in defense. Lily breathed out, before turning back to face Anne.

"Didn't you say yourself that Margaret dreamed about marrying Oliver Williams?" she boldly asked, adding to Jerry's confusion and Anne's anger. The redhead was quick to deny, "Yes, but that's all it was: A dream."

"But what if it's not, huh?" Lily pried further, "What if it happens? It'd be very convenient for her, wouldn't it, now? Marrying a rich snob who drools every time he sees her, with no Gilbert to get in her way?" Lily was practically yelling right about then, ignoring Jerry's shocked expression and Anne's wide eyes. Furrowing her eyebrows, she smiled triumphantly as she believed that she left Anne speachless. "Aw, what is it, angel eyes? Can't handle the truth? Because, let's face it - it's inevitable." she stated confidently, but after receiving no answer from Anne, she finally turned around, coming face to face to the actual reason of Anne's stunned face.

"I tried to warn you." Jerry muttered, scratching the back of his head as his unsure gaze settled on Margaret, who stood mere feet behind Lily's back, and had, evidently, heard everything. The blonde's eyes were glued to Anne.

"You told her?" she asked in disbelief, though her face held no emotion whatsoever.

"It might have slipped up... once. Or twice..." Anne managed to say, cracking her knuckles as Margaret let out a defeated laugh. "Margaret, I'm sorry." the redhead defended, "You know I can't keep secrets! It just nags at my brain and my mouth just rambles on involuntarily on it's own accord!"

"No, it's my fault." Margaret replied, finally moving away from where she was standing towards the hangers, where she grabbed her coat. That was when the three teens noticed that she was wearing a large sweater, along with some pants, which was what she usually wore when she was going outside. "I should've kept it to myself." the blonde put the coat on, along with a scarf that was hanging on the wall, wrapping it around her neck.

"So you're not going to explain yourself?" Lily asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Lily, stop." Anne warned her, nudging her with her shoulder, hard.

"What is there to explain?" Margaret asked, a tired look plastered over her pale face. "What do you want me to say Lily?" she continued, exasperated. "That I dreamed about a boy who I never met, only to suddenly bump into him at the market just days later? Do I look like I know what the fuck is going on?! I didn't want this, alright? I didn't want Gilbert to leave, I didn't want to go to that stupid fucking party, and I don't want to have this stupid conversation with you right now because you're so obviously biased."

Lily snorted. "Biased ?" she took a step towards the blonde, who was putting her boots on. "How the fuck am I biased? Is it because I want to protect Gilbert? Is that what makes me biased?" the brunette asked, ignoring Anne's tugs on her sweater.

"Protect Gilbert?" Margaret asked, raising her head only to look at Lily with a look of disbelief on her face. "From who?" she asked, her tone full of shock.

"You, of course." Lily's answer was quick, like a knife in Margaret's back. The blonde looked at her friend in surprise, having never experienced this side to her. "You, and Goldlilocks." she exclaimed, referring to Oliver. Margaret simply stared at the girl, her mouth open wide.

"Is that what you really think of me?" she asked, causing Lily to roll her eyes. "I think it's pretty clear what I think of you right now." Lily replied harshly, not holding back. The two glared at each other, uncomfortable silence filling the room as Jerry finally broke it by trying to brighten up the mood. "Guys, come on..." he smiled lightly as he tried to reason, "You're friends."

"We're not." Margaret answered blankly, still not tearing her gaze from the brunette that stood facing her. "Not anymore."

"Like I'd want to be your friend." Lily responded, the words spitting out of her mouth like pure venom. Margaret nodded, putting Matthew's beanie on her head with a nod. "It's settled, then." were her final words before she was out the door, slamming them shut behind her, leaving Jerry and Anne stunned. Lily's expression remained stern and unreadable even when Anne walked away from her, but nog before stating her dissappointment.

"Protecting Gilbert, my ass." Margaret muttered to herself, her breath coming out as a small cloud of warmth in the air as the blonde shoved her hands in the pockets of her coat. "You and your big, stupid mouth, Margaret." she scolded herself, jumping over the wooden fence of the farm before continuing her walk. "Should've kept it to yourself, but no! You had to tell somebody." she sighed, "And Anne, of all people. The kid doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut to save her life!" she carried on, violently wiping her tear stained face with the back of her hand. "Serves you right. This is your lesson, Margaret. Never open up to anyone, ever again."

How did we end up like this? Margaret thought, remembering the days without fights, the happy days where all of the teens would laugh and have fun, where they break the barrier of friends, considering each other family. We were just innocent kids relying on each other. And now... I don't know what we are. I just wish I could turn back time. I wish I could be careless again. Margaret sighed, keeping her gaze in front of her as she indulged in her daydream of the past, better days.

We were just kids. We were friends. And now, it's all tearing apart. We'll be preoccupied with our own lives that we'll eventually forget about each other, up to the point where we'll have to get together for a funeral, where we'll have to say goodbye to Matthew and Marilla and our childhoods and happy days. We'll be married, we'll have jobs, kids... but we'll never, ever be the same.

The rest of her walk was quiet. As she previously promised, she was on her way to Perry's bakery to help Todd with preparing sweets and pastries for yet another party at the Williams Manor. Even though Todd was her close friend, she promised herself that this time he won't manage to convince her into coming to the party with him. The last thing she needs after all this drama is more of it.

"Morning, birdie!" Todd's jolly voice greeted her as she stepped into the warmth of the Perry's bakery. "Good morning." Margaret replied with a small smile.

The boy jumped over to her side, taking her coat, along with the hat and scarf. "Thank you, Todd." Margaret smiled, placing a small kiss on her friend's cheek. "So, what's on the menu?" the blonde asked, clapping her hands in front of her. Todd smiled, before taking out a piece of paper from his back pocket. "These are the ingredients for the chocolate biscuits." he explained as Margaret took the small paper from his hands to inspect it. "We better get to business because we'll need a lot of those." he informed, as Margaret nodded slightly.

"Oh, and another thing - George asked me if I could - " Todd stopped mid sentence, his eyes glued to Margaret's distant gaze. She was staring at the paper, but wasn't actually reading it. Todd could tell - he does it himself sometimes. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

"Huh?" Margaret blinked, her eyes meeting his for a mere second before a smile wiped away the confused look on her face. She scratched her nose with the pointer finger of her right hand, "Oh, I'm great." she assured, raising an eyebrow when Todd let out a chuckle.

"You touched your nose." he noted.

"Excuse me?" Margaret pursed her lips, confused.

"It's a common giveaway, you know? Often, when people lie, they look you directly in the eyes without blinking, to try and trick you into thinking they're telling the truth. Also, they touch their mouth, throat or nose." Todd informed her, scratching the back of his neck when he saw the impressed look on her face. "And you scratched your nose, so..." he drifted off, causing Margaret to let out a laugh.

"You're really observant." Margaret admitted, taking a second to think about whether or not to tell Todd about the things concerning her. She bit her tongue instead. "I'm just tired, that's all. I've been looking for Snow the whole night." she said, using the feline as an excuse. Though, that isn't far from the truth; the blonde had spent countless hours in search of the cat, who managed to magically dissappear days ago.

"I can help you look, if you want." Todd offered, but Margaret shook her head.

"Thanks, but I'm sure she'll turn up... eventually." she assured as the brunette boy adjusted the glasses back on his nose. "Alright. Should we start, then?" he asked, offering her an apron similar to his, which she gladly accepted with a smile.

"How many biscuits are we talking about?" she asked, tying the apron around her waist as Todd fetched the flour from the top shelf and eggs from the fridge. He placed it on the counter, using a towel that was placed on his shoulder to clean the surface of it. "George said they need at least two hundred." he informed.

"That's a lot." Margaret commented.

"'S why I need your help." Todd chuckled.

"They are paying you, right?" Margaret asked, pushing the sleeves of her sweater up to her elbows as she went to wash her hands.

"Yeah." Todd responded from behind. "I told them they don't have to, but George insisted." he informed, causing Margaret to smile. She approached him, taking a heap of flower and pouring it into a bowl. "George insisted, huh?" she smirked, raising a knowing eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, he said that it'd only be fair - " he started, looking up only to be met with Margaret's smirking face. "Why are you looking at me like that ?" he questioned, a thin rosy sheet covering his cheeks.

"Oh, nothing." Margaret bit her lip, refraining from any further comments. She looked around the bakery; there were only the two of them in there. If Todd's father were to hear, all hell would break loose. "You like him, don't you?" she whispered, leaning into him as his eyes widened. He shoved her off lightly.

"Do not." he retorted, "Where'd you get that from? That's completely untrue." he looked around, his head whipping around as he brought a hand up to his lips. "Why, did he say something?" he asked lowly, as Margaret let out a honest laugh.

"You're touching your mouth, Toddy." Margaret pointed out, causing the teen boy to immediately lower his hand. "It's a dead giveaway." she repeated his own words, causing the brunette to shake his head. "You're killing me." he sighed, returning to what he was previously doing - kneading the dough.

"Why don't you do something about it?" she asked. Todd snorted, causing Margaret to furrow her eyebrows in confusion. "What ?" she asked.

"Come on, birdie." Todd sighed sadly, as if he were stating the facts, "The chances of him actually liking me back are as low as Josie Pye's morals." he said, the silly comparison making Margaret laugh.

"How do you know that?" she asked, "Did he tell you that?" the blonde pried. Todd shook his head no. "He didn't. I just know." he simply responded.

"You should confess at the party." Margaret suggested. After a moment of silence, she looked up at Todd only to see him already staring at her with a shocked look on his face. "Are you insane?" he asked, "Like, I'm seriously asking you."

"You're acting as if I told you to sack him in the fucking balls. Just tell him, Toddy, what could go wrong?" she replied, to which he nodded, "You might as well have. I can't just do that." he continued kneading the dough, adding more flour, "What if I make a fool out of myself? I'm pretty good at that." he rambled. Margaret opened her mouth to speak, but Todd continued, "What if he laughs in my face? Or decides that I'm so gross and never speaks to me again? There are a billion things that could go wrong!" he explained.

"You're overthinking it." Margaret finally spoke up, "I'm sure George is not that kind of a person. Besides, I don't see him being as close to anyone here as he is with you." she said. Todd was just about to retort, when she interrupted, "And don't even compare how he is with Oliver. That's a different type of connection." she warned, pointing a dough covered finger at him.

Todd sighed, slumping his shoulders. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?" he asked. Margaret shook her head in response. "I'm not forcing you to do anything, I'm just saying that you thinking lowly of yourself is unjustified. You're amazing, and if  you would to confess, I'm a hundred percent sure that you wouldn't make a fool out of yourself." she spoke, their voices still a bit lower than a whisper. Margaret could hear Todd take a deep breath, before exhaling.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" he asked. "Sure." Margaret replied. Just please don't ask me to go to the party with you. Please, just let it be anything else but the party. Anything but the fucking party.

"Can you be my date to the party?" he finally questioned, biting the inside of his cheek as he gave Margaret his best puppy look. "Todd..." Margaret sighed, looking to the side as she leaned on the counter. "Please, I can't do this alone. And, whenever you want to leave, we'll leave." he pleaded. Just say no. Margaret looked at his ocean eyes, mentally cursing herself for being so sympathetic. Great. Here we fucking go.

"You're lucky I can't say no to you." Margaret replied, causing a wide smile to appear on the teen boy's face. "Really? You'll go?" he asked. Margaret nodded. "Yeah, I'll go. Are you going to confess?" she raised an eyebrow at him, again. He took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I'll confess." he said.

"Then it's settled."

And so they continued making the cookies, along with some other pastries and small cakes. They were done by nighttime, when Todd offered to accompany Margaret home. He didn't want her out in the dark. Margaret politely denied even when Todd insisted.

"I'll come pick you up for the party!" he yelled over the counter just as Margaret was out of the door. She smiled at him from outside the bakery, giving him a thumbs up before getting out of sight. The boy smiled, patting himself on the back.

"Let's get you guys out of here." he smiled, placing the final pastries in a carton box, covering them with a sheet of baking paper so they stay fresh untill tomorrow. He took the box from the counter and placed it on his shoulder as he walked through the kitchens and towards the back entrance. He opened the door, only to be met with a smiling face of a teenage boy.

"So, is she coming?" George asked, taking the box from Todd's arms. The latter smiled.

"Yeah." he managed to say, scratching the back of his neck shyly as George smiled at him mischeviously.

"Great!" the taller boy raised his hand for a high five, which Todd gladly gave. "We're back in the game, baby! Operation: