Quick author's note:
I was reading Midnight (it took me 6weeks to read. I usually finish books that size in a half a day. It was physically painful for me to read it. I was so let down!) Except for Meredith's parts! She is so badass! Something that really angered –no, infuriated- me was how Elena treated Stefan! She's like, I love Stefan, but I'm going to go flirt with Damon just because I can. Make up your mind! Anyway, I felt so bad for all the characters, (especially Meredith, Stefan and Bonnie and Damon, BTW, there will be some Bamon in this. I love them to) I decided to write this. I'm pretty sure that this is the only Stefan/Meredith fanfic on this site, so feel free to flame if you don't like the pair, but I would REALLY appreciate giving me pointers and ideas.
I suppose this will take place after Midnight, but Damon will still be alive.
"Stefan?" Elena called out as she groggily awoke. "Yes love?" I asked, Elena's hair was gently mussed from tossing and turning all night, though it gave her the appearance of having a halo, just like the angel she so resembled. (Ick, sorry, gotta have some Stelena at the beginning)
"Could you go downstairs and get me some tea? Mrs. Flowers usually has some brewed by now," she said.
"Of course, I'll be back in a minute," I got up from the chair that I had been watching the sun rise from and headed to the door. For a reason I couldn't place, I felt a surge of annoyance at Elena's remake about Mrs. Flowers always having tea made at dawn, it wasn't as if she were awake like I was, Elena was usually roused from sleep around 9:30, not 8:00 I quickly dismissed it, I must still be short-tempered from Damon mocking me about being whipped by Elena so much that I didn't have any independence. That was crap and he knew it, Elena wasn't over-bearing, she just needed to have her way…wait. Isn't that was over-bearing mean? I might have to talk to Damon about that, if I could pry him away from Bonnie, that is. Somewhere in between our various battles with the paranormal, Bonnie had wormed her way into Damon's cold heart and set fire to it. I've never seen him happier, which, of course stopped him from pursuing Elena and drinking human blood, so we were now as close as we were back in the Renaissance, sarcastic mocking aside.
As I neared the kitchen, I heard a loud crash and instinctually ran as fast as I could into the kitchen. I surveyed the area for damage, but only saw Meredith, one of her legs stuck under one of the wooden chairs, her arm bleeding from the broken tea cup under it. She was sucking in her breath- it sounded a hiss.
"Meredith!" I called out her name as I ran over to the overturned chair and threw it off her. She got gracefully to her feet, still clutching her arm.
"Stefan, you should go…the blood," her voice cracks, and I realize she's in more pain than she's letting on.
"I can ignore the blood, here, put your arm under the sink. Does that hurt?" I turn on the water and she puts her tanned limb under the faucet, flushing the blood and remaining china out.
"Only a little, I've had worse," she smiled faintly as she answered.
I opened the linen cabinet and grabbed a towel, then walked back over to Meredith, who was watching me curiously.
"Here, wrap your arm in this, I'll go look for some bandages,"
"No!" she exclaimed, shocked.
"What?" I couldn't find any reason for her to object to my plan.
"Look at that linen! It's an antique, I won't get my blood on it, go into the bathroom and get an old towel, and the bandages are in the cabinet in the bathroom as well,"
"Alright, I'll be right back," I turned to leave, but I still could hear her wry reply,
"I'll won't move, don't want to dye the carpets." I chuckled as I scaled the stairs and opened the door to the bathroom. I had to admire Meredith for how easily she could say something sarcastic, even while injured. I also admired her composure while she was in pain, while Bonnie would have held back tears and said over and over she was okay, just to make it easier on everyone else, and Elena would have held her head high and acted like she had meant to do it. So many different personalities in one house….
I shook my head to catch my bearings, grabbed the towel and bandages, and headed back downstairs.
I walked right up to Meredith and gently took her arm and placed it on the towel, assessing the damage, she had about four small cuts ranging from her wrist and her elbow, but she also had a deep gouge on the side of her arm, where there was little skin to cover it. My gaze shot up to Meredith's gray eyes, I knew that her cut must have been excruciatingly painful, yet she hadn't complained, hadn't cried, that Thoughtful expression she always wore remained on her face, as if she had better things to do, more interesting things to think about than an earthly cut. I noticed her eyes widen for a moment, such gray eyes, framed by thick, dark, curling lashes. But so gray. I remember Elena telling me that her entire life, she had thought Meredith to have brown eyes, and I often wondered how she could have made such a mistake. Meredith Sluze had the most calming gaze I had encountered. Perhaps that was why I had noticed them right away (vampire vision aside). Maybe it was just because she was beautiful. Tall, graceful Meredith, with her russet skin and raven hair.
"Stefan," Meredith's voice jarred me back to reality. I hadn't realized I'd been moving forward until she moved back.
"I think the bleeding's stopped, you can go, I can wrap my arm," she said, and began to unwind my hand from her arm; I had been applying pressure to her arm to stop the blood flow.
"No, it's alright, I've got it," I unwound the gauze and bandage pads and had her arm fixed up in about two minutes.
"Thanks," Meredith said softly, she examined her wrist, "you did great for someone who can't get hurt," I knew what she meant, I could get hurt, but I don't bleed. I was thankful that she didn't outright say it though.
"Living for five hundred years, you tend to pick up things," I teased, and I got one of her rare Meredith Smiles, which lit up her face and reminded me of the sunset I had no doubt missed, although, Meredith smiling, just for me, seemed a whole lot better. I resisted the urge to shake my head again. What was wrong with me this morning? I felt uncomfortable about the way I had treated Meredith, but she was a friend that I helped, so why should I feel this…guilt? Like I was cheating Elena? She would want me to help our friend. I remembered thinking Meredith was beautiful, and she was, anyone could see that, so surly that wasn't it; I'd really have to talk to Damon later. Speaking of which…
Bonnie waltzed into the kitchen, Damon in tow, she wore her bright smile as she always did, but her smile melted into a look of horror when she saw Meredith's arm.
"Merry! Are you alright! What happened?" Damon gazed lovingly at Bonnie as she fussed over Meredith. I wondered how long it had been since I'd looked at Elena like that. Things between us had been strained lately, but I was confident we could work through it. Remembering Elena upstairs, I made Meredith say for certain she was alright, before trudging upstairs to me and Elena's room. I saw Elena lounging in my chair by the window, hair still mussed.
She turned to look at me with a smile that morphed into a pout, "Stefan, where's my tea? You've been downstairs for fifteen minutes!"
"Tea?" I asked, not understanding, but when it dawned on me –to late- what she was talking about.
"You haven't even started it! Fine, I'll just go do it myself," she declared and began to cross the room when my words stopped her.
"I'm sorry I forgot Elena, I'll get right on that, give me another ten minutes," I said, feeling surprisingly light. Elena returned smiling to my chair, and as I walked down the stairs I had the oddest hope that Damon and Elena had gone and that Meredith alone remained in the kitchen….