Meredith wakes to her mum leaving for work. She rolls over and looks at her alarm clock. 5.30 am. She just moans and burries her head under her pillow.

She wakes up again at 7.30 am. She reads the clock and jumps up out of bed.

"Shit, I've over slept." She says to herself running out of her bedroom and down to her brother and sister's room. She opens the door to her sisters' room and finds that she is not in there. "Good, she is up." She says to herself while turning to her brothers' room. She goes to open the door but the noise from downstairs answers her question.

"Jackson, give me my dolly back." Charlie yells to Jackson in tears.

"Damn, not again." She says running down the stairs and running into the lounge room. "Jackson stop teasing Charlie and give her the doll back." She says to him. He drops the doll from being in the air and gives it to his younger sister while Meredith is trying to stop her from crying. "Thank you. I've over slept so you will have to get ready quickly this morning. So go and have your breakfast then get dressed. We need to leave in half an hour."

"We need to have our lunch's made." Charlie says.

"I know. I will make it for you. Just go and get breakfast. Jackson can you help her please." She asks her brother.

"Do I have to Mer?" He says.

"Do you want to walk to school?" He nods his head. "That's what I thought. Now go eat." She races back up the stairs to her bedroom.

She walks back down 5 minutes later. She walks into the kitchen to find Jackson nowhere to be seen but Charlie standing in a pool of milk and crying.

"Hey Charlie. Where's Jackson?" Charlie doesn't say anything and continues to cry. She walks over to her and pulls her out of the pool of milk and into her arms. "Hey, it's okay sweetie. Why don't I make you toast instead and I will clean this up. Charlie nods her head Meredith pulls her out of her arms and points to the chair on the other side of the bench. "Go sit down. I will start cleaning this." Meredith grabs some paper towel and wipes away the milk from the floor and the bench. Charlie's toast pops and Meredith spreads jam across it and hands it to Charlie. There is then a sound at the front door. She walks out to the door and opens it to see Derek standing there.

"Need some help?" He asks her.

"Yes, thank you. Can you go and check on Jackson for me. While I eat something." He nods his head and heads up the stairs to Jackson's room. She walks back into the kitchen to see Charlie placing her plate at the sink.

"Is Derek here?" She asks.

"Yes he is. Go brush your teeth and I will help you get dressed". Charlie skips away towards the stairs. "I can't believe they are missing her first day at of school." She says quietly to herself.

"What can't you believe?" Derek asks. She turns to find Derek and Jackson walking in.

"Oh nothing. Jackson, I'm going to have to speak to you later." She informs him with a firm tone in her voice. Jackson just drops his head. Derek looks down at Jackson and sees that he has been not behaving.

"Mer, do you need anything else done. What about the lunches?" He asks her. She nods her head. "Okay go finish getting ready. I'm sure Charlie could need some help." At that statement she knows that he wants to get rid of her so he can speak to Jackson. Meredith leaves the room.

"Okay can you get me the bread and whatever else you have on your sandwiches? Derek asks Jackson as he pulls everything out. "Jackson, what did you do this morning to make her so flustered? You know she has to pick up most of the slack around here. Since your mum and dad are so busy with their jobs. Do you act out for the attention? He asks him. Jackson nods his head. "And you only do it when your parents aren't around. Just to make Meredith more stressed. She doesn't need the stress. She is a senior at school now. She has a lot of studying to do."

"I know. I only do it for the attention. Just so if I pick on Charlie at least she is paying attention to me. He says.

"But you play up for the wrong attention. You get that don't you? Derek questions.

"Yes I do. I just wish that mum or Dad could be here to just ask me how my day was, to say goodnight to me or take me to soccer. Instead its Meredith dropping me off and picking me up. Then when we get home Meredith is too busy with cooking dinner, cleaning the house or she's with you." He says sadly.

"Hey I know buddy it's tough, you just have to put up with it and try not to make Meredith go crazy before school. And I'll try not to steal her away from you all the time but she is my best friend so it's a bit hard to not be with her." Derek says.

"I know I've heard this story so many times." He says rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't think once more will hurt." He says sarcastically ruffling Jackson's hair.

Meredith then walks into the kitchen with her bag and Charlie's slung over her shoulder and holding onto Charlie's hand.

"What were you guys talking about?" She asks curiously.

"Nothing. We just had a guy chat. Things that girls shouldn't need to know." Derek says winking down at Jackson who winks back.

"Okay then."She says. "So are we ready to go now since Charlie and I are good to go." She asks eager.

"Yes we are. I made your lunches with the help of Jackson." He informs Meredith.

"Good let's take Charlie to her first day of school." Meredith says.

Everyone then walks out of the kitchen and heads towards Derek's car.

They pull up to the primary school. Meredith and Derek both get out of the car. Meredith helps get Charlie out while Derek gets the bags out of the back.

"You sure you want to come in." She asks him.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He tells her while he hands Jackson his bag. "Here you go mate. Remember what we talked about." He says.

"I will Derek." He starts running off until Derek calls him back.

"Hey Jackson, come back." Derek says. Jackson runs back. "Did you forget something?" Derek asks him while Jackson stands there confused. Derek holds his hand up. "My high five."

"Oh yeah sorry." He high fives Derek, gives Meredith a hug and gives Charlie a kiss on the cheek. "See you this afternoon."

"Jackson, remember to meet us here this afternoon. I have to pick Charlie up as soon as I finish so we will wait for you." He nods his head and meets up with his friends.

"Mer can we go in now?" Charlie asks.

"Sure let's go. Derek You coming." She says while walking into the school holding onto Charlie's hand.

"I'm right behind you."

They walk into the school and into Charlie's classroom. They put her bag on her hook with her name above it and head inside the classroom where they are greeted by Charlie's teacher.

"Hello Charlie, how are you this morning?" Miss Peters asks. Charlie cowards into Meredith's side.

"Good." She says softly.

"That's good. Well you're the first one here so you can go play with whatever toy you want." Charlie looks up at Meredith unsure.

"Go on Charlie. You get first pick." Charlie lets go of Meredith's hand and walks over to the doll house.

"She will be fine. It takes them a while to warm up. You must be Ellis. I'm Miss Peters." She says holding her hand out.

"Oh no. I'm not Ellis, I'm her daughter Meredith. Charlie is my younger sister and my mum and dad had to be at work at a ridiculous hour this morning so I had to bring her. Oh and that's Derek. His a good friend of mine." Meredith tells her. While Derek shakes hands with the teacher.

"Oh sorry, I just thought because you came and dropped her off. Okay Meredith, I'm sure you have to be getting to school so I will let you go. Is someone going to pick her up at 2.30 today?" Miss Peters asks.

"Oh, I will. I will just be a little late as I don't finish until that time." She says.

"Okay then, I'm sure other parents will be as well. So I will see you later. Bye." She waves to them.

"Bye Charlie. I will see you later." Meredith waves to Charlie and Charlie waves back.

"Have fun." Derek adds in before leaving with Meredith.

"She will be fine Mer. Stop worrying about her." Derek tells her while they are walking into school.

"I know she will be. It's hard not to worry about her though. Just if she doesn't make any friends or if she hurts herself. I don't think Mum or Richard could pull themselves away to go and take her home. Mum would send her intern to pick her up and Richard would send Patricia. I know they have an important job of saving lives but they can't even commit to their family lives. It just bugs me but it shouldn't." She tells Derek. She takes a breath and he just looks at her.

"Finished?"

"Yeah I am." She says smiling but the moment is ruined when Derek's name is called out.

"Derek." April calls out.

"I do not want to face her today." Meredith says through her teeth.

"Don't worry."

"Hello Derek, how are you today?" April asks.

"He is good April, just like every other day when you ask him then he tells you that he will talk to you later." Meredith says frustrated.

"I will talk to you later." Derek says. April looks Meredith up and down, gives a dirty face then walks away.

"Seriously if she does that again I will hit her." Meredith says frustrated with a hint of anger.

"Just leave it Mer. If she keeps doing it I will go off at her." He says with a smile.

"You would really do that?" She asks.

"No, but Cristina would." He says.

"I know she will. You know you're a really good friend? She asks

"Yes I do." He says putting his arm around her shoulder.

"And you are super sweet."

"Like pie." He says with a stupid grin.

"Now you're just being cocky." She says smiling.

"But you love." He says.

They reach their group of friends and place their bags down and stand with them all.

"Hey guys, how was your holidays." Mark says with a stupid smirk causing everyone to open their mouths in shock.

"Yeah it was good." She says then raises her head and sees everyone staring with wide eyes. "No it wasn't that good. Stop looking at me like that."

"C'mon we all know what you did." Mark says.

"Mark c'mon, nothing happened." He looks at the group. "Seriously nothing happened. Stop the faces and get it through your thick skulls that nothing happened."

"Derek, seriously calm down. I was just joking." Mark says.

"Sorry, that just got me worked up." He says shaking his head.

"It's okay Derek." Meredith tells him. The bell then sounds through the playground. "See you guys later. Derek you next door to me for roll call."

"I know. Ready to go." He asks. She nods her head. They walk off to roll call. "You okay Mer?"

"Yeah, I just worried for Charlie and that the rumour doesn't get said in front of the wrong ears." She says worried.

"Hey Charlie will be fine and nobody will say anything." Derek says.

"Hopefully." She says sadly.

"Okay were here. Come here." Derek pulls her into his arms and calms her down. "Hey it will be fine trust me. If it isn't then I will take you home." He says caring.

"You really love me like sister don't you." She says.

"Yes because I don't have enough of them." He says sarcastically. "Hey, I know when they are down and that means chick flicks and huge amounts of junk food." He says placing a kiss at her temple. "And no one else does so I get to."

She pulls out of his arms and looks at him.

"We better get to roll call." She says looking at him.

"What is it Mer?" He asks.

"Nothing. I'm just hoping Charlie is okay."
He grabs her hand and draws circles over it to relax her.

"Okay then. See you soon." He lets go of her hand and walks into roll call before the second bells rings.