"But you went away. How dare you?"

If there was anyone who Meredith knew for certain cared about her, it was her Aunt Margaret. Most of the time, Meredith wasn't sure how Margaret and Ellis were related, but she was grateful that they were. She was possibly the greatest person on the entire planet, and a had been a wonderful mother to Audrey. Her entire universe had revolved around Audrey, and it broke her heart that Margaret had lost her daughter. She had loved and appreciated Audrey, and what had she gotten in return? She had to watch her daughter suffer, and then die. Meanwhile, Meredith is completely healthy, and Ellis couldn't care less. It was crap. It was the reason she had agreed to help clean out Audrey's room, as difficult as it would be for her. She was sure that it was that much harder for her Aunt. Her Uncle had handled Audrey's death horribly, and no one had seen or heard from him since the funeral. It didn't surprise Meredith, but it made her want to be there for her Aunt even more because of it. She was all alone. Meredith wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"Anything you would like to keep, you can." Margaret tells her, placing items into a box.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Meredith asks her, not wanting to throw all of what remained of Audrey into boxes.

"I need to." Margaret sighs. "I can't keep looking at this."

"Okay." Meredith agrees, removing things from Audrey's desk.

"Thank you for your help, Meredith." Margaret lifts the box she was filling, and places it outside of the door.

"I..." Meredith's fingers run over one of Audrey's basketball trophies, and she carefully puts it into the box. "It's the least I could do."

"It's always so nice to have you over."

"Oh." Meredith breathes. She immediately feels like she could have spent more time with Aunt. "I'd be over more, but Mom's already on my case about my grades."

"She mentioned your grades the other day." Margaret shares. "You should be proud of yourself. Don't let her ruin it."

"Why is nothing ever good enough for her?"

"It's a vicious cycle." Margaret sighs. "She was the oldest, and our father was just as demanding."

"It's not an excuse."

"I'm not excusing her behavior." Margaret tells her, carrying out another box. "I'm just trying to help you understand."

"It was more of a rhetorical question." Meredith shrugs. "I will never understand her."

"You're smart to give up trying to understand your mother." Margaret laughs. "I should have a long time ago."

"How are you doing?" Meredith asks, opening the draw to the desk. "Are you okay?"

"I'm taking it one day at a time."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, sweetheart." Margaret smiles. "Thank you, though."

"If you need anything..." Meredith starts to say, and finds a stacks of envelopes, held together with a rubber bands. Some were letters from Meredith when they were younger, and some looked to be from all over the United States and further. Audrey had told her about this, but she had never imagined it was this many letters. There were easily five hundred, or a little more. Audrey had wished to travel the world, and her english teacher had sent appeals to friends, and friends of friends, and so on. Audrey had received hundreds of pictures of the world she would never see in person. She had made a book of them, and had looked at them often. Meredith wondered where the book was. She wouldn't mind having it, or the letters she had sent to Audrey when she had been nine and Audrey eleven. Maybe what had brought comfort to Audrey would bring comfort to her. "Aunt Margaret?"

"Yes?" Margaret sits on Audrey's bed, and looks at an old yearbook of her daughter's.

"Do you know where the book of photographs Audrey was sent is?" Meredith sets the letters from her aside. She would put them with the ones she had from Audrey when she got home.

"Bottom drawer on the left." Margaret smiles. "Would you like it?"

"I think so." Meredith slides the book out from the drawer, and flips through it. After a few pages, Meredith places the book with her letters, and returns to work. Most of the room and closet is cleared within an hour, and Meredith stays for dinner before having to leave for counseling.

"You're welcome here anytime you would like, Meredith." Margaret reminds her as they are saying their goodbyes. "And if your mother gives you a hard time..."

"I don't care if she does." Meredith hugs her. "I'll be over a lot more."

"Glad to hear it." Margaret laughs. "I love you, and your cotton candy colored hair."

"Love you too." Meredith smiles, and walks out of the door Margaret holds open. "Bye, Aunt Margaret."

"Bye, Niece Meredith."

Meredith waves, and walks to counseling with book and letters in hand. She sits in front of the gym entrance, and looks at Audrey's book. At the end of it were pictures of Audrey with her parents, Meredith, and her friends. Audrey's friends were incredible. They would have done anything for her, and Audrey would have done anything for them. She was missed by so many now.

"What's with the book?" Derek asks, leaning over to attempt to read it.

"It was Audrey's." Meredith sighs. "We cleaned out her room today."

"Oh." He struggles with what to say. "Are you alright?"

"No." She closes her eyes, and he sits next to her. "So many people loved her. It should have been me."

"Don't ever say that again."

"I'm such a waste of space, and she wasn't."

"You are not a waste of space." He squeezes her arm.

"Sure."

"Audrey didn't think you were waste of space." He points to a picture of the two of them. "She would not have wanted you to go through what she did."

"You don't know that."

"Except that I do."

"You don't."

"Fine, I don't." Derek concedes. "I didn't know Audrey, but I know you. You're not a waste of space."

"How do I stop feeling like one?"

"Stop believing your miserable mother." He knows immediately who to blame.

"It's not that simple."

"I know." He says sweetly. "Just remind yourself that she's wrong."

"I can remind myself of that all I want, but her voice will still be there, in the back of my mind."

"Tell her to shut up."

"I'll do that." She laughs. "Why haven't you told Mark about counseling?"

"It's on a need to know basis." Derek shrugs. "He'd also want to come with me, and I wasn't ready for that."

"He's your best friend."

"I'll tell him eventually."