Chapter Two: Old Friends

When Meredith Fell packed her bags and boarded a plane headed far away from Mystic Falls, a part of her had felt guilty. Alaric was gone and Elena Gilbert was a vampire with no family left. But she hadn't been close with the kids like Ric. She didn't know how to help them, protect them. Still, the feeling that she was abandoning a bunch of teenagers to deal with the supernatural mess that was Mystic Falls was definitely there.

She had been debating what to do when she called her old colleague and friend. Melissa McCall was just about the best nurse Meredith had ever known. The woman could've been a brilliant doctor with her skills and smarts if that bastard of a husband of hers hadn't left her to single parenthood. Melissa mentioned that there was a position available at the hospital where she worked. Meredith had to admit that it would be nice to see a familiar face after all she had gone through recently. And, besides, Beacon Hills was even smaller in population than Mystic Falls. There was no record of a council. What was the worst that could happen?

Meredith was already on a plane when the phone at her old home rang. She never was there to listen to the voicemail her old friend had left her. To hear the warning to not come to Beacon Hills.

The night Melissa McCall had left her old friend a message to stay away from Beacon Hills was the same night the mother had discovered her son was – well – she wasn't entirely sure at that point. Oh, and that there was some other lizard creature on the loose. Of course, she hadn't exactly divulged all of that to her friend. After emotionally collecting herself to do so, she had finally dialed, a sense of dread washing over her when the call went to voicemail.

"Hi, Mer, it's me, Melissa. I don't have your cell number so I hope to hell that you get this. Listen, I know that you got the job and everything already, but, well, you should stay away from Beacon Hills. Things have been – it's - dangerous here. There's – uh – a killer and I – I just don't want you getting hurt because I got you to come out here. Just, please, call me back before you leave. Okay. Bye."

Once she had hung up, Melissa let the breath she had been holding escape. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she had already had to lie to the Sheriff. She didn't desire having to lie to her old best friend. Not to mention the danger Meredith would be unknowingly signing up for. Melissa couldn't just run from this. Her own son was a part of it. But she could at least attempt to keep Meredith out of the crossfire. After all, the woman had only just recently lost the man she had loved.

Alaric hadn't stuck around the Gilbert's house often. There was always a shadow of pain in Jeremy's eyes when the kid could see him. The boy already had had it hard enough. So, despite Alaric's longing to watch over the pair, he kept at arm's length. Jeremy was never going to move on if he could still see his dead surrogate father around every corner. Alaric had still watched from a distance, though. Sometimes he had followed the kids to school. Often, he checked in on Damon. There were times when he would just go to The Grill and sit at an open stool at the bar. He would listen to those around him and just for a little while pretend he was still alive too. And then one day Jeremy showed up on the stool next to him, looking Alaric right in the eye and the man just knew. Jeremy wasn't just seeing him because the kid could see ghosts. Jeremy was one too.

Then there were the days he visited Meredith. He had overheard her discussing a new job opportunity for herself in California and almost followed the woman. But he refused to torture himself that much. He also would never be able to bring himself to leave the teens he had grown so close to, especially Jeremy, who spent most of his afterlife lingering around Elena and Bonnie when he wasn't with Ric. Still, Alaric allowed some self pity. Like the night Meredith left. Alaric had spent a good hour simply standing in the empty home. He hadn't even realized the time slip past him when the telephone rang. Alaric glanced at the window. It was the middle of the night and everyone in town knew the doctor was gone. He listened curiously to the unfamiliar woman. There was something off in the tone of her voice. A layer of subtle and stifled panic, and maybe even hysteria underneath the feigned calm. Then there was the way she said "killer", like she wasn't certain of herself. Like there was something she was hiding between her words. Forgetting himself, Alaric moved toward the telephone and then stopped. He wanted to scream. Meredith was possibly in danger and there was nothing he could do about it.

It was her second night at the hospital when the boy was brought in. Meredith had heard the whispers of how the kid was the Sheriff's son. If that didn't put her on edge, then Melissa's reaction when the ambulance finally arrived definitely did.

"Oh my – Stiles," Melissa rushed forward, practically knocking Meredith and another nurse over.

"Your son called this in, correct?" It was a deputy, following the paramedics.

"Yes, he did."

"But you're son wasn't at the scene of the accident," the man stated suspiciously.

"Look, can we do this later?" Meredith recognized that it wasn't a question. "This is my son's best friend. Your boss's kid. I'm going to help save him and you're going to wait outside."

And just like that, Melissa was assisting Meredith and the others as they attempted to do just what Melissa had vowed they would.

When they found the bleed, Meredith felt a wave of deja vu spread over her. The teenager had a bleed in his brain, just like Elena had. If they had treated him sooner, they might have been able to stop this. But it was too late, again. There was nothing they could do. Well, nothing modern medicine could do. Meredith had smuggled a small supply of vampire blood with her to Beacon Hills. She wasn't sure why. She didn't know if she could do this again. Risk this again.