Chapter 13: The Meeting

The anxiety felt by Meredith the first time she was taken to the Shepherds' domain was nothing compared to the utter petrifying fear that took hold of her as she, Billy and Mark drove towards the home of the vampires. It wasn't the fact that she would be the only human present, or the fact that she would be seeing Derek again after such an unpleasant goodbye. Rather, the idea that the nomads' stay here was specifically her fault, and that she could be blamed for the creatures being there in the first place... That made her shutter with terror. She could only imagine the (at the least) uncomfortable meeting that she would have to endure. She knew Derek probably hated her now. Emmet and Rosalie might do the same simply by association of what their "brother" told them. Jasper already hated her, and Alice... well, she might try to eat her again. She was very glad that she was wearing her cross. What really frightened her, however, was Carlisle. The image of his stern, angry face flashed more than once in her mind. He had scared her enough the first time they met. Then, he was really only angry with Derek. She had no idea how he'd act if he was angry with her. She clutched her arms tightly, eyes glued onto the road in front of her. Noticing her tense demeanor, Mark put a hand on her shoulder. Billy had insisted on driving, letting the two of them sitting in the back.

"It's ok," he reassured her. "You don't have anything to worry about."

"But if the nomads are here because of me – "

"They're not," said Billy darkly. "They're here because they wanted to flaunt it in the Shepherds' faces. The only reason they didn't kill them on sight was because Carlisle tries to be a pacifist."

Meredith blinked. "Pacifist?" The stern faced, army Sargent of a vampire who stared at her with such piercing, sharp eyes strived to be a pacifist? If the situation wasn't so tense, she might have laughed.

"Hard to believe, huh?" said Billy with a chuckle. "He's only hard because he feels like he needs to be that way to protect his family. When my grandfather first got to know him, he said he was quite a nice man." He grunted. "Though I've never seen it..."

"What do you think of him?" Meredith asked Mark.

He shook his head. "Wouldn't know," he said honestly. "I've never been to one of these meetings before. Dad's letting me come along because I'm older now and I volunteered to protect you if you need it."

Meredith blinked. "Oh... really?" What a kind gesture. Then again, if they had switched places, Meredith would probably do the same. She smiled and nodded in thanks before looking out the window. Her fear was ebbed, though only slightly. She still felt wary of the whole thing. The drive up the dirt road was rough, and sometimes nonexistent. Meredith had to grab onto her seat more than once to keep herself from hitting the sides or falling over, despite the seatbelt. Finally, the truck stopped, and they all got out, standing in front of the house, waiting for them, were three figures. Two of them were Emmet and Rosalie, and the third was a native whom she recognized as Sam, Mark's cousin. Emmet and Rosalie both were dressed in jackets, both hoods up to protect their faces from the setting sun. Whereas Emmet had on a sweatshirt of neutral gray, a white ball cap beneath his hood, Rosalie wore a slightly more stylish jacket, white fur decorating the sides of the hood and the sleeves. Two white puff balls were attached at the end of the strings by her hood, dangling in front of her. They nodded shortly to her and looked to the other two, Sam joining up with Mark and helping Billy into his chair. Sam was only a few years older than herself, but he had grown to be quite a burly man, his strong presence rivaled only by Emmet. On his neck, Meredith noticed, was a tattoo of a grizzly print. No doubt, his personal god was a bear. Once Billy was situated, they all headed into the house. The cold, closed up space of the home was even more daunting then before, the chills riding up Meredith's back and arms rapidly this time. She kept close to Mark, staying away from the staircase that led to Alice's room. Finally, they were all lead into what seemed to be a living room type area, a few electric lamps the only light source that wasn't activated by wicks. Carlisle stood as proud as ever, hands behind his back. Whereas the tiny Esme moved about, offering them seats on dark red couches. Jasper hung near the back, watching as Emmet and Rosalie took off their protective coats, Alice hovering off to the side. After counting in all the rest, her eyes then fell to the very last Shepherd.

Derek stood in the very back of the living room, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. He stared, amendment, at the floor, as though it was incredibly interesting. His jaw was tight, his eyes focused on one spot. He refused to even blink, let alone look up to meet her gaze. However, Meredith knew that he could sense her eyes.

"Sit," came the low voice of Carlisle. They did so, Meredith scooting close to Mark, who took her hand calmingly. Carlisle closed his eyes for a minute, collecting his thoughts. He sat on the opposite couch, and the others did so as well – save the three in the back. "So..." His eyes opened and landed on Meredith's. "Is your friend alright?"

Meredith swallowed a bit. "Y-yes sir... She's fine." She shifted, biting her lip. "She was knocked out before she could tell that one of the nomads had pulled her in. So... I'm still the only one who knows..." Under Carlisle's unwavering gaze, her voice fell. "...just thought you'd want to know sir..."

"Well that's good," said Esme in her gentle tone. She turned to Carlisle, putting a hand on his. "At least she's still the only one who knows..." Carlisle sighed and nodded, rubbing his eyes.

"That aside," said Billy curtly. "I want to know why you aren't doing your job. First it was the police chief, and now a young girl. How many people are you willing to put in danger before you act?"

"Need I remind you that it isn't that simple," said Carlisle, his ego ruffled slightly. "Nomads are evasive. Attacking one head on is never smart, no matter how many of us there are."

"Not to mention," said Rosalie, hands folded in her lap, "one of them is a multiplier. I think it might be the leader."

"A multiplier?" Meredith looked to Mark.

"You know what a dark gift is, right?" Meredith nodded and Mark continued. "A multiplier is someone who can make several copies of themselves."

"Great for confusing your enemy if you want to get away," said Emmet. "Even better if you're the one attacking."

Meredith nodded and turned to the vampires across the way. "Ok... so how did she know?"

"Rosalie is an aura seer," Esme explained. "She can tell someone's ability by simply looking at them." Rosalie had a small, proud smile on her face, but extinguished it quickly in order to keep her composure. That must have meant that they met with the nomads prior to the meeting...

"In any case," said Carlisle. "We can't simply take them down up front. It would be unwise, to say the least."

"Then what do you suggest?" Billy asked, leaning back against his wheelchair seat.

Carlisle thought for a moment, eyes resting on Meredith. She kept her mind as blank as she could, so that he wouldn't see her intimidation. He then stood quickly and looked over his shoulder. "Derek." For the first time since they got there, Derek's eyes snapped up. He must have not fed in a while; his eyes were dark. Carlisle motioned for him to come closer, and he did so, his gaze still refusing to fall on Meredith. "I've changed my mind about school." His lips parted slightly, and he blinked.

"Really...?" There was true surprise in his voice.

"You can go back," said Carlisle. He turned to Meredith. "It's apparent that they fancy you as a play toy. Derek will stay close to you from now on. If they try anything again, he'll catch them long enough for us to get rid of them."

Unwillingly, their eyes met. It was obvious that he still resented her for the fight. Meredith looked away, her grip on Mark's hand exceedingly tighter. The shifter beside her stood to his feet. "No way," he said. He looked to Billy pleadingly. "Dad, let me go to school with Meredith. I can fight them off – "

"It would be too suspicious if you were taken off the reservation," said Billy with a sigh. "Derek went to that school initially, so it would make sense for him to come back."

"We can make up a story," Mark insisted. He glared at Derek. "Besides... who's to say he won't take a bite himself?"

With a growl, Derek rushed to Mark for that jeer, but was stopped by Emmet, who held him back. Sam also stood, hand on Mark's shoulder. The two glowered at one another, the silver in Mark's eyes blaring. Emmet whispered to his brother to calm down, and Derek's rigid body loosened slightly. After a tense moment, he turns and went back to where he was, Emmet returning to the couch and Mark sitting down.

"I apologize for my son," said Billy. "He's a bit... tense. This is his first meeting." He frowned at Mark and then looked to the others. "That'll be it then. Derek will shadow Meredith during the day. Mark will keep to her when it's too sunny for Derek to go out. It's not likely they'll attack on one of those days, but you never know."

"Agreed." Carlisle stood, the others following suit. "Good day, Mr. Sloan."

"Good day, Mr. Shepherd." With that, the visiting party left, Meredith's legs going wobbly. The ride back was silent, Mark practically fuming beside her. Sam left in his own car, heading directly back to the reservation. Gently, Meredith tapped his arm. He looked at her.

"Don't be angry," she said softly. She tried to lighten up the mood by smiling. "I'm still wearing my cross, right? So, I should be fine." He sighed and ran a hand through his long hair.

"Yeah..." He looked at her intently. "Just... if he does try anything... I want you to tell me. Do you promise?"

Meredith sighed. Despite their bad blood, she knew that Derek wouldn't try anything. If he was going to, he would have done it long before now. "I promise." She let her head fall to the back of her seat. "How long until we can get the nomads, do you think?"

"Who knows," said Mark with a sigh. "I only hope it's soon..."

"Yeah... me too." With that, they silently sat in the back seat, minds mucked in thought as the day finally turned to a quiet, haunting night.