Chapter 16: Friends

The next day was Saturday. If it had been a school day, Meredith probably wouldn't have gotten up in time. She awoke gradually that morning, the feeling of sunlight warming her face. She woke up without opening her eyes, letting her senses slowly click on. At first, she wasn't quite sure what had happened the night before, but then it all came to her, like the flow of melting ice. She supposed she should still be angry, or at least slightly upset. But her temper tantrum along with Derek's visit had calmed her. Now, she felt nothing but deflation and exhaustion of the whole thing. Her eyes slowly opened to see the golden rays of the sun peeping through the glass. That's when she noticed she was the only one on the bed. She sat up and looked around. It was sunny... so maybe he went home? It disheartened her a bit – she was hoping to wake up to him. She caught herself in that thought. What a strange hope... She wasn't quite sure why she wanted to see him that morning so much. It was probably because of his comfort from the night before. Lately, Derek had been showing a bit more of a tender side. She guessed that she just wanted to feel as much of that sweet center as she could, considering how terrifying things were becoming. It was more than welcomed in uncertain times. She slipped out of bed and yawned, scratching her temple. She could still feel dried tears on her cheeks. She must have looked a mess. Walking into the bathroom, she turned on the light and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was worse than usual, and her eyes were still slightly puffy from the day before. With a sigh, she washed her face and turned to leave for breakfast, when she noticed something.

Laying in the concaved form of her bathtub was none other than Derek. He was sleeping, curled up with his feet beneath the faucet. Meredith went to her knees; glad he hadn't left in the middle of the night. She watched him, curiously. He was so peaceful when he slept. His breathing was easy, his worn, sunken eyes closed gently. He seemed to be comfortable enough, his hands acting as a pillow beneath his cheek. Meredith glanced at the sun that splayed across the top of her bed and then looked to Derek. Thankfully, the bathroom did not have a window. He probably came in here to sleep at dawn. Just as the night before, her hand went forward and stroked his hair. She wondered just when he slept. He went to school in the daytime when it was clouded. Maybe he was only able to sleep on weekends and the days where it was too sunny? He must have been drained every day coming to school. That would partially explain his sour attitude in class. Well, partially, anyway. Something told Meredith that he had other reasons for being so crude. Part of it was probably the fact that he needed to keep his identity secret. As she ran her fingers through his soft hair, he winced and shifted in his sleep, turning to his back. She pulled back her hand, but he did not stir. Not wanting to bother him further, Meredith left, turning off the light and leaving the door open a crack. She wrote a note that she'd be back for him later. They were running out of groceries and going shopping might make up the fact that she had worried Thatcher yesterday. So, after doing something with her hair and changing into new clothes (she fell asleep in her jeans and sweater the night before), she moved downstairs to the kitchen. Thatcher was currently making sausages, one of his favorites. Meredith hugged him around the waist.

"Morning," she said kindly. Thatcher looked at her, a bit surprised.

"Hey kiddo," he said, patting her head. He shifted on his crutch, flipping the sausage in the pan. "How are you doing, Meredith?"

"Ok I guess." She leaned against the counter, watching him cook. Breakfast was his thing. He enjoyed doing it by himself. Meredith supposed it had to do with some sort of rugged man image to get up early and cook meat. "Look, I'm sorry I scared you." She rubbed her arm, figuring she'd tell him the truth for once. "My... boyfriend from Boston. He broke up with me the other night... I was just really upset." She rubbed her temple. "And a lot of stuff's been happening lately... Yesterday, Jessica was annoying me, so I just sort of snapped. I'm sorry if I worried you, Daddy..."

"Awe, it's ok." He kissed her forehead. His whiskers tickled her skin. Going back to his frying pan, he grunted. "So, he dumped you then? Ah, I'm sorry to hear that sweetie. But if he doesn't realize who he's letting go, then that's his loss. He'll be regretting it; you mark my words."

Meredith gave him a warm smile. "Thanks Dad. Do we need anything from the market?" After a breakfast together, Meredith made a list and stepped outside to head off to the store. Despite the sun, there was still a considerable amount of snow on the ground, the bright sun acting as a farce to feign warmth. So, she dressed warmly and left her home. She got only two or three feet, when she realized that she wasn't supposed to leave unsupervised. She frowned, looking to the sky. There was no way they would attack her on such a bright day. Still... She tapped her lip and sat on her porch steps, before flipping open the phone and dialing Mark's number. She really didn't feel like bothering him, but the last time she did something she wasn't supposed to (taking off her cross) she heard about it. She'd rather not go through that again. Not after she and Derek had moved into such a friendly place. After a short conversation, Mark agreed to come along and picked her up. It wasn't that far to the store, so Mark offered to take her somewhere along the way. Meredith insisted that she didn't want to be a bother, but Mark was adamant.

"Might as well," he said as they came to a stop sign. "I drove all the way out here." He smiled at her. "Or do you just want to take advantage of my kind heart without doing anything to repay me?"

Meredith rolled her eyes, a smile twitching on her lips. "Alright, fine. Where do you want to go? And just so you know, I already ate..."

"Hm... well how about some coffee?" Mark suggested.

"That sounds ok." Meredith wasn't much of a coffee drinker, but she enjoyed a hot tea now and again. Mark pulled up to a small coffee shop and parked just outside. The two then shuffled into the cafe and put in the orders. They then took a table in the corner, sitting across from one another. Meredith got a good view of the shop from where she sat, as well as through the window, the name of the place backwards on her side of the glass. "I've only come here a couple of times with Jessica and Angela," she confessed, looking at the soft brown walls. It was a quaint little place, an even mixture of modernism and a woodsy feel easily detected in the air. There were several framed pictures along the sides, some of them showing obscure celebrities that Meredith couldn't name.

"So, how are things?" Mark asked. Meredith directed her attention to him. He had a slight look of worry in his steely gaze. "I heard you lost it yesterday at school."

Meredith frowned. "Word travels fast," she remarked.

Mark chuckled. "Not that hard for it to spread when you're being monitored." Mark took off his gloves and ran his fingers through his sable hair. "So anyway... what happened? You went home early... without a guard, might I add." He didn't seem so happy about that part.

"Well the important thing is I got home safely, right?" Meredith put her chin in her hand and told him the story of her unfaithful boyfriend. It seemed with each telling, it got easier. Meredith guessed this was part of the healing process, as it were. Mark became quite ruffled at the story, nostrils flaring.

"What a bastard," he said indignantly. "You were too good for him anyway."

"You don't have to humor me," said Meredith. She sighed, tapping the table as their drinks were brought to them. "Finn... he's a nice guy. He really is. He's just..." She frowned. "...a guy," she finished.

"No excuse," Mark snapped, hand on his cup. "None at all. If that were me, I wouldn't even look at another girl, no matter how far apart we were."

"You're sweet," said Meredith with a slight smile.

"I'm serious," he persisted. "I would never do something like that to you. Last time I checked; I was a guy too."

"Well maybe you and Finn are just different."

"I'll say." Mark took a swig of coffee. "I'm a lot different than a cheating prick, I'll tell you that right now."

Meredith laughed a bit. "Easy now. You're more upset then I am."

"I can't help it!" Mark continued. "Hell, Meredith! I've known you all my life, practically. To see you pushed around like that... Dammit, it just makes me pissed!"

Meredith put a hand on his. "Woah there, Fido," she joked. He sighed and looked out the window, his jaw still tight in frustration. "Listen... I appreciate it. I really do. It's nice to know that you care about me." She smiled kindly and he looked to her. "But I'm fine. Really. I had a little blow up yesterday, but I'm still surviving. I'm tough!" She then held up an arm as though flexing. A humorous gesture, as she barely had fat on her arms, let alone muscle. That got a bit of a laugh out of Mark and he shook his head. A thought came to Meredith after that. "That reminds me." He looked up from the rim of his drink. "Mark..." She glanced around and lowered her voice. "Well... I've been thinking. I've come across the nomads a couple times, and all I can do is hold my cross and hope they're not hungry. Is there anything else I can do?"

Mark sighed. "Short of caring a large stake with you everywhere you go? Not much."

"There's really nothing else I can do?" Meredith wasn't expecting that. She was certain that there could have been something more she could be doing to protect herself.

"Afraid not," Mark grunted. There was a silence as Meredith stared at the cup in front of her. It was disheartening at the very least. She was hoping that she could do more than cower and hide behind her bodyguards. Mark leaned forward and gently took her hand. She looked up to his smile. "Hey... don't feel too down. Anyone else in your position wouldn't be able to get through the day without freaking, much less see what they could do to help."

"I just feel like such a damsel in distress." She sighed, propping her chin in her hand.

"Trust me," said the boy. "You're a lot more heroic then you know."

Once they had finished their drinks, they went to the store and filled up on groceries, all the while, Meredith wishing she could pick something up for Derek as well. He had been so sweet, staying overnight for her. She knew this was the case. Why else would he risk waking up to the sun? But short of decapitating a rat and pouring the blood into a wine glass, she wasn't sure what she could do. Once the shopping was over, she spent the rest of the day making up with Jessica. She assumed she'd be sore after Meredith had called her a dumb bitch in front of the whole class. And boy was she right. Jessica just about had a hissy fit ten times over when she called to apologize. After a half day or so of talking – and Meredith having to retell the story of her heartbreak – all had been forgiven. She then snuck into the bathroom to check on her sleeping Dracula.

He hadn't moved from his spot all day. Perhaps the most he had done was shift spots. She wished she could do something to block the sunlight through her window and convince him to come to bed. However, she guessed sleeping in a bathtub was similar to sleeping in a coffin. Although, many coffins had velvet or cushion lining. Then again, when she peered into Alice's room, she noticed that the vampire had a bed, not a coffin. Maybe the whole thing was just hype and superstition? She slipped out of the bathroom, not wanting to wake him up, and spent the final daylight hours doing her homework. She had an English paper due in two days that wasn't even being close to done. Once she had finished a few good paragraphs, the sun had set behind the canvas of trees. Just as she was putting away her books, she heard a shuffle from within the bathroom. Looking up, she spotted Derek slipping into her room, yawning widely and rubbing his sunken eye.

"Evening," said Meredith pleasantly.

"Morning," Derek grunted. He found himself on the edge of the bed and yawned a second time, patting his open mouth.

"Sleep well?" she inquired.

Derek shrugged. "I slept ok." He looked to her. "What about you? You seemed fine through most of the night..."

"I was out cold," said Meredith, pulling her legs in to cross. She smiled kindly. "I can't thank you enough for staying with me last night. It meant a lot."

Derek stared at her for a moment and then looked away. "Oh... well..." He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "Just... doing my job, you know?"

Meredith kept her smile. They both knew that a vampire couldn't enter a human's dwelling without being asked. The reason Derek needed permission every single time he came in. So, she would have been perfectly safe without his presence. "Doing his job" indeed...

"Well I do appreciate it," she continued. She paused as she heard Derek's stomach rumble. "Hungry?" She still felt bad for not doing anything to help him with that.

"I haven't eaten in a week," he confessed. Meredith blinked in confusion.

"Wait... but I thought you brought blood to school with you? In your thermos?"

Derek sighed. "It's different then feeding," he explained. "That blood... it's stationary. It keeps me alive, but it's hardly a meal." He paused. "It's sort of like... If you ate toast every day and that's all you ate, but then every once and a while you got hot pancakes and sausage."

"Now you're making me hungry," said Meredith lightly. "Speaking of which, I was about to go down for dinner." She paused. "Why don't you do the same and then... well then can you come back?" She felt selfish for asking for another one of his nights, but she couldn't help herself. Even now, when she was calmed and at ease, she still requested his presence. She was afraid she'd go back into what she left behind that night. It almost scared her, going back to being that angry.

"Sure," he agreed without so much as hesitation.

"Really?" Meredith perked up, smiling brightly at him. "Thank you, Derek..." She leaned forward and hugged his neck. He stared at the ground and she looked at him. "Something wrong?"

"I'm... just kind of confused." Meredith let him go and sat on her knees, looking at him. "I... haven't really had physical contact like that in a long time... and even then, it wasn't like what you just did..."

"What? Hugging you?" Meredith frowned at him. "You've never been hugged before?"

"Well I have," Derek explained. "Just not so..." He paused. "Innocently. At least not in such a casual, friendly way." He stood, rubbing his face. "Ah, I'm not making sense. I'm sorry. I'll go now."

Meredith stood as well, taking his hand. He looked to her, eyes curious. Leaning in, she once more kissed his stone-cold cheek. "I do it when I want to be close with someone..." She felt heat rise to her face. That didn't exactly come out right. "Erm... what I mean is... When I like them..." That still didn't sound right. "Ugh... when they're important to me." That sounded... a bit better.

Derek just stared at her. "I'm important to you..." he repeated. It was more of a statement then a question.

"Of course, you are," she said. "You're... well..." She looked down. "I know I said you didn't have to be... but I'd like to think of you as my friend." She chanced a look back up to him. He was staring at her, the same, unreadable face he wore that moment in the truck. Then, his lips turned up into that rare, gentle smile that he wore right after it.

"Yeah... I'm your friend, Meredith." This time, he put his lips on her cheek. It caused her to become more flustered than she probably should have been, his cold lips shocking to her hot face. He opened the window and perched on it, his figure darkened by the puce and pink light of the late sunset. "I'll be back later. I promise."

He had said it with such sincerity, Meredith had no choice but to believe it.