Chapter 27: New Year Chaos
Jessica's house was a little two-story place just a block away from the hardware store. It didn't have the same "homey" feel as Meredith's house, and in fact, it was just the opposite. Jessica's home had a symmetrical, perfect feel to it. The carpets were white, the walls baby blue. There were long stemmed flowers in glass vases, laced doilies sitting at their bases. There were two couches in the living room, modern furnishings of white leather and a chrome coffee table. The kitchen was neat and tidy, while the bathroom was even more tediously clean. The whole house smelled slightly of vinegar, and the sight of the snow on the windows gave it all a faint glow to its spotless interior. It was a wonder that in such a meticulous and carefully cared for home, how Jessica's room could have gotten to the state it was in. It almost didn't even look like it was part of the same house. Jessica's room had hot pink walls, posters of male actors and rock band singers plastered along the sides. Meredith wasn't sure what color the rug was, as clothes, dishes, books, magazines, empty make up bags, and other miscellaneous covered the entire floor. Though she was pretty certain it was a light brown. That or she had spilled coffee. Her desk top computer sat on a Pepto pink desk, stickers and sparkles glued around the frame. A picture of she and Mike sat beside her lamp, the butterfly print frame tilted to the side. Meredith looked around the room, glancing a couple times into the clean hallway to make sure she hadn't stepped into another universe. Jessica had called her earlier and begged her to help clean her room. Her mother refused to allow Jessica to go to Tyler's New Year's party unless it was completely clean. It was currently noon. If they finished in time, Meredith might be able to rest her feet before being picked up by Derek.
"How are we supposed to clean all of this up by tonight?" she asked, staring at the mess. Jessica shrugged.
"I guess we won't know until we start." She tied up her long hair and took out a couple of trash bags. "I can't thank you enough. After this, I'll take you to Port Angeles for a shopping spree. You really are saving my ass, Meredith."
Meredith smiled. Since their fight/make up, Meredith had been worried that things would still be rough between the two of them. But Jessica seemed to have forgotten about it already. Either that or she pushed it aside in order to use her for her own needs. In any case, Meredith didn't mind. It got her to push her mind away from that evening – when Derek came by to be introduced to Thatcher as her boyfriend. In reality, she shouldn't be worried. Thatcher had respect for Carlisle, and they wouldn't be staying long. Still, she supposed it would always be nerve wracking for a girl to bring by her new boyfriend to her father. She shook away her thoughts for now and proceeded to help clean up Jessica's room.
It was without doubt a big job, even for two people. It took them three hours to just get all the garbage picked up and in bags. Meredith didn't even want to know what was under Jessica's bed. By the time Jessica had pulled out the vacuum, Meredith had all the dirty clothes together and was given directions to the laundry room. Once she put the clothes in, she headed back to Jessica's room, satisfied with their work. She paused, however, when she spotted a few photographs on the hallway table. Meredith picked one up, the frame slightly heavy in her hand.
The picture was an old, black and white photo. From what she could see, it was taken in the thirties. It was a picture of a little girl – twelve, perhaps – and her older sister. They were in miss matched clothing, the photo seemed to have been taken outside a small little shanty. The young girl stared at Meredith, freckles all around her baby like face. Meredith got a strange, familiar twinge in her gut. But she knew she had never seen this girl before...
"Meredith?" She looked up to see Jessica poke her head out of the room. "You ok?"
"Who's this?" Meredith showed Jessica the picture. She looked at it for a moment.
"Oh that. The tall one is my great grandma, Daisy McCleary. She was the mom of my grandma. The smaller one is my great aunt Annabell. She died when she was sixteen."
Meredith instantly knew who it was in the picture. "Annabell... McCleary?"
Jessica frowned. "Yes. Why?"
"How did she die?" she asked carefully.
Jessica shrugged. "She just vanished one day. That's all I really know about it. Everyone just assumed she was dead..." She paused. "Meredith... you ok? You're acting weird."
Meredith turned her eyes back to the photo. Annabell Susan McCleary stared back at her. What a youthful face... Meredith felt a strange knot tie up within her. But the moment she felt it, it ebbed away. She began to smile. For some reason, realizing who Jessica was made her happy. She set the picture down, wondering if she should tell Derek. Then again, maybe it would just bring up old wounds. Meredith turned to Jessica, still smiling.
"How much else do we have to do?"
Once their work was finished, and Jessica thanked her profusely, they headed back to Meredith's house, the sun having set all ready. Jessica dropped her off, telling her to wear something sexy for that night. Meredith planned to do nothing of the sort, but said she'd think about it. Not only did she not have anything that really qualified as "sexy", it was far too cold to wear something revealing. She just had enough time to take a nice bath and change into a better attire, when there was a knock at the door. Meredith's insides did summer salts. She turned and scurried to the door before Thatcher had a chance to. She opened it, smiling brightly at Derek.
The vampire had trimmed up, if only slightly. He had attempted to comb his messy hair, his clothes straighter than usual. He smiled back at her, the girl inviting him in. Meredith swallowed slightly and then turned. "Dad!" she called out. Thatcher asked what she wanted from the kitchen. "There's someone I want you to meet!" There was a pause before Thatcher hobbled out into the living room. He eyed Derek up and down. Meredith's date cleared his throat.
"Um... pleasure to meet you, sir," he said politely. "I'm Derek Shepherd. Dr. Shepherd's son?"
Thatcher gave him another look before nodding. "Oh right. Meredith's mentioned you." Meredith remembered the first conversation she had about Derek with her father. It seemed so long ago. "Are you the one taking Meri to the party?" Derek nodded. Thatcher ran a finger along his mustache before moving his hand out and taking Derek's, shaking it firmly. "Do remember, I don't want her out too late. I know it's New Years, but I want her back no later than one."
"Understood," said Derek. Of course, he was used to Carlisle's harsh and strict tone. So, he probably wasn't too intimidated by Thatcher. Still, he seemed to be a little uneasy. Thatcher gave him one last eyeing before hugging Meredith and kissing her forehead.
"You be safe, ok?"
"I will, Dad." She kissed his cheek and took Derek's cold hand, leading him out of the house. She smiled brightly to the boy. "You see? That was relatively painless."
Derek sighed. "He's suspicious of me," he said, head tilted downward. "Then again, most humans by instinct stay away from me." He smiled weakly. "But it doesn't matter. I'm glad he's letting me take you out."
"Same here." Meredith pulled him into the truck and started the car. Just before they pulled out of the driveway, Meredith leaned forward and kissed his cold cheek. "But for the record, I only stayed away from you because you were a jerk."
Derek laughed at that. "Right. So, do you know where we're going?"
"Yeah," said Meredith with a nod. "Jessica gave me directions." She paused, remembering that afternoon. As she pulled onto the frost covered road, her headlights on, she began to think. She glanced at him before speaking once more. "You know... Jessica's family's been here in Washington for a few generations."
"Oh?" said Derek, vaguely interested. He kept his eyes on the road.
"Yeah..." She stopped before continuing. "Her great grandmother moved here with her sister when they were young." There was another silence. He didn't seem to know what she was getting at, so she pressed on. "They... well... moved here during the Depression, you know." He turned to look at her, confused. Meredith sighed, deciding to come out with it. "Her grandmother was Daisy McCleary, Derek. Annabell's sister." She looked at him at a light to see his reaction. His lips had parted, his eyes widening slightly. He turned his head away, tensing a bit.
"Oh..." was all he said.
Meredith continued onward, heading along the road that lead out of town. She bit the inside of her lip. She shouldn't have said anything. She felt like an idiot. She knew it would have brought up old wounds. She felt terrible now...
"I thought she smelled familiar." Meredith looked over to Derek curiously. He turned his head back to her. "That Jessica girl that you hang out with... I always thought she smelled familiar, but I couldn't quite place it..." He trailed off, staring at the dashboard now. Meredith moved her hand over and gently laid her palm on his own. He turned it upwards and squeezed her hand softly.
"I'm sorry," she began.
"Don't be." Meredith stopped talking. "It's true... I loved Annabell from the start. I think part of me always will. It happened so long ago... I'm fine with it." He turned to look at her, smiling gently. "Really. It's fine."
She smiled back a bit and nodded. "Right... well... I just thought you'd want to know something like that."
Derek let his eyes gaze out into the night sky, looking at nothing. He smiled into the distance; his gaze warm. "I appreciate it. Thank you." He gave her hand another squeeze. Meredith didn't reply. She didn't have to, in her opinion. Inside her, she felt a warmth and pride fill her chest. Perhaps a small part of her had been jealous. Even though she knew that Annabell was long gone, there was a small piece of her that resented the young girl for loving him first. And now... now that he said out loud that he had moved well past her... she felt pride in knowing that now, she was the one who held his attention.
The rest of the drive was silent. When they finally did come to Tyler's house, Meredith realized just how far away from town it was. What she realized even before that, was how incredibly big it was. Meredith was in awe at the house – no. Not a house. Tyler's dwelling was one pillar short of a mansion. It rose high above the dark, iced ground, cars and trucks already parking around the vicinity of the grounds. It was a three-story manor, with high windows alight with bright lamps and party lights. The oak doors were huge, standing boldly against the stone gray, outer walls. She and Derek got out; music already heard throbbing from the home. They moved through the open, rod iron fence, noticing that the guest list probably included the entire school and their older siblings. She took Derek's hand, spying a hot tub lit up in the dark and steaming out against the snow. It was a concept that Meredith never quite got. Sure, it was nice to be in some place hot when the weather was so cold, but how would one feel getting out once they were done? Meredith went to the porch and invited Derek inside, looking around. She spotted the others immediately in the plethora of guests that mulled about in the living room. In the dim lighting and mesh of people, she wasn't able to get a lot of details from the room itself, save the stairwell that went up to the second floor, a small closet beneath it. She led Derek towards the group, the vampire shadowing right behind her. Meredith realized that he was trying to keep himself well out of sight, so when she got up to the others, she didn't introduce him. Though she could tell everyone noticed his presence.
"You've got a great house!" Meredith yelled over the speakers. Ignoring Derek, Tyler grinned brightly.
"Thanks!" he shouted back. "Dad owns an oil rig a ways offshore!"
"Well if your dad owns an oil rig, why do you have such a shitty van?!" hollered Mike, his arm around Jessica's waist.
Tyler shrugged. "I like old things!" he responded. "Dad let me restore it from junk! I love it!"
Meredith chuckled, but stopped as she saw Jessica's face. It was uneasy, almost fearful. She noticed that her eyes were pointed at Derek. Meredith looked up to see that the vampire was staring at the girl. Her heart clenched as they looked at one another. Jessica yanked on Mike's arm, the two turning and leaving the group to go dance. Derek watched the back of her head until it disappeared into the crowd. He then lowered his gaze. Meredith shook her head and looked back to Tyler. After a little bit of conversation, Meredith pulled her date away and took him to the edge of the room. She watched as a mass of people danced to a generic hip hop song Meredith remembered hearing on the radio once. She turned to Derek, who was watching as well.
"Do you want to dance?" she asked. Meredith wasn't much of a dancer herself, but there really wasn't anything to it. All she really had to do was stand in one place and sway from side to side. Derek made a sour face.
"You call this dancing?" he replied. "The twenties... now that was dancing! And this music? Psh! I miss the sixties. The music these days isn't anything compared to back then! It's been going downhill since the eighties! And – !" He stopped suddenly when Meredith began to laugh, clutching her hand to her mouth. "What?!"
Meredith laughed a bit more. She then stood up and play punched his arm. "Quit being such an old man!" she teased. She took his hands and pulled him into the crowd. "Come on. Let's dance!" She recognized a Black-Eyed Peas song and began to bop up and down where she was, pulling him close. He obviously had never danced like this before, and she hadn't had much practice. So, the two were basically on even ground as far as dancing went. In fact, Meredith was sure they looked terrible together. But she didn't mind. She was starting to have fun. And as the two swayed back and forth together, she was sure that he was starting to have fun too. He smiled a bit, keeping his hands on her hips. It wasn't long before the songs began to sound the same, the two simply bouncing to the beat. It even escalated into grinding at one point. Meredith could tell by holding his hand and touching his face that his skin was two things – cold and hard. But when they grinded together, their fronts plastered to one another, Meredith realized that a few other things were quite... hard as well. In any other situation, she would have chastised herself for having a perverted mind, but the heat of the jumping bodies and the pounding music caused her mind to be foggy and not care. But her euphoria soon ended once her legs began to hurt, and her breath was coming in pants. They stumbled out of the crowd, a thin layer of sweat on her neck and forehead. She could already tell that her face was flushed; her cheeks felt as though they were on fire. Whether it was because of the dancing or of her thoughts, she wasn't sure.
She and Derek migrated to the refreshments table, Meredith pouring herself a cup of punch. She was sure to smell it first though. She knew that free liquids had a tendency to attract alcohol at these kinds of parties. The last thing she wanted to do was go home with liquor on her breath. Thatcher would chain her to her room for months. After making sure there wasn't any booze in her fruit punch, she took a drink and leaned against the table. She felt an icy hand make its way around her neck and she shuttered from the contrast. She fell into giggles, leaning against Derek's firm chest. He hadn't so much as broken a sweat.
"I'm so jealous," she said, slapping his chest playfully. "You don't have to take a rest. I bet your legs don't even hurt!"
"Nope," said Derek with a grin. Thankfully, the refreshments table was in the kitchen, the music slightly less loud. Of course, they had to endure at least two couples making out in dark corners, but she didn't particularly care, and neither did Derek, it seemed.
"Lucky." She took a long breath, closing her eyes. She listened as the next song started up. Taking this time, she opened her eyes and looked to the ceiling. It was a high, exquisitely furnished kitchen to match the rest of the elegant house. She noticed something unusual. Instead of a regular fire alarm, Tyler's house actually had a sprinkler system that one would see in stores or restaurants. Strange... but she guessed with a house that big, it'd be wise to have an automatic sprinkler system. She shook her head, setting the drink aside. Rounding to him, she let her hands lay flat against his chest. "Thank you for coming," she said sincerely. "I really appreciate it. I always feel so awkward if it's just me at a party like this."
Derek shrugged his shoulders. "It's definitely a flash back for me. Though the parties in New York were a little tamer than this. Same basic thing though."
Meredith nodded, taking another drink. They spoke for only a minute more before they heard the frantic voice of someone familiar. Derek perked up as the two of them recognized his name being called from the front. They looked at one another and moved to the entrance. Rosalie stood at the open door, pacing. She let out a sigh of relief. "So, you are here! Thank God!" She yanked on her brother's arm. "Come on! We have to get out of here!"
"Woah, woah!" Derek held up his hands. "What? What are you talking about, Rosalie?"
She let out a hurried groan. "Remember how I couldn't detect the nomads for a while?" she began.
Derek furrowed his brow. "Yeah, what about it?"
"I forgot what kind of situation the moon was in this month!" she continued, rushed. "The lunar mist has been heavy all this! Too heavy! It's been blocking my signal until tonight!"
Meredith felt her heart drop within her chest as she saw Derek's eyes widen with shock. "Until tonight...?" he repeated slowly.
Rosalie dropped her voice. "The nomads never left," she hushed roughly. "They've been here the entire time...!"
As if on cue, the power suddenly shut off inside the house, dousing the lights and turning off the music. Meredith jumped and clutched Derek's arm. She could hear protests inside, voices demanding to know where the music had gone. Rosalie cursed under her breath. "They're already here... We have to go!" A thought suddenly ran through Meredith's mind.
"Wait!" she said, stopping the two vampires. "What about them?" She gestured to the people inside. Rosalie furrowed her brow.
"I don't think the nomads would be after them..."
Meredith didn't want to take chances. She turned and ran into the kitchen. Through the dark, she fumbled around until she found a lighter in the junk drawer. She scurried onto the top of the butcher's block and steadied herself until coming up to the sprinkler that she noticed from earlier. She snapped it on and held the flame up to the metal, the fire licking the flat bottom of the thing. Suddenly, it burst out in water, as did every other sprinkler in the house. Meredith felt a leap of joy in her prediction – she assumed that if they had messed with the power, they wouldn't have gotten the separated fire alarm system. She tossed the lighter to the side as shouts and hollers came from the party guests, the crowd starting to hurry outside. At least now they wouldn't be sitting ducks. Meredith hurried out, now soaked and gripping her arms. "L-let's take my truck. We need to b-blend in with the crowd." They agreed and hurried outside, Derek keeping a firm arm around her body. Meredith kept her fearful eyes to the sky. How far would they go this time? She gripped Derek's shirt and shivered, praying Thatcher would stay at home.
