Dedicated to all the MerMia stans out there! This is my first time writing this pairing so I really hope I do them justice. Don't worry too much about the timeframe of this relative to show events.

Meredith was not having a good day. It was bad enough that she had been kept awake by Rose Hathaway's nightmares yet again. The Novice barracks weren't exactly known for being comfortable, but the added noise made it impossible to sleep.

So she had gotten up early, deciding to catch a little sunlight before it set, signaling the start of the Moroi day. Usually that would have helped her mood for the rest of the day, but she mistakenly decided to check her email.

The message from home managed to throw her off her game during training. She was always jockeying with the other top Novices for the number one spot on the leaderboard. But her performance that day managed to knock her down two spots.

Groaning, Meredith tried to ignore the fact that Rose's name was now above hers. She would just have to be more focused tomorrow.

It didn't help that Valentine's Day was later that week. It was all any of the students could seem to talk about. She was so tired of hearing everyone talk about their dates or who they liked or who they were going to the Valentine's Day party with.

"Did you hear who Dean asked out?" A second-year called excitedly to her friend.

"Mason's definitely going to ask you, Rose." That was Eddie, and Meredith tried not to roll her eyes.

"No, he's not. He knows it's not like that with us."

Sure it isn't. At least for him.

Meredith tried to tune them out, wanting nothing to do with any of it. She viewed it as a made-up holiday, an overblown excuse for people in relationships to be sappy and gross and for single people to feel, well, even more single.

Except this year, Meredith wasn't sure what category she fell into. She wasn't quite single, but she wasn't in a defined relationship either.

"Are you bringing anyone to the party, Meredith?"

"I think I'm skipping the party this year, Eddie."

"But what about your new Moroi friend?" he asked with a grin.

"Shut it." Meredith knew she was being harsh and that Eddie was joking around, but he had hit a nerve.

She really wasn't someone who dated. Her focus was on getting through school and graduating, and then on staying alive. Besides, she spent so much time with the other Novices that the thought of dating any of them was almost incestuous.

Plus, female Novices her age were few and far between, and she wasn't into guys. So that didn't leave her with very many prospects, and she was doing just fine.

But then there was Mia Karp. The Moroi girl who she couldn't stop thinking about. One of the last people Meredith would have ever thought she would fall for.

While Meredith considered herself a good judge of character, she had misjudged Mia at first. Mia came off as snobby and unfriendly at first, but Meredith had seen that she did have a heart.

She didn't always show it, but Mia cared deeply for her family and the few friends she let in. And somehow, Meredith now found herself somewhere in there. They weren't quite friends, though, but that was a safer way to think of things for now.

Mia was prickly, but Meredith wasn't exactly soft on the outside either. Her life hadn't been easy prior to her arrival at St. Vladimir's, but she knew that didn't make her special. Novices with traumatic pasts and broken families were a mir a dozen.

As she got to know Mia, Meredith realized that they were more alike than she might have originally thought.

At first Meredith thought she didn't have a chance, since Mia had been very publicly engaged to the late Prince Andre Dragomir. But then she learned from Rose that the relationship had been for show.

Even so, why would someone like Mia be interested in a Dhampir Novice like her? She had no connections, no social status. She was quite the opposite of what someone like Mia would consider a "catch."

Meredith was learning that those things were increasingly less important to Mia, however.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that the very person she was thinking about was walking towards her.

"Oh look, it's like we summoned her!" Eddie said excitedly, earning an elbow to the ribs from Meredith.

"Hey," Mia said when she approached them. She was addressing the group as a whole but her attention was focused on Meredith. "I wanted to see if you were doing anything on Tuesday night."

"Tuesday?" Meredith repeated.

Great, she probably thinks you're stupid now.

"Yeah, Valentine's Day." Now Mia noticed the looks that the other Novices were giving her, and she crossed her arms in front of her defensively.

"Meredith doesn't do Valentine's Day," Rose supplied helpfully, breaking the silence.

Shooting daggers at her with her eyes, Meredith steered Mia away from the other Novices. Glancing at Mia, she saw that Rose's words had in fact made her anxious.

Thanks a lot, Rose.

"Ignore them," she finally said once they were out of earshot.

"No, I know Valentine's Day is dumb. But since classes end early that day I was just thinking…" Mia trailed off, glancing sideways at Meredith as they walked.

"Mia Karp, are you asking me out?" She couldn't keep the teasing note out of her voice.

"Maybe," she responded with a little smile.

Cliched as it was, Meredith felt like butterflies had taken residence in her insides, fluttering at the idea of a date with Mia.

"On a Valentine's Day date."

"On a non-Valentine's Day date that happens to be on Valentine's Day," Mia said with a laugh.

"But it's still a date." Meredith stopped walking, waiting for Mia to do the same. She wanted to see her face, to prove to herself that someone like Mia actually wanted to go out with her.

"Definitely." And then Mia gave her one of her rare true smiles. Not the simpering one that she utilized at Moroi functions. No, this was Mia's real smile that only a select few got to witness.

Meredith counted herself lucky that she was one of them, and she wanted to keep finding ways to bring it out of her.

They walked for a few moments in silence, each sneaking sideways glances at the other.

"I should probably go shower," Meredith said with an apologetic shrug once they had arrived at the Novice barracks. She didn't want to stop talking with Mia but she definitely needed a shower after training.

"Okay. I'll see you Tuesday, though?"

Meredith felt a tug at her heart at the uncertain tone creeping into Mia's voice.

"Definitely," she replied, reaching out to squeeze Mia's hand before she could talk herself out of it.

Mia frowned at her reflection in the mirror. She was happy with her hair, opting to keep it simple with a few curls. She had simple makeup on, and a black sweater dress that suited her petite frame.

Lissa came up behind her, smiling at her in the mirror. They were still more roommates than friends, but they were starting to get along better than they had when Mia was engaged to Andre.

"You look great," she said. "You also don't have anything to be nervous about."

Lissa had been around Mia enough recently to pick up on her feelings for Meredith. While she had been surprised at first since she hadn't known that Mia was interested in girls, she had been nothing but supportive since.

Mia appreciated that Lissa hadn't made a big deal about her "coming out," if it could even be considered that.

"I know we said it's a date which means she's interested," Mia said slowly as she thought. "But you know how things with Andre were and this is the first time I've been into anyone like this in a long time."

Lissa nodded, turning away for a moment to grab her earrings. She was dressed up much more formally as she would be attending the Queen's lavish Valentine's Day party.

For once Mia wasn't jealous about not getting to attend a prestigious Royal event. No, if tonight went well she would be having a much better time than if she was surrounded by stuffy Royal Morois who looked down at her.

Turning back to Mia, Lissa surveyed her outfit.

"Your dress is great. You might be cold sitting outside, though. I have the perfect thing!"

And then Lissa was wrapping a very pretty cardigan with jeweled buttons around Mia's shoulders. It was a very sisterly action and Mia actually smiled at her.

Speaking of sisters…

"Thanks, Lissa. I have to go, I promised Sonya I'd stop by before meeting Meredith."

"Okay, have fun!" Lissa called with a wink.

Mia figured that Lissa was probably relieved to not have Mia trailing her at the party, making sure she behaved as a Dragomir princess should.

Or maybe she's actually happy for you.

Mia shook her head at herself. Since when had she gotten so…sappy? Sonya would say kind. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

Arriving at the greenhouse, Mia stood for a moment watching her sister bring the plants to life with her magic. Sensing her presence, Sonya turned around with a shy smile.

Their relationship still wasn't perfect, but Mia had been trying after the Death Watch and Sonya appreciated her efforts.

"What time is your hot date with Mikhail?" Mia asked teasingly.

Sonya blushed prettily, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"He has to work tonight but he'll be here after his shift."

Mia nodded and Sonya held up her finger in a gesture for her to wait a moment. Venturing into the rows of flowers, Sonya returned a few minutes later with a small bouquet.

"What's this for?"

"I thought it would be nice for your date with Meredith," Sonya said softly, holding out the flowers to her.

Mia accepted the bouquet with a small smile.

"They're beautiful, thank you."

"You should go, you don't want to be late." Sonya nodded her head towards the door, where they could see slants of moonlight filtering in.

After saying goodbye and wishing each other well on their respective dates, Mia rushed to the spot she had told Meredith to meet her in.

She had her basket in one hand and the flowers in the other, going as fast as she could. She wasn't a Dhampir and was on the shorter side, so she shouldn't have been surprised to see that Meredith had beaten her there.

"Hi you," Meredith said, standing up from where she was sitting against a tree.

All that Mia could think about was how beautiful Meredith looked. She was wearing a simple sweater and jeans, one of the few times Mia had seen her in anything other than her uniform or training clothes.

Her hair was down, the fiery red curls standing out strikingly against her black sweater. Mia loved Meredith's hair, and she blushed thinking about running her fingers through it.

"Hi," Mia said shyly, before she remembered her plan. "I, um, I was hoping to set up before you got here." She held up the basket.

"Do you want me to turn around?" Meredith asked with a raised eyebrow and a laugh. Mia loved her accent and how her words had a distinct lilt to them.

She also loved Meredith's laugh.

Wow, you really are becoming a sap.

"Actually, yeah. Just for a minute."

Meredith complied, dramatically turning to face a tree and shutting her eyes for good measure. She could hear Mia fumbling around behind her and smiled.

"Okay, you can look now."

Meredith turned around, eyes widening as she took in the scene in front of her.

Mia had spread out a little blanket, laying it out so that it was directly illuminated by the moonlight. She had placed some flowers in a glass, and there was an assortment of snacks and what looked like two small bottles of champagne.

Meredith knew that the food was more for her benefit than Mia's, and she could tell that this was not cafeteria fare. Mia had clearly put in effort putting this little picnic together.

She moved her gaze to Mia, who was watching her nervously, biting her lower lip.

"Mia, this is…" Meredith trailed off, finding herself at a rare loss for words.

"Do you like it?" Mia asked hopefully. "It's fine if you don't, we can do something else."

"No, I love it." Meredith grabbed Mia's hands, locking their gazes. "I'm just surprised. No one's ever done anything like this for me before."

"You deserve it," Mia said before tugging on her hand. "Sit with me?"

Meredith let her pull her down so they were sitting side by side on the blanket.

They got settled comfortably, Meredith's right side pressed against Mia's left. Mia rested her head on Meredith's shoulder, letting out a little sigh.

"Tough week?" Meredith asked, keeping her voice low. There wasn't anyone around to hear them, but the clearing they were in was so peaceful that she didn't want to disturb it.

"It's only Tuesday," Mia responded with a laugh. "But it's been okay. My dad is feeling better and Sonya seems really happy, which is nice."

"I'm glad Mikhail finally got the balls to ask her out," Meredith joked, reaching for a container of fruit.

"I wasn't sure what foods you like so I just got what looked good." Mia gestured at the impressive spread with a shrug.

"Oh, I just like food, so anything is good. But this is definitely more than one person can eat, even with a Dhampir appetite." She held out the container to Mia, who smiled and daintily picked up a strawberry.

They chatted idly about their classes. Mia explained some of what she had been practicing with using her magic defensively, and Meredith vented about the competitiveness between the Novices.

They each listened attentively when the other spoke. Meredith had gathered up the courage to reach for Mia's hand, and their fingers were now entwined, resting on Meredith's thigh.

Meredith looked down at their joined hands and smiled wistfully. She had never felt like this with another person. People in general weren't her favorite. She was someone that preferred solitude. But she felt secure around Mia and didn't find her presence tiring.

Remembering the bubbly, Mia leaned forward to grab the two bottles, handing them to Meredith.

"These are nothing fancy but I thought we could do a little toast," she said as she worked on the cap. "The tops are just supposed to twist off."

"Here, I've got it," Meredith laughed, taking one and easily twisting the cap off. What she didn't account for was that Mia had jostled the bottles around when she was hurrying over.

Mia managed to get the cap off of hers, but suddenly both girls were covered in the fizzy liquid.

"Oops, that's on me," Mia said sheepishly. "I probably shouldn't have been running with them in there."

"That was you running?" Meredith teased.

"Hey!" she responded in mock indignation, bumping her shoulder playfully.

Once they cleaned up the best that they could, Mia held out her bottle towards Meredith, who clinked hers against it.

"What are we toasting to?" Meredith asked before taking a sip.

"To us?" Mia asked tentatively. To her relief, Meredith smiled and nodded.

"To us."

"I've never had champagne before," Meredith said after she had a few sips.

"Well, technically it's just Prosecco," Mia responded in a put-on snooty tone, turning her nose up.

"You know, that's how I used to think you actually were like."

"I was like that though," Mia frowned. I'm working on it."

"I know. I like this you. The real you."

"I like it too."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Eventually Mia ended up lying with her head in Meredith's lap. Meredith rejoined the fingers of one hand with Mia's, her other hand playing idly with Mia's hair.

Glancing up at the moon and then down at the girl in her lap, she realized she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this content.

Mia opened her eyes, catching Meredith looking at her.

"What are you thinking about"

"You."

Mia shook her head in embarrassment.

"I'm nothing special."

"Yes you are! Don't say that," Meredith chided. "You're special to me," she added softly, causing Mia's eyes to light up.

"Does that mean this was an acceptable date?"

"It's a very acceptable Valentine's Day date," Meredith said with a grin.

"I thought you don't do Valentine's Day?"

"I don't. Or I didn't. I think I can make an exception for you, though."

Mia propped herself up on her elbows, eyes falling to Meredith's lips. Following the movement, Meredith smiled and leaned down to meet her halfway.

"Now it's more than acceptable," she murmured against Mia's lips before kissing her softly.

Mia's hand shot up to tangle itself into Meredith's curls, smiling into the kiss. They were as soft as she had imagined.

They kissed unhurriedly, tasting the Prosecco on each other's lips. Hands wandered lazily, drawing them closer together.

Eventually they ended up curled up together on the blanket, trading more soft kisses and whispered words. It felt like they were in their own little world, and neither wanted to leave.

"It's getting late," Mia said after a while with a barely-concealed yawn. "But I don't want to go just yet."

"I don't want to either." Meredith took in how tired Mia seemed. "Why don't you close your eyes for a bit? I'll make sure to wake you up well before the sun rises."

Mia nodded sleepily, burrowing in closer to Meredith, who smiled and held her tightly.

Closing her eyes for a moment as well, Meredith amended her earlier thought. This was the happiest she had been in a long time, the feeling of Mia in her arms one that she never wanted to forget.

That's it for this one! I have more ideas for these two in the works, so stay tuned!

ALSO if you are super sad about the show's cancellation like me, come join our Save VA campaign! Website coming soon, but we're on Twitter Save_VA_