Friends

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Friends takes place after Power Play. Thanks to all reviewers.

Taylor POV

It was the world's strangest relationship. I could understand the guilt but the plain avoidance of us all was simply annoying. It made me want to bash his head in or at least force him to listen.

Merrick frequently pulled away from us. He didn't want to join the team or have anything to do with us. That didn't stop the others from trying.

We invivited him out with us. We tried to talk to him. We even asked him to come to the Animarium. It always ended the same way. He would walk away from us in silence.

Imagine my surprise when I entered Willie's Road House to find Merrick working. I had heard about the job but I was a little surprised. I didn't think he would try to approach someone outside of the group. He had even rejected Shayla's offering of a home at the Animarium. What surprised me the most was the sight of another familiar face at the bar. Of course Shayla had come to visit him the other day but the sight of one of the others was shocking.

Alyssa was sitting there working hard on her schoolwork. She sat right at the bar paying no mind to the noise around her. She poured over her books as if she was in a library.

What the hell is she doing in a place like this?

Alyssa continued reading for class as Merrick cleaned up the tables. The place was a mess from the various customers. It was funny to see the stoic and stubborn Merrick clean up the place. He even mopped the floor. Talk about an interesting sight.

An older man was working behind the bar. I guess that was Willie.

"Would you like something to drink?" Willie asked Alyssa.

"I don't really have any money," she responded.

"It's on the house," Willie said as poured Alyssa a soda.

Alyssa just smiled in appreciation as she continued to work. Occasionally I would catch Merrick watching her as he worked. He seemed to become rather protective when any of the customers tried to bother her.

I found myself watching the antics of my two teammates with an odd sense of curiosity. Alyssa was my friend but even I didn't know why she was at Willie's. When I had asked her to come out with me this afternoon she had said that she had to study. Instead here she was studying at a busy bar.

The place began to empty out of customers. Some of the customer's wolf whistled at Alyssa but they became silent when they saw Merrick watching. The place was cleaned up quickly and I was surprised that Alyssa offered to help.

"You don't have to," Merrick said as she scrubbed down the bar.

"I'm paying back for my soda," she answered smiling.

The pair worked like a well-oiled machine. It was strange and familiar. I could catch Willie watching them with amusement.

"I'll close up if you two want to leave," Willie said after a few minutes.

"I don't mind," Merrick replied.

"No, you two go on. I just have to lock up."

Alyssa gradually picked up her books.

"Do you like working here?" she asked Merrick as she started walking towards her car.

"It's not too bad. Willie doesn't prod me about my past. It's kind of nice to be surrounded by people who don't know," he replied.

"Is that why you avoid us? Do you think we'll judge because of what happened?" she asked sadly.

"I just don't want to risk hurting any of you. You all have done so much for me."

Alyssa simply nodded. She was about to drive off when he stopped her.

"Will you be back tomorrow?" he asked.

"It doesn't bother you?" she questioned.

"I've kind of gotten used to you being here in the afternoon. You've come every afternoon since I started working. It's nice talking to someone who knows. I don't feel like I have to hide anything from you."

"I thought you didn't like having me around. You do avoid us all."

"Alyssa, I don't group you with the others. Your my friend."

She smiled softly. "Friends?"

"Friends," he answered.

I continued to watch the two of them from the shadows. This was definitely the weirdest relationship I had ever witnessed. I knew for a fact that Merrick didn't offer friendship lightly but Alyssa never refused friendship. She had done what the rest of hadn't been able to. She had broken through the lone wolf's hard shell and that made me question why.

I watched the two of them part ways. Alyssa drove off towards her dorm room and Merrick went to his room at the road house. I shook my head at the notion of what friendship between the pair could possibly mean.

To be continued…