It was nearly midnight when she snuck out of her room. Quietly, she tip-toed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Opening the freezer, she grabbed a half empty tub of Ben and Jerry's. She unlocked the back sliding and slipped outside. The breeze was chilly sending a small shiver down her spine. She sat down in on of the chairs by the table.

Why did she have to tell Mark it wouldn't work? Now she felt like something had gone all wrong.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the sliding glass door opened. She turned to see Mark walking out and shutting the door behind him.

"Hey." He said quietly as he sat down on another seat on the other side of the table.

"Hey." She said back in the same tone. She ate her ice cream as he just stared at her. "I know what you're thinking?"

"You do?" A smile broke on her face.

"You want to know who Marcy and the kids are."

"Yeah, I do."

She sighed. "Ice cream?"

"Sure." He shrugged and she handed it to him.

"I met Marcy when I was here over the summer two years back. She had dropped out of college in her first year because she was pregnant and her boyfriend promised to take care of her even thought she wanted to go to law school. I was just finished up with high school, and we ended up sitting beside each other in a coffee shop. She was crying and naturally I asked if she was okay. She nodded, but then a phone call came. It was her bank. She cried and pleaded. After she hung up, I asked if she were okay again. She dumped on me. Her fiancé had gotten in bed with his secretary, and she had walked in on them in bed two months after she had their twin girls. She had forgiven and tried to forger for the sake of their girls and one son. Their son, who was four at the time, was born with a defect and made him more susceptible to disease. Four months later, their son, James had been diagnosed with brain cancer, and her fiancé ran off with his secretary. She had been hit rock bottom. Her ex-fiancé wasn't helping to pay for her children, and without a college degree, she couldn't get a great job. I felt bad and gave her my number. We hung out until it was time to leave. The night before I left, she took James to the doctors. I watched the girls for her. She came back in tears. The doctors said James had become terminal. She didn't have any money to get half the things he needed for at home care. I gave her fifteen hundred before I left. A few months later, I came back for two weeks. James had taken a turn for the worse. He didn't have much function in his limbs and was forced to use a wheelchair, feeding tube, and pretty much constant IV. I've been helping to support her and the kids ever since."

He stared at her dumbfounded. She was going into her second year of college. The most important thing other than books she was supposed to be using her money for was playstation and big screen TVs. Yet, she was nearly supporting a whole family out of the good of her heart. He was shocked and proud at the same time.

"That's… amazing." He said quietly.

"I do what I can for them." She replied before removing her eyes to look around the yard.

"Meredith…" He spoke after a few moments.

"I still don't think we would work."

"Why not?"

She sighed and stood up. She leaned over and kissed him light and sweet. "You know why." She whispered.

She turned and walked back into the house. He sighed and watched her go.