Who: book! Alaric (boyishcharm) and book!Meredith (weirdistheword) What: Reuniting after time apart When: Tuesday evening, after his arrival Where: Meredith's apartment, 204
As soon as Ric had set down to the laptop, he had begun to swim through the massive messages posted there. Then... he saw her. His Meredith. Rather, he hoped it was her, as there were quite a few different people from different times in this place. Not entirely surprising, but still a shock. When she had confirmed she was his Meredith, and she knew him... it was a relief and a joy beyond all other. After receiving her apartment number, he headed over immediately. The storm was hellacious, and he had to bundle up quite a bit, walking against the buildings to avoid being blown over. Finally indoors, his stomach in knots with anticipation, he knocked at her door.
Most of the people here hadn't known Meredith, though there appeared to be people with names similar to some of those she knew. There were Elenas, but not the golden-haired girl she knew. There were Bonnie's, but they weren't the excitable rehdhead. She'd finally seen posts from a Damon and an Elena that she recognized, which immediately put her in proective mode when it came to her best friend. She'd already lost Elena twice, she wasn't prepared to lose her again. But the one person she longed to see, she still hadn't heard from.
Then, of course, she kicked herself for missing him. She knew that him going to Russia would mean that they wouldn't be able to see each other for a while, and she had been fine with it, really she had. But being in such a weird place with so many weird things going on, it made her really want his familiarity around. She still considered herself far from being a clingy girlfriend.
And then the storm. It had started late that afternoon and it felt so chillingly like the storm on Founder's Day had been. The storm that ended up with Elena drowning by the Wickery Bridge. And now that Damon confirmed that he shared her suspicions that Katherine was once again alive and causing trouble here... Meredith was very concerned for her best friend. Even more than before.
And finally, Alaric answered her post. When she needed it the most. Yes, needed. The storm had her on edge, and it took a lot for calm, sensible Meredith to get that way. It took the possibility of there being another threat to Elena. Another threat that had already been responsible for her death twice.
When she heard the knock, she uncharacteristically jumped off her bed and moved quickly through the apartment to open the front door. Meredith normally wouldn't want to seem too eager to see him. But this wasn't a normal cicumstance. This was reliving something that had already gone bad. Could they stop history from repeating itself? She pulled him into the apartment and closed the door before turning to look at him. "I'm really glad you're here," she said, moving toward him and wrapping her arms around him, head on his chest. She was pretty sure the need to be so close to him now was to make sure he was solid. That he was really there.
Ric was a little surprised by Meredith's response. She was always cool, calm, and collected. Then again, she had been through so much with Elena and their friends back home... so much when he hadn't been there. How he had needed to be there. She needed him, but always assured him that she didn't. Hell, he had needed her. He wanted to marry her, and solve the world's problems (supernatural and otherwise) together. She was his rock and his love, and right now she seemed to be on the verge of losing it. He wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her into a tight hug, kissing her hair. She was cool, and seemed to be shaky, but that may be himself from the chill outside.
He didn't want to let her go, but he wanted to give her a thorough inspection. He pulled out of their hug and held her by the shoulders as his eyes raked her body, her face, her beautiful, silky hair. She was his beloved, and he could tell she was very distraught. "Meredith, please tell me what's going on," he said pleadingly. He had yet to find out if many others from their time were here, and she had been the first person he had spoken with.
When Alaric wrapped his arms around her in return, Meredith felt like she could melt into him. The rational part of her that always worked, apparently even on the rare occasions that things felt out of her control, knew that they couldn't stand there holding each other forever. He'd been gone for a while and she'd have to explain what had happened while he was gone, and of course the storm. And Damon's concerns that matched her own. She so rarely agreed with Damon that she wasn't sure how to handle it.
"I think," she began after he pulled back and inspected her, "and Damon agrees, that this storm is caused by the same person who caused the one in Fell's Church. The one that killed Elena." She took his hand and led him to her bedroom for a little bit of privacy. Closing the door behind her she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. "I'm not sure what Elena is right now. Human or vampire or whatever the hell she was before I got here, but whatever she is, she's here and I need to keep her safe. I've already lost her twice and I can't lose her again."
Ric's brows rose as she talked of Damon, someone she had rarely spoken of in a good light. When she took his hand, he got tingly, but repressed that as she led him to her room. Once she was seated, he stood before her as she spoke, then joined her on the edge of the bed. Needing the closeness, and knowing she needed it too, he clasped her hand in his.
Glancing over at her, he gave her long, beautiful fingers a gentle squeeze. "Mere, we will not lose Elena again. She is a survivor, apparently. She has gone through so much, and she has always found her way back to you. Have you spoken to her? Is she even here?"
Meredith didn't like Damon, she didn't have any problem letting her friends know that. But through the trouble with Katherine, then the trouble with Tyler and Klaus, he had at least proven that he cared about keeping Elena safe, or in the last part, he cared about keeping promises to Elena even after she was dead and gone. If that meant that he was worried because Katherine might be there and might be trying to kill Elena again, she figured that she could at least play nice. They didn't have their full group there, as far as she could tell. And she'd need all of the help she could in protecting Elena.
She appreciated that he sat next to her. She really hated needing him. She knew how unlike her it was and she was sure that he was confused about it. But he was still being so great about everything. "She is," she agreed. "But if Katherine really is here and she's trying to kill Elena again... she already succeeded once." Of course if Elena was a vampire, a storm wouldn't really do much to hurt her. But Meredith wasn't taking any chances until she knew the truth. "She's here. I saw her post a few days back. I haven't spoken to her yet."
"Meredith, let's speak with Elena. Find out what she is. Go to her to keep her safe. We can do that," he said, using a practical tone, which he knew she would appreciate. She always had a calm, clear head... but when Elena was in danger, she sometimes needed a little provocation to get going in the right direction. He loved her for her calm demeanor, but was glad when she did need someone to help her.
"And, as much as I don't want to admit this, we should have Damon come as well. We can all protect her, together. I know that Damon probably could care less for me, but I am going to be there. I don't want you alone with him," he said, his brows creasing with a hint of anger and concern.
Meredith listened to him and nodded. He was right. She knew he was. And if the storm hadn't gotten her so freaked out, she probably would have been thinking the same way. Thank God that Bonnie wasn't there. Meredith was the one person who could calm the small redhead down the easiest. If she couldn't keep herself calm, that would only make Bonnie even more worked up. But their psychic friend would also be very helpful in this situation as well. A part of her thought they needed Bonnie there. And Stefan. Even Matt would provide some extra help. Could Katherine have even somehow been behimd getting them there? Did she think if she split them up she could take them down more easily?
"I agree," she answered reluctantly. "As far as I know, Damon and Elena are the only ones here besides the two of us." She took a couple of breaths, hoping to clear her head. "We need to work together, even if some of us don't like someone," she added, making it clear that she wasn't terribly thrilled with working with Damon either.
He nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. He was calm, like Meredith, but not always quite as serious. "Before we get... Damon," he said, swallowing before saying his name, "I have to tell you. I missed you... so much. Everyday." He blushed a little as he said those words, but he meant them with every fiber of his being. He cupped her cheek with his free hand and gently kissed her cheek. He knew Meredith wasn't the overly flirtatious or romantic type, but when you love someone, and know they had been in terrible danger, you had to tell them how you felt. Before it was too late.
It was true that Meredith wasn't overly affectionate. Her relationship with Alaric was very much the opposite of Elena and Stefan's. It wasn't that she was completely opposed to expressing affection, but she had always felt that it had a time and a place. With everything going on in Fells Church before Alaric left, the right times were few and far between. And she had a feeling that this place was going to be the same way.
Still, she let herself take some comfort in the brief feeling of his lips against her cheek. It really was good to have him back. "I missed you too," she admitted, using no more words than that to tell him how she felt. It wasn't that she didn't miss him as much, she just didn't have it in her to use more words than necessary to express her feelings.
He smiled, giving her hand another squeeze. "Don't worry. We will get through this, together. I won't leave you again. Never again. I'll be here, to help you protect Elena," he said, knowing that was her primary goal. But his... his was to protect her. True, she was the strongest woman he knew, and she could very much take care of herself, but he was never going to stop looking out for her. She was everything and more to him.
Meredith gave him a small smile when he squeezed her hand and promised to be there to help her protect Elena. Of course since no one seemed to know how, exactly to get out of there it wasn't like he could take a job and just leave anyway. But it was nice to know he was so determined to stay and help anyway. "Thank you, Alaric," she replied to let him know how grateful she really was.
He inclined his head, smiling in return. "No need to thank me. I assure you, I am here for you... for our friends... always," he said, the smile fading, indicating his seriousness in the matter. "Tell me," he said, to break the bit of embarrassment he felt, "how will we find Elena? Post online?"
Meredith pursed her lips together for a moment and gave a nod in return. She hadn't seen any indication of where Elena was staying, and there were several floors in the building. She knew it could take a while to find Elena. "I think that would be best," she answered. "I don't have any clue which apartment she would be staying in."
"And you would like to find out right away, during the heart of the storm? You know, we can make sure she's safe and then... stay here to catch up?" he offered sheepishly, ducking his head.
"Of course I would," Meredith replied immediately. A part of her liked the idea of spending more time with just Alaric. She had meant it, after all, when she said she'd missed him. But with a likely very real threat to Elena. She felt that that took over any personal desires to spend time with her boyfriend. "She might be safe now, but what about an hour from now?"
"Since we've spoken to her, and she knows that we're here... only moments and a phone call away, then I am sure she will let us know if she feels threatened in any sense of the word," he said reassuringly. He and Mere had sat together, writing out their post to Elena. This was all so surreal to him... being here, yet still facing the same problems as home.
Meredith let out a gentle sigh. She really didn't know what to do. In light of the situation, were they being selfish to want to spend time with each other? Elena did seem to think that she was okay without them coming over. But as her friend, she felt it was her job to protect her first, then attend to personal needs once the danger was gone. Finally, reluctantly, she nodded. "Okay," she answered. "But as soon as she needs something, we're running."
"I wouldn't want anything less," he said, finally relaxing a little. "Do you want me to move? Am I... bothering you with my proximity?" he asked, a blush tinging his cheeks.
Meredith couldn't help but mile. Alaric could be so adorable at times. "No," she answered, leaning against him, only slightly. "I like being close to you," she told him honestly. "It's easier to convince myself you're really here."
Those words tore at his heart. "Oh, Meredith," he said desperately, turning to face her fully, their legs touching. He grasped both of her hands tightly, his eyes burning into hers. "I am so very sorry for leaving you for so long. I will never do so again... if we ever leave this place..."
When Alaric reacted to her words, Meredith immediately felt bad. She had told him before he left for Russia that she didn't mind him being away and that she would wait for him.. and she did, she hadn't even thought of being with anyone else. She knew that Alaric would come back for her as soon as he could. "Don't get me wrong," she replied. "I understand that with your job, you'll be gone from time to time. I told you I was okay with that, and I am. I missed you and I'll miss you anytime you're gone, but I know you'll come back to me."
"I will always come back to you, my lo-- Meredith," he said, catching himself before truly speaking what he felt. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable in any way. "But, what I realized in my time away... is I can't be gone from you for that long. Not again. It's either together, or not at all. I will stay here, in Fell's Church, near Harvard... anything to be with you."
Harvard. It hadn't even occured to her yet that she could be here long enough to miss going off to college. A part of her wanted to interject how hard she had worked to get into Harvard and how unfair it would be if she was trapped here long enough to miss going. But that would seem cold after the words he said to her. Almost like she didn't care. She did care. "But what about work?" she asked him. She knew she really liked his line of work. It didn't seem very fair of her to pull him out of it just because they were in a relationship. "I mean, staying in Fells Church would keep you very busy, but I don't think there will be very many vampires and werewolves in Cambridge."
He shrugged. "Meredith, the supernatural are everywhere. I can do research via the internet, or phone calls. We never know what a city may hold, and I am very interested in finding out with you," he said with a smile.
But his insecurities were starting to get the better of him and he stood up, pacing across the room to lean against a dark and cloudy window. "Unless... you don't want me to stay..." he said uncertainly.
"That's not it at all," Meredith assured him quickly. She did want to be with him, but she didn't want to be the woman who took him away from the work that he loved. She stood up and walked toward him. "I want you to be where you want to be, and if that's with me, then yes I want you to stay. But I don't want to take you away from work that you love." Being near a window with the storm as heavy as it was made Meredith feel a little uneasy, but she wasn't going to walk away from Alaric at least until she was sure that he understood.
Alaric closed the distance between them, taking himself farther from the window. His hands grasped her shoulders and he smiled shyly. "I love you more than my work, Meredith. I have and will always put you first," he said softly, his lips touching hers gently, unsure of how she would respond.