Back to the beginning, Tag; OPEN

Meredith was back. After the three longest years of her life, she was truly back. Mystic Falls hadn't changed scenery wise that was something she had noticed after the surprisingly long plane flight. She'd gotten in the taxi and just stared out the window feeling that warm fuzzy feeling Caroline use to always buzz on about when they'd been dangling their legs in the sunshine back in middle school. It seemed so long ago now she looked down at her outfit. She had grown up a lot since then.

Sure she had kept in touch with the others through letters, text messages and emails, but it wasn't the same. The last time she had saw Elena, she'd been wearing a crop top. That was how long ago it was. Still, she knew she'd regonise her old friends the moment she saw them. It was the sixth sense kind of thing, she could feel their vibes all over town. They were warm and happy making Meredith smile wider than she had in a while.

Meredith entered the Mystic Grill and gazed aronud, slightly disapointed that she did not spot any familiar faces. She made her way to the bar and sat down, asking for a clearly non-grog filled drink. She didn't do beer or wine, not drugs either. They were a waste of perfectly good brain cells and liver space in her opinion.

As Meredith waited for her soft drink wondering what her friends were up to and how they would react when they realized she really was back in town.

Elena walked down the street after parking her car. She was seriously craving some fries. Stefan had said he needed to go out for a bit, she assumed that he needed to go hunting, so she knew that she could find something to keep herself busy with, and the Grill being a public place helped. She didn't want to give Stefan a reason to worry , so she would go to a public place, and then she had promised she would text him if anything weird happened. Stefan was caring and protective. She didn't want to worry anyone, and she didn't want to go home.

She walked into the Grill, and her eyes scanned the crowd for her friends. No familiar faces. She walked up to the bar, and she leaned against the bar as she told the server what she would like. She ordered fries, a burger, and a soda. She sat down and then she took out her phone to check to see if Stefan had texted her. She glanced over at the brunette next to her and she had to do a double take.. It couldn't be. She turned her body towards the girl.

The brunette was different than before, but she had to be Meredith. Elena knew her best friend. She was instantly excited and thrilled. "Meredith Sulez? You're in town and you didn't call? I see how much I mean to you." Elena said with a smile as she looked at her. Meredith had been in town, and she didn't call. She better of had a good excuse.

Meredith glanced up at the sound of her name being spoken by a very familiar tone. She grinned and jumped off her stool, hugging Elena casusally before giving a wink. "The very same." She commented in a cheesy manner. "But drop the Sulez buisness girly." She added in a mock southern accent.

"Just got back into town earlier, the plane flight and driving has me woosy. I had to go back to get some stuff from moms but thankfully now I'm here to stay." Meredith explained, remembering that Bonnie had mentioned Elena having a new boyfriend at school only two days before. She had spoken at lengths with Bonnie then having to go back to get the rest of her stuff had taken up most of her Friday night and Saturday morning. But now she was offically back in Mystic Falls for good. Well not forver, but at least until graduation.

"I didn't get to see you at school the other day! Bonnie told me that someone has a boyfriend that isn't Matt. Now who would that be Miss Ellie?" She asked with a comically quirked brow. She was bursting for information on her best friend. She felt so out of the loop. She was yet to see Matt or Caroline. She also was dying to see Jenna and Jeremy. "How are things? How is Jenna and Jer?" She asked brimming with curiousity.

Elena smiled when Meredith seemed to recognize her. She wrapped her arms around Meredith when she went to hug her. She laughed at her old best friend. She needed her. Things with Bonnie were a bit rough, and Elena was extremely excited to see Meredith, but then worry overcame her. She would be in danger if she was here. Elena didn't like feeling like the people she cared about could get hurt.

Elena was excited though when she heard she was back to stay. "I'm so glad!" Elena said as she looked at her. She had missed her. "I've really missed my best friend." Elena said before she went to sit down on the bar stool. She looked at Meredith. She had really matured since the last time Elena had seen her, but still there was something there that Elena wouldn't ever forget. They had been joined at the hip back in the day of elementary school, and all the way up to the time that Meredith had moved.

Elena cocked her eyebrow when she immediately started talking about boys. How typical and fun girl talk. She hadn't had that in a long time. Normally it was about death, or vampires or something along those lines. She blushed though when she thought about Stefan. "His name is Stefan Salvatore, and he's perfect." She said. And a vampire, although she kept that thought to herself. He couldn't get the smile off of her face when she thought about him. "I've never felt this way about anyone before Mere." She said with a giggle. She nodded at the mention of Jenna and Jeremy. "They're good. We've all had our ups and downs, but I think we're really becoming a family." She said. "What's new with you?" Elena asked, excited to hear about her best friend.

"You couldn't live without me." Meredith smiled serenely as she sipped her drink and looked more closely at Elena. She seemed to be glowing, which was good to see. Elena needed to be happy especially after what happened to her parents.

"Perfect you say?" Meredith quirked a brow and smiled wider. Elena sounded blissfully in love. Weird but true. "Well in that case I have to meet him." She added a moment later, already invisioning a hundred different threats to throw at this Stefan Salvatore.

"Thats awesome to here, I was worried about you guys. Dad said though you looked like you were fine otherwise I'd have gotten on a plane earlier on." Meredith said truthfully before shrugging at Elena's question on her life at that moment. "Nothing really much is happening, I grew boobs, made out with a few guys, dumped a few guys and now I'm here. Story of my life." Meredith explained unable to stop the snigger that escaped her lips.

"Mom is still dating the guy she left Dad for, Dad is still pining about it. I don't really know what else to tell you." Meredith said honestly. "Bonnie mentioned that Matt and Caroline were dating. How did that happen?" She asked curiously.

Stefan closed his phone after texting Elena that he would be at the Mystic Grill in a bit. He usually gave Elena a play by play of what he was going to do, many would call that 'whipped'. Stefan didn't really care, his dignity wasn't anyone elses business, and despite that, he was somehow the spotlight on the football team, excellent as a student, and with the girl he truly loved.

Getting out of his car, for the first time in a while. Stefan had just fed, so he would be fine for a while. Food didn't taste scrumptious to him as it had to the human taste buds, it tasted like nothing in comparison to being so drunk you can't taste anything. Stefan played off eating whenever he was with Elena and a crowd, it would obviously appear sketchy to never eat, and then the rumors would spread. Stefan observed how much this town loved to talk, and he knew that you had to act a certain way to 'fit in'.

Opening the doors, he listened in with his magnified hearing. Stefan wasn't creepy and nosey, he was just . . .yeah. Stefan had lived so many years, and spent a while observing Elena, that it had come some what natural to him to kind of listen to her from a far. He couldn't help but listen in as he spotted her with a random face. Stefan assumed she was on the cheerleading team or something, he didn't pay attention to his surroundings during football practice because he wasn't interested in other girls; it was as if everyone else at Mystic High spoke another language because Elena was the only girl in his eyes. Within moments, a smile crossed his face when he heard Elena speaking highly of him to the girl. Maybe she was an old family friend coming in, but either way, hearing her speak of him that way to someone after all they had gone thruogh was nicve, and he couldn't help but pause in his stance just grinning.

Soon enough, he stopped standing there stalking, walking over to the two girls. He still couldn't make out who this girl was, but he would find out. He came up from behind, nodding to the girl he did not recognize, giving Elena a kiss on the cheek, looking to the girl again, and then to Elena, and soon enough, back to the girl. "Hi." He said to Elena simply, resting his left hand on her back, looking over to the girl again. "Stefan Salvatore." He said, grinning as he held a hand out formally. Nobody really did that anymore in these days, but Stefan had come from a time where you presented yourself in such a manner; and he believed that was how one should go about to introducing themselves.

Elena smiled at Meredith and nodded. ”He is. I am completely in love with him. I could spend the rest of my life with him.” Elena said, smiling. Her smile disappeared for a brief moment as she thought about the rest of her life. Stefan would stay perfect and seventeen forever and she wouldn’t. Now wasn’t the time to think about that kind of stuff. ”You will have to meet him. You’ll love him. . . Well, you can like him.” She said pointing a finger at her as a joke. Elena wasn’t worried about Meredith liking Stefan. She wouldn’t do something like that. She was her best friend.

Elena laughed when Meredith explained what had been going on with her. ”Sounds rough.” She said with a smile. She nodded when she spoke about her parents. She missed them. She smiled at the idea of Matt and Caroline. Elena really did think that they were good together, sure it was a little weird, but Elena didn’t have feelings for Matt, so her friends should be happy. And Matt was good for Caroline. ”I think he brought her home from a party and then they just got close.” She said with a small shrug. After another moment, she felt his cool lips on her cheek and she looked at him smiling.

She had missed him. She smiled as he held out his hand to Meredith. ”Mere, this is Stefan, my boyrfriend. Stefan, this is my oldest and dearest best friend Meredith.” She said as she introduced them. She glanced at him. ”She moved a few years ago, and now she’s back.” Elena said, obviously rather excited about that fact. She leaned into him when she felt his hand on her back. She sighed, contently as she found herself snuggled into him. Stefan had no idea what he meant to her. He couldn’t understand how much she loved him.

Meredith gave Stefan the once over. He was definitely handsome and didn't look jerklike. Elena was obviously heavily in love with him, could he be that bad? Oh yes he could. She tried not to let this suspicion show though as she gave him a nod and a small smile. "It's nice to meet you, seeing as we will be seeing a lot of each other by the sounds of it." Meredith said.

"How long have you been in Mystic Falls?" Meredith asked curiously as to get a rough idea on how long Elena had been dating him. They seemed to be comfortable around each other, a little to comfortable like she knew all his secrets as he did in return. A little unnerving indeed.

"It's good to be back, I missed Ellie the most of course. This place, it has a way of drawing you back." Meredith said with a smile as she remembered how bad the homesickness had gotten when she'd first left. It was the people and the culture of Mystic Falls that Meredith loved. Knowing everyone and all the crazy fun town events. Plus the surprising amount of hot guys. That was one of the major reasons.

Stefan kept a tight grin on his face as hear neared the two. Elena hadn't mentioned Damon. Well, why would she? Of course, Stefan was jealous, and insecure since Elena's biological Mother spread it in the air that Damon was in love with Elena. Stefan tried to ignore the looks given back and forth between the two, and as much as Elena convinced him that she loved only him, Stefan was weak in the department of confidence with all that; mainly because he didn't want to lose Elena from his life. She was too important, and he would sacrifice anything for her. If Elena had became a vampire, he would have given her his ring. Not that he wanted her as a vampire but if that ever happened, that's how much he would devote to her.

Stefan took a second look at the girl after formal introduction had been given. Stefan had no idea that Elena had another best friend. Hopefully this one would like her. Caroline hadn't been too fond of Stefan since he humiliated her with open rejection, and Bonnie for obvious reasons hadn't been too keen on seeing eye to eye with him; which was understandable no doubt. Shaking hands with the girl, he grinned, nodding as the girl forewarned him that he would be seeing more of her.

"Likewise." He responded in reference to meeting her. Stefan wondered how she and Elena interacted with one another. It was obvious that Caroline and Elena had an underlying mutual difference, and now Bonnie had been distant as well;but who was to say how Meredith would act? When she questioned his period in Mystic Falls, he looked to the girl sternly. "A decent period of time, several months." He responded smoothly. Stefan always got these questions, at first he was the 'man of mystery', only to have several rumors pouring around about him. Stefan didn't mind; he let the rumors float about, as ridiculous as they were.

His two eyes wandered back when Meredith had stated Mystic Falls had a way of drawing you back. "Can't disagree with you there." He said, now smiling to Elena. He sat down now, withdrawing his arms back to his own sides. "So Meredith where have you just moved back from?"

Elena glanced at Meredith, wondering what she thought of Stefan. She couldn’t know what he was. She’d have to keep her lips sealed about her boyfriends secret. She watched as they shook hands and small talk was exchanged. It seemed to be going well. Elena smiled at Stefan when he answered her question about how long she had been in Mystic Falls. Meredith really got down to business. That hadn’t changed. Elena’s food got brought out and she smiled seeing the fries. She had been wanting those all day. She glanced at them as they were still chatting, and she reached for the ketchup, putting it on her plate. She was perfectly content letting Stefan and Meredith get to know each other, especially now that she had her fries. "I missed you Meredith! I'm so excited to have you back. Letters and text messages just weren't doing it for me." She said.

She happily nibbled on fries while Stefan asked her where she had moved from. She thanked the waiter when he asked if everything looked okay, and she smiled and nodded. She glanced down at the plate, and a small smile moved across her lips when she saw pickles on her plate. It reminded of her Georgia. Damon had made such a big deal about the fact that she didn’t like pickles. She was a little sad that she couldn’t share them with him. And of course, that was when she had started to see another side of Damon. A side that was fun, and kind of nice, and protective. When she had gone missing, he had gone to find her, but in the end, it was her that had ended up saving his life. She smiled at the thought. She mentally kicked herself though, and told herself to knock it off. She was a little sad that she couldn’t share them with him. She glanced at Stefan. ”Do you want my pickles?” She asked him.

Elena checked her phone to make sure that Jenna hadn't called yet. Jenna seemed to act worried lately, but Alaric was doing a good job at keeping her out of the house. She liked Alaric, he had after all, helped save Stefan. More than once. She was grateful to have him in town. And she was almost tempted to ask him about what her mother had been like before she was turned into a vampire, but that could open a big can of worms that no one wanted opened. She figured she'd never know her birth mother.