Haunted by You

who: mostly Evan and Meredith but guest appearances by Henri and Harold

when: december 23rd

where: school concert hall and the house

Evan: Hey…I’ve got some bad news.

Meredith: I don’t like the sound of that.

Evan: I don’t think I’m going to make it to your concert. There was an issue with my ticket and I need to take a later flight.

Meredith: Oh.

Meredith: Well, at least you’re still coming home. That’s what matters most

Evan: I’m definitely still coming home. But I’m sorry I won’t make it.

Meredith: It’s okay.  I knew it wasn’t a 100% thing.

Evan: I really do want to be there. I’m sure your last concert is going to go amazingly.

Meredith: I wish you could be too.  They’ve been pretty great so far.  I’ll see you soon?

Evan: You will absolutely see me soon, Mere. Kick some butt tonight, gorgeous.

Meredith: I will :)

[She moves to brush her teeth and hair, turning off most of the lights in her place except for the bedside lamp before settling in again, calling Meredith.]

[Seeing the FaceTime go off on her phone her cheeks automatically flush from what they’d just done. She answers with Harold in frame too.]

Meredith: Hi… [she smiles almost shyly]

Evan: Hey yourself. [She grins in return, moving back against the headboard.]

Meredith: My students were being especially insufferable today and it had me seriously contemplating the no killing them rule.

Evan: Well I’m proud that it stayed at the contemplation of breaking a rule. Sorry things were so rough for you today, Mere.

Meredith: Pffft. If I didn’t think I’d get more than corner time and a spanking they’d be goners.  How was your day?

Meredith: By the way, we miss you.

who: Evan and Meredith

when: after thanksgiving.  they just got the tree.

where: the house

who: Evan and Henri and Meredith and Harold

when: the night before thanksgiving

where: the house and school

who: mostly Evan and Meredith but guest appearance by Henri 

when: the weekend after para03 … technically before Harold

where: the house and bowling alley/dance club called Lucky Strikes

who: mostly Evan and Meredith and Harold but guest appearances by Henri 

when: the weekend before Thanksgiving

where:  the SPCA + pet store + the house 

who: mostly Evan and Meredith but guest appearances by Henri and Nick

when: the next day after para 02

where: the house and school 

Hearing that the house was left to her, she let out a breath and rubbed her face slightly. She hadn’t actually been expecting that, but maybe that’s what Henri had meant about hoping that Evan would come home one day. Even if Henri wasn’t around she still wanted her there. “It being under my name doesn’t change the fact that it’s your house. Your home. I’m not…I want you to stay there as long as you want to okay? Henri…she would want you there.” Evan said, her eyes cast downward.

“Alright, if you’re sure. But if you change your mind there’ll be lots.” She laughed softly a her words and nodded her head in agreement. “We will definitely be good for a bit. Um…split the stuff in half and I’ll pay for some of it.” She slipped her hands into her pockets.

That blue gaze studied Evan for a moment.  She bit into her lower lip and gave a small nod.  “Okay.”  She replied softly.  “That uhm… means a lot to me, thank you.”  It was hard living there right now without Henri there but maybe having Evan around, even just for a little bit, would help.  After finding out about the history between Henri and Evan everything became very clear to her, she hadn’t been sure if she’d ever see the younger Hughes again once she left and she definitely wasn’t sure how the woman would treat her but this was a pleasant surprise.

She looked from the big pile of groceries to the other woman and for a moment she looked like she was about to argue.  “That’s not-”  For a minute there was a spark in her eyes, this was something she should have been able to get done before Evan even arrived and normally she would have insisted on paying for it.  Meredith was too tired to put up a fight and gave up before she even started.  The blonde deflated a little and gave a small shrug.  “Sure… thank you.”

Conversation was getting slightly easier as they settled into their walk around the store.  It wasn’t something she’d planned to bring up now but she wasn’t going to lie to her or keep it from her.  “I understand what you’re saying… to be perfectly honest, I was going to wait to tell you this at a more appropriate time but… you should know that Henri left you the house.  I may be living there and paying the utility bills but the property is yours.”  That felt like a huge weight off her chest.  She cleared her throat and ran a hand through blond waves.  “Leftovers are definitely a plus.  I’ll uhm.. Be fine at work though.”

She looked at the full cart and her stomach lurched… so much food.  When they reached the check out line they waited, it would probably be a good five to ten minutes since it wrapped around the store, at least the line went fast.  “I think we have enough here to feed an army.  The kitchen will definitely get filled.”

Hearing that the house was left to her, she let out a breath and rubbed her face slightly. She hadn't actually been expecting that, but maybe that's what Henri had meant about hoping that Evan would come home one day. Even if Henri wasn't around she still wanted her there. “It being under my name doesn't change the fact that it's your house. Your home. I'm not...I want you to stay there as long as you want to okay? Henri...she would want you there.” Evan said, her eyes cast downward.

“Alright, if you're sure. But if you change your mind there'll be lots.” She laughed softly a her words and nodded her head in agreement. “We will definitely be good for a bit. Um...split the stuff in half and I'll pay for some of it.” She slipped her hands into her pockets.

The blonde smiled a little.  “I think Evangeline is a pretty name.  But you’re right, it sounds like the name of a disney princess, not an independent woman.  Apparently you’re both lucky to have not been named Wilhelmina, Francesca, Matilda, Gwendolyn, or Desdemona.  I got the whole run down of family lineage and that it would be best if we never had children because we’d be obligated by tradition to name them something awful.  I suppose I got myself into that little lecture by attempting to be rebellious.”

“You’re always welcome in your family home.  It’s okay to just show up.  But.. as long as you let me do the dishes, dinner is a nice gesture… thank you.”  She truly meant what she said.  Typically, she wasn’t the type to bullshit.  The mask and facade she wore at work was different, it was her coping mechanism, but she tried to live by the policy of truth telling- lies were messy and hurtful and unnecessary most of the time.

“I don't think I would hate it as much if it were my middle name. But nope, had to make it my first name.” She muttered, shaking her head at the choice. “Mmm, it’s true though we are lucky we didn't get one of those names.” Evan chuckled and nodded. “Yeah,well I'm not really one for tradition. If I ever have kids I'm not playing the obligation game.”

“It may be my family home but I haven't lived here in six years. It's been your place. It is your place. And you don't know me. It's not fair to expect you to be okay with me here. I just...had to come here.” Not that she could explain why she had come home. She wasn't going to just admit that she was seeing her dead sister. “Alright. And I'm sure there will be enough when it comes to leftovers. We should be good tomorrow as well. Or you can bring it to work or something.” She was definitely rambling.

A small laugh left her lips for the first time in months.  She nodded.  “It certainly sounds like a name Henri lived up to on a daily basis.  Is it true that you despise your full name as she did hers? She looked murderous the one time I tried to get away with using it.”  To be fair she’d been angry about something when she’d used the full first name but still she hadn’t expected the reaction she’d gotten or the story that followed about how their parents had long awful fancy names through the generations of the Hughes family and while she hated Henrietta she was simply lucky to have not been named after her great aunt Wilhelmina.

Mere pushed the cart through the store and added her own things in mostly out of habit.  Coming in here she never needed a list she mostly just went into autopilot.  Every now and again she’d pick something up only to remember she wasn’t shopping for Henri and she’d set it back down.  The blonde glanced up at the question.  “You don’t have to, Evan- I mean…”  She took a breath, the thought of food made her both hungry and nauseous.  “…casserole sounds good.”

Her nose crinkled slightly at the question and she nodded her head. “I'm definitely not a fan. Only people who've ever called me that are dad and Hen. And that ess only when I'd pissed them off. And then well teachers before they knew better.” She said with a slight smirk. “Like Evangeline...are you kidding me? Ridiculous. Sounds like I should be a prim and proper stay at home mom.”

“I promise I won't be offended if you hate it. But I've gotta do something. I just kinda sprung myself on you. I didn't...it wasn't exactly thoughtful. So dinner...dinner I can do.” Evan said, looking away from the other woman and breathing out slowly. She could see the loss in her even though she was trying to hide it. And she couldn't help but notice the way that Meredith would pick something up only to put it back. Each time the blonde did that, Evan felt her stomach flip uncomfortably.

Meredith bit the inside of her cheek as Evan repeated her words and suppressed the urge to blush.  On pale freckled skin it was more than obvious to the entire world whenever her cheeks flushed.  She grabbed up the bags and put them on the bottom of a shopping cart giving a little shrug.  “My plan was just… fill the kitchen.”  She admitted.  “Currently I think we have… pancake mix.  And a bag of frozen vegetables that’s been sitting in the freezer for five months because someone was too stubborn to give it a chance.”  

Henri had been a piece of work, she’d loved her with everything she had, but sometimes the woman was too stubborn for her own good.  They entered through the produce section.  She grabbed bananas, strawberries, apples, a few vegetables here and there- some spring mix for salad and dressing to go with it.  “So really just… anything you think you’ll eat.”

She couldn't help but snort at the comment and nodded her head. “Sometimes I think dad should have foregone any sort of legitimate middle name and just gone for ‘Stubborn’ I think it's got a good ring to it.” She certainly knew that it was a staple of their family and she wasn't going to deny it. The fact that the woman really didn't have anything at the house was worrying though and Evan was going to try to keep an eye on that.

She watched the items that Meredith set in the cart and went about setting her own options in. She added some tomatoes and some broccoli, already coming up with some dinner ideas. As they walked through the aisles, she added some random snack items as well. “For tonight...what do you think about a casserole? I can make it happen.”

“I think they got sick of the homeless people that kept trying to move in.  It’s what prompted the build at least from what I remember.”  It would get cold and people would find any place they could to take shelter, an abandoned warehouse was the perfect spot to do just that.  She nodded some.  “The Enterprise is still there but now there’s a Hertz across the street so you can usually convince one or the other to give you a better bargain.”  The rental place would probably never move, it had to be in close proximity to the airport.

There was a lot weighing on her mind and her heart but she didn’t know how to deal with it or how to even talk to this virtual stranger about it.  One thing that would eventually have to be spoken about was the fact that the house was in Evan’s name- fully paid for and no mortgage to speak of.  Henri had left Meredith everything but the house.  She needed to know if she’d have to find another place to live… but that could be spoken about at another time.  Pulling into the shopping center lot was hardly an appropriate time to start that conversation.  “So.. here we are.”

“That makes sense. They should really think about building a better homeless shelter.” She mused with a shrug of her shoulders. Evan really should know if the rental was in the same spot as she had been right there at the airport. But she really hadn't been paying much attention. Her mind had been on many other things. “Great. I think I'll head down there tomorrow and see about renting a car or something.” She thought aloud.

She couldn't help but smirk slightly at Meredith's obvious comment but she nodded anyway. “So here we are.” Evan eased herself out of the vehicle and took a look around at the area that was new to her. “It’s nice...they did a good job.” She mused as they walked into the store. “Alright. Do we have a list or are we just jumping into it?” She questioned, glancing at the blonde with a quirked eyebrow.

She started up the jeep and carefully got them onto the road.  “Blueberries.”  She stated simply.  “Allergic.”  Trader Joe’s wasn’t too far from the home.  It would be new to Evan though seeing as it was built four years back.  Knowing how awful Henri had been with things changing she thought better than to just drive them there.  “They put in a new shopping center about four years ago where all those empty warehouses used to be.  Trader Joe’s, Barnes and Noble, Target, and a few other nice shops.  It’s way closer than the grocery store we used to use.”

Meredith was quite focused on the road.  Ever since her wife’s accident she’d been hyper vigilant when it came to driving.  Most of the time she avoided the car all together.  If she could walk to her destination that was her go to method of transport.  For the most part she drove to and from work and the grocery store but this was her first time in two weeks out this way.

Hearing that she was allergic to blueberries, Evan nodded. She would do her best to keep that in mind. The last thing she needed was to harm the person that Henri had loved. While there had been so much anger when they'd gotten together, it had never truly been directed at Meredith. Rather the anger had been aimed entirely at Henri. The person that had chosen to hurt her.

Her eyebrow raised at the mention that things had been built up since she was gone. “Well, it’s good that they did something with that space.” She mused, feeling a bit of discomfort in her chest. It was such a small thing but she had a feeling that the small things would just continue to build. Her hometown didn’t stop moving when she left and she knew that but it was different to actually see it. “Is the rental place still in the same area?”

Henri thought for a long moment about the home in question and shook her head.  “Other then the new couch in the living room and a few upgrades to the kitchen this place is still the same house we’ve always lived in, Ev.”  Neither of them had ever done too well with change but they’d always been able to adapt together.

Henri watched the interaction quietly.  Brilliant blues glanced up.  Meredith should have figured about onions, Henri had been the same way.  The blonde bit into her lower lip and considered the woman’s words.  She was still unsure about what Evan was doing here but the company in general wasn’t completely unwelcome.  Giving a small nod she stepped back.  “Sure, that would be nice.”  Meredith wanted to kick herself ever since the younger Hughes woman had called her last night.  The blonde was typically articulate, sassy, and completely put together, she had a subtle confidence about her that Henri had been attracted to but she couldn’t find herself anymore.  Leading the way downstairs she grabbed up the trader joes bags and headed for the car.

The fact that the house hadn't changed much was a relief, but she also wouldn't have been able to blame them if there were a lot of changes. She'd been gone for six years, there was no reason to keep things the same. Still, it was nice that not everything was lost to her. Instead of responding with words, Evan simply offered her older sister a small smile.

Evan hadn't been certain that Meredith would accept her offer, but when she did, she offered a nod and a slight smile. She moved to grab her jacket and pulled it on, leaving it undone before making sure that she had her wallet with her. Realizing that she was going to need a way around town, she made a mental note to go see about a rental vehicle. Cabs were terribly inconvenient and she didn't want to have to rely on Meredith. She followed the woman out of the house, locking the door behind her and settling into the passenger seat. “Just uh..so I know..is there anything you can't eat?”