Fabrications

• 6| sour •

[to all who have had their fair share of sour moments, the moments when resolution is painfully slow.]

• • • •

The heat from the fire thawed out any remnants coldness within Meredith's body. After a day of skiing and overall frolicking upon the pristine sheet of snow, there was a sense of incredible comfort being so close to the crackling fire as it illuminated anything within its wake. In fact, Meredith felt cooped up within the immense blanket which hugged her body completely as she held the hot cocoa within her grasp. While watching the flames before her, she became throughly convinced that they were dancing. Each strand of fire moved to its own sporadic rhythm and the mere act of watching it all unfold seemed rather therapeutic.

"Okay, I'll be completely honest though. Kenneth was clearly the one with the cleanest turns, Rhett."

Meredith turned over to the echoes of Nicholas' potent voice as he stepped out of the kitchen, waltzing into the living room where she sat on the floor feet away from the fireplace. The boys were close behind; Garrett wearing a scowl towards Nicholas' absurd statement as Kenneth shrugged in agreement. She could only assume it had something to do with skiing since the very act of surfing on top of any board whatsoever was enough to ignite a rivalry between the two.

"You're kidding me. Ken swung the widest curve I've ever seen on that hill. The point is to get as close to the flag as possible, buddy." The competitive tone was evident in Garrett's voice as he tipped off his beer with a quick lift of his brows.

"It would be nice if you didn't trample over the flag for being too close," Kenneth shot back with a smirk. That apparently fortified a greater grin to dance upon Nicholas' lips in agreement. He shrugged towards Garrett without a word, as if the actual gesture suggested his support.

"Shut up," Garrett murmured under his breath before settling on top of the couch. He noticed Meredith as she sat quietly by the fire and frowned. "Have you been sitting here all day?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah. Debra's just taking a shower."

That was enough for Nicholas to chime in. His face grimaced uncomfortably as he scanned the premises with evident caution. "Where's your sister?"

Meredith couldn't help but scoff at that question. Although no one wanted Nic to leave so early on from the trip that same evening, there seemed to be no protests when it came to Serena's farewell. "Packing up her stuff," she uttered with a quick sip of the cocoa. "I don't think any of us have noticed her even being here."

"Not to be rude, but you would think skiing and s'mores would lighten up that annoying mood of hers," Nicholas mumbled as he sat down by the love seat closest to the fire. "I mean, I don't think I've ever seen that woman smile once during this trip."

"As if we have," Garrett slurred. It only took so much before the older Holt sibling found himself nearly illiterate from the liquor, which was the catalyst for Meredith to glance at Ken. Both knew the young nurse was nearing his limits for the night and had to be stopped eventually. Nicholas noticed the drunken demeanor as well, chuckling a bit before turning back to the topic at hand.

"Well, we tried. I'm just glad she didn't start off a war with Debra."

"Yeah, but she did with me," she countered meekly with an aloof tone. In truth, the whole notion of making things work had dissipated just as fast as it had been conceived within her heart. There was no evident hope for their relationship and it took a lot before Meredith could accept that for good. She recalled the first night they arrived, telling Nic about her blatant declaration of hatred towards her own sister. Nearly all the boys gawked at the news— with the exception of Garrett who was slipping in and out of consciousness.