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She stood there, her hand poised to knock on the door. It had been two years since she had abruptly left, and now she was back. Would they even take her back? JJ wouldn't, she knew that. She had been putting this moment off all day, and it was starting to get dark.
Hesitantly, she rapped her knuckles against the door and attempted a fake smile, trying to mask her nervousness.
"I'll get it!" a high-pitched voice called out from within, surprising her. It was a girl, and it didn't sound like Kie.
The door swung open and she was met with Sarah, one of the kooks. "Hey!" she said cheerfully, eyeing her up and down.
"Oh hey." Meredith mumbled, wondering if Sarah would even remember who she was. She hesitated for a brief moment before returning a friendly, nervous smile. "Is everyone inside?" she asked bluntly, and Sarah nodded and stepped aside to let her in.
She took a shaky breath before walking through the door, her footsteps echoing in the hallway. Two years had passed since she had last been in the chatau, and for the first time in a while, she felt a sense of nervousness.
As she scanned the room, she was met with shocked stares from everyone in the room, including JJ. "Hey guys," she mumbled, breaking the silence. No one uttered a word, and Sarah pushed past her, taking a seat on the couch next to Jay. She couldn't help but grimace as JJ hand snaked around the her waist, pulling her onto his lap. His smirk prompted her to respond with a sarcastic smile that quickly morphed into a frown. The atmosphere in the room was heavy with tension.
"Hey, Mer. Where've you been?" Pope finally asked, his voice carrying an unusual undertone that sounded like contained anger.
"Uh, I just went somewhere," she replied, her voice wavering slightly as she tried to explain her absence.
Kie abruptly got up and shoved past her, deliberately pushing her shoulder and muttering something under her breath.
"You went somewhere?" John B scoffed, his tone laced with coldness as he looked at her accusingly. "No shit, Mer."
"I—" she began, but John B cut her off abruptly.
"Just get out. We don't care about your pathetic made-up excuse," he snapped, and his words stung, her jaw clenching in response.
"Don't fucking talk to me like that," she spoke through gritted teeth, her anger building.
"I'll talk to you however the fuck I want. You left us all, you don't deserve anything from me or any of us." John B shot back, his voice laced with disappointment.
Her eyes flicked to Pope, hoping for a glimmer of compassion, but all she found was disappointment mirrored in his gaze. It was a feeling she had grown all too familiar with in her life.
"I went to LA, if you must know," she admitted. Getting JJ's attention.
JJ's carefully maintained facade cracked for a moment as he looked up at her. "Why the fuck would you go there?" he demanded.
