The cops finally leave after nearly an hour of questions. Meri clings to me most of the time, and her eyes are wide. They're kind of glassy too, and I think maybe she's in shock. Once the police leave with her statement, I take her into the kitchen and ask my mom if we can make hot chocolate.

She agrees with a sympathetic smile in Meri's direction. In a few moments, she finds an excuse to leave the two of us alone and heads off to the computer in the office across the hall. I'm fine with this. The water starts whistling quietly as I dump a few tablespoons of the rich hot chocolate mix into two mugs.

When it's done several minutes later, I bring it over and sit across from Meri, sipping mine slowly to avoid burning my tongue. She just swirls hers around with a spoon. As I watch, a tear flees down her cheek.

She's not in shock. She's struggling to hold in everything she's feeling. After a few moments, she pushes the cup towards me and buries her face in her arms. I watch her shoulders shake with quiet sobs for a moment, and then I get up to go to her. I'm at eye level with her now due to the height of the chairs, and I pull her into my arms, letting her bury her face in my neck.

It surprises me how quickly she's welcomed me into her life. We've known each other for three days now. Just three. But it seems like a lifetime after everything I've seen and done for her. Granted, I'd probably help any girl in her situation, but something whispers to me that Meri's still different from them. I'm not sure how yet, but she is.

Regardless, I'm thankful that she's letting me in instead of pushing me away. I have a feeling that she's never experienced kindness before. I've seen how the kids at school treat her, how her own family treats her, and now how her soon-to-be step-dad treats her. She's probably been yearning for someone – anyone, most likely – to love her for years. It shouldn't be such a shock, then, that she has welcomed me in so readily. While I've seen and had people use kindness as a weapon against me, Meri never has. How could she when everyone shuns her or blatantly abuses her?

She stops sobbing and sighs, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Thank you," she says softly.

I smile, stroking her hair. "What for?"

"Helping me. You're the first one to actually make an active attempt to help. My other friend, Millie, ran for the hills when she found out what was going on. Never spoke to me again." She shudders, tightening her arms around my neck.

I've noticed that she doesn't look me in the eye or even look at me when she's feeling vulnerable or telling me things that have hurt her deeply. It's almost as though she's afraid to do it. Or embarrassed. I don't know which, but I let it go, deciding that pushing it will just make it worse.

"I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you, Meri." I hug her closer to me. "Hey... Why don't we go watch a movie? My dad had a surround sound system installed last Christmas. It's like going to the theater." I tug her gently off the chair and set her on her feet. Then I grab her mug, hand it to her, and pick up my own. She accepts my guidance as I weave my fingers through hers and lead her toward the basement stairs.

She stops when we get to the stairs leading down and clears her throat softly. "C-can... Can we just... Do something else?"

I frown, turning to look at her. "What's wrong, Meri?"

"I..." She bites her lip and stares at the basement stairs. "The..."

"You don't like basements?"

She shakes her head, a blush spreading over her cheeks.

"If you really don't want to go down there, I can grab a movie, and we can use the TV in my room. What do you want to watch?" I ask, smiling at her encouragingly.

She brightens, then looks sad. "You pick."

"I don't care. We can watch whatever you want," I say, wondering why she looks so nervous now.

"I've never really watched movies, Milan." Her gaze falls to the floor, and she takes a shaky step away from the basement steps. "Not since I was ten, and I don't really want to watch those movies now," she whispers. "They're too painful."

Oh. Now I get it. "Well, okay. I'll pick something out. At least give me something to go on. What kinds of things do you like? You were in the library when I talked to you that one day. So what do you like to read?"

Her smile comes back as she stares down at the hot cocoa. A reflective look slips onto her delicate face. "I like reading fantasy, but I also like classics. Things like Heidi or..." She blushes. "I liked Frankenstein. Most of the other girls didn't, but I did."

I grin. Just so happens that's one of my favorite books as well, and I got my parents to get me one of the better movies based off the book a few years ago. "Well, if you liked Frankenstein, we've got the movie based off the book. I'll bring that up with a few others. You can pick one from those."

She smiles up at me. "Okay."

A warm feeling washes over me as she sits on the first stair and lets me go down. She trusts me enough to agree without arguing or hesitating. Granted, she didn't really argue with me before, but she always refused my help, even in small areas. Now, however, she's letting me help.

When I come back up a few moments later, she's sipping her hot chocolate and smiling sadly at her lap. She still looks a whole lot better than she did when she stayed over last time, and the horrible pallor that overtook her features when we were dealing with Petre is gone.

"Okay, upstairs it is!" I say, leading the way up the stairs to my room.

I lay the assortment of DVD's on my king-sized bed and wave to them. "Which one would my lady like to view this afternoon?"

As hoped, I garner a laugh out of her. She looks at them and decides on Frankenstein. Shocker. I figured she probably would.

She settles onto the bed while I pop the DVD into the player and grab the remote. Then I join her on the bed and hit play. She keeps a few feet of space between us, and I kind of wish she wouldn't. I like having her nearby, and I like knowing that she trusts me. Not only that, I feel like I can protect her better when she's near me. But I settle for the few feet of space because I respect her, and we really don't know each other that well, so she probably doesn't feel comfortable yet.

As the movie goes, she sets her cup aside and lays back against the pillows. I stop watching the movie as my attention focuses more on her. She scoots closer to me when the more graphic scenes and scary parts start playing, and I stay still, not wanting to frighten her off.

She must be exhausted because next thing I know, she's asleep, and the movie's getting into the final fifteen minutes or so. I lay back against the pillows on my side and let her drop her head onto my chest as she shifts in her sleep.

I can't believe how different she looks in sleep. She always has a kind of vulnerable look in those big hazel eyes, but asleep, she displays that vulnerability on her face too. Every line in her face softens, and she has a soft smile on her lips as though she's dreaming about something good. It's a far cry from whatever demons she was fleeing last time she was in this room.

My own eyes feel heavy, and I start drifting off right along with her. Soon, the heaviness of sleep drags me into oblivion.

***

"Hon," someone says, shaking me.

I sigh and wrap my arms tighter around Meri's slight form. Then my eyes fly open. Is she awake? I can't believe I let myself fall asleep here on the bed with her. It's my mom's voice calling to me; she's going to kill me. This is exactly the kind of behavior I was raised to avoid until I got married.

Our family is a bit old-fashioned in our beliefs. We're not much for dating in general, and we certainly don't agree with sleeping around or even sleeping with one person before you're married. It isn't just my parents. I hold to the notion that my first time should be on my wedding night. This kind of thing is something I avoid too because it provides temptations, and I don't want to find out if I'll act on them.

I'm about to roll off the bed as quickly as possible when my mom squeezes my shoulder warningly. "Don't wake her up. Why don't you come on downstairs?" her tone brooks no argument, but she's not angry. I suppose that's a good thing.

Careful not disturb Meri, I slide off the bed and plod down the stairs after my mom. "Honestly, mom. I didn't mean for that to happen. We were just watching a movie. She fell asleep, and I just closed my eyes to rest for a minute. I didn't mean to fall asleep," I say, my cheeks going hot.

"I know, Milan." She smiles at me and settles into one of the chairs at the kitchen table, patting the one beside her.

I walk over and sit beside her. "So you're not mad?"

"Hon, why would I be mad about that? You didn't do anything. But I do expect you to be smarter in the future and avoid that kind of situation."

I nod, placing my clasped hands on the table. "I should've moved to the chair when I started getting drowsy. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to forgive. But she's fragile, sweetheart. She's spent the last seven years being abused by a woman she once trusted and still does love. Furthermore, that same woman has not only abused and neglected her, but has allowed her own romantic entanglements to do what they wished with Meri. That kind of betrayal and treatment has left a lot of scars. I think she'd be a little uncomfortable and scared if she woke up with you sleeping next to and holding her." My mom smiles and gives my clasped hands a squeeze.

"Yeah... I thought about that as soon as I woke up enough to realize what was going on." Milan flashed a sheepish grin at his mom. "I won't let it happen again."

"On the same thread of conversation, what is she to you, son? She's not just a friend or charity case, is she?" My mom eyes me for a long moment, and I squirm.

"Not really, no... I can't explain it. She's..." I shake my head and run my fingers through my hair. "I just feel so much about her and the whole situation. It's like I can't help myself when I'm around her. I just want to make sure she's safe and never gets hurt again. Is that strange? I've never wanted to protect anyone like I want to protect her."

My mom smiles and shakes her head. "You know, your father was the same way when he met me. Always watching out for me and making sure I was taken care of."

"Mom!" I say, scandalized.

I'm not that dumb. I barely know Meri, and she's got a lot of baggage. She needs to sort things out, and the last thing either of us needs in this situation is romance or thoughts in that camp. I'm only eighteen. I'm not prepared to take care of a wife and kids, so there's no point in considering anyone specific for that role yet. Before I can do that, I need to make sure I can be a good husband and father. That's how my parents have taught me, and I intend to adhere to those teachings.

"Oh, stop projecting, son. Seriously, you overreact to everything," she teases.

I blush. "I've only known her for three days."

My mom gets off the chair and heads to the sink to do the few dishes there. "Tsk, tsk... Already bringing her home and treating her like a queen. Well, no one can say that my son isn't a gentleman."

I feel the heat of my blush creeping to my ears. "Yeah... It's a special circumstance, Mom. She's in a lot of trouble. I couldn't just leave her with that beast."

"Don't talk about anyone like that, Milan," she chides.

Shaking my head, I spit, "He deserves it! You didn't see the way he looked at her mom. He acted like she was just a possession. Like it didn't matter if he chose to honor or desecrate her and her body. If I'd left her there, she could be dead or living with even more shame right now." I nearly choke on the words. "Anyone who is willing to treat another human being like that deserves the title of a beast and monster."

My mom stills for a few moments, considering my words. "Perhaps you're right... Well, the police will take him in. She testified against him, and we'll be able to get her mom help as well. I hope this all works out, and that her mom isn't too far gone to be saved."

"Meri seems to think there's hope."

She sighs. "Meri sees the good in everyone, no matter how evil they are, bless her heart." Turning to me, she smiles as she picks up a towel and begins to dry a plate. "She really is a sweetheart despite her turbulent past. You've inherited my ability to pick out the good ones, kid."

I glare down at the table. "Mother," I say warningly.

"Okay, okay." She laughs and puts the plate away. "You win. No more teasing. Just watch out for her and be there, son. She needs you," her tone becomes serious. "I have feeling the problems have only just begun for the poor girl, and if that hunch is right, she's going to need someone to get her through the storm. If what I've seen is accurate, you're the only one left that can do that for her."

"I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe and help her through this, Mom. I promise."