Meredith could have told the entire story herself, now that she realized her dreams coincided perfectly with it. But the explanation had been nice. At least she now knew what was going on, even if it was scary to think that she would have to fight for this boy she had never met. And it seemed strange that she was the only one without a Guardian. But she had come to London to see Susanne, and to see the sights.

"Sus, do ya think we could see a little bit of London now? I'm dying just sitting here. Not that this isn't an awesome place...."

"Alright, but we need to be on guard. You don't want to come back looking like Mercy. How about we start with the classics... the Palace, Big Ben, and all the stuff Americans want to see?"

"Fine, but I want to get in some major shopping too."

"You would!" Then, turning to the others, Susanne asked, "Who all wants to come?" Roger broke in before the girls could respond.

"I think it's best if there were only two Otakus running around. The idea of all of you out on the streets doesn't sit well with me."

"Besides," Anaera jumped in, "Mercy probably doesn't want to do anything right about now, and I don't know about you, but *I* don't want to be the one to wake her up. And I'll stay so she doesn't wake up and freak because she's all alone."

"Alright, well, let's go get this out of the way." Susanne stood up and Meredith followed her outside.

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Downtown was amazing... if that's what they called it here. Either way, Meredith was thouroughly enjoying herself, and while she missed the boys back home, the guys here sure had awesome accents!!! She was obviously American, and most of the guys chuckled to themselves as she smiled at them passing by. But despite the fun she was having, Meredith couldn't shake the feeling--the same one she had before, as though she were being followed. She looked around her all the time (after all, she was a tourist, she might as well act the part), but couldn't catch a glimpse of anybody that might be following her. If it was the same guy, he was doing it much better job this time. Of course, she was also a little more distracted this time. She and Sus were having an awesome time, just like they were back in high school again. Okay, maybe not high school, but back when they saw more of each other.

Then Meredith bumped into a big, grumpy man and fell to the ground. "What are you trying to do?" He growled and menaced at her, as though he was going to crush her in one fell swoop. Susanne tried to explain that she was just a tourist, a "stupid American," but the man didn't appear to hear. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, another guy got in the grumpy man's face.

"Just leave her alone. She didn't hurt you, and you've still got your wallet. Back off." The guy wasn't that big, but he had a commanding presence, and the man humph! -ed and walked on. The unexpected man turned and offered a hand to Meredith.

As he helped her up he said, "You really ought to be more careful and watch where you're going."

"YOU!!!" The recognition flashed across Meredith's face. "Why in heaven's creation have you been following me? Maybe I should be more afraid of you than that big guy! Why? WHO ARE YOU?" Meredith was a little worked up and very scared, wondering if she had jumped from the frying pan into the fire. She was also quite defensive; she didn't need any help. She wasn't a little girl, after all...

"Calm down, you've already created a big enough scene. I'm not going to hurt you. Like I could." The last comment was directed more aside and to himself, and Meredith missed it. "Come, let's get out of the middle of the walkway."

Susanne and Meredith followed behind him with cautious interest, and a cautious distance. "Is that the guy that you saw earlier?" Susanne whispered.

"Yeah. What a pain! You'd think people would just mind their own business." Meredith was just a little annoyed at having to be "rescued".

"Well, I wouldn't mind being followed by him... He's pretty good looking."

Meredith stopped and stared at her friend. "And you say that I'm boycrazy! You find a stalker attractive?" Meredith's voice had climbed into hearing range of the man in front, and he turned around, to the girls' horror.

"I'm not a stalker. I'm a Guardian. Your Guardian, to be exact. And let me tell you that you're not an easy one to keep track of." His vivid greenish-blue eyes shined in the sun as he shot Meredith a look.

The girls stopped short at this. "I'm not going any further until I get a full explanation. Just who are you, anyway?" Meredith stood with her hands on her hips, and Susanne was right behind her, with her arms folded. Both girls were looking expectatntly at him. He half expected them to start tapping thier feet in time with each other.

"Well, as I said, I'm your Guardian, and my name is Zeke."