Chapter Text
Meredith is befuddled. Everything just keeps happening all at once. First, her boyfriend's wife appears, then Christina becomes pregnant, Joe faints, and she sleeps with George. It's as if she's friends with disappointment.
But one thing, or someone, has been on her mind since today, which was strange. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd had requested her today. She would have expected the woman to despise her.
After all, the unspoken rules should be, "Wife and mistress should despise each other."
But then Addison defends her against a patient, and she's at a loss for words. Then she goes on to do more. She saves her person's life and begins making Meredith feel something in her stomach whenever she sees her. However, Meredith dismisses it as "nervousness." After all, she's in the presence of a double board-certified OB/GYN, a subspecialist in maternal-fetal medicine/fetal surgery, a neonatal surgeon, and one of the country's best. Her anxiety is perfectly reasonable.
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Ellis: Where is the chief?!?
Cristina: Patient's name is ...ah...
Ellis: Where is the chief?!? You're all amateurs.
Cristina: complaining of intermittent cramping pain and diarrhea. Also suffers from ...ah…
(Meredith can now see it is her mother and stares shocked, backing away slowly. Christina knows Meredith's mother so is unsure if she should continue. She makes brief eye contact with Meredith.)
Ellis: (yells) AMATEURS!
Cristina: Alzheimer's.
Bailey: Patient's name?
Cristina: Um...
Bailey: Yang! Patient's name!
Ellis: (to Meredith) What the hell are you doing here?
(Meredith scurries off, hiding behind an office corner, peeking her head out)
Ellis: (in an increasingly yelling voice) Haven't I told you? How many times have I told you not to bother me when I'm at work?!
(Dr. Bailey & the others stare at Meredith)
Cristina: Ellis Grey.
George: Meredith's mother.
Ellis: (yelling) You're amateurs! You're amateurs!
All she can hear is ringing. As she walks into the locker room, she is trapped with her mother's voice on repeat. She then sees the interns and Bailey enter the room and runs away. She dashes into the nearest call room and shuts the door behind her.
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Addison stands on the other side of the corridor, watching Meredith run behind the wall to the hide. And her heart goes out to her. Perhaps because she understands her. Bizzy was not the best mother.
She was just about to meet Meredith when Meredith abruptly left. She sees the interns and Bailey pursuing her and convinces herself that she's fine.
Later, she decides to simply check in on her. As she approaches, she notices Meredith walking out of the locker room and into a sleeping room.
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What exactly do you think you're doing? You're standing in front of the callroom where your husband's mistress is most likely crying right now, and you're considering going in to console her.
Addison has been standing in front of the callroom door that Meredith has just entered, debating whether or not she should go in.
She finally decides to put up with it. She made the decision to forget everything. The baby, who is currently in the NICU, her marriage, and Meredith sleeping with her husband. For the time being, she will concentrate solely on Meredith. She'll be a confidante, or at the very least a shoulder to cry on.
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Meredith sits there, staring into the darkness. She's lost in her own thoughts when she hears the call room door slowly open. She couldn't see who came in because of the darkness, but the sound of heels filling the room as the figure approached her gave her a hint.
When Addison enters the room, she notices Meredith staring at the wall. So she approaches her and sits on the floor next to her.
Meredith does nothing, and after a while, she rests her head on Addison's shoulder.
Addison notices Meredith shaking slightly and hugs her.
"Shh, let it out." "Let it all out so you can feel better." Meredith finally sobs after hearing Addison's words.
She finally sobs, and Addison simply holds her. She embraces her and refuses to let go.
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"I wanted to suggest that we move to one of the beds so you can feel more relaxed." With this statement, Meredith's head pecks up.
She immediately nods and walks over to the bed, making Addison laugh.
Meredith moves to the other end of the bed to make room for Addison to cuddle with her. Addison chuckles again and walks over to the bed. She removes her heels in order to be more comfy.
"How do you walk around in those?" She laughs once more. Addison appears to be giggling a lot today.
"It's more a matter of getting used to it. Now settle down and get some rest."
Meredith cuddles into Addison's chest as she tangles their legs. Addison tries to reassure Meredith after she realizes what she is asking of her. "Meredith, get some sleep. When you wake up, I'll be here." Meredith wishes she could stop time at that moment. So she could savor this point in time and not let it pass her by.
After a few moments, Addison wraps her hand around Meredith's waist, as soft snores fill the room.
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In two weeks. It's been exactly two weeks since Addison soothed her and put her to bed. She slept better than she had since learning of Derek's deception.
When Addison awoke, she had a hot cup of chocolate, or juju, as she calls it, waiting for Meredith. She had agreed to Meredith using her first name. "I'd like us to be friends, Meredith," she says, "and friends don't call each other by their last names." In private, at least."
It's been two weeks since she and Meredith began buying each other coffee, engaging in small talk, and laughing at each other's jokes.
Meredith has had butterflies in her stomach for two weeks now whenever she sees the red hair, or their hands or shoulders come into contact. She'd been sneaking glances at the redhead for two weeks. She tried it when no one was looking, but she appears to be an open book. Or at least, to Christina.
"Soo..." Christina begins to shake her out of her trance.
"So what?" Meredith already knows what that expression on her face means.
"So you've been staring at Satan all day. And with heart eyes." Christina says, raising her spoon to her.
"No, I haven't." Just because she recognizes the look doesn't obligate her to respond.
"You like her." Christina says but continues when Meredith looks away.
"Oh my God, you like Satan. Your ex-boyfriend's wife. You have a crush on Satan. You want to kiss her. Maybe even have sex with her. "
Meredith blushes red but then hides her face.
"Oh my God, don't tell me you were having fantasies about Satan while we were eating.
"I.." Meredith tries to defend herself, but she's at a loss for words.
"That's disgusting.
" In front of my salad. So, what are you going to do about it?"
"About what?" Meredith is dumbfounded now.
"Don't tell me you're going to sit here and let Derek, who hurt you, take her while you just watch. You should deliver a dose of his own medicine. Since he decided not to make a decision and choose one of you, you can both make a decision for him. You deserve better."
"Thanks Christina." That's all Meredith says as she lets what Christina just said simmer and sink in slowly.
When she meets Derek later and sees the MCdreamy eyes and smile he keeps making at her despite having a gorgeous leggy wife with sexy heels and red hair, she makes her decision then and there. It's time to stop letting her thoughts marinate and start cooking them.
Meredith makes the decision to pursue Addison. She gets her coffee and a croissant whenever she knows Addison is working. Meredith suggests they cuddle up in a call room to get closer. Meredith wakes up with a bright smile on her face and stays that way for the rest of the day.
Meredith would like to believe that everything is going well. That was until Mark showed up at the hospital.
Derek was already a tough competitor, but now she's worried about her co-dirty Mistress.
She tried to ignore the fact that Addison appeared irritated at seeing him converse with Meredith.
So she's laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about how she can improve her game. She finally decides to ask Addison to prom. She planned to begin early so that none of the boys would beat her to it. She finally falls asleep after she has finished planning it all in her head.
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The next day, Addison walks up to the front desk to check her schedule for the day, when she notices a large bouquet of mixed flowers with a pleasant aroma. It was right next to her coffee.
"It was addressed to you, Dr. Montgomery. The nurse at the front desk says, giving her the flowers.
After admiring the flowers, she notices a card attached to it. She opens it, but to her surprise, it only has one word. 'Can'.
Her first guess was Derek, but when she asked him, he said no.
The next day, Addison discovers some Danish pastries filled with strawberry and pomegranate jam, as well as some cut strawberries spelled 'I.' She discovers another card with the word 'I' on it. She's now convinced that the cards are a message.
Addison receives a fruit basket on the third day. The fruit had been shaped into medical-related items such as a scalpel, scrub cap, and stethoscope. Addison then reads the card that was attached to it. 'take'.
Addison finally decides to ask Mark the next time she sees a chocolate sculpted to look like her favorite black heels. But then, like Derek, he denied it. She is now perplexed. So Addison thinks as she takes the card with the word "you" that came with this gift and places it among the others.
The next day, Addison receives a simple gift in comparison to the others. She receives chocolate in the shape of flowers, adorned with various fruits that have also been dipped in chocolate. It was accompanied by the word "to."
Later, as they lay cuddled up in a call room, Addison tells Meredith about what has been going on. Meredith is strangely silent. She just listens.
On the sixth day, Addison receives nothing and is disappointed. She's taken aback because the sentence isn't yet finished, so why would the person stop?
She accepts Meredith's invitation to Joe's after their shift.
Meredith left Addison alone to get their drinks. She watches Meredith put down her red wine and then fumbles in her pocket before pulling out a note and handing it to Addison.
Addison can't help but smile as she reads the final word. Meredith was the last person she expected to be asked to prom.