fic: I think I know
I have had this idea rolling around in my head for an age. So a tiny ficlet thing about Meredith and Lexie Grey meeting just after Lexie's mom dies.
Title: I think I know
Rating: G
Pairing/Characters: Meredith, Lexie with ensemble
A/N: for mammothluv
When she hears Ellis Grey is dead, Lexie thinks “Ding dong! The witch is dead.” (“Which old witch? The wicked witch!") Because Ellis Grey is the woman who hurt her dad and kept her sister away. Logically, she knows Meredith was never locked in a tower, but someone’s to blame for keeping them apart and Ellis is a good choice, her surgical expertise notwithstanding.
“Should we send flowers? I don’t…” Her parents are in the kitchen, her dad pacing, hands up and down as he goes.
“No,” Lexie says, though she doesn’t remember opening her mouth. “Anyone can send flowers.” Strangers send flowers. Lexie doesn’t know what Meredith is, but she isn’t a stranger.
Her mom watches her closely, x-ray stare not deterred by the laundry basket in Lexie’s hands. “Not flowers, honey,” she says, “We’ll go see Meredith. Bring groceries.”
Her dad looks stricken by the thought, but all Lexie hears is : “We?” as it tumbles out of her mouth, all of her big sister Meredith dreams stacked in a syllable.
“Your father and I,” her mom says, ever careful around the subject of Meredith.
Lexie doesn’t like the feel of careful, but she lets it drop.
When Meredith drowns, there is this strange pocket of hope beneath her breastbone. Hope because she wants more of Derek, more CristinaIzzieAlexGeorge, more chocolate and Tuesdays with a ten blade. It’s not a lot, but it’s more than she’s had to give since Europe and that’s something.
When Susan dies, freaking dies, right there, Meredith lets go, and there’s relief in the nothing at all.
Lexie stands on Meredith’s porch and tells herself it’s the polite thing to do. That it’s the only thing to do after her mother-after what her father did. What she doesn’t expect is company on the doorstep just as she’s about to ring the doorbell.
“Derek Shepherd,” the guy says, and holds out his hand, but Lexie can’t stop her own hands from shaking. Because this is Meredith’s house. Meredith’s door, and Meredith’s attractive guy standing with flowers, looking through the window like a lost boy.
“Lexie Grey,” she says and his eyes widen like a cartoon, but before either of them speaks, the door swings open.
“Mere, there are people here,” says a woman with dark hair and a pizza box.
“What people? We’re here,” and there’s a shuffle of socks on hard wood and suddenly, Meredith.
“Hi,” she says to Derek, “Who’s this?” but he and his flowers are frozen, waiting.
“No, we don’t.” Pause. “We just met outside,” Lexie says, and that doesn’t clear anything up. Her father used to live in this house. Walk in this door. “I’m Lexie Grey. And I know you don’t know me at all but I thought I should-that maybe we could-“
Meredith looks at her, looks until Lexie’s words drop off. She steps back, hands on the door, and Lexie wonders if she’s going to shut it. Shut the door on she and Derek Shepherd both, whoever he may be.
She opens the door wider and motions inside. “I hope you like tequila cause that’s all we’ve got.” Lexie nods, and turns, as Meredith does, to the doorway. “You coming in?” she asks Derek.
He follows but Meredith doesn’t wait, just leads Lexie to the living room, to a couch full of people. “This is Lexie,” she says, "She needs a drink," and hands her a glass.
Meredith introduces her friends in order of how they're sprawled and Cristina says, “Is this a thing you do? Going door to door for booze?” She's using her pizza box like a table.
When Lexie shakes her head no, she says, “Shame. It works for you.”
Later, when Lexie has remnants of salt on her wrist, and is leaning more than a little on the guy she now knows as George, Meredith says, “Your mother bought me groceries. Little baby carrots, and yogurt, like I need the nutrition,” she says.
“You do,” George says to the couch cushions.
Meredith takes a drink. “I ate them. All of them.”
“The carrots?” Lexie asks.
“And the yogurt,” Derek says, and despite being smushed into Meredith’s other side, he’s mostly focused on the scotch in his glass.
“She didn’t know me,” Meredith says. “But she did it anyway.”
Lexie hears thank you and I'm sorry in the echo.
Title: I think I know
Rating: G
Pairing/Characters: Meredith, Lexie with ensemble
A/N: for mammothluv
When she hears Ellis Grey is dead, Lexie thinks “Ding dong! The witch is dead.” (“Which old witch? The wicked witch!") Because Ellis Grey is the woman who hurt her dad and kept her sister away. Logically, she knows Meredith was never locked in a tower, but someone’s to blame for keeping them apart and Ellis is a good choice, her surgical expertise notwithstanding.
“Should we send flowers? I don’t…” Her parents are in the kitchen, her dad pacing, hands up and down as he goes.
“No,” Lexie says, though she doesn’t remember opening her mouth. “Anyone can send flowers.” Strangers send flowers. Lexie doesn’t know what Meredith is, but she isn’t a stranger.
Her mom watches her closely, x-ray stare not deterred by the laundry basket in Lexie’s hands. “Not flowers, honey,” she says, “We’ll go see Meredith. Bring groceries.”
Her dad looks stricken by the thought, but all Lexie hears is : “We?” as it tumbles out of her mouth, all of her big sister Meredith dreams stacked in a syllable.
“Your father and I,” her mom says, ever careful around the subject of Meredith.
Lexie doesn’t like the feel of careful, but she lets it drop.
When Meredith drowns, there is this strange pocket of hope beneath her breastbone. Hope because she wants more of Derek, more CristinaIzzieAlexGeorge, more chocolate and Tuesdays with a ten blade. It’s not a lot, but it’s more than she’s had to give since Europe and that’s something.
When Susan dies, freaking dies, right there, Meredith lets go, and there’s relief in the nothing at all.
Lexie stands on Meredith’s porch and tells herself it’s the polite thing to do. That it’s the only thing to do after her mother-after what her father did. What she doesn’t expect is company on the doorstep just as she’s about to ring the doorbell.
“Derek Shepherd,” the guy says, and holds out his hand, but Lexie can’t stop her own hands from shaking. Because this is Meredith’s house. Meredith’s door, and Meredith’s attractive guy standing with flowers, looking through the window like a lost boy.
“Lexie Grey,” she says and his eyes widen like a cartoon, but before either of them speaks, the door swings open.
“Mere, there are people here,” says a woman with dark hair and a pizza box.
“What people? We’re here,” and there’s a shuffle of socks on hard wood and suddenly, Meredith.
“Hi,” she says to Derek, “Who’s this?” but he and his flowers are frozen, waiting.
“No, we don’t.” Pause. “We just met outside,” Lexie says, and that doesn’t clear anything up. Her father used to live in this house. Walk in this door. “I’m Lexie Grey. And I know you don’t know me at all but I thought I should-that maybe we could-“
Meredith looks at her, looks until Lexie’s words drop off. She steps back, hands on the door, and Lexie wonders if she’s going to shut it. Shut the door on she and Derek Shepherd both, whoever he may be.
She opens the door wider and motions inside. “I hope you like tequila cause that’s all we’ve got.” Lexie nods, and turns, as Meredith does, to the doorway. “You coming in?” she asks Derek.
He follows but Meredith doesn’t wait, just leads Lexie to the living room, to a couch full of people. “This is Lexie,” she says, "She needs a drink," and hands her a glass.
Meredith introduces her friends in order of how they're sprawled and Cristina says, “Is this a thing you do? Going door to door for booze?” She's using her pizza box like a table.
When Lexie shakes her head no, she says, “Shame. It works for you.”
Later, when Lexie has remnants of salt on her wrist, and is leaning more than a little on the guy she now knows as George, Meredith says, “Your mother bought me groceries. Little baby carrots, and yogurt, like I need the nutrition,” she says.
“You do,” George says to the couch cushions.
Meredith takes a drink. “I ate them. All of them.”
“The carrots?” Lexie asks.
“And the yogurt,” Derek says, and despite being smushed into Meredith’s other side, he’s mostly focused on the scotch in his glass.
“She didn’t know me,” Meredith says. “But she did it anyway.”
Lexie hears thank you and I'm sorry in the echo.