I don't own GA and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Meredith had been shocked (and fuck, that was an understatement) to discover that she had another half-sister. She and Molly hadn't talked much since Lexie died (not that they had done so before their sister's death) so she had missed having a sister around. But having Maggie in her face all the time was distracting. How had her mother managed to hide a pregnancy from so many people? That was one of several questions they were still struggling to answer. Maggie was nice enough but Meredith couldn't help but resent her. She had felt like Richard's daughter for years and it was like she didn't exist anymore now that he had a real one. That was majorly unfair and she knew she was acting irrationally but Meredith didn't give a fuck. She was allowed to upset about this (and the Derek thing). She narrowed her eyes and glared as Richard and Maggie walked down the hall as they prepared to leave the hospital to go out to dinner (it had become a new tradition). "Have fun," she muttered under her breath.
Amelia snorted next to her. "You're still mad, huh?"
"No!" she snapped. At her sister-in-law's unimpressed stare, she sighed and her shoulders slumped. "I miss Lexie and I know it's not the same but I feel like Maggie is trying to replace her. It's not her fault either but it's easy to blame her." Meredith knew she'd have to apologize for her behavior soon but she was resisting for the time being.
"You want to tell me what else is bothering you?" Amelia didn't really care but Meredith was starting to become a friend. She was a little bit curious (at least no one hounded her here like they did in California. It was still a relief she had managed to escape even though she missed everyone there).
"Not really." But then Meredith had a change of heart and she turned around to face her. "Richard's been like my father for years. And now it's like Maggie is the only person that matters to him. And yeah, I understand why, but he could at least pretend to still be interested in me!" Meredith felt better – but still stupid – now that she had let everything out.
Amelia placed her hand on top of her sister-in-law's. "Let me say this once. I'm sure he loves you like a daughter and still considers you to be one. I don't know all that much about your relationship but it's pretty obvious from this jealousy. Anyway, talk to him about this – I'm sure he'd be interested in hearing this. But his feelings won't just go away now that he has a biological daughter. You were the first and there's something about that that won't ever change."
Meredith took a deep breath. "You're right," she reluctantly admitted.
She grinned. "Really? Wow, that was all profound and shit. I guess California affected me in more ways than one." She skipped off to go find one of the interns to bother and left Meredith to stew in her thoughts (but not for long).
A few minutes after that, she rushed to go find Maggie and Richard to maybe have dinner with them. She was relieved (and angry) upon catching up with him. "Hi, Meredith! What's up?" Maggie asked when she saw her half-sister.
"I was wondering if you would mind if I went to dinner with you. I don't mean to intrude and I don't have to go but it could be fun." At least she was making an effort, right? That was more than Meredith could say for most people.
Richard and Maggie exchanged a look. "That's fine with me," Richard told her. He linked his arms with both of them and then the three of them headed to his car. They arrived at the restaurant about fifteen minutes later (they would have been there sooner if traffic hadn't slowed them down).
"So I was surprised you wanted to come with us," Maggie said after they ordered.
Meredith looked down at the tablecloth. "I just realized I should make an effort to get to know you. That's it. I'm still in shock."
"And I don't blame you for that. Guess it was a big shock to find out you had a half-sister. And I know about Lexie – I'm not trying to take her place. I'm guessing that was something you were worried about?" She wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings between them.
Meredith looked up at her and nodded. "Lexie's death nearly broke me and I still miss her. But I want to get to know you – you're a part of my life now, Maggie. You should meet my children – I'm sure they'll love having another aunt around." They'd never get to see Lexie and that hurt, but Zola and Bailey should soak up all the love they could get. And Derek will agree with her when he comes home.
"I'd like that." Maggie smiled at her and then took a sip of her water.
Richard couldn't stop beaming, prompting Meredith to question him. "Why are you so happy?"
"My two girls finally in the same room without any fighting. Didn't think I'd see the day. Then again, I never once saw this coming." He was kicking himself for not realizing Ellis was pregnant in the first place but she had hidden it well.
Meredith leaned over for a quick hug. "I'll try from now on but I can't promise anything. Something may pop up occasionally and it won't be pretty," she warned.
Maggie laughed. "Noted. But this is nice so let's just take it for what it is."
"In agreement there."
Richard watched them interact with watery eyes and tried to focus on the meal he had been looking forward to all day. He understood why Meredith was (clearly) jealous but she didn't have to worry. He'd never stop loving her and informed her of that fact after Maggie got into the car. "Nothing's going to change between us, Meredith. That's a promise."
"You're sure?" She cringed at her insecurity but she had to know.
He nodded and hugged her again. "Love you, Meredith."
"Me too, Richard." She pulled away and got into the car. When Meredith finally made it home, the kids were in bed and Amelia was waiting up for her.
"So how did it go?" Amelia couldn't quench her curiosity and needed to know immediately.
"It went great. Maggie's nice, and Richard assured me that I have nothing to worry about." She was still struggling with everything but Meredith had a feeling Amelia knew that.
She did. "Great! Come talk to me when you're being stupid next time, okay? I'll set you straight." Amelia smiled at her before she turned off the TV and stood up to head to bed.
"I'll always count on you to be brutally honest, Amy." Now that Cristina was good, she had no one to set her straight when she was being stupid.
Meredith's jealousy still flared up occasionally but she dealt with it as best as she could. She, Maggie, and Richard starting meeting for dinner once a week and that helped a lot too. Having a new sister was going to be hard to get used to but Meredith hoped this could work.
