-1Author's Note: The idea for this fic kept wiggling in the back of my mind until I had no choice but to start it. It isn't the happiest of tales but it is one of self discovery and finding that second chance at love. The idea came to me after reading a book. The first two chapters are quite similar, as are certain aspects of the story. However, I have taken it and made it my own.
Premise: A single mother with only a few dollars left to her name, Meredith Grey has no choice but to return home to a town that hates her. She knew she wouldn't receive a warm welcome, but she hadn't expected the open hostility that greets her. Mark Sloan wants only one thing in life, to be left alone with his demons. The arrival of a slip of a woman and her solemn faced daughter change all that though. Together, Meredith and Mark both must face pasts they would rather forget.
Pairings: Mark/Meredith, some reference to Alex/Izzie, Lexie/George, and a few others.
Lady Luck finally abandoned Meredith Grey on a semi-deserted road in front of The Silver Screen. It was in front of the deserted drive inn theater that her ancient Pinto decided to do what everything else in her life did: abandon her.
Fighting the urge to cry, Meredith barely managed to pull to the side of the road before a large loom of black smoke started seeping from under the hood. A mechanic in Oklahoma City had warned her that the transmission was on it's last leg. She had cheerfully thanked the man, painfully paid him the seventy dollars to fix the water pump, then said a small prayer before heading south on I-35. Each mile the old vehicle had crept to Texas had been like a God send. When she had finally crossed the state line she had pulled into a touristy looking rest stop and done a little dance. She had danced too soon, because four short hours later here she was, sitting on the side of the road, fifeteen miles outside her destination, a small town by the name of Welcome, Texas that would be anything but welcoming when it's residences realized she had returned.
"Why? Why couldn't You just cut me some kind of break just this once?" She whispered to a God she wasn't sure she even believed in anymore.
"Mommy?" A tiny wisp of a girl with two long brown braids and green eyes that were almost too big for her face pops up from amongst the plastic grocery bags and laundry baskets that were crammed into the small back seat, as well as the front passenger seat. All their worldly belongings were in those bags and plastic baskets, the trunk having long ago been smashed shut.
"Yeah, baby?" Meredith rapidly blinked her eyes, wiping at the few stray tears that had slipped down her cheeks. She wouldn't let her daughter see her like this.
"What was that noise?" Nothing slipped past Samantha. At just five years of age she had seen more than her share of misery and experienced enough to last a life time. Since it was all she knew, she took it in stride, growing wise beyond her young years. Five going on fifty, that was Samantha Grey.
"Nothing baby," Meredith lied. There were days she did nothing but lie to Samantha. It was the only way to protect what was left of her child's innocence. "Just a little car trouble. Nothing to worry about."
"Are we going to die?"
Meredith winced. She wasn't sure when, or where, Samantha had picked up her fixation with death, but lately she had starting asking if they were going to die on an almost regular basis. "No sweetie. Don't be silly. Why don't you get out, stretch your legs a bit while mommy checks to see why the car made that big noise."
" 'kay." There was a small rustling noise while Samantha dug through the piled bags to find a bedraggled Raggedy Andy doll that had once belonged to her father. Once the arm of the almost tattered doll was firmly clamped between her teeth, the tiny girl climbed over a large basket full of second hand play clothes. While genetics had predetermined her to be petite like her mother, a bought of pneumonia had made the already slender child look almost malnourished. Her arms and legs were little more than sticks with pale white skin stretched over them, and there wasn't the normal healthy sheen to her almost waist length, wavy brown hair. Meredith would have loved to blame it all on the three week hospital stay, but that would have been another one of her lies.
"Don't wander very far," Meredith cautioned, climbing out of the car just in time for Samantha to land in the driver's seat, a tangle of arms and legs. Stepping back, she pasted a false smile on her face. She didn't receive one in return, but then again she hadn't expected one. How long had it been since she had seen her little girl smile? Months.
"I won't," Samantha promised, picking her way through the wild flowers that lined the ditch. No doubt she was hungry. She hadn't asked for anything, though, and wouldn't. Regular meals were a luxury, and were often little more than skimpy peanut butter sandwiches and water from a public fountain.
Meredith turned her back, sucking in air as she fought the panic that threatened to over come her. "What did I ever do to You!" She said, staring up at the great expanse of blue sky. She doesn't know why she bothers. God wasn't real. He was just some fictional fairytale for the wealthy and mentally ill. Since she was neither, talking to Him was a waste of time. She often found herself 'wasting time' when things were rock bottom though, and things were definitely rock bottom. She should have stayed in Chicago, at least there she had had a job, albeit a bad one, and a roof over head, even if it had leaked. Mr. Delphino, the manager of the seedy hotel where she had cleaned rooms, had made staying impossible though. If he had wanted her, she could have dealt with that. She would have laid there, eyes closed, thinking of anything but the disgusting man on top of her. Only he hadn't wanted her, he had wanted Samantha. A twisted bastard in every sense of the word, he had already touched the small girl several times before offering to buy her from Meredith.
Bile crept up her throat as she thought of the horror that man had put her daughter through. When he had made his offer everything in her had gone black. She had told him what he could do with his offer, threatened to have him arrested if he so much as looked at Samantha again. The bastard had laughed, told her to call, that nobody would believe her. Something in her had snapped. She had reached for the nearest object, a large lamp, and flung it at him with every bit of strength she had. It had caught him on the side of his head, shattering. She hadn't stayed around to see if he was alright. She had grabbed Samantha up, shoved their meager belongings into anything she could find that would hold stuff, and headed south. Why she had chosen south, and Welcome, she wasn't sure. There was nothing there for her, just a town with a long memory and a sister she hadn't spoken to in almost ten years.
A fresh sense of loss ate at her as she thought of her younger sister. Her sister had been the one to bring the Reverend Dennison Duquette into their lives. The younger Grey sister had met him at an ice cream social hosted by the Baptist church. Unrequited love had shown in her sixteen year old sister's eyes when she had gazed up at the tall, handsome man whose southern charm could make even the Devil grace the front pew on Sunday morning. Denny had barely seen her sister though. Almost from the start he had made his interest in Meredith clear. She had been as awed as everyone else. When he had asked her to marry him she had said yes, feeling a sense of honor that he had chosen her. Her sister had done her duty as maid of honor, then swore she would never forgive Meredith for stealing the love of her life with all the passion a sixteen year old could muster.
"Better me than you," she whispered to the sister who wasn't there. On the outside, Denny had been everything the world thought he was: a Godly man who put his love for Christ above everything else. On the inside, he had been sick, infected with an all consuming need for things to be pure. Their wedding night had been a prime example of his sickness. She had been a virgin, eager to please her new husband, certain he would school her with love and tenderness. Instead he had recited biblical verses concerning the flesh and taken her innocence without so much as a gentle word. He had reveled in her tears, was glad she wasn't the sort of woman who enjoyed her martial duty. Sexual pleasure wasn't acceptable for a minister's wife. Denny had been quite clear on that, as well as many other things.
She peered at her reflection, almost startled at what she seen. Her ivory skin was the pasty color of wet bread dough, and dark circles formed half moons under jaded green eyes. A tangle of waves that use to be the color of summer wheat but were now a dingy color some where between blonde and light brown hung over shoulders that were so thin bones peeped through the almost translucent flesh that covered them.
Meredith looked away, unable to look at the pathetic woman in the reflection. She had once been beautiful, a ready smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes. Those days were long gone though. Now she was a bag of bones who had little reason to smile.
"Does this belong to you!"
Meredith jumped at the sound of the surly voice. Eyes wide she turned to find a tall, muscular man with close cropped blonde hair and eyes the same color as the sky above. At first she was taken in by the subtle beauty of his face, almost over looking the fact that he held her daughter several feet off the ground, his fist grasping the back of the light pink t shirt Samantha wore. Tears silently streamed down the child's face, leaving traces of white in the grime. Meredith gasped. "Put her down!"
"This your kid?" The stranger demanded. He still hadn't released Samantha. A determined set in his jaw told her that he wouldn't until he was good and ready to.
"Yes. Please. Let her go." Fear seeped into her flesh. This man could have the same evil nature as Mr. Delphino. He could choke the life from her, leave her body laying in the ditch, and take Samantha off to God knew where. Her fingers curled into the thin fabric of the knee length tank dress she wore. "Please."
The man stared at her for a moment, his eyes narrowed. If he thought he was going to take her daughter without a fight he had best think again. Samantha was all she had, and while she wasn't the best mother, she wasn't so horrible of one that she would stand by as a man took off with her child. "You need to keep a better eye on her," he said gruffly, dropping Samantha gracelessly. When her bare feet hit the ground, Samantha scurried towards her mother. Thin arms wrapped around narrow legs. "Caught her messing around near the ticket booth. Lot's of construction going on in the drive inn. She could get hurt."
"I'm sorry," Meredith whispered, stroking the wisps of hair that had come loose from the two braids. She could feel Samantha's tears and snot soaking through the thin, red material of her dress. "My car…it broke down…I was…" She pressed her lips together. She didn't owe this man an explanation, and she wasn't going to give him one. He didn't care about her or Samantha. To him they were just two pests who had broken down outside his drive inn.
"There's a phone in the ticket booth. Along with the number for O'Malley's garage." The stranger said gruffly. His blue gaze was still locked on Samantha in a way that had Meredith hugging her child closer. He scowled, then trooped off in the direction he had come from.
"Jackass," Samantha mumbled, finally releasing the death grip she had on her mother's legs.
"What have I told you about saying that," Meredith scolded. Silently she couldn't help but agree with her daughter. The blonde stranger had been a jackass.
"But he was one," Samantha reasoned. Meredith sighed. There was no arguing with her daughter once she had made up her mind. The one trait she had inherited from her father. Denny's mind hadn't been easily swayed either.
"True, but that doesn't mean we should call him one." Meredith bent to dig her purse from the floor board. Before she pulled her meager amount of money from the ragged wallet she knew it wasn't enough to afford a two truck. Still, she counted out the dollar bills. Eight in total. She gulped down the lump forming in her throat. This was a temporary set back, nothing more. She was a hard worker and would find a job. She had to. "You know what, mommy's legs are really tired from sitting in the car for so long. How about we take a little walk?"
Samantha nodded slowly, dragging her feet as Meredith led her across the ditch and into the empty field next to the drive inn. There was a small grove of trees growing behind the large movie screen. She settled Samantha in the shade beneath one of the trees, out of the harsh sunlight that was already turning her pale skin a pink. Dropping down next to her child, she fished a shriveled orange from her purse. Silently she peeled it, her mouth watering at the citrus scent wavering up from it. Hungry as she was she wouldn't take even a single wedge. Samantha needed it more than she did.
"Thank you," Samantha said, her little girl voice sounding older. Meredith glanced away, staring across the expanse of over grown grass and wild flowers. On the other side of the field, almost hidden by another grove of trees was the one place she had hoped to never see again. The Temple of Grace and Redemption. Denny's grand vision. He had used the large structure of stain glass and marble as the head quarters to his ministry and a studio to broadcast his message to the world. She had heard it was now a home and school for unwed mothers. Denny was no doubt spinning in his grave over that one.
Meredith tore her gaze from the place that had not only brought about Denny's fall from grace, but her own as well. She focused, instead, on the freshly painted Silver Screen sign. Just beneath it was a smaller sign with Help Wanted in bold red letters. "Are you ready?" Samantha nodded, licking the last of the sticky orange juice from her fingers. Much as she didn't want to, Meredith was going to face the jackass again. If it was help he wanted, she was more than happy to supply it.
The strap of her sandal dug into her big toe as she picked her way through the scattered bits of lumber that were piled here and there inside the drive inn. Just in front of the larger than life movie screen was a play ground that had seen better days. It wasn't the best place to leave Samantha, but it would do. "I need you to stay here while mommy talks to that man." Samantha shook her head. "Yes." Another shake of her head. "Baby, mommy needs a job." Job. Samantha understood that. Without one of those even scrawny oranges weren't available and hey would be forced to join the line at the soup kitchen.
Smiling over her shoulder, Meredith hated the forlorn look Samantha gave her. "I won't be long," she promised. Samantha nodded before turning her back. Shoulders hunched the child plopped down on the edge of the merry-go-round. Meredith thought about telling her daughter she could come, then thought better of it. She was desperate, and if the man wasn't willing to hire her to work the theater there was always that time honored tradition of earning money on her back. The idea repulsed on her, she had only been with one man, she was running out of options though. Samantha needed food and a place to stay, both of which required money.
She saw a pair of large brown work boots and frayed faded blue jeans that encased powerful, legs. The man was perched on a step ladder, his long, slender fingers propping up a light fixture. Without the distraction of a frightened child, she was able to fully see, and grudgingly appreciate, the man before her. Lean hips, broad shoulders, and muscles that bunched under the light brown t shirt he wore.
Taking a deep breath, Meredith walked over to where the radio set. Music blared from the speakers at a level that made it impossible for anyone to hear another person. With shaking fingers, she turned it down. At the sudden loss of sound the man turned to stare at her.
"You again?"
"Me again," Meredith agreed. "I'm Meredith, by the way. And the little girl you scared was my daughter Samantha. She's five." If she had hoped to garner some sort of response she was disappointed. The man just continued to stare at her. "We drove down from Chicago. Almost straight through. Only stopped a couple times. That's why Samantha was wandering around. She just wanted to stretch her legs a bit."
"Doesn't change the fact that she was trespassing, and, now, so are you." Jackass, she was really starting to think of him as one, glowered down at her before jumping from his perch on the step ladder. She took a step back, her spine pressing into the counter behind her.
"I seen your sign," Meredith managed to stammer out. Queasiness started churning in her stomach. If he said no she wasn't sure she could go through with propositioning him. No. She could. For Samantha she could do anything. "The help wanted one," she added in case he wasn't sure of what sign she was talking about.
"So," the man snapped. He dusted his hands on the backside of his jeans. The way he filled out those jeans would make any Calvin Klein model envious.
"So, I'm here. I'm the help you wanted." She forced her mouth into a smile. He didn't return it. "Personally, I think we should start with the playground. It's a disgrace. Then, I was thinking we could paint the ticket booth. That yucky brown color doesn't really seem very inviting."
"I'm not hiring you." He turned his back to her, giving her a birds eye view of his well rounded ass when he bent down to retrieve a screw driver that was lying on the floor.
"Don't be silly. Of course you're hiring me. You need help, and I'm willing to help." Meredith pushed herself away from the counter. "You're too intelligent of a man to pass up this opportunity. I'm sure if you think about it, you'll see that I am right."
"And I'm sure that you can't do the work that I need done." He was a stubborn ass. Fine. She was use to stubborn asses. She had been married to one for almost ten years, and he had been crazy to boot. This surly man didn't scare her. Not any more. She was a mother with a hungry child and she wasn't about to give up. Meredith Grey was many things, but a quitter wasn't one of them.
"Look, sir, I know I don't look like much, but I'm a hard worker. Anything you throw at me, I'm willing to do it." Meredith pleaded. She wasn't above begging. He wasn't listening though. His back was still to her. She moved forward to see what he was doing. A telephone was gripped in his hand. Before she could say anything he was dialing a number. Please don't be the police, she silently begged.
"Hey, Harold, it's Mark Sloan out at the drive inn. Got a woman and her kid broke down out here. Think you could send someone out to get her?"
Two things struck Meredith at once. The first was the man before her was Mark Sloan. One of Edie's boys. Edie Shepherd-Sloan-Karev had been a force to be reckoned with when Meredith was younger. The only child of an oil tycoon she married, then disposed of men like some women did fashion. Three of fourteen marriages had resulted in sons, hence why she had kept her former husbands names. Edie herself had been sexy as sin, each of her husband's always topping the next in looks, so it had been no surprise when her sons had grown into Welcome's most handsome boys. The oldest boy, Derek, had been a good six years ahead of her in school, and Mark himself had been three years ahead of her. The youngest Alex had been two years behind her. Not having on in her grade hadn't stopped Meredith from doing what all young girls in Welcome, Texas did: lust after Edie's boys.
The second thing was the fact that he was calling for a tow she didn't want and couldn't pay for. She had less than ten dollars in cash and her credit cards were ancient history. "No tow truck," she whispered. They would tow the car, find out she was broke, then keep the vehicle until she could pay, which might be never.
"…send the bill to me. And Harold, see if one of Adele's rooms are open." Meredith shook her head. Adele Webber ran a refuge for battered or homeless women. She hadn't returned to Welcome to end up there. Adele had been her mother's friend. Ellis would roll in her grave if Meredith took up residency with Adele. He spoke with Harold for a few more minutes then turned to face Meredith. "Wait by your car. Harold's going to send someone out after it. They'll give you a lift into town. There's a lady there named Adele who can help you." He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a bulging wallet. He peeled several twenties from the wad, holding them out to her. "Here's a bit of cash to tide you over until you can find a job."
Meredith shook her head. She was a Grey, and Grey's didn't take charity. Try or die trying, that had been Thatcher's motto. "I don't take charity."
"Fine. Whatever." He turned his back once again. She had been dismissed. Fighting the urge to cry she made her way back to the spot where she had left Samantha. She found her sweet little girl still sitting on the edge of the merry-go-round, solemn faced as ever. "Come on baby. Let's go." She held out her hand. Samantha jumped up, her tiny fingers curling into Meredith's. Silently they walked back to the car. Once there, she let go of Samantha's hand, leaned her head against the roof of her broke down car and sobbed.
"We're going to die, aren't we?" Samantha's question had her sobbing harder. She was a failure. A complete and total failure. She didn't deserve the little girl standing next to her. She hadn't been able to protect her, and she wasn't able to feed her or provide for her. "It's okay mommy. Dying doesn't scare me."
"Stop saying that!" Meredith cried. "We're not going to die." She hadn't meant to yell, but damn it, she had nothing left inside her. No patience, no understanding. She was big, empty pit of nothing.
"Sorry," Samantha sniffed. Meredith crumbled. It wasn't Samantha's fault. None of this was. She didn't deserve the hand fate had dealt her.
"No, baby, mommy is sorry. I shouldn't have yelled." She scooped Samantha up, holding her close. Two scare crows crying on the side of the road. The tears stopped a short time later. Still holding Samantha, Meredith watched as a new, red Chevrolet Avalanche squealed out of The Silver Screen, Mark Sloan behind the wheel. She resisted the urge to flip the asshole the bird. Doing so would mean having to explain to Samantha why mommy could use her middle finger but little girl's shouldn't. A moment later the tow truck appeared. "Hi. There's been a change in plans. You don't have to tow us to town after all. I just need you to move the car over behind that grove of trees right there," she pointed to the trees Samantha and she had sat under earlier. The kid behind the wheel looked a little hesitant, but eventually complied with her wishes.
"Are we going to live here?" Samantha asked, kicking at a rock. Meredith shook her head. "They how comes the car is here?"
How to answer that question. Meredith mulled it over. "We're going to camp here for a while, but first we're going to that mean ole Mark Sloan that we're the best workers ever. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
Samantha shrugged. "I guess." She quietly followed her mother back into the drive inn.
All Mark Sloan needed was a little incentive to hire her. While he hadn't been willing to give her a chance to prove her worth, she would. In his absence she would start the work he didn't think she was capable of. She would show him…well she would show him that she was capable, that is what she would show him.
The task seemed daunting, especially with her stomach growling and the heat pounding down on her. She concentrated on the ticket booth, tricking her mind into focusing on something other than hunger. Sighing, she directed Samantha over to the play ground once more. She squared her shoulders, then set about the task of scraping the faded and weathered brown paint from the booth. She had found the scraper lying next to the building, so she had to assume he wanted the peeling mess gone before he put a fresh coat of paint on. The booth wasn't almost bare when the silvery spots started dancing before her eyes. Much the way she had the hunger pains, Meredith tried to focus on something else. She couldn't though. A dizzy wave of nausea swirled around her, turning her body into a heavy limbed mass. One that crumpled to the ground.
