Quick little note before we get started. So I've been writing this since the end of the season. On a complete side note- that final scene between Owen and Amelia, pure perfection in my opinion. Can't wait to see where these two are headed in Season 12!
So this is Refresh. Now as you'll see with the "in-progress" declaration in the summary, I haven't decided whether this is a stand-alone one-shot or something more. Part of me is satisfied with the way this ended, part of me has a lot of other ideas for this story and can see the potential of a multi-fic story. So readers, its in your hands. What outcome will you choose? Any feedback is welcome and appreciated whether its in a public review or in a private message- if you feel more comfortable with that.
One last thing- on a final self-marketing note- I'm now on Tumblr as gl211 where I've posted some of the stories I have on here. Being that I have some additional free time I'm going to start taking prompts over there. Depending on the specificity of the prompt, some I'll only post there, while others I'll post both here and there. So if you have prompts and ideas you want to see- head over and message me on Tumblr!
The song began to end as she continued to wiggle back and forth. She caught the effervescent look on Maggie's face and watched as Meredith shimmied towards her one last time before the song changed. The song suddenly changed to something more jazz like, still quick and up-tempo, but not as easy to dance freely to. She smiled as she watched Richard and Catherine and all their guests continue to dance.
"You know who I'm pretty certain knows the meaning of dancing it out?"
Amelia was pulled out of her own thoughts as Meredith came up next to her, goofily swinging her arms back and forth. She chuckled at the sight and shrugged her shoulders, answering Meredith's question.
She watched as Meredith moved her head gesturing to the other side of the room, gesturing towards Owen who was still dancing within the circle of Bailey, Ben and Callie.
She looked at Meredith, eyes slightly wide at her suggestion. Meredith shimmied again nudging her shoulders against her before grabbing Maggie's hand and swaying side to side with her.
"Go" she said.
She sighed a little, the feeling of freeness she had been feeling moments before dancing alongside Maggie and Meredith, completely dissipating.
Just do it.
She was trying not to over think her every move as she tried to look confident walking over to the group, her body swaying as she walked. He met her gaze as she walked up to the group. She extended her hand out, his eyes following her every move. Ben looked amused, Bailey raised her eyes brows a little in surprise and Callie just smiled. She felt herself shrinking into the floor as she stood there in front of him. She felt her body relax as he took her hand and they walked back towards the middle of the room. She let go of his hand letting her body just listen to the music and began to sway a little, snapping her fingers, grinning at how silly she probably looked.
"What exactly are we doing?" he asked with an amused grin as he copied her movements.
"We're dancing it out." she answered as she continued to sway to the beat.
His eyes softened a little at her sudden knowledge of the term. He'd heard it used before in passing between Meredith and Cristina, but had never actually "danced it out". He nodded as he grabbed her hand, pulling her closer, hearing her gasp a little in surprise. He swayed a little, as she chuckled at his attempts and put her hand against his chest as she smiled. He then stepped back a little and raised his arm twirling her out and then back towards him.
She let go of his hands and moved her arms back and forth as she wiggled her hips. He laughed as she jokingly plugged her nose and shimmied up and down. They both felt the song coming to an end, so he took her hand again and twirled her around him, much to her amusement and then quickly dipped her, her right arm going around his neck, as the song hit it's last note. He gently lifted her back up, as her grip tightened a little in fear of slipping. As they stood up she let go, face still completely lit up at what had just happened.
"Want to take a walk?" she asked loudly over the next loud rock and roll song, as the room around them continued to dance.
He nodded and she went to walk out of the room, her hand going behind her as she did. She felt his fingers tangle with hers as she picked up her pace a little, walking towards the door leading to the deck. She quickly opened the door with her free arm and they both stepped outside. She led them off the deck and onto the land behind the house, close enough to be illuminated by the light of the house, but far enough away to feel like they had escaped from it all.
She motioned to the two chairs Derek had left far from the house. She remembered the night he had brought them slightly off the land, promising Zola that they would watch the lunar eclipse that would be happening. She sat down in the chair, sitting next to him.
They sat there for a few minutes in silence, taking in the beauty of the night. They were interrupted by her teeth chattering loudly, they both smiled at the involuntary gesture.
"I should've brought my jacket out." said Owen with slight remorse over the fact that she was clearly cold.
She waved her hand in a nonchalant "don't be silly" gesture. Nearly the second she waved her hand, she felt her arm being pulled slightly.
"Come here." he said as she swiftly got up and stood in front of him, her hands on her hips.
"Come where?" she asked in a teasing tone, fully knowing where he was referring to.
He smiled before completely pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her, trying to shield her from the cold. She sighed in contentment as she snuggled closer. She shouldn't be sitting in his lap; she knew that it was wrong considering they hadn't even discussed what was going on between them. They both knew it had been a bold and significant move for her to want him to stay as she listened to Derek's voice mail, she wasn't disregarding the significance of that. But they hadn't discussed what exactly it was they were doing and here she was sitting in his lap.
"Owen" she finally said minutes later, after basking in the bliss and warmth for as long as she could.
She turned in his arms so they were looking at each other, his arms still wrapped protectively around her.
" I don't know what we're doing... I actually have no idea what we're doing, what we are." she said.
"Amelia. I know that this isn't..." he started to say before she abruptly cut him off.
"No wait. I need to say this. I've been trying to think about how to say this for a few weeks now without getting completely freaked out by myself." she said with a slightly dry amused tone.
He nodded and settled back against the chair prepared for whatever she was about to throw at him. He watched as her hands twisted nervously in her lap, he met her gaze, before covering them both with a hand of his own. She held his gaze for a few moments before letting out a small sigh.
"What I'm trying to say is... I don't know what we're doing. I don't know what we are exactly or where we're heading. And with my track record with men I should be running... Far... Extremely far away from you, because I care about you. And I don't want you to end up dead. But... I can't run. There have been moments I wanted to...but I really can't, because whatever this is... whatever we're doing... I want this." she admitted.
He watched as she nervously dropped her gaze from his, clearly not wanting to see any sort of reaction from him. He let go of her hands and raised his hand, his fingers gently brushing her cheek before he laid his hand flat against it. Her eyes, looking bluer then he had ever seen, as they nervously darted back to his.
"And I know you might not even want this. You might not want my entire bag of crazy in your life. And that's fine I completely get it, But I had to say it. I had to. Because if I didn't I would have..."
And that's when he leaned in and quickly stopped her from saying anymore and kissed her. He had forgotten how good it felt to kiss her, being that he hadn't done it in almost a year. He felt her arm wrap around both his shoulders in security, and he felt his other hand travel to her hair, getting tangled in her curls. Their tongues were dueling for dominance, kissing furiously. They both finally pulled away in need of air, leaning their foreheads against each other.
"So I should take that as a no, that you don't feel the same way, right?" she said as he chuckled beneath her.
He pulled her in for a kiss again, this one much quicker and chaste then the previous one. He felt her fingers curl at the side of his neck, as he softly pecked at her lips before pulling away again.
"You should take that as a yes. A very definitive yes." he said softly as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
She smiled, her overall body language and demeanor relaxing at his words. She sat, her arms wrapped around his neck for a few more minutes before suddenly popping out of his lap and standing in front of him.
"You know where it isn't cold?"
He smiled and laughed at her sudden excitement before shaking his head. She pointed over the dip in the land towards where the trailer sat. She stood with her hand extended as she gestured with her head towards the giant piece of metal tin. He leaned back against the chair, using it to press himself up as she took a few steps back to accommodate him standing.
She looked back at the house, still very much alive with guests, lights and the faint sound of music. She knew why Meredith couldn't be in the house; maybe it was kind of the same reason she couldn't be in LA. Too many memories. She'd miss this house though. The entire house embodied Derek. The land, the view, all encompassed her big brother. She knew it'd been almost a year since he died, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less then it did a year ago. The voice mail tonight had brought closure, but this house was Derek's. She knew Meredith and her were going to remain "sisters" to the best of their abilities, but Amelia had come out here to live with Derek and now Derek was gone.
She came out here to start over; she hadn't immediately started over... To be honest she had barely start over at all. Sure Herman's case had the medical community singing her praises and in the limelight but not in Derek's shadow. Yes, she had formed this unspeakable bond with her nieces and nephew, something she had never really done with her sister's kids. And it went without saying that she had attempted unsuccessfully to distance herself from all romantic relations when moving here, hot off the tail of her engagement.
Yet the universe had thrown Owen Hunt in her path and though she had tried to stop it, tried to resist him, at this point in time she couldn't be more grateful to the universe. They were unconventional, probably messy; some might say a flight risk. But this was what the universe had dealt her and for the first time in her life, she didn't want to run from it all. She was going to embrace it. She was going to start over. She was ready to start over.
"You ready?"
She felt Owen come up behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder after asking the question. The question meaning so much more to Amelia then he would ever realize. She looked at the house once more before turning around, looking only at him.
"Yeah. I'm ready."
