Live Your Life

Just live your life
No telling where it'll take you
Just live your life

I'll be honest. I never thought I'd be writing this story. When I reached the end of 'Wouldn't Be This Way', I thought I was finished. I put it in a box and tied a nice bow on it. Somehow the bow came undone and the story box opened itself up and here we are. I know some people liked the last one and I hope you all will like this one as well.

I am going to try and update at least once a week, but it could be more often depending on how many reviews I get. All the chapters in this story will be named after songs that relate to the chapter in varying degrees. However, there will be few chapters that the song will be a crucial part of the plot. In fact most of the time it will just be a line or two that I like and somehow vaguely relates. As far as the plot goes, there will be quite a few surprises. This first chapter isn't the best but regard it as a prolouge or catch up chapter. please enjoy and as always thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: The characters from Grey's Anatomy and any lyrics used are the property of their respective owners. I claim no ownership. You could try to sue me, but as I am a college student, it really wouldn't be worth it.

Chapter 1- Hello Seattle

Hello Seattle, I am a mountaineer
In the hills and highlands
I fall asleep in hospital parking lots

It had been a long time since Melanie Karev Cassidy had been to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport. She remembered her first time. That had been nearly seventeen years ago. She had packed a small Barbie suitcase to go with her mother and grandmother to find her father. She had been in desperate need of a liver transplant. Through what some would call the grace of God, but what she would refer to as human kindness and good medicine, Melanie received a partial transplant from her father. After that she had moved to nearby Des Moines, Washington with her mother. Once there she spent nine happy years eventually finishing third in her class with her loving boyfriend, Clark Lee, as the valedictorian. That August she moved across the country to Ithaca, New York to attend an Ivy, Cornell. Throughout her undergrad she visited home whenever she had an extended break, hopping a cross-country red-eye flight. Her mother, father or one of her numerous "aunts" or "uncles" would pick her up excited to see her again.

However, she hadn't been home to Seattle in close to three years, since her sophomore year of med school. That year had been rough on her emotionally, though she had continued to excel in her studies. She broke up with Clark, fought with her mother (whom she had always told everything), and ended up transferring to the University of Buffalo medical school. Since then she couldn't bring herself to come home and face her mother. She tried to keep in touch with everyone else, but she had been a medical student trying to rise to the top of her class and they were surgeons who had unpredictable schedules. However she was back for good now. In two days, she would be starting her surgical residency at none other than Seattle Grace Hospital, the hospital in which this part of her life had started.

She looked around the baggage claim, hoping the airline hadn't lost the one bag she entrusted them with. It enough clothes to last another day. The bright green bag popped against the conveyor belt. The rest of her worldly processions were with her best friend Erin Meyer in a U-Haul van. Turning on her cell phone, Melly discovered that Erin was in Idaho and would be stopping at a motel in the eastern part of Washington tonight. With any luck, by tomorrow afternoon, they would be able to move their boxes into their new home. It had been the plan for them to make the cross-country trip together. However life had gotten in the way and Melanie had had to go to Iowa on family business before moving back to Seattle. I'll have to remember to call her later, Melanie thought as she walked towards the exit, wondering who was picking her up.

From across the crowded room she spied her Uncle Derek. Suddenly she wasn't so tired anymore and all but ran to him, dragging her suitcase behind her. "Uncle Derek," Melanie said in greeting. She was hugging him excitedly. While she had been hoping her dad would pick her up, any member of the family was a sight for sore eyes. "I suppose it isn't every intern who gets picked up by the Chief of Surgery?"

Derek smiled at his niece. He could remember when she was nine years old, in a pretty pink dress, walking down the aisle in front of Izzie. Now here she was, a grown woman. Where had the time gone? "You're right Melly, I'm not picking up all the interns, but not all of my new interns graduated first in their class." He grabbed her suitcase as they walked out to the car, Melly grinning the whole way.

"I also have a feeling that I will be the only intern who knows every department head, when it comes to surgery at least." Melly replied in a light tone as they strolled through the expansive parking lot.

Derek sighed, "You might be surprised."

"Really?" Melanie said. "Aunt Meredith is the head of neuro," she waited for him to nod yes and he did. Mer had held the position for two years now. "Daddy is the head of neonatal." Again Derek nodded yes. Alex had become head of the department after finishing his fellowship. "Izzie is the surgical head of oncology."She had changed her specialty after being diagnosed with stage two skin cancer twelve years ago. Not waiting for him to tell her she was right she went through the rest of her family "Aunt Christina is the head of cardio. Uncle Owen is the head of trauma. Aunt Callie is the head of ortho. Aunt Bailey is the head of general, until she takes your job at least. Uncle Mark is head of plastics."

Here Derek interrupted, "As of three o'clock today, he's not."

"Wait, when did this happen?" Melanie asked.

"He's going to work with your Aunt Lexie at her private practice. He'll still be around to do surgeries every now and then but he wants to be able to do more with the kids."

"How are all the little munchkins?" she asked.

"They're all growing up so fast," Derek replied. He and Meredith had one daughter named Caroline who was 10. Mark and Lexie had one daughter named Susan who was 5 and twin boys named Jackson and Jonathon who were 3. Christina and Owen had adopted a little girl from China a year ago named Lea.

"I hope I get to see them all before I start working," Melanie said.

They were approaching the house. "Izzie wanted it to be a surprise but she invited the whole family over for a welcome home dinner." Derek volunteered, knowing she'd notice the cars parked on the street.

"Thanks for the heads up," Melanie replied. She hated surprises. "Anything else I should know?"

Besides the fact your estranged mother and stepfather are going to be there too? "No," Derek replied nonchalantly. She stepped onto the sidewalk. It was like it had been three hours not years since she had last set eyes on it. She took her purse and suitcase in her hand. Derek slammed the trunk shut. "I'll be in the backyard with the men. I think Izzie and your aunts will be in the kitchen."

The words were lost on Melanie. She was already on the porch and opening the door.