OK here it is! Sorry for the wait! Hopefully updates will come a little quicker!

Beautiful Mess

Chapter 7: Suddenly I See

Meredith had been staring out the window, lost in thought when a voice cut through her like a knife. A voice that

had been gone from her life for 30 years. A voice she'd know anywhere.

"Meredith." It was all he had to say and she was 30 years younger.

What is he doing here! Who told him! Oh my God…! She attempted to quiet the thoughts screaming through

her brain. He approached the bed and sat in the chair closest to her. He reached over, tentatively, hesitantly, and

picked up her hand. "It was so much easier to do when you were out." He remarked quietly, holding up her

hand in explanation.

"What exactly are you doing here?" She questioned after a moment. He smiled softly. Same old Mere. Glad to

see some things never change.

"Bailey called me." He replied, keeping his answers short and to the point. His thumb traced abstract designs

along her hand.

"Why did you come?" She pushed. She felt justified. It had, after all, been over 30 years sine she'd seen him

last.

"It's you. Nothing could have stopped me from being here." He told her. She raised an eyebrow.

"It's cute how you still do that." He commented before she could respond.

She gave him a half smile before pushing on. "She knows you're here?" Meredith interrogated.

"I haven't been married to 'she' for 25 years, so no, she doesn't know I'm here." He responded softly.

Meredith sucked in a breath at his revelation. She studied the man in front of her, unsure of what to do or say.

"What happened?" She choked out finally.

He sighed softly and gripped her hand, noting that she didn't stop him or pull back.

"When I left here, I left a part of me behind, the part I shared with you. When I went back to New York, I

missed that part. I missed you so much. But I felt like I owed it to her and myself to give it a chance. We tried

for 5 years. It wasn't meant to be. I ended it. After the divorce was finalized, we never spoke again." He

finished quietly.

"You didn't come back." She said. It wasn't a question, rather a statement.

"I did. You were with someone. Some vet I think." He replied vaguely.

"Finn. We were together for awhile. Didn't work out." She told him, her voice equally vague

He felt like they were in high school, dancing around words that had gone unspoken for 30 years, unsure if it

was still OK to express those words.

"Why?" He asked, taking the bait she'd laid out for him.

She turned her head to the window, tightening the grip she now had on his hand. "He wasn't you." She

whispered.

MEANWHILE BACK AT MEREDITH'S HOUSE

The doorbell rang right on time. Claire couldn't believe she actually had butterflies in her stomach. It was only

Ian, her mother's best friend's kid. She'd been around him most of her life. So why then, did she all of a sudden

feel like a 16 year old girl on her first date?

She chided herself for acting that way and quickly strode to the door. Just when she'd shooed all those pesky

butterflies away, she opened the door and they came back, hitting her like a ton of bricks.

He looked good, really good. Better than good… Very edible looking. She swallowed nervously. He was

wearing a dark blue suit, with a black shirt underneath, no tie.

"Well, well well, look at you. You do have some fantastic genes, you know that?" He teased softly.

She rolled her eyes, secretly grateful for the playful banter. "Oh please. Look at you. Your mother was a

model!" She exclaimed as she grabbed her purse and wrap.

"Touche. Perhaps I am too sexy." He jokingly admitted as he opened the car door for her.

"Oh don't. That song is ancient." She begged, a laugh punctuating her plea.

They slid into easy conversation as he drove them to their destination.

They were soon seated at a small table in the corner of the quiet restaurant.

"So no love life huh?" He asked as he took a sip of wine. Great conversation starter you idiot! Why not just

ask her to hop in bed now? He mentally cursed himself, but kept his expression as passive as possible.

She shook her head, seemingly unalarmed by the question. "No time. Plus, not many men want to get caught up

in the drama that is my daughter." She said with a good natured shrug.

"She's gorgeous. Just like her mom." He said, unable to keep the last part from coming out. He braced himself,

waited for her to throw a sarcastic barb his way.

Instead, she blushed, much to his surprise and delight.

"Time's been good to you too, you know." She told him as she set her glass on the table. Good lord, that was

the most pathetic attempt at a compliment! She harped on herself, waiting for him to comment on the lame

excuse of a compliment. But he didn't.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "You like what you see huh? Not exactly the scrawny kid I was

when you left huh?" He teased, his eyes twinkling.

"Well, I'm not exactly who I was when I left either." She replied, her voice an octave lower than before.

"No, but you were still beautiful, always have been." He said, a tinge of nervousness was detectable in his voice.

She didn't say anything, just smiled. He took that as a good sign and decided to finish his thought.

"I always sort of had a crush on you. You were the hot older girl. You were so cute, so funny. I'd have given

anything to be able to kiss you, touch you, anything, just once." He said, spilling his guts.

She was silent. "Were?" She questioned, referring to his references to hisattraction to her years before.

"Now, well, cute doesn't really justify you. Beautiful is a bit more fitting. But you're still funny, and you're still the

hot older girl." He replied, winking at her as their food arrived.

For the first time in a long time, Claire unclenched.

RRRRREEEVEIW?