Disclaimer: I make no claim to any part of Grey's Anatomy (except the role of devoted fan) and will make no profit from any part of this story. Every single character mentioned in this story belongs to Shondaland, American Broadcasting Corporation, and any other corporate entity that has a stake in Grey's Anatomy. No copyright infringement whatsoever is intended.
Many thanks to Shonda Rimes for creating Grey's Anatomy, to the talented cast, staff, and crew who help her realize her vision, and to ABC for making it available on the public airwaves.
Author's Note: This is the spot where I would prefer to publicly acknowledge the contributions of my beta, but for reasons only partly understandable to myself, she prefers to remain anonymous. She was able to assist me through almost half of the story before RL made it impossible for her to continue, but the original concept and development of the overall story arc owes much to her inspiration and encouragement. She has my thanks for the gifts of her time, energy, and talent she shared with me.
Author's Warning: This story is labeled Mer/Mark, and it is Mer/Mark, but they're not exactly girlfriend and boyfriend. They're . . . both less and more than that. You'll understand once you start reading. Lots of sex is implied, but nothing specific is shown. (Darn!)
Families
Chapter 7
The rest of the evening went well. Once Mark and Thatcher returned, they found Meredith and Susan advising Cristina on how to manage ex-boyfriend Colin Marlowe's attempts to interfere with her engagement to Preston Burke. Cristina set off shortly thereafter, leaving Susan and Mark to squabble over which of them would help Meredith clear the table and serve dessert. They wound up deciding to do it themselves so that she and Thatcher could spend some time together.
The resulting conversation would never win any awards for wit or grace--but it did give Meredith a chance to thank
Thatcher for his tip on earplugs. The rest of the time was spent on shop talk--whether the grant Thatcher was working under would get renewed, how much Meredith was looking forward to completing her internship, the latest gossip on who would win the Harper-Avery, etc. Fortunately, it didn't take long to load the dishwasher and come back with dessert. Susan asked Meredith for the name of the fabulous bakery she'd gotten the apple pie from, but she asked with a wink and a smile, so Meredith assumed she was forgiven for her earlier white lie.
By the time they'd finished dessert, it was time for Thatcher and Susan to leave. Although no one said anything outright, it was obvious that nerves had left everyone exhausted. Uncharacteristically, Mark volunteered to finish the clean-up so that Meredith could say her good-byes. Meredith raised an eyebrow at that and asked him what his services were going to cost her. Mark's expression grew so salacious that Meredith immediately started taking Thatcher and Susan's coats out of the closet. Susan might be a broad-minded modern parent, but Meredith didn't feel up to testing her father's views on her sex life.
GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA
Mark came out to the porch to find Meredith rocking on the porch swing and looking pensive. "The dishwasher is running and the leftovers are put away. So, was the evening a success?" he asked as he leaned against the side of the swing.
"The swing works," said Meredith, holding a metal pin up for his inspection. "My--Thatcher. He said he put this in the swing when I was small because I used to catch my fingers in it."
Mark took the pin and listened as she continued. "I guess he never told my mother that he'd done that. When we came back from Boston, she said that the people who rented the house while we were gone must have broken it, so we never used it."
Meredith took a deep breath. "It was real."
Mark's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "The pin?"
"No."
Mark waited for an explanation.
Meredith realized she'd been speaking too cryptically to be understood. "No. Well, yes, but no." She took the pin from him. "Yes, this is real. But what's also real is my memory of him--and his memory of me. After his mistake about the picture, I felt like I'd made him up--that my memories of him loving me were just stories I made up to make myself feel better about not having a father. But they were real."
Mark wished he knew what to say. If Meredith had been talking about Susan, he would have happily encouraged her good mood. But Thatcher? Mark suspected the only way Meredith was going to see him again was if Susan pressed the issue--and that didn't sound good for anyone. He sat down beside her and took her hand. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Meredith looked at him and shrugged. She had no idea what she wanted except to be alone to process what had happened.
Mark nodded. He suspected he already knew the answer to his next question, but he had to ask. "So, Grey, the night is still young, and I did make some promises. Shall we go upstairs, or would you like to go out first?"
"Not tonight, Mark," she said with a wan smile. "Why don't you go to Joe's and pick out a live one? You deserve it after all your hard work." She giggled. "After all you've done tonight, you've earned triplets. Go find yourself some triplets, and have a shot of tequila while you think of me."
"Triplets?" Mark grinned. "I've must've been very good to earn triplets." He leaned over to give her a kiss. "And you," he paused to deliver a firm swat to one hip, "are very bad to tell me to drink that Mexican rotgut you order every time we go out."
Meredith stuck her tongue out at him for the second time that evening. "I'll convert you some day when you're ready to appreciate the finer things in life."
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Do you realize you just used one of my lines?" he asked wryly.
"That doesn't mean it's not true." Meredith sighed and looked down at the pin in her hands. This running argument of theirs was normally a lot of fun, but she just didn't have the energy to be interested in it.
"Okay, Grey. I'll declare myself the winner of this round and go look for my triplets." He winked devilishly. "Wish me luck." Mark started to get up, but was stopped by Meredith pulling him in for several long kisses. When she finished, Mark had to wait a moment for his head to clear before he asked, "Changed your mind about tonight? What about my triplets?"
"I haven't changed my mind," answered Meredith, who then planted a kiss on his hand and grinned. "Just saying thank you the way I know you like best."
"Next time, Grey. Next time you and I have the same night off together--that's when you'll say thank you." Mark proceeded to kiss Meredith in the way that she liked best, and then backed off. "And I intend to be a very satisfied man," he warned her and then laughed as he headed for his car.