In the Before
"We have one more stop to make, then we'll go home," Derek promised Robbie, as they wound their way through the halls of Seattle Grace.
The dark-haired boy nodded, his eyes drawn to the open doorways, and beyond to the children lying in beds.
They turned a corner. Robbie tried hard to keep up, his four year old legs moving quickly. They came to a room filled with isolettes.
"Now let's 'scrub you in'." Derek lifted up Robbie so that he could start washing the boy's hands and arms.
"Why are the babies sick?" The four year old asked, looking through a window at the infants in the NICU.
"Some of them were born with bad hearts, some have conditions, and some, like Uncle Owen and Auntie Cristina's baby, were born too soon. She couldn't breathe very well when she was born. But her lungs are getting stronger."
"Does she need surgery?"
"No," Derek smiled. "We are all thankful that she doesn't."
After Robbie had been thoroughly scrubbed in, Derek guided him to an isolette. Robbie smiled to see his beloved Uncle Owen, who was standing and holding a baby wrapped in a blanket. The baby was red-faced and screaming.
"Hey!" Owen grinned down at him. "Hi Robbie! I haven't seen you in weeks!"
"Hi." He beamed up at Owen.
"Ever since Mallory was born." Derek grinned, and held up the bag. "Lexie sent a Happy One Month Birthday gift."
"That's great!" Eyes twinkling, Owen crouched down to Robbie's level, and showed him the baby in his arms. "This is our new baby, Mallory."
Robbie studied the infant, who was still howling. Her face was as red as her hair. "Why's she crying?"
"She missed her nap," her father smiled. "She just had an eye exam and she didn't like it at all, and she's tired and needs to scream and get it out of her system, and then she'll have a nice sleep. I hope."
"I'll give you a break." Derek eagerly held out his arms. Owen carefully transferred Mallory over.
"Let's see what the present is." Owen opened the bag and removed wads of tissue paper. Then he pulled out a pink fabric headband, accented with a white flower.
"Don't cry," Derek said to Mallory. "I'm Uncle Derek and I brought Robbie to meet you. He maybe is going to marry your big sister Chloe some day."
Robbie scrunched up his face in disgust.
"Cristina isn't going to like the headband," Owen said. "She says pink looks terrible on redheads. I'm not sure if that's true or if it's because she just hates pink."
Robbie looked at Mallory again and covered his ears with his small hands.
Derek chuckled. "Cristina is right, gingers can't wear pink."
Owen arched an amused eyebrow.
"My ex-wife has red hair," Derek reminded Owen, as he handed Mallory back. "I've got to get Robbie home."
"I'm glad you could stop by." Owen smiled at the boy. "Sorry Mallory wasn't in a better mood."
Robbie waved at them before following Derek out of the nursery.
"So what did you think?" Derek asked Robbie, while they waited for an elevator.
Robbie shrugged. "She's really loud."
"It's good that she's loud. That means her lungs are getting better." The elevator doors opened. "Ready to go home?"
"Ready."
Derek chuckled. "You know, some day she may be at your wedding."
Soft summer breezes blow past the tents and tables set outside of one of Seattle's better hotels. The guests mingle and enjoy cocktails, as the receiving line breaks up in one of the tents.
Sighing, Rob pulls Mallory in for a quick kiss. "We know a lot of people," he groans. "Now can we eat?"
"Soon," she giggles, before kissing him back. "Your buddy Jason is going to introduce everyone, JoJo will give the Best Woman's speech, then we will enjoy Seattle's finest catered cuisine which you will like because I made them cook to my standards."
"You are the most wonderful bride ever," he murmurs. "Have I mentioned that?"
"I can never hear it enough." Mallory kisses him again. "And you are one hot groom."
"Jeez, save something for the honeymoon," Derek jokes, as the others gather round.
Mallory smiles mischievously. "Just think, tonight I finally get to have sex for the first time." She winks at her father.
"I may be Papa Bear, but I'm not stupid," Owen grins.
"He isn't deaf, either," Cristina quips. "Mallory, you're loud."
"Sorry Dad," the bride giggles, blushing a little.
"Good to know for when they stay with us," Meredith chuckles.
"Owen can recommend a good brand of headphones." Cristina elbows her husband.
oOoOo
As the emcee begins to speak, Jonah elbows JoJo, sitting next to him at the head table. "Nervous about your speech?"
She turns to him, wide-eyed. "Oh god, it shows."
"I was joking!" He leans closer to his cousin. "Why would you be nervous? You were a cheerleader, you were in plays ..."
"This is personal," she hisses. "Everything sounded great when I wrote it out but now I'm about to make a giant fool of myself, in a tent full of people who know that I got kicked out of pre-med!"
"You'll be fine," Jonah whispers back.
Rob coughs lightly and leans over. "Get ready ..."
JoJo breathes in deeply and sits up straight. She keeps her eyes on the emcee. When he introduces her, she slowly stands, and moves to the microphone, clutching her notes.
She glances at the audience. One face stands out – Alex Karev winks at her and grins. She grins back. Feeling a surge of confidence, she begins to speak.
"Who would have believed we'd be here? A Shepherd marrying a Hunt – no wait, my dad saw this coming a long time ago."
Derek smiles smugly.
"I'm not sure anybody foresaw this happening so quickly, though," JoJo continues. "I mean, when Rob called me up and told me that he was engaged to Mallory, I thought the same thing that many of you did … 'how far along is she?'"
Mallory grins while Chloe shakes her head in disbelief.
"And the next thought was – does she know what a slacker Rob is?"
Rob chuckles.
"But here we are, at their wedding reception." JoJo turns to face the bride and groom. "I get it now. I get them now. When I first saw the two of them together, as a couple, I understood that they... they belong together."
Mallory beams as Rob blinks, his eyes stinging a little.
His sister continues. "I saw two people … genuinely in love with other. What they have is … special, and real ..."
She smiles shyly. "And now that I've gotten to know Mallory a lot better, I understand why my brother was in such a hurry to marry her. They complement each other beautifully, and I am honored to have been asked to be in their wedding party."
"Aw," Mallory whispers, taking Rob's hand. He grins at his sister, who is looking more radiant than she has in months.
"So now ..." JoJo raises a glass of champagne. "Let us all drink a toast to the happy couple, on the first of many happy days together. "To Rob and Mallory!"
"To Rob and Mallory!"
oOoOo
Meredith takes the microphone and holds up her glass. "I'm going to propose a toast to someone who had a great influence on this day, from many years ago."
She draws in a deep breath. "Today, many people from the past and present have come together to witness the marriage of two of Seattle Grace's children." She nods at Rob and Mallory.
"On this special day, it is only right that we honor the man who brought many of us together in the first place. He was the first to welcome us to the hospital. He introduced us to the operating rooms, he let us observe from the gallery, he invited us to scrub in. He didn't just nurture us as surgeons, he taught us how to be the best doctors we could be. Sometimes he yelled at us and he could be a challenge to deal with but in the end, we always knew that he supported us."
Meredith raises her glass higher. "To Richard Webber." She looks high up above her and smiles, as Richard's name echoes throughout the tent.
oOoOo
As the staff clear away the dishes from the first course, Mallory leans close to Chloe. "Your turn!"
"Why did I agree to make a speech?" Chloe makes a face.
"Because you love me."
Chloe chuckles. "Right. Well, I won't make any jokes about you being pregnant."
Her sister shakes her head. "Come on, it was for fun. JoJo apologized to me for that a while ago."
"Is it wrong that I wanted her to choke so I won't sound stupid?"
Mallory shifts closer and speaks quietly. "I thought the new Chloe wasn't going to compare herself to JoJo so much?"
Chloe looks at her sister in surprise, before smiling ruefully. "When did you get to be so mature?"
"Someone had to be the reasonable one during all the drama." Mallory grins. "Now get up there and make the Hunts proud."
Chloe leans over and kisses her sister's cheek, before nodding to the emcee, who introduces her. Squaring her shoulders and praying for strength, she takes the microphone.
"It is my deep pleasure to be my sister's maid of honor," she begins. "Unlike many of you, I had a feeling for a long time that I would be here, at her wedding to Rob. Because I was privy to her raging crush on Rob, I knew that she saw herself as his future bride, and we all know that the Hurricane eventually gets what she wants."
Mallory smirks and takes Rob's hand.
"A few people asked if I was okay with this," Chloe continues. "Since Derek practically engraved invitations for my wedding to Rob, when I was like two months old." She winks at her godfather, who grins back.
"Of course I'm okay with this arrangement." She smiles. "Rob used to give me noogies and stick worms in my hair, there was no way I was ever going to marry him!"
The crowd cracks up, no more than Rob does.
Chloe turns and faces the bride and groom. "I admire the confidence and the deep faith you have in each other, that you knew from the beginning that this was meant to be, and that you made it work. This is the love story that that Mallory dreamed of, and I'm so happy that it came true for her." She raises her glass. "To the bride."
"She's making me cry," Mallory whispers to Rob. He squeezes her hand and raises his glass. "To my bride."
oOoOo
As Rob and Mallory take the dance floor for their first dance, the guests begin to mingle or find tables.
"Hey." JoJo stands next to Lexie. "Mind if I keep you company?"
"Not at all!" Lexie moves her purse to make room at her table. "I loved your speech."
"It wasn't too dorky?" JoJo winces as she takes a seat.
"It was funny and heartfelt and not at all dorky," her aunt replies. "And you looked beautiful up there."
JoJo sighs. "Thanks. I was so nervous that I thought I was going to puke."
Lexie waves at a waiter. "One Shirley Temple please. JoJo, what're you having?"
"I'll have one of those too."
Lexie raises her eyebrows. "That's a non-alcoholic drink."
"I know," JoJo sits back. "I can be a real bitch or really stupid when I drink. I'm not going to ruin the reception by making a fool out of myself, it's bad enough that everyone knows I got kicked out of school."
"Since when do you care what other people think?" Lexie leans forward. "I know that you've had a bad year. I'm here if you want to talk. At the very least, we can be sober together."
oOoOo
The Hunts stand together and watch the happy couple dance.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a five Post-It note wedding?" Cristina gestures to the large crowd milling around them, and the fancy tents. "Owen, you really can't say 'no', can you?"
"I'm going to have to postpone my mid-life crisis," he teases. "I can't afford to buy all the sports cars that I want, not after Mallory sweet-talked me into this."
"How many cars are you going to buy?"
He chuckles. "I've narrowed my wishlist down to four."
"Get at least two so I can drive one." She gestures at the crowd. "Look at all of the guests! Did Derek invite every single neurosurgeon he trained?"
"I see a lot of your Cardio superstars," Owen replies. "Hey look, I see Ethan over there. I'm glad he could make it."
"One of many people that you inspired to go into medicine." Cristina squeezes his arm.
oOoOo
"Diego, do you know a girl with pink dreadlocks?" Chloe asks.
"Huh?"
Chloe looks beyond him. "There's a girl standing off to the side and she keeps looking at you like she wants to come over."
Diego turns around and Jazz waves at him. "Oh, I met her at the church."
"Come on over!" Chloe waves back.
"Chloe!" Diego blushes as Jazz starts to approach.
"You can thank me later." Chloe winks at her brother, before turning to Jazz. "Hi, I'm Chloe."
"I'm Jazz." The teen smiles at Diego. "Nice to see someone my age here, I thought it was going to be nothing but old people."
"Yeah." He grins at her.
oOoOo
Mallory kisses Rob as the music ends. "Love you."
"I love you."
Beaming, she seeks out her father, waiting on the sidelines. She holds out her arms to Owen. "I picked your favorite song and I asked your favorite singer to take the stage." She gestures to Callie, ready at the microphone.
As the familiar guitar notes fill the air, he smiles tenderly at his daughter, and they begin to dance. Rob starts to dance with his mother.
"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day."
"I've got the best dad ever," Mallory says softly.
Owen pulls her a little closer. "I'm blessed with the best kids ever."
My girl
"I was there when you were born," he recalls. "You came out very still and quiet and you weren't breathing. I was terrified, I thought it was too late."
I've got so much honey the bees envy me.
"I watched you finally move and take your first breath, and then I knew you had a chance. When I held you for the first time, I didn't want to ever let you go."
She smiles and lays her head against his chest.
I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees.
"I followed you to the NICU. I watched them weigh you and bathe you. I was so scared that I didn't notice you had red hair until that first bath. Your mother wanted a redhead. I stayed until Arizona ordered me out."
"So I went and sat with your mother in the recovery room. I knew she'd ask about you as soon as she woke up, and she did."
Talkin' 'bout my girl.
"That day … I never wanted to let you out of my arms. I felt you were safe as long as I could hold you."
"I'm not afraid to let you go now," he smiles, as the music ends. "You're strong, you're independent, you're a force of nature. You'll be fine."
Tearfully, Mallory kisses his cheek. "Thank you for everything."
Moved, Owen can only smile at her, his eyes moist.
"I will always be your girl," she vows. "I'm changing my last name to Hunt-Shepherd because I will forever be proud to be a Hunt."
"May I have a dance with Mrs Hunt-Shepherd?" They turn to see Derek grinning, arms open.
Mallory dimples and takes his hand. "I'd be delighted."
Owen smiles and walks over to the small table where Chloe and Cristina are sitting with his mother.
"You okay, Papa Bear?" Chloe smirks. "Now that one of your cubs is married off?"
"I'm good," he chuckles, taking a seat.
"Enjoy the feeling while it lasts," Cristina says. "Alexandra is looking for you – apparently there's something wrong with the cake."
Owen rubs the scar on his forehead and sighs. "Of course there is."
oOoOo
"There really isn't anything to talk about," JoJo says to Lexie. "I partied too hard and didn't study enough."
"Are you sure?" Lexie leans in. "I … kind of sense there was a man involved."
JoJo's eyes widen. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I know there is an older man who has seemed overly interested in you. And who lives in Miami."
The young woman stares at her. "... My mom told you?"
Lexie shakes her head. "I see the way that he looks at you. He was watching you last night at the bar."
JoJo frowns. "He was at the bar? He's in Seattle?"
"Uh huh." Lexie nods. "Believe me, you do not want to get involved with him. I speak from experience."
"What?" JoJo sits up straighter and looks around at the crowd. "When … when would you ever have met him?"
"When we both worked at Seattle Grace! We slept together and then started dating when Mark and I broke up and his wife left him-"
"What are you talking about?" JoJo is puzzled. "He never told me that he'd worked in Seattle or been married before?"
Lexie frowns. "How did you not know that Alex worked at Seattle Grace?"
JoJo stares at her, and then begins to laugh. "Oh my god. You thought I was involved with Alex Karev?!"
"You weren't?"
"No!" JoJo shrieks, slapping her thigh. "No, not Alex!"
"But he was watching you at the bar last night?" Lexie says, trying to make sense of the situation.
JoJo stops laughing. "Because he'd told me something … about someone else yesterday … and he knew it upset me. He's been looking out for me since I moved to Miami, Mom asked him to. He doesn't like to be called Uncle Alex or anything, but he's … been a friend to me."
"Okay..."
JoJo leans forward again. "He's never laid a finger on me. Okay, he's invited me and my friends to his house to party, or taken us out to dinner, and he's slept with a couple of them, but definitely not me. it's like there's a line around me that he won't cross."
JoJo smiles a little. "When I was being drunk and stupid last night, I kissed him, and he stopped me. You can relax."
"I am so relieved that you haven't slept with him," Lexie says. "Yet disturbed that you did kiss him."
"I told you that I do stupid things while drunk." JoJo frowns. "So - you two dated each other? I didn't know that."
"Uh huh," Lexie nods. "Seriously, you don't want to go out with him. Besides, he already dated a girl named Jo. That ended badly."
JoJo thinks. "Weren't you in a relationship with Mark Sloan …?"
"I was," Lexie sighs. "And later, Jackson Avery. When I was younger, I thought with my vagina. I even hit on your dad. Before he was your dad."
JoJo gasps. "You did what?"
"It was after my mother's funeral and right before I started at Seattle Grace and I needed some … companionship … and there was this hot guy in a bar. Who turned out to be in a complicated relationship with my half-sister that I'd never met. Thank God he turned me down." Lexie smiles sheepishly.
"Did you date anyone else I know?" JoJo frowns. "Just how awkward is this reception for you?"
Lexie pouts. "I didn't date every guy here. Definitely not Owen – he was all broody and intense after the war and he yelled a lot and he only wanted Cristina anyways. Not Ben or Shadow Shepherd. No, I only went for the guys who ended up disappointing me. Especially my ex-husband."
Lexie looks sharply at JoJo. "So who is the guy in Miami?"
Her niece shakes her head. "Not now. No drama tonight, Lexie."
"Okay." Lexie reaches out and takes JoJo's hand. "It's okay be human, you know? It's okay to make mistakes. Grey women do that a lot."
JoJo snorts. "I still can't believe you hit on my dad."
oOoOo
Chloe sits with her parents, watching Mallory finish her dance with Derek. She looks up when someone approaches her.
"I'm determined to dance with every pretty young girl at this party and it's time to get started," Mark booms, extending his hand. "Chloe, may I have the pleasure of your company?"
Surprised, she smiles and gives Mark her hand. Cristina places a hand on Owen's arm, as they watch Mark lead their older daughter to the dance floor.
"Do not go Papa Bear on Mark," Cristina tells her husband.
Owen grins as he leaps to his feet. "I want to dance with a pretty young girl too." He reaches out to his wife. "C'mon, Cristina."
oOoOo
Diego hands Jazz a glass of juice, while they watch the dancers. "So, where are you from?"
"Massachusetts. I was born in Seattle but we moved East when I was a baby. My grandmother gave my dad a hospital." She shrugs.
"Ah."
Jazz sighs. "We might as well get this over with."
"Um?" Diego frowns.
"My last name is Avery. As in, the Averys. The Harper Avery, the Catherine Avery. My dad is the Jackson Avery."
He grins. "My last name is Hunt. As in the Owen Hunt. And my mom is the Cristina Yang."
"Your dad mentored my mom, she raves about him and everything that he taught her."
"And my mom loves the Harper Avery award that she is the youngest recipient of. She likes to remind us of that a lot."
They look at each other and laugh.
"How'd you get your nose pierced if you're 14?" Diego asks.
She smirks. "My best friend's older sister did it. My mom Freaked. Out. She does that a lot."
"Ah." Diego grins and hands her his phone. "Can I get your contact info?"
She smiles widely and hands him her phone in return.
oOoOo
"Thank you for the dance, young lady." Mark bows to Chloe.
"You're welcome," she smiles.
A young man steps in front of her. "Hi, I'm Kyle. Want to dance?"
Chloe blinks. "Sure!"
oOoOo
Mallory stares at Alexandra. "What did you just say?"
The wedding planner sighs. "They delivered the wrong cake."
"What? Where is my cake?"
"In Spokane, at a birthday party."
The bride turns pale. "Someone else is eating my raspberry cream chiffon cake?"
Alexandra nods. "I am so sorry. I don't know what happened, apparently when they were offloading all of the cupcakes, they set out the birthday cake because it was in the way and then the hotel staff whisked it away and signed for it and I only just found out that it's the wrong one."
"And what are we supposed to do?" Mallory is furious. "We have to have a cake!"
"You could eat the birthday cake," the planner suggests. "It's very well done. Although I'm not sure you'd like it ..."
"Let's have a look," Mallory sighs.
oOoOo
"Thank you very much." Kyle smiles at Chloe.
"Thank you, that was nice," she smiles politely.
Another man steps in front of Kyle. "Hi, I'm Ned. Want to dance?"
She nods. "Okay."
oOoOo
"Dad!" Mallory storms up to Owen. "We have an emergency."
"What?" He looks around. "Who's hurt?"
"Not a medical emergency," she seethes. "The wrong cake was delivered."
"And that's an emergency?" Owen grins. She glares at him. "Honey, that's just a problem."
"Dad!"
"Can't you eat the other cake?" Owen sighs.
"No!" She fumes. "It's a child's birthday cake."
Owen tries to stifle a grin. "Oh."
"You need to fix this," she begins, before Owen puts up a hand.
"You're married now," he tells her. "That means you can't come running to me with every little problem."
"Huh?"
"Remember what I said earlier about you being independent?"
"Oh. You meant it." The corners of her mouth twitch.
He gently takes her by the shoulders and turns her to face Rob, talking with some guests. "That guy over there – you go to him first, now."
Mallory looks up at Owen. "I see."
Owen kisses her forehead. "I've been on hurricane watch for twenty years now. It's Rob's turn."
OooOo
"Hello!" Mark approaches Lexie and JoJo's table. "How are you ladies tonight?"
"We're good," Lexie smiles. "You're looking well. It's been … years."
"Too long," he agrees, before extending a hand to JoJo. "May I have this dance, young lady?"
"Sure!" She bounces up and walks away with Mark.
Lexie smiles bravely, watching them join the dancing. As they disappear, she stands up and heads towards her sister, who is sitting with Cristina.
"Why is Mark dancing with JoJo?" Meredith asks. Lexie shrugs as she pulls up a chair.
"He's on a quest," Cristina explains. "He's dancing with every pretty young girl at the party."
"What?" Lexie frowns. "I guess I'm officially old, if he asked JoJo to dance first."
"You can't be old, you're younger than me," Meredith says. "Maybe he thought it would be less complicated to ask JoJo. Although his hand is a little too close to her ass if you ask me."
Cristina laughs. "Look at Derek watching them dance. He's about to burst a blood vessel. It's ironic that the best neurosurgeon in Seattle is on the verge of having an aneurysm. He'll have to operate on himself."
Lexie looks away. "Who is Chloe dancing with now?"
The women look. "That's Jason, the emcee. Rob's roommate at John Hopkins," Meredith replies. "Chloe is very popular tonight."
"We all know that I prize intelligence more than being liked," Cristina says. "All in all - I'm extremely proud of my girl right now."
oOoOo
Rob looks at the cake with Mallory. "It's covered in animals."
"I know," she sighs. "I ordered a beautiful five-tiered raspberry cream chiffon cake and instead we have something that looks like Diego's dream birthday cake."
"It's really good," he offers. "I mean, I could tell right away that's a meerkat and those are gorillas."
"We can't serve this," Mallory protests. "It's stupid. And we can't just get another cake. Everything is ruined."
"What happened to our cake? Why can't we just switch them?"
"It's at an eight year old's birthday party in Spokane."
He rubs her shoulders. "At least we have the right cupcakes for the guests."
She makes a face. "And we have primates."
"Hmmm." Rob walks around, looking at the cake from different angles. "Hey … so this is a cake for a child ..."
"Uh huh."
"This can be ours," Rob says. "We're going to show pictures and video of the wedding to our future kids, right?"
She nods, puzzled.
"Well … our kids will look at this, with all of the zoo animals, and think that we are the coolest parents ever." He smiles hopefully.
Mallory cocks an eyebrow but says nothing.
"Can you think like a chef?" He points to it. "Look at the artistry that went into making all of the animals. What are they made out of, anyways?"
"Fondant," she replies, moving closer to examine the details.
"How did they do the shading of the grass?"
"Air brushing." Mallory sighs. "I picked this bakery because they do amazing work."
"They just suck at delivery." Rob steps behind her and rubs her shoulders. "We could send someone to the nearest supermarket for a generic cake, or we could have this amazingly creative cake."
"I want raspberries," she mutters.
Rob squeezes her shoulders. "Your birthday is coming up soon. I promise you'll have a fantastic cake with raspberries."
"And no primates?"
"No primates."
She smiles a little. "'Coolest parents ever'. You're good."
"So we can use this cake?" Rob grins.
"We can." Mallory leans against him. "At least this cake didn't come with a stripper jumping out of it."
oOoOo
Chloe flags down a waiter with a tray and snags a glass of wine.
"Look at you!" Arizona slides up alongside her, followed by Callie. "You've barely sat down!"
"Everyone keeps asking me to dance!" Chloe takes a sip. "I'm definitely keeping this haircut."
Laughing, Callie embraces her. "They're looking beyond the hair, at a beautiful young woman. You're glowing tonight."
"Two of them are residents that are trying to get me to put in a good word with my parents so they can observe one of their surgeries or even scrub in," Chloe snorts. "They see me as a golden ticket to surgery."
"Not all of them." Maternally, Callie adjusts the straps of Chloe's gown. "I'd say 99% see a beautiful young woman, just like I do."
Bashfully, Chloe starts to duck her head. Arizona grabs the young woman's chin and forces eye contact.
"This is your time to shine," Arizona tells her. "Stop looking for things to be negative about and enjoy yourself."
Chloe lowers her eyes shyly, as her dimples appear.
"Hey moms." Rodrigo steps in front of them, a teenager with Mark Sloan's smile. "Hello, Chloe. Long time no see."
"Hi," she smiles politely.
Callie watches her son check out Chloe and shakes her head. "Rodrigo, where's your girlfriend?"
"Dancing with Dad," he replies absently, his eyes on Chloe's curves. "So I thought I'd dance with the prettiest girl here. Chloe?"
Amused, she puts her glass down and allows Rodrigo to lead her to the dance floor.
"Just like his dad," Callie chuckles.
"He looks like he's about to grab her ass," Arizona sighs. "Just like his dad."
oOoOo
"Am I drunk?" Cristina asks Mallory, as the cake is brought out. "I see gorillas."
"It's amazing," Diego breathes. "You can't cut into it."
Mallory sighs. "There was a mix-up, this is the cake we're going with."
"I'm serious, it's too awesome to eat," her brother protests.
"I'll give the name of the bakery to Mom and Dad," Mallory says. "So you can order something like this for your birthday, and you'll probably get a beautiful and fancy wedding cake instead."
Diego looks mournfully at the cake. "Can I have a piece with the warthog then?"
oOoOo
While looking for a table, Lexie almost runs into Mark. She smiles awkwardly at him. "Great party, huh?"
"Yes," he smiles back.
"So, um ..." Lexie takes in the sight of him, speechless at how handsome Mark looks in his tuxedo.
"Dr Sloan!" Three nurses descend on Mark, diverting his attention. He smiles apologetically at Lexie as they drag him away.
"Damn it," she mutters.
OooOo
"Hello JoJo." Jason slides up to her as she leaves the main tent. "I haven't seen you dancing much tonight."
"I don't feel like it," she smiles and shrugs.
"Remember that trip to Cancun on Spring Break?" He looks her over, head to toe. "We had some good times on and off the dance floor."
"We did," JoJo acknowledges, flashing back to a week of drinking and sex.
He signals a waiter. "Why don't you and me grab a couple of drinks and … 'catch up'?"
She pauses, before shaking her head. "I'm not drinking tonight."
"What?" He snags two glasses from the waiter's tray. "Come on."
"No thanks." JoJo abruptly turns and walks away, ignoring Jason as he calls after her. She keeps walking, stopping only when she spots her grandmother.
"I can not get over how beautiful you are," Carolyn says, taking JoJo's hands. "And your speech was darling. I sort of thought Mallory was pregnant too."
JoJo smiles a little. "Thanks."
oOoOo
Chloe puts down her plate and wipes her mouth. "Great cake, Mal. With a very unusual theme."
"Ha ha." The bride smirks and points to the dance floor. "Who is that dancing with Diego? With the hair?"
"That is Jazz Avery and she's 14 and thinks everyone else here is 'old'."
"Oh my."
They both look up as Ned and Kyle approach.
"Hey Chloe," Ned smiles, as Kyle steps close.
"Wanna dance?" Kyle grins.
"I was here first," Ned protests. The men begin to argue as Chloe steps back, confused.
"I believe it's my turn," Owen says, neatly stepping in and taking her arm. "I haven't had a chance to dance with Chloe all night."
Mallory smiles, watching Owen lead Chloe to the dance floor. "You two will always lose out to Dad," she informs the disappointed men.
"I know you were handling the situation," Owen grins. "I just wanted a dance with my daughter."
Chloe smiles ruefully. "I didn't know what to do, honestly. Two guys arguing over who dances with me?"
"You'd better learn." Owen squeezes her. "I was the first man to call you beautiful, and I won't be the last."
oOoOo
JoJo slides up to Lexie and hands her another Shirley Temple. "Mom said I'm supposed to stop you from watching Mark dance."
"I don't care who he dances with," Lexie says, pointedly looking away as Mark twirls Annick on the dance floor.
"She has a boyfriend, who is dancing with Chloe at the moment." JoJo sips from her glass. "Hey, have you kissed a woman?"
"What?" Lexie shakes her head. "When I said I thought with my vagina, I wasn't thinking of another …"
"Sofia flirted with me and I liked it but I blew it," the younger woman confides. "I'm thinking of switching teams."
Lexie stares at her. "Are you serious? Women are much more complicated than men."
JoJo laughs. "Good point."
"It sounds like you've been dating the wrong guys."
"And now maybe I'll date the wrong girls," JoJo teases. "I could use a change."
Diego approaches them, Jazz following him. "Hey, Mallory is about to throw the bouquet. She sent me to find you."
JoJo makes a face. "Do I have to be there?"
"Yes. Bridezilla's orders."
"Let's go," Lexie chuckles. They make their way over to the dance floor, where the single women are congregating. JoJo stands beside Lexie, shrinking and making herself small. She glances at Chloe, who is laughing with Annick, and hopes the bouquet goes her way.
Mallory takes the mike from Jason. "Good, everybody is here. Okay ladies. Flex your arms, warm up your muscles, and try not to get knocked over by any of your opponents. Yes, the party is full of surgeons, but they've all had a drink or two and you don't want them to stitch you up."
As the audience erupts with laughter and cheers, Mallory hands the microphone back. Playfully, she turns her back to the crowd and yells, "Are you ready?"
The women shout and holler, as the emcee counts down. Grinning, Mallory flings the bouquet over her shoulder.
Seeing the bouquet flying in her direction, JoJo steps back. Sofia's arm shoots out and snags it. Laughing, she holds up the flowers and steps forward.
"Yay!" Grinning, Mallory rushes over and hugs her. "Use it wisely."
"I'll try," Sofia winks.
"Well done." Rob grins at Sofia, before taking Mallory's hand. "My turn. Try to behave yourself, Hurricane."
"Never." She grins as a waiter places a chair in the middle of the dance floor. Coyly, she sits on it, Rob crouching in front of her. Her eyes sparkle as she slowly lifts the hem of her dress, stretching her right leg out.
Rob smiles patiently, as many men and a few women roar their appreciation. Laughing, Owen stands on the sidelines, while Cristina proudly cheers. Ever so slowly, Mallory exposes her leg, until she reveals the blue satin garter on her thigh.
Fixing her with a sultry look, Rob slides his fingers up her leg. His hand lightly caresses her thigh, promising much more later. With one deft move, he grabs the garter and slides it off, to much applause. Then he kisses Mallory before helping her to stand. Smirking, she lifts the garter to her lips and bestows a kiss on it, before sauntering off the dance floor.
Chuckling, Rob goes and stands beside the emcee, while the single men gather. Eyes sparkling, Mallory grabs Mark's arm and insists he join them. Similarly, Meredith and Cristina push Alex to join the men.
"Hey Dad." Rodrigo steps up beside Mark. "You should make sure the garter comes with a pre-nup."
"Ha ha." Mark straightens his tie. "If it comes anywhere near us, I'm ducking." He looks at some of the familiar faces joining him – Alex, Jonah, and a very self-conscious Diego – and sighs. "This is a young man's game."
"You're not old," his son assures him.
"Is it wrong that I don't want my son to catch the garter?" Lexie whispers to Meredith, watching Jonah wave at his girlfriend.
"Ready?" Rob closes his eyes and holds the garter out as a slingshot. Grinning, he lets go and it flies out of his hands, crossing the room and hitting Alex in the face. He catches it and then raises it above his head, putting on a show of being a good sport. Almost against his will, his eyes go to JoJo, who is smiling and applauding his prize.
"Let's get some fresh air," Owen whispers to Cristina, before guiding her behind one of the tents. Grinning, he pulls her close before kissing her.
"Mmmmm." Cristina smiles blissfully. "What was that for?"
"I've got to keep the spark alive, we haven't finished the first forty years yet." Owen kisses her again. "And I keep thinking about that Jacuzzi in our suite that we'll enjoy later …"
"Indeed we will ..."
The moment is spoiled by Callie and Arizona, coming around the corner, laughing and grabbing each other.
"Oh we don't need to see that," Cristina says loudly, grabbing Owen's hand.
"Sorry," Callie laughs.
oOoOo
"No, we're not going away on a honeymoon," Mallory patiently explains, not for the first time that night. "We'll be moving to Los Angeles soon, so we just want to spend as much time with our families until then. I mean, after the wedding night." She winks.
"I understand," Bailey smiles. "You two are a cute couple, I wish you the best."
"Aw thanks." Mallory spontaneously hugs Bailey. "Thank you for delivering me."
Then she waves at Jonah as he walks by. "Hey you!"
"Hey!" He walks over, his girlfriend trailing behind. "How're you doing?"
"I'm good." She reaches out and squeezes his arm, before turning to the French girl. "How are you enjoying the party, Jeanne-Marie?"
"It is very nice." She smirks. "We certainly don't have cakes like that at French weddings."
Mallory forces a smile. "It-was-a-mistake."
oOoOo
JoJo sees Alex sitting by himself at a table, nursing a bottle of beer. The garter lies on the table in front of him. She quietly approaches him. "May I join you?"
He shrugs and pulls out a chair for her. "If you want."
"I would like that." She sits down and smooths her dress. "You look lonely."
"You don't have to keep me company."
She smiles slightly. "I want you to keep me company, to be honest."
Alex puts down his beer. "Why?"
"Well … you are still my friend, right?" She glances at him. "I haven't screwed that up too?"
"We're good." He checks her for signs of distress or drunkenness. "Where have you been?"
She smirks. "I escorted my grandmother to her room, and we had a cup of tea before she kicked me out."
"Tea with your granny?"
JoJo pokes him. "My grandmother is cool." Then she shrugs. "I meant it when I said I didn't want to bring any drama to the wedding. So I'm not getting drunk and stupid tonight. I'm sitting with you because I know you won't pressure me to have a few drinks and join everyone else on the dance floor."
Surprised, Alex regards JoJo for a few moments, before nodding.
oOoOo
Lexie nods to April, as she exits the dance floor. "Hi April!"
"Hi!" April smooths her dress. "How are you?"
"I'm enjoying myself."
"Me too, this is a great party."
"Yes, you looked like you were having fun." Lexie sips some water.
April does a double-take. "Are you mad that I was dancing with Mark?"
Lexie shakes her head.
"I did it because he asked my daughter to dance," April confides. "Jessica is only 14!"
"April!" Meredith smiles as she joins them. "I'm so glad you could make it!"
"Me too. Jackson sends his regrets."
Meredith tilts her head. "Where is he, by the way? How dare he miss my son's wedding?"
April's face softens. "He's in China, filling in for a sick colleague. He's repairing cleft palates pro bono so that orphans can be adopted. Keeping the Avery name relevant."
"That's no excuse," Meredith jokes. "Today is a momentous occasion. The Grey and Shepherd and Yang and Hunt dynasties collided. I am going to have very brilliant and beautiful grandchildren."
oOoOo
Rob works his way around the room, greeting friends and family, happily accepting congratulations. During a break, he spots a drunken guest complaining to a bartender, who looks trapped in a bad conversation.
Turning, Rob looks around the area until he spots Mallory speaking with Annick and Bernard. Quickly, he rushes over and grabs his bride, kissing her quite fervently. The other couple quickly depart, amused.
"Wow," Mallory gasps, when they break apart for air. "What was that for?"
"I'm not a bartender," Rob says. "Thank you."
"I know you're not a bartender," she replies, puzzled. "Not any more."
"Because of you!" Rob kisses her again. "I – I just got reminded, all over again, how you turned my life upside down and things changed for the better. Because you know what, being a bartender is not always fun and I would've been miserable if that's all I ever did with my life. Now I'm going to be a doctor. Thank you."
"You're welcome!" Mallory's brown eyes sparkle. "Remember this feeling when we can finally leave the reception and go to our suite."
"And you get to have sex 'for the first time'," he teases. "Loud sex."
"Loud, first time as a married woman sex," Mallory sighs happily, before kissing him. "Okay, here come all of your Shepherd aunts."
"Robbie! Mallory!" The women converge, brandishing cameras and hugs. "We want pictures with you!"
oOoOo
Off to the side, Alex and JoJo quietly converse while watching the action.
"Nice speech by the way," he says, making her chuckle.
"Thanks." JoJo looks at him, noting the abundance of grey in his close-cropped hair, the weariness in his eyes. "Are you happy?"
"What?" Alex frowns. "Why are you asking?"
"You seem distracted."
"I'm okay. You need more water or anything?" He signals a waiter.
"I'm drinking Shirley Temples tonight." JoJo tilts her head. "How come you're here alone? At the wedding?"
"I do better by myself," he snorts, before turning to the waiter. "Can you bring over a Shirley Temple and an Arnold Palmer over for the lady and myself?"
JoJo raises her eyebrows. "What's an Arnold Palmer?"
"Non-alcoholic drink. I'm going to not drink booze with you."
"You don't have to." She pauses. "Do you … want me to leave? You said you do better by yourself ..."
Alex pauses. "It's okay. You're good company. And I didn't bring a date to the wedding because I didn't feel like it."
"How so?"
He rubs his head. "Why start a relationship just so I ask someone to an out of state wedding? Besides, I attract crazy women. They always want more of me than I can give. Except my wife. She didn't want what I was offering."
JoJo nods. "I forgot that you were married once. My parents told me how they gave you their wedding. Your wife was really sick."
"Uh huh." Alex pauses while the waiter brings them their drinks. "Izzie was a fellow resident. I started with her and your mom and Cristina. And George."
"I've heard of George," she says. "Mom and Owen have talked about him, they really liked him."
"Good guy. Died a hero."
She leans forward. "Tell me about Izzie."
"I don't want to bring my drama today either," he says. "Just – don't ever marry someone because you think they're dying."
"Okay ..."
"Yeah." Alex takes another drink. "Long story short - I don't need a woman who runs at the first sign of trouble."
"Who does?" JoJo pauses. "Didn't … she die?"
He nods. "The cancer returned. She died not long after Mallory was born. I remember that, I flew in for the funeral and that's when I met Mallory, she was in the NICU. Cristina made me examine her and go over her treatment plan to make sure she was getting the best care."
"Aw. And now you're at her wedding. And you caught her garter."
Alex smirks. "You know, the first time we met, you peed on me."
She laughs. "No way."
"Yeah, you were just a baby." He looks at her. Relaxed and lit by the candle on the table, JoJo has never looked more beautiful to him. "I know you're not feeling so great about yourself but you're not a horrible person. You've made mistakes. What you are is young and not that worldly."
"Worldly?" JoJo looks confused. "I travel."
"What I mean is that you're a bit spoiled," he tells her. "Your grandmother was kind of a bitch, so your mom … maybe sheltered you more than she meant to. It's tough, becoming an adult and discovering that the real world is hard and cold. And people can be cruel and stupid. Not everything gets handed to you on a silver platter."
"That is so true." She sighs. "I thought college would be easy. I thought I could party all the time and not have to study that much. Look at the surgeons in my family. I'm supposed to be good at medicine by birthright."
oOoOo
"There you are." Cristina approaches Owen as he walks back to the tents. "Where were you?"
"Walking my mom to her room." He kisses her. "Did you miss me?"
"I've spent like an hour listening to residents tell me how awesome I am and how much they want to scrub in with me. I need a break."
"Let's enjoy the night air." He takes her hand as they begin to stroll. "I'm so grateful that one of our parents could be here, to see Mallory get married."
"Your mom didn't get too tired, did she?"
"Nope, she just wanted to go to bed." They pause and watch the dancing from afar.
"I'm really proud of Mallory," Owen muses. "She's grown up so much in the last couple of years."
"Yet she is still our Hurricane." They smile, watching Mallory flitter around, charming guests. "And she got clear weather for her reception, just like she wanted. I tell you, she has magical weather powers."
Owen's eyes go to the dance floor, where their older daughter is laughing at something her partner has said.
"And now we need to find someone deserving of Chloe," he says.
Cristina scoffs. "This is the 21st century, there'll be nothing wrong with her if she never gets married."
"True." Owen squeezes Cristina's hand. "But her life will be richer if she does. I want all of our children to have big lives."
She smirks before pulling him in for a kiss, her hand lingering on his neck. "I don't think anyone would miss us if we were to slip away and enrich each other ..."
"There you are!" They both turn to see April storming towards them, with Jazz and Diego following her. Diego is blushing while Jazz scowls.
"Your son!" April gasps. "I found your son making out with Jessica off by the pool!"
"Wow!" Cristina says. "Jessica, you're so grown up now!"
"My name is Jazz now," the girl mutters.
Owen coughs and covers his smile with a hand. "Diego?"
His son rolls his eyes. "We were just kissing."
"That's all we were going to do," Jazz adds. "Jeez, Mom."
"We'll take care of this," Cristina tells April, as she firmly takes Diego by the hand. Quickly, she leads him and Owen away and down a corridor, out of earshot. Only then does she begin to laugh.
"You're not mad?" Diego smiles in relief.
"I'm glad to know that you were just kissing," Owen chuckles, clapping him on the shoulder. "Okay, maybe you're moving a little fast but-"
"But lots of people are making out," his son finishes. "Like you two."
Cristina cackles and pokes her husband in the ribs. "Go on, lecture him about kissing a girl he just met. I want to hear that."
Owen grins widely. "Yeah, he's definitely a Hunt."
oOoOo
From a distance, Derek sees JoJo and Alex sitting together and he stops in his tracks. He observes that for the first time in months, JoJo looks happy and relaxed, free from whatever has been haunting her. His eyes go to Alex, who looks years younger. Alex is sitting close to his daughter, very close...
Stunned, Derek continues to watch. Something about this scene seems so natural … but the father inside of him feels that something is very wrong.
Alex swallows the remains of his drink. "Kinesiology is a form of medicine, when you think about it."
"Yeah." JoJo smiles. "I think Owen is right, I'd do well working one-on-one with people, hands on. I like it at work when I help women learn that they can work out, that it isn't so hard to learn new things and see some progress in a short amount of time. And most of the time, I can remember that I'm capable and I have a brain. Until I remember Professor Jerkface."
"I'm sorry I told you about Professor Jerkface," he tells her. "I wouldn't have, if I had known. But if I'd known you were seeing him, I would've been harassing you to break it off. I might've gone so far as to tell your parents."
"I know." She shrugs. "That's why I didn't tell anyone, not even Chloe. Especially Chloe. She would have lectured me and I knew it."
He leans forward. "What is going on between you two?"
"I was a terrible friend," she tells him, candidly. "I thought she'd be my best friend for life … I took that for granted. And now I'm working on being a better friend, as much as she'll let me. Mallory keeps telling me to be patient."
"Now you and the Hurricane, becoming friends …" Alex chuckles. "Didn't see that one coming."
JoJo grins. "Neither did I. But I'm glad we are. I've really gotten to know her, and I like her, very much."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Alex smiles at her. "You're going to be okay, you know that? After everything you've been through lately … you're making some good choices tonight. You're turning into a smart woman."
She regards him, curiously. "Thanks."
"Hello!" They both look up to see Derek walking towards them. He pulls up a chair. "Alex, we really haven't had a chance to catch up."
Alex nods, immediately reading Derek's body language and his underlying paternal motives. "No time like the present."
"You really freaked Mallory out, performing surgery until the last minute," JoJo lightly chastises Derek. "There would've been a category five hurricane if you hadn't shown up."
"Alls well that ends well," Derek grins. "Now Alex, tell me about Miami."
As Alex starts talking, JoJo sits back and watches. She looks again at Alex, and reflects that if she were to date a silver fox, he'd … she shakes her head. She would always be Meredith's daughter to him, and off-limits.
oOoOo
As the party starts to wind down, Cristina and Meredith clink glasses. "To the happy couple!" They each down a shot and grimace at the hot burning liquid.
"I'm starting to think we're getting too old for this," Meredith confesses.
"Maybe you are, but I'm not." Cristina sways a little.
"Hey Mom." JoJo walks over. "How's it going?"
"Good." Meredith pulls her in for a quick hug.
Cristina frowns. "JoJo, I've barely seen you all night. Normally you own the dance floor."
The young woman shrugs. "I was talking with Alex and then Dad. And now I'm going to the ladies room. Excuse me." She walks away.
Cristina turns and watches JoJo. "She's sober. What's going on?"
"She had a bad day yesterday," Meredith carefully acknowledges. "She wanted today to be drama-free so I expect that's why she stayed off the dance floor. And the booze."
"You know!" Cristina quickly deduces. "You know what Mallory and Chloe know! What do you know?"
Meredith shakes her head. "What I know has nothing to do with your daughters."
"Swear to me that you don't know something about my girls that I don't know and should know."
Meredith takes Cristina's hands. "I swear to you that it's JoJo's secret and her secret only. She promised to keep her drama from affecting Rob and Mallory's day and she has. Back off, Mama Bear."
"Okay." Cristina nods.
"She kissed Alex," Meredith blurts out. "JoJo was looking to distract herself last night and she came on to Alex and he stopped her."
"Alex?" Cristina tilts her head. "Well, she could do worse."
"Cristina! It's Alex. He has a terrible track record with women."
"But he stopped JoJo." Cristina points out.
oOoOo
As JoJo washes her hands, Chloe joins her at the sinks. "Hey."
"Hey." Chloe smiles at JoJo. "How are you?"
"I'm good, how about you?"
"My shoes are killing me," Chloe groans. "I did not expect to be on my feet all night."
JoJo glances at her. "Want me to massage your feet?" She shyly offers.
"Yes!" Chloe wipes her hands. "Let's go."
They find a table outside and sit down. Without hesitation, Chloe kicks off her shoes and lifts a foot. "I have missed your massages,"
JoJo smiles softly as she begins to rub Chloe's foot. "You looked like you were having a good time tonight. I hope you were."
"Yeah." Chloe smiles. "I had a lot of fun." She glances at the other woman. "How about you? I barely saw you all night."
"I was around," JoJo replies. "Chatting with people - I had tea with my grandmother, and Shirley Temples with Alex ."
Chloe looks up. "Oh?"
"Yeah. He's a really nice guy." JoJo smiles, massaging the special spots she knows Chloe likes.
Chloe chuckles. "Mama Bear might be more open than Papa Bear, but she said Alex is #2 on the list of Men I'm Not Allowed To Date."
"Who is #1? Mark?"
"Yes!" The two women smile at each other.
JoJo looks at Chloe. "Enough about me. Meet anyone special on the dance floor?"
"There are a lot of nice guys here," Chloe grins. "Did a bolt of lightning come down from the sky and hit someone in particular? No. But I had fun."
Chloe pauses. "You know … when you did my make-up for New Year's Eve?"
JoJo looks up. "Are we going to talk about Mickey?"
"No." Now it's Chloe's turn to be shy. "Could you show me how to do my eyes like that?"
"Of course."
They both look up as Jonah collapses in the chair next to JoJo.
"Where's your girlfriend?" JoJo smirks at her cousin.
"Dancing with Mark Sloan," he sighs. "She's been dancing with a lot of guys who aren't me."
"Aw. Dump her, you can do better." She squeezes Jonah's shoulder.
"Hey." Diego and Jazz join them, sitting next to Chloe. "Look at you, Miss Popular."
"I am not," Chloe insists.
"You're sitting?" Mallory appears in front of them, hands on hips. "What is wrong with all of you?"
"It's almost 2 am," Jonah groans.
"It is?" She smiles and pulls up a chair. "Did you have fun?"
"Yes," they assure her.
The music slows down as Rob ambles up, smiling. He places his hands on Mallory's shoulders. "It's getting late, hon. It's the last dance before the band calls it a night."
"Let's go!" She jumps up and follows him. Smiling, Diego leads Jazz to join them.
"Come on, Jonah." Chloe stands up and puts her shoes back on. "Let's go show Jeanne-Marie what she's missing." Chuckling, he follows her to the dance floor.
JoJo sighs and sits back.
"JoJo?" She looks up to see Alex standing beside her, hand extended. "Join me?"
"I'd love to." She smiles, taking his hand.
Sighing, Lexie grabs her purse and starts walking towards the hotel, fleeing the sight of happy couples. As she turns, she steps on Mark Sloan's feet.
"I'm sorry," Lexie grimaces.
"It's okay." Mark extends a hand to her. "May I have this dance?"
"Oh, did you run out of pretty young girls?" Lexie snaps. "I know what you've been doing all night."
He smiles gently at her, hand still extended. "Lexie … I saved the best for last."
oOoOo
"Now what is the emergency?" Owen asks as Cristina leads him into the hotel.
"We're going to our suite and jumping into that hot tub, before someone else interrupts us," she smirks, heading straight for the elevators.
"Good plan."
oOoOo
On the dance floor, Meredith frowns while in Derek's arms. "Why is Lexie dancing with Mark?"
"Why is JoJo dancing with Alex?" Derek replies. "I don't like how close they are."
"And I thought Owen was Papa Bear."
oOoOo
After a long series of goodbyes, the newlyweds finally leave the reception. Holding hands, Rob and Mallory exit the elevator and stroll down the hallway to their honeymoon suite. Smiling, he digs out the key card, opens the door and sticks his foot in. Then he bends over and puts his arms around her, picking her up.
"My big strong husband," she giggles, throwing her arms around his neck.
"My teeny tiny bride," he chuckles, straightening up before he carries her over the threshold of the door. Purposefully, he strides over to the bed and gently places her on it. His hands caress her face. "My beautiful bride."
She pulls him down and kisses him. Without breaking contact, he manages to lie down on top of her without crushing her.
Mallory looks up at him and grins. "Is now a bad time to tell you that you can't divorce me? I won't let you."
"Bossy." He kisses her. "I got news for you. We're going to disagree and we're going to have fights, but I will never leave you. You won't be able to get rid of me."
"Good." She giggles. "Hey Robbie, I have a secret."
"What's that?"
"I've had a crush on you since I was twelve years old." Laughing, she kisses him again.
"I have a secret too," Rob whispers.
"Oh, what?"
He kisses her. "We're going to live happily ever after."
"Then let's get started."
Author's note: thank you so much for sticking with this story and my writing. The show has sometimes made it difficult to want to write, but now I'm determined to share all of the Parentverse stories I have in me. Special thanks to lovemesomeowen for the encouragement and bad ass beta reading.