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Chapter 10: "Great Balls of Fire"

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Meredith sat in Alex's truck for a moment, frozen. "I can do this," she said. Alex nodded, though he wasn't sure that she was talking to him. She turned suddenly to face him. "And if I can't?" she asked.

Alex realized what she wanted and he was only too happy to give it to her, "Then I'll save you."

Meredith smiled. "And we'll go see another baseball game?" Alex raised his eyebrows. "I already have the shirt."

Alex nodded. "We'd better get out of the car before anyone sees us together."

Meredith chuckled. "I think that's the least of my worries. Let them think I'm sleeping with you." She opened the door and got out of the truck.

Alex ran around to catch up to her as she headed into the hospital. "Grey, if I'm accused of sleeping with someone, I damn well better be getting some." They approached the doors to Seattle Grace and Alex felt Meredith's tiny hand on his arm. "We can run, right now, if you want. We'll drive to Vancouver, wherever you want," Alex offered. And he was serious.

Meredith smiled. "No, I can do this." Together, they walked through the doors and into the locker room.

"Meredith!" George practically screamed. Suddenly, Izzie and George had her cornered and their mouths were moving a mile a minute, neither mentioning the fact that Meredith had been MIA or any of the other issues that had surfaced the past few days.

"You guys are acting like her dog died." Cristina shot them a death stare. "I'm going to ask you once. Are you okay?"

Meredith nodded. "I'm fine." The way she used fine shocked everyone. It wasn't the normal, terse "fine" that they usually got from Meredith during a crisis. It was a nonchalant fine, as though she didn't have a care in the world.

Cristina turned to George and Izzie. "She's fine. Leave her alone."

As much as Alex didn't get along with Cristina, he had a lot of respect for her, and this moment showed him why.

"I'd hate to break up the party, but rounds are in 5 minutes," Alex reminded everyone, particularly Meredith. She nodded at him and went to change into her scrubs.

A couple of minutes later, the group of interns exited the locker room in order to find Bailey. Bailey stood in the hall with a clipboard in her hands. "Good to have you back, Grey," was all she said about Meredith's return, for which Meredith was thankful.

Bailey handed out her assignments, which were getting more and more predictable these days. The only difference was that Meredith was assigned to the ER, probably more because of her family issues than the fact that she'd missed a few days of work.

Alex took his usual post with Mark Sloan, who would no doubt bother him again for information on Meredith. Alex wondered if Meredith had called him back, ever, but the question was fleeting and soon forgotten, as Mark Sloan shoved charts at him. "And get me a coffee," he growled at Alex.

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Meredith sat on her stool in the ER, feeling like if she sutured anything else, she'd throw up. Another intern approached Meredith and she smiled. "Are you here to relieve me?" The intern did not look the least bit amused or happy about this assignment, which somehow made Meredith feel better.

"So I hear there's this place called Joe's?" Meredith had been looking for her keys in the bottom of her bag when Mark Sloan approached her.

"It's across the street," she told him, straightening.

"Is this a place that you frequent?" Mark Sloan was giving her his best smirk and his sexiest eyes.

Meredith laughed. "I've been known to partake on the occasion."

"Will you be partaking tonight?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I was thinking about it." Her answer was honest, but not whole. She was thinking about it, but only if Alex was thinking about it. Which was likely.

"So maybe I'll see you there?" Mark was standing close to her and whispering in a low, sexy tone that sent chills up Meredith's spine.

"Maybe," she flirted back. She wasn't sure why she was flirting back. She wasn't sure if it was because of Derek, or if it was because of her father, or if it was because Mark Sloan was a fine specimen of the male human species. Whatever it was, she felt herself blushing as she headed off to find Alex.

She found him doing some charts at the nurse's station. "So we're going to Joe's," she told him. Despite him still doing paperwork, he was dressed in his street clothes with his messenger bad slung over his shoulder.

Alex closed the chart and looked at her. "There a reason, or you just want to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me?" The nurse raised her eyes at the two interns standing in front of her.

Meredith giggled. "Come on, Alex."

Alex shrugged and followed his friend. "You get everything squared away today?" Meredith gave him an incredulous look. "Not like I care. Your friends are annoying."

"My friends? They're your friends too, whether you like to admit it or not." Then, "Yeah, I talked to them at lunch. I don't think they want to shoot me anymore."

"Good, so I can finally stop babysitting you?" Alex joked. Immediately afterward, he put an arm around her neck and gave her a quick, gentle noogie on her head.

"Alex!" Meredith squealed.

The pair walked across the parking lot to Joe's. Meredith spotted Dr. Sloan sitting at a table. She tugged on Alex's coat and nodded at him. "He's why we're here? Grey, you're killing me. That man hates me!" Meredith looked at him with pleading eyes and Alex softened. "Fine. I'll be at the bar when you're ready to go home."

Meredith nodded and disappeared to go sit with Mark Sloan.

"Where you been?" Joe asked, setting a beer in front of Alex.

Alex shrugged. "I had things to do. Any new chicks been in?"

Joe shook his head. "Same old doctors and nurses. Look, Doc, I gotta be honest with you. If you want some fresh meat, you should probably go to another bar. Not that I want you to."

Alex chuckled. "Naw, it's cool." He glanced at Meredith, who seemed genuinely engaged and entertained by Mark Sloan. For reasons he could not explain, Alex stood and went over to join Mark and Meredith. Mark looked absolutely horrified, while Meredith smiled largely at her friend.

"Lonely at the bar?" she asked, sympathetically.

"I figured I'd let the other poor fools have a chance tonight."

"That's very big of you," she told him.