This chapter will be extra long because it's the tenth chapter! Woo!
July 12th, 2014- Mark and Lexie's Wedding
Mark and Lexie
The ceremony was a blur. Mark stood at the altar and looked back at Derek, Owen, and Jacson behind him, who smiled encouragingly. In the crowd, he saw Richard, Miranda, Ben, and even Alex and Addison cheering them on.
The procession began, with Callie, Arizona, and April all entering at the same time and walking down the aisle in matching blue dresses. Next came Cristina, the maid of honor, in a dress the same color blue but slightly more extravagant.
Everyone knew that Meredith would have been the maid of honor if she could. Mark felt a pang of pain as he looked around and didn't see her face, he knew if she were there in the flesh she would have the biggest smile on her face that would banish all of the doubt from his mind immediately. Yet, the room felt empty without her despite the magnitude of people cheering as the bridesmaids took their places at the front of the room.
Mark smiled as Sofia toddled down the aisle, throwing flower petals in every direction with the most adorable smile on her face. Beside her was Tuck, with a tiny little suit and equally tiny tie on as he carried a velvet pillow with their rings on it through the large church.
Finally, his face lit up as Lexie entered the room, her father in a (fitting) grey suit guiding her down the walkway. She looked stunning in her long and flowing white gown, with her long hair flawlessly braided behind her. She smiled at him as her Father let go of her arm and took his seat in the front row, allowing her to stand in front of Mark and look into his eyes.
He reached down and took her hands in his, sighing and smiling at her as reality dawned on him. I'm getting married. Lexie and I are getting married, I'm going to have a wife!
The pastor began speaking but he turned it out, having never really understood much of the talking at weddings anyway. Instead, he focused on Lexie. He took in every feature of her face, from her eyes to her nose to her cheeks and her chin, he realized he couldn't see any flaw on her face. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
Mark didn't notice when the pastor suddenly stopped talking, as he wasn't listening anyway. Lexie noticed, though, her expression changing to one of concern as they both looked to the pastor and quickly realized he wasn't there. The couple looked back at each other in confusion before a voice they hadn't heard in over a year called out from the middle of the room.
"You didn't think I forgot about you, did you?" Meredith asked. Lexie's eyes went wide as she looked to where the sound was coming from and saw her sister standing there with a smile on her face. She gasped and took off, her dress fluttering behind her and her ankles surprisingly not hurting from running in heels. Mark took off seconds later, reaching her just in time to sweep both sisters up into his arms.
"Big Grey!" He cried, feeling tears on his face. Cristina, Derek, and Richard had told them about how they had seen Meredith, and they knew exactly what was happening as soon as they saw her. He finally released both of them and they separated, each one of their faces painted with tears.
"Lexie... Lexie, I'm so happy for you." Meredith said, out of breath from crying as she held her sisters hands.
"You... you're the best sister I could ever have asked for. I miss you so much, but it makes me so happy that you're happy, and I'm proud of you. But you better not forget that you're a Grey. You'll always be a Grey, Lexie, even if you call yourself a Sloan. And... between you and me.." Meredith leaned in to whisper in her little sister's ear. "Try not to break his You-know-what again." They both giggled and Lexie hugged her sister again, feeling her fingers in the surgeon's hair and missing her more than ever.
"And you, McSteamy. You hurt my little sister and I swear to god, I will smite you from the heavens myself." Meredith joked, narrowing her eyes dramatically at him. He chuckled, sweeping her up into his arms and kissing the top of her head.
"I miss you, kid!" He said, hearing her laugh which he hadn't realized made him feel so happy. He set her down and she sighed, looking up at him and feeling tears in her eyes.
"Seriously, Mark. Take care of the people in your life. Take care of Sofia and make sure Derek's okay. And don't let Lexie go. Ever." Meredith lectured. He nodded, staring into her green eyes with his blue ones and trying to stop himself from crying.
"And don't think that just because we're both married that you're not still a Dirty Mistress. One a mistress, always a mistress, don't you forget it!" Meredith teased. They both laughed and he hugged her once more, feeling Lexie joining them as tears flowed from all of their eyes.
"Take care of each other, you two! I love you both!" She said when they let go and she knew she had to leave. Lexie sighed shakily and held onto Mark as she disappeared from the doors of the church, stealing one last smile at the both of them before she was gone.
August 20th, 2023.
Zola
Zola closed her eyes, ambition bubbling inside of her. Tomorrow was her first day of Middle School and she was over the moon with excitement. Her dad had prepared her for this day her entire life and she couldn't believe it was finally upon her.
Middle school kids are mean. Don't let them get you down. You're strong, you're smart, and you're beautiful. You don't let anyone tell you otherwise. He had told her. She felt a smile on her face as she drifted to sleep, her mind slowly coming down from it's adrenaline high.
"Zola..." a strangely familiar voice called out to her. She couldn't pinpoint exactly who it came from, but it was as if it were on the tip of her tongue.
She opened her eyes and found herself still in her bedroom, but there was a woman standing in her doorway. She looked at the woman, perplexed, but she wasn't scared of her. No, this woman seemed like an old friend, someone she had known long ago and forgotten about.
"Who are you?" Zola asked. The woman smiled at her, tears flowing from her eyes.
"I'm your Mother, Zola." She cried, stifling a sob. "You're so beautiful..." she smiled at her daughter, breathing shakily and sobbing quietly.
Zola's mouth fell open and she stood from her bed, slowly approaching her mother. Her breath hitched in her throat and everything made sense to her, the feeling of familiarity, the way her father always described her. He was right. She was beautiful.
Zola reached her mother and threw her arms around her, both of them sobbing into each other. Zola knew it wasn't real, her mother was dead, but her father had told her that he had seen his wife after she died, she had visited him and talked to him and he could feel her... she knew it was her mother.
"Mommy..." She choked through her crying, and her mother pulled away from her, holding her at arms length and stroking her face. She smiled weakly at her daughter, her face soaked with wet tears.
"Daddy told me he saw you. He said that was the last day he ever touched you. And aunt Cristina said you came to her at your funeral. She said that was the last time she heard your voice. And aunt Lexie and uncle Mark... they said that they saw you again the day they got married. She said that day was the last time she ever held your hand. And I always wondered why you'd never come to see me. And now I realize..." she paused as her emotions overwhelmed her for a second and she cried harder, her mother pulling her into another tight embrace.
"This... is the last time you can hug me. I'm never going to see you again, but... I love you. I know that I only knew you when I was young but- but I love you because you're my mom. And daddy loves you, he talks about you so much, and he can't even look at other women, and he always tells me that you're there and you're keeping us safe and I never really understood him until now and... I love you." She cried.
Meredith did nothing to conceal her sobs and she held her child for the first time in 10 years, hearing her words filling her with a pride that sent shivers across her skin.
"Zola... I love you more than you could ever imagine. And your daddy... you tell him that I never stopped loving him, and I never stopped trying to see him again. A-and you make sure to call him McDreamy. He'll believe you then." Meredith smiled through her tears. Zola giggled, having never heard the strange nicknames but loving them already.
"Oh, god, I missed you so much!" She cried, hugging her daughter again because it felt so right to her.
"Zola, I want you to know that I will always love you, no matter what mistakes you make. If you don't want to be a surgeon, by god, don't let anyone force you to be. And if you ever feel like it's just too much for you, I want you to know you can always come to me. Even if you think I'm not listening or you feel silly, I'm here. I'm always here when you need me. And if you don't... and you forget about me... I'll still be here, and I'll still love you, no matter what." She said to her daughter.
"I'm never going to forget you, Mom. And trust me, I'm going to need you a lot. There are some things that I just can't talk to daddy about..." her daughter trailed off and they both erupted into giggles, the skin around Meredith's eyes crinkling with her huge smile. She was still stunned at how beautiful her daughter was and what an amazing girl her husband had raised her to be.
"You probably don't remember, but... the day that I died, I woke up. I woke up from the coma I was in and I asked for you. And your daddy, he ran all the way to the daycare and he brought you to me. And... I felt really tired all of the sudden. And I knew that I was slipping. So, I hugged you, really tight to my body, and I looked up at your daddy and I told him to take care of you. And then, I closed my eyes and I left. It didn't hurt... the thing that hurt was him, the look in his eyes, and how he begged me not to go..." Meredith collapsed into sobs, her daughter in the same state in her arms.
"I'm so sorry, Zola! I'm sorry that I left, that you don't have a mother-" Her daughter interrupted her, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look up into her eyes.
"You are my mother." She declared, looking into Meredith's eyes and breathing heavily. "That will never change. And I do remember. Daddy says I have a photographic memory."
Meredith's hand was shaking violently as she reached up to touch her daughter's face, and smile upon her own.
"You're so beautiful..." she cried, and the smile faded from her face. Her hand dropped and her eyes became glassy.
Zola gasped, opening her eyes and shooting up in her bed. Derek was sitting beside her, in the process of waking her up. He saw the tears on his daughter's face and noticed she was out of breath from crying, his face immediately transforming to a look of concern.
"Zola, what happened, are you alright?" He asked, jumping forward and placing one hand on hers and the other on her back. She gasped for air and sobbed shakily, slowly looking up to meet his gaze. Her mouth hung open as she was still shocked by what had happened.
"I-I... I s-s-saw her." She said, her voice barely a whisper.
"Saw who?" He asked, even more concerned.
"Mom." She stated shakily. Derek was frozen for a moment. He looked at his daughter, disbelief painted on his face. He had assumed that his wife had moved on. After she never visited any of them again, he had thought that she had stopped trying. He assumed she just... watched.
Derek pulled Zola into a powerful and tearful embrace, his breaths heavy with shock.
"Wh-h- uh.." he stuttered, hit with a tidal wave of grief as if his wife had died all over again.
"She told me... to tell you that she never stopped trying to see you again. And she said that she never stopped loving you." Zola said softly. Derek went silent, his breath hitching inside of him as realization washed over him. She never gave up.
"She loves you, McDreamy!" Zola cried. Derek was stunned. He and his friends had stopped using their nicknames because it was too painful after Meredith died. He knew that the only way Zola would know about them was if Meredith told her.
He squeezed his daughter tighter, swallowing the lump in his throat and attempting to speak again.
"What... else did she say?" He asked weakly. His daughter paused for a moment, thinking of the entire conversation she had with her mother. Derek released her and slid his hands down her hers, clasping them in his.
"She told me about the day she died. She said that she woke up from her coma and she asked you to go get me, so you ran all the way to the daycare and you brought me to her. And then she said she hugged me and she felt herself... slipping... and so she told you to take care of me. And then she closed her eyes and she left. And... I remember you grabbing her and yelling and I remember being scared so I hugged her, and I got even more scared because she wasn't moving and she wouldn't hug me back. I started crying because all these people rushed into the room and everything was chaos and I couldn't even think anymore and... that's as much as I can remember." She said.
Derek took a shaky breath and bit his bottom lip to stop himself from sobbing. He closed his eyes and felt tears rolling down his face as he nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself and opening is eyes again.
He looked at the clock and his eyes went wide, shooting up from the bed and running over to his daughter's closet.
"Oh, god, you're gonna be late!" He shouted as he grabbed the outfit they had both picked from its hanger and threw it at her. They both frantically wiped the tears from their eyes and they rushed to get ready, doing hair and makeup in record time and grabbing donuts he had picked up the night before on the way out the door.
As soon as they were in the car with her brand new backpack and stunning outfit, Derek took a deep breath and steadied himself, his daughter doing the same beside him.
"We can talk after school, if you want. There are some things that we haven't told you that you should know." He said softly, pulling out of their driveway which he paved himself.
"Who's we?" Zola asked.
"Aunt Cristina, Aunt Lexie, Uncle Mark, Uncle Owen, We... we should have dinner tonight and we can talk. I think we've done enough avoiding the past couple of years." Derek said. Zola nodded, desperately blinking back the tears in her eyes so that she wouldn't mess up her makeup right before school.
Her father sighed, turning into the school parking lot and taking the first spot he saw. He smiled at her and punched her shoulder lightly.
"Go get 'em, Zo!" He said as she climbed out of the car. Zola gave him her smile that melted his heart and two thumbs-ups as she closed the door and slung her backpack over her back, approached the school.
He sat for a while and watched his daughter enter the big doors with a crowd of other kids, looking around after she was gone. His breath hitched when he saw a figure standing on the wall beside the door, looking straight at him.
He could have sworn it was Meredith.
I actually had to stop writing this halfway through and just cry for a while. This will be the last chapter of this story in this format and it will continue from this point, with Zola starting middle school after the visit from her mother.
Don't forget to leave a review to let me know how you liked this chapter or if you have any ideas for future chapters!
Kisses!
-E