Swan Lake was the first ballet to be performed of the season, and they spent the week leading up to Friday night learning it. Amelia was brilliant as Odette and Odile, but Meredith was bored being a swan, or villager, or whatever she was. The dance of the little swans was her highlight, but that was a dance she'd known since she was thirteen. During Danse Le Cygnus she was out of breath from jumping and leaping the entire time, but when it was over she wanted more. They'd be performing Swan Lake the rest of the season.

The next night they were performing Jewels, and Meredith was bouncing on her feet in the wings, Derek watching from the other side. She was dressed in a short red dress; the skirt hit right at her hips and flared out from there. Red jewels adorned her bodice and she had a tiara with red jewels on her head. She could hear the opening strains of Rubies right after Emeralds, she watched the corps do their opening dance, and suddenly she and Derek were dashing towards her. She loved this choreography, the way it was so unconventional, and soon she was in her element for the next half hour, weaving in and out of everyone, having her pas de deux with Derek, and then suddenly the dance, in all of it's perfection, was over. She was so glad this dance would run this entire season as well.

After the show Meredith headed to Derek's dressing room, twirling around in her short costume, giggling like crazy. She was on a high from dancing, as usual, and she just wanted more of it. As he took his stage makeup off she laid on the ground of his dressing room, pointe shoes and costume still on.

"I don't know why anyone does drugs when they could dance" she reflected. It was hard work but the endorphins she got out of dancing and exercising were crazy. She'd never felt the need to rebel and do drugs or drink heavily; ballet was her drug and she was hooked.

Saturday was a non-rehearsal day, just class and a show. They were performing Serenade again, and adding Orpheus and Raymonda variations. Meredith had been promoted to Waltz Girl in Serenade, which thrilled her, but she was also in the other two ballets as well so it was a hectic night for her. At least she had 15 minutes between ballets, and she was dancing with Derek in every single one. She knew that it was rare for a ballet master to continuously pair two people together, but she also knew that when two people had such chemistry on stage, it was good for business. Luckily the public hadn't yet found out that the two were dating.

Getting ready for Serenade was easy since she had been in it before. She was given the same costume she had worn in the fall, except now she had a different position in the dance and she loved it. Stepping onto the stage as Waltz Girl and partnering with Derek was a dream she didn't know she wanted. After Serenade came Orpheus. Her costume was just white leotard and white skirt with pink tights. It was simple and clean, leaving plenty of room to see her lines and positioning. Her hair wasn't in a bun but a long blonde braid which she knew Derek hated; it whipped him in the face whenever she turned, which made her laugh during rehearsals but on stage she was quiet. The music was dark as was the choreography, but Meredith loved it so much. It was fun, getting to play grittier roles. For Raymonda, they quickly dressed her in a stiff white tutu and tiara and she gave a little twirl in front of her mirror. She knew this was the life millions of little girls had dreamed of; she had dreamed of this growing up and she was living her dream, unhindered by anything.

Heading upstairs to Derek's dressing room, she stepped inside with a smile. He looked up at her and grinned, beckoning her to him.

"You look like a princess," he beamed, getting into his own white costume. She blushed and looked at herself in the mirror; she looked mature beyond her age. Ballet could do that to you.

"Somedays on stage I feel that way. Other days it feels like a chore. But tonight's been amazing so far," she admitted. The lead in all three ballets? It was a dream come true. With Raymonda she was dancing select variations, and a Grand Pas with him. He took her hand and led her up to the stage where they stood in the wings, waiting for intermission to be over. She took a dip in the rosin box, the sticky rocks coating her shoes so she wouldn't fall on the stage.

She was still new enough to being Derek's partner that dancing with him took her breath away. How he handled her was amazing; every touch, every lift, every turn told her that he had her and knew where to touch her in order to support her well enough so that she was successful with her lifts and such. Every review that had come out concerning their dancing had been positive, as had every review about hers. They were a match made in heaven, the Seattle Times had written, and they always want more and more of them.

Taking their final pose for Raymonda, Meredith smiled happily as the curtain closed. She drew him into a long kiss and giggled, as he held her close. The curtain opened again and they took their bows, before leaving the stage for the last time that night.

Meredith made her way to her dressing room, hoping that one of the dressers would be around to help her out of her costume, but before she got to hers she decided to peak in on Cristina. Walking it, she found Lexie in there…making out with Mark. Lexie spotted her and shoved Mark away and Meredith turned to go.

"I'm so sorry, I'll go," she said, and headed back upstairs to where the soloist and principals rooms were. After a moment she felt a hand gripping her arm and she turned; it was Lexie.

"Are you going to tell Webber or anyone?" she asked, panicked. Meredith shook her head.

"Well. He's 27 and you're 16, but it's your life, you became an adult when you signed you contract, and it's not my business to tell," she said with a shrug. "You can talk about it with me; I walked in and Derek and I almost immediately started dating. But he's going to tell Derek, they've been best friends since they were five. They met at JKO in their first ballet class and call themselves brothers. Mark's really nice though, I've done a few roles with him and he's amazing beneath the ego," she giggled, before giving her sister a hug. "If he hurts you I'll kick him in the nuts with a pointe shoe on," she threatened, before heading upstairs to her dressing room. A dresser was waiting for her and soon enough she was in leggings and an oversized sweater and uggs, her February wardrobe of choice. The rain outside was pouring down as she took off her makeup, leaving her hair in the braid.

Grabbing her purse she walked down the hall to Derek's dressing room and poked her head in; Mark was in there now and he gave her a glance. She silently signaled back that her lips were sealed, as she waited for Derek so they could go home. He eventually came out of the shower to find Meredith seated in the chair in front of his mirror, makeup free and fresh faced. She smiled brightly at him, on one of her natural dancing highs. He bent down to give her a kiss and she let her fingers roam through his hair, before he broke off to gather his things. She decided to check her email and found one from her mother.

Meredith dearest,

I'm retiring from my position at the Royal and coming home to Seattle. Once I arrive we have many things to discuss. If possible, ask Richard for a week off as we have much to do. Remember how much I love you, and remember how extraordinarily talented you are. You must carry on the Grey name in this world of ballet.

Xx

Mother

Meredith stared at the email, wondering what the hell it meant. The Royal was her mother's life; she would never leave willingly. Had they forced her out? What was going on? She pushed her worried thoughts to the back of her mind as Derek said he was ready, and the two dashed through the pouring rain to the car.

So what do you guys think is wrong with Ellis? Sorry for leaving you hanging but I felt I needed to!

Also if there's anything you'd like to see happen in the fic, let me know!

Read and review please xx