Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't belong to me.

A/N: It's rather ironic that I'm putting this one up on Thanksgiving Day, don't you think? I seriously didn't plan it this way. I swear. Enjoy the chapter.

Thanks for the Memories

"Morning, Angel," Mark said.

Meredith abruptly stopped tiptoeing out of the room and turned around. "I was trying not to wake you."

Mark grinned and stood up already dressed in his jeans. "You were trying to sneak out," he accused her. "You were trying to leave me here. Alone. With the crazy holiday lady. I'm not stupid, Angel." He pulled his shirt from the back of the chair and pulled it on. "I hate the holidays as much as you do and you are not leaving me here to deal with Izzie alone."

Meredith smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "So you're coming to the hospital with me? Even though you don't start until Monday?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I figure I'll get my office set up and maybe meet some of my staff. Though I'm betting they're all at home doing the family thing."

"Probably," she agreed. "Now be quiet or Izzie will hear us."

Mark nodded and they quietly and quickly tiptoed down the stair and towards the front door. Five feet away a "Hey" stopped them in their tracks. Mark and Meredith spun around and regarded the blond guiltily.

"Hey," Mark said with a charming smile that had no effect on Izzie at all.

"What are you doing?" She asked with her arms crossed over her chest and a frown on her face.

Meredith opened her mouth to answer with a lie or something but the doorbell cut her off. "The door," she said quickly. "I'm answering the door, Iz."

Izzie's foot started tapping in irritation. "You're going to the hospital," she accused. "You can't."

"Mer has a shift. Just a few hours." Mark told her and strode forward to put his hands around her biceps reassuringly. "And I'm going with her to make sure that it's just a few hours. Promise."

Izzie glared at him and the door sounded again. "That sex appeal stuff doesn't work on me, Sloan. But fine." Meredith ignored them and opened the door. "Just be back for dinner or I'll kill you both. Painfully. Slowly. And I'm a doctor so I can kill you and then bring you back to do it again."

Mark swallowed and nodded. "Yes, Izzie. Of course." He let go of her and pressed himself to the wall as three men pounded past him yelling out "O'Malley". "What the Hell?" He asked startled.

"George's family," Meredith explained with wide eyes.

"Oh." He took her hand and they headed to the door.

"Don't forget what I said, Sloan," Izzie called after them. "I was so not kidding."

Mark shut the door behind them and leaned against it for a moment as though catching his breath. "I thought Cris was the scary one."

Meredith giggled. "More fool you then. So we have to be back for dinner then?"

Mark nodded, his eyes still slightly wide.

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"Hey Angel," Mark pressed a kiss to her lips and helped her bring her patient into the elevator. "What's up?"

"P.V.S. patient," she told him with a smile. "Fell from his bed while being turned by the orderlies. Needs a CT. And he looked at me."

Mark gave her a long considering look and then looked down at the motionless man on the gurney. He looked back up and gave her his sexy smirk. "I can understand that. You'd be enough to wake me up from a vegetative state too."

Meredith stretched up and kissed him. "Thank you. Where are you off to?"

"Izzie called. Cris and Burke are there. She needs me to run to the store for some tarragon. Apparently you don't have any that's fresh."

"Oh." Meredith frowned in confusion. "What's tarragon?"

Mark laughed helplessly. "It's a kind of spice, Angel, that's used in cooking. Don't worry about it. I'll be back soon."

"Okay," Meredith nodded. "Have fun."

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She hated having to do this. But he was standing right there and she really needed a neuro consult. So she'd have to ask him and hope that just this once he could be professional. She sent up a prayer to a God she wasn't sure existed and stepped forward.

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It hadn't been too bad. He was arrogant. But he agreed to the consult anyway. She rolled her eyes and followed him down the hall.

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Mark breezed in the kitchen door and held out the tarragon like a peace offering. "Fresh tarragon, as ordered," he announced. "And I really hope you appreciate it. I had to fight off two huge women for that. Look one of them might have cracked a rib even." He lifted up his shirt to show off an impressive forming bruise.

"Aw, poor baby," Izzie simpered mockingly. "That's karma for you. Meet Dr. Burke." She motioned to the tall man. "Meet Mark. Mer's…whatever."

Mark lifted his hand to shake the other man's. "I'd say I was her boyfriend but that's a bit highschoolish and doesn't quite cover it."

Burke shook his hand with a pleasant smile. "It's nice to meet you," he said in a noncommittal tone.

"And you." Mark nodded.

"Go," Izzie suddenly ordered. "Go back and get Mer. Bring Alex back too if you see him. Be back here by six o'clock or I will cut your balls off and sew them on your forehead and then I'll cut your cock off and put it on your nose. Got it?"

Mark gulped, stared at her for a moment to see if she was serious and then bolted when he realized that she was.

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"What are you doing here?" Alex asked as he knocked on the door of the patient's room attracting Meredith's attention. "Why aren't you at the Thanksgiving?"

Meredith looked up and smiled softly. "Why aren't you?"

Alex sighed and settled down beside her. "Okay. I tell you something you tell me something."

Meredith considered for a moment and then closed Mr. McKee's chart. "Okay. This stays between us right?"

He nodded. "And Mark right?"

"He knows my something but I won't tell him yours if you don't want me too." He smiled a grateful thank you. She paused for a moment gathering her courage. "The last holiday I ever tried to celebrate was Thanksgiving it was also the last time I ever even tried to cook anything more than pasta or eggs. I was ten. I had called the hospital the day before and knew that my mom didn't have anything scheduled. I was ecstatic. I knew she'd go in in the morning. She always did. To check on her patients and that was okay. It gave me time. I had our cook help me make a turkey and she watched and coached me on the stuffing and the pies. I made five pies. I knew it was too many but I wasn't sure what kind my mom liked. So I made pumpkin, apple, cherry, blueberry and banana crème. They looked magnificent. She would have been so surprised and I thought she'd be proud. The turkey finished and she still wasn't home. I called the hospital. She was in surgery and had another three booked after the one she was in."

"That's harsh," Alex commented, saddened by Mer's lonely life.

"I'm not finished," she told him wryly. "She finally came home that night. I waited up for her. It was elevenish. She stared at the table that I'd refused to clear and told me that everything I'd done that day was a waste of food. That there was no reason to cook all that food for two people and that I should have just had a sandwich if I was hungry. She fired the cook the next day and told the new one that I was only allowed to eat that Thanksgiving dinner until it was gone. I'd cooked it and I should eat it and learn to not waste food that way. I had turkey and all the trimmings for every meal for two weeks, even snacks. It took me years to even be able to even look at turkey again. And I still hate pie."

Alex stared at her in shock. "I…I don't know what to say. I'm…uh…I'm sorry, Mer. You must really hate Thanksgiving."

"I do. I know why Izzie's wanting the whole Thanksgiving dinner and get together thing. She likes that normal family stuff. But I never really had a family. I don't know what I'm expected to do. The only thing I know to do is work on holidays. And I'll go to her dinner and I'll pretend to be happy but every time I think about that turkey sitting in the middle of the table, waiting to be carved my stomach turns and I feel nauseous."

"Mine seems a bit petty now."

"Tell me anyway. I won't think you're more shallow than I already do," she grinned at him to show she was teasing.

"I failed the medical boards," he confessed. "And if I tell Izzie she'll be nice about it and she'll be all supportive and optimistic. She might as well rip my nads off and turn 'em into earrings."

"Alex, you should go to the dinner." Meredith told him seriously. "I mean don't tell her if you don't want to. But come home with Mark and I. You should come. It'll give me a chance to puke on you."

Alex stared at her for a moment and then laughed. "Thanks for that." He patted her head and stood up. "Yeah. I'll come but if you puke on me I might have to deck your boyfriend for moving out of the way."

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"Izzie, I need you to listen to me and not ask questions, can you do that?" Mark asked quickly. He was standing in the ambulance bay where he'd retreated after eavesdropping unintentionally on Meredith and Alex. Listening to his Angel talk about that Thanksgiving in such an accepting tone made him sick to his stomach. She should never have had to live with that.

"Don't tell me you guys are flaking out on me," Izzie told him in an angry tone.

"We're not," he protested. "I even found Alex for you and Mer convinced him to ride home with us."

"Oh. Then what?" Izzie asked in a confused voice.

"Make sure you carve the turkey in the kitchen before you take it to the table, okay? Please."

"Why?"

"Iz, he said don't ask questions, didn't he?" Cristina's voice broke in. "And take him off the speaker. You know this is about Mer and I'm sure she doesn't want us all to hear."

Mark heard the click of the phone switching and sighed, knowing he'd have to give Izzie something.

"You're off speaker. Why?"

"You know Mer didn't have the best childhood. Just carve the damn turkey before you take it to the table, Izzie. That's all I'm giving you. If Mer wants you to know she'll tell you."

There was silence for a moment. "All right. But I will ask her about it."

Mark cringed. "Fine," he sighed. "But wait until tomorrow at least, okay? Give her a day or two and then you can ask. She might not answer but you can ask."

"I wouldn't have asked her today anyway. I'm not an insensitive ass that abandons his girlfriend to cook all day while I'm off playing doctor. That's Alex."

"I already told you we're bringing him too."

"He's still an ass."

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"What do you know? The kid came back," Derek said softly as he stood beside Meredith outside Holden McKee's room.

"Yeah," Meredith opened her mouth to say more but Alex skidded to a stop in front of them with a brunette surgical intern at his side.

"Sorry to interrupt," Alex told them without regret. "But I'm under orders to get you, Mer, and force you home. You were supposed to be off three hours ago."

Derek glared at him. "She has a patient," he pointed out.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Which is why Jillian is here," he pointed to the brunette. "Mer why don't you introduce Dr. Cross to Mr. McKee?"

Meredith nodded and motioned the other intern into the room. "Mr. McKee? I'm really sorry to interrupt but I have to leave." Coby moved closer to his father and eyed her with a sad expression. "This is Dr. Jillian Cross. She'll be taking over for me."

"Dr. Grey?" Holden asked. "Thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome," Meredith smiled.

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"Karev," Derek started in an irritated voice. "You can't just barge in here and pull Meredith—"

"Dr. Grey," Alex interrupted. "Her name is Dr. Grey until she tells you otherwise. She was supposed to leave three hours ago and Bailey cleared her to leave when Jillian came in. Jillian's had her Thanksgiving and now we get to go have ours. That's the way it works on holidays."

"I'm staying," Derek growled. "She should stay too."

"You can't force her to stay and she has other obligations. You're an attending. No one is forcing you to stay. You could leave at any time. You could assign this case to one of your staff. That you aren't doing so is your choice. Mer's relief came in and so it's her choice to leave." Alex paused for a moment and sighed. "Okay so it isn't, Izzie wants her home and we've all learned that Izzie's freaking scary when she wants something. Still."

"Ready?" Meredith asked softly as she closed the door to Holden's room.

Alex took her arm and led her away.

"If he chooses the surgery, I'd let you scrub in," Derek called after her.

Meredith straightened her spine and ignored him.

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"Mark's waiting for us in the car," Alex told her as they entered the locker room only to come face to face with Cristina and George. "Oh, Hell."

"Crap!" They all said together.

"She's gonna kill us." Meredith chuckled.

"Change, quickly," Alex ordered. "George, you can ride with Cristina. I'll go with Mark and Mer."

They all nodded and then in a flurry of flying clothing changed and raced out of the hospital.

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"Hey Iz," they chorused as they walked into the living room. "Sorry we're late."

Izzie gave them a halfhearted glare and then waved them all into seats. Alex leaned down and kissed her cheek. "At least you all made it."

"His fault," Alex pointed at Mark. "He drives really slow. Like painfully slow. And he's addicted to the hospital. It took all four of us to drag him out kicking and screaming."

Mark shot him a baleful glare. "You do realize that all of you will be paying for this disrespect starting next week, right?"

"Pardon?" Burke asked.

"Mark's the new Head of Plastic Surgery," Cristina told him bluntly. "He's our new boss and he's banging an intern before he even starts. Pretty sordid, if you ask me."

Meredith giggled and passed the potatoes. "No what's sordid is that the new Head of Plastics was banging the intern long before she was even an intern. Before she was a med student even."

"I thought…" Burke started confused.

"Mark and I have known each other for years," Meredith explained. "The summer before I started Med school. We drifted apart…sort of…" she trailed off not sure how to explain it.

"Wait," Burke said suddenly. "I get it. You're Phone Mark." Mark nodded. "Ah. That makes sense now. Thank you." He passed the cranberry sauce to Joe. "When do you start? And does the Chief know about you and Dr. Grey or will I need to keep this to myself?"

"Monday," Mark told him. He poured gravy over Meredith's mashed potatoes as she buttered his roll. "And I told the chief about me and Mer before he even offered me the job."

"Ah." Burke smiled and leaned over to kiss Cristina's cheek.

"So in punishment for leaving Preston and I to cook alone, you five have to give us the skinny on what happened at the hospital today." Izzie ordered and tore a bite out of her roll with her teeth in threat.

Mark swallowed and stared at her for a moment. "I set up my office," he blurted. "Stop giving me the evil eye, Iz. You're freaking me out."

Izzie gave an evil laugh that sent shudders down even Burke's back. He eyed her with a new appreciation. Izzie turned to Alex.

Alex tried to seem immune to the evil eye and shrugged. "Lots of sutures and a raisin stuck in a kid's ear. Her cousin dared her."

"Guy swallowed a wishbone," Cristina offered with a frown. She only wished her angry glare was as effective as Izzie's.

"My brother shot my dad in the ass," George blurted. "I had to dig the bird shot out. Of my dad's ass." He shuddered.

Meredith grinned when that look was directed to her. "I woke up a P.V.S. patient just by talking to him. Okay so the fall probably did it but I was the first person he saw in sixteen years. It was a good day."

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Izzie stared around at the people talking and laughing at the table and smiled. Burke, George and Alex were using their potatoes to illustrate as they discussed something or other. Joe and Mark were laughing at something Cristina had said. Meredith and Walter had their heads close together as they whispered to each other. This might not be a traditional family, she decided. They might put the fun in dysfunctional. But they were a family and she was more than happy to be a part of it.