Stay with Me
A/N: Companion piece to Hold On (I Still Need You). Because a different POV is always fun to write, and writing Addie's POV is one of my favorite things to do
The cool Seattle air was refreshing as she traveled the short distance from the parking lot towards the hospital entrance. If there was one thing she'd managed to appreciate in all of her visits to the rainy city, it would have to be how calm the nights could be. Addison would always appreciate the calm nights, despite the rain. But even that was a welcomed relief. Some days, the rain had helped set the mood, especially when she'd first arrived.
In contrast, LA had been a beautiful, sunny oasis. She'd never regret the years she'd spent there. The lasting friendships she'd made. She'd gotten Henry in LA. When everything else in her life was falling apart, all she had to do was look at her sweet boy and everything else would fade into the background.
Her decision to move back to Seattle from LA hadn't been the plan. Not at all. She hadn't meant for her relationship to Jake to fall apart like it did. She hadn't meant to break down, drunk on wine, and tell her now-ex-husband that she wasn't in love with him – that she had never been in love with him. That all she'd been doing for the last fifteen years was pushing aside her feelings for Meredith. She was sure it would've been his train hobby that would've been the end of their marriage – in some twisted way, she'd hoped it had been his fault – but no, her own mouth had betrayed her. It had been a stressful morning at the Practice, an even more stressful afternoon at St. Ambrose, and she'd been trying to relax. Red wine always helped her to relax. She found herself thinking about Meredith, as she'd done more recently since she'd come back to Grey-Sloan for the uterine transplant, and when Jake had asked her how her day had been, the words had just tumbled out.
"I'm in love with Meredith Grey."
There had been no hesitation in her words, no slurring of her speech. It had been as though she'd been completely sober, but the half-drunk bottle of wine had belied that notion — and also because she'd only said the words out loud once, in therapy, in the elevator, with Sheldon. Jake, ever patient, the kind and gorgeous man that she'd met nearly a decade ago now, hadn't even seemed angry at her statement. There was hurt on his face, sure, how could she pretend that she'd hadn't hurt him? But he'd accepted it without ridiculing her.
"What do you want to do about that?"
She'd often found herself comparing Jake to her exes. When they argued, they were always able to resolve it. He was always open to her emotions, never one to dismiss or belittle her feelings. And even when she was expressing that she was in love with another woman – her ex-husband's widow – he still wanted to know what she wanted to do. Had she married anyone else – had she still somehow still been with Derek, or Mark, or Sam – she knew their egos wouldn't have been able to handle it. But Jake? No, Jake was an entirely different man. He was a good man.
"I want her," She'd laughed, run a hand through her hair, "I want her so much, Jake. Like not having her, not being with her, it hurts. And I shouldn't be; and you, you deserve someone who loves you. I've been in love with her for years, and that's not fair to you. That's not fair to anyone I've tried to move past her with."
The pained smile on his lips as he told her that her eyes lit up when she talked about her latest visit to Seattle was still ingrained in her brain. His confused look when she had started praying for Meredith after she'd been struck with Covid stood out too. Maybe he'd figured out her feelings when she'd started praying for Meredith to wake up. She didn't pray. She still had no idea how to. But she would find herself at the edge of their bed every night, praying for the woman.
She'd never meant to hurt him. She knew that. He knew that. But she had. They'd drawn up divorce papers the following week, getting details for custody and visitations hammered out. She would have primary custody of Henry, and he would see Jake every other weekend, and they would split Thanksgiving and Christmas. She'd started getting the practice in order, making sure that Sam and Naomi had everything they needed. She had Henry help her pick out the house in Seattle – after all, he was living there too, and his input mattered just as much as hers. It had taken a little while to get everything in order. Honestly, getting the divorce ironed out had been the hardest part of it all. The night before she and Henry were set to fly out, Jake had come over to tuck Henry in. As he was leaving, he hugged her. No, she hadn't been in love with him, but she had loved him. She'd understood what her mother had said, about loving her father but not being in love with him. But she wouldn't be like her, wouldn't wait until it was too late.
"Go get your girl, Addison."
So, really, that was what she was doing. She was home, in Seattle, and she was going to fight for Meredith. And maybe that was wrong of her, to fight for a woman who was already in a committed relationship; but she'd loved the woman for 15 years, so wasn't she entitled to fight for her?
It was almost ironic that the first person she met when coming into Grey-Sloan was Richard. He looked like he would rather be anywhere but the hospital, his anger clear in his stance, but she couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Richard," she greeted warmly.
He looked up and the smile was instantaneous as he pulled her into a hug, "Addie! What are you doing here?"
And really, she should tell him the truth. That she was here for Meredith. But there was a part of her that wanted to keep that to herself for the time being.
"I'm uh moving back," she began, "Jake and I got divorced, and Henry and I moved back. I was looking for Bailey, actually."
The warmth in his eyes vanished at the mention of his successor, "Bailey is taking it easy today."
"Why? What happened?"
"Meredith happened."
Okay, now she was officially lost.
"Meredith?"
Clearly, this was a sore subject, because Richard sighed, his annoyance rolling off of him in waves, "Meredith has been offered a job in Minnesota."
"Minnesota?" she repeated.
"She told Bailey that she hasn't made a decision yet, but they'd offered her her own research lab, and Dr. Hamilton has obviously been trying to woo her."
"So, what does this have to do with Bailey?"
"When Bailey confronted her about wanting to leave, she had a panic attack."
"Is she okay?"
"She will be. Maggie, uh Dr. Pierce, said she needs to take it easy for a while."
Something in his tone didn't sit right with her, "You're blaming Meredith for her panic attack?"
"If she would show even an ounce of loyalty to Grey-Sloan, then Bailey wouldn't have gotten so worked up," he replied, "But, no, she wants to push aside her job and leave."
"Now hold on a second," She said, feeling her own anger start to rise. It wasn't even that she was in love with Meredith. It was the fact that Richard shouldn't have been showing favoritism to Bailey in this situation, "What happened with Bailey wasn't Meredith's fault. The rumors are already flying. They want to shut down the residency program, so of course Bailey is stressed. But if she confronted Meredith like that, she shouldn't have gotten so worked up. She knows better."
"Meredith will regret leaving," he replied.
"If she decides to leave, I doubt she'll regret it," she countered.
"Why's that?"
"Because I don't." The only part of her that did regret leaving had everything to do with her own cowardice regarding the blonde Attending, "Leaving gave me a chance to explore who I was. It got me my son. And just because I decided to come back doesn't mean I regret it."
"Meredith isn't like you," he shot back, "If she leaves, she'll regret it. And she seems determined to burn every bridge she's got. If she leaves, she won't be coming back into open arms."
She offered him a light smile, trying to reign in her anger, "I guess we'll see, won't we?"
"Addie," he started.
"I can't make her stay, Richard. She has to decide that on her own."
"You can help her." It was a plea, really. She knew that. And yet, it pissed her off.
"I'm not her wife, Richard," she replied, surprised by the hostility in her voice, "She's her own person; she gets to make her own decisions. She has a boyfriend and amazing children and an important decision to make. My input would just confuse her more."
"Why's that?"
"Because I would do anything to make her stay," She caught his eye, all of her anger leaving her in an instant, "I would beg her, get down on my knees if I had to, just so she wouldn't leave. But I can't be that selfish."
"How long have you been in love with her?"
The question has her letting out a laugh, shaking her head softly as she moved to make her way down the hall, "Good-bye Richard."
He called after her, "A while then?"
A quick chat with a nurse later, she was making her way down the hall to where she knew Meredith's brain dead patient was. She was working the case with a Dr. Nick Marsh, who she'd correctly assumed was the blonde's boyfriend. She wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to do this. How do you walk up to a woman that you've been in love with for years — who's had no idea you've been in love with her — and try to tell her that you've come home to Seattle with your son for her? The complexity of the possible move to Minnesota made it even more difficult. How could she just waltz in and disrupt her life again? Though, the first time she'd done it, she had no idea she would fall for her. They'd been so young then, both so unsure of the other. She had come to Seattle for Derek, and Meredith had been caught in the middle. Could she break apart another relationship once more just for her own personal gain? It wasn't as thought she deserved Meredith, after all. From what Amelia had told her, Meredith was happy. Did she truly want to have that all blow up in their faces? These feelings, these emotions, could easily be buried again.
And yet, Jake's words came back to her: Go get your girl. So, for him, for his selfless sacrifice, for the marriage that she'd destroyed all on her own, she would try. She would try just this once. She'd already burned her life to the ground, so she might as well just tell her. To hell with the consequences. But as she approached the area where the patient was being kept, trying to gather her thoughts, she heard voices.
"When Addison had shown up at night, she introduced herself as Addison Shepherd," Meredith was saying, "and I thought she was one of his sisters. And then she dropped the bombshell that he was married. That I was the woman screwing her husband. And I was, well I was confused."
The cold, rainy night in Seattle came back to her often. From the moment she had met Meredith, she'd known that the blonde hadn't had any idea that Derek had been married. At first glance, she'd thought that maybe the blonde had known, but no, the pain on her face had confirmed that she was shocked that she was there. They'd been living apart, separated really, but legally, they were still married.
"Confused?" Nick parroted, sounding like he didn't believe her. It made her angry. The pain and confusion on Meredith's face that night haunted her dreams sometimes.
"Confused and hurt and," Meredith's self-deprecating laugh struck a chord, and she was desperate to make her presence known. Meredith didn't deserve a reminder of all of this right now, "He wouldn't let go. He would openly flirt with me, and then go back to her, and I was sick of it," She'd grown sick of it too, which is why she'd been the one to sign the papers first, "I just wanted him to pick me. This one good thing in my life, and it had all gone up in flames. So, I asked him to pick me." Back then, she wasn't sure she was in love with Meredith yet, more like constantly aware of her presence. But she knew if Meredith asked her to pick her, if she'd begged her hard enough, no matter how wrong it was, she would've left Derek sooner. But Derek had chosen to stick it out with her, and that made him, at least in that situation, a far better person than her, "It was wrong of me. I hated myself for even asking him to leave her. She was perfect. She is perfect. But she intimidated me," She nearly laughed out loud at that confession. So, Meredith had been intimidated by her? "And I wanted to go back to the happy bubble of before she'd ever shown up."
"And he left her?" Nick guessed.
Oh, if only it had been that simple.
Meredith laughed, and the sound made her smile slightly, "Oh, God no. He stayed with her for another few months. It was so clear they were both miserable. But she was determined to fix their marriage, and he stayed with her out of obligation. But I think they were trying too hard. Their marriage was over."
Their marriage had been over long before she'd ever cheated on him. Nearly 30 years later, she could admit that to herself. They'd both checked out somewhere around year 5 or 6. Like she'd said years ago now — we got successful and we got lazy and we just stopped caring. She should've asked for a divorce before she'd ever cheated, but hindsight was 20-20. Both Derek and Mark were gone now.
Nick's voice brought her back to the present, "So, what happened?"
"Eventually, they got divorced. And she left."
She remembered the night she'd told Richard she was leaving. That she was changing her life. And she was. She did. She changed her life. But she'd also run from the one woman, the one person, she'd wanted more than anything. And it hadn't gone terribly bad. Despite trying to sleep with every guy to forget Meredith - and failing - she'd eventually gotten Henry; the one thing about leaving was that she'd gotten him. And she'd thought she'd buried her feelings enough to stay happy with Jake. And sure, they were becoming sort of friends before she left but then…
"And then you just took her place as the loving wife?" She wasn't quite sure Derek had ever spoken with as much venom as Nick did right in this moment, but it took all of her self-control not to round the corner and verbally assault the man. No one deserved to be spoken to like that.
"No," Meredith spoke slowly, "No, we had this weird on-again-off-again thing going on. I didn't want him, not really, but he was there and wanted me."
She knew Meredith had settled for Derek. When she seemed fine when Derek had gotten with Rose, she knew it; that he wasn't who she wanted. She should've taken her chance then. But she was in LA and Meredith was in Seattle, and it was the right time but wrong place.
"He'd finally picked you, though."
"Not really," Meredith answered, "He'd tried dating a scrub nurse, Rose. To make me jealous. I went to therapy. Realized that I was done with him."
"But you married him," Nick was so confused, she could hear it in his voice, "Had three kids with him."
"Because she told me to." She could've sworn that her heart stopped as those words registered in her brain. There was a part of her that had suspected that her nudging had been the reason they were together again when she'd come back for Mark's grandson. Because she'd pushed her to be happy with him.
Nick sounded even more confused, "What?"
Meredith's sigh was audible, frustration and annoyance in her tone, "When Addison came back for a case, Derek and I were still broken up. She didn't like that Derek was with Rose, or maybe she just knew that I was who he really wanted. But she told me to not let him go."
Because I wanted you, but knew I didn't deserve you, she wanted to say, Because you deserved to be happy, even if it wasn't with me.
"Really, she was just trying to help," Meredith continued.
"So, you got back with him because his ex-wife told you to?" She couldn't help the soft smirk that fell onto her lips. Oh, she would tell Meredith to do a lot of things differently if she'd known the she had that much sway over her.
"When you say it like that, you make it seem…" Meredith stopped. There was a pause and then, "Anyway, the rest is history. And now he's dead. And I'm alone."
"Alone?" Nick's voice was low, and she barely heard him.
"What?"
"You're alone?" He repeated.
"I just meant…" Meredith fumbled.
"God, what have we been doing for the last few months?" Good question there, Nick.
"I don't expect you to help raise my kids," Meredith was struggling to keep the anger from her voice. She was surprised at how well she was doing. She would've already snapped. She'd done so so many times in her head already.
"Isn't that what a person does when they get with someone with kids? They help raise them?" Nick asked, "No, wait, maybe we should ask someone to see what your answer should be."
Anger ran through her, hot like a knife. What a fucking douchebag.
"Enough," The word came out in a near growl.
"Tell me, do you really want to leave? Or are you just doing it because Hamilton offered?"
"I haven't made my decision yet," Meredith answered.
"Is this just your MO? Move somewhere new, screw the first guy that takes your interest, and get him to fall in love with you?"
"No!"
She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around her, to shield her from the abuse that was being hurled at her.
"No, of course not, because there's no wife for you to take advice from. Sorry, ex-wife." Nick continued bitterly.
Anger coursed through her. And Meredith too because her voice was scathing as she replied, "Don't you dare!"
"What? It's true, isn't it? The only reason you even took that chance with him was because of his ex-wife."
"I didn't want him!" No, of course not, she'd already said that. She was content to let him be happy with Rose.
"What does that even mean?" Nick asked, his tone ruthless as he continued, "You have three kids with him! You groveled for him, begged for him, and now that he's dead you're saying you never even wanted him?"
"I wanted her!" Her heart stuttered to a stop and then picked up rapidly. What did she just say?! In the silence that followed, she was sure her heart could be heard hammering in her chest from where she stood, still as a statue.
"What?" Nick asked.
The pain was palatable in Meredith's voice when she spoke next, "When he and I broke up at Cristina's wedding, I had no idea that Addison had already accepted the job offer to go to LA." She'd only told Richard, and even he'd been hurt by her decision, but she hadn't thought that Meredith would even notice, "I was so hurt when I got back from Cristina's honeymoon, and she wasn't there. So, I started sleeping with him on and off. She'd left a few things in his trailer," That hadn't been on purpose, and she'd missed her umbrella so much, especially those first couple of weeks of what felt like non-stop rain, "And sometimes, when he rolled over and fell asleep, I would take out this one ratty T-shirt that somehow still smelled like her. When he started dating Rose, I found an excuse to go to the trailer and get it." Oh, was that where that had gone? Her old Yale t-shirt, with peeling letters, her favorite thing to wear on rough nights. She supposed she couldn't be too worried that Meredith wore it. The pain was clear in her voice as she continued, "Anything of hers was better than nothing at all. And when she came back for the case, that night at the bar, I just," The blonde took a breath, "I didn't want her to leave. But I had no reason to ask her to stay." Don't you know you would've been reason enough, Meredith? "Derek told me that after she'd cheated on him, I was like coming up for air. That he was drowning, and I could help him breathe. And she did that for me. When she came back, it was like I could breathe again."
She had no idea that that was how Meredith saw her. She felt like a constant reminder of her and Derek's relationship, believing that Meredith would never feel the same way. But this was…
"And then she told you to get with him. To not let him go," Nick realized.
"So, I did," Meredith confirmed, "And I let her go. And I eventually loved him. We have three beautiful children together. And he's dead. And I'm…" Meredith trailed off, and the watery smile was clear in her voice as she continued, "She's happy now. She has a perfect son and a perfect husband and a perfect life." Not everything is perfect, Meredith. Don't you know that?
"Wow," Nick laughed, though he sounded more hurt than amused, "Just wow. I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time."
"Nick," Meredith began.
He cut her off, "I can get the dead husband thing. Star-crossed lovers or bad juju or something. But you're telling me that you've been secretly in love with his ex-wife for what? Years?"
"What? No!"
"You want to move to Minnesota, have at it. But I won't be waiting for you."
"Nick, just wait a second. I'm not in love with…it was a crush." She smiled slightly at the panic in Meredith's voice. She remembers that panic, the same panic when she'd woken with a hangover the morning after she'd confessed to Jake and he'd told her it was okay. The panic of confessing to being in love with someone else, of not wanting to be alone. She got it.
"You don't have a crush on someone for that long. Either it fades, or it's still there." That was true.
"We can be happy together."
"No," he disagreed, "You're always gonna be in love with her. No matter how much you deny it. I can't compete with that. I'll stay and finish this case, but we are over. Goodbye, Meredith."
What the hell was she supposed to do now? He was making his way towards her. It would be obvious she'd been eavesdropping. But he wouldn't know who she was. No, absolutely not. As he rounded the corner and made eye contact, she found herself staring back at him. He reminded her slightly of Derek; his hair maybe, or his eyes?
He was almost past her when he stopped, his voice slightly wistful, "You'll take care of her, won't you?"
And a part of her wanted to deny it, to deny who she was, but that was a disservice to Meredith, to what she felt, what they both obviously felt. Instead, she nodded slightly, "I will."
His smile was clear in his voice, "Thank you."
She waited for Nick to be gone before she even thought about turning the corner. And even then, she hesitated. The woman that she'd fallen in love with was right around the corner, but she was terrified. She didn't want to fuck everything up.
She took a breath. And then another. Trying to steel herself. To remind herself that she wasn't going into this with one-sided feelings. That Meredith felt the same.
"Well, well," For some reason, she added just a little bit of Satan to her voice, a little bit of teasing, watching as Meredith flinched slightly at the sound of her voice, "how far the mighty have fallen."
Meredith blinked at her as she came into view. She watched her carefully, looking for any sign that she wasn't welcome But Meredith looked like she was still slightly dazed, just taking her in. It made her smirk slightly, knowing that even now, she had the same effect as the first time they'd met. That Meredith still wore the same awestruck look on her face.
"Addison," Her name came out slightly breathless, and it sent butterflies through her stomach.
"Meredith Grey, pissing people off. It's like I never left," she continued, smiling softly.
"I…" Meredith began but it was as though she'd hit some kind of mental block, words refusing to form. To be fair, that happened a lot with people around her.
"Never thought I'd see Medusa be at a loss for words," She couldn't help but tease her.
Meredith took a step towards her and then another. She wasn't even sure that Meredith was aware of what she was doing before she was being pulled into a hug. Warmth spread through her as she wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly.
"I missed you."
The words sent an aching pulse through her body. Fuck, she'd missed her so much, and it had only been a few months since they'd last seen each other. She never would've thought she could ever miss anyone more than her own kid, but there was this hungry pull that kept her craving Meredith. It was why she refused to let this hug die, keeping the contact as much as Meredith would allow.
She'd never thought when they'd first met that they would ever grow this close, ever develop feelings for each other. They weren't supposed to feel the same way, were they? And yet they did.
She never wanted to let go. She wanted to keep her close. Everything else could fade into the background.
"I missed you too," She muttered softly into her hair, and she felt Meredith take a shuddering breath.
She tightened her hold along her back, smiling slightly as Meredith rested her head just under her chin, sighing softly. She loved these hugs, where she could hold her without a care in the world. The kind of hug she'd wanted when she'd come back the first time - but Derek had been there. There had been no time in the elevator after the uterine transplant, just a quick half-hug really. But this? This was what they both needed.
I want to be the center of someone's world and I want them to be the center of my world. I want them to sacrifice for me and with me.
She felt Meredith take another shuddering breath and looked down at her, smiling softly as she peeked up at her. The soft blush that appeared on the blonde's cheeks made her feel like she'd accomplished something.
"I…um…" Meredith stumbled over her words as she stepped back, stepping from her arms, and she fought the urge to pull her back in.
"Better?" She asked.
Meredith nodded, and she brought her hand up, wiping at the tear streaks that were drying on cool cheeks. She could feel the intimacy of the moment, could nearly taste it.
"So, you're back?" Meredith managed, her voice cracking slightly as she stumbled over the words.
"I'm back," she confirmed, and then, "And you are definitely not alright."
"No, I'm good, I'm…" Meredith began, but she was having none of it. She reached around and started to untie her scrub cap, pulling it off before easily freeing the dirty blonde curls from the hair tie. Meredith had such beautiful hair.
"I heard about Bailey," She said, not looking at her as she busied herself with fixing her hair, "Guess she said a lot." Or so the rumor mill had said.
"Is she…" Meredith began.
"She's fine," She reassured her, "Panic attack."
"Good. Not that she had a panic attack. I thought that I'd given her a heart attack."
She smiled at her then, handing her the scrub cap, "There. Perfect."
"Thanks."
"Welcome," She was desperate to ask, but waited just a second before, "Minnesota?"
Meredith laughed softly, shaking her head, "It's a job offer. I need a change. The kids are on board with it."
"They're kids. They don't really have a choice, do they?" She asked, but really, she knew that wasn't the case.
"Of course they do," Meredith countered, "Their opinions matter. I have them to think about."
The hesitancy was adorable.
"No, go on," she encouraged, "Floor's all yours."
"I want them to be happy where they are," Meredith began, "I don't want them to think that I'm forcing them into anything. Zola is already looking at schools, and Bailey is going nonstop about sports, and Ellis, God, she's talking about all the new friends she'll make," Meredith smiled softly, "This feels right. And Nick, well, Nick was getting along really well with them. But, that's not, he's not, well, you obviously heard."
She arched an eyebrow, a hint of mischief in her eyes as Meredith stumbled over the words, "Oh, no, keep going. How did you manage to fall in love with Derek's ex-wife, and she just never knew?"
The blush that bloomed on Meredith's face made her grin; even the light smack on her arm didn't dissuade her, "Shut up!"
"Make me," Addison challenged.
The hunger was clear in Meredith's eyes, burning bright. And she wanted to be done with this teasing, to just take her in her arms, to kiss her until they both forgot any moment before the one they were in now. And as they stood there, she could see the swirling desire in the blonde's eyes slowly dim, making way for a perpetual sadness. She wanted to reach out for her, to hold her close, but before she could, Meredith spoke, looking at her again, a crushing weight seemingly taking over her thoughts.
"How long are you staying this time?"
"Oh, Mer," She said softly, not missing the way tears had started to pool in baby blue eyes, "I'm not leaving."
"What?" The word came out choked, like all the air in her lungs had suddenly left her.
"Breathe, breathe," She guided her carefully onto the nearby table, helping her up onto it. Was this because she'd said she'd stay? "Deep breaths, Mer." Relief flowed through her as Meredith followed her instructions slowly, "There we go. Good girl." Meredith's eyes shut tightly at that as she took another slow breath. Okay, maybe she shouldn't have said that. So, you didn't take him back? Good girl. It was a shame that they'd only decided to acknowledge their feelings now because if this was how Meredith reacted to the words, she would've said them more. "It's okay. Take your time." It was nearly five minutes of slow, deep breaths before Meredith took the chance to open her eyes, "Better?"
At her nod, she smiled. The shaky smile that was returned had her heart stuttering in her chest.
"I found this amazing house," she began, "Henry loves it."
"And your husband?" The pain was palpable in her voice, and now she knew what the panic attack was all about.
"Jake," She replied, "is still in LA."
"Oh? Tying up loose ends?"
She laughed softly, "I guess when you get wine drunk and tell your husband that you're in love with your ex-husband's widowed wife, he's a good enough guy to ask you for a divorce so you can be happy."
"What?" The shock in her voice made her smile slightly.
"The divorce was finalized last week."
"Last week?"
"I had to get things at the practice in order," She knew she was rambling but couldn't stop herself, "finalize the house purchase, get our stuff moved into the house, get furniture for the house. We got in last night. Still have to get my paperwork finished."
"You really are staying?" Meredith asked, unsure. And that broke her heart.
"That depends," She leaned in, desperate to close the distance, "Are you taking the job in Minnesota?"
Meredith licked her lips, "If I say yes?"
"Then I guess Henry and I will have to move again."
"You'd follow me all the way to Minnesota?" The disbelief in Meredith's voice made her smile.
"Meredith Grey, I would follow you anywhere."
"Would you?"
"Yes," She grinned and leaned forward, keeping Meredith effectively trapped on the table. She captured soft lips in a kiss.
Meredith sighed softly into the kiss, reaching out for her as she kissed back. This, this was what she wanted. What she'd been craving…what she'd been missing. What she would never give up.
Kissing Meredith Grey was something she would never tire of. She knew that. She wasn't sure how long they'd been kissing, but it wasn't until she registered another voice that she realized she wasn't alone.
"Grey," Ah, Bailey. It was Bailey… oh, shit. "I wanted to apologize for…" Bailey cut herself off. She'd barely managed to pull away from Meredith, glancing at the blonde to find the warm blush on her cheeks; they turned in unison to face her, "What are you two doing?"
"I'm convincing your Head of General to stay. You can apologize later." She called back, and Meredith laughed softly. She turned and pulled Meredith in another kiss. Bailey might as well get used to it. She would talk to her later, after all.
She was very close to climbing on the table with her when another voice, one she didn't recognize, spoke up, "Ah. Hey, Dr. Grey?"
Meredith let out a startled yelp, and she laughed softly at the sound. She looked over as she caught sight of Amelia.
"Yes, Dr. Bartley?" Meredith asked.
"Amelia, what are you doing?" she asked at the same time.
"Oh, you know. Walking."
"Does this mean you're not taking the job offer?" Kai asked, and she grinned as Meredith blushed.
"Ah, no. I'm uh I'm good here," Meredith replied, "Seattle is home."
"Okay, no problem," Kai offered them both a little wave as they turned away to head back down the hallway. They called back as they disappeared with Amelia, "Oh, by the way, I'm dating your sister."
She and Meredith exchanged a glance, and then she pulled Meredith off the table. They would definitely be continuing this later.
"Hey, wait!"
"What was that?" She asked.
They took off after Amelia and her partner.
A/N: Thanks for reading!