AN: You guys are seriously the most amazing followers. I can't thank you enough for your reviews, comments and follows. It always blows me away. I never feel like I am worthy enough for them.
"I can carry it."
"No you can't. It's too heavy."
"I am not broken…"
"X Rays say otherwise. Parts of your body are literally broken right now."
"Whatever."
"Call me later after you surgery." Meredith called over her shoulder as she and Lexie entered the back door in the midst of a bickering fest. To find April and Cristina at the counter a casserole dish between them and forks in their hands and beers in front of them.
Meredith deposited a huge box onto the table before pushing Lexie towards the stairs. "Go take a hot shower, change into something comfy and come back down for something to eat."
"I am not hungry" Lexie mumbled heading for the stairs.
"I don't recall asking if you were hungry." She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "You have had a slice of toast all day."
"and your point?" Lexie muttered under her breath.
"I also want to check your stitches at some point tonight."
"They're fine, Meredith." Lexie snapped turning on the stairs. "I am fine!"
"I still want to see them for myself." Meredith shrugged, "Go shower, change and come back down."
Lexie threw up her arms dramatically. "Oh that's right! You're Meredith Grey, and we all live in Meredith Grey's world. Where we all do what she says when she says.. Because we are your damn puppets!"
"I am giving you one hour Lexie, or I am coming up" Meredith managed to keep her tone calm as she ignored the puppet remark.
Lexie threw her head back and growled loudly in frustration before turning around and stomping up two steps. Before it grew quiet. Probably because the stomping actually hurt and wasn't worth it. However a few seconds later the bathroom door could be heard slamming causing picture frames on walls to shift slightly.
Meredith turned to see Cristina and April watching forks paused mid way to their mouths. "Works better when you actually put the food in your mouth." She commented to them before going over to the cabinet and pulling out a bottle of Tequila. Once the cap was off she took a big swig. Fully enjoying the sting it left as it ran down the back of her throat. Before grabbing a plate from the cupboard and joining April and Cristina at the counter.
"Did you and Lexie have a fight?" Cristina asked cautiously as Meredith eyed the casserole they were eating.
"Nope" She shook her head "Is there egg in that?"
"No" April responded "It's a chicken and cheese bake, probably about a pound of different cheeses in here.. It's delicious but no eggs…"
Meredith nodded as she scooped some on a plate and put it to the side before picking up a clean fork she dug into the casserole dish like April and Cristina were doing.
Cristina looked confused as she watched Meredith's actions. "Is she mad at you?"
"At me?" Meredith asked "No.. not at all." She swallowed a bite before taking another swig from the bottle that was by her. "That was not personal at all. I am just safe...and she knows it. I can take it."
April and Cristina exchanged confused glances.
"Did the reading not go well?" Cristina asked "I decided to come over here tonight to see how it went, and you have all this food you need help eating."
Meredith glanced at her watch and realized it was seven. They had been with her fathers for almost five hours. Probably would have been later had Derek not called in for an emergency trauma surgery.
"Did he leave a big mess?"
"Actually between Susan's life insurance, some very smart investments he and Susan made… Some he made after her death with a little of her life insurance, and his own life insurance policy. Lexie, Laura and I were each given 2.1 million dollars."
"Shut up!" Cristina sprayed some beer out of her mouth that she had just taken a sip of. "Your father had millions? No way...I would never have thought that."
April's nose curled up in disgust as she wiped some beer off her arm. "Gross"
Meredith nodded "My mother used to tell me he was an idiot...Complete idiot..but she was wrong." She added "He was actually quite brilliant and made some really wise investments.."
"And Lexie is mad about the money?" April asked confused.
"I still can't believe your dad had that much money." Cristina whistled. "Really never would have guessed."
"It was a well kept secret." Meredith responded "Which we found out he did on purpose. Lexie didn't even know he was worth that much."
"Damn" Cristina whistled "Is that why she's mad? Because of her student loan debt, when could your dad have helped?"
"Lexie doesn't have much school loan debt, she had a lot of scholarships." Meredith shoved another bite into her mouth. "This is really good." She affirmed April's earlier observation. "What has Lexie spinning is he left her childhood home to his sister."
"Oh" April sighed as her eyes flashed with understanding "She's sad, because it's the place that feels like home? All her good memories...Pieces of her mother, father and sister are in that house."
"It's just a house," Cristina shrugged. "It's not what made her mom her mom."
"Of course not," April agreed. "But it's the visual...the place where she can probably still feel them. It's her home."
"This is her home." Cristina reminded the red head.
"This is where she lives," April corrected.
"Oh please, she's home..here with Meredith...It's her home. Snow White has a home."
April went to argue that point but couldn't as she dropped her hand. "I am just saying I think I might be upset if my parents just gave away our family farm to someone who isn't me or my sisters.. That's all."
"You want a piggy farm?" Cristina's eyebrow shot up.
"Not the point" April rolled her eyes.
"So she's mad she didn't get the house?" Cristina asked Meredith.
"In the letters my father left for us, he actually did try to tell Lexie that the house is not what made their home." She glanced at Cristina who turned to get Kepner a I told you so look.
"Oh shut up." April mumbled.
"But she's still mad?"
"Mad is an understatement. She lost her shit when the lawyer announced it." Meredith corrected "And he actually told us that before he told us about the money. We didn't find out about the money until much later.." She paused for a moment as she recalled the look Tami had on her face. It still made her want to punch the woman. "You guys, you should have seen the smug ass look on Tami's face when the lawyer announced it." She exhaled, "She took great pleasure in watching Lexie suffer."
"Well that is a red flag." Cristina scoffed. "Watching Lexie suffer is like watching a baby bunny die on the side of the road."
Both April and Meredith shot her a look their eyebrows raised mid forks to their mouths.
"What?" Cristina asked, looking between them both "It's sad and uncomfortable to see."
"There is something off with this Aunt Tami person." Meredith stated ignoring Cristina's remark. "The way she talked to my sister after it was announced that she was getting the house was downright disgusting. If I hadn't been physically holding Lexie back from killing her. I might have myself."
"What did she say?" April asked with concern.
Meredith was quiet for a moment as she thought about how to phrase it. "Eric stopped by and gave me a card that Molly was going to give me when she got here."
"ooh" April winced.
"In the card Molly mentioned that when Lexie was little they used to say when Lexie would dream up something, that she was living in La La Lexie world."
April shook her head while Cristina snorted back a laugh. "La La Lexie world? Good one."
Meredith shook her head "No. Not at all... and we're never going to say it to Lexie. Ever." She narrowed her eyes on Cristina. "Understood?"
The smile left Cristina's face as she nodded "Understood."
"Maybe it started out cute." Meredith sighed "At some point it became an insult. I think she was insulting Lexie's mental stability. The way she was saying it, was saying it as if Lexie were crazy." She shook her head "That woman threw it out at her several times."
"Rude" April put her fork down.
"She also said to me, sometimes when Lexie enters La La Lexie world sometimes she has to go to the nice doctors to make her sleep...but I already knew that didn't I?" Meredith took another long sip from the Tequila bottle. "I think she knows that Lexie was admitted a few months ago into the psych ward."
"Thatcher could have told her in worry." Cristina pointed out. "I am sure Lexie told him about it when she was home."
"Maybe" Meredith agreed "But the part I am really stuck on is Lexie's reaction...She was enraged… and I do mean rage. I think if I hadn't been holding her back she would have beat that woman down."
"You should have let her." Cristina commented as she got up to grab another beer. "Sounds like she had it coming."
"If I wasn't worried about what it would physically and emotionally do to her, I may have." Meredith agreed "I sure the heck wanted to...Lexie dead seriously looked at this woman and said… I have been keeping your secret all these years and this is how you repay me."
"Oooh interesting." Cristina's eyebrows perked up "Family drama...I am here for it."
"From reading Molly's letter to me, and from what Tami has said. It seems to me that some people have taken Lexie's heart and emotions and everything that makes her special and has used it against her. To hurt her."
"Oh that's so sad." April agreed. "Poor Lexie. You'd never know. She's usually pretty happy."
"I am beginning to think that Lexie may not have had the perfect childhood, I thought she had." She admitted "I have got to do some digging to see what kind of relationship my father and aunt had. Figure out the root of this mess."
"Sounds like she's a vulture." April observed "If your father kept the money on the down low. He didn't want her to know."
"Agreed" Meredith agreed. "We found out about the house first, and then she was asked to leave. The last part of reading was supposed to be just for us girls."
"How long was the reading?" Cristina asked. "Didn't you head there around three?"
"It was only an hour" Meredith answered "With Tami getting the house, Derek and I thought it would be best if Lexie packed up the most valuable things. The things she wanted or wanted Laura to have; and get it out before Tami gets the keys."
"Smart" Cristina agreed
Meredith motioned to the table "That box has all of their jewelry and photo albums in it. There are three hope chests in my car. Derek will bring in later. I guess Susan had been making one for each of us for years."
"For you too?" April asked with a sad smile.
"My father kept them after she died, and was adding to them when he traveled?" She shrugged. "After he stopped killing himself on booze that is."
"How do you feel about all of this?" Cristina asked, glancing at the bottle of Tequila.
"Processing" Meredith admitted "I can't even put into words how much my brain is running right now."
"That seems fair." April agreed as she got up and put the plate in the microwave, pulling it out just as Lexie entered the kitchen.
"Impressive Kepner" Cristina mused "I didn't even hear her coming."
"Heard the floorboards squeak" She smiled "From when you come down from the bottom of the attic. I can usually tell when she's coming down stairs."
"I am here, you don't have to rip any doors off of hinges." Lexie announced.
"Good" Meredith smiled, narrowing her eyes "You know I would have." She patted the stool next to her. "Come, sit. Eat. Be social."
Lexie exhaled "Meredith... "
"Please?" her tone gentle as she reached out and caught Lexie's wrist as she walked by the counter heading for the box on the table.
Lexie stilled for a moment while Meredith held her wrist in her hands. Blue and brown eyes locked.
"Please?" Meredith requested again "Eat a few bites and let me see your stitches...After we will get your box of things to the attic and you can be alone.
Lexie exhaled loudly as her eyes traveled to her wrist in Meredith's hand. "I am not hungry." She repeated but did come and sit on the last stool next to Meredith.
April pushed the plate and a fork in front of Lexie before going to get her a bottle of water.
"You know" Meredith began cautiously as she watched her sister pick up the fork poking at the casserole. "Be mad. Throw things. Cry. Scream. Yell at me as much as you want, I can take it. I won't take it personally." She encouraged.. "Feel everything you're feeling Lexie, it's okay." She reached out and placed her hand on Lexie's back tapping her finger tips gently on her spine. "Just do me a favor?"
Lexie looked up from her plate for a moment.
"Just try not to retreat so far into yourself, that I can't get to you." Meredith whispered. "Please."
Lexie took the water April had given her and took a small sip avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room. "Do you think I live in La La Lexie world too?"
"No" Meredith responded firmly and quickly. "I absolutely do not think that. I don't know how that saying started...But I feel like it became a dismissive term to make you feel bad for feeling what you feel. It's rude and not cute!" The older Grey insisted. "I personally hate it."
"Me too," Lexie admitted quietly as she put her fork down.
"In fact if I hear anyone say that to you again, I will sic Cristina on them." She winked, "And she'll destroy them."
Cristina's eyes got big before she grinned "Yes. I haven't made anyone cry recently. I'd love to make someone cry."
Lexie let out a small laugh before nodding "Okay."
"The reference to La La Lexie world is dead." Meredith nodded as she picked up Lexie's fork and handed it to her.
Lexie responded by taking a small bite. It wasn't much but to Meredith it was the start she was hoping for.
"Wait…tell me again why you are leaving a trail of glitter behind you?" Meredith asked with a laugh as Arizona and Callie walked her front porch steps a few days after the reading. Some things were starting to get back to normal for Meredith at least. Lexie still hadn't been cleared to come back. Callie needed to see healing and strength to be built up, before comfortably clearing her. Not to mention Lexie's incisions became infected again. Adding more to her healing. They just removed the stitches a few days prior and were in hopes everything else would be settling down.
"So they were two love struck eleven year old's who didn't want to be separated?" Callie asked as both she and Meredith were listening as Arizona shared her crazy story of the day.
"Yes.. Two eleven years old kids." The blonde confirmed as she laughed. "They did the traditional super glue trick of gluing themselves together, but they also used handcuffs and filled the keyhole in with super glue and cement.. and rigged a glitter bomb around the links of the cuffs. with this crazy technology I've never seen. So when someone tried to cut the cuffs off clouds of massive glitter exploded everywhere. "I am going to be finding glitter in places where glitter shouldn't be for weeks. I feel bad for the poor soul who had to clean our exam room."
"That's true love" Callie whistled looking impressed.
While Arizona scratched her ear and pulled out her finger to show Meredith the glitter. "See.. I swear it's everywhere on me."
"Hot.." Callie winked, "I can't wait to go on a glitter hunt with you."
"Augh" Meredith groaned as she rubbed her forehead. "Didn't need that visual Get. A. Room."
"Trying Grey, but someone's little sister blew off her appointment today. So here I am. checking in on her."
Meredith shook her head. "Oh that girl! When I said I wanted to have kids with Derek, I wasn't exactly asking for the moody teenager…" She joked before her face became serious "But seriously...She's starting to come around. I got her laughing really hard this morning. Chocolate milk came out her nose." She quickly halted in her tracks when she spotted a figure on the porch swing.
"Merry Berry…."
"Oh for the love of God." Meredith groaned, slapping her hand to her forehead.. "What are you doing here?"
The woman stood, "I just want to talk to Lexie, I don't like the way we left things."
Meredith crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at the woman decked out from head to toe in Zebra print the smell of vodka and smoke assaulting all three doctors noses. So much Arizona took a step back. Her skin turning a greenish gray. Meredith was sure if she stood there longer they'd be seeing puke and glitter.
"Arizona, will you go in and check on...?" She didn't even have to finish her sentence.
"Mmm hmm" Arizona responded quickly as she took Meredith's keys and quickly headed for the door.
"I knocked, but Lexie never answered the door." Tami supplied.
"I don't mean to sound rude…" Callie spoke before Meredith could. "But isn't that a sign to you that Lexie may not want to talk to you."
"I fear that my little apple dumpling may be falling into La La Lexie world."
"Stop it!" Meredith warned her tone threatening. Causing Callie's eyes to grow wide.
"Merry Berry…"
"No" Meredith held up her hand narrowing her eyes. "Stop referring to whatever feelings my sister has, as La La Lexie world. It's demeaning and harmful to her."
"Meredith" Tami used Meredith's full name as she stepped closer to the young woman. "Your father came up with the term when she was about three…It's said out of love."
"I believe that when my father started saying it to Lexie, it was out of love." Meredith agreed "I know how much my father loved Molly and Lexie. He'd never purposely hurt them...Yet somehow down the road it became degrading. Something said to her, to make her question her sanity. I will not tolerate it at my house."
Tami took a deep breath "Do you know that I picked this house out?" She asked looking behind her. "Your mother was busy at the hospital. Thatcher didn't know how to house shop...I stepped in and found this house...and set up your nursery." She smiled sadly "Your mother couldn't be bothered to plan for you…I gave you a nursery fit for a queen. Not a princess, your mother refused anything cute..."
Meredith cleared her throat trying to gage where Tami was going with this.
"When you were born, you were such a good baby." She smiled "Happy. sweet...Smart too." She added. "You were talking in full sentences before your first birthday…" She smiled sadly as if she was remembering the lost time. "Molly was also a happy baby like you. She was always giggling and babbling...More average. She hit milestones but nothing like you...Or Lexie." She added. "Lexie on the other hand was a difficult baby. That girl was born crying and never stopped. She was smart though. Talking early, like you. She could read by the time she was two….Susie never wanted to do anything about Lexie though. She swore up and down it was normal for that baby to be so damn fussy. But it wasn't normal!"
"Babies cry." Callie stated placing her hands on her hips. Narrowing her eyes. This woman was getting under her skin. "I don't think there was anything wrong with Lexie because she was a fussy baby. She could have had colic. She could have been a sensitive teether… A million reasons could have played into her being fussy."
Tami eyed Callie. "And you are?"
"Lexie's friend. As well as her doctor." Callie narrowed her eyes.
"I see." Tami nodded "Then maybe you should hear this too." She added. "When Lexie was about three, she had a tantrum. That turned into a melt down. That lasted almost thirty six hours. The girl screamed and cried. Refused to eat or drink. Made herself puke. Threw things...hit herself. Hit anyone who tried to hold her. Susie eventually took her to the hospital and they had to sedate her, to get her to calm down."
Meredith and Callie exchanged a glance.
"Okay, that's not normal." Callie whispered to Meredith.
"So something happened." Meredith nodded "What's your point?"
"My point Merry Berry...Something isn't right with Lexie, and Susan would never get her help. Get her on medication..." Tami narrowed her eyes at Meredith "Didn't your sister's ex boyfriend commit her to a psych ward."
Meredith narrowed her eyes. This woman did not want to go down this road with her. "Her reaction was a normal reaction to a very scary trauma! She's not crazy, Tami."
"Merry Berry, Listen to me…"
"No...You listen to me!" Meredith stepped closer to Tami as she spoke slowly. "She was involved in a mass murder. A man with a gun came into the place we worked...Trying to hunt her! He shot her coworkers in front of her. She watched people die! Her boyfriend at the time almost died in her care. The man held a gun pointed at her.. Telling her he was there to shoot her. She watched him be shot by a swat team. Her brother in law was shot and almost died! Her reactions to the trauma were normal."
Tami had the grace to wince at Meredith's story.
"In fact… Maybe just maybe you have the wrong Grey sister labeled as the crazy one." Meredith made her eyes go bigger as she smirked. "I mean, I am the one that knowingly put my hand inside a man's chest and held onto a live bomb…" Her eyes continued to get bigger. "And I am the one that walked up to the shooter and told him to shoot me, to be an eye for an eye." She bit her lip but continued to smile at Tami. "I married my husband on a post it note. I yell, I break things. I drink a lot. I had a lot of dirty sex in my early years...I am known as dark twisted … and Lexie.. Well Lexie has been labeled as the good girl. The shiny and bright Grey… So which one of us is the crazy one?"
Tami groaned "I see you can be unreasonable as her, Merry Berry." She rubbed her temples "Lexie needs a medical power of attorney Meredith. She needs mental help."
"Don't we all?" Callie let out a sarcastic laugh
"You should let me talk to her." Tami insisted "You should let me get her help!"
"When hell freezes over." Meredith's smile faded as she stood taller. "If God forbid Lexie does need medical intervention now or any time in the future… It'll be me and my husband, it will never be the woman that took pleasure in her pain… Now get off my porch!"
"Don't say I didn't warn you Meredith." Tami headed for the steps. "When she hurts you or herself. Don't come crying to me, to clean it up."
"That's a promise I'll carry to my grave." Meredith snapped before she turned on her heels and went inside her house, slamming the door.
Callie turned to Tami. "If you are genuine about caring for the girls. You should leave now. You can see that they are upset and you are not helping the situation."
"I just wanted to talk to Lexie Lue Who." Tami held up her hands "Not start a war."
"Does Lexie have your number?" Callie asked calmly.
"She does." Tami confirmed
"If Lexie wants to talk, she'll call you, but I think it's best if you leave now." She added before she let herself into Meredith's house and locked the door behind her.
"Someone is crazy." She looked to Meredith who was standing there ringing her hands as she tried to calm her nerves. "and I don't think it's you or Lexie."
"She's not going to go away, is she?" Meredith asked in frustration "She's here to raise some real hell…"
Callie nodded "Seems that way…"
"What in the hell happened when Lexie was three?" Meredith asked nobody as she looked up at the ceiling. "Whatever secret my sister knows, Tami doesn't want her spilling it. Her end goal is to get my sister committed…"
"She can't talk or be taken seriously in a mental hospital." Callie reasoned "At least that's what she thinks."
"Guys, I've searched the whole house." Arizona came down the stairs joining Callie and Meredith in the entryway. "Lexie's not here.. but phone and her keys are." She held the keys and phone out as she bit her lip in worry as she looked between Callie and Meredith.