AN: Thank you so much for following this journey with me. I appreciate you all. Sorry this took forever to get up. My life has been crazy. Pipes being crushed. Tree impaling my roof. Flooding inside...Being a homeowner has never been more fun... However Its just calming down now and I am ready to write again.
So I have a mini story, after this of Lexie/Mer it's not quite a sequel.. but kind of is, since it will be after these events.
I also have an actual sequel to this story I have been working on. If I get brave enough to post it.
A few weeks later
Weeks Later
"You're extra stompy this evening…" Meredith observed as she watched her sister stomp around the kitchen flinging dishes into the sink. Muttering under her breath. Shoving bites of Twinkies in her mouth between the stomping.
"This evening?" April whispered to Meredith "Where have you been? Like the last two days?" She asked in a hushed whisper as she took a seat at the table next to Meredith and began to scoop some pasta that Lexie had made for anyone who wanted any that night.
"I am fine." Lexie snapped without looking in their direction. "Don't talk about me as if I am not in the room, April."
April winced, "Sorry." She apologized quickly.
"What are the chances this is poison?" Cristina asked, scooping some her own bowl before taking the other seat next to Meredith. Popping the top of her beer as she eyed April. "Kepner, try it…If you die…We know."
Lexie spun around throwing a dish towel onto the counter. "Trust me if I wanted to kill you, you'd have been dead a long time ago…and your death would have been labeled as a medical mystery. That would never be traced back to me." She tapped her temple "They call me Lexipedia for a reason…I read true crime articles. I know things."
Cristina glanced at Meredith "When did 3 get dark and twisty?" She asked before lowering her voice "And can you confiscate crime articles from her and maybe monitor her viewing habits. You could have a serial killer under your roof."
"Lexie." Meredith's tone was calm as she ignored Cristina's comment. She motioned to the empty spot next to April. "Come sit down, eat with us."
Lexie turned back to the dishes "Do you know Alex had dishes in his room. Dishes that have probably been in there since Izzie left? They are growing things." Her nose crinkled in disgust "If he's going to be growing new life in bowls. You should up his rent…"
"That I believe." April nodded, twirling her past around her fork before putting a bite into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed "There is always an odd smell when you pass by his room."
"Yeah, the smell of disease." Lexie mumbled.
"Wait, didn't you used to screw your brains out in there, with him?" Cristina asked, earning a hard slap on the arm from Meredith.
"What?" Cristina asked, rubbing her arm "We told her her heart lived in her vagina…And Derek walked in on her naked…"
"Great, so this is throwing everything Lexie has ever done back into her face tonight?" Lexie asked as she threw her dish towel at Cristina. "Screw you!" She snapped, pausing briefly at the bottom of the stairs. Her face flushed. "Respectfully screw you, and please don't remember this tomorrow at work." She added before she flew up the stairs.
"You know…" April cleared her throat "Sometimes you have to read the room…"
Meredith slapped Cristina's arm again.
"Okay. Ouch… Would you quit doing that?" Cristina rubbed her arm. "We always give little Grey a hard time. It's our thing. She's not normally this sensitive." She reminded Meredith "She knows it means I….care…" She coughed getting the last part out.
"Kepner isn't wrong about reading the room." Meredith stood. "The amount of slamming and muttering and Twinkie eating was a clear tell that tonight was not a normal night, and something is bothering her."
She glanced up the stairs "Tonight is probably a dance it out night…Someone want to prepare the Tequila? I'll go check on her."
April nodded "We will pour some drinks and get a good playlist going. She's been tense for a few days now."
Meredith gave April a small thankful smile before grabbing a bag of peanut butter cups that she had secretly stashed away for emergencies before she headed up the stairs.
"Do you really think Lexie knows how to kill people without getting caught?" Cristina pondered as she took a bite of the pasta.
"Probably" April nodded "And if you're not careful you'll be the first to be offed."
"Funny you think that…" Cristina grinned between a bites. "I am not the one who wanted to start a chore chart….Or dropped her bagel into the sink."
"That was my bagel, and she dropped it into the sink." April grumbled getting up when she heard a knock at the back door. "My money is still on you…" She pointed as she opened the door to find Arizona standing there with a box of cookies from the bakery by the hospital.
"Hi" She greeted her with a smile "Come in Arizona…Those look delicious."
Arizona grinned "I know…they are beautiful…I brought them for Lexie."
"Man." April's shoulders fell as Arizona grinned "But I brought you one all of your own." She assured the redhead as she put the box down on the counter before pulling out a mini bag from her purse handing it to April. "Your favorite…If I remember correctly."
"Arizona Robbins, you are my favorite." She grinned while taking the cookie.
"It's hard to be me." Arizona grinned. "Being everyone's favorite…"
"You're not my favorite." Cristina offered. "I like you and all.. But you aren't favorite status."
Arizona rolled her eyes "Nor are you mine, you used to use all the hot water…All of the time, and leave your disgusting cereal bowl in the most random places."
Cristina just shrugged as she sipped her beer.
"Where is Lexie, she said she was home making dinner." Arizona asked.
"Stomped dramatically up the stairs…in the middle of a tantrum…Someone's super sensitive tonight." Cristina pointed to the stairs as April rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I would be too, if my week was anything like hers." Arizona responded quietly as she picked up the box of cookies. "May I?" She asked April.
"You don't have to ask me." April shrugged.
"You live here…" Arizona smiled, "I was trying to be polite." She added before heading towards the stairs.
"You brought me a red velvet cookie, with cream cheese frosting and white chocolate chips, you can do anything in this house." April assured her. "Meredith just went up too."
Arizona nodded before she headed up the stairs to go find the Grey sisters.
"Lex?" Meredith poked her head into the attic to find her sister sitting on her bed having a stare down with the blow mold Santa.
"I am fine, Mer." She assured her "Go back down to your dinner and Cristina."
Meredith took a few more steps into the attic. "Can I come in?"
Lexie's shoulders fell. "It's your house Meredith, you can do whatever you want."
Meredith came all the way into the room. "This is your space…If you don't want me to come in. I will respect that."
Lexie was quiet for a few seconds tapping her fingers on the mattress. "It's okay."
Meredith entered the room all the way and went and sat next to Lexie on the edge of the bed. "I bring a peace offering?" She held out the bag of chocolates.
Lexie glanced at them before looking back at her lap. "Thanks."
"Are you okay?" Meredith asked as she placed her hand on Lexie's back. Not expecting the girl to flinch at her touch and pull away.
Her hand fell to her side. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
Lexie's face turned red before she began to jiggle her leg nervously "You didn't. I am fine."
Meredith's eyes scanned her sister from head to toe, taking in her body language. The jiggling of her leg. Her snapping. Her stress eating. Something was clearly bothering her kid sister.
"Hey, it's me." She spoke calmly placing her hand on Lexie's leg stilling the motion. "Talk to me….You don't seem okay."
"Knock, knock." Arizona appeared in the doorway. "I brought cookies." She held out the box, April told me you were up here…I hope it's okay."
Lexie smiled as she stood "Of course, come in, I thought you were working late tonight?"
"Was able to rework my schedule." She smiled, "And Mark took Callie to the Mariners game, so I am all yours."
The tension seemed to leave Lexie's body as Arizona came into the room setting the box of cookies on the bed.
"Hi." Arizona greeted Meredith "I have several cookies…Plenty."
"Thank you." Meredith responded politely.
"She's got plans with Cristina." Lexie answered quickly as she looked to Meredith and then to the door.
Meredith cleared her throat as she stood. "I suppose I do." She headed for the door. "We'll be down stairs if needed." She offered. As she tried to not be hurt by the dismal.
"Got it." Lexie nodded before turning her focus to Arizona "Sorry, the attic isn't ideal…"
"We can talk here." Arizona assured her of taking the spot Meredith had just been occupying.
Meredith headed quietly out of the room stopping three steps down.
"Lexie…It's okay…" She could hear Arizona's tone soft and comforting.
She heard her sister respond but it wasn't audible as her tone was very low.
"Honey, you have to talk to her." She heard Arizona answer gently.
Meredith turned and went down the last several steps very quietly before heading to her own room. She sat on the foot of her bed looking at the ceiling. She wasn't sure why Lexie wanting to talk to Arizona over her, hurt her feelings the way it did. She had Cristina. She talked to Cristina about everything. Things she'd never talk to Derek or Lexie about. She didn't keep much from her husband, but Cristina was her person. Her sounding board. Sometimes she just needed to say something to move on.
While she was also fairly open with Lexie there were things she didn't talk to her about either. Not because she didn't trust her. Not because she didn't love her. She loved the girl in the attic fiercely actually. Yet she'd taken on the role of the protector with her at some point. There were things she didn't discuss with Lexie because she was her kid sister.
She couldn't fault her sister for not wanting to tell her everything when she herself didn't. Yet it did feel like a blow to the gut. She'd grown accustomed to Lexie coming to her wanting to talk to her.
Was she jealous? She wondered as she took a deep breath calming herself. Now she knew how Lexie felt that day when she and April had been talking back and forth about the miscarriage in secrets, while Lexie was watching. No wonder Lexie compared herself to the crazy woman who drove her car into the laundry mat. She didn't like the feeling either. Though she was thankful that Lexie had friends she could talk to. She knew Lexie didn't have Cristina, but knowing she had someone when she felt like she couldn't talk to Meredith. Was comforting.
"Blowmold Santa is a great listener." Lexie half joked to Arizona after Meredith had left the room. "You'd be surprised how much I tell him…Does that make me crazy? Maybe I really am the crazy Grey."
"Hardly." Arizona shook her head as she made herself comfortable on Lexie's bed, putting the box of cookies between them while they rested their backs against the headboard. "These cookies are great. I am glad Teddy introduced them to us at the last girls' night."
Lexie took one of the cookies from the box "Shoot, we didn't make Meredith take one with her."
"Because you kind of kicked her out." Arizona reminded her gently.
"I didn't kick her out." Lexie defended as she thought about it for a minute before groaning. "Oh..god..I did. I kicked her out of my room…and I didn't give her a cookie. I am the worst sister ever. It's just the icing on the cake…"
Arizona shook her head "You're spiraling. You are not the worst sister ever and she's just down stairs…"
Lexie blew some hair out of her face as she played with her cookie. "I need to bring a cookie."
"I am sure she'd like that." Arizona offered "And I am sure she'd like to talk to you."
"I know." the younger Grey nodded. "I know I need to talk to her, before she sees the damage on her own…She's going to hate me…again." The younger Grey's shoulders fell "How could I be so stupid? How did I not know I was being prodded and set up?"
Arizona handed Lexie a cookie "For what it's worth, I don't think Meredith is going to hate you. Nor do I think you're stupid."
Lexie exhaled "I don't want this to set us back." She bit down on her lip. "Or worse have her hate me." Lexie pulled a magazine out from under her pillow and handed it to Arizona. "four page featuring article that thousands of people will read."
Arizona took the magazine and flipped through it, finding the featured article and began to read it.
"So the person who wrote this article?" She asked "Was a friend from high school?"
Lexie nodded "She was my best friend. She comes to Seattle once a month or so to help out her mother, and for a while we'd meet for coffee while she was here." Lexie explained "Here I thought I was just having coffee with Kate.. We'd chat and catch up on each other's lives….I think it increased more after my mom died." She explained "I thought she was just trying to be there for me. We grew up together. She loved my mom."
Arizona nodded as she tried to piece together what happened. "So you're meeting her for coffee monthly and she is asking you about your internship?"
Lexie took a bite of a cookie "Yes, I should have noticed that all her questions eventually landed ont Meredith. My surprise older sister, my dad's first marriage. The lost years. About Ellis and all about how Meredith and I met…"
Lexie groaned as she fell back against the pillows "And now there is this article, that doesn't paint Ellis Grey in a great parental light."
Arizona raised her eyebrow "Lex…"
"Nor does it paint my father in a good light." She added. "Which I mean, he wasn't that great to Meredith. But to me he was a great man."
"Lex"
Lexie groaned "Yes, we all know that Ellis and Thatcher failed Meredith. We all know Ellis Grey was one of the most brilliant doctors to ever walk this planet, and we all know that parenthood was not her strong suit, but the world doesn't need to know that." She pointed out..
"And the article paints Meredith as cruel and mean to me at first, and me needy and stalkery and desperate.…" Lexie groaned. "I mean I did go out of my way to tell Meredith I dug up at a dead cat.."
Arizona held up her hand as she kept reading before whipping her head around. "Wait.. What?"
Lexie shrugged "I was trying to comfort her about how she was handling her dead mother being in her locker…."
Arizona shook her head again as she tried to make sense of that.
"You had to be there?" Lexie shrugged.
"You and Meredith had a rocky start, it's not a lie." She agreed, choosing to ignore what she had just heard. "Those who knew you both, knew it was rocky…But honestly you throw two long lost sisters together in a weird situation. I highly doubt it is sunshine and rainbows and unicorn stickers…"
Lexie groaned "I know, but now it looks like I was airing our dirty laundry to a friend…That I thought Meredith was horrible, because she was horrible to me when I got here. I have loved Meredith since I found out about her. I wasn't complaining about her."
Arizona kept reading the article "She got great pictures of you, and Meredith."
Lexie peered over "She got some from my father before he died.… I don't know how she got the others." She sighed "The article is a hate letter to my sister…"
"Did you finish reading it?" Arizona asked as she passed over the medical magazine to Lexie.
"No." Lexie admitted "I stopped reading…"
"Read it" Arizona encouraged "It's actually a beautiful article about two brilliant long list sisters, with the connection of a love for medicine, who form a very special unwavering bond on their own terms. How they are trying to make this world better. With their common love for medicine."
Lexie sat up straight "What?"
"Read it" Arizona encouraged "All of it, it's a great article…It shows how far you two came, with the same goal and passions for medicine, and learning to put what the world threw out at you. To have a bond.. To encourage each other's careers. It's saying you're both better doctors, because of your compassion, willingness to forgive."
Lexie flipped through the article "It's not an I hate my sister family drama article?" She asked, "A trash talk?"
Arizona shook her head "No, it's a rare story of the connection of sisterhood. Not everyone has a sister bond like you two do. Especially after the odds and obstacles put in your way."
"It painted Meredith mean at first…"
Arizona shook her head "It painted her as guarded, Lexie it's your story. It is not theaterized. It's written as it played out."
"It does?" She asked as she began to skim the article again. "I am so worried, Meredith is going to read it as a hate letter." Lexie muttered to herself. "and kick me out." She bit her lip. "Tammy got my dad's house. I have nowhere to go. My family all died recently…Besides Tammy."
Arizona rubbed Lexie's back as she let the girl continue reading the article.
"I think you may have a fear of being abandoned." Arizona offered "Which would be great to talk over with your therapist. You lost a lot of people recently. You don't want to lose more."
"I don't." Lexie agreed "Meredith, and my friends at the hospital. Mark. They're my home."
"We're not going anywhere." Arizona offered…. "And Meredith isn't going to kick you out."
Lexie finished reading the article and sat there for a minute processing it. "It's not bad…"
"It's not bad." Arizona promised. "Your friend did violate your trust, by not asking for permission to write this piece and that was wrong, but it's not nearly as damaging as you think." She paused for a moment. "It made you and Meredith seem authentic. People want to see Drs as authentic caring people and not machines. It makes them more relatable."
"I've been so mad at myself and Kate all this week." Lexie groaned…"Worrying about hurting my sister."
"Talk to your sister." Arizona encouraged. "I think this is a beautiful article. What you and Meredith have is very beautiful, and an underrated story. The Grey sisters are something special."
Lexie blushed but smiled as she stood. "I just didn't want it to be a slap to her face. She has done so much for me the last few months."
"Talk to her, this has had you stressed all week, and with your patient dying this morning, you don't need to keep carrying all that stress."
Lexie sighed and nodded and grabbed the cookies. "Thank you." She motioned "Come watch the twisted sister's dance it out with me. It's always fun." She smiled "April and I usually have running commentary. It's great."
"That's an offer I can't turn down." Arizona
Tequila had been consumed. Cookies had been devoured.. Dancing had happened. All in all it wasn't a bad night. Yet Meredith couldn't shake the annoying feeling of being left out of whatever Lexie and Arizona had talked about.
She sighed to herself as she poured hot water from her kettle into her tea cup. She was tired but couldn't sleep. She couldn't get comfortable and was restless which was keeping Derek from falling into a good sleep. She'd slipped down stairs to have a mug of tea. Hopefully that would help her sleep. To let go of the jealousy she was feeling. It was childish to be jealous that her sister talked to one of her friends about something over Meredith. Lexie had every right to talk to whomever she wanted.
"Is there enough hot water for a second mug?"
Meredith looked up to see Lexie hovering in the doorway of the kitchen. Almost as if she was hesitant to come in.
Meredith nodded and grabbed Lexie's favorite mug from the back of the cupboard. She grabbed the box of tea bags and dropped it into the mug before pouring the remaining hot water in.
Lexie by this point had crept into the kitchen. She had an oversized sweatshirt on her hands shoved inside as she stood by the counter watching Meredith work.
The older Grey went to the fridge and pulled out the cream. Her little sister liked cream and honey in her tea late at night. Meredith on the other hand did not. She fixed Lexie's drink the way she knew she liked it before pushing it over to her.
She grabbed her own mug and headed to the table.
She raised her eyebrow as she watched Lexie keep one hand firmly inside the oversized pocket of the sweatshirt, while the other one grabbed her mug before joining Meredith at the table.
"Can't sleep?" Lexie observed.
"I am restless." Meredith admitted "And curious to what you have hidden in your pocket." She motioned as Lexie kept one hand in her pocket and was fidgety.
"A magazine" The younger Grey admitted
"A magazine?" Meredith asked "Like a dirty magazine you're afraid of being caught with?" She asked with a slight grin. "Lexie, I promise I am not looking under your bed for your stash…You're not going to get caught…."
"What?!" Lexie asked with a gasp. "Yuck., no. Meredith." She blushed "No it's not a dirty magazine. Get your mind out of the gutter."
Meredith shrugged with an amused grin. It was so easy to make her sister blush and squirm. Sometimes she couldn't pass up the chance.
Lexie pulled out the magazine and tossed it on the table.
Meredith scanned the cover. It was a magazine she was familiar with seeing in the break room at the hospital. It was a commonly known magazine for doctors. Centered around medical breakthroughs. As well as awards and get to know you pieces about doctors all around the world. She didn't honestly ever read it that much though. She usually had a million other things going on.
"Stole a copy from the break room?" Meredith asked "Feeling guilty about it? You know nobody will actually care that it's gone…"
"No, I didn't steal it, Meredith." Lexie grumbled as she narrowed her eyes.
"What's with the look?" Meredith asked, holding up her hands. "I am pretty sure someone in this room's kid sister had some hot fingers. Things she used to get from the hospital to furnish her apartment with George."
Lexie couldn't argue that fact. Meredith had caught her stealing flowers once. "I didn't steal it." She repeated. "A friend of mine sent this copy directly to me."
"Oh." Meredith sipped her tea.
"Um" Lexie cleared her throat. "There is a four page layout about us in it…."
That was not something Meredith was expecting to hear. She put her mug down and reached for the magazine. "About us?"
Lexie nodded and slipped her hand back into her pocket to keep herself from stopping Meredith from taking it. "My best friend from highschool, she wrote it and submitted it to them."
Meredith flipped through the pages looking for the article as Lexie cleared her throat.
"I didn't know she was writing it Mer, honest." Lexie held up her hands. "I didn't realize when she was asking me questions about me finding you, and starting to work with you. That she was taking notes to write an article…I had no idea…I swear." Lexie rambled. "Arizona said it's not a bad article, but I wasn't sure. You have to know I wasn't talking bad about you. Or Ellis, Or dad. I would never talk bad about you guys. She was someone I trusted. I was just sharing my life."
Meredith held up her hand looking over the magazine at her sister but saying nothing. The motion alone silenced the younger Grey for a few moments at least.
"I have been so worried you'd be mad at me, that you'd kick me out. I don't want to lose you too. I have nowhere to go. Tammy has the house, I suppose I could buy it from her. Or buy something else."
Meredith kept reading but reached out and laid her hand over Lexie's. She squeezed it one this time silencing her completely.
After finishing the article she closed the magazine and pushed it back towards Lexie. "Do I like to have attention shined on me, like this?" Meredith finally spoke. "No…"
Lexie's cheeks flushed as she looked down at the table. "I am so sorry."
"How ever it's a nice article." Meredith offered "My mother literally had thousands of articles written about her, and her brilliance. It's nice to see someone seeing the potential in our gifts. Not just based on our last name."
Lexie slowly looked up.
"I am not mad at you Lexie, and this is your story too." She reminded her. "Not just mine. You're allowed to speak about your life experiences."
"Yes" Lexie agreed "But off the record…"
Meredith nodded "I think that's something you're going to have to take up with your friend."
"Former friend." Lexie mumbled.
"She's not part of your world right now, this is the first I've ever heard you mention her, but that doesn't mean you have to cut her off completely. Just make sure you enforce boundaries with her in the future."
Lexie nodded but didn't say anything.
"The more time we are together, sometimes I see how similar we are." Meredith smiled "And I think both of us have some fears of abandonment. Some trust issues." She added "We've been hurt by this world. People we have loved have left us. Even if it wasn't by their choice."
Lexie looked up as Meredith continued.
"We haven't known each other very long. A few years." She added "We don't have that lifetime of trust built yet." She added "We are still working on our sister relationship along with our friendship." She reached for Lexie's hand "But you have to hear me." She squeezed it. "You are my sister, and I love you."
Lexie swallowed hard. "I love you too."
"I know." Meredith smiled "You have to start trusting me, that I am not going to leave you, even if I get mad at you. I am going to be there for you, and I am going to fight for you… You don't have to be afraid to talk to me about anything." Meredith insisted. "Even if you think it's going to make me mad or hurt my feelings. I want to hear what you have to say. I want to know what is going on in your world. Always."
Lexie smiled "Same. Mer"
"You came into my life, like a wrecking ball. You have broken every barrier I have in probably the shortest amount of time…And now you're here. I am not letting you go anywhere…" She promised "I promise you Lexie. Please hear me. You can trust me to stay."
Lexie tucked some hair behind her ear as she nodded. "I am sorry, Meredith. After losing Dad, Molly and Mom."
"I know." Meredith promised.
"You also have to know how much I respect you." Lexie added. "I'd never bad mouth you, to anyone."
"I know." Meredith promised. "The past few months, after your attack and losing Dad and Molly were horrible to witness what it did to you, the pain you went through. I'd never wish it on anyone." She shook her head. "Yet, in some ways, I think it brought us closer together, yes?"
Lexie thought about it for a moment "It was awful." She agreed "Though I agree. I think we are closer."
"I know we are." Meredith assured her. "I am thankful for that, and I am thankful for you."
Lexie shoved the magazine back in her oversized pocket as she sipped her tea thinking about.
"I was jealous today." Meredith admitted getting Lexie's full attention. "Which proves to me, we have something special."
"Jealous?" Lexie asked. "Of what?"
"You not wanting to talk to me, I could tell you were worried about something" She admitted "And you wanted to talk to Arizona about it, but not me. "Like you felt when I was talking to April. Where you felt I didn't want to talk to you."
"I usually always want to talk to you, Meredith." Lexie promised.
"I know we aren't going to share everything, but I always want you to know, you are welcome to talk to me about anything you want to. I'll always be your sounding board."
"Thank you." Lexie smiled.
Meredith stood and put her tea cup in the sink as she yawned. "Now I am actually tired, so I am going to try and get a few hours of sleep, before you and April start bickering over who has to make the coffee." She walked behind Lexie and ran her hand over her head. "See you in the morning, my little Grey. Sweet Dreams" She offered before heading up the stairs.
"Sweet Dreams." Lexie called up to her sister's back as she finished her tea. Reflecting on the attack. The day Meredith found her in her tub bruised and battered. How scared she'd been of what Meredith would think of her. More than what had even happened to her.
Though now she realized she had nothing to fear. Meredith had been there with her and for her every step of the way. Never once looking at her differently. Never once acting if she was broken beyond repair.
She hadn't run. It wasn't too big for her. Wasn't too ugly. She didn't turn away. Never in waivered.
They had grown closer throughout all of this. More comfortable with each other. They were of course still learning about each other. Still figuring the other one out. Still developing trust.
Maybe the world still test them. Nothing was ever easy for the Grey girls, but maybe their connection and bond as sister's would help them face things head on together.