Obligatory Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and all associated characters belong to ShondaLand, not me.

A/N: Sorry for the delay (first post of 2010... happy new year!), this is version 16 and I think I'm finally okay with it! For anyone skeptical about reactions, as Shonda so kindly reminded us this season everyone reacts to death differently. If I get any reviews before or during the crossover I'll try to have an update done by the end of the two hours. On that note, finally after six long weeks of waiting... HAPPY GREY'S DAY!

Since Thatcher had arrived and signed the forms everything had been a whirlwind. Meredith had promised Lexie that she would stay with Susan during the surgery and she had. She had scrubbed in and then sat in a chair by Susan's head. Meredith had been talking quietly to the unconscious Susan and making sure to stay out of the way during the procedure and was startled when the monitors started beeping.

"Chief we have another bleeder!"

"Try to stop it- she's going into v-fib, get me a crash cart!"

So Susan was shocked repeatedly while Meredith watched and Richard finally called time of death. "Time of death, 13:22."

Meredith got up slowly and went to scrub out. After Dr. Bailey and Dr. Webber had scrubbed out the three had made their way towards the waiting room, where despite protests she walked up to Thatcher, Lexie and Molly.

"We did- we did everything we could-" she was cut off by Thatcher's voice.

"You killed her. You killed my wife! You infect everything you touch, you are just like your mother!" and then a resounding slap sounded in the room, followed by Lexie's gasp.

Meredith clutched her face. "What-"

"You are no daughter of mine. She came here because she said you were the best and look where it got her! You are not my family. You are not my daughter."

Meredith turned and ran, trying to hide her tears and ignoring Molly calling out to her. "Meredith- Mer, wait!"

Derek tried to intercept her but she pushed him away, not wanting to deal with him right now. "No, don't!"

She couldn't take it; she should have drowned, stayed at the bottom of the lake where she couldn't hurt anyone anymore. So she ran and ran, eventually collapsing blindly in an area of the basement she had never seen before, sobs wracking her tiny frame as she mourned the loss of a family.

Addison Forbes Montgomery was livid. She had been at the nurses' station when they had come out to tell Susan's family the news. Of course she was upset that Susan was gone, she had come to know the woman very well over the last few weeks and she had been kind. Molly, Lexie and Laura didn't deserve this. Thatcher, however... she couldn't for the life of her understand how he had ended up with Susan. She had wanted to immediately run after Meredith but seeing her reaction to Derek decided to give her a minute. She looked at Miranda and Richard, standing in shock, before squaring her shoulders and marching towards Thatcher Grey.

Richard saw her advance and tried to stop her. "Addison, don't-" he stopped abruptly when he realized it was already too late.

Before she started in on Thatcher she turned to face Molly and Lexie. "I am so, so sorry."

"You." she hissed, staring at Thatcher with undisguised disgust, her face switching from sorry to contempt so fast that Molly had to blink twice to believe it.

"What?" he answered stupidly, still in shock.

"What? You dare to ask me what, after what you just said to your oldest daughter? Actually, you know what; you don't deserve to have a claim to Meredith! She is an amazing woman and she just lost a mother too. So you don't get to stand there and blame her for a complication she had nothing to do with. She didn't cut Susan open, she didn't make her come here, and she didn't give her the damn hiccoughs in the first place! Meredith is a damn fine doctor and you better believe that she wants each and every person she helps to make it out alive. So I'm telling you, not only as a colleague at this hospital or her teacher but as her friend that you don't get to treat her that way. You don't get to call her names and you have no fucking right to lay a hand on her! So you had better turn around and walk right out of this hospital before I call security for assaulting a hospital employee. Are we clear?"

She was met with shocked silence before he nodded slowly. "Ah, ah, I see. You're just another one of her conquests, aren't you? That must be it, that's the only reason anyone would care for that defect. I didn't know she was a lesbian, that's just a whole new low even for her! I should have let her mother abort her, I should have! She only brings disease, that's all, look what she's done to my family, look what she's done... You'll be next, you'll all be next!" Thatcher's voice had risen to a yell and had caused quite a scene.

"Dad, calm down!" Molly shouted, placing a hand on his arm and trying to get him to quiet. "Please, Mom wouldn't have wanted you to treat Mer or Addison like this! She thought of Meredith as her daughter, you know that."

"Don't you talk about that bitch to me! You, you're just like her! You look just like she does, I can't- I can't look at you!" he forcibly threw Molly's hand off of him, causing her to land in the chair awkwardly.

Lexie had been watching quietly, trying to process that her mother was gone. She was embarrassed by her father's words and had taken Laura when Molly had gotten up. Something in her finally snapped when she realized exactly what he had been saying and when he touched her baby sister that was it, dad or not. She stood up quickly, passing Laura to an incensed Addison.

"You shut the fuck up, you understand? You don't get to talk to Dr. Montgomery like that and you don't get to touch either of my sisters!" Lexie shouted, tears streaming down her face. "Right now, you aren't my father, you're some grieving man who can't control himself. But you better exercise some control right now before you do something even more stupid than you already have! Dad, please, Mom wouldn't have wanted you to act like this."

Thatcher put his hands on his face and stammered "Oh-okay, okay."

Lexie lead him out of the hospital slowly, trying to get him towards the car. Addison helped Molly up and handed Laura back to her.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Molly managed a watery chuckle. "I'm sorry, I don't know how I'm laughing right now. I don't know, she was my mom and now she's gone. Tell Meredith- tell her that I'm so sorry. For what he said to her. I still think she's my Merbear, okay? And Addison, I'm sorry for you too. Thanks for calming Laura down."

Sure enough, the screaming toddler had quieted once Lexie had handed her off to Addison.

Addison hugged Molly quickly. "No problem Molly. Let me know if you need anything, okay? With the arrangements or the service or just in general. I'll let Mer know what you said, I'm heading after her right now. I just- someone needed to be on her side. Good luck, Molly. See you later."

With that, Molly left with Laura and Addison walked back to Richard and Miranda. "How could you let her be the one to tell them? You know what, don't answer that and don't you dare reprimand me for standing up for her. Don't page me, I'm going after Meredith."

She left at a run, hoping that Meredith hadn't left the hospital from another route.

Miranda looked at Richard. "We really screwed up this time, didn't we?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yes. Yes, we did."

Love? Hate? Thoughts in general? Let me know!

Posted January 14th, 2010