Obligatory disclaimer: I freaking wish I owned this ! The closest thing I'll claim is being Satan's little sister :) I just take the characters and play with them.

What's this? Three in a row? This one's longer than the last few and contains some pretty interesting moments, unexpected visitors and bonding time!

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed- Kelly, Clai, Katie, ladysmirnoff and luvlexi714, as well as to those who added me to their favourites or subscribed!

The next morning Meredith lay in her bed sullenly, not wanting to get up. She had hoped that yesterday had been a nightmare and that the sounds she was hearing in her kitchen were made by Susan stocking her cupboards, but her hopes were dashed when she stumbled downstairs and saw that it was Izzie, making breakfast and baking up a storm.

"Izz! What are you doing here?"

"Good morning, Meredith!" Izzie said cheerfully while putting muffin batter into pans. "I heard about what happened yesterday and thought I'd come over and bake and make you food to cheer you up, like you did for me with Denny. I mean you didn't bake, you lied on the bathroom floor with me but since you're up I don't have to do that... please don't be mad!"

Meredith sighed before hoisting herself up onto an unoccupied space of the counter. "Izz, I'm not mad. I just... I was hoping you were Susan. I know she's gone, but I really wanted it to be a nightmare."

Izzie paused in her baking, pleasantly surprised that Meredith was talking about her feelings instead of bottling everything up inside like she used to. "You know Mer, when Denny died I felt him everywhere, especially when we were in the hospital. That's why I didn't want to go back. But Mer, you didn't kill Susan like I killed Denny. If I hadn't cut his LVAD... but this isn't about me. My point, Mer, is that for a while the pain is going to hurt, really hurt, but eventually it will get better. You guys did everything you could to save Susan and it wasn't your fault, you never even touched her.

"You saying that you're the one who killed Susan is the same as Lexie saying that she killed Susan. Lexie knew the risks of the procedure were far outweighed by the benefits and she also knew the signs of infection, just as you did. Lexie didn't perform the procedures on Susan and neither did you. Do you see where I'm going with this?" Izzie asked as she placed the last tray in the oven and turned to face Meredith.

She was answered with another sigh.

"Mer, all of us are just worried about you. I don't mean to be a bother, but-"

Izzie was cut off by the front door slamming open. "Meredith Grey, get your ass out of bed!"

"I am up, I'm in the kitchen!"

Cristina trudged into the kitchen where she found Meredith sitting on the counter and Izzie standing by the sink.

"Good morning Cristina! Do you want a muffin?" Izzie tossed a muffin at Cristina, who caught it and took a bite.

"Mmm, that's good Barbie, thanks."

"You're more than welcome, Scalpel Whore."

"I'm sorry Barbie, was that supposed to offend me?"

Meredith couldn't help but laugh at their antics. "Hi, Cris."

"I heard about fake mommy. I'm sorry. I'll miss her feeding me when I come over here."

To anyone else Cristina's sympathies would be considered rude and offensive, but Meredith and Izzie knew that that was just how Cristina was.

"Thanks, I will too."

"Barbie, can you leave for a second? I need to talk to Mer."

"I'll be in the living room," and with that she skipped out of the kitchen, leaving the twisted sisters by themselves.

Cristina cleared her throat uncomfortably. "So, uh, Mer..."

"Did Burke send you over or did Izzie call?" Meredith asked, getting straight to the point. Cristina wasn't normally one for emotions and she had a feeling there would be emotions involved in about 10 seconds.

"Burke did, actually."

"You don't have to tell me it'll all be okay Cris. I know that it won't be."

"It's not that, it's..." Cristina took a deep breath. "I told you that my dad died when I was 9, right?"

Meredith nodded, remembering what Denny had told her when she had died. "Yeah, you two were in a car accident and he bled out in front of you. You felt his heart stop because you were trying to stop the bleeding; that's why you want to be a cardio god."

Cristina looked visibly shaken that Meredith already knew so much. "How?"

"Denny told me when I was dead." Meredith replied quietly.

"Oh. Well, I had a speech. I was going to tell you that it wasn't your fault and that you couldn't have done anything, just like I couldn't do anything when the accident happened. It was long, elaborate and motivational but basically: don't mope, remember her as she was and check your damn answering machine."

Meredith stared at her, shocked. "How did you know that I have to check my answering machine?!"

"Well for starters Mer, it's in your entrance hallway and it's flashing like mad. Secondly, have you met Molly?"

"That's true," she said giggling. "Molly is enthusiastic and motherly."

"Especially about you. So, go over there, and-"

They were cut off once again by a knock at the door. Meredith sighed and called "I'll get it!" before Izzie or Cristina could.

Opening the door, she was shocked to see Derek.

"What the hell do you want?

"I want to fix things between us Mer, please," he said pleadingly, giving her the McDreamy look that he knew was her weakness.

'So... McDreamy...' Meredith couldn't help but think. "What... no. No, no, no, no. No!"

"Why not? Mer, we were happy."

"I can't believe the nerve of you! My step-mother just died, and you're here asking me out! Are you fucking kidding me? I told you no! I told you I never wanted to see you again, and yet here you are, on my doorstep!"

"I told you I would always come back."

"You don't have anyone to come back to, Doctor Shepherd. Get out of my house, off of my porch and off my property!" 'Nope, definitely McAss.'

The commotion at the front door had brought Addison down from upstairs and Izzie and Cristina in as well. All stared in disbelief at the sight of Derek in the doorway.

"McAss, why are you darkening the doorstep?"

"Yang, that's uncalled for."

"Uncalled for? Uncalled for? I'll show you uncalled for!" Cristina made a move towards Derek but was held back by Meredith and Addison. Izzie had disappeared into the kitchen to grab what she had said was an 'essential item especially for Dr. Shepherd.'

"Derek, back off. Now."

"Why should I, Addison? I love Meredith," he said smugly, trying to get a rise out of her.

"No, you don't," she replied calmly. "You love the idea of her. Maybe you did once, but now you don't. If you did, you wouldn't be here when she told you to stay away from her, especially right after her step-mother just died."

"Yet you're here!"

"That's because I live here, Derek, I'm her roommate." 'And how I wish I was something more...'

Derek scoffed. "Right, I'm so sure. Why don't all of you run along so that Meredith and I can organize when we're going to get together."

"We are not getting together anytime soon, I thought I made that clear!" Meredith spluttered angrily.

"Apparently not clear enough," sneered Cristina. "How did someone as brainless as you end up as a neurosurgeon?"

Derek opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the return of Izzie, who had ditched the apron and now held a frying pan.

"Right, look. Dr. Shepherd, I was raised in a trailer park and I will kick your ass if you don't leave right now. As an added incentive if you don't believe me..." she brandished the frying pan threateningly. "I will use this."

"No, you wouldn't."

"Do you want to bet?"

The serious look on Izzie's face and the murderous looks coming from the other women let him know that she wasn't kidding and had him walking out the door quickly.

As a parting shot, Cristina threw in, "If you come near my person one more time I'm coming near you with a rusty scalpel!"

All the women laughed at the horrified look on his face as he got into his car and peeled out of the driveway.

"Thanks guys, I needed that," Meredith gasped, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Anytime Mer, anytime. I'll be right back, my muffins are almost done!"

"You're welcome Mer. Now, the answering machine. Answer it, and call me later if you need me, my shift starts in an hour."

"Have fun at work!"

After Cristina had left Addison sat next to Meredith on the couch and they both looked at the answering machine.

"It's not going to answer itself, Mer," Addison said gently.

"I know, but I don't want to. Do I have to?"

"I'm sorry sweetie, but you do. Do you want me to sit here with you while you do it?"

Meredith shook her head. "No... no, I think I should do it by myself."

"Okay." Addison stood and squeezed Meredith's shoulder in support. "I'll be in the kitchen with Izzie if you need me."

After she was alone in the room, Meredith sat there and stared at the answering machine, willing it to answer itself.

'Do I have to? I do, don't I. Fuck.'

Sighing for the umpteenth time that morning, she rose from the couch and reluctantly pressed play on the machine.