Obligatory Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and all associated characters belong to ShondaLand, not me.
A/N: Sorry for the wait. This one is for Clai (Ziny-DiNozzo) for checking to see if I was still alive and for Katie (rolly_21) for pushing me to update. Thanks, ladies. If you guys could review and let me know what you think, I might update more quickly... just saying.
Laura babbled incessantly in the back seat as Meredith drove back across Seattle to her house. There was something about her chatter that brightened her day, making her able to almost completely ignore the reason why she had Laura right now.
Susan was gone. Really gone, as in not coming back and her sisters were making funeral arrangements gone. Arrangements for a funeral that she might not be able to attend; in his grief Thatcher was a right bastard. It had been nice to speak with Molly and Lexie face to face and see that they really didn't hate her for not being able to save their mother. Most fake-sisters wouldn't do that, although technically they weren't fake sisters since she spent so much time with them, especially Molly, and Molly would probably slap her if she found out she was thinking of them as fake sisters...
The light changing to green turned her concentration back onto the road and she spent the remainder of the drive concentrating on Laura's babbling and the vehicles around her. Getting in a car accident, especially one with her niece was the last thing she needed right now.
Pulling into her driveway, she was relieved to see that Izzie had gone home or into the hospital as she didn't feel like dealing with anyone other than Addison right now. Getting Laura out of the car, she grabbed the diaper bag and struggled up the steps and through the door.
"For a cute little girl you sure are heavy, aren't you Laura?"
Flipping the hall light off and re-locking the door, she winced as one of Laura's wayward hands slapped her in the face. "Ouch, Laura. That hurt!"
Addison wandered into the hall with a bowl of cereal in her hands in time to see Laura's slap.
"Laura, don't hit your Auntie Mer! She hasn't done anything to you yet, why don't we wait until the end of the day and see about it then?"
Meredith rolled her eyes and passed Addison the bags. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, you're being really helpful today."
Addison smiled winningly as she brought everything into the living room. "You know you love me."
"Unfortunately," Meredith sighed in mock frustration. Putting Laura down with some toys, she sat across from her and helped her with some blocks.
Addison crouched down next to her, surprising Meredith. Getting comfortable and ducking a flying block, she looked at Meredith seriously.
"How is everyone over there holding up?"
Meredith shrugged. "They're all a mess. Thatcher is still drunk, Lexie is eating, and Molly is holding everything together... when she snaps it isn't going to be pretty. All the family is over right now, I even ran into my Aunt Pat." She shuddered at the memory.
Addison raised an eyebrow. "Not your favourite person, I take it?"
"Absolutely not. She was one of those aunts that always pinches your cheek and tells you how thin you are. I ran into her once when I was 10, she had come to Boston to visit an old friend and ended up at Mass Gen with a broken leg. She happened to see me coming in to wait for my mother just before Christmas. I hadn't seen her until now."
"She sounds like my mother."
Meredith patted Addison's arm sympathetically. "I am so sorry."
They sat in silence until Laura got bored and Meredith decided that taking her to the park would be safer than letting her crawl around the house since it wasn't childproofed. After extending an invitation to Addison, who accepted, Meredith gathered up everything they would need, ensured that they had snacks and drinks for Laura and set out to walk to the park.
Laura enjoyed being pushed on the swings immensely and while they played with her, Addison quizzed Meredith to prepare her for her upcoming exam. Several hours passed before Molly came by to pick up Laura and Addison was proud of how well Meredith had fared.
Cuddling Laura close to her, Molly turned to her sister. "Thanks so much for taking care of her today Mer, you too Addison. How was she?"
"No problem Mols. She was great; she behaved at the park, went down for a nap around 3 and slept for about an hour. She had no problem eating the food you packed for her and she just finished a bottle. She really is an angel Molly."
"If only she could be like that for me! I'm glad she slept though, she hasn't been sleeping well the last week or so and that's made her really cranky in the evening."
Grinning, Molly turned to Addison. "Now, this is what I really want to know... how did Mer do today?"
"Molly!" Meredith gasped and slapped her lightly on the arm. "I'm offended, little sister. Have you no faith?"
"Chill Mer, I'm just kidding. If I didn't have faith in you, I wouldn't have given my baby to you for the day, trust me. Really though Addison, how did she do?"
Addison smiled at Meredith. "She was great with her Molly, really great. She'll be a wonderful mom someday."
Meredith blushed and Molly beamed.
"Really? I'm like a proud Mama, Mer!"
"Thanks. How did things go today?"
The smile fell from Molly's face and she grimaced. "Well, Dad is sober, the family has finally evacuated my house and arrangements were made for Wednesday. They offered me a spot Thursday but you said that was when your exam is and I want you to be there. Plus your friend invited me to her wedding, so I want to be able to go and not feel guilty about being happy the day of my mother's funeral."
"You... you want me there? Really?" Meredith's eyes filled with tears.
"Of course I do, Merbear." Molly enveloped her into a one-armed hug, trying not to squish Laura who was getting fussy.
After a minute or so Molly pulled away and adjusted Laura on her hip, pretending not to notice Meredith wiping her cheeks.
"Well, I'd best be off to put Miss Laura to bed and clean up my house. I'll call you tomorrow Mer. Thanks again guys!"
"No problem Mols!"
Addison had been silent during the sisters' conversation but waved to Molly. "Drive safe, Molly. Bye, Laura!"
Meredith shut the door after Molly pulled out of the driveway, grabbed a plate of Izzie's chocolate chip cookies from the kitchen counter and collapsed on the couch.
"I am so exhausted. Who knew a kid was so much work?"
"You're lucky Laura is so well-behaved, some of Derek's nieces and nephews are nightmares."
"Are they really? There are what, 14 of them? Why do women want to have so many children? I mean, there's labour, which lasts forever for some women and hurts like a bitch because you're pushing a child out of your vagina, and then there's the sleepless nights and the anxiety..."
Addison cut her off with a hug, which a startled Meredith returned.
"What was that for?"
"You're cute when you ramble, Mer."
Meredith inexplicably felt her face heat up again.
"Thanks, I think."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, with Meredith moving to use Addison as a pillow after she polished off the cookies. Addison's hand running through her hair had her becoming drowsy and she began to fall asleep, content to remain where she was.