GAGAGA
Chapter 4: "Lean on Me"
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"So that was weird," Alex said once he'd settled into Meredith's Jeep.
"Oh come on, Dad is just a normal guy, just like you or anyone else."
"I know," Alex mused. "That's what's so weird. I mean, come on, the guy is the chief of surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. Eating dinner with the Chief is like getting drunk with your high school teacher. It's weird."
"I guess," Meredith conceded. "I have to stop at the store. Do you mind?" she asked, though she was already pulling into the parking lot. When Alex started to take off his seatbelt, Meredith stopped him. "I'm going to be, like, two minutes. Just wait here." Alex shrugged and stayed behind.
The moments alone gave him a chance to contemplate his night with Richard Webber, surgeon extraordinaire, and his relationship with Meredith. Though they weren't actually related, it seemed like they had one of the best parent-child relationships he had ever witnessed.
His thoughts were interrupted by the opening and shutting of the trunk. "Did you time me?" Meredith asked.
Alex laughed and shook his head. "Meredith?" he asked, his thoughts returned to her and her family. "What happened to your real dad?"
Meredith put her Jeep back in park and turned the car off before turning to look at Alex. "Richard Webber is my real dad," she said, almost forcefully. "He adopted me and everything. As for my mother's first husband … he left us a long time ago, and I honestly have no idea where he is or if he's even alive still." A tear formed in her eye and Meredith let out a cynical laugh. "I don't even know why it still bothers me. I mean, I know it shouldn't, because I have Richard, and he's the best Dad that anyone could ever ask for."
Alex was sorry. He'd never meant to make her cry. He wanted to reach out, physically, and let her know it was okay, but he couldn't make himself move. Instead, he watched as she took one last deep breath to control her emotions. She steadied herself and reached back to the ignition, turning the key. He wanted to tell her about his own crappy childhood and how she was lucky that her father never came back. But he couldn't.
He was surprised when they pulled up to his house, but even more surprised to hear her voice. "He would have had to sign the papers to let Richard adopt me," she whispered. This time, Alex forced his hand over to her, grabbing her hand to remind her she wasn't alone.
"Want to play Rockband?" he asked. It wasn't what he meant to come out at all, but he was glad it did.
Her response was elicited in a giggle, then a full-out laugh, and eventually an emphatic nod. "I bought you some Coronas and limes for a celebration present," she told him, still laughing.
"That was what the all-important trip to the grocery store was about, Grey?" he asked. She nodded. "Sweet."
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"Grey, you are the worst Rockband player in history," Alex announced, falling onto the couch in a fit of laughter.
"At least I know the words!" she argued. She collapsed next to Alex. "I'm done. Cut me off before I attack the tequila." She halfheartedly threw a slice of lime at Alex.
"Oh come on, I thought this was a celebration!" Alex whined.
"It is. I just have to drive home. I thought I might be responsible and not be drunk when I drive."
Alex shrugged. "Fine. Drive home at three in the morning. Kill yourself and someone else, see if I care."
"Alex!" Meredith shrieked. "You just want to get me in bed with you again!"
"Admit it, you don't want to go home to Bambi and Barbie anymore than you want to work with She-Shepherd." He sat back triumphantly as he handed her another beer. "Why do you have roommates if you don't like them there or even need them there? Isn't it your mom's house? Shouldn't it be all paid for?"
Meredith sipped her Corona. "That's just it. It's my mother's house. Not having roommates would make it mine." She turned to look at him, seriously. "I'm not ready for that, yet." She let her head rest on the couch behind her and closed her eyes.
Alex studied her face for a moment and considered how small she looked at that moment. "Is it hard? Seeing Shepherd and She-Shepherd everyday?" he asked.
Meredith kept her eyes closed. "I wish I'd never met Derek Shepherd. At the very least, I wish I'd told my dad that I was involved with him at the very beginning so that he could have told me Derek was married. I just … I wish they would go away." She sat up and opened her eyes. "I mean, they have a life in New York. Shouldn't they be there?" Meredith fell over dramatically. "What about you and Izzie? Regrets?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Yeah," Alex exhaled. He sipped his beer thoughtfully. "Izzie's cool, but she … wanted me to be someone I'm not. I don't play nice with others. I don't do the whole group bonding thing. We went on, like, half a date, and then she was all like, 'You've got to hang out with me and George and blah blah blah.' I don't know how you can stand it."
Meredith sighed. "She means well."
"Yeah, well, so did the US in Vietnam, and look how that turned out."