I don't know if I ever explained this, but it's okay if a chapter ends are you are like "WHAT?" and you feel 5 kinds of confused. Because this fic doesn't go in chronological order there is a pretty good chance that at some point whatever is confusing you will be explained.

That is the BEAUTY of this fic.

That said, if it's still confusing you, put it in a review and I will answer.

The other thing, this chapter is different in that it is narrated by a previously unknown character. There are reasons for this. I'll explain them at the end.

For now...

Read and enjoy.

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Thursday

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Germaine

It was not a pleasant day. It was late October and it was cold and damp.

Dismal.

That was the only way to describe it.

Dismal.

There were no longer leaves on the trees, they just sat on the ground in wet clumps, sticking to your shoes when you cut across the grass.

And of course she was wearing sandals.

Her car sputtered into park ––which is all her car did lately and it didn't occur to her to mind–– and she took stock of the situation. 2 cars parked on the street. If she had to guess she would say she was looking at 1 sister and 2 in-laws.

The one sister she could handle.

She sighed heavily and headed for the front door, cringing when the wetness of the grass hit her bare toes.

"Someone better be dead!" She yelled into the house.

A door slammed upstairs in response.

"Geri!"

"Ooouf?" she expelled as she was almost knocked backwards into the wall, "Who are you?" she asked in fake confusion.

"Colin!" he laughed.

"Colin?" she repeated, "I don't know any Colins."

"Yes you do," he giggled as she picked him up and threw him over her shoulder, "Will you paint my face?"

"Sure," she agreed entering the kitchen, "Gayle," she said to her sister-in-law, "Teach your kid some manners. He attacked me before I could even get my shoes off."

Gayle simply shrugged and continued trying to force strained peas into her unreceptive toddler.

Germaine collapsed at the kitchen table and put her feet up on the chair beside her. She picked up the stack of cards in front of her –– there had been a game of snap going on at that table since she was 7 –– and nodded a challenge at Daniel, her brother-in-law. "What's so important that I had to miss a day and a half of lectures?"

Her sister, Celeste sighed and exchanged looks with Daniel and Gayle, "Let's wait until we are all here."

"Her Highness couldn't tear herself away from her oh so important job."

"Geri," her sister sighed.

She glared.

"Germaine," she corrected herself, "Just don't."

The front door opened and the sound of heels echoed through the hallway.

Germaine barely glanced up as her sister entered the kitchen, "Gangs all here."

"Geri."

Germaine glanced up. She hadn't changed at all. "Red," she greeted.

"Don't call me that."

"Don't call me 'Geri'."

"Not that it matters, because clearly you could care less, but when was the last time that you brushed your hair?"

"My hair? Your hair is pulled back so tight it's practically giving you a face lift."

"What are you even doing here?"

"Celeste called me."

"And you came alone?"

"Sorry. I didn't know that dates were required for family emergencies."

"Hey!" Celeste exclaimed. Everyone became silent. She took a deep breath, "I think that Dad is having an affair."

XXXX

"On Monday," Celeste explained slowly, "Dad called me. He needed to borrow my key to get into the house." She paused "Mom threw him out."

"What!" Germaine exclaimed, "Why?"

"Have you not been listening? Celeste just said that Dad was running around."

"He's like 70!"

"Shut up!" Celeste spat. She took a deep breath, "I've been coming by everyday and from what I can tell, they haven't spoken. At all. And..." She trailed off unsure of how to continue, "Mom won't come downstairs, and Dad wouldn't come out of the den."

The sisters all exchanged glances.

"And then today," Celeste continued regretfully, "Dad went upstairs, and when he came back down he was wearing a suit. Mom yelled at him and said that if he left, not to dare come back," she paused, "And then he left anyway."

Germaine stood up.

"Where are you going?" Celeste asked.

"I'm going to go snoop through his den."

XXXX

"Why am I not surprised that you know how to do that?"

"Do what?" Germaine pointedly ignored the annoying sound of her sister tapping her heel on the hardwood floor.

"Pick locks."

Germaine grinned, "Ya, it came in handy when I wanted to read your diary," she glanced at her sister, "I'm still waiting to use that tidbit about you and Rannnnndy.I really don't think that Celeste would like what you did with her ex-boyfriend. And I really don't think that Mom and Dad would like that you did it in their bed."

She blushed. Profusely.

"Your face is the same colour as your hair," Germaine observed.

"Papa!" The sisters glanced at each other as they heard Colin scurry to the front door.

"Damnit!"

"Don't get your Prada panties in a knot, Red."

"Prada doesn't make panties."

"But if they did you would have them in every colour." Germaine ripped open the drawer and skimmed her eyes over the contents, "Give me 5 minutes alone with this drawer and I'll blow this family's secrets to hell."

XXXX

It had been almost 6 months since the last time that they had sat down as a family and eaten a meal together.

And never had the table been so silent.

Germaine looked back and forth between her parents. At either end of the table, neither had bothered to ask her why she was at home and not at school.

And neither questioned why their 3 daughters were all visiting and all insisting they eat together.

Germaine cleared her throat and pulled out the piece of paper she had pillaged from her fathers desk. "Who's Meredith Grey-Hamilton?"

Her mother, Addison, laughed, bitterly, "Meredith Grey, would be the love of your fathers life."

XXXX

"She's dead."

Germaine looked up in surprise.

"Meredith Grey," her mother continued, "She's dead."

Germaine exchanged looks with her older sister, Emille.

"Your father isn't having an affair. He's just sad."

Germaine closed her portfolio which she had been showing her mother.

Addison didn't continue, instead she started combing her fingers through Germaine's hair.

"Celeste said that you locked him out," Emille said finally.

Addison avoided her daughters eyes, "It just brings back bad memories, sweetheart. Meredith Grey was around during a time where, everything seemed to be going wrong for me."

"When?"

"Oh," Addison though back, "Before any of you were born. Long before," She smiled weakly, "I'm just a little jealous that your father is grieving over a girlfriend that left him 30 years ago."

Germaine stretched out across the bed, still letting her mother run her fingers through her hair, "So she was Dad's girlfriend before you?"she clarified.

"It's a long story."

"We have time," Emille insisted using her no-nonsense voice born of 5 years of corporate law and 2 kids.

"So this is what it takes to get you two to agree on something?" Addison attempted a joke.

"Mom..."

"Emille. It was a very long time ago. A different life."

Identical gray eye's started at her, expectantly.

Addison sighed, "I don't know if you two get your stubbornness from me or your father." She leaned back, relenting. "Meredith was an intern when your father first came to Seattle. She used to call him McDreamy," she paused, "They loved each other. Very much," she explained simply, "your father loved Meredith, and then one day, Meredith was offered a job in Denver. She left. And your dad was heartbroken."

"Why didn't he just go with her?" Celeste asked, joining Emille at the end of the bed.

Addison shook her head, "I don't know. I never asked. I assumed it was because he didn't want to start over again. Or maybe he thought that she would come back. I don't know. But she got married, to someone that was more her age and..." she chuckled, "More appropriate for her."

Germaine smiled, "And then he met you and we all lived happily ever after."

"No," Addison said softly, "No, when your dad met Meredith, we..." she paused, considering how much her daughters deserved to know, "We had already been married 11 years when he met Meredith."

XXXX

"Daddy?"

Derek looked up and smiled, "Hey Dumpling."

Germaine wrinkled her nose, "Why did you and Mom hate me so much? Germaine was bad enough, but dumpling?"

"Well by the time you came along we were to old and tired to think of anything better. And you were a very fat baby," Derek reached over and put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead, "And your mother said that the name Germaine was avant garde."

Germaine cuddled against his side, "You know, I don't remember you guys ever fighting when I was younger. It was always Mom fighting with Celeste and you fighting with Emille."

Derek chuckled.

"You cheated on Mom," she accused softy.

"I know," he replied just as softly.

"I don't want to talk about it," Germaine told him, "I just wanted you to know I don't like it."

Derek nodded, "In hindsight, your mother and I were very selfish people. And that is something, I think, we both regret."

XXXX

"Wow."

"Yup."

"I mean. Wow."

"Ya."

"He had an affair."

"30 years ago."

"Still counts."

"So did they get divorced?"

"I guess so."

"They must have."

The three sat silently for a moment, staring out the front window to where their father was still sitting on the porch.

"I used to think our family was normal."

"Nope."

"Are they even married now?"

"They must be."

"We aren't even sure if they got divorced."

"We could ask."

"But then they might answer."

"So they divorced and remarried?"

"I guess so."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"You don't think that they got together because of us?" Celeste and Emille exchanged glances.

Germaine let them contemplate this for a moment, "Sucks thinking you are a mistake doesn't it."

"You weren't a mistake," Celeste sighed.

"Well I wasn't planned."

They fell into silence again.

Celeste sighed, "I'm leaving Daniel."

Emille and Germaine just nodded.

"Gayle's ex-husband is trying to get custody of Colin again," Emille said slowly, "And we're having another baby in December."

Celeste looked at her in surprise, "Gayle's pregnant again?"

"No. I am."

"Since when do you have babies?" Germaine rolled her head towards her sister, "Can I be the godmother this time?"

"I'll think about it."

"You didn't tell me you were pregnant."

"I didn't know how to bring it up."

"I've decided to get my masters," Germaine volunteered.

"In what?"

"Photography," she teased, "And Art History."

Emille rolled her eyes, "What are you suppose to do with that?"

"I don't know."

They listened to the front door open and close.

"Did he come in or did she go out?"

"I think she went out."

Germaine crawled across the floor and peeked out the front window. She watched, gnawing on her lower lip. Slowly she sank back down to the floor, "She's crying."

"And?"

"And they are smiling and holding hands," Germaine smiled, "It would be cute if they weren't so old."

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So.

Germaine.

So the reason I did that was because I felt that Addison and Derek would gloss over everything and make it seem like their family is a lot more perfect then it is. I mean, Addison even made Meredith sound good to her girls and didn't even bitch about Derek. Imagine how she would sugarcoat her daughters lives. I mean Celeste is leaving her husband, Emille has ongoing custody problems, Germaine seems to be somewhat of a black-sheep/hippie.

Germaine on the other hand does not have a problem airing dirty laundry.

And don't bitch to me about their names. Once they get in my head, they grow a personality and I can't change them even when I try.

Imagine if I tried to change Poppy Cunningham.

It just wouldn't work.

So review.

It's the only way I will know how much you hate me.