Time Flies
"So, Burke wants to get married."
Meredith chuckled. "Yes; I thought we went through this when he proposed to you a year ago."
Christina took a bite of her apple. "Yeah, but he like, wants to get married now."
"Like, how soon now?"
"In three months."
Meredith nodded, returning her attention back to her magazine. "That's not bad. You guys are practically married anyway; you're just making it official."
Christina grabbed Meredith's magazine. "You do not understand the repercussions! I have three months to plan a wedding. I'm Christina. I don't do weddings; let alone plan them!"
Christina began to pace.
"Christina?"
"What?!"
"It's three months away. You have plenty of time." She walked over and made her cease pacing. "I'll tell you what; Izzie and I will plan the whole thing. You just show up. Deal?"
Christina looked at Meredith quizzically. "But, you're Meredith. You don't do all…white and flowy."
Meredith nodded, leading her back to the couch. "You're right, but I'm under obligation. You're my person."
Christina leaned back and took another bite. She smirked slightly. "No ruffles, mosquito nets, or pink."
Meredith reached for her magazine. "Got it."
"Why on earth are we running?"
"Because," Mark said, breathing evenly. "We are friends; friends run together."
Meredith stopped as Mark joined her, running in place. She was panting.
"Okay, let's get something straight. We're not really friends; yet."
He put a hand to his heart. "That hurts Grey."
She waved him off, sitting down. "You know what I mean. You're my friend, but not my friend friend. We have a ways to go. I should only be doing this with friend friends."
He put his hand out. "And you should not be sitting without stretching."
She lied down. "I'm fine. I can't go on. You go without me."
Now cooled a bit down from running in place and walking back and forth, he put his hand out again. "Seriously, friend, get up. The longer you wait, the more it's going to hurt."
"I'm a doctor too," she said, jumping up, "and I think I know—ow!"
Mark caught her as she pulled a muscle, going back down. "See, I told you."
"Great, we're like a mile away from the car." She sighed, "See, this is why I don't run."
He chuckled, "No, you're just lazy." He got down to carry her. "Let's go."
"What are you doing? Put me down Sloan."
"Oh, it's Sloan when I try to help you?"
"I can walk. I'm capable of walking."
"No, you're not. And with your pulled muscle it'll take us forever to get back."
"So you're throwing me over your shoulder in some show of your manliness?"
He thought for a moment. "No, but now that you mention it…"
"Why is your butt in the air?"
"Because someone won't let me down."
Christina, amused by the situation, continued further, "and why are you in…running clothes?"
"What do you think Sherlock?"
"Is she always like this in the mornings?"
Christina nodded. "Yes; she's worse than I am throughout the day in the mornings." She stood, arms crossed and enjoying the interaction. "Do you need me to take your interns for awhile?"
"No, I think I…"
"Great! I'll let you know where they are later." She mumbled as she walked away, "Goodbye McBurned."
"Why is she so eager to take your interns?"
"Power."
Meredith stared at the retreating form of her friend as she entered the hospital. She then turned her attention to Mark; or at least to his back anyway.
"Okay, you're putting me down. There is no way I'm letting you carry me into my place of work."
"Don't you mean our place of work?"
"Whatever, just put me down."
"Okay." Mark gently put her down and allowed her to lean on him. They traveled in comfortable silence.
"I'd take the stairs if I could; people are gonna talk."
He smirked, "They're gonna talk regardless Grey. They have nothing else better to do."
She sighed, "Still."
The elevator opened up a few seconds later. It was empty, which left her plenty of room to maneuver.
"See Grey? Nothing to worry about."
She smiled as she leaned against the back for support.
Milliseconds later a hand stopped the elevator from closing and turned her smile into a sarcastic smirk. "Seriously?"
Derek stepped in, momentarily unaware of the elevator's occupants. Upon a second glance, he observed them.
"Good morning."
"Dr. Sheppard," Meredith politely shoveled out.
"Derek."
Silence prolonged the distances between floors. Floor two initiated more conversation.
"What happened to your leg?"
"How do you know something happened to my leg?"
"You're babying it."
"I am not."
Mark smirked, amused at the display.
"Yes, you are. Did you pull a muscle?"
"Unbelievable."
"You went running?"
"Yes. It was a mistake," she said, rolling her eyes and looking at Mark.
"You never went running with me."
"You never asked."
"I didn't think you'd say yes."
"Derek?"
"I thought it was Dr. Sheppard?"
"Well, you're being a Derek now."
"What?"
The bell rung as the door opened. "See you later."
She hobbled out of the elevator begrudgingly with the help of Mark. Derek looked on, a feeling between jealousy and envy etched on his features. "Mark."
"They are so gonna get together," Izzie smiled, leaning against the window of Meredith's room. "I give it by your wedding."
Alex stole one of her Skittles. "I don't know; he might get lucky before then."
Christina looked on, uninterested. "My wedding is in three months. Meredith can't go three months without sex, but she's sworn off men for a while. I doubt that'll last long."
The three walked across the hall and leaned against the nurses' station. "Where's Bambi?"
"He's somewhere talking to Callie," Izzie offered.
"Okay, that is just weird. They've been divorced for a year and still talk."
Christina scoffed, "It's not really weird; not here anyway. Let's see, you have the Sheppard, Montgomery, Sloan…shall I go on?"
"Just stay off of it today and you should be fine. Nothing serious at all."
"It hurts."
"It's supposed to."
"It's supposed to hurt?"
"It's your body's way of telling you something's wrong."
"Well my body needs to shut up."
"Yours and mine both," he muttered.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
Two weeks had passed since the 'jogging incident.' The gang was doing fine, enjoying the near end of their first year as residents. Tonight was a little party to celebrate. The previous interns had started a ritual. They didn't really need a reason to party, but an occasion made it a little more…valid.
Alex and Addison were in their third month of a relationship. It seemed to be going well. They even managed to keep their relationship at work professional. Okay, so they slipped a few times.
George and Izzie were both single. They were also both content. George wanted to be by himself to get things together. Izzie was determined to find a love interest whose prefix wasn't 'Dr.'
Derek seemed to be slowly returning to his old self. He even smiled how he used to. Time did wonders. He was still very available. He just wasn't looking.
Christina and Burke were good. Really good. 'If I ask and you say yes I won't leave you at the altar' good.
Mark hadn't dated since he started to befriend Meredith. He hadn't figured out why. At least not yet.
Meredith was doing well on focusing on herself. She made sure that the friends she considered family knew it. She wasn't bright and shiny, but she definitely wasn't dark and twisty. There could be no more surprises left in the world to ambush her. Her mothers died, her father might as well be, and she survived death, more than once. The way she saw it, things could only get better.
And they were.
Mark was everything she didn't hope for. She long ceased to have expectations for humans; they often failed. He surprised her. He was the perfect boy friend without the ties of a boyfriend. She even enjoyed her relationship with him more than getting drunk and sleeping with inappropriate men. He kept her on her toes. They were friends.
The party was in full-swing. Everyone was there, including the guests who were invited, and some who weren't. Meredith was sure she didn't recognize at least a quarter of the people. Even Bailey and Torres showed.
Well on her third shot, Meredith spotted Derek looking rather uncomfortable. Mark was still at the hospital and said he would stop by later. She and Derek were friends, right?
"Well, hello there."
Derek's uneasy demeanor shifted as familiarity relaxed his shoulders and amusement framed his features. "Hey yourself."
"What do you think of the party?"
"I'm not so sure if I should be here, engaging in such…" he looked around the room, spotting a nurse and surgeon going at it, "Activities."
"So you're not feeling uncomfortable because of me?"
He shook his head. "Maybe a little, but I'm more worried if I should be here because I'm Chief."
She grinned, downing another. "I think it shows that you are…versatile."
"Versatile?"
"Yes," she said, biting into a lime. "It shows that you know how to be both a professional and a human being."
"Are you sure you're not drunk?" He looked at his watch. "You've been talking to me for five minutes straight. It's been a year; you only talk to me when necessary."
"I'm not drunk. Like water, remember?"
He nodded. "How can I forget? Plus, you're not slurring…yet."
She feigned hurt. "Oh ye of little faith." She smiled. He returned one. "And I don't."
"Don't what?"
"Talk to you only when necessary."
"Mer…"
"Okay, I do." A sudden perkiness overtook her. "How about starting right now, we try to be real friends again?"
He perked up a little too, missing what they had. He knew they would never get back together; he accepted that. He still missed having her in his life. "Deal."
"Great." She eyed her friends motioning for her to join them. "I'm going to go attempt to get drunk, and you're going to do the same. Feel free to crash here if need be." She began to walk away when she turned back around. "On the couch of course."
An hour later Alex, Addison, Christina, Preston, Miranda, and Callie had left, all in pre-ordered cabs. George and Izzie were still drinking, playing a game with a group of other surgeons. They would hurt in the morning. Half of the people were there still. Derek was talking to one of Meredith's friends from college that was visiting from New York. Things seemed to be going well. Meredith was amused.
Her thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.
"Hey there sexy."
She turned around slowly, half-annoyed, half-interested. "How can I," hiccup, "help you?"
He leaned in, way too close for comfort. "I'm Dan. I work out."
Meredith couldn't help but stifle a laugh. It came out as a giggle, an accidental invitation for him to continue.
"Do you want to go to dinner sometime?"
She controlled her laughter, trying to let him down easy. "I'm sorry. I'm taken."
He nodded as he stood up. "No worries. It was worth a shot, right?"
She nodded.
Another hour later Mark arrived. He made his way through the trash, laughing at the sight before him. Izzie was passed out, as was George. She was lying in his lap. He was just in time to see Derek kiss Meredith's friend, Grace. It was a pretty good kiss too, Mark had to admit. Derek did his infamous smile and walked away, promising to call her. He walked past Mark. It was a walk they did a lot back in New York, when they did nothing but party. He matched the grin with one of his own.
He heard Derek drive away, right before it occurred to him to ask where Meredith was. He slowly made his way upstairs and warily searched each room. She wasn't there.
He went back downstairs to find the last stragglers leaving. He stopped a small group of them.
"Do you know where Meredith is?"
"Who?"
"Meredith, the person's house you're in?"
The guy's friend answered. "The last time I saw her, she was outside. Something about cleaning up now so she wouldn't have to later. She was pretty wasted though."
He chuckled, thanking them and sending them on their way. He looked through the rest of downstairs before he decided to look outside.
"Mer?"
He scoffed as he saw that the lawn was still littered. There was a good two or three feet where there wasn't any trash. A foot after, a pile of trash was pilled neatly against the porch. He then turned his attention to the side of the house.
"Meredith?"
He had to squint as his eyes became adjusted to the new complete darkness.
He saw her legs first.
"Meredith."
A/N: I know, I know! I was TOTALLY not going that way. It just happened. No worries though…it'll all work out.
IslandGurl90: Thank you so much! I laughed when I saw your penname…we call my niece that!
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