Title: Loud And Clear
Authors: Sara And Lizzie
Rating: T for language, mild sex
Disclaimer: we don't own grey's anatomy, or any anatomies but our own at that.
Summary: Sequel to One Hell Of a Racket. Babies, weddings, and rain. Seattle at it's finest. Babysitting for the ex wife, meeting the family, planning the wedding and fending off the intern. All in a day's work.
Author's Note: The final story in our trilogy. We're staring two days from where 'Racket' left off. Also, we made up all the names and details of Derek's family, save for Nancy, who we adore, by the way.
WOW. The response to the first chapter was unreal. We are so grateful to everyone who reviewed for all the feedback and all the love. We're totally flattered. But yes, here's chapter two. We're trying to convey that Nancy is confused, not just bitchy for the sake of being bitchy. Next chapter will bring the meeting of the family.
Also, how amazing was last night's episode? We're betting everyone who listens that Derek will be Meredith's knight in shining whatever and jump in that water and save her. She was drowning and he saved her? Hm. Interesting. Shonda's the man.
Enjoy. REVIEW.
Meredith woke up the next day on her couch, wondering why she wasn't naked next to Derek in her bed, and why her head was pounding. She sat up, the denim on last night's jeans scratching her legs, and looked around. On the arm chair across the room, contorted into an awkward, uncomfortable looking position, was Derek. Meredith picked a pillow up off of her couch and threw it at him. He started and sat up straight, the hunched back over. Meredith looked at him strangely. "My back." He croaked by way of explanation.
Meredith placed two hands on the side of her head, one at each temple and started massaging. "I think I'm dying." She said, lying back down onto the couch. Derek gingerly raised himself out of the chair and hobbled into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin.
"Coffee's on." He said, leaning down and kissing her forehead. She reached for his neck, and pulled his mouth to hers, and eventually, pulling him on top of her.
"It's not that bad of a headache." She murmured into his mouth. He grinned devilishly at her and slid a hand up her shirt under her bra. She made some incoherent noise into his mouth and reached down to unbuckle his belt. She was working her tiny fingers around the button in his jeans when a loud cough sounded behind her. And then it all came rushing back. Last night's utterly humiliating concerning Nancy, future sister in law from hell. She made Addison look angelic, even in her Satan days.
Also the reason she was sleeping on the couch. In her tequila soaked haze from last night's binge at Joe's; this had been Derek's bright idea. Not that she hadn't needed it after getting stared down naked by a future family member. But it was during said tequila binge she had asked Nancy to stay with them, instead of venturing out into the night to search for a hotel. Hence the reason for the couch.
Meredith didn't even say a word to her. Just ducked her red faced head and practically ran for the kitchen, where she poured a particularly large cup of coffee and cursed herself for picking the guy with the big, over involved family. That she had to go to New York to face tomorrow. It's not like she had any competition; his last wife was only perfect. Meredith rolled her eyes as she heard the approaching footsteps of Derek and Nancy.
"Meredith." Nancy said in her pleasantly bitchy tone. "I'm surprised you're so awake in the morning after a night like last night." Meredith turned around and smiled tightly, thinking of a million questions she could fire back, primarily, 'when was the last time you got some?' but she restrained herself. She just crossed the room, kissed Derek on the cheek and handed him a travel mug full of coffee.
"You've got surgery in twenty minutes, Der." She said. He accepted the coffee and gazed down at her.
"You going to be okay here?" he asked.
She nodded and smiled. "I'll be leaving soon after you."
"I'll go with you." Nancy chimed in. Derek and Meredith both gaped at her. "Well I want to see Mark and Addie, and there's no use in taking two cars. Unless you'd rather I just stayed here?"
Meredith thought about the contents of her underwear drawer, while the three empty boxes of condoms in the bathroom captured Derek's thoughts.
"I'd love for you to come with me." Meredith said quickly, Derek nodding in agreement. Nancy smiled and poured herself a cup of coffee. Meredith headed upstairs to change and Derek walked out the door slowly, shooting warning glancing at his sister who was following him.
"Be nice to her." Derek instructed harshly. Nancy smiled at him, a smile he recognized from their youth. Her syrupy sweet rainbows and sunshine smile, that if you didn't know her, would convince you immediately she could do no wrong. Derek knew better.
"I'm always nice."
"Nancy. I love her. We're getting married. Be nice."
"So you met Derek in that bar?"
Meredith merged into the other lane and eyed Nancy. "What kind of trap is this?" she asked, catching her off guard.
Nancy smirked, seeming impressed at Meredith's boldness. She looked over at her. "Fine. You love my brother. Why?"
Meredith considered this. "If I had a dollar for every time I asked myself that…." She sighed and merged back. "We met in the bar. And it was great. Completely against the rules of the hospital, but great. And then Addison came, and it got less great. Especially when we got shot."
"So why do you love him?"
"He makes my world spin." Not even Nancy, with her clever rhetoric and sharp tongue bothered to respond to that.
They walked into the hospital together, a shared caution between them. Nancy didn't push any of the thousand questions she had for this woman. She wanted to know how, why. Why the affair, why were Mark and Addison back in Seattle, what had happened between the four of them? But she held them in, knowing there would be a better time. Meredith had questions of her own. She wanted to know why this sister hated her on principle.
But as they stood in the elevator waiting for it to stop and let them out at the third floor nurses station, it was silent. No sooner had the doors slid open, then Meredith heard a booming familiar voice.
"There's a Shepherd I always love to see!" Mark exclaimed, rushing over and entangling her in a bear hug that was so brief and friendly, Nancy feigned shock.
"Mark Sloan! No groping? No indecent proposals whispered in my ear? What the hell happened to you?"
Mark's grin took over his face, lighting up his eyes. "A special woman happened to me." He said dramatically.
"Where is that gorgeous lady?" Nancy asked.
"Nance!" They heard Addison squeal as she rushed towards the woman. Nancy pulled her into a hug, released her and then hugged her again. She held her at arm's length and looked her up and down.
"Addie! You look so… pregnant. Radiant, but pregnant. You're pregnant?"
"Say hello to Daddy." Mark said, circling an arm around Addison's waist. The three of them laughed. From her position by the elevator, leaning against the wall, praying for Derek to get off the elevator, she felt a familiar presence to her right.
"Who's the one dressed like Margaret Thatcher?" Cristina asked leaning against the wall next to her friend, making a face at the bland outfit.
"Derek's sister Nancy. She showed up last night to scold Derek for not letting the family evaluate me before he proposed. And the matriarch has commanded we fly to New York this weekend so I can meet my family."
Cristina's eyes almost popped out of her head. "You're going to meet the family Shepherd? I can swipe some valium from the pharmacy for you." She said gleefully. Meredith shot her a look.
"Is there anything that fills you with unbridled joy other than surgery or the awkward moments in my life?" Cristina considered this thoughtfully and shrugged.
"Don't take it personally. It's not just your life. Anyone's awkwardness causes me joy. You just happen to be the most awkward person I know." Meredith hit her in the arm with the chart she was carrying. Cristina rolled her eyes and swatted back at her. "You seriously have to fly out there and meet the family? Doesn't he have like seventeen sisters? And the mom, what do you think Mama Shepherd is like? If she's anything like Mrs. Burke, watch out."
"Look at them," Meredith said, pointing at Mark, Nancy and Addison. "Seattle is supposed to be my turf. Now they just took it over with all their former New York hotshot thing."
"You know Tinkerbelle is in on a triple bypass with Burke?"
"Nancy alluded to the me and Derek sleeping together while he was married and I knew incident all night last night. It's so hypocritical that she can forgive Addison and Mark for having dirty adulterous sex, but not me?"
"I mean it's Izzie. She's too happy for cardio."
"The me and Derek sleeping together while he was married and I knew incident isn't all that different from the time Addison and Mark shacked up in New York."
"We really need a shorter name for the you and Derek sleeping together while he was married and you knew incident."
"Bribe him. Burke. Sex in an on call room may work wonders."
"Is that how you get in on all those neuro procedures?"
"Derek would give them to me anyway." She leaned in towards Cristina. "You should be prepared to get on your knees, if necessary."
"Well, ladies, that's intriguing conversation for the morning." Burke said, stepping off the elevator with Derek.
"Thank God." Meredith said. Derek smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. He stepped close to her, trapping her against the wall. He leaned down to her ear, smiling.
"Interested in getting on your knees, Dr. Grey?" She rolled her eyes and stepped away from him.
"Not even close." She muttered. "Can you do something about this?" she demanded, pointing at Mark, Addison and Nancy. "They're invading my turf with all their way back when closeness. And you promised we could kill Addison and Mark for co-conspiring."
Derek smiled. "And we will, promptly. I feel they deserve our wrath, but…"
"Derek?" Meredith asked sharply. "I'm staying standing on both feet."
"That could work too." He said with a wink, pressing a kiss to her temple. She smiled at him and leaned into his ear.
"Put your sister in a hotel tonight, and just might get lucky." Her fingers twisted into the dark curls at the nape of his neck and she smiled at him. A few feet to their right, Burke and Cristina were staring at them, their faces twisted into identical looks of disgust.
"Never." Cristina said to Burke. He nodded in agreement and shook his head at them. Derek and Meredith separated, and Derek looked over at Mark and Addison.
"Hey. Satan and her pawn. Talk, now." He called over to Mark and Addison. Twin faces of innocence attempting to mask guilt stared back at them. Meredith rolled her eyes, and Addison directed Nancy towards the coffee machine.
Derek grabbed her elbow and pulled her and Mark into the doctors lounge. Meredith shut the door and the two of them stood before Mark and Addison, who perched on the couch. Derek and Meredith both had their arms crossed and stony looks on their faces. Addison looked up at them and promptly burst out laughing. Mark eyes them and joined her.
"Nancy walked in on you guys having sex?" Addison gasped through peals of laughter. Meredith threw her hands in the air.
"I give up."