Ok so you asked for it - one more chapter! Let me know what you think: I do best with feedback :)


So far, the flight back was uneventful. They'd encountered a few blips of turbulence, which had landed them in their current position, with Meredith's hand wrapped tightly around his. Nathan didn't mind, even if she was squeezing the blood out of his limb.

"I hate flying. More than I hated flying before. Which I would've though was impossible given that I really really hated flying before." Meredith said through gritted teeth. No single person could be unlucky enough to encounter three traumatic flying experiences – could they?

"Ok – how about a distraction. Tell me a story about someone on this plane." Nathan had played this game as a kid, when he'd be stuck waiting in line at the amusement park with his brother. They'd make up elaborate background stories for the characters waiting in front of them, using the vaguest clues to try and piece together a person.

"What? But I don't know anyone?" Meredith wasn't going to be easily distracted. She leaned her head against his shoulder, burying her face into his sweater and distracting herself with the smell of his deodorant.

"Ok I'll start. Do you see that couple over there? They're flying to Seattle for their 30th wedding anniversary. They met there – he was a ferry boat operator and she was a passenger. It started off innocently enough: she took the ferry everyday, they said their hellos. Then one day, she showed up crying on her way to work. Her boyfriend had dumped her and gotten her sister pregnant. He decided it was finally time to take his chance and voila – here they are now!" Nathan gestured to the older couple dozing with their mouths open, twin snores coming from their seats.

"Nah, you're wrong. She met him at a dance competition. She was there with his brother, hoping to move from dance partner to romantic partner. But his brother wasn't interested – she wasn't a very good dancer after all. He swooped in and she figured she'd settle for second best, but she's realizing now it wasn't worth it. They have terrible sex; he's a two pump chump and allergic to Viagra. She recently started talking to someone online but is afraid of leaving him, since they've been together for so long. She coerced him into a Seattle vacation this year, despite the rain and clouds that is Seattle this time of year, because she's going to sneak out to meet her online boyfriend while he falls asleep with the remote in his hand tonight." Meredith could get into this game. Her dark and twisty side could really get into it.

"That's horrible! You're no good at this. Ok, let's try again. See that guy over there? He's a famous painter but everything he paints he sells anonymously. He started painting as a kid, because his mother loved flowers but hated when they died, so he'd paint them for her. His dad was a drunk and thought he should get a real job and leave art behind. So he did – he's an accountant by day and is flying to Seattle to look over the books of a big firm. But he's also going to go look at a gallery – he's thinking of doing his first in person show and revealing who he is and he's going to invite his dad." The man in question remained oblivious, struggling with his arm rest.

"What is this, a flight sponsored by Disney? He's always had problems with gambling, but since moving to Vegas and finding out he was a savant at Texas Hold 'Em things have escalated. He blew his first million on hookers and blow, his second on fancy cars and his third in a series of failed business ventures. His last deal was with a mafia man, hoping he could capitalize and re-make all his money. But he lost big this time and the debt wasn't just monetary but personal too. He's flying to Seattle to get away from his pursuers, hoping they won't think to leave the Vegas sun behind to be cold and wet in the rain." Meredith wasn't squeezing his hand anymore, but her fingers stayed put locked between his. He was making circles on her wrist with his thumb, absentmindedly lingering across her pulse out of habit. She liked touching him – for a long time she'd looked for excuses to do it; pressing against him in a crowded elevator, passing a surgical tool with a lingering touch. It was nice to be able to touch him with no pretense, she realized.

"Oh my God woman you are banned from this game. You're making me depressed." Nathan laughed.

"Does this mean I won? I think I won." Meredith cocked her eyebrow at him.

"No no no there is no winning or losing! Besides, my stories were better so if there was, I would say I won." He said, smiling at her.

"That sounds like something a loser justifying his loss would say." She wasn't giving up her well deserved win so easily.

"Ok Grey – fine. I guess we need a tie breaker." Nathan paused, eyes locked with hers. "What would a passerby say our story is?" He kept his gaze steady, trying to read her face. He'd been thinking about this since they'd left the hotel. Being together in Sioux Falls was one thing. But now that he'd had his first real taste of Meredith Grey, the complete package, he wasn't sure he could go back to quips and banter and the occasional release of sexual tension. He had to know where she stood.

"Well…I think other people would see us as…two people figuring it out. Two people, who both want to figure it out…together." She untangled her hand from his to push back the hair that had fallen forward across his face.

"You win Grey." Nathan didn't let her answer, leaning forward to kiss her and feeling her smile against his lips


Maggie had a plan. She had grieved and cried and screamed – and then she had planned. Her mothers death had been overwhelming, For the first while, she was entirely consumed with the pain of it. She'd be watching Zola play, captured by her innocent child's wonder when all of a sudden it would hit her that she didn't have a mother anymore. She'd by drinking her coffee in the car, still half asleep when suddenly the liquid hitting her lips became vile, because she remembered she wasn't anyone's daughter anymore.

Meredith had told her it would get better, that this was normal. She hadn't believed her – how could this ever become normal? But her sister was right because slowly, bit by bit it did. She still stopped dead in her tracks, realizing she'd never again buy a mother's day card for anyone. But it was happening less now. Instead, she'd become consumed with the idea of living life to it's fullest. She remembered long ago in her psychiatry lectures in medical school, they'd talked about that – how sometimes when someone close to you dies, it pushes you to change. Maggie hated to be a cliché, but she was realizing slowly that she had to start changing.

Her mother had lived life to the fullest – she'd sky dived and travelled and done all the things she'd ever wanted to do. But she'd waited til she was dying to do it, until she had no time to relish, enjoy nor share them. Maggie realized she was waiting too, on a lot of things. She hadn't had a vacation in years – too busy focusing on her career. Her love life was in shambles because she kept waiting for the perfect guy to come around. And when he did, she waited even longer for him to reciprocate.

Well, she was done waiting. She'd been planning. She'd taken time off work – just a few days to go up to the mountains and it had been exhausting yet relaxing at the same time. But that was easy – booking time off when you're the head of your department isn't exactly difficult. Her next plan was harder and she wasn't really sure how to go about it. That was another thing she'd realized since her mothers death: Maggie didn't like to play unless she could win. She didn't like to take risks or go out on the limb unless she was at least moderately sure she'd like the outcome. It had kept her away from a lot of pain – the pain of being with De Luca for instance; a relationship she'd sabotaged for fear of somehow ending up in uncharted territory.

"Excuse me." A reporter hustled by her, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up at the podium, her eyes focused on Nathan. He was chatting with Meredith, probably preparing what they were going to say to the throngs of media here. Maggie was in awe of her sister – she knew she was a good doctor, but she'd never be Meredith Grey. If Maggie had been on that plane, she'd probably spent the whole time profusely vomiting – air travel made her nauseous.

"I knew Riggs would come in handy." Bailey drawled, raising her eyebrows pointedly at Owen, who despite his attempts at a scorn, was glowing with pride for his friend. Nathan was something else – Maggie had been drawn to him since her first OR with him. She'd tried to hate him since after all, everyone else did. But it was hard – he was so kind and easy going, a great doctor and just so desperately trying to make friends here. Maggie understood: coming to this hospital was like transferring to a new high school with 2 months left in senior year. There was so much history and established relationships that no matter how hard you tried, you always seemed on the outside looking in. It also didn't hurt that he was gorgeous; she'd wondered secretly if his accent came out even stronger during sex, sharing that tidbit only with Amelia once during a very drunken night.

"Dr. Riggs – can you tell us what happened on the plane? About the people you helped? How many lives did you save?" The media was eating this up. She pulled out her phone – the kids would love seeing this video of Meredith, she thought. And she got to enjoy the view that was Nathan– she'd been avoiding him since the rejection. The words still echoed in her ear every time she saw him: 'I'm not ready to date. Anyone.' Even thinking about that moment made her blush, months later. She'd promised herself she would never do that again – told herself maybe he was just not ready, maybe it wasn't personal and that she'd wait him out. But she was realizing now, the waiting game really wasn't a plan – being an active participant in your life, while you were still lucky enough to have one, that was a plan. Meredith had gone after Derek and she'd gotten him, gotten a great love. So Maggie was going to do the same.

"Dr Grey was incredible. She is your story – not me." It would be so like him to shrug off the praise Maggie thought. She watched as Nathan reached over to Meredith, directing the reporters attention to her. But…wait…that touch, the way he touched her shoulder. Her phone lowered slowly. Her gaze was fixated to where his hands were making contact with her sister. He hadn't moved his hand. Their eyes were locked, Meredith smiling slightly. Maggie realized Nathan wasn't even aware of the reporter anymore – he couldn't look away. And Meredith – her head turned to answer another question, but her eyes remained glued to his; a slow, tortuous break in her gaze. She remembered that look, it was the look she'd reserved for Derek.