FINALLY she tells her! IS there interest in me continuing this? I see it wrapping up shortly


She'd told Amelia first – that had been relatively easy. Her sister had long had her suspicions about Riggs and Meredith. She told her while they were washing dishes last night – the kids had requested Maggie read them their bed time story and Meredith jumped on the opportunity for a moment alone with Amelia.

"Nathan and I are….well I guess…we're…seeing what happens." She hadn't elaborated much to Amelia, who of course had rapid fired about a million questions at her.

"So you're seeing each other? Does Maggie know? Does Owen know? How's the sex? Does he moan with an accent? " She'd sworn Amelia to secrecy, threatening her with eviction and evisceration should she decide to tell, knowing her sister's motivation to avoid having to live with Owen was pretty high right now. Despite her annoying curiosity, Amelia had seemed happy for her and it had been a relief to tell at least one other person about this. Meredith had never been one of those girls, the kind who shares all the details of her relationships with her friends. Even with Cristina, unarguably her kindred spirit, she'd kept much of her private life with Derek away from her. But still – she couldn't help but smile knowingly at Amelia's train of questions.

Telling Maggie was significantly harder. For one, she'd decided she needed to get her away from the house to do it, since her place was becoming more and more like a hostel, with a constant stream of visitors. Secondly, Maggie had a tendency to run – when she didn't want to deal with what she was hearing, she'd simply walk away or pick up her phone and become engrossed in it, choosing to either mentally or physically disappear from her problems.

"Hurry up, Mer! At this rate, it'll be dark by the time we get to the top!" This was why she was spending her Saturday morning hiking, hoping the perilously named Rattlesnake Ridge held no actual rattlesnakes. Meredith couldn't remember the last time she'd voluntarily been in the forest like this – probably not since her original plane crash, after which she'd sworn off nature forever. If she recalled correctly, she'd sworn off planes forever too after that incident. Clearly, she had issues sticking to her guns.

"I'm coming! Slow down. All this…nature keeps getting in my way." She stumbled across yet another hidden root along the path, swearing to herself. Amelia had suggested this – it was perfect on paper: no cell service, no escape routes and no interruptions. Meredith now realized all of those things could easily add up to a number of disastrous lost-in-the-woods scenarios; the kind of situations that were all too typical in her life.

"Just wait until you see the view! It's spectacular! I Google'd it before we left – it's gonna be totally worth it. " Maggie was unbelievably peppy despite the early hour and the fact that bugs the size of baseballs were hovering around them. She loved this – being outside, going on adventures. It made her think of her family vacations growing up, which had often been to national parks. Her dad had taught her how to read a map and use a compass; she knew a surprising number of survivalist facts and could even start a fire if in a pinch.

"Nothing is worth this." Meredith slapped her calf, killing a giant bug and leaving an oozy red trail behind, the creatures dinner. She'd called Nathan last night and told him of the plan. He'd laughed heartily and asked her if she meant a real forest or the local park near the hospital, where he'd seen her scurry off to when she wanted some peace and quiet during her lunch break. She'd felt like a teenager again – whispering on the phone 'til late at night, hoping no one was awake and listening through the creaky walls of her ancient home.

"Ok, we're almost there…just a few more steps." She followed Maggie's voice up through the last portion of the trail, the dense vegetation giving way to a cliff ledge.

"This is…wow." Meredith had spent most of this hike with her eyes firmly pointed towards the trail, mindful of rocks and roots, her eyes searching for snakes hidden in the underbrush. Now that she'd finally looked up, the view was pretty spectacular. A sparkling, azure lake lay in front of them, looking more like a puddle from their high vantage point. Surround the water, the rippling landscape looked endless. She could see a bird, maybe an eagle, circling almost at their eye level, taking no notice of the two hikers.

"I told you it would be worth it. It's beautiful." She joined Maggie, who had set down her bag and was perched near the ledge on a boulder. It was pretty amazing she had to admit – the sky was perfectly clear, which was a miracle in and of itself in Seattle.

"It is." Meredith replied simply. Over the last few years, she'd become quieter, realizing that often one just had to experience the moment quietly – there was no use in muddling it with words. When she'd first started working in Seattle, she'd been all about big emphatic speeches and emoting every scene in her life. Now, older and wiser, scarred and harrowed, she'd learned to keep quiet and just enjoy the moment.

"Are you…okay?" Maggie was still trying to read Meredith, trying to know her like a sister should, even though their bond spanned a mere 3 years. Right now, she looked tense, staring off into the distance, eyes focusing on some unknown entity. She was hard to capture – her face often giving away nothing, the subtle changes in her language that Alex could pick up instantly totally foreign to Maggie. After a tumultuous start, they had a good relationship now. Meredith had been there for her and Amelia countless times but she'd still remained closed off, choosing Alex or Arizona or even Bailey as her confidant over her own housemates.

"I'm fine. Actually, more than fine. I'm happy and alive and home. And…there's someone." She turned her full attention to her sister now, wondering if the edge of a very tall cliff was the best place to have this sensitive conversation.

"Someone? A patient? Or – OH…someone!" Maggie was slow on the uptake, her eyes widening as she pieced together Meredith's vague statement.

"That's great Mer! You deserve it – you really do." She had some guesses as to who it could be – maybe Thorpe was back in the picture, although she doubted it given that Meredith hadn't seemed all that keen about the military man. She briefly considered Alex, although she couldn't imagine she'd have missed that happening right under her nose.

"I won't pry – just know that I'm happy for you. It's been a hard couple of years for you and I know this isn't how you'd imagined your life, but it's the right step to open up and you're so brave and –"

"It's Nathan." She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't watch Maggie glowing with happiness, commending her for this.

"It's been a while…well I guess not really a while. Officially since the air plane – well I guess not officially since there isn't anything official to report, but – I guess, I'd count it since then, if I had to say. But not really – we kissed once, well I kissed him and more – but that was before I knew about you – and then I did know so I didn't – " Meredith was rambling, her hands waving frantically as she tried to explain the timeline.

"After…after I told you I liked him?" She spoke barely above a whisper, Meredith catching her words on the wind. As if on cue, clouds had rolled in and the wind was picking up.

"No! Well – I guess maybe. When you told me at the wedding, I hit the brakes. Told him nothing could happen between us. He persisted though, said he really wanted to see how things went between us. I told him repeatedly we couldn't go there – I didn't want to hurt you. But I had feelings too and…he was just always there…and…I guess I gave in." She was trying to explain herself and failing miserably. Even to her own ears, she heard excuses and explanations that did little to quantify the situation.

"So you lied to me. You both lied to me. Over and over again." The implication of Meredith's words hit Maggie slowly. At first, she'd been surprised – she'd never even seen Nathan and Meredith together until the press conference. The conference – the touch of his hand on her shoulder. A wave of nausea hit her then; maybe it had been right there the entire time but she was oblivious. Yet, she knew Meredith wasn't oblivious – she'd been Maggie's confidant for months, had patiently listened to her pine away for a man she full well knew had no intention of returning the sentiment.

"You…let me tell him and embarrass myself, knowing he'd say no. You…let me talk about him, like some stupid school girl, like some clueless idiot who thought she had a chance." She was starting to get angry. How could Meredith do this to her? Maggie was a grown woman and she'd dealt with her fair share of male rejection – she could've handled that full well on her own. But Meredith – and Nathan, to some degree – had played her.

"No, Maggie. I wanted you to be happy, so I tried to stay away. I thought he was just after an easy lay or that he was looking for a means to get through to Owen by winning me over. But…then he wasn't…and it just…happened. I stayed away for a long time, for you and for Derek. But now – I can't anymore." Maggie stood up, making it only a few steps before Meredith caught up to her.

"I did lie. Because I didn't want him to want me. I sure as hell didn't want to have the feelings back. For a long time, I wanted you to pursue him and convince him it was really you he was after because I wanted you to be happy. And because I was so scared of being happy again. But…that didn't happen. I held off for a long time, but I can't anymore. It's not fair to you or to me. So yes, I lied: to you, to myself, even to Nathan." She could hear rain clouds rumbling in the background, the trees around them swaying in the wind.

"You're my sister. You're not supposed to do this. I can't believe you'd be so…selfish. It's always about you, Meredith. You always get what you want. You don't care who you hurt, you need to get what you want. That's why Derek left you – and Cristina too! It's why everyone leaves you – you kill their happiness when you can't handle not getting your way!" Maggie's voice began to rise, the first rain drops spitting from the black clouds above. Since meeting Meredith, she had been drawn to her presence – even when she'd been cold to her, unaccepting and awful, Maggie had remained enthralled by her sister. Now – hurt and angry – she couldn't even look at Meredith, it was too painful.

"He didn't want you. I couldn't change that. Choosing to ignore my own feelings for him, choosing to be miserable and alone wasn't going to make him pick you." The rain was coming down hard now, although Meredith hadn't even noticed. Maggie's words had cut her like a knife, making her spit her own menacing thoughts back at her sister. Loud claps of thunder roared through the forest, prompting both women to break each others gaze.


"So how was it?" Nathan sat down beside her on the stairs. He'd texted her after the rain storm to make sure they'd gotten off the mountain before the heavens opened up. Hearing only a curt reply, he decided to stop by, bearing a warm drink he hoped would warm her up after her stormy hike.

"It was…well it's done. I guess that's what matters." Meredith sipped her tea, enjoying the warm cup in her hand. She'd arrived home drenched and miserable, albeit grateful she'd suggested they take separate cars to the park since she was pretty sure Maggie would've left her up there. Her sister hadn't come home yet, likely avoiding the house and all its inhabitants.

"I told Owen." He hadn't planned to tell him. They'd started spending time outside of work together, like old friends. Following a long day in the OR, Nathan found Owen in the parking lot, his car rattling and refusing to start. Nathan offered him a ride home, Owen accepted and suggested they stop for dinner along the way – now, months later, their friendship was slowly mending and they would regularly grab beers, lamenting about Owen's imploding marriage or Nathan's work woes. There was no one Nathan wanted to tell more than Owen about this – but he also knew the risks, knew how much Meredith meant to him.

"And you still have all your facial bones intact? I'm stunned." Meredith quipped dryly.

"What can I say – I've got a resistant facial structure? In all honesty, he took it pretty well. He did warn my that should I hurt you in any way, he'd use my balls to strangle me, which is a pretty graphic visualization." Owen had been surprised, but happy for Nathan. He knew Meredith well and he knew she wouldn't let herself fall easily. He trusted her judgement and to some degree, was beginning to trust Nathan's too. He'd also seen it coming – after all, he'd witnessed Nathan win over his sister and saw all the signs this time again. Although he did make it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to be offering up any third chances.

"Well I like your balls where they are, so let's try not to piss him off." Meredith rested her head on his shoulder, finishing her tea. He was warm and solid, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close.

"Maggie will come around. You care about her and she knows that. I'm sure she just needs some time to cool off." He brushed her hair back off her face, enjoying that he could do this now without having to worry about peering eyes from inside the house.

"Do you want to come in?" She didn't want to sleep alone anymore. Her big bed was lonely and he was already here and the damage was already done with her sister. She was getting used to him far too quickly – this wasn't at all typical Meredith fashion and it was making her nervous. But then he smiled at her, eyes lighting up at finally being invited inside, after months of only making it to her doorway to be shooed away. As she took his hand in hers and led him inside, she couldn't help thinking maybe sometimes it was ok to lower those walls, just a little bit.