Don't Want To Go

Her little brother sat at the table shoving pancakes into his mouth. Her mother was doing the dishes. Her step-father was standing at the stove throwing scraps of leftover bacon at the dog, who caught them and swallowed it in one bite.

"Stop giving the dog bacon, Richard." Ellis said.

"I don't see why I have to go." Meredith whined crossing her arms across her chest.

"Because the Shepherds, Sloans, and Burkes have been part of our lives since you were born." Ellis snapped.

"They don't even like me. Why should I go there and have a déjà vu of my childhood? Of them putting bugs in my hair and dead snakes in my bag of Halloween candy?"

"That was eleven years ago. They're nineteen now. Besides you haven't gone to one in eleven years." Ellis answered. "Now, you're going. They're more mature now. They won't put bugs in your hair or dead snakes in your candy."

"Dad, tell her she's being unreasonable." She said turning towards her step-father.

"Mer, things have changed. Nina has been all over us for you not coming. Besides, it will be fun. For the first time in eleven years, your actually home over Fourth of July."

"It's not my fault you guys sent me to an away school." She moaned.

"It was the best education at the time, and look at it this way… You got into Stanford thanks to it." Ellis said turning off the sink.

Meredith sighed and fell back into the seat next to her brother. "I still don't want to go."

"You'll survive." Richard smiled. "We have to be at the airport in an hour, so finish packing."

"Why do they have to come to the Bahamas with us?" Meredith whined.

"Meredith Ann Grey, you stop whining right this second. You're seventeen-years-old." Ellis yelled. "Dennis finish up eating then come upstairs." With that she walked out.

"You agree with me right?" She mumbled looking over at Dennis.

"I don't know." He shrugged smiling showing his teeth missing.

"The Bahamas will be fun at least." She sighed, standing up. "If only Derek Shepherd, Mark Sloan, and Preston Burke didn't have to ruin it." With that she walked out.

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Derek groaned looking at his mother. "Mom, I don't want to go. I'm nineteen; I should be able to make my own decisions."

"Fine, liberate yourself by taking out the trash." Nina ordered.

"Mrs. S, what Derek is trying to say is… He doesn't want to go." Mark offered.

"You're going to, Marcus Sloan." Carol said.

"Mama say what?" Mark said looking at her in disbelief. "No, no, no I am not spending a month of my life in the Bahamas living in the same house with Meredith Grey, the most annoying person alive."

"You haven't seen her in eleven years! She's changed." Carol said.

"I am ashamed of you boys. She was six at the time." Jane shook her head at the three boys.

"She put dirt in our ice cream and said it was Oreo!" Derek yelled.

"She was young. She didn't know what she was doing." Preston said smiling at his mother.

"You're going, too, Preston Alan Burke." Jane said walking by.

"What?! No. I can't… I have papers… and… and things to do." He stammered.

"Uh-huh," Mark said with his arms crossed.

"Uh-huh," Derek said giving him a disbelieving look. "Singing a different tone now."

"Of course, I am… This is Meredith Grey!" Preston said stressing her name. "Meredith. Grey. The one who coated my English paper in glue and stuck it to my favorite shirt so I wouldn't forget it."

"You're going." Jane repeated.

"Mom, I have work to do." Preston said.

"You have the summers off form work… You all do and the next semester hasn't started in school." Carol said.

"Now, you are all going to the Bahamas and you are all going to enjoy yourselves and you are all going to treat Meredith well." Nina said glaring at them. "Derek take out the freaking trash."

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Hailing a cab, the family of four piled in and instructed the driver to take them to the Hilton Hotel that they would be residing at for the next two days until they got on a plane heading to the Bahamas where the four families would be staying at the Webber's vacation homes.

The cab soon pulled in front of the Hilton and they got out. Richard checked them into their two rooms.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Meredith sighed looking entirely annoyed they were even in New York.

"Alright. We have to be at the Shepherd's in a half an hour." Richard said.

"Whatever." She said lazily taking the keycard and headed to the elevator.

"Come on, let's get some coffee. Dennis, do you want some chocolate milk?" Ellis asked heading over towards the coffee place. Dennis nodded vigorously.

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Turning off the water, she stepped out wrapping the towel around her body and one around her hair. Walking over to the mirror, she used her arm to wipe the fog away. Letting at the sigh, she looked in the mirror. She had definitely changed since the last time she saw Derek, Mark, and Preston, as to be expected. She went from annoying seven-year-old going second grade to mature seventeen-year-old going into her second year in college. Her body had changed, of coarse. Catching the eye of all the guys while she was out with her best friend, Christina Yang. But still the thought of seeing the people from her early childhood and remembering what they used to say, what they used to whisper, made her feel more insecure then she had in years and years.

She pushed the wet strands of hair, that had fallen from the towel, behind her ear. By the time she finished blowing her hair dry, she was slightly nervous of what they would think of her, she slipped on a pair of jeans and a tank top. Digging through the suitcase, she found a purple low cut shirt. She slipped it arm then slipped on her boots. Glancing at the clock, she realized it wouldn't be long until someone would come and knock on the door telling her to hurry up. Looking in the mirror, she applied a little make-up and headed out.

"Mer, come on. We have to go." Ellis said having come out of her room only seconds earlier. Meredith just silently nodded dreading what will come.