DISCLAIMER: I own none of the characters from Grey's Anatomy and I'm making no money off of this.
SPOILERS: Set about five years after the season 2 finale. Kinda sorta if you squint really hard, maybe spoilers for the Season 2 finale.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Future History
By Jaina
Doomed
Meredith feels horrified as she backs out of the supply closet. Her hand reaches up to clutch her throat as she stumbles away from the closet and Derek's pleading eyes.
But then she finds herself laughing, even as the tears start to slide down her cheeks. It doesn't matter that she is Dr. Meredith Gray, respected Neurosurgeon; her life is crumbling to pieces in front of her again.
She runs into someone in her blind hurry to get away and laughs even harder when she realizes that the person is Addison.
"Meredith?"
"He's a bastard."
Addison doesn't laugh at her.
Inevitable
It's been two weeks since she walked in on Derek with the intern.
Meredith had served him the divorce papers a few moments ago. It had felt so satisfying to slap them down on the cafeteria table in front of him. For the first time in five years, she finally feels free of him.
Meredith is surprised, but not, when Addison sits down next to her at the cafeteria table. Both of them watch McDreamy and his new intern walk past them. Meredith can't help but feel a hint of pity for her.
"I saw the schedule for tomorrow."
Meredith only raises an eyebrow at Addison, as she licks the last of the ice cream from her spoon.
"She's supposed to be assisting you all day."
Meredith shrugs. "I think of it as an initiation – uncomfortable day with the ex-wife."
Addison laughs. Her eyes make contact with Meredith's and her gaze doesn't drop away.
Meredith smiles slowly at her. This is different. Before she can think she asks, "What are you doing tonight?"
"What did you have in mind?"
Nothing, Meredith thinks. Anything.
Impossible
Tequila is her weakness and everyone knows it. A few drinks and whatever better judgment that she might have had is gone.
Tonight Meredith orders coffee and pretends not to notice the look of surprise on Joe's face and Addison's. Maybe her better judgment is finally making an appearance. Maybe tonight history will stop repeating itself.
She and Addison find a quiet table in the corner. They talk about nothing while Meredith drinks her coffee. Now is the time when the tequila usually starts to work its magic.
Addison casually brushes her hair away from her face and Meredith catches herself staring. Addison catches her too.
They're locked into a staring contest and Meredith realizes that this is the longest that she's ever just looked at Addison. Guilt and shame kept her looking down and away from noticing the high cheekbones and the glittering green eyes.
Derek hadn't noticed either – not really – not either of them. Meredith wishes the new intern better luck in a distant sort of way.
She takes another sip of her coffee, but her eyes are on Addison over the rim of her mug. She isn't thinking, not really. This feels right in a way that things haven't felt in longer than she can remember. She's not sure that things have ever felt this right.
Meredith doesn't flinch as she feels Addison's hand settle on her thigh - just a light pressure on top of her jeans. She sets her coffee mug down on the table and leans forward, dropping her hand to cover the one on her thigh.
Maybe it's not the tequila that works the magic after all.
She can't remember her first kiss with Derek, not really. It's just a jumble within a whirlwind inside the hazy fog of blurred memory. She wants this to be different.
Meredith leans across the space between them, her hand dropping to Addison's shoulder. She moves in slowly and lets her lips drift across Addison's slowly, a brush of sensation. Addison kisses her back, drawing her in as she pulls away.
Addison's long fingers tangle in her hair and it's nothing like Derek. She can still feel herself think and breathe – it's not like all of the air is being sucked out of the room.
She feels Addison's fingers dig into her thigh, under her own hand as she deepens the kiss. She hasn't lost her touch, Meredith thinks.
Finally Meredith pulls away. Her pulse is racing and she feels the adrenaline jolting through her veins.
Addison stands – holds out her hand. "Shall we?"
Meredith takes it with more certainty than she's felt in years.
They pass Derek in the parking lot on the way out of Joe's. Meredith feels Addison's hand on her ass and sees the smug smile on her face aimed at him. She thinks that she should protest at being objectified, but she doesn't. She imagines that her own smile is just as smug.
Derek looks stunned.
It feels good.
The End