Never Alone//Merder

Give Peace A Chance

After settling into their hotel, Meredith and Morgan went to see some of the sights. Morgan didn't like what she loved best. Meredith tried to show that she was having fun, but she was dreading going to the house. She still wasn't ready to face Derek, but she knew that she couldn't avoid him forever. They would have to talk sometime. It might as well be during this trip. Meredith didn't know the next time she and Morgan would be able to visit.

When they arrived at the house, Meredith allowed Morgan to ring the doorbell. She held her breath as they heard footsteps. The door was pulled open and a woman with long brunette hair answered the door. She gave mother and daughter a welcoming smile as she introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Lizzie, Derek's sister. You must be Meredith and Morgan." Meredith nodded her head. "Come on in. We've been expecting you."

Meredith smiled in return as she followed Morgan into the house. Lizzie led them into the den where Mrs. Shepherd was lounging in a chair. To Meredith's relief, Derek was nowhere in sight. Morgan squeezed her mother's hand tightly as they walked into the room. "Mom, there are some people who want to meet you," Lizzie told her mother.

Carolyn turned to her two visitors and gave them a warm smile. "So you're the Meredith and Morgan I've been hearing so much about. It's a pleasure to finally meet you two." She gestured them to join her. Meredith thanked her as she grabbed a seat on the couch and Morgan sat in her lap. "Are you two enjoying New York?"

Before Meredith could answer, Morgan spoke up. She was surprised, but pleased that she was willing to talk to Mrs. Shepherd without being too shy. Of course, Meredith realized that Katie had helped her get over her shyness.

Meredith listened as Morgan told Mrs. Shepherd about herself. She was interrupted by Lizzie bringing in a couple of bags into the room. Meredith was confused while Morgan grew excited at the thought of presents. "Two of them are for you and one is for little Benjamin," Carolyn explained. Meredith wanted to protest, but Carolyn didn't let her interrupt. "I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to. After all, we're practically family."

Meredith gave her a small smile. Morgan quickly opened her gift up and squealed in delight as she saw a beautiful doll. "Thank you," she exclaimed as she tried to keep her voice down. She had been warned by her mother to use her indoor voice, but she was too excited to do it.

"You're certainly welcome, Morgan," Carolyn replied before Meredith suggested that she should play with the doll in the other room. Morgan nodded and disappeared into the other room. "I think you lucked out with that one, Meredith. She is just as adorable as Derek says she is."

Meredith smiled proudly as she watched her daughter. "Yeah, but she has her bad moments too."

Carolyn laughed. "Who doesn't? I know it's not easy being a single mom, but I can see that you have raised your daughter well. It must have been hard for you two when Derek and the children returned to New York." Meredith nodded. She was about to respond when Carolyn didn't let her interrupt. "Don't worry. I won't have him here for much longer. He will be back in your arms soon enough and then you two can get your relationship back on track."

Meredith tried not to show her confusion. "Mrs. Shepherd, what exactly did Derek tell you about what was going on with our relationship?"

"Please call me Carolyn," Carolyn insisted. "He told me that you two were doing the long distance relationship," Carolyn replied. Meredith then realized that she had no clue about the twins or their break up. "But I can see that it has been hard on him and Katie. So that's why I wanted you two to come out here. He has been so depressed lately that I thought seeing you and Morgan would cheer him up."

Meredith started to feel a little guilty about the way she had treated him. She decided not to tell her the truth about their relationship. She had been through enough. She had a feeling that this news would just devastate her. "Well, I think we probably should get going," she said as she got up from the couch. "You need your rest. Thank you for the gifts. That was very kind of you."