Beth grinned as she saw Mark standing by the door. She was wearing his shirt. She looked to him. "What are you doing?" She asked.
"Why do you have to live in Meredith's attic again? How am I supposed to get out of here with that frat party going on downstairs. Don't you kids ever sleep?" Mark asked.
Beth rolled her eyes. She smiled. "They're cleaning the house for my mom," she told him.
Mark closed the door. He turned back to Bella. "Mrs Shepherd is coming? To Seattle?"
Beth nodded. "So?"
"So that woman practically raised me. Taught me right from wrong. And if she found out that I'm sleeping with you. You're Derek Shepherd's little sister. You are forbidden fruit. You're 25," he said.
Beth rolled her eyes. She looked to him. "Look, you and me... this is something addicting. I'm ending it with Owen today. So you can relax. And my mom won't say anything. She's mellow. Amelia is literally my mom's worst child. Anything compared to her is a blast."
Mark groaned. "You're killing me Bethany."
"Don't Bethany me."
****
Mark snuck past the group of people in the living room. Beth behind him. They quickly kissed before Mark left. Once Mark was on the front porch, he bumped into Derek. "Mark?"
"Hey. There you are. Do you want to get a drink?" Mark asked, wanting to think of a cover for why he was there. Not wanting him to know that he had spent the last few hours having sex with Beth.
"It's four in the morning," Derek said.
Mark nodded. "I probably should have called first. Hey, I hear your mom is coming into town. Good times," he said as he walked off.
****
Alex smirked as he looked to Meredith. "10 bucks says she tanks in the first 5 minutes," he said.
Sadie shook her head. "I have faith in Death. She'll make a good impression."
Alex rolled his eyes. He looked to Sadie. "She's holding that bottle of tequila like it's a life vest."
"Meredith, don't listen to them. She's gonna love you," George said as he looked around. "Where's Beth?"
Meredith shook her head. "No. Mothers don't love me. Mothers like bright and bubbly and happy and ... Izzie. Mothers love Izzie," she told them. She was freaking.
"They do. Mothers do love Izzie," Izzie said as she looked to her.
"Uh, I stashed all the tequila, took the cоndоm out of the cookie jar. I also replaced all your trashy magazines with back issues of the "annals of surgery," okay?" Izzie said. She looked around.
Meredith ignored them. "Does it smell musty in here?" She asked.
"My mom's house smells like peppermint. It's so homey."
"My house isn't homey?" Meredith asked.
"I feel at home," Izzie said. She saw Beth standing in the doorway. "It's your mom coming to town. So why aren't you helping?"
Alex shook his head. "I was raised in a hellhole. This place is a palace," he said. He needed to make Meredith feel better.
Meredith turned to George. "Why isn't my house homey, George?" She asked.
"I can't explain it. It's just a feeling."
Meredith shook her head. "Well, Izzie can't fix a feeling!" She said as she sat there stressing.
"She is freaking out, people. Just tell her something I can fix."
Alex smirked and looked to her. "Rebecca peed on that couch cushion," he told her.
"I've been sleeping there for weeks."
Meredith smiled. "Thanks, Alex. You're ... a good friend," she said. She looked to Beth. "Why aren't you freaking out?" She asked.
Beth shrugged. "I know my mom. And she's as laid back and mellow as you can get. Look at me and my twin."
Izzie frowned. "You have a twin?"
"Yes I do. She's a resident at Mercy West," Beth said. She wasn't a huge fan of Izzie. And she couldn't stand her.
****
Outside of Mr Dunn's room Derek walked over to Beth and Meredith. "You're wearing an alarmingly high ponytail," he said as he looked to Meredith.
Meredith nodded. "Your mother is coming," she said. She saw the grin on Beth's face. And she knew she was taking delight in this.
Derek walked into Mr Dunn's room. "Mr. Dunn, the swelling in your brain is increasing rapidly. The longer we wait to operate, the worse it gets," he told him.
"Excellent. Go, team."
Derek shook his head and sighed. "I strongly suggest you reconsider surgery."
"Have you ever seen the inside of a maximum security prison? This is the place to do it, in good company," Mr Dunn said.
Derek turned to his girlfriend and sister. "You two will vigilantly monitor Mr. Dunn's elevating I. C. P. S. You will do hourly neuro exams. When he goes unconscious, which he will, we'll rush him to surgery," he told them both.
"You can't do that. Can ... can ... can he do that?" Mr Dunn asked the two girls.
Derek shrugged. "When you're unconscious and can no longer make sound medical decisions, a 2-doctor consent is all that's needed to treat you," he said as he went to walk out with them.
"For God sake, I'm gonna be dead as a doornail in five days. Dr. Shepherd, you're a reasonable."
Derek grabbed his sister. "We're done here," he said as he walked out with them both.
"Would you fix a broken television before you throw it out?" Mr Dunn called.
Meredith looked to Derek. "He's got a point."
"He's trying to cheat the system, and we're not gonna let him do it," Derek told her as he walked off.
****
Beth walked over to Derek and saw her mom. "Uh oh," she mumbled.
Carolyn Shepherd shook her head "I don't need a fancy car. I just hopped on the bus. Saved you some money," she said. She turned to Beth. "My baby Bethany. You're skinny. Are you eating? Derek are you feeding your sister?"
"Help," Beth mumbled under her breath as her mom hugged her tight. "Can't breathe."
Derek shook his head. "She's old enough to feed herself. So this cruise ... you just happened to have a layover in Seattle?" He asked.
Carolyn nodded. "Well, I've always wanted to check out the space needle. I understand you can see mount rainer from the top," she said.
"Oh, really? Anything else you want to check out?" Beth asked her mom.
Carolyn frowned. "You gonna take me or not?"
Derek shook his head. "I got back-to-back surgeries, ma. You gotta give me a little more notice," he told her.
"Yeah, yeah. I gave birth to six doctors. I know the drill. I can wait. Maybe meet your colleagues," she said as she saw Mark. "Is that Mark Sloan?" She asked.
Derek nodded and smirked as he shared a look with Beth. "Yeah."
"Mark Sloan."
Mark looked over and paled. "Oh, Mrs. Shepherd. You look great," he said. He grabbed his pager. "Oh, damn. Catch up later?" He said as he walked off quickly.
Derek saw Grace. He smiled. "Uh, oh, perfect timing. Um, mom, this is Meredith."
Carolyn grinned as she looked to Meredith. "Meredith, finally. My son has been acting like a dog with his favorite bone, hiding you away. I hope you're free for lunch. I can't wait to dive in and find out all about you," she said.
****
Beth was in Mr Dunn's room. He looked to Beth. "I've got a body full of ... of high-quality parts here. 3-day liquidation sale. Everything must go," he said.
"Even if we could do it, you have to be a match for him, which means we'd have to crossmatch your blood with his," Beth told him.
She knew how Mr Dunn wanted to donate his body parts. But she knew that there was a process.
"Good thing we're both in a hospital then. Let ... let me save a life before I go. It's the ... it's the least I can do," Mr Dunn said to her.
Beth raised her eyebrows. "So you really expect me to believe that you want to do this for a kid?" She asked.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Dr. Shepherd," Mr Dunn said.
****
Meredith and Derek were having lunch with Derek's mom. Carolyn smiled. "Derek tells me you ... you, uh, grew up right here in Seattle. Are your parents..."
"Mm. Dead."
Derek smiled to his mom. "Meredith's mother died last year," he told her.
Carolyn frowned. "Oh, I'm so sorry. And your father?" She asked. She frowned. "Where's Bethany?"
Meredith stood and smiled. "Oh. You know, I ... should go check on the patient who's the serial killer ... who's here. Not killing people, so that's good. I should go," she said as she walked off.
Derek sighed. "Yeah. Family isn't her favorite topic, okay? She's had a rough time of it," he told her.
"I didn't say a word."
Derek nodded. "I know what you're thinking. Why don't you go and find Beth? Give her your motherly love. Have you been to see Grace?"
Carolyn shook her head. "I was thinking ... it must be awful for you ... treating a murderer," she said.
"Dad died a long time ago. I'm fine."
****
Mark looked up as Beth sat with down with him. He frowned. "What are you doing?" He asked.
"You sleep with me. You lunch with me. And relax. Derek isn't here," Beth told him. She had made up her mind to end things with Owen.
Mark looked up as the other interns came over. "Oh. Do you let interns sit with you too Dr Sloan? That's so cool!"
The others came and sat down. Mark stood up and walked off. He saw Carolyn. "Mark!"
Mark paled. "Mrs. Shepherd."
Carolyn looked to Mark. "You've been avoiding me," she said as though it were obvious.
Mark put his hands on his hips and shifted from foot to foot. "What? No."
"You have that same guilty look on your face as you did when you were 10 years old. And you put Derek's favourite frog in the microwave," Carolyn said.
Mark looked to the floor for a moment. "I never pressed start."
"What's going on?"
Mark took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sleeping with her."
Carolyn's eyes widened as she looked to Mark. "Oh Mark! Not again! How could you?"
Mark was confused for a moment. He shook his head. "No! Not Meredith.. Beth," he told her.
"My Beth?"
Mark nodded. "Yeah. Your Beth. I really like her. And I think I can make her happy," he said as he looked to her.
Carolyn smiled. She looked to him. "Beth is with Owen Hunt isn't she?" She asked.
"Yeah. She wants to finish it with him. Derek doesn't know about us," Mark told her.
Carolyn smiled. She knew Mark. And she knew he needed someone like Beth to keep him on the straight and narrow.
****
Beth and Meredith were checking up on Mr Dunn. He looked to Meredith. "Am I hallucinating, or is that a really high ponytail?"
Meredith shook her head. "You're not hallucinating. But once your brain starts to herniate, I can't promise anything," she told him.
Mr Dunn sighed. "So I'm really circling the drain here? You should just take my organs right now, help that poor kid," he said.
"Oh, they found him organs. They're flying them over right now. He's gonna be fine," Beth told him.
"Did you know that they let you choose? Hanging or lethal ... you get to pick your poison, literally. Which one would you choose? Medically speaking, which one's ... better?" Mr Dunn asked.
"Well, with hanging, your neck breaks, which severs your spinal cord, which causes your blood pressure to drop to nothing, and you lose consciousness," Meredith began.
"You don't actually die for several minutes. And with lethal injection, they inject an anesthetic first, which puts you to sleep, and then a paralytic, which stops your diaphragm and your lungs, and then potassium, which stops your heart," Beth told
"Was, um ... was I a match?"
"Yes, you were."
****
Mark was in Callie's OR. "It's like pudding in here," he said.
"This is exactly why I don't do this procedure. I mean, you're living with broken legs for months. You're in excruciating pain. God, all for a few inches. pain and agony for a little bit of pleasure," Callie told him.
"I get it."
"If it's that bad, why don't you just stop sleep... doing what you're doing? The whole sleeping with Beth. Spend more time together," Callie said.
"Because it doesn't feel bad when I'm ... doing it. it's good. It's great. and maybe if you weren't so scared of getting burned, you'd feel the same," Mark told her.
"You know, I used to walk tall around here. I used to walk tall. Then... came George. He took off at least an inch. Then Erica went and left me. That shaved off a few more. I got shorter. All that humiliation, it makes you shorter. So, yeah, I am scared of getting hurt because one more personal disaster right now would cut me off at the knees," Callie told him.
****
Beth was sitting outside. She looked up as her mom came and sat down with her. "Mark told me. Why didn't you?" Carolyn asked her.
Beth sighed. She looked to her. "Because he's Derek's best friend. And Derek warned him off me. I've been sleeping with Mark when I'm in a relationship with Owen. But I don't want to be with him anymore. It's... it's too weird," she said.
"You need to end it with Owen if you're not in love with him. You don't want to end up like Derek and Addison. If you're not happy, say something. You and Grace. You are my babies. And I want you to be happy. So if that is Mark Sloan, it's Mark Sloan. Be happy Bethany," Carolyn told her daughter.
Beth smiled. "I really miss you mama."
****
In Mr Dunn's room, Beth ran in. "I don't feel too good," Mr Dunn said.
Beth frowned. "I. C. P. is critical. We have to get him down to the O.R," she told the nurse.
"No. No."
Beth sighed as she looked to him. "We have to get you to surgery," she told him.
Mr Dunn shook his head. "I'm not scared of dying. I just don't want to do it strapped down to a table like some a-animal. Please, please ... please, Dr. Grey ... let me go," he begged.
Cristina and Derek walked in. "Push the paralytics. Okay, start bagging him. Intubate and get him into the O.R," Derek said as he signed the form.
The nurse turned to him. "I need another doctor's signature... consent to operate..."
Derek turned to Beth. "All right, sign. sign the form. Beth, sign the form. Bethany! Sign the form!"
Beth couldn't do it. She shook her head. Cristina snatched the form and sighed.
Derek turned to Cristina. "Yang, you're scrubbing in," he told her.
****
Mark was talking to Carolyn. She smiled. "My Beth is a lovely girl. You know that don't you?" She said.
Mark nodded. "A lovely girl who I've been warned against. So when Derek finds out, he'll kill me no doubt," he told her.
"Baloney. That isn't the problem. You are. You have very low expectations for yourself, Mark Sloan. Since you were a little boy, you always have. And it's time to raise them," Carolyn told him.
"She can do so much better than me. She can do younger than me," Mark said.
Carolyn shook her head. "You have the emotional maturity of a hоrny 15 year old. You need young. My Beth is perfect for you. You're perfect for her."
****
Carolyn found Meredith. She looked to her and smiled. "Meredith, I just looking for Derek I thought you'd be with him," she said.
Meredith sighed and smiled. "You seem like a very nice person. You've been very kind, and you've given me a chance. And it seems like you want to like me. So it's only fair you should know... the pink and the ponytail and the smiling with the teeth I'm a fraud. It's fake. I'm not the kind of girl mothers like. I'm not happy and bubbly. I'm dark and cloudy, because I'm the type of crazy person who... feels bad for serial killers," she told her.
"It was very nice to meet you, Meredith. Look after my son," Carolyn said.
"I'll do my best."
****
Beth saw Owen and sighed. She looked to him. "I think we need to talk," she said as she looked to him.
"What about?"
Beth looked to him and smiled. "I think we need to break up. We're not happy at all. We're not working out. You and I, it was a thing of convenience. Just scratching an itch. So I think we need to end it before we hurt each other," she told him.
"Beth."
Beth shook her head. "No. I see the way you look at Cristina. Go be with her. I know you want her. As I said, we were scratching an itch," she said as she walked off.
Feeling thankful she had ended things with Owen before it got too heated with Mark. Knowing she didn't want to be known as a cheater. Even though she had already cheated.
****
Callie looked to Mark as they were waiting for the elevator. "You want to get a drink?" She asked.
Mark smiled. "I would, but I have plans," he said.
The elevator doors opened. The two of them saw Beth waiting for him. "Oh. Hey."
"Right."
Mark smiled as he looked to Callie. "Walk tall."
"What?"
"All you can do is be brave enough to get out there. You fought. You loved. You lost. Walk tall, Torres," Mark told her.
****
Derek and Carolyn were sitting on a bench outside the hospital. Carolyn handed him a ring. "I ... your father ... always wanted you to have this for the right girl. Addie wasn't right, clearly," she said.
Derek frowned. "You spent less than an hour with Grace. You barely even know her."
Carolyn nodded and smiled. "I know enough. I know ... it's easier to have compassion for a good person than a murderer. I know how angry you still are about what happened to dad," she told him.
"Of course I'm angry. Aren't you?" Derek asked. Knowing how he was still hurting over his father's death.
"I still can't sleep on his side of the bed. The matter is wearing unevenly. But no ... no, I'm not angry, not anymore. Sweetheart. You see things in black and white. Grace doesn't," Carolyn said.
"No."
Carolyn smiled. "You need a spoonful of that. You need her. She's the one," she told her son. She smiled. "Take care of the twins too. I know Grace is at another hospital. But take care of her."
"Always."
****
Beth and Mark were in Joe's. Beth looked to him and smiled. "I ended it with Owen. I told him we weren't happy."
"How did he take that?"
Beth shrugged. "I think he was upset. But I did the right thing. Being with you, I don't know. It feels good. And I don't think we should give up on this. Not yet," she said.
Mark kissed her lips. He smirked. "I know a place we can go," he said as he pulled her up.
He knew how he was risking his friendship with Derek. But Beth Shepherd had infected him. And he couldn't get enough of her.
****
AUTHORS NOTE
Grace Shepherd belongs to Carolineeexx
She will be mentioned. But she won't be in the fanfic as a main character until the merger which is three chapters away!🥰