⇢ CHAPTER 16

she tanks in the first five minutes." Alex betted against Meredith meeting Derek's mother as Holly shook her head while drinking as George kept his arm around her.

"I have faith in Death." Sadie nodded at Meredith, "She'll make a good impression."

Alex noted, "She's holding that bottle of tequila like it's a life vest."

"She'll be fine." Holly spoke, feeling somewhat awkward in the room with Sadie in it after knowing April had gone off on the blonde, "Hopefully."

"Mer," George called her name out which made Meredith's head sharply turn to George, "don't listen to them. She's gonna love you."

"No." Meredith shook her head, "Mothers don't love me. Mothers like bright and bubbly and happy and..." Her eyes went up as Izzie walked inside, "Izzie. Mothers love Izzie."

"They do." Izzie confirmed, "Mothers do love Izzie." She looked to her right for a brief second before speaking, "Uh, I stashed all the tequila, took the condoms out of the cookie jar. I also replaced all your trashy magazines with back issues of the 'Annals of Surgery,' okay?"

Meredith nodded, whispering, "Okay."

Izzie sniffed, "Does it smell musty in here?"

Holly shrugged as George commented, "My mom's house smells like peppermint. It's so homey"

"Mine smells like freshly cut grass." Holly smiled.

"My house isn't homey?" Meredith asked the couple. 

"I was raised in a hellhole." Alex looked around, "This place is a palace."

"Why isn't my house homey, George? Huh, Holly?"

"I don't know." Holly raised her hands in surrender.

"I can't explain it." George sighed, "It's just a feeling."

"Well," Meredith gestured at the blonde, "Izzie can't fix a feeling."

"She's freaking out, people." Izzie announced, "Just tell her something I can fix."

"Rebecca peed on that couch cushion." Alex admitted, pointing to said couch cushion.

Sadie grimaced as she looked over, "I've been sleeping there for weeks."

Holly laughed before seeing Sadie's expression, "...I'm sorry."

"Thanks, Alex." Meredith nodded at him, "You're... a good friend."

"You're welcome." Alex gestured to the bottle of tequila in her hands, "Keep drinking."

"I'm gonna go check on Lexie." Holly nodded as she left her bottle of beer with George and walked away from the group. 

Lexie had decided to move out and into Meredith's house to get closer to her sister-- the only downside was that her room was in the attic. So as Holly made her way up the stairs, she was surprised when she saw Mark going down the stairs. At four in the morning.

"Mar-- Ow." Holly winced as he freaked out and covered her mouth with his hand, accidentally hitting her nose.

"Sorry." He apologized in a whisper.

"What are you doing-- Oh, my God." She whispered back, smacking his chest, "You're the one sleeping with Lexie."

"I-- She's talked about me with you?" Mark asked before Holly smacked him again, "Ow. Stop with the hitting."

"Derek told you not to sleep with her." Holly shook her head at him, "He said 'keep Little Sloan out of Little Grey.'"

"I know. And I tried but--" Holly gave him a look that read 'spare me the details,' and Mark sighed, "But you have to keep it a secret. Okay? No one knows except Lexie, you, and me." Holly squinted at him before he continued, "I'll you, just keep it shut."

"Fine." Holly sighed, "I won't say anything."

"Thank you." He took out his wallet, "How much?"

"I don't need to get paid for secrecy." Holly rolled her eyes as she smacked his arm, "I cannot believe you--"

"Okay, okay." Mark groaned as he held her arms for her to stop hitting him, "Can you make a distraction down there so I can sneak out?"

Holly waved a hand, "They're focusing on soothing Meredith's worries, you're fine."

✧

"I'm a horrible person." Lexie sighed as she sat down next to Mark in the cafeteria and drank on her apple juice.

"Grey," Mark stared, "what are you doing?"

She stopped drinking and stared back at him, "If you sleep with me, you lunch with me. New rule. And I accidentally let it slip that Holly--"

"Is dating George." Holly finished as she saw when Lexie spilled the beans and ran over to the redhead to take her away, glaring at the girl, Holly continued,  "You--"

"You let interns sit with you at lunch," Ryan asked, the other group of interns following him, "Dr. Sloan?"

"No," Holly answered as she gestured to herself and Lexie, "we're on a case with him so scram."

The interns nodded their heads and Mark smiled, "I'm liking you more and more, Red."

"Yeah, don't push it." Holly quirked an eyebrow as she rested her head in her hands, "I'm gonna need help."

"What's up?"

Holly and Lexie gave Mark a look as Holly explained, "Lexie just said George's mother has come to visit and I don't think I'm gonna impress her-- I mean, what's there to--"

"Red." Mark glanced behind her.

Holly looked at him as she ate a carrot, "Yeah?"

"She's coming here."

Holly looked around as she frowned her eyebrows, "Where?"

Mark laughed as Lexie breathed out a chuckle and Holly sunk in her chair. Lexie commented, "That was evil."

✧

Holly leaned against the Nurse's station as she wrote in her patient's chart and George slid next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist as he whispered, "My mother's coming behind me..." He turned them around, his mother approaching the couple, "hey."