Season 2 Episode 1

Margo enters the bar across the street looking for Meredith who she felt so terribly for after that confrontation. Truth be told, she'd do anything to get Addisons words out of her mind.

She walks toward the counter where she had just seen the woman downing two shots. "Meredith?"

Meredith looks at her for about five seconds before taking another. "Another three Joe!" She calls.

Margo frowns, she can't imagine how she must be feeling. She takes a seat on the stool beside her. "I'm sorry Meredith."

"When I first met you I thought I was the dirty mistress. I ran from you for weeks." Meredith laughs but there's no real humor in her tone. "I was so relieved when he told me you're his sister in law. But turns out I'm still a dirty mistress and mc dreamy has a mcwife."

"I wanted him to tell you." Margo sighs guiltily.

"Why didn't you?" Meredith questions, a small crack in her voice.

"He's my family Meredith." Margo holds her hand up to stop the other from interrupting her. "We've been through hell together and even though I know you're going to hate hearing this, please hear him out. I'm not saying you have to forgive him or stay with him but hear him out."

"Where is his brother?" Meredith questions with slightly narrowed eyes. "He only mentioned he had a brother when he explained your relation."

"He didn't tell you?" Margo questions, shocked.

"He doesn't tell me a lot of thing, apparently." The woman slightly slurs, the alcohol starting to kick in.

"Meredith..." Margo bites her lip in indecisiveness. While it should be something Derek tells her, after everything she figures it would be best to just tell her the truth. "My husband... Derek's brother passed away almost three years ago now."

Meredith stares at the woman with wide speechless eyes.

"He died in a car accident." Margo states while staring down at her wedding ring. "Aurora was almost two at the time and we had gone out to dinner. It was the first time since she was born that either of us went anywhere with out her. On our way back a drunk driver hit us. We fell into a pretty steep ditch, unseeable to cars passing by. My husband... he was dead on impact."

Meredith slides a shot over to the woman as she wipes a tear from her cheek. "It took until the early hours of the morning until a jogger had passed and called 911. I was awake the whole time. Calling out to him, screaming at him to wake up, crying for help. I was forced to stare into his open dead eyes for seven hours. I prayed for my body to just shut down, to just knock me out. It wasn't until the paramedics and fire fighters finally got me to the hospital that they sedated me and I was so exhausted I slept for three days straight."

"Margo..." Meredith wipes a tear from her own eye. Even trying to picture the chain of events made Meredith want to cry for this woman. "I'm so sorry."

"Derek blames himself Meredith." Margo clears her throat as she remembers their conversation from the other day. "He blames himself for his brothers death and that changed him. Don't think you ruined a happy marriage, Meredith. If anything you brought back the life in his eyes."

And decidedly leaving it at that Margo downs the shot and pats Meredith on her back as she leaves the bar. She starts walking down the side walk with no place in mind, just staring at the lights and passing cars.

The tears start flowing and she can't control them. She takes her phone out of her pocket and hesitantly hovers her finger over the screen.

After a few minutes of just staring she finally brings the phone to her ear trying to muffle her cries.

Not even the second ring and the recipient picks up. "Margo?"

Margo doesn't answer but keeps the phone up to her ear as she leans her head onto a nearby building. Just focusing on taking deep breaths but a small choked sob makes its way out.

"Margo..." On the other end of the line Mark pinches his eyes closed as if in pain. "Baby... Please don't cry. Just tell me where you went, I'll come. Please."

"I can't." Margo gasps as she tries to catch her breath.

"I want to see you and Pumpkin, Margo." Mark pleads. "Even if it means that I have to pretend that that night never happened. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it."

"Why did you sleep with her Mark? I-I know I have no right to ask but please." Margo desperately questions.

Mark takes a sharp intake of air. "Margo, I can't tell you right now. Not when you're still grieving, not over the phone, not while you're somewhere in another state. Not like this."

"What is that even supposed to mean?" She cries. "While I'm still grieving? Mark, I will be grieving for the rest of my life."

"Just tell me about Rory!" He exclaims, desperately trying to keep the only conversation he's had with her in months going. "Tell me about Rory, how was school been for her?"

"She's been asking to call you." Margo confesses and Marks heart feels like it's breaking in two. "I've told her you're busy with work."

"Let me talk to her?" He questions hopefully.

Margo harshly rubs her eyes. "I'm uh, I'm not home right now." She hears him sigh and sniffle slightly.
The two years before they left, Aurora had seen Mark every single day. Whether it was just for breakfast or sleeping on the couch to spend the whole weekend with them he was with the two girls every day. Derek was drowning in work, trying to distract himself from grieving his brother and his failing marriage and Mark was always just there. And it took Margo a long time to realize he had always been there, she just wasn't looking. "But... I can let her call you tomorrow night."

And she couldn't see it but a smile completely over took his face. "Thank you, Margo."

"Goodnight, Mark." She whispers as she hangs up the phone. Looking around the empty street she sighs heavily.

•

Margo walks up to Derek, Addison, and Meredith having just been told Addison is the neonatal doctor that would be working with her on a case. "Lord please give me patience." She whispers to herself.

Derek looks between his girlfriend and his wife and shakes his head, leaving Margo with a cheek kiss. Margo sighs. "Let's get this over with."

They all stand around their patient Julie. "Define TTTS." Addison orders the intern.

"Twin-twin transfusion syndrome. Conjoined fetal twins." Meredith robotically answers.

"Connected by?"

"Blood vessels in the placenta."

"Meaning?"

Meredith pauses, racking her brain for the answer and obviously Addison thinks this is a time to exert her power as she opens her mouth to embarrass the woman.

However, she hasn't fully realized this is Margo Shepherds department.

"One twin gets too much blood, the other too little, endangering the lives of both. Nicely done Meredith, perhaps you could read through some articles on past cases like this and get me caught up to speed." Margo intercepts Addisons predictable jab, sending the intern a sly wink.

"They told me there wasn't much chance anything could be done." The patient says, looking at the three women doubtfully.

"TTTS is usually impossible to correct. Unless you happen to be one of a handful of surgeons in the world who knows how to separate fetal blood vessels. Which, luckily for you, I am. So were gonna get you into surgery tomorrow. If you have any questions at all please ask Dr. Grey. From what I have seen, she is one the hospital's most popular interns." Addison interjects, side glancing Meredith as she walks out.

"I could've answered your question had you given me the chance." Meredith states with slight annoyance written on her face.

"Chin up, Grey. I'm this tough on everyone, not just the women my husband sleeps with. Order an ultrasound for her and pre-op labs in full." Addison orders before walking away.

Margo sends her a sympathetic glance and speeds ahead to catch up with the red head. "Addison!"

"Come to tell me your sorry for ignoring my calls for months and helping my husband disappear to another state with out telling me?" She sarcastically questions.

Margo stops walking and scoffs. "No, Addison. Quite the opposite. I've come to tell you that was highly inappropriate, especially because the patient more than likely heard you what with you speaking right outside her doorway. This is my department. I don't care what the chief says. I'm writing you up, and as a visitor you get one warning before you're out on your ass. You can't corner Derek into forgiving you if you can't even see him."

As she starts to turn around and walk away Addison throws her hands up and laughs. "All of this because of Mark. Just admit it Margo. It hurt you that we slept together."

Margo spins around glaring at the red head. "What hurts me is watching you bully an intern to make yourself feel better. What hurts me is my brother coming to me crying about you sleeping with another man in his bed."

"You have to accept it at some point Margo!" Addison shouts as the brunette marches away.

•

A few hours later the three are back in Julie's room looking at the ultrasound Meredith had taken for the patient. "See. Bilateral pleural effusion with evidence of subQ edema."

"In English, please?"

"We've detected what looks like beginning heart failure in the twins. Don't be alarmed." Addison calmly tells her.

"Are my babies gonna be ok?" She worriedly questions.

"I'm gonna go ahead and take you into surgery now. We're not gonna wait. Book the OR. Move." Addison orders Meredith and looks to Margo expectantly for department approval.

Margo of course nods. "Update me when the surgeries completed."

•

"See? Just a small scar." Addison smiles down at the patient, happy with the results. "Your babies are doing very well. And Dr. Grey will be back to check on you a little bit later."

"Actually, I'd prefer it if Dr. Grey were taken off the case."

Now that is a concern to Margo. "Excuse me? Is there a problem?"

The patient looks to Addison and gives her a confident look. "Just reminds me of someone I don't like very much. Someone my husband likes a lot. Particularly in lingerie. You understand."

Margo tenses in anger. This is exactly why she wrote Addison up.

"No, no, I don't understand." Addison shakes her head.

"Well, she's sleeping with your husband, right?"

"Ms. Philips, I lack Dr. Grey's class and patience so, let me set the record straight. My husband didn't cheat on me, I cheated on him. So the wronged woman here, Dr. Grey. So, I think you owe here one hell of an apology." Addison firmly stated before leaving the room.

Margo sends Meredith an apologetic glance and leaves as well shaking her head.

•

She enters her home with an exhausted sigh. The sitter meets her at the door and she hands her some cash. "Thank you so much Camille for staying a little later than usual."

"Of course Mrs. Shepherd." The younger woman nods kindly and leaves.

Margo can see her daughters feet dangling off of the side of the couch bouncing up and down and sets her purse on the counter.

Holding the phone up to her ear she giggles when the first thing she hears is, "I'm here! I'm here!"

"Mark, why are you out of breath?" She laughs but then her face drops. "Wait, don't answer that, I don't want to know. Let me get Aurora."

"Wait, wait, wait!" He shouts but then immediately quiets. "It wasn't like that... I was waiting for the call for a little while now and I fell asleep."

"It's okay, Mark... It's really not my business anyway. I apologize for asking." Margo tries to brush it off.

"I haven't slept with anyone besides Addison in over a year." He blurts out before smacking himself on the forehead. Margo pulls the phone from her ear and gapes at her phone for a moment before pulling it back. "Okay... and why's that?"

"There's only so long you can use sex as a distraction." He sighs.

"Who's that momma?"

Margo spins around and giggles at her cheeky little girl. Always sneaking up on her. "Guess who?"

"Uncle Derek?!" She yells making grabby hands for the phone.

"Ouch." She hears Mark jokingly scoff and laughs. "Nope..."

The little girl immediately stops jumping and does the adorable thinking face per usual. Her eyes widen before she whispers. "The fairy god mother?"

"Ugh! This is getting painful, Angel. My heart cannot take much more, just tell her." Mark hollers.

"Aurora... why don't you see for yourself?" She hands the little girl the phone.

Aurora cautiously looks at the phone and slowly bring it up to her ear. "H-hello?"

"Pumpkin!" Mark shouts in pure happiness.

Auroras eyes light up and she screams at the top of her lungs making Margo cover her ears and Mark wince and pull the phone away. "Markie!!"

The little girl starts babbling on and on about everything and anything while Margo just watches her walk off with a small smile.

A/N: Leave a comment with your thoughts on this chapter