This Sleepover Thing (Official Subtext Loop) [Grey's Anatomy; Meredith, Cristina, Izzie, Callie; PG]

[dangermars.livejournal.com]

Title: This Sleepover Thing (Official Subtext Loop)
Author: zvi (witchqueen)
Summary: It behooves us to befriend her. Because otherwise it would be awkward and cause tension. Which is totally unlike the way we normally operate.
Rating: PG
Fandom: Grey's Anatomy
Characters: Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, Callie O'Malley
Spoilers: Takes place after My Favorite Mistake
Original story: Compare and Contrast by Amy (fox1013)

Stance on Warnings

"This is very peculiar," said Meredith to Cristina.

"That's not peculiar at all. It's a Shiraz. The Official Drinking Menu of the Official Girls-Only Slumber Party is Wine Cooler, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, and a liter of water each."

"No!" Meredith stamped her foot, and realized just how much drunker than usual she was. "Look at the glasses!"

Cristina looked at the glasses on the table. There were only two, because Callie and Izzie were still nursing wine coolers. "That is peculiar. Also, you and I should drink water now."

Meredith nodded, put the wine back on the counter, and got out two plastic bottles from the refrigerator. She handed one to Cristina and took her seat at the head of the table, Callie and Izzie to either side. "It's sort of missing the point to do this sleepover thing while we're sober."

"You mean while they're sober," said Cristina.

"Yes, right." Meredith nodded. "While you are sober. Why are you sober?" She looked first at Izzie, who did that funny pinched mouth/head duck combo she'd had around George for a week, and then at Callie, who shrugged and picked up her wine cooler, put it down without drinking.

Cristina sighed and rolled her eyes. "Let's review why we're here, people. George is the friend of everyone at this table, except Callie, who is his husband. His wife. He is her husband."

Meredith nodded encouragingly.

"Since Callie is Mrs. O'Malley — and, can I just clarify that I am not going to be Mrs. Burke? or even Dr. Burke — it behooves us," and she smiled at Meredith in the superior way which meant I can get drunk off my ass and maintain my tremendously superior vocabulary, "to befriend her. Because otherwise it would be awkward and cause tension."

"Which is totally unlike the way we normally operate," muttered Izzie.

"What? What was that?" asked Meredith. "Dr. Stevens, you have the floor. Please explain tonight's alcohol consumption."

"You told me I had to be on my best behavior, Meredith. My behavior isn't," Izzie pulled out the airquotes, "'best' when I'm drunk." Izzie looked at the table and hunched in on herself a little.

Meredith was too drunk to find fault with that reasoning, so she turned her attention to the other side of the table. "Calliope?"

"I only get drunk with friends, and she," bottle tilt across the table at Izzie, "and she," another tilt, to Cristina at the foot of the table, "have made it clear that I'm not. Their friend. Also," she cut her eyes at Cristina, "I am George's friend." Eye cut to Izzie. "I'm his best friend."

Izzie snarled, but silently, and Meredith waved her off.

"Okay," said Meredith. "Okay. But am I your friend? Am I at least possibly in the future your friend?" She cocked her head and smiled and tried hard to look darling.

"Yes," said Callie, looking at the table, picking at the foil wrapping on the wine cooler. "You are my friend today, even."

"Good," said Meredith, and bounced in her seat a little. "So, you are my friend, and you are my good friend George's wife. And I'd like you to be friends with some of the people that George and I are friends of. Okay?"

Callie shrugged. "I don't think your friends want to be my friends, Meredith." She looked at Izzie and said, "In fact, when I asked if Izzie was going to be here, you said you hadn't asked her, and I said, 'Okay, then I'll come.' Which, you know, I thought strongly implied that I wasn't coming if Izzie was."

Izzie rolled her eyes. "Oh, princess, don't worry. Meredith didn't tell me you were coming either." Then she shook herself and grabbed her bottle, took a swig.

"She told me," said Cristina. "That both of you were coming. And I came to participate in her friendship project thing anyway."

"Points for you, Cristina," said Izzie, and then she covered her face with her hands. "This is not the night, Meredith. This is is not the—I'm going to bed." She got up and took her wine cooler with her, walked out of the room without looking back.

"Well," said Meredith.

"Well," said Cristina.

Callie didn't say anything for a minute, then looked at the space where Izzie wasn't anymore. "Should I go? I can call a cab." She waved vaguely toward the front of the house.

"No," Meredith waved her down, patting the air to keep Callie in place. "No, I want you to stay." She stood up, walked around the table to stand by Callie. "I promise, Cristina is a lot of fun when you can get her to stop hating everyone for being stupid."

Cristina stood up and walked around to Callie's other side, leaned her ass against the table. "I've even been told I'm pretty fun once you convince me that you're not stupid."

Callie laughed at that, crackly and loud. "You two are inviting me to be a mean girl?"

"Hey, we're not mean girls!"

Cristina snorted. "We're not mean girls exactly."

"We're the sluts sleeping with the attendings, and we're the idiots who helped Izzie cover up what she did with Denny, and I'm the girl who almost died on a rescue mission, and I'm dark and twisty Meredith—."

"I'm a misanthrope. Who wants surgeries too much. So they say."

"—so we're entirely too fucked up to be the mean girls."

"But we laugh at other people anyway, because people are stupid."

"You can have in on the joke, if you want." Meredith held out her hand, palm up, fingers curved, asking.

Callie looked at the hand, and Meredith couldn't see her expression, but she could see Callie's shoulders, tight and pulled forward. Dangerous, cornered shoulders. "If we were twelve, I would know this was a trick. And if we were twenty, I would know it wasn't." She looked up. "I'm almost thirty years old and I'm scared the popular girl is going to laugh at me with all her friends, again. The amount of lame in this chair right now…." She put her hand in Meredith's. "Don't kick me in the head, okay?"

Meredith pulled until Callie stood up, then gave her a hug. "I won't."

Comments

[zvi-likes-tv.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Going through Amy's stories and trying to decide which one to remix was really hard because she had so much stuff that had pretty much covered the important parts. I was glad to find Compare and Contrast because it had good wiggle room.