Hey guys, I know some of you asked me to keep going. The truth is sometimes, I don't know what to write about. I mean, I don't know if you noticed, but there's never any action in my stories, I just make the characters speak, and I guess I was kind of scared that one of you would tell me that my stories don't evolve. Anyway, here is a new chapter, hope you'll let me know what you think.

It was Meredith's birthday. A bunch of friends had shown up at the house. Not a big deal, just Cristina, Callie, Alex and some others. It wasn't like a party or anything, but here there were, drinking and laughing.

Lexie was hanging close to the window, fascinated by the snowflakes. If you look at them from far away, they all look the same, but if you pay close attention, you notice how unique and beautiful each one of them is. And yet, they all fit in together, belonging to something bigger than themselves. One snowflake doesn't make a difference, it doesn't even get noticed. Snow is what makes everything magical and pure.

A single snowflake. That what she was. Insignificant and unnoticed.

"Hey, are you ok?" Derek had become like a big brother to her lately. They didn't speak much, but she knew he was always keeping an eye on her. She would act like she didn't notice, but it made her feel safe in a way.

Lexie offered a warm smile. "Yeah, I'm fine". She almost whispered with her sweetest voice. "I'm good" She added, with more conviction.

"Come sit with us" He encouraged, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Lexie observed the little gathering of friends, speaking loudly, almost shouting.

"I think I'm gonna throw up" Informed Cristina matter-of-factly.

"Move away then" Meredith pushed her best friend away from the carpet, anticipating how hard it would be to get it cleaned up.

"Consider this is my gift to you" Cristina added, running upstairs.

Everybody started laughing even louder than before.

"Oooh" Derek acknowledged, as realization kicked him. Lexie was probably uncomfortable around everybody drinking a little too much.

"No no" It wasn't that. "I don't mind them" She really didn't.

Meredith and Derek exchanged a look, and the brunette couldn't help but notice the worry in her sister's eyes. Or maybe it was annoyance. She couldn't tell for sure. Anyway, tonight was Meredith's day, and she was being selfish. She could at least try to fit in. She tried not to appear too awkward, as she joined the inebriated doctors around the table.

Meredith examined her for a few seconds but decided not to pry. After all, it would do no good right then.

"Here, have a drink!" Without even waiting for an answer, Callie took the matter in her own hands and prepared something for the younger girl.

"Let her be" Meredith interrupted casually

"It's fine, a drink would be nice!" Lexie smiled politely.

"Seeeee! A drink makes everything nice"

It was just a joke, she didn't even care. But suddenly, there was a voice appearing in her head and preventing her from having fun with the others.

You're weird. It's not just a feeling, everybody noticed that you're different.

Lexie shrugged and pretended as she didn't hear it, but the voice got louder.

What do you think you're doing here? You don't fit in and never will.

The attention was back on Cristina, who was now ready to absorb more Tequila.

"What are you doing Mer, seems like you can't follow up tonight. It must be the old age."

"Hey… you're older than me!" She protested as she swallowed up her shot.

The atmosphere was comfortable and everybody was trying to unwind from the surgeon's life.

They all hate you. They just pity you.

Here was the voice again. Lexie took a long deep breath and did her best not to give it too much attention. She was already ruining her sister's life, she didn't need to upset her tonight. It was too late now, the voice wasn't just going through, it was encrusting inside her soul, inside her mind. The voice in her head was her own and it spoke the truth, or so she thought.

I don't belong.

She kept telling herself, feeling her heart speeding up. It seemed like everybody was looking at her and laughing at how stupid she was.

In reality, nobody even noticed anything. They were way too busy counting how many seconds Alex could keep drinking while holding his breath. Cristina punched his nose. When he spat out with his mouth full, it was euphoria as its best.

They hate me.

Lexie finally concluded inside her mind. Her heart squeezed so deeply that it pushed the sadness out. She was going to crumble, from embarrassment and shame. She felt like a mistake, like a disease that nobody wanted but couldn't be cured just yet.

She was a snowflake in the desert, ready to melt down.

Without saying anything, she just disappeared upstairs. Nobody would notice.

"Lexie? Lexie what is it?" Meredith knelt down in front of the trembling form. The brunette was hunched up against the bathroom wall.

"Hey, listen to me, you're having a panic attack… it's okay." Meredith informed as calmly as she could. She could tell that her sister was having a bad night, but it didn't seem that catastrophic. Now she wondered if there was something she could have done to avoid this pain.

Lexie couldn't decide herself to look at her sister. She ruined everything. Her life, and now her birthday. For a second, she hoped she just died there, on the bathroom floor. It would all be easier, for everyone. But the thought of her dying scared her even more. Her head was resting on her knees, and she was trying to hide how much she was really struggling for air.

Meredith knelt down in front of her little sister, as close as she could.

Gently, she placed her hands on her sister's shoulders.

"Easy" She just whispered.

"Slow down… you need to" Meredith felt her own heart break. She knew all too well how it felt to completely lose control of her own emotions.

"Lexie", she repeated once again with a soft voice, but it was useless! The youger sister didn't want to breathe, she didn't even remember how to.

So Meredith didn't give her a choice. She simply placed her sister in her arms, and held her tight. It felt as if it was aggravating the situation at first. Meredith's eyes opened wide when suddenly there was no breathing sound at all.

Finally, Lexie let out a wimper.

"Just relax, let it happen" Meredith whispered, stroking the brunette's hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, I'm sorry…"

"Don't be" Meredith reassured

Between two sobs, Lexie wouldn't stop her little mantra. "I'm really sorry, I'm so.. so.. sorry" Meredith finally let go of the brunette, she needed to scan her eyes in order to understand something at the situation.

"What for?"

"For… ruining your birthday.. for… ruining your life… I'm sorry… I shouldn't… I.. I'm.. it's… I'm sorry…."

"Lexie…. I don't care about my birthday, you must know it by now!"

True. Meredith didn't mind the presence of her friends, but she never really celebrated her birthday. To her, it was like any other day.

"Well, I cared" Lexie shyly admitted, drying her swollen eyes. After a long and trembling breath, she kept going.

"I made you a present, but.. nevermind.." Lexie looked away, way too embarrassed to finish her sentence.

"You made me a gift?!" She tried to sound as casual as ever, but there was something new in Meredith's voice. It could have been curiosity but Lexie could have sworn it was something else, like Meredith was touched or something.

"Well yeah. It was… it was a stupid tradition between Molly and I. We… we would always have to create something for each other instead of buying stuff. You know, it's actually hard to please someone, with just your imagination… and well.. I wanted to give you something special."

"Technically it IS still my birthday"

"Than I thought.." Lexie let her eyes fall on the ground.

Meredith gave her a nod, as a way to tell her to keep going.

"I thought I was already ruining your life.. being all weird and living here… I thought.."

"You think too much" Meredith stated with amusement and seriousness at the same time.

"I know"

"Way too much. Lexie, I want you here, I told you that, and it also applies for when you're weird."

"But.. you hated me.. before" Lexie had to say it. A few months had passed, but always wondered if she was leaving here because her sister pitied her. She couldn't get this thought out of her head.

"There was this time, you were with George, on the maternity floor.. and… wanna know what I told myself that day? You were the kind of girl that could have it all. You're beautiful, you're smart, you're kind." Meredith was surprised to even say those words loud, but she figured Lexie could use them.

"I.. didn't hate you Lexie" She confessed.

The brunette offered an unconvinced smile.

"And I wanna see my present!" Meredith insisted. "So.. where is it?"

Lexie came back a few seconds later, with what seemed like a piece of paper.

"It's a drawing." Lexie announced.

"The other day… I was in the gallery while you were operating on this young boy, and, I thought… It's stupid I know.." Lexie interrupted herself, not sure if she should continue, but it was too late to take it back now.

"For years, I wanted to meet you. I imagined you as a strong woman, admired by everyone. Like a force of the nature, you know, a beautiful storm that nobody can stop. And from the gallery, that's exactly what you were, and I wanted to capture this moment… so here it is"

Meredith observed the drawing for a while, in total silence. It was impossible to predict what she was going to say.

"I don't know what you see in me, but… what I know, is that I need you to keep seeing it, so that I become that woman that you're talking about." Meredith's voice was deep, almost on the verge of tears. "Thank you for that" The older sister's added, while pressing the drawing against her.

It was all new to her as well, she never had anyone who believed in her, it felt good and scary.

"Oh, and Lexie, don't ever… ever.. apologize for being special"

That night, in the bathroom floor, Lexie knew she did something right. Maybe, her sister needed her just as much as she did. She was just a snowflake and yet, she could make a difference to someone's life.

You're not weird, you're special, said the voice in her head, as she smiled to herself.