DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF GREY'S ANATOMY OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.A/N: I visualize this set a bit in the future after 14 X 12. How I would like to see the season finale.

Meredith walked in through the ER doors, sunglasses still on, and her head down. She refrained from all eye contact and walked straight through, on her way to the attendings lounge on three.

She caught a few curious glances along the way, but nothing out of the ordinary. She hesitated, then took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the lounge and unpacked what she needed from her bag before stowing it in the cabinet.

A few other doctors were in the lounge, but were keeping to themselves. April came over and was babbling something, but Meredith wasn't really listening. She maintained her focus on organizing her items on the shelf in her closet. She put on her doctor's coat and was adjusting her stethoscope when Alex entered. They stared at each other for a moment, their gaze seeming to be fraught with tension.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." He returned the greeting.

"Uh, How's Kimmie?" she asked, referring to Alex and Amelia's patient who had just undergone brain surgery.

"Uh, She's doing good," he stammered. "She wants to meet you."

April regarded her friends, noticing their unusually awkward interaction.

"Sure. I want to meet her, too."

"If you're free, I'll take you now."

Meredith nodded, and two friends left together, leaving April confused by the whole thing.

A few minutes later, the pair entered Kimmie's room. Amelia and Kimmie's mother were also in attendance.

"Kimmie, this is Dr. Grey," Alex said to the girl in the bed, her head wrapped in white gauze.

Meredith stepped forward, smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Kimmie," she said.

Kimmie smiled at the woman weakly. "You saved my life." She said.

Meredith took a moment to compose herself. "Actually, it was something my husband and I had worked on years ago. When Alex told me about you, I knew, I just knew that you were the reason we had developed this, the Shepard method." She looked over at Amelia, who had tears in her eyes.

Kimmie looked confused. "But Dr. Shepard…"

Amelia cleared her throat. "Was my brother."

Kimmie processed that. "Was?"

Meredith and Amelia regarded each other for a moment before Meredith spoke. "Yeah, he passed away. But he would be so happy to see that even now he was able to help you."

Mrs. Park, Kimmie's mother, stood and walked over to Meredith. "I will never forget him. Or any of you." She gave her a hug, which Meredith happily accepted.

Afterwards, she turned to Kimmie. "Dr. Karev tells me you're going to go on to do great things. Let us know when you get to Broadway."

Kimmie smiled. "I will. Thank you Dr. Grey."

Feeling emotion threatening to overtake her, she turned and quickly left the room.

A short time later, Jo found Meredith in the radiology reading room. "Labs are back on Mrs. Perkins in 2202." She handed Meredith the tablet as she spoke.

Meredith reviewed the labs. "Okay, Wilson, what do you want to do?"

"Give her FFP and recheck the labs in an hour."

Meredith handed her back the tablet, never looking up at her.

Jo stood there for a moment, hesitating to ask her, but desperate for information. "Meredith? Can I ask you something?" She slid into the chair next to her as she spoke.

Meredith looked up at her, emotionless. "What is it?"

Jo was a little put off by her demeanor, but brushed it off. She had no reason to think her coldness had anything to do with her. "I hate to ask this, but have you noticed anything off with Alex? He didn't come home last night, and he's being very distant this morning."

"I don't think you should be talking to me about this. You should talk to Alex. I know he had that surgery last night, and they finished pretty late. He probably stayed here to make sure there were no complications."

Jo nodded understanding. "Yeah, Kimmie. I wonder how she's doing."

"Actually, I just saw her a little while ago. She's doing better than expected."

Jo was confused. "You saw her?"

"Yeah. Didn't Alex tell you? The idea for the surgery came from something Derek and I worked on years ago, called the Shepard method."

Jo's eyes widened. "No, he didn't. That's amazing."

Meredith's demeanor didn't change. She simply nodded. "You better go take care of Mrs. Perkins.

"Yeah, okay." Jo gave her one last look before leaving the room. She was again facing forward with a far away look in her eyes. She was not herself today.

Alex was lying on a cot in the on call room, trying to sleep, but failing miserably. He ran his hands over the stubble that had formed on his face. He was so lost in thought that he hadn't heard the door to the room open, so he was surprised when Jo climbed onto the cot next to him.

"Oh, hi." He said softly.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Uh, no."

She seemed oblivious to his distress. "I heard about Kimmie. That's amazing!" she gushed.

"Yeah, she's a tough kid. She's got a long road ahead of her, but she's going to make it."

"Is that why you didn't come home last night?"

He turned to look at her briefly. "It was a long surgery. Sorry."

"It's fine. I just worried when I didn't hear from you and you didn't reply to my texts."

"Yeah, it was touch and go for a bit there. Sorry. I should have texted."

She relented. She didn't want to sound like a nag. "It's fine. I just missed you." She moved in to kiss him, but he stopped her.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to get a nap in if I'm going to make it through the rest if this day. See you at home later?"

"Sure." She was a little upset at his rejection, but it was understandable. "I''ll see you tonight." She gave him a peck on the cheek before leaving.

Some time later, Meredith was in her office, apparently researching something, when Alex entered, leaning casually against the doorway.

"Hey."

She looked up briefly before returning her attention to the the computer screen. "Hey."

"Mer, I need to talk."

"Okay. So talk."

He looked around at the crowded hallway just outside her office. "Not here."

She stopped what she was doing and looked up him, nodding somberly. "Yeah. Okay."

She stood, and they walked off together.

Jo, wearing a negligee, is alone in the loft, which is lit with a multitude of candles. She has made a lover's nest of sorts out of an array of blankets and pillows on the floor. A bottle of champagne is nestled in a nearby ice bucket. A little further away, a black ring box sits, unopened, on a side table.

Jo glances nervously at her phone and smoothes the material of the negligee.

Back at the hospital, Andrew Deluca opened the door to the supply closet. He grabbed some supplies before he noticed the room was already occupied by an amorous couple engaged in frenzied kissing. From his vantage point, he could see the back of the head of the man, and knew it was Alex. He was about to turn to leave, when the pair shifted, revealing the identity of the woman – Meredith Grey.

He stood in shocked silence for a moment, before shouting, "What the hell?"

The couple jumped, shocked at their assignation being discovered; more so by who discovered them.

Andrew fled from the room. Meredith put her hand to her mouth in shock, while Alex slammed his fist into to wall. "Damn it!"

Fade to black

Grey's Anatomy comes up on the screen

End of season

A/N: I love Merlex, and have been looking for a way to get them together with the current S/L. I initially thought a one-shot, but I feel I owe it to you to show how I got here, so one or 2 more chapters to wrap it up. I wanted to present it the way I would expect Grey's to spring it on us.

I'm not happy with the way they went about this, but it also serves to bring them full circle. Read and review!:)

http/greysanatomy./wiki/The_Shepherd_Method