Holiday in Handcuffs

Chapter 11

The dinning room table was set with the fine Christmas china that Ellis Grey took out every year specifically for Christmas Eve dinner. The delicate white plates, decorated with hand-painted gold Christmas trees in the center, glistened beneath the glow of the lit candles that adorned each end of the table, and the silverware and gleaming crystal wine glasses were placed at each place setting. The entire ensemble looked like a picture taken from a holiday magazine. It made Meredith want to scream.

Ellis Grey didn't start celebrating Christmas until seven years earlier when she stole Richard Webber right from under his wife's nose. It had only taken six months for them to marry and for Richard to move into the family home, his daughter from his previous marriage visiting every other weekend and virtually stepping all over Meredith's territory. Meredith and Victoria Webber, or Vicky, as Ellis now called her, did not get along. Victoria was a stuck-up snob who had her daddy wrapped around her little finger. And she knew how to play the divorced parents victim card very well. And she played dirty.

Meredith despised the way her mother faked her way through the holidays just to please Richard and Victoria. She bent over backwards to accommodate them, always decorating the house with Christmas-y things that she never would have displayed if it were just her and Meredith in the house. For seven years Meredith had endured the painful way her mother would plant that fake smile on her face and pretend that she thought that Christmas was the most joyous occasion in the world. Meredith knew her mother better than that. But, she kept her mouth shut and got through the home visits with the help of a bottle of tequila and frequent phone calls to Cristina, who always managed to talk her out of duck-taping her mother's mouth shut, or gouging out Victoria's narrowed little eyes, or slapping that goofy, cheerful smile off of Richard's face.

Maybe she should have called Cristina about this kidnapping thing first, but it was apparently too late for that, because here she was now... entering the dinning room with Dr. Derek Shepherd on her heels. She showed him to his seat and sat to the right of him, silently praying that if she pinched her arm hard enough... she would wake up from this nightmare. She flinched as she squeezed the skin of her arm between her fingers. It hurt like hell, so she definitely wasn't dreaming. And now there was a purple bruise already forming. She resisted the urge to scream as Richard and Victoria entered the room the moment she and Derek had settled into their chairs.

"Good evening. Ellis said we had a guest. I'm Richard, Meredith's step-father." Richard Webber said politely as he smiled and extended his hand to Derek.

Derek stood from his chair and shook Richard's hand firmly. "Derek Shepherd. Nice to meet you." He smiled before taking his seat again.

"This is my daughter, Victoria." Richard introduced as he motioned to her with his hand. Derek nodded his head in Victoria's direction as she smiled sweetly.

"Nice to meet you, as well." Derek said politely.

"You, too." Victoria said, her voice dripping with sweetness.

"Glad you made it safely, Meredith." Richard said as he took his seat at the head of the table.

"I can't believe you managed to bring someone with you. What happened to Brian? I thought he was coming? I don't think I've ever heard of you mentioning anything about Derek, here." Vitoria said to Meredith as she looked her directly in the eyes. "And I'm beginning to think that this Brian person is a figment of your imagination, Meredith. I've heard you talk about him vaguely for almost 2 years, yet I've still not met him."

Meredith could feel the heat rising in her face and steam pouring from her ears. Her heart beat wildly beneath her chest as she fought to control her anger.

"Victoria," Richard said softly, "it's not polite to talk that way in front of our guest, here." He turned to face Derek. "Ellis said on her way out that you were a doctor at New York General?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, that's correct." Derek replied with a nod. "I head the Neurology Department there."

"And you're Meredith's professor?" Richard asked.

Victoria snorted in her chair. "Oh, that's rich. Sleeping with your professor, Mer? How classy." She said as Meredith glared at her.

Richard's mouth held a strained smile as he turned to politely chide his daughter again, but she had already begun firing a question at Derek before he could say anything.

"What I want to know is, how in the world did Meredith do it? I mean, you're obviously a respectable man. How on earth did Meredith sink her claws into you?" Victoria asked curiously.

Meredith opened her mouth, but Derek replied before she could start in on Victoria. "She put a gun to my head and forced me into it." Derek said with a chuckle as he glanced at Meredith as she squirmed in her seat, her mouth ajar as she turned to glare at him now, instead of Victoria.

Richard let out a hearty laugh, forcing Meredith to fake a giggle of her own, like it was all a big joke. If they only knew that it was the truth, Meredith thought to herself.

Victoria squealed with laugher as she shook her head at Derek. "And you have a sense of humor, too? Wow! Meredith lucked up. I'm amazed she hasn't driven you away yet." She said as she giggled again.

"Well, I did try to escape, but she handcuffed me to the bed post." Derek remarked, chancing another glance at Meredith who sat in her chair rigid and obviously furious with his choice of words. She glared at him, her eyes shooting daggers at his skull. He chuckled and sat back in his chair as Victoria laughed again.

Richard looked a little uncomfortable as his gaze shifted between Meredith and Derek. He cleared his throat and forced a smile on his face as he adjusted his tie. "Your mother is on her way. She got held up at the hospital, so she's running late." He said to Meredith as he sat a little straighter in his chair.

"Of course she is." Meredith commented as she picked up the bottle of wine in front of her and poured herself a glass. She sat back in her chair and sipped her wine slowly as they all waited for Ellis to arrive so that dinner could start.