One Shots

Mother Knows Best

Prompt - "What if Amelia's mom is coming to visit her after the voicemail scene and when they are sitting on the couch, Owen walks in to ask how Amelia is doing"

The voicemail had messed her up. It had messed her up real bad. Amelia couldn't figure out what was worse - the fact that she heard Derek as if he was alive, or the fact that she heard Derek as if he was dead. Her brain could not decide which to choose, and it was really freaking annoying considering the fact that she operated on heads for a living. Her literal job was to fix brains, and yet she couldn't even dig into the mess that was her own.

The party lasted for another hour. Catherine and Richard danced, celebrating their new marriage. The room joined with them in a magical bliss filled with surgeons, nurses, and family. Sometimes, the people fit into more than one category. Amelia watched from the balcony on the second floor, giving her an aerial view of the beautiful chaos happening below her. She stared at the beautiful dresses twirl in fan like fashions and debated if she should join in. A part of her really wanted to. But another part, the part that had just listened to Derek's voicemail, wanted to shrivel up and hide.

As she was engrossed with the party below her, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her. The hands were familiar, warm, and soft. Amelia turned, coming face to face with her beloved mother.

"Mom?!" She said with a mixture of surprise, happiness, and a touch of sadness. Amelia embraced Carolyn with her entire body, enjoying each moment she touched her mother. Carolyn had been her rock through every tragedy; her father, her fiancé, and her baby.

"Amelia," Carolyn spoke with kindness rich in her voice.

"What are you doing here?" The surprise had taken precedence over all Amelia's other emotions.

"Well, I was in the area and decided to drop by. I did not expect you to throw me an entire party!" Carolyn joked. Amelia clearly recieved her sense of humor from her mother.

"There was an.... umm," Amelia paused, searching for words, "There was an unexpected wedding."

"I can see!" Carolyn wrapped an arm protectively around Amelia's back, draping her wrist over her shoulder. Amelia was slightly taller than her mother, thanks to the black pumps she was wearing.

"Mom, can I ask you something?" Amelia looked from the party below them to her loving mother.

"Of course, you know that," Carolyn met her daughter's eyes to find them wide and filled with sadness. "What's wrong, Amelia?"

"Meredith gave me her old phone," She held it out as validation, "And there was a voicemail on it. From Derek."

Amelia saw her mother draw in a sharp breath. "What did it say?"

"He was on a ferryboat. He loved taking a ferry ride, wether he had a destination or not. He said how much he loved us, his family," Amelia stopped, her voice cracking at the end. Her eyes were beginning to well with tears and she didn't know how much longer she could hold them back. It wasn't like she had anything to hide, Carolyn had seen her cry hundreds of times. From the scraped knee on the playground to her first real breakup, Carolyn knew Amelia's tears. She also knew how strong her daughter was and all that she had overcome; crying was not something Amelia did often.

"He said he loved us," Carolyn echoed. Her eyes were almost distant. She would've given anything to hold her only son once more, but that chance had past.

"Yes," Amelia said, and pulled her mother in for yet another hug. She felt a warm tear slide down the back of her dress. It was not her own. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the familiar scent of the woman that had stood by her side through anything. And Amelia had put her through a lot.

Amelia opened her eyes and saw Owen's familiar figure watching them from the hallway. He couldn't have been lingering for longer than a moment, but once they made eye contact, he turned to go.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet someone," She pulled away from the hug and Owen stopped in his tracks, back turned from the pair.

"This is my... uhh," She paused, once again attempting to find her words. The pause was a painfully obvious clue to their relationship.

"Friend and co-worker," Owen winked at a flustered Amelia as he caught her from her verbal fall. "Owen Hunt, Head of Trauma," Owen spoke and reached out a hand. Carolyn took it and gave it a surprisingly forceful shake.

"We've met. You were one of Derek's friends," Carolyn smiled, recognition playing against her face.

"Right! It is lovely to see you again," Owen looked over at Amelia, her eyes were still red and wet from tears, but she seemed to have pulled herself together rather quickly. In that moment, he wished he could take away any pain she would ever feel again.

Carolyn sensed that they were more than friends just by the way Amelia's whole demeanor changed when Owen was around. She loosened up, tension leaving her shoulders. Amelia's eyes became soft like the way she would look at the family cat when she was young; the expression was love. Maybe Amelia didn't know that, but her mother did.

"Likewise! I'm going to go find my daughter-in-law. Great seeing you again," Carolyn hugged Amelia and patted Owen on the shoulder before heading downstairs.

"Are you okay?" Owen said, as soon as she was out of earshot.

"I've been better," Amelia smiled up at him.

"What happened?" Owen grabbed her hand, offering some comfort.

"I listened to a voicemail, it was from Derek," Amelia spoke quietly. Owen's head turned to the side and a soft smile played on his lips. Unknowingly, he squeezed Amelia's hand harder, reminding her that he was there for her through anything. "He said how much he loved all of us."

Amelia stopped as she felt her eyes become heavy again. Without thinking of who could be watching, Owen pulled Amelia into a hug. People rarely looked up above them anyway. Except for one. Carolyn Shepherd was watching her baby daughter hugging a man she had spoken to for no more than ten minutes. The fact was, Amelia did not always have the best taste in men. Carolyn knew that well, so she had every right to be wary of Owen. But a mother's instinct kicked in, and she knew. She just knew. Carolyn had seen Amelia hug dozens of men, but something was different in the way she embraced Owen. She reached for him with a delicate caring touch, unlike the violent grasps she used with her previous partners. A mother always knows best, and Carolyn knew in those few short moments that Owen was the best for Amelia.