#amelink fanfics

[jobrookekarev]

Pour Me a Drink (or Not)

Chapter: One/One

Words: 1,803

Summary: Link goes to the loft after Amelia dumps him and talks to Jo while she waits for Alex to call her. 

Takes place directly after ‘A Diagnosis’ (16x14)

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy.

Relationship: Atticus Lincoln & Jo Wilson, Amelia Shepherd/Atticus Lincoln, and Alex Karev/Jo Wilson

Characters: Atticus Lincoln, Jo Wilson, Alex Karev, and Amelia Shepherd.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences General Audiences.

Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Family, Drabble, One Shot, A little Fluff, Food, Canon Compliant.

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

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“We’re over”

Amelia's words rang through Link’s ears as he walked out of the house. Link was on autopilot as he got in his car and drove away. The street signs became a blur as he was on autopilot. He just followed the cars that were in front of him until he finally snapped out of it. He realized he was somewhere in the SoDo district by the Old Rainier Brewery and just a few blocks away from Jo and Alex’s loft. 

He knew Jo wouldn't mind him stopping over unannounced as he had done a couple of weeks since Alex left to take care of his family. Jo was always grateful for his company and he needed her. He locked his car and input the code for the apartment building, before running up the stairs to the loft. 

“Jo,” Link yelled as he knocked on her door.

“Just a second,” Jo frantically yelled as he heard her moving things around in the loft.

Jo unlocked the door and pulled it open. The second she laid eyes on him, her lips parted as she took in his hopeless look. 

“Amelia dumped me.”

“Oh Link,” Jo said, tilting her head as her shoulders slumped and she held open the door for him. 

Link walked in and went straight for the freezer where he knew she kept the vodka, pulling it out along with two cups for them. He knew that with Jo they could just drink and be measurable together as Jo was worried about Alex.

“None for me, thanks,” Jo said, walking over to him with her arms crossed in front of her, but looked away and Link followed her eyes to the cell phone on her coffee table. He knew she wasn’t on call, for the hospital at least. 

“It's okay, you don't have to drink with me and I promise I'll shut up when Alex calls,” Link said, pouring himself a drink and putting the other glass back.

“You can drink and I'll eat and we can both cry over the people we love,” Jo said, giving him a sad smile as she let out a heavy breath. Jo walked over to the kitchen and pulled out the leftover mac and cheese from her fridge, dishing him up a plate as well. “So did she give you a reason why?”

“She said she wanted someone who would love her regardless of her baby's paternity,” Link said, as he stole a bite of the mac and cheese before she put it in the microwave. “I mean, I love her, I do, but I want to know. Is that wrong, was I wrong to ask her for a paternity test?”

“No, you wanted to know and you asked her. That's your right as the potential father,” Jo said, turning back to look at him and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Amelia's just scared that someone who doesn't love her is going to get hurt because of it and that the person who does love her will stop loving her because of it. So instead she chose the easy way out, hurting you before you hurt her.” 

“Therapy has made you really wise,” Link said, tilting his head at her and giving her a small smile as he patted her arm.

“Well once you start to understand your own complex emotions it's easy to understand others as well,” Jo said as the microwave dinged and she traded out the first plate for the second one.

“Does any of that understanding extend to Alex?” Link asked as he walked towards the couch.

“You're not here to talk about Alex,” Jo reminded him, grabbing the second plate out of the microwave.

“Well if you want I could go to Iowa and give him a little bit of brotherly advice,” Link said as Jo let out a laugh and he stepped on something by the coffee table, hearing the plastic break under his boot. He sat his drink and plate on the couch, sitting down before reaching to pick it up. 

“Well I don't know about that, Alex and I... I don't know at this point. not after...” Jo trailed off, with a shake of her brown curls.

Link picked up the piece of plastic, the blue tip had cracked under his foot, but he instantly recognized what it was and turned it over to see the positive results displayed on the little screen.

“Jo,” Link whispered, standing up and turning around to stare at her. 

Jo froze, holding her plate of mac and cheese and staring at the pregnancy test in his hands. He clearly wasn't meant to see it and she had probably tried to hide it when he knocked on her door. She had that look again, with her lips parted and her eyes wide; helpless. 

“Would you mind taking care of another pregnant woman?” Jo finally managed to say, her words just above a whisper. “Because I truly think my husband has left me.”

Link dropped the tests on the table and ran to take the plates of food from Jo’s hands. He put them on the table before he wrapped his arms around Jo. Holding her and rocking back and forth just a little. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Jo said, fighting his arms as she squirmed and pushed against him. “This is supposed to be about you and Amelia. I should be comforting you not..”

“It’s okay Jo, and listen, Alex Karev is a lot of things, but he loves you. He has to come back for you and your baby.” Link tried to reassure her. He’d make sure that Alex came back to her, even if he had to go to Iowa and drag him back to Seattle himself.

“He's not!” Jo said in a mixture of anger and sadness. “I sent him a text and a picture of the test and I left him a voicemail hours ago and he still hasn't called me back. He’s not coming back.” 

“Jo, he will come back! And in the meantime, I'll take care of two pregnant women, just like you said.” Link said, as Jo finally stopped fighting and clung to him. “I'm here for you, okay. I'll be Uncle Link and you can have some of my baby stuff. You'll love it. There’s this adorable little Seahawks jersey and matching booties.”

Jo nodded and tried to calm down as she let out a deep breath, before pulling back and wiping away her tears. “Okay, I've had my cry, your turn.”

Link laughed as he put an arm around her shoulder and they both grabbed their mac and cheese before going to sit on the couch. Jo turned on the TV to some late night medical drama that they loved to laugh at and they pointed out the inaccuracies while laughing at the insane amount of drama. 

Yet, Link’s thoughts drifted back to Amelia. “I think I would have married her.”

Jo nodded, choosing not to make a joke about how he swore off married life after his parent’s divorce. She grabbed his empty plate and set it on the coffee table before he laid his head on her lap. 

“We had love and the baby and I don't know, before she told me about the paternity I just thought, maybe we could do it. Maybe we could have the whole thing, partnership, a house, and a family.”

“Would you change your mind if the baby wasn't yours?” Jo asked as she ran her fingers through his hair, before grabbing a few strands and beginning to braid it. 

“I don’t know. I guess I'm still waiting for the results.”

Jo hummed as her finger stilled. “Okay don't be mad, because it was 100% a hormonal thing, but I may or may not have talked to Owen.”

“What?” Link shot up and stared at her.

“I didn't say anything, at least nothing that wasn't hypothetical.” Jo rushed to explain it to him. “But he said that he and Teddy are in a really good place right now, and honestly I don't think he'd leave Teddy for Amelia.”

Link just sank back down as he nodded, turning his attention back to the TV again. “You can't just blame the stuff you said on your hormones.”

“Shut up,” Jo said lightly, hitting his arm. “Yes, I can.”

Things lapsed into silence again as they just watched the show. Jo’s fingers stilled in his hair as she moved to lay back against the arm of the couch. She culled up her legs as he moved his head to lay on her thigh. 

“You should think about what would happen in both scenarios whether you can realistically co-parent or if you can work it out if the baby is yours. Regardless, don't give me the baby stuff, give it to Amelia, even the Seahawks onesie and you can buy me a second one because that sounds absolutely adorable.”

“It’s so cute,” Link added, looking up at her.

“Yeah?” Jo asked as she smiled down at him and he nodded.

Link pulled up a picture of the onesie for her and they cooed over it as Jo put a hand on her belly. Link looked at the way her shirt hugged her stomach and he could see the small outline of a little bump under her hand. He wasn't surprised that she was already showing, more so that it had taken her so long to realize it, as Alex had left two months ago. 

“Are you going to co-parent with Alex if he…” Link trails off not even wanting to say it. The smile that Jo had as she looked at the onesie faded into a frown and Link instantly regretted asking her.

Jo took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “I don't know, I guess that depends on if he calls me back.”

Link nodded, pulling up another onesie to show her and watching her face light up as she saw it. 

“Amelia’s lucky to have you and if she doesn't see that, then honestly she's blind and you're better off with someone who sees the love you have to have to offer.”

“Thanks, Jo,” Link said, smiling up at her.

“No problem,” Jo said, ruffling up his perfect hair as he complained and tried to fix it but Jo only laughed.

They watch the rest of the medical drama and the beginning of the next show. Soon enough they both grew tired. Jo didn't want to sleep alone and Link neverminded sharing a bed with her. They slept like little kids together as Link had one arm around her waist and Jo curled up against him. They left the TV on, but before they knew it they both fell asleep.

[amelinksanatomy]

Someone at the hospital constantly flirts with Amelia and Link gets really jealous that when she gets home he reminds her that she’s his (smut) and makes her tell him that she’s his only

Jealous

A/N: Thanks for the prompt. There's A LOT of smut in my inbox right now, I'll try and get to it. This is set sometime in 16A except Amelia is not pregnant. Enjoy!

WARNING: SMUT and it's long and dirty... I should go to church.

He could hear it from down the hall.

The sound that always makes his heart flutter.

Amelia's laugh was infectious, her smile too. Link could hear his favorite sound getting louder as he got closer. But, as he walked around the corner to the OR board, his smile faded. He felt it in his stomach; that feeling.

"Seriously, Dr. Shepherd, that surgery was truly incredible." the new neuro fellow said, his tone a little over-friendly.

"Well, good to know I made a good first impression." Amelia laughed, wiping her name off the board before leaning against it.

"World class neurosurgeon Amelia Shepherd? It would pretty hard for you to not make a good first impression." he smirks, leaning against the board the same way she had.

Link felt his blood starting to boil as he watches the interaction. He walked over to where they were standing and wrapped an arm around her waist. Amelia turned her head and smiled at her boyfriends appearance, "Dr. Lincoln, this is Dr. Kahn, my new fellow."

The younger man held out his hand to Link, "Good to meet you. Amelia was just telling me about the surgery you two performed in New York a few months ago."

Link cleared his throat and turned his body into Amelia's, rubbing his hand up and down her side before looking at the other man, "Could you excuse us."

Dr. Kahn raised his eyebrows, looking down at the arm around Amelia's waist before nodding and leaving the two alone. Amelia unwrapped herself from Link's hold and turns to face him, her expression both confused and irritated, "What is wrong with you?"

"You were so rude just now." Amelia said sternly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"He was flirting with you." Link explains.

"No, he wasn't. He was being nice." Amelia rolls her eyes causing Link to laugh, "Amelia, he was flirting. I don't blame him but you are mine."

"Oh, so that's how this is going to go?" Amelia asks, clearly both irritated and amused by this conversation, "I'm yours and no man or woman is ever allowed to be nice to me ever again?"

"No one is allowed to flirt with you, only me." Link says, his voice serious causing Amelia to laugh once more, "You're ridiculous."

"And you're mine." Link smirks.

"When we get out of here, i'm gonna remind you why."

-----------------------------------

The second the two got through the door of Link's apartment, he had her pressed up against the door. His lips pressed against hers. The rapidness of it all caused Amelia to laugh into his mouth, "Oh, you were serious."

Link didn't say anything, he just wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up. She crossed her legs around his back as he carried her towards the bedroom, kissing around her neck.

When they got there, he threw Amelia onto the bed and stood in front of her. He gave her a sultry look as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside before doing the same to his pants and boxers. Now completely naked, Link climbed onto the bed where she was laid back and using her elbows to prop her up.

"You won't be needing this." Link says, pulling off her shirt.

He leans in to attach their lips once more, forcefully but making sure to not hurt her. He kept their lips pressed against each other, not letting them part for air while he reached around her back and removed her bra, tossing it behind him. Without warning, Link pulled away from her lips and took her nipple into his mouth causing Amelia to moan. She tried to hold it in, not wanting to give him the satisfaction but failed.

Eventually, Link had made his way down her body and was now tugging on her pants. He managed to pull them off, along with her underwear, at what seemed like record speed. Wasting no time, Link pushed her legs apart and smirked, "This wet for me already, huh."

Amelia rolled her eyes and smacked his arm with her foot, "Cocky."

Link pushed her legs up towards her chest and pulled her closer to him as he laid on his stomach, head placed between her thighs. He dove in, licking her softly, teasing her. "I am the only one who knows exactly how to get you screaming." he tells her as he pushes two fingers into her. Amelia breathes heavily at the sudden intrusion, the feeling of his tongue heightening everything she was feeling.Link began pumping his fingers into her, immediately curling them to reach her g-spot while his tongue makes slow circles around her clit. It was taking everything in Amelia to not moan, she wasn't giving in to his game yet. With his free hand, Link reached up to her chest and rolled her nipple between his fingers. Amelia had to bite her lip to stop herself from making a sound.

Link looked up from between her legs for a split second and smirked when he saw how hard she was trying. Seconds later, he had added a third finger and was pumping into her at a rapid pace. Amelia couldn't keep it in anymore. As his fingers moved, the sound of her arousal was joined by the sound of her moans as she got close to her climax. Link continued pumping his fingers and circling his tongue until she was squirming below him, squealing. He suddenly felt her walls tighten around him as she came, moaning his name loudly. However, Link didn't stop what he was doing. He sat up slightly, pulling his face away from her centre but continued to pump his fingers into her. Amelia was panting as the combination of coming down from her high and Link's continued movements started to overwhelm her. It wasn't until she started to squirt a little that she threw her head back and tried to close her legs around his arm.

"Okay, stop stop stop." Amelia begs, unable to take anymore "You've made your point."

Link smirks as he grabs her leg and uses it to flip her over so she's on her hands and knees, "I don't think I have."

Without giving her a chance to recover from her intense orgasm, Link pushed into her. Her walls were wet and warm and the feeling caused him to moan quietly. He immediately started pounding into her igniting another fire in Amelia's stomach as the feeling overwhelmed her, "No one fucks you as good a I do.". Link pushes her body down so the side of her face was now pressed into the mattress. The angle allowed Link to push deeper and hit her g-spot.

"You are mine. You understand?" Link asks dominantly.

He received no reply, just muffled moans as Amelia felt herself nearing the edge once more. Link could feel it too; her walls tightening around him and pushing him that bit closer.

"You are not allowed to cum yet." he instructs as he continues pounding into her, the sounds of their skin slapping filling the room.

"Please." Amelia whined, feeling herself starting to fall.

"Tell me who you belong to." Link demands.

Amelia, starting to become overstimulated, says nothing as she bites her lip once more in an attempt to hold on a little longer. Link speeds up his thrusts again as he starts to feel his balls tighten.

"Who do you belong to?" he asks again, a word between each thrust.

"You." Amelia gives in breathlessly, "I'm yours."

"Good girl. You're mine and don't you forget it." he says as he reaches around to rub her clit, signalling to her that she is allowed to fall. Amelia screams his name as she cums harder than she ever has before. Her body has a mind of it's own as she convulses around him. The sight of her causes Link to reach his own climax right after.

A few minutes later, they collapse on the bed, side by side. As they gain their breath back, Link pulls Amelia closer with a hand on her hip and wraps his leg over hers. He leans in to press a gentle kiss against her lips, feeling as they both smile into it.

"You're my girl." he says, running his fingers softly down her side.

Amelia rolls her eyes and smirks, "After that? You've got nothing to worry about, trust me."

[amelinksbitch]

She didn’t know how exactly they ended up here, but they definitely were here now.

There was a man lying beside her, an attractive man, a wonderful man who she knew wouldn’t do anything to harm her, a man who she knew was too good for her. 

How she ended up here with him, she was a little fuzzy on.

There was a conference, and she ran into him at it. And, somewhere during the few days of the conference, he ended up in her hotel room. Naked. After fucking her brains out and leaving her speechless.

Maybe she didn’t want to remember how they got into this situation because then she would have to think about their relationship outside of this hotel room.

She nudged him, and he turned to face her with his eyebrows raised. She kissed him and straddled his body, not wanting to think about anything other than him.

For so long, she’d tried to maintain that image of the perfect mother, the perfect girlfriend, and hell, even the perfect wife because she was supposed to be with Owen, and she was supposed to be that person.

But now, she’s sitting on someone else’s lap, and he’s touching her just right as if he’s known her body forever. She doesn’t want to admit how good it feels.

Does it feel good to be with him, or just to be in this situation? She doesn’t know, and she doesn’t want to think about it. Because he’s here, and he’s about to fuck her like his life depends on it, and she couldn’t be more grateful for that.

It’s alternative pain relief; she thinks as he trails kisses down her body, paying attention to each and every curve of her figure and making her feel more seen than she’s felt in a long time. He tells her she’s beautiful, and she feels like she is.

Maybe part of her knows that there’s something more to this because any old hookup wouldn’t leave her feeling this way. And, she certainly wouldn’t agree to hook up with her coworker after such a messy relationship with a different coworker, if it was just that. 

But that doesn’t matter right now because all she can see are the stars above her eyes, and she can’t make any noises other than the moans escaping her mouth.

She’s scared to say his name. To moan his name, to encourage him, because that would mean too much. She’s scared to hear it fall from her lips because she knows that she would like the sound of it, and he would too.

And he’s so damn polite, as he drops onto the bed beside her and asks how she’s feeling. As if he didn’t just give her the orgasm of her life, as if he hasn’t spent this entire time trying to make her feel better.

She moves her head onto his chest and sighs, and he wraps an arm around her and holds her close to his body. He’s warm and comfortable, and she closes her eyes. 

She wakes up hours later to hear the shower running and finds that he’s gone from the bed, the comforter neatly pulled up and tucked in. She glances around the room, taking note of their clothes strewn across the floor from the events of last night.

The light coming through the window of the room is bright, almost bright enough to mean that it’s day, that they’ll have to leave the hotel room and face the world outside. The world on the other side of the plane she’s meant to board that night.

She gets out of bed and tiptoes towards the bathroom.

The door’s been left open, and she pokes her head in to see him showering. She knocks on the door politely, and when he turns around to greet her, he grins and opens the door of the shower.

It’s awfully spacious for a hotel shower. The tile behind her is cold, but the water’s hot, and her body is burning as he presses her against the shower wall.

His touch is more gentle now, but there’s just as much passion as before. His hands feel like they’re charged with care and kindness. She wraps her arms around his neck as she reaches that peak, burying her face into his shoulder and holding him tight against her, gently sinking her teeth into the skin at the base of his neck.

And then, it shifts. They wash their hair and their bodies, simply coexisting in the same space as the shower makes the only noise between them. She can almost sense that he wants to bring it up, as he places his hand on the small of her back to step past her, that he wants to ask the dreaded question of what this means.

She leaves the bathroom after he does to find him sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling on his shirt from the day before. She walks towards him, dropping her towel in the process, and straddles him. He grins against her lips when she kisses him, and they fall into the routine they’d managed to form in just a few hours. He’s inside of her in a heartbeat, and she reaches her climax for what feels like the millionth and also the first time ever.

And then, he’s gone. She’s sure he said goodbye; she vaguely remembers a hand brushing through her hair and his lips on hers after he muttered a soft goodbye, but she’s not sure of it.

She’s not quite sure of anything, to be honest, and for some goddamn reason, she feels empty without his company.

She feels like she’s sleep-walking as she gathers a change of clothes from her suitcase and pulls the fabric over her warm skin. The knit of her sweater scratches at the line of red marks on the base of her neck.

Almost immediately after she leaves her hotel room in search of food, she finds him standing in line, his eyes glued to his phone until she brushes her hand against his elbow. He looks up and smiles at her.

“Hey,” he greets, his voice warm. Amelia drops her hand to her side.

“I think,” she sighs, “I think we should-”

“Pretend like it never happened?” He interrupts her, a slight laugh trailing his response. “Yeah, I figured.” She takes a moment, attempting to study his expression.

“I just got out of a relationship. I didn’t mean to give you the impression that this was going somewhere.” She bites the inside of her mouth and shifts her feet uncomfortably as the line for the hotel buffet moves forward.

“Yeah, I realized that this morning.” He shrugs. “But, for the record, if you ever did want it to go somewhere, or even just turn this into a more regular thing,” he glances between them, “you know where to find me.” A smile creeps onto her face, and she gently nudges her body into his.

“When’s your flight back?”

“Tomorrow morning. You?”

“Tonight. So,” she turns to face him, “I’ve got a few hours before I need to leave.” She waits until his face softens in realization, a hint of excitement outlining his features. Amelia steps out of the line, walking backward until her coworker follows her trail through the hallways of the hotel to the room they’d occupied for the majority of the last day.

They fall back into each other’s arms with smiles and a newfound comfort between the two of them. She’s lying on top of him as they each catch their breaths when she realizes the number of times his name fell out of her mouth and the way he grinned at the sound of it every time. How natural it felt, how easy it all felt around him.

And then, he helps her pack up the tornado of her belongings thrown around the hotel room and walks her outside to the line of taxis waiting to bring people to the airport.

She purses her lips after he’s put her suitcase in the trunk of a taxi.

“You didn’t have to do that.” He shrugs and sticks his hands in his pockets.

“I’ll see you back in Seattle.”

“Mhm.” She smiles and steps forward, wrapping her arms around him before he has a moment to realize what’s happening. “Thank you.” He returns the embrace, and she can hear the smile on his breath.

“Thank you,” he responds, and Amelia pulls back.

“I’ll see you in Seattle.” She waves goodbye, and it almost feels ridiculous because she knows she’ll see him again in less than a day. His lips are pursed as he waves back, and his figure fades away as the taxi drives away from the hotel. Her phone dings.

She doesn’t remember ever having him in her contacts, but the sight of his name, contact photo, and the simple message of, “Hope you get home safe,” bring a grin to her face. 

And suddenly, life feels just a little bit less heavy.

[kaimelia]

i heart you

a/n: hi! here's a little holiday amelink <3 I hope you enjoy and feedback/comments/reblogs are so greatly appreciated and help spread my work <3

----------

Amelia pulled her coat tighter around her body before leaning over and adjusting the blanket around Scout in his stroller, smiling as his eyes met hers, and he laughed happily. She tapped his pink nose with her finger.

"You ready to go home?" She cooed, pulling his hat down over his eyes

She turned around at the faint feeling of a hand on the small of her back to see Link behind her, a cup of hot chocolate in his hand held out towards her, and she took it gratefully.

"I almost got trampled by an elf for that," he muttered, gripping the bar of the stroller, glancing over as she brought the cup up to her lips.

"Scout and I have decided we should just head home. I think that lighting the fireplace, wrapping presents, and tucking this guy into bed under warm blankets would do us all some good."

"You know, Winter Festivals look much more fun on everyone's Instagrams," Link sighed. He wrapped his arm around Amelia's shoulder, and she leaned into his body as they walked down the dirt path lined with Christmas lights.

The Christmas music playing behind them faded out as they walked further and further away from the lights and decorations, and the air around them became quieter and quieter until they reached the car.

She kneeled down and smiled at the sight of Scout asleep in his stroller, only moving slightly as she gently lifted him and laid him into his car seat, pressing a kiss to his forehead before closing the car door.

"He's still asleep?" Link whispered after he shut his door softly.

"Yeah," she grinned. "Something about being all bundled up in the cold always gets him to sleep right away."

"Just like you," Link chuckled, placing his hand over Amelia's on the console of the car, their fingers slowly lacing together as he backed the car out of the parking spot. "Blanket hogger."

"Hey, I'm not the one keeping the thermostat at ridiculous temperatures just to have an excuse to cuddle every night."

"It works," he turned to her and winked, squeezing her hand quickly. She reached over to turn on the radio, keeping the Christmas music on a low volume and glancing back at Scout to make sure his eyes were still shut.

"Can you believe he's almost three?"

"We've still got a few months, which is good because he told me he wants a puppy for his birthday."

"Maybe we can negotiate a cat, but I think a dog is out of the conversation. We've already got you," Amelia turned her head towards him as he pulled into the driveway. "Do you wanna grab Scout or the stroller?"

"I'll grab our little man," Link glanced back. "You run inside and warm up." She muttered a quiet thank you before dashing out of the car and grabbing the stroller from the trunk, bringing it inside, and closing the front door behind her.

"Someone woke up," Link sighed as he walked through a minute later, a smiling Scout in his arms with pink cheeks from the cold, bundled up in his jacket. She leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose, grinning as he giggled.

"You need to go to sleep," she whispered, pulling off her coat and shivering slightly, "I'm going to take a warm shower and then bundle myself in pajamas and warm blankets, and you better light the fireplace." She directed towards Link as she untied her boots and placed them on the shoe rack.

"Sounds like a plan. You should say goodnight first." Scout lifted his head slowly and stretched his arms out to his mother.

"Night night Momma," Scout spoke sleepily as Amelia kissed his head and he relaxed in her arms. "I heart you."

"Goodnight, Scout. I heart you," she whispered, smiling as she repeated her son's favorite way to express love. "Alright, back to Daddy."

"Bedtime," Link sang to his son quietly, rocking back and forth with each step towards Scout's room. Amelia watched them until Scout's eyes closed with his head laid on his father's shoulder and the bedroom door shut softly to tiptoe into the bathroom and turn on the shower and relax under the hot stream of water.

She got out to the sight of folded pajamas on the counter and smiled, pulling them on and scrunching her hair with a towel.

Link was sitting in the living room, surrounded by far too many presents they'd bought for Scout and a roll of wrapping paper.

"You look lost," she raised her eyebrows, grabbing a blanket from the couch and wrapping it around her shoulders. "I can wrap everything. You can just keep me warm."

"You smell all lavendery," Link smiled contently, taking in the scent of Amelia's hair as she sat in his lap and leaned back against him. "Scout was out like a light as soon as he was in bed."

"Good, because we have to wrap all of these presents," she muttered, leaning forward and grabbing the roll of shiny, colorful wrapping paper they'd chosen. "This is our first Christmas together. Like, really together, without anything wrong going on that we're ignoring or something. In our own house, with your parents coming up for dinner and presents, like our own little family." He beamed happily and kissed her cheek, pushing a strand of her damp hair behind her ear. "It's calm."

"I think it's about time we got some of that," he chuckled, handing her a piece of tape. "We've had some crazy holidays."

"It's practically tradition at this point." She slid the box towards the Christmas tree. "We have to tell Santa to start wrapping presents earlier next year."

"We're not known for being on top of things, so I doubt that's going to happen. I think wrapping presents the day before Christmas Eve is going to be a yearly event for us."

"Well, the corny Winter Festival definitely shouldn't. Maybe we're just homebodies for the holidays," she shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just worried that Scout's growing up too quickly, and he won't want to cuddle with us anymore or get hugs every morning."

"We've got a while until he's a teenager. But, I think curling up on the couch and making a pillow fort sounds like a good idea."

Amelia nodded in agreement as she yawned loudly, closing her eyes and groaning afterward. "I think we can finish wrapping presents tomorrow night," Link whispered, "and you can get my Mom to help you. I vote that we go bundle up in bed, and you hog all the blankets."

"I'm not going to fight you on that," she murmured, standing and picking up the wrapping paper and a few gifts.

He followed behind her quickly, filling his arms with gifts and hiding them in their closet, out of Scout's view, before joining Amelia in their bed.

"Goodnight," she sighed, intertwining their fingers and kissing the back of his hand softly. "I heart you."

"I heart you too."

[amys-anatomy]

Wonders Of Light

ONE-SHOT AU

Amelia Shepherd, a famous neurosurgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial. She is living a happy life with her 4-year-old adoptive daughter Pippa and her boyfriend Atticus Lincoln, who's an incredible Orthopedic surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial too. The three of them live a happy life until one night everything changes in a few minutes.

(Amelia was never working in LA, so everything that happened in Private Practice has nothing to do with this story. Amelia only is a former alcoholic, she never did drugs)

TW: Mentioning of Blood (in the story is also a second warning marked!!!)

September 9th, 2020

It was a normal morning for the family of three. Link's alarm went off at 6.30 am like it did every morning.

He leaned over his daughter who came over during the night, to visit her parents and fell asleep between the two, with one hand on her mommy and the other on her daddy.

He leaned over Pippa and softly poked his girlfriend Amelia in the side.

"Good morning butterfly, it's time to wake up. When did my little princess come into our bed?" He softly said to Amelia.

"5 more minutes Link," she responded to him.

"Okay, 5 more minutes. When I'm back from the bathroom it's time to get up."

Link got out of bed and looked back for a second, while he saw his girlfriend and daughter still laying in their big bed with the dark blue bed sheets.

Pippa still laying on her back, with her right hand still on Amelia's hip and her other hand where Link had laid a few seconds prior.

Amelia's POV:

I knew from the moment on, when Link's alarm went off, that something was different. I could feel that my period would start later today because I always had those stupid cramps the night before or in the morning of the day I would get them...

As I promised Link, that I would get up when he came back out of the bathroom, I turned around to my sweet baby girl who had climbed into our bed at 2 am and started stroking her left cheek with my pointer finger.

So great... Not the best day to get them. Because I had a very important surgery later at around 2 pm.

This already gave me enough stress and now this crap. Life sucked today.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at me with her beautiful and still sleepy ocean blue eyes.

"Good morning sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" I asked her.

"Yea, where's Daddy?" she asked me.

"He's already in the bathroom. We are the next to go there."

Link came out of our bathroom, so I and Pippa were the next, so we slowly rolled out of bed and walked hand in hand in it, to get ready for the day.

The girls made themselves ready, will Link already went down to make breakfast.

Amelia brought Pippa down into the kitchen so that she already could start eating her breakfast, will Amelia ran up again, to put a pad into her panty just in case, if her period would start, right when she is standing in an OR, operating on an open spine.

She went back down to join her little family. The cramps were still there.

Will Link was dropping Pippa off at daycare, Amelia was already changed into her scrubs, will she was standing at the nurse's station on the neuro floor. Will, she again went over the file of her patient, who had a tumor dangerously located near his spinal cord.

It was still around 5 hours until the surgery, but with the discomfort, she was feeling in her lower region she had to distract herself.

At around 1 pm she gladly was doing much better. So she took the 40 minutes she still had left before the surgery, to eat lunch with her boyfriend in the cafeteria.

Amelia's operation went perfectly. She was able to dissect the dangerous located tumor from the men's spine, without paralyzing him.

She slowly scrubbed in at 1.50 pm. The cramping was still there, but still no evidence of her period.

So Amelia went to do her favorite thing. Operating on someone.

She was exhausted after standing in that OR for nearly 5 1/2 hours.

She scrubbed out and grabbed a tablet to write her report from the surgery.

She looked at her apple watch that Link got her last Christmas and shockingly saw that it was already 8.30 pm.

Her shift had ended already 30 minutes ago. Link and Pippa would be patiently waiting for her at home.

Pippa would most likely already be deep asleep, dreaming of something sweet. But still, someone would be waiting for her.

So she wrote down the last few words of her report until she saved the file, to continue tomorrow, only the last few details were missing.

She would hopefully find some time in between clipping two aneurysms.

She finally went back into her office to look thru her bag for a little tablet to relieve her pain, at least a little. She grabbed a bottle of water and took the medication.

She went out of her office to go to the nurse's station to give one of the nurses her tablet. She then again turned around to go back to her office.

But she took a quick stop at the restroom. From the intensity of her cramps, she was almost 99 percent sure that her period was there, but after checking, there was nothing. She peed which gave her a little relief and then got out of the room to wash her hands.

Her next steps were going to change out of her navy blue scrubs and into her normal street clothes before she wrote Link that she was on her way back home.

Jumping in her silver BMW she directly drove to their small house they bought less than a year ago after they officially were Pippa's Mommy and Daddy on paper.

She grabbed her house key and went into the house.

She arrived at the small house in which only the lights in their kitchen and living room were shinning.

Link was either cooking in their kitchen or sitting on their sofa and watching the 174 baseball game.

Link was standing in their kitchen with an apron around his waist.

To Amelia's astonishment, Link was not sitting on their sofa.

But the TV was playing a baseball game.

"You are finally here. I thought you were kidnapped or so" he said. "I made us chicken casserole with spinach, you must be hungry and exhausted. Sit down on the couch. You can change the channels. I will bring you a plate with food and a glass of water."

Amelia sat down, finally feeling the comfy cushions of their sofa on her aching back. She would have fallen asleep instantly if she didn't have smelled the delicious food that Link had made.

Link came to her as said, with a plate filled with the casserole and a glass of water in his free hand.

"Enjoy your meal butterfly, I already ate with Pippa sadly. I wasn't sure how long your surgery would go." Link said.

"It's okay Link, but if you are not eating you could start massaging my feet," she said with a smirk.

Amelia ate up her meal and got up, to put away her dishes.

"Could we watch a movie on prime? I saw a good one the other night will scrolling thru prime" she asked on her way back from the kitchen.

"We can. Come over to me. We can cuddle a little will." he said.

Amelia grabbed the comfiest blanket from a basket that was standing next to their sofa and made herself comfortable in Link's embrace.

Soon the movie was playing on their TV. Amelia was dosing of here and there. Her cramps were only a 2/10 from the 6/10 she felt earlier before she took the pain medication.

1 AM

The movie ended at around 11.35 pm and Amelia was fully asleep in Link's arms.

He picked her up and brought her up into their bed. He laid her down onto it and put the blanket over her.

Amelia shot up, feeling an intense pain for a short moment.

"What the heck was this." She mumbled this to herself. Link not even blinking a bit.

She slowly turned so that her feet were now hanging down from the bed.

She still had her sweater on and her pair of jeans.

She took a couple of deep breaths before she got up, looking behind her to make sure Link would not wake up.

Amelia went to her dresser and grabbed a pair of pj's out of it.

She then continued to go to their bathroom to change and pee. She sat down and finally saw what she had waited for the whole day and which suited to her discomfort.

She laid down again and fell asleep pretty quick.

She changed the pad and got into the pink-colored flannel pants.

She got up from the seat when she again was hit by an uncomfortable pain in her lower region. It took her a few seconds to catch her breath again and to stand straight. After taking a few breaths she changed her shirt and quickly brushed her teeth and got back to bed.

The sharp pain not coming back again.

But it was not a comfortable sleep, she turned every few minutes in her sleep. Something was not right.

3 hours later...

From now on it gets graphic.  Also TW mentioning of blood, body fluids

4 AM

Amelia opened her eyes wide when she suddenly felt the urge to pee.

Amelia's POV:

She quickly jumped out of bed, not seeing the wet stain on her mattress.

Amelia sprinted to their bathroom, yanked the toilet lid up, and quickly set down. But only a few drops came out until a big splash followed.

"What the freaking heck," I said after feeling this bang in my body, and then a gush of water or so flew into the toilet bowl underneath me.

I directly felt my breathing getting faster and faster and I began to shake.

I asked myself if my bladder just exploded, but I couldn't think that fast when I suddenly doubled over in pain. I started whimpering until the pain was gone a few seconds later.

"Did my bladder just explode?" I asked myself.

I sat up straight, I tried to, but it hurt too much. My back hurt as if someone would stab me into it. I tried to breathe, I tried to take a deep breath. To have the air to call Link thru the closed bathroom door.

The pain lasted for a full 20 seconds I think, but it felt like 20 hours.

But I couldn't. I couldn't call him, because of the moment I had my breath again.

The pain shoots again thru my stomach, thru my back, and my pelvic area. It felt like someone would cut me open without any anesthesia or medication. It hurt like HELL.

The moment it subsided I started to cry. Hard. The tears just flow down my cheeks.

I didn't know whatever it was. But it was not normal. It felt like my organs were in a vice. There was pressure on my pelvis. Like the feeling that I had to poop, but 100x times more painful.

I just did what my body said to me and just pressed my eyes shut and made my hands into fists while I did what my body wanted. PUSH!

While I was crying, I was heaving for air.

I stood up slowly, with one hand on the sink to support myself.

I barely had 2 minutes to catch my breath again when the pain came back, much worse than before. I supported myself with both hands on the sink while I crouched over, slowly sinking, because the pain was too much for my legs.

Suddenly I felt the urge to push, like if I would poop. But different.

Whatever it was. I just pushed! When I looked down in between my feet while pushing, I just saw blood and water running down my legs and onto my now reddish flannel pants.

This wave of pain was much longer, I can't remember how long but way too long.

I moaned so loud out in pain that Link should have heard me.

But he didn't. He always was a deep sleeper. From the first moment, we meet on.

I so hoped that he would see that I'm not right beside him. I need his help.

When I felt something hard and flat my heart kissed the floor.

I couldn't move, I felt something.

There was something in between my legs.

I lowered my upper body a little so that I could feel with my index and middle finger what was happening in between my legs.

I'M IN LABOUR! I'M HAVING A BABY! I'M PREGNANT!

And my head went blank, I just stood there, still with my fingers on, MY BABY's HEAD! Trying to process what I just found out. What I just felt seconds ago.

But again I didn't have the time to think more when the pain came back.

But this time I knew what was happening, what was happening with me, happening with my body.

I did a 2-week rotation in OB, thanks to Addison, my brother's ex-wife. Back then when I was still a little resident.

So I knew a teeny tiny bit about what happens when a mother gives birth.

But compared to birthing a whole human by yourself, practically alone, without even knowing it 1 minute before is a different thing. I wish Addison would be with me, right now.

I again steadied myself on the sink, while I pushed, in my mind counting down from 10.

10...9...8...7...6...

While I moaned and screamed so loud again, even louder than I did before.

Hoping internally that Link would wake up.

In the meantime in Link and Amelia's bedroom:

I pushed and pushed and I could feel the little head of my baby coming out more and more. I screamed.

I pushed so hard, it hurt so much! Until it felt easier and the contraction subsided. I took a breath and took my right hand down from the sink and went down to feel what was going on.

Link was peaceful sleeping when he suddenly woke up. He bolded up. But he didn't know why. He didn't hear anything, he only saw some light shining thru under the door. He just thought that it was probably only Amelia flushing the toilet. So he just looked at his alarm, 4.23 AM it said, and laid back down again and was out like a light.

Back to Amelia's POV:

This went so fast, I could only take one more breath when suddenly another contraction washed over me. This time I only could hold myself with one hand, while I supported my baby's head with my right hand, which was still down there, while I pushed!

That was the moment when I felt that my baby's head was completely out.

I could feel with my shaking hand that they had so much hair, I could feel their little nose, mouth, and chin.

SO HARD! AND I SCREAMED SO LOUD!!!

I could feel how my baby slowly came more and more out of me and suddenly there was this relief. I took my other hand fast down from the sink and placed it in between my legs and caught my baby in the right moment when they slid out of me.

Back to the bedroom where Link still is

There SHE was!

I fell onto my knees, while I had her in my hands. I pulled her on me while she took a big breath and started to SCREAM her lungs out!

She was crying and I was now crying too, shaking so so hard while I switched from sitting on my legs to sitting on my butt, situating myself on our bathroom rug, which was also full of blood and amniotic fluid from my baby girl. Suddenly...

(before Baby Girl was born)

Suddenly Link woke up again, a few minutes later, hearing a desperate scream coming from their bathroom. A hurtful scream. Link grabbed the nearest t-shirt he found, flew into it, and ran to their bathroom. Suddenly he heard a second scream, more a cry. A small squeaky cry.

Back to Amelia's POV:

... the door flew open and suddenly Link was standing in the door of our bathroom. He was more than shocked. His face fell onto the floor when he saw the 'massacre' I did. Actually we two girls did.

There was blood around the toilet and sink and a good amount of amniotic fluid laying on the floor too.

"What the...! Holy shit!!!" Link only could say to me.

And then there was me, his girlfriend, sitting on a former light blue bathroom rug which now was a different color, with her bloody pajama pants still around her ankles, sweaty hair, blood all over her legs and hands, and the most important part a little naked infant, laying in my arms, still attached to the umbilical cord, little whimpers now coming from the tiny baby, which I held so tightly to my shirt, which I still was wearing.

Crying my eyes out and shaking so hard.

"I know," I said crying. "I need your help"

Link came running over to me, grabbing 2 big towels on his way to me. He went down to me and threw one towel right over us girls like a blanket so that our little girl would stay warm. The other towel he laid over my legs.

"Oh Amelia, when, what, how?" He asked me. While he looked over me and then lifted the towel to look at our little girl.

"Oh, that is a difficult and long story, my dear," I told him while I tried to get out of my shirt.

"What are you doing?" he asked me.

"I'm trying to take my shirt off so that SHE can lay on my skin, this will keep her warm," I said and Link gladly helped me with it until I had my shirt off and our girl was laying on my chest.

"I should call an ambulance, right? I know like 0 things about births but what I know is that there's still the placenta to deliver right? And that should happen with an OBGYN or more known person in this kinda field. And also so much more needs to look for." he asked me. Out of breath after saying this in one breath.

"You definitely should call an ambulance my dear," I said much more calmly, now that I had my baby girl right on me. "But I think that this part is already pretty much done," I said as I looked down. Seeing that I must have pushed the placenta out already without even knowing it.

"Oh crap. How are you feeling? Are you dizzy? Feeling woozy?" he asked me after seeing what I did.

"Except for that my huha, pelvis, and stomach are hurting pretty much. I'm good. I'm amazing. Even if that was VERY SHOCKING!" I told him.

Link came back after calling both, an ambulance and Maggie.

Link got up to run to get his phone to call an ambulance and to call Maggie so that she could have an eye on Pippa.

OH, there will be so much explaining, first to Maggie and then to all the thousand people we know.

"So the ambulance will be here in 20 and Maggie in 15. I only told her it's an emergency and that she should brace herself for the reason why she has to be here. How are you two doing?"

"Right uh, maybe I could help. Please don't call me weird or laugh at me, but I helped a little while I was a resident, on the postpartum station at the hospital where I did my residency too, to earn some more money during all that."

"Good, good. I think she's already searching for milk. But I have zero ideas how this works.

Mer did breastfeed Ellis, but it never interested me. And I'm not even sure if I even have the system built for it. I didn't even know about her 20 minutes ago"

"Okay, haha. We can look if it works until the paramedics come. In the meantime, we also could think about a name for HER." I told him, he still didn't had realized that she was a girl.

"Her? Oh, shoot I didn't even ask or see what the baby is. OMG! We have two girls Amelia!"

"Oh, we really have," I said with again tears pooling down my cheeks. "Any name ideas?"

"Grace, Elaina, Freya, Liyah... I think she looks like a little Liyah, our little wonder & light." He said

"Liyah, Liyah... YES! I love it! What do you think? Liyah?"

My little wonder just bumped her head onto my chest and smiled.

"I think she agrees. Come, let's look if I have something to eat for you."

Link got down to my level and pulled the towel back down and grabbed his tiny daughter for the first time so that he could position her right in front of my left breast.

Liyah eagerly searched for the nipple and started sucking on it.

"Oh that hurt, Ouch" Liyah continued to suck on my breast until she fell asleep a few seconds later and we heard a knock at the door.

Link went up to open it.

I heard Link talking to Maggie, informing her that she please should stay quiet, and then Maggie appeared in the open door of our bathroom.

"O-M-G what! When, how?" Maggie would have yelled out of excitement and astonishment if Pippa wasn't sleeping 2 doors down the hall.

"I know, I know. A very long story Maggie." I said.

"Everything went so fast and unexpected, but here is your newest niece, Liyah," I told her proudly.

"Wow!"

"Link, could you maybe pack us a little bag? Some clothes, toothbrushes, etc. For the hospital. When we arrive, we also should look into buying this little one something to wear in the hospital and clothes for the first few weeks. And oh-my-gosh... We have to do so much, Link." I said.

Maggie slowly came over to us two.

I was still sitting on the bathroom rug. One towel was still over my legs, my pants still at my ankles, the other towel over me and Liyah.

"Slow down butterfly. We first get her some clothes and the important things for at home, crib, changing table... We can do this. We also still have a ton of things from when Pippa came to us. She was almost one but still needed a lot of things, a baby also needs. We are not lost."

"Right yeah." I calmed down again and heard how the paramedics came into our house.

They took care of the two of us. While Link packed the hospital bag and grabbed my cellphone.

The paramedics put me onto a gurney after we dressed me in a pair of clean sweatpants and sweater and Liyah was given a little pink hat and was wrapped in a cute little blanket. I got to hold her again from the moment on when I was settled on the gurney. My sweet little unexpected but sooo loved peanut.

Link thankfully was allowed to drive with us in the ambulance. We left Pippa with Maggie at home and told Maggie that we will inform her about every little thing and also when she could bring Pippa to the hospital to meet her little sister :)

When we arrived at Grey Sloan Memorial hospital, we were directly brought up to the maternity floor, where I was checked by an OBGYN and Liyah was being checked of by Alex who was also more than shocked when he came into my room before.

Everything went amazing. Everything was good with me, and also Liyah was a perfect little healthy baby. Our little 36 weeker. Our little wonder.

Born being 19 inches (48cm) and weighing 6.1 pounds (2.7kg).

She was a little premature, I knew that now, but she didn't need any support, no oxygen or feeding tube or any medication.

Because she was a strong little girl, who latched onto my breast for the second time in her short little life. She again tried sucking on it and it felt different.

Not like I was shooting milk, that wouldn't even happen to a mother who knew she was pregnant from the beginning on.

But Liyah was getting something out of my breast. Maybe I really was able to breastfeed her, maybe my body build everything in those less than 9 months, without letting me know.

Because I didn't see and felt even a tiny bit of change on me. I lived my normal life every single day, without knowing that I was caring a baby girl in me for less than 9 months.

Our little wonder, our little light.

[scorsiewrites]

Never Gone

Thank you @amelink-greysanatomy​ for the prompt idea

/ Here’s a one-shot inspired by this line.

=========================

Set during S16, after Amelia gave birth.

=========================

Link and Amelia are on their way home from the hospital. Not too long ago it’s just the two of them in the car, creating lifelong memories; blasting songs in full volume, the weekly drive thrus at every donut shop around Seattle, grinning from ear to ear while the moonlight hits each others eyes like they’re snow globes in a bed of stars.

And now there’s three.

Amelia just gave birth to this beautiful baby boy. The look on her face shows how, not an ounce, does she regret her decision of raising a kid together with the love of her life.

“I miss our late night drives.” Amelia said, looking out the window. “Staying in the hospital for two days felt like years.”

“I know. Everything’s in slow motion, it sucks.” Link replied, looking back on the time he spent months back and forth in hospital rooms as a kid.

Scout is sleeping comfortably in his car seat. Amelia turned her head around to check on him.

“He sleeps like you.” she tells Link.

“Like a log?”

“Yeah, we could be in the middle of a war and you would still be sleeping.” Amelia chuckled.

“At least I don’t snore.” Link turned to her keeping a straight face.

“I don’t snore, what are you talking about?” Amelia raised an eyebrow.

“Yes you do. It’s cute really.”

“Unless you have proof that I do, I won’t believe you.”

“Now how can you be certain that you don’t? You’re sleeping, how could you possibly know.”

“No. I don’t snore. End of discussion.”

“If you say so.”

Amelia places her left hand on his face grabbing his chin.

“Okay maybe I snore... A little.” she said, pouting her lips. ”But you love me.”

“So you admit it now?” Link remarked. Amelia removed her hand from his face, squinting angrily at him.

“Hey, hey. Sorry. I’m just kidding. Of course I love you even when you snore. You can be as loud as you want.”

Hearing these three words from him turned her frown to a broad smile in no time. A magic potion is what it is.

His features are highlighted by the dazzling street lights; Amelia can’t help but run her fingers, tracing his jawline.

“Chiseled. Like a statue.” she sighed.

—

Link opened the car door for Amelia, he’s chivalrous like that. He thinks that the simple gestures are what keeps the love going. Telling her how pretty she looks when she wakes up, picking flowers and tucking them behind her ear, making tea, or just simply asking how her day went. It’s the little things.

“I got him. Go take a rest. We’d be there in a minute.” he told Amelia.

He carried Scout inside and went straight to their bedroom where they set up his blue bassinet.

Amelia was too exhausted to function that she immediately went to sleep the moment she hit the sack.

-

Birds chirping. The morning breeze slowly brushing through the curtains. It’s a beautiful day.

Link opened his eyes and caught a sight of Scout and Amelia who are still asleep.

Waking up next to her is something he looks forward to every single day of his life. Her beautiful lashes, the way her nose crinkles when she yawns, the lines between her brows which she calls “mind cleavage”, the little freckles on her face that are barely noticeable unless you look at them at a very limited distance — makes him fall in love with her even more. It’s the little things.

He got out of bed to prepare Amelia’s morning refreshment.

—

“Got it. Thank you very much.” Link said, talking to someone. He put his phone down and started boiling some water for Amelia’s favorite passion fruit tea.

Amelia walked in the kitchen and grabbed a green cup that she brought home from Meredith’s.

“Hey, who was that?” she asked.

“Oh it’s Joanne, the new nurse. She told me about my jacket, I left it at their station last night apparently.”

“And she updates you personally? Don’t we have ‘lost and found’ for that.”

“Don’t be jealous. It’s a jacket Amelia. Not a date.”

“I didn’t say I’m jealous.”

“But you are. Nothing to worry about, okay? Love you. I’m yours.” Link said as he kissed her forehead.

“Better be.” Amelia smiled. She placed her hands underneath Link’s sweater, hugging him tightly, her chest touching his back. “Is that passion fruit? god I missed that. But if I’m being honest, I missed this more.” stroking his firm, muscular abdomen.

“Nah uh, doctor’s orders. We have to wait a little longer. Little anticipation won’t hurt.” Link winked at her as if he’s plotting something. “Doctor says nothing about kissing you though.”

“And this?” Amelia placed her hand on his behind.

Link turned to her and kissed her. Slow but intense. They haven’t spent a decent alone time together in weeks. The couple was caught up in the heat of the moment that they almost did it right then and there. On the damn kitchen counter.

“Nope, nope.” Amelia pulled away. Realizing that it may be a bad decision, she grabbed his face with both hands. “You’re right, doctor’s orders. Now can I have some tea, please?” She said, handing the cup.

“Coming right up.”

Link grabbed a packet of her organic green tea that she gets from this Chinese grocery store across Grey-Sloan. He poured hot water in the cup and put two spoonfuls of puree with a little splash of honey. The way she loves it.

“Thanks babe.” she said. “I’m gonna go upstairs, don’t wanna leave him there alone.”

“Yeah, I’ll follow you in a sec.” Link replied.

—

Link walked in the bedroom and saw Amelia sitting on the bed, carrying Scout and planting a kiss on his forehead. The tears started streaming down her face which got him worried.

“Hey. You okay?” wiping the tears on her face.

“I just.. I miss Christopher.” Amelia responded, her voice was cracking, a clear indication that she might break down at any moment.

“I know we didn’t have much time together. It was literally 43 minutes. The hardest 43 minutes I have ever experienced in my life. But it’s beautiful. I keep picturing him and Scout spending time together if he had lived.” she paused.

“It pains me to think that he didn’t get to live the life the might’ve wanted, that he’ll never play soccer and run to me when he scored a goal.” Amelia started crying. She’s been feeling this emptiness ever since she found out that she’s expecting. Link knows it. He rubbed her thighs, making sure she’s not alone in this fight.

  “I love Scout. More than anything. It’s just that... Christopher was a huge part of my life. Always will be. And I’m proud that in that little time he spent in this world, he changed so many lives. That’s something I would carry with me forever.”

They haven’t talked about Amelia’s first born since that morning in the plant room. Link knows that it’s something very personal to her and it would be best if he won’t bring it up until she does.

“Amelia, you’re the best mom anyone could ever ask for. What you did was brave. And selfless. That makes you and Christopher a hero. In fact, he’s watching over you right now, babe. He’s never gone.” Link consoled her.

go little rockstar.

“Just cry and scream it all out, Amelia. I’ll get you whatever you need. Okay?

- I’m always gonna be here for you.” 

he slowly cradled her head, tilting it so that it rests on his shoulder. She started sobbing.

After a brief moment, she took a deep breath. “Thank you.” Amelia looked up and caught his eye.

“It’s my job.” Link replied.

Link’s phone started ringing.

“Hang on, babe.. I have to get this. You’ll be okay?” Link stood up and grabbed his phone. “I’ll be back, this will be quick I promise.”

“Tell Joanne I said hi.” Amelia sarcastically responds. “Kidding. Go. I’ll be fine.”

—

Few months after, Amelia returned to work.

“Good to see you back!” Maggie gave her a hug.

“Nice to see you around here again, Amelia. People keep asking me for you. You’re in demand.” Meredith went in for a hug as well.

“Can’t wait to cut open some brains.” Amelia grabbed the charts.

“Hey. How’s your first day back?” Link approached her.

“Besides boring, it’s going alright I guess. Had a great cup of coffee at least. How’s Scout?”

“Last time I checked, he’s sleeping. He’s fine, Angela got him.”

“Good, I like Angela. She’s a good one.”

Angela is their favorite person to leave kids with in the daycare. She looked after Meredith’s kids back in the day.

“By the way, I’d like you to meet someone. He’s a patient of mine and he knows you. His parents too. They’ve been wanting see you for days. Years if you will.” Link said.

“Did I treat them before? Alright.”

“No, but it’s more than that. You’ll see.”

-

“This is Dr. Shepherd. You know her, right? Amelia Shepherd.” Link introduced her to this kid.

“Hi! I’m Brandon. Brandon Riley.”

“Brandon... Riley.” her jaw dropped.

“Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Shepherd. You mean a lot to me you have no idea.”

While this kid seemed to be a huge fan of Amelia Shepherd: the goddess of neurosurgery, their connection goes way back.

Brandon is now residing in Seattle with his parents. Few weeks ago he was admitted to Grey-Sloan for a surgery. He broke his leg after falling down three flights of stairs. Link operated on him and is now recovering in the peds floor.

Brandon is a former heart patient at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Due to his heart condition, he needed a transplant. He received one from St. Ambrose Hospital years ago. And his parents had been grateful ever since. They have not met Amelia until today. Seeing her brought joy and heartfelt gratitude to the Rileys.

“that’s for Chicago.”

“Dr. Shepherd. We’re eternally grateful for you and your son. You changed our lives.” Brandon’s mom broke down crying that she almost knelt in front of Amelia. Link broke her fall and helped her get up.

“Mrs. Riley, I- I can’t believe this is real.” Amelia stuttered. “I’ve always dreamed of meeting the families my son has helped. And seeing Brandon in front of me right know, is just... it’s unbelievable.” she said as tears began to form in the corner of her eyes.

Am I dreaming? Is this a dream? I think it is.

“Can I.. hold his hand?” she requested. The parents granted her request without hesitation.

“Hi Brandon. It’s so nice to meet you.” trying her best to hold back her tears, Amelia glanced at Link. He gave her smile and a nod signaling that she’s doing just as fine.

“How are you? Does your leg still hurt? Dr. Lincoln is the best so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“No. I’m okay. Umm Dr. Shepherd....”

“Yeah?”

“What’s your son’s name? The one who gave me his heart.”

“It’s Christopher.”

“Do you wanna feel my heartbeat?”

The first time she felt her son’s heartbeat was also the last. It’s the longing feeling that makes her wanna reach the heavens just to have one more glimpse of him. One more chance to reconnect.

“Yes. If that’s okay with you.”

Brandon spreads his arms wide open. “I’ll give you a hug. So you can pretend you’re hugging him.”

Amelia reached out to hug him back; she felt an instant bond. She looked up and closed her eyes feeling her heartbeat syncing with his; the rhythm of each pulse started to sound like a melody. This is her son’s heart. Alive. Beating.

The realization of it all caused Amelia to dissolve into tears.

She hugged him a little tighter before letting go. “That’s a strong heart you got there. Thank you, Brandon.”

“My pleasure, Dr. Shepherd. My parents told me that the greatest present you can get is the gift of life. And Christopher gave that to me. I promise, I’ll take care of his heart.”

“You be a good boy to your parents, okay? They love you. And be careful next time.” she brushed his hair. “It’s so great to meet you in person. I only heard your name from my chief of staff before.”

-

“Bye, Brandon.” Amelia hands him her calling card. “If you and your family need anything, give me a call.”

“Thank you Dr. Shepherd.” he replied.

Amelia reached for Link’s hand and walked out of the room with him. They took one last look at Brandon through the window, displaying a smile on their faces.

“Let’s go see Scout?” Link wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

“Love you. Thank you for doing this.” she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

“I know how much this means to you.” Link placed his right hand on her cheek. “I love you. And if you let me, I would love Christopher like he’s my son too.”

“Of course you can, babe. I would love him to have you too as his dad.” Referring to Ryan as his biological father.

“Let’s go.” Amelia embraced him with her left arm and puts her hand inside the pocket of his white coat.

“I can still feel his heartbeat. It’s crazy.” Amelia puts her other hand on her chest.

—

Amelia and her family arrived home after a long day.

“Today was magical. I’ll never forget it.” Amelia’s overflowing happiness from her interaction with Brandon remains existent.

“Rightfully so.” Link beamed with pleasure.

Amelia opened the door and saw a huge bouquet of peonies displayed on the coffee table beside their couch.

“That’s so beautiful. Ohmygod.”

She reads the note that came with the arrangement.

“For the best mom in the world. -L”

“Awhh Link.. you’ve done so much for me already, I can’t thank you enough. I love this. They’re my favorite.”

“I know. You deserve it babe. You brought Scout into this world and no present could ever top that. Gift of life, as they say.” Link kissed her hand. “By the way, there’s no Joanne. I was talking to the florist. I had those reserved.”

“I’m relieved.” Amelia creased up.

Scout woke up and started crying. “Mommy’s here. Mommy’s here. Shhh.” she said, with her baby voice. “Someone’s hungry.”

Amelia placed him in the stroller. She grabbed a pouch of breast milk from the fridge and started warming it up.

Link sat on the couch and gazed at their picture right beside the bouquet. It was a blurry selfie from the conference they went to in San Diego. He kept it in his phone and told Amelia that if they ever end up together, they’ll have it framed no matter how horrible it looks. To take a trip down memory lane if, at any moment, they feel the desire to.

Amelia and Scout joined Link on the couch.

“Whatcha thinking?” Amelia brushed her fingers through his hair.

“You. Our family. How everything started and the things we did for each other.”

“Well...” Amelia shrugged. “I’m holding the proof. And he’s already full.” she chuckled.

Link took them in his arms.

“Best thing.”

—

[hurricanery]

If the Sun Comes Up - pt. 4

A/N: Hi, it’s been a while, but here’s part 4 of If the Sun Comes Up! (AU - interns fic). This is me ignoring s17!!! Sorry for the delay, this has been repeatedly deleted from my drafts for the last week & then i didn’t even edit or make changes SO idk what all that was for. anyway thank you for sticking with this story! Previous parts here: part 1 // part 2 // part 3

Or, you can read on ao3.

_______

And so it starts, you switch the engine on

We set controls for the heart of the sun

One of the ways we show our age

_______

She has no idea how she got here. Or more specifically, how she could be pressured into something like this. Maggie typically prided herself on standing firm; standing her own ground and refusing to be swayed by others. But none of that self-proclamation holds true right now.

Because she’s here. Driving Winston’s car. Trunk filled to capacity and two of her roommates squeezed into the backseat.

The hypocrisy of it all is almost infuriating. Because Maggie hates camping.

“I hate camping,” she voices her detest out loud.

An apologetic sigh can be heard from Winston next to her, where he sits passenger side. But ultimately, it’s Amelia’s voice that grabs her attention, the bewilderment making itself known from the backseat.

“Oh, come on,” there’s an element of disbelief to her tone, and Maggie locks eyes with her through the rear-view mirror.

“Step out of your comfort zone a little, Maggie!” She raises her eyebrows, beginning to gesture with her hands. Link shuffles in his seat, where he’s squeezed in tightly beside Amelia, in an attempt to free up a little space for her body language. Some of the camping supplies had ended up packed over half of the backseat, and Maggie can’t help but chuckle at the proximity of Amelia’s hand to Link’s face as she gestures absentmindedly. “It’s camping. It’s adventurous, it’s-”

Maggie has since focused back on the road, but the sudden pause in speech makes her feel uneasy. Amelia’s focus shifts from the packaged tent next to her, to the back of Winston’s head, and then back to Maggie.

“It’s sleeping in a tent,” she continues, a spark of gleam in her eyes as she scans the couple in the front seat. “Or, maybe it’s not sleeping. Hey, I mean, whatever the two of you-”

“Amelia,” Maggie cuts in, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter as Winston’s hand comes to rest on her knee, giving it a soothing squeeze.

“Come on, babe,” Winston murmurs. “It’ll be fun. And plus, Karev would definitely be proud of us.”

Maggie grins a little, despite herself.

They’d been a bit all over the place, as a group of interns. A little bit too chaotic and never fully on the same page. As their resident, Karev was constantly voicing his impatience about the dynamics of the group. She partly thinks that yes, Alex would be proud of the bonding journey that they’d chosen to embark on, but the more realist part of her brain can’t ignore the obviousness that being roommates was probably bonding enough.

Maggie peeks in the rear-view once more, this time checking to make sure that Lexie and Jo are still following in the car behind them. She catches Amelia’s stare again and consequently feels the need to brace herself.

“Babe?” Amelia bites her lip, repeating the pet name Winston had just used. “What happened to ‘we’re just friends?’”

“We are friends.” Maggie sighs, trying her best to ignore the amusement that radiates from Winston at this specific call-out.

“And Link and I are friends,” Amelia’s quick with her rebuttal, tilting her head towards Link. “I don’t go around calling him babe.”

Link sucks in a breath, and then another one, with the addition of Amelia’s afterthought. “But maybe I’ll start.”

It’s subtle. The way Link’s face changes. He hides it just as quickly as it surfaces. But it’s there, she hasn’t imagined it, and it’s the first thing to make Maggie genuinely smile for the length of the trip so far.

“I’m kidding,” Amelia nudges Link with her shoulder. “I can come up with a better nickname than that.”

“Okay enough,” Maggie suppresses the grin she feels spreading across her cheeks. She reaches forward for the knob on the dashboard, turning the music up.

Link’s relief at the diversion tactic is almost palpable. Maggie can practically feel it from the backseat. She thinks maybe the feeling rising in her chest equates to sympathy.

She loves Amelia. She really does. Which is saying a lot, especially for her. It takes effort for her to grow comfortable with people, or to even relate on any level. She’s always felt a step ahead of most people in life. But Amelia really challenges her. It’s only been a couple of months since they’d met, and somewhere along the way, things changed. Amelia’s unpredictable nature had shifted from something Maggie initially feared, to something she appreciates. Like the human embodiment of the push she needs. The push she needs to take things less seriously, or the push she needs to open up and be spontaneous. Whatever the case, it’s never felt more necessary. Like she’s been missing out on it for too long. So, she tries to embrace it at every turn.

“Are we almost there?” Amelia pipes up again from the backseat. “I have to pee, and believe me, I’m down for a little side-of-the-road action if that’s what it comes down to-”

Maggie groans impatiently. But then she remembers about embracing it. So decidedly, her next words sound gentle. “We’re almost there, hold it together.”

_______

It ends up taking two full hours for six surgical interns to figure out how to set up a campsite. And even though the task is grueling, the level of teamwork somehow exceeds what they normally display during a typical hospital shift.

The sun starts to set as the second of the two tents finally stands on it’s own and everyone takes a moment to finally relax.

“That wasn’t too bad,” Link sits back against the tree on the outskirts of their surrounding area.

Jo huffs out a breath as she joins him, rolling her eyes. “That was two hours of my life that I’ll never get back.”

“What’s next?” Amelia steps out of the larger tent, pulling a sweatshirt over her head. “Does anyone know how to build a bonfire?”

_______

She has no idea how it got to this. How six grown adults could resort to immature party games around a campfire and feel so content about it. Maggie had been relieved when the game of ‘truth or dare’ ended as quickly as it started. She’d been hoping for something a bit more intellectual. A little less high school.

Unfortunately her hopes were never granted.

“Wait, I feel like the stakes aren’t high enough.” Amelia had tossed the observation out flimsily.

But the observation had its impact.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

And then the ideas had piled on.

“Loser has to cover my scut work in the ER all week.”

“No way.”

“Loser has to make us each a s'more.”

“Nah. Stakes not high enough.”

“Loser has to jump in the lake.”

Amelia had voiced the last one, resulting in a surprised type of silence. The type of silence that could raise stakes.

It was the ultimatum they were looking for, apparently. And to much of Maggie’s dismay, they hadn’t moved on to an intellectual game. Nothing worth raising the stakes over, at least.

Because they’d settled on a game of ‘never have I ever.’

“Okay, okay. My turn. What have I not done…?” Amelia trails off, deep in thought, and it earns some chuckles from the group. “Oh! Never have I ever had a threesome.”

Suspectful eyes dart around the bonfire, and Link’s attempt to conspicuously fold down a finger fails.

“Link!”

Jo giggles hysterically.

“You have?” There’s surprise in Amelia’s voice, and it corresponds with the way her face lights up.

“You haven’t?” Link bites back.

“Well, almost, I guess. But-”

“Okay!” Jo interjects. “No need for context! That’ll just slow us down. Link, your turn.”

“Okay,” Link grins determinedly across the bonfire, eyes landing on Amelia. “Never have I ever almost had a threesome.”

Amelia scoffs, dropping a finger.

“Wait!” Maggie fast-tracks her disapproval. “Are we singling people out now? The game will end too quickly if we-”

“Never have I ever been named after an iconic literary figure.” Amelia jumps in again, completely ignoring Maggie’s objection.

Link drops a finger, rolling his eyes. Too easy.

“Never have I ever slept with Mark Sloan.”

He sounds proud of this one. And all focus drifts to Amelia, whose eyes narrow only slightly as she drops another finger.

“You did what?” Maggie seems skeptical.

“You did what? When?” And Lexie’s voice sounds strained.

“Shit, sorry. Too far?” Link’s pride genuinely replaces itself with worry.

“I never meant for it to be a secret.” There’s something distinct about Amelia’s tone as she jumps back into the game, clearly with the intention of going after Link again. “Never have I ever-”

“No!” Maggie seems to be the only one intervening at this point. “No, stop. My turn. If we play it your way, this game will be over in two seconds.”

Amelia and Link shrug dismissively amidst the general hums of agreement.

“Never have I ever…” Maggie pauses, taking a moment to truly think on it. She racks her brain for ways to prolong the game. “Never have I ever been arrested!”

Amelia slowly drops her last finger, a grimace consuming her face, and Maggie’s mouth opens wide in shock.

“Amelia, what,” she breathes. “I was trying to keep people in the game. What-”

“We agreed on no context!” Amelia is quick to refute, forcing a grin as she repeats the request spoken earlier.

“Okay….” She draws out her response, and the next part of her sentence sounds quiet, or laced with secondhand defeat. “But you lost the game already.”

“That’s fine,” Amelia is just as quick to stand from her chair, shrugging casually at what that entails.

“Amelia-”

“To the lake? Or am I doing this without witnesses?”

Maggie’s brows furrow at the bitterness that exists in that question, but then Amelia turns, walking away from them, and Maggie is the first to go after her.

_______

"Amelia, you’re the one who made the rule. You can’t back out now.”

They’re all huddled together at the sandy area near the dock that edges out into the dark lake, and Maggie can’t hold back her impatience. She’s a rule-follower, after all. She's also cold. And she just wants to be by the bonfire again.

“I know, I know. I’m….” Amelia trails off, exhaling harshly. “Just give me a minute.”

There’s momentary quiet. The kind of quiet that nearly gives room for everyone to re-think what’s about to happen. But, if anyone's thoughts were the loudest, they were Amelia’s.  

“The sun was still out when I made up this rule!”

That’s true. Maggie can give her that. It’s late now, purely dark outside except for the glow of the moonlight reflecting off of the lake.

“We don’t know what’s in there…” Amelia adds, eyes focused on the body of water before them. “We don’t know if it’s safe to swim here.”

“It’s a state park,” Winston chuckles.

“And there’s a sign right there,” Lexie adds matter-of-factly, nodding towards the edge of the sand. “No lifeguard on duty. Swim at your own risk.”

“Amelia, it's a swimming beach.”

There’s an element to Amelia’s expression that Maggie sees herself in. It provokes that feeling. The heart-lurching feeling that comes with the awareness that you can’t bring yourself to do the thing you intend to do. The restlessness that rises with the opposition of your mind moving miles a minute but your feet remaining frozen where you stand. It takes place in the nervous system. And it’s like the physical manifestation of not being able to rip the bandaid off, or not being able to take the plunge, to be more literal in this scenario.

Suddenly, Maggie’s hit with the fleeting recognition that everyone’s the same deep down. Some were just better at hiding it than others.

The revelation almost makes her feel sympathy. Almost.

Because Amelia’s version of hiding it was turning out to be displaced over-confidence.

“I knew you were all talk and no-”

“I’ll jump in with you,” Link interrupts, nudging Amelia, who shakes from her daze as she turns away from the lake, locking eyes with Link.

“Shit, I’m down, too,” Jo shrugs. “I’m right behind you guys.”

A look of pure skepticism crosses Amelia’s face, and Link just starts to grin, hugely.

“No,” Maggie breathes. “No, no, no.”

Because she knows what this is about to turn into. And then it’s all happening, fast.

Link is stripping down to his boxers, tossing his clothes into a pile on the grass just left of the dock. And then he’s running. His feet clamber against the wood paneling as he takes off over the structure that extends along the shore and into the body of water.

There’s a huge splash. And then he resurfaces, gasping.

“It’s not that deep, come on!” He yells. “And it’s warm, too. Like a hot tub!”

The next thing Maggie registers is that Jo is following suit, peeling off her sweatshirt and tossing it towards Link’s pile of clothes.

She feels Winston’s hand grip her shoulders, gently pushing her towards the dock as he murmurs “Come on, babe.”

There’s another splash somewhere, and then Jo resurfaces, giggling hysterically. "Link!” She gasps dramatically, “You liar, this is fucking freezing!”

And all Maggie can think is this is so unfair.

_______

It’s so unfair.

The fact that five people have somehow endured jumping into this lake and yet, Amelia remains unscathed. Secure, on dry land, a smirk on her face that can only signify that she thinks she’s won.

“Amelia!” Maggie yells once again. “You have thirty seconds to get into this water.”

“Maggie-”

“No way,” Maggie cuts her off before the smug tone can set her off even further. She lets go of Winston’s shoulder, which she’s been holding onto for dear life since she jumped in, and she swims closer to the dock. Closer to Amelia. “I won’t let you play us like this.”

Amelia grins further, dipping just her toes in the water. “Maggie, I’m not trying to play anyone, I-”

“Get in the water, Amelia!” Maggie shouts, but her impatience only leads to more smugness on Amelia’s behalf.

She almost gives up. Accepts defeat. But then Link is joining her, inching towards Amelia on the dock, whose expression falters only slightly as they approach.

“Should we splash her?” Maggie tilts her head towards Link, inquisitive edge to her voice. “We could splash her.”

The threat seems to be the push Amelia needs. She shakes her head incessantly as they make their advance, and she takes a deep breath before she goes to remove her jeans, adding them to the pile of clothes that everyone else has stripped off.

Jo whistles from somewhere further out into the lake and Amelia’s smirk returns, a complete result of the knowledge that she has an audience. Her classic Harvard sweatshirt gets added to the pile and then she’s on an even playing field with everyone else, dressed down to whatever underwear she’d thrown on this morning.

They continue their approach, and Amelia looks down just as a burst of wind forcibly shakes the branches of a tree above, thus causing her to wrap her arms around herself.

“You’ll warm up faster if you get in, Shepherd.” Link says in a low tone.

“I know,” Amelia’s tone is just as low. “But I’m not jumping.”

“What happened to adventurous?!” Maggie mocks her. Not harshly, but more so aiming to re-inspire the fearlessness that previously had been.

“I’m not jumping in,” Amelia repeats as she sits at the edge of the dock, letting the water hit her up to about mid-shin. “I’m just gonna kind of slide in….” She trails off as Link pushes forward, now in shallow enough water to stand. And when Amelia goes to wrap her arms around herself again, Maggie swears it’s out of modesty this time.

“It’s harder that way,” Link smiles up at her. “But okay.”

“Okay,” she repeats his sentiment, but doesn’t make any move to get into the water.

“Okay,” Maggie interjects, directing her next words at Link. “As apparently the only rule-follower here, I give you full permission to do whatever it takes to get her into this water already.”

Her instructions result in a mischievous twitch of Link’s lips, and conversely, a look of complete betrayal from Amelia.

“Your rules.” Maggie quietly defends herself.

Link turns back to Amelia, who meets his gaze with pure panic in her eyes. But he steps closer anyway, placing his hands around her shins and pulling her a couple inches closer to where he stands in the water.

She gasps. Her hands fly out, landing on his shoulders. “Wait wait wait!” She cries, the alarm in her voice matching the frantic action of her nails digging into his skin.

Link stops his movements, placing his hands on her knees as he tries to read her facial expression.

Her eyes dart between his. “You swear it’s not too cold?”

“It’s not cold, Amelia,” he murmurs, moving his hands underneath her bare thighs and pulling her forward an inch more.

Maggie looks between the two, suddenly feeling out of place, or like she’s witnessing a private moment. But, she can’t tear her eyes away. She feels transfixed by the eye contact happening between the pair, and she lets out a stunned chuckle.

“It’s not cold,” Link repeats, and now Maggie scoffs. Because this moment is becoming almost unbelievable with tension. But then Link’s expression changes. Just as quickly as flipping a switch. The facet of mischief returns to his eyes and then he’s opening his mouth again.

“And I’m so sorry for this!” He shouts as he finally pulls Amelia into the water, throwing his head back with laughter as she resurfaces before him.

Her arms are still wrapped around his shoulders in a viselike grip. “Alright, screw you for that!” She laughs as she comes to her senses, consequently letting go and distancing herself from Link. “But thank you, I guess."

“My pleasure.”

Maggie watches, eyes burning with curiosity, and she’s not able to hide the smile that creeps onto her lips as the pair move as far away from each other as possible. The interaction is way too amusing, and part of her feels like, if she were the menacing type, this would be the perfect opportunity to pay back some of Amelia’s relentless teasing with some of her own.

“Can we get out now?” Lexie swims up, interrupting her thoughts. “I’m kinda over this.”

“I just got in. Was that for no reason?!”

“And whose fault is that?” Maggie snickers. But it doesn’t sound harsh at all, as she offers Amelia a comforting smile.

When they eventually leave the shoreline, Maggie feels a sense of fondness course through her. Or maybe protectiveness. Whatever the feeling, it was definitely the stark opposite of her previous annoyance with the way the evening was turning out.

She carefully observes as Amelia slows behind the group, and she slows with her, matching her pace.

Amelia offers her a small smile, before a shiver takes over her body, interrupting her guise. It makes sense, Maggie thinks. Because soaking wet hair and the sun going down in the middle of nowhere might just bring on that sort of involuntary action.

But she can’t ignore the shift in energy. The sudden vanishing of the confidence and even the playful competitiveness.

“You okay?” She eventually asks.

“Tired.” Amelia only offers a shrug, her thumbnail nearly reaching the corner of her mouth in a restless action. But it’s like she catches herself, as Maggie’s stare burns into her, and instead she drops her hands to her sides.

“Me too,” Maggie’s voice is soft, and an impulse rises in her that screams comfort. Suddenly, her arm is wrapping around Amelia’s shoulder tightly, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Let’s get some sleep.”

_______

It’s a known fact that Maggie hates camping. She can think of several reasons for that. One of the side effects she’d fail to consider, though, was the consequent lack of rest that would come with it.

It couldn’t be any later than 5am, she concludes, as she unzips her and Winston’s tent and steps out into the dark campground.

To much of her surprise, she’s not alone. She’s not the only one experiencing the unwanted side effects of sleeping in a tent.

“Hey,” Amelia’s voice sounds gravelly, as she perks up from the chair she’s seated at around the empty bonfire. “Good morning.”

“How can it be morning?” Maggie groans. “Does it really count as morning when you didn’t get any sleep at all?”

“You’re preaching to the choir.”

Maggie frowns. “You didn’t sleep?”

“Link snores. And Lexie talks in her sleep….” Amelia weakly attempts a smile, and it just makes Maggie’s frown deepen.

“Everything alright?” She asks.

“Yeah, just wish I’d slept better.”

Maggie squints, because there’s detail there that she can’t quite decipher. She scans Amelia’s face another moment, before an idea strikes.

“Do you want to go on a hike with me? Watch the sunrise?”

“You don’t really seem like the hiking type.”

“You’re right. I guess ‘hike’ is a strong word. But anyway, how about it?”

Amelia stares blankly at her for a long moment, before eventually she nods, standing up.

“Alright,” Maggie grins. “Let me tell Winston where we’re going first.”

_______

They take a marked path. Signs at every turn highlight for them which way to go. It’s a few minutes into the hike before either of them speaks. It’s Amelia who opens up the conversation.

“Ready to be home?”

Maggie laughs. “Absolutely. I’ve been ready since the moment we got here.”

“Well, hopefully they have the cars all packed by the time we get back.”

Maggie nods, then reaches for the water bottle she’d brought with her, taking a few sips.

“Do I tease you and Winston too much?”

The question completely catches Maggie off guard, and she harshly swallows her sip of water.

“Huh?”

“I can be….a little overbearing sometimes. But,” Amelia offers a quick side-glance. “At least I’m self aware about that.”

“Not at all. I mean, honestly, Winston gets a kick out of it so-”

“Yeah, but do you?”

Maggie stops walking, her face muddled with confusion. It takes Amelia a moment to realize she’s stopped, and she turns around, meeting Maggie’s stare expectantly.

“Amelia….If it bothered me I would tell you.”

Amelia nods at this information, and then turns away, continuing on the path.

“Was I too harsh last night? About the rules of the game?” Maggie quickens her pace, catching up.

“No,” Amelia laughs under her breath. “We needed the discipline, I think.”

“Yeah but you didn’t need to jump into that lake. I can be a little of overbearing sometimes, too, so-”

“Nah. We balance each other out.”

Maggie squints, a little surprised by that observation. She’s taken aback by the accuracy of it, and it’s evident in her inflection.

“We kind of do, don’t we?”

Amelia beams at her, before her gaze returns to the path below. “I’m glad we came to that realization.”

Comfortable silence falls between them, and there’s a few minutes dedicated purely to the hike, before Amelia clears her throat to speak again.

“Although, I am trying to jump less. So maybe I need you to balance me out just a little more.”

“You lost me,” Maggie quirks an eyebrow at her. “Are we talking about the lake still?”

“Metaphorically. Maybe.”

Maggie’s expression just grows more perplexed, urging Amelia to continue.

“I’ve been….historically known to jump into things. Or people. Or habits, or…” She cuts herself off with a harsh breath, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. “I’d like to do that less. The whole….jumping blindly and hoping I’ll land, thing. So. Maybe I need you to balance me out a little more.”

Maggie nods, slowly grasping the explanation. “I get that.”

“Do you?”

“Well, no,” Maggie frowns. “I’ve never been one to….do anything, really, without weighing the pros and cons first. But, I do get what you’re saying, though. Even if I can’t personally relate.”

Amelia keeps her eyes glued to the path ahead, and the lack of response forces Maggie to attempt filling the silence with her own self-reflection.

“I’ve been thinking of taking a note from you, in that way, actually. Sometimes I really need to think less.”

This makes Amelia smile. “Maybe we can try to meet in the middle somewhere.”

“Yeah, that might be good for us.”

As the conversation trails off again, Maggie can’t help but question what specifically Amelia is referencing. She doesn’t want to push, especially given her recent self-proclamation as overbearing. But part of her thinks that one last inquiry won’t hurt.

“You and Link seem to have fun.”

Amelia’s eyes snap up to Maggie’s face before the sentence is even finished.

“What makes you say that?”

There’s not an ounce of emotion in Amelia’s expression. It’s probably the best poker face Maggie has ever seen. And so she’s careful with her next words, her voice slow and questioning.

“I just mean....you know….the banter?”

“Banter?”

“Yes the banter, Amelia,” she lets out a stunned chuckle. “I don’t know how else to put it! It’s like you’re constantly play-fighting. It’s like….it’s like this weird, alluring competitiveness that’s almost uncomfortable to watch. It’s being at each other’s throats over a stupid game of ‘never have I ever.’ It’s the craziest form of flirting I’ve ever witnessed, and it’s-”

“Link and I are friends.”

“Winston and I are friends.” She bites down on her grin, trying to contain the pride that radiates as she uses Amelia’s own pointed claims against her.

“Okay, don’t pull that on me.”

“I think it’s perfectly fair-”

“Maggie.”

“Amelia.”

Two pairs of eyes tighten upon scrutinized contact.

“Amelia,” she softens her expression a bit. “All I’m saying is….despite it being weird to watch.” She releases an awkward exhale.  “I think it works. I think you’ve kinda met your match.”

“There’s no match to be made, Maggie! I’m-”

They’re both a little caught off guard by the frustration and volume of Amelia’s tone. And Amelia takes a moment to breathe before she continues, an octave lower this time.

“I’m jumping less, remember?”

Maggie wants to frown. She wants to disagree. She almost wants to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

But they’re edging towards the outskirts of the campsite. She can hear voices, and the distinct sound of car trunks slamming shut. Which signifies that they’re nearing the end of the hike, so she bites her tongue instead, because Amelia looks too exhausted to argue it more.

They clear the trees, entering the campground, and Winston watches them approach.

“Hey! Cars are packed, but it’ll be a tight squeeze again,” he smiles sympathetically. He walks forward to rest his hands on Maggie’s shoulders in familiar reassurance. “And you get to sleep in the car, because this time I’m driving.”

_______

Maggie doesn’t think she’s imagining this part.

Her lack of sleep the night prior results in Winston’s refusal to let her drive. Which only bothers her a little, because the exhaustion outweighs her requisite for control.

Her eyes feel heavy as she rests her head against the window. She tries to focus on the road ahead as Winston drives; doesn't want to give up being a second pair of eyes as she sits passenger side. But her fatigue gets the best of her. Although it’s difficult to separate her overtired brain from certainty, she doesn’t think she’s imagining this part.

She hears it first. Link’s chuckle.

It’s enough to shake her from her reverie. She lifts her head and tries to be conspicuous as she turns, glancing into the backseat.

Amelia’s sat in the middle seat again, squeezed tightly between the camping supplies and then Link on the other side of her. Her eyes are fighting to stay open, and she's doing that weird head bobbing thing. That subconscious move that happens quite literally before falling asleep.

“Hey. Here.”

The sound of Link’s voice causes Amelia’s eyes to widen, quickly becoming aware of herself. She continues to blink, fighting off a bout of exhaustion that Maggie completely sympathizes with.

When Amelia locks eyes with him, Link simply pats his shoulder, indicating a potential landing spot for her head.

She frowns tiredly at him.

“Just do it,” he shrugs, patting his shoulder again. “I’m a better option than that boxed tent.” He nods past her. “As far as pillows go, at least.”

Amelia seems to fight it for a second. She really does. Her eyebrows pull together as she continues to stare blankly at Link.

Maggie diverts her attention because once again, she feels like she’s intruding on some private moment. But she remains listening. She can’t help it. There’s some shuffling around and then-

“Hm.” She hears Amelia hum. “You do make a decent pillow.” It’s followed by a murmured “Thank you.”

“Sure. What are friends for?”

Link’s response is barely a whisper, but Maggie can hear it still, even over the general hum of the highway below. She doesn’t think she’s imagining this part.

What are friends for?

It’s enough to make her turn in her seat again, an incredulous stare plastered on her face as she raises her eyebrows in Link’s direction.

He seems not to notice her interest, or rather her disbelief. Because his focus is consumed by the dark head of hair resting against his shoulder.

Amelia’s eyes are shut tight, her expression revealed when she adjusts herself slightly against him. And then Link smiles to himself, still unaware of the scrutiny descending from the front seat.

Maggie allows the doubt to flood her mind as she turns to rest against her own window again, and she fights off a smile as she lets her eyes finally close.

Friends. Right.

//

[thedefinitionofendgame]

i will never stop loving you

(A/N: some angst and feelings for everyone! hope you don’t hate me for this afterwards, but I’ve been steadily writing on my 30-60 minute break at work every day this week and finally finished it today :) *TW for death*) read on ao3 here

for my girlypops <3

The funeral was long and dragged on, way past when it should’ve ended. No one knew what to say, yet everyone said too much. Speeches had been made, by the widower and the deceased’s family, then suddenly everyone wanted to come up and say how their lives had been changed by a singular person. It proved how much everyone loved them. Even the kids got up and spoke into the microphone. Their tiny voices, scared but showing signs of bravery by just being there, were enough to make half the people who had shown up cry. It wasn’t fair to leave kids without a mom. And a mom like her, at that. She had been flawless, and a wonderful aunt too.

She was, without a doubt, someone for people to look up to. Hell, even Atticus Lincoln had looked up to her. From the moment he met her, he realized that she was a force to be reckoned with. No wonder everyone loved her. She was powerful and strong and sure, had made more than a couple mistakes in her lifetime. But that didn’t matter in the end.

Most of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital who remembered her ended up going to the funeral. And it seemed as though everyone cried at least once; some more than others. Meredith Grey, who at first hadn’t been so eager to meet the girl Derek knew, cried harder than most. If Derek Shepherd had been alive to be at the funeral, he would’ve cried too.

People kept showing up all day to pay their respects. Link and the kids tried their best to hide in the back corner to avoid being asked questions. Scout was nine, and Jemma was almost eight. Way too young to be without one of the most important figures in their lives. Way too young to understand what loss was, their own home suffering the consequences of it. A car crash coming home from a girl’s trip across the country seemed like the worst way to go out. Why did everyone have to die in a car crash? First Derek, now- it was too much for Link to bear. He just wanted people to stop hugging him and the kids and to go away. It was mean of him because all they wanted to do was help. Although being asked how you are when clearly you’re not doing great, helps no one.

In the past, when Link and Amelia had been fighting because he pushed things on her that she wasn’t ready for, Link had wondered what would’ve happened if Amelia ended up in the hospital. How would he cope, how he would’ve told Scout (at the time they only had one child). Amelia Shepherd was the love of his life. He would never get another one, and screwing up so badly back then was pure stupidity. He needed her bright gaze and infectious smile in his life. And he thanked whoever was watching over him that she gave him a second chance. Unfortunately, that second chance came with a price. Less than ten years later the unthinkable had to occur, and now Link was left to pick up the pieces. Alone, because Amelia wasn’t about to help. She very well couldn’t.

When at last the crowd started to disperse, Link gathered up his two kids with a sigh, and didn’t look back over his shoulder as he headed towards his car. He had said his goodbyes and would be back often enough to visit. She would want him to, plus it gave better closure for the kids.

Meredith hugged Link tightly. “Take care of them, will you? I’ll come by tomorrow.”

“Of course.” Link nodded in reply and climbed into the car. He fought the tears that threatened to stream down his cheeks. He needed to keep it together until he got home and got Scout and Jemma into bed. Even then he wouldn’t be entirely alone...it was never ending work for him. But he did it. He got out of bed every day and did the hard things only to collapse back into bed again. Once he got back to surgery and added that onto his list of a busy day, he'd hardly sleep to get through everything. Link assumed he was supposed to be thankful to still have people to go home to; clearly others weren’t so lucky. It still made him feel worse about everything that had happened, though.

Silence ensued on the drive home. Once the car was parked in the driveway, Link turned in his seat to look at Scout and Jemma. He searched their tired faces, and wanted nothing more to erase the last five months from their minds. After everything they had seen and been through, it was almost worse to come home to quiet.

Jemma stared at him with eyes that matched her mom’s. Her bottom lip trembled and she looked back at Link. "Daddy, is Mommy going to be okay?"

"I don't know, baby," Link began. How did he tell them "no"? Amelia had always said "yes, and I'll do it with you", even if things scared her. Now what?

"I want to go back to before." Jemma crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip. "Scout does too, right?"

The older boy in question, nodded. "Yeah. We want the old Mommy back."

Their request caused Link to freeze. He had expected the kids to cry or scream or ask the hard questions. He didn't expect them to want their "old Mommy" back and simply wasn't prepared to answer such a question.

Who was the old Amelia? Was it the girl he hooked up with at work because she was hot and he liked her talent as a neurosurgeon? Was it the woman he created a child with; not once but twice? Was it the mother their two children idolized and still did to this day? He didn't know anymore; he might never know. All he could do was hold her close to his heart and pray that they all were going too be okay with a piece of their family absent for the moment.

Turning back to his kids, Link said, “I wish things could be different. I really do. I wish things didn’t have to be the way they are. But you know your mommy loves you very much. She always will, even if she can’t tell you anymore.”

Jemma nodded. Scout didn’t say anything, but Link knew he understood. They were both good kids, and didn’t deserve anything that had happened. Neither did the other kids who were dealing with the repercussions of losing a loved aunt and mother. Nothing about a terrible tragedy was ever fair.

The kids and Link got out of the car and headed inside. Jemma and Scout ran upstairs to get ready for bed and say goodnight, while Link made himself some dinner. While the kids had had time to eat at the funeral—whoever brought cupcakes was very smart—Link hadn’t had a chance. Dirty dishes in the sink at least told Link that someone had come by while he was out; making him feel better about leaving the house all day. Although he had gone to the funeral for Amelia and no one else.

As he passed the living room, Link looked at the cluster of pictures on the table by the TV. The kids were in most of them, and there were a few family shots too. But his favourite was the one of just Amelia. She always hated it and threatened to throw it out every single day. But Link convinced her that it was his favourite image of her. The pair of them had just been playing peek-a-boo with Scout and Amelia’s hair was messy from a sleepless night. She looked tired but her gaze was still lively and full of love, as she smiled at Scout. In the moment, Link had pulled out his camera and surprised her. He loved looking at the picture when the days got hard. It reminded him of her and who he fell in love with. Forgetting everything bad, he just saw Amelia in the same way he had all those years ago.

Love was complicated. And before meeting his kids’ mom, Link didn’t fall in love. He liked making it and dated but never fell for someone. Of course it had to be a brilliant neurosurgeon who turned his life upside down. His parents were surprised when he told them he was going to settle down. His friends down south were even more shocked. Yet that’s what Link wanted the moment he fell into bed with Amelia Shepherd.

Link tucked the kids into bed, turned off their lights and shut the door. Then he went to his room, his and Amelia’s room, and crawled into bed. In the dark he felt around for the warm body he knew would be there and wrapped an arm around her. "I will never stop loving you," he whispered. Even though Link knew she wouldn’t reply, he was there for her. Drained after the long day at Addison Montgomery's funeral, Link spooned his wife closer, then drifted off.

Written by @thedefinitionofendgame (aka me)

[oboevallis]

custody

i was rewatching the calzona custody battle and this happened 💀 i hope this never happens and i know link would be much more kind but i felt like having an antagonist and it obviously wasn’t gonna be amelia 💅 so sorry this sucks buuuuuuuut whatever

“This is the end. The end of us, the end of what we have . . . the end of everything,” Link ranted as he shoved the rest of Amelia’s things into a bag

“I trusted you- and you’re doing this?” The shock was evident on Amelia’s face.

“You trusted me?! I trusted you! And you rejected me! I poured my heart out to you, and you couldn’t even say anything. You didn’t even have the decency to say no.”

“Link, you stopped checking in.” Amelia crossed her arms, refusing to play the offender. “You didn’t even know if I wanted to get married.”

“I thought we were on the same page.” Link mimicking her stance.

“Well, we’re obviously not.”

“Obviously.” The two stood staring at one another with arms crossed and eyes glaring for what felt like an eternity.

“Alright. I guess this really is the end.” Amelia confirmed, yanking the bag off of the floor and storming into their son's nursery.

“Woah Woah Woah, what are you doing?” Link shouted as he watched her.

“Taking Scout.”

“No, your not.”

“He’s my son.”

“He’s also mine.” Link reminded, his heartbreaking as Amelia picked up their son.

“Well, you didn’t carry him around for nine months and push him out of a tiny opening.”

“Wow, your playing that card.”

“Yes, I’m playing that card because if I remember, there was a time you didn’t even know if you wanted to be in our lives.”

“Amelia-“ She slammed the door before he could finish his sentence. He punched the door before sliding down it, questioning what had happened in the past 48 hours.

_______________________________________

“And your sure your want to do this?” Jo asked as she ran her finger over the rim of her glass.

“I’m damn sure she took my son, and I haven’t heard from her in a week.” Link said after he downed the remainder of his scotch.

“You can’t take this back.”

“I won’t want to. I’m getting my son back.” Link pressed the button calling his lawyer.

_______________________________________

“You’re fucking kidding me, right?” Amelia laughed into her phone, trying to conceal her tears. She flipped through the pages that her lawyer just sent by informing her she was being sued for custody.

“No.”

“You’re turning into your parents.”

“No, I'm not.” Link defended quickly.

“What do you call this then?”

“Standing up for myself and my son.”

“This isn’t necessary.”

“It is you’ve been ignoring my calls! I haven’t seen my son in over a week!”

“We can figure this out. Please. I don’t want to do this.”

“I didn’t either. This is your own doing” Link quickly hung up before he could hear her response, not wanting to listen to her hurt.

_______________________________________

“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” Link asked as he kicked an empty pizza box out of view of his parents.

“Well, that’s such a kind greeting,” Eric smirked, allowing himself further into the apartment, shocked at the state of disarray.

“Where are Amelia and Scout?” Maureen asked cautiously as she took in her surroundings, suspecting they weren’t here and hadn’t been for a while.

“Some notice would’ve been nice.” The son muttered as he quickly picked up around the apartment.

“Link, what is going on?” The concerned mother asked, grabbing him by the shoulders to stop him.

“Amelia and I are over.” Link avoided his mother’s gaze.

“Oh, Link.” She knew exactly what this felt like and the stress and worry with a child on top of it.

“Do you have a lawyer?” Eric asked, stepping closer to the pair.

“Eric!” Maureen scolded, though they had forgiven each other for a whole lot; that was something that always lurked. The lawyers, the paperwork, the court dates, the fighting, and the heartbreak.

“I do, a great one. Highest rated family court lawyer in Seattle.”

“Link!” Maureen scolded again, shocked that her son made the same mistake they had made 30 odd years ago. “You didn’t.”

“She was keeping him from me.”

“The kid has a point,” Eric muttered, he didn’t want to get into this fight with his wife again, but he understood where his son was coming from.

“How’s Amelia?” Maureen glared at her husband before averting her gaze back to her son.

“Upset obviously, but she had this coming.”

“You two really can’t just come to an agreement? Like two two three, or every other week?” Maureen sighed, lowering herself onto the couch. “Why do you have to repeat our mistakes?”

“I’m not repeating your mistakes; we’re civil.”

“Are you? Cause it doesn’t seem like that if you're bringing lawyers into this.”

“I really don’t need your opinion.” Link groaned; the last thing he wanted was, to be compared to his parent's messy divorce, even though in the back of his mind, the reality that it was was gnawing at him.

_______________________________________

“I can’t believe you let them say those things about me.” Amelia scowled, trying to hold back the tears that had been threatening to spill out for the past couple of weeks.

“We shouldn’t be talking.” He struggled to avoid eye contact, all he wanted was to forget any of this ever happened, but that wasn’t possible.

“I would never do that to you.”

“This is court, and you don’t win by being friendly.”

“Link, what happened? Why are you doing this?”

“I’m doing this for my son; he deserves someone who wants him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The neurosurgeon crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes.

“You never wanted scout.”

“Don’t you ever say that? And we both know if I hadn’t gotten pregnant, we never would’ve considered even having kids. I don’t regret a single that has happened and wouldn’t trade the past year for anything. Scout is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.”

“He’s not the best?” Link scoffed, he knew he was pushing too far, but some part of him wouldn’t stop.

“You’re one sick bitch.” Amelia shook her head in disbelief, storming back into the courthouse before he could see her tears. She wanted to yell at him and tell him all the dark thoughts that couldn’t stop, but she could never articulate. She tried to let him know about the cravings pounding into her head, about the guilt that suffocated her revolving around Christopher, about the apathy that encroached on her way of thinking. The words just never seemed to arise. Scout was what kept her going, he needed her, and she needed him. He was the only reason for her to stay sober.

________________________________________

“Amelia! Wait!” Link called as he caught up to Amelia as she opened up her car.

“What? What else could you possibly want from me?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, okay, Link.”

“You get why I did this, though, right? Later on, we can talk about you coming to see him.” Amelia breathed in heavily, trying to calm herself before she punched him.

“I hope you and Jo have an amazing life. I hope she provides you with everything I can’t.” Bitter tainted in every word she said.

Before Link could get another word in, she slammed her door and zoomed off, leaving him alone to think about everything that had gone wrong between the two, slowly realizing he was the reason Amelia drifted away. He stopped checking in, and he ignored the silent pain that engulfed her. The longer he stood there, the more he realized he fucked up. Fear suddenly soaked in; he accomplished the one thing he vowed he’d never do. He didn’t get divorced, but had a messy custody battle that would leave the three of them scarred and broken. He turned into his worst nightmare.

[stardstgf]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31738102

Link walks away before she can open her mouth to explain, and she can taste sand and salt between her teeth as he brushes past her without a second glance.

He leaves, he leaves her standing there alone. He walks away.

Once he's gone, Amelia doesn’t move for a long time.

There’s a hollowed out feeling in her chest, and she thinks about Zola’s science homework, the one about neutron stars and the collapse of gravity and supernovas, and there’s a part of her that thinks she might understand that a little better now.

or: take my hand my love, i'll guide you home

[amelialincoln]

Fanfiction Masterpost

Mostly Amelink one shots: (titles after songs i like hehe)

All I Want: link goes away to a conference, leaving amelia and jake alone for the first time

Angel Boy: sad sad fic TW Miscarriage

Bear hug: Amelia opens up to Link about her addiction TW Addiction/Drugs, Alcohol

Beautiful and Brutal: amelia and link’s kid gets injured and needs surgery

Breakeven: AU fic of Amelia and Link in highschool TW Addiction/Drugs, Alcohol

Die For You: the electricity in the hospital goes out

(2): the hospital staff race to save a coworker

Fragile: post 17x08 TW Addiction/Drugs, Alcohol and mention of domestic abuse

Golden: Link tells their son and daughter about his cancer

Good Days: link worrying about Amelia 

(2): amelink labor time

(3): final part of amelink labor the trilogy lol

Good For You: Amelia, Link and Scout go on a hike

Guaranteed: meredith and maggie meet the new baby

Happier: Amelia tired with new baby

Haunted: A mass casualty has Amelia questioning her sobriety TW Addiction/Drugs, Alcohol

Helpless: plane crash TW Possible miscarriage, PTSD

(2) : members of the plane crash get rushed to hospital

Hold On: Amelia and Link struggle with having a baby TW Infertility

Hold On I Still Love You: Amelia and Link broken up TW small ED mention, needles

Home is Wherever I’m With You: domestic post 17x02 amelink

Hotel California: babymoon

I Feel it All: happy, angsty, domestic fic. TW Infertility

If I Can't Have You: post 17x04

I’m Okay Now: Amelia, Maggie and Meredith have lunch

Landslide: Amelink meets Magstons new baby (set 2 years after 17x17

Lost In My Mind: amelia gets injured by a patient TW Violence

Loved By You: Bailey's birthday in quarantine

Mess is Mine: amelia and link get a visit from an unexpected guest

Needs: amelia’s cravings during pregnancy

Need You: whoops didn't even realize this was similar ^^ but this fic is about amelink dealing w mer possibly not waking up

Never Know: continuation of the midseason finale

Notion: post 17x07 TW Addiction/Drugs, Alcohol

Past in Present: amelink baby #2 TW talk of past miscarriages

Saturday Sun: cute and quick morning fic w Amelia, Link and Scout

So Close: twinsssss TW Problematic pregnancy

So Sorry: weird amelink fic w Amelia being off

Something Good: amelia struggling though her early pregnancy

Something Good Can Work: Mother's Day fic where Amelia is anxious about the new baby

Stuck With You: New Years with amelink

The Way Life Goes: post season 17 finale TW Addiction/Drugs

(2): part two!!

What I Wouldn’t Do: Link being protective/jealous

We Find Love: a proposal? :0

When We Were Young: Amelia has contractions 

We're Still Standing: post 17x07 and the communication that should've happened

You and I: Amelia pregnant in the pandemic TW talk of miscarriage

2 Much: ''a rather unfortunate scare in high school'

there's also lots of hidden gems in response to anons!

plz lmk if I missed any triggers!

[amelinksanatomy]

hey! can you please write something with amelink doing in the shower? we're probably not going to see a scene like that , so...(smut)

Shower

A/N: Thank you for the prompt! Haven't written smut in a minute because it's not my favorite haha but half my inbox contains it so here is one!

Smut warning.

Amelia rolled over as she woke, immediately turning away from the bright light coming through the closed shutters to face Link. She found that he was already awake and watching her with a soft smile.

"Hey." his voice was gentle and his hand slowly slid across her hip.

"Why are you awake already? And why are you watching me sleep?" Amelia laughed as her boyfriend pouts, "You just looked cute. I haven't been awake much longer than you have."

Link carefully pulls her closer; his arm wraps around her waist and a hand runs down her spine as he places a kiss on her lips. It was soft at first but as she rolls herself over so she's on top of him, the kiss deepens. Amelia's legs rest on either side of his body. Link's hands rest on her waist, holding her against him. Just as the kiss begins to heat up and they begin battling for dominance, Amelia moves off of him. She rolls across her side of the bed and swings her legs off the edge, steadying herself as she stands up.

"Where are you going?" Link asks, his whiney tone amusing Amelia.

"I need to shower." she laughs, throwing the shirt she had worn to bed into the laundry basket as she walked towards the door, leaving her naked, "We have work."

Before Link could protest her leaving, Amelia walked out of their room. Seconds later, her head appeared in the doorway once again, this time with a smirk plastered on her face, "Well, are you coming?"

Link didn't need to be asked twice.

He threw the blanket off of his body and immediately ran after her, not even giving himself time to adjust to the sudden change in stance. By the time he had made his way into the bathroom, Amelia was already in the shower. He stood and admired her for a moment before the tightening in his boxers brought him back to reality. Link quickly stripped himself of his underwear, tossing it behind him and allowing his erection to spring free before joining her.

Amelia felt Link climb in behind her, his body immediately pressing up against her back, feeling his hardness against her ass. She wasn't prepared to give in that easily. Link stayed put as Amelia grabbed the shower gel and began massaging it over her torso. She turned to face her boyfriend, making eye contact as she seductively run her hands up her chest and across her breasts. She rolled her nipples in-between her fingers and smirked as she heard Link groan.

Moments later, before she could do anything to stop him, Link had grabbed her waist and spun her around as he pulled her naked body against his. He began kissing her neck as the water continued falling onto them. Amelia's head tilted as she released a quiet moan, feeling his hands begin to slide across her body. His fingertips run up either side of her body, starting on her thighs and slowly moving up until his hands rest over her breasts. He gently kneads them, circling her nipples with his fingers teasingly causing her breathing to become heavy. One of his hands begin travelling down her body as he continues kissing her sweet spot. Amelia moans quietly as she feels his fingers make contact with her clit. He begins rubbing slow circles over it but, it's not enough for her.

"Link, please." she begs, needing more.

Her tone only causes Link's erection to harden further and he didn't need much convincing.

Placing a hand on her waist, Link spins her back around to face him once more before lifting her up. He hooks her thighs over his arms to hold her up as he presses her back against the cold shower tiles. He pushes her legs apart, exposing her to him fully. He presses her body against hers as he connects their lips in a passionate kiss. He wastes no time in lining himself up at her entrance, rubbing his tip through her wet folds before pushing in.

They moan simultaneously at the contact. Knowing they don't have much time, Link doesn't give her any time to adjust before beginning to thrust. He starts off slow, wanting the moment to last.

"Faster." Amelia moans, frustrated, "Oh, fuck."

Link doesn't pick up the pace of his thrusts, "Patience, love."

He continues his movements, keeping a steady rhythm. He pushes her legs up a little more to allow him to push deeper. Amelia moans loudly as he suddenly begins pounding into her. Her back arches against the shower wall and her head drops in pleasure.

"Oh. My. God." she squeals as Link never lets up his pace.

The sound of their moans and skin slapping together is no longer being drowned out by the shower.

"Fuck. Please don't stop." Amelia begs, feeling herself nearing the edge.

Feeling his own climax nearing, Link pulls out and carefully drops Amelia. He turns her around and runs his hand up her back to bend her over. She places both her hands against the wall to keep her steady as Link pushes himself back in and immediately begins thrusting at a faster pace than before. Amelia almost lets out a scream at the sudden change but as Link continues pounding into her, her breath gets caught in her throat, stopping the noise from coming out.

As he continues thrusting, Link snakes one hand around Amelia's front and up towards her breast. He grabs her right boob causing her to moan. Amelia begins to get louder as she gets closer to her edge.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Amelia drops her head, "I need to cum. Please."

Link slows his thrusts teasingly, moaning with her, "Not yet.".

He continues his slow movements as he lets go of her breast and reaches up to take hold of the shower head. He suddenly brings it down and holds it against where their two bodies meet. Amelia squeals as the pressure of the water stream hits on her sensitive clit, bringing her closer to the orgasm she was already on the verge of. Link feels her beginning to tighten around him and groans, repeatedly reminding her to hold it. Her moans become louder and more like whines as the pleasure begins to overwhelm her.

"Link. I can't-" she cries, unsure of how much longer she can hold on.

The combination of Amelia's moans, the water against them and the feeling of her warm walls pulsing around his length pushes Link closer to his own orgasm. He suddenly starts thrusting faster once more and begins moving the shower head in circles, shifting the water stream around her clit.

"I want you to cum for me, love." he instructs, "Let go for me."

With one final powerful thrust, Amelia was screaming his name as her body convulsed around him, her orgasm hitting her hard and fast. Her walls tightening around him set off Link's own release. He groaned loudly, resting his head on her shoulder as he emptied himself inside her. Her body continued shaking against him as she came down from her intense high. Link pulled the shower head away and pulled out slowly as Amelia fell into the wall, using it to hold herself up.

"Holy shit." she says, still trying to catch her breath. Link laughs, leaning his back against the cold wall next to Amelia, "I know."

The couple stay in that same position, limply resting against the shower wall for the next few minutes in attempt to gain their breath back. Amelia turns to face Link, a tired but satisfied smile plastered on her face as she leans in to place a quick kiss on his lips,

"Alright, we actually need to shower now or we're going to be late for work and Bailey will kill us.".

[amelinksbitch]

Where are you?

Amelia glanced down at her phone, the text message lighting up the screen and illuminating the space around her. A sigh fell from her mouth, and she quickly turned it off, not wanting to respond to anyone. She was standing on the balcony of her hotel room, her arms hanging over the edge as the cool wind brushed across her hands. Another buzz of her phone, another ignored. She quickly tied her hair up as it blew over her face, turning as she heard a door open. "Amelia," Link muttered, "I couldn't find you. I was worried." Her head snapped to the side.

"Why?" He walked out onto the balcony of his hotel room, and she silently cursed the fact that they had adjoining rooms. The only thing separating them was a small railing to divide the balcony into two, along with the fact that she had positioned herself to lean over the far corner of her own. She looked back out into the night sky.

"Because you had a rough night. You left the hospital without talking to me." She heard metal lightly scraping the concrete as he pulled the chair to the railing that separated them. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened with your sisters. And if it makes you feel better, you have permission to ask whatever you want about my life, and I'll tell you. No matter how embarrassing it is."

"I doubt any of it will be as terrible," she murmured, grabbing the glass of water she had brought out with her, rolling it between her palms, and wishing it was alcohol. "Tell me something." There was a pause.

"I crashed my dad's car the day I got my license. In the parking lot of my school," Link admitted, leaning back into the cold metal chair.

"Were you high? Drunk?" She looked back at him, just seeing as he shook his head. "Yeah, I thought so. There's a difference between teenage mistakes and life mistakes."

"Amelia, addiction is a disease. You and I both know this. Don't punish yourself for something you couldn't control. You're sober now. I assume you made amends." Her eyes met his, the only noise coming from the sounds of New York traffic stories below them. "Your sisters don't know who you are. Neither does your mom."

"Neither do you," she scoffed.

"Why do you keep shutting me out?" It almost touched her as she heard his voice, concern creeping into his words. The slightest bit of guilt panged her.

"Because I don't want to talk about what happened tonight. Not everyone has a perfect family. Some people end up with shit ones. So, I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." She turned back away, feeling his eyes on her back as she pulled her sleeves over her hands. "The offer still stands, by the way. You're welcome to ask anything or talk if you need."

The wind blew past them, and Link pursed his lips, watching as Amelia brought her glass to her lips.

"What happened with your parents? Their divorce?"

"I'm the only child. Cancer killed whatever financial backbone we had, and they were both so terrified of losing their only son that they started to resent each other for every little thing. If my mom was late to drop me off for chemo, or if my dad let me have too much sugar. Everything became a competition between them." He glanced up from his hands as he heard the sound of the metal chair dragging across Amelia's balcony. "I knew it was over long before they told me. I just didn't want to have to admit it."

"How'd you get through it?" He shrugged.

"I mean, as a child, I just played an unhealthy amount of Mario Kart and buried my nose into my school work. As I got older, I just focused on becoming a doctor. I felt like it was something I could control." He watched her pull her cardigan around her body tighter as a breeze blew past. "Do you want to go inside?"

"I don't think I want to be alone right now." She drank the last of her water.

"You don't have to be. We can sit in my room or yours, or with our backs against the closed door if you don't want to see me," he stood, moving the chair out of the way and heading towards his door. "Or, the hotel has a lobby; we could find somewhere outside of here." Link raised his eyebrows as Amelia retreated back into her room from the balcony, and he stepped inside of his own room to see her head poking through the doorway adjoining their rooms. She walked over to the bed, pulling her shoes off before sprawling onto the comforter.

"What about now?" He raised his eyebrows and waited for her to continue, taking his own sneakers off and lying beside her. "What do you do now to get through it all?" Her head rolled to the side, and she met his eyes. "You're already a doctor."

"Donuts," he grinned, feeling some sense of relief as her face softened. "Every day is different. Sometimes, I get a patient who reminds me a bit too much of myself. I cut my hair one time and then made sure to surround myself with company." Her head to the side, and she stared up at the ceiling. "What do you do?"

"I used to drink. Not anymore, though. Now, it's more alternative pain relief and quiet time alone."

"Well, you know that I'm here," he spoke softly, keeping his eyes on her as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

Amelia reached over and turned off the lamp, ignoring Link's attempted question before she fell back onto the sheets, pulling the comforter up and resting her head on his chest.

He exhaled heavily, and Amelia could almost hear a laugh cutting through his voice as his arm wrapped around her and pulled her closer to him. "I thought you said no sleepovers," Link muttered, trying to hide the grin that wanted to stretch across his face.

"Rules can be broken."

[kaimelia]

Amelink + Scout & snowflake(s)! Merry Christmas ❤️

amelink/scout + snowflake <33

"Mama," Scout whispered, standing at the edge of the bed, his tiny hands pressed against the mattress as he watched his mother sleep. "Mama!"

Amelia opened her eyes slowly, a grin immediately breaking out on her face at the sight of her son in front of her, reaching out and lifting him into her arms and onto her lap. "Good morning," she whispered, tapping her finger against the tip of his nose and placing a soft kiss there after. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Snow," he pointed towards the open curtains in the bedroom, where tiny snowflakes were falling outside of the windows.

"Woah." Amelia's eyes widened, and Scout laid his head into her chest as they looked out of the window. She reached her hand to her side to nudge Link's back gently until his head lifted and his eyes opened.

"Everything okay?" He muttered sleepily, rubbing his eyes as he yawned and sat up. "Hey, Scout."

"Scout wanted us to wake up to see the snow," Amelia muttered, scooching closer to Link beside her.

"Oh," Link smiled, glancing over to the window. "Well, what are we all doing inside, then? Let's get our coats on!" He jumped out of bed, holding his arms out and taking Scout from Amelia, who followed them as they ran into the hallway to grab their jackets.

"I'll grab gloves for him," Amelia smiled as Link zipped up their son's jacket, his body completely engulfed by the puffy jacket around him. "We don't want you getting too cold, Scout."

"Here," Link handed her a jacket, replacing his empty arms with a giggling toddler. "Alright, let's move it!"

Amelia scrunched her nose as he opened the front door and a burst of cold air came through, and she shoved her hands into her pockets after closing the door behind her.

Scout was in the middle of their front yard, standing in front of his father with his arms outstretched, happily laughing as snowflakes fell around him. She walked over to the two of them and kneeled into the dusting of snow over the grass.

"Here, Mama," Scout whispered, holding his glove towards her. "A snowflake for you!"

[arcturusreads]

Promises of Forever - Amelink

A 4.4k Amelink fic I wrote a while back...

After 45 minutes of trying to put Scout down for this nap, the one-year-old was finally fast asleep in his cot, unaware of the frustration that he had caused his mother. Amelia took a moment to look down at her son, he was yet to grow out of his cherub cheeks, and she had to resist the urge to squeeze them.

There would never be a time where Amelia would get over the miracle that was Scout Derek Shepard-Lincoln. After the turmoil she had got through with her first baby, Amelia hadn’t thought she would ever be able to give birth to a healthy baby. Yet here she was, the mother to a little boy who had just turned one a month ago, going through the rollercoaster called parenting with the man of her dreams. It all just seemed too good to be true, but she was over second-guessing the good things in her life. Ever since Scout had been born, she’d learnt to appreciate every good thing that came into her life, trying her best not to worry that it could all be taken from her.

Grabbing the baby monitor from the chest of drawers, Amelia left the door slightly ajar as she made her way downstairs. Heading into the living room of the three-bedroom new-build that she and Link had just bought, Amelia found her sisters lounging on the L-shape sofa, a glass of red wine in hand.

Amelia dropped herself in between the two of them, replacing the baby monitor in her hand for a glass of alcohol-free wine that Link always made sure was in the house for her.

“Come on then, why have you dragged me here on a Saturday afternoon?” Meredith teased.

It wasn’t very often they would come down to Amelia’s house. Even with everyone having moved out and Meredith only living at home with her kids now, it was still the meeting point for all of her friends and family. Old habits die hard.

“Well,” Amelia drew out, a large smile spreading across her face.

Maggie leaned in closer, eager to find out. Meredith on the other hand just raised a brow, waiting for her sister to just get on with telling them what was happening. Amelia reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a princess cut diamond ring and slipped into onto her ring finger.

Letting out a screech that shouldn’t have been able to come from a human, Maggie threw her arms around Amelia. Thankfully, she had finished the wine in her glass. When Maggie finally let go, Meredith pulled Amelia into a hug of her own. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you,” she whispered into Amelia’s ear.

Whilst Meredith was not one to hug her sisters, this occasion called for it. She knew the demons that Amelia had had to battle to get to where she was today. Losing her baby, a failed marriage, her struggle with addiction, losing her brother. For the things Mer hadn’t had a front seat for, Amelia had told her all about them in minute detail. Then she had found Link and Meredith had seen the change in Amelia, she no longer walked with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

There were still days that Meredith felt the tugs of jealousy when she saw Amelia with her family. It was an acute reminder of everything that she had lost. Everything that she was mean to have had with Derek but she had gotten better and dealing with that feeling, realising that Amelia deserved to have this happiness after the cards she had been dealt early on in life.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Link!” Cormac called out to the blonde-haired man, seeing him get out of his car and jogged over to him.

“Hayes,” both men clapped each other on the back.

“I hear congratulations are in order!”

A huge grin spread across Link’s face, “So, you heard?”

“Aye, Meredith told me about it last night. I’m chuffed for you both!” When Meredith had rung last night to tell him the news, he could hear the pure joy that was in her voice. That was one of the things that he loved about her, the way she always rooted for the people she cared about unapologetically, how she never let the losses she had faced darken her outlook on life.

“Thanks, man. Honestly, it just all feels like this huge dream, right now.” Link didn’t care how soft it might have made him seem, he had an intelligent, strong woman who just agreed to marry him and a healthy happy baby he got to go home to. There was nothing more that he could have asked for from life.

Walking into the hospital, both men began to talk about the upcoming wedding. Link and Cormac had begun to grow close to over the past year when Cormac had started dating Meredith. He’d found himself down her house more often and ended up getting to know Link a lot better. Link had already told Cormac about his plans to propose and made him promise not to tell Meredith which had been no easy feat. Meredith was able to get a brick wall to tell its secrets if she really wanted it to.

“Actually, I was hoping if you’d be one of my groomsmen.”

Cormac was slightly taken aback at the request. As close as he and Link had gotten, the last thing he expected was for Link to ask him to be part of the wedding. The best he thought was going to happen was that Meredith would bring him along as her plus-one.

“I’d be honoured mate.” Both men grinned at each other.

Cormac hadn’t really known what to expect when he moved to Seattle. He had definitely not been expecting to end up with a girlfriend and friends that he considered he had considered family, who were there for him and his boys. After Abigail had passed, he didn’t think anywhere would feel like home again, but Seattle had welcomed him and his boys with open arms and he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else now.

The two surgeons had headed up to the attendings' lounge and gotten changed out of their street clothes. Various doctors offered their congratulations to Link who gladly accepted them, unable to stop himself from smiling. Looking on, Cormac couldn’t help but give in to the infectious joy that Link was radiating. It made him think about his own future with Meredith.

He hadn’t wanted to fall in love again after what had happened. It was out of the question for him, he had just wanted to focus on his work and his boys. They were the only things that had mattered. The moment he had stepped foot into Grey-Sloan Memorial hospital though, that had completely changed. He’d become curious about who Meredith Grey really was and as he had gotten to know her, he found himself falling for her. And surprisingly for him, he could even see himself proposing to Meredith in the future.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

A month had passed since Link and Amelia had announced their engagement to the rest of the hospital staff and they couldn’t wait to tie the knot. Which was why they decided not to wait too long at all. Neither of them wanted a big wedding so there was no reason to wait over a year to walk down the aisle.

They were more than ready to get planning underway but knew that there were a couple of things that they needed to sort out first which was why Amelia found herself standing across a surgical table to one of her sister’s.

“Why exactly did you want to stand here and watch this surgery?”

“I realised you won your Catherine Fox award for this and I’ve never actually seen you carry out an abdominal wall transplant.”

Meredith looked up from surgery, sceptical eyes scanning Amelia’s face. “Mhm, sure. Suction.”

It took another fifteen minutes before Amelia managed to build up the courage to talk to Meredith again. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the wedding…”

Meredith didn’t look up from the body cavity and she carried on working, waiting for Amelia to continue.

“I was hoping that you would be my maid of honour?”

That had made Meredith look up and stop what she was doing. “Uh, I’m sorry, what?”

“My maid of honour. Most brides usually have them. You know, organising my bachelorette party, coming to my dress fittings, telling me I look beautiful on my wedding day.”

Still in shock at the question, Meredith continued with her surgery.

“It was stupid, I shouldn’t have asked. You’re already busy with the kids and work…” Amelia began to babble

Meredith cut her off, “It’s not that. I mean, are you sure you don’t want Maggie to be your maid of honour? She has that whole peppy, happy thing going on that would probably work for weddings.”

Amelia shook her head, “I love Maggie and she’s still my sister, but I want you to be my maid of honour. Look, I know we haven’t always gotten on and we hated each other for a little but you’ve always been there when I’ve needed you. Always given me the truths that I haven’t wanted to hear. You cared about me Mere, even when you couldn’t stand me. So, there’s no one else that I would want to be my maid of honour.”

The corners of Mere’s eyes creased as she looked up at her sister, her smile hidden under the surgical face mask.

“Then I guess you got yourself a maid of honour then.”

“Oh, uh- I just wanted to ask one more thing!”

A little sceptical, Meredith looked back up quickly, “What?”

“I wanted to know if it was okay with you that I asked Bailey to walk me down the aisle.”

Slightly confused why Amelia needed to ask her about it, she just shrugged. “I mean Bailey’s her own woman; don’t really think you need my permission.” Meredith did think it was a little strange that she wanted Bailey to walk her down the aisle but each to their own.

“No!” Amelia laughed, “Not big Bailey. Little Bailey, as in my nephew.”

“Oh,” well that suddenly made a lot more sense.

“It’s just that I would have loved to have had Derek there to walk me down the aisle,” Amelia felt a lump in her throat. “And I love your kids. I wanted Zola and Ellis to be flower girls and I thought since Derek can’t be there, having his son walk me down the aisle… it would feel right…”

Meredith’s silence started to make Amelia feel nervous. She was worried that she’d made Mere feel uncomfortable or upset but when she finally looked at Meredith instead of her shoes, she saw tears in her eyes, the creases by her eyes from her smile had not disappeared.

“I think that would be perfect.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

The wedding had come around quicker than either the bride or groom had anticipated. They had to somehow squeeze in food tastings and suit fittings between a one-year-old who apparently hated sleeping at night and shifts that left them like passing ships in the night. But even amidst the chaos around them, Link and Amelia knew that there was nothing more that they wanted than to get through the rest of their messy lives as husband and wife.

The guests had begun to take their seats facing the open ocean. Link and Amelia had mainly invited their close friends from the hospital for the ceremony as well as Link’s parents. He’d asked Amelia multiple times if she was sure she didn’t want to have her own family there, but she had told him that Meredith and Maggie were all the family she needed as well as Link and Scout. The last thing she wanted was for the Shepard clan to touch down in Seattle and lecture her and probably Meredith as well. It wasn’t worth the hassle.

Link stood at the end of the aisle, making small talk to the guests that had already taken their seats. He was glad that a beach wedding had meant that he didn’t have to wear a full suit because he was sweating bullets from being so nervous. Instead, he wore pale blue trousers, with a matching waistcoat, white shirt and a floral, slim blue tie. Jo, Nico, Cormac and Jackson stood next to him in the same attire but had all forgone the tie.

“You’ll be alright, mate, just remember to breathe,” Cormac teased after seeing how nervously Link was wringing his hands.

Link let out a shaky laugh and Nico clapped a hand on his back. “Hey, it’ll be fine. I mean, you already have a kid together and if you got through your first year of being parents then this has to be in a walk in the park.”

Nico had a point. Their first year of parenting had been difficult as they tried to find their feet and navigate new waters. There has been arguments and nights on the sofa but neither of them would have wanted to have gone through that journey with anyone else. It had made them both understand each other on a deeper level and that had only helped in strengthening the relationship in the end.

He didn’t need to be nervous. Marrying Amelia was exactly what he wanted, there was no doubt in his mind that she was the only person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

Amelia had been bouncing off of the walls since five that morning and made sure that Meredith and Maggie were awake with her. There was no fear or apprehension in her eyes as the make-up artist and hairstylist arrived at Meredith’s house to get her ready. Meredith knew that unlike Amelia’s wedding with Owen, she didn’t need to give her a get-out clause. There was nowhere Amelia wanted to be more right now than at the end of the aisle with Link.

Slowly walking down, the stairs, Amelia caught the attention of everyone in the living room. Dressed in an A-line, ivory gown, Amelia looked every bit the beach bride with the chiffon dress covered with beading and embroidery on the top and over the straps which dropped into a V. The skirt of her dress was plain allowing the material to speak for itself, gently moving with each step that she took. She wore a set of diamond earrings that Derek had gotten her when she had graduated med school and a simple bracelet that he had gotten her for her 18th birthday. Her short hair was curled with a crystal and leaf halo entwined with her brown locks. In her hands, Amelia held a beautiful bouquet of lavender, Antigua spray roses, Romantic Antike, Rene Goscinny roses, which matched the colour of her bridesmaids’ dresses, as well as gorgeous green foliage. She was positively radiant.

Zola, Bailey and Ellis immediately ran up to their Auntie Amy but stopped short since Mer and Maggie had already told them that she was going to be wearing a very special dress and they needed to be careful around her. Amelia didn’t care though and crouched down with her arms outstretched.

“Come here, you three!”

Without hesitation, the kids ran into her arms and she gave them a tight hug.

“You look beautiful Auntie Amy!” Zola grinned at her aunt when she finally let go.

“Like a princess!” Ellis piped up.

“You’re super pretty today, Auntie Amy but you are every day!” The three women burst out into laughter. Bailey had somehow gotten Derek’s smooth-talking skills

“Thank you, guys, I love you three so much, you know that right?”

The kids all nodded eagerly, huge smiles on their faces. The whole meaning of marriage might not have completely resonated with them at their age, but they understand that this was an important day for both Amelia and Link, and it meant that they loved each other very much and were very happy together and for three kids, that’s all that mattered.

“We love you too!” the three of them said in sync.

Meredith and Maggie stoop up from the couch, their coral, asymmetric wrap dresses, cut into a V was made from the same chiffon material as Amelia wedding dress. Meredith gave Amelia a quick squeeze.

“Derek is so damn proud of you right now.”

The two sisters looked at each other, tears threatening to fall from both of their eyes.

“Don’t you dare!” Meredith threatened her, “The make-up artist spent way too long for you to go and ruin it now and I’m not having you blaming me for crappy wedding photos.”

It was enough to make Amelia laugh. Losing Derek had hit her hard, worse than when she had lost her dad. She’d been too young then and Derek had ended up being that father figure for her. Nothing dulled the ache she felt when she thought about her brother but the relationship that she had forged with Meredith in the years following his death had been the only light that had come from it all.

“Mama!” Scout happily babbled, wriggling around in Maggie’s arm.

Meredith took Amelia’s bouquet of her as she reached for her son. “Hey, their baby boy. Don’t you look handsome today?”

Scout just clapped his hands together, his eyes roaming over Amelia’s face, a look of pure bliss over his own.

Maggie had pulled out some tissues from her clutch bag and began to wipe away her tears. Watching her in her peripheral vision, Meredith couldn’t help but roll her eyes and laugh.

“What? It’s just a really beautiful day,” Maggie sniffed. “And Amelia, you look like an absolute goddess. Link is incredibly lucky to have you as his wife.”

Amelia beamed, “I’m pretty sure I’m the lucky one here.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

It had been a task to get four kids into the wedding cars and make sure that they hadn’t forgotten anything in the house but miraculously, the bridal party weren’t late for the wedding. They were tucked away from the sight of the guests and Link but were able to see everyone from over the railing.

Bailey had a firm grasp on Amelia's hand and looked up at her with a toothy grin. “I’ve got you, Auntie Amy!”

At that moment, seeing the way he smiled and the glint in his eyes, Bailey reminded her exactly of her brother. He even knew the exact right thing to say to her.

“You ready for this?” Maggie asked, holding Scout who was acting as ring bearer for the ceremony.

“Yes, most definitely. Come on, let’s go!”

Maggie laughed at her sister’s eagerness and Scout joined it, his peals of laughter making Amelia’s heart fit to burst. She was once again reminded of how perfect her life and turned out.

Meredith and Maggie ushered the kids into order, giving them quick reminders of what they were meant to do and where they were meant to sit after walking down the aisle. The first few bars of VSQ’s A Sky Full of Stars began to play, Maggie quickly turned around from the front of the line with tears in her eyes and mouthed a good luck to Amelia before giving Scout a quick kiss on the top of his head and began to make her way down the aisle. A huge grin was on her face as she looked around the guests and caught Winston’s eye.

As she got to the end of the aisle, Nico grinned at the little boy and took the rings from the pillow that he was holding.

“Thanks, little man!” He cooed.

Link took his son from Maggie’s arms and gave him a quick cuddle before giving him back to Maggie. Before taking her spot to the left of the aisle Maggie gave Scout to Link’s mum who could not have looked any prouder at that moment.

Seeing that Maggie had gone into place, Meredith turned around and grinned at Amelia. “Hey, I know I don’t say it much, but I love you.”

Before she could turn back around Amelia gave her a grin that matched her own. “Love you too, sis.”

“Let’s get you married then,” Meredith turned around, the coral fabric ripped around her legs and began to walk down the aisle.

She could sense the amount of joy that was radiating around her. Looking straight ahead she grinned at Link who looked just as eager as Amelia had. She could not wait to see his face when Amelia walked down the aisle. The guy was practically bouncing on his feet in anticipation and Mere had to stifle a laugh.

Scanning over the rest of the groom’s party she saw Cormac staring at her intensely, his gaze never once leaving her. Meredith winked at him with a smirk on her face and he couldn’t help but burst out laughing. The guests all turned to look at the source of laughter, wondering what the hell was going on. Mer could see Hayes starting to go red and shot her a scowl.

“Hate you,” he mouthed, and Meredith just rolled her eyes in return as he shook his head.

She gave Link a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before she stood next to Maggie. Watching her little girls walk down had made Meredith hold her breath. She’d been worried about something going wrong, especially since Ellis now seemed to be in a phase where she just about bumped and tripped over anything, including thin air, but the two girls had managed to play their parts perfectly and took their seats next to Bailey and Richard on the bride’s side of the aisle.

“Could everyone please stand for the bride.”

The words were enough to open a cage of butterflies in Link’s stomach. Why did this have to take so long? He would have happily run down the aisle and carry Amelia back to the alter to hurry this up so they could just get married already. He was seriously considering this thought when he saw a flash of white up ahead.

His bride had arrived.

It was almost as if Amelia was gliding down the aisle. She was radiating so much joy and happiness, not a single hesitation in her step. The pair couldn’t tear their eyes away from each other and Link wasn’t even ashamed of the streams of tears that fell down his face.

After what felt like an age, she was finally stood in front of him. Link went to take her hand when Bailey stopped him. He looked down at the little boy who had a very serious look on his face and gestured for him to crouch down which Link did with no question.

“You better not hurt my Auntie Amy because mommy just let me start karate lessons!”

Link bit back a smile and solemnly nodded at him. “I promise, I’m going to love your Aunt Amy forever.”

Bailey thought for a moment before nodding and fist-bumping his Uncle Link. At last, he had Amelia in his arm’s… or at least had her hand in his. The ceremony went by in a blur. An ocean’s worth of tears was shed from everyone that was there as Link and Amelia devoted themselves to each other for the rest of their lives.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

Their afternoon ceremony soon turned into an evening reception on the beach. Drinks flowed freely and Amelia had spent the entire reception in Link’s arms. Richard and Catherine had eventually taken the kids back to their home as it had gotten later, telling the adults to enjoy the rest of the night.

“You ready to get out of here, Dr Shepard-Lincoln?” Link whispered in Amelia’s ear.

She planted a quick kiss on his lips before turning back to their wedding party. “I definitely am but there’s just one last thing!” She wriggled out of Link’s hold, her new husband giving her a curious look as she walked over to the DJ who nodded at her.

“Alright, everyone!” The DJ called down the microphone, turning the music down. “Our bride and groom are going to be leaving but before they leave there’s just one thing left to do. Time for the bouquet throw.”

A gaggle of men and women alike began to make their way to the front of the stage where Amelia stood with her back to them ready to throw her bouquet into the crowd. Meredith watched from an empty table as Maggie rushed over, laughing as her tipsy sister tripped over a chair leg.

The bouquet was finally thrown into the air and the crowd lurched forward. Cormac was still looking down at his phone as he re-joined the reception after just getting off a call with his boys. They’d headed back home, and he had wanted to make sure that they’d gotten there safe. Cormac hadn’t even realised what was going on until something came hurtling towards his face. Out of instinct Hayes went to catch his mysterious object and looked confused when he saw a bunch of flowers in his hands.

“Looks like you and Mer are next, Hayes!” Amelia teased down the microphone so everyone could hear.

Cormac could help but turn bright red before quickly shuffling out of the crown and towards his girlfriend whom he knew was going to tease him endlessly about this.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

Eventually, after what felt like endless goodbyes, Link and Amelia manage to get away from their wedding reception and into the car. Their hand entwined on the console and Amelia could help but stare at her husband’s profile.

“You good there?” Link asked, quickly glancing at her. A look of pure adoration over his face.

“Mhm,” she murmured. “I’m just extremely happy and I don’t want this to end.

“Hey, you don’t need to worry about that. We’ve got forever.”

[scorsiewrites]

Homecoming

—

this is the third chapter of my amelink series. quite long but it’s filled with fluff and a hint of drama at the end. so i hope you enjoy!

—

/ amelia and her family visits LA.

—

Part III

•••••••••••••••

it’s a bright sunday morning. Link and Amelia woke up with the light touching their faces, rays coming in through the window blinds made it look like a spotlight. Amelia’s face looked more radiant than ever.

the stunning view put a huge smile on Link’s face, he slowly places his hand on her cheek and runs it down the side of her neck.

“good morning beautiful.” he says.

Amelia smiled back, closes her eyes and held his hand. “good morning. how’s your sleep?” she replied.

“it’s good, i dreamt about you actually.” Link responded.

She opened her eyes. “oh yeah? what’s the dream about? do i look good in it?” Amelia chuckled. she turns her body away from him and wrapped his arms around her.

Link embraced her from the back “of course you do babe.” he said, planting a kiss on her shoulder.

“well, for starters, we’re in LA. at the beach. you were lying on the sand and i was reading a book. you told me to put sunscreen on you and so i did. seconds later, we were making out. then i woke up.”

“i’d say that’s a perfect way to end a dream. you uh... wanna do it now that you’re awake?” Amelia replied. she rolled over and kissed him passionately like it’s the first time.

link pulled down the straps of Amelia’s night gown revealing her soft pale upper bust.

as they were about to take each other’s clothes off, the baby monitor started making noise, a sign that scout is already wide awake. the couple had no choice but to put the idea to rest.

“ahhh. of course.” Amelia rolled her eyes. “every single time. i’ll get him. gonna make us some breakfast too. talk of the town, Amelia Shepherd makes the best waffles.”

Link finds it cute when she speaks in third person. Amelia winked at him and gets out of bed.

“you do. i can eat it everyday.” Link watches as Amelia walks out of the room. he’s so in love with every inch of her that every move she makes is endearing to him.

Amelia approached the door and turned around. “i love you.” she says.

Link glared at her. “i love you too.”

 “i’m a lucky girl.” Amelia sighed.

 “not as lucky as i am.”

both of them made a pact that they wouldn’t spend a single day without both or one of them telling those three words to the other. as surgeons, they knew that life is too short, that if you have the opportunity to tell someone you love them, you do it. before it’s too late.

•••••••••••••••

“aaahh that smells so good. best waffles ever.” he said, placing his hand on her waist.

Amelia wears this cute white apron that says “i’m a neurosurgeon. okay?” every time she’s cooking. Alex gave it to her as a joke few years ago but she loves it. she says it’s very fitting. her sisters keep making fun of it, asking her if she’s not worried that people might be scared of what they’re gonna eat. but nothing they say can make her give that apron up.

she’s a very sentimental person. Alex became one of her people and keeping that gift is her way of remembering the good times they shared.

—

“hey little man, good morning. wanna go to the beach today?” Link squishes Scout’s cheeks and unfastens the buckle of his high chair straps. Link carried him and placed him on the kitchen counter where Amelia is preparing the plates for their breakfast.

“didn’t know we have beach plans today. did you just think about it this morning?” Amelia asked.

“yeah, can’t stop picturing it. you want to? we can go to Madison Park.” Link responded. “sounds great! i miss that place.” she said with enthusiasm.

“maybe we can make that dream of yours a reality.” Amelia teased him with a smirk.

“i would love that. but we need someone to watch scout.”

“i’ll call the babysitter, she can come with us.”

“great idea.”

•••••••••••••••

carrying Scout with one arm, Link knocks on the bathroom door.

“babe, i’m afraid we might have to cancel Madison Park today, Winston texted me, says it’s too crowded.” Link said with a little disappointment.

Amelia grabs the shower knob and turned it off.

“oh man, i was really looking forward to it.” she said.

“yeah i’m sorry, maybe next time.”

“yeah....” Amelia sighed. “wait-“

“what?” Link said, curious as to what she has in mind.

“i mean... we can visit LA. Charlotte’s been begging me for years. it would be nice to see their faces again.”

“now? but we have work tomorrow.”

“i have Dr. Harvey on-call tomorrow, he can take over my service for a little while, plus the new batch of residents are good so i’m not worried about that. what you think?”

“i can delegate some stuff too. move some of my surgeries under Dr. Randall. okay, you know what, let’s do it. let me make some calls.”

“me too. i’m gonna cancel the babysitting. we should start packing though.”

“i’ll handle mine and Scout’s. you can just pack your things.”

“thanks babe. don’t forget his beeboo. or we’re in so much trouble.” Scout is still on the stage of forming his words properly, he calls his precious brown furry teddy bear, beeboo. he got it as a present from his Uncle Owen during his first birthday. he can’t live without it since.

Amelia gets out of the shower, started fixing her hair and put on some makeup.

—

Amelia and Link sat on their seats. surprisingly, Scout is well-behaved for a kid who’s riding an airplane for the very first time.

“you alright turkey? we’re gonna fly. like Peter Pan. woosh!” Link gestured his hand in a flying motion.

“yaaaa!!” Scout exclaimed.

Amelia gave a sigh of bliss. looking at her beautiful little family.

“may we request everyone sit down. fasten your seatbelts, we are about to take off.” the flight attendant spoke over the microphone.

Amelia and Link held Scout’s hand making sure he feels safe the entire flight.

-

after an hour, Scout fell asleep peacefully. he rests his head on his mommy’s chest.

“gotta be honest, i’m a little scared.” Amelia said.

“what are you scared about?”

“i don’t know, the memories maybe. staying in LA is one of the best days of my life but also the worst. have i told you that they set up an intervention for me in that place? i was too high at that time, i was a mess. a big scary mess.”

“yeah you mentioned the intervention but not every little detail. and i’m not gonna force you to tell me everything if you’re not comfortable. that was all in your past. you’re a better person now.” Link kisses her forehead. he grabbed Amelia’s hand to reassure her. their fingers danced to the beat of their hearts.

“i’ll accept you and your flaws, whatever they may be. that makes you, you. and i love you.” he added.

“don’t know what i’ll do without you, really. my big calm mountain.” Amelia kissed his hand in return. “but i’m also very excited to see everyone. it’s been a long time.”

—

Amelia and her family arrived at Seaside Health and Wellness.

“does anyone know we’re coming?” Link asked.

“i texted Addie, she’s at the hospital for a surgery. she’ll be back at 5.”

“and Charlotte?” Link replied.

“she surprised me. i’m returning a favor.”

—

as they’re about to step foot in the building, they heard a loud bang. people are screaming.

a lady got out of the car, “we need help!! somebody call an ambulance!!” she yelled.

“well, guess you’re the one who got surprised.” Link remarked sarcastically.

they both rushed to the scene. “i’m gonna check on them. call 911.” Link handed Scout to Amelia so he can check the severity of the situation. the little baby started crying so Amelia stepped aside to attend to their son, “honey everything’s okay, but don’t look over there. i don’t want you to see that. mommy’s here, you’re gonna be fine. i got you.”

Amelia calls the line. “hello. i’m Doctor Shepherd. we need an ambulance in front of Seaside Health and Wellness, please. a car ran into a pole right around the corner, multiple injuries.”

“we’re on our way doctor.” the paramedic answered.

“Link, is he responsive? Link!” Amelia worries.

“sir.. sir don’t move. i’m Doctor Lincoln. follow my finger” he puts his index finger in the air and let the man follow his direction. he poked the guy’s arm a little bit, “can you feel that?” the man nods. he responded well.

“he’s responsive... atleast for now. his head is bleeding, i see some glass shards. and his arm is broken, we need to get him to the hospital, fast.” he said.

the paramedics got into the scene after few minutes.

“i have to go with them, Amelia.”

“no, yeah you should. i’ll go straight to the hospital, i just need to leave scout with Violet, i hope she’s there. i need to check on that bleed.”

—

“Amelia!! ohmygod!! hi how are you??” Violet yelled of excitement. she has not seen or heard from her for years.

“i’m good, but there was an accident right out front. my boyfriend Link went with the paramedics. he’s an orthopedic surgeon. and i have to check the guy’s possible hemorrhage. it’s quite bad.” Amelia said all these words in a matter of seconds, she’s clearly in a rush.

“oh and by the way, this is Scout, my son. can you watch him for a minute? please?”

“yeah yeah no, it’s fine. there’s a play pen in the lobby, he’s gonna love it. hi there little guy.” Violet accepted and carried Scout in her arms.

“thank you so much. i’ll catch up with you when i get back, i swear.”

“mommy will be back. okay babe? i love you.” Amelia kissed his cheek before rushing through the elevator.

“thank you Vi!” Amelia waved goodbye.

—

Amelia entered the emergency room and saw Link wearing a trauma gown.

“hey, how’s our patient?” Amelia asked.

“he’s stable. his speech is a little slurred though. i stabilized his arm but he needs surgery. just waiting for the scans.”

“Charlotte gave you privileges? where’s she?”

“the next room. i already told her you’re coming, you have yours now too.”

Amelia grabbed a trauma gown and started checking on her patient.

“we need to get him a head CT. and book an OR please. we don’t know how much shards are in there” Amelia ordered the nurse.

“MVC incoming!”

Amelia stopped for a brief moment before she realized who that person is.

it’s James.

“ohhh no.” Amelia gasped.

she didn’t imagine that the love of her life and James, the guy she almost married, will be in the same room together. ever. this was not in any of her plans. shit.

Amelia tried to run away but James already saw her.

“Amelia?”

she had no choice but to turn around. he saw her, it’s too late. she can’t run now.

“James. hi. umm.. there was an accident, we were visiting and there was... an accident. in front of our eyes. life’s funny that way.” Amelia bursted in fake laughter.

“haven’t seen you since...” James got interrupted when Link entered the room.

“hey babe, let’s go.” Link said, handing Amelia the charts.

“hi, i’m James Peterson. i run the ER. nice to meet you doctor....”

“Lincoln. ortho.”

“oh, well nice to meet you Dr. Lincoln, thank you for your help. appreciate it.”

“ofcourse. pleasure to meet you too Dr. Peterson.”

“Dr. Shepherd.” James nodded and smiled at her. he left the room right away.

—

“must be nice to see familiar faces huh.” Link rubbed Amelia’s shoulder.

“yeah. but.. i expected you to react differently. i’m surprised you weren’t fazed or something.”

“why would i be?”

“it’s James... the one i ran away from. we were engaged.”

“that’s him?”

—

end of Part III.