An Inconvenient Arrangement is a work of fiction. I do not own anything. All characters, pictures, and/or songs that are contained in this work of fiction do not belong to me. Any characters, pictures, and/or songs that resemble those that are in the show Grey's Anatomy or otherwise do not belong to me.Seattle, Washington
Fighting the urge to bite her nails, Meredith looked around nervously as she got out of her car. Her mother, the Great Ellis Grey would have bitten her head off if she saw what a nervous wreck her daughter was but Meredith could care less. There were more important things to worry about at the moment. A thin manila folder tugged neatly under her arm as she turned the corner. The quiet suburb area was very unfamiliar to her. It was way out of her usual traveling route. She had moved to Seattle over 3 years ago and had only been to this neighborhood only a few times.
Finally, she arrived at her destination: Kuppa, a tiny coffee shop. Meredith took several deep breaths as she rechecked the name of the establishment just to make sure she came to the right place. She frowned a little as she noticed her own slightly dishevel appearance in the shop window. In the last attempt to look at least decent, Meredith ran her hands over her blouse trying to straighten it and tucked the strands of hair behind her ear. This must have been the strangest job interview ever, not just for her but for anyone else for that matter. But she was needy she couldn't afford to be choosy. Meredith glanced at her watch for the last time before making her way inside. It was 04:03 p.m. She was only 3 minutes late, unacceptable in her mother's book but she could care less.
At this time of the day, the coffee shop was almost empty, except for the man at the far end of the room. Meredith couldn't really tell from here what he looked like. His face was buried deep in the magazine he was reading. But she was sure this was the man she had talked to on the phone. He was the only one in the shop. He had to be it.
The waiter gave her a brief friendly nod before going back to doing whatever he had been doing behind the counter. Glancing at her own reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall, Meredith, again, nervously tucked her hair behind her ear trying to tame her soft sandy blond curl so it would look less of a mess. Except the sheer pink lip gloss she was wearing, her face was void of make-up. She hadn't thought she had looked that bad when she had left her apartment, but now as she saw her own reflection she wasn't so sure. But it was too late to do anything about it.
"You're late," the man finally put the magazine down. Sounded annoyed like he couldn't be bothered as he glanced at his watch.
Meredith thought her heart was beating so loud she was afraid he would hear. His voice alone intimidated her, "I apologize. This neighborhood… I'm not familiar—"
"Have a seat," basically ordering her to sit down, he didn't even bother to stand up. Instead, he leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms as he openly gave her a once over.
Meredith almost forgot to breathe as the sheer intensity of his blue eyes penetrated into her green ones. Something in his eyes made her look away. It gave her the strangest kind of goose bumps—the kind that made her forget to breathe and made her heart beat faster. It was as if he could see into her soul.
He chuckled a little at her reaction. Meredith could have sworn the man could read her mind. He didn't even bother with the formality of introducing himself. "How old are you? Over 21, I hope." He said disapprovingly as he reached for the manila folder.
He was very intimidating and the fact that Meredith was nervous didn't help the situation at all. "Um, I'm… I thought I would just—"
The man didn't even let her finish. He cut in, "I clearly stated in the ad that you need to be at least 35 years old, and you told me you met all my qualifications."
"But I just— I thought— I…" She really didn't know what to say except she really needed the job.
He opened the folder and started flipping through it nonchalantly. Pulling out her resume, he read, "Meredith Ann Grey…"
Meredith quietly studied the man as he read her resume in silence. He looked to be in his late 30s or early 40s, she couldn't be sure. Traces of lines around his eyes made him look tired. His dark raven curls looked silky to the touch as he ran his hand through it. There were several gray stands here and there but she thought the gray suited him. His five o'clock shadow was apparent. The man looked tired, tired but good looking nonetheless, she concluded.
"Last year med student… Hmm…" He muttered before he finally put her resume down, "This is a waste of time. I can't use you. You're way too young."
He pushed the folder back toward her and looked up, ready for her to get up and leave. Meredith stared back at him in disbelief. How could he turn he down just like that, "Oh, no… No, I'm not. I mean, 25 is not young. I can— I mean, I am capable of— I… What I mean is— I, um, I'm almost 26 and I can be your wife just fine. I'm sure."
He chuckled at her reply. His eyes sparkled with amusement, "and what do you think being my wife would entail?"
"Um…." Meredith wrecked her brain trying to come up with something smart and witty but the penetrating stare she was receiving from him made it hard for her to concentrate but something about his smirk started to annoy her a little, "I don't know. I mean you don't want a real wife, do you? You said you wanted someone to pose as your wife. I mean, I can pretend to be your wife. I need the money—if you're paying as much as you said you would. But you didn't say much in the ad…"
"And yet you called and came to see me." He muttered. "What is making you so desperate for this job, Meredith Ann Grey?"
"You put the ad in a newspaper! Who's more desperate here?!" She began to sound a little defensive, but he was getting on her nerve. Meredith started to doubt if this was worth her time at all. "And stop calling me Meredith Ann Grey. Just Meredith is fine."
The man chuckled at her words. His eyes sparkled with amusement, "You got me there, Just Meredith. I could be just as desperate as you are, could I?"
She couldn't trust herself to reply to that. Yes, she was desperate but her reason for such desperation was understandable. Her life was like a page out of some Harlequin Romance. Who would have believed such things would happen to her or anybody or that matter? But she needed to finish her med school so she could go on to become the doctor she had always wanted to be. At least she would be able to earn some money when she became an intern somewhere… somehow… She just needed to finish her school first. That was her immediate goal and to be able to do that, she needed this job, however ridiculous this might be. "I really need the money."
"Why?" His voice was calm and collected as he studied her, watching her every move.
"I… I need the money. I need to finish school." She hesitated. Meredith wanted to say more but something held her back. She barely knew this guy. She didn't feel comfortable telling him all the gory details about the mess that was her life.
"So how have you been paying for school before now?" His question was within reason. She would have wondered the same if she were him.
"I— Um, my mother— She's…" Meredith inhaled deeply trying to decide what and how much she should reveal without making herself sound pathetic, "My mother, she's always— but now— so it's— and I can't—"
He chuckled a little at her words, "Would you care to translate what you've just said into normal human language?"
Meredith took another deep breath trying to calm herself and collect her thoughts, "My mother— She's ill."
She couldn't say more beyond that without risking bursting into tears and looking ever so pathetic in front of him so she stopped. But there must be something she said—or didn't say—because his eyes softened and his expression was less severe. He continued to stare at her without saying a word for a long time. She felt extremely uncomfortable under his stare but decided not to say anything.
Finally, he spoke. His voice was soft and less intimidating. His expression, however, was hard to read, "We will be legally married. You will be using my name. You will need to move in with me, fulltime—"
And when he noticed the panic in her eyes he added, "You will have your own room, of course. But no one is to know of this arrangement. And when I say no one, I mean no one. Not even your boyfriend—that is, if you have one. You are going to get rid of him. He will know nothing of this. For all he knows, we met and fell in love and got married."
And when she remained quiet, he added, "While we are married, you will be going to all the business and family functions I am required to attend. And when the time is up, we will get divorced and be rid of each other forever. No one will know of our arrangement. Do you think you can handle that?"
"Yes! Of course!" She nodded her head profusely when in reality she wasn't sure if she could handle this. "I can do it."
Not fully convinced, he chuckled at her eagerness. "We'll see."
"I don't even know your name." She mumbled the first thing that came to her mind.
"Derek Shepherd. Doctor Derek Shepherd."
The interview with Meredith Grey took a lot longer than he had anticipated, not to mention several minutes lost in trying to find his way through the unfamiliar city, now he was late for the meeting. Derek got out of his rental car and made his way toward the tall white building in front of him as fast as he could. He hated being late for meetings. In fact, he hated being late for anything. It made him look unprofessional. He was one of the best neurosurgeons in the country. Harvard Medical Journal named him the most sought-after neurosurgeon of the century and the New York Times agreed. He had to live up to that name. He had to be professional and perfect and now he was a couple of minutes late and it was all Meredith Grey's fault.
Derek was beginning to think this whole thing with placing an ad in a newspaper looking for a wife wasn't such a good idea. So far, he had talked to 5 different girls and none of them seemed to qualify. They were either too young or too stupid. He didn't know if his decision to hire that Meredith girl was purely because he was too tired to conduct anymore interview or what but it had already been done. Phil Clayton, his attorney, was drawing up the contract for them at this very moment. He wanted it to be iron clad in case she had second thought. He didn't want to have to go look for a wife again. It would be too much of a hassle.
Besides the interview with that Meredith girl, the main reason Derek flew out to Seattle was to see Richard Webber, Seattle Grace's Chief of Surgery, a.k.a. his potential new boss. If all went well today, he would start working here by Thanksgiving. Derek still remember the phone call he had made last week to Webber and how excited and surprised the old man had sounded when he had expressed his wish to move to Seattle and work there.
Both men had known each other forever. Webber had been his resident and mentor when Derek had been an intern at Johns Hopkins. It was never a secret that Webber wanted Derek to join his staff at Seattle Grace. But as time progressed and Derek's name became too big for Seattle Grace, Webber stopped pushing. So one could only imagine Webber's skepticism and surprise when Derek had called him up and expressed his wish to move here and work under him.
"Ah…" Richard Webber let out a sigh as soon as Derek pushed the sighed contract back in front of him. The older man's face brightened into a smile, "Now I'm happy."
"What?" Derek chuckled, "Were you afraid I would change my mind?"
"Can you really blame me?" The older man grinned. "You're one of the best, Derek. It's only natural I had my doubt when you said you wanted to work here—not that Seattle Grace is not a reputable place to work at or anything."
"Well, I don't joke about things like this, Dr. Webber." Derek leaned back into his seat. The contract had been signed. He couldn't go back on it now. By Thanksgiving, he would be working here as Seattle Grace's Head of Neurology.
"Now that we have you, is it safe to ask why?"
"Why what?" Derek arched his brows. He knew exactly what the older man was asking.
"Why Seattle Grace of all the places? It's quite a change. You have to admit, Derek. We're going to be paying you two millions a year and that's a lot for us, but I'm sure you've been making a lot more than that on your own."
The sincerity in Webber's voice required an honest answer, which Derek could not completely give. There were many things he didn't want to reveal, a lot of things he didn't want to admit, and a lot more things he had no answers to at this point, "I need a change, Chief. I just feel… burned out, I guess. I think I have it all a little too much too soon."
Webber nodded. Not that he completely understood what Derek was talking about. Something in the younger man's eyes made him stop pressing, however. There was a sense of sadness and loneliness to it that made him feel like he was intruding. So Webber changed the topic. "So, fifteenth of November, it is."
"Yes," Derek nodded, glad that the older man changed the topic. "I'll need to sell my practice there and move my stuff out here."
And with that, Derek got up, and so did the older man, "Well, then, I'll have my secretary walk you down to HR."
Derek nodded as he reached to shake Webber's hand, "Yes, thank you. I'll see you in eight weeks then."
Derek walked back to his rental car in a state of haze. Things felt a little surreal at the moment. He had just gotten himself a job in a city as far away from Manhattan as he possibly could without having to leave the country. Not only that, he also got himself a wife—pending the signing of contracts and such, of course. With any luck, his attorney would have everything drawn up by tomorrow. Then that Meredith girl could sign the contract and the prenup and whatever papers that were necessary and they could charter a plane and fly out to Las Vegas the day after. With any luck, when he flew back to New York, he wouldn't be going back there alone. He would have a wife.
"Yes, I'll have the money by next week. I promise." Meredith finally hung up her cellphone before making her way into the Emerald's bar, one of her current places of employment. She hoped she sounded convincing enough and the lady from the school's financial aid office would stop calling her.
Things hadn't been good for a very long time but it hadn't been this bad either. She was a TA at school, a pizza delivery person at Zeeks, a bartender at Joe's bar, and a receptionist at her boyfriend Finn's vet clinic near her mother's house where she lived. She had been a lot of things these past few months holding several jobs at a time she barely had time to go to school, and the money still wasn't enough. Apparently, going to med school required a lot of money. If she didn't have the money to pay for tuition by next week she would be in big trouble. Joe, her boss at the bar, had offered to help but even Meredith knew he didn't have that kind of money to spare. And Finn… Finn had that kind of money and he had offered. But Meredith didn't want his money. She didn't want to owe anyone that much even if that someone was her boyfriend.
And because it wasn't just the tuition, pretty soon she would be required to pay for her mother's care at Roseridge too. If only her mother were lucid long enough to sign over the power of attorney, none of this would have been a problem. Meredith wasn't poor by any account. It's just that everything—including the things she had inherited from her late father—was under her mother's name. In her mother's eyes, Meredith was an irresponsible slob who could not handle any money matter on her own.
It hadn't been a problem at the time. Meredith had always been an avoider. She had been avoiding any confrontation with her mother since forever and if giving her mother the absolute power over her money and what not would get her mother to leave her alone, so be it. But now, things were different and Ellis Grey was in no condition to take care of anybody's money or otherwise.
Meredith had chosen University of Washington for med school for a reason. At the time, her mother had been the Chief of Surgery at Johns Hopkins. Being out here in Seattle would get her as far away from her mother as she possibly could without having to leave the country. Her mother had agreed to this only because Meredith had given her an ultimatum: either U-Dub for med school or no med school at all.
And things had been working just fine between them until the day she got a phone call from Roseridge, a nursing home here in Seattle. Apparently, her mother had checked herself in after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer, and things had rapidly gone downhill from there.
"What are you doing here? It's your night off." Joe, the friendly neighborhood bartender and the owner of the bar, gave her a sympathetic smile the minute Meredith walked in. It was only 7 p.m. and there weren't many people there. Joe quickly yelled to the busboy asking him to get his favorite bartender a bowl of soup and some crackers. From the look of it, Meredith could use several bowls of soup but Joe decided it was better not to say anything. He knew she had money problem and was probably here so he could feed her.
Meredith gave him a weak smile as she walked up to the bar and pulled up a stool. She felt bad and a little embarrassed for having to come here for the food, "Thanks, Joe."
"Don't even mention it." Joe winked.
"So, how is that lawyer thing coming along?" Joe asked the minute he placed the soup in front of her. He knew she had been talking to her mother's lawyer Mr. Bates.
Meredith gave him a weak smile, "well, it's coming, I guess. He said there were a lot of technicalities to go through. Apparently, my mom had signed a lot of stuff and he needed some time to figure everything out."
Personally, Meredith thought it was hopeless where her mom's attorney was concerned. She knew the old man had her interest at heart, but the way things were looking didn't give her much to hope for right now. What—or rather, who—was giving her hope, however, was Derek Shepherd, her most recent employer. Dr. Shepherd had said he would call her as soon as he had the contract drawn up. Meredith hoped it would be soon, like, tonight or tomorrow kind of soon. She really needed the money. May be she could ask him for some advance. She just hoped he wouldn't see her as being too greedy. She was a little afraid of him. There was something about him that made her feel things, strange things, and that scared her. But she was desperate. Scared or not, she would have to bite the bullet and ask him for some advance.
"I never thought Seattle would be this small." A familiar voice came from the side just as Meredith was about to finish her soup.
"Huh— Oh, Dr. Shepherd!" She sounded more excited than she thought she should. She could have sworn she saw his lips curled up into a smile as he pulled up a stool and took a seat next to her.
"I don't think you should call me Dr. Shepherd in public." He muttered quietly as the bartender approached, reminded her of their secrecy.
"Oh, Der— Derek…" his name felt foreign on her lips.
"Much better." He nodded his approval before turning to Joe and place his order, "I'll have a double single-malt scotch."
"You said not to call you that in public. Does that mean I should call you that when we're alone?" She could have kicked herself in the butt for saying that but it was too late.
His face softened a little at her words, "whatever floats your boat, Meredith Ann Grey."
"So…" eager to change the subject as much as to inquire about one important matter, Meredith decided to go straight to the point, "I know we've just met and agreed on stuff this morning and everything, and I haven't even signed the contract, but I'm wondering if—"
The bar was getting a little noisy by then and it was a little harder to carry any decent conversation over the noise. The minute Derek leaned closer to her to catch her words, Meredith forgot what she was about to say. He arched his brows slightly and smirked at the blank look on her face, "Yes? You were saying?"
"Huh?" She just couldn't think straight. He smelled like soap and fresh linen and coffee—a strange combination that apparently made her feel funny in her stomach. It could be because of Joe's soup or because her employee was standing too close to her. She couldn't be sure.
"You said you were wondering…" The corner of his mouth curled up into a faint smile as he tried to help her along. His face was inches away from hers. The blue of his eyes burned into her green ones as he stared down at her.
It was like she was being hypnotized, Meredith murmured. "Yea… I was wondering that, um… I was wondering—"
"Here you go." Joe's voice interrupted them as he placed Derek's drink in front of them. He looked back and forth between the two. Sensing something, Joe asked protectively, "Are you all right, Meredith? Another bowl of soup, perhaps?"
"Oh, no, thank you, Joe. I'm fine." But she wasn't fine. Her employee had his hand around her. He was gently stroking her back as she forced a smile on her face. She wasn't fine at all.
"Meri?" Joe was confused. The new guy looked way too friendly with Meredith. Not that she looked like she wanted to push him away or anything. On a contrary, she looked like she actually liked the guy, but something about it was off. She looked like she was about to cry and Joe was a little concerned and so he asked her again, "Meri?"
Meredith knew she had to say something before all hell broke loose. Her employee was having his arm around her like it was the most natural thing in the world and here she was freaking out about it. "Oh, Joe, this is Doct— I mean, this is Derek. He's— He's, um… He's my—"
"Boyfriend." Derek finished the sentence for her as he reached over and shook Joe's hand. "Dr. Derek Shepherd, nice to meet you."
Joe nodded, his mouth hung open in total shock as he shook Derek's hand. Meredith could see the little wheel turn in Joe's head. She knew he would ask her what happened to Finn the minute he got her alone and she wouldn't know what to tell him. She hadn't even broken up with Finn.
Oh shit, she needed to break up with Finn.
9:30 p.m.
In front of the Emerald's Bar
"Where's your car?" His hand was on the small of her back leading her out of the bar, but it didn't really freak Meredith out. She was a little tipsy, actually, and she kinda liked it that he had his hand on her back. Derek looked around the parking lot for her car when he realized she didn't have one and was about to walk off on an opposite direction. It wasn't that late but they were more than ready to call it a night. It had been a long day for both of them.
"Oh, my house is just around the corner. Well, technically it's not really my house. It's more like my mother's house, but, yea, I live there and I pay her rent, and I walked here so it's only logical that I walk home. I mean, my car is at home, I mean, it's not really my home, yunno. It's my mother's. Can you believe she made me pay— Well, anyway, I live really close by. I'm just gonna walk home." She explained, reluctant to leave. She hadn't asked him about an advance. She hadn't worked up the courage to.
"How close? Where do you live?" He wasn't convinced. Derek eyed her suspiciously. She could have sworn she saw him smiled but she couldn't be sure. After that fifth shot of tequila, things had gotten a little blurry.
"Really. I live just a couple of blocks away." She insisted.
"C'mon, I'm driving you home." He casually grabbed her hand and guided her toward his car and was a little surprised when she didn't resist.
"Ur, thanks," she let him lead her to his car, "Um… listen. I'm…"
He unlocked the door and they both quickly climbed in. Instead of starting the engine, he turned to the side and waited for her to talk, "Yes?"
She held her breath, "Um, I know this is, um… I mean—"
"If there's anything you want to tell me, do it now. I'm tired. I would like to go back to my hotel." Derek let out a sigh. He sounded tired when he spoke. But when he saw the uncertainty in her eyes, his voice softened. He added, "Please?"
Thank goodness it was dark in his car and she couldn't really see the intensity of his stare on her. Meredith nodded and began, "I know I haven't signed the contract or anything and technically you're not my boss yet, but…"
She sounded worried and nervous. What he did next surprised even himself, Derek reached for her hand and held it firmly in his, "Yes?"
Taken aback by his action, she seemed to forget what she was about to say for a moment. But Meredith soon got a hold of herself. "May be I should have waited except I can't. You know. I mean, it's not really your problem and you shouldn't have to—"
Trying to collect herself, Meredith sighed again for the hundredth time, "Well, you see, there's a tuition matter and the mommy matter, the lawyer matter and the rent matter."
Meredith paused, "I know, I know, I know. Bear with me here… Well, okay, the lady from financial aid office was very persistent and rude and she wouldn't stop calling. And then there's this rent that I'm several months behind. I mean, it's my mother's house and you would think I get to live there for free, right? Well, guess what. She had me signed a contract and I have to pay her rent and I'm going to be kicked out of her house soon because that stupid lawyer of hers has also been ordered to kick me out if I don't pay my rent. She even had him sign a contract to that effect. Seriously! And now… now that all this is happening and she can't do anything about it cuz she can't remember a goddamn thing at the moment. Hell, she couldn't even remember me most of the times these days…" Meredith paused as soon as she realized he was staring at her with a slight grin on his face.
"Are you getting this?" She paused to ask, seeing that he might be a little confused.
"Go on. Go on." His face was hard to read.
"Okay, where was I? Oh, yes, and soon I'll have to pay for her care at Roseridge. I mean, she didn't even have the decency to tell me anything. Roseridge called me. She should have called me as soon as she had been diagnosed with the thing, yunno. But, nooooo, she didn't even call me. Well, she probably couldn't remember me by then, but… How the hell could she think she could still take care of herself? Didn't she know anything about Alzheimer? Seriously? Seriously!"
It was like Meredith was lost in her own thoughts. She didn't even notice the strange look on the man sitting next to her as she went on, "Then soon I'll be homeless and school-less which wouldn't really matter because I'll be living in a shelter and begging for food at street corners," biting on her lower lips, she stopped, finally noticing the faint grin on his face.
"Dramatic much?" His voice was laced with humor. Meredith couldn't understand how he could find the disaster that was her life so funny.
Something about it made her want to swat his arm but she knew better, instead, all she did was pull her hand back, "anyway, my point is, um… My point— My point is that, um, canIgetanadvance?"
All he did was arching his brow. It was like he was waiting for her to repeat whatever she had just said to him again. Meredith let out a sigh and tried, "I know I can get my hand on the money. My mom's attorney said so. He's working on it just as we speak. What I don't have is time. The tuition is due forever ago and I'm behind on the rent—yea, I know, it's my mom's house, but… Anyway, there, I said it."
"You said it." Arching his brows, he murmured, all the while appearing to be in deep thoughts.
"This is seriously embarrassing on so many levels," Meredith murmured to herself as he continued to stare at her without saying a word. She knew he was thinking but she couldn't tell what he was thinking about. And the amount of tequila in her system made it even harder for her to think. It was making her nervous.
Finally, Derek started the engine and put the car into drive, "Tell me where you live."
So she nodded and started pointing him toward the direction of her house. He followed her instruction, "We'll go to your house and when we get there you're going to tell me all about your problems again, starting with your mother and what the hell is wrong with her…"
He paused to stress, "…and this time I want you to tell me in plain human language."
Meredith was getting very uncomfortable by the minutes. Derek had been staring at her without saying a word. He looked surprised by all the things she had told him. She had told him about her mother's illness and how the attorney had been taking his time working things out so she could get her hand on the money. She had told him about her school and how she had really needed to pay for her tuition. She had told him about the ridiculousness of having to pay her mother in order to live in this house and that, by law, she would be evicted soon if she didn't have the money to pay the rent.
"You should get rid of your mother's lawyer. That's what you should do." Finally, Derek muttered before pulling out his cellphone, "Give me your mother's attorney's contact information."
"What?" She didn't know what he was planning to do but it looked like he had a plan and he looked generally annoyed.
"The guy is useless. Give me the lawyer's phone number and the info of the contact person at your school's financial aid office. Give me all those details. Now." He sounded authoritative as he pushed a piece of paper in front of her and ordered her to write them all down.
"Oh, okay." She wasn't sure what he was going to do but decided it was best not to question him. So she pulled out her cellphone to look for the numbers and wrote down all the information he had asked for.
While she was writing down the information, Derek made a call of his own. It looked like the person on the other end of the line picked up on first ring.
Derek snatched the piece of paper from Meredith's hand and walked off into another room.
"Phil, hi! I'm sorry to call so late. I need you to do something for me. Yes, first thing tomorrow…"