Okay I wanted to take the time and thank everyone for the wonderful reviews. It makes it nice to know that my story is liked so far. Also this chapter goes into a little detail about Mark's and Meredith's past. Please read and REVIEW. Like I said I love reading the reviews. Also I have made the names of the chapters are songs.
Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy.
Addison made up the bed in the guest room. She was glad that her sister was finally coming home. She kept thinking about the last time she went to New York and the bruises she had seen on her sister's back. It was terrifying that someone could do that to another person. Meredith was smart and she never understood what kept her in that house.
"So what time will she be here?" Derek walked into the guest room.
"She called an hour ago. She was almost here." Addison put the pillows on the bed.
"When are parents died I promised to protect her." Addison sat down on the bed. She couldn't help feeling like she let Meredith down.
"Addison she knows that you will protect her. That's why she left him. That's why she's coming home." Derek wrapped his arms around his wife.
"I should have made her come home with me. Why did I leave her there?" she shouldn't have left her there. What kind of sister was she.
"Stop beating yourself up over this." Derek didn't like seeing Addison so torn.
"I'm trying. I am glad that she finally left him." Addison wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Did you talk to Webber?" Derek asked.
"Yeah he wants her back. Said that she would make a great addition to the hospital." Addison picked up the dirty sheets from the floor.
"That's good. I told Mark that she was coming home. He's coming over for dinner. Said that he wanted to see her. You know that he loves her." Derek knew that his brother loved Meredith.
"He should have stopped her from leaving. All she wanted was for him to admit to his feelings. If he would have she wouldn't have met Allan." Addison would never forgive Mark for letting her sister walk away. She had warned him to not hurt her.
"You can't blame Mark. You warned Meredith to stay away from him. She didn't listen and fell in love. He's afraid of commitment." Derek and Mark may be brothers but they were nothing alike.
"Did you tell him about Allan? How he treated Meredith?" she asked.
"No I didn't think it was my place. I just told him that they broke up." Derek figured Meredith could tell him whatever she wanted to.
Addison walked downstairs. She started cleaning up the living room. Derek followed her into the living room.
"Addison stop cleaning. You only clean when your nervous." Derek sat down on the couch.
"I want everything to be perfect. I don't want her to go back. I want her to like it here." she wiped off the fireplace.
"So it has to be clean for her to like it here? You don't need to impress her with a clean house, we are talking about Meredith. Come on Addy lets relax it's our day off." he said coaxing her to sit down.
"I want you to make Mark stay away from her. She doesn't need the drama." Addison wanted to protect Meredith.
"I will talk to him. Now will you please sit down." he wanted to take his wife upstairs.
"I'm almost done and then I will relax." she said walking past him.
Derek used the opportunity to pull her down on the couch. He started tickling her. "Derek please stop" she said between laughs.
"Not until you promise to stop cleaning." he continued tickling her.
"Okay, Okay I'll stop" she laughed.
Derek stopped tickling her. Though he didn't let her go. Instead he started running kisses down her neck. "Derek come on. I need to start dinner." she laughed. She tried to fight the urge to let him continue. She quickly pulled herself off of the couch.
Mark walked into their house. "Anyone home" he yelled as he shut the door.
"In the living room" Addison rolled her eyes. She looked at Derek "Talk to him. He can be her friend nothing more. Please talk to him." she said.
"So, Addy where's Meredith?" he smiled.
"She's not here yet. I have to start dinner." she walked out of the living room. She stopped for a second to give Derek the look.
Derek looked at Addison. He knew the look that she was giving him. He shook his head to let her know that he would talk to him.
"What's up with her?" Mark could tell that she was acting strange.
"She wants you and Meredith to remain friends and nothing else. Meredith isn't the woman that you remember. She's been broken on too many times. Give her the space that she needs to heal." Derek said.
"Addison still blames me for her sister leaving. Now she doesn't trust me with her." he said.
"Mark this has nothing to do with you. Just please keep your distance." Derek knew he would have to tell his brother about Allan.
"You know I never wanted her to leave. I just wasn't ready for a commitment. " he cared about Meredith. He always hoped she would come home.
Addison carried two beers into the living room. She hoped that Derek talked to Mark. She handed them a beer.
"Thanks Addy. I promise to leave Meredith alone." he said.
"Thanks Mark. She's been through a lot. I just want to help her get her life together." she sat down on the couch.
Addison jumped up when she heard the soft knock on the door.
She ran over and opened the door.
Meredith smiled at Addison. "Thanks for letting me come here." she said as Addison pulled her into the house.
"Meredith you are always welcomed here." she took the bags from Meredith.
"Come on Derek and Mark are in the living room." she said.
Meredith wasn't feeling up for company. She wanted to be alone. She was tired and scared. A feeling she wished would go away.
Derek and Mark stood up when they walked into the living room.
Derek looked at Meredith. He felt a stab to his heart when he saw the bruises on Meredith's face.
Mark noticed the bruise on her face as well. "What happened to your face?" he asked walking over to her. He gently rubbed her cheek.
Meredith flinched at his touch. She quickly pulled away. "I hit it on the..." she realized she didn't have an answer.
Mark knew something was wrong when she pulled away. He walked over and sat down on the couch. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone named Allan had done that to her face. He looked down at the ground. He felt the anger rush up inside of him.
Derek knew that Mark was placing the puzzle together. He could tell by the expression on his face.
"If you guys don't mind I was going to take a nap." she said.
"Of course. We will have dinner in a couple hours. I will wake you up." Addison said as Meredith walked upstairs.
Mark waited until he heard the bedroom door close. "Allan did that to her." he asked.
"Mark you have to let it go. She left him and she doesn't want to talk about it." Addison didn't want Meredith upset.
"She flinched when I touched her. I will kill him for hurting her." he yelled.
"Keep your voice down." Addison looked up the stairs.
"Calm down Mark. We will take care of Allan soon enough." Derek said.
"How long has it been going on?" Mark asked.
"They were together for two years. From what she has told me almost the whole time." Addison shook her head.
Mark sat down on the couch. If only he had stopped Meredith from leaving five years ago. If only he had told her how he felt. Instead he had told her that he wasn't ready. She had left without looking back.. He couldn't help but think about the day she left.
Five years earlier
"I don't understand why you have to leave." Mark watched as she packed her bags.
"I told you. I want more than what you are offering. I want it all. I deserve it." she cried.
Mark didn't want her to leave. He loved her but he wasn't ready to tell her that.
"Please tell me what I can say to make you stay." he asked.
"Tell me that you love me. Tell me something Mark. You expect me to hang on. Then tell me something worth hanging onto." she wiped the tears that fell from her eyes. She was in love with him.
"Why can't we just continue what we have. Why try to fix something thats not even broken?" he asked.
"It's okay that you don't love me Mark. But don't ask me to stay. Let me go and find someone who will love me." she picked up her suitcase and headed for the door.
Mark walked out by the door.
Meredith looked at him. She wanted him to stop her. To tell her that he loved her as much as she loved him. She opened the door.
Mark didn't want her to leave. He closed the door. "Meredith.." he didn't know what to say.
"Yes" she looked at him.
Mark fought to say the words that he felt. He couldn't get them to leave his mouth.
"That's what I thought. Goodbye Mark" Meredith walked out of his apartment and out of his life.
Mark stood outside. If only he had stopped her from leaving. It killed him that she flinched when he touched her. He would kill Allan for causing her such pain.
Derek walked outside to check on his brother. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Why did I let her leave. I drove her away and into the arms of a social path." he felt ashamed.
"It's not your fault." he said.
"All she wanted was for me to admit to my feelings. Why couldn't we just stay the way we were. I spent every minute with her. She was all that mattered." he cursed himself for being a coward.
"You have to let it go Mark." Derek hated to see Mark this way.
Mark looked out at the land that surrounded them. He still remembered the day that he met her. She was so young and innocent. Addison had warned him to stay away from her. He tried so hard but there was something about her. Different from all of the other women that he met.
Addison came outside "Dinner is almost ready. Derek will you go and tell Meredith" she asked.
"No let me go get her." Mark was inside before anyone could stop him.
He walked into her room. She had the blankets pulled up over her. He walked over and looked down at her. She looked so broken. Clearly not the woman that had left him five years ago. He reached down and touched her arm "Meredith" he whispered.
Meredith jumped when she felt the hand on her arm. This couldn't be happening she thought. How did he get here. She sat up and was relieved to see that it was only Mark. "Oh it's you." she pulled the fallen hair from her eyes.
Mark noticed the fear in her eyes. He sat down next to her. "I am sorry" he said.
Meredith looked at him. She realized that he knew about Allan. She didn't need his pity. This man broke her long before Allan ever laid a finger on her. "It's not your fault" she climbed out of bed.
Meredith stared out the window. She wished that when she turned around Mark would be gone. She couldn't deal with him right now. She just wanted to be alone.
Mark stood behind her. "What can I do to help?" he wanted to help her.
"There's nothing you can do. Besides I'm fine." she lied. She wasn't fine she was scared. Afraid that Allan would find her. Though she wasn't exactly hiding. She felt safe with Addison and Derek. She wanted to believe that they could protect her.
"Your not fine. Please Meredith talk to me" he begged.
"There's nothing to talk about. Allan used me as his personal punching bag. I tried to be perfect. Nothing that I did was ever good enough. End of story" she cried.
Mark watched as the tears fell from her eyes. He couldn't take seeing the pain in her eyes. He pulled her into his arms. It felt so right to hold her in his arms.
Meredith pulled away. "Please leave me alone. Please Mark this need that you have to help me. It's not helping." she couldn't stand that she still felt a connection to the man that had broke her heart.
Meredith walked over to the door. "Let's go eat." she said as she opened the door.
Mark followed her down the stairs. He wouldn't let her push him away. He was there for her whether she wanted him to be or not.
Meredith walked outside after dinner. She welcomed the fresh air. She sat down on the porch. Mark sat down next to her. He wanted to talk to her. There was so much that needed to be said."Mark listen I know you think this is your fault. That somehow you let me down. You have to let that
go it has nothing to do with you." she didn't want to bring up the past. She was tired of living in the past. After she left Seattle she kept thinking that Mark would come for her. Everyday she waited for the call that never came. She eventually gave up and moved on.
"I never stopped caring for you Meredith. I wish that I stopped you from leaving. That man would have never had the chance to hurt you." he said.
"I told you Mark. This has nothing to do with you. I do not want your pity. Just leave me alone." she stood up and started walking through the yard.
Mark followed her. "Meredith please talk to me" he begged.
Meredith turned around "Why fix something that's not broken" she knew that the words would go straight to his heart. She didn't care she just wanted to be alone.
Mark knew those words. He had said those exact words to her the day she left. He stopped following her and let her walk away. He walked back inside. He couldn't stay here he grabbed his coat.
"Are you leaving?" Derek asked.
"Yeah I need to get out of here.." he knew he would find someone to take home. Anything to keep his thoughts from her.
"Give her some time Mark. She's not the Meredith you remember. I'll see you at work tomorrow." Derek said.
Mark nodded before he left.